"Patient 208" is a 38-year-old woman who works for the Truong Sinh Company, the food and logistic services provider to the Bach Mai Hospital that has been implicated as an outbreak hotspot. "Patient 209," 55, resides in Duc Giang Commune, Long Bien District, Hanoi. She works as a cook at Petrolimex Hanoi Co., Ltd in Duc Giang. Between March 18 and 24, she had come into close contact with "Patient 163" at the companys canteen. "Patient 163" is a 43-year-old Vietnamese woman who is the granddaughter of "Patient 161" and lives in Hanois Long Bien District. She was a caretaker for her grandmother at the Bach Mai Hospital. So far, the 209th patient's husband, two sons, her mother and a housemaid are in quarantine. Wednesday mornings additions raise the number of cases associated with the Bach Mai Hospital, now the nations largest infection hotspot, to at least 36; 24 of them are employees of the Truong Sinh Company. The remaining three new cases are all Vietnamese returning from abroad. "Patient 210" is a 26-year-old woman from Can Loc District in Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam. She returned to Vietnam from Thailand on March 20 after she had met with "Patient 201," also a Truong Sinh employee. Upon arrival, she was quarantined at a camp in Ha Tinh and has tested positive. She is now undergoing treatment at the Cau Treo General Hospital in the province. "Patient 211," 23, lives on Chua Lang Street, Lang Thuong Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi. She is a student in the U.S. On March 20, she returned to Vietnam after transiting in Abu Dhabi and Bangkok and was sent to a quarantine camp in Ninh Binh Province in northern Vietnam. Her test results came back positive four days later. She is undergoing treatment at the Ninh Binh General Hospital. "Patient 212" is a 35-year-old woman in Hung Ha District, Thai Binh Province. She flew back to Vietnam with her husband on Aeroflot flight SU290 from Moscow on March 27. The couple was quarantined in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. She felt tired and ran a fever on March 29. After she was confirmed infected, she was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanois Dong Anh District. No updated information was available on her husband. Of the 212 Covid-19 patients confirmed in Vietnam until now, 58 have been discharged from hospitals. Most of the active cases are those who have returned from Europe and the U.S. and people whove had close contact with them. The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 202 countries and territories, claiming over 42,000 lives. New Delhi, April 2 : The largest congregation of budget private school, National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and sought relief for private schools. In the letter, NISA has urged government and concerned ministries, not to issue any orders pertaining to school fee waiver for the next three months. It has also demanded for immediate release of reimbursement amount of EWS students pending for many years. Kulbhushan Sharma, President; NISA, said in the letter that due to the outbreak of coronavirus epidemic in the country, an economic crisis has arisen in front of private schools, especially budget schools. He mentioned in the letter that there are more than 5 lakh private schools in the country, which are providing quality education to crores of poor students. The livelihood of more than 2 crore teaching and non-teaching staff is depended on these schools. He further said that some organisations have started demanding school fee waiver under their vested interests. Schools are already facing challenges towards providing salary to their employees. The NISA president said that except for some large and elite schools, other schools do not have additional savings. If the government issues order to waive school fees, then there will be an existential crisis in front of budget schools. Kulbhushan Sharma demanded government to declare a new academic session, reducing numbers of holidays for the upcoming session so that classes can run smoothly for 220 days. Instead of waiving fee, government can help Instead of waiving fee, government can help poor and needy parents by putting an equal amount of school fees in their bank accounts under DBT. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:43:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Iraq said on Wednesday that it has exported more than 105 million barrels of crude oil in March, bringing in revenues of nearly 3 billion U.S. dollars. Iraq's total exports of crude oil during the month exceeded 105.10 million barrels, with an average of 3.39 million barrels per day, Iraqi Oil Ministry said in a statement, citing the statistics of the State Organization for Marketing of Oil. The average selling price for crude oil in March was 28.43 dollars per barrel, the statement said. About 101.39 million barrels were exported from Iraq's central and southern oil fields via Iraq's Basra port, while about 3.287 million from the northern province of Kirkuk via the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean, it said. Iraq also exported 129,041 barrels of oil from Qayyara Oil Field in the northern province of Nineveh, in addition to exporting 290,540 barrels of crude oil to the neighboring Jordan in March, the statement added. Observers attributed the dip of the selling prices in the oil market mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy. Iraq's economy heavily relies on the crude oil exports, which account for more than 90 percent of the country's revenues. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 16:23:27|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close VIENTIANE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Lao leading official instructed local authorities across the country to carefully monitor the self-quarantine of returning workers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "Village officials will supervise their 14 days of self-quarantine to ensure they are not infected with COVID-19," local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted Lao Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Khampheng Saysomepheng as saying. "All people at self-quarantine facilities must have their temperature checked every day," he added. Meanwhile, Lao Deputy Minister of Health and Deputy Head of the COVID-19 task force Phouthone Moungpak told a recent press conference on assistance to Lao labor that local authorities and health services were responsible for taking care of returning workers at the self-quarantine facilities and their daily needs. "We have a hotline between the committee and local authorities to discuss daily issues, including assisting returning workers in each province. Facilities have been prepared in this regard as well as for suspected cases," he said. A test is needed for those who have been in close contact with the confirmed cases, Phouthone said. Local health authorities have now imposed self-quarantine measures for all people. Samples will be taken from anyone showing symptoms for diagnosis, with those suspected of carrying the virus to be isolated and monitored at a hospital. In Vientiane, four hospitals namely Mittaphab Hospital, Mahosot Hospital, Setthathirath Hospital and 103 Hospital have been designated for the isolation of suspected virus cases. In the provinces, suspected patients will be isolated at provincial hospitals. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described the process of bidding on ventilators against other states - and the federal government - as a sort of dystopian eBay during a press conference on Tuesday. Mr Cuomos explanation of the process that states are going through to obtain medical equipment was part of a longer press conference during which he discussed how New York City - the current epicentre of US coronavirus cases - is handling the growing number of confirmed infections and deaths. Look at the bizarre situation weve wound up in. Every state does its own purchasing, so New York is purchasing, California is purchasing, Illinois is purchasing. Were all trying to buy the same commodity, literally the same exact item, so you have 50 states competing to buy the same item, he said. We all wind up bidding up each other and competing against each other. He likened the process to bidding on items on eBay. Its like being on eBay with 50 other states bidding on a ventilator. And you see the bid go up cause California bid, Illinois bid, Florida bid, New York bid, California rebids, thats literally what were doing, he said. I mean, how inefficient. As of Tuesday, New York state has 75,795 cases of coronavirus and 1,550 deaths. Mr Cuomos brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, is among those infected. Chris Cuomo will be continuing his broadcasts from isolation in his basement. The governor said he wasnt sure when New Yorks numbers of infected would peak, but that the total was still going up. When is the apex? That is the $65,000 question. We have literally five models that we look at. Its true to say almost no two are the same. The range on the apex is somewhere between seven to 21 days, Mr Cuomo said. During the presser, Andrew Cuomo laid out his plans to deal with the virus, including centralizing the states health system, merging the private and public health entities to help hospitals share staff. Mr Cuomo said he nearly didnt make it out of a meeting with angry heads of private hospitals because they were angry at the plan. I dont care which link breaks in the chain, the chain is still broken. It doesnt matter which hospital, which link, any link, breaks, the chain breaks, he said. The healthcare system is a chain. It breaks anywhere, it breaks everywhere. That has to be our mentality. Mr Cuomo said he wanted hospitals with surplus staff or supplies to share with hospitals that were in need, regardless of their ownership. As a result, he is pulling staff from upstate hospitals to help in hospitals in New York City where the need is greater. The governor also intends to disperse patients from more concentrated areas to hospitals that have fewer patients and more room to house them than the crowded New York City facilities. When necessary, the governor said hed also use field hospitals to help ease the burden on healthcare facilities. Mr Cuomo also called for out of state assistance from areas that could spare the help. Its unity. Lets help each other.New York needs help now. This is going to be a rolling wave across the country; New York then Detroit then New Orleans then California, he said. If we were smart as a nation, come help us in New York, get the experience and the training here, then lets all go help the next place, then the next place, then the next place. That would be a smart way of doing this. HARLEM, NY Police are seeking to question a second person in connection with a Harlem subway fire that killed a heroic MTA conductor as he led passengers to safety, police said. Police released photos of the second person of interest for the fire, which police officials are calling an arson, on Tuesday night. The person was seen leaving the West 110 Street and Lenox Avenue subway station shortly after a fire broke out on a subway train inside the station on the morning of March 27. A second person is wanted in connection with a deadly Harlem subway fire. An ex-convict considered a person of interest for the arson has already been questioned by the NYPD this week, police sources told the New York Post. MTA conductor Goble was killed during the fire as he led passengers off his train. Goble's body was found in the roadbed of the station and rushed to Mount Sinai hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. Four other people were also hospitalized in stable condition, police said. Seven civilians and five firefighters suffered minor injuries during the fire, according to an FDNY spokesperson. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke about Goble during a Sunday news conference while memorializing public servants who have died while the city battles the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Goble's death is not directly caused by coronavirus, but as an essential worker he put his safety on the line to keep New York City running as most people stay at home. "He worked to get everyone else to safety first and then got off the train and passed away immediately after, leaves behind two young sons in his family. So sad. And someone who, again, was right there at the moment, his last moments of his life, protecting others, serving others, saving others," de Blasio said. Representatives for the Transit Workers Union described Goble's efforts during the fire as "heroic." This article originally appeared on the Harlem Patch As part of our work to promote the London market, we wanted to be able to help brokers who dont regularly deal with London, or those new to the industry, to understand how the market works, said Clare Lebecq, CEO of LMG. We have worked with colleagues in the US and subject-matter experts to create a course which uses case studies to bring the market to life and illustrate how it works. Lebecq said that a number of brokers are including LMGs courses in their own educational systems. With the current global lockdown, we hope to bring the London market to brokers in North America even if we cant be there in person, Lebecq said. The courses are part of LMGs London Makes it Possible initiative. This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday. The message about face masks coming from American health officials has never been especially clear. When the coronavirus began spreading, officials seemed to be promoting two contradictory ideas: First, masks would not help keep people safe; and second, masks were so important that they should be reserved for doctors and nurses. It reminded me of the line credited to Yogi Berra about a New York restaurant: Nobody goes there anymore its too crowded. The truth has become clearer in recent days. Masks probably do provide some protection. Theyre particularly effective at keeping somebody who already has the virus from spreading it to others, and they may also make the masks wearer less likely to get sick. Coronavirus appears to mostly spread when germ-containing droplets make it into a persons mouth, nose, or eyes, Voxs German Lopez explains. If you have a physical barrier in front of your mouth and nose, thats simply less likely to happen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now reviewing whether to encourage Americans to wear masks. That would be a reversal and come after weeks of discouraging mask use. Many journalists, including me, previously quoted the experts who urged ordinary people not to wear masks. US Navy Evacuating Virus-Hit Aircraft Carrier Docked in Guam 150 to 200 sailors reportedly have tested positive The U.S. Navy stated it will evacuate the majority of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR), an aircraft carrier currently docked in Guam, a day after its commander issued an urgent plea for assistance to control an outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. While cases of the CCP virus were first reported on the ship last week, a senior officer on board the ship who sought anonymity told the San Francisco Chronicle that 150 to 200 sailors had tested positive as of March 30. At least 70 sailors have been infected, The Wall Street Journal has confirmed. Capt. Brett Crozier earlier called on U.S. Navy officials to provide resources to evacuate and isolate those aboard the ship, as cases of the virus have broken out among the crew of more than 4,000. Read More Commander Asks Pentagon to Pull Whole Crew Off Virus-Hit Aircraft Carrier In a four-page letter to senior officials dated March 30 that was obtained by the Chronicle, Crozier wrote that only a small contingent of infected sailors had been removed from the ship, while those that remain onboard are following official guidelines for 14-day quarantines. Social distancing is possible, but Crozier noted that the warships inherent limitations of space made it difficult to do this, and the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating. The commander asked for compliant quarantine rooms onshore in Guam for his entire crew as soon as possible. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. This is a necessary risk, Crozier wrote. Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those sailors entrusted to our care. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told CNN on March 31 that the Navy had been aware of the situation aboard the ship for about 24 hours, and had been working over the past week to move those sailors off the ship and get them into accommodations in Guam, adding that the Navy was very engaged in this, were very concerned about it and were taking all the appropriate steps. The key is to make sure that we can get a set of crew members that can man all those critical functions on the ship, make sure theyre clean, then get them back on while we clean the ship and get the other crew members off, Modly said. And thats the process were going through. Its very methodical. Were absolutely accelerating it as we go. The issue is that Guam doesnt have enough beds right now, but that the Navy was talking to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space, create tent-type facilities, he said. We dont disagree with the [captain] on that ship and were doing it in a very methodical way because its not the same as a cruise ship, that ship has armaments on it, it has aircraft on it, we have to be able to fight fires if there are fires on board the ship, we have to run a nuclear power plant, so theres a lot of things that we have to do on that ship that make it a little bit different and unique but were managing it and were working through it, he added. Crozier confirmed Modlys comments in a Facebook post on March 30, in which he said, the TR Team is working with the great folks at Naval Base Guam to get sailors off the ship and into facilities on base to help spread the crew out, adding that it is an all-hands, all-day effort, but that the sailors are in good spirits. In a phone call with reporters on March 31, Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, wouldnt confirm the number of cases among the sailors, but said that no one had been hospitalized, no sailors were on ventilators, and none were in critical condition. Almost half of people in Ireland have been unable to buy essential items during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey has revealed. An estimated 1.7 million Irish adults have been unable to buy essential items in the last month, according to new data from financial comparison website Finder.com. A survey of 1,204 Irish adults reveals 47% have been unable to buy necessities like hand sanitizer/soap, fresh food, dry food, medicine, toilet paper, or other toiletries. The biggest shortage has been for hand sanitizer or soap, with almost a third (29%) reporting they had been unable to buy some in the last month. Nearly one in five report being unable to buy toilet paper, while around one in ten say they couldnt purchase other toiletries, fresh food, dry food or medicine. Those aged 65+ have struggled the most to buy essential items, with over half (51%) saying they have come up empty-handed in the last month. Thats compared to just 43% of those aged 18-24 and 45% of 25-34 year olds. Global editor in chief at Finder, Angus Kidman, said a staggering number of Irish adults have been unable to buy essential items. "The overall number of those unable to buy essential items is incredibly high at 47%," Kidman said. "Its especially concerning that so many people are unable to buy hand sanitizer or soap given hand cleanliness is so important in fighting the spread of coronavirus. "At this stage of the pandemic Ireland is faring better than some countries. In the Philippines 58% of the adult population reported product shortages and 56% of those in the United States and South African said the same," he added. You can view the full report here. This year's April Fool's day which has been part of the annual tradition all over the world will not be celebrated by big companies due to the negative impact that it will bring most especially for those who are fighting a deadly and infectious disease. APRIL FOOL'S DAY There is no exact origin as to when April Fool's Day began. But it was speculated that it started in the 16th century and it evolved in the 19th century where the celebration involves children misbehaving or doing pranks. Centuries after, newspapers and radios began to prank their listeners and readers. April Fool's Day was used also in recent years as part of the marketing of different social media and other online services. The scheme is to make the prank viral to boost the visitors to the site. In the past few years, vloggers around the world take this as an opportunity to prank their friends to boost their social media account. GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, AND TWITTER Google is known for its numerous elaborate pranks every year. However, they will not participate in this year's April Fool's day to show respect to people who continue to combat COVID-19. According to a recent report, Google wants to make sure also that there will be no small pranks or easter eggs that will be published. Alex Boese, author of "The Museum of Hoaxes: A History of Outrageous Pranks and Deceptions," said: "It definitely does seem a little tone deaf to be making these kind of jokes that really have the goal of promoting your business at a time when so many people are out of work." This year's April Fool's Day is something very different. Amid the severity of COVID-19 that infected hundreds of thousands of people and claimed thousands of lives as well around the world, social media companies called everyone to skip the celebration this year specifically any related prank about COVID-19. At present, there are 872,912 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and with a death toll of 43,271 according to the worldometer. The numbers still increase day by day. This has caused many establishments to shut down and furloughed millions of employees worldwide. This is not a joke? Right? Meantime, it seems that everyday is an April Fool's Day for many because of the volume of fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 that are spreading online, forms of conspiracy theories, memes, and hoaxes. For this reason, Facebook, Twitter, and Google joined together to combat fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 most especially in this year's April Fool's Day. It is very important to take note that there is a big difference between humor and harm. Boese said: "Your jokes should never do any real harm to anybody; they shouldn't hurt people or potentially cause injuries." He added that while this year's April Fool's Day is not a great opportunity due to the impacts and effects of COVID-19, but this could be a great year to strengthen the bond of the family. Boese concluded: "If you have a prankster at home, somebody who loves the pranks, it's a great year to prank your family or friends at home or whoever you're stuck at home. It's a day that I can predict parents are going to dread." Read related articles: Experts Answer Questions: Is It Possible to Get Infected With COVID-19 Twice? Is This a Battle of the Sexes? Who Is More At Risk of COVID-19? Gov. Steve Bullock on Wednesday issued a directive to the Montana Department of Corrections suspending new transfers into state correctional facilities to mitigate a potential COVID-19 outbreak in state prisons. Last month, eight inmates were transferred to Montana prisons from states including Washington, California, Idaho and others. Four others were transferred here in February from California, New Mexico and Ohio. The directive still allows DOC Director Reginald Michael to authorize new transfers to correctional facilities, although those transfers will be quarantined for 14 days, a measure DOC spokesperson Carolynn Bright said was already in place as of last week. It also fast-tracks vulnerable inmates those with certain medical conditions, pregnant or older than age 64 through the parole board process, which chair Annette Carter said was underway last week. The directive will also apply to state-contracted correctional facilities, such as Crossroads Correctional Facility near Shelby. Asked Wednesday what measures Bullock's directive laid out that were not already in place, Bright provided a statement from the Governor's Office identifying two new funding sources intended to help people in the corrections system. One aims to help former inmates and those on probation access housing by temporarily removing all restrictions on housing vouchers. The other temporarily removes the fees people on probation pay for the equipment needed for remote community supervision, in the spirit of social distancing guidelines. Bright directed any additional questions on the matter to Bullock's Office. "The DOC has been working proactively from the onset of the COVID-19 crisis to take steps to protect offenders, staff and the public," the statement said. Bright had said last week that the DOC was negotiating rates with county officials to hold inmates en route for state facilities longer in order to limit movement between facilities. The ACLU of Montana, which called for Bullock to exercise clemency for vulnerable inmates weeks ago, said Wednesday that Bullocks directive lacks a sense of urgency. SK Rossi, advocacy and policy director at ACLU of Montana, criticized Bullocks directive as not going far enough to expedite the release of vulnerable populations and people with disabilities, and for not ordering anything of local jurisdictions, effectively creating a patchwork of local measures across the state. We have repeatedly asked for coordination between the Governors office, the Department of Corrections and counties to ensure that criminal legal system responses are uniform and widespread, Rossi said. We appreciate that in-person supervision requirements are being decreased, but those and any in-person drug testing requirements should be suspended as long as there is a shelter-in-place order still active in the state. The new instruction from the governors office came just hours after Disability Rights Montana filed an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court, seeking the high court's powers to reduce the numbers of people who are now in or will enter jails and prisons across the state. The petition, filed against Montana's 22 judicial districts, all courts of limited jurisdiction, the state Department of Corrections and the parole board, asks the Montana Supreme Court to either hear further arguments on the matter or appoint someone to implement the petition's goal. Among other measures, it asks the Supreme Court to order the immediately release of vulnerable inmates. Disability Rights Montana, which advocates for people with disabilities, is represented by the ACLU of Montana and Bozeman law firm Beck, Amsden and Staples, PLLC. Alex Rate, legal director at ACLU of Montana, said the directive does not address the measures the ACLU and Disability Rights Montana sought in their Supreme Court petition earlier on Wednesday. We need to immediately reduce the number of people potentially exposed to COVID-19 in all aspects of the criminal legal system from arrest and booking to pretrial detention to probation and parole, Rate said in the release. A piece-meal approach is not the answer. Every delay will ultimately mean more lives lost. The Billings Gazette has reported two detention officers at the Yellowstone County jail have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks. Bright said last week one state prison inmate was tested for COVID-19, but that the results were negative. The petition lays out the following statistics: 4,000 people are incarcerated at Montana Department of Corrections facilities around the state, while another 1,800 are held in county jails and correctional centers. An estimated 32% of prisoners and 40% of jail inmates report having at least one disability, attorneys wrote in the petition. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. S tart-up fundraising has slowed down during the coronavirus lockdown, with data showing that funding rounds have fallen by 22 per cent recently, but the edtech space appears to be thriving. UK-based start-up Lingumi, a platform focused on teaching toddlers critical speaking skills, has announced today it has raised 4 million to expand its offering. Lingumi was started by Toby Mather after his time teaching English to children in Russia and Italy during his language degree. The idea was to give children an early foundation in English, by introducing key grammar and vocabulary to children from the aged two. How it works is the platform hosts interactive courses focused on one-to-one tutoring. Linguimi says its offering is 95 per cent cheaper than live courses and more flexible too, so parents and children can learn at their own place. The courses include interactive speaking tasks, teacher videos and games. Theres a big focus on social learning at the end of each lesson, children watch videos of Lingumi friends speaking the same words and phrases as them, as children benefit from watching and mirroring how their peers talk and act. Its one of the apps on the Department for Educations approved early years learning list too, along with hand-writing platform Kaligo. Initially, Lingumi launched in China, focusing on teaching spoken English to non-English speakers but the platform is now used by more than 100,000 families, including in the UK, Germany, Italy, and France, as well as in mainland China and Taiwan. Around 40 per cent of users are playing the lessons daily. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the company has seen an increase in new users during the coronavirus crisis. Schools have been closed in the UK for nearly two weeks and parents are seeking ways to keep children entertained and learning at home. There has been a rapid uptake in Europe, with the platform launching daily free activity packs and videos for children and families under lockdown. The new series A investment was led by Chinese tech fund North Summit Capital, whilst existing investors LocalGlobe and Entrepreneur First also contributed, with the funds dedicated to developing the companys tech as well as expanding the team. 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. Nairobi, March 31 (IANS) Even though Africa continues to be one of the least affected continents by the coronavirus, the spread of the deadly disease is picking up speed and the Red Cross has urged for immediate containment measures. "So far, Africa has been the continent least affected by the pandemic, but if measures to contain the virus are not taken immediately, it could be devastating for Africa's people and health-care systems," Efe news quoted the incoming regional director of ICRC for Africa Patrick Youssef as saying in a statement on Tuesday. Since February 14, when the first infection was identified on the continent (a Chinese citizen in Egypt), the overall number of cases in the continent has increased to 5,160, with 171 deaths, according to data from the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University. The latest country to be affected by the pandemic is Botswana after it confirmed three infections late Monday. Only seven African countries are, so far, free of coronavirus: Burundi, Comoros, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and South Sudan. "Health-care systems across Africa could collapse under the added weight of the pandemic," Youssef warned on Tuesday. Many African nations have avoided waiting for a large number of infections to be registered before rolling out strict measures. The reference of what has occurred in Europe with many high-quality health care systems currently on the verge of collapse was a warning sign many on the continent took. Harsh measures to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus have been imposed in places like South Africa and Rwanda where the entire population is under quarantine. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have locked down large cities that owing to their dense population rates pose a greater risk. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Tuesday that the COVID-19 threat also hangs over conflict zones in Africa, where wars and fighting, such as in the Lake Chad region which has been shaken by the Nigerian jihadi group Boko Haram, continue unabated. "For us to confront this crisis in conflict zones, we humanitarians must, now more than ever, be given the space to do our neutral and impartial work, to be allowed to keep up our dialogue and, above all, take preventive measures so that this pandemic does not reach the places that simply cannot cope," Youssef continued. The health crisis is also battering the economies of many countries prompting rulers like Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, have called on multilateral institutions to help Africa. "Advanced economies are presenting unprecedented economic stimulus packages. African countries, by contrast, lack the means to make equally significant interventions. However, if the virus is not defeated in Africa, it will return to the rest of the world," Abiy alerted last week. The African Development Bank (ADB) has launched a social bond valued at $3 billion to help African economies mitigate the effects of the pandemic. --IANS ksk/ Zoom has become an increasingly popular way for people to stay in touch. But it can be exploited for abuse, just like many other platforms. Here's how to prevent it. Read more Ruha Benjamin was nearing the climactic final pages of Walter the Farting Dog. Benjamin, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, hosted a video with her husband where they read kids books by video to give parents some much-needed relief. Forty-two families had signed up for the event through a publicly disseminated video link. It was then, Benjamin said, that she experienced a Zoom bombing. Midway through a sentence, someone was able to take over the screen that was being broadcasted to children and their parents. The person posted a vulgar image and proceeded to use racial epithets, until Benjamin, scrambling, was able to shut down the call. We kind of froze for a couple seconds, because we didnt know what was happening, Benjamin said. Benjamin was able to restart the call with stricter moderation controls, and in the end, 13 of the 42 families were able to hear the end of Walter the Farting Dog without interruption. Benjamins experience has become increasingly common over the last few weeks. Zoom, a platform designed for business use, has been pressed into service as a social media platform, as millions of people isolating at home have sought new forms of face-to-face communication. And were hungry for that right now. According to a study by App Annie, during the week of March 14-21, Zoom and other business conferencing apps were downloaded 62 million times, a 90% increase over the same period last year. The online abuse has already begun. What is happening? And why? Zoom bombing just like any other practice of interrupting a public event to annoy or harass those in attendance is a sort of digital streaking, an attention-grabbing stunt without much purpose besides its own existence, says Jessa Lingel, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who studies digital culture. Its a variation on a familiar online theme: bad actors eager to exploit holes in the security of yet another social media platform. And with a deluge of users who may be unsure of how to take the proper safety measures, its an easy target for those who wish to disrupt meetings. Lingel says women and people of color are especially vulnerable to such attacks. Ceri Weber, a recent Ph.D. from Duke University studying cell biology, had never experienced Zoom bombing before her recent dissertation defense, which she gave to about 100 viewers. So it came as a surprise as a disembodied voice started interrupting her presentation, quietly at first, but then with greater volume, followed by threats. She was eventually able to finish her presentation in peace, but it was disturbing nonetheless, not just for her, but for her peers, colleagues, friends, and family who showed up. I am sorry that they had to experience it, too. It was only after that she became aware of online resources that teach new Zoom users about proper security measures. How to make sure it doesnt happen to you Here are a few key steps you can take next time youre hosting a Zoom meeting: Before the meeting , turn off the following settings: autosaving chats, file transfer, screen sharing, and remote control. Enable the Waiting Room for your meeting. This is a sort of digital lobby that allows you, the host, to play a more active role in selecting who can enter the meeting. If someone is actively disrupting your meeting, click Mute All, on the participants list. Lingel believes that Zoom bombing can be a learning experience. Now that were all using Zoom as a social media platform, we should be treating it as such, and thinking hard about how to protect ourselves online. Just like people should be updating their Facebook settings, just like people should be thinking about location data that they put on Twitter or Instagram, we should also be thinking about the settings of a platform like Zoom, she said. The two Wind River Reservation tribes have issued a stay-at-home order for tribal citizens to contain the spread of coronavirus. The Wind River Inter-Tribal Council approved the order Wednesday. Under the order, Northern Arapaho or Eastern Shoshone citizens may leave their homes to seek medical treatment or shop for groceries, medications and other necessary goods. Employees working in essential occupations, like health care and pharmacy workers, first responders, public works and sanitation crews, financial services employees and grocery and food supply workers, are also exempted. This is a dangerous and highly contagious virus. The best way at this time to break the chain of transmission and protect Tribal members is to have people limit their exposure by staying home, said Northern Arapaho Business Council Chairman Lee Spoonhunter. We recognize this temporary order represents a hardship for some, but we ask that Tribal members consider their elders, family members and friends whose lives are endangered due to COVID-19. Our message is simple: Help us save lives. Please stay home. The reservations Inter-Tribal Council is comprised of the business councils of each tribe to jointly manage some tribal programs and laws. Wyoming currently has no statewide shelter-in-place order, though the governor has ordered the closure of schools and many types of businesses. The Town of Jackson and Teton County have enacted their own stay-at-home orders. Much of the reservation is in Fremont County, one of the Wyoming counties hardest hit by the virus. As of Wednesday morning, the county had 25 of the states 130 cases of COVID-19, with 10 of those among Ethete residents, according to county health officials. Ethete is one of the reservations largest communities. The Inter-Tribal Councils order will take effect Wednesday and remain in effect until further notice, according to the council. Tribal leaders will continue to consult with medical professionals to determine when the stay-at-home order can be lifted and public activities may safely resume, the council said in a news release. Elderly citizens and others with weakened immune systems or other health conditions are especially susceptible to the sickness and its serious complications. Indigenous people, health experts and Indian Country experts have said, are also more vulnerable to the respiratory sickness because of higher rates of pre-existing health conditions and overcrowding in housing. We cannot ignore the elevated risks faced by Indian Country from this virus, said National Congress of American Indians CEO Kevin Allis in a news release last month. The appearance of COVID-19 within any American Indian or Alaska Native Reservation or community could be a recipe for disaster. The order one of the most aggressive steps a local government has taken in the state to curb the spread of COVID-19 so far is similar to one issued by Jackson officials last week. The move follows others the tribes have made to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus among Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho members. Last week, the tribes asked all tribal citizens to self-isolate. Both tribes previously declared states of emergencies and closed their casinos. The Northern Arapaho Tribe said Wednesday that the shutdown of its casinos will continue. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. N.B. The information in this article is correct as of 9 April 2020. There is nothing more disturbing than being in a country where you are not confident or competent in the language when you need to access essential and possibly life-saving services. Fethiye Times is working very hard on your behalf with the local administrative services to clarify the range and breadth of services implemented during the COVID-19 outbreak and how to use them effectively. If you think you may need medical support, this is how to go about it. According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get COVID-19 experience a mild case about as serious as a regular cold and recover without needing any special treatment but if you feel that you need medical advice, please follow the steps below to protect your health and the health of others: Stay at home and call 184, Turkeys special helpline dedicated to COVID-19. Do NOT just turn up at a hospital. Follow the instructions provided by the helpline who will recommend that you: Continue to monitor your health and call back if you develop a fever or respiratory symptoms Stay at home and await further instructions Report to a designated hospital for testing and possible treatment. COVID-19 hospitals in Fethiye are the Fethiye State Hospital (Devlet) and Lokman Hekim Esnaf Hospital, a private facility designated as a Pandemic Hospital. The Letoon private hospital is NOT a COVID-19 hospital. Please note: If patients are attending any state hospital or any private health institution for treatment for non COVID-19 conditions and it is suspected that they may have COVID-19, those health institutions are obliged to treat patients until the diagnosis of COVID-19 becomes definite, after which patients will be transferred to a Pandemic Hospital, if applicable. Does my Health Insurance cover me? As COVID-19 has been designated as a Pandemic by the World Health Organisation, all testing will be paid for by the Government. Fethiye State Hospital (Devlet) If you have SGK, diagnosis and treatment is free. If dont have SGK you WILL be charged for any treatment you receive. Treatment is NOT generally covered by private health policies*. If you have private health insurance, there WILL be some charges. *Some private insurance providers are now saying they will pay for Coronavirus treatment. Please check with your provider for details. COVID-19 critical/emergency patients will be treated free of charge. Please note: we have no information on the pricing structure for COVID-19 treatment at this time. We will bring you further updates as we receive them. Lokman Hekim Esnaf Private Hospital If you are admitted to the Esnaf, you will be tested at the discretion of the doctor and Ministry of Health. If applied, the test is free of charge. If you are found to be positive for COVID-19 and have a Turkish ID number (including 99 IDs), you will be categorized as an emergency and WILL NOT have to pay for treatment, regardless of whether you have SGK or not. If you are found NOT to have COVID-19 but something else is discovered upon attendance YOU WILL BE CHARGED. If an emergency arises and the doctor assesses you as critical, you will not be charged if you have SGK. Patents without SGK will be charged for the clinical consultation. Please note: we have no information on the pricing structure for COVID-19 treatment at this time. We will bring you further updates as we receive them. Please be absolutely sure that you need to go to hospital by calling 184 and following their instructions. Medical services are under severe strain. Any information you may need about other health concerns should be addressed directly to your insurance company. If you are over 65 and subject to curfew Some of you will be subscribing to SGK and be unable to leave the house to pay your contributions. We have been advised that there is a two month period of grace on your payments at the moment so, if you are unable to make the payment, your SGK will remain valid for another two months without penalty. Going Forward The measures being taken here in Fethiye and indeed, all over the world are unprecedented. There is confusion and uncertainty not only in the community but in the very institutions that are trying to help you. Please be responsible and more importantly, patient with the organisations and local government departments here in Fethiye who are doing their very best to help you at this very difficult time. Grateful thanks go to Cagri Nebioglu of Insurance Turkey for providing clarification of information issued by the Saglk Bakanlg This article was co-researched and co-written by Jan Jones. (Photo : Image by SpaceX-Imagery from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by SpaceX-Imagery from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Seoul has called North Korea's actions as extremely inappropriate after it launched "super large missiles" into the ocean as the world is plagued by a pandemic. On Sunday, North Korea launched what appeared to be two ballistic short-range missiles off its east coast, the fourth such test this month as the world battles the deadly disease. Joint staff commanders of South Korea said a single projectile was launched on Sunday morning, but revised their report to say that two suspected missiles were fired from the town of Wonsan in the north. These projectiles later landed in the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The series of military exercises comes as a lengthy pause in disarmament talks with the United States drag on, and in spite of recent Washington overtures promising support to combat the pandemic. The defense ministry of Tokyo said the projectiles fell short of the waters of Japan and the exclusive economic zone of the region. The nuclear-armed North has yet to make a comment on the missiles on Sunday, but this month attributed its three other tests - all of which landed in the Sea of Japan - to exercises for "long-range artillery." In recent weeks, the North Korean military has launched a series of missiles and shells of artillery in an apparent effort to improve its military potential in the midst of failed nuclear talks with the US. After the collapse of a second Summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in early 2019, the talks have stalled. Pyongyang said United States President Donald Trump sent Kim a personal letter a week ago, seeking to maintain good ties and offer help in combating the outbreak. North Korea has shut its borders in an effort to shield the hermit regime from the coronavirus, and is among the few remaining nations yet to record a disease case that has claimed the lives of nearly 34,000 people around the world. But it is widely believed that the deadly virus has entered the country, with government and medical authorities warning that it may cause a lot of damage to North Korea due to its poor health infrastructure and rising poverty. As per latest data provided by Reuters, Pyongyang's total number of missile launches this month has reached 10. The country has broken its own record of most number of missile tests in a single month. Elderly patients with a low chance of survival could be taken off ventilators so they can be given to healthier ones under new guidelines issued to doctors. The British Medical Association has released advice on prioritising intensive care treatment if the NHS becomes overwhelmed. The guidelines say this will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions. Elderly patients with a low chance of survival could be taken off ventilators so they can be given to healthier ones under new guidelines issued to doctors. A stock image is used above [File photo] They add it may be necessary to deny some of the most unwell patients potentially life-saving treatment even if their condition is improving. The doctors union said a simple age cut-off policy would be unlawful but relevant factors for considering if a patient should get intensive care include their age and underlying health conditions. Some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation, it says. This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions relevant to their ability to benefit quickly, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems. A simple age cut-off policy would be unlawful as it would constitute direct age discrimination. A healthy 75-year-old cannot lawfully be denied access to treatment on the basis of age. However, older patients with severe respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 may have a very high chance of dying despite intensive care, and consequently have a lower priority for admission to intensive care. The Alzheimers Society said the discriminatory system could prevent those with dementia getting treatment even if they could recover from coronavirus. Some community leaders accuse President Donald Trump of fanning the flames of prejudice. Activists in the United States are reporting a sharp increase in the number of racist incidents and hate crimes targeting people of Asian descent. Some community leaders accuse President Donald Trump of fanning the flames of prejudice. Al Jazeeras Rob Reynolds reports from Los Angeles. The previous two have been a challenge for Joe Rogers, Jr., the Chairman of Waffle House. The 24-hour breakfast spot had continued operations despite the COVID-19 crisis. Other Disasters in Waffle House History Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the business had been through a lot of disasters in the past but they continued their operations nonetheless. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes use of a Waffle House Index to measure their severity, says an article. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo was not able to shut the doors for a long time in Charleston. Similarly, a scenario occurred in Georgia with Irma when it caused havoc two years ago. The index showed green in Joplin, Mo. This was after a tornado took the lives of 158 people in 2011. The Arrival of the COVID-19 Pandemic According to Rogers, he had never seen anything that brought such devastation as COVID-19. Rogers is the 73-year-old son of the co-founder of the 65-year-old breakfast food chain. Waffle House was established in the 1970s. Based on Rogers' statement, The business had been through many disasters. Each disaster had damaged a part of the business, and the management always comes in to rescue the business. He reasoned that the rest of the system was healthy to go do those tasks. However, for the COVID-19 crisis, there is no healthy portion of this system. The business is spending cash every week, he added. Check these out: The FEMA Index The FEMA index makes use of the period it takes the different Waffle House locations to re-open after a calamity occurs. Typically, this does not take a long time, even after they shut down. The 2,000 branches in 25 US states are well-positioned to mobilize in a catastrophic event. According to Rogers, the business is family-owned and is closely controlled. This allows effective transfers of resources and supplies originating from unaffected restaurant branches. Closing 20% of Total Branches This week, Waffle House had 420 branches of the breakfast chain were closed. That's a huge 20 percent of their business locations. On normal operations, Waffle House reports annual revenue of at least $1.3 billion. However, the business can only offer drive-through and take-out services right now due to the multiple lockdowns and stay-at-home orders across the country. This led the business to achieve only 30% of what they normally earn from their sales. Thousands of the business' staff are also unfortunately laid off. Taking On Every Challenge The admiration of FEMA to Waffle House had started approximately 50 years ago when Rogers took control of the business while taking on every challenge that hurricanes brought forth in different states of the country. Rogers discovered that when he showed up to a branch and helped with service, so did a lot of the business' employees. Joe Rogers, Jr. Inheriting the Business Rogers was 26 when he entered the business in 1973. During that time, the business had four-family ownership groups, and his family had only 30 percent control over the different locations of the business. This changed after five years when a financial crisis hit the nation. During that period, the gas shortage started to surface. This led to the consolidation of ownership within Rogers' family. Currently, their family has a controlling interest in the business. He devised an employee ownership plan which gives 3,500 staff of the business with a portion of ownership in the business. Rogers was also successful at ending the reliance of the business on debt. Washington: An Australian data scientist in the United States is spearheading a rapidly growing push for western governments to put the ubiquitous wearing of face masks at the centre of their efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Calls for everyone to wear masks in public, regarded as fringe just a few days ago in the US, are fast gaining traction among senior policy-makers, including the federal government's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. At a White House briefing on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) President Donald Trump suggested that Americans wear a scarf when in public, while making sure to preserve masks for health care workers. The Melbourne expatriate/data scientist Jeremy Howard has become one of the most prominent advocates of mask wearing in the US. The World Health Organisation's official advice is that non-medical personnel only wear masks if they are sick or caring for someone who has contracted the virus, and the US Surgeon General has warned Americans that wearing masks could increase their risk of infection. The failure to assess how migrant daily-wage workers would react to a sudden suggests that the present government may be on a journey without maps. How else does one explain its inability to formulate a plan to protect this hugely vulnerable section of the urban population? Planning inputs should have come from the bureaucracy, political parties and from NGOs and civil society organisations working in the informal sector. The bureaucracy failed to alert the government to the possibility of the tragic migration back to the villages. Worse still, as migrants walked, carrying their belongings and small children, they were beaten up, baton-charged and frog-marched on interstate highways and occasionally sprayed with chemical bleach like dead animals by an insensitive system. Did the government seek the views of the bigger states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana, and Delhi which receive a large number of migrants or the states which send them, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa? With the Modi governments opaque functioning no one knows if these stakeholders were consulted. Had Prime Minister Modi taken the Opposition into confidence on his plans to control the pandemic, he might have had useful inputs from parties, such as the Left parties, that are more sensitive to the marginalised. Perhaps even his own partys MPs from the affected states might have given him some inkling of the disastrous consequences of hasty decisions. Admittedly, the Bahartiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union front of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been critical of the Modi governments labour policies for leaving out unorganised sector workers from the ambit of social security programmes. However, its influence over the government is no match for the corporate spell over it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no grassroots cadre of its own relying entirely on the workers of its mother organisation the RSS. The RSS has a huge cadre it holds meetings everyday with about 70,000 shakhas (literally, branches or basic units) across India. Could it be that the RSS is so focussed on wooing the urban middle classes, that it has no time for footloose labour? The RSS has experience of dealing with disasters ranging from cyclones and Tsunamis to earthquakes. But in all these natural disasters its relief intervention came after the event. It has also been efficient where religion is involved. Thus its supporters are good at preparing temporary shelters and proving free food to Kanwariyas ferrying holy water from the Ganges to their village, for example. It is perhaps at a loss on how to deal with unfolding policy disasters which do not have religious overtones. NGOs and civil society organisations could have been key in bringing the policy sensitivity required in the government. However, the Modi government has deliberately blocked all channels of communication with them, squeezed their funding, especially from abroad, and increased their compliance requirements disproportionately. It is estimated that NGOs in India today have more reporting compliance requirements than private companies that receive foreign revenue and remittances. Volunteers prepare meals to be served to the homeless and daily wagers at a shelter amid the nationwide lockdown, in wake of pandemic, in Thane | Photo: PTI Restrictions on the funding of NGOs and civil society organisations increased after the 9/11 attacks in the US as governments the world over took special measures to prevent terror financing and money laundering. However under the guise of this objective, India, and many other governments, throttled NGOs and civil society organisations critical of their human rights record and development agenda.Guidelines of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were used for policy laundering -- legalising increased NGO surveillance and regulation. It was the United Progressive Alliance government which drew up the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) in mid-2010 to comply with the FATF guidelines. Some of the NGOs were seen as being political in nature. The Modi government extended this policy further cancelling the licences of nearly 24,000 NGOs between 2014 and 2017. The NGO space was thus opened up to be occupied by in-house NGOs and front organisations of the RSS. However, RSS-affiliates have failed to populate this space effectively because they lack the democratic perspective required for protecting human rights, and because they are uncritical of the states development agenda. Their raison d'etre is ideological advancement of Hindutva into all available interstices in society and to silence voices that challenge them. In this contest their competitors have been deemed urban Naxalites and with the State invoking the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against them. The suppression of Dalit assertion from Bhima Koregaon to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh is also a reflection of this. The result is that the States civil society link is broken beyond repair. The Manmohan Singh government was only able to keep up a dialogue with civil society because of the creation of the National Advisory Council (NAC) under the Congress party pressure. The NAC played a role in nudging the government to pursue the interests of the poor and ensure transparency, accountability and democratic governance. The NAC can be credited with the formulation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and minimum wages, The Right to Information Act, several pre-legislative consultative processes, Lokpal, Grievance Redressal Bill and the Whistle-blower Protection Bill. The Modi government has no such advisory body and the RSS cannot fill that space. There was no Aruna Roy, Jean Dreze, or a Harsh Mander to advise Prime Minister Modi that food, shelter and financial support for daily-wage earners had to be planned before announcing the The Modi regime has lost out on the social wisdom that could have prevented the unfolding tragedy. This wisdom neither exists in Indias stultified bureaucracy nor amongst professional politicians. When they are most needed to aid the government efforts to control Covid-19, NGOs and civil society organisation stand financially starved, organisationally weakened and demonised. They have, however, begun addressing the fallout of the policy haste of the government by running voluntary kitchens for the stranded migrants. However, their slender means may not be enough to deal with the consequences of possibly the largest post-Partition migration within India. Twitter: @Bharatitis 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 Hon. Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister 01.04.2020 LISTEN Introduction Dear Honourable Volta Regional Minister, I salute you with respect and I wish to draw your attention to a looming danger on the Sogakope-Adidome stretch of the Sogakope-Ho Highway. This will enable you intervene swiftly to avert the imminent danger. From afar, I have observed your hard work with much admiration and until otherwise proven, I have concluded that you are one of the hard working Regional Ministers in the Nana Addo Administration. Much as I encourage you to keep up the good work in the Volta Region, I equally envisage that you will act quickly on the problem I am bringing to your attention in this open letter once the letter gets to you. Should you address the looming danger expeditiously, I will appreciate it because doing so will save both human and animal lives. Please take note that the essence of this open letter is not to cast a slur on your responsiveness to problems in the Region but just to draw your speedy attention to a looming danger. What then is this looming danger? Tilted and Falling High Tension Poles On the Sogakope Adidome Road Honourable Letsa, I have been a regular user of the Sogakope-Ho Road for years and the stretch I ply most is the Sogakope-Adidome Road since Mafi-Kumase is tantamount to my hometown because I am a product of Mafi-Kumase Secondary Technical School (MAKSTECH). For some time now, Efo Letsa, I have observed that some high-tension poles (high-voltage-above ground power lines) are tilted extremely and almost falling off on the Sogakope-Ho Road but nothing is being done to further affirm these poles in the ground. You would agree with me that the high-tension power lines carry high voltages of electrical power or current hence any direct human or animal contact is a recipe for disaster. Such a disaster will not only lead to loss of lives but also affect power supply from the national electric grid, with its nose-diving cascading effects on economic activities in some parts of the Volta Region which you superintend over. In view of the fact that you are the principal manager of the Volta Regional local economy, I think you should be concerned about the looming danger. The tilted and falling high-tension poles I refer to are specifically found at the outskirts of Dendo, one of the settlements in the South Tongu District while another one is at Adidome, the Central Tongu District Capital. The one at Adidome is just some few meters on the right side from the Adidome Farm Institute towards Sogakope. Honourable Letsa, I am convinced with a fair margin of certainty that your two DCEs of South Tongu (Hon. Emmanuel Louis Agamah) and Central Tongu (Hon.Thomas Moore Zonyrah) are users of this same road and they might have noticed this looming danger but they have not yet intervened to address the situation. I am equally sure that each of these two districts have ECG Officers or electrical engineers. Besides, the Central Tongu District has a sub-power hub or station at Mafi-Asiekpe so I do not think whatsoever that the two DCEs are deprived of the required experts to address this problem I have brought to your attention in this open letter. Even if they do not have such experts intra-district (which I doubt though), they could have sought for external support. Another aspect of the problem, Efo Letsa, is that, some community members set fire to the bushes thereby burning the base of the wooden electric poles and I should think that the poles tilt whenever the stays are burnt beneath them. Implications Of The Tilted And Falling High-Tension Poles Honourable Letsa, though the implications of this looming danger are obvious, I want to tie a bow or two on few of them. The tilted and almost falling high-tension poles can lead to human and animal electrocution because both humans and animals (cattle) use the stretch. It can also lead to electrical fire due to the very high voltages of power running through the lines. Regional Minister, what makes the situation more alarming is that the Dendo area is an accident-prone zone and your imaginative ramifications of the low-lying high-tension lines can be as good as mine. Also, the occurrence of any such danger resulting from the falling high-tension poles will necessitate your visit to the place to assess the situation with the accompanying formation of investigation committees as it is usually done in Ghana. Under such a circumstance, the media will also badmouth you for doing nothing to resolve the problem at its Genesis stages. My letter to you is to prevent all that should you intervene proactively by getting your two DCEs and the electrical engineers to resolve the problem. A stich in time saves nine and in the presence of an adult, a pregnant goat should not be left to give birth to its young one while tethered to a tree. Specific Recommendations Honourable Regional Minister, I suggest you sensitize your DCEs in the region to be extra observant in their districts and be responsive to problems they notice so that proactive solutions are proffered to avert any calamitous consequences. Regarding the setting of fire to the wooden electric poles by the community members, there should be sensitization on that and the chiefs as well as the various Assemblymen should be involved. Perhaps the communities that set fire to the wooden poles should be made to endure some power cuts for days as a punitive measure to compel them to be more responsible. Also, your office can work in unison with ECG to protect the base of such poles with fireproof materials. The electric poles are expensive and they are fixed in the ground to serve a purpose hence such careless fire setting behaviour of the community members must be stopped. It is surprising that the same people who get power supply from the national grid are setting fire to the poles that carry the power lines. How can a reasonable person cuts off the hand that feeds him? Nevertheless, the DCEs should be more attentive and proactive in identifying and resolving some of these problems. Conclusion Efo Letsa, thank you for reading my letter and I hope eagerly that you will not hesitate to intervene swiftly to avert the looming danger on the Sogakope Adidome road. ~ Asante Sana ~ Author: Philip Afeti Korto. Email: [email protected] PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 02:39:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 967 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HONG KONG / ACCESSWIRE / March 31, 2020 / A fully integrated biopharmaceutical company - Uni-Bio Science Group Limited ("Uni-Bio Science", together with its subsidiaries referred to as the "Group", stock code: 0690.HK), is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2019 (the "Year"), as well as its comparatively figures for the year ended 31 December 2018 ("2018").Key Accomplishments in 2019During the Year, the Group has recorded a spectrum of accomplishments both in terms of marketed products, and consolidation of the Group's assets. The key highlights include:GeneTime(R) (EGF spray indicated for wound healing) recorded significant growth with turnover increase by 103.2% year-on-year ("YoY") to approximately HK$128.0 million in 2019. This was mainly attributed to the effective adjustment in marketing strategy. The Group has initiated two new research projects in November 2019 on this product line, aiming to expand its application to new patient groups.The Group signed a letter of intent with Kai Ping Shi Jian Bao Zhen Tourism Development Company Limited () to co-construct and co-operate the healthcare facilities used for chronic disease management in the Greater Bay Area. The agreement is expected to directly benefit the long-term sales of the Group's chronic disease products, especially the soon-to-be-launched rhExendin-4 ("Uni-E4") and rhPTH (1-34) ("Uni-PTH") used in the treatment of diabetes and osteoporosis, respectively.The Group's Uni-PTH (Teriparatide) high-precision industrialization project was approved by Zhongguancun Science Park Management Committee, showcasing its clinical significance and commercial potential. Upon approval, the Group has received the first installment of government support funds (RMB 10 million) in April 2019, which will be used to support the optimization and upgrades of the production line, the protection of independent intellectual property rights and major core technologies, as well as market promotion in order to prepare for its official launch.The Group had successfully completed a private placement of HK$30 million of new shares to a new strategic investor - CHMT Peaceful Development Fund Management Limited, which is a multi-strategy fund with worldwide investments in both private and public markets with an asset under management (AUM) of more than USD 5 billion. The proceeds from the placement will be used as the initial capital to progress three new corporate development projects towards the next stage, with hopes to further strengthen the Group's portfolio coverage.Triazole, recombinant human epidermal growth factor, along with glinides class products of the Group, were once again included in the National Medical Insurance Cataloguein 2019. This has further demonstrated that the market potential of the major products sold by the Group, namely GeneTime(R) (a patented biopharmaceutical recombinant human epidermal growth factor external solution (I)), Pinup(R) (Voriconazole Tablet, a patented chemical) and Bokangtai(R) (Mitiglinide calcium tablets). The Group is expecting a significant and sustainable growth of the above products in the near future.The Group has completed all consistency assessment experiences for Pinup(R) (Voriconazole oral tablet), a major drug for the treatment of severe fungal infections. Documents has been submitted to the National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA") in August 2019. The Group expects to obtain the consistency assessment certification in the second half of 2020. By completing the consistency assessment, the Group will be in a good position to enter into the centralized drug procurement list and compete against peers who have also passed the consistency assessment.Uni-PTH, the only anabolic agent effective in improving bone density and reducing the chance of vertebral and hip fractures, is getting a step closer towards its official launch. In December 2019, the Group submitted supplementary drug information to the Center for Drug Evaluation ("CDE"), and the Uni-PTH lyophilized powder injection was expected to be launched in the second half of 2020 after obtaining the drug registration approval.The NMPA has officially accepted the Group's application for registering Boshutai(R) (Acarbose tablet) as a Category IV chemical drugs in January 2019. The Group is now preparing the submission of supplementary information and expects to obtain the drug registration approval number in the second half of 2020. To enhance competitive advantages, the Group further optimize its cost structure through internal control and external partnership, as the leaner cost structure should in turn offer the Group better positions in market penetration to boost marketing share with limited marketing input.Uni-E4, an innovative biologic drug self-developed by the Group, is a class of anti-diabetic treatments called GLP-1 agonists and a non-insulin treatment candidate that stimulates the incretin pathway. It is the first fully biologically expressed GLP-1 agent in the world. With its unique biological expression manufacturing process along with its advantages in costs and price, Uni-E4 has the potential of becoming a leading competitor of the GLP1 drugs in the blue ocean market of China. The project is currently under development as scheduled. The CDE has accepted the Group's application for bridging trial of the new Uni-E4 pen injection formulation in December 2019. The Group expects the bridging clinical research of the Uni-E4 injection to begin in 2020, and the drug will be launched after the completion of registration with the NMPA as soon as 2022.Annual ResultsIn 2019, the Group recorded a turnover of HK$209.4 million, representing a surge of approximately 54.9% YoY (2018: HK$135.3 million). The increase in turnover was mainly attributable to the significant sales growth of GeneTime(R) and the rebound in sales of Pinup(R). Among all the products, GeneTime(R) was particularly favoured by the market, with an increase of 103.2% from approximately HK$63.0 million in 2018 to HK$128 million in 2019. GeneSoft(R) recorded a stable revenue growth from approximately HK$27.1 million to HK$30 million, representing an increase of 10.7%. The growth was mainly attributable to our strategic cooperation with CR Zizhu to broaden our distribution channels. With new strategy in place and good progress of the bioequivalent ("BE") study, Pinup(R) revenue surged by 58.2% from approximately HK$29.4 million to approximately HK As many as 85 per cent of frontline health staff self-isolating at home may not have coronavirus, and are being kept away from hospitals because of the governments slow introduction of testing, a senior NHS official has said Around a quarter of doctors and one in five of nurses are believed to be at home sick or self-isolating, increasing the pressure on colleagues facing thousands of additional admissions to hospital, in what the head of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said were some of the highest staff absences ever seen. Downing Street today revealed that only 2,000 of those at home because they or someone in their household have displayed symptoms have actually been tested for the virus. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has ordered NHS trusts to lift a cap which has so far seen the vast bulk of tests in hospital being set aside for patients, with just 8,000 to 9,000 staff tested in the locations where they work, out of a total NHS workforce of 1.3 million. Senior NHS officials and ministers have repeatedly stressed the importance of testing to allow medics who are found not to be sick to return to work. Revealing the results of initial small-scale testing, Mr Hopson said: Of the members of staff who are self-isolating for 14 days, because they had a family member who potentially had coronavirus symptoms, only 15 per cent of them tested positive. If that is replicated, that means 85 per cent of the staff who are currently self-isolating can get back to work. However, this figure is being treated with caution in Whitehall, where it is thought it may represent a small or early sample which does not accurately reflect the current situation. The comments come amid fierce criticism of ministers for failing to hit testing targets, while laboratories allegedly lie idle and a disputed claim about a shortage of chemical agents. Just 8,630 people were tested on Monday after the government wrongly claimed the promised 10,000 figure was hit last weekend. Downing Street said that some 900 NHS staff were tested outside hospitals over the weekend, and that figure has since risen to around 2,000. A shortage of vital chemical reagents has been blamed for the slow move to ramp up testing, but this has been challenged by both industry insiders and one of the governments own scientific advisers. Now Mr Hopson has appeared to confirm that thousands of NHS doctors and nurses are stuck at home for no reason, just as the epidemic hits its peak over the coming weeks. The head of the organisation representing all NHS trusts in England told the BBCs Newsnight that the very intriguing piece of data deepened the frustration of hospital leaders over the failure to test staff. Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Show all 12 1 /12 Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Agnetha Septimus, Matthew Septimus, and children Ezra and Nora Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Husband and wife filmmakers, Claire Ince and Ancil McKain pose for a portrait for the series by Shutterstock Staff Photographer, Stephen Lovekin, shot around the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Khadijah Silver and son Eliot Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Anna Beth Rousakis and daughter Mary Rousakis Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Mike Pergola and Denise Pergola with children Henry, Jack, and Will Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Artist Shirley Fuerst Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Jean Davis and Danny Rosenthal, with children Simone, Naomi, and Leah Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Robert E Clark Jr Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Lisa Draho and Josh Zuckerman, with children Ruby and Ava Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Professor and activist Dr Kristin Lawler Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Tom Smith and Laura Ross, with daughters Caroline, Elizabeth, and Abigail Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Callie Lovekin and Lucas Lovekin Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Mr Hopson said they were also short of swabs the thing you put in your nose and your mouth to test. Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, admitted the 900 staff tested was a low number and could not say when a dedicated testing centre announced for Milton Keynes would be operational. He denied the UK had left it too late to ramp up testing, but said Germany which is testing 70,000 people a day had started in a better place to begin production at scale. Downing Street later said the Milton Keynes site was now operational and taking samples from around the country. Figures from across the political spectrum, from Tony Blair to Jeremy Hunt, have pleaded with Boris Johnson to change course by starting mass testing in the community, not just NHS staff. Even Donald Trump has piled in, calling the UKs initial strategy of containing, rather than suppressing, coronavirus very catastrophic if it had been carried through. The Chemical Industry Association expressed surprise at Michael Gove pointing to shortages, insisting reagents are being manufactured and delivered to the NHS. Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London, and a government adviser, told the BBC: As far as I know there isnt a great shortage of supply, so thats really new to me. Asked if it could have been stockpiled in advance, he said: Potentially, yes. He criticised pretty systematic underinvestment in the infrastructure we need to tackle this sort of thing over the past 10 years. By Matt Spetalnick and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is deploying U.S. Navy ships closer to Venezuela to beef up anti-drug efforts following a U.S. drug trafficking indictment against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to a U.S. official and two other people familiar with the matter. The U.S. government is expected on Wednesday to announce the start of the enhanced drug interdiction mission in the Caribbean, the sources said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. It follows the indictment last week of Maduro and more than a dozen current and former officials on charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, part of the Trump administration's pressure campaign aimed at ousting the socialist leader. On Tuesday, however, The Trump administration offered to begin lifting Venezuela sanctions if the opposition and members of Maduro's Socialist Party form an interim government without him, marking a shift in a U.S. policy that has failed to end his grip on power. The naval deployment is intended to ratchet up pressure on Maduro and his allies but is not a prelude to U.S. military action against Venezuela, one person familiar with the matter said. Although President Donald Trump has insisted that all options are on the table against Muduro, U.S. officials have made clear there is little appetite for military force, which could entangle the United States in another foreign conflict. The deployment plan calls for the U.S. Southern Command to move several Navy vessels toward Venezuela, according to one source familiar with the matter. But the sources said it was unclear how close they would get to the Venezuelan coast. Admiral Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command, told a Pentagon briefing earlier in March that there would be an increased U.S. military presence in the hemisphere to counter narco-trafficking. Some U.S. officials have privately said Trump was increasingly frustrated with the results of his Venezuela policy. The United States and dozens of other countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president, regarding Maduro's 2018 re-election as a sham. But Maduro has remained in power, backed by the country's military and by Russia, China and Cuba. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Editing by Peter Cooney) Wyo. gov. explains why he vetoed bill requiring doctors help save babies born alive after abortion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill that would require an abortionist to help save the life of a baby who survives an abortion instead of leaving it to die. Gordon said In a statement Friday that while he identifies as pro-life, he believes the legislation would cause more harm than good. Laws already in place protect children from being denied life-saving care simply because they were born as a result of an abortion. This bill will not do anything to improve on those laws which already exist, Gordon said. Instead, this bill will harm people it never intended to harm parents who want a child, but have received the devastating news that their pregnancy is not viable. The State should not seek to make that moment for parents any more tragic than it already is. Known as Senate File 97, also rendered SF0097, the bill mandated that abortion providers take steps to medically assist any baby that survives an abortion procedure. The commonly accepted means of care that would be rendered to any other infant born alive shall be employed in the treatment of any viable infant aborted alive, read SF0097. Any physician performing an abortion shall take medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of an infant born alive. State Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, sponsor of the bill, told the Cheyenne-based KGAB last month that she considered the legislation a clarification of existing law. Thats our job in the legislative session: we clarify law all the time, said Steinmetz. Thats what this bill seeks to do. Earlier in March, the bill passed the Wyoming House of Representatives in a vote of 44-16, having previously passed the state Senate. At the time, a spokesperson for the office of the governor told The Christian Post that Gordon had not yet reached a decision as to whether he was going to sign the bill. Legislation aimed at mandating care for babies who survive an abortion have been debated in other states and at the federal level, with mixed results. In early March, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a similar bill into law, saying in a statement that the legislation was an absolute no-brainer as far as Im concerned. Ive said for a long time, even back before I took office as governor, that I would support measures like this because every human life born or unborn is precious and truly a gift from God, Justice said at the time. Its unbelievable that we even have to go through this process for something that seems like its just common sense. But at the same time, we should be really proud that were defending the lives of our most vulnerable. To God above, that baby is worth it. Governors usually swing into action during constitutional crisis, but the Raj Bhavan in Madhya Pradesh is feeding the poor who have been affected by the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. The governor's kitchen has been sending out as many as 100 food packets on a daily basis and sometimes even at a short notice, a spokesperson from Raj Bhavan said on Wednesday. "Governor Lalji Tandon has not only directed his staff to supply 100 food packets daily during lockdown period, but also ensured that in case of emergencies, parcels can be delivered at a short notice," the official told PTI. Soon after the lockdown was announced, Tandon dedicated the Raj Bhavan kitchen for community service, by directing the staff to supply 100 food packets daily, which were distributed to needy persons through the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, he said. Apart from this, the governor also directed his staff to supply food packets at a short notice of just two hours during emergencies, he said. "We have stocked enough raw materials for this purpose and are always ready to supply food packets at a short notice, apart from the everyday quota of 100 parcels," the spokesperson said. The Raj Bhavan kitchen has sent out 800-900 food packets to people affected by the lockdown, he said. Tandon personally examined each item packed in the food parcels and also tasted them to ensure quality, he added. "The governor has said that this token measure is being taken to inspire people to serve the needy. It is our duty to see that no one remains hungry during this coronavirus crisis," the official said. The governor also appealed to presidents of mohalla and utsav committees to help the poor in their areas by providing them food and essentials during the lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Tata Steel has taken a slew of steps, including suspending operations of some of its downstream facilities, to adjust to market conditions post the coronavirus outbreak. While the company's mines continue to operate 'normally', the steelmaker has reduced production at its integrated steel units in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, Gamahria in Bihar, and Kalinganagar and Angul in Odisha. It, however, didn't provide details on the quantum of production cuts. To track all live updates from the coronavirus pandemic, click here "These are unprecedented times and the situation on the ground is evolving very rapidly. We are working closely with customers and suppliers and various government agencies to mitigate these impacts as far as possible," the company said in a statement on April 1. 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 Apart from Tata Steel, JSW Steel, SAIL and AM/NipponSteel have also cut production. They have been forced to as demand from auto and infrastructure sectors - their two main clients - have slumped. While auto companies themselves have shut production units, construction work has come to a standstill amidst the national lockdown "The company is focused on conserving cash and liquidity. We are reducing the cost base to align with the operating and market situation, with a strong focus on working capital management. All payments to MSME vendors and contract workers are being done on due dates," Tata Steel said. Though the governments at the Centre and the states have clarified that steel and mines are essential services, companies have been unable to keep running their plants. Apart from the slump in demand, some of them are also facing labour shortage. Focused on conserving cash Tata Steel said that it's facing 'restrictions in the despatch of finished goods,' and coupled with the lack of demand, it has curtailed shipments to customers. The focus is on conserving cash. "The company is focused on conserving cash and liquidity and are reducing the cost base to align with the operating and market situation with strong focus on working capital management. All payments to MSME vendors and contract workers are being done on due dates," it said. In Europe too, Tata Steel has reduced production in its units, with overall demand in the region 'sharply' reduced. "Tata Steel Europe has thereforereduced production at some of the European mills to match this lower demand," it said. While Tata Steel Europe is currently operating all four blast furnaces, these are at reduced levels. Manitobans looking to report a business violating Public Health Act orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic now have a place to go. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobans looking to report a business violating Public Health Act orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic now have a place to go. Shared Health said Tuesday that concerns about a business violating provincial public health orders can be emailed to healthprotection@gov.mb.ca 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. Public health officials are also focusing on educating the public about the importance of following the public health orders and undertaking social distancing measures if they must leave their home, Shared Health said in a short statement. Any general inquiries about COVID-19 should be directed to Manitoba Government Inquiry at 204-945-3744 or 1-866-626-4862. For medical advice related to COVID-19, call Health Links Info Sante at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 (toll-free). With the sudden shift to remote working from home, the role of IT vendors and partners in delivering the necessary infrastructure is more crucial than ever. CIO Indias two-part Business Continuity amid COVID-19 survey revealed that 96 percent of organizations had implemented work-from-home policies in the first week of lockdown. The backbone of seamless and successful remote working is the IT resource provided to users both in terms of hardware, like laptops, tablets and dongles, and software solutions like remote access, VPNs, remote desktop apps and VM dashboards. This puts the onus on IT vendors and partners to cater to the sharp spike in demand and meet promised SLAs. Now its time for CIOs to evaluate the challenges they are facing, let their IT vendors know what support and resources they need to deal with the contingency. Yagnesh Parikh/ICICI Securities/CIO100 Most of the IT equipment and spares are being sourced from China, Taiwan or South Korea. With production coming to a stop, it results in a delay in the delivery of hardware. Hardware manufacturers could also increase the price of components somewhere down the line. Yagnesh Parikh, CTO at ICICI Securities Yagnesh Parikh, CTO at ICICI Securities, says that most of the IT equipment and spares are being sourced from China, Taiwan or South Korea. So with production coming to a stop, it results in a delay in the delivery of hardware. Thats not all he predicts that hardware manufacturers could also increase the price of components somewhere down the line. We are currently well-stocked on IT inventory, but my requirement will arise after three months and that would reveal the real impact. Given the current scenario, I believe the challenge may arise, he adds. Are vendors delivering what they promised? Colonel Shankar Gurkha, CIO at Gujarat Industries Power Company, minces no words when he says What were seeing now is a gap in delivery and after-sales support primarily because the teams are not in sync. When they sell the product, they promise you the moon, but its a different story when it comes to on-ground delivery. Col. Shankar Gurkha/Gujarat Industries Power Company When they sell the product, they promise you the moon, but its a different story when it comes to on-ground delivery. Colonel Shankar Gurkha, CIO, Gujarat Industries Power Company Furthermore, lack of effective knowledge transfer and frequent changes in vendors teams mean that even if the support team wants to help, they are unable to do so, he says. Adding to the Colonels point, Parikh shares that vendors are not guaranteeing timely delivery of hardware. Vendors are putting a caveat stating theyll be able to deliver the order in eight weeks, but its subject to conditions. They are not allowing a penalty clause to be built, he reveals. The challenge arises not just from IT vendors, but also from telecom service providers. Last-mile connectivity is becoming a problem as network reliability is a major impediment, says Parikh. Impact on hardware lead times and IT budgets KRC Murty, Senior VP-IT at Kotak Mahindra Bank reveals Delivery timelines, for both hardware and software vendors, have been extended by 2-3 weeks now. KRC Murty/Kotak Mahindra Bank/IDG India Delivery timelines, for both hardware and software vendors, have been extended by 2-3 weeks now. KRC Murty, Senior VP-IT, Kotak Mahindra Bank As a workaround, he believes vendors could look at stopgap arrangements by sourcing inventory from elsewhere and provide some additional capacity. Gurkhas experience matches Murtys: There is a 2-3 week delay in getting new hardware; on the software front, onsite consultants are unable to visit as flights have been cancelled and there are travel restrictions in place, he says. In addition to delivery timelines running into weeks, providing laptops to a large number of employees also poses a problem because of budgetary constraints. Subhanil Banerjee/ABP/IDG India At the beginning of the year, we accounted for procuring 100 laptops based on our HRs forecast. Now procuring laptops for hundreds of users goes out of budget for us. And what are we going to do once things return to normalcy; what am I going to do with those many laptops? Subhanil Banerjee, Sr. Manager-IT Infrastructure & Security, ABP Subhanil Banerjee, Sr. Manager for IT Infrastructure & Security at news and media company ABP, explains why: At the beginning of the year, we accounted for procuring 100 laptops based on our HRs forecast. Now procuring laptops for hundreds of users goes out of budget for us. And what are we going to do once things return to normalcy; what am I going to do with those many laptops? COVID-19 Hub: Tech vs Coronavirus Follow our special coverage on coronavirus and how CIOs are mitigating the risks: TECH VS CORONAVIRUS And see IDGs Global COVID-19 coverage. Software and VPN licensing challenges Banerjee explains that in order to make it possible for employees to work from home, they have to be connected to the companys network through a VPN channel. At ABP, laptops are provided only to the management cadre which accounts for close to 1500 employees; the rest use desktops, which is why the company procured 1500 VPN licenses for its laptop users. The possibility of desktop users needing VPN credentials was therefore never considered. IDG India Key CIO challenges stemming from IT vendors The problem, he points out, is not restricted to VPN licenses alone accessing desktops remotely also needs remote desktop application licenses, which again, are inadequate for 5000 users. Procuring these many licenses also becomes a problem as the vendors are confused and are taking a long time to get back with the proper commercials. This is a situation we had never thought of before, he reveals. The same point was expressed by Seema Gaur, Executive Director (IT) at IFFCO Tokio General Insurance in our story on business continuity strategies, in which she says providing VPN access to software developers within a short span of time was proving to be a challenge. Kotak Mahindra Bank, on the other hand, has enabled work from home for its employees and sees no challenge with respect to WFH tools and technologies. When asked if the company faced a problem with its SOC operations, Murty said that its partners are on top of it and are providing their best support. However, not all CIOs agree about facing hurdles stemming from vendors. Take for instance Jagdish Joshi, DGM-IT at Mahindra & Mahindra he says that the primary challenge the auto manufacturer faces is around the material supply-chain and workforce availability; there are no IT vendor-related challenges, he shares. Thats some cheer for the CIO community. Also Read: The analyst covering Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited (HKG:2342) delivered a dose of negativity to shareholders today, by making a substantial revision to their statutory forecasts for this year. There was a fairly draconian cut to their revenue estimates, perhaps an implicit admission that previous forecasts were much too optimistic. Following the downgrade, the most recent consensus for Comba Telecom Systems Holdings from its single analyst is for revenues of HK$7.4b in 2020 which, if met, would be a huge 27% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Before the latest update, the analyst was foreseeing HK$9.1b of revenue in 2020. The consensus view seems to have become more pessimistic on Comba Telecom Systems Holdings, noting the measurable cut to revenue estimates in this update. View our latest analysis for Comba Telecom Systems Holdings SEHK:2342 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 The consensus price target fell 10% to HK$2.96, with the analyst clearly less optimistic about Comba Telecom Systems Holdings' valuation following this update. Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. One thing stands out from these estimates, which is that Comba Telecom Systems Holdings is forecast to grow faster in the future than it has in the past, with revenues expected to grow 27%. If achieved, this would be a much better result than the 4.8% annual decline over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 14% per year. So it looks like Comba Telecom Systems Holdings is expected to grow faster than its competitors, at least for a while. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analyst cut their revenue estimates for this year. The analyst also expects revenues to grow faster than the wider market. Furthermore, there was a cut to the price target, suggesting that the latest news has led to more pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business. Given the stark change in sentiment, we'd understand if investors became more cautious on Comba Telecom Systems Holdings after today. Story continues Thirsting for more data? One Comba Telecom Systems Holdings broker/analyst has provided estimates out to 2022, which can be seen for free on our platform here. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies 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. Doctors treating coronavirus patients in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh will be quarantined at five-star hotels and the state government will bear the cost of accomodation. Doctors at Lok Nayak and GB Pant Hospitals will be put up at Lalit, a luxury hotel a few kilometres away. Delhi government has booked 100 rooms in the hotel and will fund their stays, according to an order from health minister Satyender Jain. Doctors are on the frontlines of the battle against Coronavirus. All doctors serving in Delhi government's Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospital on COVID-19 duty will now be housed in Hotel Lalit.#DelhiFightsCorona CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) March 30, 2020 The Uttar Pradesh government has also booked four hotels in Lucknow - Hyatt Regency, Fairfield Hotel, Piccadilly Hotel and Lemon Tree Hotel - to quarantine doctors and paramedical staff treating coronavirus patients. AP Doctors and medical staff of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences will be sent to Hyatt Regency and Fairdeal Hotel for quarantine. Piccadilly Hotel and Lemon Tree Hotel have been acquired for the doctors and staff of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. The number of coronavirus cases have reached 1,071 in India, while 29 deaths have been reported so far. A total of hundred patients have recovered. Delhi might witness a surge in coronavirus patients after 200 people suspected to be coronavirus positive have been admitted to different hospitals in the national capital. April 01 : The lockdown because of the widespread of Covid-19 has made people realise the true worth of their life, their family members and closed ones. Amidst the panic state everywhere, actress Anushka Sharma pens down a heartfelt message expressing her gratitude for all that she has in her life. She shared a picture of Virat and herself with their dog and wrote, "Every dark cloud has a silver lining. And this time, while it may seem like the worst time and in so many ways it actually is, has also forcefully made us all stop and deal with things we might have been running away from because either we were 'busy' or it was convenient to say we were 'busy'. If this time is respected for what it is, it will enable more light to shine through. This time has also made us all realise what's truly important. For me just having food, water and a roof over my head and the good health of my family seems MOST important. Everything else is a bonus that i bow my head in gratitude for. But, that which we call 'basic' is not so basic for everyone after looking at all the people who struggle for just those few things. My prayers with them and their families. May everyone be safe and secure. This time has surely made me more reflective. This need to stay at home with your loved ones has been forced upon the entire world but there is a deep lesson for us all. There is a lesson to strive for work and life balance (I've valued and strived for this dearly for many years now), there is a lesson to devote more time in things that actually matter. Today, when I am surrounded by all the blessings in my life, I just want to tell everyone how much comapssion I feel for everyone who I see suffer. I want to help as many possible in the best of my abilities. I feel pride in our resilience to be better human beings. I can instinctively feel this in and around me. We will all have our individual and subjective lessons from this time and hopefully, such lessons will continuously stay with us all. " Anusha and Virat have been trying their best to bring awareness amongst the people to stay safe and be at home amidst the Corona Crisis. They have been sharing videos with their fans telling them to understand the gravity of the situation and do their bit in fighting the pandemic. Anushka shared a video of herself where she can be seen showing to her fans how to wash their hands properly during this time. The two have also come forward and pledged their monetarily support to the PM CARES Fund and The Chief Minister Relief Fund (Maharashtra). Rights groups call for immediate stop to police operations and warn against more abuses during national health crisis. This grim image has become all too familiar in the Philippiness poorer neighbourhoods: the body of a barefoot, shirtless man, slumped against a wall with blood dripping from bullet wounds, the latest victim of President Rodrigo Dutertes unrelenting anti-illegal drugs campaign that has killed thousands. On the morning of Sunday, March 23, police and anti-narcotics enforcers from the central island of Cebu carried out an operation against a high-value individual. The buy-bust mission resulted in an armed confrontation and the killing of the suspect, Buen Chiong, according to a Cebu provincial police report obtained by Al Jazeera. Police added that Chiong was on their provincial-level watchlist. The Cebu radio station, DYSS, quoted authorities as saying that the suspect was linked to drug trading and burglary in his community. Al Jazeera also learned that a calibre .45 pistol was recovered from the scene of the shooting a detail missing in the police report, which initially misspelt the dead mans name as Buena. Chiongs death was filed under Control Number 20002-032020-0502. Amid a national health emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is no stopping Dutertes so-called deadly war on drugs and human rights advocates are warning that the outbreak and the lockdown that followed would exacerbate social inequality in the country, leading to further human rights abuses. Right groups are urging Duterte to immediately stop the drug war and ensure that the coronavirus containment measures being implemented adhere to the standards set by the United Nations and World Health Organization. Since Duterte declared a partial lockdown starting on March 15, Al Jazeera has learned that at least eight other people, including two police officers, have been killed by unknown gunmen under suspicious circumstances in Cebu Province alone. One of the fatalities was previously in jail due to a drug-related case. Killing without consequence Reports of drug-related killings continuing amid the lockdown order are deeply concerning, but not surprising, Rachel Chhoa-Howard of Amnesty International told Al Jazeera in a statement. The climate of impunity in the Philippines is so entrenched that police and others remain free to kill without consequence. According to the latest report published in mid-December 2019, at least 5,552 people have been killed during police operations since Duterte came to office on June 30, 2016. However, an earlier report published in June 2019 already showed a death toll of 6,600. Meanwhile, rights advocates say at least 27,000 people were killed as of mid-2019 including the victims killed by unknown gunmen. The president himself has repeatedly promised that his drug war will last until the final day of his presidency. As recent as early March, he was quoted on separate occasions saying, Dont be president, if you cant kill and that it was his job to scare people, to intimidate people, and to kill people. Since then, the attention of the country has shifted to the battle against the coronavirus, which has already killed 88 Filipinos as of March 31, forcing the lockdown of the entire northern island of Luzon, with 57 million people. Provincial and town executives also imposed similar measures in their own communities, putting virtually the entire country of 104 million people under quarantine. Brazen attacks Marit Stinus Cabugon, a Cebu-based columnist for a national newspaper, said the anti-drug police operations, as well as the extrajudicial killings have been going on in her province for a while. What was surprising was the brazenness of the recent attacks given the lockdown and the heightened security across the country, she said. The killers were not afraid that they would get caught, or stopped at checkpoints, said Stinus Cabugon, who has compiled an online list of killings in Cebu since 2018. She said most of the killings were drug-related. Bobby Badajos, 45, was killed on March 21 by two unidentified attackers on board a motorcycle [Courtesy of Gabriel Bonjoc] Since she started compiling a list in June 2018, Stinus Cabugon has recorded at least 159 fatalities during police anti-drug operations, 399 extrajudicial killings mostly linked to drugs and 114 other murders and homicides in and around Cebu. All my years in Cebu, weve never experienced anything like this, said the longtime Cebu resident and native of Denmark, who previously worked with the International Labour Organization. Among the most recent incidents she documented was the killing of Bobby Badajos on March 21. The 45-year-old driver of an electric-powered rickshaw was shot by four unidentified assailants on two motorcycles, according to a news report. Police Major Gerard Ace Pelare, the station chief in the area where Badajos was killed, told reporters the killing could be drug-related. But relatives told The Freeman, a Cebu newspaper, that Badajos was no longer involved in the drug trade after being released from jail last year on a plea bargain agreement. Badajos daughter, Rica, wrote on social media: I know you are not perfect, but for us youre already perfect, youre the best father. Pa, nobodys going to wake me up any more every morning before school. Not worth saving Two hours after Badajos was killed, a police corporal named Marlon Belleres was also killed by an unknown gunman in the same district. Belleres was the second officer killed in seven days. In the early hours of March 15, Police Corporal Vincent delos Reyes Arboladura was shot dead while driving home. In another incident on March 19 in Cebu, a mans body was dumped in a gutter with his hands tied at the back and a gunshot to his head similar to numerous victims dumped in the dark alleys of Metro Manila, when the drug war began during the second part of 2016. On March 26, 19-year-old Denver Aying was killed in the Lapu-Lapu district of Cebu. A relative wrote on social media that it was drug-related, but the victims brother disputed the claim. Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch in the Philippines said that while it might seem ironic that the killings are going on at a time when the government is trying to save lives from the deadly coronavirus, it is not hard to see it from the perspective of the president. He has pretty much put them in a category that deprived them of their sense of humanity, so he doesnt view them as worth saving, Conde told Al Jazeera. He added that even before the coronavirus emergency, the intensity of the killings in Cebu had already raised alarm. Police Corporal Marlon Belleres was killed by an unknown gunman on March 21, the second officer slain within one week in Cebu [Courtesy of Gabriel Bonjoc] The problem in Cebu is that unlike Manila, there arent a lot of NGOs, civil societies and human rights groups that monitor these killings in Cebu. So a lot of them are unreported, Conde said. But the killings in Cebu follow the same pattern as in Metro Manila, with the same kind of people being singled out mostly those living in sprawling slum areas he said. The government should stop the drug war, especially that this point when these communities are suffering from COVID-19, Conde said, warning the way Dutertes emergency declaration is being set up allows the authorities a lot of leeway to pretty much do whatever they want thus increasing the potential of misuse. There would be justice In an interview with Manila-based radio station DZMM on Tuesday, Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the Joint Task Force Corona Virus Shield, declared that since the declaration of the lockdown, crimes have declined by 52 percent across the entire country. He also warned those who violated curfew measures during the lockdown that they would be punished, while promising that the police would not abuse its authority in enforcing the law. Stinus Cabugon, the newspaper columnist based in Cebu, conceded that with the coronavirus health emergency, it would become even harder to report and gather information about drug-related killings in her community. She said that with the lockdown, many residents of Cebu were now faced with overwhelming economic hardship and would be preoccupied with simply surviving. Just the same, she vowed to continue her work documenting the deadly drug war. I wish I didnt have to add names to the list, she told Al Jazeera. I hope that one day, we will really get to the bottom of it, and there would be justice, and whoever was responsible for mass murder, would also be held accountable. MUFG is pleased to announce today the appointment of two new members to its Global Advisory Board: Ms. Anne Le Lorier, former First Deputy Governor at Banque de France, and Ms. Emi Osono, professor at Hitotsubashi University Business School's School of International Corporate Strategy. Ms. Le Lorier held various senior positions at France's Ministry of Economy and Finance, and she demonstrated her outstanding ability in roles such as First Deputy Governor at Banque de France from 2012 to 2018. She also has a thorough knowledge of and abundant experience with European economic and fiscal administration. Ms. Osono is a leading figure in corporate strategy research in Japan, serving as an outside director on the boards of multiple listed companies, and has broad theoretical and practical experience and achievements, as well as a deep understanding of the management of financial institutions. MUFG will proactively leverage Ms. Le Lorier's and Ms. Osono's advice and counsel in its group management and in strengthening MUFG's global governance and enhancing its business strategy. Members of the MUFG Global Advisory Board Name Title Ambassador John V. Roos Former United States Ambassador to Japan Professor Merit E. Janow Dean, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University Former Member of Appellate Body, World Trade Organization Ms. Anne Le Lorier Former First Deputy Governor at Banque de France Lord (James) Sassoon, Kt Director, Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited Former Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, United Kingdom Dr. Victor K Fung Group Chairman, Fung Group, Hong Kong Former Honorary Chairman, the International Chamber of Commerce Mr. George Yeo Former Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Emi Osono Professor, Hitotsubashi University Business School, School of International Corporate Strategy Mr. Akio Mimura Honorary Chairman, Nippon Steel Corporation About MUFG Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG)(TOKYO:8306)(NYSE:MUFG) is one of the world's leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with over 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with over 2,700 locations in more than 50 countries. The Group has over 180,000 employees and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing. The Group aims to "be the world's most trusted financial group" through close collaboration among our operating companies and flexibly respond to all of the financial needs of our customers, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG's shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit https://www.mufg.jp/english. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005196/en/ Contacts: Isamu Murofushi Public Relations Division, Tokyo Head Office MUFG Bank, Ltd. T: +81-3-5218-1811 E: isamu_murofushi@mufg.jp Greg Gutfeld outside Fox News headquarters in New York in November. (Bryan Anselm for The Post) The caustic comic has gone from irreverent cable news oddity to a ratings champ who seems right at home on the network. Menards is getting warned for the second time in recent weeks for its business practices during the coronavirus pandemic. The Michigan Department of Attorney General sent a letter to the home improvement company on Wednesday, April 1, ordering it to cease all activities that go against the spirit of the governor's "stay home" order. The current climate should not be viewed through the lens of business opportunism where dollars drive decisions over the good of the publics health, Attorney Dana Nessel said in a news release. Opportunistic practices include marketing sales to bring large numbers of people into its stores for non-emergency purposes, the release said. This is endangering the health of customers and employees, it said. We have been the low-price leader for years," Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott said in an email. "This is how we built our business. Everybody runs a bad play once in a while. We have reminded everyone on our team that being the low-price leader is, has been and always will be our goal. Menards is allowed to stay open, but only to supply goods that are necessary to maintain and improve the safety, sanitation and essential operations of a residence, per the order. Menards should have as few employees as are necessary to provide such goods, the release said. Willful violations of the governor's order can result in a $500 fine or 90 days in jail, per offense. Menards was accused of gouging prices on face masks and bleach by the Attorney General, March 17. The company later apologized, although the news release said this issue is still a topic of ongoing discussions with the business. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Michigan closes in on 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with largest single-day jump First Michigan prison employee dies from coronavirus, 24 others test positive Detroit among first cities nationwide to get 15-minute coronavirus test kits Menards says their bleach prices are reasonable after being accused of price gouging by Michigan Attorney General Michigan unemployment claims system jammed, but everyone eligible will receive their benefits' See the TCF Centers transformation into medical facility for coronavirus patients Michigan asking feds for more medical supplies as coronavirus cases grow A doctor has issued a stern warning to Australians to avoid joggers outside as they could potentially leave passersby at risk of catching coronavirus. ABC's Coronacast host Dr Norman Swan explained how a runner could 'flick' their body secretions such as sweat or saliva on you if you don't maintain social distancing. 'If joggers invade your personal space they are flicking whatever secretions they've got. But sweat isn't the only secretion you emit when you're in physical extremist jogging down the road,' the medical journalist said. There is currently no evidence showing that COVID-19 can be transmitted through sweat but Dr Swan warned the virus can be spread through small droplets from the mouth. 'As you're breathing up and breathing fast, if you've got virus there you're more likely to be aerosolising it,' he said. Scroll down for video A doctor has urged Australians to avoid joggers as they could potentially put passersby at risk during coronavirus pandemic (picture of joggers spotted along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on Wednesday) Dr Norman Swan (pictured) explained how a runner could 'flick' their body secretions such as swear or saliva on you if you don't maintain social distancing Dr Swan said he always ensures he adheres to the 1.5 metre social distancing guidelines while exercising outside in public places - as the federal government's tough restrictions are in place to prevent the spread of the virus. 'When I'm out running I steer clear of other people and I certainly steer clear of runners coming towards me because of that bigger depth of breathing and rapid breathing,' he said. 'If they had COVID-19 then they could actually be spraying it out a bit more than normal.' With gyms closed indefinitely, one of the reasons Australians can leave their homes is to exercise, but they are advised to stay at least 1.5 metres apart in public areas. However, many runners and cyclists blatantly ignored social distancing over the weekend after they flocked to the Bay Run, a seven-kilometre running track around Iron Cove in Sydney's inner west. A huge crowd of runners and cyclists flocked to the popular track known as Bay Run, located in Sydney's inner west, on Sunday despite restrictions in places to stop the spread of coronavirus The City of Canada Bay Council said it would be forced to shut down the popular path if residents couldn't follow the rules and stay at least 1.5 metres apart. 'Burwood Police Area Command have received many reports over the weekend of social distancing protocols not being observed on the Bay Run,' the council said. 'It is vital at this time that our community follow the direction of health authorities to slow the spread of COVID-19. 'Similar to other popular recreation sites in Sydney, if the public cannot follow the correct protocols access to the Bay Run may need to be restricted.' With gyms closed indefinitely, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed one of the top reasons Australians can only leave their homes is to exercise but advised to stay at least 1.5 metres apart in public areas (file image of people running at a park in Sydney on March 27) Many people who live around the area have voiced their frustration on Facebook after a huge crowd of people congregated at the iconic running track. 'The amount of people doing the Bay Run was a joke! I drove past on the way to the chemist and I was shocked,' one woman said. 'I have been indoors the past two weeks taking this very seriously and the moment I step out for a necessity there is everyone else going about their day like nothing is happening.' A second said: 'I just went for a walk at our oval and it seemed I was the only one who moved away to maintain distance. People were walking side by side taking up the whole path and made no effort to move.' A third said: 'I went very early for a walk and was so mindful of social distancing. However there were mums with strollers walking abreast sipping coffee acting like nothing had changed and a sweaty running guy barged past me, nearly knocked me off the path. This has to stop or close it down.' Wisconsin will hold in-person elections on 7 April as the governors requests to make voting safer meet a wall of opposition in the states Republican legislature. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers asked the legislature to approve the state sending vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters in the state, to lift photo ID requirements for mail-in voters and to extend in-person early voting through the weekend prior to the election and extending the deadlines for sending in and counting absentee ballots. All of Mr Evers requests were denied by the state Republicans, who have been accused by Democrats of intentionally trying to suppress voter turnout to help an incumbent state Supreme Court judge, Justice Daniel Kelly. As of Tuesday, there are more than 1,300 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state. According to the Washington Post, Republicans disputed the allegations, saying they were trying to prevent confusion on Election Day. The Post notes that Republicans considered changing the date of the Democratic primary in late 2018 to improve the justices chances of winning. I understand things are getting much different out there, and there are obviously a lot of concerns about what an election would look like on April 7, with the amount of poll workers and volunteers that were going to need, Scott L Fitzgerald, the states Republican majority leader, said. Were monitoring it very closely, but at this point I dont see a change really to the April 7 date. As a result, the state is getting swamped with mail-in votes and requests for absentee ballots, raising concerns among voters whove requested the ballots will not receive them by election day. As of Tuesday, more than 900,000 people had requested absentee ballots and 337,563 had been returned. Voters arent the only ones concerned; volunteer poll workers are withdrawing their services out of fear of exposure. CNN reported that the states elections commission administrator, Meagan Wolfe, said Wisconsin is in need of nearly 7,000 poll workers. In 111 municipalities, there are no workers at all to man the polls. Even with workers, its unclear if the state will be able to provide necessary sanitising supplies to keep them safe. Local officials have had to rely on local distilleries to find alcohol-based sanitiser products and Wisconsin is still trying to source 1.5 million disinfecting wipes, of which it currently has 750,000. The states election problems extend beyond the polls. A storm of lawsuits have been filed against the state to try to force changes to the voting rules that fell in line with the governors requests are still tied up in court. Recommended Democrats consider postponing national convention As a result, the possibility of last-minute changes to the election are not out of the realm of possibility. The states Republicans have opposed any change or delay to the primary. Thirteen states and territories, led by both Republicans and Democrats, have postponed their primaries due to safety concerns related to the coronavirus. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Business tycoon Ramon Ang downplayed the negative impact of the enhanced community quarantine on businesses, saying hell choose life over money. At this point, what is more important are lives, not money," Ang said in an interview with CNN Philippines. "We can make money again but life, once you lose it, it's gone forever. So between life and money, Id choose life. The San Miguel Corporation president and chief operating officer said he supports the extension of the enhanced community quarantine if that means saving more lives from COVID-19. We have to be sure that when were going to lift it on April 15, we have already flattened the curve, he said, adding that if it were up to him, he would lift [the quarantine] at least by the end of April or May 15. A lawmaker has earlier proposed to extend the Luzon-wide quarantine, arguing that the Philippines is still grappling with the health crisis. The health department has so far recorded 2,311 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of these, 96 have died, while 50 people have recovered. Initiatives in response to COVID-19 For its part, SMC has launched a number of initiatives to assist those affected by the pandemic. This includes a P181-million worth of food donations to poor communities. The corporation also has earlier earmarked 500-million to purchase personal protective equipment for health workers on the frontlines. READ: SMC commits to provide 500-M worth of PPE for frontline health workers Ang said they have already coordinated with the Department of Trade and Industry in sourcing PPE from local manufacturers. Most of these are going to be manufactured in the Philippines in Clark, Subic, all these export processing zones, he said. I think we should be able to quickly give away these safety equipment because its locally-manufactured, he added. SMC has also donated over 100,000 liters of free alcohol to hospitals, local government units, and the police. Ang had earlier called on other businesses to likewise utilize their resources to assist COVID-19 frontliners. We also invite other businesses to join us in this initiative and work together to support our selfless health care workers on the front lines of this crisis," he said. "We are all in this together." According to the World Health Organization, Yemen is the only one of the 19 Arab states to have no reported cases of the coronavirus COVID-19. Most countries in the region have national rapid response plans for public health threats. However, staff in these teams will require updated training to investigate and respond to the new virus. Almost all Arab states are taking precautions to by closing borders, schools, public places, and encouraging telecommuting, cancelling prayers and, in Saudi Arabias case, pilgrimage to Mecca. These measures will adversely affect each country economically and socially. Early warning surveillance is in place in most countries, especially those experiencing complex emergencies, but they may not be sensitive enough to detect emerging infectious diseases. Improving surveillance and investigation of, and response to, the pandemic requires improving disease surveillance and laboratory capacities. Preliminary estimates of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia suggest that the region could lose US$42 billion in Gross Domestic Product. Unemployment could increase by 1.2 percentage points. This means that 1.7 million people could lose their jobs this year. Already, between January and mid-March 2020, businesses have registered massive losses in market capitalto the order of UD$420 billion. The consequent loss of wealth is equivalent to eight percent of the regions total wealth. To deal with the downward economic spiral and ease the anticipated negative economic and social implications, several Arab countries have already put in place mitigation measures. United Arab Emirates announced a US$27 billion stimulus plan to help boost the economy, including subsidies to water and electricity for citizens and commercial and industrial activities. Qatar will invest US$23 billion to provide financial and economic incentives to the private sector. Saudi Arabia announced a US$13 billion incentive to support large and small businesses. Egypt has unveiled a US$6 billion plan combat the coronavirus and support economic growth. UNDP tailors its global response to the needs of countries across the region, in order to support their preparedness, response and recovery plans. UNDP in Jordan is working with partners to combat the spread of COVID-19 and to support countrys health systems through a new project introducing advanced medical waste disposal technologies to improve medical waste management. UNDP in Somalia has set up communications hub to raise people's awareness about the virus by producing videos, animations, radio spots and social media graphics. UNDP in Lebanon with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International has launched on 25 March 2020 a campaign to fight misinformation about coronavirus. UNDP in Yemen is adopting contingency measures to ensure our ability to continue to deliver essential services to communities affected by conflict. UNDP Sudan is providing COVID-19 dedicated support to the Ministry of Health with existing Global Fund and UNDP resources, and it is also working to evaluate and mitigate the potential long-term economic impact of the virus UNDP in Iraq and Kurdistan Human Rights Watch trained sixty women on sewing and tailoring in Ninewa over the course of a ten-day workshop to produce face masks. The coronavirus is unprecedented in our lifetime and will leave deep and long-lasting scars, particularly on developing nations. UNDP has called on the international community to think beyond the pandemics immediate impact. We will continue to respond urgently to COVID-19 as part of our mission to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and build resilience to crises and shocks. Photo: Unsplash Life as we know it has been turned upside down, whether were able to self-isolate or we have to continue to work. Even once-simple trips to the grocery store have taken on a new level of complexity and challenge. Its exhausting. Im beyond grateful to the essential workers who are continuing to work to support all of us, and I cant imagine what their days are like. Thank you! The meaning and effects of the global pandemic are different for each of us. I hear from many people who are feeling stretched beyond capacity. Difficult and uncomfortable emotions often arise. In teaching mindfulness, Ive learned people often dont know what to do with uncomfortable emotions. I thought it would be helpful to revisit the topic of emotions, and what to do when challenging ones arise. Emotions come with a sticky note of preference; some emotions we try to hold on to, while others we try to avoid or suppress. Fear, sadness and grief can whelm up, and tempers can flare, even on the heels of feeling love, appreciation, and gratitude. It can be confusing. People are pretty good at pushing uncomfortable emotions down and trying to ignore them. When we do this, they often spill out in unexpected ways, looking quite unlike what they really are. Then, there are those who let it all loose, and unleash their emotions as they arise. We see this in people who have a habit of anger or drama. Both these responses to emotion easily create interpersonal challenge when were reacting from our feelings, instead of responding. Extreme, or pent-up emotions, can cause us to say and do things we wouldnt normally do. Emotions are a normal and natural evolutionary capacity, important to our survival. Were all capable of experiencing every emotion, although there are some we try to avoid and some we prefer. I refer to emotions as energy-in-motion. The energy will move through us, if we let it. Emotion researches tell us even the strongest emotions only last 60-90 seconds, unless we suppress them or feed them with a story. They may come back, but will do so with less intensity, if we learn to turn toward them, breathe, and let them pass. Our emotions colour the way we see the world; they become the lenses through which we view life. When were afraid, irritated, or angry, we see more things that match that emotion. When were feeling big love, happiness, or positive emotions, we tend to see the world through those lenses. Extremes of emotion, fear, love, or anger, cause a gating of perception, in which the brain blocks out what doesnt match. We dont perceive clearly. This is why people ignore blatant warning signs of abuse when they fall madly in love; they just cant see them. Its also why angry people see only that which irritates them; everything makes them mad, and theyre unable to see the goodness. The problem is, many of us dont let the emotions move, we resist them, but I've found it helps to notice the sensations of emotion moving through me. Staying open and curious to what feelings are arising, without judgment, and naming the emotion thats present, is a powerful way to support ourselves. Dr. Dan Siegel, professor of psychology and co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Centre at the University of Southern California, recommends we name it to tame it. This simple practice has proven powerful for me and made life more pleasant for those I live with. In the old days, when I was irritated or felt crusty, Id try to suppress it, and pretend everything was OK. I thought I was hiding it, but I wasnt. My irritation showed in the tone of my voice, and in the way the cupboard doors closed. I found more to be irritated by, and the feelings grew. In learning to name it to tame it, I simply state, out loud to myself, how Im feeling, without searching for a reason or story about why, or whos to blame. This simple act helps to reduce the feeling, and invites the thinking and reasoning part of the brain into play. It soothes my system. Its important we find ways to support our emotional health. Learning to name it to tame it is a quick and simple practice to support us in these challenging times. Dont be afraid to reach out for professional help if you need to. A 29-year-old man, who had returned from Dubai to his native village in coastal Bhadrak district on March 18, has tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive on Tuesday night, officials said. Though he was asymptomatic (not showing symptoms of the disease), the health authorities took his swab samples for diagnostic tests. Before this, Odisha reported three Covid-19 positive cases of which two had travelled abroad. The third patient, a bank official, had travelled to Delhi and Haryana last month. Last week, the Odisha government revised its policy and decided to test all those who returned from abroad after March 4, said a senior state health official, adding that over 4,300 people have returned to the state since that date. Odisha health secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal said the Bhadrak resident has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack late on Tuesday night. All his family members have been admitted to the isolation facility of the Bhadrak district hospital and their swab samples sent for tests. The authorities are carrying out contact tracing of the infected person. His residence has been sanitised and sealed by district officials. Senior state government officials also said at least 35 people from Odisha attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi between Match 13 and 15. The building, where the gathering was held, has become a hot spot of coronavirus infections in India. The Odisha government has also decided not to organise any function on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa (Odisha Day) on Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak and 21-day nationwide lockdown that started on March 25. Odisha governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wished the people of the state on Utkala Dibasa, which is celebrated every year to commemorate the formation of the state on linguistic basis on April 1, 1936. Governor Lal sought the blessings of Lord Jagannath for combating Covid-19 in Odisha. CM Patnaik exuded confidence regarding the containment of the viral outbreak with the active cooperation of the people of the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco with a brand value of $46.8 billion has claimed the title of the Middle Easts most valuable brand, said Brand Finance, the worlds leading independent brand valuation consultancy, in a new report. Saudi Aramco is focused on leveraging its strength in upstream, while growing its downstream operations through acquisitions, both in Saudi Arabia and key global markets, said Brand Finance in its release of Middle East 50 report on the regions top 50 most valuable and strongest brands, of which 20 are Saudi Arabian brands, 17 from the UAE, 9 from Qatar and 4 from Kuwait. David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance said: The harsh reality is that many Middle Eastern brands are not going to make their 2020 targets due to the unprecedented challenges of the Coronavirus outbreak. Having a strong brand is more crucial now than ever, as this might which will truly help to weather the storm and bounce back from this crisis. Adnoc breaks $11 billion barrier Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is the Middle Easts second most valuable brand, up 29 per cent to $11.4 billion. The brand is also the first UAE brand to achieve a brand valuation of more than $11 billion, a testament to the success of the Groups ongoing transformation strategy. Etisalat Middle East and Africas most valuable consumer brand AAA rating Emirati telecoms giant Etisalat is the most valuable consumer brand in the Middle East 50 2020 ranking for the third year in a row. With a brand value of $8.5 billion, Etisalat has demonstrated a consistent performance over the years. The brand is also the strongest telecoms brand in the Middle East and Africa making it the sole brand in the region to maintain the prestigious AAA Brand Rating. The brands growing role in fulfilling the UAEs National Innovation Strategy and its dominant influence in shaping the regions digital future are behind its continued success. Etisalats footprint in 16 countries across Asia, Middle East, and Africa makes it home to an impressive portfolio of brands including Mobily, Ufone, Maroc Telecom, PTCL, and Etisalat Misr with a combined portfolio brand value of $11.0 billion. Banking brands dominate Of the Middle Easts top 50 brands, 21 are from the banking sector, with Qatars QNB (up 20 per cent to $6 billion) leading the charge as the regions biggest lender. QNBs brand value has grown solidly since 2019 despite a regional embargo on Qatar as the bank has been pursuing expansion across new markets, with a notable strategic focus on Southeast Asia. Following last years three-way merger between Union National Bank and Al Hilal Bank, ADCB is the regions fastest growing brand, up 41 per cent since last year to $2.7 billion. Up five places to be named the Middle Easts 13th most valuable brand, ADCB is to be commended for a successful roll out its new brand across physical and digital channels only five months after completion of the merger. Aviation worst impacted by Coronavirus Assessed by Brand Finance as the hardest hit sector under COVID-19 are airlines, leisure and tourism, aviation, aerospace and defence. The global airline industry has said most carriers will run out of money within two months as a result of the closure of borders for arrivals as governments order shutdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak. A large number of major airlines, including Emirates (up 9 per cent to $6.8 billion) and Etihad (down 38 per cent to $0.8 billion) have grounded most of their fleets as they now confront a crisis unlike anything ever seen before in the airline industry. In addition to measuring overall brand value, Brand Finance also evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation. Alongside revenue forecasts, brand strength is a crucial driver of brand value. According to these criteria, Emirates is the Middle Easts strongest brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 86.2 out of 100 and it is this brand strength and positive sentiment amongst its passengers worldwide which will help support the airline, as it significantly reduces passenger flights across the network in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. TradeArabia News Service DECATUR Artists live for times in which they spend hours working on their craft and talents. A quarantine maybe just what they dream of. Gallery 510 Executive Director and artist Barbara Dove said she always looks on the brighter side of life. So when I paint I like to focus on happy thoughts and colorful images, she said. I imagine others are doing a lot of reading like myself of the many art magazines we get and just dont seem to have the time to read. Well, now I do. Wood turner Don Davis said he is spending more time in the studio as well as looking through old journals and internet sites. Trying to juice up my creativity, he said. Ive also been experimenting with some different wood finishes which I usually wouldnt do. Central Illinois has its share of talented artists, but right now, they have no place to show their works. Each month the Herald & Review publishes a list of local galleries and exhibits. With the closing of public gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, some galleries and similar venues have created alternatives to show artists work. A few galleries have taken advantage of virtual exhibits. Downtowns Art Farm will feature Fever Dream by Orrin Taylor for its first virtual gallery. Enjoy the show as always but online, the Facebook invitation stated. The exhibit will be set to original music composed by local musician Charles Stobaugh. A still photo catalog of the work will have the size of the piece and price listed. Taylor and ArtFarm owner Peggy Baity had been working on the show since October. With the shelter order, I had to get creative with exactly how I was going to get this work out to the public who regularly attends the openings, Baity said. The exhibit will be posted at 5 p.m. Friday, April 3, the same time and day as what would have been the First Friday Gallery Walk, downtowns monthly gallery receptions. Jerry Johnson, executive director of the Decatur Area Arts Council, said he had wanted to create a gallery featuring unique collections for a while. Because its art, he said. The opportunity to show the communitys displays through the virtual exhibit Quirky Collections was ideal during the states time of quarantine. Contributors can download a video explaining why the collection is interesting to them and include #quirky collections to the post. Its for whatever people collect thats interesting or fun, Johnson said. It doesnt have to be a formal collection. Johnsons contribution will include his collection of Christmas Coca-Cola cans and hype stickers from record album covers he had accumulated since he was a teenager. I have about 600 now, he said. The unique stickers have adorned other collectibles including an old Decatur McDonalds restaurant chair. April Art Exhibits ANNE LLOYD GALLERY. The Decatur Area Arts Council has cancelled the April exhibit in the gallery throughout April. However, the staff and friends will be posting their own quirky collections on the gallerys social media. ART FARM. The downtown art store will feature Fever Dream by Orrin Taylor for its first virtual gallery on the businesss website. BLUE CONNECTION. The Millikin University's student-run art gallery will be closed until further notice. CENTRAL ILLINOIS TITLE COMPANY. The artwork of Jessica Disbrow will be featured again at the business in April. DECATUR AIRPORT GALLERY. Artwork by Annette Russo will be on display again at the Airport Gallery throughout April. FLOURISHES GALLERY AND STUDIOS. The downtown Shelbyville gallery will be closed until further notice. Check out the gallerys website for exhibits and further information. For an appointment, call (217) 827-5690. GALLERY 510. The downtown gallery will feature the works of Juan Cervantes on the gallerys website www.gallery510.org. An opening reception has been cancelled for April. The Student of the Month display has been cancelled. GIERTZ GALLERY. Parkland College Gallery has cancelled exhibits for the remainder of the school year. For more information, visit www.artgallery.parkland.edu. HISTORY ROOM. While the Decatur Public Library and the history room are closed, digital collections can be seen on Omeka at omeka.decaturlibrary.org. KRANNERT ART MUSEUM. The University of Illinois art museum will be closed to the public. LINCOLN ART INSTITUTE. The Logan County Artists have closed the doors to the Lincoln gallery. On April 9, they will be posting new works on the Black and White theme to their social media pages, Lincoln Art Institute on Facebook and lincoln_art_institute on Instagram. For future visits, call (217) 651-8355 for an appointment. PERKINSON ART GALLERY. The gallery located in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center will be closed to the public until April 30. ROCK SPRINGS NATURE CENTER. Rock Springs Nature Center's north wing art gallery will display the oil acrylic artwork of Katherine Unruh. Nature photography by Melody Arnold will be featured in the south gallery of the nature center. Both exhibits will be on display once the nature center reopens. TARBLE ARTS CENTER. The Eastern Illinois University gallery has cancelled all events until May. For further information, call (217) 581-2787 or email tarble@eiu.edu. UNIVERSITY GALLERIES. The Illinois State University art gallery will be closed until May 1. UPSTAIRS GALLERY. Marilyn Shulls artwork will be featured again at the Decatur Public Librarys second floor gallery when the library opens. WILDFLOUR ARTISAN BAKERY AND CAFE. Once the restaurant reopens, Dan Modzelewski will be the featured artist. 12+ Famous Decatur visitors Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In times of disruption, Scott O. Hirsch believes freelancers are a smart answer to fill temporary gaps in employment needs. DELRAY BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / With the current Coronavirus pandemic, many Americans find themselves stuck at home due to social distancing. While some people are working from home for their regular employers, those who have lost jobs are turning to the gig economy. This could be a big opportunity for businesses to start working with freelancers, and Scott O. Hirsch took to his medium to share some advice for large and small businesses that are now turning to this readily available workforce. Scott is a serial entrepreneur who clearly has what it takes to run a successful business. He's also an internationally-recognized expert in digital data marketing and has used freelancers in the past to start several companies that have gone on to be acquired by industry leaders. He shares that businesses struggling in the current economy should think about the money they save by working with freelancers. "The math is pretty simple," says Hirsch. "You don't pay freelancers benefits, nor do you pay their taxes." Additionally, freelancers are usually responsible for paying for their own office supplies, including things like computers, internet, and software. It's clear to see why Scott Hirsch believes that hiring freelancers can be a positive decision for business owners. If you're nervous about hiring new workers remotely, Hirsch notes that working with freelancers gives you the opportunity to "try before you buy". In this day and age, companies need workers who are flexible. They need people who are go-getters and able to manage their own time wisely. It's hard to assess these skills in a job interview. Unlike those who have always worked in traditional office settings, freelancers have been completing projects without heavy-handed oversight for years. They usually have the skills, but you can check out those skills without a big commitment. Hirsch says, "Working with freelancers gives you a chance to see what kind of people you want on your team and what kind of people you don't." If you really like the freelancer you've hired, you may have the opportunity to hire them full-time. If you don't think they're a good fit, you can simply move on to the next person once their project is complete. Scott O. Hirsch also believes that freelancers may also represent a natural source of brand advocates. Once a freelancer has a positive experience with your company, they'll become loyal supporters. "This means they'll be proud to include the work they did for you in their portfolios, and they'll probably be glad to share your social media content via their own channels." There's never been a better time to work with freelancers, and by following the advice of Scott O. Hirsch, you'll see positive impacts on your business. To learn more great business tips you can follow Scott on Twitter or his website http://scotthirsch.com/. CONTACT: Caroline Hunter Web Presence, LLC +1 7865519491 SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583451/Scott-O-Hirsch-Offers-Advice-on-Working-with-Freelancers As the positive cases of the coronavirus COVID-19 continue to rise, the Pakistan government has been battling the pandemic with the help of its close friend China, the country which was also the epicentre of the deadly virus. Recently, several doctors along with a consignment of ventilators and essential medicines were also dispatched from China to Pakistan. But shockingly, none of these medical facilities has been extended to the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan completely abandoned PoK. In these trying times, the neglect of the Pakistan government has angered the people of PoK. "The situation in PoK is extremely precarious. According to newspaper reports, the Pakistani government is constantly discriminating against the common people and even not supplying basic necessities to the people in PoK," said JNU Professor Nalin Mohapatra to Zee News. China has been providing huge medical supplies and doctors to Pakistan to handle the deadly virus but PoK has been rendered an orphan. Despite the outbreak of cases related to coronavirus, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) work has been continuing in PoK. China has asked Pakistan to reopen the Khunjerab Pass so that the medical supplies could be provided to Chinese engineers and labourers. An estimated 5,000 Chinese engineers and labourers are currently working on the CPEC projects. The region of Gilgit-Baltistan has a high percentage of coronavirus cases and the situation is getting out of hand. As per the Pakistan Health Department, there are 153 cases in Gilgit and Baltistan alone among the 2,000 cases reported from all over Pakistan. The Deputy Speaker of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, Zagarullah Khan, accompanied by Gilgit-Baltistan Law Minister Airangazeb while visiting the Nagar and Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan on March 30 accused the Pakistan government of not providing any aid to that region. The economic dependence of Pakistan will increase due to the pandemic and China will extract more natural resources from the PoK territory through mining and power projects. Pakistan will become a semi-colony of China due to the COVID-19 impact. In case coronavirus situation worsens in Pakistan, China may deploy its People's Liberation Army (PLA) to assist the Pakistan Army. "It appears that Pakistan govt has no control over the situation and they are looking towards China to bail them out. In the long-run, China may treat Pakistan as its another province. This is the reason why it is keeping a mum on Pakistan's activities in promoting terrorism and giving shelter to radical groups," said Mohapatra. Last week, Kashmiri political activists have slammed Pakistan for shifting coronavirus affected people from the eastern province of Punjab and the rest of the country to Mirpur city in PoK. Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of United Kashmir People' National Party said, "There is no testing facility in PoK that could do basic blood and urine tests." He added that the coronavirus test needs trained doctors and testing kits. Ill admit that if you look closely enough OK, maybe you dont even have to look all that closely youll see dust bunnies. And sand tracked in on the porch. Oh, yeah, and fingerprints on the windows. So, in other words, my house is not quite spotless. The Centre has decided to accept foreign donations for the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) that was set-up to fight the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, sources told Zee News on Wednesday. PM Modi had a conversation with ten world leaders via a video conference to ensure that all the heads of mission are on the same page, added the sources. He exhorted them to take a step on specific counts. To combat the challenge of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, PM Modi on March 28 had announced the PM CARES Fund, a public charitable trust. The fund has been set up so that the people who want to contribute can do so by following a few simple steps which will help the government tide over the major COVID-19 hurdle. While the Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust, its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister. The pandemic of COVID-19 has engulfed the entire world and has posed serious challenges for the health and economic security of millions of people worldwide. In India too, the spread of coronavirus has been alarming and is posing severe health and economic ramifications for our country. The Prime Ministers office has been receiving spontaneous and innumerable requests for making generous donations to support the government in the wake of this emergency. Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, the fund has been started. This fund will enable micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be able to contribute with the smallest of denominations. Citizens and organisations can go to the website pmindia.gov.in and donate to PM CARES Fund. According to sources, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar spoke to finance ministers of the European Union (EU), US, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka on how to coordinate position. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has supported measures taken by the government and is on the forefront to deal with the crisis. The senior officials of commerce ministries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries are expected to meet soon to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Calling it a global emergency, the sources said, "We are seeing a global emergency and we need global coordination. We took lead on SAARC and we participated in G20. As far as UNSC is concerned, its members need to decide a meet is required on COVID-19." The Indian mission has dedicated helpline to reach out to the stranded Indians in the affected countries. The sources added that India has evacuated 2,500 of its citizens from around the globe over coronavirus crisis. India rescued 1,600 citizens stranded in transit. It also added that India has been assisting foreign missions and 10,000 foreign nationals have left the country so far. Clarifying on the equipments exported to Serbia, the sources said, "Items that were exported to Serbia was not in the prohibited list. The guidelines are very clear." Speaking on Indians evacuated from Iran, the sources said, "All Indians in Iran before evacuation were tested. Those who have been tested negative were sent back, those who have been tested positive are being taken care of." New data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided the strongest evidence yet for mid-sized black holes in the Universe. Hubble confirms that this "intermediate-mass" black hole dwells inside a dense star cluster. Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are a long-sought 'missing link' in black hole evolution. There have been a few other IMBH candidates found to date. They are smaller than the supermassive black holes that lie at the cores of large galaxies but larger than stellar-mass black holes formed by the collapse of massive stars. This new black hole is over 50 000 times the mass of our Sun. IMBHs are hard to find. "Intermediate-mass black holes are very elusive objects, and so it is critical to carefully consider and rule out alternative explanations for each candidate. That is what Hubble has allowed us to do for our candidate," said Dacheng Lin of the University of New Hampshire, principal investigator of the stud1. Lin and his team used Hubble to follow up on leads from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton), which carries three high-throughput X-ray telescopes and an optical monitor to make long uninterrupted exposures providing highly sensitive observations. "Adding further X-ray observations allowed us to understand the total energy output. This helps us to understand the type of star that was disrupted by the black hole," said team member Natalie Webb of the Universite de Toulouse in France. In 2006 these high-energy satellites detected a powerful flare of X-rays, but it was not clear if they originated from inside or outside of our galaxy. Researchers attributed it to a star being torn apart after coming too close to a gravitationally powerful compact object, like a black hole. Surprisingly, the X-ray source, named 3XMM J215022.4-055108, was not located in the centre of a galaxy, where massive black holes normally reside. This raised hopes that an IMBH was the culprit, but first another possible source of the X-ray flare had to be ruled out: a neutron star in our own Milky Way galaxy, cooling off after being heated to a very high temperature. Neutron stars are the extremely dense remnants of an exploded star. Hubble was pointed at the X-ray source to resolve its precise location. Deep, high-resolution imaging confirmed that the X-rays emanated not from an isolated source in our galaxy, but instead in a distant, dense star cluster on the outskirts of another galaxy -- just the sort of place astronomers expected to find an IMBH. Previous Hubble research has shown that the more massive the galaxy, the more massive its black hole. Therefore, this new result suggests that the star cluster that is home to 3XMM J215022.4-055108 may be the stripped-down core of a lower-mass dwarf galaxy that has been gravitationally and tidally disrupted by its close interactions with its current larger galaxy host. IMBHs have been particularly difficult to find because they are smaller and less active than supermassive black holes; they do not have readily available sources of fuel, nor do they have a gravitational pull that is strong enough for them to be constantly drawing in stars and other cosmic material and producing the tell-tale X-ray glow. Astronomers therefore have to catch an IMBH red-handed in the relatively rare act of gobbling up a star. Lin and his colleagues combed through the XMM-Newton data archive, searching hundreds of thousands of sources to find this one IMBH candidate. Once found, the X-ray glow from the shredded star allowed astronomers to estimate the black hole's mass. Confirming one IMBH opens the door to the possibility that many more lurk undetected in the dark, waiting to be given away by a star passing too close. Lin plans to continue this meticulous detective work, using the methods his team has proved successful. "Studying the origin and evolution of the intermediate mass black holes will finally give an answer as to how the supermassive black holes that we find in the centres of massive galaxies came to exist," added Webb. Black holes are one of the most extreme environments humans are aware of, and so they are a testing ground for the laws of physics and our understanding of how the Universe works. Does a supermassive black hole grow from an IMBH? How do IMBHs themselves form? Are dense star clusters their favoured home? With a confident conclusion to one mystery, Lin and other black hole astronomers find they have many more exciting questions to pursue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sesa sen By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Adding to the woes of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, who are grappling with panic buying and dwindling supplies of fresh stocks, the exodus of migrant labourers across various states has led to a tardy production of essentials. Companies said they are working at a critical 20-25 per cent workforce with their third-party manufacturing units taking the worst hit. Even as the movement of trucks has improved, the shortage of manpower is making it difficult to run operations. The shortage in our 125 third-party plants is even more severe since they are mostly located in smaller towns and labourers have migrated from there first. Unless there is clear statement from the government that the disease is under control, labourers are unlikely to come back, said Mayank Shah, category head at Parle Products. Britannia Industries is also facing a similar labour crisis. We are evaluating how we can operate with fewer number of people as most of our workmen have got back to their villages. We are operating at only about 25 per cent of strength, said Britannia managing director Varun Berry. The company has set a target of 50 per cent for this week although it might be a lofty target given the workers are not willing to return for the fear of the virus spread.Shahrukh Khan, executive director, operations at Dabur India said availability of raw material and packing material continues to be a challenge with the restricted movement of trucks and this is hampering quick start-up of production of essential products. The key issue, however, is the availability of workers to run these operations, he added. R S Sodhi, managing director and chairman, Amul concurred. While our products are getting delivered to distributors, the latter are unable to deliver due to an acute manpower shortage. Labour is a huge problem. Due to the COVID-19 scare, a lot of them have gone home. This problem will persist for a few more days. Meanwhile, distributors are now telling retailers, including kirana stores to arrange their own logistics as they are either running on skeleton staff or are still awaiting clarity on distribution operations from local administration. We were not prepared for a 21-day lockdown. Currently, I have stocks of cooking oil, atta, Maggi, pulses and besan in my go-down but no labourers to load products or any people to deliver them. If they (retailers) have their own transport and delivery personnel, they can come down and pick up the goods, said a Delhi-based distributor requesting anonymity. [April 01, 2020] Seamster Edge Computing Initiative to Capture Enterprise Use Cases And Accelerate Adoption MobiledgeX to work with end-to-end edge value chain to advance edge computing technologies, best practices, research and innovation SAN FRANCISCO, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seamster , the global edge computing initiative dedicated to enterprise use case exploration and adoption, launched today with support from the end-to-end edge value chain. Participating in a virtual event , industry leaders representing Accedian, Dell EMC, MobiledgeX, Stratacache, Topio Networks, VMware, and Worldwide Technology (WWT) joined to kick off an open, neutral, research-driven discussion about how to fast-track global edge computing and 5G deployments. The MobiledgeX-founded initiative has already started modeling existing edge opportunities, some of which were shared during the launch event. This activity will accelerate as more companies join, replacing unknowns about how the edge will work with evidence of value through a collaborative experience. Seamster comprises members from across the full emerging and expanding edge ecosystem with launch partcipants that include Accedian, Dell EMC, Infosys, MobiledgeX, Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT), Topio Networks, VMware, Wind River and Worldwide Technology (WWT). It is the only demand-side based edge initiative and combines end users and developers, cloud providers, technology partners, device makers and telecom operators. MobiledgeX CEO Jason Hoffman, who presented the opening remarks at todays Seamster launch event said, When you start with the critical question about who the edge is for, you begin to see this massive opportunity from a very different perspective. Seamster is bringing together an eclectic array of players to expedite the information, support and resources needed to help enterprises leverage 5G and edge computing to finally solve problems in their digital transformation efforts. We invite all companies interested in pursuing this common goal to join Seamster. Seamster membership is growing, with founding members already contributing privileged insights gained from unique vantage points and early market work. For more information about Seamster or to join the initiative as a member or sponsor, please visit www.seamster.io and follow @seamsterio . About Seamster Seamster is a global edge computing initiative dedicated to knowledge-sharing and enterprise use case exploration with membership comprising stakeholders from across the edge ecosystem. Its membership comprises the end-to-end edge value chain, including end users and developers, cloud providers, technology partners, device makers and operators, to advance edge computing technologies and increase customer adoption via open, neutral conversations. Members collaborate to develop and share data, research, insights and best practices with the goal of accelerating edge rollouts. For more information or to join as a member or sponsor, visit www.seamster.io or follow @seamsterio . For press inquiries, please reach out to [email protected]. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] 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. Wills Point Mayor, GFA Founder Use Social Media to Encourage Community Mayor Mark Turner and Gospel for Asia's K.P. Yohannan post video messages on social media, urge residents to 'pray, obey, show love' NEWS PROVIDED BY Gospel for Asia April 1, 2020 WILLS POINT, Texas, April 1, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Mayor Mark Turner and Gospel for Asia founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan have teamed up via social media to deliver "virtual" messages of encouragement to "the community we love" during the COVID-19 crisis. In the brief video posted this week on YouTube -- click here to watch now -- Turner and Yohannan, whose ministry set up its global headquarters in Wills Point, encourage local residents to pray, practice social distancing, and stay home except for essential outings. "Both Mayor Turner and I love this community deeply, and we want all our neighbors to stay safe and well during this most difficult time," said Yohannan, whose ministry workers live and worship in Wills Point. With two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Van Zandt County, local residents are urged to follow the government's guidelines to protect themselves and others, Turner said. Guidelines include practicing social distancing -- staying six feet away from others -- staying home unless absolutely necessary, and washing hands regularly with soap. 'Obey Governing Authorities' All residents should follow the rules designed to protect them, Yohannan said, citing the Bible passage in Romans 13 that calls people to obey the "governing authorities." "The Bible tells us that there is no authority except from God," Yohannan said. The county is expected to introduce tougher emergency restrictions, including a ban on gatherings of 10 or more people. "We are urging everyone in our community to show love for each other as we pray for one another and face this crisis together," Yohannan said. To watch the video featuring Yohannan and Turner, click here. Headquartered in Wills Point, Gospel for Asia (GFA, www.gfa.org) is a leading faith-based mission agency, bringing vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear the "good news" of Jesus Christ. In GFA's latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,000 clean water wells drilled, over 11,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 200,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news. SOURCE Gospel for Asia CONTACT: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660, gwooding@inchristcommunications.com Related Links www.gfa.org https://press.gfa.org/news Share Tweet TUPELO, Miss., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) will release first quarter 2020 earnings on April 20, 2020, after the close of the financial markets. It will also hold its regularly scheduled webcast Tuesday, April 21, 2020, beginning at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The webcast is live coverage of management's conference call with analysts and can be found by visiting: www.BancorpSouth.com/Webcast . This will be an interactive session between management and analysts; others may listen to the live broadcast as it happens. The conference will also be available in archived format at the same address. BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $21 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 310 full-service branch locations as well as additional mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn more, visit our Community Commitment page at www.bancorpsouth.com ; "Like" us on Facebook; follow us on [email protected]; or connect with us through LinkedIn. SOURCE BancorpSouth Bank Related Links http://www.bancorpsouth.com 3206, 3529, 3753. This is the number of real estates purchased by foreign citizens in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively, and the numbers are evidently steadily increasing. 395 of those properties were sold by foreign owners, reported 24.hu. According to the data of kormany.hu: Foreigners still favour Budapest; they bought 2896 properties last year Debrecen is in second place after the capital with 32 properties sold to foreigners, followed by Sopron where 29 properties were purchased by non-Hungarian citizens 181 properties were sold in Pest county and 155 in Zala county to foreign citizens A total of 1695 pieces of real estate were bought by Chinese people, 1521 in Budapest, 11 in Sopron and eight in Nagykovacsi Citizens of the EU bought 786 properties, 641 of which are located in Budapest, 10 in Debrecen, seven in Szeged, and six in Hegyeshalom Israeli citizens purchased 348 properties, Russians 311, while Ukrainians bought 132. Most of these purchases were also made in Budapest 470 properties were sold in Budapests smallest district, in district 7. 162 to Chinese, 145 to Israeli, 102 to EU and 17 to Russian citizens 365 real estate were sold in district 6 and 308 in district 8 Chinese citizens now own 52.3 per cent of the properties sold to foreigners, 22 per cent by a member of the European Union, 10.6 by Israeli, 4.4 by Russian and 1.9 by Turkish people District 10 is the most liked by the Chinese, where they bought 189 properties. Several Chinese enterprises operate here, the Monori Center is also located here, so it is no surprise really SHENZHEN, China, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei released its 2019 Annual Report yesterday, detailing a solid business performance. The company's global sales revenue in 2019 rounded off at CNY858.8 billion, up 19.1% year-on-year. Huawei has maintained steady growth in the enterprise market and achieved a global sales revenue of CNY89.7 billion, up 8.6% year-on-year. Huawei's enterprise business has become one of the key drivers of the company's overall growth. As of 2019, more than 700 cities and 228 Fortune Global 500 companies have chosen Huawei as their digital transformation partner. In addition, Huawei's enterprise business has a network of more than 28,000 partners worldwide, which contribute up to 86% of the global revenue of the business group. Through this global partner network, Huawei has enabled the building of a prosperous inter-dependent ecosystem that creates value for customers and the whole industry. In 2019, Huawei saw rapid expansion in enterprise business. With its non-stop efforts in R&D and investment in new ICT technologies such as 5G, AI, and cloud, Huawei fully leverages the collaborative advantages of new technologies to accelerate product innovation, industry digitization, and intelligent development. Moreover, the principle of "Being Integrated" has been well adopted in enterprise business, so that success is shared with partners through fair, just, transparent, and simple partner policies. Innovating products and solutions for the enterprise market with leading 5G, cloud, and AI technologies During the year, Huawei leveraged the synergy among cloud, AI, and 5G to provide public cloud services and hybrid cloud solutions that are stable, reliable and sustainable. HUAWEI CLOUD has launched more than 200 cloud services and 190 solutions, while more than 3 million enterprise users and developers currently use HUAWEI CLOUD to develop products and solutions. Using Cloud as the base, Huawei has launched Huawei Horizon Digital Platform by integrating new ICT technologies including IoT, AI, big data, video, converged communications, and GIS to build a foundation for the future digital world. According to leading independent market research firm Dell'Oro Group, Huawei ranked No. 1 in the share of the global Wi-Fi 6 indoor AP market, excluding North America between the third quarters of 2018 and 2019, through its provision of quality services for customers from various sectors such as education, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. In addition, in 2019, Huawei launched CloudEngine 16800, the industry's first data center switch built for the AI era, which has been commercially deployed in more than 150 enterprise data centers around the world. The three OptiXs, namely OptiXtrans, OptiXaccess, and OptiXstar, have been adopted by over 3,800 companies across 158 countries and regions. According to a Gartner's report released in September 2019, Huawei's storage products took up the Leaders' zone of the Magic Quadrant. Huawei also released two flagship solutions for the enterprise market HiCampus and HiDC by relying on its cutting edge technologies in 5G, optical transmission, Internet Protocol (IP) networking, and AI technologies and making collaborative innovation across technological domains. Helping governments and enterprises achieve digital transformation and accelerating development in different sectors Huawei has a wealth of experience in helping governments and enterprises go digital. In areas such as smart city, campus, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and education, Huawei works with global partners to roll out innovative solutions and business models to create new value. As of 2019, Huawei has partnered with more than 4,200 service providers serving over 50,000 customers around the world. The company has participated in smart city projects in more than 200 cities across over 40 countries and regions, as well as assisting more than 1,000 financial institutions with digital transformation in terms of inclusive finance, data-driven service innovation, and open banking. Huawei serves more than 170 urban rail lines in over 70 cities worldwide, striving to build integrated transportation systems for global cities. Building on the experience gained from its own digital transformation, Huawei has successfully built intelligent campuses for more than 300 customers. Through innovative ICT technologies, Huawei helps various sectors including manufacturing and energy reshape their manufacturing and value chains while boosting upgrade of their intelligent systems. Powering enterprise partners and building a prosperous ecosystem Huawei has established 13 OpenLabs worldwide to focus on the enterprise market. At these OpenLabs, partners receive support on the joint innovation of solutions, marketing, talent cultivation, finance, supply chains, and IT systems to continuously improve their capabilities and drive their transformation for shared success. Committed to sharing its experience, technology, and talent cultivation standards, Huawei has worked with a huge number of educational authorities, universities, and other ecosystem players from around the world to build an open and favorable ecosystem to cultivate ICT talents and drive industry digitization. In the future, the integrated application of 5G, cloud, and AI will usher in a new world in which all things sense, stay connected, and act intelligent. Huawei will develop innovative products based on these technologies and provide solutions to fulfil customers' needs. These solutions will support different industries with intelligence and help customers go digital for more potential development. All financial statements in the 2019 Annual Report were independently audited by KPMG, an international Big Four accounting firm. To download the 2019 Annual Report, visit www.huawei.com/en/press-events/annual-report/2019 SOURCE Huawei Related Links http://www.huawei.com New York City, under a coronavirus lockdown, saw small increases in murders and burglaries in the past week, while overall crime dropped. The city saw five murders during the week that ended on Sunday, up from one the week before, according to data released by the NYPD. There were also 204 burglaries, up from 173, or 18 per cent, from the previous week, the department reported in the weekly updates made on the department's CompStat 2.0 website. New York City, under a coronavirus lockdown, saw small increases in murders and burglaries in the past week, while overall crime dropped. The latest statistics appeared on the department's CompStat 2.0 website According to the most recent CompStat 2.0 data, the city saw five murders during the week that ended on Sunday, up from 1 the week before. Meanwhile, overall crime was significantly down. The NYPD and FDNY are responding to a report of gas explosion in Manhattan Another Citizen app user posts an image of an eerily empty street scene as smoke was reported coming from a building in the area of Tudor City near the United Nations A closeup image posted on Citizen shows the FDNY on the scene for a report of smoke in a building in the Tudor City area Overall crime plunged 22 per cent for all five boroughs as New Yorkers have been forced to stay home amid efforts to slow the spread of the deadly flu-like virus, also known as COVID-19. It was the second straight week of declines after non-essential workers were required to stay home because of the pandemic. As of about 4 p.m. Wednesday, the city had 44,915 confirmed cases of the infection, which was blamed for 1,139 deaths. New York State has had 83,712 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and reported a total of 1,941 deaths. The number of confirmed cases across the country has climbed over 200,000 with 4,391 deaths. The death toll from the coronavirus in New York state as it has unfolded The number of coronavirus cases per day in New York state The number of confirmed cases across the country has climbed over 2,000 with 4,391 deaths An NYPD officer is pictured wearing a protective maskl during the city's coronavirus lockdown According to the NYPD, the department reported a total of 1,042 index crimes - the seven felonies used for determining the crime rate - for the past week. That was down almost 300 compared to 1,337 the week before. Among the declines during the lockdown period, robberies dropped 25 per cent, felonies overall sunk 23 per cent and grand larcenies fell 34 per cent. The city also saw a 6 per cent drop in auto thefts. Shootings were down 44 per cent. Nine people who were shot, compared with 16 the week before. HOLLYWOOD, Fla. Right around the time the World Health Organization was declaring the novel coronavirus a full-blown pandemic, Cody Lee Pfister walked into a Walmart in Missouri and delivered his own public service announcement of the twisted variety. Mr. Pfister, 26, looked directly into a camera and asked, Whos scared of coronavirus? As if to answer his own question, he proceeded to lick a row of deodorants on a store shelf. For six seconds, he awkwardly slid backward, his tongue running from one brand of deodorant to the next. He appeared amused. And satisfied enough to post the video online. Horror ensued. Grossed-out viewers from as close as his small hometown, Warrenton, Mo., to Ireland and the Netherlands reported the video prank to the police. And soon Mr. Pfister was facing charges of making a terrorist threat. Immature. Tasteless. Youthful indiscretion. Yes, it was a very foolish thing to do, acknowledged Mr. Pfisters lawyer, Patrick J. Coyne. But he is not a bad person. He made a bad choice. A surging bison population in Yellowstone National Park is doing serious and steady damage to the park's biological diversity. A team of researchers from Oregon State University, Corvallis studied the animal's effects on the park's landscape, focusing primarily on the Lamar Valley, an area on the park's eastern edge. The team analyzed data spanning more than 100 years, including population figures for a range of species as well as historic documents and photos detailing the evolution of specific parts of the valley. New research from a team at the University of Oregon, Corvalis argues that the more than 4,000 bison that currently live in Yellowstone National Park are causing major environmental damage The team concluded that the steady increase in bison numbers in the park had come 'at a major ecological cost,' according to a report in Eurekalert. 'Even to a casual observer there are clear indicators of highly altered ecological conditions across the Lamar Valley, including a high density of bison trails, wallows and scat,' study co-author Bob Beschta said. 'High bison numbers have been an effective agent for accelerating the biological and physical modification of the valley's seeps, wetlands, floodplains, riparian areas and channels, trends that had begun decades earlier by elk.' There are currently over 4,000 bison in Yellowstone, an all-time high for the park, the consequence of congress demanding park officials stop seasonal culling of the animal in 1968, a time when the bison population had been limited to around 100. Large bison populations have had a range of damaging effects on the environment, including heavy grazing and trampling that kills off woody vegetation--something that's intensified by the park's similarly surging elk populations, which nibble on young tree leaves and strip them of their bark. The valley has seen a 99 percent reduction in aspen tree cover, dropping from 7.5 hectares in 1954 to just one-tenth of a hectare in 2015. The team focused their research on the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone's eastern regions The bison were originally culled by park officials to keep their numbers to around 100, but after congress prohibited the practice in 1968, the animal's population began surging, along with elk, both of which wear heavily on trees and smaller woody vegetation The heavy trampling and grazing of bisons has helped disperse many of the valley's shallow rivers, causing them to dry out and slowly killing off the surrounding vegetation The heavy trampling has also steadily caused riverside, or riparian, vegetation to die off as the heavy hoof falls widen the shallow streams and rivulets across the valley floor and either disperse them or dry them out entirely. After nearly going extinct in the 19th century, bison found refuge in Yellowstone, where in 1901 there were just 22. By 1925, that figure had grown to 750, prompting park management to begin culling the animals to preserve a balance with other species in the park. 99 percent of the aspen cover in the valley was eliminated between 1954 and 2015, dropping from 7.5 hectares to just one-tenth of a hectare, due to the combined effects of elk and bison In order to restore the region's biological diversity, the team argue, the 'ongoing environmental effects of bison would have to be significantly reduced' Without culling, the bison population grew to over 1,000 in 1988, and is currently estimated to be over 4,000, an all-time high for the region. 'The ongoing environmental effects of bison would have to be significantly reduced in order to restore biologically diverse communities dominated by willows, cottonwoods and aspen,' Beschta said. 'As park administrators make management decisions that affect ungulate densities and distributions in Yellowstone, as well as those in other parks and reserves with high ungulate densities, our findings indicate a need to take into account the often wide range of ecological effects that abundant large herbivores can have on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.' Two COVID-19 patients die in West Bengal, death count rises to 6 India oi-Madhuri Adnal Kolkata, Apr 01: The death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic climbed to six in West Bengal on Wednesday after two patients succumbed to the contagion. Five people did not have any travel history, while the rest either came in contact with a positive patient or had a travel history outside the state. The two persons who died were among the 10 new cases, officials said. A total of 1,03,391 people are under home isolation in various parts of the state as on Tuesday, while the total number of positive cases stands at 32. Two persons have earlier died due to the disease. The state government so far had identified 70 people, who had attended a religious gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin earlier this month. The two persons who died of the disease in West Bengal on Tuesday are a 47-year-old woman, who had recently visited Dooars in north Bengal, but had no history of foreign travel, and a middle-aged man whose details are not yet known. Coronavirus death toll in India rises to 49, total positive cases cross 1,500 "The woman, a resident of Salkia in Howrah district, died in a hospital late on Monday night before test results came. Her test results confirmed that she was infected with the coronavirus," a health department official said. The department has sent all the family members and those who came in touch with her to home quarantine. It also started an inquiry to find out whether or not any family member of the deceased had recently returned from abroad. After the death of the woman, nurses, and Group D staff of the hospital staged a demonstration, alleging that the woman was initially admitted to the general ward and they attended to her for nearly three hours without wearing personal protective gear. The fourth person died at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital in the morning and died in the evening. His tests reports, which came after his death, confirmed that he was suffering from COVID- 19, officials said. Of the eight new active cases, three are from Kolkata and five from West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Howrah and North 24 Parganas districts. One from Salt Lake and another from Tollygunge area are undergoing treatment at separate private hospitals in Kolkata. "They did not have any history of travelling abroad or to any other state. We are trying to find out whether or not any of their family members had gone overseas or to other states. Family members of the two will also be quarantined," he said. #Stayathome and send us your selfie Another man, in his early 30s who had recently returned from Maharashtra, was admitted to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. The details of the fourth person who is in a hospital in Belgharia in North 24 Parganas is yet to be known. Four more cases were reported from two private hospitals at Howrah, Dum Dum and R G Kar Medical College and a state hospital at Egra in East Midnapore district. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old youth, who was reported to be the first coronavirus case in the state, was released from the Beleghata ID Hospital after being declared fit. The hospital also discharged two more people -- a woman from Habra and a resident of Ballygunge. State Home Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay tweeted that the state government was trying to identify those who had attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin earlier this month. "All those from West Bengal who have participated in this event are being identified and will be immediately tested for COVID-19 and put under mandatory 14 days quarantine," Bandopadhyay tweeted. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee donated Rs 5 lakh each to the prime minister's national relief fund and the state emergency relief fund from her personal savings to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. In the evening, she visited the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar to boost the morale of the police personnel who are working round the clock to ensure safety and security of the people. The state government also issued an order asking cable TV operators not to disconnect services on account of non-payment of monthly fee. Meanwhile, after days of political bonhomie, a verbal spat broke out between the BJP and the TMC over the distribution of relief materials to people, after the saffron party alleged that the ruling party was not allowing the Opposition to take part in relief work. The TMC denied the claims and said the government was doing everything to help the people in distress. "If the chief minister visits various parts of the city and distributes relief material, then it's fine. But when the BJP is trying to do the same, we are stopped in the name of the prohibition of assembly of more than seven people. This is absolutely unacceptable," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said. TMC leader and minister Tapas Roy said people should refrain from indulging in politics at this time of crisis. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:32 [IST] A new short, lyric novel from the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies? Yes, please, and thank you. Alvarez has her protagonist Antonia (who resembles her creator in age, background and temperament) face several dilemmas at once, including widowhood, a mentally ill sister and an unexpected, pregnant houseguest. You can read it in one afternoon. Dice engraved with the words buy and sell The S&P/TSX Composite Index is down by more than 27% at writing from its February 2020 peak. The market crash has had a different effect on various people. Some investors are on a selling frenzy right now, while others are reevaluating their holdings and deciding to hold on to the shares they own. A stock market crash is rough for everybody. Nevertheless, I have mentioned before that a market meltdown is an opportunity for investors to buy stocks on the cheap. I will quote the Wizard of Omaha: Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful. Now is the time to be greedy. Some of the highest-quality stocks are getting ravaged right now, but they will eventually recover. Im going to discuss the Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR)(NYSE:CNI) stock and the Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB)(NYSE:ENB) stock to this end. Enbridge Enbridge is the largest pipeline company in Canadas energy sector. It is a stock I would favour for any type of investment portfolio due to the underlying companys high-quality nature. It can be an excellent defensive stock, and in times like these, the uncertainty in markets is too high to take risks. Enbridge could be an essential addition to your portfolio for several reasons. The company pays dividends at a highly attractive 8.11% yield at writing. The stock is trading for $39.95 per share at writing. It is down more than 30% from its February 2020 peak, but it has otherwise healthier circumstances. Over the past couple of years, Enbridge has prioritized restructuring itself and paying down its debts. The long-term prospects look amazing for the company. The short-term outlook is not the best given the oil price fall and COVID-19 pandemic, but it can find some insulation from the crash due to its utility operations. Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway is the countrys largest railroad company, and it is another top stock trading for bargain prices due to the crash. The sell-off does not discriminate, and CN Rail is down 15.11% from its February 2020 peak after trading for record-high share prices. Story continues With the fear of a further crash in stock markets keeping investors away, CNR has never been so attractive. The company commands a unique advantage in North America. It has a 19,600-mile railway network that spans through Canada and mid-America. It connects the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific, and the Atlantic. The company has all it needs to keep business running while it pursues growth in business. The long-term prospects for CNR are exceptional due to its solid historical performance. It is trading for $108.33 per share at writing, and it might not stay so low for very long. Foolish takeaway A recession is a terrific opportunity to buy shares of companies at a low price. You want to use this opportunity to buy the stock of high-quality companies that offer excellent long-term prospects. Canadian National Railway and Enbridge could be fantastic considerations for your portfolio to this end. The post Stock Market Crash 2020: 2 Stocks That Are Screaming Buys Now appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Adam Othman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. David Gardner owns shares of Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Canadian National Railway and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway. 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 Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday of a 'heavy price' if it or its allies in Iraq attack US troops stationed there. 'If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!' Trump tweeted. The US president also wrote: 'Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq.' It was not clear whether Trump meant Washington actually has intelligence of such a plan. However he issued the warning as a top Iranian general arrived in Baghdad this week to try to unify Iraq's fractured political leaders, Iraqi officials said. Stiff opposition by one major bloc is thwarting chances the country's latest prime minister-designate can form a government. Esmail Ghaani, head of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force, arrived in Baghdad late Monday, Iraqi officials said, in his first public visit to Iraq since succeeding slain Iranian general Qassim Soleimani, who the U.S. says was a terrorist leader. Warning: Donald Trump accuses Iran of planning a 'sneak attack' in a tweet U.S. presence: American forces are part of the 7,500 foreign troops in Iraq. Arrival: Esmail Ghaani, head of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force, arrived in Baghdad late Monday despite a coronavirus curfew. He is the successor to the Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed on orders from Donald Trump in Baghdad in January His arrival at Baghdad airport came amid a curfew to stem the spread of the coronavirus that has halted inbound and outbound flights. The four Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Soleimani, along with Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed Jan. 3 in a Washington-directed airstrike outside Baghdad airport. The attack led to deteriorating U.S.-Iraq relations and prompted Iraqi lawmakers to call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in a non-binding resolution. After arriving, Ghaani left the airport under tight security in a three-vehicle convoy. Known for his ability to make even the staunchest Iraqi rivals see eye-to-eye, Soleimani had made frequent trips to the Iraqi capital to forge unity during times of political paralysis. Ghaani's visit coincides with a burgeoning crisis in Iraq as Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi faces resistance from some powerful political elites. Meanwhile, there is deepening fragmentation across the political spectrum. Selected on March 16, al-Zurfi has 30 days to present a Cabinet lineup. One of the Iraqi officials who spoke to the AP said Ghaani suggested in the meetings that Iran and the Revolutionary Guard do not want al-Zurfi to be the next prime minister. Amid the ongoing leadership void, an economic crisis is also brewing. The Oil Ministry said Iraq had earned $2.9 billion in oil revenues in the month of March, down by nearly half compared to February. Oil sold at an average price of $28 per barrel, according to spokesperson Assem Jihad. In February, by contrast, Iraq earned $5.05 billion based on an average price of $51 per barrel. Flashpoint: The death of Quds force commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike took Iranian-American tensions to the brink earlier this year Economic collapse: Iraq is in crisis as it fails to form a government, deals with coronavirus and see the sudden drop in oil prices threaten it with being unable to pay state workers Iraq relies on oil revenues to fund over 90% of state spending. The 2020 budget projected an oil price of $56 per barrel to fund expenditures. Experts have warned that if the slump in oil revenues is prolonged, Iraq will be unable to pay public sector salaries, a step that will likely lead to more unrest. The government has been taking steps to conserve dollar reserves and cut back on spending. This month, the oil ministry requested that international oil companies reduce expenditures by 30% while keeping production rates the same, according to two industry officials. One of the officials said a lot of tenders and projects will be halted and planned production increases will be delayed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to not derail ongoing talks with the government. Many officials considered Ghaani's visit to be a test of his ability to establish consensus among rival parties like his predecessor had. Given his poor command of Arabic and lack of personal relationships with key figures, some were in doubt. 'This is his first test to see if he can succeed in uniting the Shiite position, as Soleimani was doing,' said a senior Shiite political official, speaking on condition of anonymity to comment freely about the visit, which has not been publicly announced. 'Iran is still powerful and (Ghaani) will have to rely on threats to try and find some way to bring back the massive fragmentation that is Iraqi elite politics today,' said Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at Chatham House in London. 'Carrot and stick rather than managing networks.' Iraq's political scene has become more difficult to maneuver since Soleimani's death, with more political infighting between Shiite and Kurdish parties. 'There are too many people who feel entitled to a piece of the pie,' said Mansour. 'The competition seems heightened.' The Fatah bloc in parliament, which came in second after Sairoon in the May 2018 election, vehemently opposes al-Zurfi on the grounds that his selection was made unilaterally by the president and without political agreement. Headed by Hadi al-Ameri, Fatah is composed of parties with affiliated militias under the Popular Mobilization Forces, some of which are Iran-backed. The Sairoon bloc, led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, initially supported al-Zurfi's candidacy. The Supreme Court Wednesday asked Christian Michel James, an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam, to seek interim bail from the Delhi High Court in the case. Michel, lodged in Tihar jail, has moved the top court seeking interim bail citing coronavirus scare inside the prison and cited its recent order on granting bail to undertrial prisoners to decongest prisons in view of the pandemic. A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, asked the accused to seek bail from the high court first. Lawyer Aljo K Joseph, appearing for the accused, said that the bench without expressing its views on the merits, asked Michel to seek bail from the high court. Michel, alleged middleman arrested in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam cases filed by the CBI and the ED, had earlier moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail citing risk of contracting coronavirus in the Tihar Jail. He then moved the apex court seeking the same relief saying that the high court has been unable to accord hearing on his interim bail plea. Michel, 59, has claimed that his health condition was critical and incompatible with the current prison status, especially to cope with the risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection which could have a lethal effect on him as he is already suffering from serious pathologies. The agedness and a pre-existing ill state of health will make the applicant's (Michel) body more susceptible to the said infection than any other ordinary prisoner with a normal health condition," Michel has said in its plea. The regular bail plea of Michel, who was arrested in 2018 and is in judicial custody since January 5, 2019, is also pending before the high court where the CBI and the ED have contended that he should not be granted the relief as he has a nexus with influential people and can influence witnesses. He has been denied bail in both the matters by the trial court. He has approached the high court against the lower court's decision. The special CBI court had denied him the relief, saying there was no sufficient ground to grant bail. Michel, extradited from Dubai, was arrested by the ED on December 22, 2018. On January 5 last year, he was sent to judicial custody in the ED case. He is also lodged in judicial custody in another case registered by the CBI in connection with the scam. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the cases filed by the ED and the CBI. The other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As India Inc pitches in with funding and supporting solutions to cope with the coronavirus (COVID-19), Marico Innovation Foundation and IKP Knowledge Park have come forward to support innovative and cost-effective solutions. Former has launched project 'Innovate@BeatCOVID', a nationwide hunt for cost-effective ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), while latter, a not-for-profit, section-8 company, has announced COVID-19 I-CO Fund. It has already committed Rs 2 crore to fund up to eight innovations. Innovate@BeatCOVID seeks innovators and entrepreneurs in the med-tech industry to come up with quickly scalable solutions for making ventilators, other respiratory solutions and PPEs. Marico Innovation Foundation has set in motion the project along with A.T.E Chandra Foundation run by Amit Chandra, Vice-Chairperson, Marico Innovation Foundation. Mario Chairman Harsh Mariwala has also made personal contribution. "We have announced contest for innovating in the area of developing solutions for ventilators, other respiratory solutions and PPEs as there could be a shortage of all these in the Indian market. We need people to either give an idea or commercialise an idea in a time-bound manner as we will need these very quickly. The solutions will need to be operationalised very quickly and also be affordable because India cannot afford very expensive solutions. For this, we have allocated a sum of Rs 2.5 crore. We expect to get the responses over the next 10 to 15 days," said Mariwala. Priya Kapadia, who heads the Marico Innovation Foundation, added that they are looking for either ready-to-scale innovations or innovations, with minimal modifications that can achieve large-scale impact. "It could be existing innovative solutions that can be modified and scaled immediately also. The applications will be vetted by a jury headed by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, Governing Council Chairperson of the Marico Innovation Foundation." Marico Innovation Foundation was founded by Harsh Mariwala in 2003 with an aim to work closely with innovative and impactful ventures across sectors. The COVID-19 I-CO Fund by IKP, a premier science park and incubator in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, is focussed on identifying and fast-tracking technology-driven solutions from entrepreneurs that can be deployed to control COVID-19. Also read: Wipro, Azim Premji Foundation contribute Rs 1,125 cr to tackle coronavirus crisis "COVID-19 I-CO Fund will offer an initial seed funding of Rs 2 crore to fund up to eight innovations. The focus is not just on blue sky research but also on quick deliverable and scalable solutions that can be rolled out in 14 days," says Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, Chairman & CEO IKP Knowledge Park. "Under this, the goal is to select entrepreneurs, fine-tune their solutions for manufacturing, and connect with manufacturing facilities and supply-chain networks to help in the production, deployment and distribution of their innovations," she adds. The last date for submitting the proposals is April 3 and the applications will be vetted on April 5. Solutions should begin to deliver by April 21. Solutions are being sought in areas such as screening tests (home-based and community-based), diagnostics - from affordable Point of Care Diagnostic kits to reagents and safe methods of sample collection; equipment such as ventilators and PPEs. The financial assistance will be 50 per cent grant, and 50 per cent returnable capital with simple interest of 5 per cent per annum over 36 months. IKP Knowledge Park, which has been around for over two decades, has so far supported over 600 companies with 90 per cent of them being start ups. Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Narayana Murthy, family donate Rs 10 crore for relief work More than 350,000 people have been fined in France for not following the rules during lockdown, according to the interior minister. Christophe Castaner said hundreds of thousands have been penalised in the first two weeks of the nationwide quarantine, during which people can only go outside if it is deemed essential. Those breaking the rules risk a fine of 135, which can increase to 200 if caught a second time, according to local media. Our goal is not to hand out fines, Mr Castaner told TV channel La Chaine Info. It is to make sure the French stay at home. France has been in lockdown since 17 March as authorities work to combat its coronavirus outbreak. The lockdown initially planned for two weeks has now been extended until 15 April. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the social media appears to be targeting a particular section of people, especially those who attended the recent Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation Image Source: IANS News Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the social media appears to be targeting a particular section of people, especially those who attended the recent Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Delhi, for the spread of coronavirus in the country. "In Kerala, 60 people are under observation. As of now, there is nothing to be worried about. There seems to be a campaign going on in social media against this. Coronavirus is not religion specific and anyone can get it. The need of the hour is we should all stand united against this," Vijayan said, adding that strict action will be taken against those creating unnecessary trouble. On Tuesday, Vijayan had directed the state police to locate all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area around two weeks back. The police on Wednesday located around 300 such people from various parts of the state, of which 80 are believed to have returned to Kerala. The police are doing their best to track down these people. Companies with experience in the at-home testing market began announcing in mid-March that they would be offering direct-to-consumer test kits for COVID-19. With panic running high and tests at hospitals and doctors offices hard to come by, the appeal was obvious. The kits were touted as a way for consumers to manage this difficult situation themselves. No struggle to see the doctor. No calls to the health department. No waiting in line at a drive-thru test site. Instead, consumers could collect their own samples, by either swabbing the throat or cheek or spitting into a cup. The samples would then be mailed back to the companies partner laboratories, which would test for the coronavirus. Prices ranged from $135 to $181. But criticism was swift. At-home tests could be skimming the resources needed for lab-based tests. There is also the possibility of people collecting their samples incorrectly and questions about follow-up care. Not to mention the risk of inaccurate results. The Food and Drug Administration responded with a March 20 press release, which stated that the FDA had not authorized any test that is available to purchase for testing yourself at home for COVID-19. At least four companies, Nurx, EverlyWell, Forward and Carbon Health, have since said they halted sales though two of the companies still have information about the tests on their websites as of Monday afternoon. While these companies are legitimate and have a track record for at-home testing and providing medical care, there may be others out there hawking products that do not. Some are coming from reputable places and some are not, and thats hard for the average consumer to tell, said Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. A Lot Of Bunk, Junk And Crank Stuff For example, a number of questionable internet reports related to coronavirus tests, vaccines and miracle cures already are circulating on social media. And for scared consumers, it may be difficult to tell the difference. Theres a lot of bunk, junk and crank stuff out there, said Arthur Caplan, founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. The FDA said, for instance, in its March 20 release that it is beginning to see unauthorized fraudulent test kits that are being marketed to test for COVID-19 in the home. One key sign that an at-home kit is a sham is that it will offer consumers an almost immediate test result. That would not be possible, said Topol. Websites touting miracle cures and preventatives herbs, teas, essential oils, tinctures and colloidal silver are prevalent. As coronavirus spreads around the world and in the U.S., scientists are exploring the possibility that four common herbs might be the answer to possible prevention or even a cure for the novel virus.https://t.co/U5aN9vIdYf Dr. Joseph Mercola (@mercola) March 23, 2020 QAnon conspiracy theorists on YouTube and Twitter have irresponsibly told viewers to buy and drink Miracle Mineral Solution, an industrial bleach product, to ward off the coronavirus. Facebook and Instagram posts claim that marijuana, cocaine or vitamin C can kill or prevent the coronavirus. Salespeople are offering fake N95 masks. To be clear, the FDA said in 1999 that any products containing colloidal silver are not safe or effective, and the National Institutes of Health has said that there are no known benefits to ingesting silver supplements and that it can cause serious side effects. The FDA also warned consumers in 2019 not to buy or ingest Miracle Mineral Solution because it can cause severe health effects. The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission jointly issued warning letters on March 9 to seven companies for selling products that fraudulently claim to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19. One of the warning letters was issued to Jim Bakker, a prominent televangelist, who allowed a guest to promote colloidal silver as a cure for COVID-19, and then sold it during a Feb. 12 broadcast of The Jim Bakker Show. The state of Missouri has since filed a lawsuit against Bakker for falsely promising to consumers that Silver Solution can cure, eliminate, kill or deactivate coronavirus. Solution to a lot of world's problems lie in India. But you can't find them as long as you ridicule our ancient wisdom. Cannabis is a magic plant. Till 1980 it was sold by Govt. Becoz of Rajiv Gandhi & West Pharma Companies it got bad name. Solution to a lot of world's problems lie in India. But you can't find them as long as you ridicule our ancient wisdom. Cannabis is a magic plant. Till 1980 it was sold by Govt. Becoz of Rajiv Gandhi & West Pharma Companies it got bad name. Make #Cannabis legal !!#CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/ciDsFIwM9x #NATIONALISM (@BeingNationali1) February 8, 2020 Conservative radio host Alex Jones received a cease-and-desist letter March 12 from the New York attorney generals office for selling products on his website that contain colloidal silver and claim to treat or cure coronavirus infections. There is nothing homeopathic or nutritional that can help you with the virus, said Caplan. The idea that people are floating some kind of diagnostic solution or magic or therapy on the internet, its all total crap. There have also been reports of consumers buying up a fish tank cleaner on eBay that has the same active ingredient as the antimalarial drug chloroquine, which President Donald Trump touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19. An Arizona man recently died after ingesting the fish tank additive, thinking it would prevent the coronavirus. In an update issued March 24, the FDA said it was aware of people buying the fish tank cleaning product and advised consumers: Dont take any form of chloroquine unless it has been prescribed for you by your health care provider and obtained from legitimate sources. On March 20, the Department of Justice announced that Attorney General William Barr had asked all U.S. attorneys to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of Coronavirus-related fraud schemes. The DOJ detailed its first enforcement action on March 22 for a COVID-19 fraud against a website called coronavirusmedicalkit.com, which claimed to sell coronavirus vaccine kits from the World Health Organization. Despite all the false promises from these products, its important for consumers to remember that there is no FDA-approved treatment or vaccine for the novel coronavirus. And the best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to practice social distancing and wash your hands, public health experts say. Regaining A Sense Of Control Is A Motivator Consumers may be motivated to buy these types of items because they are trying to regain control in an uncertain situation, explained April Thames, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Southern Californias Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. People have this heightened anxiety, and they are willing to try anything out there thats a possible treatment or cure, said Thames. It creates an opening for scam artists to market products that sound like they are effective. Caplans ultimate advice to consumers who see coronavirus-related products on the internet? Anything online, ignore it. Related Content: By Trend Georgia doesnt recognize the so-called elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh, Trend reports citing Georgian Foreign Ministry. eorgia doesnt recognize the so-called elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh, Trend reports citing Georgian Foreign Ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia reaffirms its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and does not recognize the so called presidential and parliamentarian elections held on March 31, 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh, reads the message. Georgia supports exclusively peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with the norms and principles of international law, said the ministry. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan 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 regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz New parents Cynthia and Nelson Rodriguez of Santa Ana bring their 2-week old son, Mateo, to his first pediatric visit in Orange during the coronavirus outbreak. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) All 21 days of Mateo Rodriguezs life have been in a world where coronavirus reigns. He was born to Cynthia and Nelson Rodriguez on March 11, the day before California Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended a statewide cancellation of gatherings of more than 250 people to slow the pandemic's spread. Two days later, as school districts across California began to suspend classes, his parents went to stay the night at the Yorba Linda home of Cynthias mother. They have largely sheltered in place there ever since. Their first family outing happened just last week a routine checkup in Orange where the pediatrician elbow-bumped Nelson instead of offering a handshake. Cynthia peppered the doctor with questions like any new mami would for her firstborn. But there was an extra dose of urgency. Does Mateos occasional shallow breathing mean he has the coronavirus? (No, thats natural as babies learn to breathe outside the womb.) Mateo gets extra-warm sometimes is that coronavirus? (No, hes just bundled up a bit too much.) What about ... ? (Not coronavirus.) The pediatrician declared Mateo perfectly healthy. That hasnt stopped Cynthia from thinking that the coronavirus will eventually reach him. Your mind goes to those places right now, she said in a phone interview. I dont want Mateo to sense that, because babies feel it. So that makes me feel more helpless. Cynthia and Nelson Rodriguez of Santa Ana leave the doctor's office after bringing their 2-week old son, Mateo, to his first pediatric visit. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Being a parent is hard enough. But the coronavirus has thrown a curveball of anxiety to new mothers and fathers. They had meticulously prepared for months on how to handle parenthood, and now find their plans mostly moot. No one really knows whats going on in the big picture, said Diana Spalding, digital education editor for Motherly. The online publication has received so many queries about the coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, that they created a section devoted to how parents can handle the crisis, with over 100 articles published since January. Spalding, a former pediatric nurse and midwife, teaches an online birth class and made it free on Monday; over 7,000 people have already taken it. Story continues Hospitals are beginning to limit who can be present during a delivery, and even blocking visitors altogether. Shortly after Cynthia and Nelson received their mothers and Cynthia's sisters in the delivery ward at Childrens Hospital of Orange County, a doctor advised them to not allow any more visitors. Cynthia had to turn away her grandmother, who had come down from Chowchilla to see her first great-grandchild. Its a major pain point for so many people right now, said Spalding. Isolation from loved ones can have a pretty profound impact on a mothers and babys well-being. It's a scary time for mamas. Cynthia, a 33-year-old freelance writer, knew the coronavirus would become a thing in the United States, having tracked its spread across Asia and Europe as far back as January. But she and her husband didnt pay too much attention to it during the last weeks of her pregnancy. Their focus was on getting ready for life with Mateo. They put final touches on what will eventually become his room at their home in Santa Ana. They continued to sift through the presents from a baby shower. A name was decided on once and for all. (Cynthia wanted Luca.) The first hint that the coronavirus would change life as they were expecting it to unfold happened on the day before Cynthia gave birth. For a last date night, Nelson, 33, took Cynthia to Fathers Office in Culver City to enjoy the restaurants much-celebrated hamburgers. They were expecting the usual busy crowd; instead, they were one of a few diners. That eerie desolation was a factor in Cynthia's decision to stay with her mom instead of returning to Santa Ana (a roommate is taking care of Cynthia's cat, Amy Winehouse). "You just don't know what's going to happen in the coming months," said Cynthia, who added that they'll remain in Yorba Linda as long as it's necessary and safe for the baby. Dr. Sean OLeary, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a member on the infectious diseases committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics, understands the over-precaution new parents and even pediatricians are practicing because we havent got a lot of research with newborns and the coronavirus. The AAP issued a bulletin advising that a baby's vital first check-up be in person instead of via teleconference after hearing reports that pediatricians were asking parents to do the latter. A recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. found newborns in China infected with it, although it wasn't clear if the mothers passed it to the child in utero or after birth. Doctors in Long Island recently revealed that a 3-week old was infected, the youngest yet American with the virus. O'Leary acknowledged the danger of the coronavirus but added, as a parent with a newborn, I wouldnt be too panicky. The doctor has read reports that show respiratory diseases for infants, who are naturally prone to them, are actually dropping right now due to social-distancing practices. To an extent, thats what weve always recommended for newborns, anyway, he said. Thats been the most painful part for Cynthia and Nelson, though. Everyone wants to see the baby right away, she said. Its sad letting them know you cant see them days old, Nelson added. Now you have to wait to meet Mateo until hes months old. The two have tried to make up for that loss with multiple FaceTime sessions from the safety of Cynthias childhood bedroom. That keeps them happy until Nelson ventures out. Then he vainly scours stores for diapers, formula and baby wipes. The financial planner doesn't like those trips, because the people he sees are acting like robots just out and about. Theyre in shock. You don't see any light or soul in them. The Rodriguezes nevertheless are planning for the day everything will improve. They're already practicing how to recount these strange days to Mateo when he becomes of age. Im going to tell him how scary it was, and how our main thing was to take care of him, Cynthia said, as Mateo began to cry for his afternoon feeding. And Im going to tell him he was the best part of 2020, Nelson said. Everything else was garbage. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Vladimir Putin will 'work remotely' from now on, the Kremlin said today after a doctor he recently met tested positive for coronavirus. The Russian leader 'prefers these days to work remotely' and is 'taking all precautionary measures', his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Putin, 67, is currently at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow where he was due to hold a cabinet meeting by video conference today. Concerns were raised yesterday after Denis Protsenko, the head of the country's main coronavirus hospital, tested positive a week after meeting Putin there. Russian president Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with physician Denis Protsenko (left) on a hospital visit last week. Protsenko has since been confirmed as a coronavirus patient Putin is now 'working remotely' and taking 'all precautionary measures', the Kremlin said after he met now-infected doctor Protsenko last week (pictured) Protsenko had shaken hands with Putin during a presidential visit to the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow last Tuesday. The medic said yesterday that he had been infected with the coronavirus but was feeling well. Putin wore a bright yellow hazmat suit at the hospital, but was also seen talking to Protsenko without any protective gear. However, the Kremlin said there is no reason for concern about the president's health. 'All of those who were with the president at Kommunarka are being tested daily for the coronavirus,' Peskov added, after saying on Tuesday that 'everything is fine'. Asked if Putin continued to shake hands with those he is meeting, Peskov said: 'Of course everyone is now social distancing.' Almost 70 per cent of Russia's 147 million population has been ordered into strict confinement over the pandemic. Putin is pictured walking along the corridors of Kommunarka hospital, accompanied by the hospital's chief physician Denis Protsenko (right), last week Putin was wearing yellow protective gear for part of his visit to the hospital (pictured), but was also seen without it Russia has so far registered 2,777 cases of the coronavirus and 24 deaths, mostly in Moscow. Most Moscow residents can leave their homes only to buy food or medicine nearby, get urgent medical treatment, walk the dog or empty their bins. Eight southern Russian regions rolled out lockdown measures similar to Moscow on Wednesday. The capital's Red Square has been largely empty except for police who stopped occasional passersby to check their papers. A Moscow official said today that the city had developed a smartphone app for infected residents that would allow officials to monitor their movements. The app will be available from Thursday, the official, Eduard Lysenko, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. Lysenko said that anyone without a device that is able to download the tracking app would be lent one by city authorities that they would later return. The Russian capital is also preparing to roll out a QR-code system where each resident that registers online will be assigned a unique code that they can show to police officers if stopped when going to the shop or the chemist, he said. ALBANY County Executive Dan McCoy said a second Albany County resident died from COVID-19 Tuesday. McCoy said the woman, who was in her 60s, died at St. Peters Hospital. Unfortunately, this is going to continue to happen, he said during his daily news briefing Wednesday. People need to wake up and see this is serious. The county saw its positive cases rise to 228 from 210 the previous day but the number of people under mandatory quarantine fell to 438 from 517 on Monday. That number indicates that residents are recovering from the disease and no longer presenting symptoms. Of the confirmed patients, 22 are hospitalized and 12 are in the intensive care unit. McCoy noted that the number of patients being hospitalized is going up 33 percent a day and urged residents to keep following social distancing recommendations. The states peak for coronavirus cases is expected toward the end of April. I said this in the beginning of this and people didnt like this, the new norm wont come back until July or August, if not later, he said. Times have changed and we have to be able to change with it. The county is also taking additional steps to protect the homeless population, including contracting with local hotels to give them a place to stay, he said. County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said that while Albany County will see a surge of cases, it should look slightly different than what New York City is seeing. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Although we are a city, we dont live in the same proximity as most people in New York do, she said. "Crowding is part of daily life there. Whalen said she had received a number of questions about whether residents should wear masks. While surgical masks can be used by those who have been infected with COVID-19 to reduce the chance of infecting others, the best practice for everyone is to stay home, she said. Roughly 80 percent of those infected with the disease have mild symptoms, which, Whalen said, makes those cases particularly dangerous because infected people who do not realize they are sick can unknowingly spread the virus to vulnerable people. Elsewhere around the region as of Wednesday, the Rensselaer County Health Department reported four new cases testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's total number of cases is 59; of these, six have recovered. In Saratoga County, 131 cases have tested positive; of these 18 are hospitalized and 32 have recovered. In Schenectady County, 93 cases have tested positive, while there have been 4 deaths. At least 1500 people from Gujarat were present in Nizamuddin area of Delhi, which is now under a strict lockdown in view of coronavirus outbreak, when a religious congregation was being held there last month, officials said on Wednesday. However, the state government is yet to know the exact number of people who had attended the gathering. Joint teams of police and civic authorities in Surat, Bhavnagar and neighbouring Botad city traced 60 such people who were believed to be persent in Nizamuddin area and have put them under home as well as institutional quarantine over Tuesday night, an official release stated. Nizamuddin area has emerged as one of the hotspots for coronavirus outbreak since the 'markaz' or gathering of Tabligh-e-Jamaat was held there, prompting many states to launch a massive search for the attendees amidst fear of transmission of the virus. A Health department release stated that authorities had started tracking these 1,500 people in various cities and districts. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, meanwhile, said that each person from Gujarat who had gone to Delhi earlier this month to attend the markaz will be traced and quarantined. He said the exact number of people who had attended the event will be announced later this evening. The CM also warned of action agaist those who had attended the markaz. "We will get the details of people who had gone there from Gujarat by today evening. The exact nunber will also be announced by evening. We will trace each and every one of them and put them under quarantine. We will also lodge complaints agaist them for breaking lockdown rules," he said. Rupni further said that such "irresponsible act which could harm the entire society can never be tolerated". Meanwhile, Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said that 43 people were traced overnight and were sent to a central quarantine facility. "A detailed questioning of these 43 persons has revealed that only one out of them had actually attended the event inside the Markaz while others had gone to Nizamuddin area for some other work or they were on a business trip," said Surat Commissioner of Police RB Brahmbhatt. While 13 such persons, who were in Nizamuddin area, were traced and quarantined in Bhavnagar yesterday, four others were quarantined in Botad district, said Inspector General of Police, Ashok Yadav. Ten others were traced and quarantined in Valsad while 15 were quarantined in Navsari so far, said authorities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) John Thomson reveals he is 'remaining very positive' as he self isolates during the coronavirus crisis. The Cold Feet star, 50, had a interview with Good Morning Britain on Wednesday from his home, giving his tips on lockdown living. Appearing on screen in a shirt and blazer, the jovial actor said that he was happy to get dressed up for the show but joked to presenter Lorraine Kelly 'I'm naked from the waist down.' Jokes: John Thomson got dressed up to talk to Lorraine Kelly live from home on Wednesday's GMB but joked that he was 'naked from the waist down' 'It's nice to get dressed up for you. I had the beard trimmer out,' he joked, remarking that he's remaining very positive during the global crisis. 'Im very stoic and remain very positive about this. Theres no excuse for boredom in this day and age, especially with technology,' he pointed out. 'Ive even got a contingency plan if the internet goes. Being a man of a certain age, I have vinyl, CDs and loads of books. Bored is swearing, its self-obsession isnt it? Theres always something to do. A lot of good can come from this'. As well as his hobbies the actor has made sure he can continue doing some work, revealing he has built a sound studio at his home so he can do voiceovers. Chat: The Cold Feet star, 50, had a interview with Good Morning Britain on Wednesday from his home, giving his tips on lockdown living 'I saw the lockdown coming and thought, Im going to be able to have to work from home. Im training myself to be a sound engineer from home,' he said. John added that he makes use of his daily government recommended outdoor exercise, explaining: 'I start to feel very low if I dont go outside at least once a day. Dont isolate in your house, get some fresh air if you can'. The actor will celebrate his 51st birthday on Thursday, and is excited to have a visit from his two daughters. who live with his ex wife Samantha Sharp. Positive: Im very stoic and remain very positive about this. Theres no excuse for boredom in this day and age, especially with technology,' he pointed out 'Ill get to see my daughters for my birthday which is great!' he said, adding that the family made the most of his daughter's birthday earlier in the week. 'Sophia was 10 on Monday. We did Charades, heads up, we took it back to the old school. We had friends come round. They socially distanced. They rang the doorbell and hung up placards with happy birthday. It was announced in February that John's hit show Cold Feet is taking a break from screens following the airing of its ninth series finale. He's a pro: As well as his hobbies the actor has made sure he can continue doing some work, revealing he has built a sound studio at his home so he can do voiceovers The creators of the acclaimed show have confirmed the series will be the last for awhile, as they give the characters 'a chance to move on'. Starring James Nesbitt (Adam), Hermione Norris (Karen), Fay Ripley (Jenny), John Thomson (Pete) and Robert Bathurst (David), Cold Feet first aired in 1997 for five series, before returning to ITV in 2016 for four more critically acclaimed series. Creator Mike Bullen explained that the cast and production team feel the time is right to rest the drama before embarking on a tenth series, allowing time to pass before exploring the characters and their stories at a later stage. Oxygen When a stage performance is going on, all eyes are on the stage. Could someone really disappear mid-show? It's exactly what happened to Helen Mintiks. It was the night of July 23, 1980. The Berlin Ballet was performing at the famous Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. At one point during the performance, recorded music was played instead of the orchestra, which was made up of talented freelance musicians. These musicians used this period as a break. But 45 minutes later, around 9:30 p.m. They were just racing through the town, said Mr. Stuart, who called a nonemergency police line. They are in town because it is so quiet, because hardly anyone is about. There is also hardly anyone outside in San Francisco except for the coyotes. Residents in San Francisco have been under orders to practice social distancing for two weeks, leaving their homes only to buy groceries, go to pharmacies and participate in other essential tasks. The streets have been left to the coyotes, which seem to be venturing farther into the city because there are so few cars, according to Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for San Francisco Animal Care and Control. We have had a lot more reported sightings of them in the streets, she said. They are probably wondering where everyone went. Social distancing has not increased wild animals populations, but it does seem to have changed their behavior in seeking new food sources, said Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist at the National Pest Management Association. What we are also seeing is that they are looking for food in places they had not before, he said. The part of the equation that is missing right now is people. Ever since Louisiana imposed a lockdown, causing restaurants to shut down, the rats in New Orleans are almost certainly wondering where the usual French Quarter crowds and their trash have gone. Animals are opportunistic and feed off trash, said Claudia Riegel, executive director of the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board. The restaurants are producing a lot of trash, and right now, a lot of that is just gone. The attack took place on Tuesday evening; Syrian Army used anti-aircraft weapons to down the rockets Soldiers of Syria's government forces claim that Israel landed an airstrike on Homs. SANA agency reported that with a reference to a military source. "Air Forces of Syrian Arab Army deflected the Israeli missile aggression in eastern Homs", the military reported. According to them, the missile attack took place on March 31, at 8.25 p.m. Multiple missiles were fired, but Syrian Army used anti-aircraft weapons to down them. They were destroyed before they reached their targets. Israel continues to shell targets in Syria and Iraq, trying to weaken Iran and make it withdraw its forces from the region. In February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel would not let Iran gather any footholds on its northern border. In October 2019, Iran's Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif claimed his country was not going to leave Syria as long as the Syrian government is interested in Iran's presence. Last month, Russian and Turkish military servicemen conducted the first joint patrol in Syria's Idlib province. This was part of the agreement reached by the countries' leaders in Moscow For the second year in a row, DEINOVE has called on Societe Generale Factoring (SGF) to pre-finance its R&D Tax Credit receivable. DEINOVE received 2.1m and thus strengthened its short-term cash position. The Company's operations continue in strict compliance with current health restrictions. Regulatory News: DEINOVE (Paris:ALDEI) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALDEI), a French biotech company that uses a disruptive approach to develop innovative antibiotics and bio-based active ingredients for cosmetics, announces that for the second year in a row, it has called on SGF for the pre-funding of its R&D Tax Credit receivable. As such, the Company received 2.1 million, i.e. 84% of the estimated receivable for 2019. "We did not hesitate to ask SGF again for the pre-financing of our R&D Tax Credit receivable and we are extremely satisfied with it. Their system is simple, flexible, competitive and their teams are very responsive. This operation will strengthen our cash position in the short term, pending an improvement in general conditions. Our teams are continuing to carry out our R&D and commercial operations, within the limits imposed by the current pandemic health context" said Julien Coste, Chief Financial Officer of DEINOVE. ABOUT DEINOVE DEINOVE is a French biotechnology company, a leader in disruptive innovation, which aims to help meet the challenges of antibiotic resistance and the transition to a sustainable production model for the cosmetics and nutrition industries. DEINOVE has developed a unique and comprehensive expertise in the field of rare bacteria that it can decipher, culture, and optimize to disclose unsuspected possibilities and induce them to produce biobased molecules with activities of interest on an industrial scale. To do so, DEINOVE has been building and documenting since its creation an unparalleled biodiversity bank that it exploits thanks to a unique technological platform in Europe. DEINOVE is organized around two areas of expertise: ANTIBIOTICS, New-generation anti-infective drugs : A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance). : A first antibiotic candidate, DNV3837, is now in Phase II. The Company is also pursuing the systematic exploration of biodiversity to supply its portfolio with new leads, drawing notably on partnerships with bioMerieux and Naicons (AGIR program supported by Bpifrance). BIOACTIVES, Active ingredients of natural origin with cosmetics as the first market: DEINOVE is already marketing a first cosmetic active ingredient, a second in partnership with Greentech and plans to launch new assets in 2020. Several other cosmetic actives are in development, including with Oleos (Hallstar Group) and Dow. It also runs a program in animal nutrition with Avril group. Within the Euromedecine science park located in Montpellier, DEINOVE employs 60 employees, mainly researchers, engineers, and technicians, and has filed about 350 patent applications internationally. The Company has been listed on EURONEXT GROWTH since April 2010. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005340/en/ Contacts: Investors Coralie Martin Communication, Marketing and Investor Relations Ph.: +33 (0)4 48 19 01 60 coralie.martin@deinove.com Media ALIZE RP Caroline Carmagnol Ph.: +33 (0)6 64 18 99 59 deinove@alizerp.com Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday asked authorities to deploy fire services personnel for disinfecting COVID-19 hotspots, quarantine centres and public places to check the spread of the virus, which has infected at least 120 people and killed two in the national capital. Baijal held a high-level meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, Police Commissioner S N Srivastava and other senior officers to review containment measures being taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. In a series of tweets, the lieutenant governor said district authorities will continue effective measures for enforcing the ongoing lockdown, social distancing and home quarantine. "Also advised to use fire brigade for disinfecting vulnerable neighbourhoods, especially the hotspot areas, quarantine centres, public places, etc. Directed district disaster management authorities to take concerted preventive actions," Baijal tweeted. In another tweet, he said that in the meeting he reviewed medical preparedness, procurement of medical essentials, discharge guidelines, quarantines and measures to enforce lockdown. Meanwhile, Delhi State Cancer Institute, run by the Delhi government, has been shut for a day on Wednesday after a doctor tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 120 on Tuesday after 23 new cases of the disease were reported. These 120 cases include 24 people who took part in a religious gathering in Nizamuddin West earlier this month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coronavirus: Turkish flight departs with aid for Italy Masks, gowns, antibacterial gel, will also stop in Spain (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, APRIL 1 - A Turkish military Airbus A400M took off from Ankara's Etimesgut airport on Wednesday, loaded with medical materials including masks, protective gowns and antibacterial gel for delivery to Italy and Spain in the fight against coronavirus, said the Turkish defence ministry. It said the plane was sent by "NATO allies by order of Turkish president" Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced the solidarity initiative in recent hours, and said the materials aboard were produced by "factories affiliated with the defence ministry". The Italian embassy in Ankara said the shipment of medical materials is taking place as part of the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre emergency response mechanism and said Italy thanks Turkey "for this demonstration of solidarity". Last week, the Turkish Red Crescent sent a shipment of protective materials to the Italian Red Cross in Rome for the fight against Covid-19.(ANSAmed). 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 An audio clip which is going viral on social media has stunned the authorities, as someone can be heard saying that "there is no need of social distancing also it is not written anywhere in our religion". There are claims that this voice is of Mohammad Saad Kandhawali, the head of Markaz Tablighi Jamaat. In the audio clip, some other people can also be heard. However, IANS is not authenticating the audio but some people near to Saad believe that it is Kandhawali's voice. In the clip which has apparently reached the crime branch of Delhi Police, sneezing and coughing by other people can also be heard. On Wednesday, a source contacted Jamaat Headquarter's spokesman Mohd. Ashraf regarding this clip, he said: "Those who have been booked by the police include the people who went to meet Nizamuddin SHO on March 23-24 along with Saad". On the query that if the Maulana is not guilty of anything then why is he absconding he replied: "I met him a week ago. Since then I have neither met him nor contacted him in any way. It is possible that he may be staying with a relative or has returned to Kandhla." According to a Delhi Police crime branch source, a search is on for Maulana Saad and his companions. Police teams are conducting raids at many places but have not found them so far. The police source said they can also take the help of the Muzaffarnagar (UP) police or send their own team to Kandhal. Nothing concrete can be said before the authenticity of the clip is established. The person whose voice is in the clip can be Maulana Saad also, the source said. The sources in the Delhi Police crime branch and Nizamuddin police station have said that five people who have been booked, plus Maulana Saad, are the same who were handed over the notice on March 23-24 by Nizamuddin SHO Mukesh Walia. They were advised to vacate the Markaz headquarters. The video of this meeting was accessed by IANS on March 31. The FIR lodged by the crime branch on the basis of the facts unearthed so far also includes a section under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Also the people who have been made accused or suspects in the FIR include Maulana Saad. His companions, Mufti Shahzaad, Mohd. Saifi, Dr. Jishaan, Mohd. Salman have also been named. According to the internal sources of Markaz, the FIR lodged by the Delhi Police has cooled down the Markaz management. The sources said that the evacuation process at the Markaz was started at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Around 2,000 people were inside, who have been taken to different places and have been quarantined. The police have also taken over the Markaz headquarters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restored full operating capability to all U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) labs at Fort Detrick, Maryland, last week following a shutdown last July of some high-level facilities out of safety concerns. The CDC cleared USAMRIID's Level 3 and 4 laboratories -- those where the world's most dangerous pathogens are studied -- for full operations March 27. The labs had been operating under partial capacity since last November, following a cease-and-desist order issued last July by the CDC over lapses in biosafety standards. Army officials said the biosafety lapses could be attributed to "failure of Fort Detrick's steam sterilization plant." USAMRIID has a new chemical system for treating laboratory wastewater. Related: Senators Tour Fort Detrick's USAMRIID After Funding Withheld The clearance allows the laboratories, where researchers have conducted groundbreaking research on deadly viruses such as Ebola and Marburg, to resume a "full scope of research on infectious diseases," according to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, who issued a news release Tuesday announcing the CDC decision. "USAMRIID conducts vital research on the spread and containment of infectious diseases. As we continue to battle the coronavirus outbreak, ensuring their ability to work at full capacity is more important now than ever," Van Hollen said. Army officials said April 1 that the shutdown did not have any impact on the institute's research on the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 illness. They added that work continues at USAMRIID and elsewhere in the Army to study countermeasures for the novel coronavirus. "U.S. Army researchers were critical during the SARS epidemic, the Zika virus and the Ebola outbreak as they helped develop antivirals and vaccines," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said. "They've done it before, and they will do it again." USAMRIID is the Defense Department's lead research facility on biological defense, supporting the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, called the CDC's decision to grant the labs full operational capability "a relief." "It should quickly receive the funding and resources needed to tackle COVID-19 and other threats to our nation," he said, referring to a Pentagon decision in February to withhold $104 million from Fort Detrick and Aberdeen Proving Ground, another installation in Maryland that houses the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. Defense Department officials did not give a reason for withholding the money from the facilities. As of Monday, the Pentagon reported 633 service members among 1,087 total cases of COVID-19 within the Defense Department community. Four DoD personnel, including one service member, have died from the illness. According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. had nearly 204,000 cases as of April 1, with 4,476 deaths. USAMRIID employs about 750 military personnel, civilians and contractors, including 200 doctoral-level researchers in clinical and veterinary medicine, microbiology, biochemistry, pathology, toxinology, molecular biology, immunology and virology who conduct research on vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for the world's biggest health threats. "The true heroes in this fight are the medical professionals -- people like the scientists and researchers at USAMRIID," Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said. "They're working on vaccinations, treatments and better ways to conduct tests that will ultimately help the nation defeat the virus." -- Patricia Kime can be reached at patriciankime@gmail.com. Read more: The Latest on the Military's Response to COVID-19 Japan will ban entry to foreigners from 73 countries and ask everyone arriving from abroad to quarantine themselves for two weeks as it struggles to contain the coronavirus, with a senior minister warning the country had been pushed to the brink, reports Reuters. Medical experts advising Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference on Wednesday that the rapid spread of contagion was severely straining hospitals in Tokyo, in Osaka and in some other prefectures, and that quick action was vital. Islam Dweikat, 22, was shot by a rubber-coated bullet during protests near Nablus in early March, officials say. A young Palestinian has died from wounds sustained three weeks ago when Israeli military forces opened fire on hundreds of people protesting against encroaching Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The 22-year-old, identified on Wednesday as Islam Dweikat, was shot on March 11 along the outskirts of Nablus, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, quoted a local official as saying he was shot by a rubber-coated bullet. Following his injury, Dweikat was moved to a couple of local hospitals, where he underwent several operations and stayed in a coma until he was pronounced dead this evening, Wafa said. Mohammed Hamayel, 15, was also killed after being shot in the face by Israeli live fire on March 11, the ministry said at the time. At least 18 other Palestinians were wounded. The Israeli military had said in a statement that its soldiers were responding to a violent riot of some 500 Palestinians. It said the demonstrators burned tyres and hurled rocks at its troops. Locals in Jabal al-Armeh (al-Armeh mountain) said Israeli settlers had been eyeing the area since the early 1980s due to, among other factors, the locations height. Reporting from the West Bank city of Ramallah, Al Jazeeras Nida Ibrahim at the time said confrontations had become a regular occurrence. Usually, settlers like to settle on high areas on hilltops this is a way for them to keep an upper hand if anything happens, including demonstrations. Most of Israels settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and occupied West Bank are built with the governments permission. Under international law, settlements and outposts are illegal. With the signing of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, settlement-building was to cease, but Israel continued to expand existing settlements on Palestinian land. Some 600,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem among about 2.9 million Palestinians. [April 01, 2020] ECS Personnel Aboard USNS Mercy Supporting Navy Efforts to Combat Coronavirus ECS, a leader in advanced technology, science, and engineering solutions, has been tasked with aiding the U.S. Navy's Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission to support COVID-19 relief efforts on the West Coast of the United States. On March 17, the USNS Mercy received word that it would deploy to Los Angeles to provide medical care in the Southern California region. The ECS team worked closely with military and civilian personnel to ready this ship for departure only six days later, on March 23. While the duration of this mission is unknown, ECS is prepared to support the Navy for as long as it takes. The Mercy is unique among military treatment facilities (MTFs) in that it must support not only standard shipboard information technology (IT) operations, but also the specialized medical IT requirements of a medical center with the size, scope, and capabilities of the Department of Defense's largest shore-based facilities. The ship is equipped to provide rapid, flexible, and mobile acute medical and surgical services in support of deployed forces. In addition, the Mercy provides mobile surgical hospital service to assist in disaster events and meet humanitarian needs. This range of critical capabilities means that the ECS team must ensure that the Mercy's foundational information management (IM)/IT support processes mee and exceed those of a shore-based MTF. Aboard the Mercy, ECS personnel serve as the IT lead, as well as the division officer for automated data processing (ADP) and communication, ensuring that communications and medical systems are functioning and available for healthcare providers. The ECS team also includes networking, security, and database specialists, as well as highly trained experts in inventory and medical supply tracking and controls, all of whom coordinate the vast medical logistics and storage effort necessary to meet this immense challenge. "The country needs the vital care provided by ships like the USNS Mercy now more than ever," said George Wilson, president of ECS. "We are proud to support this critical effort to fight COVID-19 and keep our civilians and military personnel safe from harm." About ECS ECS, a segment of ASGN, delivers advanced solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), application and IT modernization, science, and engineering. The company solves critical, complex challenges for customers across the U.S. public sector, defense, intelligence, and commercial industries. ECS maintains partnerships with leading cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/ML providers and holds specialized certifications in their technologies. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, ECS has more than 3,000 employees throughout the United States. For more information, visit ECStech.com. About ASGN ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN) is one of the foremost providers of IT and professional services in the technology, digital, creative, engineering, and life sciences fields across commercial and government sectors. Operating through its Apex (News - Alert), Oxford, and ECS segments, ASGN helps leading corporate enterprises and government organizations develop, implement, and operate critical IT and business solutions through its integrated offering of professional staffing and IT solutions. Our mission is to be the most trusted partner for companies seeking highly skilled human capital and integrated solutions to fulfill their strategic and operational needs. For more information, visit us at asgn.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005767/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An alleged bank robber who became known as the 'Bad Wig Bandit' has been snared by the FBI in Georgia after evading authorities in North Carolina. Patrick Alexander, 30, is suspected of robberies at four banks in the Charlotte area in December and January while wearing ill fitting wigs. He was arrested at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Monday after attempting to enter the army post. Patrick Alexander, 30, is suspected of robberies at four banks in the Charlotte area in December and January while wearing ill fitting wigs Alexander has been charged with one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon at a Charlotte convenience store and one count of common robbery at a bank in Huntersville As is standard procedure, Military Police ran his details through their system at the gate and this revealed an outstanding robbery warrant. Alexander has been charged with one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon at a Charlotte convenience store and one count of common robbery at a bank in Huntersville, Fox reported. However, he is suspected of three further bank robberies from January 7 to January 16. Alexander is being held at Muscogee County Jail in Columbus, Georgia. Further charges are anticipated as inter-state and federal law enforcement continue their investigations. By now, everybodys inbox should be filled with messages from businesses they may have even been remotely associated with in the past, letting customers know how they are responding to COVID-19. As Houston hunkers down, local business owners may want to follow suit and let their customers know it is safe to patronize your business if its considered essential. To see if your business is considered essential, go to https://tinyurl.com/rgv59cq. Related: How to fill out SBA Coronavirus Disaster Loan documents The Bellaire Business Association, a non-profit organization created to promote local businesses, provide professional networking opportunities and foster local economic development has offered some tips on how to write an effective Coronavirus message for your business: Acknowledge that this is a difficult time and share that your thoughts (and prayers, if that fits your lifestyle and beliefs) are with those who are sick or have been directly impacted by the virus. Share resources that you have found helpful. Avoid sharing any resources that could cause panic or push any conspiracy theories and dont speculate and editorialize the situation. Avoid anything that insinuates the government/leaders or healthcare has botched the handling of this so far. Dwelling on inadequacies does nothing to help people feel more prepared or in control of a desperate situation. Instead, share resources that provide ways to make good decisions. Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox Talk about what your company/business is doing to ensure the safety and wellness of your customers. Describe any increased cleaning or screening that is going on and if something will affect the way you do business, share it. Its exceptionally important to be transparent during this time. Share ways in which people can safely support businesses by changing some of their habits. Complete quarantines will be hard on mental health but people can still go out, they just need to be smart about what they choose to do. For instance, suggest they come to your business during less crowded hours. If you offer delivery, share that as another way they can partake of your services with less exposure risk. If there are virtual ways to enjoy your business, share those. Remind the community of your commitment to them and thank them for their support. Reiterate that you are in this together and that their safety, as well as the safety of your employees, is your top priority. Remind the community of your commitment to them and thank them for their support. Reiterate that you are in this together and that their safety, as well as the safety of your employees, is your top priority. This is not a set-it-and-forget-it document. You will need to update this consistently, maybe hourly. No one knows how long precautions will need to be taken. The best things you can do in your business communications right now are to be available, be transparent, and build trust. People are scared. Some are worried about the virus, while others are concerned about the economy, their jobs, and their savings. Its likely youre concerned about your business. While your first instinct may be to beg people to buy from you, it is important that you use your platform to communicate and share resources instead of sales messaging. Your communication will be constantly evolving but the underlying tone should be: It will be tough, but we will get through it. Heres what were doing and what you need to know. To find out my information about the Bellaire Business Association, go to www.bellairebiz.org. ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com The combined market capitalisation of the top 873 family-owned companies was down 26.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 61.8 trillion at the end of trading on Tuesday. It had grown 6 per cent in FY19 and nearly 20 per cent in FY18. IMAGE: The Mukesh Ambani group's combined market capitalisation was down 19 per cent YoY in FY20. Photograph: Reuters. The sell-off in the stock market because of likely losses resulting from the lockdown imposed in light of the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has taken a toll on Indias family-owned businesses. These firms together took a Rs 22 trillion hit on market capitalisation in financial year 2019-20 (FY20) as investors sold shares fearing sharp decline in earnings in FY21. The combined market capitalisation of the top 873 family-owned companies was down 26.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 61.8 trillion at the end of trading on Tuesday. It had grown 6 per cent in FY19 and nearly 20 per cent in FY18. The biggest hit was borne by business groups with large exposure to financial services, followed by metals & mining and automobile sectors. Groups with large plays in consumer business, especially fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and IT services, outperformed peers. For example, Avenue Supermart, which runs D-Mart, saw a 56 per cent YoY jump in market capitalisation to Rs 1.42 trillion. Similarly, Asian Paints ended FY21 with gains of 11.3 per cent. Bharti group was, however, a surprise winner with 42 per cent YoY rise. The group flagship Bharti Airtels market capitalisation was up 82 per cent in FY20, compensating for 49 per cent YoY decline in Bharti Infratel. Hinduja Group was the worst performer with 72 per cent YoY decline in group market capitalisation, at around Rs 39,000 crore, down from Rs 1.56 trillion a year ago. The group flagship IndusInd Banks market capitalisation was down 78 per cent over the period. It was followed by Vedanta group, which saw combined market capitalisation decline 52.4 per cent YoY to Rs 92,268 crore. Other big losers in FY21 were the Mahindras (down 48 per cent YoY)), AV Birla group (down 41.4 per cent YoY), and Rahul Bajaj group (down 31 per cent). This was the first annual decline in market capitalisation for Bajaj group since the 2008 global financial crisis. Bajaj Finserv market capitalisation was down 35 per cent in the past 12 months, while its subsidiary Bajaj Finance was down 24 per cent. The countrys top two business groups -- Tata & Mukesh Ambani -- however retained their dominance and outperformed peers in FY20. Tata group companies combined market capitalisation was down 16 per cent YoY in FY20 because of a relatively good show by Tata Consultancy Services and Titan -- the groups most valuable firms. The Mukesh Ambani group's combined market capitalisation was down 19 per cent YoY in FY20 with investors remaining optimistic about its mobile and retail businesses. Adani group companies also performed better than peers thanks to a 4x jump in the m-cap of Adani Green and a small 13 per cent YoY decline in Adani Transmissions m-cap. Pennridge to vote on one textbook; further review on other one Details added (first version posted on 13:51) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 31 Trend: Non-compliance with quarantine measures in Azerbaijan may lead to the same situation as in developed countries, Azerbaijan's chief infectiologist Jalal Isayev told Trend on March 31. Isayev in his appeal to the country citizens asked them to take into account severeness of the coronavirus threat and comply with quarantine measures. The chief infectiologist added that the infection cases in the most developed countries of the world - the US, Italy, Spain, UK, are rapidly increasing. "It has come to the point that artificial respiration devices in reanimation chambers of European clinics don't work. Elderly people are disconnected from the devices and instead young people are connected to them. Such cases have already been recorded in Europe, and Azerbaijani citizens should take this into account," chief infectiologist said. Isayev stressed that the incidence rate is low thanks to the quarantine measures being carried out in Azerbaijan. But Azerbaijan is not safe from the spread of this virus, the chief infectiologist added. "If citizens do not comply with the recommendations, quarantine measures, if they think that nothing will happen, Azerbaijan will face the same situation, Isayev said. Therefore, everyone must strictly observe the quarantine measures, recommendations and prohibitions. These measures are carried out not only by Azerbaijan, but also by other countries upon the WHOs recommendation." 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 39,000. Over 803,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 182,000 people have reportedly recovered. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. A 28-year-old New Jersey man was arrested after having sex with a 14-year-old girl from Michigan that he met on social media, authorities said. Jarred T. Robinson, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, was charged with criminal sexual contact with a victim between the ages of 13 and 15, police in Chesterfield, Michigan said in a statement Tuesday. Robinson and the girl, a resident of Macomb, chatted online for about a month before Robinson flew from Philadelphia to Detroit on March 25, officials said. After arriving in Detroit, Robinson took public transportation to a Walmart in Chesterfield to meet the teen, who arrived via a ride share app the New Jersey man arranged. The two then walked to a nearby Fairfield Inn, where Robinson rented a room, police said. After the two had sex, Robinson used the same ride share app to send the girl home. The girls mother later called police and Robinson was taken into custody at the motel. Robinson, who was arraigned Tuesday, remains held at the Macomb County Jail with a $50,000 bond with no 10 percent option. 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. Jacqueline Jossa has spoken out about her obsession with finding negative comments regarding her appearance during her stint on EastEnders. The I'm A Celebrity star, 27, admitted she would torture herself by Googling 'fat Lauren Branning' every day but was addicted to reading cruel taunts from trolls. Jossa was cast as Lauren in 2010 when she took over the role from Madeline Duggan. She departed from the soap seven years later. Hurtful: Jacqueline Jossa has spoken out about her obsession with finding negative comments regarding her appearance during her stint on EastEnders Now, in an interview with New Magazine, Jacqueline said: 'They called me the new fat Lauren, there were Facebook groups and all sorts about. I was literally Googling my name every single day or writing Lauren Branning fat or new Lauren Branning. 'It was always negative and I would just be obsessed with reading forums and negative things about me.' Jacqueline also touched upon how winning I'm A Celebrity gave her a massive boost in confidence. Upset: The I'm A Celebrity star, 27, admitted she would torture herself by Googling 'fat Lauren Branning' every day but was addicted to reading cruel taunts from trolls The mother-of-two said: 'I didn't think it would be such a turning point in life, I went in as one person, I feel like I have come out as a different person. ' Earlier this month, Jacqueline sent EastEnders fans into a frenzy as she hinted the troubled character could soon return to Albert Square. The I'm A Celebrity winner replied to an Instagram Q&A: 'Maybe one day. She's not dead yet.' One follower responded: 'Lauren Branning's possible return to EastEnders is the best thing I've heard all day!' While another said: 'Jac Jossa making a return to EastEnders would make my year! Oh my goodness!' Lauren was last seen in Walford in 2018, when she left for a new life in New Zealand following the tragic death of her sister Abi. Return? Earlier this month, Jacqueline sent EastEnders fans into a frenzy as she hinted the troubled character could return to Albert Square Back in December, Jacqueline touched upon how her mental health was affected after trolls branded her 'fat Lauren' when she took over the role aged 17 in 2010. While reflecting on the end of the past decade and the 10 year anniversary of her casting, the actress said the hurtful criticism caused years of pain. Jacqueline revealed the bullying began after the release of her promotional snap when she replaced original actress Madeline in the role. Devastated: Back in December, Jacqueline touched upon how her mental health was affected after trolls branded her 'fat Lauren' when she took over the role aged 17 in 2010 The actress, who is married to Dan Osborne, penned: '10 years ago I landed the BEST job in the world! Loved ever second of it, this picture changed my life. 'I used to hate this picture so much, I got trolled so, so badly: 'The new fat Lauren Branning', 'Why recast and then get someone so much uglier, and what is the hair cut?' 'I admit I really hate the hair cut now, but jeez ppl can be mean, and to a 17 year old girl, words hurt a lot!' The television personality confessed she still feels affected the comments now, adding: 'It affected me for a LONG time! Probably still does actually if I'm being honest. Still, 10 years on, I did seven years on the show of my dreams and had two beautiful children. 'To end this year, I just became QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE! WOW!! My life has changed so much and had so many ups and downs in these 10 years. 'I can honestly say heading into 2020 I'm excited, happy and content! Thank you for supporting me. 'Also, big shout out to the people who will remember this first girl, 17 year old me that just landed a role that would change her life, feeling overwhelmed and so lucky, thanks a million.' Space invaders: selfish joggers run risk of park closures We are all trying to do our best but we have one major problem with people doing exercise at appropriate social distance joggers (''No apologies as top cop lays down the new law'', April 1). It is impossible to walk on the Centennial Park path, for example, without them bumping into you and/or getting too close. Walkways and paths must be restricted to walkers only and joggers should find their own space. Otherwise I fear our parks will be closed and this will be to the detriment of all. Natalie Mabbitt, Randwick New restrictions banning people from leaving their homes are over the top and frankly absurd. Police cars, flashing lights and all, roaring around peaceful parks and coppers threatening people with fines for the vile offence of getting some fresh air with their kids? This is nuts. It is unreasonable and unnecessary to keep people cooped up in their homes when they can, with complete safety while observing physical distancing, enjoy one of the few remaining simple pleasures of life: going for a walk. We are adults for heaven's sake. David Watt, Dover Heights We have of late encountered terms like physical distancing as opposed to social distancing. To me, the latter has connotations of not just walking a distance (1.5 metres in our case) from others but also to avoid eye contact completely. In my daily exercise walks around my neighbourhood, I realised that the people who did not observe this physical distancing were usually apathetic but they were certainly socially distancing. The very few who did observe this nodded and smiled and made this restriction more bearable. Give me physical distancing anytime, mate. Tony Moo, North Sydney To your correspondents and anyone else asking why they should stay at home just because they are over 70: by doing so you might just save a life or free up an intensive care bed (Letters, April 1). Who needs more of a reason than that? Jill McDowell, Tumbi Umbi Within a couple of weeks my elderly father-in-law, who lives in his own home in a country town, will attain the age of 102 years. My husband and I are both 77. Do we need to apply for compassionate leave from the Premier or the police to be with him for his 102nd birthday for just a couple of days? We will apply social distancing as much as possible and do understand the main criteria for keeping away from very vulnerable rural towns, but will this come into the category of "compassionate grounds"? Margot McGuirk, Castle Hill Plan to keep us safe is flawed Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott presumably wrote to reassure our distressed community that there was always a plan to manage the next pandemic and this plan has been effectively instituted behind the scenes (''The plan is (mostly) working'', April 1). But we have seen confused messages from government and a failure to implement simple measures to keep us safe. His explanation leaves me enraged at the governments clumsy communication strategy, their inadequate stockpile of personal protective equipment for frontline staff and sanitation provisions for the rest of us, and the arrogant insouciance of the private hospital sector walking away from their obligations. Why isnt he as angry as I am? Marjorie Sutcliffe, The Rocks With both my daughter and husband on the medical frontline without adequate personal protective equipment, I was stunned by the complacency of Kamradt-Scott in stating that pre-pandemic planning was adequate. Our leaders have a difficult task and I thank them for their hard work. Kamradt-Scott is also right to point to ideological barriers to adequate preparation. However, can I suggest that, if we are still here to debrief, we should include slowness in closing borders, failing to keep adequate supplies of PPE (including exporting many in January), letting cruise passengers off boats and not temperature testing routinely. Susan Tregeagle, Yarralumla Barnaby's sub text Barnaby Joyce is no April fool (Debt nightmare we cant wake from threatens, April 1). His insight is profound and most of what he has to say is obviously metaphorical. So when he concludes with the spine-tingling words: No economy, including ours, can afford to buy all the economic toilet paper in the supermarket he is meaning: with COVID-19 wrecking the joint how the hell can we afford 12 French subs costing $152 billion? Ian Ferrier, Paddington Dear Barnaby, unaccustomed as I am to sympathetic feelings towards you, I must admit that I found the description of the dreams that haunt you both compelling and harrowing. Ill leave it to the psychoanalysts to explain what these might reveal about the state of your unconscious mind, but for my part could I recommend not eating spicy food so close to your bedtime. Bill Pfeifer, Avalon Save backpackers from hell Spare a thought for Bondi's backpackers ("Backpacker areas to be targeted", April 1). Cooped up in a backpacker hostel, two or more people per room, sharing common cooking and ablution facilities, it is not surprising they are reservoirs and transmitters of the coronavirus. Backpackers are young, full of energy and hormones. No wonder they want to party. Can we do anything to rescue them from what will become an overcrowded hell? Send them home at our expense? Relocate them to the empty tourist resorts preferably in isolated locations so they can roam freely and stay fit and sane? Ian Falconer, Turramurra Increasing COVID-19 testing in areas with high infection rates is sensible, but using words such as ''targeted'' and ''aggressively'' encourages the scapegoating of overseas visitors who are as innocent as the rest of us. Norm Neill, Darlinghurst Is it too harsh to suggest that overseas backpackers who carelessly breach the current social gathering rules have their visas cancelled ? And told to leave Australia when it is possible and safe to do so. Lives are at stake here. Graham Russell, Clovelly Supply and demand Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: It is said the first casualty of war is the truth. I think the same can be said for pandemics. For weeks now I have searched all the local supermarkets for rice, pasta, any can with some sort of tomatoes, porridge, many other items and, of course, toilet paper (''Loo roll rush hits peak as we bunker down with booze'', April 1). If the supply chains are so good then where are they? Tony Lewis, Mount Victoria Home-made masks a lifesaver During the 1919 influenza epidemic in Sydney my mother was in her final school year. The school was closed except for her class. She told us that girls were seated apart and everyone wore a home-made face mask. Money was scarce, so the masks were sewn from different scrap materials. Hers were made from calico bags in which bird seed had been sold so she had a colourful picture of a parrot on one of her masks. All girls lived to sit the exam at the end of the year. Helen Scanlon, Northbridge Australian health experts and government officials have been spreading the message since the onset of COVID-19 to only wear mask if you are sick. But the main reason for the exponential rise in positive cases globally has been asymptomatic transmission. Countries where mask wearing is a norm seem to have more success in containing the rate of transmission. The government should encourage people to wear masks. They will say we dont have enough masks and we must save for medical professionals and those essential workers in customer facing roles. But even a home-made mask could significantly reduce the probability of infecting others. Mamoon Reza, Newtown Ready to volunteer Why hasn't there been, as in the UK, a national or state call for volunteers to help out during this difficult period when so many people are isolating? Many would be willing to contribute time to supporting others but don't know where to offer their services. Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy Free to choose Transurban might like to play it tough (''Toll operator pushes ahead with price increases amid crisis'', April 1). However ignoring their customers may prove costly. When travelling in Spain in 2012 during the GFC with 25 per cent unemployment, I drove on toll roads that were deserted, while the old free roads were choked with traffic. Sydney drivers, without cash but with a lot more free time than pre-COVID-19, may make a similar choice. Ian Shepherd, Elizabeth Bay Wake up call Definitely no more daylight saving (Letters, April 1). I will be more than cheery when I can get up and walk at 6am without a torch and enjoy the sunrise. Chris Tiley, Nana Glen I cant wait for daylight saving to end. I am heartily sick of waking up in the middle of the night when it is 6am. It seems to be the difference between larks and owls. Roslynne Hunt, Riverview Changing faces Uncle Scrooge one day, Santa Claus the next it's a miracle (Letters, April 1). Bruce Gall, Canberra Morrison's "weirdly comforting smirk"? That's one curve I'd particularly like to flatten. David Baird, Burradoo Neil Penning, you had me at "weirdly". Lost me at "comforting ". Alan Popely, Annandale High supply Now, that's what I call hoarding ("Suburban wardrobe allegedly contained 200kg of cocaine", April 1). Peter Mahoney, Oatley Delay tactics By Lawrence White and Iain Withers LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top banks said on Tuesday they would suspend dividend payments after pressure from the regulator, saving their capital as a buffer against expected losses from the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Barclays , HSBC , Lloyds Banking Group , Royal Bank of Scotland , Standard Chartered and the British arm of Spain's Santander all halted payouts. The lenders had been due to pay out over 8 billion pounds between them in 2019 dividends, with HSBC the biggest payer at $4.2 billion. By Lawrence White and Iain Withers LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top banks said on Tuesday they would suspend dividend payments after pressure from the regulator, saving their capital as a buffer against expected losses from the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Barclays , HSBC , Lloyds Banking Group , Royal Bank of Scotland , Standard Chartered and the British arm of Spain's Santander all halted payouts. The lenders had been due to pay out over 8 billion pounds between them in 2019 dividends, with HSBC the biggest payer at $4.2 billion. The move came in response to a request from the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA), which also asked banks and insurers not to pay senior staff bonuses this year. The lenders said they would not pay interim dividends for 2020 and scrapped planned 2019 payouts, but held off announcing changes to their executive pay policies. The PRA said banks entered the epidemic, which has put Britain into lockdown, with strong capital positions, enough to withstand a severe UK and global recession. "The bank has a strong capital base, but we think it is right and prudent, for the many businesses and people that we support, to take these steps now," Barclays chairman Nigel Higgins said. Banks pay out dividends as a means of rewarding shareholders and disposing of excess profits, but they have the option to retain the earnings instead to preserve their capital levels. FOLLOWING ECB'S LEAD The statements from British lenders come after the European Central Bank (ECB) last week asked euro zone lenders to skip dividend payments and share buybacks until October at the earliest, and use their profits to support the economy. Several of Europe's largest lenders, including UniCredit , and Societe Generale have already announced they will hold off paying 2019 dividends for now. However there are some hold outs. Swiss banking giants UBS and Credit Suisse have both said they plan to press ahead with 2019 dividends despite their home regulator urging caution over payouts. The move to scrap 2019 shareholder distributions is expected to free up capital that banks can instead lend to businesses and consumers rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic. But some analysts believe cancelling dividends could actually harm the supply of credit to the real economy. "We note that euro area bank market capitalization fell on 30 March by the same as the 30 billion euros saved by its dividend ban on Friday 27 March, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note to clients, referring to the ECB's move. The European Union's banking watchdog said earlier on Tuesday that banks should be "conservative" in how they award bonuses to preserve capital and keep lending during the coronavirus pandemic. However it stopped short of calling on banks to stop bonuses altogether. Italy's UniCredit and Spain's BBVA have both said this week that their top management will waive their 2020 bonuses. Standard Chartered signalled in a memo on Monday that the bank would likely cut its 2020 executive payouts. PRA Chief Executive Sam Woods also wrote to heads of insurers, saying they should pay "close attention" to the need to protect policyholders and maintain safety and soundness when considering bonuses or dividends. HSBC signalled a gloomy first quarter earnings season ahead for British banks, warning in its statement that it would see bad loans rising and revenues falling as the economic impact of the pandemic hits. (Reporting By Lawrence White and Iain Withers, additional reporting by Huw Jones and Sinead Cruise, Editing by Rachel Armstrong) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Mubarak Mahgoub Musa 01.04.2020 LISTEN The global scene has become increasingly traumatic due to the spread of the Corona virus "Covid 19 and its deadly consequences not only for human beings, but also to the economy of various countries of the world. The orientation towards providing safe havens for humanity from this pandemic has overshadowed the entire world the rich and the poor alike. In retrospect, the world today is in need of greater solidarity, more than ever before, in order to emerge from the painful ordeal, which has put the world's health systems in an unprecedented and historic test. Paradoxically enough, the core of the crisis today, lies in the very globalization and its related connotations; openness and mobility, which we all have been promoting with pride, as it metamorphoses into a nightmare wherein the hazard is lurking; enabling the deadly virus to spread across continents, at an amazing speed, without the need for a permission or a visa. However, even the worst situations have a silver lining; the deadly virus has eventually opened a window of opportunity for a country like Somalia; in response to the corona virus pandemic inter alia, came the announcement jointly made by both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) of Somalias eligibility for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Accordingly, Somalia will be eligible to receive new international funding for the first time in 30 years, including access to the IMFs emergency aid grants. Besides, The Somali government will have more resources for social services. Banks and businesses will have easier access to credits and investments. In return, such positive and laudable shift towards Somalia - widely welcome both regionally and internationally - has brought to the fore yet, another raffling contrast; another poor country like Sudan remains perhaps, the only country on earth today, from amongst the group of the heavily indebted countries and (LDCs), that has not yet benefited from the global initiative of debt relief schemes (HIPIC ) since its inauguration 24 years ago, due to seemingly loose, elusive and vague political grounds; all of Sudans painstaking attempts to that effect, for more than three decades were however, left in limbo and reduced to naught. Its to be noted here that Sudan's external debt has been part and parcel of the Cooperation Agreements signed in September 2012, between Sudan and South Sudan, whereby the two governments, with the blessing and encouragement of the African Union and the international community, have agreed on a temporary arrangement that has been called a "zero option" agreement. Under the "zero option" Sudan maintained the entirety of the pre split external debt stock, dating back in essence to early 1970s and 1980s. The two countries have been postponing the agreement repeatedly ever since, due to the regression on the part of the international community, in honoring its commitment towards Sudan debt relief; Sudan should have been eligible for debt relief under the highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. However, Western donor countries for their own political purposes, continue to be hitherto reluctant to allow Sudan the economically crucial debt relief, raising shifting alibis and excuses ;sometimes the country's human rights record and at other times, the armed conflicts in Sudans peripheries. There should be no mistake that the difficult living and social conditions which the Sudanese people have been facing for many years, cannot see substantial change, without the triggering of comprehensive debt relief, as has been typically the case with many of Sudans peers, ending currently with Somalia. Heavy debt burdens and protracted sanctions have been unmistakably hindering all Sudanese sincere attempts to develop and fight poverty. Sudan's relentless and ongoing efforts to normalize its relations with the international community shall provide additional financial resources to support the economy, improve social conditions, lift millions out of poverty, and provide sustainable employment opportunities for the Sudanese people and shall place the Transitional Government in a better position to fight and contain the danger Corona virus. Warning that Poorer countries will take the hardest hit by the COVID-19, especially ones that were already heavily indebted before the crisis, World Bank President David Malpass on Friday said poorer countries will need debt relief or restructuring so they can fund their fights against the corona virus pandemic. Likewise, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the IMF have appealed to all official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments from the worlds 76 poorest countries and enable them to redirect funds towards confronting the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sudan seizes this historic moment to appeal again and again to the world conscience in support of Sudan just cause; putting things right, putting an end to all politically motivated obstacles that continue to impede Sudan chances of benefitting, on equal terms with all other LCDs, from the global initiative of debt relief schemes (HIPIC), which proposed in essence to address problems like that of the Sudan. In the same context, and in his recent interview with RFI, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his personal support and solidarity with the French President Emmanuel Macrons call for the international community, to make the African continent its top priority. According to him "We can still prevent the worst in Africa but without a massive mobilization we will have millions and millions of people contaminated, which means millions of deaths, adding that Africas booming youth population will not be spared. To that effect, United Nations called for rolling back international sanctions regimes around the world, saying they are heightening the health risks for millions of people and weakening the global effort to contain the spread of the new corona virus. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a letter to the G-20 economic powers. I am encouraging the waiving of sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion, Guterres added that Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world. In line with the above, Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in coordination with other African leaders, called on the extraordinary virtual summit couple of days ago to discuss the challenge of Covid-19, to provide $150 billion for the continents response to corona virus. Abiys proposal calls for additional funding for African health systems, partial debt forgiveness, and support for distressed businesses, among other things. That is why, given the fragile health situation in Sudan and the deteriorated health facilities and infrastructure - thanks to the protracted American sanctions - coinciding with perhaps the worst economic crisis Sudan is currently passing through since independence, it was anything but surprising on the part of the World Health Organization (WHO) , to start sounding the alarm ; Sudan is in a situation of danger in the face of the corona pandemic, attributed that to the seriousness of the pandemic and the country's ability to respond to any possible widespread outbreak of the disease in the country . One needs volume to explain the current painful health conditions in the Sudan. Could anyone imagine that the total number of ventilators in Sudans possession - as we speak now - does not exceed eighty machines, besides two hundred intensive care hospital beds and small handful of ICU specialists? Even government-run containment facilities lack the ability to care for the sick for the necessary fourteen-day quarantines. Given the fragile health situation in Sudan and the deteriorated health facilities and infrastructure with the number of confirmed cases day by day, Sudan is dire need of urgent assistance in terms of test kits, masks, ventilators, protective suits for health workers, to confront this crisis before it becomes a disaster. In his article, Cameron Hudson of the Atlantic Council enumerated the efforts of the transitional government in Khartoum Sudans transitional government should be applauded for many of its early efforts to deploy its limited resources wisely. Recognizing the potentially devastating health and economic effects of the virus, the government has focused on educating the public on prevention and mitigation effortsdemonstrating once again just how much has changed for the better in a post-Bashir Sudan. Citing different challenges ahead the article concludes Beyond the basics of a functioning health care system or the compliance of a willing public, Sudan lacks the economic resilience required to withstand the near-term effects of the pandemic. The country is already suffering from a balance of payments crisis, an exchange rate crisis, and a massive debt and arrears burden that has seen the country unable to pay for basic commodities like wheat in recent weeks. Simply put, Sudan has virtually no fiscal or monetary policy tools left to deploy to cushion the inevitable blow that will come from a further loss of productivity, revenue earnings, and foreign exchange. U. N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for rolling back of international sanctions regimes around the world, saying they are heightening the health risks for millions of people and weakening the global effort to contain the spread of the new corona virus. In a letter to the G-20 economic powers, the Secretary-General wrote Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world. Sudan is richly endowed country in terms of natural resources and opportunities, history would never forgive those who sought and meant - in every way - to shackle, cripple and paralyze Sudan's potential, and its respective ability to transform all these resources and riches, for the good of its people and humanity at large. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Wallace Roney, a virtuoso trumpeter whose term as Miles Daviss only true protege opened onto a prominent career in jazz, died on Tuesday in Paterson, N.J. He was 59. The cause was complications of the coronavirus, his fiancee, Dawn Jones, said. By the time he linked up with Davis, Mr. Roney was already a leading voice in what came to be called the Young Lions movement, a coterie of young musicians devoted to bringing jazz back into line with its midcentury sound. And he was already associated sometimes distressingly so with Daviss legacy. Many dismissed him as a musical clone: ravishingly talented but lacking the necessary distance from his idol to claim creative agency. Yet as his career went on, Mr. Roney managed to neutralize most of those criticisms. His nuanced understanding of Daviss playing its harmonic and rhythmic wirings as well as its smoldering tone was only part of a vast musical ken. His own style bespoke an investment in the entire lineage of jazz trumpet playing. Most of the ideas in Mr. Roneys compositions began at the center of jazzs mainstream language and cut a path outward, often by way of funk, hip-hop, pop, Brazilian or Afro-Caribbean music. Britain's business secretary Alok Sharma at coronavirus daily press briefing at 10 Downing Street in London. (Pippa Fowles/No 10 Downing Street via AP) British banks have been told to put their shoulder to the wheel and get lending to businesses across the country. Business Secretary Alok Sharma urged lenders to repay the favour from financial crisis by supporting the economy through the coronavirus pandemic. We know high street banks are working really hard to support the country through this period, Sharma said on Wednesday 1 April. It will be completely unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty. Just as the taxpayer stepped in to help the banks back in 2008, we will work with the banks to do everything they can to repay that favour and support the businesses and people of the United Kingdom in their time of need. The comments came during the governments daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing and follow criticism of banks over their handling of government support loans. Read more: World Bank warns of COVID-19 economic pain The government last month promised to underwrite 330bn ($408bn) of loans to businesses to help them survive the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILs) is being administered by 40 financial institutions, mostly leading banks. Banks have been criticised for asking business owners for personal guarantees on the government-backed loans, which meant entrepreneurs could lose savings and investments if their businesses fail. Business owners and advisers have also reported delays in securing loans from banks. Time is of the essence for most businesses which have seen their operations fall off a cliff overnight, Richard Churchill, a partner at tax advisory Blick Rothberg said on Wednesday. The banks are offering them their commercial products at 3-4 times commercial rates and available in 45 days. Something needs to be done now to bridge the gap on funding and deliver funds to companies this week to avoid businesses going bust. Read more: Banks under fire over personal guarantees on coronavirus loans Story continues Churchill said all businesses that had made a loss in 2019 were also having their loan applications rejected even with a sound, commercial reason for the loss. Just because a company made a loss last year does not mean they are not viable, he said. Sharma said on Wednesday the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme was not going to be perfect from the outset but added: We are listening all the time. He hinted that the chancellor would make a further announcement on support for businesses in the coming days. Sharma also flagged 22bn of support being given to businesses this week in the form of business rates relief and grants for small businesses. He extended his heartfelt thanks to all of the businesses up and down the country who are keeping staff on and working to keep the economy alive. It came as the UK recorded its highest daily death toll linked to the novel coronavirus. 563 people have died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the government said on Wednesday. 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK, an increase of 4,324 since Tuesday. All our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones, Sharma said. The Kangra authorities on Wednesday traced six persons, who had attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in New Delhi last month along with several foreigners, many of them suspected coronavirus carriers. Three of these persons have been kept in hospital's isolation ward while three others put in home quarantine, said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati. Meanwhile, the six suspected coronavirus patients in the district have tested negative for the infection, he added. Prajapati also appealed to the people to report such persons, who returned to the district after attending the Tablighi jamaat meet last month, to the authorities to prevent the spread of infection. He also said the Health Department officials have been deployed to conduct door-to-door survey to collect information about suspected coronavirus carriers to curb the spread of the virus. He said the district administration is fully alert to the dangers of the spread of coronavirus infection and cooperation of common people is a must to curb it. He also asking people to stay indoor, saying that a case has been registered against nine persons for violating curfew in the district and venturing out of their houses. He also reminded people that bank have changed their timing for public dealings and restricted it to only two hours between nine and 11 am. Banks have been asked to implement social distancing norms during public dealing and outside ATMs, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lil Nas X quickly rose to fame last year with his breakout hit Old Town Road, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. And the three-time Grammy-winning artist became a gay icon almost just as quickly when he came out as gay back in June. He jokingly went back into the closet Wednesday in a series of funny tweets he posted for April Fools' Day. Just kidding: Lil Nas X jokingly went back into the closet Wednesday in a series of funny tweets he posted for April Fools' Day (pictured in January, 2020) The 20-year-old wrote: 'i was never gay. i said it to build up fuel for aprils fools day. ha got u guys.' Hip hop artist Ka5sh played along, responding to the tweet: 'Coming out as straight is so brave.' Lil Nas replied: 'its hard but somebody has to take a stand and lead the other straight people afraid to be themselves.' Shortly after his initial tweet, the Panini artist posted another tweet: 'where the hoes at'. The long con: The 20-year-old wrote: 'i was never gay. i said it to build up fuel for aprils fools day. ha got u guys' He's single: Shortly after his initial tweet, the Panini artist posted another tweet: 'where the hoes at' April Fools! And it appears that he couldn't keep the joke going, as he followed it up almost immediately with: 'ok im gay again' (pictured in February, 2020) Good company: Fellow openly gay musician Troye Sivan was one of many to celebrate the news: 'Welcome back' (pictured in January, 2019) And it appears that he couldn't keep the joke going, as he followed it up almost immediately with: 'ok im gay again' Fellow openly gay musician Troye Sivan was one of many to celebrate the news: 'Welcome back' Lil Nas came out to his fans on June 30, which was the last day of LGBTQ Pride Month. He tweeted: 'some of yall already know, some of yall dont care, some of yall not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want yall to listen closely to c7osure.' The Georgia native said in his Time Magazine cover interview: 'I never would have done that if I wasn't in a way pushed by the universe. In June, I'm seeing Pride flags everywhere and seeing couples holding hands little stuff like that.' The Golden Age of Hollywood saw sexism rife in the film industry, a new study has revealed. Despite it being an era of glitz, glamour and charm, with classics films starring charismatic actors like Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart and Cary Grant being produced - research has revealed that the era was not as golden for women. A new study by researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois has revealed female representation across all genres and top jobs hit an all-time low during 1920 and 1950. The study also suggests that following the collapse of the 'Studio System' era, women producers and directors were able to help advance the careers of other women in the industry. A study by researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois has revealed female representation across all genres and top jobs hit an all-time low during 1920 and 1950. circa 1923: An all male team directing the filming of 'Irish Hearts' A new study by researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois has revealed female representation across all genres and top jobs hit an all-time low during 1920 and 1950. Seen: Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock in 1946 Marilyn Monroe is seen in 'Bus Stop' in 1956 after an era which researchers say saw an underrepresentation of females in high positions Lead author, Dr Luis Amaral of Northwestern University, said: 'A lot of people view this era through rose-coloured glasses because Hollywood was producing so many great movies. 'They argue that types of movies being made, such as Westerns, action and crime - caused the decrease in female representation. But we found the decrease occurred across all genres, including musicals, comedy, fantasy and romance.' They used data from the American Film Institute and Internet Movie Database to analyse female representation in more than 26,000 movies produced in America from 1911 to 2010. They found that female representation among actors, directors, screenwriters and producers declined dramatically with the birth of the Hollywood 'Studio System' in 1922 - but increased steadily in 1950 to 2010 following the collapse the studios. The study also suggests that following the collapse of the 'Studio System' era, women producers and directors were able to help advance the careers of other women in the industry. Pictured: Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942) Pictured: Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot - 1959 From 1910 to 1920, women actors comprised roughly 40 per cent of casts. Women wrote 20 per cent of movies, produced 12 per cent and directed five per cent. By 1930, acting roles for women were cut in half; producing and directing roles hit close to zero. This was across all genres like romance, comedy, Western and short, mystery, dramas, musicals and many others. Co-author Murielle Dunand, said: 'In general, we found that the percentage of women compared to men in any role was consistently below 50 per cent for all years from 1912 until now.' Seen: Bringing Up Baby, 1938 Featuring Stars Katharine Hepburn And Cary Grant 1927: American actress Billie Dove (1901 - 1997) drinking champagne in a scene from the film 'American Beauty' Indiscreet, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman. Filmed in 1958 The biggest problem was that men were only hiring men; independent filmmakers were popular before the Golden Age and the role of women were steadily increasing. But the shift to the 'Studio System' era meant that the film industry was dominated by five major studios, these were Warner Bros., Paramount, MGM, Fox and RKO Pictures. Dr Amaral said: 'As the studio system falls under the control of a small group of men, women are receiving fewer and fewer jobs. 'It looks like male producers hire male directors and male writers. This is association, not causation, but the data is very suggestive.' Once legal action had ended the 'Studio System' era, actresses gained bargaining power - enabling some to later become producers and directors. American actress Marilyn Monroe on the set of River of No Return in 1954 when following the collapse of the 'Studio System' era, women producers and directors were able to help advance the careers of other women in the industry Pictured: Greta Garbo Greta Garbo - 1929 MGM Portrait Male dominated: This behind-the-scenes photograph shows a movie crew shooting a scene with Jimmy Stewart, Hollywood, California, circa 1940 30th September 1927: The director and crew filming a ballroom scene from Renee Adoree's (1898-1933) latest film Oscar-nominated Olivia de Havilland was freed from her Warner Bros contract following the ground-breaking lawsuit and the US federal government sued Paramount Pictures preventing them from exclusively producing, distributing and exhibiting their films. Dr Amaral said: 'These legal changes took the power away from a handful of men and gave more people the power to start changing the industry. 'There is a connection between increased concentration of power and decreased participation of women.' Since then female representation in Hollywood has slowly increased, but remains low. Seen: Dooley Wilson, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman Casablanca - 1942 Gwen Lee, William Haines, Joan Crawford The Duke Steps Out - 1929 Pictured: Marilyn Monroe filmig hit River Of No Return - 1954 Dr Amaral suggests that female producers and directors may help further the careers of other women in the industry as women producers tend to hire greater proportions of women to work in their films. Worldwide movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp have addressed sexual harassment and abuse of women by powerful men in Hollywood - indicating the progress in stamping out the disparities. He added: 'Women with power in Hollywood are making conditions better for other women.' Although the era brought us romantic dramas like 1942's Casablanca starring Bogart and Bergman - the study concludes that women were underrepresented during this era and still remain so to this day. 'The Iron Petticoat' Film - 1956 - Major Chuck Lockwood (Bob Hope) and the Russian Pilot Vinka Kovelenko (Katharine Hepburn) all dressed up for a night out Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi Summertime - 1955 Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn The Rainmaker - 1956 In India, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has crossed 1600 while the death toll stands at 38 for now. The novel coronavirus has claimed over 42,000 lives globally and affected close to 9 lakh people. On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown for a period of 21 days, till April 14 in an attempt to contain the virus. Given the dire circumstances, there are a thousand questions on our mind. What happens when the lockdown ends? Will the lockdown be extended? How to cope with the mental pressure of being quarantined? How will the coronavirus outbreak affect the economy? On Wednesday, four journalists from News18 went live on Instagram to answer such questions and clarify doubts about COVID-19. In a candid 'Ask Me Anything' session, hundreds of News18 viewers tuned in to our live session and put forth questions that many of you may also be having. 1. How to cope with mental health during the coronavirus lockdown? First, we should all understand and accept that this is unusual, and we're all in this together. You are not alone. There are therapists out there who are conduting online sessions. They all agree that mental health is going to take a toll, especially if you already deal with depression or anxiety. They suggest a number of coping mechanisms: Reach out. Call your friends. Develop a routine. Give journaling a try. Cook. Paint. Remember that your mental health is as important as your physical health. And if you have to take care of your mind. So, this may be a time for social isolation but it does not mean mental or emotional isolation. Reach out to friends, family regularly. Be empathetic, this is the time we should show a lot more kindness that we usually do. You an read more on what meatal health therapists have to say, here. 2. What impact will the coronavirus outbreak have on the job market and economy in India? Even after the Coronavirus scares settles in India, close to 13.6 crore jobs may be at risk. Industry body CII said that more than half of the tourism and hospitality industry can go sick with a possible loss of over 20 million jobs if recovery in the industry stretches beyond October 2020. The script is similar in many other services industries, in manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors such as construction. Lower growth because of falling demand and supply constraints would not only make fresh job creation tougher, but also hurt those who are currently employed. 13.6 crore non-agricultural jobs are at immediate risk, estimates based on National Sample Survey (NSS) and Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) data suggested. These are people who dont have a written contract and include casual labourers, those who work in non-registered nano businesses, registered small companies, and even the self employed. 3. What are the chances of the lockdown being extended in India? There has been no communication from the government saying that the lockdown would be extended. In fact, Press Information Bureau has dismissed reports claiming that government will extend the lockdown, once the current 21 day period ends. But it would be fair to assume some limitations of movement and gatherings will continue. The mantra of social distancing is here to stay for sometime. since this is an unchartered territory for everybody, the decisions would be dynamic in nature. 4. What is the testing protocol for COVID-19 in India? Also, why isn't the government testing for the whole country? As per Indias initial testing strategy, anyone with a history of travel to high-risk countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Iran and Italy and those who have come in contact with a person who has already tested positive will get tested. The national testing strategy was framed by Indian Council of Medical Research based on the recommendations of a national task force. On March 20 it was revised and it expanded the scope of the testing strategy to all symptomatic health care workers, all hospitalized patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (fever AND cough and/or shortness of breath) and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case. Thus, if you have a common cold or cough, you may not be instantly tested. 5. Is the economic relief package offered by the government enough? Economists welcomed the intention behind the package but felt that the funds may not be enough. Especially in terms of wage increase for MGNREGA workers and farmers. Land owning agricultural workers were anyway entitled to get the money that will now be transferred to their bank accounts. There was no additional allocation. States were also paying more to MGNREGA workers than what has been promised by the Centre. However, the promptness with which the government is executing the plan is worth noting. There were reports which said that many have already started receiving thee promised amounts in their bank accounts. 6. Which sector has been affected the most owing to the lockdown? The tourism industry is going to be the worst affected. The World Travel and Tourism Council has warned the COVID-19 pandemic could cut 50 million jobs worldwide in the travel and tourism industry. Asia is expected to be the worst affected. Once the outbreak is over, it could take up to 10 months for the industry to recover. The tourism industry currently accounts for 10% of global GDP. 7. Does coronavirus affect a person only once? The chances of recurrence are low based on available evidence and instances of cases from across the world. There have been sporadic cases where a person who contracted the infection twice. One such case was found in Japan in late February. The Osaka Prefectural Government said Wednesday that a woman in her 40s from Osaka tested positive for COVID-19 after what appeared to be a recovery earlier in February. However, experts said it is soon to conclude that it can recur with regularity. 8. Can Coronavirus spread through stray dogs and cats? Can it spread through insects? No. The novel Coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 infectious disease cannot spread through insects, stray dogs and cats or house pets. Respiratory transmission is the primary and dominant mode of transmission and it is an infection that spreads through droplets when a person sneezes or coughs. That is the reason people have been advised to maintain social distancing of 1 metre or more because sneeze and cough droplets and micro particles do not travel more than a distance of a metre or more. 9. Will this lockdown increase domestic abuse? Yes, in most probability. It's a scary thought but we all know that in India, most abusers are known to the victims. That essentially means abusers often are within one's own home, living under the same roof. At this point, when women are locked down their privavcy is very limited. The abuse is likely to increase, but what's more a scary thought is that the limited resources women will have at their disposal given that the police is already overstretched to strictly impose the lockdown. There are helpline numbers available. The UP police has recently started a separate helpline number to specifically deal with such cases at this period of time. The National Commission for Women is also encouraging women to email them instead of posting letters, because going out is obviously not an easy option. But this means we all need to be mindful of our surroundings. If you notice violent behaviour from your neighbours, report to the police. 10. Is hospitalization mandatory for coronavirus? Or is self-quarantine enough? With regards to hospitalisation, those with symptoms have to place a call to a government helpline (depending on the state) and a medical team is supposed to come and check the symptoms. However, hospitalisation is decided based on mildness or severity of symptoms. If a person has mild symptoms and has tested negative, they can be simply put in a quarantine in a hospital or they can also be recommended home isolation. But they have to be monitored closely. A person who tests positive and has advanced symptoms has to be admitted to an isolation ward. KALAMAZOO, MI -- In the wake of Western Michigan Universitys decision to close its doors, leaving many on the universitys staff without work, union representatives are speaking out, faculty are fundraising for unemployed colleagues and many are taking to social media to criticize university leaders. After the university announced it would provide only the most critical functions during the coronavirus pandemic quickly growing in Michigan, some employees considered non-essential were sent home and are relying on paid leave allowances to keep their income, at least temporarily. Staff not responsible for the critical functions of the university such as providing distance education that began after in-person classes were halted are taking time off from work, using paid annual leave, sick leave or a special additional COVID-19 leave allowance the university provided. Related: Western Michigan University employees face uncertain future during coronavirus closure The WMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) called for the school to better protect the well-being of its workforce, including providing income and health insurance during the pandemic. We are surprised and deeply saddened to witness the dismissal of our colleagues, to hear that they are being asked to deplete their sick and annual leave, and then take unpaid leave, said the unions statement, posted to their Facebook page. The issue was also discussed during the Kalamazoo City Commissions first virtual meeting held Tuesday, March 31. Commissioner Erin Knott said Western employees were essentially pink slipped, and demanded that the university do right by all of their people." Knott said distrust of the administration is only growing, despite assurances from Western administrators that no one was laid off and that the university community is in this together," citing language in a sponsored Facebook post from WMU addressing the universitys response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It certainly leaves suspicion that WMU has something to hide, Knott said during the meeting. Others expressed their opinions on the WMU Facebook page and in other social media posts. One person called the universitys response deplorable." Another called the treatment of employees inhumane. In response to the commissioners comments, Tony Proudfoot, vice president for marketing and strategic communication, reiterated earlier statements that no employees have been dismissed or laid off. These are tense times, but lets keep our perspective, Proudfoot said in a statement provided to MLive. The university established an additional COVID-19 leave allowance for employees, and recently added 48 more hours to the allotment for each employee. That adds up to a total of 128 hours, or 16 days, of additional paid time off for employees to help mitigate the strain of the closure, Proudfoot said. Enough time has not yet passed since employees were told not to report for any to have exhausted the free paid leave provided by the university, Proudfoot said. Employees who use up their paid time off allowance before the end of the closure will enter "no-pay status, but will remain as employees of the university, Proudfoot said previously. He said the university cannot provide the number of employees considered conditional essential now using leave allowances to continue being paid. This is a constantly evolving situation," Proudfoot said. Employees who exhaust paid leave and enter no-pay status would still continue to receive health insurance for 30 days through Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), a temporary government benefit for workers who lose their employer-provided health insurance. Because Western employees qualify for 30 days of COBRA insurance, those who exhaust their leave and lose their pay will still continue to be covered by health insurance through at least April 25, Proudfoot said. The WMU professors union has criticized the university for depending on COBRA to provide health insurance to out-of-work employees, because of potential out-of-pocket costs for recipients. In its statement, the union demanded WMU administration act immediately to appoint union representatives to the universitys coronavirus response task force, provide details of WMUs finances that justified these measures," share the number of employees impacted and consider alternatives to protect the jobs and well being of all employees. We are alarmed by the decisions made that impact the most vulnerable employees and students in our WMU family, and we stand in solidarity with them," the AAUP statement read. We strongly admonish the lack of transparency guiding the decisions resulting in the reduction and elimination of the non-essential and conditionally essential employees. President Edward Montgomery addressed concerns from the community in a statement to faculty and staff published March 24 to the universitys website. I understand that none of us signed up for this crisis and, unfortunately, there is no playbook to tell us just what to expect, what to do next, nor how long the crisis will last, Montgomery said. The presidents statement to staff acknowledged the consequences and impact of the universitys decisions and said WMUs leaders are making the best decisions possible in the ever-changing environment. We know our decisions have consequences that are felt by our community, Montgomery said. Have we gotten a lot right? Time will tell, but I think, yes. Will we make mistakes? We are human, so, most likely, yes. The key will be to correct and recover as quickly as possible and learn when that happens. Making no decisions is not an option, nor is waiting for crystal clarity about the future, the president said. "Waiting until the train hits you is not a good strategy and neither is failing to respond to what is happening around us. We cannot hide and hope that this too shall pass. It has already touched us, and the sense from every expert is that we are wise to prepare for the next challenge. Avoiding doing so only invites peril in the long run. Montgomery faced criticism on the universitys Facebook page after posting a video titled, Were all in this together. In responses to the video, some questioned the phrasing, pointing to the fact that non-union staff were treated differently than those represented by a union. Some called for more union representation. One person commenting said Montgomery should resign over the situation. Employees expressed concern about their health insurance if they were to use up all of their paid time off and enter into unpaid status. The statement from the professors union said decisions regarding how the university would handle the crisis were made behind closed doors." Decisions relating to the educational process should be made after consultation with the faculty and academic staff through their unions and through campus governing bodies, the union stated. Financial exigencies used to justify harsh decisions about employment should be communicated transparently and completely." The administration is tone deaf to say that they are together with the employees, Knott said during Tuesdays Kalamazoo City Commission meeting. The fair, just and equitable decision would be take care of all employees during the pandemic, she said. Your employees are your greatest assets, the city commissioner said. This decision has crippled morale, seeded distrust in leadership and ultimately damaged your community and nationwide reputation. Knott works part time as an adjunct professor and is still teaching during the closure, she said in an interview with MLive. The closure didnt impact her own job but she knows of many who it did impact, she said. The university isnt being transparent about this situation and the presidents message of togetherness just adds insult to injury," she said. It just feels like a whole lot of hot air, Knott said. Helping to ease the financial strain of the coronavirus pandemic is a new nonprofit, the Solidarity Fund for WMU employees and students. The group was created by faculty members wanting to help their non-union colleagues. It is accepting donations to support staff and students. Staff members help Westerns faculty perform their job duties everyday, said Vickie Edwards, president of the nonprofit. The nonprofit raised more than $20,000 in five days to help former student employees and staff during the closure, Edwards said. Though staff have not used up their leave allowances yet, the nonprofit anticipates that will happen soon, Edwards said. We hope that the WMU and broader Kalamazoo communities will continue to open their hearts, and especially their wallets, to help out the numerous student workers and staff members who have found themselves suddenly with severely reduced hours or no job at all, the fund website reads. Also on MLive: Gov. Whitmer to announce Thursday whether shell re-open Michigan schools closed for coronavirus Michigan coronavirus cases now at 7,615; up 1,117 cases, 75 deaths in one day How Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order compares to other states BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is absolutely clear and unambiguous, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told Trend on April 1. According to him, Turkey considers any political activity carried out in this region as illegal. "Therefore, Turkey will never recognize the so-called "elections" held in Nagorno Karabakh on March 31. Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs also made such a statement. Turkey supports the speedy settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the restoration of justice, which is delayed for more than 30 years, Ozoral said. We urge the conflict sides to resolve the conflict through negotiations. This conflict must be quickly resolved within territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Azerbaijans internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law," the ambassador added. 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. Germfree-built facilities are in operation across the world, from resource-challenged regions to modern cities, including a high containment lab in Singapore at the forefront of COVID-19 research: "Duke-NUS was one of the first few laboratories in the world to culture the SARS-CoV-2 and since then we have been working on various aspects of the outbreak," said Dr. Viji Vijayan, Associate Dean - Research Operations, Safety and Central Procurement at Duke-NUS. "Building the labs that are crucial to Global Health Security this is what we do. It is our responsibility to apply all our resources to assist with the pandemic at this time. Germfree is quickly adding factory capacity to build this essential infrastructure as well as offering expertise to industry partners who are trying to fulfill the unmet need," said Kevin Kyle, President of Germfree. "While our mission is intact, the pandemic created a seismic shift of the landscape in which we all now operate. We quickly pivoted to focus our resources on those serving in the trenches of this terrible pandemic." In the 1990's, Germfree pioneered the manufacture of mobile and modular, high containment laboratories. Germfree has since further refined designs and developed the capability to rapidly deploy facilities to any region of the world, creating a new model for disease surveillance in remote areas. "Everything that Germfree has done over the last 20 years has prepared us to contribute solutions to this type of situation," said Keith Landy, CEO of Germfree. "I first started working with the US Army to develop equipment and mobile facilities that could address biological threats and those have evolved into all of the platforms we now use to deliver offsite-built containment labs. Germfree has over a hundred laboratory installations and has deployed the most advanced Biosafety Level 3+ labs on the planet," continued Landy. "These installations are designed to operate in harsh conditions and remain sustainable in remote regions of the world. I think this deep-rooted experience and expertise combined with our history of global deployments has prepared Germfree to solve some of the very complex challenges that we must confront during this pandemic and for future preparedness." "It is vital that we have sufficient global lab capacity for the outbreaks we've seen, but more importantly, for the ones we must predict," added Dr. Steven Jones. MORE ABOUT GERMFREE Germfree has been manufacturing innovative laboratory solutions for nearly six decades. Our mobile and modular bio-containment units deliver critical laboratory capacity in the US and throughout the world. Germfree is the only manufacturer that provides a single-source, OEM solution for both the laboratory and all critical containment equipment. Our leading-edge engineering teams and subject-matter experts are located at our 173,000 square foot (16,000 square meter) manufacturing plant. Germfree's turnkey mobile and modular units meet the most stringent bio-containment requirements and provide critical infrastructure for global health security. Established in 1962, Germfree has the most comprehensive track record in deploying advanced laboratory capacity throughout the world. More info: https://www.germfree.com/ CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Germfree Labs PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 11:52:02 The nomination period for the seventh edition of .eu Web Awards is now open and will run until 5 August. Make sure you vote for your favourite website in each of the five categories. 2020 .eu Web Awards kicks off on 1 April! And its for real! EURid Reelika Kirna press@eurid.eu The .eu Web Awards is an online competition to acknowledge websites that have high-level security standards, excellent content, and a smashing look. Anyone who is eligible according to the Web Awards rules, including domain name holders, can nominate their favourite .eu, . or . website. We are thrilled to launch the seventh edition of .eu Web Awards. With over 1000 nominees and 20 000 votes gathered until now, we believe the Web Awards represent a great opportunity for the .eu domain name holders to showcase their work at the highest possible level., states Giovanni Seppia, EURid External Relations Manager. The 15 finalists will be announced on 5 September 2020 and will be invited to the .eu Web Awards gala in Brussels on 18 November 2020 where the five winners one per category will be announced. The winners will receive a prestigious award package, including a three-month billboard advertising campaign at Brussels Airport, a custom video produced by EURid for their promotional purposes, and a custom trophy. Visit webawards.eurid.eu to submit your nomination and cast your vote for the best .eu, . and . websites around! About EURid EURid is the not-for-profit organisation that operates the .eu, . and . top-level domains, following a tender process and appointment by the European Commission. EURid works with over 700 accredited registrars. As part of its ongoing commitment to data security, EURid has been certified for the ISO27001 security standard since 2013. EURid is also registered by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an expression of its environmental commitment. EURid has its headquarters in Diegem (Belgium), and regional offices in Pisa (Italy), Prague (the Czech Republic) and Stockholm (Sweden). More information at: www.eurid.eu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005 Its extraordinarily frustrating when peoples health and their lives are at stake, said McDonell, the Dane County clerk, explaining how much he has struggled to ask people to work on Tuesday. Were at that point where you can start to see the acceleration in the number of cases locally, where its doubling and doubling and doubling. Before, the angel of death was on its way. Now, its passing over your house. MONTREAL - Air Canada will temporarily lay off 16,500 employees starting this week as the airline struggles with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL - Air Canada will temporarily lay off 16,500 employees starting this week as the airline struggles with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective this Friday, the layoffs of 15,200 unionized workers and 1,300 managers will last through April and May amid drastically reduced flight capacity from the Montreal-based airline. "To furlough such a large proportion of our employees is an extremely painful decision but one we are required to take given our dramatically smaller operations for the next while," chief executive Calin Rovinescu said in a statement. The carrier has halted most of its international and U.S. routes in response to the global shutdown. States from Sweden to China to the United States have rolled out aid packages for the airline sector over the past month as borders closed and travel demand plummeted amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Air Canada said its cost reduction scheme aims to save least $500 million. It includes a pledge from both the CEO and chief financial officer Mike Rousseau to forego 100 per cent of their salaries, while the rest of the executive team will give up between 25 per cent and 50 per cent. The company will draw down about $1 billion in lines of credit to provide additional liquidity for a carrier that has a $7.3 billion cash cushion to fall back on more than the most profitable U.S. carrier, Delta Air Lines. Earlier this month Air Canada's flight attendant union said 5,149 cabin crew would be temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The newly announced layoffs include the earlier job reductions. The pandemic has cost thousands of jobs in the airline sector. Transat AT Inc. has laid off at least 3,600 flight attendants while WestJet has seen 6,900 departures including early retirements, resignations and both voluntary and involuntary leaves. WestJet said Monday it is cancelling all transatlantic and U.S. routes until May 4, extending its 30-day suspension by two more weeks. Both Air Transat and Porter Airlines have halted all flights. The federal government said Monday that businesses of any size that have seen sharp and sudden drops in revenues due to COVID-19 will be eligible for a new federal wage subsidy program. 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. The 75-per-cent subsidy on wages meant to cushion the blow from the pandemic will be available to employers that can show their revenues have fallen by at least 30 per cent due to COVID-19. It will be capped at $847 a week, backdated to March 15, and the number of workers a company or other organization employs won't be a factor. Ottawa remains under under pressure to provide help to airlines as well as the oil and gas sector. Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said he spoke recently with Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Transport Minister Marc Garneau about an airline aid package. "In terms of the bailout that they are looking at, we think its necessary and its needed, but equally want to make sure that the bailout takes workers at the top of the priority list," Yussuff said Tuesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:TRZ) Temporary (1-Year) Hunter Education Exemption Permit Apply The temporary hunter education exemption permit allows a person to hunt for one year without first completing a hunter education course. The permit will be available online for free (for a limited time) and is available to both Kentucky residents and nonresidents. Kentuckys hunter education law requires all license-required hunters born on or after January 1, 1975, to pass a hunter education course and carry the course completion card when hunting. However, hunters who have the new permit will be exempt from this law for one year from the date issued. The permit is available only one time. Once it expires, hunters are no longer exempt and must successfully complete a hunter education course. Hunters who carry the permit must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult hunter at least 18 years old who meets the hunter education requirement. The adult must remain in a position to take immediate control of the exempted hunters bow or firearm while hunting. Adult supervision is also required for all hunters under the age of 10, and for all firearm deer, elk and turkey hunters 15 and younger. Children dont have to take the course until they turn 12 years old. Children cannot take the hunter education test until they turn 9. During the three-year window between ages 9 and 12, children have many opportunities to take a course. More than 300 hunter education courses are scheduled throughout Kentucky each year. Landowners who are hunting on their own land, and other license-exempt hunters, are not required to take a hunter education course. However, the course is strongly recommended. For complete information on hunter education, call 1-800-858-1549. (Newser) The MV Alta washed up on an Irish shore in February after some 18 months adrift at sea. In a piece for Wired, Matt Burgess explains that the category of people to have seen the ghost ship over that time is a remarkably narrow one: "It was only spotted once," he writes, somehow bypassing main shipping routes and obstacles "by chance." Using data from the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders, Burgess traces some of its voyage to Ireland. Before it became a ghost ship, there was weird behavior: Its name was changed four times in five years, which Georgios Hatzimanolis, an analyst at ship tracking site MarineTraffic, says is abnormal. Ditto the fact that its AIS was turned off then back on at times; once it was off for 18 months. story continues below In late 2017 and much of 2018still not a ghost ship yetthe Alta sailed to various Greek ports. "Then something strange happened," writes Burgess. In September 2018, its AIS data places it at the port of Ceuta, a Spanish territory on mainland Africa near Morocco. It left there with men aboard, bound for Haiti, but the shore it reached next was that Irish one. While crossing the Atlantic, it suddenly slowed to a near stop, traveling at most 0.2 miles per hour. Then the speed picked up a bit, with another maritime expert saying the movements indicated it was either being towed or trying to move on its own. In October, a US Coast Guard ship reportedly removed its 10 crew members some 1,300 miles southeast of Bermuda; 95 oil barrels remained aboard. The idea was that its owners would retrieve the ship. They obviously didn't. (Read the full story for much more, including who spotted the ship that one time.) Friday's monthly employment report for March is expected to show little impact from the coronavirus shutdowns and are instead penciling in job losses of as much as 10 million or more for April. Morgan Stanley expects 700,000 job losses in March, but other economists expect nonfarm payrolls at negative 100,000 and a higher unemployment rate of about 3.8%. Economists have been ramping up their estimates for the weekly claims report. Their estimates range to as high as 9 million, but many are between 4 million to 5 million. That follows the record 3.3 million claims filed the week earlie r. There are two key employment reports Thursday and Friday. One is the government's weekly report of unemployment benefit claims, filed with states in the week ended March 28, due Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The second is March's employment report, expected before the opening bell Friday. Economists expect 4 million to 5 million or more workers filed for unemployment claims last week, but there are still millions of claims expected, and layoffs could easily double those in the financial crisis, economists said. ADP's private sector payrolls on Wednesday showed companies cut 27,000 jobs before the worst of the virus-related shutdowns hit. The jobless claims data has given investors their first glimpse at the economic toll from the shutdowns due to the coronavirus. The monthly employment report, usually given more weight, is less relevant for March, since the survey was taken the week before major states issued orders to shelter in place, which started in California. "The output loss to date because of the shutdowns is already 2.5 times the output lost due to 9/11," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "It's like a massive natural disaster, an earthquake shaking the whole country, the whole world." Zandi said the total job loss for the financial crisis was about 8.7 million, starting in February 2008 and extending through 2009. This sharp and sudden contraction in jobs from the virus response could double that number, and many economists' forecasts have been far ranging, with some exceeding 20 million. The St. Louis Fed forecast as many as 47 million layoffs, and an unemployment rate at 32%, but many forecasts are less dire. Zandi said he expects a decline in 10 million nonfarm payrolls in April and another 3 million decline in May. "I think in June it kind of levels off flat and hopefully we start getting some jobs back in July and August. I suspect unemployment will peak somewhere around 12% in May." "Indeed, the darkest days for the labor market still lie ahead," wrote Morgan Stanley economists. The Morgan Stanley economists said they based their estimate for the 700,000 decline in March payrolls, more on a decline in hiring than in increased firing. As for jobless claims, the Morgan Stanley economists expect 4.5 million, as does Zandi. Barclays expects 5 million, and Bank of America is forecasting 5.5 million. Unlike last week, when the markets were bracing for a shocker number of claims in the weekly report, strategists say it would not be a surprise to see a very high number. Economists say the impact of the virus is difficult to measure, and their efforts have literally resulted in economic forecasts that are off the charts. Second quarter forecasts for the nation's gross domestic product range from a decline in the low teens to over 30%. Diane Swonk, chief economist for Grant Thornton, expects 9 million claims were filed last week, though there could be revisions to the report from a week earlier. She said she upped her number as she researched state filings, and the numbers for California alone totaled 1 million claims for the week. "It could be high, but at this point in time, it's probably closer to reality than whatever number we get," she said of her forecast. Swonk said the final number of layoffs could be determined by the success of employers to obtain government aid, approved by Congress last week. The Small Business Administration program starts Friday, and small businesses have been scrambling to file, but the loans are available on a first-come basis. Zandi said the claims information will be informative, but the data inside the Friday employment report could also provide insight into which industries are seeing the most job losses. The report also surveys workers who are working part-time for economic reasons, meaning their hours could have been cut due to virus-related shutdowns. Foreign Ministers of NATO Member States will approve new packages of support for Ukraine and Georgia during their virtual meeting on April 2. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this, while answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine, during an online press conference on Wednesday to present the agenda of the upcoming meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs scheduled for April 2 in the format of video conference. "What I expect foreign ministers to do is to agree a new package of support for Georgia and Ukraine to further strengthen our partnerships, including with exercises in the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance for NATO," he said. According to Stoltenberg, the package of support, which will be approved tomorrow, is an additional one to the existing packages. For nine decades, only a beige stone divided the border village of Ngunta. On one side is Senegal, the French-speaking West African country, and on the other is Gambia, a former British colony where English is the official language. In normal times, residents pay little attention to the territorial boundary. They are just from Ngunta -- population: roughly 900. They speak to each other in regional languages, strolling between countries like city-dwellers move from block to block. "We are very close," said Modi Dem, 43, the village chief. But the novel coronavirus is transforming life for people worldwide after dozens of nations have tightened or closed their borders. Travel bans are commonplace in this age of pandemic: A growing list of places - including Ghana, Kenya, Italy and Chile - have closed their doors without much notice to nearly all foreigners. Even if they are next-door neighbors. Gambia, the smallest country in continental Africa, is sandwiched between Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean - a legacy of colonial-era demarcation. The caterpillar-shaped nation sealed its 465 miles of border on March 23. Police officers with AK-47s are enforcing the measure, which is meant to last three weeks in an effort to curb transmissions, officials say, but could be extended if the outbreak worsens. (Gambia had four cases as of Tuesday, and Senegal had 175.) International traffic fuels a "high risk of contracting the disease," the Gambian president's office warned residents last week in a statement. The beige stone of Ngunta has become a risky red line. Travel bans around the world have scrambled markets, doomed business deals, wrecked study abroad plans and canceled untold vacations, but the impact here is more intimate. Families are separated. Boys are hatching illicit plans to see girls. Rice merchants cannot reach their regular customers, and food supplies are dwindling. Villagers on the Gambian side say they no longer have easy access to drinking water. Usually, they send horse carts a quarter-mile over the border to fill jugs. Now people are anxiously sneaking into Senegal with pots. The path is clear when officers are not around. "We need to do the illegal thing to get clean water," said Dem, the village head. People are worried they could be arrested or worse, they said in interviews. Some have seen videos of security forces in Senegal and other countries beating people who break the new coronavirus laws. Authorities have apprehended two Senegalese fisherman trying to float into Gambia and escorted them into a state quarantine hold, officials said Monday. Waiting for normalcy to return does not feel like an option, the chief said. The main road tying Ngunta to the rest of Gambia is in rough condition. Travel, already a hassle, can be dangerous once the rainy season kicks off in June. The isolated economy does not work when it is split in half. Buba Dem, 37, a sugar salesman, said he cannot afford to lose customers. (Dem, a popular surname in the village, belonged to the brothers who settled here in 1930.) His wife surveys the horizon. She will shout his name, he said, if she sees anyone in uniform. That strategy worked last week when he stepped onto Senegalese soil to get change. "I'm scared of getting caught," he said. "The patrol team could be around at any time." Alagie Nije, 14, stuck to his phone this week, trying to persuade his girlfriend on the other side of town to sneak over. His buddies did the same with their love interests. The teenagers made a pact to look out for each other. "Tonight we might invite them," Nije said, laughing. Hawa Ceesay, 34, is not so bold. The peanut farmer yearns to see her brother, her best friend, the man who brings her Chinese green tea and chocolate cake. He was visiting their sick father in Senegal when the border closed. They are not sure if he has been exposed to the coronavirus, she said, and he does not want to bring it to their doorstep -- even if that means he must sleep on the floor for a while. "Every day I pray he can come home," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Mamadou Edrisa Njie in Ngunta, Gambia, contributed to this report. Places on Long Island Healthcare Workers Can Get Free Food Now Food, Wine, & Dining, Business & Finance By Andrew Hazen Published: April 01 2020 Restaurants and companies across Long Island are doing what they can to fight the spread of COVID-19 and assist first responders and healthcare workers on the frontline. Restaurants and companies across Long Island, and the entire United States, are doing what they can to fight the spread of COVID-19 and assist first responders and healthcare workers on the frontline. In appreciation for working endless shifts and all that Healthcare Workers and First Responders are doing during this pandemic, here is a list of where they can enjoy a free bite to eat as a very small way of saying 'Thank You!' Check back often as we will be updating this list. Starbucks What: Free hot or cold tall brewed coffee on each visit Who: Any customer who identifies as first responder or frontline worker supporting our healthcare system. When: Through May 3 Cumberland Farms What: Free coffee to those helping fight COVID-19 Who: Healthcare workers, first responders, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, hospital and medical staff When: Ongoing Tropical Smoothie Cafe What: Free Smoothies Who: Medical professionals and first responders When: Ongoing (Photo: pixabay) Many of us aren't planning on getting on a flight anytime soon. As restrictions settle in over the United States, and cities are forced to enforce regulations such as "Shelter in Place", restaurants and retails stores across the nation are shutting down their doors to customers in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Flying out to Los Angeles just isn't the same when the museums and shopping malls aren't open. The number of people flying right now can be reflected by the plummeting plane ticket prices. However, while most of us won't be contacting a vacation planner in the near future (although we might already be thinking of setting up a vacation for fall to treat ourselves after the isolation, and may be thinking of snagging some great travel deals) are holed up in our homes, quarantining and forced to find another show on Netflix to binge for another 12 hours, some of us don't have a choice, and will have to hop on a plane soon for reasons that are considered essential. First, the good news is that airports are on high alert to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and these buildings are conducting regular airport decontamination services each hour to protect airport workers and commercial fliers alike. However, if you are planning to take a flight in the next couple weeks, you can follow the below precautions to stay safe and protect yourself from COVID-19. These Are the Items You Should Be Carrying In Your Carry-on Perhaps your heading home from University, as dorms and classes close to students across the United States. Or maybe you're a nurse or doctor flying into help in an area where they are in dire need of medical professionals. Regardless of what you are travelling for, it's important to keep you, and those around you, safe. When arriving at the airport, it can be good to put on a double pair of gloves. Why a double pair? By wearing two pairs of gloves, it allows you to easily pull the top pair of gloves off, and throw those in the trash, making it less likely that you will accidentally touch any possible pathogens on the surface of the second layer of gloves. You can use these gloves as you check in your luggage, or put your items into the bins for TSA checking, or when picking up your luggage after you get off your flight. It's also great to carry hand sanitizer and wipes, if you can get your hands on some. We know that hand sanitizer is currently selling like liquid gold, but if you can get your hands on some hand sanitizer, use it at the airport whenever you must touch an object, door, or surface, before touching your face, mouth, or nose. Although the main spread of transmission for coronavirus is through droplets that are produced from a cough or a sneeze being near someone who is infected, it can also be transmitted from the surface of an object that has the pathogens of the virus. Make sure to sanitize your phone, in addition to any other objects you touch often. Now, if you do have some face masks in your home, it can also be a good idea to wear a face mask to the airport. Although many authorities have said that wearing masks does not help to prevent the spread of coronavirus - this is not completely true. Because of the lack of masks available to medical personnel, we are warning regular citizens not to buy up masks. Which you shouldn't, because hospitals are in dire need of these equipment. However, if you do happen to have masks in your home, you should wear one to the airport. In countries such as China and South Korea, almost every single person who is out and about is wearing a face mask. If every person is wearing a face mask, including those who could be infected and those who aren't, it greatly reduces the risk that coronavirus will be spread from one person to another. Practice Social Distancing Where international airports could see upwards of 20,000 travelers departing onto exiting flights daily, numbers report that the number of fliers heading out of airports has dropped to 25% of what airports usually see. If you're traveling, this is a good thing. Why? Social distancing? For the first time in your life, you won't be experiencing backed up TSA check in lines, nor will it be difficult to find a seat while waiting for your flight. With the reduced number of travelers, there is a lot more breathing space, so make use of it, and also respect the space of other workers and travelers. The reduced number of travelers also means that there are going to be a lot more empty seats on your flight. Make use of the space by keeping empty rows and seats between you and other fliers. Don't be afraid to ask another passenger to switch to another seat, or for you to switch to another seat, if you would like the space. This is a matter of health, not personal space, and others will need to respect your wishes. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Construction worker Cesar Paredes, whose wife is due with their first child on May 29, was told by his foreman last Friday that theres no job for him and 10 other crew members as construction work slowed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike his Canadian colleagues, the undocumented worker from Mexico is not eligible for employment insurance or any provincial or financial aid for those who have lost their jobs due to the crisis. Paredes only social safety net is his physical labour and some savings, which he says have been depleted after he paid thousands of dollars to an immigration consultant for a promised work permit that was never delivered. Half of the guys on our crew are like me, from Latin America, with no status in Canada. We have looked for other jobs, but there are no jobs out there, said the 31-year-old Toronto man, who worked as an engineer in the oil and gas industry before coming here in 2018 as a tourist. I have $300 left. We have no money for rent. I dont know how long the money will last. At least my Canadian colleagues can still keep afloat. I have nothing but an unknown future. Over the last two weeks, Torontos FCJ Refugee Centre has been fielding calls from people with precarious immigration status, who have been let go from their jobs and are in need of food and shelter. I had three calls today alone from people who had no food in their fridge and were facing eviction from their apartment next month, said Francisco Rico-Martinez, the centres co-director. Migrant workers, non-status people, international students and temporary residents are the most vulnerable because theres a lack of language and understanding of the system, and they have no idea of what resources are out there for them, if any. His group is one of more than three dozen community organizations in Ontario that are urging all levels of governments to extend their COVID-19 income support and essential services to all residents, regardless of immigration status. Since March 16, more than a million Canadians have applied for employment insurance as the pandemic ravages Canadas economy. The federal government has rolled out the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, among other measures, to provide $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose income as a result of the pandemic. However, the government assistance is designed for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and wont be available to most of those in the country with temporary status, said Avvy Go, director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic in Toronto. Ninety per cent of these people work in restaurants, factories and nail salons. They are paid cash under the table. Their employers dont file their income taxes, said Go, whose office has fielded a couple dozen COVID-19 aid-related inquiries a day the past week. Its not like they would have access to EI and other benefits before the pandemic, but if they were let go, they could find another job. But now there are no jobs to be had. The crisis has simply exposed the pre-existing gaps in our social safety net. Caline Gusmao, an international student enrolled in Seneca College, said her partner worked in a bar to support the two of them, but was let go by her boss on March 15. With all their previous savings going toward tuition $14,000 a year for her two-year social service worker program, they were already living paycheque to paycheque before the pandemic. We dont have any family and friends here. We have no benefits. If we dont work, we have no income. All migrants are in the same boat, said the Brazilian, 27, who came to Canada in January 2019 and is set to graduate in June. We have no one to turn to. My partner is delivering food through UberEats now, but everything is closing. The money is just enough for us to get food. We dont know how we are going to pay our rent, which comes to $1,800 a month. But trying to secure food and shelter is not all Gusmao is worried about. With no end in sight to the pandemic and growing fear of a looming recession, she doubts shell be able to land a job in her field upon her graduation. A job is necessary if she and her partner have any hope of acquiring permanent residence in Canada. If the pandemic doesnt end soon, we dont know what to do, said Gusmao, who has a law degree from Brazil. We all come here with a dream. I want to fulfil my dream. I need the work experience to have a chance for permanent residence. Read more about: Peter Vanham (right) poses with his mother, Ann Kellens, and his father, the virologist Guido Vanham. Courtesy of Peter Vanham Peter Vanham is the head of the International Media Council at the World Economic Forum and a member of its COVID-19 task force. His father, Guido Vanham, is a Belgium-based virologist, a microbiologist who studies the rapid spreading of viruses. Guido Vanham sent another letter to his three children on why the coronavirus is still a public health crisis, and how important it is to embrace this new normal. The text of that letter is printed below with permission. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. It's becoming a tradition that my dad, my family and I e-mail and Zoom each other to talk about the latest developments in our lives and about the latest findings on the new coronavirus. This week, my sister and her boys finally went to visit grandma and grandpa (though they kept their distance!), we all got worn out because of the lockdown, and my dad was asked to become a scientific reader of papers on COVID-19. Here's what I learned, and what my dad told us. Dear Nele, Johan and Peter, We spent another week in isolation. I know it's hard for everyone, and for Maxim and Miles (the grandchildren) especially. When you came by our house this week before you went to feed the ponies, the boys were saying "We want to come in." It was very frustrating for them and for us that they couldn't come in after such a long time. But we all laughed at the solution we found: that we would wave at Maxim and Miles from the window on the second floor, and that grandma also went to the ponies but the children stayed behind the fence. We loved seeing each other! Related Video: How Long Will Social Distancing Last? Now, it's clear that despite everyone hoping for an end to the lockdown, this is not something we can expect yet. I know a lot of people are still saying that the public health reaction we're seeing is exaggerated, or that we must go back to work. But I don't agree at all. Around the world, the intensive care units of hospitals are filled with people with the same disease and symptoms, namely an acute respiratory disease. That's not normal. Some people minimize this. They say there are other coronaviruses around, and that much is true. But this novel one, COVID-19, is highly infectious, and leads to very severe illnesses and many deaths. We can't minimize this. Story continues Guido Vanham. Courtesy of Peter Vanham This is still a public health crisis. To understand this, look again at the numbers from Worldometer. It starts with good news. By now, in most of Europe, the number of new cases seems to be flattening, as lockdowns have been in effect for two weeks or more: In Belgium the daily cases are around 1,500, in Switzerland about 1,000, and in Spain and Italy about 5,000. In the US, the curve is still going up. But to understand why ending the lockdown isn't possible yet, you should look at some other numbers: namely, the "active" cases and the "severe or critical" cases. Those are the people in the hospitals needing ICU treatment, and their number is still increasing significantly! As long as they are going up in numbers, hospitals are over capacity, and we shouldn't expect measures to be relaxed: It would mean risking much more dead. You can drill down these numbers for any country to understand the situation better. For the United States, for example, the data tell us the worst is yet to come. You see a high number of cases for the USA these days, around 15,000 to 20,000 new ones per day, but so far, relatively few dead and severely ill. But the epidemic there started in earnest much later, so you can expect that there will be an explosion of severely ill and dead in the next few weeks. The first symptoms typically come after about seven days, and in the next week, people that have symptoms can become severely ill. So many of those infected in the past week will only become severely ill in the coming days, and need treatment. The idea that a reopening of their country by Easter is feasible, is even less realistic than in Europe. (And in Europe, I wouldn't expect a return to normal for months). There is, however, hope and progress on the horizon. To get to a fundamental solution, we need first and foremost to test more people, and that's now increasingly happening all over the world. In Belgium, testing will increase five-fold from 2,000 a day to 10,000. In Germany, as much as 500,000 people are now being tested per week. And in the US, more tests are becoming available as well, though until recently it only tested very little. That's crucial, because when we test more, we'll understand the disease better, including how it spreads and who spreads it. Right now we still only know quite little about this disease, as it started less than three months ago! But the more tests we do, and the more people we can track, the more evidence-based insights virologists and epidemiologists will gather, and the more governments can fine tune measures to get back to work and school. It should be possible to scale the tests further, though it is not simple and not fun. You know how the test works? You have to go deep inside the nose and the throat, to collect the specimen required, and then you need to send the sample to a lab, where a device induces an RNA-based reaction. If the reaction happens, you're positive. The actual test takes a few hours, but the whole process can last up to 72 hours, depending on the efficiency of the logistics. A new test is being developed, and it takes less time: It's doesn't require testers to go into the nose and throat, or to induce the RNA reaction. But it looks like it will miss 40% of the positives, and that's not acceptable at this point. So in reality, we can't yet do tests on every person, every week, for example, to get them to work. It's too early for that. Getting back to normal life, therefore, isn't possible for another few months. We better prepare for that. Of course, there is now also an economic crisis, but I would add, there is an educational crisis too. Children, like Maxim and Miles, are being suspected of being so-called "asymptomatic spreaders", and even "super-spreaders." But as a scientist I should make clear: This is still an assumption. I have not seen any evidence that children play an important role in the spread of the virus in scientific studies. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't. It just means there is no evidence yet. It is sure that children can get infected, few get sick, but one important question is, if they are infected, how much virus do they produce, and is that enough to infect others? The truth is, we don't know. What you could do is look how many teachers have been infected, because they spend more time with children. That's not easy, as their social life can't be isolated from their teaching role. But that would be what's needed to find out what the role of children is. So what should we do? If everyone goes back to work as soon as the "curve bends downwards," it's guaranteed you'll get a second wave of infections. So my suggestion would be to send children back to school first, as soon as the number of new infections has come down a lot, on condition that their parents have not been ill recently. From a health perspective, there are less health risks for children, and also for teachers, on condition that they are careful. That way the pressure on parents and grandparents is relieved. Parents could work more productively again, even if they tele-work. Right now, they're at home and have to work as well as homeschool. That clearly can't work for a longer time. If we can already ensure that parents like you, Nele, are able to work well from home, that would already improve your and others' productivity. As a next step, when the epidemic is well controlled, you could look at opening workplaces again, if they can be redesigned to accommodate for social distancing. It's clear that this virus is a very infectious one, so that will be a crucial element. In China, I saw an example of workers in a factory, sitting on stools two meters apart while having their lunch break. That doesn't look like a lot of fun, but it is a way of getting up and running again. It certainly is pretty unrealistic to organize any mass events for the next six months. But you could in a few weeks try to open restaurants and stores, but then in a way that people keep their social distance. Because those people who have restaurants, like your friend Tom, they're drowning. It may mean for Tom that he can only receive one third of his usual clientele, but at least he could open again. As for me, I'm as busy as I ever was post-retirement. I'm starting to review more and more papers on COVID-19. Many of my "frontline colleagues" don't have time for that, so I send some 60 to 70 colleagues from around the world Belgium, France, Uganda, China summaries of my findings. There are some interesting ones every day. I read one paper on mammals and COVID-19 virus. Cats, dogs, hamsters, and pangolins (but not mice) apparently have a very similar receptor for the virus as in humans, so they might get infected. And indeed, there are two cases of dogs in Hong Kong and one cat in Belgium that actually got the virus, most likely through their owner, but it's assumed they cannot pass it on. You see: There are a lot of gaps still in our scientific knowledge. COVID-19 also leads me to another career: I've also been asked to become a scientific reader for a manuscript on COVID-19 morbidity among diabetic patients. I'm happy to do it, and I'll be able to do it, as I have been trained in internal medicine and reviewing manuscripts on HIV for 30 years. However, the COVID-19 virus is new for me too, and the way it spreads is very different from HIV. So, it is fascinating to unexpectedly start this "virtual career" on a brand new virus after my retirement. Oh, and one more thing. I certainly don't want to suggest anything, but for pregnant women, so far there has been no additional negative consequence observed for their pregnancy. One thing to watch out for though: Newborns that get infected after birth have a higher chance to develop symptoms and illness than older children. So for your friends who do have newborn babies, tell them to be very, very careful. Though I'm sure they would anyway. Have a good week, Dad Guido Vanham Read the original article on Business Insider For people who test positive for the novel coronavirus, the last thing on their minds is the long-term economic future of Manitoba and Canada. Its understandable more than that, its essential that the primary priority be physical health. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For people who test positive for the novel coronavirus, the last thing on their minds is the long-term economic future of Manitoba and Canada. Its understandable more than that, its essential that the primary priority be physical health. But the economic health of our province and our country is also a critical matter. While health-care professionals push the upper limits of their high calling to minimize human suffering and deaths, politicians are charged with applying critical care to the economy. The goal is to deliver appropriate treatment now so the economy returns to fiscal health as quickly as possible when the wretched virus finally retreats. Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Federal Minister of Finance Bill Morneau The massive federal wage subsidy detailed on Monday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a level of government intervention that, until three weeks ago, would have been considered unthinkable. The federal package is particularly welcome in Manitoba, where substantial economic support has not been forthcoming from the province for people devastated by business closures and layoffs. The Pallister government has made regular announcements of support that is narrowly focused: free online mental health care, freezing rent increases and evictions, subsidizing daycare for health workers and delaying the planned cut to the provincial sales tax. But when it comes to repeated demands for direct economic relief, Premier Brian Pallister has argued the federal government should be the primary source of financial support for economic victims of the virus. All business, charities eligible for wage subsidy Click to Expand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves following his address to Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday, March 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Posted: 4:52 PM Mar. 30, 2020 OTTAWA - Businesses of any size that have seen sharp and sudden drops in revenues due to COVID-19 will be eligible for a new federal wage subsidy program, the federal government said Monday, just as it signalled more help for some of the country's major employers. The 75-per-cent subsidy on wages meant to cushion the blow from the pandemic will be available to employers that can show their revenues have fallen by at least 30 per cent due to COVID-19. It will be capped at $847 a week, backdated to March 15, and the number of workers a company or other organization employs won't be a factor. Read Full Story Wage subsidy details to arrive Wednesday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Posted: 9:29 PM Mar. 31, 2020 OTTAWA - Canadian businesses desperate for details about the federal government's promised wage subsidy program will have to wait a little longer for answers. A news conference planned for Tuesday, at which Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Small Business Minister Mary Ng were to lay out the fine print, has been delayed until Wednesday. Read Full Story Ottawa finally acted, and in a big way, offering a 75 per cent subsidy on wages for any Canadian company, charity or non-profit that has seen its revenues drop by at least 30 per cent due to COVID-19. Mr. Trudeau asked companies that get the subsidy to rehire workers laid off over the last two weeks, and to ensure that all the money through the program goes to employees. 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. Wages covered by the subsidy will be capped at $847 a week. The extensive package came after Mr. Trudeaus original proposal of a 10 per cent subsidy was dismissed by business and labour groups as puny to the point of being inconsequential. Responding to the pandemic has shredded Ottawas previous priorities. As recently as March 7, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau maintained that lowering the federal debt-to-GDP ratio was the goal. The Liberal government was then being criticized because the forecast $19.8-billion deficit had grown to $26.6 billion. That now seems minuscule compared to the federal bailout package currently valued at more than $200 billion. If its any reassurance, a survey shows Canadas spend-heavy reaction is in line with measures in other countries. The U.K. is supporting its businesses with about C$600 billion in loans and grants. France has pledged a C$70-billion aid package for businesses and will guarantee C$300 billion in loans. The United States passed a US$2-trillion stimulus package. Taxpayers who feel alarmed about being saddled with such a sharp increase in government spending should consider the alternative. Without the massive financial injection, thousands of more businesses would close, millions more workers would be unemployed and the resulting economic devastation could be deeper and last longer. COVID-19 has shaken the economic foundations of this country, but the virus will run its course. The current intervention in the economy, although extreme, is a governments attempt to build an emergency bridge to return the country to previous prosperity. In this case, the cost of doing business or, more particularly, the cost of being able to continue doing business is $200 billion. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Amid an unprecedented number of people unable to work because of the novel coronavirus health crisis, tenants and housing activists in San Francisco are calling on the city's largest landlord to suspend rent. On Wednesday, the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, Jobs with Justice and tenants of Veritas Investments called on Veritas to cancel rents for the duration of the stay-at-home order, which has been extended to at least May 3. Despite a citywide moratorium on evictions during the order, the activists said canceling rents for some 6,000 Veritas residents would help eliminate future debt for tenants who may owe back rent but are out of work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Veritas announced it would not pursue non-payment evictions due to COVID-19 before Mayor London Breed's eviction moratorium order last month, the activists are now seeking further protections. "Now we're asking them again to take leadership on the issue of rent forgiveness and come to an agreement with their tenants," said Brad Hirn, HRCSF's lead community organizer. Hirn said activists have sent two letters on the matter to Veritas, as well as a petition, but haven't heard back. Longtime Mission District tenant Ivy Jeanne said she's currently unable to afford her rent after losing her bartending and event staging jobs. "I found out I lost both of my jobs within one week, just around the shelter-in-place order, so I was devastated by that news, as I live paycheck to paycheck," Jeanne said. "It turns out that two of my other housemates also lost their jobs that week of the shelter-in-place order. Which makes three of four of us unemployed. We collectively decided to go on rent strike and I sent my letter yesterday to my landlord," she said. "We're hoping that Veritas sets an example and comes to an agreement on rent forgiveness. We understand that the governor (Gov. Gavin Newsom) made an agreement with banks around mortgage payments for homeowners, and we think in a similar way large actors like Veritas can do the same," Hirn said. Last week, Newsom announced a deal with banks to provide homeowners statewide with a 90-day grace period to make mortgage payments. Hirn is hoping activists and tenants can spread the message of rent forgiveness. "By May 1st, if we don't have a real solution, then we're prepared to take further action on that date," he said. In a statement, Veritas Investments responded, "We are committed to doing our part, and have demonstrated this on multiple occasions, including voluntarily instituting a moratorium on evictions to help our residents feel confident that their homes are secure as we all grapple with these challenges. "The actions proposed today cannot be done piecemeal, but can only be addressed as part of a united effort amongst renters, landlords, banks, insurance companies, vendors, and all levels of government," according to the statement. Veritas' statement echoes efforts by city supervisors Matt Haney and Hillary Ronen, who last week introduced legislation calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to use emergency powers to impose an immediate moratorium on rents and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to impose an immediate moratorium on mortgages. The supervisors said the two measures needed to be done simultaneously to prevent massive debt nationwide. 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. A government advocate has written a letter to the Delhi High Court seeking that action be initiated against officials for their alleged negligence in preventing the religious congregation in Nizamuddin area here which led to further spread of coronavirus across the country. Central government standing counsel Gaurang Kanth, a resident of Nizamuddin East, also sought that the high court take action against the organisers and participants of the religious congregation at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid at Nizamuddin West for compromising the safety of people and contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Kanth said that being a Central government standing counsel he requires requisite permission from the Centre for filing an appropriate writ petition before the high court on the issue. However, in view of the emergent situation and being an officer of the court, "it is my duty to bring this to the attention of your Lordships so that your Lordships can take suo moto cognisance of the situation and pass appropriate orders," he said in the letter. He also sought immediate action and remedial measures for curtailing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Nizamuddin area. The advocate said he was disturbed by the alarming news that a religious congregation was organised last month at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid located at Nizamuddin West in south Delhi. "What makes this more distressing is the fact that this religious congregation was attended by more than 2,000 people (which included foreign nationals from various countries including China, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia)," the letter said. It cited media reports that at least six persons who attended the congregation have died in Telangana due to coronavirus and that some people who had attended it travelled across the country before returning to their respective states. The advocate said the religious gathering was organised in violation of the March 16 order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Delhi Government in accordance with the Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. "These gatherings were also in violation of another order issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Police, New Delhi which was effective from March 18, 2020 wherein assembly of five or more individuals was prohibited. "However, despite the said orders being in place, the congregation could still be conducted shows carelessness and gross negligence of the State government and other officials including the District Magistrate South East in handling this emergent situation at the Nizamuddin area. It cannot be denied that officials were not aware of the presence of such a large gathering at the Markaz in Nizamuddin West," the letter said. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said out of 2,361 people evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz, 617 have been admitted to hospitals and the rest quarantined. Also read: Coronavirus in West Bengal: TMC, BJP fight over distribution of relief materials Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Gujarat reports 82 fresh COVID-19 cases; India's tally at 1,466 The ongoing health crisis is a common invisible enemy and a synchronized response is needed, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, CNBC reports. Since it was first detected in China towards the end of last year, the coronavirus has infected close to 880,000 people and killed at least 43,500, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It has overwhelmed health systems, sent countries into lockdown and prompted monetary and fiscal measures from authorities. This is a common invisible enemy and therefore, we need common and coordinated efforts by NATO allies, Stoltenberg told CNBCs Hadley Gamble. He said the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) main task was to ensure terrorist organizations and other adversaries were not taking advantage of the pandemic, but it also had a role to play in supporting civilian efforts to tackle the spread of the disease. Thats exactly what we do, he said, noting that military forces had been involved in controlling border crossings and setting up field hospitals. An Ohio state appellate court has struck down a small school districts policy of allowing certain staff members to carry concealed weapons in school if they were licensed and underwent 24 hours of active shooter/killer training. The panel of the Ohio Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the minimal training required under the program of the Madison Local School District conflicted with a state law that requires any special police officer, security guard, or other person who goes armed while on duty at a public or private educational institution to complete peace officer training. A state commission currently requires a minimum of 728 hours of training under that law. The court rejected the school districts contention that its armed staff members were approved volunteers not subject to the state peace officer training requirement. The approved volunteer designation does not alter the inevitable conclusion that the Madison Local employees are armed while on duty, the state court said in its March 30 decision in Gabbard v. Madison Local School District . Madison Local cannot unilaterally change the training requirements set forth by the General Assembly. The 1,500-student Madison Local district in southwest Ohio adopted the armed-employee program after a February 2016 incident when a student stood up in the cafeteria at Madison Junior-Senior High School and fired a gun until he ran out of bullets. Four students were injured, but no one was killed. The school district argued in court papers that another provision of Ohio law allows people with written authorization from a board of education to possess weapons at school in what otherwise is a school safety zone. The district also emphasized that employees seeking to carry a gun at school had to already have a concealed-carry permit, pass a criminal background check, a mental health evaluation, and be trained specifically for dealing with school shooters. The districts policy was challenged in 2018 by five parents of 12 children in the school system, backed by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety . By that time, after the deadly February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the idea of arming teachers and other school employees gained new momentum. A state trial court issued summary judgment for the Madison Local district, but the state appellate court reversed that in the new decision. This matter does not call upon the court to decide the wisdom of permitting concealed firearms in a school safety zone, the majority said. We recognize that the parties share an urgent desire to make Madison Local as safe as possible. But the school district must comply with the peace-officer training statute, the court said. The dissenting judge said he would uphold the program because the other person language in the state law regarding peace officers would apply to positions similar to the special police officers and security guards specified in the law, such as school resource officers and school security guards, but not to teachers or other school personnel. Rachel Bloomekatz, a Columbus-based lawyer who helped represent the parents in the case, said in a statement from Everytown Law, that for good reason, Ohio requires that teachers undergo extensive training before carrying hidden, loaded handguns in classrooms. As the court recognized, the districts program fails to meet the states clear requirements. The Madison Local district could not be reached for comment, but several Ohio news outlets reported a statement that said it was continuing its options, including a possible appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court. India has recorded a jump in its COVID-19 tally to 1,58,333 including 83,004 active cases, 67,691 cured or discharged, and 4,531 deaths, according to the latest update by the Union Health Ministry. In the last 24-hours, India reported 3,106 new "active" COVID-19 cases and 194 deaths. Of the 4,531 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,897 fatalities, Gujarat is second with 938 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 313, West Bengal at 289, Delhi at 303, Rajasthan at 173, Uttar Pradesh at 182, Tamil Nadu at 133 and Andhra Pradesh at 58. Karnataka has reported 47 deaths. Whereas, Punjab has reported 40 deaths and Telangana 63. Haryana has registered 18, Jammu and Kashmir 26, Bihar 15, Odisha and Kerala 7 each. Chandigarh, Assam, and Jharkhand- 4 deaths, and Himachal Pradesh- 5 COVID-19 fatalities. Uttarakhand has reported 4 deaths and Meghalaya one, according to the ministry data. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Tracker: Biggest 1-day spike with 6,796 COVID-19 cases, India's tally tops 1,31,000 According to the health ministry data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country is from Maharashtra at 56,948 followed by Tamil Nadu at 18,545, Delhi at 15,257, Gujarat at 15,195, Rajasthan at 7,703, Madhya Pradesh at 7,261, and Uttar Pradesh at 6,991. West Bengal has 4,192 has COVID-19 cases, Andhra Pradesh 3,171, and Punjab 2,139. Telangana has 2,098 cases, Bihar 3,061, Karnataka 2,418, Jammu and Kashmir 1,921, and Haryana 1,381. Kerala has reported 1,004 coronavirus cases so far, while Odisha has recorded 1,593 cases. A total of 279 people have been infected with the virus in Chandigarh and 448 in Jharkhand. Tripura has reported 230 cases, Uttarakhand 469, Assam 781, Chhattisgarh 369, Himachal Pradesh 273 and Ladakh 53. Meghalaya has registred 20 cases and Puducherry has 46. Manipur has 44 cases. Dadar and Nagar Haveli has reported two cases. Andaman and Nicobar Islands havs 33 coronavirus cases, Arunachal Pradesh-2, and Mizoram has 1 case as of date. Warning from Philippine president comes after slum dwellers stage protests over lack of food amid coronavirus crisis. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned he would order the countrys police and military to shoot dead anyone who creates trouble during a month-long lockdown of the island of Luzon enforced to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Let this be a warning to all. Follow the government at this time because it is critical that we have order, he said in a late-night televised national address on Wednesday. And do not harm the health workers, the doctors because that is a serious crime. My orders to the police and the military, if anyone creates trouble, and their lives are in danger: shoot them dead. Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose, he added in Filipino and English. Dutertes warning came after residents of a slum in Manilas Quezon City staged a protest along a highway near their shanty houses, claiming they had not received any food packs and other relief supplies since the lockdown began more than two weeks ago. Village security officers and police urged the residents to go back to their homes, but they refused, a police report said. Police broke up the protest and arrested 20 people, the report added. Health authorities in the Philippines have recorded 2,311 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus as of Wednesday. At least 96 people have died. Jocy Lopez, 47, who led the group of residents, said they were forced to stage the protest because they did not have any food due to the lockdown. We are here to call for help because of hunger. We have not been given food, rice, groceries or cash. We have no work. Who do we turn to, she said before being arrested. Another resident complained that with the arrest of her husband and other male residents, many families would be struggling even further to find food. Activist groups condemned the arrest and urged the government to fast track the release of cash assistance promised under a 200 billion peso ($4bn) social protection programme to help poor families and those who lost work amid the lockdown. Using excessive force and detention will not quell the empty stomachs of Filipinos who, up to this day, remain denied of the promised cash aid for the poor, said womens rights group Gabriela. Other residents later held a rally to demand the release of those arrested, holding posters that read mass tests not mass arrests. The main northern Philippine region of Luzon is home to more than 57 million people and under a month-long lockdown. Provincial and town executives from others parts of the country have also rolled out similar measures in their communities, virtually putting more than 100 million people under quarantine. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Seven employees at St. Josephs Hospital have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to hospital official said. The hospital, in a statement, said none of the employees have been admitted, and all are under quarantine at home while they recover. Safety is our top priority at St. Josephs Health, and were taking all appropriate measures to help our colleagues and patients avoid potential exposure to the virus, Dr. Joseph Spinale, the hospitals president and chief medical officer, said in the statement. The hospital did not elaborate on what positions the employees hold and have not yet replied to a request for more information about whether the employees contracted the virus at the hospital or elsewhere. The county said Thursday that 31 patients are currently hospitalized in Onondaga County and 12 are in critical condition. There have been 249 infections confirmed countywide as of Tuesday. In other countries, healthcare workers have disproportionately fallen ill with the coronavirus. In Spain, 14 percent of those who tested positive for the coronavirus were health workers, according to The New York Times. In the Brescia province of Italy, 10 to 15 percent of those who tested positive were doctors or nurses, The Times reported. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has reached out to Crouse, Upstate University hospitals as well as the Syracuse VA Medical Center to ask how many employees each has had test positive for the coronavirus. Crouse, Upstate and the VA did not release numbers when contacted by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Last Monday, the VA confirmed one employee tested positive for coronavirus. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Coronavirus unemployment: Cant reach New York labor department? Youre not alone New York state cancels April break for schools due to coronavirus pandemic; lessons must continue 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. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated quality child care is crucial not only to the everyday functioning of our society, but also to our ability to respond to emergencies. Pennsylvanias first responders, healthcare providers and other critical services personnel who work to help others during crisis, need safe, quality care for their children. We must establish an emergency child care system to help them help us. The recent closure of Philadelphias public schools gives a hint of the extent of the problem. When Gov. Tom Wolf closed schools and businesses in Montgomery County days before he issued similar orders statewide, Philadelphia was also forced to close 63 schools. Why? Because many teachers and staff who live in Montgomery County were staying home to take care of their children. This approach simply isnt possible for some professions. We all recognize that child care is essential for working families; that need is even more critical for first responders and others who must continue to work amidst crisis. Creating an emergency child care network would not be difficult to accomplish because we would not need additional administrative infrastructure to make it work. Pennsylvania has an established and well-functioning quality child care system Keystone STARS which works with child care providers to improve and maintain high quality services. Providers attain a rating from one to four STARS, with four being the highest quality level. This system is implemented by Early Learning Resource Centers, a network of 19 one-stop shops for child care services covering every region in the Commonwealth. Adding an emergency designation to that system would be a cost-effective and practical response to emergency preparedness, since it could be rolled out with existing infrastructure. With focus and leadership, we could have emergency child care centers and staff certified within a year and ensure that Pennsylvania children are cared for in the event of a future crisis. For critical workers who get us through emergencies, quality child care is not a luxury its our practical and moral obligation to support them. Jerry Macdonald is president and CEO of Caring People Alliance, a nonprofit that provides quality child care services and operates the Early Learning Resource Center in Philadelphia. Joint Collector L. Siva Shankar advised the people to use umbrellas not only to protect from the heat wave but also to ensure a metre distance from others in public areas. Vishakhapatnam: In the wake of coronavirus spread, several doctors, bureaucrats, and intellectuals have been advising people to maintain social distance, by covering their face with masks. Now, another suggestion has come from the authorities, that is to take an umbrella while going out. While visiting Rythu Bazar in Sitammadhara in the city on Tuesday, Joint Collector L. Siva Shankar advised the people to use umbrellas not only to protect from the heat wave but also to ensure a metre distance from others in public areas. The advice comes as an old man, who had gone to the market for vegetables in Chodavaram, died due to scorching temperature recently. City-based doctor Kutikuppala Surya Rao suggested mandatory use of umbrellas to maintain social distancing. While using an umbrella, a person will automatically stand away from the others at a minimum one-meter distance and also will be safe from the scorching heat, Surya Rao said. While whether or not umbrella can help you save from coronavirus, it can help maintain social distancing outdoors, says Dr K Vijaya Lakshmi Super Specialty expert of General Medicine. However, people must use masks even while they are under umbrellas, she added. The current coronavirus outbreak has led many filmmakers to put a hold on their shooting. All of the Bollywood actors are quarantining inside their homes right now. Actor Juhi Chawla is doing the same as well. However, she recently opened up about an incident in London where she was holidaying earlier last month. ALSO READ | Juhi Chawla Asserts One Look At 'positive Side Of Shutdown', Tweet Receives Mixed Response Juhi Chawla shares her experience amid the coronavirus outbreak Juhi Chawla spent several weeks to plan a perfect holiday for her family across Europe. However, her trip had to be cut down due to the coronavirus outbreak across the continent. The actor headed to Austria with her family on March 1, 2020. ALSO READ | Hrithik Roshan And Juhi Chawla's Bollywood Movies Together | Can You Guess Them? While talking about her experience, Juhi Chawla added that when she reached her first destination, Austria, the country was almost closing. She added that her family either had a choice to stay there or come back. They had already planned to fly to London once they are finished with their visit in Austria. So Juhi Chawla said that her family decided to come back to London to have a nice holiday. However, by around mid-March, things started falling apart in London as well. The government had added several restrictions for international flights coming to India. This surely left Juhi Chawla and her family in a worrisome situation. ALSO READ | Actor Andrew Jack Dies Of COVID-19 At 76 In Britain However, the actor added that she approached the High Commission of India in London for help. She added that the government officials assured her that she would be travelling safely. Juhi Chawla landed back in Mumbai on March 20, 2020. Since then the actor has been quarantining herself at her Mumbai house. The actor has been sharing several updates through her social media regularly. She has also contributed to various charitable organisations to help the ones affected with coronavirus. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Satya Nadellas Wife Donates Rs 2 Cr Each To PM CARES & Telangana CM Fund Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. The sudden outbreak and detection of a large number of coronavirus cases that can be traced back to a thousands-strong religious congregation held in New Delhis Nizamuddin area, that has already caused the deaths of at least 10 Indians and one foreigner in different parts of the country (including six in Telangana), is a warning on the perils of not taking social distancing seriously. At least 250 foreign nationals including from virus-hit Malaysia and Indonesia -- had come to attend the congregation hosted by the Tablighi Jamaat at its Markaz facility in the first half of March, many of whom were among the 1,500-odd people still there on Monday, when the citys health authorities swung into action and took at least 300 of them to hospitals. At least 24 of them have tested positive. True, the event was held before the lockdown went into effect in Delhi and the rest of India, but given the flurry of advisories early on cautioning people against gatherings of large numbers of people due to the virus threat, the actions of both the Tablighi Jamaat and the governmental authorities in allowing it to carry on was irresponsible, to say the least. The area was finally cleared on Tuesday morning, with the police moving 700-plus people to quarantine in different parts of the city, and a police case lodged against the mosque administration, but the damage has largely been done. While the Talbighi incident is a wake-up call on the consequences of slackness in the face of a health emergency, the callous actions of those in authority in the face of the grave humanitarian crisis that we face particularly the plight of migrants with no food or shelter who feel compelled to make the long trek homewards is also a cause of great alarm. The shocking action of the municipal authorities in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh in hosing down a large group of migrants on the move with a chemical solution described by some as insecticide was brutal and inhuman, to say the very least. In the face of outrage in the social media after a video of the spraying went viral, and vociferous protests by Opposition leaders, the district magistrate of the area was forced to admit that the municipal authorities had gone too far, but who will be held responsible for this horror? This was one more example, if any was needed, that the rights and protections that our middle classes take for granted even in extraordinary times do not seem to apply to the poor in India. There was no real alternative to the nationwide lockdown that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a week ago. Those who believe that it could have been avoided just need to look at the plight of New York a shining symbol of the richest and most powerful country in the world, which now threatens to be the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic to see what could have happened had India delayed any further. But our government failed to realistically assess the impact this draconian measure would have on the most vulnerable sections of our population, and plan accordingly. Some steps are now being taken, but much more needs to be done. March 31, 2020 Release Readout of Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper's Phone Call With Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper spoke with his Indonesian counterpart, Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, on the phone today to discuss COVID-19. Both leaders offered sympathies to those affected by COVID-19 in the United States and in Indonesia. Secretary Esper thanked Minister Prabowo and his government for their leadership in responding to COVID-19 and asked how else the United States might help. Minister Prabowo conveyed his government's gratitude to the United States for its first tranche of support to Indonesia, including $2.3 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisor embedded with the Indonesian government. Secretary Esper and Minister Prabowo also discussed bilateral defense priorities, including military readiness and defense acquisitions. Both leaders conveyed their desire to meet again soon. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2132173/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address York Regional Police have laid charges on a man in connection with a fatal collision in Vaughan in February. On Feb. 20, police responded to reports of a collision in the area of Rutherford and Weston Roads. On scene, officers found that a blue Maserati and a black Hyundai Tuscan had collided before striking a third vehicle. Four people were taken to the hospital, police said. The occupants of the Hyundai Tuscan, an 83-year-old man and 80-year-old woman from Vaughan, died from their injuries in hospital. The driver of the Maserati and a passenger went to hospital with minor injuries, police said. In a news release on Wednesday, police announced they have charged the driver of the Maserati, 27-year-old Ali Reza Bakhshi-Lijani, of Richmond Hill, with two counts of dangerous operation causing death. York police are asking any witnesses to come forward with additional information. The proposed Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills, a five-star hotel to be developed at the intersection of Little Santa Monica Boulevard (left) and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. (Peter Marino Architect) French luxury goods purveyor LVMH plans to expand its presence on Rodeo Drive in a big way with an ultra-premium hotel intended to be the most deluxe inn in Beverly Hills, which already has its fair share of deluxe inns. The parent company of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Dom Perignon recently applied for city permission to build a 115-room hotel on property it owns at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard. Although the development seems incongruous during the widespread coronavirus-related business shutdown that is also slamming hotels, LVMH regards it as a long-term venture that wouldn't open until 2025 and would be held by the company for many years to follow. The proposed Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills was designed by flamboyant New York architect Peter Marino, who also designed LVMH's Louis Vuitton and Dior boutiques on Rodeo Drive. The corner of Beverly Drive (left) and Little Santa Monica Boulevard, where the hotel would have a large cafe. (Peter Marino Architect) In keeping with Rodeo Drive's international reputation for over-the-top retail glamour, the Cheval Blanc is intended to be a notch above the competition in Beverly Hills' high-end hotel market, known for such famous hostelries as the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Wilshire. "The hotel that they are proposing is at the highest end, at a part of the market that maybe is not being met right now," said Masa Alkire, principal planner for the city. "This is supposed to be the upper echelon of hotels." LVMH and Marino are unabashed about their intention to hit the swanky five-star heights for a certain subset of wealthy travelers. Room rates haven't been set yet, but they'll be among the highest. "The Cheval Blanc is not a democratic price point," said Anish Melwani, chief executive of LVMH Inc. in the United States. "This is high-luxury, expensive rooms" catering to people who can enjoy shopping jaunts on Rodeo Drive. Unlike most full-service hotels, the Cheval Blanc will have no banquet or conference facilities, or other group business, he said. "This is meant to be a home away from home for that global luxury traveler." Story continues The challenge for LVMH is that the homes, or multiple homes, of these elite travelers are "spectacular," Melwani said. Cheval Blanc rooms will be "very large," the company said, supported by restaurants, spas and luxury retailers, probably including LVMH brands that currently rent their stores on Rodeo Drive. The hotel will have two swimming pools, including a private penthouse pool, and a private club. The diverse elements packed into a prominent urban setting added up to a design challenge for Marino. He displayed no lack of confidence, however, about his ability to make the Cheval Blanc stand out among the local competition. "All the hotels in L.A. are just a little tired," said the New Yorker, who was once described by Architectural Digest as a leading architect for the carriage trade, and the architect for fashion brands." Rendering of the main entrance on Little Santa Monica Boulevard. (Peter Marino Architect) If he is successful, Marino said, the hotel will look like it has been there for 50 years and will remain timeless for decades to come. To that end, the Cheval Blanc will be clad in imported French limestone, the same stone used to make "all the really classic chateaux" in France, he said, including the historic Chateau de Chantilly and Palace of Fontainebleu. "I think we need this very warm color for Southern California," he said. "It will be soft and beautiful when Beverly Hills sun hits it." Every window will be a different size, Marino said, "which is insane from a construction standpoint, but very human. I wanted a very humanistic approach." Room windows will also have their own button-operated sunshades. He hopes no two of them are ever left at the same setting so the exterior "will never look the same way twice." He also hopes the overall design will improve the pedestrian experience on the northern edge of Rodeo Drive's famed shopping district, where "people get to the end, shrug their shoulders and walk back." Future visitors may be tempted to instead turn right to walk past the entrance of the hotel on Little Santa Monica toward a roomy cafe on the corner of that street and Beverly Drive. The hotel would stand on parcels owned by LVMH that were formerly occupied by Brooks Bros. and the Paley Center for Media. The hotel will have "art everywhere," Marino said, including at the entrances and what he called a proposed graffiti wall on the newly realigned service alley "that will be the No. 1 selfie spot." The building itself would be sloped "like soft hills," he said, rising from four stories on Rodeo Drive to nine stories on Beverly Drive. "I tilted everything up toward the rear of the site trying to mask the black-mirrored Bank of America building, which I think is an eyesore," the architect said. The 6th floor pool deck of the proposed Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills hotel. (Peter Marino Architect) The proposed height and relocation of a service alley are a deviation from the city's general plan, and the project will require an environmental review and approval by the City Council before it could begin. "There will be quite a few public meetings occurring before this process is over," Alkire said. LVMH declined to discuss what it will cost to build the Cheval Blanc, but Melwani said the company had spent "half a billion dollars" on real estate alone. "Beyond that, it's too early to say," he said. LVMH opened the first Cheval Blanc, which translates to "white horse," in the French Alps in 2006. There are two others in resort destinations and future sites in Paris, London and the Seychelles. Real estate broker Jay Luchs of Newmark Knight Frank, who helped arrange the property sales, said LVMH's investment is a testament to the enduring appeal of Rodeo Drive, which he expects to bounce back after the pandemic. Other luxury retailers including Chanel have also purchased their stores there and do large-scale renovations every few years to stay current, said Luchs, a sign of its strength. "If they weren't making money, they wouldn't keep reinventing themselves," he said. Melwani said LVMH regards Rodeo Drive as one of the "global pantheon of luxury retail destinations" and vowed that his company would not sell its prime Beverly Hills real estate development site as others have done in recent years. "We are not flippers," he said. "We have been citizens and investors in the community for a long time and we are doubling down." SDLP Economy Spokesperson, Sinead McLaughlin MLA has warned that Northern Ireland businesses are reporting having difficulty accessing UK government financial assistance, intended to enable them to withstand the Covid-19 crisis. The Foyle MLA said: "Many Northern Ireland businesses are struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic. The British government put in place emergency measures, which should assist them. These measures are welcome, however many businesses are coming to me and saying that they are having serious difficulty in accessing these schemes in the way they are supposed to operate. "I have written to Economy Minister, Diane Dodds MLA asking her to press the UK government to urgently stress to banks across the UK that they must do more to enable local businesses to access the funds they need. Many businesses will struggle to survive this pandemic if we do not act quickly. We are dealing with a health emergency, but it is fast becoming an economic emergency. In the letter, the Foyle MLA says she received representations from several businesses in recent days, who have expressed concern at the responses from banks in Northern Ireland regarding the operation of UK government support schemes. Those concerns include banks telling businesses they can only access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme if they fail to meet criteria for a loan from that bank under normal lending terms, which may be significantly more expensive and which the business may not wish to engage in. A number of banks have told businesses they are not engaging in the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, or are only doing so for sums much less than the 5m maximum specified by the government. Many businesses are too large to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, but not large enough to access the Bank of England scheme for larger companies. Some banks are only considering applications under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme from existing customers. In addition, businesses - and homeowners with mortgages - who are being given holidays on loan repayments, but no extension on the length of term of the repayment, are finding they are faced by higher monthly repayments at the end of the crisis, when they are still likely to be struggling financially. "We believe that these are systemic problems with the governments measures of support, which need to be addressed by the UK government with participating banks and building societies. It is our understanding that these problems are not unique to Northern Ireland and are the same for businesses operating in Great Britain," the SDLP representative added. Indeed, Lord Leigh of Hurley has made similar points in relation to the attitude of banks in Great Britain. He has issued a statement saying: I am hearing that the banks are being very uncooperative. They have been seeking personal guarantees, although some have now relented. "I have heard of one bank who told a customer that although their turnover was below 45m they had more than 250 employees and were therefore ineligible. Likewise start ups and new tech companies will never get it as they have no profit history, indeed some no revenue yet! Clearly the banks are not keen on these loans. They would rather encourage customers to take a regular product, on which of course they can charge fees as opposed to the CBLS. 01.04.2020 LISTEN The District Chief Executive of Techiman North in the Bono East Region Hon Peter Mensah is appealing to the Security Agencies to exhibit maximum professionalism as part of efforts to enforce the restrictions imposed by the president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu Addo the resident in Accra in Kumasi. According to Hon Peter Mensah, in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, government isn't seeking to worsen the conditions of citizens by unleashing violence on them. Speaking to OTECNEWS Hon Peter Mensah emphasized that the security agency must not intend to terrorize the citizenry. According to him, it is not a combat operation but humanitarian adding that It is a humanitarian operation; not a war. They should not intimidate anybody aimed at achieving the overall objective of the President of Ghana. The Techiman North DCE is therefore asking the public to cooperate with the outfit in its quest to ensure the effectiveness of the lockdown restrictions. President declared a partial lockdown President Nana Akufo-Addo Friday, March 27, 2020.declared a partial lockdown of Accra and Kumasi effective 1 am on Monday, March 30, 2020. The lockdown which affects Accra, Tema and Kumasi will last for two weeks. The decision, according to the President is to help curb the spread of COVID-19 which has led to four deaths and infected some 162 people. Prevailing circumstances mean that stricter measures have to be put in place to contain and halt the spread of the virus within our country, especially in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, which have been identified by the Ghana Health Service as the hotspots of the infections. In doing this, we cannot afford to copy blindly, and do all the things some other well-developed countries are doing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this pandemic. We have a unique situation in our country, and we must take it into account in dealing with the disease, whilst meeting all the six (6) key WHO guidelines on the most effective ways of combating the pandemic. Even though it may be said that the number of our infections is still, relatively, low, if we act now purposefully, we have a chance of preventing an escalation of our numbers, the President said. Military brutalities on recalcitrant traders Residents in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs will remember Monday March 30, 2020, as a day on which indiscipline attitudes were met with radical responses from personnel of the Ghana Army during the turn of the metropolis for disinfection of markets there in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus disease to the country. The soldier who was part of the military deployed to enforce law and order during the period of the partial lockdown, was seen in a video, instructing the civilian to move onto the main road to do the jumps as punishment for attempting to video the security team. The culprit soldier who was hooded was heard saying Go to the road, your girlfriend will see you. You were videoing me so that your girlfriend will say I am wicked". Hon Peter Mensahs concerns But Hon Peter Mensah, said President Akufo-Addo did he mention that he has given power to the military or police to use brute force on citizens', the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has said. He therefore called on the various heads of the security to address the content of the videos going round that suggest that their personnel are ready to beat citizens who flout the directives of the President. He added that "The police can arrest people who flout laws. But people should first understand what the President said and shouldn't misinterpret it. The banks and other people offering essential services can all go to work." He added that "The police can arrest people who flout laws. But people should first understand what the President said and shouldn't misinterpret it. The banks and other people offering essential services can all go to work." The move from the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday applies to all prescription and over-the-counter versions of ranitidine, best known by the brand name Zantac. The drugs are widely used to treat stomach acid and ulcers. The Academic Staff Union of Universities says it ordered its members, who are lecturers across universities, to embark on strike during the coronavirus pandemic because there would never be a time approved for such an action. The President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, on Tuesday, also inaugurated ASUU COVID-19 intervention in an effort to sensitise the public and check the spread of the dreaded virus at the University of Ibadan. The intervention materials, produced by the UI branch of ASUU, comprised about 1,000 100ml of hand sanitisers. The programme included sensitisation campaign, via jingles in Pidgin and English languages; posters in three languages and hand gloves. Ogunyemi, who was represented on the occasion by the coordinator of ASUU, UI zone, Prof. Ade Adejumo, said, We cannot confront the challenge by bemoaning our fate. What is expected is that we join forces to do what China and other well-organised societies have done to flatten the curve. ASUU acknowledges that public information, education and communication are key. To demonstrate our concerns for the welfare and well-being of the Nigerian people, ASUU members nationwide shall be willing to work with medical and paramedical workers as volunteers in their public enlightenment and professional intervention initiatives. All branches shall explore areas of strategic collaboration with federal, state and local governments to provide support in terms of information and expert skills drawn from our members across the nation. For us in ASUU, this is not an occasion for blame game or buck passing. However, it calls for sober reflection on what we need to do differently with our health and education. Ogunyemi said the coronavirus crisis had exposed the countrys naked and empty teaching hospitals which justified its industrial action to demand revitalisation funds for public universities. He, however, said the union would be willing to serve as volunteers nationwide in the coronavirus crisis to work with the medical and paramedical workers involved in tackling the scourge. He said, With qualitative and accessible university education, we can guarantee a storehouse of knowledge in scientists, doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists and other medical and paramedical personnel for coping with a global pandemic such as COVID-19. But it appears our universities have no place in the current efforts of government. See, for instance, how naked and empty our teaching hospitals turned out to be when threatened by the early wave of COVID-19. Yet, these are laboratories established to produce medical and paramedical personnel for our country. The Chairman, ASUU, UI, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said despite being owed two months salary, the union would not abandon its people. He said the intervention materials would be distributed to the University College Hospital, the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the university health centre and the Oyo State Ministry of Health. Akinwole said, It is not surprising that our health facilities were not equipped and staffed to respond to emergencies such as the Coronavirus pandemic. All kits donated by Chinese billionaire, Jack Ma Foundation, must be distributed to medical centres to conduct more tests. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday, without citing specific evidence, that Iran or an Iran-backed militia is planning a "sneak attack" on U.S. troops or assets in Iraq and warned that Iran would "pay a very heavy price" if it were carried out. The saber-rattling from Trump comes as Iran-backed militias are becoming more audacious in attacking U.S. personnel in Iraq, with rocket strikes on military bases occurring more frequently and, for the first time, in broad daylight. U.S. officials say they are receiving near-daily reports of "imminent" attacks planned against U.S.-linked military or diplomatic facilities. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq," Trump said in his tweet, without providing elaboration. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" Asked about his comments later Wednesday at a White House briefing, Trump declined to share more specifics about a potential threat but vowed a robust response if an attack were carried out, saying, "It's going to be very painful for the other side." "I don't want to say, but we just have information that they were planning something, and it's very good information," Trump said. "It was led by Iran, not necessarily Iran, but troops supported by Iran, but that to me is Iran, and we're just saying, 'Don't do it, don't do it.' It would be a very bad thing for them if they do it." The tensions come amid a coronavirus pandemic that has increasingly occupied Trump and taken a particularly hard toll on Iran at a time when the United States is expanding sanctions against the country. It remains unclear how much control Iran maintains over its various proxy groups. It is also unclear how much of an appetite Americans would have for another crisis as the death toll from the coronavirus rises in the United States. A Washington Post-ABC News poll in January showed that Americans were divided over Trump's handling of the situation with Iran generally, with 45% approving and 47% disapproving. The survey came shortly after the U.S. strike in Iraq that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran's chief military strategist. In the Post-ABC poll, 53% supported Trump's order of the drone strike while 41% opposed it. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters late last month that the United States would "take what steps that we see necessary" to retaliate for militia violence directed at U.S. troops or assets. But the administration remains divided over how, or even whether, to strike back. "It's clear that they have the desire, the willingness, and the equipment to hit us," an official familiar with the issue said last week, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. Decisions over how to respond to a new attack would be influenced by its scale and lethality, the official said, as well as the type of weapons used. Trump's threat comes as the U.S.-led coalition is shrinking and consolidating its force in Iraq, ending its operations in smaller military bases and moving hundreds of troops into larger ones, or abroad. The force is stationed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. That fight is essentially over, but military officials in Baghdad say the coalition drawdown is also partly linked to rising tensions between the United States and Iran. "We're taking precautions," said one official, adding that various threats "coming across the threat stream" have become an everyday occurrence. As tensions simmer, the Pentagon has beefed up defenses at Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. troops. Last week, it deployed Patriot missile defense batteries at two facilities that were targeted with Iranian ballistic missiles in January, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. The Patriot system, made up of high-performance radars and interceptors, is designed to defend against such attacks. - - - Loveluck reported from London. Scott Clement in Washington contributed to this report. The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has donated 500 Cedis to each of the stranded Kayaye (head porters) who were stopped at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region on their way to the Northern Region. The head porters, numbering about 76, had attempted to flee from Accra back to their hometowns in the wake of the President's order for a partial lockdown in the Capital City and other parts of the country, but their journey back home was unsuccessful as it fell within the lockdown time on Monday. Their attempted mass crossover to the north was seen as a threat to stop the spread of the virus in the country, and they were thus stopped from proceeding by security officials, who returned them to Accra. Despite the temporary provision of shelter for them by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, many have raised concerns over the plight of the Kayayes under the current circumstance, as business activities in the heart of Accra have come to a halt. It is in response to this that the Vice President has donated 500 Cedis to each of them to ameliorate their plight during the period of the partial lockdown. The donation was made on behalf of the Vice President by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama. She was accompanied by Dr. Sagare Bambangi, MP for Walewale and Mustafa Ussif, CEO of the National Service Secretariat. Hajia Alima Mahama also revealed that President Akufo-Addo has directed that government assist all Kayaye head porters by giving each of them GH 10 cedis per day to buy food throughout the lockdown period. Meanwhile, the Vice President has also urged all Ghanaians to continue to observe the preventive measures of regular washing of hands with soap under running water, while they observe the partial lockdown at their respective homes. "While we stay at home to prevent the spread, let us continue to adhere strictly to all the preventive measures to avoid the spread of the virus," he urged. "Let us continue to wash our hands regularly with soap under running water, as well as constantly use alcohol-based hand sanitizers to sanitize our hands. We shall overcome, inshaa Allah." Source: Jubilee House 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 NextEra Energy NEE announced that its unit Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has sought approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to lower electricity rates from May 1. FPL has plans to make a one-time decrease of around 25% for the typical residential customer bill (using 1,000-kWh on average). The company intends to pass on the benefits of lower fuel costs and help customers who are under significant financial distress on account of the coronavirus pandemic. Previously in January, the company lowered its customer bill by 4%. If the proposed decline is approved by the commission, the average monthly bill of the typical residential customer of $99.90 in December 2019 will fall to nearly $74 per month in May 2020, making the utility bills nearly 30% lower than the U.S. average. COVID-19 is Hurting but the Fight is On The novel coronavirus pandemic is hurting millions of people financially and thousands of Americans are getting infected with each passing day. The outbreak of coronavirus has resulted in the shutdown of factories and other commercial activities in the United States, as a consequence millions are out of job and in financial distress. For the week ended Mar 21, jobless aid claims were nearly 3.3 million. The guidelines for social distancing will stay in place through Apr 30, which is not going to help millions of FPLs customers. The $2.2-trillion stimulus package is designed to provide assistance to millions of unemployed and tax payers who are in lower-income bracket to meet their financial obligations in the near term. In fact, the FPLs decision to lower utility bill further from May will provide some relief to millions of customers. Continuation of Services Despite Non-payment As more and more people are forced to stay back at home, domestic electricity consumption has increased. Since 24X7 electricity supply is among the basic requirement, and will play an integral part in assisting the millions of customers to fight back the pandemic. In such a scenario, the utility service providers are ensuring continuation of services despite non-payment of dues. FPL is also assisting in providing payment extensions and is waiving late payment fees for customers who are under financial pressure due to the coronavirus-induced crisis. A few more utilities like Duke Energy Corporation DUK, American Electric Power AEP, and Dominion Energy D, among others, have decided to continue providing services even in the event of non-payment of dues. Zacks Rank NextEra Energy currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Price Performance NextEra Energys shares have outperformed the industry in the past three months. Story continues Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dominion Energy Inc. (D) : Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Egypt reported 54 new coronavirus infections and five new fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the total to 710 cases and 46 deaths. The health ministry said that the 54 new patients are all Egyptians, and include those who arrived from abroad recently as well as some who contracted the disease from previously discovered cases. According to the statement, two of the five new fatalities passed away on their way to quarantine hospitals. The health ministry also revealed that seven Egyptians were discharged from quarantine hospitals after a complete recovery, bringing the total number of fully recovered patients in the country to 157 so far. The total number of patients whose PCR tests have generated a negative result increased to 205. In a video message published on the ministrys official Facebook page on Tuesday, Health Minister Hala Zayed stated that the global average is 105 coronavirus patients per 1 million citizens, while the death rate is 5.1 cases per 1 million. In Egypt, however, it is six cases per 1 million citizens, while the death rate is 0.4 in 1 million, she said, describing Egypts situation as stable. In the video message, Zayed pleaded with Egyptians returning from abroad, and all those who have been in touch with those who have tested positive, to follow the precautionary procedures and instructions of the health ministry, above all the 14-days of self-isolation. The government has implemented a number of measures to stem the outbreak, suspending international flights, shutting schools and universities, banning mass gatherings and shuttering mosques and churches. It has also implemented a nationwide curfew from 7pm to 6am. Search Keywords: Short link: Ramjee was internationally recognised for her work in the field of microbicide research. Gita Ramjee, a world-renowned scientist from South Africa, has died due to the coronavirus. Ramjee died on Tuesday a hospital in Durban on the East Coast, according to local media reports. She was 64. Professor Ramjee was renowned for her work on finding HIV prevention methods that were conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women face, as well as attempts to find an effective HIV vaccine, Deputy President David Mabuza said in a statement on Wednesday. We have indeed lost a champion in the fight against the HIV epidemic, ironically at the hands of this global pandemic. Ramjee returned to South Africa recently after a trip to London. She did not have any symptoms but fell sick and was admitted to a hospital. Tributes and condolence messages have been pouring in from across the globe where her work affected millions. Deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Gita Ramjee. An eminent scientist who dedicated her life to #HIV prevention for women & girls in #Africa & #EndingAIDS. A huge loss at a time when the world needs her most. My condolences to her family, friends & colleagues at @MRCza. https://t.co/cQpAJIrrRR Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) March 31, 2020 The Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention (AVAC) said: Deeply saddened by the loss of an HIV prevention pioneer. It described Ramjee as a tireless champion of science, research, womens reproductive health and rights. Two years ago, Ramjee was internationally recognised for her work in the field of microbicide research. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award for HIV Prevention and was handed the Outstanding Female Scientist award by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships for work in finding new HIV prevention methods. South Africa has more than seven million people living with HIV/AIDS, one of the largest caseloads in the world. At least five people have died due to the coronavirus in South Africa and some 1,380 have been infected. STAMFORD In one day, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Stamford more than doubled Tuesday, but health professionals said the dramatic development was not necessarily a sign of a breakout. Basically, the spike that were seeing is a result of having received a large volume of test results all at once, said Andie Jodko, spokesperson for Stamford Health. Still, recently released figures show Stamford with 401 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, the most in the state. On Monday, the same daily report indicated that Stamford had 157 cases, which placed it momentarily behind Danbury and Norwalk. In anticipation of the number of cases growing, Stamford Hospital is asking anyone who can to donate personal protective equipment, or PPE, at the Tully Health Center, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In all, Tuesdays report showed 557 more cases of coronavirus across the state than were reported on Monday. The total number of deaths related to the illness jumped from 36 to to 69, as the state reported 16 deaths and an additional 17 from the previous two weeks that were unreported. Of those cases, 41 were people aged 80 or older. A total of 608 people are hospitalized for the virus in Connecticut, an increase of 91 from Monday. Of those hospitalized patients, 275 are in Fairfield County. In response to the pandemic, Gov. Ned Lamont previously signed an executive order directing Connecticut residents to stay home as a way to combat the spread of the upper respiratory illness, and to avoid any social or recreational gatherings of more than five people. Stamford schools, and all public schools throughout the state, are closed until April 20 at the earliest, though Lamont has said they could remain closed until the end of the school year. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 16:10 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee9d94 1 Business digital-tax,e-commerce,Perppu,COVID-19,Netflix,zoom,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati Free The Indonesian government has officially assumed the authority to tax digital companies operating in the country following the issuance of a new government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on Tuesday. The Perppu, which takes effect on Tuesday and aims to support the governments efforts to fight the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, states that the companies will be charged value added tax (VAT) on taxable intangible goods and/or services sold through electronic platforms. The government also charges income tax or electronic transaction tax on e-commerce activities carried out by foreign individuals or digital companies with a significant economic presence, according to Article 6. Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook, explained The significant economic presence will be determined through the companies gross circulated product, sales and/or active users in Indonesia, the Perppu reads. Those with a significant economic presence will be declared permanent establishments and, thus, are subject to domestic tax regulations. Indonesias tax base will move toward digital taxation as online transactions have been growing significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said during a teleconferenced press briefing on Wednesday. She said companies like streaming service Netflix and online meeting app Zoom are a few examples of foreign businesses with a significant economic presence in the country. A recent report by Statqo Analytics revealed that active Zoom users increased by 183 percent last month, especially since most businesses in the country implemented work-from-home on March 16. The government has struggled to tax digital companies that have limited or no physical presence in Indonesia but pocket a significant amount of revenues from the country. It previously incorporated regulations about digital tax in the omnibus bill on taxation submitted to the House of Representatives in February for deliberation. The government and the House have yet to start the deliberations. Read also: Indonesias economy may contract 0.4% in worst case scenario: Sri Mulyani The Perppu also states that if the government cannot declare a digital company a permanent establishment because of the existence of a tax treaty with a certain country, it will then charge an electronic transaction tax on the companys sales in Indonesia. Further provisions on the rates, object and calculation of the income tax and the electronic transactions tax will be regulated in a government regulation (PP). Article 7 regulates that digital companies that fail to comply with the rules would face an administrative sanction and even have their internet access cut by the telecommunication minister. Previously, a Netflix spokesperson told The Jakarta Post that the company supported the introduction of a digital tax in Indonesia when asked about the content of the omnibus bill on taxation. 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 Japan is 'on the brink' as it struggles to contain coronavirus and its medical system could collapse, officials in the country have warned. Economics Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Japan 'must prevent infections from spreading further no matter what' and warned that 'we have come to the edge of edges'. His warning came as Shigeru Omi, head of the Japan Community Healthcare Organisation, said 'fundamental responses' to prevent coronavirus from causing the country's medical system to collapse could be enacted today. Japan has confirmed 2,362 cases of coronavirus and 67 deaths. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces increasing pressure to declare a state of emergency. Medical experts in Japan advising Abe warned the spread of Covid-19 was putting mounting strain on hospitals in Tokyo, the city of Osaka, and other prefectures. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seen here at a parliamentary meeting today wearing a protective mask Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looking under pressure while at a committee meeting today As part of new measures to regulate the spread of the contagion, Japan is banning foreign entry from 73 countries. It will also demand anyone arriving from abroad to be in quarantine for two weeks. Speaking at a news conference today, medical adviser Omi said Japan's health system was at present risk of collapse, before a spike in infections. 'Fundamental responses should be made as early as today or tomorrow,' he said. While many countries around the world fight to stem the deadly pandemic by imposing strict lockdown measures, Prime Minister Abe faces similar public pressure to do the same. Setting an example - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks about the committee today Prime Minister Abe agreed Japan was 'barely holding the line' on the spread of the virus, adding the country remains 'at a critical point' Calls for a state of emergency, granting local governors more weight in telling Japanese people to remain indoors and to close schools, are among the demands Abe faces. However, in many cases, the relevant laws include no penalties. While Japan has some 2,362 cases of Covid-19 and 67 deaths overall, the capital Tokyo has bore the brunt with another 66 cases today, for a total of 587, according to public broadcaster NHK. At a parliamentary committee today, Prime Minister Abe agreed Japan was 'barely holding the line' on the spread of the virus, adding the country remains 'at a critical point where virus cases could surge if we let down our guard.' Those sentiments were echoed by Economics Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who said people who study infectious diseases had been alarmed about the capacity of the health system in the capital. Experts, he added, said Japan was on the verge of crisis. 'We must prevent infections from spreading further no matter what. We have come to the edge of edges, to the very brink,' added Nishimura. Medical adviser Omi said that despite Japan not having witnessed dramatic spikes in infection, more reports of the virus was having a constricting effect on medical supplies. Fellow medical expert from Hokkaido University, Hiroshi Nishiura, heaped yet another supplies warning on top of Omi's, saying strained parts of Japan could witness similar shortages of respirators seen elsewhere. As a precaution, people living in areas that have seen sharp spikes in Covid-19 cases in the past week have also been warned to stay home and not gather in groups larger than 10. While residents in Tokyo were again told to remain off the streets and out of bars and eateries by Governor Yuriko Koike. 'People are saying "I didn't think I was infected myself",' she told reporters. 'I want everyone to share the awareness that one should both protect oneself while also avoiding spreading the virus.' Tokyo schools shut down at the start of March will remain closed until May 6. Schools in other regions however should decide their own measures 'based on local conditions', experts advised. Increasing calls for a lockdown in Japan are happening on social media, according to Reuters. Some Twitter users have pointed to stricter measures abroad. Japan's economy was on the brink of recession before the Covid-19 pandemic began. A Bank of Japan poll indicated industrial manufacturers in the country were at the 'most pessimistic for seven years,' according to a Reuters report. CLEVELAND, Ohio Hobby Lobby has been quietly reopening stores across the nation, including all locations in Ohio, defying orders in several states closing non-essential businesses because of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to reports. Business Insider reports Hobby Lobby, which primarily sells craft supplies, on Monday reopened all 19 locations in Ohio, even though the state remains under a shelter-in-place order. The company has several locations in Northeast Ohio, including Mentor, Solon, Macedonia, Stow, Fairlawn and Medina. The company opened 17 of 20 stores in Wisconsin, which also is under a shelter-in-place order. The company has more than 900 stores nationwide. Thirty-two states have enacted shelter-in-place orders, Business Insider reports. The move brought a police response in West Alllis, Wis., which forced the store to close because it was violating the non-essential business order, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. West Allis Deputy Police Chief Christopher Botsch tells the Journal Sentinel the store closed without incident. A store in Jefferson, Indiana, was open for about an hour on Monday before it was forcibly shut down, WLKY reports. In Colorado, the company again closed all of its stores after a report by KRDO. There are no reports of Ohio locations being forced to close. Business Insider reports that a recent memo sent to Hobby Lobby managers instructs them on how to talk with local authorities if theyre questioned about why the stores are open. The company declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider. An unidentified worker from an Ohio location tells Business Insider he has attempted to contact the Ohio Department of Health and Gov. Mike DeWines office, but says he has received no response. My wife is pretty furious. Were trying to take care of my mother who had knee surgery and also has multiple sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease. I dont want to bring it home and get her infected, the worker tells Business Insider. I used to love working for this company, but since this pandemic, Ive seen how callous and irresponsible it has been. Read more from cleveland.com: Six Berea firefighters test positive for coronavirus, city says Cuyahoga County investigating cluster of coronavirus cases at Parma nursing home State confirms 10 more cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in Cleveland Ohios Dr. Amy Acton looks forward to new CDC coronavirus guidelines that could call for face coverings in public Cuyahoga County Jail warden worked for three days in jail after returning from vacation, now under self-isolation The price of coffee is set to rise as countries stockpile in case supply chains are hit by coronavirus. Importers in major coffee-drinking nations are bringing forward orders by up to a month to avoid shortages. Prices are heading upwards because of strong demand amid expectations that supplies, which were tight before the virus struck, will tighten further. Coffee prices are soaring as importers in major coffee-drinking nations race to stockpile the bean amid fears of a global shortage due to coronavirus (stock image) Prices in Brazil are close to record levels nearing 85 per 60kg bag. Supply chains are backing up because of severe restrictions on international movement. We had requests from buyers in all major countries, said the head of one of the largest coffee exporters in Brazil, the worlds leading producer, asking not to be named. Basically all the largest roasters in the world. They want to have the beans there quicker, just in case. Carlos de Valdenebro, Colombia director for exporter Caravela Coffee, said: Everyone is trying to speed things up. A UK-based coffee trader said: Roasters and traders are stocking up because they anticipate supply disruption. In Brazil prices are already approaching near record levels of 85 per 60kg bag Brazilian coffee exporters association Cecafe said shortages might occur in the coming months even though the country could harvest its biggest coffee crop ever, around 70million bags. Roberto Velez, of Colombias growers federation, said: We have maybe one of the best prices in history. But with that price were facing logistical problems coronavirus, fear. With 2021 concluded and the 20th anniversary of the ModDB's Mod of the Year Awards wrapped up, we take a stroll down history lane and look back at all the winners over the last two decades. A tornado hit Henderson County over the weekend, damaging homes and downing trees and electrical poles, but no injuries were reported, according to The Gleaner. On Sunday, the National Weather Service office in Paducah confirmed that a tornado hit Henderson County shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The tornado was an EF-2 with wind peaks of around 115 mph (185 kph) and it stayed on the ground for 17 miles (27 kilometers). The tornado did roof, siding, and fascia damage to dozens of homes along the path. At least a dozen barns or outbuildings sustained roof or structural damage. One large barn was completely destroyed, with debris scattered hundreds of yards from its foundation. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted, the weather service said on its website. Henderson County Judge-executive Brad Schneider and Emergency Management Agency Director Kenny Garrett reported on Facebook on Sunday that a wide swath of the community was impacted, although the highest concentration of damage to homes was in eastern Henderson Countys Graham Hill area. Power co-operative Kenergys outage map showed more than 2,100 customers without power at one point, but the map showed no outages as of noon Sunday. A spokesman for Henderson Municipal Power & Light said that as of noon Sunday, power had been restored to all of their customers although crews were still in the field fixing damage to poles and lines. Two Henderson County facilities sustained tornado damage, according to Kentucky Transportation District 2. The roof was torn off the old salt dome. Strong winds also brought down a communications tower. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Kentucky Calgary's mayor says organizers have done an extraordinary job transforming a downtown convention centre into a temporary homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he believes hotel rooms would have been a better option. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi speaks after receiving an award from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Public Policy Testimonial Dinner in Toronto on Thursday, April 20, 2017. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it's not his first choice to make a downtown convention centre into a temporary homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov Calgary's mayor says organizers have done an extraordinary job transforming a downtown convention centre into a temporary homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he believes hotel rooms would have been a better option. "I've got to say: the convention centre has really stepped up to the plate at making this as good as it could possibly be given the model," Naheed Nenshi said Wednesday. The shelter at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre is being funded by the Alberta government and operated by the Calgary Drop-In Centre. Opening Thursday for about two months, it is to serve up to 300 people around the clock, freeing up space in existing shelters to allow for more physical distancing. Nenshi says the spread of COVID-19 into the homeless community is the top public health risk. As of Wednesday, there were 527 confirmed cases in the Calgary area, and Nenshi said that could easily double or triple if the virus were to take hold in that population. Beds are set up as a temporary homeless shelter at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 in this handout photo. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it's not his first choice to make a downtown convention centre into a temporary homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. But he says organizers have done an extraordinary job setting it up and taken thoughtful steps to ensure physical distancing is being encouraged among those staying there. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Telus Convention Centre, *MANDATORY CREDIT* "That's ultimately why we had to move forward with the convention centre, because it wasn't helping anybody to continue in arguments about what the right model is while there were still 600 people staying shoulder-to-shoulder at the Drop-In Centre every night," Nenshi said. Alberta Community and Social Services Minister Rajan Sawhney said it wasn't feasible to transfer 300 people from shelters into hotels because of the work involved in removing objects guests could use to harm themselves. "Speed was a consideration," she said. "We needed to have the spaces put in place as soon as possible." She said Alberta Health Services has signed off on the facility. Like other shelters, it is exempted from the rule that there be no more than 15 people in an indoor space. For homeless people who are sick or who have tested positive for COVID-19, a hotel is being retrofitted so that they can be properly isolated. Sawhney said that includes removing anything with strings, light fixtures with chains and sharp objects. Alpha House, which helps men with addictions issues, has moved about 40 clients into a different hotel, Sawhney said. Those rooms have not been retrofitted, but the minister noted staff are better able to supervise those clients than a larger group. NDP Community and Social Services Critic Marie Renaud called on Sawhney to release data and medical recommendations behind the decision not to use hotel rooms for all overflow shelter clients. Sandra Clarkson, executive director of the Drop-In Centre, said the convention centre shelter came together in less than 48 hours. That might not have happened so quickly with hotel rooms, and Sawhney's safety concerns are valid she added. "We are, unfortunately, the largest homeless shelter in North America and that does present really unique challenges," said Clarkson. 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. Convention centre president and CEO Kurby Court said cots are being laid out about two metres apart with heads pointing in opposite directions. There are large aisles around the perimeter with wash stations and 2 1/2-metre tables for two people. "The whole venue is designed around reducing queuing, ensuring social distancing and allowing smooth transitions for our guests," he said. Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said the convention centre shelter is the third-best option behind apartment housing and hotels. "We're in the throes of a crisis and at this point we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good," he said. "It's not ideal. Nothing in this is ideal. But at this point anything that will ... make people safer than they were I think is good." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2020 President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday of a "heavy price" if it or its allies in Iraq attack US troops stationed there. "We don't want hostility, but if they are hostile to us, they're going to regret it like they've never regretted anything before," he said of Iran at a White House press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" Trump tweeted earlier in the day. The US president also wrote: "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq." It was not clear whether Trump meant Washington actually has intelligence of such a plan. Tensions between the arch-foes -- already high since Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions -- have soared since the US killing of Tehran's foreign operations chief Major General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike just outside Baghdad airport in January. The US and Iran are locked in a tense battle for influence in Iraq, where Tehran has powerful allies, including among armed militias, and Washington has close ties to the government. Some 7,500 foreign troops are in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition helping local troops fight jihadist groups, but those numbers are being significantly drawn down this month. The alliance is temporarily bringing some trainers home as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus pandemic and is also leaving some Iraqi bases altogether. Those bases and foreign embassies, particularly the American mission, have been targeted in more than two dozen rocket strikes since late October. The attacks, which the US has blamed on an Iran-backed armed group, have prompted fears of a proxy war on Iraqi soil. Earlier on Wednesday Iran hit out at US sanctions, as its own virus death toll passed 3,000. Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to reverse its policy, which has been opposed by US allies, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. President Hassan Rouhani accused Washington of missing a "historic opportunity" to lift sanctions. "This was a humanitarian issue. No one would have blamed them for retreating," he said. Medicines and medical equipment are technically exempt from the US sanctions but purchases are frequently blocked by the unwillingness of banks to process purchases for fear of incurring large penalties in the United States. US President Donald Trump, pictured here at a press briefing, is warning Iran against attacks on US troops in Iraq Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Fassbender (Agence France-Presse) Dortmund, Germany Wed, April 1, 2020 17:07 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ef4ee4 2 Lifestyle Germany,flatsharing,student-dormitory,students,quarantine,coronavirus,novel-coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,infection,infectious-diseases Free There's group yoga in the morning, homemade pizza at night and always someone with toilet paper. For six German students in a Dortmund flat, the COVID-19 lockdown has its upsides. With no classes to attend and their social lives interrupted, four young women and two men sharing a three-bedroom flat are suddenly enjoying a lot of quality time, as they join millions of Germans in staying home to slow the pandemic. "I'm so glad I don't live alone right now, the walls would be closing in on me," said 22-year-old IT student Thilo. "There's always something to do here," his girlfriend Lana, 21, agreed. On Friday, the gang gathered in the kitchen to make pizza from scratch, everyone contributing ingredients. Afterwards, they watched a movie beamed onto their living room wall. As many universities have delayed the start of their semesters, the flatmates have been able to dedicate plenty of down-time to honing their video game skills, with "Mario Kart" a group favorite. Large jigsaw puzzles and board games have also helped while away the hours. And when Celine's pixie cut needed a trim, Rike gave it her best shot, turning the kitchen into a makeshift salon. Keen to keep fit despite the gym being closed, the group have started doing morning yoga sessions together. "That's been a new discovery for us," said Thilo. The chore schedule has gone out the window meanwhile, written for a different era when people weren't inside all day. Cleaning up after yourself and keeping the shared spaces tidy has become more important, Thilo explained. "But at least we can talk things out right away since we're all here." After more than three years in the flatshare, Thilo said he already knew his friends quite well. But the lockdown combined with all the free time has clearly exposed the early birds and the night owls. "Some days I've been up for three hours before anyone else has even got out of bed," he laughed. And while the rest of the nation has frantically stocked up on toilet paper, the housemates in Dortmund had a different priority. "We're not too worried about toilet paper, we should have enough for now. But we have one flatmate who loves eating pasta so we rushed out to buy a couple of extra packs," said Thilo. Photo credit: Pool/Samir Hussein From Red Online We realise it doesn't feel like the best time to shop, given that we're not allowed outside of the house any time soon. However, when we spotted Meghan Markle's cult Everlane jumpsuit in the sale, we felt it was our duty to let you know. The thing is, this one piece is a really great buy right now. It's made of a breezy woven (did we mention, crease-free) fabric and has a comfortable relaxed fit, so it's ideal for working from home in. Meghan first wore the jumpsuit while on the royal tour of South Africa back in September, and we've been lusting after it ever since. Photo credit: Samir Hussein Photo credit: Pool/Samir Hussein During a visit to the Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town, the then-Duchess looked gorgeous in the black one piece, complete with V-neck, wide-leg trousers and a self-tying waist belt. Photo credit: Chris Jackson She styled it with black suede pumps, big gold earrings and swept her hair back into a low bun. The words 'understated chic' spring to mind. Photo credit: . SHOP NOW The Japanese Essential Jumpsuit, WAS 98, NOW 74, Everlane Even though Meghan dresses this up so well, we won't be pulling out our high heels out until social distancing is, well, a distant memory. So, how can you style this number around the house? If you're a jump-out-of-bed-at-6am quarantiner, no doubt you'll be going about your daily routine as usual. Layer this sleeveless piece over a white T-shirt, slip on a pair of trainers and finish with a simple pair of hoop earrings. If your approach to lock down is a little more relaxed: remove the belt, put on some sliders and throw on a slouchy sweater over the top when things get a little chilly at your desk. You'll feel comfortable, but pulled together. Photo credit: . SHOP NOW The Japanese Essential Jumpsuit, WAS 98, NOW 74, Everlane And once this is over? You'll be wearing this piece on holiday (hopefully) with sandals and lashings of gold jewellery, in the city with espadrilles and a denim jacket, or to summer weddings with stiletto heels and a blazer. Story continues You could even wear it in the autumn, layered over a roll-neck and grounded with ankle boots. We meant it when we said this piece was versatile. We might as well flag that this isn't the first time Megan spotted wear San Francisco-based brand Everlane. During a day trip to the Invictus Games with Prince Harry in 2017, the actress carried its large The Day Market tote. Photo credit: Samir Hussein Photo credit: Samir Hussein The capacious shape and goes-with-everything tan hue is an everyday winner, and it was just the cherry on top of Meghan's relaxed skinny-jeans-and-a-shirt combo. SHOP NOW The Day Market Tote, WAS 144, NOW 107, Everlane As you can imagine, this particular accessor has been selling out frequently since it got the royal seal of approval. So, now that it's currently 25% off, we doubt it will stick around for long. The sale ends on Friday, so hurry! You Might Also Like Staying home and social distancing are now essential to control the spread of COVID-19. Suitable accommodation for quarantine and isolation are critical, but Australias broken housing system leaves us all exposed. By now, almost every Australian will have thought about the coronavirus pandemic in terms of their own housing. For many home owners, this is an economic concern. They are dangerously in debt after a 20-year housing boom. Renters face greater uncertainty. But its people in overcrowded, informal or no housing at all who are most exposed. Crowded housing conditions are bad for all occupants, largely through the increased risks of infections, as WHO Guidelines on Health and Housing clearly identify. Expose one, expose us all The increased risk of COVID-19 infection will have impacts on both the residents of crammed dwellings and the rest of the community. Improving the housing conditions of the most marginalised members of our society is an important biosecurity measure. The number of Australians who are homeless grew dramatically from 2011-2016. The largest increase was people living in severely overcrowded dwellings. Data: ABS Census 2016, CC BY This trend includes a sharp rise in older people living in crowded or marginal housing. Data: ABS Census 2016, CC BY Crowding is endemic in Indigenous communities. Poorly maintained and inadequate dwelling conditions make the impacts of crowding worse. Previous experience with swine flu Influenza A (H1N1) indicates contagious disease outbreaks in Indigenous communities will be catastrophic. After over a decade of making remote areas harder places to be as a result of cuts to housing and infrastructure allocations and increased water insecurity they are now expected to operate as refuges. Tertiary students, including international students, are also likely to be living in overcrowded share houses and room-share rentals. These arrangements already breach basic health and sanitation standards. These problems arent due to a shortage of housing. Census data show the number of unoccupied dwellings increased during the same period that homelessness grew. Data: ABS Census, CC BY Rather than an absolute shortage of homes, our increasingly financialised property market has distorted access to decent accommodation. Housing is now treated as an asset instead of a basic right. In recent years platforms such as Airbnb have made this situation worse by transforming permanent rentals into short-term accommodation for tourists. What should governments do? Moves to prevent evictions and to offer mortgage relief during the pandemic period are an urgent first step in what needs to be rapid national action on housing. Securing adequate housing for those in unstable accommodation, particularly those who need to isolate, is the next phase in this public health response. Suitable housing must be made available immediately in locations near hospitals and key health services. This can be triaged. Options might include: local hotels or motels for people in metropolitan and some regional centres this seems to be an obvious option as many are likely empty of travellers vacant holiday homes or temporary workforce housing other health accommodation used for rehabilitation that can be repurposed construction of temporary dwellings. Hotels close to major teaching (university) hospitals could be commandeered for patients with COVID-19 who need quarantined nursing care, but not intubation to help them breathe. These hotels could also provide places of rest for health workers who might wish to isolate themselves from their families while they fight in our favour. For example, the University of Tasmania has provided one of its hotel buildings, which has been used for student housing, to the Tasmanian government for this purpose. Access to hotels and motels for civilian isolation practices more broadly is an obvious solution across urban areas and regional centres. To reduce the risks arising from inadequate housing, the nations vast holiday rental supply should also be considered for people on priority waiting lists for social housing who are in crowded accommodation. Owners of currently empty holiday accommodation could receive the equivalent of rent assistance payments from the Commonwealth for making their housing available. A vast tourism workforce of property managers, maintenance and cleaning staff, already reeling from the bushfire crisis, is likely ready and able to repurpose residential tourist accommodation for those in need. On the other side of the health crisis, its clear a rapid, nation-building expansion in social and affordable housing must be part of Australias plan. Well-designed, secure and maintained housing should be Australias first defence, not our weakest link, in combating health, climate and economic crises. Nicole Gurran, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Sydney; Peter Phibbs, Director, Henry Halloran Trust, University of Sydney, and Tess Lea, Associate Professor, Gender and Cultural Studies, University of Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sydney, April 1 : As graphic artists the world over churn out infographics for various research papers and studies on the new coronavirus pandemic, new research reveals that they a bigger role to play in making right information and precautionary measures more accessible to the people. The infographic that has become the defining graphic for the COVID-19 pandemic, with its own hashtag, is the "Flatten the Curve" graph. Its earliest-known use is in a 2007 paper published by the US Center for Disease Control, previewing responses to a pandemic like COVID-19. According to Dr Rebecca Green, Art and Design Lecturer at University of New South Wales (UNSW), the graphic designers have an utmost challenge to give correct information in a time of crisis, with the COVID-19 situation changing by the minute across the globe. "We are far more fluent in infographics today, although our understanding and trust in the data presented is often at much lower levels. We often judge the authority behind the infographic - and how trustworthy the data is - based on what the infographic looks like," Dr Green said in university statement. If you Google COVID-19, there are already more than five million references, and more than two billion references of #coronavirus in the media. There are conspiracy theories, advice from different levels of government, conflicting medical advice, and opinions flooding in through traditional and social media. "In the fight to contain the virus, graphic design might seem an unexpected weapon. But graphic design has a long history of helping identify, fight and stop the spread of disease, dating back as far as 1854 when another epidemiological disaster threatened the population - the London cholera outbreak," explained Dr Green. "How do we find the truth when the misinformation and miscommunication - however well intentioned - is spreading faster than the virus itself?" she asked. According to her, we can use the techniques of rhetoric to isolate reasons it works. "First, it has been used by many authorities and commentators around the world as their driving message, so rhetorical 'repetition' helps us remember it. Studies have shown that when we can remember something easily, we are likely to trust it more," said Dr Green. Secondly, when we can attach an infographic to people we trust (whoever that might be for each of us) then it develops its own authority. "This is called Ethos, where the speaker's own credibility in turn enhances the credibility of the message," she stressed. And thirdly, the graphic has been translated and reinterpreted so many times, but the simple key elements of the graph remain the same. The different curves always show that same, clear message. "This rhetorical approach has important implications for how our authorities deliver concepts to us. Repeating a message that is easy to understand, and attaching it to authority figures we trust might be a good start," Dr Green noted. LANSING, Mich. - President Donald Trump's allies are trying to contain a politically risky election year fight with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he struggles to balance presidential politics with a global pandemic in one of the nation's most important swing states. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In a pool photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich., Monday, March 30, 2020. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, Pool) LANSING, Mich. - President Donald Trump's allies are trying to contain a politically risky election year fight with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he struggles to balance presidential politics with a global pandemic in one of the nation's most important swing states. Both sides have tried to de-escalate the feud this week, although Trump's supporters in particular sought to downplay tensions that ratcheted up over the weekend when the Republican president unleashed a social media broadside against Whitmer, a Democrat who had been critical of the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Trump has clashed with other Democratic governors as well, but he saved his most aggressive insults for the first-term female governor, who is considered a leading vice-presidential prospect for his opponent. Everyone should be shedding the partisanship and coming together, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in an interview, suggesting that some of Trump's criticism had been mischaracterized. I am rooting for Gov. Whitmer, said McDaniel, who lives in Michigan. I think shes done good things. ... I just didn't like her trying to lay every problem at the presidents feet. The backpedaling underscores the nature of the dispute, which comes seven months before Election Day in a state that could make or break Trump's reelection bid. Michigan is an elite presidential battleground that has historically celebrated bipartisanship and pragmatism while rewarding candidates who rally behind key institutions in crisis. Four years ago, Trump eked out a win by about 11,000 votes out of more than 4.5 million cast in the state. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and McDaniel's uncle, lost his home state of Michigan in 2012 after opposing federal efforts to rescue the automotive industry. And Trump, by unleashing a personal attack against the state's governor in the midst of a pandemic, has sparked new fears that he, too, may be hurting himself and his party on the eve of the next election. Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell, a Republican, said he raised concerns about Trump's political attack with the administration directly. I did relay to the administration that I didnt think it was helpful and why play that game, Mitchell said in an interview. These are times when the American people look for leaders. Leaders dont whine. Leaders dont blame." He said he raised similar concerns with Whitmer's office, suggesting that her criticisms about the federal response have not necessarily been accurate. "This is not the time where we need more drama in this country," Mitchell said. While political fights are common for Trump, Whitmer's rise in Democratic politics has been defined by her decision usually not to attack the president. Whitmer, a 48-year-old longtime state legislator and attorney, ran for governor as a pragmatic liberal, emphasizing her bipartisan work while pledging to fix Michigans crumbling roads. She rarely talked about Trump before the election or after. When she gave Democrats' response to Trump's State of the Union speech in February, she pivoted from his impeachment to issues concerning working-class voters, including health care, and made only passing references to his behaviour. But as a frequent guest on national media in recent weeks, Whitmer has criticized the federal response while pleading for ventilators, personal protection equipment and test kits as Michigan has emerged as one of the hardest-hit states. Republicans were especially upset after she implied during a Friday radio interview that the Trump administration was intentionally withholding medical supplies from Michigan. In a weekend tweet storm as the coronavirus death toll surged, Trump called her Gretchen Half Whitmer," charging that she was in way over her head and doesn't have a clue" about how to handle the health crisis. Two days earlier, Trump said publicly that he had instructed Vice-President Mike Pence, the leader of the White House's pandemic response, not to call the woman in Michigan." Trump has since deleted the tweet. And in a press briefing on Tuesday, he said he had a productive conversation with Whitmer earlier in the day. The governor, too, has backed away from the feud this week as the state grapples with the escalating crisis. Michigan reported more than 7,600 cases of coronavirus and 259 deaths as of Tuesday. In a statement, Whitmer declared that her No. 1 priority is protecting Michigan families from the spread of COVID-19." I dont care about partisan fights or getting nicknames from the president," she said. Yet Trump's initial fiery response and the scramble to contain it is nothing if not consistent. The former New York real estate magnate has showed he cannot help but respond with force when criticized. As first lady Melania Trump noted four years ago, When you attack him he will punch back 10 times harder. In this case, however, allies quietly note that he did not consider the likely political ramifications in a state he badly needs to win in November. Anyone with half a brain can see that attacking an incredibly popular governor who's showing real leadership during a crisis is not a net plus, said John Anzalone, whose firm handles polling for Whitmer and former Vice-President Joe Biden's presidential campaign. Biden has stood up for Whitmer repeatedly in recent days. On Tuesday evening, Biden's senior adviser Anita Dunn reinforced Biden's support for the governor, who she said is fighting hard for her state and setting an example for leaders across the nation. Joe Biden prays that Donald Trump can find the strength to live up to her example, Dunn said. Meanwhile, it was difficult to find a Michigan Republican willing to defend Trump's behaviour. A spokeswoman for Republican state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey had this to say when asked about Trump's declaration that Pence should not call Whitmer: The Senate majority leader believes everyone is coping with an unusual amount of stress during this time." The clash was particularly sensitive because of the evolving nature of gender politics in the Trump era. Suburban women, including many Republicans, have increasingly fled Trump's GOP, enabling major Democratic victories across the country in 2018 and 2019. His decision to single out Whitmer came the same week he attacked another high-profile Michigan woman, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, whom he jabbed for not working fast enough to help the government produce ventilators. Always a mess with Mary B, Trump tweeted. Trump's team hopes to repair the relationship with suburban women before Election Day, at least somewhat, in a state that matters more than most. Democrats will not make it easy. "It's sad but not shocking that President Trump has attacked Gov. Whitmer for doing her job. He clearly has a problem with strong, competent women," said Stephanie Schriock, president of the group EMILY'S List, which helps elect women who support abortion rights. 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. Meanwhile, Republican Bill Schuette, whom Whitmer defeated in 2018, praised Trumps leadership managing the pandemic but also said we need to lay down the politics" in response to questions about the president's divisive comments and her performance during the crisis. This is not a time for partisanship, Schuette said. "This is a time of working together in an open, honest fashion. That's what people expect and deserve, particularly in a time of crisis. ___ Peoples reported from New York. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Muscle Relaxant Drugs Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026 Increasing prevalence of lower back pain with surge in number of surgeries in geriatric population as well as rising healthcare expenditures of relaxant drugs are expected to boost the growth of muscle relaxant drugs market over forecast period. Global Muscle Relaxant Drugs Market is valued at USD 1710.70 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 2775.90 Million by 2025 with the CAGR of 7.16% over the forecast period. Scope of Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market Report The muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. They may be new to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. Further, muscle relaxant drugs are highly restricted to consume by pregnant women, old person and other drug or alcohol addicted persons. The muscle relaxant drugs are primarily used in conjunction with general anesthetics to achieve muscle relaxation during surgical interventions. Conversely, they are also being used in the treatment of muscle spasm and spastic neurological conditions secondary to multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome etc. These drugs exert their muscle-relaxing effects by inhibiting nerve signals in the brain and spinal cord and may help break the pain-spasm-pain cycle, where pain causes your muscles to spasm as a protective response, and those spasms, in turn, cause more pain. Additionally, while treating acute musculoskeletal back pain, a short course of muscle relaxants may be more effective when used as an adjunctive treatment in the first 3 weeks. They may also be used when back pain causes disturbed sleep for their sedative effect. Muscle relaxants can be addictive, so its ideal to use them for the shortest possible time and keep them away from other adults and children. Because these medications depress the central nervous system, breathing can be affected, and an overdose can be fatal. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=1056&RequestType=Sample Global muscle relaxant drugs market report is segmented on the basis of type, application, and by regional & country level. Based on type, global muscle relaxant drugs market is classified as the facial muscle relaxant drugs, skeletal muscle relaxant drugs and neuromuscular blocking agents. Based upon application, global muscle relaxant drugs market is classified into Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy and Online Pharmacy The regions covered in this muscle relaxant drugs market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of clinical decision support system is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market Report- Some major key players for global muscle relaxant drugs market are Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Galderma S.A., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and others. FIZER AND LILLY RECEIVE FDA FAST TRACK DESIGNATION FOR TANEZUMAB Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company has been announced that the U.S. food and drug organization (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for tanezumab for the treatment of chronic pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and chronic low back pain (CLBP). Hence, the Tanezumab is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively targets, binds to and inhibits nerve growth factor (NGF). However, the first NGF inhibitor to receive Fast Track designation, a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new therapies to treat serious conditions and fill up unmet medical requirements. Furthermore, the tanezumab would be the first in a new class of non-opioid chronic pain medications, said Ken Verburg, Chief Development Officer, Neuroscience & Pain, Pfizer Global Product Development. They believe it would represent an important medical advance in the treatment of debilitating osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain for patients who do not experience adequate pain relief or cannot tolerate currently available pain medications. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=1056&RequestType=Methodology Global Muscle Relaxant Drugs Market Dynamics Rising prevalence of musculoskeletal problems and growing awareness amongst the consumers regarding their treatment and management are expected to be the dynamic factors behind the growth of global market of muscle relaxant drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the non-specific burden of lower back pain has been increased substantially around the globe which is estimated at 6070% in industrialized countries whereas one-year prevalence increasing rate 1545%, adult incidence 5% per year and mostly occurrence of LBP has seen in above 35 age group people. However, severe side effects related to muscle relaxant drugs such as habituation and respiratory arrest will restrict the growth of global muscle relaxant drugs market. The recent technologically improved muscle relaxants are structurally distinct drugs prescribed for reducing muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. Centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants are manufactured by various pharmaceutical companies with variable price. The present study, aimed to analyze the cost variation of various brands of centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants, so as to help the physician to choose the cost effective treatment to drive the market growth. Global Muscle Relaxant Drugs Market Regional Analysis Geographically, North America is dominating the highest share, in terms of profits in overall market of muscle relaxant drugs across the global. The global market for muscle relaxant drugs is expected to gain traction during the forecast period due to increasing aging population and availability of generic drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), America has more than 50% of the aging population estimated to about 1.2 million and is expected to rise up to 1.9 Million by 2030.The Asia Pacific muscle relaxant drugs market is envisioned to grow at fastest pace during the forecast period. Factors such as growing geriatric population and rising number of surgeries are projected to bolster the growth of muscle relaxant drugs market in Asia Pacific region. China, India & Japan are likely to contribute significantly in growth of market. According to the World population, the U.S. has highest aging population with the estimated population from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050 followed by Asia Pacific Key Benefits for Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market Reports Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/1056/Buy/SingleUser Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market Segmentation Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market: By Type Facial Muscle Relaxant Drugs Skeletal muscle Relaxant Drugs Neuromuscular Blocking Agents Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market: By Application Hospital Pharmacy Retail Pharmacy Online Pharmacy Global Muscle relaxant drugs Market: By Regional & Country Analysis North America U.S. Mexico Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 2 2020 The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has narrowed down the number of candidates for several key positions within the commission, including the law enforcement deputy director and the investigation director. The position of law enforcement deputy director, responsible for all legal efforts against graft suspects, has been empty since former deputy director Firli Bahuri left the post in June of last year to return to the National Police as a member of the South Sumatra Police. Firli now serves as the antigraft body chairman after being selected by the House of Representatives in September 2019. KPK acting spokesperson Ali Fikri said the antigraft body had selected three out of 11 candidates for the deputy position after an independent and professional third party carried out administrative and other assessments from March 5 to 17. 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 BANGALORE, India, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry 4.0 refers to a new step in the Digital Revolution with an emphasis on interconnectivity, automation, Machine Learning, and real-time data. Growing the adoption of the industrial internet in manufacturing units worldwide, rising emphasis on improved machinery and equipment performance, and reduced production costs play an important role in the growth of the industry 4.0 market size. Inquire For Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/360I-Auto-4S58/Industry_4_0_Market The global Industry 4.0 Market Size is expected to rise from USD 68,125.13 Million in 2018 to USD 205,236.13 Million by 2025 at a CAGR of 17.06%. The global market for industry 4.0 is highly competitive and is marked by the presence of many foreign and regional players. The market has witnessed growing rivalry between vendors based on the pricing model, differentiation of technology, brand name, service quality, product differentiation, and technical expertise. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-4S58/industry-4..0-market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET SIZE By linking industrial equipment together using wireless networking and collecting sensor data from the equipment, manufacturers can accurately evaluate the machine's current state, optimize its performance, identify possible failures, and prepare maintenance schedules. These advantages offered by the internet of things have made it the largest contributor to the growth of industry 4.0 market. 3D printing technology enables the transition from centralized to distributed production and from mass production to full customization. Together with 3D printing, the Industry 4.0 revolution has the ability to change supply chains, product portfolios, and conventional business models. This advantage of 3D printing over traditional manufacturing methods is expected to increase the industry 4.0 market size. Another factor that drives the market size is the manufacturing of robots using Industry 4.0. Robots created using Industry 4.0 can communicate with each other and function safely next to humans without harming them. Such robots operate more efficiently than humans and are available on the market at a low cost. Industry 4.0 utilizes Machine Learning algorithms to create flexibility in the production process and improves the overall production quality. These factors in turn are expected to increase the industry 4.0 market size. REGION WISE INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS The APAC region is expected to have the highest growth rate in the industry 4.0 market due to the increasing adoption of robotics in countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. The major factors that make APAC a competitive region for Industry 4.0 are favorable government policies, R&D funding, and low cost of production. INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET, BY GEOGRAPHY Americas Argentina Brazil Canada Mexico United States Asia-Pacific Australia China India Japan Europe, Middle East & Africa France Germany Italy Spain United Kingdom Inquire For Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/360I-Auto-4S58/Industry_4_0_Market Industry 4.0 Market, By Key Players Includes ABB Basler AG DENSO CORPORATION IBM SAP Cognex Corporation GENERAL ELECTRIC Intel Corporation Microsoft Qualcomm Technologies, Inc Others. Market Segmentation & Coverage: The research report categorizes the Global Industry 4.0 Market to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following segments: GLOBAL INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET, BY COMPONENT Hardware Software GLOBAL INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET, BY TECHNOLOGY 3D Printing Industrial Robotics Internet of Things (IoT) Machine Learning GLOBAL INDUSTRY 4.0 MARKET, BY END USER Automotive Industrial Equipment Buy Now @ https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=360I-Auto-4S58 SIMILAR REPORTS 1. Smart Factory Market Report Smart Factories are advanced factory setups that have integrated cyber-physical systems, which allows materials to be moved efficiently across the factory floor. This advanced system has integrated computing codes to provide solutions for automation. Cyber-physical systems track physical processes within the modular organized, smart factories, build a virtual copy of the physical environment, and make autonomous decisions. North America held the largest smart factory market share with 29.09 % in 2017 and 26.56 % market share in 2012, showcasing a 2.53 % raise. It is followed by Europe with a market share of 26.50 % and China with a market share of 18.92 % in 2016. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-2G402/global-smart-factory 2. Industrial IoT (IIoT) Market Report The global industrial IoT (IIoT) market size is projected to rise from USD 65,452.15 million in 2018 to USD 118,413.63 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 8.83%. The Industrial IoT market size is driven by factors such as technological advancements in semiconductors and electronic devices, increased use of cloud computing systems, standardization of IPv6, and funding for IIoT-related R&D activities from governments. The study offers in-depth insights into demand forecasts, industry dynamics, and micro and macro indicators. Moreover, this report offers insights into the factors that drive and inhibit Industrial IoT Market demand. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-1O67/industrial-iot-market 3. Cloud Computing Industrial IoT Market Report Global cloud computing industrial IoT market size is expected to rise from USD 3,685.06 million in 2018 to USD 7,373.29 million by 2025, at a 10.41 % CAGR. In the cloud computing industrial IoT, the market is highly competitive and marked by the presence of large numbers of foreign and regional players. The market has witnessed intensified competition between vendors based on the pricing model, differentiation of technology, brand name, service quality, product differentiation, and technical expertise. Cloud computing industrial IoT market report offers in-depth insights into forecasts of demand, industry dynamics, and micro and macro indicators. This report also provides insights into the factors that drive and restrain the demand for cloud computing in the industrial IoT market. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-7Z22/cloud-computing-in-industrial-iot-market 4. Industrial Robotics Market Report Technological advancements and declining costs make industrial robots more affordable for small and medium-sized businesses and allow smooth integration and program. Skilled labor shortages and increasing manufacturing requirements are driving automation needs and acceptance. Another major factor driving the industrial robotics market size is the growing penetration of collaborative robots in various industries. The Robotics Market report provides the industry participants with an analysis of market share. The major players were also profiled along with an overview of the organization, a financial summary, market strategy, SWOT analysis, and recent developments in industrial robotics. The major market participants profiled in this report include Kuka Robotics, Denso, Fanuc, Mitsubishi, and Universal Robots. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Auto-3U240/industrial-robotics 5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing Market Report The Artificial Intelligence in manufacturing market size is expected to increase from USD 513.6 million in 2017 to USD 15,273.7 million in 2025, rising at a CAGR of 55.2%. Factors such as mass production, organizational abilities, and improved efficiency achieved through automation in the manufacturing industry are expected to raise Artificial Intelligence in manufacturing market size. The Artificial Intelligence in the manufacturing market report offers an in-depth review of the manufacturing market's global Artificial Intelligence, and existing & future developments to elucidate the imminent investment pockets. 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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 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4wNXynaTZbiD5m92WQI4A Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg By the time he linked up with Davis, Roney was already a leading voice in what came to be called the Young Lions movement, a coterie of young musicians devoted to bringing jazz back into line with its midcentury sound. And he was already associated sometimes distressingly so with Davis legacy. Many dismissed him as a musical clone: ravishingly talented but lacking the necessary distance from his idol to claim creative agency. New York City is one of many places that have closed non-essential businesses to combat COVID-19 outbreaks. New research quantifies the necessity of such measures, especially in large urban areas. Credit: Shutterstock.com Cities are vibrant centers of modern life, tied together by dense and diverse networks of socioeconomic interactions. But the sorts of connections that foster creativity and innovation in cities now threaten to spread the novel coronavirus. New interdisciplinary research from the University of Chicago quantifies how COVID-19 has attacked large U.S. cities at much higher ratesgrowing roughly 2.5 times faster, for example, in the New York metropolitan area (pop. approx. 20 million) than in Oak Harbor, Washington (pop. approx. 84,000). But these numbers only represent part of the story of the pandemic, said Prof. Luis Bettencourt, a leading researcher in urban science and ecology and evolution. Although large cities are dealing with faster growing outbreaks, they may also have the socioeconomic institutions and infrastructure to respond more aggressivelyboth by enforcing social distancing measures and expanding the capacity of their health care systems. "You can see large cities being hit first and faster, and then stepping up their responses," said Bettencourt, who directs the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation at UChicago. "If their response matches the challenge, then they have a chance to go through this first surge faster, and also to be better prepared for the future. "But if it's not, even a place that doesn't currently have the worst problem may soon be overwhelmed." The new preprint paper examines data on more than 200 U.S. metropolitan areas from March 13 to 24. Bettencourt co-authored the paper with Marc Berman, a UChicago neuroscientist and psychologist who leads the Environmental Neuroscience Lab. The first author was UChicago doctoral student Andrew Stier, AB'16. The researchers aggregated county-level data from that timeframe to the city level, subtracting total deaths to approximate the number of early active cases. They estimated some of the highest growth rates in the New York-Newark-New Jersey area (roughly 50% per day), the Chicagoland area (43%), the greater Los Angeles area (28%) and the Seattle area (15%). The chart on the left shows estimated exponential daily growth rates of COVID-19 in U.S. metropolitan areas. The chart on the right estimates how much of the population might eventually be infected, absent effective controls. Credit: Stier et al. "The denser the city, the more easily disease can spread," said Berman, an associate professor in UChicago's Department of Psychology. "It's intuitive, but we put numbers behind it. This evidence is important from a public policy standpoint, because you have some politicians really not taking some of these things sufficiently seriously. "It says here in the data: If you are in larger cities, you definitely have to be more careful, you have to act faster and you have to engage in more intense social distancing." Added Stier: "At the same time, it is important to try and preserve social networks as much as possible, possibly through technology. Rich, intense and diverse social networks are part of what make cities so great." The new research also suggests that when the largest COVID-19 outbreaks have been contained, smaller cities may be able to return to normal life and economic activity faster than their larger counterparts. But even that remains uncertain, given the disparity in responses from city to city and the potential for transmission between cities. The more concrete takeaway for Bettencourt is that the "path to normality will be place-specific, depending on the initial density of ties that can transmit the disease, and on the speed and effectiveness of the response." That is, the effects of the pandemic will vary on a local level, even for a virus that has left few areas of the world untouched. He is currently examining data that might reveal the ongoing effectiveness of countermeasures, both in cities across the United States and in other parts of the world. "It's not a monolithic problem," Bettencourt said. "The attack rate is worse in some areas, but the capacity to respond may also be stronger in different places. Where these two factors match, or don't match, is where we'll find both solutions and the greatest challenges." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Andrew J. Stier, et al. COVID-19 attack rate increases with city size: Andrew J. Stier, et al. COVID-19 attack rate increases with city size: arxiv.org/abs/2003.10376 : arXiv:2003.10376v2 [q-bio.PE] The novel coronavirus first emerged in December 2019, and since then, it rippled across 180 countries, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many people are looking for answers. Scientists are racing to find a treatment that can help save lives. Now, a team of scientists has suggested that stem cell therapy can help fight the deadly infection. The scientists from the University of North Texas Health Science Center joined forces to create a treatment that is effective for patients infected with the coronavirus. The lead author, Dr. Kunlin Jin, who is an expert about stem cells, and a team of international researchers, joined forces to determine if stem cell therapy can be used to treat COVID-19 patients. When news of the coronavirus emerged from Wuhan, China, Kunlin Jin, PhD, and a team of international researchers quickly joined forces to fight the mysterious disease. The team used the messaging app WeChat to talk and work with each other despite the distance. The team from the laboratory at HSC and experts in China. The team focused on stem cells as a tool to boost a persons immune system to fight COVID-19 and not focusing on finding an antiviral drug to kill the virus. The therapy will harness the bodys immune systems power for it to have the strength to ward off the infection. I am proud to be part of the team I work with to fight COVID-19. Our study showed that intravenous infusion of clinical-grade human mesenchymal stem cells is a safe and efficient approach for treating patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, including in elderly patients displaying severe pneumonia, Dr. Jin said. Stem cell therapy for infectious diseases Previous studies have suggested that stem cell therapy can help fight viral infections. While the treatment is not a method to eradicate or cure coronavirus, there is evidence to support the concept that infected patients may be more likely to survive an infection. Their immune systems will be given a boost, strengthening it to be able to fight the virus. Further, stem cells rejuvenate and regenerate cells in the body. They do this through many processes that involve reducing inflammation, secreting substances that protect cells, reducing cell death, providing antioxidant effects, and boosting immune system response. Stem cells. Image Credit: Dimarion / Shutterstock The therapy The experimental treatment involved injecting stem cells intravenously into the blood of seven patients in Beijing, China, who were critically ill. Three of the patients were given a placebo. These patients tested positive for COVID-19. Seven patients who had stem cell therapy had been successfully treated and recovered from the disease. Within 14 days in the hospital, they were discharged. Of the patients who had the placebo, one died, the other two became critically ill, with the other one developing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The study titled, Transplantation of ACE2-Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves the Outcomes of Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia, will be published in the April 2020 issue of the journal Aging and Disease. Urgent call for treatments The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on many countries, with some grappling with an exponential rise in cases. For instance, the United States reports the most number of cases, with 189,642 infections. Italy and Spain follow with 105,792 cases and 95,923 cases, respectively. Italy reports the highest number of deaths, as its death toll reaches 12,428, as the global death toll surpasses 42,000. Many scientists are working to determine a potential therapy for viral infection, while others race to develop vaccines in the hopes of protecting populations worldwide. The disease is often deadly to those who are above 60 years old, those with underlying health conditions, and those who are immunocompromised. Those who are younger may contract the virus but only develop mild to moderate illness. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) progresses to pneumonia and, eventually, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Gov. Charlie Bakers updated executive order closing all non-essential businesses does not exempt shops selling recreational marijuana, and he doesnt plan to lift restrictions on those businesses early, either. Licensed medical dispensaries can remain open in Massachusetts, but Baker said that the push to add adult-use marijuana dispensaries to the list of essential businesses is a non-starter because of the out-of-state customers they would likely attract. There is tons of evidence that because Massachusetts is one of the few states in the Northeast thats legalized recreational marijuana, that if we make recreational marijuana an essential business ... we are going to have to deal with the fact that people are going to come here from all over the place," Baker said, arguing that would hamper the states efforts to contain the outbreak. Eighty-nine people have died from the coronavirus, according to data released Tuesday from the state Department of Public Health. The state now has 6,620 confirmed coronavirus cases, up from 5,752 on Monday. Baker imposed restrictions on out-of-state travel last week, instructing people flying, taking a train or driving into Massachusetts to self-quarantine for two weeks. On Tuesday, Baker extended his order closing non-essential businesses to the public until May 4. He also extended the stay-at-home advisory and order limiting public gatherings to 10 people. I know weve asked a lot from people, but there is more that must be done, Baker added. Bakers first executive order, issued last week, deemed adult-use marijuana non-essential. The state Cannabis Control Commission, which had previously imposed social distancing measures at dispensaries, issued cease and desist letters. Will Luzier, the manager behind the 2016 campaign to legalize marijuana, said Tuesday theres no reason Baker shouldnt allow recreational marijuana sales for Massachusetts residents, as governors in other states that allow recreational marijuana have. The governors in other legal states do not share Gov. Bakers approach to blocking adult-use sales, and their consumers are being treated more fairly because of it, Luzier said in a statement, suggesting Baker should use his emergency powers to order the Cannabis Control Commission to lift its ban. Luzier is part of a coalition of cannabis advocates, public officials and veterans calling on the governor to lift the ban on adult-use marijuana during the state of emergency. The group called on the Legislature to draft a measure allowing adult-use marijuana sales. Uxbridge Selectman Stephen Mandile, who served in the Iraq War, said veterans and other residents who have struggled to secure a medical cannabis card are already having trouble without access to adult-use sales. He argues the extended closures until May 4 only makes it worse. Mandile also argued the order imposes a double standard, restricting marijuana sales but allowing alcohol sales to continue. The governor has not provided a compelling answer as to why alcohol sales are allowed but cannabis sales are not and to why his position differs from other governors," Mandile wrote in a statement. I hope the Legislature takes action to provide Massachusetts veterans the same access as veterans in other states. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Comcast committed $500 million to support its workers during the coronavirus crisis, and the companys top executives will donate their salaries to charities supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. Read more Comcast committed $500 million to support its workers during the coronavirus crisis, and the companys top executives will donate their salaries to charities supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. In an email to employees, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said Wednesday that the $500 million would provide continued pay and benefits to employees where operations have stalled or been harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. The Philadelphia media giant, which has 190,000 employees worldwide, was forced to shut down theme parks, delay movie releases, and suspend content production because of the outbreak. It must also wait a year to broadcast the Olympic games in Tokyo, which were set to give the company more than $1.25 billion in advertising revenue. Roberts, CFO Mike Cavanagh, Comcast Cable CEO David Watson, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, and Jeremy Darroch, the CEO of the Sky European pay TV service, will donate their salaries for the duration of this situation, the memo said. The memo did not say which charities would receive the donations. We hope in some small way we can make this time easier on our employees, our local communities and our customers, Roberts wrote. Comcast did not say how many employees would benefit from the $500 million Employee Disaster Assistance Fund. Roberts earned a salary of nearly $3.2 million in 2018, according to the most recent compensation disclosure. Cavanagh collected almost $2 million that year, while Watson made more than $1.5 million. Shell, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, replaced former NBCUniversal head Stephen Burke, who made nearly $3 million. When including other compensation, such as stock options and bonuses, Roberts made $35 million in 2018. Cavanagh earned $21.7 million, Watson made $14.7 million, and Burke raked in nearly $40 million that year. Separately, with more people working and studying from home due to the coronavirus outbreak, Comcast is giving customers unlimited data for no additional charge and making its vast network of Xfinity WiFi hot spots free for everyone. The company has also pledged that it wont disconnect service or impose late fees if customers cant pay their bills during the pandemic. Last week, Roberts family gave $5 million to help pay for 50,000 Chromebooks for students in the Philadelphia School District. Nineveh Plains Transitional Justice Report: March The Nineveh Governorate has come to a grinding halt because of COVID-19, impacting the ability of returnees to maintain whatever life they had developed post-ISIS. The militias are providing the structure used to enforce stay-at-home directives, possibly strengthening their role in the governorate post-ISIS. The Nineveh region has become a common subject of Iranian news publications as it relates to anti-ISIS activities, especially in response to the international coalition appearing to reprioritize its military goals in the area. Organization COVID-19 has led the international coalition against ISIS to suspend its training mission and prompted several troop repositions. This is the second time this year that the mission was paused. It comes as officials discuss whether their presence for the purpose of fighting ISIS is still relevant. The U.S. has pulled out of three bases, including the Qayyarah Airfield, which is located just 30 miles from Mosul. The Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Barker said in a news statement, "The Qayyarah base served as a strategic launching point for the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] and Coalition during the Battle of Mosul. In particular, the base serves as a hub for the Iraqi air force, who continue to deliver lethal strikes on Daesh bed-down locations." However, Iranian media continue to challenge this statement. Iran alleges that the U.S. remains in Qayyarah and that preparations are underway against the Hashd al-Sha'abi (PMF) militia, which is supported by Iran and controls the Nineveh region. Iran has increased its media coverage of paramilitary activity in the Nineveh Plains, threatening an increase of tension, while also highlighting their own efforts against ISIS. The PMF has announced a "Spring of Victories Operation" in the Nineveh and Saladin Governorates against ISIS militants. In Nineveh, Iran announced this would involve Brigade 44 and 51 of the PMF. The militias, including the Nineveh Plains Protection Unit, are enforcing curfew and shelter in place restrictions instituted by the Central Government to combat COVID-19. The first confirmed cases in Nineveh were reported on March 22, but the first suspected cases were tested in an IDP camp roughly 12 days prior. The Nineveh Governorate has taken an increase of organized steps to communicate the problem of COVID-19 to residents. The lack of infrastructure post-ISIS and the number of those who remain in IDP camps remain a significant concern. It is not possible to fully test for COVID-19 in Nineveh, as the results are sent to Baghdad for analysis. This situation is further concerning, considering an IOM report published in March which detailed that Nineveh has the highest number of households re-displaced after they attempted to return. Displaced persons are considered highly vulnerable to COVID-19, as they often lack the resources needed for a sanitary and healthy living environment. Polarization Many Nineveh residents do not understand the threat of COVID-19, but the impact of the pandemic on top of the already numerous challenges faced by residents is heavily felt. "I think I am ready to say with full confidence: I don't care," says one Christian farmer. "(First a) series of wars, then ISIS and displacement. Later a lack of jobs and investments, now and finally coronavirus. What miserable life I've had!! I can't remember staying happy for an entire month in my whole life." The inability to attend houses of worship has stressed many residents, who were still able to find religious community even during the times of displacement. Suspicions abound as residents watch the militias adjust their organization to enforce the curfew. One Qeraqosh farmer shared his thoughts: "politicians always make use of any crisis. And not only in Iraq, it is everywhere." "ISIS was a dark cloud passed over Iraq, but life pre and post-ISIS is very different from a political perspective. Can you believe that the Asaib Ahle Al-Haq militia got 14 seats at the parliament while they only have a couple thousands of followers, do you believe that?!" "I am sure the militias and ISIS and every armed person will make use of this, and we will never know until the epidemic is over. They are planning and taking steps now while we are trying to survive," he adds. The heavy restrictions on movement are worrying a number of local farmers. In neighboring governorates, reports have already surfaced that because movement related to the care of livestock is considered non-essential travel, animals are starving. Travel restrictions grant some limited movement for humanitarian aid, which is relied upon heavily in Nineveh. Yet even farmers in this governorate are beginning to feel the impact. "I had just started a new round of chicks," says one chicken farmer in Qeraqosh. "We villagers cannot stop doing this (farm work). It is something that goes on in my veins." "I am having difficulty getting the fodder. We all used to have one source of fodder and chicks, but now even the vet is importing fodder to maintain (its) availability. Also, the price right now is $520 per ton while it was $460 before coronavirus." He adds, "you know it is a village, we know each other, also the police, army, and the NPU are not strangers. In coordination with Qeraqosh mayor, we formed a committee to help poor families." Beyond the implications of COVID-19, the consequences of ISIS continue to haunt religious minorities. In Sinjar, a Yazidi was arrested by military intelligence when he attempted to renew his personal identification papers. His formal papers were left behind when the family fled Sinjar, and he argues that ISIS may have used these papers in a way that had them flagged on the government's terrorist wanted list. The situation speaks to the deeper issues which continue to divide and impact residents of Nineveh. Investigation The investigation into the crimes of ISIS appears to have slowed substantially as the country slows down over COVID-19. The Martyrs Foundation announced on March 9th that two mass graves were opened in Nineveh: one in Sinjar, the other in the governorate's center. This brings the total nationally to 219 mass graves discovered in the post-ISIS investigation. Customarily, the remains are often transferred to Baghdad for investigation. But it is unclear whether any forensic evaluation regarding evidence collected as part of the investigation can be pursued since the country has halted most activities. The United Nations Investigative Team (UNITAD) only significant announcement this month was that they facilitated an interfaith statement from Iraq's leading religious authorities regarding the crimes of ISIS. The statement opens with, "we, religious leaders from communities across Iraq, underline our common commitment to support survivors of crimes committed by Da'esh and ensure their effective reintegration into our respective communities, thereby strengthening the basis for healing and reconciliation in Iraq." Carrie Bickmore previously admitted she found parenting during the coronavirus pandemic to be like a 'rollercoaster' ride. And on Wednesday, the 39-year-old revealed she's eaten all of her children's Easter eggs while speaking on Hit Network's Carrie and Tommy Show. 'I even ripped the head right of Evie's white chocolate bunny,' she told her co-host Tommy Little with an embarrassed laugh. 'I ripped the head right of Evie's white bunny': On Wednesday, Carrie Bickmore admitted on the Carrie and Tommy Show she scoffed all of the Easter eggs she hid for her three children. Pictured with daughter Evie The mother-of-three explained she was picking up some groceries over the weekend when she came across an Easter egg display. 'Easter is coming up and I didn't know when I would get to shops again,' she said explaining she decided to buy the children's eggs and hide them for a fortnight. But temptation would prove too much for The Project host. 'On Sunday, I thought, "Oh, I just need a little bit of chocolate," she said. But Tommy wasn't buying her story. Caught out: 'On Sunday, I thought, "Oh, I just need a little bit of chocolate,'" Carrie told Tommy. It turned out to be the beginning of the end 'Do the children have any chocolate left?' he asked Carrie. Carrie finally admitted the hidden Easter egg booty got the better of her - and she kept going back for more. 'I've eaten it all,' she laughed. 'I've eaten it all': Carrie went onto revel the temptation was to great and she kept going back till there was none left The Project co-host shares her two youngest children, Evie, five, and Adelaide, one, with television producer Chris Walker. She is also a mother to son Oliver, 12, whose father Greg Lange died from brain cancer in 2010, at the age of 34. On Monday, Carrie shared a picture of Oliver spinning on a computer chair with Adelaide sitting in his lap. Family: The Project co-host shares her two youngest children, Evie, five, (front left) and Adelaide, one, (front right) with television producer Chris Walker (back left). She is also a mother to son Oliver, 12, (back right) whose father Greg Lange died from brain cancer in 2010, at the age of 34 In the caption, Carrie reflected on the difficulties of being at home with her children while schools are closed in Victoria. 'It's like doing normal life, but without all the scaffolding,' she said. 'No routine, no school, no weekly activities, no extended family, no friends, no familiar faces, no distractions and not many breaks to catch our breath.' 'So much uncertainty and stress, and sometimes you just want to cry or hide in a cupboard for five minutes' peace,' she wrote. Rollercoaster: Carrie shared a video to Instagram on Monday of her son, Oliver, 12, spinning on a computer chair with his one-year-old sister, Adelaide, sitting in his lap 'No two lives are the same, everyone has different challenges at the moment and is being tested in different ways, but there is so much compassion and care going around.' Carrie concluded by saying that everyone should try and 'make an effort to be kind to each other and to ourselves as well', despite the difficult times. As of Wednesday evening there are 4,862 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 21 deaths. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The New York City Police Foundation and the NYPD will buy more than 400,000 protective items for officers to use as they respond to emergencies during the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the department announced on Tuesday. The foundation was able to buy 150,000 masks, 150,00 gloves and 150,00 packets of hand sanitizer, for an overall cost of $500,000, which was raised from donations, the department announced. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** This equipment will help keep our officers physically safe,'' said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, while thanking donors. But beyond that, it sends them a clear message that their unwavering commitment to protecting people is deeply appreciated. Amid all the challenges of this crisis, Im struck by all the ways it has brought out the best in New Yorkers. Sony, the electronics company, will also immediately donate additional masks on top of the 150,000 the foundation purchased. Despite these unprecedented times, the men and women of the department will continue to answer the call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, said Susan Birnbaum, president and CEO of the New York City Police Foundation. The NYPDs commitment to the city and its residents is unwavering and its essential we support them. The protective items will be sent to the NYPDs Quatermaster Section, which focuses on distributing supplies and equipment to NYPD officers. As of Tuesday, the section had already distributed more than 260,000 pairs of gloves, 550,000 masks, more than 150,000 individual disinfecting wipes and nearly 68,000 liquid hand sanitizer bottles. The NYPD has been highly impacted by the coronavirus, and so far 930 NYPD employees have tested positive for the virus -- 824 uniformed members, 106 civilian members. Overall, five NYPD members have lost their lives to the virus. Those who wish to make a donation to the foundation can visit their website. RELATED COVERAGE: Navy hospital ship Comfort docks in Manhattan at front line of coronavirus pandemic In addition to hospital beds, the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is equipped with a dozen operating rooms and laboratory facilities. Data analysis of Staten Island and New York cases Coughs, sneezes, surfaces: Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread How the coronavirus hit Staten Island: A timeline of the pandemic in our borough Honor guards perform Taiwan national flag lowering ceremony at Liberty Square, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 1, 2020. (Ann Wang/Reuters) In Taiwan, Anger at China Over Virus Drives Identity Debate TAIPEIAnger at being confused with China amid the coronavirus outbreak and Beijings stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty is stirring heated debate in Taiwan about how to further distance itself from its giant and often threatening neighbor. At its core is a debate about whether to drop China from the islands official name, the Republic of China. During the virus crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO), which considers the island part of China, has listed Taiwans far lower case number under Chinas, and China has repeatedly insisted only it has the right to speak for Taiwan on the global stage, including about health issues. Taipei says this has confused countries and led them to impose the same restrictions on Taiwanese travelers as on Chinese, and has minimized Taiwans own successful efforts to control the virus. Taiwan has been debating for years who it is and what exactly its relationship should be with the Chinese regimeincluding the islands name. But the pandemic has shot the issue back into the spotlight. Lin I-chin, a legislator for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said in parliament last month that Taiwan should change its English name to Republic of Chunghwa, an English rendering of the word Taiwan uses for China in its name. Taiwan has been brought to grief by China, she said. On Sunday, the New Power Party, one of Taiwans smaller opposition groups, released the results of a survey in which almost three-quarters of respondents said Taiwan passports should only have the word Taiwan on them, removing any reference to China. During this epidemic period, our people have been misunderstood by other countries, highlighting the urgency of changing the English name, it said in a statement. Taiwans Foreign Ministry has given a cautious response to the passport idea, noting that according to the constitution, the official name is Republic of China and that the word Taiwan was already added to passport covers in 2003. In the future, if there is consensus between the ruling and opposition parties on this new name, the Foreign Ministry shall cooperate in handling it, spokeswoman Joanne Ou said. But the government is wary of a name change for Taiwan, saying there is no consensus for such a radical move. Although the DPP supports the islands independencetheoretically meaning the official formation of a Republic of TaiwanPresident Tsai Ing-wen says there is no need to do so, as the island is already an independent country called the Republic of China. She often refers to the island as the Republic of China, Taiwan. Tourists wear protective face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while passing by a flag rising ceremony at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 11, 2020. (Ann Wang/Reuters) Republic of Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang has said changing the islands name isnt the most urgent issue facing Taiwan. If we want to change then it might as well be to Republic of Taiwan. Taiwan is more well known, Su said in parliament. But if theres no national consensus, a name change isnt the most important thing for now. Taiwans official name is a throwback to when the Kuomintang party fled to the island after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists in 1949, and continued to claim to be Chinas legitimate government. The Republic of China is a country, Taiwan is not, Chen Yu-jen, a Kuomintang legislator from the island of Kinmen, which sits just offshore from the Chinese city of Xiamen, told parliament on Monday. The statement drew a sharp rebuke from Su, who told reporters it meant Chen had no right to be a member of the legislature. Chen said she was simply stating the facts, and that Taiwan is a geographic name, not a national name. Chinas pressure on Taiwan diplomatically and militarily during the virus crisis has also reduced Beijings already low standing in the eyes of many Taiwanese. A March poll commissioned by Taiwans China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council and carried out by Taipeis National Chengchi University showed more than three-quarters of respondents believed Chinas government was unfriendly to Taiwans, the highest level in a decade. Any name change would infuriate the Chinese regime, which has a law mandating the use of force to stop Taiwan independence. By Ben Blanchard The coronavirus deaths crossed 4,000 in the US on Wednesday, a number higher than the ghastly 9/11 terror attacks in the country, even as the top health experts projected that the pandemic could kill between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans. According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre, more than 4,000 people in the US have died due to COVID-19 and nearly 190,000 have been infected by it. The death toll due to the deadly virus on Tuesday surpassed the number of fatalities in the 9/11 terror attacks. Nearly 3,000 people perished in the attacks carried out by al Qaeda terrorists in the US in 2001. The COVID-19 death toll in the US is also higher than the total number of people killed in China due to the deadly virus. China, which is the epicentre of the virus, witnessed 3,310 deaths. Globally, there are nearly 860,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 42,000 people worldwide have died of the disease. At 82,294 cases, China now has the fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases following the US, Italy and Spain. President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that the US was headed for a "tough two weeks" and advised people to be prepared for the "hard days" ahead. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we are going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful, very, very, very painful two weeks," Trump said. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, based on a model from actual data from the ground, said the death toll in the US could be between 100,000 to 200,000, with the strict implementation of the existing mitigation measures including social distancing till April 30. If no steps were to be taken, the death toll could range between 1.5 million and 2.2 million, she said. White House officials and task force members asserted that mitigation and social distancing measures are the only way out to prevent the spread of the deadly virus despite that being painful and having its own toll on the American economy. We are really convinced that mitigation is going to be doing the trick for us because what you have is you have an increase in new cases at a certain rate, Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered schools to remain closed through April 30 and East Alton-Wood River High School will continue to provide learning through remote resources as it has since March 17. All students will be provided instruction via the districts Chromebook program and Wi-Fi networks, with students also having the option to receive printed materials and instruction. Those printed materials will continue to be available at the East Building south entrance, with a designated employee distributing materials in a safe manner that protects students and the employee. EAWR students will continue to do work for grade improvement as they have for these last two weeks. On Tuesday, all EAWR students were assigned work and assessments which will count for points credit or will be returned as incomplete and a request to redo that assignment or assessment. Since we all realize that in-person direct instruction is a much preferable method of teaching, our goal and the state board of educations goal is to use this unprecedented teaching platform (remote learning) to teach and help our students through this unique period in our history, while not causing them harm through reduced grades during this period, said superintendent John Pearson. Students, however, do have the capability during this time of improving their grades as well as to stay active learners in preparation for post-high school education or returning to high school next fall. Pearson said EAWR will continue to provide other essential services to students. All persons 18 or younger in the community may pick up breakfast and lunch 9-11 a.m. Both meals will be available at the same time and pickup location, the parking lot between the library entrance to the main building and the machine shop under the canopy area. Other essential services will be provided as requested for students with individual education programs through the Special Education Division. Guidance services also continue to be provided. Further, the administration and staff have regularly and will continue to regularly update students and parents via emails, phone calls, SchoolMessenger calls, the schools official Facebook page and other social networking. Pearson said the school board and staff are grateful for parents and students patience through the disruption. Decision-making is already in the discussion phase regarding issues such as graduation, IHSA eligibility and even prom, he said. We ask for our parents and students continued patience as we pass through these uncharted waters. World leaders have likened the COVID-19 pandemic into a 'war'. Indeed, it is one of the most grueling fights ever in history because we are fighting an invisible enemy. The pandemic is a war fought neither by tanks nor fighter jets but it is a war that can be won in the battlefield of intensive care ward of hospitals, fought by healthcare workers on the front lines. Facing challenges along the way such as medical supply shortages, endless shifts, and the risk of contracting with the life-threatening illness for themselves and their families, these frontline workers are under an immense mental strain. Mentally Exhausted COVID-19 is pushing the mental health of doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers beyond their limits. These individuals who are exposed every day to coronavirus are more at risk of developing unfavorable mental health issues, according to new research. The National Health Commission of China reported more than 3,000 healthcare workers infected from the disease as of early March, and at least 22 had died by the end of February. Similarly, Italy has also reported a 20% casualties to their responding health workers and some of them have already died. Medical workers and frontline workers as well have to face extreme physical and mental exhaustion, tormenting triage decisions that mostly require them to choose which one is to live like sacrificing those with lower chances of surviving to save those people with a higher possibility of getting cured. On top of that, they also face the pain of losing patients and colleagues and the hovering stress of becoming infected. These conditions are bound to cause symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress to doctors and nurses, and other frontline workers. It was confirmed by a recent study by Jianbo Lai, MSc from the Department of Psychiatry at Zheijiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China. With COVID-19 taking the toll not only to patients but also to medical providers alike, a team of China-based investigators headed by Lai used data from more than 1,200 healthcare workers to evaluate the extent of mental health consequences and related factors among those treating patients that were exposed to coronavirus in China. The results of their study have shown that women, nurses, healthcare workers and those in Wuhan had a greater risk of worsening mental health conditions than average. The team's findings suggested that such persons may need psychological support and interventions. Their study was recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open. During the 2003 SARS, similar adverse psychological reactions were also recorded, with studies result that healthcare providers had very high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms which might have long-term psychological implications to the person. What we can do? It is obvious that frontline healthcare workers and alike deserve and require special attention in times like this; it is essential to protect them. Governments should provide all the medical supplies that they need and will be needing, and also enable clear protocols that protect not only their physical health but their mental health as well. It is important that we take care of the healthcare workers so that in turn, they can also properly care for us and those infected when it comes to the time that we ask help from them. National Hunt jockey, David Mullins, made a spectacular return to racing following a near career ending injury when he scored at the double in Thurles and Downpatrick recently. It was great to be back, was his overall feeling. The Kilkenny People caught up with David, who is one of Irelands leading jockeys, to chat about life and to see how he feels now following the huge scare. David rode his cousin Emmet Mullins Zero Ten to victory in the Memorial Novice Chase at Thurles. Chatting to David after the race, he said: Ive won five out of six races on Zero Ten. The ones that keep winning are the ones we like! The next day he won on Barnaviddaun for Paddy Graffin in Downpatrick, just three weeks after his first ride following his return after breaking his back and being told he would never ride again. History It was a weekend that will go down in history in racing, considering David was told he would never ride again after he had a dreadful fall from a horse last October. Victory can be sweet and ironic at the same time. David scored his first big win on his return at the same Thurles race track where he suffered the awful injury in which he fractured his back and T12 vertebrae last October. Following the fall he was treated by the emergency medical team on the track before being air-lifted to hospital. Mullins took a heavy tumble from Lean And Kean at the fourth fence in the two-and-a-quarter-mile handicap chase in Thurles. He spent four months in rehab after emergency surgery on his T12 vertebrae. Speaking about the winning feeling, he said: I rode a winner a few weeks ago, but to get a good Grade 3 winner for Emmet Mullins, against the good horses in a good race, was super. The fact it was in Thurles in one of their feature races of the year was pretty good too. Throwing his mind back to the day of the accident, Mullins recalled that it was a normal day. I went down Thurles to have a ride on a horse called Lean and Clean, he explained. He fell at the fourth fence. I remember everything after hitting the ground. I couldnt move. I didnt know what was happening and why I wasnt leaving in an ambulance. The next thing a helicopter came. ICRR - the helicopter service - were top drawer. Only for them my experience would have been twice as painful. David was flown to University College Cork Hospital. His mother Helen was by his side. Mam was there straight away and all she had in her head was give it up, give up the racing, he smiled. A couple of weeks later as I started to come around, she was all for it for me to get back up again. David described his first day at home after spending eight days on his back in hospital as a gift, a memory for life. He couldnt believe the kick he got out of something simple like sitting at the kitchen table and eating a bowl of Coco Pops! I came home weighing nine stone, he revealed. I lost a stone and a half in weight from the day I got the fall to the day I got home. I wouldnt be the biggest fan of hospital food, he added. The surgeons inserted two rods and six screws in his back during the delicate operation. David had to wait it out after that: a wait of four months. The back was sore and I couldnt really move, he told us. For six weeks I did nothing, but I did burn Netflix out of it! He suffered the injury just at things were coming into the racing calendars good time of the year. So in order to help keep himself sane, he watched a lot of racing. He believed that keeping the mind occupied was huge in the recovery process. I am very lucky, he admitted. I have been brought up in racing and I live beside my dads racing yard. It was great to sit into the car and go to the yard to look at the horses. Again, the simple things, he reminded. Determined As he began to feel better, the urge to get back racing became stronger and stronger. I felt lucky, he said again. I didnt really mind the recovery as long as I felt I could get back riding eventually. I was told after surgery that I would never ride again. That was hard to take, but I never gave up hope. After six weeks of rest and recuperation, David began to feel stronger, and with that, his confidence grew. Every week that goes by and you are getting stronger and fitter, you start thinking about making a living again, he added. The Injured Jockeys Fund, which provides support in a prompt and sympathetic manner to jockeys who are injured, unable to ride, or generally in need, came to the rescue. That Fund is hugely important to jockeys. David insisted he would not be a jockey if it wasnt in place. He expressed his gratitude to the organisation for everything they do and did for him. Tampa, Fla. A Florida sheriff is asking for new leads in the disappearance of the former husband of a big cat sanctuary owner featured in the new Netflix series "Tiger King." Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister posted on his personal Twitter account Monday that the popularity of the seven-part documentary made it a good time to ask for new leads in the 1997 disappearance of Jack "Don" Lewis. He was married to Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue near Tampa. Lewis went missing shortly before a planned business trip to Costa Rica, investigators said shortly after his disappearance. His van was found near a Pasco County airport. Deputies searched the wildlife sanctuary he ran with his wife, but he was never found in Florida or Costa Rica. "Tiger King" tells the story of an Oklahoma zookeeper named Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as "Joe Exotic," who was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison this year after being convicted in an unsuccessful murder-for-hire plot against Baskin. He was upset that Baskin, an outspoken critic of him and his zoo, won a million-dollar civil judgment against him. Maldonado-Passage isn't giving up: From behind bars, he filed a federal lawsuit seeking nearly $94 million in damages, claiming among other things that he was convicted based on false and perjured testimony. He also claims he was singled out for prosecution because he "is an openly gay male with the largest collection of generic tigers and cross breeds." The documentary extensively covered Maldonado-Passage's repeated accusations that Baskin killed her husband and possibly fed him to her tigers. Baskin has never been charged with any crime and released a statement refuting the accusations made in the series. "Tiger King" quickly became Netfix's top show following its March 20 release. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office confirmed last week that the Lewis case is still active. FILE - President Donald Trump listens as White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing. Associated Press As many as 2.2 million people in the US are predicted to die from COVID-19 if the disease is not mitigated, according to an analysis that the White House is using to guide its response, which was released Tuesday. Death tolls will be curbed dramatically if the shutdown continues. The White House is recommending that social distancing continue until at least April 30. But as many as 240,000 people are still predicted to die, even with shutdowns and stay-at-home orders. President Donald Trump previously said he wanted to reopen parts of the economy by Easter, but the trove of data about deaths from the coronavirus made him change course. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As many as 2 million lives could be saved if the US stays on course with its shutdown, according to a model that has been guiding the White House's planning for the pandemic. Dr. Deborah Birx, who is leading the Trump administration's efforts against the coronavirus pandemic, presented the data during a White House press briefing on Tuesday. The presentation showed that between 1.5 million and 2.2 million people would die without mitigation. With actions to stop the virus's spread, US deaths are projected to number between 100,000 and 240,000 people, which Birx said was "still way too much." Mitigation steps include people washing their hands, not touching their faces, staying in their homes, gathering only in groups of fewer than 10 people, and limiting travel. "It's very much focused on the next two weeks and the stark reality of what this virus will do as it moves through communities," Birx said as she presented the data to reporters. She has used the model to help convince President Donald Trump to support the continued shutdown, The New York Times reported. Dr. Deborah Birx presented a model showing that coronavirus deaths would rise significantly if community mitigation were to stop. The White House 'Mitigation is going to be doing the trick for us' Birx then provided data from different states, saying it provided "great hope about what is possible." Washington state and California, in particular, appear to have the virus under control through widespread testing and containment measures. Story continues Some states have been able to curb the number of coronavirus cases more than others. The White House "We are really convinced that mitigation is going to be doing the trick for us," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during the presentation. "What you have is increase in new cases at a certain rate. When the increase in cases begin to level off, the secondary effect is less hospitalizations, the next effect is less intensive care, and the next effect is less deaths." Fauci stressed that the numbers were predictions that may not necessarily come to pass. "This is a number that we need to anticipate, but we don't necessarily have to accept it as being inevitable," he said. "We can influence this to varying degrees." Staying shut down past Easter Trump initially wanted to open parts of the US by Easter, fearing the shutdowns and stay-at-home orders were causing severe damage to the economy. But the president's sentiments clashed with public-health officials, who used the model presented Tuesday to persuade him to change course. Trump has since walked back the Easter deadline, and his administration is now calling for social distancing until at least April 30. "This is the time for all Americans to come together and do our part," Trump said at Tuesday's press briefing ahead of the presentation. Birx said the data she presented that projected as many as 240,000 people could die was assembled by "five or six international and domestic modelers," citing Harvard University, Columbia University, Northeastern University, and Imperial College London. "It was their model that created the ability to see what these mitigations could do how steeply they could depress the curve," Birx said. The US has the biggest coronavirus outbreak Another part of the data came from a model designed by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The analysis uses data from states, hospital groups, other countries, and the World Health Organization. It assumes that state and local officials will impose stay-at-home orders through May, including limiting travel, shuttering schools, and closing what they deem to be nonessential businesses. It says deaths will rise in states that don't take at least three of these steps. The White House presented a second model about coronavirus deaths. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation/University of Washington The US has the highest known number of coronavirus cases, with at least 175,000 people infected and at least 3,170 deaths. Other researchers have varying predictions that range from 200,000 to 2.2 million deaths in the US by the end of the year. Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story. And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses. Read the original article on Business Insider MELVILLE, N.Y., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce the appointment of Kazuto Ogawa as President and CEO of Canon U.S.A. Inc., effective April 1, 2020, along with other senior executive promotions. Mr. Ogawa has almost 40 years of experience with Canon since beginning 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. "It is a great honor to take on this role as the new president and chief executive officer of Canon U.S.A., Inc., especially during a time of uncertainty when COVID-19 is impacting the global marketplace," said Mr. Ogawa. "In this pivotal moment, our employees, customers, channel partners and other stakeholders remain our top priority and we all need to work together to navigate through this challenging time." Mr. Ogawa's new role as President & CEO will be complemented with other senior executive appointments at Canon U.S.A. Inc., on which he remarked: "I'm pleased to acknowledge the well-deserved promotions of my esteemed colleagues. This leadership team exemplifies Canon's dedication to growth and innovation and commitment to our values." The additional Canon executive appointments include: Tatsuro Kano has been promoted from senior vice president and general manager of Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. , Inc. to executive vice president of the Imaging Technologies and Communications Group. has been promoted from senior vice president and general manager of Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon , Inc. to executive vice president of the Imaging Technologies and Communications Group. Shinichi Yoshida , executive vice president and general manager of Business Imaging Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. , Inc. has been promoted from vice chairman to chairman and chief executive officer of Canon Solutions America. He has added these titles in addition to retaining his role at Business Imaging Communications Group. , executive vice president and general manager of Business Imaging Communications Group, Canon , Inc. has been promoted from vice chairman to chairman and chief executive officer of Canon Solutions America. He has added these titles in addition to retaining his role at Business Imaging Communications Group. Katsuhiko Matsufuji has been promoted to the role of vice president and general manager of Marketing, Business Imaging Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. , Inc. Mr. Matsufuji is returning to the U.S.A. from Canon Inc. in Tokyo and is replacing Hiro Imamura , who is assuming a role with Canon Europe Inc. For more information about Canon U.S.A., visit www.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 THE FORMER King of Munster has returned to protect Limerick at this time of national crisis. Donal Mor OBrien stands proudly once again on the grounds of St Marys Cathedral. He is a chip of the old block thanks to chainsaw sculptor Will Fogarty. The man from Hospital, county Limerick was commissioned by the cathedral to make one of his works of art. A few trees had to come down because they were doing damage to the boundary walls in St Marys. They are beautiful structures so it would have been an awful shame if anything happened to them, said Will, of Fear na Coillte Chainsaw Sculptures. After some consultation on what to create they decided upon Donal Mor OBrien from the 12th century. He was the last King of Munster, his palace was supposedly on the grounds of the cathedral. When he came to power he founded churches all over Munster and the cathedral was one of them, said Will. It took Will a week and a half to make the remains of a poplar tree into this masterpiece. The attention to detail is incredible, down to the chainmail effect on his sleeves and the brooches to keep his cape up. Will had to rely on artistic licence for the face but he got lucky. He has a pretty big nose but somebody told me yesterday that apparently the OBriens were renowned for having big noses, said Will. The sculpture was completed by Will on Wednesday. It is now there for the public to enjoy while obeying social distancing guidelines, of course. It was lovely working in my home town. The amount of support I got was brilliant. People passing by the railings were shouting in, giving encouragement, giving thumbs up. It was amazing. What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele, has donated N10 million towards containing the coronavirus pandemic in Ekiti State. The senator made the disclosure of his donation to Ekiti State Government in a statement he issued in Abuja on Wednesday. The senators gesture was coming barely 24 hours after Governor Kayode Fayemi announced an eight-man Support Account Committee to tackle the pandemic in the state. Mr Bamidele represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The donation is my way of identifying with the state government and the people in combating the pandemic. This patriotic zeal is an additional step after all the 109 senators had resolved to donate half of our monthly salaries to the national COVID-19 Account. Mr Bamidele said he had given directive that N5 million should be given to the states COVID-19 committee, while another N5 million be given to the centrally coordinated COVID-19 food Initiative in the state. He also called on well-meaning indigenes of the state to complement ongoing efforts of the Fayemi administration to curtail the spread of the pandemic. He said: I, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, have started by donating a sum of N10 million to fight the scourge. Other federal lawmakers from Ekiti will definitely do something in a matter of days as well. A sum of five million naira has been paid into the States COVID-19 account while the remaining five million naira will go into the centrally coordinated food drive initiative specifically targeted at the vulnerable population in the senatorial district. I am appealing to other illustrious leaders, sons and daughters of Ekiti to join hands with the state government by contributing sacrificially to the COVID-19 account to augment what government can mobilise. The House of Representatives members and senators from Ekiti had since last week been distributing hand sanitisers, hand washing soaps and buckets in their various constituencies. This came barely 24 hours after Governor Fayemis statewide broadcast where he appealed to well-meaning Ekiti stakeholders to join hands in waging war against coronavirus. This underscores the fact that the cord of unity among public officials remains strong and such strength is being deployed to develop human capital resources of our dear state, he said. (NAN) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The following is a roundup of obituaries published on SILive.com. Viewing times and guestbooks can be found here. Mary Ellen Bednar, 92, a nurse who was among the active volunteers at the early revitalization of Sailor Snug Harbor, has died. Edward Joseph Byrne, 90, an army veteran who family describe as a quiet gentleman comforted by his Catholic faith, literature, art and natures beauty, died Saturday, March 28. Maria Heath, 80, who had a three-decade career of service Willowbrook State School, and loved spending time with family, doing karaoke and playing BINGO during her retirement, died Monday, March 23. Mary Thiemer, 80, a nurse who was a board member at Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center where she spent countless hours volunteering her time, died Monday. James Micheal Villecco, 54, an army veteran, volunteer firefighter and FDNY mechanic, died Saturday, March 28. Raymond V. Zajac, 83, who was born on Staten Island and drove a truck for Teamsters Local 701 for more than 40 years, died Monday. Seth Sreymom heard that a wooden house was being demolished nearby in Takeo provinces Bati district in April last year. The mother of three, who runs a small scavenging business, would have usually taken her children along when scouring for materials to sell. However, this time she knew she would be dismantling zinc roofs and decided to leave them with their grandmother. An hour later, Seth Sreymom remembers a relative running towards her with devastating news. My younger sibling came and told me that my children had drowned, she said, speaking to VOA Khmer in October 2019. I almost fainted. Seth Sreymoms loss is unfortunately a common occurrence in Cambodia. Local media stories frequently report drowning deaths, often involving unsupervised children swimming or playing near lakes, ponds and rivers. International and local organizations have consistently flagged the issue, pointing to the dearth of oversight at public water bodies, minimal warning signs, a lack of swimming skills and economic constraints that make it hard for parents to supervise their childrens activities. The government has denied the issue is major, adding that number of deaths is very small. But, advocacy groups have continued to push the government to implement better policies to prevent any drowning deaths. Back in Takeo, Seth Sreymom was sitting at the familys home, where two framed photographs of her children are hung on the walls. The 30-year-old villager barely had any time to deal with the loss of her husband, who died in a road accident four weeks prior to the drowning incident, when she heard the news of her children. Seth Sreymom said she wished she had instructed her daughters to be careful around the water. She even wonders if she should have taken them with her, even though it was unsafe. "If I had known that my children were in danger, I would have brought my two daughters with me, she said. There has been a longstanding debate over the scale of drowning deaths in Cambodia. A 2012 UNICEF report, citing a 2006 survey of more than 67,000 households, reported that there were between 1,800 to 2,090 drowning deaths in the Kingdom annually. The 2006 survey also showed that more than 90 percent of the fatal drowning accidents, involving children aged under 17, went unreported at local healthcare facilities. Additionally, a 2014 World Health Organization report, titled Global Report on Drowning, revealed there were 723 drowning deaths in Cambodia, involving children aged under 15. However, advocacy groups do not have more recent data about drowning deaths in Cambodia, with stakeholders saying it is very expensive to conduct such research frequently, relying on data from more than a decade ago. The government also rejected these estimates and figures, instead providing statistics that are the polar opposite. Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron rejected the UNICEF reports findings that there were around 5 to 6 drowning deaths in Cambodia daily. The minister, instead, said there were 5 to 6 drowning deaths annually, a tiny fraction of UNICEFs estimates. He said the ministrys information was collated from reports sent in by school principals, who were reporting if they had been drowning deaths among the student body. I dont know where they get their figures from, he said. The report I receive is directly from the schools. Minister Naron said schools were instructed to provide safety information about swimming in water bodies and prevented children from being unsupervised during school hours. We asked the schools to help educate children and tell them not to go to an area if they didnt know how to swim or not to swim recklessly, he said. Secondly, they are told to go everywhere together and not to go alone. Health Ministry spokesperson Ly Sovann said that statistics showed 13 drowning deaths in 2018, including cases involving adults. He said that the ministry received 13 drowning deaths in 2019, all linked to flooding-related accidents. Despite the Education and Health Ministry denying these figure, local media stories for the first two weeks of January 2020 reported at least 10 children dying from drowning, where in one case three, 13-year-old girls died in Tbong Khmum district, Tbong Khmum province. Caroline Lukaszyk, consultant and a regional data coordinator at World Health Organization, said many countries, especially in the low- and medium-income brackets, were reluctant to acknowledge that drowning deaths were an issue. When we work with the government at the top policy-making level, usually the first reaction is drowning is not a priority for us, we have a priority issue, she said. The WHO staffer added the international group had instituted 10 steps to reduce the number of drowning deaths, including fencing around water bodies, public awareness programs, and trained first aid and rescue teams. Soun Si, Trapaeng Krolanh village chief in Takeo province, said officials did provide information to prevent drowning deaths, but there was a lack of training on how to conduct rescue operations. This leads to the use of rudimentary, and traditional methods to resuscitate drowning victims, he said. As we all know, they just lift up [the children] holding their feet up and shake them up and down, he said. We lack people with the correct knowledge on how to save those who drown. In nearby Kandal province, Thorn Nary said she could have used any first aid training to save her son in November, who drowned in the river behind their home in Kbal Koh village. Much like Seth Sreymom, Thorn Nary had to leave her three children with their grandparents, when she had to leave for work; at a casino in Phnom Penh. At some point, one of her children sneaked out the back door and was playing in the river when he drowned, a relative told Thorn Nary. If I could turn back time and use any money to trade the life of my son back, I would do it, he said. Honestly, I just lost the son I loved the most. Hatch Exhibits fabricator and installer Morgan Frailey sews together medical gowns the company produces to protect people from the CCP virus, in Elkridge, Maryland, on March 31, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Cuomo: Medical Supplies That China Produces Should be Made in US Basic medical supplies are primarily sourced from China but American companies should start manufacturing them, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday. The state, like many others, has struggled to obtain enough supplies for the projected coming apex of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases. New York officials are still working on procuring supplies but in a real cruel twist of fate, China is the main manufacturer for many items. Where do we get the masks? China. Where do we get the gowns? China. Where do we get the gloves? China. Where do we get the ventilators? China, Cuomo told reporters at a press conference in Albany. I dont know how we got into this position. In another portion of the briefing, he sounded a similar alarm. Boxes of N95 protective masks for use by medical field personnel are seen at a New York State emergency operations incident command center during the CCP virus outbreak in New Rochelle, New York, on March 17, 2020. (Mike Segar/Reuters) Why dont we have medical supplies made in this country? Why are we shopping in China for basic medical supplies? Why dont we gear our medical research to these types of threats and challenges which we know are on the horizon? We know the viruses are changing; we know that they mutate. Why dont we get ahead of it? he said. Governors in multiple states have complained that theyre engaged in a bidding war with the federal government as well as other countries for ventilators and other crucial equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, causes COVID-19, a disease that is killing one in 100 patients in the United States. Top officials, including Cuomo, have called on President Donald Trump to wield power given through the Defense Production Act to force companies to produce certain goods. The federal government has become the only hope for states, according to the Democratic New York governor. Thats why the Defense Production Act came up weeks ago. Right? The Defense Production Act gives the president of the United States power to say to a company, you make this. The discussion was about ventilators. You also have a shortfall on gowns. American companies can make gowns. Theyre not like wedding gowns. Theyre like paper gowns, he said. Make the gowns, make the gloves, make the masks. Why are we we running out of these basic supplies? Jeremy Reitman displays a medical quality personal protective equipment (PPE) face shield for doctors and nurses that he made in his garage on 3D printers in Calabasas, California, on March 30, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Trump has said he used the act three or four times but pulled it back because the companies ultimately came through. In one instance, he used it to compel General Motors to produce more ventilators. Ford, GE, ZOLL, and other U.S.-based companies are also producing ventilators, while Under Armour, Brooks Brothers, and MyPillow are among the companies making masks and gowns in domestic factories. Small companies have also shifted to producing medical equipment and supplies while numerous individuals across the country are producing supplies and donating them to hospitals. Hospitals in the New York City area in particular have reported shortages of masks, gowns, and other equipment, especially facilities in some of the hardest-hit areas like Brooklyn and Queens. City officials reported 44,915 total cases as of Wednesday morning, with 60 percent of them taking place in one of the two boroughs. Most of the citys 1,139 deaths have taken place in Queens or Brooklyn, two of the citys five boroughs. The other boroughs are Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Prospective shortages of supplies prompted Trump to issue an executive order aimed at preventing the hoarding of N-95 masks, ventilators, medical gowns, and other items. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The enhanced community quarantine happening across the country has forced economic activity to a halt, and this has had a chilling effect on growth prospects for 2020. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said there is reason to lift the very strict enhanced community quarantine on April 15, to allow more economic activity while still limiting the movement of people. You go into a transition period where you may now allow more activity," he said in an interview on CNN Philippines. "Agriculture can proceed, some light manufacturing. We can operate now maybe MRT, LRT, some buses; but still the malls will be closed." Diokno stressed the need to lessen the number of people on the street. He clarified that telecommuting or work-from-home arrangements must stay even after the enhanced community quarantine is lifted. Classes would likewise remain suspended. There could be partial openings starting April 15, maybe another month then we can go on normalization mode after that, he added. Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion pushed for a shift to a barangay-based quarantine after the month-long lockdown, rather than a possible extension. "The business sector has agreed - a Luzon lockdown would be better if more focused," he said in an interview on CNN Philippines. "Wherever the infections are, you lock down the barangay. You might as well focus it to the barangay level because not all areas in the Philippines have the virus," Concepcion added. A barangay-based quarantine would also mean less checkpoints, which is currently hampering the movement of basic goods, Concepcion noted. "I believe the number of victims is going higher because we are just testing now so we have a rise only because of testing," Concepcion told CNN Philippines. "But ultimately, this will taper off," he added. But San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President Ramon Ang said the enhanced community quarantine should only be lifted when it is confirmed that the country has flattened the curve. "Otherwise, when we lift it too early, and then so many unknown cases come out, a lot of innocent people will die," Ang told CNN Philippines. "For me, I would only lift this at least by the end of April or May 15," he added. Ang also clarified that social distancing must still be practiced even after the quarantine, as there is still no vaccine to fight COVID-19. GS VASU By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Indian government might be trying to dispel notions that the current lockdown will prolong beyond mid-April, but not everybody is convinced. In this chat with The New Indian Express Editor G S Vasu, acclaimed cardiologist and researcher Dr Rahul Potluri says that the lockdown can be lifted if "the number of deaths are not vastly increasing and if the healthcare system can cope with the number of new cases coming", but not a day before that. Potluri, who works with the NHS in the UK and at KIMS, Hyderabad and is a pioneer in using big data in healthcare research, takes us through why he hotly contests the MIT paper on the effect of heat on COVID-19 and why he believes India is to be commended for an early lockdown. Excerpts: You are currently practising both in the UK and in India. Is there any difference in the approach towards dealing with the coronavirus? There are a number of differences in the way that the coronavirus situation has been handled in both the UK and India. Initially, when the first cases came out in the UK, the policy was to test all of those who came into contact with the initial cases and after this, they thought they were in control. But a few weeks later, they found out that community spread was happening. Subsequently, they thought that they could not handle the extent of the community spread and so, they came up with the idea of herd immunity. It was only then that they calculated that 60% of the population would need to be affected before herd immunity kicked in. This would have resulted in about a quarter of a million deaths. So, they subsequently changed the policy in line with the rest of the world where they went for social isolation and a lockdown. In India, the situation is much more different. Initially, the cases were not as much or certainly, they were not testing as much. The focus was primarily that this is a disease brought in by foreigners. The degree of community spread is not known even now. So therefore, the way the coronavirus outbreak was handled has been quite different. What is not different is the concept of social isolation and lockdown. The reason for that is to first reduce the spread of the coronavirus from person to person. The second reason for social distancing is to buy some time for the healthcare systems so that they can cope with the outbreak, and by buy some time what I mean is that initial modelling performed in the West, particularly in Europe and the US, has shown that if everybody gets the virus in the space of a couple of weeks, no matter how good the healthcare system is, they wont be able to cope. ALSO READ: We may not need lockdown to continue across India: Infosys Prize winning biologist Satyajit Mayor Just to put this in perspective with numbers. In the UK, there are around 6,000 ventilators in the healthcare system in the whole country. If, even with the social distancing, theres a peak outbreak in a couple of weeks, it is estimated that they will need 30,000 to 40,000 ventilators. In hindsight, is it reasonably safe to conclude that the measure that India has taken of imposing a complete lockdown is a better option than what the West did? I think we have to congratulate the Indian government for taking this step at an early stage compared to some countries in the West. They now have to ensure that the lockdown is fully adhered to. The point I am making is that social distancing and lockdown adhered to by as many people as possible as close to 100% as possible will limit the spread of this disease and also enable the healthcare system to cope. But at some point this lockdown will be lifted and people will be back on the streets. The government has clarified that it has no plan to continue it beyond three weeks. Will we be safer by then without the risk of the virus affecting us or do you suspect that the virus will be back? So, the concept of the lockdown, as I said, is not only to limit the spread of the disease but also make sure that the healthcare system can cope. There is a lot of uncertainty as to when this lockdown can be lifted and if you look at multiple arguments on the problems with the lockdown, a lot of them are around public health versus economics. For example, in the US last week, 3.3 million people were made unemployed in one week, which is a record. So you can understand the stark economic issues that many countries, not only in the West but also in Asia, are facing. So far, about 10 trillion dollars of stimulus packages have been announced around the world, particularly in the Western countries. However, the underlying concept that most experts in the industry are reflecting upon is that if public health is not safe and if people cannot go about their daily business - for example, go to a shop without being scared that they will catch a virus - there is no economy. So, the concept that the lockdown is going to cause economic harm is not valid. Weighing economic factors against public health is always an issue. Lifting the lockdown before the virus can be completely beaten will only cause more long-term problems in the economy, in the eyes of many experts. The lockdown can be lifted, sooner rather than later, if people adhere to the policies, and if the virus toll stays low. If particularly in a place like India where we are not doing extensive testing the number of deaths are not vastly increasing and the healthcare system can cope with the number of new cases coming without being at full capacity or beyond. If all of these happen, then certainly the lockdown can be lifted but not before that. Related to this, what do you think is a reasonable time when we can conclude that India is free from a possible community spread? So far, the government has said that there is no evidence of community spread. Your question is a good one and it has multiple answers and this links to the fact that the number of people being tested in India is low. We cant say that there is no community spread. People who are well and in the community are not being tested and they have to be tested in the thousands. One of the misconceptions about the coronavirus is that the West, or particularly the US, has a lot more cases compared to countries where there are only a few thousand cases. But certainly, in the US, they have tested about a million people so far. We have not tested a million people in India, not even close. If we had tested a vast number of people in the community and the number of positive cases is not high, then certainly we can come to the conclusion that there is no community spread. When we have not tested, we cannot come to the conclusion that there is no community spread. These are not only my thoughts but they are also underlined by the WHO policy where they are advocating Test, test, test. ALSO READ: No need to panic, COVID-19 is something we can easily conquer: Padma Bhushan Dr D Nageshwar Reddy But even in regard to testing, there are two theories that are being propagated. One is test, test, test, while what we seem to be currently doing in India is only to test those who are showing symptoms. Which one would you side with? There are two things and I think you have to do both. The reason that you are only testing the people with symptoms is because we are a country of 1.3 billion people. How are we going to test everyone? We know even in the US, particularly in the first two to three weeks, there was difficulty in obtaining the testing equipment. Now, things have eased slightly there. Many countries across the world, including the UK, are having difficulties in obtaining the testing equipment. In India too the story is no different. The second thing is, what are you going to do if you test somebody and they come out positive? Are you going to isolate all of them or millions of them? There is no capacity to do so. Therefore, testing the people who have symptoms or who are unwell seems to be a reasonable policy in the context of social distancing and lockdown because even if people who are asymptomatic or have had mild symptoms are now positive, what is advised, at least in the UK, is to stay at home until the symptoms resolve. So, the concept of test, test, test is not so simple. There are obvious benefits. Well, if we look at experts and the World Health Organization, and if you take the case study of South Korea for example, in early March, they had a number of cases all at once. They subsequently undertook a test, test, test policy. And if you look at the curves of South Korea, they have drastically reduced. They have managed to test a lot of people, they have kept people apart and the cases have largely been contained. A thing everyone needs to consider is what to do when we come out of it on the other side. How do we find out who is infected and who is not? If you dont have such an exit strategy, all the things we have talked about, such as economy, health... nobody knows. Then, a different type of test is required. Not only a test to see who has got the virus but also a test for who has had the virus and who is immune. This is particularly relevant to a potential vaccination in the future too. If somebody has already got antibodies to the virus, are you going to vaccinate them again? Are there risks to such a policy? Because a lot of vaccines, and I am speculating, are live attenuated vaccines. And as such, they may have risks if you give them to people who have already been infected by the virus or are immune to it. Therefore, the testing element will definitely come into it, in a large extent at some point. It is just that in the near future, with everybody involved in testing for a disease that didnt exist three months ago, it is very difficult to test everyone at once. There are two arguments being made and both of them have turned controversial one, the virus that travelled to India is less virulent and then, there is a study reportedly presented by MIT professionals that the virus may not survive in hot conditions. Is there enough scientific data to back these claims? I am aware of both of these studies and I must say that both of these are very preliminary studies. The MIT paper looking at temperature and the coronavirus is only an abstract that was presented. There is no full paper. The abstract is somewhat peer-reviewed but not to the extent that a full paper would be. That is the first caveat. And the second caveat, they looked at the cases in early to mid-March and correlated this to temperatures. It is a purely computational model with correlation. It remains to be seen if temperature has an effect on the coronavirus but certainly, this is not what this study has shown. Because the coronavirus started in colder places and then, spread to other colder places, and it is only now coming to spread in hotter places like Africa and Asia where the number of people being tested is low, we cannot automatically come to the conclusion that the number of cases is lower in those countries. That is by no means proven yet. The second paper you are talking about - on the race differences in coronavirus virulence - has not been peer-reviewed and has not been published. It has been uploaded to a pre-print server and I must credit the authors for doing so because it puts the study into public view. But the authors themselves claim that further work is required before they come to any conclusions that the strain is less virulent in India. This study just looked at a few of the early cases and the genomic patterns of these cases. There are a lot of methodological weak points in this study and the authors themselves acknowledge this. The main ones are that there is no differentiation as to the ethnicity of the samples they have taken from various countries. For example, if they claim to have taken a sample from Wuhan, did they take a Caucasian living in Wuhan or an Indian living in Wuhan or an Indian living in the USA? None of this data is recorded in their study. The second thing is, the main point that I took from their study, is the genome of the virus is similar in 99% of the cases across the spectrum and they are certainly not saying that it is different in India. That is not the conclusion. We have to be careful when we come up with such conclusions from very preliminary data and it remains to be seen whether this is the case but certainly, we cannot come to that conclusion now. As someone who has also seen this situation in the UK, any advice you would like to give to people back in India in dealing with the crisis? The main advice is dont take the coronavirus as not a serious problem. The coronavirus is a serious problem. We have not seen the likes of it for over a 100 years since probably the Spanish flu pandemic. People are dying. To put this into context, in places such as Italy and Spain, on a daily basis for the past week, 800-900 have been dying. If you extrapolate that to one month, that is about 2,00,000 to 2,50,000 lakh people dying in each of those countries. In the UK, about 200 to 250 people are dying on a daily basis. The projections and the mathematical models are that this will extend to around 1,000 people per day in the next couple of weeks and this is a very difficult statistic to deal with. Let me just tell you what is happening on the front lines in these countries. Doctors from various specialities are being forced by the situation to act as COVID-19 doctors. So, orthopaedic surgeons who have little or no experience in dealing with medical problems are suddenly being thrust into the front lines to deal with this COVID-19 crisis. That is not because they want to do this, it is because they have no other choice because of the overwhelming number of patients who come through the front door who are really sick. And if you take a city such as New York for example, there was news out that they will run out of medical supplies and capacity in less than a week and those numbers are changing. Ive been in touch with many colleagues in North America and the UK and life for the doctors is very difficult and uncertain there at this point. They have faced difficulties in terms of having personal protection equipment (PPE) and they are also putting their own lives on the line to treat patients in the wake of a very serious illness. So, lets not make any mistake, this illness is very serious. Im glad that so far in India we are not seeing those sort of death rates and I hope that it continues that way. Everybody has to play a part to keep it that way and that is to maintain the lockdown and maintain social distancing. The more people that participate in that, the less people will die and the less this disease will spread and the less we will see these terrible consequences. CLICK HERE TO READ: [April 01, 2020] Axos Financial, Inc. to Announce Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 Results on April 29, 2020 Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AX) ("Axos" or the "Company"), parent of Axos Bank, announced today that it will host a conference call on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 5:00 PM ET (2:00 PM PT) to discuss financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 ended March 31, 2020. Joining Gregory Garrabrants, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, will be Andrew J. Micheletti, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The Company plans to distribute its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 after 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT). Interested parties may access the live conference call by visiting Axos Financial's website at axosfinancial.com and clicking on the webcast link or by dialing toll-free number 877-407-8294. For those interested parties who may be unavailable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available util May 29, 2020, at Axos' website and telephonically by dialing toll-free number 877-660-6853, passcode 13701354. About Axos Financial, Inc. and Subsidiaries The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Axos Financial, Inc. ("Axos") and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Axos Bank (the "Bank") and Axos Nevada Holding, LLC (the "Axos Nevada Holding" and collectively, the "Company"). Axos Nevada Holding wholly owns its subsidiary Axos Securities, LLC, which wholly owns subsidiaries Axos Clearing, LLC, a clearing broker dealer, Axos Invest, Inc., a registered investment advisor, and Axos Invest, LLC, an introducing broker dealer. With approximately $12.3 billion in assets, Axos Bank provides consumer and business banking products through its low-cost distribution channels and affinity partners. Axos Clearing LLC and Axos Invest, Inc., provide comprehensive securities clearing services to introducing broker-dealers and registered investment advisor correspondents and digital investment advisory services to retail investors, respectively. Axos Financial, Inc.'s common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "AX" and is a component of the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P SmallCap 600 Index. For more information on Axos Bank, please visit axosbank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005687/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI), a global fashion luxury group, announced today that its collective brands and their founders are donating more than $3 million in support of COVID-19 relief efforts. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005131/en/ VERSACE (Photo: Business Wire) "Our hearts and souls go out to those who are working on the front lines to help the world combat the COVID-19 pandemic," said John D. Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capri Holdings Limited. "We thank them for their remarkable dedication and courage and want to support them and the hospitals where they work. We also aim to strengthen organizations dedicated to helping the community. This is clearly a time for people to come together in every way and on every level, because we are all stronger in our united resolve. I want to thank Donatella and Michael for their personal commitments." MICHAEL KORS In New York, the Michael Kors brand will donate $1 million to support local relief efforts. In addition, founder Michael Kors and John Idol will make personal contributions of an additional $1 million towards these efforts. The combined $2 million donation will be distributed across the following organizations to support relief efforts in New York City: Two of New York City's largest hospital systems, NYU Langone Health and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, will each receive $750,000 to support emergency patient care, financial relief to frontline medical staff, and related clinical and diagnostic research. God's Love We Deliver will receive $250,000 to fund meals to be delivered to the city's most vulnerable individuals living with serious illness-people who are especially at risk during this time-across all five boroughs. The organization is a longtime philanthropic partner and beneficiary of support from Michael Kors. A Common Thread, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief will receive $250,000 to provide financial relief for small businesses in the fashion community affected by the pandemic. VERSACE In Milan, Versace is donating a total of $500,000 to support local efforts in response to the pandemic. This is in addition to the 1 million that Versace donated in February to support the Chinese Red Cross Foundation. These additional funds will support the following organizations: San Raffaele Hospital will receive $400,000 to provide critical aid to the hospital's intensive care unit for patients battling the COVID-19 virus. Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana will receive $100,000 for the "Italia, we are with you" project, an initiative to donate ventilators and medical equipment to the country's hospitals. Last month, Donatella Versace, Chief Creative Officer of Versace, announced that she and her daughter, Allegra Versace Beck, together personally donated 200,000 to the intensive care unit of San Raffaele hospital in Milan. JIMMY CHOO In London, Jimmy Choo will donate $500,000 to support relief efforts both in the brand's home country of the United Kingdom and also globally. National Health Service COVID-19 Urgent Appeal by NHS Charities Together will receive $250,000 to support hospital staff, volunteers and others on the front line caring for COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund will receive $250,000, enabling countries to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 crisis, and supporting medical professionals and patients worldwide by providing critical aid and supplies. About Capri Holdings Limited Capri Holdings Limited is a global fashion luxury group, consisting of iconic brands that are industry leaders in design, style and craftsmanship. Its brands cover the full spectrum of fashion luxury categories including women's and men's accessories, footwear and ready-to-wear as well as wearable technology, watches, jewelry, eyewear and a full line of fragrance products. The company's goal is to continue to extend the global reach of its brands while ensuring that they maintain their independence and exclusive DNA. Capri Holdings Limited is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPRI. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005131/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Jennifer Davis Capri Holdings Limited (201) 514-8234 InvestorRelations@capriholdings.com Media: Francesca Leoni Capri Holdings Limited Press@capriholdings.com Tesla's lone US assembly plant posed a risk to public health by staying open for days in spite of San Francisco Bay area shelter-in-place orders, according to documents obtained through a California public records request. Officials with the city of Fremont, California, told Tesla in a series of conversations over several days that its factory was not considered an essential business, and that it therefore needed to comply with an Alameda County order issued March 16. The electric-car maker announced March 19 that it would suspend production four days later. Tesla's manufacturing plant in Fremont, California has been deemed an essential business and is allowed to remain in operation despite Bay Area orders for people to stay home to limit the spread of COVID-19. Credit:Bloomberg The documents provide a more detailed glimpse of what was a contentious days-long debate between local authorities and Tesla, which sought to stay open based on how the federal government defines critical infrastructure sectors. Fremont's police chief, the deputy city manager, the county's health officer and its assistant counsel were among the officials who got involved in the dispute before Tesla backed down. Representatives for Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the documents. State-run engineering firm BHEL on Wednesday said the company and its employees have contributeda total of Rs 15.72 crore to the PM-CARES Fund tofight the COVID-19 pandemic. BHEL has made a contribution of Rs 7 crore through its CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds, while its employees have donated their one-day's salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund), the company said in a statement. To bolster the fight against this unprecedented medical emergency, a total amount of Rs 15.72 crore has been transferred to the PM-CARES Fund by BHEL, it added. BHEL is fully geared up to offer assistance in whatever way possible in combating this calamity and will keep stepping up its efforts in this direction, it said. According to Health Ministry data, the death toll due to coronavirus has risen to 38 in the country, while the number of cases has increased to 1,637. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two more Australians have died from coronavirus, taking the national death toll to 23. On Thursday morning, health authorities in Victoria confirmed a woman in her 70s had become the fifth COVID-19 fatality in the state. The Queensland health minister said an 85-year-old patient from Darling Downs, in regional southern Queensland, had also died from the condition overnight. Nationally, coronavirus cases soared to 5,105 by Thursday morning. In Victoria alone, there are now 1,036 cases - up 68 from Tuesday - including 36 patients still in hospital and six in intensive care. Another 57 people were diagnosed in Queensland overnight, taking the state's total to 835, including three people who have died. Nine patients remain in intensive care. A fourth woman from Noosaville, in Queensland, died from the virus while in Sydney. There are currently 5,105 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 23 deaths The Northern Territory also confirmed an additional two cases of coronavirus overnight, both from returning travellers. A woman in her 20s who returned from Bali on March 20 and has been self isolating at home was diagnosed, as was Alice Springs woman who recently returned from the Gold Coast. The state's total confirmed cases now rests at 21, the lowest in Australia. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and chief health officer Brett Sutton held a press conference on Thursday morning regarding COVID-19 updates. Ms Mikakos said she understood the female victim was in hospital for several days battling the virus. 'I have to stress, this is a very serious situation. Unprecedented in our lifetime. I urge Victorians to follow the rules. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the woman who died in Victoria was in her 70s and had been battling the illness in hospital for several days Pictured: Two women wearing face masks as they walk near a COVID-19 testing clinic in Bondi 'None of these rules have been made lightly, they've all been made to help the most vulnerable members of our community.' In response to the death of a fourth Queenslander, health minister Steven Miles said it is more crucial than ever to slow the spread of the virus through effective social distancing policies. 'The longer we can slow it, the better our hospitals will be able to cope with demand, the more lives our doctors and nurses and health staff will be able to save, and that is what is at stake here. Queensland lives,' he said on Thursday. 'When we ask you to do things which are often inconvenient, sometimes are very inconvenient, sometimes very impactful on your work or your business, please know that we are taking this seriously because it is serious. This virus is deadly.' Police are seen wearing protective face masks while working at Adelaide airport on Wednesday, April 1 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 In response to the threat in Victoria, health authorities in the state have expanded their testing criteria. 'We will be shifting our focus to testing a wider group of people in the community,' Ms Mikakos said. Police officers, child protection workers, homelessness support workers and paid or unpaid workers in health care, residential care and disability care are now being encouraged to get tested if they develop symptoms. Immunosuppressed patients admitted to hospital and patients in high-risk settings such as military operating settings, boarding schools, prisons and correctional settings will now also qualify for testing. Ms Mikakos said most of the cases of coronavirus had come from overseas, so the decision to isolate returning Australians in hotels - away from their families - had freed up additional testing kits. The state's chief health officer Brett Sutton said of all the people who had returned home and were quarantined in hotels, he is only aware of one who tested positive for COVID-19. He expects lockdown measures to keep Victorians safe will likely be in place until at least the end of May or early June. The full effect of the policies will not be felt for at least 10-12 days after they were introduced due to the incubation period of the virus and delay in receiving results from testing kits. Ms Mikakos also announced an additional 9,000 critical care beds after the state government struck a deal with private hospitals. Some 4,000 health workers have expressed interest in helping in the fight against COVID-19. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gannett Co., Inc. (GCI) said the company expects its operating performance to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company anticipates advertising and events revenues to decline as a result of business closures and social distancing measures. Gannett has identified measures that it expects to reduce expenses in 2020 by an additional $100 - $125 million, through implementation of reductions in force and furloughs, significant pay reductions for senior management, and cancellation of non-essential travel and spending. The Board has decided to suspend the quarterly dividend until conditions improve. 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. Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell married in front of only three people at Australia Zoo, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, last week. Two of the guests were her mother, Terri Irwin, and brother, Robert Irwin, but the third guest wasn't a family member. The fifth person at the ceremony was Wes Mannion, the director of Australia Zoo and the best friend of Bindi's late father, Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin. Revealed: The mystery third guest at Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell's wedding at Australia Zoo last week - and why her late father, Steve, would have been delighted to have them there 'My dad would be so happy,' Bindi told People magazine on Wednesday. 'Even if it wasn't by-the-book perfect, it was our perfect.' Bindi and her husband first met in 2013 when Chandler and his parents, who hail from Florida, were on a tour of Australia Zoo. Coincidentally, Wes and Steve had met in a similar way years earlier. Heartwarming: Two of the guests were Terri and Robert Irwin. The third guest was Wes Mannion, the director of Australia Zoo and the best friend of Bindi's late father, Steve Irwin. West is pictured right with the Irwins at a memorial service for Steve in September 2006 Steve met the man who would become best friend when Wes visited Australia Zoo, which was then called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, in the 1980s. Just like Chandler years later, Wes would eventually become an honorary member of the Irwin family and was even nicknamed Steve's 'younger brother'. In November 2019, Wes tested Chandler's mettle by sending him into crocodile-infested water during a live show at Australia Zoo. Like a brother: Steve met the man who would become best friend when Wes visited Australia Zoo, which was then called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, in the 1980s. Pictured: Wes at the Steve Irwin Gala Dinner in Brisbane on November 9, 2019 'It's a great initiation. If you can do this, the wedding is definitely on!' Wes told the Coffs Coast Advocate at the time. He added: 'You can't just wander in here like you own the place. If you want to marry her, you have to prove yourself.' Chandler's initiation at the Crocoseum was a part of Steve Irwin Day, celebrating the legendary conservationist who died from a stingray injury in 2006. AMERICAS Colombia Expected Council Action In April, the Council expects to receive a briefing from Special Representative and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu on recent developments and the Secretary-Generals 90-day report on the mission, published on 26 March. As was the practice in 2018 and 2019, the Council is likely to issue a press statement following the 90-day briefing. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether the briefing would be held exactly as planned because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The mandate of the verification mission expires on 25 September. Key Recent Developments At the outset of 2020, Colombia experienced a period of relative calm in contrast to the last quarter of 2019, which was marked by complicated electoral dynamics and widespread popular demonstrations. Following the local and municipal elections that took place on 27 October 2019, new local authoritiesincluding mayors, governors, and members of municipal councilsassumed office across Colombia on 1 January. The October elections were the first local and municipal elections since the signing of the 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace between the government of Colombia and the rebel group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC-EP) and the first elections in which former FARC-EP members participated. On 20 February, the mayor of Bogota, in cooperation with Colombian civil society organisations, convened a summit on Territorial Peace. At the meeting, mayors and governors from different regions of the country launched the National Network of Local Authorities for Peace and promised to incorporate steps to implement the 2016 peace agreement in their local development plans. Following popular protests in November 2019, at which citizens expressed their demand for a comprehensive implementation of the peace agreement, among other things, Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez launched a national conversation on 26 November 2019 between government representatives and different sectors of civil society. The conversation, which spanned several meetings in late 2019, revolved around six themes: inclusive growth, transparency, education, the governments peace with legality strategy, the environment, and youth. A report summarising the findings of the national conversation was supposed to be issued by 15 March, but at the time of writing its release had been postponed to an unknown date because of the outbreak of COVID-19. Several protests took place across the country during the first months of 2020, with a protest planned for 25 March being suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Violence against communities and the killing of former FARC-EP members, human rights defenders, and social leaders have continued unabated in 2020. According to a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least ten human rights defenders were reportedly killed during the first 13 days of the year. As of 26 March, 16 former combatants had been killed in 2020. This toll can be viewed as a continuation of the worrying trend in 2019, which saw the killing of 77 former combatantsthe highest number of victims since the signing of the peace agreementand the killing of at least 108 human rights defenders. The violence continues to be most prevalent in rural areas with limited state presencein particular the Cauca, Narino, Antioquia, Caqueta and Norte de Santander departmentswhere there is heightened activity by illegal armed groups and criminal structures. In his 26 December 2019 report, the Secretary-General called for the reconvening of the National Commission on Security Guarantees, the body charged under the peace agreement with the development of a public policy on the dismantling of criminal organisations and their support networks. After a long hiatus, the commission was convened by Duque on 9 January. According to government officials, the purpose of the meeting was to ensure that the positions of civil society be reflected in future public policy on the matter. On 23 January, a technical session was held to consider the proposals presented by civil society and to establish a roadmap for the drafting of the policy. On 14 February, the guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) announced a 48-hour long armed strike in several departments. During the strike, civilians were instructed by the group to not leave their homes or use means of transportation. Several incidents of violence took place during the strike, including attacks on security forces which resulted in the death of one soldier. Following the strike, civil society groups called for a renewed dialogue between the government and the ELN. As of 22 March, Colombia had 277 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and had reported two fatalities from the virus. On 17 March, the Presidential Counsellor for Stabilization and Consolidation, Emilio Archila, indicated the governments commitment to continue implementing programmes related to the implementation of the peace agreement, regardless of the difficulties posed by measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus. The governmental Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) which is in charge of carrying out plans for the reintegration of former combatants, has affirmed that the measures to counter COVID-19 will not affect the payment of monthly allowances for former combatants. Between 22 and 23 March, riots erupted in 13 penitentiaries across Colombia, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 inmates and 83 injured. The riots were reportedly sparked by inmates concerns that the authorities are taking insufficient measures to protect prison facilities from the spread of COVID-19. Following the riots, the government announced a national state of penal emergency and pledged to take action to forestall the spread of the virus in the countrys prisons. On 30 March, the guerrilla group ELN announced on its official website its intention to implement a one-month unilateral cease-fire which will begin on 1 April, with the aim of facilitating the response to COVID-19 in the country. It emphasised, however, that this is an active ceasefire, since the group reserves the right to respond to attacks from government forces or other armed groups. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement welcoming the announcement, while expressing hope that the measure will allow the government to fight the spread of the virus and will give respite to communities and vulnerable groups affected by violence. He further called on other armed groups to adopt similar measures. The Security Council last discussed Colombia on 13 January, when it received a briefing from Ruiz Massieu and held consultations on the topic. On 15 January, members of the Security Council issued a press statement in which they reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with Colombia to make progress in implementation of the peace agreement. The statement expressed grave concern regarding the targeting of community and social leaders as well as former FARC combatants and called for effective government action to improve security, including through the extension of state presence to conflict-effected areas. It also welcomed the meeting of the National Commission on Security Guarantees earlier in the month and noted that Council members are looking forward to the development of a public policy to dismantle illegal armed groups in the country. On 19 March, Colombia signed an agreement with the UN on a new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2020-2023. Prior to the signing of the agreement, Duque met with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on 9 March. In a press stake-out following the meeting, Duque announced that the agreement focuses on handling of the migrant population in Colombia, cooperation on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and peace with legality (a term used by Duques government to describe its strategy with regard to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement). In comments to the press, Duque outlined that peace with legality focuses on reintegration of ex-combatants through territorial entities, eradication of illicit crops and combating armed groups. The governments peace with legality strategy has been continuously criticised by members of the FARC party as a narrow interpretation of the 2016 peace agreement. Human Rights-Related Developments During its 43rd session, the Human Rights Council (HRC) considered on 27 February the High Commissioner for Human Rights annual report on the activities of OHCHR in Colombia (A/HRC/43/3/Add.3). The report assessed the human rights situation in Colombia in 2019, with a focus on the situation of human rights defenders; the use of the military in situations related to public security; the fight against impunity; and inequalities in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. The report outlined persistently high levels of violence generating serious human rights violations, including attacks on human rights defenders and indigenous peoples; an increase in cases of alleged arbitrary deprivation of life; and grave human rights violations committed against children. It also assessed the implementation of the human rights aspects of the peace agreement and includes recommendations for improving the human rights situation. (On 30 October 2019, the host country agreement between the government and OHCHR was renewed until 31 October 2022.) The HRC also considered the report of the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, on his visit to Colombia (A/HRC/43/51/Add.1). Key Issues and Options The key issue for the Council remains to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Colombia. The need to implement the agreement fullyas opposed to focusing on only select aspectscontinues to be an issue, acknowledged by members of the Council in a series of recent statements that stressed the interlocking nature of the different elements of the accord. Council members might be interested to hear more about the role that can be played by local authorities in implementing the peace agreement, such as local development plans that are intended to assist with the reintegration of former FARC combatants. As has been the case with previous Council meetings on Colombia, several Council members are likely to express concern regarding the persistent levels of violence against ex-combatants, community leaders and human rights defenders while stressing the need to protect women and ethnic communities. Council members may want to seek further information on progress in devising a public policy for dismantling criminal organisations and of measures taken by the government to protect vulnerable communities that are affected by violence. Council members may also be interested in hearing from the briefer about the potential impact that the outbreak of COVID-19 might have on the implementation of the peace agreement and on any challenges it might pose to the ability of the UN Verification Mission to perform its duties. Some members might raise the question of how the spread of COVID-19 in the region might affect stability, noting also that Colombia has closed its border with neighbouring Venezuela to pre-empt the spread of the virus. The UN Verification Mission was established in accordance with the 2016 agreement, which stipulated an initial three-year duration, renewable if necessary. That initial period will end in September 2020. Duque, however, has already expressed his wish for the mission to continue through his term in office, which ends in 2022. The mandate of the mission, as set out in the 2016 agreement, focuses on verifying aspects of the agreement related to the political, economic and social reincorporation of the FARC-EP; personal and collective security guarantees; and comprehensive programmes of security and protection measures for communities and organisations in conflict-affected areas. Previous mandate renewal resolutions have left the mandate unchanged. However, in preparation for the next mandate expiry in September, Council members may wish to consider possible modifications to the missions mandate to correspond with developments in the implementation of the agreement. Council Dynamics Council members are united in their overall support for the peace process. While they have generally been deferential towards the government, some differences in tone emerged in 2019. For example, several members have been critical of the government on such issues as the continuing security vacuum in areas from which FARC-EP withdrew under the agreement and an uneven approach to implementing different aspects of the agreement. The UK is the penholder on Colombia. UN DOCUMENTS ON COLOMBIA Krueger: With some care over the years, the old family barn keeps standing Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and head of the AMMD Dr. Alain Schmit held a press briefing this Monday afternoon to take stock of the recent coronavirus developments. New numbers Paulette Lenert began the press briefing by giving the new number of infections. As of this Monday, 1,988 people have tested positive for the virus. This new number represents an increase of 38 infections compared to Sunday. It may be comparatively low partly because fewer tests are carried out on weekends, Lenert explained. Luxembourg has carried out a total of 16,199 tests. 22 people have died of coronavirus in the Grand Duchy as of this Monday afternoon. 11 of them died at the hospital and 10 people passed away in care homes. One person died at home, the minister explained. She expressed her heartfelt condolences to the families. It remains unclear how well-equipped care homes are to treat coronavirus patients. 202 people are currently hospitalised - 31 of them in intensive care. And some more positive news: 80 patients have already been released from the hospital. Healthcare sector faces challenges - freelance medical staff offered CDD contracts No patient will be left out in the rain, Lenert stressed. Priority will of course be given to urgent Covid-19 cases but hospitals and officials aim to keep Luxembourg's healthcare sector functioning for other patients as efficiently as possible. The primary tool to fight the virus and reduce risks for medical staff remains the practice of tele-consultations. Patients are able to consult a doctor via phone or video conference. Their doctor will then be able to redirect them. Lenert explained that doctors will carry out more home visits in the near future. A national coordinator will closely work together with the ministry of health to make sure that enough doctors are available where they are needed most urgently. Flexibility remains key in this context, Lenert and Dr Schmit stressed. The state is in need of various medical staff - accepted candidates will be given CDD contracts. This measure should allow the state to have enough enough medical staff to weather the crisis while financially supporting freelance medical workers. Stricter measures for care homes Staff working at care homes for the elderly are not allowed to go to work if they display any coronavirus-related symptoms. An individual displaying such symptoms is required to get tested and notify his or her employer of the test result. Employees are also no longer allowed to wear their normal clothes inside the care homes. Lenert also explained that it is currently not an official recommendation that the public wear face masks. Individuals displaying symptoms are nevertheless encouraged to do so in order to prevent further infections. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was ready to help resolve an escalating oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has helped push crude benchmarks to 17-year lows. The threat of a global recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic had already hammered prices when Riyadh said last month it would raise exports after a production-cut agreement among top producers flopped in early March. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it would increase exports further to a record 10.6 million barrels per day from May, deepening a global supply glut as crude recorded its biggest monthly and quarterly price plunges in history. Trump said he had spoken with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman by phone with the aim of halting the slide. "The two countries are discussing it. And I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be," Trump said. Saudi Arabia had been exporting around 7.0 million barrels per day under an output reduction agreement among a 24-member producer alliance known as OPEC+, which included Russia. OPEC+ failed to reach an agreement on further production cuts to shore up sagging prices as the coronavirus battered the global economy last month. Analysts say Riyadh is engaged in a deliberate long-term strategy to capture greater market share by pressuring its high-cost rivals. "Saudi policy will not just drive more expensive forms of oil production out of the market; it will also make it harder for renewable energy to compete with fossil fuels," said Bernard Haykel, a Saudi expert at Princeton University. The price war has also hit shale oil producers in the US, with Trump telling Tuesday's press conference that the production dispute threatened "thousands and thousands" of jobs. In a letter last week to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a group of US senators accused Saudi Arabia and Russia of waging "economic warfare against the United States". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to a new report by Motherboard (Vice), Zoom has been leaking personal information. Those of you who dont know, Zoom is a popular video-conferencing platform. Zoom has been leaking personal information thanks to Company Directory setting In any case, the source says that Zoom is leaking personal information of at least thousands of users. Including their email address and photo, giving strangers the ability to attempt to start a video call with them through Zoom. That doesnt sound good at all, now does it. The issue seems to be with Zooms Company Directory setting. That setting seems to be automatically adding other people to a users lists of contacts if they signed up with an email address that shares the same domain. Advertisement This feature is supposed to make it easier to find a specific colleague to communicate with when the domain belongs to an individual company. This feature hasnt really been coded properly, as theres a loophole. Multiple Zoom users claim they signed up with personal email addresses, but Zoom placed them together with thousands of other people, if they all worked at the same company. That essentially exposed their personal information to one another. I was shocked by this! I subscribed (with an alias, fortunately) and I saw 995 people unknown to me with their names, images and mail addresses. said Barend Gehrels, a Zoom user who was impacted by this issue. Advertisement He also sent a screenshot as proof. That screenshot shows his Zoom profile, with nearly 1,000 different accounts listed in the Company Directory section. He mentioned that those are people he doesnt know. He also added that his partner had the same issue with another email provider. She had over 300 people listed in her contacts. Advertisement One user discovered the problem, and explained it Mr. Gehrels said that If you subscribe to Zoom with a non-standard provider (I mean, not Gmail or Hotmail or Yahoo, etc.), then you get insight to ALL subscribed users of that provider: their full names, their mail addresses, their profile picture (if they have any) and their status. And you can video call them. On its official website, Zoom says: By default, your Zoom contacts directory contains internal users in the same organization, who are either on the same account or whos email address uses the same domain as yours (except for publicly used domains including gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, etc) in the Company Directory section. Zoom doesnt really exempt all domains that are used for personal email, however. Mr. Gehrels said he stumbled upon the issue with domains from a number of Dutch internet service providers (ISPs). Providers including xs4all.nl, dds.nl, and quicknet.nl. Advertisement Dutch IPS XS4ALL was actually contacted regarding the issue. The company said they cant do anything about it, that Zoom should be the one to fix that. Now, this is not the only issue that Zoom had lately. Last week, the company updated its iOS application after Motherboard found it was sending analytics data to Facebook. Genevieve Hughes lost her shifts at Melbourne & Olympic Parks when the government banned gatherings of more than 500 people. Socially isolating at home, she learned that a Facebook group which encouraged members of the community to adopt healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic was searching for moderators. Genevieve Hughes, who lives near Box Hill Hospital, is offering health workers a free car park and a lift to work. Credit:Joe Armao The original Adopt a Healthcare Worker Facebook page was launched on March 14 by Perth man Chris Nicholas, who wanted to support healthcare workers who were going to be worked to exhaustion by COVID-19. Within three weeks the page has spawned at least 42 groups, including Adopt a Healthcare Worker Victoria, which alone has more than 21,000 members. A woman, with travel history to Dubai, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Gaya, taking the total tally to 24 in Bihar, said an official on Wednesday. "A woman, with travel history to Dubai, has tested positive for the COVID-19 positive in Gaya, taking the total cases to 24 in Bihar," said Principal Health Secretary Sanjay Kumar. He also said that a team has been formed to locate 81 Indians and 57 foreigners who came in the state after attending Delhi's Tablighi Jammat event. A meeting was held at Markaz by the Tableeghi Jamaat last month and several COVID-19 positive cases have been of those who attended the gathering. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier said that a total of 23 coronavirus positive cases have been reported in the state till now while one person has died due to the infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seduced by a declining daily death toll and cautious optimism among experts, many members of the public may have dared hope that Britain was finally turning a corner on the coronavirus horror. If so, they were yesterday abruptly disabused of that rose-tinted notion. On a bleak day, the number of patients dying rocketed by 381 by some stretch the biggest increase since this tsunami struck our shores. Thousands more languish in hospital. Dispiritingly, the ONS believes the fatalities could be even higher. How far away seems a return to normal life! Has the Government done everything possible to crack Covid-19? The Mail reluctantly concludes not. Pictured: Medical staff at St Thomas' hospital in London on Tuesday The joyous day when people can pop out unencumbered to see family and friends, or go shopping without encountering empty shelves and Soviet-style queues, or have a pint in a pub, appears impossibly distant. Of course, the best way to ease the stifling lockdown is to defeat the disease conclusively. Boris Johnson himself laid low insists he is doing everything in his power to achieve this goal. Certainly, the Prime Minister deserves a pat on the back for much of his handling of the crisis the most serious to hit the globe since the Second World War. Protecting the UK from the pernicious pathogen is devilishly difficult. Not only is it the most severe public health scare in living memory, but drastic measures taken to stem the spread including shutting business and ordering citizens to stay at home have driven the economy off a cliff. But has the Government done everything possible to crack Covid-19? The Mail reluctantly concludes not. By a country mile, the greatest misstep has been the shambles over mass testing. If Britain is to emerge from this nightmare (relatively) quickly, it is vital we ramp up an expansive screening programme. The failure to order enough testing kits is simply unforgiveable. Let's not beat about the bush: It has left the NHS with one hand tied behind its back. Early last month, ministers said 10,000 a day would be checked, rising swiftly to 25,000. In fact, the figure stands at a paltry 8,000. One in five doctors and nurses must sit idle because they or a family member have displayed symptoms even if they're fit as a fiddle. Mr Johnson says he is exasperated. Welcome to how the nation feels! No10 blames a global shortage of kits. Yet it is wilfully perverse that a Southampton-based company is churning out lorry-loads of swabs and shipping them around the world, including to India and the Middle East, while the UK Government dithers. What in blazes is stopping the Department of Health requisitioning this kit? A conveyor belt of ministers tells us coronavirus is like fighting a war. Shouldn't they begin to act like it? Confusion also reigns with 'game-changing' antibody tests to show if someone's immune and safe to return to work. Millions were supposed to be ready last week. Now it could be months. This is a shocking state of affairs. The Government must appoint as a matter of urgency a dedicated minister for testing someone given carte blanche to crack the controversy. Could it be a captain of industry? Perhaps, if the post lasts only a few weeks. After all, during the Second World War, Lord Beaverbrook played a major role as Winston Churchill's Minister of Aircraft Production. Or a leading political figure? Jeremy Hunt fits the bill. He's a successful businessman and, as the longest-serving Health Secretary, knows his way around Whitehall. The ex-Conservative leadership candidate commands respect. It's not as if the Government can't be decisive. Look at the 4,000-bed specialist hospital that has been built in London's Docklands in just days the fifth largest in the world. It is a glowing example of Britain's can-do spirit. But this gumption must extend to testing. Until screening is routine, Britain will remain locked down harming national morale. Once it is commonplace, the country can finally, gratefully, begin taking steps on the path to a normal life. Large numbers of dedicated freighters are descending on China to pick up face masks and other equipment being made in large quantities after the country was able to stop the spread of COVID-19 and reopen factories. No longer requiring as much equipment for its own use, China is churning out millions of pieces of personal protective equipment and other medical items. Charter flights organized by governments and private groups to carry critical medical supplies and other material to areas experiencing high caseloads of COVID-19 are proliferating. In some cases, governments have created airborne supply lines to shuttle huge amounts of supplies to healthcare workers, patients and others with essential jobs who require protection from infection. After first renting entire airplanes for on-demand cargo transport in response to the shortage in airfreight capacity and widespread suspension of passenger flights, some airlines are now setting up regularly scheduled cargo operations. On March 30, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) announced it has started cargo service between Shanghai and Detroit three times per week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, able to carry 49 tons, to deliver urgent medical supplies. Once the supplies arrive in Detroit, they will be transferred to domestic passenger flights and shipped to cities around the U.S. Delta said it will evaluate increasing frequency to daily flights or open additional U.S. gateways depending on demand. Detroit is considered by U.S. health authorities as a hotspot for the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. Delta was one of the first passenger carriers to offer its planes to logistics companies on a charter basis. Similarly, Qatar Airways announced on March 30 that it is now running regular cargo routes between Doha and six cities in China using widebody passenger planes. U.S. and French airlifts The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is contracting with private carriers to airlift large quantities of critical supplies to strategically located airports for distribution to nearby cities and states. Atlas Air has flown the first two sections of the mission, dubbed Project Airbridge, delivering medical shipments to New York and Chicago. Story continues A third delivery scheduled for today at an undisclosed Ohio airport has been delayed, a FEMA spokeswoman told FreightWaves. The French government has also launched its own version of Project Airbridge, creating an airborne pipeline to move large amounts of equipment from China to France. The French Ministry of Solidarity and Health has hired third-party logistics provider Geodis to organize the flights. Geodis said Tuesday it has chartered two massive Antonov-124 aircraft operated by Moscow-based Volga-Dnepr to make 16 flights in April to supply millions of masks from China. It said the schedule could be extended into May. The first flight from Shenzhen containing 8.5 million masks arrived in Paris. A second flight is scheduled later this week carrying 13 million more masks. The French government is working to deliver one billion masks over the next 14 weeks. Separately, Geodis has leased aircraft from an all-cargo carrier to provide roundtrip charter flights between Chicago and Amsterdam four times per week to meet regular private sector needs. German logistics provider Dascher said its Mexico subsidiary has donated air transport of three million surgical and respiratory masks. The Boeing 787-9 charter flight flew last week from Mexico City to Frankfurt and then Dascher delivered the equipment through its road network. Dascher, like Geodis, is also essentially running a private airline by chartering aircraft to fly between Europe and Asia. It has also set up an air bridge between the U.S., Latin America and Frankfurt for deliveries to Shanghai. Dascher said it is chartering 747s and integrating them into the rotation of flights connecting in Shanghai. Meanwhile, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is working with Bollore Logistics to expedite the distribution of two million face masks to health workers in France and Spain. Airbus last week operated one of its own A330-800 passenger aircraft to Tianjin, China, to collect the shipment, and then flew back to Toulouse, France. Some of the shipment was broken down and dispatched to facilities in France, while the remaining load was put on new pallets and onto an Airbus A400M, a four-engine turboprop military aircraft, and flown to Getafe, Spain. Florida-based National Airlines said it recently operated a relief mission to Mumbai, India, with one of its Boeing 747-400 freighters. Last week India closed its borders to contain the spread of the deadly virus. National Airlines is also under contract to transport pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies from India, Europe and China to the U.S. 3PLs handle emergency distribution Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) are doing more than simply arranging charter flights for governments, aid organizations and private companies involved in the COVID-19 response. Geodis is working with the French government to distribute supplies within France. Fedex Express and UPS are delivering test-kit specimens overnight to laboratories around the U.S. on behalf of the U.S. government. UPS is also helping the federal and state governments set up drive-up testing sites and participating in Project Airbridge. As part of the airlift collaboration, FEMA will gain access to UPS's huge Worldport hub in Louisville, Kentucky, for temporary staging of critical shipments from overseas, according to United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS). The integrated logistics giant and express carrier is also helping healthcare distributor Henry Schein Inc. distribute and track delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical professionals and drive-through test facilities as it gets flown in. UPS is also delivering PPE shipments for the McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK), another healthcare distributor, to pop-up testing sites and military bases where military members and civilians returning from overseas are required to quarantine. And UPS is using its air and ground network to deliver tens of thousands of test kits and related supplies each week for several manufacturers, including DuPont. CEVA Logistics, now owned by ocean container line CMA CGM, is using its multi-modal capabilities to overcome supply chain bottlenecks for critical shipments. It said it is handling distribution for one of the medical technology companies appointed by the U.S. government to manufacture and supply COVID-19 test kits. A combination of expedited ground, airfreight and final-mile delivery are being used to get the kits to New Jersey, Seattle, Chicago and other areas with high demand. CEVA said it took charge of the import process, customs clearance and same-day delivery of one million masks donated by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei to the Spanish health service. In southeast England, CEVA will handle the assembly and delivery to hospitals of visors that will be made on 3D printers. A new facility under construction by partner businesses will host 200 to 250 3D printers. Photo: Geodis See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Oil touched session highs then sold off abruptly in the final half hour before settlement on Wednesday after news that President Trump is set to meet with top executives at the nations largest oil companies to discuss measures to help the industry. The meeting, set for Friday, comes after a flurry of U.S.-driven diplomacy, with Trump speaking with both Russia and Saudi leaders to broker a deal, though the former OPEC+ allies have no plans to speak to each other, the Kremlin said. The move underscores just how much oil producers are reeling from the price rout that cratered the market and pushed West Texas Intermediate crude to post its worst quarter on record. On Wednesday, Whiting Petroleum Corp., facing more than a quarter-billion dollar debt it could not pay, filed for bankruptcy as the market collapse struck down another shale explorer. In some areas, producers are said to be receiving even negative prices for their oil. Even before news of the meeting, speculation that the Trump administration was taking steps to take American oil off circulation and into storage helped U.S. futures outperform global benchmark Brent crude. The premium of London-traded Brent over U.S. West Texas Intermediate narrowed to settle at $1 a barrel, the smallest since November 2016, making U.S. oil not competitive in foreign markets. Time spreads -- the gap between two calendar months that signals supply and demand balance -- rallied along the WTI futures forward curve and into settlement as well. However, such moves would likely only buy some time instead of solving the issue at hand: too much oil in global markets. Being able to put oil into the strategic petroleum reserves would go a long way for the market, said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group Inc. Were not out of the woods yet here for a major drop in price. Traders largely shrugged off the biggest American crude stockpile increase since 2016 -- inventories jumped 13.8 million barrels last week. Supplies at the nations biggest storage hub at Cushing, Oklahoma, also piled up, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gasoline demand also plummeted to its all-time low. Still, the increase will likely reinforce what many believe is inevitable in coming weeks and months: that physical tanks, ships and caverns around the world will fill to the brim with supply as the spread of the coronavirus shuts down economies. Two of the worlds largest oil producing nations duking it out in a price war also doesnt help. Saudi Arabia boosted output by 290,000 barrels a day in March to a one-year high of about 10 million a day and state-run producer Saudi Aramco is now supplying record volumes of more than 12 million barrels a day. The company has been loading 15 tankers with 18.8 million barrels of oil, it said Wednesday in a tweet. Yet, Russia doesnt plan to increase output because its not profitable to do so, according to a government official familiar with the countrys plans. With demand destruction across the globe and now with Saudi flooding the markets with oil, we feel it is only a matter of time before oil is trading in the teens and perhaps the low teens, said Tariq Zahir, a fund manager at Tyche Capital Advisors LLC. Three hundred and fifty health workers have been deployed by the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate for contact-tracing duties, Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Service, has announced. He said the team made up of newly trained nurses would visit high risk areas, interact with residents and possibly test those who would be identified as suspects. Dr. Tinkorang who was briefing the media on the COVID-19 situation in the region, further indicated that 243 health workers had been trained as Rapid Response Teams at the district level by 18 facilitators. Fifteen government hospitals, 33 private facilities including Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facilities have been trained. We also had support from the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) and the National Ambulance Service, he told the media The Regional Director also disclosed that a team from the Ghana Immigration Service was supporting the directorate to screen 50 immigrants who entered the region during the week under review. Touching on the lockdown of the Greater Kumasi Area, Dr. Tinkorang said it was the way to go in order to effectively contain the spread of the disease, adding that, the challenge we have is that, usually the disease escalates when there is a lot of movements. That is why we are saying that the best way to prevent the spread of the disease is to make sure that people do not move, he emphasized. He, therefore, underlined the need for security personnel manning the borders of the lockdown areas not to allow people to move in and out. It is important for the security to have firm control of the borders. Unless you have a very good reason for leaving Kumasi, the principle is that you should stay in Kumasi, he stated. He said once the borders were secured and people within the lockdown areas observed the social distance protocols to prevent community spread, it would be contained. He appealed to the people of Kumasi and its surrounding municipalities to cooperate with health authorities and security agencies during the two-week lockdown to achieve the desired results. 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 Zoom Video Communications is being sued for improperly sharing personal data of its millions of users with Facebook. The class action, filed in California on Monday, alleges that despite the fact the company boasts of its 'appreciation for the importance of maintaining its users' privacy,' Zoom included coding in the Zoom app that allowed undisclosed sharing of personal information to Facebook and other third parties. The suit, obtained by DailyMail.com, states that information is shared when a user installs the Zoom app and each time it is opened. That information includes the user's mobile operating system type and version, the device time zone, model and unique advertising identifier that allows companies to target the user with specific advertising. The suit is the first of two legal complaints alleging the data breach as DailyMail.com has learned of a second lawsuit filed Tuesday by a Florida resident who stated that he would never have used the forum had he known that his information would be shared. Zoom Video Communications is being sued for improperly sharing personal data of its millions of users with Facebook. The suit, obtained by DailyMail.com, states that information is shared when a user installs the Zoom app and each time it is opened Zoom is accused of including coding in the Zoom app that allowed undisclosed sharing of personal information to Facebook and other third parties ZOOM ALTERNATIVES GoToMeeting Google Hangouts Meet Zoho Meetings Join.me Cisco Webex Meetings BlueJeans TeamViewer Riot Jitsi Meet Hibox Discord Advertisement As a result, the Florida resident stated that he and other users have been left 'vulnerable to voter fraud, medical fraud, phishing and other identity-based harms. But most importantly the ability to de-anonymize and analyze user data allows parties to personally and psychologically target Zoom customers with great precision.' Use of the hugely popular video conferencing platform and app has skyrocketed as millions work from home and try to stay in touch with friends and family during the global COVID-19 crisis. Share prices have increased more than 115 percent since January but yesterday the reported average price target of $112.50 represented a 23 percent down slide, as the company faces intense scrutiny over customer privacy. New York's Attorney General Letitia James has written to the company 'with a number of questions to ensure [it] is taking appropriate steps to ensure users' privacy and security.' And the FBI has launched an investigation after its Boston bureau received 'multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening languages.' Last week Zoom publicly admitted in a blog entry on its website that the Zoom app was sending a host of personal information to Facebook upon installation and each open and close of the app. Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan, 50, (pictured) has always defended his company's commitment to the security and privacy of their users. Speaking on GMA on Wednesday, Yuan insisted: 'You need to understand the security features about using Zoom. We take data privacy very very seriously. Our intention is never to sell customer data' On the same day, March 27, the company released a new version of the app which 'purports to no longer send unauthorized personal information of its users to Facebook.' However the lawsuit, filed in California on Monday, maintains that many of the platform's millions of users would never have willingly used it, had they been aware of the 'inadequate security measures' that permitted their personal data to be shared and tracked by others. It states: 'This information is sent to Facebook by Zoom regardless of whether the user has an account with Facebook. The amount of money Zoom receives from Facebook, and possibly other third parties, is unknown.' The suit goes onto brand Zoom's claims 'regarding the inviolability of its users' privacy and personal information,' as false. Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan, 50, has always fervently defended his company's commitment to the security and privacy of their users. Yuan was born in Tai'in, China and is a graduate of Shandong University of Science and Technology. He applied for a US visa nine times before being accepted and moving to Silicon Valley along with his wife in 1997. He joined WebEx, a company with only a dozen or so employees at the time, which was bought by Cisco in 2007. He became Cisco's Corporate VP of engineering in charge of collaboration software and, he has said, in 2011, decided to make the video communications solution that he had dreamed of as a student, a reality. The suit goes onto brand Zoom's claims 'regarding the inviolability of its users' privacy and personal information,' as false Zoom launched in 2012. Today its customer base includes a third of the Fortune 500 and 90 percent of the top 200 US universities. Yuan's wealth is listed on Forbes as at estimated $6.8 billion. Speaking on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Yuan insisted: 'You need to understand the security features about using Zoom. We take data privacy very very seriously. Our intention is never to sell customer data. After the meeting is over we do not track anything.' But in a further blow, a report on Vice Motherboard on Wednesday revealed yet another alleged privacy leak claiming the personal information of 'at least thousands of users, including their email address and photo,' has been unknowingly shared giving strangers the ability to attempt to start a video call. According to Vice, the issues lies in Zoom's 'Company Directory,' setting which automatically adds other people to a user's list of contacts if they sign up with an email address that shares the same domain. The idea is to make it easier to find contacts when the domain belongs to an individual company but, according to the report, 'multiple Zoom users say they signed up with personal email addresses and Zoom pooled them together with thousands of other people as if they all worked for the same company, exposing their personal information to one another.' New Delhi, April 1 : The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court it has already facilitated the return of 1,142 Indians -- 787 pilgrims, 219 students, 136 others "under intense operational constraints after restrictions were instituted for public health reasons in Iran, where it was difficult to organize transport, accommodation and other logistics". The Centre submitted a status report in the apex court on the steps taken to assist Indians, including pilgrims stranded in Iran, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the scale of COVID-19 in Iran, the local authorities and resources in Iran are stretched -- public services are not functioning normally and there are difficulties in accessing some parts of the country due to the large distances involved -- and the problems quadruple due to suspension of public transport services and inter-provincial lockdown. "The officials of the Indian Embassy and consulates in Iran continue to work selflessly even in the face of personal risk and unprecedented challenges to ensure the well-being of Indians in Iran and are providing all possible humanitarian assistance to the remaining Indians including pilgrims, students and fishermen", said the report submitted by a senior official of Ministry of External Affairs handling Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The report was filed after the apex court issued notice to the Centre on a plea for immediate evacuation of around 850 Indian Shia pilgrims from the city of Qom, the Iranian epicentre of corona outbreak. A group of 44 Indian pilgrims returned to India on March 13; 234 Indian (including 131 students and 55 pilgrims from Maharashtra) returned to India on March 15 followed by 53 Indians (including 52 students) who returned on March 16. On March 18, 201 Indians returned and 277 Indians (including 273 pilgrims) returned on March 25. Another batch of 275 Indian nationals (133 females and 142 males including 2 infants and 4 children) and including 223 pilgrims belonging to Ladakh returned on March 29. The report said the Indian evacuated from Iran are currently quarantined at various locations in India. In early March 2020, a team of six Indian health officials were deputed to set up testing and sampling facilities. A total of 2,023 samples, including those of 1,158 Indian pilgrims, belonging to the Union Territory of Ladakh, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra, who were stranded in Iran were collected. These samples were sent for testing at National Institute of Virology, Pune, in batches as limited flights were cleared for operations. On March 7, the first batch of samples was sent to India and the entire exercise ended on March 18. The Centre said as the test results were made available, repatriation of the Indian nationals was initiated. "Fifty-eight Indian pilgrims (25 men, 31 women and two children), who tested negative, were repatriated by an Indian Air Force special flight on March 10. "As limited commercial flights were cleared for operations, the embassy made arrangements for transportation to ferry the Indians to Tehran," said the report. The pilgrims were mainly residing in Qom city, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak; students in Tehran, Shiraj, Esfahan and Kish cities; and fishermen in Asaluyeh, Chiruyeh and Kish cities of Iran. The Indian Embassy has arranged a well equipped quarantine facility to take care of about 250 pilgrims who tested positive. A dedicated team of senior officers of the Embassy has been working closely with several Indian volunteer students in Qom to ensure the well-being of these Indians, and most of the pilgrims who tested positive are recovering well. There were more than 6,000 Indian nationals in various provinces of Iran. These included nearly 1,100 pilgrims mainly from the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, and Maharashtra; nearly 300 students primarily from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir; about 1,000 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat; and others who are on long-term stay visas in Iran for pursuing their livelihood and religious studies. The embassy has arranged essential food items and water to nearly 1,000 Indian fishermen in Iran's southern provinces of Bushehr (in Asaluyeh port city) and Hormozgan (in Bustaneh, Charak, Chiruyeh, Moqam & Lavan Island). "These places are spread over large distances and have poor connectivity. Places like Lavan Island do not have ferry services. Bustaneh, the nearest place, is at least 200 km from the Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas. Asaluyeh, the farthest, is about 500 km from Bandar Abbasa, said the Centre. (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in) Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But along the way some stocks are going to perform badly. To wit, the Singapore Post Limited (SGX:S08) share price managed to fall 67% over five long years. That's not a lot of fun for true believers. And we doubt long term believers are the only worried holders, since the stock price has declined 35% over the last twelve months. Furthermore, it's down 31% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. Of course, this share price action may well have been influenced by the 26% decline in the broader market, throughout the period. Check out our latest analysis for Singapore Post While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. 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. Over five years Singapore Post's earnings per share dropped significantly, falling to a loss, with the share price also lower. The recent extraordinary items contributed to this situation. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). SGX:S08 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Singapore Post'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). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Singapore Post, it has a TSR of -61% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective We regret to report that Singapore Post shareholders are down 33% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 24%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 17% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Singapore Post better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Singapore Post you should know about. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on SG 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. By Miraya Baid baidmira@grinnell.edu Burling librarys first-floor lounge was packed on Monday, Feb. 18 for historian and College Professor Emeritus Daniel Kaisers talk about his latest book, Grinnell Stories: African Americans of Early Grinnell. Kaiser discussed how he came up with the idea for his book and what he learned during his research. Kaiser said that it wasnt in his initial plans to write stories about African Americans when beginning work on the book. However, as he scanned through Grinnells history, he was shocked by how little they mentioned African Americans. This helped him to understand that these were the stories he wished to bring to light: the stories of important people in this town whose lives had been left on the side. Following this route, I discovered some things I hadnt realized earlier. I have always enjoyed looking away from the person speaking. You know how it happens on the tube, when somebody comes in to read the news? I always want to see the person next to the person reading the news, to see how that reaction is registering in that persons life, Kaiser said. Kaiser views history as a deeply humanistic field. History tells us something about what it means to be human. And from my way of thinking, every life that we add to that story, we understand better what it means to be human. When youre looking for the lives of people who arent at the center of activity who arent eligible for all of the attention media devotes to people when youre looking at their lives, youre looking at a scant historical record, almost invariable, he said. The Grinnell College Historical Museum published Kaisers book as an attempt to better tell the story of Grinnell and what it means to be a human in Grinnell. Generally, the museum has been a reflection of an incomplete narrative, because it housed almost no artifacts that attested to the lives of African Americans. Kaisers book aims to broaden its scope. The S&B spoke to several students at the event about their reasons for attending. Diane Roberston, a Grinnell resident, said, Weve known Dan for a while, and weve been to his other talks, which were great. Most of all, were just interested in the subject matter. Anna Perdue 23 said, My history professor, Paul Lacson, recommended it, and it just seemed like an interesting event! Perdue said, I really enjoyed seeing the pictures from the talk. I think this is a different perspective of history that we really never get to see, and so seeing all of these different people that are never really shown and photographed and learning about their lives is interesting. Eamon Archer passes a message in support of social distancing in the battle against coronavirus on his way home from a supermarket on the Ormeau Road in Belfast More than 50,000 people in Northern Ireland could be infected with the deadly coronavirus, an expert has warned. Virologist Connor Bamford made the prediction based on our latest death toll, which reached 28 on Tuesday. A further six people have died due to the virus since Monday, officials said. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has reached 586, a rise of 53 in 24 hours. However, Dr Bamford, a research fellow at Queen's University, has calculated the actual total of cases here could be as high as 52,000. He said this would include cases of people who have recovered. Expand Close Graves being dug at Antrim's Belmont Cemetary in preparation for a surge in coronavirus deaths / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Graves being dug at Antrim's Belmont Cemetary in preparation for a surge in coronavirus deaths The prediction came as: The UK death toll reached 1,801, a rise of 381 - the biggest daily increase yet. Deaths jumped to 71 in the Republic of Ireland. The PSNI said it would suspend investigations into Troubles cases and redeploy personnel in response to the crisis. The number of known cases worldwide passed 800,000, with 40,000 dead. While there were 586 confirmed cases in Northern Ireland on Tuesday - more than treble the 172 cases at the same point a week earlier - experts believe the true figure is far higher. Last Wednesday Michael McBride, the chief medical officer, said he believed there were "many thousands" of Covid-19 cases across Northern Ireland. On Tuesday Dr Bamford said the mortality rate could be 0.6%, with many people unaware they have Covid-19 due to not displaying symptoms or experiencing a mild form of the infection. "It can take up to around three weeks to succumb to infection from initial exposure, so whatever numbers of deaths we have, they can tell us how many cases in total we had three weeks ago," he explained. "Given that the virus may double every six days, we can project forward 21 days later. Three weeks ago we could have had 4,500 cases, but today this would look like 52,000 in total." This does not mean that there are nearly 50,000 people walking around with Covid-19 because many of these will have recovered, or are in the process of being sick, or will have unfortunately died Connor Bamford Health Minister Robin Swann, writing in Wednesday's Belfast Telegraph, restated the importance of following basic precautions. Read More He urged the "small minority" of people here flouting the social distancing measures to obey the lockdown. "It is essential that these tight restrictions are rigorously maintained in the weeks ahead. Quite simply, lives depend on it," Mr Swann said. "So, let me appeal to everyone not to slip back into old habits. Any signs of complacency and impatience must be strongly resisted. "Our actions now will impact on the spread of coronavirus in future weeks." Expand Close Virologist Connor Bamford / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Virologist Connor Bamford Dr Bamford, who has previously warned council areas with low numbers of confirmed cases to avoid being complacent in the battle against Covid-19, said it was important to put his prediction into context. Read More "This does not mean that there are nearly 50,000 people walking around with Covid-19 because many of these will have recovered, or are in the process of being sick, or will have unfortunately died," he added. "These numbers are just predictions and ideally we would like to base any calculations on hard data, but unfortunately we are not testing to high enough capacity yet to do this." Dr Bamford said he was hopeful that this would be rectified in the future. The Government has committed to only testing those admitted to hospital as well as health workers, a decision which has been criticised by some experts calling for the wider population to be included in a bid to reduce transmissions. Dr Bamford said the virus was proportionately affecting Northern Ireland and the Republic at almost the same rate. At the weekend a second Queen's University expert, Professor Ultan Power, estimated the number of actual coronavirus cases to be around 62,000. The figure was reported at the weekend by the Irish Mail on Sunday. A professor at the University of Bristol has said the island of Ireland needs to work as one unit in the fight against coronavirus. Gabriel Scally warned on Tuesday there was a risk of "squandering" the geographical advantage of living on an island because of different health policies either side of the border. The Arunachal Pradesh government on Wednesday sent a sample of a person, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin, a coronavirus hotspot, for COVID-19 test. Lohit Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr Wangdi Thungon said that the district medical authorities have collected the swab sample of the person and sent it to Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Dibrugarh in Assam on Wednesday. The 29-year-old person reached Medo in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh on March 18 after attending the Markaz congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin on March 15. "He left Nizamuddin on March 16 and since March 24, he is under home quarantine. He is not showing any signs and symptoms even after 16 days," Thungon said. The result of the test is expected by Thursday evening, the SP said, adding, if there is any positive signal, those who came in contact with him would be traced. When asked whether the samples of his family members were also sent for test, Thungon said that since he went to Delhi alone and was under home isolation, the samples of other members of the family were not collected as of yet. "If his test result is positive, we will perform the test for other family members also," the SP added. Arunachal Pradesh has not reported any COVID-19 cases so far. A total of 37 samples have been sent for testing from the state, of which 33 are negative while results of four are awaited, State Surveillance Officer (IDSP) Dr L Jampa said. Seventeen people are staying in quarantine facilities while 85 have completed the 14-day quarantine period, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Press Release Highlights SBC20-006 encounters multiple alteration zones of greater than 3.5 metres in Northwest Canyon; Deep drilling in Northwest Canyon and an enhanced property-wide gravity survey confirms the presence of a major structure between the Silver Cloud mercury mine and Northwest Canyon; The major structural zone is associated with eastern margin of Midas-like graben; and SBC20-006 is completed to a total depth of 678 metres, assays pending. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Blackrock Gold Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (the "Company") commenced its 2020 Exploration Program in March and has completed the deepest drillhole (678 metres), SBC20-006, at the Northwest Canyon target on its 100% controlled Silver Cloud project located on the Northern Nevada Rift in Elko County, Nevada. The 2020 exploration program at Silver Cloud includes drilling at the Northwest Canyon and NE Veins targets; an expanded project-wide gravity survey; IP surveys at NE Veins, Northwest Canyon, and Silver Cloud mercury mine; and mapping and sampling at the Quiver target. To date, the gravity survey and SBC20-006 have been completed. The 2020 drill program at Northwest Canyon is designed to encounter the mineralized structure at depth (SBC20-006) and expand along strike to the west. Drillhole SBC20-006, completed to 678 metres, tested the down-dip extension of the east-west gold mineralized zone, and from a vertical extent, is the deepest drillhole completed on the Silver Cloud property to date. Drilling of the second hole has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the Company will resume exploration work later in the year as conditions permit. In the fall of 2019, the Company completed five HQ core holes totalling 2,207 metres (7,240 feet) at the Silver Cloud mercury mine and Northwest Canyon target. Geologic interpretation and assay results indicated a potential east-west vein system at Northwest Canyon, where three drillholes (SBC19-002, SBC19-003 and SCP-15) define a 250-metre long mineralized zone. In drillholes SBC19-002 and -003, downhole geophysical survey (acoustic televiewer) showed east-west oriented veins and fractures in the mineralized zones. The mineralized structure is steeply dipping to the south and has a drill-defined strike length of 250 metres. SBC20-006, a vertical hole drilled from the same pad as -002 and -003, intersected several significant alteration zones. Most of the alteration zones were between 1.5 and 3 metres thick; however, below 335 metres, four zones were greater than 3.5 metres and one zone exhibited sulfide breccia veins and quartz veinlets over 18 metres. Detailed logging and sample selection is in progress, and sample intervals are being cut and delivered for gold and silver assay. Andrew Pollard, President & CEO, commented, "An understanding of what the epithermal system looks like at depth is a crucial step towards unlocking the potential at Silver Cloud. Having completed the deepest drillhole yet on the entire property has expanded our understanding of the Northwest Canyon area greatly. In addition, not only did the drill confirm that the basement is down dropped between the Silver Cloud mine and Northwest Canyon into a newly-identified graben feature, the drillhole also encountered four zones of alteration, including one in particular that was laden with quartz veinlets and sooty sulfides over 18 metres width. This the first time sulfides of significant thickness have been encountered in this target area. With the enhanced property-wide gravity survey in hand, in addition to what we've witnessed in the drillhole, we believe that a graben-like structure cuts right across our property forming a very prospective structural and geologic domain. This corridor extends from the northwestern section of our property, where Newmont encountered gold mineralization in the 1980's at the Quiver target, and extends down and across the western half of the property, engulfing Northwest Canyon. We are very excited by this new revelation." Table 1: SBC20-006 Drillhole Location Drillhole ID UTM-NAD27 East UTM-NAD27 North Area Total Depth Metes Azimuth Degrees Dip Angle SBC20-006 529933.0 4544432.0 NW Canyon 678 0 -90 Table 2: Selected Gold Assay Results for Northwest Canyon (0.2 g/t gold cut off) - Previously Announced Drillhole ID Area Company From Metres To Metres *Thickness Metres Gold g/t SCP-15 NW Canyon Placer 208.8 221.0 12.2 5.61 Including 216.4 217.9 1.5 12.55 SBC19-002 NW Canyon Blackrock 263.3 264.9 1.5 8.320 SBC19-003 NW Canyon Blackrock 251.9 252.9 0.9 0.279 SBC20-006 NW Canyon Blackrock ASSAYS PENDING *True thickness unknown SBC20-006 confirmed the volcanic units at Northwest Canyon are thicker and more complex than the volcanic lithologies encountered at the Silver Cloud mine. SBC20-006 drilled through a thick sequence of basaltic andesite flows and tuffs along with basaltic flows. The dense mafic flows and tuffs explain the higher gravity readings (magenta, red and orange colours) on the western half of the Silver Cloud project. SBC20-006 did not encountered the Paleozoic basement. The thick sequence of mafic units appear to lie within a down-dropped structure (Silver Cloud graben) that runs northward on the south end of the project area and turns northwestward roughly in the centre of the project area. The graben is interpreted as an extension or parallel feature of the Midas Graben located at the Midas mine 15 kilometres to the north, the largest mine on the Northern Nevada Rift. The significance of the graben is in the increased thickness of volcanic material and the structural architecture it provides for localized gold deposits. The graben is syn-volcanic as some volcanic units cross the graben margin. This is significant since the epithermal system appears to have been active at the time the Silver Cloud graben was forming. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/676/54023_da98e2dda4c26ac3_002full.jpg Andrew Pollard further commented, " As we await assays that will help to guide an expanded contemplated program in this area, and in light of doing our part to ensure our employees and consultants stay safe, we have decided to suspend our program temporarily due to COVID-19 considerations until it is considered safe for our employees and contractors to resume operations." Blackrock's exploration activities at the Silver Cloud Project are being conducted and supervised by Mr. William Howald, Executive Chairman of Blackrock Gold Corp. Mr. William Howald, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist #11041, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. About Blackrock Gold Corp. Blackrock is a junior gold-focused exploration company that is on a quest to make an economic discovery. Anchored by a seasoned Board, the Company is focused on its Nevada portfolio consisting of low-sulfidation epithermal gold & silver projects located along on the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada, and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada. For further information, please contact: Andrew Pollard, President & CEO Blackrock Gold Corp. Phone: 604 817-6044 Email: andrew@blackrockgoldcorp.com Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs, estimates of mineralization from drilling, geological information projected from sampling results and the potential quantities and grades of the target zones. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation and uncertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data, and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54023 THEMATIC ISSUES Protection of Civilians: Conflict and Hunger Expected Council Action In April, the Council plans to hold a briefing on the protection of civilians from hunger during armed conflict. Possible briefers are Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley (who, however, announced on 19 March that he had contracted COVID-19), Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Qu Dongyu, and Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland. The Council may adopt a presidential statement. Key Recent Developments Recent years have seen the Council increase its consideration of the link between conflict and hunger. In 2017, the threat of famine in north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, which the Secretary-General had warned member states could occur without decisive action, prompted two briefings and an Arria-formula meeting on the crises. A Council presidential statement deplored the failure of certain parties in these conflicts to ensure unfettered and sustained access for deliveries of vital food assistance and other aid. It also called on member states to provide resources and funding to avert famine. During the Netherlands presidency in March 2018, a Council briefing considered more broadly the rising trend in food insecurity and conflict, considered to be the main driver of hunger in 18 countries, according to a joint report of the EU, FAO and WFP at the time. The session also sought to raise awareness of international laws and norms to protect civilian populations from hunger and food insecurity during war. Two months later, on 24 May 2018, the Council adopted resolution 2417, which recalls the link between armed conflict and violence and conflict-induced food insecurity and the threat of famine. The resolution strongly condemned the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as well as the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and urged all parties to protect civilian infrastructure critical to the delivery of aid and to ensure the proper functioning of food systems. Resolution 2417 further requested the Secretary-General to report swiftly to the Council when there is a risk of conflict-induced famine and widespread food insecurity in the context of armed conflict and to brief every 12 months on the resolutions implementation in the context of his annual briefing on the protection of civilians. Since the adoption of resolution 2417, OCHA has sought to alert the Council to risks of famine in conflict situations, including by sending a white paper on unprecedented levels of hunger and malnutrition in South Sudan in July 2018. Council members then convened consultations in August 2018 on food security in South Sudan and in press elements after the meeting demanded that all parties allow unhindered humanitarian access. Similarly, an OCHA white paper alerted the Council to the renewed risk of famine facing Yemen in October 2018 ahead of a Council briefing on that countrys humanitarian crisis. During the briefing, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock warned of a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemenmuch bigger than anything that any professionals in this field have seen during their working lives, and outlined five priorities that he called for the Council to support to prevent this possibility. In December 2018, the first Yemeni peace talks in over two years led to the Stockholm Agreement, which averted a battle for the port city of Hodeidah, through which Yemen imports much of its food and other critical supplies. Starting in January 2019, the Dominican Republic and Germany have co-hosted informal briefings for members to remain updated on conflict-induced hunger trends by discussing the bi-annual reports prepared by the WFP and FAO, titled Monitoring food security in countries with conflict situationsa joint FAO/WFP update for the members of the United Nations Security Council. The most recent edition, the seventh in the series, was issued in January and circulated to members by the Dominican Republic. It spotlights Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Haiti, the Lake Chad Basin, central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), Somalia and South Sudan. (The report notes that the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Sudan and Yemen are not covered because there was no updated acute food insecurity data.) Key Issues and Options Key issues include obstacles to humanitarian access and ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law. Other factors that contribute to hunger in conflict are threats to or attacks on food sourcessuch as infrastructure for delivering food and insecurity from fighting that hinders access to farmlandand high food prices. Underlying fragilities, such as climate change, underdevelopment and poverty, make some countries in conflict more vulnerable to hunger crises. A presidential statement could recall messages from resolution 2417, including that the Council can and has sanctioned individuals or entities obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including access to or distribution of such assistance. Council and Wider Dynamics Maintaining Council attention to conflict-induced hunger has been an important issue for the Dominican Republic. This is reflected by its role in organising the informal briefings for members on food insecurity in conflict situations, hitherto held in January and September 2019 and January 2020. Some members, in particular Russia, continue to have concerns about the Council taking up as a thematic issue food insecurity and hunger, which can have numerous causes and which the Council already addresses when it arises in country situations under discussion. Elected members have taken the lead on previous Council products on conflict and hunger, though with support from the P3. Sweden was penholder on the August 2017 presidential statement, and resolution 2417, adopted unanimously in May 2018, was put forward by Cote dIvoire, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Sweden. UN DOCUMENTS ON CONFLICT AND HUNGER A virology laboratory will be opened at a state-run hospital in Mizoram on Thursday, officials said. The laboratory will be inaugurated at the Zoram Medical College (ZMC) near Aizawl by Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana, they said. Testing of samples of persons suspected to be infected with coronavirus will begin after a few days, a ZMC bulletin said. At least 16 persons suspected to be infected with coronavirus have been admitted to the hospital, of whom four have been isolated at the high-risk ward, it said. Meanwhile, ZMC Registrar Dr Jane Ralte said Centre has agreed to provide 500 personal protective equipment (PPE) to Mizoram following a request made by Lalthangliana to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. The PPEs and medical equipment will be handed over to the Mizoram House in Delhi from where it will be transported to Mizoram, she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commentary By Sylvain Charlebois Convenience now has a different meaning. Its less about saving time and more about survival and safety. Before the crisis, barely anyone ordered online and many Canadians wondered why someone would ever order food in that fashion. But many things are changing rapidly. The in-store shopping experience, for one, is changing quickly to meet the new standards. Most grocers have reduced shopping hours to give employees a rest and allow stores to be thoroughly cleaned, from counters to carts, cashiers machines to self-checkout counters. Plexiglass barriers at checkouts are being installed. Grocery stores are now expected to be as clean as hospital operating rooms. That comes at a cost. Grocers are also limiting the number of people in stores at any time and getting customers to shop within a limited time. This is shopping under pressure for the betterment of society. Grocers basically dont have much of a choice. And grocers need to pay employees more to work under these conditions. While 500,000 Canadians got laid off last week, Loblaws and Metro announced pay increases for employees. For many years, the industry wanted to make the in-store experience more pleasant, less stressful. COVID-19 is changing all of this. According to a report released by Dalhousie University this week, only 24 percent of Canadians are comfortable with the idea of grocery shopping. So more than three-quarters of Canadians see the grocery store as an inherent risk. Selling to someone who is concerned about their own health as they visit your facility isnt good for business. Retailing has always been the most hazardous part of the entire food chain, given that everyone has access to the products, unlike farming or processing. So Canadians are applying risk self-management. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, nine percent of Canadians are shopping for food online for the first time, according to the same Dalhousie survey. That may not seem like many people but keep in mind that 1.5 percent of all food sales were conducted online before the crisis. That percentage had already begun to grow higher but COVID-19 will likely accelerate the pace. In the United States, some changes are already happening. Downloads of Instacart, Walmarts grocery app and Shipt increased 218, 160 and 124 percent respectively last week over a year ago. Grocers are already having difficulty keeping up. COVID-19 is different in many ways to other disruptive events in our lives. But humans are creatures of habits. So it takes time to change our ways especially with food. COVID-19 may provide the time needed to change how we purchase food. Public health officials believe social distancing could last for months. This isnt your typical storm, where lives are disrupted for a few days, or a week or two. A period of months can be enough to create habits, such as shopping online. With crises and disruptions come opportunities for the food industry to adapt to changing consumer needs more quickly. Over the last few years, the industry has slowly gained an online presence to counter the Amazon menace. But it was all about Amazon. Now, purchasing online is all about safety. Before Amazon, foot traffic was the one metric grocers looked at carefully. Those days are long gone. COVID-19 is a powerful reminder of how fragile business models can be. The circumstances are similar in the foodservice industry. Restaurants either served patrons in-house or delivered by managing delivery crews. Food delivery apps changed all that and even more, Canadians are using them since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19 has the potential to be as disruptive to the food retail and service industries as the Green Revolution was to agriculture. The Green Revolution made agriculture more adaptable to modern food consumption trends. Since its beginning in the 1950s, the globe has five billion more occupants and the percentage of people who are food insecure has dropped significantly. The Green Revolution made the entire sector more efficient, smarter, and more immune to threatening diseases and other socio-technological threats. The Green Revolution has been far from perfect but consumers have all benefited from it, whether we recognize it or not. Food distribution through different technologies wont be perfect either but it will make food distribution more compliant to our modern reality. When brick-and-mortar location becomes secondary, a businesss path to success in food distribution changes dramatically. The transition from traditional agriculture, with inputs generated on-farm, to the Green Revolution, requiring the purchase of inputs, led to the widespread establishment of different credit processes. An entire new eco-system was built to support agriculture. With COVID-19, we may see the rise of dark or ghost kitchens in food service, allowing anyone to start a company, virtual or not. The establishment of more micro-fulfilment centres or dark warehouses to support grocers and other food retailers will redesign the entire sector. This doesnt mean Canadians will stop visiting grocery stores, farmers markets or restaurants anytime soon. But in five years or sooner, we could see 20 percent of all food sold online or through apps, restaurants and retail combined. Thats potentially more than $50 billion worth of food. According to estimates, that market represents $7 to $9 billion now. What was often seen as a far-fetched concept just a few years ago appears to be likely now because of COVID-19. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: By Kim Jae-heun Coupang Pay CEO Kyung In-tae / Courtesy of Coupang Campus News Kemper Lewis named dean of School of Engineering and Applied Sciences A UB faculty member since 1996, Kemper Lewis has steadily risen through the ranks of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Photo: The Onion Studio By CORY NEALON I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I am looking forward to working with our exceptional faculty, staff and students as we pursue the diverse challenges and global opportunities in front of us. Kemper E. Lewis, a global leader in engineering design, system optimization and advanced manufacturing, has been appointed dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His appointment, effective May 1, was announced today by Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs A. Scott Weber, who said Lewis rose to the top of an extensive pool of highly qualified candidates from around the world. A UB faculty member since 1996, Lewis has steadily risen through the ranks of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He currently serves as the departments chair, Moog Professor of Innovation and co-director of UBs Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technology (SMART) Community of Excellence. He previously led UBs New York State Center of Engineering Design and Industrial Innovation (NYSCEDII), and has received numerous accolades for his innovative and collaborative approach to research and scholarship, as well as his teaching and mentorship of students. Weber said Lewis brings to this role exceptional scholarly and teaching accomplishments, significant administrative experience, and proven dedication to UB students and faculty. Under his leadership, I am confident that the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will continue to be a global leader in solving grand challenges through groundbreaking research and innovation, and delivering excellent, solutions-oriented academic programs that prepare students to address real-world needs. Lewis succeeds Liesl Folks, who left UB last July to become senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Arizona. Rajan Batta, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, will continue to serve as interim dean until the end of the month. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Lewis has published over 200 journal articles and conference proceedings, and has been principal or co-principal investigator on grants totaling more than $18 million. He has been recognized by many awards and honors, including ASMEs Design Automation Award and its Donald N. Zwiep Innovation in Education Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER award and a Sloan Foundation New Faculty Fellowship. President Satish K. Tripathi said Lewis is an exceptional addition to UBs academic leadership. I am delighted that Kemper Lewis will serve as dean of UBs School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Tripathi said. Since he joined UB in 1996, Professor Lewis has made profound contributions to our university and seminal advances in his field. A prolific researcher and passionate innovator, he has forged strong industry partnerships while furthering both theoretical development and practical applications across his numerous areas of expertise. Widely considered part of a select group of global leaders in the engineering design community, Professor Lewis also has earned a reputation as a dedicated and caring mentor, a humble yet ambitious leader, and the consummate UB citizen. Our engineering school and our entire university community is incredibly fortunate that Professor Lewis will be assuming this leadership role at UB, and I greatly look forward to working with him as dean. The search committee, which was chaired by Jean Wactawski-Wende, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions, included more than a dozen leaders from the UB community. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Lewis said. I am looking forward to working with our exceptional faculty, staff and students as we pursue the diverse challenges and global opportunities in front of us. This is a very exciting time at the University at Buffalo as we further establish our prominence and leadership in transformation research, educational experiences and societal impact. Since 2014, Lewis had led the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the third largest department on campus with more than 1,500 students and 50 faculty and staff. Under his guidance, the department has enhanced faculty diversity, significantly grown research expenditures, nearly doubled the number of annual PhD conferrals, developed new academic programs and experiential learning opportunities, and enhanced the departments reputation and ranking. In recognition of his leadership, Lewis was elected to and currently chairs the ASME Mechanical Engineering Department Head Executive Committee. Director of SMART since 2015, Lewis has co-led the Community of Excellence, which harnesses the strengths of UBs engineering, architecture, management and health sciences faculty to develop innovative solutions to a wide range of research problems catalyzed by Industry 4.0, including automation, fabrication, robotics, artificial intelligence and advanced materials. As executive director of NYSCEDII, Lewis led the centers efforts focusing on scientific visualization, interactive design environments and cyberphysical systems. It helped numerous industrial partners achieve competitive advantages by solving complex design problems, and served as a breeding ground for academic research and engineering education. As a researcher, Lewis work has been sponsored by a variety of sources, including the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, the National Institutes of Health, New York State, the U.S. Department of Transportation and a number of corporate partners. As a faculty member, 14 of his students have received PhDs, with two more expected, and three dozen have received masters degrees. Lewis received a BS in mechanical engineering and a BA in mathematics from Duke University. He received an MS from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MBA from UB and a PhD in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. The regulator of the National Lottery says 16 million in unclaimed prizes is being returned to the State. The money will be returned to the Exchequer following an agreement with the current operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland. The sum relates to prizes not claimed by winners by the ticket expiry date and the prize money had accumulated over 27 years. It marks the conclusion of a lengthy dispute which dates back to 2014, when the National Lottery was privatised and sold to Canadian-owned Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI). As part of the process, PLI inherited just over 16m in unclaimed prize money from the previous licence holder, An Post. According to the Irish Examiner, the 2014 licence did not say specifically what should happen to this money as the National Lottery transitioned to the new licence. But the issue has been resolved by an amendment to the licence following a review by the regulator. Carol Boate is regulator of the National Lottery and she said: "Following thorough consideration of the matter I had concluded that there was no basis for the money to be used by the current operator. "This agreement with the operator now means the money can be returned to the Exchequer without delay for use by good causes, further ensuring that funds for this purpose are maximised at this time." Hard-drinking Australians were told Tuesday to limit themselves to buying just 12 bottles of wine and two cases of beer a day as a coronavirus lockdown saw panic buying of alcohol. Major retailers agreed to enforce new rules limiting individual purchases as Australians went on a booze-buying spree amid a shutdown of non-essential services -- including pubs and bars. "It was clear that uncertainty on the impact of supply... caused some people to purchase differently," Retail Drinks chief executive Julie Ryan said in a statement launching the restrictions. "We want to now send a clear message bottle shops remain an essential service and there are no issues of supply." Australian social media has been awash with video and pictures of shoppers loading supermarket trolleys with alcohol in the face of lockdowns that could last weeks. According to the World Health Organisation data from 2016, Australians aged over 15 consumed an average 12.6 litres (3.3 gallons) of alcohol a year -- second only to the Czech Republic. More recent data from various sources show they are now behind several European countries, with Moldova (15.2 litres or four gallons), Lithuania, France and Russia among the biggest consumers. The restrictions come as data from the Commonwealth Bank -- one of the country's biggest financial institutions -- showed spending on alcohol at bottle shops jumped 86 percent last week as drinkers migrated from bars to backyards. "These temporary measures will ensure that all consumers can continue to access their favourite drinks when they decide to make a purchase," Ryan said. There was at the time little public anxiety over the virus, which was then still largely seen as a Chinese problem. Even in Italy, the first signs of the outbreak that would soon devastate much of the Lombardy and Veneto regions had yet to be detected. So local authorities in Alsace didnt pay much attention to the fact that hundreds of people developed mild, flu-like symptoms in the days after the prayer meeting. Area food banks, pantries and soup kitchens are stocking up, supplying families who use their services with nonperishable items during restrictions made necessary to avoid the spread of coronavirus. As the crisis continues and unemployment rises, families facing food insecurity may struggle in coming weeks. This list of resources is intended to support them, state Sen. Mary Daugherty Abrams, D-Meriden, said in a prepared statement. Her constituents live in Middlefield, Rockfall, Middletown, Cheshire and Meriden. As this crisis continues, we must support everyone in our communities, and that includes those who have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19s impact on the economy. I hope that those who find themselves in need can receive assistance during these tough times, and those who are in a position where they can make donations support these vital community resources. We must remain united in the face of this extreme challenge, Abrams said in a press release. Many locations require paperwork or proof of residence, she said. Visitors are encouraged to call before visiting any location as they may have new protocols in place during the virus outbreak. The list may not include every location in the 13th District, but is intended to support members of the community in need, Abrams added. Middlefield Middlefield Food Bank, Middlefield Social Services, 405 Main St., 860-349-7121, is open by appointment. Middletown Amazing Grace Food Pantry, 16 Stack St., 860-347-3222, is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The St. Vincent de Paul Middletown soup kitchen, 617 Main St., 860-344-0097, is handing out takeout meals from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A mobile food pantry is available at Cross Street AME Zion Church, 440 West St., from 10 to 11 a.m. on the second Thursday of every month. The Shiloh Baptist Church Food Pantry, 346 Butternut St., Middletown, 860-346-8295, distributes food on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 4 to 5 p.m. The Zion First Baptist Church Food Pantry, 16 James A. Moses Ave., Middletown, 860-347-5074, is open every third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon. Emergency food is available by appointment only. Meriden Salvation Army, 23 St. Casimir Drive, Meriden Corps Community Center, 203-235-6532, has an emergency food pantry running from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursday. The soup kitchen, at 460 Broad St., serves individuals and families Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 1 p.m. New Opportunities of Greater Meriden, Old Nappier Building, 74 Cambridge St., 203-235-0278, is also providing food. Meals on Wheels is continuing delivery. Anyone who received meals at a site should call to arrange home delivery. Operation Pantry, the food bank offering a three-day supply of food to those in need, can be visited Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at noon. Patrons can receive items once a month. Distribution is dependent on the available supply. Apostolic Community Church Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen, 146 Center St., 203-639-0780; is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meriden Soup Kitchen at First Baptist Church, 460 Broad St., 203-980-3372, is available weekdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cheshire Cheshire Community Food Pantry, 175 Sandbank Av., 203-699-9226, serves customers Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 2:30 to 6 p.m. by appointment only. Donations can be left in the donor vestibule during regular hours. For information, visit Cheshire Food Pantry on Facebook. A British-Iranian grandfather has returned to the UK nine years after he was arrested by the regime in Tehran on spying charges. Kamal Foroughi, an 80-year-old grandfather whose family lives in London, was arrested in 2011 and accused of spying while working for an oil company in Iran. He was jailed for espionage in 2013 - a charge he strongly denies - and was released in late 2018 after serving five years of a seven-year sentence. Kamal Foroughi, 80, who has been detained in Iran since 2011 accused of spying, has finally returned to the UK and been reunited with his family (pictured in after his release) Mr Foroughi was unable to leave Iran while he waited for his passport to be renewed, but the process was completed in February and he returned home two weeks ago. The news was announced on Wednesday by his family, following 14 days spent in isolation over fears he may have coronavirus - which has run rampant in Iran. Kamran, Mr Foroughi's son, spent the last two weeks in isolation with his father who has no symptoms of the virus and will now be reunited with the rest of his family. He wrote on Change.org: 'Since late 2018 dad had been out of Evin prison (or the 34 star hotel as he calls it!) and living in Tehran, being cared for by close friends. Mr Foroughi (pictured before he was jailed) was freed from jail in 2018 but was stranded while Iran renewed his passport, which was finally approved in February 'Wed all been waiting for his Iranian passport to be renewed before he was legally allowed to leave the country and be with us again. 'In Tehran dad received cataracts operations and his eyesight is back to normal, and he has been receiving regular medical check-ups. 'Were all so grateful to dads friends and the excellent doctors and nurses in Tehran who looked after him and kept him well. 'Dads passport came through in February. We then faced the challenge of getting him booked on a flight that went ahead as planned, with the first flight he was booked on getting cancelled and most other flights full because of coronavirus and New Year. 'Thank you all so much for your kind messages, thoughts, prayers and support over the years, and encouragement to see dad get full medical check-ups and be released and reunited with family.' British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added: 'I am pleased and very relieved that Kamal Foroughi has been able to return to the UK and be reunited with his family. 'I pay tribute to Kamal and his family, who have been through a terrible ordeal, and now have the opportunity to rebuild their life together.' Mr Foroughi (pictured in 1995) was born in Iran but came to the UK in the 1970s where he qualified for a passport and raised a family, based in London During his time in jail in Iran, Mr Foroughi was kept in the notorious Evin jail (file image) where high-profile political prisoners are often kept Mr Foroughi was born in Iran but came to Britain in the 1970s where he raised a family. He gained citizenship but retained his old Iranian passport. In 2011 he was working as a consultant for Malaysian oil company Petronas in Tehran when he was arrested and subsequently jailed. He spent his time behind bars in Iran's notorious Evin prison, where high-profile political prisoners are often held. It is the same jail where fellow Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been detained in Iran since 2016 also on spying charges, was also being held. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is currently out of jail on furlough while wearing an ankle bracelet in an attempt to stop a coronavirus outbreak in the prison. Iran has furloughed almost 100,000 prisoners to stem the spread of the virus. Last week, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was told her furlough would be extended and that she may be considered for clemency. Initially, the US government toned down the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak. And, earlier on, specifically in January, President Donald Trump said, the situation was completely under control. Specifically, his reply to the question of Joe Kernen from CNBC, if his administration was worried about the infectious disease, was, "No, not at all." The nation's highest official also said they have the situation entirely under control. However, the COVID-19 situation, according to the report, was far from under control as the number of cases continues to rise. As of this writing, there are 191,133 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, and the US has already surpassed China and Italy. In fact, it has now become the country most hit by the pandemic, based on Worldometer's data. READ NEXT: Chris Cuomo, News Anchor, and Brother of Governor Andrew Cuomo Tested Positive for COVID-19 Akin to the Country's Experiences During the Great Depression In their attempt to help control the fast-spreading of the virus, non-essential businesses, schools, colleges, and universities have closed temporarily. Nevertheless, many people worry that the economic impact of this pandemic could be similar to what the nation has experienced during the Great Depression in the 30s decade. According to Stanford University economics professor, Matthew Jackson, this situation is quite economically disturbing, and similarity with the Great Depression "is the nearest to what might be experienced" Jackson also said, these occurrences can have deep changes on people's beliefs and views. READ NEXT: Trump Makes Changes Hoping to Minimize the Spread of COVID-19 Government's Awareness The government is aware of what's believed to be approaching "economic rough times" and has already started taking steps to alleviate its effects. Relatively, the $2 trillion COVID-19 package will provide one-time financial assistance of $1,200 for every adult and $500 for each child. Meanwhile, roughly $367 billion will be allotted to support small businesses, and $500 will be used to help larger companies. This battle against COVID-19, explained Jackson, might just be what every human needs to make a better or improved society, the one that is more ready for future and worse crises. More so, this pandemic could even help improve the health care systems globally as leaders learn the lessons after this health crisis. Past disturbances have been the promoters for a favorable change. For example, USA Today indicated, the Great Depression during the 1930s gave rise to the Social Security Act, while the Word War II positioned women to employment, and the "minorities into the military," which both led to civil rights and equal movements. READ MORE: Why Do Many Rural US Counties Have Zero COVID-19 Cases? Changes Happen in Different Ways Some changes that are happening in other parts of the world may not just be effective in the US most particularly if they pertain to civil liberties. And, just like terrorism prior to that, COVID-19 may present actual struggles to civil freedoms that the Americans have to face, said a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Matthew Continetti. Say, some Asian countries are tracing COVID-19 carriers using their cellphones or the closed-circuit TV cameras. Nevertheless, such a tactic is not likely to work or be effective in the US since it might be viewed and perceived as an assault to the notions of freedom of the Americans. (Newser) If now sounds like a good time to escape to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, with $750,000 you probably can. For that price, explorer and retired naval officer Victor Vescovo will take daring travelers to the deepest point on Earth, Challenger Deep in Mariana Trench, which has been visited by fewer people than have been to space. With his exploration company Caladan Oceanic, Vescovojust the fourth person to visit the spothas already filled up two eight-day expeditions scheduled for May, per Popular Mechanics. Travelers no more than 220 pounds will take a retired US Navy ship to the Western Pacific Ocean, 200 miles southwest of Guam, before descending 35,843 feet in the $37 million deep-ocean submarine, Limiting Factor, reports Bloomberg. The view: a whole lot of black. story continues below "Once you get past a thousand feet or two, it starts to get really dark really quickly," Vescovo tells Bloomberg. "Then it's just really peaceful, and there's virtually no sense of motion in any direction." At the bottom, travelers can retrieve rocks and even bacterial colonies using a mechanical arm. And "it's likely you'll see a new species," Vescovo says. The trips will help fund Vescovo's continued explorationhe's the first person to reach the depths of all five oceansand perhaps settle a dispute with director James Cameron. Cameron, who argues the bottom of the trench is flat, disputes the claim that Vescovo reached 52 feet deeper in Challenger Deep than he did, per Popular Mechanics. Vescovo hopes to confirm his argument with outings this year. (More on his wild adventures here.) The Museum of Flight today announced that the fabric covering of its rare, World War I Italian aircraft, Caproni Ca-21, is actually the original artwork for the so-called Lost Leonardo painting, The Battle of Anghiari. Leonardo da Vinci completed the painting in 1505, but its whereabouts have been a mystery ever since. Needless to say, remarked The Museum of Flight Senior Curator Matthew Burchette, this news has rocked the art world! Which is not something we get to say very often at an aerospace museum. Routine Inspection Rocks Art World Like most airplanes of the era, the 1914-vintage Caproni was constructed with a wooden framework covered with fabric. Last year the Museums curatorial staff was routinely inspecting the inside of airplanes fabric and noticed a faint drawing of a mans head. The interiors of old airplanes are sometimes covered with graffiti done by mechanics and flight crews, said Burchette, its an aviation tradition. But it soon became apparent this was clearly a cut above the juvenile art we generally find. Using state-of-the-art surgical photographic tools the Museums curatorial team meticulously scanned the delicate fabric without having to remove it. Proprietary spectral analysis revealed the artwork in greater detail. The scans and microscopic samples of the fabric were immediately and secretly delivered to several da Vinci experts around the world for verification. Now, months later, there is a consensus that the fabric, drawing and painting media date to years 1500-1505, and the brushstrokes are definitely Leonardos. Although the artwork appears to be unfinished, Nick di Scarcello, Chief Conservator at the Leonardo Institute in Florence, Italy, described the discovery as stunning! The return of il maestros prodigal son! Another Mystery Solved The Capronis priceless covering might also explain one of the great mysteries about the planewhy it was never flown in service, then shepherded in an ancient building on the Caproni family estate for 80 years until it was donated to The Museum of Flight. We believe the painting was deliberately saved from the ravages of two world wars in Europe, says Curator Burchette. We may never know how or when the Leonardo came into possession of the Caproni family or someone associated with the making of the aircraft, but is logical that by deliberately hiding it in plane sightpardon the punprotected the masterpiece from wartime destruction or pillage. And given the fact Leonardo was the first great airplane designer, it only seemed fitting his work would eventually make a great Italian airplane take flight! Compare Images Viewed from inside of the Caproni, three degrees of spectral analysis reveal the painting. Experts believe that restoring the artwork to its original splendor is possible. TDT | Manama Bahrains rapid containment of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has helped prevent a steep increase in registered cases, as compared to other countries around the world. This was declared yesterday by Lt. Col. Dr Manaf Al Qahtani, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Microbiologist at Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital, who is also a member of the National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19. He was speaking at the National Taskforces press conference highlighting updates on the national efforts and strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was held at the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research at BDF Hospital. Dr Al Qahtani presented a case registration index of the first 100 active COVID-19 cases in comparison to other countries. This showed a gradual increase in Bahrain and a steep increase for other countries worldwide. Dr Al Qahtani explained that this is due to the high quality of care and the rapid manner authorities are responding to containing the coronavirus amongst those who test positive. He added that it can also be attributed to the precautionary measures issued by the government in combating the disease, including social distancing measures, the closure of non-essential retail businesses, and the encouragement of remote working, among others. Dr Al Qahtani emphasised the tremendous efforts of Bahrains medical workforce, which continues to provide the necessary care in line with protocols issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO). He also noted that the current strategy to contain the COVID-19 spread is The Triple Ts, namely Trace, Test and Treat, which ensures a comprehensive approach of care under specialised medical teams. Also in attendance at yesterdays conference were Ministry of Health undersecretary Dr Waleed Al Manea, Infectious and Internal Diseases consultant at Salmaniya Medical Complex Dr Jameela Al Salman and Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) chief executive Mohammed Ali Al Qaed. Dr Al Manea highlighted the Kingdoms precise and carefully studied decisions made to contain the COVID-19, beginning with the establishment of an operations room as well as the provision of transparent facts and statistics. He noted the high level of awareness and social responsibility exhibited by the Kingdoms citizens and residents, which has contributed to the success of efforts to contain the virus. He emphasised that the Ministry of Health has recently begun random medical tests, via mobile testing units, across the Kingdom. Meanwhile, Dr Al Salman reiterated that the health of citizens and residents remains a top priority and emphasised the importance of all continued joint efforts in combating the COVID-19 and the observation of guidelines issued by the authorities. On his part, Al Qaed highlighted that the BeAware app has been officially launched following the success of its beta version, which has been tested by patients and volunteers across the Kingdom. He said that 60,000 users have downloaded the app so far. Al Qaed explained that it is a mandatory download for individuals undergoing treatment and observation, as it provides the relevant authorities with the opportunity to follow up with patients under treatment or self-isolation. He explained that it utilises location data to alert individuals in the event they approach an active case or a location that an active case has visited, while providing health guidelines and recommendations plus local and global COVID-19 developments. Al Qaed emphasised the iGAs continued commitment to supporting relevant entities in working remotely, and said that 60 per cent of government services are now online, and that the iGA is working hard to reach 90 per cent. The Supreme Court Wednesday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking directions for providing WHO graded protective gear to doctors, nurses and medical staff who are treating coronavirus patients across the country. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, which heard the matter through video-conferencing, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to look into the plea filed by a Nagpur-based doctor and file response on it by next week. The plea has claimed that in the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors and other medical staff are putting themselves at risk of being affected by the virus, also called COVID-19, and it is the duty of the state to ensure that they get all the required kit while treating patients. It said the Centre should ensure that World Health Organization (WHO) graded protective gear, including hazmat suits, personal protective equipment (PPE), starch apparels, medical masks, goggles, face shield, respirators and head covers, is made available to all health workers like doctors, nurses, ward boys, medical and para-medical professionals who are attending COVID-19 patients. Jerryl Banait, the petitioner who is a doctor, has also sought a direction to the states to set up COVID-19 special screening centres in smaller towns and other cities and to take immediate steps to ensure effective implementation of health ministry's January 25 guidelines which prescribe procedures and practices to be adopted for infection prevention and control. The plea has also sought a direction to the authorities to take necessary steps to ensure adherence to the guidelines issued by the WHO and the health ministry on rational use of PPE for COVID-19. It also said that doctors and other para-medical professionals should be provided facilities including food, separate transportation and accommodation or isolation rooms to protect exposure of their families. The plea has sought a direction to the authorities to undertake immediate measures for wide-scale screening and testing of potential COVID-19 patients and to issue guidelines regarding tests through private agencies or labs, including regulated pricing and manner of testing. "As there is no specific vaccination to prevent or cure COVID-19, it is imperative for doctors to be in constant contact with patients, so as to monitor them on regular intervals, and observe their symptoms. In the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors put themselves at the risk of being affected by the virus in the discharge of their duties," the plea said. "It is the duty of the states to ensure graded protective gear to doctors and other welfare facilities, so as to aid them to combat the virus," it said, adding, "In the case, where the hospitals and health centres are not provided WHO standardized masks and gowns, medical staff mortality will exponentially increase and the situation will spiral out of control in the absence of sufficient medical assistance." The plea said authorities should provide adequate protective gears to medical professionals to ensure that those who are continuously working towards treating and testing the diagnosed patients and to screen and quarantine the ones suspected, are not susceptible to the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ms. Malik, 29, is among the most well known of the thousands of women (and a few men) blaming DevaCurl for problems ranging from misshapen and deflated curls to inflamed scalps to hair loss. Stephanie Mero, a hairstylist in Orlando, Fla., who formerly sold (and used) DevaCurl, started a Facebook group called Hair Damage & Hair Loss from DevaCurl Youre not CRAZY or ALONE. It has nearly 60,000 members, a lot of pictures of thinning hair and bald spots, and a thread for those considering chopping off all their hair. (Ms. Mero has.) There are also at least 10 class-action lawsuits pending, including four in New York, in which customers say DevaCurl damaged their scalps and made their hair fall out in clumps. (Neither Ms. Malik or Ms. Mero have joined the suits, they said in interviews. Ms. Mero, 29, is mulling her options; Ms. Malik has retained a lawyer and is considering her legal options because no ones ever going to get hair advice from me ever again.) For a generation of women who grew up straightening their hair, DevaCurl represented a hard-won path to curl acceptance, and customers talked about the brand with religious fervor. DevaCurl is the first brand I used that worked well with my hair and sold me on our lord and savior, the CGM, a Reddit user wrote, referring to the Curly Girl Method of using just conditioner and gel. (CGM was developed by Lorraine Massey, a DevaCurl founder, who left the company in 2013.) For the products not just to fail customers but also to potentially harm them felt akin to betrayal. The company, which grew out of the success of the SoHo specialty curl salon DevaChan, and whose products were name-dropped on Broad City, has established a website called Facts About DevaCurl. There are details of various tests performed and frequently asked questions, including whether DevaCurl is considering a recall. Answer: No. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:08:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed coordinating efforts for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) control and economic and social development, and striving to achieve this year's goals for economic and social progress. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. On Sunday, Xi visited the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port, whose throughput has recovered to normal levels due to the timely measures it adopted to resume production. The Ningbo Zhoushan Port took the lead in resuming production, which was of great significance to promoting Chinese enterprises to resume work and production as well as restoring the logistics system and the global industrial chains, Xi said. He called for efforts to cope with and blunt the adverse impact on cargo shipping brought by restrictive measures adopted by various countries to fight coronavirus. He also urged facilitation for the country's smooth trade flow. Xi said Zhoushan port plays an important role in the building of the Belt and Road, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. As one of the world's top container ports, the Zhoushan Port handled about 1.12 billion tonnes of cargo in 2019. Leaving the port, Xi visited an industrial park that produces high-end auto parts and molds in the city of Ningbo, where he inspected resumption of work and production at a privately-owned manufacturer. By the assembly line, Xi asked the workers if they encountered any difficulties on their way back to work or in daily life, and if they got their paychecks on time. "Normal production of enterprises can keep the national economy on track and create employment opportunities for the public," Xi said. Stressing that China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are smart, full of vitality and good at braving challenges and striving for greatness, Xi said the SMEs will surely pull through the hard times and embrace better development with support from the Party, the government and society. GREEN, SMART DEVELOPMENT On Monday, Xi went to Yucun Village in the county of Anji, where he was greeted with applause and cheers of villagers thronging along the village roads to welcome his visit. In 2005, it was in this mountainous village that Xi, then secretary of Zhejiang provincial committee of the CPC, put forward the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Yucun has adhered to that concept and pursued green development for the past 15 years. Revisiting the village, Xi said economic development should not be achieved at the expense of the ecological environment. To protect the ecological environment is to develop the productive forces, Xi said. He stressed the equal importance of urban and rural modernization. Leaving the village, Xi went to Anji's mediation center to learn about how primary-level social disputes are resolved. Xi stressed adopting diversified methods to prevent, mediate and resolve social disputes, for example through a mechanism where people file their complaints and Party members and officials can reach out to them more effectively. On Tuesday, Xi visited the Xixi National Wetland Park in the provincial capital of Hangzhou. Along the way, Xi was greeted by people touring the park, and he waved back to express his regards. Stopping by vendor booths that make Hangzhou's well-known Longjing tea and sell local signature cultural products, Xi encouraged the vendors to inherit and develop traditional handicrafts and other forms of intangible cultural heritage. He asked Hangzhou to better lay out production, residence and environmental functions in urban planning to create a residents-friendly city where humans and nature coexist and thrive in harmony. Xi then visited the City Brain, a smart city platform aiming to improve urban management, and learned how Hangzhou uses the technology to ease traffic congestions, manage the city and fight the COVID-19 epidemic. Advancing the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance requires stepping up modernizing the system and capacity for urban management, Xi said. Xi stressed utilizing big data, cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to innovate in the methods, models and visions of urban management and to make cities "smarter." OPPORTUNITIES AMID CHALLENGES While hearing work reports made by Zhejiang provincial committee of the CPC and provincial government Wednesday, Xi said the epidemic situation in China is moving steadily in a positive direction, and the peak of the current COVID-19 outbreak is over in the country. The risk posed by imported cases, however, has sharply risen as the pandemic is accelerating its spread across the world, said Xi, stressing intensified management of asymptomatic virus cases in China. China will make preventing imported cases the top priority in its COVID-19 response at present and even for a "prolonged" period of time, he said. Though the increasingly fast spread of COVID-19 abroad has disrupted international economic and trade activities and brought new challenges to China's economic development, it has also provided fresh opportunities for expediting the country's development in science and technology and advancing industrial upgrading, Xi noted. More efforts should be made to accelerate and further expand work and production resumption in an orderly manner on the premise of strictly implementing COVID-19 control measures, he said. Xi called for efforts to smooth global supply chains to ensure normal economic and trade activities. While seizing the opportunities of industrial digitization and digital industrialization, China also needs to expedite the construction of "new infrastructure" projects such as 5G networks and data centers, and deploy strategic emerging sectors and industries of the future including digital economy, life health services and new materials, he said. Xi also stressed the importance of expanding reform of important areas and key links. Efforts must be made to improve the mechanism for major epidemic prevention and control and the public health emergency response and management system, said Xi, stressing carrying out extensive patriotic health campaigns. He called for putting in place sound systems and policies for promoting integrated urban-rural development, and speeding up the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. Xi demanded efforts to guarantee an adequate supply of food with stable prices for urban residents and ensure sufficient income for rural people. Calling the anti-virus fight a "test" for governance over the Party, Xi urged better Party building work at all levels. Sylvan Learning, a leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12, announced today a $2.5 million royalty and fee deferral program in conjunction with its majority owners, certain institutional client accounts managed by Guggenheim Investments. Amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Sylvan Learning franchisees nationwide have pivoted their business delivery to be exclusively online. The royalty and fee deferral program will ensure that franchise owners have the support they need to continue providing solutions to families in need of educational support. Its been a difficult time for families, in particular those with school-age children, and small business entrepreneurs. The families who rely on Sylvan for their childrens supplemental education have had their educational lives turned upside down with the closure of many schools, said John McAuliffe, CEO of Sylvan Learning. These families are looking for solutions that allow them to continue to learn at home and to also continue to receive the supplemental education they were receiving from Sylvan. Our franchise owners have risen to the occasion by quickly pivoting to online delivery and providing support to families and their fellow franchisees during this uncertain time. Because of its ongoing investment in technology solutions, breadth of content and delivery options (in-center, in-home and online), Sylvan is uniquely positioned to respond to parents needs in these challenging times. In June 2018, the brand launched Sylvan Nation, a free online education portal with educational support tips, worksheets, a teacher resource section and educational videos. Students can also access workbooks online through Random House. When many centers had to close, the vast majority of Sylvan franchisees pivoted to live, teacher-led online instruction through its proprietary technology platform SylvanSync, and the brand was able to repurpose its remaining paper-based content to be delivered online. Centers are also able to offer teacher led, online small group instruction based on grade and subject (e.g. 3rd Grade Reading) to support even more parents during this time. The pandemic also fast-tracked Sylvans proprietary marketplace that allows parents to easily schedule both in-home and online tutoring, a program that was in the pilot phase in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area that will now be expanded to other parts of North America. The Sylvan Learning system is stronger, more nimble and more united than ever. We have ramped up our already strong training in online education, local marketing and technology for our franchise owners and expanded our reach for families and students, said McAuliffe. We are confident we will exit this situation as a company that has transformed itself to better serve every familys educational needs in the most convenient way, whether they prefer in-center, in-home or online delivery. To learn more about Sylvans online education resources, visit ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING, LLC With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvans proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync technology on the iPad for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGESTEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit http://www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog. For the duration of the coronavirus shutdown, school districts will continue to receive state funding and must continue to pay school staff they directly employ. Gov. Ned Lamont included the directives in his executive order issued Tuesday. The order to keep school staff employed applies to not only teachers and school administrators, but secretaries and other active employees. It allows for contracts to be amended so that services can be sustained once school resumes. The order says districts should engage bus and special education providers to determine what their actual costs are for employee wages and health insurance and work out a memorandum of understanding with the goal of sustaining the services when school resumes. State officials say the idea is to ensure active employees continue to be paid, to the greatest extent practicable. Payments from the state include the Education Cost Sharing grants, payments for special education and other programming. It also requires municipalities to continue providing funding to local boards of education as set forth in the approved annual school budgets. Jeff Leake, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union said the education community supports Lamonts actions, which will allow educators to continue working and receiving paychecks. Like health care workers and first responders, Leake said teachers are fighting to bring health, well-being, and normalcy to their communities. The public, and especially parents, understand the importance of our educators, Leake said. This order will allow public school support staff to continue working with teachers creating engaging, welcoming learning environments for our children. American Federation of Teachers President Jan Hochadel who previously taught science at J.M. Wright Technical High School in Stamford called it welcome recognition of all the teachers, para-educators, social workers, school nurses, counselors, administrative staff, tutors and custodians who serve Connecticut students. Its the result of our coalition of unions representing these vital professionals working together with responsive elected officials, committed school leaders and the state education department, Hochadel said. While these are unprecedented times, we showed the value of tried and trusted solutions like collective bargaining. Going forward, Hochadel said the union intends to address the economic issues facing temporary support staff hired after the school year began. Norwalk Federation of Education Personnel President Hope Coles, who is an administrative aide at Ponus Ridge Middle school, said the pandemic caused a double-whammy to all her members. First, theres the impact on our students and their families, Coles said. Second is the impact on our members pockets and personal finances. She said making sure employees can count on base wages is critical. The last thing we need once were past the worst of this is for working people to remain unable to support themselves and their families, Coles said. Other school officials also say the decision is a good one. It is an extremely stressful time for everyone to try and keep themselves and their families healthy. Bridgeport Acting Superintendent Michael Testani said. This removes the financial burden from their worries. Bridgeport Schools closed March 13. The following Thursday, work packets went online and were distributed to students. Teachers are to be available to students by phone or email during regular school days. In addition, cafeteria workers have been providing thousands of grab-and-go meals to students. School buses in Bridgeport, meanwhile have been off the road. Testani said it is unclear to him what active means in the context of a school bus company, but that the intent seems to be to provide income continuation to the employees who provide bus services to your district. Ansonia Schools Superintendent Joseph DiBacco called Lamonts order spot on. In Ansonia we are paying all of our staff members, DiBacco said. We worked hard to repurpose and utilize staff in an effective way that supports students, distance learning, and the ability to telecommute. ... This news is greatly appreciated. In Shelton, Schools Superintendent Beth Smith said the district has already been paying all union employees. The situation in Trumbull is similar. Assistant Schools Superintendent Jonathan Budd said the district is already paying staff and intending to do so for the duration of the shutdown. To the greatest extent possible, we are continuing to utilize our people and have meaningful work for them to do, Budd said. Of course we have restrictions based on social distancing but we have work for everybody. In Trumbull, the food services staff is providing more than 600 meals a day. We recognize the role every employee plays in meeting the needs of our students, Budd added When school resumes, we want to be able to pick right up you dont want people to leave the school system because they had to go look for work and take a job somewhere else. In Greenwich, Superintendent Toni Jones and Chief Operating Officer Sean OKeefe said they are reviewing the guidance regarding transportation payments and special education services, and will be working with contractors and legal experts to assess the situation. During the virtual Board of Education meeting last week, OKeefe said the school closures may result in some savings, from expenses such as utilities and busing. Otherwise, the district has striven to keep staff employed remotely where possible, or on-site for maintenance and custodial staff. Given the emergency situation that we are in, we did not want to furlough our staff and have found ways for most staff to be working safely from their remote locations, the officials said in a joint statement. Staff writers Donald Eng and Jo Kroeker contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 00:46:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANJUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chairman of Gambian Constitutional Review Commission Cherno Sulayman Jallow said Tuesday the drafting of the Constitution has been completed and submitted to the presidency on Monday. "The draft constitution we are publishing today is an embodiment of hopes and aspirations of the people of The Gambia," he said during a press conference this Tuesday. According to him, in the new Constitution, the president is given a free hand to nominate and appoint his or her vice president. "However, ministerial appointments are subjected to National Assembly confirmation which must be carried out within fourteen days after. Where it decides not to confirm a candidate, it is obligated [on the legislature] to provide its reasons to the president in writing within three days of that decision. Any failure in that regard shall deem a candidate to be approved," he explained. He stated the National Assembly will be guided by an established standard to ensure that the process is concentrated on substances and not base on differences of ideology, belief or political affiliation. The Speaker of the House also will no longer be nominated by the president but voted, according to Jallow. The draft constitution will be taken for a referendum for approval or rejection. The Constitution Review Commission was established in 2017 to draft a new constitution with best standard. Enditem The Karnataka government on Wednesday said about 1,500 people from the state attended the gathering in March at Tablighi Jamaats Delhi centre that later emerged as a coronavirus (Covid-19) infection hotspot. Samples of as many as 143 of them have so far been taken for testing while 800 have been screened. Health and family welfare department principal secretary Jawaid Akhtar said the department had received the list of the 1,500 people from the Centre. Of them, 800 have been identified and the 143 who were symptomatic have undergone tests. We expect the results to start coming in from tomorrow. Efforts are on to trace the rest of the people who attended the meeting. Akhtar has issued an appeal asking all those who participated in the Jamaats Delhi congregation to voluntarily get in touch with the department. He added the 800 will be in public quarantine and after 14 days would be put under home quarantine. We are in the process of collecting travel history of all these people. Officials said the 1,500 belong to all the 30 districts of the state, where nine more people tested positive for Covid-on Wednesday. In Andhra Pradesh, two people, who attended the Jamaat event, have been quarantined along with their family members. Both of them belong to Krishna district. It has been found that many of those who went to Delhi Markaz [centre] and returned are testing positive for coronavirus, said Nandigama deputy police superintendent GV Ramana Murthy. Tests have been performed but the results are pending. Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to all those who had attended the Delhi gathering to get tested voluntarily. In Puducherry, two people, who attended the Jamaat event, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday while seven others were under observation. Chief minister V Narayanasamy appealed to all those, who took part in the meet, to volunteer themselves for screening. As many as 21 people from Puducherry had attended the congregation last month, and only nine returned to the Union territory. Health and family welfare director Mohan Kumar said the two had been admitted to a government hospital and undergone tests. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Scotland has dropped plans to hold criminal trials without juries during the coronavirus lockdown after lawyers and politicians opposed the draconian measures. The Westminster government has not made similar proposals in England and Wales, where legal associations have vowed to fight any effort to curtail this fundamental right. The first version of Scotlands emergency legislation enabled criminal trials to be held without juries for the purpose of ensuring that the criminal justice system continues to operate effectively. Guilt or innocence would be decided by a judge or sheriff instead. But the passage was removed from the law before a debate in Holyrood on Wednesday, after Conservative and Liberal Democrat MSPs said they would vote against it. The Scottish Criminal Bar Association (SCBA) said the bill amounted to an attack on principles that have been built over 600 years. Any changes, however temporary, should not erode important principles of our legal system which would have the effect of undermining or ignoring the citizens rights to justice, said president Ronnie Renucci QC. The SCBA believes that these draconian measures seeking to bring about seismic changes to our system of justice are premature, disproportionate and ill-advised. They are at best a knee-jerk reaction to an as yet unquantified problem instigated by panic or at worst, something far more sinister. Michael Gove, a former justice secretary, was among critics of the plans and called them deeply concerning. The plans were dropped before MSPs voted on the emergency law in the Scottish Parliament (Getty) I applaud the Scottish government for their generous co-operation in the fight against Covid-19 but is it wise to take this position on jury trials? the Conservative minister wrote on Twitter. I make no criticism of colleagues facing difficult decisions, but lets talk. The government has not floated any similar plans for England and Wales, where more than half of court and tribunal buildings have been shut because of coronavirus. All jury trials have been stopped because of sickness and social distancing measures, and only urgent matters are being heard. Lawyers have warned of a criminal justice meltdown after official figures revealed a backlog of more than 37,400 crown court cases existed before the coronavirus outbreak. The Criminal Bar Association said that despite the unprecedented situation, the jury system must be maintained. The current temporary cessation of jury trials in England and Wales is just that - temporary - to allow proper and considered policies and procedures to be put in place, said chair Caroline Goodwin QC. We would oppose any effort to curtail this fundamental right and conduct trials without juries. Representative image Indias drug price regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has sought details from state governments on order volumes and existing stocks of medical devices and personal protective equipment kits (PPEs) to crack down on potential hoarders, artificial shortage and price rise, as it battles to contain the spread of Coronavirus. NPPA Chairman Shubhra Singh has asked state governments to give details on the availability of PPE, masks (two-ply, three-ply and N95), gloves, testing kits and ventilators, and the production capacity available in each of these states. It has also sought information on the volume of orders that state governments, state-owned companies, and private hospitals have placed for these. The state governments have been asked to share information by April 5. This may be treated on priority, the NPPA chairman said in the letter that Moneycontrol has reviewed. Singh, who has written to the state chief secretaries, has also sought details of current stock in hand at government hospitals, public sector undertakings, cooperatives, and private health service providers. The NPPA has also sought details of stock in hand of these items at the retail level pharmacies, drug and chemist stores, amid fears of hoarding by retailers, producers, and even wealthy individuals. 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 Besides, Singh has also asked all chief secretaries to give an assessment of the requirement for the next two months of PPEs, masks, gloves, and ventilators to deal with COVID-19, both for government and private establishments. Along with an assessment of the current level of shortfall of these devices and equipment, the NPPA chairperson has also asked state governments for a proposal to address the shortage. The Centre has notified all medical devices as `drugs from April 1, 2020, effectively bringing nearly 5,000 devices including gloves, masks, PPEs, and ventilators under the NPPAs regulatory supervision for quality control and price monitoring. This is a major tool in the emerging situation due to COVID-19, Singh wrote in the letter to the chief secretaries. Married At First Sight fans have come up with a bizarre - and false - theory that Mikey Pembroke had coronavirus when he filmed Tuesday night's reunion dinner party. Viewers falsely speculated on Twitter that the 29-year-old operations manager was 'patient zero' for COVID-19 in Australia because he kept coughing on camera - although he never contracted the virus. While there is no evidence Mikey was exposed to COVID-19, and none is suggested, fans pointed out that he had just returned from a holiday in Italy when the episode was recorded on January 15. However, Mikey could not have been exposed to COVID-19 for the reason that the first detected case in Italy was some time later, namely on January 29. Bizarre! Married At First Sight fans have come up with a bizarre - and false - theory that Mikey Pembroke had coronavirus when he filmed Tuesday night's reunion dinner party 'Mikey came back from overseas. He is coughing. Patient zero?' one person tweeted in the first of several false claims. Another wrote: 'Why isn't Mikey in quarantine? I mean, that's a lot of coughing.' A third added: 'Oh God, Mikey's coughing, he's patient X for coronavirus with this lot.' Speculation: Viewers falsely speculated on Twitter that the 29-year-old operations manager was 'patient zero' for COVID-19 in Australia because he kept coughing on camera Coincidence: While there is no evidence Mikey was exposed to COVID-19, fans pointed out that he had just returned from a holiday in Italy when the episode was recorded on January 15 Mikey coughed frequently throughout the episode and at one point stepped outside and had a coughing fit - but this wasn't due to coronavirus. The dinner party was stressful for Mikey, who was forced to admit to his one-night stand with Stacey Hampton or face the wrath of his ex-'wife', Natasha Spencer. Last Wednesday, Mikey reflected on his trip to Italy at the start of the year. Phew! However, Mikey could not have been exposed to COVID-19 for the reason that the first detected case in Italy was some time later, namely on January 29. Pictured in Rome He captioned a photo of himself on a balcony in Rome: 'Italy is a little like my family's adopted country, being there only a few weeks ago and now seeing them really struggling as they approach 7,000 [coronavirus] deaths is devastating. 'This s**t it serious... what we do now will determine how badly it will affects us. Without health, it's impossible to move forward... thinking of everyone.' Coronavirus symptoms include a cough, fever, tiredness and difficulty breathing. (Mikey does not have coronavirus.) Italy is one of the worst-affected countries, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11,000 deaths. As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 4,862 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 21 deaths Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mikey Pembroke for comment. Donald Trump and his public health team, in a sombre White House briefing, warned as many as 200,000 people in the US could die from coronavirus. After two senior administration officials - Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx - described an expected deadly April with tens of thousands of deaths, Mr Trump warned the country of a hell of a bad few weeks. Theyre going to be facing a war zone, he said of medical tents and freezers for the deceased in New York City. Thats what it is ... Were going to lose thousands of people. The president went so far as to call a projection of 100,000 deaths a potentially very low number. And he contended that he did not lull Americans into a false sense of security by at times dismissing the disease, saying he realised the lethality and contagiousness of the virus because of what was going on in China. The president and his top public health officials were noticeably sombre, with Mr Trump ceding the White House briefing room lectern, uncharacteristically, over and over to experts even when questions were addressed directly to him. They could not tell reporters when the virus arrived inside the United States nor whether implementing social distancing and other measures might have kept the disease from spreading and preventing what could be an April with substantially more deaths on US soil. The Trump administration has been widely criticised by Democratic lawmakers and public health experts for what they see as a slow federal effort to ramp up testing kits, implementing distancing measures and getting medial supplies and equipment into the hands of medical professionals. They warned of hundreds of thousands of deaths being possible in the coming days, and a huge spike in confirmed cases and disease spread in the next two or three weeks. This is a number we need to anticipate, but dont have to accept as being inevitable, Mr Fauci said of the 100,000 deaths projection, which he said is based on government modelling. We want to do much better than that. It will be up to the American people, he said, to keep the death toll lower, meaning following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on social distancing, hand washing and other measures. The president and his team warned of a deadly April and potentially May, with backlogs for reading test kits, and large amounts of medical supplies and equipment that will be needed. And they pleaded with the American people to be more serious in carrying out federal guidelines to stay at home, among other steps, they say could help avoid up to 200,000 deaths inside the US. The session was perhaps the darkest and most grim daily White House coronavirus briefing yet as the president and his team made clear life in America will not return to normal any time soon. The warnings of 100,000 deaths is with Americans doing everything they are being asked but the Trump team acknowledged the guidelines are not being followed that closely in all areas. I want all Americans to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. Were going to go through a tough two weeks, a serious president said, touting measures he claims he took for preventing what he is selling as a death toll in the US that could have hit 2.2 million. He has yet to provide data to support that claim. His administration has said cases could soar between now and Easter Sunday, adding he has approved shipments of ventilators to Michigan, New York and Louisiana. Weeks ago, Mr Trump said he wanted all or large parts of the country open for business by 12 April; now he has extended the CDC guidelines through 30 April. It seems likely that goal will again be extended. Those CDC guidelines are the basis for state and local officials closing bars, restaurants and other so-called non-essential businesses with the goal of keeping people as separated as possible. A downtrodden president issued several versions of this warning: This is going to be a very painful two weeks. In a briefing mostly devoid of politics, Mr Trump replied to a question about whether he agrees with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells assessment that House Democrats impeachment inquiry and Senate trial distracted the federal government, he said he agreed before offering a self-congratulatory caveat. It was a hoax, he said of the House probe and subsequent Senate trial. But I dont think I would have done any better [without impeachment]. Ayushman Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap have pledged to support Delhi women ragpickers as they have been financially impacted immensely. The couple has been supporting a non-profit organization known as Gulmeher that looks after women who are ragpickers. The organization works with 200 such women and Ayushmann, Tahira's donation will be used to help them look after their families. "Coronavirus has impacted people from every strata of life. But it has hit the lower-income groups the hardest and it is our duty as citizens of this nation to come forward and support the people in dire need. Tahira and I have been associated with Gulmeher, a non-profit organization, for years and we are doing every bit possible to support these women who are absolutely distraught now," Ayushmann said in an interview. Tahira Kashyap made a point by saying that how Indians support each other in this moment of crisis will define us as a nation. "Due to their financial instability, they are at serious risk because even a single day without earning throws their life out of gear. Ayushmann and I are ensuring we stand with them and support them at this time." This is really a note-worthy cause undertaken by Ayushmann Khurrana and Tahira Kashyap as rag-pickers is a community that is very easily ignored or forgotten about. Thank you for your support to them in this crisis! 01.04.2020 LISTEN For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:24-25 NIV). My motivation for writing this article about hope came from a challenge by Rev. Marty Vershel, my senior pastor at First United Methodist Church, in Missouri City, Texas USA. During the Sermon last Sunday, the pastor challenged the congregation to say or do something that brings hope to others. His sermon was based on Jeremiah Chapter 32 where Jeremiah bought a field or land in the midst of dire conditions faced by the people of Judah. This is my response based on the same Bible text. Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, was on lockdown. It was a dark period of despair, gloom, and hopelessness. Its capital city, Jerusalem, was under siege by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and his strong army. The Babylonian army had surrounded the city so that no one could enter or leave. This caused severe famine and suffering in Jerusalem with no help in sight. (The northern kingdom of Israel, made up of the ten tribes, had already been captured by the Assyrians). Meanwhile, the Prophet Jeremiah had been quarantined or isolated in prison in the courtyard of Zedekiah, King of Judah. Jeremiahs crime was that he spoke the truth that the Babylonians would defeat Judah and take the King and the people into captivity for a period of time. King Zedekiah did not like to hear the truth. He considered the truth as toxic and infectious and that Jeremiah needed to be isolated to prevent him from spreading the truth in the city for fear that the people might contract the truth and weaken their morale to fight against the Babylonians. In the midst of this personal and national turmoil, Gods word came to Jeremiah to buy a field or land. God revealed to Jeremiah that the son of his uncle would come and present a real estate deal to him because, in accordance with their tradition, Jeremiah had the first right and duty to buy it. When his cousin presented the real estate deal to him, Jeremiah accepted and bought it. He paid the price, signed and sealed the deed and had it witnessed. He then gave the deed of purchase - both the sealed copy and unsealed copy to another person in the presences of his cousin from whom he bought the land, the witnesses who signed the deed, and all the Jews in the courtyard. Jeremiah gave instructions to that person to put copies of the deed of purchase into a clay jar so that they would last long. Jeremiah revealed that God had told him that houses and fields would be bought again in the land of Judah (Jeremiah 32:1-16). The public display of what could have been a private, family matter was a signal to all the people in the courtyard that there was hope for Judah. The man many refer to as the Weeping Prophet became the messenger of hope at a time when hopelessness ruled the land of Judah. There were so many risks and uncertainties surrounding the purchase of the real estate at that time. With the impending doom of the Babylonians conquering the city of Jerusalem and taking people captives, who knew how the Babylonian King would administer land ownership in Judah? For example, would the conquerors confiscate all the land in Judah and reallocate same to Babylonians and other loyalists of King Nebuchadnezzar? Would King Nebuchadnezzar impose huge property tax on the land making it too costly for a person to own or hold title to land? For Jeremiah, buying the real estate demonstrated normalcy in the midst of chaos. It demonstrated hope for the future and a signal to all those in the courtyard that there was hope for Judah. It also demonstrated that whatever was about to happen to Judah would have an end and that the people of Judah would come back from captivity one day to inherit their land. Hope is important. Without hope, many of us will be too miserable to live. We need hope to keep us going. As it was in the days of Jeremiah, and in the days of the Apostle Paul, so it is in our days. That was why the Apostle Paul identified hope, along with faith and love, among the greater or more excellent gifts Christians should desire, with the greatest of all being love (1 Corinthians 12:31; 13:13). Hope in God is to be desired and cherished at this time. The whole world needs hope rooted in God. We need hope in God that our suffering would end, and that God would protect us from illnesses, sicknesses, diseases, and premature deaths. With this hope, as much as it is feasible and within the law and policy, those who are able should buy real estate, establish business, build a career, go to school, learn a trade, and live their lives. While we do so, we should remember that it was sin that caused God to send the Babylonians to punish Judah. We need to ask God for forgiveness of our sins. If we confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness, He will forgive us and heal our land. Nothing is too difficult for God. In spite of our present difficulties, our hope still remains in the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is The Great I AM who was, who is, and who will forever be, the Almighty God. It is He who keeps diseases away from us and heals us (Exodus 15:26). Lets keep hope alive, and lets hope and pray and wait patiently that God would deliver us from all forms of evil. Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers. Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana. PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413. Americans give high marks to state and local governments for their handling of the fast-moving coronavirus pandemic that has swiftly remade everyday life. But less than half approve of the job done thus far by President Donald Trump and the federal government, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Even so, and while he remains deeply polarizing, the poll finds Trump's approval ratings are among the highest of his presidency. Forty-four percent of Americans support Trump's oversight of the pandemic, in line with his overall 43% approval rating. That's at the high end for the Republican president during his more than three years in office. The coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed more than 4,000 Americans and shut down much of the U.S. economy, is the most urgent and unpredictable crisis of Trump's presidency. The coming weeks will likely shape how Americans view the wisdom of giving him a second term in the November election, where he is likely to face off against former Vice President Joe Biden. Not so trusted: The federal government's response to the coronavirus crisis is not highly rated in a new poll, with Donald Trump's personal approval rating in line with approval of his handling of the health and economic catastrophe Better marks: State government gets the highest rated approval for handling of the crisis Trump initially downplayed the virus, comparing it to the flu. He also suggested restrictions on work and travel could be lifted by mid-April, arguing that the response to the virus shouldn't be worse than the health crisis itself. But the president has shifted his stance again in recent days, and on Tuesday, the White House estimated up to 240,000 Americans could die from coronavirus even if strict social distancing measures are maintained. If those steps aren't taken, the number of deaths seems certain to increase. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,' Trump said. Trump's approval ratings are propped up by strong support from Republicans: 82% back his handling of the pandemic. Democrats remain overwhelmingly opposed to the president, with just 14% of Democrats supportive of his actions in recent weeks. The president, whose lengthy press conferences from the White House have been broadcast daily throughout the crisis, rates higher than both the federal government as a whole and the U.S. Congress, which just approved $2.2 trillion in emergency funding for major industries, small businesses and individuals. Lawmakers are already discussing additional ways to stabilize the economy as the pandemic appears likely to stretch deep into at least the spring or summer. Thirty-eight percent of Americans approve of the federal government's handling of the outbreak, while 41% disapprove. And just 31% approve of how leaders in Congress are handling the crisis, less than the 41% who disapprove. Fewer than half of Democrats or Republicans approve of how Congress is handling the situation. Americans have a far more favorable opinion about the response efforts by their state and local governments - positive feelings shared across the political spectrum. More than half of Americans, including 56% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans, say their states are managing the outbreak well. Judy Kunzman, 73, a retired nurse in Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania, is among those who says her state government's response is superior to that of the president and federal government. 'I keep thinking of Harry Truman and how he always said, "The buck stops here." Our president says, "I'm not taking responsibility for that,"' Kunzman said. She said that while Trump appears to be taking the matter more seriously in recent days, his response still leaves a lot to be desired. 'When you have to be pushed to the edge before you do the almost correct thing, that's not an improvement,' Kunzman said. State and local governments have much of the power to shape the response in their locales, determining what businesses remain open, how long schools will be shuttered and what penalties there are, if any, for those who violate stay-at-home or similar orders. That's led to a patchwork of restrictions, with major cities including New York, Chicago and San Francisco virtually shuttered. More than 30 states issued stay-at-home orders more than a week ago, while Florida's governor resisted doing so until this week, even as coronavirus cases rose in the state. Trump, too, initially resisted recommendations from public health officials to extend social distancing measures through at least April. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he decided to abandon his county-by-county approach for a statewide order after consulting with Trump. The poll shows that a large majority of Americans, 78%, back requiring Americans to stay in their homes except for essential errands. Roughly the same amount also favor restricting travel within the U.S. and requiring bars and restaurants to close. Those numbers reflect a sharp increase in public concern over the virus within the past six weeks. Half of Americans now say they are extremely or very worried about either themselves or a family member being infected by the virus. That compares with 31% who said the same just two weeks ago and 22% who said so six weeks ago, when more Americans were concerned about the flu. Susan Oldfield, a 68-year-old retiree in rural Jesseville, Arkansas, said she trusts the guidance from the federal government and wishes more people did. 'I see people using poor judgement and saying, `Oh, this is just a hoax, or, `This is just something to smash our rights or take away our constitutional rights,'' Oldfield said. 'It doesn't seem like, to me, it's like you have to do this for no reason. You have to do this for a real reason.' The AP-NORC poll of 1,057 adults was conducted March 26-29 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi reportedly confirmed that the total cases of the novel coronavirus in Kenya have surged to 59 after over 234 samples were analyzed and 9 more people tested positive for the disease in past 24 hours. During a state press conference, the secretary said that the authorities were investigating the contacts of those exposed to the patients to put them under 14-day mandatory quarantine. The suspected number was 1160, she added. The first case of the novel coronavirus in Kenya was detected on March 13, as per media reports. Mwangangi was quoted saying that the government was going to convert boarding schools into quarantine centers to test and treat the patients of the COVID-19 as the situation could be expected to get worse in the weeks ahead. She reportedly said that the government will hire over 1000 medics to battle the health crisis. The consultation with the counties for the arrangements was in progress, she added. She was also reported lauding the efforts of the medical staff and claimed that the ministry would be providing the additional protective equipment like hazmat suits, testing kits, and ventilators. The plan was underway to engage the local manufacturers to boost the supply at facilities, she was quoted as saying. Read: California To Release 3,500 Prisoners Early Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Read: 43 New Coronavirus Cases Reported In AP, Tally Rises To 87 Community transmission phase Kenya urged the citizens to abide by the governments containment directives, and restrict all non-essential movements to control the further spread of the disease, as per the state media reports. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe told the press that Nairobi had entered into the community transmission phase in view of the onslaught of cases across the region. The government cautioned the travellers against migrating to the upcountry and warned its elderly population against coming out of homes. WHO chief Tedros Ghebereyesus had earlier stressed in a virtual press conference that while countries like China had a robust health system to combat and control the infections spread, the organization largely remained concerned about the disease entering the nations with weak healthcare systems in Africa. Read: Canada To Spend $2 Billion On Medical Gear Amid Coronavirus Crisis Read: Russian Coronavirus Aid Is Sent To The US Geneva, April 1 : The United Nations Office in Geneva confirmed nine cases of coronavirus among its staff as of March 30, said Alessandra Vellucci, director of the UN Information Service in Geneva. In a letter to UN-accredited journalists in Geneva, Vellucci on Tuesday said that in order to respect the confidentiality of the patients, further information will not be provided at this time, but in every case "all precautionary measures have been taken", Xinhua news agency reported. "The United Nations is working closely with the Government of Switzerland and the World Health Organization on prevention and preparedness in the country," she said. Earlier on March 28, Vellucci told a press briefing here that 78 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among the UN staff worldwide. Besides the UN Office in Geneva, the International Labor Organization, the World Trade Organization as well as the World Health Organization have all reported COVID-19 cases among their staff members. With most UN staff teleworking now, the UN Office at Geneva has announced that it is important to continue to reduce the number of people accessing their offices in order to contribute to efforts to stem the propagation of the outbreak. As of Tuesday morning, Switzerland, with a population of 8.5 million, has reported 16,176 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 373 deaths. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Thank you for your service. Thats the message from Founders Brewing Company, which launched a Thank You campaign on Wednesday to recognize everyone on the front lines of Michigans fight against COVID-19. In honor of all the essential workers helping to fight the current health crisis, the Grand Rapids-based brewery is changing its outdoor billboards to thank their community. Starting this week, Founders will redirect all their existing branded billboard media to salute Michigans essential workers, including healthcare, delivery personnel and grocery store employees. Busch is giving 3 months of free beer to people who take in dogs during coronavirus pandemic Our Michigan community has come together in an unprecedented way to protect our families and way of life, said Dave Engbers, Co-founder and President. We wanted to express our thanks in a very public way for the healthcare and other essential workers who are risking everything to make us better. As an additional thank you, the Founders Grand Rapids taproom is offering a 20% discount on packaged beer and curbside pick-up to all essential workers. As of March 31, Michigan has 7,615 reported cases of COVID-19 with 259 deaths. The private sector has been doing its part to help, with state and national companies offering discounts and giveaways to workers in the heat of the battle. MLives complete coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Michigan can be seen here. T he number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world will hit one million within days, with the death toll set to reach 50,000, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on Wednesday that the number of global fatalities has more than doubled in the past week. As we enter the fourth month of the Covid-19 pandemic, Im deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection, he said. Over the past five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new cases, reaching almost every country, territory and area. The number of deaths has almost doubled in the past week. In the next few days we will reach one million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths. The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA Worldwide, more than 860,000 people have so far tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 42,000 have died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. On Wednesday, Spain reported a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark. Loading.... It is now the third country to hit six figures in its recorded cases, behind the US and Italy. Dr Ghebreysesus also stressed that while relatively lower numbers of confirmed cases have been reported from Africa and from Central and South America, Covid-19 could have serious social, economic and political consequences for these regions. His stark warnings came as China where the outbreak began offered the world a glimmer of hope. A daughter of a victim doesnt blame the quarantine, but the system she says is not protecting women. Buenos Aires, Argentina Amid a strict, mandatory coronavirus quarantine, Rosana Melo woke up to an alarming message about her mother, Susana. It was her mothers friend. She alleged that Susanas partner of six years was telling people he had killed her. Try to find mom, she texted her sisters, who, like her, believed Susana had been caught in a vicious cycle of abuse for several years. A frantic search for Susana ensued. They called, but no answer. They went to her house, but it was locked. Rosana happened upon her mothers partner in their town of Ingeniero White, and alerted police. Susanas body was discovered later that day, on March 21, in a ditch on the side of a road. Raul Gregorio Costa, her partner, has been arrested in connection with her murder. Femicides dont stop in quarantine, and neither does our rage, declared the feminist collective Ni Una Menos (Not One Less) that has made battling gender-based violence in Argentina an urgent issue. At least six femicides have occurred while the country has been under the government-imposed lockdown, according to the Observatorio Ahora Que Si Nos Ven (Now That They See Us). The quarantine, which started on March 20 and slated to last until April 13, forces virtually everyone indoors and can lead to dangerous consequences for those living in violent relationships. New numbers published on Wednesday by the Observatorio Ahora Que Si Nos Ven show that at least 86 femicides have occurred in Argentina in 2020. One woman was killed every 29 hours in March, for a total of 24 femicides, according to the observatory that tracks reports in the media. Some feminist organisations peg the number of femicides during the quarantine at even higher. We know that the quarantine is a situation that puts a woman at risk, because femicides primarily occur in our homes, said Lara Andres, a member of the Observatorio Ahora Que Si Nos Ven. In 65 percent of the cases, it is the partner or ex-partner who has killed the woman, the observatory has found. In 62 percent of the cases, the murder occurred in the victims home. On Monday, Argentines took to their balconies, banging pots, hanging green and purple handkerchiefs that represent abortion rights and Ni Una Menos to declare their outrage over machista violence, and in a show of support for women and children who may find themselves in a more vulnerable position. The patriarchy and machista violence is also a pandemic, Ni Una Menos said. On the weekend, the bodies of Cristina Iglesias and her seven-year-old daughter Ada were discovered buried in the yard of Cristinas house, in a suburb of Buenos Aires. It was a home she had recently begun sharing with her boyfriend, 27-year-old Abel Romero. He is charged in both their murders. Unfortunately, the women who suffer gender-based violence, they are perfect prisoners for these pieces of s***, they know they have them there and they cant go anywhere, said Rosana Melo in a telephone interview from her home, about 650km (404 miles) south of Buenos Aires. Government response, challenges High rates of violence against women have been a galvanising issue in Argentina since 2015, when the case of a 14-year-old girl who was murdered by her boyfriend and buried in his grandparents yard drew hundreds of thousands of people to the street in protest. Ni Una Menos was born then, fuelling the countrys powerful feminist movement. It has profoundly changed public discourse in Argentina, making dismantling the patriarchy a mainstream topic. The patriarchy exists and machismo ravages Argentine society and we cannot allow that, said Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Monday in an Instagram chat with Puerto Rican rapper Rene Perez Joglar. He highlighted the risk of increased violence towards women, and suicide, during the mandatory isolation, and urged people to reach out to the countrys helpline or police for help. On Monday, the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity launched a new campaign, called #BarbijoRojo or Red Facemask. Women who fear for their safety can go to a local pharmacy and ask for the red facemask, and the pharmacists will call for help. It is similar to another programme on the Canary Islands, which is also under lockdown. Its important to note that just because a woman is isolated in a mandatory quarantine, it doesnt mean that she is alone, said Andres. She stressed that women need to know that even in a situation of a quarantine, they can leave their houses and seek help. The problem, said feminist lawyer Sabrina Cartabia, is that barriers that impede a womans ability to get protection or justice in violent situations have only gotten worse. Some courts have indefinitely extended protective measures that were already in place, but they have also slashed their hours of operation, making it much harder for women who are trying to get measures in place now. In general, courts are not equipped to take complaints digitally. Prior to the quarantine, the Office of Domestic Violence in the Supreme Court in the capital city recorded 50 complaints daily, said Cartabia. Under quarantine, it has been receiving five a day. This is not an indicator that there is less violence. Its an indicator that women are not able to file complaints the way they could before, she said. Imagine that youre living with your aggressor, and you dont have a moment to go out to work, or to go get your children at school a moment when he leaves the house theres no opportunity to be able to lodge a complaint. Anticipating an escalation of violence, Argentinas Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity boosted personnel answering its helpline Line 144 and added an email address and WhatsApp number as a way to get in touch. The province of Buenos Aires saw requests for assistance jump 60 percent during the first six days of the quarantine, Argentine media outlet Infobae reported. In the first 80 days of the year, it fielded more than 5,000 calls to Line 144, which offers guidance but doesnt initiate legal proceedings. An assassin is an assassin The Federal Council of Defenders and General Advisors of the Argentine Republic called for creative solutions to the problems exacerbated by the quarantine. The group urged courts to extend protective judicial measures that women have obtained against aggressors. It said there need to be easier ways for victims to report cases of abuse at police stations, a more visible publicity campaign in pharmacies and grocery stores of what their options are, and more resources allocated to courts at a time when staff is short because of the quarantine. The organisation also called for more shelters for people escaping violence. The process in this country has always required a lot of presence and effort on the part of the woman to be able to obtain a protective measure, to file a complaint when that measure was violated, said Cartabia, a member of the NGO Red de Mujeres (Womens Network). And that comes with costs for women economic costs, because she has to miss work, or spend money to travel, all things that discourage a woman from moving forward. She said the circumstances imposed by the virus could be a catalyst that improves access to justice in general. They kill us like any piece of garbage. They don't even kill dogs in the way that they kill women ... My mom was an excellent person. She was a hard worker. She never had trouble with anyone. Her daughters are who we are thanks to her. Rosana Melo Rosana Melo does not blame the quarantine. An assassin is an assassin, she said. She had previously filed a police complaint against Costa when her mother was hospitalised with a fractured tibia and fibula. Her intervention angered her mother, who denied he had hurt her. Rosana believes her mother refused help because she wanted to protect her daughters. The system is not protecting women. Thats what is happening, said Melo. They kill us like any piece of garbage. They dont even kill dogs in the way that they kill women, she added. My mom was an excellent person. She was a hard worker. She never had trouble with anyone. Her daughters are who we are thanks to her. We know how notorious COVID-19 really is. Not only is it easy to spread, but people only realise that theyre infected until its too late. Moreover, the symptoms that are normally seen in a COVID-19 patient are similar to someone having a common cold or flu, making it even more difficult to denote the infection in time. Reuters Today, this has resulted in over 634 813 active cases across the globe, and despite best attempts, it has managed to take around 30,000 lives. Doctors around the world are striving their best to unravel the mystery of COVID-19 to get a better grasp on the novel coronavirus. However, a new study (published in journal Computers, Materials and Continua) looked at all the symptoms that were experienced by COVID-19 patients in China to denote the symptoms to specifically look out for, to detect the presence of COVID-19. Researchers from the US and China used the power of AI to analyse the symptom data from 53 coronavirus patients across two hospitals in Wenzhou in China. The algorithms were able to denture three changes in the body that highlight severe illness -- body aches, levels of enzyme alanine aminotransferase (also known as ALT) and haemoglobin levels. In case you didnt know, ALT is a liver enzyme that helps us denote the health of the liver. The AI going that these three features were the strongest indicators at predicting COVID-19 case. The algorithm was able to show a success rate of 70 to 80 percent in detecting acute respiratory disease syndrome, also called as ARDS. This is the complication that jams a patients lungs during COVID-19 and makes it difficult for them to breathe. Reuters AI also looked at other patterns -- lung imaging, strong immune responses -- but they didnt give an accurate result. According to co-author Anasse Bari, PhD, a clinical assistant professor in Computer Science at the Courant Institute, Our goal was to design and deploy a decision-support tool using AI capabilities -- mostly predictive analytics -- to flag future clinical coronavirus severity. We hope that the tool, when fully developed, will be useful to physicians as they assess which moderately ill patients really need beds, and who can safely go home, with hospital resources stretched thin. Prithviraj Sukumaran, the multi-faceted talent of Malayalam cinema is currently busy with the shooting of his ambitious project Aadujeevitham, in Jordan. However, the latest reports suggest that Prithviraj and his team including director Blessy are stuck in Jordan after the shooting got suspended. According to the reports, Director Blessy had written a letter to Film Chamber explaining the grave situation in there. The visa of the 58 member shooting crew will expire on April 8. The Film Chamber had informed the matter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and External affairs Minister V Murleedharan and rested for an intervention in the matter. The crew is currently stranded in Wadi Rum and staying in a desert camp. Aadujeevitham, which is based on Benyamin's best-selling novel of the same name, is scripted by Blessy himself. Prithviraj Sukumaran had taken a 3 months long break from cinema to shed around 30 kilos for his character Najeeb Mohammed, in the movie. On March 30, the North Macedonian flag was flown for the first time in front of NATOs headquarters in Brussels. The former Yugoslav republic had waited for this moment for over a decade. Had it not been vetoed by neighbouring Greece over a diplomatic dispute, North Macedonia would have joined the Atlantic Alliance together with Albania and Croatia back in 2009. After a deal was signed with Athens changing the name of the country in June 2018, Skopje made significant headway in its efforts to join Western institutions. On March 24, the foreign ministers of the European Unions member states agreed to give the green light to accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. This came five months after French President Emmanuel Macron vetoed an early vote by the EU to start negotiations with the two countries. At a time when pandemics, populism and authoritarian resurgence have seemingly turned upside down international affairs, the Western Balkans stick to the habitual policy. European integration is still as popular as it was in the heyday of EU enlargement in the 2000s. Vulnerable countries on Europes periphery such as North Macedonia and Montenegro, which became part of NATO in 2017, continue to value the security guarantee extended by the pact. NATO membership cements North Macedonias historically contested statehood and it is seen positively by all ethnic communities in the country, and so is joining the EU. In Montenegro, NATO remains controversial, but the same logic nonetheless holds. The membership safeguards independence and secures borders. Serbia, the largest and arguably the most consequential country to emerge from the former Yugoslavia, is begrudging the West and is hostile to the Atlantic Alliance. However, surveys show that the majority support potential accession to the EU. Serbian citizens prefer Europe, rather than Russia or China, as a place to live and work, study, or do business. Yet, despite these recent positive developments and the continuing approval in the Western Balkans of Euro-Atlantic integration, there are also reasons to worry. The relationship between the region and the exclusive international clubs that local countries are gravitating toward are increasingly fraught. The EU now is preoccupied with internal consolidation. Following Brexit, the priority is building resilience within the existing institutions. European leaders like Macron argue for the deepening of the eurozone. Authoritarian backsliding in Hungary and Poland and populist insurgencies in Western Europe further limits the enthusiasm for expansion. As a result, the EU is not too eager to hasten its enlargement to the Balkans. The Atlantic Alliance is also experiencing problems. The Americans and the Europeans are divided by trade disputes, with United States President Donald Trump lambasting allies for taking unfair advantage of the US. The White Houses decision to close US borders to Europeans in the early stages of the coronavirus crisis, without advance warning, exposed further the rift. European countries furthermore favour a more nuanced approach to China, and are sceptical of Washingtons hostile attitude to Beijing. The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is similarly a point of divergence. Tensions inevitably undermine NATO. In the Western Balkans, Western institutions have also become part of the status quo. They wish to see themselves as promoters of democracy, transparency and the rule of law, but they are unable to stop state capture. Serbia, which is a frontrunner on the EU accession track, was downgraded from free to partly free by the nongovernmental organisation Freedom House in 2019. Montenegro, the other star performer, has never seen a transfer of power to the opposition. The Western Balkans take their cues from Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban rather than the well-functioning democratic polities in northwestern Europe. The challenge is well understood in Brussels. The EU has been pushing for judicial reforms in North Macedonia and Albania. At Macrons insistence, the European Commission produced a new enlargement methodology allowing more rigorous scrutiny of negotiating candidate countries. But deep-running changes are tough, and often run into hard-nosed opposition by vested interests. The EU much less NATO, which is at its core a military alliance cannot fix countries unless there is local buy-in. Western powers have also started pursuing diverging policies in the region. The EU and the US recently collided in Kosovo. To the Europeans dismay, the governing coalition in Prishtina fell apart on March 26. That happened after the Trump administration sided with President Hashim Thaci against Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The White House has been amenable to ideas for a land swap floated by Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. EU members remain sceptical, and Kurti is deeply opposed. The German ambassador warned the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK, the junior partner in the cabinet) not to back a no-confidence vote. LDK did it nonetheless. The ambassadors US counterpart tweeted he was pleased that the Kosovo parliament would make such a move. Europe and the US used to speak with one voice in former Yugoslavia. Not anymore. The West is also not the only game in town in the Balkans anymore. That was brought to the fore with Chinas public-relations offensive in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Vucic poured praise on Beijing for its support and deplored Europes alleged callousness. As usual, pro-government voices amplified the message. Billboards thanking Brother Xi have sprung in Belgrade, paid for by a Vucic-friendly tabloid. While China and Russia are nowhere near the EU in terms of trade, investment and financial assistance to the region, they are scoring cheap points all with the help of Balkan politicians exploiting such foreign policy partnerships to their own benefit. But the greatest risk that the Western Balkans face does not stem from their fractious politics, but the economy. The disruption caused by COVID-19 is threatening to plunge the eurozone into a deep recession. The ripple effects will be felt acutely in the region, which is already closely connected to the EU marketplace. The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies forecasts that the Balkans and Central Europe are headed for their worst year since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The regions recovery in the 2010s was slow, painful and incomplete. The shock exacerbated negative tendencies, from authoritarian backsliding to creeping brain drain. A fresh economic slump would shatter the Western narrative in the Balkans, diminish democratic aspirations, and perpetuate state capture. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. As Mayor Sylvester Turners administration continues efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Houston, another dire challenge looms for City Hall: its budget. The economic downturn caused by the pandemic and plummeting oil prices has thrown an already cash-strapped spending plan into more arduous territory, raising the specter of the first furloughs or layoffs of city employees since 2011. Controller Chris Brown, who recently finished a recession stress test for the citys coffers, has said he thinks the situation is likely to rival the recession that began in 2008, approaching the tests worst-case scenario: a budget deficit in excess of $300 million. He told council members Tuesday they should begin dusting off the recession playbook. Unfortunately, they had to do some furloughs and cut some expenses and things like that, because you cant control the revenue right now, said Brown, the citys independently-elected financial watchdog. These are tough decisions that are going to have to be made, I think. Turner said budgeting is always difficult under a revenue cap, but the city in the past has forged its way through challenging deficits and will do so again. The mayor would not say whether he thinks layoffs will be necessary, but he sees other actions that can help cut the deficit. Turner plans to use some of the citys current fund balance, which is projected between $187 and $203 million. The rainy day fund, he pointed out, will also have $15 million when it comes time to adopt the budget. Some job vacancies have already gone unfilled, he said. We always assume there is going to be a budget shortfall with the revenue cap, Turner said, referring to Houstons voter-imposed ceiling on increased property tax revenue. Theres always some elephant in the room. The elephant here now is the coronavirus and the impact on your sales taxes. The citys two largest streams of money are property and sales taxes. All eyes are on the latter, which are expected to take an unprecedented hit as most businesses have been ordered to close and the regions residents have been told to stay home in a bid to slow the virus spread. That will cut into the fund balance, but it will also likely carry repercussions for the next fiscal year. Economic forecasters say rising unemployment and other downward economic trends, including record-low oil prices, could have trickle-down effects on sales tax receipts that last longer than the business closures themselves. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo extended the order responsible for those closures through at least this month. The citys reserves are relatively low, and the property tax cap leaves the city with little flexibility to bridge a gap before turning to payroll, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the citys expenses. Any time you take a big hit, it translates pretty quickly into an effect on employees, said former Mayor Annise Parker, who in 2011 oversaw the layoffs of 747 city employees. Those layoffs were the result of a $137 million budget gap that arrived a few years after the recession first hit. Parkers budget that year also reduced library hours and slowed the pace of health inspections. Were going to have to make those tough decisions that nobody wants to make, said council member Dave Martin, chair of city councils budget committee, which met Tuesday. He said he is hopeful those actions will not include furloughs or layoffs of city employees. I think we have the ability to scrub this budget and not have layoffs, he said. Thats just not a good thing to have moving forward with our city. Were moving pretty tight as it is. Much remains uncertain. The sales tax numbers from March, when bars and many businesses closed, will not be released until May, just before Turner is expected to present his budget proposal. Brown said the latest estimate from his offices private consultant is that city sales tax revenues would drop about 9 percent next year, from around $705 million to $640 million. That projection was made before the brunt of COVID-19 and plummeting oil prices began showing their effects. Tantri Emo, the citys finance director, did not share updated sales tax projections at Tuesdays budget committee meeting, saying they change day by day as the situation worsens. Bill Gilmer, who leads the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston, said much of the Houston regions sales taxes are tied up in businesses that are closed right now. And that revenue will not come screaming back when those businesses re-open. Theres not really going to be a make-up for this, he said. By and large, this is just a lot of lost revenue. Enterprise funds specialized accounts that support city services with dedicated fees also are likely to take big hits. The fees that airlines, concessionaires and airport rental car companies pay, for example, are expected to see a massive decline. Houston First Corp., the citys convention agency, furloughed more than half its staff last week after its projected $1 million profit turned into a possible shortfall of about $30 million. Turner said mayors across the country are now pushing for a fourth federal stimulus package that would include relief for municipalities. He also expressed hope that the economy would begin picking up steam when the new fiscal year begins in July. In preparing for April budget hearings, every city department came up with spending priorities under three scenarios, Martin said realistic, optimistic and pessimistic. Obviously, Martin said, they will have to work with the last option. Martin said the budget scrubbing will start there, separating the nice-to-haves from the necessary-to-haves. Some non-essential purchases will have to be deferred. A hiring freeze is likely to be imposed, and vacant positions could get eliminated, Martin said. At-Large Council woman Sallie Alcorn said she would like to see the city implement more of the recommendations from the PFM report, an exhaustive 2018 study commissioned by the city that made 60 recommendations for creating structural balance in the budget. Only five of those have been implemented, she said. Alcorn is particularly interested in forming a group to study how Houston and Harris County could better offer shared services, which could result in savings. She acknowledged, however, that is not a quick fix. Other recommendations include reforms to the procurement system and consolidating certain offices. Buckle up, said Alcorn. Its going to be rougher than usual. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:42:31|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Medical supplies from China to Australia are loaded to a plane in Shanghai, east China, April 1, 2020. Australia's Minderoo Foundation has procured more than 90 tonnes of critical medical supplies from China in order to help fight the country's COVID-19 emergency. (Minderoo Foundation/Handout via Xinhua) SYDNEY, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Minderoo Foundation has procured more than 90 tonnes of critical medical supplies from China in order to help fight the country's COVID-19 emergency. The first flight of supplies touched down in the State of Western Australia (WA) on Wednesday evening onboard a specially chartered Airbus A330 from Shanghai. An additional two flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday will deliver a total of one million N95 equivalent face masks, 400,000 surgical masks, 2.3 million medical-grade gloves, 100,000 nasal swabs, 200,000 medical coveralls, 10,000 medical goggles, 5,000 touch-less thermometers and over 30 ICU grade ventilators. Minderoo Foundation was founded by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) mining magnate, Andrew Forrest, with 160 million Australian dollars (97 million U.S. dollars) committed by the foundation in order to secure the goods. "The trusted relationships, procurement expertise and logistics knowledge of the FMG and Minderoo Foundation teams, have been fundamental in rapidly securing this vital equipment," Forrest said. "China's Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Ambassador Cheng (Jingye), and the Chinese people have been great mates to Australia. They are now doing all they can to help us in our hour of need." Forrest thanked China for protecting Australia's "critical medical orders" in the face of pressure from other nations. The goods were to be distributed among Australia's first responders and frontline medical personnel, with the WA government reimbursing Minderoo Foundation at cost for the supplies. Minderoo Foundation also aimed to dramatically improve WA's capacity to undertake broad scale testing of the community, with a detailed plan in place to increase the number of RNA-based diagnostic COVID-19 tests from 400 per day up to 10,000. WA Health Minister Roger Cook thanked Minderoo Foundation and Fortescue for their "extraordinary support." As COVID-19 wreaks havoc across the world with more than 8,60,000 confirmed cases and over 42,000 fatalities, all fingers are often seen turning towards China, where the first major outbreak happened. The deadly Coronavirus is said to have been transmitted from bats to pangolins and then in turn to humans at the Huanan Wet Market in China, probably while trading the exotic animal. For the uninitiated, a wet market is a place where wet items such as meat, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables are sold, along with living animals. Twitter While many South-Asian countries have active wet markets, the Chinese wet markets have turned out to be the most infamous over the years. Reportedly, apart from all the live meat that is slaughtered and sold there, one can also find dogs being boiled alive, rats being fried for patrons, as well as bat lollipops, slaughtered kittens and giant snakes. Here are 11 other horrific facts about the Chinese wet market. Twitter/We Animals Media 1. According to Daily Mail, caged cats and dogs are slaughtered for people to take home. These markets often sell precious wild animals with an excuse of using them for traditional remedies. Wildlife such as bats, snakes, spiders, lizards, scorpions and others are sold for the purpose. 2. Deadly viruses and infections undergo interspecies transmission in the wet market because a wide range of wildlife is kept under the same roof and often exposed to each other. Given their captivity and low immunity, two distinct animal species can undergo genetic mutation and turn into new carriers for deadly viruses such as COVID-19. Twitter 3. No hygiene standards are maintained within the market space which is covered in blood, excreta and animal gut throughout the day. Wet markets thus serve as the perfect breeding ground for zoonotic diseases. 4. Chinese wet markets are known for illegally trading wild animals and often feature camels, kangaroos, masked palm civets, Chinese porcupines and even foxes, deer, civets, ostriches, snakes, bamboo rats, and crocodiles which are sold for regular consumption. Twitter 5. To get an idea about the value of the wildlife trading industry, know that farm-bred Bamboo rats are sold to restaurants in wet markets for 1,000 yuan or Rs 10,694 per dish. 6. For rich Chinese, the consumption of exotic food is seen as a mark of wealth and status. Getty Images 7. China reportedly kills close to 20 million dogs a year, while there are over 800 shops in Shanghai alone that serve a variety of snakes. 8. According to a Vox report, the Chinese wildlife market promotes the consumption of wild animals as tonics that can enhance body-building, sexual performance and fight diseases. Reportedly, the Washington Post had also carried an article that highlighted these beliefs that eating bats can restore eyesight. Bears bile and gallbladder can treat jaundice, and bulls penises help with erections. Twitter 9. According to The Guardian, a Xinhua news agency report states that the Chinese forestry administration has issued as many as 3,725 breeding and operation licenses between 2005 and 2013. 10. Since the Coronavirus outbreak in China, at least 19,000 farms have been shut down, which include about 4,600 in Jilin province, 3,900 wildlife farms in Hunan province, 2,900 in Sichuan, 2,300 in Yunnan, 2,000 in Liaoning, and 1,000 in Shaanxi. Getty Images 11. Wild animals that are being raised in such Chinese farms include civet cats, bamboo rats, peacocks, ostriches, wild boar, sika deer, foxes, porcupines, ostriches, turkeys, wild geese, mallard ducks, besides many others and, at times, also include tigers and camels too. New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The government's containment strategy regarding the dreaded COVID-19 virus appears to be working. When one compares India's position vis-a-vis G7 nations, the curve seems to be flattening out. The only immediate concern now is the community transmission which may have taken place due to the Tableegi Jamaat congregation in mid-March in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Impact assessment and threat percept of this is being done continuously for the enormity of what may have happened is being prognosticated and reined in with quick action sequestering of such carriers in different parts of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has from the beginning been assiduously driving the entire monitoring action plan and implementation programme on the virus. Almost since as early as January 25, he voiced concern over the impact of the virus and has been in touch with the ministry of health to track it with a great degree of reliability not just globally but domestically. Modi had rightly pointed out that the virus could leave a trail of death behind. And its debilitating impact has been seen in China, European countries, Iran and the US as well. From early February, the PM took over the reins on testing, overseeing the flights to pick up stranded Indian students in Wuhan, similar operations to evacuate Indians in Iran, Italy or even offer aid to Maldives. The bottom line at all times being to minimise damage due to the virus in India. Old school Indic style of a lockdown, closing air space, trains et al were part of this gargantuan exercise to ensure that there is no community transmission of the virus given the density of our population. As the crisis grew in China and then spread dramatically to Italy and other European nations and emerged in the US too with devastating effect, the PM decided to use a mix of tactical actions working in conjunction with a longer term vision to bring relief to India. Not only did he take the lead with the video conferencing summit with SAARC nations, but he participated in the G20 deliberations using the VC facility. Equally he declared a Janata Curfew' on a Sunday, March 22, so that the populace wouldn't panic and then after assessing what happened that day took a series of determined measures to lock down India. At all times, he advised his core team about two issues - India's demographic mix and more importantly our geographical proximity to China. While he created 11 empowered groups to deal with the crisis more recently, his core team which has interfaced with him constantly since the outbreak has enabled him to be on top of the situation from the outset. Led by Principal Secretary P K Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Health Minister Harshvardhan, DG ICMR Balram Bhargava, Health Secretary Priti Sudan, Niti Aayog member - planning Dr Vinod Paul and Prof K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific adviser to PM, this focus group reports directly to the PM, even as the empowered groups execute his vision. This core team aids PM in taking key decisions. A panel of noted medical experts led by AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria and Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, head of ECD at ICMR is assisting the core group in disseminating and understanding the macro and micro problems related to the virus in India. Based on minute to minute technical data. Equally mathematical modelling of the virus is being done. The empowered groups constituted under the Disaster Management Act 2005 are specific groups which look at specific issues for smoother government facilitation at all levels. There is no war room per se, but a set of key personnel assisting the PM in this vital task. Take the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Prof K Vijay Raghavan which issues manuals on homemade masks: Masks for Curbing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus. An office memorandum allowing institutes under DST, DBT, CSIR, DAE, DRDO and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to self assess and prepare their labs for research and testing through the standard and rigorous protocol. Specifics have been gone into so that the granularity of the concentric circle leaves nothing to chance. Testing will be stratified according to priorities set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and ICMR. Research will also be stratified into short and mid-term returns. Analyses show that if 50 per cent of the population were to wear masks, only 50% of the population would be infected by the virus. Once 80 per cent of the population wears a mask, the outbreak can be stopped immediately. Or for instance why it is imperative to wear a mask?, it is believed that "COVID-19 virus spreads easily from person to person contact. Virus carrying droplets dry fast enough to form droplet nuclei and remain airborne eventually landing on different surfaces. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected in aerosols for up to three hours and on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to three days." Tasked with specific responsibilities, they have the power and autonomy to roll out decisions on livelihood, logistics, testing kits, quarantine and what have you with the PM personally monitoring and overseeing every aspect. The interesting thing is that these actions have got a very strong buy in from India's polity and state chieftains as well. The medical emergency management plan, availability of hospitals, isolation and quarantine facilities, ensuring availability of essential medical equipment among other things is under the supervision of these empowered groups. --IANS /kr Here is a list of top stocks to focus on today based on the developments. (Image: PTI) Indiabulls Housing Finance | The company has bought back secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of face value Rs 10,00,000 each. Promoter Sameer Gehlaut bought 24 lakh shares in the company at Rs 96.33 per share. (Image: Moneycontrol) Escorts | All offices and plants shall be shut till April 14, 2020, due to COVID-19. (Image: escortsgroup.com) Zuari Agro Chemicals | The company has acquired shares of Zuari Farmhub, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. It executed the Business Transfer Agreement with Zuari Farmhub on March 31. (Image: zuari.in) Hindustan Unilever | The board will meet on April 1 to consider and approve Scheme of Arrangement. (Image: Moneycontrol) Delta Corp | Radhakishan Damani bought 15,50,000 shares of the company at Rs 65.25 each from Derive Investments, NSE data showed. (Image: deltacorp.in) MEP Infrastructure | Promoter Virendra Mhaiskar bought 13 lakh shares in the company at Rs 12.15/share. (Image: mepinfra.com) Adani Enterprises | Company received a hybrid annuity road project in Madhya Pradesh from NHAI. (Image: PTI) Sterling and Wilson Solar | Shapoorji group repaid another Rs 500 crore against outstanding loans. (Image: sterlingandwilson.com) IDFC | IDFC received Rs 265.91 crore by selling a 30 percent stake in NIIF Infrastructure Finance. (Image: Representative) GE Power India | Company bagged Rs 690 crore contract for the supply of Wet FGD systems from NTPC. (Image: ge.com) RBL Bank | Bank to issue a statement around its fourth-quarter business parameters on April 1. (Image: PTI) Mega-merger of PSU banks to be effective from today; 6 banks cease to exist Hindustan Aeronautics: Company recorded a turnover of over Rs 21,100 crore for the financial year 2020. Revenue growth stood at 7 percent. SpiceJet: Implements pay for cuts for its employees. Chairman and MD Ajay Singh to take a 30 percent pay cut. As the U.S. economy staggers under drastic government measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, some employers are evaluating ways to cut costs. One strategy thats emerging: Eliminating 401(k) matching contributions. While Vanguard and Fidelity both of which manage employer-sponsored retirement plans havent seen widespread adoption of this yet, Yahoo Money identified a handful of companies that have recently done away with their matches or are considering the move. The efforts come when 1 in 2 Americans are already behind on their retirement savings goals. Losing a 401(k) match adds yet another setback. But the stopgap move now by employers may help them hedge against worse consequences for their workers in the future. I completely understand the employees perspective, said Nicholas Tzoumas, president of Clearscope HR, an employee benefits firm. But if you ask them if you would have your employer reduce the match and increase your odds of retaining a job or have your employer keep the match and the [reverse] happens, most employees would rather take a temporary elimination of their match. Bring us all through the crisis On March 29, Tenet Health, an operator of more than 60 hospitals nationwide, sent a notice to employees informing them that 401(k) employee contributions were being postponed, so it could allocate more resources to its coronavirus efforts. Yahoo Money obtained a copy of the notice. Yahoo Money obtained a copy of the memo Tenet Health sent out employees alerting them their 401(k) matches would be postponed. Every effort is being made to help bring us all through the crisis, a company spokesperson, told Yahoo Money. And we have made the decision to direct additional resources to meet the increased demand for healthcare services, address evolving patient needs in our hospitals, and protect front-line staff. The spokesperson said the company plans to revisit the decision to temporarily postpone the 401(k) match program later in the year. I dont have a lot of years to save The CEO of Situs AMC, a real estate consulting firm, told its employees on March 26 in a town hall that the company 401(k) match would be suspended for the rest of the year, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo Money. Story continues After Yahoo Money requested comment, Situs AMC sent out a notice to employees saying its not suspending the matching but reserves the right to reevaluate this decision during the remainder of 2020." My company had us [working] over time going back to maybe even October, said one of the companys underwriting analysts who asked not to be named out of concern for her job. Business seemed good for us, but now theres some uncertainty with whats going to happen. Shes worked for the company for almost a decade, taking home a 2% match every paycheck. On average, her company contributes $50 per paycheck to her retirement savings. Im in my 40s. I dont have a lot of years to save, the employee and mother of three said. And so that match is not much, but it still helps. Making difficult, cost-cutting decisions As state and local governments shut down non-essential businesses and stores, many retailers are turning to their retirement plan matching as a way to reduce spending. For instance, Half Price Books, a Texas bookstore chain with 10 locations in the state, sent out a notice earlier this week suspending its 5% match on its safe harbor contribution plans, starting May 1, according to a memo shared with Yahoo Money. A memo from an anonymous Half Price Books employee alerting Yahoo Money about the 401(k) match cut. Like all retailers, our sales have been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kathy Doyle Thomas, the chief strategy officer at Half Price Books, in an emailed response to Yahoo Money. Because of this, we are in the midst of making some difficult, cost-cutting decisions with the purpose of saving our company in the long term so we can come out on the other side of this unprecedented crisis, The company noted it will reevaluate how it will proceed with 401K matches in 2021 later this year. I dont even know if Ill have a job after this Tzoumas noted that these companies are making the same moves hes advising his clients to do: Take the temporary action now and kick the can down the road, he said. As much as it does hurt people, reducing [the 401(k) match] is much better than the alternative. Take Macys, for example. On March 25, the retailer sent out a notice to employees cutting its 401(k) matches, a move that was a temporary deferral until later this year, according to Blair Fasbender Rosenberg, a Macys spokeswoman. But five days after eliminating its match, Macys also furloughed thousands of workers. ORLANDO, FLORIDA: A Macy's store is seen on the day the company announced it is furloughing most of its 125,000 employees because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has sunk sales, and forced the closing of stores. (Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) They started cutting people, then registers, and now hours, said one Delaware employee who requested anonymity out of concern for her job. I dont even know if Ill have a job after this. The reduction of benefits and now the furlough remind her too much of the Great Recession when she was laid off from another company and was homeless for two years. I really did not expect that they were going to do this, this fast, the woman, who is in her late 60s, said. I really did not expect we would get two weeks pay and thats it. Dhara Singh is a reporter at Cashay and Yahoo Money. Follow her on Twitter at @Dsinghx. Read more: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. National conference leader Omar Abdullah on Monday denounced the Centres move to rework the domicile laws in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir at a time when the nation is pooling all resources to stave off the coronavirus pandemic. The leader, who was until recently in detention, questioned the timing of the move as the entire nation is under lockdown to halt the spread of the Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. He called the law hollow and said it does not offer the protections that it had promised. According to the change in laws, anyone who has resided for 15 years in Jammu and Kashmir or has studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the union territory is a domicile. Also, those registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) will also be deemed to be a domicile. Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised, tweeted the former chief minister. Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 1, 2020 Abdullah said that the recently formed Apni Party, which he alleged was formed with the blessings of the Delhi, was critical of the changes in the law. You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhis blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the #JKdomicilelaw, said the NC leader in another tweet. In Crisis Groups recent briefing on COVID-19s likely implications for politics and conflict globally, we warned that this public health crisis could afford jihadists the opportunity to attack pandemic-weakened states already combating insurgencies, as militants opportunistically exploit disorder . ISIS has now instructed its affiliates worldwide to do just that. Even as the world is understandably focused on confronting the pandemic, countries should nonetheless take steps to guard against the danger ISIS poses. Though some members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS have already announced that they will pull troops out of Iraq due to fears of COVID-19s spread, countries should, as much as possible, maintain the international counter-ISIS cooperation that has been vital to curtailing the organisations operations. That includes leading military contributions like those from the U.S. in Iraq and France in West Africa, but also lateral cooperation among regional countries battling the group, which has taken root in areas like the Mali-Niger frontier and made the most of local states failure to coordinate effectively. Moreover, ISISs adversaries should heed UN chief Guterres and put off their own conflicts and score settling, as they face not only the common foe of COVID-19 but also the continuing jihadist threat. That means unlikely as it may now seem de-escalating tensions like those between the U.S. and Iran, which inevitably undermine the fight to stop ISIS. Crusaders Worst Nightmare ISIS published its editorial on COVID-19 in the 19 March edition of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba (the Dispatch). Al-Naba is part of the groups suite of regular media outputs, which also include photos, videos and lengthy speeches by its top leaders. The newsletter offers a compendium of the organisations operations worldwide, as well as a front-of-book editorial, articles highlighting model provinces, religious essays, summaries of world news and infographics. Al-Nabas significance to the transnational organisation is not perfectly clear, but the newsletter seems intended to update even far-flung provinces about the groups global campaign of violence and to broadcast a common programmatic line to ISIS affiliates that are otherwise dispersed and isolated. ISIS has used other media outputs to publicise the distribution of Al-Naba to the local rank and file, and national militaries have recovered copies of the newsletter during raids on ISIS units . The editorial, titled The Crusaders Worst Nightmare, reports approvingly on COVID-19s effect on the many enemies whom ISIS collectively terms polytheists. Fear of this contagion has affected them more than the contagion itself, says Al-Naba, referring to how people across the world are shutting themselves in their homes as commerce grinds to a halt. Security forces are deploying in the streets to halt the viruss spread, and imminent economic crisis seems likely to spark crime and social unrest. Western countries hardly need new burdens as they struggle to care for their populations and to mitigate economic recession. COVID-19s effect is paralysing Western Crusader nations in particular, according to the editorial. As these countries worry about public health and safety, the last thing they want is to send more of their soldiers to regions in which this disease is likely to spread, or to have to mass their security forces and soldiers at home when theyre working to minimise mass gatherings and contacts between people of all professions. These countries fret, the editorial continues, that ISISs fighters might escalate their military operations against [the Wests] apostate helpers in Muslim countries or repeat past terror attacks in Paris, London and Brussels at a time when [these countries] security and medical institutions have reached the limits of their capacity in some areas. These countries hardly need new burdens as they struggle to care for their populations and to mitigate economic recession. In this moment, the editorial says, the Crusader powers cannot coordinate with their allies and fear that other enemies presumably Russia and China could realise gains at their collective expense. Still, even as the West hopes for respite from mujahideen attacks, according to ISIS, it forgets that its aggression toward Muslims has not ceased. Muslim prisoners languish in overcrowded prisons, and women and children suffer in inhumane detention camps . The West forgets how the last inhabitants of ISIS-controlled Baghouz in Syria, Mosul in Iraq and Sirte in Libya starved and fell sick, only to be bombed and buried alive under rubble. And it forgets that it continues to intervene militarily in places like Afghanistan and West Africa, and to support local allies as they wage counter-insurgent war. Al-Naba concludes from the foregoing that Muslims have a duty to protect themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19s spread, but also to act. The editorial enjoins ISIS supporters to liberate Muslim captives from prisons and camps; to show no mercy to the infidels and apostates in their moment of crisis, and instead to attack and weaken them, rendering them less able to harm Muslims; and to bear in mind that the calamity befalling the West and its allies will substantially undercut their ability to wage war on the mujahideen in the coming period. The editorial closes by reminding readers that the best way to avoid Gods punishment including coronavirus is through obedience to Him, and that the act of obedience most beloved to God is jihad and inflicting pain on His enemies. ISISs rhetorical line on COVID-19 has evolved as the viruss geographic scope and human toll has become clearer. In January, Al-Naba reported that a new disease spreads death and panic in communist China. Then, as Iran suffered an outbreak, the newsletter gloated that the contagion was an exemplary punishment from God for Shiite Muslim idolatry . Now the group has apparently reconciled itself to the viruss global spread, even as it hopes that God will specially afflict polytheist nations. An article entitled The Crusaders Worst Nightmare in the ISIS newsletter al-Naba. Crisis Group downloaded the newsletter from the website Jihadology. The newsletter was originally distributed by ISISs messaging network. All this is unsurprising. ISISs philosophy, after all, is the antithesis of the values underpinning UN chief Guterress humanistic appeal. ISISs doctrine extends solidarity only to an exclusive community of Muslims, as the group itself narrowly defines them. Universal humanitarianism does not figure into ISISs worldview. Weakened States and Fractured International Cooperation Buried in this latest editorials bellicose rhetoric and incitement to violence, however, is some truth: it is almost certainly correct that COVID-19 will handicap domestic security efforts and international counter-ISIS cooperation, allowing the jihadists to better prepare spectacular terror attacks and escalate campaigns of insurgent warfare on battlefields worldwide. It is almost certainly correct that COVID-19 will handicap domestic security efforts and international counter-ISIS cooperation. Over 100 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area have been put under quarantine on Wednesday in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 71 people from the state attended the event after which several attendees were found COVID-19 positive. "71 people from the state attended the event at Markaz Nizamuddin. 54 people out of 71 have been put under quarantine. If anyone visited Markaz, they must inform the authorities. There is nothing to be scared of," Banerjee said. "Total nine people, including seven Indonesian nationals and two Indians who attended the event at Markaz Nizamuddin have been identified. They have been in kept in government quarantine and have shown no symptoms as of now," SP, West Midnapore, West Bengal said. In Madhya Pradesh, 31 attendees have been identified and put under quarantine in Bhopal. "Thirty-one attendees of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat including nationals of Indonesia and Myanmar have been identified and quarantined at mosques and other places in Aish Bagh area of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh," Jahangirabad City Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdul Aleem Khan said. Sharat B, Deputy Commissioner of Karnataka's Kalaburagi said that 26 people from the district attended the event and 14 of them who came back to the district were put under quarantine. Fifteen people have been home quarantined in Maharashtra. "13 Bangladeshi nationals and two persons from Assam who visited Markaz Nizamuddin and came to Thane have been home quarantined. Their test reports will be available by tomorrow. On the basis of the report, further action will be taken," Subhas Burse, DCP, Mumbra, Thane said. Meghalaya Police said that all seven members of Shillong Markaz who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi have been traced and identified. "Currently, five members are being quarantined in Delhi and other two in Lucknow," police said. In Andhra Pradesh, 43 confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday and all of these patients attended the gathering. Six people from Telangana, who attended the gathering have died due to coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds across Wales to be welcomed back to health and social care workforce This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 1st, 2020 Hundreds of health and social care professionals in Wales will soon return to their previous careers to help tackle coronavirus, it has been confirmed Last week, those whod left health and social care jobs within the last three years were asked to join a temporary register to fulfil a range of clinical and non-clinical roles across the sectors. Those contacted as part of the emergency recruitment drive include retirees and others whod left their sectors to pursue different work. Around 5,000 letters were issued across a number of sectors and the Welsh Government is also exploring how best to harness the skills of students who are keen to contribute. Up to 3,760 students from across Wales (medical, nursing, midwifery, AHP, paramedic and healthcare scientists) could also be available to work, on an opt-in basis, and their roles will depend on what stage theyre at with their training. Numbers are recorded differently across regulatory bodies however it has been confirmed 416 nurses and midwives have opted-in over the first week. More than 20% of allied health care professionals and scientists have also registered their interest. Almost 700 doctors have automatically been re-registered by the GMC in Wales and 348 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been included on the temporary register and are yet to opt-out. Social Care Wales also issued 850 letters to former registrants. The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said: Seeing the high numbers of those willing to come back to their previous professions, when our countrys health and social care services are most in need, is truly heartening. Its a fantastic show of resilience and dedication by so many in such unprecedented times. Its also a great example of collaborative working across these sectors and Id like to thank everyone involved in making this happen. The Welsh Governments Director of Social Services and Integration, Albert Heaney said: I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our superb social care workforce; to our carers, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, managers, support staff, students and volunteers. To everyone who already has or is preparing to express their interest in returning to social care: I thank you for answering this call in our time of national need. This additional capacity will be of great benefit to our fantastic existing dedicated workforce, and ultimately to the people they provide care and support to. The Chief Nursing Officer for Wales, Jean White, added: Thank you to everyone who volunteered to come back to the Nursing and Midwifery Council register during our countrys hour of need. You have selflessly decided to help us during this Covid-19 pandemic and for that I am truly humbled and grateful. Each and every person within our workforce is making a tremendous contribution to the health, social care and well-being of our population. An English mastiff named Duke doesnt understand social distancing. The 3-year-old dog is used to volunteering nearly every day at schools and assisted living facilities as a therapy dog with his handler, Tiger Maynard-White. An English Mastiff and his handler (Courtesy of Tiger Maynard-White) He loves people, Maynard-White, 56, told TODAY. He is the biggest baby. The New London, Connecticut-based team has volunteered for the past two years with the nonprofit Pet Partners, spreading comfort and cheer in their community. Maynard-White said they both miss offering face-to-face visits; shes particularly worried about senior citizens in nursing homes who are unable to visit with their families during the coronavirus pandemic. Thats why I came up with the idea of window-to-window visits, she said. Duke visits residents at Harbor Village Rehabilitation and Nursing Center from outside. Though residents cant run their fingers through his fur, they still light up in delight while peering out the windows at the happy dog. Maynard-White waves a sign that reads, Duke sends his love. Hands mirror one another on either side of a window (Courtesy of Tiger Maynard-White) On one visit, a typically withdrawn woman urged a member of the staff to help her rise from her wheelchair to get a closer look. Others pressed their hands to the window in gratitude. Each of our hands are touching both sides of the windows, she said. I was in tears. Volunteer therapy dog teams across the country are finding creative ways to spread comfort in these unprecedented times when stress, isolation and anxiety are on the rise. Elisabeth Van Every, communications and outreach coordinator at Pet Partners, which currently has around 13,000 registered therapy animal teams across America and abroad, said she is not surprised. Most of our volunteers really love what they do, she told TODAY. They find it very rewarding to be able to share their pets with people who can benefit, and to see the difference theyre making in peoples lives. A man smiles from a window at his daughter and her dog. (Courtesy of Pet Partners) Some teams are holding video chats with students or hospital patients; others are sharing daily photos on social media. Since therapy animals cant currently promote childrens literacy with visits at classrooms and libraries, Pet Partners plans to launch a Read With Me initiative soon. Story continues We are going to be asking kids to read to their pets at home and share photos or videos of that with us so that we can make sure theyre still maintaining that connection and those opportunities to read, she said. Were glad we have an opportunity to do that thanks to the available technology. Pets & Animals Jill Baker, 59, works at the University of South Florida Health Libraries. Her golden retriever, Snitch, a Pet Partners therapy dog, is the Library Ambassador and has been a hit with students since she started volunteering in 2014. Now that medical students are working remotely and potentially feeling additional anxiety about their chosen field, Snitch is helping remind them of ways to access the journals and data they need in social media posts and on the library website. Shes also appearing in cute photos to offer stress relief. A golden retriever Im a reluctant social media poster, but this has kicked us into gear, Baker told TODAY. Were going to post a picture on her page every day. Cincinnati resident Nan Williams, 57, has been texting photos of her therapy dog, Gus, to a physical therapist to share with patients at a rehabilitation facility they visited before Ohios stay at home order. Shes also pulling together photos for the staff break room. People that are so stressed right now; they could use a little Gus love, she told TODAY. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Courtesy of Nan Williams) Volunteers at other therapy animal nonprofits are also trying to find ways to visit remotely. Judy Bailey, 59, visited hospitals and nursing homes in and around DeRidder, Louisiana, over 400 times with her mixed-breed dog, Blue, through the nonprofit Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Now she texts photos to activities leaders at several facilities for them to share. A mixed breed dog named Blue (Courtesy of Judy Bailey) Ive put little messages that, Blue really loves you, and Blue is waving hello, she told TODAY. Ill let them know, Were doing great. We really miss you. We hope we get to see you soon. Deborah Snyder, 55, co-founder of the Miami-based Heel 2 Heal Therapy Dogs, said the current challenging environment motivated the group to pivot to sharing online messages from pets about staying safe and healthy during the new reality facing Americans. Posts include support for flattening the curve, appreciation for medical teams, first responders, sanitation workers and employees at grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants, and positive messages like, We will get through this together. Therapy dog montage about flattening the curve (Courtesy of Deborah Snyder / Heel 2 Heal Therapy Dogs) We truly want to be part of the solution by spreading information bundled in puppy smiles and tail wags, she told TODAY in an email. As one recent post read, Be kind, stay home and be safe! APRIL 1, 2020 To help relieve some of the stress that students might be facing due to coronavirus-related changes to their daily lives, UTSA has created key funds that support Roadrunners most prevalent needs during this time. The Student Emergency Fund is managed in part by the Roadrunner Student Alumni Association to offer grants to students who find themselves in difficult situations as a result of natural disasters, medical bills or other unforeseen circumstanceslike losing their jobs because of the current pandemic. The goal is to help cover some necessary expenses that will ensure students can stay enrolled. The Student Tech Fund will assist students who need internet access or a personal computer to successfully transition to 100% online instruction during the coronavirus pandemic. The Roadrunner Pantry provides food and personal care items to UTSA students. A donation of just a few dollars can help provide a week of meals. The Fostering Educational Success Fund addresses unprecedented emergency needs and supports the well-being of students with a history of foster caremost of whom do not have a traditional family lifeline to help during the coronavirus situation. The Fostering Educational Success Center has increased the limit on grants from the emergency fund from $300 to $500. It is anticipated that without additional support these emergency funds will deplete more quickly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have already seen many alumni and other members of the community step up to support our students with gifts to these funds. We are overwhelmingly grateful for the support, said Karl Miller-Lugo, vice president for development and alumni relations at UTSA. Still, we have also seen a great level of need in all of these areas. We know this time is challenging for everyone, but if people can spare it, gifts to these funds are vital because it will help students stay enrolled and stay on time to graduate. Stay informed about the pandemics impact by visiting UTSAs Coronavirus Updates site. Students are also grateful for support of these funds. What a message it sends when alumni and other people donate to these assistance funds, said Gage Martin, a UTSA junior who is president of the Roadrunner Student Alumni Association. It tells me that Roadrunners will take care of other Roadrunners, and it makes me proud to go to UTSA. Gifts made online can be processed and put to use immediately. If youd like to make a gift using another method, please email alumni@utsa.edu. It doesn't matter where youre from. Unless we sort something out, lots of people are going to die. Rather than launching multiple clinical trials, Australian labs should be signing on to larger international clinical trials, she said. A team at Monash University led by Professor Colin Pouton have spent the last month developing an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 and has applied for permission to begin animal testing. Novel coronavirus (yellow) emerges from the surface of cells in a culture grown from a patient in the United States. Credit:AP The vaccine contains genetic instructions to make fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19. Our cells read those instructions and make the fragments. The fragments train our immune system to be ready when the real virus comes. Its fairly straightforward to make, said Professor Pouton. As soon as the viruss genome was published in January, we said we can do this lets do it. But Professor Poutons vaccine is substantially similar to another mRNA vaccine that has begun trials in humans in America. It is possible that vaccine wont work, or that Professor Poutons vaccine would be more effective. He said it was still valuable for Australia to develop its own vaccine, especially because it would likely take a long time for the US vaccine to become available in Australia. Many researchers said having multiple shots at a dartboard was a good thing, and Australias efforts were well-coordinated. The National Health and Medical Research Council held a coronavirus research roundtable in February with key experts, and a spokesman said the council was regularly meeting to coordinate funding. The federal government has allocated $30 million for COVID-19 research so far, with researchers able to bid for a slice of the pie. There is more of this under way than might be apparent, said Professor Glyn Davis, chief executive of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Research is not a production line with predictable outcomes. A measure of competition among competing ideas and teams encourages innovation." QUT vice-chancellor Margaret Sheil, a former chief executive of the Australian Research Council, said there was appropriate collaboration among researchers and intervention by governments and university administrators would not be helpful. It would slow everything down and add a whole layer of complexity ... Its actually better at times like this to just let people get on with it, she said. Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, a deputy vice-chancellor at the University of South Australia, said that in the rush to treatments people would trip over each other a little bit. But I have not seen the notion of ego dominating the space," she said. "What I have seen is people really trying to help one another. Dr Julian Clark disagreed. Australian science is generally characterised as being highly fragmented. Generally, we are weak on leadership in translation-oriented research, he said. Australia has A-class components but B-class wiring. Were in a 15-year time warp compared to best research-translation practice. Dr Clark spent many years as head of business development at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, where commercialised blockbuster anti-cancer drug Venetoclax. He said Australia had excellent scientists, but very few had ever taken a drug or vaccine from discovery to clinic. He backed the call for a nationally co-ordinated research strategy. The reality is, as humanity, were going to have to back a small number of different approaches, he said. Several scientists confirmed there was a general lack of co-ordination between research teams working in the field. They were divided on whether that was a bad thing. Im sure that work is being duplicated. I dont know what everyone else is doing. A co-ordinated response would be better, said Dr Kylie Wagstaff, a researcher working on antivirals at Monash University. A lot of people do want to try to help if they can. But were not all aware of who is doing what, said Professor Pouton. He said a meeting to co-ordinate research would be useful. Loading We dont really have much in the way of co-ordination between institutions for research. Its essentially a competitive game," said Professor Mark Boyd, chair of medicine at the University of Adelaide and part of a trial on hydroxychloroquine and Kaletra. In this case, where its a pandemic and you have very limited time to come up with a research proposal across Australia, the chances to do that in a fast, efficient way with a whole lot of people arguing about what it should look like is almost impossible. RAMALLAH, West Bank Soon after a state of emergency was declared in the Palestinian territories March 5, an emergency committee was formed in the Balata camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank. Young people, leaders and institutions operating in the camp started working to put together an emergency plan to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Ahmed Zawkan, a member of the emergency committee in Balata and member of the Executive Office of Palestinian Refugees in the West Bank, said that like in the Balata camp, residents of other camps in the West Bank used their available capacities to fight the virus themselves since the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is responsible for the camps, was not playing an active role. The Balata camp committees submitted demands to UNRWA, including extending contracts of contractual cleaners, providing tools and supplies needed to disinfect the camps and extending work hours in clinics that serve refugees in camps and surrounding villages. Zawkan added, Ever since the state of emergency was announced, we contacted UNRWA and called for boosting the [capacities] of camps. They promised us to take some measures, but there was a 20-day delay. To deal with this slow response, internal committees were formed in each side of the camp to carry out cleaning operations, raise awareness among the inhabitants and coordinate with municipalities to empty garbage bins. The responsiveness of the Refugee Affairs Department of the PLO was helpful, as it expedited budget spending for service committees to move swiftly. In the Jalazone camp in the central West Bank, the situation was not much different. Mohammad Safi, a member of the camps emergency committee, told Al-Monitor that the committee did not even make any demands to UNRWA or bank on its help. The committee was formed seven years ago to bridge the gap in UNRWAs work after UNRWAs budget and programs in the West Bank were reduced. With the declaration of a state of emergency, the committee formed patrols to watch the camps entrances and monitor who comes in and goes out, especially people coming from areas infected with the coronavirus. The committee also regularly disinfects the camp, especially its most overcrowded areas. Safi said, Relative to the magnitude of this humanitarian pandemic and the fast spread of the virus, UNRWA is moving too slow and is behind in performing the basic measures like disinfection. The agency is supposedly responsible for relief and employment of refugees and compensating for their economic losses at this stage. Safi mentioned an increase in unemployment in the camp, reaching 40%. With the current lockdown, all camp inhabitants are unemployed, except for the agencys employees. Safi called on UNRWA to handle its responsibilities and rise to the challenge threatening refugees. He said, Jalazone camp is home to 11,000 refugees who live in a surface area of 236 dunams at most. If one person is infected, a real disaster will occur. Gwyn Lewis, director of UNRWA operations in the West Bank, said of the complaints, Many people want to see clear activities, but the best way to protect refugees, like any other person, is through keeping them at home and working discretely. She gave an example of the hotline UNRWA launched to provide social services, reference lists and health consultations to refugees, given the restrictions on movement in the West Bank. She noted that UNRWA raised awareness about the virus and took concrete measures such as shutting down schools and disinfecting camps. She added, We gave instructions that teachers conveyed before schools closed. We also focused on ways to communicate with students to raise their and their families' awareness through emails. We also opened a Facebook page that they can access, and we provided them with educational material through e-learning. Lewis said UNRWA supplied 42 health centers under its control in the West Bank, as well as Qalqilya Hospital, with personal protection tools and devices for sorting cases. Medication for chronically ill patients was provided for two full months, and a plan was set to support patients over the phone. She added that UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority are coordinating closely through the agencys work with the prime ministers office, the ministries of health, education and higher education and local governance, councils of joint services and the Refugee Affairs Department, after the Ministry of Health was tasked with following up on the coronavirus status among Palestinians, including refugees. UNRWA offered ventilators to the Ministry of Health to help it in its task, she added. Louis said that these measures are being applied in all 19 camps in the West Bank, and there are similar measures in the Gaza Strip, knowing that it has bigger needs due to its high population density. However, Ahmad Hanoun, director general of the PLOs Refugee Affairs Department, said these measures are not enough, and that the effort was falling short due to the tough financial crisis UNRWA is facing. Hanoun told Al-Monitor that UNRWA was not ready for the crisis because of its own internal issues and financial problems, including the appointment of a new commissioner general. He said, We asked UNRWA to make swift international calls for collecting money to face the coronavirus, but so far, we have not received any funds to fulfill the essential needs. Hanoun said international intervention to provide funds to UNRWA is now needed, in addition to food aid baskets for camps in the Palestinian territories, especially since the Ministry of Health is now tasked with dealing with the coronavirus and is responsible now for treating patients. On March 20, UNRWA said it urgently needs $14 million to deal with the implications of COVID-19 in 58 Palestinian refugee camps in the five areas of operation of the agency, and to offer relief to millions of refugees living outside the camps. International Participants from across the globe and official commercial partners have shown solidarity with Expo 2020 Dubai following the agreement to explore postponing the event because of the current global health crisis. The significant impact of Covid-19 on global public, social and economic health led many countries to suggest delaying the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai until October 2021, while they focus on navigating the escalating situation. The Expo 2020 Dubai Steering Committee comprising members of the senior leadership of Expo 2020 and World Expo governing body the Bureau International des Expositions, BIE, alongside representatives from Expo 2020s International Participants, collectively agreed to explore with the BIE the possibility of a one-year delay to the opening of the event, reaffirming Expo 2020s solidarity with the international community. Shri Bidyut Behari Swain, Additional Secretary at the Department of Commerce and Commissioner General of India at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "While we have been looking forward to showcasing the best of India alongside the rest of the world at Expo 2020, our shared values as global citizens place on us the responsibility to accord priority to safeguarding global public health as the worlds most urgent need at this time." "When the time is right, which we are confident shall be soon, we will all convene for a great celebration with renewed optimism and hope, in the spirit of global cooperation for the future. At this time, we reaffirm our resolve to work together for an end to this pandemic at the earliest possible," stated Swain. Dr Ahmed Maghawry Diab, Commissioner General of Egypt at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "Egypt appreciates the efforts undertaken by the UAE Government and the BIE to convene Expo 2020 Dubai. We also commend their efforts to accommodate the various needs and requests of all participants." "Egypt is committed to a successful event as much as it is committed to all actions taken or to be agreed upon to ensure the safety of all international and domestic visitors," he added. Sergio Segovia, Commissioner General of Brazil at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "Our path hasnt changed course; it is just a bit longer. The World Expo in Dubai will still be an amazing event that brings out the best of our humanity, and Brazil wholeheartedly supports the decision to seek a postponement until 2021." Juan Pablo Cavelier, Commissioner General of Colombia at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "We applaud the idea of the BIE and Expo 2020 Dubai organisers to consider exploring new dates for the Expo. Today, more than ever the next World Expo represents an opportunity for the world to show the impact of this type of event. We are sure that the outcome of these efforts will result in a more impactful Expo and will better reflect the objectives of the 192 participating countries." DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: "We are working resolutely to keep trade flowing around the world through the crisis, so the countries in which we operate continue to be supplied with food, medicine and other vital goods." "We are doing so by putting the highest priority on the health and safety of our people and communities. We support the proposal to postpone Expo 2020 and DP World looks forward to opening our pavilion in 2021 where we will show how keeping trade flowing will help the world continue to recover from the crisis," he stated. Sergio Maccotta, Senior Vice President, Middle East South for SAP, Expo 2020 Dubais Official Premier Innovative Enterprise Software Partner, said: "SAP expresses support for Expo 2020 Dubai and its Steering Committee exploring options with the Bureau International des Expositions to postpone the event by a year and ensure the health and wellbeing of the millions of expected visitors and participants." "SAP remains firmly committed as Expo 2020 Dubais Official Premier Innovative Enterprise Software Partner and we will continue to co-innovate to deliver personalised experiences for the event," stated Maccotta. Thierry Sabbagh, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubais Official Premier Automotive Partner, said: "The decision also reflects the great sense of global citizenship embodied by Expo 2020 Dubai itself." "This proposed delay will be viewed as an opportunity by all partners to come back together even stronger and deliver a truly world-class experience that millions of visitors will be able to celebrate in the true sense of safety, security and friendship that the UAE has always prided itself on," noted Sabbagh. Siemens, Expo 2020 Dubais Official Premier Infrastructure Digitalisation Partner, stated, "We fully support the Expo 2020 Dubai Steering Committee to explore a postponement of the event. Its the right decision to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those working on the project, and means the whole world can join together when it opens its doors. We will continue working to create one of the smartest cities in the world, and look forward to seeing you all in 2021." Eugene Willemsen, CEO, Africa, Middle East and South Asia at PepsiCo, Expo 2020 Dubais Official Premier Beverage and Snack Partner, said, "In light of the tragic circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, we understand and support the Expo 2020 organizers and the steering committees decision to explore postponing this mega event. We remain firmly committed to the event and look forward to helping deliver an exceptional World Expo at the right time. At PepsiCo, we recognize that now, more than ever, it is critical to focus on the fundamental human values that unite us across nations." The BIE will now work with its member states and Expo 2020 to determine new dates. A final decision on postponement can only be made by the BIEs General Assembly, requiring a two-thirds majority vote from the member states. The recommendation followed several weeks of discussions, both internally and in consultation with key UAE and international stakeholders, to review the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on Expo 2020s plans and preparations.-TradeArabia News Service A hospital must pay for the cost of a young woman's surrogacy in America after she was left infertile because her cervical cancer was not spotted for more than four years by doctors, the Supreme Court has ruled. Whittington Hospital NHS Trust in London, UK, admits negligently failing to detect signs of cancer for over four years. This negligence led to the woman, known only as XX, developing highly invasive cancer that required chemo-radiotherapy treatment, leaving her infertile at the age of 29. Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, above, in London, UK, admits negligently failing to detect signs of cervical cancer in the patient for over four years (file photo) The woman, now 36, says one of her 'central ambitions in life' is to have her own family. She added that, despite the 'profound, distressing and life-altering injuries' caused by her treatment, her loss of fertility is her 'major concern'. She was initially awarded a total of 580,000 in damages. But the High Court refused to award damages to cover the costs of four commercial surrogacies in California, where the practice is legal and binding, unlike the UK, where it is illegal. In a landmark ruling in December 2018, the Court of Appeal said the woman was entitled to as much as an additional 560,000 to cover the cost of having children with commercial surrogates in the US. The trust took the case to the UK's highest court, arguing that the Court of Appeal was wrong to award the additional damages because commercial surrogacy is 'contrary to public policy'. Announcing the ruling via live-stream today, Supreme Court President Lord Reed said the court had decided by a 3-2 majority that the woman could recover the costs of commercial surrogacy in the US. Giving the majority judgement, former president Lady Hale said 'it is no longer contrary to public policy to award damages for the costs of a foreign commercial surrogacy'. She said the UK's laws on surrogacy are 'fragmented' and that any surrogacy arrangement undertaken in the UK is 'completely unenforceable', meaning it was 'scarcely surprising that the claimant's clear preference is for a commercial surrogacy arrangement in California'. The Supreme Court, above, ruled the hospital must pay for the young woman's surrogacy costs in America after her cervical cancer was not spotted for more than four years (file photo) Lady Hale added: 'Nothing which the claimant proposes to do involves a criminal offence either here or abroad.' Giving the minority judgment of the court, Lord Carnwath ruled that it would be contrary to the principle of consistency between the civil and criminal law 'for the civil courts to award damages on the basis of conduct which, if undertaken in this country, would offend its criminal law'. However, all five Supreme Court justices agreed that damages to fund surrogacy arrangements using XX's own eggs, and using donor eggs, were recoverable. In a statement, XX's solicitor, Anne Kavanagh, from law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: 'This is a tragic case in which there are no winners. 'Our client is relieved that this matter, which has consumed more than 10 years of her life, is over. 'We will continue to support XX as she now attempts to look to the future and hopefully realise her dream of having the family she has always wanted.' A spokesman for the trust said: 'In the absence of clear law in this area, it was right that NHS Resolution sought to clarify this uncertainty by way of an appeal to the Supreme Court. 'We are grateful to the Supreme Court for its considered judgment and wish the patient involved every success as she begins the process of starting a family.' The Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), under the Govt. of Bihar, has invited online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling 187 vacancies to the post of Junior Accountants through direct recruitment. The registration-cum-application process towards the same started on March 28, 2020 and closes on April 15, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Junior Accountants Organisation Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) Educational Qualification 10+2/Class 12/Intermediate or equivalent Experience Freshers can apply Skills Required Desirable Job Location Bihar Salary Scale As per the organisation standards Industry State Service Application Start Date March 28, 2020 Application End Date April 15, 2020 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Junior Accountants post through Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) must meet the age criteria as per the BSSC norms, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved categories as per the Bihar Govt. reservation policy. Candidates must pay a specified amount of Rs. 750 (Gen/OBC) and Rs. 200 (SC/ST/Female candidates) respectively as application processing fee through online (net-banking/credit/debit) mode or any other mode as applicable. RITES Recruitment 2020 For Engineers (Civil) Post, Apply Online Before April 3 Educational Criteria And Eligibility Candidates applying for Junior Accountants post through Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) must have passed 10+2/Class 12/Intermediate or equivalent from a recognised Board/Institute/University as specified in the notification. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates as Junior Accountants post through Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) will be done through a Written Test and Interview. Candidates selected as Junior Accountants post through Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) will be paid emolument as per the organisation standards. Army Recruitment Rally 2020 For Soldier Clerk, Soldier (GD), Solider Nursing And Technical Posts How To Apply Candidates applying for Junior Accountants post through Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) must register online on the official BSSC website at https://bssc.bihar.gov.in/index.php and submit their applications on or before April 15, 202 at https://bssc.bihar.gov.in/intermains/ Read the detailed notification about Bihar Staff Selection Commission jobs for Junior Accountants post here http://bssc.bih.nic.in/Advertisement/511_2020.pdf Morrisons has won a Supreme Court appeal over whether they should be held liable for 55million in damages after an employee leaked the payroll data of 100,000 colleagues. Andrew Skelton was jailed for eight years in 2015 for orchestrating the leak after he was disciplined by bosses for dealing legal highs from his office desk. The supermarket chain had previously been held responsible for their former senior internal auditor's actions and the multi-million pound damages they caused. But a panel of five Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled today that Morrisons was not 'vicariously liable' for the behaviour of Skelton, who disclosed staff information on the internet and also sent it to newspapers. Morrisons (pictured) has won its Supreme Court appeal over whether they should be held liable after an employee leaked payroll data for 100,000 members of staff Announcing the decision via livestream, the court's president Lord Reed said Skelton, who worked at the supermarket's Bradford headquarters, leaked the data because of a 'grudge' over the previous disciplinary warning. The judge said employers could only be held liable for the actions of employees if they were 'closely connected' with their duties at work. He said: 'In the present case, Skelton was not engaged in furthering Morrisons' business when he committed the wrongdoing in question. 'On the contrary, he was pursuing a personal vendetta, seeking revenge for the disciplinary proceedings a month earlier. 'In these circumstances, applying the established approach to cases of this kind, his employer is not vicariously liable.' Legal action was launched in 2014 over Skelton's data breach, which saw the details of 100,000 staff members released, including their names, addresses, bank account details and salaries. Lawyers for more than 9,000 claimants have described the action as a 'classic David and Goliath case'. They are seeking compensation for the upset and distress caused in a case with potential implications for every individual and business in the country. In July 2015, Skelton was found guilty at Bradford Crown Court of fraud, securing unauthorised access to computer material and disclosing personal data, and was jailed for eight years. Former Morrisons senior internal auditor Andrew Skelton (pictured) was jailed for eight years in 2015 for orchestrating the leak after he was disciplined by his bosses for dealing legal highs from his office desk At a hearing in November last year, Lord Pannick QC, representing the supermarket, said it could not be held directly or vicariously liable for the criminal misuse of the data, and that any other conclusion would be grossly unjust. But, in previous rulings, both the High Court and Court of Appeal held that it is 'vicariously liable' for Skelton's actions. It was argued on behalf of Morrisons that if those findings were allowed to stand, the company, although 'entirely blameless', would be exposed to 'compensation claims on a potentially vast scale'. Pictured: Former senior internal auditor Andrew Skelton outside Bradford Crown Court in July 2015 The latest round of the litigation at the Supreme Court followed a blow for Morrisons at the Court of Appeal in October last year, when three leading judges upheld a 2017 High Court finding on the issue of liability. Lord Pannick submitted that the lower courts made 'errors of law' and reached the 'wrong answer' on the question of liability. Lawyers for the claimants argued that the company's appeal should be dismissed as 'Morrisons is vicariously liable to the claimants for the conduct of its employee Mr Skelton'. The Supreme Court was asked to decide whether the Data Protection Act 1998 excludes the application of vicarious liability to a breach of that Act, or for misuse of private information or breach of confidence. It was also asked to rule on whether the Court of Appeal 'erred in concluding that the disclosure of data' by its employee occurred in the course of his employment, for which the company should be held vicariously liable. A statement issued by Morrisons after the ruling today said: 'The theft of data happened because a single employee with legitimate authority to hold the data, also held a secret and wholly unreasonable grudge against Morrisons and wanted to hurt the company and our colleagues. 'We are pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed that Morrisons should not be held vicariously liable for his actions when he was acting alone, to his own criminal plan and he's been found guilty of this crime and spent time in jail. 'A court has already found that Morrisons was not responsible for any direct wrongdoing in respect of this data theft. 'We also know that many colleagues appreciated the way we got the data taken down quickly, provided protection for their bank accounts and reassured them that they would not, in any circumstances, be financially disadvantaged. 'In fact, we've seen absolutely no evidence of anyone suffering any direct financial loss.' I didnt want Bernie to beat Elizabeth in her own backyard. But then, it became much more complicated than that, said Ms. King, 70. Are we going to have a nominee who could take on the Republican Party? We have to stop Bernie. Rarely has political momentum flipped as quickly as it did in the first half of March, as Mr. Sanders lost serious ground to Mr. Biden before the coronavirus slowed their race. There are well-known reasons for the shift: Moderate candidates like Mr. Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota rallied around Mr. Biden. He enjoyed demographic advantages, particularly with black voters. And turnout among young voters and liberal nonvoters did not surge, failing to reshape the electorate as Mr. Sanders had hoped. But beyond ideology, race and turnout, a chief reason for Mr. Bidens success has little to do with his candidacy. He became a vehicle for Democrats like Ms. King who were supporting other candidates but found the prospect of Mr. Sanders and his calls for political revolution so distasteful that they put aside misgivings about Mr. Biden and backed him instead. In phone interviews, dozens of Democrats, mostly aged 50 and over, who live in key March primary states like Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan and Florida, said that Mr. Bidens appeal went beyond his case for beating President Trump. It was his chances of overtaking Mr. Sanders, the only candidate in the vast Democratic field they found objectionable for reasons personal and political. For some, like Amy Siegel of Natick, Mass., the anti-Sanders feeling relates back to the 2016 Democratic primary, when she supported Hillary Clinton and believed Mr. Sanders ran a divisive campaign that wounded her ahead of the general election. This time around, Ms. Siegel, 57, initially supported Mr. Buttigieg. But she voted for Mr. Biden in her states primary, held on Super Tuesday, days after Mr. Buttigieg dropped out and endorsed the former vice president. Ms. Siegel said she decided to flip her vote even before Mr. Buttigieg exited the race. Many leaders have urged Americans to set politics aside as the nation grapples with the coronavirus crisis. Some of Texass Republican leaders, unfortunately, didnt get the memo. Indeed, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton apparently see the pandemic as an opportunity to further restrict access to abortions in Texas without going through the Legislature. Abbott issued an executive order on March 22 stipulating that all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary be postponed through Apr. 21. Paxton, a fellow Republican, issued a letter the next day clarifying that the health care professionals affected by the letter include abortion providers, and that the surgeries and procedures theyre barred from performing include any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother. All of us can agree that elective procedures should be deferred, if possible, until a later date. In addition to facing a shortage of personal protective equipment, health care providers are working overtime. But its not as if women are seeking abortions as an excuse to get out of the house. Nor do Texans need the state to tell them to postpone their eye exams, for that matter, or routine skin-cancer screenings. But Abbotts order seems to zero in on abortion. He's never passed on an opportunity to ban abortion or to put further restrictions on it, says Dyana Limon-Mercado, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes. State Rep. Donna Howard, an Austin Democrat and nurse by training, agreed. Since (the) vast majority of abortions are not performed in hospitals, & most require little surgical equipment, this was disingenuous at best, said state Rep. Donna Howard, an Austin Democrat and nurse by training. Its hard to argue with that point. But its also hard to wrap ones head around the notion that we have to have this argument at all, given the current situation. We dont even know the magnitude of the public health crisis in this state, given the relative paucity of testing. And Texas is facing an economic crisis, to boot. Ah yes, perfect time to attack womens health tweeted state Rep. Sarah Davis, who represents West University Place and is the only openly pro-choice Republican legislator in the state. Whether Abbotts order will be allowed to stand is yet to be determined. A federal judge on Monday blocked it from taking effect, saying that it amounted to an outright ban on abortions, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected. But Paxton announced that he would seek immediate appellate relief, and on Tuesday he got it, from the Fifth Circuit of Appeals. What is certain is that our leaders shouldnt see this crisis as an opportunity to push their ideological agenda, especially when doing so requires ignoring the dire circumstances facing many Texas women and families. If a woman plans to end a pregnancy, its better to do so sooner rather than later. And women seeking abortions in the coming weeks will likely be informed by the painful circumstances surrounding their pregnancies the job losses the state is already seeing, for example, the stresses on families in confinement, and the disruptions to education and regular health care access. Our staff are accustomed to the political ping-pong, says Planned Parenthoods Limon-Mercado, but we've heard from them that this is one of the most heartbreaking and devastating situations that they've ever had to communicate to patients. Republican leaders who would like to reduce the number of abortions in Texas do their cause no favors by taking opportunistic advantage of a public health crisis like this. erica.grieder@chron.com Four patients at Mississaugas Credit Valley Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. The four patients had all been in the same in-patient rehab unit, according to a statement from Trillium Health Partners, which runs the hospital. Trillium wouldnt release the ages or condition of the patients, who have now been moved to a unit that is exclusively treating COVID-19 patients. Credit Valley Hospital issued an indefinite ban on visitors March 20 because of the pandemic. Our top priority is the safety of patients, our health care workers and the community. As we continue to see community spread of COVID-19, THP remains vigilant and is actively preparing measures to respond to additional cases and outbreaks, Trilliums statement added. A highly placed doctor who is assisting in provincial decision-making on the pandemic says priority testing should be expanded to all residents of long-term care, all health-care workers no matter what setting they work in and to hospital patients. I think we need to be thinking very aggressively about testing all health-care workers, especially in long-term care and acute care, and patients and residents, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give media interviews. The provincial source said health-care workers, patients and nursing home residents need to go to the front of the testing line. Now that the majority of transmission is community-based, and we continue to debate whether or not there is asymptomatic transmission, the riskiest groups should be tested, and they are health-care workers and health-care patients, he continued. Asked about the limited number of testing swabs available, the source said these groups should go to the front of the line and be made a priority. A lot of people will say thats overkill, thats too much, but I dont think its too much, he said. Currently, health-care workers are tested if they are showing symptoms. Those who are going to work to care for patients and those who are hospitalized could pass it on to other patients, the source said. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Italy and Spain bore the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three in every four deaths on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is already under some form of lockdown in a battle to halt contagion. Across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump warned of a "very, very painful two weeks" as the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of what he called a "plague". America's outbreak has mushroomed rapidly. There are now around 190,000 known cases -- a figure that has doubled in just five days. Some 41,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide from more than 830,000 infections since the pandemic emerged in China in December. For UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades. The "disease... represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past. "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," he said. As companies shut down for undetermined periods and entire workforces are forced to stay home to halt the spread of COVID-19, scenes of economic desperation and unrest were emerging across the globe. In Italy, queues were lengthening at soup kitchens while some supermarkets were reportedly pillaged. Half a million more people now need help to afford meals, Italy's biggest union for the agriculture sector Coldiretti said, adding to the 2.7 million already in need last year. The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately hit the poor. Africa's biggest city Lagos was set for its second full day of lockdown on Wednesday -- but with some of the world's biggest slums, home to millions who live hand-to-mouth, containment will be difficult. Wary of a collapse of the world's economy with shops shuttered and millions forced into shorter working hours or losing their jobs completely, the globe's leading central bankers have pumped billions of liquidity into the system. Last week, G20 leaders said they were injecting USD 5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds". But talk of shared debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries, threatening to divide the bloc. The tone sharpened this week, with Italian politicians even taking out an advertisement in a major German newspaper to remind Europe's biggest economy of WWII debts in a bid to jolt it into action. The economic cost of the crisis could still worsen as lockdowns remain at the forefront of official disease-stopping arsenals -- a strategy increasingly borne out by science. Researchers said China's decision to shutter Wuhan, ground zero for the global COVID-19 pandemic, may have prevented hundreds of thousands of new cases. "Our analysis suggests that without the Wuhan travel ban and the national emergency response there would have been more than 700,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases outside of Wuhan" by mid February, said Oxford University's Christopher Dye. At the same time, focus is now turning to how asymptomatic cases may be fuelling the spread. China on Wednesday said it has more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases, the first time it has released such data following public concern over people who have tested positive but are not showing symptoms. Experts agree that asymptomatic patients are likely to be infectious, but it remains unknown how responsible they are for spreading the deadly virus. Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said in a state media interview last week that asymptomatic carriers could potentially infect "3 to 3.5 people each". Germany and France were also ramping up testing of the population to establish how many already have immunity. The inundation of patients has sent health facilities worldwide into overdrive. Emergency hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. In scenes previously unimaginable in peacetime, around a dozen white tents were erected to serve as a field hospital in New York's Central Park. But even with the extended capacity, doctors say they are still having to make painful choices. "If you get a surge of patients coming in, and you only have a limited number of ventilators, you can't necessarily ventilate patients," Shamit Patel of the Beth Israel hospital said. "And then you have to start picking and choosing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For example, the analysis found that the new rule, when fully in place, could impose an overall cost on the economy of up to $22 billion. It found that, despite saving money on the initial sticker price of a less-fuel-efficient new car, individual motorists could end up spending about $500 more on gasoline over the life of the vehicle. And it concluded that the rule would lead to the loss of roughly 13,000 jobs in the auto industry in a single year, model year 2029. Critics of the rule vowed to use the numbers in the administrations analysis against it in a legal fight against the rule. Already, multiple states are preparing to file a joint lawsuit against the rollback in what is expected to ultimately become a landmark case before the Supreme Court. The Trump rule rolls back a 2012 standard, put in place by the Obama administration, that had required automakers to cut planet-warming tailpipe pollution by selling vehicles that reach an average fuel economy of about 54 miles per gallon by 2025, replacing that with a standard of 40 miles per gallon. That would require automakers to increase the average fuel economy of passenger vehicles by 1.5 percent annually, compared with the 5 percent annual increase required by the Obama rules, and the roughly 2 percent annual increase that they had achieved absent any regulations. The heads of the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, which jointly wrote the new rule, gave a full-throated defense of the measure on Tuesday morning. Banks should reduce or extinguish entirely the debt that accumulates during this forbearance period, or at least offer every affected borrower the opportunity to shift that amount to the end of their loan. Banks should also stop charging interest during the forbearance period, a break they are already offering student loan holders. And perhaps most importantly, banks should speak in a single voice when declaring publicly which policies they will adopt, so as to minimize confusion among borrowers as to which banks will do what under which circumstances. BERLIN (Reuters) - Asked about the possibility of introducing an obligation to wear protective face masks, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that the masks Germany has are for critical workers such as medical staff. The city of Jena in eastern Germany has decided to make people wear face masks when shopping or travelling by public transport, stepping up efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and becoming the first city in the country to introduce the measure. Austria will require shoppers to wear basic face masks in supermarkets in a bid to slow the still too-rapid spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Madeline Chambers) By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Indian military has readied its men, machines and resources to fight against coronavirus. While the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said that more than 9,000 hospital beds have been made available to deal with COVID-19, Army Chief General M M Naravane informed that more than 8,500 doctors and support staff are also available to extend necessary assistance to civilian administration. The CDS, Service Chiefs and other Department heads were briefing the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about their work till date and future plans through video conferencing on Wednesday The Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed that the meeting was held through video conferencing. Defence Minister appreciated the efforts being made by various Services, organisations and DPSUs in terms of evacuation, provision of healthcare in quarantine facilities and research & production of medical equipment such as sanitizers, facemasks and Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs). He directed all the organisations to redouble their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries and organizations of Central Government in this crucial time. said MoD Referring to Rajnath Singhs direction that help should be provided to neighbouring countries, Army Chief Naravane said that assistance to Nepal in the form of medical equipment will be delivered shortly. Admiral Karambir Singh told the minister that naval ships are on the standby to extend any required assistance and is also extending assistance as required by local civilian administration. Air Force is carrying on its all critical operational work while ensuring all necessary precautions. The Air Force planes transported approximately 25 tonnes of medical supplies in last five days, Chief, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria informed. 50,000 litres of sanitizers made by DRDO labs was supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police. Another one lakh litres was supplied all over the country, said Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO. Dr Reddy said that five-layered nano technology face mask N99 are being made on war footing. 10,000 masks have already been made and soon per day production will be extended to 20,000. Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is also engaged in manufacturing hand sanitisers, face masks and Personal Protective Equipments. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 masks to Delhi Police. Another DRDO laboratory has also made arrangements to make 20,000 PPEs per day. DRDO is also engaged in minor modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time, Dr Reddy added. Approximately 25,000 National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets are being mobilised to provide necessary local assistance, the minister was told during the meeting. THE Prime Minister's Office budget estimates have been raised by 52.5 per cent. This emerged as Premier Kassim Majaliwa yesterday highlighted four priority key areas to be implemented in the 2020/21 fiscal year. The estimates have increased to 313bn/- from the current 148.9bn/- as the parliament budget estimates drop by 2 per cent from the current 124.2bn/- to 122bn/- Mr Majaliwa told the parliament that his office was focusing on implementing various development projects focused on four main areas. These are building a basic foundation for industrial economy, to set link for economic development and wananchi's development, to create good environment of doing business and investment as well as strengthen the system for supervising the implementation of development programme. Moving the budget estimates for his office for the 2020/2021 financial year, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa asked the Parliament to approve 313bn/-, out of which 88.4bn/- is for recurrent and 224.3bn/- for development expenditure. The premier further asked Members of Parliament (MPs) to approve 122bn/- for the Parliament office, 113.5bn/- being for recurrent budget and 8.2bn/- for development. The Premier said in order to attain the set goals, the government will continue to give priority in the implementation of strategic projects such as construction of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the 2,115 MW Mwalimu Nyerere Hydro Power Project, strengthen the Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) and the construction of crude oil pipeline from Hoima, Uganda to Tanga. He added that the government was also focusing on establishing special economic zones and financing studies for specialised personnel in special areas. The premier added that the measures would help to link the construction of infrastructure with other economic sectors and thus speed up development programmes in the country. He said the strategies would also help to create employment, improve income and total national development. The premier asked traders, investors, entrepreneurs, MPs, government leaders and all officials, religion institutions, nongovernmental organisation, development partners and the public at large to work together and support the government to attain its goals of becoming a middle income nation by 2025. On the success of the fifth government, the premier highlighted some key areas of success as the implementation of the Standard Gauge railway (SGR) project, revival of the national carrier Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), construction of Mwalimu Nyerere Hydro Power project, which is expected to generate 2115MW on its completion as well as implementation of various water, education, health and many other projects. He said in the period of five years, the government has managed to implement such crucial projects to different levels. He said by March, 2020, the government had already spent 2.96trl/- in the implementation of the SGR project and that it has been completed by 75 per cent from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and 28 per cent from Morogoro to Makutupora. The project has opened 664.7bn/- tenders for 640 local contractors and a total of 13,177 employment have been created. On Mwalimu Nyerere hydro power project, the government has so far invested 1.28trl/- in construction by March, 2020 and that the project has been completed by 10.74 per cent. He added that a total of 11,128 institutions including education, health and religious institutions have benefited from the project. On air transportation, the government has so far purchased 8 brand new aircraft at a price of 1.27trl/-. He added that 85.7bn/- have already been deposited for purchasing three other aircraft. He said the revival of the company is expected to boost the country's economy by improving the tourism sector and create employment opportunities. On health sector, the premier said the government had been improving budget year after year to strengthen the sector. He said the budget for medical supplies had increased from 31bn/- in 2015 to 269bn/- in 2019. The government has also improved various infrastructures, including construction of 1,198 dispensaries, 487 health centres, 69 district hospitals and 10 regional hospitals. The regional hospitals have been built in Njombe, Simiyu, Mara, Geita, Songwe, Katavi, Sekou Toure in Mwanza, Burigi, Mwananyamala, Mawenzi na Manyara and three zonal referral hospitals for Mtwara, Mbeya and Burigi-Chato as well as special hospital-Kibong'oto. In a period from July 2015 to January 2020 a total of 3.01trl/- has been spent in improving the health sector. On education, the government has improved the sector by increasing loans for higher learning students from 365bn/- in 2015 to 450bn/- in 2019. Free education for primary schools has been implemented successfully. The premier said the country's economic growth had maintained a steady pace. On the coming general election, he asked all politicians and political parties to maintain peace and respect principles of democracy. Meanwhile, Speaker of National Assembly, Job Ndugai declined the opposition from reading their alternative budget estimates for the Premier's office saying it lacked standards. He said the Opposition speech had violated several House Standing Orders and that he could not allow them to table it before MPs and the public. "The speech is rich in typing errors and it has gone out of topics," he said. According to Speaker Ndugai, the speech requested the Speaker to intervene in the recent incident related to the arrest of some opposition MPs at Segerea Prison where they were accused of causing chaos as they were to receive the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo National Chairman, Freeman Mbowe from the prison. Moreover, Mr Ndugai said the opposition had reiterated the already solved issues that involved the former Singida East MP, Tundu Lissu . "This speech will not be tabled, we can not continue like this, we have been giving the opposition an opportunity to make changes, but this is the fifth year, they do not change, therefore I am also taking this matter further, this speech wont be tabled, " said Mr Ndugai. Yves here. This post gives a sense of how many people globally are vulnerable to the coronavirus shock. By C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics and Chairperson at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Republished from Network IDEAs; originally published in the Business Line on March 24 2020 The global devastation caused by Covid-19 is only just beginning, with the severe threat to public health worsened by the evident inability to cope of most health systems across developing and developed countries. Many states across the world appear to have realised the serious potential of this pandemic and have declared lockdowns, closures, partial curfews and curtailment of all but essential activities in efforts to contain the contagion. The economic impacts of such lockdown are also just beginning to be felt, and will escalate in the coming months. The discussion on the economics of this pandemic has tended to focus on supply disruptions and the likely financial losses of companies, especially those in travel, transport and other services and manufacturing activities. Precisely because companies have more lobbying power and more political voice in general, they have already started clamouring for (and being offered) incentives, bailouts and other relief measures to allow them to cope with this crisis. But in fact, the worst material impacts are already being felt by informal workers, who face a dismal spectrum of probabilities of loss of livelihood, from declining earnings among the self-employed to job losses among paid workers. These are likely to get much worse in the coming months. Even so, barring in just a handful of countries, very few governments have declared strong measures to cope with these effectsand therefore they are letting loose forces that could be even more devastating for poor people across the world. In the worst-case scenario, this could even mean that more people could die from hunger and the inability to treat other problems than will do so because of the virus. Just how seriously should we take the concerns of informal workers alone? The answer partly depends on how extensive the problem is. The ILO considers a worker to be informal if s/he is a worker whose social security is not paid for by the employer, is not entitled to paid annual leave and paid sick leave; or works in a household; or owns and runs an informal enterprise, typically in the form of self-employment, but also including micro-enterprises. Figure 1 shows that, according to the ILO, 61.2 per cent of all employment was informal, and most of this was also in informal sector enterprises that rarely if ever get the benefit of any government subsidies or protection even in periods of crisis. This is less of a problem in developed countries, where employment is still dominantly formal. In the emerging and developing countries as a group, informal workers account for as much as 70 per cent of all employment, so two out of every three workers are informal. Figure 1: Informal workers form the bulk of total employment across the world Source for all figures: Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture, Geneva: ILO, 2018. In the aggregate, the number of informal workers came to as many as 2 billion globally in 2018, and is likely to have gone up slightly since then. These are workers who lack most rights at work, decent working conditions and most forms of social protection except whatever minimal amounts may be provided by the state. They and their families are clearly the most vulnerable to any economic downturn. When such a downturn comes in the wake of an unprecedented public health calamity, the concerns are obviously multiplied. Figure 2: Men and women workers face similar extent of informality Figure 2 indicates that men are marginally more likely to be informal workers than women, possibly because several public services tend to hire more women. The notion that informality is higher in developing countries because of the greater significance of agricultural employment is dispelled by Figure 3. It is sometimes argued that farmers do not need the same safety nets as other workers and can survive even in critical economic conditions because of the nature of their activity. This is no longer true given the interconnectedness of economies, and agriculturalists very much also need bailout packages specific to that sector. But in any case, even in non-agricultural activities, informal workers predominate in the Global South, to the extent of making up 60 per cent of all such workers. Figure 3: Informality is high even in non-agricultural activities Figure 4: India has one of the highest rates of informality in the developing world Even in the developing world, there are significant variations across regions, as Figure 4 indicates. What is striking is that Indiawhich seems to be on the verge of a very substantial spike in Covid-19 cases, has a very large population and is poorly equipped to deal with an epidemic of such proportionshas one of the highest rates of employment informality in the developing world, much higher than the average of Asia and the Pacific or African countries. It is obvious that if the human suffering caused by this pandemic is to be minimised or reduced, both public health measures and safety net policies have to recognise this reality. It is not enough to recommend or even try to enforce the poorly phrased social distancing (more properly physical distancing) if peoples conditions of work and life simply do not allow it. Containment policies have to provide the infrastructure and facilities that would enable people to follow those rules: at the minimum, the wherewithal for cleanliness (like adequate clean water and soap) and ensuring physical distance. Also, to enable such workers and their families to follow rules that would minimise contagion, and survive both the possible onslaught of the disease and extreme loss of livelihood over this crisis period, income support and food provision are essential. In many developing countries like India, free public provision of basic food items (some of which are already supplied by the public distribution system) and time-bound cash transfers to all those who are not formally employed would be important measures for this. The necessary measures will vary by country, but everywhere, governments have to go beyond compensating companies, to focussing on the urgent needs of informal workers. New admissions were stopped and Outpatient Department was closed at the private-run Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday after at least one of its staff tested positive for coronavirus. A nurse working at the hospital alleged in a video message that was circulating on social media that more than one staff member had contracted coronavirus, but the hospital said only one person had tested positive. Following the allegations by the nurse, a meeting was called at the Brihhanmumbai Municipal Corporation office, which was attended by top officials of the hospital, BMC sources said. As per the nurse who is seen speaking in the video, the hospital management did not inform the staff about the admission of a COVID-19 patient. When contacted, Jaslok Hospital admitted that a nurse who came in contact with a COVID-19 patient did test positive. "The staff members handling COVID-19 patients are given protective gears like face masks, gloves, eye protection, Personal Protection Equipment for contact droplet and airborne transmission of pathogens, long-sleeved water resistant gown to ensure precaution. "All the medical staff who came in direct or indirect contact of the affected nurse and the connected patient have been identified and quarantined as per the protocol," it said. As a precautionary measure, the hospital has suspended its OPD services and no new admissions are being taken for a few days, it said further. Flight attendant unions warned Wednesday that government stakes in airlines in exchange for payroll protections could render the coronavirus aid unattractive and cost thousands of jobs. Congress last week approved $32 billion in grants for U.S. airlines and contractors like caterers to maintain their payrolls through Sept. 30 while the virus sends demand down at the fastest rate on record. U.S. passenger airlines also won $25 billion in loans. In exchange for the grants, the U.S. government is authorized to get warrants, stock options, preferred stock or other securities, according to application guidelines the Treasury Department released this week. Airline executives warned they would have to furlough employees if they didn't receive the grants. But labor unions representing some 94,000 flight attendants, including those at American, United, Spirit and Southwest, told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a letter that the equity stake could cost them their jobs. The concern is that airlines would be less likely to accept the grants, depriving the workers of the payroll protection. "This effectively renders the payroll grants a poison pill that will cost us our jobs and push us onto taxpayer-funded unemployment insurance the opposite of what this bipartisan agreement intended," the unions said. Airlines are reviewing the terms of the payroll grants, which carriers and many of their employees urged lawmakers to approve. American Airlines, for example, said it expects to receive $12 billion from the overall aid package for carriers. Airlines have urged their employees to take unpaid or partially paid leave, a bid to lower costs as travel demand plunges. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian last week said that around a quarter of the Atlanta-based airlines' 91,000 employees have volunteered for unpaid leave but that the company needs more volunteers. In addition to unpaid leave and parking hundreds of planes, airline workers are also scheduled for fewer hours, meaning smaller paychecks even though their pay rates won't change if their employers accept the grants. "Much like an education grant, the value is in the student who contributes their learning to society. The value here is a functioning airline industry, no layoffs, and 2 million people who can still pay taxes because they are employed," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents some 50,000 cabin crew members. "This is what you call a con. Not a grant. The old switcheroo. Here's a $5 bill for free, pay no attention while I pick your pocket." The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Roxy Jacenko has revealed her once-lucrative PR enterprise has taken a significant economic hit due to COVID-19, having lost 85 per cent of her clients in three days. Despite making plans to sell her luxury goods to stay afloat, the 39-year-old publicist is grateful she 'diversified' her businesses before coronavirus hit. Roxy says her three other media agencies are continuing to serve different areas of the communications sector while her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, struggles. Economic downturn: Roxy Jacenko has revealed her once-lucrative PR enterprise has taken a significant economic hit due to COVID-19, having lost 85 per cent of her clients in three days 'Fortunately, we diversified and added other arms to my group of companies well before COVID-19 hit,' Roxy told marketing website B&T on Wednesday. One of Roxy's companies is 18Communications, which facilitates communication between Australian businesses and Chinese consumers through popular messaging app WeChat and social media app Weibo. She also has an online influencer agency (The Ministry of Talent) and a social media content creation agency (Social Union). Every cloud: Despite making plans to sell her luxury goods to stay afloat, the 39-year-old publicist is grateful she 'diversified' her businesses before coronavirus hit 'Now the focus is to make sure we continue to grow these companies whilst we look at options for Sweaty Betty PR in the short term,' she said. As well as her media ventures, Roxy sells hair accessories and hosts sponsored content on Instagram. Her children, Pixie and Hunter, are also influencers. It comes after Roxy revealed she was prepared to sell her Hermes Birkin collection and Aston Martin just to make ends meet. Not giving up: Roxy says her three other media agencies are continuing to serve different areas of the communications sector while her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, struggles She told Daily Mail Australia: 'I have realised in my past 12 days of isolation, along with seeing my first agency [Sweaty Betty PR] near collapse, that my sanity and stability is more important to me than another Hermes Birkin bag or an Aston Martin.' Like many others, Roxy has been struggling to make sense of everything that has been happening around the world lately. 'I think it was pure shock watching something you started from nothing crumble in 72 hours,' she said of Sweaty Betty PR's dramatic downfall this week. She is now working 'with a very reduced number of clients' after letting four staff members go. As of midday Wednesday, there are 4,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 20 deaths. Thinking ahead: One of Roxy's brands is 18Communications, which facilitates communication between Australian businesses and Chinese consumers through WeChat and Weibo Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:52:53|Editor: zh Video Player Close ALGIERS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune praised China for its medical aid during Algeria's fight against COVID-19, the APS news agency reported Wednesday. In a live TV speech on Tuesday night, Tebboune praised the historical friendship between his country and China, saying "China is Algeria's true friend." He said that Algeria sent a special plane with medical supplies to China during its fight against the pandemic. "Now China sent aids back to us, which fully reflects the solid strategic partnership between the two countries," he confirmed. The president emphasized that China is now one of the few countries in the world that is capable of providing medical assistance and support to other countries during the pandemic period. He added that Algeria has asked for purchasing a large amount of medical supplies and equipment from China as soon as possible. Several batches of medical aids from Chinese companies, foundations and Chinese people in Algeria were recently donated to Algerian government and Algerian Red Crescent Society. On Tuesday, Algerian health authorities registered a total of 716 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 44 death cases. Video conference app Zoom illegally shared personal data with Facebook, even if users did not have a Facebook account, a lawsuit claims. The app has experienced a surge in popularity as millions of people around the world are forced to work from home as part of coronavirus containment measures. The lawsuit, which was filed in a California federal court on Monday, states that the company failed to inform users that their data was being sent to Facebook and possibly other third parties. It states: Had Zoom informed its users that it would use inadequate security measures and permit unauthorised third-party tracking of their personal information, users... would not have been willing to use the Zoom App. The allegations come amid a flurry of questions surrounding Zooms privacy policies, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation recently warning that the app allows administrators to track the activities of attendees. Despite these concerns, businesses, schools and even governments continue to use the app to hold meetings and give presentations, while it is also a popular platform for friends and family to meet up virtually. On Tuesday, coronavirus-ridden Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared an image on Twitter of the UK government holding a remote cabinet meeting on Zoom. Zoom did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent, but founder Eric Yuan wrote that the firm sincerely apologised for the concern this has caused in a blog post last week. We originally implemented the Login with Facebook feature using the Facebook SDK for iOS in order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platform, the blog post stated. However, we were made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting device information unnecessary for us to provide our services... Our customers privacy is incredibly important to us, and therefore we decided to remove the Facebook SDK in our iOS client. The issue, which was first reported by Motherboard, involved information about a users device - including its operating system, time zone and model but reportedly did not include information about meetings held on the app. Zoom users are advised to update to the latest version of the application in order for their data to no longer be sent to Facebook. NORWALK A city school bus driver who died this week had the coronavirus, according to sources with knowledge of the mans condition. A representative from the local Teamsters chapter said the bus drivers union was notified about the Norwalk mans death. The union was not told how the driver died due to HIPAA laws that prohibit the disclosure of personal medical information. However, sources told Hearst Connecticut Media on Tuesday that the man had COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This is obviously another heartbreaking example of the seriousness of this global pandemic, especially hard as it hits so close to home in our community, Board of Education member Colin Hosten said. I know I join a large chorus in expressing my condolences and prayers for the family. City and school officials declined to provide information about the bus drivers death, including whether the man had been delivering meals to students and if families had been contacted about potential exposure to the coronavirus. There are now more than 300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Norwalk and 10 deaths, including five reported on Tuesday. The city had been distributing meals to students at bus stops, but immediately shifted on Monday to handing out the food at several schools and the Ben Franklin Community Center instead. Brenda Wilcox-Williams, chief communications officer for Norwalk Public Schools, would not confirm the drivers death, its possible connection to the coronavirus, or say if there are employees under quarantine due to exposure. As cases of coronavirus rise in Fairfield County, we know its likely that our employees and families will be impacted, Wilcox-Williams said. These are very difficult times and there are no easy answers. We will continue to do all we can to keep our students learning and to keep providing meals that many rely on, while abiding by all health guidelines to slow the spread of coronavirus. Deanna D'Amore, director of the Norwalk Health Department, also declined to provide information about the bus drivers death, citing HIPAA laws. We have been in daily communication with the Norwalk Public Schools. They follow public health guidelines to limit risk and exposure while serving Norwalk students and families during this unprecedented time, she said. We also have a duty as public health professionals to not respond to questions from the media when they ask us about individuals and protected health information. Wilcox-Williams said information about school employees would not be released for privacy reasons. On Monday, however, Chief of School Operations Frank Costanzo said a school employee involved in food distribution tested positive for coronavirus more than a week ago and has not returned to work since the district learned the person was symptomatic. The employee was not directly involved in food preparation, Costanzo said. Costanzo said two other employees were asked to self-quarantine due to potential exposure. Meanwhile, another employee is in self-quarantine after exhibiting symptoms but had not yet been tested. Wilcox-Williams did not say if any employees or families have been contacted due to exposure concerns. Demand for student meals is high, as more and more people are out of work and at home, and at the same time, the health situation keeps evolving, she said. People are understandably worried right now and there are a lot of rumors. While it is important to be cautious and follow all guidance from the city and state, its also important that everyone is careful about the information they share. Misinformation can prevent people from getting the help and services they may need. On Sunday, the school district announced it was immediately stopping the distribution of student meals via school buses. The city began on Monday dispersing the meals at distribution centers instead. School officials, however, have said the change was not related to the food worker testing positive for the coronavirus. I have been in discussions with Dr. Costanzo to make sure the distribution of food is as safe and efficient as possible, Mayor Harry Rilling said. Ultimately, I think this is a better model. It will help with physical distancing that I understand was sometimes a problem at bus stops. Ideally, people will be able to arrive in their vehicle and pick up their meals. I know that might not be as convenient as bus stop deliveries, but I am fully committed to making sure students have the meals they need, whether that means using police officers or volunteers to help deliver meals. Wilcox-Williams said the schools continue to adhere to health and hygiene guidelines and clean and sanitize the kitchen daily. I know rumors and misinformation thrive online, but I echo all reassurances that every single decision has been made with public health as a top priority, Hosten said. New guidelines for meal distribution have been shared, and I urge the public to continue to follow all directives from the city, state, and federal health officials. This is a very serious situation, but I know we can get through it, together. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com Delhi State Cancer Institution has been shut down for a day after a doctor working at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday. "The doctor visited her brother's house recently, who had returned from the United Kingdom a few days back. Hospital has been shut for today and it is being disinfected," Jain told ANI. The state Health Minister added that people who came in the doctor's contact will be isolated. Speaking about the current situation in the capital, Jain said that so far 120 people have tested positive here and most of them are from outside Delhi. "Total 750 people have been admitted to hospitals across Delhi out of which only one patient is on a ventilator and two are on oxygen support. Rest of them are stable," said Jain. "As on today, the Delhi government has 1000 beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients. It has been decided that Lok Nayak Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will now be used for coronavirus patients only with 2000 and 500 beds respectively," he added. The Minister said that 2355 people were taken out from Nizamuddin Markaz among which 450 have been admitted to the hospital and rest were sent to quarantine centres. "24 people out of them have been tested positive for COVID-19 so far," he added. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) RHINO VS. MADMAN FULTON, RAVEN ATTACKS DREAMER, MANIK & SUICIDE TEAM, HERNANDEZ VS. CHASE STEVENS & MORE - TNA: ONE NIGHT ONLY ON AXS TV REPORT TNA WRESTLING RETURNS! The TNA: One Night Only on AXS TV special opened with the old TNA Cross the Line open. The special then featured the old TNA voiceover artist speaking over a really well done video piece about the creation of TNA and how its stars became massive stars. Today, yesterday is honored and embraced. They have come together to live the dream one more time. Lots of footage of talents who are no longer with TNA, such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, etc. They then broadcast the Impact Wrestling opening from the Bischoff/Hogan era. Dave Penzer and Scott D'Amore are the announcers. They joked that if you were waiting for "Mike and Don" you might be disappointed. At least they got in front of that! The TNA title was sitting on the announcing table. Hernandez vs. Chase Stevens A graphic on the screen noted that TNA: There's No Place Like Home has been postponed and to check ImpactWrestling.com's website for more details. That was the show initially slated for this weekend as part of Wrestlecon. They locked up with Stevens going for a series of punches. Hernandez grabbed him and went for the Border Toss but Stevens slipped out and sent him into the corner. Hernandez avoided him and nailed shoulder tackle into the ring. Stevens reversed a whip into the corner and nailed a big clothesline in the corner. Hernandez went to the top but was dropkicked. Stevens nailed a superplex into the ring and covered him for a two count. Hernandez grabbed Stevens and nailed the Border Toss and covered Stevens for the pin. Your winner, Hernandez! A good, short match. All action. The announcers did a hard push for the PPV. The ran graphics noted the postponment every time the TNA PPV was mentioned. They aired a video feature looking at the TNA Knockouts. Backstage, Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Gail Kim. He said in a few days, they would be paying tribute to the Knockouts. Gail said she didn't know who was going to show up for the Knockouts Gauntlet. Seeing how they broke the glass ceiling, she is looking forward to seeing who shows up. They aired a video feature on the Ultimate X match, showing clips of Don Callis revealing the bout and highlights of past matches and competitors. Jimmy Jacobs interviewed X-Division Austin Aries discussing his title defense in the Ultimate X. He's competed in the Ulimate X match before but that was before he became champion and hit his stride. There is no sacrifice he won't make to win. He's not going to allow anyone to stand in his way, not even Willie Mack. He says he knows about nonstop action and that's what the X-Division is all about. Johnny Swinger & David "Kid" Kash vs. Manik & Suicide They noted on commentary Manik and Suicide were each scheduled to be in the X-Division match at the postponed PPV. Dave Penzer noted he was a little confused because Suicide turned into Manik in TNA, which is true. Manik and Suicide worked over Swinger early until Manik was sent into the ropes and Kash kneed him in the back. Kash drilled and slammed Manik for a two count. He nailed a jawbreaker and sent Manik's into Swinger's waiting boots. Kash and Swinger worked over Manik and sent him into the ropes, where Swinger nailed a back elbow and stomped him. Kash and Swinger continued to double team Manik and scored several near falls. Swinger nailed a back suplex for another two count. Manik kept surviving pinfall attempts but was trapped in his opponents' corner. Kash stomped away at him. He finally kicked Kash off and tagged in Suicide. Suicide hit the ring and cleaned house, including an enziguiri on Swinger for a two count. Kash trapped him and that allowed Swinger to stomp away at him. All four battled in the ring, but Suicide and Manik tricked Swinger and Kash into going through the ropes to the floor. They hit stereo dives on them. Manik hit a flying bodypress on Kash. Suicide nailed a big swanton off the top for the pin. Your winners, Suicide and Manik! Solid tag team bout. They plugged Impact+. They did a vignette about the rules of the King of the Mountain match with the running gag that no one knew the rules of the convoluted match. Scott Steiner came to the ring. He's been given an open mic to say whatever he wants. Dave Penzer said this was a bad idea. Scott D'Amore said there were no bad ideas in TNA. Ha! Steiner wanted the music cut. He said that when Impact invited TNA to show up tonight, there was no way he was going to miss the show. He said he's the reason TNA shows up in TNA - t**ts and a**. He said that he might he insulted some snowflakes online but he doesn't care because he's not part of the PC culture and they can take their Facetime and shove it up their a**. Steiner said he and Petey Williams would be teaming at the TNA reunion show and went into the Steiner Math, explaining he has a 144% chance of winning. Joey Ryan of Cancel Culture came out. He said that he knows what TNA stands for, but he refuses to repeat that here. He doesn't know what a Big Poppa Pump or a Big Bad Booty Daddy is, but it's something inappropriate. He said that he wanted Steiner to make a calculated decision. He said Steiner should have been canceled a long time ago, just like TNA was canceled. He is offering Steiner a second chance. He asks Steiner to become Big Proper Pump and offers him a handshake. As you might imagine, that didn't end well for Ryan. He was laid out and Steiner walked out. They aired a video feature on Raven's Clockwork Orange House of Fun match. Madman Fulton vs. Rhino. They noted Rhino won the TNA title won Jeff Jarrett. It was actually the NWA title! I was there. Rhino had control early and clotheslined Fulton over the top to the floor. He worked over Fulton on the floor but was whipped into the ring post. Fulton brought Rhino back into the ring and shoulderblocked him in the corner. Fulton began stomping away on Rhino, then went to the ropes and came off with a leaping stomp. Fulton slapped himself and then drilled Rhino with rights before choking him on the ropes. Rhino fired back with chops but was taken down and locked in a side chinlock. Rhino began to fight his way back but was drilled down to the mat. Fulton went to the top and went for a headbutt but Rhino rolled out of the way. The crowd chanted for Rhino. He psyched himself up and drilled Fulton with a series of rights and elbows. He whipped Fulton into the corner and speared him in the corner. Rhino nailed a big belly to belly suplex and prepared for the Gore but The Crists hit the ring and attacked him. Your winner by DQ, Rhino! Tommy Dreamer ran out for the save and battled with The Crists. The numbers game worked against him and they were being beaten down three to two. The lights went off and it was Raven. He began caning everyone and ran off OVE. The crowd changted for Raven as he stood over Dreamer before offering him a hand up. Dreamer took it and hugged him. Raven then caned Dreamer, because of course he did. Raven then walked out, ignoring Rhino and Dreamer and allowing OVE to continue beating them. Suicide and Manik hit the ring to make the save this time. Kid Kash, Chase Stevens and Johnny Swinger hit the ring and stomped Manik and Suicide. The announcers said it was classic TNA. Hernandez hit the ring and made the save, cleaning house. Everyone battled on the floor. Kash hit a big dive to the floor on everyone. Hernandez then hit Air Mexico over the top on everyone, wiping out the entire crew on the floor as they went off the air. This was a solid hour of TV but it was weird watching for a number of reasons. One, Scott Steiner's medical emergency happened while TNA was filming the show, so his segment was a little eerie to watch. Two, the show this was designed to promote was postponed. Three, it's a little weird to have a TNA broadcast celebrating and showing a lot of people who aren't going to appear, such as AJ Styles, etc. But, the show was solid and Scott D'Amore and Dave Penzer did a good job on announcing. If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! The U.S. Coast Guard will not allow cruise ships to dock and has directed them to treat sick passengers and crew on board during an indefinite sequester due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The new rules apply to ships carrying more than 50 people and require daily updates on ships coronavirus caseload if they are in U.S. waters, the Associated Press reports. Any foreign-flagged vessels that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas are directed to try to medically evacuate very sick passengers to those countries. Many ships that sail out of south Florida are registered in the Bahamas, the report said. The nation of over 700 islands in the Caribbean Sea has limited hospital capacity and is still recovering Hurricane Dorian. Simultaneously, Floridas healthcare system is stretched thin with its current caseload, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. The rules issued in a March 29 safety bulletin by Coast Guard Rear Admiral E.C. Jones has left dozens of ships either lined up at Port of Miami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale or waiting offshore, the report said. While most ships are carrying only crew, Carnival has 6,000 passengers at sea on three ships that was expecting to soon dock in Fort Lauderdale. One of them has a higher than normal number of people with flu-like symptoms. One ship has recorded four deaths, two of which are blamed on coronavirus; nine people have tested positive and another 190 have symptoms. Hundreds of Americans are on the ships. Normally, the Coast Guard would provide medical evacuation when people become too sick for ship medical teams to care for. Under current rules, sick passengers are expected to be sequestered indefinitely on board. The novel coronavirus continues to pummel Michigan. The total number of confirmed cases reached 7,615 on Tuesday, March 31, while deaths rose to 259, according to the states daily update on coronavirus numbers. There have been more than 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and almost than 3,000 deaths in the United States. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. READ MORE: Wednesday, April 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Three weeks into Michigans coronavirus crisis, the numbers are rising exponentially Whitmer says those who dont follow Michigan stay home order are incredibly selfish,' risk coronavirus spread Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discusses states coronavirus response needs with President Trump Global condom shortage expected during coronavirus lockdown Grieving for the 239 Louisiana residents who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. John Bel Edwards Tuesday afternoon continued to urge constituents to honor his stay-at-home order, which is expected to be extended through April later this week. We have a long way to go, he said. This is still going to get worse before it gets better. We dont know how much worse. But we do know we can control it to some degree. We know that the stay-at-home order works. Social distancing works. But these measures only work to the degree that people comply with them. The governor also announced new plans to increase the number of beds at the medical monitoring center his administration is setting up in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans as authorities anticipate hospitals across the state will reach capacity as early as April 7. By Sunday, there will be 1,000 beds in the convention center; an additional 1,000 beds will be available by April 20, he said. The convention center will be specifically equipped and staffed by medical professionals to help COVID-19 patients, and no visitors will be allowed. In New Orleans, a new coronavirus test yields results in four hours A laboratory based at the Tulane Medical Center is conducting tests with rapid results in a partnership with the Tulane University School of Medicine, LSU School of Medicine, LCMC Health and the Switzerland-based manufacturing company, Roche Diagnostics. On a positive note, Edwards said that in the next few weeks, the state will see an increase of about 4,000 health care workers, as students studying medicine, nursing, respiratory therapy and EMT training will graduate soon and enter their designated fields to assist the current under-resourced workforce. Edwards, who spoke with Vice President Mike Pence over the phone earlier in the day, said that 150 ventilators, sourced from the national strategic stockpile, are expected to be delivered to Louisiana later today or tomorrow. He also said he has obtained an additional 292 ventilators from private companies, but warns those are just a small fraction of what is needed. In New Orleans, specifically, he said, We will exceed our capacity with respect to ventilators by April 4. Ideally, the governor wants to obtain 14,000 ventilators but says finding the equipment needed is challenging due to high demand among other states. Complications are popping up all over the country as states compete with one another, he said, calling the procurement effort disjointed. I do want to thank President Trump for giving additional ventilators to the state of Louisiana, he said. We appreciate it. Its not everything we need, but it will help. Despite the challenges that lie ahead in the coming weeks, Edwards said he expects that the stay-at-home ban, which he issued on March 22, should yield results within another week. Part of this can be chalked up to the novel coronavirus lengthy incubation period. I remain fully confident that we will get through this, he said. Its not going to be soon; its not going to be easy, but we are resilient people. Venezuela's Attorney General on Tuesday summoned opposition leader Juan Guaido to testify in an alleged plot against President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido, who has been recognized as interim president of Venezuela by almost 60 countries, was summoned to appear Thursday to respond to the allegations made by retired Major General Cliver Alcala Cordones whom Tarek William Saab, Venezuela's Attorney General named on national television when announcing the summons. Cordones, gave himself up last weekend to agents of The DEA, and transferred him to the United States after being accused, along with Maduro and other collaborators, of turning Venezuela into a criminal emporium at the service of drug traffickers and terrorists. A former military collaborator of the late President Hugo Chavez who distanced himself from the ruling party due to differences with Maduro, Alcala Cordones, admitted that he coordinated the purchase and transfer of a shipment of weapons, which included 26 assault rifles, which was seized last week in the northern Colombia. Guaido's team said he has never met the retired general, who subsequently surrendered to officials and was taken to the U.S. from his home in Colombia where he had lived since 2018 despite having been previously sanctioned by the U.S. for drug smuggling. The Venezuelan authorities declared that the weapons were to be used to attack Maduro and other government figures and generate violent acts. The announcement by the Attorney General in Caracas was made as the Trump administration made a proposal to lift crippling sanctions on Venezuela in support of a new proposal to form a transitional government requiring both Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido to step aside in favor of a five-person governing council, U.S. officials said. The one-page "Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela" was presented Tuesday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. It echoes a proposal made over the weekend by Guaido that shows how growing concerns about the coronavirus, which threatens to overwhelm the South American country's already collapsed health system and economy, are reviving U.S. attempts to pull the military apart from Maduro. [April 01, 2020] Shopify Provides Business Update Relating to COVID-19 Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)(TSX:SHOP), a leading global commerce company, today provided a business update relating to the impact of COVID-19. Shopify has been closely monitoring and assessing the impact of COVID-19, prioritizing the health of our employees, our merchants and their customers, our partners, and our communities. In response, we have taken a number of actions to support our merchants and protect our stakeholders during this time, including initiatives focused on helping merchants transition to emerging social distancing norms. These include: Extended 90-day free trial to all new standard plan signups Gift cards available on all plans and for all merchants Local in-store/curbside pickup and delivery for POS merchants A $200 million commitment for Shopify Capital while fast-tracking expansion to core geographies working with partners and governments, including in the United Kingdom where Shopify Capital launched on March 30, 2020 Multiple online resources to support merchants, including resources on where to secure government funding and where to find community forums, live webinars, online meetups, and tutorials to help all merchants have an online presence Shopify continues to develop additional solutions to support our merchants and communities. More details can be found at www.shopify.com/covid19. Data Insights Shopify is analyzing the data across its platform for insights into how COVID-19 is affecting merchants' operations in order to provide the most effective support, as well as to inform our own planning and decision-making during this period. Some of the changes relative to patterns prior to March 8, 2020 include the following: Early signs indicate brick-and-mortar businesses, impacted by the dropoff of foot traffic resulting from stay-at-home policies, are pivoting to online as consumer demand shifts. Merchants are heavily leveraging discounts to boost sales. Sales trends are aligning to specific industries based on the evolving environment, consumer concerns and needs. In March, we terminated thousands of merchants charging unfair prices or making false claims about COVID-19-related items such as face masks or hand sanitizers. Financial Outlook Shopify ended 2019 with momentum that continued into January and February of 2020. This will enable us to report revenue and adjusted operating income for the first quarter within or ahead of the range of expectations provided on February 12, 2020, despite the global economic disruption that emerged in March triggered by COVID-19. Given the uncertainty surrounding the duration and magnitude of COVID-19, Shopify is suspending the financial expectations provided fo full year 2020. Shopify plans to announce financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020 before markets open on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Shopify's management team will host a conference call to discuss first-quarter results and to provide further updates on the COVID-19 impact on its first-quarter earnings call at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. The conference will be available via webcast on the investor relations section of Shopify's website at https://investors.shopify.com/news-and-events/default.aspx#upcoming-events. An archived replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the call. About Shopify Shopify is a leading global commerce company, providing trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify powers over one million businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Allbirds, Gymshark, PepsiCo, Staples (News - Alert) and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding Shopify's planned business initiatives, financial performance, financial outlook and future financial performance. Words such as "continue", "will", "enable", and "plans" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Shopify's current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends that management believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by Shopify in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate. These projections, expectations, assumptions and analyses are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, events and achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Although Shopify believes that the assumptions underlying these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, including certain risk factors, many of which are beyond Shopify's control, including but not limited to: (i) uncertainty around the duration and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic and actions taken in response on global and regional economies and economic activity; (ii) merchant acquisition and retention; (iii) managing our growth; (iv) our history of losses; (v) our limited operating history; (vi) our ability to innovate; (vii) the security of personal information we store relating to merchants and their customers and consumers with whom we have a direct relationship; (viii) a disruption of service or security breach; (ix) our potential inability to compete successfully against current and future competitors; (x) international sales and the use of our platform in various countries; (xi) the reliance of our growth in part on the success of our strategic relationships with third parties; (xii) our potential failure to effectively maintain, promote and enhance our brand; (xiii) our use of a single cloud-based platform to deliver our services; (xiv) our potential inability to achieve or maintain data transmission capacity; (xv) our reliance on a single supplier to provide the technology we offer through Shopify Payments; (xvi) payments processed through Shopify Payments; (xvii) our potential inability to hire, retain and motivate qualified personnel; (xviii) serious errors or defects in our software or hardware or issues with our hardware supply chain; (xix) evolving privacy laws and regulations, cross-border data transfer restrictions, data localization requirements and other domestic or foreign regulations may limit the use and adoption of our services; and (xx) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in Shopify's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces or territories of Canada. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Shopify's expectations as of the date of this news release, or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made, and subsequent events may cause these expectations to change. Shopify undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005765/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An influx of coronavirus patients has overwhelmed the American health care infrastructure, leaving front-line medical providers to improvise creative solutions to the day-to-day pitfalls of treating those afflicted with the highly contagious disease. The latest innovative solution found in hard-hit hospitals? Baby monitors. MORE: Medical providers, fearing equipment shortages, tap into secret national supply network "Its a great example of nursing innovation with our front-line staff," Stacy Alves, a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, where workers have started using baby monitors to check in with patients, said. "Some of the biggest problems can have simple solutions." From coast to coast, nurses have begun using two-way baby monitors to interact with isolated patients showing symptoms associated with COVID-19. Those who have used the baby monitors say its a practical solution for staying connected to patients -- a novel way to fight the novel virus. PHOTO: Stacy Alves, a nurse at the South Sacramento Medical Center, said baby monitors are 'a great example of nursing innovation with our front-line staff.' (Kaiser Permanente) "Clinicians have always been taught to examine the patient and to try to be as personal as possible," said Dr. Ben Scott, the vice chair of the Society for Critical Care Medicines (SCCM) committee on telemedicine. "But in the current situation it has become clear that one of the things we may need to do is actually limit our contact with patients in a way that can be uncomfortable for care providers." The problem is simple and widespread. Front-line health workers want to limit risky interactions and preserve equipment already in short supply. But how can they do that without losing a personal connection with their patient? How do you have a bedside manner without actually being at the bedside? "We started brainstorming: whats the best way to get something to scale thats easy to use and wont require a whole lot of training?" Dr. Stephen Parodi, an executive vice president at Kaiser Permanente, said. "So when one of our team members suggested baby monitors -- shes a mom herself -- we said, Wow, thats not a bad idea." Story continues MORE: Nurse 'terrified' to return to work in ICU after aunt's COVID-19 death Kaiser Permanente began introducing the idea at its facilities in Californias Santa Clara County, where the hospital beds were already filling up with possible COVID-19 patients. "In terms of our nursing staff, it gives us peace of mind because we can directly observe our patients at all times and as nurses we like constantly assessing," Alves said. PHOTO: An undated stock photo show a person holding a baby monitor. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) On the other side of the country, a nursing team in New Jersey, where the count of positive cases in the state approached 20,000 on Tuesday, struck up the same idea. Inundated with patients, and already facing a limited supply of personal protective equipment, nurses began "thinking outside the box," said Philip Johnson, the nursing director at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden. "The staff immediately were uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to communicate at will with their patients," said Johnson. "We talked about pulling in a contractor to install permanent video cameras, but even that doesnt allow the two-way communication." MORE: Head of largest nurses union in US says they 'don't have protections they need' from coronavirus Then, again, a brainstorming session provided the answer. Nurses and other frontline workers at the hospital began asking friends and family to donate their baby monitors. Within days, the system was up and running. "We were able to implement the monitors and immediately establish a line of sight with our patients, as well as two-way communications so they could easily, say, ask for a blanket without having to open the door every time," Johnson said. The emerging use of baby monitors can be useful in addressing two major concerns confronting health care workers, experts said. First, by limiting the number of times a nurse has to enter an isolation room, the obvious benefit is fewer high-risk interactions with the patient. PHOTO: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) wearing protective gears wheel a sick patient to a waiting ambulance during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in, New York, March 28, 2020. (Stefan Jeremiah/Reuters, FILE) "Because youre minimizing the in-and-out to the room, youre reducing the amount of exposure to the health care workforce," Parodi said. But as health care facilities face a dearth of personal protective equipment, or PPE -- masks, gowns and gloves -- communicating via baby monitors also offers a way to preserve those limited resources. "If you had to open the door every single time a patient asked for something, youd have to don [protective equipment], go in there, see what they wanted, come back out, go get what they wanted, then redo that process again," Johnson said. "So every single time youd have to use a whole set of PPE." The benefits are clear, and nurses using the baby monitors say patients like the system, too. Alves said, "It gives patients a sense of comfort." But experts characterize the monitors as a Band-Aid -- not a solution. From concerns about network security to limitations in the technology, health care professionals recognize the drawbacks. Even so, health care providers say those drawbacks are worth it, at least in the near term, to combat an unprecedented demand on front-line workers. "This is one of those extraordinary times when you cant let the ideal be the enemy of what you need to do in real-time," Parodi said. "But weve made the judgment that because of the size and scale of this pandemic this is the right thing to do right now and the benefit really outweighs the potential risk." Baby monitors in the ICU: Nurses get creative to save lives, critical equipment originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Sweden has largely remained open for business during the coronavirus outbreak, with many bars, shops and restaurants welcoming customers. Few mandatory restrictions have been brought in to help fight COVID-19, in contrast to most other European countries which have taken a tougher approach, including lockdowns. Sky News reports in its article Coronavirus: Why hasn't Sweden gone into lockdown over COVID-19 pandemic? that despite the seemingly relaxed approach to dealing with the virus, cases in Sweden have surpassed 4,000, with 146 people dying after contracting the respiratory illness. There are 39.6 reported cases per 100,000 of the Swedish population - which is similar to the UK's case rate of 33.8 per 100,000 people. But the nation does have a much lower reported case rate than the worst hit countries on the continent, including Italy and Spain. Notably, Sweden is one of the biggest spenders in Europe on its public healthcare system, spending more per capita than the UK, Spain and Italy. But despite having a higher reported case rate than the UK, which has a partial lockdown, Swedish workers and organisations are still operating largely business as usual, with the government taking a "wait and see" approach to the outbreak. There are some restrictions in place such as limiting gatherings to 50 people instead of 500 and where possible, Swedes should work and study from home. The public are also being advised to practise social distancing - but the measures are not nearly as strict as much of the rest of the continent. For now, the government maintains its citizens can act responsibly and will stay at home if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms. On Friday, prime minister Stefan Lofven warned of "many tough weeks and months ahead", where he outlined the measures. His speech was largely approved of, according to polling company Novus, suggesting many people will abide by the voluntary restrictions, reducing the need for a national lockdown. Scientifically, Paul Franks and Peter Nilsson, professors of epidemiology for Sweden's Lund University, suggest the lack of action could be that Swedish modelling shows the country expects the rate of hospitalisation to be much lower than in other European countries. This could be down to the understanding that many people will become infected but suffer no symptoms - keeping them away from the healthcare system. Until now, there has been no widespread screening programme or extensive antibody testing - so there is no true, accurate picture as to who does and does not have COVID-19 in Sweden. But the government said on Tuesday it will launch a national testing regime, with the focus initially on health workers and others in key jobs. Sweden has tested around 36,000 individuals and mostly people in need of hospital care. Germany has been testing around 500,000 people a week. Writing an essay in The Conversation, Professors Franks and Nilsson added that the virus will have an uneven spread in the country, due its lack of built-up metropolitan areas, suggesting, at least for now, some areas could be spared a major outbreak, lessening the need for a total shutdown. They also suggest that the country could be aiming for a herd immunity tactic. It would mean around 60% of the population would need to catch, then recover from COVID-19, to dramatically slow the spread of the disease. Global health officials have said that once people have recovered from coronavirus, they have a certain level of immunity, due to the build-up of antibodies. There is also a practical argument in Sweden as to why there is no widespread lockdown, in that schools can remain open to allow parents to continue working. Professors Franks and Nilsson also said that a lockdown would severely harm the economy, making it likely that funding for a health service would be reduced, putting more lives at risk in the future. However, there is scepticism around the Swedish approach to the outbreak, and some experts do admit that the pandemic in the country is likely to get a lot worse and trigger a lockdown in the near future. Sweden is making preparations for a high level of cases, building a makeshift field hospital at the Stockholm International Fairs facility with thousands of bed - suggesting a change in policy is not far away. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that IIBR has made progress in designing the vaccine and will be starting animal trials. Israel has begun testing a COVID-19 vaccine prototype on rodents at its bio-chemical defence laboratory, a source said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), in rural Ness Ziona, to join the fight against the coronavirus pandemic on 1 February, prompting an easing of its secrecy as it cooperates with civilian scientists and private firms. In a statement, Netanyahus office said IIBR director Shmuel Shapira had informed him of significant progress in designing a vaccine prototype and that the institute is now preparing a model for commencing an animal trial. A source familiar with IIBR activities told Reuters that trials were already underway on rodents. The source declined to identify the kind of rodent. The IIBR is widely assumed to have worked on biological and chemical arms projects. Israel neither confirms nor denies this. In rare public comments, IIBR chief innovation officer Eran Zahavy said last week that the institute had shifted its entire focus to the new coronavirus, with three groups trying to develop a vaccine against the COVID-19 disease it causes, and others researching potential treatments. We are trying as much as we can to collaborate and have other ideas of other people, he said at last weeks English-language online conference hosted by Jerusalem Venture Partners. But the facility of the lab is very crowded and very busy and very dangerous so it has to be very slow and very cautious. Israel has reported 4,473 cases of COVID-19 and 17 fatalities. Having tightened restrictions on public movement, Netanyahu is weighing a lockdown of parts of the country. Both Netanyahu and the chief of Israels military, Lieutenant-General Aviv Kohavi, went into self-isolation this week after being exposed to coronavirus carriers. Netanyahu tested negative for the virus on Monday. Test results for Kohavi are pending, the military said. Zahavy described arranging an animal test-subject as a very big challenge because this disease is not affecting animals. Its not enough only to detect neutralizing antibodies in the animal. You really want to see them getting sick and getting better by this vaccine, he said. The IIBR has a unique animal for such tests, he said, as well as a very unique technology to detect animals - even if they are not really sick - to follow them and see their interaction with the disease. He did not elaborate. The IIBR is also involved in plasma collection from people who have recovered from infection with the new coronavirus, in the hope that this might help research. Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said the IIBR was sampling several COVID-19 testing kits on offer before the country orders them en masse. Advertisement Volunteers working at the NHS Nightingale coronavirus hospital have been told to prepare for the fact that up to 80 per cent of patients who are on ventilators will die, MailOnline can reveal. Selfless heroes flocking to staff the emergency 4,000-bed unit in east London have been told to 'be prepared to see death', with a mortality rate of 50 to 80 per cent among those on ventilators. There also appears to be a shortage of doctors already before it opens today, because of a lack of testing for medics, leaving senior nurse practitioners in charge on some wards. Soldiers have played a key role in getting the unit open for business in just a week, with some comparing it to the First World War Battle of the Somme in being the biggest test of their careers. Number 10 defended its testing regime for NHS staff today, with the Prime minister's official spokesman saying that more than 2,000 front-line medics in England had been assessed. 'We are very clear that we want more testing to be carried out,' he added, saying that the Government has handed out Government has supplied 390 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in last two weeks. It came as: Ministers were accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the UK's coronavirus testing shambles. Nearly a fifth of small British businesses could be forced to close in the next four weeks after running out of cash amid complaints banks are refusing to give them government-backed coronavirus loans. It was revealed the virus was deemed only a 'moderate risk' to Britain by top scientists five weeks ago. A British firm producing millions of pounds worth of coronavirus tests is selling most of them abroad because the UK doesn't have enough laboratories to use them. A Wuhan doctor who was among the first to alert other medics to the spread of coronavirus has reportedly disappeared sparking concerns that she has been detained by the hardline Communist regime in China. Volunteers working at the NHS Nightingale coronavirus hospital have been told to prepare for the fact that up to 80 per cent of patients who are on ventilators will die, MailOnline can reveal New staff queue to be allowed into the new Nightingale Hospital in the Excel Centre this morning ahead of its opening Soldiers have played a key role in getting the unit open for business in just a week, with some comparing it to the First World War Battle of the Somme in being the biggest test of their careers Selfless heroes flocking to staff the emergency 4,000-bed unit in east London have been told to 'be prepared to see death', with a mortality rate of 50 to 80 per cent among those on ventilators There also appears to be a shortage of doctors already before it opens today, because of a lack of testing for medics, leaving senior nurse practitioners in charge on some wards It came as ministers were accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs today as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the UK's coronavirus testing shambles One volunteer told the MailOnline they had been told to 'be prepared to see death', with a mortality rate of 50 to 80 per cent among those on ventilators Government is accused of complacency and control-freakery as coronavirus testing shambles spirals Ministers were accused of 'complacency' and snubbing offers of help from labs today as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the UK's coronavirus testing shambles. The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of checks carried out, with experts warning that is the only way to end the lockdown threatening to dismantle the economy. But the PM faces mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany - which is carrying out more than 70,000 a day, while the UK is still well below 10,000. Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a global shortage of chemicals at a press conference last night, saying Mr Johnson was taking personal control of trying to source the material. But within hours he was extraordinarily contradicted by firms, with a statement from the Chemical Industry Association saying despite an 'escalating demand' the 'reagents' for tests 'are being manufactured and delivered to the NHS'. Meanwhile, there are complaints that logistical blunders are hampering efforts to increase capacity. The 'centralised' approach by Public Health England (PHE) meant that labs have been left 'sitting on their hands', according to experts. In contrast, Germany has authorised any institution with the right capability to get on with checks. The consequences of the lack of testing for current infections was laid bare last night when it emerged that in initial trials 85 per cent of NHS staff who were isolating did not in fact have the virus - meaning they could have been working. Advertisement The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of tests carried out, with experts warning that is the only way to end the lockdown threatening to dismantle the economy. But the PM faces mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany - which is carrying out more than 70,000 a day, while the UK is still well below 10,000. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said 900 NHS staff were tested over the weekend, adding: 'Clearly that's a low number but one we want to build on significantly.' He told BBC radio 4's Today: 'We now have capacity today to be testing 12,750 people and we expect that within a couple of days to be 15,000. So we should now have the growing capacity to test NHS staff in addition to the patients in critical care. 'We have asked the NHS, Professor Stephen Powis has written to all NHS trusts asking them to think about how they would prioritise staff as to where there are particular shortages or where staff are in the most vulnerable positions.' Mr Jenrick said he expects 25,000 tests a day by the 'middle of April'. Asked when the national coronavirus testing centre would be fully operational, Mr Jenrick replied: 'I don't know precisely when that's going to be coming on board.' He said everything is being brought forward as quickly as possible. NHS Nightingale, which is in the Excel conference centre in London's Docklands, is due to open today despite building work only starting last Wednesday. More than 16,000 members of staff could be needed to run it, should it reach full capacity. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the Nightingale will become one of the biggest hospitals in the world, according to its chief operating officer Natalie Forrest. The facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units (ICU) across London. Nearly a FIFTH of UK firms could shut within four weeks Nearly a fifth of small British businesses could be forced to close in the next four weeks after running out of cash amid complaints banks are refusing to give them government-backed coronavirus loans. Many bosses said banks had declined them emergency payments over claims they had not met the required criteria while others could not get through on the phone or were told the money would take weeks to arrive. Mark Fuller, who owns popular celebrity haunt Karma Sanctum in Soho, said he was unable to apply for funds because he could not guarantee his businesses would be able to start paying it back after six months in the event of a lengthy shutdown. 'The loan is under normal business conditions, which is fine but then don't suggest otherwise,' he told MailOnline. 'I have already been told by the government and Barclays that the only way to receive a loan is by cutting my staff.' Other bosses were declined payments for having significant cash reserves, despite fears these would not be enough to last out a lengthy lockdown, or because they owned properties that could be used as collateral for a regular commercial loan. Advertisement Speaking to visiting reporters, Ms Forrest said a 'scary' number of staff would be needed to run the facility at full capacity and appealed for volunteers to come forward. 'If we have to use this facility, which I really hope we don't because everyone is staying home and washing their hands and social distancing, we will need thousands of doctors and nurses and volunteers to run this facility,' she said. Asked to clarify how many are required, Ms Forrest said: 'The numbers are scary, but if I tell you that to run one ward, including all of our ancillary staff, we need 200 members of staff.' The hospital will initially aim to care for 42 patients, before its expansion is 'ramped up' to ensure it can meet its full 4,000-bed capacity in two weeks' time if needed, the Nightingale's chief medical director Alan McGlennan said. He said coronavirus patients who are transferred to the hospital will already be on a ventilator and will remain at the Nightingale until their course of ventilation is finished. Coronavirus patients suffering from other serious conditions - such as cardiac issues - will be better cared for at other specialist centres, Mr McGlennan said. While the Nightingale will be able to provide up to 4,000 ventilator beds if they are needed, NHS London will still have control over the 'most precious resources', he added. NHS Nightingale, which is in the Excel conference centre in London's Docklands, is due to open today despite building work only starting last Wednesday Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the Nightingale will become one of the biggest hospitals in the world, according to its chief operating officer Natalie Forrest. Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital (pictured on Tuesday) Up to 200 soldiers a day have been helping in the construction of the Docklands hospital. They are carrying out medical planning, logistics, engineering and tasks such as building beds, laying floors, and carrying out electrics and plumbing (pictured on Tuesday) Eamonn Sullivan, the hospital's director of nursing, said the facility will be able to operate as a large intensive care unit or a normal ward, depending on demand. The Nightingale will also include support services found in other NHS hospitals, such as pharmacies and therapy treatment, Mr Sullivan said. Meanwhile, staff working at the Nightingale will be able to sleep at nearby hotels once they finish their shift, Mr Sullivan said. 'We have got the facility here at ExCel and there is many, many thousands of hotel rooms. It is a perfect location,' he said. 'If staff wanted to stay, they could stay, so it is optional. But if they want to go home, then they can.' An NHS England spokesman said the equipment being used at the Nightingale was all 'new kit' and had not been borrowed from other hospitals. Revealed: UK firm is selling coronavirus testing kits to EIGHTY countries because labs here 'can't cope' - while NHS swabbing stations stand deserted in Britain A British firm producing millions of pounds worth of coronavirus tests is selling most of them abroad because the UK doesnt have enough laboratories to use them - as ministers were today accused of losing their grip on the crisis. Novacyt has made 17.8million selling its testing equipment to more than 80 countries via its Southampton-based subsidiary Primerdesign. But only 1million worth has been sold to the UK, raising questions about why Britain is not buying more at a time when there are global shortages of tests. It came as a huge NHS coronavirus swabbing site stood deserted yesterday despite the urgent need for more patients and medics to be examined. Pictures surfaced showing a testing site for NHS staff in Chessington, south-west London, as the UK's coronavirus death rate doubled - while one at Ikea in Wembley was also quiet. Hospitals have today been ordered to use any spare lab space to test self-isolating NHS staff for coronavirus as a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths were announced in the UK, taking the total to 1,789 fatalities. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has intervened to end the embarrassing situation where thousands of tests have been unused and a vast NHS swabbing station also stood deserted yesterday. Huge numbers of doctors, nurses and other crucial NHS staff are at home self-isolating but most have not been tested for coronavirus. The failure is causing growing anger because many could return to work if cleared of having the virus. A source said the Mr Hancock had now scrapped a rule that 85 per cent of tests were reserved for patients, regardless of how many needed testing. Advertisement 'This is our Battle of the Somme': Army joins frontline war on coronavirus as soldiers finish building 4,000-bed emergency Nightingale Hospital in London - before the first patients arrive TODAY Soldiers helping to build the Nightingale hospital in London have compared the coronavirus crisis to the Battle of the Somme as the 4,000-bed NHS unit at the ExCeL centre is set to accept its first patients today. Colonel Ashleigh Boreham, who has carried out two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan, said it was the biggest mission of his career. As commanding officer of 256 City of London Field Hospital, he is in charge of military personnel working on the NHS facility. Built in around ten days, it will have 500 beds for coronavirus patients when it opens this week. The number of beds will eventually increase to 4,000. Similar hospitals are being installed in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to ease pressure on existing sites. Colonel Boreham, who has helped create field hospitals around the world, said: 'We are building a hospital for people in our nation. You are saving people's lives and they could be the lives of your families. It's the biggest job I've ever done. 'My grandfather was at the Somme, this is no different. I'm just at a different battle. I'm from London, I have friends and family in London. Many of the people working here, many of the soldiers working here, are from London. 'We are doing this to save the lives of Londoners. These are our comrades, there's no difference. It doesn't matter if they are civilian or military.' Members of the Queen's Gurkha Engineer Regiment, 36 Engineer Regiment as they help build Nightingale Hospital Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital (pictured on Tuesday) Colonel Ashleigh Boreham (left), who has carried out two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan, said transforming the conference centre into a hospital was the biggest mission of his career (right, medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital) Work continues at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital (pictured on Tuesday). The NHS Nightingale hospital, comprising of two wards, each of 2,000 people, has been created to help tackle coronavirus The news comes as a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases were declared in the UK yesterday, on what was Britain's darkest day so far in the ever-worsening crisis He said the NHS, which is leading the project, and the military had 'one single purpose, one single aim to save lives'. Colonel Boreham, who joined the Army in 1992, is due to retire in a few weeks and take up a job at an NHS clinical commissioning group. The 54-year-old father of two said his wife was a front-line NHS worker and his daughter was volunteering to distribute food during the crisis. His mother, 88, is in 'lockdown' at home in London, as is his son, he said. Speaking about his mother, he said: 'She has been proud of me since the moment I joined the army.' He said having family close by meant that the mission against the virus was 'very personal'. He said: 'It is very personal, it cannot be anything else. It focuses the mind, and that is why you have everyone pulling together.' During a tour in Afghanistan in 2013-14, he was commander med which meant he was responsible for all the military medical services in the war-zone. Helping to oversee the building of NHS Nightingale is his last job before he retires. 'At every stage the NHS are leading this, we are literally just doing that little bit of assisting and planning. They are amazing', he said. The ExCeL London Centre is being refitted to create thousands of new beds for COVID-19 sufferers, complete with oxygen, ventilators and other key equipment in the battle against the deadly virus (pictured on Tuesday) Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer of the Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital - the NHS Nightingale hospital, comprising of two wards, each of 2,000 people, to help tackle coronavirus Before the scale of the crisis became clear, the UK was believed to have had one of the lowest proportions of intensive care units in Europe, but NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens says 33,000 beds are now available for COVID-19 patients (pictured, the temporary hospital in east London on Tuesday) Ventilators are stored and ready to be used by Coronavirus patients at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital Comparing the mission to his time in Afghanistan and Iraq, Col Boreham said: 'The difference here is that it is at scale.' He went on: 'The challenges are the same, the threats are in a different way. It is more the threat is one we can't see.' He said two weeks ago he had no idea he was facing such a task but was called in and sat around a table with the NHS, 'over a brew' and mapped out the plan. Up to 200 soldiers a day have been helping in the construction of the Docklands hospital. They are carrying out medical planning, logistics, engineering and tasks such as building beds, laying floors, and carrying out electrics and plumbing. Sergeant Mark Anderson, 32, 1st Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment, is also on the project. He has served for 15 years, carrying out tours of Iraq, four tours of Afghanistan and was part of a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. He said: 'It's a new experience. It is an invisible enemy and we all need to work together to combat the outbreak. Everyone has been working flat out to the best of their ability to get this place up and running in the quickest possible time.' He added: 'The only way we are going to do it is everyone coming together which we have done at NHS Nightingale.' He said arriving at the ExCel centre had 'hit home' what the UK is facing and the 'reality of the scale of the outbreak'. 'I didn't join the army expecting something like this to happen. It's not to say we are not ready and not prepared', he said. 'Everyone has been working flat out to the best of their ability to get this place up and running in the quickest possible time.' Lt Michael Andrews, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, said he had been pulled off a training mission in Sierra Leone to fly back to Britain and help with Covid-19. The 24-year-old, who is part of the effort to help construction workers with general tasks, said: 'We are enormously proud to be part of such a momentous task. 'It has been quite incredible to see the team effort, people from the NHS, civil services and military coming together in what is such an important time in this nation's history.' More than 16,000 members of staff could be needed to run the temporary hospital if it reaches its near 4,000-bed capacity. It will be split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each. The facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients transferred from intensive care units across London. Chief operating officer Natalie Forrest said last night: 'If we have to use this facility, which I really hope we don't because everyone is staying home and washing their hands and social distancing, we will need thousands of doctors and nurses and volunteers. To run one ward we need 200 members of staff.' The hospital will initially care for 42 patients as a trial run. Medical staff in protective gear in the new Nightingale Hospital in the Excel Centre, Canning Town Ventilators are stored and ready to be used by Coronavirus patients at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital (left and right). The NHS Nightingale hospital, comprising of two wards, each of 2,000 people, has been set up to help tackle coronavirus Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the Nightingale will become one of the biggest hospitals in the world, according to Ms Forrest. The facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units (ICU) across London. Speaking to visiting reporters, Ms Forrest said a 'scary' number of staff would be needed to run the facility at full capacity and appealed for volunteers to come forward. 'If we have to use this facility, which I really hope we don't because everyone is staying home and washing their hands and social distancing, we will need thousands of doctors and nurses and volunteers to run this facility,' she said. Asked to clarify how many are required, Ms Forrest said: 'The numbers are scary, but if I tell you that to run one ward, including all of our ancillary staff, we need 200 members of staff.' The hospital will initially aim to care for 42 patients, before its expansion is 'ramped up' to ensure it can meet its full 4,000-bed capacity in two weeks' time if needed, the Nightingale's chief medical director Alan McGlennan said. He said coronavirus patients who are transferred to the hospital will already be on a ventilator and will remain at the Nightingale until their course of ventilation is finished. Coronavirus patients suffering from other serious conditions - such as cardiac issues - will be better cared for at other specialist centres, Mr McGlennan said. While the Nightingale will be able to provide up to 4,000 ventilator beds if they are needed, NHS London will still have control over the 'most precious resources', he added. Eamonn Sullivan, the hospital's director of nursing, said the facility will be able to operate as a large intensive care unit or a normal ward, depending on demand. The Nightingale will also include support services found in other NHS hospitals, such as pharmacies and therapy treatment, Mr Sullivan said. The exhibition centre, in East London, will become the NHS Nightingale Hospital , creating an impressive 4,000 beds. Before the scale of the crisis became clear, the UK was believed to have had one of the lowest proportions of intensive care units in Europe, but NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens says 33,000 beds are now available for COVID-19 patients More than 16,000 members of staff could be needed to run London's new NHS Nightingale Hospital to treat coronavirus patients should it reach full capacity Images from inside the new hospital showed military personnel help workers in erecting cubicles and carrying equipment into the transformed centre- which is set to hold up to 4,000 COVID-19 patients and will initially have 500 beds The new 4,000-bed temporary facility at the ExCel convention centre in east London is due to open this week despite building work only starting last Wednesday Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the Nightingale will become one of the biggest hospitals in the world, according to its chief operating officer Natalie Forrest Meanwhile, staff working at the Nightingale will be able to sleep at nearby hotels once they finish their shift, Mr Sullivan said. 'We have got the facility here at ExCel and there is many, many thousands of hotel rooms. It is a perfect location,' he said. 'If staff wanted to stay, they could stay, so it is optional. But if they want to go home, then they can.' An NHS England spokesman said the equipment being used at the Nightingale was all 'new kit' and had not been borrowed from other hospitals. The Guardian reported earlier this week that the temporary London hospital has been built to treat people who are at a lower risk of dying from the disease, so it will mostly treat the Capital's younger patients who were healthy before the outbreak. Older patients or those who are at a higher risk of death will be treated at NHS hospitals around London. A senior doctor with knowledge of the government's planned response told the paper: 'There is a two-tier system but it's a medically appropriate two-tier system,. 'The sick will go to the ExCel and the very sick will stay in hospital, because that's an appropriate use of NHS resources. 'Anyone who goes to either place will be critically ill, be suffering lung failure and be on life support through a ventilator. But those at the ExCel will be those needing less life support as they will be the ones with nothing else wrong with them,' the doctor added. A retired nurse from Northern Ireland will go back to work on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic to head the new mega hospital. Deirdre Barr, 62, will come out of retirement to work as director of operations at the new Nightingale Hospital in East London, which is preparing to house thousands of COVID-19 patients. Barr, from Bogside, has served the NHS for 40 years, after joining as a St John Ambulance cadet. She will now leave her home in Kent to work at the new hospital amid the global pandemic. The facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units (ICU) across London Soldiers arrive at the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCeL centre in Newham, East London, today as the hospital gears up to receive its first patients next week Pictured: A firefighter stands outside the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at ExCeL London, as the country tries to cope with the number of coronavirus patients The new hospital in London will comprise of two wards which will each be able to house 2,000 sick patients Her sister Dolores, 74, said that although the family were concerned for Barr, they were extremely proud of her decision. 'This is a massive job, and we're scared for Deirdre, but we are so very proud that she has taken it on. If anyone can do this, Deirdre can. She's always been the one person her whole family turns to in times of trouble and sickness. 'Now the whole of the UK will be turning to her. She'll handle it well. She has broad shoulders and never shirks from responsibility. 'This job is going to ask an awful lot of her but we know she'll face it head on. The pictures we are seeing of the Nightingale Hospital are terrifying but our Deirdre will take it all in her stride,' she told the Daily Mirror. It comes as NHS nurses from all over the UK are sent to London as the capital is set to be struck by a 'tsunami' of cases in the coming weeks. Air cabin crew will join doctors and nurses in staffing the new Nightingale hospitals built to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the NHS has said. Staff at Virgin Atlantic and EasyJet have been invited to volunteer at the new 4,000-bed clinic being built at the Excel centre in east London, and those planned in Birmingham and Manchester. Their salaries will continue to be paid by the airlines as an astonishing 750,000 other Britons joined the NHS volunteer army in just five days. Many first-aid trained cabin crew across the world have been grounded as countries have closed borders and cancelled flights amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Statistics released this morning revealed basic details about the first 108 people in Britain to have COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate. Elderly people and men were the worst affected, the data showed By March 20, the coronavirus had become a contributing factor or direct cause in one in every 100 deaths in the UK, according to the latest date from the Office for National Statistics The number of Brits who have been admitted to hospital with coronavirus has now almost reached 10,000, since the outbreak began to take hold in early March Charts from Public Health England show how the UK's outbreak compares to other countries battling similar situations. Despite being published yesterday in the Downing Street press conference, it does not include the most up-to-date figures London has recorded the most coronavirus-related deaths so far, followed by the South East and West Midlands, according to official statistics Deirdre Barr, 62, (pictured) will come out of retirement to work as director of operations at the new Nightingale Hospital in East London WHERE ARE THE UK CORONAVIRUS HOTSPOTS? By cases per 100,000 people London: 64 confirmed cases per 100,000 people Sheffield: 59 cases per 100,000 Birmingham: 50 Slough: 49 Derby: 46 Newcastle: 40 Liverpool: 36 Milton Keynes: 35 Barnsley: 32 Sunderland: 31 By total cases Birmingham: 578 total cases Hampshire: 498 cases Sheffield: 428 Southwark (London): 368 Lambeth (London): 366 Brent (London): 359 Surrey: 358 Cumbria: 340 Hertfordshire: 339 Wandsworth (London): 314 Advertisement EasyJet has already written to its 9,000 UK-based staff including 4,000 cabin crew trained in CPR to invite them to give their time to the NHS. Virgin Atlantic will begin writing to 4,000 of its employees on Monday and will prioritise getting in touch with those who already have the required skills. Those who join up will be given expert training and will then perform support roles such as changing beds under the guidance of trained nurses. St John's Ambulance have already said that hundreds of people will give their time at the first Nightingale hospital in London. Corneel Koster, chief customer officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: 'We are grateful to the NHS for everything they are doing in extremely challenging circumstances and we're committed to doing all we can to support the national effort against the rapid acceleration of Covid-19.' EasyJet has said it is 'proud' its staff can support medics at this 'crucial time'. Tina Milton, director of cabin services, added: 'The NHS is at the forefront of dealing with this health emergency but the training and skills our cabin crew have, working closely with the medical professionals, could help make a real difference.' Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said the NHS needs 'all the support we can get'. She added: 'Thousands of nurses, medics and other expert staff are returning to work alongside us, but we need everyone to do their bit whether that is working in one of our current health or social care services, working in the Nightingale Hospital, volunteering to help the NHS or following government advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.' Earlier this week grim photos revealed the refrigerated morgue inside the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre. Pictures showed huge refrigerator units and rows of beds for the bodies of those killed by Covid-19 during the pandemic. Soldiers roll out mats and assist in the final preparations for the new field hospital in London as the country continues to control the coronavirus outbreak A planning meeting is underway as staff from the Royal Anglian Regiment and the Queen's Gurkha Engineer Regiment arrive to the centre to help Soldiers help transform the exhibition centre into the new Nightingale Hospital as the nation tries to cope with the rising number of Covid-19 patients Soldiers help lay the flooring down as the new NHS Nightingale Hospital prepares for its first patients next week Soldiers help put up cubicles inside the new field hospital as the exhibition centre prepares for its first patients on April 4 Pictured: The units being used to cool the morgue at the Nightingale hospital which has been founded to cope with the coronavirus pandemic Pictured: The morgue that has been installed at the ExCel Centre in East London, which has become the Nightingale hospital Incredible images from inside the ExCel Centre show construction work to transform the exhibition centre into London's emergency coronavirus hospital is underway Work has also begun to transform the Welsh rugby stadium into a 500-bed hospital for coronavirus patients. The rugby union stadium in Wales is the latest venue to be turned into a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients, with Parc y Scarlets expected to be operational in two weeks and provide up to 500 extra beds. Work began last Monday to convert three areas of the stadium complex in Llanelli for medical use as the Scarlets work in partnership with the Hywel Dda University Health Board and Carmarthenshire County Council. The Juno Moneta Arena training facility will house 252 beds, while there will also be a hospital area in the Quinnell Lounge in the South Stand and the first-floor concourse. The beds in Llanelli are in addition to around 2,000 which are set to be installed at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff as Wales prepares itself for the peak of the pandemic. The Welsh locations will join others being be built inside UK venues including the SEC in Glasgow, Manchester Central Convention Complex, Birmingham's NEC and the new NHS Nightingale hospital at ExCel in London. The news comes as a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases were declared in the UK yesterday, on what was Britain's darkest day so far in the ever-worsening crisis. Paramedics stand next to a command unit outside the ExCel centre on Tuesday that is being turned into a 4000 bed temporary hospital know as NHS Nightingale to help deal with some of the coronavirus outbreak victims in London NHS staff outside the ExCel Centre in London on Tuesday. The NHS is anticipating a COVID-19 'tsunami' as the peak of infection rates nears British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that Britons can only leave their homes for essential reasons or may be fined, in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (pictured, the ExCel centre which will be used as a temporary hospital) Some 1,789 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have now died, while the total infection toll has surpassed 25,000 - but the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital. The number of new deaths recorded yesterday was twice as high as the 180 victims recorded on Monday. But there was only a 14 per cent jump in daily cases - up from 2,619. And the number of hospital admissions appears to have slowed, going up by a 'constant amount' each day, data shows - with around 1,000 new patients a day being treated by the NHS. One of Tuesday's victims was only 19 years old and had no underlying conditions that made them more vulnerable to the life-threatening complications of the illness. MailOnline understands their death was recorded at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield, north London. A 13-year-old London schoolboy was revealed last night to have become Britain's youngest coronavirus victim. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, London, died alone at King's College Hospital in London on Monday, with family members unable to visit him in fear of catching the deadly virus. He is not thought to have had any underlying health conditions. News of Ismail's death was shared on a GoFundMe page created by Madinah College, in Brixton, to raise money for his funeral and was later confirmed by King's College Hospital. The boy's family, who also recently lost his father to cancer, said they would not be releasing any photos of Ismail and that they were 'beyond devastated'. 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It is noted that the parties expressed a common interest in developing trade and expanding business contacts despite the negative impact of the pandemic on global economic processes. Kuleba urged the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to facilitate increasing of Korean investments in Ukraine's economy. In turn, Ambassador Kwon Ki-Chang informed about the experience of successful Korean investment projects in Ukraine and assured of his interest in developing activities in this field. The parties also exchanged information on measures to counteract the spread of coronavirus. Kuleba thanked the Korean side for facilitating the prompt procurement of 100,000 coronavirus laboratory test kits which had been delivered to Ukraine on March 30. The minister appealed to the Korean side with a request to consider providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine with the aim of overcoming the disease, carrying out tests and treating Ukrainian citizens. The parties also discussed political cooperation, including the organization of high-level visits. ol Bernard Okalia Bilai Archives Okalia Bilai Bernard, Governor of Cameroons South West Region has charged his collaborators to employ force, if the need arises, in a bid to scrupulously enforce anti-coronavirus restrictions rolled out by Government. The Regional Chief Executive said Regional authorities must now use harsh measures, if need be, on people who are violating Coronavirus preventive measures prescribed by the Head of State, President Paul Biya and presented to Cameroonians by the Prime Minister, Head of Government. Speaking at an evaluation meeting with Regional Delegates and security officials recently, Governor Okalia Bilai was bitter that bar owners and other stakeholders are disrespecting the anti COVID-19 measures in the Region. With one confirmed case of the Novel Coronavirus in Limbe, the region is not taking anything to chance as fears the virus may spread further heighten. During the discussions at the Southwest Governors Office, officials, while recounting the difficulties they are facing in implementing the measures, revealed that many people in the Region still organise events with more than 50 people, and some bars do not close at the 6 p.m. as prescribed by Government as part of measures to beat back the pandemic. The Governor termed the behaviours as uncivil. He emphasised that the State is obliged to protect her citizens from the pandemic, even if it is against their wish, reason the authorities may use force, if need be, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He reiterated the need for citizens to enforce the 13 measures outlined by the Government to curb the spread of the virus in the South West Region. Emphasis was laid on frequent washing of hands and the respect of basic hygiene rules in markets and bars. Regarding the 13 preventive measures, buses in the South West Region have been controlled not to carry more than 50 persons. But it is difficult to control in-city taxis, who have also been barred from carrying more than five persons. This has consequently increased the transport fare to some places. The transport fare from Buea to Mutengene is now FCFA 500 up from FCFA 300. Mumbai, April 1 : The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Wednesday opened on a negative note during the morning session of the trade. The Sensex of the BSE opened at 29,505.33 points and touched a high of 59,505.98. The Sensex touched a low of 29,107.98 point. On Tuesday, the Sensex closed at 29,468.49 points. It is trading at 29,079.86 down by 388.63 points or 1.24 per cent. On the other hand, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 8,584.10A points after closing at 8,597.75 points. The Nifty is trading at 8,486.80 Apoints in the morning. Germany called on all EU states to respect the principle of the rule of law on Wednesday, after Hungary's nationalist premier Viktor Orban assumed sweeping new powers due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We have very clear principles of the rule of law in the EU, and these have to be observed by all member states," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer. "The values on which the union is built are respect for human dignity, freedom, equality, rule of law and respect for human rights," she added. "The EU only functions as a community of values if these values are respected and defended by all." In a move widely criticised across the bloc, Hungary's parliament endorsed a bill on Monday giving Orban new powers he says he needs to fight the new coronavirus pandemic. The new law gives Orban the power to indefinitely rule by decree until the government declares the emergency over. On Wednesday, Demmer insisted that "all member states are rightfully determined to counter the threat of the pandemic." "But the rule of law is needed more than ever in times of crisis," she added. "It is of utmost importance that the emergency measures are not taken at the cost of the fundamental principles anchored in our treaties," she concluded, echoing similar comments made Tuesday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Clearly referencing events in Hungary without naming the country, von der Leyen said that "any emergency measures must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Akufo-Addo has instructed the local government ministry to provide GhC10 daily to every head porter (kayayo) in the lockdown catchment zones. The money is meant to provide food for the vulnerable women whose livelihood has been hugely affected by the partial lockdown. Government has announced a partial lockdown in parts of Ghanas capital, Accra and Kumasi. The restriction of movement is to contain the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) which has so far infected 161 persons in the country as at March 31, 2020. The Minister of Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama revealed that the GhC10 per day to each kayayo will go a long way to alleviate their plight over the next two weeks. She said the main idea is to enable them to buy food throughout the lockdown period. Bawumias support Meanwhile, Ghanas Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has donated GhC500 to each of the stranded Kayayei (head porters) who were stopped at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region on their way to the Northern Region. The head porters, numbering about 76, had attempted to flee from Accra back to their hometowns in the wake of the Presidents order for a partial lockdown in the capital city and other parts of the country, but their journey back home was unsuccessful as it fell within the lockdown time on Monday. Their attempted mass crossover to the north was seen as a threat to stop the spread of the virus in the country, and they were thus stopped from proceeding by security officials, who returned them to Accra. Despite the temporary provision of shelter for them by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, many have raised concerns over the plight of the Kayayei under the current circumstance, as business activities in the heart of Accra have come to a halt. It is in response of this that the Vice President has donated GhC500 to each of them to ameliorate their plight during the period of the partial lockdown. The donation was made on behalf of the Vice President by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama. She was accompanied by Dr. Sagare Bambangi , MP for Walewale and Mustafa Ussif, CEO of the National Service Secretariat. Meanwhile, the Vice President has also urged all Ghanaians to continue to observe the preventive measures of regular washing of hands with soap under running water, while they observe the partial lockdown at their respective homes. While we stay at home to prevent the spread, let us continue to adhere strictly to all the preventive measures to avoid the spread of the virus, he urged. Let us continue to wash our hands regularly with soap under running water, as well as constantly use alcohol-based hand sanitizers to sanitize our hands. We shall overcome, in shaa Allah. 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 In late February, before a coming pandemic had begun to sweep the nation, back when the Democratic primary field was crowded and it looked like former vice president Joe Biden's campaign was hanging by a thread, congressman James E. Clyburn stood behind a lectern and began talking about fear. "I am fearful for the future of this country," the South Carolina lawmaker said three days before the state's primary while urging votes for Biden. "I'm fearful for my daughters and their future and my children and their children's future." Weeks later, in his office, Clyburn was less anxious. His emotional endorsement of Biden as Democrats' proper antidote for the Trump era to end the era of President Donald Trump had earned him the title "kingmaker," another notch in a long career that has made him the highest ranking African American legislator on Capitol Hill. It was early March, and Congress was still welcoming tour groups, so Clyburn, 79, was hosting a group of black college students, all young men who were part of the teacher training program "Call Me Mister" that he had helped launch decades earlier. They were seated were seated adjacent to his office's conference room - a marble fireplace, a gilt-edged golden mirror and sparkling chandelier attesting to the congressman's stature and a wall lined with vintage images of black men who served in Congress during Reconstruction attesting to his own place in history. "Don't allow your skin color or heritage to keep you from excelling," he told them in his gravelly baritone. "Don't let it define you or confine you." Clyburn knows something about defining moments. When Democrats look back on their 2020 primary, Clyburn's endorsement of Biden will be viewed as a key inflection point, perhaps the moment that everything changed. For Clyburn, who has served in Congress for 27 years and is majority whip, the past few months have had their own inflections. In September, he lost his wife, Emily, whom he had been married to for nearly six decades, and for the first part of this year, he saw his favored presidential candidate faltering badly. Biden had come to South Carolina offering words of comfort at Emily's funeral last fall - a mark of the deep friendship shared between the two men. Clyburn later watched as his old friend lost in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. He privately advised Biden to deliver his often-meandering message more clearly; boil it down, as preachers do. Clyburn wasn't planning to endorse until an elderly constituent asked him who he was voting for. At that point, he publicly loaned his political capital to Biden, saying: "We know Joe. But more importantly, Joe knows us." Former president Barack Obama once said Clyburn was "one of a handful of people who, when they speak, the entire Congress listens," but it would have been hard to predict just how pivotal Clyburn's words would prove. According to Edison Research exit poll data, 56 percent of South Carolina's Democratic primary voters were African American, and they overwhelmingly supported Biden, who won 61 percent of their vote. (Sen. Bernie Sanders lagged far behind at 17 percent.) Sixty percent of black voters cited the Clyburn endorsement as an important factor in their decision. Biden's win in South Carolina reverberated across the country. He won 10 states on Super Tuesday and has continued to rack up delegates. With other state primary elections delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, Biden's delegate lead over Sanders is holding. He has Clyburn and Southern black voters to thank. "The primary results underscored significant and instructive lessons that candidates would do well to heed: Black voters can make or break a campaign," said Rashad Robinson, president of the advocacy group Color of Change. "From Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropping out after seeing no pathway to the black vote after South Carolina, to Biden taking home many Southern states, the message is clear." Putting it another way, Clyburn quotes his friend Andrew Young, the former ambassador and civil rights leader, who "used to say all the time that black folks have the best antenna." - - - Before Clyburn was elected in 1993 to represent South Carolina's 6th Congressional District, he'd lost three elections. He was 52 years old, and his win that year made him the state's first black congressman since 1897. When he got to Washington, Clyburn recalled a reporter saying to him, "You're just getting elected to Congress at an age when people are retiring from Congress. How do you expect to be around here long enough to get anything done?" Clyburn responded by running for president of his legislative class and was elected co-president his first year on Capitol Hill. In 1999, he was voted in as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Democratic Caucus vice chair in 2002. Three years later he was unanimously elected chair of the Democratic Caucus. When the party regained the House majority in 2006, Clyburn became House Majority Whip, and later served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2019. "I call him 'Mr. Clyburn.' It's as a sign of respect," said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "He is a giant on the Hill and like John Lewis, one of the lions in Congress. ... Many of us look up to him as a mentor, to show us what to do." She says Clyburn, who was born in Sumter, South Carolina, is a "true Southern gentleman." His hometown - named for Thomas Sumter, the American Revolutionary War general who later served in Congress - shaped him. Clyburn's mother, Almeta Dizzley Clyburn, was a beautician and entrepreneur. His father, the Rev. Enos Lloyd Clyburn, was a fundamentalist Church of God minister. He and his two younger brothers "had to recite a different Bible verse daily, and a current event from the newspaper," recalled Clyburn, who was elected president of his local NAACP youth chapter at age 12. In his congressional office, where books and papers are stacked on his desk, Clyburn recalled living under Jim Crow. One incident still riles him: When his high school marching band was accepted into the town's annual Christmas parade, white schools were given plum spots among the procession of floats. "We were placed dead last, directly behind the horses," he said. Clyburn carried a new clarinet and marched for miles in a freshly starched shirt and shined shoes, dodging horse manure. In 1957, he enrolled in South Carolina State College, a historically black institution in Orangeburg. There, he helped build the local chapter of the Congress for Racial Equality, an interracial group that organized the "freedom riders" who traveled on buses across the South to peacefully protest segregated transportation facilities. Clyburn also attended a 1960 Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee convening with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta. As part of the "Orangeburg Seven," he and peers at nearby Claflin College helped strategize and lead demonstrations against segregated drugstores. A protest in 1960 turned violent and a jeering white mob and law enforcement trailed about 1,000 marchers. Clyburn was among those herded into police cruisers and jailed. Soon after, he met Emily England, who was also attending the state college. Clyburn described her as "a cute, 92-pound coed" who offered him one of the burgers she and other students had brought to the courthouse while protesters awaited bail. "I reached for it, and with an impish grin, she drew it away, broke it in half and we shared the hamburger," he wrote in his memoir, "Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black." Fifteen months later, they were married. - - - "My wife was very much a sounding board," Clyburn said. "More than that, she was pretty strategic, too." The Clyburn union lasted 58 years until "Miss Emily," a librarian and widely beloved community advocate, died. Before her death, the couple designated $1.7 million in endowed funds they raised and contributed to SCSU to establish a scholarship in her honor. They had three children - Mignon Clyburn, Jennifer Clyburn Reed and Angela Clyburn - and several grandchildren. Many of them live near the congressman in a quiet Columbia neighborhood - some next door, others on the same street. They're a politically active bunch. Mignon, who lives in Washington, D.C., is a former FCC commissioner turned private sector consultant. Angela, the youngest daughter, is political director of the South Carolina Democratic Party. "It helps to be near each other," said Jennifer Clyburn Reed, a former teacher who leads an education center at the University of South Carolina. "We usually all vote together and go out to breakfast afterward. This is the first year that we didn't do that." The tradition was one they had shared with their mother, whom they are all mourning. She was a fervent Biden supporter, but not everyone in the Clyburn family backed him. Eldest grandson Walter A.C. Reed was a field organizer on Pete Buttigieg's campaign. Granddaughter Sydney Reed, a medical student, had been impressed by Andrew Yang. Their mother, Jennifer, and her husband leased campaign office space to billionaire Tom Steyer, who invested heavily in South Carolina before exiting the race. "Her daddy is for Biden, she's renting to Steyer, her son is in TV ads for Pete. We were having fun with that," said Clyburn. "In fact, I got a call I'll never forget: 'Your grandson is in this ad and he's got your picture in the ad with him. It looks like you're endorsing Buttigieg.' I said 'Well, you did say my grandson, didn't you?' " Clyburn laughed about it, allowing that Walter - who has political aspirations - showed savvy. Before the election, he called the recent college graduate with a prediction. "I said, 'I never spanked you when you were a child, but I'm going to give you a good spanking on election day'," Clyburn said, chuckling again. - - - Several of the presidential campaigns courted Clyburn, but he says he was always going to vote for Biden. They go way back. They had both lost three elections and understood disappointment. They'd appeared on Charlie Rose's show fairly often, had talked about desegregation and knew each other. Yet Clyburn was dismayed by Biden's campaign early on: the way he got thrown "off kilter" by the "touchy, feely" #MeToo allegations, and his performance in the first debate when Sen. Kamala Harris "went upside his head" over busing. Clyburn offered Biden advice ("He was very open to it") and spoke without notes during his endorsement. "I had no idea it would get that kind of reaction," he said. "But I did say, 'I'm trying to create a surge.' " The pollsters at FiveThirtyEight analyzed the Super Tuesday results and found that Biden did well among black voters and also white voters, especially those who decided late to back Biden. "I can't tell you how many people have come up to me, white - male and female - saying 'thank you,' " Clyburn said. "I've had more white people than black people thank me for that endorsement." As a politician, he's known for his Famous Fish Fry, which draws a large crowd each June, particularly when a presidential election is looming. As a legislator, he's pushed for rural and economic development. His 10-20-30 federal funding formula to combat poverty was included in four sections of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The formula requires that at least 10 percent of federal funds go to communities with "persistent" poverty. (The program is so popular in the party that several Democratic presidential candidates sought to rebrand Clyburn's program as a vehicle for reparations.) Last year, Clyburn launched the House Task Force on Rural Broadband with the goal of making sure all Americans have access to high-speed Internet by 2025. It is an issue that has been highlighted by the coronavirus crisis. Clyburn has also been pushing for community health centers to help fight the pandemic, and the first coronavirus package included $100 million for such centers. And, he's still supporting his candidate. Clyburn held calls with clergy in Florida and Illinois to get out the vote for Biden, did radio interviews in Michigan and Pennsylvania and recorded robocalls that went out in several Southern states. Campaigning has cooled as the nation's political leaders respond to the current health crisis, but Clyburn has said that if Biden becomes the Democratic nominee, he should select a black woman as his vice president. "I say a black woman as opposed to a minority," he said. "It needs to be a black woman. Biden is winning black women overwhelmingly." Clyburn's short list includes: Sen. Harris; Rep. Val Demings, the Florida congresswoman who helped lead the Trump impeachment hearings; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; Stacey Abrams, the Georgia gubernatorial candidate; and Obama's former national security adviser, Susan Rice. Consider them endorsed. HANOVER (dpa-AFX) - Continental AG (CTTAY.PK) said, due to business impacts from COVID-19 Pandemic, the company's Executive Board has decided to withdraw the outlook for fiscal 2020. Over 40 percent of Continental's production locations worldwide have temporarily ceased activities. For the first quarter of fiscal 2020, based on the most recent preliminary key data, Continental AG expects consolidated sales of around 9.4 billion euros to 9.8 billion euros, and an adjusted EBIT margin of around 2% to 3%. In the Automotive divisions, sales are expected to be around 5.7 billion euros to 5.9 billion euros. Continental AG said the company is implementing numerous measures to adapt costs and reduce demands on liquidity. This includes actions to adjust working times as well as wage and salary costs. As at February 29, 2020, the company had cash and cash equivalents of around 2.3 billion euros and committed unused credit lines of around 4.6 billion euros. 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. Quarantined Brazilians banged pots and pans in their houses to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro, as his speech on the coronavirus was broadcast on national television on Tuesday night. It marked the 15th subsequent night of noisy protests against the far-right leader. Bolsonaro is one of few world leaders who has insisted the virus itself will cause less harm than shutting down the economy. Although he reiterated that argument in his national address on Tuesday, he also shifted his rhetoric on the pandemic itself, calling what he once described as a "little flu" the "biggest challenge of our generation." His defiance has won him vocal backing from supporters, both on social media and in several cities, where demonstrators are demanding life return to normal. Yet his attitude has also been rejected by mayors, state governors and judges who have already implemented far-reaching measures such as closing off entire states and cities, keeping just basic services running. Even some members of Bolsonaro's own administration have insisted on broad lockdown measures, running contrary to his statements. Earlier on Tuesday Bolsonaro cited a speech given by World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in which he demanded action from governments to help those struggling financially due to lockdowns across the globe. The Brazilian leader said he did not "deny the relevance of the preventive and control measures of the pandemic" but wanted to show that it was necessary to also think about the "most vulnerable people." On Tuesday, Brazil's health ministry reported 5,717 COVID-19 cases and 201 deaths, the highest figures in Latin America. These included more than 1,100 new cases since the prior day by far Brazil's biggest single-day increase yet. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially the elderly and people with preexisting health conditions, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday blamed the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention and China for the United States' slow response to the coronavirus. 'I will be very candid with you and say that in mid-January the CDC was still assessing that the risk of the coronavirus to the American people was low. The very first case which was someone who had been in China, I believe took place in late January around the 20th day of January,' he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. 'The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming. I mean the reality is that Chinas been more transparent with regard to the coronavirus than certainly they were for other infectious diseases over the last 15 years. But what appears evident now is that long before the world learned in December that China was dealing with this, and maybe as much as a month earlier than that, that the outbreak was real in China,' he noted. He also warned the United States could see conditions that are as bad as those in Italy, which has had over 110,000 cases and more than 13,000 deaths. Italy is also on a nationwide lockdown. 'We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point, for a variety of reasons,' Pence said. Vice President Mike Pence blamed the CDC and China for the United States' slow response to the coronavirus China reports its first known death from 2019 Novel Coronavirus on January 11th. The first U.S. case was reported in Seattle on January 21st - a person returning from a visit to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began. But internal CDC emails obtained by ProPublica, from January to early March, show that health officials were trying to stay ahead of the outbreak. And the vice president's charge against Beijing comes as the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House that China's public reporting on coronavirus cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete, Bloomberg News reported. Pence was in Gordonsville, Va., to tour a Walmart Distribution Center as part of his work heading up the White House's Coronavirus Task Force when he spoke to CNN. He defended President Donald Trump and the administration for criticism they responded too slowly to the pandemic. 'I don't believe the President has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus,' Pence told Blitzer. On Tuesday, the White House projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Pence argued the work the administration did - including encouraging social distancing, limiting social gatherings, and eating take out as part of their '15 Days to Slow the Spread' guidelines - helped keep the rate of infection down. 'We put travel advisories and screening in place for people coming from Asia and also from Italy, then suspending travel from Europe, the U.K., and Ireland, and all the mitigation efforts that the federal government has advanced and states have -- advancing,' the vice president said. His argument came as the United States saw more 200,000 infections and more than 4,000 deaths. President Trump has dramatically changed his tone about the virus from two months ago. On Tuesday, the president acknowledged the grim reality that more than 100,000 Americans could die from the coronavirus - a marked change in his previous optimistic tone. 'It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days, it's a matter of life and death, frankly,' President Trump said. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going through a very tough few weeks. And, hopefully, as the experts have predicted is a lot of us are predicting having studied it so hard, going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel and this is going to be a very painful, a very very painful two weeks,' he noted. A person is taken on a stretcher into the United Memorial Medical Center after going through testing for COVID-19 in Houston Citizens wear masks to defend against new viruses in Guangzhou, China On Tuesday President Donald Trump offered a more sobering tone on the coronavirus Only a few weeks ago the president spoke optimistically of reopening the country by Easter. Id love to have it open by Easter. Ill tell you that right now. Id love to have it open by Easter,' he told a Fox News virtual town hall on March 24. The president defended his past comments when asked about them. If you look at those individual statements, they're all true, he said Tuesday. Stay calm, it will go away. You know it -- you know it is going away, and it will go away, and we're going to have a great victory. Pence also defended the president's response to the virus, which has killed more Americans than were killed in the September 11th attacks. 'The president is an optimistic person,' he told CNN. 'We have been - from the very beginning, when the president suspended all travel from China and stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force in January - we have been hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. And that's been being worked out every single day. And what the American people can see in this president every day is a leader who knows that we will get through this,' he noted. 'But, as the president was clear yesterday, particularly the next two weeks are going to be very tough. And our hearts and our prayers go out to the families who have suffered loss so far.' School classes in 11 subjects will be broadcasted by Ukrainian TV channels and YouTube-channel of Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science Online school Open source The nationwide TV project is about to start in Ukraine. All-Ukrainian online school will be displaying the classes in 11 subjects for students of seven grades of Ukrainian schools (from 5th till 11th grade). The classes will be broadcasted by Ukrainian TV channels and YouTube-channel of Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science. The list of subjects includes Ukrainian language, history of Ukraine, world history, English language, physics, algebra, geometry, geography, chemistry and biology. The lessons will be taking place every day, on the weekdays, until the end of the quarantine. They will be kicking off at 10 a.m. Teachers will be able to leave hometasks in the descriptions under the respective videos on the YouTube-channel of Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science. Thus, the students will be able to learn their lessons better. Links for e-versions of respective textbooks will be published in the descriptions under the videos, too. The videos will be filmed in Novopecherska school in Kyiv. The lessons will feature Ukrainian TV hosts, musicians, actors and athetes. VERDUNO, CUNEO, ITALY - 2020/03/31: Medical workers wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are pictured outside Verduno hospital (Alba-Bra hospital). Nicolo Campo The Italian government is ramping up spending plans "significantly" to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus, the country's finance chief said, with the country's death toll now surpassing 12,000. Italy is the worst-hit country in Europe. The number of infections has reached 105,792, including 12,428 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The southern European nation has been in lockdown since early March, meaning that most of its economic activity has stopped. People are allowed outside of their house only to buy food and medicine and there is no concrete date yet of when they will be allowed out. The Italian health minister said Wednesday the lockdown measures will be extended until April 13. Italy put forward a 25 billion euro ($27.35 billion) fiscal package last month to support businesses. However, Economy and Finance Minister Roberto Gualtieri told the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano on Wednesday that new fiscal measures will be "significantly larger." The idea, according to Gualtieri, is to support households and Italian companies for the duration of the pandemic. We are not writing a page in an economics manual, we are writing a page in a history book. Giuseppe Conte Italy's prime minister Any additional spending is challenging given Rome's exceptionally high government debt second largest in Europe, after Greece, which had three bailouts over the last decade or so. This is one of the reasons why the Italian government has asked European nations to help. "We are not writing a page in an economics manual. We are writing a page in a history book," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday on a German TV channel. Conte addressed the German public directly, given Berlin's opposition to so-called corona bonds. Italy and eight other EU nations want to develop a mechanism to issue joint European debt. These fixed-income instruments would be used to finance some of the costs from the crisis. [April 01, 2020] Wolters Kluwer Announces Judicial Caselaw Add-on & Interactive Case History Timeline to the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. today announced the introduction of the Judicial Caselaw Add-on to the esteemed Almanac of the Federal Judiciary (AFJ), giving customers access to a judge's rulings along with an Interactive Case History Timeline. Available through Cheetah, Wolters Kluwer's award-winning legal research platform, the new capability will help lawyers familiarize themselves with federal judges, their courtroom tendencies, and their ruling style. This unique addition catalogues decisions by the specific judge lawyers are searching and includes each judge's decision on their page. Providing all of a judge's decisions on his or her own page allows users a view into that judge's decisions without all the "noise and clutter" a global search provides when users search for a specific judge's information. With the new Judicial Case Law Add-On, the judge's cases are located with that judge, along with the AFJ's highly popular background information. In addition, an Interactive Case History Timeline provides users with a view into a judge's case decisions, workload and allows for easier date searches of cases by that judge. Customers will also be able to search by a specific date range, by citation, case name or date. "It's often said that a good lawyer knows the law, but a great lawyer knows the judge," said Susan Gruesser, Director, Product Management for Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. "Our goal is o provide our customers with solutions that add value and drive efficiency, and with the AFJ through Cheetah - and the AFJ's new Caselaw Add-on- our customers will now be able to prepare for their cases more thoroughly than ever before by better understanding the very judge they will be before in court." AFJ through Cheetah provides users with a number of powerful research capabilities, including: Lawyer's Evaluations: AFJ offers insights into a judge's style, demeanor, knowledge, and courtroom management characteristics. AFJ offers insights into a judge's style, demeanor, knowledge, and courtroom management characteristics. Judge's Bios: The platform gives access to a judge's background, noteworthy rulings, media coverage, and much more. The platform gives access to a judge's background, noteworthy rulings, media coverage, and much more. Interactive Court Map: AFJ provides knowledge of which states sit in which circuits and gives quick access to each circuit court judge in addition to each state's district court judges. AFJ provides knowledge of which states sit in which circuits and gives quick access to each circuit court judge in addition to each state's district court judges. Judicial Caselaw Add-on (with Interactive Case History Timeline): The platform gives access to a judge's full case decision history and get access to the actual cases, sorted by each judge. Includes an Interactive Timeline with the ability to sort decision history by all years, the last ten years, last five years, and the previous year (month to month). To learn more visit: https://lrus.wolterskluwer.com/store/product/almanac-of-the-federal-judiciary/. About Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. For more information about Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S., visit www.WoltersKluwerLR.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Linda Gharib Director, Communications Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Tel: +1 (646) 887-7962 Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wolters-kluwer-announces-judicial-caselaw-add-on--interactive-case-history-timeline-to-the-almanac-of-the-federal-judiciary-301033504.html SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High 57F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 41F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. President Donald Trump speaks before signing the H.R. 748, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 27, 2020. Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images Lobbyists representing the private equity industry pushed the Trump administration and members of Congress to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in relief for businesses hammered by the spread of coronavirus. The American Investment Council, which lobbies on behalf of the private equity industry, spoke to congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle and Treasury Department officials, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. These people declined to be named because the conversations were deemed private. The organization pushed to make sure the Treasury's economic stabilization fund would provide enough liquidity to businesses especially hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, these people added. Private equity firms did not request financial assistance, these people added. The $500 billion that was eventually made available for business loans and other forms of aid could be a boon to companies in which private equity firms have invested. Private equity firms often invest and restructure companies that aren't publicly traded. McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, published a study showing that in 2019, the volume of private equity deals declined in every region around the world except in North America, "where capital invested rose 7 percent to $837 billion, a new high." Members of the American Investment Council include private equity giants such as Blackstone, the Carlyle Group, Apollo Global Management, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Warburg Pincus. The American Investment Council said they are hoping Congress and the administration don't block companies from financial aid just because they are backed by outside investors. "Businesses across America are looking for support immediately in order to survive and continue to employ people," Drew Maloney, the CEO of American Investment Council, said in a statement to CNBC. "It shouldn't matter if these companies are backed by investments from corporations, pension funds, or others," he added. He also noted that the group will continue to work with the administration and Congress to make sure all businesses receive financial support. A spokeswoman for the Treasury Department did not return a request for comment. The virus has swept through the United States, with over 184,000 reported cases and just over 3,700 deaths. The markets have whipsawed throughout the month of March. The Dow and S&P 500 had their worst first-quarter performances ever, losing 23.2% and 20%, respectively. The Labor Department announced a surge of over 3 million unemployment claims last week. The $2 trillion stimulus bill, also known as the CARES Act, created a pool of $500 billion in taxpayer money to make loans, loan guarantees or investments to businesses that qualify and are in need of relief in the wake of the pandemic. The airline industry, which has seen demand crater due to travel restrictions and customer fears, will receive a chunk of that cash. Approximately $454 billion is going to support Federal Reserve lending programs to businesses, states and municipalities. The Treasury Department is expected to provide guidance over the next week for who is eligible for further assistance. Lawmakers in Congress and the White House both have said they are looking into another round of stimulus. He faces charges of assault, disorderly behaviour, and possession of an offensive weapon A customer allegedly brandished a security post set up for social distancing and tried to bite police officers at a shop in west Belfast, a court heard today. Declan McKernan is accused of baring his teeth at one constable called to the Eurospar, on the Springfield Road, and threatening: "I will take your f****** head off." The 31-year-old, of Beechmount Parade in the city, faces charges of assault on police, disorderly behaviour, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon over the incident on Tuesday. He was granted bail on conditions including a ban on entering the store. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard McKernan had been acting aggressively and shouting at staff outside the shop. CCTV footage allegedly showed him lift a post set up to encourage social distancing and use it as a weapon to frighten others away from him. A PSNI officer claimed he then assaulted a security guard preventing him from entering due to his actions. When he was detained McKeran allegedly opened his mouth, baring his teeth at a constable who believed he was going to be bitten. District Judge Fiona Bagnall was told the accused stated: "When I get these handcuffs off I will take your f****** head off." According to police he continued shouting, stating "I will never give up" and "our day will come". During the struggle he allegedly attempted to bite one officer on the leg and another on the hands and fingers. Defence solicitor Brendan Blaney described McKernan as a vulnerable individual who was trying to buy meat and provisions for his family. An altercation developed with a member of staff who wrongly believed the accused was being aggressive, he contended. "Sometimes the disorder he suffers from can be misinterpreted... as him coming across as belligerent," Mr Blaney said. He insisted no-one was hurt or any damage caused by the alleged brandishing of the social distancing post. Granting bail to McKernan, Judge Bagnall ordered: "He is excluded from the Eurospar on the Springfield Road." New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Coronavirus pandemic outbreak: Three strong lessons that people learnt during lockdown India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Apr 01: Just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nationwide 21-day lockdown to fight against the outbreak of Covid-19, it seems to be a successful call by the Centre. With several pictures from across the country show that essential products are available and services continue to be provided, there are several loopholes in letting people to follow the lockdown. But, so far we have learnt three lessons from the 21-day nationwide lockdown. 1. Exodus of migrant workers The exodus of migrant workers has explained that India's poor and most vulnerable society was hard hit by the economic disruption caused by the lockdown. What you should know about remdesivir, the drug that may be used to fight coronavirus It was also seen that arrangements to provide shelter and food were not put in place for migrant workers during the crisis and this caused a major tragedy after thousands of migrants decided to walk back to their homes, hundreds of kilometres away, defying the entire logic of the lockdown and enhancing the risk of people in rural areas getting infected. 2. Lack of faith in the government It all began after people started panic buying of essential supplies on the first two days of the lockdown. This took place despite the Centre and state governments assured that these supplies will be maintained. However, the absence of clear rules and police officials' disproportionate actions against the people added to shortages. If these are not marked and consistently corrected in the upcoming days, the people can be simply seen neglecting the rules and wander on the streets. 3. Delay in testing and providing PPEs to health workers While the Centre and state governments are using the lockdown period to ramp up testing and provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to doctors, the fact is that India is still testing at very low levels in relation to its population. #Stayathome and send us your selfie There have been outbreaks of cases in key clusters and delay in providing PPEs to health workers. Also, the number of ventilators will remain abysmally short if cases surge. All these needs to be looked into to maintain a peaceful lockdown. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 11:04 [IST] Chris Plank of Maryland holds the headstone of his friend Army Sgm. Bradly Dean Conner, who was killed in Iraq, at Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day November 11, 2019 in Arlington, Virginia. Alex Wong | Getty Images President Donald Trump has compared the coronavirus pandemic to fighting a war and that outbreak could end up killing more Americans this year than some wars waged by the United States, including the Vietnam and Korean conflicts, and World War I. And projections issued Tuesday by the White House suggest that the coronavirus has a chance of becoming the third leading cause of current U.S. deaths, after heart disease and cancer, this year. White House officials estimate that the COVID-19 outbreak will kill between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans this year, even with social distancing, business closures and other mitigation efforts. "This could be a hell of a bad two weeks," Trump said at a White House briefing Tuesday as officials said a surge of coronavirus cases is coming over that time frame. The president said that the deaths seen already from what he called "this invisible enemy" have been "incredible." As of Wednesday, the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. had topped 200,000, with at least 4,400 deaths. On the low end of the projection, with 100,000 deaths, the toll would exceed the more than 90,000 total American service battle deaths and nontheater deaths experienced in the Vietnam conflict, and be around double the same type of U.S. deaths in the Korean War. And it could match the 116,516 American deaths in World War I. "As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is on the White House coronavirus task force. "It will be difficult, no one is denying that we are going through a really difficult time right now." If 240,000 Americans die from the coronavirus this year, as the projection indicates is possible, it would be nearly half of the total number of Americans who died in the Civil War. That four-year conflict led to more U.S. deaths than any other single war. The high-end estimate, if realized, would also put coronavirus deaths well ahead of accidental deaths, which are now the third-leading cause of mortality in the U.S. It would also top stroke and Alzheimer's disease as causes of death. On the low end of the estimate, coronavirus deaths would exceed deaths caused by diabetes, flu, suicide, drug overdoses and traffic deaths. This is probably the perfect time to launch a new channel with available audience and no Sport, says Nine Programming Director Hamish Turner. With so many Australians at home, and Easter on the way, 9RUSH is ready to unveil its suite of male-skewing, adrenaline reality titles including brand new Top Gear, Gold Rush: Parkers Trail, Street Outlaws, Live PD, Kindig Customs, Alaskan Bush People, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and Man vs Wild. Most will be Free to Air premieres from the joint venture Nine shares with Discovery Channel. We started 9Life with Scripps initially but then obviously Discovery bought Scripps, Turner continues. So through that we have had a relationship with them and weve pulled content from Discovery ad hoc previously, mainly for our multichannels. But this was an opportunity that came about. Discovery were looking for a partner that would provide the audience with access to their content outside the Pay TV environment. No-one does this sort of content better than Discovery Geoff Dyer, Director of Network Scheduling, agrees 9RUSH represents a chance to broaden Nine from a female-skewing network to one that appeals more to males. Were just very excited to expose all of these big brands to our FTA audience. No-one does this sort of content better than Discovery. We had been chasing a lot of this content that wed just been locked out of, for a long time. So to get access to so much of it was just a fantastic result, he says. 9RUSH will launch on Channel 96 at 7.00pm on Sunday April 5, drawing upon spectrum that had been allocated to the former Your Money multichannel (previously Ch. 95). New Top Gear which just happens to feature Andrew Freddie Flintoff (Australian Ninja Warrior) is the launch title. There will be themed nights with block programming repeated throughout the day. Sunday: Best of British Motoring (Top Gear, Million Dollar Car Hunters, Salvage Hunters) Monday: Buried Treasure (Gold Rush, Bearing Sea Gold) Tuesday: Survival (Man vs Wild, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Naked & Afraid) Wednesday: Rust to Riches Cars (Diesel Brothers, Misfit Garage, Kindig Customs) Thursday: Outlaw Cars (Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman, Street Outlaws) Friday: Cops (Cops UK, Live PD) Saturday: Off the Grid Living (Homestead Rescue, Alaskan Bush People) Discovery produces this style of content in very clear themes The good thing is Discovery produces this style of content in very clear themes, so it was easy to group the content up and create thematic nights, Dyer says. They are repeated in blocks through the daytime. We obviously have to be aware of classification laws. Some of this stuff is M so we have to play around that a little bit. But we supplement it with other content that we have on our books as well. While there is no word on local content, both Discovery and Nine have not ruled anything out. As Hamish Turner explains 9RUSH also represents a big opportunity in Video on Demand content on 9Now. At the moment, the 9Now audience is very heavily female, mainly from shows like Married at First Sight & Love Island, he says. But having a big swathe of content thats tied specifically to men increases your footprint across the across the board, and obviously for advertisers more men 25-54. There will also be content that isnt on the linear channel. Weve got over 1000 hours of content that will sit as VOD content on 9Now. The way the deal works is you have in-season stacking, which is connected to the linear play. Then youve also got the opportunity to extend those rights. There will also be content that isnt on the linear channel. On 9Now welol target more niche clusters in that world. You might see some science or conspiracy stuff that doesnt have a home on 9RUSH. However Nine also talked down competition with other male-skewing multichannels 7mate and 10 BOLD. 7mate started with a lot of A&E content that is the True Reality space but they have broadened out into a lot more movies to prop up the schedule. You wont be seeing movies on 9RUSH, says Turner. Were not really trying to compete with 7mate or BOLD Dyer added, Were not really trying to compete with 7mate or BOLD, its just about providing another another stream of content for FTA audiences. So far 9RUSH is confined to metropolitan markets, and there are no plans as yet to add to the Foxtel platform. It wont be on Foxtel. Last time we checked there was a pretty hefty fee against putting your channels on Foxtel. So its somewhat cost prohibitive, Turner concedes. For regional we are yet to work out how that plays out. Weve got it on metro first, and then well look at rolling it out further down the track. 9RUSH launches on Channel 96 at 7.00pm on Sunday, April 5. By Peng Zengwei and Zhou Peng NANCHANG, April 1 -- The Anhui-Jiangxi Railway connecting line under the Guixi Railway Station of Yingtan District in East China's Jiangxi Province will still be preserved after being suspended for over 10 years, announced the China Railway Nanchang Group on March 30, 2020. The 1,000-odd meters long Anhui-Jiangxi railway connecting line under the Guixi Railway Station was built in 1994 to connect two main railway lines, namely the Anhui-Jiangxi railway line and the Shanghai-Kunming railway line. This connecting line can greatly reduce the transition time of military trains between the above two main railway lines. It is of great significance for enhancing the speed of troop maneuver and equipment transportation at critical moments. In 2006, the Shanghai-Kunming railway line was transformed into an electrified line, but the Anhui-Jiangxi railway remains non-electrified, which makes the electric locomotives unable to operate. As a result, the former busy connecting line at the Guixi Station was gradually deserted and has been out of service for more than 10 years. Due to the high maintenance cost of the decommissioned line, there have been long-time controversies on its fate. On March 13, the China Railway Nanchang Group held a symposium along with the Nanchang Military Representative Office to discuss its fate. The final decision was to preserve the connecting line and give policy support to national defense transportation facilities. In the past two years, coping with the local military representatives, the China Railway Nanchang Group has successively constructed new facilities such as military platforms, military catering supply stations and military supply restaurants at some railway stations along the Shanghai-Kunming railway line and Nanchang-Fuzhou railway line. They have also built and maintained assembly sites, platforms and lighting facilities at some railway stations assigned with military transportation tasks, which has greatly improved local military transportation conditions. New York is more densely populated than the Washington area, but overcrowded hospitals and exhausted health-care workers are a serious threat everywhere. Public health experts have released models highlighting possible bottlenecks. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, at the University of Washington has published a model that shows Marylands crisis peaking April 28, and the state facing a shortage of 1,310 regular hospital beds and 532 intensive care unit beds. These are only projections, which do not account for beds being used otherwise that could be freed up, but it suggests why Mr. Hogan is right to inject urgency into his warnings. The same model shows a much later peak for Virginia, of May 20, and while regular beds are sufficient, a shortfall of 589 ICU beds is forecast. In the District, the peak is April 16, with sufficient regular beds but a shortage of 68 ICU beds. Thiruvananthapuram, March 27 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that the state has a large population of stray dogs and now with a total lockdown on account of Covid-19, they are in dire straits and the local bodies should e Image Source: IANS News Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that there are 24 new coronavirus positive cases in the state, taking the total number to 225. "Today there are 164,130 under observation, which include 622 at various hospitals in the state. Kasargode recorded 12 cases today," said Vijayan. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more An employee at the state penitentiary in Salem has tested positive for coronavirus, the Oregon Department of Corrections announced Wednesday. The person is the first in the prison system with a known case of COVID-19, corrections officials said. The agency learned of the positive test early Wednesday, said corrections spokeswoman Jennifer Black. We have been preparing for this day for the last several weeks, state Corrections Director Colette Peters and Deputy Director Heidi Steward said in a message to more than 4,500 employees. Our thoughts go out to this employee and their family. The agency said it is impossible to know if other employees have tested positive for the illness since that information is not always shared with us because it is protected health information, Black said. The agency declined to provide the workers position or any demographic information. People who have been in close contact with the person have been notified. The agency said on Wednesday that it began testing inmates who meet federal public health guidelines for testing on March 8. So far, it has tested 13 inmates out of a population of 14,449 statewide. Three are awaiting results; 10 have tested negative. Black said the prisons are no different from the community in terms of coronavirus infection "and just like in the community, there are probably asymptomatic employees and prisoners. Social distancing poses a challenge in prisons and jails, where people live in close quarters and, studies show, the population in general tends to be sicker. Oregon is also home to an aging prison population; the prison system houses among the highest percentages of prisoners ages 55 and older in the country, according to a 2018 study by Pew Charitable Trusts. Prisons have opened medical wards to triage inmates with symptoms of respiratory illness and will ramp up coronavirus testing as tests have become more available, said Dr. Christopher DiGiulio, chief of medicine for the Corrections Department. Medical staff have identified the systems most medically vulnerable inmates and placed them in single cells if at all possible, DiGiulio said. Those prisoners total 817. A newly formed hygiene committee also is reaching out to each and every unit to provide basic information on how people can protect themselves from the disease, he said. Routine medical visits to prison health clinics are on hold so the agency can conserve personal protective equipment and practice social distancing just like what is happening in the community, DiGiulio said. The agencys testing practices have evolved, he said, as more tests become available statewide and testing activity is changing very quickly in the prisons due to greater testing capacity. He said the Oregon Health Authority and the states lab have told the Corrections Department that there are no limitations or restrictions anymore on our ability to test our own patients. Medical staff members at each prison assess a patients symptoms and registered nurses carry out the tests, DiGiulio said. If someone in custody shows signs and symptoms of flu or COVID-19, including fever, cough and shortness of breath, they will be tested as healthcare providers direct, Black said on Wednesday. Each prison now has a respiratory triage clinic for people with symptoms, he said. If someone in custody develops the virus, the person will be isolated, DiGuilio said. People awaiting test results are also held in respiratory isolation conditions, he said. We have been preparing for weeks to separate the vulnerable, the ill, from everyone else, he said. If someone in custody contracts the disease, theyll be treated in prison, provided the person is stable and doesnt need a higher level of medical care, DiGiulio said. Stacy Chamberlain, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Oregon, AFSCME, is one of the unions that represents prison workers in Oregon. She said the union is worried about how the short-staffed corrections agency will manage virus-related absences. She said corrections workers already work mandatory overtime. If we start seeing corrections officers being sick, who is going to cover that work, let alone what it means inside the institutions, she said. The union successfully lobbied, she said, to have dental services in prisons temporarily halted since professionals who do that type of work are especially vulnerable to the disease. Transporting inmates to local hospitals for routine medical treatment also has been suspended, she said. Employers in general arent doing enough to protect workers from the contagious virus, Chamberlain said. Shes particularly concerned that the prison system lacks personal protective equipment, calling it one of the big issues we have been yelling about for weeks and the lack of it and the supply of it is a concern in prisons. DiGuilio on Monday said the Corrections Department had adequate supply of the equipment for now. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Following are the top stories from the Eastern Region at 5 pm. CAL 2 BIHAR-VIRUS-POSITIVE Two fresh coronavirus cases in Bihar, total climbs to 23 Patna: Two fresh cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number so far in the state to 23, an official said. CAL 3 WB-VIRUS-DEATHS Two COVID-19 patients die in Bengal, death count 6 Kolkata: Two persons infected with coronavirus have died in West Bengal, taking the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the state to six, a health department official said on Wednesday. CAL 5 BH-VIRUS-NIZAMUDDIN 81 Tablighi Jamaat returnees suspected in Bihar, 30 identified Patna: Altogether 81 people are said to have travelled to different parts of Bihar after attending a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi's Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot, a top Health department official said here on Wednesday. CAL 6 AS-VIRUS-POSITIVE 4 more test positive for COVID-19 in Assam, all attended Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi Guwahati: Four more people tested positive for COVID- 19 in Guwahati on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in Assam to five, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. CES 4 TR-LOCKDOWN-RATION Tripura to provide free ration to 6.19 lakh poor families for one month Agartala: Tripura government on Wednesday announced that 6.19 lakh poor families in the state would get free ration for one month in view of the COVID-19 situation and the 21-day lockdown. CES 6 WB-LOCKDOWN-SLSA-REPORT SLSA seeks report from Home Secy on allegations of police highhandedness during lockdown Kolkata: The State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) has called for a report from West Bengal Home secretary and the Kolkata Police Commissioner on an allegation of highhandedness by law enforcers with regard to imposition of lockdown over the coronavirus spread, an official said here on Wednesday. CES 8 OD-VIRUS-NORMS COVID-19: Odisha govt urges people with travel history to follow home quarantine norms Bhubaneswar: A day after the detection of the fourth COVID-19 patient in the state, who returned from Dubai and did not show symptoms of the disease, the Odisha government on Wednesday urged people "with travel history but no symptoms" to strictly observe the 14-day home quarantine norms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Muhammad Hamadeh of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Midwest Chapter wants SAMS to help seniors in the community, he wrote. SAMS is assembling a group of physicians (many who live in Burr Ridge) ready to volunteer their services. There will be a hotline open 24 hours per day that you can call for medical advice or questions from your home if you do not have a doctor of your own to call. A nurse or medical assistant will triage calls and the doctors will advise as needed via telephone or even video conference no charge. As soon as the hotline is open, we will provide a number. Australia's biggest shopping malls could remain empty for a long time as the coronavirus pandemic threatens the future of Westfield, a credit ratings agency fears. Panic buyers in supermarkets and chemists are the only signs of activity in multi-storey retail precincts, as small shops and non-essential businesses are forced to close. Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service is worried about what this will mean for Scentre Group, the owner and operator of Australia's largest shopping mall chain Westfield. Westfield shopping malls could remain empty for a long time apart from panic buyers flooding supermarkets and chemists. Pictured is the Westfield Parramatta mall in Sydney's west It expects the coronavirus pandemic to reduce retail activity 'for at least the next three months' and has downgraded Scentre's outlook from stable to negative, even if a recovery began in July. 'Moody's base case assumption is that the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a period of severely reduced retail activity and demand for retail space,' it said. 'There are high risks of more challenging downside scenarios, and the severity and duration of the pandemic and social distancing rules remain uncertain.' Moody's said the closure of a string of smaller shops would reduce the rents Westfield's parent company was able to collect from its tenants. 'Scentre has exposure to non-discretionary retail tenants, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, which we expect will continue to trade at above normal levels, but the impact of the coronavirus will result in reduce demand for discretionary retail space that will subsequently impact rental rates,' it said. Smaller shops across Australia, from beauticians to masseurs, shut their doors last week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison banned many non-essential businesses from operating in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service is worried about what this will mean for Scentre Group, the owner of Australia's largest shopping mall chain Westfield (Parramatta mall pictured) Cinemas and gyms, a key attraction at many Westfields, are also illegal, at least until the worst global pandemic in 100 years is brought under control. 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 Department stores, a flagship business in Westfield shopping malls, were already struggling before the COVID-19 outbreak and a bad situation worsened as Australians were forced to stay home and self isolate. With customer numbers at low levels, Myer last week retrenched its 10,000 department store staff for at least four weeks. Its rival David Jones also closed a host of its smaller fashion stores including Witchery, Country Road and Mimco - and Cotton On - leaving 5000 workers without a job for at least a month or more. Hairdressers were allowed to remain open, provided they could do the job within half an hour. Despite that, Just Cuts didn't want to expose their staff to customers potentially infected with coronavirus and announced last week they would shut down for four weeks. Department stores, a flagship business in Westfield shopping malls, were already struggling before the COVID outbreak and a bad situation worsened as Australians were forced to stay home and self isolate. With customer numbers at low levels, Myer last week retrenched its 10,000 department store staff for at least four weeks Westfield's 89-year-old founder Frank Lowy timed his retirement well, relinquishing control of a global empire he started during the 1950s in Sydney's west. Two years ago, he sold his business to French property giant Unibail-Rodamco for $32.7billion. Its now worth less than half of that, with a market capitalisation of $11.93billion as of Wednesday afternoon. Scentre Group chief executive Peter Allen last week issued a statement acknowledging the difficulties of COVID-19 and said it would negotiate lease terms with retail tenants. 'We acknowledge these unprecedented times and government measures are being put into place to manage the health and wellbeing of Australians and promote social distancing,' he said. Mr Allen said Scentre Group was not asking its 3,600 retailers and 12,000 stores to close if they weren't required to. 'It is entirely the decision of individual retailers if they choose to for their own reasons,' he said. 'We have been flexible with opening hours for our retailers. 'We are committed to working with financial institutions and our retailers on commercial arrangements - with a particular focus on small to medium sized businesses - to help them get through to the other side.' Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said around 35,000 construction workers in the city have received the financial assistance announced by the Delhi government due to coronavirus lockdown and the rest will get it soon. The government in a statement said the amount of Rs 5,000 will be soon credited to the accounts of 9,000 construction workers whose applications for registration with the labour welfare board are pending. Last week, Kejriwal announced that the Delhi government will give financial assistance to the registered workers through the labour welfare board. "A total amount of Rs 16.18 crore has been given to the registered construction workers of Delhi. The Delhi government will soon give the assistance amount to nearly 9000 workers as well whose applications are still pending," it said. An amount of Rs 4.50 crore will be disbursed in this regard. Moreover, pension of 200 construction workers has also been released up to March 31 in the view of COVID-19 outbreak, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Local residents are being hospitalized as coronavirus intensifies in the region. At least one Warren County resident is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Glens Falls Hospital. Two others, from Washington County, are also hospitalized. There are 16 Saratoga County residents in regional hospitals as well. Warren County reported no change in its total cases: 19, with 10 still sick. In Washington County, two additional residents were confirmed to have the virus, bringing the total to 12, with 11 still sick. Saratoga County had five more cases, for a total of 117, and Essex County reported two additional cases, for a total of seven. With testing generally unavailable for those who are not hospitalized or working in health care, local public health departments are issuing quarantine orders to people who are presumed to have the virus. In order to ensure that we are monitoring these individuals and equally importantly identifying potential contacts of these persons Essex County Health Department, in concert with our local health care providers, will begin to treat any suspect case of COVID-19 as a confirmed positive case, said Essex County Public Health Director Linda Beers. The goal is to reduce community spread, she explained. She added that people should not leave their homes unless they must. We want everyone to consider any public site in Essex County as a potential site of COVID-19 exposure, she wrote in a news release. Up to two-thirds of COVID-19 infections could be spread by people whose own infections are undetected either because they remain asymptomatic (meaning they dont feel sick), or because they experience only mild symptoms. Because they dont feel sick, they tend to have contact with more people spreading the illness. To avoid them, she urged people to stay home. Limit trips outside the home to just those to acquire basic necessities, and practice social distancing and frequent hand-washing. The virus spreads mainly from close person-to-person contact. The best defense we have right now is to put distance between ourselves and other people, she said. One of the Essex County cases is a student who is not staying home. The student went back to the students university residence in another state after being tested. Public Health is coordinating with health officials in that state to make sure the student is quarantined there. You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Advertisement Bondi locals getting tested for coronavirus at the suburb's free pop-up clinic have vented their anger at backpackers throwing rooftop parties. Residents lined up at the eight testing centres set up by nurses at St Vincent's Hospital inside Bondi Pavilion on Wednesday to get tested for COVID-19. Sydney's eastern suburbs is one of Australia's coronavirus hotspots, but backpackers have continued to flout social distancing rules at the beach and in their hostels. There are 486 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Sydney's south-east. In Bondi alone, there are 143 cases, up from 105 in just five days, with health authorities claiming carefree backpackers are spreading the bug through Sydney. At least 23 cases came from an unknown source of infection. There were 2,182 coronavirus cases in NSW on Wednesday. Residents lined up at the eight testing centres set up by nurses at St Vincent's Hospital inside Bondi Pavilion on Wednesday to get tested for COVID-19 Nursing staff from St. Vincent's Hospital see local residents and backpackers at a COVID-19 testing clinic in the Bondi Pavillion One woman who lives with one housemate and wanted to stay anonymous said that backpackers should just return to their own countries. 'I've seem them out and about not caring, plenty of them flouting the rules,' she told Daily Mail Australia. She left the testing station with a purple mask on, which nurses are handing out to potential virus victims as they exit the free clinic. Owner of Beach Fit in Bondi, Paul Dias, decided to get tested as a precautionary measure. 'Some people just don't care. Backpackers, it's not their country but they just want to keep on partying. It's just unfair,' he said. 'They are still partying at night, on rooftops, and there are like 60 people. They think they might not get it but everyone can get it. Young people are dying from it.' St Vincents' pop up clinic in Bondi specifically for testing high-risk sections of the Bondi community What can you be fined $11,000 for in New South Wales? Under an emergency directive signed by NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, people can be fined $11,000 and/or be be jailed for six months for breaking strict social-distancing rules. Examples of 'reasonable excuses' listed in the emergency directive are: obtaining food or other goods and services, travelling for the purposes of work or education if the person cannot do it at home, exercise, or medical or caring reasons. People are also stopped from gathering in a public place with more than one other person. Exceptions to the gathering rule include: gatherings of members of the same household, and gatherings essential for work or education. Advertisement Joe Hutchinson, 31, has spent three years living in Bondi and had a big night out two weekends ago - a day after viral images circulated of Bondi Beach around the world, showing negligent swimmers packed on the shoreline. 'I work in construction management and was sent home with a cough. I think this is a great system to test people,' he said. 'I went to about four or five clubs that night in Bondi, like Ravesis and Mamasan. I probably shouldn't have been out but it was before the lockdown and I thought it was okay.' Mr Hutchinson noted hundreds of other partygoers in pubs and clubs a fortnight ago, particularly in the North Bondi area. He thought it looked similar to other weekends he'd been out. 'I think it's a good thing to have the backpacker panic, otherwise everyone would be taking the p*** with it,' he said. Susie Wilson, from nearby Vaucluse, walked up to the Bondi Pavilion wearing her activewear and a thick black mask. 'I have symptoms that are consistent with flu. Aches, a cough, banging headache, all of it,' she said. The 41-year-old has been following the news closely and working from home for the past two weeks with her two-year-old toddler by her side. A security guard wearing protective face mask is seen at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease NSW health authorities are setting up additional COVID-19 testing centres in Sydneys eastern suburbs of Waverley and Bondi due to a cluster coronavirus outbreak in the area which has led to a rise in community transmissions 'I see everything on the news about people not social distancing... but I've been following the rules. I'm just hoping this is the flu,' she said. The project manager can't recall coming into contact with anyone who has it, so if she tests positive, will wonder where she might have contracted it from. Mark Luboff lives just across the road from the testing clinic and has an elderly neighbour, so he wanted to be cautious. 'They put sanitiser on your hands, the nurse tilts your head back and you get two pricks up the nose,' he said. 'I've had a shortness of breath and mild sore throat but have been pretty quarantined.' Mr Luboff wants to clear up once and for all whether he has coronavirus but results take 72 hours to come back, by which time he could have contracted it from someone else. A healthcare professional talks to a man at a pop-up clinic testing for coronavirus at Bondi Beach Anyone with a fever over 38 degrees Celsius, who has respiratory troubles or has been in contact with a known Australian or overseas case is being urged to take the test in Bondi, which involves sticking two swabs up each nostril While he said it's easy to point fingers at a particular group, like backpackers, if the numbers in 'that community' are high then that needs to be highlighted. Mr Luboff, who is currently writing a book, lives alone so isn't worried about passing the disease to anyone else in his household, should he have it. 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 Ocean swimmer Peter Howard, 81, believes the pop up clinic is a good idea, and while backpackers are good people, 'they do live like sardines'. Mr Howard, who lives just back from Bondi Beach on Campbell Parade, joked that he used to want to get into those 'backpacker parties' but now is glad he didn't. 'I came to get tested because I'm feeling a bit queasy. I live so close so I thought it was worth a test.' For Georgia Ciano, a fever and constant sore throat had her wanting to call into the pop up clinic. 'I actually called the ambulance 10 days ago because I couldn't breathe, but they wouldn't test me because I'm not over 70 and haven't been overseas,' she said. The 47-year-old lives with her husband and daughter in the area and is glad she now has the opportunity to get tested. 'The backpackers are obviously a big reason why we are down here but you can touch any surface and get it too,' she said. Anyone with a fever over 38C, who has respiratory troubles or has been in contact with someone who is infected is being urged to take the test in Bondi, which involves sticking two swabs up each nostril. NSW health authorities are setting up additional COVID-19 testing centres in Sydney's eastern suburbs of Waverley and Bondi due to a cluster coronavirus outbreak in the area which has led to a rise in community transmissions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Dec. 11, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) GOP Leaders Seek DOJ Inspector Generals Testimony on New FISA Report Republican leaders in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees are calling for the Justice Departments Inspector General Michael Horowitz to testify on his new Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) audit report, which found that the FBI had failed to follow proper procedures needed to obtain FISA warrants. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have separately called for Horowitzs testimony following the release of the preliminary findings in his audit on Tuesday. The audit was initiated after Horowitzs investigation into the FBIs surveillance on former Trump campaign associate Carter Page found that there were widespread fundamental and serious errors in the FISA applications used to spy on him. The findings of that report, issued in December 2019, found at least 17 significant errors or omissions in the Carter Page FISA applications, and many additional errors in the Woods Procedures. The follow-up review (pdf) determined that FBI agents broke the bureaus policy by failing to follow the Woods Procedure, which requires agents to compile supporting documentation for each fact in a FISA application. The Woods Procedures were implemented in 2001 in an effort to minimize factual inaccuracies in FISA applications as well as to ensure that the statements are scrupulously accurate. Horowitz reviewed a sample of 29 FISA applications spanning a five year period from eight FBI field offices. Of those, the FBI could not locate the Woods filesa record of that contains documentation that substantiates facts asserted in a FISA applicationfor four of the applications selected for review. Meanwhile, the office identified apparent errors or inadequately supported facts in the Wood files of the other 25 applications. [W]e believe that a deficiency in the FBIs efforts to support the factual statements in FISA applications through its Woods Procedures undermines the FBIs ability to achieve its scrupulously accurate standard for FISA applications, Tuesdays memo stated. In a statement on Tuesday, Graham said that he intends to ask Horowitz to appear before the senate committee to explain his findings on the problems identified in the inspector generals audit. Meanwhile, Jordan, the ranking member of the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the committees chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on March 31 to urge him to invite Horowitz to testify on FBIs FISA process. Jordan had previously asked Nadler to invite the inspector general to testify after the December FISA report, but Nadler has so far resisted pressure to do so. Because of the pervasiveness and seriousness of the FISA application deficienciesand the pending reauthorization of FISAwe renew our request that you invite Inspector General Michael Horowitz to testify at a public hearing promptly when the House returns to session, the letter stated (pdf). Jordan also said that the preliminary findings validate a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges concern about the reliability of information contained in applications. The judge, Rosemary Collyer, said in an order in December that the frequency in which FBI agents abused the FISA processes in Pages application calls into question whether the information in other FISA applications is reliable (pdf). The Committee must not allow the FBIs extraordinary power to electronically surveil Americans to be so haphazardly rubber-stamped with incorrect, unsubstantiated, or erroneous supporting information, Jordan said. Congress is currently in the process of reauthorizing several domestic surveillance powers under FISA, which expired on March 15. The House struck a compromise on a number of reform issues and passed a bill renewing the expired provisions. The Senate was unable to reach an agreement and instead approved a short-term extension for the expired provisions through to May 30, which gives senators more time to consider amendments to FISA. The House will still need to pass the short-term extensions. Georgia Sandover sips her cup of tea and tries to explain how it feels being the first and only woman in the RAF Regiment. When I joined up, I didnt think I would be the first female [to make it]. I thought someone else would be here before me. The petite, shy redhead, who today wears black leggings, a cotton T-shirt and just a hint of mascara, looks even younger than her 19 years. Yet a few weeks ago, in January, she passed a gruelling selection course to become the first female member of the RAFs frontline infantry regiment, which defends British bases overseas from attack. Its a role that could see her facing a daunting enemy much sooner than she might have imagined; Georgias unit 1 Squadron is now on standby to help tackle coronavirus, guarding key sites such as Downing Street, Parliament and the countrys nuclear power plants. Georgia Sandover, 19, (pictured) from Norfolk, who is the first woman to join the RAF regiment, completed a 20-week selection course Were sitting on sofas in a communal area at RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, for yet another first her first ever interview. Like so much else, Leading Aircraftman Sandover takes it in her stride. Youve just got to go for it really, she says of her training so far. You always have that feeling in the back of your mind, am I good enough? But if you dig in and youre determined to do it, you can do it. Thats the attitude that saw her sign up for a gruelling 20-week RAF Regiment selection course alongside 42 male recruits, even though only one other woman has ever tried it since a ban on females in frontline roles was lifted two years ago. Its the attitude that saw her succeed, time and again, while more than half of the boys dropped out. To pass, the would-be recruits had to perform a series of fitness tests including marching 4km carrying 40kg (over 6st) then speeding up and doing 2km more in just 16 minutes. Georgia dragged a 110kg (17st) sandbag at speed and carried 40kg the length of a rugby pitch and back, both exercises designed to test her ability to get a wounded colleague out of trouble. Then there were the live fire drills with an L85 automatic rifle and bayonet practice to channel aggression. Just 18 recruits made it through. Georgia was one of them, despite being just 5ft 4in; an astonishing achievement. She says she did nothing differently to the other trainees but admits: Sometimes youve got to put in double the effort to be able to do well. She adds: Id worked so hard to get to the training, I always thought: Why give it up now? The role was something I wanted to do. Georgia began thinking about the military, after spending Sunday nights watching BBC drama Our Girl with her parents. Pictured: Georgia at training Unlike many of her new comrades, Georgia isnt from a military family. But her parents, Sharon, a retail worker who burst into tears when her daughter called to say shed made it into the regiment and Tim, a mechanic, could not be prouder of how far she has come. I was quite a girly girl as a child, Georgia recalls, playing dolls with her little sister, Izzy, now 15, and learning how to sew. When I was younger I was always testing make-up to see what worked for me, wearing it at high school. Now I only wear it for special occasions! She started thinking about the military while spending Sunday nights in with her parents watching BBC drama Our Girl. Back on screens as of last week, it followed 18-year-old Molly from her home in East London to working in the most dangerous places on earth as an army medic. Becoming animated, Georgia explains: She (Molly) was in a council estate with her mum and dad, struggling for money and work. Then she sees an army recruitment poster and realises she can thrive. She overcame a load of stuff. I feel like I can do the same. Georgia may not have had the same tough upbringing as her binge-drinking heroine who left school with no qualifications as she grew up in the countryside on the outskirts of the quiet market town of Kings Lynn and then in her parents current three-bedroom home in Downham Market, Norfolk. But she has certainly overcome great odds to be where she is. Georgia also spent time watching SAS Who Dares Wins, in which Special Forces soldiers put 30 people through gruelling challenges. Pictured: Georgia in uniform as part of the RAF Regiment Always sporty, at school she craved adventure. Any adventurous training or activity holidays I would always want to go on, she says, mentioning caving and canoeing for starters, while she trained most nights of the week after school with a swimming club. Our Girl wasnt her only inspiration; she spent hours glued to any programme she could find about the military, including SAS Who Dares Wins, in which Special Forces soldiers put 30 people through gruelling challenges. I wanted an active job. I didnt want to be stuck inside, she says. By 16, her decision was made, and she signed up for a uniformed public services course at the College of West Anglia, near her home. The only question now was which force she would join. One of her teachers Rob Cooke, a former Gunner inspired her to join the RAF Regiment in 2018, when she was fresh out of college. She didnt know it at the time, but the stars were moving into alignment for Georgias military career. First, a ban on women serving on the front line was lifted in 2016 by then Prime Minister David Cameron. Military critics labelled the move a bad error of judgment. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said it would lead to a reduction in standards. Others said women would simply never pass the physical tests. In September 2017, the RAF became the first service to open all combat roles to women, followed swiftly by the Army and Navy. Corporal Louise Carroll, 30, an RAF policewoman, is also facing being called up to help fight coronavirus Two years later, hardly any women have moved into these roles. Some have attempted selection courses and failed. Others are thought to be too intimidated to try. Last December, it emerged that only one female recruit had even signed up to the Royal Marines commando course, despite 1,000 women originally showing an interest. One exception to this rule is Captain Rosie Wild, 28, of the Royal Artillery, who in February became the first woman to pass the Parachute Regiment selection course, the toughest one outside the Special Forces. As for the RAF Regiment, based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, one woman other than Georgia has attempted the course in 2018 but failed on endurance marches and other fitness tests. All of which is to say that Georgia is an incredibly capable, resilient and strong young woman. She also has a keen sense of fun. She takes me to a hangar full of armoured vehicles to show me what she might end up doing in the regiment. Having changed into combat fatigues, military-issue boots and a dark-blue beret, she looks at home as she points out a Foxhound patrol vehicle that can protect against roadside bombs and comes with a 7.62mm machine gun. Cpl Carroll says: If women pass all the tests, gender shouldnt come into it. It definitely isnt a mans world, there is a place for us' Thats what Id like to drive, she says, beaming. Then she adds: A lot of the lads I trained with want to be snipers, but thats not for me. Ah yes, the lads. How does any young woman cope with being surrounded by teenage boys at their most masculine? She insists that rather than being a hindrance, they quickly became her chief motivators on the training course. The lads, with their banter, always tried to cheer you up. They were motivating, trying to make you laugh. At the start, they had to get used to me but they wouldnt leave me out of anything. They would always say, We are going out to get food, do you want to come? They would always include me. She mentions, by the by, that she ate the same as her male comrades during training. You just burn it off straight away. We were all in same boat, and I made some close friends. You havent got bods (slang for lads) that arent really into it. You know at that point people really want to pass out. There is, however, one male passion she finds hard to understand. I never played computer games, thats the thing. The lads go on about these games and I still dont play them, she says. There were certain practical considerations during training; for example, she shared an accommodation block with the men, but was given her own room with a lock, away from the lads bunks, just in case she wanted to keep them out. The RAF police dont take on frontline infantry roles, and 40 per cent of their number are female. She seems to have worried more about feeling isolated than needing space however, pointing out: It also meant I could go see the lads, and be with them and not be on my own. In the field, the gender balance will shift slightly once again, as often there will be female medics around. Bathrooms and shower blocks are often shared, she says, and the sign on the door is simply switched around depending on whether a male or female is using it. Her comrade, Corporal Louise Carroll, 30, an RAF policewoman, whom I meet with Georgia, is also facing being called up to help fight coronavirus. The RAF police dont take on frontline infantry roles, and 40 per cent of their number are female. She says: If women pass all the tests, gender shouldnt come into it. It definitely isnt a mans world, there is a place for us. We bring something different to the table. It may not necessarily be brute strength, but we do have a proven place in the RAF. What about the ultimate test, I ask Georgia: would her male comrades trust her to get them out of danger on a deployment? I believe so yeah, she says confidently. And thats that. Of course, lads or no lads, she hopes more women will follow in her footsteps. My friends from school always ask what its like. They say they couldnt do it, Georgia reveals. Luckily, she admits, she has a boyfriend whos also in the RAF. She clarifies that he didnt do the selection course with her, which surely would have been an endurance test in itself for any young couple but says doing similar jobs means they understand each other. Georgia (pictured) believes practising different scenarios has prepared her for a real threat I understand if he has to go away for a little while, and its not so hard. And he understands it from my perspective as well. At the moment, she says, her life is training and exercises, mainly, although coronavirus is clearly on everyones mind with canisters of hand sanitiser and warning signs everywhere on the base. When she can, she wants to do a driving course and get herself behind the wheel of the Foxhound vehicle she showed me earlier. We are soldiers because we can end up on the front line, she says. You would go on patrols around the base and surrounding areas to stop people attacking. She adds that she would be armed with her L85 rifle, which can fire 650 rounds a minute, at all times. Is she ready to confront a real threat? Looking briefly at her superior, she doesnt hesitate: You practise it quite a lot, and you go on exercises to practise different scenarios. If it was real, we would all be confident enough to face what lies ahead. Its clear Georgia takes her new role very seriously and believes she is up to its challenges. But she privately admits that, when shes feeling down, she still turns to her childhood inspiration, Our Girl, for comfort. I still watch it. It is actually one of my favourite programmes I just go from the beginning. It motivates me, she says with a smile. I feel Im a part of that now. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was still working out twice a week in the private Supreme Court gym with her personal trainer until Washington, D.C. put in place an official stay at home order. In a Tuesday interview with Law360, trainer Bryant Johnson said the 87-year-old four-time cancer survivor was still maintaining her routine of planks, push-ups and other exercises, which was depicted in the documentary 'RBG.' Wednesday, however, marked the first day that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's stay at home order went into effect to combat the coronavirus. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been continuing to work out in the private Supreme Court gym with her trainer until this Wednesday, when the D.C. mayor's stay at home order went into effect Residents of the capital city are to only leave their houses and apartments for essential activities. Exercise is allowed, but the D.C. government advised that there be 'no person-to-person contact.' Johnson told New York Magazine's The Cut that Ginsburg's in-person work-outs would be part of the pause. The trainer told Law360 that he and the associate justice were taking proper 'social distancing' precautions during her work-outs - including wiping down equipment, washing hands and keeping their distance. Johnson also cancelled appointments with all of his other clients, so that he was only working with the elderly justice. Ginsburg is the oldest justice on the nine-person Supreme Court bench, though six members are older than 60. While data on the coronavirus is being collected rapidly, medical professionals continue to believe that older people with underlying health conditions are more at risk. Six members of the Supreme Court are older than 60, putting them at a higher risk if they were to contract coronavirus. Ginsburg (bottom row, second from right) had still been working out with a trainer at the private Supreme Court gym until Wednesday's order stopped the sessions The Supreme Court has been clsoed to the public since March 13, though technically remains open for 'official business.' On March 16, the Court said it would postpone oral arguments indefinitely. Four days later, the justices met, but a number of them dialed in remotely. A spokesperson for the court wouldn't reveal to CNN which justices remained at home. As the court's leading liberal, Ginsburg is often a target for those on the right, especially with her advanced age. Last month, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar - who was forced to self-quarantine after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus who attended CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference - joked about giving the virus to Ginsburgh. ''Fact check: there is no truth to the rumor that @SenTedCruz and I asked for a joint meeting with Justice Ginsburg,' Gosar said on Twitter. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has announced that after the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak ends, his government will not stop migrants from travelling to the Greek border. Breitbart reports in its article Turkey: Migrants Will Return to Border After Coronavirus Outbreak Ends that Interior Minister Soyilu said that the government had evacuated an estimated 5,800 migrants from the border area and transported them to nine different Turkish provinces where they will be held in deportation centres until the outbreak ends. It was a precautionary move. We had to do it. But no one has yet to feel comfortable with it, Soyilu said. According to a report from the Greek newspaper Proto Thema, Soyilu added: When the coronavirus pandemic is over, we are not going to deter any immigrants who want to return to the Greek-Turkish border in Pazar. George Koumoutsakos, the deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, criticised the Turkish minister, saying: Yesterdays statements by Soyilu respond to those who still had the slightest doubt that the events in Evros were an aggressive plan to brutally blackmail Greece and Europe with a weapon of migrant exploitation. The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the borders to migrants in late February, with the Greek government accusing the Turks of using busses and trains to ship migrants to the land border area along the Evros river. The Greeks have also accused Erdogans government of arming migrants with canisters of tear gas to use on Greek border forces and supporting migrants attempting to storm the border. In an interview with a Swedish newspaper, one Turkish soldier admitted that he had received orders to help migrants get across the border into the European Union saying: We have checked that everything has gone well and that the smugglers do not charge too much. We also have intelligence about where and when it is safe to get over. Last week, the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) claimed to have evidence that Turkish soldiers were placed among the migrants and fueled riots along the border, as well. By Express News Service Last week, the Reserve Bank of India had announced a 3-month moratorium on all term loans outstanding as on March 1, 2020, as well as relief on working capital facilities to ease the burden caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. Here, the Indian Banks Association clarifies a few frequently asked questions on the matter: Which are the benefits and are they available to all? All term loans and cash credit/overdraft are eligible for the moratorium. Further, to avoid unnecessary paperwork the facility has been extended across the board to all borrowers by extending repayment of term loan instalments (includes interest) by 90 days. For e.g. a loan repayable in 60 instalments maturing on March 1, 2025 will mature on June 1, 2025. Is rescheduling only for the principal amount? Rescheduling of principal can be done for a period of three months between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020. For example, where the last instalment falls due for payment on March 1, it will become payable on June 1. For EMI-based term loans, there will be three EMIs falling due during the period and the tenor will be extended by three months. These will have to be repaid during the extended period, as per the example above.For other term loans, all the instalments and interest will fall due during the same period, irrespective of the tenor of payment i.e. monthly, annually, bullet payment etc. Where the repayment has not commenced, the interest portion for three months alone needs to be reckoned. What if the extended tenor goes beyond the maximum period in the loan policy? This can be extended without seeking approvals. What will be the impact on defaulting borrowers? Overdue payments post March 1 will not be reported to Credit Bureaus for three months. No penal interest or charges will be payable to the banks. It will not be considered a default by rating agencies. Should you necessarily take the benefit? You may take the benefits if there is a disruption in your cash flows or there is loss of income. However, you must take into account that the interest on loans continues to accrue and will result in higher cost. What about my credit card dues? The relief is available for credit card payments too. Interest will be charged by the issuer on the unpaid amount. However, no penal interest will be charged. For the first time in history, on Wednesday the Tennessee Supreme Court will hold an oral argument by video conference. This new approach is part of efforts by courts at all levels to find innovative and creative ways to continue to conduct essential court business across the state. All of these efforts are part of the commitment to keep courts open during the COVID-19 pandemic, while balancing that priority with concerns for the health and well-being of all litigants, attorneys, judges, and employees of the court system. The first case listed below will be heard by video conference. The last three cases have been submitted on briefs by agreement of the parties. The details of the cases are as follows: Lataisha M. Jackson v. Charles Anthony Burrell et al. This healthcare liability action arose when the plaintiff, Lataisha Jackson, alleged that an employee, Charles Burrell, at Goulds Salon Inc. d/b/a Goulds Day Spa & Salon (Goulds) sexually assaulted her while she was getting a massage. Ms. Jackson filed claims of vicarious liability, negligence, and negligent supervision, retention, and training against Goulds. Goulds filed a motion for summary judgment claiming, in part, that the negligence claims could not survive because Ms. Jackson failed to file a certificate of good faith, which is a pre-suit notice requirement under the Tennessee Health Care Liability Act. In opposition, Ms. Jackson argued that the certificate of good faith was not required by law under the common knowledge exception to the THCLA. The trial court granted Goulds motion for summary judgment based on Ms. Jacksons failure to file the certificates of good faith and dismissed the claims with prejudice. Ms. Jackson appealed to the Court of Appeals but did not directly raise the issue of whether the common knowledge exception applied in this case. Goulds, however, argued the issue in its brief. A majority of the intermediate court affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of Goulds and held that the common knowledge exception did not apply and that, even if it did, Ms. Jackson waived the argument by not raising it as an issue on appeal. The dissent determined that the argument regarding the common knowledge exception was not waived and that the exception applied as related to Ms. Jacksons negligence claims. On appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Ms. Jackson contends that the issue of whether the common knowledge exception applies was not waived because she argued it in front of the trial court, Goulds argued the issue in its brief on appeal, and Goulds never raised the issue of waiver. Additionally, she argues that the common knowledge exception exempts her from having to file a certificate of good faith because, under the THCLA, the certificate is required for medical negligence and this a case of negligent supervision and retention of an employee. Goulds argues that Ms. Jackson was required to file a certificate of good faith because the legislative intent shows that it is required for all health care liability claims, not just medical claims. Additionally, Goulds contends that Ms. Jacksons skeletal arguments in the trial court did not satisfy her burden of preserving the issue for appeal. Goulds also contends that even if the argument is not waived, the common knowledge exception does not apply in this case because a determination of whether Goulds acted negligently in hiring, retaining, or supervising an employee is not a matter within the common knowledge of a layperson. Marty Holland v. State of Tennessee The defendant, Marty Holland, pled guilty to attempted first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery. The trial court sentenced the defendant to 17 years on each charge and ran the sentences concurrently with each other. According to the plea agreement, the trial court ordered the 17-year sentence to run concurrently with a federal sentence on an unrelated bank robbery charge and consecutively to an unrelated state theft charge. The defendant filed for post-conviction relief, raising multiple issues, but he did not raise issues related to his state sentence running concurrently with his federal sentence. The post-conviction court denied the defendants petition. The defendant appealed the denial to the Court of Criminal Appeals on the sole issue that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the post-conviction courts denial of relief based on the issues raised in the petition but remanded the case to the post-conviction court for a hearing to determine whether the [defendant] was advised of the consequences of entering a guilty plea based upon the agreement that his state sentence be served concurrently with a prior federal sentence, an issue not raised in the petition or on appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeals reasoned that the Board of Prisons has limited circumstances under which it allows a federal inmate to serve all or part of his or her sentence in state custody, and the record on appeal was devoid of federal documentation acknowledging that the defendants state and federal sentences would be served concurrently. On appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the State argues that the Court of Criminal Appeals exceeded its authority in remanding this case to the post-conviction court for consideration of an issue that was not raised by the petitioner. The defendant argues that the appellate court had the authority to address the issue under the Rules of Appellate procedure and under the plain error rule. Furthermore, the defendant contends that allowing the post-conviction court to hold a hearing and address this glaring error would prevent needless litigation and promote fairness, as the post-conviction proceeding is the defendants only opportunity to challenge his guilty plea. Antonio Howard v. State of Tennessee In this criminal case, the defendant was convicted by a jury of especially aggravated robbery, six counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated robbery, and three counts of aggravated assault. After trial, his counsel failed to file a timely motion for new trial. As a result, three of the five issues raised in his untimely filed motion were considered waived on direct appeal. Only two of the five issues, sufficiency of the evidence and sentencing, were available for plenary review on appeal because these claims are not required to be raised in a motion for new trial. The Court of Criminal Appeals declined to review the three other issues under the plain error doctrine and affirmed the defendants conviction and sentence. The defendant then filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which claimed that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a timely motion for new trial, which impeded his right to full appellate review. The post-conviction court acknowledged trial counsels deficiency but held that, pursuant to the standard in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), the defendant failed to prove he actually was prejudiced by this deficiency given the overwhelming proof of his guilt at trial. The post-conviction court denied the defendants petition. On appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeals reversed, relying on Tennessee Supreme Court precedent, stating that there is a presumption of prejudice when the defendant indicates a desire to appeal and trial counsel fails to file a timely motion for new trial. The State appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court and argues that the per se rule adopted by the Court should be overturned and that the standard in Strickland should apply when a motion for new trial is untimely. In such a case, according to the State, the defendant is not constitutionally deprived of an appeal, even though the scope of his direct appeal may be limited. Additionally, the State argues that Tennessee law and other state jurisdictions support applying the Strickland standard in this context to determine prejudice. The defendant contends that the presumption of prejudice under existing Tennessee Supreme Court precedent is still the appropriate standard because he was not afforded meaningful appellate review. Additionally, the defendant argues that requiring a petitioner to prove actual prejudice for legal claims he would have raised on appeal creates an unfair and unsurmountable hurdle, given that, typically, many petitioners initially proceed pro se in post-conviction proceedings. David New v. Lavinia Dumitrache et al. This civil dispute arose following the divorce of David New (father) and Lavinia Dumitrache (mother). Mother filed for an order of protection in General Sessions Court in Shelby County, Tn., for herself and the couples minor child against father following the childs claims of abuse during visitation with the father. The general sessions court issued the orders of protection, and the court later supplemented its order and awarded mother attorneys fees and discretionary costs in the amount of $7,500. Father did not perfect an appeal in the chancery court within the 10-day limit but later filed an appeal in the nature of a writ of error and a petition to certify and enroll a foreign judgment regarding the Texas divorce decree. Mother filed separate motions to dismiss for both claims. The chancery court granted the motions to dismiss, finding the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the appeals from the orders of protection because they were untimely, and the court dismissed the writ of error as a claim not recognized under Tennessee law. Mother then filed a motion to alter or amend, seeking attorneys fees and costs, and the chancery court awarded her over $24,000 in fees and discretionary costs. Father appealed. The Court of Appeals first held that the chancery court had jurisdiction over the claims asserted by Father. Next, the Court of Appeals held that the chancery court had the authority to award Mother attorneys fees as incurred in her defense of the writ of error but not in the defense of the petition to enroll the foreign judgment because Tennessee statute only allows attorneys fees that are incurred during an appeal of an issuance or extension of an order of protection. The Court of Appeals ultimately remanded the cases to determine the appropriate amount of attorneys fees related solely to Mothers defense of the writ of error. On appeal to the Supreme Court, Mother contends that the attorneys fees she was awarded were not excessive and were so intertwined with issues related to the appeal from the issuance of the order of protection that the attorneys fees cannot be ascertained solely on the defense of the writ of error. Father argues that Mother is not entitled to attorneys fees on either claim because he was not appealing the issuance of the order of protection. Furthermore, Father contends that the dismissal of the claim of writ of error was based on faulty reasoning and cannot be the basis of an award of attorneys fees. However, if the Court finds that attorneys fees are appropriate under the circumstances, Father argues that he is entitled to an evidentiary hearing on the matter. A copy of the video conference oral argument will be available approximately 48 hours after the conclusion of the argument. It will be available at: http://tncourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/oral-argument-videos U.S. shale producer Whiting Petroleum Corporation, once one of the top producers in the Bakken, said on Wednesday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection, becoming the first major victim of the oil price war and the coronavirus pandemic that sent oil prices to $20. Whiting Petroleum Corporation, whose largest projects are in the Bakken and Three Forks plays in North Dakota and the Niobrara play in northeast Colorado, said in a statement that it had started voluntary Chapter 11 cases under the United States Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Given the severe downturn in oil and gas prices driven by uncertainty around the duration of the Saudi / Russia oil price war and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Companys Board of Directors came to the conclusion that the principal terms of the financial restructuring negotiated with our creditors provides the best path forward for the Company, said Bradley J. Holly, the companys chairman, president and CEO. Whiting Petroleum has reached an agreement with certain noteholders to pursue financial restructuring to debt by more than US$2.2 billion via the exchange of all of the notes for 97 percent of the new equity of the reorganized company. Whiting Petroleum will continue to operate without material disruption to vendors or employees, and at this point, it expects to have enough liquidity to meet its financial obligations during the restructuring without resorting to additional financing, it said. Whiting Petroleum became the first sizable U.S. shale producer to seek bankruptcy protection and restructuring after the oil price collapse forced many U.S. drillers, including the supermajors Exxon and Chevron, to announce significant reductions in projected spending and drilling operations, as no one in the U.S. shale patch can profitably drill a new well at $20 WTI Crude. Since the oil price crash last month, 22 U.S. independents have cut expenditure for 2020 by a total of US$20 billion, an average of 35 percent, and three have slashed capex by 50 percent or more, Simon Flowers, Chairman and Chief Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said on Tuesday. The size of cuts is close to those of 2015 and have come through faster. Yet companies today are far leaner than back then; and what weve seen so far may just be a taste of whats to come. Diamondback and Occidental have already cut twice in two weeks, suggesting further, deeper cuts are coming for many US Independents, Flowers noted. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Thailand has announced plans to give its citizens free mobile data amid the coronavirus lockdown which has forced many people to work ... Thailand has announced plans to give its citizens free mobile data amid the coronavirus lockdown which has forced many people to work from home, said a government official on Tuesday. According to Reuters, Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, disclosed that the initiative will take effect from April 10. Individuals can register for 10 gigabytes (GB) of mobile data each month starting April 10. The government is giving the data so the public can stay home and limit the spread of COVID, he was quoted as saying. A spokesman was also quoted as saying that the commission intends to compensate the countrys three mobile operators. It however remains unknown how the commission intends to achieve this. Total Access Communication Pcl (DTAC), the countrys third-ranked mobile operator, said the proposed measure could pose a challenge given its attendant demands. This is a challenge because (when) increasing capacity in areas outside the city there are uncertainties like the duration of the heightened data use, Sirawit Klabdee, DTAC head of investor relations, said. On Tuesday, the southeast Asian country recorded 127 new cases of the killer virus with 10 deaths so far. Last week, the government had declared a state of emergency and urged companies to adopt work from home policies to limit movement of people. The USFDA has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) with 'voluntary action indicated' status to Biocon's Malaysian unit in terms of production of Glargine. Sharing further details, CMD of the company Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said, This is an important EIR that we have received and it is good because it makes us feel confident that we will get the approval sooner than later. In terms of the timeline, she said, "We have always said that it will be in the first half of this year. So, that is what we stick by." With this entire COVID-19 crisis, one does not know when the US markets will open for business. So we have to be a bit realistic, she said, adding that they were glad the inspection went well. "I hope that we get the approval soon but in terms of the launch, we have to be realistic; we need to wait-and-watch and see how things progress because the US is going through a very bad phase, she said in an interview with CNBC-TV18. 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 When asked about the market size, Mazumdar-Shaw said, Post COVID-19, there will be a huge effort to bring down healthcare costs and biosimilars are certainly going to be extremely important in this effort. I believe insulin therapies are also going to play a very important role in cost-cutting and biosimilar glargine, insulins and others are going to be extremely important." Follow our LIVE coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic "So, we do have an opportunity to play very strongly in this segment. It is a $7 billion business globally and in the US itself, it is a $4 billion business. So from that point of view, it has a huge opportunity and it is growing. With biosimilars, access to insulin glargine is much larger. We have a very important role to play in providing affordable access to glargine, she said. When asked if the number of private labs conducting COVID-19 tests would be extended and the challenges that the industry is facing in India, she replied, Including the private labs has been a very good move on part of the government. It should have been done sooner than this. The challenge is that the state governments legislations are coming in the way. The kit issue is being resolved because a number of kits are now being produced and I dont think we will have an issue with a number of kits, as more kits are being approved." "The biggest worry is the way state governments are restricting private labs from testing. In Karnataka, we have cleared the way. Maharashtra has become extremely difficult. All the state governments, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, they have come on very heavily on to private labs. If you dont allow private labs to test large numbers, you are defeating the purpose of including private labs into this testing arena, she cautioned. Talking about their biologics business target of around $1 billion by FY22, she said, It is two years away. We are hoping that our business will go according to plan. There has been a lull right now because of logistics issues. I am hopeful that the COVID-19 crisis will pass sooner than later. We will work towards that target but more than anything else, this is a time for biosimilars to have a huge impact on global healthcare and that is why I remain very confident that we will have a very big role to play. There is very close cooperation between the government, the Centre and the private sector whether it is on the research front, whether it is on the private testing front etc. I am very pleased with that. We are all working towards developing vaccines, therapies and new antibody-based serological testing, so there is a lot of that kind of work going on," she said, She added that what COVID-19 crisis has shown us is that we have to focus on these very important areas. Infectious diseases have been neglected and ignored for too long. "Moreover, our public health system has to be improved and there is a lot of opportunities for us to build a very robust healthcare ecosystem, she stated. Source: CNBC-TV18 Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Wed, April 1, 2020 08:08 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec310d 2 Books Harry-Potter,audiobook,jude-law,jk-rowling,Book Free The British actor portrayed Professor Albus Dumbledore in the second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" film series, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Law will now appear in a new audiobook for "The Tales of Beedle The Bard," which was published in 2008 in an effort to raise funds for J.K. Rowling's Lumos charity. The collection of short stories is presented in the "Harry Potter" universe as traditional bedtime tales for wizarding families. The fictional book is notably mentioned in the seventh and final novel of the "Harry Potter series," where it serves as a vehicle for introducing Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Wesley to the Deathly Hallows. Adapted into an audiobook for the first time, each story of "The Tales of Beedle The Bard" will be narrated by a different actor from the "Harry Potter" films and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" play. Sally Mortemore, known as Hogwarts librarian Madam Pince in the film franchise, narrates the book's introduction, while Law reads Dumbledore's notes on the stories. Noma Dumezweni, who played the original Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," takes on "The Tale of the Three Brothers." Bonnie Wright, who portrays Ginny Weasley in the "Harry Potter" films, lends her voice to "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump." Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Warwick Davis (Flitwick / Griphook) also contribute to the star-dubbed audiobook, whose proceeds will partly go to Lumos. Read also: Harry Potter makes you a better person, study suggests Set for release on March 31, "The Tales of Beedle The Bard" will arrive a few days after Audible made hundreds of its audiobooks available to the public for free in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "For as long as schools are closed, we're open," the audiobook company announced during the launch of Audible Stories. While the collection is geared towards young listeners, book lovers of all ages can (re)discover literary classics narrated by some of the biggest names of the film industry. Scarlett Johansson takes on "Alice In Wonderland," while Thandie Newton reads Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens have respectively lent their voices to audiobooks of "Anne of Green Gables" and "Frankenstein." L oss of sense of smell and taste could be the best way to tell whether you have Covid-19, researchers have said. Scientists at King's College London have been tracking symptoms via their specially-created online tool. By March 31, the Covid Symptom Tracker App had more than 1.8 million users sign up to log their symptoms, or lack thereof, daily. Some 59 per cent of the 1.5 million people who had signed up by March 29 and tested positive reported a loss of smell and taste. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images Thats compared with 18 per cent of those who tested negative, analysis of the data showed. Researchers said the reports of those symptoms were much stronger in predicting a positive Covid-19 diagnosis than self-reported fever. The team behind the app has now created a model featuring a combination of symptoms, including loss of smell and taste, fever, persistent cough, fatigue, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite, and said the strongest predictor is loss of smell and taste. Commonly accepted symptoms of the respiratory disease include a fever, which NHS England says is usually a temperature of 38C or above, tiredness and a dry cough. Under current Government guidance people are advised to self-isolate if they have a new continuous cough and/or high temperature. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says other symptoms can include shortness of breath, aches and pains, and a sore throat. Some people have also reported a loss of taste and/or smell, as well as abdominal pains. Last week the WHO's Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said there had been "quite a few" reports about people in the early stages of disease maybe losing sense of smell or taste but added "this is something that we need to look in to, to really capture to see whether this is one of the signs of Covid-19". Lead researcher Professor Tim Spector from King's College, said: "When combined with other symptoms, people with loss of smell and taste appear to be three times more likely to have contracted Covid-19 according to our data, and should therefore self-isolate for seven days to reduce the spread of the disease." He said their research is helping to track where the virus is, before the effects are felt by the NHS, and encouraged people to continue or start logging their symptoms, even if they feel well. Prof Spector said the data "gives us an evolving map of the UK of where symptoms are occurring two to three weeks before a strain on the NHS, which is why it's vital to continue logging your health and symptoms, even when you feel completely healthy, and encourage others to use the app". Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast Gandhinagar, April 1 : Wednesday recorded the highest COVID-19 positive cases in a day, 13 in Gujarat, taking the total positive cases in the state to 87. Jayanti Ravi, the principal secretary, Health and family welfare Department, Gujarat said, "Apart from the eight positive cases registered on Wednesday morning, during the day, we have had five more positive cases in the state. Two are from Surat, two in Porbandar and 1 in Panchmahals." With this, the total positive cases in the state have climbed to 87 with 6 deaths. The highest positive cases are in Ahmedabad -31, followed by Surat -12, Gandhinagar -11, Rajkot -10, Vadodara -9, Bhavnagar -6, Porbandar -3 Gir-Somnath -2, Kutch, Mahesana and Panchmahals one each. Seven positive cases, after undergoing treatment have been discharged. Eight new positive corona cases were recorded in Gujarat on Wednesday morning, all of them in Ahmedabad which has been declared as a hotspot for the outbreak by the ministry of health and family welfare. "Out of the 8, male (52) having inter state travel history to Indore, male (18) travel history to Indore, female (45) interstate travel history and a female (65) having got infected locally have been admitted in Ahmedabad Civil hospital. A male (68) with inter state travel history, male (54) with an international travel history and a female (58) infected locally have been admitted in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP)AHospital. Another male (67) who got infected locally has been admitted in the Sola Civil Hospital," Ravi said. The total persons under quarantine are 19,206. The persons quarantined at home are 18,487 and those in government institutes are 743 while 253 are quarantined in private facilities. 418 FIR have been filed against persons violating the quarantine conditions. "We have conducted test of 1,586 samples out of which 1,501 have turned negative, 82 positive and the results of three are pending," added Ravi. So far, six deaths have been reported in Gujarat due to the coronavirus infection. First case was that of a male from Surat with comorbid conditions. On Wednesday night an 85-year-old female from Ahmedabad died also due to comorbid conditions . A 70-year-old male from Bhavnagar with a travel history to Delhi, succumbed to the virus on Thursday. Three more deaths were reported on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, a male (47) and female (46) from Ahmedabad and a female (45) from Jesar block in Bhavnagar respectively. All the deceased patients were suffering from comorbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, cardiac ailments and other several complications. "Even before the central government had declared Ahmedabad as a hotspot, we had identified Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar as hotspots for the outbreak and started working on the cluster containment strategy," said Ravi. The health authorities with the help of the police department, is cordoning the clusters in densely populated areas of these five cities, where positive cases have been found and started surveillance. A founding member of the governing New Patriotic Party, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has said only Pharisees and hypocrites would organise a prayer meeting and beam it on national television in the manner President Akufo-Addo and the clergy did concerning the coronavirus situation in Ghana a few weeks ago. According to him, what the President and the clergy did is what hypocrites and Pharisees do. Its a clear demonstration of hypocrisy, the retired army man and medical doctor told Felicity Naana Nelson on Class FMs Straight Talk programme recently, adding: Look, Im a Christian. Im deeply involved in my church; Im a Presbyterian. To be more precise, Osu Ebenezer Church. Youve heard the word Pharisees and Sadducees. What they did is what Christ condemned years ago. Its a display which probably would have been put up by the Pharisees. According to him, We have problems, serious problems, practical problems. Even if you want these priests to go and pray, they can do it quietly, but projecting it to the public that way was not the best. Have you seen any nation, so far, with people behaving like that? Youve seen President Trump having the clergy in America around him? Do you see that in Britain; their Prime Minister doing that? Do you see that even in South Africa? But its typical Ghanaian attitude which has been endorsed by Akufo-Addo himself. I mean, what they did was so ridiculous. Im a Christian, dont think Im not a Christian; I am a Christian through and through. Im even more Christian than some of those priests there but what they did is a hallmark of hypocrisy; thats not the way God listens to us. It tells you the mark of hypocrisy and how dangerous it is for this country, he said. Asked if he thought it was for political capital, he said: You have used the word political capital but this is even going to be a minus for him. Ive been with Akufo-Addo for years; I dont know who advises him; what sort of advisors are these? You get certain clergymen with cameras around? ---classfmonline 1. Historians think that April Fools Day may have originated in this European country. Answer: France 2. This holiday figure is known by different names round the world, including Pere Noel. Answer: Santa Claus 3. Many countries, such as the UNIted States, Canada and Australia, celebrate this holiday although not all on the same day. Answer: Mothers Day 4. Halloween can trace its origins to this country. Answer: Ireland 5. Waterfowl, venison and clams were some of the foods believed to be served at the the first Thanksgiving. This iconic dish was not, however. Answer: Turkey 6. This food is widely served on Easter. Answer: Lamb 7. True or false? Cinco De Mayo is often mistaken for Mexicos Independence Day. Answer: True 8. Sonora Smart Dodd founded this June holiday. Answer: Fathers Day 9. This holiday is celebrated in october in Canada and in November in the United States. Answer: Thanksgiving 10. Many countries around the world celebrate this autumn holiday that involves tricks and treats. Answer: Halloween Advertisement Photographs that captured the Battle of the Bulge between 1944 and 1945 have been colorized, shedding new light on the battle and the conditions soldiers had to contend with. The 75th anniversary of the battle passed this year. The Battle of the Bulge, also know as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, was the final major German offensive campaign on the Western front before the end of the Second World War in 1945. It took place between the 16 December 1944 and 25 January 1945, and was ordered with the intention of cutting Allied forces off from the Belgian port of Antwerp. The aim was to split Allied lines, giving the German troops the opportunity to surround and destroy four Allied armies. The attack came through the densely forested region of Wallonia in Eastern Belgium, Northern France and Luxembourg. As seen in the photographs, in addition to the dense forests, soldiers had to cope with harsh winter conditions. The attack from the Germans came as a total surprise on the 16 December 1944, with American forces receiving the most pressure. As the battle wore on, however, German forces were severely depleted and they were unable to replace their losses before the end of the war. Ultimately the Allies won the battle, but victory came at the expense of almost 90,000 American troops either killed, wounded, missing or captured and 200 dead British troops, with a further 960 wounded. The Germans lost between 60,000 to 90,000 troops who were either killed, wounded or captured. 'The Bulge' was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in the Second World War, and the third deadliest campaign in the country's history after the Battle of Normandy and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I. Soldiers march down a snowy track running through the western front during the Battle of the Bulge in the Second World War. They are wearing white fabric capes to camouflage themselves against in the snow to hide from enemy troops who could be watching from a distance, or targeting them with weapons Vapor trails paint the sky after a dogfight and soldiers manning an anti-aircraft gun look to the skies for their next target. The Luftwaffe, the German air force, sustained heavy losses during the Battle of the Bulge, losing 800 aircraft. At least 500 of those were lost in December alone Solders spread out as they walk across a snowy field to an enemy's position. In the distance, an explosion can be seen as a plume of smoke rises from the ground from artillery fire. To launch the offensive, Germans began with a 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across a 130 kilometer front on the Allied troops As they cross the field, two infantry men fire at German troops across a field. Others behind them can also be seen firing their rifles, while others crouch down to avoid enemy retaliation Troops tread through the snow behind a tank. The tank offers protection from any potential gunfire ahead, while also flattening the snow for soldiers to walk over as they make their way across a field. The tank is also painted white to camouflage itself against the snow, which would have made it harder for soldiers to cover ground quickly Two tanks, both Light Armored Car M8, roll across a field. The one at the back shows its true colours while the one leading the way has been painted white to mask it against the snow and potentially protect it from artillery strikes from the distance. Allied forces lost over 700 tanks during the battle, while the Germans lost 550 3-inch Gun Motor Carriages fire on enemy positions in the distance. The explosions from the tanks light up the snow on the ground and the trees behind them as two solders take cover behind the tanks Two soldiers take up gunning positions in a bunker. One uses binoculars to spot incoming enemy troops while the other, looking down the scope of his 30-caliber machine gun, eyes the distance waiting for his fellow soldier to spot some targets Troops are relieved of front-line duty as reinforcements arrive to take the reigns. The truck is not large enough for them all, so some are forced to sit on the roof of the cabin to bring as many solders as possible to fight on the front lines Supplies Moving Through Bastogne, Belgium, on way to Front Line. An American flag can be seen on the building with a number of medical trucks parked outside. Bastogne was situated on a road junction of great strategic importance during the battle Soldiers queue up to receive food at field mess. They wear heavy expressions on their faces and have likely experienced intense fighting while also having to stay warm in freezing conditions. Each solder has multiple layers on, gloves and heavy boots, with their rifles strapped to their backs as they eat Members of Airborne Division walk through a forest. The area the battle took place in was heavily forested, with some battles taking place among the trees Infantrymen use their weapons to battle down a door of a house where German snipers are hiding out. One hits the door while the other two prepare themselves for the threat that may be found within Two soldiers sprint past a building while under heavy shellfire. The building is heavily damaged from shells, with smoke coming from the hole is the side of the house suggesting the shell that hit it was recent U.S. prisoners of war are taken early by the German forces. They are marched down the road by German soldiers carrying weapons Soldiers take a break in Bastogne, Belgium. One leans up against a wall while the other, gun on back and grenade attacked to his coat, holds what could be a pack of cigarettes German troops walk past burning U.S. vehicles which have been taken down and rendered unusable by shells. The soldiers look pleased with themselves for being able to bring down the vehicles A German soldier, crouching on the ground, waves his unit forward past U.S. equipment that can be seen burning behind him A member of Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Checks .30-caliber Machine Gun is ready to use when needed A Signal Corps Lineman repairs damaged telephone lines. The lineman has climbed well above his car without a harness. Repairing telephone lines was vital to ensure groups of soldiers could still communicate across the battlefields Prisoners taken during the advance of Bastogne are marched down the road with their hands of their heads as a truck full of Allied troops drives in the opposite direction towards the town An infantryman takes a moment to himself among the trees before advancing, keeping a watchful gaze through the forest Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau against Task Force Myers, 18 December 1944 A 155-mm Gun M1A1 gun with its barrel camouflaged with white cloth fires on an enemy position snowy fields Two German prisoners are brought in by two U.S. troops on their car. One drives while the other holds a gun, ordering them both two put their hands of their heads Infantryman wearing snow capes hide amongst tress and bushes in a forest, rifles in hand, waiting to advance A tank crew shares a campfire to keep warm as they eat tehri rations in front of their vehicle A 90-year-old coronavirus patient has died recently in Belgium after selflessly refusing to use a ventilator as she asked the doctors to keep this for younger individuals who have contracted the deadly COVID-19. Suzanne Hoylaerts reportedly from Binkom, near Lubbeek was hospitalised on March 20 when her health started deteriorating with the infection caused by the coronavirus. As the world currently battles with a chronic shortage of medical equipment and ventilators, the 90-year-old decided to sacrifice one machine for someone younger. According to Dutch media, Hoylaerts said, You shouldn't breathe me, just help the younger people. She reportedly even said that she had a good life. However, her family said that they were unable to bid goodbye to the 90-year-old as she was quarantined and was not allowed to meet anybody. The Mayor of Lubbeek, Theo Francken even lauded the altruistic act by the "beautiful" lady and wished she rest in peace. As of April 1, Belgium has reported at least 13,964 confirmed cases of deadly coronavirus with over 820 fatalities. Read - US: Coronavirus-hit Navy Ship's Captain Says 'soldiers Don't Need To Die' The coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 44,136 lives worldwide as of April 1. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 203 countries and has infected at least 882,068 people. Out of the total infections, 185,067 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries and the economy is struggling. Read - 'If Anyone Dies While Serving COVID-19 Patients, Their Kin Will Get Rs 1 Crore': Kejriwal Coronavirus fatality rate As the coronavirus outbreak continues to tighten its grip around the world, new research has concluded that the fatality rate of COVID-19 is lower than what was previously estimated, however, it still remains largely lethal than normal flu. The study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases has estimated that at least 0.66 per cent of all those who are infected with the COVID-19 will die. The death rate is thus lower than previously expected by still larger than fatality rate of flu which kills 0.1 per cent of infected people. In the recent study, the researchers tried to predict the infection fatality rate that means if everyone gets infected and not just the severe cases of COVID-19, how many people will die. However, the overall death rate which is about two-thirds of one per cent goes up for adults. For people who are 80 or older, the fatality rate is 7.8 per cent while the figure is 0.00161 per cent for those who are below the age of nine. Meanwhile, for 40-year-olds and younger, the death rate is 0.16 per cent. Read - Ex-Marseille President Pape Diouf Dies From Coronavirus Read - 13-year-old British Boy Dies After Contracting Coronavirus gettyimagesbank New Delhi: As thousands of Tablighi Jamaat followers from across India and some from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia visited the Nizamuddin Markaz amid coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, flouting government orders, Delhi's Health Minister Satyendar Jain speaks exclusively with Zee News about the whole incident. Satyendar Jain said the Nizamuddin case falls under the category of major crime and criticised the organizers for committing gross negligence. The matter comes to light when six patients reached the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and it was ascertained that all these people came from the same place, the health minister said, adding that the way videos are coming out, these people believed that they would not be affected by the coronavirus. All the people who were in Nizamuddin are either in quarantine or in hospital, Jain said, adding that these people have been kept at different quarantine centers as the Centre has not allowed converting Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. "So far, there are 143 confirmed coronavirus cases in Delhi, but only one patient is on the ventilator. Currently, We have a total of 150 ventilators but what will happen cannot be predicted," the health minister said. He further said, "six doctors are now coronavirus positive. Those who fight on the border are always at risk. Doctors are also at risk, the reason, all facilities are being provided for them." Satyendar Jain said that Delhi and the country are still in stage 2 of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, but added that people must follow the lockdown and take it seriously. The Delhi government today said that over 2,300 people were evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz. The Delhi Police has registered a case against several people including Maulana Saad for holding the religious congregation. 01.04.2020 LISTEN BAD SECURITY OFFICIALS Growing up in Ghana, careful observation of the security service, especially the military and the police tend to be an archetype of what Pierre Bourdieu called symbolic violence, a phenomenon that epitomizes that the mere threat of violence is enough to control and dominate a population. However, the actions of the military and policemen continue to be appalling and in no uncertain terms should be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians. Several people have lost their lives, others have become incapacitated all under the scourges of people sworn to ensure that we the citizens are safe from all forms of harm. Certain measures of the security services current approach towards enforcing the lockdown of parts of the country as directed by the president are needless, unprofessional, and to a larger extent inhumane and barbaric. It is true that the security has their orders and duties to carry out, however, it is also morally and ethically right to discharge such orders and duties devoid of any actions that tend to nullify or contradict the very existence of their institutions. Indeed, we are in trying times and the good people of Ghana do not deserve brutality and callousness from the security service personnel. BAD CITIZENS It is true that we are in trying times, and the security service also has a sworn duty enshrined in our constitution to ensure our safety. Citizens should, however, understand that the constitutional powers given to the security is a contract we have directly or indirectly signed, as a body mandated to ensure law and order. Apparently, citizens across all corners of the country at times act with impunity often under the guise of our failed systems. I cannot pretend to be ignorant with the genuine and deprived masses that have suffered and continue to suffer under the failed system, however, some adamant, unscrupulous, and wicked people are in one way or the other trying to take advantage of the system with such impunity and lawlessness, and that cannot go unpunished. Suffice to say that, we are part of the problem making it difficult for the security service to easily carry out their duties. THE WAY FORWARD Undoubtedly, the Ghanaian society, a potent representation of several complexities, one cannot conclusively and singly claim to know the solutions to the quagmire we find ourselves in. However, to add my widows mite, I propose the following: Accountability of security officials: we live in a country where people are rarely held accountable for their actions, and the security service is no exception to this practice. One common phrase the public tends to hear from the authorities in the course of unprofessional and barbaric actions of security men and women is that the service will undertake an 'internal investigation and it often ends there. It is high time the punishment of this 'square pegs in round holes' security officials are made public on two accounts: to serve as a deterrence to other officials in other parts of the country and to also reassure the public that they can report unscrupulous and unprofessional security officials and the appropriate justice would be served. Sense of duty by the citizen(s): we the citizens also need to understand that security is a two-way stream, thus, as we wish to see our security officials carry out their duties diligently and professional, we also have a duty to be 'good' citizens: by behaving diligently, ethically, abiding all dictated rules and regulations and at the same time fighting for our very own security by exposing the few unscrupulous and bad nuts among us that tends to make us suffer for their stupidity. Central Government: elsewhere (i.e. developed countries like U.S.A, UK, Germany, Sweden, etc) the central government makes huge sums of money from people 'stupidity' just like the behaviour of some security officials and the citizens. But in Ghana, respective governments, both past and present appear to be tight-lipped and, in some cases, tend to glorify some of these actions. The central government tends to be the mediator between the security apparatus and citizens, and it is high time they roll out interventions and policies aimed at addressing this canker, at the same making money out of peoples actions rather than their lopsided continuous approach in taxing the deprived masses. AZIZ UNUSAH Even as retail equity investors press the panic button due to a global sell-off following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Indian fund houses have been shopping for stocks that have become cheap. Small-cap funds that had earlier shut their doors for further subscriptions are now opening their doors once again. SBI Small Cap fund, with assets worth Rs 3,476 crore (Feb 2020), opened for fresh lump-sum subscription on March 30. The fund will accept inflows up to a maximum of Rs 1,000 crore overall. In November 2019, it had allowed investors to invest through systematic investment plan (SIP) up to a limit of Rs 25,000 a month and per Permanent Account Number (PAN) that route that is still open. DSP Small Cap Fund (DSCF) will also accept lump-sum investments, effective April 1. Not to be left behind, Nippon India Small Cap fund (NISC) too is opening its doors for lump-sums from April 3. Already, it had started to accept lumpsum investments up to a limit of Rs 5 lakh from March 17. Further market corrections after that, led the fund house to lift the limits, including on SIPs (systematic investment plans) and STPs (systematic transfer plans). SBI Small Cap Fund last shut its doors in October 2015, when its corpus was a mere Rs 714 crore. It opened for SIP inflows on 1 November 2019 when its corpus had reached Rs 3,035 crore, as per data by Value Research. By the end of February 2020, its corpus was Rs 3,476 crore. By contrast, NISCs corpus was Rs 8,567 crore as on February 2020. Discount sale on equities Small-cap stocks continue to get badgered on the stock markets, as they were for much of 2019 and more so this year. The BSE Small-Cap index has fallen by nearly 32 percent year-to-date. The BSE Mid-Cap index and BSE Sensex declined 31 percent. Fund managers say that many sectors and companies are now available at attractive valuations. Manish Gunwani, chief investment officer-Equity investments at Nippon India mutual fund says, Many asset-based companies such as state-owned firms and cash-rich companies with high dividend yields are now available at good valuations after the corrections. Manish says that he is quite bullish on small-caps given that this segment offers greater flexibility to fund managers as the number of companies is larger. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has stated that the 100 largest stocks by market capitalisation on the stock exchange are to be classified as large-cap stocks. The next 150 companies are classified as mid-cap stocks. The remaining firms are small-cap stocks. As a result, and as per data put out by the Association of mutual funds of India (AMFI; the MF industrys trade body) the average market capitalisation of small-cap stocks is less than Rs 9,000 crore. That is partly why mid-cap funds find fewer ideas to move around as opposed to small-cap schemes. Fund managers need to be cautious in the small-cap segment, so as to avoid leveraged companies. Ravi Kumar TV, Director, Gaining Ground Investment Services says, Companies with relatively lower levels of debt or no debt will bounce back when we see a recovery. So would those with ample cash and strong balance sheets. Fund houses that have opened the gates of their small-cap schemes are seeing the opportunities in this space. Should you invest? After a long time, the move to accept fresh investments of large sums shows that fund managers are confident of picking up quality stocks at reasonable valuations in these markets. Industry participation has been less in small-cap stocks. There is huge scope, as valuations have come down in a lot of in small-caps, says Ravi. Some advisors believe that when markets pick up, large-sized companies will recover first. Srikanth Bhagavat, managing director, Hexagon Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd has advised his clients to go a bit aggressive in equities, but stick to mostly large and multi-cap funds. These funds look better on a risk-reward basis. Large businesses will spring back quicker. The stress on the economy is going to be pretty severe and smaller companies will have a tough time going ahead, says Srikanth. It's wise, therefore, to not go overboard on small-cap funds, even though theres no denying the existence of opportunities in this segment. Also, it makes sense to stick to SIPs. If you have a lump-sum, deploy it through STPs spread over two months. Deepak Chhabria, CEO and Director, Axiom Financial Services says that the sell-off in equities is not yet over. When markets rise again, he says, there could be a second round of selling and then again markets may go down. Of the incremental money that you wish to put in equities now, have a small allocation in small cap funds. Of this small-cap fund allocation, invest around 25 percent now as lump-sum. Use the rest to do an STP so you can stagger your purchases. It is indeed a good time to invest in equities. The World Health Organization is partnering with major video game makers in support of online gaming as a way to keep people indoors to help fight the new coronavirus. The partnership comes as online video game play has increased as governments across the world ordered citizens to stay home in an effort to stop the virus from spreading. In mid-March, Italys top telecommunications company announced internet traffic had increased more than 70 percent in the days since the government enforced quarantine rules, Bloomberg reported. Telecom Italia said a big reason for the rise was an increase in play for video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty. In the United States, internet service provider Verizon reported a 75-percent jump in gaming activity on its networks during the second week in March, when stay-at-home directives began to take effect. Eighteen video game industry leaders teamed up with the WHO to create a program called #PlayApartTogether. The companies say they will share messages about the virus with gamers and urge them to follow the WHOs safety advice. The messages will include suggestions on things such as physical distancing and cleanliness. They will also advise on ways to behave around others to avoid spreading or catching the virus. Many large U.S. gaming events and contests have been canceled because of the coronavirus spread. The companies promised to create special events, exclusives, activities and rewards for players online in the coming weeks. One of the companies taking part is Activision Blizzard, Inc. It is one of the worlds largest video game developers. The company has produced many popular games including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo and Candy Crush. The head of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, said in a statement that the coronavirus crisis has created a major need for people to find ways to stay safely connected to each other. Games are the perfect platform because they connect people through the lens of joy, purpose and meaning, Kotick said. Ray Chambers is the WHOs Ambassador for Global Strategy. In a tweet, he wrote that the video game industrys worldwide reach can get the message out. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives, Chambers wrote. The WHOs cooperation with the gaming industry comes after the organization decided last year to officially declare "gaming disorder" a behavioral addiction on its list of diseases. The new partnership got some criticism online. One gamer wrote to Ray Chambers on Twitter: Oh thats ironic. Last i remembered you guys classified us gamers as addicts, now you praise us because we already know social distancing? Paula Zirinsky, chief marketing officer for the intelligence-gathering company K2 Intelligence, also reacted on Twitter. You cant have it both ways. Gaming can be addictive. WHO said it themselves last year, she tweeted. With kids returning to virtual classrooms, why encourage game play? The only winners in this are the gaming companies. However, the WHOs Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised the organizations cooperation with the industry as another useful tool in fighting the virus. Thank you @RaymondChambers for mobilizing the gaming industry to feature @WHO advice on #COVID19 to their users, he tweeted. We all must #PlayApartTogether to beat the #coronavirus. The maker of the hugely popular mobile game Pokemon Go has also said it would make changes and create new events to support indoor activities between players around the world. And, many of the worlds top professional gamers came together to record a public service announcement to raise awareness among players on ways to prevent the spread of the virus. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on online reports. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - WHO Supports Online Video Games as Safe Way to Stay Social Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story quarantine n. to be kept separate from others to prevent the spread of disease of sicknes exclusive adj. not shared with everyone platform n. operating system lens n. a curved piece of glass used in cameras, glasses and scientific equipment for looking at things curve n. a line that bends around like part of a circle addiction n. the problem of not being able to stop doing or taking something because you are dependent on it ironic adj. saying something you do not mean, as a joke virtual adj. used, carried out or stored by means of a computer encourage v. urge something to do something mobilize v. to organize a group of people so that they support of oppose something or someone First patient dies from COVID-19 on Isle of Man The first person to die from COVID-19 on the Island has been confirmed. Chief Minister Howard Quayle revealed the news at a press conference his evening. He said the patient, who had underlying health conditions, had passed away earlier today in hospital. Hear the Chief Minister's announcement: Media Chief Minister Howard Quayle Wednesday Evening US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held out the possibility on Tuesday that the United States may consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus epidemic but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. The comments reflected a shift in tone by the US State Department, which has come under withering criticism for its hard line toward sanctions relief even in the face of a call by the UN secretary-general to ease US economic penalties. Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here Speaking to reporters, Pompeo stressed that humanitarian and medical supplies are exempt from sanctions Washington reimposed on Tehran after President Donald Trump abandoned Iran's 2015 multilateral deal to limit its nuclear program. However, broader U.S. sanctions deter many firms from humanitarian trade with Iran, one of the nations hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic. Asked if there might come a point at which the United States might reevaluate its stance on easing sanctions, Pompeo told a news conference: "we evaluate all of our policies constantly, so the answer is - would we ever rethink? - Of course." Asked about such relief on March 20, Pompeo simply said U.S. sanctions do not apply to medical and other humanitarian goods. Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths The Trump administration is pursuing a "maximum pressure" policy to try to force the Islamic Republic to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities. Iran's foreign minister has accused the United States on Twitter of engaging in "medical terror," prompting Pompeo's spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, on Monday to copy his tweet and say: ""Stop lying. ... It's not the sanctions. It's the regime." A U.N. human rights expert called on Tuesday for lifting international sanctions against countries ranging from Iran to North Korea and Venezuela to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the coronavirus pandemic. Pompeo has been sharply criticized for the administration's stance on Iran sanctions. In the last month, the United States has repeatedly tightened sanctions on Iran, notably seeking to make it harder for it to sell oil abroad. On Sunday, Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl published a piece under the headline: "Pompeo's pandemic performance ensures his place among the worst secretaries of state ever." "Even close U.S. allies, such as Britain, are calling on the Trump administration to ease sanctions that are inhibiting shipment of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Iran's 80 million people," he wrote. "Yet Pompeo appears to view the epidemic as a handy means to compound 'maximum pressure.' To what end?" Along with millions of people around the world, Boris Johnson likes to Zoom. On Tuesday our Covid-19 stricken, self-isolating Prime Minister posted a photograph on Twitter showing a cabinet meeting he had conducted remotely, using Zoom, the video conferencing application. There on his desktop computer screen were all the senior members of his government Dominic Raab, Priti Patel, Matt Hancock et al. peering back at him from their home studies. It looked a little like a Westminster version of Celebrity Squares. Mr Johnson was only following the example of private citizens, businesses, schools and institutions globally who have signed up to Zoom since the start of social-distancing due to the coronavirus crisis. Along with millions of people around the world, Boris Johnson likes to Zoom, writes Richard Pendlebury Can't meet your personal trainer or go to gym class? Don't worry, there will be a workout or Pilates session somewhere out there on Zoom, which you will be able to watch and take part in from home, via your phone or computer. Miss your local pub's Monday night quiz? It's okay, the landlord has used Zoom to project it into cyberspace. Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service that virtually connects people either via video or audio calls. It can be used on both your desktop and smartphone for your convenience. Once you've created an account using your email, you're good to go. Each meeting has a special, unique code which the host can use to invite others to join the 'Zoom room'. Zoom is the pandemic business phenomenon. It was founded in 2011 by the Chinese-born software engineer Eric Yuan. Growth has been steady until recently when it went crazy. With only one quarter of 2020 gone, the application has already attracted more sign-ups this year than it did for all of 2019 and has been downloaded more than 50 million times on the Google App store alone. The app-tracking firm Apptopia said Zoom was downloaded 2.13 million times worldwide on 23 March, the day lockdown began in the UK up from 56,000 a day two months earlier. There on his desktop computer screen were all the senior members of his government The latest figures from the United States suggest that average Zoom user numbers were nearly three times those of its closest Microsoft-owned rival, Teams. Zoom's share price has doubled since the end of January while much of the rest of the Wall Street stock market has tanked because of lockdown. It is now worth a huge $38.5 billion (31.1 billion). Yet for most of us casual users the app remains free. You can chat or hold a meeting with up to 100 users for 40 minutes without paying Mr Yuan a penny. He has even raised that time limit for schools in the UK, Canada and Germany, so that teaching can continue. If that's no good for you, you'll have to sign up for one of the paid plans on offer. Pricing starts from 11.99 per month per host, and includes perks such as recording meetings and customer support. But there is a catch; a cloud spreading across Zoom's otherwise brilliant horizons. Yes, Zoom is bringing us together in these unprecedented circumstances. But at what cost to our computer security and privacy? When it was revealed last week that Number 10 was using Zoom, shock was expressed by some in the cyber security world, thanks to a number of issues and allegations that have arisen recently. Last month, Ministry of Defence employees were warned that Zoom use was being suspended while 'security implications that come with it' were investigated. A decision will soon be made on whether or not to continue. A source told the Press Association: 'It is astounding that thousands of MoD staff have been banned from using Zoom only to find a sensitive government meeting like that of the Prime Minister's cabinet is being conducted over it.' Dr Andrew Dwyer, a cyber security expert at the University of Bristol, tweeted: 'This is not okay. I doubt the National Cyber Security Centre would be happy, if not mortified, by this.' Such worries about Zoom's security are echoed in America. On Monday, the New York attorney general's office wrote to Zoom to express 'concerns that the app's security measures might not be sufficient for its increased traffic.' So what are the issues surrounding the world's most popular self-isolation-beating tool? Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service that virtually connects people either via video or audio calls (stock image) So-called 'Zoom-bombing' is one of the more colourful problems. Indeed, there have been 'multiple' reported instances of hackers attempting to disrupt video conference meetings. On Monday the FBI said that two schools in Massachusetts had been victims of Zoom-bombing last month. One hacker dialled into a high school class conducted using Zoom and 'yelled a profanity and then shouted the teacher's home address,' the FBI said. In another incident, someone accessed a Zoom meeting and showed swastikas on a video. Such disruption is easy when a link with an invitation to a meeting is publicised on social media. The video conferences can be protected by a unique password number, known only to those invited to join. Of course this can be circumvented if the password is also put onto social media. This happened with the photograph of Boris Johnson's Zoom meeting, where the password ID number can be seen in the top left hand corner of his screen. By then however, the meeting was over. Other security measures, such as locking the meeting once it starts, and only allowing the host to control screen sharing, should further prevent hacking. But questions have also been asked about personal privacy within even a secure, work-related Zoom meeting. The tool has an 'attendee attention tracker' device, which allows 'the host' your boss perhaps to monitor whether you are fully focused on the Zoom meeting. So if, for more than 30 seconds, you look at a different computer page, Big Brother or Sister will be made aware through an on screen indicator. You have ceased to be 'in focus', to use the Zoom jargon. This is regardless of whether you are taking notes or checking your email. Zoom has also been accused of data collection and sharing abuses. This week a class action was launched against the company for sending data on to Facebook. The lawsuit argues that Zoom violated California's new data protection law by not obtaining proper consent from users about the transfer of the data. The company has been accused of collecting data and sharing personal details with third parties. Yet in the 'privacy' section of the Zoom website, it is stated: 'We do not sell your data.' Further down, though, the assurance is fudged. 'Zoom does use certain standard advertising tools on our marketing sites which, provided you have allowed it in your cookie [information from previous web searches] preferences, sends personal data to the tool providers, such as Google,' it states. 'This is not a 'sale' of your data in the sense that most of us use the word sale. However, California's CCPA law has a very broad definition of 'sale'. Under that definition, when Zoom uses the tools to send the personal data to the third-party tool providers, it may be considered a 'sale'.' Further brickbats were hurled last year when it was revealed that a software glitch potentially allowed 'malicious websites to take over your Mac's camera without ever alerting you'. This was fixed by Zoom engineers. Meanwhile, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has pronounced that there is no security reason for Zoom not to be used for conversations 'below a certain classification'. Zoom has responded with a strong defence. 'Globally, 2,000 institutions ranging from the world's largest financial services companies to leading telecommunications providers, government agencies, universities, healthcare and telemedicine practices have done exhaustive security reviews of our user, network and data centre layers confidently selecting Zoom for complete deployment,' a statement said. Those titans are now being joined by you, me and millions of others. Let's hope that the Kremlin, Beijing or some hacker are not listening in. April 1, 2020? Philips provides healthcare institutions with telehealth solution to process high volume coronavirus-related healthcare requests via online screening, and supports healthcare providers in the use of external call centers to offer the correct care to patients If medically justified, patients infected with COVID-19 can be remotely monitored via automated questionnaires about their home situation and state of health Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it can help general practitioners and healthcare institutions manage the increased patient flows resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak through a dedicated and scalable telehealth solution that facilitates the use of online screening, follow-up questionnaires and monitoring, and external call center collaborations. It aims to prevent unnecessary visits to general practitioners and hospitals and the remote monitoring of the vast majority of COVID-19 patients that are in quarantine at home. As a first step, patients complete an online questionnaire at home. Based on the results, the caregiver can let the online solution assign patients to a risk class and take appropriate actions. If needed patients can be monitored via automated follow-up surveys. Patients with a high-risk score are called by a call center for additional information. If the call center determines that care is required, the patient is referred to the GP, who can then provide the necessary care or send them to the hospital. While the questionnaire is intended to support care providers, it is explicitly not a substitute for regular or emergency care. The solution is based on Philips' existing and proven Patient Reported Outcomes Management solution, which is being used by more than 100 healthcare institutions globally. The Groene Hart Hospital in Gouda, the Netherlands, is one of the healthcare institutions that has not only already started using the COVID-19 screening and monitoring solution but has also contributed to its development. "We are using this application to relieve the enormous pressure currently placed on our healthcare system," said Ronald Liem, Head of Surgery at the Groene Hart Hospital. "Together with general practitioners and the Dutch public health service, we can now focus on the most urgent cases and determine, based on the answers from the surveys, which patients do and which do not need additional care." "The outbreak of the new coronavirus is a major challenge for everyone in healthcare," said Roy Jakobs, Chief Business Leader Connected Care, member of the Executive Committee, Royal Philips. "That is why we have equipped one of our existing and proven telehealth solutions with the capabilities to screen and monitor patients remotely. This remote screening solution supports healthcare institutes to diagnose and treat patients at alternative points of care and is helping to safeguard the scarce critical care capacity." Roy Jakobs added: "We have a broad portfolio of telehealth and remote care solutions at Philips. We are now working with hospitals and GPs to see how we can use these solutions to help frontline healthcare workers and their patients during the COVID-19 crisis." Hospitals, general practitioners and other care providers who want to know more about Philips' screening and monitoring solution for COVID-19 patients can visit our website . For further information, please contact: Joost Maltha Philips Global Press Office Tel: +31 6 10 55 8116 Email: joost.maltha@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips . Attachment . : , . . , 28 . . ... United States President Donald Trump said the U.S. would meet with Saudi Arabia and Russia with the goal of staunching a historic plunge in oil prices. Trump, speaking at the White House Tuesday, said hes raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Theyre going to get together and were all going to get together and were going to see what we can do, he said. The two countries are discussing it. And I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be. If it happens, it would be the first meeting between Saudi Arabia and Russia since the collapse of the OPEC+ coalition in early March. Since then, both countries have vowed to flood the market with millions of excess barrels of oil in an acrimonious battle over market share. Despite the presidents remarks, neither nation has backed down from their price war, with Saudi Arabia having already loaded several supertankers with crude headed for Europe. Trumps intervention comes as April shapes up to be a calamitous month for the oil market. Saudi Arabia plans to boost its supply to a record 12.3 million barrels a day, up from about 9.7 million in February. At the same time, fuel consumption is poised to plummet by 15 million to 22 million barrels as coronavirus-related lockdowns halt transit in much of the world. U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak had a productive discussion by phone on Tuesday and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement. The agency didnt detail any steps the nations are considering to stem the downturn. Oil demand has been so battered by government lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus that any conceivable oil production cut agreement between the U.S., Canada, Russia and OPEC members would still fall well short of whats needed to shore up the market, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts including Damien Courvalin said in a note dated March 31. The global benchmark crude has already plunged to record lows, completing the worst quarter in history on Tuesday. Brent for June delivery continued those declines Wednesday, falling two per cent to $25.82 (U.S.) a barrel at 6:10 a.m. London time. Its not even feasible whats going on, Trump said, adding that the price meltdown was harming the oil industry. You dont want to lose an industry youre going to lose an industry over it. Still, he celebrated the low gasoline prices brought about by the market downturn, calling them the greatest tax cut weve ever given. People are going to be paying 99 cents for a gallon of gasoline, he said. Its incredible in a lot of ways. Read more about: With 24 people who attended a religious congregation in Nizamuddin testing positive for coronavirus on Tuesday, the government said the authorities have evacuated over 1,000 people from the area and that more evacuations are underway. "Twenty-four people have tested positive," Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain told media. The people were part of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat religious outfit. On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered an FIR against a 'maulana' who led the congregation at the 'markaj' (centre) in West Nizamuddin in south Delhi. Delhi Police has cordoned off a large area at Nizamuddin West where several people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in the religious gathering. Jain said, 1,033 people have been shifted to various places. "Seven-hundred people who attended this congregation have been quarantined while around 335 people have been admitted to hospitals," Jain said, adding that screening of all those who participated in the event is being conducted by the government. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat in a statement on Tuesday said that it had informed the officials and sought permission to evacuate the people, but was denied permission. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat also shared the proof of the communication between police and the authorities concerned and slammed the media for misreporting. "When the Prime Minister announced 'Janata curfew' to be observed on March 22, the ongoing programme in the centre was discontinued immediately," the statement by Tabligh-e-Jamaat Markaz said. On March 24, it said, a notice was issued by Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station In-charge seeking closure of Markaz premises. It said that the request of the Station Head Officer (SHO) was responded the same day. It stated that the compliance of the directions regarding closure of the Markaz was already underway as the arrangements for around 1,000 visitors belonging to different states and nationalities were being provisioned wherein the concerned SDM had been requested to issue vehicle passes. "It is relevant to indicate here that lists of 17 vehicles with registration numbers along with the names of the drivers plus their licence details were submitted to the concerned SDM so that the stranded visitors or guests could be ferried towards their respective destinations," it said. The Markaz said that the requisite permission was still awaited. "On March 25, when the Tehsildaar along with medical team visited the Markaz, full cooperation was provided for their inspection as well as preparation of list of visitors," it said. It said that on March 26, the SDM visited the Markaz and later a meeting was organised with DM. "Permission was sought for the vehicles arranged by us and on March 27, six persons were taken for medical check-up," it said, adding that on March 28 the SDM and WHO team visited the Markaz and 33 persons were taken for medical check-up to Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital. "Surprisingly, the same day another notice was issued, this time by the Office of ACP, Lajpat Nagar, reiterating the prohibitory orders and warning of legal action, being totally oblivious of the above steps that were already taken by the Markaz administration in consultation with the authorities. However, the same was replied in detail vide letter dated March 29," it said. On Monday night, around 100 suspected coronavirus cases were evacuated from the religious complex in buses. They have been kept in isolation in Narela area of Delhi. Those who were ill were admitted to various hospitals. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said it is estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had came from different parts of the world to attend the religious gathering at Nizamuddin. As of Monday night, the total tally of positive Coronavirus cases in Delhi was 97, including 20 from Nizamuddin. The Health Minister said the government is screening of all those who participated in the event. While the police has cordoned off a major section of Nizamuddin West, intense sanitization is underway in the locality as well. "We are testing people. Many of them have been tested and the reports are awaited. Although it is too early to say, we are preparing ourselves for a bigger number," the Health official said. Meanwhile, six of the persons who returned to Telangana from the Tabligh-e-Jammat HQ have since died from the coronavirus infection. Positive cases were reported from J&K, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The family of a person who died on Monday after attending the religious congregation has been kept in isolation even as those who returned to their homes in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana were being tracked. At least 18 persons related to the deceased have been quarantined in Hyderabad. A total of 194 people remain quarantined in Telengana while 981 persons in Tamil Nadu have been identified for screening. As per information available with IANS, there were around 250 foreign nationals stuck at the Tabligh-e-Jammat HQ, including around 200 from Indonesia, 30 from Thailand, 10-15 from Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia. The religious group's international headquarters, called Nizamuddin Markaz, is situated in the middle of Nizamuddin colony in southwest Delhi, from where it originally started. It has centres in over 200 countries. On Saturday and Sunday, around 200 persons from the complex were admitted in various hospitals in Delhi as a precautionary measure. Out of these 200, six of those admitted in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in Delhi had returned, confirming later to be corona positive. Asked about the coronavirus positive cases, group spokesperson Dr Mohammed Shoib Ali had then claimed that the hospital concerned had not given them any such report. On Tuesday, India saw the maximum spike in the number of Covid-19 patients as the number of patients rose to 1,251 with 32 deaths across the country. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on security agencies to refrain from applying any form of torture in enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown directives issued by the government. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday evening announced the restriction of all movement in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT to curb the spread of the virus. As of Tuesday, 139 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Nigeria, with two deaths. Mr Buhari said the cessation of all movements in those areas is for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11 p.m. on Monday, March 30. All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes. Travel to or from other states should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period, Mr Buhari said. The commission, however, said enforcement of the directives must be carried out without torture, inhuman and degrading treatment of Nigerians. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, said an order from a public authority is not an excuse for any security personnel to perpetrate acts of torture or cruel treatment against innocent citizens. The Federal and State Governments have in an attempt to control the spread of this pandemic, employed some restrictive measures including total lockdown in some cases. These measures are directed at public safety and health and therefore should not in any way be abused by those charged with the responsibility of enforcing the directives. We appeal to law enforcement agencies across the country to ensure that they carry out their lawful duties in this regard without undue violation of the rights of Nigerians, Mr Ojukwu said. He said arrest connected to the implementation of the COVID-19 lockdown directives must be treated in accordance with national and international best practices. Reported cases The commission said it has directed its staff to monitor and document all cases of human rights violations across the country for necessary action. It also urges the public to report cases of violations through the following lines: 08037875427, 08179371339, 08034354537, 07033398657. Members of the public and bystanders and eyewitnesses who can get video coverage of any violations are encouraged to forward same to the said numbers by WhatsApp giving as much detail as possible to help locate and hold accountable violating law enforcement officials. The commission enjoined all citizens in the affected states to comply with the COVID-19 directives to protect their rights to health and that of others. Measures Mr Ojukwu urged the National Assembly and the executive arm of government to take immediate measures to operationalise the state of emergency provisions of Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution in the interest of public health and safety. He expressed the belief that the government will take measures that would stem the tide of the contagious disease to protect the right to health and life of the people. He also commended the efforts of the various health workers who have exhibited professional and patriotic zeal to contain the virus and ensure the safety of all Nigerians. Mr Ojukwu urged the presidential and state task forces on COVID-19 to ensure accountability, transparency and inclusiveness, making sure that no one is left behind. In early March, as I prepared to fly home from a business trip to Seattle, we began hearing stories of U.S. businesses sending their workers home with the expectation that they may be working from home for weeks, if not months. CISOs started to share stories of employees exiting their offices with monitors under one arm and desktop computer systems under the other. With social and work restrictions imposed by governments and businesses in response to the novel coronavirus COVID-19, organizations around the U.S. were about to come face-to-face with "the new normal," and it was going to be anything but normal. From the beginning it was clear that the rules we have operated under for decades were about to change. IDG Click image to view full-size In order to get a better understanding of the situation at hand, CSO surveyed 150 security leaders at some of the nations largest organizations. Some of what we learned was expected (e.g., vastly increased numbers of employees working from home); some was disturbing (26% are seeing increased attacks in the wake of the pandemic); and some was profound (our perception and understanding of risk will be changed for years to come). A situation that would have been incomprehensible six months ago is reality today. Businesses of all descriptions across the U.S. are temporarily shuttered. Governors in California, New York and elsewhere have advised, if not ordered, their citizens to stay indoors. Billions upon billions of dollars in economic value were erased in a matter of days. How long will this go on? How prepared were businesses? How is security impacted? These were all questions we explored in the survey in hopes of gaining a greater understanding of where we came from, where we are, and where we may be going. Methodology This survey was conducted March 19-23, 2020 among 150 U.S.-based security & technology leaders. Eighty-seven percent of respondents were senior security executives representing an average company size of 23,825. Top represented industries were: financial services, including banking, insurance, and brokerage (27%); healthcare, including providers and pharmaceuticals (17%); high tech (14%); and retail, wholesale & distribution (8%). Were in this for a while We asked security and IT leaders to estimate how long they expect social and work restrictions, resulting from the pandemic, to remain in place. In general, responses averaged 7.7 weeks, with respondents in the retail industry being more hopeful (6.5 weeks) and healthcare respondents, as one might expect them to be, coming in the longest at 9.1 weeks. Essentially, were looking at a range that would see social and work restrictions remaining in place until somewhere between May 7th and Memorial Day (May 25th) . Work from home has exploded Not surprisingly, the survey found significant changes in employee work from home (WFH) levels. Three months ago, 16.5% of survey respondents employees worked from home at least 60% of the time. As of March 23rd, that number had climbed to 77.7%, an increase of 4.7-fold. High tech firms had the highest level of WFH prior to the pandemics impact at 31.9%, and continue to have the highest today at 90.2%. Retail/wholesale/distribution organizations have experienced the most drastic change in WFH levels, increasing from 3.7% prior to the pandemic to 66.4% today, a nearly 18-fold increase. While 81% of respondents expressed confidence that their existing security infrastructure could handle their employees working from home, 61% were more concerned about security risks targeting WFH employees today than they were three months ago. Surprisingly, small & medium-sized businesses (SMB) those with fewer than 1,000 employees expressed the least concern (29%) about attacks focusing on their WFH workforce. How prepared were businesses? In 2006/7 CSO magazine dedicated extensive coverage to pandemic planning around Avian Flu. While, thankfully, that pandemic never materialized, and despite SARS, MERS, and the outbreaks of other infectious diseases, we didnt hear the same amount of pandemic buzz in the years that followed. It seems that businesses learned their lesson, and many kept their resiliency plans fresh in the intervening years. While only 54% of survey respondents indicated that their pandemic/ resiliency plans had them prepared for the current situation, 67% indicated that their security infrastructure was fully prepared for the range of risks associated with the new operating environment. Time to go shopping? Despite the high levels of confidence that their security infrastructures are up to the task at hand, 22% of organizations have found themselves out shopping for new security solutions/services to address the new work dynamic. As one might expect, the businesses least likely to be investing in new technology or services are in industries that identified as most prepared: financial services (12%) and healthcare (14%). Surprisingly, only 7% of SMB organizations indicated that they had to make security purchases in response to the current conditions, which may indicate either a lack of visibility into their risk environments, a lack of available budget to support new investments, or a combination of both. Attacks are up When the shift to a pandemic-defined work environment began, it was widely speculated that there would be an increase in attacks designed to take advantage of the uncertainly caused by the pandemic and its impact on work structure, as well as holes that might open up with the transitioning workforce. Unfortunately, this speculation has proven to be accurate: More than 26% of survey respondents say their organizations have seen an increase in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber attacks since March 12th. While the increase in attacks has been fairly consistent across company size, with SMBs seeing numbers only slightly higher than enterprise businesses, the financial services industry has been especially impacted, with 37% seeing an increase. The impact will be felt for years Across all vertical industries and company sizes, 73% of survey respondents say they believe that the impact of this pandemic will alter the way their business evaluates risk for at least the next five years . In some industries, like retail, that number was as high as 83%. This is an issue that will radiate from financial regulators to boards of directors and so on, down the institutional food chain. Risks that were thought to have a low likelihood of occurring will now be getting a second look. Likelihood will be the number focused on when considering risk, and resiliency will be the mantra. A closer look at some select groups SMB: A story of over-confidence and disconnects SMB respondents were relatively unconcerned about risks from employees working from home despite the fact that 9 out of every 10 employees is currently WFH (29% of SMB respondents report being concerned about WFH risks v. an average of 61% across all respondents) While SMBs were the least likely to say that their pandemic planning prepared them for the current situation (43%), they have the highest level of confidence that their security infrastructure can handle the range of risks associated with the new operating environment (79%) They are a third as likely to have had to purchase new security solutions/services in order to address the new work dynamic. The survey did not provide insight into why that is the case: It may indicate either a lack of visibility into their risk environments, a lack of available budget to support new investments, or a combination of both. They are also least likely to say that the pandemic will alter the way their business evaluates risk in the future (57% v. 73% across all respondents). Retail: hardest hit and perhaps least prepared With the largest increase in employees working from home (3.7% before vs. 66.4% today, a 17.9-fold increase), retailers indicated the highest level of confidence across all industries that their security infrastructure can handle all those employees who WFH. Despite that confidence in preparedness, 25% of retail organizations have had to purchase new security solutions/services in order to address the new work dynamic. Only 42% (the lowest among all industries) indicated that their pandemic/ resiliency plans had prepared them for the current situation Retailers overwhelmingly (83%) believe that the pandemic will alter the way their businesses evaluate risk for at least the next five years Only 17% of retailers report an increase in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber attacks since March 12th, the lowest of all industries. Healthcare: well prepared, but under pressure and attack At 9.1 weeks, healthcare has the longest expectation of social and work restrictions remaining in place. With 59.3% of their employees working from home (follow-up conversations I have had indicate the bulk of those are administrative workers), 88% of healthcare survey respondents expressed confidence that their security infrastructure can adequately address employees working from home. They expressed the highest level of concern about security risks specifically targeting WFH employees (73%). Fully 27% (the highest across all industries) of healthcare organizations have had to acquire new security solutions/ services in order to address the new work dynamic. All this being said, 19% of healthcare organizations reported an uptick in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber attacks since March 12 th . . High Tech: perception vs. reality For an industry that had the highest share of WFH employees prior to the COVID-19 crisis (31.9%) and the highest share since March 12th (90.2%), survey respondents in high tech are the least confident that their security infrastructure can adequately address employees working from home (67% high tech v. 81% across all respondents). They also have the lowest level of confidence that their infrastructure was fully prepared for the range of risks associated with the new operating environment (57%) Sixty-two percent of survey respondents in high tech say they believe this pandemic will alter the way their businesses evaluate risk for at least the next five years. This number, while high, is the lowest among the industries we surveyed. Financial Services: leading the pack Despite seeing a 6.3-fold increase in the number of employees working at home (13.6% before/85.7% today), financial services firms were most likely to say they were prepared for their employees to WFH (88%), were prepared for the new work environment (70%), and were least likely to have to acquire new security solutions/services to address the new work dynamic (12%). And 37% of financial services firms surveyed reported an acceleration in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber attacks since March 12th, the highest among surveyed industries. Moving forward For years now weve been talking about the importance of corporate resiliency the ability of the business to take a punch and continue to operate. Security's role in resiliency got more broadly noticed when ransomware hit in full force, crippling some major businesses, albeit temporarily. But now that ability to take a punch will echo across board rooms around the world. Its clear that whatever the new normal will be is yet to be determined, and security is going to have to adapt to meet the risks it will bring. Its also clear that these unfortunate circumstances will shine an even brighter light on the security organization, as risk management will no longer be considered a nice to have, but will instead be seen as a must have. Nineteen inmates at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater and one at MCI-Shirley have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the latest figures. Additionally, 7 Department of Correction staff members have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. Of those 7 cases, there are 3 in MTC, 1 in Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, 1 at MCI-Shirley and 2 based in their central office. The Massachusetts Treatment Center is a medium-security facility that houses criminally sentenced men identified as sex offenders and those who have been civilly committed as sexually dangerous people. As the prospect of coronavirus spreading among inmates looms, defense attorneys have in some cases filed motions for release. District attorneys say they are considering early release for some non-violent offenders, including people 60 and older, or people who have underlying conditions that put them at high risk for health complications, should they contract the virus. Meanwhile, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee for Public Counsel Services and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Judicial Court to limit outbreaks of COVID-19 behind bars by reducing the number of people in jails, prisons, and houses of correction, filing an emergency petition. The litigation has been sent to the full SJC. In Massachusetts, there are at least 7,738 cases of coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to the states Department of Public Health. At least 122 have died. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Wednesday said there is a need to build a manufacturing base for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators not only for the Covid-19 outbreak but for the future as well. Kant, who heads the empowered group on coordinating with private sector NGOs and international organisations for the Covid-19 pandemic,was chairing the second meeting with representatives of industry. "There is a need to build a manufacturing base for PPEs & ventilators not only for #COVID19 response but for the future as well, in line with our objective of accelerating the #MakeInIndia resolve," the Niti Aayog said in a tweet quoting Kant. The group headed by Kant is one of the 11 empowered groups of officers constituted by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla for planning and ensuring implementation of Covid-19 response activities. Kant brought to notice of the Empowered Committee 6 for Covid-19 that augmenting supply of oxygen is the need of the hour and will be key, hand in hand with manufacturing ventilators during this period, it added. CII Director General Chandrajit Bannerjee updated the committee on the various Covid-19 response measures being taken, including healthcare product augmentation, policy inputs, relief and information dissemination taken up by industry body CII and its affiliated industry leaders. Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta- The Medicity, NareshTrehan informed the committee on the important safety protocols and features required in ventilators for efficient management of Covid -19 patients, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The show is a production by the Actors Studio, where some of todays stars like Ali Rabie and Osos made their first steps to regional fame The Actors Studio, operating under the Artistic Creativity Centre, will present a performance of 'Aina Ashbahy?' (Where Are My Ghosts?) online on 3 April. The performance is being released on YouTube by the Ministry of Culture almost a decade after the show's premiere. The screening is part of the ministry's 'Culture Between Your Hands' initiative to urge people to stay home amid the country's comprehensive plan to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Directed by manager of the centre Khaled Galal, 'Aina Ashbahy' is a product of the Actors Studio where many of the cast members have become popular stars, including Ali Rabie and Mohamed 'Osos' Usama. With choreography by Mohamed Mostafa and Diaa Shafiq, 'Aina Ashbahy' tells the story of security guards at a haunted palace that is full of funny ghosts. The show premiered in 2012 to large success. Other plays produced by the Actors Studio to be released on YouTube include Sallem Nafsak (Surrender) once attended by VIPs including Egypt's president and Saudi Crown Prince, Baad El-Leil (After the Night). The initiative is releasing tens of theatre performances, concerts and other cultural events to audiences amid the current shutdown of theatres, cinemas and concert halls. The show will be released on Egyptian Ministry of Culture Youtube channel here For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Details spill to media of US 'framework' for Venezuela Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 3:23 PM A plan that the United States is to unveil for Venezuela envisages the removal of sanctions on the Latin American country if democratically-elected President Nicola Maduro hands over power, according to reports. Venezuela plunged into an unprecedented political turmoil in January last year, when US-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido declared himself "interim president" of the Latin American country, challenging the outcome of the 2018 presidential election, which Maduro had won. Guaido also later launched an abortive coup against Maduro's elected government. Guaido's self-proclamation as president and his failed putsch received full support from Washington. Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been escalating tensions against oil-rich Venezuela, imposing rounds of more crippling sanctions on it, and has flirted with the idea of using military force to take out Maduro's government. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to announce Washington's so-called "Democratic Transition Framework" for Venezuela. The plan, according to a document seen by Reuters and AP in advance, will offer a "sequenced exit path" from the tough US sanctions if Maduro resigns. US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams told Reuters that the plan would require President Maduro to resign and Guido to step aside and hand power to a five-member council of state to govern Venezuela until presidential and parliamentary elections could to be held late this year. Four of the members would be chosen by the opposition-controlled National Assembly that Guaido heads. The fifth member, who would serve as interim president until elections are held, would be selected by the first four. The plan also outlines Washington's requirements for lifting sanctions against Venezuelan government officials and the oil sector and state oil company PDVSA, which provides nearly all of Venezuela's foreign income. "The hope is that this setup promotes the selection of people who are very broadly respected and known as people who can work with the other side," AP quoted Abrams as saying on Tuesday, insisting that in order for the sanctions to be lifted, all foreign military forces an apparent reference to Cuban or Russian military advisers would need to leave the country. The so-called framework will arrive at a time when all the measures the Trump administration has applied to unseat Maduro and hand power over to Guaido have failed. For months, Washington had also been attempting unsuccessfully to break the Venezuelan military's support for Maduro. The initiative also comes less than a week after Washington accused Maduro and several of his close allies of "drug trafficking" and put a reward for information that could lead to their arrest. The sweeping US sanctions have been hampering Venezuela's efforts to contain the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Elsewhere in his remarks, Abrams said that if the plan was adopted, there would be the possibility of aid for Venezuela from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has formerly rejected Maduro's request for five billion dollars to help fight the coronavirus epidemic in the country. As of Tuesday, 135 people have tested positive for the disease in Venezuela and three others have died, according to official figures. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Tethyan Resource Corp. (TSXV: TETH) ("Tethyan" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an arm's length agreement to purchase a 100% ownership stake in Serbian company EFPP d.o.o. ("EFPP"), the holder of two exploration licences (the "Licences") over the past-producing Kizevak and Sastavci silver-zinc-lead mines in the Raska district of Southwestern Serbia (Figure 1). Acquisition Highlights: The Licences are contiguous with Tethyan's existing exploration rights and the acquisition would complete the consolidation of a district of known silver-zinc-lead vein-type and copper-gold porphyry deposits, presenting numerous strategic advantages; The Licences include two past-producing open pit silver-zinc-lead mines and host significant historical mineral resources and reserves that were reported in accordance with Yugoslav GKZ reporting criteria and indicate excellent brownfield exploration potential (see Historical Resource and Reserve Estimates below); below); At Kizevak, historic drilling and underground channel sampling data define mineralisation that is present from surface up to 200 metres depth and 1.2 kilometres in strike length that is open down dip and along strike, representing an immediate drill-ready target (Figures 2 & 3); Staged acquisition payments allow Tethyan to focus funds on drilling; Serbia is establishing itself as a recognised mining jurisdiction, attracting significant investment interest. Fabian Baker, Tethyan's President and CEO, commented: "This acquisition is a key step in Tethyan's strategy to consolidate a district of historical mines and exploration prospects in Serbia. The Kizevak project in particular gives Tethyan an immediate drill ready target, and we can now drill the 1.2 kilometres of strike length, reported to host historical resources, between the former open pit mine and Tethyan's excellent 2018 drilling results. With Kizevak as a cornerstone project the many satellite exploration targets identified by historical drilling, all within a few kilometres of Kizevak, become relevant to a possible district-wide operation. The plan moving forward is for Tethyan to commence drilling of these high-grade silver-zinc-lead targets in parallel with advancing our two copper-gold porphyry projects at Rudnica and Kremice in the Raska district of Serbia." Kizevak Project Kizevak is a past-producing mine reported to host considerable historic mineral resources, along-strike from which Tethyan drilled mineralization including 12 metres at 22.03% zinc, 10.29 % lead, 167 g/t silver and 0.18 g/t gold (refer to Tethyan's news release dated September 4th 2018). The mine was operated as an open pit by the Serbian state between 1984 and 2000, ceasing operations due to conflict in the region. The project benefits from numerous infrastructure advantages including water, power, road and rail access all within 5 kilometres, and a local workforce with a long history of mining. Additionally, the land comprising the wider project area is designated for mining purposes under the Serbian State spatial plan, providing many permitting benefits and efficiencies. Mineralisation at Kizevak comprises steeply dipping, southeast striking, structurally controlled lenses of quartz-carbonate-sulphide vein breccias and stockwork zones hosted in andesite volcanics. Historic drilling and underground sampling data indicate that mineralisation occurs over a strike length of at least 1.2 kilometres, between 1 and 30 metres wide, and up to 200 metres down dip (Figures 2 & 3). This dominant southeast striking trend is intersected by at least one perpendicular southwest striking mineralised structure, which is inferred as an important control on high grade shoots. Mineralisation is open down dip and along strike to the northwest, southwest and southeast. In 2018 Tethyan drilled four drill holes on its wholly owned licence 1.2 kilometres along strike to the southeast of the mine (refer to Tethyan's news release dated September 4th 2018 and Figure 2) that returned mineralized intervals including: 12 metres at 22.03 % zinc, 10.29 % lead, 167 g/t silver, and 0.18 g/t gold for 35.09 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD002, from 130 m) 43 metres at 4.30 % zinc, 2.49 % lead, 26 g/t silver, and 0.21 g/t gold for 7.39 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD001, from 193 m) including 13.1 m @ 11.28 % zinc, 5.05 % lead, 57 g/t silver, and 0.32 g/t gold for 17.44 % ZnEq (from 221 m) 40.0 m @ 4.35 % zinc, 2.14 % lead, 27 g/t silver, and 0.34 g/t gold for 7.37 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD003, from 137 m) Sastavci Project Sastavci was also mined historically by open pit on a smaller scale than at Kizevak and represents a priority drilling target. Outcropping, steeply dipping, massive sulphide veins up to 5 metres wide are visible in the pit walls. Tethyan collected 65 rock-chip samples across the Sastavci area, which returned assays ranging from trace to >30 % zinc (over range), 7.1 % lead, 94.3 g/t silver and 0.47 g/t gold in the Sastavci pit. A historic resource estimate is reported in the Serbian geological archives (see Historical Resource and Reserve Estimates below). Additionally, to the north of the Sastavci open pit Tethyan has defined a greater than 100 ppb gold in soil anomaly over 800 metres long and 400 metres wide in strongly silica altered volcanic rocks. Rock-chip sample assays range from trace to 3.7 g/t gold, representing a separate epithermal gold exploration target. Historic Resource and Reserve Estimates In 1994 the Yugoslav Geological Survey reported combined estimated mineral resources in GKZ compliant A+B+C1+C2 categories of 8Mt at 45 g/t silver, 5.06 % zinc and 2.96 % lead at Kizevak, Sastavci and Karadak (a portion of the Kizevak resource, and Karadak are located on Tethyan's existing licences). The mineral resource estimates were reported by the state geological survey according to Yugoslav GKZ guidelines and do not comply with NI 43-101 reporting requirements and associated CIM definition standards. The authors caution that a qualified person has not done sufficient work to validate the historical estimates, and Tethyan is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or reserves. Tethyan has not completed a detailed review of the historical resource or completed a new mineral resource estimate. The historical resource estimates were completed using the polygonal method using data acquired from diamond drilling and underground sampling. For readers not familiar with Yugoslav mineral estimates, such estimates were always stated as "reserves" and classified according to the A+B+C1+C2 or "alphabetical" classification, which was derived from the Russian system and is still applied throughout many countries in southeast Europe. The reserves had to be approved by the official Commission for Ore Reserves. The A, B, C1 and C2 categories reflect the levels of confidence in the actual tonnage exploited from a reserve, with confidence levels being - 95%, 80%, 70% and 35% respectively. Henley (2004) and others have evaluated the alphabetical classification system with respect to the compliant codes in Canada and Australia, and concluded that A+B is comparable to "measured", C1 to "indicated" and C2 to "inferred" in internationally acceptable codes for reporting resources. However, these comparisons are only an approximation, and cannot be considered as equivalents. To verify the historical resource estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, drilling, mapping, detailed geological interpretation, geological modelling, grade mapping by interpolation using geostatistical analysis and mineral resource classification, using industry standard software, is required. Terms of EFPP Acquisition Closing of the transaction to acquire EFPP (the "Transaction") is subject to satisfactory due diligence and TSX acceptance on or before 15th April 2020. The acquisition of EFPP will occur in two steps, an initial 'First Closing' whereby Tethyan will acquire 10% of the shares of EFPP and management control of the company, and a 12 month period in which to decide, in its sole discretion, whether to proceed to a 'Second Closing' when Tethyan has the right to acquire the remaining 90% of the shares of EFPP. A summary of the terms of the Transaction is as follows: First Closing: In consideration for 10% of the shares of EFPP Tethyan will pay to the Sellers a total of EUR 625,000 cash on the First Closing. Second Closing: At any time within 12 months of First Closing, Tethyan may elect to acquire the remaining 90% of shares of EFPP on the Second Closing by: Paying EUR 1,375,000; Granting to the Sellers a 2% Net Smelter Return over the Licences; Issuing a total of 4 million ordinary shares of Tethyan, to be issued in four equal tranches of 1 million shares, with the first tranche issued on the Second Closing and each additional tranche issued each six months thereafter; Paying a deferred cash payment of EUR 500,000 on the two-year anniversary of First Closing. Resignation of Directors The Company also announces the resignation of Mr Richard Warke and Professor Poonam Puri as directors of the Company. Tethyan anticipates that additional directors will be appointed to the board of directors of the Company in due course. Fabian Baker, Tethyan's President & CEO, commented: "We would like to sincerely thank Mr. Warke and Professor Puri for their support of the Company, it has been a privilege to work with them and they are leaving us well positioned to successfully advance our new assets." Figure 1: Location of the Kizevak and Sastavci exploration licences within Tethyan's existing licence holding in the Raska District of Serbia. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_003full.jpg Figure 2: Map showing historical exploration drilling and adits that define a mineralised zone in excess of 1.2 kilometres in strike-length overlain on satellite imagery in which the past-producing Kizevak open pit is visible. Selected significant intercepts from historic sampling are labelled and all mineralised intervals greater than 2% lead + zinc are shown for reference. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_004full.jpg Figure 3: Long section through the Kizevak deposit showing historic drill and exploration adit intercepts greater than 2 % lead + zinc; note the intercepts down to 530 metre elevation in the northwest versus intercepts to only 680 metre elevation in the southeast indicating significant upside to depth. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_005full.jpg About Tethyan Resource Corp. Tethyan Resource Corp. is a precious and base metals mineral exploration company incorporated in British Columbia, Canada, and listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Tethyan is focused on the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt in Eastern Europe, mainly Serbia, where it is acquiring and exploring a portfolio of quality precious and base metals projects with known mineralization and compelling drill targets. Tethyan emphasizes responsible engagement with local communities and stakeholders, and is committed to the proactive implementation of Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and sustainable health, safety and environmental management. More information can be found on Tethyan's website: www.tethyan-resources.com. Sampling Methodology, Quality Assurance and Quality Control The drill core and rock chip sampling program and sampling protocols were supervised by Tethyan's Exploration Manager, Mr Andrew Tunningley MAusIMM(CP), who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Tethyan's drill core samples were collected from half cut PQ and HQ diameter core, where the core was sawn along a pre-defined cutting line. Sample intervals were selected by the geologists based on geological criteria including presence of alteration and mineralisation, style of mineralisation and lithological contacts. Minimum sample lengths of 0.5 metres and maximum sample lengths of 2 metres were employed. Each sample weighed between 2 and 13 kg depending on the length of the sample and diameter of drill core. Sampling was only conducted on visually mineralised intervals, including 10 metres either side of the visually mineralised interval. Data verification was conducted by the Qualified Person including checking of detailed geological logs against core observations, core photographs and analytical results. In addition, digital data was verified using industry standard software to validate the drill database prior to entering data into the master database. No check assays have been conducted to date. The chip samples were taken using a rock hammer. Typical sample weights were 2 kg per sample. Samples were collected in cotton bags and given a unique reference number. Quality Assurance is provided through provision of standard operating procedures for the collection and submission of samples as well as data handling and management. Quality Control is monitored through the insertion of one certified reference material sample and one blank sample per batch of 20 samples. One duplicate sample is also inserted per batch. All samples are securely transported from the project site to the ALS Global sample preparation laboratory in Bor, Serbia by ALS couriers. Sample pulps are then sent to ALS Rosia Montana, Romania by air freight for gold analysis by 30 gram fire assay with AA finish (code FA-AA23). Multi-element analyses are conducted by ALS Loughrea, Ireland using a highly oxidising digestion with ICP-MS finish (code ME-ICPORE). ALS's laboratories are ISO 2005 accredited, employ a Laboratory Information Management System for sample tracking, quality control and reporting, and are independent of Tethyan. Historical drill and underground channel sample data has not been verified by the Qualified Person and should not be relied upon. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tethyan's Exploration Manager, Andrew Tunningley, MAusIMM(CP), who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Contact Fabian Baker, President and Chief Executive Officer +44 1534 881 885 | fabian@tethyan-resources.com Andjelija Vujovic, Investor Relations +381(0) 11 4077 433 | andjelija@tethyan-resources.com TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the exploration program. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expected", "intends", "will be", "look forward", "looks" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Tethyan to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the completion of the First Closing and the Second Closing, receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals; future exploration programs; capital expenditures and other costs; and additional capital requirements. Although management of Tethyan 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. Tethyan will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54025 If Loving You Is Wrong is airing the first episode of its 5th season on Tuesday, March 31 at 10 p.m. The series stars Amanda Clayton, Edwina Findley, Heather Hemmens, Zulay Henao, and April Parker Jones. Heres the information youll need to watch If Loving You Is Wrong online without cable. When is 'If Loving You Is Wrong on? If Loving You Is Wrong debuts its 5th season on Tuesday, March 31 at 10 p.m. on OWN. It will air after two reruns of the series at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. How to watch If Loving You Is Wrong without cable If youre a cord-cutter or dont have cable, you can live stream If Loving You Is Wrong on Fubo TV (free trial). What channel is OWN? You can use the channel finder on your providers website to locate it: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish. How to watch If Loving You Is Wrong online on-demand If you missed an episode of If Loving You Is Wrong or want to binge watch the series online as it becomes available, check out Fubo TV (free trial). What is If Loving You Is Wrong about? According to the official OWN website: With a diverse cast and storylines ranging from heartfelt to scandalous, the sexy, sleek drama If Loving You Is Wrong takes viewers into the lives of a group of husbands, wives and friends that live and love in the same middle-class neighborhood. On the surface they are true-to-life, relatable peopleraising children, working jobs, finding and maintaining romancebut just below the veneer of happiness, their lives are entangled by heartbreak, deceit and lies that threaten to destroy everything.The drama opens in the middle of a torrid affair between neighbors Randal (Eltony Williams, 24) and Alex (Amanda Clayton, John Carter). Randals wife, Marcie (Heather Hemmens, Hellcats), desperately wants children, but Randals attention is focused on the wife of his best friend, Brad (Aiden Turner, All My Children). Just down the street, divorcee Esperanza (Zulay Henao, Single Moms Club) is trying to move on with her life, while keeping a budding relationship with Julius (Octavio Pizano, East Los High) a secret from her vindictive ex-husband, Edward (Joel Rush, Days of Our Lives). Meanwhile, neighbor Kelly (Edwina Findley, Treme) longs to marry Travis (Denzel Wells) who is away on a relief mission in Haiti and who has promised to help her raise her 8-year-old son, Justice. Outside of the neighborhood, single mother Natalie (April Parker Jones, Jericho) struggles to raise her children in the inner city. Lushion (Malik Whitfield, Law and Order), the father of her son Frank, has returned to town and stepped up to the plate to help. In addition, Natalie grapples with the tough decision whether or not to allow her fourth son, Joey (Matt Cook), to return home once he is released from prison. Heres a look at a scene from a recent season of If Loving You Is Wrong, courtesy of OWNs official YouTube channel: Related stories about If Loving You Is Wrong Here are some additional stories and articles about If Loving You Is Wrong, including a look at the recent cancellation of the series, and the reasoning behind that decision: Tyler Perrys If Loving You Is Wrong To End After Five Seasons On OWN; Premiere Date Set Tyler Perrys If Loving You Is Wrong Season 5 Clips Tyler Perrys If Loving You Is Wrong to End With Season 5 on OWN Joseph Rejent may be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. If they need any procedures or special treatment done, as their parent you want to be there for them. Even on the best of days in the NICU, you want to be there to hold them because you want them to know you are there for them, youll protect them, and to be their advocates when needed, Strock said. New Jersey health officials announced Wednesday the state now has at least 22,255 cases of the coronavirus, including 355 deaths, as 3,649 new positive tests and 91 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. That is the highest single-day increases in both cases and deaths since the outbreak began. New Jersey has more cases than all but eight countries in the world. Every single one of these lives is irreplaceable, period, Gov. Phil Murphy said at the Trenton War Memorial during his daily coronavirus press briefing. We have lost at least 355 people of value up and down our state, young and old, persons of all backgrounds, he added. "We mourn for each of them from afar. " New Jersey, a state with 9 million residents, continues to have the second highest number of positive COVID-19 cases after New York. But Murphy said it make take time for the tight social-distancing restrictions he enacted including a stay-at-home order and businesses closings to be reflected in the coronavirus case numbers. The most aggressive set of steps we took was a week ago Saturday, Murphy said during an interview Wednesday morning with Bloomberg TV. "So thats 11 days ago. Some of these testing results that were getting were from specimens collected eight to 10 days ago. So were not gonna have a real handle on the impact of the very aggressive social distancing probably for another week or so. New Jersey has recorded 30,387 negative tests for the virus so far. The partial county-by-county breakdown of cases includes: Bergen County: 3,494 with 75 deaths Essex County: 2,262 with 69 deaths Hudson County: 1,910 with 29 deaths Union County: 1,661 with 29 deaths Passaic County: 1,494 with 15 deaths Middlesex County: 1,493 with 27 deaths Monmouth County: 1,301 with 24 deaths Ocean County: 1,209 with 23 deaths Morris County: 942 with 25 deaths Somerset County: 472 with 15 deaths Mercer County: 333 with 3 deaths Camden County: 289 with 3 deaths Burlington County: 255 with 5 deaths Sussex County: 158 with 6 deaths Gloucester County: 149 with 2 deaths Hunterdon County: 117 with no deaths Warren County: 96 with 3 deaths Atlantic County: 40 with no deaths Cumberland County: 27 with 1 death Cape May County: 22 with no deaths Salem County: 19 with 1 death Theres another 4,512 cases still under investigation to determine where the person who tested positive resides. Murphy also explained that three of the deaths previously included in Tuesdays update are under additional review to determine the cause of death. Those have been removed from the total. Persichilli said 93 of New Jerseys 375 longterm care facilities in the state have reported at least one positive case. And all four of the states psychiatric hospitals have seen at least one case, she added. Community spread is here in New Jersey," Persichilli said. "And its here to stay for awhile. In addition, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Wednesday that hospitals in North Jersey are already seeing an expected surge in COVID-19 patients, with seven reporting to the state that they reached divert status Tuesday. The surge is an influx of patients that tests hospital capacity. Persichilli said New Jersey should be able to handle the surge, but she stressed the state needs more ventilators. She said 80 percent of people that test positive have mild to moderate symptoms and can stay home, while 15 percent may need to be admitted to the hospital. And 50 percent of those may need ventilators, though that could go up, Persichilli said. Murphy has placed New Jersey into near-lockdown to help slow the spread of the virus and protect hospital capacity, ordering residents to stay at home, banning social gatherings, and mandating non-essential retail businesses to close. State officials say the peak of cases may come within three weeks. Murphy said the pandemic will probably bleed meaningfully into May, at least. The virus has infected more than 877,000 people across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University as of Wednesday morning. Of those, more than 43,500 have died and nearly 186,000 have recovered. The United States has the most cases in the world. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: 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. Police use force as 100 gather at Dargah in Rajasthan India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Jaipur, Apr 01: About 100 people gathered for a religious congregation at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Tuesday following which police used mild force to disperse them, police sources said. Six persons have been arrested by police for violating lockdown restrictions in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. As per tradition, a chadar is offered every year by the khadims of Ajmer dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti to the dargah in Sarwar. The religious congregation in Sarwar comes at a time when authorities nationwide are trying to trace people who attended a huge religious gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. Rajasthan: Lockdown violators to serve in COVID-19 quarantine wards 24 people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz have tested positive for coronavirus, while 1,548 have been evacuated and 441 hospitalised after they showed its symptoms. SP, Ajmer, Kunwar Rastradeep said that Ajmer police gave permission to five persons for this purpose but later many others joined them in the Sarwar dargah. According to police sources about 100 people had gathered at the dargah. When the police asked them to vacate the place, several of them objected and confronted the police. #Stayathome and send us your selfie Later, police dispersed them using mild force and arrested six persons under 151 (arrest to prevent cognisable offences) of CrPC. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 13:51 [IST] Chairman of the Tobinco Group of Companies, Nana Amo Tobbin I, prefers a total lockdown of the country to contain the spread of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic in the country. He commended the government for coming out with some practical measures to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic but quickly added that a total lockdown of the country would have made a huge impact. The business mogul was speaking on Atinka TVs new programme, COVID-19-The Impact. The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Friday announced a partial lockdown of Greater Accra, Kasoa, Tema and Greater Kumasi as part of measures to contain the spread of the pandemic. The measures took effect on Monday at 1 am. However, Nana Amo Tobbin I, who is also the President of the Pharmaceutical Division of the Association of Ghana Industries argued that the partial lockdown is not completely achieving its intended purpose. He said the interval between the time of the declaration (Friday, March 27, 2020) and the start of the lockdown (Monday, March 30, 2020) allowed people to travel to areas that do not have reported cases. He said the movement may have allowed persons who unknowingly have the virus to spread it as they travel across the country. According to him, Wuhan in China, India and other countries which adopted the total lockdown policy are tackling the pandemic effectively. Nana Amo Tobbin I, who also runs the biggest pharmaceutical company in West Africa, Entrance Pharmaceutical, was, however, optimistic that, Ghana will soon go for the total lockdown to tackle the pandemic. Touching on homelessness amidst the lockdown, Nana Amo Tobbin I, said the government should have considered housing Kayayees and other homeless people before announcing the lockdown. His comments follow reports that two cargo trucks transporting kayayei's (head porters) to Walewale in the Northern Region were busted in Ejisu in the Ashanti Region. The kayayei's were fleeing Accra after the government announced a two-week lockdown to contain and stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. Nana Amo Tobbin I explained that the government could have considered housing these homeless people in the dormitories of the various Senior High Schools within the period of the lockdown since the students are currently home while the dormitories are empty. 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 Zydus Group firm Zydus Wellness on Wednesday said it has forayed into hand sanitizer category with the launch of its product under 'Nycil' brand in the country to meet the rising demand due to COVID-19 outbreak. The company had acquired the Nycil brand as part of its acquisition of Heinz India. The company decided to roll out this product in a record time of 12 days, as a response to the current pandemic. Nycil sanitizer consists of neem and aloevera extracts that helps kill 99.9 per cent germs, Zydus Wellness said. "We had acquired the Nycil brand as part of the acquisition of Heinz India. When we worked for extension of Nycil brand, one of the categories that came up was hand sanitizers. We had decided to launch this in 2021," Zydus Wellness CEO Tarun Arora told PTI. However, given the extraordinary times we are living in, the company decided to prepone the launch plans. As there is a need in the country for sanitizers, it was decided to launch it now, he added. "We are in a process of rolling it out across the country. This is the first ever brand extension of Nycil. We have launched in north, and as production ramps up we are in the process of scaling it to all parts of the country," Arora said. The company plans to roll out more than 2 million bottles on a priority basis in next 30 days to be made available across India for medical help providers and general consumption, he added. When asked if the company is also looking at other brand extensions for Nycil, Arora replied in affirmative and said Zydus Wellnes is looking at valuating the timing and preparations for it. On being asked if the company is also facing problems due to the nationwide lockdown, he said, "Right now we are also facing supply chain issues because of the lockdown, but government is helping the industry to smoothen this process. It is a step in the right direction. Local governments are also helping the industry in this." The hand sanitizer is a permanent offering from the company and will continue to exist in the portfolio beyond the current situation, Zydus Wellness said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:58:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Wednesday night confirmed six new cases of the COVID-19 infection, bringing the total in the country to 218. The six cases are all Vietnamese, including three people recently returning from abroad and three people related to Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, which is in connection with a number of confirmed infection cases. The country confirmed 11 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday alone. Vietnam has 4,671 suspected cases with nearly 80,000 being monitored and quarantined as of Wednesday night, according to the health ministry. A total of 63 patients have recovered with no deaths recorded so far in the country. 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 White House speaks on Blinken statement on Russian peacekeeping troops Armed people detained at border in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan talks stabilization of situation in all regions of country Azerbaijanis demand Armenian soldier change his faith by taking away his cross, Ombudsman says Armenian painter Mher Mansurian dies in France At least 17 killed in Egypt road accident NATO chief announces Russia forces continued buildup in Ukraine Armenian militarys transfer to Kazakhstan is completed The Israeli governments March 15 approval of emergency regulations allowing the Shin Bet to track COVID-19 patients and those around them set off a public outcry, for good reason. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and the Joint List petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the new regulations, objecting that even with the fight against the coronavirus and the need to oversee public health concerns, this extreme step tramples on individual rights and democratic norms. The court agreed with the petition, at least in part, and instructed the government that the implementation of the new regulations must be subject to Knesset supervision. The struggle revealed one of the most sensitive methods used by the Shin Bet in its war against terrorism. Until the recent coronavirus outbreak, it was one of the most secretive. As it turns out, the Shin Bet has what it calls The Tool, essentially a secret intelligence database where information about every citizen is constantly collected. The new emergency regulations granted the Shin Bet permission to use it to track coronavirus patients. According to an investigative report by journalists Ronen Bergman and Ido Shvartztuch published March 27 by Yedioth Ahronoth, while the database was originally intended to be used in the war against terrorism, the possibility of it being used for other purposes poses a real threat to civil liberties. One unnamed former top Shin Bet officer was quoted in the piece as saying, 'The Tool' has saved countless of Israeli lives. It is hard to imagine us waging the war against terrorism or our efforts to expose espionage without it. As part of this investigation, an unnamed senior manager of cyber technologies at the Ministry of Communications said, Communication companies are required by law to provide all information deemed necessary to the security services. Every conversation that takes place leaves a record in the communication companies systems. This record contains lots of data, including the phone number that initiated the conversation, the target of that conversation, the phone number of that conversations target, the location of that phone and the location of towers through which the call was initiated. The same is true of the phone receiving the call. The phone location is recorded even if the owner of the phone does not accept the conversation or sends a text. The network knows exactly where the person is at any given moment. The investigation also revealed that the five members of the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees Subcommittee for Intelligence are aware of the Shin Bet's activity as well as the heads of the various branches of Israels security services such as the minister of defense, chief of staff, director of the Shin Bet and director of the Mossad. And, of course, the prime minister. It was Benjamin Netanyahu who initiated the use of the database in the fight against the coronavirus, and in doing so, made its existence public knowledge. Now even terrorist organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip the very organizations that it was developed to combat know about it. The leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the militant Tanzim units of Fatah always knew that cell phones could be used to identify them and employed complicated means to conceal their use. Their greatest fear was, of course, eavesdropping. While writing an article for Yedioth Ahronoth during the second intifada, I met in Gaza with Sami Abu Samhadana, a member of a prominent family in Rafah and a high-ranking member of Fatah in the Gaza Strip. His brother, Jamal Abu Samhadana, founded the Popular Resistance Committees, which were responsible for a number of horrifying terror attacks against Israelis. One of the most shocking was the murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters on the Kisufim Road in Gush Katif on May 2, 2004. We were sitting in an office tower in the Gaza Strip because Samhadana believed that Israeli jets would not dare strike a multistory building and leave numerous civilian casualties. Suddenly, we heard a helicopter overhead and jets flying over the building. Samhadana went pale and asked if anyone knew I was meeting with him. He even checked my cell phone to see if it could be used to locate me. I did not know what to tell him. No one knows, I answered. Afterward, he told me that he changes his phone number every couple of days to ensure that he could not be located. His brother Jamal, who helped plan the June 2006 abduction of Gilad Shalit, was assassinated before the plan was carried out in an airstrike on the training camp. It is unknown whether the database was already operational or if routine eavesdropping on his phone made the killing possible. Or maybe it was nothing more sophisticated than intelligence provided by a collaborator. Many years have passed since his assassination. Cyber warfare has become much more sophisticated and, as has now been revealed, the Shin Bet has a vast database covering just about everything about every resident of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It is safe to assume that the database helped the IDF launch a series of high-quality assassinations including the killing of Islamic Jihad's Bahaa Abu al-Atta in November 2019. The Shin Bet has a reputation as an expansive and capable organization that can pinpoint precise locations for the air force to conduct surgical operations while avoiding harm to bystanders. Hamas once claimed that senior officers in the Palestinian Authority collaborated with Israel and provided the intelligence need to carry out Attas assassination, but the claim seems likely intended to draw fire away from Hamas after it refused to participate in Islamic Jihads armed response. How would officers in the Palestinian Authority have any information about an Islamic Jihad senior who lives his whole life underground? And why would the Shin Bet need it when it can locate any resident at any given moment? Atta may have lived underground out of fear of assassination, but even if he took every possible precaution and did not carry a cell phone on him, the people surrounding him could always be located. In response to the security escalation in Gaza this February, Israel warned Hamas by way of Egypt that if the hostile fire didn't stop, Yahya Sinwar, the movements leader in Gaza, would be killed. Sinwar went underground. He was certainly well aware that Israel could locate him, but it is doubtful that he knew then what he knows today from public news sources: that Israel is capable of tracking his every movement and the movements of all the other leaders of his organization. The governor of Pennsylvania plans to ban short-term rentals, including those from Airbnb, after many homes had been advertised as coronavirus getaways, allegedly causing a surge in cases of the virus, a report says. Governor Tom Wolfs administration plans to ban short term rentals such as Airbnb and remove them from the states list of life sustaining businesses, reported WHYY. The ban comes as many rural counties advertising homes as places to get away from the coronavirus outbreaks in New York and New Jersey have themselves become epicenters of the virus. A spokesperson for Wolfs office did not clarify when short-term rentals would be removed from essential businesses or provide any other details, WHYY reported. In Monroe County, where many of the rentals are listed, there were 236 cases of the coronavirus as of Wednesday morning, the most per capita in Pennsylvania, WHYY reported. There were 7 deaths from the virus in Monroe County. Wolfs administration made the decision to remove rentals as essential businesses as local officials grew concerned that people visiting from New York and New Jersey, the two states with the highest incidence of the coronavirus in the country, were potentially spreading the virus. As more and more people cancel rentals amid the pandemic, rental owners have pivoted to marketing their homes as places to get away from hot spots of the virus. Several postings included reassurances that any rentals would be deep-cleaned and disinfected prior to a stay. By Wednesday morning, many Monroe County area rentals had been changed to reflect Wolfs decision. We are only accepting long term rentals as short-term rentals have been temporarily considered non-essential, read one rentals note. In Philadelphia, which has the most cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania with 1,167 as of Wednesday morning, many listings led with notes that the rentals had been sanitized and listed low rental prices. Huge bedroom in our SANITIZED home sleeps 2-4 read one listing. Spacious & charming. Sanitized. Queen guest room, read another. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Expected mine shutdowns of at least a month in Mexico will reduce the global silver supply since the country is the worlds largest silver producer. Nevertheless, analysts are not rushing to say this will automatically mean higher silver prices, as normally occurs when there are reduced supplies in any commodity. Thats because in this instance, industrial demand is also suffering as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the global economy. Further, with refinery and transportation issues but sharply rising physical demand, silver was described as a market in turmoil. The Mexican government this week declared the pandemic as a national health emergency and as a result is forcing all non-essential businesses to close up shop until at least April 30. Silver miners likely are considered non-essential. Some mining and exploration companies have already said they are halting operations. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, in 2019, Mexico produced 6.3 thousand metric tons of silver, which represented about 23% of global mine supply. Statistics from the consultancy CPM Group put 2019 output at around 740 million ounces, of which 173 million were from Mexico. They are the largest silver-producing country by a wide margin, said Jeff Christian, managing director of CPM Group. So interruptions of silver-mine production from Mexico would hit the market. On top of this, Christian said, refinery production in Mexico and elsewhere is being curtailed, and the industry faces transportation issues. Much of the worlds precious metals are shipped by air freight due to their high value relative to their weight. You cant even ship refined metal easily from country to country because the planes that normally carry that arent flying, Christian said. The whole precious-metals complex is being hit by supply and supply-chain disruptions. That is going to continue to be a problem and an issue. Mexico joining the lockdown just makes it that much worse. Impact on prices uncertain While shuttered production will disrupt the markets supply-and-demand fundamentals, some analysts are not convinced that this will have a major impact on silver prices in the near term. Others say the outlook is hard to forecast at the moment since fabrication demand is also suffering, even though physical investment demand is picking up. While silver prices are off their 11-year lows, they continue to struggle to find consistent momentum. Silver also continues to underperform gold, with the gold-silver ratio hovering at 113, just down from recent record highs. May silver futures last traded at $14.145 an ounce, relatively unchanged on the day. Demand for silver, or the lack there of, is receiving all the attention right now as the world remains worried about a global recession, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. Although weak global growth due to the spreading coronavirus will continue to weigh on silvers industrial demand, Hansen said that investment demand could end up driving the market. He described the silver market as a Sleeping Beauty just waiting to be woken up. From an investors point of view, silver should do better than gold in a supply crunch, he said. Hansen added that currently he is more bullish on silver than gold; however, he added that the market still has to get past current conditions. Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy at TD Securities, said that he is not surprised that Mexico is halting its mining operations. Mexicos announcement comes less than a week after South Africa shut down its mining, impacting the supply of platinum and palladium. From a fundamental supply-and-demand perspective, this will tighten up the market a little, he said. But I dont know what prices will do in the near term. However, Melek added that the issue in the silver market isnt just the supply/demand picture. Market volatility remains relatively high as investors remain concerned about the impact the coronavirus is having on the global economy, he said. Right now, this is a liquidity issue and until we really understand the full impact of the virus will have on the economy, investors arent going to be focused on supply and demand, he said. Right now, we dont know how long these global lockdown measures are going to last. But Melek also isnt completely dismissing the silver-supply issue. He added that this will provide long-term support for the metal. He also said that with silver continuing to underperform gold at historic levels, there is long-term value in the marketplace. Once we understand the full impact the virus has on the global economy and we can see beyond the short-term volatility, then silvers supply issues will be a major factor in the price, he said. This sets us up for future higher prices. Meanwhile, Christian pointed out that there are numerous cross-currents in the market, not only the reduced mine supply but reduced fabrication demand of silver for industrial purposes but increased investment demand. Historically, industrial uses have been the largest source of silver demand. A lot of the factories where silver is used in fabrication of products from solar panels to electronics to jewelry are shut down too, Christian said. So not only is the supply being negatively effected, but fabrication demand is being negatively affected too. However, investors have stepped up purchases of silver and gold bars and coins, he continued. For instance, he pointed out that U.S. Mint data show that sales of American Eagle silver coins jumped to some 5.5 million ounces in March from around 650,000 in February. While you have a reduction in refined supply, a reduction in fabrication demand, you are actually seeing this increased demand for physical silver in coins and bars, Christian said. But the supply is being constrained because you cant ship the stuff around, and the factories that make the blanks [for coins] are closed. The mints that make the coins are closed. So the market is in turmoil right now in terms of the logistics of getting metal from A to B. By Neils Christensen and Allen Sykora A monarch is the head of a state or region for a lifetime, or until he or she abdicates the throne. In a constitutional monarchy, monarchs are given restrictions on their ability to rule, as set forth by a constitution. A constitutional monarchy should not be confused with an absolute monarchy. In an absolute monarchy, the monarch is an autocrat in charge of executive, judicial, and legislative manners. Constitutional monarchies are different from absolute monarchies in that the ruler is guided by a legal framework (a constitution, for example) that prevents an overreach of power. The ancient Hittites are credited with having the worlds oldest constitutional monarchy. The Hittites lived during the Bronze age. Their king or queen shared rule with the Panku, a group of nobles that is similar to todays assembly or legislature. The Rules of Ruling The United Kingdom is perhaps the most famous constitutional monarchy in the world. Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash Constitutional monarchies are found in a variety of countries and sovereign states across the world including Monaco, Morocco, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is perhaps the most famous constitutional monarchies. Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family are highly visible and known throughout the world as celebrities. However, in the UK, as well as in Spain, Belgium, Sweden, and Japan, the monarch has no formal ruling authority. In fact, in his paraphrasing, the British historian and politician Thomas Macaulay, political scientist Vernon Bogdanor explains the nature of a constitutional monarchy as a sovereign who reigns but does not rule. In England in 1688, the Glorious Revolution resulted in a constitutional monarchy. The restrictions of this rule were set forth by the Bill of Rights in 1689 and the Act of Settlement of 1701. However, a limited monarchy was outlined centuries earlier in 1215 with the Magna Carta. Queen Victoria is noted as the last British monarch to have conducted any political maneuvers during her reign. What Does a Constitutional Monarchy Actually Do? Constitutional monarchs might not be able to rule like presidents or prime ministers, but the government will often operate in their name. Using again the example of the UK, the Queen serves more as a symbol of national unity. Still, a constitutional monarch can have powers in Parliament or legislation, though this must be specified by the constitution. According to the late British political theorist Walter Bagehot, a constitutional monarch has the political right to be consulted, to encourage, and to warn. Todays Constitutional Monarchies Japan is a constitutional monarchy, but the emperor is only a figurehead. Image credit: wikimedia.org The modern form of a constitutional monarchy was developed in the UK. An elected parliament, lead by the prime minister, are the people in power. The queen and her family are still in the role of representing the nation per tradition, but the work of governing is done by Parliament. The United Kingdom is one of sixteen constitutional monarchies known as Commonwealth realms. The others are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Not all countries in Europe abide by the same constitutional monarchy rules. In Belgium and Denmark, the monarch has an appointed representative who supervises the coalition government after a parliamentary election. In Norway, the king will preside as chair for certain cabinet meetings. In some countries, such as Japan and Sweden, the constitution has been amended so that the monarch no longer serves the government even in a nominal capacity. These monarchs are instead traditional symbols of a political power that once was. 01.04.2020 LISTEN Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed disappointment over statements made by some state authorities undermining the effort of the President Akufo-Addo led government to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The NDC has urged all its communicators to avoid being drawn into controversies by some state institutions. In a statement signed by the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the government through its state institutions are diverting attention of the people of Ghana from the call of the President to all and sundry to participate in the national effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The statement follows the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe prior to the statement said We have up to the end of June to compile the new voters register. The new register is important if only we want to have an election, so without the new register no elections. Again, the Special Prosecutor Mr. Martun Amidu is also reported to have formally invited some personalities to assist his office in investigating a recent report on Airbus scandal, all in the midst of fight against spread of coronavirus and a partial lockdown. These pronouncements, according to the statement, is tantamount to disrupting education and campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus. According to the statement, We in the NDC view these pronouncements as statements designed to create a controversy when the attention of the people of Ghana is focused on the efforts of the government and other stakeholders to take the necessary measures to ensure the preservation of the lives and welfare of the good people of Ghana. In an interview with Osei Bonsu, on Ekosiisen on Asempa Fm, the General Secretary said, If the government really is of good intention to fight corruption as portrayed, then Osafo Marfos Kroll and Associate $1million paid for no work done is still hanging. The statement further urged all its communicators to avoid being drawn into matters that are irrelevant to the fight to stop the spread of the pandemic. We value the lives of our fellow citizens and will not spend any time responding to issues that have no bearing whatsoever on the preservation of life. Below is full statement. The European Research Council (ERC) has announced it will support Professor Thomas Blankenstein to the tune of 2.5 million over five years. This year the ERC is awarding Advanced Grants to a total of 158 scientists across Europe. I am glad to announce a new round of ERC grants that will back cutting-edge, exploratory research, set to help Europe and the world to be better equipped for what the future may hold. That's the role of blue sky research. These senior research stars will cut new ground in a broad range of fields, including the area of health. I wish them all the best in this endeavour and, at this time of crisis, let me pay tribute to the heroic and invaluable work of the scientific community as a whole." Mauro Ferrari, Professor and President, ERC Ferrari announced this official statement on March 31, 2020. In Blankenstein's research group, scientists at the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) and from Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin study specialized cells of the immune system called T cells. With his new research project Blankenstein wants to find out how T cells respond when their specific receptors detect a new antigen on a cancer cell. This line of research promises to identify more effective immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer. Difficult conditions for research on immunosurveillance Scientists have been discussing the immunosurveillance theory for some 50 years. The Australian virologist Sir Frank MacFarlane Burnet suspected in 1970 that the immune system is constantly on the lookout for cancer cells in order to eliminate them. According to his hypothesis, certain properties presented on the surface of cancer cells enable T cells to recognize tumors. "There is no doubt that T cells often detect cancer by recognizing these antigens and destroy tumor cells," Blankenstein says. He assumes that there is a form of immunosurveillance that is triggered by virus-induced cancer, but says that "in spontaneously growing tumors we don't yet know if this actually starts a program of destruction in the T cells." Blankenstein has been working for years on immune therapies against cancer. "In our new research project we want to find out how a T cell reacts as soon as it recognizes a tumor antigen," says Blankenstein. He wants to know: "Does the T cell then induce the destruction of the cancer cells? Does this mean that immunosurveillance is also possible for cancer that develops spontaneously in the body? To answer these questions, Blankenstein suggests a new research approach. Conventional research models, he says, have always a hitch. Scientists often study immunosurveillance in mice by using, for example, chemical substances to induce tumor growth in a normal cell. He explains the problem: "Either such research models fail to reflect tumor growth in humans or we cannot clearly say whether, and how, T cell behavior actually affects the tumor." A promising new research approach What Blankenstein will do differently is transplant tumors into the mice. He has developed two mouse models for this purpose, but first he had to overcome several hurdles. The biggest problem, Blankenstein explains, is that an invasive procedure such as a transplant always causes inflammations in the mouse. This means it is difficult to investigate how T cells behave when cancer arises, because one doesn't know if the T cells are just responding to the tumor antigen as a result of the interventional procedure on the tissue. Blankenstein's research group has succeeded in reestablishing non inflammatory conditions that mimic sporadic cancer development in humans. He has not yet published his research models, which he will use for the first time in the new project. They allow him not only to regulate the presentation of tumor antigens, but also to measure T cells' behavior to cancer recognition. Blankenstein plans to hire additional postdocs and PhD students to support his new research project. He says: "The project could change the way we look at immunosurveillance in spontaneous tumor growth." Vadym Terelyuk/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Hospitals across the U.S. battling the coronavirus have been consistently reporting shortages of personal protective gear, ventilators and drugs used to help patients with pain management. But medical professionals in the state that's become the front line in America's fight against COVID-19 say they're concerned about the flow of oxygen itself to patients. The hospital was close to running out of oxygen," said an emergency room doctor at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York, which has become known as the epicenter of the outbreak in the state. "With the number of patients we have, We are using up resources at an unusual rate." Across the city in Brooklyn, Dr. Dorian Alexander at Brookdale Hospital said, "We burn through oxygen everyday." "We're consuming oxygen faster than we've ever consumed oxygen in hospitals before," said Dr. Peter Papadakos, the director of critical care medicine and professor of anesthesiology, surgery and neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The New York-Presbyterian system is trying to alleviate the stress on its hospitals by sending some stable patients home with small oxygen tanks, according to sources familiar with the matter. In most cases, the patients have been discharged from the emergency department with often positive but not severe cases of coronavirus and are provided with a portable meter that measures oxygen levels to track how they are doing or home oxygen tanks. The patients, sources said, then have a follow-up a tele-visit from a physician within 12 to 24 hours. COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized can develop pneumonia and end up in respiratory distress. When breathing becomes difficult patients often require supplemental oxygen. But the spike in demand for oxygen by coronavirus cases directly impacts other non-coronavirus patients, and could strain oxygen resources for everyone who relies on it inside and outside the hospital, Papadakos told ABC News. "How do you ration it? There are hundreds of thousands of patients," he said. "You've seen them down in Florida or if you've taken a cruise, walking around with their little oxygen tanks. There's people getting oxygen at home in tanks. Your grandma, the lady down the street. What happens when they can't get oxygen because of the pandemic?" The air people breathe is about 21% oxygen, but more highly concentrated, pressurized oxygen is a commodity, especially in medicine. In most circumstances, oxygen is produced in plants and facilities across the country two general ways. Larger, high-pressure tanks are typically sent to hospitals and other medical facilities. Lower pressure tanks, which are typically smaller, are designed for personal use. One of the world's largest oxygen suppliers, Air Products, is "not currently experienc[ing] production shortages in our businesses, including medical oxygen," company spokesperson Art George said. "Where we can around the world, we are building inventory. Our employees are proud to be considered business critical and be making a vital contribution to this effort. This is a dynamic situation and we are preparing to take the appropriate steps to help meet potential future needs as best we can." Air Products in the U.S. does not produce oxygen in tanks, according to George, but does provide oxygen to distributors who do. "We are giving high priority to distributors who deliver oxygen to the medical industry and prioritizing fill scheduling to this safety sensitive and critical industry," George added. Linde plc, an Irish chemical company that owns and operates Praxair, and Airgas, together two of the largest industrial gas suppliers in the U.S., said they have seen an increased demand for oxygen from hospitals, medical centers and providers due to coronavirus cases, according spokespersons for both companies. "As COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory disease, and as patient numbers continue to rise, we're going to see an increase in demand for medical oxygen" said Dr. David Ferraro, the Society of Critical Care Medicine Fundamental Disaster Management vice chair. He said it will be vital for hospital systems nationwide to keep a close eye on their current supply of oxygen, as if it were necessities like personal protective equipment, ventilators, regularly used medications and other resources related to COVID-19 -- as well as their supply chains. Current and potential shortages with which states like New York are dealing may become the problems of other states soon when their own surge begins, Ferraro said. "Hospitals need to be smart and wise with oxygen use. We might take some aspects of medical therapy for granted, like the supply of medical oxygen. Oxygen for medical use still has to be produced, however, just like medications and [personal protective equipment]," he said. "We are realizing that there is not an infinite supply. Oxygen might become a limited commodity just like ventilators or medications if supply chains cannot keep up with our increased demand. If so, it will be just like a precious metal that we don't have an infinite amount of, such as gold." Normal oxygen saturation levels are usually around 95-100%. According to COVID-19 guidance from the World Health Organization, patients in severe breathing distress should have oxygen saturation levels above 94%. But Ferraro said there are ways for hospitals to conserve conserve oxygen use, suggesting they pay close attention to each patient's oxygen level to make sure only those who really need it, get it -- especially once breathing begins to improve. The World Health Organization guidance says for stable patients, the range may be 90-95% oxygen saturation depending on the patient. "If a patient's oxygen saturations while on oxygen supplementation are well over this goal of 90 to 92%, we are potentially not conserving our oxygen utilization," said Ferraro. "If you had a band-aid shortage, why put five band-aids on a cut if you only need one?" Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. India has already gone through one-third of the lockdown period imposed till April 14. The first week of the lockdown, imposed in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, witnessed quite a few noteworthy events. Citizens around the country are already questioning if the lockdown will be extended. A recap from the week that went by: More positive cases emerged From 469 active cases on March 24, India now has 1,637 positive cases as of 3 pm on April 1. Additionally, 10 deaths had occurred till the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the day lockdown; the death tally now stands at 38. So far 1,168 new positive cases and 28 deaths have occurred in the first week of the lockdown. Average estimates indicate that 168 new cases and four deaths were reported every day during the week. New clusters identified In most nations reeling under the perils of COVID-19, the case count jumped exponentially high after health workers discovered a group of people who got infected at one place and mostly at the same time. Such groups are termed clusters. For instance, the majority of the infections in South Korea emerged from a church frequented by an infected woman. India last week found one such massive cluster in a religious congregation held in March in south Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Reports suggest that close to 150 cases have originated from this cluster. More than 70 positive cases in Tamil Nadu have emerged from this cluster alone. The fallouts from this congregation have been reported in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Telangana, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Sixteen more smaller clusters have been identified in Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab and other states. More deaths in a week due to lockdown than Covid-19 At least 17 migrant labourers and their family members, including five children, died in the course of their desperate efforts to return home since Modi announced on March 24 that the lockdown would commence at midnight. Aside from these deaths and two other fatalities, an 11-year-old boy reportedly died of hunger on March 27 in Bhojpur area of Bihar as the family could not arrange for food due to the strict implementation of the lockdown. Kerala, which has been battling coronavirus for two months, has seen just three deaths from the infection so far, but within a week of non-availability of liquor due to lockdown, seven people committed suicide. Karnataka followed a similar script four people committed suicide due to non-availability of alcohol. While coronavirus killed 28 people over the course of a week, the lockdown managed to eliminate 32. India lagged behind on testing rates While the rate at which positive cases emerged in India remained low, some also attributed it to the country's abysmal testing rate. Till last week, India was testing merely 18 individuals per one million of its population. Experts have argued that Indias low number of cases could be because of limited testing and the actual figures of infected people may be higher. Apart from China, in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Italy and South Korea, which saw a meteoric rise in confirmed coronavirus cases, the rate of testing is much higher compared to India. For instance, Italy performed tests at a rate of 5,268 per million of the population. UK performed 1,469 tests per million people. Similarly, South Korea, which witnessed a sharp rise in cases but eventually managed to contain the crisis, had performed 3,57,896 tests at a rate of 6,931 tests per million people. Even within India, according to an analysis by IndiaSpend.com, states and Union Territories with more testing centres and performing more tests have reported a higher number of cases. Salary cuts, deferred payments In an effort to keep the liquidity in state treasuries intact, state governments asked their employees to bite the bullet and either announced pay cuts or deferred their salaries. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that him and his other MLAs will take a 60% pay cut. Grade A and B officers will face a 50% salary cut. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his ministers and MLAs will take a 75% salary cut. The state corporation chairpersons and local bodies representatives will also take a three-fourth salary cut. Civil servants in the administrative, police and foreign services along with other central service officers will have to take a 60% salary deduction. All other categories of employees, including retirees, in the state will see a 50% in their pay. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's cabinet passed a resolution to defer 75% of his gross salary and that of his ministers and MLAs in view of the economic burden on the state due to the pandemic. It decided that 60% of the salaries of IAS officers and 50% of state services will be deferred. At least 30% salaries of pensioners will also be deferred. The Odisha government said there will be a deferment of 70% gross salary of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, his ministers and MLAs, and chairpersons of all corporations and elected representatives of local bodies. There will also be a deferment of 50% in the gross salary of All India Service Officers such as IAS, IPS and IFS. The Andhra Pradesh government announced deferment of payment of full salaries to the chief minister, other elected representatives, officers and other state government employees. All India Services officers will see a 60% deferment in their salaries, while all other employees will get only 50% of their pay. These measures are being taken at a time when the states are already fund-starved. GST compensations, for example, which are supposed to be paid at the end of every two months, have been pending for many states. Hayes St. S., 1200 block, 4:56 p.m. March 18. Two juveniles along with four other juveniles robbed a taxi driver of cash and a cellphone. Six juveniles were taken into custody and two of them were charged. A Missoula biotechnology company has rapidly switched gears in order to produce a much-needed component for COVID-19 testing capabilities in Montana and the world if needed. Rocky Mountain Biologicals, formed in 2004 and located in Missoulas development park near the airport, usually makes cell culture media like serum and other products for the pharmaceutical, cancer treatment and veterinary vaccine industries. Grant Kier, the CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership, was familiar with the company from past conversations. Kier also knew there was an acute shortage of viral transport media for COVID-19 testing. Essentially, viral transport media is clear substance that's used in a testing kit to transport the swab from a patient to a lab. Without it, the viral sample would "die" and the test wouldnt work. The viral transport media was a bottleneck in the process of getting tested, explained Jeff Pease, the chief business development officer at Rocky Mountain Biologicals. I dont know the reason why its not more available, but Grant Kier and Nicole Finke at Community Medical Center informed us theres a shortage. Others in the state are getting close to running out. They asked if we could make it. Pease said they hadnt thought much about making the product, but he consulted with Jeremy Amberson, the chief operations officer at the company. We had a majority of components in house already, Amberson said. On Monday, the company produced enough of the media, 18 liters, for 6,000 tests. That material will go out tomorrow, Pease said. Some of it will go to Community Medical Center, and the rest will go to 14 other hospitals and clinics all over the region. One is a little tiny clinic in eastern Montana, Pease added. I sent out an announcement to all hospitals and clinics that we were approved to make the product, and literally, after my email went out it didnt take 10 minutes to get the first phone call, he explained. They just didnt have the media. Were getting calls from all over Montana, Idaho and Washington. Amberson said the facility has the capacity to make a lot of the product and they could theoretically ship it all over the country. Normally, the company makes batches of 3,000 liters of its usual serum product. The company has about 15 employees, and theyre working hard right now to make sure theyre ready if more orders come in. Rocky Mountain Biologicals is owned by Welgene, a South Korean company, and Pease said they are not to be confused with Rocky Mountain Labs, a government medical research facility in the Bitterroot Valley. Pease said the two local hospitals, Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center, have been extremely cooperative. He also said the Missoula Economic Partnership played a crucial role as the networker between the company and the health care industry. I had a meeting with Grant (Kier) seven months ago and he remembered we did serum here, Pease recalled. He was in communication with us. We got the recipe from the Centers for Disease Control and the Mayo Clinic. Jeremy, the brains of the group, looked into it and said, Yes, we can do this. Lindsey Wallace, the communications director for the Missoula Economic Partnership, said its a good news story at a time when there isnt a whole lot of good news happening. It's also an example of how quickly Missoulians rise to the challenge to meet community needs, she said in an email to the Missoulian. Whats also of note is theyre not concerned with profiting off the manufacture of the media their primary concern is getting a crucial product into the hands of the labs that need it to ramp up testing and address the current crisis. Any hospital or clinic that needs the product should visit rmbio.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. With Karnataka government giving clearance to the virology laboratory set-up at the Wenlock hospital here, the testing of suspected coronavirus patients began on Wednesday on an experimental basis. Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said the laboratory has been set up with necessary equipment and facilities. The laboratory would be fully functional once the permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is received. Samples of the suspected coronavirus patients can be tested here once the centre is cleared by the ICMR. The laboratory, set up at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, would have five staff, including two doctors from the hospital. State Health Minister B Sriramulu, during his recent visit to the city, had assured that virology laboratories would be set up in all districts of the state, including Dakshina Kannada. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Salvation Army of Lake County has seen a major surge in those seeking assistance since the pandemic has affected Region communities, officials said. The number of those seeking assistance has multiplied since March 7, said Capt. Brian Clark, The Salvation Armys Lake County coordinator. We are now seeing more than five times the number of individuals and families visiting our food pantries in Lake County, Clark said. There has been a 67% increase in requests for other emergency services too. Food, housing assistance, eviction prevention, utilities and water shut-off prevention, employment assistance and financial counseling are among the mounting needs of Lake County residents. In a news release, The Salvation Army said it is seeing more than a 500% increase in those in need of emergency services. In addition, there has been a 28% increase in those receiving hot meals from the East Chicago Corps Community Centers mobile soup pantry, said center Lt. Abraham Marin. Starr Insurance Companies Appoints John Patin as Senior Investment Officer Starr Insurance Companies today announced the appointment of insurance investment veteran John Patin as senior investment officer, effective March 30. Mr. Patin is responsible for managing the diverse asset portfolio of Starr's insurance operating companies. Mr. Patin has spent most of his 20 years' experience managing investments for insurance enterprises, including most recently Allied World Assurance. He previously was a principal at a hedge fund of funds spun off from Moore Capital Management, the global macro hedge fund he joined in 2001. "John brings key skills in the important category of alternative investments as well as in traditional insurance asset allocation," said Maurice R. Greenberg, chairman and chief executive officer. "Having someone of his caliber will help keep Starr moving forward on the investment side of the business in paralle with the underwriting side." Mr. Patin is based at Starr's New York headquarters. About Starr Insurance Companies Starr Insurance Companies (or Starr) is a marketing name for the operating insurance and travel assistance companies and subsidiaries of Starr International Company, Inc. and for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Starr is a leading insurance and investment organization with a presence on six continents; through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products as well as a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance. Starr's insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, U.K. and Malta each have an A.M. Best rating of "A" (Excellent). Starr's Lloyd's syndicate has a Standard & Poor's rating of "A+" (Strong). Visit us at www.starrcompanies.com or follow us LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005116/en/ The wings of the nightingale famed for its beautiful birdsong are shrinking in response to climate change, a study has found. This change will make its long migrations to Africa more arduous and threaten its very survival, scientists have warned. Male nightingales, in particular, are known to sing for hours on end each night during the breeding season. However, this song may become harder to hear, with nightingale numbers having fallen dramatically over recent decades largely due to global warming. Scroll down for video The wings of the nightingale famed for its beautiful birdsong are shrinking in response to climate change , a study has found. This change will make its long migrations to Africa more arduous and threaten its very survival, scientists have warned The nightingale breeds in Europe and parts of Asia, migrating to sub-Saharan Africa every winter. In the UK alone, nightingale populations have fallen by 90 per cent in the last 50 years with numbers of singing males now down to only around 5,000. Various factors have been blamed for the decline, including browsing deer that are eating them 'out of house and home' and development of the birds' former nesting grounds. Other reasons include less coppicing the cutting back of trees to stimulate growth and changes to nightingale wintering grounds. Now, a study has found that warmer temperatures have made their wings get smaller a trend that has also been seen in other bird species. 'There is much evidence that climate change is having an effect on migratory birds, changing their arrival and laying dates and their physical features over the last few decades,' said zoologist Carolina Remacha of the Complutense University of Madrid From an analysis of twenty years of data on the birds, her team found that natural selection driven by climate change is causing the nightingale to evolve shorter wings, which could make them less likely to survive their annual migration. A comparison of wing shape variation and survival in two populations of nightingales from central Spain found the bird's average wing length has decreased relative to its body size. Shorter-winged birds were less likely to return to their breeding grounds after their first round-trip to Africa. Male nightingales, in particular, are known to sing for hours on end each night during the breeding season. However, this song may become harder to hear, with nightingale numbers having fallen dramatically over recent decades largely due to global warming The researchers linked changes in wing length and reduced survival to a phenomenon known as the 'migratory gene package'. This predicts adaptations related to migration including a long wingspan, higher resting metabolic rate, larger clutch size and shorter lifespan. These are controlled by a set of connected genes, so selective pressures on one trait also affect the others. In recent decades, the timing of spring has shifted in central Spain and summer droughts have become longer and more intense. This has left nightingales with a shorter window in which to raise their young. This means the most successful birds may be those that lay smaller clutches of eggs giving them fewer young to care for. If natural selection is favouring smaller clutches, it may simultaneously push nightingales away from all of the linked traits in the 'migratory gene package.' Evolving smaller clutch sizes and inadvertently also gaining shorter wings and, therefore, a reduced chance survival is an example of what experts call 'maladaptation' Evolving smaller clutch sizes and inadvertently also gaining shorter wings and, therefore, a reduced chance survival is an example of what experts call 'maladaptation'. This is where organisms' responses to changing conditions end up being harmful instead of helpful. 'If we are to fully understand how bird populations adapt to new environments in order to help them tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is important to call attention to the potential problems of maladaptive change,' Dr Remacha said. Scientists have long known that individuals from a given animal species tend to be smaller in warmer parts of their habitat. However, only recently was it conclusively determined that climate change was also triggering shrinking body sizes, with a US team reporting in December that migratory birds in North America have shrunk over the last 40 years. The discovery was based on an analysis of more than 70,000 migratory song birds that had been collected after fatal building strikes in Chicago and Michigan. Slightly larger than a robin, nightingales were first noted in Anglo Saxon times though fossilised remains date them back to as long as 100,000 years ago. The full findings of the study were published in the journal The Auk: Ornithological Advances. The 42-year-old man arrived at a hospital in Paris on March 17 with a fever, cough and the ground glass opacities in both lungs that are a trademark of infection with the new coronavirus. Two days later, his condition suddenly worsened and his oxygen levels dropped. His body, doctors suspected, was in the grip of a cytokine storm, a dangerous overreaction of the immune system. The phenomenon has become all too common in the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also pointing to potentially helpful drug treatments. When the body first encounters a virus or a bacterium, the immune system ramps up and begins to fight the invader. The foot soldiers in this fight are molecules called cytokines that set off a cascade of signals to cells to marshal a response. Usually, the stronger this immune response, the stronger the chance of vanquishing the infection, which is partly why children and younger people are less vulnerable over all to coronavirus. And once the enemy is defeated, the immune system is hard-wired to shut itself off. For most people and most infections, thats what happens, said Dr. Randy Cron, an expert on cytokine storms at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A leading Irish emergency medicine specialist has warned that in any worst-case Covid-19 scenario, patients will be assessed for critical care resources on their overall chances of survival. Dr Chris Luke stressed there will not be an umbrella or overall ruling simply on the basis of age or underlying health conditions for access to critical care resources. Each case would be assessed individually - with the overall survivability of the patient being the deciding factor. His comments came amid claims that, should a worst-case Covid-19 scenario occur, priority access to key ICU equipment might be settled on the basis of age and underlying health factors. That sparked fears from the elderly and people with long-term health conditions such as cancer they may not secure access to ventilators if they contract Covid-19 and fall seriously ill. Despite heroic efforts to expand intensive care bed capacity and increase the number of ventilators in acute hospitals nationwide, there remains a serious concern that any surge in new cases could overwhelm hospitals' resources. Health chiefs stressed that is why compliance with the stay-at-home and self-isolation guidelines is absolutely vital to slow the flood of new virus cases. Beds Ireland now has almost 100 Covid-19 patients in intensive care with the peak of the pandemic yet to be reached. The country normally has around 250 ICU beds, one of the lowest rates within the EU. However, the Department of Health, HSE and acute hospitals have been desperately trying to push that capacity to between 400 and 500 beds with new intensive care units opened, extra ventilators bought and the State taking control of private hospitals. "Each case will be decided individually and on the basis of survivability," Cork-based emergency medicine specialist Dr Luke said. "There will be no umbrella [ruling]. "All aspects of each individual case will be taken into account by the attending doctors. But the key issue will be the survivability of the patient." Dr Luke admitted the concern is that, if the worst-case virus modelling proves correct, hospitals could be swamped by new cases. "That is a concern. But that is why the measures put in place are so important to reduce the rate of new cases and give our hospitals, doctors and nurses a chance to cope," he said. He said everyone within Irish hospitals has responded magnificently to the challenge posed by the worst healthcare crisis in living memory. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Excise taxes on alcohol, gasoline and gas in Uzbekistan will not increase until the end of 2020, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek Ministry of Finance. "In accordance with the decision of Uzbek government, the current rates of excise tax on alcohol, alcoholic beverages, including wine and beer, as well as excise tax on sales of gasoline, diesel fuel and gas to end consumers will remain in force until the end of the year," the report says. The increase in excise taxes on all these items was envisaged by the law "On State Budget of Uzbekistan for 2020" from 1 April 2020. Earlier, against the backdrop of increased demand for face masks in Uzbekistan, masks were allowed to be produced and sold without a license. Also, Uzbekistan will temporarily lift customs duties on importing a number of medicines and medical products This is stated in the decree of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "On additional measures to meet the needs of the population in medicine," signed on March 27. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini For manufacturing, the official purchasing managers index rose to 52.0 this month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. Thats up from a record low of 35.7 in February and above the 50 mark which signals improving conditions. The gauge covering services and construction was at 52.3. While the rise indicates better sentiment at Chinese factories, output remains a long way from normal. The survey asks firms to state how business was compared to last month, so the data just show that Chinese companies think things have improved from the sharpest contraction since at least 2005, when the series began. China is still expected to have an unprecedented economic contraction this quarter, something that would have been unthinkable before the viral outbreak. The outlook for the April-June period depends both on how quickly domestic demand can rebound now the virus is contained, and the strength of demand from overseas markets like the U.S. which are facing their own spikes in infections. The number above 50 doesnt mean that economic activity is fully resumed, Zhang Liqun, a researcher at China Logistics Information Center, which helps compile the data, said in a statement on its website. We need to fully understand the unprecedented austerity and complexity, and should pay great attention to the virus shocks on production and demand. Chinese factories, which endured weeks of work suspensions in February after travel and trade stopped nationwide, are now facing canceled export orders as the pandemic hits the rest of the world. While manufacturing PMI rebounded rapidly in March, the survey showed companies still face relatively big operational pressures, the NBS said in a statement, adding that more firms are reporting funding shortages and falling demand than in February. The global virus spread will hit the world economy and trade seriously and bring new, severe challenges to the Chinese economy. A sub-index of new export orders rose to 46.4 in March, up from 28.7. A manufacturing employment indicator stood at 50.9, compared with 31.8 in February. In the services and construction sectors, while the headline number rose above 50, much of the underlying activity was still in contraction, with employment at 47.7 and new export orders at 38.6. That indicates companies dont want to hire before they can confirm theres been a solid return of business activities, according to Iris Pang, Chief Greater China Economist at ING NV in Hong Kong. This wont change overall policy stance, according to Zhou Hao, an economist at Commerzbank AG. I think the government is looking at the hard data to determine the policy steps, which is probably pointing to further economic headwinds and more policy support. Bloomberg A man arrested in connection with the alleged stabbing of his son on Tuesday has been remanded on conditional bail. Leon Frahill, of 22a Harbour View, Cobh, appeared at Macroom District Court before Judge John King. The court heard the 48-year-old, who is unemployed, has been charged with three offences. They are that he, on March 31, did - while committing an offence of assault causing harm in the course of a fight - produce a knife contrary to the S11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990. He has also been charged with engaging in a fight and producing a knife thereby causing a breach of the peace. And he is also charged with causing his son Gino harm contrary to S3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. Garda Ciaran Leahy said that when he formally charged Mr Frahill at Bandon Garda Station at 9.26pm on March 31, he replied: I accept. There was no objection to bail but a series of conditions were imposed. These included that he present himself to Youghal Garda Station three times a week between 9am and 9pm, and that he lives at Knockneeinor Grange, Ardmore, Co Waterford and not move address without giving gardai 24 hours' written notice. He must also at all times stay out of west Cork except for court appearances, and he is to have no contact by any means with his son or his immediate family. He must also have no contact with potential witnesses, who are from the west Cork and Bandon area. Mr Frahill also has to give gardai his new mobile number within three days and have it fully charged and switched on at all times. He has also had to surrender his passport. The case was adjourned until June 19, for mention and directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions is awaited. His son remains in a serious condition in the hospital. He was found in a collapsed state at a bus stop in the Glasslyn Road area of Bandon at approximately 7.51am on Tuesday. When gardai arrived at the scene, they found he sustained multiple stab wounds. Gardai are appealing for anyone with information in relation to the assault to contact them at Bandon Garda Station on 023 885 2200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. Now they were being laid off over video calls. At Bird, the Los Angeles scooter start-up, which had once been valued at as much as $2.5 billion, hundreds of employees were invited to a video conference call on Friday morning with just an hours notice. On the call, the voice of an unidentified executive explained that their jobs had been eliminated. A slide outlined the terms: a month of severance pay, three months of medical benefits and one year to exercise their stock options. The workers were asked to mail in their laptops, said Jenny Alvauaje, a Bird data analyst who was on the call. Some workers missed the call but learned they had been laid off when they lost access to internal systems shortly after, she said. In a statement that called the layoffs a difficult decision, a Bird spokeswoman added, We purposefully and intentionally did not have any video on to protect privacy as we delivered the news live to individuals. The end was equally abrupt for Nik Buenning, 40, a data scientist at Panoramic, a marketing software start-up in Los Angeles. He was just settling into his work-from-home setup on March 23 when a companywide email said to expect a call from human resources. Right away, he said, people started sending Slack messages like, Im out. Im out. Im out. An hour later, he was out, too. Mr. Buenning signed up for Upstream, a new networking app that unveiled itself earlier than planned to cater to tech workers affected by coronavirus layoffs. Sites like Silver Lining are also helping people connect with companies that are still hiring. Many start-up workers have added their names to Google spreadsheets, which recruiters share in weekly newsletters like Layoff List, created by a recruiting company called Drafted. Hiring managers, venture capitalists and start-up advisers read the newsletter, said Vinayak Ranade, chief executive of Drafted. The Goa government on Wednesday asked people who participated in the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi to contact the state health department immediately. The gathering held last month at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Delhi headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat, has become an epicentre for the spread of the disease. Goa Health Services Director Jose D'Sa has released helpline numbers (0832-2225538/2421810) for people from the coastal state who attended the event in the national capital, and asked them to get in touch with the health department immediately. "If anyone has attended the religious event, they should inform the health authorities," D'Sa said in a release. Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, have died of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MADISON State officials on Wednesday reported 1,550 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, an increase of 199 from the 1,351 reported on Tuesday. It also reported 24 deaths from COVID-19, eight higher than reported on Tuesday. Some local health departments have reported even higher numbers. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services added a new statistic to its daily COVID-19 release: the number of patients who are currently hospitalized, which, as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, is 398 people, about 26% of the total confirmed cases. Scott Bauer of the Associated Press tweeted on Wednesday that, The reporting (of hospitalization numbers) came after increasing criticism from Republican lawmakers, and questions from the media, about why it had not been made public before. There were 18,819 negative tests as of Tuesday afternoon, DHS reported, meaning that about 7.6% of those tested for the virus are confirmed positive cases. DHS also added in its county-by-county breakdown the number of negative tests completed in each county. Racine County reported at 4 p.m. on Wednesday that 36 coronavirus cases had been confirmed, 14 of which are within the jurisdiction of the City of Racine Health Department and 22 of which are elsewhere in the county. According to the DHS website, 420 tests in Racine County have come back negative, indicating 7.8% of people tested were positive for COVID-19. The county has not released additional information on who tested positive or what municipalities the 16 non-Racine residents reside in. Elsewhere in the area, according to DHS, the reported totals are: 54 cases in Kenosha County; 12 in Walworth County, double what the county has reported for days; 107 in Waukesha County; and 780 in Milwaukee County. Waukesha County reported its first death related to COVID-19. Milwaukee County, which was the only other county in the area that reported COVID-19 deaths through Wednesday, reported 11 fatalities. Although 1,550 is the number of confirmed cases in the state, its hard to know how many actual cases there are because testing is limited. There could be as many as 10 actual cases for every single confirmed positive case, according to Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Wisconsins chief medical officer for communicable diseases. More PPE on the way More personal protective equipment, or PPE, is being distributed to healthcare workers, emergency medical services, and medical facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and clinics across Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday announced that Wisconsin received a second round of supplies of PPE from the Strategic National Stockpile and is in the process of distributing those supplies across the state. The State Emergency Operations Center and Department of Health Services continue working to supply medical facilities with supplies requested from the national stockpile. The second phase includes approximately 51,880 N95 respirators, 130,840 face/surgical masks, 23,400 face shields, 20,226 surgical gowns, 96 coveralls, and 79,000 pairs of gloves. Tuesdays shipment comes as Governor Evers announced Wisconsins first delivery of SNS supplies which included approximately 52,800 N95 respirators, 130,000 face/surgical masks, 24,768 face shields, 20,286 surgical gowns, 96 coveralls and 61,750 pairs of gloves. In total, Wisconsin has received approximately 104,680 N95 respirators, 260,840 face/surgical masks, 48,186 face shields, 40,512 surgical gowns, 192 coveralls, and 140,750 pairs of gloves from the SNS. The SNS supply shipments do not include supplies the governor has requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for non-medical personnel or supplies being aggressively pursued through procurement, donations or the governors buyback program. Guard to be used as poll workers Gov. Evers announced on Wednesday that he will use National Guard soldiers to staff undermanned polling sites during next weeks presidential primary. Local election clerks across the state say poll workers are quitting in droves out of fears of contracting the coronavirus during Tuesdays election, which also features a state Supreme Court race and hundreds of local races. More than 100 municipalities have reported they lack enough people to staff even one polling site. Evers told a federal judge in a filing that he will use members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard to help as poll workers, but that even that move wont likely fill all staffing needs. The court filing said the Guard was determining how many soldiers it can make available in each county. Also on Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders aligned himself with Racine Mayor Cory Mason and several other mayors statewide calling for Wisconsins April 7 to be delayed. People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote, which is why 15 states are now following the advice of public health experts and delaying their elections. We urge Wisconsin to join them. The state should delay Tuesdays vote, extend early voting and work to move entirely to vote-by-mail. While we wait for a decision, we urge our supporters to vote-by-mail, Sanders, I-Vt., said in a statement Wednesday. Evers submitted his brief regarding the deployment of the National Guard on Tuesday as U.S. District Judge William Conley considered multiple lawsuits seeking to postpone the election. Conley was scheduled to hear testimony Wednesday afternoon. Wisconsin residents are under a Safer at Home order from Evers that prohibits nonessential activities to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Democratic National Committee, the state Democratic Party and other liberal-leaning groups argue in lawsuits filed last month that in-person voting should be postponed until after that order expires on April 24. Both Evers and Republican legislative leaders have wanted to keep the Tuesday date. Evers says postponement could leave countless local offices vacant. But the two sides have sparred over how to conduct the election, including whether to relax photo ID requirements to make the absentee voting process easier. Polling location changes Due to a lack of poll workers, municipalities are reconsidering how to handle Tuesdays election. Mount Pleasant Clerk Stephanie Kohlhagen on Tuesday announced polling will be reduced down to two locations: Village Hall at 8811 Campus Drive and next door at the Village Department of Public Works, 8700 Campus Drive. Voters who normally cast their ballots and Racine Assembly of God, 1325 Airline Road, will instead need to go to the Village DPW building. All other Mount Pleasant voters will need to go to Village Hall. Kohlhagen said on Wednesday, that voters will not be waiting inside the buildings, but will be asked to wait in their vehicles until it is their turn to vote. In-person absentee voting continues at Village Hall, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Thursday April 2nd, and Friday April 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive. Please bring a photo ID. Voters can still request an absentee ballot at myvote.wi.gov through Thursday April 2nd at 5:00 PM. Voters are encouraged to use the Village Hall Drop Box to return absentee ballots as the simplest and safest method for casting their ballot. The City of Oak Creek announced on Wednesday that all voters, who would normally be casting ballots at six different polling locations, will all now vote at Oak Creek High School, 340 E. Puetz Road. Due to the lack of trained poll workers available on Election Day, Tuesday April 7, the City of Oak Creek will now have only one central polling location, City Clerk Catherine Roeske stated in a press release. City suspends most bulky waste pickup In order to maintain social distancing between city employees and protect the health of Department of Public Works workers who perform the solid waste collection during the COVID-19 crisis, the City of Racine is eliminating the collection of most household bulky items. Effective Monday, DPW will indefinitely suspend the collection of all bulky items, except for bed mattresses and box springs. Bed mattresses and box springs can be placed out on the normal collection date with their bulky item stickers attached. There is no need to call and schedule a pickup. Bed mattresses and box springs will be picked up with a separate operation so there is a possibility solid waste may be picked up before or after the bed mattresses and box springs are collected. All other HBI items can be brought to the citys Pearl Street collection site during normal working hours for disposal if needed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 3 Sad 2 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. FLINT, MI -- Mott Community College professor Bob Rentschlers commute to work has shortened from a 20 minute drive to a short walk down the stairs of his Fenton home. It took five years for Rentschler, a photography professor for 15 years, to remodel his basement. Now, he has transformed it into a multipurpose classroom. It was a rush every day to get it to this point and now its working," he said. Now were starting to refine it. After the announcement that the first two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the state March 11, universities and colleges began moving all classes to an online format. Mott Community College quickly joined suit. Now, Michigan is at 7,615 confirmed cases with a total of 259 deaths. The week Michigan identified its first COVID-19 cases, MCC was on spring break. Rentschler said he was on vacation in Colorado. Once he got back, it took an entire week to situate his new work space. Mott Community College cancels activities, considers further measures amid coronavirus outbreak Class for many students is a break from the constant reminder that the country is currently in a pandemic, he said. I dont talk much about it, this confined situation were in in my videos. I get right to the content," Rentschler said. "Lets get their brain focused on something else for 20, 30 minutes, then give them an assignment and make them stay busy for an hour, hour and a half. In addition to posting videos for each of his classes, each session has its own Facebook group to keep in touch. The only difference is instead of seeing him face to face, students see him through a camera. I do my usual course of action, you know -- get up, have something to eat, take a shower. I still put on nice clothes every day just like Im going to work because I still have to be in front of the camera every day. Im trying to treat this as normally as possible. So far he said its going OK. I still miss the interaction, Rentschler said. The basement includes editing stations and a large TV into which he can plug his camera to show presentations. He has a separate seating area in one corner where he can set up assignments. I try to break it up so I dont do everything from the same location, he said. Rentschler said he currently teaches seven different courses and has around 80 total students. The classes are informative, but Rentschler said he also wants to keep them light. One student commented on how long my hair is getting because I cant go get it cut, he said. If thats something she wants to comment on and enjoy, thats great. I cant be too serious, thats just silly. He said he is trying to make everything as normal and routine as possible. One of my jobs is to provide, I dont know, a little escapism," Rentschler said. I think everybody knows that thats what Im doing, that Im providing a little break." Read more here: Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus Flint residents call stay-at-home order necessary, urge compliance during coronavirus emergency When a week feels like a year: The dramatic change in the University of Michigan campus amid coronavirus A quick look inside Michigan daycare during coronavirus outbreak The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued a statement on the presidential and parliamentary elections held in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on March 31. The statement reads as follows: "We congratulate the authorities and the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on holding free and fair elections on March 31, which were in line with high democratic standards. The people of Artsakh have indeed earned the right to live free in dignity, to shape together a democratic and modern society. In this regard, these nationwide elections, which were held in an environment of free competition and civil solidarity, have been case in point. Those elections once again demonstrated that human rights, particularly the right to vote and to take part in a government, are inalienable and universal. The fundamental human rights instruments, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, clearly establish that in exercising human rights no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of any territory and that all peoples can freely determine their political status by virtue of their right to self-determination and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is the foundation for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This reality has been fully reflected in the principles and elements of settlement presented by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which envisage the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will. It is noteworthy that in their statement on the Artsakh elections, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs once again reiterated the role of the population of Artsakh in determining their future, in the context of principles and elements of the settlement of the conflict. The incoming authorities of Artsakh - those who have already received the mandate of the people of Artsakh at the parliamentary elections and those who will receive that very mandate at the second round of the presidential elections, have a special responsibility and role in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Active engagement of the elected authorities of Artsakh as a main party of the resolution of the conflict will significantly increase the effectiveness of the negotiation process and will ensure progress in the key issues of the conflict resolution. Elections in Artsakh are also important in terms of strengthening democracy, human rights and civil society in the region. It once again emphasizes that the conflict cannot serve as an insurmountable impediment for building democratic society. On these days, we also pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the military aggression and atrocities committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh four years ago. In this context, it should be underlined that the democratic development of all countries in the region and accountability of authorities before their own peoples is a prerequisite for the regional security and peaceful resolution of the conflict." GRANTS PASS, Ore. The city of Grants Pass ranked highly on an influential think tank's annual round-up of the best-performing cities in the U.S. this year, coming in second on the Milken Institute's 2020 lineup of small cities. Grants Pass was beaten only by another Oregon metropolitan area, Bend-Redmond, on the chart. It beat out other up-and-coming northwestern cities like Coeur d'Alene and Idaho Falls, Idaho, as well as Bellingham, Washington. The Milken Insititute is a non-partisan, nonprofit economic instutition that has been releasing these rankings since 1999. The annual report tracks the economic performance of cities using job data, wages and salary, and gross domestic product. In 2018, the city of Medford cracked the top 10 of the Best-Performing Small Cities index, which was a good sign to local entrepreneurs. This year Medford came in at number 12, while Albany ranked at 19, and Corvalis at 42. However, Grants Pass shot up the chart this year, gaining 21 rankings from the 2019 index. Cities with a large presence of health care, retirees, and tourism saw major gains on this year's #BestPerformingCities Index, including @KingstonNYgov and @HOTSPRINGSGOV, which both climbed over 50 spots on the list. https://t.co/EJQJfSXBGk pic.twitter.com/EaSUPl16Ct Milken Institute (@MilkenInstitute) March 3, 2020 According to the City of Grants Pass, the study that built the Milken Institute's index measured each city in nine different categories encompassing growth in jobs, wages, salaries, and technology output over a period of five years. For jobs and technology output, figures from 2013 to 2018 were taken into account and for wages and salaries, statistics from 2012 to 2017 were used to adjust for variations in business cycles. The report also incorporated the latest available years performance in these areas, as well as a measure of 12-month job growth over the past year to capture recent progress. Six of the top ten Best-Performing Small Cities were deemed to be retiree communities where those demographics not only benefit medical centers, but they also provide their communities with stable high-wage employment, paired with tourism industries focused on outdoor recreation, according to the report. I think we are at least two to three weeks behind New York, said Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. We are kind of at a tipping point right now, and over the next few weeks, we are going to find out just how many cases we have and whether we can handle it. (Photo : Screenshot from: Pexels Official Website) Despite Chinese telecom manufacturers being blacklisted by the US government, a teardown of Huawei's flagship P40 phone has revealed parts from US companies like Skyworks and Qualcomm. This suggests that the Chinese company still relies on these components in the face of the ban. Read Also: How to Keep Your Kids Learning From Home? Here are the Best Tablets for Homeschooling Kids on Amazon! They are still using components from the United States It has been found that Huawei is still currently using US-made components on its newest flagship smartphone which a teardown from the Financial Times has found. Huawei recently launched its new P40 smartphone on Thursday which is the first flagship device the Chinese tech giant has released since Washington introduced sanctions and bans last May that forbids US companies from selling to China unless they are licensed to do so. Huawei, which was accused by the Trump administration to have been spying for Beijing, was forced to look for different ways of replacing components from the US as Google is not allowed to supply its Android services to the Chinese company. A P40 teardown was performed to further analyze all components For comparison, the Financial Times did their research and took apart Huawei's P40 phone and last year's release of the P30--the latter was launched before US sanctions were implemented. This teardown was performed by XYZone, a Shenzen-based company, which specializes in disabling smartphones to identify and determine all various suppliers of their components. There are cases and situations wherein phone creators sometimes use different kinds of components in distinct batches of the same smartphone, and the FT teardown that was made was modeled on one of the first and earliest copies of the Huawei P40. The biggest revelation, however, was that some components from US companies were still used in the newest and latest smartphone from Huawei, even though the United States was all about preventing American companies from selling to big groups in China. According to XYZone's teardown, three US chip companies, namely Qorvo, Skyworks, and Qualcomm produced the P40's radio frequency (RF) front end modules. These RF front end modules that are attached to the antennas are essential parts of the smartphone to make calls and connect to the internet. According to claims from a person familiar with the tech company, they said that the Qualcomm component that was used is actually covered by a license from the United States Commerce Department. Though Skyworks and Qorvo did not have any response to a request for comment by Ars Technica. A technology analyst at a research firm Gavekal Dragonomics by the name of Dan Wang stated that "Huawei has shown resilience by replacing many US components over the course of a single phone-design cycle. Its continued use of Qorvo and Skyworks chips also shows that it's too difficult to break dependence on US technology." The Entity List designation means that companies in the United States need to apply for a license to export any kind of U-based technologies to Huawei. This also means that the US government has granted a "temporary license" to its companies which enables them to sell components to Huawei. This helps clients like telecom carriers replace parts, if needed. A spokesperson for Huawei released a statement saying that they have "always complied with any export control regulations of various countries, including the United States" and that "all the product materials are obtained legally from our global partners, and we insist on working with our partners to provide consumers with high-quality products and services." Read Also: [Work From Home Essentials] How to Pick the Perfect Graphics Tablet for the Graphic Designer Working From Home 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Galway businesswoman who makes 3D printed models for the healthcare sector is now making face shields for nursing homes to help fight against coronavirus. A large number of nursing homes across the country cannot access the personal protective equipment they need during the health crisis, prompting Jacqui OConnor to print 3D printed face shields. A shield (Jacqui OConnor/PA) Each face shield costs around 15 to make and Jacqui is hoping to produce around 400 face shields. Almost 4,500 has been raised so far to help buy supplies for production. Ms OConnor said: We normally print anatomical models but our businesses has slowed down so we said that we would make use of our free time and try and do some good. So, we were just trialling out the face shields and seeing how they would print out. Jacqui OConnor and husband James (Jacqui OConnor/PA) Then one or two of them reached out to us and asked if we could supply them and we said we could. We felt really bad asking for them to pay for it so I thought I would set up a a GoFundMe page. There has been a massive response to it. The shield costs 15 to make (Jacqui OConnor/PA) We are using that money to buy supplies. Ms OConnor and her team, with the help of her husband James company 3D Technology, are producing some 15 mask shields for around 25 nursing homes. Work under way on a shield (Jacqui OConnor/PA) We will start delivering them to nursing homes on Friday. Donations can be made at the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1ynpkva100 Hilda Churchill survived the Great War, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that claimed her baby sister, and World War II, but eight days before her 109th birthday she became Britains oldest recorded victim of the coronavirus. Mrs. Churchill died on Saturday at a nursing home near Salford in Greater Manchester, her grandson Will Hadcroft said. Mrs. Churchill, a retired seamstress, never smoked or drank much. She had recently been in protective isolation for several days but began showing symptoms of the virus four days before she died. She tested positive for the virus only the night before. She was born in 1911 in Crewe, south of Manchester, where seven years later the flu struck every member of her family except her and her mother. Her father collapsed in the street. Her year-old sister, Beryl May, died. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Wednesday reported a 41.2 per cent decline in total vehicle sales at 8,022 units in March as against 13,662 units in same period last year. Domestic sales declined 45 per cent to 7,023 units as compared to 12,818 units in March 2019. "Even though the company has been long successful in liquidating all BS-IV stock and transitioning to a 100 per cent BS-VI manufacturing facility, last month has been very challenging for us, both in terms of sales as well as production," TKM Senior Vice President Naveen Soni said in a statement. With the spread of COVID-19 threat in various parts of the country followed by the 21 days national lockdown, the company's priority was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its stakeholders and most importantlythe dealers and their staff who are at the frontline, he added. "To bring this to immediate effect, our dealerships across the country were shut down beginning March 23 along with a temporary halt of production at our plant in Bidadi," Soni said. The company said it has ceased production of the Etios series as well as the Corolla Altis in the country, bringing an end to thejourney of both the models in India. "This transition is a part of Toyota's global product strategy to continue to service the ever-evolving needs of the customer through enhanced technologies and product offerings," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Commission has proposed a short-day scheme based on the German Kurzarbeit program to help the EU population avoid unemployment and a blow to the blocs economy, Reuters reported. According to the German scheme, the government pays part of a workers wages so that jobs are not cut despite a slowdown.Companies are paying salaries to their employees, even if, right now, they are not making money. Europe is now coming to their support, with a new initiative, Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message. It is intended to help Italy, Spain and all other countries that have been hard hit. And it will do so thanks to the solidarity of other Member States, she said, adding the scheme would be guaranteed by all EU countries, although not saying how it would be financed. 2020 Census Alert: A Message from Rep. Maxine Waters Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, issued an urgent message to the community about the 2020 U.S. Census on April 1st, which is recognized across the country as Census Day. Whether you are a student, parent, veteran, senior, or working professional, this message is for you! Your household will receive an invitation to fill out a short questionnaire from the U.S. Census Bureau in the mail. It is imperative that you complete this form and respond to the Census Bureau online, by phone, or by mail. The 2020 Census will be used to determine the number of Congressional districts that are drawn in our state, and the amount of federal dollars that are allocated to California to pay for programs like Medicaid, school lunches, senior services, health clinics, public housing, veteran programs, emergency management, and highway construction. ADVERTISEMENT It is extremely important that you and your family are accurately counted. By federal law, your Census answers are strictly confidential, and cannot be used be used against you in any way, by anyone! It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey, but the impact of an undercount of our community will be felt for years. Our community is counting on you to do your part and ensure that everyone is counted in the 2020 Census. For more information, please visit www.2020census.gov or call my Los Angeles office at 323-757-8900. Congresswoman Waters video message can be viewed here. Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that banks can offer a three-month moratorium on all the outstanding term loans. These include home, personal, education and auto loans. Credit card payments too can be postponed for three months. Taking this option would help save cash for you. But should you opt for the moratorium? Moneycontrol spoke to three financial advisors to get their views. Here is what they had to say. Lovaii Navlakhi, Managing Director and CEO of International Money Matters This three-month EMI moratorium is very beneficial for people belonging to the unorganized sector, business and salaried classes having to take pay cuts or delayed salary payments or even losing jobs due to which their short-term cashflows are adversely affected, especially given the lockdown. If you currently fear a job loss or income disruption, you can also use this benefit for building your contingency corpus and prepare for the worst. By deferring payments for three months, your credit score will not get impacted. However, interest will continue to accrue during these three months which means you will be paying a higher interest cost. Also, your loan tenure will get extended by additional three months in the long run. It is advisable for people who have a stable income and are comfortable servicing their monthly EMIs to continue doing so. In this way, you will avoid higher interest payment and longer loan tenures. Vishal Dhawan, Certified financial planner and founder of Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors The announcement on a moratorium on EMIs for three months has been welcomed by most, but it needs to be used carefully. Considering that interest will continue to accrue on your loan during this period, this effectively means that you will be paying higher interest on the loan after the moratorium. If you are currently employed in an industry that has been directly impacted by the coronavirus tourism, airlines and retail and therefore believe that there is a significant risk of your income either stopping completely, or reducing significantly from current levels, you may want to consider using this moratorium. Besides the sector that you are professionally associated with, you need to also ensure that you have an adequate emergency corpus to support both living expenses (including EMIs) and any medical costs for a period of at least 12 months. If you have that provision, avoid using the moratorium as the interest costs on loans are also likely to head down further, thereby saving you additional sums. In addition, remember that each bank will have its own policy for dealing with this and you may need to approach the bank to avail of this moratorium for yourself specifically, if you choose to take advantage of it. Harsh Roongta, SEBI registered Investment Adviser You can defer payment of EMIs due in March, April and May, but interest will continue to accrue for this period. The entire interest accrued for the three-month period will have to be paid along with your regular June instalment. Most likely the interest rate will be the same as your regular loan interest rate. This is not much of a concession for anyone whose cash flows are not likely to be immediately impacted on account of the lockdown. The interest for the three-month period will need to be paid as a lump-sum in June 2020. So, unless your cashflows are immediately impacted as is the case with many small businesses/professionals or you have lost your job or are in the imminent danger of losing your job, availing this cash flow benefit makes little sense since you will need to pay back the interest in a big lump-sum at the end of three months. However, if you are insecure about your job prospects in the next two months or your salary cashflows are likely to be affected, you can avail of this moratorium scheme. In the weeks before Italy joined Chinas Belt and Road Initiative last year, top foreign ministry officials in Rome made a flurry of calls to US and European ambassadors, trying to persuade them there was nothing to fear from the relationship with Beijing. The coronavirus pandemic has only reinforced the drive for close ties between Italy and China, even as Italy makes European solidarity a top priority, according to Manlio Di Stefano, Italian undersecretary of foreign affairs. We want to be as close as possible [with China], but we know very well where we are: we are in Europe, Di Stefano told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday. Everybody knows that Italy is very proud to be one of the EUs founders. We have never looked at the geopolitical strategy we have [with China] as some alternative to the European Union. We believe that multilateralism is fundamental. Thats why we always kept very thorough dialogue with China, and we want to keep on doing that. Manlio Di Stefano, Italian undersecretary of foreign affairs, is seen in 2018. Photo: C3c3dj, CC by SA 4.0 Italy has the highest death toll in the world from the pandemic - more than 105,000 people in the country have contracted the virus, and more than 12,000 have died. Its northern regions the financial centre and manufacturing heartland of the euro zones third-largest economy have been particularly hard hit and economists are forecasting a deep recession. Climbing out of that recession did not mean choosing between Beijing and Brussels, Di Stefano said. The crisis will be so deep when the situation would be restarted, everyone every country will need [more] effort, Di Stefano said. China will have the same kind of need at the end. The European crisis, the Western crisis will obviously have an impact on the Chinese economy because the Chinese market is the Western market. We have to find a common approach to restart our economies. Concerns are growing in the European Union that Chinas widely publicised efforts to help struggling countries like Italy might be seen as weakness in the bloc. Story continues China has sent face masks and test kits for the virus to a number of European countries, including Italy. But last week, the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, said France and Germany combined have donated to Italy more masks than China. The message was directed, in part, at Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. Defending his controversial decision to make Italy the first major Western power to join Chinas belt and road economic programme when he was deputy prime minister last year, Di Maio, from the populist Five Star Movement, said the medical supplies proved the need for a closer relationship with China. Those who scoffed at our participation in the Belt and Road Initiative now have to admit that investing in that friendship allowed us to save lives in Italy, Di Maio said in an Italian television interview, prompting criticism from members of the Democratic Party, with which the Five Star Movement has formed a fragile coalition government. Di Stefano, who is also from the Five Star Movement, echoed the ministers view. All the other Western countries were saying we cannot believe in [the] level playing field that China was granting to us, and we say we want to pay this political price, but we want to see the result at the end, he said. With the number of patients with Covid-19 the disease caused by the coronavirus as well as infections dropping in Italy, so too was the demand for new medical products. We thank China for [the supplies]. The doctors who came to Italy to help were also very helpful. I dont think we are looking at this moment to fulfil some more needs, because luckily the numbers are decreasing in Italy now, Di Stefano said. Apart from China and the EU, the US also pledged to Italy US$100 million worth of what US President Donald Trump referred to as medical things. Asked about Italys ability to be on good terms with both the US and China, Di Stefano said it was by behaviour. We are very famous for cooperation, not for wars. We are very famous for art and music, not for colonialism I know this could create some smiles, he said, without referring to former colonies such as Libya and Ethiopia. But Di Stefano refused to be drawn on a complaint from a prominent Italian scientist that Chinese propaganda outlets had twisted his comments to suggest the coronavirus originated in Italy, rather than China, where the first cases of the coronavirus were reported. Giuseppe Remuzzi, director of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, said last month that a strange pneumonia was circulating in northern Italy as long ago as November. The first reported coronavirus cases in China were in December, and Chinese media seized on Remuzzis comments, highlighting the November reference. Remuzzi described the Chinese reports as propaganda, adding that of course the virus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. He said his key point was not where the virus came from, but how far it had spread before it was discovered. Asked about the complaint, Di Stefano said: I have my own opinion, but at this moment, talking about the responsibilities makes no sense. We talk about the solution. Then everyone will look for the responsibility when it will be the time. But, anyway, it was stated very well by lots of experts that the virus came from wild animals, he said, agreeing that it was not part of the Italian culinary tradition to consume such wildlife. Sign up now and get a 10% discount (original price US$400) off the China AI Report 2020 by SCMP Research. Learn about the AI ambitions of Alibaba, Baidu & JD.com through our in-depth case studies, and explore new applications of AI across industries. The report also includes exclusive access to webinars to interact with C-level executives from leading China AI companies (via live Q&A sessions). Offer valid until 31 May 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article Italy still proud to be part of EU amid stronger ties with China and coronavirus pandemic first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Rutgers' RUCDR Infinite Biologics has launched a test for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and is using its automation experience and infrastructure to test as many as tens of thousands of samples daily. RUCDR has also submitted an emergency use authorization request for a saliva collection method that will allow for broader population screening. The RUCDR effort, which significantly increases the much-needed testing capacity in New Jersey, will provide information that allows people who test positive to self-quarantine, thus limiting the spread of the virus. In addition, health care providers, first responders and others will be able to quickly and safely return to work after recovering from COVID-19 and testing negative. The test is available now and based on a Nobel Prize-winning laboratory technique that makes millions of copies of the SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid (in this case RNA) in a sample. Testing a nasal or throat swab sample determines whether someone is infected, with results available to providers within three days. Saliva testing would be a new development and would allow testing without the need of a medical provider to take the sample. The rapid deployment of the test throughout the state is a consequence of a partnership between RUCDR and Accurate Diagnostic Labs (ADL). RUCDR and ADL have a long-standing relationship where ADL provides reference lab services for RUCDR, which facilitates clinical trials that RUCDR supports. RUCDR, in conjunction with ADL's clinical client base, fast-tracked the validation and verification of new testing methodologies, including saliva, for SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19. These alternate collection options will catapult access of testing and screening to the most needed population. The test is currently available to the RWJBarnabas Health network, which has partnered with Rutgers University and is New Jersey's most comprehensive health care system, and includes Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, University Hospital in Newark and many other facilities including several county health departments. "We can accept hundreds to thousands of samples for analysis per day now and potentially will be able to test tens of thousands of samples daily in the next several weeks," said Andrew I. Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR Infinite Biologics. He is also a professor in the Department of Genetics in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Saliva testing will help with the global shortage of swabs for sampling and increase testing of patients, and it will not require health care professionals to collect samples. Saliva testing will also be important for people who are in quarantine because they don't know how long it will be until they are no longer infectious. This will allow health care and workers to release themselves from quarantine and safely come back to work." Andrew I. Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR Infinite Biologics "The test can help hospital-based and private physicians to accurately assess the infection status of more patients, with RUCDR Infinite Biologics doing the analysis," said Jay A. Tischfield, founder, chief executive officer and scientific director of RUCDR Infinite Biologics and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Genetics at Rutgers-New Brunswick and at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RUCDR Infinite Biologics, which is part of Rutgers' Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, is the world's largest university-based cell and DNA repository. Its mission is to understand the genetic causes of common, complex diseases and to discover diagnoses, treatments and cures for them. The organization collaborates with researchers in the public and private sectors throughout the world, providing the highest quality bio-banking services and biomaterials, as well as scientific and technical support. Landlords can still threaten tenants with eviction during the COVID-19 crisis, which has caused unprecedented job losses, according to a newly posted direction from the Ontario government. That directive could lead to tenants who dont understand the process effectively being evicted, even as Premier Doug Ford promised no tenants would lose their homes during the coronavirus outbreak, advocates say. According to the COVID-19 information for landlords page posted to the governments website on Saturday, Landlords can give tenants an eviction notice, but eviction hearings and orders are on hold except for urgent disputes such as those involving illegal acts or serious safety concerns. The Ford government halted Landlord and Tenant Board hearings meaning no new evictions, which require the boards approval, can be ordered and no existing orders can be enforced. But landlords can still move to evict the tenant who may not understand those additional steps needed for a legal eviction. The situation has become more pressing as Wednesdays deadline for rent is the first since the province mandated social distancing rules, closing businesses across the province, putting thousands out of work. By the province allowing for eviction notices to continue, it means that tenants are not only living through a public health crisis, they are also living month-to-month with an ongoing financial threat, said Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12 Toronto-St. Pauls). Matlow, who has advocated for tenant rights in his tenant-heavy ward and across the city, said putting a temporary freeze on eviction orders was a good first step, but the province needs to bar landlords from issuing the notices during the emergency. The premier would be wise to immediately ban eviction notices so that tenants have the security they need to stay in their home the very thing that were all asking them to do. Matlow was joined in the push to protect tenants by Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath who has been calling for the government to make it illegal for landlords to evict anyone during the emergency. The initial notice, some tenants many, many tenants are going to think that that is actually an eviction notice and that theyre going to have to start packing up to get out, she said. She said without any legal force behind them, Fords repeated statements that those who cant afford to pay rent dont have to are no comfort to tenants. These off-the-cuff remarks are not a way to reduce that anxiety and to make sure that tenants are able to pay their rent tomorrow. The NDP is asking the government to subsidize rents for tenants who qualify for the federal governments unemployment benefit, as well as freezing all rent increases for the next six months. Nobody should be fearing that they could lose their housing . . . during this pandemic. Its not acceptable, Horwath said. Matlow said the province needs to come up with a clear strategy to protect tenants, including rent forgiveness and subsidizing landlords like the up to $500 a month being promised by the B.C. government. A statement from a spokesperson for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said they will ensure renters can stay in their homes during this challenging time. The statement reiterated that tenants cannot be forced to leave their homes if they cant make rent on Wednesday. But it did not specifically respond to questions from the Star, about why landlords are still allowed to issue eviction notices and what happens when the temporary ban on enforcing evictions for non-payment of rent lifts and rent is owed. We are encouraging both landlords and tenants to work together to solve disputes, which could involve payment deferrals or payment plans, said the ministrys statement The statement said tenants can contact the ministrys rental housing enforcement unit if they have been locked out or are threatened with such action by calling 1-888-772-9277 or by email at mho.rheu.info@ontario.ca. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Twenty-seven fresh cases of coronavirus were reported from Rajasthan on Wednesday and 11 of them had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, the country's biggest COVID-19 hotspot, pushing the total count of infected people in the state to 120, an official said. Thirteen of the fresh cases were reported from the densely populated Ramganj area of Jaipur, another COVID-19 hotspot. The 11 cases linked to the Jamaat gathering are from Tonk (4) and Churu (7). The rest three cases were reported from Jodhpur (2) and Alwar. A 65-year-old man with no travel history and a 61-year-old woman evacuated from Iran last week in Jodhpur and another man from Alwar tested positive, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. The woman has been kept at an army facility, he added. All the 27 new cases are traced to a person first to get infected with the virus in Ramganj, he said. "All have been kept in isolation. The 11 are those who attended markaz in Delhi," Singh added. Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma said the situation is worrisome but under control. "Over 2,000, those who came in contact of positive patients, have been traced and being screened. Teams have surveyed over 3.86 crore people in over 92 lakh households. Twenty-one have turned negative after treatment and 11 have been discharged," Sharma said. A spurt in the number of cases in Ramganj was witnessed after a 45-year-old man with a travel history to the Middle East tested positive on March 26. He landed at the Delhi airport on March 12 and took a bus the same day to return home, meeting several before he was found positive for COVID-19, officials said. Ten members of his family and a friend had also contracted the disease. Ramganj earlier reported 13 cases, including 11 of a family living in a multi-storey building in Phhuta Khurra. On Wednesday, the administration extended the prohibitory orders and curfew in Jaipur district for an indefinite period. Gathering of more than five people at any public place, religious and other functions without the permission of subdivisional magistrate (SDM) has been declared illegal and punishable under Section 188 of the IPC, said District Collector Jogaram. As several people were seen on rooftops, the administration has decided to monitor the curfew with the help of drones, he said. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeeva Swarup said a flag march will be conducted. NGOs distributing food can continue to serve the needy but they have to give food packets to administration teams. Jaipur Chief Medical and Health Officer Narrottam Sharma said the authorities have been closely monitoring the situation and about 125 close contacts of the positive patients have been sent to quarantine facilities. He said over 70,000 people have been screened and about 15,000 households in the walled city area have been surveyed by health teams. Sharma urged people to call on 181 if anyone found having fever, cough and cold. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters in Chennai that 110 people hailing from 15 districts of the state have tested positive for coronavirus Chennai: As many as 110 people who returned to Tamil Nadu from Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total cases in the state to 234, a top Health department official said. This is a quantum jump as the state recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day so far. Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters in Chennai that 110 people hailing from 15 districts of the state have tested positive for the contagion. Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak All of them had participated in the Delhi religious congregation and the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state now stood at 234, she said. Around 1,500 people from Tamil Nadu had attended the event last month and of them over 1,131 have returned to the state so far. One of the six pillars of the Chester County Historic Courthouse on North High Street will shine in blue light on January nights beginning Tuesday evening in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Advertisement There was substantial variation in the amount of time children spent with screen media devices in the average week in this community sample. Screen time for traditional devices (television, computers) ranged from 0 to 68 hours per week, and 0 to 14 hours per week for mobile devices (tablets, smartphones). Children's screen time in the average week was not related to their family's income in this sample, but children growing up in higher-income households started using mobile devices at a younger age than lower-income households. Screen time also did not differ by racial/ethnic minority status in this sample. Self-regulation skills were lower among children who began using any screen media devices (including television, computers, smartphones, and/or tablets) earlier in life, or who currently used mobile devices (smartphones and/or tablets) more often than others in the sample.said the study's primary author, Amanda C. Lawrence, a doctoral candidate in the Human Development Graduate Group at UC Davis. Co-authors are Daniel Ewon Choe, assistant professor of human development and family studies, and Madhuri S. Narayan, who was an undergraduate student when working on the research.A team of researchers voiced other reasons for cautious use of mobile devices by young children.said Lawrence.The research team recruited participants by handing out flyers at preschools and community events. Data were collected between July 1, 2016, and Jan. 11, 2019. During individual 90-minute visits to an on-campus research laboratory, children were asked to complete 10 tasks to evaluate their ability to self-regulate. Tasks were as varied as walking a line slowly, taking turns with the researcher in building a tower out of blocks, and delaying gratification -- for example, being asked to hold off unwrapping a gift while the researcher briefly left the room. Parents were asked about screen use using a novel survey designed by Lawrence, and researchers calculated the children's reported age at first use of screen media and average time spent per week on each device.Other findings include:Additionally, children's exposure to what the researchers consider traditional screen devices (televisions, computers) in the average week was not related to their self-regulation, in contrast to most previous research. Lawrence speculates that messaging about providing child-directed, educational content and cautioning parents to monitor children's viewing has reached parents and has been effective, at least among some groups.This is a small study, but the beginning of a long-term longitudinal study of children's development of self-regulation and looking at all screen media devices over multiple years with more children and parents, researchers said.Source: Eurekalert Cases of coronavirus continue to rise at an alarming pace in the US and parts of Europe. Meanwhile, efforts to find a cure are being strengthened. Johnson & Johnson on Monday signed a $1 billion deal (https://bre.is/Nf9ogeVk) with the US government to produce and distribute 1 billion vaccine doses by 2021. Let that be clear that there is, as of date, no cure for Covid-19 virus, which is known to cause severe respiratory ailment. Patients tested positive are put under a 14-day quarantine, some with the added support of ventilators, in the hope that the bodies would fight the virus on ... This artist's impression depicts a star being torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH), surrounded by an accretion disc. This thin, rotating disc of material consists of the leftovers of a star which was ripped apart by the tidal forces of the black hole. Credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are a long-sought missing link in black hole evolution. There have been a few other IMBH candidates found to date. They are smaller than the supermassive black holes that lie at the cores of large galaxies, but larger than stellar-mass black holes formed by the collapse of massive stars. This new black hole is over 50 000 times the mass of our Sun. IMBHs are hard to find. Intermediate-mass black holes are very elusive objects, and so it is critical to carefully consider and rule out alternative explanations for each candidate. That is what Hubble has allowed us to do for our candidate, said Dacheng Lin of the University of New Hampshire, principal investigator of the study (1). Lin and his team used Hubble to follow up on leads from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton), which carries three high-throughput X-ray telescopes and an optical monitor to make long uninterrupted exposures providing highly sensitive observations. Adding further X-ray observations allowed us to understand the total energy output, said team member Natalie Webb of the Universite de Toulouse in France. This helps us to understand the type of star that was disrupted by the black hole. In 2006 these high-energy satellites detected a powerful flare of X-rays, but it was not clear if they originated from inside or outside of our galaxy. Researchers attributed it to a star being torn apart after coming too close to a gravitationally powerful compact object, like a black hole. Surprisingly, the X-ray source, named 3XMM J215022.4?055108, was not located in the centre of a galaxy, where massive black holes normally reside. This raised hopes that an IMBH was the culprit, but first another possible source of the X-ray flare had to be ruled out: a neutron starin our own Milky Way galaxy, cooling off after being heated to a very high temperature. Neutron stars are the extremely dense remnants of an exploded star. Hubble was pointed at the X-ray source to resolve its precise location. Deep, high-resolution imaging confirmed that the X-rays emanated not from an isolated source in our galaxy, but instead in a distant, dense star cluster on the outskirts of another galaxy just the sort of place astronomers expected to find evidence for an IMBH. Previous Hubble research has shown that the more massive the galaxy, the more massive its black hole. Therefore, this new result suggests that the star cluster that is home to 3XMM J215022.4?055108 may be the stripped-down core of a lower-mass dwarf galaxy that has been gravitationally and tidally disrupted by its close interactions with its current larger galaxy host. IMBHs have been particularly difficult to find because they are smaller and less active than supermassive black holes; they do not have readily available sources of fuel, nor do they have a gravitational pull that is strong enough for them to be constantly drawing in stars and other cosmic material and producing the tell-tale X-ray glow. Astronomers therefore have to catch an IMBH red-handed in the relatively rare act of gobbling up a star. Lin and his colleagues combed through the XMM-Newton data archive, searching hundreds of thousands of sources to find strong evidence for this one IMBH candidate. Once found, the X-ray glow from the shredded star allowed astronomers to estimate the black hole's mass. Confirming one IMBH opens the door to the possibility that many more lurk undetected in the dark, waiting to be given away by a star passing too close. Lin plans to continue this meticulous detective work, using the methods his team has proved successful. Studying the origin and evolution of the intermediate mass black holes will finally give an answer as to how the supermassive black holes that we find in the centres of massive galaxies came to exist, added Webb. Black holes are one of the most extreme environments humans are aware of, and so they are a testing ground for the laws of physics and our understanding of how the Universe works. Does a supermassive black hole grow from an IMBH? How do IMBHs themselves form? Are dense star clusters their favoured home? With a confident conclusion to one mystery, Lin and other black hole astronomers find they have many more exciting questions to pursue. ### Notes [1] The results are published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and were a result of the HST Program GO-15441. More information The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. The international team of astronomers in this study consists of D. Lin, J. Strader, A. J. Romanowski, J. A. Irwin, O. Godet, D. Barret, N. A. Webb, J. Homan, and R. A. Remillard. Image credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser Links * Images of Hubble http://www. spacetelescope. org/ images/ archive/ category/ spacecraft/ * Hubblesite release https:/ / hubblesite. org/ contents/ news-releases/ 2020/ news-2020-19 * Science paper https:/ / arxiv. org/ abs/ 2002. 04618 * Link to SpaceScoop http://www. spacescoop. org/ en/ scoops/ 2012/ medium-monster-big-mystery/ Contacts Dacheng Lin University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire, USA Email: dacheng.lin@unh.edu Bethany Downer ESA/Hubble, Public Information Officer Garching, Germany Email: bethany.downer@partner.eso.org http://www. spacetelescope. org Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to let companies in Punjab use their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund to assist the state government in its efforts against COVID-19. In a letter, Singh asked the prime minister to direct the ministry of corporate affairs to include Chief Minister's Relief Fund in the list of CSR activities in the Companies Act-2013. This step would immensely help the state government to meet the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic more effectively, besides providing medical and other assistance to the poor and needy residents as well as migrant labour, in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, Singh wrote according to an official statement. Singh requested Modi to take an early decision in this regard, given the magnitude of the calamity, coupled with the resultant humanitarian crisis. Companies in Punjab are seeking permission, in these trying circumstances, to use their CSR contribution to assist the state government in its endeavour to contain COVID-19, Singh said in the letter. This is essential as the country is already grappling with a huge and unprecedented disaster, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eighteen more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 320, a health official said on Wednesday. "Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally till Tuesday night was 302. Today, we got reports of 18 more people testing positive for the viral infection. This has taken the state tally to 320," the official said. Of the 18 new cases, 16 have been reported from Mumbai and two from Pune, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe MUMBAI At least 52 people in Maharashtra who visited the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters for a religious programme in New Delhi which has emerged as Indias largest hot spot for the coronavirus outbreak -- have been traced by the district administrations and the police. About 23 people from Thane districts Mumbra and 29 others from Ahmednagar have now been placed in 14-day mandatory quarantine in their respective districts, and are under close watch for symptoms of the disease, according to state government officials. We have initiated a tracking method in which, as of now, around 52 persons have been tracked down in connection with the Tablighi Jamaat event and the operation is going on across Maharashtra, a senior official from the state home ministry told HT on condition of anonymity. Several states across the country are tracking down people who attended the Tablighi programme in Delhis Nizamuddin area. Around 2,000 people, including over 200 foreigners, reportedly visited the headquarters of the Muslim sect in mid-March, flouting several restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. Out of these, more than 100 tested positive for Covid-19 till Tuesday while at least nine deaths are linked to the programme. Of the 52 traced till Wednesday all of them preachers -- 13 are Bangladeshi nationals, 8 Malaysian and 2 from north-eastern states. The Union government had hinted a day before that the foreign nationals who visited Nizamuddin might have violated Indian visa norms by attending a religious event on tourist visas instead of the Missionaries visa. State officials said that the 29 traced to Ahmednagar had also attended another religious function organised at a dargah in Jamkhed, around 76km from the district. According to officials the state health ministry, none of those tracked down have so far shown symptoms of Covid-19, but will undergo a detailed check-up and will be monitored for 14 days. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Fleming started the article highlighting that Vietnam has had no fatalities as a result of the global pandemic, which has brought many developed countries healthcare systems to a breaking point. Health workers guide people to their quarters at a quarantine zone in Hoa Binh province (Photo: VNA) "Vietnam has instead stood out as a beacon of how to do more with less," he affirmed. By focusing on measures that are within its control, the country has won praise from the international community. On February 1st, Vietnam kicked off a series of initiatives to tackle the spread of COVID-19. It suspended all flights to and from China and also decided to keep schools closed after the traditional Lunar New Year holidays. Two weeks later, a 21-day quarantine was imposed in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, home to some workers returning from Chinas Wuhan, where the virus originated. The article listed various actions of Vietnam to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, including mandatory 14-day quarantines for anyone arriving in the country and the cancellation of all foreign flights. The Southeast Asian nation has also isolated infected people and then set about tracking down anyone they might have come into contact with. The writer noted that the countrys proactive efforts come after two decades in which it has experienced a large improvement in quality of life. Between 2002 and 2018, an economic transformation helped to lift more than 45 million Vietnamese out of poverty. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has more than doubled, to over 2,500 USD in 2018, when the country saw real GDP growth of 7.1 percent. The health of the nation has improved, too life expectancy rose from 71 years in 1990 to 76 years in 2015. Vietnam has seemingly managed to get the outbreak under control, Fleming noted./. A mom was surprised by her extended family who stood outside the hospital with binoculars as she held her newborn baby boy up to the window for them to see for the first time. Lindley Gentile and her husband Chase, both 34, welcomed their child at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Lakeway, Texas, amid the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn't stop their relatives from going out of their way to see their newest addition. She took to Facebook on Tuesday to share a video of the heartwarming moment her husband's parents and brother, as well as his wife and children, saw baby Jett, while reminding others that they aren't alone during this global crisis. Dedicated: Lindley Gentile's extended family stood outside of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Lakeway, Texas, to meet her newborn son Jett Celebration: The family members had binoculars so they could see the baby boy as Lindley held him up to the window 'My hubby just shared this video of our family unexpectedly showing up in the parking lot (after being restricted from entering the hospital) to cheer us on with binoculars in hand,' she wrote. 'It reminded me that this virus may bring massive fear and uncertainty to all of our homes... but NEVER give it the power to break your spirit! We are all so connected and truly in this together.' In the short clip, Lindley is holding her baby boy up to the window as her husband's delighted parents and brother - as well as his wife and children - peer through binoculars and wave. Heartwarming: 'Say, hi, family, here I am!' she tells her newborn son. 'They love you so much. They're standing down there saying hi' Spreading joy: Lindley took to Facebook on Tuesday to share a video of the heartwarming moment, while reminding others that they aren't alone during this global crisis All done: The clip ended with the mom putting her newborn son down in his hospital bassinet 'Say, "Hi, family, here I am!"' she tells her newborn son. 'They love you so much. They're standing down there saying hi.' Chase, who appears to be filming the moment, can be heard saying in the background: 'That is awesome.' The couple's friends and family couldn't help but gush about the footage, with one person commenting: 'Thats just beautiful.' Precautions: Lindley and her husband Chase welcomed their child amid the coronavirus pandemic and their family was restricted from entering the hospital Family of four: Baby Jett is Lindley and Chase's first child together. They are also proud parents to Lindley's daughter Lennon from a previous relationship Special: Lindley and Chase's friends and family couldn't help but gush about the footage of their relatives seeing the baby from afar for the first time 'Love it!!! You cant separate that Gentile crew!!!' someone else wrote, while another added: 'Wow this gave me chills!!! NOTHING will get between a strong family. Love yall so much.' Baby Jett is Lindley and Chase's first child together. They are also proud parents to Lindley's daughter Lennon from a previous relationship. The couple has shared plenty of photos of their newest addition, including precious images of Lennon cradling her baby brother. Too cute: The couple has shared plenty of photos of their newest addition Big sister: One precious image shows Lennon cradling her baby brother As people around the world continue to practice social distancing to stop the spread of coronavirus, these types of meetings have become the new norm. Parents are sharing heartwarming photos and videos of their family members seeing their babies for the first time through glass windows and doors. The uplifting footage proves that families are finding creative new ways to celebrate life's big moments amid the global crisis, even if they can't physically be together. A woman wanting to help a vulnerable neighbour in self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak has thought of an inventive way to get essential items to her - by using her Golden Retriever. Karen Eveleth, from Manitou Springs, Colorado, has trained her dog Sunny to deliver food shopping and collect the post for her neighbour Renee Hellman, who uses an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Ms Hellman and Ms Eveleth have been neighbours for more than 10 years, according to KKTV. Ms Eveleth was keen to find a way to help her neighbour who had put herself in self-isolation fo her own safety during the pandemic, which means she can't even leave the house to buy food or medicine. The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA Seven-year-old Sunny came to the rescue as Ms Eveleth realised she could deliver essential items without putting her neighbour at risk by coming into contact with her. "She got the list, she gave it to Sunny, Sunny brought it to me," Eveleth told KKTV. "I went to the store, got her groceries, and he delivered them all to her." Sunny delivers food parcels and post to a vulnerable neighbour in self-isolation / KKTV Since then, Sunny makes frequent trips back and forth between the houses, which makes Ms Hellman's days "a little more bearable". "What a wonderful thing, just a sweet thing," Ms Hellman said. "So, he started doing the schlepping, back and forth. It's been fun. It's been a real treat. "Little things like Sunny coming over to visit is nice, and it makes you feel good. It's a way of communicating." The Golden Retriever makes frequent trips back and forth to help his neighbour / KKTV Ms Eveleth hopes the story brings a smile to people's faces and inspire people to do something positive to help others during the Covid-19 outbreak. She said: "Anybody can do something small, that can be so helpful." There are 189,356 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US, with the death toll reaching 4,073 as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told Americans to wear scarves as face masks to protect them against the virus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:35:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GAZA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian factions in Gaza Strip on Wednesday condemned the Israeli shelling on Syria, urging Arab states to unite in confronting Israeli military action. Islamic Hamas movement spokesperson Hazem Qassim said in a press statement that this shelling aims at "destroying the resources of the Arab nation." "This shelling is a continuation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," Qassim said in a statement, urging the Arab countries to unite to confront the "Israeli assaults and its expansionist plans." Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad faction described the bombing attack on Syria as "terrorism," expressing its solidarity with Syria. For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine urged all Arab countries to stand by Syria and unite to "foil Israeli schemes aiming at destroying Syria's territory and role." On March 31, Syrian state TV reported that the Syrian defenses launched rockets in response to an Israeli missile strike in the central province of Homs. The country's oldest asset reconstruction firm Arcil on Wednesday said it has committed Rs 1.5 crore to support the fight against novel coronavirus pandemic. It has donated Rs one crore to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-Cares Fund), and has given Rs 25 lakh to the CM relief fund-Covid 19 for Maharashtra, the company said in a statement. It further said Rs 25 lakh will be parked for future preventive measures to contain the virus spread. The company's employees will also donate voluntarily to PM Cares Fund. The PM Cares Fund was set up on March 28 to raise money for combating coronavirus outbreak and to provide relief to the affected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese medical supplies' 'quality concerns' overblown Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/31 1:13:40 Vast majority up to standard despite remaining risks As China mounted a nationwide effort to produce desperately needed medical supplies, concerns over the quality of some Chinese-made equipment have been raised, and some foreign media outlets and politicians have even attempted to hype up recent incidents to smear China's manufacturing sector and its intention to help other countries. On Monday, the Financial Times claimed that countries are "rejecting" Chinese-made pandemic-fighting supplies, citing issues raised by the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey over certain products exported by China, including face masks and testing kits. The newspaper even took aim at China's donations, quoting an EU official describing it as "politics of generosity." Some even took it one step further, spreading conspiracy theories about how Chinese masks and other medical supplies could make people sick and even kill them. However, by interviewing over a dozen companies and industry insiders and analyzing recent media reports and a series of Chinese official documents, the Global Times discovered that while risks of quality issues do exist due to a combination of factors from illegal production activities to improper procurement channels, shortages in crucial foreign materials and loopholes in foreign regulations that require attention from all governments, a vast majority of Chinese-made medical equipment is not only up to standard but has helped many countries around the world to stem the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hyping up and politicizing quality issues based on several individual cases is not only counterproductive in the global fight against the pandemic but could also be dangerous going forward, as many countries are running out of the life-saving equipment, Chinese officials, businesses and analysts warned. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warned against politicizing the issue in a Monday routine briefing. Issues with masks Questions over the quality of Chinese-made masks have gained much attention after Dutch authorities ordered a recall of 600,000 face masks from China citing a variety of issues including masks not fitting health workers' mouths properly and not having sufficient filters. Dutch officials said that the KN95 masks should filter out at least 95 percent of airborne particles, but the masks couldn't filter them out. While the Netherlands did not provide further details, the issues might have much to do with the fabric used in the masks to filter out airborne particles - a material that China relies on importing from Switzerland and Turkey, according to Chen Lianjie, an executive at Zhejiang Kanglidi Medical Articles Co. "There is a shortage of meltblown nonwoven fabric," Chen on Monday told the Global Times, noting that many fabrics in the market are labeled as capable of filtering out between 95 percent and 99 percent of particles, but tests show that this is only around 70 percent. To make high-quality fabric would also require equipment from Germany, which is dealing with its own shortages at home. "This is the source of the problems faced by China's medical-grade mask production," Chen said. There are two different types of masks - one that is only good for filtering out particles and the other is classed as medical-grade that can filter out the virus. But due to surging demand, there has been a "mix of good and bad" in the market, Chen said. Some Chinese companies have been engaged in illegal production and selling of masks and other medical products, and China has responded by stepping up crackdowns on these companies, according to Chinese officials. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on Monday released its 10th round of examples of five companies and individuals that have been engaged in illegal production and sales. Officials confiscated the products and issued fines up to 1.18 million yuan ($166,130). However, issues regarding quality of masks does not stop here. There are also a slew of problems in regards to the process of obtaining export certificates and foreign procurement channels, according to companies and industry analysts. A majority of certifications are granted by intermediary agents in China hired by foreign governments. For instance, 90 percent of these so-called "US Food and Drug Administration" certifications are granted by these agents which are not approved by US authorities, which raised problems for trading process, according to a Shandong-based trader. "If they don't purchase through officially recommended channels, foreign buyers may face products with differing quality standards, especially in regards those newly established producers which might not have obtained comprehensive certification before exporting products overseas," the trader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that certain foreign purchasing agents haven't followed a list of suppliers provided by Chinese officials because they are in a rush. What made such irregularities possible are changing standards from foreign governments. Both the EU and the US have lowered market restrictions for the import of masks and other medical supplies due to shortages at home, including lowered tariffs and fast-tracked procedures, according to the China International Chamber of Commerce (CICC) on Monday. For example, the EU has allowed Chinese medical products to be exported even before they gained regulatory approval or without the "Chinese export" label, the CICC said. Regarding the masks the Dutch officials have asked recall, it was unclear whether they had gained proper certification and were purchased through proper channels as the officials did not disclose the source of the masks. Test kit accuracy Many issues experienced recently in mask exports, including purchases made through channels unverified by Chinese authorities, are also faced by other medical supplies, such as crucial testing kits, which have faced inaccuracy claims. The Spanish government last week withdrew 8,000 orders of rapid testing kits from China because of inaccurate results, according to media reports. Some other countries, including the Philippines and the Czech Republic, have also reportedly claimed that some Chinese-made testing kits are inaccurate. However, probing into these incidents also revealed that foreign procurement agents and officials failed to follow specific instructions released by Chinese authorities. In the case of the Czech Republic, local health officials did not follow instructions on how to use the testing kits. The Spanish government purchased the testing kits in question from a company called Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology. But the Chinese Embassy in Spain said that the company was not approved by Chinese authorities and was not included on a list of 12 suppliers the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) provided to Spanish officials. Bioeasy also said in a statement on Friday that Spanish health workers probably have not followed instructions provided by the company in collecting testing samples. An insider close to the matter told the Global Times on Monday that the intermediary for the purchase had contacted several manufacturers in China but decided to buy from the Shenzhen-based firm because it was the first to respond. "Such incidents reflect an eagerness of foreign companies and governments to seek medical supplies in order to meet growing domestic demand, however, some have been so anxious in inking orders that they sometimes ignore strict quality control procedures," said the insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. That was also the case with the incident in the Philippines, where officials claimed that some Chinese-made testing kits produced inaccurate results. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said on Sunday that those testing kits were not donations from the Chinese government and did not receive any kit samples for lab validation. The Philippines' health department also apologized for the comments and said that all testing kits donated by China are up to standards. In the case of the Czech Republic, where some media reports claimed that inaccuracy rates of rapid testing kits from China were 80 percent, the problem may have been "improper use" by some Czech officials, the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic said on Friday, adding that the claim was false. Test results could also vary given the different types of methods and different performances conducted by officials, according to analysts. Currently, there are two types of testing methods for COVID-19 that have been approved by China's National Medical Products Administration: nucleic acid and antibody testing methods. While antibody testing methods produce results in 15 minutes, the nucleic acid testing has "strong specificity and relatively high sensitivity," according to a statement from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines. Unlike masks and other products, production of such test kits does not rely on foreign imports of materials and technologies, according to an executive from BGI, noting that the company developed its own test kits, and all production materials are made domestically. Therefore, the primary problem behind concerns regarding testing kits may have more to do with the source of such kits and the ability of foreign health workers to use them properly, according to industry insiders. "For some complicated products, we cannot say that all importers know how to use them. Some importers probably did not use them as instructed," Li Yong, deputy chairman of the Expert Committee of the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Monday. As of March 23, China has approved 20 types of nucleic acid and antibody testing kits made by Chinese companies, according to a list posted by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on March 24. Ventilators While so far quality concerns have been focused on products such as masks and testing kits, there could also be risks of quality and price irregularities for other devices from China such as ventilators and infrared thermometers, which have become a hot commodity as the number of COVID-19 cases surge overseas, industry insiders and analysts warned. China has received 20,000 orders for ventilators from overseas customers and more orders are under discussion, Xu Kemin, an official with the Chinese Ministry of Information and Technology (MIIT), told a press briefing on Monday, adding that China has already exported 1,700 ventilators, half of the country's output this year. However, like masks and some other products, the production of ventilators also relies on supplies of key materials from overseas, including from Europe. "Expanding production scale is not an easy thing given the impact of the pandemic, and meeting all demands is unrealistic," Xu said. That could lead to pricing speculation and even have impacts on the quality, as there have already been irregular sales activities. Beijing Aeonmed Co, which exports ventilators, said that there have been reports of resales of its products for higher prices and the company has nothing to do with them. Li Kai, an executive of the company, told the Global Times that the company has not raised the price of its ventilators and all its products go through inspections before being exported overseas. Cui Gang, clinical director of Beijing Siriusmed Medical Devices, another ventilator producer, also said that the company has been focused on quality of its products and, despite rising costs, have not raised prices. Cui said that the company's ventilators are priced between 100,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan one unit. "Currently, we mainly get orders via existing foreign dealers and governments and the manufacturing is in strict line with the time the orders are received," Cui said. Though ventilators are hard to produce, there could also be some sub-standard ones emerging given market demand, and foreign purchases should be made through proper channels, insiders warned. Xu with the MIIT said on Monday that there are 21 Chinese companies that can produce ventilators, but only eight have received certification from the EU. The same risks also exist for Chinese-made infrared thermometers, which are used to check body temperatures in potentially tracking down COVID-19 cases, as foreign demand is skyrocketing and domestic production is strained by shortages of foreign components, insiders said. Du Han, CEO of Beijing-based Comper Healthcare, which produces 10 percent of China's total infrared thermometers, said that domestic production relies on imports of sensors and chips from Japan and other countries, which are also facing their own shortages. Similar to masks, the market for infrared thermometers is in chaos, as substandard products are being sold in the market, Du said. "Some companies do not have the certification to produce infrared thermometers. So they are illegal producers," she said. In a statement on Monday, MOFCOM said that along with other agencies, it would intensify efforts to ensure export orders of medical products and crack down on counterfeit products. The ministry also said that it would release a list of requirements for export of medical products and urged foreign procurement agents to purchase products that are on par with these requirements. Politicizing - the biggest issue While issues exist regarding the quality of certain products, the biggest problem Chinese products face is ideologically driven bias toward everything associated with China, Chinese businesses and analysts said. "There have been some biased tendencies among some people, including politicians, to smear China's medical supply production. Such noise is counterproductive in the fight against the pandemic. Such political motivations are evil," said Li, the trade expert, adding that specific issues should be addressed through collaboration. Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Monday also warned against politicizing quality issues, which should be addressed based on facts, and she said that China's help is sincere. Hua also noted that China has also received substandard medical supplies from other countries, but "we chose to have faith in and respect other countries' goodwill." Responding to some foreign officials' comments over China using the medical supplies as "propaganda," Hua asked rhetorically: "Do they wish for China to sit idly by and be indifferent, while watching people in many countries suffering in pain due to the pandemic and more people lose their lives?" NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A murder investigation has been launched after a man was stabbed to death in north east London last night. Police were sent to Walthamstow at around 11pm after 35-year-old Tomas Macionis, who was originally from Lithuania, was stabbed in the chest. Despite the desperate attempts of paramedics he died a short time later. A man, aged in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody. Police were sent to Walthamstow at around 11pm after 35-year-old Tomas Macionis (pictured), who was originally from Lithuania, was stabbed in the chest A man, aged in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of murder following the stabbing on Alexandra Road in Walthamstow. He is currently in police custody A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'A post-mortem examination held today at Queens Road Mortuary, gave cause of death as a stab wound to the chest. 'The investigation is being led by detectives from the Mets Specialist Crime Command.' It comes as six people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man and woman were stabbed to death inside a home in south London. Police and paramedics were called to Dorset Road in Stockwell at around 4pm today after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man. A man, 44, and a woman, 56, were found inside the address with 'multiple stab injuries' and later died at the scene despite the 'best efforts' of emergency responders. Six people were arrested on suspicion of murder and tonight remain in custody. The 'extremely shocking incident' comes on the ninth day of Britain's unprecedented lockdown to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Police and paramedics were called to Dorset Road in Stockwell at 4pm today after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man (Pictured: Police at the scene) Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard of Metropolitan Police, who is leading the investigation, said: 'I understand that this is an extremely shocking incident for the residents of this area and the wider community. 'The investigation is at a very early stage but my team and I are working hard to establish the full circumstances that led up to this tragic incident. 'If anybody has any information that could help our investigation please do get in contact.' A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said it dispatched London's Air Ambulance alongside several paramedic teams. 'We were called at 4:18pm today to reports of an incident in Dorset Road, Stockwell in SW8,' a statement said. 'We dispatched a number of resources to the scene: a paramedic team leader, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer, a medic in a response car and two ambulance crews. 'We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance. Sadly, despite our efforts, two people were pronounced dead at the scene.' A man, 44, and a woman, 56, were found inside a home with 'multiple stab injuries' in the 'extremely shocking incident' and later died at the scene Councillor Mohammad Seedat, of Lambeth Council, said 'colleagues tried to save the lives' of those involved, but were ultimately 'unsuccessful' Councillor Mohammad Seedat, of Lambeth Council, said 'colleagues tried to save the lives' of those involved, but were ultimately 'unsuccessful'. He wrote on Twitter: 'We are working with @LambethMPS to ascertain circumstances of two people murdered in the Stockwell area of Lambeth. 'COVID19 unfortunately bringing out the worst behaviours of humanity as well as the best. Stay indoors, stay safe.' The 'extremely shocking' double stabbing adds to a string of killings which have taken place across Britain since the nationwide coronavirus lockdown began. The bodies of four people and a dead dog were last week found at a house in Sussex and a man was charged with killing his wife in South Wales. An NHS nurse was also stabbed to death in the street in South Yorkshire and three have died in an apparent murder-suicide in Hertfordshire. Chairman of the Tobinco Group of Companies, Nana Amo Tobbin I, says Ghanas pharmaceutical industry is one of the best in Africa particularly West Africa. The business mogul was speaking on Atinka TVs new programme, COVID-19-The Impact. The programme, which airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 5 pm and 6 pm, focuses on the impact the pandemic is having on various sectors of the economy and how businesses are managing the situation. Nana Amo Tobbin owns Ghanas leading Pharmaceutical company, Entrance Pharmaceutical and Research Center which produces drugs such as Tobcee, Entramol, Zincvite, Kofof, Omal sanitizer etc. These drugs are exported to many African countries, particularly those in West Africa. Nana Amo Tobbin said these African countries place premium on drugs and other medical supplies produced by Entrance Pharmaceutical and Research Center and other companies in Ghana. He said this is so because the industry is very strong. He, therefore, urged Ghanaians and the State in particular to continue supporting local companies to create wealth and employment in the country. Nana Amo Tobbin said the Covid-19 pandemic has really affected businesses in the country, citing mandatory leave for some employees in the country. He added that, with the lockdown in full effect, companies will lose some revenue because workers are currently at home as a precautionary measure against the spread of the pandemic. He further argued, if the trend continues, it might affect salaries of employees while some will be laid off to cut cost. He, however, commended the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, for initiating a meeting between pharmaceutical companies in the country and the government on how to tackle the pandemic. He was optimistic that, government will provide the needed financial support to these companies to enable them produce important medical supplies to meet the current high demand. Meanwhile Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance has assured Parliament and Ghanaians that the US$100 million money budgeted to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is ready and available for disbursement contrary to the views of some skeptics. Contrary to views of some sceptics that the money is not available, I wish to assure you that the money has been secured and is available to be disbursed in accordance with our public financial management procedures and rules. Indeed, from day one, government has not stopped spending in the fight against Covid-19, he mentioned in Parliament today. Addressing Parliament on Monday , Mr Ofori Atta said, The President is determined to cushion the economic and social difficulties this coronavirus is visiting on Ghanaian businesses and people. Our task, therefore, is to minimise the huge threat of job losses and the impact of job losses. The President and his team are thinking outside the box to ensure that that the principles of fiscal discipline are not jettisoned and, yet, still ensuring that people have money to spend, he said. Ghana | Atinkaonline.com With a surge in the number of infection cases likely in the city after health officials uncovered the clustering at Nizamuddin, the government has decided to convert five of its tertiary care hospitals to dedicated Covid-19 centres. This will earmark at least 5,850 beds for the management of Covid-19 patients in Delhi, officials said. Lok Nayak, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Guru Teg Bahadur, Rajiv Gandhi super speciality, and Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospitals have started working on moving their non-Covid patients to other hospitals, said to a Delhi government order issued on Tuesday. Another 200 bed in Guru Nanak Eye Centre in Lok Nayak campus may also be added if needed. On Tuesday, 23 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the city, taking the total up to 120. The test reports of none of the people evacuated from the Nizamuddin markaz had come back on Tuesday and the number of people who tested positive from the area remained at 24. Another person who had tested positive on Saturday had visited the dargah. The reports of 441 people from the markaz, who showed symptoms of the virus, is awaited. The Delhi government is still in the process of tracing 18 other people who tested positive at private laboratories. The government is trying to trace the history of all the 18. Delhi governments biggest tertiary care centre Lok Nayak hospital, along with governments only superspeciality hospital GB Pant on the same campus, are preparing to become Covid-19 hospitals. Any patient that can be discharged, will be. For those who still need hospitalisation, they will be moved to other Delhi government hospitals or even to a private hospital, if need be, said Dr JC Passey, medical director of Lok Nayak campus. The hospital is also in the process of moving its out-patient clinic to the separate orthopaedics block and the surgical emergency to Sushruta Trauma centre in Civil Lines. We are in the process of converting the entire 2,700 bed facility for Covid-19, said Dr Passey. The government is also exploring the option of opening up a newly constructed hospital in Burari with 1,000 beds of which 10 -15% will have ventilators. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An Emirates pilot has offered her simple tricks for eating healthy in a hotel room as travellers arriving in Australia from overseas face mandatory two-week isolation in makeshift quarantine facilities. The strict restrictions set by Prime Minister Scott Morrison came into force on Sunday in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. So to help guests stay fit and healthy in their hotel rooms, Heidi McDiarmid, from Melbourne, has shared her tips you can follow during your 14-day stay. For guests who can receive care packages or food deliveries, the airline's first officer, 35, who operates the Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777 Freighter, suggested building your own meals to include protein, carbohydrates and fats. Emirates pilot Heidi McDiarmid (pictured) has shared her simple tricks for eating healthy when you're cooped up in a hotel room for 14 days of quarantine Quick workout routine in a hotel room With gyms closed indefinitely and thousands of people in isolation, Heidi - who's a qualified personal trainer - shared her quick workout you can do from the comfort of your hotel room or home. 'EMOM - every minute on the minute complete 20 reps of each exercise,' she said. 'Repeat the circuit four to six times for a good sweat.' 20 x squat jump 20 x push up 20 x plyometric lunge 20 x half burpee Or Challenge yourself with 10 x burpee tuck jump 20 x cross body mountain climber Advertisement 'Hotel room service is not always available and if it is the food may not fit your macros,' she said on Instagram. Depending on the quarantine, she said she would get a salad mix or vegetable to boil in her kettle, boiled eggs and cooked chicken. Her go-to' emergency food rations' include cooked rice, tinned tuna, rice cakes, oats and protein powder. She encouraged people to take advantage of their hotel kettle to boil ingredients such as eggs, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and other vegetables. If you don't want to order room service, try and order healthy meals or snacks via food delivery services. If you have time to spare before your check in or you're self-isolating in a hotel room, Heidi suggested packing a Tupperware container, plastic cutlery and your favourite condiments to prepare food in your room. She added: 'Bring food with you so you don't go hungry when there is nothing open when you arrive.' For those or are self-isolating or working from home, Heidi said there are 10 different things you can do to ensure you stay health and positive. 'It's not the ideal situation but every cloud has a silver lining. So if COVID-19 has you at home under quarantine it's a good opportunity to take time for self care and a reset,' she said. The 35-year-old has been working as the airline's first officer - second-in-command of the aircraft to the captain - for almost four years The 35-year-old, from Melbourne, operates the Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777 Freighter Heidi's day on a plate BREAKFAST: Steak or another protein source, eggs and vegetables LUNCH: Chicken and salad DINNER: Vegetables, rice and a protein such as fish, chicken or beef SNACKS: Fresh fruit, eggs, Greek yoghurt, homemade protein ice cream, nuts and honey, nut butter or mayonnaise on rice cakes Advertisement She suggested prioritising sleep by aiming for at least eight hours every time. Next, start a morning ritual to kickstart your day. 'Some things I like are to hydrate with my vitamins then do either a meditation, goal setting and gratitude or yoga,' she said. 'Make a healthy hot breakfast with all your extra time. I love steak or any meat really with eggs and a few vegetables.' She encouraged people to 'eat mindfully and hydrate liberally'. 'Now that you don't need to eat on the go, get yourself into a relaxed state when you eat to aid digestion,' she said. She said you should make time for yourself during the day to reduce stress. 'Meditate, read, dance, do yoga, listen to music, paint, write a journal, whatever makes you feel chilled,' she said. 'Do a home workout and get some blood flowing and endorphins pumping.' Other things she suggested is meal prepping, spring cleaning and set time aside to video call friends and family to reconnect. Facebook has introduced a new tool that lets people offer or request help from neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic. The tech giant now lets users to volunteer their services or ask those in their area to donate money to assist them during this hard time in posts shared to its Community Help section. Users are shown posts and fundraisers within a 50-mile radius of their location or they can edit filters to a specific range. The tool has been available in Facebook for four years for those impacted during natural disasters, but the firm has now added the COVID-19 crisis to that list. Scroll down for video Facebook has introduced a new tools that lets people offer or request help from neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic. The tech giant now lets users to volunteer their services or ask those in their area to donate money to assist them during this hard time in posts shared to its Community Help section Facebook first launched its Community Help in 2017, to give users a way to offer assistance, search for help and receive help in the wake of a crisis. The feature has since been used to connect users after man-made, accidental and natural disasters, like terrorist attacks or weather events. 'We have developed a number of crisis response tools, based on what we've learned from our community,' Mike Nowak, Facebook's product director of social good, said in a blog post announcing the new feature in 2017. 'When there is a crisis, people use Facebook to let their friends and family know they're safe, learn and share more about what's happening, and help communities recover.' Now that the world is under attack by the coronavirus, Facebook has added new tools with the hopes the community will come together. Users can ask for help using the new tool. Many are asking for diapers. Others asking for volunteers to assist them with making masks for the community. Facebook set the help radius by default to 50 miles in the US and 100 kilometers in other countries, but people can scale back the area in which they are available to be of assistance Facebook app head Fidji Simo told AFP: 'We've been seeing since the beginning people asking for help.' 'We've been working for a couple of weeks at enabling the feature.' The coronavirus (COVID-19) first made headlines in December 2019, when cases began popping up in Wuhan, China. Within a few weeks it had spread throughout the country and has now infected nearly every part of the world. As of Wednesday morning, there are more than 853,900 cases and over 42,300 deaths reported around the globe. However, the US is now feeling the brunt of the virus many have lost their jobs due to lockdowns in certain states or have been self-quarantined to limit the spread of the coronavirus. 'Since the beginning of the spread of the virus and especially as people started practicing social distancing, we've seen them turn to Facebook to connect with and take action to help their communities,' Facebook said. The coronavirus (COVID-19) first made headlines in December 2019, when cases began popping up in Wuhan, China. Within a few weeks it had spread throughout the country and has now infected nearly every part of the world The California-based internet giant also said it was continuing to ramp up efforts to provide reliable, timely information about the pandemic and ways to take action. Facebook set the help radius by default to 50 miles in the US and 100 kilometers in other countries, but people can scale back the area in which they are available to be of assistance. 'You can adjust it down if you can only help in your neighborhood,' Simo said. Earlier this month CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a phone press conference to reveal Facebook's new 'Coronavirus Information Center.' The hub appears at the top of users' Feeds with authoritative information from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC. The feature is to stop the numerous conspiracy that are encouraging those who are sick to not receive treatment or disregard recommendations from health officials during the pandemic. Although Facebook and other tech companies have been working tirelessly to provide accurate and up-to-date information, inaccurate information is also spreading like wildfire, so much that the World Health Organization is calling it an 'infodemic.' Earlier this month CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a phone press conference to reveal Facebook's new 'Coronavirus Information Center.' The hub appear sat the top of users' Feeds with authoritative information from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC 'The top priority for us has been making sure people can get access to good trustworthy information about the outbreak from reliable sources,' Zuckerberg said during the call. During a pandemic we are seeing hoaxes convincing people who are sick not to get treatment or protect people around them.' 'We've seen one hoax that encourages people if you're sick to drink bleach to cure it.' 'That's terrible, that's going to cause imminent harm.' The coronavirus information center includes real-time updates from health authorities and global organizations, as well as articles, videos and posts about recommendations such as social distancing and preventing the spread of the virus. The hub will provide articles and information from celebrities, journalists and scientific articles as well. Coronavirus lockdowns in Australia's biggest states will last until June, it was revealed this morning - as police described the only acceptable reasons to leave home. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the level three restrictions will last at least 90 days. He did not say what would happen after that time as health officials wait to see if the draconian measures succeed in bringing down coronavirus infection rates. At a press conference this morning, Mr Fuller revealed police powers to fine people who break social distancing rules will last for three months. He said: 'There was a good question yesterday about when is the turn-off period for these health orders. It is 90 days.' Scroll down for video Level three restrictions in New South Wales will last for 90 days, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) revealed this morning Police in Sydney's Double Bay on Thursday asked a young boy and his grandparents to go home as they ramped up efforts to contain the spread of the virus Two people enjoying a coffee on a park bench in Double Bay on Thursday were moved on He said he will not ask for an extension to the powers because he hoped by then people will observe the rules without the threat of a $1,000 fine. 'Hopefully people will have got the message by then and we won't be talking about the powers, we will just be talking about what does it look like coming out of this.' After speaking to reporters, Mr Fuller released a statement clarifying the acceptable reasons for leaving home. 'Shopping for food, travel to work or school, medical treatment or exercise are all reasonable excuses,' he said. 'If you are questioning whether you should be doing something, it is best to give it a miss.' Doctor Brett Sutton, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, said the lock down in his state will last until May or June, or possibly longer. 'It keeps changing. In a sense, how well we do with that physical distancing, how well we comply with stay-at-home directions will change that time,' he said. NSW Police officers ask people to move on while on patrol at Rushcutters Bay park in Sydney on Wednesday, April 1 One woman who was sitting on a park bench in Double Bay on Thursday was told to move on Police on Thursday patrol Double Bay in Sydney to make sure people are obeying distancing rules Heavy restrictions which ban people from leaving home without a valid reason were introduced in New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT on March 31. Police officers and the Army have been enforcing the rules by patrolling parks and beaches, telling people to go home. In extraordinary scenes on Wednesday, a woman breastfeeding her baby while sitting next to a friend was told to leave a Sydney beach. Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory do not have stay-at-home orders in place. On Wednesday a woman who was breastfeeding near a Sydney beach was told to leave by police Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured on Thursday morning) has asked companies around New South Wales to help make medical supplies 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 NSW Commissioner Fuller also revealed he was personally checking every $1,000 fine issued regarding social distancing rules. 'I'm reviewing all of these tickets personally, which would never happen again for any other time,' he said. 'And I'll continue to do that. And if I think it's unreasonable, it will be withdrawn immediately and we'll make personal contact with the individual.' He also clarified that people who sit on park benches will be moved on by police. New South Wales recorded 116 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the state's total to 2,292. The number of confirmed cases in Victoria also rose on Thursday to 1036, after the death of the woman in her 70s lifted the national death toll to 22. In Victoria, 36 people are hospitalised with the virus, with six in intensive care. The national case total at 10.20am was 5,049. NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilan thanked 500 businesses which have signed up to help make hand sanitiser and medical supplies. She said: 'Thank you to each and every one of you. 'Our people will now follow up to see what opportunities we have, to see what we can manufacture here in New South Wales, to really ensure that we have the medical equipment we need during the next few weeks and months.' Central Station in Sydney was a ghost town on Wednesday after the lock down rules came into force Westfield Parramatta was eerily quiet on Wednesday as shoppers stayed away Top cop's plea to Australians to stay at home NSW Police Commissioner Mike Fuller said in a statement to residents: You must stay at home unless you have a reasonable excuse for leaving. Shopping for food, travel to work or school, medical treatment or exercise are all reasonable excuses. Exercise is important for physical and mental health. The list of exercise types is endless and it is not possible to list them all; and some forms of exercise are more active than others. The important thing is that people comply with the two person rule when doing exercise, or that they only exercise with their household. As I keep saying, a good rule of thumb is that if you are questioning whether you should be doing something, it is best to give it a miss. Treat every situation like YOU have the virus. DO THAT. SAVE LIVES. Advertisement Australia imports much of its medical equipment such as masks and gloves - but the supply has been severely disrupted as countries stop exporting them. On Wednesday Ms Berejiklian asked companies to help, saying: 'Today I'm calling on the great people of our state, those great business people, those manufacturers who are able to re-tool, to consider re-tooling.' Companies who want to help can sign up here. It is probably not the European Unions fault, to be fair, that the coronavirus has left the institution somewhat sidelined. Whether that near-irrelevance in recent days leads to a longer-term weakening is an increasingly open question. It is natural at a moment of crisis that a nations citizens look to their own governments. Public health, the armed forces and fiscal policy, the three areas the crisis has most affected politically, are still, to a very large extent, matters for the member states alone. Each country has had to face its own challenges. None has done so entirely alone there has always been an international dimension to the crisis but critical decisions have been made in national capitals. Thus, to take an as-ever extreme example, the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, has arrogated emergency powers to himself, establishing a virtual dictatorship. With little reference to Europe, Emmanuel Macron declared France to be at war, and his aides compare him to the victor of the Great War, Georges Clemenceau. Less dramatically, Austria, the Czech Republic and some others insist on citizens wearing masks when shopping, while other countries are relaxed. On the whole, the countries with the highest mortality rates so far, Italy and Spain have had to fend for themselves. Convenience store clerks work round the clock, weathering rain, snow and now the coronavirus pandemic. Some of those workers in Massachusetts will receive raises or bonuses due to the state of emergency. Our employees are our most valued asset, said Leo Vercollone, CEO of Duxbury-based VERC Enterprises. This is a time when we want to show them how much we appreciate everything they do. VERC, which operates 33 convenience stores and gas stations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, gave $500 bonus checks to full-time employees and $200 bonus checks to part-time employees. Store managers saw their salaries increase by $100 a week, according to a news release from the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association. Convenience stores are considered essential businesses, similar to grocery stores and pharmacies. The Baker administration ordered all other businesses to close their shops until May 4 to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The majority of the 3,300 convenience stores across the Commonwealth operate family-owned stores and in many neighborhoods, these small corner stores are a crucial food source, especially as we social distance and seek to avoid crowds," said NECSEMA Director Jonathan Shaer. Massachusetts has 7,738 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 122 people have died, according to figures released Wednesday from the state Department of Public Health. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Some convenience stores have set up plexiglass shields to protect workers from customers, while others have put down tape to remind people to stay 6 feet apart. Still, workers come in contact with frequently touched surfaces in convenience stores as they restock shelves and wipe down counters and doors. Those clerks must frequently wash their hands and sanitize themselves while running the store, according to NECSEMA. Other convenience stores owners operating Massachusetts have given raises or bonuses to their employees. Workers at Nouria Energy, which operates convenience stores, gas stations and car washes in Massachusetts, will receive a raise of $1 per hour. Global Partners, a gas station and convenience store owner, plans to give each employee a $50 food gift certificate. The last few weeks have demonstrated that our Nouria team is on the front lines of this pandemic and plays a critical role not just in the economy, but in the healthy functioning and survival of our society, said Tony El-Nemr, president and CEO of Nouria During these difficult days, everyone will be stretched and stressed. We stand by our word to take care of our team members, because you are at the center of everything we do. Grocery stores across Massachusetts have also issued pay raises to their workers, who at times face crowds of shoppers panic-buying supplies. BJs Wholesale Club, River Valley Co-op in Northampton, Stop & Shop, Target and Whole Foods Market are among the retailers who have given their employees raises. Grocery stores have also set up plexiglass to shield their workers from potentially infected customers. Big Y, Shaws and Star Market said in statements last week that the stores should have barriers up to protect workers in a matter of days. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Farmers can delay wheat harvesting till April 20 without incurring any major losses as temperature in the growing states is still below the long-term average, government research body, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said on Tuesday. This would give farmers enough time to manage logistics for procurement and announcement of dates, it added. Normally, wheat harvesting begins from March-end. The ICAR has also advised farmers to take precautions against the coronavirus. The government has pegged a record wheat output of 106.21 million tonne in 2019-20 crop year (July-June) on the back of good rain as against 103.6 million tonne in the previous year. ICAR added that the movement of combine harvesters within the state and between states is permitted, and asked farmers to ensure that the workers engaged in repair, maintenance and harvesting operation adopt safety measures for coronavirus. Currently, manual harvesting of mustard, the second most important rabi crop, was underway and threshing is due wherever it is already harvested. ICAR said harvesting of lentils, maize and chillies was in progress, while that of grams is fast approaching. Sugarcane harvesting is also at its peak, while it is also time for manual planting in the north. In its advisory, the agri-research body asked farmers to engage only familiar persons to the extent possible and after reasonable enquiry as to avoid the entry of any suspect or likely carrier (of the coronavirus) during field activity. Prefer mechanised operations over manual wherever feasible. Only essential numbers of persons should be allowed to accompany the machine, it said. In case of manual field operations of harvesting/ picking, accomplish the operation in 4-5 feet spaced strips assigning one strip to one person. This will ensure adequate spacing between the engaged labours, it added. ICAR further asked farmers to stagger field operations wherever possible, and avoid engaging more number of persons on the same day. All the persons engaged should use masks and ensure hand washing with soap at reasonable intervals. Maintain safe distance of 3-4 feet during rest, taking of meals, transfer of produce at collection point, loading/unloading, it said. With regard to rabi paddy, ICAR said the crop in southern states has been widely affected due to neck blast disease. Therefore, adequate precautions should be taken while spraying of recommended fungicide by contract sprayers/ farmers. ICAR said farm machines and implements should be sanitised at entry point and at regular intervals. All transport vehicles, gunny bags or other packaging material should also be sanitised The collection of the produce may be done in small heaps spaced at 3-4 feet and field level processing should be assigned to 1-2 persons/heap to avoid crowding. Copious washing of machine parts, frequently touched, with soaps is advised, it added. Strap/Blurb Govt research body says temperature is below long-term average and thus late harvesting will not mean any major losses Fake Russian Twitter accounts politicized discourse about vaccines BUFFALO, N.Y. - Activity from phony Twitter accounts established by the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA) between 2015 and 2017 may have contributed to politicizing Americans' position on the nature and efficacy of vaccines, a health care topic which has not historically fallen along party lines, according to new research published in the American Journal of Public Health. The findings, based on machine learning analysis of nearly 3 million tweets from fake accounts, expose a general threat made startlingly more relevant in the face of the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, according to Yotam Ophir, an assistant professor of communication in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, who co-authored the study. "There is a real danger of health topics being politicized and used as propaganda tools. If that happens for topics such as coronavirus, people would be inclined to evaluate the importance and veracity of health messages - from either health experts, politicians, or trusted media outlets -- based on how it reflects their political leanings," says Ophir, an expert in computational modeling, media effects and persuasion. "If people perceive health topics as being aligned with a political agenda, whether it's left or right, then they will consequently begin to lose trust in health organizations and question their objectivity." To understand why this might only be the beginning of more intense polarization is to understand that the threat posed by polarizing health care topics may be an unintended side effect of Russian attempts to influence other political discussions, including topics tied closely to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "I don't believe the Russians wanted to sow discord around vaccines specifically, but rather chose to harness social tensions around vaccines in order to make the Republican characters they created appear more Republican and the Democratic characters they created to appear more Democratic. This intensifies a recently emerging divide where one previously did not exist." The Russians' intentions in this particular case, however, don't matter when considering the implications for public health, according to Ophir. What is pertinent is that the IRA used a public health topic to serve its own strategic and political needs that targeted Republicans and Democrats with different messages. If that proves effective, the Russians will ramp up their misinformation campaign, moving from what might be an unplanned outcome to a more persistent and focused effort. "In recent years, we see the change already with Republicans starting to lose trust in vaccines while Democrats seem unmoved," Ophir says. "Again, I don't think the Russians care about vaccines, but along the way they created and intensified this emerging divide. "Now they can target each party with different messages, spreading misinformation unequally, targeting susceptible groups with lower trust in government and science." Ophir's paper with Dror Walter, an assistant professor of communication at Georgia State University, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, began as a conversation at a 2018 conference, after it was first discovered that Twitter troll accounts were discussing non-political topics such as vaccines. At around the same time, Jamieson published "Cyber-War," a book about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that identified thematic personas among Twitter trolls. These personas are designated topical and linguistic roles played by each fake account. Inspired by Jamieson's work, previous research and Ophir's focus on connecting health misinformation and politics, the team used computational methods to identify nine personas among nearly 2,700 accounts. The pro-Trump personas were more likely to express anti-vaccine sentiment, while anti-Trump personas expressed support for vaccines. Accounts falling under the persona type mimicking African Americans and Black Lives Matter activists also expressed more anti-vaccine messages. The researchers used their own method, the Analysis of Topic Model Networks, to identify patterns among the nearly 3 million tweets and network analysis that treats each topic as a node in a semantic network. This form of unsupervised machine learning finds associations and clusters that are beyond human reach. "I have reason to strongly believe, though we don't have the data, that Russia and other countries who try to interfere in our political discourse will use coronavirus to spread misinformation and rumors to solidify the relationships they're building with new troll accounts that replace the ones removed by Twitter," says Ophir. "The virus is not political, but when any health topic becomes a political matter at the expense of fact, the result is to base conclusions and make decisions, such as whether to social distance or not, on party loyalty, not science. "That's extremely dangerous," Ophir says. ### This story has been published on: 2020-03-31. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. It wasnt immediately clear how the collision occurred. Bown did not know how many people were on the bus but said the bus driver was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment and was listed in good condition. A 7-year-old boy has been delivering free toilet rolls to his elderly neighbors due to panic-buying that has emptied supermarket shelves of household goods. Jimmy-Dean Hudson, from Westcliff in Southend, said he wanted to provide for others by spending his pocket money on toilet paper. Following his success, Hudson said he planned to deliver milk and bread next. His mother, Tracy Hudson, said those people he had helped had been very grateful. Mrs. Hudson said, "He knows we have less toilet rolls around at the moment so he went to our local shop and bought 60 or 70 toilet rolls and then went out giving them to people down our road," The mother and her child had knocked on every door and they moved on to the next if the household has enough stock. They met elderly couples who had been panicking due to a lack of toilet rolls. The boy was now looking to put together packages of supplies for Southend Hospital paramedics. Boy Donates 1,000 Sanitizer Sprays to Town A boy from Woodland Park with a history of giving has used his humanitarianism in the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. Eleven-year-old Jayden Perez and his family donated more than 1,000 hand sanitizer sprays to the fire department, borough school district, library, and police department as the prevalence of COVID-19 grew. "We spread kindness, that's what we do," the little boy and his mother stockpile on hand sanitizers so they can give it away. Mayor Kieth Keith Kazmark praised Perez, "Jayden is the heart and soul of our community." According to his mother, Ana Rosado, the idea came to him when the coronavirus spread in New Jersey. Also Read: School Teacher With Diabetes, Other Health Conditions Conquered Coronavirus The fifth-grader is also the founder of the non-profit charity "From The Bottom of My Heart." His good deed was out of concern for many of his friends and fellow students who did not have hand sanitizers. Perez reportedly loves his community, wants to keep it safe and clean, and wants locals to be safe. Little Boys Donate Entire Piggy Bank Savings for Fight Against Coronavirus Apart from doctors and the nurses, who are in a battle on the frontlines, more heroes are going the extra mile to help. Twitter user Manas posted about a 7-year-old boy from Mizoram. "Meet 7-year-old Rommel Lalmuansanga from Kolasib Venglai (Mizoram), he donated his entire savings of Rs 333 to his Village Level Task Forces in this war against the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic. #IndiaFightsCorona." Lalmuansanga donated his piggy bank collection to the village-level task force. Meanwhile, a 6-year-old boy was tweeted by activist Umar Khalid. He also donated all the amount he had saved in his piggy bank. "Amidst all the gloom, the best thing you will see on the internet today. A 6-year-old donates whatever he had saved in his piggy bank for relief for those affected by the pandemic and the lockdown." Related Article: Child Left Alone With Mom's Dead Body After She Succumbed to COVID-19 Five-year-old boy donates 70 Easter eggs to doctors and nurses @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Los Angeles,TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020 - Looking southbound over the 110 freeway toward downtown. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) (Robert Gauthier/Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) For California and Washington, the coronavirus triggers came early. They pushed the two Western states to social distancing measures earlier than the rest of the country. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the warning came while the Grand Princess cruise ship, carrying infected crew and passengers, lurked outside the Golden Gate. As the coronavirus cases spread in Silicon Valley, health officers as early as March 5 urged employers to consider allowing more employees to work from home, and companies to cancel large gatherings and nonessential travel. By the time the ship docked in Oakland on March 9, the BART transit system had seen a 24% drop in ridership compared with a typical Monday in February. Ridership was down 75% a week later, the same day the Bay Area issued the nation's first coronavirus shelter-in-place order. In Seattle, the early deaths at a suburban nursing home at the end of February shocked many into action. By the first week of March, major tech companies were telling employees to work from home and local officials urged them to do so. The coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in both places, but so far at a rate slower than in the country's other hot spots such as New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana. To be sure, the epidemic still could get dramatically worse on the West Coast. A San Francisco nursing home with more than 700 beds is contending with an outbreak that has infected two patients and nine staff members. There are signs of the contagion at 11 Los Angeles County nursing homes, too. But experts are looking to California and Washington for signs that social distancing is making a difference. With all eyes on the sharply rising curves showing the dramatic rise in cases, "if and when it flattens, you'll see it here first," said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco. The implementation of the shelter-in-place orders in the Bay Area "happened closer to the introduction of the virus, so you haven't had as many generations of transmission. So there are fewer cases per capita in the population," Rutherford said. Story continues While cautioning that there's no way to predict the future, it's plausible the Bay Area's early action will allow it to avoid a New York-style surge in cases, he added. Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, an epidemiologist at UCLA, said the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths provide a more accurate indicator of the outbreak's trajectory than the number of cases identified through uneven testing. On Thursday, the total number of deaths in L.A. County nearly doubled in a single day. "I will anticipate that we will continue to see increased in hospitalizations and deaths, but I think we should be able to see some leveling off of those numbers in a couple of weeks because of the physical distancing measures," Kim-Farley said. Indeed, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had doubled over the course of four days and the number in intensive care units had nearly tripled. After a person is infected with the coronavirus, it can take two to 14 days for symptoms commonly fever, cough and shortness of breath to appear. Then, in cases where the illness becomes severe, it usually takes an additional eight to 15 days for a patient to require treatment in an intensive care unit. That means it can take weeks for the effects of stay-at-home orders become evident. And there are a number of things that can still go wrong for California. The state does not know how many people are flouting the order to stay at home as much as possible and keep at least six feet away from others, said Dr. Otto Yang, an infectious disease expert at UCLA Medical Center, where coronavirus cases have climbed sharply in the last couple of weeks. A few news accounts suggest that some Californians are skeptical about the threat from the virus and the need for physical distancing. The lack of widespread testing can also mask how many people are actually infected and passing the virus around, Yang said. The true number "is going to determine how much hospital resources are going to be needed," he said. The Bay Area stunned the nation on March 16 when health officers in six counties jointly ordered residents to shelter in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, officially known as SARS-CoV-2. Eleven other California counties soon joined the order, and on March 19 it was expanded statewide by Newsom. New York state, by contrast, issued a stay-at-home order on March 20, and made it effective on March 22. California's earlier, aggressive stay-at-home order is one reason why a model published by the University of Washington's Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that New York state will see its worst day of the epidemic in early April, and that it will be dramatically worse than California's worst day. The report projects the peak of hospitalizations and deaths in California to come in late April. "Given what weve been seeing in California, we are expecting the peak of the epidemic the intensity of it to be lower than in New York," said Dr. Chris Murray, professor and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the author of the report. "That means the surge in the hospitals will be smaller." Officials advising President Trump said their model of the pandemic mirrors the University of Washington projections. But other experts have raised doubts about the conclusions. Nicholas Jewell, a biostatistics researcher at UC Berkeley, said he is "very skeptical" about the work. He said it makes a number of assumptions that remain to be proved including about the death rate in Wuhan, China, where the disease originated, and in one region of Italy hard hit by the coronavirus. The University of Washington projections changed from Friday to Monday, as the researchers fed new data into their computer simulation. On Monday, it showed that California would most likely be hit with 4,306 deaths, compared with the 6,109 forecast last week. For New York, the projected death total rose considerably from 10,243 to 15,546. Those sharp shifts were another factor giving Jewell pause. "I am not saying their answer is wrong," Jewell said. "I am just saying we shouldn't put too much confidence in it yet." A University of Washington biology professor also raised questions about the projections, saying they represent a "best case" model that appears to assume a degree of social distancing equivalent to that achieved in Wuhan. "It's not obvious to me, especially in states without control orders, that we will get anything like the shutdown we saw in Wuhan," said Carl T. Bergstrom, an expert in mathematical and computational biology. Besides the later stay-at-home order for New York, other potential factors for that state's sharp rise in cases include New York City's population density and crowded mass transit system, Murray said. Unlike the U.S., where tests have been in short supply, Asian cities had the advantages of being able to test for the virus widely, isolating the infected, finding their close contacts, and quarantining those who may have been infected. Wide availability of tests in South Korea also gave health officials the ability to spot outbreaks before they emerged, allowing authorities to keep those with the potential to spread the virus away from uninfected people. Models projecting the course of an epidemic can be controversial. The modeling is only as good as the data it is based on, and California is at disadvantage because of the lack of available tests, Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County's public health director, said Friday. Still, Ferrer said she thinks it is plausible that case numbers will continue to increase for three more weeks in L.A. County. Cases could continue to double every four to six days for weeks, given the rapid rise that has been seen so far in the region. Given what we know ... were likely to have a lot of people here that are going to be infected," she said. Dr. Grant Colfax, the director of public health in San Francisco, said it's still too early to tell whether the rise in COVID-19 cases is slowing down. "I simply do not know if our aggressive actions early on ... have had the intended effect," he said. "I certainly am hoping and praying that that is the case. We still need the data to confirm that. In the meantime, doctors at UCSF Medical Center are using the time to prepare. "Every single day that goes by, we have an opportunity to get more ventilators, to re-purpose more clinical space, to open up isolation wards, to learn from our colleagues on the East Coast," said Dr. Jahan Fahimi, medical director of the hospital's emergency department. "So even when the surge comes we now have the ability to meet more demand. Lin reported from Millbrae, Karlamangla from Los Angeles, Greene from Thousand Oaks and Rainey from South Pasadena. Boris Johnson's poll ratings have been holding up up to now as the coronavirus crisis engulfs the country and the world. But Downing Street is well aware that the situation could turn very quickly with the extraordinary restrictions being imposed on the everyday life of Britons. Advisors have warned that one of the main risks the government faces is a perception of 'incompetence'. And the spiralling shambles over the failure to ramp up testing numbers could be a critical moment of danger, as it is increasingly regarded as the only route out of lockdown. Ministers have been accused of first ignoring warnings from experts about the the need for mass checks - and then bungling efforts to ramp up numbers. Despite claims at the weekend that the UK has hit 10,000 diagnostic tests a day, it has emerged the authorities have still not reached that level - although apparently the 'capacity' is there. No10 has admitted that the PM's goal of 25,000 a day might not be achieve until the second half of April, by which time the outbreak might have peaked. Meanwhile, countries such as Germany and South Korea are managing to conduct many times more checks - an effort likely to be critical in reducing the death toll. There is also no clarity as to when the UK will have antibody tests that can be used to assess who has already been through the disease, and emerged with immunity. Countries such as Germany and South Korea are managing to conduct many times more checks than the UK - and their lockdowns could end sooner as a result. Pictured is a technician at a lab in Berlin Health workers are now starting to be routinely checked for current symptoms, to keep them in the battle against the disease. PIctured is a drive-through station in Chessington this week The government says it is ordering 17.5million but refuses to give details of where from and when they will pass clinical assessments. Health Committee chair Jeremy Hunt has questioned is genuinely committed to community testing. The reasons for the chaos remain shrouded in mystery, with senior ministers admitting they are struggling with the complexity of the situation. Scientists have complained that labs at research institutions and firms are sitting unused, due to Public Health England's determination to keep control over conducting tests. Cabinet minister Michael Gove last night blamed global shortages in chemicals, but the industry has dismissed the idea saying the NHS is being supplied with what it needs. There have been reports that NHS England has been accidentally embroiled in a bidding war with NHS Wales for kits. By contrast, Germany has benefited from domestic biotech firms that manufacture testing kits. Whatever the reasons, the economy is now on the line - with ministers warned that unless they get through the problems within weeks and can point to an endpoint for lockdown, thousands of firms could go bust. But how could mass testing help the UK to pick itself up and get back to normal before permanent damage is done to out way of life? WORK OUT WHO IS SAFE Antibody testing has been hailed as a 'game-changer' because it would boost NHS resource and allow the first fledgling signs of economic remobilisation. It would also answer one of the biggest questions - what proportion of Britons have had a very mild version of the virus without even knowing it. In the first instance, frontline health staff could be allowed to return to duty knowing they will not infect patients, lessening the threat that the service is swamped by the outbreak. But with enough tests the benefit can be spread beyond the NHS. Key workers could be put back into circulation, shoring up power networks - where there have been warnings of blackouts - broadband and bin collections. On an even wider scale, 'immunity certificates' have been mooted for those who have antibodies - so they are clear to go back into some semblance of normal life. That kind of initiative could give companies worried about the future more wriggle room, and convince them to keep on fighting rather than wind up operations. And it could slowly lead to the lockdown being eased so 'non-essential' activities creep back into everyday life. Any essential worker who is antibody positive can go back to work without worrying whether or not they are putting themselves or their families at risk. Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said last week that antibody tests would be 'essential' to recovering from the epidemic. He said: 'For people who are particularly vulnerable and taking even greater distancing measures could relax these if they are shown to be immune.' He added: 'When a vaccine first becomes available it is likely to be in short supply. Such an antibody test would help make what vaccine is available go further as testing would allow the vaccine be used just for people who are not already immune.' Science and Technology Committee chair Greg Clark told MailOnline that if the government can get the antibody test, blunders on antigen testing might be forgotten. 'That would be the big gamechanger. It is very unfortunate that we haven't had the degree of antigen testing that other countries have had but if we deploy this at the scale of millions they are talking about that would allow us to catch up and be ahead of other countries,' he said. Tube trains have been far quieter as large sections of the economy shut down. But testing could free people with immunity to start travelling to work again WORK OUT WHERE THE VIRUS IS The World Health Organisation says unless you are carrying out mass coronavirus testing it is like 'trying to fight a fire blindfolded'. Health workers are now starting to be routinely checked for current symptoms, to keep them in the battle against the disease. However, large-scale checks would be a quantum leap forward, allowing the authorities to identify hotspots, track how the outbreak is spreading, and adjust policies accordingly. Localised explosions of disease could be met with an intensive response. London and the Midlands are seeing considerably more cases than other areas. The Government's own experts have suggested the tightness of the lockdown could be varied by region and over time, with those not at high risk allowed to go about their business more freely. Fears of a 'second peak' in the outbreak if restrictions are eased would also be eased if there is better surveillance. Health Select committee chair Mr Hunt said: 'The reason that mass community testing is so important is partly because it is a lot less disruptive to the economy than the big lockdowns we have seen in most of Europe. Offices, shops, restaurants are still open in most of those Asian countries. But much more importantly in Wuhan they found that the lockdown brought the reproductive rate of the virus down to 1.25. Remember you are trying to get it down below one. But it wasnt until they had mass testing in the community, quarantining ofC19 patients and people with C19 symptoms, when they did that they got the reproductive rate below one. So it is internationally proven as the most effective way of breaking the chain of transmission.' Shuttered shops on deserted streets in Whitley Bay amid the coronavirus lockdown BREATHE LIFE BACK INTO BUSINESS Confidence will be key in keeping the UK's economic capacity from effectively disintegrating during lockdown. Former Cabinet minister Lord Hague has warned that thousands of firms could wind up their operations within weeks unless they can see an end to the swingeing restrictions that are robbing them of customers and the workforce. Solid information about the prevalence of the disease, who has it. and who is immune from it will allow businesses to plan. Many say that easing the lockdown faster than six months is essential to their survival. Experts says that is unlikely to be possible even in part unless there is mass testing. Unless they believe the government is serious about fighting the disease, the end for many firms could come sooner rather than later. Scottish entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne told MailOnline the Government's 'dismal' handling of the testing crisis will send vast numbers of British businesses to the wall - and delay the country's economic recovery. The gym mogul and former Dragons' Den star said: 'The Government must get on top of testing immediately. The longer we are in lockdown the more businesses will go bust. My business hands over 39million to the Government every year in VAT, PAYE and corporation tax. As long as we are closed they get nothing.' LOOK OUT FOR HERD IMMUNITY Mass testing will allow health authorities to work out how many people are immune to the coronavirus and whether the UK, or smaller areas within it, are anywhere close to herd immunity. The concept of herd immunity hit headlines earlier this month when senior Government advisers said they wanted to develop it to protect the country, a strategy which experts said could have cost thousands of lives. Herd immunity will still develop naturally as more people recover from COVID-19 and it could protect the nation in future outbreaks. It happens when so many people have had the illness already and become immune to it that the virus cannot spread properly through the population. Sir Patrick Vallance, Downing Streets chief scientific adviser, suggested that up to 60 per cent of the population would need to have been infected for this to work. But it will be impossible to know how many people have recovered from the virus without carrying out mass antibody testing, which reveals whether someone has ever been infected. If a significant number of people in a city, county or region, for example, have already recovered from COVID-19 it could be safe for that area to start to ease restrictions. Or if this outbreak is successfully stopped and another one starts in the winter or next year, understanding how many people have already had the illness could make it easier for the Government to decide how dramatically to respond. Its likely that the current situation will be the most severe action that ever needs to be taken against this particular virus. Writing in the Mail on Sunday last week, Jeremy Hunt said only testing would allow the country to move forward against the disease. He wrote: 'If we are to reduce the pressure on the NHS later in the year when the virus could well be back, we need to start ramping up Asian-style testing now 'Mass social distancing will help flatten the curve, but only testing will save us from months, maybe years, of anguish and economic paralysis.' (Photo : ALY SONG on Reuters) Silent Carriers: 1 out of 4 People Around You May Have Coronavirus Without Symptoms (Photo : TYRONE SIU on Reuters) Silent Carriers: 1 out of 4 People Around You May Have Coronavirus Without Symptoms Recent studies on the Coronavirus have shown that the number of asymptomatic people or those that do not show symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has increased. In fact, 25% or 1 out of 4 people surrounding you may have the viral disease without you knowing it. Due to this, health experts from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed their conflicting beliefs with what the World Health Organization (WHO) initially said against wearing face masks if you're feeling healthy. The CDC doctors now believe that everyone should now wear protection since the number of asymptomatic patients is no longer as low as initially thought. 25% of people surrounding you may have Coronavirus without symptoms According to a recent report in the New York Times, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, now wants to "critically re-review" their statement saying that people without any symptoms of Coronavirus should not wear a mask. Originally written on their website, CDC promotes none usage of facemasks to all people experiencing no symptoms of the disease. "You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). Facemasks may be in short supply, and they should be saved for caregivers," as written on their website. However, this might change now. Based on their research, 25% of people around the world do not show any symptoms of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If this is the case, wearing masks should now be a necessity for all people, according to the CDC director. For example, a 26-year old man from Guangdong China had close contact with a person from Wuhan who was infected with the virus. He did not show any symptoms since their meeting. The man then finished the recommended quarantine period. What he doesn't know is that on Day 7, the virus had already developed in his nose and throat, similar to other persons with more pronounced symptoms. What does asymptomatic mean? Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, an infectious diseases expert at Columbia University, also explained that an asymptomatic person is still unclear for most people. He was also not satisfied with how health experts define its real meaning. "There's no standard definition for it, and you could say to yourself, Well, that's kind of ridiculous: You either have symptoms, or you don't," he said. However, he understands that the CDC now wants to promote wide usage of face masks. "The bottom line is that there are people out there shedding the virus who don't know that they're infected," he added. Health experts also think that Coronavirus does not spread on droplets alone, but in aerosols Again, as explained by WHO and the CDC, Coronavirus can spread once your body inhales droplets of the virus orif you come in contact with a surface that has a droplet of a Coronavirus and proceed to touch to eyes, nose, mouth, or face. Not all experts believe this. "I think increasing evidence suggests the virus is spread not just through droplets but through aerosols," said Dr. Gerardo Chowell, an epidemiologist at Georgia State University. "It would make a lot of sense to encourage at the very least face mask use in enclosed spaces, including supermarkets." The WHO and the CDC still have no further comment on this matter. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. LIMERICKs Griffith College has teamed up with the Irish SME association to give businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis a helping hand. Griffith College, which also has bases in Dublin and Cork, will hold a series of free workships from next Monday, April 6. Codenamed Restart your Business, Rethink your Strategy, these are aimed at helping the many businesses struggling during the Covid-19 crisis. They workshops will take place from 10.30am to 12.30pm, three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They can be viewed on registration through www.griffithcollege.ie . The aim of the programme is to support businesses in coping with the difficult and unplanned issues that they are now facing as a result of the impact of Covid-19 and to help them to put strategies in place to recover when the time comes. Leading industry experts across a range of topics that are pertinent to small and medium sized businesses during this time, will host the sessions. Presenters include economist, Jim Power, who will provide an overview on the global economy post Covid-19; Padraig O Ceidigh, former chief of Aer Arann who will discuss building a new reality for Irish SMEs and a panel of expert practitioners who will discuss optimising supply chains and operations for smaller business. The schedule of programme workshops is available on the Griffith College and ISME websites. Dr Tomas Mac Eochagain, director of programmes at Griffith College said: This is a time for everyone to step up and help each other. Never before has it been so important for all of us in business to use our creativity, knowledge and expertise and come together. We are well practiced in delivering programmes to exacting standards at Griffith College and our team at the Graduate Business School have a huge wealth of knowledge, experience and contacts that they can lend to this particular and extraordinary situation. We have a long-standing partnership with ISME and together we can rally behind businesses in Ireland to help them navigate and ultimately recover in these unprecedented times. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox. An Empire State of Panic New York City has been hit hard by Covid-19, with more than 1,550 coronavirus-related deaths as of Tuesday. Recently, it has gone from the city that never sleeps to the city that lays awake every night filled with existential dread, Trevor Noah joked on Tuesday nights The Daily Social Distancing Show. Corporal Mathias Jahn at a drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in Gera, Germany. (AP) The UN secretary-general has warned that coronavirus is the most challenging crisis the world has faced since the Second World War and that things must change for it to recover. Antonio Guterres said the world was confronting a pandemic threatening people in every country, one that will bring a recession "that probably has no parallel in the recent past. There is also a risk that the combination of the disease and its economic impact will contribute to "enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict", the UN chief said at the launch of a report on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19. Antonio Guterres said the response to the coronavirus pandemic needs to be 'scaled up'. (Getty) Guterres called for a much stronger and more effective global response to the coronavirus pandemic and to the social and economic devastation that it is causing. He stressed that this will only be possible "if everybody comes together and if we forget political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading His warning came as Spain reported a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark, making it the third country to surpass that milestone behind the United States and Italy. Meanwhile, the US death toll from coronavirus climbed past 3,500 on Tuesday, eclipsing China's official count. Hard-hit Italy reported that the infection rate appears to be levelling off and new cases could start declining, but that the crisis is far from over. Worldwide, more than 800,000 people have been infected and more than 40,000 have died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Guterres described the coronavirus pandemic as a human crisis that is attacking societies at their core and set out three things the world needs to do to recover. A coordinated health response Story continues Guterres said the response to the pandemic including testing, tracing and quarantine needs to be scaled up in combination with restrictions on movement. He argued that it was essential that developed countries immediately assist those less developed to bolster their health systems to stop the nightmare of the disease spreading rapidly and causing millions of deaths. Guterres added that he was particularly concerned with the African continent. He said many countries are not respecting WHO guidelines, with each tending to go its own way in dealing with the pandemic. Migrant workers children wait to receive food packets during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in India. (Getty) Supporting the vulnerable Guterres said that while 4 trillion has been mobilised, most of that money was by the developed world to support their own economies from the consequences of the pandemic. "We are far from having a global package to help the developing world to create the conditions both to suppress the disease and to address the dramatic consequences in their populations, in the people that lost their jobs, the small companies that are operating and risk disappearing, those that live with the informal economy that now have no chance to survive," he said. "Massive support to the developing world is still required. Guterres stressed that there should be a focus on those who he says are the most affected by the crisis women, older persons, young people, low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups. A different economy Guterres believes the world will face a choice once the crisis is over, and argued that the recovery should lead to a different economy. Calling for countries to be more prepared for future crises, he said: Everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, and the many other global challenges we face. Guterres added: What the world needs now is solidarity. With solidarity we can defeat the virus and build a better world. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Vietnams Ministry of Health confirmed five new cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Wednesday morning, with the number of patients in the Southeast Asian country now totaling 212. Among the five new patients, one can be traced to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, another had close contact with a previous patient, while the other three had been quarantined since their arrival from abroad, according to a report of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. Patient No. 208 is a 38-year-old woman who works for Truong Sinh Company, a catering service provider contracted by Bach Mai Hospital. The total number of cases linked to this major hospital the largest general infirmary in Vietnam is now 35. Patient No. 209, a 55-year-old woman, is a cook at the office of a subsidiary of state-run petroleum group Petrolimex in Hanoi. She had close contact with patient No. 163, another kitchen employee, at the company between March 18 and 24. Patient No. 163 was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26. The 209th patient has had close contact with her husband, their two sons, her mother, and a housekeeper. Patient No. 210, a 26-year-old woman hailing from north-central Ha Tinh Province, returned to Vietnam from Thailand on March 20. She previously had contact with patient No. 201. She was brought to an insolation area upon her arrival and is now being treated at Cau Treo General Hospital in Ha Tinh. Patient No. 211 is a 23-year-old Hanoi resident who studies in the United States. She boarded a flight from the U.S. to Hanoi with transit time in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and Bangkok, Thailand, landing at Noi Bai International Airport on March 20. She was then brought to a quarantine camp in the northern province of Ninh Binh and is now receiving treatment at Ninh Binh General Hospital. Patient No. 212, a 35-year-old Vietnamese woman, traveled with her husband from Russia to Vietnam on March 27. Following their arrival, they were quarantined in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. On March 29, the woman developed a fever and fatigue and was admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Disease in Dong Anh District, Hanoi. Since testing positive for the novel coronavirus, she has been receiving treatment at the Hanoi infirmary. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 856,900 people and killed more than 42,100 globally as of Wednesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has announced 212 COVID-19 patients so far, with 58 having recovered. No fatality related to the disease has been reported in the country to date. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! State governments have increased their coordination to share details about migrant workers and those with travel and contact history with Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary movement that held a congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi mid-March. Nizamuddin has since become the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hotspot, claiming nine lives and infecting at least 24 people across the country. The states are also trying to ensure safe transportation, screening, monitoring and providing food and healthcare for tens of thousands of migrant workers during the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown to tackle the pandemic. The labourers plight has emerged as a big challenge, said government functionaries aware of the details. During daily coordination meetings between state functionaries and ministers, the mass movement of these migrant workers, some of whom have walked for hundreds of kilometers after the lockdown started on March 25, has been identified as the most critical area requiring immediate attention. Almost all states have made arrangements to look after these workers, but the situation is still quite fluid. Many state governments are coordinating to take care of the workers such as sharing details on how to help them, said a Union minister requesting anonymity. On Tuesday, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh spoke to his counterpart in Bihar, Nitish Kumar, to apprise him of the arrangements being made by his government to look after the migrant labourers from the latters state. Singh told Kumar to reassure the families of these workers that they are being looked after well during the lockdown. People, who had begun their journey on foot, are still in transit or reaching their native places, despite the fact that states have been instructed to stop all movement of people beyond their boundaries. In such cases, states have been asked to take proactive steps to screen and monitor them. In Uttar Pradesh, approximately three lakh migrant workers arrived over the last few days. They have all been screened and kept under watch for 14 days. Over 7,000 gram panchayats have been alerted to report cases of those who arrived earlier and managed to reach their homes, said a senior functionary of the UP government. States have also started to share details on the number of people who came in contact with members of the Tablighi Jaamats congregation at Nizamuddin from foreign countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Kyrgyzstan. Weve told the states to exchange information on whereabouts of the people who attended the congregation or were in touch with the members of the Jaamat. States have started helplines to report these cases and are also making appeals to people to voluntarily come forward for screening, said a member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Trade unions have urged the central government to reset the process of offering relief to the migrant workers stranded across the country. They have suggested direct cash transfers, ensure jobs and wages are not cut and healthcare needs are met at native places of the workers. K Saji Narayanan, president of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), said, The workers are facing several problems. For instance, they are not accustomed to the food being provided to them. In some states, they are being forced to live in shelters that have no civic amenities. Besides, the anxiety of being away from home and not earning their wages are getting the better of them. The BMS, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which has a network of over 6,000 registered trade unions, on Monday wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and urged her ministry to pay at least Rs 5,000 to each labourers family immediately, open new bank accounts for those in the unorganised and informal sector and allow the workers to run their own kitchens. Sukumar Damle, secretary, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said the government must ensure that there is compliance with its orders on the ground. He said the workers are bearing the brunt because of a lack of coordination between the state administrations and the police. Sachin Jain, of Vikas Samvaad, a Madhya Pradesh-based non-governmental organisation working with the migrant workers, flagged the need to involve civil society groups to reach out to the distressed workers. He said the government does not have a plan to deal with workers in an emergency and is relying on the police to overcome the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The police are overworked and stressed. Besides, they dont have the capacity to address the workers issues. No wonder, workers are walking up to 500 kilometers to reach their native places amid this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON FILE PHOTO: Woman wearing a protective mask uses her mobile phone, as a coronavirus outbreak continues to grow in northern Italy, in Turin By Douglas Busvine BERLIN (Reuters) - A group of European experts said on Wednesday they would soon launch technology for smartphones to help trace people who had come into contact with those infected with coronavirus, helping the health authorities act swiftly to halt its spread. The initiative proposes keeping a record of when a smartphone comes in close range with another, so that should an individual test positive for the virus, others at risk of infection can be quickly identified. The ability to track down those at risk of infection more accurately could make it possible to ease country-wide lockdowns that have brought economic activity in many countries to a near halt. The European initiative, called Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT https://www.pepp-pt.org), follows the successful use of smartphones in some Asian countries to track the spread of the virus and enforce quarantine orders, although their methods would violate strict European data protection rules. PEPP-PT, which brings together 130 researchers from eight countries, aims to launch its platform by April 7, said Hans-Christian Boos, founder of German tech startup Arago and a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's digital advisory council. Merkel, in isolation after being treated by a doctor who tested positive for COVID-19, said she would recommend such an app as long as it was effective and voluntary. "I would of course also be prepared to use it myself to help other people," the conservative leader told reporters. Epidemiologists say contact tracing will become a vital weapon in containing future flare-ups in COVID-19, the flu-like disease caused by coronavirus, once national lockdowns succeed in slowing the rapid spread of the virus. "We all know that, as a society and an economy, we cannot go on like this for an extended period of time," Marcel Salathe, professor of digital epidemiology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, told a news briefing. Story continues "There is a more efficient way to break this exponential trend of growth." The illness can be passed on by people showing no symptoms, putting a premium on warning those at risk of infection swiftly after an individual tests positive. LOGGING CONNECTIONS The new platform would make anonymous use of low-energy Bluetooth technology in a way that respects the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and would not require the intrusive tracking of location data. It would log connections made between smartphones on a device, rather than a central server, for two weeks, using strong encryption. Only local health authorities, deemed 'trusted' persons, could download data so they can notify people at risk of infection and tell them to go into isolation. A study by researchers at Oxford University's Big Data Institute said 60% of a country's population would need to be involved for the approach to be effective. Those without smartphones could wear Bluetooth-enabled armbands. German research body Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) has worked on the technology platform with Vodafone and others. It has recruited volunteers from the German army to measure how different smartphone brands communicate with each other. The PEPP-PT project is similar to Singapore's TraceTogether app but differs in some respects: By using country codes it can work across borders, said Fraunhofer HHI head Thomas Wiegand. Separately, a group of Berlin startups, led by data management company via, fintech group finleap and insurance tech firm Wefox Group, said that it planned to launch its own contact tracing app called Healthy Together next week. Sascha Gartenbach, founder and chief executive of via, said the Healthy Together group was in touch with PEPP-PT on collaborating. "Our approaches are complementary," he told Reuters. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen and Michelle Martin; Editing by Keith Weir and Edmund Blair) Banjul, Gambia (PANA) Madi Jobarteh, one of the leading human rights activists in the Gambia, on Wednesday hailed the countrys newly-drafted constitution while canvassing for a yes vote ahead of an expected referendum which should have followed shortly after its finalization but for Coronavirus A nurse working in a Panchkula hospital has tested positive for coronavirus after she used the mobile phone of a COVID-19 patient under her care. "The nurse who has tested positive for coronavirus was attending a patient already infected with the virus," Dr Jasjeet Kaur, civil surgeon, Panchkula Civil hospital said on Wednesday. However, she added that using the possibly infected cell phone could not be the only reason behind the nurse catching the infection. "Though she had used the phone of the coronavirus infected patient, it cannot be the only reason for her to have got affected," Kaur said. "As of now, only two affected patients are admitted in the hospital and 28 people have been kept in isolation," she added. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A second week of self-quarantine prompted wistful thoughts from Yazmin Oukhellou as she took to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon. The Only Way Is Essex star appeared to be reflecting on happier times by posting a sultry snap of herself enjoying a recent holiday in Dubai. With the Arab playground's tranquil marina and distinctive run of skyscrapers visible in the background, Yazmin, 25, is seen showing off her incredible curves in black thong bikini bottoms and matching bikini top. Old times: A second week of self-quarantine prompted wistful thoughts from Yazmin Oukhellou as she took to Instagram with a sultry throwback from a recent trip to Dubai on Wednesday afternoon Looking toned and tanned, the TV personality throws the camera a coquettish glance while standing in the shallow water. Evidently missing her freedom, a sentimental Yazmin - who last travelled to Dubai in April 2019 - captioned the post: 'Holiday dreaming.' Along with the rest of Britain, the TOWIE star is currently under government mandated lockdown as the country attempts to spike the growing spread of deadly coronavirus COVID-19. Popular: With social media in more demand than ever as the nation comes to terms with life behind closed doors, the post prompted an inevitable wave of responses from fans Old times: Yazmin's post followed another wistful throwback from the United Arab Emirates, shared with followers on Sunday afternoon And with social media in more demand than ever as the nation comes to terms with life behind closed doors, the post prompted an inevitable wave of responses from fans. Commenting on the Instagram post, one follower wrote: 'Wow you look amazing so pretty stunning tan so glamorous.' [sic] While another impressed fan added: 'Beautiful absolutely stunning.' Suggesting the post had provided a welcome antidote to increasingly bleak times, a third commented: 'Something to make us smile.' Letting her hair down: Taking to Instagram, the brunette uploaded a video of herself frolicking on a boat with pals while smoking a hookah pipe Looking good: Yazmin shows off her stunning body in a black swimsuit while dancing on the boat's deck Yazmin's post followed another wistful throwback from the United Arab Emirates, shared with followers on Sunday afternoon. Taking to Instagram, the brunette uploaded a video of herself frolicking on a boat with pals while smoking a hookah pipe. Captioning the video, in which she shows off her body in a black swimsuit, she she wrote: 'Can't wait till we get back to Dubai.' Cosy: Yazmin was recently seen putting on an extremely cosy display with Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear as they headed out for dinner after she closed her clothing boutique in Hertfordshire Yazmin has been single ever since she split from on/off boyfriend James Lock following a string of rows. But she was recently seen putting on an extremely cosy display with Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear, 30, as they headed out for dinner after she closed her clothing boutique in Hertfordshire. The pair were spotted cuddling as Yazmin locked up her boutique before heading to dinner at a local Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant. Despite their cosy display, a source close to Yazmin told MailOnline: 'Bear and Yazmin are just friends, shes far too busy running her businesses to be dating anyone right right now.' One of the most devastating pathogens that lives inside human cells is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people died in 2019 from this disease that generally affects the lungs. The rise of multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis strains, which are resistant to many of the most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs, is particularly worrying. In other words, novel drugs to treat tuberculosis are urgently needed. Tuberculosis bacteria need iron to survive All living organisms, including pathogens, need iron to survive. When a human cell is infected by pathogens like M. tuberculosis, it reduces the iron concentration to a minimum and thereby tries to starve the invader. The tuberculosis bacteria, in turn, start to release small molecules called mycobactins. These can bind free iron extremely well and thus steel it from the host cell. The iron captured by mycobactin is then transported into the bacteria by a protein named IrtAB. A team of researchers led by Markus Seeger, professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology of the University of Zurich (UZH), has now analyzed in detail the protein responsible for transporting iron from the infected host cell into the bacteria. "The transport protein, which is located in the bacterial membrane, is essential for the survival of the pathogens. If IrtAB is absent or not functioning, M. tuberculosis can no longer reproduce inside the human cell", says Seeger. Iron transport protein works in the opposite direction Using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the researchers solved for the first time a high-resolution structure of the transport protein IrtAB. This analysis was done in collaboration with Ohad Medalia, professor at the Department of Biochemistry of UZH. According to its spatial structure, IrtAB belongs to the so-called ABC exporters, which are typically involved in the efflux of molecules out of the bacterial cell. "However, we were able to show that IrtAB in fact imports mycobactins into M. tuberculosis. It therefore transports molecules in the opposite direction than expected," says Markus Seeger. Together with scientists from the University of Texas, USA, the research team identified an additional peculiarity of the transport protein IrtAB: It can modify the iron bound to mycobactin after it is imported into the bacteria. The iron is thus released inside the cell and the empty mycobactin can be recycled. Inhibiting the iron transport could lead to new tuberculosis drugs "IrtAB is a potential drug target, because its deletion renders M. tuberculosis inactive and incapable of infection. With our structural and functional elucidation of IrtAB, we opened avenues to develop novel tuberculosis drugs that inhibit the iron transport into the bacteria", Seeger concludes. "In view of Covid-19, a disease that also affects the lungs, tuberculosis will likely play a more important role again in the future. It is quite conceivable that patients weakened by Covid-19 will show increased infection rates with tuberculosis," he adds. ### Lucknow, April 1 : The Yogi Adityanath government has identified and quarantined nearly 95 per cent persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi in March. "We have also been conducting raids in various districts where some of the foreign nationals have been hiding after the lockdown. We are examining their travel documents and those who have violated rules, are being booked under relevant sections," said a senior police official on Tuesday. In Mathura, the local administration has quarantined 51 persons, including 30 who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat. Health officials said that the 30 quarantined people hail from Shamli and Yamuna Nagar and had moved to the mosques in Mathura and Farah on March 19. Mathura District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Misra, said their samples have been taken and sent to Aligarh's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College for tests. All of them have been put up in quarantine centre for 14 days, he said. Besides, 21 others, including 14 from Agra and 7 from Shamli, have also been home quarantined for 14 days even though they had not attended Delhi's congregation but were in contact with the others. Meanwhile, the Agra administration also quarantined 89 people, including 24 who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin. Others were from outside the state and were staying in mosques. All of them were shifted to an institutional quarantine facility developed at a resort in Sikandra by Tuesday night. Agra Chief Medical Officer Mukesh Vats said, "On the orders of the district administration, the health department teams, along with police, has identified 89 people staying in different mosques of the city. These people had recently come from outside Uttar Pradesh. Some of them attended the religious congregation in Delhi. "All these people have been shifted to a quarantine facility. The number of such people can further increase. Doctors have started screening them. We will keep them in a 14-day quarantine. Samples of all those having symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent for tests." In Aligarh, 18 persons who were staying in a mosque were put in quarantine as a precaution. They were also booked under IPC's section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) for staying in a mosque, which is a public place. At least 14 Bangladeshis and two Indians were taken into custody by Jaunpur police. They had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and then reached Jaunpur where they were staying in a rented house in Sarai Khwaja area without informing police. Inspector Sarai Khwaja, Satya Prakash Singh, said that all these persons were booked under appropriate sections of epidemic disease act, passport act and foreigners act. All of them have been sent to a shelter home where they will be examined by a team of doctors and kept in quarantine for the specified period. Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same' local APRIL 1, 2020 While the world is self-isolating and creating social distance between one another, the U.S. Census wants to ensure everyone is still being counted and counted in the right place. As this relates to college students, it is important to note that students should be counted where they spend most of their time. Shelter-in-place guidelines have caused many UTSA students to return to reside at their permanent address; however, it is important to remember that students should still be counted where they live most of the time. For college students, this means their typical residence while attending college. Students who lived on campus at the beginning of this semester in university-owned residence halls will be counted in the group-quarters process that the university will complete with the U.S. Census. Students living off campus and all faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the census process online. The online process is quick and accessible from anywhere. The best way to be counted is to complete the census online. Students living off campus and all faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the census process online. Census count is important because the data helps the federal government decide how to distribute $600 billion worth of funding to state and local governments. Federal funding programs that aid higher education institutions and students use census data to help make funding decisions. This includes the Federal Direct Student Loan and Pell Grant programs; these programs provided over $7.2 billion worth of funding for students in Texas in 2016. An undercount of Texas population by even 1% in 2020 could result in a loss of $300 million of federal funding per year. It also affects the allocation of funding for our communitys public resources, like fire departments, schools, health clinics, and even roads and highways. Check out UTSA's census website for more information. The population count informs the reapportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives, and an undercount can also cause Texas to lose a seat in Congress. The UTSA community is encouraged to take a few minutes to ensure they have been counted in the U.S. Census. India and China on Wednesday marked 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. "Today - 1 April 2020 - is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of #India and the People's Republic of #China | Congratulations and best wishes to all friends in India and China. Wish all of them peace, prosperity and good health," Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, tweeted. To commemorate the special occasion, the two neighbours had planned to hold 70 programmes, 35 in each country, the then Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had said following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek. "The two leaders have tasked their respective foreign ministers to discuss this matter at the second meeting of the high-level mechanism," Gokhale had said. He had also stated that the date and venue of the summit were yet to be decided while media reports in India had earlier said that it would be held in Modi's home state of Gujarat. But the plans were shelved in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which till date, has infected 81,554 people in China. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 1,466 in India, while 132 people have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment, as per the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. The number of deaths due to the infection also rose to 38, while one person has migrated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MUMBAI: The Airports Council International (ACI) has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to defer aviation specific taxes till December 31 to safeguard those in the aviation business continuity amid the coronavirus pandemic. In its letter dated March 31, ACI Director General Angela Gittens stated that COVID-19 has drastically impacted the airport business and is posing a serious threat to survival of the industry in many countries. "Airports are the engine of your national economy in terms of jobs created and GDP growth. The airport industry in Asia-Pacific employs more than 63 per cent of aviation industry jobs, providing a variety of services. This unique resource for the society and the economy should be fully preserved and supported to prepare for its revival, as soon as the negative effect of the COVID-19 starts to decrease," the ACI DG said in the letter. ACI's Asia Pacific arm had on March 27 estimated that the airport industry in the APAC region is expected to report USD 5.6 billion loss in the first quarter following a traffic volume loss of about 1.5 billion passengers at the airports in the region due to prolonged duration of coronavirus outbreak. Besides, it also revised the revenue forecast for 2020, according to which the revenue impact on the aerodromes in the APAC region is expected to the tune of USD 23.9 billion, and USD 5.75 billion for the airports in the Middle-East region. "The airport industry is equally impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Every passenger lost by an airline is equally a passenger lost by an airport. We would urge your authority to provide relief measures for the aviation sector to benefit all affected parties of the aviation sector and which will be strategic for the relaunch of the economy as soon as the crisis is over," the global airports grouping said. It requires "urgent measures - immediate suspension of national, regional, local taxes specific to the aviation sector, including passenger departing taxes, which will also incentivise passenger confidence to travel, and moratorium on new national and local aviation specific taxes until December 31, 2020," ACI added. Airports are reliant on revenue from charges on airlines, passengers and commercial activities, ACI said in the letter, adding, "any global alleviation of airport charges or introduction of blanket discounts, therefore, will place airport operators in greater financial distress. Any discount in charges in favour of airlines should be decided by the airport operator on a voluntary basis". The group has also sought from the government exceptional and time-limited waiver of the slot 80/20 rule until June-end. The rule stipulates that airlines could lose their slots at congested airports if they did not use them at least 80 per cent of the time. Dynamic aviation markets such as Singapore and UAE are offering dispensation of the slot 80/20 rule only for certain markets. Other countries such as the US, China, South Korea and Japan have introduced a waiver for a shorter period than the entire summer season, it said. From an operational perspective, the aviation system would benefit from the introduction of a mandatory requirement to airlines to notify flight cancellations, resulting from structural capacity adjustments due to COVID-19 under a specific timeline in advance, and hand back to coordinators/slot pools unused airport slots within 24 hours of flight cancellations within booking systems, the letter said. The body also urged the government to consider, on a case-by-case basis, waiving airport rents and concession fees applicable to airport operators, irrespective of ownership status, given the financial stress they are experiencing. Such waiver could be a one-time waiver for a period of time, without the requirement for airports to pay-back the waived amounts at a later stage. This will allow airports to re-deploy these funds to continue operations and support recovery strategies, according to ACI. It has also sought loans and secured lending facilities at preferential rates to meet fixed expenses of airports for at least the next six months and ad-hoc facility to issue additional bank guarantees besides the ability to renegotiate existing covenants. Flash China will donate medical supplies worth US$2 million to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help combat the coronavirus, the Chinese mission in Vienna announced on Tuesday. The supplies will include detection equipment, testing kits, reagents and other medical materials, according to the twitter account of the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna. The materials will support IAEA member states, especially those from the developing world, in their fight against the pandemic, it said. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi thanked China for the "generous donation" on twitter, adding that China will also share with the IAEA specialists its experience and techniques in the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Congregants exit the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, La., on Sunday. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) At any other time, in a predominantly Christian nation that enshrines freedom of worship in the Constitution, the news would sound absurd or terrifying: "Pastor arrested after holding church services. But that's what happened this week when sheriff's deputies handcuffed a Tampa, Fla., minister for violating municipal stay-at-home orders by gathering hundreds to worship. Police said the minister, the Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay, showed "reckless disregard for human life" by potentially exposing his congregants to the coronavirus. Brown, now out on bail, has complained of "religious bigotry." The church maintains that the right to assemble in worship is a fundamental freedom that cannot be abridged even in an emergency, and cites early American religious dissidents, including Baptists and Quakers, as examples of the religious persecution that the nation's founders would have found intolerable. The coronavirus pandemic along with federal guidelines advising against large gatherings and state orders shutting down nonessential services has spurred most houses of worship to go online. But several megachurches have revolted, pitting public health concerns against claims of religious freedom and competing views on what to do amid tumult. Some religious leaders maintain that it is precisely in times of despair and disorder that the faithful need to congregate. In Louisiana, police issued a summons Tuesday to the pastor of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, La., near Baton Rouge, after he held services for 1,200 people in violation of state limits. Never been more proud to be persecuted for the faith like my savior, the Rev. Tony Spell shot back. Pastor Tony Spell, right, walks with others after services at the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, La., on Sunday. Spell has defied a shelter-in-place order. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) While more than half of Americans are under orders to stay at home, states have approached religious groups in different ways. In Ohio, a shutdown order exempts religious gatherings. The same goes for Pennsylvania and New York, though both states have strongly discouraged worship centers from opening. One Ohio megachurch, Solid Rock near Cincinnati, has continued to meet despite harsh criticism from locals. In California, faith-based services that are provided through streaming or other technology are deemed "essential," but not those that meet in person. Story continues Legal experts say that while religious groups generally have wide latitude to worship under the 1st Amendment and state-by-state religious freedom laws, rules shutting down worship are legally sound if they apply across-the-board to all types of group meetings. According to a national survey released last week of regular churchgoers, 17% of people said services were still ongoing despite warnings over the spread of the coronavirus. The poll conducted by social scientists Paul Djupe of Denison University in Ohio, Ryan Burge of Eastern Illinois University and Andrew Lewis of the University of Cincinnati asked 1,038 Americans who attend worship "more often than never" about how their churches had changed because of the growth of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The professors conceded that it's possible some of those still attending services were going to small meetings at homes that did not violate federal or state guidelines. Lance Knippers protests outside as congregants arrive for services at the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, La. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) The loudest protests have come from conservative Christian voices. R.R. Reno, editor of First Things, a prominent conservative Christian magazine, recently said in an article that politicians have been correct to put forth "stern measures to slow the spread of the virus." But he added that churches should stay open. When we worship, we join the Christian rebellion against the false lordship of the principalities and powers that claim to rule our lives, including sickness and death, Reno wrote this month. Scott Thumma, a sociology and religion professor at Hartford Seminary, cautioned that megachurches facing criticism for meeting represented a tiny portion of religious Americans. They are "a relative few likely no more than 15% of the over 1,700 Protestant megachurches in the country," Thumma, who studies megachurches, said. "Those that are continuing to have services are most likely to be those who subscribe to prosperity gospel beliefs that claim God will protect them from adversity or are pitting their claims of religious freedom against the welfare of those they would like to evangelize. I would say that this percentage of large churches having service is roughly the same as smaller congregations who are still meeting, at least according to the few recently released polls and surveys." Thumma added that "megachurches and other large churches are the most well prepared to adapt to the present situation. They have the technical expertise, cameras and other technology, a system of small group ministry, and a well-established online giving program." That's something many small churches lack. It's not only Christian groups that have continued to meet. In New York, local media said police had to break up a bat mitzvah over the weekend in Lakewood, N.J., where there is a large Orthodox Jewish community. The ceremony had between 40 and 50 people attending. For Muslims, who commonly worship in large groups on Fridays, Islamic councils across the country have advised mosques to close. Many families have chosen instead to pray together in their homes. The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large for the Catholic magazine America, suggested that religious groups that continued to meet in large numbers were hypocritical. "I'm stunned by church leaders who reject the most basic advice from public health officials during a pandemic," he said in an interview. "It's just plain old stupidity, of the type that puts people's lives in danger. As such, it's anti-life. The next time any of these groups calls themselves pro-life, we need to remind ourselves about these death-dealing decisions." Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston contributed to this report. ALBANY Health-care workers. Law enforcement. Firefighters. As hospitals have ended community testing, saving their remaining coronavirus tests for those who need them the most, the scope of the diseases impact on first responders is becoming clearer. Monday evening, Albany Medical Center said 45 health-care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by novel coronavirus, since the outbreak began. Fred Venditti, executive vice president for system care delivery and hospital general director, said that 141 workers whove been exposed to the virus are wearing masks and checking their temperatures twice a day. If you think about it, we employ 10,000 people to only have 45 health care workers positive for COVID-19 its a pretty small number, he said in a video posted to the hospitals YouTube channel Monday evening. Meanwhile the total number of confirmed cases in the Capital Region rose to more than 530. "These are primarily first responders that are being tested right now, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said Tuesday during his daily news briefing. "My heart goes out to you and your families." The county recently received a shipment of 8,000 N-95 masks. The majority of them will go to hospitals in the county with the rest being distributed to EMS crews, McCoy said. The number of first responders testing positive goes beyond health care workers. On Monday, the Albany Fire Department temporarily shut its Arbor Hill firehouse on North Manning Boulevard for cleaning after a third city firefighter tested positive. Another 20 are in quarantine and five more are awaiting tests results. Tuesday, the State Police said they have 31 officers and two civilian staff members among their ranks statewide who have tested positive for the disease. Another 127 sworn officers and civilian staff are in quarantine. There have also been confirmed cases over the last month at the Albany County sheriff and Schenectady police departments. Two Troy firefighters and one Albany police officer are in precautionary quarantine. Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Front line workers concerned Some Albany Medical Center Hospital staff have expressed concern that not enough precautions are being taken for staff who are exposed to the virus. One nurse who agreed to speak to the Times Union on condition of anonymity said that a number of staff had close contact with a baby who tested positive in the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit last week, but were deemed low risk for exposure, even though some of the contact included feeding the baby. No work restrictions are imposed on health care workers who are deemed to have had low-risk exposure, though some may have to self-monitor for symptoms under "delegated supervision," according to the CDC guidance. "Nurses are angry and frustrated and scared," the nurse said. "We have family members we are putting in danger and we feel we are not being protected by our employer." Monday was the first time that Albany Med has publicly disclosed the number of employees who have tested positive. Roughly one-third of those who tested positive were exposed to the disease while at work. Venditti and incoming Albany Med President and CEO Dennis McKenna, who are providing near-daily coronavirus updates on the hospitals YouTube channel, said they decided to discuss the issue after getting an email from a nurse who wanted more information about workers who test positive. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Albany Med employees who test positive for the virus must be out of work for at least seven days from the onset of symptoms, McKenna said. They also must be fever-free for at least 72 hours without taking any fever-reducing medication. When they do come back, he said, they have to wear a mask for up to 14 days from the onset of symptoms. And we wont let someone come back to work without being cleared by Employee Health Services and epidemiology, and we track them going forward, he said. So as we have employees who are positive, we put them out safely and we return them safely. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated interim guidance on March 7 setting monitoring and work restrictions for health care practitioners who are exposed to confirmed cases. Restrictions such as whether they must quarantine for 14 days or monitor for symptoms depend on the length of time a worker was exposed to a positive case, how closely they were in contact with a positive case, whether they were exposed to respiratory secretions or aerosols, and whether they or the person who tested positive were wearing certain protective gear. The virus is reaching health-care workers beyond hospitals. The Daily Gazette reported that Kingsway Community nursing home had an employee test positive for the disease. And Beltrone Living Center, a 55 and older apartment community in Colonie, is closed to visitors while it awaits the results of a COVID-19 test. The center management said it closed the building to visitors out of an abundance of caution and that residents there were not locked down. The latest local numbers In Rensselaear County, Executive Steve McLaughlin McLaughlin continued to stress that people from downstate in the New York City metropolitan area should report to the county Public Health Department and go into 14 days of self quarantine. The county reported that 3 people from New York City have reported their arrival to the county and gone into quarantine. McLaughlin also said the county received bad information Monday after he told residents that COVID-19 patients from New York City were being sent to upstate hospitals. He said there was not a busload of coronavirus patients sent to Albany Medical Center Hospital from downstate. McLaughlin said that the information came from a statewide emergency services call involving each county, which is why it was reported during the Monday Facebook broadcast. As the number of cases in the area rose, so did the number of hospitalizations. Albany Med treated 25 patients for COVID-19 on Tuesday, up from 18 the day before, McKenna said in a Tuesday video update. Eleven were in the intensive care unit and five required ventilator support. The number of patients being cared for in hospitals across the Capital Region on Tuesday grew to 97 from 83 the day before, he said. Hospitals regionwide are coordinating daily and providing those figures to each other. The highest number of COVID-19 cases is still in Albany County, with 210 positive cases and 19 people hospitalized. Saratoga County has the second highest number of confirmed cases in the Capital Region with 117 cases reported Tuesday. Sixteen residents were hospitalized, officials said. Elsewhere in the region, Schenectady County reported 85 cases on Tuesday. Rensselaer County reported 55 cases and 12 hospitalizations. Greene County reported 20 cases and three hospitalizations. Warren County reported 19 cases. Washington County had 10. Montgomery County had seven. Schoharie County had six. Fulton County had one. Senior Editor Brendan J. Lyons and Staff Writer Kenneth Crowe III contributed to this report. The Hungarian government's emergency measures taken against the novel coronavirus epidemic are in compliance with the country's constitution and European Union treaties, a government official has said. Zoltan Kovacs, the state secretary responsible for international communication and relations, reacted on Twitter to a statement by the president of the European Commission. In her statement, Ursula von der Leyen called for rapid and efficient action by the national governments to secure public health but added that those measures should not go against the EUs fundamental principles and values. She also said that the measures should be justified and proportionate, and their effect must have an end date. The Hungarian government is in full agreement with the EC president, Kovacs said, adding that the Hungarian measures were focussed exclusively on the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Hungary respects the values of the EU, such as the rule of law and the freedom of the media, the state secretary said. Meanwhile, EC spokesman Eric Mamer said the commission would evaluate new clauses in the Hungarian penal code concerning the spreading of rumours, stressing that the freedoms of expression and the media must be respected even in hard times. MTI Photo Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Hainan Meilan International Airport Company Limited (HKG:357) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky. When Is Debt A Problem? Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own 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. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together. View our latest analysis for Hainan Meilan International Airport What Is Hainan Meilan International Airport's Net Debt? As you can see below, Hainan Meilan International Airport had CN838.7m of debt at December 2019, down from CN2.23b a year prior. But it also has CN1.51b in cash to offset that, meaning it has CN673.1m net cash. SEHK:357 Historical Debt April 1st 2020 How Healthy Is Hainan Meilan International Airport's Balance Sheet? According to the last reported balance sheet, Hainan Meilan International Airport had liabilities of CN5.15b due within 12 months, and liabilities of CN1.16b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had CN1.51b in cash and CN504.4m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CN4.29b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined. This deficit casts a shadow over the CN2.84b company, like a colossus towering over mere mortals. So we definitely think shareholders need to watch this one closely. At the end of the day, Hainan Meilan International Airport would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment. Given that Hainan Meilan International Airport has more cash than debt, we're pretty confident it can handle its debt, despite the fact that it has a lot of liabilities in total. Story continues On the other hand, Hainan Meilan International Airport's EBIT dived 16%, over the last year. If that rate of decline in earnings continues, the company could find itself in a tight spot. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Hainan Meilan International Airport will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. While Hainan Meilan International Airport 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. Looking at the most recent three years, Hainan Meilan International Airport recorded free cash flow of 24% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness. Summing up Although Hainan Meilan International Airport's balance sheet isn't particularly strong, due to the total liabilities, it is clearly positive to see that it has net cash of CN673.1m. Despite its cash we think that Hainan Meilan International Airport seems to struggle to handle its total liabilities, so we are wary of the stock. Above most other metrics, we think its important to track how fast earnings per share is growing, if at all. If you've also come to that realization, you're in luck, because today you can view this interactive graph of Hainan Meilan International Airport's earnings per share history for free. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:40:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday vowed his government will continue to proactively implement measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country. Kenyatta vouched for the country's ability to alleviate the economic impact of the deadly respiratory disease which has so far infected 81 people. "As a government will we continue to take measures. Keep in mind that these measures, we are taking, are to ensure every Kenyan is protected and is safe," he said in Nairobi when he chaired the meeting of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund board through video-conference. The board that comprises of private sector captains of industry and senior government officials was created to marshal funds for combating the coronavirus disease. "Thank you for agreeing to work together throughout this time as we seek to find solutions on how to cushion the vulnerable in our country as well as deal with the future," said Kenyatta. The team led by East African Breweries managing director Jane Karuku was put together by the president to rally Kenyans together in raising resources that will support government efforts to mitigate the effects of the disease. Karuku assured the Head of State of her team's commitment to the task ahead of them saying they will work hard to deliver on their mandate. "We will work closely to ensure that we achieve the mandate that this fund has been created for. We will pool our brains and resources to ensure every Kenyan is cushioned," Karuku said. Kenyatta applauded medical professionals across the country who are working extra hard to save lives as well as all state and non-state genies involved in containing the spread of the virus. He lauded employers who have undertaken to ensure that no jobs are lost due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. (Alliance News) - Shares in Pathfinder Minerals PLC leapt higher Wednesday on news it has made progress in securing participation in a deal involving mining concession 4623C in Mozambique. The miner's shares doubled to 0.75 pence in London on Wednesday morning. Pathfinder Minerals lost the 4623C licence in 2011 when mining concessions were consolidated and given to unaffiliated firm Pathfinder Mocambique SA. Later, in October 2019, Pathfinder said it had attended a number of meetings in South Africa and Mozambique in order to resolve issues with the licence. Pathfinder Minerals has been in talks with Jacinto Veloso, a local politician who owns 50% of Pathfinder Mocambique, which is said have been "constructive". "Both parties view a proposed transaction involving Pathfinder as the most desirable route to a resolution as it would be expected to bring an end to respective legal claims associated with the licence," Pathfinder Minerals said.. Furthermore, Pathfinder Minerals said it had "validated evidence" that the other 50% shareholding in Pathfinder Mocambique "has been transferred to a Chinese state-owned third party" and is now in talks with that party, the name of which was not disclosed. "Direct dialogue with the transferee has now been established with a view to securing its participation in a proposed multi-party transaction involving the licence," Pathfinder Minerals said. Pathfinder Minerals noted that any transaction proposed would require involving a funding partner and talks with a "preferred partner" remain ongoing. Moreover, "further parties which the board considers to have the requisite balance sheet backing and technical ability are now also actively engaged in pursuing a commercial settlement." The company is still seeking support from the government of Mozambique to obtain assistance in resolving the licence dispute and has raised the issue with its president. The UK High Commission in Maputo is also providing assistance. A commercial agreement with Africa Focus Group, which was assisting in negotiations, was extended to March but will not be further extended. Nonetheless, AFG is still a key adviser to Pathfinder Minerals and, if it delivers a resolution to recovering an interest in the licence, "bespoke commercial terms will be negotiated" Pathfinder Minerals is also assessing further mining opportunities. Chief Executive John Taylor said: "A proposed transaction involving the restoration of an interest in the Mozambique Licence requires the alignment of multiple parties, including potential funders, in order to be facilitated. While there is no certainty that a transaction can be concluded to the satisfaction of all stakeholders within a timely manner, I am pleased to report that we are making real progress towards securing that multi-party alignment. Taylor added: "I am also pleased that we have been able to ensure the Pathfinder issue continues to be in focus within the Mozambique government as we work towards securing the involvement of all the stakeholders required to facilitate a resolution." By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. 1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has called on Texas and Florida to do more to contain the spread of Covid-19. Dr. Gottlieb told CNBC that the states governors needed to take action. I think the real wild card here and the decision point on whether or not were gonna have the bad outcome that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx talked about is what populous states like Texas and Florida do, he said. [They] really havent taken aggressive steps even now, Gottlieb said. Theyre large states, they have large urban areas that have very dense populations and if they dont get more aggressive, then we could be on the cusp of some of these bad outcomes. Gottlieb said Texas and Florida should act very aggressively right now in order to keep the number of infections low. He went on to explain how the federal government had limited authority to impose restrictions on states. Watch the video: Dr. Scott Gottlieb says hes worried that large states like Florida and Texas have not been aggressive enough in combatting the coronavirus outbreak. I dont understand why those governors have not acted more forcefully. https://t.co/jB8m6i5yyO pic.twitter.com/IqAMbhKQ4h CNBC (@CNBC) April 1, 2020 Its really up to these governors, Gottlieb said. I just dont think youre gonna see anything more from the federal government trying to force these states to take these actions. Theyve said what theyve said and now its on the governors, he said. I dont understand why those governors have not acted more forcefully right now. Gottlieb particularly highlighted Florida and Texas. Both states have Republican governors closely allied to President Donald Trump. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has resisted a statewide shutdown as cases have soared. Not all Republican governors have been reluctant to act. Marylands Larry Hogan has criticized the President for acting too slowly during the outbreak. Gottlieb was Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019. Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter SALEM Gov. Kate Brown is preparing an executive order to cut the states climate impacts on her own authority, following a second failure to get legislators to approve such a plan. The governors office is having conversations with the Department of Justice to ensure the governor acts as aggressively as she can within Oregon statutes, and the executive order will reflect that, a spokeswoman for Brown said in an email on Friday. Brown said she would act in a statement issued after Democrats in the Legislature decided to close down the 35-day session. They did so because Republicans in the House and Senate had walked out to avoid voting on an environmental proposal known as cap and trade, insisting the complicated program be sent to Oregon voters instead. The most recent legislative version of the climate plan would have capped business emissions of greenhouse gases, shrunk the cap over 30 years time, and created a market for those businesses to buy and sell certificates for emissions, using the pricing scheme to encourage businesses to emit less. Brown said Thursday that while she preferred the legislation, she would not abandon the climate change plan. In the coming days, I will be taking executive action to lower our greenhouse gas emissions, she said in a written statement. What exactly the order would do wasnt clear Friday afternoon. But any program Brown establishes would be less flexible than the cap-and-trade program that legislators had proposed, said Sen. Michael Dembrow, a Portland Democrat who was a leading architect of the climate plan. My sense, based on what we saw last year, is there's fair amount she can do on the cap side, and not much that she can do on the invest side, he said. She can't actually create a market. And so it's more of a regulatory approach. The legislation would have used money from the program for projects to make transportation more efficient, for example, and help Oregonians adapt to climate change. Browns order likely wouldnt raise money for those kinds of projects, said Brad Reed, a spokesman for Renew Oregon, a coalition of environmental and renewable energy organizations. The group wants a climate change program for the state. She has a lot of ability to set targets that will lower pollution, which has its benefits for health, Reed said. And certainly, clean energy transition of any kind is going to create economic activity and all the good stuff that comes along with the clean energy, like cheaper electricity. ... But without the significant investments that were envisioned in the legislation, we have to wait a little bit longer for that kind of activity. She can't do that through executive order. Brown considered an executive order just last year, when Republicans walked out over the 2019 version of cap-and-trade legislation. That bills demise came in late June after it became clear that not enough Democrats supported it. At that time, Brown could have enacted a number of climate policies intended to reduce emissions, according to a 2019 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality assessment obtained by the Oregon Capital Bureau. A spokesman for the agency said in an email that the document is now outdated. According to that document, Brown could have imposed a new limit on emissions from industrial sources and on fossil fuels, like auto fuel and natural gas, imported to the state. Those limits could have been reduced over time and the state could have required businesses to buy credits or offsets for excessive emissions. The 2019 document also said that Brown could have taken steps to strengthen and extend the states low-carbon fuel standard, tightened regulations on landfill methane emissions, boosted energy efficiency standards for electric appliances and required new buildings to have electric vehicle charging stations. The governor could face a legal challenge from opponents of a climate program. Asked whether climate legislation could still come down the pike next year, or in a special session, Dembrow said he thought it was too soon to say. I think we would want to see how the executive orders are working, he added. My understanding is that we do want to go at this in a more comprehensive way than the executive orders allow. Ultimately, he said, he wants to see the Legislature act itself. I'm hoping that we can do that, either in a special session or in a 2021 session, but I'm confident that at some point it will get there, Dembrow said. Meanwhile, Renew Oregon continues to prepare measures for the November ballot while waiting to see what Brown and legislators do. One measure would cap greenhouse gas emissions and the other would require that all of the states energy come from renewable sources by 2045. Legislative leaders say climate is a key priority. Speaking on the House floor before effectively ending the legislative session on Thursday, Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said lawmakers must take climate action this year. Im so incredibly sad that, once again, adults have failed our children and their children and their children, she said. Shame on us. The Senate president and I are working with the governor to make sure we dont let this Republican obstructionism halt our progress on addressing climate change this year. The legislative Emergency Board is scheduled to meet Monday and consider a request for $5 million to implement a greenhouse gas reduction program. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 5 Angry 32 SANDUSKY, MI Sanilac County has experienced its first death from COVID-19. The death was that of a man older than 60 who had resided in the Croswell-Lexington area, according to a Tuesday, March 31, release from the Sanilac County Health Department. The man had been at Port Huron McLaren hospital since the onset of his symptoms. Our condolences go out to the family who have lost their loved one, said Bryant Wilke, health officer for the Sanilac County Health Department. Our community feels your loss. There are no words that can ease the pain or lessen this familys grief. His death is an urgent reminder to all of us to practice social distancing, close non-essential businesses and limit access to essential businesses. We all must come together as a community to act now in protecting everyones health! Sanilac County has had seven confirmed coronavirus cases. Elsewhere in Michigans Thumb, Huron County has had three confirmed cases and Tuscola County has had nine, including two deaths. Statewide, there have been 7,615 confirmed cases and 259 deaths as of Tuesday, March 31, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. That agencys last daily update of statewide numbers did not include the first Sanilac County death. Please be assured that the Health Department is conducting contact tracing for all positive cases in our county and are advising contacts to monitor for symptoms and self-quarantine for 14 days from their last potential exposure, the Sanilac County Health Department wrote in their press release. If you are feeling symptoms (fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, muscle aches and pains, even vomiting and headache with any of these symptoms) stay at home. Call your medical provider should you feel your symptoms are not improving or are life-threatening. People are encouraged to stay in home isolation until the following criteria have been met: At least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Have been fever-free for 72 hours (three days) without use of fever reducing medications. Other symptoms have improved, such as cough or shortness of breath. The following recommendations are essential: Stay at home - Do not leave home except for essential tasks such as getting groceries or seeking medical care. If you are out, stay at least 6 feet away from others and avoid any gatherings. Wash your hands often and aggressively for 20 seconds, especially after being away from home. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Do not touch your face or mouth, especially when in public. Check on others - Call your loved ones and neighbors who are most at risk and see how they are doing. If they require an essential errand, see how you can help. Essential businesses - Consider limiting access, protect workers and provide measures to lessen contact with customers and/or coworkers. Consider closing, if you are truly not filling an essential need during this State of Emergency. Non-essential businesses Close. Related: Tuscola County reports second coronavirus death; 185 cases in Genesee County Computer system for Michigan unemployment agency crashes amid crush of new claims Michigan Attorney General warns of scammers imitating health officials during coronavirus pandemic Rajeev Sadanandan The SARS-CoV-2 would have been a normal virus like any other, except for a genomic quirk that made it highly contagious. Like many other viruses, it affects the population disproportionately, i.e. it targets some people more than others especially elderly males and persons with compromised immunity, or those who have a pre-existing medical condition, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart ailments, etc. What makes COVID-19 dangerous is its highly contagious nature and that asymptomatic transmission is possible. Its a new strain of a known virus, thereby no immunity or vaccine is currently available. So far more than 800,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, killing about 40,000 in over 160 countries around the world. While the mortality rate among infected persons is less than 1 percent, its still dangerous because it infects far too many. However, this was not inevitable. Countries, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which have the experience of coping with emerging pathogens in the past used their knowledge to deal with the threat at an early stage itself. Since the epicentre was known, these nations combined their data sets of immigration, disease surveillance and national insurance to locate persons who travelled from the epicentre. Their contacts were traced, they were kept under observation, and upon emergence of any symptoms, were isolated and treated. In India, Kerala, using its experience of having managed the 2018 Nipah outbreak, instituted similar measures. India too had an opportunity to trace and track persons who returned from the epicentre and control the outbreak. For various reasons, and not all of them related to the government, this was not done. When writing this article the reality of community spread appears near certain or is already apparent. Now the emphasis moves to mitigation. The experience of countries that have passed this phase gives an indication of what to expect. After an inflection point, infections could spike. Given the fact that even countries with some of the best health systems in the world, such as France, have found it difficult to cope with the demand for care, many are apprehensive about how India will fare. Given a prevalent distrust of formal health systems, especially government hospitals, it is likely that people might turn to informal avenues (over-the-counter medicines and neighbourhood medics), or even quacks. Since more than 80 percent of the infected will have mild conditions, this may not make a difference. Whether the 20 percent who have serious conditions, especially the 5 percent who need intensive care, will get proper treatment will depend on the capacity of the health system, especially its surge capacity (the capacity of the hospitals to handle patient loads much higher than usual). Given that services in much of the public hospitals are overstretched, it is unlikely that the existing capacity can cope with the numbers anywhere near what has been projected. This will be further hampered by infections among health workers. The solution is to keep the patient load below the surge capacity. This can be done either by keeping patient load low (flattening the curve of infections) or by increasing hospital capacity. After the pandemic reaches a certain level it will not be possible to keep the levels of infection low. In many countries, such as in Italy and Spain, infections have kept climbing once the take-off stage was crossed. India may reach the take-off stage in the next two or three weeks. Now the focus has to be on increasing the capacity of the health system to handle the load, especially of critical care. The most crucial need is the safety of our health workers, who, in the best of times, operate under severe constraints with limited resources. There has to be an abundance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which, at the moment, many hospitals are running dry of. To make matter worse, a shortage of raw materials has meant that production of PPE is hampered. Ventilators and oxygen cylinders will also be required in large numbers, because supplementary oxygen will be needed when oxygen concentration in a patients blood drops to less than 93 percent. There will be a huge demand for built up space, beds and other supportive equipment. More than any other factor human resources will be the major constraint. It is highly unlikely that government will be able to meet demand even partially. It is time for the private sector and civil society to step up to the plate. Since the efforts will remain disjointed, new forms of co-ordination are needed. I was part of a relief operations during the 2018 floods in Keralaa relief which Id called WhatsApp Managed Flood Relief. Groups of young administrators came together on social media groups united by their desire to support and willingness to help. Frontline workers would post their requirements, and someone sitting somewhere in India would respond. Another person would facilitate transporting the goods to the spot, and yet another person would facilitate the distribution of relief materials. Most of them had never met each other, but connected by the urgency they worked together as a team. Similar groups are springing up across India and it will be sometime before they connect with each other and develop a workable model. Repurposing buildings, hiring staff, training them are parallel activities that need to go along with the production of the needed gear and equipment. Large business groups that have committed funds should also take over the business part of the response management. Interfacing with government, a difficult proposition for private and civil society, will hopefully get facilitated by the urgency of the situation. It will be a while before COVID-19 is controlled. Given this, these investments will pay out in the medium term. Even if, as some experts claim, we do not have a crisis, the investment would add to the capacity of an underfunded health system. It will also build the foundation for managing future health emergencies, which may re-emerge with uneasy frequency. Michael Taylor michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com twitter.com/michael_taylor What do you do when your business is forcibly shut down from one week to the next, as happened first to every bar and restaurant owner and then every other so-called nonessential business? I gathered anecdotal data from Bryan Potts, a San Antonio-based CPA and owner of CFO2Go, which provides consulting and accounting services primarily to restaurants. Its been rough for Potts personally. He said he lost 75% of his client base last week. With doors forcibly shut, many of his clients simply cant pay him. Of his restaurant clients, Potts estimates that 10% are hanging on to their employees in the shutdown, while 40% have cut back as much as possible to just a few essential employees. About half of his clients have laid off all of their employees. To begin to get a sense for the scale of the hit to employment numbers this month: The Texas Restaurant Association counts 50,000 restaurants in the state, and counts 1.4 million Texans in the restaurant industry. In a related story, U.S. weekly jobless claims hit 3.3 million in one week, a record that blows every other weekly jobless claim datapoint to smithereens. We can intuit from Potts anecdotal numbers, and the Texas stats, that this coming weeks U.S. jobless claims will be similarly catastrophic. Back in the good old days, in December 2019 which feels like a decade and a half ago I sat down with Ryan Salts of the small-business resource center Launch SA. Salts passion, and profession, is to support entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs as they launch, survive and then hopefully thrive as business owners. Last week, however, was not at all like the good old days. Salts invited me to listen in, as he gathered together entrepreneurs online on Zoom in a part advice-giving, part therapy session. Potts was not on this call, although he is part of Salts mentoring network. A different mentor on the call, who asked not be named, described the process of filing with the Texas Workforce Commission for a full company claim of unemployment. This would streamline the process for her employees, all of whom she assumed would need to apply for unemployment benefits. A question among the group arose: Is it time to pivot your business model? Not necessarily. Many restaurant owners, for example, have opened grocery stores or boosted their takeout and delivery businesses. Customers want this and encourage this, and employees may feel grateful for the ongoing work. But this could be in fact, it probably is a money loser for restaurant owners. And the result of operating a money-losing pivot during the next few months could be further debt for the owner when normalcy returns. One of the Zoom participants was Jeni Spring from the Center For Barefoot Massage. She said a suggested pivot runs counter to her business. She runs a San Antonio-based continuing education center to train massage therapists in deep tissue technique. In this lockdown, shes received advice and pressure to move to an online training model for massage therapists. But that, fundamentally, is not something she believes in. We cant become something we are not, she said. It doesnt work to move to online training, since our entire reason for being is that you have to learn massage in person. You simply cant learn the sense of touch needed to give professional massages online. So, the pivot is a mixed bag. What about the other solutions business owners bandied about last week such as offering gift cards as a kind of down payment on future business that would help finance the present? Salts offered a cautionary tale. I have a downtown friend. He wont make it through this. His normal traffic is foot traffic. One of the first things I thought last week was, Why dont you do gift cards? But everything is changing so fast that recommendations from earlier in the week change day to day. His friend didnt feel gift cards were ethical, Salts explained, given that he was of the mindset that he had a 70% chance of not surviving the downturn. In December, Salts and I had talked about how hard it is, even in the best of times, for food service businesses to survive. I was curious about a spate of high-profile restaurant closures in my neighborhood at the end of last year. Salts was philosophical and realistic, based on his work with Launch SA. Are food people good business people? On average? No, he said. Theyre really good at what they do. Theyre creative. They can put together a good menu. But can they run their accounting? Can they cost things out? That was December. Now, of course, none of that matters. The best restaurant owner in the world cannot stay open in defiance of the COVID-19 lockdown orders. About the restaurant businesses now shuttered, Salts has an extremely dire prediction. Probably 50% of the places that close their doors right now are not going to reopen when this thing is over, he said. Every single person I work with is in a dire situation of triage. And with those shutdowns, we are learning, painfully, how essential these small businesses are. Everything is interconnected. As Potts explained: It shows how (much) small-business employers contribute to the economy. Its everything from people who clean out the grease traps to lawyers and accountants. I dont think theres anybody thats not been affected by restaurants shutting down. Disclosure: I do occasional consulting projects for the nonprofit small business lender LiftFund, which partners with the City of San Antonio to run Launch SA. Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates. Georgia gets another crack at 'Bama for college football title Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA) distributed food grains to migrant and daily wage workers, who are worst-hit by the imposition of a lockdown in the wake of coronavirus, in the capital on Wednesday. The food grains were distributed as per the mandate of the Legal Service Authority (NALSA). DSLSA secretary Kanwa Jeet Arora, along with a team, has identified two points in the capital, Rohini and Kirti Nagar from where they distributed packets of rice, flour and pulses to those in need. "We were inspirated to do this from Delhi High Court Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Hima Kohli. The main task of Delhi Legal Service Authority is to provide people free legal service and if any natural calamity comes, we also come forward to help the needy," Arora said. He said that there are many organisations and individual who want to help the people, we are delivering this food to the needy with their help. "We took this step after we came to know that people are facing problem in the face of this lockdown. They are leaving the city and heading to their village," said DSLSA additional secretary Namrata Aggarwal. Members of the DSLSA also observed social distancing during the distribution of the food to ensure it doesn't lead to further spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The contract modification includes the construction of three new structures, which are called static detonation chambers, to destroy munitions that could not be easily processed by automated equipment at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP). "The mission of this plant, our people, and our customer has international significance: to help rid the U.S. of chemical weapons," said Barbara Rusinko, president of Bechtel's Nuclear, Security & Environmental global business unit. "The team overcame the challenge posed by some munitions and is now simultaneously operating the main plant and building the new destruction facilities." "This is an important achievement that helps the program continue our most important responsibility--maintaining the safety of the community, the workforce and the environment," said Michael S. Abaie, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program executive officer. "This puts us in a good position to complete the mission of the safe destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile stored at Pueblo Chemical Depot by December 2023 and the closure efforts that will follow." The modification carries an estimated value of $1.2 billion. The work is being conducted under a cost-plus award fee contract to the U.S. Department of Defense Program Executive Office Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA). The first-of-a-kind plant began pilot operations in 2016 after completing design, construction, and testing. The plant has now destroyed more than 1,300 U.S. tons of mustard agent - more than half of the stockpile in Colorado. When operations are complete, the team will have destroyed more than 2,600 tons of mustard agent in three types of chemical weapons: 155mm projectiles, 105mm projectiles, and 4.2-inch mortar rounds. Then, the Bechtel Pueblo Team will ultimately close PCAPP. The Bechtel Pueblo Team is made up of Bechtel National, Inc., Amentum, and Battelle Memorial Institute. Historic commitment to global security Since the 1980s, Bechtel has had an active role in U.S. and international efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. With the destruction of the stockpiles underway in Colorado and at a sister plant in Kentucky, along with previous projects in Alabama and Maryland, Bechtel will have safely eliminated nearly 5,000 tons of chemical weapons in rockets, artillery rounds, mortar shells, and storage canisters at four of the nine original U.S. storage depots. About Bechtel Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place. Bechtel serves the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Oil, Gas & Chemicals; and Mining & Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com Media contact: Sandra Romero C : +1 719 289 1888 [email protected] Fred deSousa T : +1 703 429 6435 C : +1 571 364 5733 [email protected] SOURCE Bechtel Related Links http://www.bechtel.com For all their many strengths, Roku devices have not had the best voice control features. If that's important to you, your best bet has frequently been Amazon's Fire TV devices. However, with its latest software update, Roku is trying to change that with more robust voice features across the board. Spanish speakers in the US and Mexico have the most to look forward to with the new software adding voice support for their language. If you speak Spanish, you'll be able to ask your Roku device to launch apps, search for specific content and control playback as needed. People in the US have several new voice features to check out once the update is available. To start, there's a new interface that will organize voice search results into movie, show and short-form categories sorted by price. There's something for news junkies as well. If you say, "Play the news," your device will launch a live stream of ABC News. You can also ask for an update from a specific source and your device will remember your preference for future commands. When possible, Roku says more than 50 apps will play a movie or show directly from the voice search menu. Outside of the US, the new software expands the availability of Roku Voice to users in Canada, Ireland and the UK. Additionally, if you live in Canada, Mexico or the UK, you'll now also have the option to integrate your Roku devices with Google Assistant and Alexa. Roku mobile app An updated mobile app with a tweaked interface is also on the menu. The redesigned app features a new navigation bar when you connect to a device that includes voice support. There's also a new dropdown menu that makes it easier to switch between controlling different devices, and a new shortcut to the remote screen. Additionally, you won't have to leave the remote screen to access other parts of the app. Last but not least, the company is promising performance enhancements, with Roku claiming the update will reduce device boot times and speed up app launch times. The company says the update will also make the home screen more responsive and make navigation faster. Users in the US can also look forward to new theme packs with which they can customize the interface to their liking. The company will begin rolling out the new software, Roku OS 9.3, to select devices starting this week. If you own a Roku TV from a manufacturer like TCL, Sharp or Hisense, you'll have to wait longer to get your hands on the update, with Roku saying it plans to push the new software in phases to those devices over the next few months. Nearly 60 people, who returned to three western districts of Tamil Nadu after attending a religious congregation in Delhi, have been identified and quarantined. The Nilgiris district administration has identified and placed eight people under isolation at a government hospital on Tuesday, District Collector Innocent Divya said on Wednesday. Kandhal, where two persons were staying and areas in Coonoor and Kothagiri, where two others were residing, have been sealed, she said. The results of the blood samples of all the eight are awaited. Meanwhile, 39 people from Tirupur and 12 from Mettupalayam, who had attended the event in Delhi have been kept under isolation in government hospitals in respective districts, official sources said. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus as 24 people have tested positive for COVID-19 following which a major area has been sealed and an FIR lodged against its cleric for violating government orders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ontarios chief medical officer is strongly urging his local public health counterparts to invoke a law allowing them to order COVID-19 patients and their close contacts into strict 14-day quarantines. The powers in the communicable disease section of the Health Protection and Promotion Act should be used on infected people who skirt guidelines to self-isolate as the virus increasingly spreads person-to-person around the province, said Dr. David Williams. Some of Ontarios local medical officers of health have already issued orders to recalcitrant individuals who refuse to stay in their homes without exception, Williams added Wednesday. They have to know this is a serious issue. To this point, 14-day self-isolation for confirmed or suspected cases has been voluntary, and relied on trusting those people and their family members or roommates to not leave their homes. Premier Doug Ford said the powers are important as Ontario tries to limit spread of the new coronavirus with thousands of lives at stake if its rise is not slowed. This virus doesnt travel on its own, Ford said. Its people that help spread it. As the statement went out from Williams, Toronto Public Health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa signalled she was taking these steps, fearing that the progression of cases in Toronto is escalating dangerously, and attempting to avoid the devastating scenario unfolding in New York City. Williams said the powers should see local public health units implement more aggressive contract tracing and management of COVID-19 cases. Section 22 of the health act states that health units can use written orders to require a person to take or to refrain from taking any action that is specified in the order in respect of a communicable disease to decrease or eliminate the risk to health. Under the health protection law, health units can require anyone named in an order to submit to medical examinations. They can also close off all or part of any premises involved. Close up of newspaper headline for financial crisis news Governments around the world are implementing measures to keep economies afloat in the wake of the coronavirus backlash. In Canada, the rescue package amounts to a staggering $82 billion. Will the financial stimulus be enough? It might not be, unless we see a significant flattening of the coronavirus curve. If you look at the cumulative cases, Canada is showing a similar trajectory as most countries. The number of cases isnt sobering. On the stock market, the TSX posted an eight-year low of 11,228.50. However, the index is on a three-day rally as I write this piece. Assessing the extent of damage to the financial sector is not yet possible. But as the progression of infections continues, more damage control is in order. The following are three ways the TSX can stabilize, reboot, and rebuild from a vicious 2020 market crash. Blanket relief on rules TMX Group is taking the first step. The company that runs the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) is loosening some rules to aid publicly listed companies to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes shall automatically apply to companies listed on both exchanges. Companies are given more time to hold annual general meetings (AGMs) and obtain approval from shareholders regarding security-based compensation plans. TSX companies need not notify the exchange in case more time is needed to file financial statements. Some adjustments were also made on delisting and share-buyback criteria. Reduced capital spending The government of Canada is paying special attention to the oil and gas sector, which is in a very challenging situation. The stocks in this sector are fighting two wars: coronavirus and oil prices. Top names such as Cenovus, Husky, and Suncor (TSX:SU)(NYSE:SU) are slashing spending reductions. The reduction in capital spending for 2020, so far, is between $5.3 and $6.5 billion. With demand falling drastically, Suncor announced a spending cut of $1.5 billion. According to its CEO Mark Little, the proactive move to adjust spending and operational plans will ensure the company can endure in case the market disruption extends longer. Story continues In the Fort Hills oil sands mine, the operations will scale back. Also, share buybacks are suspended to preserve cash. Suncor was able to obtain $2.3 billion in additional liquidity from its key lenders. Luckily, there is no maturing debt in 2020. The loss of this energy stock year to date is 57.43%. But CEO Little assures investors that Suncors business model and financial strategy are designed to withstand volatile environments. Decisive action The coronavirus outbreak is sparing no industry in Canada. Many companies are curbing operations, and it is causing the economy to grind slowly. Thus, decisive action is necessary. Finance minister Bill Morneau sees the urgent need to arrest the oil patch. The government is working to have credit opportunities for small- and medium-sized energy firms. Another remedy is for the government to inject more funds into the banking system to loan to businesses and help with their recovery. All the right moves There is no single tool to fix the messy situation Canada is in right now. But the steps being taken so far are the right moves to get on track. The post Damage Control: 3 Ways to Rebuild After a Vicious 2020 Market Crash appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Christopher Liew has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends TMX GROUP INC. / GROUPE TMX INC. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The Azerbaijani government is taking important and systematic measures to maintain macroeconomic stability in the country and minimize damage as a result of spreading coronavirus, Azerbaijani MP, academician Ziyad Samadzade told Trend. Four working groups were created to prepare specific proposals to reduce the negative impact of the spread of coronavirus on the country's economy, macroeconomic stability, employment issues and business entities in accordance with the order of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dated March 19, the MP said. As is known, one of the working groups is headed by Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, Samadzade added. During the meeting with President Aliyev on March 31, 2020, the minister said that specific proposals were prepared and submitted to the government. I reviewed the prepared proposals, the MP said. As an economist, I would like to stress that their preparation was the result of a systematic approach, comparative analysis and the thorough consideration of these issues. The proposals reflect the reality and include the measures aimed at expanding the opportunities of Azerbaijans development in the future," the MP said. Samadzade emphasized that the scale of the conducted work is wide and capacious. First of all, I would like to talk about the financial capacity of the support program, the MP said. That is, the state support which is rendered to the leading and other affected sectors of the economy will reach about 2.5 billion manat ($1.5 billion), that is, about 10 percent of the state budget. This testifies to Azerbaijans willingness and ability to eliminate the damage." Samadzade stressed that Azerbaijan does not intend to appeal any international organization to eliminate this damage. "Azerbaijan is trying to eliminate the damage only through its own capabilities, the MP added. This is the result of our success achieved over the past 15 years." Samadzade emphasized that entrepreneurs who work transparently will receive part of their salaries from the state as part of the support program. The Azerbaijani government will support entrepreneurs depending on the number of employment contracts, the MP said. This assistance will cover more than 300,000 people working in the private sector. The academician stressed that some spheres, including tourism, are fully subjected by coronavirus as the enterprises operating in this sphere ceased their activity in accordance with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers. "The state assistance will be rendered to the entities that ceased their activity, which is one of the most important steps taken by Azerbaijan to protect the country's economy," the MP said. The support for small businesses deserves special attention within the proposals prepared by the Ministry of Economy, Samadzade added. There are about 290,000 micro and individual entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan. Tax preferences for business will be provided, which is a very important step, Samadzade added. The business environment will be preserved in Azerbaijan thanks to the certain benefits. One of the important issues is the support of bank loans. SCHOHARIE The criminal trial of Nauman Hussain, whose company owned the stretch Ford Excursion involved in the horrific limo crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people in October 2018, has already faced delays in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. Whether or not the trial itself, scheduled to take place next month, will be postponed as well remains to be seen. A March 30 conference between Schoharie County Court Judge George Bartlett III, the judge overseeing the case, and Hussain's defense team and prosecutors was already postponed. Before then, rumors persisted for weeks that a potential development in the case might have been revealed to the judge at that time. What will happen next is unclear as the state's court system navigates the outbreak to minimize spread of the virus by postponing cases and limiting court filings. The trial is supposed to begin May 4 in the village of Schoharie where the courthouse is located. Where did FBI informant Shahed Hussain's money come from? Judge chides DA for inaction in Schoharie limo case Complete coverage of the deadly crash "Though the trial date has not been officially postponed, all scheduling of court cases especially those necessitating large gatherings of people must await further directives from our administrators," Schoharie County Court Clerk Christian Spies told the Times Union. Hussain, whose father Shahed Hussain technically owned the Excursion limo, is facing 20 counts each of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The 30-year-old Hussain could spend years in state prison if convicted. Prosecutors allege Nauman Hussain ignored efforts by state Department of Transportation agents to keep the limo off the road after the Excursion failed two safety inspections in the months leading up to the crash. A State Police consultant found the crash was caused by massive break failure. The crash happened in the afternoon of Oct. 6, 2018 in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store after the Excursion sailed down a steep portion of Route 30 and rolled through the stop sign at the intersection with Route 30A. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The limo hit and killed two bystanders and then slammed into the side of a ditch. All 17 passengers and the driver then died from the impact. Only the driver was wearing a seatbelt, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash. The limo had been rented from Nauman Hussain that morning by a group of friends and family, mostly from Amsterdam, for a birthday party in Cooperstown with potential stops along the way. A spokesman for the NTSB said its investigation has not been slowed down by the coronavirus outbreak. The NTSB, which makes safety recommendations after investigating crashes, has issued a preliminary report that focused mostly on the lack of use of the seatbelts in the Excursion by the passengers, two of whom were sent to local hospitals before they died. The rest of the occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. A state judicial panel ruled last month that all of the civil cases filed by the family of victims of the crash against the Hussains would be coordinated before trial in state Supreme Court in Albany. Administrative Judge Thomas Breslin was named to oversee discovery and pre-trial filings, although the cases can be tried in the counties where they were originally filed. The defendants in those civil cases, mainly the Hussains and Mavis Discount Tire where Nauman Hussain had the limo serviced, had sought consolidation of the cases in Albany. The Hussains own a now-closed motel in Wilton and multiple rental properties around the Capital Region. They ran the limo business for years under the names Prestige Limousine and Saratoga Luxury Limo. The limos the Hussains owned, which were not authorized to transport customers, were stored outside a Saratoga Springs warehouse between jobs. Shahed Hussain, an undercover FBI informant on major anti-terrorism cases around the world, has been living in Pakistan since before the crash and is not expected to return to the United States for his son's trial. The merger of ten government-run banks into four will come into force from April 1. The branches of the merging banks will operate as branches of the banks in which they have been merged. Customers of merging banks will also now be treated as customers of the banks in which these banks have been merged. The banks' merger was announced last year in August and the union cabinet gave the final approval on March 4. In the past, various other bank mergers have taken place. For instance, in 2017, the country's largest public lender - the State Bank of India took over five of its associates and Bharatiya Mahila Bank. Last year, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank were merged with Bank of Baroda. Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Vysya Bank merger and amalgamation of Centurion Bank of Punjab Ltd. with HDFC Bank took place in 2014 and 2008, respectively. Here are a few aspects of the PSU bank merger: 1. As per the latest merger- Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank of India (UBI) will be merged with Punjab National Bank (PNB). The merged entity will become the second-largest state-run bank. The new entity will have a business of Rs 17.95 lakh crore and 11,437 branches. 2. The amalgamation of Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank will create the fourth-largest public sector bank with Rs 15.20 lakh crore business and a network of 10,324 branches. 3. Allahabad Bank branches will operate as those of the Indian Bank. The merger of Allahabad Bank with the Indian Bank will create the seventh-largest public sector bank with Rs 8.08 lakh crore business. 4. Branches of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will function as the branches of Union Bank of India. Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank's merger with Union Bank of India will create India's fifth-largest public sector bank with Rs 14.59 lakh crore business and 9,609 branches. 5. The government had front-loaded Rs 68,855 crore to take care of the bank-merger plan. 6. Punjab National Bank was given Rs 16,091 crore, Union Bank of India Rs 11,768 crore, Canara Bank Rs 6,571 crore and Indian Bank Rs 2,534 crore. Allahabad Bank was provided Rs 2,153 crore, United Bank of India Rs 1,666 crore, Andhra Bank Rs 200 crore, Indian Overseas Bank Rs 4,360 crore and UCO Bank Rs 2,142 crore 7. According to the government, the merger of the 10 banks will lead to the creation of stronger establishments. This merger would follow in the example of the amalgamation of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, and Dena Bank last year. 8. With this mega-bank mergers, the number of PSBs will get consolidated from 27 banks in 2017 to 12 banks in 2020. 9. The new 12 public sector banks will be -- six merged banks and six independent banks. State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Indian Bank will be the six merged banks. And, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab and Sind Bank, which have a strong regional focus, will remain independent entities. Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 1,238 in the country; death toll at 35 Also read: Coronavirus fallout: Govt likely to see contraction in tax revenue in FY20 A shopper accused of stockpiling food from Coles was actually helping out those who were unable to buy their own supplies. The man was seen wheeling trolleys overflowing with items at a checkout at a supermarket in Melbourne on Tuesday, with many shaming him online for exceeding item restrictions. But he was actually stocking up on food on behalf of his employer, Melbourne restaurant Mama Lor, who are creating 50 food bags for struggling international students. The restaurant owner said these students have been left jobless and with no money in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. A restaurant employee was seen buying various items at the checkout at a Coles in Melbourne Many shamed the man online, saying he was stockpiling the food with plans to sell it and make a profit Trolleys full of juice, coffee and rice were seen at the checkout with many customers saying he was exceeding store limits 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 Photos of the man shopping circulated on Facebook with many slamming his actions. 'Hoarders in Coles. The intent of profiteering by sending back overseas or on black market here is obvious,' someone wrote. 'Don't let these scum bags buy this much stuff,' another said. 'Greedy pigs shouldn't be allowed,' one said. Joshua Bantiles, the owner of Mama Lor, said the restaurant was doing everything they can to help others in need. Mr Bantiles said he wasn't surprised members of his team were shamed when they were buying supplies. 'People will always say what they want to say and we can't avoid that,' Mr Bantiles told 7 News. He said that since many businesses were forced to shut down, students were left trying to survive on almost nothing. 'We chose to support international students because we know that most of them depend on their part-time jobs but since they're now unemployed it would be very hard for them,' he said. 'We all know that they won't get any financial support from the government because they're not residents, so it just breaks our heart.' The man was buying the bulk of products to use for 50 food bags that will go to struggling international students During the shopping trip, staff bought a range of supplies for each of the 50 food bags. Every student will given a dozen eggs, two packs of tuna, a can of beans, a can of spam, ten pack of coffee, two litres of juice, frozen sausages and bacon and 4kgs of rice. The bakery will also gift Mama each student with one dozen Pandesal (Filipino bread rolls) and one pack of Hopia Ube/Baboy (a Filipino Mooncake). The students will collect the bags on Friday and will show their ID at the door. The Mama Lor restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne remain open for takeaway and home delivery. A spokesperson for Coles said had 'heard some wonderful examples of how communities are banding together to support each other' during the pandemic. 'We will continue to take necessary steps to help improve the availability of staple items for all our customers, including reluctantly limiting the purchase of some staple items. These measures are temporary and we are reviewing them every single day. 'We are still urging customers to be considerate in the way they shop and stick to the product limits. This will help everyone, especially the elderly and people with disability, during this time.' When news of curfew was announced, confusions regarding feeding of stray animals started doing the rounds. With a restriction on movement, NGOs, shelter homes and volunteers became worried about the fate of the animals. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi requested people to take care of any such animals, and his efforts were consolidated by MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi who announced that dog feeders can now get feeder passes. The application can be made either online or at the respective DCPs office. Any dog feeder can go to their district DCP office in delhi and get a feeder pass. Please start today as only 50 passes are being given per district. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 24, 2020 I applied for the feeder pass online and got it through the District Magistrate. I was given a number on Whatsapp according to the district I fall under and had to send my details there. And that was it! It was a smooth process. But going to the DCPs office was a pain. I thought I will apply for it both ways, but had to wait for three hours. I had to stand in the line and there were more chances of infection. There were about 300-400 people. You have to wait to get a form, then again get in the queue to submit the form, and collect the pass the next day. They (the authorities) are not to blame because they are processing a lot of applications, says Vikash Aggarwal who lives in Delhi Cantonment and goes to central areas including Safdarjung Road, Chanakyapuri to feed strays. Basic precautions, such as carrying sanitisers and wearing a mask, in place, some of these volunteers are also feeding strays locally and keeping it low profile. I live in NOIDA sector 45 and some of us have spoken to the SHO here. He told us we can feed the strays here but to not do so in groups. The authorities recognise the regulars and according to the local police station, we can do without the feeder pass, says NOIDA-based business owner Deepak Saxena. Day 6 of #feedingstrays in #Delhi. I am posting thez updates daily so tht all of u reading my posts lend a helping hand in feeding stray #animals around u. Feed thoz u can. Help the needy. Seeking your help in spreading the word @deespeak #AnimalsArePeopleToo #BeKind #StayAtHome pic.twitter.com/U4CyWHKoRS Mohit Chauhan (@_MohitChauhan) March 31, 2020 Feeder pass or no, people are finding ways to feed strays, either by showing notices circulated by the concerned authorities or by working on the goodwill of the police. The DM has told some people that if you have food in your car and you are going to feed, no one is going to stop you. We also have a letter from the Chief Secretarys office, UP, that says the police should help those who are out to feed stray animals, says Anuradha Dogra a NOIDA resident, who was previously associated with SPCA before it shut down and was taken over by the UP government as Animal Hospital and Shelter, NOIDA. I got a curfew pass because my NGO is in Gurgaon and I live in Saket. I went to the DCP office in Vasant Vihar where they have put up a counter to collect the form. I submitted some documents including the RC and driving license. I got the pass the next day and have no difficulty in going out and feeding strays, says Divya Parthasarathy. Read: Uttarakhand cops, animal lovers turn saviours for strays during lockdown With problem of feeding sorted, the problem with transportation still remains an issue. Our supplier has his store in Vaishali, Ghaziabad and is able to transport it only once a week. How much ration can we store in our houses? Secondly, our volunteers are going out feeding on cycles but even their movement is restricted, says Delhi-based professor, Renu Malaviya. Interact with Etti Bali @TheBalinian SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Renowned Australian swimwear model Dominique Elissa has shared the simple step-by-step guide she swears by for staying fit and healthy during the coronavirus lockdown. The 24-year-old said while at first she was 'panicking' about gyms and studios not being open, she has since developed an at-home regime that keeps her in shape. Writing on her website, Dominique said doing five simple things has helped with her physical and mental health hugely in the past few weeks. So what do you need to try? Renowned Australian swimwear model Dominique Elissa (pictured) has shared the simple step-by-step guide she swears by for staying fit and healthy during the coronavirus lockdown The first thing the 24-year-old found to be a good idea was to sit down and make a to-do list each and every day with times to get everything done (pictured) 1. Make a to-do list at the beginning of each day The first thing the 24-year-old has found to be a good idea is sitting down and making a to-do list each and every day. 'Without the luxury of leaving the house, days can become quite monotonous. Without our usual routines, it is likely that we will end up watching Netflix for hours, or just procrastinating around the house,' Dominique said. But you can stop this by making a targeted to-do list when you wake up, filled with what you need to get done and in which time slots. Dominique said hers is usually filled with university tasks she needs to get done, as well as workouts, time for chores and cooking. With the likes of Instagram and YouTube, you can still get a decent workout at home (pictured); Dominique has designed her own workouts as well as following along some of her favourite people's options 2. Get working out from home While initially Dominique said she was panicking at a lack of open gyms or studios, she has since found out you don't need to go out to work out - and with the likes of Instagram and YouTube, you can still get a decent workout at home. 'Romee Strijd's YouTube channel has some amazing workouts; they are real time so you can follow the workout with her,' Dominique said of the Victoria's Secret model's channel. She has also created her own workouts on her Instagram profile, which she is following religiously. Dominique (pictured) said she was originally quite panicked about a lack of gyms and studios being open, but has since found out it's possible to stay in shape at home What is involved in Dominique's at-home workout? * Do each of the five exercises for 45 seconds each. Repeat the circuit three times, with a 30-second break after completing the circuit. Dominique (pictured) shared a simple workout you can do anywhere EXERCISES TO INCLUDE: * Lunges on each leg with three pulses each time * Squat jump with three pulses * Clamshells on both sides * Narrow to wide squat jumps THE WORKOUT SHOULD TAKE 15 MINUTES Advertisement She recommends you stock up on nourishing vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and onions and make curries from them - which you can then freeze (pictured) 3. Make nourishing curries filled with vegetables to freeze Dominique said that while many of the packaged food aisles in the supermarkets have been ravaged by panic buyers, the fresh food aisles continue to remain full and plentiful. With this in mind, she recommends you stock up on nourishing vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and onions and make curries from them - which you can then freeze. Perfect for when you want something quick to eat without having to cook from scratch, Dominique said her curries are serving her well through self isolation. 'I highly recommend cooking as much as you can to light that creativity and joy you can find in the kitchen. This extra time at home has really sparked that for me,' Dominique said. She has been making healthy banana bread 4. Make healthy snacks If you find you're snacking more now that you work from home, you're not alone. Dominique said she is in the exact same situation, but you can snack healthily without putting on weight. 'I highly recommend cooking as much as you can to light that creativity and joy you can find in the kitchen. This extra time at home has really sparked that for me,' she said. She has been making tasty banana bread and other healthy snacks. If you must buy snacks, Dominique said she is a fan of the Blue Dinosaur bars, which are 'highly delicious' and only contain five ingredients. Lastly, the 24-year-old (pictured) said that while social media can be hugely positive, she said an overload of it during this time can quickly send you into a spiral of negativity. It's a good idea to avoid it after a certain time 5. Limit social media screen time While social media can be a massive force for good, the 24-year-old said an overload of it during this time can quickly send you into a spiral of negativity. 'This time inside has made me so appreciative of the things I used to take for granted, a walk by the sea, being able to hug my grandparents, and dancing with my friends,' Dominique said. Ditch your phone after dinner and try and relax either in your own company or that of your household. You could try meditation or journaling to take your mind off things. At least 216 foreigners who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation this month in Delhis Nizamuddin area, which has emerged as one of the biggest coronavirus (Covid-19) hot spots in India, violated visa norms by entering the country on tourist visas rather than the mandatory Missionaries visa, HT has learnt. The Jamaat is an Islamic missionary movement aimed at spreading the teachings of the Prophet and has a sizeable base in South Asia. Till Tuesday morning, at least 24 people who were part of the congregation tested positive for Covid-19 in Delhi alone and the area was locked down. At least 441 people from the location were taken to hospital with symptoms. The detection of the Covid-19 infection among the Tablighi Jamaat workers at Markaz (headquarters) Nizamuddin was an 11-day operation that began in Karimnagar in Telangana on March 18 and was completed in the wee hours of March 29 after intervention from the highest levels of the security establishment, officials familiar with the matter said. Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today The officials, from the home ministry, Delhi government, and security agencies added that the Jamaat came on the radar when nine Indonesians tested Covid-19 positive at Karimnagar, Telangana. The nine were members of Tablighi Jamaat (or Tablighis), and the organisations HQ was asked, as early as on March 19 to provide details of all the foreign nationals who had come visiting since January 1, 2020. The number was no less than 2000. And some of them had ventured out preaching across the length and breadth of the country. On March 21, the home ministry alerted all state governments about the crisis and asked them to contact district co-ordinators of the Jamaat so that all those who left Markaz, foreigners and Indians, were reported and tested for the virus. It was after this that Covid-19 positive cases among preaching Tablighis turned up in Andaman, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu and Kashmir. Co-incidentally, it was the same day, ahead of the Peoples Curfew called for by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 22, that Maulana Saad Tablighi, the Emir at Markaz issued a statement that was also uploaded on YouTube, saying that the Modi governments recommendation of social distancing was a way of keeping one good Muslim away from the other. Repeated attempts to contact Maulana Shahzad, the coordinator at Markaz elicited no response. According to official data accessed by HT, the 216 foreigners who were staying in the Nizamuddin area came from countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, among other places. Indian security agencies on March 21 brought the presence of foreign nationals in the gathering at the Tablighi Jamaats Nizamuddin headquarters, also referred to as Markaz, to the Delhi governments notice. But a state official said the Delhi government was not informed about the scale of the congregation. The Delhi Police [which reports to the Union home ministry] is the primary enforcing agencies of all the rules under the nationwide lockdown. The Nizamuddin police station shares a boundary with the Markaz. So what was stopping them from taking strict action? this official, who did not want to be named, asked. On March 24, the SHO (Nizamuddin) served a notice to the Markaz to vacate the premises so that health checks could be carried out. The next day, Maulana Saad asked his followers to follow instructions of the government as workers were ill within the Masjid. According to home ministry officials, between March 26 and the evening of March 28, the Markaz only allowed the ill to be removed to the hospital; 32 people were taken to the Sanjay Gandhi hospital. The situation took a turn for the worse when one of the doctors of the Markaz also took ill. That was when the home ministry and agencies decided that the building had to be vacated. However, there was serious resistance mounted by the Markaz leadership on March 28 and at 2.00 am on March 29 National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was asked by Home Minister Amit Shah to break the deadlock. NSA Doval talked to the Markaz leadership and the latter yielded. While the Markaz has now been vacated with the inhabitants removed to either quarantine or hospitals, the Modi government has decided to black list all the foreigners who attended the missionary movement using tourist visas instead of mandatory missionary visa on the basis of registered FIR. In the past, the immigration department has black-listed a number of Tablighi Jamaat members for visa violations. Religious missionary visas are only given after much vetting, which perhaps explains why many of the people attending the Jamaat used tourist visas. In a statement, the Jamaat said that visitors/guests/devotees/worshippers from across the globe throng the place for prescheduled programs lasting for not more than 3-5 days. Although the Tablighi Jamaat has been under the scanner of security agencies around the world for suspected links with radical groups in South Asia and the larger Muslim Brotherhood, and also the involvement of its members in specific terror plots (such as the 2006 one to use liquid explosives on aircraft), nothing has ever been proved. They operate in grey areas and their preachings can be used to radicalize youth in the name of Islam, said a counterterror operative on condition of anonymity. The Tablighi Jamaat originated from the Mewati region on the Haryana-Rajasthan border and the organisation is currently headed by Maulana Saad. It has since spread across the world as can be expected of a body whose name literally means society for spreading the faith. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bhopal, April 1 : Of the 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the Tablighi Jamaat held in Delhi, 82 have been identified and are being kept in isolation. The search for the remaining persons is going on. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters on Wednesday, "107 people came to the state after attending the Tablighi Jamaat held in Delhi. These people came from different districts of Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen and Shajapur. Most of them have come to Bhopal. The administration is searching for these people". Chouhan added, "So far 82 people have been traced in the state who joined the Tabligi Jamaat in Delhi. All of them will be kept in isolation. Apart from these, a search is on for another 25. The infection that has spread in Delhi is a serious issue". Referring to the situation in Indore, Chouhan said, "The war is on in the state against coronavirus. The entire state has been locked down. All borders linked to Indore have been sealed. Here in some parts, the infection has spread very fast." In a directive issued on Tuesday by the Additional Director General of Police (undercover), the Deputy Inspector General of Police of Bhopal was asked to put in quarantine or isolation those people who recently visited Delhi to attend the Tablighi Jamaat. The DIG was also given a list of 36 people who attended the event. 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. At a public hearing on Nigerias social media bill held in Abuja last month, the voice of Chris Isiguzo, president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), rang clearly across the room: This billseeks to pigeonhole Nigerians from freely expressing themselves. The NUJ is totally opposed to it, he said. This strong opposition was echoed by multiple other civil society groups, according to local media reports and a recording of the hearing posted on Twitter with the hashtag #SayNoToSocialMediaBill by Paradigm Initiative, a local digital rights organization. By contrast, a Nigerian army representative welcomed the bill for reasons of national security, telling the hearing it would supplement an existing cyber warfare command. The local Guardian newspaper reported in 2018 that the command was established to combat fake news. At the time of publication, it was not clear whether the COVID-19 crisis would impact the timeline for consideration of the bill, which was scheduled to be sent for a third reading by the senate in April. On March 24, Nigerias National Assembly began a two week shutdown with possible extension based on the public health response, Mohammed Sani Musa, a senator from Niger State who is sponsoring the bill, told CPJ. False information related to the coronavirus was an example of the need for the legislation, he said. Nigerias Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill 2019 says that individuals who transmit statements that authorities determine to be false, likely to influence the outcome of an election, or prejudicial to the security of Nigeria, may be imprisoned for up to three years or fined up to 300,000 naira (US$844) or both, according to CPJs review of the text. Offenders who are not individuals face fines up to 10 million naira ($27,247 USD). Another section of the bill introduces fines for companies who fail to comply with orders to disable Nigerians access to content. Musa told CPJ that the bill was intended to mitigate the propaganda of fake news that travels at the speed of light. He said it was important in addition to existing cybercrime legislation, though he did not provide specifics. Nigerias 2015 cybercrime act has been used to arrest journalists who criticize officials on social media, as CPJ has documented. Musa told CPJ the bill was guided by online controls in other jurisdictions, including Singapore, the U.K., the EU, and the United Arab Emirateswhere a cybercrime law was passed to suppress criticism on social media, observers have told CPJ. CPJ found strikingly similar language between Singapores 2019 Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Actwhich CPJ has condemnedand Nigerias social media bill, notably in sections denoting prison time for individuals who post false statements of fact. If theres a society like Nigeria, we feel imprisonment is necessary, Musa said, arguing for deterrence as a tool to manage speech online. He was, however, open to the bill being amended or even dropped. Any bill that is going to infringe on the fundamental freedom of every Nigerian...I would be against it, he concluded. CPJ asked four Nigerian journalists what they thought about the bill. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Ajibola Amzat (Credit: Busola Ajibola) Ajibola Amzat, editor with the privately owned International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR), based in Abuja You say we should not share information or transmit information that is false, and then we begin to ask, well, what is falsehood? When you say people should not transmit false informationfalse information according to who? Now [the government] realizes that the Nigerian media is getting more critical and having a better sense of awareness of what is going on, and Nigerian people are getting to know a little more about the hypocrisy of the government, and they are talking more freely about it. That is what [the government] does not want to happen, and that is the purpose of bringing up this kind of bill. The parts that say you can't transmit information that may affect national security, you can't transmit information that you know is false, you can't transmit information that you know will influence the outcome of elections. Its something that can actually put journalists into easy problems, because you don't know what the government will consider as national security. How can you jail somebody for saying something? If you think what somebody is saying is false, then bring out the truth, so that the falsehood and the truth can stand together and then people will decide for themselves. But you cannot go ahead and criminalize people, that is like trying to kill peoples spirit to talk. And dont forget, apart from journalists, the organization who carries such information is also going to be sanctioned. So the media organization will also pay if you are found to be the one who published such information or misinformation. Its an attempt to gag the media. This kind of boldness is coming from places like China and Singapore, and other places where the freedom of expression is being repressed. Nigerian democracy is already broken, but it is going to be more shattered if this kind of bill would be allowed to pass. The laws that even enable journalists to do their jobs are often disregarded. I mean the laws, like the FOI [freedom of information] law, should enable journalists. Most of them [government agencies] dont have regard for that law...many agencies of the government are not disclosing information vital for public interest. Those are the laws that are supposed to enable the work of journalists. But those laws are just laws on paper. And now [they] bring some other laws to criminalize what journalists do. Yecenu Sasetu. (Credit: Toby Martins) Yecenu Sasetu, health reporter for the privately owned Kiss FM radio station, based in Abuja As a media person, if this is passed into law its going to stifle my voice because the government is going to be in control. They are going to be in control of our online presence. Now if, as a journalist, I put out content online and the government decides this is fake news, of course it wont fly. Yes, I'll be penalized. A whole lot of things that we need to put out we may not be able to put out, because it is going to put fear in a whole lot of media people. They will feel they do not want to anger the government. So you cannot criticize, you cannot give opinions. Its going to really stifle the voice of traditional media. Forget about the regular, everyday person that just wants to put out contentit will stifle the voice of every media person. There has been a lot of criticism of the present administration. People are not getting what they expected, especially in terms of the economy. There is insecurity, there are just a whole lot of issues. People come online to vent. People do not really have access to their representatives, their lawmakers, their elected government officials, so the only way they really get to vent is on social media. I would say its just a bid to get people not to say so much, not to be as critical of the government as they are right now. I would say its just a bid to control everything and everyone. Chris Kehinde Nwandu. (Credit: CKN NEWS MEDIA GROUP) Chris Kehinde Nwandu, publisher of the privately owned CKN News site and president of the Guild of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria, based in Lagos Some of us have been arrested in the past. I personally was arrested about five years ago, and I stayed about two weeks in jail for some of the information I published [on social media]. For me and my organization, we believe there is no need for another law, the social media bill or whatever. We already have enough laws. In 2015 there was the cybercrime law, but they are trying to come up with another law. We sense there are some political motives behind it. This may be a law to give more ammunition to some people, to put some level of fear into the minds of journalists. Some people are just trying to wither down the voice of the media, to shut them up. Democracy is about free speech. I am not totally against a law that regulates what people do. Across the globe there are certain standards that are expected of professionals. [But] this is not China. This is not North Korea. This is not Cuba or one of these countries. This is a democracy. Amran Aliyu. (Credit: Imona Rage) Amran Aliou, reporter with the federal government-funded Search FM radio station, based in Minna, Niger State In Nigeria, the only way people get to talk [and] express their views is on social media. They get to hold politicians and policy makers accountable the only way they can reach them, which is on social media. And so far it's been working well, because the government feels out of place and tries to right their wrongs. For example, in Niger State we are battling with potholes, terrible roads jam-packed with trailers and heavy duty cars, to the extent that sometimes these vehicles get stuck or fall off and there are oil spills. People feel fear for their dear lives, so most times they snap [photographs of] these incidences and try to question the government on social media, tagging some notable handles. This has, in a way, put the government to order. They try to right their wrongs [and] in turn post it [their actions] on the same social media through their aides. So social media to some extent has impacted positively on the changes the people get to enjoy. (Eds: Updating with latest inputs) New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Thousands of students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) clashed with police on Monday as their protest over fee hike on the varsity's convocation day escalated, forcing HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' to stay inside the AICTE premises for over six hours. The students were protesting near the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the venue for varsity's third convocation. The protests started in the morning and escalated as the day progressed with angry crowds of students trying to push through a wall of anti-riot police personnel to approach the venue. Several blockades put up by the police were also broken by the protesting students, who started their march towards the AICTE, about 3 km away from the university's south Delhi campus, around 11.30 am. They were stopped a short distance away from the AICTE auditorium, where Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was addressing the university's convocation. Water cannons were used to disperse the protestors and police said some of the students were detained. Top brass of the Delhi Police were at the site to handle the situation. Barricades were also placed outside the north and west gates of the JNU campus, as well as on the route between the AICTE auditorium and the university at Baba Balaknath Marg and nearby areas, a police officer said. The angry students raised slogans against the varsity's vice chancellor and also the Delhi Police. The students are demanding withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code and curfew timings. The gates of the AICTE were locked and security personnel were stationed in and outside the premises. While Naidu left the venue after attending the convocation, the HRD Minister was stuck inside for over six hours forcing him to cancel two scheduled events later in the day. The minister was able to leave the premises around 4.15 PM. "The situation has been handled. Students met the minister and he assured them that their concerns will be addressed," a senior HRD Ministry official said. An officer said JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and vice president Saket Moon were asked to talk to the students to make way for the minister. Police requested them to move from the gate, but they refused. The JNUSU office-bearers later met 'Nishank' who assured them that their demands would be looked into. They, however, were not able to meet the VC and raised slogans "we want V-C". "The VC is destroying the varsity. We have made several attempts to meet him in campus, but there has been no fruitful result," Ghosh said. Around 15 to 20 students who were graduating were sitting inside the auditorium main gate in solidarity with the protestors. "Historic day for us that we broke barricades, reached the convocation venue and met the minister," Ghosh said. "This could happen because we were united. This is not the end of our movement. We urged the HRD minister to ask the V-C to have a dialogue with the students. It is due to him that things have come to be like this," she added. Ghosh claimed that the HRD minister has promised that students' union would be called for meeting to the ministry. "We will have to ask the executive council members to reject the hostel manual in its upcoming meeting on Wednesday," Ghosh said. Students wanted to meet the vice chancellor and demand withdrawal of the draft hostel manual. A protesting student said, "The university administration's policies are against students who are from marginalised sections of the society. The hostel fee has been increased to 300 per cent. Where will the students stay and study if this happens with us." Some students attending the convocation also shouted slogans from inside the AICTE gate even as their parents, who came here to attend the ceremony, were stuck due to the protest. The protest is part of the agitation against the hostel manual and several other issues like restrictions by the administration on entry to the Parthasarathy Rocks -- a hillock inside the campus, attempts to lock students' union office, according to the students. The students' union has been on a strike against the draft hostel manual, which was approved by the inter-hall administration. They have said the strike would not end until the hostel manual is withdrawn. Traffic came to a standstill around the area due to the protests. PTI SLB NIT GJS GJS SOM SOM Haiti - FLASH : Urgent appeal to all available people in the medical sector (online forms) As part of the execution of the decree of March 19 declaring the state of health emergency in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30311-haiti-flash-president-moise-declares-a-state-of-health-emergency-text-of-the-order.html in order to fight against the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19, the Government informs the population in general and the health staff in particular that a registration register is open since Monday, March 30, in all the Departmental Directorates of the Ministry of Health. The Government is launching an urgent appeal to all available people in the medical world (doctors, nurses, auxiliaries, pharmacists and laboratory technologists, etc.), provided with all the documents necessary to establish their qualifications, to provide their precious help in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic (use the online medical sector form in section 2). As well as to all volunteers (managers, secretaries, drivers, housewives, handlers etc...) wishing to help in any field are also invited to register ( use the online form "Non-medical sector" in section 3 ). Online Forms : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_ai8dirC24AWpm5NgWPCLWGWnMjRxrUIB3j-XSzAv1kosig/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2uEqBammuM7bre8CzOsA0l35zplFcqG0_cTXBfxVcnNInM9oQu-fDxfoo See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30385-haiti-flash-urgent-appeal-to-all-available-people-of-the-medical-world.html HL / HaitiLibre Turkmenistan has banned the use of the word 'coronavirus' and threatened to arrest people wearing face masks, a watchdog has said. Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders said anyone talking about the coronavirus is liable to be arrested by plainclothes police in the country. A Turkmen radio station claims that special agents have been eavesdropping on people in buses and public places to find people talking about the contagion. The repressive ex-Soviet nation claims to have no cases of the virus, despite bordering Iran which has reported more than 44,000 infections and exported them around the region. A man wears a mask in a bus in Turkmenistan which is being cleaned - despite the government's insistence that there is no outbreak in the country A man carries bags as he walks away from a queue of people in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan The state-owned media in Turkmenistan has not covered the topic of the coronavirus pandemic or mentioned any measures taken in the country. Reporters Without Borders said the word 'coronavirus' has also been removed from health information brochures distributed in schools, hospitals and workplaces. 'The state media are saying nothing about the effects of coronavirus in Turkmenistan,' the watchdog said, citing independent news source Turkmenistan Chronicle which is banned in the country. Autocratic president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has previously told officials to 'fumigate' the population by burning harmala, a local herb. This would destroy viruses 'invisible to the naked eye', he explained without mentioning Covid-19. Berdymukhamedov, a former dentist, has ruled the country since 2006 through a personality cult that styles him as the country's 'arkadaq', or protector. Radio Azatlyk, a Turkmen-language station, claims that plainclothes security service agents 'take people away for any talk about coronavirus'. 'Special agents listen to conversations in queues, at bus stops, on buses,' the radio station says. People carry out cleaning work by the side of a road in Turkmenistan, which claims it is one of the few countries with no coronavirus cases People clean a pavement in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, where the government is allegedly banning the word 'coronavirus' A woman wears a mask in Ashgabat, where the government has taken some public health measures despite saying there is no outbreak Autocratic president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (pictureD) has previously told officials to 'fumigate' the population by burning harmala, a local herb Nonetheless, the government has taken some public health precautions. The school holidays have been extended without acknowledging the reason. Bank customers in capital Ashgabat are given wet wipes and sprayed with disinfectant in their mouths. Temperatures are checked in city buses and the vehicles are cleaned with a chlorine solution. However, public gatherings have not been banned. Turkmenistan's government claims that the country is one of the last remaining places on Earth with no cases of the virus. The group includes remote Pacific islands, some African countries, and research bases in Antarctica. Secretive North Korea also claims it has no cases, despite bordering China and South Korea which have both suffered major epidemics. Ranked last in the group's 2019 World Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries, Reporters Without Borders says. FILE PHOTO: An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia By Laura Sanicola NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday after U.S. crude inventories rose last week by the most since 2016, while gasoline demand suffered its biggest weekly drop ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crude inventories rose by 13.8 million barrels last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. That was the biggest one-week rise since 2016, and analysts expect similar data in coming weeks, as refineries curb output further and gasoline demand continues to decline. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 17 cents to settle at $20.31 a barrel, after hitting a low at $19.90. June Brent crude fell $1.61 , or 6.1%, to $24.74 a barrel. The global benchmark fell to $21.65 on Monday, its lowest since 2002, when the now-expired May contract was the front month. The market has slumped on the sharp fall in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic and rising output from Saudi Arabia and Russia after a supply pact collapsed last month. Brent crude fell 66% in the first three months of 2020, its biggest ever quarterly loss. Saudi Arabia's production rose to more than 12 million bpd in the most recent months, according to sources. "The likelihood of distressed cargoes, increased freight rates, force majeures, strains on storage capacity, VLCC availability will be combining in placing additional downside pressures on petroleum prices," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a report. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday for global oil producers and consumers to address "challenging" oil markets while U.S. President Donald Trump complained that oil cheaper "than water" was hurting the industry. Trump invited several energy industry executives, including the chief executives of Exxon Mobil and Chevron Corp, to a meeting on Friday to discuss aid for the industry, including possible tariffs on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, an administration source confirmed. Story continues News of those efforts has intermittently bolstered futures prices, but physical grades of crude are deteriorating, as refiners and shippers confront the coming wave of supply and freeze-up in demand. Gasoline demand fell by the most ever in one week, with products supplied, a proxy for demand, dropping by 2.2 million barrels per day to 6.7 million bpd. That augurs for more refining cutbacks down the road. "Demand is a disaster," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. "That's the whole problem here. It's horrible." The bearish mood has been fueled by a rift within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members have been unable to agree to a technical meeting in April to discuss sliding prices. An OPEC-led supply deal fell apart on March 6 when Russia refused to cut output further. Saudi Arabia has already begun to boost output, a Reuters OPEC survey showed on Tuesday, and is expected to pump more in April. [OPEC/O] "It is very unlikely that OPEC, with or without Russia or the United States, will agree a sufficient volumetric solution to offset oil demand losses," BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian said in a report on Tuesday. (Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Alex Lawler; Editing by Marguerita Choy, David Goodman and Paul Simao) Honda Cars Philippines today announced that Noriyuki Takakura is no longer the president of Honda Cars Philippines. During Takakura's stint, the Philippines had the Honda Civic Type R, which was well-received by the local market. Aside from that Honda had the latest model change for the CRV, Brio and Accord and the facelifted versions of City, Jazz, Mobilio, Odyssey, HR-V, Civic and BR-V. Takakura Starting April 1, Takakura will be transferred and will head Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC). Replacing Takakura in the Philippine arm of Honda will be Masahiko Nakamura. Since 2016, Nakamura has held deputy general manager positions in various divisions at the Honda Motor Co., Ltd. headquarters in Japan, gaining expertise in sales, business strategy, and marketing. Nakamura Overall, Nakamura has more than 30 years of experience in Honda automobile operations. To add to that, Nakamura held managerial posts for Honda in Thailand and Indonesia earlier in his career. The new HCPI top executive is eyeing to share his expertise with the local team as he hopes to steer Hondas automobile business through a challenging and evolving automotive landscape. Also read: This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here. Kevin Thomas Duffy, a federal judge who presided over decades of high-profile trials in Manhattan, including those of mob bosses, radical revolutionaries and the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, died on Wednesday in Greenwich, Conn. He was 87. A longtime colleague and friend, P. Kevin Castel, said the cause was Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Judge Duffy died in Greenwich Hospital and lived in that town. Judge Duffy is probably most widely remembered for presiding at the trial of the Islamic militants who were convicted in the 1993 attack on the trade center. He also oversaw another trial in the 1990s involving an aborted plot to blow up as many as a dozen American airliners over the Pacific Ocean. NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced a donation of $35 million to support COVID-19 relief efforts. In the U.S., AbbVie's funds will be used to support healthcare capacity for hospitals as well as protect vulnerable populations by enabling access to food and essential supplies. In Europe, the donation will provide critical equipment and supplies to patients and front-line healthcare workers in the hardest-hit countries. "AbbVie is making this donation to nonprofit partners that will have an immediate and significant positive impact in communities that have been hit hardest by this unprecedented crisis," said Richard A. Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive officer, AbbVie. "Our 30,000 AbbVie team members around the world are proud to be able to help make a difference in the fight against this virus." International Medical Corps Immediate Hospital Support for U.S. Hotspots AbbVie's donation to International Medical Corps will support increased healthcare capacity at overwhelmed hospital emergency departments in the U.S., where International Medical Corps is deploying a total of 20 mobile field hospitals to help increase surge capacity at overburdened hospitals. These mobile field units enable hospitals to expand the available triage and treatment space at existing facilities, improve patient flow and keep COVID-19 patients separated from other patients. AbbVie is the sole donor funding the procurement of the tents, equipment, supplies as well as all of the operating expenses for these field hospitals through the end of 2020. AbbVie launched International Medical Corps' response in cities across the US, including in: Boston, MA Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH Detroit, MI Los Angeles, CA New Orleans, LA New York City , NY , NY Puerto Rico Each field hospital includes the equipment, personnel and resources to effectively provide urgent or outpatient care to hundreds of patients per day, including patient beds, medical examination supplies, portable sinks, power, lighting and HVAC units. The field hospital can be stood up in approximately six hours and withstand 80-mph sustained winds. International Medical Corps will pull from its roster of nearly 300 medical professionals to fill critical gaps in nursing and infection prevention and control. Each hospital will determine specifically how it intends to use the additional space and resources. "AbbVie's extraordinary and swift support means that health workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. will have more resources to save lives in the fight against this dangerous disease," said Nancy Aossey, president and CEO of International Medical Corps. "I'd like to thank AbbVie for always standing with us and for helping to make sure that we are first there, no matter where, in fighting outbreaks of infectious disease in the U.S. and globally." Direct Relief Providing Equipment and Supplies in Europe AbbVie is donating to Direct Relief to provide equipment and supplies in the hardest-hit European countries. Direct Relief is procuring and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line healthcare workers as well as oxygen concentrators and ventilators for patients. This equipment is critical as hospitals work to manage high patient demands and limited beds, particularly in intensive care units. "Direct Relief is so deeply grateful for the leadership and commitment reflected by AbbVie's action today, which is keenly needed, will be put to immediate use, and is a perfect example of what's needed as we all face this historic threat to the health of people everywhere," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief president and CEO. Feeding America Protecting Vulnerable Populations and Communities Feeding America is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization and serves America's most vulnerable populations, including seniors. AbbVie's support means more people in need will benefit from Feeding America's services, which include food and essential supplies. As people continue to be under stay-at-home orders or are otherwise confined to home, Feeding America food banks are launching creative new delivery methods, including direct-to-home food drops and minimal-contact food pick-ups. "We are incredibly grateful for AbbVie's generous commitment to Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund. During this unprecedented time, the Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks is working tirelessly to provide food and emergency assistance to children, seniors and families struggling with food insecurity and people experiencing job disruptions," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. AbbVie Community Resilience Fund Setting Aside Funds for Future Needs As part of its $35 million commitment, AbbVie is designating up to $5 million in reserve funding for additional near-term commitments to help address the COVID-19 pandemic. With the situation rapidly evolving, AbbVie seeks to ensure flexibility in its donation program as funds emerge and new areas of need are identified. To that end, AbbVie is creating the Community Resilience Fund, which will provide funding to organizations improving community resilience in under-resourced areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and apply here. Various Charities Empower Employee Giving AbbVie also announced that it is doubling the AbbVie Foundation match for COVID-19-related contributions by its employees. Through this program, AbbVie seeks to increase the impact the company can make on this crisis. Instead of the typical 1:1 match, the AbbVie Foundation will match $2 to every $1 employees donate to a nonprofit for this purpose. In 2019, the company's employee giving and matching program raised more than $13 million for charities. AbbVie Employee Assistance Fund Supporting Employees in Need For employees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, AbbVie is offering support through the AbbVie Employee Assistance Fund's Employee Relief Program. Employees in need of assistance can apply for this program, which covers expenses such as mortgage/rent payments, utilities, food, childcare and medical expenses by going to AbbVie.com/EAF. Learn more about the company's response to COVID-19 at AbbVie.com/coronavirus. About AbbVie AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. SOURCE AbbVie Related Links abbvie.com By Akbar Mammadov Armenian armed forces have shelled, using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles, Mezem and Gushchu villages in the Gazakh district, Azerbaijani State Border Service reported on April 1. Civilians as well as military and civilian vehicles moving along this direction have also been intensively shelled by Armenian armed units deployed near the village of Kirans of the Ijevan region of Armenia. Azerbaijani State Border Service has thwarted the advisory provocation, suppressing the combat positions of Armenian armed forces by the return fire. It should be mentioned that Armenian armed forces near the villages of Boganis and Voskevan of Armenias Noyemberyan region shelled the residential houses and passenger cars in Gazakhs Gushchu Ayrim village on March 30. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said today he expects legislators to pass bare bones education and General Fund budgets because of the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and does not expect those to include pay raises for educators and state employees that were expected before the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted the economy. I dont mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it would be irresponsible with the economic situation and uncertainty were in to put any increases on either budget, Marsh said. The Senate leader spoke with reporters after senators held a brief meeting Tuesday to officially suspend the legislative session until April 28 because of the pandemic. It was the Senates first meeting since March 12. Marsh said hes still confident that lawmakers will pass the budgets during the session, which must end by May 18 because of a constitutional limit of 105 days. The budgets are for the fiscal year that begins Oct. `1. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said he thinks legislators will need to wait closer to September to pass the budgets so they will have a clearer idea of how much the economic slowdown will reduce state revenues that support education, Medicaid, prisons, and other critical services. Singleton did not disagree with Marshs point about dropping plans for the pay raises. I think its the reality, Singleton said. We have to look at the times that were in. Surely, we want to see raises as we basically projected prior to leaving here. But the reality is that this economy has taken a hit. And when we come back, well have to look at it. Marsh said lawmakers would look for ways to help small businesses and people who have lost their jobs because of the economic impact of the pandemic. He said he would support legislation to extend unemployment limits back to a maximum of 26 weeks. Lawmakers passed a bill last year reducing the maximum to a range of 14 to 20 weeks, depending on the unemployment rate. For months, Alabamas unemployment levels have been at record lows. But unemployment claims have poured in since the outbreak began closing restaurants, bars, stores, and other businesses. The federal relief package passed by Congress includes help for unemployed workers. Thousands of bathroom essentials will be distributed to NHS staff as well as schools and food banks to support the vulnerable. (Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Boots UK (WBA) will donate over 200,000 essential toiletries to NHS hospital workers and charities supporting vulnerable people. Boots UK has partnered with The Hygiene Bank, a charity tackling hygiene poverty in the uk to support the NHS staff working on the front line in hospitals across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic with a donation of over 200,000 toiletries. Thousands of essential toiletries will be available, including shower gel, hand cream, and toothpaste to help give NHS workers access to hygiene essentials and vital wash stations between busy shifts. UK charity FareShare, which fights hunger and food waste by redistributing surplus food to frontline charities, will also utilise its established networks to deliver toiletries to local charities to distribute where they are needed within communities. Read more: WHSmith to sell groceries in hospitals to help NHS workers Bathroom essentials will be distributed to schools and food banks to support the vulnerable who are most in need of hygiene essentials during the coronavirus lockdown. Boots will donate a range of toiletry items from across its product lines, including No7 and Soap & Glory. Seb James, managing director of Boots UK said, Boots has always been a critical partner to the NHS and on behalf of our amazing teams also giving their all right across the country, we wanted to show our appreciation for the world-class care the men and women on the frontline of the NHS provides every single day. Our partnerships with the Hygiene Bank and FareShare enables us to get thousands of essentials out to those who need them most, both in the NHS and the most vulnerable people in the community. Lizzy Hall, founder of The Hygiene Bank said: Now more than ever, vulnerable people living in poverty will need our support and as well as helping our dedicated NHS workers, we will be using our network to ensure children and people living in poverty in communities across the UK, can get better access to hygiene essentials during this difficult time for our country. Read more: Uber offers NHS staff 200,000 free trips and 100,000 free meals Alyson Walsh, commercial director of FareShare said: We are delighted to be able to mobilise our national charity redistribution network to get this brilliant donation from Boots out to NHS staff and community groups and to show our support for them. By now, you've heard the report from the Department of Justice's inspector general, Horowitz, about what's painted as a widespread culture of corruption at the FBI regarding its FISA warrants to spy on American citizens. There were 93% and 100% fail rates. Americans were illegally spied on all over, so the narrative goes. The FBI can't be trusted. Time to get rid of FISA altogether. According to Eli Lake at Bloomberg: On Tuesday, the Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz issued a new report that found systematic errors of fact in the FBI's applications for warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The memo does not speak to the materiality or significance of those errors but they are startling nonetheless. Out of 42 applications, the report says, 39 included major defects. All told, the inspector general uncovered 390 deficiencies, including "unverified, inaccurate, or inadequately supported facts, as well as typographical errors." It's a tough situation, because we know that the FBI leadership illegally spied on Donald Trump's campaign adviser Carter Page, apparently out of political motives conjunctive with the mass unmaskings of U.S. citizens seen elsewhere in the Obama administration. But is every last FBI agent out there in the field offices hopelessly crooked? Is every last G-man we look at on TV now to be viewed with suspicions of dishonesty? Are we supposed to now think they all went from being straight arrows in the Marine Corps and the police agencies they were recruited from and collectively went to the dark side? I have my doubts it takes a lot to create a culture of mass criminality, and typically, we'd be seeing more than just FISA abuse if that's what has been going on. Think thievery, corruption, torture, thuggery, nepotism, corruption, blatant rule-breaking, all over, as you might with a mafia. So far, we don't see that. There might be a couple of problems, then, with this mass miscreances cited. It seems fair to ask. First, note that the Horowitz update (link here) is done by professional prosecutors, people under pressure to indict a ham sandwich. There may be some overkill going on based on their professional inclinations in their quest to reach that 100% mark. One thing that's cheering the lefties, according to Lake, is this: In the twisted politics of the Trump Era, some of bureau's defenders might actually view this report as good news: It shows that the investigation of the Trump campaign was not necessarily politically motivated. The bureau made the same kinds of mistakes with suspects who were not connected to the Trump campaign. It might be that the Horowitz team is trying to make its coming indictments look as apolitical as possible. Second, note that the Horowitz update lumps in real crimes with piddly stuff like typographical errors, something that's probably real enough when the people writing these things are ex-cops and people from action-men professions such as military service. Some (but not all, of course) are brickheads, not the brightest bulbs in the academic box, because they are good at other things, like hunting down terrorists. Yes, there's spellcheck and yes, there might just be misspellings put there precisely to evade keyword searches but with a list this comprehensive, we need to know how much of this is trivial and frankly non-material stuff and how much of this is true criminality. And the context, too. That's just a yellow light on the Horowitz side of things. There are also the other problems cited, which might just be related to the kind of job the FBI has fighting terrorism itself and the clunkiness of its tools. Investigations are hard, and they're harder still when they are bureaucratized into perfect checkboxes. It's possible that some cases and these are terrorism and spy cases don't fit well into the requirements. We all know that the FBI has done some pretty impressive work ratting out terrorists from ISIS and al-Qaeda and foreign spies from hellholes like Cuba, Iran, and China in recent years. Start with the "U.S. citizen" designation, which is what the FISA warrant is all about. An FBI agent runs into a nest of terrorists looking to plot an attack in the U.S. Four of them hold foreign citizenship, one is an illegal, one is an anchor baby, one was born of a U.S. parent and raised in some hellhole adopting its values, and one is a citizen of convenience precisely to ramp up the legal protections to enable the doing of what terrorists do. Most of them could be surveilled with no problem, but are all of the people with the designation of U.S. citizen truly worth the protections that Carter Page deserved? Technically, yes, but that points to a problem of how U.S. citizenship has been blurred and cheapened. An anchor baby raised in some hellhole with no U.S. values has precisely the same rights and protections as you and me, including FISA protections. If he comes here to plot terrorism or spy on the Americans on behalf of his motherland (and there are a lot of questions about the birth tourism coming in from China) should he really be treated like an American? That's not the only blurring of traditionally meant citizenship, when there's a Democratic president, people who hate America are positively welcomed as citizens, too. There are also lazy bureaucrats who wave the bad guys through, and other cheapenings of the value of U.S. citizenship. Illegals, according to the courts de facto have the same rights as the rest of us and absolutely none of its obligations. A message goes out to the world that U.S. citizenship is chiefly a protective mechanism, a welfare spout, a means of getting political power (see: Rep. Ilhan Omar) not a loyalty to a country higher than one's own anymore. And don't think the world's bad actors don't know it -- they most certainly do, which is why they use the mechanism of U.S. citizenship to aid their nefarious aims. Something like that would significantly complicate the FBI's job, for sure. It might be a case for legislation - anyone who's a U.S. citizen, acting in concert with four or more (pick a number) bad actors from abroad, maybe ought to lose FISA protections, too, same as your average ISIS lowlife from Kazakhstan or Syria does, or your Chinese, North Korean or Iranian spy does. Or maybe attaining U.S. citizenship ought to require more than a quicky statement of loyalty on a Quran and include some real evidence of loyalty. Maybe it ought to be harder to claim one intends to be a loyal U.S. citizen with a history of communist, Islamist, or anti-American Internet postings. Maybe citizenship applicants should have to prove loyalty in some concrete way. And maybe the anchor baby incentive needs to be shut down. The fluid, cheapened nature of U.S. citizenhip does seem to be conducive to FBI corner-cutting. That's just one area where there might be more to the story than is being laid out now as exclusively FBI malfeasance. I only note this because there are bad guys out there, and the U.S. investigative and intelligence agencies, very expensive groups, have been hamstrung by loud leftist overzealousness on surveillance - think of the far-leftists who collaborated with North Vietnam in the 1960s, who raised the flag of civil liberties to shield their disloyal keisters and ended up getting what they really wanted by hamstringing those agencies, via the Church commission. It took Ronald Reagan and Bill Casey to bring those agencies back to life after these leftists, yelling about 'civil liberties,' and citing all manner of technicalities as hanging offenses, got done with them. This is not to say there weren't real abuses. The FBI partisan bid to Get Trump was an unprecedented breaking of what had been unofficial rules. Every last cop in America knows not to arrest or ticket politicians except on true corruption matters, and only if that person has lost power. The recent case of former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, caught naked in his hotel room with two male escorts, one who was OD'd, alongside two baggies of meth in what cops suspected was an orgy, is a perfect example of that - the cops backed away from charging him. We also see that same police reluctance in the strange immunity of Rep. Ilhan Omar, who not only married her brother, she engaged in corruption. This isn't a value statement it's just what goes on. Good or bad the purpose of that is to try to stay out of politics. The FBI denizens engaged in trying to topple Trump broke that rule bigtime. Now there's a bid to indict every FBI report in America, something that is sure to lead to some overturned verdicts of obvious miscreants, based on faulty FBI investigative methods. That could be trouble. And demanding absolute perfection down to typos from the FBI is not a good solution, given how hard investigations are and how deserving some people are of surveillance. I'm not about to say the Horowitz update is flawed (it's possible it isn't) but it's important to not jump to conclusions and go all Church commission as a result, something that only benefits the anti-American left. If there are problems, and very innocent people were spied on, these need to be corrected, if necessary, with prosecutions of overzealous FBI agents and FISA judges. But a solution needs to be worked out carefully, addressing the issues of cheapened citizenship and other things that may be incentivizing lawmen to cut corners. "Materiality and significance" as cited in the update, is important. The Horowitz update is a warning, but not an absolute call to action without further examination. Image credit: Pixabay public domain. President Trump will meet with the leaders of several large U.S. oil companies on Friday, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper's sources said that the meeting would include the CEOs of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) as well as the founder and executive chairman of Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR). They'll discuss measures they would like the government to take to help the U.S. oil industry survive the crash in oil prices being driven by the COVID-19 pandemic on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia and Russia boosting supply in a price war on the other. Those rock-bottom crude prices claimed their first victim Wednesday as one of North Dakota's leading producers, Whiting Petroleum, filed for bankruptcy. Trump will reportedly discuss potential aid to the industry, which could include putting tariffs on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, as well as a waiver of the Jones Act, which requires that American vessels be used to transport goods like oil between U.S. ports. Beyond the issue of low oil prices, another big problem for the industry is the lack of storage space for oil. With demand plunging and supply from Russia and Saudi Arabia surging, U.S. players are producing more than they can sell or store. One solution under consideration is allowing the industry to lease space in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The country can currently store an additional 77 million barrels in former salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana before those underground reservoirs reach capacity. Trump also recently spoke with Russian President Putin about the possibility that the two countries could work together to stabilize the oil market. Meanwhile, Texas's oil regulator met with members with OPEC to discuss ways to potentially curb the oversupply issues. One potential outcome of these talks would be a coordinated production cut involving not only Russia and members of OPEC, but also U.S. oil producers. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Crown Mining Corporation (TSXV: CWM) ("Crown" or the "Company") announces it has revised the terms and amount of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (See press release date February 20, 2020). Subject to regulatory approval, the Company intends to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $200,000. The Offering will be comprised of up to 8,000,000 Units ("Units") at a price of $0.025 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share and one full common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant being exercisable at $0.05 for three years after closing subject to an acceleration clause. The Offering is being made subject to the grant of a discretionary waiver of the TSX Venture Exchange's ("TSXV") minimum $0.05 pricing requirement (the "Waiver"). The Offering is subject to a minimum $150,000 aggregate subscriptions. Subject to certain limitations discussed below, the Offering is open to all existing shareholders of the Company as well as pursuant to other available prospectus exemptions. The Offering is subject to TSXV final acceptance. Assuming the Offering is fully subscribed, the Company intends to allocate the proceeds as follows: approximately $5,000 for current liabilities, $125,000 to keep its exploration properties in good standing for the next twelve months, $40,000 for general and administration expenses and $30,000 for general working capital purposes. The Company has not previously raised any amount under the $500,000 maximum discretionary waiver of the TSXV. Although the Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering as described above, the actual allocation of net proceeds may vary from the uses set forth above, depending on future operations or unforeseen events or opportunities. If the Offering is not fully subscribed, the Company will apply the proceeds of the Offering to the above uses in priority and in such proportions as the board of directors of the Company determine is in the best interests of the Company. Depending on demand and regulatory requirements, a portion of the Offering may be made in accordance with the provisions of the existing shareholder exemption (the "Existing Shareholder Exemption") pursuant to OSC Rule 45-501. In addition to conducting the Offering pursuant to the Existing Shareholder Exemption, the Offering will also be conducted among close personal friends and business associates of directors and officers of the Company. The Company has set April 3, 2020 as the record date (the "Record Date") for the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to purchase Units. The aggregate acquisition cost to a subscriber under the Existing Shareholder Exemption cannot exceed $15,000 unless the subscriber has obtained advice from a registered investment dealer regarding the suitability of the investment. If subscriptions received for the Offering based on all available exemptions exceed the Offering amount of $200,000, subscriptions will be accepted at the discretion of the Company up to a maximum under the maximum discretionary waiver of $500,000 or on a pro rata basis, such that it is possible that a subscription received from a shareholder may not be accepted by the Company if the Offering is over-subscribed. In accordance with the Existing Shareholder Exemption, the Company confirms there is no material fact or material change related to the Company which has not been generally disclosed. Existing shareholders of the Company are directed to contact the Company for further information concerning subscriptions for Shares pursuant to the Existing Shareholder Exemption, as follows: Contact person: Stephen Dunn Telephone: 416-361-2827 Email: info@crownminingcorp.com Closing of the Offering is anticipated to occur on or before April 20, 2020, and is subject to receipt of acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issuable will be subject to a four-month hold period following the closing of the Offering. A finder's fee of cash may be paid to eligible finders with respect to any portion of the Offering that is not subscribed by existing shareholders. About Crown Mining Corp. Crown controls approximately 15 square miles of patented and unpatented federal mining claims in the Light's Creek Copper District in Plumas County, NE California; essentially, the entire District. The District contains substantial copper (silver) sulfide and copper oxide resources in three deposits - Moonlight, Superior and Engels, as well as several partially tested and untested exploration targets. The Superior and Engels Mines operated from about 1915-1930 producing over 161 million pounds of copper from over 4 million tons of rock containing 2.2% copper with silver and gold credits. The Moonlight Deposit was discovered and drilled by Placer Amex during the 1960's. Details of the resources on Crown's property and the parameters used to calculate them can be found in the "Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Moonlight Deposit, Moonlight-Superior Copper Project, California, USA" dated April 12, 2018 on both the company's website at www.crownminingcorp.com or on www.sedar.com under the Crown Mining Corp profile. Mr. George Cole is the Qualified Person pursuant to NI 43-101 responsible for the technical information contained in this news release, and he has reviewed and approved this news release. For Further Information Contact: Mr. Stephen Dunn, President, CEO and Director, Crown Mining Corporation (416) 361-2827 or email info@crownminingcorp.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The common shares will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54044 New Delhi/IBNS: Right under the nose of the Delhi Police which falls under the Narendra Modi government, Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamic missionary movement, turned a busy, crowded Nizamuddin in the national capital into the hotspot of the spread of COVID-19 keeping 1.3 billion people of the massive country on toes. At a time the idea of social distancing was embraced both by the Centre and the state governments, Tablighi Jamaat, an "orthodox" missionary, congregated around 3,000 people at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid in Nizamuddin here flouting all norms of self-isolation. Reports suggest around 2000-3000 preachers had congregated at the event of Tablighi Jamaat preachers in mid-March, just days after the Delhi government had banned the gatherings of 200 people at any place in the wake of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus. As the Tablighi Jamaat is defending themselves saying the Delhi government had ordered a ban on a gathering of 50 people at any place only on Mar 16 after the event was hosted, a Mojo TV report highlighted a Mar 13 letter from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government ordering a ban on 200 people. According to a Hindustan Times report, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Mar 28-29 midnight sent National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval to Nizamuddin Markaz, Maulana Saad, to convince him to get the occupants of the mosque to get tested for COVID-19. But all that happened only after the Delhi police had failed to convince Markaz. Seven of the total number of deceased (over 50) so far in the country were incidentally the attendees of the event creating panic among the people across the country. Six of those seven attendees had died in Telangana after they had fled to the southern state of India. "Six people from Telangana who attended a religious congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi from 13-15 March succumbed after they contracted #Coronavirus. Two died in Gandhi Hospital while one each died in Apollo Hospital, Global Hospital, Nizamabad and Gadwal," a tweet posted by Telangana CMO on Mar 30 read. Six people from Telangana who attended a religious congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi from 13-15 March succumbed after they contracted #Coronavirus. Two died in Gandhi Hospital while one each died in Apollo Hospital, Global Hospital, Nizamabad and Gadwal Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) March 30, 2020 About Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat, which operates from South Asia, is a missionary movement which mostly focuses on urging Muslims to return to practicing their religion as it was practiced during the lifetime of Islamic prophet Muhammad. The organisation, which has an estimated 150 to 250 million adherents, was founded by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in 1927. Originally beginning as a local movement, Tablighi Jamaat was an offshoot of Deobandi movement which is a deviated movement from the mainstream Sunnis. Before India, Tablighi Jamaat spread COVID-19 in South Asia Weeks before spreading the COVID-19 in the national capital of India and other states, the organisation held a similar gathering in Malaysia causing the spread of the deadly virus which has kept the entire world on an edge. A report published by Al Jazeera on Mar 18 said how a similar gathering occurred in Malaysia during a four-day meeting outside the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The news report had stated the event, which took place at a sprawling mosque complex in late February, turned out to be the source of Coronavirus across South Asia. This was further been substantiated by a statement from Malaysia's Health Minister Dr. Adham Baba who had said two-thirds of total 673 total confirmed COVID-19 cases (the number may vary now) in the country had attended the four-day event in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The widespread stay-at-home shutdowns that have followed the global coronavirus pandemic have taken a major toll on the tourism industry that contributes nearly $1 billion a year in direct spending to the Lake County economy. A recent study by Rockport Analytics found tourism in Lake County contributes $980.7 million in spending a year to the economy, generates an additional $695.6 million in annual economic impact, and supports 14,411 jobs. "As travel has been severely restricted and our hospitality is taking a major hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, I think it's especially important to note how important tourism is to any economy providing thousands of jobs, saving residents money on their taxes, and of course the millions of dollars in economic impact," South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority Director of Communications Erika Dahl said. The nearly complete shutdown in travel has had an extensive and far-reaching economic impact on the Region. Hotels throughout the Region are down to skeleton staffs as traffic has dried up, South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Speros Batistatos said. Searches for booking have plummeted by 70% to 80%. New Delhi: With countries, including the US, reeling under the onslaught of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has outlined three steps that the US government must take to contain the spread of coronavirus. In a column for The Washington Post, Gates said that the country needs a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down. He said that despite repeated calls for shutdown by global public health experts, some countries and states have ignored the warnings. In some states, beaches are still open; in others, restaurants still serve sit-down meals, he adds. Terming this a recipe for disaster, the American magnate said that if people move unhindered across state lines, so could the virus. Gates urged US leaders to ensure that the lockdown process is strictly followed and said that shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere. Until the case numbers start to go down across America which could take 10 weeks or more no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown, The Washington Post article read. Cautioning against the long-term economic fallout due to failure in implementing the shutdown, Gates said not only it increases the possibilities of prolonged economic damage, but it also increases the chances for the virus to return. On the issue of mass testing, Gates said the federal government must ramp up its testing capabilities and make the tests available for everyone. We should also aggregate the results so we can quickly identify potential volunteers for clinical trials and know with confidence when its time to return to normal, Gates wrote. Citing the example of New York, Gates said that the city had scaled up its capacity to over 20,000 tests in one day amid the national outbreak. He also mentioned emerging developments on the testing front such as the self-swab method created by the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network. This new testing kit allows patients to take their own samples and reduces the risk of health workers getting exposed to the virus. Gates noted that the demand for tests would likely exceed the supply for some time due to the outbreak and said that it is essential that the government have a priority-based approach on who gets tested. First on the list should be people in essential roles such as health-care workers and first responders, followed by highly symptomatic people who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill and those who are likely to have been exposed, he wrote. He also said that the same rationale should be used for the availability of essential medical equipment such as masks and ventilators. Gates laid emphasis on the need to stick to a data-based approach in developing treatments and vaccines. He said that scientists were working round the clock to help in pandemic response and it was imperative that leaders help them by not spreading rumours. He also urged people to not indulge in panic buying of drugs. We should stick with the process that works: Run rapid trials involving various candidates and inform the public when the results are in. Once we have a safe and effective treatment, well need to ensure that the first doses go to the people who need them most, he wrote. He also highlighted the importance of developing a safe and effective vaccine instead of looking for a quick method to contain the spread. If we do everything right, we could have one in less than 18 months about the fastest a vaccine has ever been developed, Gates wrote. However, he warned that the development of a vaccine was only half the fight. To safeguard Americans and people across the world, we would require the manufacturing of billions of doses, he explained. Referring to his TED talk in 2015 in which he had warned world leaders about a global pandemic, he said that we have a long way to go. In his speech, Gates had called for preparations for a global pandemic by identifying weak links in systematic simulations. The billionaire philanthropist, however, remains hopeful. I still believe that if we make the right decisions now, informed by science, data and the experience of medical professionals, we can save lives and get the country back to work, he wrote. PARIS When France started shutting down a few weeks ago as the coronavirus marched relentlessly into the country, Dominique Paul feared disaster. His familys white-glove catering company, Groupe Butard, halted operations, putting 190 jobs at risk. Edward Arkwright, the director general of Aeroports de Paris, the Paris airport operator, weighed how to preserve over 140,000 jobs when a freeze on most global airline traffic caused activity to nose-dive 90 percent in a few head-spinning days. The future of both businesses, and hundreds of thousands more around France, spiraled into uncertainty. Instead of sinking, though, they are being thrown lifelines as the French government deploys a targeted plan aimed at sheltering companies and keeping every worker possible employed. Were using the governments whole toolbox to get through this crisis, Mr. Paul said, eyeing the companys empty Armenonville Pavillon on the edge of Paris, where just weeks ago chefs and waiters served delicacies like scallop carpaccio for glittering events. Otherwise, we wouldnt be able to keep up. A few contractual doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital in north Delhi have expressed their desire to leave the facility during the coronavirus outbreak, NDMC commissioner said on Wednesday. She made the remarks on Twitter, sharing an 'order' stating that some doctors and nurses have tendered their resignations in view of the coronavirus pandemic, but they will not be accepted. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) commissioner said the "order was issued against directions of DHA and without the knowledge of Additional Commissioner and Commissioner. Disciplinary action will be taken for this disobedience". "From my side, ANY unwilling worker is MORE than welcome to resign. Especially in a pandemic," Joshi said in a series of tweets. The only remotely coronavirus-related activity presently going on at Hindu Rao Hospital is screening, for which more than enough personal protective equipment (PPE) kits are available, she claimed. "More PPE kits are being procured directly from the manufacturers. We will evidently never undertake any activity which risks our staff," she added. Joshi also shared pictures of a few doctors working at the hospital wearing PPE. "Only a couple of contract doctors have expressed a desire to leave. Their applications will be processed tomorrow itself. Plainly, their contract WILL NOT BE RENEWED IN FUTURE," she said. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi rose to 152 on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One soldier was killed as well as around 15 suspected jihadists who attacked a military unit in northwestern Burkina Faso overnight, the army said Wednesday. "The Toeni detachment came under attack by a group of terrorists... Unfortunately one soldier was killed," the army chief of staff said in a statement. The unit's "riposte led to the neutralisation of around 15 terrorists," the statement said. A security source said the assailants converged on the detachment aboard mopeds and "military vehicles". In addition to the soldier killed, a "few (were) slightly injured", the source said. On Sunday, a homemade bomb killed three paramilitary gendarmes and wounded three more in the same Boucle du Mouhoun region, security sources said. Burkina Faso's northwest border is with Mali, and to the northeast is Niger, with all three countries fighting a long-running jihadist insurgency. According to UN figures, jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left nearly 4,000 people dead last year, including 800 in Burkina Faso alone. Nearly 800,000 people have been displaced since 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 My wife said we could get a Mustang, but I wasnt going to go out shopping for a car, Mr. Maletic said. The drop in sales is the second big blow to automakers. Most companies have shut down factories across North America to prevent the spread of the virus among workers. Automakers and dealers expect a bigger decline in April because stay-at-home orders will be in effect for most or all of the month in many parts of the country. Even as some states lift or relax those orders, consumers will likely stay away from showrooms for some time. To lure buyers, G.M., Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler are offering zero-percent loans that last up to seven years for new car purchases. In St. Louis, where a lockdown order has been issued by the local government, Ann Kittlaus is unsure of how to trade in her familys 2017 Acura MDX, since the lease is expiring soon. We would have to have the dealer deliver a new one and take the other away, said Ms. Kittlaus, a public relations professional and mother of two college-age children. She added she would probably let the vehicle sit for a week to be sure it doesnt have any traces of the virus. In any case, she said she is not in a hurry to make the trade. Its not like were going anywhere, Ms. Kittlaus said. A dramatic drop in sales in April could cause a painful chain reaction. With no buyers driving cars off their lots, dealers wont have to order more from the manufacturers. That could force car companies and their suppliers to keep their plants idle or production low even once officials allow more people to go back to work. April is likely to see further historic declines, driven largely by a lack of consumer confidence and substantial increases in unemployment, said Charles Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive. And that trend will likely continue into early summer, at best. The second quarter will be the real measure of Covid-19s impact on the economy and the auto industry. PHILIPSBURG: --- Members of Parliament fired several questions at the Prime Minister and Management of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) on Wednesday. Management of PJIAE shared their plan with parliament on the plans they have in place for the continued reconstruction of the PJIAE terminal building. MP Christophe Emmanuel questioned whether management is really waiting on government to provide a letter before the World Bank releases funds to them. He asked if the World Bank or the European Investment Bank released any funds prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Emmanuel said he wants to know if PJIAE or the World Bank is waiting on any letter or if they are busy renegotiating with COGAN in order to grant the Schiphol Group the Project Management of PJIAE. Emmanuel said he wants the Chief Executive Officer Brian Mingo to tell parliament if these renegotiations are taking place and if not he should explain to parliament why he along with a representative from the Schiphol Group traveled to Texas in February 2020 and if they did he also wants Mingo to inform parliament about the purpose of that meeting. Other MPs also questioned the management team about the plans they have in place for other businesses that do business at PJIAE. MP Buncamper asked specifically about the plans in place to assist the national carrier WINAIR. MP Brison asked management if they thought of putting package in place for the handlers with specific conditions. Brison said he believes that management should waive the rents these handlers pay to the airport and that money he said should go towards employees who stand losing their jobs during this lockdown period. Brison also asked about the number of external advisors and consultants management of PJIAE are hiring while there is a lockdown and operations at PJIAE basically ceased. He also asked if PJIAE stands ready to execute the arrival of aircrafts with aid to St. Maarten, and if PJIAE can accommodate medivacs that may have to take non COVID patients out of St. Maarten for medical treatment. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs made clear that all obligations on behalf of the Government of St. Maarten regarding the reconstruction. Jacobs said that PJIAE is waiting the Kingdom Council to provide them with a letter which she said should be forthcoming this week. Jacobs also informed Parliament that despite the lockdown, PJIAE reconstruction will continue if everything is finalized. She said all Government projects those handled by NRB and the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation will continue during the COVID-19 lockdown. PJIAE Brian Mingo said that the project costs $107M, $50M from the World Bank and $50M for the EIB while the $7M came from PJIAE reserves. Mingo further stated that PJIAE has two packages in place for the COVID-19 lockdown, one for a lockdown for a period of two months and the other for six months. PJIAE will return to parliament next week to provide all other answers to questions posed by Members of Parliament. He pointed out that more than a million people have requested absentee ballots so far and hinted he might be willing to extend the deadline for getting absentee ballots to local clerks from Election Day to April 13. But asking to lift voter ID requirements is a reach and all people need to upload a copy is a smartphone, the judge said. As far as suspending the witness requirement, the attorneys haven't shown a large group of people lack anyone who can act as one, he said. A staff member of State Railway of Thailand cleans a passenger car on a train at the Thap Sakae station in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, March 31, 2020. Thai state railway officials scrambled on Wednesday to find passengers who were near a 57-year-old man who collapsed and died aboard a south-bound train from Bangkok, as authorities said that an after-death test confirmed he had COVID-19. Authorities made the confirmation as the nations capital imposed tighter measures to impede the spread of the coronavirus, including restrictions on operations of supermarkets, food stalls, restaurants and convenience stores from 5 a.m. until midnight, starting on Wednesday. The man boarded the train bound for the Thai Deep South after landing at Bangkoks main international airport on a flight from Pakistan, officials said. Anant Saho died at 10:15 p.m. on March 30 ... Thap Sakae Hospital sent his specimen for COVID-19 test at a clinical lab, which found he was COVID-19 positive, Preeda Sukjai, the chief of Thap Sakae, a district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province south of the capital, said in a statement, referring to the passenger who was found unconscious outside a toilet on the train heading to the far southern province of Narathiwat. Preeda said the mans body was buried at a cemetery in Thap Sakae in accordance with Muslim and medical practice. He did not elaborate. Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Thai Public Health Ministry announced 120 new coronavirus infections, taking the nations total cases to 1,771, almost half of whom were recorded in Bangkok. Officials also confirmed two deaths that took pandemic-related fatalities so far to 12, excluding the man who died on the train and another man who also died of COVID-19 in the Deep South province of Pattani. The man on the train collapsed in front of the restroom and was taken to the Thap Sakae Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Voravuth Mala, deputy governor of State Railway of Thailand (SRT), said in a statement. Local authorities swabbed fluid from the mans corpse for COVID-19 tests, which came back positive on Wednesday. Voravuth said his office had sent out to health authorities the names of 15 passengers aboard the same carriage with Anant. The whereabouts of those passengers remain unknown, authorities said. We also quarantined 11 people who were near him, including two train staff members in Bangkok, a security guard, seven stewards and a railway police officer, he said. Thailand, which declared a state of emergency that took effect on March 26, has closed its borders to almost all foreigners, except for diplomats. It requires anyone arriving in the country to present a health certificate and take a 14-day self-quarantine. Voravuth said Anant had received a health certificate and a fit-to-fly certificate from a Pakistani hospital on March 26. It is not clear when Anant arrived in Bangkok but authorities said he booked a train ticket on March 29 and boarded the train the next day. Train staffers reported that the man was coughing and vomited during the railway ride but insisted on pushing through with his journey, Voravuth said. The mans death came before the SRT was to announce on Wednesday that it was halting all trains to the Deep South, including the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla, to contain virus spread. Globally, 45,497 people have died and more than 911,000 have been infected, according to the latest data compiled by disease experts at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 01:10:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government will roll out a set of fiscal and financial policies, including allocating more local government bond quota in advance as per due procedures, and intensifying inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Fiscal and monetary policies will be further leveraged to expand domestic demand, assist businesses reopening, sustain employment, and help all types of businesses to weather this difficult time. Related plans were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. The Chinese government puts great emphasis on intensifying counter-cyclical macro-policy adjustment to advance both the epidemic control and economic and social development. Premier Li Keqiang stressed the need for local government bonds to be expeditiously issued and the funds raised properly utilized to catalyze effective investment. The meeting underscored the need to scale up special local government bonds and expand effective investment in areas of weakness. On top of this year's local government bond quota already made available, more of such quota will be expeditiously allocated in advance as per due procedures. Such funding will be directed to where the projects are. It will thus prioritize regions with key projects, low risks and the prospect of quickly boosting effective investment and will be channeled to expedite those projects and livelihood programs. Localities across the country will be asked to bring forward the issuance of these bonds and endeavor to get the job done before the end of the second quarter of this year. "It is essential to make well-calibrated arrangements in advance to keep the projects under construction going, and launch some new projects in light of real needs," Li said. The meeting adopted stronger measures to offer inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the start of this year, the People's Bank of China has allocated a 300 billion yuan (about 43 billion U.S. dollars) special re-lending quota, which has so far supported more than 7,000 key enterprises involved in the outbreak response. Another 500 billion yuan of re-lending and re-discount quota is now supporting an increasing number of micro, small and medium-sized firms to get loans at rates below 4.55 percent for their business re-opening. "Smaller businesses have been hit the hardest by the outbreak. Their restart of operation affects the entire industrial chain and is vitally important for keeping employment stable. The government must promptly roll out support measures that benefit them all," Li said. It was decided at the meeting that for small and medium-sized banks, re-lending and re-discount quota will be increased by one trillion yuan. Targeted cuts in the required reserve ratio will be further implemented to encourage these banks to funnel all the newly-obtained funding in the form of loans at concessional rates to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, who are great in number and cover many sectors. The agricultural and foreign trade sectors and sectors heavily affected by the outbreak will get greater loan support. Financial institutions be will be supported in issuing 300 billion yuan of financial bonds to be used as loans exclusively targeting small firms. The meeting called for an increase of one trillion yuan over the previous year in the net financing from corporate credit-backed bonds to expand low-cost financing channels for private and smaller businesses. It also encouraged developing supply-chain financial products such as raising funds pledged against orders, warehouse receipts and accounts receivable. Smaller firms may thus gain access to another 800 billion yuan of annual financing backed by accounts receivable. The meeting urged strengthening the loan risk sharing mechanism. It encouraged developing commercial insurance products to enhance credit for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, and lowering the government-backed financing guarantee fees to ease the overall financing burden on smaller firms. "The small and medium banks must meet the eligibility criteria when accessing the re-lending quota. The loan risk sharing mechanism should be strengthened, including targeted cuts to the required reserve ratio for smaller banks," Li said. Those at the meeting also decided on steps to boost auto consumption. The subsidy and tax exemption for purchases of new energy vehicles, which were set to expire at the end of this year, will be extended by two years. Support will be intensified for low-income groups, the meeting decided. Between March and June, the temporary monthly subsidy will be doubled under the mechanism of raising social benefits pro rata with price increase. Those caught in outbreak-induced difficulties will be covered by social protection and work support schemes such as the subsistence allowance scheme, the support regime for people in extreme poverty and the provisional relief program. "The essential needs of low-income groups, especially those living in difficulties, must be provided for, and support for livelihood intensified. We have introduced some policies on raising social assistance benefits in relation to price increase, subsistence allowance and unemployment insurance. We must develop a keen understanding about how the situation may evolve in the second half of the year, and work out as quickly as possible additional support measures as part of our policy reserve. Meanwhile, we must fine-tune the criteria and coverage of relevant policies in light of the changing realities," Li said. Respiratory Care Devices Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2019-2025- The factors such as increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases, growing geriatric population, increasing demand for point-for-care diagnostics and rising demand for multimodal ventilation are fueling the market growth. Respiratory Care devices Market is valued at USD 18.34 Billion in 2018 and expected to reach USD 33.74 Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 9.1% over the forecast period. Scope of Respiratory Care Devices Market is as; Respiratory care device is nothing but the device which is used for monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases such as chronic devices. The diseases such as chronic pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumonia and tuberculosis can be cured by this device. It provides superior care to patients who are suffering from such acute and chronic diseases as it supplies respiratory gas mechanically to patients with impaired respiratory function. The device generates respiratory gas which is enriched with oxygen and conveyed into the lung with a positive pressure. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=1213&RequestType=Sample The modern respiratory care devices can be able to adjust the inhalations and exhalations automatically with the need of patient. The respiratory care devices such as emergency respiratory devices for rescue application, mobile home respiratory device and long-term respiratory devices for intensive care are available in various versions. The respiratory care devices market is segmented into product type, indication and end user. On the basis of product type the market is segmented into therapeutic devices, monitoring devices, diagnostic devices and consumables and accessories. On the basis of indication the market is segmented into The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Sleep Apnea and Infectious Disease. On the basis of end user the market is segmented into hospitals, home care settings and ambulatory care centers. Other diseases regions covered in this respiratory care devices market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of Hall Effect Sensor is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Respiratory Care Devices Market Reports Globally Manufacturers such as Philips Healthcare, ResMed Inc., Medtronic plc, Masimo Corporation, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited, Chart Industries, Drager AG, Invacare Corporation, Getinge AB, Air Liquide, Hamilton Medical AG, Vyaire Medical, GE Healthcare, Nonin Medical Inc., Apex Medical Corp., Smiths Group, Omron Healthcare Inc., Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., Teleflex Incorporated, DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC and many others are contributing in to the respiratory care devices market Growth. In the purpose of smart revolution there is designing future of respiratory devices. On 12 September 2018, Mr. Miles Hawley, the chief design officer at Precipice Design, wrote on why to design the next generation of respiratory devices is important if patients and clinicians want to see better outcomes. This month saw the respiratory specialists from across the globe climb down on Paris for edition of the European Respiratory Societys (ERS) international Congress in 2018. The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles was set to play host more than 20,000 people from Europe and further than in a bid to pedagogue in a new era of enhanced respiratory medicine and technology. The conference offers a tantalizing partial view of the future of respiratory device design. The huge Challenges are being faced by clinicians for empowering patients to better manage conditions such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Disease (COPD). They said that approximately 235 million people have asthma while more than 3 million deaths are caused due to COPD each year. Also they said that by this smart technology, it represents a golden opportunity in respiratory care in 2020s and beyond. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=1213&RequestType=Methodology Increasing Healthcare Expenditure in Various Countries is Driving the Growth of the Respiratory Care Devices Market. Various developed and developing countries are witnessing increasing healthcare expenditure which is the driving the respiratory care devices market. This is due to the governments of these countries are investing in improving the quality of healthcare facilities. Also the factors such as increasing healthcare spending in per capita in the developing countries and primarily on account of increasing government initiatives are expected to increase the affordability and accessibility of the treatment and diagnosis for different medical conditions are contributing in the growth of the market. Hence the increasing healthcare expenditure is a major factor fueling the growth of the market. According to Forum of International Respiratory Societies, about 489,000 deaths per year occur or more than 1300 deaths per day occur due to asthma and COPD and it affects more than 200 million people in the world, out of them 65 million peoples have moderate or severe airway disease. Hence increase in prevalence of respiratory diseases such as chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma is driving the growth of the market. North America is dominating the Respiratory Care Devices Market. The North America Region is dominating the market and maintains its dominance for the forecast period of time. This is due to the region has large number of manufacturers of respiratory care devices. According to Forum of International Respiratory Societies, estimated that about 235 million people suffer from asthma, more than 200 million people are suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and according to National Vital Statistics System more than 126,000 adults in US died from COPD in 2005. Hence High prevalence of smoking and respiratory diseases, rising geriatric population and the presence of highly developed healthcare system is driving the market growth. On the other hand the Asia Pacific region is also growing significantly and the region is at second place in the dominance this is because the region has developing health care infrastructure and rising level of pollution in several developing economies are contributing in the market growth. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/1213/Buy/SingleUser Key Benefits for Global Respiratory Care Devices Market Reports Global market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Global Respiratory Care Devices Market Segmentation By Product Type Therapeutic Devices Monitoring Devices Diagnostic Devices Consumables and Accessories By Indication Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Asthma Sleep Apnea Infectious Disease Other diseases By End User Hospitals Home Care Settings Ambulatory Care Centers By Regional & Country Analysis: North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz Photo credit: Lockheed Martin From Popular Mechanics When passengers took off from Friedrichshafen, Germany on October 11, 1928 for the worlds first nonstop, transatlantic commercial flight, they didnt embark upon the voyage from their seats on an airplane. Instead, they sat aboard the Graf Zeppelin airship en route to NAS Lakehurst in New Jersey, where they would successfully land four days later. DELAGs hydrogen-filled rigid airship continued flying passengers across the North and South Atlantic throughout most of the 1930s, as did several German zeppelins, including the Hindenburg. That ship made three dozen transatlantic passenger flights until it caught fire while attempting to dock in Lakehurst on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people. The Hindenburg disaster marked the dramatic end of the airships brief tenure as a popular form of passenger travel. By the end, however, cheap fossil fuels made planes a faster, less expensive option than dirigibles anyway. If the Hindenburg hadnt put the airship industry to pasture, evolution wouldve eventually finished the job. Photo credit: Heritage Images - Getty Images But now that the transportation sector is looking for serious ways to cut carbon emissions, dirigibles are attempting to make a comeback. Theyre still slower than jet travel, sure, but for cargo that doesnt need to arrive in hours (to then languish in warehouses for days or weeks), slightly slower travel makes a whole lot of sense. Last year, a study from scientists at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria found that airships could play a role in fighting global warming. Around a quarter of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions stem from transportation, with boats representing around 3 percent of that total. The study proposed utilizing jet streamsthose meandering air currents within Earths atmosphere that move all across the planetto transport a combination of cargo and hydrogen, using airships or balloons at low altitudes. Using high wind speeds and reliable direction, the researchers found hydrogen-filled airships or balloons could carry hydrogen with a lower fuel requirement and shorter travel time compared to conventional shipping. Story continues Airships have another big shipping advantage: Planes require, at minimum, landing strips, hangars, and roads to get the stuff they carry to where its going. While early airships relied on similar infrastructure, this new generation of giant flying blimps can zip from point to point and land anywhere, including ice sheets, beaches, meadows, deserts, and even atop water. Its this ability to get to places that dont have roads that has drawn both private businesses and governments back to airships. Plus, they can fly over the infrastructure-destroying effects of climate change: As flooding and wildfires occur at an increasing clip, being able to deliver emergency supplies to areas that have been hit hardwithout having to rely on roads or railsis promising. So why did it take the world this long to dust off such an old mode of transportation? In for the Landing Photo credit: Imagno - Getty Images Back in the heyday of airships, landing required a mooring structure attached to the ground and a team of strong people to grapple with the ropes that attached them. The tallest airship mooring mast by far was the top of the Empire State Building ; engineers added an extra 200 feet to the skyscraper in 1931 just to serve Graf Zeppelins. But the location proved too windy (and perhaps elevated) for unloading human passengers who were to walk across a gangplank, even if the midtown location was more convenient than the airship landing field in Lakehurst. Mooring masts were never a great idea in the first place, says Bob Boyd, the hybrid airship program manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. A master tower does not hold the airship in a fixed attitude to the groundit allows for kiting into the wind and up and down floating motion on even fairly small wind gusts, he says. This makes loading and unloading cargo problematic. If we want to make a dent in reducing fossil-fuel emission, we also want larger airships than we had in the past; after all, the bigger the airship, the more it can carry. Design a dirigible 10 times longer and wider and it can haul 1000 times more cargo . But that means a wider, taller mast, all of which is more expensive, and much less portable. Photo credit: Lockheed Martin Enter Lockheed Martins air-cushion landing system (ACLS) which uses hovercraft technology to enable its hybrid airships to land on a variety of non-paved surfaces, including water. Working with, as Boyd details, several designers who understand the rare arts of hovercraft engineering and lightweight soft structure manufacture over a two-decades-plus time period, ACLSs three underbody hoverpads create a cushion of air beneath the ship that allows it to float over the landscape. Plastic fingers hang down from the hoverpads at the bottom of the ship and create a seal with the ground, meaning the airship can taxi over small obstacles like rocks or bumps. This offers flexibility in where the airship can land, and has minimal long-term impact on the site. Best of all, after the airship is in its landing position, it can reverse the hoverpads so the airship can grip to the surface of the land, sand, ice, or water. Tech borrowed from hovercrafts wasnt originally an obvious choice. Boyd says the idea came from some young engineers on the design team after they had struggled with a more traditional concept for landing: wheels based on aircraft weight. Initially, says Boyd, we tried using these equations and sized some rather large gear trucks, but quickly realized that we were making a simple mistake. The landing event isnt actually driven by weight, but by the momentum of the descending airship, which is much more massive than its apparent weight. The landing tech was also a critical breakthrough that vastly reduced the mass of the landing system to a workable scale, Boyd says. Ideally, an airship carries landing gear along with it, but that adds both significant and unevenly distributed weightneither of which are ideal. ACLS doesnt have this issue because its weight is spread over a large area of the airship hull via the air compressed inside the trapped piston of the ACLS pad, says Boyd. The load is imparted directly into the airship hull over a wide area, so it does not impact the weight of the hull which has been designed to contain the pressure load from the helium (acting in the opposite direction). Other companies are using different tech to solve the same problems. Flying Whales , a France-based airship company, makes the LCA60T, capable of carrying 60 tons. It doesnt need landing gearbecause it doesnt land. The ship is meant to hover 160 feet above the pickup and drop off areas. Then, the cargo door will open up, to allow for the payload system to be released, says Michele Renaud, Head of Marketing and Sales for Flying Whales. So no infrastructure or flat area [is] needed. This means the ship is dedicated to operate in difficult to reach areas, like mountainous areas, and wherever infrastructures are lacking. To service, refuel, or change crews on the airship, it does need to be moored to the companys proprietary airdock. From their unlimited potential to haul all kinds of cargo to the important role they could serve in relief efforts, airships might someday become as widely used as they once were before airplanes took over. And if that happens, itll be because of these new landing technologies. You Might Also Like Status Update since our March Forecast Iraq On 3 March, the Council received a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMI, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on the most recent developments in the situation in Iraq and on the two latest Secretary-Generals reportson UNAMI and on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives. The briefing was followed by consultations. Guinea-Bissau On 4 March, Council members discussed Guinea-Bissau in consultations under any other business with Special Representative and head of UNIOGBIS Rosine Sori-Coulibaly. Niger requested the session in light of the political deterioration that followed the 27 February swearing-in ceremony of Umaro Sissoco Embalo at a hotel in Bissau despite a legal challenge to the election results still being under consideration by the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) (subsequently, the military occupied government institutions, including the STJ). On 5 March, Council members issued a press statement calling on the parties to respect the legal and constitutional frameworks and the democratic process to resolve the post-electoral crisis. They further called on ECOWAS to urgently send a high-level political mission to Guinea-Bissau to help resolve the crisis. South Sudan On 4 March, the Council was briefed by David Shearer, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNMISS, on the Secretary-Generals 90-day report. Shearer reported on several positive developments in the country and said that UNMISS had stepped up its protective presence to build confidence in areas of return. Betty Sunday, Coordinator of the Womens Monthly Forum on the Peace and Political Process in South Sudan, briefed the Council as a civil society representative by video-teleconference from Juba. The briefing was followed by consultations. Also on 4 March, Council members issued a press statement that welcomed the formation of a Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity. On 12 March, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2514 renewing the mandate of UNMISS until 15 March 2021. The resolution maintains the overall force levels at their mandated ceilings of 17,000 troops and 2,101 police personnel. The four core elements of the mandate remain largely unchanged, namely protecting civilians, creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, supporting the peace process, and monitoring and investigating human rights. Cyber Threats On 5 March, Council members discussed the issue of cyber threats and hybrid warfare during the any other business part of consultations. In February, the Georgian permanent representative wrote to the Council regarding a large-scale cyberattack launched against the Georgian Government and media websites in October 2019. The meeting was initiated by Estonia, the UK and the US. In a joint statement to the media after the meeting, the three members attributed the responsibility for these cyberattacks to Russian military intelligence agencies and said that these actions represent a wider pattern of Russias activities. Russia has denied these accusations and emphasised that there is no evidence to support these claims. DPRK On 5 March, the Council held a meeting under any other business to raise concerns over the 1 March ballistic missile test conducted by the DPRK. After the meeting, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany and the UK made a joint statement at the media stakeout. They condemned the missile test and emphasised that these activities constitute a violation of Security Council resolutions. On 30 March, the Council adopted resolution 2515, renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts supporting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee until 30 March 2021. On 31 March, Council members discussed the recent ballistic missile launches by the DPRK under any other business at the conclusion of the closed VTC meeting on UNAMA. Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and the UK issued a statement following the meeting condemning the DPRKs continued efforts to develop its ballistic missile programs and operate its nuclear weapons programme. The Informal Working Group on Documentation (IWG) and Other Procedural Questions On 6 March, the IWG held a formal meeting to discuss its plans for 20202021. During the meeting, chaired by Ambassador Inga Rhonda King (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), members discussed issues such as penholdership, strengthening the engagement between chairs of sanctions committees and penholders, and how the Council can balance transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness. Central African Republic On 9 March, the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee held informal consultations during which the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts provided an overview of the panels 7 February 2020 progress update. The panel was supposed to present its work plan to the committee during a meeting scheduled about a week later. However, the second meeting did not take place as Council meetings were postponed due to measures taken by the Security Council to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The work plan has since been presented to the committee in written form. Afghanistan On 10 March, the Security Council adopted resolution 2513, which welcomed the progress towards a political settlement of the war in Afghanistan facilitated by the 29 February Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan signed by the US and the Taliban and the Joint Declaration for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan issued by the US and the Afghan government. On 26 March, Council members issued a press statement in which they condemned a terrorist attack that took place at a Sikh-Hindu temple in Kabul on 25 March 2020. The Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantKhorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack, which resulted in the death of at least 25 people. On 31 March, Security Council members held an informal video teleconferece meeting on the situation in Afghanistan and the activities of UNAMA. Ingrid Hayden, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA, briefed Council members on the latest Secretary-Generals report on UNAMA, issued on 17 March (S/2020/210). Council members agreed on press elements afterwards, in which they expressed concern at the impact of COVID-19 in Afghanistan and called on all Afghan parties to implement a comprehensive ceasefire and ensure access to humanitarian aid. They further called on the political leadership in Afghanistan to settle their differences and expressed hope that intra-Afghan negotiations will commence without delay, while bearing in mind the difficulties posed by the spread of COVID-19. Counter-Terrorism On 11 March, the Council held a debate titled Countering terrorism and extremism in Africa under the agenda item Peace and security in Africa, a signature event of Chinas Council presidency. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Abdoulaye Mar Dieye and Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed (AU Permanent Observer) briefed. The EU, Japan and 15 African member states made statements as well. A presidential statement was adopted during the meeting (S/PRST/2020/5). On 23 March, as mandated by resolution 2462 on combatting the financing of terrorism, a joint special meeting of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee and the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee on terrorist financing threats and trends as well as on the implementation of the provisions of this resolution was scheduled to take place. That date was in line with the requirement of resolution 2426 that the meeting take place within 12 months after the adoption of that resolution. In a 20 March letter, the chairs of the two committees announced that the meeting would be postponed on an exceptional basis in the light of the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19 [] in order to reduce unnecessary exposure to health risks. Sudan (Darfur) On 12 March, Council members issued a press statement condemning the attack on Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks convoy in Khartoum on 9 March. A briefing on the special report of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, requested in resolution 2495, did not take place as planned, as Council meetings were postponed due to measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The quarterly briefing by the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Sven Jurgenson (Estonia), similarly did not take place in March. On 30 March the Council adopted resolution 2517 regarding the drawdown and exit of UNAMID and establishing a follow-on presence, in accordance with resolution 2495. Democratic Republic of the Congo On 24 March, Council members held a video teleconference on MONUSCO and the situation in the DRC, including the response to COVID-19 in country. Special Representative Leila Zerrougui and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed Council members. After the meeting, Council members agreed to press elements. They encouraged work towards a sustainable exit for MONUSCO and welcomed the role of regional states. They also welcomed the progress made against Ebola while recognising the challenges that lay ahead with COVID-19. Somalia The Council was initially set to renew the mandate of UNSOM on 25 March. Due to the difficulty of holding physical meetings, given measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, members agreed on a technical rollover of the mandate. On 30 March the Council adopted resolution 2516 renewing the mandate until 30 June. Libya On 26 March, Council members convened an informal video teleconference meeting on UNSMIL. Acting Special Representative and head of UNSMIL Stephanie Williams briefed. Council members agreed on press elements afterwards, including expressions of concern at the significant escalation of hostilities and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They further called on the parties to de-escalate the fighting urgently, to immediately cease hostilities and to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid throughout the country. Originally scheduled for 27 March as the bimonthly briefing and consultations on UNSMIL and Libya sanctions, the meeting was rescheduled and the format was changed in line with adjustments to the Councils working methods due to the impact of COVID-19. Peacekeeping Operations On 30 March, the Security Council adopted resolution 2518 on improving safety and security of peacekeepers. This resolution was initially intended to be adopted during an open debate on the issue, one of Chinas signature events during its presidency, (originally scheduled for 24 March). Since measures announced by the Secretary-General to address COVID-19 included a partial closure of UN headquarters that began on 16 March, and Council members were unable to meet in person, the open debate was cancelled. Meetings Not Held in March Due to COVID-19-related Changes in the Security Councils Programme of Work 1540 Committee The chair of the 1540 Committee, Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani (Indonesia), was scheduled to brief the Council on 17 March on the work of the committee, which deals with the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The meeting was postponed. Open Debate on Multilateralism and the Political Settlement of Disputes An open debate titled Upholding Multilateralism and Promoting the Political Settlement of Disputes which was scheduled for 19 March did not take place. Lebanon (1701) The Council consultations on the Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of resolution 1701, covering the period from 1 November 2019 to 18 February (S/2020/195), scheduled for 17 March, did not take place. UNDOF The Councils consultations on UNDOF, initially scheduled for 26 March, did not take place. OTTAWA - Parliamentarians will soon find themselves voting anew on spending measures to help the country to combat the financial fallout from COVID-19 help that is going to cost the federal treasury at least $95 billion as the result of changes the Liberals have promised in recent days. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, March 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Parliamentarians will soon find themselves voting anew on spending measures to help the country to combat the financial fallout from COVID-19 help that is going to cost the federal treasury at least $95 billion as the result of changes the Liberals have promised in recent days. Conservatives criticized the Liberals for not getting their plans right the first time; the Bloc Quebecois criticized them for bowing to Conservative demands and limiting their own freedom to deal with changing circumstances. It was just last week that Parliament hastily passed a suite of spending and lending to help businesses and workers affected by the pandemic, in a special sitting with only a handful of MPs. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he's planning to have MPs and senators come back for another sitting to pass additional items in what he described as perhaps the biggest economic bailout and social program this country has ever seen. The legislation created a 10 per cent wage subsidy for small businesses, but officials briefing reporters about a new 75 per cent subsidy program said the bailout bill didn't include the expanded program. The Liberals didn't put a timeline on when Parliament will be recalled a process that, under the practice used last time, will require picking a small group of parliamentarians to review and vote on measures. "The magnitude of the measures that we know are necessary means that it would be a good idea to bring Parliament back to work on them," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said during a midday press conference. Opposition parties will have a chance to hear more from Finance Minister Bill Morneau when he appears Thursday afternoon in a teleconference meeting of the House of Commons finance committee. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said his party is ready to amend the law, but argued the problem shouldn't have happened in the first place. The Tories objected to a clause that would have given the Liberals the power to spend and tax without parliamentary approval through to December 2021, which the Liberals ultimately backed down on. "Instead of focusing on legislation to help businesses get through this crisis, they spent their time focusing on a massive power grab to give themselves new and unprecedented powers," Scheer said during a press conference in his home city of Regina. In a statement, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said the wage subsidy would have been part of the original bill if not for Tories who asked for its removal. He asked the government to provide the wording of the new bill to all parliamentarians and that the parties agree on the final text before anyone travels to Ottawa. The new subsidy will cost $71 billion while a direct benefit to out-of-work Canadians will cost about $24 billion, Morneau said in his own news conference Wednesday. The combined measures bring direct financial aid for the economic crisis to more than $105 billion, he said. On top of that is $85 billion in tax deferrals for individuals and businesses, and $65 billion in loans. Companies that qualify for the larger wage subsidy will need to show at least a 30 per cent drop in revenues due to COVID-19 compared to the same month last year or a more recent month for a reasonable comparison for a business that is less than a year old, like a startup. For charities and non-profits, some eligibility details are still being worked out, officials said. Employers receiving the benefit can be of any size, but can't be publicly funded, and recipients will be expected do whatever they can to pay the remaining 25 per cent of their employees' wages. Officials said it will take between three and six weeks to flow funding that will be capped at $847 per employee, per week. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said several design features and unanswered questions may prevent the program from meeting its goal of reducing layoffs. "If employers are not able to know with certainty whether they will qualify for the subsidy, many will be forced to lay off workers," CFIB president Dan Kelly said in a statement. Any worker who receives the wage subsidy can't also receive a $2,000-a-month emergency benefit that requires an eligible recipient to not be earning any money. Kevin Milligan, a University of British Columbia economics professor, wrote this week that the government will have to consider how to use the benefit to help those with a severe drop in earnings, as well as students. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. His report for the C.D. Howe Institute said "more policy work is needed to fortify" the benefit so it can fully help "bridge our economy across the crisis." Applications open April 6 for those born in the first quarter of the calendar year, between January and the end of March. Workers with birthdays in the second quarter can apply April 7, those born in the third quarter on April 8 and those born in the final three months of the year on April 9. The schedule was designed to avoid overwhelming already taxed systems. In the last two weeks, some 2.1 million people have applied for employment insurance benefits, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said a number dramatically higher than what the program normally sees. Federal workers have processed more than 430,000 claims, and a new system being implemented Wednesday will help quickly address the backlog, Qualtrough said. Those approved for EI will be automatically moved over to the new benefit. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2020. President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned of a very painful two weeks as the United States wrestles with a coronavirus surge that the White House warns could kill as many as 240,000 Americans. This is going to be a very painful, a very, very painful two weeks, Trump told a press conference at the White House. Trump described the pandemic as a plague. I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead, he said. Top health experts said that the decision to maintain strict social distancing was the only way to stop the easily transmitted virus, even if this has caused massive disruption to the economy with three quarters of Americans under some form of lockdown. Theres no magic vaccine or therapy. Its just behaviors, each of our behaviors translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic over the next 30 days, Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator at the White House, said. Birx displayed a chart at the press conference charting a range of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the United States, when current efforts at mitigation are taken into account. Infectious diseases specialist Anthony Fauci told the press conference that mitigation is actually working and that authorities are doing everything we can to get it (the death toll) significantly below that. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt PM Modi dials CM Thackeray as Maharashtra reports most positive cases India pti-PTI Mumbai, Apr 01: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday discussed the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra which has the highest number of cases in the country with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on phone. Maharashtra has recorded 335 cases of coronavirus so far. State officials said the prime minister urged Thackerayto step up "tracing, testing and treatment" of the persons who arrived in Mumbai and rest of the state after attending Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi last month. The congregation in Nizamuddin area of the national capital was later found to have been a hotspot of coronavirus. The PM will hold a video conference with all the chief ministers on Thursday. Ethiopia has postponed its parliamentary election scheduled for August due to the coronavirus outbreak, the electoral board said on Tuesday, a move endorsed by some key opposition parties. The August vote had been regarded as an important test of the reformist agenda of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in what was once one of the continent's most repressive nations. "Due to the pandemic we were forced to suspend our activities," said an Amharic-language statement from the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia. The board will announce a new timeline once the pandemic has subsided, it said. The Horn of Africa nation has 25 confirmed cases of coronavirus and the government has closed schools and restricted gatherings to curb the spread of the highly infectious illness. Ethiopia is Africa's second-most populous nation with 105 million citizens. Abiy promised to liberalise the state-run economy and oversaw reforms that saw thousands of political prisoners, journalists and opposition activists released. Previous elections in Ethiopia, a parliamentary democracy, have been marred by allegations of rigging and intimidation of the opposition. Abiy had promised to hold free and fair elections in August and has been positioning himself as a unity candidate whose reforms could replace state repression as the glue to hold together Ethiopia's often fractious federal regions. But his party would have faced a stiff challenge from many newly resurgent regional, ethnically-based parties. Representatives of some of the regional parties - the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) - voiced approval of the electoral board's decision, defusing the possibility of protests. "For now, our priority is how to overcome the pandemic," said Yesuf Ebrahim, NAMA's spokesman. Opposition parties and the government need to discuss what will happen when parliament's term ends in September, Yesuf said. Dawud Ibsa, OLF's chairman, told Reuters that his party was ready for further discussions. William Davison, the International Crisis Group think tank's senior analyst for Ethiopia, said the election postponement could be an opportunity to strengthen Ethiopia's democratic process. "A start would be the ruling party discussing with opponents critical topics such as the conditions for a fair election, transitional justice and reconciliation, and the federations major political fault lines," he said. The openness fostered by Abiy when he became premier in 2018 won him plaudits at home and abroad. But it also fanned the embers of long-repressed rivalries between ethnic groups as regional strongmen sought to mobilise local voting blocs. Political and ethnic clashes, along with natural disasters, forced more than two million people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations, although some have now returned. Hundreds of people have also been killed. Search Keywords: Short link: A man working as a home caregiver for a teenage girl with a disability was recently charged with sexually abusing her, authorities announced Wednesday. Edmondo DiPaolo is facing three criminal charges, including first-degree aggravated sexual assault involving the 16-year-old victim, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement. The girl, of Southampton, has a degenerative brain disorder and uses a wheelchair. She is unable to move or speak, and is intubated for food and medication, the statement says. DiPaolo, 33, of Pemberton, worked for Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, caring for the girl two days a week for the past seven months. Relatives of the girl noticed an injury to her leg, leading to the investigation led by New Jersey State Police. Detectives learned the girls femur was broken by an assault. Anyone who believes DiPaolo may have assaulted another patient should contact State Police Detective P. Ryba, of the agencys Red Lion station, at 609-859-2282. Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, head of the special victims section in the Major Crimes Unit, is handling the prosecution. A Preferred spokeswoman did not immediately return an email requesting comment Wednesday. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Facing a potential surge of coronavirus patients, Spectrum Health is reshuffling staff, hiring scores of temporary workers and asking recent retirees to return to work. Were preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, said Pamela Ries, chief human resources officer at Spectrum Health. The Grand Rapids-based health system is seeking to over hire by adding hundreds of temporary positions, ranging from nurses and respiratory therapists to cleaning staff, at its network of 14 hospitals in 16 counties. Ries said Spectrum has a lot of very talented and capable staff but needs to be ready if patient demand spikes or workers need to rest, recharge or call in sick. One of the reasons were trying to over hire right now is we need to plan for the fact that some of our staff will become ill, Ries said. We dont want that to affect our patient care abilities. Based on its modeling, Spectrum says coronavirus cases in West Michigan could peak in early May, pushing demand for care beyond what it or any health care system could handle. More than 9,000 people in Michigan have tested positive for coronavirus. Mercy Health, which operates hospitals in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Shelby, said in a statement that its exploring every strategy to build up and optimize our clinical resources, including reaching out to recent retirees and senior level nursing students. Its also redeploying staff who were affected by healthcare services that Mercy closed or decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is offering extra shifts to "part-time colleagues, the healthcare system said. We are equally challenged along with other hospitals in our community and the nation with the level of appropriate staffing and supplies to support the expectant surge, Mercy said. The staff buildup comes as the number of Michigan residents with coronavirus continues to climb. As of Wednesday, the state reported 9,334 cases, with 337 deaths. Eighty percent of the cases were clustered in Michigans three most populous counties Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. In Kent County, there were 119 cases and two deaths. Meanwhile, Ottawa County has 31 cases and no reported deaths. Metro Health, which has 208 beds at its hospital in Wyoming, is fully staffed to serve our current patients, and well-positioned to handle any potential surge in patients, said Jennifer Gonzalez, Metros chief human resources officer. Metro Health has always emphasized optimal staffing levels to best serve our patients, and this has been a critical part of our operational preparation for COVID-19, she said in a statement. We continue to closely monitor projections and are always looking for talented individuals to join our team. In addition to addressing staffing needs, the hospitals are also adding additional beds to meet patient demand. Spectrum has received approval from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to house 250 beds at Grand Valley State Universitys Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences. The healthcare system also received permission to add 37 beds to its Renucci Hospitality House. Meanwhile, Mercy received approval for 200 extra beds in Grand Rapids. Those beds will be placed at various locations in the healthcare systems Saint Marys campus, including a new unit at its main hospital. Its also looking at adding beds at its campus in Byron Center and in Muskegon. Related: West Michigans largest hospital system could exceed capacity in early May, CEO says Before Spectrum fills its temporary openings, it will first examine whether it can meet its needs by reshuffling existing employees, Ries said. As of now, the healthcare system has closed its walk-in clinics and suspended all non-emergency surgeries. That has freed up staff who can be redeployed to Spectrums emergency department or intensive care units. What were doing first is looking internally who do we have that can be reassigned or redeployed, and in some of those cases, they maybe two weeks or less and in other cases it could be for the duration of the surge, Ries said. In Grand Rapids, Spectrum Health has two adult acute care hospitals (Butterworth and Blodgett) and one childrens hospital (Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital). System-wide, it has 1,850 hospital beds. Filling all of Spectrums in-demand positions will be challenging, Ries said. But while some people may be leery about putting themselves on the front lines of a global health pandemic, particularly when personal protective equipment is in short supply, others are eager to lend a hand, she said. I will tell you that we have a lot of people reaching out to us asking how they can apply how they can help who have the credentials that we need, she said. Were really getting a lot of outreach from folks who either had worked here in the past or maybe were retired. Recently, she and her colleagues have combed through lists of people who have retired from Spectrum over the past two years, and reaching out to those who have the necessary skills. Some of the retirees were interested in the offer and are definitely ready to go, Ries said. The need runs the gamut. On its website, Spectrum has posted temporary openings for nursing technicians, critical care nurses, cleaning staff, respirator therapists and nurse educators. The healthcare system also created an online portal for those interested in working at the hospital but didnt see an opening geared toward their skills. What I am feeling very confident in is the amount of preparation that this organization is putting into this, and we are not pretending to have all of the answers, she said. We are literally on the phone every day, on conference calls learning from others all over the country so we can be as prepared as possible. Related: Which West Michigan hospitals are accepting patient transfers amid coronavirus pandemic Besides filling in-demand positions, Spectrum is seeking to help its employees in other ways. It has partnered with the YMCA to offer free childcare to Spectrum employees. The healthcare system is also making hotel rooms available to employees at a reduced rate. The rooms could be used for employees who need to self-quarantine because they are working with coronavirus patients and dont want to expose their families to the virus, she said. We are a bunch of really resilient people which is just amazing to see day in and day out, she said. But everyone is very human as well. Weve wrapped a lot of resources around folks that could be supportive. PREVENTION TIPS Read more: Computer system for Michigan unemployment agency crashes amid crush of new claims Michigan Attorney General warns of scammers imitating health officials during coronavirus pandemic See 2019 high school graduation rates for Grand Rapids area districts, charters Lunch on me! Lizzo surprises Henry Ford Hospital ER staff By Shabana Gupta guptasha@grinnell.edu Now that Toni Morrisons name has been inscribed in the wall of the HSSC atrium, discussions are starting up about which other names will take a place in the atrium as a part of the Colleges Inscriptions for the Future initiative. Morrisons is the first of what will be a total of 12 names. According to Caleb Elfenbein, chair of the Center for the Humanities who is guiding this process, the names to go up will be nominated by the Grinnell College community and decided upon by to-be-formed committees. Currently, the only criteria for being nominated is that the person needs to have passed away. Future inscriptions could represent writers, scientists, musicians or thinkers in any other profession, as long the Inscriptions for the Future selection committee has approved their name. Its really important to have the opportunity over time to reflect on someones life and legacy, in part because you can only measure someones lasting influence once their immediate effect on the world has passed, Elfenbein said. Elfenbein said that he wants to involve multiple generations of students in the selection process, pacing out nominations over the years so that these reflections are inclusive of the Grinnell community on a broad scale. Even though the first inscription has just been announced, he said that lobbying has already begun for the next names. People have ideas about how things might go, some people have already suggested a name for the last limestone placement, Elfenbein said. I really hope people start thinking about what names they want to see on the wall, and why. What does it mean to see a certain name on the wall and feel that they belong? Students are starting to think about what other names should be on the wall. Interviewed by The S&B while studying in the HSSC atrium, Paula Persiani 22 suggested Langston Hughes and Pablo Neruda as two possible engravings for the frieze above her. CErra Houston 21 suggested Audre Lorde, whose work she has recently been reading in class. Elfenbein said that he intends to implement programming and class curricula centered around future nominations in order to motivate people to think about possible names to go on the wall, and to inform students about these nominations. He wants the entire inscription process to be as open as possible. Elfenbein added that this means keeping a detailed, accessible record of how every name is decided and allowing all groups on campus to contribute to the decision process. He expects controversy around many of the names which are nominated. Most people who have been thought leaders have done questionable things, in addition to great ones. How, as a community, are we going to navigate those inevitable controversies? Elfenbein asked, rhetorically. President Raynard Kington expressed a similar concern in his interview with The S&B for last weeks article about the Morrison inscription, invoking Gandhi as an example of someone who did things that were not so great. Kington framed education as a processing experience, with room for both rejection and debate. What I hope is that the names will stimulate intellectual engagement. Its okay to look up there and see names you dont agree with; thats intellectual engagement as well, Kington said. We hope that therell be a thousand conversations of Who do you think should be up there? After all 12 names have been inscribed on the wall, Elfenbein said that he is thinking about having an area in the HSSC atrium dedicated to information about the those inscribed, explaining how the thought leaders represent more than just names on a wall. Nearly 70,000 labourers had lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis as many enterprises in Ha Noi have been forced to scale down production or temporarily suspended operations, the citys Confederation of Labour has announced. Labourers complete unemployment procedures at the Ha Noi Employment Service Centre. Figures from the organisation showed that by Sunday, more than 3,010 enterprises in Ha Noi had been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of them, 741 have been forced to suspend operations, leaving tens of thousands of labourers unemployed. Nearly 40,000 teachers and staff at private schools have also had their incomes lowered due to the pandemic. In order to support affected labourers, the organisation has asked local authorities to collaborate with district trade unions to support them during these difficult circumstances. The organisation has also asked district standing committees to coordinate with trade unions to closely supervise the implementation of policies for labourers who had lost their jobs to avoid enterprises taking advantage of the pandemic to cut off employee benefits and illegally terminate labour contracts. It has instructed local authorities to encourage landlords to reduce or exempt rent for labourers affected by the disease. VNS HCM City to provide $42 monthly allowance to people losing jobs due to COVID-19 The HCM City Party Committee has approved paying an allowance of US$42.5 a month to people losing their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic from the outlay meant for paying wage hikes this year to city officials. Flash A center for treatment of infectious diseases built by China was handed over Tuesday to the Mauritanian Ministry of Health from the Chinese Embassy in Mauritania. The center, part of the Nouakchott National Hospital, is composed of two floors, and "has several pavilions with a capacity of 30 beds, large and medium-sized laboratories, as well as radiology equipment," the Mauritanian health ministry said. According to the Chinese Embassy in Mauritania, renovations were also carried out at the China-Mauritania Friendship Hospital. "The rehabilitation of the Friendship Hospital involved administrative buildings, a central pharmacy, multifunctional rooms, a personnel department and medical equipment," said the Mauritanian ministry. "The infrastructure and the sanitary equipment received were important for Mauritania, especially in this period of time, and they reflect the solidity of the historic friendly relations between Mauritania and China," said Minister of Health Mohamed Nedhirou Hamed in a speech after signing a protocol of delivery. According to the minister, the equipment will help medical teams prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the country. For his part, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianguo lauded "the support of the Mauritanian government to China in its fight against the novel coronavirus." JEFFERSON CITY Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Wednesday the state would freeze about $180 million in planned spending as a result of the coronavirus-caused economic downturn. Parson said the state faces a $500 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. In addition to the $180 million withheld Wednesday, Parson said he was hopeful the state would be able to use $315 million in federal funds to plug the budget hole. Doing so still may not be enough to solve the problem, Parson said, adding that more cuts could be on the way. Parson and state Budget Director Dan Haug said the lagging revenue collections would likely continue into the next fiscal year, which begins in July. COVID-19 has had serious impacts on our anticipated economic growth, Parson said during his daily briefing. And now we are expecting significant revenue declines, some of which may be larger than those experienced during the Great Recession. I want to assure you that these restrictions are absolutely necessary, Parson said. Flash Iran recorded 141 new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the death toll to 2,898; Meanwhile, Iraq praised China's contribution to its fight against the raging pandemic. Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, reported 3,111 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 44,606. So far, 14,656 patients in Iran have recovered from the novel coronavirus. Speaking at the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced the extension of social distancing plan for another week until April 8. In Turkey, the second hardest-hit country in the region, 2,704 new coronavirus cases and 46 new deaths were confirmed, bringing the tally of infections to 13,531 and the death toll to 214. A total of 243 patients have recovered from the virus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak during a phone conversation, Turkey's presidential office said. The two leaders decided to take the necessary steps to share the best practices, data and experiences to control the pandemic, it added. Israel reported 663 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,358 and the death toll to 20. "Significant progress" has been made in developing the vaccine and antibody for the novel coronavirus, Israel's Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Iraq's Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 65 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 694 and the death toll to 50. The Iraqi government decided to extend the nationwide curfew until April 19. In an interview with Iraqi TV channel al-Furat, Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi praised China's "unforgettable and historic" contribution to Iraq's fight against the coronavirus. A Chinese team of seven medical experts has been working with their Iraqi counterparts since March 7. A new lab built by the Chinese experts with the equipment donated by China, was inaugurated in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on March 25, to increase Iraq's testing capacity for the coronavirus. Palestine on Tuesday hailed China's experience in fighting the novel coronavirus as "exemplary," while thanking China for its support to the Palestinian fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. "China has become a leading example in medical relief for poor countries that have been hit by this virus," Palestinian government's spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem told reporters at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Saudi Arabia reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the kingdom's total confirmed cases to 1,563. Its death toll hit 10 after two deaths were added. In Cairo, Egypt announced 54 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, raising the total number of cases to 710 and the death toll to 46. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi described the current results of the precautionary measures taken by the country to prevent the COVID-19 spread as "good and reassuring." The United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed 53 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 664. One more death was reported, raising the death toll to six. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, said that the UAE government will inject new equity into the Emirates as a gesture of full support for the state-owned airline amid the coronavirus pandemic. Morocco reported 68 new cases and three more deaths from the coronavirus, raising the tally of infections to 602, of whom 36 have died. Kuwait reported 23 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 289. One more patient recovered from the coronavirus, raising the country's total number of recoveries to 73. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 17 to 463, of whom 12 have died and 35 have recovered. The Omani Ministry of Health announced 13 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 179, of whom 34 have recovered. Sudan's Health Ministry announced a new COVID-19 case, bringing the tally of infections in the country to seven. The Chinese Embassy in Sudan on Tuesday handed over 400,000 surgical masks donated to the Sudanese government to help the country combat the contagious disease. During a virtual meeting, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed on Tuesday on delivering a roadmap in response to the novel coronavirus, the G20 Saudi secretariat said. They also discussed the role of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and other international financial institutions to deploy all available resources and explore additional measures needed to support emerging markets and developing economies amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The officials welcomed the Word Bank's readiness to deploy as much as US$160 billion over the next 15 months to support its member countries to respond to the pandemic. Madrid: Two planes packed with protective equipment arrived to restock Spain's overloaded public health system on Wednesday as its confirmed coronavirus cases rose beyond 100,000 and it recorded its biggest one-day death toll from the outbreak. A Spanish Red cross volunteer works at a food bank helping people affected by the Covid-19 crisis in Huesca, Spain. Credit:Getty Barring Italy, the virus has killed more people in Spain than anywhere else, triggering a lockdown that has brought economic activity to a virtual standstill. A survey showed Spain's manufacturing sector is heading for a slump after shrinking in March at its steepest pace since 2013. A record 864 fatalities overnight took the country's overall toll to 9053 while total infections rose to 102,136, health officials said, adding that the percentage increase in deaths was lower than in recent days. "The central issue is no longer whether we've reached the peak or not, it seems like we are there," health emergency chief Fernando Simon, who was himself diagnosed with the virus this week, told a briefing. As millions of shoppers across the country continue to stock up on essentials like toilet paper, pantry goods and cleaning supplies, Costco is enacting new rules to limit crowding in its stores. Starting Friday, April 3, Costco will allow no more than two people to enter the warehouse with each membership card, the company said in a statement. This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts," the statement continued. Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America (Jamie Squire / Getty Images) A representative for Costco was not immediately available to clarify whether the store would permit exceptions for parents or caregivers shopping with multiple children. Download the TODAY app for the latest coverage on the coronavirus outbreak. Costco has put in place several new policies over the past few weeks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Like many stores that have been permitted to stay open, it has reduced its hours, with warehouses in the U.S. now closing at 6:30 p.m., according to Costcos website. The big-box retailer has also stopped allowing returns on some in-demand items, including toilet paper, paper towels and sanitizing wipes. Costco has also joined many businesses in offering special shopping hours for senior citizens. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Costco stores are open exclusively to shoppers over 60, as well as other vulnerable customers, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Food As many of you have noticed, weve experienced a surge of business during this time, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek said in an open letter to customers. As a result, weve taken steps to control the number of members in our warehouses and asked that members and employees practice social distancing. "While the circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary, we thank you for your patience and cooperation. DataTerrain Logo Customers can take advantage of DataTerrains Snowflake based services to preserve years of efforts in designing the reports and while migrating to new Snowflake based data warehousing platform. DataTerrain a leader in Business Intelligence migration solutions, announced the launch of its Snowflake based services for customers who are migrating to Snowflake based data warehousing solutions. Building and maintaining an end to end analytics application is complex, challenging, and expensive at the best of times, not to mention littered with risks and unforeseen issues. DataTerrains Snowflake services enables customers with legacy platforms to migrate seamlessly to the Snowflake based Platform. DataTerrains services include: 1. Business Requirements & Project Assessment to plan a comprehensive path to achieve the business outcomes in a reasonable timeframe that balances time and costs 2. Snowflake Cloud Data Warehouse & Data Pipeline Solutions DataTerrains certified data engineers deliver an enterprise-class, cloud-ready, end to end data solution for your reporting, analytics, and data science needs. 3. Reporting & Analytics Solutions based on Power BI or Sisense Data Terrain would develop and deliver high end, professional reports, analytics, and dashboards solutions based on customers critical requirements. 4. Ongoing Maintenance & Support - Based a streamlined and agile engagement model, DataTerrain would provide ongoing, as-needed support for customers business intelligence applications. Customers can take advantage of DataTerrains Snowflake based services to preserve years of efforts in designing the reports and while migrating to new Snowflake based data warehousing platform. Please contact connect@dataterrain.com for more information and a free session now to get started. About DataTerrain DataTerrain is a Silicon Valley-based company and is focused on automated Business Intelligence reports/metadata migration solutions and Oracle HCM reporting solutions. DataTerrains proprietary automated conversion solution helps customers in converting reports across multiple BI technologies preserving years of effort in designing the original reports. DataTerrain automated conversion service has been used by hundreds of customers across the globe. For more information visit http://www.dataterrain.com Stay-at-home orders have forced many small businesses to close their doors to in-store shopping. A national movement now is encouraging shoppers to take their browsing and buying online tonight. Much like last weeks Take Out Tuesday movement to support restaurants closed to dine-in business, Shopping Night in America is intended to support community businesses via the internet. Businesses have the option to sell products online through Facebook or YouTube to maintain some income while the stay-at-home order is in place, said Brittany Henry, executive director of the Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Its general community support, Henry said. The same reason that you would check in on your neighbors to make sure they are doing OK. The people who own, operate and work at our local retail shops are your neighbors. The national movement calls for the event to run from what would be 8 to 10 p.m. local time today for the business through any available social media. Participating businesses are asked to select from five to 10 items to sell, take online payment for purchases and then provide no-contact delivery, such as curbside pickup or delivery by mail. Henry said she has reached out to several local businesses and has tried to help them find ways to move business online for the event. For small businesses, closing for weeks or months could cause lasting damage, Henry said. By moving sales online, they at least have some business to help financially, she said. Now is the time to support each other in any way we can while continuing to practice social distancing and the stay-at-home order, Henry said. We can all stick together as a community but its critical that we adapt to trying new ideas like this shopping night to keep our businesses alive during these challenging times. Henry wasnt sure Tuesday which businesses intend to participate but she said the visitors bureau would share that information through its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts as it becomes available. Our local businesses do a lot for the community, Henry said. Right now its time for us to come back and give to them. We want them to be able to pull through when things get back to normal. New Motor Oils Will Meet the Needs of Modern Engines in Cars, Trucks and SUVs By Jeffrey Harmening American Petroleum Institute, Manager EOLCS/DEF/MOM Modern cars, SUVs and pickup trucks offer sophisticated high-performance gasoline-powered engines which are more efficient, with many requiring low viscosity motor oil to meet the needs of vehicle manufacturers. This includes oils such as 5W-20, 0W-20 and even 0W-16. Newer engines have been designed with tighter tolerances, and many are gasoline direct injected (GDI) and turbocharged direct injected (TGDI). Advanced motor oils are required to ensure these engines operate efficiently. Several years ago, automakers requested that more robust engine oils be developed that would be capable of meeting the needs of current and future gasoline engines. Working with the auto industry, oil marketers, additive companies and others, the American Petroleum Institute (API) developed new performance standards to meet the needs of people who use their vehicles every day for work and leisure activities. Following a rigorous development process, new engine oils will be available this Spring. The new oil standards known as ILSAC GF-6A, ILSAC GF-6B and API SP will be licensable under APIs engine oil program beginning May 1, 2020. The new standards are the latest in a line of steadily more stringent performance specifications and will replace the existing ILSAC GF-5 and API SN standards. Choosing the Correct Motor Oil Its easy to choose the correct oil for a gasoline-powered car, truck or SUV. New GF-6A oils are backward compatible with and replace current GF-5 oils and older oil standards and in viscosities as low as 0W-20. GF-6B oils are backward compatible with and replace 0W-16 oils meeting API SN performance and are intended for gasoline engines requiring 0W-16 oils. A third standard that not only includes the new ILSAC specifications, but also covers engine oils that are intended for uses not covered by the ILSAC specifications, has been approved as API Service Category SP and is backward compatible with API SN oils. New Oils Offer Performance and Fuel Economy Improvements The new standards specify more stringent engine oil performance requirements for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. During the process, seven new or replacement engine tests were developed, evaluated, and measured for precision, and companies ran tests to demonstrate that oils can meet the more stringent requirements. The new tests include the first ever timing chain wear test and a new test to measure fuel economy improvement provided by very low-viscosity engine oils. The standards also include a test designed to protect against a phenomenon experienced by some gasoline engines known as low speed pre-ignition (LSPI). When Its Time for an Oil Change Automotive and other retailers as well as oil change locations will have the new oils available beginning in May. Be sure to look at the bottle for the API Certification Mark, also known as the Starburst and for the API Service Symbol, also known as the Donut. The Donut will show the viscosity grade and the standards it meets. When having the oil in a vehicle changed, API recommends the following check list: Use the viscosity recommended in your vehicles owners manual. Know the performance level recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Oils certified as meeting API standards are easy to spot just look for the API Starburst or API Donut. Make sure the oil change includes a fresh filter. Double-check the receipt to confirm that the service provider poured the motor oil you asked for and that it meets your manufacturers recommendation. Write down the mileage and date you had your oil changed. Check your owners manual for recommended change intervals. API is committed to making sure consumers receive high-quality motor oils for their engines. For more information please visit Motor Oil Matters. 2. In a small pan, heat the butter over low to medium-low; allow the butter to bubble away until the foam subsides and the color is a light nutty brown, 8-10 minutes. As you see a lot of foam rising, do not turn your back on the pan because the difference between deep golden brown and black can be seconds. Let butter sit off the heat for a few minutes, then transfer to a heat-proof container and freeze until solid, 30-35 minutes. The browned bits and flecks will sink to the bottom. When you invert the container, gently scrape off the burnt bits or the flavor will overwhelm the cookies. You can also use a fine mesh strainer to remove the burnt bits. Andrew Parker Bowles has revealed he has coronavirus and believes he contracted it at the Cheltenham Festival. The Duchess of Cornwall's ex-husband is among hundreds of racegoers displaying symptoms following the event two weeks ago just before the lockdown began. Brigadier Parker Bowles, 80, was seen in close contact with members of the Royal Family including Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Tindall in Gloucestershire. Despite concerns about the illness, Zara was seen hugging, kissing and shaking hands with other racegoers - while her husband Mike posed for pictures with fans. Brigadier Parker Bowles told the Daily Telegraph he had felt 'pretty bloody awful' with the infection which had left him sleeping twice as long as normal. He would have come into contact with dozens of people at the festival, which he attended on March 10 and March 11, including in the Princess Royal Stand enclosure. Andrew Parker Bowles has coronavirus and believes he caught it at the Cheltenham Festival. He is pictured there with Princess Anne. He is pictured there with her on March 10 Andrew Parker Bowles (left) with Zara Tindall (centre) and Princess Anne (right) on day one of the Cheltenham Festival on March 10 Andrew Parker-Bowles and Princess Anne on day one of the Cheltenham Festival on March 10 Andrew Parker Bowles (left) and The Princess Royal on day one of the Festival on March 10 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles at the Festival on March 11 Andrew Parker Bowles (right) with Anne and trainer Nicky Henderson (left) on March 11 Andrew Parker Bowles arrives on day two of the Cheltenham Festival on March 11 But retired Army officer Brigadier Parker Bowles said he was told he would not have been contagious until the Monday after he attended, March 16. He said: 'I've felt pretty bloody awful with it. It's better in the mornings and gets worse as the day goes on. 'I've had a bad cough and I've been very lethargic. I'm sleeping twice as long as normal.' When asked if the festival should have gone ahead, he said: 'To be honest it was optional whether we went. At the time the Underground was running full of people. Thousands of people attended the festival in Gloucestershire, pictured above on March 13 More than 250,000 people went to the Cheltenham Festival last month - pictured on March 13 Jockey Paul Townend celebrates after the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase on March 13 This graphic based on a study in China last month shows how a man infected with coronavirus spread it to nine other people on his bus. The virus was able to transfer from the man two other victims sitting 4.5 metres away, as well as to a patient 30 minutes after the man got off the bus 'You can't blame Cheltenham. To be fair attendance was 10 per cent down but I do know quite a few people who picked it up there.' How coronavirus can spread between people The illness can spread between people just through coughs and sneezes, making it an extremely contagious infection. 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. Advertisement Cheltenham saw more than 250,000 people walking through the gates across the four days. Since the event, hundreds have taken to social media to claim they have developed symptoms. The organisers of the Cheltenham Festival decided to go ahead with this year's event with extra wash basins and hand sanitiser stations. There were also numerous signs reminding racegoers to wash their hands in an attempt to stop the spread of germs. Some attendees also took extra measures to try and protect themselves from the illness by donning face masks. It went ahead just two weeks before the lockdown on March 23 with up to 60,000 attendees daily. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: People over 65 are banned from leaving their homes in Uzbekistan due to coronavirus from April 1, 2020, Trend reports citing Uzbek Ministry of Health. "Since April 1, self-isolation regime has been introduced in Tashkent, Nukus and regional centers. Citizens over 65 are categorically forbidden to leave their homes", the report said. The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband and grandson also tested coronavirus-positive. To date, the number of registered cases of coronavirus in the country has increased to 173, two patients died, 12 persons recovered. 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 44,200. Over 885,300 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 185,200 people have reportedly recovered. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini One thing we could say about the analysts on Consun Pharmaceutical Group Limited (HKG:1681) - they aren't optimistic, having just made a major negative revision to their near-term (statutory) forecasts for the organization. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting the analysts have soured majorly on the business. Following the downgrade, the current consensus from Consun Pharmaceutical Group's three analysts is for revenues of CN1.8b in 2020 which - if met - would reflect a credible 4.6% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to jump 495% to CN0.56. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN2.3b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN0.67 in 2020. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Consun Pharmaceutical Group's prospects, administering a measurable cut to revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot. View our latest analysis for Consun Pharmaceutical Group SEHK:1681 Past and Future Earnings March 31st 2020 The consensus price target fell 16% to CN6.39, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading analyst valuation estimates. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic Consun Pharmaceutical Group analyst has a price target of CN7.31 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at CN5.49. This is a very narrow spread of estimates, implying either that Consun Pharmaceutical Group is an easy company to value, or - more likely - the analysts are relying heavily on some key assumptions. Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. We would highlight that Consun Pharmaceutical Group's revenue growth is expected to slow, with forecast 4.6% increase next year well below the historical 20% p.a. growth over the last five years. Compare this against other companies (with analyst forecasts) in the industry, which are in aggregate expected to see revenue growth of 17% next year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Consun Pharmaceutical Group is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants. Story continues The Bottom Line The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Consun Pharmaceutical Group. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Consun Pharmaceutical Group's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. With a serious cut to this year's expectations and a falling price target, we wouldn't be surprised if investors were becoming wary of Consun Pharmaceutical Group. Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Consun Pharmaceutical Group going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free 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. Our Girl fans were left heartbroken as Michelle Keegan's Georgie Lane kissed her dead fiance Elvis Harte (Luke Pasqualino) in a dream on Tuesday's episode. The Lance Corporal woke up in hot sweats as she continued to grieve her late partner, who was tragically killed by a bomb back in 2017. Despite her loss, viewers have predicted she'll find love again with hunky American Dr. Antonio (Josh Bowman), who flirted up a storm with Georgie after being introduced to the show last week. Touching: Our Girl fans were left heartbroken as Michelle Keegan's Georgie Lane kissed her dead fiance Elvis Harte (Luke Pasqualino) in a dream on Tuesday's episode Earlier in the series, the lead character struggled with flashbacks of her former beau while attending her beloved sister's wedding. Weeks on, Elvis' passing still appeared to be heavy on Georgie's mind as she passionately smooched him during a vivid dream. Fans revealed they felt emotional while watching the scene, with many pleading with producers to 'bring Elvis back'. They wrote on Twitter: '@TonyGrounds i still think you're mean for letting @lucapasqualino leave and Elvis being killed Sleepy face can Elvis just do a Kathy Beale ??? And we will pretend it never happened #OurGirl. Ooh-la-la: Despite her loss, viewers have predicted she'll find love again with Dr. Antonio (Josh Bowman), who flirted up a storm with Georgie after being introduced to the show last week Intimate: Elvis' passing still appeared to be heavy on Georgie's mind as she passionately smooched him during a vivid dream Oh dear: The Lance Corporal woke up in hot sweats following her sleep RIP: Elvis was tragically killed by a bomb in 2018 after he and Georgie rekindled their engagement 'Why did they have to kill elvis though Loudly #OurGirl... Georgie and Elvis still break my heartBroken heart #OurGirl. 'Fab #ourgirl episode, hiding behind my hands again, Im already invested in the new characters Smiling face with 3 hearts... bring on the SF next week.....Yasss Spanner on our screens again cant wait...but please no more of THOSE last Elvis scenes my heart cant take it Broken heart. 'Absolutely love our girl.. but wish they didnt kill Elvis off #ourgirl '@BBCOne @michkeegan @lucapasqualino Why cant we just let Elvis lie in peace actually breaks my heart seeing flash backs of him in the new our girl episodes #OurGirl 'Breaks my heart': Fans revealed they felt emotional while watching the scene, with many pleading with producers to 'bring Elvis back' 'This is utterly fantastic ...Our Girl 2 great episodes cant wait for next week. Georgie Lane leads a great cast in 1 of the best shows ever . An action packed show gonna miss Michelle as Georgie she so good in it ..do miss Elvis @lucapasqualino #Hooked.' [sic] Elsewhere in the episode, the brunette grew closer to Doctor Antonio, after the pair rubbed each other the wrong way on last week's edition. As he joined the military team, a curious Georgie asked: 'I thought you were a doctor?', causing cheeky Antonio to respond: 'Come on princesses. I am, do you think I was pretending?' Love on the horizon? Elsewhere in the episode, the brunette grew closer to Doctor Antonio, after the pair rubbed each other the wrong way on last week's edition Her pal Mimi Saunders encouraged the officer to consider forging a romance with the handsome health professional. 'Life-saving surgeon, hero in a uniform, nice, chiseled jaw...', Mimi shared, before Georgie interrupted: 'Can we just crack on please?' Fans are convinced the pair will embark on a relationship later in the series, with one tweeting: 'Georgie and Antonio are already flirting like mad #OurGirl.' Another agreed: 'The American Doctor is surely this series love interest. How long for? Im not sure. I sense it being a brief thing if anything materialises...#OurGirl.' A third joked: Laney...elvis has left the building...dont worry we know seeing the American doctors got you thirsty...again...lol #ourgirl.' Sometimes referred to as the "the Methuselah of freshwater fish," sturgeons and their close relatives are very old from an evolutionary point of view. Fossils indicate that sturgeons date back 250 million years and have changed very little during this period, at least as far as their external appearance is concerned. So it is not surprising that already Charles Darwin coined the term "living fossils" for them. Scientists from the University of Wurzburg and the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) with colleagues in Constance, France and Russia have now successfully sequenced the genome of the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a relatively small species of sturgeon. They were able to show that the genetic material, too, has changed very little since the heyday of the dinosaurs. The scientists present the results of their work in the latest issue of the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Ancestors of the vertebrates "Sturgeon genomes are an important piece of the puzzle that helps us understand the ancestry of vertebrates. And this has been missing until now," Professor Manfred Schartl explains the reasons why scientists are interested in this fish species. Schartl is the lead author of the recently published study and is senior professor at the Chair of Developmental Biochemistry at the University of Wurzburg since this year. Sturgeons are among the oldest species on earth in terms of evolutionary history. They are the ancestors of more than 30,000 species of bony fish that occur today -- and thus of more than 96 percent of all living fish species and about half of all known vertebrate species. Schartl and his colleagues were able to show that sturgeons branched off onto their own evolutionary path at some point during the Upper Devonian or Carboniferous Period about 345 million years ago. "Their external appearance has changed very little since that time and this is also evident in their genetic material, the DNA," Dr. Du Kang explains; first author of the study and a research assistant at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II at the University of Wurzburg. To verify this, the geneticists had to take a close look at the proteins encoded by the genes of the sterlet. And indeed, their calculations reveal that this so-called protein evolution has proceeded at a very slow pace. "The rate of protein evolution of the sterlet is similar to that of the coelacanth or of sharks -- two fish species that have been roaming the oceans almost unchanged for more than 300 million years as well," says Dr. Matthias Stock, an evolutionary biologist at the IGB. advertisement Extensive genome change 180 million years ago The sequence analysis revealed that the sterlet genome comprises 120 chromosomes, about 47,500 protein-coding genes and 1.8 billion base pairs. The researchers also showed that the sterlet duplicated its genome some 180 million years ago, leaving the species instead of the regular two with four sets of chromosomes, which is called tetraploidy in scientific jargon. The genome duplication does not come as a surprise: "Such processes have repeatedly had a major impact on the evolution of the vertebrate genome," says Manfred Schartl. Already their ancestors underwent "whole genome duplication" twice in their evolutionary history. Some species went through this process as many as three or four times. What did surprise the scientists though was the fact that this duplication of the genome happened so far back in the long history of the sturgeon. "Over this long time span, we would have expected the genome to change more profoundly because in tetraploid organisms gene segments are often lost, silenced or acquire a new function over time," says Professor Axel Meyer, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Constance. Genome uncertainty eliminated The exact genomic state of sturgeons was long controversial among scientists. While considered polyploid by some, which means that the genome was duplicated multiple times, others interpreted the sturgeon as a "functional diploid," which refers to a species that first duplicated its genome to become tetraploid but then reduces the gene content again as it evolves. Although the chromosomes are still present in two pairs, they divide their tasks among themselves. advertisement Now it's clear: "We have found out that the sterlet has not returned to a diploid state. Instead, it has retained an unexpectedly high degree of structural and functional polyploidy," says Manfred Schartl. This retention can be ascribed to the slow pace of molecular evolution of most fractions of the sterlet genome. Genome duplication: A layperson might assume that this makes the job easier for scientists because everything is available in duplicate. But in fact, this presents researchers with a major technical challenge. "This has made it extremely difficult to assemble and assign the small 'snippets of DNA' that modern genome sequencing methods provide us with," says Schartl. However, using special procedures we were able to create "a very good reference genome and the first ever genome of an ancient fish" as part of an international research collaboration. Genetic research to protect species Gene sequencing is an important basis for protecting sturgeon species. "In the future, we will be able to determine the sex of the animals using genetic analyses which will greatly facilitate breeding. This will allow us to control reproduction and support the management of breeding populations. This is a milestone in our efforts to preserve these ancient species," says Dr. Jorn Gessner, the IGB's sturgeon expert. About sturgeons Sturgeons are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. Sturgeons are long-lived and reproduce late, typically not before the age of ten. In many sturgeon species, the adult fish repeatedly migrate from the sea into freshwater to spawn. They are highly sought after for their eggs -- better known as caviar. Because of habitat destruction, river fragmentation, marine pollution and 2,000 years of caviar production, most sturgeon species are now on the brink of extinction. Due to a ban on wild caviar trade, sturgeon aquaculture has become an important industry which can contribute to protecting wild populations by securing the market supply. The Trump administration intends to end the long-established practice of threatening criminal penalties to pressure companies into taking action to prevent unintentional bird deaths. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) allows for fines or prosecution for oil and gas, construction, communications and other companies who do not take steps to protect bird populations. The most notable enforcement case bought under the MBTA resulted in a $100m settlement by BP, after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 killed approximately 100,000 birds. The proposed rule change was announced at the end of January by the US Fish and Wildlife Service which operates as part of the Department of Interior. The Trump administration is swiftly pushing through industry-friendly rollbacks on dozens of environmental protections ahead of the election in November. A rollback on vehicle emission standards was announced on Tuesday. In January, a rule to remove environmental protections for streams, wetlands and groundwater was completed. The Trump administration says deaths of birds that fly into oil pits, mining sites, telecommunications towers, wind turbines and other hazards should be treated as accidents not subject to prosecution. The proposal would cement that into federal regulation. The threat of fines and prosecution meant that companies took steps to protect birds such as red lights on communication towers, sirens and loud noises these to prevent birds landing on toxic water sites. Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe told The Associated Press the laws threat of prosecution served as a brake on industry that had saved probably billions of birds. Removing that obligation, if it stands, over the next several decades will result in billions of birds being casualties, said Ashe, who served in the Obama administration. It will be catastrophic. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disputed Ashes claim that billions more birds were at risk from the rule change and noted that most preventive measures already are voluntary ones. Ashes estimate that billions of birds were at risk was supported by a leading ornithologist from Cornell University and two former senior officials with the Fish and Wildlife Service Brad Bortner, who retired in 2017 from his post as chief of the migratory bird program, and Paul Schmidt, the agencys former assistant director. Industry sources kill an estimated 450m to 1.1bn birds annually, out of an overall 7.2bn birds in North America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and recent studies. Aurelia Skipwith, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement that bird conservation was an integral part of the mission of the bureau. The public commentary period on the proposed rule ended on March 19. The Independent asked the Fish and Wildlife Service whether the coronavirus pandemic would delay moving forward with the rule change but did not receive a response at the time of publication. State officials and wildlife advocates who are suing the administration in federal court say birds already are being harmed under actions allowed by a 2017 Trump administration legal memo that signalled the rule change. Most notable was the destruction last fall of nesting grounds for 25,000 shorebirds in Virginia to make way for a road and tunnel project. State officials had ended conservation measures for the birds after federal officials advised such measures were voluntary under the new interpretation of the law. The move to relax the bird law, combined with Trump rollbacks of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act puts birds and their habitat at greater risk, said Audubon Society vice president Sarah Greenberger. The Trump administration proposal follows longstanding pressure from oil companies, utilities and other industries. The Edison Electric Institute, which represents many U.S. utilities, contends it would be absurd to criminalize ordinary, everyday activities that happen to result in a bird death, which can result in up to six months in prison and a $15,000 penalty for every bird injured or killed. More than 1,000 types of birds are covered by the law, from water birds such as ducks and pelicans, to woodpeckers, songbirds, hawks and owls. Criminal enforcement of the law typically was used only as a last resort, according to current and former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials. The goal was to generate voluntary compliance. You do that by educating people, said Gary Mowad, who served as deputy chief of enforcement during a 25-year-career with the agency. We did a great job of keeping (bird) mortality in control. The only regulatory tool that the federal government had at its disposal to address that is now gone or will be gone. Associated Press contributed to this report Barely a year ago, Heidi Grace Engerman was on stage at Badger High School doing the musical Mamma Mia with school friends. Now, she is about to make her debut on the big screen. Engerman, 19, has landed a part in Candyman, a horror movie coming to theaters this summer from producer Jordan Peele, well known for his previous hits, Get Out and Us. In the new movie, shot last fall in Chicago, Engerman portrays the leader of a group of high school girls who summon a supernatural killer by chanting his name into a mirror. For the 2019 Badger High School graduate, being part of a major Hollywood production was a dream come true, and also a valuable learning experience. It was such an amazing process, she said. I just learned so much. Those who have watched Engerman grow up on stage in the Lake Geneva region are confident that Candyman is only the beginning of a successful career for the young dancer-actress. JaNelle Powers, a local theater director and mentor, said Engerman has natural talent that radiates from her whenever she is in front of an audience. Heidi was amazing from the very beginning, Powers said. She has that it factor. The daughter of John and Madeleine Engerman of the town of Linn got started doing school plays in first grade at St. Francis de Sales Parish School. She also took up dance and performed in a Nutcracker holiday production with Delavans renowned Dance Factory troupe. Friends told Engerman that she was so expressive and animated while dancing that she should consider acting. When she was 10, she dragged her mother to an audition in Chicago that she saw advertised on TV. The audition landed her a talent agent who got Engerman some modeling jobs and other auditions. As a young girl, Engerman was oblivious to the fact that she could be on the cusp of a career; she only knew that she enjoyed performing and being creative. I kind of thought it was a fun-and-games thing, she said. I had no idea it was a job. She is the middle child of three, with an older sister and a younger brother, both of whom also have artistic talents. Her father, John Engerman, said he is proud of Heidis landing a movie role, and he is confident she will continue to live her Hollywood dream. Heidis abilities have always blown us away, he said. Her self-confidence and talent jumps out to anyone who meets her. When she reached Badger High School, Engerman tried out for just about every school play. She landed roles as both a dancer and actor, including one that brought her a top acting award at the Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival. After spending her junior year at a private school for the arts in Massachusetts, she returned to Badger for her senior year, convinced she would pursue acting as a career. In the schools production of Mamma Mia, she landed the role of mother Donna the same character portrayed by Meryl Streep in the 2008 film version. Then came the phone call that Engerman had been waiting for. Her agent had been contacted by a movie crew looking for young girls to play high school friends in Chicago in a horror movie. Although she was preparing for her freshman year at the University of Miami, Engerman went to Chicago for the audition. She returned for several call-backs until finally she was hired to join Jordan Peele and director Nia Dacosta on Candyman. She plays Haley Gulick, a high school girl with an edgy attitude who leads a small group of friends in exploring the supernatural. I think they saw something in me, she said of the movies producers. I was just thrilled that I got the call. Coincidentally, she also landed a role at about the same time in an episode of TVs Chicago Fire, playing a young driver in a traffic accident. Shuttling back and forth between Miami and Chicago as she began her freshman year of college, she joined the crew on the set of Candyman in August and September. She not only delivered her own performance, she became fascinated with the technical elements of making a movie. Although the film is still being edited, Engerman believes her character will appear in about one-fourth of the story maybe more. The film is due in theaters June 12. Engerman plans to return to the University of Miami and work on her double-major bachelors degree in theater and business administration. After college, she is considering moving to New York or Los Angeles to continue her movie career. She hopes Candyman is a success and leads to more auditions. But she also knows there are no guarantees in Hollywood. It could go either way for me, she said. Thats sort of the question that all actors face. 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. President Moon Jae-in has called for tougher measures to deal with travelers from overseas spreading coronavirus. "A tiny hole can cause the levee to break," Moon said in a meeting Tuesday as if it had just occurred to him, and told officials to make sure that all arrivals from abroad quarantine themselves for two weeks. Unlike some other viruses, COVID-19 can be transmitted by carriers who show no symptoms. The latency period can perhaps last up to a month, and there is no test for antibodies and no solid information of how effective they are. That is why initial quarantine is so essential in combating the virus. But Moon himself left Korea's borders wide open to visitors from China, the source of the virus, in the initial phase of the epidemic. How could someone responsible for creating such a gaping hole possibly hector officials like that. Experts like the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and Korean Medical Association had repeatedly called on the government to restrict the entry of travelers from China, but the government blamed Koreans who returned from China carrying the virus. As the borders remained wide open, confirmed coronavirus cases have reached almost 10,000 and the death toll surpassed 160. The only reason Korea was able to contain the epidemic at this level was thanks to the active participation of the public in maintaining social distancing and other preventive measures plus the sacrifices of medical workers. Once Korea starts putting all arrivals from abroad in self-quarantine, their numbers would rise by 7,000 a day, reaching 100,000 in two weeks. That would require a tremendous number of administrative and quarantine personnel. Frontline public servants are already crying out for help, but the government says there is no problem. Among 100,000 people who arrived in Korea over the last two weeks, 10,000-15,000 are apparently foreigners. Why should the country have to strain its medical and financial resources for them? The government is in a bind. It does not want to admit its earlier mistake of not banning Chinese visitors altogether for fear of agitating Beijing and pouring cold water on prospects of a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping. But that means it has to leave the doors wide open to everyone even as Koreans are banned from most countries. Now Japan says it plans to ban visitors from Korea, China and the U.S. The president says, "A single individual must not be allowed to destroy everyone's hard work." Who is that single individual? As commercial flight services remain suspended, hundreds of planes across the country seem to be jostling for space at airports with some of them even being parked on runways and bays near them, according to industry officials. With the country under a 21-day lockdown in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, domestic and international flights have been banned till April 14. Cargo flights and special flights approved by aviation regulator DGCA are operating in the Indian airspace. The country's commercial fleet of aircraft is around 650 in number and most of them have been grounded. A few are being used to ferry cargo to and from different parts of the country, and some to operate special flights. The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is the country's largest aerodrome and has 194 parking stands for planes. This excludes stands available for "general aviation" purpose. General aviation refers to use of planes for recreation and chartered services, among others. The airport, operated by DIAL, handled 69.8 million passengers and 1.04 million metric tonne of cargo in 2019. It has three passenger terminals and one cargo terminal. State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh said it has been able to manage parking of planes. AAI manages 137 airports and out of them, 107 are operational. "So far we have been able to manage. In Delhi airport, a runway that is operational in normal times is being used to park aircraft," Singh told PTI. When contacted, a Delhi airport spokesperson said the aerodrome has 194 parking stands, excluding the stands for general aviation aircraft. "As part of normal operations, all parking stands are used on a daily basis including remote stands. While all three runways are operational, at present runway 9/27 is closed due to lack of demand," the spokesperson said. Budget airline AirAsia's COO Ankur Garg said that due to the temporary suspension of commercial air passenger services, airports have allowed airlines to park at the remote bay area near runways due to space constraints. "Many hangars are also being utilised as spaces to park the aircraft and we are not facing any shortage of parking bay at any of the airports. We have worked with the airports and managed to secure parking slots as per our requirements," he said. Low-cost carrier GoAir's spokesperson said all its aircraft are secured and parked at various airports. "We have worked with airports and managed to secure parking slots as per our requirements," a spokesperson for full service carrier Vistara said. Queries sent to the country's largest airline IndiGo, national carrier Air India and budget airline SpiceJet regarding parking of their aircraft remained unanswered. There was no comment from Mumbai airport operator MIAL. In a note on March 23, aviation consultancy CAPA said that suspension of flight services coincides with what can only be described as a destruction of demand in the last few days. "The timing of the resumption of services is entirely in the control of the government, but it will most likely be beyond March 31. As a result, the entire Indian commercial fleet of around 650 aircraft lies grounded. In fact, not a single scheduled aircraft movement will take place at Indian airports over the coming days, either by an Indian or a foreign airline," it had said. The note was issued before the 21-day nationwide lockdown that started on March 25 as part of efforts to curb spreading of coronavirus infections. Prior to the lockdown, India had suspended international flights and later domestic services. The ban period has been extended till April 14, when the lockdown is to end. As many airlines worldwide are curtailing their services and grounding planes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, social media is also abuzz with funny comments. "Confirming our fleet are parked up at least 2 metres apart #PhysicalDistancing," Air New Zealand said in a tweet on Monday along with a picture of parked planes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) He's been breaking up his self-isolation at home by taking bike rides. And on Tuesday, Adam Sandler was joined by his wife Jackie as he once again took his bicycle for a spin in his Malibu neighborhood. The actor, 53, and his bride of 17 years had plenty of room to roam as traffic was virtually non-existent as residents obeyed California's 'safer at home' order. Getting some fresh air: Adam Sandler took a break from self-isolating at home on Tuesday to enjoy a bike ride with his wife Jackie in their Malibu neighborhood Adam wore a gray hoodie and knee-length shorts for his exercise session. Jackie, 45, was more bundled up, choosing to pair a padded black jacket with black leggings, She wore a gray knit beanie pulled down over her long loose hair. The couple, who wed in 2003, share two daughters - Sadie, 13, and Sunny, 11. Casual: Adam wore a gray hoodie and shorts for his exercise session. Jackie, 45, was more bundled up, choosing to pair a padded black jacket with black leggings and gray beanie Happy together: The couple, pictured in February, married in 2003 and they share two daughters - Sadie, 13, and Sunny, 11 Earlier this month, Adam announced that he was postponing his upcoming comedy tour because of the coronavirus pandemic. 'We've been looking forward to this upcoming tour for a long time but after a lot of thought we have decided to postpone the March dates,' the Hollywood star tweeted. 'Health officials say that large gatherings should be avoided to help stop or prevent the spread of the coronavirus, so we will reschedule the dates once things are back to normal. 'Stay safe, wash your hands, dont make out with Schneider, and we will get through this like champs. Look forward to having a great night with you soon.' Adam reassured fans that their tickets would be honored for the rescheduled dates. Scrapped: Earlier this month, Adam announced that he was postponing his upcoming comedy tour because of the coronavirus pandemic Following the phenomenal success of his Netflix movie Murder Mystery which he produced and starred in with Jennifer Aniston, Adam has inked a lucrative four picture deal with the streaming giant. It extends his original agreement with the platform that he signed in 2014. His last theatrical release Uncut Gems was a critical and commercial success, garnering US distributor A24 its highest grossing domestic film with $50 million. Netflix had distribution rights for the picture internationally. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Yeah, let's just call it now: We're not really going anywhere fast at this point. But someday, we'll be able to roam freely about the world, and it will be just READ THE REST The CEO of Monzo has announced that he will forego his salary for 12 months and furlough staff amid rumours circulating on social media that the app-based bank is on the verge of collapse. There is no evidence that these claims are true. In an email to the firm's 1,500 staff, co-founder and chief executive Tom Blomfield also said that around one fifth of employees would be offered voluntary furlough for two months as part of efforts to overcome the economic downturn brought about by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Senior management will also take a 25 per cent salary cut according to the memo, which was first reported by TechCrunch. A source at Monzo confirmed the pay cuts and furlough offers to The Independent, describing them as precautionary measures in case the economic situation worsens. Mr Blomfield previously dismissed rumours circulating on social media that the online bank is facing financial difficulties. "Monzo is not going bust," he tweeted in March. "Source: I am the CEO." The firm also sought to calm fears in a blog post addressing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, stating: "We're well-equipped to keep Monzo running and support you, even if we can't make it to the office." Monzo has over 4 million account holders in the UK and was valued at over 2 billion in June last year following a 113m funding round. It is one of several UK challenger banks to experience massive growth in recent years, but alongside Revolut and Starling there have been fears that they may not be able to withstand the economic impact of the coronavirus. Trillions of dollars have already been wiped from global stock markets as a result of strict containment measures forcing shops and restaurants to close. A recent report by Rosenblatt Securities suggested that the Covid-19 outbreak could be particularly damaging for fintech valuations. The UK lockdown has reduced card spending and reportedly slowed new account signups for Monzo, prompting concerns over its future. Several Monzo customers that The Independent spoke to said they had emptied their accounts or transferred money out of them as a precaution. Monzo has consistently noted that, as a fully licensed bank, customer deposits are protected up to 85,000 by the UK government's Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Revolut CEO Nic Stroronsky addressed similar rumours in a statement last week aimed at reassuring customers and investors of the bank's financial health. "The coronavirus pandemic is causing unprecedented movement in financial markets. Naturally this can be alarming and can allow rumours and false information to spread quickly," he said. "To put your mind at ease, I'd like to make Revolut's position super clear. Last month, we raised $500 million from investors. So I want to make clear that for Revolut it's business as usual." Starling founder Anne Boden said that it is "business as usual" and that it remains well-funded. Love Island's Anna Vakili has returned to work as a pharmacist to help out during the COVID-19 crisis. The reality star, 29, took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal she had returned to her former pharmacy for the first time in nearly a year. Anna admitted that she wasn't planning on returning but due to the global coronavirus pandemic she 'felt wrong not to'. Return: Love Island's Anna Vakili has returned to work as a pharmacist to help out during the COVID-19 crisis The Love Island star shared a photo of herself wearing a beige trouser suit with a white top, face mask and gloves in a pharmacy. Anna penned alongside the snap: 'First day back working as a Pharmacist since leaving Love Island. It's been almost a whole year! Wow can't believe how fast it's gone. 'Wasn't really planning on registering yet but with everything that's going on it felt wrong not to. We can all fight this together. Stay safe. Stay home. Save lives.' Selfless: The reality star, 29, took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal she had returned to her former pharmacy for the first time in nearly a year 'Wrong not to': Anna admitted that she wasn't planning on returning but due to the global coronavirus pandemic she 'felt wrong not to' (pictured on Love Island over the summer) Anna's Love Island co-stars were quick to praise the pharmacist and applaud her selfless attitude. Best friend Amber Gill penned: 'My gorgeous girl you are amazing xx.' Amy Hart put: 'I am so proud of you xxxxxx.' While Laura Anderson sweetly gushed: 'Omg!!! I love you. Well done my girl. So proud!.' Praise: Anna's Love Island co-stars were quick to praise the pharmacist and applaud her selfless attitude Anna's return to pharmacy comes after fellow Love Island co-star Dr Alex George, 30, gave a first-hand report from the frontline of the current coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to Sky News after another 'emotionally challenging' A&E night shift, the former Love Island star predicted that 'the peak is still to come', revealing that he lost several patients during Monday night's shift. Alex spoke from his hospital in Lewisham earlier this week. 'Yesterday's shift was a particularly busy one. We had quite a few patients who were really quite unwell from coronavirus,' he said. 'Unfortunately, a few deaths as well which is always tough. Frontline: Anna's return to pharmacy comes after fellow Love Island co-star Dr Alex George, 30, gave a first-hand report from the frontline of the current coronavirus pandemic 'We're seeing the department is getting more and more cases of coronavirus and we're expecting that to continue over the next few weeks. I think the peak is still to come.' He went on: 'We saw a huge number of cases, particularly very unwell cases. What shocks us sometimes is that of course we're seeing a very skewed part of the population. We're seeing a small percentage very unwell, 90 per cent are recovering in their own homes. 'But we are seeing young people who are very unwell with it and that can be very challenging. We're only human. 'There are young patients, who don't have underlying conditions. It's very upsetting for the patient and for us as well. Concerns: Speaking to Sky News after another 'emotionally challenging' A&E night shift, the former Love Island star predicted that 'the peak is still to come', revealing that he lost several patients during Monday night's shift 'Of course I would say that is a rarity, most people who are fit and well will recover from mild to moderate symptoms, but there is no guarantee of that.' He added: 'At some points over the last few weeks we've had 20 or 30 patients in intensive care with coronavirus. 'There's always a limit to how many beds we've got, but we're not at that point yet and we are coping very well with the pressure. 'There's been a few scares, but we've not run out of resources in our department. We are trying to make sure we're as geared up as possible.' Taking to Instagram as he signed off his shift, he told his 1.3 million followers: 'It's been a hard shift. Challenging emotionally. Time for bed. Night all.' Emotional: Dr Alex shared a snap of a thank you card a little girl made him over the weekend - which left him moved to tears The day before, he shared a snap of a thank you card a little girl made him over the weekend - which left him moved to tears. He posted the sweet drawing of him in uniform to Instagram - gifted to him as he continues to battle the COVID-19 crisis with the rest of the NHS. Alex admitted that he 'sobbed' over the adorable card. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, alongside an image of the drawing, Alex penned: 'This was made by a lovely little girl who wanted to say thank you to NHS staff for their fight against the coronavirus. 'Needless to say I have been sobbing away at how cute this is. We are in this together. Lets do this. Thank you little Emma this has made my day x' Moved: The former Love Island star, 30, shared a snap of a sweet drawing of him in uniform as he revealed the kind gesture left him emotional He posted a video in which he said: 'A lot of you might have realised I am living by myself during this period going from A&E to home and keeping away from everyone, as I don't want to give [girlfriend] Amelia an illness. 'In the NHS or any other health care system around the world, I know a lot of us like myself are isolating alone and I know that can be not ideal, and lonely even. 'But we're in it so together and I just wanted to say to anyone that feels that way, you are not alone.' Alex has pleaded with fans to follow government guidance surrounding coronavirus as he continues to work on the frontline. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, alongside an image of the drawing, Alex penned: 'This was made by a lovely little girl who wanted to say thank you to NHS staff for their fight against the coronavirus' Taking to Instagram on Sunday, he shared a picture in his protective gear as he got to work on another shift at his hospital in Lewisham. In an impassioned video, Dr Alex stated: 'It's so important that everyone is staying at home, washing their hands and those in the vulnerable categories are doing their very best to isolate... 'My spirits are high, I feel we have enough protective equipment on the frontline to do out jobs as safely as possible.' Separated: The A&E doctor has been practising what he preaches, revealing that he has been living apart from his girlfriend Amelia Bath in order to reduce the risk of infection Updates: He has been updating his fanbase on social media from the frontline Days ago Amelia publicly praised her boyfriend for the work he's been doing during the pandemic. Alongside a picture of their two shadows, she penned: 'This afternoon I painted a mirror in the sunshine whilst drinking wine and listening to the Beach Boys. Meanwhile, Alex ran around Lewisham hospital treating Covid-19 patients. 'I'm so proud of him and I'm endlessly grateful for all the NHS staff and key workers who are working tirelessly during such uncertain times.' It comes days after Alex urged the NHS to provide complimentary car parking to all staff during the global coronavirus pandemic. Meal for one: 'A lot of you might have realised I am living by myself during this period going from A&E to home and keeping away from everyone, as I don't want to give Amelia an illness' With over 20,000 extra employees being called to help the fight against COVID-19, Alex has called for 'hospital car parks to be free', as a worker's vehicle was clamped after they were forced to park at their local leisure centre. The media personality, who returned to his career as an A&E doctor in November 2018, wrote on Twitter on Sunday evening: 'Controversial but maybe this is a good time for hospital car parks to be free for NHS staff? Retweet if you agree.' Alex admitted he was left emotional when he received a message which agreed with his statement: 'Should be free anyway. Bournemouth hospital staff parked at the local leisure centre, which is CLOSED, came out to find themselves clamped!!' [sic] In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, Weyerhaeuser Company WY provided an update on its operating activities. Devin W. Stockfish, president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser, stated, "Given the broad-based uncertainty regarding the ultimate economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking action to position our businesses for changing market dynamics and prudently enhancing our financial flexibility. Weyerhaeuser is operating from a strong financial position, and we have demonstrated that the company has the cost structure, agility, and resilience to deliver industry-leading performance through rapidly changing market conditions. Moreover, the company believes that it is well positioned to manage through the disruption. Notably, it has already undertaken proactive steps to safeguard the health of its employees. Financial Actions Weyerhaeuser has a strong financial position, with excellent liquidity, investment grade credit ratings of BBB/Baa2 and no debt maturities in 2020. Its 11 million acres of high-quality timberlands also provide strong asset coverage. Apart from these tailwinds, the company has undertaken certain precautionary measures to further strengthen its balance sheet as well as maintain flexibility and liquidity. It is limiting or deferring non-essential operating expenses; reducing 2020 capital expenditures by $70-90 million; and increasing cash on hand by $550 million through a draw on its revolving credit facility (expires in January 2025). The company has $950 million of capacity remaining in the facility. Moreover, Weyerhaeuser has received approximately $145 million cash from the sale of its Montana timberlands. Also, the company issued 4.0% notes worth $750 million, through a public bond offering with proceeds to be used to refinance its outstanding 2021 maturities. Operational Update Weyerhaeuser has been experiencing solid demand through late March. The company has been working actively to mitigate minor supply chain disruptions related to transportation and delivery of export logs, particularly in Asia. Moreover, it is adjusting operating capacity at certain manufacturing facilities, per customers sentiment and order flow. For April, the company expects to reduce operating capacity by approximately 20% for lumber, nearly 15% for oriented strand board or OSB, and 15-25% for engineered wood products or EWP, through temporary mill curtailments and reduced shift postures. Importantly, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security marked the forest products industry as an "essential critical infrastructure workforce", as timber and wood products supports critical infrastructure and construction projects as well as manufacturing of important personal hygiene items. Price Performance Share of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have plunged nearly 44% compared with the industrys 36% decline. Estimates for 2020 moved 2.8% south in the past 30 days. The downside reflects rapidly evolving market conditions due to the pandemic. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Meanwhile, market pundits are expecting the current market situation to prevail in the first half but will regain momentum by the second half of the year. Weyerhaeusers which shares space with Universal Forest Products, Inc. UFPI, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation LPX and Trex Company, Inc. TREX in the Zacks Building Products - Wood industry focus on improving the productivity of harvesting and hauling operations, reducing road cost, optimizing forestry spending as well as maximizing revenues from every log harvest is likely to drive growth. Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LPX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Universal Forest Products, Inc. (UFPI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Trex Company, Inc. (TREX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Why is this night different from all other nights? That famous question, posed by the youngest child at a Passover, or Pesach, Seder sparks it all - the traditional telling of ancient Israelites exodus from Egypt and freedom from slavery at the hands of the Pharaoh. But in this unusual year, children might want to know, Why is this Passover different from all others? After all, rabbis in Houston are asking congregants to change traditions in light of the coronavirus outbreak - to keep Seders safe and small this year. There are a number of ways COVID-19 is presenting a challenge this Passover - from closing community-wide observances and limiting the size of at-home Seders to making it difficult to shop for Kosher foods. Even explaining a pandemic to children can be complicated, said Rabbi Barry Gelman at United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston. Point out to your kids the times theyve struggled, and theyve been okay, he suggested. In a way, Gelman said, thats what Passover is about - looking into history to examine a tremendous struggle in an effort to boost hope in the present. Thats what we do on Pesach, Gelman said. We were slaves to the Pharaoh in Egypt. God took us out, and now were free. Thats such an important message right now. Its a hard time spiritually and emotionally. We have to stay optimistic - and smart about it. The rabbi has received a number of questions about Passover this year. Hes been told of changed plans and canceled flights. This is the first time, in a long time, that people wont be able to have Passover with their grandparents, and its really sad, he said. The whole point is sharing an intergenerational story of our people. That cant happen this year - and it shouldnt. Gelman will be leading by example. My parents are a 10-minute walk from me, he said. But theyre going to have a Seder for two. Celebrations for two - or even one - are completely permissible this year, Gelman said. He explained that pursuing health and preserving life are fundamental ideas in Judaism. We have to - this year unfortunately - be wary of that and act accordingly, he said. The way to serve God is usually to go to synagogue, he said. Today to serve God is not to go to synagogue. This is how, in this situation, we have to observe our religion. Its hard for people. It requires a bit of a pivot. Rabbi Gideon Estes of Congregation Or Ami will also demonstrate the importance of a smaller Seder this year. He usually celebrates with his parents and other family members, who visit from California. This time, no one is flying in. You might not be able to have a 40 person Seder this year, but you can do Passover on a small scale, and thats okay, Estes said. Rethinking how to keep the tradition alive is key, he explained. In a time of crisis, you can make certain exceptions to Jewish law, he said. For example, at Congregation Or Ami, Zoom and Facetime will be used to link family Seders. They can still be there in spirit using technology, Estes said. He added that individuals can be creative with staying Kosher during coronavirus. He encourages finding a way to buy matzah, which is usually available at grocery stores and even through delivery services. Other Passover treats might not be as easy to obtain as in years past. You dont really need all of the delicacies, Estes said. Fruits and vegetables are always Kosher for Passover. Its going to be a difficult situation. Theres enough stress in our lives right now. Passover doesnt need to be stressful. Estes suggests that individuals talk to their rabbis and find ways to adapt to the pandemic. Congregation Beth Yeshurun and Temple Sinai canceled their community Seders this year and have asked congregants to stay at home.Weve gone to an online platform for basically everything, said Rabbi Brian Strauss at Beth Yeshuran. Were going to give people tools and have resources together so they can have Seders with just their immediate families or by themselves. Strauss has an online class available to those who want to prepare for a Seder and will also offer a virtual service during Passover. Rabbi Annie Belford at Temple Sinai said that on the first night of Passover she will livestream her family Seder for those who would like to follow along at home. The congregation will also have a Facebook group to answer Pesach questions. Were not socially distancing, were physically distancing, she said. We have to stay connected. Passover is meant to be communal. Its meant to be a shared experience. Congregation Shaar Hashalom had to cancel its plans to join with Temple Beth Tikvah for what would have been the first time the two temples in Clear Lake hosted a Seder together. Hopefully, well do it next year, Rabbi Stuart Federow said. He sent a letter to his congregation asking them to use technology to connect with each other. I am asking you to call five other people in our synagogue, to contact, to reach out and touch someone, he wrote. Federow said that congregations are meant to come together; religion is supposed to be a form of connection. Im urging people to pick up their phones, and let people hear their voices, he said. Congregation Beth Israel is planning to create an abbreviated, pre-recorded Seder enhancement for its members, Rabbi Adrienne Scott said. She also recommends using Facetime and Zoom to still attend celebrations. Helping those who cannot travel to be with family is important, Scott added. We want to explore ways to bring Passover to them, she said. The meals follow a specific order, described by the Haggadah, or text for Passover. Part of the process involves discussing various symbols throughout the night. I would encourage families to take this time together to explain the meaning of each symbol, said Rabbi Steve Gross, of The Congregation for Reform Judaism. We can use this time, where we have lots of hours together. Each child or member of the family can do research on a particular symbol. We can make the Seder meal even more meaningful. Another idea Gross offered was spending time preparing Seder foods together. Maybe families can take this time to try making their own matzah, he said. The hours we have available to us enable us to spend more time as a family. Rabbi Scott explained that Passover is the most widely observed holiday for Jewish people. Its the oldest and has the most symbolism, she said. In fact, she explained that the idea of spring cleaning could date back to the Jewish practice of thoroughly organizing their home for Passover. During the holiday, Jews are not allowed to eat any leavened food, which is prepared with yeast or a rising agent - to symbolize the hurried flight from Egypt, when baking bread would have taken too much time. To prepare for the week of observane, the house is thoroughly cleaned, and all leavened bread or chametz is removed from the home and donated or even sold. Rabbi Scott said that this practice also promotes purging of symbolic chametz in your day. Youre removing those swollen aspects of your life, she said. Its to allow ourselves to be free of those barriers that are binding us in some way. During coronavirus, Scott added, there is more time to clean and clear homes and schedules of unnecessary items. This time reminds us of what we really need, she said. We all love our routines, our schedules. Now we have to adjust. This idea of adjusting - the ups and downs in life - is nothing new for our people. Rabbi Federow said that above all else, Passover is a celebration of freedom. Were not free right now to do whatever we want or go where we want, he added. What this does is remind us of the freedom we normally have. Its also a reminder of what we should value - person-to-person contact. We need to remember how precious our freedoms are. Rabbi Estes also spoke of the importance of continuing to build community. In this time of isolation and social distancing, we need to be intentional about making community, he said. We can still make community, can still reach out. We can look to our tradition to give us inspiration and hope to move forward. Community is one of the most important aspects that Texas A&M has cultivated, Pernia said. The giving spirit of current and former Aggies is what has allowed this program to succeed, and by us being able to extend a hand to these students cements that spirit of community." Two Valencia Hotel Group properties in Bryan College Station, The George and Cavalry Cour t, have partnered with Dorm Dish to help Aggie students in need of a meal. Carlos Pernia, Director of Food and Beverage for The George and Cavalry Court hotels, said the idea for the Feed Maroon program sparked out of a simple conversation between himself, Brian Hall, founder of the nonprofit Friday Harbour, and Austin Fanning, founder of Dorm Dish. After Brian Hall had spent a relaxing weekend poolside at Cavalry Court in College Station; he learned that students could be laid off as businesses started to shutter. Hall initially had the idea to feed 10 Texas A&M students for 10 days who had lost their jobs because of the Coronavirus, which soon escalated into the Feed Maroon program. Brian says This goes to show that ways to help are generally right in front of us and simply needs a catalysit and some partners to make it happen. The need to help these students was identified, and in a short three days we all worked together to start feeding the students and raising funds, Pernia said. A GoFundMe was organized by Dorm Dish to help generate funds to provide these meals. Within a matter of days, the money began flowing in. Weve had donations of all amounts, some enough to feed one student for a day, and others in upwards of thousands of dollars, Fanning said. Fanning said the idea behind this is similar to sponsoring an Aggie, and has hopes that it will continue long after the pandemic ends. The program currently sits just $1,300 away from its goal of being able to feed all 30 students on their list for the rest of the semester. Right now, we have 30 students receiving meals each day, with another 60 on our waitlist, Fanning said. We want to be able to feed every student who is struggling financially, which is where all of these donations come into play. In this partnership with the two Valencia Hotel Group properties, The George and Cavalry Court, Dorm Dish agreed to provide microwavable dinners to the students, with Valencia Groups catering service providing lunch. Meals are picked up at Cavalry Courts on-site restaurant, The Canteen, from 11:30 am 1:00 pm, Monday Friday. Community is one of the most important aspects that Texas A&M has cultivated, Pernia said. The giving spirit of current and former Aggies is what has allowed this program to succeed, and by us being able to extend a hand to these students cements that spirit of community. We know that as Aggies, we can make a difference to the current students, and they in part will rise up to meet the needs of future classes when they are able to. Through the Feed Maroon program, Fanning has not only been able to help feed students in need, but has also been able to share the programs prosperity with the community and the two hotels. To know that you are helping put food on the table for a student in need until they can get back to work or go back home to their families is such a great feeling, Fanning said. This entire program is a joint community effort. Once this is all over, we hope to have people come back and stay at The George and Cavalry Court as a thank you for their help during all of this. Monetary donations will be accepted via GoFundMe through April 28th. If youre an Aggie student in need of a meal, email feedmaroon@gmail.com to apply to be put on the list. About Valencia Hotel Group Houston-based Valencia Hotel Group is a fully integrated hospitality company that provides management, development, branding and repositioning services for independent, full-service hotels owned by the company, in addition to third parties. Exceptional service, style and location have become brand trademarks. Earning both national and international recognition for their distinctive designs, amenities and settings, Valencia Hotel Group properties are destinations and gathering places within their respective communities, some further benefitting from and enriching their space within the cultural heart of a city. The company continues to forge a niche with hotels that anchor and add value to urban, mixed-use environments, which further support or enhance the guest experience with superior residential, restaurant, retail and office components. The Valencia Hotel Group portfolio currently includes the Valencia brands: Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, CA and Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. In partnership with developer, Midway, include Valencia Hotel Groups The George in College Station, TX and Hotel Alessandra in Houston, TX. The Court concept brands include Lone Star Court in Austin, TX, Cavalry Court in College Station, TX, Texican Court in Irving, TX and coming soon Cotton Court in Lubbock, TX. For more information, please visit http://www.valenciahotelgroup.com To stay up-to-date with whats happening in Bryan College Station, visit experiencebcs.com and follow along on social media @ExperienceBCS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. A hot potato: Zoom recently got out of a messy situation where its iOS app was secretly sharing data with Facebook, but now another problem has reared its head that potentially affects user privacy on all platforms because of how the software's 'Company Directory' feature works. Zoom's sky-rocketing popularity seems to be a mixed blessing for the company, as yet another privacy issue crept up this week, involving leakage of personal information of thousands of users by exposing their email address and photo to strangers on the platform and potentially enabling the latter to initiate unwanted video calls. Also read: Zoom skyrockets to 200 million users, puts 90-day hold on features to address security flaws The problem this time isn't confined to Zoom's recently fixed iOS app, but as Vice notes, is related to how the platform's "Company Directory" setting is configured. While users who've signed up with the same company email domain are grouped together to make searches and calls easier with colleagues, some people who used their private email to join Zoom have had thousands of strangers added to their contacts list, all of whom Zoom perceives are working under the same organization as they have the same domain name. "If you subscribe to Zoom with a non-standard provider (I mean, not Gmail or Hotmail or Yahoo etc), then you get insight to ALL subscribed users of that provider: their full names, their mail addresses, their profile picture (if they have any) and their status. And you can video call them," said Barend Gehrels, a Dutch user who had 995 strangers added to his contacts list after signing up with an email domain from his local ISP. Another user experiencing the same issue notified their ISP, who couldn't rectify it on their end and asked the complainant to contact Zoom. The company officially exempts the aforementioned public domains from a users' Company Directory but notes that they need to submit a request for manually blacklisting non-standard domains. Zoom also blacklisted the specific domains highlighted by Vice in their report, but it remains to be seen how widespread the issue is for the millions of new users who've recently hopped on the platform for conducting remote meetings, taking online classes, and keeping in touch with their families. Update: In addition to the aforementioned problem, it's been documented (as reported by Bleeping Computer) that because of how Zoom handles URLs in group chats, any URL you send/receive is converted into a hyperlink. However, this could be used maliciously, if instead of sending a web link, you receive a UNC path (Universal Naming Convention), this will also be converted to a link. UNC paths are typically used for networking and file sharing (for example, \\127.0.0.1\C$\windows\system32\calc.exe). An unsuspecting user could click a malicious link, which would make Windows try to connect to a remote host using the Server Message Block (SMB) network file-sharing protocol. By default, Windows will send the user's login name and their NTLM password hash, which can be easily cracked. Zoom has been contacted so they can issue a fix, so the chat client does not convert UNC paths into clickable links. There are also some workarounds available, but in short, don't go clicking any links you are sent via chat, let alone if it's not a trusted contact. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment This is not the first time something like this has happened. A national tragedy occurs, and Christians get scapegoated and blamed. Remember Nero blaming the Christians for the burning of Rome? Today, it is an op-ed writer for The New York Times who blames evangelicals for the spread of the coronavirus in America and that would mean white evangelicals, to be sure. The Times headline is bold and provocative: The Road to Coronavirus Hell Was Paved by Evangelicals. Yes, Trumps response to the pandemic has been haunted by the science denialism of his ultraconservative religious allies. According to Katherine Stewart, the author of the article, Donald Trump rose to power with the determined assistance of a movement that denies science, bashes government and prioritized loyalty over professional expertise. In the current crisis, we are all reaping what that movement has sown. Is there any substance to her claims? Stewart quotes prominent evangelical leaders (one of whom is Hispanic, for the record) who downplayed the danger of holding public gatherings to the point of ridiculing pastors who chose to follow the governments guidelines. (My own stance has been quite the opposite, encouraging pastors to comply out of love for their neighbors as well as out of wisdom; see here and here.) Stewart also notes that some evangelical leaders in high places in the government have scorned the danger of the virus, outside of church settings. But where is her evidence that these pastors and leaders influenced Trumps policy decisions? What proof does she have? To be generous, we could call it specious. To be precise, we could say she has none. A court of law would not even find her reasoning worthy of being called circumstantial. Specifically, Stewart argues that Trump commonly differs with the experts during his press briefings on the virus. But where is her proof that this is because of outside religious influences rather than Trump simply following his gut? (She acknowledges that he does, in fact, trust his gut.) She also fails to consider that, for the moment, these are just words, while his policy decisions have followed the experts. She argues that Trump spoke of his hope that churches would be full again on Easter. But how does this prove that he is listening to evangelical voices in terms of science-based decisions? How is this different from his talk about getting businesses back open around that time as well? Why isnt this simply Trump seeking to instill hope? Stewart also fails to mention, by name, leading evangelical pastors who are close to Trump and who have fully complied with his guidelines. Is that because this doesnt fit her narrative? As for Trumps actions, it is true that, in the earliest days, he seemed to downplay the danger of the virus when speaking publicly. At the same time, he was combating the hysteria of the media, which would have us believe that 15 millions Americans could die of the disease. But what of his actions? He enacted the China travel ban in January, to the jeers of some of the left, with former Vice President Biden calling it xenophobia. As Tom Pappert pointed out on the National File on March 12, While Democrats in March attack President Donald Trump for not doing enough to end the coronavirus epidemic, the same Democrats were bashing the presidents decision to ban travel from China in January. In January, President Trump banned all foreign nationals who were in China during the time of the coronavirus outbreak from entering the United States. Many pundits and health experts have since credited this decision with helping to slow the coronavirus pandemic on American shores. To quote Biden directly, This is no time for Donald Trumps record of hysteria and xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia, to uh, and fear mongering. Yet according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, this ban made a real difference in saving lives. Does Stewart mention that? It is true that a recent Pew Research poll found that, Most white evangelicals don't think COVID-19 poses a major threat to Americans' health. But again, what does that have to do with life and death policy decisions that the president is making? Where are the evangelical ministers standing with him at his daily press briefings? And what of the large number of leading scientists who themselves are conservative Christians, like Katherine Hayhoe? According to The Washington Post, she is both an evangelical Christian and a climate scientist in fact, a top climate scientist. And she is just one among countless top scientists who are committed Christians, and some of them are close to the president. The bottom line is that there is zero factual support for the misleading and even dangerous Times headline. And Stewart has no support whatsoever that science-denying evangelicals are influencing the presidents decisions. To the contrary, wherever his gut and his optimism might lead, it appears that he is following scientific guidelines in order to save as many lives as possible. If Stewart had focused her article on the cavalier attitudes of some Christian leaders, I would added my hearty Amen, having written and spoken similar things as well. But the current article paints a false picture, recklessly scapegoating evangelical Christians in the process. When people are dying of the virus and tens of millions are afraid, this is a highly irresponsible thing to do. And whoever came up with the headline for the article has acted even more irresponsibly. Shame on him or her. A public apology and retraction would be a good place to start. LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Karen Lamp, M.D., associate medical director and director of the Briskin Women's Health program at Venice Family Clinic, on the implementation of the administration's regulations restricting the use of Title X funding, which went into effect on April 1: "These unconscionable and unethical regulations put low-income women's health at risk. Title X funds provide health care services to some 4 million low-income women nationwide. These services include birth control, wellness checks, breast and cervical cancer screening, and HIV and sexually transmitted disease tests. All are critical to women's health. "Under the regulations, health care providers have to choose between giving up Title X funds that are needed for these services or operating unethically by allowing the government to dictate what can and cannot be said to patients. "For instance, health care providers receiving Title X funds can only provide a patient seeking pregnancy options with a confusing list of clinics that may or may not provide the full range of options. Accurate and unambiguous referrals are vital because finding clinics that offer terminations, for example, has become increasingly difficult even in California. So if a woman finds herself choosing to terminate a pregnancy, these regulations require clinics receiving Title X funds to refer her to prenatal care. "At Venice Family Clinic, we will continue to provide health care services previously funded by Title X. We won't force our patients to choose between getting factual information and getting the care they need. "We call on Congress to repeal these regulations and protect the health of women who are struggling to make ends meet or who don't have health insurance." About Venice Family Clinic Venice Family Clinic is a leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality primary health care to people living in poverty. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Clinic has grown from a small storefront operation into one of Los Angeles' leading community health centers, providing care to nearly 28,000 men, women and children annually through 12 sites in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood and Culver City. The Clinic leads the way in providing comprehensive and integrated care by creating a one-stop health system that offers multiple services, often at the same locations and same time as primary care appointments. These services include dental care, substance use treatment, mental health services, vision screenings, child development classes, health education, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV/AIDS services, street medicine for people experiencing homelessness and health insurance enrollment services. For more information, visit VeniceFamilyClinic.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. SOURCE Venice Family Clinic Related Links http://www.venicefamilyclinic.org As the mother of four children, Maya Brown-Zimmerman wondered what home schooling would be like when Ohio suspended classes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To add to the fears that many parents share about it, her three school-age children all receive special education services. There is a reason I dont home school my kids, Brown-Zimmerman, 35, of Cleveland, told TODAY Parents. Trying to get the schoolwork done and taking into account for their behavioral needs, its not going to be possible. When Maya Brown-Zimmerman learned that she would be teaching her three school-aged children during the school shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19, she worried how she could teach things like math to children with individualized education plans and 504 accommodations. (Courtesy Maya Brown-Zimmerman) All three have different diagnoses and receive various levels of service from the school. Miles, 11, has anxiety and sensory processing disorder, and a 504 plan, which allows extra time to complete assignments. He also participates in a social skills group that helps him learn communication and coping. Julian, 9, has Marfan syndrome, so he types instead of writing, and has a physical accommodation because of his wheelchair. Ruby, 5, has autism and has speech therapy and behavioral goals to accomplish. Social skills had made a big difference for Miles, she said. He has really been thriving and Ruby has been starting to make improvements. While Ohio schools are closed until April 3, Brown-Zimmerman expects them to be shuttered for the rest of the year. The school put assignments up online and sent general educational information, but Brown-Zimmerman received little about what services would be available for her children. She worries that without the special education services her children might lose skills. There have been a lot of questions about what is special education going to look like if we dont go back to school, she said. It is not going to be possible to (provide) what they have at school. Miles, 11, and Julian, 9, have different educational needs and their mom wonder how she can prevent them from losing skills as she teaches them. (Courtesy Maya Brown-Zimmerman) Brown-Zimmerman and parents like her across the country are concerned about their children who need special education. And, a new fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Education adds to their fears. During this national emergency, schools may not be able to provide all services in the same manner they are typically provided, the memo stated. It may be unfeasible or unsafe for some institutions, during current emergency school closures, to provide hands-on physical therapy, occupational therapy, or tactile sign language educational services. Story continues The memo says the law is flexible during crisis. Peter Witzlers son Jackson, 4, was born with spina bifida, and early therapies and intervention made it possible for him to enter an integrative pre-K school program. There, he accesses physical therapy and occupational therapy. When the Montgomery County, Maryland, district announced it was closing its schools, Witzler didnt know how he and his wife, Lisa, could make up for the lost services. Its not just the PT sessions that he would get twice a week, but it's also having a special educator there, a trained professional, that can adapt the lessons and knows him and knows how to make sure he can access the curriculum, the 40-year-old union employee told TODAY. One on one time, that was really important to his development. Peter and Lisa Witzler's son has spina bifida and has benefited from an intensive pre-k program at his school. Now that schools are closed, they're trying tele-physical therapy but worry Jackson, 4, might lose skills without the regularly scheduled interventions. (Courtesy Peter Witzler) Jackson has started virtual physical therapy, but the family has yet to hear from the district about his special education services. We have not received anything specific, Lisa, 38, told TODAY Parents. He is more likely to have educational challenges because of his physical needs and children with spina bifida have delays in language and math. We worked really hard to try to put in place ways for him not to have the challenges and now we worry. Daya Chaney Webb shares that concern. Her son Sam, 16, has autism and has been struggling with the lax schedule of home schooling and social distancing. But she wonders what happens if he experiences a crisis. A lot of families experience a gap in services for intermediate care, the 44-year-old legislative advocate from Towson, Maryland, told TODAY Parents. Daya Chaney Webb's 16-year-old son, Sam, receives special education services. While he is adjusting to the new home schooling schedule OK for now, she wonders what options they will have if he needs some sort of intervention. (Courtesy Daya Chaney Webb ) While Sam seemed to adjust well to the schedule change at first, she worries about what she will do if he starts to panic and needs crisis intervention. Often his school offers this sort of support but she now thinks that she might have to take him to an emergency room or call the police. And she knows both of these organizations are providing important support to people with COVID-19. There will probably be a day where I just dont know what to do, she said. We cant predict what his emotional needs might be. The Witzler family takes a hike as they social distance to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Courtesy Peter Witzler) Traci Arway is a special education teacher in Ohio on special assignment where she trains other special education teachers. She says her heart is breaking because she can't be there for her students. "We're absolutely worried about all those same things," Arway, who has taught special education for 19 years, told TODAY. "It's hard emotionally because most of us have had our students for multiple years. We're really connected with them and it's just really hard emotionally not to be able to do what we know they need." Arway said that teachers are often receiving information about ongoing education piecemeal, making it hard to guide their students. "There was no direction," she said, "because this has never been done before." While she and other teachers have been calling families to provide support, she understands it's not the same. Arway knows that modifying a lesson for a student with an IEP is challenging but she encourages parents to be kind to themselves and think of the lived experiences they can give their children. "Do Zoom meetings so they're still working on their social skills," she said. "Go outside and play and work on those gross motor things, do those online yoga videos. Have them either typing or handwriting so that you're getting (practice) with those fine motor skills." Arway says this shows how essential schools are. "Society's learning the importance of the school building and what happens in that building," she said. The Witzlers agree. Its important that kids are getting services through the school system, Peter Witzler said. It's an educational issue. It's also a human rights issue. We have national legislation that generations before fought for so Jackson can get these services. NATO Foreign Ministers, who will hold a meeting by secure videoconference on April 2, will discuss a new package of support for Ukraine and Georgia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this during a virtual pre-ministerial press conference on Wednesday, April 1, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. What I expect foreign ministers to do is to agree on a new package of support for Georgia and Ukraine to further strengthen our partnerships, including holding joint exercises in the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance to NATO, he said. According to Stoltenberg, the new package of support will strengthen the political support and practical assistance of the Alliance for these two countries. ish 4.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The Boston Globes editorial board condemned President Donald Trumps response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the profound impact of the virus on the American way of life was preventable. As the American public braces itself for the worst of this crisis, its worth remembering that the reach of the virus here is not attributable to an act of God or a foreign invasion, but a colossal failure of leadership, it wrote, adding that the White Houses lackluster response has resulted in a delayed rollout of tests and medical supplies and left the president epically outmatched by a global pandemic. The months the administration wasted with prevarication about the threat and its subsequent missteps will amount to exponentially more COVID-19 cases than were necessary, the editorial board added. In other words, the president has blood on his hands. The board continued: Its not too much for Americans to ask of their leaders that they be competent and informed when responding to a crisis of historic proportions. Instead, they have a White House marred by corruption and incompetence, whose mixed messages roil the markets and rock their sense of security. Instead of compassion and clarity, the president, in his near-daily addresses to the nation, embodies callousness, self-concern, and a lack of compass. Dangling unverified cures and possible quarantines in front of the public like reality TV cliffhangers, he unsettles rather than reassures. The pandemic reveals that the worst features of this presidency are not merely late-night comedy fodder; they come at the cost of lives, livelihoods, and our collective psyche. The editorial boards message comes after the president announced he would extend social distancing guidelines to April 30, a reversal of his previous promise to have the economy up and running by April 12 despite protests from health experts and politicians alike. At least 4,066 people have died in the United States since the first death was recorded on February 29. By Express News Service RANCHI: In times of uncertainty, local businessman Rajesh Gupta is feeding over 500 poor and needy people in Ranchi as a mark of humanity. Gupta is humble as he says it is his effort to simply do his bit to ensure that the city does not sleep hungry. I prepare food myself for around 500 people every day and distribute it among the poor and needy people whom I see on the streets of Ranchi. Some of my friends in my locality, who also have nothing to do at home during lockdown, help me out in this work. They even help me sometimes with donations, says Gupta. The food is prepared at his backyard while ensuring all precautions of hygiene and nutrition in mind, he adds.Today, I distributed khichdi . Next day, I will be preparing vegetable pulao for them. Food is distributed twice in the morning and in the evening. We are also providing food to several people who arrived here from other cities and are stuck here, he says.It gives immense satisfaction when a hungry person gives blessings when food is served,he adds. Gupta continues with a single mission to ensure that he can feed as many as helpless people. The businessman also appealed other citizens in Ranchi to help at least five-ten persons every day in their localities. FIRs against 2 for spread of rumours The Dumka police on Monday registered FIRs against two persons for allegedly spreading coronavirus- related rumours on social media, a senior official said. Deputy Commissioner Rajeswari B. said the FIRs were registered at the Shikaripara police station. A Jacksonville man was arrested Tuesday after a woman told police she was stabbed Monday. The woman said she was stabbed in the arm about 9:55 p.m. Monday while in the 300 block of West State Street. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Wed, April 1, 2020 09:09 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec99b2 2 World Barack-Obama,tweets,Donald-Trump,coronavirus,novel-coronavirus,pandemic,COVID-19,health Free Former US president Barack Obama took a veiled swipe Tuesday at his successor Donald Trump, chastising those who have "denied warnings" of a deadly coronavirus pandemic and cautioning against ignoring the consequences of climate change. The popular two-term Democrat took to social media as the Trump administration finalized a controversial rollback of Obama-era vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards that were aimed at slowing global warming. We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. https://t.co/K8Ucu7iVDK Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 31, 2020 "We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic," Obama posted on Twitter. "We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall." The Republican leader's government has faced stark criticism for failing to heed early global alarms about the virus outbreak, after death tolls began to spike in places like China and Italy. The United States now has more than 165,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the most worldwide, and the US death toll has surged past 3,400 -- exceeding China's official toll. Obama's tweet included a link to a story about the Trump administration's new rules. In a statement, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation were rolling back "costly, increasingly unachievable fuel economy and vehicle CO2 emissions standards." The stringency of those so-called CAFE standards will now be increased by 1.5 percent annually through 2026, substantially less than the roughly 5.0 percent annual increases issued in 2012, the EPA said. So far, Obama has only rarely engaged in the 2020 presidential race, which features his former vice president Joe Biden as the Democrat likely to face Trump in November's election. The former commander-in-chief has not publicly endorsed any candidate in the Democratic nomination race, which has boiled down to Biden and leftist rival Bernie Sanders. Egyptian private airlines have called the civil aviation ministry to help them cope with losses incurred because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports. The ministry on its facebook page said chairmen of the companies have sought the ministrys help to stop the bleeding of losses suffered by the private companies and help them overcome this crisis. Egypt was the first African country to report a first coronavirus case on February 14. The country has since then confirmed 710 cases and 46 deaths, while 157 of the infected patients have recovered. To curb spread, authorities suspended all flights for two weeks on March 19. The measure has been extended to two other weeks to start from April 1, MEMO reports. Minister Mohammad Manar Enabah reportedly met Tuesday with a number of chairmen of boards of directors and representatives of Egyptian private airlines companies to discuss the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the private aviation sector. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram On March 31, CPJ and nine partner organizations wrote to the Secretary General and the Committee of Ministers at the Council of Europe to express concern about government restrictions on the media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The calls included asking officials to better collaborate with the Council of Europe Journalist Safety Platform, of which CPJ is a partner. This unique tool calls on governments to respond in writing to organizations press freedom concerns in Council of Europe Member States. The text of the letter can be found here. Face coverings are not required in California but could provide some additional protection against COVID-19 as long as people wearing them continue to practice social distancing rules and wash their hands, state health officials said Wednesday night. The California Department of Public Healths guidance on face coverings any cloth material that covers the nose and mouth was released after debates on the topic raged among politicians, scientists and doctors while guidelines continued to shift. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has remained steadfast in directing healthy people not to cover their faces during the pandemic, but said it is reviewing its guidelines. As many experts agree, Californias guidance stipulated that people should not wear N95 respirator masks or surgical masks, which are in short supply and needed for the frontline medical professionals who need them most. But other face coverings, like scarves, T-shirts or sewn masks, are an option that could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by blocking potentially infectious particles, especially from asymptomatic people, state health officials said. They could also help reinforce physical distancing. Still, there is little evidence to prove whether they work, according to the new guidance. Officials stressed that if people choose to wear face coverings in public, they must also continue to follow previous prevention guidelines like frequent handwashing, staying 6 feet from others, staying away from sick people and sheltering at home except for essential activities. Face coverings could provide some additional protection against COVID-19, but Californians should not have a false sense of security if they choose to wear them, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of Californias Health and Human Services. Shortly before the state guidance was released, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recommended city residents wear homemade face coverings in public. He reminded people they must still follow shelter-in-place guidelines. Research shows even a bandanna tucked in can have an effect of slowing down droplet spread, Garcetti said at a news conference. These face coverings are only effective together, of course, with safe physical distancing. So this is not an excuse to get closer. People who do choose to wear a covering should wash it frequently in hot water with laundry detergent after each use or at least each day, state health officials said. In Riverside County, health officials may have been the first in California to plainly urge people to cover their nose and mouth when they leave home for the doctor, the grocer or the pharmacy. All that caution comes amid a national shortage of the most protective kind of mask, the N95, and the recognition that doctors, nurses and other health professionals on the pandemics front lines are the ones who should get them. Nevertheless, people want to make up their own mind about whether to cover their face. We are in a germ warfare right now, said 70-year-old Dwaine Merida of Oakland, who on Wednesday wore a simple piece of cloth tied around his mouth and nose with a string as he waited for a bus. Merida, a retired construction worker, found the masks he used to wear on the job and now doesnt leave home without one. The virus isnt like the flu, he said. Of course people should wear them. Sarah Antonich, 33, doesnt think so. She walked her dog, Cooper, near her Oakland home Wednesday, happily mask-free. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. I keep my distance when Im out walking the dog, she said, adding that she avoids grocery stores and relies on a food delivery service. There are arguments to be made on both sides and everyone is making them. But few disagree that theres a shortage of the high-quality N95 masks that health professionals need, and that the general public should not try to acquire them. Not only are health professionals working with infected people, but maintaining a 6-foot distance is impossible in the examining room. So strong protection is essential. California has so far distributed 32.4 million N95 masks, but needs more than 100 million more to meet the demand for health workers, Newsom said Tuesday. He also emphasized another area of broad agreement: No face mask is as good at preventing virus transmission in the general public as handwashing and social distancing. They are not a substitute for physical distancing, Newsom said of masks Wednesday at his daily coronavirus briefing before the guidance was announced. They are not a substitute for a stay-at-home order. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Matt Kawahara contributed to this report. Sarah Ravani and Anna Bauman are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com But confirmed cases are rising at a slower rate than they were last week, officials note. The number of deaths from coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose by 27 percent in the space of a day, according to new figures on Tuesday that a senior cabinet minister described as shocking and disturbing. The government said 1,789 people had died in hospitals from coronavirus as of 16:00 GMT on Monday, an increase of 381 from Sunday, the largest rise in absolute terms yet. The increase in the number of deaths is deeply shocking, disturbing [and] moving, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said at a news conference, adding that it was not possible to predict when fatalities would peak. It depends on the actions of all of us, he added. We can delay that peak; we can flatten the curve through our own particular actions. The UK initially took a gradual approach to containing the virus compared with European countries such as Italy. 200326121826056 But Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed stringent controls after projections showed a quarter of a million people could die. Johnson has since become the first leader of a major power to announce a positive test result for coronavirus. The UK lags behind Italy, Spain and France in terms of the number of deaths, but they are still doubling approximately every 3.5 days. While that is similar to the trajectory of Italy the worlds worst-hit country when it was reporting similar numbers of deaths just over two weeks ago, British officials said on Tuesday that they saw tentative reasons for optimism. Official figures showed confirmed cases rose 14 percent between Monday and Tuesday to 25,150 as of Tuesday at 08:00 GMT, the third day of increases near that rate slowing from about 22-24 percent last Thursday and Friday. Were not out of the woods, were very much in the woods, and its really important that we keep complying with those instructions, said Stephen Powis, director of the National Health Service in England. But as you can see, the number of infections is not rising as rapidly as it was. So, green shoots, but only green shoots, and we must not be complacent, and we must not take our foot off the pedal. In Tuesdays daily news briefing held by a government minister, Gove said that mass-producing testing kits had been made more difficult as there was now a shortage of the relevant chemicals needed. But journalist Robert Peston, the political editor for ITV, reported the UKs Chemical Industries Association had said there was no such shortage. The government also announced the first medical ventilators which the UK has recently ordered from businesses would be ready this weekend and available to the health service next week. The UK government has been criticised for failing to join a European Union-wide procurement scheme for ventilators, instead asking leading British engineering firms to design new medical devices and repurpose their production lines to build them. London said it had not joined because it missed the invitation in an email mixup. The EU launched a joint procurement procedure on March 17 to buy ventilators on behalf of 25 member states, in a bid to cut prices and reduce competition among EU nations seeking the machines which help coronavirus patients breathe and are in short supply around the globe. The UK, which is entitled to participate in such schemes under an 11-month transition deal since leaving the EU in January, did not join it. That attracted criticism at home from opponents who accused the government of prioritising Brexit over breathing so determined to act independently of the bloc that it would risk public health in the coronavirus crisis. An EU spokesman said last week that British officials had attended several meetings at which the scheme was discussed, and the UK had been given a chance to say if it wanted to be included. NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the increasing numbers of global coronavirus pneumonia patients, Fosun's "Global Anti-Virus Relief Scheme" is continuing its efforts. Fosun Foundation donated the first batch of 18,000 pieces of masks to New York's NYU Langone Health and Mount Sinai hospital on March 28, followed by donations to other 15 hospitals in Chicago, Boston as well as states like New Jersey, and California. Fosun Foundation, together with Longfor Group and Beijing Heaven Pictures ordered N95 masks, Dupont Tyvek medical preventive suits and other medical supplies in the US as well as shipped from China to help ease the shortage at main hospitals within the major affected areas as the foundation boosts its efforts on fighting the coronavirus pandemic globally. The total donated materials include 69,700 masks and 2,300 medical suits. With a saying from President Abraham Lincoln "The better part of one's life consists of his friendship", Fosun wishes to highlight the friendship between the two countries and holding hands with every friends in fighting against COVID-19 pandemic. "As a globalized company, we hope to help the world win this coronavirus fight as soon as possible. We are deeply worried about the health and safety of our stakeholders in the US, and will continue to help as much as we can. Together we keep calm, unite to fight, and carry on," said Fosun International's Chairman Guo Guangchang. According to the real-time epidemic data by Johns Hopkins University in the US, as of 8:00 am on March 31 (Beijing time), the total number of confirmed worldwide cases of coronavirus has risen to 780,000, of which over 160,000 have been gradually diagnosed in the U.S. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the U.S. could become the "epicenter" of the global epidemic. This is Fosun's first batch of medical protection supplies to the US since Fosun has kicked off its second phase of operations against the coronavirus. As of March 31, Fosun has deployed 2.523 million masks, protective medical suits, and nucleic acids test kits in countries ,such as Italy, the U.S., France, Germany, the U.K., Portugal, Japan, South Korea, India, mostly overseas countries with rapidly growing epidemics. SOURCE Fosun Related Links www.fosun-international.com MANZINI The partial lockdown imposed by government has come up with scathing allegations against security personnel manning the hub. The security personnel deployed by government are from the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) and Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF). Some entrepreneurs within the hub claimed that some members of the security agencies had demanded that they pay a certain amount so that their shops would not be closed. These allegations came about when this reporter was visiting some of the shopping complexes that were illegally closed by the security agents. In fact, the hub of the country has a few shops operating as many were closed after they were classified not to be essential service providers by the law enforcers yet government was clear that businesses were allowed to operate, so long as they adhered to the precautionary measures of not more than 20 people in the shop, practise social distancing and have sanitisers for clients. Offered The business owners alleged that some of the security personnel had offered to let them operate their businesses as long as they gave them money. One of the entrepreneurs claimed that the security personnel had said they would let him operate his business if he paid them something. They said they would alert me if another group (of security personnel) was approaching. However, I did not pay because I did not have the money. The businessman claimed this happened on Saturday, which is the very day the clampdown on many businesses began. Efforts to establish why he did not report this to the officers superiors yielded nothing positive as he claimed that he did not want to get into trouble. I am only here for business and I dont want to have enemies as that would complicate my life, he said. Another entrepreneur claimed the same thing. He also said this happened on Saturday as police officers forced him to close his shop. The businessman also claimed that the police had offered to let him trade as long as he paid them E700. He further claimed that the officers were three in number and wearing blue uniforms. Insinuating that there were elements of corruption was another popular businessman in the country. A Zizzi chef was jailed for five months after being caught carrying a fake gun near Buckingham Palace. Narcis Brinzei, 21, and an unknown accomplice wore crash helmets to hide their faces as they walked down Park Lane on 13 March. The pair roused the suspicions of nearby police who approached them and asked Brinzei to take his hand out of his pocket. Narcis Brinzei, pictured, 21, was jailed for five months after being caught by police with an imitation BB gun while walking down Park Lane, near Buckingham Palace, on 13 March He tightened his grip on the weapon before officers drew their tasers and carried out a stop and search. They found a metallic gun hidden in his jacket which they later confirmed was an imitation BB gun. Brinzei, from Hanwell, Ealing, appeared via video-link from HMP Wandsworth and told the court he worked as a chef at the Westfield branch of Italian chain restaurant Zizzi. He claimed he had been told to carry the gun by his friend and was scared to refuse. Prosecutor Jason Seetal said: On 13 March just before 9pm officers while driving along Park Lane saw the defendant and another man. Officers tried to speak to them due to the fact they were wearing motorcycle helmets but had no motorcycle in sight so when theyd gone to speak to the defendant one officer was given instructions for them to stop and show their hands. Officers noted while the young man complied, the defendant seemed reluctant to take his hand out of his jacket pocket. They managed to detain the defendant at which point he removed his hand. They carried out a search and the officer who detained him noted that within the jacket pocket there appeared to be something large and heavy. Brinzei, from Hanwell, Ealing, told the court via video-link that he worked as a chef at the Westfield branch of Italian chain restaurant Zizzi (file photo) He reached into that pocket he felt a metallic item which appeared to be a dark black coloured handgun. He was arrested and transported to custody. He is of previous good character. The Romanian chef, representing himself, said: I dont know what Im supposed to say. He gave me the gun to handle it and he asked me to take care of it and to carry it. 'He asked me to put it in my pocket for no one to see. I was scared to say no. I didnt want it, thats why I didnt run from police. District Judge Sam Goozee said imitation guns were carried only to frighten and intimidate people. The judge said: Albeit this was an unloaded firearm and an imitation firearm and the risk to life is absent, such weapons are carried in order to frighten and intimidate people. There can be no other purpose. What is of particular concern is the circumstances in which you were found, faces concealed and at the time of the offence you were under investigation for serious drugs offences. I do take into account your age and the fact you have no previous convictions but this type of offence is so serious that only custody can be justified. Your sentence has been reduced to reflect your early guilty plea. Brinzei admitted possession of an imitation firearm and was handed a five-month prison sentence. - The new cases were confirmed by Burundi's Minister of Health Thaddee Ndikumana - One of the men had recently returned from Rwanda while the other came from Dubai - Two people were put in solitary confinement at the Bumerec hotel - The Burundi government had been exposed for subjecting coronavirus patients to unsanitary quarantine conditions Burundi has for the first time recorded cases of COVID-19 after two people tested positive to coronavirus. The cases were announced by the country's Minister of Health Thaddee Ndikumana on Tuesday, March 31. READ ALSO: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus, to continue presenting news Burundi has for the first time recorded cases of COVID-19 after two people tested positive to coronavirus. Photo: Taarifa. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Bob Weighton: British man confirmed as world's oldest man living at 112 years According to the Ministry of Health, the cases confirmed include two Burundian men. One of them, a 56-year-old, had recently returned from neighbouring Rwanda while the other, a 42-year-old, landed from from Dubai. Two people who were in solitary confinement at the Bumerec hotel have tested positive, Thaddee Ndikumana said. READ ALSO: Star Wars actor Andrew Jack dies from coronavirus Ndikumanas announcement broke the silence on COVID-19 situation that the country had persistently denied having anyone either in confinement or positive. Speaking about the countrys exposure to the virus, President Pierre Nkurunzizas spokesperson recently said Burundi was an exception because it is "a country that has put God first". The Burundi government had been exposed for subjecting coronavirus patients to unsanitary quarantine conditions. READ ALSO: Herd of goats take over Welsh streets during COVID-19 lockdown People sleep in the courtyard and reception of a hotel, a makeshift and overcrowded quarantine site in Kobero, Ilaria Allegrozzi a Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher said. Allegrozzi further shared photos of patients exposed to very bad conditions. Burundi was among eight countries that had not yet recorded any cases of coronavirus. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Doctor sings for COVID-19 patients to help them cope African countries yet to record the COVID-19 cases include Lesotho, Comoros, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Botswana, Sao Tome and Principe and Malawi. More than 1,800 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across Africa. Countries in the continent are imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:06:05|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ACCRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's total COVID-19 cases have increased by 34 to 195, the Minister for Health Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said here on Wednesday. Although the minister did not give the specific details regarding the new cases, he said all the cases had been isolated and treated. Three cities, namely Accra, Tema and Kumasi, in addition to Kasoa, a market community near the capital have been under partial lockdown since Monday, as the government intensifies efforts to contain a further spread of the virus. Ghana has so far recorded five deaths from the recorded cases of COVID-19 in the country, after carrying out 4,560 tests. The minister added that the security agencies were still searching for a COVID-19 patient who had escaped in Tamale on Monday. Warning people who take out their vehicles on roads deyfing the lockdown not to treat as an April Fool prank, his message that their cars and bikes would be seized, DGP Praveen Sood said here on Wednesday that the prohibitory orders in the state would be strictly enforced. "This is not an April Fool's prank. Two/four wheelers are banned from use till the 14th of April. We will SEIZE your vehicle if you CEASE to ignore this lockdown regulation," he tweeted. The directions came following reports about people violating the Government Order to stay home to avoid contracting the coronavirus, the numbers of which are increasing in the country. Just a day earlier, Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao had said in a message that the polie will seize the vehicle if they found anyone roaming in the city without any reason. (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 Dedek Hendry, Jon Afrizal and Ganug Adi Nugroho (The Jakarta Post) Bengkulu/Jambi/Surakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 15:12 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee3aea 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,outbreak,pandemic,Bengkulu,Jambi,surakarta,death Free Bengkulu recorded its first COVID-19 death on Tuesday after a 50-year-old resident of South Lampung regency in Lampung, identified only as NS, died at Muhammad Yunus Regional General Hospital in Bengkulu. NS was admitted to the hospital on March 24 after showing COVID-19 symptoms. He was being monitored for the coronavirus prior to his death. The hospital obtained on Monday evening the patients test results of his sample, which showed that the patient tested positive for COVID-19. NS died at 7:30 a.m. [on Tuesday], Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah said during a press briefing on Tuesday. NS was part of a congregation holding an Islamic mass gathering in Gowa, South Sulawesi, from March 19 to 22. He returned to Bengkulu on March 20 and stayed in At-Taqwa Grand Mosque in the city. Starting today [Tuesday], we declare a state of emergency in Bengkulu, the governor said. Rohidin urged the Bengkulu mayor, as well as the police and military, to isolate congregation members staying at At-Taqwa Mosque and restrict people from entering the mosque. He also ordered Bengkulu citys COVID-19 task force to track down and test all people suspected of having had direct contact with the patient. Read also: COVID-19: Major roads closed as regions brace for large-scale social restrictions I want to break the chain of COVID-19 transmissions. Im asking all regencies and cities to track all congregation members in their respective regions as most parts of Sumatra Island have become COVID-19 red zones, the governor said. The Bengkulu city administration has allocated Rp 200 billion (US$12 million) of its budget for COVID-19-related matters. It also took several measures to curb the spread of the disease, including closing schools until April 12 and ordering pregnant and breastfeeding civil servants to work from home. The administration also instructed the city-owned tap water company not to charge low-income households. The government reported 1,528 confirmed cases nationwide, with 136 deaths and 81 recovered cases as of Tuesday. The virus has spread to 32 of the country's 34 provinces, leaving Gorontalo and East Nusa Tenggara as the only regions with no confirmed COVID-19 cases. Bengkulus neighbor, Jambi, had two confirmed COVID-19 patients on Tuesday. Jambis COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Johansyah, said two patients who were being monitored tested positive and were receiving treatment at M. Thalib Hospital in Kerinci regency, Jambi. Read also: Turf war undermines COVID-19 fight in Indonesia Jambi health authorities were monitoring 1,000 for COVID-19 as of Tuesday. In Surakarta, Central Java, three people being treated at Moewardi General Hospital tested negative for COVID-19. These people are still required to be in self-quarantine in their homes for 14 days to make sure that they are fully healthy, Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo said on Monday, urging residents not to discriminate against them. Surakartas COVID-19 task force chief, Ahyani, said at least three Surakarta citizens had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday. Two of them died of the disease, while one recovered. 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By late last week, the average price of Brent crude in the London platform hit $30.40 per barrel for May contracts, down 30 per cent since late January, and the average price of WTI oil was $24.96 per barrel for April contracts, down 20 per cent in the same time. Laying behind such a price drop is a shrink in demand for transport and travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, and not a reduction in crude oil supplies. The falling oil price will affect the state budget as Vietnam is also an oil exporter In March, Standard Chartered forecast that the global oil price would hover at $29-35 per barrel, while the fresh projection of the International Energy Agency reached $38-43 per barrel, and Morgan Stanley also predicted the price to be around $50 per barrel this year. Vietnams Ministry of Finance (MoF) earlier aimed to see a price of $60 per barrel for 2020. Following such a price decline, two weeks ago, the cost of petrol E5RON92 and RON95 in Vietnam were reduced by over VND2,000 (8.7 US cents) per litre. Prices of other items such as diesel and kerosene have also lowered remarkably. Many logistics firms such as locally-invested Azina Logistics and Singaporean-invested Indo Trans Logistics Corporation (ITL) said they are currently benefiting from a reduction in oil prices. A source from ITL told VIR that each month the firm has to spend hundreds of thousands of US dollars on petrol to fuel its 200 tractor trailers and 110 trucks. Petrol is now accounting for 35 per cent of the firms transportation costs. The reduction in petrol price can help hundreds of other logistics firms in Vietnam reduce input costs. For example, it can help ITL save 4-5 per cent of transportation costs, especially in the context that a reduction in goods transport demand is driving logistics firms into increasing difficulties, the source said. In another case, Azina Logistics possesses 100 trucks and petrol is occupying 30 per cent of the companys costs. A reduction in petrol price has been good news for firms like us, a firm representative told VIR. However, other costs are also on the rise. We hope that the petrol price will stay on a downtrend. Meanwhile, many production enterprises like Vietnam Stone Work Top Fabrication also sees the oil price drop as a cost saver. Currently, oil cost accounts for a significant part of the firms total costs. Its good news, especially in the context of rising costs in material inputs, said a firm source. All transport firms and those engaging in delivery services and producing materials from crude oil will benefit. According to the MoF, the falling oil price will help local production bounce back as fuel accounts for a significant part of local enterprises' costs, especially those involving transport and production which are now bogged down in difficulties caused by the current health crisis. However, a drop in crude oil price in the global market has also been responsible for a fall in Vietnamese state budget revenue, because the country is also an exporter of crude oil. In the first two months of 2020, Vietnams revenue from crude oil totalled $122.4 million, down from $378.26 million in the same period last year. Notably, the total was reaped not based on an average price of $50 per barrel in February, but a high price of $68 per barrel fixed previously. State-run PetroVietnam is reported to be suffering from a loss of $2.35 billion from this drop. The MoF said that a reduction in global prices will likely lead to a decrease in Vietnams crude exports, causing a dent of VND7-17 trillion ($304.35-739.13 million) to the state budget in 2020. Under PetroVietnams plan, in 2020, `the group will exploit 10.62 million tonnes of crude oil, 9.74 billion cubic metres of natural gas, and produce 21.6 billion kWh of power and 1.56 million tonnes of nitrate. It will also manufacture 11.8 million tonnes of petrol. Total revenue this year will be VND640.9 trillion ($27.87 billion). VIR Nguyen Dat PetroVietnam may buy crude oil to store As Covid-19 has been escalating and the oil price has fallen, the national oil and gas group PetroVietnam is considering several possible scenarios, including mine closure. It is also considering buying crude oil to store. PALO ALTO, Calif., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the firm's busiest year to date and acquisition of PCF Insurance, the first investment from HGGC Fund IV, leading middle-market private equity firm HGGC today announced several team changes to support its rapid growth. Foremost among these are the promotion of Dan Stanko from Principal to Partner, and the addition of Chris Heim, former CEO of HGGC portfolio company HelpSystems, who has more than 20 years of experience as a technology industry executive. "I'm proud to say careers are made at HGGC," said Rich Lawson, Chairman, CEO, and co-Founder of HGGC. "We attract talent from some of the industry's biggest players who, like Dan, are drawn to our approach, reputation, and track-record. It is great to have a team that has grown with the firm, and fully understands our vision of opportunity in the market." Dan Stanko has been promoted from Principal to Partner. Since joining the firm in 2018, Stanko has been active in the firm's Fund III investments in HelpSystems and Mi9 as well as Fund II investments in AutoAlert and Dealer-FX. He was previously involved with the firm's exited investment in Innovative. Prior to HGGC, he spent nearly a decade at Bain Capital, where he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, and driving value creation across existing and new investments, specializing in industrials and TMT. Prior to Bain Capital, Stanko served as an Analyst in the Private Equity Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He holds an MBA from Stanford, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and graduated with the highest distinction from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and East Asian Languages. Chris Heim joins HGGC as Executive Director after doubling the size of HelpSystems, where he currently serves as Executive Chairman. Heim's two-decade career in leadership at technology companiesincluding multiple CEO roles at high-growth companies including Axium Software, Amcom Software, and HighJump Softwarebrings HGGC great operational expertise. For his work, Ernst and Young named Heim Entrepreneur of the Year. Chris earned a bachelor's and an MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas. Other promotions and additions include Steve Marino, who has been promoted to Principal, and Victor Rudo, who joins HGGC as a Vice President following his graduation from Stanford's MBA program and a 2019 summer internship at HGGC. Marino joined the firm in 2016 and leads its investor relations efforts. He significantly contributed to the firm's prior $1.85 billion HGGC Fund III fundraise that closed at its hard cap in December 2016 after less than 100 days in the market. Prior to joining HGGC, Marino spent four years in Evercore's Private Funds Group, where he covered institutional limited partners in the Western United States. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and American Studies from Middlebury College. Prior to business school, Rudo served as Director of Strategy at Ascentis and spent three years at Summit Partners, where he was responsible for identifying, evaluating and managing investments in the technology sector. Rudo was previously an Investment Banking Analyst at William Blair. He holds a bachelor's degree with honors in Business Administration from Emory University. About HGGC HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, California, HGGC is distinguished by its Advantaged Investing approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses at attractive multiples through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Over its history, HGGC has completed 150 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $25 billion. More information is available at www.hggc.com . Media Contact: For HGGC: Edward de Sciora Stanton [email protected] 646-502-3538 SOURCE HGGC Related Links http://www.hggc.com Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on November 2, 2018. Thomas Peter/Getty The US intelligence community has determined that the Chinese government concealed the extent of its coronavirus outbreak and gave false statistics to other countries, Bloomberg News reported, citing three US officials. Officials transmitted a classified report of their findings to the White House last week. Bloomberg described its sources as saying that the report's main conclusion was that China's public reporting of coronavirus cases was "intentionally incomplete" and that its numbers were fake. China was the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak until last week, when the US's number of cases surpassed China's. US and other Western officials have repeatedly expressed skepticism about China's numbers. Residents of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, have also publicly doubted the government's reporting. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The US intelligence community has determined that the Chinese government concealed the extent of its coronavirus outbreak and gave false numbers of cases and deaths in the country, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing three US officials. Intelligence officials transmitted a classified report of their findings to the White House last week. Bloomberg described its sources as saying that the report's main conclusion was that China's public reporting of coronavirus cases was "intentionally incomplete." Two officials told the outlet that it found that China's numbers were fake. China was the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak until last week, when the US's number of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, surpassed China's. The World Health Organization declared it a pandemic on March 11. As of Wednesday, more than 885,000 people across the globe had been infected and more than 44,000 had died. China had reported 82,361 confirmed cases and 3,316 deaths, according to a database from Johns Hopkins University. The US had reported 190,089 positive cases and 4,102 deaths. Story continues The outbreak originated late last year in the city of Wuhan, in China's Hubei province. As more and more people got sick, China's communist government implemented strict lockdowns and ordered residents to stay inside while officials raced to contain the spread of the virus. Bloomberg reported that there had been significant doubt about the reported coronavirus statistics from the Chinese government, which had repeatedly changed its methodology to track cases. For instance, the Bloomberg report said, Chinese officials for weeks excluded asymptomatic people from the positive-cases count and revised that measure only on Tuesday, adding more than 1,500 cases to its total. US officials have repeatedly accused China of covering up information about its coronavirus cases and of spreading misinformation. China was "the first country to know about the risk to the world from this virus," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a news briefing last week, "and they repeatedly delayed sharing that information with the globe." "This data set matters," Pompeo reiterated on Tuesday, adding that the strategy for combatting the virus "depends on the ability to have confidence and information about what has actually transpired." Chinese officials have pushed back on the allegations. Geng Shuang, a Chinese foreign-ministry spokesman, said after Pompeo's comments last week that China had been transparent and shared accurate information with the US and other countries. Dr. Deborah Birx, a State Department immunologist and one of the faces of the White House's coronavirus task force, also suggested on Tuesday that there was a discrepancy between the numbers China reported and its actual cases. She said the medical community used China's data to gauge the scope of the outbreak, initially concluding that it was "serious, but smaller than anyone expected." But "I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data," she said, "now that we see what happened to Italy and we see what happened to Spain." Reuters reported on Sunday that almost a week had passed since a coronavirus case was reported in Wuhan, as new cases flatten across China. But some Wuhan residents have said they think government officials have not accurately counted the deaths. A truck driver in Wuhan told the magazine Caixin that he delivered about 5,000 urns to a single funeral home over two days last week, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday. A photo in Caixin's report, according to the Post, "purportedly showed 3,500 urns stacked on the floor of the funeral home." The official death toll in Wuhan "can't be right ... because the incinerators have been working round the clock," one resident who identified himself by his surname, Zhang, told Radio Free Asia last week. "So how can so few people have died?" Zhang asked. Radio Free Asia described some people as saying on social media that Wuhan's funeral homes were "handing out 3,500 urns every day." Insider could not independently verify the outlet's reporting, but Radio Free Asia said that at that rate, about "42,000 urns would be given out" from March 23 to April 5, when a traditional grave-tending festival begins. Another resident who identified himself by his surname, Mao, also said he thought the official death toll was wrong. "Maybe the authorities are gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that people will gradually come to accept the reality," Mao told Radio Free Asia. Read the original article on Business Insider By Trend While the world is fighting against coronavirus pandemic, the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh held the so-called "parliamentary and presidential elections", Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Chairman Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) said, Trend reports. They suffered a political collapse once again. One of the reasons is that all the so-called 'elections' organized by the unrecognized separatist regime have not been recognized by any state and are not being recognized. We have witnessed this for many years, Ahmadov said. Another reason for holding the so-called elections on March 31 by the separatist regime is related to worldwide concern over the spread of coronavirus infection. Earlier, some states declared non-recognition of the so-called "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh. Now, these states could not pay due attention to this process because of the epidemiological situation, the deputy prime minister noted. The so-called "elections" were held by an unknown regime that no one had seen and does not want to see. No one heard or even wanted to hear about it. It is unlikely that this failure would affect "the pride" of the separatists, because the Armenian nationalists and separatists have always looked for an opportunity to carry out their dirty deeds. In this, they have no equal. In carrying out their activities, they could not and did not miss the fact that the whole world was distracted to fight against coronavirus. But, as always, their vile behavior will backfire on them," Ahmadov concluded.. MIDDLETOWN Local authorities are investigating an incident involving racial slurs made by an unknown individual during the school districts online presentation that outlined its new system of e-learning. The incident Sunday night occurred at the outset of a community forum conducted on the Zoom platform by information technology technician Damian Dontfraid, according to Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner. He was doing a great job. He pushed his way through it, ignoring it, Conner said of Dontfraid. The online forum was used as more and more Americans are turning to webinars as an alternative to in-person conferences, following the presidents order last week that extended the practice of social distancing another month due to the spread of coronavirus. Chief academic officer Magda Parvey also spoke during the 6 p.m. presentation. Both she and Dontfraid are African Americans. Middletown police are investigating the incident. Lt. Heather Desmond said Tuesday evening its too early in the investigation to determine if charges are forthcoming. Common Councilman Ed McKeon, a former member of the Board of Education, was also watching the live broadcast, said: Its disgusting and intolerable, uncalled for, and terrible. In the beginning, I saw the n-word maybe 50 times. They just printed it again and again and again and again. Other people in the chat immediately reacted and were telling this individual to stop, but were unsuccessful, McKeon said. The district posted the video to its Facebook page after removing the comments portion. Zoom could not be reached late Tuesday. Conner, who said these streamed meetings are open to the public, condemned the persons actions: We have to be strong and deepen our focus as racism and bigotry and these inappropriate things happen. The district has put preventative measures in place so nothing like that will ever happen again. When people go low, we go high, he added. Mayor Ben Florsheim acknowledged tensions are running high during the coronavirus pandemic as people across the country are isolating themselves from one another to prevent the spread of Covid-19. My guess and hope is this was a random, one-off thing coming from somebody outside of Middletown, but we cant assume that. We have to take this with some of the other unfortunate events being dealt with as a community and within the schools on race. This needs to be taken no less seriously than that, Florsheim said. He took to Facebook Monday with a statement to the community. This weekend has been full of beautiful acts of solidarity and love by members of our community from ringing bells to turning on porch lights to teachers visiting students in their neighborhoods with a honk and a wave. Amid a crisis, we are showing one another what it means to be Middletown. It is appalling to me that someone would take advantage of this fragile moment to foster hatred and division. This is, unfortunately, still part of the reality were living in, Florsheim said. Even in 2020, Conner acknowledged these sorts of racial attacks continue to take place across the nation. Weve got a lot more work to do, and were not going to stop. People have taken advantage of web meetings on any platform people are using to do the essential work they need to be doing, the mayor said. Many of those on the livestream didnt see the exchanges because the chat function is a scrolling one. Initial comments are at the very end of the thread, McKeon said. The FBI reported this week about an increasing number of incidents involving hijacked teleconferences, using the term Zoom-bombing. Apparently its happening all over the country where racist individuals are looking at an opportunity to create havoc, McKeon said. In February, the district was equally praised and criticized over the content of a nontraditional Black History Month celebration during which students shared their truths of what its like to be African American. In January 2018, a student waved a Confederate flag on the grounds of the high school, prompting a flurry of condemnation on social media. Considering whats happening locally, people are more sensitive to it and should be more sensitive to it. Its horrifying this exists still, and these professional people who are trying to do the best for the community working hard have to be subjected to this terrible insult, McKeon added. The mayor said he was angered and saddened to hear about the abhorrent racial slurs. We do not tolerate hate speech in our community and it is appalling to me that someone would take advantage of this fragile moment to foster hatred and division, Florsheim added. Conner said the situation is not being taken lightly. Weve got a lot more work to do, and were not going to stop. People have taken advantage of web meetings on any platform people are using to do the essential work they need to be doing, the mayor said. Many of those on the live stream didnt see the exchanges because the chat function is a scrolling one. Initial comments are at the very end of the thread, McKeon explained. Its disgusting and intolerable, uncalled for, and terrible. The FBI reported this week about the increasing number of incidents involving hijacked teleconferences, using the term, Zoom-bombing. In February, the district was equally praised and criticized over the content of a nontraditional Black History Month celebration during which students shared their truths of what its like to be African American. Its horrifying this exists still, and these professional people who are trying to do the best for the community working hard have to be subjected to this terrible insult, McKeon said. Tenth-grader Fredy Rubio, 16, center, and his mother, Carolyn Chavez, pick up a laptop last week at Linda Esperanza Marquez High School in Huntington Park for schoolwork at home. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) California public school campuses are unlikely to reopen for the remainder of the academic school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Tuesday in a letter to school district officials. "Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year," Thurmond wrote. Earlier, Thurmond had resisted suggestions that there was no hope for returning to campus. His letter represented a shift in direction and echoed views that Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed two weeks ago, which the governor reiterated Tuesday. Newsom said at a briefing that an announcement on the fate of the school year could come "in the next day or two." Seven states have already shut down campuses for the remainder of the school year, according to tracking by Education Week. Others appear headed in that direction. Los Angeles Unified, the state's largest school system, closed its schools on March 16. L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner recently extended that campus closure to May 1, in line with recommendations from the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The extended school closures present numerous questions that state education leaders must answer. School districts have yet to receive firm state guidance on how students should be graded, how attendance requirements will be modified and how graduation requirements could be affected, said L.A. school board President Richard Vladovic. "Theres a plethora of issues that need to be discussed with all the districts," Vladovic said. "We have to move as a state. It has to be consistent throughout the state because otherwise kids are going to be cheated. In his letter, Thurmond said the sobering reality should compel school systems redouble their efforts to keep students learning. "This is in no way to suggest that school is over for the year, but rather we should put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning," Thurmond wrote. Story continues Newsom acknowledged that much work needs to be done to make sure that instruction is reaching students. "We have more work to do: internet connection, rural issues, and still trying to address the anxiety of parents like me and my wife and millions of others about whether or not kids are going to go back to school this calendar year or not," Newsom said. "I have been clear in my belief they will not, but let me announce formally what the superintendent of public education believes and what the superintendents believe and expect that announcement in the next day or two." In a news conference that largely addressed other issues, Newsom said that Thurmond had been on a group call Monday with the superintendents of each county, with part of the discussion focusing on efforts to feed students. So far, about 73 school systems are offering meal programs, Newsom said. Although that figure represents a small minority of the state's 1,037 school districts, it includes some of the largest such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno and Long Beach. L.A. Unified alone is handing out more than 400,000 meals a day to all who ask, according to the district. In addition, Thurmond "also talked about the calendar, talked about the summer coming upon us," Newsom said. "He talked not just about the calendar this spring but the fall calendar, talked about how people in communities large and small, districts large and small, have different expectations when they may or may not come back. We are working together to go together, to formalize a much more robust framework." L.A. Unified moved swiftly and is spending $100 million from its reserves to purchase computers and internet access for students who need it. Even so, district Supt. Beutner disclosed Monday that the district has been unable to connect with about 15,000 high school students, more than 12%. In addition, about one-third of high schoolers are not interacting with their teachers on a typical school day. Some of these students, however, may be completing assignments that don't require a daily check-in. L.A. school board member Jackie Goldberg said district employees have made a Herculean effort to connect with and serve students in a district where 80% are members of low-income households. "We are trying to hook up every single child to the internet, not only during this period of distance learning but so they will still be connected when they get back in school," Goldberg said. "Nobody has ever tried to do that in a district this size before. People are working seven days a week, 24 hours a day." Times staff writer Sonali Kohli contributed to this report. Assam Police on Tuesday distributed food among the people hailing from low-income groups struggling to earn their daily bread owing to the 21-day nationwide lockdown. In the state of Assam, the police are spearheading this effort to distribute food among the needy in Guwahati. Meanwhile in the capital, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel distributed food among the needy at the New Delhi Railway Station, amid the lockdown. Railway Protection Force personnel had on Sunday distributed food to needy in Patna amid lockdown due to COVID-19. Senior Commandant, RPF SKS Rathore, said, "Food is being prepared at IRCTC kitchens and our personnel are distributing it to poor." "We are following social distancing norms and also guiding them to do the same," he said. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Under the law, those who have resided for a period of 15 years in Kashmir are eligible to become permanent residents. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir The Indian government has announced a new set of laws for Indian-administered Kashmir, including domicile rights for Indian citizens, that experts and residents fear will alter the demographic status of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region. Under the new law, those who have resided for a period of 15 years in Indian-administered Kashmir or studied for a period of seven years and appeared in Class 10/12 examinations in educational institutions located in the region are now eligible to become permanent residents. The announcement came nearly eight months after the Indian government stripped the disputed region of its limited autonomy that had protected the region for decades from demographic changes. Worry the Kashmiris The new law announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs also provided domicile status to the children of central government officials who have served in Indian-administered Kashmir for a total period of 10 years. The notification by Indias Hindu nationalist government comes as the country of 1.3 billion people is under a 21-day lockdown due to coronavirus fears. The government changed the geographical and political status of the Indian-administered Kashmir region on August 5 after it abrogated Article 370 a law that restricted rights over jobs, scholarships and land to the permanent residents of Indian-administered Kashmir. Subsequently, the Muslim-majority region was divided into two federally-administered territories with little power vested in the hands of the local people to decide their future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had justified the stripping of the regions special status saying it will bring development. Retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, who has challenged the abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court, said it is a permanent resident by stealth. It should worry the Kashmiris. The effect of this notification would be felt in [the] Jammu [region] because there are not many people who have come into Kashmir in the last 15 years, he told Al Jazeera. Demographic flooding While the law has triggered fear among Kashmiris about the permanent settlements by the outsiders, the experts say it will lead to demographic flooding. It is a lot to circumvent the law. I think it illustrates clearly that some will not stop from politicking during coronavirus, Siddiq Wahid, a political analyst based in Indian-administered Kashmir told Al Jazeera, referring to the current coronavirus crisis. Obviously it is an attempt to change the demographics, not only change but flood it. It will lead to demographic flooding, Wahid said. He said the change of law is much larger than [the issue of jobs]. I am not even thinking about jobs. Sheikh Showkat Hussain, professor of legal studies based in the region, said: It was in the offing. The whole purpose of revoking Article 370 was to settle outsiders here and change the demography of the state. Now this provides the modalities and entitles so many categories of Indians whose settlement will be legalised over here. But the leaders of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) justified the step, saying it will secure jobs only for the domiciles of the region. We have been pitching for it. Everyone in Jammu and Kashmir is happy, let people who live here for 15 years get the benefits, no other outsiders will get it, said Ashok Kaul, the general secretary for the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the new law, jobs up to the lowest level of non-gazetted rank are reserved for Jammu and Kashmir domiciles. Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and a pro-Indian politician who was recently released after seven months of detention, criticised the government for bringing in the law when the focus should be on fighting the current pandemic. Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts and attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in anew domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when law offers none of the protections that had been promised. To protect Kashmirs unique identity Khurram Parvez, a human rights defender based in the region, said: By virtue of this order, outsiders are also going to be the claimants of jobs in Jammu and Kashmir, which already has a huge unemployment problem. This is an act against the interests of unemployed youth. The right-wing BJP has been opposed to the special status given to Indian-administered Kashmir in 1947 when British India was partitioned into Hindu-majority India and Pakistan as land for Muslims. But Kashmirs status could not be decided at the time as its then-Hindu ruler signed an Instrument of Accession with India, with New Delhi granting it a measure of autonomy its own constitution, a separate flag and right to make laws. Prime Minister Modi made the abrogation of Article 370 as one of his poll planks in the 2019 elections that he won by a landslide. Rakesh Sinha, BJP leader and member of the upper house of Parliament, denied it was an attempt to change the demography of the state. There is an attempt to spread rumours about altering the demography of the state, Sinha told Al Jazeera. To protect Kashmirs unique identity is our moral and constitutional obligation. Identity of the northeast is protected and so is that of Kashmir so that the uniqueness of their culture remains protected. Akash Bisht contributed from New Delhi By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles, who has recovered after testing positive for coronavirus, praised the selfless devotion of healthcare workers on Wednesday and said it was a strange and distressing time for the nation. Heir-to-the-throne Charles, 71, came out of self-isolation on Monday after suffering what he said were "luckily ... relatively mild symptoms" and his office said he was now in good health. Britain is in a state of virtual lockdown, with the public told they must stay at home other than for essential trips, such as to buy food. In a video address, the prince said although he had recovered, he was still in a state of social distance and general isolation. His wife Camilla, 72, who had tested negative, is remaining in self-isolation until the end of the week in case she develops symptoms. "As we are all learning, this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience when the presence of family and friends is no longer possible and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed," he said. The number of coronavirus deaths in Britain rose by 27% to 1,789 people, official figures on Tuesday showed, with one of the victims a 13-year-old boy with no apparent underlying health conditions. "At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances, and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness," Charles said from his home in Scotland. The prince's mother, 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth, is currently with her husband Prince Philip, 98, at her Windsor Castle home, west of London. Buckingham Palace has said she too is in good health. Charles also paid tribute to doctors, nurses and other staff on the front line in the National Health Service, whom he said were under enormous strain and risk, adding their "utter, selfless devotion to duty" made the nation proud. Story continues It was essential, he added, that these key workers were treated with special consideration when trying to do their shopping, and also singled out store staff for praise for keeping shelves stocked. "As a nation, we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation, which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens," he said. "None of us can say when this will end, but end it will." (Editing by Stephen Addison) In a follow up to the announcement it sent to suppliers and vendors on March 17, explaining that it was prioritizing household staples and medical items until at least April 5, Amazon has issued an update saying it will continue to prioritize those products beyond April 5. It added, however, that it now has the capacity to broaden the list of prioritized products. Amazon did not say what items it will add to the priority list. In a post on its Amazon Vendor Central website, the company said it could not predict when operations will be fully restored. The e-tailer added that whenever possible we will allow more products to be received, while still ensuring our fulfillment centers are able to process high-priority products. In its March 17 announcement, Amazon said that companies whose products were not considered a priority could expect reduced orders and longer delivery times. Amazon instituted the policy to cope with a surge in demand for such items as household staples and medical supplies, among other products for which the e-tailer said it was seeing high demand. Since the original announcement, most publishers have seen reduced orders and delays in delivery. However, many books ordered from Amazon last week that were showing over a three-week shipping time have seen that time sharply reduced. Amazon has acknowledged that print options for some books are temporarily limited, but added that the company remains committed to selling books in all formats. An outreach ministry has been letting its light shine by serving the needy with food, clothing and other necessities for nearly 32 years. The volunteers who run the Cooperative Church Ministries of Orangeburg have not stopped their mission to assist those needing help the most. What began as a small effort in 1986 became CCMO in 1988. Its dedicated volunteers have helped keep the organization going with a service that expanded well beyond food donations to include the provision of electricity, fuel, furniture and, occasionally, bus tickets and motel rooms. The nonprofit agency is now awaiting its temporary relocation to a building at 2570 St. Matthews Road after part of its roof was blown off during a storm on Feb. 13. We dont know when were going to be in there. Were not sure right now because Harvest Hope has to come and approve the site before we can put any food in there, CCMO Executive Director Barbara Troy said. Harvest Hope Food Bank provides food to several ministries across the state, including CCMO. CCMO has been operating out of its present, rent-free location at 899 Russell St. for more than three decades. The 5,000-square-foot building formerly housed the Holman Grocery Store. April 4 would have been 32 years in that building, Troy said. CCMO volunteer Ray Sabalis, who also served on the nonprofits board, said, The roof was blown off the building in a storm on Feb. 13. We were fortunate that this happened on a day that we were not serving the community. The City of Orangeburg was quick to respond and assist with blocking the street and clearing the debris. Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young has provided CCMO with a temporary space on St. Matthews Road where we can resume our service to the community, she said. Sabalis said the generosity of the Holman family in donating the use of the old grocery story site was appreciated. Before CCMO opened in 1988, Woodrow Holman offered two adjoining buildings on lower Russell Street to house the organization. After Mr. Holman died in 2010, ongoing support of CCMO was given by his sister, Bari Holman Smith, Sabalis said. Volunteers are in the process of clearing out the building, but will be distributing food from the site from 11 a.m. to noon every Wednesday until the food runs out. Once CCMO moves into its new site, Troy said, Were not going to be doing clothes anymore, and were not going to do furniture because all our furniture is not worth anything anyway. She said making sure she and her staff are protected from the spread of the coronavirus is a top priority, and the Wednesday food distributions will be handled with care. Were going to have to open the door and just distribute the bags while the clients are on the street. They cant come inside the building, Troy said. She added, God has taken care of us. Its just been hard. We wash our hands. Some people wear masks. I dont wear masks. We use the sanitizer. Troy said sanitation will also be top priority once CCMO moves into the new building site. Were going to have a desk at the entrance to the building were going to go to. Were going to have the hand sanitizer and paper towels and hopefully space people apart, she said. Dr. Mark Jamison of Jamisons Pharmacy in Orangeburg donated a $9,000 truck to CCMO after learning of the need from volunteer Freddie Antley. He was just saying that they were having an issue because they were actually having to spend money to rent a truck to go back and forth to Columbia. I just started investigating to see what could be done to assist with that, Jamison said. He said he was happy to support the ministry. Ive supported CCMO for a while. I mean, we work well together. Some of the clientele have actually used our pharmacy. Some of our customers have come through here, and weve donated over the years to CCMO with just monetary donations. Ive been familiar with the work that theyve done here, Jamison said. Sabalis said, I have volunteered at CCMO for four years. My service to my neighbors is informed by my faith. I am called to love my neighbor as myself, and to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being." Sandra Hudson, who has volunteered for 10 years, said, I think weve all had that period of time somewhere in our life where weve had a need. So I think thats what really keeps us here. But sometimes, especially at our age, or at any age, we do feel a little overwhelmed. Were very short of staff, and we could do even more things if we had a little bit more help, especially with heavier types of things, she said. The financial base for CCMO is its member churches, which contribute to the ministry. While the organization does not depend on miscellaneous donations, they are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Public Utilities and its Project Good Neighbor program has provided CCMO with the opportunity to provide utility assistance. For more information on CCMO, or how you can volunteer, please call 803-531-4913. Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Wed, April 1, 2020 20:07 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f0089a 1 National COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,Galang-Island,hospital,Jokowi,rumah-sakit-covid-19-pulau-galang,Batam,Riau-Islands Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said that a designated COVID-19 hospital in Galang Island, Riau Islands, will be ready to begin operations on April 6 with construction almost 100 percent complete on Wednesday. We hope the hospital will begin operations next Monday. The schedule has been delayed three to four days because there was an issue in transporting building materials to the island, said Jokowi when visiting the hospital on Wednesday. The hospital is being built on a 16 hectare site that was previously used as a camp for Vietnam war refugees in the 1970s and will comprise zones A and B. Zone A will serve as the dormitory for medical workers and the management of the hospital, and will be equipped with 158 beds, laundry facilities and sterilization facilities. Meanwhile, zone B will be used as a ward for patients, and will consist of 20 beds in the isolation section and another 340 in the observation area. Another zone, called zone C, has been set aside for further development of the hospital. So, in total, the hospital will have 360 beds, and 20 will be in the isolation room, he added. Despite being ready to open next week, the President said he hoped the hospital would not need to be used, as the existing referral hospitals, including a makeshift facility at the Kemayoran Athletes Village, Central Jakarta, were expected to be sufficient to handle COVID-19 patients. We built the hospital [in Galang Island] to anticipate [rapid spread of] the disease. Hopefully, we will never have to use it to treat COVID-19 patients, said Jokowi, adding that the hospital would also serve as a research facility and infectious disease treatment center once the pandemic ended. The decision to build a hospital on Galang Island that specializes in treating COVID-19 patients came after the President held a limited meeting with several of his aides at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on March 3. Galang Island was chosen as the future site of the hospital because several buildings from the refugee camp that existed from 1979 and 1996 still remain. Read also: Tourists may soon be barred from Batam ex-refugee camp used as COVID-19 hospital The site also has access to clean water and electricity, while the island is located 50 kilometers from Hang Nadim International Airport. State-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA) was chosen as the contractor for the project. Doni Ardono, WIKAs project leader at the hospital, said the company had raced the clock to finish construction after commencing the project on March 11. The government had set a target to have the hospital fully operational within a month. Luckily, we will meet the target, as the observation rooms, the isolation rooms and supporting facilities will be completed on April 5, six days ahead of the deadline, Doni said. Batam Mayor Muhammad Rusdi also expressed hope that false information about the hospital would not be spread, after the plan was initially met with surprise and opposition from locals. We hope the hospital can commence operations next week, he said, adding that the hospital would be operated by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel. (glh) Russos research was not without its problems. Scents could not be totally eliminated, the effects of THC couldnt be successfully blinded and the prodigious daily cannabis intake of at least one participant made him a poor judge of the effects of individual THC/terpene combinations. Still, Russo found consistent correlations. THC alone, he found, lowered mood and distorted perception, and proved over all to be really hard to function on. He recalled one session in which, as it turned out, he had inhaled pure THC. It was my turn to make dinner that night, and it was like: Oh, God, Im not sure I can do this. Wheres the knife? What do I need to do next? Everything was so hard. But throw in pinene, the terpene that gives a pine woods its scent, and all of a sudden thats gone. Youre clear. You have no problem remembering anything. Limonene, one source of citruss distinctive odor, also cured the THC blues, making this unpleasant thing vibrant and alive and electric. On the other hand, some terpenes just made things worse like myrcene, an oil that smells a little like cloves and is present in high concentrations in hops, on which, Russo recalled, I cant function, I cant think, I cant move. In 2010, at a conference honoring Mechoulam, Russo presented a paper called Taming THC, which compiled more than 400 studies that strengthened the case for the role terpenes played in the variable effects of pot. It did not directly mention Russos D.I.Y. research, but a careful reader could find observations about the effects of specific combinations on memory, cognition and mood that myrcene-heavy strains may produce couchlock, that pinene might be an antidote to the negative effects of THC that were at least as indebted to Russos experiments in Amsterdam as to anything in the scientific literature. The paper was published the following year in the prestigious, widely read British Journal of Pharmacology. Russo was not the only cannabis researcher studying terpenes, and Taming THC was not the first scientific article to speculate about their role in cannabis intoxication. It was also meant to be the starting point for more rigorous research into terpenes, not the final word on their effects. But the article, with its concise charts of correlations between terpenes and drug effects, came along at a crucial moment in the history of pot: By 2011, 15 states had approved medical marijuana, and Colorado and Washington were on the verge of making the drug legal for recreational use. A new industry was ready to burst into being, and here, in the legitimate academic press, was a paper providing a map to what Russo called a pharmacological treasure trove. If the papers promises held up, a company could even take aim at the most tempting prize of all: the vast number of Americans who had never tried weed before, and others who had aged out of it but might be brought back on board. For that market, it wasnt enough for cannabis to be legal; the drug had to be as predictable as a pre-dinner martini. Taming THC laid out an ambitious scientific agenda for anyone seeking to further test the papers claims: high throughput pharmacological screening, animal experiments to specify mechanisms of action, molecular studies to establish just how terpenes and cannabinoids interact, animal-behavior studies, brain-imaging research and human clinical trials. Nearly a decade later, this agenda, which is modeled on pharmaceutical drug development, remains unfulfilled. Recently, however, a few companies in the United States and Canada have begun an aggressive investigation into the entourage effect, though they are forgoing many protocols of the pharmaceutical industry. Last year, I met Jon Cooper, the founder of a company called Ebbu, at a co-working space in Denver. Cooper had been toying with the idea of a cannabis start-up ever since Colorado legalized the drug, but he was deterred by his own history with pot. Id had some awesome experiences that I wished I could have all the time, he told me. But hed also had some completely horrific experiences that I never ever wanted again. Cooper says he couldnt sell something he didnt believe in; but what if he could figure out how to capture in a bottle the awesome experience, so every store I walk into, I could get that same experience. Wouldnt that be amazing? A year after Cooper started Ebbu in 2013, he approached Brian Reid, who was running a lab at the University of Colorados school of pharmacy, hoping they could collaborate. Reids specialty was exactly the high throughput screening Russo had called for, in which algorithms are used to quickly determine which potential drugs would interact with which cellular targets. The universitys lawyers, worried about a possible loss of federal funding, nixed the deal, but Reid eventually decided to go to work for Ebbu directly; in 2016, he became its chief science officer. The State Commissioner for Disabilities on Wednesday wrote to all district magistrates to ensure curfew passes for caregivers of people with disabilities during the lockdown period. In the letter, dated April 1, Ramesh Negi, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), Delhi said alarge number of differently abled people are not able to access essential services such as food, medicines etc. in the absence of caregivers not able to reach them. "It is therefore decided that the caregivers shall be given curfew passes liberally. "The request for caregiver pass should be submitted by PwD alongwith his/her Disability Certificate," he said in the letter. He also said that ID proofs of caregivers will not be insisted upon by the authorities since many of them do not have such documents. "In Curfew Passes, name of the PwD for whom caregiver is working for shall be mentioned alongwith address of PwD. District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners may also direct all RWAS to identify PwD in their colony and assist them in all possible manner," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has decided to accept contributions from abroad to a fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country, a decision that marks a shift from earlier position of not accepting foreign donations to deal with domestic crisis. Government sources said a decision was taken to accept contributions from abroad to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES) to deal with the pandemic. "In view of the interest expressed to contribute to Government's efforts, as well as keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, contributions to the Trust can be done by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad," said a source. It said the fund was set up following spontaneous requests from India and abroad for making generous contributions to support the government in its fight against COVID-19. On Saturday, Modi announced setting up of the PM CARES fund. The prime minister is the chairman of the trust and its members include the defence minister, the home minister and the finance minister. Political leaders, corporates, defence personnel, employees of PSUs such as Railways and Bollywood personalities were among a cross-section of organisations and people who have announced their contribution to the fund. All officials of the external affairs ministry are also donating a day's salary while some of them are voluntarily donating more, said an official. The Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force as well as employees of the Defence Ministry have decided to donate one day's salary totalling around Rs 500 crore. The number of coronavirus cases increased rapidly in the country in the last few days. India has recorded over 1,600 positive cases of coronavirus and at least 40 deaths so far. Globally, the virus has infected more than 850,000 people and claimed around 42,000 lives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Can't allow every person who thinks of some solution to COVID-19 to file petition: SC Cant overlook fake news by media, migrants lost their lives due to this: Supreme Court India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: The Supreme Court has said that it expects the media to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing is not disseminated. A daily bulletin by the Government of India through all media avenues including the social media and forums to clear doubts of the people would be made active within a period of 24 hours as submitted by the Solicitor General of India, the court also said. Further it said that it does not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media refer to and publish the official version written about the developments. The migration of the large number of labourers working in the cities was triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months. Such panic driven migration has caused untold suffering to those who believed and acted on such news. In fact some have lost their lives in the process. It is not possible for us to overlook this menace of fake news either by electronic, print or social media. Coronavirus outbreak: Supreme Court's Offices of Registry to remain close till April 15 On Tuesday the Centre has sought a direction from the Supreme Court that no media house should print, publish or telecast anything on COVID-19 without first ascertaining facts from the mechanism provided by the government. The directive was sought following a report filed by the Home Ministry which said that fake news was the biggest hindrance in fighting the coronavirus. In its report to the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs said fake news has made the fight against coronavirus hard. It is the the biggest hindrance in the fight against the pandemic, the Home Ministry also said. Earlier the Supreme Court directed the Centre to set up a committee of experts and a portal for information on coronavirus. The court said that the same shall be set up in 24 hours. The court is hearing a petition seeking directions to provide food and shelter to migrant workers amid the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta told the court that there is a complete prohibition on interstate migration. Mehta also said that the government is considering providing counselling to address the panic. He further added that her 22.88 lakh people are being provided food. These are needy persons, migrants and daily wagers. They have been kept in shelter, Mehta also told the court. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 15:50 [IST] Union Home Secretary Ajay kumar Bhalla on Wednesday ordered all state governments to stop making exemptions to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown ordered by him under the Disaster Management Law. Bhalla told them that they had to stick to the script outlined by the Centre and enforce the lockdown in letter and spirit. Bhalla had invoked his powers under the disaster management law to order the nationwide lockdown on March 24, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke the news to the country in a televised address to the nation. Since then Bhalla has tweaked the ground rules on a few occasions. But there have been instances of some state governments relaxing the lockdown to make exemptions. Like the Kerala government which has allowed people to pick up their supply of liquor if they could get a doctor to prescribe it to them. The unusual order was issued by the Pinarayi Vijayans government after eight deaths linked to non-availability of liquor were reported. In Punjab, on the other hand, the government asked industrial units and brick kilns to resume operations to stop migrant workers from heading home if they can accommodate the workforce within the complex. In his letter to states, home secretary Bhalla did not cite any specific instance but sent his message across. It has been noticed that some state governments/UT administrations are allowing exceptions beyond what has been allowed under lockdown measures by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bhallas letter to the states said. This amounts to violation of the lockdown measures issued by MHA under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and may defeat the overall objective of containing the spread of Covid-19 in the country, it said. (TNS) A video meeting of the Grosse Ile Township, Mich., board of trustees was cut short Monday night after multiple people made inappropriate racially or sexually charged remarks during the public comment period.Brian Loftus, township supervisor, said Monday's session was the first township board meeting held via Zoom, the video conferencing technology. While he hailed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for giving government boards flexibility to hold remote meetings during the coronavirus outbreak, the technology was a bit hard to handle that first time."It was a learning experience for everybody," Loftus said.Prior to public comment, the meeting was pretty much normal, or at least new-normal, Loftus said. The most important piece of business was appointing township firefighter Kevin Langley as interim fire marshal.Then the meeting was opened up to public comment, as required by law."Our aspiration was we would have intelligent adults making comments, asking questions they needed answers to, or ideas on how to make the township run better," Loftus said. "Unfortunately, that didn't happen."Township trustee James Budny says three men spoke during public comment.Only about 20 people were in the conference, including Loftus, the four trustees and township staff, Loftus said. The participants were either at home or in separate rooms of the government building."Should I avoid Chinese people?" the first public commenter asked, Budny said, and Loftus cut him off.The second man mentioned Asian massage parlors, and Loftus cut him off too.After the third offered his name as "Dan D---head," Budny said, Loftus ended public comment and called the meeting to a close."It's like vandalism," Loftus told The News Tuesday. "It serves no public good. I'd say it was juvenile, but I don't want to insult young people.""I don't know if they were together," Budny said. "It kind of sounded like they were, that they had this plan. It made for an interesting meeting.""I couldn't control these external disruptions, so I terminated the meeting," Loftus said.As America begins an era of remote work, video conferencing has grown in use. But sometimes, disruptive users will enter and derail a meeting, a practice known as "Zoom bombing." A March 27 story in Forbes laid out one nightmare Zoom-bombing scenario:Picture the scene: You are logging into a business meeting using the popular online video app Zoom. Once into the Zoom meeting, each participant starts to introduce themselves, until, suddenly, screamingand an uninvited young woman appears waving manically at the screen.This is the new COVID-19 reality: If you are using Zoom without the right precautions, you are vulnerable to a practice known as Zoom-bombing.And it's not just neophytes to technology who face this threat. The Information, a technology publication based in tech hub San Francisco, had a meeting Zoom-bombed recently by a user who switched between accounts so as to avoid being blocked, the Forbes piece said.Zoom's website has a guide offering users tips on how to avoid being Zoom-bombed. "The first rule of Zoom Club: Dont give up control of your screen," the Zoom blog explains. Among the options users have for keeping unwanted guests out are "locking" out people from joining after the meeting has started, requiring two-factor identification, disabling video, and turning off the ability for users to transfer files.In a statement to The Detroit News, Zoom said:We take the security of Zoom meetings seriously and we are deeply upset to hear about the incidents involving this type of attack. For those hosting large, public group meetings, we strongly encourage hosts to review their settings and confirm that only the host can share their screen. For those hosting private meetings, password protections are on by default and we recommend that users keep those protections on to prevent uninvited users from joining. We encourage users to report any incidents of this kind directly to https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/requests/new so we can take appropriate action.Loftus, township supervisor since 2008, said the public nature of meetings means they has to be open to users. In-person disruptions are "rare," he noted."One person out of line, in a room full of people who won't tolerate it, it just doesn't go over well," Loftus said.That dynamic doesn't exist via video, he said.But every meeting can't be cut short, Loftus said, adding he will have to become more skilled in using the technology. He believes the behavior that ended Monday's session constitutes the disruption of a public meeting."We're going to find ways of tracking every input" going forward, Loftus said. "If somebody wants to do disruptive behavior, he's going to be met with law enforcement." New Delhi, April 1 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to conduct fresh tests and examine the possibility of bringing back 250 Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran, who have tested positive for coronavirus and yet to be evacuated. The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, contended before a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and MR Shah that many Indians stranded in Iran have been brought back and the 250 pilgrims tested positive are getting best facilities in Iran. The bench observed it is of the opinion that the Indian Embassy should be constantly in touch with people and also monitor the situation closely. The court said it will pass orders in favour of the petitioners. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioners, said they should be brought back and quarantined at a facility here. Mehta replied currently all flights have been cancelled, and we are waiting for the decision of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "They will be brought back when possible, the MEA is in touch with them", said Mehta insisting the petition has become infructuous. Justice Chandrachud told the petitioner's counsel that those people are being taken care of, and that the matter be left to the government now. Hegde replied that many of them do not have symptoms. "They are asked to stay in hotels where others with symptoms are being quarantined. They may develop the symptoms therea. The 250 there don't have money, medicines. Why can't they be brought to a place like Leh?" contended Hedge. Mehta replied that many people were brought back and sent to Leh, and that they have now developed symptoms. Justice Chandrachud said: "We are thinking of asking Indian Embassy to constantly monitor the situation, take fresh tests and look into as to when they can be brought". Justice Shah also told the petitioner's counsel that the government is also taking the matter seriously. The apex court last week had issued a notice to the Centre on a plea for immediate evacuation of around 850 Indian Shia pilgrims from the city of Qom, the Iranian epicentre of corona outbreak. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant issued notice to the Centre on the evacuation of pilgrims from Iran, which is worst hit by COVID-19, with a death toll of over 2,000. The apex court order came on a petition filed by one Mustafa M.H. whose three relatives are stranded in Iran. According to the petitioner, these pilgrims, hailing mainly from poor financial backgrounds, were scheduled to return to India weeks back. The matter will come up for further hearing on March 30. It's been a pretty great week for Guangdong Investment Limited (HKG:270) shareholders, with its shares surging 11% to HK$14.94 in the week since its latest yearly results. It was a mildly positive result, with revenues exceeding expectations at HK$17b, while statutory earnings per share (EPS) of HK$0.77 were in line with analyst forecasts. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Guangdong Investment after the latest results. Check out our latest analysis for Guangdong Investment SEHK:270 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Guangdong Investment from eleven analysts is for revenues of HK$17.8b in 2020 which, if met, would be a credible 6.3% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to rise 6.3% to HK$0.82. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of HK$17.8b and earnings per share (EPS) of HK$0.86 in 2020. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a small dip in their earnings per share forecasts. The consensus price target held steady at HK$17.28, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Guangdong Investment at HK$20.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at HK$13.50. This shows there is still a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation. Story continues Another way we can view these estimates is in the context of the bigger picture, such as how the forecasts stack up against past performance, and whether forecasts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the industry. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Guangdong Investment's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 6.3%, compared to a historical growth rate of 13% over the past five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 8.7% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Guangdong Investment is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants. The Bottom Line The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Guangdong Investment. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply revenues will perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Guangdong Investment going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.. You can also see our analysis of Guangdong Investment's Board and CEO remuneration and experience, and whether company insiders have been buying stock. 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. BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.1 million college graduates have registered at an official online recruitment platform, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE). The "24365" platform, launched by the MOE in February, has provided over 7 million positions so far and received more than 11 million applications, said Wang Hui, an official with the MOE, adding that measures like online employment contracts signing and online recruitment campaigns have also been introduced. A daily average of more than 2,000 online recruitment campaigns were held by colleges and local authorities, with about 70,000 held in March, according to Wang. Besides strengthening the service of the platform, the MOE also pledged to help universities arrange on-campus job fairs when universities reopen. Expert Observation The COVID-19 pandemic is a double crisis affecting public health and the economy. And both aspects are playing out in our housing system in our homes. More and more of us are being directed to stay home, to work from home, or to socially isolate at home. Our homes are the first line of defence against the COVID-19 outbreak, as the UNs Special Rapporteur on Housing puts it. But, depending on how our housing system responds, it could make the double crisis worse. More and more workers are losing shifts, or losing jobs altogether, as well as the incomes they use to pay for their homes whether its the rent or the mortgage. On Friday, the prime minister announced that states would work on model rules to provide relief to tenants in hardship conditions. On Sunday, the federal government moved to replace some of the income households have lost, temporarily doubling some social security payments and making cash grants to businesses. The risk of people becoming homeless during the pandemic is still high. Some more specific actions are needed to shore up our first line of defence. Governments must implement a moratorium on evictions as long as the crisis lasts. Similar changes have already been made overseas. Evictions can happen quickly A sudden loss of wages puts renters at risk of arrears and owner-occupiers at risk of mortgage default. This may result in legal proceedings to terminate the tenancy or give possession to the bank or other lender, and ultimately eviction. Tenants are vulnerable to termination and eviction for a host of other reasons, too. Renters are at particular risk because rent arrears termination proceedings are quick. You can go from a missed payment to termination orders in about eight weeks in New South Wales. Other states and territories are similar. Many renters finances are already precarious. About one-third of private renters are low-income households in housing stress (in the bottom 40% of household incomes paying more than 30% of income in rent). And 30% dont have $500 saved for an emergency. Homeowners with a mortgage are also at risk of default due to loss of income. About 20% of mortgagees are already in mortgage stress. This rate has grown over the last year despite rate cuts. Now workers are facing sudden income and job losses. We see widespread evidence of an economic downturn across many sectors, including tourism, hospitality and the arts. Casual workers are at particular risk of reduced income if required to self-isolate for long periods or care for unwell family members. A breach of our defences An eviction is a breach in the first line of defence that housing provides against COVID-19. In fact, the risk of arrears and eviction might drive an infected person to keep working and transmitting the virus. An evicted household might pile in with family or friends, disrupting social isolation and contributing to unsanitary overcrowding. Its a challenge people already living in share housing will have to manage. Across Australia, 81,000 dwellings are already overcrowded, 51,000 of these severely overcrowded. People who have been evicted might move through temporary accommodation, and through real estate offices, social services and doctors rooms making urgent applications. Or they may be shut out of assistance, and sleeping rough. With limited space and facilities to wash hands and personal effects, the risk of transmission will grow. How would a moratorium work? These risks justify a government-imposed moratorium on evictions for the duration of the crisis. This could be done through legislation, or through an emergency executive direction to authorised officers to stop evictions. Other countries have already taken such steps. In the United States, many states and cities have suspended eviction proceedings against tenants. Federal housing finance agencies have implemented a 60-day moratorium to protect some families from mortgage default. Ireland has also suspended evictions and temporarily frozen rent increases. In the United Kingdom, renters in the private or social sector are to be protected from eviction. A moratorium on evictions is an obvious triage measure. Thats why in Australia a community coalition has come together to advocate for no evictions during this crisis. You can show your support by signing the petition. The federal opposition is urging the government and financial institutions to consider similar measures. What about the mounting debts? By itself, an eviction moratorium doesnt affect the legal liability to pay rent or mortgage instalments. Without anything more, those liabilities would continue. The federal governments increased social security payments and business grants will go some way to replacing the income households are losing. But even as the government tips money into households, money is drained away by rents and mortgage payments. About A$40 billion is due to flow out of Australias 2.5 million private renter households and into 1.3 million landlord households. Landlord households have, on average, much higher incomes and wealth than other households. Billions more are due to flow, as principal and interest payments, from 3.4 million owner-occupier mortgagees to the banks. Australias big four banks last week announced borrowers could pause their payments as a pandemic hardship measure. But mortgagees should be aware interest not paid is capitalised into the debt, so they will have more to pay off after the pause ends. Both to prevent the accumulation of arrears, and to make the governments income-replacement measures more effective, governments should consider implementing reductions or waivers of rent and interest liabilities for as long as the crisis lasts. The double crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic needs a dual response that aims to keep households in their homes and to keep income in households. Sophia Maalsen, ARC DECRA Fellow and Lecturer in Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney; Chris Martin, Senior Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW; Dallas Rogers, Program Director, Master of Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, and Emma Power, Senior Research Fellow, Geography and Urban Studies, Western Sydney University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Main Photo by Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock. Scientists have mapped the genome of the German shepherd, one of the world's most popular canine breeds, after using a blood sample from 'Nala,' a healthy five-year-old German shepherd living in Sydney. In a paper published today in respected 'big data' journal GigaScience, a global team of researchers from institutions including UNSW Sydney detailed the mammoth task of unravelling the 38 pairs of dog chromosomes to decode the 19,000 genes and 2.8 billion base pairs of DNA, using advanced genetic sequencing technology. The new genome not only provides science with a more complete biological snapshot of the dog species (Canis lupus familiaris) in general, but also offers a reference for future studies of the typical diseases that afflict this much-loved breed. Popular choice UNSW Science's Professor Bill Ballard, an evolutionary biologist who sequenced the genome of the Australian dingo in 2017, says German shepherds are popular choices in the home and the workplace because of their natural intelligence, balanced temperament and protective nature. But after more than a century of breeding for desired physical characteristics, they are particularly vulnerable to genetic diseases. "One of the most common health problems affecting German shepherds is canine hip dysplasia, which is a painful condition that can restrict their mobility," says Professor Ballard. "Because German shepherds make such good working dogs, there has been a lot of money spent looking into the causes and predictors of this problem. When working dogs - such as those trained to work with police or to help people with disabilities - end up getting hip dysplasia, then that's a lot of lost time and money that has gone into the training of that dog. "Now that we have the genome, we can determine much earlier in life whether the dog is likely to develop the condition. And over time, it will enable us to develop a breeding program to reduce hip dysplasia in future generations." Top dog Nala, who was described in the paper as "an easy going and approachable 5.5 year old," was selected because she was free of all known genetic diseases, including no sign of hip dysplasia. She was located by well-known TV and radio vet Dr Robert Zammit - credited as an author of this paper - who Professor Ballard says has amassed X-rays and blood samples of more than 600 German shepherds. "Now we'll be able to look at those hip x-rays and all the DNA of those dogs and compare them back to this healthy reference female," Professor Ballard says. Nala isn't the first domestic dog to provide a sample for the mapping of the dog genome. In 2003 a poodle called Shadow provided a sample that resulted in a genome that was 80 per cent complete, followed two years later by the first complete mapping of the genome of 'Tasha' the Boxer. Gene machines But in the decade and a half since, technology has vastly improved to the point that the number of gaps - or regions of DNA bases that are unreadable - has fallen dramatically, making the mapping of Nala's genes the most complete yet. "The biggest difference between the mapping today and in 2005 is that we now use long read sequencing," says Professor Ballard. "The Boxer's genome was put together with 'Sanger' sequencing, which can read about 1000 bases in length at a time, while the technology that is available today - Next Generation sequencing - can read up to 15,000 bases. "What this means is if you've got a region of genes that is duplicated and running more than 1000 bases, Sanger sequencing will not be able to tell you which part of the genes that particular sequence comes from. So whereas there were about 23,000 gaps in Sanger's Boxer genome, the Next Gen sequencer had just over 300." Bred for success The German shepherd genome is also an advance on 2005's Boxer genome because of the breed itself. As Boxers are more specialised, with more inbreeding in their genetic history, the German shepherd's genome is therefore more generic. The authors believe that this will provide better understanding of the evolution of dog breeds in general. Professor Ballard reckons this will not be the last time a domestic dog breed's genome is sequenced. "I would expect that as the costs come down, all the major breeds will have a genome mapped within 10 years, because this will help identify specific diseases, and lots of breeds have known specific diseases." ### The German shepherd genome project was funded by Australian Canine Research Foundation as well as a crowd funding campaign called Hip to Fit. A former Chinese military officer who sent tonnes of protective equipment from Australia to China during the height of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has been accused of profiteering from the disaster, with medical supplies allegedly inflated in price by up to 300 per cent. Warnings circulated by several insiders allege that the company run by former People's Liberation Army officer Kuang Yuanping sold tens of thousands of medical protective coveralls in late February to Australian property developer Risland for $2.2 million. Risland then flew the goods to China. Former People's Liberation Army officer and businessman Kuang Yuanping. Leaked documents allege that Mr Kuangs sale price to Risland of $25 for each item was far higher than market value, with identical items on sale in Australia at the time for $10 or less. If the mark-up quoted in the warnings to Risland is correct, Mr Kuang could have made more than $1 million in clear profit. The documents show that several insiders issued warnings to senior executives at Risland in late February and early March of the alleged profiteering in connection with the COVID-19 humanitarian work. There is no suggestion that Mr Kuang committed any criminal offences. Retailers slammed by store closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been canceling orders for merchandise they previously placed or are refusing shipment of them, risking failure of factories that are only just getting back on their feet. Fast-fashion icon H&M (OTC:HNNMY) is going a different way, telling its suppliers it will honor the orders it placed before the pandemic struck in earnest. Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reports the retailer's statement said, "We will stand by our commitments to our garment manufacturing suppliers by taking delivery of the already produced garments as well as goods in production." A policy reversal H&M reportedly sources $4 billion worth of goods from 230 Bangladesh factories each year. Its new position, though, is a reversal of what the company was recently saying. The Wall Street Journal had included H&M among those canceling orders, with the retailer stating, "[O]ur long-term commitment to suppliers will remain intact, but in this extreme situation we need to respond fast." The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association said over 1,000 factories had already received cancellations of $2.8 billion worth of work orders representing 864 million items. The BGMEA previously said the wholesale cancellations factories were receiving was "a social chaos we cannot afford." While H&M is putting new orders on pause, it said it will accept the orders it already placed at the agreed-upon prices and won't use the current crisis to try negotiate better prices. It also says it will begin placing new orders as soon as it is able. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The European Union (EU) on Tuesday launched a new operation in the Mediterranean, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, effective from 1 April, 2020, designed to strictly implement the UN arm embargo through the use of air, satellite and maritime ways Politburo member Minh expressed his thanks for the effective coordination and support of the Philippines and Locsin for Vietnam, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020, particularly in promoting collaboration to cope with COVID-19. With determination and joint efforts, Vietnam, the Philippines and ASEAN member nations will work together to soon overcome challenges, stabilise the socio-economy and continue to facilitate the process of building the ASEAN Community, the deputy PM said. For his part, the Philippine diplomat applauded Vietnams efficiency in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as the countrys initiatives to promote cooperation to cope with the disease within the framework of the ASEAN Year 2020. He pledged to continue coordinating closely with and supporting Vietnam to successfully fulfill its role as ASEAN Chair 2020 and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure. The two ministers affirmed their joint efforts to deepen the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership in all spheres, including cooperation in health, trade, investment and food security, amid the complicated developments of natural disasters and the COVID-19 epidemic. They also agreed to enhance coordination concerning regional and international affairs, including the East Sea issues. As emergency response teams in the region scramble to acquire dwindling medical supplies to combat the surge in COVID-19 (coronavirus) infections, diverse members of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) community - from engineers to physicists to advanced manufacturing specialists to students - are designing and fabricating devices to help address the shortfall. After consulting with emergency room physicians on specifications, a team in the Makerspace at NJIT designed and manufactured a prototype of a face shield that can be used by various emergency workers. The front of the mask is a long piece of clear polycarbonate plastic, while the frame is made from HDPE plastic - the material used in plastic milk bottles - which pathogens have difficulty clinging to. The shield covers most of the face and is held in place by a simple strap. It can withstand even industrial grade cleansers. "Our goal was to build something as cleanly as possible that is easily sanitized and reusable," said Daniel Brateris, director of experiential learning at NJIT's Newark College of Engineering (NCE). Cutting the masks with lasers from sheets of plastic, rather than 3D-printing them, allowed the effort to avoid the "little cavities that develop when objects are built up layer by layer," he said. By early April, the team plans to send a batch of 100 shields, put together in safely spaced assembly lines, to New Jersey state agencies for testing. While requests for supplies have begun flowing in at a steady clip, NJIT didn't wait for them, said Moshe Kam, NCE's dean. "We have the capability, so we started to work on designs, make prototypes and see who could use them," Kam said, adding, "As we are working on these face shields, other efforts have been launched." The Makerspace team is working with a group from a public hospital in Michigan on a field ventilator for short-term use for patients waiting for standard ventilators to become available. They also are reviewing a request from a hospital in Ohio to make specialized vent filters. "As long as this crisis continues, the Makerspace at NJIT will be fully dedicated to the design of prototypes, making and testing of these prototypes, and delivery of ready-to-manufacture designs of needed devices to industry," Kam said. NJIT's fabricators are collaborating with researchers, including as part of NJIT's partnership in the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS) led by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, on studies that will, for example, better elucidate the rates and risk factors for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers. NJIT physicists John Federici and Ian Gatley and their team are developing a swab that will be used in a study at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences that seeks to characterize the factors related to viral transmission and disease severity in a large healthcare system, both in healthcare settings and in health care workers' households. The swabs, which are mostly 3D-printed, will be used to collect serial biospecimens over a six-month period from a cohort of 500 health care workers and 250 age- and sex-matched staff members outside of clinical settings, all from within the same health care system. "As COVID-19 spreads rapidly around the world, health care workers are the frontline of defense and highly vulnerable to acquiring the infection. In this sense, COVID-19 poses a double threat, endangering lives not only through its effects on the body and immune response, but through its potential to devastate workers essential for treating the sickest infected patients," said Rutgers University's Reynold Panettieri, the program director of NJ ACTS. "Our long-term goal is to protect the health care workforce caring for SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, their families, communities and the general population." Procuring supplies for a research study, however timely and focused, has been an enormous challenge. "It is critical to do this sort of study right now, while the pace of infections is growing and the need is most time-sensitive," noted Federici, director of NJIT's Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (AddLab), which develops innovative manufacturing techniques in conjunction with embedded electronics. Answering the call from a local emergency room physician, NJIT's Albert Dorman Honors College sponsored a design competition for both face shields and masks. Students were directed to follow CDC guidelines to ensure regulatory compliance and to use specified materials, and nearly two dozen took up the challenge. The winner of the face shield contest, whose design was approved by a regional medical system, produced more than 500 shields that were delivered to the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. The winner of the mask competition sent 100 triple-cotton masks to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. With requests flowing in, the Honors College is following up with a competition to build shields and masks for local emergency responders and other area hospitals as well. The Makerspace at NJIT is central to both the university's hands-on learning mission and its growing relationship with New Jersey's manufacturing community. Students and faculty use it on a daily basis to create devices for research experiments, club team contests and research capstone projects, among other ventures. But it also is available to industrial partners to participate as mentors, trainers, and instructors, for companies to collaborate with students and faculty members on research and development projects, and for employees to receive customized training tailored to their needs. The equipment inside ranges from small 3D printers to large industrial machines such as an additive metal 3D printer that uses powdered stainless steel to print parts, an optical scanner that effectively digitizes real life objects, enabling reverse engineering, and a continuous fiber 3D printer that is capable of depositing strands of carbon fiber, fiberglass or Kevlar inside 3D-printed parts, to add considerable strength. Labs across the campus, including the AddLab, also design and create prototypes for novel devices. "Traditional factories are designed to manufacture specific products at very large volumes, while additive manufacturing labs are much more versatile. We instead fabricate whatever is required as the need arises, in much smaller amounts," said Samuel Gatley, the AddLab's senior additive manufacturing technician. "One day, we might make face masks and the next day, swabs." NJIT labs also are donating supplies. In the early days of the regional surge in coronavirus cases, researchers emptied their closets of hundreds of gloves, goggles and gowns to donate to the Essex County Office of Emergency Management. 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 It's April 1. The rent is due. But instead of writing a check, many small businesses in Southern California are writing uncomfortable emails to their landlords. Some are asking for the month off. Some are offering to pay less. Some can still pay in full, but not for much longer. Landlords and property managers, meanwhile, are facing the prospect of receiving little to no income from their commercial tenants this month, and wondering how they will pay their bills and mortgages. "Because this is unprecedented, nobody really knows how to deal with it," said Mike Brennan, a lawyer who represents landlords. "There's a large degree of anxiety on everybody's end." RENT RULES IN THE COVID-19 ERA On March 27, Gov. Gavin Newsom banned landlords across California from evicting tenants over the next two months if they cannot pay their rent due to coronavirus. But the ban only applies to residential evictions. That means it is up to cities to decide whether or not to offer similar protections to businesses. Some cities, like Los Angeles and Long Beach, have. But others have not. The result is a patchwork of protection that leaves some small business owners feeling confused and alone. "Los Angeles, they are on it," said Christy Quade, who owns Pure Love Yoga in San Clemente, which does not have a commercial eviction moratorium. "Their mayor is just unbelievable. He's giving updates. We haven't heard the same thing for Orange County." MAKING SACRIFICES But even in cities with commercial eviction bans, businesses are still on the hook for paying rent eventually. In L.A., businesses have three months to repay their landlords after the end of the coronavirus emergency. In Long Beach, they have until November 30. During this crisis, I know many Angelenos are worried about paying rent. If you're able to pay, you should continue to do so. But for those of you that arent able to pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your City has your back. No one should be evicted because of this emergency. pic.twitter.com/d9ilKc1Be4 MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) March 29, 2020 But in high rent areas, some businesses struggle to pay rent in a normal month. "It's not easy to run a fabric store on the Westside," said Jack Jacob Sapar, who runs Fabric Planet in Venice. Lately, Sapar has been selling tons of -inch elastic for civic-minded sewers making surgical masks at home. But that hasn't made up for the loss in large orders from designers. "It's not like this bump from selling mask stuff is covering our normal expenses. We had to cut hours," he said, in an effort to keep his employees on the payroll. Last week, Sapar's landlord sent him a letter offering to let him pay half of his April rent. But the letter made clear: "Rent deferral means that rent otherwise due during the rent deferral period will be due at a later date." (KPCC/LAist was unable to talk to Sapar's landlord). Sapar was appreciative of the offer, but said he probably will not be able to pay his landlord back without government assistance (which, hopefully, is coming). "For someone like me, at the rent I'm at, it's going to be very challenging to do that. Like, I would have to make more sacrifices. I would have to let people go," he said. 'WE CAN EVALUATE YOUR REQUEST' Some landlords are hesitant about offering their tenants assistance. RedCar Properties, a developer that, "acquires under performing properties in high growth urban neighborhoods" like West Adams and Highland Park, told some of its tenants last week that requests for rent deferment would need to be approved by their lenders, and backed up by a full set of financial information showing a loss of business since the coronavirus outbreak. A screenshot of a letter that real estate developer RedCar Properties sent to a commercial tenant on March 25, 2020. A RedCar tenant, who did not want to be interviewed or named, shared the letter with KPCC/LAist. The tenant said they were disappointed by the company's response. RedCar did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 'IT'S JUST LIKE, COME ON' Some business owners said their landlords were still expecting them to pay their full rent on April 1. Jon-Patrick Lopez owns Wanderlust Creamery, an artisanal ice cream shop with four locations around L.A. They are only selling pints right now, which doesn't quite fit with his business model. "Our whole model is this experience of coming into the store, and being able to sample different flavors that we've created based on travel experiences," he said. "People coming in and getting a pint placed into a bag doesn't scratch the surface." Lopez asked for rent deferment from all four of his landlords. "We've gotten mixed responses," he said. "One of them is expecting us to pay in April. And it's just like, come on. That expectation is a little unfair." BUILDING OWNERS M.I.A. Some business owners said their landlords have not spoken to them at all. "Called him, texted him, emailed him, zero contact. It's weird," Jenette Goldstein said of one of her landlords. She owns Jenette Bras, a bra-fitting boutique with four stores across L.A. County and one in Atlanta (Full disclosure: the company has been an underwriter of KPCC). Goldstein, who specializes in large cup bras, does not sell online. Every customer comes in for a fitting. "Bras are a difficult piece of clothing. It not only has to fit you it has to do something," she said. "It's as if you were buying a beautiful suit. You don't get it off the rack. You go to a tailor." So sales, not surprisingly, have evaporated. On March 17 -- "Black Tuesday," as Goldstein called it -- she laid off 10 of her 13 employees, and then used her credit card to send them their final payroll checks over Venmo. "We didn't have enough money for their final checks," she said. "That was a nightmare." Since then, Goldstein has been on constant Zoom calls with lawyers and her chief financial officer, trying to figure out how to apply for the Small Business Administration's low-interest disaster relief loans, as well as the recently-announced stimulus package loans, which turn into grants if business owners rehire employees. Like small business owners around the country, Goldstein finds the process incredibly confusing. LANDLORDS: WE'RE IN TROUBLE, TOO Landlords, of course, are business owners themselves, and many are also worried about a steep decline in income if tenants cannot pay rent. Brennan, the lawyer, said he's been flooded with requests from landlords who want help figuring out how to talk to their tenants about making April rent. "Everyone is being very compassionate towards their tenants, and they want to work together," he said. "Believe me, that's their cash flow. They don't want empty buildings. Nobody is running out to evict these people." Brennan said a few of his clients worry that their tenants will try to take advantage of the situation and stop paying rent for reasons that have nothing to do with coronavirus, knowing they are unlikely to be evicted. Most civil courts are suspended through the end of May. He said many landlords worry about the long-term consequences of falling so far behind in rent. "The tenant may build up a reserve of unpaid rent that's so high they'll never be able to recover from this." Note: Have you applied for a small business loan due to the coronavirus? Tell KPCC/LAist about your experience by emailing me, Emily Guerin: eguerin@scpr.org MORE ON CORONAVIRUS: icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletter for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. SUBSCRIBE Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Support our free, independent journalism today. Donate now. Fears Grow For Chinese Student Who Told President to Step Down 2020-03-31 -- Concerns were growing on Tuesday for a university student in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, after he posted a video to social media calling on President Xi Jinping to step down. In the video, Zhang Wenbin says he was once a "little pink" supporter of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, but that the Hong Kong protests and Taiwan presidential elections had changed his mind after he scaled the Great Firewall of government internet censorship and saw what was on the other side. "Since I scaled the Great Firewall, I gradually came to the realization that the Chinese Communist Party has extended its dragon claws into every corner of the world, including collective farming [1950s], the Cultural Revolution [1966-1976], the Great Famine [1958-1961], the One-Child Policy, the Tiananmen massacre [1989], as well as the persecution of the Falun Gong [spiritual movement], and the peoples of Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang," Zhang, wearing a cowboy hat, says in the video. "And yet everyone continues to turn a blind eye, singing the party's praises. I just can't bear it," he says. "When I look at the courage with which Hong Kong and Taiwan stand up to the Communist Party, I want my own voice to be heard," he says. "I call on you all to look upon the true colors of the Communist Party, and stand together to bring down this wall." "Xi Jinping, you can leave now. So can the Communist Party," he says. Zhang had been scheduled to graduate this academic year, but has been incommunicado since the video was posted to Twitter on Monday, where it received tens of thousands of views. Questioned by police Sources said he had been taken in for questioning by local police, on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge often used to target peaceful critics of the regime. U.S.-based veteran rights activist Yang Jianli said the authorities were unlikely to take Zhang's actions lightly. "In China, asking Xi Jinping to step down is a very serious political issue," Yang told RFA. "If you shout out stuff like that, you could end up in prison for a very long time, as well as risking bringing disaster on your family." Yang said the coronavirus epidemic has made people acutely aware of when and how their government lies to them, and of the need for transparency and press freedom, a lesson brought poignantly home in the wake of the death of whistleblowing Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang. Li succumbed to the coronavirus after being questioned and reprimanded by police for "rumor-mongering" when he and seven colleagues tried to alert the authorities to the threat from the new disease. "The epidemic has made everyone deeply aware of issues of freedom of speech, which is normally seen as a lofty matter for those in power," Yang said. "The case of Li Wenliang has made people realize that it is ... actually a matter of life and death." "The sense is that speaking out isn't going to kill anyone, whereas millions of people die on account of not speaking out," he said. Call to release Zhang's video came as supporters of detained property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, who is being investigated by the party's disciplinary arm after he published a letter highly critical of Xi, called on the Beijing municipal party secretary to release him immediately. "A person should never be able to suddenly just disappear, in a country where justice and the rule of law are enshrined in its core values," an open letter calling for Ren's release said. "Otherwise, society will fall into darkness and people will live in fear." It called Ren's secret detention "barbaric," and incompatible with a modern, civilized society, and demanded the authorities make public all of the details of his detention, including the legal justification for it, and his location, as well as allowing visits from lawyers, friends, and family. Ren should also be allowed home to await any judicial proceedings, assuming that he isn't a danger to anyone or anything. Veteran political journalist Gao Yu said via Twitter on Tuesday that Ren is being held in Taipingzhuang, a suburb of Beijing that was once the location of the party school. Gao said Ren is eating well in detention and has been allowed calls from some friends. He is also in "good spirits," she said. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content March not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:51:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's health ministry on Wednesday confirmed that two more people who had been under quarantine have tested negative to coronavirus, bringing the total number of those who have fully recovered from the virus to three. Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for health said that the two cases are proof that quarantine is working and is the solution to containing the spread of the virus. Kagwe said President Uhuru Kenyatta earlier spoke with the 26-year-old Ivy Brenda Cherono who was the first patient to test positive for the coronavirus after she was discharged from hospital. She was accompanied by Brian Orindi, patient number three who contracted the disease from Cherono. "The recovery of Cherono and Brian should be a testimony that Kenyans must now understand that contracting the disease is not a license to death," Kagwe told journalists in Nairobi. "The second contact who also contracted the disease from Cherono was discharged two weeks ago. This brings to three the number of people who have now fully recovered from the virus," he added. The official, however, said there are many Kenyans who are still infected and more are still getting infected as a result of coming into contact with those who have tested positive for the virus. "We must not relent in the fight against the virus by observing the preventive measures that we have been communicating to you. There is need therefore to educate, unify rather than divide. The disease does not discriminate between the rich and the poor," Kagwe said. He said medics have managed to test a total of 380 samples from suspected cases of COVID-19 and analyzed in four laboratories. "Out of these, we have received confirmation of 22 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease. Eighteen of the confirmed cases are Kenyan nationals while four are foreign nationals," said Kagwe. He said tracing of close contacts of the 81 confirmed cases is ongoing. "So far, the total number of close contacts that we have so far been monitoring stands at 1,675. Out of this number, 706 have been discharged from contact follow up process after completing the 14 days follow up period," said Kagwe. Meanwhile, President Kenyatta had earlier talked to Cherono and Orindi after they were discharged from an isolation center in Nairobi through a videoconference. Kenyatta thanked Cherono, the first recovered patient, for presenting herself to hospital immediately she felt unwell and sharing information on all the contacts she had since arriving in the country from the U.S. Kenyatta said the story of the two shows that the disease can be treated and patients can fully recover. "Your actions are to be emulated by every Kenyan. Come out and get tested as soon as you feel unwell. There is no stigma. Isolate yourself to ensure you do not put others on harm's way," he urged Kenyans. The two told Kenyans to know that the disease is real and urged fellow citizens not to be hesitant to come out and seek help immediately they feel unwell. "I want to tell Kenyans that this virus is manageable and people might have mild symptoms like a cough and a slight headache, so people should not really be afraid, we will pull through," said Cherono. Cherono urged Kenyans to be responsible citizens and report to health authorities once they exhibit the COVID-19 symptoms. "Contact the authorities and come forward and be confident. I went to the U.S. in December 2019 and took a flight to London. I believe that was maybe where I contracted the virus," she said. Cherono said that during her stay in the U.S., she got to know that there was an isolation center in Mbagathi, Kenya. "When I landed in Kenya I had a cough for three days. I monitored my body for a day and went to Mbagathi Hospital the following day. The medics took me seriously and gave me a mask. I have been quarantined for 23 days, I was treated well," she added. The second patient, Orindi, who was infected by Cherono, said he was taken to the isolation center immediately the test results for Cherono came back. He asked Kenyans to treat the pandemic seriously, saying it's real but can be defeated if Kenyans follow directives from the health ministry. Enditem The full costs of the WA government's decision to dump Huawei from a $206 million public transport project will not be known until the company's exit is negotiated. The Chinese telco was to build a mobile data network along Perth's passenger train corridors, but Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said a US trade ban on the company meant they couldn't finish the job. The full cost of axing Huawei from a WA government rail project will not be known until the company's departure is negotiated. Credit:Bloomberg A state government spokesman said the Public Transport Authority, which had been managing the project, was working on new arrangements to build the network, which involved the rollout of 80 mobile data towers with construction firm UGL. "The PTA is now working with the Huawei-UGL Consortium towards the orderly transition to new arrangements to allow delivery of the project without breaching US trade restrictions," he said. Kaia Gerber did some reading for a good cause on Tuesday. The catwalk queen, 18, read the children's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams' new charitable initiative, Save With Stories. Sitting cross-legged on a pink armchair, Kaia comforted viewers as she read from the pleasant book. Reading for good: read the children's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams' new charitable initiative, Save With Stories 'I'm so happy to partner with Save With Stories and Feed The Children,' Kaia explained before reading from the book on tablet. 'Especially during a time like this, I think it's important to find momentary happiness and come together as a community.' Kaia isn't the only celebrity joining forces with Save With Stories, as the pandemic rages on. Save With Stories was developed by Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams to benefits Save The Children and No Kid Hungry. Doing her part: 'I'm so happy to partner with Save With Stories and Feed The Children,' Kaia explained before reading from the book on tablet That was nice! Sitting cross-legged on a pink armchair, Kaia comforted viewers as she read from the pleasant book Numerous schools have been shut down in response to coronavirus, and many children rely on these institutions in order to be fed. Save With Stories' goal is to help children in need at this difficult time, and has done so by recruiting a slew of celebrities to read from children's books as part of their effort. Chris Evans, Jeff Goldblum, Hannah Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness are among the many stars who have taken part. Kaia, meanwhile, has been staying inside fostering two puppies. The model posted a snap of herself sleeping beside one of the precious pups last week. 'we stay home,' she captioned the photo. Good cause: Save With Stories' goal is to help children in need at this difficult time, and has done so by recruiting a slew of celebrities to read from children's books as part of their effort Representative Image (Reuters) The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of the novel coronavirus as 24 people tested positive for COVID-19, following which a major area has been sealed and an FIR lodged against its cleric for violating government orders. The gathering at Markaz, the Delhi headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat, was held earlier in March and at least 2,000 people, including foreigners and Indians from across the country, attended it. Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, died due to coronavirus. After the matter had come to light, the Centre and the state governments swung into action to trace people who attended the congregation. Authorities have launched a nationwide search for participants of the huge religious gathering amid fears that thousands present there could have carried the infection to the length and breadth of the country. 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 Here are the states investigating cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat and actions taken: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said 24 people who had attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz earlier in March tested positive for coronavirus. He said that 1,548 were evacuated and 441 hospitalised after they had shown symptoms. The Delhi Police has cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin West. Coronavirus LIVE updates Maharashtra Some people from Pune who attended a religious congregation in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area have been traced and placed under quarantine, said a police official. Some of them were from neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad, he said. Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh saw a quantum jump in the number of coronavirus cases with 21, including 18 who attended the Jamaat congregation, testing positive, taking the overall tally to 44 on March 31, the Medical and Health Department said. Madhya Pradesh The Madhya Pradesh government has identified 82 of the 107 people from the state who attended the religious congregation and put some of them in quarantine, said a top official. All 32 people from Bhopal, who attended the congregation have been quarantined in Delhi, Bhopal district collector Tarun Pithode said. Besides, 55 Jamaat members who have come to Bhopal from abroad underwent health examinations, and none of them were found to be affected by any disease (including coronavirus), he said. Also read | Looking for coronavirus testing centres near you? Heres the list West Bengal The state government has so far identified 70 people, who attended the gathering. "All those from West Bengal who have participated in this event are being identified and will be immediately tested for COVID-19 and put under mandatory 14 days quarantine," State Home Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay tweeted. Uttar Pradesh The Jaunpur administration has quarantined about 50 people who attended the congregation and returned to the district recently. "People who returned two days ago from Delhi and Noida on buses were scanned. Of this, there were around 50 persons who returned after attending the Tabligh-e-Jamaat. These people have been quarantined at Shia College, and their health check-up is being done," District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said. He said their addresses and the places they visited after attending the religious congregation are being ascertained. Also read | COVID-19 India lockdown: Is it a curfew? Can I go for a walk? All your questions answered Telangana Telangana reported 15 new COVID-19 cases on March 31-- all returnees from Tablighi Jamaat's religious congregation, taking the total active patients to 77 in the state, Health Minister E Rajender said. The Telangana government estimated that over 1,000 people from the state might have attended the religious prayer meeting from March 13 to 15 at the Markaz Masjid in Nizamuddin area in the national capital. The state government intensified its efforts to check the spread of the virus, a day after it announced that six people who attended the meeting have died. Meghalaya Seven persons from Meghalaya attended the religious congregation, the Shillong Markaz has informed the state police. The persons who attended the religious congregation have not returned to Meghalaya, said G Iangrai, the assistant inspector general of police (A). Five of them are currently in Delhi and two are in Lucknow, he said. Also read | Coronavirus pandemic: Five things we still do not know Manipur The Manipur government has said it has found out 14 people who were linked" to the religious congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin, though 39 others are still outside the state. Follow our full coverage here. (With inputs from PTI) DETROIT, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Isolation Valves Market by Valve Type (Ball Valve, Plug Valve, Gate, Globe & Check Valve, Butterfly Valve, and Others), by End-Use Industry Type (Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Chemical & Petrochemical, Water & Wastewater, and Others), by Operation Type (Automated Valve and Manual Valve), by Sales Type (OE and Aftermarket), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2020-2025. This comprehensive report, from Stratview Research, studies the isolation valves market over the trend period of 2014 to 2019 and the forecast period of 2020 to 2025. The report estimates the current and future demand for isolation valves at the global and regional levels. The report also studies all the major suppliers of isolation valves located across the globe. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate the growth strategies. Isolation Valves Market: Highlights from the Report An isolation valve is a mechanical device, used to open and shut the flow of fluid via pipeline. A valve is classified as an isolation valve solely due to its desired function/role to isolate the flow of fluid in a process pipe loop. This type of valve is generally used for maintenance and safety purposes in industries such as oil & gas, water & wastewater, and chemical & petrochemicals. In order to select a valve for isolation of flow of fluid, following criteria need to be taken into consideration: operating pressure and temperature range, shut-off (classification and direction), process conditions, flow capacity, pipe connections, manual or automated, required service life, industry standards, system performance, and total cost of ownership. As per Stratview Research, the global isolation valves market is projected to grow at a healthy rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of US$ 38.6 billion in 2025. The year 2020 is expected to be extremely challenging for almost all the markets including isolation valves, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the world. The growth of the isolation valves market is highly dependent upon the performance of various industrial sectors with oil & gas being the major one. Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/820/isolation-valves-market.html The oil & gas industry is facing major price drops due to the dual impacts: collapse in demand and surge in supply, which is severely impacting the future investments in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the oil & gas industry. China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, is the world's largest producer of most of the industrial products. As China's industrial production is hugely affected due to large-scale production shutdown and with similar trends observed across the world, especially in Europe; the global isolation valves market is expected to witness a slowdown in the year 2020. The impact of Covid-19 is yet unpredictable. Currently, most of the industries are considering two scenarios: Pessimistic and Optimistic. For instance, as per the current IEA publication, the global oil demand may fall by 730,000 barrels a day in 2020 in the pessimistic low-case scenario (when global measures fail to control the outbreak). In the optimistic high-case scenario (if the virus is contained quickly), the demand may rise by 480,000 barrels a day. The growth of the market is anticipated to remain between these two cases. It is expected that the impact does not last long, and the market will rebound quickly in the coming years, backed by the expected recovery of the industrial sector. Based on the valve type, the market is segmented into ball valve, plug valve, gate, globe & check valve, butterfly valve, and other valves. Gate, globe & check valve is likely to remain the dominant segment of the market during the forecast period, owing to its benefits such as good isolation properties, shorter strokes, and minimum pressure loss. These benefits have led to its widespread adoption in almost all end-use industries. Based on the end-use industry type, oil & gas is expected to remain the dominant and fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period, driven by an expected surge in oil production in 2020. Russia has already announced to increase the production of crude oil from April this year. The recent decline in the crude oil prices due to breach of the three-year-old pact between Russia and OPEC may dwindle the demand for isolation valves in the year 2020. However, the demand for isolation valves in the oil & gas industry is estimated to invigorate after 2020 and create healthy growth opportunities for the market participants. Register Here for a Free Sample of the Detailed Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/820/isolation-valves-market.html In terms of region, Asia-Pacific is projected to remain the largest as well as the fastest-growing market for isolation valves during the forecast period. The region is among the largest market for the chemical & petrochemical and power generation industries with China being the largest market in the world. Industrialization, urbanization, and water & wastewater treatment activities coupled with the expected rebound of key economies across the region are the major factors propelling the growth of the region's market over the forecast period. North America is projected to remain the second-largest market for isolation valves during the forecast period, mainly driven by the USA. The region is the largest market for oil & gas products and water & water treatment activities. Increasing spending by utilities on pipe rehabilitation for reducing water loss and increasing electricity generation and chemical production is pushing the demand for isolation valves in the region. Key players in the isolation valves market are Emerson Electric Co., Velan Inc., Flowserve Corporation, Crane Co., Trillium Flow Technologies, MKS Instruments, Inc., Schlumberger N.V., Forbes Marshall, Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, and Baker Hughes Company. Development of reliable, ease of automation, and cost-efficient isolation valves; expansion in untapped and growing markets; and execution of mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market. Report Features This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis. Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis. Market trend and forecast analysis. Market segment trend and forecast. Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities. Emerging trends. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players. Key success factors. This report studies the isolation valves market and has segmented the market in five ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the five ways in which the market is segmented: Isolation Valves Market, By Valve Type: Ball Valve Plug Valve Gate, Globe & Check Valve Butterfly Valve Others Isolation Valves Market, By End-Use Industry Type: Oil & Gas Power Generation Chemical & Petrochemical Water & Wastewater Others Isolation Valves Market, By Operation Type: Automated Valve Manual Valve Isolation Valves Market, By Sales Type: OE Aftermarket Isolation Valves Market, By Region: North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the oil & gas industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Oil-Gas.html About Stratview Research Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas. We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies. Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making. For enquiries, please contact: Stratview Research E-mail: sales@stratviewresearch.com Direct: +1-313-307-4176 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660595/Stratview_Research_Logo.jpg A documentary showing a Chinese virologist catching wild bats in mountains have fuelled a conspiracy theory, which suggests that the novel coronavirus may have originated in Wuhan's disease control authority. The seven-minute film features the centre's researcher Tian Junhua, who has visited dozens of caves in Hubei province to capture the flying mammal. It has sparked a fresh round of speculation over the origin of the coronavirus, with some people again suggesting that pandemic could be a man-made crisis. A documentary about a virus researcher at the Wuhan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention has sparked a conspiracy theory which suggests that the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, may have come from there. The film features virologist Tian Junhua (pictured) Chinese media reported in 2017 that Mr Tian had to self-isolate for 14 days after accidentally coming into contact with bat urine once, further fuelling the rumour about his role (file photo) Other rumours have blamed the global outbreak on the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the US troops. A number of versions allege that it could be a bio-weapon engineered either by China or the United States. Experts have dismissed such hypotheses, calling them 'not credible' and accusing them of 'creating anxiety'. One US-based medical professor told MailOnline that the fact Chinese, as well as American, researchers have isolated similar viruses is 'a far cry from making and releasing' the novel coronavirus. The exact source of the new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, remains unknown. Scientists suspect that it originated in bats, snakes, pangolins, or some other wild animal. Chinese health authorities have previously claimed that humans likely caught the pathogen from animals sold as food at a food market in Wuhan. The pandemic has so far killed more than 42,300 people and infected around 860,000 worldwide. The seven-minute film shows Mr Tian and his colleagues (pictured) visiting caves to catch bats Mr Tian has visited dozens of caves in Hubei and studied over 300 virus vectors, the film says The documentary in question, titled 'Youth in the Wild: Invisible Defender', is part of a series, which introduces the work of young Chinese scientists. It was produced by China Science Communication, a website run by the China Association for Science and Technology. The episode was released in December, a few weeks before the outbreak emerged in Wuhan. It follows the life of Mr Tian who spends days on end roaming wet and dark caverns to capture bats for his research work. The 40-year-old father-of-two is the Associate Chief Technician of the Department of Disinfection and Pest Control of the Wuhan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He said in the film: 'I work in the field of virus sample collection and classification and I am a defender of an invisible defence line.' There have been various conspiracy theories about the origin of the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2. Some blame the strain on the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the US army The latest allegation connects the novel coronavirus to the Wuhan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The exact source of SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown The video depicts how Mr Tian and his colleague explored one cave and captured the nocturnal animals there while donning full-body protective suits. He added: 'Among all known creatures, bats carry various viruses. [One] can find most viruses responsible for human diseases in them.' He confessed that he often felt scared during such expeditions, which could stretch on for days. He explained: 'I can feel the fear: the fear of infections and the fear of getting lost. Because of the fear, I take every step extremely cautiously. 'The more scared I feel, the more care I take in executing every detail. 'Because the process of you finding the viruses is also when you can be exposed to them the easiest.' The researcher has visited dozens of undeveloped caves in Hubei and studied more than 300 virus vectors in the past 10 years or so, according to the film. He concluded: 'I do hope these virus samples will only be preserved for scientific research and will never be used in real life.' Chinese health authorities have previously claimed that humans likely caught the virus from animals sold as food at a food market in Wuhan. The picture taken on March 30 shows a blocked entrance to the market which was shut in January in the wake of the outbreak Mr Tian's confession has led some observers to consider him as a key figure closely associated with the origin of the coronavirus. One article from The Washington Times claimed that the film showed Mr Tian and his co-workers 'engaged in casual handling of bats containing deadly viruses'. The US-based website cited a report by Wuhan Evening News in 2017, which described how Mr Tian had come into contact with bat urine once after forgetting to wear a protective suit. It connected the event with SARS-CoV-2 as it wrote: 'To avoid contracting a disease, he self-quarantined for 14 days - the same recommended period for people exposed to the new COVID-19 strain.' COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In the original Chinese report, which was also published by China's state news agency Xinhua, the incident was used to demonstrate the risks of Mr Tian's job. It said that Mr Tian would not be able to find medicine had he been infected on the line of duty. Chinese authorities have denied the allegation the virus could have come from a Wuhan lab. This photo taken on February 6, 2020 shows a laboratory technician working on samples from people to be tested for the new coronavirus at 'Fire Eye' laboratory in Wuhan One anonymous US politician expressed his concerns about Mr Tian's role to The Washington Times. The unnamed State Department official said: 'He lives and works at Wuhan's CDC, a few hundred yards away from the Huanan wet market. 'He is among the small team in Wuhan that has contributed to China's obsession in recent years with virus hunting and research.' It is widely believed that the coronavirus pandemic first emerged in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The once-popular marketplace is situated about 700 metres (765 yards) from Wuhan's CDC. It was shut in January in the wake of the epidemic. The Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) has been the centre of conspiracy theories The latest argument about the origin of the coronavirus comes after another conspiracy theory proposed the Wuhan Institute of Virology as its birthplace. The lab opened in November, 2018, and is classified as P4, the highest level in bio-safety. Part of its research focuses on different strains of coronavirus, according to previous reports. One expert has firmly rejected such allegations. 'Bat coronaviruses resembling SARS and the new SARS-CoV-2 have been isolated by many groups of legitimate scientists, including the Wuhan lab and plenty of US investigators. This is a far cry from making and releasing the new virus,' Dr Gerald Keusch, a Boston-based professor told MailOnline. He said: 'A conspiracy theory never cares about the truth. It just cares about creating doubt and anxiety. 'Times of crisis are times of anxiety and it is easier to explain the appearance of an aberration like SARS-CoV-2 as the result of an act of deliberation or incompetence of a laboratory than it is to admit to the fact that nature and evolution, assisted by environmental factors and human intrusions into environmental ecosystems, results in viral evolution.' Life in Wuhan is slowly getting back to normal after the city was ravaged by the virus for three months. Pictured, a woman has her temperature taken outside a bank in Wuhan on Tuesday Dr Keusch, Professor of Medicine and International Health at Boston University's Schools of Medicine and Public Health, stressed that no release of viruses from a high-level lab, such as the one in Wuhan, 'has ever happened'. He defended his peers in the Chinese city as he said: 'The Wuhan lab is designed to the highest standards with redundant safety systems and the highest level of training. 'Many of its research faculty trained at a similar laboratory in Galveston, Texas. So we know the Wuhan team is as qualified as the Texas group 'This means the assertion of a leak, rather than being highly likely, instead is highly unlikely.' Chinese authorities have repeatedly denied the allegation that the virus could have come from the Wuhan lab. Shi Zhengli, Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, said in February: 'The 2019 novel coronavirus is nature's punishment for humans' uncivilised life habits. I, Shi Zhengli, use my life to guarantee, [the virus] has no relation with the lab.' Ms Shi urged the Chinese authorities to launch an official investigation into the matter. She told Chinese news outlet Caixin: 'Conspiracy theorists don't believe in science. I hope our country's professional departments can come to investigate and prove our innocence.' To Dr Hoo Tiang Boon, a Singapore-based international relations expert, the emergence of the conspiracy theories reflect a fundamental scepticism towards the Chinese government. The first coronavirus patient has been revealed to be a bed-bound pensioner who had no connection to a food market in Wuhan where Beijing's officials say the outbreak began. In the file photo above, a medical worker looks after a patient at a hospital in Wuhan on January 24 Dr Hoo, Assistant Professor with the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told MailOnline: 'There has always been an underlying kind of suspicion and distrust towards China and in particular the Chinese Communist Party for many years. 'The way the Chinese control the press and their own media is a direct contrast to the free and liberal media in the west. And even if there is good information coming out of China, people won't necessarily trust, or they will take it with a pinch of salt and say whatever comes out is directly controlled by the Communist Party 'The whole line of argument is about the way information and propaganda is being handled in China.' He considered the Wuhan virus theories 'not credible'. 'Unless you have concrete scientific evidence or scientists working in this area feel strongly about this topic and the scientific community come out to support them, they are not credible.' China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian (pictured) tweeted on March 12, suggesting that the virus might have come from the United States - not the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan Apart from the aforementioned claims, a few other conspiracy theories have linked the birthplace of SARS-CoV-2 to the United States. One version alleges that the virus was created by the United States which released it on purpose. The theory proposes that the virus was used by Washington as part of a multi-pronged war against China, said a columnist at South China Morning Post, citing Hong Kong-based YouTube influencer Jonathan Ho Chi-kwong. The author criticised the conspiracy theory, saying that it had been refuted by experts. 'Experts have pointed out that as a bioweapon, the new virus is pretty useless. It appears to kill just 2 per cent of victims and each patient spreads it to an average of only 2.2 people,' said the op-ed. Another version, apparently supported by a Beijing official, suggested that the virus came from the US army. Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last month wrote on his personal Twitter account that 'it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan' - without providing any evidence. He doubled down on his claim one day later by posting a link to an article from a website known for publishing conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks. The investigation into the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and how it jumped to humans is ongoing, according to Bruce Aylward, who led the World Health Organization's recent mission to China to assess its response to the outbreak. The focus remains on the now-closed Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, the wildlife market inside it, and other markets, the Canadian epidemiologist told US site VOX. ALBANY Albany Medical Center has begun accepting COVID-19 patients from the hard-hit New York City area, as hospitals there struggle to keep up with a surge of infected patients. Fourteen patients from Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital in Queens were transported via ground and air to Albany late Tuesday night, and taken to the hospitals medical/surgical and intensive care units, multiple sources confirmed. Albany Med president and CEO Dennis McKenna and hospital general director Fred Venditti said they were at the hospital when the first transfers started coming in around 9 to 10 p.m. They agreed to take them after receiving a call from the CEO of the Queens hospital system, Venditti said. He described for us a situation down there where they needed some help in terms of care of some of the patients they had in their emergency department, he said. So we agreed, as we would agree to any transfer of patients into our system, we agreed to take those patients. The hospital will take more from any overburdened hospital in the state if asked and if beds are available, McKenna said. The reason we take those transfers is, No. 1, that is our mission, he said. That has always been our mission, and were always happy to do that and we know that we can provide the care thats needed. Asked about the transfers Thursday morning, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said he wasn't receiving updates from the hospital but that "last he heard" the number of New York City transfers had surpassed 40. As the only level one trauma center, tertiary care center and academic medical center in northeastern New York and western New England, Albany Med has a long history of accepting transfers, McKenna said, and takes in roughly 16,000 a year. In 2015, one in every four patients at Albany Med was a transfer patient, he said. The hospital is also required under federal law, McKenna said, to accept patients when it gets a call from an emergency department and has capacity. Bed shortages The prospect of downstate patients making their way upstate has been on the regions radar for weeks. On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed that hospitals across the state were working together to formulate plans for when to make transfers, in order to prevent any one hospital from becoming too overloaded. On Wednesday, he said the state Health Department would coordinate those transfers, and that the strategy in general will be to transfer patients first within a local health system, then among health systems in the same area, and then "worst-case scenario transfer upstate. Asked about the Albany Med transfers at his daily news briefing Wednesday, Cuomo described the move as a one-off situation based on a pre-existing agreement with the transferring hospitals. Albany Med seemed to rebut this claim Wednesday when it said that prior to Tuesday it had not had any established relationship with the Queens hospitals. "We were acting with the support of hospital associations and when they called, we did what we always do accept the transfer patients," spokesman Matt Markham said. "The act of accepting transfers aligns with our mission to care for any patient, regardless of their condition." Hospitals in New York City, which is now the epicenter of cases nationwide, are quickly becoming overwhelmed. Medical volunteers from across the country are racing to the area to help, and temporary medical facilities have been erected or in the case of the 1,000-bed USNS Comfort sailed in to handle overflow. Still, that may not be enough. Cuomo has said the state will need up to 140,000 hospital beds for the outbreaks peak, which is expected at the end of the month. The state normally has 53,000 beds, and is expected to hit 93,000 once hospital surge plans are in place and temporary facilities are brought online. Albany Med said Wednesday that receiving transfers from outside the region will not impact its ability to care for patients locally. Venditti said the hospital has a great analytics team that has been working up various surge scenarios to assist the hospital in making future transfer decisions as cases grow locally. We can determine, frankly, when its safe for us to take patients from outside the region and when perhaps we need to slow that down or even stop it so we maintain capacity for the growth of patients coming out of the region, he said. The patients who arrived from New York City Tuesday night are largely assigned to the hospitals C-2 unit. Other areas of the hospital are being cleared and converted into negative pressure rooms for a surge of COVID-19 patients, said one nurse who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. The hospitals South Clinical Campus on Hackett Boulevard is also being cleared, and will at least initially be used for non-infected patients, she said. Additionally, nurses who dont normally work bedside are being told they soon will, she said. The extended use and re-use of personal protective equipment continues to frighten staff, she said, and the arrival of patients from New York City has only compounded that fear. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The truth is we arent just nurses, she said. Im a mom, my parents are immunodeficient. There are people in our communities which we are trying to protect. We need to protect ourselves so we can do our job and help others. On Monday, the hospital announced that 45 health care workers across the Albany Med system had tested positive for COVID-19, and another 141 who had been exposed to known cases were being monitored for symptoms. Other hospitals prepare Two other large hospital systems in the Capital Region told the Times Union on Wednesday that they intend to take transfers out of New York City if asked. St. Peter's Health Partners, which operates four hospitals in Albany and Troy, and Ellis Medicine in Schenectady said they have not received any transfers from downstate yet, but that they stand "ready and willing" to accept those patients should the need arise. "We feel it is our moral duty to help those who are suffering, including our fellow health care workers," said Courtney Weisberg, a spokeswoman for St. Peter's. "If and when that time comes, we would continue to make our community cases our priority and work to take all necessary precautions, following CDC and public health guidelines to ensure the safety of our patients and colleagues," she added. Ellis Medicine president and CEO Paul Milton, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Leslyn Williamson, and Chief Medical Officer David Liebers issued a joint statement on the issue in response to questions from the Times Union. "Physicians, nurses and staff throughout the Ellis family share a sense of duty and moral obligation to care for all patients who need us, and assist our fellow healthcare workers outside the region, they wrote. We cannot respond to this virus facility-by-facility, but must do so as a broad community, they said. This virus does not recognize geographic borders, and as caregivers, we recognize that supporting fellow New Yorkers and Americans fits squarely with our mission." Hospitals across the Capital Region have been coordinating daily on pandemic response and providing updates on the number of confirmed and suspected cases they are treating each day, as well as how many are in intensive care units and on ventilator support. As of Tuesday, the number of COVID-19 patients being cared for at about a dozen hospitals across the region had grown to 97, according to Albany Med. On Wednesday, Albany Med reported 39 COVID-19 patients, including 13 in intensive care units and five on ventilators. Steve Hughes and Brendan Lyons contributed. Are you working the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 in the Capital Region? The Times Union wants to hear from you. Contact reporter Bethany Bump at bbump@timesunion.com with comments or concerns. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:08:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi force on Wednesday killed four Islamic State (IS) militants during a raid on their hideout in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a police source said. An intelligence force raided the hideout in Buhruz area in south of the provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, sparking a fierce clash with IS militants for half an hour, and killed four militants inside, Ali Jasim from the provincial police told Xinhua. The troops also seized two explosive belts in the site, Jasim said, adding that the IS militants were Iraqi nationals and believed to be involved in attacks against the security forces. Despite repeated military operations in the Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas across the province as well as the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the neighboring provinces of Salahudin and Kirkuk. The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017. In the midst of the tyrannical lock down imposed across the world owing to the coronavirus pandemic, love, dating and family life are going through some serious changes. On social media, there have been conversations about how the situation we are in, could possibly lead to a surge of quaranteens by the year 2033; others point out the possible increase in divorce rates among couples, owing to spending an inordinate amount of time with one another. Twitter Amid this scenario of altering family life, the Malaysian womens ministry went out of line with one of their (unnecessary) lockdown advisories. Malaysias womens affairs ministry issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on March 18, with a series of online posters with the hashtag translating as #WomenPreventCOVID19. We're appalled by the IG graphics by @KPWKM which perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes that are archaic & discriminatory. How could @RinaMohdHarun allow this? It is also a violation of International Law @CedawMalaysia https://t.co/ZtBzDk1LRe #demand4intelligentkpwkm pic.twitter.com/qX3FYmt4p7 EMPOWER (@empowermalaysia) March 31, 2020 One of the campaign posters depicted a man sitting on a sofa and asked women to refrain from being 'sarcastic' if they needed help with household chores. 'Avoid nagging your husband', another poster said; it recommended the use of humour or imitating the infantile voice of Doraemon - a blue robot cat from Japan that is hugely popular across Asia. The posters immediately drew criticism from activists and commenters alike. While, speaking to an international news agency, Nisha Sabanayagam with All Womens Action Society, a Malaysian advocacy group, said that it was extremely condescending both to women and men. #1 Heres my response: no make up, in comfy clothes and as far as I know, I dont have a Doraemon-like voice. Whats IN my head matters more. pic.twitter.com/8fmlHx4wQg Michelle L. (@ArcEgyptologist) April 1, 2020 #2 I remade some of the the #Doraemon visuals, because the original ones shouldnt have existed in the first place. / sorry Im advance for any grammar mistakes, and especially my rusty BM. #womenpreventcovid19 pic.twitter.com/sMfBx9wzFL Samantha Shim (@samshimwm) April 1, 2020 #3 During the lockdown, all Ministers must be banned from issuing advice to the public or make them speak like #doraemon as punishment#WomenPreventCOVID19 that Klang dude (@that_klangdude) March 31, 2020 #4 #womenpreventcovid19 How to prevent domestic violence: tell the woman to behave and be obedient to her abuser How about some posters for the men? As if that would make a difference. Fucking idiots Lee Sha (@euphoriannn) March 31, 2020 #5 Malaysian government posting online instructions and posters telling women how to behave in a lockdown to keep the man happy. Don't be sarcastic! Don't nag! Wear makeup! Don't make your man angry or he might lash out! What sexist bullshit #womenpreventcovid19 Lee Sha (@euphoriannn) March 31, 2020 Another poster advised women to wear makeup and dress neatly when they were working from home. Rosana Isa, executive director of civil society organization Sisters in Islam, told Arab News the posters were inappropriate, creating the impression that wives must please their husbands. It reinforces negative gender stereotypes against women and men, as it implies that women are the only ones responsible for house chores whereas the burden of housework should be shared by both husband and wife, Isa said. The posters, uploaded on Facebook and Instagram, drew widespread ridicule online with social media users urging the government to remove them. Twitter 'How did we go from preventing baby dumping, fighting domestic violence to some sad variant of the Obedient Wives Club?' Twitter user @yinshaoloong wrote. 'No tips on how to deal with domestic violence?' asked another user @honeyean. After a volley of criticisms, the ministry was forced to take down the posters and issue an apology in the public interest. We apologise if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties, the ministrys women development department said in a statement. According to Reuters, a government hotline that helps domestic abuse victims and vulnerable children have received nearly 2,000 calls - more than double the usual numbers - since the start of the partial lockdown, local media reported. People who attended a religious congregation at a mosque in Delhi's Nizamuddin area are brought to hospital for COVID-19 testing on March 31, 2020. Some 700 people who attended the congregation have been quarantined while around 335 people have been admitted to hospital after 24 people were tested Covid-19 positive. (PTI) Hyderabad: No less than 257 people who attended a religious congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin in New Delhi a couple of weeks ago came to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad to undergo coronavirus tests on Tuesday. The testing went on late into the night. This voluntary submission to coronavirus testing was the result of the shocking death of six such congregants due to Covid-19 infection all on one day, Monday, which blew open what is now being called the Nizamuddin cluster. The test subjects came from different parts of Hyderabad, but about 30 of them were from one locality. This fact has the authorities worried. Any concentration of positive cases could lead to what is called cluster transmission of the Covid-19 virus. So far, most of these people do not have symptoms. They are all men, middle-aged. The volunteers said they didnt get themselves tested for Covid-19 despite having gone to the Markaz because they had no travel history to a foreign country. Some of the test subjects Deccan Chronicle spoke to said the Markaz Nizamuddin organizers adhered to all the coronavirus precautions recommended by the government, save the fiat not to congregations itself. Since there were no overt symptoms in any of the people around, none of them felt a suspicion that there was a Covid cloud over the event. On Tuesday, the day the news of the six deaths blew open, the congregants were a scared lot. Their queue was fairly long, with only six people allowed into the diagnostic room at any time. Gandhi Hospital deployed 15 teams to get the nasal swabs done. While the six deaths did impart an urgency to the state governments efforts to trace anyone who was the Markaz Nizamuddin, it had already been trying to trace the contacts of a cluster of Indonesians, who they stumbled upon in Karimnagar and who were indeed at the prayer meeting in Old Delhi. A lot of questions are now being asked, however, especially after a note by the Union Home Ministry which says that it had informed Telangana government about this risk on March 21. If that was the case, why did it take so long to track down the congregants of Markaz Nizamuddin, especially after the officials in Karimnagar provided some of the contact details. From March 21 to March 31, its not known what took the government so long to decide to follow the central orders and identify these people. The Indonesians have recovered completely and are fine, which implies that had the rest been tracked on time, several lives could have been saved and many others would have been spared the infection. 3 Shares Share About a year ago, I wrote about how physicians are being devalued. More recently, I posted on my Facebook page how, in the current time of need, physicians are suddenly being valued more. I noted how in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the powers that be are turning to the same physicians to lead us out of the crisis. I alluded to compromises being contemplated with regard to issues such as surprise billing and prior auth. I noted that reporting requirements for Medicare quality measures have been relaxed. Even ABIM has postponed its spring exam. But I was wrong. There are numerous examples today of how even in times of crisis, physicians (and in many cases, other critical health care workers) are devalued. Let me share a few. In Washington, an emergency physician was fired for publicly protesting the lack of protective measures for hospital workers during the COVID-19 crisis. The shortage of PPE has resulted in health care workers not being adequately protected. They may be forced to reuse materials, risking their own safety. In some cases, nurses report using trash bags as PPE, which would be laughable if it were not so serious. There are reports of administrators advising doctors and nurses not to wear PPE because it might frighten patients. Does the hospital image supersede safety for health care workers? The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs in Michigan has threatened physicians who write scripts for hydroxychloroquine for patients with COVID-19. Admittedly, there is great controversy as to whether the treatment of COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine is appropriate or not, but why are bureaucrats deciding this, and why are physicians being threatened with disciplinary action? Shouldnt patient care decisions be made by individual physicians tending to individual patients? Is there so little trust in physicians integrity to care for patients to the best of our ability? In Pennsylvania, lawyers are pushing for malpractice cases to go forward without delay. Attorneys are likely taking a financial beating, but so is everyone else, including physicians. To ask physicians to focus their attention on legal issues in times of such a crisis is unconscionable. Why cant there be a moratorium so that plaintiffs can still have their day in court, just not right now while physicians struggle to treat patients during a pandemic? The final kicker is that as I write this, it is Doctors Day. First of all, Doctors Day has been extended to National Physicians Week on the national calendar due to work done by the grassroots group Physicians Working Together. However, many institutions still only recognize Doctors Day. Even at that, some hospitals extend thanks to doctors and other clinicians. One physician noted that her hospital thanked its doctors and APPs, lumping them together. It should be noted that there are separate weeks for nurses in May and for nurse practitioners in November. I have nothing against nurses, NPs, and all of the other health care providers who are risking their own safety to take care of patients. All are true heroes and are to be commended and applauded for their sacrifices and their bravery. I recognize that I may come across as petty, given that there are much more important issues at stake. Nonetheless, physicians are human. Just like anyone else, we do not want to be taken for granted. It would be nice if administrators, legislators, and hospital CEOs showed appreciation for what we do as physicians with their actions as well as their words. I have a strong feeling as to what will happen once the crisis is over. I suspect it will be back to business as usual. Any current loosening of restrictions will tighten up again. Regulations that hinder our ability to care for patients will be put back in place. While physicians will receive thanks for what has been done during the COVID-19 pandemic, I just cannot see meaningful changes in prior authorizations or regulatory demands, and once again, administrators will demonstrate just what they think of physicians. Here is hoping that I am way off base in my thoughts. Maybe this experience will change the way physicians are viewed. For as much as I am talking about physicians here, that which affects physicians also affects patients, and patients should always be our number one concern. Mark Lopatin is a rheumatologist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The Goa government will dip into the Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund, a specialised fund set up on the orders of the Supreme Court, in a bid to find the finances to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday. Sawant, who had earlier admitted that the government was facing a fund crunch, said the state finances are also under tremendous stress due to reduction and stoppage of business activity and had sought donations from private companies through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to help battle against the disease. We will be using money from the Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund for fighting Covid-19. We will use around Rs 120 crore, the fund is worth approximately Rs 400 crore, Sawant said at his daily press briefing after discussing with stakeholders. Also read: Lockdown-hit Goa relaxes system to issue curfew passes The Goa government is already using the district mineral funds that were set up as per the amended Mines and Minerals Development Act agreeing to spend Rs 52 crore lying with the two districts. The government, which was in a precarious financial position even before the Covid-19 crisis, has also set up a special bank account asking private companies to donate to help fight the disease. While not revealing the amount collected so far, the Goa chief minister has said that all MLAs have vowed to give one months salary to the account while industrial houses like Bandekar and Dempo have given money while Vedanta Group a large stakeholder in Goas mining industry has promised money but has not declared the amount. The Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund was set up for sustainable development and inter-generational equity. It was set up on the directions of the Supreme Court while disposing of the Goa Foundations plea in 2014 that the lessees who benefit the most from mining must contribute 10% from their sale proceeds for sustainable mining. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ireland has suffered its saddest day in the fight against the coronavirus with a record number of 17 deaths and 325 new cases of the infection. The mounting death toll from the virus has now reached 71. It comes as Irish patients with Covid-19 are to take part in an international clinical trial to see if there are treatments which can support those who are critically ill with the virus. Of those who have died in Ireland from Covid-19, more than eight in 10 were over the age of 70 and two-thirds were from the east of the country. Some 54 had reported underlying health conditions and 59 died in hospitals. The jump in new cases brings to 3,235 the number of people struck by the infection so far. It comes as hospital intensive care units are also coming under more intensive pressure, caring for 113 severely ill patients with the virus. So far 703 people have been hospitalised and around half of people have picked up the infection without knowing the source. Junior doctors in St Jamess Hospital in Dublin are also being rostered to work 24-hour shifts to provide care to patients with the virus. One-quarter of all those infected are healthcare workers. One in four of the 647 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and porters who were infected in a hospital or a healthcare setting. Read More The median age of the latest victims of the virus was 84. The Health Research Board said it is to start a clinical trial in a number of intensive care units to find out if there are treatments which can support patients who are seriously ill. The trial will start enrolling Covid-19 patients on the island of Ireland at the start of this month and will test interventions in critically ill patients, capture the outcomes and analyse data across an international network in a global effort to reduce the impact of the virus. If a patient is too ill to consent to taking part, their next of kin may be asked for permission. Rapid data sharing will ensure that findings relevant to the Covid-19 outbreak are shared quickly with others working in the area to inform decision-making. It will start in St Vincent's Hospital and University Hospital Galway and will also involve Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick, as well as the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned that while the emergency measures were flattening the curve, the 15pc daily rise in cases - although down from 33pc - was still too high. The fear is that there will be a surge in cases in the coming weeks which will overwhelm hospitals with seriously ill patients. The National Public Health Emergency Team, which met yesterday, is now recommending more intensive tracing of the contacts of people who test positive. Dr Holohan said in future "contact tracing will encompass the period from 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms" because the person who tests positive may not have been showing signs of the infection. The average number of contacts of people who are infected has reduced to three due to physical distancing and these tend to be others in the household, he added. They also want safeguards to be stepped up in nursing homes and other residential centres where residents have been at the centre of clusters of the virus. There have now been 23 outbreaks or clusters of the virus in nursing homes. The moves include asking healthcare workers who share a house or an apartment to agree to go to other accommodation which could be provided by the HSE as a means of reducing the chances of them infecting each other and passing it on in the workplace. "The measures that we have recommended today should significantly enhance the preparedness and response to cases and outbreaks in nursing homes and other residential settings," he said. "As we have said from the beginning, our efforts must be focused on protecting the most vulnerable to Covid-19 and these recommendations announced today seek to achieve this." Dr Holohan said the HSE would be working with the homes in areas of staffing and equipment. It is understood the patient safety watchdog Hiqa will work with some homes to assess their infection control procedures. Dr Cillian de Gascun, of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, confirmed there can be a delay of 10 days before a person who is tested for the virus gets their result. It means priority groups such as people with severe illness, healthcare workers and people who have had contact with a positive case are facing delays. The man and woman are being investigated over separate incidents on 20 March and 13 March, respectively. (PHOTOS: Facebook / Jolovan Wham) SINGAPORE An 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both Singaporeans, are being investigated by the police for allegedly taking part in separate public assemblies without permits. The woman had held up various placards with the phrases PLANET OVER PROFIT, SCHOOL STRIKE 4 CLIMATE and ExxonMobil KILLS KITTENS&PUPPIES outside of HarbourFront Tower One on 13 March, said the police in a statement on Wednesday (1 April). While investigating this incident, the police found that the man had held up a placard with the words SG IS BETTER THAN OIL @fridays4futuresg in front of the Toa Payoh Central Community Club and Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre on 22 March. Both of them did not apply for the necessary Police permit before carrying out their activities. Investigations are ongoing, said the police, adding that electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops were seized in relation to the case. Yahoo News Singapore found pictures of the man and the woman carrying placards posted on Facebook. A check on the Instagram page of Fridays For Future Singapore the group alluded to in the mans placard found a single post from 24 May last year. In its caption, the writer complains of the difficulty of starting a school strike movement for climate change in Singapore due to the countrys strict laws and regulations. The Fridays for Future is an international movement that sees students skipping school or classes on Fridays to take part in climate change demonstrations or awareness-raising activities. The movement was sparked off following Swedish teenager Greta Thunbergs protest outside her countrys Parliament building in August 2018. The Police would like to remind the public that organising or participating in a public assembly without a Police permit in Singapore is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act, said the police. The Speakers Corner is the proper avenue for Singaporeans to express their views on issues that concern them, and to allow Singaporeans to conduct public assemblies without the need for a permit, subject to certain conditions being met. Story continues Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: Ex-NTU undergrad jailed 10 months for modifying stored-value cards to cheat Kopitiam of nearly $81k FairPrice outlet at Bedok Mall temporarily shut after staff member contracts COVID-19 Jiu-jitsu world champion Constance Lien among 17 new spexScholars Malaysian motorists stuck in Singapore due to MCO get one-off waiver of VEP fees Youth, Peace and Security Expected Council Action As Security Council President in April, the Dominican Republic is planning to convene an open debate on the issue of youth, peace and security under the agenda item Maintenance of International Peace and Security. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may brief the Council. Other briefers may include civil society representatives from youth-led organisations. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether the debate would be held as planned because of the COVID-19 outbreak. A resolution is a possible outcome of the event. It is not expected, however, to be adopted during the debate but at a later date to allow for the discussion to inform the drafting. Background and Key Recent Developments The Council first addressed the issue of youth, peace and security at the initiative of Jordan during the countrys April 2015 presidency when it organised an open debate on the role of youth in countering violent extremism and promoting peace. On 9 December 2015, the Council adopted resolution 2250, which mandated a progress study on youth, peace and security. The study in turn served as the basis for resolution 2419, the second resolution on the issue, adopted unanimously on 6 June 2018. This adoption was also preceded by an open debate, convened during the Peruvian Council presidency in April 2018. During Perus subsequent July 2019 presidency, the Council heard a briefing on the implementation of resolutions 2250 and 2419 from Jayathma Wickramanayake, the Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth, and representatives from youth-led organisations in Afghanistan and Kenya. On 12 December 2019, the Council adopted a presidential statement drafted by South Africa focused on mobilising youth around the Silencing the Guns by 2020 initiativea flagship project of the AUs Agenda 2063, which aims at ending all conflict in Africa by 2020. On 2 March 2020, the Secretary-General issued his report addressing the issue of youth, peace and security. The report was mandated by resolution 2419, which recognised the role youth can play in conflict prevention and requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of resolutions 2250 and 2419 no later than May 2020. The report covered the period between December 2015 and December 2019 and addressed progress on the five pillars outlined by resolution 2250: participation of young people in peace processes, humanitarian contexts, and in national governance and political processes such as voting and running for office; protection of young people, in particular vulnerable groups such as refugees, and often-targeted groups such as young peacebuilders and human rights defenders; prevention of violence by addressing underlying drivers of conflict through the provision of education and the economic inclusion of young people; fostering partnerships between youth-led organisations and member states, UN entities, and civil society; and inclusion of the needs of young people in planning for disengagement and reintegration in conflict and post-conflict environments. The findings of the Secretary-Generals report outlined progress in implementing the agenda in terms of the growing recognition on the part of governments, UN entities and civil society of the important role youth play in peace and security. The report stressed, however, that many challenges remain to achieving progress on the five pillars, such as structural barriers limiting the ability of youth to participate in decision-making and violations of their human rights. The Secretary-General referred to the report as a call to action while saying that to create a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous world for all, young people need to be involved and conditions that enable them to unleash their full potential must be created. In his overview of the implementation of the youth, peace and security agenda on the national level, the Secretary-General referenced positive examples of youth participation in peace processes in such countries as Colombia and the Philippines. He further emphasised the contribution youths have in such political processes by voicing their stand in less formal channels, such as organisation of peaceful demonstrations and online media campaigns. The Secretary-General expressed grave concern, however, about the threats made against young peacebuilders and human rights defenders working in conflict areas, noting the heightened dangers posed to women activists. He therefore stressed the responsibility of member states to ensure that these groups are protected and that perpetrators of violence against them are brought to justice. He said that to ensure coordinated action at a national level, governments need to incorporate youth, peace and security elements into broader policy frameworks, noting in particular the role that national parliaments can play by such means as adoption of relevant legislation and the commissioning of national road maps for youth, peace and security. The report also noted the increasing engagement of the Security Council on the youth, peace and security agenda since the adoption of resolution 2250. The Council had interactions with young people in nearly half of its visiting missions undertaken during the period covered by the report and increasingly sought to hear briefings from youth representatives in country-specific debates, such as on Syria and Afghanistan. Furthermore, reports of the Secretary General to the Council about issues on its agenda have increasingly referenced youth-specific issues. Key Issues and Options The debate on youth, peace and security can serve as an opportunity for Council members and the wider UN membership to take stock of progress made in the implementation of resolutions 2250 and 2419 and share best practices and lessons learned at the national and regional level. It can also serve as a platform to discuss the Secretary-Generals report on youth, peace and security and its recommendations and to devise priorities for action. Council members may want to discuss the Secretary-Generals recommendation that young people be encouraged to participate in peace and security efforts, including within mission mandates. Currently, only approximately 24 percent of mission mandate renewal resolutions include provisions on youth. Members might therefore want to consider if and how they would want to modify future mandate renewal resolutions to include such provisions. Council members may also consider ways to ensure the protection of young peace builders and human rights defenders and increase accountability for perpetrators of violence against these groups. The Council may adopt a resolution on the issue, subsequent to and informed by the open debate. Such a resolution may include a request to the Secretary-General regarding future reporting on the youth, peace and security agenda. The Dominican Republic could also choose to produce a chairs summary that would reflect the themes of the open debate. Council Dynamics Council members have differing views on youth, peace and security as an area of Council focus. During the negotiations on resolution 2419, it seemed that mainly China and Russia argued that the matter should be dealt with by other parts of the UN system while maintaining that it is not directly relevant to the Councils agenda. Some members might therefore not see a need for further reporting by the Secretary-General to the Council on this matter. It appears, however, that other members support having Council engagement on this issue and would have preferred even stronger language in resolution 2419 about the positive role youth can play on peace and security matters. UN DOCUMENTS ON YOUTH, PEACE AND SECURITY HNTB Corp. Horton Tim Horton joined HNTB Corp. as senior project engineer for transportation in the Bellevue office. Horton will work with agencies and provide technical expertise on projects and manage engineering teams. His work will include transportation design, project management and oversight of design-build activities. He has over 15 years of experience in the transportation industry. At a previous firm, he developed a transit line of business. He also was involved in the first diverging diamond interchange in Washington. HNTB is an infrastructure firm. British coronavirus patients are set to get the promising Ebola drug remdesivir as part of a trial amid the escalating crisis in the UK. Remdesivir has been fast-tracked into trials so doctors in hospitals across England and Scotland can administer it for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Gilead, remdesivir was initially hoped to help fight. But it faltered in comparison to others drugs. It has been thrust into the limelight once more after the World Health Organization listed it as 'the most promising candidate' for a COVID-19 therapy in January. The medicine has been shown to stop other similar coronaviruses, including MERS, in tests on animals. And the first COVID-19 patient diagnosed in the US reportedly improved overnight after doctors gave the 35-year-old remdesivir as a last-ditch attempt to treat him. Scientists say remdesivir could have a 'profound impact' on the global pandemic, as cases today are expected to reach 885,000. More than 44,100 people have died. Today was the most significant day of the epidemic in the UK so far, with a 563 increase in deaths. Officially recorded cases have neared 30,000. British coronavirus patients are set to get a promising Ebola drug as part of a trial amid the escalating crisis in the UK. The concept for a Remdesivir tablet is pictured The trial will involve thousands of people across 15 NHS trusts in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Plymouth and more. Pictured, a patient in London on March 29 Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that works by crippling the RNA polymerase enzyme, stopping a virus from reproducing. It doesn't have a branded name yet because it's only an investigational agent. It's not approved for use anywhere in the world. Originally it was developed to combat Ebola, but hopes fizzled last year, during the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when it didn't show any effect. It was pushed aside when two other drugs worked. The clinical trials will hopefully demonstrate remdesivir as safe and effective for use in COVID-19 patients, as scientists scramble to find a cure. Hilary Hutton-Squire, vice president and general manager at Gilead Sciences UK and Ireland, said: 'Gilead started research into remdesivir more than a decade ago. WHICH HOSPITALS ARE INVOLVED IN THE STUDY? Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (adult services) Manchester Royal Infirmary, and Wythenshawe Hospital Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Royal Lancaster Infirmary Glasgow Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Edinburgh Western General Hospital University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Advertisement 'We are now in a position to consider its potential to treat Covid-19 and rapidly progress its development, and these clinical trials will help generate important data on the safety and efficacy of the medication in the coming weeks.' Gilead has initiated two phase 3 randomised studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir in patients with moderate to severe Covid-19. It will be administered via IV. The trial will involve thousands of people across 15 NHS trusts in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Plymouth and more. Critically, a clinical trial of this size will highlight the true efficacy of remdesivir and any potential side effects. In animal tests, it was 'quite effective at preventing infection' and reducing severity of illness and damage to the lungs when given early enough in the course of illness, Dr Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said. Previously researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, showed in test tube and animal studies that the drug can inhibit the coronaviruses that cause SARS and MERS. It's been granted a spot in the World Health Organization's large global trial, called SOLIDARITY, of four drugs. Remdesivir has been fast-tracked into trial so that doctors in hospitals across England and Scotland will be able it to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients REMDESIVIR PREVENTS CORONAVIRUS MERS IN MONKEYS Remdesivir was recently shown to prevent disease and reduce the severity of symptoms in monkeys infected with MERS, an infection closely related to SARS-CoV-2. The results, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in February, raised hope that it could be effective against the new coronavirus virus. 'It wasn't successful in Ebola, but there is some indication that it might be successful in the coronaviruses,' Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in a recent interview. NIAID scientists tested remdesivir in monkeys 24 hours prior to infection with MERS and in other monkeys 12 hours after infection - the time frame in monkeys when the virus is most active. They were compared with untreated monkeys in a control group. After six days, all of the untreated animals got sick. In the monkeys treated prior to infection, the drug appeared to prevent disease. Animals in this group showed no sign of infection, had significantly lower levels of virus in their lungs and no lung damage. Those treated after infection also fared better than the control group. They had less severe disease, their lungs had lower levels of virus and they had less severe lung damage, researchers found. Many drugs that succeed in monkeys fail in humans. Nevertheless, the researchers said their findings bolster hopes for the ongoing studies in China and for compassionate use of the drug in severely ill patients. Advertisement Scientists welcomed the news that remdesivir will become available to COVID-19 patients amid the escalating crisis in Britain. Professor Graham Cooke, Imperial College London, said: 'Remdesivir is one of the most promising treatments for COVID-19. 'Although it looks promising in the test tube, we need clinical studies to test whether it meaningfully improves the outcomes of illness for patients. 'The next few weeks will see a huge amount of trial data emerging which will hopefully help to improve patient outcomes during this current peak in the pandemic.' Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor at Leeds Institute of Medical Research and chairman of the virus division, Microbiology Society, said the use of remdesivir in hospitals 'could have a profound impact upon the ability of healthcare systems to cope'. 'Given that a Sars-CoV2 vaccine may require several months to develop and scale up, an effective antiviral therapy has tremendous potential to lessen the severity of Covid-19 in the short to medium term,' he said. Dr Siu Ping Lam, director of licensing division of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said: 'The MHRA is ready to prioritise and provide any assistance for clinical trials and other regulatory applications in response to Covid-19, in line with Government priorities.' Gilead's chairman and CEO, Daniel O'Day has previously said the company hasn't discussed with any governments how much remdesivir will cost. 'The topic of pricing comes up once you know the medicine works,' he said, according to agency AP. Remdesivir has been provided to several hundred severely ill COVID-19 patients in the US, Europe and Japan under 'compassionate use' provisions. For example, a young man in Snohomish county in Washington, the first COVID-19 patient in the US, was given remdesivir when his condition worsened. He improved the next day, according to a case report in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). As of January 30, he had a mild cough. Another Californian who doctors thought might not survive also made a recovery with remdesivir. But the 'compassionate use' program is reportedly being halted due to an unmanageable number of requests, it was revealed on March 22. In the US, remdesivir has an 'orphan drug' status, granted very recently considering COVID-19 has affected less than 200,000 Americans. It would have entitled the company to financial incentives and exclusive marketing intended for rare disease treatments. After criticism, Gilead has requested the label to be revoked by the US Food and Drug administration. China had enrolled several hundred people in its two remdesivir studies. But it is reportedly having trouble recruiting more patients. Many patients just want the drug and are unwilling to take a chance on being randomly assigned to a comparison group that just gets usual care, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr Fauci and colleagues at the NIH are running a study of remdesivir that aims to recruit 400 patients in the US and elsewhere. It follows a study at the centre which showed remsidivir was able to protect monkeys from catching MERS, a cousin of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and reduce symptom severity if they did fall ill with it. Gilead also has said it will do two studies testing remdesivir treatment for five or 10 days in about 1,000 hospitalised patients, mostly in Asia. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment From Biblical times through the Nazi Holocaust to the present suffering in northeast Nigeria to our local emergency room, mans reaction to innocents suffering has often prompted the same question, Where is G-d? When it comes to Covid-19, no one can blame G-d. Its people who have gotten us into this coronavirus mess, and it is people with G-ds help who can help heal a world deathly ill from it. We are beginning to see how we got here, and as we do we must take our own medicine. That medicine is the truth. And You dont have to look to the Heavens to find the truth, in this case. While there is plenty of blame to go around for mistakes and failures made as the Coronavirus spread through the United States and European Union, some segments of our religious communities and beyond, but we must call out the main culprits of how the coronavirus turned into a global pandemic. Look no further than Beijing and Tehran. The Chinese government is playing us all for fools and they need to come clean, owning their culpability in the pre-pandemic phases of Covid-19. They, of course, identified the virus as early as November, and the mayor of Wuhan, before being fired, admitted in January that over five million people from Wuhan were allowed to leave the city before the travel restrictions had been enacted. The government then proceeded to weaponize medical supplies by importing the worlds supply of 20 million respirators. These are facts. It is also a fact that two spokespersons from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs have engaged in blood libel against the United States Armed Forces by claiming that it may have brought the coronavirus to Wuhan. The Chinese misinformation campaign might work with a few million of their own citizens and others who hate America, but there will be a day after this disaster when such behavior may very well put the nail in the coffin of the booming China-USA economic pipeline. After all, multiple United States Senators have already drawn a legislative line in the sand demanding that we disentangle Americas economy from China. And before we laud China for sending desperately needed medical help to Italy lets not forget that the Chinese actually sold that aid to Italy. It wasnt a donation. All of this while the Chinese government threatened to withhold their medical supply line from the United States. Equally complicit is the inhumane regime in Iran whose total disregard for human life was especially reserved for its own citizens in this health crisis. Here is another fact: the Iranians allowed faithful pilgrims to continue to travel to the Holy City of Qom despite the fact that the virus was already raging there. Now, every Gulf nation, and many beyond, struggle themselves to contain this pandemic. Why? Because Khamenei suffers from a more powerful virus than the Coronavirus. He is consumed by hate: hate of America, hate of Israel, hate of Baha'is, hate of Hindus, of gays, and hate of Atheists. What makes his behavior especially evil is that he appropriates the name of Allah when committing it. He is a clergyman who has sunk billions of dollars into the nuclearization of his hate in order to prop up terrorist operations in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and beyond. Just this week the Houthis in Yemen, which Khamenei controls, upheld a death sentence against an innocent member of the Bahai community. In this case, Khameneis hate runs so deep that he claims he would reject any thought of humanitarian help to fight the pandemic from the US. What the extremist dictator of Iran didnt tell his citizens is that he had already rejected help offered by the United States, help which was offered in February and was conveyed through the government of Switzerland. And just this week Khameneis regime ordered Doctors Without Borders to immediately leave the country ceasing their efforts to establish an intensive care hospital in Isfahan. As the Secretary of State has noted Khamenei has also stolen $1 billion Euros intended for medical supplies [while hoarding] desperately needed masks, gloves and equipment. This week the Europeans pledged to provide another $20 million Euros they probably need to fight their own pandemic. Lets be clear: the Iranian leader doesnt care about his people. He cares about exploiting this crisis in order to loosen the sanctions of the United States. Otherwise, he would utilize his own personal fortune to help his people, a fortune in excess of $200 billion. If Khamenei cared, Iranian officials wouldnt have continued to allow flights between Tehran and China while the virus was spreading on their Mahan Airline. In fact, he probably celebrated when he learned that the first reported case of Covid-19 in New York City now the global epicenter of the pandemic came from someone who had travelled from Iran. Should it surprise us that two of the worlds great violators of human rights have so little regard for human life? No, but it should anger us that the head of the World Health Organization and the Secretary General of the United Nations are being allowed silence. Moreover, Secretary Guterres has in effect joined Irans lobbying efforts to lift their sanctions on humanitarian grounds. And, to be clear, these truths should not be used by racists, xenophobes, and conspiracy addicts to demonize Muslims, the Iranian people, Asian Americans, Jews, or others. We can fight against that bigotry by defining exactly whom we are talking about, and standing arm-in-arm with our neighbors when they are subject to vitriol whether online or in our neighborhoods. We appreciate the President addressing this concern when he tweeted, It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. We will prevail together. He is right. He is also right to hold accountable, with specificity, those foreign actors whose decisions have unnecessarily imperiled millions around the world. Hell find some of the worst of them in the halls of power in Beijing and Tehran. So, this isnt a time to blame G-d, our Compassionate Father in Heaven, who is protecting and guiding our medical heroes and comforting those who suffer. May He also give us the strength to show compassion to strangers and to nurture those in need. He, like his children, sees the truth. A city in China has banned its residents from eating dog and cat meat with a groundbreaking new law in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Animal activists have demanded the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of pets for years, and the new accord is the first of its kind in the country. The legislation was yesterday passed by lawmakers in Shenzhen, a city of around 13 million people, and will take effect on May 1, according to a government notice. One charity group hailed the passage as a 'historic decision' which marked 'a watershed moment' in the animal protection in China. Lawmakers in Shenzhen, a city of around 13 million people in southern China, have passed a proposed legislation to ban the eating of pets, including dogs and cats. The picture shows a man wearing a protective face mask sitting with a dog in a street in Wuhan on March 30 Animal activists have demanded the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of pets for years, and the new accord is the first of its kind in the country. The picture shows dogs resting after being rescued from a truck heading towards the Yulin Dog Meat Festival on June 22, 2017 The annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival is one of the most controversial food festivals in China and sees thousands of dogs cruelly killed, skinned and cooked with blow-torches before being eaten by the locals. Apart from dogs, the regulations bar snake, frog and turtle meat from the dinner table. The news comes after China banned all trade and consumption of wild animals, a practice believed responsible for the country's deadly virus epidemic. Lawmakers in Shenzhen hope to strengthen food safety with the act. Pictured above, a dog wearing a mask is seen on a street of Shanghai after the outbreak was subdued on March 22 Apart from dogs, the new legislation also bars snake, frog and turtle meat from the dinner table. Pictured above, a pet dog wearing a muzzle walks on a street of Beijing on March 22 The officials have described the regulation as the 'universal civilisation requirement for a modern society'. They said they had considered the city's practical situation before including the extra animal species, which are not wildlife. The aim is to 'further satisfy the daily needs of the people'. According to the document, nine types of livestock are suitable for people to eat. They are pigs, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons. Residents are also allowed to dine on aquatic animals permitted by law. Situated in southern China's Guangdong Province, Shenzhen has around 13 million people and is the fifth largest city in the country. Pictured, Migrant workers and their relatives queue as they prepare to get on a train before departing to Shenzhen in Yichang, Hubei, on March 23 Commenting on the necessity for the government to create 'a white list', one spokesperson previously said the authority wanted to make it easier for people to know what can be eaten. 'There are so many animal species in nature. In our country alone, there are more than 2,000 kinds of protected wild animal species. 'If the local authority is to produce a list of the wild animals that cannot be eaten, it will be too lengthy and cannot answer the question exactly what animals can be eaten,' the official said. At least 46,000 people have died of COVID-19 and more than 917,000 have been infected worldwide. A medical worker is pictured checking a patient's records at a hospital in Wuhan Animal rights activists have praised the Shenzhen government for issuing the ban. Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist for animal protection charity Humane Society International, said in a statement: 'With Shenzhen taking the historic decision to become mainland China's first city to ban dog and cat meat consumption, this really could be a watershed moment in efforts to end this brutal trade that kills an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats in China every year. 'The majority of these companion animals are stolen from people's back yards or snatched from the streets, and are spirited away on the backs of trucks to be beaten to death in slaughterhouses and restaurants across China. 'Shenzhen is China's fifth largest city so although the dog meat trade is fairly small there compared with the rest of the province, its true significance is that it could inspire a domino effect with other cities following suit.' China's top legislative committee in February passed new legislation to ban all trade and consumption of wild animals. Beijing is yet to revise its wild animal protection law, but the passage of the proposal was 'essential' and 'urgent' in helping the country win its war against the epidemic, wrote state newspaper People's Daily. The exact source of the novel coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, remains unconfirmed. Scientists speculate that it originated in bats, snakes, pangolins, or some other animal. In China alone, the health crisis has claimed 3,312 lives and infected more than 81,500 people. And globally, at least 46,000 people have died and more than 917,000 have contracted the disease. Experts from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said tests proved that humans caught the virus from animals at the Huanan Seafood Wholesales Market (pictured) China passed new legislation this week to ban all trade and consumption of wild animals. In the file photo above, a man looks at caged civet cats in a wildlife market in Guangzhou on January 4, 2004. The cat-like creatures triggered the SARS outbreak in 2003 Experts from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in January that tests proved that humans caught the virus from animals at the Huanan Seafood Wholesales Market. Conservationists accuse China of tolerating a shadowy trade in exotic animals for food or use in traditional medicines whose efficacy is not confirmed by science. Scientists say SARS likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets. The virus, known as SARS CoV, killed 775 people and infected more than 8,000 globally during an epidemic between 2002 and 2003. Civets, a cat-like creature, were among dozens of species listed as for sale by one of the merchants at the Wuhan market according to a price list that circulated on China's internet. Other items included rats, snakes, giant salamanders and live wolf pups. Digpu News Network, Indias largest news distribution company is going to be associated with 155 more online news channels in the first quarter of Financial Year 2020-21. The announcement comes after the company received a lot of requests from its existing and new clientele for the addition of more niche and industry-focused news channels. Since the inception of Digpu News Network in the news and media industry, it has reinvented the whole concept of PR News. It gave the industry a new yardstick of Assured Publication by developing the most affordable PR news publication packages. Speaking of the gigantic success, Kunwar Devender Singh, CEO, Digpu News Network said, We envision creating a sustainable and effective media industry which aligns with our ethics and client-centric deliverables. Today, Digpu News has become synonymous with high-quality news content and unbiased journalism. Our news publication packages are the most affordable around the globe in terms of the value that is offered. Although the past few months have been crucial for the world, there seems to be no interlude for Digpu. On asking about this, Kunwar said, With the sudden lockdown in the country, the number of enquiries has skyrocketed. This is because the people are glued to their mobiles and are spending good time on the internet since most of us havent yet figured out a routine for the lockdown. Speaking about the associations, Cheshta Bakshi, Chief Business Officer, Digpu News Network said, This is an opportunity and we wont leave it. We are in the final stage of negotiations with some national news channels while some others are being analysed by our approval team. Hopefully, the process will be completed in a month or so. With their aim to help and promote vernacular news channels, Digpu is associating with online news channels from across India with a major chunk from states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the North-East part of the country. Many premium news channel associations are also in the pipeline. Inevitably, Digpu will become one among the worlds largest news networks with over 500 direct news channel associations. In 2019-20, we added more than seven thousand subscribers to our own news channel -Digpu.com and with the addition of new categories; it is slated to grow 10 times this year. To maintain the credibility of all news published via Digpu, all the news articles are published and distributed only after internal research and fact-check, says Cheshta. With the increase in the number of enquiries, the company also plans to add its Authorized News Agencies and Freelancers in several parts of the country. This prospect could be luring for a lot of people as the online business can be run successfully even by working from home, which is now quite important given the lockdown due to COVID-19 threat. About the business opportunity, Kunwar said, Due to the increase in global internet penetration, every company and individual is spending a huge amount on digital branding with a motive to showcase themselves at the top of various search engines. The best part of our industry is that 100% of our operations are powered by the internet, emails and phone calls. Therefore, our agencies and freelancers can earn good revenue even in the current global scenario. Disclaimer: This content is distributed by Digpu News Network. No HT journalist is involved in creation of this content. OTTAWAThe possibilities are bleak. But you dont get to see them yet. That was the bottom line Wednesday as officials from three levels of government Toronto, Ontario and Canada alluded to sobering projections for how bad the COVID-19 crisis might get even as they refused to show them to the public. Premier Doug Ford warned a surge is coming but stopped short of detailing the provinces expectations for the spread of the virus because overestimating the impacts could create panic. Those expectations prompted Torontos top medical officer to lay down strict new measures to slow the disease even as the city similarly refused to release the projections that left Dr. Eileen de Villa deeply concerned. And in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office declined to release specifics of the range of scenarios for COVID-19 that includes worst-case projections that Trudeau has already described as fairly dire. Instead of publishing details of this dark forecast for the virus, as happened this week in the U.S. when the White House said the virus would kill 100,000 to 240,000 people, Trudeau called on Canadians to rise to the greatest challenge Canada has faced since the World War II. The government alone cannot win this fight. We all have to answer the call of duty. This is service that most of us have never been called upon to do. We, each of us, have to live up to our end of the bargain, Trudeau said during his daily address to the media at Rideau Cottage on Wednesday. Listening to public health rules is your duty. Staying home is your way to serve. So be smart about what you do, about the choices you make. That is how you will serve your country and how we will all serve each other. How well we do this right now determines where our country will be in two weeks or in two months. Its in our hands. Its in your hands, he said. At Queens Park, after Ford was pressed to outline a surge scenario, the provinces chief medical officer committed to providing a projection next week. But Ford and Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott would not go into details at their Wednesday news conference. Elliott said officials are waiting to see how the daily case count goes once the provinces testing backlog is eliminated, likely by early next week. Theres different models If we pick one model over another it sends two different messages, Ford told reporters. Those models can drastically, drastically change. If we underestimate on one side and we overestimate on the other, and create a panic if we overestimate. But the facts are very clear. Were going through turbulent waters. Weve been saying it over and over again make sure that you dont congregate. Leading health officials later stepped in to fill in the blanks, with Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, declaring none of the scenarios is good and that the pandemic will test the capacity of the countrys health-care systems no matter what. And while Tam said it is not that helpful to use simple projections for the future spread of the disease, she explained that the truth of the matter is that Canadas health systems are vulnerable to a surge in infections. Thats why it is important for governments to expand capacity for treatment as the public at large stays at home and avoids contact with others to curb the spread of the virus, she said. Failure to slow infections could be disastrous, added Dr. Howard Njoo, the deputy public health officer. He said some of the worst projections show 30 to 70 per cent of Canadians could be infected a figure cited previously by federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu and that Canadians need to flatten the curve of infection so that hospitals arent flooded with sick patients that need critical care like ventilators. The really difficult message to Canadians is that, under a whole range of the scenarios, this health system isnt well-designed to cope with it if we dont do something about it now, Tam said. Even if you look at some of the lower attack rates (how fast the virus spreads), it is not something that we want to see. On a later teleconference, Ontarios chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, explained that slight changes in the rate of infection in the early phase of a pandemic can create huge differences in projected fatalities and infections. We want to be a bit more exact than that, he said. That means as we get more data coming in and we get further up the curve a bit, we can get more accurate projections. What the premiers concerned about isyou can confuse people if you jump around between numbers. We would rather not confuse the public but we do want to planstay tuned. There are already signs that health-care systems across the country are under duress. Quebec Premier Francois Legault warned this week that the province could run out of some medical supplies in a matter of days. In Ontario, Premier Ford established a $50 million fund to help companies shift production to medical supplies. He warned there is now very little separating us from severe impacts seen in Italy and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries where the virus has killed a total of more than 22,000 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Thousands of lives are at stake, Ford said. In a statement Wednesday, the Ontario Hospital Association said it is extremely concerned many Ontario hospitals are running low on personal protective equipment, particularly masks worn by medical staff. Hajdu said Wednesday that the federal stockpile of medical supplies is likely not big enough for Canadas needs during the pandemic, blaming decades of government underfunding to prepare for a crisis like that which the world is facing now. Hajdu said this is why Canadian companies need to shift to mass production of required supplies. The federal government said this week it is devoting $2 billion to bulk-buying supplies on the global market, including surgical masks, COVID-19 testing kits and ventilators. This money is also going to orders from companies in Canada that are ramping up production of these supplies for the health-care system. The federal government has already ordered 157 million new surgical masks, 60 million heavier N95 masks, and is looking to acquire another 4,000 ventilators on top of the estimated 5,000 in hospitals across Canada. Even so, Tam predicted some very difficult decisions may be necessary about who gets resources and when as the virus continues to spread in Canada. At the end of the day, our neighbours life depends on us taking this seriously, because ultimately at the end of the day, our health system cannot cope with a surge, Hajdu said. Canadians play a very important role in keeping their neighbour, their loved one, their relative alive. With files from Jennifer Pagliaro and David Rider Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:22:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Political party leaders from around the world have recently expressed their appreciation for the Communist Party of China (CPC) for widely sharing China's experience and practices in its combat against COVID-19. While successfully curbing the spread of the virus at home, China has been doing all it can to support and help other countries in need, which fully shows the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind that asks all to stick together and help each other, they said in messages addressed to the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. Yeidckol Polevnsky, general secretary of Mexico's National Regeneration Movement party, said that with a significant impact of the pandemic on the global economy, countries all over the world should work in cooperation and respond actively, expressing her expectation that China will play an important role in such a process. Besides the aforementioned political leaders, more have applauded China for actively carrying out international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control, which they said will help the international community win the battle against the epidemic at an early date. They included chairman of the Nepal Communist Party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is commonly known as Prachanda; chairman of the Kachin State People's Party of Myanmar Manam Tu Ja; Malaysian Chinese Association President Wee Ka Siong; Tunisia's Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi; Pierre Person, deputy general delegate of French ruling party The Republic on the Move (LREM), and Buon Tan, who is responsible for Asian affairs in the LREM; the Mozambique Liberation Front Party; and the Romanian Social Democratic Party. He was at the centre of one of television's biggest cheating scandals. And now Charles Ingram has been seen out and about just weeks before a new ITV drama retells the story of how he tried to swindle Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?. It has also emerged that Mr Ingram and his wife Diana have been involved in the creation of the three-part series, called Quiz, due to air later this month. They spoke with writer James Graham throughout the production's development and even met the cast on set - Ingram is to be played by Matthew Macfadyen, 45, and his wife is to be played by Fleabag's Sian Clifford. The former Army major, now 56, was photographed collecting some eggs from a house near his home dressed in jeans and a green jumper. Charles Ingram has been seen out and about just weeks before a new ITV drama retells the story of how he tried to swindle Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Matthew Macfadyen (left as Ingram) and Michael Sheen (right) in a new ITV drama He appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? in September 2001 and became the third person to scoop the 1million prize. But the show's production company, Celador, refused to pay because it suspected he had cheated. Producers accused Ingram and his wife of having an accomplice among the other contestants, lecturer Tecwen Whittock, who would cough when a correct answer was read out. Mrs Ingram was also said to have coughed when her husband struggled with answers. All three were later charged with 'procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception' and given suspended two-year prison sentences. Graham, who previously wrote a play about the story, said: 'We spoke to the Ingrams on a number of occasions. They both came to see the stage play. And we've been in contact all the way through developing the TV drama, including them visiting the actors.' Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen pictured as Ingram in ITV series) appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? in September 2001 and became the third person to scoop the 1million prize Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen pictured as Ingram in ITV series) was suspected by show producers of cheating. The 1million payment was withheld Mr Ingram and his wife Diana (Sian Clifford right in the ITV show) have been involved in the creation of the three-part series, called Quiz, due to air later this month Producers accused Ingram and his wife of having an accomplice among the other contestants, lecturer Tecwen Whittock, who would cough when a correct answer was read out He said the Ingrams were 'understandably maybe a little bit wary' but understood 'we would be asking the question that possibly it didn't play out exactly as people think, they were happy to give their point of view'. On meeting the real Ingrams, Miss Clifford said: 'It was really nice, but we were careful to wait until the end because we wanted to make sure we weren't too influenced by meeting them.' The drama, which will be shown on three consecutive nights from April 13, is directed by Stephen Frears and also stars Helen McCrory as Sonia Woodley QC and Michael Sheen plays quizmaster Chris Tarrant. Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen pictured for ITV) was suspected by show producers of cheating The government has missed the collection target for the current financial year from CPSE disinvestment set in the Revised Estimates of Budget by about Rs 14,700 crore New Delhi: The government has missed the collection target for the current financial year from CPSE disinvestment set in the Revised Estimates of Budget by about Rs 14,700 crore. In the current financial year 2019-20, the actual disinvestment mop-up has come in at Rs 50,298.64 crore. In the Revised Estimates (RE), the government had estimated the disinvestment proceeds at Rs 65,000 crore, thus a shortfall of around Rs 14,700 crore. In the Budget 2019-20, disinvestment revenue was pegged at Rs 1.05 lakh crore. However, in the RE, the projection was lowered substantially to Rs 65,000 crore. In the current financial year, the government has raised Rs 11,500 crore by way of strategic disinvestment of THDC and NEEPCO to state-owned power utility NTPC. Also, Kamarajar Port was sold for Rs 2,383 crore to Chennai Port Trust. While two follow-on offers of CPSE ETF fetched Rs 26,500 crore, Bharat-22 ETF garnered Rs 4,368 crore. Two initial public offerings (IPOs) -- RVNL and IRCTC -- helped garner Rs 1,113 crore, while RITES offer-for-sale (OFS) fetched Rs 1,130 crore. Buyback of shares by MOIL, MDL and SPMCIL fetched Rs 821 crore to the exchequer, while Rs 600 crore came in by way of remittances from SUUTI. Further, Rs 1,881 crore was procured by way of selling enemy shares. In the financial year 2015-16, the government had realised Rs 23,996.80 crore from CPSE disinvestment, lower than the Budget target of Rs 69,500 crore and RE of Rs 25,312 crore. In the financial year 2016-17, the government had missed the budgeted disinvestment target. While the Budget had pegged target at Rs 56,500 crore, the government was able to mop up Rs 46,247 crore. This was, however, higher than the target set in RE at Rs 45,500 crore. In 2017-18, it bettered the target of Rs 1 lakh crore and raised a record Rs 1,00,056 crore. In 2018-19, the disinvestment mop-up stood at Rs 84,972 crore as against the Budget target of Rs 80,000 crore. In 2019-20, after a gap of 2 years, the government has missed the disinvestment target set in Budget. For 2020-21 fiscal beginning 1 April, 2020, the Budget pegged the disinvestment proceeds at Rs 2.10 lakh crore. This includes Rs 1.20 lakh crore from CPSE share sale and Rs 90,000 crore from a share sale in public sector banks and financial institutions, including a listing of insurance behemoth LIC. LONDON - Every August, the Scottish capital of Edinburgh plays host to some of the funniest and most talented not to forget strangest performers from the U.K. and the wider world. Not this year. Organizers cancelled the citys collection of late summer festivals Wednesday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision marks the first cancellation since the Edinburgh International Festival launched in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II as an attempt to reconcile people and nations through the performing arts. Now numbering five, including the wildly popular Fringe lineup of both obscure and mainstream acts, Edinburghs annual August festivals draw 4.4 million people to over 5,000 events involving over 25,000 artists, writers and performers from 70 countries, according to organizers. Collectively, the festivals are billed as the second-biggest cultural event in the world after the Olympic Games, which were set to take place in Tokyo before the pandemic forced a postponement last week. The safety of participants, audiences, local residents and indeed everyone connected to our festivals will always come first, said Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. As well as representing a big financial hit to the city, up to 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) according to some estimates, the cancellation is a huge blow for many in the arts across the U.K. This is a heartbreaking decision, but absolutely the right one, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told lawmakers in Edinburgh. Sturgeon said the Scottish government was looking at redistributing support given to the festivals to ensure artists and freelancers are paid. She also pledged help from the government to make sure the festivals return even stronger. The organizers are already planning for the return of the festivals next year. Work begins straight away on a 2021 festival season that will boost both our spirits and our economy, said Fergus Linehan, festival director for the Edinburgh International Festival. Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn, better known as the Scummy Mummies comedy act that sold out a 25-night run in Edinburgh last year, told The Associated Press they were very sad about the cancellation as the atmosphere in the city during the festivals is brilliant. They relayed their hope that the break might give organizers and artists the chance to work together to find solutions to some of the issues that have been ongoing in previous years, such as how expensive it is for performers to put on a show, prohibitively in many cases. This weeks Oregon Lives podcast is about death. But really, its about the living. In November, Tom Hallman and I went to a military funeral for two veterans who died with no family to claim their bodies. The public was invited to attend and honor them. Who shows up a funeral for strangers? What compels us to complete these rites? In this episode, we talk to Crystal Purdy-Newland, the funeral director who oversees military honors for Portland-area veterans whose bodies are unclaimed. Often, these men and women have died with no known family, or only distant family. Many of them were homeless. But, as Purdy-Newland says, unclaimed does not mean unloved. Listen to the full episode. And in case you missed it, check out our first two episodes about a 97-year-old and his scooter club, and a lost wedding ring below: -- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com; @editorswindler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The city of Albuquerque could get around $150 million in direct assistance through the federal governments new coronavirus relief package, according to city estimates. But the money does not address one of the citys biggest forthcoming fiscal challenges: the gaping budget hole expected due to flagging tax revenue. Its going to be brutal, according to Albuquerque Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Bhakta. The $2 trillion CARES Act includes $150 billion for payments to state, tribal and local governments. Each state is guaranteed at least $1.25 billion, but local governments with more than 500,000 people can seek their own direct share from their states pot. Bhakta said he believes the city could qualify for around $150 million, though the number is not official. Bernalillo County also plans to seek assistance through the CARES Act, a spokesman said, and is talking with city of Albuquerque and state of New Mexico officials about how any such money should be allocated. A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said the local governments must file requests that are then certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We expect the Treasury Department to finalize funding allocations for the CARES Act soon, Annie Orloff from Udalls office said in an email Monday. But the legislation restricts the funding to costs that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the (coronavirus) public health emergency between March 1 and Dec. 30. The money is not for expenses outlined in existing budgets. The citys previously approved fiscal year 2020 budget is for $1.1 billion. Bhakta said it remains unclear how much the city will have to spend reacting to and battling coronavirus. There will be new costs associated with cleaning and cleaning supplies and services for children and seniors. He said he believes some existing operating costs may also apply, citing the amount of time the citys police officers and firefighters are currently devoting to coronavirus-related matters. But the federal relief is not intended to make up for lost tax revenue, which will have a significant impact on the citys budget. Gross receipts tax fuels city government, accounting for 67% of general fund revenue and helping to pay for basic municipal operations such as police, street repair, animal welfare and parks maintenance. The city has averaged about $41 million in gross receipts tax revenue each month for the current fiscal year. Widespread, mandated business closures meant to slow coronavirus spread have affected gross receipts tax activity, though the scope remains unknown. Bhakta said he will have a better sense of the dropoff in mid-May when the city gets its March GRT distribution from the state Taxation and Revenue Department. But Bhakta said he already has seen some troubling signs elsewhere. Lodgers tax collected by hotels and due to the city March 25 for the month of February came in 29% lower than the same date last year, according to Bhakta. He said that is not a reflection of February activity; instead, he blames it on the depth of the hotel industrys more recent struggles. I know for a fact that the hotels did better in February 2020 than in 2019, so what Im seeing is that people collected the tax but they are so hard-pressed on their cash flow that they did not send the money to us, he said. Lodgers tax is designated for specific purposes including marketing the city to tourists and is not meant to pay for basic city services. But Bhakta said hes concerned that what hes seen with lodgers tax may also happen with GRT, namely that a revenue decline he expected to start with March collections actually starts with Februarys. The CFO said the city has a slight cushion due to higher-than-expected GRT revenue over the past seven months but its not enough to absorb the expected losses. The city has about $50 million in operating reserves set aside. Then the challenge is having an adequate reserve for the fiscal year that begins July 1, which is mandated by city ordinance. Though the entirety of the citys losses will not be known for months, Bhakta said there is little chance the city can plan on a $1.1 billion spending plan next fiscal year. Unless the federal government says we will fill your revenue decline in whole and just give you lump-sum money, he said. But I dont see that as likely. Our mailbag is overflowing with emails from bitterly disappointed holidaymakers whose travel plans are now in ruins. Many had spent thousands of pounds on once-in-a-lifetime trips to celebrate weddings, milestone birthdays and anniversaries. Now, as well as missing out on those holidays with loved ones, they are finding it near impossible to get their money back. As the Mail reported yesterday, travel firms are pleading with ministers to relax rules on refunds over fears many will go bust if they have to shell out so much cash. Holiday hell: Travel firms are pleading with ministers to relax rules on refunds over fears many will go bust if they have to shell out so much cash If they get the go-ahead, customers will have to rebook or face a four month wait for a refund. With no definite end to the lockdown in sight, let alone global travel restrictions, it is entirely understandable that many people won't want to book another holiday they might have to cancel. Many due to go away are also older or have underlying medical conditions. They rightly want to prioritise their health and put any worry about whether they will be well enough to travel later in the year to the back of their minds. On top of this, a number of people are now facing job losses and a drop in income, so would rather have the money back in their bank accounts to pay essential bills. And who knows what will happen over the next month, let alone four? Customers should remember that, if airlines or travel companies go bust, those people who accepted vouchers or credit notes could end up with nothing unless the industry introduces a scheme to ensure they are honoured. As for the travel firms, they cannot rely on already struggling households to bail them out. That said, it also doesn't make sense to force firms to pay huge sums in refunds if it means their almost certain failure. Easyjet has grounded all of its flights with many passengers left contacting the firm for refunds Ministers must find a compromise. In the meantime, holidaymakers must be as practical and patient as possible. Don't waste energy chasing down every last penny. If you have had to pay extra for lounge access at the airport or to reserve a seat on your new flight, just let it go this time. If you can rebook now, you could be helping a firm stay in business. And I would say to the travel firms, if you want customers to rebook, you must play fair. Don't try to squeeze more cash out of people by hiking prices or charging astronomical rebooking fees. Be reasonable and you might have a customer for life when the dust settles. Banking buffers Bravo to those banks who have responded to our call for action so swiftly and introduced help for borrowers with overdrafts. The most generous lenders are removing overdraft fees entirely, giving struggling customers real breathing space. But it is vital you do not borrow more than you absolutely need, as you will have to pay interest on this debt in the future. The smaller interest-free buffers will go some way towards helping customers, but will be of little comfort for those already in their overdraft and likely to go deeper into it in the coming months. We hope banks will continue to review their charges and seek to do even more to help. It is hard to see how NatWest, for example, can justify continuing to charge 19.89 per cent interest when the cost of borrowing is at an all-time low of 0.1 per cent. It is also disappointing that some of the new mobile banks have been slow to offer their customers any help. Rainy day cash Finally, as Tony Hazell reports, many of us will have seen a drop in our outgoings over the past couple of weeks. My bank statement is positively boring, only utility bills, the odd supermarket shop and a couple of Amazon Prime films (I spent my Saturday evening watching the 1995 action movie Outbreak and the 2011 thriller Contagion). So if you do have some spare cash and haven't yet built up a rainy day fund for emergencies (such as the one we are currently facing), please do so now. It has never been more vital to have some cash reserves. v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk Actor-politician Hema Malini is living in self-isolation at her residence in Mumbai. As she choses to not give her cook much trouble, she is happy to be able to do everything on her own. In videos shared from the Janta Curfew on March 22, Hema was seen blowing a conch with all her enthusiasm. Enquired about her newfound talent, Hema told Radio Nashas RJ Anmol over the phone, Eshas (Deol) father-in-law is an expert in playing the conch. I called him to ask how to play it. He said its very easy, just blow in it like the kids do. I tried doing it and was so happy I could do it. I began playing it right at 5pm. Talking about living in isolation, Hema said, Its a little difficult to understand what to do, how to do. Even at home, our mind used to be totally occupied as we used to think about - we have to go to that function, have this appointment, what dress need to be worn, have to do the packing, catch a flight. I used to go to Delhi to attend the Parliament, then go to Mathura and then go to Mumbai. Now everything is completely cut off. The actor said she wasnt sure till when the Parliament sessions would go on. Modi ji had said that so many medical centres and everybody else are working so hard for the people, why shouldnt we? He said the Parliament will remain open till March 31 but I think before that only it became a lot serious. Opening up about her daily schedule in quarantine, Hema said, When I have to catch a flight, I dont do yoga or mediation. Now I am getting full time. I do yoga and meditation in the morning. My trainer used to come for the workout, now I do without him. Now the helpers cant come and go. The one who is there with me cant go out. So I dont give him too much trouble. I washed my own clothes, did jhadu-pojha too. I also watered the plants in the balcony. You feel very independent and you feel very nice that you can do everything and dont need a servant. I also water the plants on the terrace. The cook is at home so thats not a problem. She further added, All that I said is done in the morning time. When the afternoon session starts, you dont know what to do till lunch. I am fond of learning music but the person who would be teaching me wont be here so I am thinking of making a video call to him and learning from him on the phone. Follow @htshowbiz for more A Hope That Is Sure By: Emily Rose Massey This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. - Hebrews 6:19, NASB. I sat there on the bathroom floor, browsing social media on my phone next to the bathtub as my boys splashed around in the bubbles, playing with their tub toys- just a typical day in the life of this stay-at-home mom. Suddenly, my heart sank as I scrolled Facebook and caught the headline: CDC Confirms first St. Louis Case of Coronavirus. COVID-19 had made its way to our home state of Missouri and suddenly, the anxiety many people around the world had been experiencing for months became very real to me. As the virus spread across the nation, so did much uncertainty and panic. Most churches closed their doors. Many businesses shut down and employees lost their jobs in the process. Empty grocery store shelves, massive job loss, social isolation, endangered health, and sadly, even death have been a reality for so many people during this time. Suddenly, the comforts of abundance and security have been stripped from our society and many are looking for hope right now. Some believe that hope can be found in vaccines for all of this to go away. Although modern medicine is a blessing, this pandemic is revealing that people are trying to find hope in the wrong source. This is one of the greatest opportunities as Christians to shine the light of real hope to a fearful and hurting world- the hope of Christ! Hebrews 6 tell us of this hope: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19, NASB. Jesus Christ has made a way for us to be able to enter into fellowship with a holy God. He lived the perfect life we could not live by fulfilling the law and laid down His own life as a sacrifice for us. Because of this, we are able to have hope no matter what we face in this life. And if that wasnt good news enough, as our high priest, Jesus is also forever making intercession for us daily (Hebrews 7:25)! As Christians, we must constantly remind ourselves of this blessed hope when anxiety comes in like a tidal wave and tries to overwhelm our hearts. We must fight the temptation to find our hope in anything else but Christ. Our hope should not be in a vaccine, medication, a booming economy, job security, a full pantry, positive statistics, or the governments financial support. Our hope should be built on Christ, our Solid Rock, the anchor of our soul, the only security we have in this life because that security is eternal. Our health and finances may be taken from us. No matter what happens, life in Him can never be taken away from us. For when this is all over, He is the only One who can save us from the curse of sin and death. In Him, we are forgiven and justified before a Holy God. In Him, we stand faultless before the throne of judgment that awaits us all one day. The hope of eternity in His presence should be the anchor in the storms of life. The only real hope we can stand upon is eternal life found in Jesus Christ. Have you been tempted to allow anxiety and panic to sweep you away during this difficult time? Are you feeling hopeless because of your current circumstances and looking for relief in the possible solutions presented to us? Take your worries to the Lord today and ask Him to help your unbelief. Are you spending more time looking at statistics and the news right now? Instead of reading the newest headlines every day, open up your Bible and fill your heart with hope, not fear. The temptation during times like this is to focus on all the trials around you, especially if you are experiencing uncertainty, lack, or discouragement. Resist that temptation and use it as an opportunity to offer your gratefulness to God: every day, find three things to be thankful for. Lastly, take some time to listen to the hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less and remind your soul of the hope found in Jesus Christ. Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in Gods written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.wewouldratherhavejesus.com. For More Great Resources for Women, Visit iBelieve's Faith Channel. Listen to Our FREE New Parenting Podcast! Christian Parent/Crazy World with Catherine Segars is now available on LifeAudio.com. You can listen to the first episode below: Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday reported that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases had more than doubled in the space of just 12 hours, putting the state on tenterhooks. A health bulletin issued by the state government said as many as 43 positive cases of the coronavirus disease surfaced between 9pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday, taking the overall number of Covid-19 patients found in the state to 89. Of these 89, two persons one in Nellore and another in Visakhapatnam -- recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals last week. In all, 373 samples were tested in the last 12 hours, of which 330 samples tested negative and the remaining 43 proved positive, the bulletin said. Kadapa reported the most number of positive tests (15)), followed by West Godavari (13), Chittoor (5), Prakasam (4), with East Godavari and Nellore reporting two each and Krishna and Visakhapatnam one each. It is not yet clear whether the spurt in the number of cases was linked to the spread of infection by people who returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a Covid-19 hot spot. The state government on Tuesday announced that around 800 people from the state had been identified as having attended the Jamaat event. Vijayawada commissioner of police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the police had identified all those who had returned from the New Delhi congregation and all of them had been sent to isolation centres. On Tuesday, state government advisor (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy declared that Andhra Pradesh was better placed than many other states in containing the spread of the coronavirus disease because of the stringent measures the state government was taking to implement a lockdown. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man who coughed on a police officer in Westminster and claimed to have coronavirus has been jailed for six months. Adam Lewis, 55, was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court after being convicted of assaulting an emergency worker. It is believed to mark the first jail sentence in London imposed for a coronavirus-related incident involving a police officer. An officer was flagged down in Westminster by a member of the public at around 3.40pm on Tuesday to reports Lewis had been trying to open car doors in the area. When he tried to approach Lewis to search him, the 55-year-old "tried to resist and smashed a bottle of wine he was holding on the floor", police said. Lewis then verbally threatened the officer, telling him: "I am covid and I am going to cough in your face and you will get it." He then coughed on the officer, who was holding Lewis at arm's length and not attempting to cover his mouth, before falling to the floor. A spokesman for Met Police said: "The PC bent down to restrain him, while holding his head away from Lewis, who attempted to cough up phlegm, before trying to spit in his face. "Lewis also threatened to bite him, shortly after telling the PC that he had a bad disease and that he was going to give it to him." He was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and was taken into custody in central London. Chief Superintendent Helen Harper, from Area West Command Unit, said: My officers are doing everything they can to keep the public safe and police to the very best of their abilities "We appreciate that the vast majority of people are making every effort to comply with the measures the government has introduced. "While these type of assaults are thankfully a rare occurrence, this incident was horrendous and if we do encounter this type of unacceptable behaviour we will be robust in our response. By Sam Richards Bay City News Foundation Two low-interest loan programs that are among the myriad measures in last week's $2.2 trillion federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic rescue/stimulus bill figure to be useful to many Bay Area small businesses, nonprofits and other organizations, members of a recent local business panel said. During a "telephone town hall" meeting Tuesday convened by state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, three small business experts said the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the economic injury disaster loan (EIDL, or "idle") contain some key differences, but both should provide some help for businesses beleaguered by the loss of customers (and sometimes employees) who've been told to stay home. "The lenders don't have all the information yet, but we're hoping that these will be available by the end of this week," said Zae Perrin, president and CEO of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. He was one participant of the discussion as part of Glazer's eighth "telephone town hall" in which area experts on various topics come together and discuss and answer questions. Both of these loans are overseen by the federal Small Business Administration, with SBA-approved lenders providing the money. The PPP, newly created as part of the massive stimulus package, is designed for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, and includes sole proprietorships, independent contractors, self-employed people, various "gig economy" workers, private nonprofit organizations, 501(c)(19) veterans' organizations and churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus. That money can be spent on payroll, health insurance, utilities and other business-related expenses. The EIDL loans are not new, but a new facet of EIDL written into the stimulus package offers the self-employed and small business owners a $10,000 advance on a loan that doesn't have to be paid back, even if the loan itself isn't approved. Applications for the PPP loans should be open starting Friday, said Scott Rogalski, associate director of the Northern California Small Business Development Centers, during the telephone town hall. And even with $350 billion set aside in the stimulus package, Rogalski said, "It's not a lot of money - it's first-come, first-served." Glazer's small business discussion went beyond the stimulus package loans. Rogalski said the stimulus bill allows self-employed workers, including independent contractors, freelancers, gig workers and farmers to file for unemployment benefits. A Bay Area winery and tasting room with 36 acres of its own grapes emailed a question asking whether that temporarily shuttered operation could qualify for an SBA loan. Mark Herbert, the California vice president for Small Business Majority, a San Francisco-based small business advocacy organization, said wineries with growing grapevines are generally considered to be farms or agribusiness, which aren't covered by these loans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Herbert said, has separate programs that may be more applicable. The stimulus bill does include provisions for paid sick leave. Rogalski said businesses with fewer than 500 employees are supposed to be reimbursed by the federal government for paying sick-leave costs, though details of that -- and many aspects of applying for stimulus bill benefits -- are still being worked out. A sound strategy for businesses that can do it, Perrin said, is to trade in a business model that isn't working for one that does, especially in the fast-shifting coronavirus economy. A great example of that, he said, is the Danville-based Choicelunch. That is a business that since 1992 has been assembling lunches for schools. When all the area schools closed a few weeks ago and that business dried up, the company pivoted to doing drive-up grocery service. "It transformed to meet a community need," Perrin said. "It's a godsend and an asset." 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. Shocking footage has emerged of a store owner beating a man suspected of stealing his jacket from a shop counter after watching him on CCTV. Video uploaded to Twitter yesterday shows a man approaching a shop's reception at what is thought to be a store in Ilford, London. The alleged thief then calls out for someone in the shop to help him while he paces around. It looks as if he is trying to find something to buy. He then walks behind the reception, before appearing to grab a jacket resting on the chair before making his way out of the store. The alleged thief can be hearing whimpering in pain as the shop owner repeatedly hits him Video uploaded to Twitter yesterday shows a man approaching a shop's reception at what is thought to be a store in Ilford, London The alleged thief is viciously beaten as the store owner curses prolifically. Blood flies out of the man's noise and stains the car seats. He denies taking the jacket The suspected thief failed to make an escape with his item, though. He was chased down to a car by the store owner, who proceeds to interrogate the man on the whereabouts of his jacket. The suspect is then viciously beaten as the store owner curses prolifically. Blood flies out of the man's noise and stains the car seats. MailOnline has approached the Met Police for comment. Despite being repeatedly hit in the head and body, the alleged thief denies taking the jacket Federal agents seized $29.6 million worth of illegal drugs from a tunnel used by smugglers to enter San Diego from Mexico, a cross-border passageway so sophisticated that it had ventilation, lighting and an underground rail system, the authorities said on Tuesday. The tunnels entrance was not far from a newly constructed section of the border wall that President Trump visited last September in the Otay Mesa section of San Diego. The stockpile of drugs included 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 86 pounds of methamphetamine, 17 pounds of heroin, 3,000 pounds of marijuana and more than two pounds of fentanyl, the San Diego Tunnel Task Force said. The task force is made up of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Border Patrol, which said the 2,000-foot-long tunnel was discovered on March 19. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 13:04 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ed5630 1 Business Indonesia,fintech,P2P-lending,borrowers,loan-repayment,NPL,amartha,Crowdo,Modalku Free Peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) believe the coronavirus outbreak, which has disrupted most economic activities in Indonesia, will not affect their loan repayments. Aria Widyanto, the chief risk and sustainability officer of Amartha, a P2P lending platform that primarily funds SMEs owned by women in villages, said that he was sure that the financial technology (fintech) companys borrowers would be able to repay loans on time because he believed the rural economy remained resilient despite the COVID-19 pandemics catastrophic effect on many other sectors. The economies of villages are more resilient because they are more isolated, he said on March 26 during a video conference. These SMEs will conduct business as usual despite the turbulence in the macroeconomy. Aria said that Indonesia had faced many crises but that people continued to buy daily necessities, which are often provided by SMEs. He added that SME entrepreneurs were resilient because their businesses were often the main source of their income and they needed to keep working in order to survive. Some of them are producing clothes, but since they are not selling well during the outbreak, they can switch to selling tempeh the next day to have an income, he said. He added that Amartha would not disburse or collect loans until April 6 to comply with governments social distancing policy. Afterwards, the company would resume collecting payments only from the leaders of borrowing groups so borrowers could repay their loans with less physical contact. The fintech company disburses loans and collects repayments at a biweekly group meeting. However, since the government has urged people to stay at home, Amartha has decided to suspend its on-field activities. This is the best option given the current force majeure, Aria said. Hopefully, we can continue business as usual soon. Amartha provides an insurance option for lenders to SMEs through its app. If the borrower cannot repay the loan, the insurance will cover 75 percent of the outstanding debt. Amartha has disbursed Rp 2.3 trillion (US$140 million) in loans to 490,000 borrowers with a 0.5 percent non-performing loan (NPL) rate. Another P2P lender, Crowdo said it used artificial intelligence to determine risk and provide lenders with more comprehensive information about borrowers businesses. The fintech system classifies businesses risk exposure to COVID-19. It classifies hotels and restaurants as high-risk. It also explains potential risks in business factsheets. We have yet to see a significant change in our business, said Crowdo Indonesia commercial officer chief Ikram Jeihan in a written statement. The loan payment due date is still on schedule. Crowdo has funded 5,000 projects in Indonesia and has an NPL ratio of 1.89 percent. Modalku has also implemented risk-mitigating measures such as tighter selection criteria for new and existing SMEs that want to raise funds through the fintech company. Modalku said it would examine food and beverage businesses, the travel sector and cross-border trade in evaluating loan applications since those businesses were the most affected by the pandemic. We will also adjust each borrowers loan limit and terms depending on their business profile to mitigate the effect of the spread of COVID-19, Modalku co-founder and CEO Reynold Wijaya said on Tuesday. Modalku offers loans of up to Rp 2 billion to SMEs without a collateral requirement. The company also operates in Malaysia and Singapore under the name Funding Societies. As of March, it had disbursed a total of Rp 13 trillion in business loans in the three countries. According to the Financial Services Authority (OJK), fintech lending had grown 225.6 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 95.4 trillion in February. P2P lending contributed Rp 60 trillion to the Indonesian economy last year, mainly by enabling wider financial inclusion of SMEs. A trader waits for the opening of Whiting Petroleum's stock at the post where it is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange By Arathy S Nair (Reuters) - Whiting Petroleum Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the U.S. shale producer said on Wednesday, the first publicly traded casualty of crashing crude oil prices that are expected to bite into record U.S. output. Whiting was once the largest oil producer in North Dakota, now the second-biggest oil-producing state in the country. It has agreed with creditors to cut its debt by about $2.2 billion through an exchange of some of its notes for 97% of new equity. Existing shareholders will own 3% of the reorganized company. Notably, Whiting said in a regulatory filing that on March 26, in response to the circumstances affecting the oil industry, it revised its compensation program to pay out more than $13 million bonuses to several executives, including $6.4 million to CEO Brad Holly. Numerous shale oil and gas producers, faced with burdensome debt loads, have cut spending aggressively as oil prices have plunged by about two-thirds this year with the coronavirus pandemic slamming fuel demand and Russia and Saudi Arabia flooding markets with extra crude. A U.S. drilling boom over the last three years lifted national oil production to a record of roughly 13 million barrels per day, but investors have grown frustrated with poor returns. Callon Petroleum and other companies have hired advisors to restructure debt. Shares of Whiting fell 32 cents, or 47%, to 36 cents each on Tuesday. The company's market valuation has shrunk to $32 million from as much as $15 billion at its peak in 2011, when investors were discovering the burgeoning shale sector. As of Dec. 31, Whiting had $2.8 billion in debt and more than $585 million in cash on its balance sheet. Whiting is among the most shorted oil and gas stocks, with more than 60% of its outstanding shares borrowed for short selling, according to FIS Astec Analytics data. Analysts believe the energy sector is primed for more defaults in coming months. Whiting's bankruptcy brings the trailing 12-month high-yield energy default rate to more than 11%, and the year-end figure could ultimately surpass the 19.7% level set in January 2017, according to Fitch Ratings. Energy producers Chesapeake Energy Corp and Chaparral Energy Inc as well as natural gas producer Gulfport Energy Corp are working with debt restructuring advisers or investment banks to shore up cash reserves. Story continues SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Neal Dingmann said filing for bankruptcy "was more of a temporary solution than a long-term sustainable plan." "We believe this financial demise was due to a combination of difficult macro conditions combined with sub-par operations for several quarters," Dingmann said. The company was also hampered by debt after purchasing rival Kodiak Oil & gas in mid-2014, just before shale's 2015-2016 crash, for $6 billion, which included $2.2 billion in debt. Whiting was expected to produce about 42 million barrels of oil equivalent in 2020. It said it would continue to operate without material disruption to vendors, partners or employees. Moelis & Co is Whiting's financial adviser, while Alvarez & Marsal is its restructuring adviser. PJT Partners is acting as financial adviser for creditors. GRAPHIC: Oil price collapse https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-OIL/0100B5LV472/index.html (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Sweta Singh and David Gregorio) The Uttar Pradesh government has identified as many as 569 persons who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at the Nizamuddin Markaz in the capital early this month along with 218 foreign nationals suspected of being infected by coronavirus and were quarantined. UP Police identified 218 foreign nationals, who had come to Uttar Pradesh at different stages on tourist visas but some of these foreigners joined the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz. Police have seized the passports of these foreigners and have got them quarantined. Along with this, they are being investigated. The Police have also filed an FIR against people who provided shelter to foreigners. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting with the police officials at his official residence. He said that it should be kept in mind that the common people should not bear the brunt of the mistakes of the people of the Jamaat. Chief Minister Yogi said that no conspiracy against humanity will be tolerated. Those who have acted against humanity will have to face action, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pentagon will send about 500 troops to the border with Mexico as part of the fight against coronavirus, Reuters reported referring to its sources. Troops will be sent to the border at the request by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The United States has already had 5,000 troops on its southwestern border to support the Border Patrol, by performing non-law enforcement duties. Currently deployed soldiers will join the ranks of border agents that may be exposed to COVID-19. This step was taken after the administration of US President Donald Trump postponed the sending of the military to the border with Canada. Canadian Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland slammed the proposal, calling it an entirely unnecessary step that would damage bilateral relations between the two nations, which have long maintained an undefended border. People keep social distance as they queue in front of a Costco wholesale market in Queens, New York City, on March 30, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) Costco, Home Depot Announce Limitations on Number of Customers Inside Stores Costco and Home Depot are joining the stores limiting the number of customers inside amid the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19, the disease crippling states across the nation, is caused by the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Costco said no more than two people can enter a store with each membership card. The rule goes into effect on April 3. This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts, the company said in a statement on its website. Home Depot said on Wednesday that it will limit the number of customers inside stores at any given time as a way of promoting social and physical distancing. Social distancing refers to a number of measures revolving around reducing density, including asking people to stay at least six feet away from each other, in an effort to reduce the spread of the CCP virus. Shelves where protective masks were once displayed sit empty at a Home Depot store in San Rafael, California, on March 2, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The virus has symptoms similar to the flu but research to date indicates it spreads far easier than influenza. In many patients it manifests with no, mild, or moderate symptoms. Up to 20 percent of patients require hospitalization and some die. Costco also said it was adjusting shorter hours, closing stores for an hour on three mornings a week for the elderly and disabled, and only allowing limited takeout orders at food courts. Home Depots new policies include eliminating major spring promotions, posting social distancing reminders throughout stores, and increasing the frequency of cleaning. Stores across the nation have cut hours and made other changes during the pandemic, including limiting the number of shoppers. Trader Joes, ShopRite, and a number of smaller stores have previously said they were limiting the number of shoppers in at least some locations. Some states have forced stores to limit shoppers, including Maine. Gov. Janet Millss executive order (pdf) mandates only five shoppers in the smallest stores, up to 100 in the largest stores. Sams Club, Costcos major competitor, has not limited the number of shoppers in stores but has also implemented a time for seniors and people with disabilities only. The company also said managers were advising any employees who feel sick to stay at home along with shifting store hours to allow workers enough time to restock, sanitize, and clean. Lowes, Home Depots major competitor, has also refrained from limiting the number of shoppers but announced a raft of changes, including adding signs in stores about social distancing, increasing cleaning, and bolstering its curbside pickup process. By Lizbeth Diaz and Jose Luis Gonzalez TIJUANA/CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - The world's busiest land border has fallen quiet as restrictions to contain the coronavirus prevent millions of Mexicans from making daily trips north, including many who work in U.S. businesses. At least 4 million Mexicans residing in cities along the 1,954-mile (3,144-km) border have been hit hard by the restrictions on non-essential travel. The measures effectively invalidate visas allowing short crossings into U.S. cities to visit family, get medical care or shop. While such B1/B2 "border crossing cards" are officially recreational, Reuters spoke to nearly two dozen residents of Tijuana, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez who use their cards to reach jobs or to care for relatives on the U.S. side of the frontier. All said they could no longer make the crossing, dealing another blow to businesses already suffering from shutdowns on the U.S. side of the border, including vital industries like agriculture. "I don't know what I'm going to do without money. I'm just waiting for a miracle," said 28-year-old Rosario Cruz, a mother of two young children who works for a cleaning company that subcontracts with major retailers in California. The coronavirus restrictions prohibit all non-essential travel across the border. However, the restrictions have not been widely imposed on U.S. citizens traveling to Mexico. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said it did not have an estimate of how many Mexican tourism-related visa holders work without permission in the United States. But U.S. and Mexican immigration experts say the practice is common. According to the U.S. State Department Report of the Visa Office more than 4 million border cards have been issued since 2015. The cards are valid for 10 years. Before the coronavirus restrictions, over 950,000 people entered the United States from Mexico on foot or in cars on a typical day, according to 2019 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency data. Story continues Andrew Selee, president of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, said limiting transport to contain the epidemic was understandable, but in cities such as San Diego or El Paso "businesses that really should be open in the middle of a crisis might find that they don't have employees." "We're talking about farm work, we're talking about caregiving, and probably food production like canning and warehousing operations," he said. RIPPLE EFFECT? Once teaming border crossings used by pedestrians and cars have emptied because of the measures, and people's fear of catching the virus. In U.S. border cities like El Paso and San Diego, the impact is already being felt. Cindy Ramos-Davidson, chief executive of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the lack of Mexican shoppers was "devastating" for retail businesses downtown. She was also concerned about day labor for nearby farms that grow chiles, tomatoes, hay, and alfalfa. "They depend on farm workers, the day workers," she said, adding that some of these employees use tourism-related visas to enter the United States. Farm workers are designated "essential" travelers under the new DHS rules, but only those with the right paperwork. Workers usually able to cross using border cards are now stuck on the Mexican side. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the measures would not "disrupt critical supply chains." CBP said in a statement cargo trucking continued and was not seen as a threat. So far, Paola Avila, vice president of international business affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, said so-called retail tourism, the second biggest contributor to the city's economy, had taken the biggest hit from the border closure there. A manager at a San Diego hotel, who refused to share his name because the company employs Mexicans without legal U.S. work permits, said the measures decimated the establishments workforce. "The impact was so great that we decided to close; the legal workers wouldn't have been able to cope," on their own, he said. Avila is also worried about the effect on U.S. residents cared for by relatives who cross from Mexico, and vice-versa especially in the midst of a public health crisis. "If the hospitals overflow, as we predict, and they start sending people to be cared for at home, who will care for them?" she asked. That's the fear that has already consumed 45-year-old Joel Sosa Moreno, whose elderly parents live in El Paso. He usually visits three times a week to clean house and bring food and medicine for diabetes and his mother's cancer. Under the new restrictions, he has been prohibited from crossing at the port of entry. Asked about such humanitarian cases, a Customs and Border Protection official told Reuters officers had discretion to handle such situations on a case-by-case basis. "It's essential that I go there," Sosa Moreno said, fearful for his parents. "They can't go out into the street at all because they are more sensitive" to coronavirus. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Tom Brown) 258 positive cases were registered last Tuesday. Therefore, the current rate stands at 8.5%. During the first weeks, it had stood at 6% and then risen to 7%. In this sense, the Head of State affirmed it is the natural trend. Likewise, the top official mentioned that 198 patients are currently hospitalized, of whom 56 are in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) with mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, Mr. Vizcarra said that 400 ICU beds will be implemented in a provisional way. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Hasta la fecha se han tomado 15 587 muestras, de las cuales 1323 han resultado positivas. De los casos presentados, 198 se encuentran hospitalizados, con 56 pacientes en UCI con ventilacion mecanica. pic.twitter.com/N57sNg1DtS That was my first act of resistance, and I knew there would be others, he said. His death sentence was commuted, but his younger brother, Nikos, who was also part of the resistance movement, was executed by the Germans in 1944. Mr. Glezos was imprisoned in 1943 by Italian occupation forces and again in 1944 by Greek collaborators with the Germans, enduring a beating when he tried to escape. After World War II, during the four-year Greek civil war between the government and Communist revolutionary forces, Mr. Glezos, a Communist partisan, received two more death sentences. But an international outcry pushed the authorities to grant him life imprisonment instead. He was released in 1954. Manolis Glezos was born on Sept. 9, 1922, in Apeiranthos, a village on the island of Naxos in the South Aegean Sea. His father, Nikolaos Glezos, died two years after Manolis was born; his mother was Andromachi Nafpliotou. His family moved to Athens a few years later, where he attended the School of Economics. Between his times in jail, he worked as a journalist and ran for office. While still in prison he was elected to Parliament in 1951 and again in 1961. In 1959 he was sentenced to another five years in prison for helping to get Communist spies into Greece, The Times reported at the time. The Soviet Union responded by putting Mr. Glezoss face on a postage stamp. After a military government came to power in 1967, Mr. Glezos, now out of prison, was arrested yet again and this time exiled. But he returned to Greece when a democratic government was restored in 1974. He was returned to Parliament in the 1980s, this time under the banner of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, and again in 2012, representing Syriza, the leftist party that governed Greece from 2015 to 2019. A Community Activist, Dr. Kemi Olunloyo, has taken to Twitter to amplify allegations making rounds, against the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma and the Director General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu. She said that they both made concerted efforts not to disclose to the public, the real covid 19 situation report of Imo State. The clinical Pharmacist said that the second death which was announced by NCDC was an indegene of Imo State. @KemiOlunloyo tweeted: #ijcovid19 Governor @HE_HopeUzodimma LIED in his weekly address that there were NO CASES of #COVID19 recorded in his state. Looking at the time of his weekly address and the time @Chikwe_I visited @MBuhari last week, the 2nd death was an indigine of Imo and visited his village pic.twitter.com/o3kyVffur2 #DrKemiOlunloyo Pharm.D???? (@KemiOlunloyo) March 31, 2020 She tweeted that a family member of the second recorded death said the deceased, Late Christogonus A. Osuagwu, was a big businessman who just came back from the seriously infected parts of Europe, namely Italy, Spain and UK. He fell extremely ill on returning to Lagos and refused a COVID19 test. She said that by the time Late Osuagwu arrived at his village Mbaise, he had unknowingly infected his wife, kids and staff, including his Fancy hotel business exposing guests to the virus. All the guests had to be QUARANTINED some on the premises. Driver also infected she tweeted. She continued: If we had a Patrick Sawyer situation here and I covered Ebola in detail under @GEJonathans @NTANewsNow who gave me their platform. Why was the public not WARNED? @Chikwe_I COVERED IT UP with @HE_HopeUzodimma. They allowed Osuagwu to travel to Abuja infecting more. Everybody went to visit this abroad jetsetter Businessman guy. Some may be asymptomatic, others showing symptoms, some Quarantined inside his hotel. Not a mention of IMO state in all the new cases @NCDCgov not @MBuharis speech as a #LockDownNigeria state #ijcovid19 Everybody went to visit this abroad jetsetter Businessman guy. Some may be asymptomatic, others showing symptoms, some Quarantined inside his hotel. Not a mention of IMO state in all the new cases @NCDCgov not @MBuharis speech as a #LockDownNigeria state???? #DrKemiOlunloyo Pharm.D???? (@KemiOlunloyo) March 31, 2020 She tweeted that her source from Department of State Service (DSS) confirmed the report as he had his own fair share of the story to tell. According to Dr. kemi, the DSS official said they went after the deceased from Lagos to Abuja to force him into quarantine. He was defiant and escaped them till he died. She alleged that NCDC refused to say if Late Mr. Osuagwu died in the Abuja Isolation hospital or Lagos and to avoid panic they did not list Imo State. She concluded: Governor @HE_HopeUzodimma @DrEOEhanire @Chikwe_I ALL ENDANGERED the people of IMO state. This is why a PRESIDENT must be in a presidential task force. Buhari was not aware that Imo should be locked down. Imo people were exposed. Government LIED #COVID19 #ijcovid19 Governor @HE_HopeUzodimma @DrEOEhanire @Chikwe_I ALL ENDANGERED the people of IMO state. This is why a PRESIDENT must be in a presidential task force. Buhari was not aware that Imo should be locked down. Imo people were exposed. Government LIED??????? #DrKemiOlunloyo Pharm.D???? (@KemiOlunloyo) March 31, 2020 / -- Over 320,000 local jobs across the Asia Pacific region and a $36bn industry are at risk of being overlooked by politicians as they devise financial rescue measures to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is calling on governments in over 45 countries across the region to support 320,000 local and front-line employees in the region by including the duty free and travel retail industry in the same financial support packages as airlines, airports and maritime industries. 'The Economic Impact of Duty Free and Travel Retail in Asia Pacific' (October 2019), details a US$36bn industry providing 320,000 jobs, contributing almost US$15bn to GDP across Asia Pacific. Airport Retail and commercial services, including food and beverage, constitute a crucial business sector providing up to 60% vital commercial income for airport owners, outpacing aeronautical revenue streams. It is the most significant direct contributor to the investment in Asia-Pacific's aviation infrastructure and ongoing development of world-class national gateways, the region's hubs to the world. Grant Fleming, President of APTRA, comments. "The dynamics of duty free and travel retailing are intrinsically linked to the aviation and maritime industries and its viability is entirely dependent on the return in passenger traffic. This means 320,000 jobs are at risk that could be safeguarded if governments extend financial support packages to the industry. "The travel ecosystem is multifaceted and, beyond airports, the duty free and travel retail industry integrates deeply with the region's vital tourism market directly with operators such as airport retailers, airlines, cruise-lines and downtown shopping malls and also indirectly with everything from hotels to travel agents and tour guides. We are calling on over 45 governments across the region to recognize the unique economic contribution of the entire Travel Retail industry and to prioritize support packages to our channel and the many that are, and will be, affected financially by COVID-19." https://www.aptra.asia/ Notes: The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is a not for profit membership organisation whose mission is to strengthen, nurture and protect the duty free and travel retail industry In over 45 countries in APAC, across airports, maritime, retailers, food & beverage operators and consumer brands. PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1139893/ASIA_PACIFIC_TRAVELS_RETAIL_ASSOCIATION. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Behind The News The ABC is launching an expanded schedule of free education content to support students, teachers and parents, during the coronavirus global pandemic. ABC Education is working with state and territory education departments and other education providers to deliver additional curriculum-linked content to children of all ages. ABC Managing Director David Anderson said, With so many Australian children now studying at home or preparing to do so, the ABC is boosting its support for students, teachers and parents to help young Australians receive the education they need. Our expanded schedule will complement the many hours of education content already available on the ABC across multiple platforms and we will build on that programming as required. Australians trust and rely on the ABC and this is another way we can contribute to and support the community. James Merlino, Victorian Minister for Education, added, Learning from home is going to be new and challenging for everyone involved; students, their families and carers and for our teachers its fantastic to partner with the ABC in expanding its educational programming. From Monday 14 April with students having started Term 2 or readying to do so, depending on their location the ABC will extend its educational programming on ABC ME to support children and caregivers at home, from 10am to 3pm each weekday. The expanded schedule moves from blocks of primary school content in the mornings through to secondary school content in the afternoons, featuring programs such as Ecomaths, ScienceXplosion, Numberblocks and English on the Go. The ABC will offer additional online support through its portal ABC Education, with access to more than 4000 free videos, interactive resources and games mapped to the Australian curriculum across subjects such as English, maths, science, history, geography, media Literacy, financial literacy and the arts and technologies, including STEM. Sign up to the ABC Education weekly newsletter for engaging online resources, competitions, news and events to help teachers and parents. Working in partnership with the states and territories, ABC Education will also create original teacher-led mini-lessons, which will be broadcast on the ABC Education portal and ABC ME, to support students learning at home. The NSW and Victorian education departments have provided initial financial assistance to help produce this content. Behind The News is also ramping up its vital education offering to make sure parents and teachers have plenty of trusted, quality video content mapped to the Australian curriculum, including its daily and weekly programs Newsbreak and BTN Classroom. BTN will expand its network of Rookie Reporters delivering news, views and opinions via mobile video, so that kids who are working remotely or in isolation will still have a voice in our news. Parents will also be able to access BTNs teaching resources and lesson plans in the Teachers section of the BTN website. ABC iviews enhanced collection of carefully curated education content features informative and engaging programs across multiple subject areas, including BTN, The Storybuilding Tool Kit, This Place, Citizen Code and Teenage Boss. Pre-schoolers are also in safe hands with trusted content on ABC Kids, ABC Kids listen and the ABC Early Education website, which includes Reflective Journal blog posts for educators and shows and podcasts across the five curriculum areas of family, community and culture, sustainability and nature, creativity and self-expression, STEM and health and wellbeing. Special collections of learning content and family activities are also available on the newly enhanced ABC Kids app and ABC Kids Community Facebook page, which engages and inspires ongoing conversations with families, carers and educators. The parent company to Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo will be splitting donations across the U.S., U.K. and Italy. Michael Kors at the 2018 God's Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards. Capri Holdings Ltd the luxury fashion group that owns Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo announced on Wednesday that its brands and founders would collectively be giving more than $3 million to Covid-19 relief efforts across the globe. The Michael Kors brand pledged to donate $1 million, while Michael Kors, the designer, and Capri Holdings chairman and chief executive officer John Idol personally committed to giving an additional $1 million. The money will be split among a few recipients: $750,000 for NYU Langone Health and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, to support emergency patient care, financial relief to frontline medical staff and clinical and diagnostic research; $250,000 for God's Love We Deliver, which feeds people living with serious illness across New York City (and an organization to which Kors has been a patron for years); and $250,000 for the CFDA and Vogue's A Common Thread relief fund for fashion businesses. Earlier this year, Versace donated 1 million to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation. It's now shifting its philanthropic efforts to Italy, where the brand is based. It will give $400,000 to the intensive care unit at San Raffaele hospital in Milan and $100,000 to the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana, to support its "Italia, we are with you" initiative that funds ventilators and medical equipment for medical facilities across the country. (Donatella Versace and her daughter, Allegra Versace Beck, have already personally donated 200,000 to San Raffaele, in light of the pandemic.) Jimmy Choo committed to giving $500,000 total $250,000 to the NHS Charities Together's National Health Service Covid-19 Urgent Appeal in the U.K. and $250,000 to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which is global. Story continues "Our hearts and souls go out to those who are working on the front lines to help the world combat the Covid-19 pandemic," Idol said in a statement. "We thank them for their remarkable dedication and courage and want to support them and the hospitals where they work. We also aim to strengthen organizations dedicated to helping the community. This is clearly a time for people to come together in every way and on every level, because we are all stronger in our united resolve. I want to thank Donatella and Michael for their personal commitments." In a recent earnings call, Capri Holdings execs said sales in China had taken a hit due to the coronavirus. Want more Fashionista? Sign up for our daily newsletter and get us directly in your inbox. While you focus on your business, we stay on top of legislative and policy changes that can affect your sales tax compliance. March of 2020 has been a month unlike any other. It saw more and more of us confined to our homes, working remotely if were working at all. Nonessential businesses from coast to coast have either closed entirely or are limited to takeout and delivery sales. To help companies struggling to stay solvent during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, officials are offering some tax-relief measures. Read on for more on that and other sales tax news. COVID-19 tax relief roundup. What states and the federal government are doing to help businesses adversely affected by COVID-19. Learn more. COVID-19s effect on sales tax due dates. A handful of state and local tax authorities are giving businesses impacted by COVID-19 more time to file or pay their sales tax. Learn more. Digital products could soon be subject to Maryland sales tax. A bill sitting on Governor Larry Hogans desk would extend Maryland sales and use tax to a host of digital products, including ebooks and streamed movies. Learn more. Food and certain other products temporarily exempt from Puerto Rico sales tax. Products that help slow the spread of COVID-19, such as face masks and hand sanitizers, are temporarily exempt from sales tax in Puerto Rico. Many food products are also exempt. Learn more. Entrepreneurial youth may no longer have to collect sales tax in some states. Some states have caught flak for requiring youth to register with the tax authorities and collect and remit sales tax at their lemonade stands. Learn more. Internet access fees must be sales tax exempt by July 1, 2020. A handful of states still tax fees charged to access the internet. Come July 1, 2020, all states must exempt internet access fees. Learn more. New exemption for gun safes in Virginia. Starting July 1, 2020, certain gun safes will be exempt from Virginia sales and use tax. Learn more. New reality could have lasting sales tax implications for online sellers. With many brick-and-mortar businesses temporarily closed, Amazon and other online sellers are seeing a rise in demand. Sellers of essential items like toilet paper could find their increased sales create new sales tax collection obligations. Learn more. Remote sellers required to collect Alaska sales tax. Out-of-state companies that meet the statewide economic nexus threshold in Alaska must register to collect and remit more and more local sales taxes in the Last Frontier. Learn more. Sales tax on delivery fees. Some states tax delivery and takeout sales differently than on-premises sales. Learn more. Small businesses will have their day in New Mexico. For the next several years, sales by small businesses will be exempt from New Mexico gross receipts tax on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Learn more. States are simplifying local sales tax compliance for remote sellers. Complying with local sales tax requirements in multiple states can be enormously burdensome for businesses. Understanding that, some states are working to make it less so. Learn more. The lengths some states go to find noncompliant sellers. Although many states are working with businesses unable to fulfill their tax obligations due to COVID-19, states typically hunt for companies that dont collect and remit as they should. Learn more. Vail suspends sales tax collections for foreseeable future. A vacation destination hard-hit by COVID-19, Vail, Colorado, is giving local businesses more time to remit the sales tax they collect. Learn more. Wisconsin may eliminate transaction threshold for remote sellers. Currently, remote sellers with at least 200 transactions for delivery into Wisconsin in the current or previous calendar year must register to collect sales tax under the states economic nexus law. That could soon change. Learn more. Automating sales tax collection, remittance, and certificate management can help your business keep compliant with changing sales tax laws. Learn more. Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice hit out at Donald Trump for his recent confrontation with a black female reporter during a White House task force briefing. Ms Rice suggested that the confrontation arose from President Trumps inability to tolerate strong black women. Yamiche Alcindor, a political correspondent for PBS, was interrupted by the president while questioning him about his claims that state governors were requesting supplies they didnt need amidst the coronavirus pandemic. He told the reporter to be nice, dont be threatening during the heated exchange and repeatedly shut down her attempts to ask the question. Taking to Twitter in support of Ms Alcindor, Susan Rice suggested the president simply couldnt stomach strong black women. You go, girl, Rice tweeted at Ms Alcindor. Pathetic when insecure men cant stomach strong black women, she wrote. Thousands of other people took to Twitter to praise White House reporter after Mr Trump rebuffed her for asking the question, using the hastag #WeLoveYamiche. Youve said repeatedly New York might not need 30,000 [ventilators], you said it on Sean Hannitys Fox News, asked Ms Alcindor during the interaction. The president repeatedly struck down the journalists attempts to finish her line of questioning, stating No, I didnt say that and excuse me you didnt hear me. Why dont you people why dont you act in a little more positive, Mr Trump said. He added: Its always trying to get you, and you know what, thats why people dont trust the media anymore. Some of those criticising the president on social media are citing misogyny and racism against the reporter. Mr Trump did not explicitly reference race during the exchange. Some have noted the president has often been known to hit out at a variety of reporters frequently during conferences regardless of race. Ms Alcindor later spoke about the incident on Twitter amid the social media backlash. Im not the first human being, woman, black person or journalist to be told that while doing a job, she wrote. My take: Be steady. Stay focused. Remember your purpose. And, always press forward. Ben Affleck looked like a lovestruck teen while enjoying a romantic stroll with his Deep Water co-star turned lover Ana de Armas on Wednesday. The 47-year-old Oscar-winning actor appeared completely infatuated by his current flame, 31, as she tenderly held onto his arm on a dog walk. As Affleck held onto his German Shepherd mix, the Knives Out star leaned onto Affleck and whispered into his ear. Lovebirds: Ben Affleck looked completely infatuated by his current flame Ana de Armas, 31, on a stroll in LA on Wednesday Giddy: The pair buckled over with laughter during the outing For their stroll, the Gone Girl star looked dapper in a dark blue button-down, as the Cuban actress flaunted her trim frame in a pair of light-wash jeans and a black tank. The brunette beauty held her small pup's leash, as she gazed attentively at her man, who held onto her waist. She later scooped the dog up in her arms for the remainder of their walk, as they buckled over in laughter and conversed effortlessly. Under quarantine: The pair haven been spending a lot of time together, as they self-isolate at home in Los Angeles' under the state's 'stay-at-home' orders Whirlwind romance: Since falling for each other on set, the pair haven't been shy about packing on the PDA amid their self-quarantine together in LA or on their romantic getaways to Cuba and Costa Rica last month Blissful: Ben Affleck looked completely infatuated by his current flame Ana de Armas, 31, as she tenderly held onto his arm on a dog walk While their pets paused to sniff around, Affleck grazed his hand over de Armas' booty and pulled her close. Since falling for each other on set, the pair haven't been shy about packing on the PDA amid their self-quarantine together in LA or on their romantic getaways to Cuba and Costa Rica last month. Their outing comes the same day, Us Weekly reported Jennifer Garner wants Affleck to wait to introduce their kids, Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and eight-year-old Samuel, to his new girlfriend of only a few weeks. Walking buddies: The pair have been spotted walking their Cuddling close: The two stars were practically joined at the hip Good times: Ben had a big smile on his face Simply stunning: The actress held onto the arm of her man Balancing act: Ben put their Starbucks drinks above the mailbox of his home 'Ben is understanding,' a source told the outlet. 'He said he would work with Jennifer to prepare the kids for meeting [Ana].' 'Our marriage didnt work, and thats difficult,' he told People in February. 'Both of us really believe that its important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether theyre together or not.' Garner has been quietly dating Cali Group chairman John Miller since May 2018, but the coy couple haven't been pictured on a date since September 20 Simpatico: The two kept close Sweet: Ben couldn't keep his lips off his ladylove Funnyman: The Oscar-winning filmmaker had his new girlfriend in stitches Making friends: Ana held her beloved dog up against ben Taking charge: Anna held onto both leashes as Ben handled the caffeine Good natured: Ben was seemingly pointing a neighbor in the right direction Bond girl: After starring in the Oscar-nominated movie Knives Out and Blade Runner 2049, she made her debut in the James Bond movie No Time To Die After sharing some solo shots on their trip in mid March, without tagging give Affleck photo credit, Ben fully confirmed he was the photographer, as he took to the comments section to jokingly ask for credit. The leading man, who met de Armas on the set of their sexy, upcoming thriller, was first spotted taking her photo on a digital camera on their second romantic getaway to a tropical beach after visiting Ana's birthplace. Romance rumors gained traction after the lovebirds were seen enjoying Havana and posing with fans, who then shared the snaps on social media. Cheeky comment: After sharing some solo shots on their trip in mid March, without tagging give Affleck photo credit, Ben jumped into the comments section to jokingly ask for credit Memories: The leading man, who met de Armas on the set of their sexy, upcoming thriller, was first spotted taking her photo on a digital camera on their second romantic getaway last month Quality time: Meanwhile ex wife Jennifer Garner took her three delighted children out for some fresh air amid the coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles this Wednesday Off they go: The 47-year-old shares her daughters Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, eight, with her amicable ex-husband Ben Affleck By Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. By Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy plans to announce as soon as Wednesday it will allow oil companies to lease space in the emergency oil reserve, as it seeks to comply with President Donald Trump's directive to fill the facility to capacity, two industry sources said. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, has the capacity to take another 77 million barrels of oil, a little less than the country uses in four days. Trump ordered the Department of Energy, or DOE, on March 13 to take advantage of low oil prices and fill the reserve "to the top", in an effort to help domestic drillers suffering from the global oil price drop. But carrying out the order has been tricky. The DOE ditched an initial plan to buy 30 million barrels, after Congress did not fund the purchase in the $2 trillion stimulus package. That plan was aimed at helping small to mid-size drillers as it would only buy domestic oil from companies with up to 5,000 employees. The SPR currently holds about 635 million barrels of oil in salt caverns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts. It was not clear whether the DOE would require that companies leasing space in the caverns are based domestically, if the oil will have to be produced in the United States, or come from companies with less than 5,000 workers. The DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Richard Pullin) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Australian health officials set up a coronavirus testing clinic on Sydney's Bondi Beach Wednesday, as concern grew that COVID-19 was spreading among backpackers in the popular tourist destination. More than 100 cases of coronavirus have reportedly been identified in the areamany linked to two massive club parties held in mid-March before the country shut down bars, pubs and other non-essential services. Photos shared online last week also showed mostly young beachgoers packed together on the sand after outdoor gatherings were curtailed, drawing howls of protest. That led to sunbathers, surfers and tourists being banned from the beach, with police enforcing the prohibition. New South Wales Health said the Waverley Council area, which encompasses Bondi, had the highest number of confirmed cases in Sydney. "A plausible explanation is they have come in contact with an infected backpacker before that backpacker was aware they had COVID-19," said chief health officer Kerry Chant. Australia has recorded almost 5,000 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths, with almost half of those in New South Wales. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP The controversy stems from millions of dollars worth of trades made in the name of Ms. Loeffler and her husband in late January after she attended a private, senators-only briefing on the virus with top government health officials. At that time, as the disease was raging in China, few Americans realized its potential to become a pandemic. The stocks sold, including Exxon Mobil, Ross Stores and AutoZone, later lost a significant amount of value, prompting accusations of insider dealing by critics who argued that the timing of the transactions could not be a mere coincidence. But there is no evidence that senators received any significant nonpublic information in the briefing. New public disclosure forms filed with the Senate late Tuesday showed that stocks worth millions of dollars owned by Ms. Loeffler and her husband continued to be actively traded in February and early March, as the markets began to sharply decline. In some cases, the couple saved money they might have otherwise lost by selling, but in aggregate the trades do not appear to have made a substantial impact on their net worth, which exceeds $500 million. Ms. Loeffler is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, the founder and chief executive of Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, a publicly traded company whose crown jewel is the New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Loeffler was the chief executive of Bakkt, an ICE subsidiary, before accepting the Senate post. She is also the co-owner of Atlantas W.N.B.A. team, the Dream. The legal risk to Ms. Loeffler is probably low, and there is not yet any evidence that she is under federal scrutiny like Mr. Burr. The Stock Act makes it illegal for members of Congress to trade on nonpublic information they encounter in their work. But no one has ever been prosecuted under the law, and if it is as Ms. Loeffler describes, her financial arrangement would insulate her from charges, experts said. Still, questions about her investments could do lasting political harm to Ms. Loeffler at a time when many Americans are on edge and concerned about the devastating financial toll the crisis has taken on them. She may not have any kind of legal problems, but it does indicate she comes from a very different world than 99.99 percent of Georgians, said Charles S. Bullock III, a political-science professor at the University of Georgia. Several floors within the new gleaming six-story tower at the University of Virginia Medical Center will come online sooner than expected as hospital officials plan for an increase in patients related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first group of additional beds in the tower will be available later this week, said Eric Swensen, a spokesman for the hospital. UVa has set up a COVID-19 clinic to screen potential cases of the novel coronavirus, and said recently it is seeing an increasing number of inpatients with the virus, though it declined to give exact numbers. As of press time, medical center officials dont have plans to establish temporary or field hospitals, something Gov. Northam has said he is exploring at a statewide level. We have developed multiple scenarios for having sufficient staff and beds to provide care, including ICU care, if we were to see an influx of patients that required inpatient care for coronavirus, Swensen said. As many as 252 persons including at least a dozen Indonesians who had attended a congregation of Tabligh-e-Jamaat in New Delhi have been traced in various cities of Maharashtra including Pune and Mumbai, authorities said on Wednesday. The gathering in Nizamuddin West area of the national capital has emerged as one of the coronavirus hotspots, prompting other states to launch a search for those who attended it and who were possibly exposed to the infection. As many as 106 people have been traced in five districts of western Maharashtra, a senior official said. "We received a list of total of 182 people from Pune, Solapur, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur who had attended the gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin and 106 of them have been traced," said Deepak Mhaisekar, Pune divisional commissioner. "Of these 106, 94 people were placed under quarantine and their samples would be tested," he said, adding that the process to track down remaining people was underway. As per the list, 136 of these people are from Pune, five from Satara, three from Sangli and 17 and 21 from Solapur and Kolhapur, respectively. In Pune district, 70 people have been traced, Mhaisekar said. Fifty-four persons who had attended the gathering in Nizamuddin were tracked down in Nagpur and put under quarantine, said Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. "I appeal to others who had attended the Tabligh-e- Jamaat congregation to contact us, so that appropriate treatment could be provided if they have coronavirus symptoms," Mundhe said. Thirty-five persons were identified in Ahmednagar. As many as 29 of them are from Indonesia, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and other countries, a local official said. One local person and a foreign national from this group have been found to have contracted the infection. All of them have been placed under quarantine. In Mumbai, 32 persons including 12 Indonesian nationals who had attended the congregation have been put under quarantine. Twenty of them -- all Indian nationals, some of them from Rajasthan and Gujarat -- were traced at a mosque in the western suburbs. They were placed under quarantine on the mosque premises after medical examination, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Manjunath Singhe. The mosque was also sanitized by civic officials. Also, 12 Indonesian nationals -- six men and six women -- who had attended the Nizamuddin event were traced in suburban Bandra, said DCP Paramjeet Singh Dahiya. They were placed under home quarantine at the flat they were staying in after medical check-up, he told PTI. In Mumbra in neighbouring Thane, 25 persons who attended the gathering have been traced, a local official said. None of them were found to have any medical issues, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This year, Google will take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic April in Ukraine Open source April Fools Day, also called All Fools Day, in most countries the first day of April. The day is observed by trying to play a practical joke on a victim who becomes known as an April Fool. The practical jokes range from simple to elaborate. Whatever the trick, the prankster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!" Although the day has been observed for centuries, its true origins are unknown and effectively unknowable. It resembles festivals such as the Hilaria of ancient Rome, held on March 25, and the Holi celebration in India, which ends on March 31. Some propose that the modern custom originated in France, officially with the Edict of Roussillon (promulgated in August 1564), in which Charles IX decreed that the new year would no longer begin on Easter, as had been common throughout Christendom, but rather on January 1. Because Easter was a lunar and therefore moveable date, those who clung to the old ways were the April Fools. Others have suggested that the timing of the day may be related to the vernal equinox (March 21), a time when people are fooled by sudden changes in the weather. In Scotland, April Fool's Day is celebrated over two days. Called Taily Day, The second day is devoted to pranks, the "kick me" sign can be traced back to Taily Day. April Fools' Day Open source In Germany, April 1 is considered an unlucky day. The Germans believe that born on this day will be unlucky. They do not work in the villages on April 1, do not start new business, do not let livestock out of the stalls. Adults and children deceive each other, sending them to fulfill impossible orders. In Portugal, April Fools' Day falls on Sunday and Monday before Lent. On this day, people throw flour at each other. April Fools' Day Open source This holiday came to Ukraine from Germany, probably at the beginning of the XVIII century. He was also called a false day, or Mary the Liar - one of the popular nicknames of Mary of Egypt - a saint, whose day of honor in the old style coincides with April 1. On April Fool's Day, jokes and famous search engines were organized. So, in 2013, the Google search engine pranked users with the presentation of an interesting Google Nose application, supposedly transferring smells to the user's personal computer. YouTube even posted an advertising video of the new service. According to an internal email obtained by Business Insider, Google will take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. CLEARWATER, Fla., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (ISC) the world's largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals today announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 (ISC)2 Global Achievement Awards. This awards program replaces the former (ISC)2 Awards Program, which had included the Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA). The new program creates a unified, global platform for recognition of the most outstanding annual achievements in the field of cybersecurity. Nominations will be accepted through 11:59pm EDT on May 15, 2020. Honorees will be celebrated at an awards ceremony to be held during the 2020 (ISC)2 Security Congress, which will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Orlando from November 16-18 this year. Recipients will receive a personalized, engraved award, a complimentary one-night hotel stay at Security Congress, and a complimentary three-day conference pass. "As a global association of cybersecurity experts, it is our privilege to recognize and celebrate the great work that is being done around the world to inspire a safe and secure cyber world," said Wesley Simpson, COO, (ISC)2. "At a time when our private and public infrastructure needs better protection than ever before, these awards serve as a reminder of the cybersecurity best practices to which we should all adhere and the high level of commitment to which we should aspire." The four categories now open for nominations within the (ISC) Global Achievement Awards program are outlined below. Up to one winner from each region (Asia-Pacific, North America/Central America/South America and EMEA) will be recognized in each category. (ISC) Senior Professional Award - recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed to the enhancement of the information security workforce by demonstrating a leadership role in an information security workforce improvement initiative, program or project. The nominated project/initiative must have been completed within the last 12 months. This award is given to a senior professional with at least 10 years of work experience directly related to cybersecurity. (ISC) Mid-Career Professional Award - recognizes an individual who is at the mid-career stage and has demonstrated commitment and achievement in managing or implementing a vital component of a cyber, information, software, infrastructure program/project. Candidates must have at least six years of work experience directly related to cybersecurity. (ISC) Rising Star Professional Award - recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of an up-and-coming professional who has made a significant impact in the information security industry early in his or her career. Candidates must have at least one to three years of work experience in cybersecurity industry. (ISC) Government Professional Award - recognizes government information security leaders whose commitment to excellence has helped to improve government information security and advanced an in-demand workforce. The award is given to recognize individuals whose initiatives in the areas of technology improvement, process/policy improvement, workforce improvement has led to significant developments in the security posture of a department, agency, or the entire government. Candidates must have at least three years of work experience, which must be directly related to government cybersecurity. Achievements in workforce improvement, technology improvement, process/policy improvement and community awareness will be considered. For more details and to submit a nomination, please visit https://www.abstractscorecard.com/cfp/submit/login.asp?EventKey=QLHGTBVW. About (ISC) (ISC) is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, (ISC) offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, pragmatic approach to security. Our membership, more than 150,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the general public through our charitable foundation The Center for Cyber Safety and Education. For more information on (ISC), visit www.isc2.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn. 2020 (ISC) Inc., (ISC), CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CAP, CSSLP, HCISPP, CCFP, CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP, CISSP-ISSMP and CBK are registered marks of (ISC), Inc. Media Contact: Brian Alberti Corporate Public Relations Manager (ISC) [email protected] (617) 510-1540 SOURCE (ISC)2 Related Links http://isc2.org/ BENZIE COUNTY -- Spring is here, and people and pets, want to get outside and stretch their legs as the weather warms. However, there are some things pet owners need to be aware of before they let their pets roam. Selina Molnar, a veterinarian at Platte Lake Veterinary Clinic, said pet owners need to watch for ticks, which can carry illnesses that can be transferred to dogs. "Ticks are a major concern, and the tick population is increasing everywhere," Molnar said. "Ticks are out during the warmer months, but they also are very cold tolerant, out earlier than other arachnids. They could be out even if it is cold and still snow on the ground." She said ticks used to be more of a seasonal problem, but now milder winters in Michigan are causing ticks to become an almost year-round problem. "Unfortunately, it's been a mild winter, and we were pulling ticks at the end of January," Molnar said. "This year, were seeing ticks year-round. The Companion Animal Parasite Council is now recommending year-round treatment because of that problem." Molnar said the dog tick and the deer tick, also known as the black legged tick are the most common. While the ticks themselves are a parasite that feeds on a dog's blood, the biggest concern is the tick may be carrying Lyme disease, or other tick-borne illnesses. "The major disease to worry about is Lyme disease," Molnar said. "Cases of Lyme disease are increasing as tick population increases. It's not required that vets report the numbers in dogs like doctors do in humans, so it is hard to know the percentage of dogs that have tested positive. The Parasite Council has Benzie County numbers at 8 percent of dogs have tested positive. Out of the animals we test for Lyme disease, about 10 percent test positive." Molnar said dogs could be infected with the disease, but not show any symptoms. She said dogs exposed to ticks should get tested. She also said the owner can bring in the tick for positive identification, if they wish. Lyme disease in dogs can cause fever, loss of appetite, reduced energy, lameness, generalized stiffness and swelling of the joint. Complications can lead to kidney failure, cardiac and neurological effects. Molnar said to protect dogs, yearly screening is recommended, as well as using tick preventatives, which include oral and topical treatments. "Most vets recommend the oral monthly or tri-monthly oral treatments," she said. "Unlike topical treatments, the effects don't diminish depending on the environment, and they have the best tick kill time." However, oral chews require a prescription, which requires the dog be seen by the prescribing veterinarian fairly recently. Susan Daly, a veterinarian at Betsie River Veterinary Clinic, said ticks on dogs and dogs getting Lyme disease may signal their owners could be at risk of tick borne illnesses, as well. "Dogs can be a sentinel species," Daly said. "We see the positive tests for Lyme disease in dogs, and you know the people are at risk too, and they can take precautions." Daly also said other types of ticks are moving into the area, which may carry different diseases. Heartworm is another parasite dog and cat owners should watch for as the weather warms up, as it is carried by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes pick it up when they take blood from an infected animal, and can transfer it when they bite an uninfected animal. Early infections have no symptoms, but later an infected pet can develop a cough, exercise intolerance, difficulty breathing and damage to the heart and lungs. Untreated, it is fatal. Molnar said a yearly screening is the best way to prevent heartworm, along with a preventative taken orally. Both Molnar and Daly said the yearly heartworm screening they offer also now tests for Lyme disease and several other tick borne illnesses. Daly said another issue in the spring for dogs is getting into compost and eating other animals' feces, which was previously preserved by cold weather and snow. "Dogs can get diseases from eating the feces of wild animals and other dogs," she said. "In the spring, compost piles can start to mold, and there are some molds that can cause seizures in dogs. Dogs can also get a foreign object lodged in their throat or gastrointestinal tract." Molnar and Daly also said pets, including cats, tend to wander in the spring if left to do so, and can pick up diseases from other wandering pets. Not to mention the possibility of pets becoming pregnant, if not spayed. "A female cat can get pregnant at five months," Daly said. "The best way to prevent that, or to prevent male cats from getting into fights with others, is to keep the cat indoors." She also said dogs can become more aggressive in the spring if they are not neutered. Both Daly and Molnar said if people have questions about their pets, including symptoms, to call a veterinarian, not check out Google. The Platte Lake Veterinary Clinic can be reached at (231) 325-2528. The Betsie River Veterinary Clinic can be reached at (231) 882-5561. Assisted suicide group is using COVID-19 outbreak to push death as good option, activist group warns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Some groups are using the COVID-19 crisis to legitimize and promote assisted suicide as a viable option for patients using telehealth, a pro-life advocacy group has warned. According to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, a recent fundraising email from Kim Callinan, the president of Compassion and Choices, which lobbies for assisted suicide, asserted that the widespread coronavirus crisis presents an opportunity to promote what is euphemistically known as "medical aid in dying" or "death with dignity." "As always, we are responding quickly to the needs and opportunities of the times. As the workforce grapples with the pandemic, telehealth is gaining prominence as a critical mode of delivering medical care. This provides a unique opportunity to make sure health systems and doctors are using telehealth, where appropriate, for patients trying to access end-of-life care options. These efforts should improve access to medical aid in dying in the short and long-term," Callinan wrote in the email message. Accessing life-ending drugs through telehealth is not new, said Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, in a March 20 blog post on the subject, noting the presence of telehealth provisions in bills in New Mexico and Hawaii. "The death lobby focuses on facilitating death and protecting doctors who are willing to be involved with killing their patients. They are not concerned with protecting people," he opined. This effort to promote doctor-facilitated death follows the publication of an ethics journal article contending that denying euthanasia is costly to society. In the current edition of Clinical Ethics, an article titled "Counting the Cost of Denying Assisted Dying" by David Shaw and Alec Morton, both of whom work at the Institute for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Basel, Switzerland, argued in support of the legalization of euthanasia because, in their opinion, it would increase people's "quality-adjusted life years" by helping them end their life following an incurable disease diagnosis. As technology advances the utilization of telehealth a collection of means or methods for enhancing health care, public health and health education delivery and support using telecommunications which encompasses a wide variety of technologies and tactics to deliver virtual medical, health, and education services has increased. On Monday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai shared plans for a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program to equip healthcare providers with broadband connectivity and devices to provide telehealth services amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The states of Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, Washington state, Oregon, California, and Hawaii, along with the District of Columbia, have all legalized assisted suicide. Montana does not have a state law on the books but the option is legal in the state following a state Supreme Court ruling. Today is an April Fool's Day like no other. As if coronavirus hasn't already put us in a spin, April 1 gives us one more thing to fret about. How much pranking is appropriate in the midst of a pandemic, when, in hospitals not far from us, severely ill people are fighting for their lives? The knee-jerk answer is none at all. Or at least that is the line taken by Google which has a history of (honestly pretty awful) April 1 gags. Not so in 2020, with the tech goliath telling staff to put any scheduled stunts in the recycle bin. At Google, tomfoolery is taboo. Google will "take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," went the email from Google's Carlow-born, DCU-educated head of marketing Lorraine Twohill. "We've already stopped any centralised April Fool's efforts but realise there may be smaller projects within teams that we don't know about," she continued. "Please suss out those efforts and make sure your teams pause on any jokes they may have planned - internally or externally." Given the quality of Google's recent pranks - last year it ran an ad for the fictional Aquaman II, which hilaaaaariously linked to a real trailer for Shazam - we probably aren't missing out enormously. More problematic is the question of what to do with April 1 as we face into one of the biggest shocks, outside of war, to impact on modern society. As we consider the question it is probably important to ask who April 1 is for. The obvious answer is that it is for our kids. Yes, we all enjoy a good April Fool's yack. But children adore it, which might be considered a change from when some of us were growing up (like everything else April 1 wasn't nearly as big a deal back then). Consider, moreover, that now more than ever kids need something normalised to which to cling. Even if you switch away from Sky News and its carnival of doom when your children walk into the living room, there is no question that they are aware of the pandemic. There is the obvious forced separation from their grandparents and the fact they haven't seen the inside of a school in weeks. And while they are probably still looking on the sunny-side of the latter, they will of course have picked up on the fact that something is amiss. Just the other day my six-year-old daughter was chasing her twin around the kitchen with a rubber bat, which she calmly explained "has the coronavirus". This morning I was informed the plush Pikachu doll which is ever-present on her bed needed extra cuddling as he had "developed breathing difficulties". Pikachu glared at me deadpan, like one of the Toy Story characters when they've just been picked up by a child. Kids, then, are soaking it all in, which is a decent argument for not cancelling April Fools outright. So, what makes a good prank? It helps to think big - and to take the massive credulity of your target for granted. One of the most famous ever April Fool jokes was broadcast by the BBC's Panorama in 1957, with the depiction of Swiss farmers harvesting a bumper crop of spaghetti from the trees where it grew. This was swallowed whole by viewers who wrote in eager to know how they might grow their own spaghetti tree. The official answer was that they should "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best". If the shutdown goes on for much longer, I shall be attempting to cultivate my own spaghetti tree in the back yard. Likewise, thinking big was Sweden's national broadcaster SVT which in 1962 brought on an expert to explain how viewers could turn their black and white TVs into colour sets - simply by pulling a nylon stocking over the screen (which would cause light to bend and the picture to colourise). Just like that, households across Sweden were full of dads desperately rifling drawers for nylon stockings with which to upgrade their tellies. And that rates as a slovenly effort compared to the Alaska clever-clogs who, in 1974, created the illusion that dormant Mount Edgecumbe volcano was about to erupt. There was understandable alarm in the nearby town of Sitka Alaska, though this turned to annoyance as it emerged a local joker had transported hundreds of tyres into the crater - and then set them alight. Nor should you be afraid of absurdity. In 1976 TV astronomer Patrick Moore told viewers in the UK that due to a rare "planetary alignment" the earth's gravitational pull would be briefly reduced. At 9.45am anyone jumping into the air would experience "a strange floating sensation". The appointed time came and went. Within minutes, BBC phone lines were jammed with members of the public who reported they had experienced just such a feeling upon leaping skyward Caveats apply, of course. For adults, a little silliness right now might be appreciated. Or it might not. Use your judgement wisely. Oh, and no jokes about Covid-19. Perhaps, years from now, it will be appropriate to crack wise about the pandemic (though there are many historical tragedies still taboo when it comes to humour). Right now, we aren't even close to the endgame and there is nothing funny about coronavirus. So, perhaps the best course should be to let our kids play jokes on us, rather than us on them or each other. That advice feels particularly relevant given the level of misinformation already swirling around coronavirus. Covid-19 sits on the pressure point between a global health crisis and fake news. How many times in the past three weeks, for instance, have you received an urgent WhatsApp message from a friend informing you a lockdown is about to be called within a few hours? It has probably happened more than once, long before the actual lockdown. In times of confusion, pranks and falsehoods exist along the same continuum. So whatever you do, make sure you enjoy your April 1 but try not to take the pursuit of fun too seriously. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick injected some Texas bravado into the coronavirus policy debate last week with what sounded like a call to sacrifice the health of higher-risk older Americans in the cause of reopening parts of the U.S. economy. No one reached out to me and said, as a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance for your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren? Patrick, who turns 70 on Saturday, said on the Tucker Carlson Tonight show. And if thats the exchange, Im all in. Patrick later clarified that he was not making a patriotic plea for Nana and Papa to take one for the team, only stating his personal position. He then reiterated his support for President Donald Trumps 15-day plan for Americans to essentially self-quarantine and if he believes we need more time, then we need more time. I trust his judgment. But at some point, sooner rather than later, we must get back to work before our nation totally collapses. It will be later. Swayed by sobering figures projecting hundreds of thousands of additional deaths if restrictions are lifted too soon, the president announced Sunday that he is extending until at least April 30 the national guidelines that advise Americans to avoid nonessential travel and gatherings of more than 10 people. The president is making a painful but necessary decision based on the best advice from the worlds top medical experts. Its also a little surprising, coming less than a week after Trump said he would like to have the country opened up and rarin to go by Easter Sunday. I dont want the cure to be worse than the problem itself, he said. You can destroy a country this way. The remarks by Trump and Patrick came as some conservatives and others began pushing back against a trend of stay-at-home and social-distancing orders in states, cities and counties across the country including Houston and Harris County. They argue the restrictions, in place less than two weeks, needed to be rolled back before they strangled the nation into a depression. No. The America that all America loves is capable of doing two things at once: saving lives and preparing the economy for a rapid recovery. Patrick is right to worry about what a prolonged closure will reap, but moving too soon will only make it worse. President Trump said as much Monday when he listed the economy as his No. 2 priority behind bringing the pandemic under control. That is the right approach. With adjustments to timelines and details still to come, the country is on a path that will get us through the health crisis and better position us to bring the economy back quickly by: Following stay-at-home orders and practicing good hygiene. The Seattle area, once the nations top hotpot for the disease, is seeing signs that strict containment policies are resulting in fewer reported cases and deaths, although researchers caution that the data has not been fully analyzed. Reinforcing the nations health care system with the proper equipment and funding to give doctors, nurses and hospitals a fighting chance when peak infections hit. Using the Defense Production Act to spur manufacturers to retool factories to meet urgent health care needs. Trump was right to invoke this measure, but he needs to be more aggressive and targeted in how he uses it. Continuing to ramp up testing, which will not only help treat current victims but give us crucial information in containing the spread. Directing financing to companies to keep them solvent with strings attached to make sure most employees keep their jobs. Expanding unemployment benefits, sick leave and other programs to help workers weather what could be an extended shutdown. Using displaced workers to fill jobs in essential businesses such as food supply, health care, manufacturing and delivery of crucial products. Returning to business as usual too soon only risks more outbreaks and a longer economic downturn as people stop flying, traveling, eating out, shopping or visiting museums and theaters. As frustrating and agonizing as this shutdown is for many, we cant forget that a healthy economy needs healthy people. Our political leaders need to stay the course. A predawn shooting in Trussville left one teen dead and another behind bars. The shooting happened about 3:20 a.m. Wednesday outside a home in the 7600 block of Happy Hollow Road. Trussville police Det. Ben Short said the two teens both were students at Hewitt-Trussville High School. An 18-year-old was shot and pronounced dead on the scene at 4:30 a.m. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified him as Trent Thomas Parkerson. He had played football for the Huskies. Short said a 17-year-old is in custody. His name has not been released. The shooting took place at one of their homes. Police have not said which teen lived at the location. The two knew each other, but a motive and additional details have not yet been released. "It is sad to hear of any loss of life, and our sadness deepens when students are involved. Our hearts go out to the families of these students and to all members of the Senior Class of 2020 who have now lost a classmate,'' said Superintendent Pattie Neill. " It is even more difficult to process this loss during a period of self-isolation and quarantine." A grief hotline has been set up, and anyone who needs assistance can text TALK to (205)707-9150 where a local pastor is standing by. The deadly shooting is Trussvilles first homicide of 2020, and the 41st in all of Jefferson County. Nigerias challenge with the expanding footprints of the coronavirus pandemic is getting a badly needed signal to help from Cuba, the Caribbean nation whose biomedical industry is currently attracting global acclaim for the impressive results its wonder drug, the interferon Alpha 2B, had in the control and management of the disease in Wuhan, China. Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Clara Escandell, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said her country which has historical relationship with Nigeria will be attentive to the request of the country but said no such request had been made at the moment. Cuba and Nigeria have a historical relationship. Through the veins of many Cubans flows blood from the peoples that make up this great country. There is an enormous cultural and idiosyncratic influence from Nigeria in many aspects of our social life, like music Ms Escandell said stating that if a request is tabled by the Nigerian government, we analyse the overall issue and agree on what conduct can be followed. On account of the reputed effectiveness of the Interferon Alpha 2B, about a dozen countries are already knocking on the doors of the Havana government seeking Cuban help. With an eye on the role the Interferon Alpha 2B played in China, the Italian government invited the Cubans who have sent in 50 biomedical experts from its Cuban Medical Brigade Henry Reeve, who are veterans in solving complex health situations and had built experience in the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea and in disaster management in countries like Haiti and Pakistan when they were shaken by earthquakes, according to Ms Escandell. Although the Interferon Alpha 2B is not a vaccine, it is one of the 30 medicines chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to fight the virus according to Helen Yaffe, who teaches Cuban and Latin American development at the University of Glasgow and who has provided one of the broadest insights on the history and trajectory of the drug. In a recent blog on the platform of the London School of Economics, Ms Yaffe explains how Cubas early entry into the biotech industry paved a path for the small Island nation to harness international expertise and develop medicines to fight a range of diseases from dengue fever and meningitis to the COVID19. While the Interferon Alpha 2B had been used in the effective management of meningitis, some cancer, dengue fever and HIV, Ms Yaffe argues that the drugs brightest moment was the 1989-1990 meningitis campaign when three million Cubans most at risk were vaccinated. Subsequently, 250,000 young people were vaccinated with the VA-MENGOC-BC vaccine, a combined vaccine for meningitis types B and C. The vaccine recorded a 95 per cent efficacy rate overall, with 97 per cent in the high-risk age group of three months to six years. Cubas meningitis B vaccine was awarded a UN Gold Medal for global innovation. This was Cubas meningitis miracle, she argued. Last week in Lagos the public interest litigant, Femi Falana, asked the federal government to approach the Cubans and seek help to contain the COVID-19 rampage. Since then, a string of virologist, medical professionals, and civil society activists have also supported the call. The President, Nigeria Medical Association, Francis Faduyile, welcomes any foreign experts who want to come and assist Nigeria combat the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. Although Mr Faduyile worries that the country is yet to fully explore the expertise of the professionals available in the country, he merely asked that care and caution is important in engaging external support when the government has not made use of what is available on ground. Mr. Faduyile also wants a more symbiotic relation that enriches rather than use Nigerians as what he calls Guinea pigs but Ms Escandell said Cuban scientific institutions are fully prepared to work alongside Nigerian ones, stating that these issues have been discussed in the past and it is a permanently open door and opportunity. The most important thing is to go deeper among the interested and concerned institutions on what we can do together. If such collaborations will proceed now, it will be institutions such as LABIOFAM, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the Immunoassay Center, according to Ms Escandell, that will take the lead, a point that already caught the attention of Idowu Obasa, the Chief Executive Officer, of Biomedical Services, a major biogenetic and pharmaceutical concern in Ilorin, Kwara State, who told PREMIUM TIMES that we shall soon be opening dialogue with the Cubans we have great respect for the biogenetic programme in the country particularly the research and outcomes on malaria, hepatitis and meningitis. Training her gaze at the enormity of the challenge and the possible dimensions of human suffering of COVID-19, the chief executive of the Vaccine Network, Chika Offor, asked the Nigerian government to accept all offers of help it can get to combat the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak ravaging the country. Mrs Offor pointed to the novelty of the virus and counselled federal authorities not to be trapped in a tunnel vision because as she puts it, the virus is a new one and most countries do not have sole knowledge of how to treat the virus. [So] it is a learning time and every country has been learning one or two things about the disease and containing its spread. It is not about competition, so there is no harm in accepting a helping hand. We need to welcome the experience of countries where they have recorded successes in containing the disease, she said. The chief executive officer of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Auwal Musa, said a realistic assessment of the COVID 19 trail in the country ought to prompt the government in feverish search for help from those who have expertise in the management of the situation from the international community especially Cuba. The government is expected to actively seek support from other countries that have the experts before it gets out of hand. It is because most Nigeria officials are not sincere and not willing to accept the realistic conditions of health service in the country. Mr Musa painted a sober sight of the countrys health landscape, querying why experts who have gone out of the country, find no inspiration to address our dilapidated hospitals, address the oddity of money budgeted for the hospitals but are not used rightly or not even released, and why we dont have testing kits, and facilities to combat Covid-19. The claims around the Interferon Alpha 2B is adequate reason, Mr Musa said, why it is important that the Nigeria government accept Cuban health offers and assemble our medical experts to sit down with them to see if the drugs will be applicable for use in Nigeria. For Abdulfatai Ibrahim, a medical virologist, Interferon Alpha 2B could be an effective treatment for the COVID-19 disease. He rests his argument on the history of the drug in the treatment of viral diseases such as hepatitis B and other, [and that] Interferon Alpha 2B has been proven to be effective in stopping the replication of virus in the cells. Mr Ibrahims views are in sync with Ms Yaffe who reasons that: since its first application to combat dengue fever, interferon has shown its efficacy and safety in the therapy of viral diseases including hepatitis types B and C, shingles, HIV-AIDS, and dengue. Because it interferes with viral multiplication within cells, it has also been used in the treatment of different types of carcinomas. Only time will tell if Interferon Alfa 2B proves to be the wonder drug in tackling COVID-19. Advertisements D avid Cameron's former university tutor has died after contracting coronavirus. Peter Sinclair, 73, was tutor to the former Prime Minister when he was studying philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford from 1985 to 1988. Mr Sinclair's colleagues paid tribute by describing him as a "popular lecturer and a much-loved colleague" after his death on Tuesday. After his time teaching at Brasenose College, Mr Sinclair joined the University of Birmingham as Professor of Economic in 1994. David Cameron paid tribute to his former university tutor. / REUTERS The vice chancellor of the university, Sir David Eastwood, said: We just received the terribly sad news that Professor Peter Sinclair, who joined Birmingham as professor of Economics in 1994, has died after battling with the effects of coronavirus. Our thoughts and deep sympathies are with his family. Speaking about Mr Sinclairs career highlights, Sir David said: Peter was a great figure in two universities. The record of Peters students who went on to great things is remarkable and a remarkable testimony to him as a great teacher. The former Prime Minister told the Sun Online Mr Sinclair was "one of the kindest, as well as one of the cleverest people" he had ever met. "His enthusiasm for economics and solving problems was extraordinary and he inspired generations of students," said Mr Cameron "He kept in touch with his students long after they left university and continued to mentor and help them. "It was a complete privilege to know him." Diane Coyle, former advisory to the treasury, paid tribute to her "brilliant teacher" in a blog post. She said: "Unsurprisingly, his joy in teaching meant he has taught what seems like half the UK economics profession and a fair proportion of economists elsewhere in the world. "For all his decisive influence on my intellectual formation not just turning me into an economist but shaping my values and world view I will always remember Peters kindness and warmth." Vice chancellor Sir David stressed how committed Mr Sinclair was to his students at the university. Peter was a very fine economist and an economist who believed economics was not just a dismal science but a discipline that, properly practised, would and should make the world a better place," said Sir David. He was a self-effacing but much-loved presence at events I hosted, always appreciative of the insights and kindness of others, gentle but authoritative in everything he said and someone whose company many people relished. Loading.... In the sadness of his loss we remember how much he gave and how generously he did it. The news comes as the UK saw its biggest daily rise in coronavirus deaths as 563 people died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. Sri Lanka's navy has seized $65 million worth of crystal methamphetamine and ketamine in the country's biggest drugs bust, officials said Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, authorities raided a flagless vessel in the country's southern waters and arrested nine Pakistani men suspected of smuggling the drugs. Navy personnel, wearing special protective clothing in case the suspects had COVID-19, found 605 kilogrammes of crystal meth, also known as ice, and 579 kilogrammes of ketamine, said Navy Commander Piyal de Silva. "This is the first time we have found ketamine and it is likely that the smugglers were trying to take this cargo to some East Asian destination," de Silva told reporters in the capital Colombo. Sri Lanka's defence ministry said the drugs had an estimated street value in Colombo of about 12,500 million rupees ($65 million), making it the country's biggest single seizure of drugs. Last month, the navy seized two foreign trawlers carrying more than $33 million worth of heroin and ice. Authorities said initial investigations suggested the Iran-Pakistan coast was the point of origin. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming ENE and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming ENE and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Saudi Arabia showed no sign of bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump to dial back its oil-price war with Russia. Instead, the kingdom pushed crude supply to record levels. Trump said Tuesday night that he'd spoken to both President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an effort to broker a truce between the world's two largest oil exporters. Saudi Arabia started the month by boosting supply to more than 12 million barrels a day, the largest on record, according to an industry official familiar with the kingdom's operations. Aramco declined to comment. So far, Riyadh has insisted that it will only back away from a decision to flood the global market if all the world's leading producers -- including the U.S. -- agree to cut output. Russia has struck a more conciliatory tone, saying it would hold back from a major production increase, but hasn't offered any concrete proposals to end hostilities with its former OPEC+ ally. Trump's decision to wade into oil diplomacy is driven by the catastrophic impact of the oil price crash on the American shale industry, largely based in Texas and other Republican-leaning states. But his mission to rein in global supply is overshadowed by the unprecedented loss of demand -- possibly as much as 30% -- caused by the fight against the coronavirus. "Signs of policy discussions are multiplying and we believe such an outcome should no longer be dismissed," analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note. Even so, after such a huge drop in consumption it's questionable "whether policy coordination by OPEC+, the U.S., and oil producers more broadly can save this market." A senior Russian official said that while they hadn't spoken to Saudi Arabia yet, Moscow had no plans to increase production given the current market situation. He gave no indication that Russia was willing to consider output cuts, however. It was Russia's refusal to join Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in deeper reductions that kicked off the price war in early March. "The Russian side traditionally welcomes mutual dialog and cooperation in order to stabilize energy markets," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on conference call on Tuesday. Putin has no immediate plans to speak with the Saudi king or crown prince, but such contacts can be easily arranged, he said. World oil demand, normally around 100 million barrels a day, will likely be down by 30 millions barrels a day in April and has yet to bottom out as lockdowns due to the virus continue, Chris Bake, an executive committee member at trader Vitol said on Tuesday. The Russian official said it made no sense for producers to boost output in the current situation. Energy Minister Alexander Novak said last month that the country can raise production by 200,000 to 300,000 barrels a day in the short term, and by as much as 500,000 barrels a day in the near future. That's a fraction of the additional 2 million barrels a day that Saudi Arabia has pledged to pump. "The sharp drop of oil prices has made the bulk of new Russian oil drilling uneconomic, the industry will need to look for ways to optimize" output, said Darya Kozlova, head of oil and gas regulation services at Moscow-based Vygon Consulting. However, even if production is flat, Russia may hike its oil exports to offset falling domestic demand for crude as its own economy goes into shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Kozlova said. On Tuesday evening in Washington, Trump said the U.S. would meet with Saudi Arabia and Russia with the goal of staunching the historic plunge in oil prices, and has raised the issue directly with the countries' rulers. "They're going to get together and we're all going to get together and we're going to see what we can do," he said. "The two countries are discussing it. And I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be." U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette had a "productive discussion" with Novak on Tuesday and agreed to "continue dialog among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20," the Department of Energy said in a statement. The two men agreed that an oil oversupply hurts the global economy, the Russian Energy Ministry said separately. Neither side detailed any steps they are considering to stem the downturn. CAIRO, June 17, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 17, 2019 shows MG vehicles in Cairo, Egypt. China's auto industry SAIC Motor and Egypt's largest car sales company Mansour Automotive Group signed on Monday in Cairo a joint venture agreement to ma Image Source: PK New Delhi/Chennai, April 1 : Hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak that has dampened economic activity and low consumer sentiment, automobile manufacturers' March sales dwindled. The sector's sales during the month were impacted mainly due to the suspension of operations in view of the coronavirus crisis and the nationwide lockdown. The Covid-19 outbreak and the consequent lockdown has resulted in massive economic upheaval. While on one hand, factories and businesses are shut, consumer sentiment is also marred with the fears of uncertainty over the current health crisis. Company-wise, passenger car major Maruti Suzuki India reported sales of only 83,792 vehicles in March. However, March's sales figures cannot be compared on a YoY basis, due to the prevalence of extraordinary circumstances, it said. The company had sold a total of 1,58,076 vehicles in March 2019. If both the figures are compared, then March 2020 sales comes lower by over 47 per cent on a YoY basis. Domestic sales during the month were recorded at 76,976 units, 47.9 per cent lower than the 1,47,613 units it sold during the same period last year. Another auto major, Hyundai Motor India reported sales of only 32,279 units in March. The company's overall sales during the like period of last year were substantially higher. According to the company, its domestic sales stood at 26,300 units, while exports were at 5,979 units. Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra reported a massive decline of 88 per cent in its total vehicle sales in March to 7,401 units due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The company had sold 62,952 units in March 2019. Its domestic sales last month stood at 6,130 units, 90 per cent lower than 59,012 vehicles sold in February 2019, the company said in a regulatory filing. Segment-wise, in passenger vehicles which includes SUVs, cars and vans, Mahindra sold 3,384 vehicles during the month under review, compared to 27,646 in March 2019. In the commercial Vehicles segment, the company sold 2,325 vehicles in March 2020, as against 24,423 units in March 2019. Additionally, exports for March 2020 declined by 68 per cent on a YoY basis to 1,271 vehicles. Veejay Ram Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M said: "Our performance in March has been muted on account of the impact of the current lock-down related to Covid-19 and the disruption in our BS-VI ramp-up plan." "The latter was planned between February and March but was affected due to the challenges of parts supply from global and local suppliers. We have been able to clear our BS-IV inventory, but for fewer than 100 vehicles. However, there are many vehicles that are sold, but not yet registered because of the closure of RTOs." Another automobile major, Tata Motors' sales in the domestic and international market, for the month of March 2020 stood at 12,924 vehicles compared to 74,679 units during the corresponding month of 2019. The company's domestic sales plunged by 84 per cent to 11,012 units from 68,727 units sold in March 2019. "Domestic sales in March 2020 was 5,336 units, deeply impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown as well as the planned transition to BS-VI. Retail sales were significantly ahead of wholesales," said Girish Wagh, President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors. "Almost all BS-IV vehicles in the ecosystem have been retailed, however, some await registration which was halted due to the lockdown. This will be cleared in the window provided. Productionization of BS-VI vehicles was on track and we have wholesaled the initial few BS-VI vehicles." Toyota Kirloskar Motor said: "Having successfully liquidated all BS-IV stocks even at the dealership level, TKM sold a total of 7,023 units of BS-VI vehicles to its dealers in the month of March 2020." "To lessen the burden on its dealers, TKM withheld sales by 50 per cent for the month of March 2020, just ahead of the 21 days national lockdown called by the Government of India. The company also exported its last batch of 999 units of the Etios series last month thus clocking a total of 8,022 units." Furthermore, Kia Motors India sold 8,583 units for the month of March 2020, while Honda Cars India's monthly sales stood at 3,697 units in March 2020. "Pandemic has snuffed the air out of the industry and has significantly disrupted sales and production of vehicles right from components not being available to vehicles offtake at the dealers end," said Sridhar V, Partner, Grant Thornton India LLP. "The signs of slowdown which was visible in February became worse with the lockdown announced in March. Tough times like this will lead to vehicle manufacturers to take tougher decisions and assuming normalcy is restored soon after the removal of lockdown, the business could take a quarter or two to revive and breathe normally." Suman Chowdhury, President - Ratings at Acuite Rating s & Research, said: "It is not surprising that the economic lockdown triggered by Covid-19, has sharply impacted the sales in the automobile sector which was already reeling under the effect of a structural slowdown." "While the leading passenger vehicle players have seen a drop in factory despatches by over 40 per cent, the decline is far sharper for CV players and reflects not only the shutdown of the operations from the last week of March but also the production constraints in BS-VI vehicles due to global supply chain disruptions and above all, a highly weak demand environment." At one point during his speech, Schickel asked then answered the question of "Why Do This?" by stressing that a maximum amount of social distancing is a crucial tool in combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the proclamation, he also announced that City Hall would be indefinitely closed to the public as well. According to City Administrator Aaron Burnett, a major part of the authority for that proclamation comes from the Mason City Code of Ordinances (specifically a section about a conservator of the peace): "The Mayor may take command of the police and govern the City by proclamation, upon making a determination that a time of emergency or public danger exists." So in the two weeks since, part of the onus for enforcement of that mayoral decree has fallen on the Mason City Police Department. "There are different ways to apply that," Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said before quickly mentioning "failure to disperse" as one of those. In Iowa, an officer can request that the participants of an "unlawful assembly" leave the immediate vicinity in a timely manner and if they fail to do so, the officer can issue them a simple misdemeanor. Those simple misdemeanor fines can total anywhere from $60-plus to $600-plus. But according to Brinkley, thats not something his department has done much of in the time since the mayors decree. "Weve had good luck though working with people to explain the situation and help them understand the impact," Brinkley said. He shared that one thing thats actually helped make this part of the job easier is that since there are confirmed cases in Cerro Gordo County, seven as of March 30, people understand the stakes. If thats not enough, MCPD is also working with Cerro Gordo Public Health to impart to community members what they need to be doing. On social media, the department is sharing posts from Cerro Gordo Public Health with reminders that its okay to be outdoors as long as theres social distancing and what the latest CDC recommendations are. To do its own part, MCPD closed its building on South Georgia Avenue to the public. Brinkley said they made the move as much for the safety of residents as they did for the safety of employees. One example that he offered is that there now is a lot more a lot more phone and online reporting to limit contact. Additionally, the department is urging officers to monitor their own health as often as possible and to not take any risks with it. In some ways, core missions for the department havent changed a tremendous amount in this particular time. Theyre still concerned about public safety just in a slightly different way. As Brinkley put it, "We want to keep the community healthy." Reach Reporter Jared McNett at 641-421-0527. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @TwoHeadedBoy98. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Richa Sharma By Express News Service NEW DELHI: From remotely monitoring and managing Covid 19 patients to digitalized detection of infection chains to improve population adherence to government social distancing guidelines India has reached out to Israel for such medical tech solutions by companies working to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of coronavirus. The Department of Science and Technology has come up with a suggestive list of nearly 30 innovative technologies on Covid 19 from Israeli companies and has sought interest from Indian researchers and companies in this regards. The move comes at a time when Israeli media reports said that countrys defence ministry plans to use software that analyses data gathered from mobile phones by the spyware firm NSO to help locate likely carriers of the coronavirus to test them. Both India and Israel have a joint USD 40mn Research and Development (R&D) fund managed by DST in India. The two countries have been collaborating on R&D in various sectors. The list of Covid 19 technology put out by DST include Contact-free Monitoring Solutions by EarlySense which provides continuous touch-free monitoring of a patients heart rate, respiratory rate, and movement, enabling clinical teams to detect and address early signs of deterioration, including falls and pressure ulcers. Keeping in mind social and many worried for their elder parents staying alone in other cities, Smart Remote Caregiver for Aging at Home by Kytera is a smart remote caregiver solution that provides insight into seniors activity at home. The solution includes a home system that collects data, a mobile app for family members and a dashboard for professional caregivers. Digital help to control pandemic Neura, a human behaviour platform enabling governments and health organizations to monitor and control the spread of Covid 19 by applying digitalized detection of infection chains YEREVAN. The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan has accepted for consideration second president Robert Kocharyan's lawyer Aram Orbelyans lawsuit against the National Security Service (NSS) and the state-funded Public Television (H1) of Armenia. We have learned about this from the judicial information system. We had reported earlier that Orbelyan had sued the NSS and the H1 television. Orbelyan's representative Narine Beglaryan had told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the lawsuit relates to a report on Aram Orbelyan that was broadcast on January 30, on the main newscast on H1, and where the information provided is inaccurate. "Slanderous expressions have been made," Beglaryan had noted. It has been said that from May to August 2018, Aram Orbelyan, periodically violating the order, had access to the CC [Constitutional Court] building. And the NSS is mentioned as the source [of this information]." The attorneys representative had added that Orbelyan had no regular access to the CC building during that period. Aram Orbelyan has asked the court to obligate the two defendants to refute the defamatory information, compensate for the damage caused by this defamation, and 2mn drams, each, from the both of them. HOLYOKE Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday that he has appointed a Boston lawyer and former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent examination into the recent deaths at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke. Mark W. Pearlstein of the Boston firm of McDemott, Will & Emery has been tapped by Baker to examine events leading up to the recent deaths of 12 residents, of which six are blamed on exposure to the coronavirus. According to the governors office, Pearlsteins investigation will focus on events inside the Soldiers Home that led to the deaths, and to the management and organizational oversight inside the facility in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Pearlstein is a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. attorneys office in Boston, where he was the chief of that offices Economic Crimes Unit, and the first assistant U.S. attorney and supervisor of the Civil and Criminal Divisions. He has extensive experience in the investigation and prosecution of complex white-collar criminal cases and other government enforcement matters. As a partner at McDemott, Will & Emery, he specializes in the defense of white-collar criminal cases, allegations of securities and exchange fraud, and complex litigation, arbitration and internal investigations. The Soldiers Home has been criticized for a lack of transparency about the deaths, and for practices inside that may have contributed to the spread of the virus among the resident population. On Monday, as news of the deaths was first made public, the superintendent of the Soldiers Home, Bennett Walsh, was placed on leave, and Val Liptak, a registered nurse and CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, was placed in charge of administration. That hospitals chief operating officer, Anthony DiStefano, was named to oversee day-to-day operations of the Holyoke facility. As of Tuesday, 12 veterans had died, six of whom tested positive for COVID-19. Results are pending for five others. One other death is the result of unknown causes. In addition, 10 other residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 25 more have test results pending. Seven staff have also tested positive for the virus, state officials said. * Businesses across New Jersey are facing significant economic turmoil and need your help. In the wake of this global pandemic and local shutdown on non-essential retail businesses, NJ.com has created a resource to connect you with local establishments that are open and cooperating with state guidelines. Don't see your favorite business listed? Send them our way. COVID-19 has caused an immense shortage of medical supplies -- specifically masks, gloves and protective suits. Various entrepreneurs have tried to lend a hand to combat this shortage. Some brands are building ventilators, while some are donating face masks. Everyone's trying to do something. Reuters A few weeks ago, we saw gaming peripheral maker Razer joining the battle to fight this shortage. Razer co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan, revealed in a Facebook post, that theve been working on creating masks in their manufacturing facility to give to the world during this grave shortage. In this post, he mentioned his goal to make and donate over 1 million face masks to medical authorities across the globe. He also stated, This emergency conversion of some of our lines and donation of masks is the first step of many that Razer will take. We are committed to contributing our extra time, resources, effort and talent toward the fight against COVID-19. And it looks like his new mask manufacturing facility is fully operational. He recently shared a post on Facebook where he shared two images -- one with a Razer truck (outside the National Council of Social Service in Singapore) and a second one with boxes full of masks. Razer With these images, he wrote, Team Razer did a supply drop of face masks to the National Council of Social Service in Singapore today! He further added, These are either from our converted manufacturing lines in China or masks we have procured/purchased for donations. Perhaps the next batch we drop off will be Made in Singapore face masks instead? This, however, isnt the first shipment. On March 30, he shared a post with a picture of a Razer employee donating a box full of masks to a company dubbed Bizlink who provide employment to the disabled. Razer He said, Bizlink helps people with disabilities gain employment and currently has about 250 vulnerable people with disabilities. They have been in need of face masks and our Razer Fintech CEO Li Meng Lee just did a speed run over to donate some masks! No fewer than twelve persons were on Wednesday arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates Court for allegedly violating the Ekiti state governments directives on Coronavirus. The accused persons were brought before Chief Magistrate, Mr. Abdulamid Lawal for defying the sit-at-home directives given by the government. Governor Kayode Fayemi had on Sunday announced that the state will be totally locked down with full restriction of human and vehicular movements commencing from Tuesday, as part of the strategic efforts to mitigate against the spread of Coronavirus pandemic. The accused were two Egyptians, Mohammed Mustapha and Mahmud Ahmed, Oladapo Oyinlade, Matthew Oyinlade, Ogundana Gbenga, Sunday Ani and others. The Director of Prosecution, Mr. Julius Odugbemi, told the court that Mustapha and Ahmed on April 1, 2020 flouted government stay-at-home directives for driving around the Ado-Ekiti metropolis without lawful excuses. He added that the offence violated the Provisions of the Ekiti State Coronavirus (Prevention of Infection) Regulations, 2020 made pursuant to Section 8 of the Quarantine Act, Cap Q2, LFN, 2004. According to the prosecutor, On the 1st day of April, 2020 at Fajuyi Area within the Ado-Ekiti Magistrate District, the defendants violated the Provisions of the Ekiti State Coronavirus (Prevention of Infection) Regulations, 2020 made pursuant to Section 8 of the Quarantine Act, Cap Q2, LFN, 2004. On the 1st day of April 2020 at Fajuyi Area within Ado-Ekiti Magistrate District, did without lawful excuse drive Rav 4, Car contrary to and punishable under Section 202 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012. The duo found guilty of the two count charges leveled against them were both fine N2,500 each of the count charges, totaling N10,000. The Chief Magistrate Lawal, in his ruling, said both defendants are reasonably suspects and should be kept in mandatory isolation for 14 days, since Mustapha, gave evidence in court that he came into the state from Ilorin, Kwara State. Oladapo and Matthew were also fined N2,500 each of the two count charges for riding on Okada, during the stay-at-home order. Others include Ani who was fined N1,000 each of the two count charge for defying government directives to buy drugs for his dog that was sick. Gbenga was discharged due to his plea that he assisted someone who wanted to buy medicine for someone who is sick before he was arrested. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Indore, April 2 : Two women doctors suffered injuries to their legs on Wednesday after a team of health officials were attacked with stones in Tat Patti Bakhal area when they went to locate persons reportedly infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The health department team consisted of five persons including three doctors. "The moment we started enquiring about a particular person's health, people began protesting and were joined by others who resorted to pelting stones. Policemen standing nearby came to our rescue," a woman doctor who sustained injuries said. Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Pravin Jadia said: "Our team is working to protect people from the corona virus infection. But people pelted stones at them. It was an unfortunate incident." "Two women doctors somehow protected themselves by hiding in tehsildar's vehicle," said Jadia. A complaint has been filed at Chhatripura police station. A police officer said that during the incident the protesters also broke the barricade. A case of rioting will be pursued against them. Investigating officials said lack of awareness among the people about the corona virus infection and rumours spread on social media had led to such confrontations. Meanwhile, Indore Deputy Inspector General of Police Hari Narayan Chari Mishra told IANS that a team from the health department had gone to the area to conduct health checks when they were attacked with stones. However, no one was hurt in the stone-pelting incident. "The police have registered a case against unknown people and are looking for them," Mishra said. In another development, a 28-year-old woman doctor was admitted to a hospital with coronavirus on Wednesday. Jadia said the doctor was admitted to a private hospital. She was with the gynaecology department of the government Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, he said. The CMHO said that 20 people including doctors who had come in contact with her have been identified and put under quarantine. The doctor had met her husband in Lucknow some days ago and returned to Indore. Her husband has also been quarantined in Lucknow, Jadia said. If youve ever had the need to communicate with a doctor online, without going to see him / her face-to-face, youre in the right place. There are quite a few apps in the Play Store, the so-called telemedicine apps, that make something like that possible. Thanks to these apps / services, you can get medical care (mainly consultation) without ever seeing your doctor in person. In this article, were bringing you the very best telemedicine apps for Android. Telemedicine apps are, in no way, a replacement for real doctors, not at all. They can be quite useful in some situations, but there are limitations as youre talking to someone over the internet. Most of these Android telemedicine apps offer more than one way of communicating with doctors, at least the best ones do. You can chat with them using text messages to ask your question(s). You can opt for an audio call, or video call, its up to you. Weve selected our picks for the best telemedicine apps for Android, there are many more in the Play Store, though. Youll find 9 applications in the list down below, and theyre not listed in any specific order. Youll also find some additional information about them, including a short description of every app. That being said, read on if youd like to check out our picks for the best telemedicine apps for Android. Advertisement Top 9 best telemedicine Android apps 2020 Below is a quick overview of the top 9 best telemedicine Android apps for 2020, including any download and in-app purchase costs. Download Cost In-app cost (per item) Doctor On Demand Dialogue Lemonaid Health Babylon Amwell LiveHealth HealthTap Maple PlushCare Top 9 best telemedicine Android apps 2020 downloads Below is a little more information on each app, a suggestion for the type of user the app is best suited to, and a direct link for easy downloading. All download links go to the apps Google Play Store listing. Users are always recommended to download apps from Google Play or an authorized app store. Advertisement Best telemedicine Android app for most people Doctor On Demand Price: Free to download In-app purchases: None Android version: 5.0+ This is probably the best choice for most people. The Doctor On Demand app is available for both people with and without insurance, and the service is great. The app will connect you with board-certified physicians and doctoral-level therapists in minutes. At that point, you can talk to them via your smartphone, tablet, or whatever device youre using to run this application. This service is less expensive than visiting a clinic, in case you dont have an insurance at least the company claims to be. This online chat will basically work as your regular, in-person visit to the doctors office. Youll talk to the doctor, tell him / her what symptoms youre experiencing, and so on. After everything is done, the doctor will recommend a treatment for your condition. Doctor On Demands doctors can also provide a doctors note, if needed, just like your regular doctor would. This app / service is a great option for some diseases, like col, flu, allergies, depression and anxiety, skin and eye issues, and so on. Its even a solid option for lab testing, though that would require some extra steps outside of the conversation, of course. On top of everything, the app looks really nice, and works really well. This is one of the best-rated telemedicine apps in the Play Store. Advertisement Download Doctor On Demand Best telemedicine Android app for those on a budget Lemonaid Health Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 5.0+ Lemonaid Health is a great app for those of you who would like access to a doctor online, but dont want to break the bank. There is a $25 doctor consultation fee included here, and you can even get a free delivery from the Lemonaid Pharmacy. You can simply send in your questions, pay your fee, and youll get a response within two hours or a direct video consultation faster than that. Advertisement The service is available from Monday to Friday the whole time. As far as Saturday is concerned, work hours are between 7 AM to 6 PM. Sunday is a different story, as you can get consultation between 8 AM and 12 PM PST. You will need to create an account, and answer Lemonaid Healths health questions before you can get started. If you dont get adequate service, you wont be charged. Lemonaid Health offers a ton of different health-related services. You can seek help for depression and anxiety, erectile dysfunction, birth control, acne, hot flashes, genital herpes, cold sores, hair loss, smoking, and a lot more. The apps design is also really nice, it mainly combines yellow, orange, and white colors. Download Lemonaid Health Advertisement Best telemedicine Android app for families Dialogue Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 5.0+ Dialogue is an app / service which is focused on serving both you and your family. You can add dependents in this application, without a problem. That is something Dialogue wants everyone to know. That being said, the company refers to itself as a virtual health and wellness hub. It also offers a ton of professionals to answer any questions you may have, so the principle is simple. Dialogue even offers a free medication delivery, right to your home, if necessary. You can consult both doctors and nurses via this application. You can chat with them either by text, or via audio or video calls, its up to you. This app covers a wide array of medical problems, too many to list. But if youre having any dermatology, mental health injuries, traumas, or anything of the sort this is a great app. This app / service not only offers free medication delivery to your home, but you can also get medical prescriptions here. The apps design is extremely simple, and in this case, thats a great thing. The app looks really nice, its UI is predominantly white, but it uses nicely-designed icons to fill in the gaps. Advertisement Download Dialogue Best telemedicine Android app for patients from the UK Babylon Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 5.0+ If youre from the UK, and youre need of a doctor, Babylon is a great service. You can get quality help online really quickly. This app gives you access to NHS healthcare and appointments with qualified doctors. To be more specific, youll get access to general practitioners around the clock. That actually goes for weekends as well, if you need some urgent advice. Advertisement You can set up a phone or video appointments via the app, and youre set. As is the case with pretty much every other service on the list, these doctors can send prescriptions to your local pharmacy. They can be ready to collect within an hour from your appointment, so thats convenient as well. Babylon also offers a symptom checker that is capable of analyzing millions of symptoms in a matter of seconds. Babylon also ensures its users that your data is safe with them. The company is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in the UK. Its doctors are GMC registered, and have an average of 10 years of GP experience. The design of the Babylon app is really simplistic, and many people will appreciate that. Download Babylon Best-designed telemedicine Android app Amwell Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 5.0+ Amwell is yet another telemedicine app that is worth taking a look at. This app offers really nice UI design. Its extremely easy to navigate, and thanks to obvious icons and smart color usage, even older people shouldnt have an issue with it. Amwell offers you a chance to see a doctor in a matter of minutes. It will connect you with board-certified medical providers, which have plenty of experience. In order to use this service, all you need to do is download the app, choose the type of visit, and choose your medical provider. This service is available 24/7, so theres always someone available to help you. There are tons of different ailments that you can seek help for, as Amwell has really experienced doctors, from urgent care, to therapy, and psychiatry, theyve been through it all. If you dont have insurance, urgent care will cost you $69 or less. Online therapy $95 or less, while youll pay $45 or less for nutrition counseling visits. Amwell has a number of awards for telemedicine, which is also worth noting. If youre interested, feel free to download the app, and take a quick look to the video provided above. Download Amwell Best telemedicine Android app for common health conditions LiveHealth Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 5.0+ LiveHealth has a long list of doctors to offer you. No matter if youre suffering from flu, allergies, skin infections, or something completely else, this app has you covered. It also features licensed therapists, lactation consultants, and so on. All the doctors here are board-certified, and you can communicate with them via live video via your phone, tablet, and even your PC. Youll need to sign up once you download the app, of course. Once you do that, youll have access to a doctor 24/7. This app will connect you with a doctor through private and secure video in about 10 minutes or less, claims the company. The company also notes that this is a great option for care when your own physician is not available. LiveHealth doctors can assess your condition, and provide a treatment plan. On top of that, you can also get a prescription from them, just like you would from your own doctor. That prescription can be sent to a pharmacy of your choice, for easy pickup. If you prefer Spanish, youre in luck, as Spanish language online visit experience is available using Cuidado Mexico on LiveHealth Online. Download LiveHealth Best telemedicine Android app for written information HealthTap Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 4.1+ HealthTap offers just as much as other apps on this list, and then some. This app is actually really great if youd like to scroll a collection of medical questions and answers. HealthTap has a huge library of such questions and answers. Patients are the ones asking them, and HealthTaps doctors were answering. There are also care guidelines for hundreds of topics and conditions that you can browse through. HealthTap also has a great AI-powered symptom checker. It can assess and triage symptoms on its own. On top of all that, you get access to an actual doctor, 24/7. All of the doctors that work through HealthTap are board-certified. You can communicate with them by text, phone, or video call, its up to you. Wait times are less of a minute, the company claims. The best of all, you can subscribe for unlimited doctor visits for $119 per year. Being able to access a doctor via the Internet is great in many situations. If youre extremely busy and dont think your situation is too serious, you can always talk to one online. Even if the situation may be more serious, you can schedule a visit, and see what happens. Other than not being able to physically touch you, this is like talking to a doctor face-to-face. Download HealthTap Best telemedicine Android app for patients from Canada Maple Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 6.0+ If you live in Canada, Maple is for you. This app offers a really sleek-looking UI, which is always a good thing. The most important thing is, however, the service itself, and its good. You can get your diagnosis, prescription or medical advice in a matter of minutes. This app offers you 24/7 access to Canadian licensed doctors. This app will immediately connect you to a doctor via a live chat or video call. Its all being done via Maples platform, which the company claims is plenty secure. Maples doctors can provide you with a diagnosis, prescription, sicknote, or medical advice. All you need to do is download the app, and tap the See the doctor now option. Payment is, of course, required, if you dont have employer / insurer coverage. If you opt for a text chat, the doctor will review your request, and get back to you in a matter of minutes. This service is available in Canada only, both for residents, and visitors. Maple says that all of its doctors are Canadian licensed and practice family or emergency medicine in the country. With Maple, you also get access to specialists and other healthcare providers. You can chat with dermatologists, mental health experts, endocrinologists, sleep therapists, naturopathic doctors, and so on. Download Maple Best telemedicine Android app for patients with insurance PlushCare Price: Free to download In-app purchases: No Android version: 6.0+ This is one of the best telemedicine apps for those of you who have insurance. PlushCare takes appointments every 15 minutes, and it has great reviews in the Play Store. People seem to be really happy with both the app and the service, which is the best recommendation you can get. PlushCares doctors come from the top 50 medical schools and are both licensed and board-certified. All of the doctors here are also from the US. The service is available 24/7, and it can provide you with both prescriptions and treatment for ongoing conditions, such as: acne, anxiety, asthma, back pain, depression, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insomnia, migraine, and so on. Urgent care for allergies, bronchitis, cellulitis, cold, dental infection, and various other ailments is also available. You can also use PlushCare if you dont have insurance, though youll have to pay for everything, of course. The company emphasizes that even kids can use PlushCare, as there are pediatricians on staff. The application itself offers a really simple design, much like most other apps on the list. That is, in this case, also a good thing. The apps UI is predominantly white, though there are splashes of other colors applied, just to keep it interesting. Download PlushCare The governments move to make donations to the PM CARES fund more attractive by granting 100% tax exemption on contributions under Section 80G of Income Tax provisions is likely to help mop up resources for the fund created exclusively for disasters such as the coronavirus outbreak. The fund was announced by the prime minister last week and it invites individual contributions, no matter how small they are. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chairman of PM CARES Fund trust and its members include defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. We bring you some key facts about the fund that you need to know before making any contribution. 1. The government has brought in an ordinance to make donations to PM CARES Fund eligible for 100% deduction under section 80G of the IT Act. Further, the limit on deduction of 10% of gross income shall also not be applicable for donations made to PM CARES Fund. 2. Giving money to the fund till June 30, 2020, makes you eligible for claiming deductions from the income tax for the financial year 2019-20. It is a huge opportunity for those who may have missed out on saving some money through investments eligible for tax deductions u/s 80G. 3. The ordinance issued on Tuesday has made it even more attractive for individuals and corporates paying concessional tax on the income of FY 2020-21 under the new regime. They can make a donation to PM CARES Fund up to June 30 this year and not only claim deduction under Section 80G against income of financial year 2019-20, but also remain eligible for concessional taxation regime for the income accrued in the financial year 2020-21. 4. There are several ways of making a payment to the fund. People comfortable with electronic transfers can use the following details to make online transfers. The fund accepts any amount as a contribution. Account Name: PM CARES, Account Number: 2121PM20202 , IFSC Code: SBIN0000691, SWIFT Code: SBININBB104, Name of Bank & Branch: State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch. 5. Payment to the fund can also be made by using the UPI ID of The PM CARES fund, which is: pmcares@sbi. 6. Apart from the above, the following modes of payments to the fund are available on the website- pmindia.gov.in. Any person can go and chose a suitable option from the following methods: Debit Cards and Credit Cards Internet Banking UPI (BHIM, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayTM, Mobikwik, etc.) RTGS/NEFT 7. Provision to accept donations from foreign contributors is still awaited. The official webpage for PM CARES donations says, it is likely to be announced in the next 2-3 days time. About 12 passengers are stuck on the Artania cruise ship in Perth because they are too obese to be put on charter flights home. German liner the Artania arrived in Fremantle on Friday evening before around 800 European passengers were flown home. According to The West, about 12 passengers have been kept on board because they were too obese to fit in a plane seat. Those passengers are now stuck on the ship along with 450 crew members, who are mostly from Asian countries including Indonesia and the Philippines. Around a dozen passengers are stuck on the Artania cruise ship in Perth because they are too obese to be put on charter flights home The ship's management has requested the crew be allowed to disembark and take charter flights home. Nine of them are reporting symptoms of coronavirus. Forty-two passengers and crew have already been allowed off after testing positive and are being treated in hospitals in Perth. On Sunday, the Australian Border Force wrote to the ship's management ordering the vessel to leave Australian waters as soon as possible. The ship wants to remain docked until 15 April so it can be cleaned and so any more staff and passengers who have coronavirus can be identified before the long voyage back to Hamburg in Germany. Negotiations between the ship and the federal government are ongoing. WA Premier Mark McGowan said he wanted the ship away from his shores as soon as possible. 'I'd urge the Australian Border Force to get the ship on its way,' he said. 'I think the Federal Government needs to step up here. If the ship needs to be cleaned, well, clean it and then get it on its way.' He said one option would be to send the ship to Christmas Island for 14 days. Federal Attorney General Christian Porter told radio 6PR: 'The vessel is the subject of an order to leave. They don't have to do that tonight but they are subject to an order to leave.' 'My information is that there are still 12 passengers on board, some of whom... cannot get into a plane. 'Passengers who are too unwell to fly, and the crew, will have to go home in the boat, back I presume to Germany. 'We've got a responsibility for those passengers to ensure the Western Australian health system gives them the available attention to ensure that they don't, let me put this bluntly, don't die on the voyage home because they've not received the proper attention before that voyage commences.' Alice Eve adhered to social distancing as she was seen queuing outside a butcher's shop in London recently during the coronavirus lockdown. The actress, 38, joined shoppers keeping 2m apart outside the business as she ran errands. The Sex And The City star opted for a casual look in a powder blue hoodie, with the hood worn over her caramel locks. Lockdown: Alice Eve adhered to social distancing as she was seen queuing outside a butcher's shop in London recently during the coronavirus lockdown She wrapped up in a tan double breasted coat paired with blue patterned leggings and emerald clogs. The Star Trek actress showed off her radiant complexion by going make-up free for the outing. Britain has been in lockdown since March 23 with Boris Johnson announcing measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. People must only leave their homes for essential supplies, medical help, or to travel to work if it is 'absolutely' unavoidable. Wait: The actress, 38, joined shoppers keeping 2m apart outside the business as she ran errands Casual: The Sex And The City star opted for a casual look in a powder blue hoodie, with the hood worn over her caramel locks Stroll: She wrapped up in a tan double breasted coat paired with blue patterned leggings and emerald clogs Going out for exercise is allowed once a day, but parks are being patrolled to make sure there is no abuse of the rules. Talented actress Alice relocated stateside in 2010, when she landed the role of bra-hating Irish nanny Erin in Sex and The City 2. She has since been seen in a host of high profile movies including Men In Black 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness. In 2014, Alice married financier Alex Cowper-Smith, her secondary school sweetheart whom she met while attending Westminster School in London - however they later parted ways after just three years of marriage. Outing: The Star Trek actress showed off her radiant complexion by going make-up free for the outing Queue: Alice joined fellow shoppers in social distancing in the street Rules: The star was seen queuing outside a butcher's shop in London Off we go: Alice looked stylish as she headed home after shopping The couple met at school but only reunited as a couple in 2014, before finally tying the knot in a small ceremony on New Year's Eve in 2014. They finalised the divorce last year, after which the blonde beauty admitted she felt as though she had a 'rebirth'. Alice was previously in a long-term relationship with poet Adam O'Riordan, who she met while reading English at Oxford University. Turkey will tighten restrictions on daily life if the countrys coronavirus outbreak worsens because citizens didnt follow the voluntary quarantine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. Erdogan is under increasing pressure to impose a nationwide lockdown, which hes so far resisted for economic reasons. Instead, hes called on people to self-police and stay inside their homes except to shop for groceries or make emergency trips. Turkey is a country where production must continue and the cogs must keep turning under every circumstance and every condition, Erdogan said in a Monday night address. On Tuesday, Turkey confirmed 46 more deaths linked to the epidemic in what marked the deadliest day for the country since the virus was first reported in Turkey last month. Turkey, a nation of 83 million, has confirmed 13,531 cases of the novel coronavirus and a death toll of 214, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. To keep residents at home, Turkey recently limited intercity travel, banned walks along the seashore and closed picnic spots, forests and other public spaces during the weekends. The country previously shuttered schools and public venues such as cafes, bars and Turkish baths. Sporting events and international travel are suspended until further notice, and pandemic councils in Turkeys 30 biggest cities can take additional measures if needed. Currently, Turkey is not disclosing the location of infections in order to prevent worried citizens from moving to areas where there are fewer cases. But the virus has already reached all corners of the country, according to the Turkish Medical Association. Cases and contacts are almost everywhere, the doctors union said in a statement. The opportunity to implement a country-wide quarantine was missed." Last month, Erdogan announced a 100 billion-lira ($15 billion) economic stimulus package aimed at keeping affected businesses afloat. As part of the plan, Turkey will increase pension payments, lower the VAT on domestic air travel and defer the debt payments of impacted companies by three months. Ankara has also set aside funds to provide some two million low-income families with 1,000 liras ($150) each. First link between Tablighi Jamaat congregation and COVID-19 was spotted on March 17 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: The first time the connection between the Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus emerged was on March 17 2020. It was at this time that a case was detected in Telangana and by March 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs had drawn up a list of 800 foreigners associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. It was learnt that an Indonesian, who attended the conference at Nizamuddin and travelled to Telangana had tested positive on March 17. Home Ministry sources tell OneIndia that nearly 1,000 Tablighi workers from abroad were in India. Of this around 200 were staying in Nizamuddin, the source also said. The source also said that once they had identified the 800 foreign nationals, an advisory was sent to all the states to track them and medically screen them. The MHA says that nationals of Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan had come for proselytising activities. Tablighi Jamaat: The core of the Islamic ecosystem and the danger it poses The MHA says that so far 1,203 Tablighi Jamaat workers had been screened of which 303 had symptoms of COVID-19. The MHA in a statement said that the Bureau of Immigration has been sharing since February 1 with State authorities, details of all international arrivals from affected countries based on Self Declaration Form filled in by them. In addition, since March 6, Bureau of Immigration had also been sharing details of all the international arrivals (both Indians and foreigners) at all the international airports in the country. Meanwhile the government has decided to blacklist all the foreigners who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin for violation of visa rules. Nearly 800 will be blacklisted, government sources have confirmed. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that all those who travelled to India on tourist visas recently and violated visa conditions will be proceeded against legally. This would include being blacklisted as well, he said. A strict lockdown has been imposed in parts of southeast Nizamuddin after 24 persons tested positive for COVID-19. These are also being linked to cases in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman Islands, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and also the five deaths in Telangana. What is the Tablighi Jamaat and how does it function All these persons are said to have attended the congregation at the Nizamuddin Mosque in mid-March. Over 1,000 people continued to stay at the Markaz even as a 21 day nation-wide lockdown was announced. The organisation has been accused of gross negligence and an FIR has been lodged against the Maulana of the Mosque. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 8:02 [IST] As the crisis faced by Indias migrant workers has shown, the Union governments centralised, command-and-control approach of managing the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) will not work. Recent steps, from the poorly-planned lockdown to the decision to shut down borders and use brute force against those wanting to go home, reflect an approach focused on controlling people, rather than developing systems, to control the spread of the virus. Once it became evident that migrants were leaving inhospitable cities and going home, crossing multiple state borders, we needed rapid coordination to enable movement, manage communication, and design processes to ensure safe passage, including building a contact database for testing and tracing. Coordination is the role that the Centre should have played. Instead, it chose to use the Disaster Management Act, command border closures without warning, and police those who didnt comply. The inhumanity of these actions have been devastating. India needs to move away from command-and-control to coordination and genuine Centre-state collaboration. States are at the frontlines. Many have also been quick to respond and innovate. But, as the handling of migrant movement shows, states will also face collective action problems, for which central intervention will be essential. Cooperative federalism is imperative in this coronavirus war. States must be taken into confidence before major decisions, and responsive mechanisms for cooperation must be put in place. Going forward, three specific areas of cooperation are critical: Finance, procurement and supply chains. First, finance. While states have been quick to devise substantial relief packages, they lack financial resources. The Centres response was to link finances to its own specific schemes for states to implement rather than buttressing state efforts. However, implementation capacity varies widely across states and schemes. And the relief needs of states will differ. Thus the Centre ought to use its fiscal powers to ease their fiscal constraints. The states have already asked for the Centre to ease fiscal deficit targets. But more must be done. In particular, the Centres relief package (the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna) ought to be redesigned and enhanced as a block grant to states. The grant should have two windows: One for health care system preparedness, linked to the National Health Mission formula, which prioritises funds for poorer states with weak health capacity. The second should be for relief measures. This can be financed by bundling all central schemes for social protection into a untied emergency fund, which states can draw on to top-up their own relief programmes. The cost-sharing formula should be abandoned for the next three months, with the Centre providing 100% funding, freeing up state funds to be used for health-related activities. This must be adopted for the National Health Mission as well, where states are expected to contribute 40% to the budget. Second, financial management and procurement. One of the biggest inefficiencies in the administrative system is the inability to move funds, procure goods and make payments, at speed. The public finance management system relies on a labyrinth of paperwork and enforcement of audit queries that can be paralysing and leaves little discretion at the state and local level. Given the scale of infrastructure needed personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, isolation wards smoothening procurement and financial transfers is essential. This, as former Indian Administrative Service officer Santhosh Mathew argues, needs the Centre and states to work in tandem. The Centre can take charge of discretionary functions where leakages are high standard-setting, price determination and supplier identification. But to procure fast, States must have full control over the actual transaction, including placing orders directly with vendors , quality checks at the point of receipt, and making direct payments. Finally, supply chains for essential commodities. While the focus thus far has been on smoothening movement for transportation of essential goods and services, it is important to recognise that the lockdown has affected all systems of production, circulation and distribution across the economy. For agriculture, April to June is a critical period both for rabi harvests and marketing, but also for next seasons kharif sowing. Labour, seeds, machinery, vehicles, storage, credit, markets uncertain at the best of times are now in different degrees of peril. As the lockdown progresses, local production and manufacturing units will need urgent economic assistance. This will require the Centre to make dedicated supply chain financing available. States will need to work with the Centre and with other states to identify mechanisms to extend and inject credit and ensure cross-border supply of labour and inputs before units and nodes shut down. Robust and responsive mechanisms for inter-state coordination are critical. Last week, for instance, Kerala sought urgent help from the Centre when Karnataka sealed off its border, cutting off essential supplies of food and medicine for the people of north Kerala. It is perhaps inevitable that the impulse to cut-off and isolate specific units (slums, districts and entire states) affected by an outbreak will override all other concerns. But leaving these zones to fend for themselves cannot be an option during their greatest distress. We urgently need an inter-state coordination mechanism. This can be done by reviving the now moribund inter-state council and using its secretariat to coordinate between states and the empowered action groups that have been set up by the Centre. Overcoming the extraordinary challenges ahead is going to need the government to put both faith in people and processes that support decentralisation and a greater commitment to collective action. This requires the Centre and the states to genuinely work together. It is often said that Indias future lies in getting federalism right. If there is one thing that the coronavirus pandemic has taught all of us, it is that the future is already here. Yamini Aiyar is president and chief executive, Centre for Policy Research. Mekhala Krishnamurthy is a senior fellow and director of the State Capacity Initiative, CPR, and associate professor, Ashoka University The views expressed are personal Xiaomi India has announced that it will be increasing the prices of its smartphones starting today, April 1, 2020. The announcement comes days after the recent increase in GST rates on mobile phones from 12 percent to 18 percent that was slated to come into effect today. This essentially means that all phones sold by the company will be more expensive. While the change in price hasnt reflected on the companys website, certain people on Twitter are noticing increased pricing of the Redmi Note 7 Pro as well as the companys sub-brand Poco selling its latest smartphone, the Poco X2, Rs 1000 more than the launch price. This might sound like an April Fools joke, but Xiaomi Global VP and India head, Manu Kumar Jain confirmed the price hike on Twitter. He mentioned that the companys policy of maintaining less than 5 percent profit margin has left no choice but to increase the prices of its smartphones. Notably, the depreciation of Indian Rupee against the US dollar is another reason why the company is increasing the prices of its smartphones. Mi fans, #GST on mobile phones has increased by 50% from 12% to 18%.After much deliberation & in keeping with #Xiaomi policy of maintaining <5% margin on our hardware products,we will be increasing prices of our products.New prices will be effective immediately. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/mdTqKdXm3r Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) March 31, 2020 A report suggests that a similar move will be followed by other brands including the likes of Realme, Vivo, Oppo and more. As for Xiaomi, expect phones like the newly launched Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi K20, and the Redmi Note 8 Pro to get revised prices. Xiaomi is also expected to launch the Mi 10 series in India after the original plan to launch the phone on March 31 was cancelled. I watched a Youtube video the other day describing Turkmenistans capital city of Ashgabat. Weird place. Huge monuments and white marble buildings all over town, but hardly any people to be seen. It looked like a mix between Pyongyang and Atlantic City, like an authoritarian Las Vegas. The city turned out this way because of two dictators who have run the show since the collapse of the Soviet Union back in 1991. The first dude was Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006 and was followed by a guy named Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, which is a mouthful. Hes decided to combat Coronavirus by going the Fight Club route, which means you cant talk about it. He simply banned the word entirely, according to France-based Reporters Without Borders: By banning use of the word coronavirus on the streets and never mentioning it in official documents and in the media, in a radical move to suppress all information about the pandemic, Turkmenistans government is putting its citizens in danger, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says. Its as if it had never existed. The state media are saying nothing about the effects of coronavirus in Turkmenistan and the word has even been removed from health information brochures distributed in schools, hospitals and workplaces, according to Turkmenistan Chronicles, one of the few sources of independent news, whose site is blocked within the country. Apparently theyre also arresting people who wear masks or even talk about the pandemic, which seems very on-brand. The particularly shitty thing for the non-dictators who make up 99% of the population is that Turkmenistan shares a border with Iran, which has been hit particularly hard by the virus. If would be one thing if Turkmenistan bordered Antarctica, but Ashgabat is 40 minutes north of Iran and a four-hour drive from Masshad, which is Irans second largest city. Interesting strategy here from Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, but its probably not going to be very effective. If you had plans to travel to Turkmenistan this summer, you should probably go ahead and cancel. EDIT: Reporters without borders issued the following correction A previous version of this article, posted on the RSF site on 31 March, unfortunately was based on an error. Contrary to what we initially reported, the term coronavirus was not as such censored in the Turkmen media. We apologize to our readers for this mistake, which was corrected as quickly as possible. Ive emailed Turkmenistan and will let you know what they say. -kinkead Procedures have begun to strip the officer of access to classified data and strip him of his rank. Ukraines Security Service (SBU) says it has breached an espionage communication channel between a high-ranking Ukrainian naval officer and staff from Russia's main spy agency, the FSB, in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Procedures have begun to strip the officer of access to classified data and strip him of his rank, the SBU said in a statement on March 31, according to RFE/RL. It did not give the officer's name, former rank, or current status. According to the statement, the officer maintained his loyalty to Kyiv while he was in service in Crimea when Russia took over the peninsula in 2014. It said the officer refused to assist Russian security forces in occupying a naval academy in the port city of Sevastopol. Read alsoUkraine security officials nab online troll spinning fake news on coronavirus However, upon being redeployed to mainland Ukraine after the Russian invasion, the officer continued to "maintain constant contacts with FSB operatives in acting service," the SBU said. Among them were "former SBU servicemen Andrey Gaponenko, Petro Zima, Dmitry Pylypchenko, who flipped to the enemy's side during the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014." After moving to mainland Ukraine, the officer visited his native Crimea and allegedly had personal meetings with the ex-SBU operatives, according to the statement. It said the navy officer had "access to classified information that is of a particularly important nature related to defense." The SBU published a video on social media allegedly showing the man making confessions. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt India to take donations from abroad in fight against COVID-19: Report India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Apr 01: The government has decided to accept overseas donations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special fund set up to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Prime Minister spoke to heads of missions he asked them to make efforts so that contributions are made to the PM-CARES fund. A decision has been taken to accept donations from abroad. In view of the interest expressed to contribute to the government's efforts, as well as keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, contributions to the trust can be done by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad, NDTV reported quoting sources. "In view of the interest expressed to contribute to Government's efforts, as well as keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, contributions to the Trust can be done by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad," said reports. The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The fund will be used for combating coronavirus and similar things in the future. The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defence, home and finance ministers. The fund will also enable micro-donations. The PM CARES fund is different from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), which was created in 1948 and has been used by the Union government ever since, even during the recent 2013 North India floods, the 2015 South India floods and the 2019 Kerala floods. The stockpile was designed to respond to a handful of cities. It was never built or designed to fight a 50-state pandemic, said a DHS official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the stockpile. This is not only a U.S. government problem. The supply chain for PPE worldwide has broken down, and there is a lot of price-gouging happening. Since her very public split with the Kardashian-Jenner early last year, Jordyn Woods has made her family front and center through social media. And on Tuesday the model took to Instagram to wish her mom Elizabeth Woods a happy birthday and shared some previously unknown stories. Along with throwback pictures, 22-year-old Jordyn revealed that she took her mom to a strip club for the first time and some other travel stories. First strip club: Jordyn Woods revealed she took her mom to a strip club for the first time and posted a photo of the memory while wishing her a happy birthday Happy birthday: The reality star shared some special memories shared with her mom Sharing a handful of photos with her momager, Jordyn wrote 'we do this thing called life really well together.' And revealed they shared experiences together 'from taking you to your first strip club to birds pooping on me in Dubai and accidentally flinging it on you.' 'I probably shouldve kept those stories to myself,' she added. 'To being 25 forever! I love you forever @elizabethwoods.' We got this: Sharing a handful of photos with her momager, Jordyn wrote 'we do this thing called life really well together' Two of the photos seem to be from those previously unknown experiences. The first shows Jordyn rocking curly hair covering her face, holding up a stack of banded one dollar bills. Elizabeth posed next to her in the photo with dollar bills tucked into her lowcut top. Uh oh: In an orange bikini top Jordyn holds out her arm while someone attends to her with a box of tissues, seeming to be after the bird pooping incident While another photo appeared to be from Jordyn's recent trip to Dubai with her mom and look alike little sister Jodie. In an orange bikini top Jordyn holds out her arm while someone attends to her with a box of tissues, seeming to be after the bird pooping incident. The model also shared a photo from her childhood, cuddled up to her mom, in a separate post saying 'its my mommys birthday.' Momma's girl: The model also shared a photo from her childhood, cuddled up to her mom, in a separate post saying 'its my mommys birthday' Jordyn was recently with her younger sister, Jodie, 14, mom, Elizabeth and their extended family. The brood has trouble securing a flight back home to the United States amid the coronavirus outbreak. And it seems from her social media Jordyn has been at her home since returning and is back to posting fitness content to Instagram, and did not post any photos with her mom from the actual day. Recent return: Jordyn was recently with her younger sister, Jodie, 14, mom, Elizabeth and their extended family and they had trouble securing a flight back to U.S. amid the coronavirus outbreak Hot topic: Jordyns name was heavily thrown into the spotlight this time last year after she was caught allegedly kissing Tristan Thompson at a party, to which she admitted but said the kiss was not consensual Jordyns name was heavily thrown into the spotlight this time last year after she was caught allegedly kissing Tristan Thompson at a party, to which she admitted but said the kiss was not consensual. The then boyfriend of Khloe Kardashian - and the father of her baby. Khloe is the half-sister of Kylie Jenner, whom Jordyn was best friends with. Since her public split with the family, Jordyn has gotten into acting, released a fitness app and collaborated on other projects. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 13:55 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206edb0cb 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-West-Java,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19-rapid-test,National-Police Free The National Police have confirmed that seven students currently enrolled in the Police Officer Candidate School (Setukpa) in Sukabumi have tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the recently announced cluster of cases in the West Java city. We can confirm that seven of the students at Setukpa have tested positive for COVID-19, said police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono in a press conference on Tuesday. They tested positive after undergoing rapid COVID-19 tests using blood samples alongside 42 other students in the school, he said. The newly identified patients have been admitted to the polices Said Sukanto Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, for isolation treatment. Those who tested negative for COVID-19 were asked to return to their respective regional units. We have instructed [the regional units] to isolate those who were not infected with the virus for 14 days, Argo said. But I havent received their latest health reports, so we will coordinate with our regional officers to closely observe them, he added. Read also: Jakarta's COVID-19 rapid tests show positive results for 282 people On Monday, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil announced that Sukabumi, a city located in the southwestern part of the province, had become the center of a new outbreak cluster following thousands of rapid COVID-19 tests conducted by the provincial administration in some 27 cities and regencies. The 22,000 rapid tests found 300 people with COVID-19. Sukabumi had the highest number of confirmed cases from the tests in the province, Ridwan said. He did not say the exact number of people found to have the virus in the city. The high number of COVID-19 cases in Sukabumi is very surprising, Ridwan said, We will perform swab tests on those who have tested positive to be sure that they have really contracted the virus, he added. According to data from the West Java administration, there were 180 confirmed coronavirus cases in the province with nine fatalities as of Tuesday. About 30 people have recovered from the disease. Authorities are currently monitoring 723 suspected COVID-19 cases in the province. Press Release 1 April 2020 We're living in unprecedented times of uncertainty - the COVID-19 situation has caught many of us off-guard and altered our daily lives and routines. One of the biggest changes we've had to adapt to is spending much more time at home; whether it is part of social distancing measures, work-from-home arrangements, full lockdowns and so on. Advertisements Instead of just relying on instant food, take-out and deliveries, make the best of the situation and hone your cooking skills and become the next #Masterchef at home. Five highly acclaimed Hilton chefs and restaurants from around the Asia Pacific region have recipes to get you started. With a wealth of experience under their belts, these master chefs have won accolades for their culinary feats. The full recipes can be found at the end of the story. 1. Power Salad and Detox Zinger - from Verde Kitchen, Hilton Singapore Start off with something simple and healthy. The chefs at Verde Kitchen, known for their nutritious, farm-to-table menus, recommend this power salad - made with a super-simple list of ingredients that is still chock-full of vitamins. This is an ideal combination to help boost immunity at this crucial time, and also debunks the myth that healthy meals have to be bland and boring. For the complete clean-eating experience, go bold with the "detox zinger," a green juice that's sure to pack a real punch. The shot of ginger not only adds some spice to the drink, but also can help strengthen immunity with its antioxidant properties. Hilton 2. Hawaiian Poke Bowl - from Colin Chun, Executive Chef, Hilton Sydney It's time to level-up with this traditional Hawaiian poke bowl, a no-frills classic that features fresh ingredients and is jam-packed with flavor. Having previously worked at some of the most popular restaurants in Sydney, Chef Colin's specialty lies in his innovative palate - in this recipe, he features gochujang (Korean chili paste), a unique twist that offers an added dimension of flavor and is bound to leave you wanting more. Hilton 3. Spaghetti Carbonara - from Mandar Madav, Executive Chef, Conrad Centennial Singapore There's a lot more to making a perfect spaghetti carbonara than meets the eye. Chef Mandar's detailed step-by-step breakdown and sprinkling of tips and tricks - such as not making the cream liaison too early - will help you truly understand and master the dish. It can be easy to lose motivation and feel down if you're cooped up at home all day, so why not set yourself a new goal and challenge yourself with perfecting this recipe? It'll be a great break from your routine, and you get a comforting bowl of pasta at the same time. Hilton 4. Sweet & Sour Pork with Fruits - from Masaki Yanagiya, Head Chef of DYNASTY, Hilton Tokyo For those who are more adventurous, challenge yourself with this unique Sweet & Sour Pork with Fruits dish. Combining sweet and savory, this dish offers an innovative amalgamation of flavors that brings a unique twist to the much-loved Chinese dish. After all, having helmed Hilton Tokyo's Dynasty Chinese Restaurant for more than 10 years, there's no doubt that Chef Masaki has absolutely mastered the art of Chinese cuisine - he even received the Tokyo Governor Recognition Outstanding Chef Award in 2013. Hilton 5. Sydney Cheesecake - from Miko Aspiras, Executive Pastry Chef, Hilton Sydney Of course, there's always room for a sweet ending! Take it from experts like Chef Miko, who previously secured a spot in Asia's Forbes 30 Under 30 - a good cheesecake is hard to perfect, and requires a lot of heart, effort and precision. But rest assured, the effort is well worth it. With Chef Miko's Sydney Cheesecake recipe, expect a simple yet sophisticated take on this indulgent dessert. It's every sweet tooth's fantasy. Flash "The Swedish government has been cautious while implementing every policy mapped out to fight against the global pandemic of COVID-19," said Yang Li, a Chinese working as the Regional Manager of China at Jonkoping University in Sweden. The measures that are being carried out consist of a minimum 30-day embargo on inbound trips from countries and regions outside the European Union, home isolation, and the shift to online education. Furthermore, the Swedish government has also pledged to finance those whose incomes have been affected by home isolation. "Data and policies in Sweden are very transparent. However, the government is cautious about making any decisions that may restrict the mobility of its people and impose a negative impact on the economy, while managing to prevent and control the epidemic," Yang said. "Therefore," she continued, "the government modifies policies in response to the situation, and no decisions are made once and for all." According to Yang, to prevent the public from overwhelming the country's finite health system, the policies are designed to give priority to those who need clinical treatments the most. "Different from Chinese people, citizens in Sweden rarely visit hospitals so long as the disease is not severe," the manager explained. In this sparsely populated nation, the government's primary policy is to dissuade people from gathering in large groups to reduce the chances of transmissions. "Despite pandemic percussions, life seems normal. For instance, there has been no shortage of daily supplies, though the shelves of toilet rolls and staple foods in local supermarkets empty occasionally," said Yang. Yet, the real problem is the protective medical necessities. However, some indigenous producers have already reinstalled assembly lines to embark on making face masks. While undergoing the pandemic in a foreign country, Yang said that she will continue to work and stay in Sweden. "Based on my knowledge, few Chinese in Sweden chose to return to China, because on the one hand, we still need to serve the overseas Chinese students who remain in the country, and on the other hand, home isolation isn't hard in Sweden. Therefore, we opt to stay where we are," Yang said. A man died on his 56th birthday with 90 per cent burns after being caught up in a gas explosion that destroyed a family home in West Yorkshire. Munir Hussain had gone to the home of relatives stranded in Pakistan because of coronavirus travel restrictions after neighbours smelled gas. A huge explosion ripped through the house, in Ravensthorpe, near Dewsbury, destroying the front wall to expose bedrooms and ground floor rooms and sending masonry flying. Mr Hussain died of 90 per cent burns after the suspected gas explosion at the property A huge 'gas' explosion in Ravensthorpe near Dewsbury left the interior of the house, above, completely gutted and exposed at the front and debris strewn across the lawn Police and firefighters were called to the home in Ravensthorpe, near Dewsbury, as a blast tore through the home, killing a 56-year-old relative of the home owners Firefighters seen attending the scene, following the massive blaze. Munir Hussain had gone to check on his relatives' property after neighbours smelled gas Police and firefighters attend the scene. Mr Hussain was checking on the property for relatives stranded in Pakistan because of coronavirus travel restrictions Terrifying footage captured a blaze raging through the roof from the suspected explosion Mr Hussain was taken to the Special Burns Unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield following the explosion with 90 per cent burns but died at 1.30am on Wednesday morning. It was his 56th birthday. His nephew Waj Ali announced: 'Uncle Munir, of Crescent, Ravensthorpe, has sadly passed away.' Another male was injured by flying masonry as the explosion ripped away the front wall of the brick terraced house. Flames and smoke billowed from the house. Eyewitnesses said the explosion made a 'booming sound' and 'shook the whole street'. One resident, who lives on a nearby street, told Yorkshire Live: 'My dad came running downstairs and we ran out of the house because we thought it was unsafe. 'It was a huge booming sound and the whole street was shaking.' Another said: 'It shook the whole street, I haven't felt anything like it.' The area was cordoned off while police and firefighters clear the debris from the house Munir Hussain, 56, died in a gas explosion while checking on a relatives' house in Dewsbury A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We were called at 11.37 to reports of an explosion at a property on Crescent Walk. 'We have crews at the scene from Cleckheaton, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Rastrick, Ossett and Morley plus the aerial appliance from Wakefield.' West Yorkshire Police said: 'Another male who suffered a head injury after being struck by debris was treated at the scene He was later taken to hospital for further treatment to the injury which is not life threatening.' In California and Louisiana, two of the states hardest hit by the coronavirus, the difference of a handful of days is starting to show just how important social distancing has been to limiting the spread of the pandemic. On March 23, Louisiana surpassed California in total dead from the coronavirus even though California has more than eight times as many residents. That gap continues to widen. The two states have instituted increasingly restrictive measures and are among the 23 states with stay-at-home orders. Both states are led by Democratic governors who have earned praise from President Donald Trump for their response to the crisis. The disease is still spreading in both states, and the number of new cases and deaths reported each day is still climbing. But California is closer to "flattening the curve" meaning slowing the pace, so that the number of new cases and deaths each day stops accelerating, then is no higher than the day before (or "flat"), and then, ultimately, lower day by day. In the past week, California has seen its rate of daily increase in total deaths slow down, while the increase in daily deaths in Louisiana has accelerated. Experts say the difference in death tolls indicates just how crucial it has been for states to enact strict orders to limit personal contact. Health care professionals and epidemiologists have stressed that it is crucial to slow the spread so that the sick do not overwhelm the capacity of local health care resources. "California has been serious about this, social distancing and shutting down the entire state for commercial activity," said Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist and epidemiologist based in New Orleans and an NBC News contributor. "You haven't had that in Louisiana." Image: Homeless people are provided with a meal as New Orleans battles coronavirus (Kathleen Flynn / Reuters) The pandemic is expected to peak about 18 days later in California than in Louisiana, a sign that the curve is flatter in the former, according to projections from University of Washington researchers. Louisiana is expected to peak April 10, but California not until April 28, according to their estimates. Story continues As the pandemic struck, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked on March 15 for the state's restaurants and bars to shutter. Many obeyed the request. Disneyland was already closed. Schools were boarded up. The state had restricted large gatherings of more than 250 people. But at a time when the virus's extent is uncertain because of the nation's testing shortage, there was one inescapable fact: Six people had already died in California. The next day, March 16, six of the nine counties that form San Francisco's Bay Area issued the nation's first aggressive shelter-in-place order. Then, on March 19, Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order closing nonessential businesses and banning public gatherings, considered among the most strict in the nation. The state's death toll had tripled to 18. While the number of dead has continued to climb, the rate of daily increase has slowed. California reported 150 additional deaths on Tuesday, a 13 percent increase in total daily deaths from Monday. Louisiana reported 239, an increase of 23 percent in the same time period. "California, because they jumped on a little bit earlier, maybe they did a better job," said Drew Harris, a public health assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health in Philadelphia. "There is essentially some evidence of flattening the curve." That does not mean the state is by any means seeing the disease abating, but it is a positive sign. In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered casinos, movie theaters and bars to close on March 16, and prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people. At that point, two people had died in the state. As in California, Louisiana's schools had already been closed and a ban on gatherings of more than 250 people were already in place. But during the St. Patrick's Day celebration weekend, throngs had packed New Orleans' Bourbon Street, and police were brought in to disperse revelers. The city had already celebrated its traditional raucous Mardi Gras festival in late February. While California was instituting stay-at-home orders, Louisiana would not follow until the late afternoon of March 23. On that same day, Louisiana for the first time eclipsed California in total deaths, with 34 dead versus 27. A popular evangelical pastor, who had already defied Edwards' restrictions on large gatherings with a Sunday service busing in more than 1,000 parishioners, responded the next day to the new stay-at-home order by bringing together hundreds for a Tuesday service. Since Edwards issued stay-at-home restrictions, the total number of deaths has more than tripled to 119 deaths as of March 27. "Whatever happened, what you're seeing in deaths is really a snapshot of a transmission that occurred weeks earlier," Harris said. "When you look at a chart like this, you're just seeing a little snapshot. You don't know what the curve will ultimately become." Elsewhere in the world, South Korea seems to have successfully flattened the curve of COVID-19 for now. The number of new cases per day has already peaked, and the rate of deaths and new cases is now constant, or flat. What remains to be seen is how well different states fare in the U.S. as they implement different rules at different times. For Louisiana, Harris said: "It could be the curve [will reach] its peak, and then the next couple of days it drops off. That's one possibility. Or it could continue to go up for Louisiana, which is very scary." Centralized Communications Trend Communicating Digitally Washington state, an early casualty in the war on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), exposed the challenges government faces when it comes to communicating during a crisis. In Snohomish County, health officials knew the public would need information and answers to questions, so they turned to a nonprofit they had used once before to provide a 24-hour emergency hotline service. But public interest surged after the states first death from the coronavirus, overwhelming the four call center workers. Even with additional staff, call wait times exceeded 30 minutes.Washington is far from alone among governments that have struggled in one way or another with communications. In Massachusetts, the states 211 hotline was strained from the high call volume as the pandemic took hold there. Other states and localities have also seen their hotlines sputter from spikes in calls for information.Clearly, people are anxious and want answers to their many questions. With the country now leading the world in confirmed cases, Americas need for credible, correct and rapid access to information has never been more critical, say experts. Its up to public officials, from governors and mayors to public health directors and public safety executives, to make that happen.But that hasnt been the case overall, especially when it comes to unified messaging between the federal and state governments, according to Michael Fraser, chief executive officer for ASTHO (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials). Part of the dynamic in any crisis will be what is a credible source of information, and who is saying what and is everybody on the same message, he says.Early in the outbreak the lack of consistency in communications between the different levels of government became apparent as the Trump administration minimized the risk of the coronavirus while states as well as other countries around the world expressed much greater concern about the pandemic. A second problem was the White House message that testing for the coronavirus was available to anyone who wanted it, when in fact the test kits were in limited supply.Inconsistency in communications creates uncertainty, says Fraser, and when theres uncertainty, communicating risk becomes difficult for states.Another communications challenge is the over-abundance of information people are receiving, whether its from official sources, the media or from social media. Add the fact that rumors continue to swirl only muddies the waters. Government has to try and break through that noise, says Chris Hsiung, deputy police chief for Mountain View, Calif.The Silicon Valley city had been enjoying the fruits of its economic success, but all that came to a halt with the arrival of the coronavirus. Exacerbating the problem was that City Manager Kimbra McCarthy had just started her position on March 2, leaving little time for the traditional honeymoon period of getting settled or to set her agenda. Instead, one of her first moves was to create a crisis communications team , which consists of her office, human resources, fire and the police, with Hsiung as team leader.Joint information centers or teams are part of the new trend in crisis communications, according to ASTHOs Fraser. Rather than have separate public information officers reaching out to the public as representatives of their individual agencies, they work from one centralized place and create a consistent message. Forming a joint center is unusual, but it indicates a large-scale emergency is happening that requires all those folks pulling in the same direction, he says.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when it comes to communications during a health crisis, government needs to be credible, correct and timely. Mountain Views approach called for quickly assessing what the public was talking about and figuring out how to communicate with them in a way that would be effective. The takeaway is not to put more information out to the public; its about providing context that is relevant to them, says Hsiung.Another trend that has impacted how governments communicate during a crisis is the shift away from having a press release mindset when it comes to communicating. With fewer people getting their news from newspapers and instead getting a steady stream of news and information from their smartphones, government has to be more adaptive when it comes to releasing information, according to Hsiung.Mountain View distributes a regular briefing via email that has been optimized for mobile devices. The information in it and sent out via social media is written in a way that conveys emotional intelligence, according to Hsiung. You dont want to sound flat or boring, nor do you want to fight emotion with logic, he says. Its important that government projects itself as human, not just as a collection of civil servants.While hotlines have struggled to cope with the surge in calls for answers to questions about COVID-19, they have served a key purpose: diverting some of the stress from the nations overloaded 911 emergency call system. Many public health systems have partnered with nonprofits, such as the United Way, to help with manning and running call centers.Advances in technology have also helped spread the use of mass communications, whether its sending out recorded messages to phones or using text messaging apps to get out critical information. Governments can subscribe to these critical event management software platforms and, depending on the complexity of their needs, quickly send out information in a timely manner, as well as allow the public to send in questions and queries for help.Everbridge, an event management provider, has a cloud-based service, which means it doesnt require any hardware to operate. We can get a city or town set up and running in a very short period of time, says Brian Toolan, director of government strategy at Everbridge.Because its digital and easy to use, there can be a tendency to overuse the messaging capabilities of these platforms. Toolan cautions governments to watch out for sending too many messages, leading to the public to tune them out.Its about how do you get the right message out, at the right time and to the right audience, he says. The message should be short, quick and actionable, explaining what you are trying to get them to do (stay at home, practice social distancing and so on). Then you send out a follow-up, later on. You dont want to use this kind of messaging system like Twitter.Technology for mass communications during a crisis got its start as weather disasters became more frequent and deadly, creating the need for more responsive, flexible solutions to mass messaging during an emergency. OnSolve, another critical event software tool provider, is based in Florida where it began serving counties and now the entire state during the hurricane season. Today, its CodeRED app and platform operates in 10,000 communities across the country, according to Troy Harper, general manager for state and local government at OnSolve.As a large purveyor of mass communication software, OnSolve has found there are regional differences in how states and localities use its service, which is also in the cloud for quick setups, says Harper. California doesnt use this sort of mass alerting technology, whereas in the east, especially in Massachusetts, its very popular, he adds.Governments have also found the alerting systems are effective internally, providing workers with useful information as they adjust to working remotely during the pandemic. But like every other communications strategy, Harper emphasizes the need to strike a balance when it comes to messaging. It needs to be concise, precise and on time, he says, adding once a government starts to use it, they realize its not just a fire extinguisher. Its value goes beyond that. Eight years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories. It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives. Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts, over time, the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters. To help remedy this, each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented. NHS Resolution Chair The last few years have seen major changes to NHS Resolutions role and standing in the system as a result of both its revised strategy and the new clinical negligence scheme for GPs. It has been a pleasure and privilege to Chair the organisation through this period of significant change. Although the course is set for the next few years some of these changes are still at an early stage and need to be embedded, there is now a need to progress the development of our infrastructure to support the enhanced role and the NHS will continue to evolve. I am sure therefore that the next Chair will also find the role both challenging and rewarding. Time: 2-3 days per week. Remuneration: 63,000 per annum. Closes: 06 April Office of Tax Simplification Board Member The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) provides the government with independent advice on simplifying the tax system, to make things easier for taxpayers. The OTS Board is led by an independent Chair (Kathryn Cearns OBE) and Tax Director (Bill Dodwell) and has representatives from HM Treasury and HMRC and up to four independent members, supported by a diverse staff team drawn from the civil service and the private sector, led by the OTS Head of Office David Halsey. The four independent members of the OTS Board are currently Dame Teresa Graham, John Cullinane, Kathleen Russ and until his recent resignation Paul Johnson. To support its work and further development, the OTS would like to identify an exceptional individual with relevant experience to join its Board as one of its independent members. Time: Approx. 10 days per annum. Remuneration: Reasonable expenses. Closes: 06 April Health Education England Non-Executive Director Science, technology and demography are changing the way health care services are provided and this has implications for the education and training of the future workforce. The World Health Organisation (WHO) are predicting worldwide shortages of doctors and nurses. These developments provide the context for the work of HEE over the next few years. How do we use finite resources most effectively to ensure that we have the right people in the right place with the right skills and knowledge to respond to these developments? This is an exciting and fundamentally important task and our purpose is to improve the quality and safety of healthcare through the development, education and training of the current and future workforce. Time: 2-3 days per month. Remuneration: 7,883 per annum. Closes: 07 April HM Treasury Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner The Office of the Complaints Commissioner is headed by the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner (the Commissioner) who is a statutory appointment required under the Financial Services Act 2012. This is a senior position and, whilst the appointment is made by the regulators, it is an independent role, subject to approval by HM Treasury. The current Commissioner carries out his duties through a company limited by guarantee (Office of the Complaints Commissioner) from premises based in the City of London. He is assisted by three staff. The Commissioners role is to review independently complaints about the actions or inactions of the UKs current financial services regulators, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Bank of England (but only in respect of its oversight of the banking clearing houses and payment schemes). Time: Est. three days per week. Remuneration: Remuneration is on a level with judicial salaries, pro-rated as appropriate. Closes: 13 April HM Treasury External Member to the Prudential Regulation Committee The Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC) governs the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) which is responsible for the prudential regulation of banks, building societies, other deposit takers, insurance companies and certain investment firms. Chaired by the Governor, and accountable to Parliament, the PRC takes the most significant and high impact supervisory decisions. It is responsible for overseeing and holding to account the PRAs strategy and policy making functions, and for setting the levy on regulated firms. It also adopts the budget of the PRA.The Government is seeking to appoint up to three external members to fill vacancies which arise from retirements in 2020/21. These are high profile and influential roles. Appointees will be independent and will not represent or lobby for individual groups, interests or sectors. Time: The PRC meets 15 to 20 times a year. The nature of the role will require flexibility. Remuneration: 108,300 per annum. Closes: 15 April Harwich Haven Authority Non-Executive Chair Having celebrated our 156 year anniversary last year, we are looking forward to the challenge of strengthening our role in safeguarding the best natural haven on the east coast of England. We cover an area across the River Stour, the lower part of the River Orwell, Harwich Harbour and an area seaward extending 12 nautical miles from the harbour entrance. We provide services for shipping using the commercial ports of Felixstowe, Ipswich, Harwich International, Harwich Navyard and Mistley and also pilot boarding and landing services for the rivers Thames, Medway, Blackwater, Colne and Crouch. Our vision is to be an exemplary Trust Port offering world class services, working with all stakeholders for a flourishing Haven. Time: 20 days per annum. Remuneration: 37,000 per annum. Closes: 17 April Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive This is an opportunity to take on an intellectually demanding role at the heart of international financial services, leading a sizeable and complex organisation. There is a requirement for strong leadership in a challenging environment to undertake a critically important role. Under Andrew Bailey, the FCA has formulated a transformation programme, to equip the organisation for the next phase of its development: a data strategy and enhanced analytical skills to rapidly identify harm across an exceptionally broad range of firms of all sizes exploiting fast-moving changes in technology and distribution to target consumers; enhance employee capabilities and processes to act swiftly on the harms identified; [and] and with a regulatory framework which is appropriate following the completion of EU withdrawal, and which takes advantage of the opportunities for better and more efficient regulation brought by technology and behavioural science. Time: Full-time. Remuneration: Competitive. Closes: 24 April Elderly woman in MP donates pension for COVID-19 fund India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bhopal, Apr 01: In a heartwarming gesture, a senior citizen from Madhya Pradesh's Vidhisha city donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to fund the state government's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. After reading an appeal in a newspaper, Salbha Uskar, a retired employee, donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, an official said. "After seeing the current situation, I decided to extend my help. I urge people to honour the lockdown and follow the government's orders," the 82-year-old said in a video shared by the public relations department. Coronavirus: KIOCL contributes Rs 10 crore towards PM CARES Fund Sharing her video on Twitter, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "Maa Tujhe Salam. Salbha Uskar, an 82- year-old woman from Vidisha, donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. This invaluable blessing of a mother has boosted my confidence in the fight against #COVID19." Meanwhile, Chouhan on Tuesday spoke to representatives of social organisations, health and police officials in Indore and thanked them for their efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official from the public relations department said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 13:44 [IST] Washington, April 2 : The skeletons are apparently tumbling out of the closet. A media report on Wednesday claimed that the Chinese government has deliberately underreported the total number of new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and deaths in the country. Citing US intelligence officials, Bloomberg said that "China's public reporting of COVID-19 infections and deaths is purposefully incomplete". The US intelligence community has submitted a classified report on this to the White House. "Two of the officials said the report concludes that China's numbers are fake," the Bloomberg report added. According to the data from Johns Hopkins University, China has reported 82,361 coronavirus cases and 3,305 deaths while the cases in the US has almost touched 2 lakh, with over 4,000 deaths. The White House or any Chinese official were yet to comment on the report. There have been murmurs in the world intelligence community of China not disclosing real coronavirus figures, which Beijing has always denied. Earlier, a Chinese blogger based in New York, Jennifer Zeng, posted the official monthly data released on March 19, showing the number of cellphone users decreased from 1.600957 billion to 1.579927 billion in February 2020. Similarly, the number of landline users reduced from 190.83 million to 189.99 million, a drop of 840,000 last month. Compared with the data, which was released on December 18, 2019, for November 2019 data, both cellphone and landline users dropped dramatically. Last year too, for the same month, the number of cell phones had increased by 24.37 million and the number of landline users had gone up by 6.641 million. Zeng insinuated the drop could be due to the closing of accounts due to coronavirus-related deaths. A US-based independent news media run by American Chinese, The Epoch Times, in a detailed report described how cellphones are an indispensable part of life in China due very high level of digitization in every sphere of life controlled by the government. Activities in Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus seem to contradict the reported death toll in China. The seven funeral homes in the city of Wuhan were reported to be burning bodies 24 hours a day, seven days a week in late January. Hubei Province has used 40 mobile crematoria, each capable of burning five tons of medical waste and bodies a day since February 16. "The Chinese Communist Party''s cover-up and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic," the Epoch Times wrote. An antimalarial drug touted by some as the best current treatment for COVID-19 will soon be available in Australia, the government has announced. Health Minister Greg Hunt said he is 'confident' a 'significant supply' of hydroxychloroquine will soon be ready for doctors to use. Speaking on A Current Affair on Wednesday night, he said: 'I have just come off a call with a supplier and I am confident we will have a significant supply of hydroxychloroquine if doctors wish to use them with patients who are in hospital.' He said scientists were 'cautiously hopeful' that the antimalarial drug, which is also used to treat lupus, can have an impact on coronavirus treatment. People wait outside the Tanunda War Memorial Hospital (pictured), a dedicated COVID-19 testing clinic in the Barossa Valley, northeast of Adelaide, on Tuesday It will soon be available for doctors to use on patients in hospital if they believe it will help. There is no current vaccine for COVID-19, and any breakthrough is likely to be about a year away, experts have warned. Hydroxychloroquine has been used for decades to prevent and treat malaria. While studies are in very early stages, some tests showed the drug was capable of keeping the COVID-19 molecules from entering cells. American president Donald Trump recently announced US doctors would be trialling the drug, saying 'I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try'. In a later tweet, he claimed that using the drug in combination with an antibiotic called azithromycin could be 'one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine'. As of Wednesday night, Australia has 4.862 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which has caused 21 deaths across the country so far But some experts warned it may not be the heralded cure that some might hope. The drug's popularity began after a study in France, where 40 COVID-19 patients who took the drug had clearer airways within three to six days. But critics have said the study was too small to deem the drug an effective treatment, and even France's own health ministry has warned against its use. France's health minister Olivier Veran said it should only be used for 'serious forms of hospitalization and on the collegial decision of doctors and under strict medical supervision'. A portable oxygen respirator in a coronavirus isolation room at Cabrini private hospital in Melbourne (pictured) with healthcare workers preparing for more cases' Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) said Australia had ordered a significant supply of a malaria drug which could help to treat COVID-19 'They are cautiously hopeful that it can have an impact, it's not a perfect cure, it's not a perfect prevention', Mr Hunt confirmed on Wednesday day. 'WAR-TIME EFFORT' NEEDED FOR FACE MASK PRODUCTION Australian sewers are rallying in a wartime effort to help give frontline medical staff enough face masks amid the coronavirus. NSW aged-care service provider Maroba has asked the government for advice on a pattern and fabric for masks that can be run up for their staff. 'When this hit us early, we ordered another month's supply up front. Now we can't get any more supplies,' Maroba chief executive officer Viv Allanson told AAP on Tuesday. 'We've got a whole group of women out there that have sewing machines that are ready to get working for us. 'This is like wartime, where the women of Australia rallied and did their bit.' Advertisement 'It's not fully proven, but there have been some promising trials around the world. 'So this will allow us the capacity to expand those trials in Australia.' He also heralded 'positive signs' that the curve of infection rates was slowly flattening in Australia. Rates of infection have dropped in recent days, with just a 9.4 per cent increase in cases on Sunday, compared to 26.2 per cent on March 22, in the first signs the coronavirus curve may be flattening. 'As with flu, we work to have the vaccine. But also to flatten the curve and reduce the spread,' he said. 'And we've seen early positive signs of that, cautiously positive, again. 'Two weeks ago we were at 25-30 per cent a day growth rate during the height of the growth. 'That, thanks to the great work of Australians in isolating, in quarantining, in practicing social distancing has meant we've dropped to the low teens. 'In the last few days, we've dropped below the 10 per cent mark. 'I won't count that until it stabilises, but these are promising signs that all of this agonisingly, difficult work that Australians are having to do is starting pay dividends.' Damascus: Syrian air defences have opened fire on missiles launched from Israeli warplanes on the central province of Homs, shooting down some of them, state media said on Wednesday. State TV said the warplanes fired the missiles while flying in Lebanese airspace on Tuesday evening, local time. The outlet said the warplanes targeted a Syrian army position without saying where exactly. It added that some missiles were shot down. Israeli missiles fly in near the international airport in Damascus in Syria last year. Syria has again intercepted missiles it says were fired by Israel. Credit:SANA/AP The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Israeli warplanes fired eight missiles at the Shayrat air base in Homs province. It gave no further details. Residents of the Lebanese capital Beirut heard the sound of warplanes in the air shortly before the air strikes were reported. Its Top 25 time again, our favorite time of the year. If youre new to the GovTech community, this is this magazines signature issue each year, in which we honor a group of people notable for their commitment to serving in the public interest using technology. Its a heavily vetted process, wherewriters and editors research, pitch and passionately lobby for their respective nominees. Were really proud of the results. There are city, county and state CIOs, other government officials, a CEO, and others working alongside government who are critical partners in helping them achieve their mission.Heres a preview:North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is featured prominently in this issue due to his Doers, Dreamers and Drivers profile and his mention in our analysis of 2020 State of the State speeches , beginning on p. 38. The reigning tech governor among the current crop, Burgum had his presentation clicker for his annual address delivered by drone, in a nod to his support for the emerging technology and his commitment to the development of the industry in North Dakota. In fact, he gave the speech in Grand Forks, a few hours east of the capital and the location of one of the countrys seven FAA-sanctioned test sites. Read more about Burgums plans to transform how government functions here A couple of cybersecurity chiefs made our list this year. The rise of ransomware and the growing awareness of election-related threats are among the factors contributing to their jobs getting more and more difficult. Texas Chief Information Security Officer Nancy Rainosek is among the leaders who have taken seriously the role of the state in helping localities prepare for, and respond to, cyberattacks. This commitment was tested last August when a coordinated attack hit 23 distinct cities and towns, and Rainosek has been praised for how she marshalled the resources of the state in response.North Carolina Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson is putting similar emphasis on collaboration when it comes to cybersecurity, advocating a whole of state approach that draws on her two decades of U.S. Marine Corps experience. Part of her strategy is using artificial intelligence-powered tools to help automate intrusion detection and increase visibility into the entire threat landscape. You cant protect what you cant see, she said, Theres always room for improvement, but were always getting better.Longtime Asheville, N.C., CIO Jonathan Feldman is representative of a modern IT leader who has an expansive view of his job one he planned to hold for just a few years. There are two kinds of CIOs, Feldman said, the kind that faces into the data center and the kind that faces out of the data center. You want to be the kind looking out. That was advice I got when I first got to be a director. Feldmans made impressive progress implementing modern governance processes and flexible cloud technologies, while recruiting a strong mission-driven team also focused on serving Asheville citizens.Thats just a small sample of the visionary leaders who make upTop 25 for 2020. Our hope is always that reading about their achievements and plans inspires similar work in other places. Thats the beauty of government, where great minds can collaborate and good ideas can multiply. Congratulations to this years Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers WEST CHESTER Chester County health officials added 14 new cases of coronavirus infection to the daily count on Tuesday for a total of 160 presumed positive cases, as the commissioners said they would extend once more the reduction in staff and services put in place to help slow the spread of the virus in county workplaces. There were no additional deaths announced by the county Department of Health after the first COVID-19 related death was confirmed on Monday. Across the county, the spread continues to have the most number of cases in the east, with Tredyffrin seeing the most confirmed cases with 16. Those rural municipalities in the western and southern areas of the county, which tend to have less dense populations, show the least number of infections some with none at all. Of the countys 73 municipalities, there are 46 that have a confirmed recorded case of coronavirus, the deadly disease the nation has been grappling with in pandemic fashion since January. Of those new cases announced on the countys website, the infected appear to run the gamut of age and location. They include a 35-year-old man from Caln, a 93-year-old man from East Brandywine, a 25-year-old woman from Tredyffrin, a 61-year-old man from London Grove, and a 33-year-old woman from East Whiteland. Regionally, Philadelphia has the most confirmed cases with 1,197, according to the state Department of Health. Montgomery County showed 570 cases, Delaware County had 332, and Bucks County showed 286. There have been 63 COVID-19 related deaths across the state since the disease began being tracked. In line with Gov. Tom Wolfs extension of the Stay at Home order on Monday until April 30, the county will continue with its mission essential staff reduction until the end of the month. The continuation of essential services-only helps to protect not only the health and safety of both the countys 2,400 full and part-time employees, but also individuals and families throughout the county, the commissioners said in a press release. The county moved to reduce the number of employees who would work from one of the countys three government buildings on March 14, the day after the commissioners announced the first positive test of a coronavirus patient in the county, in advance of other counties in the region, taking the lead in measures to keep employees from contact with one another and the public while still providing essential services like the courts, health department, and emergency services. According to the release, county Health Department and Emergency Services staff continue to work every day alongside the state Department of Health, and other partners, to provide education, mitigation, communication and investigation services related to COVID-19 for both Chester County and Delaware County residents. The county last month won approval of a plan to provide its neighbor to the east with Health Department services to address the coronavirus, since Delaware County has no such department of its own. In the weeks since moving to essential operations, the commissioners, the countys administrative staff and department heads have established special programs, services and public information to support individuals, families and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The commissioners will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and adjust the status of essential services-only as necessary, according to the release. Meanwhile, the state Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it received waiver approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow schools in the state to provide free meals to all children during COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Prior to receiving this waiver, schools that did not meet area-based free or reduced-price meal eligibility requirements were unable to offer free meals community-wide. This waiver eases those requirements and helps ensure all children have access to food. Schools and community organizations can now use recent and local economic data, including unemployment claims and business closures, to request approval from PDE to qualify as an open meal site, said Vonda Ramp, state director for Child Nutrition Programs in the Education Department. Once approved, they can provide meals to all children in their community, age 18 and under, for free. There are already approximately 1,600 food distribution sites across the state, which is expected to increase as a result of this waiver. One is operated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, while two others are located in the Avon Grove and Downingtown Area school districts, according to the state Department of Education. To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544. UB oral biologists recognized for research and mentorship from AADR and AAID Rosemary Dziak, professor of oral biology in the School of Dental Medicine. Frank A. Scannapieco, professor and chair of oral biology and associate dean for faculty and professional development in the UB School of Dental Medicine. BUFFALO, N.Y. Two faculty members in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine were honored for their outstanding efforts in the areas of research, training and mentorship. Frank A. Scannapieco, DMD, PhD, professor and chair of oral biology and associate dean for faculty and professional development, was awarded the 2020 Irwin D. Mandel Distinguished Mentoring Award from the American Association for Dental Research (AADR). The award provides national recognition for efforts to foster research training and career development of students, trainees and junior faculty. Rosemary Dziak, PhD, professor of oral biology, received the 2019 Isiah Lew Memorial Research Award from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) Foundation. She was honored for her significant contributions to the field of implant dentistry. About Frank A. Scannapieco An internationally recognized scholar in the field of oral biology, Scannapiecos research focuses on the mechanisms of dental plaque formation and their implications on health and disease, the interactions between saliva and bacteria, and the relationships between oral and systematic disease. Over his career, he has mentored numerous junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate, dental and college students. Scannapieco, who has served on the UB faculty since 1991, has received more than $13 million in grant funding, edited several books and journal supplements, and published more than 160 research articles and book chapters. A fellow of the AADR, Scannapieco has received numerous awards, including the State University of New York Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Biology from the International Association for Dental Research, and the William J. Gies Award for Achievement from the American Dental Education Association. Scannapieco received a bachelors degree in biology and doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Connecticut, a masters degree in biology from Northeastern University, and a doctorate in oral biology from UB. He resides in Clarence. About Rosemary Dziak A faculty member in the Department of Oral Biology, Dziaks research centers on the physiology of bone cells. She has conducted studies on the development of bone cells, tissue engineering and the design of new materials for bone regeneration. She is also a partner in UB startup ProOsseous, a company focused on the commercialization of a novel nano-sized bone graft. Dziak has received more than $3 million in grant funding and has published more than 100 journal articles, books and book chapters. She also holds two patents in the areas of tissue engineering of bone graft materials and the development of calcium sulfate nanoparticles that support the replacement of lost bone. Dziak earned a doctorate and masters degree in radiation biology from the University of Rochester, and a bachelors degree in biology from Misericordia University. She resides in Amherst. Spring ISD will remain closed until further notice following Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order enforcing federal social distancing guidelines and closing schools. The district began implementing at-home learning after closing all schools March 16. That system is still being expanded, as the district announced they would be distributing Chromebooks to all seniors who need one on April 6. The expectation is seniors will continue to work remotely in order to complete their credits required for graduation. Virtual education: Spring ISD beginning at-home learning during coronavirus pandemic This is moving forward as part of Spring ISDs Empowered Learning At-Home 2.0 plans, which will start teacher-supported, remote learning plans specific to each grade level from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All grade levels other than 12th grade will start their specific plans a week later, with Chromebooks distributed to all students who need one, the district stated. Families of elementary students without computer or internet at home will also have non-digital options and supports. Current learning plans will continue to be posted online for students at springisd.org/athome and springisd.org/encasa, with next weeks plans being posted Sunday. Printouts of these plans will also be available at meal distribution sites Monday and Tuesday. Chromebooks leant to students will need to be returned either at the end of the closure period or the end of the school year, the district detailed. Each Chromebook has been disinfected and workers handling the devices are required to wear gloves. A Class of 2020 Committee is also being formed, the district announced, made up of seniors, staff and parents to discuss how senior high school traditions, like prom and graduation, may be continued, possibly adapted or postponed. Spring ISD Spokesperson Karen Garrison said the committee has met twice so far via telecommunication, but no decisions have been made so far as of prom or graduation. She said updates would be provided as they are made. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz have been negotiating the establishment of an emergency government for almost a week now. Talks seem to have reached a serious impasse, threatening the whole project. At the crux of the gridlock is a diplomatic disaccord. The Likud insists on implementing Israeli sovereignty over West Bank lands, as a direct continuation of US President Donald Trumps peace plan and without any complications from Blue and White. Blue and White refuses, having rejected a compromise proposal by which when the time comes and when such an initiative is put before the Knesset, each party will vote independently. Gantz demands veto rights on all diplomatic decisions. Senior Blue and White sources indicated this morning that they will enter a unity government only if the party can preserve its principle stances. Some party members threatened that if negotiations do not advance rapidly, they will once again seek legislation against an indicted Knesset member serving as prime minister. These developments come after rather productive unity talks last weekend and the general impression that the emergency government was already a done deal, with only few points of disagreement to overcome. The official dismantlement of Blue and White into three Knesset factions and the coronavirus crisis have apparently boosted Netanyahus negotiating position, enabling him to set harsher conditions. Gantz is pressured by the left to thwart any annexation moves. Former Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On attacked Gantz, claiming that all those center-left voters who supported Blue and White in the March 2 polls would never have sanctioned annexation of West Bank settlements. On the right, senior settler leader and head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan called upon Netanyahu not to give in to Blue and White, insisting that implementing Israeli sovereignty should have priority over the establishment of an emergency government. He argued that many settlers voted for Netanyahu on the basis of that promise. Over the past few days, sensing that Netanyahu is willing to give up senior cabinet positions including the justice portfolio, right-wing leaders have stepped up criticism of Netanyahu. A senior Likud minister told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, "Netanyahu has sold out the right-wing agenda to the left." According to the already agreed-upon outline, Netanyahu will serve as premier for the first 18 months, to be replaced by Gantz. Netanyahu will then serve as deputy prime minister. Netanyahus graft trial is scheduled to open in May, so he knows that his political days are numbered and that the clock is ticking on his diplomatic legacy. His associates believe that Netanyahu has pinned his hopes on Trumps "deal of the century" to determine Israels borders for future generations. They note that Netanyahu realizes that amid the pandemic, American politics could also dissolve into turmoil and that Trumps future is unclear. With that in mind, Netanyahu will do his outmost to complete the annexation while it is feasible. World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has passed away due to COVID-19 disease. She is the first Indian-origin South African to die from the disease which earlier claimed the lives of five people in the country. According to PTI, Ramjee returned to Durban from London a week ago but did not show any symptoms of the deadly virus. The 64-year-old virologist was the Clinical Trials Unit Principal Investigator and Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) offices in Durban. Facebook/Gita Ramjee SAMRC President and CEO Glenda Gray issued a statement on Ramjee's passing -- "We are deeply saddened to inform you of the tragic passing of Prof Gita Ramjee in hospital today. Prof Ramjee died of COVID-19-related complications. Ramjee devoted her life in finding cures and better ways to fight HIV, particularly with women, and was the receiver of the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in Lisbon by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP). At the time of winning the award, she had said, "This award is an acknowledgement of the unwavering determination by a global community to forever change the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS epidemic." Facebook/Gita Ramjee Adding to Ramjee's statement, Gray had also said at the time that, "Professor Gita Ramjee is a towering HIV prevention research leader whose work continues to contribute immensely to the global response to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic." Facebook/Gita Ramjee Just like India, South Africa is also living through a 21-day lockdown period in order to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 11:18:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell 0.2 percent in March from a year earlier after growing 4.3 percent in the previous month, a government report showed Wednesday. Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, amounted to 46.91 billion U.S. dollars in March, down 0.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Import slipped 0.3 percent to 41.87 billion U.S. dollars, sending the trade surplus to 5.04 billion U.S. dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for 98 straight months. The outbound shipment made the first rebound in 15 months in February, but it turned downward in March on the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak across the world. The daily average export declined 6.4 percent in March, after sliding 11.9 percent in February. In terms of volume, the shipment advanced 13.1 percent in March from a year earlier, continuing to expand for two straight months. It was the fastest increase in 17 months. Apple could be planning to launch a new, cheaper iPhone in the coming days, according to growing rumours. The handset known as the iPhone 9 or SE 2 had been widely reported to be heading for a possible release date of March, but did not appear. Now rumours suggest that it could arrive imminently, with Apple website 9to5mac reporting that cases for the new phone have begun to arrive at Best Buy. The cases come with a note indicating they are intended for a "new iPhone 4.7-inch, 2020", according to the site. While it is possible that the cases are being dispatched speculatively or by mistake, the rumours tally with previous suggestions that the new phone could be on its way. Recommended iPhone 12 release date could be delayed due to coronavirus Reports have suggested that Apple could now be planning the launch of the phone for the early part of May. Apple's cheaper new handset is expected to update the iPhone SE 2, which was released to widespread acclaim in March 2016 but has gone without any updates ever since. Like that phone, it is said to use the design of an older handset the iPhone 8, in this case but fill it with upgraded internal components that make it run more like the latest models. Apple was rumoured to be planning to launch the phone in March, with rumours suggesting that it could come alongside other products such as an updated MacBook. While it was never confirmed that any launch event was planned, it would have been forced to be cancelled by the world going into lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, which has also forced Apple to turn its WWDC software conference in June "online only". Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Apple did release a new iPad Pro and MacBook Air in March, but the rumoured iPhone did not appear alongside those announcements. Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru feature among top 25 hotspots in the country for COVID-19, a top Karnataka health department official said on Wednesday. Commissioner Health & Family Welfare Services of Karnataka government Pankaj Pandey citing the daily COVID-19 status report by Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as on March 31, said Bengaluru is among the top seven cities in the country with high number of confirmed cases. "Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru featuring among top 25 hotspots in the country. Chikkaballapura among emerging hotspots during last 14 days. Bengaluru also among top 7 cities with high case load," Pandey tweeted. According to the Union Health Ministry's report, Karnataka is among 10 states that contribute more than 80 per cent of India's total covid-19 cases. The Karnataka government's bulletin said till Tuesday evening 101 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes 3 deaths and 8 discharges. Out of 101 positive cases, 45 were reported from Bengaluru, 14 from Mysuru, nine from Chikkaballapura, eight from Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, four from Kalaburgai, three each from Davangere, Udupi and Ballari, two from Tumakuru, and one each from Kodagu and Dharwad. All the eight discharged patients are from Bengaluru, while one death each was reported in Kalaburgari, Bengaluru and Tumakuru. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the end of the Sino-Indian war of 1962, which cost India about 13,454 soldiers, a song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo caused a wave of patriotism across the nation. Every young man and woman wanted to join the Indian defence forces upon hearing the song that commemorated Indian soldiers who died during the war, among them is Indias first woman Air marshal Dr Padmavathy Bandopadhyay. Having joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1968, she is the second woman in the Indian armed forces to be promoted to a three-star rank and to be conferred with the highest degree of armed forces awards, including the Param Vishisht Seva, Ati Vishisht and Vishisht Seva Medals. Today, the retired officer continues to give her medical and education services to underprivileged children of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, which led the Indian Government to award her Indias highest civilian honour the Padma Shri. Bandopadhyay is the first defence officer to receive a civilian award in India as armed forces are not eligible for civilian honours. I am humbled to receive this award. Its very rare that a defence officer gets a civilian award, but I think this is not for the work of one or two days, but of the lifetime, says Bandopadhyay, who was also a medical officer during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. I was at the border and became a senior officer to control and command the team. I was really working in the field providing medicines and manpower during that war, she recalls. Rising from the ashes Hailing from a middle-class Tamil family from Tirupati, it wasnt easy for Bandopadhyay to break the glass ceiling. At the age of three, she learnt to cope up with her ailing mother until the age of 13. I would only cook rice, my father taught me that. I never saw a beautiful childhood. My mother wasnt well and she had to be treated only by a Tamil Brahmin lady doctor for my family was conservative, she rues, adding that her family later shifted to Delhi where her mother was treated and put back on her feet. I was treated like a princes. I would not do anything and just study, but that too was difficult in Delhi because I only studied Tamil and Sanskrit, so Hindi and English werent my languages, she reveals. It was after she cleared the 10th standard board examination that she decided to become a doctor, but she had no idea of the procedure. I found one college but without fail I would stand outside the classroom every day because I didnt know English, she laughs, adding that one of her teachers from the college taught her English after which she, Topped the medical entrance exam and did well in the college too. Chasing a dream Back in the 60s when Bandopadhyay became a doctor, her male friends in the neighbourhood joined the Indian Army, which subsequently changed the course of her life. No boy came back after the war. That was the saddest part of my life to see my own people leaving and never coming back and then the song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo came. I immediately told my father that I want to join the Indian Army. I didnt even know the difference between the three armed forces then, she recalls. However, becoming an officer wasnt an easy task. At the time when very few women would think of joining defence forces, Military Nursing Service (MNS) was the only option for her. But you cant get married. If you do, then you have to leave the force. Then I learnt about Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune. The best part was they gave stipend as well, she laughs. With no background of physics, maths, and science and no family background in the defence forces, Bandopadhyay not only became a doctor but also successfully completed her training as a medical officer of the armed forces. When I was asked which force (Army, Navy or Air force) I want to join, I thought I would fly a plane if I join the Air Force, so I said I want to do that. Later, I learnt that not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot, she chuckles. On the job An aviation medicine specialist, Bandopadhyay, in her 37 years of service worked for the betterment of armed forces. She has done high altitude and aeromedical research which is path-breaking for the soldiers in adverse conditions. Whatever I did in the service was for prevention and betterment of my fellow officers. With my research, I wanted to improve in medical facilities so that can lead to the efficiency of the armed forces, she says. While the entire country is rolling over discrimination towards women in defence forces, Bandopadhyay despite facing initial challenges of no maternity leaves and any casual leaves denies the notion of inequality. There is nothing like woman and man there. You are an officer. I was the first batch of women to join armed forces, there was no provision for maternity leaves, but I have managed my deliveries and children. Everything takes time to change, she says, adding that one needs to prove the capabilities to be able to earn respect in forces. The former officer recalls an instance where male officers would not tell her their medical issues and at times they were rude too. Then my husband asked me to fly with them and I did that. It made a lot of difference, they were comfortable with me. When you wear the uniform you are an officer and not a man or a woman she concludes. I wanted to ask what precautions you were taking to avoid the virus, but I guess maybe those didnt work so well? Congress members from far away people like me, who take two plane rides, three airports, and Im in two Ubers I mean, thats a lot of contact in the day, plus the time zones and the exhaustion. The vote that we took two weeks ago was in the middle of the night, like, 1 in the morning. So its important to try to take care of yourself in the same way that were asking everyone to do right now, while youre trying to do your job. Youre a single mom with three kids. What does self-quarantining look like in your house? For the first couple of days, it looked like a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and my kids shouting at me through the door. Once my boyfriend got here, I just kept the bedroom door closed. And he would come in, bring a tray of food, and leave. But its hard. Thats the perspective of single moms and single dads and what self-quarantine is going to mean for them. It is something I havent heard a lot of talk about. I got sick on Thursday night. I had a little bit of a cold before that, but by Thursday night I felt really terrible. And I called the doctor on the nurses line on Friday morning and they told me to isolate in my room. Dont leave your room, have someone bring you food. And I said, Well, I cant do that. Im a single mom. Theres no one to get the food. Theres no one. And the nurse was great. Shes like, OK, then what were going to do is were going to pretend your children all have symptoms too, and so the whole household is self-quarantined. You have a big job. You also have the kids. Walk me through what your day looks like now. The school district has done a great job, but it was overwhelming. I have three kids in three different grades. At one point, I wrote to my kids school principal, and I said, So sorry to bother you, but could you ask that the teachers put what grade level theyre talking about in these emails? I dont even know which student theyre talking about. Because Im in California time, the second I wake up, I am already three hours behind in many ways, in catching up with whats happening in D.C. I spend most of my day on the phone, especially these last few days. Im averaging between five and seven hours of conference calls a day. Wow. Really? Yeah, for example, yesterday, I talked to a company that has a drug in the trial pipeline that might be useful for Covid, and so we wanted to send that along to the right government authorities for them to review. I had a call with religious leaders, talking with them both about their work in getting their members to participate in the census, but also about what this pandemic and shelter-in-place order is meaning for our faith communities, particularly with things like Passover and Ramadan coming up. Press interviews to try to explain things to people. I just had a call with some labor leaders this morning, talking with them about whats going on with their members. Some of those workers and Im talking a lot about doctors and nurses and their protective equipment, which is incredibly important but grocery store workers, pharmacy workers, they need personal protective equipment too. A Birr man and his girlfriend have made it safely to Ireland after they feared they would be stranded in Melbourne after their flights were cancelled twice. Last week, Colm Cahill (25), from Birr and his girlfriend Andrea Treacy, from Rathdowney, were left stranded in a hostel in Melbourne, having spent nearly 5500 on flights home only to have them cancelled. The pair were working and travelling in Australia since last October and had been monitoring the Covid-19 situation in recent weeks. By St Patricks Day, the pair realised it was time to make a move home when friends messaged from all over the world to say their cities were in lockdown. Colm contacted the Tribune last week to say the situation for Irish visa holders had gotten extreme. Flights were being cancelled by the hour. In the past week, myself and my partner spent close to 5000 on two separate flights that were cancelled with no sign of a refund in the foreseeable future. The pair were stranded in the hostel, having both lost their jobs, and had been in touch with the Irish Embassy and passed on their details. Colm then set up a Facebook group Get us home from Australia (Ireland), creating polls and helping people to source information. The first airline they booked with a cost of 800 each and they relaxed, believing they would be home this week. However within hours, the airline cancelled the flight and said they would instead provide a travel voucher when it was feasible. Colm then said a lot of panic set in and some people paid large sums for flights. With his girlfriend, Andrea, he decided to wait a little while and looked at the option of renting a house. They then went to view houses but this was not an option because everybody was looking for a six month lease, deposit and rent up front and that was too expensive for the pair. They then booked another flights at a cost of 1600 each. However, this flight was subsequently cancelled. Colm then set up the Facebook group while also writing to the Irish Embassy, saying with the current global situation I understand everybody is vulnerable and in need. The situation for Irish visa holders in Australia has gotten extreme. Thankfully, Colm told the Tribune on Tuesday last the pair were lucky enough to have gotten a seat on a Qatar flight from Melbourne on Monday last, March 30 after the Irish Embassy block booked seat for Irish citizens. According to Colm, the flights were 1740, bringing their total spend on flights to just under 8500. However, the pair were hopefully that some of the flights would be refunded at a later day. However, Colm was absolutely delighted to be home. The main thing, though is that we got back, he enthused. The pair are now doing their 14 days of isolation but Colm remains active on the Facebook group. There are still plenty of Irish in desperate situations reaching out daily for help as the situation in Australia gradually worsens with no sign of relief for visa holders. Theres unfortunately a boat load of misleading information stating otherwise. This is one of the core reasons we are still putting so much time into to the maintenance of the page daily, he said. People are shown out walking in the Old Port of Montreal on March 25, 2020, as COVID-19 cases rise in Canada and around the world. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) Finding the New Normal Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic Commentary We are all doing the best we can in the moment to fight COVID-19, but in the medium- and long-term we are going to need broader and deeper cultural and policy changes to fight this virus and to fight other potential future pandemics. Preserving the current paradigm indefinitely will not be sufficiently effective against the virus and will also do unnecessary damage to our economy. New approaches, adopted from Asian democracies like South Korea and Taiwan that have more experience fighting pandemics, will go a long way to keeping us safer while helping us move back toward something a little more like normal lifeor at least a new normal. Our current approach to fighting this pandemic emphasizes general isolation. With a limited supply of masks and limited testing, this is the only way. It is not enough for only those who have the virus to isolate themselves and for people to take general precautions when out and about, because many do not have access to testing or the means to protect themselves. In the absence of alternatives, general isolation is appropriate. So we should definitely all stay home as much as possible for the time being. In an ideal response, though, people could still leave their homes, but everyone would have access to and be encouraged to wear protective masks in most situations when out and about. Perhaps we could even wear disposable gloves. Certainly, everyone would continue to be encouraged to regularly wash their hands. Anyone who thought they might be exposed to the virus would get tested immediately and get the results immediately. This way, those who had the virus would know right away and could stay away from others. In the event of errors in awareness or testing (with a negative result not meaning a certainty that a person is negative) masks, gloves, and hand-washing would still greatly limit transmission. When a case is discovered, those who had been in contact with or in the same areas as that person could be immediately notified and immediately tested. If we had these measures and practices in place, there would be much less of a need for people to stay in their homes. The virus could be tracked and contained even while life continued. Unfortunately, we do not currently have a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment, a sufficient testing capacity, or the necessary tracking protocols in place to inform people who may have been in contact with an affected person. In some provinces, people with mild symptoms have not been able to get tested and uninfected health-care workers have been stuck at home for days because of delays in getting test results back. We should have been more ready for this. It is the responsibility of governments to be prepared for potential disaster scenarios like pandemics before they occur. After this is over it will be important to do a broader inquiry into our lack of preparedness and ensure that we are properly prepared for other disaster scenarios. The fact that we shipped scarce protective equipment to China right when we should have been ramping up our own preparations further underlines the lack of foresight. In any event, though, what we need to do now is rapidly build up the capacity for a new normal in which most of us can still leave our homes and go to shops and restaurants, but are getting tested and are coming and going with readily available protective equipment. This will not be easy and will take some time, but it is the direction in which we need to go. Imagine you go to a restaurant with your spouse, sit down at a clean table, dispose of the latex gloves that you had been wearing, remove your mask, and then eat a meal brought to you by a glove- and mask-wearing waiter. After dinner, you pay with the tap function on your credit card, and you replace your mask and put on a fresh pair of gloves before leaving the table. And if you later find out that someone sitting near you had COVID-19, then you get tested as an additional precaution. Imagine that you go to work, where you sit in a closed office with other co-workers. You wear gloves and a mask to the office. Your desks are spaced two metres apart, protecting you from potential droplet spread. If any of your co-workers get COVID-19, you get tested right away. Client meetings happen through Zoom or through a makeshift screen. While making these adaptations, everyone continues to vigorously wash their hands on a regular basis. This new normal involves equipment, readily available testing, and a few minor extra steps, but it is not that difficult in the scheme of things for everyday citizens, compared to the sacrifices that most of us are making already. It also allows restaurants and offices to slowly get moving again. Adaptation to a new normal would be expensive, but a lot less expensive than the current approach. These adaptations would also provide opportunities for workers and businesses in terms of the production and distribution of new materials and the carrying out of tests. In the midst of pouring enormous resources into stabilizing the economy, the government should be focusing on the jobs and opportunities associated with pandemic adaption, which will help get us to this new normal. Governments have to lead on general pandemic preparedness and adaption, but individuals will have to voluntarily adopt necessary precautions and private companies will have to seize the associated opportunities. Social norms, such as the general social acceptability of wearing a mask in certain situations, will change rapidly as well. Some of this is already happening. General isolation is not sustainable in the long run. People need to go out for essentials, and general non-compliance will (unfortunately) likely increase the longer that general isolation directives are in place. If we manage to flatten the curve through a few months of isolation, the curve could spike again later when we all return to work if a small number of cases are imported or remain untreated. We cannot all stay in our homes forever. Isolation is the necessary short-term response to our current lack of preparedness, but we need a long-term strategy that allows us to be safe when out and about. That short term might end up being a lot longer than we would like it to be and we will need to be patient through that process. Adaptation on all fronts will take time. But we should be able to see these processes of adaptation beginning right away. A sense of hope for the future will make it easier for people to follow isolation directives for the time being. Proposals for testing and adaptation are not ideas pulled out of thin air. In parts of Asia that have more experience dealing with pandemics, it is relatively much more culturally normal for people to wear surgical masks when out and about. South Korea was able to dramatically turn the corner on COVID-19 through a policy of widespread testing, tracking, and information sharing. We should do what they have done. They ramped up their production of test kits early. Widely accessible testing stations (including drive-through testing stations) put South Korea way ahead in total testing and in per capita testing. Taiwan also flattened the curve, through strong border restrictions and aggressive tracking measures to ensure the self-isolation directives were followed. Asian democracies have achieved great success without the same level of widespread disruption that we are experiencing in North America and Europe. Hopefully soon we will be able to find a new normal. Following the example of our Asian partners will protect Canadians and minimize disruption to our economy. By Garnett Genuis and Dr. Rebecca Genuis. Garnett is a Member of Parliament. Rebecca is a Family Doctor. They are married. Isolation is facilitating professional cooperation, despite the occasional interruption by noisy children. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The coronavirus pandemic has given drivers a little breathing room when it comes to getting a Real ID. Last week, the federal government pushed back the Oct. 1 deadline a full year, the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division closed all offices and Taxation and Revenue Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke said, We are looking into what we can do to ensure that anyone whose license or vehicle registration expires through no fault of their own during the closure is not penalized. One productive option for this forced free time? Get your Real ID paperwork in order for when the great bureaucratic machine resumes. There are still almost 450,000 New Mexicans with legacy licenses that have yet to expire and thus still have to go through the process, according to Tax and Rev spokesman Charlie Moore. That matters because when the 2005 federal law is enforced, all passengers will have to have either a Real ID license or a valid passport to board a commercial flight. Also caught up in the new rules? Many folks who just want a license to drive, as well as those whose licenses have already expired because their life overtook the bureaucracy folks such as Colleen Bodmer. Born Sally Colleen Eleanor Sullivan in Colorado more than 70 years ago, Colleen says she never liked her given first name and has been Colleen as long as she can remember. Every document she has, save for that birth certificate, says Colleen, including her marriage license. Her New Mexico drivers license expired last year while she was busy fighting what is now Stage 4 cancer. And while drivers have up to a year after expiration to apply and get a Real ID license, the fact that the name on all of her other documents does not match the name on her birth certificate has prevented her from getting one. Now, she says, This cancer is probably going to take me out. (I just need to) show I am who I am. I cant get on a plane. And shed like to fly to see her sister in the Chesapeake Bay area and say goodbye once the pandemic has abated and regular commercial air travel has resumed. Real ID paperwork A full list of accepted documents is at mvdonline.com. The basics are: one proof of identity (a certified copy of your birth certificate or valid passport). One proof of ID number (your Social Security card/W-2/1099/pay stub). And two proofs of residency with your name and physical address (a utility or credit card bill or bank statement.) Applicants for a non-Real ID/standard license can use their current license, among other things, to show their age and identity. They do not need to show proof of ID number. They do also need two proofs of residency. But for either a Real ID or standard license, your name has to match on all documents. You can have a middle initial on one and middle name spelled out on another. There just cant be contradictions. And if your name has changed through marriage, divorce or a court order, you need to provide an official copy of that document, as well. Easy name change Drivers who cant come up with documents that have the same name on each have a few options. First, the easier of the two. Those with a New Mexico birth certificate who simply need their Spanish name Anglicized, their first and middle names reversed, or a misspelling corrected can get it done by presenting two forms of documentary evidence and $10 to a state Department of Health office. Like MVD, those offices are also closed, but you can go to nmhealth.org or call 1-866-534-0051 for information so you are ready when they reopen. (The recording says the office is taking messages.) More complex fix Those with a birth certificate from another state or more complex name issues need to go to court for a name change. In Bernalillo County, Judge Lisa Chavez Ortega is one of the civil judges who handle name-change filings and is a font of information for streamlining your request. And while the process might seem intimidating, she says the court handled around 1,300 of these cases last year, the vast majority without an attorney involved. She recommends folks first download the required forms at seconddistrictcourt.nmcourts.gov/change-of-name-adult. Clicking on the link change of name adult procedure will give you a step-by-step guide through the process. Chavez Ortega says a name change for Real ID boils down to a trip to court ($132 filing fee), a trip to get your notice of name change published ($80-$90 for two weeks in the Journal), a trip back to court to have a judge approve your request and a visit to the County Clerks Office to file your name change ($25 filing fee). New Mexicos courts are under order to do as much as possible by phone but can schedule in-person hearings as needed with social distancing precautions. In Bernalillo County, call 841-6702 for information. And when the MVD reopens, drivers can take that certified copy of the name change court order along with other Real ID documents and pay $18 for a four-year or $34 for an eight-year Real ID license (drivers older than 79 get theirs for free but have to renew annually). The good news is you have to get a Real ID only once, the courts are still processing name changes and drivers who are not facing a health-imposed deadline like Colleen have some breathing room to get their documents in order. Fingers crossed, the public health precautions that have been taken mean New Mexicos bureaucracies will reopen safer and sooner, getting drivers their licenses and Colleen on her way to Chesapeake Bay. As she says, that will be a beautiful place to be. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to editorial page editor DVal Westphal at 823-3858 or dwestphal@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. MVD offices shut; penalties waived to prepare for Real ID Late fees and penalties incurred since March 11 due to the COVID-19 outbreak will be forgiven New Mexico closed state MVD offices Thursday, and privately operated offices were closed earlier in the week, along with other nonessential businesses. While a first-time Real ID must be done in person, some transactions, such as renewals, can be done online. Go to mvdonline.com for a list of online services, as well as required Real ID documents to prepare for when in-person operations resume. The government risks a rebellion from younger people hit by the coronavirus crisis if the lockdown is in place for too long, a former Bank of England governor has warned. Mervyn King, who oversaw the bank during the 2008 financial crisis, said ministers must have an exit strategy on how to wind down the severe restrictions on daily life in order to salvage the economy when the pandemic ends. Lord King said younger people would question why their futures were "being put at stake in order to help prolong the life expectancy of older people". Strict measures announced last week to keep people at home are "making a difference" to the spread of the outbreak, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has said. But ministers are worried about ending the lockdown too early. At the weekend, Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, said "all of our efforts will be wasted" if social distancing measures are relaxed too soon and warned that the UK may not fully return to normal life for up to six months. Speaking at a Policy Exchange seminar on the coronavirus crisis, Lord King said: "The idea that we can simply maintain this lockdown for months and months on end according to the development of the virus is unrealistic. "I think that the government needs to find an exit strategy which is going to be gradual and it may need to examine methods by which those people who have had the virus are able to go back, travel and go to work. "I also fear that if we maintain the lockdown for too long, there will be a rebellion against it because an awful lot of younger people will say, 'Well the younger generations have suffered in the last 20 years. Why on earth is our future being put at stake in order to help prolong life expectancy of older people, whose life expectancy will not be very high in any event?'" Lord King also urged the government to learn lessons from this crisis by ensuring there is "greater spare capacity" in the British economy to cope with other pandemics. Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Show all 15 1 /15 Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A rose is delivered by drone to a woman on Mother's Day in Jounieh, Lebanon AFP/Getty Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Women dance on their balcony as a radio station plays music for a flash mob to raise spirits in Rome Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A skeleton stands on a balcony in Frankfurt, Germany AP Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies The film Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna is projected on a building in Rome AP Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A woman uses a basket tied to a rope to pull a delivery of groceries up to her balcony in Naples, Italy EPA Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies DJ Francesco Cellini plays for his neighbours from the rooftop terrace of his flat block in Rome Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A woman gestures from her balcony in Barcelona EPA Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Cellist Karina Nunez performs for her neighbours at the balcony of her flat in Panama City Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies DJ Nash Petrovic live streams a set from his roof in Brooklyn Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies People applaud medical workers from their balconies in Modiin, Israel Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A Brooklyn resident relaxes in a hammock hung on their balcony Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Residents toast during a "safe distance" aperitif time between neighbours in Anderlecht, Belgium Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Musician Adam Moser plays for neighbours from his balcony in Budapest, Hungary Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A man and his son on their balcony in Brooklyn Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A man sits alone on a roof terrace in Rome Reuters Nick Macpherson, a former Treasury permanent secretary, said the government must have a credible plan for the future, including how the UK will pay for the crisis. Lord Macpherson said: "You cannot continue in lockdown indefinitely. I would also like to think that just as during the war and I am cautious about wartime metaphors Beveridge was writing his report on the future of the welfare state. I hope government is actively considering how we pay for this crisis, how we come through stronger. "The critical thing there is getting the balance between taxation, borrowing and printing money right. Needless to say, I am quite cautious about printing too much money but the critical thing is to have a credible plan." He said new taxes could be considered, pointing to Ireland's reform of property taxation during the financial crisis. Recommended We will see if Sunak has the courage to increases taxes like he should Lord Macpherson added: "Of course we have got to focus on the short term but the shadow of this crisis is potentially great and we need to ensure that the country gets through this with relatively sound public finances." Former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling said comparisons between coronavirus and the financial crisis were "of limited value" as the government knew what it needed to do to fix the problem. "The problem we face today is really quite different," he said. "We are clearly not on top of this problem." Lord Darling said the UK would "always be on the back foot" until it catches up with testing for the virus and said the government must be clearer on its programme for testing. It comes after chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses and workers, including government-backed loans and a job retention scheme where the state will pay wages to prevent mass lay-offs. However, delays to the implementation of support for the self-employed and loopholes in support for workers have prompted widespread criticism. As millions of job cuts tear through the U.S. economy, a faint glimmer of light has emerged: Some employers are trying to maintain ties to the staffers they're letting go so they can more quickly rehire them once the viral outbreak has passed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2015, file photo, a pedestrian walks past a Gap store in Miami. Macy's, Kohl's and Gap Inc. all said Monday, March 30, 2020, they will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chains temporarily closed their stores and sales collapsed as a result of the pandemic. ((AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) As millions of job cuts tear through the U.S. economy, a faint glimmer of light has emerged: Some employers are trying to maintain ties to the staffers they're letting go so they can more quickly rehire them once the viral outbreak has passed. Several large retail chains are furloughing workers a form of temporary job cut that often maintains health insurance rather than laying them off. And many small businesses, too, are keeping in touch with workers they've had to let go. Anyone who's trying to lay off workers is already thinking about how they can bring them back," said Jania Bailey, CEO of FranNet, a consultancy that works with franchise companies. One of them is Tracy True, who said she's keeping in touch at least once a week with the 10 furloughed staffers of her clothing store in Vestavia, Alabama. As soon as we're given the all clear," True says, we'll be back. How long millions of other laid-off employees will remain without work will help determine the depth and duration of a U.S. recession that's almost surely begun and is destined to worsen in coming months. Workers on temporary layoff typically spend less time unemployed compared with those who permanently lose work and must transition to new industries and acquire new skills. For the economy to recover relatively fast, many workers would need to return quickly to their former jobs. In Europe, some countries are directing a portion of their aid to help companies avoid layoffs by putting staffers on either reduced hours or paid leave. Governments will typically pay a chunk of the salaries of employees while they're not working. Germany fared particularly well with a short-work program during the 2009 recession. It supported 1.5 million workers, thereby limiting unemployment. This year, German officials say they expect 2.35 million workers to benefit. In the United States, some economists are more pessimistic. They fear that even companies that intend to rehire workers will struggle to do so if the coronavirus outbreak lasts into late summer or fall. And even when shutdown orders are lifted, consumer spending may be slow to recover as people remain wary of congregating in groups. FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2019, file photo, customers walk outside of a Kohl's store in Colma, Calif. Macy's, Kohl's and Gap Inc. all said Monday, March 30, 2020, they will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chains temporarily closed their stores and sales collapsed as a result of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) There is a strong possibility that the crisis goes on long enough that employer-employee relationships will begin to fray," said Martha Gimbel, an economist at Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic organization. On Monday, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen suggested that the U.S. economy could experience a V-shaped recovery, in which a deep recession is followed by a strong rebound. Yet she cautioned that "if firms sever their connections to their workers, a quick recovery would be unlikely. Last week, the government reported 3.3 million people sought jobless benefits nearly five times the previous high. Most analysts expect an even more wrenching number Thursday: Jan Kozak, an economist at Morgan Stanley, predicts that 4.45 million people sought benefits in the week that ended March 28. The government's March jobs report coming Friday won't reflect most of those losses. It will be based on surveys that cover only the first half of March, before layoffs skyrocketed. Even so, analysts have forecast a loss of about 150,000 jobs, according to data provider FactSet. That would put an end to a record-long 113 straight months of U.S. job growth. Still, many companies say they're already planning for when the economy turns around. Britney Ruby Miller, co-owner of a chain of steakhouses, said her Cincinnati-based company is paying for health insurance through June for the roughly 600 workers they had to lay off. The family-run company is also sending weekly updates to its former employees and keeping them on an employee assistance program for those with depression or anxiety. The goal," Miller said, is to welcome 100% of our employees back. Macy's has said it will furlough the majority of its 125,000 workers and operate with a minimal workforce after closing its 600 department stores. But it said it would continue to pay for health insurance for laid-off workers at least through May. We expect to bring colleagues back on a staggered basis as business resumes, Macy's said. The Gap, too, has furloughed 80,000 workers but will still provide health benefits for them. And while the three major American autoworkers, as well as Honda and Toyota, have closed their factories, their unionized workers are receiving nearly their full salaries from unemployment benefits and payments from the companies. Most expect to return to their jobs. If it is a shorter duration of closure, we will see a lot of these layoffs be temporary," said Arindrajit Dube, a labour economist at MIT. Yet if shutdowns persist longer, many companies that are still paying benefits will stop doing so. And some, especially smaller businesses, will close for good. Some analysts foresee a faster rebound than after other recent recessions. Goldman Sachs estimates that the economy will contract at a 34% annual rate in the second quarter which would be the worst quarterly showing on record. Yet Goldman expects growth to rebound 19% in the third quarter and for the economy to be nearly recovered by the end of 2021. Most recessions after World War II were short and sharp. Layoffs were often temporary. Since the early 1990s, though, layoffs in recessions have increasingly been permanent. From autos to construction, whole industries restructured themselves with fewer jobs after the Great Recession. Technology eliminated millions of administrative and other middle-skill jobs. Economists says it's hard to forecast any post-recession hiring patterns, especially when a downturn has been ignited by an external and unpredictable event like a pandemic. Still, some sectors of the economy, they say, could suffer permanent damage and job loss. Business travel, for example, may never fully recover, Dube said, as more companies turn to videoconferencing as an alternative. And as Americans increasingly shop online while shut in, pressures on traditional retailers could intensify, and their furloughs could become permanent layoffs. 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. Another critical factor will be the effectiveness of the government's aid package for small businesses and unemployed workers. The legislation includes $350 billion for small business loans, which would be forgiven if the money is spent on maintaining their payrolls and avoiding layoffs. It also includes a significant expansion of unemployment aid, which will especially benefit workers in hotels, restaurants and other low-wage industries. Their financial cushion will increase their ability to spend once the economy picks up again something vital for any quick recovery. How consumers behave in the coming months is a major concern for Michael Kanter. The co-owner of an organic food store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kanter has furloughed about 40% of his workers. He is covering their health care costs through April. We are forever hopeful that we can bring some, if not all, of them, back, he said. ___ AP Business Writers Joyce M. Rosenberg in New York and Carlo Piovano in London contributed to this report. Australias medical watchdog has mobilised an unprecedented pandemic sub-register to get more than 40,000 retired doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists back into the healthcare system to join the coronavirus resistance. The scheme comes as medical school graduates apply for their practitioner registration in droves and final-year students have been asked to express interest in entering hospitals early. The pandemic sub-register will enable recently retired and non-practising healthcare workers to return to hospitals treating increasingly numbers of COVID-19 patients. Credit:Jason South From Monday, 4800 medicos, 13,000 nurses, 2400 midwives and 2200 pharmacists who retired or moved to a non-practising registration in the past three years will be automatically listed on the sub-register and able to return to the healthcare system. Physiotherapists, radiographers and other allied health workers are expected to join the cavalry in the near future to help care for COVID-19 patients, or work in other sections of the sector to free up their colleagues who can. In late March, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss the ongoing battle for Idlib as well as Russian humanitarian assistance to Syria. Following Shoigus visit, the Russian navy delivered medical assistance, including equipment to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak in Syria, whose health system has been decimated from almost a decade of civil war. Moscow's actions might appear at first glance to be an act of altruism, but the Kremlins support for Assad is in fact part of a well-thought-out plan to advance Russian interests in the region. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and a decade of economic stagnation, President Vladimir Putin has embarked on a strategy of Russian resurgence. He hopes to use his brand of authoritarianism to project his reliability as a supportive ally and promote the perception of Russia as a player on the world stage equal in stature to the United States. Putin views the Middle East as a proxy battleground, with Russia vying for influence with its main enemy, the United States, and seeks to drive a wedge between the Americans and their allies, especially NATO member Turkey. He has latched on to turmoil in the region to exploit what he views as Western policy failures and to present Russia as a steady alternative to Middle Eastern leaders. Putin sees value in rekindling the Soviet approach of playing benefactor and dependable partner during crises. Syria has become the linchpin for Russias effort to boost its throw weight in the Middle East. In September 2015, a squadron of Russian jets deployed to an air base near Latakia, an Assad stronghold. It was Russias first military deployment outside the former borders of the Soviet Union since its disastrous invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Within days, some 30 Russian warplanes started to turn the war in Assads favor. Putins first order of business had been to game out the response of US President Trump before taking action in the Middle East. No other American president had had to seriously consider such a scenario since the fall of the Soviet Union. A few days ago, on March 30, Putin and Trump had a lengthy call during which they likely discussed Syria among other bilateral issues, including the Saudi-Russian oil price war and the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has exacerbated Syrias ongoing humanitarian catastrophe from the civil war, which has convulsed the region and beyond, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, an ongoing insurgency against Islamic State extremists and a refugee crisis. As Syrian government forces continue fighting in Idlib, Putin understands that medical assistance is increasingly vital to the Assad regime's security and therefore can also serve as an increasingly powerful tool in Russias national security strategy. He wants the Kremlin to be perceived as being on the front line in combating the coronavirus, in part to blunt domestic and international criticism of Russias own initially sluggish response to the pandemic. In an example of so-called viruspolitik, Russia has sent soldiers and medical supplies to Italy, a member of both the European Union and NATO. Meanwhile, the United States plans to send $100 million worth of medical supplies and ventilators to the Italians. In addition, Putin does not want to miss the opportunity to use the coronavirus to soil the image of the United States around the world. Thousands of reportedly Russian-linked social media accounts have spread conspiracy theories holding the United States responsible for the outbreak. Two formative experiences in Putin's life inform his policy approach to the current situation. First, he served in the KGB and as director of FSB, the Russian Security Police, so he is naturally inclined to use espionage and influence operations, active measures in Russian spy parlance, against his domestic and foreign enemies. Second, Putin holds a black belt in judo, a key principle of which is to use an opponents strength against him. Applying this concept to Russias strategic relationship with the United States, its stronger rival, Putin has used open social media and networking platforms to target its democratic institutions and reputation worldwide. Using tactics similar to those in the ongoing interference in US elections, the Kremlin has reportedly deployed fake online personas to deliver propaganda on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Harkening back to Soviet-era disinformation campaigns, one of which claimed that the CIA created AIDS as part of a biological weapons project, Russian bots have falsely claimed that the coronavirus is also a CIA-manufactured biological weapon. In fact, world health officials identified the novel coronavirus in 2019 and linked it to a live animal market in Wuhan, China. Russians are fond of the saying Cvaya rubashka blizhe k telu, that is, Ones own shirt is closest to ones body. Among Putin's wins to date in Syria and the region are the naval base in Tartus and the air base near Latakia. Russias official arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, is Syrias largest weapons supplier. Unsurprisingly, Putin is using COVID-19 to send a message to the United States and the rest of the world that he and his proxy Assad are the go-to guys in Syria for dealing with the coronavirus. At the United Nations on March 30, Russia's ambassador made the case that Damascus, not the remaining Syrian Kurdish or other opposition forces, should be the only interlocutors for humanitarian assistance. The Syrian government would do well to consider that Russias multifaceted support does not come without strings attached. This, however, is par for the course in the Middle East. For now, while the civil war rages in Idlib, Damascus depends on Moscows diplomatic and military heft. As the United States has no interest in working with or through Assad, even on the refugee and COVID-19 crises, the Syrian government remains tied to Russia. Putin will ensure that this arrangement works for Russia and against the interests of the United States. A Malayalam film crew of 58 people including actor Prithviraj and director Blessy is stuck in Jordan where they were shooting for a project titled 'Aadujeevitham' owing to the measures taken to counter the spread of novel coronavirus. The shooting of the film directed by award-winning director Blessy was stalled and the crew are held up at Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon) in the south of Joran. The crew has sought assistance from Indian authorities for their safe return. In a Facebook post, Prithviraj confirmed the developments and narrated the sequence of events at the desert after Jordanian authorities initiated steps to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. The shooting of 'Aadujeevitham' (Goat Days) in Jordan was temporarily stopped on March 24 due to the prevailing circumstances but the authorities gave a go-ahead for the shoot after they were convinced that the film unit was isolated and operating safely within the confines of the Wadi Rum desert, Prithviraj said. "Unfortunately, soon after, the prevailing restrictions in Jordan had to be further strengthened as a precautionary measure and as a result, our shoot permission was revoked on March 27. Following that, our team has been staying at the desert camp in Wadi Rum," he wrote. He said the crew has now been told that immediate permission for the shoot to resume is unlikely due to the situation. "... hence, our next best option would be to return to India at the first available opportunity. As we had originally planned to stay and shoot in Wadi Rum till the 2nd week of April, our accommodation, food and supplies are taken care of for the immediate future. But obviously, what happens beyond that timeline is a matter of concern," Prithviraj said. He said a doctor in their team is carrying out medical check-ups for every member of the crew every 72 hours, and they are also subjected to periodic checks by a government appointed Jordanian doctor. "We completely understand that given the circumstances around the world, our team of 58 might not be the biggest concern of authorities back home now, and rightfully so. But we also felt that it was our duty to let all concerned know about the situation and keep them updated. "There are thousands of Indians around the world waiting to get back home and we hope when the appropriate time and opportunity arrives, we are also able to come back to India. Till then, I hope all of you stay safe and let's collectively hope and pray that life gets back to normal soon," he wrote. Earlier, film industry sources in Kochi said Prithviraj and the crew were not in a distress condition. "They are absolutely safe at their hotel. The crew sought assistance from our External Affairs Ministry and Kerala government authorities after they were not allowed to shoot the film due to curfew imposed by Jordan government authorities to prevent outbreak of COVID-19," sources told 'PTI'. Since bringing them back to country at present is very difficult due to cancellation of flights, steps are being taken to get validity of their visas (which would get over soon) extended, the sources added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW HAVEN Another 429 residents were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 16 more fatalities were reported in Connecticut during the latest 24-hour period, continuing along the anticipated trend as the state prepares for the peak infections sometime in April, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday. A baby, who was found to have COVID-19 during an autopsy, is among the latest fatalities, and possibly the youngest coronavirus-related death worldwide. But Dr. James Gill, the chief medical examiner, said the actual cause of death has not yet been established. The infant did test positive for the COVID-19 virus and an autopsy was done at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Gill said in an email. At the current time, we have not issued a final cause of death. There are numerous tests that we must do on infant deaths before issuing a final cause of death. We cannot discuss the specifics of an investigation. Lamont, speaking at the Southern Connecticut State University field house after a brief tour of a 200-bed field hospital set up there in just a few hours by the Connecticut National Guard, said the 6-week-old infant, from the Hartford area, was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived. Lamont said testing confirmed Tuesday night that the child was COVID-19-positive. Turning to the back-to-back 16 fatalities over two days, the governor said testing continues to ramp up across the state, and state officials have been in touch with a company that has a 15-minute COVID-19 test. Overall, 3,557 people across Connecticut have been confirmed as COVID-19-positive, with that number expected to increase greatly in the coming weeks. Eighty-five have died. We are predicting that the worst weeks are ahead of us in the upcoming month of April, said Dr. Steven Choi, chief quality officer for Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Health System. More than 250 soldiers, many with two tours of duty Afghanistan, from the Connecticut National Guard are helping in Connecticut, according to Maj. Gen. Francis J. Evon Jr., adjutant general and commanding officer of the Connecticut National Guard. Evon, Choi and Josh Geballe, Lamonts chief operating officer, also participated in the news conference underneath an outdoor entranceway to the Moore Field House at SCSU. In his latest executive order, released at about 8:40 Wednesday night, Lamont said that on Friday morning, retail stores will have to take more protective measures to protect employees and customers, including setting limits on the number of shoppers, as detailed in a Safe Stores website within the Department of Economic and Community Development. The orders include social distancing requirements around check-out areas. Lamont also extended the tax-filing deadline that is usually April 15, to Aug. 15. The order also codifies the plans to protect uninfected nursing home residents from those with COVID-19 by moving them around to other facilities, some of which are empty. He ordered insurance companies to provide 60-day grace periods for those who cannot make monthly premium payments during the pandemic. The Insurance Association of Connecticut, representing both property & casualty insurers and life insurance carriers, but not health insurers, said members have already suspended cancellations of policies for non-payment. The Connecticut Association of Health Plans have enacted similar measures, officials said in a statement. More Information Conn. coronavirus deaths by age 80/over: 47 70-79: 23 60-69: 5 50-59: 4 40-49: 4 30-39: 1 Newborn to 9 years: 1 Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health Note: No COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in the age group of 10 years to 30. See More Collapse The latest order also requires towns and cities to offer relief on interest on overdue property taxes. It also suspends certain in-person voting requirements on local budget decisions. Lamont praised a nonprofit group that is using seed money from 20 philanthropists who have pledged $10 million for a new program to help nonprofit agencies facing the coronavirus, Lamont announced earlier Wednesday. Called 4-CT, the private group, organized by regional foundations throughout the state, was set up with existing service delivery agencies, including child care for hospital workers, housing and food. This is when we need the money fast, Lamont said in a noontime conference call with reporters and leaders of three of the regional charitable foundations. Early money is like yeast, said the governor, who has made a personal contribution to the organization, which includes anonymous donations from at least three individuals. The organizations formal name is the Connecticut COVID-19 Charity Connection. Ted Yang, a start-up investor who will be the chief operating officer, said an initial study is underway, and that even small donations will be accepted. We are working together with the community foundations aand othere nonprofits to understand the need on the ground, he said. Also on Wednesday, Chief Court Administrator Patrick L. Carroll III announced that in addition to the closure of state Superior Court in Stamford Monday night, the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District Courthouse in Milford and the Middlesex Judicial District Courthouse in Middletown will also close temporarily at the close of business Wednesday. Cases will be transferred to the nearby courthouses in Bridgeport and New Britain. A careful analysis of the business coming into these two courthouses indicates that they can be safely closed without compromising our ability to continue conducting our constitutionally mandated work at remaining, open, Judicial Branch locations, Carroll said in a statement. In other pandemic developments on Wednesday, State Comptroller Kevin Lembo said that as the spread of the virus gains a foothold, the $170 million deficit in the budget set to expire June 30 will probably increase, as tax collections fall sharply and state expenses soar. In his first monthly assessment of finances since the pandemics first fatality last month, Lembo said the new deficit is more than $110 million than the last time the Office of Policy and Management looked at the fiscal landscape. Withholding taxes have dropped by $130 million and sales taxes have fallen off by $30 million. The speed and scale of the pandemics economic disruptions are unprecedented for Connecticut, Lembo said in a statement. As a result, the full extent of the impact is not yet clear and may take weeks, if not months, to determine. The current year deficit could, and likely will, grow larger. Fortunately, the budget reserve is about $2.5 billion. The state has made enormous progress in building the Budget Reserve Fund balance over the past two years, Lembo said. That effort required sacrifice and discipline. Now, as the state faces an unexpected public health and economic crisis, Connecticut is better positioned to meet the challenge. Lembo called for further support through unemployment insurance; businesses to keep employees; and strengthening the Medicaid social safety net. As the number of positive Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases amid Nizamuddin Markaz attendees rise, the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, has issued a notice to the state government and the Centre over Nizamuddin congregation which turned out to be Coronavirus hotspot. The High court took suo-moto cognizance on the issue and has asked the state what steps have been taken to avoid a potential outbreak. Currently, India's Coronavirus tally stands at 1637 with 38 deaths. Gujarat: 29 Nizamuddin attendees traced in Ahmedabad, all test negative for COVID-19 Ahmedabad traces 29 attendees, all test negative Earlier on Tuesday, Ahmedabad police officials informed that a total of 29 attendees of Nizamuddin Jamaat organised in Delhi were traced in Ahmedabad. They added that all of them have tested negative for COVID-19. Of these, 27 people belong to other states, who after attending the Nizamuddin congregation in Delhi, travelled to Ahmedabad. The other two people were caretakers from the city itself. Tamil Nadu reports 110 Markaz attendees COVID-19 positive; govt isolates all 1103 What is the Nizamuddin COVID-19 scare? On Monday, sources reported that a religious programme was organised at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which had over 3400 attendees from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan and from several states in India. After attending the meeting, prior to the nationwide lockdown, 1500 of these attendees returned to several parts of the country, possibly spreading the COVID-19 virus. The mosque has claimed that while they were letting small groups of attendees leave from the venue prior to the Janta Curfew, several were stuck in the area owing to the nationwide lockdown. All 2631 occupants have been evacuated and the building has been sanitised. The Delhi Crime Branch which has booked the Markaz chief Maulana Saad for violating lockdown is currently searching for him by raiding possible hideouts. Coronavirus LIVE Updates: 2361 Nizamuddin Markaz occupants evacuated; total case at 1637 Attendees contact tracing on Ministry of Home Affairs informed that 1746 individuals were staying in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz as of March 21 - 216 foreigners, 1530 Indians - all have been quarantined or hospitalised. Apart from these individuals, MHA stated that 2137 persons have been identified in different states. Most stated have quarantined the attendees tracked by them and are contact tracing the others. The highest number of attendees were from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh. Other states like Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Punjab, etc too are tracing and quarantining attendees. Centre contacts foreign envoys to seek info about Markaz attendees; action likely: Sources TDT | Manama Ithmaar Holding (ITHMR), a Bahrain-based holding company, announced hosting it's Annual General Meeting (AGM) where the consolidated financial statements for 2019 were approved. The meeting held through video conferencing was chaired by Elham Hasan, an independent, non-executive Board Member of the Ithmaar Holding Board of Directors. On behalf of the Chairman of the Ithmaar Holding Board of Directors, His Royal Highness, Prince Amr Al Faisal and Members of the Board of Directors, we are pleased to report that efforts to significantly transform the Groups operations in line with the strategic decisions taken by shareholders in 2016 are continuing to pay off and that Ithmaar Holding concluded another positive year in 2019, said Hasan. Ithmaar Holding reported a net profit attributable to equity holders for the year ended 31 December 2019 of US$0.67 million, a 102.8 per cent increase compared to the net loss attributable to equity holders of US$23.98 m reported for 2018. The 2019 profit was mainly due to growth in core income. Earnings Per Share (EPS) improved to US Cents 0.02, a 102.8 pc increase compared to negative US Cents (0.82) for 2018. EPS for the quarter ended 31 December 2019 were US Cents (0.39), a 57.4 pc increase compared to US Cents (0.92) for the negative period in 2018. Total net profit was US$12.2 m, a 21.3 pc increase compared to the net profit of US$10.06 m reported for 2018, mainly due to growth in core income. Total income was US$525.46 m, a 19.8 pc increase compared to the total income of US$438.55 m reported for 2018. Operating income was US$296.20 m, a 14 pc increase compared to the US$259.82 m reported for 2018. Ithmaar Holding Group Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Abdul Rahim, said the 2019 results were further confirmation that the Company is heading in the right direction. Ithmaar Holdings 2019 results set the stage for future growth as we continue the Groups transformation to sustainable profitability, said Abdul Rahim. Typically the biggest issue facing workers at Red Cross blood drives are donors with a fear of needles or those who might get squeamish at the sight of their blood. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic there are new concerns to deal with. The Red Cross has taken extra precautions to protect not only its staff members but also those who come in for blood donations, said Kelly Isenor, External Communications Manager for the Red Cross. At blood drive locations: Employees must wear face masks. Employees are asked to take their temperature at home and stay home if it exceeds 99.5 degrees. Beds and chairs in waiting and canteen areas must be at least six feet apart. Sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer prominently placed and potential donors are encouraged to use them often. Balls used to squeeze during donation are covered in latex gloves. Television remote controls (used during platelet donations) are wiped down, as are areas where donors have made contact. Looking to donate? Potential donors cant have a temperature higher than 99.5 degrees to donate. If they do, they arent eligible to donate for another 28 days. Staff take temperatures upon arrival and again before donation. Platelet donors who wish to have a blanket to stay warm during the process are encouraged to bring their own because blankets on site need to be washed after each use and the supply can be low. They are doing all the right things, said Manchesters Vic Vincze, who donated platelets at the Red Cross office in Farmington on Monday. You could even tell that the (television) remotes were wiped down, they all have masks on and even the rubber ball that they use (for donors to squeeze), they covered that in a latex glove as well so they were all being very careful. Keeping up with the demand? The types of places able to host blood drives have been impacted. Churches, hotels and hospitals continue to host drives but cramped places including bloodmobiles cant be used under the current social-distancing policy. Even with some blood drives being canceled, Isenor said whole blood donations are keeping up with the demand from local hospitals. We are seeing people really answer the call, Isenor said. In Connecticut, it is a very positive thing that people realize that there is a need and there will continue to be a need and they are doing what they can. Keeping up with platelet donations, used in cancer treatment, has been an issue. There is a shorter shelf life for platelet donations and unlike whole blood donations, the time-consuming platelet donations can only be drawn at the Farmington and the Norwich Red Cross facilities. We do encourage anybody who has an appointment to keep it and make new donation appointments for weeks away so we can continue to see a stable, healthy supply throughout the pandemic, Isenor said. We all know that nobody is giving an estimate of how long the social distancing measures are going to be needed so in that sense I know that even last week we were talking about a critical need. Thankfully the Red Cross has been able to meet immediate patient (whole blood) needs but this is going to be a long-term process. Potential donors should make an appointment at www.redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-733-2767. Upcoming drives: April 1, 7:45 a.m.-1 p.m.: Zandri's Stillwood Inn, 1074 South Colony Road, Wallingford April 1, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Connecticut Police Academy, 285 Preston Ave., Meriden April 2, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Griffin Medical, 300 Oxford Road, Oxford April 3, 8 a.m. - 7:15 p.m.: Linda's Sleep Shoppe, 105 Waterbury Road No. 9, Prospect April 3, 12:15 - 6 p.m.: Whitney Cultural Commons 1253 Whitney Ave., Hamden April 3, 12:45 - 6:15 p.m.: Branford Community House 46 Church Street, Branford April 5 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Best Western, 201 Washington St., North Haven See More Collapse james.fuller@hearstmediact.com; @NHRJimFuller Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 14:24:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export turned downward last month as the COVID-19 outbreak across the world weakened global demand and caused supply disruption, a government report showed Wednesday. Export, which takes up about half of the export-driven economy, fell 0.2 percent from a year earlier to 46.91 billion U.S. dollars in March, after growing 4.3 percent in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Import slipped 0.3 percent to 41.87 billion dollars, sending the trade surplus to 5.04 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for 98 straight months. The outbound shipment made the first rebound in 15 months in February, but it turned downward in March on the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak across the world. The ministry said the COVID-19 outbreak had a limited effect last month despite pessimistic expectations that the virus spread may sharply reduce the country's export. It noted that expectations for the April export are not optimistic given the COVID-19 spread across Europe and the United States. The daily average export declined 6.4 percent in March, after sliding 11.9 percent in February. In terms of volume, the shipment advanced 13.1 percent in March from a year earlier, continuing to expand for two straight months. It was the fastest increase in 17 months. The export price retreated 11.7 percent last month, contributing to the overall export fall. Car export turned upward in three months on demand for environmentally-friendly vehicles in Europe and for sport utility vehicles (SUV) in North America, while auto parts shipment kept rising for two straight months. Shipment of telecommunication devices, such as smartphones, rose in double figures on demand for newly launched mobile phones, and computer export surged over 80 percent as people were ordered to work at home for the virus spread. Exports for semiconductors and general machinery fell in single digits amid the weakened global demand, and ship export turned downward in three months. Shipment for petrochemicals and oil products declined on a sharp fall in global crude oil, and display panel export diminished in double digits on a global supply glut and lower product price. Steel export kept skidding for the third consecutive month on lower product price, and those for steel and consumer electronics reduced last month. Export to the United States continued to grow for two straight months, and shipment to the European Union (EU) rebounded in six months as the COVID-19 outbreak had a limited impact yet. Shipment to Japan turned around in eight months on demand for oil products, chips and general machinery, while export to the Middle East kept growing for two months in a row. Export to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, shrank 5.8 percent on soft demand for petrochemicals, steel, oil products and display panels. Shipment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India slipped in single figures in March from a year earlier. Export to Latin American countries tumbled 25.8 percent on weaker demand for display panels, cars and consumer electronics. LONDON, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading government advisory in investor immigration, CS Global Partners, is hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Themed "Finding Certainty with Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Programme," the webinar addresses key aspects to consider when seeking second citizenship by means of investment. Ambassador Emmanuel Nanthan, Head of the Dominican Citizenship by Investment Unit, joins the webinar as a special guest. Topics discussed cover the application process, the importance of due diligence, citizenship benefits, family security and inheritance for future generations, Dominica's stability as a modern democracy and business opportunities. CS Global Partners expert Valeria Rebrentceva from London will also answer webinar guests' questions. The concept of citizenship by investment (CBI) was born in the Caribbean, with the region now leading the industry. For three consecutive years, Dominica has been ranked as the world's number one in the CBI Index, published by PWM a publication from the Financial Times. "Dominica emerged once more as the country with the world's best citizenship by investment programme, combining extensive due diligence with efficiency, speed, affordability, and reliability," explain the researchers of the CBI Index. South Africans tend to turn to Caribbean CBI programmes as a Plan B. A private banker commented for the study published by FT Specialist that most clients from politically volatile jurisdictions such as those in the Middle East and Africa seek citizenship by investment as a plan C or D in case of an "escalation of insecurity or an outright war." There are two ways to obtain second citizenship from Dominica, provided one passes all the due diligence checks first. One can either make a minimum contribution of US$100,000 to the Economic Diversification Fund; or invest at least US$200,000 in pre-approved real estate. Both channels serve different applicant needs, but synergistically benefit the local population and the island's economy. The fund option is more direct since applicants deal directly with the government, through their agent. It also enables the government to then sponsor a wide spectrum of socio-economic initiatives. Meanwhile, the real estate option gives applicants a return on investment, whereas the economy sees the emergence of a promising ecotourism sector with luxury resorts sparsely immersed in nature. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit also pledged to make Dominica the world's first climate-resilient nation, a feat widely appreciated by the international community. Contact: [email protected] www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 16:00 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee7aa2 1 Science & Tech Valthirian-Arc-Hero-School-Story,Agate,Telekomunikasi-Indonesia,Oolean,melon,game-developer,role-playing-game,role-playing-games Free The Southeast Asian edition of a role-playing game, Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story, was officially released in Indonesia on March 24 in digital and physical copies for the PlayStation 4 console. The launch of Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story was the result of collaboration between Bandung-based software and game developer Agate, Southeast Asia-based video game publisher SCRYsoft and Indonesian strategic initiative Oolean. Oolean was founded by Agate, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telkom) and Melon, a joint venture company involving PT Telkom and SK Telecom (SKT). Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story debuted in Europe in October 2018 and its version in Indonesia is said to feature the Indonesian and Sundanese languages, aiming to strengthen Indonesians pride over their mother tongue and other native languages. Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story has become the first local game on the PlayStation 4 platform that supports native languages, said Cipto Adiguno, vice president of consumer games of Agate, said in a statement. Read also: Agate, RRQ launch Indonesia's first e-sports manager simulation game A still from the role-playing game 'Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story', which features the Indonesian and Sundanese languages. (Agate/File) In this game, a player acts as the principal of a warrior academy that once enjoyed the best reputation in the land of Valthiria. Players are required to train numerous students to protect the land from a dangerous threat and they also have to collect and use all resources to develop the academy. Oolean wishes to show that the Indonesian game developers can compete against other international-scale developers, said Joddy Hernady, executive vice president of digital and next business of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, adding that they hoped the initiative would boost other local developers spirits for creating games. Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story had been featured in local and international game events, including the C3 AFA Jakarta 2018, Tokyo Game Show 2018 and PlayStation Experience Southeast Asia 2018 in Thailand. (wir/wng) Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | FORT CAMPBELL By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | 05:10 PM | FORT CAMPBELL A Soldier stationed at Fort Campbell has tested positive for COVID-19. According to a press release from the base, this marks the first confirmed case for the virus of a service member at the installation. The individual, who is reportedly assigned to a tenant unit at the base, is currently isolated at their off-post home. The person has shown symptoms, but has not required hospitalization. Fort Campbell officials and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital health professionals say they immediately began conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed. Anyone at risk of exposure will be notified directly. Health professionals and leaders are coordinating closely with civilian authorities in the surrounding area to determine any potential risk of exposure to the public. Base officials say Fort Campbell will no longer be releasing or confirming numbers of positive cases, but will continue to report positive cases to the Tennessee and Kentucky health departments and Department of Defense. New Jersey could be on the verge of a recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and its effects could be devastating for workers and businesses, a new data analysis shows. Overall, the states gross domestic product, a measure of all of the goods and services produced in the state, could drop by nearly $30 billion from April through June. The analysis, conducted by the firm StratoDem Analytics, used GDP forecasts from the five leading investment banks to assess how GDP could decline in individual counties in the second quarter of 2020. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live Map Tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage Counties that rely heavily on tourism and manufacturing are likely to be hit the hardest. Gloucester County, with its large food service industry, and Atlantic County, with its large hotel and accommodations industry, are likely to be the hardest hit, the analysis found. Gloucester Countys GDP could drop by nearly 26%, or $1.1 billion, and Atlantic Countys could drop by nearly 23%, more than $800 million, the analysis found. Nationally, the analysis predicted a GDP loss of 18.1%. Thirteen New Jersey counties are predicted to drop by more than that figure. The social distancing efforts being used to combat the spread of coronavirus are the economic price to be paid to reduce the harm to human life. Recently published research by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that economic shutdowns such as Gov. Phil Murphys order to shutter all nonessential businesses could induce a recession, which is a decline in economic activity for at least a few months. We are confident that the central message from our current analysis will be robust: there is an inevitable trade-off between the severity of the recession and the health consequences of the epidemic, researchers wrote in one paper. Other leading economists also predict a recession. In the near term, public health objectives necessitate people staying home from shopping and work, especially if they are sick or at risk. So production and spending must inevitably decline for a time, former chairs of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen wrote in a March 18 op-ed in the Financial Times. Ideally, when the effects of the virus pass, people will go back to work, to school, to the shops, and the economy will return to normal. In that scenario, the recession may be deep, but at least it will have been short. While GDP is an indicator of a recession, it is only one of several tools economists use. Sharp declines are a serious warning sign. James Chung, the author of the analysis, said county GDPs across the country will take a hit in the coming months. Every county in America is going negative in (the second quarter)," Chung said. And its going to go deep for pretty much everyone, and its going to hurt. According to the analysis, Bergen and Middlesex counties are also likely to take a hit, facing $3.4 billion declines in GDP from April to June, each. Bergen Countys largest industry is health care and Middlesex County has a large administrative workforce. Another bad sign for the states economy was last weeks unemployment numbers. About 156,000 workers filed for benefits, a 1,500% increase over the previous week. Weve never had as sharp a drop as this, and (last weeks) unemployment numbers show that, said James Hughes. the former dean of Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. The downturn is having an impact on state finances, too. Murphy already froze close to $1 billion in state spending last week. To help reduce some of the coronavirus-induced pain, the state is offering millions in loans to small businesses. The best estimates for the future, Chung and Hughes said, is that the state and country could even out the April-through-June decline by the end of the year. But thats only if workers return to their jobs and the economy begins to recover by the end of June. To get there, though, the COVID-19 virus must be contained and state and federal government must pitch in to right the ship. The $2 trillion stimulus package the U.S. House of Representatives passed on Friday is a first key step, Chung said. There are still too many wild cards for us to predict when this is going to end, Chung said. Were hoping political leadership is truly tying to find the best financial interventions. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. J. Dale Shoemaker is a reporter on the data & investigations team. He can be reached at jshoemaker@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JDale_Shoemaker. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced that he will contribute his one year's salary to Chief Minister's Relief Fund in a bid to tackle the coronavirus crisis. The Chief Minister has also appealed to the citizens to do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the pandemic, informed the Chief Minister's Office. Earlier, the Chief Minister had appealed to the people for contributing to the Chief Minister Relief Fund to help the state to fight against the coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The existence of coral reefs, in all their abundant biodiversity and beauty, relies largely on a complex symbiosis between reef-building corals and microalgae. This finely tuned, fragile, partnership is constantly under threat from environmental stress - most notably the twin effects of warming waters and ocean acidification caused by climate change. But scientists say a third driver, that of ocean deoxygenation, could pose a greater and more immediate threat to coral reef survival. A perspective paper published in Nature Climate Change brings together existing biological, ecological, and geochemical evidence to consider the broader role for ocean deoxygenation in global coral reef degradation. The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) led study has found that the threat of ocean deoxygenation to coral reefs has largely been ignored and remains unaccounted-for in predictions about future reef health. This is despite reef-building corals underpinning both the ecological and economic value of the world's coral reef ecosystems. Lead author, Dr David Hughes, a Research Associate at the UTS Climate Change Cluster, said that measurements taken over the last 50 years showed oxygen levels in the world's oceans have already declined by around 2% "largely due to the dual forces of global climate change and coastal pollution caused by nutrient runoff". "Our oceans are slowly suffocating and although we have some understanding about deoxygenation in the open ocean this process has been largely overlooked in coastal tropical reef systems. "Although oxygen is a relatively easy environmental variable to measure, there is surprisingly very little data available for coral reefs," he said. The authors, who also include scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and University of Konstanz, Germany, say this lack of data makes it very difficult to assess what normal oxygen levels are on coral reefs or the dissolved oxygen threshold at which areas might become "dead zones". "We simply don't know what constitutes lethal or sub-lethal oxygen thresholds within coral reefs or the role such thresholds will play in determining what future reefs will look like," Dr Hughes said. Associate Professor David Suggett, senior author and leader of the Future Reefs Research Program at UTS said it's likely that understanding the impact of deoxygenation for places like the Great Barrier Reef "holds the key to being able to more accurately predict the future for coral reefs." "Oxygen fundamentally sustains reef life. "It's possible that declining oxygen availability has amplified, and will continue to amplify, the impact of catastrophic events such as heat-wave driven mass coral bleaching. Capacity for organisms to resist stressors is severely compromised under reduced oxygen availability. It's why we give oxygen to humans under trauma", he said. "Identifying thresholds of low oxygen tolerance and how they vary across coral reef-associated species and environmental history is arguably the key step in understanding how reef communities will respond to continued ocean deoxygenation," Associate Professor Suggett said. The authors say that unlike the deep knowledge gained over the past 30 years around the twin impacts of temperature and pH levels, there wasn't the same depth of knowledge about ocean deoxygenation and, therefore, how this will shape reef ecologies. Suggett and Hughes say establishment of an oxygen sensor network on the GBR would be a good place to start and could help develop an oxygen inventory of the reef to enable new approaches and management practices. A positive outcome from the study is the sign that local management is crucial to preventing further deoxygenation in coastal waters. "The resources being mobilised to improve agricultural and catchment management on the GBR are good examples of practices to ensure the oxygen stocks of coastal reefs," Associate Professor Suggett said. "Everyone has a role to play to ensure our reefs don't suffocate further," he said. ### Charity begins at home is a proverb that Ram Mehta knows all too well having observed his parents give to the less fortunate all his life while growing up in Delhi, India. Now the 43-year old part-owner of In-Fretta pizza in Plano, Texas is giving back to his community during the COVID-19 pandemic and credits his late mother Lata Mehta for his charitable actions. Mehta and business partner Hanif Islam, 36, are giving away enough food once a week to feed at least 1,500 people, even though their restaurant has seen a decrease of sales by as much as 80 per cent since early March. Mehta says in his Sikh religion 'feeding the hungry is the best thing you can do and I made a promise to my mother before she died that I will always be charitable and help out the less fortunate as I was taught as a child.' In-Fretta Pizza owner Ram Mehta is giving back to his community of Plano, Texas, during the COVID-19 pandemic Mehta, 43, and his partner Hanif Islam, 36, are giving away enough food to feed at least 1,500 people a week Their restaurant has see a decrease of sales by as much as 80 per cent since early March but they continue to help the community 'The day we opened our doors in September 2018 we offered a free cheese pizza to a family or two slices to individuals who couldn't afford to eat,' Mehta exclusively told Dailymail.com. 'At that time, we were giving away about 100 pizzas a week for free.' Now since the coronavirus has hit Texas as well, with people losing their jobs and businesses closing they've decided to become more charitable by digging into their savings to do so. The pizzeria offered a free cheese pizza to low income families struggling during this time Islam said their restaurant used to bring in about $125,000 a month in gross sales, but now they are not bringing in anywhere near that amount. 'Our rent alone is $12,000 a month, we have food costs, salaries, we are now bringing in enough money to barely scrape by and pay the bills. 'We've had to cut back on some of our employees' hours and had to layoff a few dishwashers, we are just trying to stay afloat like the next guy,' said Mehta. 'Despite what's going on in the world every week we bake at least 400 cheese pizzas other times we make pasta dishes for them to be given to local shelters or churches to feed the hungry,' said Hanif. To make that many pizzas at such a time is no small feat. It takes about four hours to bake them all. They stay on a large area on top of the oven and in warming bags to keep the baked pizzas warm. After the pizzas are done a local charity or shelter stops by and picks them up and distributes them to the needy. Mehta says it costs about $5,000 a week out of their savings to make pizzas for the 1500 people, 'We'll do it as long as we can, we have saved some money for a rainy day and our restaurants are bringing in just enough money to pay our employees and keep the lights on.' In May 2019 comedian Jay Leno dropped by their restaurant after craving some NY style pizza Leno drove all the way to In-Fretta from Dallas and loved the pizza, according to the pizzeria Mehta tells DailyMail.com that in his Sikh religion, 'feeding the hungry is the best thing you can do' Islam said since President Trump has extended social distancing guidelines until April 30, they don't know how much longer they can continue with donating food for 1,500 people each week. 'We'll do it as long as we can, as long as we have the money, we'll do it.' 'Not only are our pizza's free they are great tasting, they are authentic NY style pizza, best outside of NY,' added Mehta. According to In-Fretta's Facebook, in May 2019 comedian Jay Leno dropped by their restaurant after craving some NY style pizza. Leno was in Dallas shooting and was missing authentic pizza so he was recommended In-Fretta Parkwood by one of his producers. He drove all the way there from Dallas and loved the pizza, according to the pizzeria. Metha who has lived in the Dallas areas since 2013 said he and his three other business partners stand out in the Republican mostly white community, 'there is a Sikh, Muslim, Christian and Hindu, I've learned to love Texas and especially Plano. I now truly feel Texas is my home. The community made us, it's now time to give back.' Tekashi 6ix9ine Could Be Released Early From Prison Today Robyn Mowatt Robyn Mowatt is a staff writer at Okayplayer where she This actually isnt an April Fools joke, the rappers lawyer is actively pushing for his early release. Tekashi 6ix9ine might be released early as soon as today as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic worsens in New York City and the U.S. We previously reported that 6ix9ines lawyer Lance Lazzaro was actively working to get his client out of prison as he has health concerns such as asthma that could point to contracting the deadly virus (March 22). In case you need a refresher, Lazzaro asked Judge Engelmayer if the rapper could be released to home confinement to serve the rest of his sentence. According to a Complex report, the government denied this. By denying Lazzaros request, this opened up a can of worms, mainly due to the fact that they declared the decision was in the hands of the Bureau of Prisons rather than the judge. Lazzaro fired back noting that 6ix9ine is not a BOP prisoner, he also noted they couldnt release him if they wanted to. On March 25, court documents pointed out that Judge Engelmayer reluctantly released the following statement alongside him declaring he lacks the legal authority to alter 6ix9ines sentence: Had the Court known that sentencing Mr. Hernandez to serve the final four months of his term in a federal prison would have exposed him to a heightened health risk, the Court would have directed that these four months be served instead in home confinement. Directly after this, Lazzaro who was reached by phone by Complex shared, The remedy at that point was to apply to the Bureau of Prisons, which I knew would more than likely deny him, he said. But they had up to 30 days to issue that denial. I kept pushing them to make a decision immediately because, in todays environment, with the virus spreading in a way that nobody could have imagined, it was imperative to get a quick decision. So the Bureau of Prisons through the general counsel this morning denied my request for compassionate release. That now becomes an appealable decision in front of Judge Engelmayer. On Wednesday morning, Complex reports Lazzaro wrote a letter declaring the government has one final chance to argue that 6ix9ine should remain behind bars. He noted they have until 5 p.m. Lazzaro also said, provided that the Court has legal authority to grant the relief requested by defense counsel, the Court intends to do so. So basically, unless any additional reasoning behind why he shouldnt be released emerges, Judge Engelmayer will be left to decide the fate of the rapper. Home confinement could be what is next for Tekashi 6ix9ine and his release could happen today. Source: Complex With the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 surging nationwide and health officials warning that, even in a best-case scenario, deaths from the disease could top 100,000 in the U.S., the government is reviewing its guidance on the use of face masks by the general population. Asked at Tuesdays press briefing of the White House coronavirus task force whether U.S. citizens should wear face masks, President Trump signaled that additional protection is not a bad idea and offered an alternative to medically approved masks, which are in short supply. My feeling is that if people want to do it, theres certainly no harm to it. I would say do it, but use a scarf if you want, rather than going out and getting a mask or whatever. Were making millions and millions of masks, but we want them to go to the hospitals. And one of the things that Dr. Fauci told me today was, We dont want them competing, we dont want everybody competing with the hospitals who really need them, Trump said. So, you can use scarves, you can use something else over your face. It doesnt have to be a mask. Its not a bad idea at least for a period of time. I mean, eventually youre not going to want to do that, youre not going to have to do that. This is going to be gone, hopefully gone for a long time. Until Tuesday, the federal government had discouraged the use of face masks as a way to avoid contracting COVID-19. Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9 U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020 In recent days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been reviewing its guidance on whether to recommend that ordinary citizens, as well as health care workers, should wear face masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. CDC Director Robert Redfield cited new data that showed high rates of COVID-19 transmission from individuals infected with the virus but who are asymptomatic. Story continues Thats important, because now you have individuals that may not have any symptoms that can contribute to transmission, and we have learned that in fact they do contribute to transmission, Redfield told NPR, adding that as many as 25 percent of people currently infected with the virus are asymptomatic. Women wear face masks and a scarf as they walk along 34th St. in New York on Friday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that WHO was continuing to study the evidence about the use of masks. To date, the CDC and the World Health Organization have recommended them only for people who are showing symptoms of illness, to protect others from the virus. At the same time, however, masks, face shields and other protective gear are mandatory for health care workers from contracting the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading medical expert on the coronavirus task force, told CNN on Wednesday that White House officials were also discussing new guidance on the use of face masks in light of the new data showing that the virus may remain airborne longer than previously thought. Particularly now that were getting some inklings that theres transmission of infection from an asymptomatic person who is not coughing, who is not sneezing, who just appears well well, then how do you think thats happening? Fauci said. It very well could be aerosol. Maybe not aerosol, you know, that goes on for hours. But even the slight aerosol in which youre talking to somebody. Numerous health experts have already been recommending that the public don masks whenever leaving the house. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote in a pandemic-response plan published by the American Enterprise Institute that everyone, including people without symptoms, should be encouraged to wear nonmedical fabric face masks while in public. Demand for face masks has spurred some companies, both big and small, into action. While 3M has ramped up production of masks with the goal of manufacturing 2 billion in the coming year, independent companies have also stepped up. Janelle Wavell-Jimenez, founder and CEO of a startup clothing company in Los Angeles called Stellari, told Yahoo News that she had pushed back the launch of her brand and transitioned her capital to the production of face masks that she will sell at cost. Wearing a mask when you do leave the house is basically protecting everyone else around you from droplet spread. We dont know if were actually sick until weve been tested, Wavell-Jimenez said. No one really knows if theyre sick. I feel like telling people to assume that theyre sick and to protect their communities would have probably been better messaging. Sam Matthews contributed reporting to this story. ____ Read more: HAMDEN The Legislative Council is back to business virtually. The body held its first meeting over Zoom this week, with members, town officials and a handful of residents calling in remotely. In-person meeting requirements for public bodies were suspended by Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order, to allow municipal business to continue and for people to stay home and isolate during the coronavirus pandemic. The special meeting handled approving a new budget schedule, for which Lamont also provided an extension, giving municipalities until the end of July to approve a budget. The next meeting via Zoom is set for April 6, a special meeting at which the mayor will present his budget to the council. Council President Michael McGarry said the council will return to a more regular meeting schedule soon. Right now the administrations focus has been on the pandemic, so much of our regular business is paused, or moving slowly, he said. The budget deliberation schedule will be established soon, he said, and hopefully the body will return to having regular meetings. The council hasnt scheduled budget deliberation meetings, but public hearings are scheduled for no later than May 20. Anyone joining the virtual meetings can do so with or without enabling video, or by calling in. The meetings are required to be recorded and posted to the towns website within seven days, per the governors executive order. In addition to the council connecting virtually, Mayor Curt B. Leng is live-streaming weekly updates about the pandemic as it relates to Hamden. The live-stream will be held every Wednesday via the Town of Hamden and Mayor Curt Balzano Leng Facebook pages at 8 p.m. unless otherwise stated, according to a release. Now more than ever we need reliable and accurate information and we need it regularly, Leng said in a statement. I plan to speak live with our residents every week in an effort to ensure this information is received. Through the live-streams, Leng will share information with residents and answer some questions, the release said. Leng had been doing informal weekly updates from his personal Facebook profile, where he has 5,000 connections, and sharing the videos to various town groups because residents were looking for information, he said. Leng is launching this initiative in an effort to directly engage with as many residents as possible, the release said. Residents can to watch the updates live or visit the pages later to watch the posted video archive. The town is exploring options to expand the reach of the virtual meetings to encompass other forms of media and social networks, the release said. mdignan@hearstmediact.com In brief: Apple is buying Dark Sky, a popular app known for its precise, hyperlocal weather forecesting and smart notifications that go way beyond the capabilities of the built-in Weather app on iOS. Apple has a track record of buying companies left and right, usually in a low-key fashion. A lot of these acquisitions are made to give the company access to intellectual property and talent that it can then use in its grand strategy. The Cupertino giant has now acquired popular weather app Dark Sky, who announced the move in a blog post. As a result, the team behind the service will be shutting down the Android and Wear OS apps in July, which have over one million installs. Those of you who have a subscription that should have lasted past that date will receive a refund. The Dark Sky Forecast API service will continue to work until the end of 2021, but developers won't be able to sign up to use it in new apps. This means that integration in apps like Carrot Weather, Yelp, and search engines like DuckDuckGo will no longer work past that date. The website will remain active, but embeds won't work past July 1 2020. The iOS app will remain in the App Store (where it is sold for $4) for the time being, probably until Apple figures out a way to integrate it into the default Weather app on iOS. Some speculate the company could instead build the hyperlocal weather forecasting functionality of Dark Sky into an API for both iOS and macOS. Dark Sky co-founder Adam Grossman noted "Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy. There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. Were thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone." The move will no doubt raise some questions about fair competition, which is something that Apple has been criticized for a lot as of late. Some iOS developers are suing the company alleging the App Store is a monopoly, and its search algorithm almost proved them right last year. With Shazam in 2017 and Dark Sky today, at least it's not a case of "Sherlocking" their respective functionalities. Mogadishu, Somalia (PANA) - Like most countries in the world, Somalia is facing the unparalleled challenge of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the United Nations system in the country noted on Tuesday, calling on its citizens to unite in stemming the spread As Fordhams president, and as the only educator to serve as chairman of both the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Father OHare found himself, more often than he liked, refereeing rifts in the church over dogma and academic freedom, differences between American bishops and the Vatican, and ideological conflicts among an increasingly diverse student body about issues like abortion and gay rights. While acknowledging his own orthodox moral position, he tolerated a decision by the student government to recognize groups that discussed or promoted an enlightened understanding of both those issues. Similarly, he defended the right of American bishops to denounce abortion, just as they did racial injustice or the nuclear arms race. It is neither antiCatholic nor un-American to argue against the bishops in this debate, he wrote of abortion in a New York Times Op-Ed article in 1976, but to question their right to be heard is a persistent form of bigotry. Still, he said he bristled when some Catholic politicians who dissented from doctrine were threatened with excommunication. Its unfortunate for the bishops to equate pro-choice with pro-abortion, he told The New York Times in 1990. Thats too broad a label to apply to Catholic politicians. That same year, he expressed relief when Pope John Paul II issued a document on education that urged Catholic universities to maintain their fidelity to Catholic education, but that also recognized the legitimacy of academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the latitude to hire non-Catholic faculty. (In 1984, the Fordham faculty included 70 Jesuits; today, about 24 Jesuits are teachers and administrators.) To date, no decision has been communicated about where those students will attend school next academic year. The indebted Gary Community School Corp. announced last month it would not pursue the estimated $10 million in renovations needed at the Roosevelt building, but will instead issue a nation request for interest among others interested in rehabilitating the building, either for use as a school or another purpose beneficial to the Gary community. At that time, EdisonLearning had voiced interest refurbishing the building as a state-of-the-art STEM academy and said it had secured $25 million in private investments to make it happen. EdisonLearning now has withdrawn that proposal, according to its communication to staff and parents this week, saying community support for the project was not there. "Outspoken members of the Gary community have expressed their desire to seek a different solution, and it is therefore, for this reason, that we will step aside and wish them the best in their efforts," Jackson said. A formal request for information on use for the Roosevelt building will be released later this month, a Gary schools spokeswoman said. A boat cruises down the Delta Cross Channel between the Sacramento River and Snodgrass Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a perpetual environmental battleground. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) When the Trump administration rolled back endangered species protections in the Bay Area delta that serves as the hub of Californias water-supply system, the state decided to go its own way. It sued the federal government and also set about drafting its own delta rules under the California Endangered Species Act. The new rules, released at the end of March, were immediately greeted by threats of lawsuits and depending on who was talking complaints that the regulations were too weak or too strong. I think we have a big mess on our hands now, said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies delta water to the urban Southland. The rules take the form of a state Fish and Wildlife Department permit that will govern State Water Project deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a key water source for much of California. But the permit does not explicitly control operations of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Central Valley Project, which exports delta water to San Joaquin Valley farms. That means the deltas two big government pumping operations will likely adhere to different environmental standards possibly allowing the federal project to boost deliveries at the expense of the state project. State officials said they are hoping to resolve the conflict through continuing talks with federal water managers. I think its possible to sort it out, said state fish and wildlife director Chuck Bonham. In the meantime, Kightlinger and other State Water Project customers will be talking to their lawyers. The state has shifted a lot of the burdens to us that we dont think are appropriate, said Kightlinger, whose agency had urged the state to go along with the federal rollback, set in motion by a Trump directive. The relaxation of federal fish protections promised to send more water to Southern California. But it particularly benefited the Westlands Water District, a sprawling San Joaquin Valley irrigation agency that was a client of Interior Sec. David Bernhardt when he worked as a Washington lawyer-lobbyist. Story continues State officials protested the federal action, saying it went too far and was not scientifically justified. But Gov. Gavin Newsom has also been sensitive to water users complaints that delta fish protections have been too onerous. The new state permit is not as bad as the Trump extinction plan," said Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "But it weakens existing protections at a time when we need more protections for imperiled native fish. He added that conservation groups, which have sued to block the Trump rollback, will also likely sue to overturn the state permit. Formed by the confluence of the states two largest rivers, the delta is a perpetual environmental battle ground. Little is left of wetland and flood plain habitat that was drained and turned into levee-ringed farm islands more than a century ago. The massive water export operations that fill river-sized aqueducts are so powerful that they reverse natural channel flows in the deltas southern reaches. Invasive aquatic species are more at home in the deltas highly altered environment than the once abundant delta smelt and Chinook salmon. State biologists have repeatedly said that struggling delta ecosystems need more fresh water flowing into the delta and out to sea. The staff of the State Water Resources Control Board previously said the proposed state rules would reduce delta outflows at critical times of the year. Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources, said on average, the State Water Projects delta exports would not increase under the new permit. The regulations also call for certain outflows to boost the survival of longfin smelt and juvenile delta smelt, Bonham said. Im confident that we have addressed issues raised by the board, Nemeth said. Testing 1) PM to take control Boris Johnson has taken charge of efforts to source chemicals needed for coronavirus tests as the government admitted that they were being delivered too slowly for frontline NHS staff. Hospitals will be told today to test as many of their workers as possible amid frustration in government that laboratory capacity was being wasted because the health service was not ordering enough tests. However, NHS chiefs are pressing ministers to know when they will be able to use a super-lab for testing key workers, which was opened last week but has still not finished a trial periodAnthony Costello, a former director of the World Health Organisation, said that resources were not being properly used and Britain could have levels of testing comparable to Germany 70,000 a day if they were. The Times Hospitals urged to use lab space to test NHS staff BBC UK medicines watchdog warns over unsafe coronavirus tests Financial Times Levido hired to revamp communications strategy The Guardian Public Health England ignored offers of help Daily Telegraph Latest advice H.M. Government >Today: >Yesterday: Testing 2) Gove pledges to go further, faster on testing The UK must go further, faster to ramp up its testing capacity for coronavirus, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said. The government has set a target of carrying out 25,000 tests a day but that will not be met until the end of April. Mr Gove said there was a global shortage of the chemicals needed to test patients. More than 8,000 patients were tested on Monday. Speaking at the governments daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Gove said: More NHS staff are returning to the front line, and more testing is taking place to help those self-isolating come back, and to protect those working so hard in our hospitals and in social care. But while the rate of testing is increasing, we must go further, faster. He added that a critical constraint on the ability to increase testing capacity was the availability of the chemicals needed to test patients. BBC First Formula One ventilators ready for NHS use at weekend The Times >Yesterday: WATCH: This weekend, the first thousands of new ventilator devices will roll off the production line, says Gove. Testing 3) Daily Mail denounces shambles By a country mile, the greatest misstep has been the shambles over mass testing. If Britain is to emerge from this nightmare (relatively) quickly, it is vital we ramp up an expansive screening programme. The failure to order enough testing kits is simply unforgiveable. Lets not beat about the bush: It has left the NHS with one hand tied behind its back. Early last month, ministers said 10,000 a day would be checked, rising swiftly to 25,000. In fact, the figure stands at a paltry 8,000. One in five doctors and nurses must sit idle because they or a family member have displayed symptoms even if theyre fit as a fiddle. Mr Johnson says he is exasperated. Welcome to how the nation feels! No10 blames a global shortage of kits. Yet it is wilfully perverse that a Southampton-based company is churning out lorry-loads of swabs and shipping them around the world, including to India and the Middle East, while the UK Government dithers. Leader, Daily Mail Other comment Sunak considering new measures to help charities Charities will be given a lifeline by the Government amid warnings they face a 4 billion black hole because of the coronavirus crisis. The first aid charity St John Ambulance Association, helping the NHS cope with coronavirus cases, said it could go bust in August unless it receives state aid. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, has spent the past few days considering proposals to support the voluntary sector. Additional backing is expected to be announced later this week, although Government sources have said it is likely to come in the shape of regulatory measures that make a difference rather than a cash bailout. One option under consideration is relaxing the rules for charities when it comes to the Governments furlough scheme, which will subsidise 80 per cent of wages for workers who would otherwise have been laid off. Daily Telegraph Childrens Society reveals it is losing 1m a month during coronavirus lockdown The Sun Without aid, charities will not be there when we need them Iain Duncan Smith, Daily Telegraph >Yesterday: ToryDiary: Charities are in crisis. A Government bailout is urgent but they must not forget small players. Patel extends visas for doctors, nurses and paramedics Visas for overseas doctors, nurses and paramedics will be extended for an extra year, Priti Patel announced. Anyone whose documents were meant to expire before 1 October 2020 will now get an extra 12 months added to their stay for free so they can continue their brave fight against coronavirus. International student nurses and doctors will be allowed to work extra hours too to help the NHS cope with the virus outbreak, the Home Office said. And overseas nurses given more time to pass their skills equivalency tests. It will apply to around 2,800 migrant doctors, nurses and paramedics, employed by the NHS at the moment and doing vital work to protect the country and save lives. The Sun Green shoots of recovery but the death toll rises by 381 in one day There are green shoots signs that the rate at which people are becoming infected with Covid-19 is slowing, NHS Englands medical director has said. Professor Stephen Powis said the next few weeks will be critical to see how the UK epidemic would pan out but there were signs of a plateau in the infection rate.Prof Powis told reporters at the daily Westminster press briefing: We have had a rise in the number of new UK cases but recently there is a little bit of plateau.A total of 1,789 patients have now died overall in UK hospitals as of 5pm on Monday, the Department of Health said, up by 381 from 1,408 the day before. Daily Mail Deaths at home or in care homes are not being counted in NHS daily updates, the Office for National Statistics says The Times 13-year-old boy among the victims BBC Risk was deemed moderate by scientists just five weeks ago The Times The metaphors mounted Quentin Letts, The Times New NHS app to help end the lockdown The NHS is preparing to release an app that alerts users if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, in a move that could pave the way towards the end of the lockdown. The opt-in programme is likely to be rolled out as the current restrictions on movement are lifted and, if successful at limiting the spread of the virus, could prevent the need for further clampdowns. Experts are now expecting the British epidemic to peak around Easter, before a steady decline. Daily Telegraph On-off lockdowns could prevent a second coronavirus wave The Times Care home staff at breaking point The Guardian More than 80 per cent are following the guidelines Daily Telegraph Police forces at odds over enforcement methods The Times Only shop once a week suggests Shapps The Sun A fifth of smaller UK firms will run out of cash BBC Scotland to suspend jury trials for up to 18 months Lawyers have attacked plans to suspend jury trials for up to 18 months in Scotland to cope with the coronavirus crisis as a knee-jerk reaction instigated by panic. The Scottish government is pushing through a swathe of emergency powers to help the criminal justice system and public adapt to the pandemic in a bill expected to be approved by Holyrood on Wednesday in a single day. The bill would prevent landlords from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent; empower Holyrood to allow the release of prison inmates nearing the end of their sentences, and allow children with mental illnesses to be detained for up to four days without a sheriffs approval, instead of three days at present. The Guardian Lawyers warn of a sinister attack The Scotsman Trump warns Americans to prepare for two painful weeks President Trump warned Americans to brace for a very, very painful two weeks as coronavirus deaths continued to surge. After abandoning his plan to have the country opened up and raring to go by Easter, the president yesterday said the next fortnight would be critical for slowing the viruss spread. When you see the kind of death thats been caused by this invisible enemy, its incredible, he told the daily virus briefing yesterdayThe president is considering ordering Americans to wear masks in public as his chief pandemic expert warned that coronavirus will return in the autumn. The US overtook China yesterday with more than 3,700 deaths. The Times Finkelstein: Party members arent fit to pick their leader There are two reasons why MPs are better at choosing leaders. First, they actually know a bit about the candidates. They understand who they are, appreciate their character flaws, and have seen them perform at close quarters. Or in Jeremy Corbyns case, realised the reason why most of them hadnt met him in more than 20 years in the Commons was that he was often in the other voting lobby, opposing Labour governments, or attending a demo somewhere. Second, and critically, MPs represent voters and want to continue doing so. They try to pick leaders who might please their constituents, not just someone who suits them ideologically. Party members just vote to please themselves. Give the vote back to the MPs. The membership ballot was an idea of its time. Times up. Daniel Finkelstein, The Times News in brief Cancelling the tradition of tall tales has the aroma of an April Fools' jest. But tech giant Google has told staff to steer clear of the day's usual tomfoolery as the world suffers the effects of the coronavirus. Google said in the prelude to 1 April that it had suspended its annual April Fools' tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. "Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," it said in an internal email to staff. In previous years Google has advertised jobs at a new research centre on the moon, turned Google Maps into a game of Where's Waldo - also known as Where's Wally - and claimed its search technology uses trained pigeons to rank pages. Tone Google's move for sobriety emerged as governments said there would be crackdowns on any misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 40,000 people worldwide. Thai authorities said that April Fools' Day jokes about the virus could be punished under a law carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison. "It's against the law to fake having Covid-19 this April Fools' Day," the government said on Twitter. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen took to Facebook to tell people not to joke about the virus, adding that anyone spreading rumours or false information could be jailed for up to three years. Fines of up to 90,000 euros have also been threatened. Crackdown In India, Maharashtra state's cyber security unit said it would take legal action against anyone spreading fake news on April Fools' Day. "The state govt won't allow anyone to spread rumours/panic on #Corona," Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted. He said he had instructed the authorities to act swiftly against anyone found guilty of sending out inaccurate information. With people relying on the internet and media for vital information about coronavirus, there are fears that jokes could fan the spread of misinformation. From drinking cow urine to sleeping by chopped onions, myths about how people can catch and cure Covid-19 are circulating widely. The World Health Organization has described the unmarshalled flow of data as an "infodemic", which could increase the spread of the virus among vulnerable people. Emma Batha: Thomson Reuters Foundation. NATO must not allow the coronavirus pandemic to become a security threat, the alliance's chief said Wednesday, warning that Russia or terror groups could take advantage of the crisis. Foreign ministers from the 30-strong North Atlantic Alliance will hold video talks on Thursday to discuss their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 30,000 people in Europe alone. They are expected to issue a joint statement as a show of unity and to send a signal to potential adversaries such as Russia that NATO is still capable and willing to respond to threats. "Our primary objective is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a conference. Measures to try to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus have forced NATO allies to trim military exercises, including the huge US-led "Defender 2020". But Stoltenberg insisted this did not mean NATO's ability to defend itself was weakened. "Our operational readiness is maintained, it is not undermined," he said. "We continue to patrol the skies and to defend our borders and we continue our missions and operations not least in the fight against terrorism, because these threats continue to exist." Stoltenberg pointed to what he warned was increased Russian military activity as proof that NATO needs to be on its guard more than ever during the coronavirus crisis. Jets from NATO air forces have intercepted Russian warplanes several times in recent weeks and alliance naval vessels shadowed seven Russian warships loitering unusually in the North Sea for several days. "We see significant military activities close to NATO borders with a new exercise in the western military districts of Russia... and we have seen significant Russian presence in the North Sea," he said. "Therefore NATO has to continue to patrol our skies with air policing, we need to be present on land, but also in the air and at sea." The Russian defence ministry said their exercises were aimed at practising their emergency response to the spread of viral infections. They were to include drills of quarantine, treatment and disinfection measures, the ministry said in a statement. However, Western diplomats have voiced scepticism about this explanation, particularly given the involvement of Russia's strategic missile forces in the exercises. Because of coronavirus restrictions on travel and gatherings, Thursday's ministerial meeting will take place by video link -- a first in NATO's 70-year history. Diplomats say it was vital the meeting went ahead to show that NATO is still working and to send a message to potential hostile actors that they would not be allowed to exploit the coronavirus crisis. Stoltenberg also highlighted NATO efforts to help with the virus response. While the alliance does not have medical equipment of its own to deploy, it is acting as a forum for allies to exchange requests for help, as well as aiding in the transport of supplies. On Wednesday, a military cargo plane took off from Turkey with masks, protective equipment and other medical materials for Italy and Spain, Europe's two worst-affected countries. And a team from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency has joined forces with a start-up in Italy to convert snorkelling masks into emergency ventilator masks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Forty people were in the hospital Tuesday with COVID-19 across Providence Health & Services hospitals -- double the tally from just six days earlier, The Oregonian/OregonLive has learned. At Legacy Health, total hospitalizations Tuesday in Oregon and Southwest Washington stood at 22. Thats nearly triple the count from March 25. The increased hospitalizations at two of the states largest hospital systems underscore the severity of COVID-19 cases as more Oregonians are diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease. The Oregon Health Authority reported Tuesday that 154 people had been hospitalized at any time since Oregons coronavirus outbreak began Feb. 28 -- a number that doubled from 75 on March 25. Those sharp increases in hospitalizations have not yet strained the states overall capacity, however. Oregon has 280 intensive-care-unit beds open and more than 2,100 non-ICU beds available. Hospitals and state health officials have not consistently shared detailed data about COVID-19 hospitalizations in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority discloses the total count of hospitalizations since the outbreak began, but not by hospital, hospital system or even by county. The health authority also recently began releasing a daily tally of active hospitalizations, but that includes both confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19, which as of Tuesday stood at 213. Both numbers are flawed, making it difficult to track the underlying trends. The total count of all COVID-19 hospitalizations can increase each day in two ways: first, if an existing hospital patient tests positive; second, if state officials find that someone confirmed to have COVID-19 was hospitalized but they didnt initially know that. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregons state health officer and epidemiologist, said Wednesday the health authority was working to improve its reporting of hospitalizations. Were still working to put granularity in that data, he said. There are some growing pains. Within the Portland metro area, only OHSU Hospital releases its count online for the public. It stood at nine current hospitalizations as of Tuesday. Providence and Legacy share daily tallies with employees but do not post them online for the public, even after inquiries from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Those hospital systems confirmed the latest numbers in response to questions from the newsroom. Its unclear how many people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Kaiser Permanente facilities. Kaiser has not publicly disclosed hospitalizations, saying it would instead defer to the state health authority. Kaiser operates hospitals in Clackamas and Hillsboro. Providence is the states largest hospital system and has at least a quarter of all hospitalized coronavirus cases in Oregon. The rising caseload of confirmed cases over the past week is highly concentrated in just two of its eight hospitals. Twenty-four people with COVID-19 were hospitalized at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Washington County, home to Oregons largest collection of identified coronavirus cases. St. Vincent had 14 such hospitalizations on March 25. The other increase is at Providence Portland Medical Center. The hospital had 13 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from four on March 25. One person was hospitalized with COVID-19 at Providence Milwaukie Hospital and two at Providence Newberg Medical Center, according to Tuesdays numbers. An additional 75 patients were hospitalized in Providence hospitals statewide awaiting results for coronavirus testing. Legacy officials would not provide a breakdown by hospital in response to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Legacy operates six hospitals in Oregon and one in southwest Washington. Legacys 22 known COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Tuesday marked an increase from the eight it had March 25. Do you have a tip to share about COVID-19 hospitalizations, safety concerns, personal protective equipment for medical workers or the availability of testing? Contact reporter Brad Schmidt. Reporter Rob Davis 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. (Photo : Image by Mylene2401 from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Mylene2401 from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The devastating coronavirus outbreak in the United States has finally led U.S. President Donald Trump to talk about the real coronavirus situation in the country following weeks of seeming denial of the impact of the virus on the American public. Trump Warns of More Difficult Weeks to Come In a briefing on Tuesday, Trump finally warned of more difficult days to come as the U.S. grapples with the reality that the CoVID-19 strain is sweeping the world's largest economy just as bad as it is doing in other countries. According to CNN, it's been several decades since a president of the U.S. had to come to terms with himself in accepting the losses that come with a crisis, much less with a health emergency that is pushing the global economy to its tipping point. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks," Trump said during the White House briefing. Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also spoke about the CoVID-19 situation. Virus Model Suggests Grim Death Toll in the U.S. During the briefing on Tuesday, Fauci and Birx unveiled a virus model that suggested the CoVID-19 strain may kill up to 240,000 Americans even as stricter measures are laid out for the public to follow, the New York Times reported. After Fauci's presentation, Trump called for one more month of social distancing among citizens, adding that the upcoming two weeks will be "very, very painful." The U.S. on Tuesday officially overtook China's death toll with over 3,900 lives lost to the novel coronavirus. New York Governor Notes Underestimation of CoVID-19 In a separate briefing on Tuesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted that the state now has at least 1,550 deaths from the novel virus. He added that it appears government officials underestimated the capacity of the CoVID-19 strain. According to CBS News, Cuomo acknowledged that the coronavirus is bigger than what was initially expected by the government. He also warned that the state has yet to hit its peak in the outbreak. Cuomo's brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, is among the U.S. cases who tested positive of CoVID-19. The governor said his brother will overcome the disease. New York has registered over 75,000 confirmed CoVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. New Jersey Records Over 2,000 New Cases In New Jersey, 2,196 new coronavirus cases were recorded on Tuesday, bringing the state's total to 18,696. The death toll also surged to 267 after 69 new deaths were reported in 24 hours, nj.com reported. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy acknowledged the fact that the numbers will rise further in the coming days. During his Tuesday briefing, Murphy encouraged NJ residents to stay at home. So far, over 45,000 people in New Jersey have been tested for potential CoVID-19 infection, state health commissioner Judith Persichilli said. Washington Couple Die on the Same Day Local media late Monday reported the deaths of elderly couple Merle and Delores Tofte of Washington, who died hours within each other after contracting the novel virus. The couple celebrated Dolores' 85th birthday several weeks before they both died on March 16. The elderly couple were not together during their deaths as they were on separate floors at the Peace Health Southwest Washington Hospital. As of Tuesday, Washington reported at least 5,453 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and at least 225 deaths. California to Release Over 3,000 Inmates The Californian government is processing the early release of around 3,500 inmates as part of the efforts to prevent further coronavirus infections in prisons across the state. According to the Los Angeles Times, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that the government is taking "extraordinary" measures to hopefully slow down the spread of the highly-infectious virus in the state's 35 prisons. The news came after the state recorded at least 8,558 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and at least 182 deaths. Advertisement TagsUS Devastating Coronavirus, crisis, 240, 000 Infections Paul Jones, a 62-year-old accountant from Southam, Cheltenham, tested positive for Coronavirus in March after returning from a work trip to Derbyshire. His wife, Geraldine, 71, who is herself asthmatic and in a high-risk group, refused to take him to hospital, vowing to care for him at home instead. She kept a diary throughout the ordeal. In these moving extracts, Geraldine reveals what it is like to battle the virus alone and win. 12 March: Paul came home from work yesterday complaining of feeling unwell. It seemed like he had a mild cold. He had no cough, but I slept in the spare bedroom just in case. 13 March: He worked at home, eating normally and drinking wine with his evening meal. His temperature was slightly rising but he said he didnt feel that bad. Slept well. 14 March: Paul woke up and said he was feeling much better. We decided that he should work from home again anyway. We ate a good lunch and I was relieved. In the evening, he said he didnt feel good, then WHAM he said it was like being hit with a hot wrecking ball. He looked bad: red eyes, ruddy face, shivering but hot and clammy. He didnt want any supper which was unlike Paul, as he loves his food. 15 March: Today he didnt get out of bed and his temperature rose to 37.8C (100F). He said he felt awful and he looked awful too. I tried to get him to drink all day, which wasnt easy as all he wanted to do was sleep. At this point I should tell you I am an ex-microbiologist. I know what a virus can do to your body. I had had the Hong Kong flu in 1969, which killed a million people. As an asthmatic, I cannot get this new illness. Paul needs me. 16 March: Still no cough but a very high temperature. He has lost his appetite, eating only two Weetabix all day, and was completely exhausted. It was as if sleep had overcome him. Even getting him to drink and take Paracetamol was not easy. Ive already had one husband die in a road accident in 1983. Paul is not going to be the second. Paul Jones, left, and Geraldine Jones, right, from Cheltenham, before he contracted Covid-19. Geraldone kept a diary throughout his illness Paul (pictured still recovering from coronavirus) had mild symptoms for three days before the virus reached its peak and he suffered temperatures of 104F Paul, left, and Geraldine, right, with Dylan the dog, on 1 April after Paul recovered from coronavirus. They are maintaining a social distance from each other 17 March: I am not getting much sleep. We are being told by the Government that after seven days of isolation, you can go out. We are on day six and he can just about get out of bed to go to the toilet. Today BANG his temperature went up above 40C (104F). Paracetamol every four hours did not have much effect. I kept telling him to sit up to protect his lungs, but he yelled at me that he just wanted to sleep. I am in despair. Its like a bad joke: he was fit and healthy and I was the one at risk. 18 March: Cough intermittent. Temperature hovering around 40C (104F). Paul hasnt eaten anything at all today. He blames his loss of taste and smell, and said his tea tasted like sick. He still refused to sit up, which could be a game changer for his lungs. I must get him to drink, as I noticed his urine was quite dark. I am feeling isolated. With my sick husband asleep, I opened some Prosecco. Paul normally does the cork bit but never mind, I could do that. I drank three glasses. My only outing has been walking my dog Dylan, which is like winning the lottery. Ive had the odd chat from a distance but there are not many people around these days and no cars. Its so different to last week when the Cheltenham festival was on. Everything is quiet now, only the birds singing. Oh, was that a plane I saw in the sky? 19 March: Pretty much the same as yesterday. High temperature, ruddy face, chills but hot. Loss of taste and smell the Weetabix always needed more sugar on it. He didnt speak to me much except to ask for water. He was also angry, angry with me and himself. He told me he didnt know why he couldnt control the virus, why was he not getting any better? What can I do to make him better? Death is everywhere. The headlines. This deadly virus, how many died today, how many caught it. Its just like the Eighties, when Aids was a death sentence. The media is now highlighting the fit and healthy young people who have died. Geraldine Jones, 71, cared for her husband at home while vowing not to take him to hospital Mr Jones, an accountant, picked up the killer virus when on a work trip to Derbyshire. Here he is pictured before contracting the virus Dylan the dog, whose walks provided Geraldine with some much-needed respite 20 March: At about 9pm, his temperature climbed to over 40C (104F) and said he could not take a deep breath. When I looked at him, I could see fear in eyes. Thats when I phoned 111. It took ages to get through but I hung on. I described his symptoms, answered their questions and they said yes, it probably was covid-19. A doctor called back later and said he was 99.9 per cent sure that it was coronavirus. He told Paul that he would get over this as he was fit. That was enough for him to let go of the fear in his head. 21 March: Paul is still very ill. His temperature is still high, and hes so weak. Today he could hardly stand but he wanted clean sheets on his bed. My microbiology brain came zooming in and I told him to put them in the washing machine himself, at 95 degrees. Goodbye, you horrible corona viruses. Every time I asked him to sit up, he told me to stop nagging him. Did this mean he was getting better? 22 March: Neighbours are still bringing supplies to my doorstep. I had three separate neighbours bring me various basics. How wonderful, what great neighbours I have. Paul had suddenly asked for orange juice, so that was delivered to our doorstep along with some bread, eggs and milk and, oh yes, some choccy biscuits. Still cant get a food delivery slot, have been trying now for ages. Pauls temperature was 38C (100.4F) today. While he was sleeping I stood beside his bed. The bedside cabinets were strewn with empty paracetamol packets, a thermometer, two empty glasses and a water jug. I quietly put them in a bag and took them downstairs to the dishwasher. Then I scrubbed my hands for 20 seconds in hot water. 23 March: Paul is much better today. Hes eating more and we both can see the light at the end of the tunnel. His temperature virtually down to normal, but hes very, very weak. I have so many great comments on my Facebook page. It has been so comforting to know that so many others are going through the same thing, that we are all scared, all in the same boat with this virus swimming alongside us. Geraldine, a former microbiologist, had the experience and determination required Paul, left, contracted the disease on 12 March and it took him more than two weeks to recover. Here he is pictured before falling ill 24 March: This morning, Paul went downstairs and sat on the sofa, as he felt he could not get enough oxygen in his lungs. He opened a large brown packet that he thought was a new cereal, only to find that with milk it tasted awful. No wonder it was dried yeast flakes for bread making! This morning he was lying in bed, complaining he couldn't breathe, which was worrying. He said that he felt stuffed in his lungs, which is how I sometimes feel being an asthmatic. His temperature remains about 37.4C (99.32F), which is better than 40C (104F). Many people have asked how I have kept symptom free. Well, I may go over the top on some things, but if I take Pauls plates and cups downstairs, I put them in a bag, with my latex gloves on, then straight into the dishwasher. Clothes bedsheets, I have asked him to wash his own towels and bedsheets at 95 degrees and his clothes at 65 degrees tough if they shrink! I wipe down all door handles and taps at night before bed, and I have bought some sterilising tablets to keep his toothbrush free of germs. 25 March: Last night, Paul was a bit breathless and restless. I admit I had a bit of a hangover this morning, as my delivery of 12 bottles of red wine arrived. Heaven. This morning HE SAID HE FEELS GREAT. Still very weak, but he has turned the corner. Paul, pictured today, is now trying to work from home but gets breathless walking upstairs. 1 April: Paul is almost through it now. He still pants when he walks up the stairs and he's still weak, as he didn't eat for such a long time. And he can't concentrate for long periods, though that is improving. Overall, he feels like he's been hit by a steam train. But he's working from home again, and he's on the mend. It will take a couple of weeks for him to get anywhere close to where he was before he came down with the virus. Thank you so much everyone for reading this. Please, please, please be positive if you have the virus, as the mental side is so strong. Remember, Paul had very mild symptoms for about three days, then WHAM the hot wrecking ball hit. He has been through his worst ever illness but he has come out the other side. None of us know the long-term effects of this illness. Everyone, please stay indoors if you can. Stay safe. COVID-19 suspects from Nizamuddin Dargah area, are being taken to quarantine facility in Delhi (PTI) Pune: Pune District Collector, Naval Kishore Ram on Wednesday said that till now 60 people from Pune have been put under quarantine in connection with the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi, which was attended by over 130 people from the State. "Nobody has the symptoms and samples are being sent for testing. Tracing for others is on," said Ram. "The total number of people from Pune who attended the event at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi is more than 130. Many of them are either not in Pune or are untraceable. The search for them is underway," he added. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the accurate number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. Queensland doctors on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic fear they do not have enough personal protection equipment and are resorting to making their own hand sanitiser. An Australian Medical Association Queensland survey of more than 600 doctors found 70 per cent said they did not have enough protective equipment. Queensland doctors have complained about a shortage of personal protective equipment. More than 50 per cent of doctors were buying their own equipment, while almost 85 per cent said they were not confident they would have enough in the near future. AMAQ president Dr Dilip Dhupelia on Wednesday called for the Queensland government to come clean with health workers, following concerning comments left on the survey. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will meet US energy executives this week to discuss plummeting oil values amid coronavirus and a Saudi-Russian price war. "I'm going to meet with the oil companies on Friday," he told a news conference. Trump expressed alarm at the impact on the US energy industry from the twin blows of the economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus and the Russia-Saudi row. "We don't want to lose our great oil companies," he said. But he said he had spoken with leaders in both Moscow and Riyadh and "I think that they will work it out over the next few days." Oil prices fell to $21.42 a barrel on Wednesday, as markets pondered the devastation to demand. The American Petroleum Institute said it was organizing the Friday meeting with Trump, but denied the purpose was to ask for financial help. "Natural gas and oil will be critical to our nation's economic recovery," an official with the industry lobbying group said in a statement. "We are not seeking any government subsidies or industry-specific intervention to address the recent market downturn at this time." Trump is expected to meet ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, Chevron chief Michael Wirth, and Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum, the source said on condition of anonymity. The heads of Devon Energy, Phillips 66 and Energy Transfer Partners also will be present, the source added. US shale oil producers, which had made the country self-sufficient, have been particularly hard hit by falling prices and the global economic slowdown. The American oil group Whiting Petroleum Corporation, which specializes in shale deposits in North Dakota and Colorado, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday, which under US law allows the company protection from its creditors while it restructures. burs-sms/ft The European Union launched Tuesday a new naval mission on the Mediterranean tasked to enforce the UN arm embargo imposed on Libya and violated by several counties, which have taken advantage of the chaos in the oil-rich African country. The mission, branded IRINI, is to begin its operations as of this April 1 and will last for one year. It will use aerial, satellite and maritime assets, the European Council said in a statement. In particular the mission will be able to carry out inspections of vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya suspected to be carrying arms or related material to and from Libya, the statement added. The council also indicated that IRINI will gather information on illegal fuel and oil smuggling from Libya and help build up the Libyan coast guard, including by training its personnel. The mission will also contribute to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks through information gathering and patrolling by planes. Only political solutions and the full respect of the UN arms embargo will bring a solution to the Libyan crisis. But diplomacy cannot succeed unless it is backed by action. This operation will be essential and a clear contribution to promoting peace in our immediate neighborhood through a permanent ceasefire, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters as he unveiled the new mission. The European Union is stepping up its efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, thereby contributing to the peace process in the country, through the launch of a new CSDP (Common Security and Defense Policy) military operation in the Mediterranean, he said. IRINI replaces Operation Sophia initiated to stem illegal migration by thousands of people who use the crisis-hit African country as a departure point to reach Europes southern coasts, mainly Italy. IRINI will be led by Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini as EU Operation Commander, and its headquarters will be located in Rome, Italy. On January 19, at the Berlin Conference on Libya, participating countries pledged to respect the UN arm embargo on Libya. The North African country, in disarray since 2011, following the collapse of Muammar Gaddafis regime in a NATO-backed revolution, has been playground for several countries, backing or controlling rival factions. Turkey, Qatar and Italy are backing the Government of National Accord (GNA) ruling from capital Tripoli, while UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia and France have been backing rival administration and its military leader Khalifa Haftar located in the east. HAZEL PARK, MI -- A 45-year-old Hazel Park man is being held on a $3.5 million bond after he was charged with first-degree murder Monday, for allegedly killing his wife. According to WDIV Detroit, Police say Jeff Sherwood admitted to assaulting his wife and strangling her after the two got into an argument. Sherwoods wife, 64-year-old Susan Klepsch, had confronted him about some alleged infidelity when the argument became physical. Police found Klepschs body after going to the couples Hazel Park home for a welfare check. When police got inside the home, Sherwood was sleeping in the same bed as Klepsch. Police believe Klepsch had been dead for up to a week when they found her body in the bed. Since the argument, Sherwood had left the body in the bed and would sleep with it each night, according to police. Sherwood was arraigned in 43rd District Court in Hazel Park and is due back in court on April 7 for a probable cause conference. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the first-degree murder charge. May 1941. The war is starting to take its toll on Americans, even though President Charles Lindbergh has kept them away from the fight in Europe. The truth is, the trauma from this war goes beyond the front lines. The episode begins with Philip having a nightmare about the Nazis, as he flips through his stamp collection and sees the face of Hitler on every page. The episode ends with Alvin lying in a hospital bed, half of one leg missing. The ripple effects of war. In the United States, Lindbergh's election has seriously changed things. As Hitler prepares to roll over Britain, and Lindbergh refuses to send any soldiers to stave off the attack, antisemites have come out of the woodwork. As Herman's friend Shepsie from the theater says, "They've always been here. But now they have permission." Hateful comments and violent attacks are on the rise. Herman spends part of his day cleaning Nazi graffiti off of Jewish gravestones. Presumably, the worst is yet to come. And yet, Herman isn't eager to leave the United States. Shepsie is heading to Canada before things get worse and the border potentially closes, but Herman insists he won't let the Nazis run him out of his country. Bess has other ideas though. She visits the Canadian consulate behind his back and finds out that the family can be put on a priority immigration list because Alvin is currently serving in the Canadian military. She tells him about this plan, but he's having none of it. "It may be too early to leave," she says, "but it's not too early to have a backup plan." That seems to sink in, as Herman starts to wonder what might be best for his family if things continue down this road. At the end of last week's episode, Alvin was on his way to Canada so that he could fight in the war. Now, he's in Britain, not so patiently waiting for a mission while also spending his time in bed with a woman in the service. He talks about how this is all personal for him because of his Jewish heritage, even if he's not a religious man. He's appalled by what's happened to his country, so he's doing his part to stop the spread of fascism. Story continues Michele K. Short/HBO Eventually, he gets what he wants: a mission to steal a pulse navigation system from the Nazis. It's a risky mission; two men are being sent in because there's a good chance one of them will die. We never get to see that mission. What we do get to see is Alvin's bravado slowly fade away. There's a brief moment before he's sent off where he seems to register the enormity of his situation. And yet, surely nothing prepared him for the outcome. Whatever happened on that mission, it went sideways, and now Alvin is missing half his leg and the Nazis continue to advance. Hell, Lindbergh even meets with Hitler to sign a paper saying the United States will remain neutral. "Part 3" is a pretty fascinating episode, and arresting in the way it uses Roth's text to draw a connection between the show's universe and our own. There are clear parallels here, namely the way politics has consumed the everyday lives of the Levin family, filling what seems like every interaction with a sense of urgency and foreboding. Bess can barely stand it. Between Herman's nonstop talk and her fear for her family, she's coming undone. That makes the episode's lone joyous moment all the sweeter, as Herman serenades Bess in a diner in Washington moments after being confronted by an antisemite. The Plot Against America is building its tension, and its world, wonderfully. There's the obvious dread in the form of Lindbergh, the increasingly present antisemitic confrontations, and the war itself, as filtered through Alvin's character arc. But there's also the more subtle, creeping dread, like the Rabbi's new "Just Folks" program that he's created at the behest of President Lindbergh, which is meant to "help assimilate" Jews into American life by shipping city kids into the country to live on farms. Herman knows what this means. Bess knows what it means. Evelyn might even know, but she's too enamored with the Rabbi, so she's promoting the program. Sandy gets excited and asks to go to a farm for the summer. Herman immediately says no, but changes his mind by the end of the episode. His sudden change of heart is supposedly due to the fact that he wants his son to meet some new people and open up his world, but you get the sense that he's overcompensating and simply masking his fear. He's worried that America is crumbling; if he can safely send his son away for a summer, that must mean the America he loves is still intact. That must mean everything will be okay. It's a heartbreaking final scene. Herman looking unconvincingly confident as he puts his son on the train, Bess looking truly worried about what might happen to Sandy, and Sandy himself suddenly going from ecstatic to nervous as the train pulls away. There's a new reality in America. Some are quicker to accept that than others. Related content: Anupam Kher has always been active on social media and has never shied away from sharing his opinions on social media. And now, in this lockdown period, he has started a series wherein he calls up certain people who make him happy and spread positivity. In his first chat, he called up legendary Indian comic Johnny Lever and shared the video on Instagram with the caption, Chat with Johny: In my series Call people who make you happy I dialled one of the eternal optimists, world-class comedian, and my friend @iam_johnylever. Chatting with him was so gratifying. , , Heres the video: In the video, you can see how the two are discussing how to stay happy during the lockdown and keep others happy in the process and Anupam is also seen praising Johnny for always spreading happiness around. Their conversation can actually work as a booster on a dull work from home day during this self-isolation period. After he shared the video, people started to appreciate the two legends, saying they were happy to see the two in a single frame. Instagram/Anupam Kher Instagram/Anupam Kher Its heartening to see how Anupam Kher has stepped forward to spread positivity amid lockdown. A day ago, the actor took to Instagram and shared a video of him applauding the BMC workers for their tireless service during the Coronavirus pandemic. In fact, he also addressed the current situation and said, "Suddenly nothing seems to a meaning or any sense of importance." He further added, "In fact the lighter you are in your head and belongings the healthier you will feel." The lockdown imposed by PM Narendra Modi is till April 14, during which the entire nation has been advised to stay in their homes as much as possible. MensXP hopes that you are adhering to all the guidelines. A more profound and underlying reason for the RSS's keenness not to rock the Narendra Modi boat was because unlike A B Vajpayee and L K Advani, Modi managed to consolidate the Hindus like never before, reports Radhika Ramaseshan. Image used for representational purpose. Photograph: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters The Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh's executive committee, scheduled to meet in Bengaluru from March 15, called off the annual event because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but the Sangh released three resolutions, which were on the agenda. Read in tandem with the recent statements from Suresh Bhaiyya Joshi, the RSS general secretary and the sarsanghachalaks deputy, the views and comments bespoke the present state of the Sangh's relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP is the RSS's political progeny but not necessarily the family favourite because of the vicissitude that the equation was subject to: Whenever the BJP ruled the country, it apparently acquired an upper hand over the parent, but in the Opposition, the tables turned in the RSS's favour. The resolutions on the Ram temple's 'reconstruction', the invalidation of Article 35A and the reading down of Article 370, and the amended Citizenship Act praised the Narendra Modi government, but with a cautionary tale for the BJP. It was asked to 'convince' the Opposition that the CAA was in the nation's interest. It was an admission that the statute had breached the polity and the ruling party did nothing to heal. How did the BJP and the Sangh interpret the nuanced articulations from the progenitor? A veteran swayamsevak said: "The relationship with the BJP cannot be smoother than now, despite periodic provocations from the BJP. Like it or not, the RSS is so completely identified with the BJP that it is blamed for the BJP's reversals. "On its part, the Sangh only wants to work in a spirit of consensus with the BJP." Mohanrao Bhagwat, the sarsanghachalak, reset the ground rules governing the kinship in 2014, when the BJP first won a majority on its own. "In NDA I (the first tenure of the National Democratic Alliance rule at the Centre), the RSS was convinced that the BJP was naive and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government needed to be micro-managed," an RSS insider said. K S Sudarshan, the RSS chief of the day, was eight years younger than Vajpayee, 'but that didnt deter him from functioning as a super PM at times, bouncing off unworkable ideas," the insider said. A BJP functionary, familiar with the RSS, said Bhagwat was from the 'Balasaheb Deoras' lineage and that made him a '100 per cent political animal'. Balasaheb, or Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, was the third RSS chief -- after K B Hedgewar and M S Golwalkar -- who discovered and groomed BJP leaders L K Advani and Kushabhau Thakre, among others. "He was a political pragmatist who tried hard to save the government of the Janata Party (with which the Bharatiya Jana Sangh had merged) when its fall seemed imminent (in 1979). "Deoras informed the Socialist leaders (of the Janata Party) that Jana Sangh representatives in the government would dissociate themselves from the RSS if that could save the government. But things went too far," the functionary recalled. The RSS insider said: "Bhagwat learned from the Janata Party and Vajpayee's experiences and decided that the RSS must not occupy the Opposition space. "If the Modi government fulfils six of the 10 items on the Sanghs agenda and leaves out four, it's good enough for Bhagwat. Take the case of R K Singh (the power minister). "As home secretary in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance or UPA government, he started the campaign against the Sangh over 'saffron terror'. The RSS was unhappy when he became a minister. But Bhagwat did not make an issue of it." Bhagwat's association with Modi went back a long way, to the days when his father, Madhukar Rao Bhagwat, was the pranth (provincial) pracharak of Gujarat and Modi was a fledgeling pracharak, who was nurtured by Bhagwat senior and Lakshmanrao Inamdar. In an e-book called Jyotipunj, Modi wrote of Bhagwat senior, "Some of the people we meet leave a lasting impression on us, but with Madhukar Raoji, it seemed as if he had entered us. Like sugar in milk." A more profound and underlying reason for the RSS's keenness not to rock the Modi boat was because unlike Vajpayee and Advani, Modi managed to consolidate the Hindus like never before. "In 2014, when the BJP crossed the 272-mark, the Sangh realised that the minority factor was neutralised and the Hindus could never be ignored ever again. "The Sachar (committee) narrative was over and an era in which Rahul Gandhi would publicly display a sacred thread and (Arvind) Kejriwal would recite the Hanuman Chalisa had dawned. Under Modi, the BJP will never let go of this Hindu catchment basis and the Sangh knows that," an RSS source said. So, while the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) continued to be a protector of the RSS's economic orthodoxy, the government bought peace with the outfit by inducting the former SJM convenor, S Gurumurthy, into the Reserve Bank of India's board and dropping Nachiket Mor from the panel because of Mors alleged allegiance to Bill and Melinda Gates, the swadeshi lobbys bugbear. In attempting a 'balancing' act, the RSS has leaned more towards the BJP than its other constituents. EUROPE Kosovo Expected Council Action In April, the Council is expected to hold this years first regular briefing on the situation in Kosovo. The Special Representative and head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Zahir Tanin, will brief on recent developments and the latest report by the Secretary-General. In line with established practice, Serbia is likely to participate at a high level while Kosovo will probably be represented by its ambassador to the US. Key Recent Developments Following the resignation of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj in July 2019, Kosovo held general elections on 6 October. Self-Determination, a long-standing opposition party, came in first after winning 26 percent of the vote. The two major political parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), won 24 and 21 percent, respectively. The turnout, which stood at over 44 percent, was the highest ever recorded for a general election in Kosovo. Almost four months after the elections, Self-Determination and the LDK reached an agreement on forming the new government. Albin Kurti, the leader of Self-Determination, became the prime minister on 3 February after he received support from 66 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament. The major opposition parties PDK, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and Social Democratic Initiative did not participate in the vote. Ten members of parliament from the Serbian List (a political party representing the Serb minority in Kosovo) cast votes but abstained. On 2 March, US National Security Adviser Robert OBrien and US Special Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Negotiations Richard Grenell hosted a meeting between Kosovar President Hashim Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the White House. No specific agenda for the meeting was made public, but some media outlets have reported that the leaders were presented with versions of a draft final agreement on Kosovo. According to media reports, the final agreement would presumably include the potential for territorial adjustments, a possible mutual recognition, and UN membership for Kosovo. There has been no progress in the EU-facilitated talks between Belgrade and Pristina. The dialogue has been at an impasse since November 2018 when Kosovo imposed 100 percent tariffs on Serbian imports. The EU and the US have continued to call for the tariffs to be revoked and for both parties to resume dialogue. Serbia has indicated that its participation in the dialogue is contingent on the removal of the tariffs. The tariffs have become a contentious issue between the coalition partners in the current government of Kosovo. Kurti has proposed a gradual easing of tariffs while Isa Mustafa, the leader of the LDK, called for their immediate and complete removal. Kurti and Mustafa also clashed on the appropriate way for Kosovo to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On 18 March, Kurti dismissed Interior Minister Agim Veliu for openly supporting Thacis suggestion that a state of emergency should be declared in light of the COVID-19 spread in Kosovo. Kurti has questioned the need for a state of emergency, citing a relatively low number of confirmed cases (20 at the time) and no deaths. Later the same day, Mustafa said he would seek a parliamentary vote of no confidence in Kurtis government, which took place on 25 March. The motion of no confidence received support from 82 members of the parliament which brought down the government. The Constitution mandates that the new elections be held within 45 days after the dissolution of the government. Given the COVID-19 pandemic it remains uncertain when Kosovo will be able to hold new next elections. On 20 March, the government of Kosovo approved the decision to abolish the tariffs on import of raw materials from Serbia. Key Issues and Options The Councils primary concern is to maintain stability in Kosovo. The Council will also monitor developments in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and efforts to reach a final agreement on Kosovo. Should there be a significant breakthrough on the diplomatic front, the Council could consider the possibility of adopting a formal outcome that would welcome this. The EU has been the main facilitator of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which resulted in the 2013 Brussels agreement on the normalisation of relations between the two. While there was progress in some areas, an issue for the Council remains the lack of implementation of the main aspects of the agreement (most notably the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb Municipalities in northern Kosovo) and what role, if any, UNMIK might play in facilitating its implementation. Some members of the Council, the P3 in particular, have questioned the UNMIK reporting cycle and called for downsizing the mission in light of the relative overall stability on the ground. In February 2019, the P3 and EU members of the Council prevailed in their months-long effort to reduce the frequency of meetings on Kosovo. According to the agreement, from this year on the Council will hold two briefings on Kosovo annually, unless the Council decides otherwise. The Council could request the Secretary-General to conduct a strategic review of UNMIK to consider the effectiveness of the mission. Council Dynamics Kosovo remains a low-intensity issue for the Council and is closely followed mainly by members with a specific interest in the region. This is due in part to the pre-eminence in Kosovo of regional organisations, including the EU, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Nevertheless, deep divisions among permanent members have continued to characterise the Councils consideration of Kosovo. France, the UK, and the US recognise Kosovos independence and tend to be supportive of its government; China and Russia do not recognise Kosovos independence and strongly support Serbias position. The US has been the most vocal proponent of a drawdown and eventual withdrawal of UNMIK, citing the level of stability in Kosovo. The US has also asserted that the mission is overstaffed and over-resourced for its limited responsibilities and that these resources could be put to better use in more pressing situations on the Councils agenda. The issue of modifying UNMIKs mandate and possible drawdown is likely to become more prominent in the upcoming period given the growing number of Council members supporting this position. Alone among missions regularly discussed by the Council, UNMIKs mandate is open-ended. Any attempt to change it would require a new resolution, which Russia would strongly oppose and most likely block. UN DOCUMENTS ON KOSOVO Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during the 2019 California Democratic Party State Organizing Convention in San Francisco, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Associated Press/Jeff Chiu Warren sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday, pressing them to ensure stimulus money for corporations is responsibly used. "I will be watching carefully as you hand out these funds," Warren wrote. A battle is brewing among top Democrats and the Trump administration around oversight of a $500 billion corporate lending program. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Sen. Elizabeth Warren put Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on notice on Tuesday as efforts ramp up to administer a colossal $2 trillion stimulus law. In a letter sent to both leaders, Warren pressed them to use their sway to ensure money lent to corporations under the recent stimulus package is responsibly used. "The legislation gives you the authority to fill this gap: it gives you extraordinary powers to make discretionary decisions about the recipients of this huge bailout for big corporations, and the terms and conditions under which they receive aid," Warren said in the letter. She urged Mnuchin to reject aid for companies that have "long records of financial mismanagement or lawbreaking." Then the senator from Massachusetts issued a warning: "I will be watching carefully as you hand out these funds." Read more: Bank of America examined the stock market during every recession since 1929 and concluded the recent meltdown is not over. Here's its trading strategy for a deeper crash. Warren doubled down on her call to enact stricter conditions on companies that accept emergency federal funding to ensure it benefits workers instead of executives. They include using the money to keep workers on payrolls, barring stock buybacks, and curbing increases in executive pay. The recent $2 trillion stimulus legislation Trump signed on Friday carves out $500 billion in taxpayer money for loans to large corporations. Mnuchin will oversee the fund. Story continues The pot of money does carry restrictions for corporations and limits stock buybacks. Progressives, though, have panned it as inadequate. A clash is already brewing between Democrats and the Trump administration around oversight of the program. Senate Democrats also sent a letter to Mnuchin on Tuesday calling on the Treasury Secretary to appoint an independent inspector general "without delay," The Washington Post reported. Under the stimulus law, the White House would appoint a person to fill the role and the Senate would confirm. President Trump tried curbing oversight of the program shortly after signing the stimulus into law, releasing a memo saying the administration wouldn't allow the inspector general to inform Congress without "presidential supervision." Read the original article on Business Insider (@ChaudhryMAli88) Minsk demands that Lithuania substantiate its allegations about COVID-19 hotbeds and deaths in Belarus, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, after Vilnius questioned the country's official statistics MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2020) Minsk demands that Lithuania substantiate its allegations about COVID-19 hotbeds and deaths in Belarus, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, after Vilnius questioned the country's official statistics. Earlier in the day, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that he could not trust the official statistics of Belarus, which has so far reported 163 COVID-19 cases, including two deaths. According to Nauseda, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko assesses the situation with "certain bravado," while real statistics may be "significantly worse." Lithuania, he says, is "aware of certain hotbeds" of the infection and related deaths in Belarus. The country is therefore now mulling suspending air traffic between the two nations. "Any statements of this kind should be based on reliable information and facts, not on speculation and rumors. Therefore, we would be grateful to the Lithuanian side for providing us with accurate information about 'certain hotbeds on the Belarusian territory and fatalities that are being recorded. ' Certainly, if it does have such information at its disposal," the ministry's spokesman Anatoly Glaz said. He added that it was up to professionals to assess the country's health care and warned Lithuania against attempts to act as a substitute for the World Health Organization. As for Lithuania's idea of halting air traffic with Belarus, the spokesman slammed it as ingratitude. He recalled that starting March 16, about 500 Lithuanians have been repatriated on board of Belavia planes at a time when countries across the world are grounding flights and closing borders. Minsk, he added, did not require them to obtain visas. Lithuania itself has registered 581 coronavirus cases, including eight fatalities. Top financial regulators have instructed super funds to ensure unlisted assets are properly valued as the sector braces for a rush of withdrawals under an emergency government scheme allowing early access to retirement savings. In a joint letter to the trustees of the $3 trillion superannuation industry, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) called on executives and administrators to show strong leadership in making difficult decisions during the "unusual and challenging circumstances" of the coronavirus pandemic. The ongoing stability and proper functioning of the superannuation sector, which safeguards trillions of dollars on behalf of its members, is critical to the overall stability of the financial system and the economic prosperity of all Australians, the letter signed by ASIC commissioner Danielle Press and APRA deputy chair Helen Rowell said. APRA Deputy Chair Helen Rowell and ASIC Commissioner Danielle Press has put responsibility squarely on super fund trustees to monitor liquidity. Credit:Wayne Taylor The regulators' main concern in recent weeks has been ensuring that funds are able to fulfil payment obligations as the super sector prepares to pay-out funds to potentially millions of Australians. Under an emergency federal government scheme adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic, anyone who has lost their job or 20 per cent of their income will be able to withdraw up to $20,000 from their super over two years. SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global nitrile gloves market is expected to display higher growth rate over the next five years. Rapid surge in this market is credited to the development of industrial and medical grade product, and rising number of online distribution channels. Increasing preference towards nitrile gloves over latex or vinyl gloves is expected drive the growth of nitrile gloves market over the forecast period. Globally, this market is predicted to generate massive revenue over the next five years, providing numerous opportunities for industry participants to invest in research and development of nitrile gloves. Common applications of nitrile gloves include exam gloves in lab testing. However, enhanced strength associated with nitrile gloves, has led to their multiple uses in different end-use industries. Nitrile gloves are formed from a synthetic rubber, which also resembles to latex. It is known to exhibit superior resistance to punctures in comparison with conventional products. Nitrile, which occurs in powdered, sterile and non-sterile form, offer several benefits over latex or vinyl products. Nitrile gloves come with variable lengths from wrist to forearm. Applications of the nitrile gloves rage from basic exam room checks, to hazardous materials handling, such as chemotherapy chemicals. It is also identified as medical grade products. Additionally, higher approval rate and rising product penetration in newer markets are expected to favor market demand over the coming years. It is put through a series of tests conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assure product durability. The nitrile gloves market is broadly categorized into major segments based on the application type such as automotive industry, oil & gas industry, healthcare sector, food processing industry, building & construction industry, and chemical sector. Healthcare segment is growing rapidly in the nitrile gloves market with substantial revenue generation in the last few years. Download PDF to know more details about "Nitrile Gloves Market" report 2023. The nitrile gloves market is divided by region as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. North America has shown major growth in recent years owing to the rise in implementation of latest technologies in manufacturing sector, surge in number of research & development activities and existence of well-established industrial infrastructure in the region. In European region, Germany, France, and United Kingdom are projected to witness steady growth. Asia-Pacific region is estimated to hold a major share in the nitrile gloves market with massive growth in forecast period. Countries such as India, China and Singapore are leading the Asia-Pacific market with strong economic growth, rapid industrialization, growing concerns regarding environmental impact of latex or vinyl based products, and significant investment by leading industry players considering potential growth opportunities in the region. The key players in the nitrile gloves market are Adventa Bhd., AMMEX Corp., Ansell Corp., Aurelia Gloves Inc., Barber Healthcare Ltd., Brightway Group LLC, Dynarex Corp., Hartalega Holdings Bhd., Illinois Glove Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp., Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd., AMD Medicom Inc., Renco S.p.A., Riverstone Holdings, Rubberex Corp., Bhd., Semperit AG Holding, Sempermed USA, Inc., Synthomer, Tan Sin Lian Industries Sdn., Bhd., Top Glove Corp., United Glove, Inc., VWR International, Inc., YTY Industry Holdings Berhad, and Shandong Yuyuan Group Co., Ltd. Access 115 page research report with TOC on "Nitrile Gloves Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-nitrile-gloves-market-outlook-2018-2023 Global Market for nitrile gloves to 2023 offers detailed coverage of nitrile gloves industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand and production forecasts, end-use demand details, price trends, and company shares of the leading nitrile gloves producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the nitrile gloves. Market Segmentation: Report contents include Analysis of the nitrile gloves market including revenues, future growth, market outlook Historical data and forecast Regional analysis including growth estimates Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. Profiles on nitrile gloves including products, sales/revenues, and market position Market structure, market drivers and restraints. Key regions North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and South America Browse reports of similar category available with Radiant Insights, Inc.: Hot Glue Market Plastic Pallet Market Cosmetic Bag Market Foodservice Gloves Market About Radiant Insights, Inc.: At Radiant Insights, we work with the aim to reach the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Our representatives strive to understand diverse client requirements and cater to the same with the most innovative and functional solutions. Contact: Michelle Thoras Corporate Sales Specialist Radiant Insights, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0054 Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744 Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Web: https://www.radiantinsights.com/ Blog: https://radiantinsightsinc.blogspot.com Submitted photo Deer Park Chamber of Commerce President Tim Culp has announced his resignation from that group effective this Thursday after accepting a position as vice president of community relationship for aerial data and automated drone company Airobotics. This was not an easy decision, said Culp, who has been with the chamber since 2010. I absolutely love everything about this job. I have and have had an amazing staff. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Saudi counterpart during which the two leaders discussed the coronavirus pandemic and underscored the importance of collaborative endeavours to deal with the situation. The number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan crossed 2,000, showing a constant upward trajectory despite containment efforts, while Saudi Arabia recorded 1,563 cases, including 10 deaths. The viral infection has so far claimed 26 lives in Pakistan. During his conversation with Saudi Prince and Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Qureshi expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of Saudi nationals due to coronavirus and appreciated the timely steps taken by the Royal government to limit the spread of the deadly virus, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The Saudi authorities have imposed entry and exit bans on Jeddah, Riyadh, Mecca and Medina. The kingdom has also suspended international passenger flights for an indefinite period and also put a bar on workplace attendance. Qureshi also apprised the Saudi leader about the steps taken by the Pakistani government to contain the viral outbreak. The two leaders underscored the importance of collaborative endeavours to deal with the coronavirus crisis and agreed to stay closely engaged, the statement said. Qureshi highlighted Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for debt relief and restructuring for developing States to enable them to free up resources to combat the disease, save precious lives and shore up economies. Congratulating the Saudi Prince on the successful convening of the Virtual G-20 Summit, the Pakistani minister said the Saudi leadership of the G-20 was key to forging a coordinated and coherent global response to the coronavirus crisis, the statement said. The Saudi minister affirmed that a number of measures, including a proposal for debt re-structuring, were deliberated upon during the conference to help tackle the economic consequences of COVID-19, it said. An extraordinary virtual G20 Leader's Summit held on March 26 addressed ways in which global leaders will cooperate to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguard the global economy, address international trade disruptions and enhance global cooperation. The Saudi G20 Presidency hosted the virtual summit. Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the meeting, which was organised with a view to advancing a coordinated global response to the coronavirus pandemic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mysuru: Mysuru district administration is consulting the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at NIMHANS in Bengaluru to take up research on the first Covid-19 cluster case in the state at Nanjangud in Mysuru district. Including the two new cases that tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, as many as a total of 12 employees of Jubilant pharma company at Nanjangud have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. This includes four from Mysuru and nine from Nanjangud. Mysuru District administration has taken up the decision to approach NIV, as they are still clueless on how the first employee of Jubilant factory (P52) was infected with the virus since he neither had any history of foreign travel nor was he in touch with any affected or suspected person for Covid-19. All 11 other Jubilant factory employees tested positive for Covid-19 were contacts of P52. As many as a total of 1459 colleagues of P52 at Jubilant company including 762 from Nanjangud taluk and 697 from Mysuru city are under home quarantine. Mysuru district collector Abhiram G Shankar said that they will collect samples of few primary contacts of P52 and send to the lab (where testes for Covid-19 is done) at Mysuru, and the microbiologists there will take further steps for research with NIV, he said. Karnataka minister V Somanna said that the state administration has decided to provide money, ration and vegetables to the employees of Jubilant company who are quarantined at Nanjangud. One policeman has been appointed for every ten houses to ensure that those quarantined dont come out. The whole of Nanjangud taluk has been declared as a containment zone, with restriction on the entry and exit of any vehicles. Two new cases were tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, both residents of Mysuru. With this, as many as 14 people (including a resident of Mysuru and a Keralite who had returned from Dubai) have been tested positive for Covid-19 in Mysuru. Mysuru district administration is still in the process of testing all primary and secondary contacts of all these 12 Jubilant factory workers. Disney has managed to retain furloughed employees from the set of its live-action remake of The Little Mermaid in the United Kingdom by utilizing the governments Job Retention Scheme to partially pay their salaries, an individual with knowledge of the decision told TheWrap. Executive producer Jeff Silver and production manager Russell Allen informed production staff on The Little Mermaid that furlough notices they received on Mar. 20 would be rescinded and that they would ultimately stay on staff. However, they will remain without work through the end of May unless production resumes before then or production does not proceed as planned. Through the plan, companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic are eligible to receive funds to pay up to 80% of furloughed workers salaries, with a maximum of 2,500, or roughly $3,100, per month for each employee. Also Read: Bob Iger to Forgo Disney Salary During Coronavirus Shutdown, CEO Bob Chapek Takes 50% Pay Cut Pre-production on The Little Mermaid was shut down on March 13 along with several other Disney productions, including the 20th Century Studios production of Ridley Scotts The Last Duel, which was shooting in Ireland. The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is set to star Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula. Rob Marshall is directing the remake of the 1989 animated film. On Tuesday, chairman and former CEO Bob Iger announced he would be foregoing his entire salary during the coronavirus shutdown and that new CEO Bob Chapek would also be taking a 50% salary reduction. Disney theme parks will remain closed until further notice, but the company is paying park cast members through April 18. Also Read: Endeavor to Implement Company-Wide Pay Cuts to Avoid Additional Layoffs Bectu, a UK union representing creatives and freelancers, applauded Disney for utilizing the program in a statement obtained by TheWrap and said it has reached out to nearly 300 film and TV production companies urging others to furlough pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) employees in the same manner. Story continues Bectu welcomes Disneys decision to furlough crew until the end of May when the government has said the JRS will run until. Disney is taking its responsibilities as an employer seriously and this is model behaviour that the rest of the industry should be looking to follow, Bectus head Philippa Childs said in a statement. We are calling on all production companies to do the same where they can and if cash flow is a problem to consider using the governments Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme. Childs continued: There are many PAYE freelancers out there who have been waiting weeks for government help and one of their only options is to be furloughed. Employers must explore this option where possible to help alleviate the stress and anxiety that many are experiencing at the moment. Bectu will continue to highlight the range of hurdles freelancers and the self-employed are facing to qualify for financial support to the Treasury. Deadline first reported the news. Read original story Disney Keeps Furloughed Little Mermaid Crew Through UKs Job Retention Plan At TheWrap In response to that study and others, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed how it defined the risk of infection for Americans. The agency's new guidance targeted people who have no symptoms but were exposed to others with known or suspected infections. It essentially says that anyone may be a carrier, whether that person has symptoms or not. For some time now, songstress/entrepreneur Mzbel has been very clear about her stance against the whole indoctrination of people, especially Ghanaians. On numerous occasions, she has gone toe to toe against the whole idea that a supreme being exists somewhere who is also available to save people from all the troubles they are going through. She has also openly done something that is considered a sin, thus fighting people who are acclaimed as men of God (Prophet Nigel Gaisie & Prophet Prince Osei Kofi) just because she claims they tried to use her wrongly. Well, she is back again throwing a lot of shade at men of God, who she claims have gone into hiding at a time the world needs them to be all out praying to get people who have been infected with the deadly coronavirus disease healed. She boldly stated that all the self-acclaimed men of God are fake and also told Christians to wake up because none of their pastors can heal them as they always claim Read her full post below Good Morning Mzbelievers, I will like to ask the questions everyone is afraid to ask, Hate me or Love me, thats you business but LETS ENGAGE AND SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER Im not here to Baby Seat Your Feelings. If Churches are being shut down for the purpose of saving lives. Was there a need to have them in the first place? Even church pastors are waiting for #CORONAVIRUS to clear so that they can continue healing the Sick! We need to wake up Nobody can heal the sick, my opinion and I stand to be corrected if need be. If theres someone you know why is he not going to Hospital and heal the sick as they claim to heal them in churches, #IBelieveInGodWithin not in the Sky and not Fake! So far no one came out to save Lives, thats because they are all Fake Source: zionfelix.net 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 Civilians paying a heavy price as al-Shabab punishes them and US drone attacks kill them, Somali politician says. It was a warm Sunday night and the Kusow family was gathered outside their home on the edge of Jilib, a small farming town in southern Somalia. The family of five was having dinner outside their tin-roof house. In the distance, they could hear neighbours listening to the evening news bulletin on radios and the unique slap-slap of anjera, Somali pancakes, being mixed for the next morning. Kusow Omar Abukar was catching up with his three daughters and his elderly mother over supper. He spent the day, like most residents of this poor town, toiling the land trying to eke out a living for his family. Throughout the day, like most days in this part of the Horn of Africa country, there was a buzzing sound in the air coming from US drones high up in the cloudless blue sky. Nothing unusual for Jilib residents. People pray no harm happens to them as they do their best to go about their business. It was a normal day for us. People here dont have much. We are poor farmers. We are also peaceful people and have no enemies. We are not in conflict with anyone or any group, Kusow told Al Jazeera by phone. But Kusows family life changed forever that night without the slightest warning. There was a very loud sound and light. The ground shook and I was thrown in the air, I couldnt see or hear anything after that. Since 2001, Washington has launched hundreds of missiles worth millions of dollars into battle-scarred Somalia [Reuters] Kusow is lucky to be alive his daughter was not. The family house was hit from the sky they are not sure if it was a drone or an attack from an aircraft. My daughter was killed, Kusow said, his voice trembling with anger. What has she done to anyone to deserve that? Nurto died on the spot, her life cut too short. She was only 18 and was disabled. Her younger sister, Fadumo, sustained severe injuries. The 14-year-old has undergone two surgeries and will require further medical help if she is to make it, according to her father. We dont have good hospitals here. And we cant afford to take her anywhere else, Kusow added. The nearest large town to Jilib is Kismayo, some 110km (70 miles) away on bad, unsafe roads. Fadumos grandmother was not spared. Shrapnel from the blast tore into her legs breaking bones. Khadijo Mohamed is 80-year-old and for the first time in more than 70 years is no longer able to stand on her two feet. She cant walk any more. She cant leave her bed without help. She is an old lady. She is in shock and can barely talk. I dont know why anyone will want to harm her, Kusow, her son, told Al Jazeera. Jilib is controlled by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group fighting to overthrow Somalias internationally recognised government. The armed group was pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, by Somali forces backed by African Union troops in 2011. Al-Shabab has also lost control of other major towns and cities but continues to carry out attacks in Somalia and the region. In January, the group attacked a military base in neighbouring Kenya, killing three Americans a soldier and two contractors. The United States routinely carries out attacks in Somalia targeting the group. Since 2001, the US military has fired hundreds of missiles worth millions of dollars into this battle-scarred country on the edge of the Indian Ocean in the hope it does not become a safe haven for al-Qaeda. The US carried out its first drone attack in Somalia in 2011. But the frequency of these attacks has significantly increased since President Donald Trump came to power in January 2017. Mad Ali Maadey fled to Mogadishu from the Lower Shabelle region fearing US air attacks [Feisal Omar/Reuters] In March 2017, Trump relaxed some of the rules limiting civilian casualties and designated large swathes of the country, including Jilib, as areas of active hostilities. Since Trump took office in January 2017, at least 145 drone or air raids have hit Somalia, according to figures from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the US army. In just five of those attacks at least 14 civilians were killed and eight more injured, according to Amnesty International. On February 2, the same day Nurto was killed, the US army said in a statement it carried out an air attack targeting an al-Shabab terrorist in the vicinity of Jilib. Initial assessment concluded the air strike killed one terrorist. We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this strike, it said. When Al Jazeera informed Kusow of what the US military said, he could not believe it. They killed my daughter. She is not even well. They injured two of my daughters, one 14 years and another nine years. They also injured my mother who is very old. We are powerless and they know it. Only God can stop them, Kusow said. Three weeks after Nurto was killed, and as people were slowly returning to the normal routine of their lives, the community was shaken, again. Mohamed Haji Salad, 53, a local manager of Hormuud, Somalias largest telecom company, was killed when two missiles struck his farm on the outskirts of Jilib. Abdiaziz Haji Salad, Mohameds older brother, is still in shock. I saw him that morning in his office. He went to his farm on the outskirts of the city. And they just killed him. I collected his body parts, Abdiaziz told Al Jazeera by phone. Mohamed, a father-of-eight, worked for Hormuud for the last 10 years and was a well-known figure in the town. He was a very generous man. Always ready to help those who had less than him. More than 40 people depended on him, he added. The US army said the air attack killed an al-Qaeda member. But officials at Hormuud said the attack killed their local manager in Jilib. Mohamed returned from Mogadishu the day before he was killed. He was in the capital for a month for work. The US army has a base in the city, which is under the control of the government. Why did they not arrest him when he was in Mogadishu if what they are saying is true? He was in Mogadishu for 30 days working, Abdiaziz, his brother, told Al Jazeera. He is well known and often travelled to government-controlled areas for work. No one ever said anything to him. He is an innocent man. I dont even think they know who they killed. On Wednesday, Amnesty International said they have unearthed evidence that the US army killed the two civilians Nurto and Mohamed and injured three others in the two air raids in February. Nothing can excuse flouting the laws of war. Any US or Somalia government response to al-Shabab attacks must distinguish between fighters and civilians and take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians, said Abdullahi Hassan, Amnestys Somalia researcher. In southern Somalia, the East African countrys breadbasket, people are living in constant fear from an enemy they cannot see. Families have started fleeing from towns and villages in southern Somalia into IDP camps in Mogadishu fearing US air attacks [Feisal Omar/Reuters] On March 10, near the town of Janaale, 95km (59 miles) south of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Ali took a minibus for the two-hour ride to Mogadishu after resolving a dispute over a plot of land left behind by his late wife. The father-of-nine had walking difficulties and hardly left the confines of the city. They blew up an old man to pieces, Abdullahi Abdirahman, his son, told Al Jazeera by phone from London. He is 70 years old and can barely move. He cant walk without the help of a walking stick, Abdullahi added. All six on board the minibus, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed in the air raid. Washington said they took out five terrorists in the raid. Our air strikes are a key effort to combating terror and helping to bring stability and security to Somalia, Chris Karns, US Africa Command director of public affairs, said in a statement following the latest attack. Not only do they degrade al-Shababs ability to conduct violent activities in the region, but they place relentless pressure on their fighter network and impede their ability to export terrorism, he added. Mahad Dhoore, a member of parliament, said the victims of the air attack were civilians. They killed civilians. They are not telling the truth when they say they killed terrorists. These people are my constituents, Mahad told Al Jazeera. Civilians are paying a heavy price. On one hand, they are being punished by al-Shabab. On the other, American drone strikes are killing them, he added. Hours before Amnesty released its report, the US army said by end of April it intends to issue a new quarterly report on the status of ongoing civilian casualty allegations and assessments. This initiative is designed to increase transparency regarding civilian casualty allegations that are reported to the command and will demonstrate the US militarys constant commitment to minimising collateral damage in the pursuit of military operations, a statement said. Meanwhile, the Somali government in a statement told Al Jazeera: The Federal Government of Somalia has no knowledge of any strikes conducted by the US that have targeted civilians. Mahad, the legislator, said the US air attacks could be empowering the same group they are intended to weaken. Al-Shabab will use these attacks for recruitment and for propaganda. America is playing into the hands of al-Qaeda by killing civilians and then denying, Mahad said. For the residents of Jilib, they say they are powerless to stop US air raids targeting their town. Only God can stop America. We pray to God, he stops them. We have no other powers but prayers, Kusow, the father who lost his daughter, said. Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa West Australian iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation has bought 90 tonnes of medical supplies from Chinese suppliers, which will be flown into Perth to be distributed across the state and then Australia. Mr Forrest said the foundation put $160 million "on the table" to secure the supplies, which had to be paid for with cash in advance, but the WA government would be buying the goods at cost. Andrew Forrest addresses reporters about a deal brokered by Minderoo Foundation to equip the WA government with 90 tonnes of medical supplies. Credit:Nine News Perth He said a cargo plane was leaving Shanghai on Wednesday, with another due in in Perth on Friday and Saturday. The Minderoo Foundation had secured 1 million N95-equivalent face masks, 400,000 surgical masks, 2.3 million medical-grade gloves, 100,000 nasal swabs, 200,000 medical coveralls, 10,000 medical goggles, 5000 touchless thermometers and 31 intensive care ventilators. On Wednesday, March 18, eight people locked themselves inside the cult-favorite The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, Illinois with one goal: to write, rehearse and perform a brand-new, original show in ten days and live-stream the whole thing. They called themselves the Quaran-team. Lets set the scene. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a state-wide shelter-in-place order on Friday, March 13. While most people spent the weekend stocking up on boxed wine and baked beans (just me?), Executive Producer, Jennifer Estlin, and Artistic Director, Mick Napier, devised a plan to keep The Annoyance afloat and its employees paid for the foreseeable future. Back in 1992, The Annoyance did a one-week lock-in for fun to create a musical, Estlin told me. When I heard about what was happening in Italy...I was brainstorming on how we might still earn income if that happened [here]. I thought of that lock-in. The Annoyance, once home to comedy stars including Aidy Bryant, Andy Richter, Vanessa Bayer, Jane Lynch and Amy Sedaris, is known for fearlessand timelyideas like this. Their annual Halloween show, Splatter Theater, involves buckets of fake blood and a splash zone where the audience must don ponchos. Musicals like ShitFYRE: The Musical and Shark Tank: The Musical are quintessential Annoyance responses to pop culture trends. A creatively-charged lock-in during a global pandemic actually makes a lot of sense for this collective. So, along with five cast members, Technical Director Duke Harbison, tons of food and an ample supply of hand sanitizer, Estlin and Napier hunkered down in their theater. We all had been social-distancing and isolating for close to two weeks prior to coming in, said Estlin. On a typical day, the cast would emerge from their sleeping quarters (in the theaters basement, office and black box space) to eat breakfast in the bar area. Harbison, who hails from New Orleans and makes gourmet dishes on the regular, cooked most meals. Around 11 a.m., they would start to livestream parts of their processafternoons rehearsing, writing material and pitching scenes before dinner and rehearsing again in the evening. Story continues Any time we got a delivery of anything from the outside, it was accepted with gloves on, then wiped down thoroughly before we opened any packaging. I was a bit maniacal about being super careful, added Estlin. Napier had the cast write the shows songs first, so they could send lyrics to musical director and longtime Annoyance ensemble member, Lisa McQueen. Working remotely, McQueen turned around the music quickly so the cast could then work on choreography. The result is Out of Touch, a goofy, honest sketch revue that lets us laugh at this strange predicament we find ourselves in today. For a suggested $5 ticket donation, you can watch the entire video of the livestream debut that aired Saturday, March 28. It runs just under an hour with an added Q&A at the end. Prior to the debut, The Annoyance posted a tape of their dress rehearsal. At the beginning of the video, Napier looks directly into the camera with a smirk. No matter what happens, he says, were going to forge ahead. Sounds good to us. RELATED: Cameron Esposito Saves Everything, Including Herself (And Maybe You Too) Lee Quinn is accused of attacking and injuring a garda during an incident on a Dublin street A young man slashed a garda across the head with a kitchen knife when the officer went to investigate a reported stabbing on a Dublin street, it has been alleged. Lee Quinn (24) is accused of attacking the garda as he tried to speak to a man who had been found with a wound to his side. A court heard the garda, who was wearing a stab vest, was cut from his hairline to the crown of his head, but was "extremely lucky" to avoid more serious injuries. Judge Paula Murphy refused Mr Quinn bail and remanded him in custody. The initial stabbing incident is still under investigation. Aggressive Mr Quinn, of Keeper Road, Drimnagh, is charged with assaulting and obstructing a garda and possession of a knife. The incident is alleged to have happened at St Vincent's Street West in Inchicore on Monday. Objecting to bail, Detective Sergeant Brian Hoey told Dublin District Court that gardai were called to a reported stabbing at Tyrone Place. On arrival, they found a man nearby with a stab wound to the left side of his torso and a garda attempted to engage with him. The man began acting in an aggressive and threatening manner, refused to engage with the garda and walked away before returning and continuing to act aggressively. Mr Quinn then arrived, carrying a large kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade, Det Sgt Hoey added. It was alleged that Mr Quinn approached the garda from behind and attempted to stab him on the right side of the abdomen. He also allegedly slashed at his head, striking him on the crown. The court heard that the garda sustained a large cut. It was alleged he was att-acked by both men and all three fell to the ground. Mr Quinn swung the knife in a downward motion and the garda held on to his arm, preventing this, Det Sgt Hoey said. Dublin Fire Bridge ambulance personnel arrived and dragged the accused off the garda. The alleged victim was treated at St James's Hospital for a cut to his head and grazes to his hand. He was also X-rayed for a suspected fracture to a finger, but it was not broken. Det Sgt Hoey said the accused was arrested at the scene and a knife was recovered. The alleged incident was witnessed by numerous members of the fire brigade and there was CCTV footage. Det Sgt Hoey said the accused was highly-intoxicated when he was arrested and a doctor deemed him unfit for interview for eight hours. He was co-operative with gardai, but made no admissions, the court heard. The DPP had directed trial on indictment. "The garda was extremely lucky to get away with the injuries he did get away with from the attack," Det Sgt Hoey said. The officer had been wearing a uniform and stab vest. Applying for bail, defence solicitor Ruth Walsh submitted a psychiatric report on the accused. She said she had significant concerns about her client's mental health. He could spend a long time on remand, and custody was "simply not an appropriate place for him". Ms Walsh said "we are in a very strange and unusual situation due to Covid-19", and she could imagine the strain on prison psychiatric services. Detrimental It would be "absolutely detrimental" to the accused to be remanded in custody, she added. Mr Quinn's mother was concerned about her son's mental state and had wanted to attend court and support him, but Ms Walsh had told her it would not be appropriate. Judge Murphy took into acc-ount the accused's presumption of innocence. However, he said the charges were serious, and she did not believe the objections could be met by way of bail conditions. She directed that Mr Quinn receive appropriate medical treatment in custody and adjourned the case to today, when he was due to appear at Cloverhill District Court. The judge also granted free legal aid. Altice Europes proposed acquisition of Partner Communications has been scrapped due to disagreements over the timeframe as well as the backdrop of the global economy in the current Covid-19 crisis. Hot Telecommunication - the Israeli subsidiary of Altice Europe confirmed that it had terminated discussions regarding the potential acquisition, which would have created Israels largest mobile operator by subscribers. Talks over a possible deal began in January. While Altice was keen for a full takeover of Partner Communications, it cautioned at the time that there was no guarantee that any such transaction would be agreed. Altice has thus far been reticent about the deals collapse, but Partner has stated that several issues arose in negotiations in particular, the latter firm had queries about Altices financial backing for the deal that it was unable to satisfy. Additionally, Altice was not forthcoming on the details of any recompense if the deal failed. Partner also noted that the pace of negotiations meant that the deal would not meet the timeline that Altice had set out, adding that it had substantial reservations about the economic situation and bleak prospects for a short recovery. Storyful Birds swarmed over a Texas parking lot on January 8, perching on the cars in a scene worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.The unnerving sight was captured by Kenna Mitchell outside the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco.The footage shows birds perched atop parked cars, while others circle above in the foggy evening sky.We went to Stonebriar Mall just after dusk and the entrance by the Cheesecake Factory was overrun with thousands of birds, she told Storyful.These grackles were perched on cars, in the trees, and swarms were everywhere you looked. Other people in the lot were just amazed at the sheer number of birds, Mitchell said.Very loud and very gross, but still quite a site to see! Definitely in need of a car wash now! she added. Credit: Kenna Mitchell via Storyful The global death toll due to the novel coronavirus has crossed 36,000, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO situation dashboard says 754,948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36,571 deaths have been recorded. The data was last updated at 6.30 pm Central European time (CET) on March 31. COVID-19 outbreak LIVE updateshere India has so far reported 1,397 cases and 35 deaths since the outbreak began. States are working to identify attendees of an event held at Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi. Nearly 100 people who attended the event have tested positive for COVID-19, and 2,100 people have been evacuated from the building. Individuals from several nations, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia, attended the religious gathering held in March. In the US, nearly 3,900 people have already died from COVID-19, and 187,00 people have tested positive so far. The US is creating makeshift hospitals near major cities, amid increasing pressure on the healthcare system, Reuters reported. The UK reported a 27 percent jump in new deaths on Monday, bringing the country's total death toll to 1,789. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the COVID-19 pandemic the 'greatest test since World War II', the BBC reported. Follow our full coverage here Global oil benchmark Brent crude plunged to its cheapest level in almost 18 years on Monday and U.S. crude briefly tumbled below $20 a barrel as investors faced the growing prospect that the global coronavirus shutdown could last for months, further squeezing demand for fuel. The pandemic is expected to cause at least a 20% drop in fuel demand worldwide as governments take steps to restrict the spread of the virus. With Saudi Arabia and Russia set to flood the market with oil next month, producers and shippers have also been scrambling to lock oil up in storage as demand falls. Brent futures fell $2.17, or 8.7%, to settle at $22.76 a barrel, the lowest close since November 2002, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.42, or 6.6%, to $20.09, the lowest close since February 2002. Global commodities trader Trafigura said oil demand could fall by more than 30 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, nearly one-third of daily fuel consumption. The price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia erupted earlier this month after the collapse of a three-year deal to limit supply between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers led by Moscow. So far, negotiations between the two producers and the United States have not changed the outlook. Saudi Arabia said on Monday it planned to boost oil exports to 10.6 million barrels per day (bpd) from May. Major crude benchmarks have recorded losses for five straight weeks. The price of oil is now so low that it is becoming unprofitable for many oil firms to remain active, analysts said, and higher-cost producers will have no choice but to shut production, especially since storage capacity is almost full. Texas shale producers, Pioneer Natural Resources and Parsley Energy formally asked Texas regulators on Monday to curtail oil production for the first time in nearly 50 years. Declining demand and swiftly filling storage have squeezed prices for major U.S. grades of crude - some to around $11 a barrel. [CRU/C] "It appears that the Saudis are on a mission to drive marginal U.S. producers off of the playing field in re-capturing market share," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Illinois. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call to have their top energy officials meet to discuss slumping global oil markets. The market added to earlier losses after traders said Genscape reported that U.S. stockpiles at the key Cushing storage hub in Oklahoma rose more than 4 million barrels last week, which was the biggest-one week increase in more than 10 years. Bank of America lowered its oil price forecasts for the second time in two weeks after the bank's economists projected global GDP would contract in the first half of 2020. "On a quarterly basis, we expect to see the steepest decline in global oil consumption ever recorded," BofA analysts said, reflecting a 12 million-bpd drop in the second quarter of 2020 and a 4.5 million-bpd contraction for the year. BofA reduced its 2020 price forecasts to $37 per barrel for Brent and $32 for WTI and said it expected both benchmarks would trade in the teens in coming weeks. Supertanker freight rates are rising for a second time this month as traders rush to secure ships for storage. Goldman Sachs analysts said demand from commuters and airlines, which account for about 16 million bpd of global consumption, may never return to previous levels. Also read: US crude oil futures climb $1 as dollar index weakens Also read: Rupee vs Dollar: Rupee gains 8 paise to 75.51 amid recovery in equity market Of course, that one-on-one interaction isnt wise now, as older people are among those most susceptible to the virus. In response, Young said, Meals on Wheels is reducing interactions by increasing the number of meals it delivers at a time, providing a week or twos worth of food. And many of the programs have turned to paid drivers to deliver the meals to doorways. The Uttar Pradesh government has traced and quarantined 569 state residents, who had attended a religious congregation at Nazamuddin in New Delhi last month along with over 250 foreigners, many of them suspected coronavirus carriers. Besides the 569 state residents, 218 foreign nationals, who came to the state at different point of times on tourist visa, too have been traced and quarantined with their passports seized, said Additional Chief Secretary Home Awanish Awasthi on Wednesday. All the quarantined foreigners cannot be said to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi, said Awasthi, adding some of them, however, did participate in the Islamic discourse at Nizamuddin markaj. Cases are also being filed against those who facilitated the stay of the foreigners, he said. Various district magistrates and police chiefs of the districts have been directed to ensure proper quarantine of these persons along with adherence of the proper medical protocol, said Awasthi. The action followed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's direction to officials to identify participants of the Tablighi Jamaat meet "on a war footing" and also initiate action against those who hid information about it. A government spokesperson said Chief Minister Adityanath has taken a firm stand on the issue and held meeting with senior police and intelligence officials late in the night after which raids were carried out in different districts resulting in the identification of 569 people who could be coronavirus carriers Samples of all of them have been taken and they are being quarantined in their districts itself. The police is also trying to trace all those who came in contact with these people after their return from Delhi after the religious meet at Nizamuddin markaj, the official said. About foreign nationals, Awasthi said those coming on tourist visas cannot take part in religious discourses or missionary activities. Action will be taken against them too if they are found having participated in the religious discourse at Nizamuddin markaj, but the first priority of the administration is to ensure their quarantine, he said. He also made an appeal to people to help identify all suspects so that the spread of the disease could be effectively checked. Chief Minister Adityanath cut short his visit to various districts with maximum number of COVID-19 patients and returned to the state capital on Tuesday night to hold an urgent meeting with senior officials. The meeting had been convened following reports that people from the state attended the religious event in Nizamuddin which has emerged as one of the biggest source of the spread of infection. In the meeting, the chief minister directed officials to deal sternly with people violating lockdown and endangering the lives of innocent persons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pictures circulating over social media on Wednesday (1 April) showed workers in protective suits inside the FairPrice Finest outlet at Bedok Mall. SINGAPORE A FairPrice Finest outlet at Bedok Mall has been temporarily closed after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member was diagnosed on Tuesday (31 March) evening and has since been quarantined in accordance with the Ministry of Healths (MOH) guidelines, said NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) in a statement on Wednesday. The affected staff works in the backend replenishing stock and has minimal contact with customers, said FairPrice. It added that the employee was last at work on 25 March, was on leave on 26 March and visited a doctor for a fever on 27 March. The employee has since been on medical leave and FairPrice is extending all the necessary assistance to the affected staff and the employees family during this time. Meanwhile, the outlet will be closed for three days to undergo deep cleaning procedures and will re-open on 4 April. FairPrice is monitoring the situation closely and is working with authorities to assist them with contact tracing and ensure all stores are safe for customers and staff, said FairPrice. During the closure, the nearest available FairPrice outlet in the vicinity of Bedok Mall is located at Block 212 Bedok North Street 1. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: Jiu-jitsu world champion Constance Lien among 17 new spexScholars Malaysian motorists stuck in Singapore due to MCO get one-off waiver of VEP fees Husband of woman killed by collapsed tree in Botanic Gardens in 2017 sues NParks [April 01, 2020] Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023 | Functionalities In Rear-view Mirrors to Boost Growth | Technavio Technavio has been monitoring the truck mirror system market and it is poised to grow by USD 2.65 billion during 2019-2023. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005930/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will decelerate during the forecast period. Ficosa Internacional, Gentex, HondaLockMfg, Magna International, Murakami, and Samvardhana Motherson Group are some of the major market participants. The functionalities in rear-view mirrors will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Functionalities in rear-view mirrors has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Truck Mirror System Market is segmented as below: Application Light Duty Trucks Medium And Heavy-duty Trucks Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30418 Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presnts a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our truck mirror system market report covers the following areas: Truck Mirror System Market Size Truck Mirror System Market Trends Truck Mirror System Market Industry Analysis This study identifies developments in interior rear-view mirror technologies as one of the prime reasons driving the truck mirror system market growth during the next few years. Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Truck Mirror System Market, including some of the vendors such as Ficosa Internacional, Gentex, HondaLockMfg, Magna International, Murakami, and Samvardhana Motherson Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Truck Mirror System 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 Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist truck mirror system market growth during the next five years Estimation of the truck mirror system market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the truck mirror system market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of truck mirror system market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 Light duty trucks - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Medium and heavy-duty trucks - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Developments in side rear-view mirror technologies Developments in interior rear-view mirror technologies Integration of biometric authentication system with mirror system PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Ficosa Internacional Gentex HondaLockMfg Magna International Murakami Samvardhana Motherson Group PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200331005930/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Plan will allow employees to receive equity compensation and align long-term incentives across the Company Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Nextleaf Solutions Ltd. (CSE: OILS) ("Nextleaf", "OILS", or the "Company"), Canada's most innovative cannabis extractor, is announcing today the implementation of an Employee Equity participation Plan (the "Plan") to further align the efforts and compensation of non-executive employees with the Company's long-term business strategy. The Plan is also timely given the current COVID-19 global pandemic. The Plan is fully voluntary and permits non-executive employees to receive common shares in the capital of the Company in lieu of a portion of an employee's cash compensation. If utilized by employees, the Plan will allow the Company to reduce the cash component of employee compensation and further align incentives across the team. In addition to the Plan, the Company expects to supplement payroll with assistance from Canada's wage subsidy program, the federal wage support program rolled out in response to COVID-19 that could subsidize up to 75% of the wages of a qualifying business for up to three months. These changes allow Nextleaf to significantly improve cash costs over the next three months, while maintaining its nimble and strong workforce. "We have taken significant measures in our operational preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic," stated Paul Pedersen, CEO of the Company. "Part of our response has been the consideration of our employees. Paying our employees through this unprecedented time is very important to us. The Plan is an opportunity for us to give our hardworking team a greater opportunity to share in the upside potential of OILS. I am proud of the team's overall response and motivation to be a part of the long-term opportunity at Nextleaf!" Under the Plan for the month of March, Nextleaf has issued an aggregate of 48,146 common shares at a price of $0.19 per share. About Nextleaf Solutions OILS is Canada's most innovative cannabis extractor, developing technology for extracting and distilling THC and CBD oils. Nextleaf owns a portfolio of over 15 issued patents and over 60 pending patents for the extraction, purification, and formulation of cannabinoids. The Company's industrial-scale extraction and purification plant in Coquitlam, B.C. has a design capacity to process 600 kg per day of dried cannabis biomass into refined oils. Nextleaf Solutions commercializes its patent portfolio through IP licensing, and supplying THC and CBD oils through Nextleaf Labs, a Health Canada licensed Standard Processor. Nextleaf Solutions trades as OILS on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OILFF on the OTCQB Market in the United States, and L0MA on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Follow OILS across social media platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. www.nextleafsolutions.com For further information, please contact: 604-283-2301 (ext. 219) investors@nextleafsolutions.com On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, Paul Pedersen, CEO CAUTIONARY STATEMENT Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's expectations regarding the Plan and the resulting reduction in the cash component of employee compensation, the Company's ability to rely on government wage subsidy programs relating to COVID-19, and the Company's strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company's MD&A for the most recent fiscal period. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54024 The Scottish government was forced to drop plans to axe jury trials today as its coronavirus bill jumped its first parliamentary hurdle. The SNP administration confirmed it had dropped the measure after an outcry from opposition parties and senior lawyers following the publication of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday. The bill originally proposed trials going ahead without juries to 'ensure that criminal justice systems can continue to operate during the coronavirus restrictions'. But the move was branded 'draconian' by the Scottish Criminal Bar Association and The Law Society of Scotland insisted there was not 'sufficient justification' for ending the centuries-old legal principle. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described it as an 'exceptional measure to deal with exceptional times' but as well as being criticised by legal groups both SNP MP Joanna Cherry - a QC - and UK Cabinet minister Michael Gove voiced concerns. It came as Ms Sturgeon revealed that the nation's coronavirus death toll had risen to 76 this afternoon, up 16 from yesterday. In a further blow to the nation, a string of summer festivals in Edinburgh have been cancelled for the first time in more than 70 years, in a blow to the Scottish economy running into the hundreds of millions of pounds. Ms Sturgeon told MSP in Edinburgh: 'We are now at the stage of this epidemic, as we expected to be, when the number of cases is rising rapidly. It came as Nicola Sturgeon revealed that the nation's coronavirus death toll had risen to 76 this afternoon, up 16 from yesterday In a further blow to the nation, a string of summer festivals in Edinburgh have been cancelled for the first time in more than 70 years, in a blow to the Scottish economy running into the hundreds of millions of pounds 'And unfortunately that means the numbers becoming seriously unwell and dying are also sadly rising. 'Of course, we hope that the lockdown measures we are asking people to comply with will have a marked effect on the spread of the virus and that we will see a slowdown in the next few weeks. 'However, given that these measures take some time to have an impact, it is too early to draw any firm conclusions yet.' Constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell announced to MSPs that the Scottish Government is now withdrawing that section of the legislation 'in order to allow an intensive and wide-ranging discussion by all interested parties, including victims, whose voice has not yet been fully heard, about the right way to ensure that justice continues to be done in Scotland'. Constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell confirmed another Bill will be brought before Holyrood to address necessary changes to the justice system during the pandemic Among the cancelled events this summer is the Royal Military Tattoo, which takes place at Edinburgh Castle He confirmed another Bill will be brought before Holyrood to address necessary changes to the justice system during the pandemic. MSPs voted to pass the amended bill through to stage two unanimously. Mr Russell also stressed the temporary nature of the measures, which can only be legally enforced for the next 18 months, a term that would include the need for Parliament to agree to two separate six-month extensions. He called called for consensus between political parties to push the Bill through Parliament in a single day, saying: 'Our unity in these matters is important. 'We need to work together if we are to defeat the greatest challenge we have faced as a nation for many generations. 'Unity is worth working for, no matter how hard it is.' The political move came as the festival cancellations were announced. They include the International Festival, Festival Fringe, Art Festival, International Book Festival, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Together, the five August festivals comprise more than 5,000 events across Scotland's capital each summer featuring more than 25,000 artists, writers and performers from 70 countries and attracting audiences of 4.4 million. Its going to be a while yet before Manitoba students return to the classroom. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Manitoba Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen listens in as Premier Brian Pallister speaks during a COVID-19 live-streamed press conference at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Tuesday. (The Canadian Press) Its going to be a while yet before Manitoba students return to the classroom. Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen, accompanied by Premier Brian Pallister, announced on Tuesday morning that in-person kindergarten through Grade 12 classes are being suspended indefinitely. The decision, Goertzen said, was made under the advice of chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin. Classes had previously only been suspended between March 23 and April 10. "If prior to the regularly scheduled conclusion of the school year the public health officer determines that it is safe to reopen our schools, then we would eagerly welcome our students back," Goertzen said. He was asked later in the conference if the odds were against schools reopening this academic year but said he didnt want to make predictions. Goertzen added that the province does not want to have classes extend into the summer so that students can still have a break from classes. Goertzen asserted during the conference that students will not be held back due to the coronavirus and that Grade 12 students on track to graduate will still do so. Speaking to the Sun after the announcement, Brandon School Division board of trustees chair Linda Ross said she agreed with the move. "Its probably in everyones best interests at this point," she said. "To safeguard the health of individuals and the community at large is probably a reasonable thing to do, and well just have to see how long it goes." During the conference, Goertzen and Pallister said that any potential layoffs of school support staff would be up to individual school divisions to determine. Ross said that the Brandon School Division is not currently considering laying off any staff due to the pandemic. "I certainly hope it doesnt come to that," she said. "Its not something we have discussed." Brandon Teachers Association president Cale Dunbar said that he wasnt yet sure how the announcement would affect the education system, but said that teachers have been doing a great job under the current circumstances. Most grades already finished their provincial exams for this year except for Grade 12 students. Their provincial exams have been cancelled and will be replaced by teacher assessments. While school buildings remain closed, child-care centres at schools will remain open and will be following the latest health guidelines. Students grades will be held at what they were on the last day of regular in-school instruction. However, students are still expected to participate in distance learning and have the opportunity to increase their marks by continuing to do school work. The education minister was asked how students not engaging with their lessons would be handled. He said special care and attention would be paid to those students but didnt provide specifics. At the end of the year, students will still receive report cards. Goertzen said that evaluations will be done when regular classes resume to see which students need help catching up on anything missed during the disruption. During the media conference, Goertzen took the time to directly address Grade 12 students affected by the current circumstances. "Whether the school year resumes ... before the end of June or not, I know this is not how Grade 12 students envisioned their final year that they and their families have looked forward to and worked so hard for," he said. "This is a decision that is not made without consequence. I want Grade 12 students to know and understand that they may have some disappointments. The decisions made today are being made because we know they have an amazing future ahead of them." When asked if the circumstances of Grade 12 students graduating irregularly would be a problem for those competing for enrolment in post-secondary institutions, Goertzen said he believed that the pandemic is a situation the whole world knows about and that adjustments would have to be made. The release of the K-12 commissions report on education and the implementation of its recommendations has already been delayed by the pandemic and the premier said on Tuesday that the indefinite suspension of in-person classes was going to further delay that process. At the end of the conference, Pallister took the time to reiterate social distancing guidelines. "Not many generations have the opportunity to save a life," he said. "You do. You might be saving your own life by following the advice of our medical advisers." One of the pieces of advice Pallister shared was not to share musical instruments. "Dont share your trombone," he said. The premier thanked educators, parents and students who he said are doing "the best (they) can" under the circumstances. Goertzen echoed those thoughts, saying that educators have taken on the current challenge with "professionalism and passion." Pallister added that Mondays decision to close non-essential businesses was difficult, but Tuesdays decision to further suspend classes was easier because it protects the health-care system and children. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark PARENTS SPEAK OUT ON SCHOOL SUSPENSION After the province announced that all in-person K-12 classes would be suspended indefinitely, the Sun put out a call on social media asking what local parents think about the move. Here are some of their thoughts: Karen Giles: "I understand that this is necessary for the safety of everyone. I am, however, worried about those students who were taking vocational courses. These are hands-on classes and now they are missing out on this. I am afraid of how this will affect them next year." Sharon Ward: "I understand and appreciate the need to make this decision. Our first priority should be to keep our children safe and slow/stop the spread of the virus. That said, my Grade 6 daughter shed a few tears today when we talked about the possibility that school could be done for the year. Obviously she is missing her friends, and on a less conscious level, she is definitely missing the routine and structure of being in class." Cathleen Finn: "I am glad that they finally made this decision. My biggest worry was that they were going to try and have our kids go back to school before this was all done and it would put our kids at risk. I can take care of myself if I get sick, but my job as a parent is to take care of and protecting my kids, and if that means they have to engage in online learning until this is over, then so be it!" Kerri Moroz: "I hope the graduates that have all worked so hard to graduate still get to have their graduation. My daughter bought her dress months ago as most of the other girls in Grade 12 have too. This is supposed to be one of the most exciting times of their lives turning 18 and graduating. I totally get that we all need to stay safe and healthy. Its just very disappointing for the grads of 2020." Tawsha Jefe Omb: "My only child is a kindergartener and although he may not notice, I just hope it doesnt affect his school career with it starting off as a short year. I was really looking forward to a years progress report, but I understand that this is just now in my hands to ensure hes up to par to start Grade 1 and I can just pray that starts on time." Kelly Glen Cowan: "Had a complaint from our oldest as school is her life. Our youngest daughter kind of shrugged it off (more playtime at home, she said). Our son isnt to start until September anyways. I was a little sad for them but I know that Manitoba making this call is for the right reasons. Big shoutout to all the teachers and people in the school division making arrangements for children with the work being sent home to make sure our children still receive the education they need. This will pass if everyone does their part. Once the virus is done, life can continue as normal as it was before." The Brandon Sun In a significant development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore for families of healthcare personnel if they die while dealing with Coronavirus cases. This comes as the National Captial is gripped with a surge in cases of Coronavirus. So far, over 90 cases have been reported in Delhi. "If anyone loses their life while serving Coronavirus patients, whether sanitation workers, doctors or nurses, their family will be provided Rs 1 crore as respect to their service. Whether they are from the private or government sector doesn't matter," said Kejriwal. Furthermore, the Chief Minister hailed the health worker for their service saying, "During a war, a soldier protects his country, risks his life, our whole nation is indebted to them. Today, the job that you guys (health workers) are doing is no less than that of a soldier. You are risking your life to save people of this country." READ: LPG cylinder prices slashed by Rs 61.5 Delhi and Rs 62 in Mumbai; Details here READ: Nizamuddin scare: Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia says 2361 evacuated so far, 617 symptomatic The Coronavirus Pandemic As of date, India has reported over 1,400 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, around 38 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar, apart from barring all incoming international flights. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a nationwide lockdown in order to curb the spread of the virus. At present, there are around 871,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 43,200 people across the world. Meanwhile, around 184,482 people have reportedly recovered. The US is at the top of the charts with respect to Coronavirus cases, with over 1.8 lakh people infected with the virus. READ: '195 stuck at Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila; they were screened,' says Sirsa amid evacuation READ: Nizamuddin scare: Delhi authorities sanitize Markaz & surrounding areas as numbers grow Billionaire trader Steven Cohen is cautioning the staff of his investment firm, Point72 Asset Management, to remain cautious amid markets that have recovered slightly from coronavirus-driven lows. "Markets don't come back in a straight line; after an earthquake there are tremors," Cohen wrote to staff on Friday (US time) in an internal memo seen by Reuters. Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has urged staff at his investment firm to stay cautious. Credit:Bloomberg "We need to continue to be disciplined. We are seeing plenty of opportunities to generate returns, but I don't want us taking undue risks." Cohen also wrote that his $US16 billion ($26.1 billion) firm's returns are "essentially flat for the year," a result that "speaks to how well our investment professionals have managed risk in such a challenging environment." Saudi Arabia risks losing its last line of defense against legislation targeting the kingdom in Congress amid the Saudis' rapidly escalating oil price war with Russia. A coalition of Republican senators most of whom come from oil-rich states hardest hit by the price war and have a strong pro-Saudi voting record has assembled to pressure the kingdom to reduce its record-high oil output. Most of the senators have consistently sought to shield Saudi Arabia from legislative efforts to end support for the Yemen war. Now theyre threatening to retaliate against the oil-rich kingdom with their own draconian measures if Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fails to meet their demand to restore oil market stability. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., has emerged as the de facto leader of the Republican coalition and has threatened not to bring any pro-Saudi Arabia legislation and to no longer oppose any anti-Saudi Arabia legislation until the kingdom proves itself worthy of our support. Saudi Arabia hopes to further ramp up oil production to more than 12 million barrels of oil per day in April. Cramers home state of North Dakota has borne the brunt of the price war, which has resulted in layoffs in oil-dependent states throughout the country. This has exacerbated problems brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. I cannot justify defending Saudi oil assets while they declare war on ours, said Cramer. The kingdoms actions are not the actions of a friend, and they need to stop now. Cramer has partnered with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, to introduce legislation that would require President Donald Trump to remove all US forces from Saudi Arabia, including Patriot missile batteries and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. The bill would require the Trump administration to relocate US forces and missile defenses elsewhere in the Middle East. Trump dispatched some 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia last year after two Saudi Aramco facilities were attacked by Iran-linked drones and cruise missiles. Cramer and 13 other Republican senators also raised the issue with Saudi Arabias US ambassador, Princess Reema bint Bandar, earlier this month after sending a letter to the crown prince urging him to reduce oil output. The North Dakota Republican raised the issue with Trump on Monday and has called on the president to end crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia, Russia and OPEC member states. Notably, Cramers assembled coalition consists of several prominent Iran hawks, and all but one member Energy Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has a reliably pro-Saudi voting record. Murkowski aside, the 13 other senators pressuring Riyadh all voted against a war powers resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels last year and three other bills to end arms sales to Riyadh. However, Murkowsi threatened to revisit support for the war in Yemen as well as US antitrust measures in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Tellingly, five Republican senators who voted against the Yemen war powers resolution signed onto the Murkowski letter, including Armed Services Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla. Inhofe sided with the White House to score several significant pro-Saudi victories in last years defense bill by convincing House Democrats to drop provisions that would have defunded US support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen and sanctioned Saudi officials involved in murdering the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia is an important partner, but, at the same time, they must be accountable for their actions that have significant impact on our energy markets, Inhofe told Al-Monitor in a statement. Inhofe and several other Republicans have asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to impose tariffs on Saudi and Russian oil. The Wall Street Journal reported today that Trump is expected to meet with the heads of the largest US oil companies Friday to discuss potential tariffs. However, many of the US-based companies have significant equities in foreign oil markets and only one, Continental Resources Inc., reportedly supports oil tariffs. Trump acknowledged the damage the price war has done to the US oil market during a White House briefing Tuesday but has so far stopped short of directly criticizing the Saudis for their role. And while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue with the crown prince last week, he appeared to take a very different tact than the flustered Republicans on Capitol Hill during a call today with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. State Department spokeswoman noted that Pompeo underscored that the United States would continue to support Saudi Arabia in the face of Irans threatening behavior. The call focused primarily on the COVID-19 pandemic and Yemen. Trump has only issued six vetoes so far in his presidency, and four of them were to preserve US support for Saudi Arabia. If the price war continues and Cramers coalition makes good on threats to line up behind anti-Saudi measures, it may become considerably more difficult for the White House to keep Congress from overriding future vetoes. Still, anti-war groups pushing to end US support for the Saudis nonetheless took issue with the fact that it took an oil dispute to get several of the Republican holdouts on board. After years of protecting Saudi Arabia for accountability for its war crimes in Yemen, the murder of Jamal Kashogghi and other abuses, it appears that cheap oil is the last straw for these folks, said Stephen Miles, the executive director of the Win Without War coalition. It says a lot that they are willing to use the very same power they wielded to block accountability to now try to raise the price of oil. An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said. A search operation was launched by security forces in Zurhama forest area of Kupwara on information about presence of militants there, following which the encounter broke out, the officials said. There were no casualties reported so far in the operation, they said. This is the first gun battle between militants and security forces since the nationwide lockdown came in to force on March 25 to control the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oil tankers are used to store oil, as well as transport it. Rates for these tankers are brokered, and right now, they're going through the roof. The world is rapidly running out of storage space for crude. By June, it could well be full up. At that point, some producers are going to have to shut down. You can't pump it if you don't have any place to put it. The Saudis know all this, and you can bet your bottom dollar they won't be forced to shut down their production. They're paying top dollar for the dwindling number of tankers still available. The Saudis don't care how much it costs. They're going to drive other producers out of business. Period. Money doesn't matter. They are strutting their stuff, the big dog of the oil patch, and they have mind-boggling amounts of money. The 34-year-old boss, Mohammad bin Salman, is the new kid on the block. He'll be in power for 40 years. He can take the long view, and in the long run, he wants all the world to know what kind of a man they're dealing with: a badass, just like his grandfather. A guy who can't be intimidated, a guy who doesn't make threats that he doesn't back up. The main Saudi target is the American shale industry, but I doubt that President Trump will allow that to happen. We want to be not only energy independent, but energy dominant. That requires a healthy shale industry. Trump will impose a tariff on oil, getting the American protected market back up to reasonable levels above $35 a barrel. Americans who are still driving will still be getting inexpensive gas. And most Americans aren't driving, so they won't care. Once the Saudis have driven other foreign production out of business, they'll end the price war, and the president can remove the tariff. With an intact shale industry, we will always be energy independent. The last time the Saudis really put the screws to the other oil producers was in the early '80s. I remember it well. I was in the state Legislature of Alaska, an oil dependent state and economy. They drove the price on the spot market down to $8 a barrel. Alaska was going broke. So were the Russians, who got 90% of their hard currency from selling oil. Their oil revenue collapsed, they couldn't possibly afford an arms race, and they were forced to cut a deal with President Reagan. This was all part of the Reagan administration's plan. In one of his very first acts after assuming office, the new president used all his goodwill and political capital to push an arms sale to Saudi Arabia through Congress. It just squeaked through the Senate, 53-47. Israel was extremely angry about this sale and used all its influence in Congress to defeat it. The Saudis were acquiring AWACS planes, which would give them early warning of an air strike from Israel. With AWACS deployed against it, the Israeli Air Force lost the element of surprise. Strangely enough, shortly after the Saudis took delivery of their AWACS, and got it up and running, they announced a price war. The other world producers were not doing their share in holding down production, so the Saudis were going to teach them a lesson they would never forget. They flooded the world with oil and broke the back of the Soviet Union. Don't underestimate Mohammad bin Salman. He's out to prove himself, and he knows how to do it. Its a family tradition. Fritz Pettyjohn was a state senator and state representative from 1983 to 1991. Throwing a party with less than 10 people is missing the point: Minister Lawrence Wong Singapore's battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is now focusing on locally transmitted cases, which are outnumbering the imported ones. At a press conference on Tuesday, March 31, Minister Lawrence Wong said that the unlinked cases are particularly worrying. The country's contact tracing team is going all out to trace every new case, identify the links and ringfence the cluster, said Wong, who is the co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on COVID-19. "But it does not help them, or it will be very difficult for them as they go about doing their work, that we see new cases popping up every day," he said. This is why safe distancing measures are important, he added. Photo: Connected to India Workplaces have been venues of transmission in many of the recent COVID-19 cases, and it is now essential for employers to get more of their staff to work from home. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is pushing harder on telecommuting, Wong stressed. Social gatherings are another area in which the government is working to thin out crowds and get people to abide by safe distancing measures. Throwing a party with "just ten people" which meets the social distancing limit "really misses the point", Wong said. "The point of all these measures is to reduce our activity level; it is to minimise contact with others so that each one of us can help to slow down the spread of the virus." He urged Singapore residents to "stay at home as much as you can, avoid crowded places, minimise contact with others outside of your immediate family members." Editors note: This post includes updates related to COVID-19 and its effects on Albuquerque and the rest of the state. PICTURES UPDATES 7:21 p.m. 40 new cases on the Navajo reservation, total now 214 The Navajo Nation now has 214 cases of COVID-19, President Jonathan Nez told the Journal Wednesday evening, an increase in 40 from Tuesday. There are 7 total confirmed COVID-19 deaths on the Navajo Nation. President Nez said Navajo residents have to wait three to four days for COVID-19 test results that are sent to laboratories in Albuquerque and Phoenix. Nez has petitioned the federal government for laboratory sites on the reservation to speed up the process. We did get a National Guard 50-bed mobile clinic in Chinle (Arizona), to use as a quarantine site, Nez said. That site will be used for patients that test positive but dont require hospitalization. Here, many generations live in one household, so this is a way to prevent these patients from potentially spreading the virus in their homes and communities. Nez said the Navajo Nation would receive personal protective equipment shipments from the national stockpile on Thursday for use in the Nations 12 hospitals. Its not much, maybe a weeks worth of supplies, Nez said. Were getting Indian Health Service data that our peak might be early May or mid-May. Were just barely starting to go up that curve. The Navajo Nation instituted special first-of-the-month precautions on Wednesday to protect elderly Navajo and other vulnerable citizens that usually do their grocery shopping on that day. All Bashas Dine Markets on the Navajo Nation extended their elderly shopping hours from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Weve heard and seen stories of citizens stepping up to help each other out in this time of uncertainty, Nez said. It is bringing us together. We will overcome this virus and be stronger fo it. We should continue to pray for our healthcare workers and our first responders. Theresa Davis 4:34 p.m. 48 more NM coronavirus cases; death toll rises by 1 New Mexico state health officials on Wednesday announced 48 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing the number of positive test results to 363 and the states sixth death attributed to COVID-19. The latest fatality was a Sandoval County woman in her 90s who died Tuesday and had underlying health issues, state officials said. All of the individuals who have died due to coronavirus have had pre-existing health issues, and all but one have been in their 70s or older. The coronavirus outbreak has spread quickly since New Mexicos first case was announced March 11, though top state officials have said social distancing strategies including a ban on large public gatherings appear to be helping slow the spread. There are now confirmed COVID-19 cases in 21 of the states 33 counties. There are also 31 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19, though the state Department of Health has not provided a county-by-county breakdown of hospitalizations. Dan Boyd 1:45 p.m. Picutre: No more visitors at MDC Read more about coronavirus at MDC >> Adolphe Pierre Louis 1:19 p.m. NM DOH revises COVID-19 testing criteria The New Mexico Department of Health has broadened the criteria used to screen patients for COVID-19 tests. In a release about the changes, which are now in effect, DOH outlined the new criteria. Asymptomatic people who are close contacts or household members of New Mexico residents who have already tested positive for the coronavirus; Asymptomatic residents in nursing homes; Asymptomatic people in congregant settings such as homeless shelters, group homes, detention centers; Symptomatic people displaying the COVID-19 symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath. Previously, only patients with symptoms of COVID-19, or those who had traveled to another state or country, were considered candidates for testing. Robert Browman 12:48 p.m. Delegation seeks extension to Chaco comment period The New Mexico congressional delegation is seeking an extension to the public comment period for the joint Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for the area around Chaco Culture National Historical Park because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The lawmakers sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhard for an extension from the Department of the Interior for at least 120 days. The comment period for the management plan and impact statement would currently end on May 28. They were originally released in February by the Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Office, in coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Due to rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19, it is imperative that the public be given sufficient time to submit comments on the (the management plan) RMPA/EIS (environmental impact statement), the letter said. Scott Turner 9:40 a.m. 2 more deaths, 26 new cases on Navajo reservation The death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise on the Navajo Nation as tribal leaders announced Tuesday that two more people have succumbed to the virus and another 26 have tested positive for it. There has been no information released about those who have died, but Tuesdays escalation brings the number of dead to seven and total cases on the reservation to 174. Although residents were ordered to stay at home more than a week ago, tribal leaders started a nightly curfew Monday to try to contain the outbreak, and they continue to ask the public to follow those orders. We are very sorry to hear of the loss of more lives due to the virus we offer our prayers for the families of those who lost loved ones, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez wrote in a release. We need everyone to fully grasp the importance of social distancing and the impact it has on fighting the spread of COVID-19. Its completely up to us as individuals to do our part to beat the virus. Tuesdays new cases represent an 18 percent increase in the number of Navajo Nation residents who have tested positive for the virus. This brings the rate of infection on the reservation to more than three times that of New Mexicos, and likely much more. Thats because the Navajo Nation, which extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, has a reported population of about 350,000, but not all tribal members live on the reservation. The 174 reported cases bring the rate of infection to about 49 per 100,000 members. New Mexico has 315 total cases in a reported population of a little more than 2 million a rate of infection of about 15 per 100,000 residents. There are 142 cases on the Arizona side of the reservation, 26 on the New Mexico side and six in Utah. Check the Navajo Times for the latest reporting from the reservation. Robert Browman 7:12 a.m. Lost tax revenue to have brutal impact on ABQ city budget The city of Albuquerque could get around $150 million in direct assistance through the federal governments new coronavirus relief package, according to city estimates. But the money does not address one of the citys biggest forthcoming fiscal challenges: the gaping budget hole expected due to flagging tax revenue. Its going to be brutal, according to Albuquerque Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Bhakta. The $2 trillion CARES Act includes $150 billion for payments to state, tribal and local governments. Each state is guaranteed at least $1.25 billion, but local governments with more than 500,000 people can seek their own direct share from their states pot. Bhakta said he believes the city could qualify for around $150 million, though the number is not official. Bernalillo County also plans to seek assistance through the CARES Act, a spokesman said, and is talking with city of Albuquerque and state of New Mexico officials about how any such money should be allocated. Read more >> Jessica Dyer 6:05 a.m. NM lawmakers: Funds need to be released to rural hospitals New Mexico Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall and Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small are among lawmakers seeking to have funding released for rural hospitals under the recently passed coronavirus relief legislation. They are among members of congress who sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urging him to direct funding included in the CARES Act to sustain small and rural hospitals. . The legislation created a $100 billion grant program for hospitals and other health care providers combatting the coronavirus pandemic. According to the New Mexico Hospital Association, 33 of their 46 members serve primarily rural areas, the lawmakers said in a release. Ten hospitals in the state were designated as Critical Access Hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in fiscal 2019. We are hearing from rural hospitals from across the country that have only days left of cash on hand money needed for payroll and supplies, the letter to Azar said. The lawmakers also request the administration host a teleconference with members of Congress by April 3 , 2020 to provide an update on how they intend to assist rural providers and hospitals across the country, the release said. Scott Turner Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited (KBRA) releases research regarding Kanaal CMBS Finance 2019, a KBRA-rated commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) transaction with exposure to retail assets. Of the two loans that comprise the transaction's collateral, the Big 6 Loan (50.4% of the transaction balance) has retail exposure of 78.1% of the respective allocated loan amount. The Dutch government recently announced measures intended to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected retailers across the country. While some leeway has been given to shops and markets, many multinational retailers have shuttered all of their stores for the foreseeable future. For those stores remaining open, most are operating with truncated schedules and/or restrictions governing the number of people allowed in the stores at any given time. While it is difficult to ascertain the opening status of every tenant, based on KBRA's analysis, tenants accounting for approximately 46.5% of the total collateral area of the Big 6 Loan remain open, 26% are closed, and 21.6% are vacant, with the status of the remaining 6% indeterminable. As a result, KBRA assigns a KBRA Performance Outlook (KPO) of Underperform for the Big 6 Loan, which serves as collateral for the Kanaal CMBS Finance 2019 transaction. A KPO is an assessment of Outperform, Perform, or Underperform based on recent and expected collateral performance. As events surrounding the crisis unfold, our thoughts are with the individuals and families who have been affected by the virus. Click here to view the report. Related Publications KBRA Monitors Coronavirus (COVID-19) Credit Impact by Sector Coronavirus (COVID-19): Taurus 2019-3 UK DAC and Potential Implications About KBRA and KBRA Europe KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider and is a certified Credit Rating Agency (CRA) with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered with ESMA as a CRA. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is located at 6-8 College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005416/en/ Contacts: Analytical Matthew Horner, Director +353 1 588 1240 mhorner@kbra.com Yee Cent Wong, Senior Managing Director +1 (646) 731-2374 ywong@kbra.com Business Development Mauricio Noe, Senior Managing Director, Head of Europe +44 208 148 1010 mnoe@kbra.com St. Charles Early Childhood Center is accepting enrollments from new families to begin child-care services on Monday, April 6. Day-care officials say they especially welcome health-care workers and other essential workers who have children ages 12 months to 12 years to contact the center. While realizing the needs of essential workers, please be aware that the safety of the children and the workers is the top priority at our center, Jamie Dodge, director of the Early Childhood Center, said. At this time, a deep cleaning and disinfection is underway during our temporary center closure March 30April 3. The center is cleaned and disinfected daily and will continue. She said employees are trained to maintain social distancing and hand washing/sanitizing practices according to DHS/CDC guidelines. We will follow the recommendations of Chippewa County Public Health as they may be updated. Employees or children exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home until they are 72 hours symptom-free. If tested for COVID-19, they must stay home until a negative test result. For all essential workers wanting to enroll their children, information can be found on the MACS Early Childhood webpage or by calling 715-723-2161. President Molly Bushman said, At a time when over 25% of centers are closing statewide, MACS is proud to be able to serve the essential workers in our community during this pandemic. We are also sensitive to the food needs of our community and MACS will continue to provide meals to any family with children ages 3 to 18 years (packed lunch and breakfast for the following day). There is no charge for the meals and you do not need to show any type of identification. Pick up times are 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday at McDonell Central Catholic High School, 1316 Bel Air Blvd. at the outside entrance door #10 (back entrance off parking lot). MACS began its Remote Learning with students K-12 on Monday. The 4-year-old kindergarten, Building Bridges 4 Children (BB4C) will begin distance learning on Monday, April 6. Through the amazing work of teachers, staff and the collaboration of families, MACS has developed a plan to ensure the continuation of K-12 Catholic education in spite of the unique challenges that face us, said Mary Huffcutt, dean of Academic Affairs. You can view the MACS COVID-19 Resources at McDonellAreaCatholicSchools.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is dispatching a first batch of equipment to more than 40 countries to enable them to use a nuclear-derived technique to rapidly detect the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This emergency assistance is part of the IAEAs response to requests for support from around 90 Member States in controlling an increasing number of infections worldwide. Showing strong support for the initiative, several countries have announced major funding contributions for the IAEAs efforts in helping to tackle the pandemic, the ogranization's official website reads. Dozens of laboratories in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean will receive diagnostic machines and kits, reagents and laboratory consumables to speed up national testing, which is crucial in containing the outbreak. They will also receive biosafety supplies, such as personal protection equipment and laboratory cabinets for the safe analysis of collected samples. Further deliveries of equipment to the growing number of countries seeking assistance are expected in the coming weeks. IAEA staff are working hard to ensure that this critical equipment is delivered as quickly as possible where it is most needed, said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Providing this assistance to countries is an absolute priority for the Agency. The IAEA is using its own resources as well as extrabudgetary funding for its emergency COVID-19 assistance. Member States have so far announced more than 9.5 million in extrabudgetary financial contributions to the IAEA for this purpose, including US $6 million from the United States, CAD $5 million from Canada and 500 000 from the Netherlands. Australia has also made an important contribution. In addition, China has informed the IAEA about donations of detection equipment, kits, reagents and other medical materials worth US $2 million and provision of expert services. I am very grateful to the Governments of the United States, Canada, China, the Netherlands and Australia for their generous contributions, said Mr Grossi. I encourage others to contribute to this effort so that we can continue to swiftly respond to the growing demands from our Member States. After his telephone conversation last week with the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Mr Grossi said the IAEA is taking concrete and coordinated action to support global efforts against the pandemic. The IAEA is now also part of the UN Crisis Management Team on COVID-19. The first batch of supplies, worth around 4 million, will help countries use the technique known as real time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR). This is the most sensitive technique for detecting viruses currently available. The nuclear-derived DNA amplification method originally used radioactive isotope markers to detect genetic material from a virus in a sample. Subsequent refining of the technique has led to the more common use today of fluorescent markers instead. Each time the cow attempted to stand, Marshall would attempt to drag it and would slip and fall on the slick driveway, records said. When it fell, Marshall got off the ATV, went up to the cow, kicked it several times in its head and torso and beat it with his fists, according to the probable cause affidavit. India is grappling with the fallout of the neo-fundamentalist Tablighi Jamaats decision to hold a giant public gathering despite the coronavirus pandemic. Were raising up revivalists, not pansies, railed the black-clad preacher as the packed congregation, fevered with love of their god, cheered and hugged. They dont want us to do this, he went on, but just turn around to greet two or three people, and tell them you love them. Listen, he assured his followers, this is the safest place. The only time his doors would close, the preacher went on, would be at the moment of the rapture, when believers would be lifted up to meet their lord. This week, India is grappling with the calamitous fallout of the neo-fundamentalist Tablighi Jamaats decision to go ahead with its giant public gathering in New Delhia decision that led to hundreds of activists of the proselytising organisation fanning across the country. A Tablighi Jamaat gathering on Lahores outskirts has had even more catastrophic consequences, sending a storm of infection across the ill-equipped country. But, the case of the black-clad preacher should teach us, the problem isnt just Islam. Florida authorities were forced to arrest far-Right Christian pastor Rodney Howard Brownethe man refusing to shut church doors till the rapture'for his defiance of anti-epidemic regulations. In Israel, ultra-orthodox Haredi Jews have been defying calls to close down congregational worship in their strongholds, like the city of Bnei Brak. Faced with the fact that the infection was increasing up to eight times higher among Haredim than other Israelis, teenager Shmuel Stern asserted the crisis was getting us closer to the redemption, the coming of the promised Messiah. Footage has emerged of Israeli Haredim coughing in the direction of police attempting to disperse them; in New Delhi, members of a Tablighi congregation spat out of the windows of buses removing them from their New Delhi centre: the truly pious also, evidently, have homicidal impulses. Even as the managements of many major Hindu temples shut their doors, rejecting claims that conch-shells or coconuts had magical anti-viral effects, many others were defiant: worshippers defied government advice, flocking to shrines in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in the face of government-backed medical advice. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath even defied Prime Minister Narendra Modis call to end congregations. The great cathedral of Santhome in Chennai distributed an elixir to its followers, which a priest told followers would be more effective than masks or medicines; a mosque in Periampet told worshippers that their ritual ablutions would ward off the coronavirus. Cow-urine and dung, promised to ward off coronavirus, are being sold by enterprising farmers along the Kolkata-Delhi highway. *** All religious believerslike all ideologically-driven individualsdetest being told how similar their behaviours are, despite their apparently-irreconcilable theologies and mutual loathing. Theres a large body of scientific research, though, that tells us why this is so. Like all herd mammals, researchers have shown, human beings are extraordinarily poor at making reasoned choices about their circumstances, instead relying heavily on the opinions of the group they belong to. In 2015, a team lead by the University of Exeter mathematician Colin Torney demonstrated that individual choices were too-readily shaped by social informationa proposition illustrated, for example, by the startling reliance on WhatsApp messages during crisis. In essence, humans tend to copy their neighbours. Follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak here Though deference to group experience works for some choiceslike what car to buy, or which restaurant to eat itit flails in the face of new challenges, or crises of which there is no collective experience. Indeed, Torneys work suggests, collectives are strong precisely because they unresponsive to changes in their environment: a group where everyone made different choices on how to respond to stimuli wouldnt, after all, remain a group. Put simply, the very human instincts which help us collaborate and mitigate friction in societies are our enemies, when confronted with situations which require innovation or reasoning. As early as 1908, the sociologist Wilfred Trotter underlined the extraordinary capacity of humans to rationalise irrational beliefs, noting the mind rarely leaves uncriticised the assumptions which are forced on it by herd suggestion, the tendency being for it to find more or less elaborately rationalised justifications of them. This is in accordance with the enormously exaggerated weight which is always ascribed to reason in the formation of opinion. In this process of the rationalisation of instinctive belief, he went on, it is the belief which is the primary thing, while the explanation, although masquerading as the cause of the belief, as the chain of rational evidence on which the belief is founded, is entirely secondary, and but for the belief would never have been thought of." Evolutionary biologists and anthropologists have, in recent years, helped us understand the imperatives underlying our reliance on superstition and illogic. Evolutionary processes, Scott Atran has argued in an excellent survey of the evidence, driven by competition among groups, have exploited aspects of our evolved psychology, including certain cognitive by-products, to gradually assemble packages of supernatural beliefs, devotions, and rituals that were increasingly effective at instilling deep commitment, galvanizing internal solidarity, and sustaining larger-scale cooperation. The problem is these modes of knowing the world arent particularly useful when faced with crisis they just have no comprehension of, or vocabulary to address. *** Fearthe realisation among a group that it has no tools to deal with a crisisdrives groups to violence. In May 1916, a crowd gathered in Waco, Texas, some of it made up children on their school lunch-break. They cheered as 17-year-old, mentally challenged Jesse Washington was castrated and his fingers cut off, before he was burned to death. Local photographers sold postcards of the event: "This is the barbecue we had last night," one reads, in faded brown ink. Black American assertion challenged the values and norms of the killers; lynching was their response. The killers were in good company: Europeans, confronted with the medieval plague, thus responded by exterminating Jews on a near-industrial scale; Indians rioted in response to nineteenth-century plague-control measures. For Indians contemplating the ongoing epidemic of irrational behaviour by religious groups, context is key. From authority structures within families to the status of women, imperialism and capitalist modernisation shattered the basic building blocks of Indias civic life. India is seeing the emergence of a giant cohort of dependent elderly, at precisely the same time record numbers of undereducated young people are struggling to find work. Like so many other polities in the making, India is an anaemic state. It has too few police officers for its population, too few courts to administer timely justice; too few doctors and nurses and schools. The anaemia of the State means it cannot repair these tears in our social fabric at the best of times, let alone in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Throughout the world, decades of ideologically-driven assaults on the idea and institution of robust government have left entire polities with no credible institutions to turn to. In this time of crisis, the consequences have become clear: WhatsApp forwards and and rantings of clerics have more authority and influence than scientists, or even the State. For millions, panicked into a state of near-stampede, pseudoscience, paranoia and piety offer at least the hope of surviving the coronavirus. For them, and everyone else, this illusion is proving truly tragic. Strategic Wireless Acquires Oregon Cell Tower Strategic Wireless Infrastructure Funds Management, LLC. ("Strategic Wireless") announced the acquisition of a cell tower located in La Grande, Oregon. The Snake River Tower was constructed in 2012 and is strategically located close to the center of town and in close proximity to Eastern Oregon University. Jerry Sullivan, CEO of Strategic Wireless, stated, "Despite the slowdown in the overall U.S. economy, cell towers remain critical in supporting the connectivity consumers demand on a daily basis and we continue to be active in the space. We believe this tower, the existing high-quality tenant and the opportunity to lease additional space make it an attractive ddition to our overall portfolio." The existing anchor tenant on the tower is a top-tier wireless carrier and there is capacity for two additional broadband tenants. Management believes the site's location may be attractive to other tenants including government agencies, radio stations and wireless internet service providers as it seeks to maximize occupancy. About Strategic Wireless Strategic Wireless is an investment manager and capital partner focused on acquiring, building and managing telecom infrastructure assets that support mobile and internet connectivity. To help achieve its investment objectives, Strategic Wireless establishes mutually beneficial partnerships with select independent operators and developers throughout the U.S. The company's goal is to align interests, provide transparency and offer fair pricing to ensure longstanding working relationships for years to come. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005894/en/ New Delhi: IAF aircraft being loaded with essential medical supplies which include Personal Protective Equipment, Hand sanitizers, surgical gloves, thermal scanners etc to be airlifted to various parts of the country as part of IAFs assistance to Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: IAF aircraft being loaded with essential medical supplies which include Personal Protective Equipment, Hand sanitizers, surgical gloves, thermal scanners etc to be airlifted to various parts of the country as part of IAFs assistance to Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: IAF aircraft being loaded with essential medical supplies which include Personal Protective Equipment, Hand sanitizers, surgical gloves, thermal scanners etc to be airlifted to various parts of the country as part of IAFs assistance to Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: IAF aircraft being loaded with essential medical supplies which include Personal Protective Equipment, Hand sanitizers, surgical gloves, thermal scanners etc to be airlifted to various parts of the country as part of IAFs assistance to Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 1 : In the fight against COVID-19, the Indian Air Force has airlifted nearly 25 tonnes of essential medical supplies in the last three days from across the country. The force has airlifted medical supplies from Delhi, Surat and Chandigarh to Manipur, Nagaland and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. "The medical supplies include personal protective equipment, hand sanitisers, surgical gloves, thermal scanners and medical personnel. Regular airlift of COVID-19 test samples from the Union Territory of Ladakh to Delhi is also being carried out," the Indian Air Force said in a statement. To carry out these emergency assignments, C-17, C-130, An-32, AVRO and Dornier aircraft of the IAF are being tasked on requirement basis. "IAF is adequately geared up to meet all the emerging demands," the force added. In addition, several quarantine facilities created at various IAF bases across the country continue to be in a state of readiness. Medical care to Indian citizens evacuated from Iran and Malaysia is being provided at Air Force bases at Hindan and Tambaram, respectively. COVID-19 testing laboratory at the Command Hospital Air Force, Bengaluru, is operational for testing. Meanwhile, comprehensive measures have been taken to control the spread of the dreaded virus at all bases of the IAF. "Guidelines laid down by the Government of India are being strictly adhered to while ensuring that IAF assets and air bases are ready to support the national effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic," the force said. IAF stations are also continuing to provide meals and support to all people from economically weaker sections of the society residing in their neighbourhoods. A failure by Russian authorities to respond to the High Courts concerns about prison conditions and fair trial rights in Russia has resulted in the immediate termination of an extradition request. Igor Khatlamadzhiyev (47), with a last address at Victory of Revolution Prospect, Shakhty, in the Rostov Region, was wanted for a number of alleged thefts and robberies in Russia between November 1997 and February 1998. The Russian citizen, who has two Irish-born children, allegedly went into hiding sometime after February 1998, according to Russian authorities, and was put on an international wanted list by them in 2004. As Mr Khatlamadzhiyev could not be located by Russian authorities, the criminal case against him has been extended over the years by the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Chief Investigatory Directorate of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Rostov Region. He was arrested by detectives from the Gardas extradition unit in August 2018 and taken to the High Court in Dublin where extradition proceedings have been ongoing. Mr Justice Donald Binchy, the High Court judge in charge of international extradition cases, heard the case against Mr Khatlamadzhiyev in November but sought further information from Russian authorities before delivering judgment. Mr Justice Binchy had asked the Russian authorities for specific assurances that Mr Khatlamadzhiyev would receive a fair trial in Russia. He also asked for assurances with regard to the conditions of pretrial detention facilities and prisons in the Russian Federation. However, no response from the Russian authorities has been forthcoming, despite a reminder being sent by Irish authorities in recent weeks. Counsel for Mr Khatlamadzhiyev, Kieran Kelly BL, said the lack of a response from the Russian authorities led to an inevitable result. Mr Kelly asked for his client to be discharged from proceedings and for his immediate release from custody, where he has been since August 2018. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, who was managing a number of extradition cases in the High Court on Wednedsay, said he had spoken to Mr Justice Binchy and his colleagues position was clear. In the absence of any response from Russian authorities these proceedings should terminate. Mr Justice Binchys concern was that Mr Khatlamadzhiyev should not spend any more time in custody on foot of these proceedings, having already spent 18 months on remand, the judge said. Mr Justice Hunt told Mr Kelly, and his instructing solicitor Tony Hughes, to inform Mr Khatlamadzhiyev of the good news. Ireland extended international extradition obligations to a number of countries, including the Russian Federation, in 2000. It is the second time the Irish High Court has refused to extradite an individual to Russia in recent years, with Mr Justice John Edwards holding in 2015 that there are long standing structural weaknesses and deficiencies in the Russian judicial and criminal justice system. Amongst the weaknesses and deficiencies identified in Mr Justice Edwards judgment were concerns about the independence of the judiciary; biases and unfairness in the system; a disproportionately high rate of convictions (in excess of 99%) save for where public officials are being tried for abuses; difficulties in defendants obtaining effective legal representation; an unhealthy relationship between prosecutors and the judiciary; an unhealthy relationship between the prosecution service and law enforcement agencies with the latter frequently coercing confessions by means of violence, sometimes amounting to torture, excessive force and ill-treatment of persons in custody, and scant respect for the presumption of innocence. The evidence is really all one way in that regard, Mr Justice Edwards said in his 2015 decision. Mr Justice Binchy is expected to deliver his judgment in the coming weeks. Stroke of luck Tucker Hiegels mom, Laurie Vacarro Hiegel, came up with the idea to make the first door plate for herself by hand about four years ago. Shes a master gardener, avid crafter and wildly creative, Hiegel explains. The door plate started attracting attention from both neighbors and friends who started making requests. She started taking orders, but soon after suffered a stroke that affected her mobility and dexterity. The stroke did not, however, change her sense of humor or determination. She looked into changing her production techniques and opened an Etsy online shop called Stroke of Luck. Hiegel was graduating from the University of Missouri at St. Louis around that time, so he told her hed help make the company profitable. He recruited Dan Johnson, his longtime friend, as a partner. That was three years ago, and theyve been in product development for the last two and a half years. Were such good friends, and we both wanted to do something together that would be fun and rewarding, Hiegel said. They recently graduated from Cortex Innovation Communitys Square One Ignite entrepreneur development program. As many as 14 prison staff members and 18 inmates were injured in the district jail here as they clashed with each other on Wednesday evening, officials said. The inmates attacked the prison staff with sticks and stones when they were being sent back into their barracks, Jailor Raj Kishor Singh said. Fourteen prison staff members, including Deputy Jailor Jagdish Singh, sustained injuries in the attack, he said. The staff used mild force to control the situation, in which 18 inmates were injured, he added. Head Constable Purushottam Singh and inmate Chunna Numberdar suffered head injuries, Singh said. Investigation in the matter is underway, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A cruise ship loaded with passengers suffering from the coronavirus, as well as the bodies of four guests who have already succumbed to the virus, is waiting to dock in Florida as authorities negotiate a plan for containing the virus on board. The Holland America ship Zaandam as well as a sister cruise ship, the Rotterdam, will not be allowed to proceed into U.S. waters before cruise line owner Carnival submits and obtains approval for a complete plan for self-support of the medical issues occurring on board the vessels, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Carnival executives are currently working with the Coast Guard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local officials in Broward County, Fla. to address concerns and reach unanimous consent for the ships to dock as healthy passengers disembark. The Zaandam is expected to arrive Thursday. The Rotterdam was sent to bring emergency medical personnel and supplies to the Zaandam last week after a coronavirus outbreak occurred on board the latter, causing the deaths of four elderly passengers. Some elderly but presumed healthy passengers were transferred to the Rotterdam to protect them from the virus. About 120 crew members and 76 guests fell ill with flu-like symptoms, the trademark of coronavirus, and two are in critical condition. A total of 1,243 passengers and 1,247 crew are aboard both ships. President Trump said Tuesday that he plans to discuss with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis whether to let the infected ships dock. I am going to do what is right, not only for us but for humanity, Trump said. Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich expressed optimism that the ship would be allowed to dock once a final plan is decided. These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other. We are their last hope. What are we going to do? Let the ship go back out to sea and just float around and let people die? I dont think so, Rich said. More from National Review Ahmednagar police have filed a case against two functionaries of a mosque from Nevasa taluka in the district for allegedly allowing 10 foreign nationals to stay at its premises during the Covid-19 lockdown, police said on Wednesday. According to officials, these foreign nationals were found inside the mosque when the police were on patrolling duty late on Monday. The foreign nationals, according to Newasa police, were inside Bhaldar mosque also known as Markaz Masjid even as the functionaries of the religious place failed to inform the administration, despite instructions in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. The offence was registered against two trustees of the mosque under Section 188 (disobeying an order issued by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Epidemics Diseases Act, 1897, the official said. The action came against the background of two positive cases of Covid-19 in the last week of March in the district. Those two Covid-19 positive are nationals of Ivory Coast and France who along with 12 others had come for another religious congregation in Ahmednagar city. On Tuesday, three more persons who came in contact with the nationals of Ivory Cost and France, tested positive. In the latest case, the foreigners, who hail from Ghana, Dakar, Djibouti and Benin, were staying at the Masjid since before the lockdown was imposed, said a senior police official. The men were shifted to a nearby hospital and the administration and health department has now collected their swab samples for testing. Meanwhile, the Ahmednagar district administration has traced 46 persons comprising 29 foreign preachers and 17 workers of Tablighi Jamaat who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi which is the world headquarters of the Muslim missionary organisation. District collector Rahul Dwivedi, said, The administration has identified 46 persons who visited Delhi for the international meet and some of them who could be traced so far have been quarantined with samples being tested. The fourth flight with Russian nationals on board departed from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to their country on the intervening night of March 31 and April 1, the country's embassy said on Wednesday. At least 28 Russian nationals who arrived in India for different purposes were stranded here due to curbs placed on travel by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus. The Indian government curtailed all international flights and later extended that suspension on domestic flights as well. Seeing the situation turning adverse, the Russian Embassy decided to extend an immediate helping hand to the 28 stranded nationals who were in New Delhi and sought help to return to their country. An official from Russian Embassy told ANI, last month, that the nationals had come to Delhi to take "a dedicated flight to Russia however it was full. We took care of these people by providing them shelter and basic food products. Now we expect them to go by next dedicated flight. Hopefully, there will be several because we have thousands of stranded tourists here. We have got almost one thousand people signed up saying they would want to go back to Russia." The Russian embassy has to date facilitated transportation by a special Aeroflot flight of about 388 Russian citizens who were stranded in India due to the lockdown. A charter flight was also arranged for a large Russian tour operator to bring back its 126 stranded clients from Goa. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to date, 1,637 cases have been reported, including 132 cured/discharged persons and 38 deaths from India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On March 31, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas 14 times. The enemy used 120mm and 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, antitank missile systems, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian positions, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports. In the zone of action of tactical force East, Russian-occupation troops launched attacks from 120mm mortars and mounted antitank grenade launchers on Ukrainian positions near Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk); 120mm mortars on the outskirts of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and small arms outside Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and small arms in the area of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) and Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol); automatic mounted grenade launcher outside Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk); heavy machine guns in the area of Opytne (12km north-west of Donetsk); small arms near Starohnativka (51km south of Donetsk). In the zone of action of tactical force North, the enemy fired 120mm mortars and antitank missile system on Ukrainian defenders near Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and small arms in the area of Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk). One Ukrainian soldier was killed and two more were wounded in the enemy shelling over the past day. One Joint Forces member sustained injury hitting a Russian-made landmine. According to the Ukrainian intelligence, three invaders were killed and another one was wounded over the past day. Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed an enemy infantry fighting vehicle. Today, the Russian-occupation troops have already opened fire from mounted antitank grenade launchers on Ukrainian positions near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk). No casualties among Ukrainian defenders have been reported. Coronavirus cases have not been recorded in the Ukrainian army so far. ol Increase in production of biologics & large molecules, expansion of the biopharmaceutical industry, and rise in government expenditure on healthcare have boosted the growth of the global pharmaceutical filtration market PORTLAND, Oregon, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Pharmaceutical Filtration Market by Product Type (Membrane Filters, Prefilter & Depth Filter Media, Single-Use Systems, Catriage & Capsules, Filter Holders, Filtration Accessories, and Others), Technique Type (Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, and Other Techniques), and Application (Final Product Processing, Raw Material Filtration, Cell Separation, Water Purification, and Air Purification): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026". According to the report, the global pharmaceutical filtration industry was $5.37 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $7.74 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2019 to 2026. Incentives for market growth Increase in production of biologics & large molecules, expansion of the biopharmaceutical industry, and rise in government expenditure on healthcare have boosted the growth of the global pharmaceutical filtration market. However, poor demand from under-developed countries hampers the market growth. On the contrary, growth opportunities in emerging markets would supplement the market growth. Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6425 The membrane filters segment dominated the market By product, the membrane filters segment held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than one-fourth of the pharmaceutical filtration market. Moreover, the segment is expected to portray the highest CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period, owing to increase versatility & efficiency, lower operation costs, high performance, and ease of use influence. The nanofiltration technique to manifest the highest demand by 2026 By technique, the nanofiltration technique segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period, due to complete removal of a wide range of contaminants and their use for color removal, heavy metal elimination, water-softening, nitrates elimination, pretreatment for reverse osmosis, and decontamination. However, the microfiltration segment held the largest share in 2018, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the pharmaceutical filtration market, owing to advantages of microfiltration such as low operating pressure, relatively cheap price, low energy consumption as compared to nano-filtration osmosis. North America held the lion's share The pharmaceutical filtration market across North America held the largest share in 2018, contributing to around two-fifths of the market. This is due to the development of technological advanced pharmaceutical filtration products, increased adoption of filtration products for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry, surge in production of biologics and generics, and rise in non-government & government initiatives to promote healthcare. However, the market across the Asia-Pacific region is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. This is owing to improvement in healthcare infrastructure, rise in production of APIs and biologics, the developing R&D sector, surge in healthcare reforms, and technological advancements in the field of healthcare. For Purchase Enquiry at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6425 Major market players 3M Company Danaher Corporation (Pall Corporation) Amazon Filters Ltd. General Electric Company (GE Healthcare) Eaton Corporation Plc Meissner Filtration Products, Inc. Graver Technologies, LLC Parker-Hannifin Corporation Merck & Co., Inc. Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. 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: Virus Filtration Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Depth Filtration Market- Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Membrane Filtration Market-Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 Membrane Microfiltration Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022 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 Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg Police in New Jersey were forced to break up an engagement party of 16 people. Ten adults who attended were cited for violating New Jersey's coronavirus ban on gatherings. The party happened in Lakewood, a predominantly Jewish community that continued to ignore the the new rules on social distancing. Those charged included a 99-year-old man and came just hours after the state's governor vowed to get more aggressive in charging people. The latest party in Lakewood to be shut down happened at this residence on Spruce Street New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy banned weddings and social events to curb the COVID-19 The governor continues to warn people over Twitter and in press conferences not to have parties 'Responding officers found a group of individuals, including children, on the front lawn and inside the residence,' Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said in a joint statement. Governor Phil Murphy's executive order bans 'gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events.' The law came into effect on March 21st. The party was broken up at 4:30pm on Tuesday afternoon. It was the third day in a row that summonses were issued in Lakewood, according to NJ.com. Last week several residents of Lakewood, New Jersey, called the police after witnessing large gatherings at private homes in violation of a statewide ban which was enacted to help stop the spread of the coronavirus but parties of all shapes and sizes appear to still be continuing On Monday, police charged two people after 35 men were found studying at a Jewish school in the town despite both public and private schools being mandated to shut down during the crisis. On Sunday, police were called once again - this time to break up a bar mitzvah with around 50 guests. Eliezer Silber, 37, and Miriam Silber, 34, were charged with one child endangerment count for each of their five children. At the engagement party, Yaakov Kaufman, 47, and Eti Kaufman, 45, were charged with six counts of child endangerment for each of the six kids who were present at the party. The Kaufmans were also charged with violating the governor's emergency order. Joshua Lichtenstein, 54; Brocha Lichtenstein, 22; Tzipora Wolfe, 24; Shmuel Kaufman, 23; Syril Lichtenstein, 54; Samuel Wolfe, 27; Michael Zimmerman, 99; and Ruky Zimmerman, 21 were also charged with violating the order for attending the party. Murphy has said that while the vast majority of people are observing the stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the virus, he is frustrated that some parties still appear to be taking place. 'We're not happy,' Murphy said during a news conference. 'I assume there's some amount of ignorance. The more swift, visible action that is taken the more quickly we can bring this non-compliant behavior to zero.' Police are warning that they are going to become more aggressive in issuing summons for people found to be breaching the order. 'Everybody at that gathering is now going to be cited,' Col. Patrick Callahan, acting superintendent of the State Police, said. Earlier in March, police broke up celebrations at a event space in the town and two weddings as well. The recent sightings of public gatherings have already exacerbated long-running tensions in Lakewood, where a large Orthodox Jewish population has relocated in recent years. As wedding halls were ordered to shut down, residents simply moved the ceremonies to backyards on their residential properties. Orthodox community leaders in Lakewood said that all 200 local synagogues and 130 yeshivas in the area have either shut down completely or limited prayer to small groups. 'This is a very concentrated close-knit community,' Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg told NJ Advance Media. 'Many day-to-day activities and religious customs are done in group settings, so it's a bit of a learning curve. Rabbi Abe Friedman, a chaplain for the State Police and a member of the governor's interfaith advisory council, told New Jersey 101.5 most Lakewood residents are following Murphy's order but it is difficult for some Jewish residents who are used to gathering together for prayers three times a day. 'This is a community, I believe, gathers and lives tight knit. The average family with five to eight children. Then when they grow older, marry off and then they have children, so the average household has about 20, including their own children, grandchildren and a son- or daughter-in-law,' Friedman said. 'It's very difficult to pull the plug on the routine of daily prayer and say 'you've done this for the past 10, 20, 30, 50 years. Now just go home pray at home with no other people with you,'' Friedman said. In New Jersey, Lakewood has 438 cases of coronavirus while Newark has 568 cases. Jersey City has tops the list with 820. The state overall has reported 18,696 cases of coronavirus and 267 deaths. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Italy and Spain bore the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three in every four deaths on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is already under some form of lockdown in a battle to halt contagion. Across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump warned of a "very, very painful two weeks" as the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of what he called a "plague". America's outbreak has mushroomed rapidly. There are now around 190,000 known cases -- a figure that has doubled in just five days. Some 41,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide from more than 830,000 infections since the pandemic emerged in China in December. Staff dig graves at Vila Formosa cemetery, in outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil. By NELSON ALMEIDA (AFP) For UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades. The "disease... represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past. "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," he said. Economic desperation As companies shut down for undetermined periods and entire workforces are forced to stay home to halt the spread of COVID-19, scenes of economic desperation and unrest were emerging across the globe. In Italy, queues were lengthening at soup kitchens while some supermarkets were reportedly pillaged. Half a million more people now need help to afford meals, Italy's biggest union for the agriculture sector Coldiretti said, adding to the 2.7 million already in need last year. Nigeria's economic hub Lagos is also under lockdown, its streets emptied. By Pierre FAVENNEC (AFP) "Usually we serve 152,525 people. But now we've 70,000 more requests," confirmed Roberto Tuorto, who runs a food bank association. It was crucial to "ensure that the economic crisis unleashed by the virus don't become a security crisis," he warned. The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately hit the poor. "Never mind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos was set for its second full day of lockdown on Wednesday -- but with some of the world's biggest slums, home to millions who live hand-to-mouth, containment will be difficult. Sharpening tone Wary of a collapse of the world's economy with shops shuttered and millions forced into shorter working hours or losing their jobs completely, the globe's leading central bankers have pumped billions of liquidity into the system. Mumbai police order people to do sit-ups as punishment for going out without a valid reason during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in India. By INDRANIL MUKHERJEE (AFP) Last week, G20 leaders said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds". But talk of shared debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries, threatening to divide the bloc. The tone sharpened this week, with Italian politicians even taking out an advertisement in a major German newspaper to remind Europe's biggest economy of WWII debts in a bid to jolt it into action. Asymptomatic cases The economic cost of the crisis could still worsen as lockdowns remain at the forefront of official disease-stopping arsenals -- a strategy increasingly borne out by science. Researchers said China's decision to shutter Wuhan, ground zero for the global COVID-19 pandemic, may have prevented hundreds of thousands of new cases. "Our analysis suggests that without the Wuhan travel ban and the national emergency response there would have been more than 700,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases outside of Wuhan" by mid February, said Oxford University's Christopher Dye. At the same time, focus is now turning to how asymptomatic cases may be fuelling the spread. China on Wednesday said it has more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases, the first time it has released such data following public concern over people who have tested positive but are not showing symptoms. Experts agree that asymptomatic patients are likely to be infectious, but it remains unknown how responsible they are for spreading the deadly virus. Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said in a state media interview last week that asymptomatic carriers could potentially infect "3 to 3.5 people each". Germany and France were also ramping up testing of the population to establish how many already have immunity. Painful choices The inundation of patients has sent health facilities worldwide into overdrive. Emergency hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. Countries around the world are setting up extra medical facilities to cope with the pandemic, such as this Nightingale hospital in Britain. By Andrew PARSONS (10 Downing Street/AFP) In scenes previously unimaginable in peacetime, around a dozen white tents were erected to serve as a field hospital in New York's Central Park. But even with the extended capacity, doctors say they are still having to make painful choices. "If you get a surge of patients coming in, and you only have a limited number of ventilators, you can't necessarily ventilate patients," Shamit Patel of the Beth Israel hospital said. "And then you have to start picking and choosing." HOUSTON - (April 1, 2020) - Rice University will receive $3 million for its direct work on the next round of upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), but it will be responsible for much more. Rice physicist Karl Ecklund will oversee roughly half of the $77 million in National Science Foundation funding to U.S. institutions that will help make the particle accelerator, which is best known for finding the Higgs boson, better able to discover even deeper truths about elemental matter. Ecklund and his Rice colleagues have long been involved in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), one of two major experiments attached to the LHC, a 17-mile ring buried beneath land that borders France and Switzerland. CMS detects the speed and paths of particles that spew from colliding protons and survive for fractions of a second. The detectors record and transmit the data that scientists later parse for evidence of unique or unknown particles that could provide new knowledge about the universe. CMS is only compact compared to the collider itself; the sensor-laden array of concentric tubes weighs 13,000 tons and disassembling it for upgrades is an arduous task. That's why the LHC periodically shuts down for a few years at a time. "The collisions are surrounded by detectors, nested like Russian dolls," said Ecklund, who is coordinating upgrades to CMS's inner tracker and its innermost component, the pixel detector. "There's shell after shell of detectors. The electronics buried in there are not exactly like camera sensors, but they're pretty close. "We're building what amounts to a data center inside the detector," he said, explaining that each of the 4,352 sensors, about the size of two matchboxes, that make up the detector amounts to a 2 gigapixel camera -- with about 2 billion pixels -- that takes 40 million frames a second. Rice is responsible for the fiber optic interface that gathers and delivers that data to storage units about 100 meters away. Design, construction and testing of new components bound for both the inner and outer CMS sensors has already begun, said Ecklund. The inner sensors are being upgraded to relay 10 times the amount of data transmitted by current versions. That should keep up with the collider itself. The LHC, operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), is currently shut down for upgrades in preparation for the third run of experiments scheduled to start in May, 2021. The new funding is for Run 4 in 2027, the first for the more powerful High-Luminosity LHC. Ecklund and his team are not the only Rice scientists working on CMS upgrades. Physicist Paul Padley is contributing to the design and construction of the outer ring of sensors. "What we're doing for the GEMs (the gas electron multipliers) is very similar to what Karl is doing for the pixels," Padley said. "We're building the electronics interface for those signals." The GEMs are the last stop for particles exiting the LHC core, but the most likely to detect heavy, weakly interacting muons. Rice research scientists Mikhail Matveev and Ted Nussbaum are managing the design and construction of the next-generation components, while students from San Jacinto College, led by Rice adjunct professor Laria Redjimi, are working at CERN on the endcap muon system in preparation for Run 3. Padley said the Rice team expects to work at CERN and with data gathered by the collider for years to come. "The plan is to run the LHC late into the 2030s," he said. We know we'll be doing interesting physics for at least the next 20 years, based on the data we get. Even if it turns off in 2038, we'll still have data to analyze. "The LHC was funded to discover the Higgs boson, but the point was really to make lots of Higgs bosons and use them as a tool for discovery," he said. "We think of the Higgs as a portal, a way to get to physics beyond the standard model," Ecklund said. ### This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/04/01/rice-insight-gives-large-hadron-collider-better-eyesight/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews Related materials: What's in store for the CMS detector over the next two years?: https://home.cern/news/news/experiments/whats-store-cms-detector-over-next-two-years Rice Nuclear and Particle Physics: https://physics.rice.edu/Nuclear.aspx Rice Department of Physics and Astronomy: https://physics.rice.edu Wiess School of Natural Sciences: http://naturalsciences.rice.edu Images for download: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/04/0401_LHC-1-WEB.jpg Rice University physicists and engineers have received National Science Foundation support to design, build and manage the installation of next-generation sensors in the Compact Muon Solenoid at the Large Hadron Collider. (Credit: CERN) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/04/0401_LHC-2-WEB.jpg Rice University physicist Karl Ecklund is coordinating upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid's inner tracker at the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/04/0401_LHC-3-WEB.jpg A graphic look at the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), part of the Large Hadron Collider. CMS detects the speed and paths of particles emitted by colliding protons. The detectors record and transmit the data that scientists later parse for evidence of unique or unknown particles that could provide new knowledge about the universe. (Credit: CERN) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Contacts: Jeff Falk 713-348-6775 jfalk@rice.edu Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu A man was arrested here for allegedly spreading malicious content and rumours on social media against government functionaries engaged in work against the coronavirus. The arrested has been identified as Nizam alias Neeza. He was produced before the local court and remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday, city police Commissioner P S Harsha said in a tweet. Nizam has been accused of spreading malicious content and rumours about government functionaries involved in anti- Covid-19 work using the social media platform "Idhu namma dhwani." Meanwhile, Belthangady police registered a case against four persons for assaulting two policemen and a health worker at Nyatarpu village in the taluk. Two police constables and a health worker, who visited the house of a person under home quarantine, were attacked when they questioned the man in quarantine who was roaming around without any precautionary measures. The man and three others abused the health worker and the policemen, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bishop Climate Wiseman claimed his concoction of cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn acts as 'an invisible barrier to the powers of darkness'. (Bishop Climate Ministries) A faith healer who is selling a plague protection kit for 91 has been accused of exploiting peoples anxiety about the coronavirus crisis. Bishop Climate Wiseman, head of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, south London, has promised his followers the small bottle of oil and piece of red yarn will protect them from COVID-19. In a blog post, Bishop Wiseman claimed his concoction of cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn acts as "an invisible barrier to the powers of darkness. Bishop Wiseman said that the remedy was based on a passage from chapter 14 of the Old Testament's Book of Leviticus. (Bishop Climate Ministries) He wrote: "It is by faith that you can be saved from the coronavirus pandemic by covering yourself with the divine plague protection oil and wearing the scarlet yarn on your body. "That is why I want to encourage you, if you haven't done so already, to get your divine plague protection kit today! Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how coronavirus is spreading He said the remedy was based on a passage from chapter 14 of the Old Testaments Book of Leviticus. The passage reads: "Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. "In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean. Victoria Mills, Southwark Council cabinet member for finance, performance and Brexit, criticised the kit. She said: "It is wrong for anyone to exploit people's fears at this time of high anxiety and we encourage people to report any issues like this to London Trading Standards. "This particular issue is already under investigation by our teams. Bishop Wiseman claimed the church had sold more than 1,000 of the kits. (Bishop Climate Ministries) "There are many scams relating to COVID-19 and the council will be working hard to support consumers to be on guard for bogus test kits, cures and treatments and other financial scams. Bishop Wiseman told the PA news agency the church had sold more than 1,000 of the kits. Story continues He said: This is based on the Bible Im a Christian and there is a way that the Bible says to protect us from plagues. He insisted that the price tag was just to cover the cost of the ingredients, yarn and postage and packaging. Bishop Wiseman said his church was not telling people to ignore the government's advice. He said: "I have not told anybody to get out of your house, go anywhere or whatever "I can't just sit down as a religious leader and do nothing, every one of us here is trying and when we go back again in the Bible you begin to realise there is a way of God of protecting his people from plagues. "What is so wrong about putting into practice what the Bible says? Public Health England's advice on stopping the spread of coronavirus is to maintain social distancing, frequently wash your hands and avoid touching your face. Those with symptoms are asked to self-isolate at home for seven days, while other members of the same household should self-isolate for 14 days to take into account the virus's incubation period. The plague protection kit is one of many anointing oils sold by Bishop Wiseman for a range of problems, including oil for peace, unlimited success oil and anointing oil for good marriages. Coronavirus: 10 Most Affected Countries Around the World One can also buy miracle money house blessing oil and anointed oil for court cases. On the Kingdom Church's website, it claims thousands of people have been healed from "all sorts" of sickness and disease since it was founded in 2005. Coronavirus: what happened today A security person stops a delivery man for checking during the nationwide lockdown, imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Guwahati. PTI Guwahati: Four more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Guwahati on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in Assam to five, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. All the five patients had attended a congregation at Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West earlier this month, he said at a press conference. "The number in Assam is expected to go up by this evening as some more tested positive at Jorhat Medical College Hospital, but we can declare it only after all the confirmatory tests, according to guidelines and protocol, are completed," Sarma said. Announcing the names of the patients, Sarma requested those who came in contact with them to report to the nearest health facility for their samples to be tested and quarantine themselves. The four new patients are being treated at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and they are in the age group of 19-60 years, he said. A person tested positive for the deadly disease on Tuesday and is undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Sarma said, adding that he is a maulana from Karimganj and also a cancer patient. Four other persons from the state, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the national capital, have tested positive and are undergoing treatment in Delhi, he said. There are 347 people now in Assam, who returned from the congregation by March 16, and the situation is "very dangerous and we appeal to all who have come in contact with them to give their swab samples for testing", the minister said. It may be difficult to think about climate change during the global pandemic we face today. This pandemic has a multitude of severe consequences, as well as fueling the environmental justice crises we have long endured. There is current discord surrounding government bailouts for airline companies, and oil and gas producers due to the economic consequences of the pandemic. This bailout is being considered on top of the proposed tax subsidy for petrochemical projects. Considering bailouts for some of the worlds wealthiest and most harmful industries at a time when all others are suffering is criminal. H.B. 1100 is a part of the Energize Pennsylvania package of bills. It allows for an $800 million tax subsidy over the next 30 years for petrochemical building projects, such as fracking-to-plastics plants. The bill passed through the State House and Senate with broad bipartisan support; yet, the governor recently vetoed it. We must encourage our representatives and senators to vote to uphold that veto in order to attain a safe and livable climate. I cannot help but feel outraged as I see our government consistently advocate for harmful corporations rather than human and environmental health. As a young adult, I live in a world where the government fuels petrochemical, fracking and plastic industries, which have clogged our oceans and waterways, contaminated our air and land, and killed our ecosystems and wildlife. Yet, in my future, I hope to live in a world where we are holding these industries accountable. Carlie Fasano, 21 (she/her), Penn State Student Vietnam and other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have pledged to maintain an open market to facilitate trade and investment as well as ensure social welfare amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The first teleconference of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies was held on Tuesday and the chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Vietnam. The working group was established following a proposal by Vietnam, ASEAN Chair of 2020, aimed at promoting cooperation in the ASEAN community to cope with the complicated COVID-19 pandemic. During the meeting, delegates discussed the ongoing COVID-19 situation in each ASEAN member state and how local authorities have been responding to the epidemic. They agreed to step up the exchange of information and experience on anti-epidemic efforts and treatment of COVID-19 patients, ensuring safety for frontline health workers, maintaining supplies of essential goods, and battling fake news. ASEAN will also intensify coordination in policies and measures aimed at assisting businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises, and vulnerable groups in society. Member states pledged to maintain an open market, facilitate trade and investment, and ensure social welfare for the public. They also agreed to convene a teleconference of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on preventing and combating COVID-19 in April. ASEAN is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Over 9,500 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the region, with all members of the bloc reporting infections. Countries with over 1,500 cases as of Wednesday afternoon are Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! More than 8,500 military doctors and support staff are ready to extend assistance to the civil administration to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Wednesday. His comments came during a video-conference chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh to review the ministrys efforts to fight the novel coronavirus. The army has alerted retired health professionals to stay prepared in this time of crisis. Also read: Covid-19: What you need to know today Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat told the minister that the armed forces have made more than 9,000 hospital beds available for Covid-19 cases and separate hospitals have been earmarked to exclusively deal with the coronavirus disease. The armed forces have earmarked 28 service hospitals for managing Covid-29 cases. Also, five hospitals run by the armed forces are equipped to carry out Covid-19 tests and six more would be added to the list soon. Over 1,000 evacuees are quarantined at facilities in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Manesar, Hindan and Mumbai. Their quarantine period will end by April 7, Rawat said during the video-conference that was attended by the top military and ministry brass. Last week, the army said it was prepared to extend its network of military hospitals and laboratory facilities to the civil administration to assist it in Covid-19 hotspots. Lieutenant General Anup Banerji, who heads the Armed Forces Medical Services, said, Retired health professionals have also been kept in readiness to volunteer their servicesNecessary equipment has been procured and dispatched to various hospitals. Also read: Delhi govts cancer hospital shuts after doctor tests positive for coronavirus Around 25,000 National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets are being mobilised to provide necessary local assistance, said a defence ministry release. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the air force had flown 25 tonnes of medical supplies during the last five days. He stressed that critical operational work was being undertaken with all necessary precautions. The essential medical supplies airlifted by the IAF include personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitizers, surgical gloves and thermal scanners, apart from medical personnel. Regular airlift of Covid test samples from the Union Territory of Ladakh to Delhi is also being carried. Towards this, C-17, C-130, An-32, Avro and Dornier aircraft are being tasked on as required basis and IAF is adequately geared up to meet all the emerging demands, an IAF spokesperson said. During the video-conference, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said warships were on standby to extend any assistance required. Defence Research and Development Organisation chief G Satheesh Reddy said a five-layered nanotechnology face mask N99 was being manufactured on war-footing. He said 10,000 masks have already been made and production would soon be raised to 20,000 masks daily. He said 50,000 litres of sanitizers made by DRDO labs have been supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 other face masks to Delhi Police. DRDO has also made arrangements to manufacture 20,000 PPE kits per day. It is also engaged in modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time. The defence minister directed all the organisations under the ministry to redouble their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Results of a private survey released on Wednesday showed China's manufacturing activity expanded slightly in March as factories began to come online amid a coronavirus outbreak. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index for March was 50.1. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the Caixin/Markit PMI to come in at 45.5, compared with February's sharpest contraction on record at 40.3. PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that level signal contraction. Although the survey showed business confidence improved as output resumed gradually, Caixin and IHS Markit noted demand challenges ahead. "Demand conditions remained fragile, as highlighted by a second monthly fall in total new business," they said in a press release. "A number of panel members mentioned that firms had delayed or cancelled orders due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic," they added. "Furthermore, new export work declined solidly during March as nations around the world grapple with containing the spread of the virus." Martin Rasmussen, China economist at Capital Economics said that the jump in the headline figure only suggests that conditions improved in March over February, but it does not mean that the output has rebounded to levels seen before the outbreak. "At face value the survey suggests that just over half of firms saw conditions improve last monthimplying that activity improved marginally relative to February's dismal showing but still remains very weak," Rasmussen wrote in a note on Wednesday. "Weak foreign demand and labour market strains will hold back the pace of recovery," he added. On Tuesday, the official manufacturing PMI for March came in at 52.0, beating expectations for a contraction. Analysts said the official reading on Tuesday showed an expansion after Chinese economic activity came to a halt in February. The PMI readings are sequential. The Chinese government has implemented large-scale lockdowns and quarantines of millions of people since late January to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, formally known as COVID-19. This restricted movement and economic activity. Factories are just starting to come online as daily infection numbers slow. China has said most new infections are now from residents returning from other countries. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Monday at a press conference said resumption of work rate for small and medium-sized enterprises nationwide was 76% as of March 28. The Caixin/Markit survey features a bigger mix of small- and medium-sized firms. In comparison, the official PMI survey typically polls a large proportion of big businesses and state-owned companies. The difference in the official and Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI readings for March suggests that smaller enterprises and the private sector in general are suffering more than larger firms and state-owned enterprises, said Rasmussen. CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report. Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander leaves federal court in downtown Los Angeles with his wife, Jayne, in mid-March. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Even amid a global health crisis, the sordid revelations about Los Angeles City Hall have managed to astonish. One Los Angeles city councilman, now out of office, admitted last week that he accepted envelopes of cash from a businessman in casino bathrooms. Another took a trip to Las Vegas where, according to federal prosecutors, city officials were lavished with hotel rooms, an extravagant dinner and tens of thousands of dollars worth of drinks at a nightclub. Yet another council member allegedly sought a $500,000 cash bribe from a real estate developer, according to a plea deal struck between federal investigators and a political fundraiser who admitted collecting much of the money in a paper bag. As city leaders face urgent pleas for help from Angelenos reeling from the ripple effects of a global pandemic, they are also confronting distrust and revulsion over the alleged bribe and other "pay to play" activities that are at the heart of the federal probe. Even those who are doing good work at City Hall have been tarnished by the corruption scandals, said former Councilman Greig Smith. "They're all part of the system that is looked upon as corrupt, and they're all tainted by it," he said. "You can't be there and not be tainted by it." Corruption probes aren't new to City Hall. Over the last two decades, there have been building inspectors caught taking bribes; an airport commissioner ensnared in a conflict-of-interest case; and former Councilman Richard Alatorre, who took nearly $42,000 in cash payments from people who sought to influence his decisions. He later pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion. What makes the ongoing federal investigations so unusual and potentially damning for L.A. city government is that they touch on so many politicians at once. Former Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander, who stepped down in 2018, agreed last week to plead guilty to engaging in a scheme to deceive the FBI as it investigated allegations that a businessman provided him cash, a hotel room, an expensive meal, bottle service at a nightclub and the services of a female escort in Las Vegas. Story continues Councilman John Lee, a former aide to Englander, confirmed he went on the Vegas trip but said he had sought to reimburse expenses and did not receive cash or escort services. His statement has done little to dissuade critics, who have questioned his ethics and called for his resignation. In addition, political fundraiser Justin Kim agreed to plead guilty to bribery for helping a real estate developer deliver cash to another council member. Although prosecutors did not name the elected official, their description made clear it is Councilman Jose Huizar. A lawyer for Huizar has repeatedly declined to comment. Investigators also have been seeking information involving Councilman Curren Price, two appointees of Mayor Eric Garcetti and a high-level aide to Councilman Herb Wesson, according to a federal search warrant filed in 2018. And last summer, FBI agents searched the offices of City Atty. Mike Feuer and the L.A. Department of Water and Power in an apparently separate investigation focusing on legal contracts, cybersecurity and the utility's handling of a customer billing debacle. Uver Santa Cruz, an electrician who lives in the Rampart Village area, said he had suspected that the city's elected officials were behaving in a corrupt way. But the filing of charges against Englander last month cemented those beliefs. "We're so deep in corruption," said Santa Cruz, who is active with the Los Angeles Tenants Union. "And this is only the things that we've discovered so far." The federal investigation into alleged "pay to play" activities exploded into public view in November 2018, when Huizar's home and offices were searched by FBI agents. When the council debated new campaign fundraising restrictions months later, many of its members said they were trying to address the perception not necessarily any reality of corruption at City Hall. The filing of charges against Englander and Kim appeared to mark a turning point for some council members, who previously had declined to pass judgment on their colleagues. Councilman Bob Blumenfield said he was "sickened" by the allegations contained in the two cases, saying they deal with "straight-up corruption." "I hope that everyone who engaged in this behavior has a day of reckoning," he said. Another councilman, David Ryu, said he felt "nothing but disgust" over the allegations. "My worst fears about the kind of pay-to-play politics I have been working against are being realized," he said. It's not yet clear how the Englander and Kim cases could affect the reelection campaigns of City Hall incumbents, because both were filed publicly in the weeks after the March 3 municipal election. The council's reputation has already taken a beating over the last two years, following a major increase in homeless encampments and a steady stream of stories about federal corruption investigations, said Eric Hacopian, a political consultant based in the San Fernando Valley. Three years ago, polling showed that a majority of respondents had a favorable view of the council, he said. By February, those numbers were "upside down," said Hacopian, who expects public support to fall even more in the wake of the latest legal filings. "At the end of the day, most people are not corrupt at City Hall, no matter how cynical we are," he said. "But they all get tarred with the same brush." Some say the latest revelations have simply confirmed their fears about city government. For decades, residents have suspected that "money has been passed under the table," said West Adams resident Chris Carlson, who sits on the United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council, which takes in part of South Los Angeles. "It was a great relief to see these things are being confirmed and exposed," she said. Serena Oberstein, a former member of the City Ethics Commission, said residents have known for years that the system is broken. Part of the problem, she said, is that the Ethics Commission lacks the money and authority to proactively go after wrongdoing. Oberstein said one step toward rebuilding trust in City Hall would be to enhance the powers of the Ethics Commission, boosting the agency's budget and giving it the authority to pass legislation, so that its not incumbent on the City Council to regulate itself. Doug Epperhart, who sits on the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, voiced doubts that additional ethics rules would address the type of problems uncovered by FBI agents. The federal filings, he said, showed that at least two council members one current, one former are "common criminals." "I don't care how many laws you pass," he said. "A determined thief will figure out a way to steal." In a telephonic conversation, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the coordination of efforts to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Good call today with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the #USIndia partnership. Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the #coronavirus, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains, Pompeo tweeted out. Good call today with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the #USIndia partnership. Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the #coronavirus, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 31, 2020 Pompeo reiterated the United States unwavering commitment to working with India to advance peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said. Pompeo highlighted the importance of continued close cooperation between US, India and other close partners and allies to combat this international crisis, including strengthening global pharmaceutical, healthcare manufacturing and supply chains. The dialogue between the two diplomats comes at a time when the world is grappling with the coronavirus crisis. As per the World Health Organization, more than 800,000 people have been infected by Covid-19 across the world while nearly 40,000 have died. The United States is bearing the brunt of the rise in infection. The US death toll, which has now touched 3,400, is more than the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. Close to 175,000 have been infected across the US.More than 575 people died in the US on Monday, the deadliest single day toll in the countrys battle against the outbreak, and President Donald Trump called for vigorous adherence to social-distancing guidelines over the next 30 days. The US, Italy, Spain, China and Germany are now the five most affected countries in terms of the number of confirmed cases. India has reported over 1,200 cases and 35 deaths. More than 100 people have recovered from the disease. On Wednesday, India entered the eighth day of the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown. Last year, Harris said, she began writing him multiple letters and told him she wanted to visit him in prison. Harris said she felt compelled to find out more about his life and document it in some way. She said he never responded. Registering its first overseas case, the NIA on Wednesday filed an FIR to probe the terror attack on a gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul last month that left 27 people including an Indian citizen dead. This is the first case of its kind which the agency has registered after the recent amendments in the NIA Act which empower it to investigate terror cases that are committed at any place outside the country against Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India, the agency said in a statement. The case was registered under various provisions of Indian Penal Code and anti-terror law. Banned terror group Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an offshoot of ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attack on March 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An employee rides a bicycle next to oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC oil output rose in March from the lowest in more than a decade last month as Saudi Arabia boosted output following the collapse of an OPEC-led supply pact, offsetting further declines in Libya, Iran and Venezuela. On average, the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 27.93 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, according to the survey, up 90,000 bpd from February's figure, which was unrevised. A supply pact by OPEC and other producers, known as OPEC+, collapsed on March 6, hastening a drop in prices that were already falling due to the coronavirus outbreak. Brent crude has plunged below $22 a barrel, the lowest since 2002. While Saudi Arabia plans to boost supply following the OPEC+ deal collapse, OPEC output has not changed much yet because export deals for March production were already in place, said Petro-Logistics, a firm that tracks oil shipments. "OPEC supply in March is broadly unchanged versus February, hovering at record lows," Petro-Logistics chief executive Daniel Gerber told Reuters. "Allocations for March barrels were locked in by the time the OPEC+ agreement collapsed on March 6." "This may be the calm before the storm as many OPEC countries have announced a maximisation of their supply and exports in April. Early signs show export rates from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait starting to ramp up." OPEC, Russia and other producers had a deal to curb output by 1.7 million bpd until March 31 to support prices. The 10 OPEC members bound by the agreement still exceeded the pledged cuts in March, the survey found. Compliance was 106% in March, a decline from 128% in February. Production next month is expected to rise further. Saudi Arabia is reducing refinery operations in April to boost export potential and, an official said, plans to ship 10.6 million bpd in May. IRAN AND CORONAVIRUS February's output was the lowest by OPEC since at least 2009, the year in which the group implemented its biggest-ever supply cut due to the financial crisis, excluding membership changes since then, according to Reuters survey records. Story continues Among those pumping more, Saudi Arabia boosted output by 100,000 bpd in March, even though some buyers asked to cancel cargoes because of reduced demand, industry sources said. The UAE is also ramping up production, sources said, while Nigeria and Iraq, both laggards in making cuts in 2019, also raised output slightly due to higher exports. Venezuela, Iran and Libya all reduced output in March. All three were exempt from voluntary OPEC curbs because of U.S. sanctions or internal issues limiting production. Iran is also seeing a drop in gasoline use because of the coronavirus outbreak, said analyst Sara Vakhshouri of SVB Energy International, compounding the impact of sanctions on supply. "Iran's oil production has dropped to below 2 million bpd," she said. The survey average put Iranian output at 2.02 million bpd, down 70,000 bpd. Venezuela, contending with both U.S. sanctions and a long-term decline in output, posted another drop in production and exports in March. Oil output in Libya has plunged since Jan. 18 due to a blockade of ports and fields by groups loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar. Production fell by another 45,000 bpd in March, the survey found. The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market and is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants. (Editing by Barbara Lewis) As Covid-19 continues to shut down large swathes of the world, denting oil demand at a time when Saudi Arabia and Russia are set to increase supply, oil and gas companies are facing new challenges where its workers are concerned. No One is Immune No oil company will be immune from the effects of the oil price war and coronavirus. While some companies will merely feel the pain, others may not survive, and the oil and gas industry workforce will suffer along with the companies that employ them. The current oil price environment in which WTI is trading at $20 and Brent at $27 is simply unsustainable long-term--or even medium-term--for all oil producers, at least not without significant changes. The larger, more integrated oil companies may be positioned better to weather the war/virus for a bit longer but ultimately, all oil and gas companies--the giants such as Exxon, Sinopec, or Aramco, as well as the small Permian frackers, are scrambling to make difficult decisions and adjustments to stay afloat. For Shell, for example, the price impact on its cash flow from operations (CFFO) is estimated at US$6 billion per year for every US$10 per barrel Brent price movement. So far, Brent has dropped $10 per barrel many times over this year. It's easy to see why changes to the oil and gas industry are coming. One of the significant changes oil and gas companies will make is to their labor force. The virus is not only impacting demand, but oil and gas companies are also having to adjust to the new world reality of social distancing, ill workers who are out sick for an extended period, sending workers home who perform non-essential tasks, halting all company travel, and taxing companies with strict hygiene measures that are prompting companies to sanitize equipment and high-touch surfaces. For offshore, workers in confined spaces on specific rotations present unique challenges that don't exist in onshore installations. Related: $1 Oil: Saudi Arabia's Attempt To Crush U.S. Shale Here are some of the staff changes made by various oil companies around the world: UK/North Sea offshore: Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) health and safety director Trevor Stapleton told journalists that workers on UK offshore installations had been reduced from 11,500 to 7,000 under the new "minimum manning" directive handed down to tackle the virus, even as the oil and gas workers received an exemption from the lockdown. All non-critical maintenance, according to S&P Platts, has been postponed. Norway's Equinor (NYSE: EQNR), who employees 21,000 employees across 30 countries, reported that it had one person test positive for COVID-19 earlier this month at its offshore Martin Linge field in the North Sea. The worker was kept in isolation in his cabin at Equinor and had not been evacuated. Equinor announced about one week ago that it would postpone US onshore drilling, allowing its operations to be cashflow neutral this year at $25 per barrel. As early as in February, Chevron sent 300 Canary Wharf, London, workers home after one employee exhibited flu-like symptoms. The worker eventually tested negative for the coronavirus, and Chevron was working to bring back the workers who had been sent home. US Gulf Coast: Industry sources cited by The Advocate say oil and gas producers and service companies in Louisiana are hemorrhaging workers. For Louisiana, this is critical, with nearly 2% of the state's total workforce employed by the oil and gas sector. Overall, the oil and gas industry in Louisiana employs some 260,000 workers. US Shale: If Big Oil companies are the self-isolate of the oil industry, US shale are those in the ICU. According to Texas Railroad Commission's Ray Sitton, tens of thousands of Texans are being laid off in the state as rigs and drilling sites shutter due to not only the virus, but the oil price war as well. Companies in the state who have announced layoffs include Canary, Apache, and Halliburton, and more are expected to follow, World Oil reported, citing Brookings Institution. "[T]here will be many bankruptcies in our industries and tens of thousands of layoffs over the next 12 months," Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield told the Washington Post. And more job cuts may be coming. "A sustained drop in oil prices would cost the sector 50,000-75,000 jobs if employment returned to its low from a few years ago," Nathan Sheets, chief economist at PGIM Fixed Income, told CNBC a couple of weeks ago. Since then, WTI has shed another $7 per barrel. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Laurel Brook Rehabilitation and Healthcare is pictured in Mount Laurel, N.J., on March 24. Three residents and two employees of the nursing home have tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more In a move meant to preserve hospital beds for sicker patients, the New Jersey Department of Health this week told nursing homes they cannot turn down a new medically stable admission just because the patient has a confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Nursing home leaders have been concerned about accepting new patients who might bring coronavirus into facilities populated by those most vulnerable to the new disease: older people with multiple chronic health problems. Jon Dolan, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of New Jersey, which represents nursing homes, said he has been hearing nonstop from members about the new state directive. On its face, its being perceived as a demand, he said. The level of staff and [protective equipment] is at such a crisis condition that most will not be able to safely accept such admissions. Sending infectious patients to an unprepared facility could be a disaster, he said. The state also told nursing homes to create separate wings or units for patients thought or known to have COVID-19, a step not all are physically able to take, Dolan said. The state also said that all staff and visitors should wear masks while in facilities and symptomatic patients should wear them during care. New Yorks decree last week that nursing homes had to accept COVID-19 patients, whether or not they still tested positive for the disease, was met with criticism from the American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, which represents medical professionals who work in nursing homes. Many patients go to nursing homes or their rehabilitation wings after a stay in a hospital. That makes nursing homes an important safety valve when demand for hospital beds is high. Ninety-three of New Jerseys 375 nursing homes have had at least one COVID-19 case. Fifty-two of its 355 deaths 21% are associated with long-term care facilities, the state Department of Health said. Pennsylvania has had 200 confirmed coronavirus cases related to nursing homes out of a total of 5,805 cases. Ninety-two of Pennsylvanias 695 nursing homes have had at least one positive case. Most of those are in Southeastern Pennsylvania, said Nate Wardle, a spokesman for the state Department of Health. He would not say how many of the states COVID-19 deaths involved nursing home residents. Dolan said New Jerseys rules are more flexible than New Yorks. When combined with other guidance, he said, he believes nursing homes will be able to say no under some circumstances, including when they cannot accept admissions safely, when they dont have enough protective equipment or workers, when they cannot physically isolate potentially infectious patients, and when the hospital has not provided proper discharge information. So far, Pennsylvania has not precisely told nursing homes they must take COVID-19 patients who still test positive for the disease, but it has said they must keep accepting new admissions from hospitals to alleviate the increasing burden in acute care settings, and that might include stable patients who have had the virus. Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, said that introducing patients known to have the virus or those with symptoms or awaiting test results into a nursing home would risk the lives of anyone entering the facility. He also said some facilities do not have adequate supplies. We hope to work with the Wolf administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to identify those nursing homes across the state that have the capability to handle these transitions and the necessary supply of equipment and staff so that patients have the best chance to recover, he said. Dolan said he knows of a small group of nursing homes that are comfortable accepting patients with active COVID-19. He wants New Jersey to consider alternatives, such as dorms or hotels. His members, he said, want to help provide care for the growing number of patients with coronavirus. We all want to help the hospitals and prepare for surge capacity and the need for critical care beds, he said. NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Class of 2020 student Tiril Hoye Rahn has been awarded the prestigious Aker Scholarship. Established in 2015, Aker Scholarship program offers a grant to exceptional Norwegian students, who have a strong link to Norway, to apply for post-graduate studies in one of the worlds top universities. Rahn, the first student from NYUAD to ever receive the Aker Scholarship, will pursue a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in International Relations at the University of Oxford starting this fall, where she will research conflict prevention and security measures in the Mena region. Rahn chose to attend NYUAD because of her interest in politics in the Middle East, as well as joining NYUADs diverse student body. She will graduate from NYUAD in May 2020 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Peace Studies and Public Policy and Management. Rahns interest in conflict prevention evolved while working part-time at the Nobel Peace Center for eight years. Completing high-school at UWC in Germany, Rahn was inspired by the diverse student body which encouraged her to work toward a career in diplomacy. While studying away at NYU in New York, she enrolled in an internship for the UK Mission to the United Nations and became involved in conflict preventative initiatives. Rahn said: I am delighted to have received the Aker Scholarship, which will give me the opportunity to study a subject that I am passionate about at one of the worlds best universities. I look forward to starting my postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford working within the field of peacekeeping, with a particular focus on conflict prevention and the strengthening of security measures in the Middle East. As I work towards finishing my Masters degree, I will continue to study Arabic. I am excited to continue broadening my knowledge of international relations and research measures to prevent violent conflicts." The Scholarship is open to applicants from all academic disciplines. It aims to enrol students who are academically strong, but also are engaged in social issues and like to make a positive impact on society. Awarded students have a chance to study at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, or National University of Singapore (NUS). Aker Scholarship grants are financed by Anne Grete Eidsvig and KjellInge Rkkes Foundation for Education. TradeArabia News Service (Sharecast News) - Botswana Diamonds announced on Wednesday that the Botswana government has awarded six new prospecting licences, being PL 017-18 of 2020 and PL 066-069 of 2020, to its wholly-owned subsidiary Sunland Minerals. The AIM-traded firm said the licence tenure was for a period of three years, until 31 March 2023. It said the licences covered an area of 4,319 square kilometres in the Central and Kgalagadi Districts, colloquially known as the Kalahari. Additionally, the government had renewed four existing prospecting licenses, being PL001-004 of 2017, to Sunland, covering a total of 1,406 square kilometres in the Kgalagadi District for a further period of two years, until 31 March 2022. It said airborne and ground magnetic surveys from previous work conducted by Sunland Minerals on those licences had revealed well-defined targets, and subsequent soil sampling over the targets identified heavy concentrations of kimberlitic indicator minerals over those targets, particularly chrome diopsides. That, the board said, strongly suggested an underlying kimberlite source. An environmental study was in progress as a pathway to drilling of those high priority targets. "The president of the Republic of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi has declared a state of emergency following confirmation of three coronavirus cases in the country," the board also said in its statement. "He has also announced a lockdown beginning 2 April for 28 days. "Work will commence on our licenses following lifting of the state of emergency and lockdown." At 1352 BST, shares in Botswana Diamonds were up 31.09% at 0.59p. China: Funeral of 100-y-o underground bishop restricted by communist gov't Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Communist officials in China interfered with the funeral of an elderly underground bishop, citing concerns with spreading the coronavirus. However, some Chinese Christians believe the government restricted the funeral due to the bishops faith. According to UCA News, the burial of Bishop Joseph Ma Zhongmu, Chinas oldest and only ethnic Mongolian bishop, was moved from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. by government officials. Authorities also restricted people from attending his funeral, only allowing 15 Catholics, a bishop, and two priests to attend. Bishop Ma, who was not recognized by the government, died on March 25 at the age of 100. He died of an age-related illness, said an official communication from Ningxia Diocese. The government cited restrictions in place against gatherings as a step to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China. However, local Catholics suggested the interference was due "to the identity of Bishop Ma." Authorities blocked the entire street and no priest could approach it. They also did not allow participants to bring mobile phones or take pictures, one source told UCA News. Sources also pointed out that his obituary named him only as Father Ma Zhongmu as the late bishop belonged to the underground church, which is not officially recognized by Chinas communist government. Bishop Ma was sent to jail during the Cultural Revolution along with other Catholic priests and released in April 1979. Although he was not recognized by the government, he maintained good relations with the authorities. In recent years, China has upped its persecution of Christians, destroying churches, burning down crosses, and restricting religious expression online in efforts to sinicize religion, or bring it into unity with Communist Chinese culture. Additionally, numerous reports have emerged of authorities across China enforcing policies that prohibit religious customs and rituals to be used during funerals. In December, the government of Wenzhou citys Pingyang county in the eastern province of Zhejiang adopted the Regulations on Centralized Funeral Arrangement. Under the new rules, clerical personnel are not allowed to participate in funerals, and no more than ten family members of the deceased are allowed to read scriptures or sing hymns in a low voice. The new rules aim to get rid of bad funeral customs and establish a scientific, civilized, and economical way of funerals. Last April, officials broke up an 11-person Christian funeral in the province of Henan that was honoring a deceased member of the congregation. Officials accused attendees of hiding their actions in the countryside and threatened them with jail time. The police registered the personal contact information of the attendees and told them that they could be investigated at any time. When my father died, village officials threatened to arrest us if we didnt conduct a secular funeral. We did not dare to go against them, a villager from Gucheng town in Henans county-level city of Yuzhou told Bitter Winter. My father had been a believer for several decades. He is persecuted even after death. Recently, China Aid President Bob Fu warned that over the last two years, President Xi Jinpings war on religion has reached its worst in 40 years. He accused the president of turning faith into a tool for the indoctrination of Communist ideology. Clearly the aim is to exterminate any independent faiths, he said, referencing not only the Christian faith, but the faith of Muslims, Buddhists, and others. This is a very, very serious signal, he said. The first day of spring was beautiful in Oregon. Blue skies and warm sun greeted the state on March 19, tempting people out to beaches and hiking trails, snowy mountains and waterfall viewpoints. A week later, virtually all outdoor recreation in Oregon had closed, including every national forest, all state parks, most national parks and a growing number of local parks across the state as officials responded to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a population that just couldnt stay away from nature. The closures coincided with Oregon Gov. Kate Browns executive order banning all nonessential travel outside the home until further notice. The order also shut down playgrounds and closed all public and private campgrounds in the state. The sudden wave of closures left many Oregonians reeling, wondering if there was some way to keep our cherished outdoor spaces open while maintaining public health. How and why were these severe decisions made? READ MORE: Oregon trails and parks that have closed to the public A hiker rests at the top of Cape Falcon, part of Oswald West State Park on the northern Oregon coast.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian OREGON STATE PARKS As the coronavirus began to spread across the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department had a plan in place: advise all park visitors to maintain social distance, while beginning an orderly two-week shutdown of state park campgrounds. At the time, public health officials were still recommending people go out hiking as a way to relax and maintain physical health. As long as people maintained the recommended six feet of social distance, there wouldnt be a problem, they said. But as the spring equinox sun carried into the first weekend of Oregon schools spring break, it quickly became clear that social distancing in parks was going to be a tall order. You always hold out hope that people will listen when you say, dont clump up, state parks spokesman Chris Havel said. That didnt happen. Instead people flooded state parks. Day-use areas and campgrounds were crowded. It was true in the Willamette Valley and way out in the high desert, but especially on the Oregon coast. Throngs of visitors at beaches and in small towns alarmed local residents. Officials in towns up and down the coast told visitors to leave, closing local campgrounds, shutting down hotels and short-term lodging, and giving tourists 24 hours to go home. The COVID-19 pandemic is not just an opportunity for a traveling vacation, Tillamook Mayor Suzanne Weber said in a video message. Its a threat to our very lives. That development shook up the state parks departments plans, Havel said. Officials suddenly saw the urgency of the moment. On Sunday afternoon, March 22, the department closed all campgrounds and day-use sites immediately, shutting down the entire state park system. This is not going the way we expected, and the local communities made a very good point, Havel said of the departments thinking that weekend. The timelines here arent being dictated by our plans. A hiker walks near the top of the Angel's Rest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE The Columbia River Gorge, always a popular getaway for the Portland area, was also slammed that weekend. Hikers packed popular trails. People crowded waterfall viewpoints. Cars lined the shoulder of the Historic Columbia River Highway when parking lots filled. The gorge is officially managed as the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a complex patchwork of state, federal, county, city and private lands in Oregon and Washington. Each entity is free to make its own decisions regarding closures. But when Oregon state parks closed to the public, it raised a red flag for officials in the gorge. One by one, agencies began closing their trails to the public. Parks in Washingtons Skamania County closed early, along with natural areas managed by nonprofits The Nature Conservancy and Friends of the Columbia Gorge. We realized there was no way we could enforce social distancing, said Keven Gorman, executive director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Social distancing works if you have a handful of people out there, and nobody needs to use the bathroom, and nobody needs to park next to another car, but how often does that happen? The U.S. Forest Service, which manages most land in the Columbia Gorge, had planned to simply urge social distancing, but after the busy weekend and following other closures in the gorge, forest officials knew they needed stronger action. The following week began with piecemeal closures of the most popular areas in the gorge: the vaunted waterfall corridor in Oregon, as well as popular trails like Dog Mountain and Angels Rest. But there was a concern that those closures wouldnt necessarily reduce crowds, pushing people instead to other areas that were still open. We have to look at the context of the Columbia River Gorge, and it just does attract those crowds for miles around, said Rachel Pawlitz, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service in the gorge. Were in a situation where if youre the last site left open, its going to be the point of conversion. The response that came Thursday, March 26, was not only to close all campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas in the gorge what are typically referred to as developed recreation sites but to shut down all forest land completely. Pawlitz said the strong response stemmed from the way the gorge is set up. Unlike other national forests in Oregon, there are no winding forest roads with dispersed campsites and remote hiking trails. Everything is accessed through busy highways, which forces a bottleneck at the entry points. People will try to use creative access points to trails, like bushwhacking through the forest from the side of the road, Pawlitz said. When we had to look at the big picture, we realized that there wasnt a simple way to do a developed site closure. Drift Creek Falls is found in the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon's Coast Range.Jamie Hale/Staff NATIONAL FORESTS The Columbia River Gorge forest closure was announced simultaneously with the Mount Hood National Forest and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. While national forests were given the authority to make their own decisions about public closures, many made decisions together after internal discussions. Over the course of the week, small bunches of national forests came to the same decision: a temporary closure of all developed recreation areas, including all trailheads, campgrounds, sno parks, day-use sites and boat launches. By Friday, March 27, all 11 national forests in Oregon, as well as the five in Washington, had effectively closed to the public. But why close all recreation sites, instead of just the most popular spots? Tom Ibsen, the developed recreation manager for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon and Washington, said trying to control crowds in a national forest is like squeezing air in a balloon: take away one section, and it all just moves to another. I think people are just kind of desperate for an outlet here, Ibsen said. Some forests are still finding that theyre having visitation issues. People flouting park closures has been an issue at national forests and state parks alike, though not a huge one. Forest and state park officials said rangers have caught people hopping gates or ignoring signs in recent days. So far, the approach to violations has been education, rather than citations, officials said. Our goal really is to gain voluntary compliance, Ibsen said. We want to educate the visitors and understand that our goal here is to align with the governor and get everybody to stay home. Thats also been the approach of some organizations that usually cater to hikers in the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Crest Trail Association, a nonprofit charged with maintaining the famed 2,650-mile trail through California, Oregon and Washington, strongly urged hikers to cancel their plans for 2020. Some hikers had already quit jobs, or sold homes in order to tackle the trail, which makes canceling plans a huge burden. But these circumstances should not justify putting other lives at risk, the Pacific Crest Trail Association said in a March 19 announcement. Limiting the spread of the virus and the associated economic fallout requires sacrifice from everyone. After national forest closures in the Pacific Northwest, huge swaths of the Pacific Crest Trail are now off-limits to hikers for the time being. There are still some places where people are legally allowed to recreate for now. Wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remain open (though facilities are closed), as well as several day-use areas and trails managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Some city and regional parks also remain open, including Portland parks and those operated by Metro. Even some areas of the national forests remain open, including dispersed camping areas and some forest roads. The U.S. Forest Service is allowing people to continue hunting, fishing and gathering firewood in those areas, but only if their survival depends on it. The measures are difficult for many Oregonians, who have grown accustomed to having the freedom to explore the mountains, the forests, the ocean and desert. Land management officials can empathize as fellow lovers of the outdoors, but they still urge people to make a personal sacrifice, and stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic. So many people look to the outdoors as a place to relax and destress and escape, said Catherin Caruso, regional spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. I think forest service employees feel that very acutely, because we feel the same way. --Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Banks are under pressure to cut their bosses' multi-million pound bonuses after axing more than 8billion of shareholder pay outs. Britain's biggest lenders cancelled their dividends on Tuesday night after the Bank of England told them to hold on to as much money as possible to lend to businesses facing collapse due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The central bank's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) also fired a warning shot over bonuses at a time when the country is in crisis. Britain's biggest lenders cancelled their dividends on Tuesday night after the Bank of England told them to hold on to as much money as possible to lend to businesses facing collapse 'The PRA expects banks not to pay any cash bonuses to senior staff, including all material risk takers,' said Sam Woods, chief executive of the PRA and deputy governor of the Bank. Business Secretary Alok Sharma last night also issued a stark warning to Britain's biggest banks to support the economy amid fears that up to 1m firms could collapse within a month. The focus on banker bonuses at a time when so many of their customers are worried about their health and livelihoods highlights the often complicated way in which banking executives are paid. City figures, politicians and campaigners have called for a complete overhaul of pay in the industry to ensure that while success is rewarded fairly, the days of greed, excess and rewards for failure are consigned to history. Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Shareholders are the ones who have been affected by the dividend cancellations. 'It would be sensible for the executives themselves to look at the situation and also cut executive pay. 'If we're all in this together, then it's an important signal to send that we're all feeling the pain.' The issue has been highlighted by the Mail's Time To End Fat Cat Pay campaign, launched this week as the crisis wreaks havoc on the economy. Influential trade body The Investment Association last night said companies scrapping dividends should also consider cutting bonuses. The intervention is highly significant because the fund managers that make up the IA look after 7.7trillion of savers' money, including the pensions of millions of UK households. While the PRA's nudge on cash bonuses is a start, many believe it has not gone far enough. Cash bonuses typically account for just a small fraction of banking bosses' pay. The chief executives of Britain's big four banks Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWestowner RBS could bag a maximum of 29.87million this year, if they hit all of their goals. But only around 3million of this would come from cash bonuses. For example, Barclays' boss Jes Staley could pocket a maximum of more than 8million, but only around 1.1million of this would come from a cash bonus. Cliff Weight, director of shareholder organisation Sharesoc, said: 'The regulator is not being strong enough here. A lot of bonuses are now paid out in shares and the regulator has said nothing about that.' None of Britain's major banks has yet confirmed how they will ensure executive pay appropriately reflects the pressures the industry is under. But it is understood that conversations around bonus payouts are still ongoing between the PRA and the boards of the banks. And pressure is building on the banks to move further than the PRA's guidance, and hold back as much cash as possible to ensure they are prepared for the worst. Lord Mann, a former member of the Treasury select committee, said: 'It is now part of the war effort that the big banks need to cut the pay of top executives whilst this crisis lasts.' Roger Barker, head of corporate governance at business body the Institute of Directors, said: 'Reconsidering dividends was a welcome step from the banks. 'It is absolutely right that banks show moderation and look to retain capital so it can be deployed in serving their clients at this difficult time. 'Banks have a vital role to play in delivering the Government's support package to the economic frontlines during this crisis.' The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday extended realisation period of export proceeds as part of additional measures to deal with the economic disruption caused by coronavirus epidemic. The value of the goods or software exports made by exporters is currently required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within nine months from the date of exports. "In view of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the time period for realisation and repatriation of export proceeds for exports made up to or on July 31 has been extended to 15 months from the date of export," the RBI said in a statement. The measure will enable exporters to realise their receipts, especially from COVID-19 affected countries, within the extended period and also provide greater flexibility to exporters to negotiate future export contracts with buyers abroad, it added. Besides, the central bank had constituted an advisory committee under the chairmanship of Sudhir Shrivastava to review ways and means limits for state governments and Union territories. While awaiting its final recommendations, the RBI has increased ways and means advances limit by 30 per cent from the existing limit for all states and union territories to enable them tide over the situation arising from the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The revised limits will come into force from April 1 and remain valid till September-end. On February 5, 2015 the RBI had issued guidelines for the framework on counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) which said the CCyB will be activated when circumstances warrant and the decision will normally be pre-announced. The framework envisages the credit-to-GDP gap as the main indicator which is used in conjunction with other supplementary indicators. "Based on the review and empirical analysis of CCyB indicators, it has been decided that it is not necessary to activate CCyB for a period of one year or earlier, as may be necessary," said the RBI in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Burma Two Civilians Killed in Myanmars Rakhine State During Alleged Military Airstrike Chaungnet villager U Maung Tun Sein died after allegedly being hit by shrapnel in his waist on March 30. Chin University Students in Rakhine State / Facebook Sittwe, Rakhine State Two villagers were killed on Monday in Rakhine States Minbya Township in an alleged air raid that Myanmars military denied. Maung Nyi Myint Lwin, 16 of Maylun village, and U Maung Tun Sein, 51 of Chaungnet village, died in bombing raids carried out by Myanmars military, said the victims relatives. My son and I were taking a bath at the back of the house. Five helicopters dropped bombs on the mountains near our village. As we ran for the house, a bomb killed my son. His mother was injured. And I was also injured in my leg, said U Aung Kyaw Sein, the father of Maung Nyi Myint Lwin. Their house and belongings were destroyed by the bomb, he added. In nearby Chaungnet, which is majority ethnically Chin, U Maung Tun Sein, died after being hit by shrapnel in his waist. Some houses were damaged, villagers said. We were hiding in a bomb shelter. There were five helicopters. They fired shots at mountains near our village. The shells landed on our village. A villager was hit by shrapnel and died, Chaungnet villager Ko Me Toke told The Irrawaddy. Villagers said they did not know why the air attacks were carried out as there was no fighting near the villages on Monday. Rakhine State lawmaker U Hla Aung Thein of Minbya Township said he was told that the villagers were killed when five helicopters flew overhead. Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun denied the claims. It is just propaganda by hardcore AA [Arakan Army] supporters. On Monday, there was only a clash between Paletwa and Meewa Hill in the whole of Rakhine State. It was quite far from those villages, he told The Irrawaddy. The AA did not report the incident on Monday. The Irrawaddy is no longer able to contact the AA since it was declared a terrorist organization and anyone in contact with it faces prosecution under Counterterrorism Law. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Military Investigating Itself Over Civilian Deaths Rakhine State Lawmakers Urge Myanmar Army, AA: Spare Civilian Areas, Heritage Sites [April 01, 2020] INVESTOR ALERT: Labaton Sucharow -- A Leading Shareholder Rights Firm -- Announces a Proprietary Investigation of Securities Claims Against ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. - NYSE Ticker: SERV Labaton Sucharow LLP, a leading investor rights law firm, announces it is investigating potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV) concerning allegations that ServiceMaster may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. ServiceMaster is a leading provider of essential services to residential and commercial customers in the termite, pest control, cleaning and restoration markets. The company's largest and most profitable business segment is Terminix, a termite and pest control business that primarily operates in the United States. ServiceMaster's executives repeatedly assured the market that ServiceMaster was successfully executing upon initiatives to improve the performance in the Terminix segment. We are investigating whether those assurances were false. On October 22, 2019, ServiceMaster announced disappointing preliminary financial results for the third quarter 2019, having missed revenue and earnings estimates. The Company also gave downward adjusted EBITDA guidance of $415 to $425 million, down rom $435 to $445 million. The press release attributed the disappointing results partly to "termite damage claims arising primarily from Formosan termite activity," primarily in Mobile, Alabama. The Company further stated that this had been a known issue, having taken mitigating measures "starting in 2018." Finally, the Company announced the sudden departure of Matthew J. Stevenson in his role as President of Terminix Residential. On this news ServiceMaster common stock fell $11.44 or 20%, to close at $44.70 on October 22, 2019. If you purchased shares or derivatives of ServiceMaster, and wish to learn more or discuss the issues surrounding the investigation, please contact David J. Schwartz using the toll free number (800) 321-0476 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. About the Firm Labaton Sucharow LLP is one of the world's leading complex litigation firms representing clients in securities, antitrust, corporate governance and shareholder rights, and consumer cybersecurity and data privacy litigation. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at www.labaton.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005382/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Three-hundred volunteers have joined hands with the police to deliver essential supplies to the people in distress in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. Amid the lockdown, strict restrictions has been imposed in Kathua, where the biggest quarantine centre in the union territory has been set up, housing 3,000 people. The group -- 'United Kathua volunteers' -- has set up a control room where it has received nearly 100 calls on the very first day of operation for delivery of medicines, ration and food to labourers. "We are happy to start a group of volunteers to reach out to the people in distress. We will provide them all type of help and deliver all items to their doorstep as they are unable to come out due to the lockdown," Rakesh Kumar, a volunteer of United Kathua Volunteers told PTI. "The youth have come together to setup a committee to lend all type of help to the people of distress, migrant labourers, and others. Police and administration is supporting it", SSP Kathua Shailendra Kumar said. Giving details, he said the team has a helpline number and once a call comes, the details are transferred to a volunteer, who is close to that area. The data of volunteers of each ward and locality is with the team and their GPS locations is shared with control room here. It is matched and the call details transferred to the volunteer, he said. Police have also provided training to all the volunteers in this regard. "A volunteer has to go to a particular home of the caller, take orders of supplies including ration or medicines needed by them. They will go to shop, purchase it and deliver it to the caller," he said. The volunteers also look for migrant labourers and workers in the shanties and provide them food after collecting the cooked items from police kitchens, he said. "Any one can call, send a message, whats app on this number - 9540501414. The team will facilitate them ambulances, medicines and other items, which is not available in Kathua", Kumar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taliban Team Arrives In Kabul To Monitor Release Of Prisoners By RFE/RL March 31, 2020 Three members of Afghanistan's Taliban have arrived in Kabul to "monitor" the government's release of imprisoned Taliban militants as part of a peace deal signed by the Taliban and the United States in late February, the militant group says. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the "technical" team arrived in Kabul on March 31 to "help the process of prisoners' release by identification of the prisoners [and] their transportation." The Taliban team's arrival marked the first time an official Taliban delegation has been in the Afghan capital since the group was driven from power by U.S.-led forces in November 2001. "They are here now and we will begin our discussion," a senior Afghan government official told Reuters. "The prisoner release might go ahead in a few days if everything goes as planned." The planned release of prisoners is part of a deal signed by the United States and the Taliban in Doha on February 29. It calls for the Afghan government to release 5,000 detained Taliban fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks. The Taliban has vowed to release 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding. Under the U.S.-Taliban deal, Taliban representatives also agreed to commit to direct talks with the Afghan government aimed at ending the country's 18-year conflict. In return for the start of talks and a series of security commitments from the Taliban, all U.S. troops and other foreign coalition forces are meant to withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months. A power struggle between President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in Afghanistan's 2019 presidential election, former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, has threatened to derail the peace process. But Abdullah on March 31 vowed that he would ensure their political dispute "does not overshadow peace efforts." Last week, the Afghan government unveiled a 21-member team that would be tasked with negotiating with the Taliban. Abdullah said the team "represents the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and our national interests." "We still have time to discuss the team's reporting mechanism and the source of its authorities," Abdullah said. In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has praised Kabul's negotiating team as "pretty inclusive, pretty broad" -- saying he was "happy about that." "We've begun to see some work done on prisoner releases as well: all elements that have to come together so we can get to the intra-Afghan negotiations, which ultimately will prove to be the only mechanism that has any hope of delivering peace and reconciliation to the people of Afghanistan," Pompeo told reporters. Meanwhile, the European Union said it has offered "full support" to Kabul's negotiating team, which it said constitutes "an important step towards starting intra-Afghan negotiations and solving the domestic political crisis." The EU also called on the Taliban to "show genuine commitment to peace negotiations and to reduce violence and engage in meaningful discussions" on a cease-fire. With reporting by AP, AIP, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-team- arrives-in-kabul-to-monitor-release -of-prisoners/30520496.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 Passengers arriving at Incheon International Airport wait for buses arranged by the government to take them to designated facilities, Wednesday, as all arrivals from abroad are now subject to a two-week preventative quarantine regardless of their nationality or where they departed from amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Jun Ji-hye The government is facing mounting calls from Korean nationals living in various countries overseas to send more chartered planes to return them to Korea after an increasing number of nations worldwide have sealed their borders and halted flights amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Koreans staying in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Paraguay among other countries have filed petitions in recent days on a presidential office website, asking for the government-chartered evacuation flights. In one petition, posted Monday, a woman called for a chartered plane to be sent to India, saying her husband, who went on a business trip to Chennai, has been stuck in a hotel there after the Indian government placed the country under a stringent lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "Other than my husband, about 900 Korean nationals are in the Chennai region, longing for home," the woman wrote. In another petition, also posted Monday, a person living in Singapore said that many Korean nationals in the country had lost jobs after the government there ordered the suspension of operations of restaurants and other facilities. "It is very difficult for us to pay expensive monthly rents and other expenses in Singapore," the person wrote, noting that they would become illegal aliens if their work visas expired. A person living in Malaysia made a similar point in a separate petition, saying the government there ordered people there to stay at home without suggesting any measures to handle those whose visas were about to expire. "The number of COVID-19 patients has kept increasing in Malaysia, but medical facilities and services are inadequate. Many Korean nationals here badly want to go back home," the person wrote. The government has dispatched several chartered planes to cities around the world including the Chinese city of Wuhan, the coronavirus epicenter, to repatriate Korean nationals. On Wednesday, another government-chartered plane brought home 300 Koreans from Milan, Italy amid growing concerns over their safety in the epicenter of Europe's COVID-19 outbreak. The plane was one of the two flights that the government arranged to bring about 530 citizens back to Korea. The second flight is expected to return from Rome today, carrying the remaining Korean citizens. Korea has seen a slight decline in COVID-19 infections with 101 new cases Tuesday, down from 125 the day before, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The country's total increased to 9,887. The KCDC noted the death toll rose by three to 165 as of Wednesday. Infection clusters in medical facilities and churches in Seoul and its surrounding areas, as well as foreign-origin cases, have, however, continued to emerge. St. Mary's Hospital in Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul, was shut down, Wednesday, following a cluster of more than 10 COVID-19 cases there. The hospital is carrying out coronavirus tests on all inpatients, medical staff and employees, while conducting disinfection activities. The hospital said it is planning to resume operating, April 6. BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to provide Ireland with necessary assistance within its capacity to combat COVID-19, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday in a phone conversation with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Li said that COVID-19 is spreading in many countries, and Ireland is also affected by the epidemic. China firmly supports Ireland's efforts in the fight against the disease, and is willing to provide Ireland with necessary assistance within its capacity, Li said. He said China is also ready to facilitate Ireland's procurement and transportation of medical supplies from China, enhance exchanges of experience on epidemic prevention and treatment, and carry out cooperation in medical research and development. There are quite a number of Chinese nationals living or studying in Ireland, and the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting their health as well as legitimate rights and interests, Li stressed, expressing his hope that the Irish side will take practical and effective measures to guarantee the safety and living convenience of these Chinese nationals, including Chinese students. For his part, Varadkar said that China has made remarkable achievement and progress in fighting the epidemic, and shared information with the World Health Organization and the international community in a timely manner, which deserves the respect of all countries in the world. The epidemic is currently spreading in Ireland, said the prime minister, who thanked China for providing support and assistance. Ireland hopes to receive China's support in purchasing anti-epidemic supplies, and strengthen cooperation in medical research and development between the two countries, Varadkar said, adding that his country will effectively guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals, including Chinese students, in Ireland. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, protocols for prenatal care and childbirth have been changing daily, and the uncertainty is weighing on future mothers, who wonder if they will have to give birth alone. I recently had the shortest doctor's appointment of my life. On Monday I went for a sonogram, my third, and last, before I'm due to give birth in May. The doctor had taken some extreme measures so that we would spend the least amount of time together as possible, to avoid any potential coronavirus transmission, even though we are both healthy (so far). I arrived in front of the doctor's building, alone, as per the instructions sent to me by the online platform managing the appointments. I waited outside until the doctor called my mobile phone. The waiting room is small, and he wanted to make sure only one patient was inside at a time. Once upstairs, I left my coat and bag on a chair outside the examination room. The doctor, wearing a disposable, white medical gown, his face wrapped in a surgical mask, asked me to lie down. Normally chatty, he warned he would not talk to me until after he was done with the scan. He had me stand on the other side of the room as he wrote his report, and I then walked down the stairs, the resultseverything normalin my hand. The whole thing took ten minutes. I went home to show the images to my partner. Normally we would have gone together to this appointment to see our future child. Instead, the experience was isolating, antiseptic and transmitted through layers of medical gauze. Safety protocols The doctor said he had come up with the protocols for his office on his own, based on the distancing and hygiene measures encouraged for everyone, especially for those in the medical profession, during the coronavirus epidemic. He told me that he has thought about closing up his office and leaving Paris to spend the confinement by the beach, away from any risk of infection. But he is still working, as are doctors, midwives and nurses who continue to provide prenatal care for people getting ready to have babies in the days, weeks or months to come. The French public health system covers prenatal care, including three sonograms, seven monthly prenatal examinations with a doctor or a midwife, a consultation with an anesthesiologist during the eighth month, and eight birth preparation classes. Some of these consultations, for low-risk pregnancies, can be done via video conferencing, which is increasingly being used for medical appointments during the coronavirus crisis. But some, like sonograms, are not possible to do remotely, and some tests are time sensitive, and cannot be postponed to when the health crisis is lessened. Fears of giving birth alone Hospitals around the country, notably in the east and in the Paris region, are struggling to keep up with patients flowing into emergency rooms with respiratory and other problems linked to their infection with the Covid-19 virus. Medical staff in maternity wards are trying to reduce their own exposure, but it is difficult to know who has the virus because of its long incubation period. Mothers who are infected are isolated and are for the most part giving birth via Cesarean sections, partly to avoid the spread of the virus, but also because the disease affects the lungs, making a vaginal delivery difficult for someone with trouble breathing. But even those without symptoms are subject to extreme distancing measures when they give birth. Some hospitals have banned fathers and partners all together, a move that has worried a lot of new mothers. The French health ministry on Tuesday weighed in on the question of whether fathers should be allowed to be present during labour, and it follows the recommendations published by the French national college of gynecologists and obstetricians, which itself took inspiration from procedures put in place in hospitals in Alsace, the region in France most hit by the coronavirus epidemic. The ministry recognises that giving birth in "serene conditions benefits the well-being of the mother during the post-partum period", and supports the presence of a partner, "under certain conditions". The guidelines state that the father can be present during "active labour", and stay until two hours after the birth, after which time they must leave the hospital, leaving new mothers to recover in maternity wards alone, with no visitors. The college also recommends women be discharged as soon as possible. New mothers and their babies usually spend two or three days in hospital after birth. Today they are being sent home within 24 hours, if everything is going well. Anesthesiologists, who have been called to care for Covid patients on respirators, have said they will continue to try to provide epidurals for women in childbirth. France has one of the highest rates of epidurals during childbirth in Europe, with 77 per cent of women giving birth naturally receiving one in 2010, according to the national institute of health and medical research. One option to avoid the isolation of a hospital maternity ward appears to be a home birth, but it accounts for fewer than two percent of births in France and is not currently being encouraged by the medical profession. Two gynecological organisations have warned against planning for home births during the epidemic because emergency services are already stretched thin, in case of problems. Emotions running high The ministry's weighing in could help to quell some of the fears brought about by uncertainty, which adds to what can already be a fraught emotional process. Expectant and new mothers are finding support in online forums, expressing fear and frustration. I cannot accept the idea of giving birth alone, and I can't stand people who tell me it's normal, and that it's for everyone's security, writes one woman in a Facebook group. Another writes: This health crisis we are living through is profoundly dehumanising. One blogger wrote that though the government is treating this epidemic as a war, even during wartime women are not asked to give birth on the front. For now I am keeping my own emotions and fears in check, as I am not due to give birth until the end of May, and a lot can change between now and then, for the better or for worse. For those getting ready to give birth today, tomorrow and in the weeks to come, there remains uncertainty, combined with moments of joy, as the so-called coronavirus generation emerges, one birth at a time. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:31:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank governor Yi Gang has pledged to support the development of a well-coordinated and comprehensive action plan of the Group of 20 (G20) to better address the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Yi made the remarks Tuesday during a virtual meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, which agreed to develop the G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19 in a timely manner to coordinate G20 policy measures, according to a statement released Wednesday on the website of the People's Bank of China. China supported the strengthening of the global financial safety net to better help emerging markets and developing economies to fight the pandemic and safeguard the stability of the global economy and financial markets, Yi said. Yi also said a synchronized policy mix, in particular those measures targeting small and medium-sized enterprises, would help address the impact of COVID-19 in the short term and bolster long-term economic recovery. The action plan will outline the individual and collective actions that G20 has taken and will be taking to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also highlighting the needed medium-term measures to support the global economy during and after this phase, according to an official press release of the meeting. Domestic carriers SpiceJet and GoAir on Wednesday announced that all its employees will have to take a pay cut in March amid grounding of operations due to coronavirus outbreak. While SpiceJet implemented a 10-30 per cent pay cut for last month, GoAir deferred a part of March salaries for its staff in addition to salary cuts implemented earlier. In a press release, SpiceJet announced a company-wide pay cut for its employees for the month of March 2020 to tide over the unprecedented crisis thrust by the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline has implemented a 10-30 per cent pay cut for all its employees across top and mid rung levels. The low-cost carrier has, however, assured that its employees in the lowest pay grades will remain unaffected by the decision. In the wake of the crisis, the airline's Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh, has decided to opt for the highest cut of 30 per cent in salary, it said. SpiceJet has announced 'leave without pay' for employees during March 25 to 31 - the period of the lockdown when all passenger flights were suspended. However, employees who have been working during this period like cargo, ground staff, crew who have flown during this time, will not be affected by the 'leave without pay' and their salaries for this period will be reimbursed, the company said. Also Read: Coronavirus: GoAir asks employees to take pay cut in March "The bold measures are in the best interest for everybody at SpiceJet as it aims to sail through the crisis with zero retrenchment," it added. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have forced us to take some tough measures to ensure that no one at SpiceJet is retrenched. What we are facing is a global phenomenon and no airline in the world is immune to the impact. Tough times don't last, tough people do. SpiceJet was born of adversity and it is the same adversity that brings out the best in each and every one of us." Meanwhile, low-cost carrier GoAir on Wednesday told employees that a part of their March salary has been deferred to April. This is in addition to pay cut announced on March 25. "Yesterday, salaries were posted to each of your bank accounts. All employees in Grades D and below received salaries in their entirety," GoAir CEO Vinay Dube said in an email to employees. Also Read: Coronavirus update: IndiGo assures employees no salary cut during lockdown "The rest of you will see less than what you are normally used to seeing as a result of the reduction in pay I had announced earlier, but also because we have been forced to defer a portion of your accrued salaries to April," Dube added. Since last week, GoAir has been taking several cost-cutting measures -- it has laid off its expat pilots, asked its employees to go on leave without pay on a rotational basis, and announced that its top leadership would be taking a pay cut of up to 50 per cent. India's aviation industry, reeling from the impact of the global outbreak of COVID-19, is seeking help from the government to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic. COVID-19 driven lockdowns have adversely impacted the industry, leading to significant economic headwinds. Several airlines, both in India and abroad, have been forced to undertake severe measures amidst tough market conditions.ent to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic. COVID-19 driven lockdowns have adversely impacted the industry leading to significant economic headwinds. Several airline companies, both in India and abroad, have been forced to undertake severe measures in their attempt to survive amidst tough market conditions. The Federation of Egyptian Banks has launched a new initiative in coordination with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to support people affected by the coronavirus, the Federation said on Wednesday. According to the initiative, member banks of the federation active in the Egyptian local market will be divided into four categories according to their annual profit in the past year. The first category of banks with equal to or more than EGP 5 billion in annual profit are to donate EGP 80 million, while banks with an annual profit between EGP 3 to 5 billion are set to donate EGP 40 million. The third category of banks whose annual profits range between EGP 1 to 3 billion will donate EGP 20 million, according to the initiative. The fourth and last category is for banks with an annual profit below EGP 1 billion, which are set to donate EGP 10 million. The federation said that the amount of these donations will be divided into three consecutive months (April, May, and June). Regarding employees contributions, each employee is free to donate the appropriate amount according to his choice and in light of the policy of each bank, the federation said. The Federation of Egyptian Banks said that the CBE agreed on opening an account for the initiative in Banque Misr. Chairman of the federation Mohamed Al-Etribi affirmed that collective action, integration and coordination of the banking sector's contributions will have a great impact on mobilising resources and enhancing the ability to support the country in overcoming the current crisis. El-Etribi explained that the initiative comes in light of the current conditions facing the country and their implications for the Egyptian economy, as well as the total or partial shutdown of many sectors. He stated that coordination on the initiative is with both the CBE and the technical secretariat of the national committee headed by the Minister of Planning, who is charged with coordinating and integrating efforts and initiatives of financial institutions, companies, businessmen, and private labor institutions to support the sectors most affected by the implications of coronavirus. The Federation of Egyptian Banks was established as a non-profit independent entity connecting all Egyptian banks and foreign banks working in Egypt and complying with the law regarding the CBE, banking and monetary laws. Search Keywords: Short link: The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Sunday, March 29 11:19 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to the City of Coleman to make contact with an Isabella County woman who said her estranged husband was following her and driving next to her vehicle. The woman said her vehicle was not struck by the husband. She said she did not want the suspect contacted, and only wanted a report on file. The woman said she was going to file for divorce and seek a Personal Protection Order. The deputy followed the woman into Isabella County. 11:09 p.m. -- A deputy responded to the MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland ER for a 2-year-old Isabella County boy who was bitten by a dog in Ingersoll Township. An isolation notice was issued to the 53-year-old female dog owner. 8:50 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of malicious destruction of property in the 2000 block of South Saginaw Road. 4:19 p.m. -- A deputy was flagged down by a 36-year-old Jerome Township man regarding a 19-year-old Hope Township boy who was driving recklessly on a dirt road in Jerome Township. The 36-year-old stated he observed the boy littering and provided the litter in question. The deputy subsequently located the vehicle driving down an adjacent Jerome Township roadway and conducted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle. The 19-year-old admitted to his driving violations and improper trash disposal locations, and was educated on his infractions. The deputy followed the boy to a Village of Sanford gas station to ensure the litter was properly disposed of in a trash receptacle. The 36-year-old also requested extra patrol. 2:17 a.m. -- A deputy located a vehicle stuck on the side of a Homer Township roadway, and spoke with the driver, a 22-year-old Midland man, who was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated. Saturday, March 28 8:53 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Warren Township. 8:37 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Lincoln Township. 5:52 p.m. -- A deputy took a report from a 43-year-old male employee of a Mount Haley Township gas station, regarding a 61-year-old Homer Township man who was walking around and yelling at customers of the gas station. The employee said the man made sure he stayed off of the property while yelling. The deputy did not make contact with the suspect at the request of the employee. The deputy also explained the process of obtaining a Personal Protection Order to the employee. 2:01 p.m. -- Deputies checked the area of East Prairie Road and South Homer Road in Homer Township for a report of loud gunfire. Deputies checked the area and found it to be quiet. 9:04 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in Jasper Township. The deputy was disregarded prior to arrival because no damage was reported. 3:20 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Jerome Township. After suffering its worst quarter since the global financial crisis, Canadian stocks slumped on Wednesday as investors digested worsening U.S. coronavirus figures and assessed the pandemics impact on corporate profits. The S&P/TSX Composite Index lost 3.8 per cent on the first day of the second quarter, with 10 out of its 11 sectors in the red. Gold stocks rallied as market jitters led to a surge in haven assets. Montreal-based Dollarama Inc. suspended its fiscal 2021 guidance, saying it is impossible to forecast the impact of the pandemic, while mining firm Teck Resources Ltd. withdrew its financial forecasts and said it was considering a full shutdown of the Fort Hills mine to cut costs as local oil prices hit record lows. To add to the wall of worry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said social distancing measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 could be in place for weeks or even months. Canadian equities are combating a triple threat: fear, economic shutdown and plunging oil, said Brian Belski, chief investment strategist at BMO Capital Markets. It seems to us that defaulting to the negative has become excessively consensus, with optimism and common sense carrying the label of Pollyanna or flippancy. Rock-bottom prices for Canadian oil and a lack of demand are setting the stage for inevitable production cuts, according to Goldman Sachs, which says the industry could run out of storage space within weeks. Yes, the oil shock is a perceived negative for Canada especially psychologically. However, many investors forget that Canadian equities can stay afloat and in some cases do very well when oil is suffering, Belski said in a report published Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity slashed its S&P/TSX Composite forecast to a year-end target of 14,500 down from 17,900 after the benchmark slumped 22 per cent in the first quarter. The firms strategist Martin Roberge expects a 30 per cent profit decline in the 2020 recession and added that while the period of indiscriminate selling for stocks may have passed, its still too early to be overweight in the equity market. The cost of Trudeaus fiscal package to protect the economy from the impact of COVID-19 has reached about $250 billion, according to the latest figures from the finance department. One of the flagship programs, a plan to subsidize 75 per cent of wages for Canadian workers, will cost $71 billion, Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters Wednesday in Ottawa. Along with other measures such as the monthly income replacement scheme, direct support for companies and households will run the government $105 billion, Morneau said. Commodities Western Canada Select crude oil traded at a $15.50 discount to West Texas Intermediate. Spot gold rose 0.9 per cent to $1,591.51 an ounce. FX/Bonds The Canadian dollar fell one per cent to $1.4197 per U.S. dollar. The 10-year government bond yield fell 6.6 basis points to 0.631 per cent. A male corrections transportation officer who worked in the Detroit area has died from COVID-19, becoming the first Michigan Department of Corrections employee to die from the virus. The officers name is Damon Burton, of the Detroit Reentry Center, according to the MDOC Honor Guard Facebook page. The mans age and years of experience in the department have not been released. So far, 25 MDOC employees have tested positive for COVID-19, spokesman Chris Gautz said, with a varying range in symptom severity. There are another 141 inmates whove tested positive at nine of MDOCs 29 prisons. No new prisons have reported cases of the virus outside the original nine in recent days, which Gautz said is a good sign. Jackson County's Parnall Correctional Facility has the most inmates with the virus, with 59. MDOC suspended all visits to prisons March 13 and put a staff screening process in place. Anybody entering a prison is screened with a questionnaire every day and gets their temperature taken, Gautz said. If its above 100.4, theyre sent home. For the prisoners that have it, they were (likely) getting it from staff who were bringing it in, Gautz said. Because obviously our prisoners arent out in the community or doing international travel. If staff have enough of the specific symptoms present, theyre sent home for seven days, from the start of when the symptoms occurred, Gautz said. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Michigan closes in on 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with largest single-day jump Michigan unemployment claims system jammed, but everyone eligible will receive their benefits' Michigan asking feds for more medical supplies as coronavirus cases grow Electricity tariffs will not be increased unless distribution companies (DisCos) improve quality of supply, meter consumers and agree with consumers on rates, the power minister, Sale Mamman, has said. Mr Mamman was reacting to an announcement by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that tariff increase that was to commence on April 1 had been postponed. PREMIUM TIMES reported how NERC announced the postponement on its Twitter handle on Tuesday. The regulator had announced the tariff increase last December. Many Nigerians have condemned the tariff increase, saying it would mean paying more for darkness as the electricity situation has not improved. The DisCos have, however, argued that the current tariff plan is not viable to sustain their operations. In his statement Tuesday evening, Mr Mamman said President Muhammadu Buhari approved that the postponement of the increase should be for three months. Even then, the tariff increase will not commence unless the DisCos improve their operations, he said. Read Mr Mammans full statement below. The federal ministry of power has delayed the implementation of tariff measures for the next three months as palliative measures as against the ravaging COVID 19 pandemic in the country. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had said Nigerians were to pay more for electricity Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The agency disclosed this in its December 2019 Minor Review of Multi-Year Tariff Order 2015 and Minimum Remittance Order for the Year 2020. According to the Commission, the order determined the minimum remittances payable by the distribution companies in meeting their market obligations based on the allowed tariffs. But in a statement signed by the Power minister, Sale Mamman, on Tuesday, said the postponement followed president Muhammadu Buhari order to grant a moratorium loan for certain Federal Government funded facilities to the Nigerian Public. Saleh Mamman [PHOTO: Daily Nigerian] President Buhari on Sunday had ordered a three-month moratorium on loans all government funded loans from institutions such as the Bank Of Industry and Nigerian Export-Import Bank and TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni beneficiaries as relief efforts to tackle the Covid-19 impact on the Nigerian economy. He said, Tariffs will only be raised as the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) improve quality of supply, meter consumers and agree with consumers on rates. DISCOs that fail to improve will be sanctioned. READ FULL STATEMENT FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER OFFICE OF THE HONOURABLE MINISTER PRESS RELEASE COVID-19; Ministers Statement on Tariffs and Palliative measures for the Power Sector. As part of the Federal Government efforts to ameliorate the current challenges occasioned by the ravaging COVID 19 pandemic, The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission today issued an Order that included a 3-month delay in the implementation of tariff measures. The 3-month delay in the implementation of tariff measures is consistent with His Excellency the Presidents announcement on March 29th granting a moratorium for certain Federal Government funded facilities to the Nigerian Public. There will be no tariff action in APRIL. Thereafter, tariffs will only be raised as the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) improve quality of supply, meter consumers and agree with consumers on rates. DISCOs that fail to improve will be sanctioned. This is based on the outcome of the public hearings on tariffs. The Ministry is supportive of a service reflective tariff system which is more equitable and will encourage investment in the sector. The Ministry will work with NERC to ensure that improvements happen in the entire DISCO network and estimated billing is capped per NERC Order 197/2020. This will eliminate arbitrary billing that Nigerians have raised issues with. We are also implementing other key emergency measures to support the NESI (Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry). We are working with the CBN to ensure payments to the generators and gas suppliers through the Payment Assurance Facility (PAF) are expedited to support power supply. TCN is also creating emergency measures to ensure staff will be available to monitor the grid and perform technical interventions. These changes and emergency measures will have an impact on Government finances. The Power Sector Recovery (PSRP) Financing Plan is being updated to reflect the changes. The Financing Plan will help support ongoing discussions with the World Bank on financial support for the sector and the transition away from tariff support as Government optimises its resources. During this difficult time the President has instructed that critical infrastructure projects and programs for the poor and underserved be continued. The Ministry will continue to implement key infrastructure programs such as the Siemens/Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). The Ministry through TCN will also continue the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Program in partnership with the World Bank, African Development Bank, AfD, JICA and other key development partners. To support the underserved and citizens without access in this difficult time, the Ministry will accelerate programs with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) focusing on Solar Home Systems and Solar Mini-Grids that impact the poor. These programs continue to be supported by the World Bank, African Development Bank, USAID, DFID and other key development partners. The Ministry is also in discussions with the Central Bank to provide financing to accelerate Solar Off-Grid programs with the REA. The Ministry will engage with key NESI players in this difficult time to ensure sustainability of supply. I commend players in the NESI that have made commitments to ensuring stable power supply in this period. Thank you to all the industry players for this patriotic stand. Indeed, times like these demands nothing less. Advertisements I am assuring Nigerians that the priority of this government as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari is to provide support for all citizens as we battle the global pandemic. Engr. Sale Mamman Honourable Minister of Power 31/03/2020 (Photo : Image by Engin_Akyurt from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Engin_Akyurt from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The public was seemingly shocked after witnessing Donald Trump's address in his very "unusual somber tone" on Tuesday. After weeks of, reportedly, "downplaying" the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already affected thousands of individuals in the United States, it was reported that US President advised the American people that "darker days are still to come." According to CNN News, Trump warned everyone that the next two weeks will be "very painful." This, reportedly, comes after officials predicted that the death toll in the country will reach 100,000 to 240,000 despite strictly observing the social distancing guidelines. Donald Trump has now, reportedly, heeded the advice given by experts about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It was said that instead of pushing through to lift the lockdown by Easter, another 30 days will be added for the Americans to follow the guidelines, which include ceasing any social gathering, working from home, and continuing the online classes for the students, to "stem the spread" of the virus. It was also revealed that before announcing the extension of the lockdown, the US President had faced "intense pressure" from economists and business leaders who, reportedly, wants to re-open some part of the country. Also, the reports noted that some of his advisors were against the 30-day extension of the distancing guidelines. Despite the internal debate, Donald Trump was said to listen to his officials about the need to continue with the guidelines. It was said that this is the only factor that prevents the possible 2.2 million deaths in the country. In a similar scoop by The Guardian UK, it was reported that Donald Trump also explained his decision during the address. He, reportedly, told that this is "necessary" as this will protect millions of lives. The President continued to share that without his "mitigation guidelines," the public would "have had people dying all over the place." While "one hundred thousand" is a significant number in terms of the predicted deaths due to the virus, he said that it is a "very low number" based on the models that were also presented by his officials. In the end, though, he was said to describe it still "very sobering." Aside from Donald Trump, some of the White House Coronavirus Task Force members were also said to share a few insights on the apparent crisis. It was said that the "projected number" of deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States "could be lower," which will only happen "if people change their behavior." Advertisement TagsPainful Two Weeks, 240, 000 Deaths, americans One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 (Newser) It's Vladimir Putin to the rescue? Russia has sent a military cargo plane to the US with masks and other medical equipment, reports Politico. It was due to arrive Wednesday, though the exact details of what it's carrying remain unclear. The move came after a one-on-one phone call between Putin and President Trump, according to a tweet by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The tweet showed boxes loaded onto the aircraft. Trump made reference to the supplies on Monday, saying "Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice," per the Washington Post, which notes Trump was "apparently mistaken" about the schedule of the plane, which took off Wednesday. Said Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov: "Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid." story continues below Skeptics, though, smell a propaganda coup. At Foreign Policy, Elisabeth Braw writes that Russia previously sent a planeload of aid to Italy, but "the Italians discovered that the vast majority of the supplies were useless for coronavirus treatment." Local media quoted an Italian doctor who estimated that 80% of the stuff was irrelevant for COVID-19 treatment. So far, Russian coronavirus cases have been relatively light, with the official number at fewer than 2,800. However, the Guardian notes that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has been sounding the alarm that the figure is too low. Russia's death toll was at 24 on Wednesday, according to the count at Johns Hopkins. (Read more coronavirus stories.) 4 including three kids who went missing from Bengaluru traced to Mangaluru Mangaluru central station to have 2 more new platforms by September Coronavirus: Man held in Mangaluru for spreading malicious content on social media India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mangaluru, Apr 01: A man was arrested in Mangaluru for allegedly spreading malicious content and rumours on social media against government functionaries engaged in work against the coronavirus. The arrested has been identified as Nizam alias Neeza. He was produced before the local court and remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday, city police Commissioner P S Harsha said in a tweet. Nizam has been accused of spreading malicious content and rumours about government functionaries involved in anti- Covid-19 work using the social media platform "Idhu namma dhwani." Centre seeks SC directive to media on publication of coronavirus related news Meanwhile, Belthangady police registered a case against four persons for assaulting two policemen and a health worker at Nyatarpu village in the taluk. Two police constables and a health worker, who visited the house of a person under home quarantine, were attacked when they questioned the man in quarantine who was roaming around without any precautionary measures. The man and three others abused the health worker and the policemen, police said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:35 [IST] Uttar Pradeshs association of ambulance staff announced on April 1 that they would not work until the authorities provide them with protective gear. Despite ambulance workers being on the frontline, they have allegedly not been given any safety gear such as masks, gloves, etc. Moreover, they alleged that they have not even received their salaries for over two months. Coronavirus News India LIVE Updates According to an NDTV report, several ambulance workers were headed home on April 1 as neither the government nor the private firms they were working for had taken cognizance of their demands. The Ambulance Employees Association has informed that there are around 4,500 emergency ambulances in Uttar Pradesh, which are operated by private firm GVK under a government contract. More than 17,000 people who work for the 102 and 108 emergency ambulance services have been hired by the private firm on a contract basis. They wrote a letter to their private employer to announce that no ambulance operator will go to work if their demands are not met. Meanwhile, the state government has told them that GVK is responsible for their salaries, so the issue must be negotiated directly with them. 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 Speaking to the media about their ordeal, Madhukar Singh, an ambulance driver from UPs Pratapgarh district, said: We do not have sanitisers, gloves, or proper masks. This mask you see on me cannot be worn for more than two hours. Fifteen pieces of these have been distributed to each ambulance and we dont know when the new set will arrive. Our vehicles have not been sanitised either. Adding that they have not received their salaries for two months, he said people do not let them enter when they go to fill up oxygen. Singh alleged that despite requesting the local chief medical officer to provide them better supplies, they did not get any response. Follow our full coverage on https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/tags/coronavirus.html ALBANY Facing an unprecedented public health crisis, the state Legislature had intended to work toward an "expedited" budget this year, due annually by April 1. And yet, legislators were working late Tuesday and on the details of the state's spending plan, last projected at $178 billion but likely much smaller now as the state anticipates $15 billion in lost revenues and a near-certain recession. Lawmakers warned their constituents of looming cuts, as the state contends it has not received enough help from the federal government to maintain current spending levels. Cuomo, in his third term as governor, has long prided himself on hitting or mostly hitting budget deadlines, which had often fallen to the wayside under previous administrations. But he was unsure Tuesday afternoon whether lawmakers would be able to come to an agreement by midnight, joking with a radio host: "I don't know, I'll tell you in about 10 hours." "Normally, yeah, there's bad news, but there's some good news," Cuomo told WAMC's Alan Chartock. "Legislators are not accustomed to doing a budget where it's all bad news." The governor has said the state is "basically bankrupt" because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shuttered businesses, schools and social gatherings. He declined to say what numbers officials are working with as they finalize the budget package, which had initially estimated $88 billion in revenue now an impossible number. The package will likely include some flexibility allowing officials whether in the budget division, the Legislature or some combination of both to revisit the spending plan quarterly and adjust it as needed. The budget forecast is grim, Cuomo said, but is also largely dependent on federal aid and economic activity after the novel coronavirus is contained. Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Cuomo has said that the state has not received enough money from the federal government to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus, though Congress' $2.2 trillion relief plan was largely negotiated by the state's senior senator, Charles E. Schumer, who has applauded the measure. The state will receive $5.1 billion in direct coronavirus funding and hundreds of millions in additional aid directed to counties based on population levels. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The state Legislature hinted at signs of a budget agreement Tuesday morning, releasing two budget bills on revenue and public protection. Lawmakers had dropped perhaps the most controversial social issue set to be included in the budget marijuana legalization as Cuomo contended that reaching an agreement was "too much" in "too little time." The bills included Cuomo's plans for an elevated "domestic terrorism" charge for certain hate crimes, gave him the power to close prisons at will and also established funding for the state's newly implemented discovery laws. But other ideas that Cuomo had tucked into an ambitious January proposal were cut his hopes for alcohol sales in movie theaters, for example, or a requirement that lawmakers must release their tax returns if they earn more than $100,000 per year. But there are still major spending issues uncertain as negotiations continue. The state had already been facing a difficult fiscal year, looking at a $6.1 billion budget gap mostly attributable to Medicaid overspending. In response, Cuomo had prescribed the second iteration of the Medicaid Redesign Team, a panel of experts tasked with finding $2.5 billion in recurring Medicaid "savings." It's unclear how the state's Medicaid system will fare under the new spending plan, as the governor has insisted that the setup needs an overhaul even if it costs New York more than $6 billion in federal funding contingent upon no changes to its Medicaid program. Also uncertain is school aid, which Cuomo had intended to boost by $826 million but he has said that education cuts are to come amid the financial crisis. Legislators, for their part, have been pushing to keep education funding at least at its 2020 numbers more than $27 billion though that would likely push cuts to other sectors. Though some lawmakers and advocacy groups have pushed to tax the rich to help fill the budget hole, Cuomo has rejected the idea. "They get that there's no money," Cuomo said of his telephone budget negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie. "Nobody's arguing that we have a different perception of reality. The reality is the problem. ... Carl and Andrea, the speaker and the Senate leader, they have to look at a conference and say, 'I know it's all bad news.'" If ever we needed reminding that we live in an interconnected world, the novel coronavirus has brought that home. These words, coming from UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, express what the world has been experiencing since last year: the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, knows no borders, no language barriers. It threatens everyone on this planet including refugees and other displaced people. And it can only be tackled if we all, as one global community, work together and demonstrate solidarity. Because what this global coronavirus outbreak has undeniably demonstrated, is that the health of every person is linked to the health of the most marginalized and vulnerable members in a society. And these members often include refugees, stateless people and internally displaced people. How does UNHCR help refugees and internally displaced people in the fight against the coronavirus? Since the start of the pandemic, weve scaled up our work to keep refugees and internally displaced people safe across the globe. We responded with life-saving support such as boosting water and sanitation facilities, increasing access to public health and hygiene as well as airlifting emergency supplies and establishing isolation units. We continue to monitor the spread of the outbreak and take action to limit infections. We work hard to ensure that the rights and protection of forcibly displaced people are respected, including the right to seek asylum despite border closures. Read the full report: UNHCR's response to the COVID-19 pandemic At the same time, we are responding to the exceptional socio-economic and protection impacts of COVID-19 on people forced to flee in six prioritized areas of intervention: Reducing vulnerability through cash assistance, helping meet basic needs and facilitating access to services; Protecting incomes and livelihoods or employment opportunities, through start-up capital and agricultural investment to improve food security; Preventing and responding to gender-based violence and ensuring services for women and girls are accessible despite lockdowns; Promoting mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, and strengthening psychosocial counselling; Communicating and engaging with communities, through existing and newly built community networks and offering guidance and fact-based information; Restoring education, including through reopening schools safely in accordance with health protocols and investing in online and offline distance education and support to the most vulnerable, in particular for adolescent girls. But the needs are growing and we cannot do this alone With millions of refugees, internally displaced and stateless people now falling into conditions of extreme hardship induced by the pandemic, UNHCR is appealing for US$924 million in 2021, of which US$455 million to meet the exceptional needs caused by the disastrous socio-economic and protection impacts of COVID-19. Financial support will help UNHCR stem and reverse the worst impacts of COVID-19 on refugee and displaced populations, and ensure they have access to critical protection and health services and global vaccine distribution. The worst of crises requires the best of humanity. Now is the time for action. We can prevent the disease from spreading. With your support, we can save lives. - UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi Support our work now How does the coronavirus outbreak affect refugees? Even before the compounding effects of COVID-19, persecution and conflict had forced around 80 million people from their homes at the beginning of 2020. Refugees and other displaced people belong to the most marginalized and vulnerable members of society. They are particularly at risk during this coronavirus disease outbreak because they often have limited access to water, sanitation systems and health facilities. Over 80 per cent of the worlds refugees and nearly all the worlds internally displaced people are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, such as Jordan, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon and Bangladesh. All of which are under severe economic strain. COVID-19 containment measures have disproportionately impacted refugees and forcibly displaced people. These populations face lost livelihoods, spiralling poverty, destitution, insufficient aid and development. They frequently face specific challenges and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration in COVID-19 readiness and response operations. Keeping the most vulnerable safe means keeping everyone safe. Read more: Data reveals the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods and futures Coronavirus updates and other useful information THE Irish child star of a new home-grown movie has revealed how actor Russell Brand once arrived on the east coast set with an ice-cream truck. Galway actor Ely Solan - who received critical acclaim for his role in the Oscar-nominated short film Detainment - is set to feature in the family adventure film Four Kids And It, which will premiere on Sky Cinema this week. The cast includes Brand, Michael Caine and a cameo appearance from pop star Cheryl Cole. It is based on the novel by author Jacqueline Wilson. Expand Close Ely Solan in Four Kids and It / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ely Solan in Four Kids and It Ely (15) said Brand was a big hit with the young actors on set along the Wicklow coastline. "On Fridays, Russell Brand would bring a special surprise to set, so this day I was reading over my lines with my mum in the trailer waiting for the scene and I hear this familiar music outside," he said. "I went out of the trailer and it was just Russell Brand inside an ice cream truck, handing out ice creams. "I got to meet him... he's very charismatic." The stunning beaches on the east coast were the main seaside location for the Sky original movie based on Wilson's retelling of the classic story Five Children And It, written by E Nesbit in 1902. "It was during the middle of the summer, the sun was always out and there was clear skies, which was rare to see in Ireland," said the Galway teenager. Video of the Day "We were on this hill and you could see for miles and miles." It begins with four children horrified to learn that their beach holiday is a trip engineered by new couple, played by Paula Patton and Matthew Goode, to bond them with their potential future step-siblings. They end up finding a magical creature on the beach called a Psammead - played by Caine - with the power to grant one wish a day, but are pursed by villain Tristan (Brand). When they go back in time, they meet some Edwardian children including Robert, played by Ely in the film. The young actor's breakout role was in the short film Detainment, about the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, who was abducted from a shopping centre and brutally murdered by two 10-year-old boys in 1993. "Right now, I'm in the middle of my Junior Cert year and I'm going for auditions here and there," said Ely. "We have loads of work, even being off school." Four Kids and It will be shown on Sky Cinema and NOW TV this Friday 3 April. Henschen said ever since the governor issued the shelter-in-place order, the extension unit has tried to come up with a weekly challenge project, something children can do own their own or complete with other family members. No Longer The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Lose These Royal Perks In Their Fresh Start NEWS just in jogging is to be banned. Actually, that was my lame attempt at an April fool gag. Sorry. Wouldnt it be wonderful, though, if we could actually stop these coughing, wheezing street thugs? I never thought Id despise a group of keep-fit fans so much. Considering were in the grip of a global pandemic caused by a virus spread by droplets expelled from a persons mouth and nose, I feel strongly that joggers and all these new runners should self-isolate. As a dog walker, Ive never liked joggers. For some reason, they seem to hate everyone else who appears on what they feel is their path. They tut-tut at traffic that stops them crossing the road; they spit everywhere, normally at the feet of others, and they continue to show no regard for anyone else exercising and continue to go past us far too close on their 5K or 10K runs. Joggers seem to feel walkers are the ones who should get out of their way, even though they mostly appear out of nowhere without warning. Im most angry about those who allow no distance between themselves and old people who are out for a short walk around the houses. I realise most pensioners are now obeying the cocooning guidelines and staying indoors, but over the past couple of weeks while everyone was meant to be practising two-metre social distancing, Ive seen many joggers, and none of them gave people a wide berth. Maybe I just live near inconsiderate keep-fit fanatics, but I doubt it. Sadly, another April fool is that this coronavirus lockdown will be over by Easter. If only. The Government has been very clever to stagger its restrictions, tightening the screw both slowly and gently. BEACHES While Ive no qualifications to predict the future, like any Dublin taxi man Ive a feeling in my waters about things, and we aint getting out of the house any time soon. Not this month anyway. Dont shoot the messenger, but I cant imagine it will be next month either. All being well, I reckon well be back on the beaches by June, but I think face masks and spit visors might be the top fashion accessory as we all continue to practise social distancing while queuing for an ice-cream cone. Sure, were all dreaming of pints down the local and dinner at our favourite restaurants. Thats especially if, like me, youve morphed into a full-time chef for hungry and bored family members. I mean, seriously, Ive always loved preparing nourishing meals for my family, but I cant ever remember spending so much money on food or so much time working in the kitchen. Ive been slaving over breakfasts, post-breakfast snacks, pre-brunch snacks, brunch, post-brunch snacks you get what Im talking about. The fridge moans every time I open the door, and Im certain its judging me on my food choices. Maybe Im going crazy, but Im convinced it whispered to me last night, saying: Step away from the cheese. Of course, Im joking I was really looking for the chocolate as I polished off the cheese days ago. In a bid to showcase solidarity amid the ongoing crisis due to coronavirus outbreak, Irans iconic Azadi Tower projected the messages of togetherness for the affected countries on March 31. After the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, as the number of coronavirus infections in Iran spike to 44,605 with at least 2,898, Tehran Azadi Tower lit up at night with messages like we stand together, we stand against coronavirus, we stay strong. Iran called for solidarity and unity not only between its cities but also countries around the world who are combating with the pandemic. The coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 42,300 lives worldwide as of April 1. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 203 countries and has infected at least 859,770 people. Out of the total infections, 178,335 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries and the economy is struggling. Read - Coronavirus Test Kits Heading To UK Found Contaminated With Virus: Reports Read - Bernie Sanders, Other US Lawmakers Write To Trump To Lift Iran Sanctions Amid COVID-19 Empire State Building displays siren The iconic Empire State Building in New York has replaced their signature white lights to white and red sirens starting from March 30 in a bid to show support to fighters on the frontline of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. As the pandemic continues to tighten its grip on the United States and has spread to its all 33 states with New York being one of the worst-hit states, the Empire State Realty Trust, Inc said the initiative will mark their respect to heroic emergency workers who are combatting the COVID-19 crisis. Among other iconic buildings that light up and showed support to emergency workers even included the breathtaking Eiffel Tower in Paris which displayed merci on March 28 that translates to thank you in English. The message of gratitude was followed by another one saying stay at home along with the towers sparkling illuminations. That display started at 8pm (local time) and it reportedly coincided with the time that citizens all across France were confined to their homes and applauded for workers, doctors, nurses. @LaTourEiffel leur dit MERCI ! A partir de ce soir, la Dame de fer sillumine en hommage a toutes les personnes en premiere ligne de front face au #Covid_19, et qui prennent soin des Parisiennes et des Parisiens. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/9AVnXMok5v Paris (@Paris) March 27, 2020 Read - COVID-19: Pompeo Hints At Easing Iran Sanctions Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Read - US Extends Iran Nuclear Cooperation Sanctions Waivers Agreement with Tecnologico de Monterrey, a leading Latin American university (Third Ranked in Latin America) in Mexico brings Khirons online education program to reach 1,500 physicians, healthcare practitioners and beyond Doctor education continues to be core to Khiron mission Partnership allows Khiron to include its medical education program with Tecnologico de Monterrey world-renowned continuing education platform for doctors, giving it prominent exposure to the Latin America medical community world-renowned continuing education platform for doctors, giving it prominent exposure to the medical community Co-developed, online educational content will focus on medical cannabis knowledge, application and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoid-based medicines to better meet patient needs Tecnologico de Monterrey , a top-3 Latin American university and the leading university in Mexico (Source: QS University Rankings) , a top-3 Latin American university and the leading university in (Source: QS University Rankings) Khiron's Phase 1, best in class cloud-based cannabis education and certification platform will be launched in Q2 2020 and feature interactive courses customized for specific medical cannabis conditions TORONTO, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ("Khiron" or the "Company") (TSXV: KHRN ), (OTCQB: KHRNF), (Frankfurt: A2JMZC), a vertically integrated cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America, today announced the Company has entered into an agreement with Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico bringing science-based online medical cannabis education to an initial group of up to 1,500 healthcare practitioners. With costs covered by Khiron, the program launches the Company's Latin America medical cannabis education strategy, positioning Khiron as a leader in increasing the understanding and application of cannabinoid therapies in the region. "In the new reality of Covid-19, the development of online continuing medical education programs with highly scientific content is critical to fulfill current gaps and support needed in medical cannabis academic training among healthcare practitioners. Our doctor education strategy, and relationship with Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, encourages our person-centred care, and contributes to our commitment to medical cannabis education and responsible prescription of cannabinoid therapy," comments Rodrigo Duran, Khiron VP Pharma. Tecnologico de Monterrey medical cannabis program begins with online based courses in Q2 2020, introducing healthcare providers across Latin America to specific regulatory frameworks, clinical evidence and research, safety considerations, clinical cases and practical recommendations to best meet current patient needs. A second phase will launch in Q3 2020. "As the leading university in Mexico we have a responsibility to bring the highest level of education to our physician population including different specialities of physicians. In the emerging field of medical cannabis, the partnership with Khiron Life Sciences means we can do this in an informed, science-based environment that will raise knowledge among Latin American healthcare professionals and prepare them to bring greater treatment options to patients," comments Gabriela Villarreal Levy MD, MPH, Associate Dean of Continuing Medical Education at Tecnologico de Monterrey. "This partnership continues Khirons innovation model in reaching doctors and patients virtually, including our recently announced teleconsultation service which allows patients, including those in our ILANS and Zerenia clinics to access clinic services and doctors trained to prescribe medical cannabis," comments Alvaro Torres, Khiron CEO and director. Khiron will host an investor webcast with Alvaro Torres, CEO and Chris Naprawa, President, to discuss its medical cannabis education strategy and further Company activity. DATE: Monday, April 6, 2020 TIME: 11:00am ET/8:00am PST FORMAT: Live 20 minutes presentation & 10-minute Q&A session LINK: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2256382/47BC8B35460B3AC1B73FBDB2F7BE4496 About the Tecnologico de Monterrey Founded in 1943, the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) (in English: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnologico de Monterrey, is a secular and co-ed multi-campus private university based in Monterrey, Mexico. Tecnologico de Monterrey has since grown to include 36 campuses throughout the country, quickly becoming one of the best universities in Latin America. Tecnologico de Monterrey was the first university to be connected to the internet in Latin America and the Spanish speaking world having the top-ranked business school in the region according to the Economist. The medical school offers the only MD-PhD program available in Mexico, in partnership with the Houston Methodist Hospital. About Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Khiron Life Sciences Corp. is the dominant integrated medical cannabis company in Latin America. Khiron has core operations in Latin America, along with activity in North America and Europe, and is licensed in Colombia for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) medical cannabis. The Company delivers best in class regulatory compliance, has the first approved line of CBD cosmetic products on shelf in Colombia, and is fully authorized to manufacture high- and low-THC medical cannabis, and to fill prescriptions for low-THC medical cannabis in the country. With a focused regional strategy and patient oriented approach, the Company combines global scientific expertise, agricultural advantages, branded product market entrance experience and education to drive prescription and brand loyalty to address priority medical conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, depression and anxiety in the Latin American market of over 620 million people. The Company is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced executive team, and a knowledgeable Board of Directors that includes former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox. Visit Khiron online at www.khiron.ca and on Instagram @khironlife Cautionary Notes Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Khiron undertakes no obligation to comment analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Khiron, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Khiron believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Khiron's control, including the risk factors discussed in Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and are made as of the date hereof. Khiron disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. United States Disclaimer This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Related Links https://www.khiron.ca/en/home Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday condemned the religious gathering that was held at Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz at Nizamuddin in Delhi despite the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak. "Whatever happened at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz is absolutely despicable. It's a crime against the nation and humanity," the Governor told ANI. He also said, "The speeches delivered there were also criminal in nature where instruction on social distancing was described as a conspiracy." The gathering organised at Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz at Delhi's Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in mid-March. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in the country, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (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 Arne Delfs (Bloomberg) Berlin, Germany Wed, April 1, 2020 18:55 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206efcd7d 2 World EU,Viktor-Orban,Hungary,COVID-19 Free Hungary should be excluded from the European Unions ministerial meetings because of Prime Minister Viktor Orbans move to take sole command of the nation, Luxembourgs Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said. We cannot accept that there exists a dictatorial government within the EU, said Asselborn in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt. Hungary immediately belongs into strict political quarantine. The Hungarian government should no longer have a seat at the table of the European institutions. In the countrys fight against the coronavirus, Hungarys parliament handed Orban the right to rule by decree indefinitely on Monday, effectively giving him control for as long as he sees fit. Australian fishermen brokering deal to fly lobsters to China, get coronavirus medical supplies in return by Sean Murphy April 01,2020 | Source: ABC Australia's biggest wild-caught fishery is trying to secure an air freight charter to China to maintain a foothold in the world's biggest seafood market and possibly bring back medical supplies to Australia on the return trip. The western rock lobster industry was worth up to $500 million a year before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and about 95 per cent of the product was air freighted to China. Trade was halted on January 24 as Chinese authorities began widespread lockdowns to contain coronavirus. A trickle of trade resumed in February and demand has steadily grown since then and around 80 per cent of vendors have resumed trading at China's biggest seafood market in Guangzhou. However, as demand has risen, access to China has shrunk and the industry lost its last scheduled flight into China from Perth this week. WA's four main lobster processing companies, led by the Geraldton Fishermen's Co-operative (GFC), have been negotiating with five airlines this week to secure a deal to export a weekly shipment of 30 tonnes of live lobster. The GFC's chief executive Matt Rutter said the industry was hoping to use existing passenger flight codes into the Japanese trade hub, Narita, which have been grounded and have landing rights up to three times per week. The lobsters would then be flown to Guangzhou. "We've been scrambling to try and find a solution to keep all of our people in a job and keep our boats on the water," Mr Rutter said "Then we can keep all of the important export earnings coming into the country as well as maintaining supply to our customers." He said cost was still an issue at a time when lobster prices had plummeted and overheads were increasing. The processers are negotiating with Federal and WA governments to bring back freight, including medical supplies. "You pay a premium for flying the plane empty so anything we can get on the back freight would be of benefit," Mr Rutter said. "Anything we can get on back freight will help us with the rate. "We've been really encouraged by the way the Federal and State Governments have worked with us on this, we're hoping we can get a model that will work for other industries as well." After lobster prices reached highs of up to $90 a kilogram in January, the beach price for the state's 640 licensed fishers dropped as low as $20 a kilogram this week when the last flight to China was cancelled. Mr Rutter said he hoped the price would recover to at least $25 if an air freight charter could be confirmed, beginning next week. The co-owner of the Indian Ocean Rock Lobster company, Michael Thompson, said domestic demand for lobster had been strong but collapsed when Melbourne's Formula One Grand Prix was cancelled. Export markets to Japan and the United States were also shrinking due to the COVID-19 crisis. Mr Thompson said oversupply was an issue in China and as the world's seafood exporters clamour for a share of the recovering market the industry would need a measured approach. "At this stage I just think it's more important that we get product trickling into China, and rather than rush it in there 30 tonnes a week gets the wheels turning again," Mr Thompson said. "The Chinese have got to start from zero base and start opening their restaurants and [need] people getting the confidence that we are lacking at the moment. Western Rock Lobster Council chief executive Matt Taylor said the WA Government had reduced the total allowable catch and extended the current season until June next year to try to avoid any oversupply. He said it was too early to measure the full impact of the COVID-19 crisis. 2020 ABC Theme(s): Others. The beloved founder of a Teaneck food pantry that served as many as 100 families a week died from complications with the coronavirus Monday, state and local officials announced. Janice Preschel, 60, of Teaneck, died Monday night after contracting the coronavirus, said longtime friend and Teaneck Township Manager Dean Kazinci. Preschel was the founder and director of Helping Hands, said Kazinci. It was Preschels nature as a fighter for those who needed it the most that makes her loss felt throughout the township, said Kazinci. On Wednesday, flags throughout Teaneck were lowered in her honor, he said. She had the heart of a lion, said Kazinci. Always, always, always putting the needs of others in front of her own. There was nothing she wouldnt do to help someone to put food on the table." Governor Phil Murphy highlighted Preschels passing at a Wednesday afternoon briefing, echoing township officials statements that the township had lost a true woman of valor. Preschel was a longtime Teaneck resident and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1977, said Kazinci. She was a past President of the Teaneck Rotary and was active at the Temple Emeths Social Action Committee, he said. Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, the first Muslim mayor in Bergen County, called Preschel a dear friend who was at his wedding and was one of the first people to support his run for mayor. Shes one of the people that believed in me from the beginning, he said. Since the first case of the coronavirus in New Jersey, Bergen County has been the hardest hit and Teaneck has remained the epicenter of the countys outbreak. At Holy Name Medical Center, also in Teaneck, healthcare workers have been battling an overwhelming influx of patients stricken with the coronavirus, while vying with depleted supplies. The hospitals CEO Michael Maron contracted the virus and the hospitals head of infectious disease described it as a war zone. Just before her passing, Preschel overheard nurses at the hospital talking about the sheer exhaustion from day after day of working to stem the tide of sick. Preschel immediately thought to hand out restaurant gift certificates to ICU nurses, said Kazinci. Even when hospitalized, Janice continued to think of others, he said. Janice was a true gift to all of us, and we can honor her memory by paying it forward as she always did. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:57:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported on Wednesday 51 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 765. The 51 new cases involve 28 males and 23 females aged between 40 days and 65 years. Among them 34 people had travel history during the incubation period, including 13 students who had been studying overseas, Head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch Chuang Shuk-kwan told a daily press briefing. The 40-day-old baby became Hong Kong's youngest COVID-19 patient. The baby was in a stable condition now, and his parents tested negative for COVID-19. Chuang advised young people to reduce visits and contact to the elder and babies as they were vulnerable to be infected by young people who carried the virus without knowing during the incubation period. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Carrie Lam Tuesday went to the headquarters of Po Leung Kuk, a local charity, to visit its mobile Chinese medicine clinic and learn about its support services for the underprivileged during the epidemic. Lam said that many people are facing hardship amid the severe epidemic situation and that the government will provide full support to them. She also urged the public to stand united, support each other and care more about the underprivileged sectors of the community during this period in order to overcome the epidemic together. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on April 1, 2020 2020/04/01 Yesterday China and ASEAN held the second video conference on COVID-19 to share experience and further cooperation. As close neighbors, China and ASEAN countries have all along been helping each other since the COVID-19 broke out. On February 20, clinical experts from China and 10 ASEAN countries held the first video conference to exchange experience in epidemic prevention and control. Yesterday saw another organized by the Chinese foreign ministry and the National Health Commission, coordinated by the ASEAN Secretariat, and attended by over 80 delegates including diplomats, health officials and medical experts from China and 10 ASEAN countries as well as the ASEAN Secretariat. There were in-depth discussions on testing methods, case tracing, prevention and control measures, clinical treatment and asymptomatic cases. The three-hour long conference yielded good results. Both sides believe it helps regional countries make concerted efforts and enhance China-ASEAN cooperation in combating the virus. CCTV: We know from yesterday's announcement that the foreign ministry is considering the issue of overseas Chinese students returning to China. What specific measures will be taken next? Hua Chunying: The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to and cares deeply about Chinese students abroad. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 in many places worldwide and in accordance with the directions of the CPC Central Committee, the foreign ministry instructed all the embassies and consulates overseas to take overall actions and do everything possible to pass on the care of the Party and the Government to Chinese students overseas. Not long ago, China arranged temporary flights to transfer people facing dire situations in Iran and Italy back to China in an orderly manner. Recently, due to the spread of the pandemic, international passenger flights have been scaled down sharply and some Chinese students studying abroad run into difficulties on their way back home. Upon learning such problems, the Chinese embassies and consulates in Ethiopia, Cambodia, and other countries took immediate actions and went all-out to help the students return home safe and sound, both by contacting their host countries and coordinating with the relevant departments back in China. In view of the current situation in the UK and the difficulties faced by Chinese students there, the foreign ministry is actively coordinating with the Civil Aviation Administration and other departments to bring home students in need by extra flight tomorrow, April 2. China National Radio: Recently the journal Science published a paper by researchers in the United States, the UK and China. One of the paper's authors, an Oxford fellow, said that without the Wuhan travel ban and the national emergency response by the Chinese government, there would have been more than 700,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases outside of Wuhan by February 19. The report believes China's control measures worked by successfully breaking the chain of transmission and preventing contact between infectious and susceptible people and bought other cities valuable time. What's your comment? Hua Chunying: The paper's findings are consistent with WHO's view and the consensus of many countries' leaders and experts. The Chinese government took the most comprehensive, thorough and rigorous prevention and control measures at the earliest time possible, which have been proven to be highly effective at the current stage. Our efforts bought precious time for the world to prepare for the pandemic. Just as WHO puts it, China has taken the most courageous, most flexible and most active prevention and control measures, which altered the dangerous course of the virus' quick spread and prevented hundreds of thousands of infections nationwide. China stands ready to further international cooperation in fighting the pandemic and share experience with other countries to defeat the virus as soon as possible and safeguard regional and global public health security. Beijing Youth Daily: The KN95 mask is a Chinese alternative to the N95 mask, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refuses to allow it into the country. Can you confirm that? What is your comment? Hua Chunying: I have seen relevant reports but I am not aware of the specific situation. If this is the real case, frankly I don't understand why the US side made this decision. Under the current circumstances, all countries are in urgent need of masks. There is also a huge demand for them in China. Chinese companies are running at full steam around the clock to manufacture as many as possible to meet domestic demands and support other countries. It is true that different countries and regions apply different standards when it comes to certifying these epidemic prevention and control products. But I don't think this should become a sticking point in cooperation in such areas. Global Times: The Grayzone, an independent news website in the US, recently published an article pointing out a recent surge in stories in the Western press on the so-called "forced labor" report of the Uyghur Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang. The article says the report is actually sponsored by a right-wing Australian institution funded by the US government, NATO, and an eye-popping array of weapons manufacturers. It cites "testimonies" from a blog of religious fanatics. The website also disclosed that the endlessly repeated claims by Western media that China is detaining millions of Uyghur Muslims was built upon dubious interviews with a few crank experts. I wonder if you have a comment? Hua Chunying: What you just cited already serves to illustrate a point. In some corners of the world, there are indeed a few people engaging in underhand dealings with sinister intentions. Anyone with a sense of right and wrong and common sense should be able to see the facts as they are and jointly reject such fake news. AFP: The Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni arrived in Beijing today for a medical checkup. Is it related to the COVID-19? Hua Chunying: As you know, the Cambodian royal family has a very deep traditional friendship with China. They come here regularly. I am not aware of any connection between His Majesty's visit to China and the COVID-19. It is just for a routine checkup. The Paper: During his interviews with the Strait Times and Nikkei Asian Review on March 30, US Secretary of State Pompeo again accused China of spreading disinformation, saying China's decision to force Western press out of the country would reduce the capacity for all to understand what's happening there. I wonder if you could comment on his remarks? Hua Chunying: We read the reports, too. I must say this is typical Pompeo in his "lying" and "cheating" style, but these comments are completely inconsistent with what President Trump said last week during his phone call with President Xi. Here I just want to make two things clear. First, regarding "China's decision to force Western press out of the country would reduce the capacity for all to understand what's happening there", Mr. Pompeo should honestly tell the world that the US State Department denied 29 Chinese journalists' visas for no reason in the past two years and asked 60 Chinese journalists to leave the US within 10 days on March 2. What's the true intention behind this? Could it be that they foresaw the epidemic in the US would develop into what the situation is today? Were they trying to conceal the domestic situation from the world? The absence of some US journalists will not impede the international community from learning what's going on in China, because our government has been open, transparent and responsible in publishing the epidemic data every day, which has been highly and unanimously acclaimed by all except Mr. Pompeo and several US politicians. Besides, there are still over 500 foreign journalists stationed in China. The world will have no difficulty whatsoever in learning about the true situation in China. Second, while making all-out efforts to get the domestic situation better and more stable, the CPC, the Chinese government and people are supporting and helping other countries in need to minimize the pandemic's impact on the economy and people's health. We don't need to lie and cheat to get anything. All we want is to safeguard the life and health of the 1.4 billion Chinese people and do our best to help other countries in their fight against the pandemic. Shenzhen TV: US Secretary of State Pompeo said at a press conference on March 31 that the US contribution to global anti-pandemic response is far larger than that of China. Can you comment on his remarks? Hua Chunying: I noticed relevant reports. Secretary Pompeo counted the US contribution to the international community since 1948. That's very interesting. I'm curious, how much assistance the US actually provided to other countries in recent years? The US is the world's largest economy and a developed country with unrivaled overall strength. China would surely be glad to see it providing more aid to developing countries. In fact, the more the better. It is the country's due responsibility and obligation as the biggest developed country, and its due commitment to developing countries that should be fulfilled. China, as the biggest developing country, has all along been providing aid to other developing countries with no political strings attached under the South-South cooperation framework. While fighting COVID-19 at home, we are helping other countries in need to the best of our ability. We do this to reciprocate these countries' earlier support for us, and out of humanitarian considerations. We simply believe in doing our very best and have no intention to compete with anyone. Reuters: Taiwan donated 10 million masks to the US and other countries. What's your comment? Second question, some Chinese supermarkets, gyms, bars, hotels and SPA houses refuse to serve foreigners citing the pandemic as the reason. Some say this is retaliation to Chinese nationals being demonized overseas. What's your comment? Hua Chunying: On your first question about Taiwan's donation of masks, if my memory serves me right, when the epidemic first broke out in China's mainland, Taiwan authorities banned the export of masks. Now as we can see, the situation in the US is very severe, Chinese provinces, cities and businesses have been providing assistance to the American people. If the Taiwan region can and wants to help, I believe we are all glad to see it. But if anyone in Taiwan seeks to politicize the pandemic, I would advise them to think twice and act prudently. On your second question, I haven't heard of anything like that. As you know, when COVID-19 first hit China, a handful of Western politicians demonized and stigmatized China in their words, leading to injustice and discrimination against Chinese and Asians overseas. We the Chinese believe in not doing to others what you don't want others to do to you. That's why we stand firmly against and don't allow discriminatory behavior targeting foreigners. You mentioned some facilities like gyms and SPA parlors refuse to serve foreigners. I don't think such facilities are open at this special time amid the pandemic. The Chinese people welcome foreign friends with kindness, warmth and generosity. But at this extraordinary time, there are regulations at government and community levels to ensure public health security. We hope foreign nationals living in China could understand, support and cooperate with relevant regulations. This is both for their own health and safety and public health security. Press Trust of India: India and China plan to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in a big way from today, but the entire situation now is grim because of the coronavirus outbreak in both countries. So how does China plan to go ahead with this particular event which has been pre-planned for the entire year to mark this occasion? Second question, India is also trying to procure a lot of medical materials in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the country and they're trying to procure various items, especially ventilators. Is China planning to do anything in this regard to help the situation? Hua Chunying: First, congratulations. Today is indeed the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. Leaders of the two sides have exchanged congratulatory messages. During their meeting in Chennai, President Xi and Prime Minister Modi agreed to host 70 celebrating activities to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties, which will enhance China-India bilateral exchange and cooperation and showcase the deep historical connection between two ancient civilizations. The activities will deepen bilateral exchange in legislature, business, academics, culture, youth and defense. Chinese and Indian foreign ministries released detailed plans on October 22, 2019. As I know, the commemorative events have been unfolding. Due to the COVID-19, some exchange activities may be affected, but they will gain a stronger impetus after the pandemic. Taking the celebration of the 70th anniversary as an opportunity, we would like to work with India to elevate our bilateral relationship to a new height. On your second question, we know that the people of India are also fighting against the COVID-19 under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. We would like to share with India our experience and help them to the best of our ability. With regard to ventilators, they are in great demand around the world. China is now under the pressure of preventing a resurgence at home and we also have a large demand for ventilators. As I've said many times, Chinese manufactures are working at full capacity day and night to produce ventilators and other supplies so that on top of meeting domestic demands, we can provide as many supplies as possible to other countries, including India. One more ventilator might mean more lives saved. We know ventilators are sophisticated equipment of hundreds of parts, suppliers of which include Chinese and foreign ones, including some in Europe. So it is no easy matter to increase production on a large scale considering the sprawling range of the pandemic. It is also impossible to immediately meet all the demands. We hope all countries will work together to ensure that the global supply chain is open, stable and secure. In short, we stand ready to continue to support and help India to the best of our ability. Digital technologies have been playing a significant role in helping Chinas nationwide efforts to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. The medical team from the First Affiliated Hospital of the College of Medicine under Zhejiang University takes part in telemedicine sessions at the East Hospital Branch of the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in central Chinas Hubei province on Feb. 21. (Photo/Li Ge) The Damo Academy, the scientific research arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has helped the provincial center for disease control and prevention of Zhejiang in east China develop an automated genome-wide detection and analysis platform. Through AI-powered diagnosis technology, the platform can shorten the gene analysis time for a suspected case from several hours to just half an hour. At the same time, Alibaba has also improved the platforms AI algorithm, which will contribute to research and development of vaccines and drugs. iFlytek, China's leading AI and speech technology company, has deployed AI-powered intelligent medical assistants to communities to help physicians screen high-risk individuals and analyze patients' medical records. Furthermore, community doctors can use the company's intelligent external call system to conduct patient follow-ups, significantly reducing their workload. Chinese tech giant Baidu has provided a body temperature detection solution based on its AI facial recognition and infrared-imaging technologies. The company has rolled out AI and infrared-scanning devices across the country. Telemedicine systems have been put into operation to assist with epidemic prevention efforts. The Xiangyang municipal health commission in central Chinas Hubei province immediately upgraded the citys telemedicine service platform when the epidemic erupted, covering all hospitals that were designated to treat COVID-19 patients. The platform is also connected to major hospitals that sent medical staff to assist the city as part of virus control efforts, including the First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, northeast Chinas Liaoning province. Telemedicine reduces pressure on frontline medical workers and lowers the possibility of cross infection, said Du Chengyun, head of the Xiangyang municipal health commission. Chinese internet giants, including Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com and WeDoctor, have also launched online medical consultation platforms in an effort to relieve the pressure on hospitals. In addition, Tencent and Chinas leading online payment platform Alipay have launched QR health code systems to help with epidemic control and work resumption. By Andy Pavey and Tali Tesar paveyand@grinnell.edu tesartal@grinnell.edu My party and I dont always agree. Im more of a moderate than a conservative. Republican Dave Maxwell casts himself as someone willing to deviate from party lines in the hope of winning re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives for the fifth time. Maxwell says his greatest achievement in his seven years in office was striking a compromise on the judicial nomination process in Iowa. Last year the Governor wanted to really change the Judicial Nominating [Commission] for the Supreme Court, he said. I dont think we need to be messing with that. The state of Iowa nominates justices to its Supreme Court through a 17-member commission. Previously, eight of these members were appointed by the governor while nine were attorneys elected by other attorneys. Republicans originally proposed a change that would make all committee members appointed by the Governor, but Maxwell and a few other House Republicans pushed for moderation and succeeded. In 2018, Maxwell was one of five House Republicans to vote against a controversial bill banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, at around six weeks. The bill was later stuck down by the Iowa Supreme Court as unconstitutional. I really try to look out for these abortion issues. I dont believe in making abortion an impossibility. Just because I dont need it doesnt mean it isnt needed somewhere, he said. Im a senior male, and I dont really have any business telling young people what they need to do with their lives. In reality, Rep. Maxwells record on womens rights is more complicated. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, he voted in favor of HF 573, a rule signed into law by Governor Branstad in 2015. The bill requires physicians to provide ultrasounds prior to abortions that displayed the approximate age of the fetus and that the woman had the opportunity to view the ultrasound image, to hear a description of the fetus, and to hear its heartbeat. In 2016, Maxwell also voted to ban the sale and donation of fetal tissue. Federal law already bans the sale of fetal tissue, but allows for voluntary, unpaid donation by patients to assist medical research, the ACLU explained. The bill, HF 2329, never made it to the floor of the State Senate. Rep. Maxwell says he has been ashamed of Iowas health care system ever since we passed the law to privatize Medicaid, adding that Iowa was running pretty efficiently [before]. This is a concern shared by his competitors in the race, Independent Kamal Hammouda and Democrat Sarah Smith, who were interviewed by The S&B on Jan. 24 and Feb. 14, respectively. Though he is not in favor of eliminating private insurance entirely, Maxwell says we need to get some sort of hybrid program. His proposal is in line with many mainstream Democrats, including 2020 Presidential candidates like former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Regarding sustainability, another of his top concerns, Maxwell says hes most concerned with how agriculture impacts the natural environment. He hopes to work on edge of field practices to get nitrates out of the water, slowing down runoff and [restoring] some wetlands thats been converted to farmland. On a 2018 panel sponsored by the League of Women Voters, S&B records show Maxwell was less committed to action on the environment and skeptical about the concept of anthropogenic climate change itself. The climates been changing ever since God came on the world. Every year it changes, he said at the time. Its either warmer or colder or wetter or drier. I dont see it having a whole lot of an effect on what happens with food supply or farming in Iowa. Maxwell calls himself very pragmatic and says he aims to figure out the things that will do the most good for the money were spending. A member of the Agriculture, Natural Resources, Transportation and Ways and Means Committees, Maxwell has sponsored 19 pieces of legislation during his time in the State House. Maxwell encourages constituents to reach out to him with questions, concerns or conversation. His email is dave.maxwell@legis. iowa.gov, and his phone number is 641-660-0792. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Cabral Gold Inc. (TSXV: CBR) ("Cabral" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has identified a vein containing visible gold mineralization at the Alonso target. The Company is also pleased to provide a further update regarding the ongoing regional exploration work at the Cuiu Cuiu project in Brazil. Highlights Trenching has identified visible gold in an E-W trending quartz vein structure located adjacent to the area where 24 rock samples from boulders returned highly anomalous gold values ranging from 11.6 to 200.3 g/t gold. A composite grab sample of vein material excavated from this vein returned 15.8 g/t gold In addition, sheeted quartz veinlet mineralization was observed in bedrock 25m north of the outcropping vein structure described above suggesting the presence of a broader mineralized zone associated with a prominent E-W trending magnetic anomaly. This style of mineralization is typical, albeit higher grade, of the known mineralization which comprises the existing MG and Central gold deposits at Cuiu Cuiu as well as the Machichie target which was discovered during early 2019 Reconnaissance work to the east of the area where the original high-grade quartz-pyrite boulders were identified, has returned anomalous gold values in soils up to 900m to the east. Additional quartz-pyrite float material has also been identified up to 1.3km east of the high-grade quartz-pyrite boulders, further extending the Alonso target area to the east Alan Carter, President & CEO stated "The identification of visible gold in an outcropping quartz vein adjacent to the area of abundant quartz-pyrite boulders at Alonso is an important step forward in identifying the source of the quartz boulders which recently returned gold values of 11.3 to 200.3 g/t gold. Furthermore, the possible presence of a broad mineralization halo extending at least 25m to the north of the main vein structure suggests that the style of gold mineralization at Alonso is similar to the two main existing gold deposits at MG and Central. This further supports the conclusion that Cuiu Cuiu is an emerging district containing multiple gold deposits". Alonso Target Recent trenching has been conducted at the Alonso target where a series of large angular quartz boulders returned gold values of 11.6 to 200.3 g/t gold. The trench extended over 31.4m in a NNW direction along the western flank of the alluvial workings where the quartz boulders were discovered. Excavation through a shallow layer of cover located an in-situ quartz-pyrite vein containing visible gold. The vein that is exposed is 1.3m in width, trends E-W and is coincident with a pronounced E-W trending magnetic anomaly. It is not known at this point if this vein is the source of the high-grade boulder samples, since most of the boulders are located up slope from the outcropping vein and are upstream beyond the northern limit of the trench. A first attempt at trenching 8m to the east of the final site was abandoned, as the site proved to be waterlogged. A composite grab sample of vein material excavated from this attempt returned a grade of 15.8 g/t gold. However, continuous channel sampling was feasible in the revised position shown in Figure 1. The channel sample across the vein interval returned 1.3m @ 7.1 g/t. The southern sector of the trench was barren. The northern limit of the trench terminated within a low-grade halo (4m @ 158 ppb gold). The halo is known to extend further north, with narrow millimeter scale quartz veinlets observed up to 25m north of the main vein structure. Most of the boulders occur upstream to the north and remain untested. Figure 1: Alonso trenching site, in relation to boulder occurrences. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/54021_b438d70a846b4a0f_002full.jpg Extension of the trench further to the north was not possible since the ground is currently water-logged. This will be reassessed in the dry season. Achieving continuous sampling to the north across the magnetic anomaly will be important to determine if more than one vein is present to confirm the source. Other mineralized systems such as the existing MG and Central gold deposits at Cuiu Cuiu, as well as the Machichie target, which was discovered during 2019, are known to contain multiple high-grade veins and mineralized halos. In addition, results have been returned on a number of additional samples of quartz vein float material with six samples collected from an area 950m to the west-south-west, returning gold values of 1.0 to 7.7 g/t gold (Figure 2). These samples suggest the extension of a branch of the Alonso mineralized structure could extend more than 950m to the WSW. Recent reconnaissance work conducted to the east of the boulder field has identified additional quartz-pyrite vein material up to 1.25km east of the boulder field as well as anomalous gold-in-soil geochemical samples, confirming a probable extension of the mineralized zone at least 1km to the east (Figure 2). The Alonso area is covered by a thin sequence of recent post-mineral sediments and ferricrete which cover the underlying intrusive rocks and result in significantly reduced geochemical responses. Nonetheless, high levels of gold were returned in pan concentrates from streams for more than a kilometer both west and east of the discovery, and appear to correspond to pronounced east-trending lineaments within the magnetics. Figure 2: Alonso location map showing first vertical derivative airborne magnetic map (grey background) and the location of recent soil, auger and rock chip results and gold colour counts in pan concentrates from stream sediment samples. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/54021_b438d70a846b4a0f_003full.jpg Covid-19 measures As a result of the Covid-19 outbreak and in order to protect staff and the local community from potential infection, Cabral has temporarily closed both of its offices in Vancouver, Canada and Itaituba, Brazil and all staff are currently working from home. In addition, the Company has suspended all field work at the Cuiu Cuiu project in Brazil for at least 14 days following local health authority recommendations but will continue to provide support to the local community. The company is providing medical support and supplies to the community of Cuiu Cuiu and continues to maintain a medical outpost in the community to continue serving our local partners, staff and the broader community. Alan Carter, President & CEO stated, "Our priority is the health and safety of our employees, their families and the local community. Cabral Gold will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation and adjust plans as the situation evolves. We would like to thank our employees, partners and all stakeholders for their understanding and support, and we look forward to resuming field operations as soon as possible". Results are pending on numerous soil, auger top-of-bedrock, and rock samples from the regional reconnaissance exploration program and are expected over the next two months. The analytical lab in Brazil continues to operate but with restricted transport and logisitical options which will result in some delays to the reporting of results. About Cabral Gold Inc. The Company is a junior resource company and is engaged in the identification, exploration and development of mineral properties, with a primary focus on gold properties located in Brazil. The Company owns the Cuiu Cuiu gold project located in the Tapajos Region within the state of Para in northern Brazil. The Tapajos Gold Province is the site of the largest gold rush in Brazil's history producing an estimated 30 to 50 million ounces of placer gold between 1978 and 1995. Cuiu Cuiu was the largest garimpo in the Tapajos and produced an estimate 2Moz of placer gold historically. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: "Alan Carter" President and Chief Executive Officer Cabral Gold Inc. Tel: 604.676.5660 Dr Adrian McArthur, B.Sc. Hons, PhD. FAusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "will", "expected" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. 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. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. This news release contains forward-looking statements and assumptions pertaining to the following: strategic plans and future operations, and results of exploration. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. Notes Gold analysis conducted by SGS method MET150 (metallic screen fire assay). Analytical quality is monitored by certified references and blanks. Until dispatch, samples are stored in the company's supervised exploration office. The samples are couriered to the assay laboratory using a commercial contractor. Pulps and rejects are returned to the Company and archived. Gold counts in pan concentrates from drainage samples are derived from a set volume (20 litres) of sands and gravels. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54021 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. Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Toshiro Mifune. Mifune was, most famously, one of Akira Kurosawas favorite actors. TCM is paying tribute to Mifune today by showing 10 films that amount to a kind of Kurosawa film festival. Here is the lineup, beginning at 6:00 a.m. (Eastern) this morning: Drunken Angel (1948), the first of Mifunes 16 films for Kurosawa, casts him as a small-time hoodlum who is befriended by an alcoholic doctor (Takashi Shimura, the drunken angel), but runs afoul of his former gangster boss. Stray Dog (1949), one of Japans first film noir detective movies, has Mifune as a rookie homicide detective investigating a gun racket. Rashomon (1950) is the classic Oscar-winning tale, set in the eighth century, in which various characters provide differing accounts of the same incident the rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband. Mifune plays the notorious outlaw who claims to have seduced the wife. Seven Samurai (1954) is another hugely influential classic an epic samurai drama about a village of farmers in 1586 who hire seven ronin (masterless samurai) to combat bandits who plot to steal their crops. Mifune is Kikuchiyo, a rogue who lies about being a samurai but proves himself as a warrior. Throne of Blood (1957) is an historical drama in which Kurosawa transplants the story of Macbeth from medieval Scotland to feudal Japan. Mifune stars as the Macbeth character. The Hidden Fortress (1958) is the story of two greedy peasants in feudal Japan who escort a general (Mifune) and a princess across enemy lines without realizing their identity. Yojimbo (1961) is a samurai adventure about a wandering ronin known as Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Mifune), who arrives in a small town where two competing crime lords try to hire him as a bodyguard. Sanjuro (1962) is a sequel to Yojimbo, with Mifune reprising his antihero character from the earlier film. In this one, Sanjuro becomes the protector of a chamberlain of a clan who is being threatened by an evil superintendent. High and Low (1963) is a police drama starring Mifune as a wealthy executive who is told that his son has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. The executive faces a moral dilemma after he realizes that his chauffeurs son was taken by mistake. Red Beard (1965) was the final collaboration between Kurosawa and Mifune. The actor plays a gruff-spoken but sympathetic doctor in 19th-century Japan who takes an arrogant young intern (Yuzo Kayama) under his guidance and teaches him lessons in humanity. Earlier this year I wrote that Kurosawas films films including The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, The Seven Samurai and many more are entertaining and great on their own terms. They were also highly influential on a generation or two of American filmmakers. Kurosawa was a great artist. Not surprisingly, he loved Shakespeare. Throne of Blood gives us Macbeth as Ran (not in this mornings line-up) gives us King Lear, Japanese style. That is what goes under the denomination of cultural appropriation in todays parlance. Can Kurosawa do that? Yes, he can. Kurosawas samurai films appropriate the genre of the Western from Hollywood. Kurosawas samurai films rank up there with the Westerns of John Ford. Hollywood returned the favor in The Magnificent Seven, adapted from Seven Samurai. Its a beautiful world! The cultural appropriation continues in High and Low. The film is based on the police procedural A Kings Ransom, by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter), but goes far beyond it. It is an amazing film. At the opening we meet businessman Kingo Gondo as he is engaged in raising funds to buy out the shoe manufacturing company he runs. Having raised the funds to save the company in the form he seeks to build on, he is told that his son has been kidnapped for ransom. He will have to use the funds to ransom his son. It is a decision he doesnt agonize over. He doesnt give it a second thought. It turns out, however, that the kidnapper has mistakenly taken his servants son. Now what? That is a decision over which he agonizes for a night. The drama is excruciating. The second half of the film depicts the police pursuit of the kidnapper. In an unforgettable scene toward the end of the film, Gondo seeks out the kidnapper in prison. He wants to meet the man who threw his life off-course. In a moment of deep humanity, the kidnappers reflected face is superimposed over Gondos. You can catch the image in the first few seconds of A.O. Scotts comments on the film from the Timess Critics Picks series in the video below. TCMs tribute to Mifune is about to commence with Drunken Angel. Its not too late to fire up your DVR to catch this incredible lineup of classic films. PAUL ADDS: I endorse Scotts recommendation to record these films. Kurosawa was a master. I know of no better film director. Recently, I watched Rashomon (which I consider one of the best films of all time) and Seven Samurai for the first time in many years. Both stood the test of time for me. Somehow, Ive never seen High and Low. I cant wait to see it today. Long live cultural appropriation! BERLIN (Reuters) - France, Germany and Britain have exported medical goods to Iran in the first transaction conducted under a trade mechanism set up to barter humanitarian goods and food after the U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, Germany said on Tuesday. The German Foreign Ministry said the medical goods were now in Iran and added that the Instex trade mechanism and its Iranian counterpart would now work on more transactions and on enhancing the system. The shipment is a consignment of medical goods from a European exporter, a ministry source said, adding they could not give details on the nature of the shipment due to contractual confidentiality clauses. The source said the transaction was separate from an initiative earlier this month by Britain, Germany and France to help Iran fight the coronavirus, which included an urgent shipment of medical material, including equipment for laboratory tests, protective body suits and gloves. Washingtons major European allies opposed the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 to abandon the nuclear deal, under which international sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for Tehran accepting curbs on its nuclear programme. The European trade vehicle was conceived as a way to help match Iranian oil and gas exports against purchases of EU goods. However, those ambitions have been toned down, with diplomats saying that, realistically, it will be used only for smaller trade, for example of humanitarian products or food. The three European powers are shareholders in the Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges, or Instex, and hope other states will join later. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Giles Elgood) A post mortem will take place later on the body of a woman found in South Dublin. Gardai say the outcome will determine the course of their investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:52:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Germany reported a total of 67,366 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, up by 5,453 from a day earlier, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Wednesday. Up to 732 deaths from the virus were reported Wednesday, up from 583 Tuesday, said the RKI, the federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention. However, RKI president Lothar Wieler warned at a press conference Tuesday that the "mortality rate will increase" in Germany. The next RKI press conference is scheduled for Friday. The average number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany increased from 74 to 81, although there were "regional differences". The German state Bavaria as well as the city of Hamburg had 126 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while there were only 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Strict contact restrictions have been in force in Germany until April 20 to fight the spread of the new coronavirus. When Lower Columbia College civil engineering student Brenna Kandoll applied to the Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholarship in November, she was at the lowest point in her life. So it was only fitting that when she got the email a few weeks ago telling her she was a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar, she hit a peak. In the past four months Ive went through amazing amounts of healing, so to be able to be recognized was the cherry on top, Kandoll said. The 20-year-old Toutle resident lost a close friend last year, leading her into depression and an eating disorder, she said. There were massive amounts of darkness weighing (her) down, but she leaned on her engineering classmates, family and faith to get through it. The award meant all the work you did getting out of bed to go to school was worth it. A lot of days I felt like couldnt do it, and some days I didnt. The award is through Phi Theta Kappa, an academic honors society at the 1,050 community colleges across the nation. The arduous application process required personal essays and recommendations, Kandoll said. Phi Theta Kappa and the Coca-Cola Foundation choose 50 Gold Scholars, 50 Silver Scholars and 50 Bronze Scholars from a pool of up to 2,100 students across the nation. Gold winners get $1,500 scholarships; silver and bronze winners get $1,250 and $1,000. Ive never really gotten an award of that standing, especially a national award, Kandoll said. She was supposed to attend ceremonies in Olympia with Gov. Jay Inslee and in Texas for Phi Theta Kappa, but both were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Kandoll will get her awards in the mail. Im a little disappointed, but Im still really excited about what it means to me to receive it, she said. Kandoll is working her way through a civil engineering degree at LCC and plans to transfer to Washington State University Pullman. She started as a business management student in 2018, intending to help her fathers construction business. Growing up, I loved watching him run his business, Kandoll said. She was nearly finished with her associates business degree when she took a job with design and engineering business Lasko Design in Kelso, which changed everything. Within a few weeks of working as an assistant to the design and engineering team, I was like, this is what God made me to do, Kandoll said. Engineering. Gary Bolen, a representative at Lasko Design, described Kandoll as punctual, courteous, dependable and intelligent. She just absolutely catches on quick, Bolen said. She takes the lead and is very positive in the office as a leader. Kandoll finished out her business degree and then went straight back to school for civil engineering, essentially starting over. It was frustrating sometimes, Kandoll said. I did summer school, too. (I was) feeling like I never had a break and knowing that I had at least four more years, but I knew that it would be worth it. The classes were tough, she said, but she had supportive classmates and instructors, as well as her family. Now that shes two years in, it flew by. Shes the only woman in her engineering classes at LCC, and she said a friend of hers at WSU Pullman said theres about five women on average in engineering classes of 50 there. And she said only about 14% of the civil engineering workforce are women, but gender hasnt been an obstacle for her yet. Bolen said Lasko Designs employees are more than 50% women, and Kandoll said the company encouraged her. I work with male contractors and I know they are shocked when they come in and Im who they talk to, Kandoll said. But I havent had to deal with too much disrespect, and my boss is amazing. Hes very supportive of me ... Ive been around very supportive people. While she said she knows in the future she will likely have to deal with bias, Im ready for it. I know what my worth is. Bolen said while he was certainly proud that Kandoll is moving on with her education, I wish she was doing it around here so she could keep working for us. Brenna is going to be a leader in this industry and a leader for women as well, he said. Kandolls work ethic includes volunteering, so during the COVID-19 outbreak she is making face masks and delivering food to older people. (Engineering) is a unique opportunity to help people, Kandoll said. I want to live a servant life, where Im able to help as many people as possible. Civil engineering is lucrative work, but Kandoll says shes motivated by the ethic of her father and boss. The way my father builds and the way my boss interacts with people, they dont do it necessarily for the money, Kandoll said. They do it to help people. Theyre not taking advantage of people. She wants to go through the rounds of testing and apprenticeship it takes to become a certified professional civil engineer, which could take at least four years past graduation, she said. From there, she may start her own business, though shes interested in mission work, too. Im just waiting to see where God is calling me to, Kandoll said. Love 21 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 3 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. The loan will be available for disbursement in Ukrainian hryvnia. Small and medium-sized enterprises in western Ukraine will benefit from a new loan of up to EUR 7.5 million to Bank Lviv provided under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line. The loan will be available for disbursement in Ukrainian hryvnia, which will protect Bank Lviv's borrowers from foreign currency-related risks, and offer long maturities, EBRD said on its website. Read alsoEBRD, EU commit fresh funds to support Ukrainian businesses The funds are provided in the context of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine. EU grants will be offered as investment incentives to eligible enterprises to reduce the cost of their capital expenditure on upgrades of technology and production processes to comply with EU standards and regulations. Bank Lviv and its clients will also receive technical assistance from the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line consultants, who will assist with projects preparation and implementation. "The deal we signed today with the EBRD represents a convincing example of what real partnership means in difficult times. As a bank, we are committed to continue providing financing to SMEs, especially to agricultural producers. We are grateful to the EBRD and the EU for their commitment and readiness to support our institution and our clients, so that we can move forward together," Bank Lviv CEO Ashot Abrahamyan said. Bank Lviv is a regional bank providing banking services to SMEs and private clients across western Ukraine. It is well established in the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, Rivne, Ternopil and Uzhgorod regions as well as the capital Kyiv. The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Ukraine and to date has committed more than EUR 14.54 billion in over 460 projects to the country. Arizonas signature attraction remained open to the public Tuesday, despite growing calls for it to close to protect visitors, vendors and staff from coronavirus. So far, the Department of the Interior is keeping parts of Grand Canyon National Park open and free of charge over the objections of elected officials, tribal leaders, business groups and the parks own leadership. Sizable crowds continued to gather at popular lookouts along the South Rim on Monday, even as the gateway community of Grand Canyon Village reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. I am completely shocked it hasnt closed, said Kevin Dahl, Arizona senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, an independent, nonpartisan park advocacy group. Most of the staff up there are just scared to death. Congressmen Raul Grijalva, Ruben Gallego and Tom OHalleran were the latest Arizona leaders to call for the iconic canyon to be shut down. They were among eight House Democrats who sent a letter on Tuesday to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, accusing him of playing politics with public safety by ignoring park management and key local stakeholders. Five fellow House Democrats, mostly from Western states, signed the letter as well. Most roads and trails also remain open at Saguaro National Park, though the park service has closed the fee stations, visitor centers, restrooms and other facilities at the split, 91,716-acre preserve bracketing Tucson. As many as 27 people have died after being infected with the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan so far. The virus has infected several thousand people worldwide. Even as the number of confirmed cases in Pakistan has reached 2071, some reports suggest that medical professionals refuse to work on the forefront...and clerics are refusing to close mosques, blatantly disregarding what health experts have repeatedly said is key to curb the spread of the virus - social distancing. Punjab leads with 740 confirmed cases, followed by Sindh at 676 cases, KPK-253, Balochistan-158, Islamabad-54, Gilgit-Baltistan- 84, and PoK-6. According to reports, there are hundreds of cases, mostly in Mirpur and surrounding areas but they are not being tested. The pilgrims from Iran are still coming via the Taftan border as Iran has abandoned them in the no-man's land along the border. A Dawn report dated March 30, stated that most of the cases reported from Sindh are those of pilgrims who returned from Iran via the Taftan border, "where they had been quarantined for 14 days." Reports of the lack of adequate screening procedures and squalid living conditions at the quarantine camps at the Taftan border crossing with Iran have raised concerns about the surge in the number of infections. According to The News International, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that "people are treating coronavirus patients like 'criminals' and reiterated that only the old and the weak needed to be hospitalized in case they contracted the infection". He said "coronavirus will be confronted by the force of faith" and announced government measures to contain the virus. Pakistani media cited Jamaat-i-Islami's general-secretary Liaqat Baloch as saying that the Prime Minister is "confused" over whether or not to impose a lockdown in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manitobas provincial 911 centre hasnt seen a surge in emergency calls yet, but its preparing for that, says the City of Brandons director of emergency communications. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A dispatcher works at the provincial E-911 centre in Brandon. (Submitted) Manitobas provincial 911 centre hasnt seen a surge in emergency calls yet, but its preparing for that, says the City of Brandons director of emergency communications. "We havent hit our peak yet, so things could get worse, and when things get worse, all of the emergency services have the potential to be taxed beyond their limits," Robert Stewart said Tuesday. "We need to really try to keep that from happening, so remember what 911 is for 911 is used for emergencies, life-threatening problems, in-progress problems, all of those types of things," he said. "And so, just keep that in mind that when youre calling 911, call because its an emergency. Call because you need it." The Brandon-based 911 centre answers emergency calls from across the province, except for Winnipeg. It also dispatches calls to fire departments in almost 200 communities, rural municipalities and First Nations in Manitoba as well as handling calls and dispatching for the Brandon Police Service, Manitoba First Nations Police and a number of smaller police departments in the province, including those in Altona, Morden and Winkler. March is normally the time when calls start to rise after the February lull, but that hasnt materialized so far, Stewart said. "There could be a couple of reasons for that," he said. "We think its because a lot of people are, sort of, taking this whole stay-at-home thing to heart, and thats what theyre doing." Emergency calls to the Brandon Police Service are also down, he said. "When I talk to Chief (Wayne) Balcaen, he confirms that on the street theyre sort of seeing that, as well." While fire departments, including Brandons, havent yet begun to see a jump in calls, this is getting to be grass fire season when calls do begin to ramp up, Stewart said. Approximately 20 per cent of calls received by the 911 centre are what are referred to as "nuisance calls," with people just wanting information that is not emergency based. It also includes "whistleblower calls," Stewart said "people that are calling to report people that arent doing the quarantine the way that theyre supposed to." While they have had some of those whistleblower calls, the numbers are very low, he said, adding non-emergency call takers at Brandon police are getting a few more of those. Those types of callers are currently being asked to call their local public health department. "But people seem to be respecting what 911 is for and not clogging our lines with those types of requests," Stewart said. Meanwhile, the 911 centre, based in Firehall No. 1, has made changes in light of the pandemic, sending half of the six- to seven-person teams to its backup centre at the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex "just so we dont have everybody in the same room all the time," Stewart said. If one group of staff gets sick, it doesnt decimate the entire team of dispatchers, he said, noting they havent yet seen an increase in the number of people calling in sick. "Our goal in 911 as this moves forward is to try to keep our staff as healthy as possible so that we can continue to provide no service interruptions as we move forward." The call centre does have some contingency plans should call volumes worsen, but increasing staffing isnt one of them because of the time involved in training, Stewart said. "Weve got some ways that we can keep the staffing levels where they need to be," he said, including staff working overtime if it comes to that. The 911 centre has approximately 32 staff members, including supervisors. Stewart, who was a paramedic and dispatcher in British Columbia for 19 years, said the situation with COVID-19 is much different than it was during the SARS pandemic. "People definitely did not take it to heart at that point," he said. "The hospitals were overrun with walk-ins and the ambulances were (going) crazy. This is a very different situation here, and I think people are taking it seriously." brobertson@brandonsun.com Midland County has two more confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a Wednesday state report that saw the number of new Michigan cases jump by more than 1,700. Overall, Michigan now has 9,334 recorded cases of coronavirus and 337 deaths. "Our federal health officials have indicated that they expect the pandemic to continue to worsen in the next few weeks," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Public Health director/health officer. "So in the absence of any 'cure' or treatment, the behaviors of our society will impact the severity of disease." Midland's total now is 12. The state reported one new case each in Bay County (10) and Isabella County (7), and 20 new cases in Saginaw County (71). No new cases were reported in Gladwin County (2). Tuesday's report of 1,117 new cases was the highest before Wednesday's numbers were released. Seventy-eight deaths were recorded Wednesday. Yanoski said there currently is no statewide data available for recovered individuals, but he believes the state is working on it. He said the Midland department is not currently dealing with any outbreaks associated with a particular business. Yanoski said he does not know how many tests so far have been administered in Midland County. "We do not have that number due to the involvement of private labs," he said. The state is reporting, as of March 31, a total of 25,711 specimens have been tested, and that includes those that were negative, positive and inconclusive. "Counts represent the total specimens tested, not total patients tested," according to mich.gov, the state website where daily updates are reported. "A patient can have more than one specimen tested, therefore the number of specimens tested may be more than the number of patients tested." The specimens are tested by commercial, hospital and public health labs, with hospital testings accounting for 18,513 of those tests. Of the 25,711 specimens tested, 19,451 were negative, and 6,150 were positive, the state reports. "Counts of specimens tested positive will not equal number of people with COVID-19," the website states. "People may have more than one test or may have had their test from an out of state lab." The state has categorized in percentages the ages of people who are testing positive. People age 50 to 59 make up 20 % of the cases, with people ages 60-69, 19%; people 40-49, 17%; people 70-79, 14%; people 30 to 39, 13%; people 20 to 29, 9%; people 80-plus, 8%, and people 0-19, 1%. The positive cases involve male and female equally, with 49% men, 50% women and 1% unknown. State statistics show 65% of coronavirus deaths are male and 35% are female. Those who have died range in age from 25 to 107, with the average age 70. Midland County Department of Public Health continues to encourage residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19: Continue to practice social distancing as recommended by federal, state and local officials. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Stay home when you are sick. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," Yanoski said. "We know that COVID-19 is in our community, and our residents can make a huge impact on slowing the spread of disease by following the recommended precautions." If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If he/she isn't available call MidMichigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989- 633-1350 or MidMichigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100. MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also send an e-mail to: COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to Community Mental Health for Central Michigan by calling 800-317-0708. Advertisement Food banks near Disneyland say they have experienced a 40-fold increase in people asking for help in the days since the Californian city's biggest employer closed, cratering the local economy. Disney has said it will continue to pay the 32,000 employees who work at its California theme park through April 18 but the knock-on effect has hit other businesses hard. Other large employers have furloughed staff and locals warn that their city is a canary in the coalmine for other parts of the country. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the US economy, with three million new jobless claims last week and even more expected to be announced on Thursday when weekly figures are published. Food banks near Disneyland in Anaheim, California, have experienced a surge in people asking for help since the park - the city's biggest employer - closed DailyMail.com visited the Orange County Food Bank where lines of people were seen waiting outside - many of whom were agency workers ready to deliver food to families Disney said it will continue to pay the 32,000 employees who work at its California theme park through April 18 but other businesses have been hit hard by the closure and have had to furlough staff The Orange County Food Bank has been hit by a drop in food donations and is now expecting to spend up to $385,000 a week on groceries to feed the area's vulnerable and jobless residents Disneyland Drive, the main thoroughfare leading into the Magic Kingdom, is empty of traffic while the Disney Hotel on Magic Way is shuttered In Anaheim, the streets that are usually packed with families visiting the 'Happiest Place on Earth' are deserted. Disneyland Drive, the main thoroughfare leading into the Magic Kingdom, is empty of traffic while the Disney Hotel on Magic Way is shuttered. So too are the hotels in the two-square-mile resort area all of which depend on tourists visiting Disneyland for survival. Restaurants and souvenir shops have also taken a hit and sit closed, reflecting both Disney's shuttering and California's strict lockdown. Among them are the area's four Best Western properties, which are owned and run by a local family company called Stovall's Hotels of Anaheim. William O'Connor III, son of the family scion and general manager of the Best Western Plus Stovall's Inn, said his property would remain closed until Disney reopens. 'We probably have about 75 per cent leisure and 25 per cent corporate visitors normally,' he said. 'Between conventions canceling and Disney's closure, we've had to shut. There are about 160 hotels within the resort. 'The vast majority of them have shut down since Disney announced their temporary shutdown.' People are seen lining up for food at Colette's Children's Home in Huntington Beach, California. Food Banks have noticed an upturn in demand and a downturn in donations Eduardo Armendariz and Nina Yamasaki collect food donations for their clients at the Family Support Network. The food will be delivered to families in dire need of help The devastating affects on the economy from the COVID- 19 pandemic can be seen in Anaheim, California home to Disneyland The streets, typically packed with families visiting the 'Happiest Place on Earth', are deserted as are the hotels which rely on Disneyland visitors Four Best Western properties, which are owned and run by a local family company called Stovall's Hotels of Anaheim, are feeling the affects of Disneyland's closure Although O'Connell and his family have managed to keep their 300 staff on and are seeing most of them through with vacation days, other hotels have not been able to do the same. Among them are the vast Hilton Anaheim and the Anaheim Marriott Hotel both of which appear on the city's top 10 list of employers. Their staff have been furloughed 1,200 at the Hilton and 825 at the Marriott. The result of layoffs at the hotels and at many other Anaheim area businesses has been a spike in demand at food pantries by 4,000 per cent according to Gregory Scott, president and CEO of Community Action Partnership which runs the Orange County Food Bank, one of the largest in the area. He said: 'We are seeing more people. The Food Bank is one of the major things we do to address food insecurity and hunger. We were already serving 24,000 senior citizens every month with a food box. We have about 400 partners who come to our food bank to receive food, so we're a major distributor in terms of getting food out to the region. 'Along with the 24,000 seniors and our 400 partners, we're probably serving about 200,000 people every single month. That's before coronavirus hit us. 'Now across our region, we're seeing a 4,000 per cent increase in people looking for food assistance and that all happened in one week. 'For many people, this has been devastating and now we're seeing a lot more people in need of food.' Agency workers are seen lined up at The Orange County food bank to collect food that they will deliver to clients 'Now across our region, we're seeing a 4,000 per cent increase in people looking for food assistance and that all happened in one week,' Scott says A worker, known as a Food Finger, is pictured delivering food for distribution to local charities. 'The Food Bank is one of the major things we do to address food insecurity and hunger,' Gregory Scott, president and CEO of Community Action Partnership which runs the Orange County Food Bank, one of the largest in the area Scott says the sudden unemployment of hotel and restaurant workers precipitated by the Disney shutdown has contributed to the jump in requests for help. He told DailyMail.com: 'It has absolutely contributed to this. While Disney is a big supplier in terms of jobs; in terms of the workforce, it's not just Disney it impacts hotels, it impacts restaurants, it impacts servers who are working in restaurants. 'We know organized labor is reporting they have a 92 per cent unemployment rate. On top of that, 250 local nonprofits have closed or reduced their services over the last two weeks, especially food pantries. 'So this pandemic is really taking its toll.' When DailyMail.com visited the Orange County Food Bank on Tuesday, lines of people could be seen waiting outside most workers at smaller local pantries who distribute most of the food. But cars could also be seen arriving at a drive-through distribution area for individuals with the occupants handing over a numbered card and receiving a box of groceries in return. Collette's Children's Home a Huntington Beach nonprofit that focuses on women and children had lines of people waiting for food boxes during last Sunday's food distribution. Collette's runs a weekly food handout service with the help of the Orange County Food Bank and says demand is higher than ever. At another local nonprofit, the Family Support Network in Orange, Executive Director Maura Byron said supplies of food in particular supplies of non-perishable goods are getting harder to come by. Cars could be seen arriving at a drive-through distribution area, with the occupants handing over a numbered card and receiving a box of groceries in return Charity directors tell DailyMail.com that healthy fruits and vegetables are harder to come by, whereas boxes of candy bars, Twinkies or cupcakes are widely available The Orange County Food Bank has been hit by a drop in food donations and is now expecting to spend up to $385,000 a week on groceries to feed the area's vulnerable and jobless residents The organization, which collects groceries to distribute to needy families in its network as well as providing mentoring and other help, usually gets leftover goods and produce from Costco and LA-area restaurants. Executive Director of Family Support Network Maura Byron said supplies of food in particular supplies of non-perishable goods are getting harder to come by But thanks to hoarding and restaurant closures, basic items such as diapers and canned food are becoming scarce. Byron said: 'We would go to a Costco and pick up considerable amounts of bread and canned foods, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, that kind of thing. 'Last week, we went to Costco and got I think six boxes of Twinkies and Hostess cupcakes and 30 boxes of candy bars that were about to go out of code. That's not good food for a family. 'We used to get diapers and formula, that kind of thing, and now we're not getting that.' Scott says the Orange County Food Bank has also been hit by a drop in food donations and is now expecting to spend up to $385,000 a week on groceries to feed the area's vulnerable and jobless residents. Both non-profit's own bottom lines have been hit, with Byron telling DailyMail.com that she has been forced to furlough four of her 16 staff due to the crisis while Scott has had to cut back on programs such as child sport and family nutrition and redeploy staff to the food bank. Scott said that more donations of food and cash are needed and is running a virtual food drive to try and boost supplies. He is also short of volunteers many of whom came from Disney and who have now dropped out due to the company's social distancing policies and because they have been told to work from home. He said: 'We need more volunteers. That's a huge deal for us because we can't run our operation without volunteers. 'Food donations have dropped off so we're currently doing a virtual food drive where people can help us with food donations. 'Financial donations are really important because it helps us sustain the operation and also purchase food.' Restaurants, souvenir shops and hotels not affiliated with the park - and many family-owned - have also taken a hit by Disney's closure and California's strict lockdown Despite the bleak economic picture, Best Western's O'Connell is hoping the industry will weather the storm and bounce back after the pandemic. He says his hotel is already receiving reservations for June and July and will reopen as soon as Disney does. He said: 'Any resort area that relies heavily on tourism such as theme parks, they're being hit hard. 'But the overall message is this too shall pass, we're going to get through this, we're optimistic for the rebound. 'I think it's probably going to take some time, that's what marketing and sales teams are for, but as soon as the world can get ahold of this, get the medical advancements that we need, the better off everyone is going to be.' Scott says while the world and Anaheim waits for the storm to pass, the Orange County Food Bank will be there for those who need it. 'Just as much as coronavirus is a pandemic, so is poverty and when you combine those two, it's an ugly picture. 'But at the same time, I think this is our moment to make a real difference in people's lives.' [April 01, 2020] Humana Inc. to Release First Quarter 2020 Results on April 29, 2020 Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) will release its financial results for the first quarter 2020 (1Q20) on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 6:30 a.m. eastern time. The company will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time that morning to discuss its financial results for the quarter and earnings guidance for 2020. All interested parties are invited to dial 888-625-7430. No password is required. A webcast of the 1Q20 earnings call may also be accessed via Humana's Investor Relations page at www.humana.com. The company suggests participants for both the conference call and those listening via the web dial in or sign on at least 15 minutes in advance of the call. For those unable to participate in the live event, the virtual presentation archive will be available in the Historical Webcasts and Presentations section of the Investor Relations page at www.humana.com, approximately two hours following the live webcast. Telephone replays will be available from approximatel 1:15 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2020 until 10:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 29, 2020 and can be accessed by dialing 855-859-2056 and providing the conference ID #7592196. The company's 1Q20 earnings news release is expected to include financial measures that are not in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to financial results under GAAP, as well as management's reasons for including non-GAAP financial measures, will be included in the company's 1Q20 earnings news release, a copy of which will be available on the Investor Relations page of www.humana.com on April 29, 2020. About Humana Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools - such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions - combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective. More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's website at humana.com, including copies of: Annual reports to stockholders Securities and Exchange Commission filings Most recent investor conference presentations Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls Calendar of events Corporate Governance information View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005643/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] News 18 has learned that Arconic has laid off more than 100 employees. The company issued a statement to News 18 today: In response to the temporary shutdowns of several large customers, Arconic is idling part of its production lines and is laying off more than 100 employees at its Lafayette operations. This story is developing and will be updated as we learn more. Outgoing Seanad leader Jerry Buttimer has topped the Labour Panel poll and been re-elected to the upper house. The former Cork South-Central TD was the latest name added to the 26th Seanad as counting continues in venues across Dublin, without the usual fanfare. Due to restrictions on movements, candidates and their agents have been asked to stay away from the count centres at Dublin Castle, Trinity College Dublin and the RDS. Buttimer topped the Labour Panel poll, with party-mate John Cummins in second, Fianna Fails Robbie Gallagher in third, and now a five-term Senator, Joe O'Reilly was the fourth to be elected to the panel. Fianna Fail candidate Shane Cassells, who lost his Dail seat in the general election, was the fifth Senator elected to the Labour panel. Fianna Fail's Ned O'Sullivan was returned to his seat on the Labour panel along with party colleague Pat Casey. On the NUI Panel, Ronan Mullen topped the poll and secured his return to the upper chamber. Michael McDowell returned to his seat in second and Alice Mary Higgins looked set to retain her seat, warding off the challenge from former Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger. David Norris was elected to the upper house for the ninth time on the 4th count to the Trinity panel. Labour's Ivana Bacik was returned to the Seanad on the Trinity panel on the sixth count. On the Agriculture Panel, Independent Victor Boyhan topped the poll, while Fianna Fail picked up four of the 11 seats Denis ODonovan, Paul Daly, Niall Blaney and Eugene Murphy were all victorious with Fine Gael taking three (Tim Lombard, Paddy Burke and former junior minister Michael DArcy), and Labour, The Green Party and, Sinn Fein all taking a seat each with Annie Hoey, Pippa Hackett and former Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan respectively. Yesterday saw five seats on the Cultural and Educational panel filled by three ex-TDs, an outgoing senator and a county councillor. Fianna Fails Malcolm Byrne and Lisa Chambers and the former government Chief Whip, Fine Gaels Sean Kyne, all won seats, with Fine Gael councillor John McGahon and Sinn Fein senator Fintan Warfield taking the other two. Counting will continue this week aimed at filling 49 of the 60 available seats in the Seanad, though Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is not in a position to nominate the 11 others. Legal advice sought by Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail has said that without those nominees, the Oireachtas is not in a position to pass legislation, adding another dimension to an already unusual Seanad campaign. Campaigns were suspended early to allow candidates adhere to social distancing rules, before restrictions on movements made the counts inaccessible to most people. Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on Wednesday directed all state governments to, on a war footing trace all the people who came in contact with participants in the Tablighi Jamaats congregation last month in New Delhis Nizamuddin, which has become the countrys biggest coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hotspot. Gauba informed all state chief secretaries and director generals of police (DGPs) in a video-conference that the unfettered travel of Tablighi Jamaat followers to various parts of India after the congregation has put at risk the governments efforts o contain the virus. At he meeting, the central governments top civil servant also asked state police forces to take action against foreigners who participated in the congregation as well as the organizers of the event for violating visa conditions. Many of the foreign participants came into India on a tourist visa, while they should have ideally come in on a religious missionary visa. Gaubas directive comes as the Centre strives to ensure the success of the three-week lockdown of India aimed at breaking the chain of transmission of the rapidly spreading virus. The effort is to trace and isolate the people who may have come in contacts with the thousands of Jamaat followers who attended the congregation and then fanned out across the country. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic According to estimates by Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau, around 6,500 to 7,000 people, including at least over 300 foreigners, attended the congregation in rotation at Markaz Nizamuddin , the headquarters of the Islamic missionary organisation, starting on March 10, an official who didnt wish to be named said. The main event concluded on March 15, but followers of the sect came calling at the headquarters until March 23. The ministry of home affairs, after initial cases of Covid-19 from among the congregants were recorded, issued an advisory to the states on March 28 in which it mentioned that an estimated 2,000 foreigners from 70 countries, who came to India on tourist visas, spread out across India for the Tablighi Jamaats religious work over five-six weeks. A majority of the foreigners belonged to Bangladesh (493), Indonesia (472), Malaysia (150) and Thailand (142). Central agencies are now tracing how many more among these 2,000 foreigners came to Delhi or travelled back and forth to different states. The Delhi government and police have stated that the sect had been warned against holding the congregation and had been asked to vacate the Markaz building. The Tablighi Jamaat participants, who violated the tourist visa norms by travelling across India on religious activities after arriving in the country on tourist visas, are now being treated as biggest carriers of the Coronavirus in India. For example, in Andhra Pradesh alone, a third of the Covid-19 patients were those who attended the congregation. The government also recently asked all its missions abroad to stop giving tourist visas to any foreigner in future who is likely to use it for Tablighi activities. Gauba also asked the states to implement the Prime Ministers Garib Kalyan Yojana,aimed at providing benefits to the poor for loss of work because of the national lockdown, within a week. This will involve large cash transfer to beneficiaries. It should be organized in a staggered manner to ensure social distance, said a statement fro the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The cabinet secretary also directed the states to coordinate and manage the movement of migrant workers in ensuring lockdown measures. The meeting noted that the lockdown was being implemented effectively all over the country. The states were asked to ensure that interstate movement of goods was allowed without any hindrance while maintaining social distance. Gauba also asked the officials to ensure that manufacturing of essential goods and supply chains of such goods were maintained. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON KIGALI/KAMPALA Rwanda has notified Uganda and Kenya of the sudden decision by Burundi to block cargo trucks entering their country through Rwanda. All Burundi-bound trucks transporting cargo from the Kenyan port of Mombasa, transit through Uganda and Rwanda. However, authorities in Gitega recently decided to block trucks using the Northern Corridor, causing gridlocks at points of entry. The move has been strongly criticised by freight transporters and the business community in general, especially since it goes against last weeks decision by a ministerial meeting from East African Community member states. The meeting took place in the context of the coronavirus outbreak in EAC member states. The ministers, who met virtually on March 25, directed all partner states to facilitate continued free movement of goods even as they take measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Rwandas Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has now sent Notes Verbales to Kampala and Nairobi, informing them that Kigali has been left with no choice but not to allow in trucks headed for Burundi from the two East African neighbours. The Government of the Republic of Burundi is no longer allowing cargo trucks transiting through Rwanda to enter Burundis territory despite the above-mentioned decision by Ministers of the East African Community, Rwanda wrote in part. Since Burundi has effectively closed all its borders to cargo transiting through Rwanda, the Government of Rwanda will no longer allow entry on its territory to cargo trucks destined to Burundi. Burundis decision has since seen many heavy trucks that had been cleared by Rwanda and Burundi immigration and customs officials (under the One Stop Border Post arrangement) stuck in the no-mans land between Rwanda and Burundi since last week. At Nemba One Stop Border Post in Bugesera District, of the three freight trucks which failed to get clearance to enter Burundi since March 28, two (both with Ugandan registration numbers) were offloaded and then goods loaded onto Burundian trucks while the third, with a Kenyan registration number, was yet to be cleared by Tuesday, March 31. At Ruhwa border post in Rusizi, two cargo tracks had been denied entry since Friday, according to local media. At Akanyaru-Haut, two Ugandan trucks were stranded at the Rwandan side of the border, as cargo owners tried to negotiate with Burundian authorities for entry. As a result of this blockade, at least eight trucks destined for Burundi have been parked at the no-mans land at Mirama-Hills border post between Rwanda and Uganda since March 29. Related Passengers entering the UK will only be checked for coronavirus if they show symptoms. (Getty Images) People entering the UK will not be checked for coronavirus unless they show symptoms, the housing secretary has confirmed. Tory MP Robert Jenrick said passengers who landed at airports would be taken down one route if they were symptomatic, but others would be allowed to enter the country. Jenrick told ITVs Good Morning Britain the UK was taking a different approach from other countries, after taking advice from medical experts. A lot of the tests that you could do in airports, like testing someones temperature for example, are not necessarily helpful or accurate ways of assessing whether someone has coronavirus, he said. Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary. (AP) We have been guided in our approach at airports, as elsewhere, by scientific and medical opinion and I appreciate that some other countries have taken different approaches there. The government is coming under increasing pressure over COVID-19 testing as the UK experienced its biggest day-on-day rise in deaths so far. As of 5pm on Tuesday, 2,352 patients had died in hospital after testing positive for the virus, the Department of Health said, up by 563 from 1,789 the day before. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading Meanwhile, Downing Street said more than 2,000 NHS staff have been tested for coronavirus, amid intense scrutiny over the governments policy on testing. Only around 8,000 tests per day are currently being carried out in the UK, even though ministers previously claimed a target of 10,000 tests per day had been hit. At present, the focus has been on testing patients in hospital to see if they have coronavirus, with NHS trusts told earlier in the week they should use up to 15% of any spare testing capacity for NHS staff. Health secretary Matt Hancock has now scrapped that cap, telling NHS hospital labs to use all spare capacity to test their frontline workers. Story continues The government has blamed a global lack of reagents needed to carry out tests, though the chemical industry in the UK suggested there were no shortages. Jenrick told Radio 4s Today programme testing capacity should hit 15,000 in the next few days. The minister said he expects there to be 25,000 tests per day by the middle of April. Coronavirus: what happened today? Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Mortgate (Photo : Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay ) Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay Advertisement KEY POINTS Borrowers have deluged lenders with requests to allow them to defer payments Many banks and lenders have stopped offering new mortgages to low-deposit borrowers and first-time buyers. Lloyds Banking Group has capped lending at 60% LTV The British housing and mortgage market has come to a near standstill due to coronavirus as banks withdraw loans and borrowers ask lenders to allow them to defer payments. On Tuesday, Nationwide Building Society, one of the U.K.'s biggest mortgage lenders, pulled back from offering new mortgages to low-deposit borrowers and first-time buyers. Nationwide also said it will withdraw all fixed-rate and tracker mortgages above 75% loan-to-value, or LTV, from sale for remortgage, first-time purchasers, and new house buys. Or, in another words, Nationwide will only offer home loans to borrowers with at least 25% equity. The company added that it will now focus on helping existing borrowers and process mortgage applications it has already received. "Existing applications, where a product has already been reserved, will continue to progress," Nationwide stated. Sara Bennison, chief marketing officer at Nationwide said the company needed "to maintain the levels of service expected of us in the face of an extremely high number of enquiries about existing mortgages and ongoing applications." Bennison said that by continuing to offer home loans up to 75% LTV meant Nationwide could "continue supporting the housing market." Other British lenders have already taken similar steps. Lloyds Banking Group (LYG), which includes Halifax and Scottish Widows, has capped lending at 60% LTV. This means borrowers will need a 40% deposit or equity in their home to qualify to receive a mortgage. "Halifax's decision to stop lending above 60% LTV reflects the wholesale recalibration of risk that is unfolding in the mortgage market," said Andrew Montlake, managing director of broker Coreco. Barclays (BCS) has reduced the number of mortgage applications it will accept from brokers, while Vida Homeloans and Together Money have ceased all new mortgage lending. Lenders have also been deluged with requests for payment holidays from cash-strapped borrowers after the government said mortgage holders hurt by the coronavirus should be given a three-month respite from paying their mortgages. "The recent withdrawal of many higher LTV mortgage products and home purchase products is hopefully a temporary measure while lenders reassess risk in this area of the market and work out what it will be possible for them to offer while the current restrictions are in place," said Eleanor Williams, finance expert at Moneyfacts.co.uk. "With so much uncertainty at the moment, providers seem to initially be focusing on the support that their existing customers may need in the coming weeks." But Mark Harris, chief executive of the mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said this isn't a funding crisis since the banks are flush with liquidity. "There are two main issues," he said. "The first is a processing one - [banks and lenders] are not all set up for staff to work from home. The big processing centers are closed and they are operating with a skeleton staff. There is also the issue with valuations. A lot of the big lenders will accept desktop valuations but only to a certain loan-to-value. As they can't get a valuer out to inspect the property, it is very difficult to process a mortgage application for a higher LTV." Harris added: "Lenders are throwing all their resources into dealing with payment holiday requests. In the same way that people are buying food they don't need, people are asking for payment holidays when they don't need them. That is blocking the line for those who do." Chris Sykes, mortgage consultant at broker Private Finance, defends the new policies. "Lenders are having to work at a lower capacity because of staff being off and having to deal with thousands of calls for mortgage payment holidays," he said. "So they don't really have the capacity to do a lot of new mortgages right now. If they are going to do any, they want high-quality low-risk mortgages." Also, due to the lockdown, it is nearly impossible for prospective buyers to meet with property agents and see homes on the market. "Lenders and borrowers face an unprecedented set of circumstances," said Robin Fieth, chief executive of the Building Societies Association. "Our hearts go out to them and our heads are clear that it would be unfair for these people to have to start their mortgage application all over again once life returns to a more normal state. A three-month extension of existing mortgage offers seems a fair and reasonable step to take." However, borrowers who need to stop paying mortgages for a while must contact their lenders first. "Homeowners are unknowingly putting themselves into arrears by cancelling their mortgage payments without speaking to lenders first," says Will Kirkman on ThisisMoney.co.uk. "Amid claims that borrowers are waiting up to ten hours on the phone to speak to someone, many lenders are now asking borrowers to submit applications online to free up their helplines, or to only call if they are vulnerable or facing immediate difficulty." In addition, if borrowers take a lengthy mortgage holiday, their payments will likely spike in the future. "It is likely the lender will spread outstanding payments out over the remaining term of your mortgage, so borrowers will see an increase in their monthly mortgage payments," said Patrick Collinson in The Guardian. By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - An indigenous woman in a village deep in the Amazon rainforest has contracted the novel coronavirus, the first case reported among Brazil's more than 300 tribes, the Health Ministry's indigenous health service Sesai said on Wednesday. The 20-year-old woman from the Kokama tribe tested positive for the virus in the district of Santo Antonio do Ica, near the border with Colombia some 880 km (550 miles) up the Amazon river from the state capital Manaus, Sesai said in a statement. Four cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the same district, including a Brazilian doctor who tested positive last week, raising fears that the epidemic could spread to remote and vulnerable indigenous communities with devastating effect. Sesai said the woman was a medical worker who had been in contact with the doctor. She was the only person to test positive among 15 health workers and 12 patients tested after the doctor was found to have the virus, Sesai said. Their names were not made public. The doctor had returned from vacation in southern Brazil to work with the Tikunas, one of the largest tribe in the Amazon with more than 30,000 people who live in the upper Amazon near the borders with Colombia and Peru. The woman has not shown symptoms of COVID-19, the sometimes fatal respiratory disease caused by the virus, and she has been isolated with her family, Sesai said. Health experts warn that the spreading virus could be lethal for Brazil's 850,000 indigenous people, who have been decimated for centuries by diseases brought by Europeans, from smallpox and malaria to the flu. Health experts say the indigenous peoples' way of life in communal hamlets under large thatched structures increases the risk of contagion if any single member contracts the virus. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The U.S. Navy took action Tuesday to address the deteriorating situation aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier docked in Guam with coronavirus spreading aboard, promising to isolate crew members ashore for rotating quarantine and possibly move many into hotels within 24 hours. Crew members speaking to The Chronicle praised their outspoken commanding officer, who aired the dire situation in a stark letter Monday addressed to Navy command and first reported Tuesday by The Chronicle. They reiterated his concerns that it is impossible to properly quarantine sailors on board the Theodore Roosevelt and stop the spread of COVID-19. A senior officer told The Chronicle more than 100 sailors had tested positive in less than a week. U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. John Aquilino said Tuesday that the Navy is developing plans to get a number of sailors off the ship as soon as possible and to quarantine them in appropriate, isolated shelters on Guam. There is little infrastructure available, he said, so the effort includes asking the local government for spare hotels. Were saying the same thing, Aquilino said of his plans and ship Capt. Brett Croziers requests. I think his concern is with the pace we get sailors off. Not that were not going to get sailors off. I just want to be really clear, we will have to leave some number of sailors on that ship as we go through testing, quarantine and isolation to generate completely COVID-free sailors. Courtesy U.S. Navy The plan is to rotate a group Aquilino did not say how many off the ship for a 14-day quarantine followed by a COVID-19 test, and then that healthy group would relieve the team on board. The second group would then get a 14-day quarantine in Guam, followed by a test. The plan could keep the Roosevelt docked in Guam for a month. A sailor aboard the Roosevelt said Tuesday the crew was briefed and told the plan was to move a large number of sailors to hotels for individual quarantine within the next 24 hours. A smaller crew would need to remain aboard the ship on ready status. The letter worked, the sailor said. What sparked the flurry of activity and discussions among the military community was the plea from Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, asking for immediate assistance for his crew of more than 4,000 as coronavirus cases were spiraling out of control. This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do, Crozier wrote on Monday. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our Sailors. In the four-page letter to senior military officials, Crozier said most of the crew remained aboard the ship, where following official guidelines for 14-day quarantines and social distancing is impossible. Due to a warships inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this, Crozier wrote. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating. He asked for compliant quarantine rooms on shore in Guam for his entire crew as soon as possible. He hoped to keep a skeleton crew of about 10% on the ship to look after its two nuclear reactors, weapons and aircraft, and to provide mission readiness in the event of an emergency. Military veterans praised the letter, saying the captain put his crews safety ahead of possible career damage. The letter also appeared to be a hit aboard the ship, as family members began sharing Tuesday on social media The Chronicles article, which included a copy of the correspondence. My reaction to the letter was totally, Freakin-A man, this Captain really cares!!! a Navy officer aboard the Roosevelt told The Chronicle on Tuesday. I then went into my military mode and started to think that having a Captain stand up to The Man was a very bold move that could either hurt or help him when it comes to advancing to the rank of Admiral. Another Roosevelt sailor, who has been placed on one of the group quarantines, saw a copy of Croziers letter from a friend. Stunning letter, the sailor told The Chronicle. Felt as if there was someone with our best interests in mind. Dont see that much. Its usually mission first. The sailors, who wished to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said it was nearly impossible on the ship and in the group quarantines ashore to properly social distance. The Chronicle agreed to withhold the sailors names based on its anonymous sources policy. You have to understand that one (sleeping) area can berth approximately 60 to 150 sailors, the officer said. These sailors share showers, sinks, toilets, and they are always in a close contact with others. The sailor shared a photo of a group quarantine along the pier, showing a group of cots scattered in a gymnasium. About 200 sailors in that group share a cafeteria, and the female sailors are separated in a hallway, the sailor said. Adm. Aquilino said the crews were social distancing to the best of our ability, acknowledging the challenge of a warship and creating space. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly spoke to CNN on Tuesday and said he learned of Croziers letter Tuesday morning. I know that our command organization has been aware of this for about 24 hours, and we have been working actually the last seven days to move those sailors off the ship and get them into accommodations in Guam, Modly said. The problem is that Guam doesnt have enough beds right now, and were having to talk to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space, create tent-type facilities. We dont disagree with the (captain) on that ship, and were doing it in a very methodical way because its not the same as a cruise ship, that ship has armaments on it, it has aircraft on it, we have to be able to fight fires if there are fires on board the ship, we have to run a nuclear power plant, so theres a lot of things that we have to do on that ship that make it a little bit different and unique, but were managing it and were working through it, he said. More Information Inside the Newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse Asked Tuesday what should be done about the Roosevelt, President Trump said he would let the military make that decision. None of the infected sailors had shown serious symptoms as of Tuesday, but the number of those who tested positive jumped exponentially after the Navy reported infections in three crew members on March 24, the first time COVID-19 infections had been detected on a naval vessel at sea. Retired Adm. James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Chronicle on Tuesday in an email that we should expect more such incidents because warships are a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus. The ships problems will compound, Stavridis said, because you cant tie the vessel up and send everyone ashore. It is full of weapons, billions of dollars of equipment, fire hazards, and nuclear reactors. Mark Cancian, a Marine colonel who served for 37 years before retiring, said that the Navy has got to figure out how to do this right or else they cant deploy the rest of the fleet. This is like the test case, said Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. Aquilino also addressed the decision to allow the Roosevelt to dock in early March in Da Nang, Vietnam, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties with the country. Crew members first got sick about two weeks after leaving the port. The admiral said they reviewed World Health Organization data two days before docking that showed 16 cases far away in Hanoi and no reported cases in 20 days. And crew members were screened and had their temperatures taken before returning on board. He said they are analyzing where the illness started. Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni, @joegarofoli A Massac County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Wednesday news release from Southern Seven Health Department. Also on Wednesday, officials announced the second case in Williamson County, three more cases in Jackson County, and three additional cases in Randolph County. The Massac County patient is a woman in her 60s who is thought to have been exposed through travel. She is in isolation at home, according to the health department. This is the first lab-confirmed COVID-19 positive in Massac County and within the Southern Seven Health Department's coverage area, which includes Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union counties. In Williamson County, the case is in a woman in her 50s who is thought to have been exposed to the coronavirus through community spread, according to a news release from Franklin-Wililamson Bi-County Health Department. She is at home and doing well, health officials said. This is the second lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in Williamson County. In Jackson County, the three new cases are in a man in his 60s who likely acquired the virus while traveling out of state; a woman in her 20s who likely contracted the virus from travel in the Chicago area; and a woman in her 90s who acquired the disease locally, according to a news release from the Jackson County Health Department. These three new cases bring Jackson County's total COVID-19 cases to seven. Randolph County reported Wednesday that its total number of COVID-19 cases is up to nine. The Randolph County Health Department was not releasing more information about the cases, except to say they are in ZIP codes 62233 and 62278. Public health officials are investigating, speaking with individuals with whom the people who have tested positive may have had contact. Through the investigation, public health officials may place other people on home quarantine if they have been exposed to the virus. Anyone contacted by health department officials is asked to respond promptly. Public health officials said they expect the number of cases to increase as more tests become available. Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough or shortness of breath, should call their primary care provider. Southern Illinois Healthcare has a 24-hour COVID-19 hotline at 1-844-988-7800. The following hotlines also are available in the Southern Seven region to answer questions about COVID-19 symptoms: Massac Memorial Hospital, 1-618-638-1344 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.); St. Francis Medical Center, 1-573-331-4200 (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.); and Baptist Health, 1-888-227-8478 (24 hours). In Franklin and Williamson counties, the following hotlines are available: Franklin Hospital, 618-435-9700; and Heartland Regional Medial Center, 888-543-2786. To reach the Illinois Department of Public Health, call 800-889-3931 or visit dph.sick@illinois.gov. As of Wednesday evening, there were 6,980 positive COVID-19 cases in Illinois, and 141 people had died from the virus. Analysts expect no more market freefall despite foreign selloff By Lee Min-hyung With lingering uncertainties over global stock markets amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 in the U.S. and Europe, a lot of attention is being paid to the future course of the Korean stock market which has shown signs of stabilization after a weeks-long crash. Some argue that the worst is yet to come as it will take some time for the coronavirus fallout to make its way through the real economy, but a majority of Korean analysts expect "no more stock market freefall," citing a global wave of economic rescue packages. They say that governments' unprecedented preemptive steps to provide liquidity into the markets will stop the virus concern from escalating into, at worst, financial paralysis. In times of previous financial turmoil including the 2008 global financial crisis and the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis the KOSPI dropped by more than 50 percent from its previous high. The index nosedived below the 1,000-mark to reach 938 points Oct. 24, 2008, in the aftermath of deepening subprime mortgage crisis from the U.S. The main bourse has recently shown signs of following a similar pattern by steeply dropping by about 30 percent to below the 1,500-mark in about a month after the coronavirus swept across the nation, and a sense of fear from the public and investors reached its peak. The index, however, has in recent days bounced back from the shock to recover to the 1,700-range. Market experts voiced their consensus that chances are slim that the index will return to a losing streak and sink further to similar levels of previous global financial crises. "The chance for the worst-case scenario is merely 10 to 20 percent, as governments led by the U.S. remain more than agile in introducing a set of strong financial stabilization policies so as not to repeat the fiasco of 2008," said Meritz Securities economist Kang Bong-joo. "The Korean government is also taking similar proactive measures, such as the Bank of Korea's (BOK) recent decision to supply unlimited liquidity to the market," he said. "One big difference between the status quo and the 2008 crisis is that the financial system is not paralyzed now, even if the virus' impact on the real economy appears to be very serious." But he underlined the need for the financial authorities and investors to brace for the possibility of additional drops on the KOSPI, as the virus is still rapidly spreading across the U.S. and Europe. "If the virus lasts longer than expected, chances are some companies may go bankrupt, as the pandemic fear forces workers to stay at home," Kang said. On top of that, the Korean stock market may fall victim to uncertainties regarding a possible market crash in the U.S., he added. Even if Korea's confirmed cases of the virus are on the rapid decline, a sense of virus-related fears remains in place, as is shown from foreigners' unceasing selling spree of local stocks. Starting March 5, foreign investors have gone on a mass selling of Korean stocks worth more than 11 trillion won over 18 consecutive trading days. Stock prices of major KOSPI-listed firms have plummeted in line with the foreign capital exodus. But small individual investors have sought to take this as an opportunity to purchase blue chip stocks such as Samsung Electronics at a low price. According to the Korea Exchange, investors' deposit on the KOSPI have topped 45 trillion won ($36.93 billion), and this has raised a sense of hope that the capital can be used to offset foreigners' outflow. Korea Capital Market Institute economist Hwang Sei-woon said this definitely plays a part in mitigating KOSPI's additional fall. "Individual investors also have experience to generate revenues at times of financial crisis," he said. "If a wave of fear persisted here, the main bourse must have dropped further. But this was not the case in recent trading days." Despite the positive signal, foreigners will continue their selling spree until the virus spread in the U.S. shows signs of waning, according to Hwang. "The virus fear has yet to reach its peak in the U.S., so foreign investors will keep on selling amid a lingering sense of virus-driven global uncertainties." Some experts said that the market recovery of that last few days should be taken as a temporary rebound before another substantial fall. "You have to pay attention to how badly the virus fallout will end up affecting the real economy. You have to realize that the situation is much more serious than it looks," a ranking executive at one of the nation's major financial groups told The Korea Times. "Once the virus' impact on the economy becomes more pronounced, it is highly probable that we will see another market crash," he added. San Antonio led the nation in an unfortunate statistic from 2009 to 2018, according to a new study. The Alamo City had the most drunk-driving arrests in America over that time period, per Smart Advocate. The company, which offers software for law firms, examined 30 of the most populated cities in the country using the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. "The city with the most drunk-driving arrests in America from 2009-18 was San Antonio, Texas," Smart Advocate said in a March news release. "With 77,357 drunk-driving arrests from 2009-18, San Antonio 'won' the top spot." The city beat out Los Angeles (72,156 arrests) and Phoenix (72,013 arrests) for the undesirable No. 1 ranking. Two other Texas cities Houston (No. 6 with 58,064 arrests) and Austin (No. 7 with 54,087 arrests) also cracked the top 10. San Antonio also ranked among the worst offenders for average arrests each year per 100,000 people. With 5,181 drunk-driving arrests, the city trailed only Las Vegas (9,284 arrests) and Austin (5,804 arrests) in that category. Six Texas cities landed in the top 20. The others were El Paso (No. 5 with 3,968 arrests), Houston (No. 11 with 2,529 arrests), Fort Worth (No. 17 with 1,777 arrests), and Dallas (No. 18 with 1,683 arrests). Smart Advocate compiled the rankings using data provided by the relevant municipal police departments to the FBI through the uniform crime reporting program. The 10 cities with the most drunk-driving arrests out of the 30 most populated cities (2009-18) 1. San Antonio, Texas: 77,357 2. Los Angeles, California: 72,156 3. Phoenix, Arizona: 72,013 4. New York, New York: 65,788 5. Las Vegas, Nevada: 61,278 6. Houston, Texas: 58,064 7. Austin, Texas: 54,087 8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 41,098 9. Chicago, Illinois: 30,452 10. San Diego, California: 28,389 The 10 cities with the highest amounts of drunk-driving arrests per 100,000 people (2009-18) 1. Las Vegas, Nevada: 9,824 2. Austin, Texas: 5,804 3. San Antonio, Texas: 5,181 4. Phoenix, Arizona: 4,607 5. El Paso, Texas: 3,968 6. Nashville, Tennessee: 3,417 7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 2,741 8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 2,622 9. Denver, Colorado: 2,616 10. Houston, Texas: 2,529 Downing Street has admitted just 2,000 of 500,000 frontline NHS workers have been tested for coronavirus as Matt Hancock today ordered hospitals to 'max out' testing capacity on doctors and nurses. The government has faced fierce criticism of its testing efforts relating to health workers amid claims 15 per cent of the NHS workforce could be self-isolating and suggestions 85 per cent of them do not have coronavirus. Ministers have been scrambling to boost the UK's testing capacity and today Number 10 said the nation now had the ability to conduct 12,750 tests a day. However, the latest number of tests actually carried out was 8,630 on Monday - far below the capacity figure. As a result, Mr Hancock, the Health Secretary, has now ordered the NHS to lift restrictions on staff testing. NHS England had previously told hospitals they could only use 15 per cent of tests on staff with the rest to be used on patients. But now the 15 per cent cap has been lifted and hospitals have been told they must now ensure any spare testing capacity is filled with staff tests. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has ordered all NHS hospitals to ramp up their testing of frontline workers A letter sent to NHS trusts today by NHS England states that hospitals should 'max out' coronavirus testing capacity with checks on frontline workers How has the approach to testing changed? Hospitals had been told that 85 per cent of coronavirus testing capacity should be reserved for patients with the remaining 15 per cent for staff. But there has been growing criticism of the government because while the UK's testing capacity has been rising, the total number of tests was still lagging behind. Meanwhile, ministers have also been under pressure because of the relative lack of testing of NHS workers. As a result the government today lifted the 15 per cent cap on staff tests with hospitals now being told to 'max out' capacity by testing more employees. Any spare capacity is to be used for staff. That means that while the focus of testing remains on patients, greater numbers of NHS staff should now be able to find out for certain if they have coronavirus. Advertisement Downing Street said this morning that just over 2,000 of the NHS's 500,000 frontline staff had now been tested for the deadly disease. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said this morning: 'We are very clear that we want more testing to be carried out.' Dr Yvonne Doyle, Director for Health Protection at Public Health England, told the daily coronavirus press conference that the intention is to move from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of NHS staff tests over the coming weeks. A letter has now been sent to all chief executives of all NHS trusts and foundation trusts from NHS England and NHS Improvement setting out what is now expected on testing. It states: 'Following our Sunday letter on staff testing, as lab capacity is increasing we now can and must further increase staff/index case testing. We want to max out all available capacity in doing so, and so are now removing the 15 per cent cap immediately. 'Effective today we are therefore asking chief executives of trusts that host an NHS lab doing COVID-19 testing personally to ensure that your lab's capacity is fully used each and every day. 'This can be achieved by using all spare testing for staff/index testing, either from within your own organisation or those of neighbouring acute and ambulance trusts. 'As soon as this has been implemented, and as extra lab volumes become available, the approach can over the coming days be extended to community, mental health and primary care services, along with social care.' Hospitals are being told to swab large numbers of staff every day so that the nation's laboratories are constantly fed a supply of material to test. Meanwhile, a nationwide list of swabs is being compiled so that they can be taken to labs which have spare testing capacity. The Army will 'assist' in moving samples around the country 'as quickly as possible'. The government's attempts to ramp up testing of frontline staff has seen unusual locations used for temporary sites. Furniture giant Ikea has set up a drive-through testing centre for frontline NHS staff at its store in Wembley, north-west London. Other retailers have offered to help set up testing facilities, with Boots setting up another drive-through system at its headquarters in Nottingham and more sites are being sourced around the country. Currently, these facilities are reserved for NHS staff and by-invitation only. Members of the public are also asked not to attend Boots shops asking for a test, as no testing will be carried out in-store. Tests have also been carried out in the car park of Surrey theme park Chessington World of Adventures. It was claimed last night that more than one in ten NHS staff may currently be off work in self-isolation. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, estimated that 15 per cent of NHS staff were off work, and initial testing over the weekend had found that just 15 per cent of those self-isolating were infected with coronavirus. 'It's a very, very small sample size because we only really started doing staff testing properly Saturday-Sunday, but I'm told that the very early results from that very small sample did indicate that only 15 per cent of people taking the test were positive which effectively means that the other 85 per cent are potentially available to come back to work.' He added: 'Our understanding is that as of the middle of... the late end of last week it was about 15 per cent of NHS staff, which given the sickness rate, absence rate that you would normally expect to see in the NHS of around I think 3-4 per cent, you can see how big that gap is.' Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday said it was criminal to export personal protection equipment at a time when the country's doctors and paramedics were struggling to get them. He was citing reports about India exporting personal protection equipment to Serbia and quoted a tweet from UNDP in Serbia saying the second cargo plane with 90 tonnes of medical protective equipment landed from India to Belgrade on Wednesday. "What is this happening Mr Prime Minister Narendra Modi? While Frontline Indian Health workers are struggling for protective equipment we are supplying Serbia, Tewari said on Twitter. "Air India to fly out Germans and 90 tonnes of Protective Medical Equipment to Serbia. Are we nuts? This is CRIMINAL," he said. Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill also alleged that the decision to export personal protection equipment to Serbia was "inhuman". "This also shows the love of the BJP for foreigners and betrayal of our own people...This decision is of profiteering and betrayal with Indians," he said at a party briefing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The past 10 months have been momentous for Malawi. After a series of protests against what many have perceived as a flawed presidential election, on February 3 the constitutional court annulled the results of the May 2019 vote due to serious irregularities and ordered another election to be held within 150 days. Peter Mutharika, the incumbent president, rejected the ruling, calling it a serious miscarriage of justice. There will be a hearing of an appeal case by the Supreme Court from April 15, but the fresh elections will go ahead, regardless of the outcome of the appeal case. Currently, no date has been set as Mutharika refuses to sign into law a new electoral bill which was prepared based on the courts ruling. Meanwhile, the parliament has ruled the members Malawi Electoral Commission, who oversaw the May 2019 vote, incompetent and recommended their dismissal. The defiance of Malawis institutions and their insistence on protecting democratic procedure in the country have surprised many observers. Amid growing dictatorial tendencies among countries in southern Africa and a continuing trend among African presidents to ignore constitutions and seek to abolish barriers to re-election, Malawi seems to stand out. So has Malawi become an African exception as some observers have claimed? And what is behind its current political crisis? A lot has been written about Malawi in the aftermath of the historic court ruling, including inevitable comparisons with other African countries. Indeed, Malawis case may seem unique, as the judiciary and the military have resisted executive pressure and handled the issues of public interest fairly. But for the Malawian context, it is not unprecedented. Since Kamuzu Banda, the dictator who ruled Malawi for 30 years, accepted defeat in the 1994 general elections, the country has witnessed four transitions of power, including in 2012 when President Bingu wa Mutharika, Peters brother, died in office and his vice president, Joyce Banda, took over. Malawi has also managed to overcome attempts by presidents to cling on to power against the rule of law. In 2002, President Bakili Muluzi tried to amend the constitution so he could run for a third term, but the parliament rejected his proposal. Bandas takeover of the presidency was also not smooth. A group of ruling party members, including Peter Mutharika, tried to block her from being sworn with the help of a number of lawyers and prosecutors, but the plot did not work. In 2014, Banda herself tried to cancel an election after she lost to Mutharika, but her actions were deemed unconstitutional. After the High Court ordered the electoral commission to release the results, Banda conceded defeat. Indeed, over the past quarter of a century, Malawian institutions have withstood quite a few attacks by the executive power. Members of the judiciary and the military have carried out their duties with professionalism and commitment to the constitutional order in the country, despite the threat of being dismissed by the presidency. They have also protected each other. In the days running up to the court ruling on February 3, it was heavily armed military personnel that provided security for the five judges. For these reasons, it is no surprise that the judiciary and the army have stood their ground over the past few months. Likewise, the military has been protecting protesters during their demonstrations from the excesses of the police force, defying the common stereotype of African military crushing protesters and propping up unpopular leaders. On March 18, Mutharika sacked and replaced the military commander, Vincent Nundwe, which may suggest that the president was not pleased with his decision to protect demonstrators. But throughout the past two and a half decades, there were also moments when it seemed to some observers that Malawis democracy was on the verge collapse. In 2001, just five years after the first free elections in the country, the online outlet Malawi Digest declared the demise of democracy in the country, describing various transgressions by the Malawian parliament, including cancelling constitutional clauses without due processes and rejecting court rulings. Ten years later, Amnesty International published a report titled Malawis Democracy Continues to Unravel. The document listed various violations by the Bingu wa Mutharika presidency, including the killing of protesters, restrictions of human rights and attacks on rights groups and activists. The report also mentioned the British ambassador being expelled for calling the president autocratic. Today, the media is celebrating the country as an African exception and the court ruling as an historic moment. But the truth is, there is nothing extraordinary about what has been happening in Malawi given its recent past. And it is not the only African country where courts have defied the executive. Furthermore, what Malawis experience demonstrates is that democratic development is far from a straight path. Therefore, trying to frame it within a pattern or exceptionalise it is futile. In other words, there is no such thing as African model or African exception. Each country in Africa, as well as the rest of the world, is walking its own path, influenced by local histories, socioeconomic realities and geopolitical dynamics. Africa is not a country, after all. At this point, it is still not clear whether there is a reason for celebration in Malawi. The president continues to defy the court order, and the imminent COVID-19 outbreak will likely derail the process to prepare a new election. Protests cannot continue as the presidency has declared a state of national disaster and banned all gatherings of more than 100 people, even though the country is yet to record any cases. Mutharika, who is 79 years old, was last seen in public on March 8 and now seems to have withdrawn from public appearances, possibly out of concern of his own health. Before the outbreak, there was a strong feeling of a general clean-up and that Malawi was headed in the right direction. Hopefully, it will stay on track even after the epidemic passes. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Recently, Hrithik Roshan took to his social media page to share the news about his ex-wife Sussanne Khan temporarily moving in with him to co-parent their kids, Hrehaan and Hridaan during the novel Coronavirus lockdown. Sharing a candid picture of Sussanne, the War actor posted a heartfelt note that read, "It is unimaginable for me, as a parent, to think of having to be separated from my children at a time when the country is practicing lockdowns. It is heartwarming to see the world come together as one in this time of deep uncertainty and possibility of months of social distancing and potential lockdowns for several weeks perhaps..While the world talks about humanity coming together, I think it represents more than just an idea especially for parents sharing custody of their kids. How to keep their kids close to them without infringing on the right of the other who also has an equal right to be with his/her children." (sic). He further thanked Sussanne for taking this step and continued, "This is a picture of dear Sussanne (my ex wife) , who has graciously volunteered to temporarily move out of her home so that our children are not disconnected indefinitely from either one of us. Thank you Sussanne for being so supportive and understanding in our journey of co-parenting. Our children will tell the story we create for them." (sic) Now, Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan has reacted to Sussanne's homecoming. The actor-director-producer was quoted as saying by Spotboye, "The world has to be together and supportive in difficult times." Meanwhile, a few days ago, Hrithik and Sussanne celebrated their son Hrehaan's birthday at their Juhu residence. Since the rest of the Roshan clan couldn't be present in person owing to the Coronavirus lockdown, they joined in to wish the birthday boy through a video-call. Speaking about films, Hrithik was last seen in one of 2019's biggest blockbusters War, co-starring Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor. The actor hasn't officially announced any new project yet. Hrithik Roshan And Sussanne Khan Celebrate Son Hrehaan's Birthday; Family Joins Them Over Video Call Hrithik Roshan Under Self-Quarantine Has His Dog Zane For Company; Their Photo Is All Things Cute By Sarah Wig wigsarah@grinnell.edu This years Innovation Fund grants will go towards supporting six pilot projects and nine new planning projects. The Innovation Fund is a College institution that supports unique projects and ideas by faculty, staff and students. The purpose of the fund is to enhance innovative ways of teaching and learning. The selection criteria require the projects to focus on strategic planning goals and investigate creative ideas, and the fund aims to encourage an environment that includes experimentation and imagination. One of this years projects is a two-year pilot of A Global Kitchen in the Liberal Arts, run by Professor Todd Armstrong, Russian, and Senior Director of Global Initiatives Kate Patch in collaboration with Dining Services, the Institute for Global Engagement, College faculty and students. Planning to open a kitchen in the HSSC was challenging, according to Armstrong, because the question of what it would be used for arose in many discussions. Armstrong saw the kitchen as an opportunity to animate a new space and turn it into a place for teaching and organizational use. The Innovation Fund [money] is to continue to develop the beginning of an infrastructure for this multi-cultural space and bring in a person to be the coordinator of the space and the team of Global Kitchen Peer Mentors, said Armstrong. Global Kitchen Peer Mentors help members of the community learn how to use the space properly and also facilitate activities. The space has been named the Marcus Family Global Kitchen in honor of Tobi Klein Marcus 87 and Michael Marcus 86. The family hopes that the kitchen can be a place where sharing a meal together increases cross-cultural understanding and begins to turn strangers into friends. A large number of events have taken place in the kitchen, ranging from study breaks by International Athletes and Allies and Queer Athletes and Allies to Chai time with the South Asian Student Organization. On March 7 this year, the kitchen will host a Slavic coffeehouse to celebrate Maslenitsa, a Russian Orthodox holiday. Armstrong said, It is one of the most gratifying feelings to see the space used well and what kind of community and sense of belonging it brings. Armstrong is currently using the kitchen regularly for his two-credit course Soviet Food Culture. Its the first time the kitchen has been used for a teaching purpose. Im really interested in things that help feed the community as food is a very positive way to bring people together and keep in touch with ones identity, said Armstrong. Another pilot project funded this year is Data Space: Using Data & Stories to Bring Disciplines Together, led by Professor Shonda Kuiper, statistics, and Professor Xavier Escandell, anthropology. The goal of the project is to create a data space that will highlight the research of students and faculty on campus. Instead of just writing an introductory article about the research hosted by the space, the project aims to create an interactive website which include visualizations like maps with different variables. Through Kuipers consulting experience and the interdisciplinary work of the Data and Social Inquiry Lab, which Escandell runs, the professors hope to explore different areas in collaboration with alumni and current faculty. Our goal is to make it nationally available and have interesting stories where data is available and that it could tie into student classes, said Kuiper. The website would enable research by faculty, alumni and students to connect into the classroom, with interactive features to help students learn more about the research without knowing the in-depth analysis, allowing increased academic accessibility. The website would also provide datasets for people who want to get into advanced research and do analysis of the data. It is meant to be very accessible with growing levels of complexity for a wide group of students, said Kuiper. The funding is being used to develop the structure of the website, hire students to develop the building blocks, and for the large number of working parts in this lengthy process. Republican Colleagues Cheer Meadowss Move to White House, Praise His Principled Prudence WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump first encountered former Rep. Mark Meadowss firm devotion to his conservative convictions not long after being inaugurated, during a House Republican conference discussion on a proposed health care reform. Mark has a good history with the president. It actually started out with him speaking truth to power in a very difficult situation, Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) told The Epoch Times on March 31. That was with health care version one in March of 2017. The president came into our Republican conference, knew that Mark and the House Freedom Caucus were against health care version one, and he said, Mark, Im coming after you, Budd said. And, of course, Mark graciously stood his ground and then was able to explain to the president why this was a bad bill. We were able to improve and to get it passed in the House. You know, that was a very courageous, awkward situation, and I think the president enjoyed Mark and appreciated his standing his ground then. Budd was one of numerous congressional Republicans interviewed this week by The Epoch Times, all of whom described Meadows as a man of strong principles whos quite capable of gracefully advancing them while winning respect from opponents. Meadows officially began his duties as Trumps White House chief of staff earlier this week after self-quarantining for two weeks following his exposure to an individual who had tested positive for the CCP virus, often referred to as the novel coronavirus. Meadows has shown no symptoms of the virus. The former congressman was, as a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, among the most visible conservative warriors on Capitol Hill. But he was also among the most liked across the partisan aisle in Congress, and Budd now expects Meadowss negotiating skills to synchronize well with Trumps management style. Trump is an executive, and he can run an office, but he needs not just that, but he needs an adviser as well, somebody that is well-connected, understands the process, can navigate through Congress, and who will speak truth to him, Budd said. Budd noted that Meadows was deeply moved when his close friend, Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, who was chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, died in October 2019. He seems to have maintained friendships all the way back to his days in business. He just seems to understand the value of relationships, and he can cut through the clutter and see people for who they are, Budd said. Meadows has a talent for cutting through other kinds of clutter as well, according to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who told The Epoch Times that Mark is really good at taking a big, contentious, thorny issue and peeling back the layers one by one. Lee said Meadows then examines each layer of it from different angles and then figures out how everything can fit back together, but in a new and improved format. Trump could not have chosen better, and I am glad Mark Meadows is in that position, Lee said. Hes everything you would want in a chief of staff. Hes loyal, smart as the day is long, hes principled, hes organized, and he recognizes that ones principles and pragmatic concerns can be addressed simultaneously. One reason Meadows is so respected across ideological divides, Lee says, is because they know where he stands. He is someone who is willing to put principle above party and above ego. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times he believes Meadows will be especially effective in two areas, making sure the people working for Trump in the White House and the executive branch are the right appointees for their jobs, and in cultivating the cooperation needed to move important legislation through Congress. He has a good BS detector, and Id say that, as a devout Christian, he can work with anybody. But he does understand when people are lying to him, and it does play on how he views their future comments and advice. Gohmert added that Meadows is quite good at talking people into doing things even when they may think thats not the best idea, and hes just got a good feel for the people or problems that are standing in the way of the president being successful. Both Gohmert and Budd pointed to Meadowss wife, Debbie, as a tremendous asset for the former congressman and for the president. In the darkest days of the 2016 campaign, she got on a bus and across North Carolina and other states, and did Women for Trump to help him win the state, Budd said. That was very key when it was not a popular thing to do. They stood up and saw that this was the man that needed to win, and what he would ultimately stand for, and Debbie had a lot of foresight there, he said. I think it has to do with having such a strong inner core, he and Debbie both, Gohmert said. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc (Bloomberg) -- On Mar. 18, a laid-off customer-service representative for one of the airline companies attended an Amazon.com Inc. employee orientation in Dallas. He found himself packed into a room with about 70 other applicants, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder to watch a PowerPoint presentation about what its like to work for the online retailer. The man, who provided a smartphone photo to document his experience, said the event was exactly like one he attended last year for a seasonal holiday job with Amazon. In other words, there were no special precautions to keep attendees safe from the coronavirus. When the man raised concerns about the crowded conditions, he said an Amazon manager mocked him and a fellow recruit sneered. They made jokes and told me to leave if I was unhappy, he said, adding that one manager said Amazons operations were exempt from the rules because the company is considered an essential service. They didnt care one tiny bit. The former customer rep took the job but still worries about getting sick. Amazon also ignored official social-distancing guidelines at mid-March events near Portland, Oregon, and in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to two applicants. A fourth person who attended an Amazon job fair in West Jefferson, Ohio, said she was sent home and asked to return another day because the gathering was too crowded, suggesting precautionary measures are in place at least at some events or Amazon is changing its practices. The absence of social distancing at Amazon hiring events recently made the rounds on social media. One user tweeted photos he said were taken at recent recruiting event in Los Angeles. Another complained on Twitter that the event she attended, where people were in close proximity on a line, wasnt safe. She didnt disclose the location. Bloomberg was unable to reach those people. In an emailed statement, Amazon said it has updated its recruiting practices to avoid large crowds and keep applicants safe, but it declined to say precisely when it made the change. Story continues These situations occurred two weeks ago and weve since moved all new hire events and orientations to virtual platforms, Amazon spokeswoman Lindsay Campbell said. Any situation in which teams dont follow social distancing guidelines are immediately investigated. In its initial rush to hire 100,000 people to meet surging demand from customers fearful of visiting physical stores, Amazon dusted off its holiday season recruiting playbook: holding events with lines snaking through hallways and crowds packed into meeting rooms to watch videos, submit identification and fill out paperwork. The practices violate official Covid-19 safety guidelines, which include avoiding large gatherings and maintaining at least six feet of distance from others. Amazon is widely seen as an indispensable service amid the pandemic, providing such essentials as food, cleaning supplies and medicine. That hasnt stopped critics from accusing the company of putting customers ahead of its warehouse workers. These employees arent simply handling essential goods but also processing returns and packing toys, clothes and cosmetics. As the outbreak spreads and more cases are confirmed among Amazons warehouse workforce, demonstrations and walkouts have erupted in the U.S. and Europe along with demands from lawmakers and regulators for the company to improve working conditions. On Monday, workers staged a walkout at Amazons Staten Island warehouse, where three more cases were reported Tuesday evening; they called for the facility to be shut down for cleaning. Hours later, workers at a Chicago depot picketed outside their facility. And in Romulus, outside Detroit, on Wednesday, a group of Amazon employees lined the sidewalk of their warehouse, complaining about a lack of transparency from management and beseeching Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos to shut it down. Amazon has lauded the bravery of its workers delivering essentials during the crisis and said its protecting them through social distancing requirements and stepped-up cleaning. With the economy imploding, many Americans are willing to toil at an Amazon warehouse. Almost 4 in 10 would have difficulty covering a sudden $400 emergency expense, according to a survey on economic health released in May by the Federal Reserve, highlighting the precarious financial condition of many hourly workers living paycheck to paycheck. A record-breaking 3.3 million people filed jobless claims in the week ending March 21, and experts say unemployment could top 30 percent, five points higher than the Great Depressions jobless peak. Amazons March 16 announcement that it would be hiring and boosting pay represents a lifeline to thousands of people who have lost their livelihoods in the travel, leisure and hospitality industries. There are very few jobs right now, and millions of people are going to want them, said Fred Goff, who runs Jobcase, a job search and networking site for hourly workers. Amazon was ahead of the curve with $15 an hour and announced temporary raises. Theyre not going to have a problem hiring people. Vancouver, Washington, resident Robin Guyton, 62, is among them. She had part-time jobs bringing developmentally disabled people on outings to shopping malls and bowling alleys, but her hours were sharply reduced since everyone has to stay home. Amazon beckoned with warehouse work that pays up to $20 an hour and health benefits. She attended a hiring event near Portland in March and accepted a job offer that day. Its a big company and in times like this, their services are more in demand, so theres some job security, she said. This whole thing took the wind out of my sails, and I just need a job to pay the bills. Good pay, benefits and job security outweighed her alarm about the crowded job event, where she said people were packed side-by-side at tables to fill out online applications on shared computers that werent cleaned between uses. I was so stunned, but I was so desperate to get the job I just did what I could by staying as far away from people as I could, she said. Walmart Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., Kroger Co. and CVS Health Corp. are all also ramping up recruitment to meet surging demand for essential supplies. Some have sped up hiring practices by offering virtual interviews and forgoing drug and background checks, reducing the need to pack people into big job fairs. Walmart, which is hiring 150,000 people, compressed its hiring process from approximately two weeks to just 24 hours and is giving verbal offers by phone following online assessments. Other companies like Kroger use online platforms to check the identification of applicants so a bunch of new workers dont have to attend big events to go through government-required ID verification, said Julie Pearl, co-founder of Tracker Corp., one of several companies that provide a remote ID checking service. One speed bump for the companies hiring is a new stimulus package that includes enhanced unemployment benefits that could give some workers pause about taking grocery clerk, warehouse or delivery jobs that they think are too risky during the outbreak, said Gary Burtless, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. There are a lot of people with low or average pay who will find that their income when they are laid off will rise, not fall, as a result of the special unemployment benefits, he said. Amazon could be taking steps to make some hiring events safer for applicants. One woman, who previously worked with people with disabilities, applied for an Amazon warehouse job and said she and about 20 other applicants were sent home from a hiring event in West Jefferson, Ohio, on March 21 because it was too crowded and asked to return another day. She returned three days later to find a much smaller group of about 25 people and some seats were roped off. The orientation was shortened by two hours to limit time people spent near each other, said the woman, who was between jobs when she heard an advertisement that Amazon was hiring. The warehouse manager where she works has been sending daily emails reminding employees of the importance of their jobs in keeping essential goods moving during the pandemic, she said, and hand sanitizer was available throughout the facility during her first week on the job. (Updates with worker protests.) 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| 2020-04-01 10:10:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy to Britain on Tuesday said some British media reports claiming that China's "misinformation blitz" around the COVID-19 epidemic has led to a "lack of testing" in Britain are untrue and their accusations are groundless. The embassy's spokesperson said these reports completely disregard the tremendous efforts and huge sacrifices made by China and its people in the battle against COVID-19, and deny China's significant contribution to global public health and safety. "We are shocked and deeply concerned," said the spokesperson. Some British media also said that China is seeking economic power with "predatory offers of help," and that some British government officials "are furious over China's campaign of misinformation" and "demand an urgent review" of Britain's relationship with China. The spokesperson said after the outbreak of COVID-19, China wasted no time identifying the pathogen of the virus, sharing its genetic sequence with the World Health Organization, taking the most effective, strict and comprehensive measures to contain the spread of the disease, sharing experience with other countries in need and providing assistance to more than 120 countries, including Britain and four international organizations. These efforts and contributions made by China should not be distorted or defamed, said the spokesperson. The Chinese Embassy in Britain has expressed grave concern to the British side regarding those claims and remarks, and has urged the latter to clarify them, according to the spokesperson. "Senior officials of the British government have replied that the reported remarks do not represent government position, and that the British side speaks highly of China's contribution to the global response to COVID-19 and regards China-UK relationship as fundamentally important," the spokesperson said. Prejudice, vilification and discrediting would only undermine global response to COVID-19, the spokesperson said, urging relevant British media and politicians to abandon their arrogance and prejudice, and objectively view China's efforts and achievements in combating COVID-19, and help boost global public health and safety, instead of doing the opposite. TDT | Manama The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed yesterday their keenness to follow up on the directives of HRH the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to continue with the urgent repatriation of Bahraini students abroad. This came in a video call between the ministrys undersecretary Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa Al Khalifa and Education Ministry Resources and Services undersecretary Dr Mohammed Mubarak Jumaa. The Kingdoms repatriation plan follows the directives of HRH the Prime Minister on the immediate evacuation of Bahraini students who are still overseas and ensure their safe return home. LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Portugal is set to raise 5 billion euros from a sale of seven-year bonds via a syndicate of banks on Wednesday, according to a lead manager update seen by Reuters. The bonds, which received 30 billion euros of investor orders, will price at 86 basis points over the mid-swap level, the lead manager said. Barclays, BBVA, Caixabank, Credit Agricole, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are lead managers in the sale. (Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe) Lucknow, April 1 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has identified 569 'coronavirus carriers', including 218 foreign nationals who had come to the state on tourist visas. "These persons who have been identified and quarantined also include those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi. We have rounded up these people after a night-long operation that ended this afternoon," said a government spokesman. He said that most of these people were living in different districts without informing the local police. "We are impounding the passports of those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat and they have been quarantined. We will also book those who gave them shelter. Further investigations in this regard are underway," the officer said. The police are also trying to track those who had been interacting with these 569 people. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to deal firmly with people who are endangering others with their irresponsible behavior. He also directed them to investigate the reason why these people hid information from the administration and the police. A day after the Kerala Government issued orders to provide special alcohol passes on doctor's prescription to tipplers, who exhibit withdrawal symptoms, the Excise Department received 40 applications from across the state. Speaking to ANI, a Senior Excise Official said, "Around 40 people approached us with doctor's prescriptions to get liquor passes across the State. We will forward it to Beverages Corporation and they will conduct home delivery of liquor." Ernakulam topped the list with eight applications, while Kottayam Excise Office received four and Thiruvananthapuram office received three applications. "As per the notification we received, a maximum of three litre of alcohol can be provided in a week for a person. For availing liquor again they will have to submit fresh application for the liquor pass," the official added. An order in this regard was issued by the government on Monday night which outlines the necessary steps to be taken by a person with withdrawal symptoms to purchase alcohol. As per the order, any individual with a prescription from a government doctor or a doctor from a Taluk hospital or government hospital, where the doctor mentions the patient's "Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms" can submit the prescription for alcohol to the nearest Excise Range office. A form also has been provided which should be duly filled to get the liquor pass. The Excise Department after the scrutiny may allow the person to buy Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from the beverages corporation. However, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) came out against the order, saying that doctors affiliated with the organisation will not give a prescription for liquor. Further, in a statement issued they said they are observing a 'black day' on Wednesday in protest against the government move. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also had termed the direction by the Kerala government 'unscientific' and said doctors had no legal obligation to prescribe alcohol. After the liquor ban was enforced in view of the lockdown, Kerala has witnessed a number of suicide cases allegedly connected with withdrawal symptoms. Announcing the decision Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also mentioned that the government was issuing such a direction following reports of people developing suicidal tendencies due to the unavailability of alcohol. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 60-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in Odisha to five, officials said. The man, a resident of the Surya Nagar area in the city, was admitted to the AIIMS here with multiple ailments, they said, adding that he later tested positive for coronavirus. Of the five COVID-19 cases in the state, four hail from state capital Bhubaneswar, while a 29-year-old Dubai-returned man who tested positive on Tuesday is from Bhadrak district. A 19-year-old who was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here was discharged on Wednesday after he recovered. He tested positive for the deadly disease on March 19 after he returned from London. He was Odisha's second COVID-19 case. Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare Department said that 22 persons, including seven foreigners, linked to a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin have been traced in the state. All of them have been quarantined in government facilities and test results of some are awaited, it added. Delhi's Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus as 24 people who attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the area last month have tested positive for COVID-19. A major part of the south Delhi neighbourhood has been sealed by authorities to contain the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Logging will continue in bushfire ravaged areas of Victoria for another 10 years but conservation groups say the state government's renewal of management plans for logging in native forests fails to protect the flora and fauna. On Wednesday the government released new plans for its five Regional Forestry Agreements that designate areas for logging across the state until 2030. The Victorian government has renewed plans for logging in native forests, prompting criticism from conservation groups who say greater protections are needed due to the impact of last summer's bushfires, pictured here. Credit:Rob Blakers. Local conservation group the Goongerah Environment Centre estimates last summer's fires burnt through two thirds of the area that had been protected from logging under the previous RFA in East Gippsland. However, the updated RFA for the region does not increase the area of forest protected from logging to include new, unburnt habitat. EDWARDSVILLE Census Day is today, despite the coronavirus epidemic. We encourage residents to respond online or by telephone, City Planner Emily Fultz said. She acknowledged that families and other residents have had other issues to deal with amid the pandemic but she emphasized the importance of being counted and that completing the online questions takes about five minutes. Every person counted in the census translates to approximately $2,000 per person, per year, which funds schools, hospitals, social service programs, and road maintenance projects. In addition to allocating critical funding, the results of the census are used to determine the number of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives, and to redraw boundaries of state legislative districts. The census will determine these funding and representation levels until 2030. According to the George Washington Institute for Public Policys Counting for Dollars 2020 report, the undercount of Illinoisans in the previous census resulted in a loss of $952 per person in federal funding. In 2015 alone, the state lost $122 million for every one percent of the population not counted five years earlier. Another concern is fraud, particularly with the online and telephone methods available and the simultaneous coronavirus scams that have popped up. Fultz said the U.S. Census Bureau will only contact households via mail or in-person; it will not contact residents by telephone or email. The bureaus official mail will be postmarked from Jeffersonville, Indiana, where the National Census Processing Center is located. Also, households will not be asked for Social Security numbers, bank account information, to donate money or with which political party they are affiliated. The tricky part is going to be getting an accurate count of college students who have already moved home, Fultz said. She cited an example of three roommates sharing off-campus housing prior to the pandemic. Two of the roommates live in other states and now, all three are gone. A unique challenge is that the Census Bureau only accepts one response per household, so while roommates may have returned home to different states, its imperative that they work together to complete the Census as one household, as if they still lived in their off-campus housing, Fultz said. Students who lived in on-campus, university-managed housing will be counted by the university. More Information More about being counted There are multiple ways to be counted for the 2020 U.S. Census. Using the card you should have received in the mail in mid-March, you can follow the printed instructions to complete a census tally on-line. If you don't have internet access or do not trust a computer, you should call toll-free 1-844-330-2020 and complete a form over the telephone. Phone lines are open daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. CDT. To minimize the need for census takers to go door-to-door, it is critical that households respond online or by phone. The census supports the following languages: Spanish, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Japanese and for the hearing impaired. Visit 2020census.gov for more details. If neither online or telephone options work for you, then complete the card you received in the mail and return it. Otherwise, Census enumerators will begin knocking on doors of non-respondents starting in mid- to late May. See More Collapse The U.S. Census Bureau began sending cards to Edwardsville and Glen Carbon households in mid-March with unique identifiers and asking residents to complete the census online. This is the first year that the census can be completed online. Even with the advent of online replies, census tabulations are still running well below where they were 10 years ago at this time, according to Fultz. She said that as of March 27, almost 43 percent of Edwardsville residents jumped online to complete their online census info after receiving cards in the U.S. Mail. Statewide, the number is closer to 38 percent complete while nationally, the total is just below 35 percent completed. Fultz said in 2010, the number was 82 percent, and that was just by mailing the cards. For more census details, visit the Illinois Department of Human Services website, illinoiscensus2020.com or the U.S. Census website. Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 659-5735 A mother and her newborn in a Wuhan, China, hospital on Feb. 21. (Getty Images) Public health officials in Illinois on Saturday announced the death of an infant in Chicago who had tested positive for the coronavirus. Although the exact cause of death had not been determined as of Tuesday, it marked the first recorded death in the U.S. of an infant who had contracted the virus. The virus is more likely to be fatal in adults, but children who have tested positive for COVID-19 also have died. Underlying health conditions increase the risk of a severe illness. Experts say the older population remains at higher risk for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Data have shown that the oldest of those infected are more likely to be hospitalized and less likely to survive the disease. To date, the pandemic has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths in the U.S. The number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases around the world, as of Wednesday morning, has surpassed 880,000 globally and stands at about 190,000 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, meaning more people, including babies, have and will get the virus, experts say. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these common-sense tips for parents. 1. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Look for one that is 60% or higher alcohol-based. 2. Reduce close contact with others by practicing social distancing. This means staying home as much as possible and avoiding public places where close contact with others is likely. 3. Keep your kids away from others who are sick or keep them home if they are ill. 4. Teach kids to cough and sneeze into a tissue (make sure to throw it away after each use!) or to cough and sneeze into their arm or elbow, not their hands. 5. Clean and disinfect your home as usual using regular household cleaning sprays or wipes. 6. Wash stuffed animals or other plush toys following manufacturers' instructions in the warmest water possible and dry them completely. Story continues 7. Avoid touching your face; teach your children to do the same. 8. Avoid travel to highly infected areas. 9. Follow local and state guidance on travel restrictions. A nurse examines a pregnant woman in a private obstetric hospital in Wuhan in February. (Getty Images) A woman and her newborn baby are transferred to a room by a nurse. (Getty Images) A nurse checks on a baby in the private hospital in Wuhan during the lockdown there. (Getty Images) A maternity nurse wears a mask as she cares for a newborn. (Getty Images) A nurse takes the temperature of a baby outside the main bus terminal in Bogota, Colombia, on March 24. (Fernando Vergara / Associaed Press) A baby wears a Hello Kitty face mask in Manila. (Aaron Favila / Associated Press) A woman carrying a baby runs hurries to get out of the way of a truck spraying disinfectant in Caracas, Venezuela, in late March. (Ariana Cubillos / Associated Press) A mother prays with her baby at the Hsing Tian Kong temple in Taipei, Taiwan. (Paula Bronstein / Getty Images) A woman leaves her children's school after finding it closed and registrations suspended due to the coronavirus last week in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. (Karim Sahib / AFP via Getty Images) Domestic sugar mills are facing impediments in supplying ethanol to the oil marketing companies (OMC) for mixing in fuel, since the demand for petrol and diesel has come down drastically following coronavirus lockdown. Due to the dip in demand for vehicular fuel, several OMC depots are witnessing slower petrol offtake with the result that the mills are unable to supply ethanol, a sugar by-product, owing to the paucity of storage and mixing space with such depots. 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 Thirteen baggage handlers at Adelaide Airport have tested positive for coronavirus as the COVID-19 Qantas cluster continues to grow. South Australia Health on Tuesday announced it was investigating a COVID-19 cluster at Adelaide Airport, before six cases were confirmed among baggage handlers. On Wednesday, that number jumped to 13 and anyone who travelled through the airport was urged to get tested. Qantas baggage handlers were linked to spreading COVID-19 in South Australia The Adelaide airport (pictured) employees were confirmed to have tested positive yesterday The new cases come as travellers are warned to wipe down their baggage and get tested if they are presenting with symptoms of the killer virus. The number of cases in South Australia rose over night but chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said the exact numbers could not yet be revealed. Dr Spurrier said: 'We have our laboratory running very long hours and I stayed back with a number of staff because we needed to make decisions and needed to inform Qantas.' 'We've been working very closely with them and I think we will expect to see some more cases,' she explained. Dr Spurrier said there was a low chance of passengers catching the virus from their baggage but that they should wipe it down as a precaution. 'I think the risk is actually extremely low, but there's absolutely no harm in giving your suitcase a wipe particularly around the handle,' she said. A South Australia Health spokesperson said they were taking action to curb the spread of 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 'We are working closely with Qantas to ensure flights are not disrupted and the carousel area is fully cleaned.' SA Health also said that up to 100 baggage handlers and airport ground staff may have to self-isolate for 14 days. A Qantas spokesperson said: 'We are working to minimise any disruptions to customers who are flying in and out of Adelaide.' 'In addition to enhanced cleaning measures introduced since the Coronavirus outbreak at airports and on aircraft, we are conducting extensive cleaning of common areas used by these employees in Adelaide,' they explained. Yesterday Qantas cancelled seven flights bound for Adelaide and even turned a plane back to Sydney mid-flight. The passengers were put in overnight accommodation and their flight was rescheduled for today. Anyone who has travelled through Adelaide airport since Monday is being asked to get urgent testing if they begin showing symptoms. The most recent number of positive diagnoses in South Australia stood at 337 yesterday. A truck driver charged with killing four children in a horror car crash had allegedly spent the day getting high on a cocktail of MDMA, cocaine and alcohol, it can be revealed. Samuel William Davidson, 29, had 14 new charges added in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday over the horror car crash at Oatlands, in Sydney's north, on February 1. Davidson chose not to appear via audio visual link, but will be required to enter a plea when his matter returns to court in June. The new charges Davidson is facing include four counts of aggravated dangerous driving under the influence of MDMA, four counts of aggravated dangerous driving at 45km/h over the speed limit and six other charges - including refusing to give his details to police at the scene. They come in addition to 20 offences he is already facing over the crash - including four counts of manslaughter and high-range drink driving. Scroll down for video Samuel William Davidson (pictured), 29, was allegedly high on a cocktail of MDMA, cocaine and alcohol when he hit and killed four kids at Oatlands, in Sydney's north, on February 1 Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, (all left) and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, (right) were allegedly mowed down by a drunk Davidson as they walked to get ice cream on a 40C day Despite the new charges Davidson, Danny and Leila Abdallah say they stand by their decision to forgive the man charged with killing their three kids. In a statement issued on behalf of his wife and the Sakr family, Mr Abdallah said they had full faith that justice would be carried out by the courts - and instead of being in court for the hearing, would be spending time with their surviving children. 'Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we have made a conscious decision not to attend the hearing,' he said. 'We're determined to spend time with our children who are still with us and remain in constant prayer for the strength we need to see us through this time. 'Our trust is in our Australian judicial system, and expect the outcome will be in accordance with true justice by the governing laws of this nation which we love. 'We also have fervent faith in our Heavenly Father, with the knowledge that our children are in his loving arms. We will be reunited with our children one day soon and we encourage all those who are supporting us to keep this truth in mind. 'Furthermore we have not changed our position of total forgiveness to the driver of the incident.' Davidson - a truck driver - had allegedly spent the 40C day drinking at his home in Oatlands, before driving to a service station with a friend to get cash from an ATM. By the time he got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi ute he allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.150 - three times the legal limit. Police allege that as he drove along Bettington Road - a 60km/h zone - on his return from the petrol station he reached speeds of between 100km/h and 130km/h. Just before 8pm he lost control of his vehicle and veered off the road, slamming into the group of children. Four were killed instantly while two months on their cousin Charbel Kassas remains in hospital with serious injuries. Danny and Leila Abdallah lost three of their children in the tragedy, but vowed to forgive the man charged with killing their kids In the days and weeks that followed the accident, thousands of floral tributes were left at the scene on Bettington Road Police allege Davidson had spent the day drinking at his rental apartment (left) near the crash scene before driving to a nearby Caltex petrol (right) station that evening When police arrived at the scene they found both Davidson (pictured) and his passenger both shirtless, just wearing shorts Locals in the area told how after hearing the desperate screams of the surviving kids they ran to the scene, only to be confronted by devastation. In the days and weeks that followed the tragedy there was an outpouring of grief as the scene of the crash was turned into a makeshift shrine. Thousands of well-wishers flocked to the scene to join Danny and Leila Abdallah, and Bridget and Bob Sakr in mourning the loss of their four children. Mr Abdallah told Daily Mail Australia that despite being a drinker himself, he believed it was time to reduce the blood alcohol limit for drivers to zero. 'I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero,' Mr Abdallah said. 'I think you should just know that you can't have any, that you can only have water, so the temptation isn't there. 'People think 'I'll just have one more, I'll be all right' because they don't want to get a taxi or an Uber, or they've spent all their money on the night out. 'We have to do something.' The morning after the crash Mr Abdallah bravely fronted the media and spoke of his love for his three children Bridget Sakr (in blue dress) is supported by her partner Craig MacKenzie, and Danny and Leila Abdallah (end left and right) whose children were killed in the same accident at Oatlands Despite losing three children in seemingly avoidable circumstances, Mrs Abdallah vowed in the days after the crash to forgive Davidson. The deeply religious family said while they could not bare to confront the man, they would 'The guy, I know he was (allegedly) drunk, driving on this street. Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, (but) I don't hate him, 'I think in my heart, I forgive him, but I want the court to be fair. It's all about fairness. I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are.' Davidson was represented in court by his solicitor Michelle Duncan, with the matter due to court on June 11. (CNN) When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would be giving up their senior royal roles to become "financially independent," it sent shock waves through the British establishment and became the topic of intense debate across the country and beyond. Why are they doing it? How will they survive? And what do the rest of the family think about it? So much has happened in the weeks since that such questions are no longer top of mind, as the couple said in a statement Monday ahead of their official transition to being non-working members of the royal family. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would prefer that in the immediate weeks and months, the focus remains on the global response to Covid-19," a Sussex spokesperson said. "However, we recognize there are outstanding questions relating to their future beyond their Household transition deadline." That future includes no longer using the name "Sussex Royal" for their nonprofit organization, website or Instagram account, as March 31 marks the end of their time as senior royals and the start of their new life. As the couple officially relinquishes their royal duties, here's what we can expect to see from their transition. They're still part of the royal family -- but can't use royal titles We've seen the wider family put up a united front following what royal sources initially described as "disappointment" and "upset" at the Sussexes' original bombshell statement in January of this year. Queen Elizabeth drew the line on Harry retaining any royal appointments, most notably his cherished honorary military titles. The hybrid royal role he had initially carved out for himself clearly wasn't workable for anyone else, nor was the intention to continue using the brand in his marketing. As a result, Harry and Meghan will no longer use the titles His and Her Royal Highness, and will no longer represent the Queen. This doesn't change Harry's place in the line of succession, and it doesn't mean the couple will no longer move in royal circles. On March 9, as part of their final royal duties, the Sussexes joined everyone from the Queen to the Countess of Wessex at Westminster Abbey for a Commonwealth Day service. There was much written about the lack of interaction between the Sussexes and Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. But the bigger message was that while Harry and Meghan may be leaving "the firm" they remain part of the family. They'll receive some support from Prince Charles Behind the scenes, arrangements have been finalized on the terms of the couple's departure. The Prince of Wales agreed to continue to support them financially through his private estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, though not as far as keeping their office going at Buckingham Palace. They were allowed to keep their home on the Windsor estate in England -- if they repaid the 2.4 million (about $3 million) of public funds used to renovate -- but the couple had made clear they intended to spend more time in North America anyway. Initially, that appeared to mean Canada, where they had taken a house on Vancouver Island. But President Donald Trump tweeted this week that the family had left for the US and that "the US will not pay for their security protection." A spokesperson for the Sussexes responded immediately with a statement saying they had no plans to ask the US government for security resources and that privately funded security arrangements have been made. They're already getting to work This leaves the Sussexes with sizeable outgoings that may not be covered by the support provided by Harry's father, even when combined with his mother's inheritance -- certainly not to the style to which they have become accustomed. Harry has taken a couple of speaking opportunities with Wall Street banks where he discussed mental health issues. Meghan has done a voiceover for a Disney film about elephant protection in Botswana. The couple are closely associated with both these issues and can speak credibly to them, and they are also projects that could develop into lucrative income streams without appearing to compromise the royal brand. The challenge going forward will be continuing to find such deals, ones that pay enough but don't rock the boat back in the UK. Like the rest of us, the Sussexes now have bills to pay, but they have also vowed to stop trading on the brand that made them so commercially valuable in the first place: royalty. Now that their transition out of royalty is complete, prepare for their reinvention. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend the next few months focusing on their family and continuing to do what they can, safely and privately, to support and work with their pre-existing charitable commitments while developing their future nonprofit organization," the couple's team said in Monday's statement. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Prince Harry and Meghan officially start their non-royal life. Here's what that will look like." A couple welcomed their daughter just hours after Britain went into lockdown, making her one of the country's first 'lockdown babies'. Midwives told mother Chelsea Best, 28, that the Prime Minister had announced the restrictions while she was in labour at Northampton General Hospital last Monday night. Three hours after Boris Johnson's 8.30pm speech, at 11.38pm, Chelsea and husband Matt, 30, welcomed daughter Millie Eliza Best, weighing 7lbs 11oz. Describing how she was kept up-to-date with unfolding events during her 25-hour labour, Chelsea said: '[The midwives told me] just to let you know, Boris has announced full lockdown. Right, keep on pushing.' Chelsea and Matt Best welcomed their daughter Millie just hours after Britain went into lockdown, making her one of the country's first 'lockdown babies'. Pictured, in hospital She continued: 'At the time I'd been having gas and air for pain relief but I can really remember them saying 'we are now in lockdown' and thinking about the implications for my husband knowing that he would not be able to stay. 'We didn't know if he was going to be stopped by police on the way home. It was a surreal experience, but amazing nonetheless. 'After Millie was born he had about an hour with her, then it was just me on my own. The couple brought Millie home to Corby, Northamptonshire, on Wednesday, but have not yet been able to introduce her to any family members because of the strict social distancing rules. Midwives told mother Chelsea Best, 28, that the Prime Minister had announced the restrictions while she was in labour at Northampton General Hospital last Monday night. The couple were allowed to take Millie home from hospital on Wednesday. Pictured, at home together Social distancing rules mean tiny Millie, pictured, has not yet been introduced to her family Chelsea said: 'It is an emotional and demanding time having a baby and not being able to show everyone what you have brought into the world and not knowing when you will be able to. 'But it has been amazing that we have had the chance to bond as just the three of us, getting to know Millie's likes and dislikes.' Chelsea and Matt, who work in a family haulage business and were married in 2018, have been showing Millie off to family on video calls. Chelsea continued: 'Matt's grandparents are in their eighties and self-isolating. We've managed to teach them how to WhatsApp video call, which they absolutely love. 'Seeing us and Millie cheers them up because they'll be in isolation for 12 weeks. We haven't been out much ourselves because we don't want to put Millie in a situation where she could be exposed to coronavirus. Chelsea praised the efforts of staff who kept her up to date while she was in labour. Pictured, baby Millie Best as a newborn Matt was only able to spend an hour with Millie before he had to leave the hospital because of the new social distancing rules. Pictured, Millie travelling home (left) and snoozing (right) 'Matt has extended paternity leave now and is very much enjoying having the extra time to spend getting to know her. The NHS staff were brilliant and I can't thank them enough, especially the midwives who were amazing. 'They were so supportive when I was on my own in the hospital and were constantly checking on me. 'I'm so grateful to them for the risks they are taking just being in the hospitals with coronavirus around. It must be so scary for them. 'I'd noticed there were rumours about a lockdown coming into place and I was starting to get stressed about the birthing partners being stopped or being allowed. 'I was definitely worried if Matt would be able to be there for the birth and went into labour knowing that lockdown restrictions would change everything. I'm very glad that she was born when she was so that he could see her.' Matt added: 'It has been pretty surreal to be honest. All the NHS staff and the midwives have been fantastic. With everything that is going on it hasn't actually affected us and it's been business as usual. The couple praised staff at Northampton General Hospital (pictured in file image) for their efforts 'It feels very normal as such, but before it felt like I wasn't going to be able to see the baby. Now I think the rules are changing in hospitals whether birthing partners can come or not. I could be one of the last dads able to. 'The lockdown stuff hasn't really been affecting us and we are doing exactly what we'd be doing anyway. It has been great for myself, Chelsea and Millie to spend time bonding together. 'We've been using video calls to keep in contact with the rest of the family, who are dying to see Millie but they can't at the moment. 'On her 18th birthday we can look back and say she was one of the first lockdown babies. She won't be able to understand so we'll have to explain that Boris announcing the lockdown was the sound she came into the world to. It really is a momentous occasion and it'll be something for her to talk about in years to come.' USA.Life is the #1 Christian Social Network, Bringing Hope During Coronavirus Crisis Popular Christian Alternative to Facebook Gives Hope NEWS PROVIDED BY USA.Life April 1, 2020 SAN JOSE, Calif., April 1, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- USA.Life, the top rated Christian social network, helps Christians and churches share God's love and Bible verses during the stressful coronavirus crisis. Released just one year ago, USA.Life describes itself as "the answer to Facebook and Twitter censoring Christians, conservatives, and liberty." "What is unique about USA.Life is users freely exchange Christian beliefs without the fear of being put in Facebook jail," said CEO Steven Andrew. Individuals and churches are invited to get a free account today at www.USA.Life. "People find God's hope on USA.Life, because Big Tech's censorship affects one's faith, how many people are saved, national security, elections, and the strength of the church," Andrew said. A popular feature is the Christian cross reaction for "Amen." "Christians feel encouraged in these challenging times and sign up fast, because the site celebrates Christianity," Andrew said. USA.Life is the most popular overall and/or in the nation of both Christian and conservative social networks, according to a report. There are also cooking and recipes, politics, funny dogs and cats, and more. People connect with those important to them. Users, churches, and businesses share photos, updates, news, videos, and messages, and join groups. USA.Life hopes to be the top social network in America. Users from other countries join too. Comments include: "Thankfully this site exists and allows us to be us, Christians." George Charles Jr. "I feel the peace here at USA.Life...Got to go around with tape over your mouth on Facebook or you might get jailed." Linda Eggleston "Invited all my friends to come over..." Ron Schunk "Finally, Conservatives starting to do something to fight back." John Dough "It's important to build your USA.Life followers now, so you benefit the most as this family-safe, Christian Facebook alternative grows," Andrew said. Andrew set up a crowdfunding page to expand. "We don't have the billions of dollars that Facebook and Twitter have, so we need people who want freedom, hope, and to advance Christianity to contribute what they can," he said. Supporters receive a special reward such as their name credited in the computer code, pro accounts and T-shirts. For larger donations, individuals and organizations can get their name on the founders wall. About USA.Life USA.Life is the answer to Facebook and Twitter censoring Christians, conservatives and liberty. To connect with people, groups, churches and businesses, get a free account at www.USA.Life. SOURCE USA.Life CONTACT: Steven Andrew, 877-585-7729 Related Links www.USA.Life Online searches for terms including 'furlough', 'Universal Credit' and 'how to claim benefits' have skyrocketed as the coronavirus crisis has taken hold in recent weeks. Britons have been using Google to look up the Government's guidance on helping firms with furloughed workers to keep them employed but without working. People suffering financial trouble during the pandemic are also searching 'Universal Credit', with nearly a million trying to claim the benefit in the last two weeks. But searches for 'coronavirus symptoms' have fallen recently from a peak in mid-March when the first restrictions on social gatherings were brought in. These graphs show the relative search levels for 'Universal Credit', 'furlough' and 'coronavirus symptoms' over the past month (top) and past week (bottom). They reveal searches for 'furlough' have skyrocketed since March 20, while Universal Credit searches are up in the past two weeks. But searches for 'coronavirus symptoms' are now falling from a mid-March peak The term 'furlough' is more common in US employment law, but has entered into UK parlance in recent days as ministers unveiled their plan to help stricken businesses. The Coronavirus Job Retention scheme will give people 80 per cent of their usual earnings, meaning they can be furloughed rather than laid off from their firm. Businesses will be able to pay their employees four-fifths of their regular monthly wage, or 2,500 a month, whichever is lower, until at least June 1. Meanwhile nearly one million Britons have tried to claim Universal Credit in the last fortnight as the coronavirus pandemic batters the UK economy. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed measures over the last two weeks designed to prop up businesses, but many people have had to turn to the benefits system. 'FURLOUGH': These graphs by Google show the interest over the past 30 days (top) and week (bottom) in the term 'furlough, with figures towards 100 showing the relative peaks of interest Around 880,000 people applied for Universal Credit in a two-week period, up from the 100,000 applications normally made during this time frame. Top 10 coronavirus-related searches in the UK over the past month key workers coronavirus coronavirus in your area self-employed coronavirus coronavirus job retention scheme how many cases of coronavirus in my area coronavirus in my area uk lockdown coronavirus boris johnson coronavirus coronavirus test kit coronavirus numbers uk Advertisement Universal Credit is a project from the Department for Work and Pensions which has replaced six existing benefits with one monthly payment. Those benefits are child tax credit, housing benefit, income support, jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance and working tax credit. Meanwhile the Government is coming under increasing pressure over Covid-19 testing as the UK today experienced its biggest day-on-day rise in deaths so far. A staggering 2,352 patients had died in hospital after testing positive for the virus as of 5pm yesterday, the Department of Health said, up by 563 from 1,789 the day before. Downing Street said more than 2,000 NHS staff have been tested for coronavirus as the Government faces intense scrutiny over its policy on testing. Around 8,000 test per days are currently being carried out across the UK even though ministers previously claimed a target of 10,000 tests per day had been hit. 'UNIVERSAL CREDIT': Searches for the benefit have increased over the past fortnight with many people suffering financial hardship, but they have dropped off a little since March 26 At present, the focus is on testing patients in hospital, with NHS trusts told earlier in the week they should use up to 15 per cent of any spare testing capacity for staff. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now scrapped that cap, telling NHS hospital labs to use all spare capacity to test their frontline workers. A letter from NHS England tells trusts to 'max out' lab capacity to test staff, adding this 'means immediate action please to 'industrialise' staff swabbing processes'. It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace becomes the fourth Cabinet minister to have self-isolated due to Covid-19. 'HOW TO CLAIM BENEFITS': These graphs show how searches for benefits have risen over the past fortnight, although they have dropped off since March 26 to relatively lower levels The Government has blamed a global lack of reagents needed to carry out tests, though the chemical industry in the UK suggested there were no shortages. NHS staff have been left frustrated at having to self-isolate just as they are most needed, because tests are not available to show whether they are clear of the virus. The row over testing comes as 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab became the youngest victim of Covid-19 in England. In the US, Donald Trump said the UK's early approach to tackling the outbreak would have been 'very catastrophic' if Boris Johnson had not decided to change tack. Its a beautiful if something ugly can be beautiful, this is it, Hudson said. Its very intimidating. They loved it. We had to reroute all the traffic for the day that we shot there. That location was pretty intense. It was our last day of filming and it was in the rain that we had to film this thing. That was a pretty big location for me. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. On Tuesday night, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo quietly introduced legislative text for the state budget that would completely reverse the states new bail reform law, which has only been in effect since Jan. 1. If Cuomo succeeds in rolling back bail reform, he would not only exacerbate the coronavirus pandemic by ensuring that tens of thousands more people would be jailed this year, but he would also likely doom the closure of the Rikers Island jail complex, which hinged on bail reform reducing the jail population. Advertisement The death of Kalief Browder, a teenager who spent about three years incarcerated at Rikers, helped push New York lawmakers to eliminate cash bail for a wide range of offenses in April 2019. After the bail reform law passed, Cuomo called it the most historic criminal justice reform in modern history in the state. But starting in December, law enforcement started raising alarms about dangerous repeat offenders flooding the streets, and New York media outlets eagerly amplified the fearmongering campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, New Yorks law prohibits cash bail for almost all misdemeanors and nonviolent felony offenses. To be clear, the existing law still allows judges to incarcerate thousands of people awaiting trial; it preserves cash bail and pretrial detention for people accused of felonies. But the new proposed language would be far worse than the status quo under existing bail reform law. While the proposal would completely eliminate cash bail, it would also dramatically expand judges ability to remand defendants, or to detain them indefinitely before their trial without due process protections. Advertisement Advertisement The governors proposal also permits pretrial detention for a much wider range of offenses and allows judges to make guesses about the future dangerousness of a defendant (the likelihood that they will commit a new violent crime) based on the weight of the evidence, which flouts the presumption of innocence before a case goes to trial. Additionally, New York law has never permitted judges to consider dangerousness when setting bail, so its possible that including a dangerousness standard in New York law would lead to unprecedented levels of pretrial incarceration. Finally, the proposal seemingly creates a new detention eligibility category for persistent offenders, or people who commit additional felony or Class A misdemeanor offenses while awaiting trial. Remanding people for misdemeanors is something that has never been done in New York. The proposal would put vast numbers of people charged with low-level misdemeanors at risk of indefinite pretrial detention with no possibility of release, said Scott Levy, chief policy counsel for the Bronx Defenders. The persistent offender category specifically includes crimes involving harm to property. For example, someone accused of two shoplifting offenses could be remanded under the proposed rollbacks. Advertisement Someone accused of two shoplifting offenses could be detained under the proposed rollbacks. Together, these changes may well result in more New Yorkers detained pretrial for longer amounts of time than ever before. According to an analysis by FWD.us shared with Slate, the governors proposal would cause tens of thousands of New Yorkers to be jailed each year who would not be incarcerated under current law. While the unfairness of cash bail would be eliminated from this equation, the new system would preserve the existing structure of coercive plea bargaining that distorts justice by extorting criminal convictions from legally innocent people who are detained pretrial. Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement officials uproar over bail reform was not grounded in reality. After the new bail reform law went into effect, New York City continued to be one of the safest big cities in America, where crime rates are lower than any point since the 1950s. At the same time, bail reform is helping people accused of crimes keep their jobs and support their families instead of suffering in jail. According to the Data Collaborative for Justice, existing bail reform law will allow legally innocent people to remain free in 20,000 cases in 2020and thats just in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Cuomos insistence on bail reform rollbacks is particularly egregious given that New York is currently the epicenter of Americas coronavirus crisisand rollbacks will ensure that thousands of New Yorkers circulate through city jails in 2020 who would otherwise remain free awaiting trial. Advertisement Advertisement New York City jails may actually be the most dangerous place in America as far as the coronavirus is concerned. On Wednesday, the Guardian reported that almost 180 people incarcerated at Rikers and 141 corrections staff were infected with the coronavirus. The infection rate in New York City jails is more than seven times higher than the rate for all New York City residents and at least 75 times higher than the rate for all Americans. Rikers does have an infectious disease unit with 88 beds, but the unit has no ventilators for incarcerated patients, and the jails chief physician estimates that about 20 percent of incarcerated people with the virus will need hospitalization, and 5 percent will need ventilators. Incarcerated people are also fundamentally unable to practice social distancing; one incarcerated woman told NY1 that dormitory beds werent even 6 feet apart. Advertisement Bail reform rollbacks would also create an enormous obstacle to New York Citys plan of closing jails on Rikers Island and constructing four replacement jails located near borough courthouses. The current plan, which the City Council approved in October, relies on a projected New York City jail population of 3,300 by 2026. On March 31, there were 4,604 people incarcerated in city jails, the lowest New York City jail population in decades. The city acknowledged that bail and parole reform are necessary to reduce the population to 3,300; in other words, if Cuomo rolls back bail reform, its unclear whether jails on Rikers Island would actually close in 2026 as the city projected. Advertisement Advertisement If the city did choose to close Rikers in 2026 following bail reform rollbacks, its possible that elected officials would increase the size of the planned borough jails, which would mean that the city is spending $11 billion to increase carceral capacity. No New Jails NYC organizers (including myself) sounded the alarm about this months before the council voted on the jail construction proposal, noting that the Rikers closure plan is not legally binding and relies on the discretion of a future mayor and council. Even so, its not actually clear that the current mayor is invested in closing Rikers or further reducing the jail population. Mayor Bill de Blasio called for bail reform rollbacks just two days after the new bail reform law went into effect, and even spent time in Albany lobbying for changes. Ultimately, the reversal of New Yorks bail reform law will ensure that thousands of New Yorkers are exposed to a deadly virus while New Yorks hospitals are drastically overburdened. The legislature should reject the governors callous effort to ramp up incarceration. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to Thursdays episode of What Next. Researchers analyse the ingredients of a new disinfectant product at the Ryongaksan Soap Factory in Pyongyang on March 19, 2020. AFP TOKYO Japans Prime Minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the U.S., Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. That brings the total number of countries banned from entering Japan to 73. Shinzo Abe says the government has tightened visa restrictions and will require a two-week quarantine to visitors and returnees from places Japan has designated as eligible for non-essential trips. Abe cited views presented by a panel of experts at a meeting earlier Wednesday that new cases are rapidly on the rise in Japan and that its medical system is increasingly under pressure. He has faced calls for a declaration of a state of emergency, but his government is assessing the situation due to concerns of an economic impact. Tokyo reported 65 new cases Wednesday, after reporting a record 78 daily new cases Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has about 3,000 cases including 712 from a cruise ship, with 78 deaths. Related Content: The upcoming Apple iPhone 9, successor to the iPhone SE from 2016, is one of the most-awaited smartphones of the year. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, its launch got delayed. Earlier, it was expected that Apple would unveil its range of new 2020 products, including its mid-range iPhone 9 on April 5. However, as it looks, the company may have had a change of heart, if a tweet by tipster Jon Posse suggests anything. If the tweet lends any credence, the company chaired an internal meeting and decided that the iPhone 9 will see the light of day on April 15, while shipments will start from April 22. However, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep through the globe, it is still unclear on whether the tech giant plans to hold an online event for the launch, or will simply announce its products through a press release. iPhone 9 update Per an internal meeting yesterday, Apple is now preparing for an April release. Tentative dates: - Announcement on April 15 - Shipments on April 22 Keep in mind: were in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change. Fingers crossed pic.twitter.com/egz8UWXd9F Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020 As per reports, the affordable iPhone is likely to come with a price tag of between $349 or $399. The iPhone SE-successor is also expected to feature a 4.7-inch LCD display with the same, large screen bezels seen in the iPhone 8, and a capacitive Touch ID sensor on the front. The new smaller iPhone was originally scheduled to be unveiled in March. However, Apple only launched the new iPad Pro range as well as a refresh to the MacBook Pro on March 18. New Delhi, April 1 : The Union Health Ministry had on March 27 urged people to take advantage of telemedicine services during the ongoing lockdown. Since then, the online doctor consultation has shown a big boost of approximately 60 per cent. Lybrate, one such health and wellness app, said it has witnessed over 60% increase in doctor consultation on its platform in the backdrop of lockdown throughout the country on account of coronavirus crisis. "It is highly appreciable that people are staying indoors and turning to online doctor consultation platforms for their healthcare needs. People can consult doctors on the health and wellness app across specialties, letting hospitals attend more serious patients," Saurabh Arora, Founder and CEO, of ALybrate told IANS. Similarly, another online telemedicine platform, mfine, has also seen the number of patients growing fourfold, and hundreds of queries from hospitals amid the lockdown. "Earlier there was a grey area around telemedicine. In the absence of policy, some healthcare professionals were apprehensive about telemedicine. These rules helped us a lot to clarify all doubts," mfine cofounder Ashutosh Lawania told IANS. "Earlier we had questions from doctors whether there was a risk doing teleconsultation. Now we won't have those questions." The Indian Medical Association has also hailed the idea of telemedicine suggested by the government. IMA president Dr. Rajan Sharma told IANS: "We are a body of over 3.5 lakh doctors and our nation is in crisis. We are currently providing free consultation over telephone to the patients on health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, patients of chemotherapy or long-term ailments." He said most of doctors are providing consultations and medications on charitable basis in various states. "The IMA HQ has also started a 24X7 COVID helpline for the general public and now we are starting psychological helpline for the general public, doctors and healthcare professionals," Sharma said. In India, OPD services of hospitals have been suspended in attempt to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19. As on Wednesday, 1,637 cases of coronavirus, including 1,466 active cases, and 38 casualties have been reported in India. 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. With Central Community College-Columbus also grappling with concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and all courses being taught remotely (with the exception of some labs), the education entity is hoping it can get people to help students during this trying time. The school is asking for donations to its Central for Student Success fund, as well as food and hygiene pantries at its campuses, including Columbus. Those who want to do so can contact the CCC Foundation to set up a donation, either by calling Executive Director Dean Moors at 402-460-2153 or by donating online at cccneb.edu. Many students rely on the pantries to help fill a need that they dont have at home, with many of them on financial aid and 68 percent of them under the poverty line. But, with CCC closed for the foreseeable future due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the pantry is starting to have shortages of certain items, something that staff members arent willing to put on students at this time more than any other. Many of students are going to be impacted in various ways by the pandemic, said Beth Pryzmus, dean of student success at CCC-Columbus. That might include loss of employment, loss of income in their family, and as they struggle to meet some of their own financial needs in their household, and try to maintain their enrollment with us, its a way for them to meet some of those needs that they might be facing. Dean Moors, the executive director of the CCC Foundation, said that the donations will help students even after the worst of the crisis has passed. When students return to campus, the need wont go away, so Moors is looking for people to provide what they can to help students succeed and provide new opportunity. As the students come back this fall, we know that their needs will be there also, not only during this transition period, but when they come back to school, Moors said. Moors said that people who go to CCC and are in poverty need that help badly, now more than ever. For people to fill the coffers of the pantry would go a long way toward helping them out. If we can be that small partner in their life, help them get through their small emergencies, well be excited about that, Moors said. Pryzmus said that the staff is willing to work with people even when they may be participating in social distancing. She has seen increased visits to pantries, showing that the need is rising and students need whatever it takes to help get them through. Theyre really starting to feel the effects on their family, Pryzmus said. Members of their family might not be working (and) they might not be working. All told, its a tough time to be a community college student in this country. With no real timetable to return to campus and with many students in high-risk categories for unemployment, having this available and fully stocked is a godsend for those who use it to fill a void in their life due to poverty or food insecurity. Being able to access our food and hygiene pantry, without questions asked, has helped bridge that gap to get them through the next few weeks or next few months, Pryzmus said. They can take what they need. Without that additional support, they might have had to stop taking classes and go find an additional part-time job. CCC-Columbus is at 4500 63rd St. Zachary Roth is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at zachary.roth@lee.net. A Punjab police sub-inspector has found a unique way to spread awareness about precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus pandemic. Taking to music, Sub-Inspector Baljinder Singh can be seen singing a Punjabi song, the video of which has gone viral on social media, earning praise from the chief minister. In the video, Singh is cautioning the people to protect their elders and children who are vulnerable to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease). "Desh mere de vasiyo, ek ral ke muhim challayee, iss corona virus utte ethe hi bann laayey (People of the country, we should collectively run a campaign against coronavirus and prevent it from spreading)," sings Singh. He asks people to use masks, sanitisers and gloves to keep the deadly COVID-19 at bay, and urged them to do a 'namaste' from a safe distance. The song is written by Assistant Sub-Inspector Partap Paras. The video of the song shows cops are giving training to children from the poor strata about how to wear masks and giving sanitisers to the people for use. The cops were also shown distributing food and other essential items to the needy. In the song, Singh also urges people to follow all steps recommended by the health authorities to check spread of infection. "Is aafat de agge datt ke khadiye, ichcha shakti naal is virus naal ladiye (we should fight this virus with will power)," he says in the four-minute song. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has shared the video of the song on his Twitter handle. "A song on precautions against Coronavirus by SI Baljinder Singh of @PunjabPoliceIndia. A creative way of spreading awareness onCOVID-19," Singh tweeted. The song came after many police officials at several places were criticised for brutally thrashing people for violating curfew restrictions last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bengaluru, April 1 : In the backdrop of a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus spread, the Karnataka government has decided to bail out farmers and growers suffering losses due to steep fall in demand and transport bottlenecks, an official said on Wednesday. "To reduce losses of farmers and growers of vegetables and fruits due to drastic fall in demand, the government has decided to increase sale of foodgrains through ration shops and vegetables and fruits through kiosks run by horticulture producers associations," the official told IANS. At a high-level meeting held to review the situation, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa directed the police to ensure smooth passage of essential goods and supply of fruits, vegetables and milk in the state and to neighbouring states, as there was no bar on their transportation. "As fruits, vegetables and fruits are more perishable with the advent of summer, police and checkpost officials have been told to allow their free movement within the state and to other states," the official said. Alarmed over reports that some producers in the state's northern region were dumping hundreds of litres of milk into canals as they were unable to transport them due to shortage of vehicles, the government has decided to buy the surplus milk from them and distribute it to slum dwellers in cities and towns. "The producers can sell the excess milk to the state-run Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) for distributing it to the people living in slum areas through urban local bodies," said the official. With the 3-week lockdown till April 14 disrupting normal life and crippling the supply chain from farm to markets, hundreds of growers have been dumping vegetables like tomatoes and beans and seasonal fruits like grapes and melons, as agents and middlemen were not lifting enough stocks due to shortage of labour and transport vehicles. "We are exploring alternative ways to process tomatoes, grapes and other perishable vegetables and fruits by processing units so that growers can sell them," the official said, citing the Chief Minister. The state government has also urged the railways to ply special wagons to transport perishable goods to cities and towns enroute and other states to minimise the loss to growers and farmers. Strict enforcement of lockdown and physical distancing have also discouraged the people from visiting wholesale markets. "With hotels, restaurants, eateries and hostels shut and marriages and public functions cancelled, regular demand for vegetables, fruits, flowers, milk and dairy products has plummeted," admitted the official. Military leaders are racing to implement new policies to prevent the spread of coronavirus at boot camp, on ships and other hard-hit areas after several asymptomatic people have tested positive. A pair of Marine recruits in South Carolina who got coronavirus screenings before boot camp and showed no symptoms for the illness started training only to later test positive for COVID-19, said Capt. Bryan McDonnell, a spokesman at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The illness, which has left dozens of troops hospitalized and led to New Jersey Army National Guard Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok's death, is now a global pandemic. "Through their contact investigation, we put out tests whether they were symptomatic or not, and that's where we had that increase in cases when we got the tests back," McDonnell said. Related: 'Sailors Do Not Need to Die': Carrier Captain Pleads for Help as Virus Cases Surge There were more than 20 confirmed cases at Parris Island as of Monday afternoon, though that number is expected to jump as more test results come in. Now, three military services are restricting the flow of new recruits to training camps as they put in place new quarantine measures for incoming personnel. A commanding officer on an aircraft carrier is also warning top Navy leaders that COVID-19 tests can't be relied on to stop the spread of the virus on a ship. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the carrier Theodore Roosevelt, said seven sailors tested negative for COVID-19 as soon as a day before coming down with the illness. "The COVID-19 tests cannot prove a Sailor does not have the illness; it can only prove that a Sailor does," Crozier wrote in a candid letter to Navy leadership, pleading for help in slowing the virus spread on that carrier. There could be as many as 200 COVID-19 cases onboard, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Much is still unknown about COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states. But experts have for weeks warned that it's possible people with no coronavirus symptoms could spread the illness to others. Now, that appears to be happening within the military ranks. Crozier pleaded for Navy leaders to move all 4,000 crew members off his carrier to prevent further spread of COVID-19. "Based on data since [the carrier's] first case, approximately 21% of the Sailors that tested negative and are currently moving into group-restricted movement ashore are currently infected, and will develop symptoms over the next several days," he wrote, "and will proceed to infect the remainder of their shore-based restricted group." The two Marine recruits who were asymptomatic but tested positive for COVID-19 were from the Atlanta area, McDonnell said. They had gotten temperature checks and completed CDC-recommended questionnaires at their recruiting station and the military entrance processing station before getting to Parris Island. Once at the recruit depot, they did those things again. They showed no indication of having coronavirus. But as cases at the depot spread, that base -- along with the Air Force and Navy -- has temporarily halted the shipment of incoming recruits. At Parris Island and Great Lakes, Illinois, where the Navy trains recruits and at least one has tested positive for COVID-19, new trainees will now have to shelter in place at the bases before they can begin boot camp. McDonnell said the Marine recruits will undergo medical checks during that time. Those heading to Air Force boot camp will also be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. The services have adopted various social distancing methods at boot camp, too, including spreading trainees out in squad bays and dining facilities. The Marine Corps' West Coast recruit training depot in San Diego, which has not had any COVID-19 cases among recruits or drill instructors, will not follow those same measures, said Capt. Martin Harris, a spokesman for that base. Recruits heading to boot camp there will still undergo the three temperature checks and questionnaires before starting training. The Army is doing the same. Crozier, whose sailors from the carrier Teddy Roosevelt have been observing group quarantine in gymnasiums on Guam, isn't convinced that will stop the spread of this virus in group settings, though. His recent letter raises questions about whether the services' new boot camp efforts will be effective. "Although marginally better than a warship, group quarantine sites are not a solution and are not in accordance with current guidance," Crozier wrote. "In order to stop the spread of the virus, the CDC and the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center both recommend individual quarantine." -- Oriana Pawlyk and Matthew Cox contributed to this report. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read More: 'We Are Putting Lives in Danger': Recruiters Urge Boot Camp Closures Amid Pandemic Tributes have been paid to a 'popular' 46-year-old woman with a rare lung condition who died after falling ill with coronavirus after a family trip to Blackpool. Nicola Smith, from Langley in Middleton, passed away last Thursday just six days after she was admitted to North Manchester General Hospital with the virus. Miss Smith was in a high-risk category as she suffered from the rare lung disease tracheobronchomalacia, which causes airways to become narrow and weak. Her condition - which she developed at the age of 42 - meant she often became breathless, suffered from persistent coughing and would use a wheelchair when she left the house. Nicola Smith, from Langley in Middleton, passed away last Thursday just six days after she was admitted to North Manchester General Hospital with coronavirus (Pictured: Miss Smith with her mother Jennifer) But when she returned from a family trip to Blackpool last month, her mother noticed her condition was much worse than usual and that she was struggling to breathe. She took Miss Smith to the North Manchester General Hospital where she tested positive for COVID-19. Miss Smith was treated with antibiotics on an isolation unit as medics battled to keep her alive, but the 42-year-old sadly died on March 26. Her mother Jennifer Smith, 73, said the whole family have been left 'devastated' following her death. Miss Smith was in a high-risk category as she suffered from the rare lung disease tracheobronchomalacia, which causes airways to become narrow and weak (Pictured: Miss Smith at her graduation ceremony with her grandmother) When she returned from a family trip to Blackpool last month, her mother noticed her condition was much worse than usual and that she was struggling to breathe 'We were together 24/7 really', she said. 'She had a lot of friends and was really popular. Even the bus drivers knew her. 'She loved crafting, music and travelling.' Miss Smith lived with her mother and aunt in Langley and had close ties to the local community. Before developing a lung disease at the age of 42, she worked at The Burnside Community Centre, helping people with their reading and writing. 'She loved helping people', her mother said. 'She went to university and got a degree, then she did a Masters degree in Dyslexia and Literacy. 'She did quite well for herself but when she developed the condition, she couldn't work because people would panic when she had an attack.' Mrs Smith took her daughter to the North Manchester General Hospital (pictured) where she tested positive for COVID-19 Miss Smith's condition meant she suffered with breathlessness and needed a wheelchair outside of the house. But her mother said she managed the condition well and could 'live with it'. she added: 'We did not expect her to pass away so young. 'The council had just done a lot of adaptations to the house for her and we'd just got her a new wheelchair.' In the days before her hospital admission, Miss Smith began struggling to breathe and was 'up and down for a week'. Her mother, who worked as a nurse for 50 years, took her to hospital as she 'knew something was not right'. Within six days of being admitted, Miss Smith passed away in the isolation unit. 'Things had improved before this, and she had got better before this thing hit her and then it was all over within a week', her mother added. 'She was in there for six days. The UK recorded another 563 deaths due to coronavirus today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis (Pictured: Miss Smith with her cousins as children) 'Staff said she could not go on a ventilator because of her condition so she was treated with antibiotics. 'She could not breathe. She gradually went downhill and could just not fight it.' Her mother said a 'lot of people are upset' that they won't be able to attend her funeral due to the current government restrictions. She also urged people in Greater Manchester to take COVID-19 seriously. People do really need to be careful and take the precautions,' Ms Smith said. The UK recorded another 563 deaths due to coronavirus today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis. The increase takes the country's death toll to 2,352 - today's surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. Some 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19, making the UK the fifth hardest-hit nation in Europe and eighth in the world. Seoul regrets US move to furlough Koreans after military deal failure Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 4:34 PM South Korea has expressed regret over a decision by the United States to place thousands of Korean workers on unpaid leave in an apparent attempt by Washington to use the laborers as leverage after the two allies failed to reach an agreement on a military cost-sharing deal. Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's top negotiator in the talks with the US, decried as "regrettable" the planned furloughs of 4,000 to 5,000 of the nearly 9,000 Koreans employed by the US Forces Korea (USFK) and called on Washington to make efforts to enable their swift return to work. Jeong said on Tuesday that Washington had not agreed to proposals that would have prevented the furloughs, which are due to take place as of April 1. "The decision by the US side to implement the unpaid leave for our workers as planned does not properly reflect the situation of the negotiations and we think this is regrettable," the South Korean official told a news briefing in Seoul. "We urge the US to take measures to ensure the workers subject to the furlough scheme can swiftly return to work," he added. Jeong also expressed optimism for the conclusion of the bilateral talks "in the near future," stressing that Seoul and Washington had "considerably" reconciled their differences in the cost-sharing deal known as Special Measures Agreement (SMA). "Currently, South Korea and the US are making their best efforts to conclude the negotiations, now at their last phase, in a mutually beneficial way," he said. "Given that the countries have considerably narrowed differences, we expect the final conclusion of the negotiations in the near future." Seoul and Washington have been embroiled in a dispute for almost two years over the amount of finance each should allocate for supporting the roughly 28,500 USFK forces stationed in the Korean Peninsula under the SMA, which expired on December 31. The two sides have held seven rounds of talks to negotiate the SMA since September last year, but they have failed to reach an agreement. In their last meeting, the US demanded up to five billion dollars a year, more than five times the 870 million dollars that South Korea had agreed to pay last year under a one-year deal, with speculations rising that the delay in the conclusion of the negotiations was due to the US focusing more on the financial interests of the alliance than anything else. This is while the American military presence in South Korea has stoked anti-US sentiments in the country. American military personnel have on many occasions caused outrage by committing various crimes, including rape and assault. The US forces were put under curfew in July last year after a drunken soldier attempted to steal a taxi and hit a Korean National Police officer in the process. The Pentagon insists the troops are in South Korea to deter perceived threats from North Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Love Aaj Kal actor Sara Ali Khan has a huge fan base, especially after her amazing performance with Kartik Aaryan. Sara Ali Khans fans are gaga over her and are often seen asking her for selfies. She made an impact on Bollywood with her debut film Kedarnath. However, the actor became a household name after her film Simmba. In some of Sara Ali Khans old pictures, she can be seen smiling at her fans who ask for a quick selfie. She is seen posing with them and clicking the pictures happily. Check out some of Sara Ali Khans photos with her fans. ALSO READ: Sara Ali Khan Talks About Ranveer Singh; Says She's A Die-hard Fan Of 'Gully Boy' Actor Sara Ali Khans photos with her fans Sara Ali Khan is busy talking on the phone when a fan asks for a selfie. The actor still manages to smile brightly at the lens as the fan gets a picture with the actor. She wore a white coloured top and left her hair open in the picture. ALSO READ: Sara Ali Khan Donates To PM Fund, Urges Fans 'do A Good Deed' For 'those In Need' The Kedarnath actor looks stunning as she clicks a selfie with a huge crowd. Sara wore a shimmering outfit and had her hair styled in a simple yet glamorous way. She smiled brightly at the lens as she clicks the picture. During the premiere of Love Aaj Kal, Sara Ali Khan met a few of her fans. The fans gave Sara some cards and goodies to show their love and appreciation towards her. Sara Ali Khan beamed with joy and even gave a hug to one of her fans. Sara wore a beautiful all-white salwar kurta and paired it with some heavy earrings and a black coloured bindi. ALSO READ: Sara Ali Khan Flaunts Her Perfect Jawline In These Photos On Instagram During New Years 2020, Sara Ali Khan visited the Maldives for an exotic vacation. It has been reported that these pictures were clicked on the Maldives airport with some of the flying crew. Sara Ali Khan is seen flashing her million-dollar smile as she gets clicked with her fans. Sara Ali Khan looked like a vision to behold as she gets clicked with a fan while sitting in a car. Sara wore a white coloured semi-traditional attire and sported a no-makeup look in the picture. She had her hair open, which were pulled to a side in the picture. Saras fan stood outside the window of her car and clicked a sweet selfie with her. ALSO READ: Sara Ali Khan Twins In Black With Saif Ali Khan, Old Photo Surfaces Online Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses around the world struggle to convert their workforce to work from home, scammers are working even harder to gain access to their networks. Grant Hester, a 25-year technology veteran and president of Linchpin-IT, a national IT firm that specializes in serving the insurance industry, offers advice to companies in all industries that may be vulnerable to scams right now. Hester states, "It is important during these times to stay vigilant of potential threats to personal data and business networks. Potential threats come in two forms: unqualified service providers setting up quick remote access to business servers and phishing scammers gaining access to servers and personal information through links circulated via emails and text." Unlike many IT firms, Hester's firm takes extra security measures to protect the sensitive data that is stored and collected by insurance agencies and carriers. Hester offers these guidelines when vetting an IT company to assist in converting office workers to work from home. 1. Do not give password information over the phone or via email. A reputable IT firm will not ask for this. 2. Ask for at least three client references and make sure to reach out to them before proceeding with contracted work. 3. Get detailed information regarding the company's protocol for security auditing. Hester highly recommends that businesses should look for an IT company that uses a third-party cybersecurity firm to regularly audit internal systems, procedures, and policies. Starting a new business relationship during uncertain times may feel uncomfortable for business owners. Hester believes this is a time to take an inventory of trusted resources. "Agility is required right now to make important decisions that affect the future of businesses and employees. Lean on established business relationships. Ask for advice and referrals. You might be surprised by what resources are already available to you. For instance, when 'safer at home' guidelines went into place in California, we reached out to our hardware partners to make sure we had quick access to printers, laptops, and routers without making clients wait on shipping and delivery." Lastly, Hester suggests that during this time when many businesses are working with a reduced workforce, this is the time to evaluate what tasks can be automated using AI programming. Note: For more information on internet scams to watch out for and to report fraudulent online activities, see: https://www.usa.gov/online-safety#item-37272. About Linchpin-IT Linchpin-IT is a national IT firm that specializes in serving the insurance industry. For over 25 years, its team of insurance professionals, computer engineers and coders has provided end-to-end technology management solutions that include advanced hardware and software networking and custom-coded AI tasks and workflow applications. Media Contact: [email protected], 805.262.7880 Related Images image1.png Related Links Linchpin-IT U.S. Government/Online Safety SOURCE Linchpin-IT Related Links https://linchpin-it.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 00:55:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BANGKOK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday told the media after the Cabinet meeting that he may extend the state of emergency decree for another month or two should Thailand's COVID-19 situation does not ease. "The government is constantly reviewing the situation," said Prayut, "Looking at the present situation, the government is unlikely to lift the state of emergency soon." Prayut announced the state of emergency, which took effect from March 26 and goes on until April 30. The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday reported 127 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 1,651 and and one more fatality, with total of 10, with Bangkok leading with 796 cases. At the Government House on Tuesday, Prayut said that some rules under the emergency decree can be relaxed if the situation gets better. However, state agencies are empowered to tighten some rules in areas that show no improvement, Prayut said. Prayut warned that if most people still fail to follow the guidelines of the government, then he will suspend all public transportation systems. Bangkok's adjacent province of Nonthaburi has imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., effective on Tuesday, to contain the spread of COVID-19. Nonthaburi Province reported two confirmed patients on Tuesday, bringing the total number in the province to 63, including one death two days ago, 48 of which are hospitalized. Also, Thailand's Phuket International Airport will be shut from April 10 to April 30 after Phuket Province sealed its entry points by land and sea amid the COVID-19 outbreak. UPTON, NY--For years physicists have been trying to decipher the electronic details of high-temperature superconductors. These materials could revolutionize energy transmission and electronics because of their ability to carry electric current with no energy loss when cooled below a certain temperature. Details of "high-Tc" superconductors' microscopic electronic structure could reveal how different phases (states of matter) compete or interact with superconductivity--a state in which like-charged electrons somehow overcome their repulsion to pair up and flow freely. The ultimate goal is to understand how to make these materials act as superconductors without the need for supercooling. Now scientists studying high-Tc superconductors at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have definitive evidence for the existence of a state of matter known as a pair density wave--first predicted by theorists some 50 years ago. Their results, published in the journal Nature, show that this phase coexists with superconductivity in a well-known bismuth-based copper-oxide superconductor. "This is the first direct spectroscopic evidence that the pair density wave exists at zero magnetic field," said Kazuhiro Fujita, the physicist who led the research at Brookhaven Lab. "We've identified that the pair density wave plays an important role in this material. Our results show that these two states of matter--pair density wave and superconductivity--coexist and interact." The team's results come from measurements of single electrons' tunneling spectra using a state-of-the-art spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscope (SI-STM) in Brookhaven's OASIS laboratory. "What we measure is how many electrons at a given location 'tunnel' from the sample surface to the superconducting electrode tip of the SI-STM and vice versa as we vary the energy (voltage) between the sample and the tip," Fujita said. "With those measurements we can map out the crystalline lattice and the electron density of states--as well as the number of electrons we have at a given location." When the material is not superconducting, electrons exist over a continuous spectrum of energies, each propagating at its own unique wavelength. But when the temperature goes down, the electrons start to interact--pairing up as the material enters the superconducting state. When this happens, scientists observe a gap in the energy spectrum, created by an absence of electrons within that particular energy range. "The energy of the gap is equal to the energy it takes to break the electron pairs apart (which tells you how tightly bound they were)," Fujita said. As the scientists scanned across the surface of the material, they detected spatially modulating energy gap structures. These modulations in the energy gap revealed that the strength of electrons' binding varies--increasing to a maximum, then dipping to a minimum--with this pattern repeating every eight atoms across the surface of the regularly arrayed crystal lattice. This work built on previous measurements showing that the current created by pairs of electrons tunneling into the microscope also varied in the same periodic way. Those modulations in current were the first evidence, though somewhat circumstantial, that the pair density wave was present. "Modulations in the current of the paired electrons is an indicator that there are modulations in how strongly paired the electrons are across the surface. But this time, by measuring the energy spectrum of individual electrons, we succeeded in directly measuring the modulating gap in the spectra where pairing occurs. The modulations in the size of those gaps is direct spectroscopic evidence that the pair density wave state exists," Fujita said. The new results also included evidence of other key signatures of the pair density wave--including defects called "half-vortices"--as well as its interactions with the superconducting phase. In addition, the energy gap modulations mirror other Brookhaven Lab research indicating the existence of modulating patterns of electronic and magnetic characteristics--sometimes referred to as "stripes"--that also occur with an eight-unit-cell periodicity in certain high-Tc cuprate superconductors. "Together these findings indicate that the pair density wave plays a significant role in these materials' superconducting properties. Understanding this state may help us make sense of the complex phase diagram that maps out how superconducting properties emerge under different conditions, including temperature, magnetic field, and charge-carrier density," Fujita said. ### Collaborators on this work included Zengyi Du (Brookhaven Lab), Hui Li (Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University, Sang Hyun Joo (Seoul National University), Elizabeth Donoway (Brookhaven Lab and University of California, Berkeley), Jinho Lee (Seoul National University), J.C. Seamus Davis (University College Cork, Ireland, and University of Oxford, UK), Genda Gu (Brookhaven Lab), and Peter Johnson (Brookhaven Lab). The work at Brookhaven was supported by the DOE Office of Science and Brookhaven Lab's Supplemental Undergraduate Research Program. Individual collaborators also received support from the Institute for Basic Science in Korea, the Institute of Applied Physics of Seoul National University, the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Science Foundation of Ireland, and the European Research Council. Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/science/ Follow @BrookhavenLab on Twitter or find us on Facebook. One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization. Related Links Scientific paper: "Imaging the Energy Gap Modulations of the Cuprate Pair Density Wave State" Elusive State of Superconducting Matter Discovered after 50 Years Electron (or 'Hole') Pairs May Survive Effort to Kill Superconductivity Media contacts: Karen McNulty Walsh, (631) 344-8350, or Peter Genzer, (631) 344-3174 Eastern Region has not recorded any confirmed case of COVID-19 infection as of March 30, 2020. The region has recorded 28 clinically suspected cases out of which results of samples sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research indicate that 27 are negative and the last result is yet to come out. This was contained in a press statement issued by the Eastern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service at Koforidua in the Eastern Region and signed by the Eastern Regional Director of Health, Dr(Mrs) Alberta Adjebeng Biritwum-Nyarku. The statement said the region had four people who got contact with a confirmed case in Accra and were traced to the region. The statement said one of the four had returned to Accra and the test conducted on the remaining three tested negative. The press statement said, the region has 33 people who returned from countries that had recorded cases of COVID-19 and two of them had been tested and the results were negative. It said the remaining 31 are being monitored by the District Directorates of Health Service in the districts where those people are residing across the region. The statement said those 31 people would soon be tested. 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 Nothing goes without saying, and I have said and written many times that my father, Harry Weinstein, was crucial to my cooking and eating life. If you have browsed this blog over... Read more Teams of refugees and migrants are helping out at stores in Ter Apel as a token of appreciation for the nation that took them in. Gisele Azad, a Dutch-Iranian former asylum-seeker who has lived in the Netherlands for 24 years, coordinates art projects for children in the Ter Apel migrant center and is in trying to find a way of integrating migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. Mercedes-Benz India announced on Wednesday it will set up in association with local authorities a temporary hospital with 1,500-bed isolation wards for coronavirus patients in Chakan in Pune. Besides, its employees will voluntarily contribute one day's salary, the amount of which will be matched by the company towards contribution to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a release. Mercedes-Benz India has both its manufacturing facility and corporate office situated in Chakan industrial belt in Pune. "In the wake of the ongoing global health crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz India has decided to set up a temporary hospital with medical facilities and isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. The newly developed medical facility in Mhalunge-Ingale village, Chakan Khed, will have isolation wards with a capacity to take care of 1,500 patients," the company said. The facility is in Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's (MHADA) housing area, which is newly built with 374 rooms, it said. The German auto-maker said it will assist the Zila Parishad with all the necessary infrastructure including the medical equipment required to create a temporary OPD, infrastructure for stay, stretchers, wheel chairs, PPE kits, sanitisers, among others. "In these challenging times, we are trying to support the local community and the local authorities. The new medical facility will help support the local authorities and the people of the region with healthcare in the coming times, if the situation worsens. We hope for a steady recovery of the crisis and getting back to normalcy, said Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes-Ben India. According to the company, after easing of the COVID-19 condition, the medical equipment will be donated to the Civil Hospital of Khed, and the assets from isolation wards will be donated to the tribal youth hostels. Track this blog for latest updates on coronavirus outbreak The company has also directly supported by donating ventilators to a hospital, it said, adding, "Mercedes-Benz India will also support 1,600 families from Khed and Viman Nagar area (a locality in Pune near the airport). The company will provide them dry ration and cleaning kits." This initiative will be executed through Mercedes-Benz India's existing partner NGOs, Shashwat Trust and Ashraya Initiatives for children and will secure the food and hygiene requirement for these families till the May. As Alabama schools begin announcing their plans for teaching to resumealbeit from a distancehigh school seniors on track to graduate got some good news. Congratulations, you get your diploma. Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackeys statewide task force made the decision, and Mackey told superintendents Friday that any high school senior who was in good standing and on track to graduate at the end of the third nine-week period, before schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic can be declared a graduate. So it's still up to individual Alabama districts. But some have already made the decision. Madison County Superintendent Allen Perkins notified students Tuesday of their new status as high school graduates. Vestavia Hills Superintendent Dr. Todd Freeman sent out the notice Wednesday, telling seniors that while they may have completed the requirements for graduation, but the school will still offer courses for students preparing for university. "Although they have met the graduation requirements and will not be required by the state to take additional coursework," wrote Freeman, "we will continue to offer instruction to these seniors, making sure they are ready and prepared for success in college next Fall." Graduation ceremonies are still up in the air, but at least one school district, Huntsville City Schools, has already set new dates. "Graduation ceremonies will be held June 25 and June 26 at the Von Braun Center if health conditions permit." Seniors who are not on track to graduate are a high priority for Mackey. He pressed superintendents Friday to do all they can for seniors who are not on track to get on track and complete their coursework so they can graduate. Related: Alabama schools to reopen with teachers, but no students That flexibility includes allowing seniors to enroll now in credit recovery courses, which typically wouldnt open again until the summer. Mackey also waived the requirement for seniors to pass the Alabama Civics Exam. Every school district must turn in a completed plan to Mackey by Friday for how they will finish the school year. The plan includes directives from the state about how seniors should be handled. The state department of education issued a technical guidance manual on Friday outlining the state's requirements. There were 50,900 high school seniors enrolled in Alabamas public schools at the start of the current school year. The latest graduation rate available is from the class of 2018, where 90% of students graduated high school in four years. March 31, 2020: Letter from Mr. Perkins regarding the MCSS Learning Plan for the remainder of the school year. **Please contact your principal if you have questions. Posted by Madison County Schools on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Related: Coronavirus in Alabama: Cases, maps, charts and resources Bangladesh, the second-largest apparel producer after China, is set to lose roughly $6 billion in export revenue this financial year amid cancellations from some of the world's largest brands and retailers, two major industry bodies said on March 31. The two groups, which represent the vast majority of the readymade garment and knitwear manufacturers in the country, said cancellations were increasing daily amid coronavirus-driven lockdowns globally, and these risked jeopardizing millions of jobs in the poor South Asian nation. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, with some 4,000 factories employing 4 million workers. Garment exports accounted for $34.12 billion, or 84 percent of the country's overall exports of $40.53 billion, in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. "We've lost more than $3 billion due to the crisis. All our orders until July have been cancelled or suspended," Mohammad Hatem, vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "Suspended orders will eventually get cancelled. All these orders were placed for summer and it takes three months to get these delivered. If they are not taking supplies now they will not take it when the summer is over," said Hatem, adding buyers had adopted a wait and watch policy, and are refraining from placing new orders. "Many factories will be closed if this persists," he added. One industry source, who asked not to be named as the order books are confidential, said Gap, Zara, and Primark were among the brands that had cancelled orders. Gap and Zara did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. Primark confirmed the step. All Primark stores across the world are closed and the brand has been losing sales of $807.82 million a month, Primark said in a statement. "We have large quantities of existing stock in our stores, our depots and in transit, that is paid for", the statement said. "If we had not taken this action, we would be taking delivery of stock that we simply could not sell". Readymade garment makers face a similar hit, warned Rubana Huq, the president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Huq said some 1,048 factories that were part of BGMEA had reported that orders for over 900 million garments worth $2.9 billion had already been cancelled or were being held up. Huq said the order cancellations could affect some 2 million workers in the readymade garments segment. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently unveiled a $588 million package for the country's crucial export sector, asking companies to put the money towards paying workers. "This is not enough. The government should come up with more stimulus to save the country's biggest export sector," said Rezwan Selim, a director of BGMEA. Siddiqur Rahman, a top exporter who supplies H&M, and Walmart among others, said the situation was dire. "We're facing an unprecedented time," he said. "No one knows how long this is going to take. We're trying hard not to shut down our factories. But how long can we hold out?" Restrictions on Iran's Nuclear Program Continued Press Statement Morgan Ortagus, Department Spokesperson March 30, 2020 The United States is renewing four restrictions on the Iranian regime's nuclear program for an additional 60 days. Iran's continued expansion of nuclear activities is unacceptable. The regime's nuclear extortion is among the greatest threats to international peace and security. As President Trump said earlier this year, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. We will continue to use the full range of our diplomatic and economic tools to constrain Iran's destabilizing proliferation activities. We will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear program and can adjust these restrictions at any time. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The novel coronavirus has now spread to 178 countries. This black swan event has caused serious disruptions and brokerages and experts say the impact of the outbreak on the economy can't be measured precisely at this juncture. Brokerages and analysts are of the view that the pain caused by the coronavirus may linger and the market is factoring in the hit on earnings and its economic fallout. The coming few months are expected to be difficult, as global trade has dwindled and all financial markets have witnessed a meltdown. Nobody knows when the pandemic will subside, what will be the magnitude of demand destruction and the extent to which asset prices will get reset across financial markets. However, history show that financial markets discount such events at a rapid pace, sometimes overshooting on the downside. At present, some of the best managed companies are available at attractive valuations. Brokerages advise one should accumulate companies (depending on their risk appetite and time horizon) which have gone through such challenging cycles and have come out much stronger. Here are 10 stocks that look attractive to brokerages from long-term perspective: Brokerage: ICICI Securities Dr Lal Pathlabs | Buy The company has consistently reported strong growth with incremental free cash flows in the normal course of business. ICICI Sec said it was positive on the long-term outlook, considering the companys strong brand franchise with sustainable growth, expansion potential, healthy FCFF generation and strong return ratios. "We expect Dr Lal to outperform the industry growth and register revenue, EBITDA and PAT growth at CAGRs of 13.4 percent, 14.8 percent and 17.7 percent, respectively, over FY20-FY22E. We expect free cash flow generation of nearly Rs 780 crore over the next two years," ICICI Securities said. "RoE and RoCE would remain strong at 24.3 percent and 22.9 percent, respectively, in FY22E whereas RoIC would move to 95.3 percent," it said. HDFC Bank | Buy HDFC Bank has efficiently focused on retail business and has garnered strong liability franchise to yield superior profitability over the years, said the brokerage. Seasoned portfolio and management experience led to higher than industry advances growth at nearly 24 percent CAGR in FY08-19. Enriched customer experience, a strong network of 5,345 branches and focus on digitisation has enabled the bank to build a strong liability franchise, with CASA comprising nearly 40 percent of deposits. Such high CASA limits cost of funds and thereby, enable to report superior NIM above 4 percent consistently, said the brokerage. "Prudent asset quality has been core to the bank. The same has safeguarded the bank from NPA issues faced by the industry in recent fiscals. RoA at about 1.5 percent and RoE at 15-18 percent remain consistent for the bank with valuations expected to remain at a premium," ICICI Sec said. Kotak Mahindra Bank | Buy Kotak Mahindra Bank has built a network of 1,539 branches. Increased focus on retailisation of loans has enabled the bank to earn the best NIM in industry at 4.7 percent. The savings rate was hiked by the bank to 6 percent in 2011, boosting savings deposits growth to Rs 2,39,354 crore by December 2019. CASA ratio improved from 50.7 percent in December 2018 to 53.7 percent in December 19, which is the best in industry. "Overall asset quality remained resilient with GNPA ratio at 2.46 percent in Q3FY20. The bank has no major exposure to IL&FS & other stressed assets. Going ahead, healthy business growth coupled with stable margins is expected to augur well for the bank," said ICICI Securities. Titan | Buy Titan Company is the market leader in the Indian jewellery market through its flagship brand Tanishq. The company also has a presence in watches and eyewear segments. The company has also entered the online jewellery market by acquiring caratlane.com. Volatility in gold prices, impact of coronavirus outbreak (closure of retail outlets due to a national lockdown) and reduced demand in discretionary spending are expected to impair consumer demand in the near term. However, the company is likely to recoup lost sales owing to pent up demand from H2FY21, ICICI Sec said. The company has consistently exhibited ability to gain market share on a sustained basis amid a tough industry scenario. Robust balance sheet (more than 30 percent RoCE and virtually debt-free status) and asset-light distribution model have enabled it to outpace peers in terms of store addition. It added 34 Tanishq stores for the nine months ended December 2019, which is equivalent to FY19 store addition, ICICI Sec said. "Over the longer term, we expect Titan to be a key beneficiary as Indias gold market continues to strive towards regulation and standardisation," ICICI Sec said. Dabur | Buy Dabur India with a turnover of more than Rs 8,500 crore and earnings of more than Rs 1,400 crore has a strong portfolio of brands (Dabur Chyawanprash, Real, Hajmola, Vatika, Amla, Fem, Honey, Meswak, Dabur Red) with a focus largely on ayurvedic and healthcare offerings. "With a wave of demand for the ayurvedic & natural products in addition to Coronavirus outbreak globally, staples segment including Dabur has been gaining significance especially its healthcare and home care categories such as Chyawanprash, honey, glucose, toothpaste, shampoos and hair oil," ICICI Sec said. Daburs broad product portfolio provides a good play on Indian consumer goods spend by its strong presence in less-penetrated and high-growth categories. The rural segment contributes around 45 percent of its sales, so it is well-placed to take advantage of the rural recovery. Brokerage: Kotak Institutional Equities Petronet LNG | Buy Petronet LNGs volumes have remained well above contracted levels historically and are expected to increase further with commissioning of Kochi pipeline post- lockdown and further expansion of Dahej. "Our reverse valuation for Petronet LNG suggests the stock is trading at about 10 percent discount to NPV of long-term contracts, thereby pricing in materially lower off-take of volumes in the long run," said Kotak. Kotak expects the company to continue paying higher dividends, pending investment in proposed overseas projects. Lupin | Buy "At this point, we see limited impact from COVID-19, with the lockdown impact on manufacturing and logistics likely to be smoothened out over the coming few weeks, though, we do see US FDA inspections for Somerset, Goa and Indore getting pushed back to H2FY21," Kotak said. "We expect only a transient impact on domestic market performance with performance likely to be normalized from Q2FY21. However, we do expect a negative hit on EM sales given cross-currency exposure to South Africa (about Rs 600 crore revenues), as well as Brazil/Mexico (about Rs 600 crore revenues)." However, the brokerage sees several levers to drive the EBITDA growth from FY2021, including market share gains in levothyroxine, gradual loss reduction in Solosec, as well as ProAir approval, with significant room to drive margin expansion through operating leverage. The stock's valuation has also made it attractive at this juncture. "Valuations remain compelling with the stock now trading at nearly 5 times FY2022 EV/EBITDA. At 15 times EBITDA multiple on FY2022, domestic segment accounts for entire market cap, with no value ascribed to the US. Nepexto approval underscores the significant optionality in the pipeline, including the inhalation basket (Fostair in the EU, Spiriva in the US) as well as biosimilars (Neulasta filing in FY2021)," Kotak said. Kansai Nerolac | Buy "We upgrade Kansai Nerolac to buy; even as short-term demand collapses due to COVID-19, fundamentals of the company and the category are notably intact. Volume-led growth potential and stable/improving margin profile arising from rational competition," Kotak said. Kotak cut FY2020-22E forecasts to factor in coronavirus impact, lower crude prices and weaker macros. The stock has corrected 35 percent in the past month notwithstanding significant RM tailwinds and it is trading at 24 times FY2022E PE, implying 40 percent valuation discount to APNT versus 15-20 percent historically. Brokerage: Motilal Oswal Financial Services Bharti Airtel | Buy In the current environment, more tech-savvy data subscribers with higher ARPUs and longer-term recharges of 90 days may see a lower impact, Motilal Oswal said. However, the rest of feature phone subscribers doing monthly recharges (one-third the ARPU of data subscribers), could see some marginal impact. To protect these low income subscribers (80m), BHARTI has extended free incoming calls until April 17, 2020, with an additional Rs 10 talk-time. "This could impact Q1FY21 revenue and EBITDA by Rs 220 crore and Rs 180 crore, respectively, which is equivalent to meager 1-2 percent. Against this, increased data consumption should see upgrades in recharge values, thus, mitigating the impact. In Q4FY20/Q1FY21, we currently estimate 13 percent/19 percent revenue growth on a QoQ basis," Motilal said. Alkem | Buy With the situation on account of the coronavirus outbreak intensifying, there has been a higher off-take of chronic set of medicines. Further, with rising cases of cough/cold and respiratory illnesses, there is an increased requirement of antibiotics in the case of Alkem. With the situation in China easing to some extent with reduced impact of COVID-19, manufacturing of KSM (key starting materials) and intermediates has resumed and moved toward normalcy. "Alkem is one of the companies with higher exposure (two-thirds of the business) to the domestic formulation, which is a strong industry outperformer. It has lower exposure to US generics (nearly 25 percent), which is driven by new launches," Motilal said. Motilal is positive on Alkem on the back of its industry outperformance track record in domestic formulation and better traction with minimal regulatory risk in US generics. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Around 30-35 per cent of sweet shops opened in the two days since getting a go-ahead from the West Bengal government to remain open for four hours during the lockdown period, officials said on Wednesday. The state government had on Monday said sweet shops will be allowed to operate from 12 noon to 4 pm, after the apex body of sweetmeat outlets flagged concerns over wastage of milk and jobless staff. The sweet shops did "decent business" with limited stock and skeletal staff on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Jagannath Ghosh, joint secretary of 'Paschimbanga Mistanna Byabosayee Samity'. Several shops in the city and elsewhere in the state opened from 12 noon to 4 pm and kept half of their regular stock. "Shops which have employees living nearby and can transport their products to the outlets without difficulty are the ones that are opening. But, not everybody has that advantage. "Also, some sweet shops are not sure about the customer response during the stipulated four hours since not many are in markets during that time," he said. The apex body of sweet shop owners had on Tuesday sent a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, thanking her for the decision to let outlets remain open, but expressed reservations over the prescribed time period. It had also urged the CM to reschedule the timing from 8 am to 1 pm, when more people visit groceries and other shops. There are around one lakh sweet shops in the state which faced heavy losses due to the ongoing lockdown, another office-bearer of the sweetmeat sellers' body, Dhiman Chandra Das, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rice insight gives Large Hadron Collider better eyesight HOUSTON - (April 1, 2020) - Rice University will receive $3 million for its direct work on the next round of upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), but it will be responsible for much more. Rice physicist Karl Ecklund will oversee roughly half of the $77 million in National Science Foundation funding to U.S. institutions that will help make the particle accelerator, which is best known for finding the Higgs boson, better able to discover even deeper truths about elemental matter. Ecklund and his Rice colleagues have long been involved in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), one of two major experiments attached to the LHC, a 17-mile ring buried beneath land that borders France and Switzerland. CMS detects the speed and paths of particles that spew from colliding protons and survive for fractions of a second. The detectors record and transmit the data that scientists later parse for evidence of unique or unknown particles that could provide new knowledge about the universe. CMS is only compact compared to the collider itself; the sensor-laden array of concentric tubes weighs 13,000 tons and disassembling it for upgrades is an arduous task. That's why the LHC periodically shuts down for a few years at a time. "The collisions are surrounded by detectors, nested like Russian dolls," said Ecklund, who is coordinating upgrades to CMS's inner tracker and its innermost component, the pixel detector. "There's shell after shell of detectors. The electronics buried in there are not exactly like camera sensors, but they're pretty close. "We're building what amounts to a data center inside the detector," he said, explaining that each of the 4,352 sensors, about the size of two matchboxes, that make up the detector amounts to a 2 gigapixel camera -- with about 2 billion pixels -- that takes 40 million frames a second. Rice is responsible for the fiber optic interface that gathers and delivers that data to storage units about 100 meters away. Design, construction and testing of new components bound for both the inner and outer CMS sensors has already begun, said Ecklund. The inner sensors are being upgraded to relay 10 times the amount of data transmitted by current versions. That should keep up with the collider itself. The LHC, operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), is currently shut down for upgrades in preparation for the third run of experiments scheduled to start in May, 2021. The new funding is for Run 4 in 2027, the first for the more powerful High-Luminosity LHC. Ecklund and his team are not the only Rice scientists working on CMS upgrades. Physicist Paul Padley is contributing to the design and construction of the outer ring of sensors. "What we're doing for the GEMs (the gas electron multipliers) is very similar to what Karl is doing for the pixels," Padley said. "We're building the electronics interface for those signals." The GEMs are the last stop for particles exiting the LHC core, but the most likely to detect heavy, weakly interacting muons. Rice research scientists Mikhail Matveev and Ted Nussbaum are managing the design and construction of the next-generation components, while students from San Jacinto College, led by Rice adjunct professor Laria Redjimi, are working at CERN on the endcap muon system in preparation for Run 3. Padley said the Rice team expects to work at CERN and with data gathered by the collider for years to come. "The plan is to run the LHC late into the 2030s," he said. We know we'll be doing interesting physics for at least the next 20 years, based on the data we get. Even if it turns off in 2038, we'll still have data to analyze. "The LHC was funded to discover the Higgs boson, but the point was really to make lots of Higgs bosons and use them as a tool for discovery," he said. "We think of the Higgs as a portal, a way to get to physics beyond the standard model," Ecklund said. ### This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2020/ 04/ 01/ rice-insight-gives-large-hadron-collider-better-eyesight/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews Related materials: What's in store for the CMS detector over the next two years?: https:/ / home. cern/ news/ news/ experiments/ whats-store-cms-detector-over-next-two-years Rice Nuclear and Particle Physics: https:/ / physics. rice. edu/ Nuclear. aspx Rice Department of Physics and Astronomy: https:/ / physics. rice. edu Wiess School of Natural Sciences: http://naturalsciences. rice. edu Images for download: https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 04/ 0401_LHC-1-WEB. jpg Rice University physicists and engineers have received National Science Foundation support to design, build and manage the installation of next-generation sensors in the Compact Muon Solenoid at the Large Hadron Collider. (Credit: CERN) https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 04/ 0401_LHC-2-WEB. jpg Rice University physicist Karl Ecklund is coordinating upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid's inner tracker at the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 04/ 0401_LHC-3-WEB. jpg A graphic look at the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), part of the Large Hadron Collider. CMS detects the speed and paths of particles emitted by colliding protons. The detectors record and transmit the data that scientists later parse for evidence of unique or unknown particles that could provide new knowledge about the universe. (Credit: CERN) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Contacts: Jeff Falk 713-348-6775 jfalk@rice.edu Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Company recognized for contributions to advancing IT communities in Bulgaria AUSTIN, Texas, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SoftServe, a leading digital authority and consulting company, was recognized as the top Employer Branding Network in Bulgaria by b2b Media at the Employer Branding Awards 2020. The annual awards ceremony looks to honor businesses and individuals for achievements in building and promoting the image and popularity of the employer brand, including talent management innovations and new, successful human resource (HR) strategies. SoftServe was among more than 20 companies honored for bringing innovative solutions and projects into the field of employer branding. Each candidate was carefully reviewed by a select jury to guarantee an impartial evaluation from the panel of leading professionals. "Attracting highly-qualified employees for the constantly growing IT industry continues to be extremely important to SoftServe as we look to innovate and transform unique business challenges for our clients," said Boryana Dzhoneva, brand management specialist at SoftServe. "By creating positive opportunities for our employees to expand their knowledge and grow their careers we are also helping build a stronger foundation for the company to serve customers in the future." Since opening operations in Bulgaria in 2014, SoftServe has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Innovation in Business Processes and Operations Award by BASSCOM and a top business services firm in Eastern Europe by Clutch. The company has grown to now employ over 200 professionals in its Sofia office with plans to open a second office in the city. About SoftServe SoftServe is a digital authority that advises and provides at the cutting-edge of technology. We reveal, transform, accelerate, and optimize the way enterprises and software companies do business. With expertise across healthcare, retail, energy, financial services, software, and more, we implement end-to-end solutions to deliver the innovation, quality, and speed that our clients' users expect. SoftServe delivers open innovation-from generating compelling new ideas, to developing and implementing transformational products and services. Our work and client experience is built on a foundation of empathetic, human-focused experience design that ensures continuity from concept to release. We empower enterprises and software companies to (re)identify differentiation, accelerate solution development, and vigorously compete in today's digital economy. No matter where you are in your journey. Visit our website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages. SoftServe Media Contact Tyler Mahan Public Relations Manager tgarr@softserveinc.com 830-832-8898 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/812484/SoftServe_Logo.jpg Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a review meeting with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, service chiefs and other officials to take stock of the ministry's preparedness to tackle the coronavirus. Minister of State for Defence Ministry Shripad Naik, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, along with other officials also attended the meeting through video conferencing. General Rawat informed the Defence Minister that several hospitals have been identified to exclusively deal with COVID-19 and more than 9,000 hospital beds have been made available. "Defence Minister appreciated the efforts being made by various services, organisations and DPSUs in terms of evacuation, provision of healthcare in quarantine facilities and research and production of medical equipment such as sanitisers, facemasks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)," an official statement said. Singh also directed all the organisations to "redouble" their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries and organisations of central government in the crucial time. The Chief of Naval Staff informed the minister that naval ships are on standby to extend any required assistance and said the Navy is extending assistance as required by local civilian administration. The statement said that over 1,000 evacuees are quarantined at facilities in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Manesar, Hindan and Mumbai. Their quarantine period will end by April 7. The Chief of Air Staff informed that the Air Force planes conducted several sorties within the country in the last five days to transport approximately 25 tonnes of medical supplies. More than 8,500 doctors and support staff are available to extend necessary assistance to civilian administration, informed the Army Chief. He also said that assistance to Nepal in the form of medical equipment will be delivered shortly. Secretary, Department of Defence R & D, and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy said that 50,000 litres of sanitisers made by DRDO labs were supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police and another one lakh litres were supplied all over the country. "A five-layered nano-technology face masks N99 are being made on a war footing. 10,000 have already been made and soon per day production will be extended to 20,000. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 other face masks to Delhi Police. DRDO Secretary being a member of the empowered Group of Secretaries is coordinating closely with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding the requirement of medical equipment," Reddy stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ajith M S By Express News Service MYSURU: Doctors and officials of Mysuru district are perplexed by unexplainable COVID-19 infection of 12 employees of a pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud.Of these 12 workers of Jubilant Generics Ltd, two tested positive on Tuesday, days after Patient 52, a 35-year-old man with no history of foreign travel or contact history, was confirmed COVID-positive first. The government on Saturday declared Nanjangud a disease cluster town and shut it down.Initially, authorities said that P52 had only seven primary contacts, who were isolated. But five others had no official or social contact with P52. Surprisingly none of his family members and friends have tested positive.Though the official line is that all 12 cases at the company are linked to P52, a senior health official, on condition of anonymity, told The New Indian Express that at least five Covid-19 patients denied any interaction with the first patient. The case has become a headache for all of us, the official said. The case is puzzling as the World Health Organization states that people can contract Covid-19 when their mouth, nose, and eyes are exposed to respiratory droplets emitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be transmitted by indirect contact with surfaces exposed to or objects used on an infected person. Jubilant Generics, engaged in production and research of drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), has received consignments from COVID-affected countries, including China. Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar said that they are investigating whether the first patient was infected by one such contaminated consignment. Sources told TNIE that the companys premises were sanitised after the first and subsequent cases. But the further spread of the virus has raised questions over the companys safety protocols. Photo: Adrian Sampson/Flickr Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Philadelphia. Residents in 7 more counties ordered to stay home through April 30 Read the full story on Patch.com. Philly foster kids seek comfort, support, housing amid pandemic Read the full story on Billy Penn. Vandals paint graffiti on Hahnemann hospital owner's house Read the full story on ABC Philadelphia, WPVI. Chinatown businesses donate 27K masks to area hospitals Read the full story on ABC Philadelphia, WPVI. 20 police officers, 14 firefighters test positive for COVID-19, sources say Read the full story on ABC Philadelphia, WPVI. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Residents in seven more Pennsylvania counties have been ordered by the governor to stay at home amid the coronavirus outbreak. The order was already in place for Philadelphia County. The weight of disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak and government response to the pandemic is falling with particular heaviness on youth in foster care. Police are investigating a case of vandalism against the owner of the shuttered Hahnemann University Hospital. This comes just days after city officials announced they are abandoning negotiations to reopen the hospital, saying the owner wanted to charge them $1 million a month. The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. has donated 27,000 surgical masks worth $13,000 to area hospitals. English monarchs have come back to haunt plans by the largest local authority in the country to designate where casual traders can set out their stalls. Cork County Council had been planning to become the first local authority in the country to drawn up comprehensive plans to regulate casual trading, including creating defined trading spaces which mobile businesses would be confined to. However, the plans have been put on hold because it has emerged that a number of towns and villages in the county were given royal decrees over the centuries, which basically allowed traders to hold markets wherever they liked within them. Even though the monarchs are long in the grave, their decrees were not declared invalid when the Irish State was founded and are therefore considered by many to be binding legal documents. Some of the royal decrees are believed to date back to the 14th century. Also, some traders believe that as markets have been going in some towns for centuries they have the right of custom to continue the practice without being corralled into certain locations. A test case has been mounted against the council plans by a group in Bantry which is to be heard by the High Court. A county council spokeswoman said they are awaiting the result of that case. In the meantime, the Council was forced to take its own legal advice and employ an archivist to research ancient market rights across the county. This report has been completed and handed to council officials. A Council spokeswoman said: The report needs further examination before being made public." In recent days, the spectre of having casual traders pop up wherever they like has been criticised by councillors. They feel this is creating a public health issue, especially where people are not observing correct distancing while queuing at food stalls. Councillors wanted them banned but the British monarchs decrees have hampered this. Some markets are held in car parks which are owned by the Council. It was suggested by some councillors that these could be closed off to traders temporarily. However, while Government has clamped down on such gatherings, regulating the casual traders will become problematic yet again once the Covid-19 pandemic is over. Cllr Declan Hurley is calling on the Government to implement emergency new legislation, which will immediately declare old market rights null and void so as to overcome the ancient decrees. He said this will give the necessary powers to local authorities to implement new casual trading by-laws to deal with the serious lack of social distancing where trading in public spaces is being carried out: National legislation is the only and quickest way to get over these decrees, which are preventing local authorities from introducing proper, workable and controlled casual trading." The European Union has stated that it does not recognize a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin with which he added most of Crimea and Sevastopol to the list of border territories of the Russian Federation in which non-Russian citizens are prevented from owning land. "The European Union does not recognize the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, which is a clear violation of international law. Therefore, the European Union does not recognize this decree, which is yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia. Crimea is a part of Ukraine," reads a statement of Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy posted on the website of EU External Action Service on Wednesday. The decree is also a violation of international humanitarian law, as it is "another step towards the imposition of Russian citizenship in the peninsula", this could also lead to the arbitrary deprivation of property. "The European Union continues to expect Russia to stop all violations of international law in the Crimean peninsula. The European Union is unwavering in its support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," reads the statement. Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday said that they have informed Chief Minister's Office and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan's office about the crew members of a Malayalam movie who are stranded in Jordan due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The organisation further informed that among the crew members director Blessy and lead actor Prithviraj Sukumaram are also stranded in Jordan's Wadi Rum. The Centre has banned commercial international airlines to operate to India, following an effort to curb the outspread of Covid-19, which has already seen the country temporarily ban foreigners from entering it. The Film Chamber has sought help from the Kerala government for the return of the crew to India. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (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 Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 08:21 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec48f3 3 Opinion China,Saudi-Arabia,Islam,diplomatic-relations,Indonesia Free Does a virus have a nationality? United States President Donald Trump has a fixation with this. He refers to the coronavirus as being the Chinese virus, as it was first detected in China. It encouraged a spate of anti-Chinese and even anti-Asian racist acts in the US. Sad! Beyond Americans, Twitter saw a 900 percent increase in hate speech toward China and Chinese because of the coronavirus. Even without the coronavirus, we Indonesians have been pretty racist toward the Chinese, despite their many contributions to the nation: capital, world recognition in badminton, batik, food and even aspects of our wayang tradition. In fact, so much that we think of as quintessentially Indonesian bears the mark of Chinese influence even Islam. Most Indonesians associate Islam with Arabs, and look to the Middle East for the roots of their religion. But the spread of Islam in the archipelago was through trade by Indian and Chinese merchants, and so the Islam that came to Indonesia was much less austere than that of the seventh century Arabian desert. But in recent years, there has been an increasing reactionary return to Arabic harshness. One recent example is in the context of containing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Rather than observing the governments call to stay at home for work, school and religious services, some Muslims, responded with recalcitrance and bravado. We are not afraid of the coronavirus; we are only afraid of God! Oh man, is that even the issue? If you think that Allah would get mad at you for putting the (health) interest of others ahead of yours, then you dont know your God, or what Islam is about! It made me wonder, is there an economic cost a society pays for its strong cultural influences like pervasive religious orientations? And did countries like China and Vietnam actually gain certain institutional strengths from their centralized communist past that enabled them to play the capitalist game better than the capitalists? What if Indonesian history had taken a different turn? In 1966, Soehartos military-dominated New Order regime banned the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which had close links with the Chinese Communist Party. For this reason, Indonesia severed diplomatic ties with the Peoples Republic of China from 1967 to 1990. If Indonesia had not cut relations with China for 23 years, could it have prevented, or balanced out the spread of Wahabism that started in 1980 by Saudi Arabia pouring money in for its style of Islamic education? Its not just related to religion, but like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia has relied more on its natural resources than on industrialization. But our oil supplies diminished, and after joining the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1962, we left in 2009 and rejoined briefly in 2016. Well, Saudi Arabia is an energy superpower and the worlds largest petroleum exporter. The best we can do now is sell cleaner oil and import dirtier oil for local consumption. I am not suggesting that Indonesia should have become a satellite of China, but maybe we could have done better by following its development paradigm. Okay, China is also a superpower, so look at Vietnam, which is now an ASEAN economic giant. Like China, its a communist country but is very capitalist and fully integrated into global trade and investment. Vietnam used to be behind Indonesia, but now it leads both in industrialization and foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2017, Vietnam was able to get US$35.88 billion in FDI, while Indonesia only got $32.34 billion. On a per capita basis, FDI in Vietnam is triple that in Indonesia. Wow! Another comparison with Vietnam: education. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted research in 2015 that stated that Indonesian students were performing at lower levels in all areas science, mathematics and reading than the average in advanced nations, and a shocking 42 percent of Indonesian students were failing to meet minimum standards in all three areas covered by the test being outperformed by students in neighboring Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Okay, Indonesia hasnt had an easy history. Centuries of colonialism followed by authoritarianism did not allow the creation of an educated, tolerant middle class. Both colonialism and dictatorship favor stupid and sheepish behavior. On this substratum of ignorance and slavery, the priests, clerics of all kinds could easily flourish, making it easier for Wahabism to take hold. Vietnam was colonized by the French, they fought a war against them won then fought another devastating war against the Americans won again. But it lost millions of citizens and had farmland and infrastructure devastated. What good excuse does Indonesia have for falling behind China and Vietnam? Indonesia had a head start, World Bank development lending, the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI), etc. etc. And now China produces most of Indonesias consumer goods. The way Indonesia handles the coronavirus pandemic also reflects the way we handle our national development, politics and international relations. The panda is an unofficial symbol of China and the camel of Saudi Arabia. Conservative and political Islam in Indonesia wants us to be a camel. We are now probably a crossbreed of both or a pandamel. Or are we also secretly a panda-wannabe, i.e. a mini-China? Our identity crisis and our indecision are costing us, and with regard to the coronavirus, killing us. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Humanitarian aid from the ICRC arrived in Kyiv, too Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky Open source China transferred Ukraine a humanitarian cargo of medical care. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this, as 112 Ukraine TV channel reports. Another shipment from China arrived in Kyiv, delivered by several tens of thousands of respirators, as many protective suits, 300 thousand express texts, as well as 40 thousand pairs of safety glasses. Such a number of glasses is enough to provide every Ukrainian doctor who counteracts coronavirus today. I emphasize that in the field these points should be distributed among medical workers, and not among relatives or friends, Zelensky said. Also, according to him, 100,000 PCR tests already arrived in Ukraine. Also, humanitarian aid was delivered from Geneva from the International Committee of the Red Cross. We appreciate that, - the president summed up. As we reported before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the dead Ukrainian military and thanked the fighters for their service. The President claimed that Ukrainians should not forget that in addition to fighting an invisible enemy, there is a war in Donbas. A policeman wields his baton as he tells people to remain in the queue to receive relief supplies provided in Dhaka amid the coronavirus pandemic, April 1, 2020. Bangladeshi authorities have arrested at least a dozen people suspected of spreading false rumors about the coronavirus pandemic, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday in calling on the government to stop targeting doctors and others who have raised concerns about its handling of the outbreak. Meanwhile, health authorities in the nation of 165 million people are testing for COVID-19 at an alarmingly low rate compared with many other countries, according to a local news report that cited testing data from the state-run Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). While the government has a responsibility to prevent the spread of misinformation about COVID-19, this doesnt mean silencing those with genuine concerns or criticism of the governments handling of the crisis, said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). The government should stop abusing free speech and start building trust by ensuring that people are properly informed about plans for prevention, containment, and cure as it battles the virus, he said in a statement. Habibur Rahman, a health ministry spokesman, told reporters on Wednesday that the nations confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 54 with three new infections. He said another person had died of COVID-19, taking the death toll to six. Globally, more than 46,000 people have died and almost 922,000 others have been infected, according to the latest data compiled by disease experts at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the United States. Bangladeshs reported number of infections was among the lowest in more than 200 countries and territories tracked by JHU. HRW said two teachers at a government college had allegedly been suspended after posting comments about the virus on social media. It said a researcher was under investigation for publishing a paper, which projected that over 89 million people in Bangladesh could get symptomatic infections and that 507,442 could die by May 28 from the coronavirus. NetraNews, a Sweden-based nonprofit news portal that reported the coronavirus projections, has been blocked in Bangladesh since December last year, the rights watchdog said. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal rejected the statement from Human Rights Watch. He said the government was engaged in fighting coronavirus and not aiming to suppress free speech. Yes, our law enforcers have arrested some people who spread misinformation and rumor about the COVID-19 infection in Bangladesh. They have committed offenses according to the law of the land, Khan told BenarNews. Would any government of any country leave the offenders alone for violating laws? Those who had circulated misinformation and rumors are simply offenders and law breakers, no matter what professions they belong to, the minister said. Ex-health minister slams low COVID-19 tests A.F.M. Ruhal Haque, a former health minister, criticized the governments low testing of suspected coronavirus cases, describing it as unacceptable. We have a population of more than 160 million. Hundreds of thousands of people have returned from the countries with a heavy burden of COVID-19. But the IEDCR is conducting tests of 140 or 150 samples per day, Haque, a physician, told BenarNews. The real problem of COVID-19 is that more than 60 percent of the bearers would not have any symptoms. But they will spread the virus to other people, he said. Quoting IEDCR data, the Dhaka Tribune said that only one suspected case was being tested for every 100,000 people in Bangladesh. While Bangladesh tests 10 samples per million population, many countries are testing hundreds of [COVID-19] samples per million population, some thousands, and some even 10,000 per million, the newspaper said. Health officials earlier said that the IEDCR and other agencies had tested about 1,759 suspected cases. Meerjady Sabrina Flora, the IEDCR director, rejected the criticisms, saying her office had expanded testing. We follow the WHO protocols in selecting patients [for COVID-19 testing], Flora told BenarNews, referring to the U.N.s World Health Organization. We should not assume that a person with fever, cough and respiratory problems is a COVID-19 patient. That was very challenging, said Mr. Siffermanns son, William A. Siffermann. But many family and friends positioned themselves on either side of the drive leading from the main parking lot to the church. They were 6 feet apart for social distancing. The immediate family walked between the well-wishers." Gov. Greg Abbott should rescind his order to keep many indigent defendants in jail during the COVID-19 pandemic. The order, signed Sunday, is deeply flawed. Its unlikely to keep communities safer, could fuel COVID-19 outbreaks in jails across Texas and very well may be unconstitutional. The order bars any inmate who is accused of a violent crime, or has previously been convicted of a violent crime, from receiving a personal recognizance bond. This is when someone is released from jail pretrial without having to pay cash bail. This might sound tough on crime, but its not because there is a gaping hole. A defendant charged with an identical violent crime, or who has a history of committing violent acts, could still pay a cash bond to secure his or her release. This is one of the reasons a number of experts have questioned the legality of Abbotts order. It only locks down the poor. Federal courts have been unequivocal about the inequities of wealth-based detention. As Judge Edith Brown Clement of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in 2018, two defendants charged with the same crime can have much different outcomes based on their ability to pay for bail. As a result, the wealthy arrestee is less likely to plead guilty, more likely to receive a shorter sentence or be acquitted, and less likely to bear the social costs of incarceration, she wrote. The poor arrestee, by contrast, must bear the brunt of all of these, simply because he has less money than his wealthy counterpart. But there are other issues, too. As Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales told us, the order is too broad and indiscriminate. It doesnt factor in when violent criminal history might have occurred whether an incident occurred 20 years ago or two weeks ago could matter nor does it take into account circumstances around the alleged offense. In other words, someone charged with a nonviolent offense could be stuck in jail because of an assault on record from decades ago. You cant deal with these kinds of things on a one-size-fits-all interpretation, Gonzales said. In response to the order, Gonzales said his office is recommending relatively low bonds when warranted, but ultimately bail is at the discretion of the judge. This points to another concern. Other legal experts have warned the order may violate the separation of powers under the Texas Constitution, overriding the discretion of judges to set bail. Jails across Texas have been scrambling to free up space to prevent potential COVID-19 outbreaks and to ensure anyone infected with the disease, or possibly exposed, can be quarantined. The jail population might not be top of mind for many people at this moment, but jails have the potential to be a major source of community spread for COVID-19 because of the relatively close proximity of inmates, inherent sanitation issues and the churn of the population. Inmates often return to the community on bail or for time served. Detention officers serve in the jail and then return to the community. There is a lot of close contact. In response to the pandemic, the population at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center has dropped from nearly 3,900 on March 13 to about 3,140 Tuesday morning, Sheriff Javier Salazar told us. This has freed space to quarantine inmates, and its also reduced the need for overtime, saving taxpayers about $38,000 a day, he said. Nobody wants people accused of violent crimes to be inappropriately released, endangering the public. In Harris County, for example, a murder suspect was released on a fairly low cash bond. But Bexar County officials have focused their efforts on those accused of nonviolent misdemeanors to ease the jail population. And again, Abbotts order does not address cash bond. If you are a dangerous criminal, you can still pay a cash bond, Salazar said. Does that mean if you can afford a cash bond that you are somehow less dangerous than you were 10 minutes before? Of course not. This order doesnt solve any problems during this crisis. It only has the potential to compound them. NRI billionaire Lakshmi N Mittal on Tuesday announced a contribution of Rs 100 crore to the PM CARES Fund to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus in India. "ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture between (L N Mittal's) ArcelorMittal and Japan's Nippon Steel, and HMEL, a partnership between Hindustan Petroleum and Mittal Energy Investments, today announced a package of support to strengthen India's capacity to protect families and communities impacted by the virus. "Both our operations in India commit equally to a total of Rs 100 crore to PM-CARES for the ongoing relief efforts countrywide," Mittal said in a statement. "Citizens across India have shown extraordinary dedication, bravery and compassion in this moment of singular crisis and they deserve our support and the gratitude of the nation," the steel magnate said. COVID-19 is having significant repercussions for people in every continent, Mittal said. No country will be immune to it and for nations like India which have a vast population, the impact could be very serious, he added. Collaboration in times like these is critical, the industrialist asserted. Governments, companies and citizens must, therefore, work together to pool their resources, to ensure every action is taken to combat the pandemic as swiftly as possible, he said. Mittal also said his companies are providing daily meals to over 5,000 people and food kits to more than 30,000. Mumbai, April 1 : Moving swiftly, the Maharashtra government has identified at least 700 persons, including around 450 from Mumbai region, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi last month, officials said here on Wednesday. Deploying a mix of human and technical intelligence, the Mumbai Police and State Intelligence Department plus health authorities, have zeroed in on a majority of those who attended the religious event and started acting on it as it adds a whole new dimension to the state's anti-Covid-19 war. The police have collated data from the Bureau of Immigration to track those who arrived in the country at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, mostly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius and the Philippines. In Mumbai, of the estimated 450, the police and health authorities have managed to track 32, including 11 Indonesians, and shunted them to compulsory quarantine in Bandra. In Thane's Mumbra town, 23 have been sent to quarantine, including 12 Bangladeshis and 35 have been isolated in Ahmednagar, though none have exhibited coronavirus symptoms. According to Pune Divisional Commissioner, Deepak Mhaiskar, 182 have been traced in Pune Division, including 136 from Pune, 5 from Satara, 3 from Sangli, 17 from Solapur and 21 from Kolhapur, who attended the event. "Of these, 120 have been traced so far and sent to quarantine, and a search is on to track the others," Mhaiskar told media persons. Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Munde said that 54 from the city had attended the Nizamuddin event and have been quarantined now. At least 200 from different parts of India and abroad, who had attended the religious congregation have tested Covid-19 positive and 10 have died so far. With an estimated 700 people from Maharashtra also attending the same event, it has added a new front to the struggle against Covid-19. According to official sources, Besides Pune and Mumbai, several others have attended from Bhandara, Wardha, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Osmanabad, Nashik and Aurangabad. Police and health authorities are seeking the help of various Muslim clerics, religious leaders and social organisations to ascertain and pinpoint those who attended the event as they could pose a 'high-risk' category for the local population. Complicating the issue are reports emanating that some of them may have attended other religious events within the state before the lockdown was announced on March 25, and a few have yet to return to the state with their current whereabouts not clear. "It's a complex issue. Those who attended the event and their families/relatives are considered 'high-risk contacts', but the bigger challenge is that most may have used public transport like trains and buses in their pan-India travel," said an official. Among those who were hosted by an Ahmednagar mosque, two - one from France and one from the Ivory Coast --have turned Covid-19 positive - and now action has been initiated against the mosque authorities. A 10-member group of Fillipinos had lived in a mosque in Vashi, Navi Mumbai and later one 68-year old was found positive, but died due to other causes after he turned negative. However, a mosque official, his son, grandson and a female help were found positive but are now on the way to recovery. COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 2,199 confirmed coronavirus cases in Ohio are spread across 71 of the states 88 counties, with 55 deaths, the Ohio Department of Health reported Tuesday. This map is updated daily: see this link for the latest Ohio coronavirus maps. The case total was up from 1,933 cases in 70 counties reported Monday, while the number of deaths increased from 39. Tuesdays report included the first case for Perry County. Case, hospitalization and death details for each county are in a chart at the bottom of this story. The percentage increase of 14% was the smallest daily change in Ohio since March 10 (when the case total held at 3). It was 17%, 18%, 24%, 31%, 23% and 25% the previous days. The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed daily in Ohio has leveled off over the last few days. There were 266 new cases reported Tuesday, down from 280 on Monday.Rich Exner, cleveland.com However, Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, has repeatedly cautioned that the totals are understated because our testing is so, so limited." She has called the number of confirmed cases the tip of the iceberg. The 55 deaths are now spread across 23 counties. Mahoning County has had the most coronavirus-related deaths with nine. There have been six deaths each in Cuyahoga and Miami counties, and five in Summit, according to the state data. The Ohio Department of Health reported Tuesday that 585 people have been hospitalized because of coronavirus, including 198 intensive care cases.Rich Exner, cleveland.com The state reported 585 hospitalizations, with 198 in intensive care units. This is up from 475 and 163 on Monday, 403 and 139 on Sunday, and 344 and 123 on Saturday. The statewide total of confirmed cases was 1,653 on Sunday, 1,406 on Saturday, 1,137 on Friday, 867 on Thursday, 704 on Wednesday, and 564 last Tuesday. The first three cases were confirmed on March 9. The state reported 29,191 tests have been conducted. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ohio increased to 2,199 on Tuesday from the first three cases on March 9.Rich Exner, cleveland.com Most of the cases are concentrated in the largest urban areas of Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, though on a per capita bases they rates run higher in Northeast Ohio. These maps below illustrate the spread of coronavirus across Ohio daily, from 13 cases on March 13 to 2,199 cases on Tuesday, March 31. These maps illustrate the spread of coronavirus cases in Ohio from 13 on March 13 to 2,199 on March 31.Rich Exner, cleveland.com Some numbers may change from day to day. As the state works to clean data, it sometimes has reduced the number of cases in individual counties from one day to the next. The chart below shows what the Ohio Department of Health reported on Tuesday, March 31. County Cases Hosp. Deaths Statewide 2,199 585 55 Allen 5 4 0 Ashland 2 1 0 Ashtabula 6 1 0 Athens 3 1 1 Auglaize 2 1 0 Belmont 9 2 0 Brown 2 1 1 Butler 36 15 0 Carroll 5 4 0 Champaign 3 2 0 Clark 6 3 0 Clermont 10 2 0 Clinton 3 0 0 Columbiana 15 9 2 Coshocton 5 0 0 Crawford 5 0 0 Cuyahoga 527 129 6 Darke 13 0 1 Defiance 5 2 0 Delaware 40 5 1 Erie 5 5 1 Fairfield 14 3 0 Fayette 1 0 0 Franklin 325 47 3 Fulton 2 0 0 Gallia 1 1 1 Geauga 24 9 0 Greene 6 2 1 Hamilton 124 22 0 Hancock 5 2 0 Highland 1 0 0 Holmes 1 0 0 Huron 4 3 1 Jefferson 11 2 0 Knox 4 1 0 Lake 44 15 2 Lawrence 1 0 0 Licking 25 2 0 Logan 3 1 0 Lorain 82 21 2 Lucas 133 21 3 Madison 7 2 0 Mahoning 153 70 9 Marion 8 1 0 Medina 55 14 1 Mercer 2 1 0 Miami 52 19 6 Montgomery 37 6 1 Muskingum 2 2 0 Ottawa 2 1 0 Perry 1 0 0 Pickaway 12 0 0 Pike 1 0 0 Portage 38 9 1 Preble 1 1 0 Richland 6 3 0 Ross 2 2 0 Sandusky 4 4 0 Seneca 3 1 1 Shelby 5 2 0 Stark 45 11 3 Summit 131 53 5 Trumbull 50 26 2 Tuscarawas 9 2 0 Union 4 0 0 Van Wert 1 1 0 Warren 21 3 0 Washington 3 1 0 Wayne 9 2 0 Wood 15 8 0 Wyandot 2 1 0 Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral. Read related coverage Recent trends illustrate how quickly ICU hospital needs could go up in Ohio for coronavirus Coronavirus in Cuyahoga County: Growth, age, gender, death stats as of March 28 Does coronavirus spread along Ohios highways? Not so simple So what is the potential peak of coronavirus cases in Ohio? Sorting out the various projections Heres how much Ohio is flattening the curve on coronavirus Sylvia Jeffreys has celebrated her third wedding anniversary with husband Peter Stefanovic. On Wednesday, the 33-year-old journalist shared a photo of herself, Peter, 38, and their eight-week-old son Oscar cosying up for a family selfie. 'Three years since we laughed our way through our vows and two months since our handsome baby boy arrived,' cooed Sylvia. 'This sure will be one to remember!' Sylvia Jeffreys, 33, (left) shared a heartfelt tribute to husband Peter Stefanovic, 38, as they celebrated their third wedding anniversary. Pictured with their eight-week old son Oscar 'Happy anniversary @peter_stefanovic - this sure will be one to remember,' she added. Sylvia's former Today Show co-star Lisa Wilkinson also shared a tribute to the happy couple, uploading a throwback photo of their wedding to Instagram on Wednesday. 'Happy anniversary @sylviajeffreys & @peter_stefanovic. So much has changed in so many wonderful ways since, and most joyous of all, you two are now three!' enthused the Project host. 'Huge congrats!' Sylvia's former Today Show co-star Lisa Wilkinson (left) also shared a tribute to the happy couple. Pictured together at Sylvia and Peter's wedding 'Huge congrats and appropriately socially distant hugs to all three of you,' she added, referring to Australia's social distancing measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sylvia and Peter tied the knot during a picturesque Kangaroo ceremony on the New South Wales south coast. They were surrounded by a star-studded guest list, including Peter's brother Karl Stefanovic. Wedding bells! 'Three years since we laughed our way through our vows and two months since our handsome baby boy arrived,' cooed Sylvia. Pictured: Sylvia and Peter on their wedding day, April 1st 2017 Famous family: The couple got married in front of a star-studded guest list, including Peter's brother Karl Stefanovic (right) The couple met while they were co-hosting Weekend Today, with Sylvia previously telling The Sydney Morning Herald that it was a case of love at first sight. She said they had been slated to host the Weekend Today show together over the Christmas holidays, and that's when sparks flew. 'We sort of bumped into each other in a car park at Channel Nine one day before we started hosting together' she told the newspaper. The couple announced the arrival of their first child, a baby boy named Oscar, on February 6th 2020. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More State Bank of India (SBI) has issued a circular to all its employees saying it will deduct the encashment of a days privilege leave and one days salary to contribute to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) created to fight the coronavirus outbreak. SBI, Indias largest lender, is aiming to donate Rs 100 crore to PM Cares Fund through this measure. At the request of our employees and their representative federations, it has been decided that an amount of encashment of 1-Days Privilege Leave and deduction of 1-days Salary of every employee (payable in the month of April 2020) of every staff member will be collected by HRMS Department and contributed to the PM CARES Fund', said the circular issued across all branches. Moneycontrol has reviewed a copy of the circular. These deductions will be effected immediately, the circular says. If an employee wants to opt out of the scheme, he will have to formally inform superiors. Such employees should inform the opt-out decision to their Controller who will collate the opt-out requests up to April 7, 2020 and forward them to the HRMS (human resources management service) Department on April 8, 2020, according to the circular. In the case of corporate centre and CC establishments, LHOs and other administrative offices, the respective AGMs will collect such opt-out applications and forward them to HRMS Department on April 8, the circular said. PM CARES Fund is a corpus formed by the central government to use for the Covid-19 relief operations. Several corporate and HNIs have contributed to the fund. While SBI is directly deducting employees PL encashment and one-day's salary, other sate-run banks are giving an option for the employees to contribute to the fund and seeking their consent before deducting money. For instance, Oriental Bank of Commerce has asked employees to donate one days PL encashment to the PM CARES Fund if they are willing to do so. It has accordingly been decided that an amount equivalent to the encashment of one day PL of employees, who consent for the same shall be remitted to PM CARES Fund. All the staff members willing to donate one day PL are requested to submit their consent for PL encashment in HRMS, says the OBC Circular. Similarly, Indian Bank has asked its employees and that of Allahabad Bank employees (which is merged with Indian Bank) to contribute one day's salary to PM Cares Fund. But here also, this is an appeal from the management to employees seeking their consent. Business owners are extremely anxious about their very survival a new survey shows one-third of Manitoba businesses are unsure if they will even be able to reopen but some are using the current downtime to make sure they come out the other end in better shape. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Business owners are extremely anxious about their very survival a new survey shows one-third of Manitoba businesses are unsure if they will even be able to reopen but some are using the current downtime to make sure they come out the other end in better shape. With all non-essential businesses forced to close for the next two weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be the ultimate business disrupter. At World Trade Centre Winnipeg, which also operates the Business Info Centre (BIC) services (that was formerly offered by the Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre), business is booming. In addition to the export development services that WTC does on behalf of the province, it runs a myriad of business development seminars, most of them free of charge. Remy Soubry, director of operations at Browluxe Inc., was just getting ready to go online to take in a webinar called Adapting Your Business Sales. Her business sells a specialized line of cosmetics online and to other salons who retail it. But with salons forced to close, shes looking for ways to adapt. "Im looking to figure out how to stay connected to customers and how to best navigate the conversation as it applies to the current climate, she said. A number of new seminars have been added to BICs schedule which are all now being offered exclusively online and Mariette Mulaire, the CEO of World Trade Centre Winnipeg, said take-up has been brisk. There were 54 registrations in one day for a seminar in two weeks on How to Start a Business in Manitoba. There is typically a handful of attendees for this seminar, held about six times per year. "We are being bombarded with questions about our services and seminars," she said. There is obviously a lot of fear and uncertainty out there, but she said the good thing is that many business owners may now have the chance to work on their business instead of just in their business. "For instance some are realizing they have never spent time thinking about using social media, now they have the time to do it," she said. "When it comes to opening their own business, people are now deciding to put together a plan and start to do the research." Mulaire who is getting a crash course in using Zoom, the popular video teleconferencing platform continues to maintain a busy schedule of outreach and business support activities. WTCs popular Trade Accelerator Program is holding virtual roundtable discussions with business operators who have taken the program, to compare notes. Carole Freynet-Gagne, owner of Apprentissage Illimite Inc. an educational resource publisher and translation bureau, is a graduate of the Trade Accelerator Program. She was in Colombia on an export mission when the pandemic hit. Since she came back shes begun to tackle some of the elements of her business that may allow her to travel less and to address things to be successful in the export scene, like protecting her intellectual property. "Thats the kind of thing that you leave on a shelf and only do when you really need to," she said. "So we are looking into doing that, things like reorganizing our contracts and our confidentiality agreements with subcontractors. "Now that I have time we are working as hard as before." Wayne Ludman, owner of Ludman Manufacturing, is also a CPA and a certified aircraft maintenance engineer. In addition to the small-scale custom manufacturing work his shop does, he also provides strategic planning services and finance and engineering work to a select group of clients. 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. He was looking forward to taking part in an alternative sales webinar. "Im a big fan of the WTC seminars. We help many companies retool their budget and the most important part of the budget that drives everything is the sale budget, he said. "We have to consider different ways to drive sales while still respecting all the current constraints that are in place." The COVID-19 pandemic is causing the most severe economic shock felt in our lifetime. It will not last forever but the business landscape is surely going to change. Remy Soubry wants to understand what some of those new terms and conditions might look like. For instance, she understands that right now there might be a reduced amount of income that folks have to spend on things like cosmetics and she wants to understand how to adapt to be able to provide services even if its not at the same level as before. "The Winnipeg community has been fantastic, coming together at this time. Everyone is feeling supportive," she said. "We are modifying and making sure we are still able to have some income and not gouging people on the other end." martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Former Fianna Fail TD for Roscommon/Galway, Eugene Murphy is celebrating today after he secured election to the Seanad. A public representative for over 30 years, newly elected Senator Murphy was one of '13 inside party nominations' and he was a candidate on the Agricultural Panel. Delighted with his success, Senator Murphy, said, "I can bring a vast range of knowledge and experience to Seanad Eireann and I am committed to being a strong voice for Rural Ireland and the Agriculture Community." The holder of a degree in Horticulture, Senator Murphy also has vast experience of the agricultural sector, adding, "I have a proven track record of representing both my community, the West of Ireland and Fianna Fail at local and national level for 30 years. "Having been the Partys Spokesperson on Office of Public Works and Flood Relief, I am committed to installing flood defences where necessary and increasing activity on the River Shannon for better flood control. "I am dedicated to working on a better deal for rural Ireland and ensuring that our people feel that they are being represented, concluded Mr Murphy. Longford's Cllr Micheal Carrigy and Cllr Mick Cahill are also contesting the Seanad election and they will know their fate over the next two days. Also read: Longford councillors set to learn Seanad fate Senator Murphy secured election following the 18th Count. The eighteenth count has been completed. Lombard, Burke, Murphy and DArcy have reached a vote value greater than the quota and are deemed to be elected. Lombard's surplus will now be distributed to the remaining candidates #seeforyourself #Seanad2020 pic.twitter.com/oWOyBIzhhp Houses of the Oireachtas (@OireachtasNews) April 1, 2020 The eleven successful candidates on the Agricultural Panel were; Victor Boyhan, Denis O'Donovan, Paul Daly, Niall Blaney, Tim Lombard, Paddy Burke, Michael D'Arcy, Eugene Murphy, Pippa Hackett, Annie Hoey and Lynn Boylan. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The volume of cargo transshipment through Turkish Port of Antalya amounted to 469,120 tons from January through February 2020, Turkeys Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure told Trend on Apr. 1. Over the reporting period, the volume of cargo transshipment through the Port of Antalya by ships flying the Turkish flag amounted to 39,856 tons, and by ships flying the flag of other countries 429,294 tons. Cargo transshipment through the Port of Antalya by transit was not carried out during the reporting period. From January through February 2020, the volume of cargo transshipment via Turkish ports exceeded 62.4 million tons. The volume of cargo transshipment through Turkish ports by ships flying the Turkish flag reached 4.5 million tons. The volume of cargo transshipment through Turkish ports by ships flying their countries' flag amounted to 2.6 million, and by ships flying the flag of other countries amounted to 55.2 million tons. From January through February 2020, over 12.5 million tons of cargo transshipment in transit were carried out through the Turkish ports. The volume of cargo transshipment through the Turkish ports exceeded 29.5 million tons in February 2020. In February 2020, the volume of cargo transshipment by ships flying the Turkish flag amounted to 2.1 million tons. Meanwhile, the volume of cargo transshipment through Turkish ports by ships flying their countries' flag amounted to 1.1 million tons, and by ships flying the flag of other countries amounted to 26.1 million tons. Over 6.3 million tons of cargo were transshipped by transit through Turkish ports in February 2020. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu As our company name suggests, we unleash the potential of our clients. Now, we plan to use our in-depth knowledge and skills to help local restaurants unleash their digital potential. Unleashed Technologies, a national leader in web development and digital services, is offering free web support for locally-owned restaurants as they shift to delivery and carryout orders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "During these challenging times, we understand the importance of coming together as a community to support each other," says Michael Spinosa, co-founder and president of Unleashed Technologies. "With local restaurants mandated to close their doors, we are grateful to do our part and help these businesses shift to pick up and delivery operations. Our digital expertise will enable restaurateurs to navigate this new reality and better engage with customers online." The state of Maryland closed restaurants, bars, theaters, and gyms on March 16 as a public health measure to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, the state has allowed restaurants to continue operations for drive-through, carryout, and delivery services. No timetable is set for the re-opening of restaurants. In response, Unleashed Technologies is offering its services to enhance the web presence of locally-owned restaurants that don't have the expertise or resources to shift their business models to primarily digital channels. With its expert web developers, designers, solutions architects, and project managers, Unleashed Technologies will allow restaurateurs to use their websites to better connect with customers and improve communications. The free offer will be available during the state-mandated shutdown based on Unleashed Technologies' operational availability. For more information, visit the company's local restaurant support page. "As our company name suggests, we unleash the potential of our clients," Spinosa added. "Now, we plan to use our in-depth knowledge and skills to help local restaurants unleash their digital potential and reach existing and new customers during this difficult period of social distancing." Founded in 2007 in Columbia, Unleashed Technologies has grown into a nationally recognized leader in web development with clients across the U.S. and the Maryland-D.C.-Virginia region. Leveraging its specialization in open-source software such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento, and Symfony, the company delivers unique website and application development for customers with critical, multiple third-party systems, complex data integrations, and a need for seamless customer experiences. About Unleashed Technologies Headquartered in Columbia, Md., Unleashed Technologies is a leading web development and digital services in the U.S. with commercial and non-profit clients nationwide. The company serves enterprise clients in diverse commercial segments, such as banks and manufacturing companies, online retailers, and business-oriented trade associations. Non-profit clients include military and veterans' organizations, national and state trade associations, and publishing and educational institutions. As global leaders in open-source web technologies, Unleashed Technologies was recently named a top 10 global leader in delivering professional services and has been recognized six years a row as the top design and development firm for both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md. Visit unleashed-technologies.com to learn more. This rare case of an immature fossil hominin sheds light on the evolution of human development A partial skeleton of Homo naledi represents a rare case of an immature individual, shedding light on the evolution of growth and development in human ancestry, according to a study published April 1, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Debra Bolter of Modesto Junior College in California and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and colleagues. Much research has gone into the evolution of ancient hominins - human relatives and ancestors - but little is known about their growth and development. Most hominin fossils represent adult individuals, and remains of developmentally young hominins are rare. This has left a gap in our understanding of how our ancient relatives grew from young into adults, and how modern human growth patterns evolved. In this study, Bolter and colleagues examined fossils from the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave System in South Africa. This site is famous for providing abundant remains of the hominin Homo naledi, including individuals ranging from infants to adult. These fossils date to the late Middle Pleistocene, between 335,000 and 226,000 years ago, possibly overlapping in time with the earliest members of our own species. The team identified a collection of arm and leg bones and a partial jaw as the remains of a single young individual designated DH7. The bones and teeth of DH7 were not fully developed and display a mixture of maturity patterns seen in modern humans and earlier hominins. DH7 is estimated to be similar in its developmental stage to immature specimens of other fossil hominins between 8-11 years old at death. The authors note, however, that if Homo naledi had a slower growth rate like modern humans, DH7 might have been as old as 15. Further study is needed to assess how Homo naledi grew and where it fits into the evolution of human growth and development. Bolter adds: The rare juvenile Homo naledi partial skeleton will shed light on whether this extinct species is more human-like in its development, or more primitive. The findings help reconstruct the selective pressures that shaped extended maturity in our own species. ### In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230440 Citation: Bolter DR, Elliott MC, Hawks J, Berger LR (2020) Immature remains and the first partial skeleton of a juvenile Homo naledi, a late Middle Pleistocene hominin from South Africa. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0230440. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230440 Funding: The National Geographic Society--LRB; The Lyda Hill Foundation--LRB; The South African National Research Foundation--LRB; The Gauteng Provincial Government--LRB. Centre for Excellence in the Palaeosciences, University of the Witwatersrand--LRB; University of Wisconsin-Madison--JH; MJC Foundation--DRB. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. President Donald Trump participates in the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Brady Briefing room at the White House in Washington on March 31, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Should We Postpone the Presidential Election One Year? Commentary The deeper we get into the pandemic, the more our country becomes locked down and socially distant: schools closed, shops closed, restaurants and theaters shut, churches reduced to services in parking lots, sporting events suspended, and recreational venues roped off. The longer this continues with no real end in sight, only guesses by experts with ever-changing models, the more it becomes inevitable we must ask the question Should we postpone the presidential election? Or do we want some virtual election that would be so distant from a traditional American election it would more closely resemble a computer game while at the same time being fraught with myriad new possibilities for fraud and manipulation such as we have never seen before? The Japanese bit the proverbial bullet and weeks ago postponed their Olympics until 2021. Should we do the same with our yet more important event, electing the person who will lead the free world? Already the state of Virginia, among others, has pushed isolation into June. Thats only a month from the Democratic Party convention in Wisconsin. As one who has attended several conventions as a journalist, I can attest they are human petri dishes with crowds of delegates jammed up against each other, reveling all night in a manner rivaling the Mardi Gras. We all know what happened from that. Besides debates, our presidential elections feature one crowd scene after another. Do we want to die from our political system when we really dont have to? We are well into a political season already. In fact it seems as if its been going on for a decade or more in an era of escalating and excessive partisanship, some of it genuinely, as they say, off the charts. Postponement might just possibly damp that down for the moment, give us all a chance to put into practice the mantra we hear endlessly on television: Were all in this together. We are. This is a life or death situationnot Republican or Democrat. Perhaps we need a political hiatus, just as the stock markets so often these days need a trading suspension. Dont you feel good when Republican President Trump and Democratic Governors Cuomo and Newsom seem to be, at least intermittently, working well together without rancor for a positive end, for the benefit of all Americans? Yes, I am obviously aware the Democrats and their media allies love to accuse Trump of wanting to be a dictator or even of being one. And, yes, this would clearly give him a fifth year in his first term. But one year would be subtracted from his second. And no matter how he, or others, joke about it, hes not going to get a third. Moreover, the Democrats may have more to gain from a postponement than the Republicans. Now the Dems are endlessly complaining that Trump is monopolizing the airwaves with his daily press conferences on the virus that appear to have raised his approval ratings. These conferencesI think we can assumewould be in the rear view mirror. The Dems also would have an opportunitydont tell me they dont want itto reconsider their nominating process that appears to be yielding a candidate no longer really capable of holding office and unlikely to run a successful campaign. They might not even have to resort to the back room to maneuver this man into a graceful retirement and bring forth a new and better standard bearer. So, yes, I, someone who these days usually tilts to the right, am working against myself with this proposal. Of course, I do so with the full knowledge that said proposal is highly unlikely to happen. Normally, changes of this nature are a long time in the making. On the other hand, theseI fervently hopeare not normal times. Roger L. Simon is The Epoch Times senior political columnist. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Large numbers of migratory birds, including swans, red ducks, spotted geese and grey cranes, have returned to the wetland in Swan Lake in Bayinbuluk, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. After the spring equinox, when the ice and snow began to melt, the wetland witnessed the peak season for migratory birds. The birds forage and frolic in the wetland, forming a beautiful picture on the plateau. No one now living knows who Alice Smith was. She may have been a Midwestern farm girl, as she claimed, lured to California by the siren song of opportunity. She might have been a few women whose collective stories were combined for a single narrative. Or maybe she didnt exist at all. But in 1913, there was no doubt about one thing: She was the most famous woman in San Francisco. That summer, the San Francisco Bulletin began publishing a series of remarkable essays from a woman using the pen name Alice Smith. Not yet 30, shed been working in brothels since she was a teenager, and her first-person account of sex work in California sent shockwaves through the state. By the time her "A Voice from the Underworld" series ended, the Bulletin had received over 4,000 letters to the editor, many from women in similar situations. Alices stories are reprinted in "Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute," a read that feels as fresh today as it did in 1913 (which, depending on your point of view, is perhaps an indictment of how little some aspects of society have changed). "Cant people understand that they are all responsible for each other, in lots of ways?" she wrote. " Its none of my business to preach; but I have seen what harm has been done by such little things as that. Every girl that is locked out at night, or that is made to feel she isnt wanted at home, is just that much nearer the brothel nearer than people suppose." Perhaps the most illuminating thing about Alices narrative is her exploration of the slow path into prostitution. There is no one big moment, just a series of small setbacks that ultimately changed her life. The first happened in elementary school. Around age 10, Alices vision took a turn for the worse. She, like so many children before and since, could no longer see the chalkboard. But too poor to afford glasses, Alice started struggling in school. By 11, she dropped out, ending her formal education. For a time, she worked in restaurants or as a maid, but her small Midwest hometown paid only about $2 per week. When she was 16, she learned her older sister Emma, who had just moved to Oakland, was making $25 a month. "I never knew girls got so much pay anywhere in the world," Alice marveled. So she packed up her bags and hopped on a train heading west. She dreamed of making a fortune, so much shed be able to send most of her paycheck back to her grandparents every month. But she was in for a surprise when she arrived in Oakland in the early 1900s. "Maybe its a lot back there," Emma told her disappointed sister, "but it costs more out here just to live." Alice, now 17 years old, worked two jobs to survive. Every day, she worked from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. For months, her aunt hired her as a cleaner, but when Alice asked for payment, she was berated, called ungrateful and given $3 for two months of work. Her grandmother soon after kicked her out of the house. The ordeal broke Alice. It was "as if I had cut loose from one of my last holds on the world," she wrote. She moved in with 35-year-old Henry Marsh, an Oakland cigar salesman who, to teenage Alice, seemed like the most worldly, complicated man shed ever met. Although he initially promised her a room of her own, when she arrived with her things, he told her that room was no longer available. If she wanted to stay, she would have to stay in his bedroom. Desperate and homeless, Alice agreed to Henrys terms. "I took the very last step; it was so easy to do," she wrote. She had sex with Henry that night. In the morning, he said he would marry her. He said other things, too: that she wasnt making enough money as a cleaner so she should sell her body instead. "I dont see whats the difference, kid. Youve gone the whole way already with me," he said. "If youre that far along, why not with others?" Henry found clients through his cigar shop, and hed send them upstairs to proposition Alice. Her first john paid her $10; she had been making $6 per week as a washerwoman. "Evidently a prostitute was one who sold herself for money," Alice rationalized. "Well, I wondered, was there anybody in the world, according to that, who didnt sell herself or himself for money?" She worked out of her home for a year before discovering she was pregnant. Alice was tormented. She repeated many of the common stereotypes of the early 1900s; that the children of unwed mothers had astronomically high rates of suicide and even higher rates of incarceration. "If that child was ever born alive, I would surely some day have him reproach me for being the most selfish creature alive a woman who went ahead and brought a child into the world, knowing perfectly well that the childs life could never be anything but a burden to him and to everybody else," Alice wrote. When she told Henry she was pregnant, he dismissively told her she should move into a whorehouse where the girls could tell her how to get an abortion. Alice did just that. For the second time in her short life, she packed up all of her worldly belongings and jumped on a train. She went to an unnamed mountain town. For a while, she worked as a waitress but, like so many other women who left sex work at that time, she found the job unstable, the bosses cruel, and the pay not enough to live on. Alice moved on to the town brothel, a pretty democratic place with black and white women. She made $2 per client; on a good night, she had up to 14 johns. After a few months work, she finally had enough to pay for an abortion. "I came out of that trial changed in many ways. That was where I started to quit judging others," she wrote. "Today I havent it in me to feel real hard toward anyone for anything they do." After this installment of "A Voice From the Underworld" ran, the Bulletin was flooded with similar stories from Bay Area women of all walks of life. One woman wrote of how, at 17, she was impregnated by her boyfriend. When she told him the news, he "laughed in my face, and told me he never had any intention of marrying me." Bereft of familial support, she was taken in by a San Francisco washerwoman. "After I had been there a short time, some of the good Christian women came to her and told her if she kept me they would quit coming to her house," the letter reads, "and Mrs. W. told them if that was Christianity, she didnt want to be a Christian." Another woman wrote in to thank Alice for saving her from a life of suffering. After reading the piece, the woman asked her fiance whether he would still marry her if he learned she wasnt a virgin. Absolutely not, he replied. But he then admitted that he frequented brothels, and that he expected she would still marry him. The woman broke off their engagement. Life, unfortunately for Alice, became only harder after her first abortion. She began to suffer debilitating health problems. By abortion number four, her hands shook uncontrollably. She was only 23 years old. OpenSFHistory / wnp37.02933.jpg She resolved it was time to leave sex work for good. She found work at a brothel on San Franciscos Commercial Street. It didnt have the convivial atmosphere of her previous place of employment, partly because the girls didnt live in the house together. They rented nightly space from the madam, leading to cut-throat competition for johns. It was like living in a zoo, Alice said. "I dont know whether animals have speech; but if they have, they dont use it as men do," she wrote. "And animals dont have prostitution. It took men to achieve that." For a year, she swore off alcohol, leisure activities and new clothes. She saved every penny she made and, by the end of that year, she had $400 in the bank (almost $10,000 in todays money). With her earnings, she and her sister Emma began a sort of proto-Airbnb business. They rented a few flats, furnished them nicely and then sublet them. It took nearly all of her cash to get the business off the ground, but things looked promising. With her life finally on track, she went to the Bulletin office to inquire if theyd be interested in writing her story. They were. Today, no one knows who Alice Smith was or if she was. The Bulletin admitted that it wrote the stories using a ghostwriter, understandable given Alices supposed lack of education. But, as the editors of "Alice: Memoirs of a Barbary Coast Prostitute" observed, its very possible "Alice" was really an amalgamation of stories from several women. The least generous reading is that the Bulletin made the whole thing up, not uncommon for tabloids at the time. But who Alice was almost doesnt matter. The outpouring of letters to the editor the Bulletin published nearly 300 of them corroborated her accounts. Many, like Alice, protested a society that provided few employment opportunities for women, but vilified them for taking on whatever work kept them alive. "The worst prostitutes this world knows are of the male gender, and in the main are found in editorial chairs and in pulpits misnamed Christian, defending a system of society which they know is rotten a system which makes a decent living, especially for women, very difficult," one reader wrote. "Why do you speak of us as belonging to the underworld? Who, then, constitutes the upper world?" added another. "Is it the men who come to visit us? And why are they in any respect above us? Is the woman who marries for money or for social station any better than we are? Does she not sell herself as we do?" Alice gained such acclaim that when famed activist Emma Goldman came to San Francisco in July 1913, she spoke extensively about the series and praised the citys struggling working women. Alice was in the audience, the Bulletin reported, smiling as Goldman told her story. "I want to say this to the girls who are still in the underworld dont give up," Alice once wrote. "Dont lose heart. But dont allow yourself to go along, year by year, in the hope that some man will marry you and take you out. That idea is a pitiful lie. There may be a few exceptional cases; but for ninety-nine out of every hundred theres only one person who will ever take you out of it, and thats yourself." "I am under thirty," she added, "and I am sure that there is much happiness left in life." Katie Dowd is a senior digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: katie.dowd@sfgate.com The Union government on Tuesday notified new rules defining domicile for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, saying any person residing in Jammu and Kashmir for 15 years is now eleigible for domicile. The Union government also said that children of officials working in Jammu and Kashmir for minimum 10 years and migrants who fulfill the stated conditions will also be eligible for domicile. The Union government has amended the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act of 2010, the gazette notification, J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020, introduced section 3A to make the new changes. The order passed by Union government on Tuesdau said that domicile will be given to any person "who has resided for a period of fifteen years in the UT of J&K or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K. The new notification also gives domicile rights to children of officials working in the new Union Territory. Children of those central government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs and autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognised research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years or children on parents who fulfil any of the conditions in sections, the order said. It is to be noted that Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, gave the state assembly the power to define a permanent resident who in turn enjoyed domicile rights. It may be recalled that Article 370 was abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019. Migrants registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) in Jammu and Kashmir and whose parents fulfill the criteria, will also be eligible under the new law. Children of such residents of J&K as reside outside UT of J&K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons will be eligible says the notification. As emergent pathogens like coronavirus and climate-related health challenges like wildfire smoke plague human populations, the University of Montana has received funding for a center dedicated to understanding and addressing public health challenges to Montana and the region. The National Institutes of Health awarded the University a five-year $10.75 million grant to establish the Center for Population Health Research (CPHR, pronounced "see-far"). The center will support epidemiological and mathematical modeling approaches to better understand risk and resilience factors for children's health outcomes. It also will create disease prevention strategies developed for, adapted to and tested in rural communities. "We are excited about this opportunity to improve the health of children in Montana and the region," said Curtis Noonan, center director and a professor of epidemiology in UM's School of Public and Community Health Sciences. "This comes at a challenging time for the public health community. "We could not have predicted the current coronavirus threat when we started building this center over two and a half years ago," he said, "but we did recognize the importance of developing the capacity to work with medical and public health data to better understand health risk in our communities and identify disease prevention strategies that are relevant to rural states." CPHR research projects establish scientific capacity and a collaborative infrastructure highly relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic. Erin Landguth leads a project to better understand the factors that influence respiratory infection among children. "In the face of today's infectious disease complexities, mathematical models offer essential tools for synthesizing information to understand epidemiological patterns and for developing the quantitative evidence base for decision-making in public health," Landguth said. "Partnering with pediatric health care providers, my project will integrate novel data streams, computational capacity and new modeling tools, allowing for the description of how respiratory infections vary across space and time - particularly in rural communities where such work is limited." Public health leaders anticipate that a coronavirus vaccine, when developed, will be an essential component of controlling the current pandemic. A CPHR project led by Sophia Newcomer focuses on identifying the barriers to early childhood vaccinations, especially in rural areas where childhood vaccination rates are lower than public health targets. "Vaccines are the most effective tool we have for infectious disease control and prevention," said Newcomer. "Working with the state health department and local providers, my project seeks to identify why some Montana children fall behind or don't receive recommended vaccines and to develop strategies to increase vaccination rates across the state." Environmental epidemiologist Erin Semmens leads a third research project investigating the impact of community exposures to smoke from wildfires - an increasingly recognized and now constant public health threat to the region. "Wildfire events are increasing in frequency, duration and intensity due to climate change," Semmens said. "Through a collaboration with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, local health systems and UM colleagues across campus, our project aims to quantify how these exposures influence early childhood development, as well as birthweight and risk of preterm birth. Both are linked to long-term susceptibility to disease and infections." A key feature of CPHR is to provide core resources to support both current and future researchers who explore important population health questions. The Data and Modeling Core, led by Jon Graham, provides center researchers with tools and infrastructure for working with sensitive electronic data such as medical records and state health tracking systems. To effectively translate research findings to action, the Intervention Support Core, led by Tony Ward, provides CPHR investigators with the expertise and tools for designing novel disease prevention and health promotion strategies. Such strategies will be further informed by the CPHR Stakeholder Advisory Board, which includes key players in the health care, public health and policy arenas. Reed Humphrey, dean of the College of Health that includes the School of Public and Community Health Sciences, said the award to establish CPHR at UM demonstrates the college's capacity and commitment to grow its reach in public health. "Importantly, it opens the doors to enhanced collaboration across our health professions at UM and our Family Medicine Residency that are consistent with our parallel commitment in interprofessional education and collaborative practice," Humphrey said. CPHR resources and research projects also provide fantastic opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to engage in cutting-edge, NIH-funded research. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 16:42:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MACAO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The total merchandise export from Macao amounted to 911 million patacas (about 114 million U.S. dollars) in February 2020, down by 1.4 percent year-on-year, the special administrative region (SAR)'s statistic department said here on Wednesday. The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of re-exports went down by 0.8 percent to 841 million patacas (about 105 million dollars), with that of diamond and jewellery reducing by 48.0 percent. The value of domestic exports fell by 8.0 percent to 70 million patacas (about 9 million dollars). In the first two months of 2020, the total export value dipped by 16.0 percent year-on-year to 2.06 billion patacas (about 257.92 million dollars), of which the value of re-exports dropped by 17.8 percent to 1.84 billion patacas (about 230.37 million dollars), but that of domestic exports grew by 3.7 percent to 223 million patacas (about 28 million dollars). Analyzed by destination, the export to Chinese mainland dropped by 15.2 percent year-on-year to 224 million patacas (about 28 million dollars) from January to February 2020. The exports to Hong Kong SAR fell by 18.8 percent year-on-year to 1.43 billion patacas (about 179.04 million dollars), whereas the exports to the U.S. and the European Union expanded by 68.0 percent and 29.3 percent respectively to 59 million patacas (about 7 million dollars) and 29 million patacas (about 4 million dollars). Exports of textiles and garments surged by 91.0 percent year-on-year to 246 million patacas (about 31 million dollars) while exports of non-textiles dropped by 21.9 percent to 1.81 billion patacas (about 226.62 million dollars). Snehal Brahmbhatt, the founder of Sneh Shilp Foundation becomes the woman to look up to this year COVID-19 could drive 11 million people into poverty India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: About 11 million people could be driven into poverty in East Asia and the Pacific as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has impacted over 780,000 people and killed more than 37,000 globally, the World Bank has warned. The Washington-based global lender, in a report released on Monday, said that prior projections had estimated that nearly 35 million people would escape poverty in East Asia and the Pacific in 2020, including over 25 million in China alone. "If the economic situation were to deteriorate further, and the lower-case scenario prevails, then poverty is estimated to increase by about 11 million people," it said in its April 2020 Economic Update for East Asia and the Pacific ahead of the annual spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Growth in the developing East Asia and Pacific, the bank said, is projected to slow to 2.1 per cent in the baseline and to negative 0.5 per cent in the lower-case scenario in 2020, from an estimated 5.8 per cent in 2019. New experimental drug could block entry of coronavirus into human cells Growth in China is projected to decline to 2.3 per cent in the baseline and 0.1 per cent in the lower-case scenario in 2020, from 6.1 per cent in 2019. Noting that the COVID-19 shock will have a serious impact on poverty, the bank said the report estimates that under the baseline growth scenario, nearly 24 million fewer people will escape poverty across the region in 2020 than would have in the absence of the pandemic (using a poverty line of USD 5.50/day). Countries in East Asia and the Pacific that were already coping with international trade tensions and the repercussions of the spread of COVID-19 in China are now faced with a global shock, said Victoria Kwakwa, Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank. World Bank sees coronavirus outbreak taking a big toll on Asia's economy "In addition to bold national actions, deeper international cooperation is the most effective vaccine against this virulent threat. Countries in East Asia and the Pacific and elsewhere must fight this disease together, keep trade open and coordinate macroeconomic policy," said Aaditya Mattoo, Chief Economist for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank. The report said that the worsening in the COVID-19 pandemic and/or more severe/prolonged travel restrictions would have further negative impacts on tourism activity. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 8:27 [IST] Quentin Tarantino says he almost messed up Brad Pitt's famous shirtless scene in "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood". In one of the most memorable scenes of the film, Pitt's Cliff Booth climbs to the roof of Rick Dalton to fix an antenna. Booth removes his shirt since it is a warm Los Angeles afternoon. Tarantino, during the latest episode of Amy Schumer's "3 Girls, 1 Keith" podcast, recalled how he tried to tell Pitt how he should take off his shirt. "It was funny because actually in public Brad is kind of shy about things like that. At the same time, he knows exactly what time it is. I go, 'So, I'm thinking maybe you unbutton the Hawaiian shirt, and you peel that off, and then peel off the Champion T-shirt.' He was like, 'Really? You want me to go through all that button bullshit? I'll just take it off in one bit. Go!'" "I'm like, okay, this guy knows exactly what time it is. Shut the fuck up and let the master do his job! Even when you see him in the work shed and the way he puts on the leather gloves and puts the wire in his mouth all butch and macho. He just knows what time it is," the director said. Pitt won a best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Booth, a Hollywood stuntman with a dubious past. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:55:28|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ACCRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen by 34 to reach 195, Minister for Health Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said on Wednesday. All the cases have been isolated and treated, the minister said without elaboration. Three cities, Accra, Tema and Kumasi, in addition to Kasoa, a market community near the capital, have been under partial lockdown since Monday, as the government intensifies efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Ghana has so far recorded five deaths from the recorded cases, after carrying out 4,560 tests. The minister said authorities are still searching for a COVID-19 patient who escaped on Monday. The Congress on Wednesday demanded a probe to ascertain whether any rules were violated in organisation of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West area, which has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot. The party said strict action should be taken in the matter and it should not be given a religious colour. "The Congress demands that a strict inquiry be ordered behind the congregation. Strict action should be taken without seeing any incident from the spectacles of religion, caste and creed," Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said during a press conference held via videoconferencing. He said coronavirus has no caste, creed and religion and giving it a communal colour is doing disservice to humanity. "The Congress reiterates that at this juncture no 'namaaz' in any mosque, no 'ardaas' in any gurdwara, no prayers in any church, no 'prarthanas' in any temple, demanding a congregation or assembly of people should be allowed till we defeat coronavirus," he added. Shergill said sometimes a bad example serves as a good warning and Indians should take a lesson from this incident that one careless step can cost many lives. At least 2,000 people, including foreigners and Indians from across the country, had stayed at the Nizamuddin markaz (headquarters) of Tablighi Jamaat from March 1-15. On Sunday night, many residents of the headquarters started showing symptoms for coronavirus infection and police and paramilitary officials locked down the area. However, authorities fear a spread of the virus. States across the country have ramped up efforts to trace and quarantine those who attended the event to contain the spread of coronavirus. Asked about reports claiming India plans to import medical gears from China to tackle coronavirus, Shergill said, "At this juncture the source does not matter, the goods matter." "I say it with the sense of caveat that China noted maximum number of virus cases, all precautions and restraints should be exercised at the time of using any Chinese product to ensure that the surface spread from these products or goods does not happen," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For faculty and staff: Working remotely: There are plenty of available tools for employees working from home. These include Canvas and Zoom, which can be accessed through the Tools tab of the mylasalle Portal. For added ease, you can even download free mobile apps for Zoom, Microsoft Office 365, and La Salle University in the Apple and Android app stores. There are plenty of available tools for employees working from home. These include Canvas and Zoom, which can be accessed through the Tools tab of the mylasalle Portal. For added ease, you can even download free mobile apps for Zoom, Microsoft Office 365, and La Salle University in the Apple and Android app stores. Employee Assistance Program (EAP): The EAP provides all La Salle employees with expert support to help manage stress and anxiety, 24/7, by calling 1-800-1446 or visiting www.unum.com/lifebalance. La Salles telemedicine service, Doctor on Demand, provides mental health services in addition to medical care. (Available for free to employees insured through La Salle, and for a fee for those who are not.) The EAP provides all La Salle employees with expert support to help manage stress and anxiety, 24/7, by calling 1-800-1446 or visiting www.unum.com/lifebalance. La Salles telemedicine service, Doctor on Demand, provides mental health services in addition to medical care. (Available for free to employees insured through La Salle, and for a fee for those who are not.) Compass Card: Download an Electronic Compass Card to recognize exceptional work by your colleagues. Download an Electronic Compass Card to recognize exceptional work by your colleagues. Health and wellness: Based on CDC guidance, faculty and staff should report to HR as soon as possible via hr@lasalle.edu if they are: (1) Required to self-monitor because they may have been exposed to COVID-19; or (2) Required to self-monitor because they or someone for whom they are caring has tested positive for COVID-19. EVLI BANK PLC'S PRESS RELEASE APRIL 1, 2020 AT 2.00 PM. (EET/EEST) Evli Bank Plc will publish its Interim Report for the period January-March 2020 on Thursday April 16, 2020 at approximately 1.00 pm. The Interim Report will be available on the company's website at www.evli.com/investors after publishing. Webcast to investors and analysts Due to the coronavirus COVID-19 Maunu Lehtimaki, CEO, and Juho Mikola, CFO, will exceptionally present the result to investors and analysts as a webcast on Thursday April 16, 2020 at 2.00 pm. The presentation will be held to a limited number of participants in Finnish. After the event, the presentation material will be available in English at www.evli.com/investors. To participate in the event, please sign up in advance to ir@evli.com by April 9, 2020 at 4.00 pm. at the latest. A webcast link will be sent to participants. EVLI BANK PLC For additional information, please contact: Mikaela Herrala, Marketing, communications and IR Manager, Evli Bank Plc, tel. +358 50 544 5740, mikaela.herrala@evli.com Evli Bank Plc Evli is a bank specialized in investments that helps institutions, corporations and private persons increase their wealth. The product and service offering includes mutual funds, asset management and capital markets services, alternative investment products, equity research, administration of incentive programs and Corporate Finance services. The company also offers banking services that support clients' investment operations. Evli is the highest ranked and most used institutional asset manager in Finland*. *KANTAR SIFO Prospera External Asset Management Finland 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and SFR Scandinavian Financial Research Institutional Investment Services, Finland 2015, 2016 ,2017, 2018. Distribution: main media, www.evli.com The government has advised all the states and union territories to thoroughly screen all the foreigners who are part of Tabligh Jamaat (TJ). It has also said that any foreigner found to be free from Covid-19 should be immediately deported by the first available flight. Till that time, such person must be confined and quarantined by his host organisation, the government has said in its advisory. The advisory further says that foreign teams of the Jamaat are on tour to the hinterland of India, and appear to be potential carriers of the coronavirus disease. TJ activists from India had reportedly attended a religious congregation (February 27 to March 1) in a mosque in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Open domain reports indicated that several of those who attended the congregation had tested positive for Covid-19. Hence, thorough screenings of these who arrived from Malaysia is urgently needed, the advisory says. Presently, it is estimated that about 2000 foreigners, on tourist visa, from over 70 countries are spread all over the country for Tabligh work. Their period of stay in this country is upto six months. Tabligh headquarters at Nizamuddin (Delhi) is reportedly in the process of calling the foreign Tabligh teams from different states and sending them back to their respective countries, it adds. The six-storey headquarters of the Jamaat has emerged as the one of the biggest coronavirus hot spots in the country. An estimated 2,500 Sunni Muslim men belonging to several nationalities, each identically dressed in a white gown and skullcap, checked into the establishment called markaz in Delhis Nizammudin area earlier this month, as part of yearly routine, for a congregation. The authorities now fear the markaz waypoint has become a coronavirus transmission hub, with 24 preachers testing positive in Delhi alone between Sunday and Monday. The bereft and 'beyond devastated' family of Britain's youngest coronavirus victim who died aged just 13 today paid tribute to the 'gentle and kind' schoolboy and urged Britons to 'stay at home and save lives'. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, South London, died alone at King's College Hospital in London on Monday, with family members unable to visit him in fear of catching the deadly virus. He is not thought to have had any underlying health conditions as deaths hit 563-a-day in the UK today, with 2,352 now passing away after contracting coronavirus. In a statement issued through GoFundMe, Ismail's heartbroken parents and six siblings said: 'We are heartbroken as a family due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus as it becomes too real for us as a family and community. 'Ismail was a loving son, brother, nephew to our family and a friend to many people who knew him. His smile was heart-warming and he was always gentle and kind.' They added: 'We also wanted to re-iterate the need for people to listen to government guidance. Covid-19 is a virus that is attacking all members of our society, not just older people or those with pre-existing conditions. So please do everything you can to ensure that we adhere to social distancing; that people stay at home as much as they possibly can, to protect the NHS and save lives'. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, is believed to have died alone at King's College Hospital in London yesterday and his family released a moving tribute to the Brixton schoolboy today They went on: 'As a family, we have decided not to release Ismail's picture at this juncture as we are concerned where it may end up and how this will impact us upon seeing it. 'We as a family are still trying to come to terms with the sudden death of Ismail. He leaves behind six siblings who are completely devastated and this has been made more difficult not being able to be with Ismail while he was in the hospital.' Relatives and family friends told MailOnline that Ismael's mother is called Sadiya, who lost her husband Muhammad Abi Faakir to cancer five years ago. The family originate from Somalia. A spokesman for Britxon Hill Islamic Centre told MailOnline: 'I have spoken with the family and they are devastated. Ismael's mother Sadiya is a volunteer Arabic and Quran teacher for elderly Muslims in the Brixton area. 'She comes to the centre every Wednesday. She lost her husband a few years ago and now this has happened. I've spoken to her briefly but she is barely able to say anything.They are just trying to understand how their fit and healthy son could have passed away so suddenly.' A relative revealed that mourners have been arriving outside the family home in Brixton, South London to pay their respects but have not been entering because the family have been quarantined for 14 days. The relative said: 'We stood on the pavement and expressed our sorrow. Ismael was a lovely boy and a very devout Muslim. We will all miss him terribly'. News of Ismail's death was shared on a GoFundMe page created by Madinah College, in Brixton, to raise money for his funeral and was later confirmed by King's College Hospital. The boy's family, who also recently lost his father to cancer, said they would not be releasing any photos of Ismail and that they were 'beyond devastated'. It comes as a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases were declared in the UK on Tuesday, which is officially Britain's darkest day so far in the ever-worsening crisis. Madinah College in Brixton, London, where Ismail attended. The college set-up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for his funeral A statement from Ismail's family yesterday said: 'Ismail started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing and was admitted to Kings College Hospital. 'He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning. 'To our knowledge he had no underlying health conditions. We are beyond devastated.' Mark Stephenson - College Director at the Madinah College where Ismail's sister works - said: 'Ismail was tested positive for coronavirus. They have not released the body yet, as the coroner wants to do an autopsy - I'm assuming due to his young age and not having underlying conditions.' The fundraising page reads: 'It is with great sadness to announce that the brother of one of our teachers at Madinah College has sadly passed away this morning (Monday 30th March 2020) due to being infected with Covid 19. 'He was only 13 years old without any pre-existing health conditions and sadly he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of Covid 19. 'We at Madinah College would like to appeal to our brothers and sisters to donate generously to help raise 4000 for the funeral costs.' News of the boy's death was shared on a GoFundMe post created by Madinah College, a mosque in Brixton, to raise money for Ismail's funeral A spokesman for King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: 'Sadly, a 13-year old boy who tested positive for Covid-19 has passed away, and our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this time. 'The death has been referred to the Coroner and no further comment will be made.' Ismail's death comes just hours after a 12-year-old girl died from coronavirus in Belgium. The girl had had a fever for three days before her death, and tested positive for COVID-19, said Belgian government spokesman Steven Van Gucht. No other details were given about her case, including whether she had any other underlying health problems. Young Vitor Godinho seen here smiling into the camera, seemingly a fit and healthy teenager Tributes have been paid to Julie Alliot, 16, (pictured) who succumbed to respiratory problems in a Paris hospital after first developing a 'slight cough' Statistics released this morning revealed basic details about the first 108 people in Britain to have COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate. Elderly people and men were the worst affected, the data showed It was the first death of a child in the coronavirus crisis in Belgium, which has now recorded a total 705 deaths from the disease it causes, according to the latest official toll. Before the Belgian girl's passing, the youngest European to die from the deadly illness was Vitor Godhino, a 14-year-old boy from Porto in Portugal. He died on the early hours of Sunday after falling ill from the virus. Before Vito, 16-year-old French schoolgirl Julie Alliot was reported as the youngest Covid-19 death in Europe. She died at a hospital in Paris on 25 March. It comes as the UK revealed that some 1,789 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have now died, while the total infection toll has surpassed 25,000. However, the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital. The number of new deaths recorded today is twice as high as the 180 victims recorded yesterday. But there was only a 14 per cent jump in daily cases - up from 2,619. And the number of hospital admissions appears to have slowed, going up by a 'constant amount' each day, data shows - with around 1,000 new patients a day being treated by the NHS. One of today's victims was only 19 years old and had no underlying conditions that made them more vulnerable to the life-threatening complications of the illness. Today's development comes after government statisticians revealed this morning that the true death toll may be 24 per cent higher when people who died outside of NHS hospitals are added in to the count. A four-week-old baby has been tested for coronavirus after being treated by an infected doctor at a children's hospital. Oliver Tyson, who is just 28 days old, is especially vulnerable to the virus as his lungs are weak after being born prematurely. He was rushed to Perth Children's Hospital on March 21 with a congested chest and blocked nose - and was treated by a doctor who later tested positive for COVID-19. His parents, Michelle Chilton and Luke Tyson, were told the alarming news on Saturday and Oliver was immediately tested. But five days later, they have still heard nothing back. 'They have told us nothing about the doctor or how likely it is he infected Oliver,' Mr Tyson told Daily Mail Australia. 'The lack of information has been the hardest part.' Oliver Tyson (pictured) was rushed into hospital on March 21 after suffering with a compressed chest, but came into contact with a doctor who later tested positive for COVID-19 Michelle (pictured, centre) with her son Kye (left) and partner Luke (right) now face an agonising wait for results He said the family have heard little from WA Health since taking the test at their local hospital in Kondinin, 300km east of Perth, on Saturday. 'Its been nail biting thats for sure,' the worried dad said. 'I rang the health service today and got the run around on who I needed to speak to. Eventually I got through to the right people and they told me it was being processed.' The family were told the test was being sent off on Saturday, but because of their remote location, it wasn't sent until Monday. Little Oliver is thought to be one of the youngest Australians to be tested for the deadly respiratory disease, which has infected nearly 5,000 people nationwide. 'Keep your families close at this crazy time,' Mr Tyson added. Little Oliver's parents are now desperately waiting for results of his COVID-19 test, with hopes the infant (pictured) will get the all-clear Oliver's mum, Michelle Chilton (pictured) begged other Australians to take social distancing seriously, as she nervously awaits her baby son's COVID-19 test results 'If people just did the right thing we would get rid of this horrible virus and move forward into the future. 'If our message can spare one family the heartache of what we are going through, then it's worth it.' His partner Ms Chilton also issued a desperate plea to Australians to abide by social distancing rules. The family had already made the decision to take their other children out of school, meaning they had not exposed others to the virus. 'Luckily we had already made the call to pull the big boys out of school due to three of us being immunocompromised,' she posted online. 'Should Olivers results come back positive, we may well have spared another family the agonising wait of finding out or worse, having to go through the heartache of dealing with COVID-19. Oliver Tyson (pictured) is being tested for coronavirus after being treated by a doctor at Perth Children's Hospital who later tested positive for the disease Oliver went to be looked at at Perth Children's Hospital (pictured) as he was too young to be seen at their local emergency department 'I think this just goes to show, however, that you can take all the measures to protect your family but sometimes the outcome unfortunately remains in the hands of others. 'Stay home people. None of us are immune to this. It could be your family.' Ms Chilton said she received a terrifying phone call this week confirming the doctor who treated her baby son had tested positive for COVID-19. 'We got a phone call yesterday to inform us that the doctor who treated our little Oliver at Perth Childrens Hospital on the night of the 21st has tested positive to COVID-19,' she said. 'We were already isolating ourselves at home but have been placed in lockdown by the health department and are awaiting the results to Olivers swabs.' Ms Chilton (pictured) said she received a terrifying phone call this week confirming the doctor who treated her baby son had tested positive for COVID-19 Oliver (pictured) was born prematurely, so his lungs are not as strong as other babies, making him potentially more vulnerable to 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 The male doctor worker had been treating patients before showing symptoms and being tested. Patients who presented at Perth Children's Hospital's emergency department from March 7 to March 22 may have been exposed, with parents being contacted by officials. Oliver's father said the newborn was doing well, but still struggling at night. 'His going alright,' he said. 'He gets blocked up in the cool night air and is restless. 'But we are taking his temperature a few times a day and keeping a close eye on him.' In New South Wales, the youngest confirmed cases are a two-month-old baby and a seven-year-old child. As of Wednesday night, Australia has 4.862 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which has caused 21 deaths across the country so far - but none among children or young adults A one-year-old in Queensland also has the virus. In Victoria, three babies under 12 months and a one-year-old have been diagnosed. Despite these cases, none of Australia's 21 COVID-19 deaths have been among children or young adults. Doctors are still working out why kids generally appear to be spared by the virus, although some deaths among children have occurred overseas. Australia's chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy said it was 'unusual' when compared to influenza. 'We don't know whether children might be getting the disease but [their symptoms] are so mild they are not being picked up, or they're not becoming sick, or whether they are somehow less susceptible,' he said. Professor Robert Booy from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance said children abroad only seemed to suffer mild symptoms, ABC reported. 'Those children who did contract the virus overseas have only had mild symptoms such as fever and upper respiratory symptoms,' he said. 'In adults, they are reacting quite violently because perhaps they have seen a previous coronavirus infection and that's set up the immune system to react inappropriately and excessively.' A mother is seen outside a Chemist Warehouse store in Sydney having her temperature checked on Tuesday (pictured) A portable oxygen respirator in a coronavirus isolation room at Cabrini private hospital in Melbourne (pictured) with healthcare workers preparing for more cases It comes as Australia's number of confirmed cases of the deadly respiratory infection rose to 4,862, with 21 people dead. Tough new social distancing restrictions came into place this week to help combat the spread, with basic freedoms such as being able to see family, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends severely curtailed. But states and territories are each enforcing the national cabinet's rules to slow the spread of coronavirus differently - meaning what liberties a person has depends upon where they live. The rules allow New South Wales residents to visit their boyfriend or girlfriend even if they don't live at the same home. Travellers in face masks at Adelaide airport on Wednesday (pictured) with arrivals from overseas forced into a mandatory 14-day quarantine A man walks near a sign in Sydney on Tuesday (pictured) with instructions about social distancing following the implementation of stricter rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus But Victorians were told they could not - until Wednesday night when the state's chief medical officer, Dr Brett Sutton, said the state will make an exemption. Residents of NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania are banned from going outside with more than one person without a lawful excuse. They cannot go out purely for social reasons or have friends over. Meanwhile, populations of lesser-populated South Australia and the Northern Territory are still allowed to gather with up to 10 other people. Beaches in population hot spots such as Bondi and Brighton have closed, but Australians are still exercising and swimming at deserted beaches. Crowds of sunbathers are spotted on the rocks at Mackenzies Bay in Sydney's east on Tuesday (pictured) despite social distancing rules 'WAR-TIME EFFORT' NEEDED FOR FACE MASK PRODUCTION Australian sewers are rallying in a wartime effort to help give frontline medical staff enough face masks amid the coronavirus. NSW aged-care service provider Maroba has asked the government for advice on a pattern and fabric for masks that can be run up for their staff. 'When this hit us early, we ordered another month's supply up front. Now we can't get any more supplies,' Maroba chief executive officer Viv Allanson told AAP on Tuesday. 'We've got a whole group of women out there that have sewing machines that are ready to get working for us. 'This is like wartime, where the women of Australia rallied and did their bit.' Advertisement While many Australians have been praised for abiding by social distancing, shocking footage has emerged of backpackers dangerously flouting the rules. A group of young European partygoers was filmed ignoring all COVID-19 social distancing rules as they crammed together for a barbecue in a Bondi apartment. The footage taken on Tuesday night shows men and women aged in their 20s crowded in a backyard and adjoining loungeroom as they drink, smoke and laugh. They appear to be alarmed when they realise they are being filmed by a neighbour as several of them alert the others in Spanish they have been busted. The man who took the video told Daily Mail Australia: 'I asked them if they thought this was a joke and that coronavirus is serious.' 'I brought information about coronavirus to them and they just didn't care.' A group of young European partygoers was filmed ignoring all COVID-19 social distancing rules as they crammed together for a barbecue in a Bondi apartment on Tuesday night Despite such incidents, Australia has seen a significant slowdown in the spread of the virus in recent days. Rates of infection have dropped in, with just a 9.4 per cent increase in cases on Sunday, compared to 26.2 per cent on March 22. The figures are the first signs the coronavirus curve may be flattening across the country. Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Tuesday the slowdown was a 'significant achievement'. Healthcare worker Vanessa Chang poses for a photo in the coronavirus screening clinic at Cabrini private hospital in Melbourne (pictured) as it prepares for more patients 'That's an achievement to which all Australians have contributed,' Mr Hunt said in Canberra. 'This progress is early, its significant, but now, with these additional rules around gatherings and movement, we are going the next step to help reduce again the level of infection, and to support our containment.' But Professor Raina Macintyre from the Kirby Institute at the UNSW - a global body dedicated to preventing infectious diseases - suggested it would still be many months before life is returned to normal. She said all Australians had a role to play in reducing that time frame. 'Avoid the handshaking and the hugging, just try to practice that social distancing,' she said in a video for the Australian Academy of Science on Tuesday. 'And get into a mental space where you can actually accept that you have to change the way that you live because this epidemic will be taking off in the next few weeks. 'It's going to get worse before it gets better. FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday announced completion of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd's merger (GSKCH) with itself. The company has received all the necessary regulator approvals along with the National Company Law Tribunal for the merger of GSKCH into the company, HUL said in a statement. In addition, the board of HUL also approved acquisition of popular health drink brand Horlicks from GSK for a consideration of Euro 375.6 million (Rs 3,045 crore), exercising the option available in the original agreement between its parent firm Unilever and GSK. "This will enable HUL to utilise cash on its balance sheet and create value for shareholders. In addition, it will enable HUL to drive better salience in a local context. The other brands which were under the ownership of GSKCH like Boost, Maltova and Viva come to HUL's brand portfolio by virtue of the merger," the statement said. On December 3, 2018 HUL had announced merger of GSKCH, which was subject to obtaining necessary approvals. "This is one of the largest deals in the FMCG sector in recent times and will lead to significant value creation for all stakeholders," HUL said. The deal would unlock opportunity for HUL in Health Food Drinks (HFD) market as GSKCH was the market leader in the segment, with brands as Horlicks and Boost in its portfolio. "Brands such as Horlicks and Boost are iconic, and we are excited to have them in the Hindustan Unilever fold. The merger gives us a unique opportunity to live our purpose and serve India where Nutrition related challenges form the largest causes of disease Malnutrition and Micronutrient deficiency - and aligns well with the Government's ambitious Swasth Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan programs. I am delighted to welcome the 3,500 strong Nutrition Team to the HUL family. "Both organizations have common values coming from a lineage of respected parent companies and a shared heritage of building iconic trusted brands," HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta said. Horlicks has a volume share of close to 50 per cent in the HFD market. "This merger will bolster HUL's focus to build a profitable and sustainable Nutrition business in India," the FMCG firm said adding "the nutrition and health drinks category remains under-penetrated in India and HUL is well positioned to further develop the market given the extent of its reach and capabilities". HUL will be partnering with GSK through consignment selling arrangement to distribute brands of the GSK Consumer Healthcare family in India. "This partnership, with world class brands from GSK like Eno, Crocin, Sensodyne etc and HUL's distribution strength can unlock value for GSK and build further Hindustan Unilever's go-to-market capabilities," it added. On December 3, 2018, Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant Unilever announced the acquisition of health food portfolio, including popular brands Horlicks and Boost, from GSKCH India and over 20 other markets for 3.1 billion pounds (about Rs 27,750 crore). According to the deal, Unilever's Indian arm HUL acquired GSKCH India via an all-equity merger, valuing the total business of the latter at Rs 31,700 crore. Shares of Hindustan Unilever Limited were trading at Rs 2,188 on the BSE, down 4.79 percent from its previous close. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Students at City Universities of New York (CUNY), which includes the College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook, will continue virtual learning on Thursday following a short break -- dubbed a recalibration period -- that allowed the school system to work on distributing 30,000 laptops to students who need them to continue remote learning for the remainder of the semester. Remote instruction began at CUNY schools on March 19 due to concerns of the coronavirus (COVID-19). A five-day instructional recess was held from March 12-18 to allow for students and faculty to prepare for a distance learning model. A recalibration period was held at most CUNY schools from March 27 to April 1 to distribute technology and allow professors to make adjustments to distance learning models. Due to the recalibration period, CUNY announced spring recess would be shortened and is now scheduled for April 8-10. Our primary reason for moving up some days from the Spring Recess is to give us time to get laptops and tablets into the hands of students who need them, said CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez in an announcement. If we did not pause, we would get too far into the semester, and students who have been without access to technology since March 19 would then have a tough time catching up and likely drop out of the semester. For faculty, staff, and students whose religious observation extends into the week of April 13, the chancellor said they can request a religious exemption to observe the holiday, and the school system will offer maximum flexibility in addressing those requests. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** 30,000 LAPTOPS TO BE DISTRIBUTED CUNY is allocating 30,000 laptops to the colleges based on the proportion of their students whose Estimated Family Contribution to their studies is $0. The devices are in addition to those the individual colleges have been able to secure for distribution. Were doing this because when we made our plans we assumed that the students who do not have laptops or computers at home were going to be able to come to our campuses, to our computer labs, to be able to take their courses, said Rodriguez in a video to the CUNY community. Or the students that have poor connectivity in their homes were going to be able to come to our campuses to do that. Frank Sobrino, a spokesman for CUNY, said students who needed technology were at stake of losing the semesters studies, as well as "vital momentum toward earning a degree. The first batch of computers CUNY purchased for students arrived last weekend and colleges have started to distribute the devices to students who need them. Distribution strategies will vary from college to college, and may include mailing the devices, but in all instances social distancing standards will be strictly observed, said Sobrino. CSI TO BECOME FIELD HOSPITAL CSI asked all residents of the Dolphin Cove residence halls to vacate the buildings by March 26, as the campus is expected to be turned into a 1,000-bed field hospital to fight the coronavirus. The federal government approved the plan to turn portions of the College of Staten Islands Willowbrook campus into a field hospital and use more than 200 beds at South Beach Psychiatric Center for infected patients as the strategy to fight the deadly illness intensifies. Two parts of the CSI campus -- the Dolphin Cove dorms and the Recreational Center -- are being eyed for the care facilities, according to communications from the school, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. The Army Corps of Engineers has been responsible for the transformation of civilian facilities into field hospitals, with support from the National Guard. 42 NYC on pause: A month into the battle against deadly coronavirus Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: RELATED COVERAGE: St. Johns University cancels commencement exercises Uplifting video shows teachers dancing for their students Remote learning a juggling act for those teachers with kids at home Staten Island school principal tests positive for coronavirus New York Public Library: Free virtual tutoring, read-alouds and more College of Staten Island vacates dorms; may be used as medical facilities DoorDash will deliver meals to medically fragile NYC kids Will first responder child care centers offer special ed services? Staten Island parents on remote learning: Teacher, school support amazing' First responder child care centers open with a lot of precautions Mayor: NYC schools may be closed for rest of 2019-2020 academic year FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. State-run engineering firm BHEL on Wednesday said the company and its employees have contributed a total of Rs 15.72 crore to the PM-CARES Fund to fight the COVID-19 pandemic New Delhi: State-run engineering firm BHEL on Wednesday said the company and its employees have contributed a total of Rs 15.72 crore to the PM-CARES Fund to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. BHEL has made a contribution of Rs 7 crore through its CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds, while its employees have donated their one-day's salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund), the company said in a statement. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak To bolster the fight against this unprecedented medical emergency, a total amount of Rs 15.72 crore has been transferred to the PM-CARES Fund by BHEL, it added. BHEL is fully geared up to offer assistance in whatever way possible in combating this calamity and will keep stepping up its efforts in this direction, it said. According to Health Ministry data, the death toll due to coronavirus has risen to 38 in the country, while the number of cases has increased to 1,637. 1K Shares Share Last weeks death of the first nurse to die from COVID-19 in New York City infuriated health care colleagues who blamed his death on lack of protective gear. Across the U.S., health care workers are scrambling to design makeshift personal protective equipment, also known as PPE. Nurses are resorting to wearing Hefty trash bags because they have run out of gowns. Physicians managing the most seriously ill patients are reusing the same single-use mask for the entire shift, for as many days as possible. Emergency room nurses are cutting plastic soda bottles to make face shields. Health care workers are even making masks out of plastic wrap and rubber bands and soliciting the general public to sew homemade masks. The PPE shortage in the U.S. stems from a combination of supply chain problems and misinformation. We need more PPE, and we must act now to address these issues. Recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) for treating patients with COVID-19 are: a medical mask, face shield or goggles, gown, and gloves. N95 respirator masks are also recommended, especially for procedures such as placing a breathing tube in a patient who needs mechanical ventilation. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, we will need 3.5 billion masks over the course of a year to deal with the pandemic. The Strategic National Stockpile has 30 million surgical masks and 12 million N95 masksonly 1 percent of the number required. Health systems typically stock enough PPE to last for several months under normal conditions, but a rapid surge in hospitalizations can quickly deplete PPE stores. A hospital in Georgia treating COVID-19 patients used up five months worth of PPE in only six days. Proper PPE reduces the risk of infection in health care workers, who are especially vulnerabletheir risk is up to 6 times higher than that of the average person. In China, infections among health care workers were largely due to a lack of PPE. Approximately 3,000 health care workers were infected, of which 15 percent were severely or critically ill. More than 22 have died. But once health care workers in Wuhan had access to proper PPE, not a single one of 42,000 health care workers was infected. As the pandemic accelerates in the U.S., we are losing our health care responders due to a nationwide lack of PPE. In Ohio, 1 in 6 patients with COVID-19 are health care workers. Last week, Boston hospitals reported more than 160 health care workers infected, and at one hospital, the number of infected workers was five times the number of patients with COVID-19. Supply chain disruptions are a major cause of the PPE shortage, since China produced 50 percent of the global supply before the pandemic. Other nations, such as India and those in the European Union, have restricted or banned the export of masks because they are having difficulty meeting their own internal demand. The U.S. also does not manufacture enough PPE to equip its health care workers. Confusing guidelines about the proper use of PPE have also created an artificial shortage. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended using N95 masks when treating patients with known or suspected COVID-19. In recent weeks, the CDC has amended its recommendations to state that surgical facemasks are an acceptable alternative when N95 masks are not available. Some hospitals have interpreted this to mean that facemasks are just as good as N95 masks and are refusing to distribute N95 masks to their staff, even for procedures that require the maximum amount of protection. Physicians who dared to speak out against the lack of proper precautions at their hospitals have been retaliated against and even fired. Whats worse, the CDC recently recommended using bandanas as PPE when no more masks are available. The repeated downgrading of safety recommendations in spite of known best practices is harmful, because hospital administrators use CDC guidelines to justify providing inadequate protection to health care workers and forbidding staff from using PPE they have personally purchased. Misinformation about what constitutes safe practices puts health care workers at risk for getting infected, who, in turn, may spread the infection to their patients, coworkers, and the community. We need clinicians to be heard in close collaboration with administrators, scientists, and government in order to develop a unified understanding of the pandemic. Some believe that health care workers signed up for this kind of exposure. But we are not martyrs. Despite metaphors of physicians as soldiers entering battle, we did not have informed consent that we could lose our lives, do harm to our patients, or engage in battle without any protective gear. Others may argue that because COVID-19 has a global mortality rate of 3.4 percent, the vast majority of people with COVID-19 will survive, and therefore concerns about preserving the health care force are an overreaction. But according to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate is dependent on the health care responsemeaning that a sub-par response results in more deaths. Whats more, about 1 in 5 people with COVID-19including younger healthy adultswill have severe or critical illness, which most people experience as trouble breathing to the point of needing oxygen or a ventilator. If youre unlucky enough to be infected with severe symptoms, who would you want to be treating you? We have the capacity to mitigate some of the dire effects of this virus. We are at a fork in the roadact now to protect health care workers by addressing the supply chain problem and providing clear guidelines backed by scientific evidence. Or choose to continue to allow our skilled health care staff to fall ill, worsening the spread of infection and further straining our overburdened health care system. In which case, I hope our politicians and hospital administrators are brushing up on ventilator management, since theyll be the ones caring for our sickest patients. Crystal Wong, Suzan Song, and Sara Kerley are physicians. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The new financial year beginning today will see the merger of six public sector banks into four (the anchor banks) in a bid to make them globally competitive. As per the governments mega consolidation plan, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India will merge into Punjab National Bank (PNB); Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank; Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India; and Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank. The exercise assumes significance as it is taking place at a time when the entire country is under the grip of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has triggered a 21-day lockdown. Experts said merger at this point of time will not be very smooth and seamless. However, heads of the anchor banks exuded confidence. We dont foresee any problem it is going as per the plan. We have reviewed in the light of this situation also. Certain modification in implementation we have done so that there is no disruption for employees and customers. We are ensuring zero disruption, Union Bank of India Managing Director Rajkiran Rai G told news agency PTI. Following the consolidation, there will be seven large public sector banks (PSBs), and five smaller ones. The PNB will become second largest after the State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank fourth, Union Bank of India fifth and Indian Bank seventh biggest public sector lender. We have planned very well and from tomorrow onwards we will ensure that the merged entity functions more efficiently and effectively. Particularly we would ensure that customer services remain uninterrupted, PNB MD S S Mallikarjuna Rao said. There were as many as 27 public sector banks (PSBs) in 2017. The total number of public sector banks in the country will come down from 18 to 12 in the new financial year. We are delighted that following the amalgamation as a single legal entity, we will become a powerful banking institution that is globally competitive and efficient working towards providing differentiated customer experience excellence across all our products and services, Canara Bank MD L V Prabhakar said. The merger will result in the creation of seven large PSBs with scale and national reach, with each amalgamated entity having business of over Rs 8 lakh crore. It would help create banks with 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 the public sector bank. These were State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Hyderabad effective April 2017. (With inputs from agencies) Representative Image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Budget carrier GoAir has deferred a portion of March salary of its employees to April, CEO Vinay Dube has informed in a mail to the employees. This is apart from the pay cut that the airline had earlier announced. While the top leadership had taken a 50 percent cut in the salaries, rest of the staff saw their income cut by 5 percent to 25 percent. "Yesterday, salaries were posted to each of your bank accounts. All employees in Grade D and below received salaries in their entirety," Dube wrote in the mail. "The rest of you will see less than what you are normally used to seeing as a result of the reduction in pay I had announced earlier, but also because we have been forced to defer a portion of your accrued salaries to April," he added. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Dube, an industry veteran, pointed out that the airline is ensuring that it has enough resources to restart operations whenever the lockdown is lifted. As of now, the lockdown ends April 14. Track this blog for latest updates on coronavirus outbreak Apart from GoAir, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India have also announced pay cuts. May of their employees have been sent on leave without pay. GoAir had also terminated the contracts of its expat pilots. The industry is facing an unprecedented crisis, which could lead to the smaller airlines fighting for survival, advisory firm CAPA India had warned. In his mail to employees, Dube added that the company hopes there will be help coming from the government. He added: " I am acutely aware of the pain this decision will inflict on you and your families, but I dont see another way for us to get through this crisis and provide you with longer term employment. "We need to plan GoAirs finances on the assumption that demand for air travel will not rebound the day our skies open. It will take time for India to feel comfortable to travel again, and certainly longer for us to open international flights." Its amazing that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who loves to be in the spotlight and in doing so demonstrates how uninformed he is, so quickly offered an opinion about the $2 trillion relief bill that includes support for Howard University, which, along with Gallaudet University, is directly chartered by Congress. Thanks to Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) for attempting to educate Mr. Gaetz. HOLLYWOOD, Fla. Like much of America, Chad Chronister recently binge-watched the chronicles of an eccentric roadside zookeeper known as Joe Exotic and his archenemy, an animal activist who wanted him to stop profiting off big cats. The Netflix documentary featuring Joe Exotic, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, quickly found a captive audience of would-be investigators, trapped inside homes across the country because of the coronavirus pandemic. But it also transfixed Mr. Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, Fla., who days ago was trying to convince a rogue pastor to stay at home rather than hold services at his Tampa-area megachurch. By Tuesday morning, Sheriff Chronister, who watched the seven episodes of the documentary with his family, was holding a Facebook Live news conference in his kitchen. He wanted to discuss the disappearance of Don Lewis, who ran a big cat sanctuary in the Tampa area before he went missing 23 years ago. Cancun police arrest man for attempted murder Benito Juarez, Q.R. A 38-year-old man was arrested in Cancun Monday by Quintana Roo police on attempted murder charges. His arrest was made when police officers responded to the report of a person injured by firearm in region 207, indicating that those responsible had fled in a white vehicle. Agents implemented a search and location operation and were successful in locating the vehicle while being driven near avenida Chac Mool. When conducting a review of the units driver, a squad-type firearm was found with a charger as well as a backpack with various cartridges inside. Police say they have arrested Alejandro N, who is being held for the prosecutor for attempted murder. [April 01, 2020] CenturyLink Connects Emergency Healthcare Facilities During COVID-19 MONROE, La., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink is donating high-speed internet connections to temporary hospital facilities created to help ease the burden on the nation's healthcare system. The company is immediately responding to requests for services and installing connections within 48 hours. Connecting the Mercy Ship CenturyLink installed and donated high-speed connectivity to the hospital ship U.S. Naval Ship Mercy just hours after it arrived at the port of Los Angeles. The company also waived installation fees for a 1 gigabit Ethernet circuit connecting the Defense Information Systems Agency's shored-based Naval Air Station North Island to USNS Mercy. The high-speed connection supports our nation's military and healthcare professionals providing medical assistance to patients not associated with COVID-19 during this pandemic. Connecting Field Hospitals and Quarantine Sites Grappling with the sudden need for more hospital beds and overflow capacity due to COVID-19, local municipalities are transforming various facilities into temporary field hospitals. CenturyLink has committed to donate high-speed connectivity and waive fees for several field hospital operations in Seattle and Oregon. "This is the beginning of ou essential work to assist healthcare workers on the front lines, as we respond where we are needed the most," said Ed Morche, CenturyLink president of government and enterprise markets. "As these needs arise across the country, CenturyLink is coordinating with local government, hospitals, and the military to locate field hospitals on our network so we can provide immediate connectivity. We are donating our costs and services to help the cause - it's the right thing to do." The company is working with local and state agencies to provide speeds ranging from 200 Mbps to 1 Gigabit Ethernet connections at these locations with an expectation that the following list will continue to grow and evolve: CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle - CenturyLink is providing a 200 Mbps fiber connection to assist this 148-bed facility that will house non-coronavirus patients. - CenturyLink is providing a 200 Mbps fiber connection to assist this 148-bed facility that will house non-coronavirus patients. Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center in Salem, Ore - CenturyLink is providing a 1 gigabit Ethernet connection to this temporary hospital for 250 non-coronavirus patients in recovery. - CenturyLink is providing a 1 gigabit Ethernet connection to this temporary hospital for 250 non-coronavirus patients in recovery. King County , Seattle locations - CenturyLink activated high-speed fiber internet connections at eight quarantine locations in just three days throughout the city of Seattle in King County . These locations are serving coronavirus patients. Additional Resources Learn more about CenturyLink's commitment to the USNS Mercy: https://news.centurylink.com/usnsmercy Learn more about CenturyLink's COVID-19 preparation and response efforts here: http://news.centurylink.com/covid-19 Learn more about CenturyLink's pledge to Keep Americans Connected here: http://news.centurylink.com/fccpledge About CenturyLink CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity, and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that enhances the customer experience. Learn more at http://news.centurylink.com/. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centurylink-connects-emergency-healthcare-facilities-during-covid-19-301033093.html SOURCE CenturyLink Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 2, 2020 06:08 648 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f0a477 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19-test,TB-test-kits,PCR-test,Achmad-Yurianto Free As the number of coronavirus cases and deaths rises in Indonesia, the government says it will use modified diagnostics test kits for tuberculosis available at more than 132 hospitals and public health centers for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by the end of the week. The governments spokesperson for COVID-19-related matters, Achmad Yurianto, said on Wednesday that the government would start ordering cartridges for the rapid molecular test equipment that could detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, whereas previously the equipment was only outfitted with cartridges to detect tuberculosis bacteria. These changes will certainly not be easy, because it requires changes to the machines settings in addition to training the human resources and preparing the cartridges. But we are optimistic that it can be done starting this week, Yurianto said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that test runs may already be conducted that day. He said the use of TB test kits could shorten the time it takes to carry samples from the hospitals to laboratories, adding that the test used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that was more accurate than the rapid testing. The decision came after the Indonesian Society of Respirology (PDPI) said the government could use TB test kits by modifying the cartridges. The modified cartridges were designed by American molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, which also produces expert TBM/RIF machines used to test for TB. The technology also recently received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), approving its use to detect COVID-19 in the US. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease that endorses COVID-19 testing with the TB kits said the technology could accelerate the detection of the disease in low- and middle-income countries, returning results as quickly as in 45 minutes. In the press conference, Yurianto also said the country had recorded 1,677 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday with 157 fatalities and 103 recoveries. Cases have now been found in 32 of 34 Indonesian provinces. He also said the government had distributed around 475,200 rapid test kits to every provincial health office for early detection and contact tracing, adding that it also had distributed 349,000 pieces of personal protective equipment for medical workers across the country. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday the government was expanding a ban on the entry of non-Japanese people to cover 73 countries as policymakers try to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The number of countries was increased by 49, including the United States, China and South Korea, he said. Abe also said that everyone entering the country, including Japanese nationals, will be asked to go into a voluntary two-week quarantine. Both measures will be effective from Friday. The premier said he has asked airlines to curb the number of international flights. (Reuters) The European Union has condemned Russias decision to add Crimea and Sevastopol to the list of border territories of the Russian Federation in which non-Russian citizens are prevented from owning land. European Commissions Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said this in a statement on the Russian land ownership decree affecting Crimea, according to the website of the European External Action Service. "Russia has recently added, by a presidential decree, most of Crimea and Sevastopol to the list of border territories of the Russian Federation in which non-Russian citizens are prevented from owning land. The European Union does not recognise the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, which is a clear violation of international law. Therefore, the European Union does not recognise this decree, which is yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia. Crimea is part of Ukraine, the statement reads. The decree is also a violation of international humanitarian law, as it is another step towards the imposition of Russian citizenship in the peninsula. This could also lead to the arbitrary deprivation of property. The European Union continues to expect Russia to stop all violations of international law in the Crimean peninsula. The European Union is unwavering in its support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, the spokesperson added. As reported, on March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that includes practically the entire territory of the annexed Crimea to the list of territories where the land plots can be owned only by citizens of the Russian Federation. ish The Indian Railways distributed over one lakh cooked meals till Wednesday, starting from March 28, to the needy people during coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown. The Railways continued to provide bulk cooked food with paper plates for lunch and food packets for dinner through base kitchens of IRCTC with the help of Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), commercial departments of zones, state governments and NGOs. Also, while delivering the food to needy persons, social distancing and hygiene are being observed. Starting with 2,700 meals on March 28, IRCTC has prepared and distributed 11,530 meals on March 29, 20,487 meals on March 30, 30,850 meals on March 3 and 37,370 meals on April 1 at 23 locations. From its kitchens in New Delhi, Bangalore, Hubli, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad, Bhusaval, Howrah, Patna, Gaya, Ranchi, Katihar, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, Balasore, Vijaywada, Khurda, Kaadpali, Tiruchirapalli, Dhanbad, Guwahati and Samastipur spread over various zones such as Northern, Western, Eastern, Southern and South Central, IRCTC has so far distributed about 102,937 meals to the poor and the needy from March 28. The RPF has been involved in a big way in the food distribution to needy people by Indian Railways. The details are as follows: 5419 needy persons were provided food by RPF over 74 locations on 28.03.2020. In addition to food prepared in IRCTC kitchens, food for 2719 persons was sourced from internal resources of RPF. 21568 needy persons were provided food by RPF over 146 locations on 29.03.2020. In addition to food prepared in IRCTC kitchens, food for 8790 persons was sourced from internal resources of RPF while food for 4150 persons was distributed in association with NGOs. 30741 needy persons were provided with food by RPF over 186 locations on 30.03.2020. In addition to food prepared in IRCTC kitchens, food for 12453 persons was sourced from internal resources of RPF while food for 3746 persons was distributed in association with NGOs. 38045 needy persons were provided with food by RPF over 196 locations on 31.3.2020. In addition to food prepared in IRCTC kitchens, food for 14633 persons was sourced from internal resources of RPF while food for 4072 persons was distributed in association with NGOs. Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal had also directed the officials of Indian Railways to reach out to needy people with food and other assistance to the best of their human abilities and resources. The Minister had said that Railways should widen the outreach of their efforts and go beyond the proximities of railways stations to deeper areas in consultation with district authorities and NGOs etc. It may be noted that Indian Railways is gearing up to meet any higher demand to provide food to needy in the times of lockdown, which has been imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Indian Railways is ready for any contingency and adequate stocks of foodgrains and other raw material are being maintained. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:50:42|Editor: yhy Video Player Close BANGKOK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Finance on Wednesday said the Treasury Department will release new coins and collect old ones for a thorough cleanup to help stem the spread of COVID-19. "In Thailand, cash is the main source of transactions. People still carry cash with them to buy food and items," said Yuttana Yimgarund, director-general of the department. "The virus can stick onto old coins for 5-7 days and with banknotes for 9 days," said Yuttana, adding that they will use ultraviolet light at 200 degrees Celsius to sanitize the old coins and banknotes. Yuttana said people can still use detergent to wash and dry coins under the sunlight or use alcohol to clean them. "The government would like to encourage all Thais to make payments through online channels and money transfers," he said, noting that the Treasury Department will be releasing 31 billion coins in the meantime. Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 120 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths, sending the total number of confirmed cases to 1,771 and death toll at 12. A woman and her two daughters died on Wednesday when the roof of their house collapsed due to torrential rains in northwest Pakistan, police said. The incident happened at Jalano village in Swabi district. Police rushed to the spot and retrieved the victims from the debris with the help of residents. In an unrelated incident, two persons were killed and five others injured when two groups clashed over a disputed land in Bodin Khel area of Bannu district. The injured have been rushed to a hospital, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I am a person and I have my privacy, Kaspersky co-founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky told CSO Australia during a recent visit to Melbourne, when asked about having his name across headlines such as Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S. Government Computers and Trump signs into law U.S. government ban on Kaspersky Lab software. Still, in an interview with CSO Australia, Kaspersky did discuss some of the fallout from that period. He said that there was a time when a discussion regarding the name of the company took place due to the bad publicity and that he was against changing it. I think that was the right decision. I think I will not change it, Kaspersky said. The name did later change, but from Kaspersky Lab to simply Kaspersky. How Kaspersky dealt with the US governments ban In late 2017, the Trump administration ordered US government agencies to move away from using Kaspersky products, alleging that the Russia-based company was vulnerable to Kremlin influence. (It didnt help that Kaspersky had graduated during Soviet times from the Technical Faculty of the KGB Higher School with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology, which suggested long-term ties with Russian intelligence.) That happened about two and a half years ago. Since then there was no proof, no hard data. It was all the fake news from the very beginning, Kaspersky told CSO Australia. That accusation resulted in many problems such as technology partnerships coming to an end, reseller partners moving away from the brand, and other countries following suit and stopping using Kaspersky products. Although not all those lost partnerships have been re-established, new ones have taken place and Kaspersky is now on what its founder calls a positive wave. He said many customers and partners recognised there was nothing to worry about straight away or soon after and although the companys results are still flat, Kaspersky remains profitable. He also said that as some countries moved away from the Kaspersky brand, others moved closer and as a result Kaspersky has a stronger enterprise presence in some countries than before. Kasperky was expecting to experience growth this year, but the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought a lot of uncertainty across the globe. With his typical braggadocio, Kaspersky said he wished COVID-19 was a cyber issue so he could fix it with the snap of a finger and have an antidote the next day. Cyber security events to prepare for Cyber crime is an ongoing, fast-moving industry, Kaspersky said. He warned of smarter cyber criminals, attacks on infrastructure systems, and the vulnerability of the internet of things (IoT). He said that his company used to fight junior cyber criminals but there are now many getting involved with "highly professional cyber gangs" that have "criminal smart engineers. He expects more attacks on infrastructure systems such as power grids. Kaspersky believes there are already many cases that have gone unreported for various reasons. He said infrastructure and IoT systems need to be developed differently and be secure by design, which he believes is possible but requires vendors to change how they develop those systems. There are already more connected devices than people in the world, devices that are not under control. Without regulation and better security built in, he sees major harm possible from attacks, cases like the Mirai botnet attack happening again and again. Kaspersky develops a blockchain platform for voting Recently, the Kaspersky company launched an online voting system, named Polys, that is based on blockchain technology and can be applied not only to voting but other poll-like applications. Polys provides a secure and immutable voting system where voter anonymity is guaranteed by crypto algorithms. This system resolves many problems. First of all, it resolves the problem of the young generation which doesn't want to go to the physical [voting locations]; they want to do it online, Kaspersky said. Polys can be configured as a centralised or decentralised solution. What cannot be changed is the information once entered into the system. According to Kaspersky, if the system allows for the person to change his or her mind and having first voted for candidate A but later decided to vote for candidate B, both entries will be saved, but the last one will be used in the final result. Kaspersky claims that, with Polys, You can't hack the election. Every transaction is cryptographically signed, so you cant change transactions without ruining the rest of them. Polys was tested in the voting for the Moscow parliament. Why Kaspersky doesnt believe in AI Eugene Kaspersky told a group of analysts, partners and journalists in Zurich, Switzerland in 2018 that he did not believe in artificial intelligence (AI) but in very smart algorithms. In 2020, his belief remains the same. He calls it machine learning instead of AI. AI is a next step in homo sapiens evolution. But now, what they call AI, its a machine learning system, its algorithms that are made to solve some particular tasks, Kaspersky said. By contrast, intelligence is the ability to answer unexpected questions, Kaspersky explained. We are far away from there I think, which I will call artificial intelligence. What we have at the moment is a very smart, very complicated, very sophisticated algorithm. A US FA-18 Hornet fighter jet flies past fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeyes during a routine training aboard US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea. File photo: AFP With the spread of the novel coronavirus accelerating on US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the warship faces a fate much worse than the Diamond Princess cruise ship as most of the crew members remain in close quarters on the carrier to maintain its combat readiness. Chinese experts said on Wednesday that the US should shift focus to epidemic control, because no one would attack the US even if the carrier goes out of action. Only a small number of infected sailors have been off-loaded and most of the crew members remain aboard the ship, which has limitations of space, making following quarantine guidelines impossible, according to a letter Brett Crozier, captain of the Theodore Roosevelt, sent to senior US military officials, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. Crozier asked for more quarantine rooms on land in Guam, where the carrier stays, for his entire crew as soon as possible. He also said the Theodore Roosevelt is facing a much worse situation than the Diamond Princess cruise ship, even under best-case results, given the current environment. In response to Crozier's letter, US acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told CNN on Tuesday that crew members were needed to stay on the carrier because it has armaments and aircraft on it. "If that ship had to sail today for combat it's ready to sail right now if it was needed," said Jeff Taliaferro, the vice director for operations for the Joint Staff of the US, on Monday, CNN reported. The US is putting the lives of its sailors under the unnecessary threat of the coronavirus due to an outdated Cold War mentality, and there is no need to maintain the carrier's combat readiness, Chinese experts said. The Theodore Roosevelt was in the South China Sea to carry out provoking military actions in mid-March, but these actions were not necessary to the US' national security, and no one would launch an attack on the US in the first place, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "The US is not facing the threat of war, but it is seeking enemies everywhere it goes with a Cold War mentality, looking for unnecessary trouble," Zhang said. "Even if all crew members on the aircraft carrier disembark and go into quarantine, no other country will wage war on the US," Zhang said. Since the first three confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified on March 24, the aircraft carrier with more than 4,000 people aboard now has 150 to 200 infected sailors, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing a senior officer on board the warship. Another US aircraft carrier, the Japan-based Ronald Reagan, is also facing a "handful" of positive COVID-19 cases, CNN reported on Wednesday. Three fresh cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 24, officials said. A 40-year-old woman, admitted to a hospital in Gaya district, who had a travel history to Dubai, has tested positive, state epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said in the evening. Earlier in the day, one person each from Begusarai and Nalanda districts, with travel histories to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively, tested positive for the virus, she added. Among the 24 positive cases reported in the state, one has died while two others have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, Mishra said. The deceased was a 38-year-old from Munger with a travel history to Qatar, who passed away the day before the test results, confirming he was COVID 19 positive, came out. He breathed his last at the AIIMS, Patna where he was admitted for renal failure. Several persons, including close relatives and health care professionals, are said to have picked up the contagion from the deceased and they are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Patna and Bhagalpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jaunpur administration has quarantined about 50 people who attended a Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and returned to the district recently. He said their addresses and the places they visited after attending the religious congregation are being ascertained. "People who returned two days ago from Delhi and Noida on buses were scanned. Of this, there were around 50 persons who returned after attending the Tabligh-e-Jamaat. These people have been quarantined at Shia College, and their health check-up is being done," District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said. ON TAPE: Markaz chief urges Muslims to defy lockdown, terms Coronavirus a 'conspiracy' What is the Nizamuddin COVID-19 scare? On Monday, sources reported that a religious programme was organised at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which had over 300 foreign attendees from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan apart from hundreds from several states in India. After attending the meeting, prior to the nationwide lockdown, all these attendees returned to several parts of the country, possibly spreading the COVID-19 virus. Nizamuddin Markaz: Delhi Police files FIR against Maulana Saad, others of Tablighi Jamaat On Sunday, around 50-70 people, who were hiding in a mosque, were taken to LNJP hospital as they were all COVID-19 suspects 24 have tested positive. The mosque has claimed that while they were letting small groups of attendees leave from the venue prior to the Janta Curfew, several were stuck in the area which has now been entirely quarantined owing to the nationwide lockdown. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Tuesday, informed that 1746 individuals were staying in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz as of March 21 - 216 foreigners, 1530 Indians. Moreover, 824 foreigners who had spread out across the nation for various Tabligh Jamaat activities are currently being screened and quarantined, according to MHA. Apart from these individuals, MHA stated that 2137 persons have been identified in different states and have been quarantined, adding that the process of identifying is ongoing. So far, about 2,137 such persons have been identified in different states. They are being medically examined and quarantined. This process is still on and more such people would be identified and located: Ministry of Home Affairs ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2020 Big surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra: Tally swells to 302; 82 reported on March 31 The prime minister expressed the state's readiness to offer all possible incentives for Egyptian manufacturers to boost the industrial sector Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has said the coronavirus crisis provides an ideal opportunity to boost the Egyptian industrial sector. The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting on Tuesday with Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea and President of the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) Mohamed El-Sewedy to discuss means to support the industrial sector against the negative economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The crisis offers a golden opportunity to rely on local industries and boost domestic manufacturing, Madbouly said, according to a cabinet statement. He added that the government is willing to provide all possible incentives for Egyptian manufacturers to support the industrial sector. El-Sewedy said a meeting was held Monday with the FEI board members via video conference to probe means of supporting the industrial sector during this critical period. During the meeting, the trade minister and the FEI chair agreed to work to promote the industrial complexes being set up by the government to provide necessary production materials. The meeting came as the pandemic continues to take its toll on major Egyptian industries after the suspension of operations at several facroties and the lowering of workforce at others. Search Keywords: Short link: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While an executive order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo said school districts in the state must continue remote learning even if it is during a spring break due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the New York City teachers union said members will still have April 9-12 off in observance of religious holidays. On Tuesday evening, United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew addressed concerns that spring break for New York City public schools -- which is scheduled for April 9-17 -- will be canceled. Under guidance from the state education department, related to the governors executive order, virtual learning must continue throughout the state from April 1-14, even if its during a scheduled spring break. Districts must continue to provide remote instruction for students, meals for students, and child care for essential workers every weekday between April 1, 2020, and April 14, 2020, even if the district is scheduled to be on spring break during that time, reads the guidance. However, Mulgrew told UFT members on Tuesday that they will still have off from April 9-12 in observance of religious holidays -- which includes Passover and Easter -- but that remote learning will continue Monday, April 13. We are working now with the DOE to develop plans for that week, and we will communicate them to you as we finalize them, said Mulgrew. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** In a video shared with UFT members, Mulgrew said he wants the week of April 13 to be a different style of remote learning and he is working with the DOE to create a special week of family service and support. We want to be engaged, because we know the challenge is to continue to keep our students and families engaged, and were going to meet that challenge, said Mulgrew in the video. But we should be able to do a little bit differently just for that week. So were hoping to be able to get that finalized with the Department of Ed [Education.] Miranda Barbot, spokeswoman for the city Department of Education (DOE), told the Advance/SILive.com on Tuesday that the agency is reviewing how the state education departments guidance "affects New York City. City Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said in a tweet on Wednesday morning that he knows there are many questions about spring break and that the DOE will share specific guidance soon. The DOE didnt immediately respond to a request at the time of publication to confirm teachers will have off on April 9-12, or if any additional guidance was shared when it came to remote learning for the week of April 13. We know there are many questions about Spring Break, scheduled for April 9-17, 2020. We thank our families & staff for their patience as we work through yet another unprecedented decision thats emerged from this equally unprecedented crisis. We will share specific guidance soon. Chancellor Richard A. Carranza (@DOEChancellor) April 1, 2020 Mulgrew said that while UFT members have done extraordinary work in these difficult circumstances, they are being asked to do more, even though it may not be fair. He said he feels that Cuomo believes public schools play a critical role in keeping kids engaged in learning at home while also curbing the spread of the coronavirus. That is why he is using the emergency powers that he legally has to keep schools open during spring breaks throughout the state, said Mulgrew, adding he wants to be clear with members about why this was happening. We are now in the critical phase," he said in the video. "The next three weeks will tell us whether this will be six weeks or six months, and theyre asking us, the educators, the guidance counselors, the social workers, the secretaries, the paraprofessionals, all related service providers, theyre saying, We need you to continue to get this done. He continued: So Im asking you, were there with you, were staying with you, but one more time, were being asked to step up. Step up after we already have. I promise you if we continue to do this work, we will get through this. Im there, were all in this together. The UFT president is inviting members to join him for a telephone town hall on Wednesday at 3 p.m., in which he will discuss the situation and answer questions. The updated guidance from the state education department was released after Cuomo announced Sunday that school closures in the state were extended from April 1 to April 15. Continued closures of schools will be re-evaluated before April 15. According to the governors executive order, school districts must continue plans for alternative instructional options, distribution, and availability of meals and childcare, with an emphasis on serving children of essential workers. New York City public schools are closed until at least April 20 -- when students are expected to return to school after spring break. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio has repeatedly said its possible that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. Remote learning for students began last week on March 23, the same day that Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs) opened to provide child care for first responders, health care workers and transit workers. The list of essential workers who qualify for childcare at RECs was expanded to include grocery and pharmacy workers, as well as employees for other city agencies. If you are considered an essential worker under the citys qualifications for a REC and you have no other child care option, you can complete this survey form to begin the enrollment process for a REC. After completing the survey, you will receive confirmation of your enrollment status in up to 48 hours, along with next steps. 42 NYC on pause: A month into the battle against deadly coronavirus Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: RELATED COVERAGE: New York cancels spring break for school districts across state St. Johns University cancels commencement exercises Uplifting video shows teachers dancing for their students Remote learning a juggling act for those teachers with kids at home Staten Island school principal tests positive for coronavirus New York Public Library: Free virtual tutoring, read-alouds and more College of Staten Island vacates dorms; may be used as medical facilities DoorDash will deliver meals to medically fragile NYC kids Will first responder child care centers offer special ed services? Staten Island parents on remote learning: Teacher, school support amazing' First responder child care centers open with a lot of precautions Mayor: NYC schools may be closed for rest of 2019-2020 academic year FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. On Sunday, President Trump announced that he would extend the Coronavirus social distancing guidelines, which suggest Americans avoid gatherings of groups of 10 or more, to stay away from restaurants and bars, and to avoid unnecessary travel, and increase hand hygiene, until the end of April. This represents a retreat from what he said last week when he said hed like to see guidelines eased by Easter Sunday, and wanted to see churches packed to the gills with worshippers. Now, having perhaps taken the advice of health experts, he plans to keep the current federal guidelines active until the end of April. In that press conference, he also suggested that the crisis would be largely over by June 1. But when will social distancing really end? And is it helping? The Current State of Social Distancing The evidence so far in the United States has shown that aggressive social distancing in the hot zones of infections has been working, especially in states that go further than the federal guidelines outlined by Trump. Last week in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee said that the rate of infection in the state, which has already had 200 deaths due to the Coronavirus, has been slowing at least slightly. And hospitalizations due to COVID-19-like illnesses in the state have dropped by nearly 20 percent, suggesting that fewer people are becoming seriously ill from the dangerous virus. And in New York City, evidence suggests that a turning point in the rate of infection occurred on March 16, the first day that schools were closed. The day after, all bars and restaurants were ordered closed, and by March 23, three days after the stay-at-home order took effect, newly reported fevers were below the levels seen on March 1, according to the New York Times. Right now, one in five people around the planet are under lockdown. There have been almost 400,000 cases confirmed globally, and at least 16,500 people have died of the virus, while about 101,000 have recovered. But according to the World Health Organization, while it took 67 days for the first 100,000 cases to appear, the most recent 100,000 confirmed cases have happened in the last four days. Part of this is because of scaling up testing capacities across the globe but it also suggests that the worst is far from over when it comes to Coronavirus, as cases can exponentially spike in areas. This reality, especially in lieu of appropriate testing measures, increases the need for social distance and flatten the curve to lower the burden on hospitals, ICUs, and health care workers. Story continues But just because social distancing appears to have worked to slow the rate of infection and hospitalization in some major hot spots so far doesnt mean that the efforts will end on April 30. After all, some models suggest that some forms of social distancing may be needed for the next 18 months or until a vaccine is developed. So, when will social distancing end? First, Look to China Two months ago, China took aggressive measures to shut down the spread of the infection in the country. They stopped moving in and out of Wuhan, where the pandemic was first reported, and 15 other cities in the province, functionally shutting down the movement of 60 million people. Very shortly after travel was limited in and out of Hubei Province, the Chinese government ordered a shelter-in-place and told people only to leave their homes for medication or food. That amounted to a lockdown of 760 million Chinese citizens. China also will start mass testing asymptomatic citizens on Wednesday, April 1, a necessary step to ending lockdown conditions and quarantining fewer Chinese citizens. Two days after Wuhan was locked down, the daily infection rate peaked, and the rate of infection today has slowed significantly. Since March 18, only six locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 have been reported. As of last week, a reported 75 percent of Chinas workforce was back on the job. While the Hubei Province is still on lockdown, the lockdown is expected to lift on April 8th, suggesting that the United States could see itself operating under the social distancing guidelines for at least two months before some things return to normal, if not much longer. However, Chinas guidelines and enforcement of social distancing guidelines were as still are much more stringent than those in the U.S. So, using their progress as a model works, but only to a point. The U.S. Will Be Different Than Other Countries. Heres Why. The United States, which has a population of over 325 million, and, as of yesterday, about 248 million Americans in at least 29 states have been ordered to stay at home except for essential trips for groceries and medicine and outdoor exercise. None of the measures put in place so far have been as strict as in China, and some states have not enacted shelter-in-place designations at all, meaning that the combination of testing shortages, which limit our information about the viruss spread, and social distancing measures could lead to a slower and longer spread of the Coronavirus, enacting later waves of social distancing measures in different states. If, for example, the United States aggressively ramped up testing, which has, so far, been inadequate, those who have already had the virus, whether or not they are asymptomatic, could return to work or help in the public efforts to stop the viruss spread. But, without testing, everyone must act like they have the virus, whether or not they do, meaning that social distancing will drag on longer. New Yorks peak, for example, is on the horizon in likely April, whereas other states that announced their first infection weeks later, like those that havent yet enacted shelter-in-place guidelines, will likely see their infection peaks occur later on, in about 30 days, per Governor Cuomo. What Do Models Suggest Could Happen? For the most part, there are two realistic paths for life returning to normal. One of which is, of course, the development of a vaccine that could be administered globally. The other is to socially distance until the disease works its way through the population, which will kill many but could leave many immune. Whether or not immunity is a given is still uncertain. But the timelines for these two paths both look like theyll take one to two years, and for many, the prospect of working from home for the next 12 months feels untenable. While most epidemiologists have refrained from speculating when, exactly, social distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines will end, there are some ways this could play out. We Learn More, And Can Treat It Better Some timelines suggest that within three to four months, after public health experts learn more about the virus, including how to effectively treat it, some aspects of life could return to normal. In this timeline, the need for social distancing would still be in place, but with the effective, quick treatment of COVID-19, hospitals might not be as overburdened as they will be under current treatment times. That timeline is also dependent on widespread testing for people who have symptoms and those who dont like South Korea has done, testing some 10,000 citizens per day and could mean that in some cities where the peak of infection has passed, some restaurants could open with limited capacity. Without Widespread Testing or a Vaccine, Some Uncertainty Remains Even if some life can return to some normalcy in the next year restaurants, and small businesses returning to work, but major events like music festivals and sports games remain canceled, its unreasonable to expect that all would be back to completely normal until a widely available vaccine has been developed, tested, and produced on a mass scale. Most experts suggest that the absolute earliest this could be the case is Spring 2021 meaning that globally, the world can expect to be under some form of social distancing or lockdown for at least a year. This story is developing. Fatherly will update it frequently as new information becomes available. Related Articles: The post When Will Social Distancing End? appeared first on Fatherly. The White House warned on Wednesday that it now expects the coronavirus pandemic will kill between 100,000 and 240,000 US citizens. It is a frightening number but hopefully this will prove a turning point in the US response to the crisis. Until this week US President Donald Trump has failed to grasp the gravity of the threat posed by the pandemic. As recently as a month ago, he dismissed COVID-19 as a "Democrat hoax". Although he announced temporary health guidelines to slow the spread of the virus two weeks ago, he then turned around, even as health experts warned the number of cases was exploding across the US, and mused that he might let them lapse because he wanted the economy to re-open for Easter. Thankfully he has now dropped that irresponsible bluff and extended the social distancing guidelines until April 30. It seems he has at last accepted the seriousness of the pandemic and started listening to health experts. "This could be a hell of a bad two weeks," he said. Of course nothing is certain with Mr Trump. Within seconds he bizarrely gave himself a pat on the back and said that if he can keep deaths to 100,000 it will be a "very, very good job". In his 27 years in the army Colonel Ashleigh Boreham served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo. But there is no doubt in his mind that the job he is doing currently is the most important and worthwhile of his life. Col. Boreham has been a commander of medical units in three different conflicts, including Afghanistan. Now he is in charge of the military unit at the emergency hospital of 4,000 beds the largest medical facility in the UK which has been built for coronavirus patients at the ExCel Centre in Londons Docklands. This is the biggest job I have ever known. Ive spent 27 years on a journey to this moment, he said. We are building a hospital for people of our nation. These are our comrades. it really does not matter whether they are civilian or military, there is no difference. I am from London, most of the people here are from London, we are doing this to save the lives of Londoners. It feels personal for everybody involved, it cannot be anything else. Many of the people working here, many of the soldiers working here, are from London. It focuses the mind, and that is why you have everyone pulling together. We have one common aim and that is to save lives. This is the common purpose between the military and the NHS. NHS Nightingale is one of around four hospitals being built around the UK to help the NHS deal with the onslaught of the pandemic. There have been people from other fields volunteering to work there, including more than a hundred cabin crew from Virgin Atlantic and EasyJet who are trained in first aid, as well as around 750 from St Johns Ambulance. Col. Boreham, of the 256 City of London Field Hospital, wanted to stress that the role of volunteers is of huge importance in supporting the absolutely fantastic NHS and those who are in need. His 88-year-old mother is in lockdown; a university student daughter is delivering food and care parcels; his wife is a nurse. The ExCel Centre facility, expected to open this week, was set up by the militarys Covid Support Force in less than a week. Itll be staffed by the NHS with the military providing support. The size of the project can be gauged by the fact that the largest hospital in the country until now, St Georges in Tooting, in southwest London, has around 1,300 beds. Two of the other emergency hospitals being considered are at Birminghams National Exhibition Centre, which will have 500 beds, with the capacity to go up to 2,000 if necessary, and the Manchester Central Convention Complex, also with 500 beds, with the capacity to expand to 1,000. Col Boreham, aged 54, was in the last months of his active service before leaving the army to join the NHS, when he heard that he would be working on this project. It is my last job in the army. Two weeks ago I had no idea. We literally got a phone call, I said goodbye to my wife, who is also on the frontline, packed my bergen (rucksack), arrived here, met up with the NHS about nine days ago, sat around a table and basically did what you always do. We drew a plan up, over a brew, and then from that we started to build up a plan and create the product. Its the scale, he said. Contractors and military work together as they help set up NHS Nightingale. (UK Ministry of Defence 2020) Myself and my team, and all the other parts of the army, the NHS, everybody here has got the skillset and ability to do it. I cant emphasise enough the leadership skills of some of the NHS people here. Ive got the experience: Im the right person at the right time, maybe, for this particular project. The initial reconnaissance team at the ExCel Centre was of eight, and that went up to 200, with around 65 deployed every day. The NHS, he pointed out, was in charge. The task of the military unit, a mixture of regulars and reserves, ranged from laying down floor, building beds, engineering and electrical projects, and the delivery of essential supplies, to medical planning, setting up patient data bases and management systems. Col. Boreham pointed to the British militarys experience in dealing with epidemics: The parallels are the experience we had from working with partners in west Africa during the Ebola crisis. Comparing it to combat operations, he added the challenges are the same, the threats are in a different way. It is more the threat one cant see. Lieutenant Michael Andrews, 24, of A Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, was in Sierra Leone on a military training mission when he and his colleagues were recalled. We were brought back about two weeks early. Initially we were told we were coming back because they didnt want us to be stuck in Sierra Leone, obviously with the flights all being cancelled, they didnt want us to be stranded. When I arrived back we were put on readiness to assist when required. We were warned we might be assisting as of Monday last week and I arrived on site on Thursday. It is hard to not make it personal ... It is personal because you are very aware that your friends and family could end up at NHS Nightingale. Its personal because you are helping to lay the foundations for what is such a momentous and incredible achievement. Sergeant Mark Anderson, 32, also of A Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, has also served in Iraq, Afghanistan and with the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. It was the sheer magnitude of what was being undertaken at the ExCel Centre and other facilities which makes this mission logistically so different, he said. I have been in the Army 15 years. I dont think what is happening here compares with Afghanistan and Iraq. The task here is of a massive scale and I dont think anyone has seen something of this scale done before. The enemy now is an invisible enemy and we all need to work together to combat the outbreak. I am from Essex, currently living in London, and being here does hit home the reality of the scale of the outbreak. I didnt join the army expecting something like to happen. [But] we have a very flexible capability and the training we deliver to our soldiers is of the highest level to make sure we are ready for any situation or national emergency thrown our way. We are working with the NHS and other public services on such a large scale, everyone contributes to the main goal, everyone has been working flat out to the best of their ability to get this place up and running in the quickest possible time. The team said Col. Boreham was driven by a sense of duty to the past, as well as the present and the future: I have come from a family that has served. My grandfather was at the Somme, this is no different, I am just in a different battle. For far too long, Americas response to the coronavirus lacked what you might call rational panic. From the experts to the markets to the president and his cable television court, an irrational calm prevailed when a general freak-out might have prepared us for the crisis. Today, at last, we have panic in surplus however unevenly distributed and still insufficient in some places. But now we need something else to leaven it: Along with rational panic, we need sources of rational hope. Rational hope is not the same as reckless optimism. It doesnt require, for instance, quickly lifting quarantines based on outlying projections of low fatality rates, as some return-to-normalcy conservatives have been urging. Rational hope accepts that the situation is genuinely dark, but then it looks around for signposts leading up and out. It recognizes that things are likely to get worse but keeps itself alert to the contexts in which they seem to be getting better or, at the very least, getting worse more slowly. It doesnt expect miracles, but it rejects a grim helplessness, a spirit of inevitable doom. Here are three sources of rational hope, three patterns where Im finding optimism right now. First, there is modest hope in data compiled by smart-thermometer company Kinsa, which claims to be able to identify anomalous, unseasonal fever rates using data from its nationwide user base. Kinsas data show a clear February-and-March anomaly across the U.S., especially in areas known to be affected by the coronavirus. But it also shows that anomaly diminishing as lockdowns and social distancing began to the point where fever rates are now below the expected trend nationally and returning toward seasonal norms even in some COVID-19 hot spots. The company is careful to note that this probably doesnt reflect declining coronavirus infections alone, since many illnesses decline under social-distancing conditions. But the sharp turn suggests that general infection curves can be changed quickly even during a pandemic and that the policies of the last two weeks might be having a real epidemiological effect. Second, there is hope in the differing course of the pandemic so far in greater New York versus the Pacific Coast. Both regions are urbanized, diverse and international, both were seeded with coronavirus cases around the same time, and Seattle had the first major (observed) outbreak. But Washington state bent its curve after the initial surge, and Californias case rate and death rate trends are a gentle incline nothing like the New York areas terrifying spike. In the most optimistic case, the spike reflects New Yorks unique density and heavy reliance on mass transit and one could hope that America as a whole, with our exurbs and sprawling cities and wide-aisled supermarkets and car-based commutes, is more like California than like Gotham. This might be too optimistic; there is plenty of Bay Area and SoCal density, and coronavirus clusters have popped up in plenty of less-dense locales. So maybe some of the divide reflects policy the fact that West Coast leaders acted ever-so-slightly more swiftly and with more seriousness of purpose than the feckless Bill de Blasio in New York City. But even that is grounds for reasonable hope, since it suggests that even if you initially fail to spot an outbreak, you can still hope to imitate South Korea rather than northern Italy. Finally, there is hope in the fact that the impressive containment achieved so far in East Asia has been accomplished with a variety of different policies, different degrees of lockdown and distancing, but one major commonality: the widespread use of masks. Fearing shortages and panic, Western experts have downplayed the effectiveness of masking. But the circumstantial evidence of Western versus Asian epidemic curves and the direct evidence of multiple studies suggest that masking works, and that its widespread adoption can change an epidemics course. That path cant be taken until American mask production outstrips shortages although even homemade masks may be reasonably effective and I wouldnt expect a masking norm to ever become universal in America. (During the Spanish flu, a Bay Area mask ordinance was eventually repealed under the influence of the Anti-Mask League of San Francisco.) But you could see masks becoming ubiquitous in the densest areas, essentially required of air travelers and commuters, and normalized for supermarket and mall trips even in exurbia. These three hopeful signs together hint at a path back toward quasi-normalcy. The current shutdown bends infection curves relatively quickly, outside a few major urban outbreaks. That policy response combines with Americas social-distancing sprawl and car culture and younger-than-Europe age profile to compensate for our initial incompetence and natural insubordination. And then the cheapest, lightest-weight means of slowing transmission becomes ubiquitous in U.S. cities by Memorial or Independence Day. Im sure it wont be that easy. But this column also hasnt exhausted the list of reasonable hopes. And in a dark moment we should all be looking for them. UNHCR staff build a temporary medical ward outside the Erasmo Meoz Hospital, in Cucuta, Colombia, as part of the stepped up response to COVID-19. The facility has the capacity to attend to 72 patients. UNHCR With the coronavirus pandemic testing health care systems around the world, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, are calling attention to the challenges facing refugees and migrants from Venezuela. At a time when the worlds attention is focused on COVID-19, and as governments and populations, particularly health workers, heroically come together to combat this virus, we should not lose sight of the needs of the millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, said Eduardo Stein, joint UNHCR-IOM Special Representative for refugees and migrants from Venezuela. COVID-19 has brought many aspects of life to a standstill but the humanitarian implications of this crisis have not ceased and our concerted action remains more necessary than ever. We are urging the international community to boost its support for humanitarian, protection and integration programmes, on which the lives and welfare of millions of people depend, including host communities. The current global public health emergency has compounded an already desperate situation for many refugees and migrants from Venezuela, and their hosts. Funding to support them is urgently needed. Many depend on insufficient daily wages to cover basic needs such as shelter, food and health care; others have no roof over their heads. With growing fear and social unrest, Venezuelan refugees and migrants are also at risk of being stigmatized. Governments in the region have been leading and coordinating the response to ensure those leaving Venezuela can access rights and documentation. But as national capacities become stretched to a breaking point, the wellbeing and safety of Venezuelans and their host communities is at risk. Millions of refugees and migrants, and the communities hosting them, continue to need urgent support, particularly as the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic begins to be felt across Latin America and the Caribbean. The coordination of the humanitarian response for refugees and migrants from Venezuela is conducted through a Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform (Response for Venezuelans-R4V), complemented by eight national or sub-regional platforms. Platforms are operating through a sector approach with the participation of 137 partners. In addition, WHO-PAHO leads the health-related aspects of the COVID-19 response. The Regional Platform has activated a critical revision of all operations in the region to prioritize essential protection and life-saving actions and promote the inclusion of refugees and migrants in national programmes. In close coordination with WHO-PAHO, the R4V is also collaborating with national and local authorities to address the new challenges and deliver basic support to Venezuelan refugees and migrants, as well as to host communities. While maintaining physical distancing measures, partners are implementing a number of prevention and response activities in the main locations where refugees and migrants from Venezuela are hosted. These activities ensure people can adequately access information, clean water, soap and appropriate waste disposal. Organizations are working around the clock to find innovative ways to continue supporting the most vulnerable individuals in the current context while also supporting national authorities to set up observation and isolation spaces for potential positive COVID-19 cases. So far, the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) launched in November 2019 to respond to the most urgent needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela in 17 countries, as well as the local communities hosting them, has received only three per cent of the requested funds, which could put at stake the continuity of lifesaving programmes throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information on this topic, please contact: In Geneva: Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR ( [email protected] ) +41 79 337 7650 ) +41 79 337 7650 Angela Wells, IOM ( [email protected] ) +41 79 403 5365 In Panama: For background information please consult the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform website: R4V.info The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Saeed, has banned commercial sex work in the capital town of the Northern Region. The ban, according to Mr Saeed, is aimed at halting the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after 10 Guineans in the region tested positive for the disease. A statement signed the Regional Minister on Tuesday said the ten confirmed cases in Tamale "is a wake up call to all of us to abide by all directives issued to contain COVID-19". "Accordingly, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has decided to place a ban on prostitution and its related activities with immediate effect", the statement said. Although prostitution is illegal in Ghana, Mr Saeed told the press in Tamale that it was not being enforced thus the need for the directive. According to him, the 10 COVID-19 patients confirmed in the Northern Region were sex workers and therefore, their activities posed a danger against the fight of the disease. I know sometimes it is difficult to tell people not to engage in this activity, but in this period of Coronavirus that we are preaching that people should ensure social distance, we have come to realize that there are a lot of the people who have put themselves under the cover of darkness within the capital of Tamale and some parts of the region and doing prostitution, he said. If you look at the confirmed victims of Coronavirus, some of them are prostitutes. They have been fished out from those locations and I am using it as a basis to ban prostitution in Northern Region. So, on this note, I am pleading with you, especially with the young men and young ladies [that]. We know that sometimes you want to satisfy your desire in one way or the other but at this critical moment, everybody is hot in this region and the country. I am pleading, people should fear God, fear the almighty Allah, our Lord Jesus Christ and stop this prostitution, the Minister added. 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 The World Health Organization will spend $900,000 to support North Korea's efforts to prevent the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, data showed Wednesday. According to the data posted on the website of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the WHO will spend the money on COVID-19 response activities in North Korea. The money was allocated to the agency through the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as part of an "early action response" to global containment of the coronavirus, the website showed. The North has not reported any confirmed coronavirus infections, but the country has intensified anti-virus efforts by shutting down its border and toughening quarantine criteria amid speculation that it might be concealing an outbreak. (Yonhap) Ireland can share in an EU unemployment reinsurance scheme worth up to 100 billion to help member governments pay the emergency coronavirus welfare payments. The European Commission is working on details of the plan to be presented to EU finance ministers at discussions next Tuesday on a major suite of measures to support member states all of which are struggling with spiralling unemployment rates due to the virus. The move comes amid huge pressure on the EU by nine states led by France, Italy and Spain - to make a real response to the crisis. Unemployment numbers are just exploding right now something far above and beyond the usual emergency measures, one senior EU official told Independent.ie. The deepening crisis, and mounting death tolls in several member states, have caused a backlash to the EU leaders refusal last week to back a plan to issue so-called coronavirus bonds to shoulder the virus debt burden. In Netherlands, a founding EU member state, there were serious rifts within the government over their Prime Minister, Mark Ruttes, refusal last week to even consider such bonds. The welfare reinsurance idea was yesterday confirmed by the EU Jobs and Welfare Commissioner, Nicolas Schmit of Luxembourg, and it is based on a whole raft of ideas which emerged after the crash in 2008. These never got the necessary member state backing with heavy objections by the big budget payers including Germany, Netherlands and others. But now this EU Commission move is seen as part of a set of proposals that will be discussed by the EU finance ministers meeting by video conference. Many Brussels diplomats now hope this meeting will back the plan along with other measures already being lined up. These additional moves include harnessing the Eurozones bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism. There are also moves afoot to bolster the European Investment Banks role in fighting the crisis and its huge economic fallout. EU leaders are trying to fix the serious row which erupted last Thursday after their video summit rejected the idea of coronabonds. Ireland joined with Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece and Portugal in urging the creation of these coronabonds to finance the recovery. The others rejected the idea fearing they would end up being on the hook for less prudently-managed countries debts. But a further week of the virus spreading and increasing loss of jobs has helped focus minds on the need for both sides to soften their stances and find a workable compromise. Republican U.S. House candidate Eric Esshaki filed a lawsuit against Michigans governor and secretary of state for allegedly making it more difficult to obtain ballot signatures while residents are following an emergency order to stay in their homes. The Birmingham attorney must gather 1,000 signatures by April 21 to appear on the Republican primary ballot in August. Esshaki argued in a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Detroit Tuesday that enforcing the stay at home order -- meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 -- without adjusting the signature deadline will illegally block him and other similarly situated Republican candidates from the August primary ballot. Governor Whitmers stay-home order has made it impossible to obtain the required number of elector signatures by April 21, Esshaki argued in the complaint. Esshaki, who is also a registered nurse, is asking the court to suspend the April 21 deadline. He listed Jonathan Brater, director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the lawsuit. Secretary of State spokesperson Jake Rollow declined to comment on the lawsuit but said Benson had previously announced she is seeking an extension to give candidates more time to gather signatures during the COVID-19 outbreak. Rollow said Whitmer was asked to pen an executive order that would extend the deadline for three weeks while we explore options to modernize the signature-gathering process. Bensons office is frequent conversation with the governor on this topic, Rollow said. The governors office declined to comment on the lawsuit, but a spokesperson said Whitmer is reviewing Bensons request. Esshaki is pushing for swift action. He said his constitutional rights are being violated. Defendants refusal to extend the deadline places candidates in the position of either having to break the law and cause electors to break the law under threat of criminal prosecution or forgo running for public office altogether, Esshakis complaint states. Whitmers order went into effect on March 24 and will end on April 14. It requires most businesses to close and requires all residents to stay in their homes except to gather supplies, exercise and check on loved ones. The order appears to prohibit door-to-door signature gathering, the traditional process used by candidates. Esshaki is running for the Republican Partys nomination with the hopes of challenging U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, in November. Four other Republicans also lined up to challenge Stevens in 2020. Esshaki said campaign staff and volunteers were circulating nominating petitions but were short by roughly 300 signatures when Whitmers stay at home order was enacted. Republican 11th District candidate Kerry Bentivolio is instead asking supporters to stop by four locations throughout the district to sign his nominating petition. Bentivolio could not be reached for comment. Whittney Williams, another Republican candidate for Michigans 11th district, submitted the required number of signatures on March 18, before Whitmers order was enacted. GOP hopeful Frank Acosta, a Northville businessman, filed his petition signatures in February. Esshaki claimed several Republican candidates in various other congressional districts are having trouble gathering the necessary signatures. He alleged that enforcing the deadline amounts to a partisan effort protect Democratic members of Congress. The Democratic Governor and the Democratic Secretary of State are engaging in an unconstitutional effort to keep Republican candidates off the ballot and prevent them from running against Democrat incumbents, Esshaki said in a statement. Nominating petitions were turned in earlier this month by two Republicans seeking their partys nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, in the neighboring congressional district. Both were filed before Whitmers executive order. Stevens, who does not face a Democratic primary challenger, filed her petition signatures on March 16. Stevens took a formerly Republican seat vacated by Dave Trott in 2018, becoming the first Democrat elected to serve a full term representing the district in its current configuration. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Related coverage: Ballot drive to change Michigan lobbying laws suspended due to coronavirus pandemic Whitmer says Michigan schools very unlikely to reopen this year under coronavirus pandemic GM will defer 20 percent of pay for salaried workers worldwide in response to coronavirus Friday, March 27: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Upper Peninsula reports first death attributed to coronavirus The Common Nightingale, known for its beautiful song, breeds in Europe and parts of Asia and migrates to sub-Saharan Africa every winter. A new study published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances suggests that natural selection driven by climate change is causing these iconic birds to evolve shorter wings, which might make them less likely to survive their annual migration. Complutense University of Madrid's Carolina Remacha and Javier Perez-Tris and their colleagues analyzed twenty years of data on wing shape variation and survival in two populations of nightingales from central Spain. They found that nightingales' average wing length relative to their body size has decreased over the past two decades, becoming less optimal for migration. Shorter-winged birds were less likely to return to their breeding grounds after their first round-trip to Africa. But if this change in wing length is negatively affecting survival, what is driving it? The "migratory gene package" hypothesis predicts that a suite of adaptations related to migration -- including a long wingspan as well as a higher resting metabolic rate, larger clutch size, and shorter lifespan -- may all be controlled by a set of genes that are linked so that selective pressures on one trait also affect the others. In recent decades, the timing of spring has shifted in central Spain and summer droughts have become longer and more intense, leaving nightingales with a shorter window in which to raise their young. This means the most successful birds may be those that lay smaller clutches of eggs, giving them fewer young to care for. And if natural selection is favoring smaller clutches, it may simultaneously push nightingales away from all of the linked traits in the "migratory gene package." Natural selection on clutch size that inadvertently leads to shorter wings and, therefore, reduced survival is an example of "maladaptation," where organisms' responses to changing conditions end up being harmful instead of helpful. "There is much evidence that climate change is having an effect on migratory birds, changing their arrival and laying dates and their physical features over the last few decades," says lead author Carolina Remacha. "If we are to fully understand how bird populations adapt to new environments in order to help them tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is important to call attention to the potential problems of maladaptive change." ### "Climate change and maladaptive wing shortening in a long-distance migratory bird" will be available April 1, 2020, at https://academic.oup.com/auk/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/auk/ukaa012. About the journal: The Auk: Ornithological Advances is a peer-reviewed, international journal of ornithology published by the American Ornithological Society. The Auk commenced publication in 1884 and in 2009 was honored as one of the 100 most influential journals of biology and medicine over the past 100 years. Huge shortage of protective gear for medical staff treating coronavirus patients has gripped us, India has exported 90 tons of medical equipment and safety gears to Serbia. Twitter - UNDP Serbia The matter came into when the Serbian wing of the UNDP - United Nations Development Programme which is providing support to coronavirus affected nations. The health ministry denied any knowledge on this matter. The tweet by UNDP said, "The 2nd cargo Boeing 747 with 90t of medical protective equipment landed from India to Belgrade today. The transportation of valuable supplies purchased by @SerbianGov has been fully funded by the #EU while @UNDPSerbia organized the flight & ensured the fastest possible delivery." The 2nd cargo Boeing 747 with 90t of medical protective equipment landed from India to Belgrade today. The transportation of valuable supplies purchased by @SerbianGov has been fully funded by the #EU while @UNDPSerbia organized the flight & ensured the fastest possible delivery. pic.twitter.com/pMZqV7dwTg UNDP in Serbia (@UNDPSerbia) March 29, 2020 The 90 ton consignment included 50 tons of surgical gloves. Besides, there were masks and coveralls, which medical workers need at this point of time. A spokesperson of Kochi airport said that another consignment was sent on March 29, which included 35 lakh pairs of surgical gloves. The 30 ton consignment was sent to Belgrade on a Transaviaexport Airlines cargo freighter. As Cochin Customs had facilitated the clearance and tweeted about the same The tweet said, "Cochin customs in action to clear a consignment of 35 lakh pairs of sterile latex surgical gloves to Serbia to support the global war against #COVID2019 " When asked about this matter, the health ministry said they were not aware of this. Joint Secretary in MoHFW luv Agrawal said, "Our effort is to create logistics in India and to acquire material from other countries. With respect to Serbia, I am not aware of it as of now." Nearly 100 doctors have been quarantined after they have come in contact with Covid-19 patients while working without any protective gear and so many have even contracted the virus. In Lucknow, the authorities of the King Georges Medical University which is the hub of the Covid-19 pandemic in UP, turned down the OPD doctors request for protective gears and equipment and within a week after a resident doctor contracted the disease. There have been reports about doctors using raincoats and motorbike helmets to protect themselves. On Monday, the Centre said they are trying to procure bulk quantities of such protective gear (PPE), domestically and from other countries like South Korea and China to meet the shortages. A portion of Green River Road (Route 43) set for rehabilitation by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Williamstown Con Comm OKs Route 43 Paving Project WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Conservation Commission on Thursday gave the green light for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to improve a 2.3-mile stretch of Route 43 in South Williamstown. The portion of the highway in question, known as Green River Road, runs along the river from Five Corners intersection with Route 7 north and east to Hopper Road. MassDOT is looking to preserve and rehabilitate pavement, install pavement milling mulch in 2-foot wide strips on each side of the road, replace and repair guard rails, resurface four existing pull-off areas and remove drainage system sediment. Among other things, the roadwork will address the potholes in the roadway, a particular problem during winter storms. The Con Comm approval was needed because the work will be conducted because of its proximity to the water resource area. The MassDOT work plan was reviewed by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, which advised the local commission that sufficient care would be taken to preserve the resource. "Based on a review of the information that was provided and the information that is currently contained in our database, the Division has determined that this project, as currently proposed, will not adversely affect the actual Resource Area Habitat of state-protected rare wildlife species," Fisheries and Wildlife Assistant Director Everose Schluter told the Con Comm in a letter dated March 4. At Thursday's meeting held on the Zoom video conferencing platform because of the closure of Town Hall out of concern for the COVID-19 pandemic the commissioners ordered one alteration to the plan laid out by MassDOT. Based on the Con Comm's comments at an earlier hearing on MassDOT's Notice of Intent, the agency had specified native vegetation it would plant along the project in order to enhance existing forested areas and provide "slope stability, shading and erosion" control to protect the river. On Thursday, Commissioner Henry Art, an emerita professor of environmental studies and biology at Williams College, suggested that the state choose different species to plant. "I appreciate the fact that these are relatively native species," Art said. "But I would suggest that we not have white oak or redbud on the list. "The other ones are just fine. White oak is more of an upland species that really likes dry soils. Redbud isn't quite ready for this region yet. It probably works fine in eastern Mass, but we're a little far north. Even with climate change coming our way, I think it's a little premature to be planting that." A representative from MassDOT who participated in the hearing meeting assented, and the five commissioners in attendance voted unanimously to approve the order of conditions with Art's suggested change. The order will remain in place for three years, meaning that the MassDOT will not need to come back to the Conservation Commission for review if the road work begins during that time. In other business on Thursday, the Con Comm also OKed a plan by Oblong Road resident Daniel Holland to relocate utility poles on Berlin Road. Holland was before the commission to seek a negative determination of applicability of the Wetlands Protection Act because the work is planned in the buffer zone for Berlin Brook. The commissioners voted unanimously that the work could proceed under the town's standard set of conditions, including that erosion controls be in place during the work. The Con Comm also Thursday continued three public hearings until its April meeting, including a MassDOT Notice of Intent related to the bike path planned from North Street (Route 7) to Main Street (Route 2) and an NOI for a perimeter fence project at North Adams' Harriman & West Airport that has property extending into Williamstown. Property brokerage firm Square Yards, which is backed by Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group and Times Group, on Wednesday said it has sold over 400 housing units worth more than Rs 200 crore in the last 10 days despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown. The company has launched a digital platform for enabling end-to-end real estate transactions, Square Yards said in a statement. "The company has sold over 400 homes in over last 10 days (including 100 on March 31) with the accelerated deployment of the platform since the beginning of the pandemic induced lockdown," Square Yards said. When contacted, Square Yards Founder and CEO Tanuj Shori said the company has sold 420 units, having a value between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore. Almost 50 per cent sales were to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Godrej Properties' housing projects in Delhi-NCR and Pune contributed maximum to its sales volume, he added. The digital platform automates the complete value chain of a real estate transaction. It helps with online virtual tours and 3-D walkthrough, a real time inventory blocking engine integrated with payment gateways and post sales module for submission of online applications with digital signatures, the statement said. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group's private equity arm had invested USD 12 million in Square Yards in November 2016. In September 2019, Square Yards raised USD 25 million (around Rs 175 crore) through preferential issue of equity shares to investors including Times Group. The company has so far raised USD 50 million in equity and over USD 25 million in debt financing since its inception in 2014. Square Yards had clocked revenue of Rs 220 crore in the 2018-19 financial year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thieves stole a French bulldog puppy from a carer's home while she helped people with dementia in a gruelling shift during the coronavirus pandemic. Dion Taha, from Sheffield, Yorkshire, has put up a 1,000 reward for information which leads to the safe return of three-month-old Bella. The 46-year-old was out at work looking after people suffering from dementia on Saturday when burglars took her pup. Dion returned home to find her front door had been forced open, possessions scattered across the floor, documents rummaged through and some silver jewellery taken. Thieves stole a French bulldog puppy from a carer's home while she was out working Dion Taha has put up a 1,000 reward for information which leads to the safe return of Bella 'Bella is normally at the window waiting for me when I get back from work but she wasn't there,' Dion said. 'The door was open and there were papers everywhere. I knew someone had been in, as if they'd been looking for paperwork because there were other things that could have been stolen but weren't. 'Bella wasn't there so I phoned the police and forensics came.' Dion has asked for anyone in the local area to check CCTV for suspicious activity between 6am and 1pm in the Darnall suburb. The social media appeal, including a dedicated Facebook group, has taken off with many similar pups being flagged as found across the country but there has been no sign of Bella yet. Dion has revealed that she has been on the receiving end of hoax calls attempting to obtain money saying they will 'breed the death out of her' unless they receive payment. Although she has admitted that she is 'overwhelmed' with those offering to help find Bella, who she only got four weeks ago. The support worker of 15 years continued: 'It's overwhelming the response that I've had. I'm just taken back by it. I can't believe how many people have responded and tried to help. The 46-year-old was out at work on Saturday when burglars took her pup 'I hope and pray that she isn't with the people that have stolen her and she's with a loving family instead so she's being looked after. 'They're not going to go out and buy dog food in this climate. 'Bella is my world. She's my lifeline. It just doesn't feel real. I just can't believe that someone's done this.' Bella's disappearance has been reported to South Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA. Hong Kong: Tech voucher scheme enhanced The Innovation & Technology Commission today launched enhancement measures for the Technology Voucher Programme. The commission said the move is to further assist enterprises and organisations in making use of technology to improve their business operations and enhance their competitiveness. Starting from today, the Governments funding ratio for each project under the programme will be raised from two-thirds to three-quarters. The funding ceiling per applicant will be increased from $400,000 to $600,000 and the maximum number of approved projects will also be increased from four to six. Under the Innovation & Technology Fund, the programme aims to subsidise local enterprises and organisations to use technological services and solutions to improve productivity, or upgrade or transform their business processes. Click here for details. For enquiries, please email at tvp-enquiry@itc.gov.hk. This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CHICOPEE Police are investigating a shooting at a Meadow Street construction yard Wednesday morning that left one person injured, according to a police spokesman, officer Mike Wilk. Police were called to 239 Meadow St. just before 10:45 a.m. for reports of gunfire. The property is and equipment- and material-storage yard owned by Daniel OConnells Sons construction company. Little information is available on the incident as police are still piecing things together, Wilk said. The injured party was taken to the hospital, he said. An update on the persons injuries and condition was not available. Wilk said Chicopee police and detectives and Massachusetts State Police troopers are on the scene and investigating. This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it is known. New York: The coronavirus deaths crossed 4,000 in the US on Wednesday, a number higher than the ghastly 9/11 terror attacks in the country, even as the top health experts projected that the pandemic could kill between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans. According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre, more than 4,000 people in the US have died due to COVID-19 and nearly 190,000 have been infected by it. The death toll due to the deadly virus on Tuesday surpassed the number of fatalities in the 9/11 terror attacks. Nearly 3,000 people perished in the attacks carried out by al Qaeda terrorists in the US in 2001. The COVID-19 death toll in the US is also higher than the total number of people killed in China due to the deadly virus. China, which is the epicentre of the virus, witnessed 3,310 deaths. Globally, there are nearly 860,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 42,000 people worldwide have died of the disease. President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that the US was headed for a "tough two weeks" and advised people to be prepared for the "hard days" ahead. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we are going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful, very, very, very painful two weeks," Trump said. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, based on a model from actual data from the ground, said the death toll in the US could be between 100,000 to 200,000, with the strict implementation of the existing mitigation measures including social distancing till April 30. If no steps were to be taken, the death toll could range between 1.5 million and 2.2 million, she said. White House officials and task force members asserted that mitigation and social distancing measures are the only way out to prevent the spread of the deadly virus despite that being painful and having its own toll on the American economy. A 46-year-old resident of Dharavi area of Mumbai who had contracted coronavirus died on Wednesday evening, prompting the civic authorities to seal the building where he lived. Densely-populated Dharavi is famous as one of the largest slums in Asia. The man, who lived in a building constructed under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme, had no foreign travel history, said a health official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. After he died at nearby government-run Sion Hospital, some 300 tenements in the building and around 30 shops were cordoned off by police. Residents of the building have been quarantined at home. The deceased had a garment shop at AKG Nagar in Dharavi, the official said. Mumbai has recorded over 180 coronavirus cases and about a dozen deaths of COVID-19 patients so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the number of people in lockdown increases, so do the victims of domestic violence, now forced to spend each day with their perpetrators. By Francesca Merlo Since the beginning of the lockdown imposed by several governments to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, domestic violence cases have increased immensely. A large reason for this is that where victims previously found space to breathe, whether at work or for social reasons, they are now spending all their time at home with their abusers. Likewise, children are not able to attend school, which many parents consider a safety net. Governments all over the world are receiving more and more calls for help, as victims of domestic violence fear for their own and for their childrens health and well-being. In France, domestic violence has risen by 36%, including two cases of femicide, since the beginning of the lockdown. To help tackle this, the government has announced that it will be paying for victims to stay in hotels, whilst pop-up counselling centres will be installed in shops in the hope that women out buying groceries will be able to access them easily. In the United Kingdom the police are encouraging victims to use what they are calling a silent call: by calling the emergency number 999 and then dialling 55 the police say that they will recognise the call as a cause for concern. In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morisson announced a 75% rise in Google searches for help since the start of the lockdown. And The government has given a S$142 million boost in funding to tackle domestic violence Pope Francis has often condemned violence, in all its forms. Last year, the Catholic Church in England and Wales gave their Day for Life the theme of the scourge of domestic abuse. On that occasion, Pope Francis sent a message showing his support for the bishops working for the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and committed to fighting all forms of exploitation, in particular the shameful ill-treatment to which women are sometimes subjected (cf Amoris Laetitia, 54). Two years after Ebola ravaged parts of West Africa, the deadly virus in 2018 was making a comeback in the Democratic Republic of the Congro. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston sprang into action, reverse engineering the construction of a new vaccine and delivering 7,500 doses of it to the central African country for widespread use, all within 72 hours. It was, in the words of Ben Raimer, interim president of UTMB, a proud moment for the university system, a collaborative effort that yielded life-saving results. Raimer cautioned, however, against the unrealistic expecations the Ebola success may have created for university researchers now grappling with the nuances of the far more complex novel coronavirus. Were not a 72-hour virus maker here at UTMB, Raimer said. Weve done it one time for Ebola, but its not likely for this virus until we get a better understanding on how it functions in its various forms. Public health experts generally predict that a coronavirus vaccine will take much longer and wont be ready for at least 12 to 18 months from the first known infection in late December. Whilemore than 20 vaccine candidates are in development, most are in the early stages, well before clinical trials. Uncertainty over the timeline has led to an unquenchable thirst for any morsel of good news regarding progress researchers have made in understanding how the virus attacks humans. Scott Weaver understands this reality better than most. As the director of UTMBs infectious disease research programs, Weaver is tasked with helping manage nearly two-dozen projects related to the coronavirus, from macro initiatives like vaccine and antiviral treatment to more nuanced efforts such as why the virus affects people who smoke or vape more acutely. For now, vaccine development is moving at a slower pace than Ebola, Weaver said, though he is hopeful that a previously developed SARS vaccine will prove effective. One of the primary projects capturing the attention of UTMB scientists is testing antiviral drugs to treat the symptoms of the coronavirus, Weaver said. The drugs currently being tested were developed for other viral infections or non-infectious diseases, such as remdesivir, which was used to combat Ebola infections. Both President Trump and the World Health Organization have highlighted remdesivir as a promising coronavirus treatment, though clinical trials are still ongoing to determine how effective the drug can be. UTMB has a clinical trial set up in the coming weeks to test remdesivir in Galveston County coronavirus patients. In the middle of an outbreak like this, there are going to be so many people who are hospitalized and eligible for these clinical trials that well learn very quickly whether (remdesivir) has efficacy or not, Weaver said. I think thats really the best prospect for an improvement in patient care in the near future. Tapping into funding sources to continue vaccine research is a bigger problem. One of the major differences between Ebola in 2018 and coronavirus that contributed to how quickly UTMB was able to develop a vaccine was the sustained funding for Ebola research. Besides the SARS outbreak in the early aughts and MERS in 2012, coronaviruses typically dont attract the same interest. Its much harder to get funding, especially commercial interest, in the coronavirus vaccine, Weaver said. Unfortunately, that means we dont have as much to start from. There were some vaccines that were developed. They never went very far down the pipeline towards clinical trials, but at least were not starting completely from scratch. Now Playing: Now more than ever people need to be aware of COVID-19 symptoms and the proper way to treat the illness. Take a look at how to differentiate coronavirus vs. allergies, and hear a few words of advice from Dr. Peter Hotez with the Baylor College of Medicine. Video: Laura Duclos/Houston Chronicle The SARS vaccine, developed by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and UTMB researchers, effectively protected mice against SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, the pneumonia-causing virus from the same family a coronavirus that spread in the early 2000s. The vaccine never progressed to human testing because manufacturing of it wasnt completed until 2016, long after SARS had burned out. Weaver noted two key challenges to completing work on the SARS vaccine: the genetically-altered laboratory mice used to test this vaccine had to be recreated from scratch; and funding sources, particularly from commercial interests, are hard to come by. UTMB has cleared one hurdle. The transgenic mice embryos used for the original vaccine were recently implanted into female and male mice, and the first offspring were born several weeks ago. Of course, even after these mice are used to test vaccine candidates, those vaccines will have to be tested on non-human primates before the FDA will consider permission for clinical trials in people. But even if UTMB does not win the vaccine arms race, the universitys coronavirus research has already made a significant difference in understanding the viruss complexities. We have here three virologist faculty scientists who focus their work on coronavirus, so we were well prepared to gear up very quickly to do research on this virus, Weaver said. Indeed, at the outset of the viral outbreak, UTMB developed a reverse genetic system to manipulate the virus genome. The Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB, a high-security biocontainment lab, was one of three labs in the country to get the coronavirus isolate in February after the Centers for Disease Control worked on the first virus sample in Washington state and cultured it in Atlanta. Pei-Yong Shi, a professor of human genetics at UTMB, led this effort, which allows scientists to essentially recreate the virus from scratch. We can understand the mutations and history of the virus. We will be able to manipulate the virus, to understand which regions are causing the disease so we can make vaccines and therapeutics, Shi said. The UTMB genetic system played a vital role in helping develop badly needed diagnostic tests. The universitys World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses stockpiled the viral RNA the genetic material needed to optimize tests for federal approval. There was a time period in late February where we were literally the only laboratory in the world providing these RNA samples for diagnostic (test) development, Weaver said. A lot of the big companies that you see now are starting to scale up diagnostics - like LabCorps and Quest and many of the big hospitals including some in Houston and here in Galveston - we provided that critical RNA to them so they could get their tests up and running as quick as possible. But for as much work is being done behind the scenes in the race to cure and treat the coronavirus, Weaver said the immediate outcome and toll of this pandemic will be determined by public health measures such as social distancing. One person on average transmits the virus to 3 or 4 additional people and if one of those is a high-risk person, they may die, if one of those is a healthcare worker, they may spread it to many more people, Weaver said. I just hope that everyone takes this very seriously. nick.powell@chron.com A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a Rite Aid executive to pay $186,561 to resolve an insider trading case. The order by U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III mirrors a settlement David Mahan, a regional vice president based in New Jersey, reached with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. That deal didnt require Mahan to admit to any violation. The SEC claimed Mahan sold more than $650,000 in company stock in January 2017 because he knew in advance about soon-to-be released information that as going to cause the value of that stock to drop. That news involved a delay in an ultimately failed merger deal between Rite Aid and Walgreens. Mahan should have known it was illegal to sell his stock based on that information which he wouldnt have had he not been in the higher echelons of Rite Aids management, the SEC said. Also, it said Rite Aids own code of ethics, as well as federal law, barred such actions. The SEC said Mahan spared himself $87,227 in losses though the sell-off. Jones ordered him to forfeit that amount, plus $12,107 in interest and pay an $87, 227 civil penalty. During this coronavirus pandemic, Im angry and disappointed to read Crisis highlights partisan gap (March 31). This article indicates that many governors and mayors in so-called red states like Mississippi are not being as proactive in their efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus as in blue states like California and New York. If Republican leaders continue taking their cues from President Trump, who has repeatedly downplayed the scope of this health crisis, they will cause many more COVID-19 cases and deaths to occur in their states due to a lack of proper health warnings and restrictions. The failure of many GOP states politicians to bridge this nations partisan gap at this time in our history is (to borrow from the title of a Theodore Dreiser novel) an American tragedy. Marisol Echevarria, Fremont Parking lot closures As much as I support all encouragement for social distancing in these times, I really think the closure of parking lots next to trails through our parks is shortsighted. All such closures do is to push all of us, who are otherwise encouraged to take walks and remain healthy, both physically and emotionally, to crowd into other non-closed places. A better temporary fix is to have park service folks approach those breaking the rules of social distancing, whether in parking lots, on trails or beaches, and warn them to keep their social distance while keeping their own. Another option is to only allow even- or odd-numbered license plates into parking areas on alternating days. There are lots of alternatives to knee-jerk closures. David Weintraub, Oakland Safety is the most important I read Getting to Mossbrae Falls puts hikers at risk (March 15), which discussed a proposed hiking trail to Mossbrae Falls in Northern California that would be situated along Union Pacific Railroad property. The article improperly characterizes our position on the project. Nothing is more important to Union Pacific than the safety of our employees, customers and the communities we serve. For many years, Union Pacific Railroad promoted the trail concept, engaging with key stakeholders, including the city of Dunsmuir, the Mount Shasta Trail Association and the Saint Germaine Foundation to explore solutions that would help mitigate the safety concerns in the area. Union Pacific Railroad takes this proposal seriously and is conducting a thorough review to ensure that all designs involving railroad property is consistent with the railroads operational, engineering and safety standards. That review is currently under way, and when completed will be shared with all parties involved. Francisco Castillo, Sacramento Reassured by governors Regarding Newsom moves to prime time in virus response (Page 1, March 31): Its reassuring to learn that Californias governor will, like his New York counterpart, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, start holding daily briefings about the coronavirus crisis. Our citizens need to hear rational and science-related COVID-19 information, not just the daily pressers by President Trump that are characterized by the same falsehoods, exaggerations, personal attacks and showboating that he has displayed throughout his term in office. Newsom will also provide a valuable and welcome quality in his daily responses to this pandemic that the Tweeter in Chief completely lacks: empathy. Umberto DAvila, Sausalito Fight to end global poverty Most economists will agree that globalization helps the U.S. and world economies. We are all interconnected, making it much harder now for any country to isolate itself from the rest of the world. If this pandemic teaches us anything, its that no matter how vast the world is, we are all connected in this global community, giving even more reason for the U.S. to assist other countries in creating more opportunities for the worlds poor. The Borgen Project is proud to work with Congress to uplift our efforts in addressing global poverty. Our district representative, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has made great efforts to strengthen and uplift the global community and we hope to work closely with her in the fight to end global poverty. Veronica Eghdami, Belmont Close the tax loophole Regarding A vulnerable revenue system (Insight, March 29): Our vulnerable revenue system is a direct result of Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that not only froze assessments on residential property until it changed hands, but also froze assessment on large commercial properties, some of which never change hands. Your editorial wisely called for a fix to our outdated tax system but did not specify what that fix should be. The Schools and Communities First initiative scheduled to be on the November ballot would regularly reassess commercial property over $3 million while maintaining tax protections for residential property. This would provide California with a stable and sizable source of revenue approximately $12 billion annually. For those who fear this will be bad for business in California, consider that most businesses already pay property taxes near fair market rate. However, a few corporations whose property never changes hands are free riding. Chevron alone pockets $100 million annually because it is paying property taxes based on what its land was worth in the 1970s. California has the opportunity to close this corporate tax loophole and restore critical funding to our schools and communities at a time when it is needed more than ever. Karen Roorda, San Francisco Add Beckys to restaurant list Regarding Where to grab meals during the coronavirus shutdown (March 29): While I greatly appreciated your extensive list of restaurants that are doing takeout, you missed one of the best, Beckys Chinese Restaurant on College Avenue in Oakland. Its a wonderful family-owned place where we have been ordering takeout at least once a week since sheltering in place. So have many others who are highly recommending it on Nextdoor. Dont miss out on Beckys. Its the best Chinese food around! Victorian social enterprises fear they will not survive the coronavirus pandemic, saying government support provided to businesses and charities does not go far enough in covering them. There are about 3500 social enterprises in the state, employing 60,000 people and helping thousands more, but some are worried they are at risk of going under and fear it would take years to rebuild the services they offer. Lentil As Anything founder Shanaka Fernando says the social enterprise is battling through the coronavirus crisis, with workers Paula Gomez and Sagar Gautam. Credit: Simon Schluter While they could "hibernate" - as per the federal government's instructions to businesses, to remain viable after the coronavirus downturn - this would mean abandoning the vulnerable people they usually help during a very difficult time. The federal government's $1500 per fortnight JobSeeker payment for workers is available to social enterprises but it does not fix sharp cashflow drops. (Natural News) Dog owners may want to refrain from getting too close to their pets, according to experts, as their cuddly fur babies might be harboring a highly contagious pathogen. Brucella canis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes the disease brucellosis in dogs. It is also zoonotic in nature, which means it can also infect humans especially those who may come into contact with canine blood, tissues and fluids. What is brucellosis? Also called Mediterranean Fever, brucellosis is a highly contagious disease caused by close contact with animal secretions such as blood, as well as reproductive fluids like semen and vaginal discharge. It can also be caught through the ingestion of undercooked meat from infected animals. Brucellosis can infect dogs of any breed and any age. However, experts have noted that it is most common in mature dogs. Diagnosis of B. canis infection in dogs can be somewhat difficult because many infected dogs are often asymptomatic and serologic and molecular diagnostic tools are mostly imperfect. In dogs, brucellosis usually manifests the following signs and symptoms: Lethargy Swollen lymph nodes Difficulty walking Back pain Vaginal discharge Swollen testicles Inflammation of the skin around the scrotum In addition to these symptoms, brucellosis can result in infertility, spontaneous abortions and stillbirths. In male dogs, brucellosis can cause low sperm counts or orchitis, a painful infection of the testicles. How does brucellosis spread? Canine brucellosis is also a zoonotic disease. This means it can spread across species in this case from dogs to humans although experts maintain that such an infection is highly unlikely. Spread can come from any bodily fluid from an infected pet. It may also come with contaminated objects, Greg Nelson, DVM, and director of surgery and diagnostic imaging at Central Veterinary Associates in Valley Stream, New York, said. (Related: Top 10 ways to prevent your pets from getting cancer and dying young.) Due to animal tissues and blood being one of the bacteriums vectors, however, veterinarians, breeders, slaughterhouse workers and animal health care experts, are at a much higher risk for contracting the infection. According to Keely Coppess, communications director for the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, while transmission from a dog to a human is uncommon in general pet ownership situations, the risk of this happening increases during breeding and birthing because of the presence of fluids. What are the symptoms of brucellosis? According to experts, between 100 to 200 cases of brucellosis are reported in Americans every year. However, this number could be much higher, as the disease is believed to be underreported in medical literature. According to the CDC, brucellosis can cause the following signs and symptoms to manifest in individuals: Fever Excessive sweating General malaise Headache Muscle, joint and back pain Fatigue In addition, the CDC also mentioned several other signs and symptoms that may persist for longer periods of time: Recurrent fevers Arthritis Swelling of the testicle and scrotum area Swelling of the heart (endocarditis) Neurologic symptoms (in up to five percent of all cases) Chronic fatigue Depression Swelling of the liver and/or spleen Depending on the timing of treatment and severity of illness, recovery may take a few weeks to several months. According to medical experts, while death from brucellosis is rare, occurring in no more than two percent of all cases, individuals with weakened or compromised immune systems, including young children, pregnant women, or those with HIV, have a greater risk for developing more severe symptoms. Sources include: Healthline.com CFSPH.iastate.edu PetHealthNetwork.com CDC.gov Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), various regions in China have taken active actions to promote the re-employment of ex-servicemen, including providing online training and exclusive jobs. "The epidemic outbreak has had quite a big impact on us," said Wu Tao, a retired soldier in Xiangyang, central China's Hubei province, adding that he worked in other provinces year round since his demobilization in 1993. However due to the outbreak, he was unable to resume work, resulting in a reduction in his family income. "Later I noted the information about the 'online job fair' hosted by the Hubei Department of Veterans Affairs. Luckily, I've got a new job in my hometown, and I can start working when the epidemic situation improves. The job is close to my home, which enables me to take better care of my family," added Wu. In addition to Hubei, other regions in China have also offered online recruitment services. Resources including online job interviews and contract signing have helped resolve practical issues ex-servicemen may encounter in the course of seeking a job. At the same time, ex-servicemen are encouraged to take advantage of the window period before their re-employment to participate in education and training, improving their skills and competitiveness for employment. South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region built a mechanism in close collaboration with the judicial, public security, emergency response, urban management and other departments, to promote the employment of ex-servicemen. Meanwhile, east China's Shandong province has provided more than 80,000 jobs for veterans, thanks to its efforts to mobilize renowned enterprises such as Haier Group and Alibaba, as well as nearly 4,000 other companies. East China's Anhui province not only transformed and integrated industrial parks and incubation bases to support ex-servicemen who pursue entrepreneurship, but has also given one-off subsidies to businesses established by ex-servicemen faced with temporary difficulties in operation, in order to avoid and reduce the number of layoffs. by Helena Xiang - Teresa Grazia Xiao No funeral in the city martyred by coronavirus. Elders who mourn dead children. Children who sign their parents' death certificates. The generosity of ordinary people and Catholics. Disabled people who collect money for the inhabitants of Wuhan. The Chinese want to live again. Wuhan (AsiaNews) The endless queues of people to collect the ashes of loved ones; the drama of the elderly and children left alone; the generosity of the Chinese for those affected by this tragedy. After the initial fear, Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus in China, now wants to return to life. Below the second and last part of the story of Helena Xiang and Teresa Grazia Xiao (click here for part I). The epidemic has spread outside of China. Seeing many coffins in Italian churches, and priests praying for the dead, the inhabitants of Wuhan were deeply saddened yes, but also envious. Those who died of Covid-19 in the city, after being put into the garbage bags, were loaded onto trucks and taken to the crematoriums: without family members to watch over them; without a funeral; and without dignity. The city funeral homes are filled with people looking for the ashes of loved ones. Endless lines to collect the remains of a family member, relative or an entire family. An elderly couple, she 80 years old and he 90 years old, had to sign the death certificates for their son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Even an eight-year-old boy was forced to sign the certificate for his parents. There are destroyed families in Wuhan who have exhausted the tears of a lifetime. The liveliness and vigor of the locals have disappeared. Wuhan's people, the "nine-headed bird", have fallen, and lie on the ground struggling for breath. In the face of this immense tragedy, the city government has created at least 10 emergency telephone numbers to provide psychological support to the population. Initially, an operator could also receive 300 calls a day: some from desperate or anxious people, others from cold and insensitive citizens. Then, as the epidemic got worse, the calls began to decrease. It is a sad and lonely winter for everyone in Wuhan. However, kindness and generosity help to endure this situation. For the Catholic faithful it is a moment of great prayer. Some churches broadcast Holy Mass on the internet. On February 26, Ash Wednesday, the dioceses transmitted the liturgy. Friday is a fasting day: many faithful in China do not eat meat for the entire period of Lent. On March 19 we recited the rosary together with Pope Francis; on March 25 and 27 we prayed together with him. Chinese Catholics are trying to help ease people's pains. There are nuns who participate in psychological support groups. Many dioceses and parishes, like groups of faithful or individuals, make donations to support relief efforts. 14 million yuan was raised to purchase medical supplies for Wuhan, mainly through Jinde Charities. Their help is also directed to those who suffer outside of China. 4 million yuan was donated to the Vatican and Italy; 2 million for South Korea. There is a great spirit of fraternity in China right now. Wuhan is receiving aid not only from the central government. A village in Henan donated 100 tons of shallots; another in Yunnan 22 tons of bananas; a farmer from Jingtai County (Gansu) gave 10 tons of apples; a farmer from Mianyang (Sichuan) donated 15 tons of vegetables. Suning, a Chinese retail giant, sent 100 tons of vegetables; Er Kang, a pharmaceutical company, offered 20 tons of rice. Shandong Province donated 400 tons of garlic and 600 tons of vegetables. Ordinary people such as street cleaners, soldiers, small shopkeepers and retirees have sent thousands of yuan to help the population of Wuhan. Support has often come from the poorest and most unfortunate. For example, a blind couple gave 1000 yuan; a disabled beggar raised 185 yuan. Many citizens online are asking the authorities to return the money to these generous people. The kindness of the elderly and the poor is understandable, but their money must not be accepted. Online groups have been created that raise funds to return money to poor donors. There is no lack of problems. Some doctors have been attacked by the families of their patients infected with the virus. Fake masks have been distributed all over China. Wuhan local authorities have often proven unable to manage the crisis. The city's Red Cross is accused of selling the supplies received as donations. Then there are the little stories of people who lost their jobs: some committed suicide from the trauma. Many doctors and nurses who have struggled to save lives in Wuhan are not receiving the benefits promised by the local government. Some of them are forced to live in "self-isolation" in their homes. The elderly often live in conditions of marginalization, because they are considered more vulnerable to the disease. One 77-year-old gentleman, after being on lock down in his house for a long time, said he wanted to find his place in city life again: he wants to go back to take pictures around Wuhan. In this crisis, there are many unanswered questions. The biggest is: where did this infection come from, and what caused it? The Chinese think it is a divine punishment for man's wrongs towards nature. We understand that men are fragile and often incapable. One Wuhan resident said: I have seen so many dead that I do not want to argue any more. Indeed, if someone tells me that 'one plus one equals seven', I will now smile." The epidemic will go away, but when will serenity come? Helena wrote in Wechat that all that God gives me, I accept it; all that God asks of me, I give it. On April 8, Wuhan will return to normal life: we pray for a hopeful Easter, even if the churches are still closed. There will be an outpouring of prayers in China. As a blessing, an alleluia from all Christians will fly out to the whole world. Wuhan citizens say: "We will meet at the Yellow Crane Tower (Huanghe Lou) and sing among the flowers." (Second and final part) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:27:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) "Normal production of enterprises can keep the national economy on track and create employment opportunities for the public," Xi said. HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed coordinating efforts for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) control and economic and social development, and striving to achieve this year's goals for economic and social progress. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. On Sunday, Xi visited the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port, whose throughput has recovered to normal levels due to the timely measures it adopted to resume production. The Ningbo Zhoushan Port took the lead in resuming production, which was of great significance to promoting Chinese enterprises to resume work and production as well as restoring the logistics system and the global industrial chains, Xi said. He called for efforts to cope with and blunt the adverse impact on cargo shipping brought by restrictive measures adopted by various countries to fight coronavirus. He also urged facilitation for the country's smooth trade flow. Xi said Zhoushan port plays an important role in the building of the Belt and Road, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. Leaving the port, Xi visited an industrial park that produces high-end auto parts and molds in the city of Ningbo, where he inspected resumption of work and production at a privately-owned manufacturer. By the assembly line, Xi asked the workers if they encountered any difficulties on their way back to work or in daily life, and if they got their paychecks on time. "Normal production of enterprises can keep the national economy on track and create employment opportunities for the public," Xi said. Stressing that China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are smart, full of vitality and good at braving challenges and striving for greatness, Xi said the SMEs will surely pull through the hard times and embrace better development with support from the Party, the government and society. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday condemned the move to isolate and attack a particular community citing the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi even as the state reported 24 new Covid-19 cases. A virus has no religion and it spreads not on the basis of any religion or community. Some forces are trying to communalise the situation. They have started a virulent campaign on social media. Such attempts will not succeed in a state like Kerala, the CM said adding strict action will be taken against such people. There is no need of such intolerance. We will not tolerate it, he said. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic He said there is no need for any panic over the Tablighi Jammat incident. At least 60 people returned after the congregation and are under observation. We have collected details and passed all information to respective districts, he said. When asked about the exact number of pilgrims from the state he did not reply. There are allegations that the government is not disclosing details so as not to trigger panic. However, there are unconfirmed reports that more than 300 people from the state attended it. At least 80 of them returned between March 5 and 8 to north Kerala and they were asked to remain in quarantine until the shutdown is over. Health officials said in their case there was no need to worry as the incubation period is almost over. But 60 of them returned a day before the lockdown began (March 23) and they were identified and put under strict quarantine in different hospitals, said a senior health ministry official. Over 100 people are reportedly stranded in Delhi and there are reports that some of them have proceeded to other religious places in north India as part of their itinerary and are stuck at different places. Fearing action some of them are not receiving calls on their mobile phones making their contact tracing really cumbersome, police officials said. A resident of Pathanamthitta, Dr M Saleem (67), who participated in the congregation, died on March 24 and later his body was buried in Delhi. His relatives said he was suffering from multiple complications and he died of a heart attack. But now many suspect he may have died of Covid-19 and his test results are yet to emerge. Meanwhile the state has reported 24 new cases taking the total number of positive cases to 265-- this includes 26 people discharged from hospitals. Among 24, 9 are foreign returnees and 15 their contacts. The total number under observation has also risen to 1,64,130. To a question the CM said community transmission was yet to take place in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nepali officials pointed that the government that changed the curriculum is led by the Nepal Communist Party, not by hard-line Hindus. They noted that only students in grades four through eight would be required to take the yoga class, and they said its focus was on promoting an active lifestyle. Older students can take the course as an elective. Actor Raveena Tandon on Wednesday demonstrated the correct technique to wash hands as recommended by doctors. The 45-year-old actor took to Instagram to share a detailed video on how to wash one's hand for 20 second in order to stay safe from getting infected from the deadly coronavirus. "Take some soap, scrub it, around your hands, through your fingers, run the water through your cuticles, clean your hands properly," the 'Maatr' actor said while demonstrating. Not just the video, but the actor also penned the importance of washing hands in the captions. "Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections to othersHandwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because, people frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth and make us sick," the caption read. She also further wrote: "Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick." "Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, tabletops, or toys, and then transferred to another person's hands. Removing germs through handwashing, therefore, helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections," she concluded. Earlier, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra had taken WHO's 'Safe Hands Challenge' and shared videos where they were seen demonstrating how to wash hands as recommended by the World Health Organisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ACTU-Solo opens in Granville Just shut up and listen to the facts, Mr Hawke shouted to 200 angry service station operators who had gathered at the official opening of the Granville ACTU-Solo to heckle and abuse him. Mr Hawke, president of the ACTU, had just announced that up to 40 ACTU-Solo discount stations would be opened in Sydney. ACTU-Solo has been in Melbourne for almost two years, and the result of that is the price of petrol is 61 cents a gallon, he said. Mike Carlton to join 2UE Television interviewer Michael Carlton will leave TCN 9s A Current Affair to join radio station 2UE. His program will feature current affairs, music and humour and will take the afternoon slot from 2 to 4pm. Carlton, 31, began his career with the ABC and worked for five years in the US, Britain and Asia before returning to the ABCs Today Tonight. Later he narrated and wrote a satirical column with Peter Luck called And the Word Was Gough. Fig Tree house restoration Pakistan's producers see daily offtake fall 01 April 2020 Cement factories located in Sindh province, Pakistan, have seen their total dispatches decline to 3500tpd from 20,000-22,000tpd before the coronavirus outbreak. Likewise, cement manufacturing plants in the north of the country registered an almost 75 per cent decrease in dispatches. Daily average cement offtake fell to 30,000-35,000tpd from 135,000-140,000tpd. Elsewhere, exports slipped 93 per cent to an average of 1,000-1,500tpd from 20,000-22,000tpd. Industry officials have said cement factories are still operating with minimal staff while following standard procedures to slow the coronavirus spread. Published under Andrea Chabant Sanchez is a 29-year-old publicist who lives in Madrid. He usually travels to Paris once a month to see his girlfriend Emma Besancon. In January, he planned all his trips through July. Now, those trips are cancelled. Travel restrictions have stopped him and many other people around the world from visiting their loved ones. I honestly dont know when Im going to see the person I love again, said Sanchez. He and Besancon, who is 24, have not been together since before Spain declared a state of emergency on March 14. I always had a date: one for this month, next month... said Sanchez. Lola Gomez is a 22-year-old acting student from Malaga, Spain. She also feels the pain of separation. Its only been eleven days, but it feels like I havent seen her in a month, she said of her girlfriend Sara Lozano, also 22. Lozano left Madrid to join her family in Pamplona the day before the quarantine was ordered. Neither knows when they will next meet. Weve been separated before, but this isnt like Christmas or summertime, when its long but youre doing a million other things, said Gomez. This quarantine means a lot of time alone, thinking, asking yourself questions - a lot of time shut in too. You miss your partner so much more, she said. Sharing a drink... remotely Etienne Berges is a 26-year-old humanitarian policy adviser working in Myanmar. He will not see his girlfriend, Amber Medland, next month. On March 16, Myanmar ordered quarantine for anyone arriving from countries where COVID-19 is spreading. So, Medland, a 29-year-old writer based in London, cancelled her plans to travel. Still, the couple is finding ways to be together from thousands of miles apart. They visit on video calls while watching the same television show or having a drink. Gomez and Lozano share mealtimes over video calls. And they always video-call one another just before they go to sleep. That way, you give and get tenderness before sleeping, Gomez said. It is not quite the same as the real thing, however. The person you love should be the one person you can break confinement with, completely - because you lay beside them at night. And I cant, said Sanchez. He stayed alone in Madrid while Besancon went to be with her family in Normandy, France. As the coronavirus spreads, separated couples are facing the fact that days apart turn into weeks, and now possibly months. Im John Russell. The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story quarantine n. to separate someone who has an illness tenderness n. gentle, loving behavior confinement n. to be held separately from others State-owned BPJS Kesehatan, which provides universal health cover, has been in financial trouble for several years, citing more payouts than premiums collected. It announced a US$2.3 billion cash deficit last year, which is expected to balloon by 140% by 2024. The deficit has caused delays in payment to various medical service providers. Jakartas solution was to increase the premiums charged, but the Supreme Court declared it illegal, as it violated the 2009 Health Law. According to the report, a group of patients suffering from kidney failure petitioned the court to review the decree that increased premiums. Read more: Indonesian president orders review of health cover premium hike Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that BPJS Kesehatans finances will be impacted by the ruling. We will see how to make BPJS Kesehatan more sustainable, Indrawati was quoted as saying in the report. It gives healthcare services for the wider public, but financially its at a loss. Following the ruling, it is not yet clear if BPJS Kesehatan will be ordered to refund the extra premiums it charged, the report said. Around 96 million low-income individuals have their premiums subsidised by the government. A retired Venezuelan spy chief has pleaded not guilty to helping Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and a Colombian guerrilla group allegedly ship cocaine to the United States over two decades. Instead of visiting the court room, former general Cliver Alcala presented himself via Skype because of the coronavirus pandemic, and claimed his innocence before Southern District of New York prosecutors. Alcala last Friday turned himself over to authorities in Colombia's Caribbean city of Barranquilla, where he had been living for the last two years after fleeing the Maduro regime. The 58-year-old is one of 15 current and former Venezuelan officials who since 1999 formed part of the Cartel de los Soles [The Cartel of the Suns] and conspired with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaPeople's Army [FARC] to transport cocaine to the United States, according to four-count superseding indictment filed by the U.S. Department of Justice last Thursday. Former Venezuelan general Cliver Alcala (left) is allegedly cooperating with the United States after drug trafficking charges were filed against him and 14 other Venezuelan former and current officials, including President Nicolas Maduro (right). The officials are accused of working with the FARC, a Colombian guerrilla group, and other cartels to ship cocaine U.S. prosecutors say at least 250 metric tons of cocaine a year were smuggled to the U.S. by the officials, who turned the Venezuelan state into a platform for violent cartels and Colombia rebels. The Justice Department had offered a $10million reward for Alcala's arrest. The U.S. has also offered a $15million bounty for Maduro. Additional rewards of $10million are also being offered for information leading to the arrest of Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly; Hugo Carvajal, former Director of Military Intelligence; and Tareck El Aissmai, former Vice President and the current Minister of Industries and National Production. The indictment alleged that Alcala and top officials received bribes from the FARC in exchange for safe passage for cocaine shipments sent through Venezuela. 'The Venezuelan regime, once led by Nicolas Maduro Moros, remains plagued by criminality and corruption,' said Attorney General Bill Barr. 'For more than 20 years, Maduro and a number of high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with the FARC, causing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American communities.' Around 2008, at a meeting with Cabello and Carvajal, it was decided Alcala would coordinate drug-trafficking with the FARC, according to the indictment. Cabello and Carvajal were both charged too. They have previously denied accusations of drug trafficking. Alcala retired from the armed forces as Maduro took over the presidency in 2013 following his predecessor Hugo Chavez's death from cancer. Alcala claimed responsibility for a stockpile of weapons that were going to be used to out Maduro from office Pictured: Material provided by the Department of Justice regarding the $15million reward for Maduro After being indicted Thursday, Alcala shocked many by claiming responsibility for a stockpile of U.S.-made assault weapons and military equipment seized a day earlier on a highway in Colombia for what he said was a planned incursion into Venezuela to remove Maduro. At least 26 AR-15 riffles were among a cache of more than 270 military instruments confiscated off a truck. Without offering evidence, he said he had a contract with opposition leader Juan Guaido and his 'American advisers' to purchase the weapons. Venezuela's socialist leader accused the DEA of being behind a plan by Alcala to assassinate him and other political leaders. 'We had everything ready,' Alcala said in a video published on social media. 'But circumstances that have plagued us throughout this fight against the regime generated leaks from the very heart of the opposition, the part that wants to coexist with Maduro.' Bengaluru, April 1 : Karnataka recorded nine new Covid-19 positive cases, raising the total to 110, an official said on Wednesday. "Till date, 110 Covid positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes three deaths and nine discharges," said a health official. Among the 98 Covid patients isolated in designated hospitals across the state, 95 are stable, including a pregnant woman while three are critical. The new cases surfaced between Tuesday 5 p.m. and Wednesday 2 p.m. Karnataka's 102nd Covid positive case is a 24-year-old man from Bengaluru. A 37-year-old man from Nanjangud, Mysuru has tested positive as the 103rd case. A contact of the 52nd case, one of the many employees of the pharmaceutical company who contracted the virus. The 104th case is a 27-year-old man from the same company. Next, a 33-year-old man from the city has emerged as the 105th case, a contact of the 103rd case. A 49-year-old man from Dakshina Kannada with travel history to Dubai is the 106th case. He returned to India on March 20. The state's 107th case is a 26-year-old man from Bengaluru who travelled to Spain. He returned on March 18. A 63-year-old man from Kerala with travel history to Germany is the 108th case. He returned to the city via Abu Dabhi on March 21. Similarly, the 109th case is a 63-year-old man from Mysuru from the pharmaceutical company. Likewise, the last case for Wednesday is a 27-year-old woman, wife of 52nd case. All the new cases have been admitted at the respective designated hospitals across the state. The state government has directed all the medical colleges in Karnataka to work in coordination with the respective district authorities. The health department has allowed private Covid testing laboratories to act as fever clinics but capped the fees at Rs 4,500. Aiming to strengthen the fight against Covid, the state government has authorized all the deputy commissioners to utilize funds from the District Mineral Foundation to purchase Covid equipment. Meanwhile, Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner B. Sharat said that 26 Tablighi pilgrims from the district attended the Nizamuddin pilgrimage in Delhi. Out of the 26, 14 returned to the district and have been quarantined, he said. The state government has continued its appeal to the Tablighi pilgrims to reach out to the health department. Two women came forward in January to report they had been sexually assaulted multiple times by the same man while they were growing up in Aurora, police said. The women told detectives they were between the ages of 9 and 16 years old when the sexual assaults occurred. Photo: Pixabay Cannabis testing labs asked to join in COVID-19 fight Cannabis companies, illegal less than two years ago, are now proving to be essential in more ways than one. Last week, B.C. joined a growing number of places that have declared cannabis an essential service. That means retailers and producers can continue their operations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring medical patients and recreational customers have access. Now other sectors of the industry are being asked by the federal government to go above and beyond. Health Canada is asking cannabis laboratories to shift into providing testing services needed in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Rod Szarka, vice-president of marketing and business development at Keystone Labs, said the company has been testing much-needed sanitizers. For the last two weeks, weve been getting calls non-stop from people who have developed hand sanitizers or disinfectants and want to have them tested, said Szarka. We do have the capabilities in-house to do that. Keystone, based in Edmonton, Alta., does a variety of testing for the cannabis industry. The company was one of many cannabis labs to receive a letter from Health Canada asking if they had the capacity and interest in helping with coronavirus-related testing. Szarka said they dont have the capability to process tests specifically for the virus. However, they can certify sanitizers and disinfectants, for example to be 99.9% effective on bacteria. Keystone, which started in 2005 as a pharmaceutical testing company, was granted a cannabis licence in 2015. The company does a lot of production facility testing, including helping licensed producers ensure their facilities are sterile after each new production cycle. It has also been doing stability testing to help designate best before dates on oils and Cannabis 2.0 products. Cannabis companies are also proving to be good neighbours. With front-line, healthcare workers facing a critical shortage of personal protective gear, such as masks and gloves, some cannabis producers have offered their own stock. The generosity is a silver lining to the shutdown of Canopy Growths two massive greenhouses in B.C., as they were able to donate thousands of items. Challenges ahead Even as legal retailers celebrate the provincial governments historic declaration, they worry that staffing shortages will become an issue. BDS Analytics, which specializes in cannabis market and trends reports, surveyed retailers all over North America. It found storeowners have a strong resolve to stay open, but are facing increasing staffing challenges. For now, retailers have generally been able to cover the holes by assigning more hours to remaining staff or operating with fewer employees, said Greg Shoenfeld, the firms vice-president of operations. If the staffing becomes tighter, that will be a constraint, he added. To the best of their ability, they are planning to stay open. Nearly 60% of retailers said they have experienced staffing constraints. This number continues to increase. In the Okanagan, local retailers have said staff members who are at higher risk of falling severely ill from coronavirus or who fear passing it along to family members are already staying home. Some stores have been forced to close. For the lucky ones that have been able to remain open, sales are unprecedented as people stock up. Shoenfeld said retailers have seen tremendous, tremendous sales. Some characterized it as being as (busy), or busier, than 4/20. Good old-fashioned bud is the product of choice right now, especially in large formats, like ounces. By and large, the most common product category that retailers are indicating is moving fast is flower, some particularly called out CBD-heavy flower as going first, he said. Edibles are also proving highly popular. BDS co-founder and CEO Roy Bingham noted cannabis consumption is clearly on the increase among consumers. Theyre anxious about the future, theyre going to be spending a lot of time being home alone, he said. You cant go to the gym, or do other things you might do to relax. The latest info from BDS is predicting an impending slowdown in the cannabis market as the recession deepens and cannabis consumers sit on their mountain of stock. (Newser) As confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide move relentlessly toward the 1 million figure, the United Nations is warning that the outbreak is the biggest test it has faced since it was formed in 1945. The global body called for international cooperation to fight the pandemic Wednesday, warning that it is "attacking societies at their core," the New York Times reports. "We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nationsone that is killing people, spreading human suffering and upending peoples lives," a UN report said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for rich countries to help poorer ones, saying the world faces "the nightmare of the disease spreading like wildfire in the global South with millions of deaths and the prospect of the disease re-emerging where it was previously suppressed." story continues below "Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world," Guterres said. As of early Wednesday, more than 874,000 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The US now has almost 190,000 cases, far more than any other country, while Italy and Spain have both overtaken China, with more than 100,000 cases in each country, the Guardian reports. The 193 members of the UN General Assembly are currently considering two rival resolutions calling for global cooperation to fight the pandemic, the AP reports. One resolution has more than 130 co-sponsors. Russia says a second one it has sponsored is more "result-oriented." (Read more coronavirus stories.) No country will be immune to coronavirus and for nations like India which have a vast population, the impact could be very serious, said Lakshmi Mittal London/New Delhi: NRI billionaire Lakshmi N Mittal on Tuesday announced a contribution of Rs 100 crore to the PM CARES Fund to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus in India. "ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture between (L N Mittal's) ArcelorMittal and Japan's Nippon Steel, and HMEL, a partnership between Hindustan Petroleum and Mittal Energy Investments, today announce a package of support to strengthen India's capacity to protect families and communities impacted by the virus. "Both our operations in India commit equally to a total of Rs 100 crore to PM-CARES for the ongoing relief efforts countrywide," Mittal said in a statement. "Citizens across India have shown extraordinary dedication, bravery and compassion in this moment of singular crisis and they deserve our support and the gratitude of the nation," the steel magnate said. COVID-19 is having significant repercussions for people in every continent, Mittal said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak No country will be immune to it and for nations like India which have a vast population, the impact could be very serious, he added. Collaboration in times like these is critical, the industrialist asserted. Governments, companies and citizens must therefore work together to pool their resources, to ensure every action is taken to combat the pandemic as swiftly as possible, he said. Mittal also said his companies are providing daily meals to over 5,000 people and food kits to more than 30,000. A 32-year-old paediatrician at another Delhi government-run hospital has tested positive for Covid-19, officials said on Wednesday, making him the sixth doctor to contract the disease in the Capital. The doctor, who works at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital in East Patel Nagar, was tested after his wife turned positive for the coronavirus disease last week. The wife works at Safdarjung Hospitals biochemistry department. Safdarjung Hospital currently has 21 Covid-19 patients in its isolation facility. Before this, a 35-year-old doctor at the Delhi State Cancer Institute tested positive for the coronavirus disease. The doctor from the institutes preventive oncology department is admitted at the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini near his home. Also read: 2nd Delhi mohalla clinic doctors contacts being traced Authorities on Wednesday suspended the Delhi State Cancer Institutes out-patient clinics to sanitise the premises after the doctor there tested positive, officials said and added that the source of his infection is unclear. His brother and sister-in-law did travel to the UK in February, but they havent tested positive for the infection, an official from the Delhi governments health department, said. Two Mohalla Clinic doctors and a private practitioner from Hari Nagar have also contracted the respiratory disease. A doctor couple from two Delhi Mohalla Clinics in the northeast region had tested positive for the coronavirus disease on March 21 and March 25. The 49-year-old doctor, who worked in a mohalla clinic in Maujpur, was diagnosed on March 21 after being infected from a patient who returned from Saudi Arabia. His 48-year-old wife, who also worked in a neighbouring clinic in Baburpur, and their 17-year-old daughter tested positive for the disease on March 25. There are 121 Covid-19 patients in the Capital and two people have died because of the disease till date. And, the number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1637 on Wednesday. At least 38 people have died and 123 have been cured or discharged after treatment till date, according to Centres data. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An international team of researchers led by geoscientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have now provided a new and unprecedented perspective on the climate history of Antarctica. In a sediment core collected in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, in February 2017, the team discovered pristinely preserved forest soil from the Cretaceous, including a wealth of plant pollen and spores and a dense network of roots. These plant remains confirm that, roughly 90 million years ago, the coast of West Antarctica was home to temperate, swampy rainforests where the annual mean temperature was ca. 12 degrees Celsius - an exceptionally warm climate for a location near the South Pole. The researchers surmise that this warmth was only possible because there was no Antarctic ice sheet and because the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was significantly higher than indicated by climate models to date. The study, which provides the southernmost directly assessable climate and environmental data from the Cretaceous and poses new challenges for climate modellers around the globe, will be released in the journal NATURE on 1 April 2020. The mid-Cretaceous time interval, from ca. 115 million to 80 million years ago, is not only considered the age of the dinosaurs, but was also the warmest period in the past 140 million years. Sea surface temperatures in the tropics at this time were likely as high as ca. 35 degrees Celsius, and sea level was 170 metres higher than today. Yet we still know very little about environmental conditions in the Cretaceous south of the polar circle, since there are virtually no reliable climate archives that extend that far back in time. The new sediment core offers the team of experts the first chance to reconstruct the West Antarctic climate during the warmest interval of the Cretaceous, thanks to the unique evidence it contains. In the sediment core, which the team collected with the University of Bremen's seafloor drill rig MARUM-MeBo70 near the Pine Island Glacier on an RV Polarstern expedition, they found pristinely preserved forest soil from the Cretaceous. "During the initial shipboard assessments, the unusual colouration of the sediment layer quickly caught our attention; it clearly differed from the layers above it. Moreover, the first analyses indicated that, at a depth of 27 to 30 metres below the ocean floor, we had found a layer originally formed on land, not in the ocean," reports first author Dr Johann Klages, a geologist at the AWI. Evidence of a swamp landscape rich in vegetation Yet it didn't become clear just how unique the climate archive truly was until the sediment core was subjected to X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans. The CT images revealed a dense network of roots that spread through the entire soil layer of fine-grained clay and silt, and which was so well-preserved that the researchers could make out individual cell structures. In addition, the soil sample contains countless traces of pollen and spores from various vascular plants, including the first remnants of flowering plants ever found at these high Antarctic latitudes. "The numerous plant remains indicate that 93 to 83 million years ago the coast of West Antarctica was a swampy landscape in which temperate rainforests grew - similar to the forests that can still be found, say, on New Zealand's South Island," explains co-author Prof Ulrich Salzmann, a palaeoecologist at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne. The results of the vegetation analysis puzzled the researchers: under what climatic conditions could temperate rainforests have formed back then at a geographic latitude of roughly 82 degrees South? Even during the Cretaceous, the Antarctic continent was at the South Pole, which means the region where the forest soil originated was subject to a four-month polar night; for a third of every year, there was no life-giving sunlight at all. "To get a better idea of what the climate was like in this warmest phase of the Cretaceous, we first assessed the climatic conditions under which the plants' modern descendants live," says Johann Klages. The researchers subsequently searched for biological and geochemical temperature and precipitation indicators in the soil sample, on the basis of which they could reconstruct the air and water temperature in the West Antarctic rainforests, as well as the amount of precipitation they received. Numerous analyses, one result: In the Cretaceous, Antarctica was ice-free and extremely warm The outcomes of the various analyses fit together like the pieces of a puzzle: Roughly 90 million years ago, there was a temperate climate just 900 km from the South Pole. The annual mean air temperature was ca. 12 degrees Celsius; in other words, back in the Cretaceous, the average temperature near the South Pole was roughly two degrees warmer than the mean temperature in Germany today. Summer temperatures were ca. 19 degrees Celsius on average; water temperatures in the rivers and swamps reached up to 20 degrees; and the amount and intensity of rainfall in West Antarctica were similar to those in today's Wales. The researchers then used this new vegetation, temperature, and precipitation data from West Antarctica as target values for simulations of the mid-Cretaceous climate. Their calculations with a palaeoclimate model revealed that the reconstructed conditions could only be achieved when (1) the Antarctic continent was covered with dense vegetation, (2) there were no land-ice masses on the scale of an ice sheet in the South Pole region, and (3) the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was far higher than previously assumed for the Cretaceous. "Before our study, the general assumption was that the global carbon dioxide concentration in the Cretaceous was roughly 1000 ppm. But in our model-based experiments, it took concentration levels of 1120 to 1680 ppm to reach the average temperatures back then in the Antarctic," says co-author and AWI climate modeller Prof Gerrit Lohmann. Accordingly, the study shows both the enormous potency of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and how essential the cooling effects of today's ice sheets are. "We now know that there could easily be four straight months without sunlight in the Cretaceous. But because the carbon dioxide concentration was so high, the climate around the South Pole was nevertheless temperate, without ice masses," explains co-author Dr Torsten Bickert, a geoscientist at the University of Bremen's MARUM research centre. The big question now is: if it became so warm in the Antarctic back then, what caused the climate to subsequently cool so dramatically to form ice sheets again? "Our climate simulations haven't yet provided a satisfactory answer," says Gerrit Lohmann. Finding the causes of these tipping points is now a key challenge for the international climate research community. ### BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. With the support of many local businesses and organizations, the Scotties BackPack Program is able to continue during the school closure for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. The program provides weekend meals to those students who may otherwise go without. The Ballston Spa Central School Districts BackPack Program is still receiving generous support from members of the school community. At a time when restaurants are struggling, the Route 50 Diner has donated $800 after they collected and matched a weekend of customer donations to support the Scotties BackPack Program. Bags will be delivered on the same days and in the same manner they have been. The Scotties BackPack Program provides bags of nutritious, easy to prepare food for the weekend to students who may otherwise go without. Meeting nutritional needs helps ensure our students are ready to learn when they return to school. The program exists solely through the support of sponsorships, donations and the work of many community volunteers and staff who donate their time each week to delivery, packaging and distribution of the bags. If you are interested in supporting the Scotties BackPack Program please contact kelliott@bscsd.org or 518-884-7195 x1369. For a list of supporters and details of the program, please visit https://www.bscsd.org/Page/13097.. A KIND hearted family have donated 20 boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line medical workers at University Hospital Limerick. Eighteen-year-old Tyrone McGuane and his 10-year-old sister Madison from the Lee Estate, raised 1,750 from the sale of a CD entitled Made to Live. They were planning to donate the money to Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, which provides riverside support to people in distress across the city. However, with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, they decided to instead ensure health workers in Dooradoyle had access to the equipment they needed. The pairs mother Marion delivered glasses, gloves, aprons and uniforms for nurses to the Dooradoyle hospital. I feel they are very very brave. They are heroes non-stop, and these people are on the front-line every day anyway. But now with this coronavirus and the unpredictability of it, they are still going in, trying to put a smile on peoples faces. Its something I find amazing, she said. The move to divert the donation to University Hospital Limerick, she said, came after talks with Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, whose members were happy to see this happen. We wanted to do our bit, Marion said, When this is all over, we will get back together again, and we will be able to do other fundraisers for our group going forward. She added her son Tyrone is over the moon with the money raised. Made to Live was recorded in just three weeks by Tyrone who is studying education at Mary Immaculate College and his sister with the help of Ciara Meade and Dom Chappell at the Learning Hub in Thomondgate. The pair performed the track both in Limerick, and at a suicide prevention night in the London. A variety of PPE equipment was flown into Dublin Airport yesterday from the Chinese capital of Beijing. It is the first of 10 flights to Beijing to deliver the gear to Ireland as part of a 208m deal. The hospital refused to allow this and sent her home. Her future is unclear. Weill Cornell told me in a statement that it issues appropriate P.P.E. and that it cant allow doctors to bring their own of unknown provenance and safety. Thats a pretty patronizing way for hospital executives to treat professionals who are risking their lives. In Chicago, a nurse, Lauri Mazurkiewicz, warned colleagues that standard face masks distributed by the hospital were not safe. She brought in her own higher grade N95 mask and was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She is now suing the hospital, which declined to comment except to tell me that its practices are safe. In Texas, my colleague Matt Richtel reported on an anesthesiologist, Dr. Henry Nikicicz, who in effect was suspended without pay because he wore a mask in public places in the hospital. The hospital relented after it was asked for comment. Tension arises not only because of shortages of P.P.E. but also because of uncertainty about how much protection is optimal. No one knows. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given conflicting advice, and other countries have varying standards. Singapore avoided infections with modest P.P.E., while Chinese doctors and nurses now use full-body coverings much more substantial than the protective clothing in America. Meanwhile, American health workers see colleagues falling sick. At Weill Cornell, a former E.R. doctor is now fighting for her life on a ventilator. Were seeing our fellow caregivers getting sick, and were stressed out, said another Weill Cornell emergency room physician, who feared being fired if his name were published. Within one morning, I saw a gastroenterologist, an internist, a nurse and a pulmonologist he was talking about his patients and you want to protect yourself. Its baffling that the richest country in the history of the world fails so abysmally at protecting its health workers, especially when it had two months lead time. And for hospitals now to retaliate against health workers who try to protect themselves ousting them just when they are most needed is both unconscionable and idiotic. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The Department of Agriculture (DA) has assured the public there is enough supply of rice to see the country though the enhanced community quarantine period. Agriculture Secretary William Dar allayed fears of a rice shortage on Wednesday's Laging Handa briefing, saying current stocks are more than enough. "Ang national rice inventory as of March 2020 ay good for 75 days. By the end of June 2020, mayroon po tayong national rice inventory na good for 67 days. Sapat na sapat po," he said. [Translation: The national rice inventory as of March 2020 is good for 75 days. By the end of June 2020, we will have a national rice inventory that will be good for 67 days. This is more than enough.] Dar also said there was still a balance of supply from rice ordered by the private sector. "Ang naorder na sa iba't-ibang bansa, tatlong bansa ito, ay 1.3 million metric tons. Inorder ng private sector na importers. To mention also, ang nakarating na na imported rice na ang pribadong sektor nag-import ay almost 500,000 metric tons," said Dar. [Translation: The rice ordered from three different countries total 1.3 million metric tons. This was ordered by private sector importers. To mention also, 500,000 metric tons have already arrived.] Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles had said the government would import rice if the situation brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak warrants it. If necessary, we will import an additional 300,000 metric tons of rice through government to government arrangements with ASEAN trading partners and/or from all sources including India and Pakistan at the ASEAN tariff, Nograles earlier said. RELATED: SMC to donate 560,000 kilos of rice to families under community quarantine Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Korea has decided to postpone an international summit on climate change until next year due to the coronavirus epidemic. Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday the government will reschedule the P4G summit, which was due to take place in Seoul in June. It added that it made the decision in consultations with the invited countries. P4G, which stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, brings together 12 countries to help them deliver on sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement through public and private partnerships. The inaugural summit was held in Denmark in 2018. New Delhi, April 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that he has ordered for stricter security deployment after doctors informed him about Covid-19 patients behaving in an aggressive manner, besides directing to trace the phone locations of those put on home quarantine. The Chief Minister said in a media briefing that doctors have informed him about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and he has requested the Centre and all medical suppliers to provide the same. "I spoke to the doctors today and received many suggestions from them. Security is the main issue which they told me about. There are some patients who are very aggressive. Yesterday, a patent attempted suicide at a city hospital. The doctors had to run to save the person as no one else is ready to touch a coronavirus patient," the Chief Minister said. Kejriwal said that he has directed the Delhi Home Department to deploy more security personnel at the hospitals across the city. He said there is a lack of PPE and testing kits, adding: "I will urge the Centre to provide the same." Kejriwal also said that the government will use technology to trace the people being asked to be on home quarantine. "Many developed countries are using technology to map the movements of the suspected cases. We have asked the Delhi Police to help us do the same," he said. Kejriwal said that on Tuesday, over 11,000 phone numbers were given to the police for tracing their movements and the people they were meeting. "With the help of the police, we will trace the phones of the people who have been directed by the government to stay at home. We will be giving 14,345 more mobile numbers to the police today for tracing. The police will see where all the people have gone even when they have been asked to stay at home," the Chief Minister said. He added that those flouting the directions will be dealt with strictly. Kejriwal's comments came a day after Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal directed to use technology to monitor home quarantined people. Baijal had instructed that home quarantine has to be strictly monitored and technology should be used for its effective monitoring to stop further spread of the dreaded virus. At present, more than 20,000 homes in Delhi have been identified by the government for home quarantine. The directive came after reports emerged that people were roaming around and meeting others despite being asked to stay at their homes. Residents of inner-west Sydney suburb Rozelle are asking the state government to alter the work schedule of the nearby WestConnex project, saying the constant noise while they are working from home is too much to handle. Residents held a meeting on Wednesday afternoon on video conferencing service Zoom, chaired by state MP Jamie Parker. Balmain MP Jamie Parker and residents discuss WestConnex issues in Rozelle via a meeting on Zoom. "New times means new methods," Mr Parker said. "This new technology ... actually worked really well." The member for Balmain said that residents weren't under the illusion that roadworks could stop completely, but were hopeful that, with most people working from home at the moment, there would be more periods of respite. Italy's coronavirus epidemic may be slowing, but critics warn the government is falling seriously behind on strategies to lift the punishing nationwide lockdown and reboot the economy. Nearly 12,500 people have died of the virus so far according to official data. Despite a slowdown in new death and infection rates the government has extended an economically crippling lockdown until "at least" mid-April over fears of a second wind. But poverty and unemployment numbers are already skyrocketing. Analysts have warned the eurozone's third-largest economy will suffer its worst recession in decades, contracting six percent in 2020 should the lockdown last through to May. "It's horrible to have to choose between putting the economy in a corner or exposing many people to the risk of dying," US expert Paul Romer told Italy's Fatto Quotidiano daily Wednesday. The government needs "a credible plan to revoke the shutdown very soon, while guaranteeing the safety of workers even if the virus is still present," said the co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics. Italy's business lobby Confindustria said Tuesday each additional week beyond the end of May could see the economy shrink by an additional 0.75 percentage points -- billions of euros a week. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told opposition leaders Wednesday: "We must plan a return to normality, and it must be done gradually and must allow everyone, eventually, to return to work safely." But he has yet to publish a blueprint. Finance Minister Roberto Gualtieri said the recession forecasts were "realistic", but warned against jumping the gun on easing the lockdown, saying "the more rigorous and efficient we are in combatting the epidemic, the sooner we can restart". His department was planning economic support measures worth some 500 billion euros, he said in an interview. According to official figures, just over 100,000 people have been infected in Italy since the epidemic began, but experts say there could be anywhere between 700,000 and six million cases -- up to 10 per cent of the population. That could mean large numbers of people have already had the virus without suffering symptoms and could return to work. As morgues overflowed and fear reigned, opposition parties largely curbed criticism of the government. But with good on the infection rate, ex-prime minister Matteo Renzi has broken ranks to insist mass testing be done to end the lockdown. "We'll have to live with COVID-19 for months, maybe years. Those who tell you otherwise are lying. We cannot stay locked indoors for years, we must find a way to get out safely and work within the rules," he said. Romer called for "a policy of intelligent isolation, which means people are tested repeatedly, once every two weeks". Those who test negative can work; those who don't, remain in isolation. "You need to test on a large scale... for at least two years. And be ready to find through tests those who have (since) become contagious, because the virus will come in (to Italy) from other parts of the world," he said. "In past wars, countries mobilised production to produce new equipment. They have to do that again. Each country in Europe is rich enough and developed enough to do it." Italy has blood tests capable of quickly identifying who has the virus and who has the antibodies, but they are still in a trial phase, according to Guido Marinoni, head of the doctors' union in hard-hit Bergamo in the country's north. Such tests would provide important data on "the population's temporary immunity to the virus", he said. But according to Italian virologist Roberto Burioni, the tests only reveal antibodies some 14 days after infection. "We don't know yet what extent of defence those antibodies provide," he said. Once the epidemic slows, the few people still infected "can kick-start a fresh upswing and we'd be back where we started", Marinoni warned. Nor will seeing fewer seriously ill coronavirus patients ease the pressure on hospitals immediately. Free beds will go those unable to get one before. More people have been dying at home or in care homes than in hospital, Marinoni said. "We can only take a breath as long as the entire country is closed, because otherwise cases will emerge again," he said. "The worry is that just that when everything goes well, the mistakes made at the start of the epidemic are repeated." The virus epicentre is Italy's wealthy north, while the poorer south has been relatively spared. Should the virus return and flare in the south, the fear is that hospitals weakened from years of painful cuts and corruption could be overwhelmed. Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, told AFP a longer lockdown now would do less damage to the economy than relapses down the line. "The equation is fairly simple," he said. "Italy needs to reduce the spread of the virus to a speed the health system can cope with, and that does not appear to be the case yet". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Do you see more online threats from outside or inside your organization?Ive asked gov tech executives that question for more than a decade, and answers have been all over the map. But lately, there is often a greater fear of insider threats.The reasons vary. Nevertheless, security teams often feel more confident in their ability to stop external hackers than they do at detecting and responding to internal network anomalies or addressing the online (and related offline) actions of their own staff.In January, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, told a gathering of cybersecurity professionals that insider threats posed the greatest risk for Americans. We had a horrible year last year ... he said, with indictments, arrests, convictions of clearance-holders as well as arrests, indictments, convictions of nontraditional collectors in the private sector theft of intellectual property and trade secrets. It was not a good year for industry or the government.Insider threat impacts can include theft or loss of mission-critical data, downtime of organizational productivity, damage to equipment and other assets, cost to detect and remediate systems and core business processes, and legal and regulatory impact, including litigation defense cost and lost confidence and trust among key stakeholders.Meanwhile, the overall financial costs of insider threats keep skyrocketing.The Ponemon Institute announced this year that the global average cost of an insider threat is $11.45 million. Also, the frequency of insider incidents has tripled since 2016 from one to 3.2 per organization, and the 204 large organizations (with a staff over 1,000) surveyed experienced a total of 4,716 insider incidents over the past year.So what can be done? Here are five steps to help:Examine the latest insider threat reports on current cyberthreat trends. Relearn the latest categories of insider threats like malicious insiders, employee and contractor negligence, and imposter risk (credential theft). Study your current policies, procedures and controls in place to mitigate these risks on issues ranging from background checks to access controls. Are they truly working? For example, check to see if security logs and alerts are processed or ignored.A good understanding of your data crown jewels is essential. Is sensitive data stored on mobile devices or desktop PCs? Or is it truly contained within protected mission-critical databases?Who has access to this sensitive data? Again, recheck separation of duties and privileged account lists to ensure that they are updated for entering and exiting employees. Ensure that staff who have changed roles have unneeded access removed.Are your data loss prevention tools working? Is data leaking into the cloud via social media or personal email accounts? Have you considered a cloud access security broker? Keep in mind that privileged access management is the second-most underused tool and activity used to reduce insider threats.Everyone wants to find the bad apples in your organization. But paradoxically, one way to do that is to spend more time training and communicating with the good apples. Provide security awareness training and show staff what to watch out for. Think about people, process and technology risks. Security and technology teams cannot be everywhere, but if most staff are well-trained and know what to do, they will find and report bad apples (and phish).In 2004, when I was Michigans CISO, we ran our first penetration tests from both inside and outside our state computer network. While the outside tests found serious Web vulnerabilities, the tests run inside, with the same account privileges as a student intern, succeeded in getting (unauthorized) access to the crown jewels. Ignoring insider threats is a mistake. "On the tech side, companies are pivoting to work from home (WFH)," says Phillips. "Our company has embraced a remote structure since our launch in 2006, so we're busy helping industry peers navigate this change. In our regulatory environment, it's not as simple as setting up remote communications. HIPAA, PHI, CMS and security mandates must be upheld." The initial WFH transition may be difficult, but Phillips believes companies will see a silver lining, noting, "the remote model enables us to recruit top-tier talent around the country and invest in our team and technology rather than physical space." The Cavulus CEO said, "we've even seen business continuity bolstered with employees dispersed geographically." From a payor perspective, Phillips envisions Medicare Advantage sales operations relying almost entirely on call centers in the next 12-18 months. "MA plans will not jeopardize the health of our population with home-visits and public seminars. Those activities will cease until there's a vaccine that makes in-person contact safe. But there's never been a more critical time to communicate accurate information to beneficiaries." According to Phillips, this disruption is driving activity in the MA market as plans engage third party call centers and software vendors. In doing so, he recommends plans scrutinize security, remote capabilities, server redundancies, back-up frequency, and historical metrics like recovery time. "These are critical factors in times of crisis and are being increasingly tested due to recent hurricane evacuations, wildfires and other natural disasters." "There's a new reality," says Phillips. "The movement to WFH has been evolving, but today's challenges have accelerated it dramatically. There's no substitute for those on the front lines of this war with COVID-19. But for anyone who can provide support remotely, our digital environments must be adaptive, flexible, and most importantly, safe." ABOUT CAVULUS - Cavulus is a technology driven specialist in Medicare Advantage insurance solutions. The Cavulus Cloud-based Medicare Advantage Platform (Cavulus MAP) unifies marketing, sales and enrollment operations, and utilized by many of America's top insurers, including several BlueCross/ BlueShield companies, UPMC Health Plan, Johns Hopkins Healthcare, Lumeris and United Healthcare. For details visit: www.cavulus.com. Media Inquiries: 800-760-6915 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Cavulus Related Links http://www.cavulus.com New Delhi, April 2 : As the corona pandemic turns multifaceted, concerns are arising over the use of currency notes and banks have been advised not to recycle inward currencies and do so only after 48 hours. As a per a circular issued to banks in Kerala, all member banks of the SLBC that the inward currencies at branches should not be recycled. The inward currencies are to be separately wrapped in packets with date and to be recycled only after 48 hours. "We infer that currency notes are a probable threat for spread of coronavirus. Health Department has also opined that coronavirus could sustain on infected currency notes for about 12 hours." Canara Bank has issued a circular today to the SLBC member banks in Kerala. The staff in the branches have been asked to take precautions including wearing masks, gloves, using sanitisers and ensuring social distancing. Earlier, Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has made an appeal to people to wash their hands after touching or counting currency. IBA had also asked customers to use online and mobile banking channels for making their transactions and avoid visiting bank branches. "Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before and after physical banking/currency counting/AEPS (Aadhaar-enabled payments)," IBA had said in a public appeal. Traders body, the Confederation of All India Traders had also flagged these concerns to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the possible spread of coronavirus through currency notes. CAIT had said that usage of paper currency which is (the) most dreaded carrier for different viruses and infections due to rapid change of hands between unknown people and thus becomes a health hazard. It cited the safety of polymer currency, mentioning 13 countries who have switched entirely to these notes, ditching paper variants, and more than 15 countries in line to do so. Click here to calculate income tax payable for the assessment year 2019-20 -- Syndicated from IANS (Bloomberg) -- Its a mass exodus not seen since the days following Indias independence in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of the countrys poorest citizens are walking long distances from cities back to their villages, carrying what little they have on their shoulders along major highways. Many lost their jobs and housing virtually overnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a three-week lockdown on March 24. The decision is aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19 in a country of 1.3 billion people, a fifth of the globes population. But in a nation with a large proportion of people reliant on informal work in cities that is now drying up, the lockdown is also sparking a humanitarian crisis and a potential health emergency, as Muneeza Naqvi and P.R. Sanjai report. India has very low coronavirus testing rates, so experts say its impossible to know the real rate of infection. The mass movement of people risks speeding up the viruss transmission, threatening to overwhelm Indias overcrowded, understaffed and often rundown hospitals. Modis unprecedented move may only provide temporary respite for those who could afford to stay put. Unlike China, India will struggle to quickly ramp up its medical infrastructure to cope with vast numbers of critically ill people. Doctors say its a matter of time before that reality bites. Global Headlines Backing off | President Donald Trump abruptly abandoned his ambition to return life to normal by Easter, heeding advice from top doctors that re-opening the U.S. economy in two weeks risks causing a higher number of deaths. He said social distancing guidelines would remain until at least April 30, and he warned that 100,000 or more people may die. Amid an outcry from civil rights groups and a threat of legal action from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rhode Island repealed an order for the police to stop cars with New York license plates and will instead halt all cars entering the state at certain locations. Click here for more on how Cuomos virus response has left some Democrats seeing him as potentially better positioned to take on Trump in November than presumptive nominee Joe Biden. Story continues Deadly weekend | The pandemic claimed more than 3,000 lives in Italy and Spain over the weekend, with increasing strains on health-care systems. European officials warned against loosening lockdowns, while finance ministers are expected to discuss the way forward this week, though there's little scope for fresh action as governments implore people to stay home. Russia moved toward a nationwide lockdown, following Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanins order for residents to stay home. Australia unleashed a record $80 billion jobs-rescue plan, pledging to subsidize wages as the outbreak wreaks havoc on the economy. Slow shift | Stung by global criticism for his relaxed approach to the virus, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is now sending home nonessential state employees. But even as the leftist populist promises no more hugs and advocates hand washing, hes urged traditional markets to stay open. AMLOs dilemma, Andrea Navarro writes, is that for the many Mexicans employed in the informal economy, not working means they may not be able to eat. Chess pieces | The Kremlins sudden shift of ownership of multi-billion-dollar oil projects in Venezuela shields oil giant Rosneft from further U.S. sanctions but keeps Moscow firmly behind President Nicolas Maduro. Rosneft, which produces 40% of Russian oil and has major exposure in the western financial system, is turning over its Venezuelan projects to an unnamed state-owned company in what it calls an effort to protect shareholders interests. Poisoned partnership? | On March 18, General Motors Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra told Trumps top economic adviser that the automaker might be able to help make much-needed ventilators. But less than 10 days later, Trump accused GM of foot-dragging and price-gouging in its effort to replenish the supply of medical equipment. David Welch has the inside story on what went wrong. Trump alleged yesterday that a New York hospital lost protective masks or even allowed them to be stolen, questioning how demand could have spiked so rapidly during the outbreak. The Pentagon is struggling to stay ahead of the pandemic as missteps start piling up and the Navy sidelines an aircraft carrier. What to Watch This Week North Koreas firing of two short-range missiles yesterday marked the fourth such launch this month. Nigeria has put its capital Abuja and the city of Lagos Africas biggest with about 20 million people on lockdown in a bid to slow the coronavirus in the continents most populous nation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is set to win parliaments approval today to rule indefinitely by decree, effectively putting the European Union member under his sole rule for as long as he sees fit. A deputy minister in Poland said the nations presidential election cant be held on May 10, becoming the first government official to openly voice such a possibility. The main challenger has called for a boycott. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus efforts to form a government are gaining pace, with two Labor party lawmakers slated to receive cabinet portfolios in exchange for joining the coalition, Israeli media are reporting. Thanks to all who responded to our pop quiz Friday and congratulations to Raphael Muchunu Mwangi, who was the first to name Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro as the leader who echoed Trump in calling for an early restart of his economy. Tell us how were doing or what were missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. And finally ... A Hong Kong broadcasters interview with a senior World Health Organization official went viral after he appeared to hang up when asked about Taiwans membership status in light of the Covid-19 outbreak. The footage showed Bruce Aylward saying he couldnt hear properly and asking the reporter to skip to the next question. It then showed the line disconnecting after the reporter said shed like to hear more about Taiwan. The WHO later said such issues are up to member nations, not its staff. 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. PITTSBURGH, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) today announced a change in the location of its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Annual Meeting) due to the public health threat of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. To safeguard the health and well-being of meeting participants, the meeting will be held in a virtual-only format, via webcast. "At EQT, we have been closely monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. As the health and safety of EQT employees and shareholders remains our primary concern, we have made the decision to host our Annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually," said Toby Z. Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer. "While shareholders will not be able to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting in person, we invite all shareholders to join the meeting online." Meeting Date: Friday, May 1, 2020 Meeting Time: 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) Meeting Access: Virtual Shareholder Meeting Shareholders may access the virtual meeting via the following address: http://www.meetingcenter.io/281081904. Participants may choose to join the virtual meeting as a "shareholder" or as a "guest". Help and technical support for accessing and participating in the virtual meeting will be available by following the instructions that will be posted on the above website. To enter the virtual meeting as a shareholder, participants will be required to enter a valid control number and password. The password for the meeting is EQT2020. A control number or password will not be required to join the virtual meeting as a guest. Shareholders are encouraged to vote and submit proxies in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting. Shareholders as of the close of business on February 7, 2020, who have a valid control number (see below for additional explanation and instructions), will have the ability to submit votes during the virtual meeting by following the instructions available on the virtual meeting website. Registered Holders / Employee Savings Plan Participants If your shares are registered directly in your name with the Company's transfer agent, Computershare, you are considered the "shareholder of record" of those shares and you may use the control number found on your proxy card (or e-notification) to enter the virtual meeting. Similarly, if you are a participant in the EQT Corporation Employee Savings Plan, you may use the the control number provided on your direction card to enter the virtual meeting. Beneficial Holders If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other holder of record, you are considered the "beneficial owner" of shares held in "street name." If you are a beneficial owner and you wish to vote your shares at the annual meeting, you must pre-register with Computershare not later than April 27, 2020 . To pre-register, you must (i) request from your bank or broker proof of your proxy power (legal proxy) and (ii) send to the email address below, together with your name and email address, either (a) the forwarded e-mail from your broker, or (b) an attached image of your legal proxy. Requests for registration must be labeled as "Legal Proxy" and should be sent to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. All pre-registration requests must be received by Computershare no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 27, 2020. You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Computershare confirming your registration and providing a control number to enter the virtual meeting as a shareholder. Shareholders without a valid control number will still be able to attend the virtual meeting as a guest; however, they will not have the option to vote shares or submit questions during the virtual meeting. As noted above, all shareholders are encouraged to vote and submit proxies in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting, even if you plan to attend the virtual meeting. Please note that the proxy card included with the proxy materials previously distributed may continue to be used to vote your shares in connection with the Annual Meeting. This proxy card will not be updated to reflect the change in location. About EQT Corporation EQT Corporation is a natural gas production company with emphasis in the Appalachian Basin and operations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. With 130 years of experience and a long-standing history of good corporate citizenship, EQT is the largest producer of natural gas in the United States. As a leader in the use of advanced horizontal drilling technology, EQT is committed to minimizing the impact of drilling-related activities and reducing its overall environmental footprint. Through safe and responsible operations, EQT is helping to meet our nation's demand for clean-burning energy, while continuing to provide a rewarding workplace and support for activities that enrich the communities where its employees live and work. Investor contact: Andrew Breese Director, Investor Relations 412.395.2555 [email protected] SOURCE EQT Corporation A recession for the rest of this year and maybe next year as well. $3.4 trillion in incomes and 25 million jobs gone. These are among the more frightening predictions in a report released by the United Nations overnight Tuesday on the impact of Covid-19. The report called for large-scale coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response amounting to at least 10% of global GDP and for the developed world to help the developing world. It is in everyones interest to ensure that developing countries have the best chance of managing this crisis, or Covid-19 will risk becoming a long-lasting brake on economic recovery, it added. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic It is unlikely that countries will take some of the reports recommendations seriously especially those about not being protectionist and orchestrating a multilateral response; its pretty much every man for himself right now. Covid-19 is the greatest test we have faced together since the formation of the United Nations, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said in a media briefing. It is also very likely that the crisis will pose a risk to the continued relevance of bodies such as the UN, like no other crisis has before. It is a health crisis that has killed, as of Wednesday morning, over a thousand people (1,139) in what many consider the greatest city on the planet, New York. Globally, the number of deaths stood at 45,540, and the number of infections at 912,098 people on Wednesday afternoon. Of these, 205,035 infections are in the US (the death toll in the country crossed 4,000). China, where the disease originated in Wuhan, and whose initial reluctance to share information on the severity of the threat may have lulled many other countries into a false sense of safety, is now fifth on the list in terms of deaths after Italy, Spain, the US, and France. In India, the number of infections rose by 392 on Wednesday, after rising by 294 on Tuesday, driven by new cases that were traced back to the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat at Markaz Nizamuddin in the heart of New Delhi The event, of indeterminate length, it now emerges, saw people come and go. Indias cabinet secretary has asked states to trace those who attended, now believed to number in the thousands. Many are believed to have dispersed across India, in a nightmarish recreation of what happened in South Korea where around 1,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus met in the city of Daegu in February for a Sunday service, infected each other, and then left, travelling to various parts of the country. Of the 9,887 cases of Covid-19 in South Korea now, 5,162 can be traced back to the church a number that highlights the damage that can be wrought by the Jamaats meeting. In Delhi, 531 from the Markaz have been hospitalised and all are in the process of being tested, and over 1,800 are in quarantine. Markaz Nizamuddin is a cluster, but it isnt the only one in India. There are at least 10 such, across states, and Indias efforts at halting the spread of Covid-19 now includes aggressive testing of symptomatic (it could just be a cough) people who live around these clusters, up to an 8km radius. In what is perhaps the only silver lining to this swathe of grey, researchers in Delhi are now in a position to collect so-called base-level air quality data most industrial activity has been stopped; no harvests are happening; and theres next to no traffic in the city-state. The data will help them refine their models, and perhaps point to the real causes of air pollution in Delhi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A cross-dressing man who unleashed a frenzied attack on six police officers while wearing a blonde wig and black dress has been jailed. Nicolas Bradford, 25, who identifies as male, was caught trying to climb onto a stranger's townhouse balcony on Western Sydney University's Campbelltown Campus on December 14 last year. Police officers arrived at the scene and tried to restrain him when they saw he had a hammer. The man, from West Hoxton in Western Sydney, then punched one officer to the ground and then hit and kicked the other. Once in handcuffs, police searched his bag and found a meat cleaver, expandable baton and hammer. Nicolas Bradford (pictured), 25, has been sentenced to jail for 18 months for assaulting six police officers He was taken to Campbelltown Police station where he kicked two officers in the groin as they escorted him to his holding cell, later kicking and attempting to bite two officers while in isolation at Hospital, the Daily Telegraph reported. The court heard how Bradford was homeless at the time, had a history of drug use and mental health concerns, and had zero memory of the events. Campus security were alerted to the trespasser but he had already fled the area. They tracked him down nearby and watched from a distance as he pulled out a hammer from his bag and repeatedly smashed the ground for about a minute. Police were called and approached Bradford, who immediately accused them of harassment and began live streaming the officers over Facebook. Bradford, who identifies as male, lists his occupation as a Sydney makeup artist and hairstylist on social media Fearing a hammer attack, the officers grabbed Bradford, who knocked one to the ground with a punch to the face. He then punched and kicked the other officer, until was eventually tackled and restrained with a knee to the chest. While down, he bit the police officer's thigh then spit blood at the officers before a member of the public helped restrain him so he could be handcuffed. Before he was taken away, he threatened the townhouse owner who had watched the dramatic arrest unfold saying 'I never forget a face, especially one that ugly'. Bradford pleaded guilty at Campbelltown Local court on Monday and was sentenced to 18 months in prison with a non parole period of six months, He will be eligible for parole on June 13. By ANI KARACHI: The world is united in fighting against Covid-19 pandemic but for Pakistan, religious discrimination remains a top priority amidst this global crisis. The country's Hindus and Christian minorities are not being given food supplies by authorities, saying they are meant for the Muslims. "Authorities are not helping us during the lockdown, the ration is also not being provided to us because we are part of a minority community," a Hindu man lamented. Scores of marginalised people gather at Karachi's Rehrri Ghoth to receive food supplies and daily essentials as shops remain shut to curb the spread of coronavirus. But those belonging to the Hindu community are told to go back since the rations are only meant for Muslims. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Pakistan coronavirus cases climb to 2039, Command Centre in place for response "We only hear that people in our neighbourhoods are receiving essential goods. My son drives the rickshaw. Due to the lockdown, all services have been suspended. He is sitting idle at home. We do not have anything to eat. We have no money. Even when we visit the ration distribution centers, the authorities assure us that they will send essential items in separate trucks but eventually they don't," said another member of the Hindu community in Karachi. Hindus in Pakistan form a 4 per cent of the country's population. The community is subjected to rampant discrimination and are often denied basic human rights. Under international pressure and global outcry over the condition of the minorities in Pakistan, the Imran Khan-led government last year decided to restore over 400 Hindu temples which were demolished over the years. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS UPDATES One year on, the plan is yet to see the light of the day with not more than 12 temples in the country made functional. And the discrimination continues even at the time of global crisis- as serious as Covid-19 pandemic. "Why is such a discrimination against us? The disease is affecting every one of us. Why is nobody cooperating with us?" he added. "There is no ration at home since last week. The police chase us when we move out of our houses," complained a third. Sindh government issued an order to distribute ration lockdown through local NGOs and administration to daily wage workers and laborers. The distribution of food supplies is being organised by local government in collaboration with the district government. "This is the second week of lockdown and we have no food at home. The officials only visit us to ask for votes. We don't even have money to buy food. Our daily living has been suspended due to the lockdown. Nobody has asked us so far regarding the problems we are facing," said a member of the Christian community in Karachi. Hindus in Liyari, Sachal Ghoth and other parts of Karachi as well as all over Sindh are being denied a share in government food and rations if they happen to be Hindus. Amjad Ayub Mirza, a political activist has warned that the minorities are now faced with a serious food crisis and asked the Indian government to send supplies via Rajasthan to Sindh. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United Nations to intervene without delay to avert a humanitarian crisis in Sindh. There are more than half a million Hindus living in the Sindh province of Pakistan. A group of medical workers prepare to take samples for mass testing of Covid-19 in Hanoi, March 31, 2020. Photo by VnExpres/Giang Huy. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc officially declared Covid-19 a national epidemic Wednesday afternoon, as the infection tally reached 212 in 25 localities. When the PM had declared the Covid-19 outbreak an epidemic on February 1, there were only six people infected by the disease in three provinces - Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa and Vinh Phuc. The government then classified the coronavirus infection a "class A infectious disease of global emergency" that can transmit from human to human through the respiratory system. According to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, class A infectious diseases consist of extremely dangerous infectious diseases that are capable of rapid, widespread transmission with a high mortality rate. Class A infectious diseases include polio, influenza A-H5N1, plague, smallpox, Ebola, Lassa and Marburg hemorrhagic fever, West Nile fever, yellow fever, cholera, severe acute respiratory infections caused by viruses and other dangerous infectious diseases of unknown cause. Vietnam has implemented 10 forms of responses under the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, including the establishment of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, implementing health declarations requirements, organizing testing and mobilizing resources for treatment. This time, the Prime Minister officially and specifically pronounced the Covid-19 a national epidemic, with infections recorded in 25 of 63 cities and provinces, Hanoi and HCMC the worst hit. The Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases stipulates that the Prime Minister declares a disease an epidemic at the request of the Minister of Health for Group A infectious diseases when it spreads from one province to another and seriously affects lives and people's health. At a higher level, this law also states that, the legislative National Assembly declares a state of emergency at the request of the prime minister. In cases when the National Assembly Standing Committee cannot meet immediately, the president shall issue an emergency declaration. As of Wednesday morning, Vietnam had recorded 212 infections, of which 63 have been discharged from hospital. To date, the Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 42,300 lives in 203 countries and territories. The Indian government has decided to accept contributions from abroad for the PM-CARES Fund created to fight the Covid-19 outbreak, marking a shift from its earlier position of refusing foreign donations during crises. People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity the decision was in line with the unprecedented situation created by the coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in more than 850,000 infections and around 42,000 deaths globally. The pandemic is unprecedented and when the prime minister spoke to envoys [via video conference on Monday], he asked them to make efforts for contributions towards this fund. A decision has been taken to accept contributions from abroad in the PM-CARES Fund, said a person who declined to be named. The Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund was set up in view of several spontaneous requests from India and abroad for making contributions to support the governments fight against Covid-19, the people said. Also Watch: Will the Centre extend lockdown? Contributions to the fund can be made by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad, in view of the expressed interest to contribute to the governments efforts and keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, the people said. In 2018, the government refused all foreign aid, including a reported offer of $100 million from the United Arab Emirates, for disaster relief following floods in Kerala that displaced millions of people. Offers of help from Thailand, Qatar and the Maldives too were declined. This was in line with a long-standing policy put in place after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and at the time, the external affairs ministry had said in a statement that the government is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. The people cited above pointed out that no foreign governments had so far come forward to donate to the PM-CARES Fund, which has largely attracted pledges from NRIs and people of Indian origin based in several countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the heads of Indian missions around the world to explore the possibility of sourcing medical equipment needed to fight Covid-19 especially personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, ventilators, and three-ply, surgical and N95 masks as there is a huge shortage in the country, the people cited above said. In the case of China, some relief materials were coming to India from independent sources as donations while the mission in Beijing is looking at procuring available equipment on a commercial basis, the people said. The embassy in Beijing is working on this and we are looking at various options and sources, said a second person. There is a huge shortage and we will source materials from wherever they are available. At the same time, domestic companies are being encouraged by the health and textile ministries to ramp up production of PPE and medical equipment, the people said SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Is IFA Hotel & Touristik Aktiengesellschaft (FRA:IFA) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. Yet sometimes, investors buy a stock for its dividend and lose money because the share price falls by more than they earned in dividend payments. With a 2.9% yield and a seven-year payment history, investors probably think IFA Hotel & Touristik looks like a reliable dividend stock. A 2.9% yield is not inspiring, but the longer payment history has some appeal. Remember that the recent share price drop will make IFA Hotel & Touristik's yield look higher, even though recent events might have impacted the company's prospects. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding IFA Hotel & Touristik for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis DB:IFA Historical Dividend Yield April 1st 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. Although it reported a loss over the past 12 months, IFA Hotel & Touristik currently pays a dividend. When a company recently reported a loss, we should investigate if its cash flows covered the dividend. Unfortunately, while IFA Hotel & Touristik pays a dividend, it also reported negative free cash flow last year. While there may be a good reason for this, it's not ideal from a dividend perspective. While the above analysis focuses on dividends relative to a company's earnings, we do note IFA Hotel & Touristik's strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose. Consider getting our latest analysis on IFA Hotel & Touristik's financial position here. Dividend Volatility Story continues 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. IFA Hotel & Touristik has been paying a dividend for the past seven years. Although it has been paying a dividend for several years now, the dividend has been cut at least once, and we're cautious about the consistency of its dividend across a full economic cycle. During the past seven-year period, the first annual payment was 0.20 in 2013, compared to 0.12 last year. This works out to be a decline of approximately 7.0% per year over that time. IFA Hotel & Touristik's dividend hasn't shrunk linearly at 7.0% per annum, but the CAGR is a useful estimate of the historical rate of change. A shrinking dividend over a seven-year period is not ideal, and we'd be concerned about investing in a dividend stock that lacks a solid record of growing dividends per share. Dividend Growth Potential Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Over the past five years, it looks as though IFA Hotel & Touristik's EPS have declined at around 3.7% a year. If earnings continue to decline, the dividend may come under pressure. Every investor should make an assessment of whether the company is taking steps to stabilise the situation. We'd also point out that IFA Hotel & Touristik issued a meaningful number of new shares in the past year. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective. Conclusion 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. We're a bit uncomfortable with IFA Hotel & Touristik paying a dividend while loss-making, especially since the dividend was also not well covered by free cash flow. Second, earnings per share have been in decline, and its dividend has been cut at least once in the past. There are a few too many issues for us to get comfortable with IFA Hotel & Touristik from a dividend perspective. Businesses can change, but we would struggle to identify why an investor should rely on this stock for their income. Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for IFA Hotel & Touristik that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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. People must abide by the coronvirus lockdown rules in order to stop the spread of Covid-19 and avoid hospitals becoming overwhelmed, an intensive care consultant has warned. Dr Ami Jones, who works at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, said the hospital is 'very, very busy' and her unit is full of younger people ill with the virus - not just the over-70s. 'We have already surged beyond our standard capacity,' she told ITV News. 'It's not just the vulnerable and elderly that are getting poorly - my unit is full of 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds.' Dr Ami Jones, who works at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, said the hospital is 'very, very busy' and her unit is full of younger people ill with the virus The Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, pictured, is looking to exceed six times its normal critical care capacity in response to the pandemic Dr Jones works for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which has almost half the total number of Covid-19 patients in Wales. She said the hospital is 'very prepared' and has 'surge plans' in place to cope with an influx of sick patients. 'We are looking to exceed six times our normal critical care capacity, but it's not just a case of giving us ventilators - we need more staff and we need other equipment.' Dr Jones urged the public to stay at home and only leave for essential journeys. 'We are prepared to surge if we need to but we hope we don't. We hope lockdown and social distancing will flatten the curve, but people do need to lock down,' she said. 'Popping to the shops for a paper is not essential - everybody is at risk.' 'I've got ITU patients on my ward who were previously fit and well so if you think it's not going to affect you and you can just go out and do what you want then you are wrong. 'You will end up in ITU if you are not careful.' Dr Jones said she did not have concerns about the availability of personal protective equipment in the hospital. 'I actually feel more at risk when I'm out shopping, because it's full of people I can't control who might not be washing their hands,' she said. The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with coronavirus has soared in the past 10 days, particularly in London, which is still at the heart of the country's outbreak Dr Jones, who deployed to Afghanistan while in the British Army, said Wales is 'ahead of the curve with testing' and the health board has been swift in getting people swabbed. 'Everybody is working really hard, being very professional,' she said. 'We are giving good patient care and I feel reassured what we are delivering to patients is of the highest standard. 'I hope we are able to continue doing that as patient numbers increase.' Meanwhile, a colleague of Dr Jones who recorded a video message describing suffering from coronavirus has returned to work. Dr David Hepburn, a consultant intensivist, said: 'It's great to be back at work and great to feel better and really pleased to be able to treat patients again and really pleased to be able to get back into it. 'It looks likely we are going to have a really busy few months.' It comes as the UK recorded another 563 coronavirus deaths today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis. The increase takes the country's total death toll to 2,352 - today's surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. And 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19. The UK is the fifth hardest-hit nation in Europe and eighth in the world. Wales today recorded 29 new deaths caused by the coronavirus along with a further 16 fatalities in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland. 486 victims were declared in England and 11 remain unaccounted for. The youngest patient announced today was a 13-year-old, believed to be Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, London, whose tragic death came to light last night after he died at King's College Hospital on Monday. The oldest patient included in today's update was 99 years old. Today overtakes yesterday as Britain's darkest day so far in the escalating crisis. Tuesday saw a then-record of 381 deaths and 3,009 cases declared across the home nations. But the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital - and not the tens of thousands of Britons with milder symptoms who are recovering at at home. Facing a second wave of Covid-19 infections, China has taken strong steps to shield Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from the disease by enforcing a compulsory quarantine of 14 days on people entering these cities; cancelling all visa and residence permits; and allowing only one inbound flight per foreign airline every week , with no international flights to the capital city. After reviewing diplomatic telegrams and circulars issued by China, HT has learnt that the Xi Jinping government took a series of measures in the last week of March to protect the key cities from getting hit by the second wave of virus infections. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic Most of the fresh infected cases detected over the past week in China, where the disease originated last year, have been either foreigner travellers or citizens returning from abroad. Also Read: Genetic sequencing takes lead in Covid-19 vaccine development According to a circular, issued on March 26, Beijing decided to temporarily suspend from March 28 the entry to China for foreign nationals holding visas or residence permits. Also Read: Lessons from Chinas neighbour Taiwan to control spread of coronavirus From March 23, no international fights were allowed to land in Beijing, and were diverted to 12 designated airports in Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Shnaghai Pudong, Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhengzhou and Xian. All inbound passengers to Beijing regardless of their destinations are being asked to undergo quarantines at designated place in the capital, where they have to undergo nucleic acid amplification tests for Covid-19. Similar conditions apply for people travelling to Shanghai and Guangdong, where all passengers have to undergo quarantine either at designated venues or in their homes. Also Read: WHO says following Taiwan virus response closely, after complaints Those who come to Beijing by plane or train should immediately proceed to the designated assembly point upon arrival at the airport or train station before being transferred to quarantine at designated places if anyone conceals outbound travel history or deliberately evades quarantine at a designated place such case will be made public and the individual will be held accountable in accordance with law the quarantine expense should be self borne and the nucleic acid test expenses may be covered by medical insurance, says the circular. The Xi Jinping government, in a bid to contain imported Covid-19 cases, has also drastically reduced the number of international flights. Now each Chinese airline is only allowed to maintain one route to any specific country with no more than one flight per week. The circular adds that foreign airlines will be allowed only to maintain one route to China with no more than one flight per week. China has recorded a total of 81,000 cases and 3,300 deaths. The number of new cases per day, however, slipped below triple digits since early March, suggesting that the Covid-19 spread has been contained, at least for now. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shishir Gupta Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011 Hatchette) and Himalayan Face-off : Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Indian Defence and Strategic Analyses (IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel. ...view detail [April 01, 2020] KKR Appoints Hidekazu Harada as Managing Director in Japan KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the appointment of Hidekazu Harada as a Managing Director on KKR's Private Equity team based in Tokyo, effective immediately. Mr. Harada brings over 20 years of investment banking experience to KKR. He joins from Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he worked for 16 years and was most recently a Board member and Co-Head of Japan Investment Banking. At Bank of America Merrill Lynch he was primarily responsible for financial sponsors, TMT, mergers & acquisitions, management buyouts, and leveraged finance. Prior to his time at the bank, he spent four years at Daiwa Securities SMBC's Tokyo and London offices where he focused on mergers & acquisitions. Earlier in his career, he worked on transaction services at ChuoAoyama PricewaterhouseCoopers (News - Alert) (now PwC Japan Group). Hiro Hirano, Partner, Co-Head of Private Equity for KKR Asia Pacific and Chief Executive Officer of KKR Japan, said, "We are delighted to welcome Hidekazu to the team. His significant experience will contribute to our senior leadership in Japan. This appointment, along with additional experienced hires to our team, reinforces our long-term commitment to Japan and underscores our view that private equity will continue to be an important strategy in this mrket." Hidekazu Harada added, "Over the past decade, KKR has been an investment leader in Japan with a strong reputation founded on its ability to help improve the corporate value of Japanese companies. I am excited to work with the KKR team to assist Japanese companies in becoming more competitive across global markets, in addition to contributing to the firm's continued growth." Japan remains a key investment market for KKR globally, and Mr. Harada's appointment is the latest addition to KKR's Japan team across seniority levels and asset classes. KKR established an office in Japan in 2006, and since then, has invested or committed more than US$2.2 billion of equity into high-caliber companies. Among other strategies, KKR seeks opportunities to assist Japanese companies in expanding overseas and developing cross-border growth strategies, in addition to helping companies to carve out and support their non-core businesses. KKR's current and former Private Equity investments in Japan include, but are not limited to, PHC Holdings (formerly Panasonic Healthcare), AlphaTheta (formerly Pioneer DJ), Magneti Marelli CK Holdings (formerly Calsonic Kansei), Koki Holdings (formerly Hitachi (News - Alert) Koki), Kokusai Electric (formerly Hitachi Kokusai Electric), and Persol Career (formerly Intelligence). About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005928/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] NEW HAVEN The city will move some 300 more homeless people out of its shelters into hotels, possibly beginning as early as Wednesday, a process both it and the state started weeks ago. New Haven is already paying for 24 hotel rooms to accommodate 48 people, while the state has paid for 36 more homeless individuals to be housed in hotels. The state has basically ordered that the shelters be closed and Mayor Justin Elicker has asked that they cover the cost of the 300. I presume they will try to help us hit that goal, he said at his daily virtual press conference on COV-19. He said he did not know if the state will agree with the 300 number as it has to facilitate other communities in moving their homeless. Elicker reiterated that there are three groups that need housing, so they are not left in congregate situations where they cant practice social distancing and can easily infect others. The first group are individuals who dont have any symptoms andt they have been or will be moved to hotels. The second group are individuals who may have been exposed, but it is not known yet if they have COVID-19. Elicker said they are working on a strategy for housing where they can be separated from each other. The last group are persons who have tested positive for the virus. The plan is to put them together at Career High School, which the city is working on staffing. The number of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Haven is now 119, while in the state it is 3,128; a total of 69 in the state have died with one fatality in New Haven. The city said it had early incorrectly reported two individuals had succumbed to the infection. Eight firefighters still have not gotten the results of COVID-19 testing. Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said they are continuing to put pressure on the labs to speed up the process. Yale New Haven Hospital on Monday told the New Haven Register that the East Coast office of Quest in Virginia is overwhelmed with the number of tests they have received and the hospital will start sending tests to the Mayo Clinic which has a short turnaround. This week the hospital also expects to get Cepheid testing kits that can be processed in New Haven. Maritza Bond, the citys director of public health, talked generally about how they try to trace people who might have interacted with others who have been found positive for COVID-19. She said they would talk with the company where the person worked, who would in turn notify the employees. The department is guided by HIPPA in protecting the names of individuals who have the virus, but if that person was part of a large group of individuals at some event, Elicker said they would more likely be able to make that public to warn the rest of the group as it would not be as obvious as to started the infection. The mayor was asked if the Board of Alders is on board if a case of COVID-19 is discovered among their ranks and they were part of a larger conference, and whether they think that should be made public. Elicker said he has not had a specific conversation on this with the alders, but if the administration found out they were in danger of being infected, they would tell them, similar to anyone else in the public that may have been exposed and we think there is a significant risk to them. The mayor was also asked about the strained relationship between the city and Yale University and if he and Yale President Peter Salovey have talked since Yale initially said it could not immediately allow police and firefighters who needed to be quarantined to use their dorms. Salovey quickly reversed that. Elicker said he agreed with the questioner that conversations between human beings is always a good way to address any differences. He said they talked about their differences and agreed it was important that we work together. Theoretically, the mayor was asked if a landlord has tenants who have lost their jobs, could the city forgive some of the landlords property taxes, if he let the rent slide for awhile. I am really reluctant to say we can do that because we are facing a very very dire budget situation and we are uncertain exactly how this crisis is going to impact us from a budgetary perspective. I think we should consider a lot of these options ..., Elicker said. A suggestion was made by a questioner to set up a rapid response team to cover the rents from the millions being raised by United Way and the Community Fund of Greater New Haven to cover these rents. Elicker said it was something worth looking into. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577. YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan has asked all healthcare workers below the age of 55 having the qualifications of general physicians (other areas also), laboratory doctors, ICU specialists and nurses and other medical specialists to reach out to be part of a designated sub-system of the healthcare body tasked to fight the novel coronavirus. During these tense and difficult days our nation needs you very much. The new, upcoming healthcare sub-system tasked with coronavirus response needs health workers, without whom it will be impossible to treat coronavirus patients in these medical facilities. In order to initiate this system in full swing, we need healthcare workers up to the age of 55 of the following areas of expertise who will undergo a short training and then dispatched to the coronavirus medical centers, Torosyan said. Those willing to apply can send CVs at [email protected] or call 060808003 (extension 3101, 3102) or 091190875. Torosyan also expressed gratitude to all healthcare workers for their dedicated service. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan New Standard, UL 4600, addresses evaluation of autonomous products NORTHBROOK, lllinois, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Underwriters Laboratories announced today that it published UL 4600, the Standard for Safety for the Evaluation of Autonomous Products-its first Standard addressing autonomous vehicles and other applications. The Standard's scope includes safety principles and processes for evaluating autonomous products with no human driver supervision, meaning that the vehicle is to be fully autonomous. It requires a safety argument along with topics including risk analysis and safety-relevant aspects of design process, testing, tool qualification, autonomy validation, data integrity and human-machine interaction for non drivers, among others. UL 4600 is technology neutral, meaning that it does not mandate the use of any specific technology in creating the autonomous system, and it also permits design process flexibility. UL 4600 does not define performance or pass/fail criteria for safety, nor does it cover road testing or acceptable risk levels. Furthermore, the Standard does not set forth requirements for ethical product release decisions or any ethical aspects of product behavior. The Standard is available for purchase in digital or print formats at shopULstandards.com, where it can also be viewed online for free using UL's Digital View functionality. Registration is required to use Digital View. Underwriters Laboratories partnered with Dr. Philip Koopman of Edge Case Research to drive development of the Standard. Koopman is an internationally recognized expert on autonomous vehicle safety and brings more than 20 years of research experience to the collaboration. "UL 4600 is a set of requirements and safety lessons learned that informs the contents of a safety case," Koopman said. "This safety case approach provides the flexibility needed to help ensure safety without overly constraining the use of this quickly evolving technology." A diverse body of international stakeholders was convened by Underwriters Laboratories to participate on the Standards Technical Panel (STP) to develop the document. This group proposed content, shared knowledge, reviewed and voted upon the proposals and ultimately achieved consensus on publishing the first edition of UL 4600. Other stakeholders provided proposals and commentary via the online collaboration platform utilized by UL Standards. "We are grateful to Dr. Koopman and the many stakeholders who so willingly shared their knowledge to contribute to the development of this Standard," said Phil Piqueira, UL vice president, Global Standards. "This is an example of standardization keeping pace with emerging industries to help support safety while encouraging innovation and continued progress." "Uber ATG believes that voluntary industry standards that support the safe development and deployment of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are an important consideration for all companies in this space. UL's new standard and their approach to standards development allows for rapid iteration and feedback, which is on pace with what our industry needs," said Uber ATG's Head of Safety, Nat Beuse. "Being a contributor to these conversations and driving consensus around some of the safety aspects of SDV development is a priority for Uber and the rest of the STP." STP members represent a broad variety of interests, including automotive manufacturers, trucking, robotics, aviation and government systems. Others participated on behalf of insurance companies, state and federal government transportation and regulatory agencies, universities and a consumer advocacy organization. International participation in the development process was strong, with members hailing from the U.S., Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, China, Singapore and other countries. UL 4600 will be evaluated on a continuous basis to maintain relevance and drive adoption. Proposals for additions and changes can be submitted by anyone and at any time via CSDS.UL.com. About Underwriters Laboratories Underwriters Laboratories is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the UL public safety mission through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being. To learn more, visit UL.org. CONTACT: Patrick Wilmot, Standards Communication Manager UL Standards Underwriters Laboratories T: +1 (847) 664.3216 E: patrick.wilmot@ul.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/325015/ul_enterprise_logo.jpg Kochi, April 1 : A British tourist, who was coronavirus positive but tried to flee on a flight to UAE earlier this month, was discharged from a government hospital here on Wednesday after testing negative. Brian Neil, 57, had arrived in the state with his wife and 17 others in the first week of March and were holidaying at the famed tourist destination at Munnar. On March 14, breaking the isolation norms, he, along with the tour party, reached the Cochin airport and after all clearances, boarded the flight, when the word came that there was one coronavirus positive case on the plane, forcing the airport authorities to disembark all. Neil, his wife and the others were taken to the hospital and put under isolation. While later, his wife tested negative, seven others came out positive. According to the medical team, things were tough for Neil with progressive reduction in oxygen level leading to respiratory failure and he needing continuous oxygen administration. Promptly started on antiviral cocktails along with hydroxy-chloroquine and azithromycin, he also needed ventilatory support. After three days of starting antivirals, his general conditionA began to improve, though he continued to have unremitting fever. A week later, his fever subsided and X-ray also showed radiological improvement. With the antiviral treatment, his 2 samples turned out to be negative for Covid-19. He was provided daily psychological support by a psychiatry team. The medical team was led by the principal of the Medical College hospital and included three doctors who studied at the Sainik School in the state capital. A new learning-based AI algorithm for diagnosing skin conditions is creating a buzz in the medical field Artificial Intelligence has made lives easier. AI-based robots are deployed by police in many countries and the new technology has proved to be a boon in research. Now, a new learning-based AI algorithm for diagnosing skin conditions is creating a buzz in the medical field. The algorithm, developed by researchers in South Korea, has the ability to accurately classify cutaneous skin disorders, suggest primary treatment options and predict malignancy, reported Health Europa. The health portals report on the new technology is based on a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The study shows that with the advent of the new AI algorithm, the diagnostic accuracy of dermatologists as well as the general public has improved. AI has shown results comparable to those of dermatologists for specific problems such as distinguishing between melanoma and nevi, said Dr Jung-Im Na, the lead investigator of the study. Na, however, added that the technology should be tested in an environment similar to real practice, instead of just in lab conditions. The new system is required to classify malignant against benign lesions and distinguish skin cancer from numerous other skin disorders to show that it can live up to expectations. The researchers deployed a convolutional neural network, a specialised AI algorithm, to develop the system capable of diagnosing skin disorders effectively. Dr Na said the new system can bring about a change by empowering medical professionals in diagnostic dermatology. She said that she expects AI to support humans rather than replacing them. We anticipate that the use of our algorithm with a smartphone could encourage the public to visit specialists for cancerous lesions such as melanoma that might have been neglected otherwise, Na added. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo used his daily coronavirus press briefing to chastise his younger brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomowho has now been diagnosed with a case of COVID-19for having allowed their 88-year-old mother to visit his house. My brothers smart, he was acting out of love, luckily we caught it early enough, Cuomo said. But its my family, its your family, its all of our families. And this virus is that insidious, and we have to keep that in mind. Advertisement The episodevivid, personal, and making a specific point about the dangers of COVID-19captured what has made Cuomo and his press conferences the most visible counterpoint to President Donald Trumps daily briefings. While the federal response led by Trump largely sought to keep the public in the dark about the extent of the crisis, Cuomos briefings are hailed as the most reliable source of public information in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in recent days, its become clearer and clearer that Cuomos initial response to the crisis lagged behind that of some of his fellow Democratic governorsmost notably Washingtons Jay Inslee and Californias Gavin Newsom. Newsom and Inslee both reacted more swiftly and forcefully to the crisis in ways that are saving lives on the West Coast, yet its Cuomo who is being hailed as a possible future president and strong national leader. Advertisement Advertisement Both Los Angeles and San Francisco had their first casesand deathsweeks before New York, but New York has quickly become the global center of the pandemic while the situation in California has remained comparatively calm for now. From the point of each states 10th death and 100th case (testing has been more sporadic in California, so its not fair to compare overall positive tests necessarily), New Yorks caseload and number of deaths have accelerated more steadily and rapidly. While the vastly greater density of New York City versus Californias major metropolitan areas partially explains this course, it is likely that Californias more aggressive and swifter social distancing actions helped as well. In an elementary demonstration of the additional seriousness with which Newsom has taken social distancing, his own daily briefings are done by teleconference rather than the in-person press conferences Cuomo has continued. Even taking into account the disadvantage of the remote format, though, Newsoms actions and style are less suited for successful political theater. Advertisement Advertisement During these much drier Newsom telepress conferences, the California governor has played up a brand as a technocrat, focusing on partnerships with Silicon Valley businesses in coming up with ways for the state to prepare for its own looming coronavirus onslaught. On Monday, for instance, he boasted that community surveillance based upon user-shared data from Silicon Valley firms has helped guide the states decisions. Working with Esri, working with BlueDot, working with Facebook, Apple, and others, we have our modeling that is done on a daily basis based upon these patterns as well as patterns around the rest of the country and the rest of the world, he said. Data assessment is the way out of the crisis, but it is not particularly dramatic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, Cuomos comfort playing on his famous last name, his familys political dynasty, and his apparent touch for personal narrative often make the press conferences deeply entertaining. But Cuomo begins these press conferences with facts: slides showing the daily number of cases, hospitalizations, intensive care unit intakes, and deaths across the state of New York and broken down by locality. He then describes the on-the-ground situation with specific numbers of what protective personal equipment and life-saving ventilators exist on the ground in New York, what the state still needs, when the projected need will be highest, and what the state is doing and will need to do in order to prevent a worst-case scenario where New Yorkers see health care rationed for people who might die without aid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After flatly refusing on Tuesday to offer a protocol for rationing health care, Cuomo reassured New Yorkers that he was trying to do all that was necessary to meet an anticipated need of 20,000 to 40,000 ventilators in the coming seven days to three weeks despite an intense scarcity that has been exacerbated by the federal governments lack of action. Were creative and were working and figuring it out, and I still am hopeful that at the end of the day we will have what we need, he said after listing several backup plans for ventilator usage. Cuomos performance is succeeding with the people of his stateon Monday it was reported that his approval rating is up to 87 percent. Trumps nationwide approval rating, which has spiked to 47 percent according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, is paltry by comparison. Advertisement Cuomos popularity has garnered attention from Trump, who has said he would be a stronger candidate than the current presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, but that Cuomo would still lose to him. Cuomo, though, has largely refused to take the presidents bait. Advertisement Instead, Cuomo has focused on the positive. As he regularly does, Cuomo again on Tuesday thanked the federal government for its response, which has been deeply inadequate but has also included sending more than 4,000 ventilators from the national stockpile, helping the state transform New York Citys Javits Center into a field hospital, and sending the USNS Comfort hospital ship to Manhattan. Cuomo has even been making nice with Trumps much-loathed son-in-law. Advertisement Advertisement The federal government is a partner in this obviously. I spoke to the president again yesterday about this situation. I spoke to the vice president, I spoke to Jared Kushner, Cuomo said on Tuesday. The White House has been very helpful. Cuomo portrays his cordiality as a requirement of national unity in the midst of a political crisis, rather than acting as a sycophant to an egomaniacal president. Democrats want to criticize Republicans, and Republicans want to criticize Democrats. Not now, not now, he said. The virus doesnt attack and kill red Americans or blue Americansit attacks and kills all Americans. And keep that in mind because there is a unifying wisdom in that. While it would normally be fair to understand these sorts of smarmy cliches as efforts to distract from a refusal to speak truth to power, there appears to be a tactical purpose here. As Slates Ben Mathis-Lilley has noted, we are unfortunately in a situation where lives could depend on the ability of state leaders to stroke a tyrannical leaders massive ego. Cuomo seems to get that. Advertisement At the same time, he has confronted the federal response when absolutely necessary, saving his fire for when Trump makes circumstances most dire. For instance, Cuomo has chastised the federal government on a daily basis for its ad hoc approach to dealing with the ventilator shortage. And over the weekend, after Trump floated a quarantine of his state, Cuomo blasted that idea as a declaration of war. The president ultimately backed down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That tactical flexibility is more necessary, however, because New York is playing catch-up. Newsom and his states mayors clearly acted earlier than Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on social distancing measures. San Francisco was one of the first places to shut down all bars, restaurants, and gyms, and it issued a stay-at-home order on March 16, the same day that de Blasio was defending his personal decision to go to the gym and one day after Cuomo, on 60 Minutes, played down the possibility of severe restrictions in New York comparable to Europes, saying, I think actually the more successful you are early on, the less dramatic efforts you have to take later on. Advertisement Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued his own citywide shutdown order on March 19, with Newsom following with the nations first statewide order that same day. Two days before that, on March 17, Cuomo had resisted calls for a similar shelter-in-place order. I dont think shelter in place really works for one locality, he told CNN. As a matter of fact, Im going so far that I dont even think you can do a statewide policy. Advertisement Cuomo ultimately issued his own such order one day after California, on March 20. Newsom and Californias early actions have allowed the state to focus on next-level mitigation actions. The state was the earliest to authorize eviction freezes and has done incomparable work in finding housing for the states sizable and vulnerable homeless population, including public-private partnerships with hotel chains.* Advertisement Still, Newsoms jargon-filled speech can sound like incomprehensible technobabble compared with Cuomos family yarn-spinning and straightforward number-sharing. As it relates to the bending of the curvewere in the middle of this, and I think it would be too easy for us to assert a belief at this moment about what has or has not worked, except to say this: We know what does work, and thats physical distancing, Newsom said in one typical word salad on Monday, responding to a question about his states apparent success in mitigating the outbreak. And we believe very strongly the stay-at-home order has helped advance our efforts in reducing the stress on the system that we believe would have already materialized in more acute ways had we not advanced those protocols when we did. Thats not quite something you can put on a bumper sticker! One final thing that has helped Cuomo to become the national presence that Newsom has not may be the lower expectations of the New York governor among many progressives, who have battled with the moderate Democrat for years. As HBOs John Oliver summarized that sentiment, I never really liked Andrew Cuomo before this, but I will admit hes doing admirably well, and I cant wait to get to the other side of this when I can go back to being irritated by him again. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to Wednesdays episode of What Next. Business tycoon Azim Premji live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Software major Wipro, Wipro Enterprises and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards the coronavirus outbreak. "These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society," as per a company statement. Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd's is Rs 25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore, it added. The amount is in addition to the annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, and above the usual expenditure of Azim Premji Foundation, the statement said. Several large corporations have been donating money through various ways towards tackling the COVID-19 outbreak. Many companies have contributed to the PM Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. 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 (With inputs from PTI) Let's have look on several important contracts released by the US Department of Defense. First, General Dynamics got $327M Navy Aegis Combat System component production IDIQ. Then, Global Technical Systems won a potential $782M Navy network equipment contract. Finally, Raytheon awarded a potential $353M Navy contract for rolling airframe missile components. Please find the details of these contracts hereunder. Let's have look on several important contracts released by the US Department of Defense. First, General Dynamics got $327M Navy Aegis Combat System component production IDIQ. Then, Global Technical Systems won a potential $782M Navy network equipment contract. Finally, Raytheon awarded a potential $353M Navy contract for rolling airframe missile components. Please find the details of these contracts hereunder. USS Lake Erie launching a surface to air missile (Picture source: US Navy) General Dynamics Gets $327M Navy Aegis Combat System Component Production IDIQ: General Dynamics has won a potential $326.8M contract to manufacture guided-missile directors and controllers for the Aegis Combat Systems of the U.S. Navy, Japan and Spain. The company's ordnance and tactical systems unit will produce MK 82 directors and MK 200 controllers under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, the Department of Defense said Monday. Naval Sea Systems Command received one offer for the IDIQ through competitive procurement and will obligate $51.9M at the time of award from the Navy and Japanese government. MK 82 and MK 200 compose the Aegis illuminator equipped with an antenna assembly from Raytheon's (NYSE: RTN) equipment division, according to General Dynamics. Global Technical Systems (Picture source: Global Technical Systems) Global Technical Systems Wins Potential $782M Navy Network Equipment Contract: Professional services firm Global Technical Systems has won a potential five-year, $782.2M contract to manufacture production equipment for the U.S. Navys network, processing and storage systems. GTS will provide technical insertion 16, modification 1 NPS equipment including network systems, computer processing, data storage and input and output components designed to support the branch's combat systems and software applications, the Department of Defense said Friday. The contract has a one-year base value of $110.2M and includes options that would extend work through March 2025. Naval Sea Systems Command received three offers for the firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only contract. GTS is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., and offers a range of technical production services encompassing avionics and combat systems as well as command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies. RAM-Rolling Airframe Missile Launcher (Picture source: US Navy) Raytheon Awarded Potential $353M Navy Contract for Rolling Airframe Missile Components: Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) has secured a potential $353.3M contract from the U.S. Navy to provide guided missile round packs and spare replacement parts for the Block 2 and 2A variants of the Rolling Airframe Missile system. The effort includes foreign military sales to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Germany, the Department of Defense said Monday. Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity and will obligate $146M at the time of award. RAM uses passive radio frequency and infrared guidance tools designed to counter anti-ship missiles. Given the current situation in Armenia due to the spread of coronavirus, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) management is taking all possible measures to keep the plant operating smoothly and to monitor the health of its employees. Accordingly, an operational headquarters has been set up to implement measures to prevent the spread of this virus at the plant. According to ANPP chief engineer Artur Grigoryan, a special regimen of work and rest, which includes constant monitoring of the employees' health, has been introduced at the plant during the current quarantine period. All necessary sanitary and preventive measures are taken at the plant, each employee's health is monitored, and all ANPP business trips and mass events have been canceled. President Donald Trump hasnt been shy about blasting away at governors who have criticized his performance or said the federal government isnt doing enough to help their states during the coronavirus crisis. Hes even suggested they show gratitude to get help. But when it comes to Gov. Phil Murphy, the president has been downright effusive, calling New Jerseys Democratic governor a terrific guy. With his state showing the second-largest outbreak of COVID-19, behind only New York, Murphy has steadfastly refrained from bashing a Republican president he frequently criticized before the outbreak. Hes publicly thanked Trump for the federal aid while lobbying for more. In so doing, Murphy has avoided the barbs Trump has aimed at other Democratic governors. The president on Friday said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has no idea whats going on and described Washington Gov. Jay Inslee as a failed presidential candidate" who was constantly chirping." Trump offered fresh praise of Murphy on Sunday. Were building hospitals in New Jersey, the president said. Governor Murphy of New Jersey is a terrific guy and, frankly, he wants you know, hes got a pretty hot spot right there, right next to New York. And were doing hospitals. Were doing ventilators. Were getting a lot to Governor Murphy. Thats New Jersey. John Weingart, director of the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics Center on the American Governor, said that unlike his predecessors, Trump wants recipients of federal largesse to respond with praise for him. With this president, he likes to be sucked up to, Weingart said. The way Murphy addresses Trump and communicates with him, thats the way Trump likes to be addressed." Murphy said Tuesday at his daily coronavirus briefing in Trenton that his approach has nothing to do with what a given person wants to hear. The governor said New Jersey is in crisis, and as governor he is focusing on how much common ground we can find with the administration. We will do what it takes to save as many lives as we can in New Jersey. Later in the day, CNNs Jake Tapper asked Murphy if he was holding his tongue for fear that Trump might take it out on New Jersey. Listen, I dont think I pull any punches and Im sure the president doesnt pull any punches," Murphy said. "As Ive said to many folks, I dont wake up in the morning getting to choose between President X, President Y. President Trump is the president and so we have to have a good working relationship with the administration. Murphy regularly requests help from White House, including having the Army Corps of Engineers build four temporary hospitals, a new supply of respirators and masks, and Trump issuing a major disaster declaration for New Jersey, freeing up a share of $45 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds. He says hell be asking the feds for more. Former U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance, a Republican, said the working relationship between Murphy and Trump should be the norm, not the exception, during the crisis. This is obviously a national crisis of an unprecedented degree, Lance said. Regarding a national crisis, a war-type situation and we are in a war against a deadly enemy labels should matter not at all. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or 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. Governments across the globe are struggling to get their residents to adhere to social distancing in an effort to contain the coronavirus. A local children's party entertainer proved just how far he was willing to go to visit his girlfriend when he was arrested by the police in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday. Argentine news outlet Todo Noticias reported that the 52-year-old man dressed as Barney, the bubbly 1990s dinosaur character, was stopped while riding his motorcycle. The man first told the cops he was on his way to work a children's birthday party in the Capitan Sarmiento neighborhood as he was questioned during a routine traffic stop at approximately 6pm. He subsequently changed his story and confessed that he was actually on his way to meet his girlfriend. It is unknown why he came up with such excuse since residents in the South American nation have been confined to their homes for a week and a half due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A 52-year-old man was busted in Argentina wearing a Barney costume as he drove his motorcycle to visit his girlfriend. The businessman told cops he was going to work a children's birthday party before changing up the story. He was booked for operating a vehicle without registration documents and for disobeying the country's stay-at-home coronavirus order Cops in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Capitan Sarmiento booked a local resident for breaking Argentina's stay-at-home order that has been in place since March 20 as the country fights to control the spread of the coronavirus Cops in Argentina question the man after he was caught driving his motorcycle while wearing a Barney costume Not only was he arrested for failing to provide the motorcycle's registration papers, but he was also booked for breaking Argentina's stay-at-home order, which has been in place since March 20. A man in Argentina told cops he wore a Barney costume because he wanted to visit his girlfriend despite a decree that bans residents from leaving their homes because of the COVID-19 pandemic The decree, which was expected to end March 31, has been extended until April 13. Residents can only leave their residences for trips to buy food or medicine. The Argentine government has reported 28 deaths and 1,054 people sickened due to COVID-19. In a separate incident Sunday, police in the city of province of Mendoza detained a married couple, who hid their children, aged six and 13, after they were pulled over in a vehicle while driving back home from a party. On March 16, a man was caught on video using a toy dog tied to a leash to cheat Spain's state of emergency quarantine decree. As of Wednesday, Spain had registered 9,131 deaths, the second-highest amount in the world due to the pandemic. Lucknow, April 1 : After the association of ambulance employees in some districts announced a flash strike on Tuesday over non-payment of salaries for two months and lack of protective gear in the coronavirus pandemic, they were promptly paid their wages for February and assured that the salary for March would be disbursed soon. The 102 and 108 emergency ambulance services in Uttar Pradesh are managed and operated by a private company -- GVK -- under contract with the state government. There are about 4,500 such ambulances deployed across the state, according to the Ambulance Employees' Association. The association says 17,000 workers -- drivers and emergency technicians -- are posted to these ambulances. These employees are on contract with the private firm. "We do not have sanitisers, gloves or proper masks. We have not received salaries for two months. When we go to fill oxygen, people do not allow us in because we are not wearing masks. We told the concerned officials to arrange better supplies but got no response. Our vehicles have not been sanitised either," said Bhupendra Singh, president of the association. The ambulance association claims the Uttar Pradesh government has told them to negotiate salary issues directly with the private company, saying the state government cannot provide help in this matter. Around 86 ambulance drivers associated with 102 and 108 and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) staff went on strike Tuesday though the six ambulances associated with COVID-19 surveillance were operational throughout the day. District president of the Ambulance Employees Union Ashish Mishra said that majority of ambulance drivers and EMT staff have no protection kit like sanitizer, gloves and masks in view of the deadly COVID-19 virus outbreak. He also added that PF amount has not been deposited to their accounts for the past eight months and salaries of the past two months were also not paid. In Lakhimpur, a 45-year-old man succumbed to his injuries sustained in a brawl because he could not get medical attention as 108 and 102 ambulance services also proceeded on strike. Though the GVK officials could not be contacted, Uttar Pradesh medical health officials took up the matter with them on Tuesday night and ensured that salaries were paid to the agitating employees. A senior medical official told IANS on Wednesday morning that, "Our priority was to keep the ambulance services going in this crisis. We have asked the service providers to solve the issues at the earliest. The ambulance employees' association has also agreed not to disrupt services. We will also ensure that they get adequate protection with masks and sanitisers." Nurse Brenna Frigultis first feeling when she found out she tested positive for COVID-19 was heartbreak that she couldnt help anymore. Her second was dread of dying alone like shed seen happen to coronavirus-positive patients in the intensive-care unit of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. I cried because when we first started getting patients, I was scared, Frigulti said by phone from her Visalia home, where shes been quarantining since Thursday, when she learned she, too, was ill. Youre scared youre going to end up being the patient in that bed. But I felt, what if it was my mom or my dad or somebody I really cared about, I would want somebody to take care of them, said Frigulti, 29, a traveling nurse who worked at Kaiser San Jose from January until last week. Frigulti started to feel sick while at work on March 24. The next morning, she woke up with a headache, chills, a stuffy nose and shortness of breath like a really bad sinus infection. She was tested at a drive-through Kaiser clinic and confirmed positive the next morning. Frigulti said shes not as scared now that her mild symptoms are improving. But she worries she could get worse. Frigulti is one of dozens of California health care workers sickened while caring for coronavirus patients. She witnessed Santa Clara County become a hot spot of the Bay Areas outbreak. As positive patients flooded the hospital last week, filling nearly half the beds, policy changed, Frigulti said. Instead of getting a new N95 respirator every time she entered a patients room, she was trained in how to reuse the same one throughout the day by leaving it in a bag outside the room and putting it on when she re-entered. Frigulti worries that reusing the mask a growing practice in California and other states because of a national shortage of protective equipment is what allowed her to become infected. Its really overwhelming the system that we have in place, said the nurse of six years who said she enjoyed her experience at Kaiser and wants to return. I dont think well have enough resources if it keeps spreading at this rate, she added. The issue isnt unique: Amid the nationwide shortage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance allowing hospital workers to reuse respirator masks, and Cal/OSHA said surgical masks can be used when N95s arent available. Frigultis bosses at Kaiser San Jose said the medical center is prudently managing resources to ensure equipment remains available and is following state and federal protocols. Kaiser Permanente is taking aggressive and proactive action to be ready for the projected increases in care needs of patients with COVID-19 in the near and long-term future, said Irene Chavez, the medical centers senior vice president. That includes a comprehensive plan to ensure adequate space and supplies to continue to safely care for patients and protect our staff, she added. Meanwhile, many nurses are reporting that personal protective equipment, called PPE, is being rationed at hospitals across the state, said Stephanie Roberson, government relations director for the California Nurses Association, which represents more than 100,000 nurses. Theres still a shortage. There are efforts to conserve this PPE for surge (but) thats not appropriate. We need to protect the health care workers today, she said. We need to keep pace with the onslaught of cases that are coming, and nurses are concerned that we dont have the adequate protection, she added. Gary Kazanjian / Special to The Chronicle Statewide COVID-19 patients in ICU nearly tripled over this past weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. On Friday, the number of infected health workers was 48; on Saturday it jumped to 73. Before that, numbers were climbing steadily by about half a dozen cases a day since March 24. The current figure is unknown because the state Department of Public Health stopped reporting the numbers Monday. Jennifer Esteen, a registered nurse and union organizer with Service Employees International Union 1021, which represents health care workers, said lowered standards and lack of equipment could contribute to infections. Thats why were seeing an exponential increase, she said. Now, to diminish workplace safety standards and information given to the public is a step back. Esteen called it super important to know (infection details) because as health care workers continue to get sick, theyll be unable to work. Nurses like Frigulti are on the sidelines during a global pandemic. When she arrived at Kaiser, she began hearing news out of China and grew concerned. But she didnt think her hospital in San Jose would be hard-hit. 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 February, Frigulti received training on donning protective gear. The first positive COVID-19 case arrived about a month ago, around halfway through her 13-week rotation. It started out slow, very slow ... and then after that we would add on one more and one more and one more and pretty soon one ICU was full and one whole other unit was full, Frigulti said. Although some patients have improved and are being treated in different units, some have been in the ICU for weeks, she said. She didnt care directly for anyone who died. Santa Clara County has reported the most deaths in the Bay Area, with 30 as of Tuesday, the second highest number in the state after Los Angeles County, with 54. Most hospital visitors are banned because of the pandemic, so Frigulti and other nurses would FaceTime families. And if a patient was close to the end, theyd let one family member come to say goodbye. But not everyone had that. Some of the patients didnt have anybody when they died, Frigulti said. That was the hardest part and we understood, but it was really hard to see people die alone. Thats what got her so scared when she learned she tested positive. Frigulti felt well enough to drive home to Visalia on Thursday. Shes self-quarantining with her roommate and monitoring her symptoms; on Tuesday, she said she was improving. If she is symptom-free for 14 days, she said she can go back to work. Somebody needs to take care of these people, she said. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Trisha Thadani contributed to this story. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench Couples CAN see one another if they don't live in the same household - but it depends on where they live Basic freedoms such as being able to see family, mates, boyfriends and girlfriends have been severely curtailed by Australia's tough new social distancing restrictions. But the states and territories are each enforcing the national cabinet's rules to slow the spread of coronavirus differently - meaning what liberties you still have depends upon where you live. For instance, the rules allow New South Wales residents to visit their boyfriend or girlfriend even if they don't live at the same home. But Victorians were told they could not - until Wednesday night when the state's chief medical officer, Dr Brett Sutton, said the state will make an exemption. Residents of NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania are banned from going outside with more than one person without a lawful excuse. They cannot go out purely for social reasons or have friends over. Meanwhile, populations of lesser-populated South Australia and the Northern Territory are still allowed to gather with up to 10 other people. Beaches in population hot spots such as Bondi and Brighton have closed... but Australians are still exercising and swimming at deserted beaches. Below, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at how coronavirus social distancing restrictions are clamping down on our way of life. Can couples see one another if they don't live together? Travellers in face masks at Adelaide airport on Wednesday The two biggest states differed sharply in their approach - at least until Wednesday night. Earlier today, Victoria announced it was banning couples who don't live together from seeing each other to slow the spread of the coronavirus. One resident asked on Twitter if she was allowed to visit her partner at his home. Police Minister Lisa Neville replied: 'You cannot visit your partner for social reasons.' But there was a radical backflip late on Wednesday, when the state's chief health officer announcing he would make an exemption. 'We have no desire to penalise individuals who are staying with or meeting their partners if they dont usually reside together,' Dr Brett Sutton said. New South Wales couples will be allowed to visit each other at home. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said visiting a partner counts as 'care' because it is vital for mental health. 'I would put that under care, absolutely, mental health, that's under care we need to look after each other,' Mr Fuller said. The situation is less clear in other states. Queensland and Western Australia likewise have a two-person gathering rule in force. Western Australian premier Mark McGowan said couples should exercise 'common sense'. Tasmanian couples can still visit one another. Can I meet up with my family and friends? Across the board, you can see the family you live with or your housemates. As for seeing other relatives or friends, it differs from state to state. Victoria's premier, Daniel Andrews, has warned residents not to host dinner parties or socialise as normal: 'Do not have guests over. This includes friends or family.' Mr Andrews said the state 'cannot have people out socialising and gathering as if this wasn't happening'. 'If you are gathering in more than two people, if you are having friends over for dinner or friends over for drinks that are not members of your household, then you are breaking the law.' The Victorian government website says you can meet a friend for coffee 'only as part of your daily exercise. 'Going for a walk with one friend or family member who doesn't live at the same address as you and getting a couple of takeaway coffees is an alternative, but an online coffee catch-up is the better way to stop the spread of coronavirus.' None of this: Australians can only gather in groups of two - no more. But these sunbakers at Mackenzies Bay on Tuesday hadn't got the message New South Wales residents can only meet with one person unless they are part of your immediate family or housemates. People can see another person in the course of 'provide care or assistance (including personal care) to a vulnerable person.' They can also receive assistance from a friend or family member shopping at the supermarket. NSW residents can also see their colleagues at work, if they are not working from home. While a casual hello at the supermarket is impossible to police, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned all Australians 'mingling' at the shops is not recommended. 'When you are going out for shopping, you should be going for just stuff you need and do it and get home,' he said on Sunday. 'It is not a time for browsing. It is not a time for catching up with friends or bumping into people and having a long conversation.' Queensland's two person limit allows for 'giving assistance, care or support to an immediate family member.' The situation is more relaxed in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory is enforcing a ten person limit on gatherings. South Australia will only fine people $1,000 for gatherings exceeding 10 people at this time. In Tasmania, families are allowed to visit one another's homes. Can I go to the beach? A sunbather reads a book on Brighton Beach on Tuesday Typically busy beaches in major population centres of Sydney and Melbourne have been closed after they were swamped by crowds flouting social distancing rules. In Sydney's east, all beaches in the Randwick and Waverley Council areas have been shut - including Bondi, Coogee and Maroubra. Some other beaches remain open but social distancing rules apply, and residents require a valid reason for being outside (for instance, exercise). Surf Life Saving NSW has cancelled all volunteer patrols at the state's beaches for the remainder of the 2019/20 season. Some beaches in Victoria have likewise closed, including some of Melbourne's most popular, including St Kilda, Brighton and other Port Phillip beaches. The Gold Coast council has threatened to close its beaches if crowds continue to gather on the glitter strip. Ghanaian billionaire, Nana Kwame Bediako popularly known as Cheddar hit the principal streets of Accra on Sunday to support the less privileged and needy persons in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The business mogul together with his ''Freedom Movement'' team donated numerous foodstuffs and other items to the disabled, the homeless and impoverished persons at various communities in the capital city. The kind gesture dubbed The Freedom Movement was to provide relief to the recipients and help them survive during the partial lockdown. They shared the items at the Independence Square, James Town and Dansoman among other places. Cheddar, speaking to a section of the media indicated that as "Ghanaians, Africans, black people'' who ''are not that rich like other nations. I know some people will find it very hard to eat and drink so I decided to come to the streets to the less privileged areas to share my little with those who dont have food and money to sustain the next two weeksso this is my little way to help our brothers and sisters on the street and equally to give to needy persons who might not have much to rely on during the lockdown''. I share and understand their pain and I pray that God will not let this disease overtake our country. I pray that in the next two weeks everybody gets something to eat. The disabled, abled, the ones without money and without money, I pray for everyone. Its the first time we are all going through this in the world and Im here to be with them. I believe that the government, without support will defeat this enemy, he said. With the Freedom Movement initiative, we would continue to encourage people to be free and excel during the pandemic and beyond, he added. One of the recipients who benefitted from the donations, Eno Mary expressed gratitude to Cheddar for extending a helping hand to the less privileged in society. The mother of three recounted that they were contemplating on means of survival during the lockdown but the items would help them to fend for themselves. She (the mother of three) urged benevolent individuals and organizations to come to their aid as most of them rely on daily wages to survive. The lockdown of some parts of the country began on Monday, March 30, 2020 to ensurep the State mitigates the infection of the virus. As part of measure to improve the social and economic well-being of Ghanaians, the government has also set up a fund. The President who donated his three months salary into the fund is appealing to people to contribute their widows mite to the fund. President Akufo-Addo also urged benevolent Ghanaians and institutions to help the needy and alleviate their burden particularly during this pandemic. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A classified intelligence submitted to President Donald Trump said China has been under-reporting the number of infections and casualties within its borders. The fresh intelligence submitted to President Donald Trump has accused the Chinese government of manipulating its data on the coronavirus pandemic, the report said on Wednesday. Bloomberg cited United States intelligence sources as claiming that Chinas disclosures on coronavirus incidents have been deliberately downplayed to deceive the world that its approach towards controlling the outbreak was effective. The Trump administration has not provided details of the intelligence or even publicly acknowledged it, but it echoed some of the concerns that U.S. officials have raised about Chinas handling of the crisis. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and other senior American government officials repeatedly suggested that China cannot be trusted to provide accurate information that could aid other countries in combatting the pandemic. My concern is that this cover-up, this disinformation that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in, is still denying the world the information it needs so that we can prevent further cases or something like this from recurring again, Mr Pompeo said last month. The virus broke out in Wuhan, central China, in November 2019. There have been reports that in the first weeks that were crucial to containment efforts, China suppressed information about the virus from leaking out. As of Wednesday afternoon, China confirmed about 82,300 cases, out of which over 76,000 have recovered. The countrys number of casualties is placed at about 3,200. Both Chinas death and infection numbers are behind the U.S., Italy and Spain. Chinese epidemiologists who tried to warn Chinese authorities and foreigners about the outbreak were suppressed or disappeared. Experts said the countrys tactics worsened the situation because it did not give other countries enough time to guard against the introduction of the virus into their population. China, however, has continued to deny suppressing information, with some Communist Party officials even claiming the virus did not start in China. New Delhi: The RBI on Wednesday provided more time to exporters to collect payment of goods and software sold to overseas buyers and repatriate that to India as the central bank announced more measures to deal with the economic fallout of Covid-19 pandemic. The central bank has also decided to increase the limit of advances it gives to states and UTs by 30 per cent under the Ways and Means (WMA). While announcing further steps for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the RBI also said "it is not necessary" to implement counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) now. On the extension of realisation period of export proceeds, the RBI said that in view of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the time period for realisation and repatriation of export proceeds for exports made up to or on July 31, 2020, has been extended to 15 months from the date of export. "The measure will enable the exporters to realise their receipts, especially from COVID-19 affected countries within the extended period and also provide greater flexibility to the exporters to negotiate future export contracts with buyers abroad," it said. Presently, value of the goods or software exports made by the exporters is required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within a period of 9 months from the date of exports. On WMA, temporary advances given by the RBI to the government to tide over any mismatch in receipts and payments, the central bank said it has increased WMA limit by 30 per cent from the existing limit for all states/UTs to enable them to tide over the situation arising from the outbreak of the pandemic. The Reserve Bank had constituted an advisory committee to review the WMA limits for state governments and Union Territories (UTs). The decision to increase the limit has been taken "pending submission" of the final recommendations by the committee, and the revised limits will come into force with effect from April 1, 2020 and will be valid till September 30, 2020. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank had set the WMA limit at Rs 70,000 crore for the central government for the July-September quarter, up from Rs 60,000 crore in the previous quarter. It further said based on the review and empirical analysis of CCyB indicators, it has been decided that "it is not necessary" to activate CCyB for a period of one year or earlier, as may be necessary. Last week, the RBI had announced hosts of measures, including sharp reduction in key lending rate and moratorium on re-payment of term loans as the coronavirus outbreak has triggered global slowdown in economic activities. NEW YORK, N.Y. -- As the Islands two private hospitals near capacity treating coronavirus patients around the clock, many of the details on when the boroughs two field hospitals will open remain unknown. The Island is set to receive an additional 1,260 hospital beds to respond to the coronavirus outbreak with the help of two field hospitals in the works. One will be at the South Beach Psychiatric Center, which will be used to exclusively treat positive coronavirus patients, equipped with 260-beds. Another, at the College of Staten Island, will add 1,000 beds. But neither Gov. Andrew Cuomo nor Rep. Max Rose, who together spearheaded the push to build the CSI field hospital, have been able to provide answers on when the colleges field hospital will open, who will staff it, and whether the site will treat coronavirus patients or non-coronavirus patients. The lack of details around when the site will open, come as Richmond and University Hospital and Staten Island University Hospital said Wednesday they were treating 458 coronavirus patients between the two sites. Last week, the heads of the Islands two private hospitals told the Advance they are able to expand to 829 ICU and general hospital beds combined under its surge capacity. That means the hospitals could currently be at more than half their capacity treating coronavirus patients alone based on the number of coronavirus patients they were treating as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, RUMC told the Advance that 70% of its general hospital beds and ICU beds were being occupied by patients being treated for coronavirus. However, the hospital could not provide an exact figure on how many non-coronavirus patients they were treating and how many beds it was currently using. The hospitals have been unable to provide a breakdown of non-coronavirus cases in their facilities. Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who represents the district the South Beach Psychiatric Center sits in, said she anticipates the site will be up and running by next week and will be used to serve as an extension to SIUH to relieve the hospital of coronavirus patients. Malliotakis said the State Dormitory Authority (DASNY) was constructing the South Beach Psychiatric Center and still adjusting its plans and completing plumbing installation there. But DASNY directed all inquiries about its build-out to the state and declined to comment on its construction. Over 78,000 doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and medical professionals from across the country signed up to volunteer and the state will match them with the staffing needs of these facilities, Malliotakis said. Details on the CSI field hospital are even more unclear. Officials were able to complete the 1,000-bed field hospital at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan in just one week. The Center opened its doors on Monday. And Cuomo has since announced plans for four additional field hospitals across New York City at CSI, New York Expo Center in the Bronx, the Aqueduct Racetrack site in Queens and Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to build out another 4,000 beds. The governor initially said last week that after the Trump administration approved the CSI site and others, it would take about 10 days to build them out. Asked Wednesday when those new field hospitals would open, Cuomo could not provide a clear timeline during a press conference with reporters Wednesday. Cuomo said the additional field hospitals would open when we need them, describing them as the last of the last resort sites which you would still need equip and staff. Rep. Rose, who said last week he worked with Cuomo to set up the CSI field hospital because he believed the Islands two hospitals were rapidly approaching capacity, declined an interview about the field hospitals on Wednesday because he was deploying to the National Guard. Rose plans to work at the CSI and South Beach Psychiatric Center during his deployment as an operations officer. Instead, Roses office directed questions about the CSI site to the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But FEMA also declined to answer any questions about the CSI or South Beach Psychiatric Center sites and told the Advance to contact the state. The governors press office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Army Corps of Engineers has been responsible for the transformation of civilian facilities into field hospitals, with support from the National Guard. The Advance also reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard for more details. The Army Corps of Engineers would not answer questions about the timeline of the CSI or Staten Island Psychiatric Center sites, only saying that the contract to build the CSI site has not yet been awarded. Meanwhile, the National Guard directed inquiries to the state. For the second time this week, the number of Island Coronavirus deaths hit a single one-day high of 14 on Wednesday. On Wednesday morning the number of coronavirus related deaths on Island climbed to 91 as the number of confirmed cases reached 2,480, according to the citys latest figures. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Reporter Paul Liotta contributed to this report 20 Photos: Staten Island coronavirus drive-through testing opens *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** RELATED COVERAGE: These companies are hiring in wake of coronavirus Coronavirus and the workplace: How Staten Islands largest employers are coping Cuomo: New York pause extended until at least April 15 Coronavirus: NY officially on pause; all non-essential businesses shuttered Kate Middleton is 'leading' the homeschooling efforts of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, while organising playtime for Prince Louis each day, a source has revealed. The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, is ensuring her three children settle into their studies at their Norfolk home Anmer Hall while Prince William, 37, has also 'rolled his sleeves up' to help out, during the coronavirus crisis, The mother-of-three is helping Prince George, 6, focus on work, 'putting on lots of activities' for Princess Charlotte, 4, and making time to play with her youngest son Prince Louis, 1, as well. A source told The Sun: 'Kate is leading on most of the teaching. She spends time every day doing something with them.' Kate Middleton, 38, is 'leading' the homeschooling at Amner Hall as she juggles work with teaching Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, during the coronavirus outbreak The source explained that one of the couple's main priorities was helping Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis get into a routine and a 'settled home environment.' They revealed that the Cambridges are both 'very involved' to keep Prince George working hard, while Princess Charlotte has also been given a vast array of activities to enjoy. The couple are also making time to play with their youngest son, Prince Louis, 1. While Kate is 'leading on most of the teaching', Prince William is also helping out with the work. The mother-of-three is helping her children settle into life at home, assisting Prince George, 6, with working, setting up 'lots of activities' for Princess Charlotte, 4, and spending time playing with Prince Louis, 1, The source revealed: 'William is also rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck in as well.' They added that the Duke and Duchess are 'finding the experience hugely rewarding'. Prince William and Kate are seeing out the public health crisis at Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their children. Last week, a royal expert revealed how the Duke of Cambridge will 'step up into statesman role' during the coronavirus crisis and will lead the royal family's efforts to support the nation. Meanwhile Prince William is also 'rolling up his sleeves' and helping his children adjust to life at home (pictured) Prince William was the first member of the royal family to speak to the nation during the crisis in a video, and joined Kate to visit an NHS 111 centre earlier this month. Speaking to Australian website 9Honey, Katie Nicholl said the move was 'significant', adding that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the 'best placed' members of the royal family to be 'pillars of support' for the nation at the moment. She revealed: 'We're seeing William step up in that statesman role. It strikes me as interesting that the first member of the royal family to address the nation has been William.' Royal expert Katie Nicholl previously revealed how the Cambridges are 'leading' the royal family's response to the crisis (pictured, visiting an NHS 111 call centre earlier this month) The royal expert explained that left Kate and William 'best placed' to lead the family's efforts and support the nation. Katie revealed: 'Obviously William and Kate aren't in the vulnerable sector, therefore they are perhaps the best placed or among the best placed of the royal family to be able to help at the moment.' She also said Kate and William are now temporarily diverting their attention from their key work, and instead focus on supporting the nation as it tries to cope with the pandemic. A member of the 39-strong team of Cuban doctors and nurses in Andorra to help fight the coronavirus has tested positive for the virus, the health ministry revealed Wednesday. He has been placed in isolation while officials decide how to protect against possible further contamination from the rest of the Cuban team to avoid losing their medical skills completely. The man arrived Monday morning with the Cuban team of 12 doctors and 27 nurses after Andorra had asked Havana for support. Around 60 of the principality's doctors are already under quarantine while being checked to see if they are infected, said Health Minister Joan Martinez Benazet. The whole Cuban delegation was screened for the virus on their arrival, before undergoing initial training on Tuesday. Havana has long sent Cuba's doctors to help other countries: payment for their services is one of the engines of its economy, which has suffered almost six decades of crippling US sanctions. Andorra is the European second country, after Italy, to receive their help. Andorra, a landlocked principality between Spain and France with a population of 77,000, counted 12 dead on Tuesday from the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON, D.C. - The cities of Chico, Paradise, and Redding will receive grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to use to combat coronavirus in the North State. The funding from the CARES Act will come to the cities through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that were issued on March 27. Chico will receive $512,416; Paradise will get $99,852; and Redding will get $447,450. A spokesperson for Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) told Action News Now the individual cities will have authority over how the money is spent, so long as it is spent to combat coronavirus. CBDG grants provide flexible funding to municipalities because they have unique needs, said the Congressman. La Malfa said the move by HUD demonstrates the Trump Administration's commitment to getting aid to Americans as quickly as possible." "These timely grants will provide Chico, Paradise, and Redding the needed working capital to address the individual needs of our constituents," Congressman LaMalfa added. Iran warned the United States it is leading the Middle East to disaster amid the coronavirus pandemic after reports that Patriot air defence missiles were deployed to Iraq. Washington had been in talks with Baghdad about the proposed deployment since January, but it was not immediately clear whether it secured its approval or not. Iran, which wields huge influence in its western neighbour, said it had not. The US deployment runs counter to the official position of the Iraqi government, parliament and people, a foreign ministry statement said on Wednesday. It called for a halt to warmongering during the coronavirus outbreak and warned US military activities in the region could lead it to instability and disaster. Iran is in the throes of one of the worlds deadliest coronavirus outbreaks with more than 3,000 deaths. The US death toll has now surpassed Irans, topping 4,000. US forces should respect the wishes of the Iraqi people and government and leave the country, the Iranian foreign ministry added. The US is moving defensive systems into Iraq to protect Iraqi, coalition, and US service members from a variety of air threats seen at Iraqi bases that host coalition troops, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Robertson told Al Jazeera. It is important to note that repeated attacks on Iraqi bases, which violate Iraqi sovereignty, have killed and injured Iraqi, coalition, and US service members. The establishment of ground-based air defenses in Iraq continues, but for operational security reasons, we are not providing status updates as those systems come online. The Iraqi Government is well aware of our collective need for air defense protection of service members within Iraq, and we continue to coordinate closely with our Iraqi counterparts. The Patriot is Washingtons principal anti-missile system. Its deployment to Iraq comes after a spate of rocket and other attacks on bases and other facilities used by US personnel that Washington has blamed on Tehran-backed Shia militias or Tehran itself. One of the Patriot batteries was delivered to the Ain al-Assad in western Iraq last week and is now being assembled, a US defence official and an Iraqi military source said. Ain al-Assad was hit by a retaliatory Iranian missile attack in January after Washington killed Tehrans foreign operations chief, General Qasem Soleimani, in a drone attack just outside Baghdad airport. A second battery was deployed to a base in Erbil, capital of Iraqs autonomous Kurdish region. Two more are still in Kuwait, where Washington has rear bases for its operations in Iraq, the US official said. Expected rhetoric Former head of US Central Command, Admiral William Fallon, told Al Jazeera the US is deploying the missiles to protect its forces in Iraq. Fallon called the Iranian reaction as expected rhetoric out of Tehran. The US move is intended to protect the remaining US troops in Iraq, especially after the bombardment of Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed. Fallon said the US troops are staying in Iraq to provide stability in small numbers as reasonable to do that. Iraqi leaders have resisted US deployment of the advanced weapons system for fear it would anger Iran and further ratchet up tensions between its main allies. On Monday, Iraqs caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi warned against any offensive military action without the approval of the Iraqi government. He did not specifically mention the Patriot deployment. Coronavirus Irans president said on Wednesday the US had missed an opportunity to lift sanctions on his country during the coronavirus outbreak, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehrans fight against the infection. It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Iran reported 138 additional deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing its death toll to 3,036, a health official said. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted the US might ease the crippling US sanctions against Iran to help the coronavirus pandemic. Though Pompeo did not give a concrete indication of how or when the US would be doing that, he told reporters humanitarian and medical supplies are exempt from sanctions that Washington reimposed on Tehran after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Additional reporting by Ali Younes Eddie McGuire lost his cool with Channel Nine sports journalist Tony Jones when he was grilled about whether cash-strapped AFL club members would be offered refunds. During a live TV interview on Wednesday night, Jones asked the Collingwood President if he would give members their money back with the AFL season in doubt and suspended until May 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Tony, it is as simple as this, if you dont have members you dont have a club. A club with no members is a memory. We need members to stick with us as much as they can,' McGuire said. 'If anyone gets into financial hardship, speak to us, we are there together. The members are the club, its not as if were privately owned. This is all about sticking together through tough times.' Jones quickly interjected and asked McGuire what he would tell members if they were to ask for a membership refund. During a live TV interview on Wednesday night, Tony Jones asked Collingwood president Eddie McGuire if he would give members their money back Jones quickly interjected and asked McGuire what he would tell members if they were to ask for a membership refund But McGuire dodged the question, responding: 'Tony, youve got to listen to me mate. We're in it together.' 'We look after our members, theyre part of our family. If you came to me and said I need a loan at the moment, do you think I would help you of course I would. The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host then doubled down on his answer, and hit back at Jones for 'winding him up'. 'Youre not listening to me Tony, youre trying to get a headline, this is what we dont need at the moment. No mate, I am telling you,' McGuire said. Jones responded: 'Im not trying to get a headline Eddie, Im trying to get an answer. If a member comes to you and wants their money back, will you give their money back?' But the awkward exchange then turned fiery. 'Tony I just said to you. If youve got financial hardships, speak to your club were there to help you we always do,' McGuire hit back. 'We do this year in, year out with people who have financial hardships. What Im saying to you though Tony, is this is more than a transaction.' Jones again tried to get McGuire to answer his question, which appeared to further anger the Collingwood boss. 'This is people who love their club and it means more them. Tony, do you want to hear what the answer is or do you want to keep asking questions,' McGuire said. Eddie McGuire (centre), who has been at the helm of Collingwood since 1998, accused reporter Tony Jones of trying to make a fool out of him on live TV Australia's latest deaths are a person in Orange, in the NSW central west, and a 95-year-old woman from the COVID-19-infected Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care home in Sydney Jones cut in to tell McGuire the interview was running overtime: 'You can love your club without actually putting your hand in your pocket.' McGuire responded: 'Tony if we dont have enough people putting their hand their pocket, there will be no club its as simple as that.' But Jones remarked that there are 'unfortunately a lot of empty pockets' in members who have lost money this season. 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 McGuire, who has been at the helm of Collingwood since 1998, then accused Jones of trying to make a fool out of him. 'And theyll be looked after, Tony,' he said. 'Do not make this into people taking money out of peoples pockets and dont wind me up with a smarta*** last line. 'This is desperate stakes and dont try make a headline or make a fool out of me. When people need help they will get it.' The interview ended abruptly with Jones thanking an irate McGuire for his time. On March 22, the AFL announced it was postponing the 2020 season until at least June, after playing just one round. The league still plans to complete the remaining 16 rounds at some point this year, after cutting it from the usual 23. HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has urged efforts to promote smooth flow of products out of and into the country. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. MPs today demanded Parliament set up a 'virtual' House of Commons during the coronavirus crisis after the Welsh Assembly held its first debate using Zoom video software. The Welsh Assembly this afternoon became the UK's first major democratic institution to meet remotely as members heard statements from the First Minister and other ministers. They were then able to ask questions and scrutinise the Welsh government's outbreak action plan, with each party having agreed to limit the number of its representatives to ensure smooth running of proceedings. But Westminster MPs are increasingly frustrated at their inability to hold the government to account due to the fact Parliament is currently in recess and is not scheduled to return until April 21. The Welsh Assembly would normally be in recess at the present time but has decided to keep its democratic functions up and running, raising the question of why Parliament cannot do the same. The Welsh Assembly is continuing to sit during the coronavirus crisis but the Houses of Parliament are in recess, with MPs now demanding Westminster get back up and running digitally The Welsh National Assembly met virtually this afternoon using Zoom video conferencing software MPs are now demanding that Parliament and the government agree to set up some form of virtual scrutiny so that they can demand answers from ministers. Sir Ed Davey said in any other major emergency Parliament would have been recalled as he demanded democracy go digital. The acting leader of the Liberal Democrats wants Boris Johnson to commit to holding PMQs every week via video conference and for MPs to be able to ask written questions of government departments during recess. He is also pushing for Parliament to set up a new select committee solely tasked with scrutinising the government's coronavirus response. Meanwhile, some 100 Labour and SNP MPs have written to Parliament decision makers pushing for a digital House of Commons to be set up. Sir Ed told The Guardian: 'If it wasn't a dangerous infectious virus but a major emergency, parliament would have been recalled. We wouldn't have gone on recess. 'We think scrutiny is good for government policy. We've shown opposition parties are prepared to behave responsibly. 'I think we can find a way to get things cracking and get an online virtual parliament to serve the nation.' Mr Johnson has already been using Zoom for Cabinet meetings so that ministers can take part while working remotely. Ultimately the decision to recall the House of Commons would be made by the Speaker following a request from the government. Sir Ed Davey, pictured in the House of Commons in December 2019, said decision-makers need to 'get things cracking and get an online virtual parliament to serve the nation' Number 10 has been using Zoom for Cabinet meetings so that ministers can take part while working remotely. Pictured is yesterday's Cabinet meeting A statement issued by the Welsh National Assembly said it was 'changing how it works' and is introducing a 'series of emergency provisions' to allow 'essential' business to continue. The Assembly's Business Committee has decided to 'switch to fully online virtual plenary meetings using the video conferencing facility Zoom'. All of the parties in the Assembly agreed to limit their attendance at today's debate, with Labour nominating six people, the Conservatives nominating three, Plaid Cymru two and the Brexit Party one. All independent members were entitled to attend. 'The National Assembly would usually now be in recess,' it said in the statement. 'However, due to the coronavirus emergency and the urgent Welsh Government measures, the Assembly will continue to meet (virtually) to legislate and to scrutinise decision-makers.' Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West are reportedly trying to do some good in the world. The reality TV star and her rapper husband have lobbied to President Donald Trump the release of the Tiger King, also known as Joe Exotic. While the couple was unable to attend a scheduled meeting at the White House because of social distancing implementation amid the coronavirus pandemic, there have been reports that the trio was able to discuss Exotic's incarceration through video conference platform, Zoom, on Thursday, March 31. Kardashian has been involved in many prison sentence commutations in the past, so talking about Exotic's case with Republicans is nothing new. However, she is facing some backlash over their involvement in the case. According to Terry Goodkittty, an animal welfare expert, it's not right for "famous celebrities" to ring up Trump and "take a dump on the concerns of all the big kitties." Goodkitty added that just because the 38-year-old SKIMS CEO can "string two words together" doesn't make her a lawyer. "I don't see why any federal counsel would treat her as such!" On March 25, Mrs. Kardashian-West wanted answers after watching the documentary series on Netflix,"Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness." Just like many people, she is also hooked on the show. "Has anyone seen Tiger King on Netflix?! It is crazy!!!" the mom-of-four tweeted. Wow the amount of texts Ive gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carol killed her husband! What are your thoughts? Do you think Carol killed him? Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 23, 2020 After being flooded with tons of replies, she wrote a follow-up tweet that said, "Wow, the amount of texts I've gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carol killed her husband." She then asked her followers, "What are your thoughts? Do you think Carol killed him?" After her tweet, Kim Kardashian was then personally invited to Big Cat Rescue" once COVID-19 is over to meet Carole" and have a tour of the GFAS-accredited sanctuary for big cats. However, fans of the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star stopped her from going. One fan tweeted, "Be careful, Kim. She might feed you to the tigers!" The seven-part documentary tells the story of one of the many big cat enthusiasts in the US, Joe Exotic. Her arch-nemesis and the "Mother Theresa of Cats," Carole Baskin, are also featured in the series. Baskin runs a non-profit organization that shelters tigers called Big Cat Rescue, which is in Florida. In the series, she is being accused of feeding her missing ex-husband to tigers. The documentary also talked about the rumors that Baskin might be responsible for the death of his second husband, millionaire Don Lewis, after vanishing without a trace in 1997. Five years later, he was declared legally dead. The animal rights activist had his eyes on Joe, his zoo, and other parks that are similar to the Tiger King's. Exotic, in return, publicly threatened Baskin on his online show, and on one occasion, he even filled Baskin's mailbox with venomous snakes. Their bitter rivalry reached another level when Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, repeatedly tried to hire people to murder Baskin. One of the people he hired before was an undercover FBI agent. He reportedly gave a man $3,000 to travel from Oklahoma to South Carolina and then to Florida to kill his enemy, with a promise to pay thousands more after the deed. Maldonado-Passage was then convicted of murder for hire, and in January, he was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. READ MORE: 'Tiger King' Director Eric Implies Joe Exotic's Nemesis Carole Baskin Is A Hypocrite Sydney's hospitals are struggling to cope with limited availability of critical protective equipment, with nurses at one clinic inadvertently told to break guidelines and reuse supplies. "Please be very, very careful with your use of all types of [personal protective equipment] as stocks are in very, very short supply," one nursing director at Cumberland Hospital wrote to staff in an email on Friday. "Westmead [Hospital] has run out of visors and are using goggles." Gladys Berejiklian is calling on NSW businesses to start thinking outside the square and help the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:AAP It's one of many emails and an internal memo, which cover several weeks and show supply shortages hampering the operation of some clinics, and come a day after Premier Gladys Berejiklian made a direct appeal to local businesses to turn their production capacity toward manufacturing urgently required medical supplies. On Tuesday, the nursing director told staff that she had erred when she "sent out an earlier communication which suggested reusing thermometer probe covers". "To clarify the Mental Health Service position on this, this communication was erroneous," she wrote in an email. Relatives of elderly living in long term care housing in Santiago say they are concerned for the welfare of their loved ones. On Monday, Healthcare Networks Undersecretary Arturo Zuniga said that 12 elderly people had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Elderly Residences for Long Term Care, ELEAM, of Puente Alto. On Tuesday, Rodrigo Gonzalez attempted to speak with staff through the fence of the facility but said he wasn't getting any information on the health of his grandmother. Zuniga said health professionals have evaluated all 94 elderly residents of the center in Santiago. Zuniga also said 37 people would be tested for the coronavirus, and that 15 people were hospitalized and in isolation as a result of preventive measures. Chile currently has more than 2,730 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 15:39:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China scrapped the limitations on the ratio of foreign shareholding in securities and fund management firms on Wednesday, a move that shows wider opening-up of its financial industry. The move gives those foreign companies the green light to set up wholly-owned units on the Chinese mainland, offering them a chance to better tap the Chinese market. It also provides Chinese investors with a greater variety of financial products and services. The accelerated pace of China's opening-up could help boost confidence for global companies, many of which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and are grappling to mitigate its economic fallout. Dolly Parton has announced shes donating $1m to research looking for a cure to coronavirus. The artist made the announcement on social media on Wednesday. My longtime friend Dr Naji Abumrad, whos been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure, she tweeted. I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations. Dr Naji Abumrad is a surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where Parton rose to fame. The medical centre announced on 23 March that it has started researching antibody therapies for Covid-19. Researchers are analysing antibodies isolated from the blood of people who have recovered from Covid-19, looking to see if those antibodies can inhibit the virus and possibly stop it from causing illness, according to the centre. Dr James Crowe, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, said the team hopes to prepare antibodies for human clinical trials by this summer. We have ultra-rapid antibody discovery technologies and already have discovered SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, Crowe added. Our partners have the manufacturing and product development expertise to turn these antibodies into effective biological drugs very quickly. Cops across the United States are struggling to maintain law and order as desperate looters and defiant partiers continue to ignore shelter-in-place orders given by their local governments. Outlets report looting in all forms as small businesses seek innovative ways to protect their possessions and as local governments look to work with private companies to create potential air patrol options. The news of increased looting comes as police departments across the country struggle to keep their own officers safe - in New York City, one in six officers is out sick. More than 900 people have died in the US in 24 hours with the death toll increasing to more than 4,300 as the number of coronavirus cases in the US surpassed 200,000. Police in Santa Cruz, California, have arrested five who have done attempted robberies on businesses in the area. The city is currently under a stay-at-home order. Scroll down for video Police in Santa Cruz, California, have arrested five who have done attempted robberies on businesses in the area. The city is currently under a stay-at-home order While the five were charged with burglaries, the charges have been upgraded to looting given the circumstances. Police are stepping up patrol in the area and are creating a Burglary Suppression Unit, KSBW reports. A police spokesman added that they were looking to present as many charges as possible to people who take advantage of the situation. In South Carolina, two North Carolina men were detained when they were found on Friday morning outside of a storage warehouse unit in Lake Wylie. While the five were charged with burglaries, the charges have been upgraded to looting given the circumstances Police are stepping up patrol in the area and are creating a Burglary Suppression Unit. A police spokesman added that they were looking to present as many charges as possible to people who take advantage of the situation Ronald Nicholas Miller, from Matthews, and Justin Andrew Osczepinski, of Charlotte, were charged with looting after deputies recovered items and a stolen truck from the scene. Looting was made a felony once the governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, declared a COVID-19 state of emergency two weeks ago. More than 4,300 people have died from the coronavirus in the United States 'There is a state of emergency law in effect and this looting incident was charged under that emergency law,' Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff's Office, explained to The Herald. 'The law is in place to protect the public and their property during this emergency.' Miller, 26, was given 23 other charges including burglary, larceny, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools. He is currently in jail on $153,500 bond. Osczepinksi, 30, has been charged with 25 crimes including burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, larceny, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy. On Friday Morning, officers with the New York Police Department arrested a masked suspect who looted Tylenol and cash from a Avenue H Deli in Brooklyn More than 900 people have died in the US in 24 hours with the death toll increasing to more than 4,300 as the number of coronavirus cases in the US surpassed 200,000 Also on Friday, officers with the New York Police Department arrested a masked suspect who looted Tylenol and cash from a deli in Brooklyn. 'I am shocked, be nice to the neighbor,' Avenue H Deli owner Abdulla Musaid said to the Brooklyn Paper. 'In 20 years, something like this has never happened to me. I want to thank the police for catching the suspect.' One in six officers with the New York Police Department is sick Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Wednesday that many more officers with the department have called in sick since the coronavirus first hit the city. As of Wednesday there are 1700 officers with the NYPD that have tested positive with the coronavirus, CNN reports. About 17 per cent of the force - roughly 6,172 officers have called out sick in total. 'It has been a clearly a difficult time for New York City as a whole. The message is to all New Yorkers that we're all in this together,' NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. The commissioner said that the NYPD is in 'a constant state of planning.' Advertisement The suspect was found by authorities on the roof of an adjacent building. And looting isn't the only crime police have encountered during the days where many governments have shelter-in-place orders that prevent people from being outside, unless making 'essential travel.' Charges have been brought against a 26-year-old Maryland man after troopers crashed a party he was throwing with teenagers that had alcohol. State police charged Ryan M Serra of Lutherville with violation of governor's executive order and 10 counts of allowing a minor to possess alcohol after troopers crashed his party at the Boston Inn, the Salisbury Daily Times reports. When police arrived at the scene, they spoke with Serra but soon learned that there were 10 teens in the room with him. Four girls and six boys between 15-17 years old were in the bathroom hiding. An empty liquor bottle was found in the room and it was learned that Serra had purchased the booze and was aware that the teens were underage. No one in the room was intoxicated, police said. Baltimore's Board of Estimates okayed on Wednesday a six-month pilot program that would allow three privately funded planes access to airways to monitor security. The planes, paid for by Texas philanthropists Laura and John Arnold, would capture images that relate to crime, the Baltimore Sun reports. Data from the planes will only be stored for 45 days, unless needed for an investigation. Adani Foundation has contributed Rs 50 lakh towards ISKCON, Dwarka, to feed the underprivileged population in the national capital. "As India grapples with a lockdown to arrest the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the poor and the daily wagers who are the most adversely affected. ISKCON is providing meals to more than 1 lakh people on a daily basis. The foundation's financial aid will boost their efforts as it plans to reach out to more than 4 lakh people daily in the near future," according a statement by the company. Adani Foundation, the philanthropy arm of the infrastructure conglomerate Adani Group, is feeding this section of the society through community kitchens and canteens being run in various sites across the country where it is operational. More than 11,000 packets of food and ration are being distributed each day at Mundra (Gujarat), Godda (Jharkhand), Kawai (Rajasthan), Dhamra (Odisha) and Vizhinjam (Kerala) every day. "A total of 20,883 labourers and people in rural communities are given meals each day. Adani Foundation is also providing ration supplies to community kitchens that are running in full force to feed the communities," it said. Amid all the widespread measures being taken to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in India, Adani Foundation has stepped up to guard the health and well-being of the rural population at various locations. It has provided personal protection kits for the health workers and doctors at the SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad, to ensure the safety of medical professionals who are working tirelessly. More than 1,000 masks were distributed to police personnel and health workers in Ahmedabad city, while more than 400 packets of food, mineral water and sanitary kits are being provided at various locations in the city, it said. Adani Foundation is also sanitising public spaces in villages near Kawai (Rajasthan), Godda (Jharakhand) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh). With support from the district administration of Godda, Jharkhand, 100 women from the foundation's Phoolo Jhano Saksham Ajivika Sakhi Mandal (PJSASM) are engaged in making masks. This self-help group (SHG) of women who were imparted training at Adani Skill Development Centres are now working day and night to ensure the production of 1 lakh masks which are to be handed over to the district administration. Adani Foundation is also helping the district administration to sanitise public places in the district. "Masks are also being produced by the women's co-operative group Mahila Udyami Bahudeshiy Sahakari Samiti, in Surguja, Chhattisgarh. A total of 15,000 such masks are being distributed in 10 villages along with handwashing liquid," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) He recently donated $1million for supplies needed in the fight against the potentially lethal coronavirus. But Arnold Schwarzenegger took a deserved break from his good deeds on Tuesday, when the former California governor hit the streets of Brentwood, Los Angeles on his motorcycle. The 72-year-old actor was joined by a friend for the ride, and appeared to be closely followed by his security detail. Bad to the bone: Arnold Schwarzenegger took a deserved break from his good deeds on Tuesday, when the former California governor hit the streets of Brentwood, Los Angeles on his motorcycle The Terminator: Dark Fate star clad himself in leather jacket and studded riding boots for the outing. He also put safety first by wearing a helmet and shielded his eyes with a pair of dark shades. Arnold has played his part in helping to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus by donating $1million to the Frontline Responders Fund. Hell for leather! The Terminator: Dark Fate star clad himself in leather jacket and studded riding boots for the outing The True Lies actor revealed his donation on Instagram on Thursday morning, asking his fans and followers to do the same. His plea has seemingly worked, with nearly $500,000 more donated to the fund since his original donation. 'I never believed in sitting on the couch and complaining about how bad things are, I always believed we should all do our part to make things better,' he began. 'This is a simple way to protect our real action heroes on the frontlines in our hospitals, and Im proud to be part of it. 'I donated 1 million dollars, and I hope that all of you who can will step up to support these heroes. Go to the link in my bio to help out.' Chip off the old block: Also see Tuesday was Arnie's lookalike son, Joseph Baena, snapped while grabbing some shopping He linked to the GoFundMe page for the Frontline Responders Fund, which was created just one day ago and already has $3.3 million in donations. The fund was created by an organization called Flexport, which is 'focusing all its resources on, 'getting critical supplies to frontline responders combating COVID-19.' The fund is trying to supply hospitals around the world with masks, gowns, gloves and other critical supplies they need to fight the virus. WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Health experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Tuesday that even with the Trump administration's national social distancing guidelines in place, Americans still should be prepared for the prospect of the coronavirus causing 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the country. Presenting the models before reporters at a White House press briefing, Deborah Birx, the task force's response coordinator, said as many as 1.5 million to 2.2 million people will succumb to COVID-19 if no mitigation measures whatsoever are taken to contain the virus. "There's no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors," Birx said, urging people to act according to the administration's social distancing strategy, which has been extended to April 30. Those behaviors, Birx added, could change "the course of the viral pandemic." "As sobering as that number is, we should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push back on mitigation, the less likelihood it would that number," said Anthony Fauci, another leading expert on the task force team. "But as being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that that is a possibility that that's what we'll see," added Fauci, also director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Earlier during the briefing, President Donald Trump warned the American people that "we're going to go through a very tough two weeks." "And then hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting, after having studied it so hard, we're going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel, but this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks," Trump added. There were more than 700 new coronavirus-driven fatalities Tuesday in the United States, the most one-day increase. Total deaths reached 3,810 and total confirmed cases stood at 186,265 in the country, according to latest data from Johns Hopkins University, updated at 6:05 p.m. ET. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:28:58|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Yu Jiaxin LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic won't lead to deglobalization and instead it highlights the importance of global cooperation as more efforts are needed to combat a crisis like this, an Oxford University expert has said. "I believe the pandemic might be one factor changing the nature of globalization, but it won't lead to deglobalization or put an end to it," Ian Goldin, professor of globalization and development at Oxford University and the founding director of the Oxford Martin School, told Xinhua via phone. Having assessed the pros and cons of globalization in his books "The Butterfly Defect "and "Age of Discovery", Goldin explains that globalization brings development and cooperation, even though interconnectivity also leads to new threats, and facilitates the spread of the novel coronavirus. "While in the short run the pandemic has led to a slowing of trade and travel, the virus will not stop globalization," said Goldin. Trade, travel and investment flows will bounce back when the pandemic is over, and "more digital flows across national borders will accelerate globalization," he said, adding that the nature of globalization is changing with more digital flows, more finance, less product, with the pandemic accelerating the already evident trends. Goldin affirmed that before the pandemic, the fragmentation of supply chains had reached a peak in 2019 for four reasons -- namely automation and 3D printing, delivery time, customization and protectionism. According to Goldin, globalization maybe slowed in some regions but it is not the case in Asia which is home to over 3 billion people and will continue to enjoy more rapid growth than other regions. He believes China will see a strong recovery and "because of its biggest growth market, it will attract increasing investment and provide the strongest engine for the global economy in the coming decades." "I see globalization continuing and the center of gravity of it is moving to Asia," he said, noting that the United States and European countries will increasingly invest in these countries which have very large markets and rising incomes. Talking about the global efforts to fight the pandemic, he said China is doing remarkably in assisting the world and in supporting global cooperation to find vaccines. "But there should be bigger global efforts," he said, calling for other countries to join a global commitment to mobilize money and medical equipment especially to less developed countries, which will also require debt relief. In a long-term, global efforts should be made to develop a monitoring system to identify the potential sources to stop the next pandemic, and much stronger collaboration on medical emergency responses and research on vaccines are required, said Goldin. He stated that "pandemics are only one of the many threats we face collectively as humanity, much greater efforts are required to reform current international organizations to make them fit for purpose to stop our shared threats, which include climate change, antibiotic resistance, and cascading financial crises." Whereas most other threats could be addressed through cooperation among the biggest countries, stopping global pandemic like the current one requires the engagement of every country, with major global powers playing their due roles and working with all other countries cooperatively, said the scholar. In his view, the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by China is "absolutely right", especially in dealing with a threat like the COVID-19 pandemic, because "it highlights our common destiny". Describing the pandemic a very difficult test for humanity, Goldin said the world should learn from the crisis and build stronger and accountable cooperation. "No wall will be high enough to safeguard the future of citizens from future threats without cooperation with other countries," he said. A total of 680 people have been arrested across the state in eight days for violating norms of the ongoing lockdown to contain COVID-19 and collected over Rs 10 lakh fines, Assam Police said on Wednesday. The daily police report on the lockdown said 302 cases have been registered for 500 incidents since the beginning of the restrictions. Accordingly, 680 people have been arrested in these cases. Police has also realised a total fine of Rs 10,18,900 for violating the lockdown norms. Besides, 2,825 vehicles, mostly two-wheelers, have been seized from various parts of the state. Meanwhile, the Nalbari authorities indefinitely sealed Mallapara area in Nalbari town, banning entry and exit of anyone, after a 19-year-old youth staying there tested positive. He is a member of a group of 11 who attended he religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin. Other members of the group have been admitted at the Swahid Mukunda Kakati Civil Hospital's isolation ward, officials said adding that 13 more people were also kept in the isolation ward as they had come in contact with the 11 persons from Delhi. Nalbari District Magistrate Bharat Bhushan Devchoudhury sealed the locality with effect from 7 pm Wednesday, thereby "In view of detection of one COVID-19 positive case, who was on home quarantine at Mallapara, Nalbari town, it is felt necessary to immediately seal the geographical area of Mallapara to arrest the spread of COVID-19 in the interest of public health," the order said. As per the restrictions, neither any person nor any vehicle will be allowed to go inside or leave the area. "This order is made under the regulation 'The Assam COVID-19 Regulations, 2020' and shall be effective from 7 pm of 1st April, 2020 until further order," the order stated. Earlier during the day, Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced four more positive COVID-19 cases, including the 19-year old from Nalbari. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology wishes to inform the education stakeholders and the public in general that it is making necessary arrangements to ensure learning from home during the current national CoViD-19 confinement. The following measures are accordingly being taken in respect of the secondary sub-sector. 1. A large amount of resources is already available for Grades 7 to 9 on the Student Support Programme (SSP) portal. These lessons will also be broadcast on the MBC TV channels. 2. For Grades 10 to 13, the Ministry informs that Educators of State and Private Secondary Schools are to conduct classes, as per their normal timetable, through Zoom or other appropriate videoconferencing platform. 3. Logins will also be prepared and issued to Educators of all State and Private Secondary Schools for the Microsoft Teams content-sharing platform. To this effect, they will have to provide their contact details on an online portal that the Ministry is putting on the Ministrys website at http://ministry-education.govmu.org. Educators will then have to contact their respective students, preferably through responsible parties, by mobile phone or email, to invite them to join live classes that they will conduct and provide contents that they will share under Microsoft Teams. Please note that students will not require logins for Microsoft Teams. Videos will be uploaded on the Ministrys website and aired on the MBC TV to sensitize Educators and students on the procedures and good practices in using the Zoom and Microsoft Teams online platforms. 4. Moreover, to further assist classes of Grades 10 to 13, the Ministry has compiled on its website a list of useful links and apps that can be used by Educators and their students. These resources may be used to complement teaching and learning through digital media. 5. A helpdesk has been set up by email on moesupport@moemu.org to assist schools that may have further queries specifically on the technical aspects of using the platforms. Managers of Private Secondary Schools and Rectors of State Secondary Schools should retrieve contact details of students (Grade 10-13)/Responsible Parties and communicate same to their teaching staff. This will enable Educators to initiate communication with their students. To this effect, the Ministry will facilitate obtention of Work Access Permits to Heads of Schools for them to have access to their institutions. Heads of School should submit their details and those of two staff of their choice, as per pro-forma which has been sent to all schools, to enable them to have their Work Access Permits. Heads of Schools should follow up closely on the implementation of the above actions and ensure that their students are connecting with their Educators, with online classes being then held. The Ministry relies on the usual collaboration of one and all. 01 Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires President Donald Trump speaks while flanked by Dr. Anthony Fauci (L), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Vice President Mike Pence during the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Brady Briefing room at the White House in Washington on March 31, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) White House: Daily Pandemic Death Toll May Peak at Over 2,200 by Mid-April President Donald Trump and members of the White House task force on the CCP virus advised Americans to brace themselves for the worst days of the pandemic, citing a projection that the daily death toll may reach 2,214 by April 15 at the peak of the outbreak. Trump struck a somber note at the opening of the daily briefing on the pandemic at the White House on Tuesday, praising front-line healthcare workers and lamenting the great loss of life. Our country is in the midst of a great national trial, unlike any we have ever faced before, Trump said. Were all at war with a deadly virus. Success in this fight will require the full, absolute measure of our collective strength, love, and devotion. Dr. Deborah Birx cited projections that anywhere from 100,000 to 240,000 people may die from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus before the pandemic is defeated, even with mitigation measures in place. Dr. Anthony Fauci said that while there are some signs that mitigation measures are working, it will take time before the real impact of social distancing becomes apparent. A reduction in the number of confirmed cases will be the first sign of improvement, Fauci said. Meanwhile, the statistics on deaths, intensive care unit admissions, and hospitalizations will lag behind in time. So what were going to see and weve got to brace ourselves, in the next several days to a week or so, were going to continue to see things go up, Fauci said. We cannot be discouraged by that, because the mitigation is actually working and will work. An ambulance worker sprays disinfectant inside an ambulance outside The Brooklyn Hospital Center during the CCP virus outbreak in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 31, 2020. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters) A woman wears a mask as she crosses an empty street near the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles, California, on March 30, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) The White House released the latest projections days after extending federal social distancing guidelines through April 30. The president and the officials all called on Americans to do their part to defeat the virus. Its communities that will do this. Theres no magic bullet. Theres no magic vaccine or therapy. Its just behaviors. Each of our behaviors translating into something that will change the course of this pandemic over the next 30 days, Birx said. According to the model cited by Birx, had the United States not taken on social distancing measures, as many as 1.5 to 2.2 million people could have died from the disease. She said there is hope in the latest numbers from Italy, where confirmed case have begun to drop after the authorities imposed a nationwide lockdown. The rapid increase in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents in New York and New Jersey makes the two states outliers from the rest of the country, another model referenced by Birx shows. The White Houses strategy is now to focus all resources on helping the two states while making sure similar outbreaks dont happen in other places. The United States had more than 186,000 confirmed cases of CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, at the time of the briefing. A total of 3,712 people have died from COVID-19 nationwide. Eight villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur have been declared as red zones after it was found that 10 people from the district had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, officials said on Wednesday. They have been traced and sent to quarantine, officials said, adding that two of them have tested positive for COVID-19. "After some people tested positive, Megani area and its surrounding villages have been declared as red zones," District Magistrate of Udhampur, Piyush Singla said. The villages include Kotli Paie, Chopra Shop, Rehambal, Megiyot, Rakh Sansu, More Duggar, Padam and Jib, he said. "The entire area has been sealed and people have been asked not to make any movement," he said. Singla said nearly 100 health professionals have been sent to the area to trace those who may have come in contact with the ten people so that necessary action can be taken. Udhampur district has been completely sealed and all entry and exit points have been blocked as per the directions, he said, adding only vehicles of essential services and some vehicles of SRTC will be allowed on the highway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tammy Hembrow was said to be 'hooking up' with Tyga in January last year. And on Tuesday, the American rapper shared a video of the Australian fitness model dancing to his viral hit with Curtis Roach, Bored in the House, to his Instagram page. In the clip, the 25-year-old blonde dressed down in a white singlet top and grey sweatpants, as she showed off her dance moves inside her Gold Coast mansion. Friendly exes? Tammy Hembrow (pictured), 25, shook her famous derriere to rumoured ex Tyga's viral hit Bored in the House, while self-isolating at her mansion on the Gold Coast Tammy styled her long locks out, and her makeup included defined brows, false lashes and a natural colour on her plump pout. Lip-synching the repetitive lyrics 'bored in the house', the mother-of-two rode a children's rocking horse. She then shook her famous derriere before lying across the marble island bench in her kitchen. Letting loose: The mother-of-two dressed down in a white singlet top and grey sweatpants, and rode a children's rocking horse in her kitchen She's got rhythm: Tammy lip-synched the repetitive lyrics 'bored in the house' while showing off her dance moves Tyga, 30, simply captioned the post: 'Who else #boredinthehouse?' Early last year, sources told Daily Mail Australia that Tyga and Tammy had 'hooked up' in late January 2019 at the Rolling Loud festival in Sydney. 'They arrived together, were all over each other at the side of the stage and then left together,' an onlooker said at the time. Online hit: Tyga (pictured) collaborated with Curtis Roach on the coronavirus anthem, Bored in the House Former flame? Earlier last year, sources told Daily Mail Australia that Tyga and Tammy had 'hooked up' in late January 2019 at the Rolling Loud festival in Sydney. She later attended the rapper's concert in Brisbane with a friend (right) 'They were so into each other... Some people thought they were actually a couple.' Another source alleged that Tammy had been 'partying so hard she didn't seem to care what anyone thought'. Just 24 hours after being spotted together in Sydney, Tammy spent yet another night with the musician at his concert in Brisbane. However, Tammy's sister and spokeswoman, Amy Hembrow, later issued a statement to Daily Mail Australia claiming the pair weren't dating. Meanwhile, Tyga appeared to confirm their 'relationship' in a remix of Ambjaay's track, Uno ft. Lil Pump. Tyga described an encounter with a woman named Tammy in the parking lot of an In-N-Out Burger restaurant. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Health gets daily updates on the total number of beds and ventilators available for coronavirus patients at hospitals throughout the state. But so far the state hasnt provided any hospital-by-hospital breakdown, and the agencies that collect capacity information on their behalf have also declined to release their assessments. The result: Ohioans dont know how many beds and respirators are available where they live. Timely and meaningful knowledge could benefit Ohioans from a health perspective, while also helping them understand the range of public policy issues surrounding the crisis. The availability of resources to care for COVID-19 patients could mean life or death for thousands of Ohioans. Its what keeps me awake at night, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said of running out of beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment. Gov. Mike DeWine echoed that is what we really fear at the same daily statehouse news briefing March 25. DeWine has received national recognition for the aggressive actions hes taken to protect the state. Estimates from Ohio State University and the Cleveland Clinic project that Ohio may have 6,000-10,000 new cases day by late April. [A]t the projected peak, we need to go up 3x in our hospital capacity, DeWine tweeted on March 27. We have a long way to go. However, neither he nor the health department has stated where exactly the greatest needs. Nor has baseline information for different areas been made available. Looking for data At first, state health spokeswoman Melanie Amato told Eye on Ohio that the department gets only aggregate numbers for beds and equipment from the Ohio Hospital Association and that any detailed information would have to come from that organization. Association spokesman John Palmer declined to release the numbers. The state also tracks beds through Surgenet, administered by the Greater Dayton Area Health Information Network. Were not actually reporting any bed data or any of the specifics that were tracking with Surgenet publicly, said Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Hospital Association, calling the database an internal management tool. Its not a public tracking tool for public reporting, Hackenbracht said. And despite the data collection being done with federal and state funds, its a tool that we own and manage through the hospital association. So its not owned by the Ohio Department of Health or any other entity. In a state with nearly 45,000 square miles, local information could tell citizens more about Ohios readiness to deal with emergencies for all its residents. Availability of beds and respirators in Cincinnati, for example, would mean little if hot spots of emergencies were concentrated in Ashtabula, nearly 300 miles away. Efforts to get the data independently also met with roadblocks. Eye on Ohio contacted 30 hospitals in Northeast Ohio, asking for their bed and ventilator numbers, as well as any particular notes or requests from each hospital. Only two reported their bed numbers. Several hospitals noted that they share this information daily with health departments and recommended contacting the state for aggregate numbers. Marlene Harris-Taylor, health reporter for Ideastream.org, reported similar difficulties. Although she was able to obtain a system-wide ventilator count as of March 17, she noted, Summa Health System in Akron would not share the numbers with me, they just did not want to talk about it. Michael Bernstein of Summa said that giving out daily updates of capacity numbers to the public was unreasonable, even though those numbers are reported daily to the local and state health departments. "I think the overall feeling is that giving specific numbers will only cause confusion. That the numbers change drastically and quickly. If we give numbers at 3:00 those will change by 3:30 making reported information inaccurate, he said. "Hospitals are communicating and collaborating to get patients the best care possible and can direct resources accordingly, Bernstein said. Bed and ventilator numbers of an individual hospital should not direct the patients decision of where to receive care." Useful information Information about local hospitals beds and ventilator availability changes on a day-to-day basis, so Eye on Ohios goal is to provide local numbers in a way that could be updated daily, along with hospital requests. Local hospitals requests and notes could be really useful, said Rupali Limaye, an expert in public health communication at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. People are wanting to know what they can do to help. That might include requests for supplies, volunteers, or other things. She was less certain about how specific numbers for beds and ventilators would translate into action items from a public health perspective. Notoriously, as humans, were really terrible about estimating risk, Limaye said. She worried that plain numbers might create fear, or lead to complacency. However, when it comes to the coronavirus epidemic, many people already feel anxious, said Lise Van Susteren. Shes a general and forensic psychiatrist in the Washington D.C. area who has studied the impacts of generalized anxiety for another major social problem climate change. As she sees it, up-to-date information about local hospitals beds and equipment could help reduce some of that anxiety. One of the major components of anxiety is uncertainty, Van Susteren said. Specific information that someone can understand in the context of his or her situation can reduce that uncertainty. Thats true even if the news may not be something you want to hear. When you replace uncertainty with knowledge, there is an immense sense of relief, she explained. From a mental health perspective, someone can then better process feelings of anxiety, fear or other emotions. We can go from that uncertainty to unpacking the elements of the threat and unpacking them in terms of whats emotional, whats rational, whats hard data, Van Susteren said. And something else, then we can order in our minds where the work has to be done. Along those lines, specific knowledge helps reframe the social isolation and the feeling of impotence that many people might feel as a result of the epidemic. Instead of viewing public health measures as restrictions on personal liberties, information can help reframe that as an empowering action that we can all do collectively, Van Susteren added. This is where the light is: Its when were all working collectively in this. Informing public discussions The information also matters for advancing public understanding and discussion of policy issues, said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio. In her view, the need for localized information about hospital resources is akin to other situations in which members of the voting public need information. The goal really is for the information to be meaningful, Turcer said. Too often, information is disclosed in ways so you cant actually figure out what it means. She also says information must be timely to be useful. The COVID-19 epidemic isnt taking place in a political vacuum either, but in the midst of a presidential election. The thing is: Democracy doesnt stop just because theres a pandemic. We have an election thats going on, Turcer notes. And if we the people has meaning, that means we need information from government so that we can identify problems and possibly solutions." We are in a weird age of misinformation, and of people providing talking points that are not completely accurate. And we need to make sure that we have as much good information as possible, Turcer added. This story was produced in partnership with Eye on Ohio, the Ohio Center for Investigative Journalism. Eye on Ohio produces investigative journalism in partnership with news organizations throughout the state. Data for graphs in this article comes from the New York Times, based on reports from state and local health agencies. This specific information is available for republishing. By Paul Hosford, Padraig Hoare, and Noel Baker Health chiefs have warned against spreading hurtful misinformation online, as Ireland recorded the highest total of deaths in a day since the Covid-19 crisis began. Chief medical officer Tony Holohan warned the public against amplifying unverified stories, saying no nurses had died, despite claims on social media yesterday. Another 17 people with the disease four women and 13 men have died, it was announced in yesterdays daily update. Of the 17 deaths, eight were in the east, three in the south, three in the north-west and three in the west. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said the median age of the reported deaths was 84, and eight were reported as having underlying health conditions. It brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland to 71. There were also 325 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the confirmed total to 3,235. To date, 30,213 tests have been carried out in laboratories across the country. Dr Holohan said progress was being made towards flattening the curve in terms of the spread of the virus, with the growth rate having dropped from over 30% to 15%. We believe we are flattening the curve, but 15% growth is too much, we need to continue to work to try and flatten that growth further, he said, expressing condolences to each family affected. Dr Holohan and Colm Henry, the chief clinical officer, warned against posting unverified information. Dr Holohan said: We cant stand over the veracity of stories that we havent seen or had time to examine. All the data people need is on the HSE website that is the trusted source of information. Dr Henry added: Since the beginning of this, there has been a great deal of stories, the great majority of which are not true. I cant emphasise how hurtful these have been to families and to patients. Covid-19 has now claimed more than 40,000 lives worldwide, including 29,000 in Europe, latest figures suggest. Asked about closing Irelands sea and airports to foreign visitors, Dr Holohan said that such a move was unlikely, as it may have a negative impact the supply chain or on healthcare workers. He added, however, that his team would continue to discuss the matter. Regarding infections in long-term residential care, such as nursing homes and homecare settings, NPHET will work with the HSE to identify steps to strengthen support to staff and providers. Families wishing to attend funerals for their loved ones should restrict attendance to 10 people, irrespective of whether the death related to Covid-19 or not, latest Government guidelines said. Liz Canavan of the Department of An Taoiseach said social distancing should still be observed at such services. The Irish Association of Funeral Directors said it wanted to reassure families that a memorial service or celebration of their [loved ones] life can be arranged for a later date. It emerged yesterday that the bill due to the pandemic has already reached 6.7bn and will rise further, according to analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which provides independent information to the Oireachtas. Just under 500,000 people are now out of work and more will follow, the PBO estimated. An expected surplus of 2.5bn in public finances for 2020 will be wiped out and substantial additional borrowing will be needed, it said. Both testing of frontline healthcare staff and the process of speeding up their test results is now Government policy, the INMO said, after it emerged that some workers were missing vital shifts while awaiting results. A spokesperson said the INMO had been assured by the Government that it can now happen, although details have yet to be finalised. The president of the Garda Representative Association has called for a specific Garda policy to strictly oppose bail for any alleged offender charged in relation to weaponising Covid-19, including coughing, spitting, and threatening gardai with transmission of the disease. A 51-year-old construction worker was refused bail after allegedly threatening to infect gardai with Covid-19 and attempting to spit and bite them after an arrest in Dublin. In Limerick, a teenager appeared in the Childrens Court charged with assault following an incident where a shop assistant was coughed upon. [snippet1]987277[/snippet1] The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are among seven countries in Asia that will receive medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation, both based in China, for fighting COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has infected dozens in both countries. The two influential Chinese charities announced Sunday that Azerbaijan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam will receive essential medical supplies. Caspian News reports in its article Chinese Companies Donate Supplies To Caspian Region To Fight COVID-19 that the first batch of supplies already reached Delhi on Saturday, while the remaining six nations will receive deliveries this week. We are one with the global community in the intense battle to protect all families against Covid-19, officials from the Jack Ma Foundation said, according to Business Wire. Established by the Chinese tycoon Jack Ma in 2014, the foundation is focuses its philanthropic initiatives in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, womens leadership and environmental issues. We are committed to doing everything we can to make a difference, most importantly by sourcing these supplies and overcoming logistical challenges to get the medical supplies to where they are needed as fast as we can. The seven countries will collectively receive a total of 1.7 million face masks, 165,000 test kits, protective clothing and medical equipment, including ventilators and forehead thermometers. The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have thus far donated essential medical supplies to 23 Asian countries, including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, totaling 7.4 million masks, 485,000 test kits, 100,000 sets of protective clothing and other necessary medical equipment. The donations are part of larger aid initiatives from the two foundations to help dozens of countries across Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe, and Africa ramp up their fight for containing the deadly virus, which has killed tens of thousands of people worldwide. The Jack Ma Alibaba foundations donations to Azerbaijan come on the heels of World Health Organization support to Azerbaijan, which earlier this received laboratory testing kits and personal protective equipment. Azerbaijan has thus far had five deaths from the virus and 298 cases of infection have been recorded, following more than 25,000 virus tests, according to reports issued by the Operative Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers. However, considering the situation across the world, particularly in Italy, Spain, China, South Korea and the United States all hard-hit nations the government in Baku is taking all precautionary measures to make sure the virus does not spread, including restrictions on entry to and exit from the city. Travel throughout the South Caucasus country is restricted, and cafes, restaurants, parks, museums, schools and universities where people may gather en masse have been closed. People have been instructed to stay home, and gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited. President Ilham Aliyev has authorized $591 million to be spent for fighting the spread of the virus and mitigate its impacts on the economy. Aliyev has authorized the creation of the Azerbaijans Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus, which has so far received around $61 million in donations from dozens of local companies and individuals. Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, had given $1.7 million to help Azerbaijan strengthen its resistance to the coronavirus by preparing laboratory systems, activating case-finding and event-based surveillance, supporting technical experts for response and preparedness, and bolstering risk communication. As of March 31, COVID-19 has infected over 801,000 worldwide and killed more than 38,700. Recoveries stood at nearly 173,000. Italy is the worst-hit country, with an overall death toll of 11,591, while the U.S. leads in the number of confirmed infection cases, with roughly 164,000 cases. 01.04.2020 LISTEN A University of Birmingham expert has won a share of a 400 million fund to support her research into the rise of Africas anti-slavery movement Dr. Benedetta Rossi is one of two researchers at the University to be awarded ERC Advanced Grants as part of the latest 450 million funding for Europes long-term frontier research. A Reader in African History and Anthropology, Dr. Rossi secured a grant to explore African Abolitionism: The Rise and Transformations of Anti-Slavery in Africa. She said: "I am grateful to the ERC for this great opportunity to expand our understanding of African and global abolitionism by developing new research with a team of researchers in Africa, Europe, and the UK. The AFRAB Project is the first large-scale comparative research project on African abolitionists - tracing the historical developments of anti-slavery ideas and actions across African societies, networks and actors. Its results will contribute not only to African historiography, but also to the study of abolitionism as a global phenomenon." Her colleague in the Universitys College of Arts and Law Dr Adam Schembri also won a grant to support his research into the dynamics of sign language grammar: Morphology, language change, iconicity and social structure in signing communities. Dr. Schembri, a Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Linguistics, said: This new project aims to better understand similarities and differences in the grammar of sign languages around the world, and how they are shaped by language-internal and language-external factors. Im extremely excited about the opportunity this funding will provide: how it will enable us to build a team of deaf and hearing researchers working on sign language linguistics research here at the University of Birmingham, and what the project will teach us about the emergence and evolution of sign languages in particular, and human language in general. The College of Arts and Law academics are among 185 winners of the annual ERC Advanced Grants competition. This funding is part of the EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020. The new grantees will carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 20 EU Member States and associated countries with Germany (35), UK (34) and France (21) hosting most grants. The President of the European Research Council, Professor Mauro Ferrari, commented: I am glad to announce a new round of ERC grants that will back cutting-edge, exploratory research, set to help Europe and the world to be better equipped for what the future may hold. Thats the role of blue sky research. Set up by the European Union in 2007, the European Research Council is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based in Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate today announced its Brunswick office location is the recipient of the prestigious Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Round Table Award for residential units in 2019 for the US South Region. In addition, the Brunswick office location was recognized for outstanding 4th quarter performance, placing first in the number of residential units sold in the region. The Round Table Award honors the top three network member offices from each U.S. region, ranked among offices of similar size. Hodnett Cooper Real Estate was recognized during a special ceremony at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices annual Sales Convention in Nashville earlier this month, where Missy Neu, Vice President of Development, accepted the award for the Brunswick office location. We are thrilled to have earned our spot as one of the top-producing network offices within our region. Our team works hard and are so committed to their clients. The credit for this achievement belongs to those dedicated agents in our Brunswick office location, shared Pat Hodnett Cooper, owner and broker. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate, which is independently owned and operated, became a member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brokerage network, operated by HSF Affiliates LLC, in 2017. Since that time, the company and several of its Realtors have earned a host of honors and awards. About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate Hodnett Cooper Real Estate is a family-owned and operated company with four offices throughout the Golden Isles offering a full range of real estate services including real estate sales, residential rentals, property management and commercial sales. The brokerage is the premier real estate company in southeast coastal Georgia with a professional and diverse team of agents. Visit http://www.BHHSHodnettCooper.com. About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Irvine, CA, is a brand-new real estate brokerage network built for a new era in residential real estate. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity. About HSF Affiliates LLC Irvine, CA-based HSF Affiliates LLC operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. The company is a joint venture of which HomeServices of America, Inc., the nations second-largest, full-service residential brokerage firm, is a majority owner. HomeServices of America is an affiliate of world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Contact: Catherine Maybank (912) 638-5450 catherine@hcrega.com Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 31, 2020 | ULLIN By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 31, 2020 | 03:32 PM | ULLIN Shawnee Community College has donated protective gear to local health care facilities throughout the district to help provide for worker safety due to COVID-19 caused shortage. According to a press release from the college, Interim-President Dr. Kathleen Curphy asked faculty if PPE supplies were available to donate to local medical facilities. Faculty members Lori Armstrong and Tony Gerard began gathering items that had been previously purchased for use in Science Lab classes at the college. "We were so pleased to know we were able to contribute to our community. I was delighted when the faculty informed me that we had located supplies to donate. I continue to be overwhelmed by the generous nature of our employees. These folks truly prove their love for our community. I couldn't be more proud of their efforts during this crisis." Curfy said. Items collected for donation included masks, gloves, and isolation gowns. "We gathered every available item we could find on campus to share. When the time comes for our in-person classes to resume, we know we will be able to replenish the supplies we donated, and today was a time to give to those who are helping us all through this crisis," Armstrong said. "We wanted to help ensure healthcare workers were able to continue safely treating patients in our region and do our part to serve," Gerard said. Armstrong and Gerard spent the afternoon delivering items to facilities in the region where a need had been expressed. For more information contact 618-634-3200, or visit shawneecc.edu. President Donald Trump recently signed the biggest relief package in American history, worth $2 trillion, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Cares Act (coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security) was passed by the House of Representatives on Monday after much debate between Democrats and Republicans. The cross-party bill was created in order to help bring relief to those who are struggling financially because of the outbreak. Employment is rising rapidly in the US to record levels and California governor Gavin Newsom revealed last week that more than a million residents applied for unemployment in the state, in the space of two weeks. Mr Trump thanked both Republicans and Democrats for making the bill happen, and said the stimulus package was a priority for many Americans. This will deliver urgently needed relief to our nations families, workers and businesses, he said. Now that the bill has been made law, everything you need to know about the stimulus package is below: How much will you get? The stimulus package is intended to provide $1200 to every American who earns under $75,000 per year, as well as $500 to every family for every child under the age of 16. Married couples who collectively earn below $150,000 wil receive $2400. The payments will be sent out to businesses in order for them to provide relief to their workers and to individuals in order to help them cope during the outbreak. Money is being used from the bill to increase the capabilities for benefits programmes, and it allows freelancers and part-time workers to apply. This payment will be a one-off and will be calculated by looking at your 2019 tax return, or 2018 if you have not yet filed a 2019 return. When will Americans get them? Most will receive their payment by 17 April, according to the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. A majority of Americans do not need to do anything to receive it, but the IRS website says: some seniors and others who typically do not file returns will need to submit a simple tax return to receive the stimulus payment. People who need to file a tax return are likely to get their money later than the rest, but no date has been set as of yet. The IRS will set up a website soon where citizens can input their banking information in order to get the money electronically instead of through a cheque in the post. What if you dont want it? If you dont want the payment you will still receive it, unless you do not meet the financial requirements. A majority of Americans do not need to do anything in order to receive the payments, as the money will be sent out automatically. What if youre not a citizen? If you are working in the US on a green card or visa you will be eligible for the payments if you have a social security number. Those who are not residents or do not have a social security number will not be eligible. US citizens working or living abroad will receive the payment if they meet the financial requirements. Who is eligible? The package has brought increased funds for benefits programmes, but the amount will vary in each state. If you are self-employed, freelance or work part-time and are now unable to work, then you are eligible to apply for benefits. If you are living abroad you will be eligible for the payment, as long as you have a social security number and meet the financial requirements. You are also eligible if you do not normally pay taxes, but you will be required to submit a tax return in order to get the payment. Who is not eligible? If you are able to work from home then you are not eligible for payments. If you do not have a social security number, you are not eligible for payments. If you do not meet the financial requirements or have chosen to leave your job, then you will not be eligible. WASHINGTON H.O.R.S.E. of Connecticut, has canceled its Spring Horse Parade, 1-3 p.m. April 11. Tours of the farm will be held by appointment only. H.O.R.S.E. of Connecticut is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization funded only by charitable contributions. All funds raised go directly to the horses; from feed and blankets to farrier, dental and veterinary expenses. If youre looking for a lifetime partner, what better way to show your love than to support to a local equine rescue! H.O.R.S.E. is located at 43 Wilbur Road, in Washington, Connecticut. For questions or more information, go to www.horseofct.org, call 860-868-1960 or email hor-sectinfo@gmail.com. The Spring Horse Parade is an opportunity for those interested in adopting, leasing, sponsoring or volunteering, to meet the farms many horses, age 6 to 29, from mini to draft, with many available for the advanced-beginner to experienced rider. A leasing program is for people over 18 who ride regularly and want to find out what is involved in caring for a horse, while adoption is for the experienced horse owner looking for a lifetime companion. Sponsoring is an introductory option for those that would simply like to groom and hand walk a horse. Half Pint is a 19 year old, 143 hand, Arabian-Appaloosa gelding that loves to ride for miles on the trails. He goes solo, is traffic safe and loves the water. Half Pint is suitable for an intermedi-ate rider and will be shown under saddle. He available for sponsor, lease and adoption. Gus is a 9 year old, 161 hand, registered Thoroughbred gelding that loves working the trails and will go for miles. He is traffic safe, happy to lead, follow or go solo, and loves water. Gus is available for lease, sponsor or adoption, and requires an intermediate rider under 150 pounds. Guests can meet volunteers and learn the many ways to help. From grooming and cleaning stalls to helping at fundraisers, many volunteers have learned so much from their four legged friends. Those interested in a career in the equine industry can gain valuable hands-on experience working with the many rescues. Details added (first version posted on 14:25) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 31 Trend: The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh has disseminated an appeal in connection with the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis, Trend reports referring to the community on March 31. "The ethnic cleansing, genocide and predatory policy, purposefully carried out by Armenian nationalists against the Azerbaijani people for the past 200 years, are the difficult stages of Azerbaijani history full of tragedies and bloody events, the appeal said. The main goal of this chauvinist policy was the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands and the creation of "great Armenia" fabricated by the Armenians on Azerbaijani territories, the appeal said. At the beginning of the 20th century, Armenian nationalists expanded their activity to implement the idea of great Armenia, put forward in the program of the 'Dashnaktsutyun' party, having begun ethnic cleansing and the policy of genocide, systematically expelling Azerbaijanis living in their historical lands, the appeal said. So, Armenians committed massacres against Azerbaijani civilians in Baku, Ganja, Karabakh, Irevan, Nakhchivan, Ordubad, Sharur-Daralyaz, Zangezur, Gazakh and other areas in 1905-1906, people were brutally killed, the cities and villages were burned and destroyed. After the February and October events which occurred in Russia in 1917, the Dashnaktsutyun party and the Armenian National Congress began to expand their activity. In December 1917, Stepan Shaumyan, appointed temporary emergency commissioner for the Caucasus affairs, became the organizer and leader of the mass extermination of Azerbaijanis. At the beginning of 1918, i.e., on the eve of the March bloodshed, there were about 20,000 Armenian armed people directly obeying to Shaumyan. The Bolshevik-Armenian formations opened volley fire on Baku from ships on March 30, 1918. Afterwards, while attacking the houses of Azerbaijanis, the armed Dashnaks were brutally killing them. On March 31 and in the first days of April, thousands of peaceful Azerbaijanis were exterminated only because of their nationality. During those days, Bolshevik-Armenian formations killed 12,000 Azerbaijani civilians in Baku. During these bloody events, people were burned alive in their houses, as well as brutally killed and tortured. M edical students today spoke of a baptism of fire as they were fast-tracked onto the front line of the London battle against coronavirus. More than 300 final-year students at UCL formally graduated today though the official ceremony will be delayed until later this year in response to a government request to help tackle the pandemic, which is peaking in the capital. It came as new concerns emerged about the accuracy of NHS data on the number of Covid-19 deaths. The Whittington hospital, in Archway, has yet to feature in NHS Englands daily statistics but has recorded 20 patient deaths, it confirmed today. The official death toll in the capitals hospitals increased by 122 to 590 yesterday. The 20 Whittington deaths would take the London total to 610 though Mayor Sadiq Khan told ITV London he was aware of more than 700 deaths. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images Medical students are able, under emergency coronavirus measures, to apply to the General Medical Council for a provisional registration on the medical register, enabling them to become FIY1 (Foundation Interim Year 1) doctors. At least 200 UCL students are already volunteering in the NHS and many are expected to go on to trainee posts. Robert Jenrick says he hopes for 25,000 coronavirus tests to be carried out per day by mid-April Normally they would have months of intensive clinical training and apprenticeship-style work placements before starting work in the NHS in August. UCL graduate Megan Hollands is currently volunteering at the Royal Free hospital, in Hampstead, and intends to become a FIY1 doctor through the Covid-19 scheme. She said: Volunteering during this crisis just felt like the right thing to do...before starting, I felt nervous that I wouldnt be of much help. Luckily, Ive had a fantastic team who explained that this is a very different way of practising medicine and I would learn quickly. She added: Ive definitely found some situations scary and sad I think this experience will make us all better doctors. Its a baptism of fire, but Ive never been prouder to be a part of the NHS. OIiver Ingham Clark, also volunteering at the Royal Free, has already worked six 12-hour shifts and said: It has been great to feel like a useful member of the team. Roshni Goodka, another graduate, is volunteering at her local GP surgery in Hatch End, helping vulnerable patients. She has not decided whether she will apply to join the Covid-19 recruitment or continue volunteering. Professor Deborah Gill, director of UCL Medical School, said the students have answered the call for action and added: We could not be any prouder. [The stream is slated to start at 5 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Members of President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force are expected to hold a press briefing Wednesday to address the growing pandemic in the United States. White House officials are currently projecting between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the U.S. with coronavirus fatalities peaking over the next two weeks. On Friday, Trump signed a $2 trillion economic stimulus package to aid in the response to the coronavirus. The package offers relief to individuals, businesses and health facilities. It includes direct payments to individuals, stronger unemployment insurance, loans and grants to businesses and more health-care resources for hospitals, states and municipalities. Since then, House Democrats have begun outlining another relief package to combat unemployment and aid a healthcare system overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. While Republicans have not expressed enthusiasm for a so-called "4th phase" bill, Trump said on Tuesday that he wants to restart talks on a massive infrastructure package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday signaled that she would be on board with an infrastructure deal and will push that plan after the chamber's April 20 return. "I think we come back April 20, God willing and coronavirus willing, but shortly thereafter we should be able to move forward," she said. Trump initially downplayed the outbreak's impact but has since changed his tune. On Sunday, Trump extended federal social distancing guidelines to April 30, after suggesting at least parts of the country could be reopened by Easter. Trump said his administration was extending the guidelines to reduce a U.S. death toll that could rise into the millions if drastic measures aren't taken. Task force members include Vice President Mike Pence; Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services; Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, among others. The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to dozens of countries, with more than 911,300 confirmed cases worldwide and at least 45,400 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There are at least 200,000 cases in the United States and at least 4,400 deaths, according to the latest tallies. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. (@ChaudhryMAli88) As many as 320,615 workers at enterprises with more than 20 employees are discussing cuts with their employers, the Finnish Economy and Employment Ministry said on Wednesday HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2020) As many as 320,615 workers at enterprises with more than 20 employees are discussing cuts with their employers, the Finnish Economy and Employment Ministry said on Wednesday. "According to updated data, on Wednesday, 320,615 Finnish workers are negotiating their reductions due to the situation with the coronavirus," the ministry said in a statement. The number of such workers has increased by about 20,000 compared to Tuesday and does not include those with whom the reduction agreement was reached. According to the ministry, more than 17,000 Finns have already lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-thirds of Finnish companies intend to send their workers on unpaid leave or dismiss them, a survey carried out by the Finnish Chamber of Commerce, showed. More than 40 percent of Finnish companies have already issued warnings about annual leave or are preparing for talks on reductions. On March 20, the government of Finland announced it was preparing a package of measures totaling 15 billion Euros ($16.1 billion) to support the national economy hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. To date, the number of coronavirus infected people in Finland stands at 1,384 with 17 fatalities. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Amazon sent correspondence to all of its workers at the Bloomfield-based fulfillment center Tuesday night stating there are three more confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) at JFK8, the Advance has learned. Last week, the facility announced there was one confirmed case. However, sources told the Advance last week there were multiple cases of the virus at the facility. We wanted to let you know we have three additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 at JFK8 as there continues to be an increase of confirmed cases in the New York region. Due to privacy laws, we cannot disclose the names of the individuals, but the last day on site was 3/24/20, said the e-mail to Amazon employees that was obtained by The Advance/SILive. We continue to follow the CDCs guidance and will inform any co-workers who may have been in close contact with the affected individuals. If someone is found to be in close contact, we will proactively reach out to them individually to advise them of their possible exposure to COVID-19, the e-mail stated. Rachael Lighty, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company is supporting the individuals who are recovering." "We are following all guidelines from local health officials and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site, she said. The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. With guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and local health authorities, weve implemented a series of preventative measures to help keep our employees, partners, and customers safe, added Lighty. She said that Amazon is tripling down on deep cleaning and sanitation, procuring safety supplies that are available, and changing processes to ensure those in our buildings are keeping safe distances. Amazon also recently implemented daily temperature screenings at the Staten Island facility, she said. RECENT PROTEST The e-mail comes on the heels of a protest on Monday at JFK8, which has 5,000 workers. The facility is Staten Islands largest employer. About 50 people protested what they deem unsafe working conditions amid the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon previously said only 15 of the 50 protesters are workers at the facility. The rallys organizer, Chris Smalls, an employee at the facility, said he was fired Monday evening after the walkout. "I am outraged and disappointed, but Im not shocked. As usual, Amazon would rather sweep a problem under the rug than act to keep workers and working communities safe. Today, I stood with my co-workers because conditions at JFK8 are legitimately dangerous for workers and the public. Amazon thinks this might shut me up, but Im going to keep speaking up, Smalls said. However, Amazon said in a statement that Smalls was released from his duties because he violated social distancing guidelines. Mr. Smalls received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines and putting the safety of others at risk. He was also found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14-days, which is a measure were taking at sites around the world. Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite on March 30, further putting the teams at risk. This is unacceptable and we have terminated his employment as a result of these multiple safety issues.," said Amazon in a statement. Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered the citys Commission on Human Rights to investigate Amazons firing of Smalls. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: RELATED COVERAGE Amazon workers protest working conditions amid coronavirus outbreak Staten Island Amazon worker who planned protest amid coronavirus is fired Amazon workers plan walkout at Staten Island facility Monday due to coronavirus S.I. Amazon worker with coronavirus quarantined: What protocols are in place? Coronavirus: Macys to furlough almost 125,000 employees Lawmakers urged to pass bill canceling rent for 90 days These companies are hiring in wake of coronavirus Coronavirus and the workplace: How Staten Islands largest employers are coping Cuomo: New York pause extended until at least April 15 Coronavirus: NY officially on pause; all non-essential businesses shuttered Coronavirus: Temporary hospital sites chosen; none on Staten Island Turning 50 in wake of coronavirus: A surprise drive-by bash Coronavirus: DMV shuts down all offices, auto bureaus Relief for homeowners: 90-day mortgage extension and more Rapidly shifting real estate market: Canceled open houses, virtual tours Coronavirus: Senate passes paid-leave bill for all New Yorkers Staten Island sees 120% jump in confirmed coronavirus cases, with 165, as testing capacity expands Small business owner: Coronavirus is going to crush us Governor: 75% of non-essential employees must work at home Coronavirus: NYC travel industry in triage mode FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER One among 72 people from Gujarat who had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and tested positive for coronavirus has died while 71 others have been placed under quarantine. "Seventy-two people from Gujarat, including 34 from Ahmedabad, 20 from Bhavnagar and 12 from Mehsana, attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. One attendee from Bhavnagar, who tested positive, is no more while 71 others are asymptomatic and in quarantine," DGP Shivanand Jha said in a press conference here. People from several other states who attended the gathering have also been placed under quarantine in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Tablighi Jamaat event has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering. There have been deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana of people who attended the gathering. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said earlier today that there are 1637 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 1,466 active cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne arrested for holding church service, defying safer-at-home order Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, leader of Revival International Ministries and The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, was arrested Monday for what officials say was the violation of a "safer-at-home" order, which prohibits large worship services during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said that when he saw images from a crowded Sunday service at the church posted online, he was furious. We received an anonymous tip that Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne refused a request to temporarily stop holding large gatherings at his church, he said. And instead, he was encouraging his large congregation to meet at his church. Hillsborough County issued a "safer-at-home" order effective March 27, 10 News reported. The order mandates non-essential businesses to abide by the CDCs social distancing guidelines that requires individuals to be separated by six feet of space. If they are unable to do that they have to shut down. Howard-Browne argued that that his church is an essential business, and that the order violates his First Amendment rights. Worshipers at Howard-Brownes church on Sunday who were recorded on video did not obey the guidelines. Chronister noted that Howard-Brownes church has the technological resources to simply resort to online worship temporarily and abide by the order but the church instead chose to endanger congregants. The River Tampa Bay Church has an advantage over most places of worship, said Chronister, as they have access to technology allowing them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast television for more than their 4,000 members to watch from the safety from their own homes. Instead, they encouraged people to come and gather at the church, even provided bus transportation for the services." The pastors arrest order shows that he was charged with unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules, which are both second-degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a maximum fine of $500, the Orlando Weekly noted. "Our goal is not to stop people from worshiping," Chronister said at a press conference, "but the safety and well-being of our community must always come first. "Its a shame that someone has taken advantage of this. For whatever reason, I just dont understand it. The only reason I can see is its a reckless reason to put your parishioners in jeopardy." Chronister told 10 News that he hopes church members realize how serious officials are after this arrest. I believe theres nothing more important than faith in a time like this. And as a sheriffs office we would never impede someones ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort, Chronister said. But practicing those beliefs has to be done safely. Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family, said in a release to The Christian Post Monday that it has agreed to represent Howard-Browne in the case against the county. As the arrest was unfolding, the Hernando County Sheriff Chad Chronister held a press conference announcing the arrest. During the press conference, State Attorney Andrew Warren quoted the Bible in Mark 12:31 (There is no more important commandment than to love thy neighbor as thyself). Sherriff Chronister also invited Bishop Thomas Scott to speak, who engaged in a theological lecture about what the Bible says on this issue while disagreeing with Pastor Howard-Browne. Scott is currently running for Hillsborough County Commissioner, Liberty Counsel said. The religious liberty group said that while Hillsborough County issued an administrative order restricting all public or private gatherings, including community, civic, public leisure, faith-based events, sporting events, concerts, and any similar events that bring together more than 10 people in a single room, single space, or any venue, at the same time on March 20, that order exempted, among other things, shelters. The order does not modify the word shelters, which is an exceptionally broad word. When the Safer-at-Home administrative order was issued last Friday, the group said it highlighted 42 paragraphs of exceptions, including religious personnel. In addition, the order also exempts: Businesses which are not described in paragraph 3, and are able to maintain the required physical distancing (6 feet) may operate. Liberty Counsel claims during the church meeting on Sunday, Howard-Browne, among other things: enforced the six-foot distance between family groups in the auditorium as well as the overflow rooms; all the staff wore gloves; every person who entered the church received hand sanitizer; and in the farmers market and coffee shop in the lobby, the six-foot distance was enforced. It was also noted that the church spent $100,000 on a hospital grade purification system set up throughout the church that provides continuous infectious microbial reduction that is rated to kill microbes, including those in the coronavirus family. The Hillsborough County administrative order has so many exceptions it looks like swiss cheese. The order allows a wide range of commercial operations that are either specifically exempt or exempt if they can comply with a six-foot separation. Yet, if the purpose of your meeting is religious, the county prohibits it with no exception for the six-foot separation, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said. The problem with this administrative order is it was not reviewed by constitutional experts or vetted by a deliberative body. Neither the Constitution nor Florida law protecting churches and the free exercise of religion disappear. This order from Hillsborough County is not narrowly tailored to achieve its underlying objective. By Kim Rahn The general election is less than two weeks away. But many voters have not yet decided on their preferred candidates or parties in fact, many are still confused as to which candidate belongs to which party, and even what kind of political views the parties hold. Such confusion has mainly come from the new electoral system that was introduced following the passage of the relevant revision bill last December following an agreement among the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and four minor parties. The new system is aimed at giving minor parties, which usually do not take a large number of seats in constituencies, a better chance to win proportional representation seats. The move was made in an effort to diversify the National Assembly which has been dominated by the two main parties, which take ruling and opposition positions in turn. At the time of passage, the-then main opposition Liberty Korea Party now a part of the current main opposition United Future Party (UFP) opposed it, apparently because the change would reduce its chance of winning as many proportional representation seats as before. The ruling DPK was also in the same situation, but it pushed ahead with the passage together with the four minor parties because it needed their cooperation to pass a judiciary reform bill it had desperately wanted to introduce. Then there emerged a possibility that the big ruling and main opposition parties could set up "satellite parties" which would have only proportional representation candidates and merge with the "parent parties" after the election. One of politics professors who proposed the new system to the political circle said in a recent interview that another professor had raised the possibility of the creation of satellite parties during discussions, and that he and the other professors thought "what a rich imagination!" This "imagination," however, has become a reality. The UFP was the first to create its satellite party, named the Future Korea Party, in February. Some UFP members moved to the satellite party. The DPK vehemently criticized the main opposition party, saying it damaged the purpose of the new electoral system and ruined politics. Soon, however, the DPK began to think about following suit, because it was likely to lose its majority in the Assembly if the UFP and its satellite party's dirty trick worked. After collecting opinions from party members, the DPK decided to join a liberal coalition of civic groups and several minor parties to create a separate party. It was a detour to avoid criticism for "directly creating a satellite party," but the new party, named the Civil Together, was still a de facto paper party of the DPK, because the civic groups were pro-Moon Jae-in. The DPK's flip-flopping resulted in fierce criticism from the minor parties which had partnered with it to pass the electoral reform bills. The DPK said it was an inevitable choice as it had to respond to the main opposition's "foul play." The only way to judge those big parties using foul play may be voters not casting their ballots for them, to show that such trickery won't work. However, the saddest part is that it does appear to work: a survey by Realmeter released March 30 showed the Civil Together gained a 29.8 percent approval rating, and the Future Korea Party, 27.4 percent. "Real" minor parties earned between 1.2 percent and 5.9 percent each. Analyses show the Civil Together and the Future Korea Party are expected to take 39 of the total 47 proportional representation seats. The minor progressive Justice Party, which had spearheaded the passage of the electoral reform bill, kept refusing the DPK's persuasion to jointly form a satellite party standing firm on its principle that it wouldn't use a dirty trick to counter another dirty trick. That sense of justice is praiseworthy. However, it has not led to high support; rather, the Justice Party is losing more ground because liberal voters, who used to pick it for proportional representation, are leaning toward the Civil Together. Justice Party leader Sim Sang-jeung said last week, "People say the Justice Party is the biggest victim of the new electoral system. But I think the biggest victim of the two big parties' foul play is the people." The already tattered "new" system is likely to undergo revision before the next general election, as a need for this has already been raised. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, who is the DPK's campaign committee co-head, said last week the Assembly will have to improve the relevant law, admitting the satellite party creations have damaged the purpose of the system. How it will be changed is unknown yet. But one thing for sure is that it will be changed to benefit the big parties not the people. According to the president, 30 criminal cases were opened against perpetrators who profit from the pandemic Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky Open source President Zelensky urged the Ukrainians not to believe in panic publications on the internet and advertisements about non-existent medicines from the coronavirus as 112 Ukraine TV channel reported. Today, over 20,000 police officers and employees of the National Guard are involved in the events on counteraction the coronavirus. Among other things, they fight against false information about the virus, online fraud and the spread of medical supplies of dubious origin. During this time, over 100 misinformers were found, the number of online links used in criminal purposes was blocked, as well as, the bank accounts of online fraudsters were blocked. Due to these facts, 30 criminal proceedings were opened, the president noted. Besides, Zelensky urged all citizens to be vigilant, use only official sources of information, do not believe in the panic publication and advertisements about strange medicines, which save from all diseases. As we reported that the number of people infected with coronavirus increased up to 669 in Ukraine. Moreover, the number of people died from coronavirus increased up to 17; another 10 patients recovered. The Bauchi State government has announced a total shut down of the state as part of its effort to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus, an official statement said. The state recorded its third index case on Tuesday when an unnamed 55 years old man tested positive to the COVID-19 virus. Health officials in Bauchi said 70 persons have had their blood samples tested for COVID-19 at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control; and three, including the state governor, Bala Mohammed, turned out positive. The second and third cases were amongst those who had primary contact with the state governor. The state health officials said they are incapable of taking the blood samples of newly traced contacts, due to lack of laboratory containers for transporting their samples. On Tuesday, Governor Mohammed, had, from his isolation, approved a 14-day lockdown of Bauchi state. The secretary to the state government, Muhammed Baba, in a statement signed by him said the lockdown will take effect by 6 pm on Thursday, 2 April 2020. READ ALSO: Consequently, he said all borders to Bauchi state will remain closed. The SSG said in order to ease the difficulties residents would likely face during the lockdown, the governor has also approved that movements would be allowed between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturdays and Wednesdays to enable them to buy food and other domestic needs. He said the ban does not affect those on essential duties. The governor appeals to the public to appreciate that these measures are aimed at curtailing the spread of coronavirus outbreak that is threatening the society, the SSG said. 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. ALBANY On March 27, New York state expanded its list of businesses not considered essential and therefore required to cease operation during the coronavirus pandemic. It included all construction projects that did not involve fixing essential infrastructure. But work is continuing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's project to build 350 miles of new bike and hiking trails to create the Empire State Trail. The $200 million project, scheduled to be completed at the end of the year, will add new trails to connect with existing ones that would stretch east to west from Albany to Buffalo and north to south from the Canadian border to New York City. The state said it has made an exception during the pandemic for parks maintenance - and it considers the Empire State Trail part of that exception. Workers from A. Callarusso and Son based in Hudson are continuing to do work this week on a portion of the trail just south of Stottville in Columbia County. The section is called the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail. On Wednesday, at least three people were working at a site, with another person operating heavy equipment. The state said there are 25 projects currently ongoing on the trail. In the updated March 27 pandemic rules issued by Empire State Development, construction considered essential by the state only includes work on "roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals or health care facilities, affordable housing, and homeless shelters." ESD's guidelines do not mention parks. "All non-essential construction must shut down except emergency construction, (e.g. a project necessary to protect health and safety of the occupants, or to continue a project if it would be unsafe to allow to remain undone until it is safe to shut the site)," the guidance stated. The construction restrictions were added after the state had already shut down restaurants, bars, fitness centers, sporting events, worship centers and movie theaters on March 15. State parks spokesman Dan Keefe said park infrastructure projects, which includes the Empire State Trail, are classified as essential. A call to a project foreman at A. Callarusso to ask about the safety of its workers was not immediately returned Wednesday. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "The nature of the work outdoor construction conducted by small teams of personnel allows contractors to implement safety protocols to maintain distancing between workers. The public is prohibited from entering trail construction areas," Keefe wrote in a statement. The agency is also undertaking a dam valve replacement project at Grafton Lakes State Park, a sewer main replacement project in the Moreau Lake State Park's day-use area, and the rehabilitation of summer camps at Harriman State Park. Keefe wrote that the trail in Columbia County has been under construction since May 2019 and should be completed by November. "Because of its 17-mile length, it would be impossible to fence or keep the public off the corridor. Abruptly stopping construction of a partially completed trail, leaving unattended worksites, would create public safety issues," he wrote. Greg Marken to assume position as Interim President and CEO on July 1, 2020 HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. (ADES) (the "Company" or "ADES") today announced that L. Heath Sampson notified the Board of Directors of ADES that he plans to resign as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective June 30, 2020 to pursue other interests. Greg Marken, the Companys current Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary, has been appointed to take over as Interim President and CEO on July 1, 2020, upon successful completion of an orderly transition process. L. Spencer Wells, Chairman of the Board said, On behalf of everyone on the Board, I'd like to thank Heath for his leadership and service to our company, employees and shareholders. Heath led ADES through a very difficult turnaround, helped us leverage the cash generation power of our Refined Coal (RC) assets, and reset our long-term vision on the activated carbon and specialty chemicals opportunity. Most importantly, Heath built a strong management team who is ready to execute against our strategy. L. Heath Sampson, President and CEO of ADES, commented, It has been a privilege to lead ADES for the last five years. I am extremely proud of our employees and what we have accomplished in turning this Company around and resetting its vision. We navigated a number of regulatory and industry headwinds to maximize our RC cash flows, while acquiring the premier activated carbon asset in the industry, which has pivoted the Companys long-term strategic direction. Throughout that time, I worked closely with Greg, and there is no one with a more intimate knowledge of the Company, its strategy and its customers. Over the next few months I will continue to focus on our strategic priorities, including securing additional tax equity partners for our RC segment, diversifying our emissions control product portfolio away from coal-based solutions, executing against our capital allocation and shareholder return initiatives, and ensuring an orderly transition to Greg." Story continues Greg Marken concluded, The opportunity to work with and lead a team whom I already know well and greatly respect is an exciting one which I am honored to accept. I would like to thank Heath for the guidance and mentoring he has provided over the past five years, and I am excited to build on the progress this Company has achieved under his leadership. Looking ahead, our strategy remains unchanged and we continue to expect future net RC cash flows to ADES as of December 31, 2019, of between $150 million and $175 million through year-end 2021. We will remain intently focused on nurturing and optimizing our RC cash flows as well as leveraging our Red River plant to capture the low-cost characteristics of the asset. Additionally, we will seek to maximize shareholder value while navigating today's dynamic market environment. Greg Marken Background Mr. Marken has served as the Companys Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since March 1, 2018. Previously, he was the Companys Chief Accounting Officer, a position he held from June 2016 until his appointment as the Companys Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Marken has served as the Companys Secretary since August 2016. Mr. Marken joined the Company in January 2015 as the Director of SEC Reporting and Technical Accounting. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Marken held various positions at Ernst & Young, LLP from 2005 through 2015 including Senior Manager, assurance services. He received his BBA in accounting and MS in finance from Texas A&M University. Mr. Marken is a CPA. About Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. serves as the holding entity for a family of companies that provide emissions solutions to customers in the power generation and other industries. ADA brings together ADA Carbon Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of powder activated carbon ("PAC") and ADA-ES, Inc., the providers of ADA M-Prove Technology. We provide products and services to control mercury and other contaminants at coal-fired power generators and other industrial companies. Our broad suite of complementary products control contaminants and help our customers meet their compliance objectives consistently and reliably. CarbPure Technologies LLC, (CarbPure), formed in 2015 provides high-quality PAC and granular activated carbon ideally suited for treatment of potable water and wastewater. Our affiliate company, ADA Carbon Solutions, LLC manufactures the products for CarbPure. Tinuum Group, LLC (Tinuum Group) is a 42.5% owned joint venture by ADA that provides patented Refined Coal (RC) technologies to enhance combustion of and reduce emissions of NOx and mercury from coal-fired power plants. Caution on Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which provides a safe harbor for such statements in certain circumstances. The forward-looking statements include projection on future RC cash flows, our expectations about the potential for leveraging our Red River plant capabilities and ways to maximize shareholder value. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, timing of new and pending regulations and any legal challenges to or extensions of compliance dates of them; the success of our technical and commercial infrastructure in opening and competing new markets; the U.S. governments failure to promulgate regulations or appropriate funds that benefit our business; changes in laws and regulations, accounting rules, prices, economic conditions and market demand; impact of competition; availability, cost of and demand for alternative energy sources and other technologies; technical, start up and operational difficulties; failure of the RC facilities to produce RC; termination of or amendments to the contracts for sale or lease of RC facilities; decreases in the production of RC; our inability to commercialize our technologies on favorable terms; our inability to ramp up our operations to effectively address recent and expected growth in our business; loss of key personnel; potential claims from any terminated employees, customers or vendors; availability of materials and equipment for our businesses; intellectual property infringement claims from third parties; as well as other factors relating to our business, as described in our filings with the SEC, with particular emphasis on the risk factor disclosures contained in those filings. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and to consult filings we have made and will make with the SEC for additional discussion concerning risks and uncertainties that may apply to our business and the ownership of our securities. The forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this press release. Source: Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. Investor Contact: How do we live in the present when our vision of the future is constantly changing? Its a question on everyones minds, especially now, but it is also one at the forefront of many of this months best books. In Julia Alvarezs fist adult novel in over a decade, a recently widowed woman faces more turbulence when her sister disappears. In C Pam Zhangs debut, two orphaned siblings trek across the American West to bury their father, with no idea of what each new day will bring. And in Jason Rosenthals bruising new memoir, a husband asks how to keep going in the wake of his wifes death. Their stories, along with several others, help readers brace for unanticipated hardship, whatever that might look like in their own lives. Here, the 13 new books you should read in April. Afterlife, Julia Alvarez (April 7) The first adult novel in nearly 15 years from Julia Alvarez (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents) centers on Antonia Vega, a retired college professor grieving her husbands recent and unexpected death. Already grappling with her new normal, Antonias life shifts again due to two events: the disappearance of her older sister and the discovery of an undocumented pregnant teenage girl in her garage. How much of their burdens is also hers to bare? As Antonia contemplates the answer, Alvarez crafts a moving portrait of the lengths people will go to help one another in moments of uncertainty. Buy Now: Afterlife I Dont Want to Die Poor: Essays, Michael Arceneaux (April 7) Like many Americans, writer Michael Arceneaux took out private student loans to finance his college degree. In his second essay collection, Arceneaux examines how the debt he carried with him after graduating from Howard University impacted most aspects of his life, from his relationship with his mother to how he dates. Though their subjects vary, the essays all point to a larger question about the true cost of higher education in the United States. Like in his debut I Cant Date Jesus, Arceneauxs voice is both enraged and humorous as he tackles the anxieties of financial insecurity. Story continues Buy Now: I Dont Want to Die Poor American Harvest: God, Country, and Farming in the Heartland, Marie Mutsuki Mockett (April 7) In the summer of 2017, writer Marie Mutsuki Mockett joined a group of evangelical Christian wheat harvesters who worked on her familys farmland in middle America. Growing up in California, Mockett had limited exposure to farming, so she decided to learn everything she could about the process by accompanying the workers in the field. In her memoir, she reflects on the time she spent getting to know the land and those who cared for it, revealing the many intersections between farming, religion and identity. Buy Now: American Harvest Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life, Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein (April 7) Ever been overwhelmed by your work space? If yes, Marie Kondo has plenty of advice for you. The author of the 2014 best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has teamed up with business professor Scott Sonenshein to offer new strategies for decluttering the workplace. Sure, most of those who can are now working from home, but the lessons in Joy at Work are still applicable, whether theyre teaching you to be more thoughtful about structuring meetings or arranging the papers on your desk. Buy Now: Joy at Work Chosen Ones, Veronica Roth (April 7) Most teenage heroes dont consider how drastically their lives will change once theyve saved the world. Veronica Roth, known for her massively popular Divergent trilogy, breaks down those messy repercussions in her first novel for adults. In Chosen Ones, a group of five teens defeat an epically evil villain intent on destroying the world. Ten years later, theyre brought together by the death of one of their own, and are again tasked with saving humanity but this time must do so as they grapple with the unforeseen consequences of their heroism: fame and PTSD. Buy Now: Chosen Ones Redhead by the Side of the Road, Anne Tyler (April 7) Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tylers latest novel focuses on routine-obsessed Micah Mortimer, whose life is about to be thrown out of whack. The 40-something enjoyed his regimented schedule of exercise, work and daily chores until his lover announced she was getting evicted. To complicate matters more, the son of Micahs college girlfriend appears at his door, claiming Micah is his father. As he decides what to do, Micah must learn to adapt, and, in doing so, risk losing the stability of a life he worked so hard to maintain. Buy Now: Redhead by the Side of the Road How Much of These Hills is Gold, C Pam Zhang (April 7) After their father dies, 12-year-old Lucy and 11-year-old Sam are left orphaned and with few resources to give his body a proper Chinese burial. In C Pam Zhangs debut novel, the pair travel across towns in western America during the end of the gold rush, desperate to find what they need to honor the deceased. As she depicts their journey, Zhang prompts the reader to think about whose stories are told from this period of American historyfictional or notand adds her urgent voice to the genre. Buy Now: How Much of These Hills is Gold Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, Cho Nam-Joo (April 14) Since it was published in 2016, Cho Nam-Joos debut novel has sold more than one million copies and has been hailed as launching Koreas new feminist movement. Now, a new edition will introduce the titular character of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 to an even broader audience. The book follows a woman crushed by the expectations of her gender, feelings which lead to harrowing conversations with her therapist. As she unveils the lifetime of misogyny her protagonist has faced in South Korea, Cho Nam-Joo points to a universal dialogue around discrimination, hopelessness and fear. Buy Now: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 Braised Pork, An Yu (April 14) While packing for a vacation, Jia Jia runs to the bathroom in her luxurious Beijing apartment and discovers her husbands lifeless body in their tub, along with a mysterious drawing of a fish-like creature. Haunted by the strange sketch that accompanied her husbands corpse, Jia Jia sets out to learn its origins on a trip that takes her many miles away from home. Braised Pork examines the young widow, newly free of the many hardships of her marriage, as she navigates grief, isolation and her passion for art. Buy Now: Braised Pork Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs, Jennifer Finney Boylan (April 21) In 2017, human rights activist Jennifer Finney Boylan went viral with a column she wrote for the New York Times, where she described the heartbreak she felt after her dog Indigos death. Her new memoir expands on the powerful relationship between dogs and their owners. Boylan shares the stories of seven dogs, each connected to her life in different ways. As in her 2003 memoir Shes Not There: A Life in Two Genders, Boylan is candid about her transition from male to female and in Good Boy, she uses the seven narratives to explore her journey to finding self-acceptance. Buy Now: Good Boy The Book of Longings, Sue Monk Kidd (April 21) The author of The Secret Life of Bees takes readers back to the first century in her imaginative fourth novel. The Book of Longings tells the story of rebellious Ana, a teenager who is resisting her arranged marriage to an older widow. He dies before they can be wed and Ana, despite never having known the man, is ostracized for not properly mourning his death. This leads her to pursue a relationship with the one person who has shown his support when no one else hasJesus (yes, Jesus). Influenced by narratives in the Bible and research on Jesus life, Kidds latest charts a young womans struggle to confront the ways in which society dictates what she can and cannot do. Buy Now: The Book of Longings The Moment of Tenderness, Madeleine LEngle (April 21) This collection of 18 short stories, most of which are being published for the first time, brings readers a new glimpse inside the mind of author Madeleine LEngle. The beloved novelist bounces around genres, from science fiction to fantasy, in narratives that explore everything from summer camp drama to life on another planet. Many of the stories were written in the 1940s and 50s, allowing readers to track the evolution of the writer before her award-winning young adult novel A Wrinkle in Time debuted in 1962. Buy Now: The Moment of Tenderness My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, Jason B. Rosenthal (April 21) Before she died in 2017 from ovarian cancer, Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote a heart-wrenching piece for the New York Times that stressed her desire for her husband to find love after she was gone. Now, he reflects on his life with and without Amy in his intimate and aching memoir. Rosenthal is thoughtful not only in his discussions of death and dying, but on how to move forward with hope for the future after such a tremendous loss. Buy Now: My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me Chinese Regime Using Pandemic to Advance Global Ambitions, Expert Says As the world grapples with a sprawling health crisis, the Chinese Communist Party is using the pandemic to expand its global influence, according to China expert Robert Spalding. The Chinese regime has seized upon the fallout from the pandemic as an opportunity to extend its control on the global supply chain and to deflect responsibility for having created the disaster, the retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general and author told The Epoch Times in an interview. He describes it as unrestricted warfare in full force. A strategy crafted by Chinese military officials in the late 1990s, unrestricted warfareas he explained in his book, Stealth War: How China Took Over While Americas Elite Sleptrefers to using a series of unconventional warfare tactics designed to accomplish the goals of war without engaging in actual combat. In playing out this campaign, the regime has combined different elements of warfareeconomic, trade, political, informationto create a convergence of challenges for the United States and other Western democracies, Spalding said. Its hard for people to grasp how powerful this new type of warfare is, because were so used to the traditional type of warfare, with planes and ships and bombs and tanks, he said. On the information warfare front, Chinese diplomats and state media have recently peddled conspiracy theories speculating about the viruss origin and putting the blame on the United States, while fake accounts linked to Beijing have flooded Twitter to act as cheerleaders for the government. Theyre covering up the actual truth while essentially creating a new truth on the ground and new facts on the ground, Spalding said. Because they control all the data coming out about the coronavirus or the CCP virus, then its all according to the narrative that they themselves control. Profiting Amid a Crisis As the outbreak strains the global health system and weighs on medical supply chains, there are concerns that China is using the much-sought-after supplies for its own gains. White House economic adviser Peter Navarro told Fox Business last month that China had been stockpiling the N95 face masks by imposing an export restriction. In the meantime, millions of the masks are flowing to European countries from China as part of aid packages. They see the coronavirus as an opportunity to do that, particularly because countries are going to be relying on them for medical supplies because theyre going to have the only factories open, Spalding said. Theyre trying to essentially make it look like the Chinese Communist Party is the savior of Western Europe. The United States is heavily reliant on medical supplies from China, the worlds largest producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients, according to a November 2019 U.S. congressional report (pdf); the spreading pathogen only exacerbated the problem. While Chinese officials denied there were official export bans in place, from late January to February, protective equipment manufacturers were asked to sell their products internally. China also produced half of the worlds masks prior to the outbreak. Chinas state-run news agency Xinhua, in an implicit threat in early March, said the United States would plunge into the mighty sea of coronavirus if China chooses to retaliate by controlling medical supply exports. Weve offshored it, we dont have it anymore. We cant even produce for our own selves, Spalding said. A number of countries, among them Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, recently complained about defects in Chinese exports of medical supplies for combating the virus. Meanwhile, Beijing has been outlining policy measures since February to bolster its economic ambitions, Horizon Advisory, a U.S.-based independent consultancy, said in a report. Beijing intends to use the global dislocation and downturn to attract foreign investment, to seize strategic market share and resourcesespecially those that force dependence [on China], according to the report. The municipal government of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, told a local newspaper that its possible to turn the crisis into an opportunityto increase the trust and the dependence of all countries around the world of Made in China. The State Council, a Cabinet-like agency, also highlighted 5G technology and artificial intelligencethe signature tools for Chinas pervasive surveillance stateas two of its top strategic objectives to showcase. In times of fear, it seems attractive, but what you allowed them to do is essentially insinuate themselves even deeper into the veins of your society, Spalding said. Their goal is to be able to have this coercive power over the world, and theyre using the CCP virus to basically perpetuate, accelerate, and deepen that. Rewriting History Throughout the outbreak, Beijings response can be characterized as a web of coverup, denial, and lies that make it the unmistakable culprit, according to Spalding. What we can say with certainty, with absolute 100 percent certainty, is that the Chinese Communist Party created the global pandemic, he said. On at least on two occasionsJan. 1 and Jan. 3Hubei and national health officials told Chinese labs to stop testing and to destroy existing evidence, according to reports by Chinese media outlet Caixin. While U.S. federal health authorities repeatedly offered to send researchers to China since Jan. 6, only two were eventually allowed into the countrymore than a month later. By the time Wuhan imposed a drastic lockdown on Jan. 23, more than 5 million locals had left without undergoing a health screening, carrying the virus to other parts of the world. Then, as the outbreak became severe in the United States in March, Chinese diplomats began an aggressive disinformation campaign that accused the U.S. Army of bringing the virus to Wuhan. A central tenet about the nature of the regime is its need for control, Spalding says. When it saw this virus come out, it was worried about its legitimacy. Internal documents obtained by The Epoch Times, as well as insider accounts, indicate that Chinese officials have made a top priority to control the outbreak narrative, both inside and outside of China. Spalding is critical of the World Health Organizations name for the disease caused by the virus. The name COVID-19which the WHO says stands for coronavirus disease 2019doesnt clearly designate its origin in China, allowing the Chinese regime to whitewash its bungled response to the outbreak, he said. We, in some ways, are still perpetuating Chinese Communist Party propaganda because we allow them to name things, he said. Naming things is very powerful. This crisis, he says, also demonstrates the limitations of global trade and the importance of being self-sufficient in the manufacture of crucial supplies. We shouldnt be reliant on a regime that repudiates everything that we stand for, and uses that supply chain tie to coerce us into abandoning our own principles, he said. CINCINNATI, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Family of Companies (NYSE: KR) today announced that it will provide all hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates with a Hero Bonus a $2 premium above their standard base rate of pay, applied to hours worked March 29 through April 18. The premium will be disbursed weekly to ensure associates have access to additional cash. Today's announcement follows and is in addition to Kroger's previous commitment shared on March 21, which provided a one-time bonus to frontline associates, which pays out on April 3. "Our associates have displayed the true actions of a hero, working tirelessly on the frontlines to ensure everyone has access to affordable, fresh food and essentials during this national emergency," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "The Hero Bonus is just one more way we continue to convey our thanks and gratitude not only to our existing associates but also to the more than 30,000 new hires who have joined in the past two weeks and those who will soon join the Kroger Family of Companies." "Recently, we announced an appreciation bonus for our hourly frontline associates. This gesture was to thank our associates for everything they have done during the past few weeks," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer. "However, we recognize that this crisis is far from over, and after reflecting on associate feedback and working together with our union partners, we want to further acknowledge our terrific team for their hard work to date as well as the work yet to come." Associate and Customer Well-being and Safety "During this unprecedented time, Kroger's most urgent priority is to provide a safe environment for associates and customers, with open stores and an efficiently operating supply chain," continued McMullen. To protect associates and customers and flatten the curve, The Kroger Family of Companies has taken several preventive steps, including: Enhancing our daily sanitation practices, including cleaning commonly used areas more often like cashier stations, self-checkouts, credit card terminals, food service counters and shelves. Permitting and working hard to procure protective masks and gloves for associates. Installing plexiglass partitions at check lanes, and pharmacy and Starbucks registers across the enterprise. Adding floor decals to promote physical distancing at check lanes and other counters. Adjusting store operating hours to allow more time for associates to rest, clean and replenish inventory. Continuing to expand pickup and delivery services and contactless payment solutions like Kroger Pay . Additional Associate Support and Resources In addition to the Hero Bonus and appreciation bonus, The Kroger Family of Companies is taking several additional actions to support associates during this extraordinary time, including: Ensuring associates who are affected by COVID-19 whether experiencing symptoms and self-isolating, diagnosed or placed in quarantine can recover with the support of emergency paid leave. Beginning next week, the Kroger Family of Companies is adding ExpressPay a new benefit that allows most hourly associates to access some of their pay faster, putting money in their pockets sooner than usual. Making $5 million available for those facing hardship, including lack of access to childcare and for those considered higher-risk, due to COVID-19 through the Kroger Family of Companies Helping Hands fund. available for those facing hardship, including lack of access to childcare and for those considered higher-risk, due to COVID-19 through the Kroger Family of Companies fund. Offering an associate hotline to answer benefit questions quickly. Providing access to mental health services and other benefits to support associates' mental and physical well-being during this stressful time. Supporting associates by onboarding more than 30,600 new hires in the last two weeks, including workers from the hardest-hit sectors like restaurants, hotels and food service distributors. Community Support and Uplift The Kroger Family of Companies is also uplifting communities in a variety of ways during this unprecedented time, including: The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation is rapidly deploying more than $3 million in hunger-relief resources to communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic through its nonprofit partners, Feeding America and No Kid Hungry. The funding will not only support local food banks nationwide, but also fund initiatives that ensure children, whose schools may be closed, still have access to nutritious meals. in hunger-relief resources to communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic through its nonprofit partners, Feeding America and No Kid Hungry. The funding will not only support local food banks nationwide, but also fund initiatives that ensure children, whose schools may be closed, still have access to nutritious meals. Making it easy for customers to support The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's mission to create communities free of hunger and waste by choosing to roundup their purchases to the nearest dollar at every self-checkout lane or donate at ZeroHungerZeroWasteFoundation.org. Donating food and funds to local food banks and hunger-relief efforts. The Kroger Co. Foundation supported the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program and Disaster Responder Program at the $500,000 level for 2020, enabling the Red Cross to develop capacity, leaders and resources to provide relief. To download Kroger photography and b-roll assets, visit here. About The Kroger Co. At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. SOURCE The Kroger Co. Related Links http://www.kroger.com M anufacturing in the UK has seen the biggest decline in output since July 2012. According to new figures, the slowing down of the economy to contain the spread of the coronavirus has had a severe impact on manufacturing output in the UK. The IHS Market/CIPS manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) gave a reading of 47.8 in March, down from 51.7 in February. It is slightly worse than the 48 forecast in preliminary figures, but beat forecasts that it might drop to 46.5. Anything below 50 is considered a contraction. The transport sector saw the steepest downturn in output / AFP via Getty Images It is the biggest decline in manufacturing output since July 2012. Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said: The resulting job losses took the rate of decline in employment to its highest since July 2009. The effects were felt across most of manufacturing, with output falling sharply in all major sectors except food production and pharmaceuticals." Mr Dobson added the transport sector, which includes car-makers that were already experiencing problems, suffered the steepest downturn. 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 With restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus expected to stay in place for some time, expectations of further economic disruption and uncertainty meant business optimism slumped to a series-record low," said the IHS Markit director. "However, on a slightly more positive note, manufacturers still expect to see output higher in one years time. The news comes as shares in Britains biggest banks fell heavily this morning, as businesses scramble to save money by stopping payments to shareholders amid the coronavirus outbreak Rishi Sunak pledges 330bn of support to companies hit by Covid-19 pandemic Shares in HSBC fell 7.4 per cent, Barclays lost 4.6 per cent, Standard Chartered was down 6.2 per cent, while Lloyds lost 4.3 per cent of its value and the Royal Bank of Scotland was down 4 per cent. Banks have faced pressure to ensure that businesses which need loans to survive the pandemic are able to keep their doors open. CYPRESS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX:KSHB) ('KushCo' or the 'Company'), the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries, is scheduled to host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial and operational results for its fiscal second quarter ended February 29, 2020. The Company's financial results will be available on its investor relations website at ir.kushco.com and announced in a press release after the market close on the same day. KushCo management will host the conference call and presentation followed by a question and answer session. The call will be webcast with an accompanying slide deck, which can be accessed by visiting the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website. All interested parties are invited to listen to the live conference call and presentation by dialing the number below or by clicking the webcast link available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website. Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time) Toll-free Number: 1-877-407-9039 International Number: 1-201-689-8470 Conference ID: 13700963 Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call or webcast, please contact KushCo's investor relations at ir@kushco.com or 714-539-7653. A replay of the call will be available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website approximately two hours after the conference call has ended. About KushCo Holdings KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: KSHB) (www.kushco.com) is the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries. KushCo Holdings' subsidiaries and brands provide product quality, exceptional customer service, compliance knowledge and a local presence in serving its diverse customer base. Founded in 2010, KushCo Holdings has now sold more than 1 billion units to growers, processors and producers across North America, South America, and Europe. The Company has been featured in media nationwide, including CNBC, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, Los Angeles Times, TheStreet.com, and Entrepreneur, Inc Magazine. While KushCo Holdings provides products and solutions to customers in the cannabis and CBD industries, it has no direct involvement with the cannabis plant or any products that contain THC. For more information, visit www.kushco.com or call (888) 920-5874. KushCo Holdings Contact Investor Contact: Najim Mostamand, CFA Director of Investor Relations 714-539-7653 ir@kushco.com SOURCE: KushCo Holdings, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583404/KushCo-Holdings-to-Report-Fiscal-Second-Quarter-2020-Financial-Results-on-Wednesday-April-8-2020 News Broadcasters Association (NBA) welcomes the Supreme Court order dated 31.3.2020 and agrees that the media should report responsibly and weed out any fake news in social media while telecasting news on the Coronavirus crisis. NBA is also pleased to learn that a daily bulletin by the Government of India through all media avenues including social media and forums will be made available to clear the doubts of people. This would help media immensely to clarify the doubts and enable them to do accurate reporting. NBA appreciates that the Honble Supreme Court has acknowledged the freedom of the press and has stated that it does not intent to interfere with the free discussion, debate and coverage about the pandemic. Also Read: NBA slams MIBs 48-hr ban on Asianet News & Media One News channels News broadcasters 5-point directive to working in times of Covid-19 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) -Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, following its election, announced on February 28, 2020 to accelerate the expiry date of a total of 2,655,000 outstanding common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"), have now been exercised, resulting in the issuance of 2,655,000 common shares for gross proceeds to the Company of $541,600. The expiry date of the all Warrants, originally either December 31, 2023 or January 17, 2024, was accelerated to March 30, 2020, after the VWAP of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange was greater than $0.60 for more than 20 consecutive trading days. A total of 13,510,000 outstanding Warrants have now been exercised, resulting in total proceeds to the Company of $2,928,850. Approximately half of the accelerated Warrants were exercised by Management, Company Insiders and/or long-term shareholders. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the exercise of the Warrants to fund its ongoing royalty and project generative activities and for general working capital purposes. Further details regarding the election to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants can be found in the Company's February 28, 2020 press release. About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 43 royalties and 19 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647-964-0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding: (i) increase to the Company's outstanding common shares; (ii) use of warrant exercise proceeds; (iii) the Company's forecasts for its royalty portfolio and related business; and (iv) the Company's intention to secure a disinterested shareholder approval at its 2020 annual shareholder meeting. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks of declining precious metals prices, failure of projects in which the Company has an interest may underperform current management forecasts, the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53996 Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Clear skies. Low around 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low around 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Thousands of Australians have defied Scott Morrison's call to stop overseas travel during the coronavirus outbreak, leaving taxpayers to foot their quarantine bill. About 16,000 Australian citizens chose to fly overseas between March 19 and 30, despite stern instructions on March 18 to 'not travel abroad'. Even after an official ban on overseas travel began on March 24, 3,800 Australians left the country, according to data seen by The Australian. Scroll down for video Pictured: A traveller at Sydney Airport walks towards a waiting bus on Monday . Thousands of Australians have left the country during the coronavirus outbreak despite being told to stop overseas travel New arrivals into Australia are being taken into a mandatory hotel 14-day quarantine to slow the spread of the virus (pictured: return travellers quarantined at Melbourne's Crown Promenade Hotel) But under strict new rules, any arrivals into Australia will be taken into a mandatory 14-day quarantine. This means that if the 16,000 or so who flew out want to return to Australia, the financial burden would fall on the taxpayer, at a time when economists are fearing a recession. Hundreds of passengers who flew back into the country in the last week have already been swept away to luxury hotels, all paid for by Australians. But Western Australian premier Mark McGowan has warned he would 'love to be able to charge' holidaymakers if they ignored travel advice. 'It was grossly irresponsible of people to go to Bali or Thailand or Britain or wherever it was,' he told reporters. The cost of the quarantine accommodation, likely to be millions of dollars, is now being split by different states, depending on where the traveller is from. Pictured: A departing traveller at Sydney Airport on Monday. The cost of the quarantine accommodation is thought to run into the millions of dollars Premiers hope this will ease the pressure on New South Wales, which has been accommodating the vast majority of international arrivals in Sydney. After the two-week quarantine, in a variety of top hotels, the passengers are then allowed to return to their homes. Of the 16,000 who defied the government's call, the 3,800 who left after March 24 did so with a special government exemption. This means they either live overseas, need to leave for compassionate reasons or need to travel to an essential workplace. That leaves 12,200 citizens who left without a special reason, and despite warnings they could put themselves or others at risk of COVID-19. Those still abroad are being urged to 'not wait' to come back to Australia, and to do so at the soonest possible opportunity - before there are now flights left. 'Do not pass up commercial flights. In most cases, other flights WILL NOT be available,' advice on Smart Traveller said. WHO PAYS FOR THE QUARANTINE HOTELS? The cost of the 14-day quarantine hotels for arrivals in Australia will be split between the states. It will depend on where the arriving travelling usually lives. So if the person is from Adelaide, but staying at a hotel in Sydney, it is South Australia which will pay. At the moment, there are no rules in place which dictate that the holidaymaker themselves has to pay, meaning it is coming from taxpayers. Advertisement 'Our diplomatic posts are working to open up commercial services in some key countries.' 'Please note that airlines are cancelling flights a short notice,' a notice for Australians in Bali read. 'Garuda Indonesia are the only airline operating direct flights between Indonesia and Australia.' Former immigration minister Amanda Vanstone told the newspaper she was 'amazed' that people chose to ignore the government's travel advice. 'I am amazed that people with the knowledge in hand with what was happening in China and Italy would nonetheless choose to ignore advice and travel,' she said. 'The government is trying to help you by saying 'watch out'. For people who are travelling for work or sensible compassionate reasons, that's another matter.' Over the last week, a number of foreign airlines - including Emirates, Etihad, Air India and Singapore Airlines - have stopped all flights to Australia. Virgin Australia stopped international flights on Monday, with Qantas doing the same on Sunday. Unimpressive? Lara shared this Twitter post on Monday, decrying the 'unacceptable' conditions at her mother's hotel Despite being put up in top hotels across Australia, at no expense to them, many returning travellers have complained of 'prison-like' isolation conditions. Model Lara Worthington, 32, posted pictures of her mother Sharon Bingle's 'unacceptable' living conditions. The 63-year-old is in quarantine after arriving on an international flight. On Monday, the model shared unflattering photos of her mother's small room on Twitter and also said her mum was 'showing heavy symptoms' of coronavirus. 'Don't think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me... This is unacceptable,' the mother-of-two wrote. Lara Worthington (pictured, left) said her mother Sharon (right) was holed up in an 'unacceptable' hotel One traveller complained about the timing of the dinner service, sharing a picture of her yet-to-be-eaten meal at 9.51pm and comparing it to plane food (pictured) Another Australian quarantined in a lavish hotel complained about being treated 'worse than prisoners'. While some are enjoying city views from their hotel room windows, the isolation and lack of fresh air has taken a toll on others, including Australian food presenter Lyndey Milan. The cooking show personality, who has spent two days in isolation at the five-star Sydney Hilton hotel, took to Instagram on Monday night to complain dinner still hadn't arrived by 8.30pm. 'Hungry jet-lagged people not yet fed at 8.30pm,' she captioned the video. 'They don't answer the phone. No one has been fed,' she told staff guarding the rooms outside. 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 Among the first to be isolated were Norwegian Jewel cruise ship passengers, who arrived in Sydney last Thursday. Buses transported the arrivals to the five-star Hotel Swissotel, where they've been stuck inside their lavish rooms for the last three nights. Guests started a Facebook group to rant about the conditions and claim they've been treated worse than prisoners. Among them was Di Minter, who took to the page on Monday after her breakfast didn't arrive until 10am. 'Coco pops with milk, yoghurt, no spoon, no bowl to eat from, no juice, a cold slice of toast, butter and a choice of vegemite or peanut butter,' she wrote. 'Hmmm. I think I was the forgotten one. Thank goodness I'm a forward thinker, saved some juice from yesterday's pastries too as they gave me a double serving. Detainee 1605.' Political parties in the valley on Wednesday criticised the Centre's new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was adding insult to injury of the people as there were none of the promised protections. While the National Conference termed the new rules as hollow, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the rules will give rise to massive problems for residents of J-K. "Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised," National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said in a series of tweets. The former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir said the new law was so hollow that even politicians with "Delhi's blessings" were forced to criticise it. You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi's blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the #JKdomicilelaw," he added. Omar was apparently referring to the criticism of the domicile law by Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party founder Altaf Bukhari. The government on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew of amendments to 138 Acts of Jammu and Kashmir that included protecting jobs up to Group-4 for only those who are domicile of the union territory. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the rules will give rise to massive problems for residents of J-K. The domicile law as it appears is not only trying to shake the boundaries of an already existing state, but it is also trying to give rise to massive problems for residents of J&K, the PDP said on its official Twitter handle. The party said the Centre's manipulation of the law would only further alienate the people. As the GOI (government of India) tries to manipulate a law that provides guarantees to Kashmiris, it is only further alienating people, by depriving them of their constitutional rights. When GOI imposes orders that relegate elected Kashmiri leaders to nothingness, GOI shows how it doesn't want local Kashmiris to govern the land they fought for! the PDP said. Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) led by Sajad Gani Lone said the presidential order defining the domicile law issued at the depth of night while the world is under the grip of a deadly pandemic, falls way short of expectations even for those who expected some relief and some reconciliation process. The new definition of 'domicile' is humiliating and insulting. Adds insult to injury. Doing away with district and divisional recruitment is an affront to the concept of affirmative action. We had no expectations, but this particular order has made the disappointment even more intense, party chief spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said. Matttu said the government of the day has embarked on an erroneous path and seems to be in no mood to rectify wrongs and instead is content to be deluded in the world of 'we know the best' for J&K and its people. The lowest rung in jobs has been reserved for locals - not even non-gazetted, but Class IV jobs. There seems to be a clear intent of conveying yet another serving of humiliation and insult to the people of J-K after what transpired in August 5th. What is ironically historical though is that in the middle of one of the worst medical disasters facing the world, the Government of the day has the time and patience to script a disaster of its own. During the COVID19 battle, the people of J-K didn't deserve more humiliation, he said. The recently-floated Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) said it was most unfortunate that such an important order was issued at a time when the whole country was battling for its survival and was under strict lockdown to stem spread of deadly Coronavirus disease. While JKAP had been vehemently demanding Domicile Rights on land and jobs for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the order issued by the union government reflects a casual exercise carried out at bureaucratic level without taking aspirations and expectations of people into consideration, JKAP president Syed Altaf Bukhari said in a statement here. He demanded that the order be put in abeyance till the country is out of dangers arising out of COVID-19 This Order in its entirety is a casual attempt, cosmetic in nature, to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir who genuinely believed that post October 31, 2019 their rights and privileges in the matter of employment and other rights would remain as it had been, he said. Bukhari said being a government issued order and not a law made by Parliament, the new gazette notification regarding domicile rule for J-K is not immune to a judicial review. The order issued is totally unacceptable to JKAP. In the matter of employmentnon Gazetted, Gazetted posts in the service and admissions to professional colleges, a tangible legal and constitutional mechanism was supposed to be put in place to safeguard and protect these privileges of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been the permanent residents of J&K, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To help companies facing a temporary turndown in business because of the Covid-19, IKOULA rallies around its teams and provides them several tools, to support them and to help them to pursue their projects. "The current crisis in Europe is unprecedented, both in terms of health and economics," said Jules-Henri GAVETTI President and co-founder of IKOULA. "As an SME, we know how it is important to stand together in such circumstances. Our baseline "we host with care makes sense more than ever. That's why it was important for us to provide companies several tools, and thus help them to continue their business as smoothly as possible, while anticipating the recovery. Tools to back up your workstations In the current context, remote work is shaking up habits and behaviors. This can lead to forgetting to back up its files and may be a real risk for the company. To overcome this, IKOULA provides 5 GB of backup via its BaaS solution (Backup as A Service) IKOULA Cloud Backup by Acronis. Complete, flexible and above all very quick to set up, it allows everyone to backup and restore their data, without constraint of time or place. Offer available via the following link with the code backupme Tools to urgently host a website or to create a VPN In these times of crisis, a company may need to urgently set up a VPN or to host a short-lived website. In this case, the micro-server can be the ideal ally. IKOULA offers for one month a Raspberry Pi 4 IPv4 IPv6. Offer available via the following link with the code IKRASP Cloud computing tools to promote collaborative work despite the distance With remote work, daily activities, as well as inter-service inter-employee communication can be difficult. Using Cloud computing to deploy instances hosting open-source applications such as RocketChat for instant messaging, OpenOffice for office automation or Jitsi and Jami for videoconferencing will restore the links inside the company, and increase efficiency. During the entire confinement period, IKOULA provides its Cloud and One Click applications for free. A Synology server to store files applications In order to share files in the best possible way, to stream video and to use many other applications in complete security, IKOULA is offering this month a Synology DS115j NAS server. With this server in hosted mode, it is possible to add a multitude of applications, such as LogicalDoc for document management, or SynologieDrive, for file sharing. Offer available via the following link with the code IKOULASYNO About IKOULA Pioneer of the French Cloud since 1998, IKOULA owns its own Datacenters in France (Reims and Laon), as well as two subsidiaries in Spain and the Netherlands. Because Human Being is part of its DNA, IKOULA maintains a close relationship with its customers, and puts at their disposal reactive teams of experts, available 24/7, able to advise them and accompany them in their activities. IKOULA's teams are multilingual, in order to meet the internationalization challenges of all its customers, spread over more than 60 countries on 4 continents. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005302/en/ Contacts: PRESS: IKOULA Laurane VASSOR ARCARO +33 01 84 01 02 69 lvassorarcaro@ikoula.com The Armenian government continued to defend on Wednesday its controversial decision to use personal data from peoples mobile phones to fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Justice Minister Rustam Badasian reiterated government assurances that the extraordinary measure will not infringe on citizens privacy and civil rights or be used for eavesdropping on opposition figures. Its only about a state of emergency declared as a result of an epidemic, he told a news conference. That is, in case of a state of emergency declared on any other grounds there will be no such interference in citizens rights and liberties. Badasian insisted that access to mobile phone location and usage data will help the Armenian authorities to better contain the spread of the virus. They will find it easier to trace people who have come into contact with those infected with the disease, he said. The circle of such people is to be determined by an automated system. If it turns out that they not only received phone calls or messages from infected persons but also were in close proximity with the latter, they will be contacted by officials and possibly placed in quarantine or self-isolation. If, for example, I am a virus carrier who phoned [from Yerevan] the same person in Gyumri 10 or 20 times, that alone will not be deemed a risk factor, explained Badasian. But if I phoned another person even once and our locations matched an official from the Ministry of Emergency Situations will make a phone call, ascertain additional details and make a decision based on that. The government hastily pushed a relevant bill through the Armenian parliament late on Tuesday amid strong objections from opposition lawmakers. They voiced concerns about privacy violations and cast doubt on the effectiveness of smartphone tracking. Some civic activists have echoed those concerns. Badasian again dismissed them, saying that the authorities will not have access to, let alone publicize, the content of any phone conversations or text messages. Only a handful of government specialists will be processing phone data, he said, adding that they all will sign non-disclosure pledges. The minister also argued that the bill, which President Armen Sarkissian swiftly signed into a law, requires the authorities to delete all data after the coronavirus-related state of emergency ends in Armenia. Shushan Doydoyan of the Yerevan-based Center for Freedom of Information, countered, however, that the data has to be deleted only within one month after the end of emergency rule. What will they be doing with that data for one month? she said. Another campaign poster suggested that women should use baby voice of cartoon character Doraemon instead of nagging their husbands, the report added. The Malaysian government had stirred a controversy after offering tips on social media as to how wives should behave during the coronavirus lockdown that began in the country on 18 March. The Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development shared a series of posters on Facebook with the hashtag that translates to #WomenPreventCOVID19, reported Al Jazeera. However, the government had to offer an apology after its move sparked outcry, with critics accusing it of sexism. In one of the posters, a man can be seen sitting on a sofa, asking a woman to stop being "sarcastic", if she wants him to help her with household chores. Another campaign poster suggested that women should use baby voice of cartoon character Doraemon instead of nagging their husbands, the report added. Other tips asked women to put makeup and dress neatly instead of wearing casual clothes. After the posters sparked outrage, the ministry issued a statement saying, "We apologise if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties." Netizens were shocked by the governments advisory and criticized the move. A Twitter user asked why the government has not shared tips to deal with domestic violence. Avoid wearing home clothes. Dress up as usual, put on make-up and dress neatly. OMG! This is what Rina, our Minister of Women, Family & Community Development thinks is important during the #COVID19 lockdown? No tips on how to deal with #DomesticViolence? Just state DV is a crime. pic.twitter.com/FfswtPBIPH Honey Tan (@honeyean) March 31, 2020 Another said that Malaysia's gender equality movement has regressed five decades. In one poster, Malaysia's gender equality movement regresses five decades. Dah la illegitimate govt, incompetent pulak tu. @KPWKM Lee Lian Kong (@leelian_kong) March 31, 2020 There was one user who questioned why husbands shouldnt follow any rules. I think my husband should speak to me in a Doraemon like voice. That will amuse me to bits and put me in a good mood, she added. New York, April 1 : As businesses, schools and colleges and millions of SMBs use video conferencing tool Zoom during the work-from-home scenario, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned people about porn material being popped up during the video meetings. The Boston branch of the law enforcement agency said it has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language. "As large numbers of people turn to video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to stay connected in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, reports of VTC hijacking (also called "Zoom-bombing") are emerging nationwide,' the FBI said in a statement. In late March 2020, a Massachusetts-based high school reported that while a teacher was conducting an online class using the teleconferencing software Zoom, an unidentified individual(s) dialed into the classroom. "This individual yelled a profanity and then shouted the teacher's home address in the middle of instruction," said the FBI. A second Massachusetts-based school reported a Zoom meeting being accessed by an unidentified individual. In this incident, the individual was visible on the video camera and displayed swastika tattoos. "As individuals continue the transition to online lessons and meetings, the FBI recommends exercising due diligence and caution in your cybersecurity efforts," said the law enforcement agency. Zoom was yet to respond the FBI statement. With more and more people working from home due the novel coronavirus pandemic, Zoom Cloud Meetings topped download charts globally throughout February and March, according to data from app analytics platform App Annie. Zoom offers video and screen sharing for up to 100 people. According to media reports, Zoom is facing massive privacy and security backlash globally. The FBI said do not make meetings or classrooms public on Zoom. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests. "Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people". Manage screensharing options. In Zoom, change screensharing to "Host Only." The video conferencing app late last month updated its iOS app to remove the software development kit (SDK) that was providing users data to Facebook through the Login with Facebook feature. A network traffic analysis carried out by Motherboard revealed that Zoom for iOS was sending data to Facebook without making any mention of the practice in its privacy policy. Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Kentucky...Illinois...Missouri... Ohio River at Paducah...Olmsted Lock and Dam...and Cairo For the Ohio River...including Paducah, Olmsted Lock and Dam, and Cairo...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. && ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Ohio River at Paducah. * WHEN...Until early tomorrow afternoon. * IMPACTS...At 39.0 feet, Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 11:00 AM CST Monday the stage was 38.5 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 39.0 feet tomorrow morning. - Flood stage is 39.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood && Dunmore 50th Anniversary Logo According to Tom Rimel, Dunmores President, "The principles and philosophy of the organization since the beginning have been critical to the sustained success of the business. We look forward to the evolution of the organization as we strive to better serve our customers and partners." Dunmore today announces the 50th anniversary of being in the business of manufacturing functional materials for diverse applications. The organization was founded by Michael Sullivan in 1970. The company started in a 2,700 square foot facility in New Jersey and has expanded to three facilities that service customers around the globe. The company began with an entrepreneurial spirit and a philosophy that focused on research and development and engineering. Solving customer problems has been a key part of Dunmores success over the past 50 years. It has allowed the organization to grow long-term partnerships in diverse markets. In 1970, Dunmore started with the idea that there were new opportunities available for technical film materials and unique solutions were needed in markets that were not being adequately served. Since 1970, Dunmore has evolved with the ever changing world, but the core idea remains. From providing new materials for the expanding aerospace industry (https://www.dunmore.com/industries/aerospace.html) to supporting green energy technologies, Dunmore has continued to adapt to the changing world. During the 50 year journey, Dunmore has grown to three manufacturing sites: Bristol, PA and Brewster, NY in the USA, and Freiburg Germany. Each site continues to expand its capabilities to meet the new needs of customers. According to Tom Rimel, Dunmores President, "The principles and philosophy of the organization since the beginning have been critical to the sustained success of the business. We look forward to the evolution of the organization as we strive to better serve our customers and partners." This is a proud moment for the organization, but Dunmore recognizes the need to look ahead and continuously adapt to new business environments. Placing the needs of the customer first and innovating with them will continue to be critical for the future success of the company. About DUNMORE Dunmore is a global manufacturer of engineered coated and laminated films and foils. Dunmore offers film conversion services such as coating, metalizing (https://www.dunmore.com/services/metallizing.html) and laminating along with contract film manufacturing and custom film product development. Dunmore produces coated film, metallized film and laminating film substrates for the aircraft, spacecraft, photovoltaic, graphic arts, packaging, insulation, and electronics industries. Dunmore is a Steel Partners company, ISO 9001:2015 and OSHA VPP Star certified. For complete information on Dunmores products, services and industries served, please visit https://www.dunmore.com. A Minnesota state trooper moved a doctor to tears when he sent her off with medical masks instead of a speeding ticket. Dr. Sarosh Ashraf Janjua, a cardiologist helping with coronavirus relief efforts in Minnesota, . was driving to the hospital on March 21 when she was pulled over for speeding. Upon seeing her license, the officer Brian J. Schwartz asked what she was doing all the way out in Minnesota. she explained that she was there for work. He went back to his patrol car to look up my license, and when he returned, quite firmly told me it was very irresponsible of me to be speeding,". "especially since I would not only take up resources if I got into an accident, but would also not be in a position to help patients . Janjua fully expected to receive a ticket. However, instead of giving her a ticket, the officer let her off with a warning and a gift. "Five N95 masks, from the supply the state had given him for his protection, she wrote. This complete stranger, who owed me nothing and is more on the front lines than I am, shared his precious masks with me, without my even asking". heartwarming acts of kindness like this is a reminder that when people work together, anything is possible The district administration has deployed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at two vulnerable markets in the city. Officials said the CRPF has been deployed to supplement the commissionerate police at Dilkusha Market and vegetable and fruits market at Maqsoodan to ensure that only the authorised people could access these areas. Commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the two markets have been opened to ensure supply of medicines at retail outlets and of vegetables and fruits through retail dealers. However, Bhullar said that people have been making beeline at these places thereby flouting the curfew norms. He added that it is a serious issue as the curfew has been imposed to check spread of Covid19 epidemic in the city. Both these places have now been sealed by the force and only people having passes would be allowed to enter these areas. The officials said that no loitering will be allowed at these places and strict action would be taken by the police and the paramilitary force against unauthorised persons. Saudi Arabian Health Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah announced on Monday that the kingdom would be financing the treatment of everyone infected with the coronavirus disease or COVID-19 in the country, while their food ministry is taking steps to boost the supply of wheat and livestock in fear of a possible global food shortage. The kingdom has already reported 1,453 confirmed cases and eight death, which is the highest among the six states within the Gulf Arab. The health minister of the country also said that King Salman said that he would be covering all treatments and therapies for those citizens and residents that are diagnosed with the virus and that everyone in the kingdom is encouraged to get tested. During a news conference, he also added that the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was keeping an eye on the efforts to contain the outbreak "night and day." The country's 84-year-old king, addressed the whole nation only two weeks ago and even presided an extraordinary virtual summit of G20 leaders to discuss the supposed global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Arabia has taken "draconian" measures in order to contain the virus. They halted all international flights, closed almost all public places, including religious spots and imposed a partial curfew. Moreover, they imposed restrictions on movements and have tightened entry and exit to Jeddah, Riyadh, Mecca, and Medina. Learning from MERS outbreak Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the last major coronavirus outbreak was in 2012 and it started in Saudi Arabia. During the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, the kingdom has a faltering response which ultimately led to the death of several hundreds of people and for the virus to spread across the region. Learning from the mistakes of the past, public health officials of the country said that the kingdom is now better prepared in combating the outbreak. With their experience od MERS, hospitals have already established separate triage units for those experiencing respiratory illnesses, which included specialized ventilation systems which protect the healthcare workers from getting infected. Read also: LOOK: Controversial Photo Shows Indian Migrant Workers Drenched in Disinfectant On top of this, before the first domestic COVID-19 case was reported in the country, at least two hospitals have already established a drive-thru testing in place and authorities have already developed a strategy in dealing with the new virus. According to Joanna Gaines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who for the longest time has provided Saudi's Health ministry its only full-time foreign disease expert, the country's experience with the MERS-CoV outbreak has positioned them uniquely, in a way that they know how to respond and contain a pandemic before it worsens. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said that the kingdom's 'whole of government" approach was a benefit of their MERS experience. Furthermore, WHO also said that the country has shown unique expertise emergency preparedness from managing the largest annual gathering of Muslims in the world, the Hajj pilgrimage. Related news: Florida Pastor Arrested After Holding Crowded Church Service Breaching Social Distancing Guidelines @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has identified over 145 "containment zones" across the city and sealed some of them completely with the help of police to prevent the spread of coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday. IMAGE: Police personnel stand guard on a road leading towards the building at Adarsh Nagar, where two new positive cases of Covid-19 were reported, at Worli in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo The civic body identified these containment zones, where either one or more COVID-19 cases were found or suspected patients lived, the official said. These containment zones include slums, isolated buildings, nursing homes and housing colonies, he said. "Some areas, including Worli Koliwada, Prabhadevi and Bimbisar Nagar in the western suburb of Goregaon, fell under the red zone and were sealed completely with the help of the police," he added. All the entry and exit points of these red zones are barricaded and no one is allowed to go in and out of these areas, the official said, adding that disinfectants were also sprayed to sanitise these places. Meanwhile, a Shiv Sena corporator from Central Mumbai said that Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi had held a meeting with city corporators through video-conferencing on Tuesday and asked them to provide assistance to people living in containment zones. "The BMC is making all necessary arrangements in these areas, but we have been asked to provide food or other necessary things," he added. Maharashtra has recorded 335 coronavirus cases so far. Slower internet speeds reported by many Egyptians during the coronavirus crisis is the result of both increased pressure on the local network as well as heavy traffic on websites around the world, Minister of Communications Amr Talaat said. Many Egyptians, confined at home by the coronavirus outbreak, are using the internet to work from home and tens of thousands of students have switched to e-learning. The slowing speed is partially due to the increased load on the local network and from websites being accessed by people in countries around the world who are in home isolation, the minister said in comments to state TV on Tuesday. These websites themselves are experiencing unprecedented pressure and are thus facing technical difficulties causing the slowdown, he added. The matter is not necessarily linked to the local network. Last year, Egypt increased the bandwidth of its local network six-fold as part of a major national project to improve high-speed broadband networks to raise internet speeds in the country. The ministry has managed to boost the internet speed from 5 mbps to 30 mbps at a total cost of EGP 30 billion. The project has proven key to helping the network withstand the current pressure, the minister said. The peak time for using the internet locally is from 5 pm till 5 am, the minister said in separate comments. The state-owned landline operator Telecom Egypt, which is the countrys largest internet provider, has also confirmed a significant increase in local internet use in recent weeks. "If it were not for the upgrades achieved in the infrastructure, the network would have experienced crises and breakdown, Telecom Egypt vice president Mohamed Abu Taeb said in comments in a televised interview on Monday. According to SpeedTest website, Egypt ranked 99th globally in the average global internet speed for fixed lines and the 108th for mobile, among 176 countries, in February. Egypt, which has registered 710 coronavirus cases and 46 fatalities, announced on 24 March a curfew from 7 pm to 6 am for two weeks as part of stricter measures to limit the spread of the virus. It has also suspended classes at schools and universities, urging students to shift to e-learning amid the crisis. Earlier this month, the communication ministry said it would support online education by allowing free-of-charge surfing of all education platforms. In an attempt to encourage people to stay at home and use the internet during curfew hours, it also increased data limits for internet packages by 20 percent. The ministry also offered customers 30 times the charged balance as free minutes or units while using e-payment options to encourage citizens to use digital payment methods and avoid paying in cash to minimize viral transmission through banknotes. Calling the health ministrys hotlines is also offered be free of charge. Search Keywords: Short link: Stranded tourists from Australia and New Zealand have boarded a chartered flight out of Nepal. The Nepal Airlines flight had 222 Australians and 28 New Zealand nationals and permanent residents aboard and is scheduled to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday. Passengers will face a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Nepal's government has imposed a lockdown until April 7 halting flights, ordering vehicles off the roads, shutting down businesses and shuttering major markets. Similar flights have rescued stranded Germans, French and American nationals out of Nepal in the past few days. Nepal has reported five confirmed cases including one person who has recovered from it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US is headed for a "very tough two weeks", President Donald Trump has warned, advising people to be prepared for the "hard days" ahead, as the country was at war with a deadly coronavirus pandemic that the White House projects could claim one to two lakh lives during the next fortnight. Trump's remarks came as Deborah Bix, a member of White House Task Force on coronavirus, based on a model from actual data from the ground, said the death toll in the US could be between 100,000 to 200,000, with the strict implementation of the existing mitigation measures including social distancing till April 30. If no steps were to be taken, the death toll could range between 1.5 million and 2.2 million, Brix said on a day when the confirmed number of coronavirus infections in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center website, zoomed to over 189,500, adding more than 25,000 new cases in a single day and the fatalities rose to over 4,000. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," a grim-faced Trump told reporters on Tuesday at a briefing which has now become his daily coronavirus press conference at the White House for more than 10 days. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we are going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful, very, very, very painful two weeks," Trump said. In this grim scenario, where the daily death toll keeps on jumping at an unprecedented rate, and more than 250 million of the American population has been forced to stay inside their homes, the president asked his countrymen to be positive and cooperate in this war against the invisible army of coronavirus. "I want to give people hope. I'm a cheerleader for the country," said Trump who is the seeking re-election in the November presidential elections. Campaigning has come to a standstill and it is unlikely to revive in the next few months. The social distancing measures now have been extended for another 30 days till April 30. The country is expected to face the peak in coronavirus around middle of April. "We're going through the worst thing that the country has probably ever seen. Look, we had - the Civil War, we lost 600,000 people, right? Here's a thing, had we not done anything, we would have lost many times that. But we did something, so it's going to be, hopefully, way under that," he said. "But you know, we lose more here potentially than you lose in world wars as a country. So there's nothing positive, there's nothing great about it, I want to get people in this country hope. I think it's very important," Trump said. The United States is in the midst of a great national trial, the president said. This is "unlike any we have ever faced before you all see it, you see it probably better than most. We are at war with a deadly virus," he said. "Success in this fight will require the full absolute measure of our collective strength, love, and devotion. Very important. Each of us has the power through our own choices and actions to save American lives and rescue the most vulnerable among us; that is why we really have to do what we all know is right," he said. "Every citizen is being called upon to make sacrifices. Every business is being asked to fulfil its patriotic duty. Every community is making fundamental changes to how we live, work and interact each and every day, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this going on long into the future when this virus is gone and defeated," the president said. So far, New York alone accounts for 75,795 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 15,50 deaths. As compared, China from where it all started in November-December time frame had 81,518 cases and 33,05 deaths. In addition to New York, till Tuesday nine States had reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The States being New Jersey, California, Michigan, Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Sixteen other States had more than 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. While the deadly disease has spread like a wildfire from coast to coast, more than 100 deaths have been reported in at least eight States of New Jersey, California, Michigan, Washington, Louisiana, Georgia, and Illinois. New York tops the list with more than 15,50 deaths. Members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus asserted that they were pulling out all resources to bring down the projected number of fatalities in the country. "Our hope is to get that down as far as we possibly can. The modelling that Dr Birx showed predicts that number that you saw. We don't accept that number, that that's what's going to be. We're going to be doing everything we can to get it even significantly below that," said Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. "This is the thing that we need to anticipate, but that doesn't mean that that's what we're going to accept. We want to do much, much better than that," he told reporters in response to a question. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in December 2019, countries in the world have continually adapted to forced changes brought on by the pandemic. Already spread to over 180 countries, the mode of transmission of the disease has compelled tertiary institutions in many affected countries to shut down physical classes, switching to online. However, in some parts of the globe, Nigeria inclusive, learning has no online switch option, instead it stopped abruptly. Nigeria Having recorded its first case on February 28, the Nigerian government, three weeks later, ordered closure of all public gatherings including schools from primary schools to tertiary institutions to prevent further spread of COVID-19. As part of the measures to contain and prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the country, approval has been granted for the closure of all schools, Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) deputy executive secretary, Suleiman-Ramon Yusuf, noted in a circular on March 20. In some other countries, including South Africa, similar measures were also taken but the institutions quickly switched their classes online. For instance, at least a dozen colleges and universities across the United States have switched to teaching their courses online following COVID-19. This is also the case in many universities across Europe, North America and China. In Nigeria, however, learning will stop for the next few weeks, most likely months, depending on containment of the disease. Apart from The Technical University (Tech-U) Ibadan, that announced that its students will continue to take lectures and assignments online during the forced break, most other Nigerian tertiary institutions are not currently delivering online classes to students. Some education and technology experts who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES identified the key challenges in making this switch while providing viable recommendations. Its also about infrastructure, mindset VCs, Provost The Vice Chancellor of Technical University, Ibadan, Ayobami Salami, said it is important that Nigerian tertiary institutions invest in technology to meet up with the challenge. We cannot be talking about industrial revolution if we dont invest. By now, we should be able to deploy our learning management system in such a way that students can learn from home. Lets not forget that the clock does not stop ticking why then should learning stop because of pandemic? By the time the pandemic stops, we are coming back to where we stopped whereas foreign institutions have gone to achieve the necessary. It is not magic, we must put a lot of machinery into place. We need to create an enabling environment within our tertiary institutions, the same phone used by students and lecturers will simply serve this function. Because the environment has not been created, students dont see the need to use their phone beyond social media activities. We all need the orientation of instructors. In the first technical university in Nigeria where I work, when you come in, regardless of your position, you have to be trained on how to use our learning management system. We now take learning online and others can key into that as well. Mr Salami said the pandemic is a wakeup call for the Nigerian education institutions to catch up with the rest of the world. We must make more resources available for technological development, he said. The Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Idowu Olayinka, told PREMIUM TIMES that distance learning options considered by institutions meet up with international standards, saying no lockdown should affect students learning. He emphasised on the need for training and change of mindset on the part of lecturers. We need to invest in infrastructure- perhaps lectures will be delivered through Skype or teleconferences. Lecturers can even upload notes online and students will download for assignment. It requires training and retraining the lecturers to be more familiar with technology. Some professors are computer immigrants, so they need to be updated so that in this period of pandemic like this, a lot can still be achieved in our schools, he said. The Provost of College of Health Sciences in University of Ilorin, Olanrewaju Adedoyin, thinks Nigerian lecturers are in a good position to deliver on this if a conducive environment and trainings are made possible. One of those, he said, is reliable internet. Advertisements Before we can carry out good distance learning, you must have a good internet architecture. While the lecturers give lectures, students should also be able to access good internet and possibly communicate with their teachers through Skype. But do we have that in our universities? In the absence of that, it will just be a daydream. Whether you like it or not, it is affecting the ranking of Nigerian universities by the international communities. You cannot even access details of some universities online. The NUC and the university autonomy should be able to back that. Knowledge must be provided through all means. The universities just need to key into the mandate they have been given and provide access to knowledge dissemination. There was a time we were using chalk and blackboard, later we moved to marker and white board, and now many institutions are now using PowerPoint. They are all production of training and an enabling environment. Remi Sonaiya, a professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University and a former presidential candidate, told this newspaper that it boils down to accountability as many institutions continue to run the analog mode method of operation. We need to keep up with the development in the education sector, she said. ICT experts weigh in Some ICT experts, with experience working with the educational sector, noted that deficiencies on the part of academic tutors was a major challenge. Babafunsho Sonaiya, a professor and former Director of OAU Distance Learning, said there must be legislation, mobilisation and regulations to achieve a viable distance learning system. The regulation must be that every lecturer must have their lecture notes online and all of the exercises such as tests and assignments. If we get all this done, a lockdown for two weeks will not be a problem. I was handling a course in my department at a time when I was to travel out. I gave them access to a website where they can download my note and also gave them tests. The institutions must make sure they have a section on their portal where students can get necessary materials and it should be done in such a way that the notes can be downloaded and read on students devices, he explained. A programme manager at Paradigm Initiative, an ICT-inclined social enterprise, Babatunde Okunoye, said skills and investment are needed to develop a strong distance learning system in the country. The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is doing fine and I think we just need to leverage on this. The basic thing is that lecturers must learn and be ready to revolve. It is something that can be achieved if we really want to do it. Everybody will learn and by the time we adapt to this, we will be able to compete with other countries. By the time lecturers are told their income is based on learning these skills, they will do the needful. Also, Ralph Innocent, the founder of Tech Insight, a company that leverages existing technologies to improve learning in Nigeria, said the countrys institutions must imbibe a culture of teaching with technology through the ICT units of the universities. He argued that this will further bring international respect to the nations education sector. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 22:09:02 - Following approval of shareholders, companies sign German transfer agreement - Curetis GmbH and its subsidiaries Curetis USA Inc. and Ares Genetics GmbH are now wholly owned by OpGen, Inc. - OpGen consideration shares to be distributed to Curetis N.V. shareholders and Curetis N.V. to be dissolved and delisted from Euronext - Three Curetis N.V. Supervisory Board members resign to join newly formed OpGen Inc. board of directors Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Holzgerlingen, Germany, April 01, 2020, 10:00 pm CET - Curetis N.V. (in liquidation) (the "Company") today announced that the business combination between the Company and OpGen Inc. (OpGen) has successfully been completed. The signing of the German transfer agreement implementing the transfer of 100% of the shares in Curetis GmbH to a wholly-owned subsidiary of OpGen, and the transfer to the Company of 2,028,208 new OpGen shares issued as consideration for such transfer (the OpGen Shares") has occurred effective today. The liquidators of the Company will resolve upon a liquidation distribution, to the extent possible in advance, of the OpGen Shares to the shareholders pro rata to each share held by them on the distribution record date. The distribution record date will be announced by way of a press release. The OpGen Shares that are not distributed to the shareholders by way of the liquidation distribution in advance will be reserved to be sold by the liquidators to fund continuous operations of the Company until its delisting from Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels and its liquidation. The sale of OpGen Shares by the Companys liquidators shall not exceed an aggregate of 20% of the received OpGen Shares. Today, the Company also announced the new governance structure of the Company following its dissolution and the newly formed OpGen group. Oliver Schacht, PhD, Johannes Bacher, and Dr. Achim Plum, formerly managing directors of the Company, will act as liquidators of the Company. William E. Rhodes III, Prabhavathi Fernandes and Mario Crovetto resigned from the Companys supervisory board effective today to join the board of directors of OpGen Inc., as non-executive directors. The OpGen board will be chaired by William E. Rhodes III going forward. Dr. Werner Schaefer, Dr. Rudy Dekeyser, and Dr. Nils Clausnitzer will continue to serve on the Companys supervisory board until the liquidation of the Company has been completed and Curetis N.V. ceases to exist. The new OpGen board of directors will initially include non-executive directors William E. Rhodes III as chairman, Evan Jones, Don Elsey, Mario Crovetto, Prabhavathi Fernandes and the new President and CEO of OpGen, Oliver Schacht. The executive officers of OpGen in addition to CEO Oliver Schacht will be Tim Dec continuing to serve as CFO and managing the finance and G&A teams globally and Johannes Bacher, one of the Curetis founders, as COO who will be running global R&D and operations. Curetis USA Inc. will be dissolved in the coming weeks and its employees will be joining OpGen. The US commercial team going forward includes Chief Commercial Officer for the Americas Chris Emery and Chief Marketing and Scientific Affairs Officer Faranak Atrzadeh. Oliver Schacht, PhD and Johannes Bacher will retain their roles as managing directors of Curetis GmbH while Dr. Achim Plum resigned from his role as managing director of Curetis GmbH effective today to pursue other opportunities. However, Dr. Plum remains a managing director of Ares Genetics GmbH and will continue to support the newly formed OpGen group as a consultant. Dr. Andreas Posch will continue to serve as managing director and CEO of Ares Genetics GmbH and in addition will also serve on the expanded OpGen executive team bringing AI-powered and NGS-based capabilities into the combined business. OpGen and the Company had entered into a definitive agreement to combine their businesses on September 4, 2019. H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as strategic advisor to the Company while Crosstree acted as advisor to OpGen. Ballard Spahr LLP served as legal counsel to OpGen and Linklaters LLP as legal counsel to Curetis. ### About Curetis Curetis GmbHs 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 GmbHs 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.com and www.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 N.V. (in liquidation) 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 EUGENE, Ore. The Saturday Market will now open May 2, organizers announced Tuesday. The market typically opens the first weekend of April, but the opening was originally delayed until April 18. Organizers said they extended the delay due to the rapidly changing nature of coronavirus. They will continue to monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials. We are looking forward to coming together as a community on the Park Blocks on May 2, 2020, organizers wrote in a news release. The Presidential Task Force, on Tuesday, gave a review of its modalities for the COVID-19 lockdown in the aviation industry, saying diplomatic flights and aircraft carrying food, medical equipment and other humanitarian items were exempt. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, had announced a 14-day initial lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, beginning at 11pm on Monday, March 30. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who spoke during a live Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday, said the civil aviation took the campaign to contain the coronavirus extremely seriously because the sector provided platforms for social interaction. Sirika stated that all airports had therefore been closed, including local airports. He said, However, certain flights that are considered to be essential will continue to happen. So, Nigerians will continue to see aircraft flying but those aircraft are qualified: aircraft in distress looking for a landing site to save lives are allowed. Aircraft on technical stop, meaning that aircraft, perhaps, overflying the airspace of Nigeria needing to stop to pick fuel somewhere and continue with the journey, perhaps its travelling to supply medical equipment to some country or community. That kind of technical stop will be allowed in our airspace and airports. Medical evacuation will be allowed. Cargo will also be allowed. This cargo is essential, not just any cargo. Certain diplomatic flights will be allowed. Certain humanitarian flights those bringing in food items and other humanitarian supplies, medicines, medical equipment, etc. and also security flights. The minister added that in all of the aforementioned flights, protocols had been set out, which he said were well publicised. For example, if there is a flight on the ground, all the pilots must remain on board. Assuming there is cargo coming into Nigeria, they will operate two crews, so they wouldnt have any need to come out to rest during the journey. They would remain on board the aircraft and we will not service them, except for fuel. Servicing meaning we will not enter those aircraft to take food, water or clear their trash. All diplomatic flight request going forward will pass through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We can be copied to start the process early but they must go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ditto all security fights must pass through the National Security Adviser, he said. Citing First Amendment, outspoken minority of pastors refuse to close churches amid pandemic Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Citing First Amendment rights, an outspoken minority of pastors across the country are resisting calls from federal and local government authorities to close their churches amid the new coronavirus pandemic despite facing fines and arrests. Some legal experts, however, disagree with using the First Amendment as a defense for disobeying government authorities in the throes of a pandemic. On Monday, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, leader of Revival International Ministries and The River at Tampa Bay Church in Florida, became the first high-profile pastor in the burgeoning movement to insist his First Amendment rights were being violated after he was arrested for leading two large worship services on Sunday. Howard-Browne was charged with unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules both second degree misdemeanors for intentionally and repeatedly hosting church services with hundreds of members in attendance, despite knowing he was in violation of a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis for South Florida, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said. With legal help from the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation firm, Howard-Browne has decided to fight the charges. I know the sheriff said we cant hide behind the First Amendment, but we can because I was sworn in as a citizen of the Constitutional Republic of the United States and I raised my hand to pledge to defend the Constitution of America against enemies foreign and domestic, he said during a Facebook Live broadcast Monday night. The nation is under attack and whatever you give up this side youll never get it back. He argued that it makes no sense that churches are being closed while stores like Walmart, Costco and Lowes Home Improvement were being allowed to operate. Restaurants, he highlighted, are also being allowed to serve takeout despite a clear risk of spreading the virus. As long as you can keep Lowe's open and Walmart open and Costco and every other place and you go in there, talk about social distancing. I mean its insane. Theres so many holes in this thing. Even the people who deliver the food how do you know where the foods been cooked? Whos making it? How do you know that they dont have the virus? he asked. Somebody said, 'Well, theyre gonna catch it at the church.' I beg to differ, theyre at church one Sunday morning and six-and-a-half days a week theyre everywhere else. How do you know it wasnt the last trolley where you put your groceries in that wasnt infected? How do you know it wasnt the last restroom you went into? You dont actually know. I know America is fighting with each other right now, which its the whole narrative man. Divide and conquer, he said. The Rev. Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle church in Central, Louisiana, was also hit with a summons for the misdemeanor charge of violating Gov. John Bel Edwards' March 16 order against gatherings of more than 50 people. If convicted, Spell could face a fine of $500 and up to six months in jail, Central Assistant Police Chief Darren Sibley said in a Los Angeles Times report. He was very compliant. He signed the summons with no resistance, Sibley said of Spells response to the summons delivered Tuesday. He prayed for us before we left. Spell said he is not ashamed of being charged with violating the governor's stay-at-home order. Never been more proud to be persecuted for the faith like my Savior, he said of the charge against him which includes six counts one for every time he held a gathering since the governors order. Howard-Browne and Spell are not alone in their conviction that churches should be allowed to stay open to conduct business as usual during the coronavirus pandemic. A private test poll of 226 pastors conducted by Barna Research on March 2023 showed that while a vast majority of pastors, 67%, have opted to close their churches to observe social distancing orders in light of the pandemic, 5% said their churches will remain open as normal. Another 17% said they plan on staying open for small gatherings or meetings, and 11% will remain open to offer crisis services. On Sunday, Erik Meares of Evangel Bible College in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, livestreamed a confrontation on Facebook between members of a church who were not practicing social distancing and state police. The Rev. Alvin Gwynn Sr., the outspoken, 74-year-old leader of Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland, told The Baltimore Sun that he has no plans of canceling his church services despite a directive from Gov. Larry Hogan issued on March 19 limiting the size of gatherings in the state to 10 people or fewer. He said while he was preaching to 10 worshipers on Sunday four patrol cars containing eight or nine officers attempted to enter his church building but his security guards kept them out until he was done. You should have seen it, man, it looked like a police raid on a drug deal, Gwynn said. He explained that he will continue to abide by the 10 person limit for his services on a first-come, first-served basis, even for Easter, because he believes in the First Amendment. Remember, we have the First Amendment, which guarantees our most fundamental rights, he said. Can the state stop people from coming out of their homes to worship? Its a constitutional question. Congress cant make laws governing worship or peaceful assembly. Our democracy wouldnt be here if we didnt have those rights, he added. James G. Hodge, director of the Center for Public Health Law and Policy at Arizona State University, an affiliate of the Network for Public Health Law, told McClatchy News in a recent interview that during a pandemic, asking churches to limit physical meetings is a legal request. You dont have a right to assemble against the backdrop of known public health risk, Hodge said. He explained that officials typically have to go through legal processes to close an establishment or shut down public gatherings, but under a state of emergency everything is expedited. Its not that we dont have time for First Amendment interests, its that we must act fast, he said. What was opened today can be closed tomorrow. On a call with the heads of the nations largest historically black religious denominations and other faith leaders in the wake of the recent arrests of pastors, civil rights leader Al Sharpton urged them to not hold church services as Palm Sunday and Easter approaches. I have been arrested over 30 times for civil rights and civil disobedience twice for 90 days and another 45 days for standing up for peoples civil and human rights. These separate incidents involving leaders of faith putting peoples lives in danger is not a matter of civil or human rights, nor is it a statement of faith. It is self-aggrandizing, reckless behavior of those Shepherds who would risk their sheep rather than lead their sheep, Sharpton said in a statement Wednesday. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins also responded to churches that have continued to gather as the coronavirus pandemic moves across the county, calling their action a defiance of common sense. At this point, holding public church gatherings in the midst of a public health crisis is not a defense of religious freedom it is a defiance of common sense and the care of your congregation. Spread the Good News, not the virus! tweeted Perkins, whose organization works "to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview." Perkins statement came in the wake of a recent report by The Christian Post about 43 members of The Life Church of Glenview, Illinois, falling ill and at least 10 of them later testing positive for the coronavirus after a revival service in March. The COVID-19 crisis had affected a lot of sectors in the US. Employees of different food businesses are no exception to the harsh effects of the current crisis. Many employees of food businesses are participating in strikes through walking-out on the job or calling-in sick due to the health risks of their work. Here a few information about the ongoing strikes among food business employees: Perdue Dozens of poultry plant workers of Perdue in Georgia had gone on strike on March 23 to demand the business to sanitize the factory. According to the employees, the factory was not being cleaned thoroughly. Additionally, the group revealed that some workers who were exposed to the deadly novel coronavirus were not sent home. Instacart Some shoppers of the grocery app Instcart had announced their strike last week, says an article. The group of shoppers stated that they will deny new orders starting March 30 if the company does not provide their demands. Those demands include hazard pay of $5 per order, company-issued hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, and soap. They were also asking the company to offer them paid sick leaves, including employees with pre-existing health conditions and were told by their doctors to remain in their homes. Instacart responded to the concern and said that it will be giving out hand sanitizers to its employees. The business will also make it easier for shoppers to set a default tipping average. The workers were not satisfied with the response of the company and said that they will continue the strike. Amazon The workers of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York had walked out of their jobs on Monday. The employees are demanding that the facility be subject to sanitation after an employee of the business had tested positive for the deadly novel coronavirus last week. Chris Smalls, one of the organizers of the strike had stated that 100 employees of the business will be participating. CHECK THESE OUT: Amazon had already asked those people who were in contact with the COVID-19 positive employee to self-quarantine for 14 days. A few hours after the strike, Amazon announced that it had fired Chris Smalls for failing to observe the business' social distancing guidelines. There were only 15 employees who participated with Small on the strike, said Amazon. Whole Foods The Whole Worker's National Organizing Committee at the Amazon proprietary group, Whole Foods conducted a strike on March 31. The group's protest is about the improvement of their working conditions. Based on a leaked email from the CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey, the employees of the business were previously offered unlimited unpaid sick leave for the entire month of March. The email also included advising to donate their paid day off to co-workers with ill family members. The organizers of the strike asked employees not to go to work to demand a guaranteed paid leave for those who are self-isolating after believing that they have been exposed to the virus. Also, they demand the reinstatement of healthcare coverage for seasonal and part-time employees among other demands. Data shared by a whistleblower suggests Saudi Arabia may be using a weakness in mobile telecom networks to track its citizens in the US, The Guardian reports. The data shows that over a four-month period, Saudi Arabia's three biggest mobile phone companies sent 2.3 million requests for Provider Subscriber Information (PSI). Normally, that data is used to help foreign operators register roaming charges, but the high volume of requests could also give the Saudi telecoms enough info to track users within hundreds of meters of accuracy. This takes advantage of long-standing vulnerabilities in a global messaging system called SS7, which routes mobile calls when a user from one country is traveling in another. According to the data shared with The Guardian, the Saudi telecoms sent millions of these PSI SS7 requests to US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) between November 2019 and March 1st -- sometimes requesting data as often as two to 13 times per hour. It isn't clear if the Saudi telecoms were spying on behalf of the government, but the kingdom doesn't have the best track record. Earlier this year, The Guardian reported that Amazon's Jeff Bezos's phone was hacked via a WhatsApp message from the personal account of Prince Mohammed. Twitter has banned thousands of accounts linked with a state-backed effort to promote the Saudi government's message, and the Department of Justice has charged former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia. "I think they are surveilling not only those they know are dissidents, but those they fear may deviate from the Saudi leadership," Andrew Miller, a Middle East expert and former member of Barack Obama's national security council, told The Guardian. "They are particularly worried about what Saudi nationals will do when they are in western countries." Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator from Oregon, previously warned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that "malicious attackers" were exploiting SS7 vulnerabilities. In a statement to The Guardian, Wyden wrote, "Because of [Pai's] inaction, if this report is true, an authoritarian government may be reaching into American wireless networks to track people inside our country." By PTI SRINAGAR: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday lashed out at the Centre over new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was an insult to injury of the people as there were none of the promised protections. "Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised," Omar said in a series of tweets. The former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir said the new law was so hollow that even politicians with "Delhi's blessings" were forced to criticise it. "You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi's blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the #JKdomicilelaw," he added. Omar was apparently referring to the criticism of the domicile law by Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party founder Altaf Bukhari. The government on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew of amendments to 138 Acts of Jammu and Kashmir that included protecting jobs up to Group-4 for only those who are domicile of the union territory. The notification said among the laws amended is the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act. Stranded Thai students prefer to stay in US than risk travel THAILAND: Several Thai students stranded in the United States have said they would rather stay put than return home and risk contracting or transmitting COVID-19 en route because the US has more than 188,000 COVID-19 cases. CoronavirusCOVID-19transporthealthSafety By Bangkok Post Wednesday 1 April 2020, 09:28AM There have been close to 4,000 deaths across the US, surpassing the total number of fatalities in China where the coronavirus began last December. Photo: AFP Sudaluck Suriyayot, a 15-year-old exchange student in Confluence, Pennsylvania, said her parents had agreed to let her stay for now because travelling will put her at risk of getting infected. Sometimes I worry though, because half of the students in the programme have already packed up and are heading home. I will think about returning this week, because this city may go into full lockdown at any time, she said, adding that local authorities had ordered the closure of public venues as neighbouring towns have had a rising number of COVID-19 infections. Nat Nonsaengroth, a 17-year-old exchange student in Hutto, Texas, said his host family has allowed him to stay on, so he can avoid coming into contact with possible carriers. Nat added that protective gear is not freely available in his community, and those who use it are viewed with suspicion. If you wear a mask, you will be branded a sick person by classmates, when actually all you are trying to do is protect yourself and others, he said. Sagee Wongchaisuwan, a 17-year-old exchange student in Edina, Missouri, said she has also decided to stay for now to avoid possible infection while travelling. I had seven transit flights before I arrived here. If I fly back, I could be infected en route. It is safer to stay with my host family and take online courses. If I want essential items, I can order them online from a local supermarket, she said. Meanwhile, students on work-and-travel programmes are facing financial difficulties because their workplaces have closed under partial lockdowns. Chayapa Kandokmai, a 20-year-old student in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, said the coronavirus outbreak has turned the bustling town, which has several amusement parks where many students work, into a ghost town. Local authorities shut down public places temporarily, including my souvenir shop. Drive-through restaurants and supermarkets remain open, but limit the number of customers to avoid overcrowding. Food and supplies are in stock only in the morning, she said. Like 40 other unemployed students on her programme, Ms Chayapa is wondering how she will weather the coronavirus storm as she wants to work and travel until the programme wraps up in June. Without a job, I only have enough to last until mid April. I want to apply for a Social Security Number, but the offices are closed. If I have this card, I can look for another job legally, she said. I am trying to apply for a card online, but I have to send my passport by mail and wait for two weeks. If something happens in the meantime, such as a full lockdown, I wont be able to return home. Likewise, Pichanat Yoousuksumran, a 21-year-old student in New Jersey, said she is in two minds about whether to return home as she had only just arrived. Slate Plus members get more Care and Feeding from Jamilah Lemieux every week. Dear Care and Feeding, I am trying to teach my 6- and 8-year-olds (kindergarten and third grade) at home right now , and its not going very well. The 8-year-olds teacher has been sending him things to do but he blazes through it in an hour flat. So I started to teach my kids about significant events and then accidentally screwed up big time last week. In trying to teach them about Sept. 11, I unintentionally sprouted the Muslims = terrorists seed, which was planted at school and from an unfortunate Islamophobic family friend who we no longer associate with. I have been trying to remedy the situation by teaching them about Muslim culture and traditions (which I dont know very much about). Still, at the store yesterday, my 6-year-old pointed to a Middle Eastern man with an Islamic-style head covering and shouted, LOOK, MOM, A TERRORIST! Luckily the man was very forgiving when I explained the situation and gave him a little money, but I was mortified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, what can I do? I want to rid my children of this idea as quickly as possible, but society ingrains it so deeply, and all my kids focus on is Muslims were the bad people on 9/11! Not Raising Bigots Dear NRB, I cant help but wonder why 9/11, one of the most devastating events to take place in our lifetimes, was on the curriculum for the earliest days of the coronavirus-mandated home schooling. Its not that you should be shielding your kids from this important part of our nations history, but it seems like a bit of horror overload could be possible right about now, no? Also, did you use any materials that were developed to help children understand the events surrounding that day? Its not a bad idea to look to (non-Islamophobic, of course) sources that can help synthesize that sort of tragedy and the many related issues it brought to the fore in an age-appropriate way. Advertisement Advertisement Explain to your children that Muslims make up almost a quarter of the worlds populationsome 1.8 billion peopleand that the actions of a small group of terrorists does not reflect on the religion as a whole. Furthermore, you must make it clear why so many people go for a Muslims are the bad guys narrative, while the horrors of American chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, LGBTQ-phobic violence, etc., are often justified by some interpretations of the Biblethat is, racism and white supremacy. For far too many of our countrymen, bad Christians are bad individuals, while bad Muslims are the face of Islam. Advertisement The last thing kids want (or, perhaps, need) to hear right now is about more tragedy and strife, but it is important that you provide enough context about the prevalence of terrorism and violence throughout the country to make it abundantly clear that it isnt simply one group of people who are capable of and invested in craven indifference for life. Furthermore, you should also talk to your kids about the harm that Islamophobia has caused, from mere discrimination and bias, to bullying, harassment, assault, and even murder. You opened up a difficult can of worms here, but you cant close it up until you are certain that your kids know enough not to look at someone who is different from them and assume them to be responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans simply because they share the same religion or ethnic background. (And now that COVID-19 has officially killed more Americans than those terror attacks did, you are justified in planting the seed about how the selection of a president who is incapable of properly responding to a pandemic can cause even more devastation that the actions of those who deliberately murdered thousands of people.) Good luck, and please take a break with some cartoons this week. Jamilah More than 16 million in unclaimed National Lottery prize money is to be used to support Covid-19 health efforts. The money has been returned to the Exchequer at the end of a lengthy dispute that dates back to 2014 when the National Lottery was privatised and sold to Canadian-owned Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI). As part of the process, PLI inherited 16.092 million in unclaimed prize money from the previous licence holder, An Post. The money had accumulated over the course of some 27 years. The dispute emerged as it was not explicitly stated in the licence what should happen to the money. Under current licence rules, the licence-holder can use the money in promotions. The Department of Public Expenditure believed the money should revert to the National Lottery Good Causes fund as it was generated by the previous licence holder but PLI contended it should be able to use the money. The matter was eventually referred to the Attorney General and the Regulator of the National Lottery has now confirmed there is "no basis" for the current licence holder to use the money. The issue has been resolved by an amendment to the license following a review by the regulator and in agreement with the operator. Carol Boate, Regulator of the National Lottery stated; Following thorough consideration of the matter I had concluded that there was no basis for the money to be used by the current operator. "This agreement with the operator now means the money can be returned to the Exchequer without delay for use by Good Causes, further ensuring that funds for this purpose are maximised at this time. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed the money would be used to support the health sector in the Covid-19 fight. Commenting on this development, Minister Donohoe said, I am pleased that the 16 million of historic expired prizes has become available to support investments in health at a time of unprecedented national crisis due to COVID-19. National Lottery CEO, Andrew Algeo said, All of us at the National Lottery are delighted to see this 16 million used to improve health in our communities. PLI has been pleased to work together with the Regulator to make these funds available at this time. Thanks to our players the National Lottery raised over 250m for thousands of Good Causes in 2019 and perhaps more than ever, plays a vital role in supporting clubs, charities and great causes across the country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Brussels, Belgium Thu, April 2, 2020 04:06 648 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f08008 2 World coronavirus,COVID-19,lockdown,narcotics,Drugs-trafficking,drug-dealer,Europe,Belgium Free South American drug kingpins attempted to flood Europe with cocaine last month in hopes of getting ahead of the coronavirus shutdown that has closed one of the trade's biggest markets, a top Belgian official said on Wednesday. The theory is from Belgium's top customs official, Kristian Vanderwaeren, after a series of extraordinary seizures in a country considered Europe's main import hub of cocaine through the sprawling port of Antwerp. "In recent days there has been a substantial increase in seizures," Vanderwaeren, Belgium's customs administrator general, told AFP. Whether by air or ocean, cocaine moved in massive quantities between South America and Belgium, as narco-dealers seized a window of opportunity before the slowdown in travel and trade in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "The mafia in South America organized itself and placed as much product as possible in containers, knowing that shipping traffic to Europe will decrease in the coming months," said Vanderwaeren. At the port of Antwerp, a total of more than 1.6 tons of cocaine was intercepted in just three seizures. "Three times the jackpot," said Vanderwaeren as seizures of 300 and 700 kg of cocaine are rare so many months from the summer and New Year peaks of consumption in Europe. In another surprise, a stash of nearly 350 kg of the white powder was seized on March 16 at Brussels national airport on a flight from the Dominican Republic. "Normally, we spot 1 kilo, 1.5 kilos, 2 kilos... Never have we ever had such a quantity" in luggage, said the head of customs. The local prosecutors office said the drugs were hidden in "eight pieces of luggage" placed in the hold, and were not claimed on arrival so there was no arrest made. The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has severely disrupted air transport since mid-March, particularly in Brussels and Charleroi, Belgium's two main airports. The port of Antwerp is Europe's second busiest shipping hub after Rotterdam, which is just a few kilometers away in the Netherlands. The docks are less busy because transport companies are partly teleworking, said Vanderwaeren. Customs checks have dropped off too, "following instructions from the government," he added. In 2019, cocaine seizures in the port of Antwerp had reached a new record of almost 62 tons. Nearly 60 percent of this amount came from three countries: Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. Montgomery County Public Health officials confirmed Wednesday the countys first two deaths connected to the novel conronavirus. Both deaths were residents of a senior living facility in The Woodlands. The deaths, both men, one in his 80s and one in his 90s, come just days after County Judge Mark Keough ordered the residents of The Conservatory at Alden Bridge to shelter in place when 13 cases were confirmed at the facility. The shelter in place order expires April 13. As of Wednesday morning, the countys total case count was 93. However, 14 of those cases have made a full recovery. The Conservatory at Alden Bridge, at 6203 Alden Bridge Drive, is a senior living facility that offers apartment homes and offers residents services such as chauffeured transportation for scheduled trips to shopping, dining and medical appointments. The facility can house up to 237 residents and currently has a capacity of about 200. Because of the rise of the coronavirus in Montgomery County and more specifically in a senior living facility, the Conservatory at Alden Bridge, this afternoon I issued a shelter in place order, Keough said. This order was issued out of concern for the well-being of the local community as well as the high-risk individuals who reside at the conservatory. According to the order, residents had until 6 p.m. Tuesday to leave to stay with a family member as long as they continue to shelter in place during the duration of the order. Those who left the facility cannot return to the property until the order expires April 13. Additionally, the order prohibited anyone from entering the property unless it is to provide food service, or are caregivers, medical professionals, law enforcement or someone assisting a resident in leaving under the order. In a previous article, Jason Millsaps, executive director of the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said while officials with The Conservatory had put some measures in place to help stop the spread of the virus, they were pleased with the shelter-in-place order since some residents were resistant to comply with the county stay-at-home order set in place March 12. Millsaps said there are still tests pending for residents of The Conservatory so the number of cases could rise. Its a hotspot, he said. No one should be coming in or out. It warrants a shelter in place. Officials with The Conservatory could not be reached for comment. For a complete list of all confirmed new coronavirus cases in Montgomery County, visit mcphd-tx.org/coronavirus-covid-19/confirmed-cases. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Wuhan doctor Ai Fen, who expressed early concerns about the coronavirus to the media, has disappeared and is believed detained by Chinese authorities. Fen, the head of emergency at Wuhan Central Hospital, was given a warning after she disseminated information about the coronavirus to several other doctors. She recounted the reprimand in an essay titled, The one who supplied the whistle, which was published in Chinas People (Renwu) magazine. The article has since been removed. The reprimand from her boss came after Fen took a photo of a patients positive test results and circled the words SARS coronavirus in red. She brought several cases of coronavirus to the attention of her colleagues, eight of whom were later called in by police for revealing information about the respiratory illness, according to Radio Free Asia. One, opthalmologist Li Wenliang, warned fellow med school grads to wear protective clothing, an early warning that was condemned by authorities as rumormongering. Wenliang eventually died from the virus himself. Fens social media account on the Chinese platform Weibo has been updated several times since her disappearance, although Chinese authorities have been known to update detainees social media accounts or order them to do so themselves. On Wednesday, a post appeared on her account reading Happy April Fools Day, with a picture of her in a lab coat and mask. About two weeks ago, a post appeared on Fens account reading, Thank you for your care and love. Im fine at the moment and Im still working. However, Fens whereabouts are now unknown, 60 Minutes Australia reported Monday. China has confirmed a total of 81,554 infections and 3,312 deaths from the coronavirus. However, the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report Wednesday that China deliberately provided incomplete public numbers for coronavirus cases and deaths resulting from the infection. In December, local and national officials issued a gag order to labs in Wuhan after scientists there identified a new viral pneumonia, ordering them to halt tests, destroy samples, and conceal the news. More from National Review Twenty-four foreigners who came to Lucknow after participating in the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi have been admitted at Balrampur Hospital, informed Lucknow Police Commissioner on Wednesday. "While 18 residents of Lucknow, who participated in the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi, have not returned to the city," he said. The gatherings organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in March. COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from those who attended the event in Delhi, with 24 cases being reported from the capital alone, apart from Telangana, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. Earlier today, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that a total of 2,361 people have been brought out from Markaz, Nizamuddin in a joint operation by authorities which lasted 36 hours. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A union leader is lobbying the province to make compensation easier to obtain for those who suspect they were infected with COVID-19 on the job. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A union leader is lobbying the province to make compensation easier to obtain for those who suspect they were infected with COVID-19 on the job. Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, is asking that the province deem Workers Compensation Board coverage related to COVID-19 to be "presumptive" for a wide variety of essential workers. That means it would be presumed the virus resulted from work, unless thats proven not to be the case. "If they get COVID-19, its because they do not have the luxury to stay at home," said Forrest. The union leader said he believes those benefits should cover lost income due to isolation periods, as well as compensate for illness and deaths related to COVID-19. Forrest asked for the changes in a letter he sent the province on Monday. He argues it should apply not only to firefighters, paramedics, nurses and doctors, but also cover other workers who have been deemed essential during the pandemic, including staff who work in public transit, the water system and grocery stores, among others, he said. Forrest said he will attempt to convince government to apply the change retroactively and hopes it can cover all workers affected by COVID-19 as of March 20 when the Manitoba government declared a pandemic-related state of emergency. Since some presumptive coverage is already in place for firefighters who are diagnosed with certain cancers, the change should be relatively straightforward to implement, he said. 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. In an email, Manitobas Workers Compensation Board did not indicate it was open to the change. "Unlike presumptions for firefighter cancers, COVID-19 is a highly contagious illness that is prevalent in the community," the statement said. "In this environment, the inquiry process that is used for adjudication of claims is best suited for determining causal links between workplace exposures and related injuries." But the minister responsible for the WCB, Scott Fielding, said high priority will be given to workers COVID-19 claims. "We want to assure Manitobans that if a worker is exposed to and contracts COVID-19 on the job, they will receive WCB coverage. We have confirmed that the WCB is currently adjudicating COVID-19 claims and will cover workers who contract COVID-19 arising out of and in the course of their employment," Fielding said in an emailed statement. Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga As the new coronavirus pandemic spread and Illinoisans were ordered to stay home, dispensaries which are deemed essential by the state and allowed to stay open suddenly had to figure out how to enforce social distancing in their stores. Protecting medical marijuana patients, many of whom have compromised immune systems, became a pressing concern. And plans to open new dispensaries were put on the back burner as city approvals for new sites ground to a halt. Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Iran is planning a "sneak attack" against US forces in Iraq, without providing any evidence or sourcing for the assertion. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" he wrote on Twitter. Tensions between Iran and the US have been sky-high since the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "severe revenge" after the attack. Since then, US bases in Iraq have come under attack a number of times. US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures This photo released by the Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office shows a burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday 3 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures The wreckage of the car in which general Soleimani was travelling when a targeted US airstrike struck outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January Ahmad Al Mukhtar via Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Demonstrators burn the US and British flags during a protest in Tehran after general Soleimani was killed in a targeted airstrike by American forces Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed general Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of Donald Trump AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn Israeli and US flags as thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of general Soleimani at the hands of America EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of Donald Trump pray at an 'Evangelicals for Trump' campaign event held on the day following the killing of general Soleimani. At the event, the president praised the "flawless strike that eliminated the terrorist ringleader" AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A huge procession of mourners gather in Baghdad for the funeral of general Soleimani on 4 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of Soleimani during an anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iraqis perform a mourning prayer for slain major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards at the Great Mosque of Kufa AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A billboard reading 'Death to America and Israel', installed by Iran-backed shiite armed groups at a street in Jadriyah district in Baghdad, Iraq EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him visiting the family of Soleiman KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US flag as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Jalal Feiruznia, looks to a portrait of Soleimani, as he receives condolences at the Iranian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures People make their way on the street while a screen on the wall of a cinema shows a portrait Soleimani in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Aziz Asmar, one of two Syrian painters who completed a mural following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani poses next to his creation in the rebel-held Syrian town of Dana in the northwestern province of Idlib AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A demonstration in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures An anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Mujtaba al-Husseini, the representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a speech in the holy shrine city of Najaf AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US and Israeli flags as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters demonstrate in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, in Peshawar, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London PA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn a US flag in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A Syrian man offers sweets to children to mark the killing AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers attend a mourning prayer for Soleimani in Iran's capital Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Kashmiri Shiite Muslims shout anti American and anti Israel slogans during a protest AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshipers chant slogans during Friday prayers Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A protest against the USA, in Islamabad, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranians burn a US flag in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin, Germany Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol a road in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel. Following morning's killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called for the missile strike by Israel's closest ally, to be avenged AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian women take to the streets in Tehran EPA Soleimani, the leader of Irans Quds Force, was killed in a drone strike on 3 January in Baghdad airport. The strike was ordered by Mr Trump following weeks of rising tensions between US military forces and Iran-backed militias in Iraq. In his dual role as diplomat and military commander, Soleimani, 62, was the architect of Irans military influence across the Middle East. He travelled the region to build and support a network of allied militias that aimed to project Irans strength and counter US influence. Iran has struck back against US troops in Iraq through its allied militias in the country. In March, a rocket attack attributed to Kata'ib Hezbollah, one of those militias, killed two American and one British military personnel at a base north of Baghdad. The US launched retaliatory strikes a day later targeting Kata'ib Hezbollah facilities in the country. As COVID-19 pandemic measures see corporate travel grinding to a halt, directly wreaking havoc on the business accommodation sector, national corporate accommodation provider, Urban Rest Apartments, has responded with a nation-wide temporary 14 day COVID-19 self-isolation package. Aimed at corporate travellers returning from overseas, as well as local families seeking a more comfortable self-isolation experience, the packages nightly rates equate to less than half the companys standard rates. Available under the temporary offer, alongside their existing nationwide portfolio, is a brand new five-star luxury hotel in Sydneys inner suburbs, which was recently added to Urban Rests accommodation range, and features 90 serviced apartment-style suites offering indulgent living spaces and standout hotel experiences. All of the properties offered include full kitchens, internal laundries and large living spaces as standard, with food hampers and additional sanitising and cleaning equipment available for those in self-isolation. Under the COVID-19 self-isolation package, properties available in Urban Rests portfolio start from prices as low as $120 per night. Urban Rests founder and Managing Director, David Whelan, said: Many corporates are accommodating their returning international business travellers in standard hotel rooms, which sees them holed up in tiny spaces where they are having to live and try to work productively in really challenging environments, during their self-isolation. In contrast, were offering larger and more comfortable apartments and houses at a heavily reduced rate, at a time when health and wellbeing is paramount. We feel its imperative for accommodation providers to step up to the mark and do what we can for people during these unprecedented times and that goes for everyone in the community. Whilst we hope to see business travel, which is our normal target market, rebound over the coming months, the focus for us at Urban Rest, for the immediate future anyway, is to assist the community during this pandemic. We all need to play our part. Launched in 2017 by Mr Whelan, who brought his investment management experience to the start-up enterprise, Urban Rest has rapidly grown its portfolio of high-quality serviced apartments and houses to five cities in Australia, with apartments in Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, as well as an expansion to New Zealand on the horizon. Urban Rests impressive collection of residences in central locations include The Arc by Crown and York & George in Sydneys CBD. Its clients include blue-chip giants such as McKinsey & Co, Boston Consulting Group, KPMG, Amazon and Canva, all using the service for their long-stay accommodation needs. Our properties are either new or recently renovated to ensure high quality consistency throughout our portfolio, so its pleasing to offer these premium properties to the broader community to make their self-isolation periods a far more comfortable experience, added Mr Whelan. This is incredibly important at the moment when the lines between the workplace and home have become increasingly blurred with so many of us having to work from home. These apartments provide bigger liveable spaces to offset this inconvenience at this most challenging time. Kennedy Center musicians filed a grievance against the Kennedy Center Tuesday and plan to seek arbitration as they were furloughed after the federal government approved sending $25 million in funding to the performing arts center in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. Robert Rearden, 38, who plays the french horn in the National Symphony Orchestra and co-chairs the Orchestra Committee, told DailyMail.com Wednesday that musicians were 'relieved' when the $2.2 trillion stimulus package passed with the measure for the center, anticipating the funds would go to all Kennedy Center staff. 'The $25 million is something that we think is great because it is very clearly outlined in the language of the bill that it is to go toward employees,' Rearden said. 'It's supposed to help all employees there are many who have been furloughed,' he added, mentioning that the 100 musicians in the orchestra are not the only Kennedy Center employees who have been furloughed. The center's board includes Donald Trump allies Jon Voight and Mike Huckabee. Although employees anticipated the millions would help fuel their salaries as performances were canceled and the Kennedy Center shut down, the whole orchestra was furloughed along with 600 other venue workers. 'In reading the bill it certainly would give some relief to anybody reading it that it would give help to employees on the payroll,' Rearden said. 'I don't think anybody's breathing a sigh of relief in this environment here, but it was nice to see it was included in the language of the bill very clearly,' he added. The National Symphony Orchestra has submitted a grievance against the Kennedy Center for furloughing employees, which is against its collective bargaining agreement Robert Rearden (pictured), a french horn player and co-chairs the Orchestra Committee, told DailyMail.com that when the $25 million measure for Kennedy Center passed, musicians were 'relieved' The National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center's in-house orchestra, sent a letter claiming their employer cannot withhold payment to its 100 musicians because of the terms of their collective bargaining agreement. Steve Wilson, bassoonist and fellow co-chair of the Orchestra Committee lamented in a statement to DailyMail.com that the salary suspension came just hours after Donald Trump approved a measure to grant the Kennedy Center $25 million to help pay employees. 'On the same day that President Trump signed the stimulus package that would send $25 million to the Kennedy Center for, among other expenses, employee compensation, Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter illegally decided to stop paying us, and refused to promise to continue our healthcare past May,' Wilson said. The Kennedy Center announced last month that it was cancelling all of its public events through May 10, but Rearden admitted it was unclear how long the center plans to furlough its employees. 'As we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our patrons, artists, staff, volunteers, and community at large, the Kennedy Center has canceled all public performances and events scheduled through Sunday, May 10, 2020, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19,' it reads on the Kennedy Center website. The NSO plays at the Kennedy Center regularly with guest conductors, like Gianandrea Noseda, and also travels to perform at historic venues like Carnegie Hall in New York City. Some GOP lawmakers were perplexed that Trump so easily approved the Kennedy Center measure passing in the $2.2 trillion stimulus package. The Kennedy Center is an entity of the federal government, and in March 2019 Trump appointed several allies to the board of trustees. The political appointments included former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Republican actor Jon Voight, Kelly Roberts, a hotelier and onetime nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia; Carl Lindner III, co-CEO of Ohio-based American Financial Group and Trump super-PAC donor, among others. The list of donors for Kennedy Center also includes Lindner contributing $1 million and another $1 million from the Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, a year before she became Trump's Education Secretary. The Kennedy Center Honors also boasts a star-studded night every year where celebrities and politicians alike flood the venue to honor a group of entertainers, actors and musicians for lifetime achievements. Members of the Kennedy Center board of trustees, appointed by Donald Trump, include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (left) and Republican actor Jon Voight (right) In a grievance letter sent to Kennedy Center management, representatives for the 100-member National Symphony Orchestra disputed the legality of the Kennedy Center deciding to suspend their contract in order to furlough employees. 'In particular, we write to respond to the Kennedy Center's position, as expressed on our call yesterday, that it unilaterally can 'suspend' the parties' entire collective bargaining agreement because of 'exigent circumstances' on one week's notice. That position is baseless,' a letter addressed to Kennedy Center management argued Tuesday. Rearden claims that the terms of the collective bargaining agreement requires the Kennedy Center to give all members of the orchestra 6 weeks of written notice that they are being furloughed. He added that Kennedy Center would have to fulfill certain financial obligations in order to suspend the contract. 'They have not invoked that section. There's no legal basis to suspend the contract,' Rearden asserted. Census Day Is Here in Southern California Make It Count! Response Rate Map Shows What Areas Are Responding the Fastest Today is Census Day in Southern California, the day that determines who is counted in the 2020 Census and where they are counted. The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. Responding to the 2020 Census is easy, safe and important, and is key to shaping the future of communities. Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs legislative district boundaries. They also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds are allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers to communities for public services and infrastructure like hospitals, emergency services, schools and bridges each year over the next 10 years. ADVERTISEMENT Across Los Angeles County, 32% of households have responded to the 2020 Census since invitations began arriving in mailboxes March 12-20. This can be compared to 36.2% who have responded in the nation. Response rates are updated in the map daily seven days a week at 12 pm Pacific Time so that the public can see how well their community is doing compared to the nation and other areas. The Census Bureau is strongly encouraging the public to respond to the 2020 Census online using a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. You can respond online or by phone in English or 12 other languages. There are also 59 non-English language guides and videos (plus American Sign Language) available on 2020census.gov ensuring over 99% of U.S. households can respond online in their preferred language. It has never been easier to respond on your own all without having to meet a census taker. This is really important with the current health and safety guidance being provided by national, state and local health authorities. When you respond: Respond for where you live as of April 1 (Census Day) . Include everyone who usually lives and sleeps in your home as of April 1, even if they are staying somewhere else temporarily. This includes relatives, friends, roommates and anyone else who lives and sleeps in your home most of the time even children under age five and babies born on or before April 1, even if they are still in the hospital. Count c ollege students where the y live while attending school. If they live on campus in university/college housing such as dorms or fraternity/sorority houses , they will be counted by school officials and do not need to respond . H owever, if they live off campus in private housing or apartments, they should respond to the census on their own using their off- campus address even if they are currently staying elsewhere . Find a dditional answers about Who to Count at 2020census.gov . You can use the Census ID from your invitation or provide your address when you respond. Then, please make sure your friends, family and social networks know about the importance of responding and encourage them to complete their census.Responding now will minimize the need for a census taker to follow up and visit your home later this year. Some households in areas less likely to respond online have already received a paper questionnaire along with their first invitation. Households that have not responded online or by phone will receive a paper questionnaire April 816. For more information, visit 2020census.gov. Please note: Based on continuing assessments of guidance from federal, state and local health authorities, the Census Bureau is suspending 2020 Census field operations for two additional weeks to April 15, 2020. The Census Bureau is taking this step to help protect the health and safety of the American public, Census Bureau employees, and everyone who will go through the hiring process for temporary census taker positions. The Census Bureau continues to evaluate all 2020 Census field operations, and will communicate any further updates as soon as possible. ADVERTISEMENT The 2020 Census is open for self-response online at 2020Census.gov, over the phone by calling the number provided in your invitation, and by paper through the mail. Tip sheet only. No news release associated with this announcement. While health ministry officials quibble over whether increasing clusters of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases across India should be classified as local transmission that implies the infection source can be traced, or community transmission, which indicates more widespread disease because the source cannot be traced and contact tracing cannot be carried out to identify potential cases, clinicians in California have published a detailed case study of the first case of community transmission in the United States on February 26, underlining the need for expanded, aggressive testing to tackle the pandemic. Following the diagnosis, the US ramped up testing to discover the staggering magnitude of the epidemic, and now has the highest number of cases in the world, with at least 190,000 cases and 4,000 deaths. For clinicians, the medical history of an otherwise healthy woman in her 40s, whose chest infection rapidly deteriorated to near-fatal septic shock, offers critical clues to the management and treatment of Covid-19. The woman was admitted to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, with a respiratory infection, which chest imaging indicated was pneumonia. Her condition worsened within 24 hours of admission, and she was quickly moved to the intensive-care unit (ICU) and put on ventilator support to help her breathe. She was given antibiotics, including linezolid, piperacillin-tazobactam and azithromycin, to kill a possible bacterial infection. The battery of tests over the next few days included a viral panel, respiratory culture, blood cultures, bronchoscopy cultures to identify infection source, but all came up negative. The doctors then started suspecting coronavirus disease but did not test her as she had no history of international travel or contact with a person with Covid-19, which was the testing criterion of the US Centers of Disease Control a month ago when no community transmission has been recorded. She next developed acute respiratory distress, with fluid building up in her lungs and making it difficult for her to breathe, which quickly worsened to septic shock, a potentially fatal sudden drop in blood pressure in reaction to severe infection. The severity of her respiratory condition and her lack of response to all supportive treatment led the clinicians to put her on airborne precautions and strict contact precautions and finally get her tested for Covid-19. Two days later, the results came back positive. Since there were no approved antiviral therapies for Covid-19, but the UC Davis got regulatory approval to treat her with an investigational drug called remdesivir, the broad-spectrum antiviral developed by Gilead Sciences that has shown promise against coronaviruses in animals. Remdesivir infusions resulted in the patient needing significantly less ventilator support and having better blood oxygen levels and chest X-ray results. Fourteen days after first admission to UC Davis, she was taken off ventilation. She has since been discharged and is recovering at home. Remdesivir is an experimental drug, though there are ongoing clinical trials to analyse its safety and effectiveness against Sars-Cov2, the virus that causes Covid-19. In Medanta, we managed the 14 Italian patients symptomatically and all but one have recovered and been discharged. Only one is still in the ICU, but she is stable, said Dr Yatin Mehta, chairman, Chairman Institute of Critical Care and Anaesthesiology, Medanta-The Medicity, Gurugram, where Indias first large group of 14 tourists were isolated for treatment in March. The US case study emphasises knowledge gaps in the diagnosis and management of Covid-19 patients in the absence of known community transmssion. Without clear risk factors, such as travel history, contact, co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes, and advanced age, Covid-19 infection can initially masquerade as pneumonia. According to recent guidelines in India, all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory infection, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia without an explanatory diagnosis, must be tested for Covid-19 even if no clear source of exposure is identified, Dr Mehta. The US study underscores the value of expanded testing. There are individuals in the community who are not manifesting severe enough symptoms to check with their health care providers To tackle the pandemic, there needs to be significantly faster, less expensive and more widespread testing of all patients who potentially have Covid-19, said Michael Schivo, co-director of UC Davis Comprehensive COPD Clinic and senior author on the study, in a statement. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanchita Sharma Sanchita is the health & science editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting and writing on public health policy, health and nutrition for close to two decades. She is an International Reporting Project fellow from Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and was part of the expert group that drafted the Press Council of Indias media guidelines on health reporting, including reporting on people living with HIV. ...view detail US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the issue of extension of visas for Indians during his teleconference call with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, informed sources told ANI on Wednesday. According to sources, Pompeo expressed condolences on the attack on Gurdwara in Kabul and the two also decided to exchange notes on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. Twenty-seven people were killed and several others sustained injuries after armed men stormed the Dharamshala Sikh Temple in Kabul and opened fire inside the premise. "Good call today with Indian External Affairs Minister DrSJaishankar on the #USIndia partnership. Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the #coronavirus, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains," Pompeo tweeted earlier. Indians living in the US on H-1B visa can now be accommodated in their company's "work from home" policy as they may expect a "reasonable consideration" by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and allied regulatory agencies, a senior Department of Homeland Security official had told ANI last month. Earlier this week, the United States had announced financial assistance of 274 million US Dollars to 64 countries including 2.9 million US Dollars to India to help the countries in their fight against coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and Matt McKinney of Spotlight PA Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG Gov. Tom Wolfs administration is drafting legislation that would provide for the release of a small number of state prison inmates, part of expanding efforts to prevent a deadly coronavirus outbreak within the system. A source familiar with the discussions said Tuesday that the number of inmates eligible for release under the proposal remains fluid, but that it could range from 500 to 3,000 of the approximately 45,000 inmates. A proposal outlined by a state Senate staffer in an email Friday said the state would prioritize those who are serving shorter sentences for typically non-violent, low-level offenses and are deemed medically vulnerable. The email was sent by the legislative director of Sen. Larry Farnese (D., Philadelphia) to other state senators and reviewed by Spotlight PA. Farnese is minority chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would be a required stop for any such legislation. There has been a push to release all the old and infirm inmates, the legislative director, Sarah Speed, said in the March 27 email. However, these are almost exclusively serving life sentences or are sex offenders. Instead, according to Speeds email, the legislation would target offenders who meet two measures: one, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions definition of medically vulnerable as it applies to COVID-19; and two, those who are eligible for short sentence parole. These eligible offenders would be reviewed on a case by case basis for release onto house arrest or to a community corrections center, Speed said, referring to transitional housing. If the offender does well out in the community, they would be permitted to go through the parole process while staying in the community, otherwise they would be sent back to prison. The Department of Corrections declined to provide specifics Tuesday. The DOC is very concerned about the threat of COVID within our state prisons and is taking many actions to mitigate this issue, Maria Finn, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email. We have not yet recommended any specific legislation, but additional efforts are being considered and developed. According to Speeds email, the legislation is being drafted with the Office of the Victim Advocate and an organization that represents the states district attorneys. Lindsay Vaughan, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, said in an email her organization is working with the department to identify non-violent inmates nearing parole eligibility who could be considered for an early transfer to a transitional facility or to house arrest. The smaller details here are critical, and must be sensitive to victims, Vaughan said. Excluding most of those who have committed crimes against individuals is paramount. Jennifer Storm, Pennsylvanias official victim advocate, said Monday she would encourage the legislature to look at those non-violent, victimless individuals first. I think that that would satisfy the concerns that people are having, she said. I think its a big enough population that it would make a difference in the institutions. Advocacy groups and the corrections officers union have each raised concerns that the state prison system could face a debilitating outbreak because the often-cramped quarters inside the facilities make social-distancing all but impossible. On Saturday, the first inmate in the state system tested positive, leading the corrections secretary, John Wetzel, to place the entire system under quarantine. The department also has said three employees have self-reported positive tests. In response, the officers union has called for the end of nonessential movement of inmates. The advocacy groups, meanwhile, are pushing for the release of lower risk, vulnerable people nearing the end of their sentences to reduce the possibility of exposure. Other states are either considering or have already taken similar steps. New York, for example, announced last week that it would release 1,100 parole violators from custody. In Illinois, an executive order last week halted all new admissions to state prisons in a push to slow the spread of the virus. Already, Pennsylvanias corrections department said it is furloughing paroled individuals living at transitional centers, working with the parole board to maximize releases, and reviewing cases where a person has already served a minimum sentence. As of Tuesday, the states prison population had decreased by nearly 500 people over the past month. Still, some advocates want to see far more aggressive action and believe Wolf is passing the buck to the legislature. According to the Department of Corrections, there are only four ventilators in the states prison system. Speed said in her Friday email all are currently in use. If the institutions have to transfer people into local hospitals, that is an additional burden the hospital takes on, and then the health care system gets overwhelmed, said Andy Hoover, a spokesperson for the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Hoover said the proposal as laid out in the Speeds email sounds really narrow and potentially problematic. He said the ACLU and groups that advocate for incarcerated people sent a letter to Wolf on March 18 urging the state to do all it can to ramp up releases. Hoover added that, under the state Constitution, Wolf has reprieve powers that allow him to temporarily suspend a sentence and release a person from prison temporarily. An attorney for the corrections department confirmed that Wolf could probably do it in an email obtained by The Appeal. The fact that legislators are going through this exercise is an indictment of Gov. Wolf, Hoover said. He has powers to release people from prisons right now and lessen the likelihood that people will die in state prisons. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said in a phone interview Tuesday there is bipartisan interest and appetite for a legislative solution, although the reprieve process could be a fallback should legislative talks falter. He said he prefers that releases come through bipartisan legislation, rather than reprieves, because it could create a broader solution to the long-term issue of overpopulation. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Fetterman had not seen a draft of the legislation but the timetable would be as quickly as theoretically is possible. I would just remind allies in that fight that its not a simple throw the doors open and let everyone go, he said. Its a matter of discerning who are the right candidates, and do they have home plans, and do they have a place to stay. Theres a lot that goes into that. Its not just a simple, OK, we can let everybody go. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA provides its journalism at no cost to newsrooms across the state as a public good to keep our communities informed and thriving. If you value this service, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. 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 Walmart Inc. will provide masks and gloves for its workers and take their temperature before shifts, the latest moves by the nations biggest private employer to ensure the safety concerns of its front-line employees. The company will begin supplying high-quality masks and gloves to associates who request them starting this week, and will conduct temperature checks on them at its warehouses and stores. Its also trying to reduce crowding in stores by implementing procedures like one-way aisles that are normally reserved for high-traffic events like Black Friday. The personal protective equipment will go to warehouses first and then reach stores in the coming weeks, beginning in areas hardest hit by the coronavirus. This is voluntary but from listening to associates, we felt that this was a necessary step, a prudent step to take, Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of public affairs, said on a call with reporters Tuesday. This is a work in progress. The moves come as the workers who pack, deliver and stock everyday essentials grow increasingly vocal about their safety and issues like paid sick leave. Amazon.com Inc. and Instacart Inc., which handles grocery deliveries for thousands of U.S. supermarkets, suffered walkouts yesterday and a sickout is planned at Amazons Whole Foods Market chain on Tuesday. Walmart has fended off attempts to organize its massive workforce over the years, but is increasingly caught between addressing their concerns and the need to satisfy shoppers unslakeable demand for basic goods. Bartlett said the retailer might need as many as seven million masks a week eventually, and did not specify where they would be sourced from. He said the masks and gloves should not substitute for frequent hand-washing, social distancing and other sanitary guidelines already in place. Many associates are already taking their temperature at home before coming to work, he said, with anyone registering 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher advised to not work. Grocery Sales While its hard enough to keep employees safe, an even bigger challenge for Walmart is managing the flow of customers eager to stock up on food, toilet paper and disinfecting wipes. Grocery sales rose 68% over the past two weeks, according to Nielsen data included in a note from Jefferies analyst Christopher Mandeville. Walmart is experiencing astonishing volume, Bartlett said, and is working with local officials to test and implement crowd-management protocols. Still, he said that its hard for employees to have to be enforcers of social distancing. Walmart has already begun mandating one-way aisles in the U.K. and Canada, he said. The unprecedented stresses on cashiers and shelf-stockers have resulted in more of them than normal missing or skipping shifts, said Bartlett, who described the situation as manageable. Walmart has also hired nearly 50,000 new associates as of last night, he said, part of its pledge to bring on 150,000 and increase its U.S. workforce by 10%. Regarding Walmarts plans to test for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in its parking lots, a Walmart spokeswoman said there were no new sites opened beyond the two outside Chicago that began testing last week. We dont know where the next sites will be, she said. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. 2.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Senator Chris Murphy has accused the Trump administration of surrendering to Coronavirus. The Connecticut Democrat claims there is no plan to tackle the outbreak. If youre criticizing Trumps Coronavirus response as ineffective, youre doing it wrong, Murphy wrote. The problem is for all practical purposes there has been NO RESPONSE. The Administration has effectively declared surrender. And 200,000 might die because of this, he warned. At the very least, Trump could incentivize non-compliant or complacent states to enact emergency measures, Murphy said. But he does nothing, except provide weak, intermittent guidance. 1/ Hear me out: If you're criticizing Trump's Coronavirus response as ineffective, you're doing it wrong. The problem is for all practical purposes there has been NO RESPONSE. The Administration has effectively declared surrender. And 200,000 might die because of this. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 1, 2020 The only way to solve mask, test, and ventilator shortages is for the feds to organize production, he wrote. Trump has this power, but he chooses not to use it. His minimalist actions have barely made a dent. And day after day, the shortages continue, and Trump does nothing. Murphy once again called on Trump to federalize the supply chain of crucial medical supplies. He made the same argument on MSNBC on Wednesday morning. It is Lord of the Flies out there right now, as Gov. Cuomo said yesterday, Murphy told Morning Joes Mika Brzezinski. Its like eBay for states and hospitals. They all go online every single day to try to bid on a ventilator, and they run up the price. Trump has no actual plan to contain the virus. The virus will grow unless there is a national plan to TEST, ISOLATE, TRACK, AND QUARANTINE, Murphy later added on Twitter. And the problem isnt that Trumps doing the wrong things. The problem is hes effectively doing nothing. Murphy has been sounding the alarm about the administrations disinterest and lack of preparation almost since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak. Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter A construction worker wearing a face mask walks outside the Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid on April 1, 2020. (Oscar Del Poro/AFP via Getty Images) Spanish Officials Say CCP Virus Peak Has Arrived as Another 864 People Die Spanish authorities said 864 people died overnight from COVID-19, taking the countrys death toll to 9,053. Spain has one of the highest death tolls in the world. Its official mortality rate, 8.8 percent, is also one of the highest, though the true rate is lower because of the number of mild and asymptomatic cases that go unconfirmed. Authorities reported a small increase in the number of those hospitalized, about 250. Patients hospitalized in Spain now number 5,872. The number of confirmed infections rose to 102,136, an increase of over 7,700. The number of fully recovered continued rising, reaching 22,647, a jump of more than 3,400, according to Spains Ministry of Health. Madrid remains the hardest-hit region inside Spain, with nearly 20,000 active cases, over 1,500 in hospitals, and a death toll nearing 3,900. Catalonia has recorded nearly 1,900 deaths along with 1,769 hospitalizations out of nearly 20,000 cases. Officials said the numbers pointed to Spain reaching its peak. A volunteer of the nonprofit organization DYA collects medecine at a pharmacy for people who can not leave their homes in the Basque Spanish city of San Sebastian on April 1, 2020. (Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images) A woman wearing a mask crosses a deserted street, during the CCP virus outbreak in Madrid, Spain on March 31, 2020. (Susana Vera/Reuters) The central issue is no longer whether weve reached the peak or not, it seems like we are there, health emergency chief Fernando Simon, who was himself diagnosed with the virus this week, told a briefing. The key issue is to make sure that the national health system is capable of guaranteeing adequate coverage of all our patients and treatment, he said. Health Minister Salvador Illa said at the briefing that the growth rate of contagion was slowing down and, after the peak is over, the second stage will be to reverse it and the third to eradicate the virus. Spain declared a state of emergency in mid-March and extended a lockdown in recent days at it tries to slow the spread of the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. The country also mandated the closure of non-essential businesses. The lockdown significantly impacted the spread of the virus, but we need an extra push: this is why we took extra measures to reduce economic activity in the country to only the most essential, Arancha, Gonzalez, Spains Minister of Foreign Affairs, said this week in a television interview. Reuters contributed to this report. Governor Gavin Newsom live address 4-1-2020 View Photo Sonora, CA Many school districts locally and across California are holding out hope that students will be able to return to the classroom before the end of the school year, but Governor Gavin Newsom is skeptical it will happen. In a live address today, Newsom relayed that he anticipates the peak number of coronavirus cases to occur in Mid-May, which would make it challenging. He went on to state, It seems, I think, self-evident that we should not prepare to bring our children back into the school setting. Additionally, on Tuesday evening California Superintendent of Public Instruction. Tony Thurmond issued new guidance in a letter to districts that children likely wont be back in the classroom before the summer break. However, it is not a mandate and it is up to each district to decide whether to stay closed for the remainder of the school year. California has more than 6 million students across 10,000 schools. Newsom encourages school districts to continue working to bring more curriculum and teaching options online so that students can remain in their homes and receive an education. The Government has said that immediate family members can still attend funeral services of loved ones. That includes those who may have died from Covid-19, as long as social distancing is applied. No more than 10 people should attend in places of worship and at the graveside, but this may be restricted further in smaller, enclosed spaces. Individual churches may put in place special restrictions to respond to specific local circumstances. Department of the Taoiseach senior official Liz Canavan clarified the Government advice on attendance at funerals, burials and cremations at the daily briefing on the State's response to Covid-19. Ms Canavan said HSE guidance had already been issued and that further guidance is being developed and will be published shortly. She also disclosed that there has been a year-on-year increase in the number of domestic violence incidents reported to An Garda Siochana since restrictions have been introduced. Vulnerable Ms Canavan said Garda policy was to ensure any victim received a personal call back, which can be via phone, within seven days or sooner. The senior official also advised that the 460,000 people in the country who are over 70, in receipt of a State pension, and are now being advised to cocoon themselves, may nominate an agent to collect their pension. Bank of Ireland has also developed a new support service for the elderly and vulnerable who are cocooning which allows them to nominate another person to make cash withdrawals and lodgements in branch on their behalf. Ms Canavan reminded the public that the health service continues to operate and anyone in need of urgent or emergency care, including if they have symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, should go to the Emergency Department or call an ambulance. She also disclosed that nearly 26,000 employers have now registered for the Government's temporary wage subsidy scheme and some 22.8m has been paid out by Revenue. Irish Water has decided to postpone the introduction of a new tariff framework for business industry, agriculture, charities, and public bodies. Testing Ms Canavan said work is ongoing on the development of a new Covid-19 mobile app which will provide real-time symptom tracking and contact tracing. Officials in the Department of Health, HSE and the Government's chief information officer are testing the new app, but there is no timeline for when it may be made available to the public. Washington: The captain of the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, in a blunt letter, has called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the huge ship. The four-page letter, the contents of which were confirmed by US officials to Reuters on Tuesday, described a bleak situation on board the nuclear-powered carrier as more and more sailors test positive for the virus. The Navy puts the ship's complement at 5,000, the equivalent of a small American town. The letter was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Captain Brett Crozier, the ship's commanding officer, wrote that the carrier lacked enough quarantine and isolation facilities and warned the current strategy would slow but fail to eradicate the virus. In the letter dated Monday, he called for "decisive action" and removing over 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them. Along with the ship's crew, naval aviator and others serve aboard the Roosevelt. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset -- our sailors," Crozier wrote. The carrier was in the Pacific when the Navy reported its first coronavirus case a week ago. It has since pulled into port in Guam, a US island territory in the western Pacific. Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said he had heard about the letter on Tuesday morning and that the Navy has been working for several days to get the sailors off ship in Guam. Modly said Guam did not have enough beds, and the Navy was in talks with the local government to use hotels and set up tents. "We don't disagree with the (commanding officer) on that ship, and we're doing it in a very methodical way because it's not the same as a cruise ship ... that ship has armaments on it, it has aircraft on it," he said on CNN. US officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that nearly 80 people aboard the ship had tested positive for the virus, a number likely to increase as all personnel on the ship are tested. Still, the Navy declined to confirm exactly how many people aboard the Roosevelt have been infected. Reuters first reported last week that the U.S. military has decided it will stop providing some of the more granular data about coronavirus infections within its ranks, citing concern that the information might be used by adversaries as the virus spreads. But the Theodore Roosevelt is just the latest example of the spread of the virus within the U.S. military. Navy officials say that sailors onboard a number of ships have tested positive, including an amphibious assault ship at port in San Diego. The first U.S. military service member, a New Jersey Army National Guardsman, died on Saturday from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the Pentagon said on Monday. As of Tuesday, 673 active duty service members had tested positive for the coronavirus, an increase of more than 100 from the previous day, the Pentagon said in a statement. Popular Nigerian music star, David Adeleke'(Popular known as Davido) on Wednesday confirmed that he had tested NEGATIVE to a second... I did a second test for the covid19 virus again .... once again Im Negative .... Davido (@davido) April 1, 2020 Davido was asked by Nigerians to undertake a second test for coronavirus after Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde confirmed he was positive to COVID-19 few days after the music star visited him in Ibadan.There are speculations on social media that Makinde may have contracted the deadly virus either at a PDP rally or when Davido paid him a visit after his return from the UK.While his fiance Chioma contracted the virus, Davido confirmed that his test and that of his baby came out negative after his first test.Apparently, Davido wanted to be doubly sure, which warranted the second test which also came out negative. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 01:10:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the ways of closer cooperation in the fight against the outbreak of COVID-19, Turkey's presidential office said Wednesday. Both leaders also discussed regional developments as well as bilateral issues during the phone conversation, the presidency announced in a written statement. The death toll from the virus in Turkey climbed to 214, and the confirmed cases totaled 13,531 on Tuesday, according to the latest figures of the Health Ministry. Northern Irelands health minister has warned of a second coronavirus wave. (Getty) Northern Irelands health minister has warned of a potential second wave of coronavirus cases after an initial peak. Robin Swann said expert modelling indicates the region will experience the peak of its first wave of COVID-19 between 6 April and 20 April, and that it will see 3,000 deaths before a possible second wave. In a statement, he said the modelling outcome sets out a reasonable worst-case scenario, based on a number of assumptions including social distancing measures producing a 66% reduction in contacts outside the home and workplace. In addition, it assumes 70% of symptomatic cases would adhere to case isolation. Read more: First person arrested for breaching coronavirus restrictions at train station is fined Northern Irelands health minister Robin Swann. (PA) The modelling teams best judgement is that this would lead to a peak number of 180 coronavirus patients requiring ventilation and critical care beds during the first wave of the epidemic. The peak number of COVID-19 hospital admissions would be 500 per week. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading Under this reasonable worst-case scenario, the projected number of cumulative COVID-19 deaths in Northern Ireland over 20 weeks of the epidemic would be 3,000. In total, 28 people so far have died with COVID-19 in Northern Ireland, compared with 1,651 in England, 69 in Wales and 60 in Scotland. Read more: Timelapse shows creation of huge NHS Nightingale Hospital A woman walks past a message of support for the NHS in Londonderry. (Getty) Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the sharp rise in UK coronavirus deaths from coronavirus was deeply shocking but he could not say exactly when the peak of the epidemic would come. The UK government is coming under increasing pressure over COVID-19 tests, as healthcare leaders warned there is no immediate prospect of mass NHS staff testing. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said maximum testing capacity in the UK was currently very constrained at around 13,000 tests per day. Story continues The focus is currently on testing patients in hospital to see if they have coronavirus, with NHS trusts told earlier in the week they should use up to 15% of any spare testing capacity for NHS staff. UK health secretary Matt Hancock has now scrapped that cap, telling NHS hospital labs to use all spare capacity to test their frontline workers. Coronavirus: what happened today? Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Most of the world calls this years deadly respiratory disease outbreak Covid-19 and attributes it to a novel coronavirus. When U.S. President Donald Trump described the virus last month as Chinese because of its origin, China fumed and Trump dropped it. All along, Taiwanese officials, media and the public have been using the term Wuhan pneumonia in Mandarin Chinese, a reference to the central Chinese city where the disease was first reported in December. Local media sometimes call it China Wuhan pneumonia. The label will eventually create a new fissure in already strained relations between Taiwan and China, analysts say. Relations between the two sides have become even worse since Covid-19, said Chao Chien-min, dean of social sciences at Chinese Culture University in Taipei. If you keep using a location-based name, its unfriendly toward others. Taiwanese came up with the term "Wuhan pneumonia" because they were talking about it in December and needed a descriptor before the World Health Organization gave it an official name in mid-February. But Taiwan and China are at odds politically. Use of the earlier term instead of the formal WHO one pivots Taiwanese peoples attention back to where Covid-19 was discovered and stands to sour their impression of China. Trump dropped the Chinese virus in late March and said it was important to avoid blaming Asian Americans for the outbreak. In Taiwan, the governments Central Epidemic Command Center uses the term Wuhan pneumonia on its daily news releases in parentheses after the English word Covid-19 and the foreign ministry uses the term Wuhan pneumonia only in some of its statements. Taiwans government-funded Central News Agency calls the disease Wuhan pneumonia in its many news flashes every day about the disease outbreak in other parts of the world. On the streets, people speak of the disease almost always as Wuhan pneumonia. The World Health Organization recommends in its 2015 document Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases against mentioning cities, countries, regions or continents. Spanish flu and Japanese encephalitis are on its examples to be avoided list. Taiwanese mobilized against the virus before most of the world because they fought off the severe acute respiratory syndrome 17 years ago. That disease too came from China. The government in Taipei began boarding flights from Wuhan three months ago before other parts of the world caught on. Officials do contact tracing of known cases and strictly enforce quarantines. Taiwan has logged a total 329 cases including recovered patients. A diseases name targets no one, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shi-chung told a news conference Monday. No matter what name, whether an academic name or a colloquial term, theyre fluid ways of talking and convey no discriminatory meaning, he said. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan despite the islands self-rule of more than seven decades. Most Taiwanese oppose Beijing's goal of making Taiwan fall under its flag, government opinion surveys showed last year. If people in Taiwan call it (Wuhan pneumonia), I dont think Beijing will do very much about it, but if the officials in Taiwan government call it, Beijing may react, said Lin Chong-pin, a retired strategic studies professor in Taiwan. That reaction would reduce any odds of dialogue between the two governments and raise distrust instead, scholars in Taiwan say. China may send more military aircraft near Taiwans airspace too, Chao said. Todays government in Taiwan already irks Beijing for declining to hold dialogue on the Communist leaderships condition that both sides belong to China. Chinese officials have not called out Taiwan specifically so far for its label of Covid-19, a government media liaison said Wednesday. Resentment will build in Beijing if the name Wuhan keeps getting used, said Alex Chiang, associate professor of international politics at National Chengchi University in Taipei. Unless we stop using the term Wuhan virus, I dont think the people in the mainland or the government in the mainland will be friendly to Taiwan, Chiang said. They look at it as discriminating, demonizing people or the government of mainland China. A policeman on patrolling duty for the COVID-19 lockdown was injured in a stone-pelting incident at Kalyan town of Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Wednesday. The incident took place at around 8.30 pm on Tuesday, when an irate mob attacked a fruit vendor and his family in the Khadakpada area, an official said. A group of 20 people, including five women, picked a quarrel with the vendor over the placement of his cart and attack him, his wife and his brother-in-law with stones and iron rods, he said. A policeman, who was on patrolling duty in the area, tried to intervene, but sustained injuries to his face and was rushed to a hospital, he added. Members of the mob were charged under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by weapons) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official said, adding that no arrests have been made so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Carnival Corporation confirmed on Tuesday that thousands of passengers are still stranded at sea on its cruise ships amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The corporation, which is the parent company of major cruise lines including Carnival, Princess and Holland America, disclosed the information in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. They stated there are approximately 6,000 passengers onboard ships still at sea. And those passengers may still have four weeks of isolation ahead, as they are expected to disembark . . . by the end of April. It was not immediately clear how many different ships those passengers are aboard, but a representative for the company tells PEOPLE, We expect to have three ships at sea by the end of this week.The ships that remain at sea were primarily longer cruises, including some world cruises, the rep adds. None of the ships still at sea belong to their largest U.S. brand, Carnival Cruise Line.RELATED: 4 Dead, 138 Sick with Coronavirus Symptoms Aboard Holland America Cruise Ship Luis Acosta/Getty Holland Americas MS Zandaam off the coast of Panama with four dead and 189 ill passengers on board. Numerous cruise ships have been turned away from international ports in recent weeks due to expanding travel restrictions and in several instances, confirmed cases of COVID-19 or fears of potential illness on board. Princess Cruise Lines Diamond Princess and Grand Princess ships, and Holland Americas MS Zaandam, which are all owned by Carnival Corp., have experienced the worst outbreaks to date. In the case of the Diamond Princess, a total of 621 people eventually tested positive for the virus and seven former passengers have now died, according to Reuters. Twenty-one people tested positive on the Grand Princess, some of whom subsequently died due to the disease, Carnival Corp. said. The MS Zaandam, which is currently en route to Ft. Lauderdale after being stuck in limbo for over a week following port closures in South America, has had four deaths on board and 189 passengers and crew reporting flu-like symptoms as of Monday night. Story continues A member of the media looks out toward the Diamond Princess cruise ship (L) with over 3,000 people as it sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4, 2020, a day after it arrived with passengers feeling ill. - Japan has quarantined the cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard for the new coronavirus on February 4 after a passenger who departed in Hong Kong tested positive for the virus. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP) (Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images) Diamond Princess quarantined off the coast of Japan in Feburary Four more of their owned ships also had confirmed coronavirus cases on board in the last two months. Numerous passengers and crew on . . .Costa Luminosa, Ruby Princess, Costa Magica and Costa Favolosa, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, they stated, adding that Costa Magica and Costa Favolosa are currently working with the U.S. Coast Guard to facilitate medical evacuations. Both of those ships are now anchored near the port of Miami. They also noted that even once everyone is on dry land, Some of our crew is unable to return home, and we will be providing them with food and housing. The company, like much of the travel industry, has taken a massive hit amid the pandemic. The SEC filing was to issue $6 billion in stock in order to hopefully shore up its finances, but, it allows, the future is uncertain and the suspension of all planned voyages will likely be extended. Luis Acosta/Getty MS Zandaam Each brand has separately announced the duration of its pause, but we expect such pauses to be extended (and some extensions have already been announced), the filing reads. Its flagship carrier, Carnival Cruise Line, has already cancelled cruises until mid-May. In the meantime, the company is spending an enormous amount of money, while not embarking on any voyages. Ship and administrative operating costs (including maintaining its empty ships in storage), refunding the deposits of customers canceling trips, and COVID-related costs associated with sanitizing our ships and defending lawsuits, among many other expenses tally to approximately, on average, $1 billion per month, according to the document. In 2019, Carnival Corporation had a net income of $2.99 billion, the filing details. This year, it said, We expect a net loss. WATCH THIS: Coronavirus Myths Debunked: Pathogens Expert Says The Fact Speaks For Itself Coronavirus Myths Debunked: Special Pathogens Expert Says 'The Fact Speaks For Itself' Dr. Syra Madad explains how you can protect yourself and loved ones from the coronavirus On March 13, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) a trade organization that represents Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Princess, Holland America and many more shared that in observance of government health recommendations and travel restrictions, its members would voluntarily stop new cruises from departing at midnight on March 14, and all ships already at sea would make their way home. At the time, 40 cruise ships carrying 90,000 passengers were in the middle of their planned itineraries around the world, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency released a timeline for their safe return: 11 of the ships were to complete their sailings and get back to port by March 16. The remaining 29 were to do so by March 30. RELATED: Carnival Offers Cruise Ships as Temporary Hospitals as Coronavirus Spreads, but Doctors Have Doubts As of the deadline Monday night, however, CLIA confirmed to PEOPLE that 3.6% percent of its 277 member vessels had not yet made it back, meaning approximately 10 ships with passengers on board are still at sea. Another five are docked but cannot yet disembark. Before the industry-wide decision to voluntarily halt sailings was reached, many cruise lines were proceeding with voyages as planned amid warnings from the CDC and U.S. State Department that citizens, particularly those in compromised health, should not travel by cruise ship at this time. As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub. New Delhi, April 1 : Even as the Delhi Police was evacuating hundreds of people from Tablighi group's international headquarters Nizamuddin Markaz, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval visited the southwest Delhi area to take stock of the situation. According to Delhi Police sources, Doval arrived around 2 am on March 28 and 29 night at the Markaz and interacted with police officials involved in evacuation. The source said that Doval convinced Tablighi group leader Maulana Saad to get all stuck persons tested for coronavirus infection and quarantine. According to the sources, the NSA chief knew about the situation building up since the security agencies had tracked down nine corona positive Indonesians in Telangana's Karimnagar with travel history to the Markaz on March 18. Doval's visit to Nizamuddin area came after the intervention of Home Minister Amit Shah, the sources added. The sources claimed that Doval spoke to Markaz officials and appealed them to held the administration tackle the spread of novel coronavirus. The NSA also spoke to Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivatsava and took updates on the situation. The Tablighi Jamaat found itself in the eye of a storm for holding a religious programme during prohibitory orders issued amid the coronavirus scare in the country. The Markaz has since been evacuated by authorities and evacuees sent into quarantine as 24 of them have tested positive for coronovirus till late Tuesday night. The Delhi Police registered a case against Maulana Saad, who led the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi and others on charges of violating government orders and exposing many persons to the threat of coronavirus. Maulana Saad and others members of the Tablighi Jamaat have been booked under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The government had directed for restrictions on social, political and religious gatherings and safety measures, including social distancing, for prevention and treatment of corona cases.T Delhi Police Crime Branch filed the FIR under Section 3 (penalty for offence) of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease), 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and 120b (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Maulana Saad, Dr Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M. Saifi, Younus, and Mohd Salman have been named in the FIR. Police has since traced Maulana Saad's house in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district. Around 2,100 persons were stuck in the Markaz and it took five days to evacuate the place, the sources said. Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi has accepted an invitation to make a visit to Ukraine and invited his counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, to visit China. Wang Yi accepted the invitation of Dmytro Kuleba to visit Ukraine. He also invited the Ukrainian minister to make a visit to Beijing. This invitation was accepted, the Ministrys press service reports following the phone conversation between the ministers. In addition, the ministers agreed on holding political consultations in Beijing at the level of their deputies. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed his deep gratitude to the Chinese Government for humanitarian assistance to fight against COVID-19. Cargo with personal protective equipment for Ukrainian doctors was delivered to Kyiv last night. As a reminder, the last visit of Chinas foreign minister to Ukraine was made in 2010. ol Lincoln will pilot an on-demand transportation service beginning in mid-April to help fill the gaps from the Saturday service model, the mayor announced. Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department Director Liz Elliott said the program, which will use vans, had already been planned prior to the pandemic, but transportation staff members rolled it out sooner because they believe it may offer needed benefits to the city's transit system during this time. Originally, StarTran officials aimed to see its benefits for the HandiVan services, where rides are scheduled for passengers with disabilities or who are unable to ride fixed-route buses. "However, with this pandemic, we are rolling it out to try to fill in the gaps because we do realize that this reduced bus service will cause some difficulties and challenges for some of the public still trying to get to and from work in those early hours of the day or later in the evening," Elliott said. The project will use a mobile app allowing people to arrange transportation minutes before their ride, much like with the ride-share services Uber and Lyft, Elliott said. By PTI BHOPAL: All 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin West, which has turned out as one of the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, have been identified and quarantined, a senior official said on Wednesday. The gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Delhi headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat, was held earlier this month. "We have identified all the 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat's event in Delhi. They have been put under quarantine and are being examined thoroughly," Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode told PTI. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE OF COVID-19 "We are keeping a close watch on them. There is no reason to worry or panic," he added. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday directed the officials concerned to quarantine over 100 people from the state who attended the congregation in the national capital. The Delhi government on Tuesday said 24 people, who took part in the congregation, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. People from across the country had taken part in the mega meet. After the matter came to light, the Centre and the Delhi government swung into action to trace people who attended the congregation. Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, earlier died of coronavirus infection. As the coronavirus quarantine continues, the nations pet owners are spending an unprecedented number of hours working from home with their dogs. And while mans best friend can be a source of great comfort during these difficult times, dogs can also impede the work process. Local dog-centric businesses have some advice for dog owners who find themselves struggling to work with an emotionally needy canine friend. Use puzzles to occupy dogs during conference calls Nothing interrupts a conference call like a dog wanting attention. According to Denise Einkauf, owner of Waggin Tails Daycare and Boarding, dogs are particularly prone to interrupting conference calls or videos because theyre drawn to their owners voices. When you sit there working, your dog is more likely to sit quietly, she explained. But as soon as your dog hears you talking, theyre going to want your attention, and theyre more likely to interrupt your work. Einkauf recommends using snacks to engage a pup during important calls. Just like humans, dogs love a good snack, and treats are a great tool for keeping a dog occupied. The trick to maximizing snacktime, is to integrate those snacks into a challenging game. Dogs need physical exercise, but they also need mental exercise, said Einkauf. If you make it a challenge, by using a puzzle, for example, dogs can get that mental exercise. She noted that there are many commercially available puzzles, but pet owners can also easily make their own pup-pleasing puzzles with common household items. Einkauf recommended the website https://www.k9ofmine.com/diy-dog-puzzle-toys/ for some do-it-yourself dog puzzles. Its also beneficial if you have kids, because these are toys that the children can make, she added. Jose Morillo, owner of Camp Bow Wow, a dog daycare and boarder in Katy, recommends handing out the treat puzzles right before important meetings to make the most of a preoccupied pup. Dont wait until your meeting is five minutes in to realize your dog wants your attention, he advised. Morillo is also the owner of the a new Camp Bow Wow location in Cypress that will be opening later this spring. Maximize break time with a walk Dogs provide the perfect opportunity to get out and about while adhering to social distancing. Morillo noted that even brief walks are good for dogs and humans alike. Really, a quick walk around the block is all you and your dog need, he said. It will really blow off steam for both of you. If a dog has had exercise, it will be a lot calmer and more likely to give you space while you work, Einkauf added. Use this opportunity for training The COVID-19 quarantine is the perfect time to practice training, according to Morillo. The training doesnt have to be lengthy. Fifteen minutes of training is equal to an hour of exercise, Morillo said. So even a small amount of training goes a long way. The training doesnt need to be complicated or even overly practical. Teaching a dog a trick like shake or roll over is just as valuable as an important command, Morillo said. Einkauf noted that pet owners dont need special experience to teach their dogs new tricks. There are a lot of great YouTube channels out there that can teach owners how to train their dogs, she said. Get cooking A fun activity for dog owners, Morillo suggested, is baking up new dog treats in the kitchen. According to Morillo, many dog treat recipes call for simple ingredients that are pantry staples. If you look online, youll find a lot of great dog treats made with human food ingredients, and if youre spending more time at home, youll likely have more time to cook or bake, he said. These recipes are really nutritious for dogs, and its really fun watching them enjoy something you made. Doggie Daycare is still an essential service For some employees, working from home isnt an option. Medical professionals, first responders and grocery store employees are working longer hours than ever before, and their furry friends are marooned at home more than usual. Fortunately, Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order closing all non-essential businesses does not apply to dog daycares. Animal care services are still considered essential, Einkauf explained. So we are still open for business and are here to support our community. Einkauf said that Waggin Tails has integrated several systems to maintain social distancing in her business. For example, Waggin Tails now has drive-up drop-off so pet owners dont enter the office. Were following all the CDC guidelines and complying with the state mandates to keep our human customers safe. Dogs cant get the coronavirus, so were making sure that during their time with us, theyre getting all the exercise and mental stimulation they need so they can go home to their owners relaxed. claire.goodman@chron.com In the end, it really isn't a surprise. Maybe the timing is unexpected, but Prince Harry and Meghan's reported move to California in recent days seems likely to have been the inevitable end goal for the couple who this week officially started their life outside the senior ranks of the Royal Family. "They were always heading to L.A. That was the master plan," Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair's royal correspondent, said via email. But as with so much else in the world right now, the coronavirus pandemic may have prompted a change in their plans, and moved up the timing of their departure from Vancouver Island, where they had been living with their young son, Archie, since November. "I think with North America shutting down because of COVID, they decided to move to California sooner," said Nicholl. "Meghan wants to be near her mum [who lives in Los Angeles], which is understandable at this time, and they clearly have projects in the pipeline and wanted to get to L.A. as quickly as possible." Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press Still, it's a move that raised some eyebrows in the U.K., and leaves lingering questions about why they decamped so soon from Canada, which seemed to be in line as their temporary home at least for a little while as they seek to carve out a new life of financial independence. "Their early announcements suggest that they might have hoped to undertake royal duties on a part-time basis, and a home in the Commonwealth might have been part of the plan if Prince Harry had retained his role as a Commonwealth youth ambassador," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said via email. But things didn't work out that way, with Harry giving up that role as part of the agreement for him and Meghan stepping back from official duties. "Instead, they are pursuing independent careers in addition to their philanthropy," said Harris, "and are following outside opportunities such as Meghan's recent project narrating the Disneynature documentary Elephant." Story continues That documentary is set to premiere on Disney+ on Friday, and has received mixed reviews in the U.K. media, with comments ranging from the Telegraph calling Meghan a "snug fit for this sweet nature doc" to the Guardian saying she adds "schmaltz" to the "Disney yarn." Thanks to Canada Harris said the short duration of their stay in Canada is also "perhaps surprising" given the fact that their last public appearance as senior members of the Royal Family came at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, and they visited Canada House in London in January to express their thanks for the hospitality they had received while in Canada over the holidays. WATCH | Prince Harry and Jon Bon Jovi meet at Abbey Road Studios The move to California, according to various media reports, may have taken place about 10 days ago. It also raised questions in some quarters in the British media about whether the couple should have considered going back to the U.K., given the serious circumstances surrounding the pandemic, and came at the same time as Harry's father, Prince Charles, tested positive for the coronavirus. (He has since come out of self-isolation, and a palace official has said he is in good health, the BBC reported.) Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk that the timing of their Hollywood move might be perceived by some as selfish. While the timing was driven by the "imminent closing" of the border between the U.S. and Canada, Fitzwilliams said "the image this will create is that they are on a journey for themselves at a time when their undoubted global reach could give some succour to others." Could have 'won praise' Fitzwilliams also suggested the couple missed an opportunity by not returning to the U.K. "If they had temporarily returned to Britain, whatever their personal feelings, this would have been a selfless move and it would have won universal praise." Phil Harris/The Associated Press But returning to the U.K. might not have been easy or perhaps realistic right now. "Frogmore Cottage, their house in Windsor, would have been a very safe place to self-isolate, and Harry must, of course, be anxious about his father and his grandparents [Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip]," royal biographer Penny Junor, author of Prince Harry: Brother Soldier Son, said via email. "But equally, Meghan's mother is in L.A. It must have been a tough choice, but having made their decision to step back, it would have been difficult to reverse that decision so quickly in order to show solidarity." Not right now Nicholl said she can't see Harry and Meghan moving back to the U.K. at the moment, given that they have just moved to L.A. "And with the royals in isolation, there isn't much they can do, although I suspect Harry will probably be feeling far from home right now," Nicholl said. "They won't want to take any risks by travelling, and their priority is to keep Archie settled and in a routine. I think they will come to the U.K. when it is safer to do so." There could also have been basic logistical challenges that kept them from crossing the Atlantic Ocean. "A few weeks ago, a return to the United Kingdom certainly would have been a viable option for Harry and Meghan, but there are now fewer planes crossing the Atlantic because the United States has banned all but essential travel from the United Kingdom and Europe," said Harris. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Getty Images Such a trip could also have renewed focus on their travel, which was criticized last summer when they made four private jet flights within 11 days. "If Harry and Meghan were to return to the United Kingdom at this time, they would likely attract criticism for travelling on a trans-Atlantic flight during a pandemic," said Harris. Other factors that could have played into the decision to go to California include questions of taxation and residency. Security considerations? "The decision to move to Los Angeles may also have been influenced by security considerations," said Harris. "During their time in Canada, Harry and Meghan received British and Canadian security, but they will engage private security services in the United States." President Donald Trump tweeted on the weekend that the U.S. wouldn't be paying for their security, and a spokesperson for the couple said they had no plans to ask for such support. As much as the move means Meghan, a former actor who grew up in Los Angeles, is back in familiar territory, questions also remain regarding Harry's feelings toward the move. "I would be surprised if all of this has made Harry happy," said Junor. While he may be trying to make Meghan happy by taking her back to her home, her job and people she knows and loves, Harry is moving away from what is familiar to him, Junior suggested. "But in so doing, he has left his home, his job and everyone he knows and loves. I fear there are going to be some very difficult times ahead for him." What's next for them isn't clear. In a social media post earlier this week, they told supporters "you've been great," and said they "look forward to reconnecting with you soon." The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) has established an International Task Force to provide support to Ukrainian communities around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Ukrainian community is facing unprecedented challenges today. UWC established International Task Force to coordinate support for our communities in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, reads the statement on the UWC website. The Task Force, bringing together Ukrainian community leaders from all over the world, will closely work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, governments, international organizations and churches. The Task Force will work to provide accurate and timely information; offer practical support to those who need it most; assist Ukraine in procuring much needed medical supplies and equipment through working with governments, suppliers and humanitarian organizations. At this challenging time, UWC President Paul Grod addressed the leaders of global Ukrainian communities. My sincere condolences to those who have tragically lost their loved ones. I pray for strength for those of us combating the disease or supporting family members. Faced with a new reality, we are still one global Ukrainian family, coming together to help those in need. We call on Ukrainian organizations worldwide to join this important effort, the UWC president stated. ish Data Back in Focus as Markets Try to Gauge Economic Damage Stocks are down, USD is up as a new quarter gets underway. The coronavirus spread is still the main focus, but more attention is being paid to data as PMIs start to reflect the situation under lockdown. The Euro continues to hold up well but weak data and unrest in member states could weigh in the longer-term. Wednesdays session has traded in the red for many markets, with stock indices in Europe and the US down by around 3%. Its the start of a new month and a new quarter so flows will be slightly different and the rise in risk assets over the last week or so looks like it is reversing back lower. Last weeks US dollar plunge also looks to be reversing back higher but there is a long way to go to recover the heavy losses. The DXY dollar basket is still nearly 4% lower against G7 currencies since the top on 20th March. Markets are still completely focused on the coronavirus crisis but the main concern has shifted slightly away from the rise in cases and death count to the economic fallout and some of the data coming out. This is partly due to the rise in cases slowing in Europe and the death count stabilizing but also because there is new fatigue on this subject, at least as far as markets are concerned. The US has now prepared its citizens for over 200,000 deaths so these kinds of figures become gradually accepted. Attention this week has been equally on some of the data out as it gives an idea of just how bad the economic situation will get and how long the lockdowns can be tolerated before they lead to a collapse. More data is needed to get a clear idea, but markets are starting to gradually get a picture of the fallout. Pieces of the Puzzle Wednesday saw some fresh PMI prints out of Italy and Spain as well as some final PMIS from other members of the EU. These finals are much less important as they are only adjustments to old data but the new data shows more contraction and some worrying trends. Spanish PMI for the manufacturing sector decreased to 45.7 in March, from 50.4 in February. This could even be an overestimation as the disruption of global supply chains can have a short-term positive effect (extended delivery times which is a good thing when there is too much demand but a bad thing when supply chains break). Spain will be particularly hard hit due to the reliance on tourism and consumers will be tightening their spending. Another illustration of the severity of the economic downturn is the fall of new car registrations. Figures from Anfac, the Spanish association for car and truck makers, show that new car registrations fell by a whopping 69.3% year-on-year in March, report ING. ING expect the Spanish economy to contract by 6.5% in 2020. Over in Italy things are as bad if not worse. Manufacturing PMI came in at 40.3, below expectation of 41.1 and showing contraction on Februarys weak figure of 48.7. Both Italy and Spain have seen the most cases and deaths in the Eurozone and plans to ease the lockdown keep being delayed. Additionally, there is growing unrest and anger at the EU for not doing enough to help. The Euro has been one of the better performing G7 currencies during the crisis, mostly because the ECB could not ease as much as other countries, but whether it will continue to hold up as the crisis deepens is up for debate. ING for one, think there should be a floor around 1.06 and the recent lows even if there is little catalyst for a sustained rally, The further easing in US dollar funding fears is one of the factors along with more aggressive quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve compared to the European Central Bank that should put a floor under the EUR/USD in the next quarter. By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc is set to sharply increase the number of jets it is planning to retire beyond its announced plans as it accelerates a fleet transformation to respond to the coronavirus crisis, people familiar with the matter said. Some 4,700 jets have been parked globally as airlines slash operations due to travel restrictions, according to Ascend by Cirium fleet data, and American's decision confirms industry speculation that many of those older jets will not fly again. In addition to the retirement of 34 Boeing Co 757s and 17 Boeing 767s announced just two weeks ago, American now plans to also sunset a batch of 76 Boeing 737s it acquired between 1999 and 2001, nine Airbus SE A330-300s and 20 Embraer E190s, the people said. The plans were announced by President Robert Isom in a video Q&A with employees on Sunday, where he said the arrival of new Boeing 737 MAX jets, expected later this year after a prolonged global grounding, could help facilitate the retirement of older jets that would be in need of heavy maintenance. American is also considering retiring some of its 50-seat regional jets, he said. American said on March 12 it was accelerating the retirement of its remaining Boeing 757s and 767s as it looks at removing older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from its fleet. "Decisions beyond the 757 and 767 have yet to be finalized, and we continue to make refinements to our overall fleet plan," American spokesman Ross Feinstein said, adding that decisions would be based on demand. Airlines around the world have slashed capacity and even the planes flying are nearly empty. Data firm OAG said the aviation industry was less than half the size it was in mid-January, just before countries started confirming coronavirus cases outside China. Aside from heavy maintenance needs on the A330-300s and some of the 737s, American was also facing retrofitting costs on some of the 737s. It said on Monday it would be seeking up to $12 billion from a government aid package meant to help airlines manage costs during the downturn, particularly for employee payroll. Story continues The pace of aircraft retirements influences an airline's cost structure since new aircraft are costly to buy but cheaper to run. It also gives a clue to potential future demand for new aircraft. Some analysts are predicting a surplus of aircraft as a wounded airline industry emerges from the coronavirus lockdown into what many economists expect to be a broad recession. But decisions by airlines to retire planes in 2020 and 2021 could trim that surplus, Ascend by Cirium consultancy head Rob Morris told an Airline Economics webinar on Friday. The last two years saw a total of 1,130 retirements, he said. Aircraft demand is influenced by a combination of new production and the rate at which airlines retire older planes. Airlines' fleet plans had been structured around expectations that global travel demand would continue to grow this year and beyond, but now analysts do not expect passenger traffic to recover 2019 levels for some time. As jets head to parking lots or graveyards, an American 767 landed in Miami from Lima, Peru late Monday in what could have been the final flight for its 767 fleet. So far American has temporarily parked 135 out of 150 widebodies -- including 787 Dreamliners -- and more than 300 single-aisle jets, and may continue to park more of its smaller aircraft as the crisis continues, Isom told employees. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Tim Hepher, Nick Zieminski and Lisa Shumaker) The coronavirus pandemic has exposed many issues that American society will need to address if we are to avoid, as Karl Marx stated, repeating history "first as tragedy, then as farce." Unfortunately, in this regard, people dont seem to have a good track record. The practice of medicine has undergone substantial changes over the past two centuries. Originally jacks of all trades, physicians began to restrict their practice by creating medical and surgical specialties. From practicing as individuals, they morphed into single and then multi-specialty physician groups. More recently theyve become employees of hospitals. Similarly, hospitals, once independent entities, merged to become multi-hospital systems, commonly expanding beyond the hospital confines, and even offering medical insurance, thereby becoming medical conglomerates. The role of a physician, with the assistance of other medical personnel, is to care for the sick, injured, and dying, guided by constraints offered by the Hippocratic Oath, alternative medical school oaths, state medical boards, medical societies, hospital by-laws, malpractice carriers, and finally, their own morals. But what guides a hospital? Hospitals have a mission statement. Its usually a boilerplate statement consisting of three parts: their Mission (to provide quality cost-effective medical care, educate professionals, and perform clinical research), their Vision (advance the communitys health, transform lives, etc.) and their Core Values (advance inclusiveness, respect, etc.) Collectively this is a statement inspiring positive feelings though its actually generalities short on specifics, or in other words, it exists for the purpose of deception. So what are hospitals up to? Well first, theyre actually big business, usually hiding behind a not-for-profit status. With that status they reap the benefit of tax-free fundraising and donations creating an endowment that supports a foundation, but thats a topic for another day. Second, and most important for our health, the money doesnt go where it should. As I see it, most hospitals should primarily fulfill three roles. The first role should be to provide an emergency room. This is where people who are acutely sick or injured are evaluated with an eye toward possible hospital admission. Its for situations where a physicians office, or urgent care facility, is not appropriate. An example is when someone has chest pain. Are they having a heart attack, is it a blood clot, pneumonia, or just a spasm of the esophagus? The first three if missed can kill you; the fourth will get you sent home. The ERs purpose is therefore to evaluate actual or potential emergencies, not do what can be performed outside of the hospital, or to issue missed-work excuses, or feed the homeless. The second role involves the operating room. Surgeries that are complex (either due to specialized equipment or staffing requirements), the surgical risk of the patient, the necessity of hospitalization for postoperative recovery, among other factors, should determine the safest location for any particular surgery. The ambulatory surgery center therefore becomes the preferable location for less complicated and lower risk procedures. The final role for a hospital relates to its hospital beds. Hospitalization is indicated when a specific illness or the presence of multiple co-morbidities requires intensive care and observation, such as that delivered by nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. It should be used primarily when care greater than what youd get at home or in a skilled nursing facility is required. Hospitals play the leading role in medical training and are involved in clinical research, both of which are critical for the continued supply of medical personnel and advancements in medical knowledge, however it does not require our current hospital model for that to exist. Adequate funding at the federal and state level can ensure that medical training and research proceed, though like any government spending it requires oversight. Conversely, what are improper hospital activities? Among these are: purchasing physician practices and employing physicians for purposes of hospital enrichment, merging with other hospitals to create medical monopolies (as such, violating 100 years of federal law), use of clipboard nurses to provide physician supervision rather than care, using physician taskmasters to ensure that physician medical notes include enough stuffing and repetitive information to capture the highest level of billable coding for each patient encounter, or providing outpatient medical services to the community (either within or without the confines of the hospital), leading to a loss of focus on the core hospital functions. In summary, hospitals have engaged in a building and monopolistic buying spree, taking the focus off of what the hospitals three core functions should be: providing an ER, ORs, and hospital beds. So what happens when hospitals deviate from a sensible mission to what we have today? Youre seeing it with the appearance of the coronavirus. Shortages of ventilators, masks, gloves, etc., all of which would be in abundance had the mission of hospitals been to affectively address times such as these. Being the storehouse for community emergencies, capable of handling complex surgeries, and caring for those too sick to be at home or at less sophisticated facilities, would not be a problem if the focus was not on the sheer size of the hospital but rather on actual and potential need. Certainly if hospitals could persuade attorneys general to ignore anti-trust law they could persuade politicians to adequately fund hospitals. Of course we didnt get here by magic. There is blame to be shared among many. Physicians are the majority members on hospital staff medical committees. Through their actions theyve played the role of enforcers for hospital management, subduing any physician with an independent mind. When flu vaccination of each staff physician becomes a priority over allowing an unscreened public to wander the halls of a hospital caring for sick and immunocompromised patients, you realize that not all physicians are acting in patients best interests. The blame should also be borne by hospital boards, who acquiesce to CEO demands for the relentless expansion of hospital services, all for the CEO to justify greater pay and a larger golden parachute. Board members benefit by the power they obtain through their collective action and networking opportunities. Blame should also be assigned to the federal and state governments in allowing hospitals to violate 100 years of anti-trust law, allowing the co-mingling of funds when for-profit arms are within not-for-profit entities, and for not setting a minimum amount of charity care to warrant a not-for-profit status. Federal and state insurance programs reimburse hospitals in ways that at times inadequate for the work thats done, thereby requiring hospitals to expand services within and beyond their walls, and again diverting attention from what should be their core mission. The bottom line is that hospitals should limit their activities to what communities actually need, which I believe revolves around and should be restricted to the ER, OR, and hospitalized patients. Going beyond this mission diverts their focus and negatively affects medical care. Outpatient care should be redirected to physicians since they are best suited to determine the needs of their communities. Services needed while patients are hospitalized should consist of a medical partnership between the hospital and physicians, not exist in order to use physicians for the hospitals financial gain. The coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated that hospitals were ill prepared for what was actually foreseeable, since theres a yearly influenza pandemic to contend with, along with daily medical and surgical situations. Once we get over this outbreak, its time to revisit the role that hospitals have taken upon themselves and determine as a society if their oversized reach is best for us rather than for them. A San Antonian is rallying residents to show support for locals who are working on the frontlines in the battle against COVID-19 with a citywide celebration. San Antonians are being asked to "stand in solidarity" by giving a two-minute round of applause on Saturday from their porches and balconies for healthcare professionals, city leaders, first responders, H-E-B employees, educators and journalists. The celebration will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by singing of the national anthem at 7:03 p.m. GOOD NEWS: Because we need more of it, submit your story and we may feature it in an upcoming article Marissa Tejeda, daughter of the late U.S. Rep. Frank Tejeda of San Antonio, is the woman behind the idea. She said she has the support of Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the city council. Tejeda said the gesture is a way of showing the city is "indebted" to essential employees. "We are San Antonio Strong and its time to come together and let it be known," she said. Tejeda has also enlisted the help of Skyline Drone, a local photography service, to capture the moment. Tejeda said the drone is expected to fly near Santa Rosa Hospital and Milam Park. Erika Prospser, H-E-B executive and wife of Mayor Nirenberg, is also on board with the idea. On Facebook, she called it an "amazing" way to thank frontline workers while maintaining social distancing. RELATED: San Antonio teachers visit students in 'uplifting' parades through neighborhoods "All you have to do is come out your front door on Saturday at 7pm and say a loud Thank You, sing, bang pots and pans, play music, and then at 7:03, sing the national anthem! Shout it out! Thats it! No travel or contact needed," Prosper wrote on Facebook. Tejeda is using the hashtag "#ClapBecauseWeCare" to document the event on social media and created a Facebook event page. Similar celebrations from around the world have made the rounds on social media in recent weeks as communities find creative ways to show their appreciation. On Tuesday, Nirenberg called for a citywide moment of silence at 9 a.m. Thursday to honor COVID-19-related deaths. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Up to one billion people, nearly one-sixth of the worlds population, suffer from neurological disorders, with some 6.8 million dying of the disorders each year. In recognition of Brain Awareness Week and ahead of Parkinsons Awareness Month, Mediaplanet is proud to announce the launch of its Neurological Disorders campaign. Up to one billion people, nearly one-sixth of the worlds population, suffer from neurological disorders, with some 6.8 million dying of the disorders each year. There is no cure for any of these disorders, and patients, healthcare professionals, and family caregivers alike are in desperate need of improved therapies and technologies that will help manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. In recognition of Brain Awareness Week, this campaign will inspire and educate patients, families, and healthcare professionals by spotlighting the leading diagnostics and treatment options available to promote neurological health and advocate for increased awareness and funding for these disorders. In light of the campaigns focus on epilepsy, the late actor, dancer, and philanthropist Cameron Boyce graces the cover of the campaign. In an exclusive interview with parents Libby and Victor Boyce, the story honors his legacy. His family started The Cameron Boyce Foundation (TCBF) to support the causes that Cameron was passionate about: ending gun violence, advocating for clean water, and spreading kindness. Now, theyre sharing their sons story, and advocating for awareness of SUDEP, the rare condition that takes the life of 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy each year. Boyces family is encouraging families to speak up and be proactive when faced with an epilepsy diagnosis, especially as they were unaware of what kind of specialists to go to and what their son needed beyond his medications. We cant wither away. He didnt and he wouldnt, says Victor Boyce, explaining theyre motivated by their sons strength and determination. We cant wither away and back down from what's going on. The print component of Neurological Disorders is distributed within todays edition of USA Today in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, South Florida, Washington D.C./Baltimore, and Houston. The digital component is distributed nationally through a vast social media strategy and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, visit https://www.futureofpersonalhealth.com/campaign/neurological-disorders/ The edition will also make an appearance at several key brain health conferences and events throughout 2020, including the American Academy of Neurologys Annual Meeting in April, Shake It Till We Make It 2020 presented by Wieden + Kennedy in May, The 10th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference hosted by Arrowhead Publishers in June, and Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland in November; and well into spring 2021 at the Parkinsons Expo hosted by the Neuro Challenge for Parkinsons. This campaign was made possible with the support of the American Brain Foundation, American Parkinson Disease Association, Parkinsons Foundation, Acorda Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Kyowa Kirin, Prebiotin, The Cameron Boyce Foundation, the Brian Grant Foundation, the Epilepsy Foundation, American Migraine Foundation, Natrol, BrainMD, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), UK HealthCare, Theranica, the Anita Kaufmann Foundation, Brain Injury Alliance, NeuroChallenge Foundation for Parkinsons, and more. About Mediaplanet Mediaplanet specializes in the creation of content marketing campaigns covering a variety of industries. We tell meaningful stories that educate our audience and position our clients as solution providers. Our unique ability to pair the right leaders with the right readers, through the right platforms, has made Mediaplanet a global content marketing powerhouse. Our award-winning stories have won the hearts of countless readers while serving as a valuable platform for brands and their missions. Just call us storytellers with a purpose. Please visit http://www.mediaplanet.com for more on who we are and what we do. Press Contact: Victoria Borkowski (646) 755-7949 victoria.borkowski@mediaplanet.com A staff member at the Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne has tested positive to the coronavirus. The worker is in isolation at home and is doing well, and other staff who've been in close contact are self-isolating for 14 days. "Our primary focus is on the health and wellbeing of our patients and staff and we are working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to rigorously follow all the relevant protocols to reduce any possible risk of further infection," a Peter Mac spokesman said. "These protocols require people who have been in close contact with a person who tests positive to COVID-19 to self-isolate for 14 days. YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Alina Nikoghosyan, the spokesperson of the Health Minister of Armenia informed that a death has been registered in Nork Infectious Clinical Hospital. ''Death has been registered at Nork Infectious Clinical Hospital. The 89-year old patient was tested positive for coronavirus and had confirmed double pneumonia. In addition, the citizen had concomitant chronic diseases, including arterial hypertension, diabetes. Unfortunately, due to the age and the concomitant diseases, it was impossible to save his life'', ARMENPRESS reports Nikoghosyan wrote on her Facebook page. In Armenia, the number of confirmed cases has reached 571 as of April 1. 31 have recovered. This is the 4th coronavirus-related death in Armenia. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan MARLBOROUGH, Mass., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest post on the PortSys blog explores serious security gaps in VPNs that many organizations around the world now use for business continuity due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In the blog, Michael Oldham, CEO of PortSys, examines six key areas where VPNs fall short in securing the enterprise infrastructure: Bandwidth Architecture and security needs of the modern hybrid enterprise stretch far beyond the configuration capabilities of today's VPNs. Architecture and security needs of the modern hybrid enterprise stretch far beyond the configuration capabilities of today's VPNs. Segmentation VPNs don't offer the deep level of granular controls necessary to prevent unauthorized access to critical resources. VPNs don't offer the deep level of granular controls necessary to prevent unauthorized access to critical resources. Context If organizations need to scale quickly, as with the Coronavirus pandemic, the one-size-fits-all approach to VPN access doesn't take into account each end user's full context of access. If organizations need to scale quickly, as with the Coronavirus pandemic, the one-size-fits-all approach to VPN access doesn't take into account each end user's full context of access. Complexity Clients often must be installed on remote machines for VPNs, adding yet another layer of complexity to the infrastructure. Clients often must be installed on remote machines for VPNs, adding yet another layer of complexity to the infrastructure. Visibility Since VPNs use SSL-encrypted tunnels, the outside world can't see traffic going back and forth...but neither can internal enterprise security teams. Since VPNs use SSL-encrypted tunnels, the outside world can't see traffic going back and forth...but neither can internal enterprise security teams. Reporting Organizations can't audit and report on access with VPNs, so they don't know who had access to what resources, and how they used those resources. Oldham explains why Total Access Control (TAC), the Zero Trust Access solution from PortSys, offers a better approach to remote access during these trying times. He discusses how organizations can use TAC as the primary access solution for all resources, local and cloud, while working equally well for internal employees and improving everyone's productivity. And finally, he shows how TAC provides a simpler, stronger and more unified approach to managing security for remote users. You can read the blog post in its entirety here: https://portsys.com/business-continuity/ ABOUT PORTSYS, INC. PortSys, Inc., a privately funded company, is a global innovator in information security and Zero Trust access control. Some of the world's largest enterprise organizations rely on PortSys' scalable Total Access Control solution to significantly strengthen, simplify and unify IT security across the enterprise. PortSys serves customers from its U.S. headquarters in Marlborough, MA, offices in the UK, and distributors throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. For more information, visit www.portsys.com. Media Contact Tim Boivin [email protected] +1-781-996-4899 SOURCE PortSys, Inc. Related Links https://www.portsys.com The Italian province or Bergamo has sent around 350 bodies to be cremated elsewhere as it battles the coronavirus outbreak. Crematoria in the area have been grappling with increased demand for their services as the area in northern Italy deals with one of the countrys biggest clusters of infections. Convoys of military vehicles have transported victims to other regions who have offered to help out with cremations. Hundreds of bodies have been involved in this system, reportedly travelling to places including Ferrara, Modena and Florence. Around 350 have been sent away for cremation to date, a spokesperson for Bergamo's mayor told The Independent on Wednesday, adding the number could rise before the end of the day. Around 100 ashes were reportedly returned to Bergamo a city and province in Lombardy last week after being cremated elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Italian army carried around 15 bodies to Venice this week, the newspaper LEco di Bergamo reported, while the mayor of Florence said the city will cremate 30 people from Bergamo at its request. We agreed straight away, said Dario Nardella, according to La Nazione. It is the least we can do. Scores of coronavirus victims have also been sent to Ferrara in Emilia Romagna over the past few weeks, local media has reported. Authorities have asked for help in dealing with Bergamos rising death toll amid the coronavirus pandemic. Giacomo Angeloni, the local official for cemeteries, said earlier this month the local crematorium was working around the clock and handling around 24 bodies a day almost twice its normal maximum and was unable to keep up. Bergamo has recorded more than 8,800 coronavirus cases, according to figures on Wednesday. It is the second largest number in Italy, topped only by Milan with around 100 more confirmed infections. Milan announced last week it would temporarily ban non-residents from being cremated in the city due to growing demand. Italy has been on lockdown for several weeks as it battles the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 12,400 people who tested positive for the virus have died in the country as of Wednesday. Additional reporting by Reuters A person walking in Hay Creek Township reported to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office that a tube labeled "Danger Explosive" was sticking out of the ground on Sunday. The tube was near the intersection of Flower Valley Road and Lehrbach Road. The St. Paul Bomb Squad responded to the scene to assist. Law enforcement found it was a commercial grade explosive without a detonator. It's believed to be an explosive left over from when the rock cut was made and the ground shifting caused the device to become unearthed, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office said. The scene was cleared a little more than three hours after the initial call came in. The Minnesota State Patrol and Red Wing Police Department assisted with traffic control. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 15:07:42|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed to resume the country's rice export, which has been called for a suspension earlier in March, Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday. The ministry suggested that the country export 800,000 tonnes of rice in April and May and set a monthly quota for rice export in the COVID-19 outbreak in a report submitted to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the news agency reported. The report was made by the ministry after it received feedback from a number of enterprises regarding the government's decision on March 24 of suspending rice export to "ensure food security amid the COVID-19 outbreak," according to the news agency. The ministry said in the report that Vietnam would see an estimated paddy production of 43.5 million tonnes this year against the backdrop of COVID-19 outbreak and adverse weather conditions, while the Mekong Delta is estimated to produce 10.8 million tonnes, the news agency reported. Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development forecasts that the country's domestic paddy demand in 2020 will reach nearly 30 million tonnes, according to the news agency. Among the total demand, the domestic consumption of paddy will be 14.26 million tonnes, while demands for food product processing, livestock sector supply, seed use and national reserves will be 7.5 million tonnes, 3.4 million tonnes, 1 million tonnes and 3.8 million tonnes respectively, the news agency reported, adding that the remaining paddy for export will be about 13.5 million tonnes, equivalent to 6.5 to 6.7 million tonnes of rice. The news agency cited the Vietnam Food Association as saying that its member enterprises had around 1.65 million tonnes of rice in stock as of late March. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting on Tuesday that the country's rice export is "necessary" yet should be controlled under the current situation to ensure its food security, according to a Vietnam News Agency report. 5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Even as the number of coronavirus infections and fatalities surges in states all across the country, Donald Trump essentially said on Tuesday that if you dont factor in New York and New Jersey, everything is going pretty darn well. During his daily coronavirus propaganda rally, which CNN refused to air, Trump said, New York is having a much harder time than other of the cities, certain cities are doing, actually if you look down here, an incredible job. Trump stood in front of a graph that depicted the number of cases in each state and basically dismissed New York and New Jersey and pointed to the other states as evidence that theyve done an incredible job. Video: Trump suggests that outside of New York and New Jersey, things are going great in the fight against the coronavirus. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/7U9GKruFDe PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 31, 2020 The exchange: JIM ACOSTA: Would you tell cities that arent doing what New York, New Jersey, Washington the cities that have been taking charge in all of this would you urge some of the cities that havent been doing this, Mr. President, to get with the program? TRUMP: Well, I would. But youre seeing New York, I believe the blue is New York. New York is having a much harder time than other of the cities, certain cities are doing, actually if you look down here, an incredible job. They were early. They were very, very firm, and theyve done an incredible job. This is New Jersey and New York. This is . DR. BIRX: Remember, California and Washington state were down here, and they had some of the earliest cases. ACOSTA: But were seeing places in Florida not doing what New York and New Jersey have been doing, what Washington state has been doing. TRUMP: But theyre doing very well by comparison. Other states are in the beginning stages of their surges Its clear by whats happening in New York that this virus was in the Big Apple far earlier than most people knew. That likely means that they are ahead of other states when it comes to the surge in cases and fatalities. As Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week, What happens to New York is going to wind up happening to California and Washington state and Illinois. Were just getting there first. So when Trump apparently misinterprets a colorful graph and claims things are looking great outside of New York and New Jersey, hes ignoring the trends in other states. For example, Florida a state he claimed was doing very well under the failed leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis has reported more than 1,000 cases just over the past day. The same goes for Michigan and Louisiana, two other emerging hot spots. With even his own task force saying there will likely be a minimum of 100,000 to 200,000 coronavirus deaths, this is clearly more than a New York and New Jersey problem. Its a national crisis, and Donald Trump should start acting like a national leader. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 13:03:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAIKOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Hainan Airlines will resume flights to some cities in the once hard-hit Hubei Province starting Thursday, according to the company. The airline will resume the Sanya-Tianjin route via Xiangyang, a city in Hubei with four flights per week, and the Sanya-Hohhot route via Shiyan, another city in Hubei with three flights per week. With Wuhan Tianhe Airport resuming domestic air services on April 8, Hainan Airlines will also resume the flights linking Wuhan, capital of Hubei, with seven other domestic cities, including Haikou, Sanya, and Taiyuan. The airline will carry out 42 flights per week via Wuhan's airport and then gradually resume all the flights into and out of Hubei according to the deployment of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Along Vilakazi, one of South Africa's most famous streets where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived, restauranteur Manqoba Mbutho, worries that the coronavirus lockdown will lead to a spike in crime and wreak havoc on business. A cup of coffee in hand, Mbutho stares across into the eerily empty street in Soweto, the country's best known township, which is usually abuzz with tourists, guides and vendors. Only neatly arranged tables and chairs can be seen through the transparent plastic shutters of his restaurant. The lockdown is "affecting us in a bad way. It's 16 more days to go and it can be extended from the look of things," he said, complaining about the complacency being displayed by some South Africans. "Some people are ignorant, they don't believe there is this kind of disease". While many like Mbutho are complying with a 21-day lockdown imposed by government to curb the spread of the virus -- others went about business as usual in Soweto - the crucible of the anti-apartheid struggle and a stronghold of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party. At the nearby Jabulani Mall, hundreds of people lined up in winding queues to either withdraw government social grants or to shop for supplies. There were no marshals nor control over the number of people entering the mall. 'Crime will rise' People stood close to each other ignoring the yellow tape stuck to the ground to demarcate the distance to be kept from each other "We have heard our government speak but we tend to ignore not because we don't know what to do, we are just being stubborn," said Sihle Hlomuka, 26. He however blamed the government for not doing enough to enforce the lockdown. But many are against the use of force in a country which has Africa's highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases but also one of the continent's highest crime rates. A South African National soldier stands at the entrance a supermarket in Soweto. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP) "Beating up people is an extreme measure but I guess there can be more visibility from the police in our streets because there are many people roaming around all the time," said Khanyi Khumalo, 30, a HIV counsellor, waiting to but vitamins for her five-year-old son. Vusi Msomi, another local, added: "Minimum force should be implemented because people don't listen. There are people who are still drinking and there are people who are still roaming around in the streets. "We didn't get the free days just to stay home and do whatever that you want to do ... it is not a holiday. We need to really adhere," said Msomi at the packed Jabulani Mall. Medical laboratory technician Ntle Mokgethi, 44, said many people had a false sense of security. "People ... don't think it will happen to them, they think it only affects people with money." For now Mbutho's worry is not only loss of business, but also a spike in crime. "Crime is going to go up, it's going to shoot through the roof" because people are idle, will earn less or have no salaries, he said. "Things are going to get tough," he warned. Pensioner Gabriel Sekgothe, 73, a retired legal consultant, echoed him. "There are lots of young guys roaming around the malls, they see us old people, pretend to offer us help with pushing trolleys and then run away with our groceries. We are now more vulnerable than in normal times". Flash Health experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Tuesday that even with the Trump administration's national social distancing guidelines in place, Americans still should be prepared for the prospect of the coronavirus causing 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the country. Presenting the models before reporters at a White House press briefing, Deborah Birx, the task force's response coordinator, said as many as 1.5 million to 2.2 million people will succumb to COVID-19 if no mitigation measures whatsoever are taken to contain the virus. "There's no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors," Birx said, urging people to act according to the administration's social distancing strategy, which has been extended to April 30. Those behaviors, Birx added, could change "the course of the viral pandemic." "As sobering as that number is, we should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push back on mitigation, the less likelihood it would that number," said Anthony Fauci, another leading expert on the task force team. "But as being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that that is a possibility that that's what we'll see," added Fauci, also director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Earlier during the briefing, President Donald Trump warned the American people that "we're going to go through a very tough two weeks." "And then hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting, after having studied it so hard, we're going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel, but this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks," Trump added. There were more than 700 new coronavirus-driven fatalities Tuesday in the United States, the most one-day increase. Total deaths reached 3,810 and total confirmed cases stood at 186,265 in the country, according to latest data from Johns Hopkins University, updated at 6:05 p.m. ET. Nearly 2,000 crew members on 4 ships dock at Puerto Vallarta on humanitarian grounds Guadalajara, Jalisco Nearly 2,000 crew members remain on four cruise ships after they were given permission to dock at Puerto Vallarta. The four cruise ships, Oosterdam, Westeram, Eurodam and Norwegian Joy, were granted permission to dock by the government of Mexico on humanitarian grounds after borders closed. The docked ships contain only crew, no tourists, and will remain on board for the duration of the contingency. The ships will continue to be hosted by the Puerto Vallarta Captaincy after the cancellation of global cruise operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they have permission to remain in port during the pandemic, they do not have permission to disembark from their ships, even though there are no suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 among them. The local Secretary of Health reported that none of the crew will descend from the ships, so there is no need to carry out a review. Coronavirus claimed its first life in Beaumont on Wednesday. The victim was described as a man in his 70s, with underlying but unspecified health issues. The Beaumont Public Health Department said he had no known history of recent travel. City spokeswoman Carol Riley said the man had been hospitalized in Beaumont, but that no other details had been provided. It was the second COVID-19-related fatality reported in Southeast Texas. Last week, the virus was cited in the death of Michael Westbrook of Lumberton, a member of the Symphony of Southeast Texas member and longtime local educator. The death overshadowed the news that 10 more cases had been confirmed across Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties bringing the number of in Southeast Texas to a combined 62. Related: SE Texas 1st coronavirus fatality was an educator, symphony performer The majority of the increase came from Orange and Jefferson counties, which rose by five and four cases, respectively. More Information Helpful numbers (409) 550-2536: Hotline for residents of Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties who have symptoms that could be coronavirus and want to be tested. The hotline is active Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In off hours, callers will be directed through an automated menu to their county's health department. 211, option 6: For general coronavirus inquiries. See More Collapse This is an important reminder that COVID-19 is a very serious disease, the release said. While 80 percent of individuals who contract COVID-19 will have mild to moderate symptoms and fully recover, they may spread the disease to people who are at high risk. In part to continue to pursue measures to contain that spread, Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames earlier this week updated her stay-at-home emergency order, backing residents who exhibit coronavirus symptoms but may previously have been expected to work while waiting for test results to come back. Ames included the provision requiring quarantine for people under investigation or treatment for coronavirus or who have been ordered to stay home and updated the fine for violating the order using a different code that removes the potential for jail time but increases the fine to $2,000, among a couple of other changes. Related: In coronavirus fight, mayors take lead in stay-at-home orders Port Arthur, which has a stay-at-home order nearly identical to Beaumonts and has had the most public cases of people working while waiting for test results to come back, has not taken such a firm stance. One of that citys first positive tests came from an individual who worked at a health clinic and saw some 18 patients before the infection was confirmed and the individual went under quarantine. Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie said any recommendation to add a provision to the emergency order to mandate someone observe quarantine while waiting for test results would need to come from Public Health Director Judith Smith. Smith did not return a request for comment Wednesday. But to me, I believe the quarantine should begin when youre tested, until you get results, Bartie said. Individuals who tested positive would then be expected to continue in isolation. Related: SE Texas coronavirus testing expands with more planned Ames said she was not aware of any specific cases within Beaumont where an employee had to work while waiting for test results, but she made this and other amendments as a result of questions members of law enforcement heard from residents since the first order was passed. The amendment also adds car washes to the list of essential businesses, suspends bus fares and mandates transit be used only for essential travel while observing proper social distancing. We wanted to put something in place so the employees would be protected if they do have symptoms but their test hasnt come back yet, she said. While clinics run by the Southeast Texas Regional Operations Center had a slight lag time between when someone was referred for a test and an appointment to take it could be made, a clinic in Hardin County, which had its first full day of operation Wednesday, should help limit the time between when someone has symptoms and their test result comes back. On the first full day, the Silsbee drive-thru site tested 33 people, while the Jefferson County clinic tested 82. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Orange County Judge John Gothia said he expects his county will get a drive-thru clinic next week. Officials are finalizing plans for a location and a staff of nurses to run it. Were pretty much ready to go with it, we just have to wait for confirmation on people who will work the site, he said. Hopefully well be able to announce late this week or early next week to open it next week. He said that facility also would use kits purchased from and tested by the same New Jersey-based company used at the other two sites. The high demand for test kits means the counties arent getting full orders for kits fulfilled at one time, but enough have been coming in to operate the two sites and plan for a third one. The call center for residents from Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties experiencing coronavirus symptoms received 172 calls today and has referred a total of 927 people for testing since it opened March 20. This article has been updated to reflect that an employee of Motiva's Port Arthur Chemical site did not continue working after exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus and waiting for official test results. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain 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. MIDDLE EAST Yemen Expected Council Action In April, the Council is expected to hold its monthly briefing with Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and a representative from OCHA. The mandate of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) expires on 15 July 2020. Key Recent Developments Heavy fighting has continued since mid-January, with the Houthi rebel group seizing new territory in the north and appearing poised to attack Marib governorate. The governorate and its provincial capital, the city of Marib, have emerged during the war as an important Yemeni government stronghold, experiencing an economic and population boom from Yemenis fleeing violence, its oil and gas reserves, and investments by Saudi Arabia. A battle there would further undermine progress made in late 2019 to resume a political process, as well as placing a new heavy toll on civilians, including the 800,000 internally displaced persons in Marib. On 1 March, the Houthis took the city of Al Hazm, the capital of the northern Al Jawf governorate, resulting in a new massive displacement, according to OCHA. Its fall was seen as opening the way for the Houthis to attack Marib. Concerned by this prospect, Griffiths visited Marib on 7 March. In public remarks, Griffiths said, Marib must be insulated from conflict, remain a haven for Yemenis and continue its path to development and prosperity. He repeated his call for a freeze in military activities. Briefing the Council on 12 March, Griffiths said that there was a real risk of a protracted military escalation. He added, It is imperative that the parties agree to participate in a public, accountable, nationwide de-escalation mechanism that quiets the tempo of war and steers Yemen off this precarious path. Griffiths also reported increased clashes in and around Hodeidah. The day before, according to news reports, a Houthi sniper shot a Yemeni government liaison officer serving in one of the joint observation posts set up last year to monitor the Hodeidah ceasefire. That led the government to suspend its participation in the Redeployment Coordination Committee that oversees implementation of the Hodeidah agreement. During the briefing, Griffiths also noted continued restrictions on the movement of UNMHA personnel, saying that mission patrols had not been able to enter Hodeidah city since October 2019. Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham also briefed, echoing Griffiths call for a cessation of hostilities. Echoing his appeal two days earlier for a global ceasefire in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, on 25 March, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasing of hostilities in Yemen, and for the parties to focus on reaching a political settlement and working together to counter a potential COVID-19 outbreak. The Houthis, government and Saudi Arabia-led coalition that supports the government all expressed support for the Secretary-Generals call. Despite these positive overtures, on 28 March, the coalition announced that it had intercepted two ballistic missiles as well as drones that the Houthis claimed to have fired at Riyadh and areas in southern Saudi Arabia. The attacks were followed by a series of coalition air raids on Sanaa. Human Rights-Related Developments During its 43rd session, the Human Rights Council (HRC) received an oral update on 27 February from the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on the human rights situation in Yemen. Bachelet told the HRC that since March 2015, OHCHR has verified and confirmed the killing of 7,734 civilians, including 2,103 children, and injuries to 12,269 others due to indiscriminate attacks, landmines, improvised explosive devices, and the storage of weapons and explosives in residential areas, by all parties to the conflict. The actual numbers are likely to be far higher, she said. Despite the ceasefire in Hodeidah, it was the location with the highest number of civilian casualties in 2019 (102 civilians killed and 310 injured), she added. Thousands more people have died from illness and malnutrition resulting from constraints on humanitarian aid, the blockade, and the collapse of the economy and key institutions and services. Currently, out of a national population of 30.5 million people, 20.1 million face hunger and 14.4 million need immediate assistance for their sustenance or survival. Since March 2015, 3.65 million people have been displaced, including 410,000 in 2019, she said. In a 6 March statement, OHCHR expressed concern over the 35 Yemeni parliamentarians sentenced to deathin absentiaby the Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court on 3 March on charges related to their participation in last years April 2019 parliamentary meeting in Sayoun that had been called for by President Abdo Raboo Mansour Hadi. Key Issues and Options The military escalation has significantly set back progress made during the latter part of 2019 to resume a political process through the dialogue between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-brokered Riyadh Agreement between the government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council. Critical issues include how the Security Council can support de-escalation efforts and the resumption of an inclusive political process that can lead to UN-mediated peace talks. Preserving the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement, which includes the Hodeidah agreement, as well the stalled Riyadh Agreement, remains important. The humanitarian crisis continues to be severe. OCHA usually briefs on five key priorities: the protection of civilians, humanitarian access, funding for the aid operation, support for the economy, and the need for a political solution. A battle for Marib, where there is already fighting, would likely have new devastating humanitarian consequences. Ongoing challenges include the operating environment for humanitarian actors, particularly in the Houthi-controlled north. During the 12 March briefing, Rajasingham said that restrictions in Yemen had prevented the UN from conducting assessments to quantify the 2020 humanitarian response plan (HRP). Therefore, he said, OCHA would continue applying its 2019 Yemen HRP, to maintain the programmes that have helped prevent famine, roll back cholera and otherwise save millions of lives noting that considerable funding will be required, though probably somewhat less than in 2019 (a December 2019 global humanitarian overview published by OCHA estimated that $3.2 billion would be needed in 2020, compared to $4.16 billion in 2019.) As of late March, a pledging conference for Yemen was scheduled for 2 April in Riyadh. There has been discussion to convene it remotely, though it is still likely to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite reporting no confirmed cases of COVID-19, the pandemic poses a new major concern for Yemen, which has struggled to deal with other health crises during the war because of the strain on its health care and sanitation systems, including the largest cholera outbreak ever recorded. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Oman had confirmed 1299 cases and 167 cases respectively, by 28 March. The government and the Houthis have introduced measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on flights to Sanaa and Aden, prompting concerns among humanitarian actors that these could affect aid operations. On 20 March, Griffiths urged the parties to release all conflict-related prisoners as part of a long-delayed prisoner exchange agreement, citing the risks posed by COVID-19. At the time of this writing, members were considering a press statement to echo the Secretary-Generals call for a country-wide cessation of hostilities given the risks posed by COVID-19. Moreover, the P5 and the key states in the region that have influence on the parties could seek to exert pressure directly on the sides to de-escalate and cooperate with the Special Envoy to resume a political process. Council Dynamics Council members have appeared to remain quite united on Yemen, despite the contentious sanctions renewal in February that led to abstentions by China and Russia. At the 12 March session, members seemed unanimous in their calls for the parties to de-escalate and on the importance of restarting a political process. During the Councils public sessions, most members have also been raising concerns about the increasing Houthi interference with humanitarian operations that OCHA has flagged over recent months and the need for the Houthis to allow a UN assessment mission access to the moored SAFER oil tanker off the Ras Issa oil terminal, which risks causing a major environmental disaster in the Red Sea. Tunisia is the Arab member on the Council that traditionally champions positions of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government. The US recently reduced its humanitarian funding due to the Houthis interference with aid operations, as it has warned that it would do during recent Council briefings on Yemen. Russia at times expresses concerns about the Council criticising or singling out the Houthis more than other actors. The UK is the penholder on Yemen. Ambassador Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) chairs the Yemen 2140 Sanctions Committee. UN DOCUMENTS ON YEMEN By Trend More than 138 people died as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past day in Iran, said Kiyanush Jahanpur, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing Ministry. According to Jahanpur, about 2,987 people were infected with the virus in Iran in the past 24 hours. Jahanpur said that currently 3,871 people are in critical condition. Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 47,500 people have been infected, 3,036 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 15,400 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. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The former head of Macquarie's private bank is suing an Australian-based Chinese news outlet for defamation over an article read widely on social media platform WeChat that he says accuses him of running a company that "takes advantage of unsophisticated Chinese investors". Guy Hedley, former chief executive of Macquarie Private Bank and a co-founder of Sydney-based funds manager Atlas Advisors, gave evidence in the Federal Court on Wednesday that he believed the article was "malicious" and published after Atlas rejected an offer to "sponsor" the news outlet, Australian Financial News, for $40,000 a year. Guy Hedley is suing Australian Chinese language news outlet Australian Financial News. Credit:Brook Mitchell Mr Hedley is suing the publisher of the September 2019 article, Australian Financial News, and one of the company's directors, David Han. The article, headlined "Lamb to be slaughtered? Taken tens of billions from Chinese! Ponzi scheme under Australia's 'shadow bank'" was published on the AFNdaily website and shared on WeChat. FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 01, 2020, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced it is hosting or participating in multiple webinars and virtual meetups taking place in April through June 2020. In these events, GridGain experts will share their unique insights on the latest in-memory computing technology developments and trends. The company also announced that, due to the COVID-19 situation, the In-Memory Computing Summit Europe 2020 has been cancelled. The In-Memory Computing Summit North America 2020 to be held in the fall is currently on hold. "Given the environment today, we are focusing on virtual events where attendees can continue getting the vital information they need to address the challenges of digital transformation," said Terry Erisman, executive vice president of marketing and alliances at GridGain Systems. "These events are a great opportunity for attendees to safely learn from GridGain experts how in-memory computing technologies can help them achieve highly performant, massively scalable applications that leverage digital integration hubs, HTAP and other strategies." To receive updates on plans for the In-Memory Computing Summit North America 2020, visit https://www.imcsummit.org . There are also a broad selection of keynote and breakout session video recordings and slides from past Summits. Webinars Learn How Apache Ignite 2.8 Offers Improved Production Maintenance and Machine Learning (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/apache-ignite-28-improved-production-maintenance-machine-learning) - April 8, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations and Apache Ignite PMC member, will demonstrate and dissect new capabilities related to production maintenance, monitoring, and machine learning. - April 8, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations and Apache Ignite PMC member, will demonstrate and dissect new capabilities related to production maintenance, monitoring, and machine learning. Architects Guide for Apache Ignite ACID Transactions and Consistency (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/architects-guide-for-apache-ignite-acid-transactions-and-consistency) - April 29, 2020 - Ivan Rakov, GridGain Lead Architect and Apache Ignite Committer, will guide attendees through the architectural specifics of Apache Ignite and answer frequently asked questions related to ACID transactions and consistency, including data replication, atomicity levels and data synchronization modes, in-memory and persistent caches, and disk-based consistency. - April 29, 2020 - Ivan Rakov, GridGain Lead Architect and Apache Ignite Committer, will guide attendees through the architectural specifics of Apache Ignite and answer frequently asked questions related to ACID transactions and consistency, including data replication, atomicity levels and data synchronization modes, in-memory and persistent caches, and disk-based consistency. Moving Apache Ignite into Production: Best Practices for Distributed Transactions (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/moving-apache-ignite-into-production-best-practices-for-distributed-transactions) - June 10, 2020 - Ivan Rakov, GridGain Lead Architect and Apache Ignite Committer, will provide guidance on using the Apache Ignite transaction engine to prepare transactional workloads for production for various use cases. Virtual Meetups Conquer Application Performance Challenges with In-Memory Computing (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/meetups/scale-out-and-conquer) - April 1, 2020 - Hosted by Valentin Kulichenko, Lead Architect at GridGain, this meetup will explore the compromises and challenges architects face when designing distributed systems, including the advantages and disadvantages of different data algorithms, effective data models for distributed environments, and synchronization and coordination in distributed systems. - April 1, 2020 - Hosted by Valentin Kulichenko, Lead Architect at GridGain, this meetup will explore the compromises and challenges architects face when designing distributed systems, including the advantages and disadvantages of different data algorithms, effective data models for distributed environments, and synchronization and coordination in distributed systems. In-Memory Computing Essentials for Software Engineers (https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-QkZjmswG/events/269536451/) - April 8, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations and Apache Ignite PMC member, will provide an overview of the essentials of distributed in-memory systems, covering concepts such as caches, databases, and data grids, combined with a technical deep-dive based on the Apache Ignite in-memory computing platform. About GridGain Systems GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial services, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom, transportation and other major sectors, with a client list that includes ING, Raymond James, American Express, Societe Generale, Finastra, IHS Markit, ServiceNow, Marketo, RingCentral, American Airlines, Agilent, and UnitedHealthcare. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers. CONTACT: Terry Erisman GridGain Systems terisman@gridgain.com (650) 241-2281 GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, Ignite, Apache Kafka, Kafka, Apache Spark, and Spark are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners. Now, China has become a major part of the solution. Already a giant in mask manufacturing, it has ramped up production to nearly 12 times its earlier level of 10 million a day. It was a huge mobilization effort that involved redesigning freight train routes and sending large numbers of workers across the country in sealed buses. The Chinese government has encouraged global deals, but buying and selling masks is no easy feat. Traders, some just weeks into their unstable careers, have to navigate confusion, fraud attempts, byzantine customs laws and other barriers. Many say they sell directly to hospitals and others who need the equipment, not to speculators. Altruism aside, hospitals are also less likely to default on payments and more likely to know precisely what is in demand. It becomes so much easier when you deal with the procurement professionals, because they know exactly what they need, said Blake Noah, a private banking art consultant who now arranges mask shipments in Shanghai. Some factories make products of suspect quality, and some sellers will even try to swindle buyers. Last Thursday, a court in the Chinese city of Shaoxing sentenced a man to over 10 years in prison for repeatedly selling what looked like a cargo of masks but had only tree branches inside. Mask traders in Shanghai say they have wasted time bargaining over rumored caches of masks before concluding that the only reliable suppliers are top managers at the factories themselves. Im still being put in touch with people who claim to have caches of 3M-branded masks, Mr. Noah said. But Im skeptical such caches exist after looking at four or five phantom caches. Austin Public Health officials say more than 28 young adults who returned to Austin from a spring break trip to Cabo San Lucas have tested positive for the coronavirus, and dozens more are being monitored. Officials said Tuesday a group of about 70 people in their 20s departed on a chartered plane about a week and a half ago. Some of the attendees flew back on commercial flights. Four of those who tested positive showed no symptoms. - American rapper Tory Lanez hosted an IG live radio called Quarantine to catch up with fans all over the world - The rapper invited two Kenyans girls to the show to perform a twerk challenge but their performance was heavily substandard - Lanez called the performance "weird" and even fellow Kenyans who landed on the video did not hide their disappointment American rapper Tory Lanez born Daystar Peterson, has been hosting an IG live radio dubbed Quarantine to catch up with fans during the lockdown period enforced due to coronavirus. He finally got to link up with his Kenyan fans as two beautiful young ladies got the chance to represent the country. READ ALSO: God is my sponsor: Tanasha angered by fans suggesting her new house was bought by man READ ALSO: April Fools: Netizens agree not to make jokes as 2020 has been hard enough The ladies aged 23 and 25 took part in a twerk competition but their performance seemed to have put many to sleep including Lanez. Considering that they were African queens, many expected a top-shelf performance but it was nothing near to that. The rapper responded at the end of the session with a dissatisfied facial expression, saying: "I don't know men, It was looking too weird for me." READ ALSO: Remember my brother is single - Diamond's sister tells Wema Sepetu READ ALSO: Seneta Khaniri na mkewe wasisimua na densi ya kukata kiuno Social media fans went on to share the video on Twitter, which has since gone viral, with many Kenyans claiming to have been ashamed for not being well represented. On Twitter user named Yvette said: "The one time Kenya had a shot to be represented on Tory Lanez's Quarantine radio this is what we got." Others recommended that Kenyan slay queen such as Vera Sidika, Huddah Monroe and Corazon Kwamboka should appear on the show and correct the mistake. Here are more reactions from Kenyans: Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My father wanted me to be a prostitute and he is now serving time in Kamiti Maximum Prison | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke A month ago health experts announced that the Ebola virus epidemic in eastern Congo was not quite over, but that it was fading. The last patient the city of Beni (North Kivu province) was discharged March 3. However, Congolese and international health personnel are expecting Ebola flare-ups in central Africa. The latest Ebola statistics (March 25) are 3,453 total cases (3,310 confirmed, 143 probable), 2,264 deaths and 1169 survivors. Meanwhile, the covid19/Wuhan virus appeared in Congo on March 8. March 30, 2020: In eastern Congo (North Kivu), soldiers freed 38 hostages held by the Ugandan ADF Islamic rebels. Congolese troops ambushed ADF rebel forces near a remote village. When the rebels fled the soldiers freed the hostages. March 29, 2020: In the southern Congo (Katanga province) police and soldiers killed 31 militiamen in a series of clashes in and around Lubumbashi, Congos second-largest city. The day before seven gunmen and one policeman was killed in the city while 24 other gunmen were killed in three other clashes in the region. The police and military of using excessive force because some of the militiamen were only armed with knives. March 27, 2020: In Congo covid19 has killed four people so far while an estimated 60 people have the virus. March 25, 2020: In Congo, the head of the presidential legal advisory council died of covid19. The victim was an active member of Congos political opposition to the Kabila government. He is believed to be the third person in the DRC to die from the virus. Congolese media speculate that he contracted the disease on a recent trip to France for a medical check-up. China announced that it has donated medical supplies to Congo, Gabon and Ghana. The supplies include over 500,000 medical-grade masks and 20,000 sets of protective clothes. Many nations that have received such items from China have tested them and found 30-80 percent of the items defective. March 24, 2020: In Congo, the president declared the covid19 virus a national emergency. Congos borders have been closed. Airline flights and river transport to and from Kinshasa are banned. An estimated 40 people in the country have the disease. So far Congo has suffered three fatalities. After reports of new cases in its mining area, Katanga province has been put in lockdown. In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) continued fighting left 37 ADF rebels and 12 soldiers dead after a series of firefights. March 23, 2020: In Congo, a court sentenced former Health Minister Oly Illunga to five years in prison with hard labor. His financial adviser received the same criminal sentence. The two men embezzled about $400,000 from funds set aside to combat the Ebola virus. They were also charged with diverting funds for transporting medical supplies to combat the Ebola epidemic. March 21, 2020: Congo suffered its first covid19 fatality. The country currently has 23 confirmed cases. To combat the disease, the government has closed Congos border with Rwanda. March 20, 2020: Congos government is expressing irritation with Angolas failure to fulfill an oil field sharing agreement reached in January 2020. Since 2003 Congo has claimed a share of Angolas offshore oil production. The UN analyzed the claim and in 2009 decided that approximately half of Angolas offshore fields are in Congolese waters. In January 2020 Angola and Congo agreed to form a special commission to determine share ownership in what is called the zone of common interest. According to several reports this month, Congo is accusing Angola of deliberately delaying a settlement. March 18, 2020: In the Central African Republic (CAR) peacekeepers provided details of recent March 2 through March 11 fighting. Rival factions of FPRC (Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa) fought a series of battles in northeastern CAR. The FPRC itself was a splinter group of the Seleka (Islamic) rebel movement. The fighting killed at least 20 people, including 13 civilians. March 17, 2020: In northeastern Congo (Ituri province near the Uganda border) fighting this month has left about 50 people dead because of the Lendu tribe Codeco (Cooperation for the Development of the Congo) militia. Locals describe Codeco as a cult. March 16, 2020: In Uganda (Rwenzori, near the Congo border) soldiers arrested 14 members of the Kirumira Mutima rebel group. The rebels had launched several attacks in the area. Police and soldiers seized 70 machetes, 40 knives and a flag of the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu Kingdom. March 15, 2020: In central CAR (Ouaka prefecture) a Christian anti-balaka rebel militia killed a Burundian peacekeeper who was trying to protect civilians. The militiamen deliberately opened fire on the soldier and his unit. Peacekeeper officials said that the militia commander and his men committed a war crime and will have to answer for their actions in a court of law because this crime must not go unpunished. March 14, 2020: Uganda believes the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) and its commander, Joseph Kony, are now based in Kafia Kingi, an area that borders the CAR, Sudan and South Sudan. Apparently Kony no longer controls subordinate LRA factions. His own group now consists of a few dozen people, including his sons. They are reportedly living as subsistence farmers. A defector reported that in 2018 Kony told LRA fighters that they are no longer at war with the Ugandan government and must now consider themselves refugees. Kony is wanted as a war criminal. Kony has been active since the late 1980s when he led resistance to government massacres in northern Uganda. Government violence ended in the 1990s but Kony never stopped being a charismatic rebel. March 12, 2020: In Congo soldiers arrested 15 rebels who had attacked a Ugandan military unit in Uganda in the last week. Three Ugandan soldiers and 17 rebels died in the incident. Three years ago today, in southwest Congo (Kasai region) a group of gunmen murdered two UN human investigators, Zaida Catalan, a Swede, and Michael Sharp, an American. Their interpreter and three drivers are still missing. Collected evidence indicates government forces committed the murders. The government, at the time controlled by former President Joseph Kabila, blamed the murders on the Kamuina Nsapu militia. March 11, 2011: The UN is warning that political violence in Burundi is increasing and threatens the integrity of national elections scheduled for May 20. March 9, 2020: The UN is seeking $621 million to assist nearly one million Congolese refugees who are seeking asylum in neighboring countries. Uganda has around 400,000 of them. Congo also has five million internally displaced people. March 8, 2020: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) 13 ADF rebels and four soldiers were killed in a firefight. Five soldiers were wounded. The soldiers had been attacking ADF base camps located in the area, which is near the Ugandan border. March 7, 2020: In northeast CAR (Ouaka prefecture) civilians found the dead body of a UN peacekeeper killed by the FPRC. In Congo, the president reported that investigators determined that former deputy chief of military intelligence general Delphin Kahimbi died by hanging. Investigators are calling his death a suicide. Earlier reports claimed Khamibi had suffered a heart attack. March 6, 2020: In the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), retired postal and telecommunications workers are conducting mass protests because of unpaid pensions. The retired workers were required to contribute to their pension fund when they were employed and they are not getting that back. Some protestors are claiming they are victims of corruption. March 5, 2020: In Congo, senior Catholic Church leaders are condemning continued corruption by officials in newly elected president Felix Tshisekedis government. When he became president, Tshisekedi vowed to combat corruption. March 3, 2020: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province), the last Ebola patient (a woman) is now healthy and has been discharged from the treatment clinic. March 2, 2020: In Congo, the army has ordered an investigation into the February 28 death of general Delphin Kahimbi, the deputy chief of military intelligence in the government headed by former president Joseph Kabila. Kahimbi was found dead in his home in Kinshasa. He was supposed to appear before a national security council meeting to respond to accusations that he was plotting to destabilize the current president Tshisekedi government. The EU had sanctioned Kahimbi for human rights violations. February 29, 2020: In northeastern Congo (Ituri province near the Uganda border), Codeco militiamen killed at least 24 people while another twelve were injured. [April 01, 2020] E-learning Must Be Accessible to All Ontarians: CUPE Ontario With the Ontario government announcing an extension of closures for schools and child care centres due to the pandemic, education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in Ontario are raising concerns about access to e-learning. "We know that in the short-term, school closures make e-learning a reality," said Laura Walton, president of CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), which leads central negotiations on behalf of 55,000 CUPE education workers. "But we also know that the high-speed internet required for e-learning isn't as accessible in low-income, rural, and indigenous communities. We need to address that and make it accessible for all moving forward." Walton referenced a study that says only 63% of rural households and 76% of indigenous households in Canada have access to internet that meets e-learning requirements. 11% don't have home intrnet at all. "And what about parents who still have to work?" said Walton, pointing out that students without a parent at home may face challenges even with high-speed internet. "We have to see this through an equality and class lens. We can't let kids who don't have access to high-speed internet, or whose parents are essential workers or work in our grocery stores, to be unable to access education that needs to continue, crisis or not." Representatives of frontline educations workers have been in consultations with the government to work out how public education will unfold during closures. "One way this government can step up and support all Ontarians is by working closely with representatives of frontline workers," said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, highlighting working groups about custodians, instructional supports, and learning resources that have already begun. "Frontline education workers care about the services they provide for students and families. They need to continue to be consulted on how our public education system needs to look in these times." "We're all in this together," said Walton. "This is the time to support everyone: our members, who are part of the community of workers who deliver critical services, and students from all communities. Our education matters and everyone needs to be able to access it." kw/cope491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005507/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] More than 40,000 people have been killed in the coronavirus pandemic as the disease barrels across the globe, with the US bracing for its darkest hours after its death toll surpassed China's on Tuesday. In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 800,000 people in a crisis redrawing political powers, hammering the global economy and transforming the daily existence of some 3.6 billion people who have been asked to stay home under lockdowns. Deaths shot up again across Europe Tuesday as Spain, France and Britain reported their deadliest days. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 died overnight in both countries. With hospitals direly overstretched, lockdowns have been extended despite their crushing economic impact on the poorest. In Belgium a 12-year-old girl infected with the virus passed away in another worrying case of a youth succumbing to the disease. Meanwhile the US -- which has the highest number of confirmed infections -- reached a bleak milestone as deaths topped 3,400, ticking past China's official tally of 3,309, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. France joined it with a surge to 3,525 deaths, an official toll that includes only those who died in hospital and not those who died at home or in old people's homes. The inundation of patients has sent health facilities around the world into overdrive. Field hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. In scenes previously unimaginable in peacetime, around a dozen white tents were erected to serve as a field hospital in New York's Central Park. "You see movies like 'Contagion' and you think it's so far from the truth, it will never happen. So to see it actually happening here is very surreal," 57-year-old passerby Joanne Dunbar told AFP. While many companies and schools around the globe have shifted to teleworking and teaching over video platforms, huge swaths of the world's workforce cannot perform their jobs online and are now lacking pay and face a deeply uncertain future. Food banks in New York City, the epicentre of the US outbreak, have seen a surge of newcomers struggling to feed their families. "It is my first time," Lina Alba, who lost her job as a cleaner in a Manhattan hotel that closed two weeks ago, said from a food distribution centre in the city. "We need the help now. This is crazy. So we don't know what's going to happen in a few weeks," added the 40-year-old single mother of five. With more than 175,000 infections in the United States, three-quarters of Americans are now under some form of lockdown. Off the coast of Florida, a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship and its sister vessel are pleading for somewhere to dock, possibly at Fort Lauderdale. "Already four guests have passed away and I fear other lives are at risk," Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, wrote in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The staggering economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus is opening new fronts for both cooperation and conflict. In virtual talks Tuesday, finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 major economies pledged to address the debt burden of low-income countries and deliver aid to emerging markets. Last week G20 leaders said they were injecting USD 5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan to finance the expected severe economic fallout. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a group pushing for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds". But talk of common debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries long opposed to such a measure, threatening to divide the bloc in the midst of a health catastrophe. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned governments not to use emergency measures as a pretext for power grabs. Her call followed concerns about a new law that gave Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban sweeping authority to rule by decree until his government deems the emergency is over. Activists around the world have voiced fears that autocrats will overreach and hold on to their new powers even after the crisis abates. Elsewhere Poland toughened restrictions on movement while Russia expanded lockdowns across its territory as infections ticked up, including that of the head of Moscow's main coronavirus hospital. Though the doctor recently met with President Vladmir Putin, the Kremlin insisted the Russian leader is fine. The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately impacted the poor. "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos has also been brought to a halt as it entered its first full day of a two-week shutdown. Containment will be especially tough in the megacity's packed slums, where many rely on daily wages to survive. "To reduce the number of people with coronavirus, we know they need to stop movement," said 60-year-old engineer Ogun Nubi Victor. "But there is no money for the citizens, people are just sitting at home, with nothing to eat." While much of the world shuts down, the ground-zero Chinese city of Wuhan has started to reawaken in recent days, giving the bereaved the first chance in months to bury their dead. (Picture credit: PTI) Florida state troopers were in a standoff Wednesday afternoon with a Georgia man accused of fatally shooting three people in his childs mothers family, and then leaving with the child, authorities said. Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., 29, is wanted on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping, according to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriffs Office. His vehicle was spotted on Interstate 75 near Tampa on Wednesday, which led to a police chase onto Interstate 4, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. Crockett eventually crashed near the interchange between the two highways, FHP said. The child was recovered safely, but Crockett remained in the vehicle in a standoff with law enforcement, officials said. Police said the shooting incident was reported at 9:22 p.m. on Tuesday, involving a family on Moreland Avenue in Macon. According to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriffs Office on Facebook, police said after deputies arrived on the scene, they found three people dead in the house and one female with injuries. The injured victim, identified as 30-year-old Jamila Augustine French and the mother of Lamar Crocketts child, said she got into a fight with Lamar Crockett, who then shot and killed three members of Frenchs family. During the altercation, Crockett pulled a firearm and shot Frenchs mother, step-father and sister killing them, according to the statement. Police said Lamar Crockett then fled the scene with his 2-year-old son King Cane Crockett. The boy was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jogging pants with a white stripe on the side and a black and white hoodie with a blue superman logo on the front, according to the statement. Lamar Crockett is 6 foot 1 inches tall and weighs between 180 to 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black long sleeve shirt and black shorts with red and white stripes on the side. Police added photos of Lamar Crockett, the child, and a vehicle similar to the one Lamar Crockett is believed to be driving. Macon is a consolidated city-county located in Georgia approximately 85 miles southeast of Atlanta. Parental Kidnapping According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, approximately 200,000 children are kidnapped each year by a family member. Child custody experts say that people kidnap their own children to force a reconciliation or continued interaction with the other parent, to spite or punish the other parent, or from fear of losing custody or visitation rights. Common warnings signs include the other parent threatening abduction, suspected abuse, or paranoid delusion. Lorenz Duchamps and The Associated Press contributed to this report By ANI MADHUBANI: Three people were arrested for pelting stones on Tuesday at police who were in Andharatharhi area of Madhubani to check if anybody had attended the religious gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in New Delhi earlier last month, a senior official said on Wednesday. "Three people have been arrested for pelting stones at police when they went to check if any attendee of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event was staying at a mosque in Girdarjung village," Amit Sharan, Jhanjharpur DSP said. READ| No need to panic, COVID-19 is something we can easily conquer: Padma Bhushan Dr D Nageshwar Reddy Earlier today, Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey had said that all Bihar residents and foreign nationals who attended the Markaz event will be traced and most of them are already being monitored. The gatherings organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in March. COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from those who attended the event in Delhi, with 24 cases being reported from the national capital alone, apart from Telangana, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. In a March 25 interview on CNN, Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of America's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, answered a question on the duration of any COVID-19 lockdown by saying: You dont make the timeline. The virus makes the timeline. As the Trump administration came to the end of its publicly announced "15 Days to Slow the Spread" early this week, all eyes were on the White House to see what it made of Dr Fauci's statement. The decision to extend social-distancing guidelines until April 30 suggests that professional medical advice has prevailed for the moment. Since his presidency began, Donald Trump has used highs on the sharemarket and historic lows in US unemployment to make the case for his approach to policy and governance. In recent days, as those indicators have collapsed under the strain of a global pandemic with US jobless numbers rising by 1000 per cent in a single week to more than 3 million he has been forced to rely on the more rubbery metrics of approval polling and TV ratings for his press conferences as morale boosters. In an election year, if indeed that is still what 2020 is, the President is keen for a return to better news. In that, he is like all of us. Even his harshest critics would concede that he is far from the only national leader who has stumbled and second-guessed in the face of such an all-consuming crisis. China will arrange flights to the UK tomorrow to help overseas students return home amid the coronavirus pandemic, an official announced today. Hua Chunying, a spokesperson from Chinas Foreign Ministry, said the decision came after considering the current epidemic situation in the UK and the variety of challenges faced by the local Chinese students. It comes as overseas Chinese are scrambling to get a ticket to fly home as China is now deemed to be a safe harbour while the new cases and deaths soar in Europe. International students said that they felt 'scared' and 'helpless' while staying in Europe during the outbreak due to the inaction of authorities and the public. China will arrange flights to the UK tomorrow to help overseas students return home amid the coronavirus pandemic, an official announced today. Passengers in line scan the code and fill in the health registration forms in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Monday Hua Chunying (pictured), a spokesperson from Chinas Foreign Ministry, said the decision came after considering the current epidemic situation in the UK and the variety of challenges faced by the local Chinese students China has previously sent out planes to Italy and Iran to transfer overseas students back home, Ms Hua said at a press conference in Beijing today. Recently, due to the spread of the epidemic, the number of international flights has been significantly reduced. Some Chinese students have encountered difficulties flying back home, Ms Hua added. The Foreign Ministry is actively coordinating with the civil aviation authority and other departments. We will increase the number of temporary flights to the UK on April 2 to facilitate the return of overseas students who have difficulties,' Ms Hua continued. But the number of such flights is yet to be confirmed. China has previously sent out planes to Italy and Iran to transfer overseas students back home, Ms Hua said at a press conference in Beijing today. Students are pictured at Cambridge University wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic Worried oversea students have rushed to flee the coronavirus pandemic after schools across Europe closed campuses and moved classes online to contain the spread of the virus. 'Europe now feels like China in the early stages of the outbreak,' said Lin Tiantian, a student at a private music school in Vienna, Austria. She told MailOnline that she was 'frightened because no one was wearing face masks in Vienna.' Another Chinese student studying at the University of Sheffield decided to return home when he felt 'helpless as there was a lack of actions from the UK government.' 'People in the UK weren't paying much attention to the outbreak at the beginning. I felt like it was dangerous to stay in the UK,' Yao, 23, told MailOnline. Worried oversea students have rushed to flee the coronavirus pandemic after schools across Europe closed campuses and moved classes online to contain the spread of the virus. Workers wearing protective suits check information of an inbound passenger in Shanghai Deer Jet, a private jet charter firm, offered to fly people from the UK to China, but at a costly price. The company charged its customers 21,000 per head to board its 14-seat business plane. Deer Jet confirmed the price with Chinese media. The luxurious flight was quickly overbooked and the firm has considered to add new journeys, a spokesperson told the Southern Metropolis Daily. Private travel agencies are also providing flights with Gulfstream G550 private jets which can charge up to 16,000 per seat. Prices for other economy flights rose up to 3,500 per ticket, almost 10 times higher than the average price from the previous year. Economy tickets for direct flights from London to Beijing were sold out till the end of April, according to Ctrip, a Chinese travel booking website. Passengers are seen queueing up to check-in before boarding flights at Yichang Sanxia Airport Fears are sparked as China sees a surge of new coronavirus cases from inbound passengers. International flights have been heavily restricted and border controls are tightened in a move to avoid a second wave of the outbreak. A Chinese teenager studying in the UK has become the first person to bring the novel coronavirus back to Wuhan, the former centre of the pandemic. The city last week declared that it had largely curbed the outbreak after recording only one new infection in 10 days. Local health officials today reported the 16-year-old student as its first 'imported case' in the city. They claimed he showed no symptoms. China has so far registered 691 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, among people entering the country. Official statistics show that more than a third of the imported cases in the Chinese capital of Beijing were detected among people arriving from Britain, followed by those coming from Spain and Italy. More than 1,800 people have died of the deadly disease and over 25,000 have been infected in the UK. The global count of confirmed cases is nearing 860,000, with at least 42,310 deaths. WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would rescind $25 million from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that was included in the bipartisan $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Friday. The bill already has strong conservative support with multiple cosponsors, including Republican House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Steil, R-Wis., said he supported the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act the $2.2 trillion package but I didnt think it was a perfect bill. In a phone call with The Journal Times, Steil said he did not think it was fair when there was a a specific line item for a theater in Washington D.C. to receive funding, but there were no line items for theaters anywhere else. The president, however, said he supports the money for the Kennedy Center being included in the CARES Act. During a press briefing last week, Trump said Im a fan of that ... I havent spent time there (at the Kennedy Center) because Im far too busy. Id love to go there evenings, but Im too busy doing things. The Kennedy Center, they do a beautiful job, an incredible job. Both Barack Obama and George W. Bush attended events at the center during their presidencies. The Kennedy Center closed on March 17 and is expected to remain so through at least May 10. The entire National Symphony Orchestra, containing almost 100 musicians, was laid off Friday from the Kennedy Center, even after the $25 million was approved. Steil called these layoffs appalling, and the icing on the cake for why the money should be rescinded. On Wednesday, the musicians sent a grievance letter to the Kennedy Center, saying that their collective layoff was a violation of their collective bargaining agreement. Sniffing for spending Steils promise to voters when he was elected to Congress for the first time in November 2018, replacing former House Speaker Paul Ryan as the representative for Wisconsins 1st District, was to reign in frivolous spending in Washington. He said that this bill is another step toward that goal. Steil then called himself an aggressive advocate on behalf of the taxpayers and said it is his job to sniff out frivolous spending. If theres $25 million, Im going to go out for it. Response Officials at the Kennedy Center, in a two-page release issued Tuesday, said that the $25 million (amounting to less than one-eighth of one percent of the total stimulus funding) is anything but a mistake. The money would be used to keep the performing arts center alive and will save jobs the intent of CARES Act. More than $20 million would go to employee compensation and benefits, with another $1.75 million going to artist contracts and fees. The remaining $3 million would be used for rent, cleaning, information technology and other administrative expenses. Without question, the Kennedy Center has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and has experienced overwhelming financial losses ... By safeguarding our financial position now, we also improve our capacity to open our doors and stages for audiences as soon as it is safe to do so, the Kennedy Center, which is a nonprofit, said in its release. After exhaustive review and scrutiny of all options, the Kennedy Centers leadership and board believe the plan outlined above is the only way forward. Comments on TV Scalise, during an appearance this week on Fox News Hannity, hosted by conservative commentator Sean Hannity, said that inclusion of funding for the Kennedy Center shows you how misguided (Democratic House Speaker Nancy) Pelosis priorities were. Scalise did not mention how the president supported the inclusion of the money for the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a multi-dimensional performing arts center with a focus on musical performance in central Washington, D.C. It hosts thousands of varied performances annually with audiences far surpassing 1 million per year. Families and workers are struggling to pay rent, pay their mortgage, and buy groceries. Americans need relief and assistance now which is why I supported the CARES Act. However, some in Washington felt it was important to spend $25 million of taxpayer dollars on the Kennedy Center when there are obviously bigger needs right now. U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (Natural News) Whole Foods Market employees across the nation carried out a work stoppage on Tuesday as tensions escalated between workers and their employer over issues stemming from the coronavirus crisis. The employees say that the Amazon subsidiary isnt prioritizing their safety, even as the grocery chain experiences a period of record-breaking sales as people stock up for self-isolation. The workers called in sick as part of their effort to demand paid leave for all employees who are self-quarantining or staying home because of coronavirus. They also want free coronavirus testing for all employees given their exposure on the job, along with hazard pay amounting to double the current hourly wage for those workers who do take on the risk during the pandemic. The sick-out is being organized by Whole Worker, a national worker group. They wrote in a statement that they cant wait for management to protect them from the threat of COVID-19. The move comes as Whole Foods workers in stores across the U.S. are testing positive for the virus in locations like New York City, California, Chicago and Louisiana. These stores are remaining open despite the diagnoses, causing some employees to believe that Whole Foods isnt prioritizing their safety as they rack up record sales. For its part, Whole Foods says they have taken intensive measures to ensure safety, including crowd control measures, social distancing, enhanced deep cleaning, and new safety protocols. They say they have offered two weeks paid sick leave to those workers who test positive for coronavirus and wont penalize workers who call out sick. And although Whole Foods has announced a temporary pay raise of $2 per hour, workers say its not enough as many have already gotten sick and some may even end up dying for their job. Many of their workers dont have sufficient savings to enable them to stay home from work, even if they are sick, and there just arent enough tests to go around. One Chicago Whole Foods worker said that those who have no choice but to work are showing up anyway, while those who do have some savings are staying home. They reported staff is on a skeleton crew and said many of their workers would be participating in the sick out. A New England Whole Foods worker who wanted to remain anonymous told Motherboard she had been told by her doctor to quarantine for two weeks because of her coronavirus symptoms, but Whole Foods didnt accept the note or offer her sick leave, saying her symptoms werent strong enough to get tested. Why arent these companies taking the virus more seriously? The sick-out is the first national collective action to be led by the companys workers since its founding in 1980, Vice reports. Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in the summer of 2017 and is currently hiring thousands of workers for the two businesses. On Monday, Amazon warehouse workers walked off the job in New York City, while other unauthorized strikes have been seen in recent days in poultry plant workers in Georgia and sanitation workers in Pittsburgh. Several state attorney generals sent a letter in March to the CEOs of Amazon and Whole Foods, Jeff Bezos and John Mackey, demanding they expand paid sick leave policies to those who have symptoms of COVID-19 but cant get tested and those caring for people who have been diagnosed with it. The letter stated that they are putting their customers, other employees, and the public at large at a significant exposure risk. These are chaotic times for grocery store employees, with Whole Foods workers describing the scene at work these days as post-apocalyptic. Theyre dealing with long lines starting in the earliest hours of the morning and unhappy customers as essentials like bread and toilet paper go out of stock by midday. One worker told the media that workers were crying and having panic attacks on the job. Unfortunately, Amazon and Whole Foods dont have the best track record when it comes to taking care of their employees. Lets hope for everyones sake that they come to their senses soon and stop making people who could potentially be spreading this deadly disease feel like they have no choice but to show up for work. Sources for this article include: Vice.com Vice.com DUBLIN, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cyber Weapon - Global Market Outlook (2018-2027)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Cyber Weapon market accounted for $45.12 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $73.05 billion by 2027 growing at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors influencing market growth include a rise in threats to critical infrastructures across vital sectors including corporate IT and government, rise in defence expenses coupled with the continuous evolution of cyber weapons as a warfare tool and increasing use of cyber weapons to keep track of enemy's movements and data surveillance in the defence sector. However, the lack of standardized regulatory frameworks for energy solutions and increasing government regulations regarding the use of cyber weapons in a controlled environment are restricting market growth. Amongst type, defensive weapons lead demand from the global cyber weapon market and are likely to retain a foremost position in the coming years due to their growing economic importance to countries across the development spectrum. The mounting intricacy required in defensive cyber weapons is likely to be a key direction for players in the market. Since information technology is integral to industries such as manufacturing, defence, and aerospace, they are more vulnerable to cyber thefts. The demand for defensive cyber weapons is therefore anticipated to continue to surge through the forecast period. By Geography, North America is likely to have significant growth during the forecast period. The high concentration of globally important economic and scientific institutions in North American countries such as the U.S. has been vital for the growth of the North America cyber weapon market. The vital economic importance of North America has also led to consistent government support in developed regions, which has propelled the entry of new players in the North America cyber weapon market. Massive application of cyber weapons in aerospace and defence sectors, as well as intelligence units, is the main factor of the North America cyber weapon market. Some of the key players in global cyber weapon market are BAE System plc, Cisco Systems, Avast Software, McAfee, Kaspersky Lab, Airbus Group SE, Boeing Company, Raytheon Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, AVG Technologies, Northrop Grumman Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, Symantec Corporation, Thales SA, and FireEye, Inc. What the report offers: Market share assessments for the regional and country-level segments Strategic recommendations for the new entrants Covers Market data for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2027 Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations) Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis, etc. Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements Key Topics Covered 1 Executive Summary 2 Preface 2.1 Abstract 2.2 Stake Holders 2.3 Research Scope 2.4 Research Methodology 2.4.1 Data Mining 2.4.2 Data Analysis 2.4.3 Data Validation 2.4.4 Research Approach 2.5 Research Sources 2.5.1 Primary Research Sources 2.5.2 Secondary Research Sources 2.5.3 Assumptions 3 Market Trend Analysis 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Drivers 3.3 Restraints 3.4 Opportunities 3.5 Threats 3.6 Application Analysis 3.7 Emerging Markets 3.8 Futuristic Market Scenario 4 Porters Five Force Analysis 4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers 4.3 Threat of substitutes 4.4 Threat of new entrants 4.5 Competitive rivalry 5 Global Cyber Weapon Market, By Type 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Offensive 5.2.1 Worms & Viruses 5.2.2 Penetration Driven Assault 5.2.3 Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) 5.2.4 Reverse Rules Attack 5.3 Mirai 5.4 Stuxnet 5.5 Great Cannon 5.6 Defensive 5.6.1 Anti-Penetration Driven Assault 5.6.2 Anti-Distributed Denial of Service 5.6.3 Anti-Virus 5.6.4 Anti-Reverse Rules Attack 5.7 Duqu 5.8 Flame 5.9 Wiper 6 Global Cyber Weapon Market, By Organization Size 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Large Enterprises 6.3 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) 7 Global Cyber Weapon Market, By Application 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Air Traffic Control 7.3 Automated Transportation System 7.4 National Defense System 7.5 Communication network 7.6 Hospital 7.7 Industrial Control System 7.8 Smart power grid 7.9 Financial and Banking 7.10 Public Utility 7.11 Government Organizations 7.12 Military & Defence 7.13 Essential Services 7.14 Private Sector 8 Global Cyber Weapon Market, By Geography 8.1 Introduction 8.2 North America 8.2.1 US 8.2.2 Canada 8.2.3 Mexico 8.3 Europe 8.3.1 Germany 8.3.2 UK 8.3.3 Italy 8.3.4 France 8.3.5 Spain 8.3.6 Rest of Europe 8.4 Asia Pacific 8.4.1 Japan 8.4.2 China 8.4.3 India 8.4.4 Australia 8.4.5 New Zealand 8.4.6 South Korea 8.4.7 Rest of Asia Pacific 8.5 South America 8.5.1 Argentina 8.5.2 Brazil 8.5.3 Chile 8.5.4 Rest of South America 8.6 Middle East & Africa 8.6.1 Saudi Arabia 8.6.2 UAE 8.6.3 Qatar 8.6.4 South Africa 8.6.5 Rest of Middle East & Africa 9 Key Developments 9.1 Agreements, Partnerships, Collaborations and Joint Ventures 9.2 Acquisitions & Mergers 9.3 New Product Launch 9.4 Expansions 9.5 Other Key Strategies 10 Company Profiling 10.1 BAE System plc 10.2 Cisco Systems 10.3 Avast Software 10.4 McAfee 10.5 Kaspersky Lab 10.6 Airbus Group SE 10.7 Boeing Company 10.8 Raytheon Company 10.9 Lockheed Martin Corporation 10.10 AVG Technologies 10.11 Northrop Grumman Corporation 10.12 General Dynamics Corporation 10.13 Symantec Corporation 10.14 Thales S.A. 10.15 FireEye, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/prqhk3 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 Delhi, April 1 : Special ferry flights of the Japan Airlines and the Iraqi government have been allowed to operate to Delhi for repatriation of Japanese and Iraqi citizens. These flights were allowed to land here on Wednesday under special circumstances. Highly-placed sources told IANS that the two aircraft did not carry any passengers to India. "The Japan Airlines aircraft ferried back 190 passengers, while the special flight operated on behalf of the Iraqi government took back 140 passengers," the sources said. On late Tuesday night, Russia's Aeroflot airline ferried back 350 passengers to Moscow from New Delhi. At present, no foreign or domestic passenger flight operations are allowed but cargo operations are still underway. A host of public and private sector entities, including IIFCL, SPMCIL and Standard Chartered Bank, on Wednesday committed funds for India's fight against the novel coronavirus. "India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) has made a contribution of Rs 25 crore to the PM-CARES Fund as its support towards strengthening India's fight against COVID19," the company said in a tweet. IIFCL has given beyond the CSR fund by finding additional resources from some other heads. This is a national crisis and the response has to be extraordinary, a senior official of IIFCL said, adding the company has therefore gone beyond its CSR budget. Another public sector entity under the Finance Ministry, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL) has contributed about Rs 2 crore to AIIMS Delhi for procurement of 45 ventilators, the most needed equipment to combat COVID-19. Two leading financial institution State Bank of India (SBI) and Life Insurance of India (LIC) pledged Rs 100 crore and Rs 105 crore respectively for Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. Around 2.5 lakh employees have decided to contribute two days' salary aggregating to about Rs 100 crore will be donated PM-CARES Fund. Out of the Rs 105 crore, Rs 5 crore has been donated from LIC's Golden Jubilee Fund, the state-owned company said in a statement. Funds are pouring from the private sector as well with AU Small Finance Bank contributing Rs 5 crore for the relief work. It includes a contribution of Rs 2 crore to PM-CARES Fund; a contribution of Rs 51 lakh each to Delhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister relief funds and support provided to Rajasthan Government for a testing facility that was established in Bhilwara, one of the worst-hit districts in Rajasthan, the bank said in a statement. Besides, to combat the challenges posed by COVID-19, AU Bank is contributing over Rs 2 crore through its various CSR initiatives, it said. Policybazaar Group is supporting National Covid-19 helplines to address public inquiries about coronavirus, and voluntarily offered someof Call Centre employees to the National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. This is being done on a non-commercial basis. "The Ministry accepted our offer and agreed to make us the primary call centre for the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand circles. Within 48 hours of receiving the go-ahead from the ministry, we were live with over 200 agents, each of them working remotely on their tabs or smartphones. "The team worked over the weekend, to ensure adequate training to agents, creating a customized CRM platform and integrating it with the ministry's systems and standard protocols," Policybazaar said in a statement. Considering the huge call volumes witnessed, the company plans to ramp up capacity to over 400 agents in a week's time, it said. Standard Chartered Bank also announced its commitment to donate Rs 5 crore to support the fight against COVID-19 virus in India. Keeping with its philosophy of affecting a real change in the communities and to provide the much-needed impetus in fighting this common threat, the Bank will be working with multiple non-government organisation (NGO) partners to provide relief to the vulnerable communities including the migrant workers, Standard Chartered Bank said in a statement. This activity will be undertaken across several parts of the country including major cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Baroda) and rural areas (Sundarbans, Jaunpur, Tonk and Marathwada). Another private sector bank Karur Vysya Bank donated Rs 5 crore to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US has received nearly 275,000 unique registration requests for the Congressional mandated 85,000 H-1B visas for foreign technology professionals, of which more than 67 per cent are from India, a federal body said on Wednesday. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. As mandated by the US Congress, US Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS can every year issue a maximum of 65,000 H-1B work visas to highly skilled foreign workers. It can issue an additional 20,000 H-1B visas to those highly skilled foreign workers who have obtained masters or higher degree from an American educational institution. The USCIS said on Wednesday that the successful H-1B registrants from the 275,000 unique registrations that it received before March 20 can start submitting their formal application from April 1. They have been given 90 days to submit their application by paper. The USCIS selected the successful H-1B registrants last month based on a random draw of lots. Nearly 275,000 unique registrations were submitted during the initial registration period. Roughly 46 per cent of all registrations were for prospective beneficiaries with US advanced degrees, it said. "There were more than 40,000 registration accounts created, and nearly 81 per cent of submitted registrations were for potential beneficiaries from India (67.7 per cent) and China (13.2 per cent)," the USCIS said. Prior to the launch of the electronic registration system, it conducted robust public outreach to ensure users were equipped to effectively use the new system. The H-1B electronic registration process was well-received by users, who provided a high satisfaction score with the system, jt said. "The new H-1B electronic registration system has been an overall success. As a result of this modernized process, the amount of paper and data exchanged between USCIS and petitioners will dramatically decrease this year, said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow. "The positive feedback received by users of the H-1B registration system, the limited amount of technical issues experienced during the registration period, and the ability to immediately respond to questions from registrants was the result of a comprehensive effort developed over the course of more than a year. This new registration system is one of many ways USCIS is improving the H-1B program," he said. The USCIS said that an H-1B cap-subject petition must be properly filed within the period indicated on the relevant registration selection notice. The period for filing the H-1B cap-subject petition will be at least 90 days. Online filing is not available for H-1B petitions, so petitioners seeking to file H-1B petitions must do so by paper. Petitioners must include a printed copy of the applicable registration selection notice with the FY 2021 H-1B cap-subject petition, it added. Petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must still establish eligibility for petition approval at the time the petition is filed and through adjudication, based on existing statutory and regulatory requirements, the USCIS said. Selection in the registration process does not relieve the petitioner from submitting evidence or otherwise establishing eligibility, as registration only pertains to eligibility to file the H-1B cap-subject petition, it asserted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rapper Badshahs new music video Genda Phool has landed in a credit controversy with Bengali folk artiste Ratan Kahar alleging that his lyrics were used in the song without any credit to him. The music video, starring actor Jacqueline Fernandez, is among the top trends on YouTube but a section of social media users have pointed out how the song does not mention Kahar. However, those in support of the rapper maintained the Bengali verses are part of the whole composition, which was conceived by his team. They argue that the ''original lyrics'' were taken from a ''Bangla folk'' was mentioned in the credits of the video, which went live on March 25. Badshah could not be contacted for a comment. But Kahar, who is in his 70s and hails from Birbhum in West Bengal, claimed that he wrote the song but never got any recognition for it. His song has been recreated in the past as well. "The lyrics of this song were written by me and music composition was also mine. But I never got any recognition for the song and it pains me a lot. I am Ratan Kahar, who never got recognised for the song. You judge what kind of justice is that," Kahar told reporters here. The folk artiste appealed to writers and literary personalities to protest against the plagiarism. "There are so many writers and good people around us but nobody protested. Those singing the song dont understand its spirit and ruin its earthiness," he added. Kahar said he first got to know that his song was used in the video after a theatre personality showed the video to him. "I was aghast. Will these things continue?" he asked. North Wales Police urge public to keep 999 calls for real emergencies This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 1st, 2020 North Wales Police are urging members of the public to use their services wisely and help keep the 999 line free for emergencies only. As the Coronavirus epidemic develops and with the introduction of stricter restriction on peoples movements nationally, the force has seen a significant increase in the amount of calls they have received over the last week. In particular calls regarding matters unrelated to police and non-urgent matters being reported via 999. Superintendent Neil Thomas, who is in charge of the Forces Control Room in St Asaph said: This week has been another challenging one for North Wales Police with a surge of public calls into the control room from people trying to seek clarification on various issues related to the coronavirus. Whilst I appreciate that people are calling us in good faith, these calls are dealt with by emergency call handlers who are already working on high demand and reduced staffing levels. I would like to emphasise that we have well-rehearsed plans in place to ensure that we continue to provide a service the public. However, unnecessary calls into the control room is having a significant impact on our ability to deal with genuine calls and is putting peoples lives at risk. Please only call the police when necessary and do not revert to dialling 999 if we are unable to answer your 101 calls or webchat. The volume of calls has grown significantly and there has been a large increase in the amount of people contacting us via live webchat and emails. I want to encourage people to continue using the live webchat and email functions for non-urgent police matters. Thank you to everyone who has been doing this already in an effort to reduce the demand on our emergency call handlers, who are already working extremely hard to continue to support our response to incidents. We have also seen an increase in the number of reports being made to us relating to potential breaches of Government guidelines on social distancing and isolation. Our initial approach will be to engage with people who are found not abiding to the guidelines before explaining why these rules are important and encouraging them to follow them. If they are not compliant, then as a last resort we will enforce the emergency legislation brought in this week where necessary. Supt Thomas added: We are urging the public that if they are seeking advice around COVID-19 and what it means for them, they should refer themselves to the UK Government, Welsh Government and Public Health Wales websites for information and guidance. This will enable our call takers and officers to focus purely on policing matters and ensure resources are being utilised effectively. Businesses are repurposing their skills to create valuable services to the Brisbane community during the global coronavirus pandemic. Professor Gary Mortimer, from Queensland University of Technology's Business School, said businesses were finding ingenious ways to pivot and adapt while keeping workers employed. Queensland car company Triple Eight explains its emergency ventilator project. They repurposed their resources into looking to develop ventilators. Credit:Youtube During times of uncertainty and fear, businesses, like humans, adopt a fight or flight response," he said. "Some have simply closed their doors, while others have pivoted, adapted and taken a more innovative approach to doing business in highly dynamic times." Details added: first version posted on 09:51 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 31 Trend: On March 30, Armenian media, citing the Armenian Defense Ministry, reported the wounding of a 14-year-old civilian allegedly as a result of a ceasefire violation by Azerbaijani side and shooting of Armenias Koti and Voskevan villages, as well as the wounding of several Armenian soldiers allegedly caused by sabotage against the Armenian military positions, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans State Border Service on March 31. "In this regard, wed like to stress that, unlike the Armed Forces of Armenia, our military servicemen from border-fighting posts dont target residential settlements on the opposite side; only the fighting positions from which the ceasefire is violated are suppressed by adequate return fire. Besides, the information about sabotage from our border-fighting posts against the enemy positions is false," the service said. According to the service, in the last months, units of the Armenian armed forces have committed numerous provocations in the area of Azerbaijan-Armenia state border in the territory of Azerbaijans Gazakh region with the aim to escalate the operational situation; using large-caliber weapons and sniper rifles, the forces regularly fire at civilian vehicles moving in Azerbaijani settlements and along rural roads near the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. The sabotage groups of Armenian armed forces attempted to attack Azerbaijani border-fighting posts, but thanks to vigilance of our border guards, the enemy sabotages have been suppressed and the groups retreated with losses, the service noted. The Azerbaijani Border Service regularly informs about the serious tension of the operational situation on the state border with Armenia. The service also says that the Azerbaijani border guards will give an adequate response to all provocations of the enemy side and that the military-political leadership of Armenia is responsible for all possible consequences. 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. As the world turns to technology to track and contain the COVID-19 pandemic, could this spell the end of digital privacy rights? Health organizations and governments all over the world are using technology to communicate, track, monitor and predict the spread of COVID-19. There are likely to be very few people who would object to the use of technology to track an infected person to ensure they maintain quarantine; I may even advocate such use, ESET reported. However, unprecedented times should not result in any long-term removal of our privacy rights, especially in cases where legislation has been rushed through to allow the fulfillment of medically urgent needs for data collection or use, the report reads. In some instances, data is being extracted from smartphones on an individual basis or en masse. In the current age of COVID-19 concern, data potentially relevant to tracking the disease is being gathered, or there are proposals to gather it, via several mechanisms. Custom apps developed to enable communication between health care professionals and patients, to keep people informed with official communications and to provide a warning if an individual has been in close proximity to someone testing positive. There are other use cases mentioned below. Mobile phone companies are being asked, or already have, subscribers' geotracking data, or already have, allowing the modeling of infection predictions based on actual phone subscribers movements. Popular social media apps also track location, unless the member has elected not to share location data. There are stories circulating in the media that some governments have approached the leaders of social media companies to explore the opportunity of using their data to see if social distancing is effective. Read alsoCOVID-19: Fears about plausibility of Russian stats At the start of the outbreak in China, the authorities there required citizens in Wuhan to provide personal information so that device tracking could be linked to individuals. The Guardian then reported that Taiwan used phone tracking to enforce self-quarantine, citing an example of automated text messages being sent when a quarantine-mandated individual left a geofenced perimeter. Singapore's ministry of health made victims' personal information publicly available, which allowed developers to create maps and show locations, raising security fears for those concerned. In the last few days the authorities there have also released an app called TraceTogether that identifies, using Bluetooth, if you have been in close proximity to a coronavirus patient. In Germany, UK, Austria, Belgium, Italy and South Korea, mobile operators have been reported to be sharing aggregated or anonymized location data with health authorities. In South Korea, data was also shared by credit-card companies. The European countries where personal data is protected by the General Data Protection Regulation are using an option to suspend the regulation in face of a civil crisis. Article 9 of the GDPR allows for processing of health and other usually sacrosanct data when necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health. Despite the exceptions in regulations being used to share data with health and government authorities, the regulations that cover the protection of data should be adhered to. For example, the GDPR states that data must be encrypted when at rest and in transit, and these requirements are still mandatory. In Israel, authorities approved new surveillance measures allowing citizens to be tracked by monitoring mobile phones. In contrast, Hong Kong tagged new arrivals to the region using wrist bands that log and transmit location data to authorities, maintaining the privacy of the individuals phone. An intriguing use of an app has been by the Polish authorities, requiring a quarantined individual to have an app released by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and for them to send a selfie with geo-metadata on a regular basis to prove compliance. Several countries have passed emergency legislation to permit the use of personal data to combat the spread of the virus. For example, Italy lifted a restriction on the sharing of personal data when doing so was necessary for the performance of civil protection functions. Read alsoCoronavirus greatest test since World War Two, says UN chief BBC A few countries, including Russia and China, are using facial recognition technology to ensure that those identified as infected observe quarantine rules. The systems are collecting video through CCTV, drones and other camera-based systems. Many of these initiatives demonstrate that innovative methods are being explored, and are in use, with governments, health professionals, technology and phone companies working together to combat the medical emergency facing the world. At the same time, privacy advocates are also being vocal about these issues. The BBC reports that in the UK a group identified as "responsible technologists" has urged for open disclosure of the UK government's plans to collect personal data through an app being created to tackle COVID-19. ESET is a Slovak internet security company founded in 1992, now represented in 180 countries worldwide. A domestic abuse victim battered by a thug once praised by Sir Richard Branson has warned other women her attacker has been released from jail. Jade Graham, 23, was brutally assaulted by ex-boyfriend Daryn Murray, 27, at their home in Wishaw, Lanarkshire and left with swelling and bruising on her face. Murray was jailed for 18 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court in 2017 for the attack in April of that year. He was also put on supervision for nine months after release to protect the public and future partners from harm. Domestic abuse victim Jade Graham (left) has issued a social media warning after violent ex-boyfriend Daryn Murray (right) was released back into the community Murray (pictured) punched his girlfriend threw her to the ground and then put his hands round her neck and began to throttle her during a late night attack at their home But his release back into the community prompted Miss Graham to issue a warning about her former lover. In a social media post that included pictures of her injuries, she said: 'ALERT!! The monster Darryn Murray who done this to my face all because I refused sex. 'I was in bed falling asleep then he comes on and destroys not just my face but faith in life until recently. I'm back on my feet but guys watch out. He's very dangerous. 'Anyone who associates with this animal keep back from me and if you don't agree then delete me simple, but it's your choice to have a criminal in your house.' The court was told an argument began between the pair after Murray, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, returned from a night out. He struck her with a punch to the face before pulling her off the bed onto the floor. She managed to make her way to the hallway but the thug followed and struck her head against a mirror. Jade Graham was left with bruising on her face and around her eyes following the attack Graham shared pictures of the injuries inflicted by her ex-boyfriend as she posted a social media warning to other women as Murray is let back out into the community In the living room, Murray punched her, threw her to the ground and placed his hands around her neck and began to throttle her. Miss Graham eventually managed to get up and contact family members for help while Murray left the house. He was later arrested after she was taken to Wishaw General Hospital for treatment. Speaking after the court case, Miss Graham said: 'He came in from a night out and started calling me names. 'When I got into bed he was trying to sleep with me but I told him no. He said: 'You don't love me anymore' and I said: 'No wonder'. 'After that he punched me and just kept on hitting me. When he had his hands around my neck I thought I was going to die.' In 2005, a 12-year-old Murray made headlines when he developed a device that had airline bosses clamouring to meet him. His aircraft debris protector was designed to warn pilots of dangerous material lying on runways. It followed the 2000 Concorde crash in Paris caused by debris puncturing a tyre. A 12-year-old Daryn Murray made headlines in 2005 when he developed a device that had airline bosses clamouring to meet him Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson was one of the airline bosses who wanted to meet 12-year-old Murray after he invented his debris detection device During a separate court hearing for another charge, Murray's defence lawyer said Virgin Atlantic boss Branson had 'asked to meet him' after hearing about the invention. In 2013, he was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting being involved in an armed robbery. Murray and two accomplices held up a grocery store in East Kilbride at knifepoint while screaming racist abuse at two employees and threatening to kill them. A Virgin Management spokesperson said: 'There has been no association between Sir Richard Branson / the Virgin Group and Daryn Murray.' 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. CORAL GABLES, Fla., March 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amerant, the largest community bank headquartered in Florida, will be taking a variety of measures to further support its customers during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Effective immediately and until further notice, these include: No Amerant ATM fees for current customers and the community as a whole 1 Waive late payment fees on all consumer and business loans Waive customer fees for deposit accounts based on needs 2 No negative reporting to credit bureaus for past due loan balances 3 Expert small business counsel, along with education on available resources Customer loan payment assistance on an individualized basis 3 As we strive to support both customers and the communities in which we operate, we are looking at how to best provide tangible, meaningful support, said Millar Wilson, Vice Chairman and CEO of Amerant. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people that have been affected by this unprecedented event. At Amerant, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we are working to offer critical banking options as well as waiving hard fees during this global pandemic. We are in this together. Amerant has operated for over 40 years with 27 banking centers 19 in South Florida, 8 in the Houston, Texas area, and loan production offices in Dallas and New York. The Company provides individuals and businesses in the U.S., as well as select international clients, with deposit, credit and wealth management services. For additional information about Amerant, please visit amerantbank.com and follow the Company on Twitter at @AmerantBank. 1 Applicable fees from other financial institutions may apply. 2 Decisions on waivers are made in the sole and absolute discretion of Amerant Bank. 3 Applies only to loans held by Amerant Bank. Excludes third party reporting through providers such as First Bank or American Express. About Amerant Bancorp Inc. Amerant Bancorp Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. The Company operates through its subsidiaries, Amerant Bank, N.A. (the Bank), Amerant Investments, Inc., Amerant Trust, N.A, and Elant Bank and Trust Ltd. The Company provides individuals and businesses in the U.S., as well as select international clients, with deposit, credit and wealth management services. The Bank, which has operated for over 40 years, is the largest community bank headquartered in Florida. The Bank operates 27 banking centers 19 in South Florida, 8 in the Houston, Texas area, and loan production offices in Dallas, Texas and New York, New York. For more information, please visit www.amerantbank.com or https://investor.amerantbank.com. TORONTO - Amid the mass transition to remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers are likely focused on operational issues in order to get their employees up and running in their new home offices. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A woman uses her computer keyboard in North Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, December 19, 2012. Amid the mass transition to remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers are likely focused on operational issues in order to get their employees up and running in their new home offices. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward TORONTO - Amid the mass transition to remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers are likely focused on operational issues in order to get their employees up and running in their new home offices. However, in addition to IT issues, experts say employers would be well advised to equip and train their staff to be vigilant against data breaches during this time, as periods of upheaval present a golden opportunity for cybercriminals looking for a way into a company's network. In most jurisdictions, a business is typically legally responsible for breaches caused by employees, contractors and service providers. "Even if they screw up even if they did something they weren't supposed to do by accident the employer is on the hook," says Brent Arnold, a partner with Gowlings WLG. Security experts warn that criminals can take advantage of the chaotic COVID-19 situation to trick people into downloading software that can be dangerous or disruptive. For instance, ransomware can block access to information systems until a fee is paid, potentially shutting down the organization. Other malware may steal customer information or employee passwords. Many organizations weren't prepared to have so many employees suddenly work from home as part of government and corporate efforts to deal with the highly contagious COVID-19 coronavirus. Under employment law, Arnold says, an employer is usually liable for their workers unless there's actual fraud or the employee is "doing something their not supposed to be doing on purpose." "You'll see situations where somebody also sues the employee, but it's generally recognized that it's the company that's ultimately liable for this." But Arnold says there's an important distinction between being at fault for something going wrong and being legally liable for the consequences of the mess that follows. "The fact that a company gets breached doesn't mean they are liable," he says. "They'll be liable if they didn't take reasonable measures to stop that from happening." Arnold says most courts don't expect the precautions to be perfect "because medium and small businesses can't afford to take all of the possible precautions." But he says organizations should be able to prove to a court or regulator that they've taken at least the basic steps such as setting up security technology, procedures and training. Similarly, Arnold acknowledges that an organization may be under pressure to compensate employees affected by such as breach the loss of a computer, for instance, or leak of family information. "If I'm the employee, I suppose the position that I take is: you put me at risk by requiring me to do this on my own computer, on my own equipment, in my own home, using my own WiFi and you didn't give me adequate training to spot this sort of a thing." It's not likely that employees would sue, Arnold says, but it's more possible if there's a written employment agreement "And, interestingly, it's not the rank-and-file employees that we see getting caught by these (scams) all the time. It's often executives, people who are in a hurry. . . . They're the ones, often, who are more likely to click on an email that they're not supposed to." Chandra Majumdar, who leads the national cyber threat management practice for EY Canada, says there's been exponential growth in phishing emails that tempt the reader to click on an attachment or web link that appears to be about COVID-19 or the coronavirus. "What we're noticing is that the majority of the attacks more than 90 per cent of the attacks that we're seeing (try to) steal your credentials, your personal information, using well-known botnets." Proofpoint executive vice-president Ryan Kalember says there are two known criminal groups which he calls threat actors dubbed TA564 AND TA542, that have been targeting Canada with emails that may look like information updates from their executive teams. A Canadian example provided by Proofpoint shows a fairly clumsy attempt to make an email look as if it's "Update #49984" from the Public Health Agency of Canada a legitimate government organization although the sender's email address doesn't belong to the government. "We're not necessarily as attuned as we ought to be to social engineering attempts (like this)," Kalember says. "Everyone is looking for information and updates. . . . to be communicated from the executives of their own company." Majumdar says that many companies weren't prepared for the extent of the COVID-19 crisis but advises organizations to stick with the technology they already know if possible. 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. "It's not a good idea to introduce critical changes at this point because people are not trained on this and this is how (organizations) open themselves up to being exploited by attackers," Majumdar says. As a lawyer, and leader of the Gowlings technology sub-group, Arnold says there may be ways for companies to protect themselves from fines and penalties by having good security practices in place for itself but still get caught up with a breach at a smaller suppliers with less preparation in place. Nevertheless, he says, both companies would be held accountable to privacy regulations and possibly litigation. "The big company doesn't get out of it by allocating the risk to the small company," Arnold says. "If I'm a customer who's been affected by this, I'm probably going to sue both of them." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2020. Although the DEA had no evidence connecting Salgado or her money to any criminal activity by anyone, it had her money and the labyrinthine maze of civil forfeiture to use extortionately against her. Under civil forfeiture, the government can seize property suspected of being produced by, or involved in, crime. The property owners bear the burden of proving that they were innocent of such activity. Proving this can be, and government has an incentive to make it be, a protracted and costly ordeal in which people, often of modest means, must hire lawyers to do battle against governments unlimited resources. BALTIMORE - Two shootings in the streets of Baltimore just before Marylands stay-at-home directive took effect led to the fatal shooting of an armed man by a police officer. A report in The Baltimore Sun said the officer has shot and killed four other people in the past 10 years. The departments gunfire detection system alerted to shots being fired around 6 p.m. Monday in East Baltimore, Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a news conference. Responding officers encountered an armed man who they believed had been firing a weapon at a group of people who were accused of wounding another man earlier that evening, according to Harrison. This all stems from an argument that turned bad where one person was shot, Harrison said, according to The Sun. The suspect was running down the street firing at that group. An officer shot him, and the man later died at a hospital, the commissioner said. Police had not released the mans identity Tuesday evening, and a department spokesman didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment. According to The Sun, the officers attorney identified the officer as Sgt. Joe Wiczulis. Wiczulis was involved in shootings in 2010, 2013, and 2016, the latter involving 56 rounds being fired that killed a father and son. In all five shootings, police said Wiczulis and other officers came upon a suspect who was carrying a gun. In the previous instances, prosecutors cleared him of criminal wrongdoing each time. Police said Wiczulis was not wounded in the latest shooting, and an internal investigation was opened. The man wounded in the first shooting was in stable condition, Harrison said. Gov. Larry Hogans stay-at-home directive in response to the coronavirus pandemic went into effect at 8 p.m. on Monday, mandating that residents leave their homes only for essential and necessary things. Health-care workers and others essential to the covid-19 fight say they're increasingly frustrated that they're being sent into a deadly battle without the protective gear they need for themselves and their patients. Tensions are particularly high in New York, where the number of coronavirus deaths have passed 1,000. Seven members of District Council 37, representing emergency medics, nurses' aides, respiratory therapists and others in the city's hospitals, have died from the virus, according to the union. But the concern is nationwide: The country's largest nurses' union has filed more than 125 complaints with federal workplace safety regulators alleging dangerous working conditions in hospitals. "We are the richest country in the world and yet we can't protect our health-care providers when fighting the deadliest virus we've dealt with in most of our lifetimes," said Ryan Stanton, an American College of Emergency Physicians board member who works at a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. "There's a significant level of distrust with physicians and nurses and others because we feel the requirements and suggestions for PPE are being downgraded because of availability and not because of science." While much of America's professional class works remotely from home, most medical and emergency workers must show up in person to do their jobs. They say their lives are being put at risk in increasingly difficult situations and see no end. Statistics from China and Italy back them up: more than 3,300 health-care workers in China were infected by early March, and in Italy, 20% caught it, according to an editorial in The Lancet. "Our members are exhausted, they are scared," Henry Garrido, executive director of DC 37, told press on a call Tuesday. "They continue to soldier on." Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which DC 37 is part of, aren't to the point of refusing to work, he said. They have called on President Donald Trump to use the Defense Production Act to ensure adequate supplies. The health-care sector isn't alone. More workers deemed essential and not allowed to work from home are speaking out about the lack of adequate protective supplies like cleaners and masks, and policies ensuring workers are kept at proper distances and paid should they be forced to quarantine. Workers at Amazon and Whole Foods protested work conditions on Tuesday and their own lack of protective gear. Unionized nurses planned to demonstrate this week at 15 hospitals owned by HCA Healthcare, the nation's largest for-profit hospital operator. They allege that workers at some hospitals aren't given sufficient protection, have been punished for bringing their own N95 masks, and were told to continue working after being exposed to the virus, according to the union National Nurses United. An HCA spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In normal times, respirators and surgical masks would be discarded after every patient encounter, but some now have to wear them all day and sometimes for several days. Karine Raymond, 56, a nurse at Montefiore Health Center in the New York borough of the Bronx, said rules for masks have been changing as the crisis has worsened, leading her to contemplate writing her will. "Nurses aren't going to walk out," she said. "We're very realistic. We're doing the best we can. We're trying hard to try and help these poor souls without unduly opening ourselves up to anything dangerous. If we go down, then there's nobody left to care for the patients, is there?" Recommendations on what precautions are needed in treating covid-19 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization vary, exacerbating concerns. The CDC recommended N95 respirator masks, which can filter out airborne particles containing the virus, but as supplies began to run short, the CDC acknowledged workarounds may be needed. However, WHO recommended restricting N95 use to procedures such as intubation that are likely to aerosolize the virus. Regular masks that block respiratory droplets are considered appropriate for most others, WHO said. Hospital officials, whose job it is to prevent the spread of disease within their facilities, say they're doing all they can in an extraordinary situation. Almost half of hospitals in a survey last week said they were out or almost out of respirators and facing shortages of basics like hand sanitizer and masks, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. "Our days are spent frantically searching for personal protective equipment," said Ann Marie Pettis, director of infection prevention for UR Medicine in Rochester, New York. Infection prevention professionals are having to advise on how to re-use single-use items as at least some measure of protection. "Truly, this goes against everything we have known from the scientific evidence and what we have always taught our staff." Coroners facing a mounting death toll are also at risk. New York City workers were told in mid-March that N95 masks were in short supply for them as well, even for those working with the dead bodies of covid-19 victims. Concern has turned to anger as the crisis intensified, said Fitz Reid, a union official who represents some workers at the Chief Medical Examiner's office. Most in-hospital deaths can be handled by phone, but for the 30-some city employees who must review how someone dies, when someone dies at home, they have to go to the scene. Examining the deceased includes taking the temperature and rolling the body over. And in cramped New York apartments, it's often impossible for the investigators to keep the recommended six feet distance from grieving relatives. These workers have also been told N95s aren't necessary. "Investigators will be provided with surgical masks that offer respiratory and 'droplet' protection, which shields from coughing and sneezing," said Aja Worthy-Davis, a Chief Medical Examiner spokeswoman, reiterating that N95 masks are for procedures such as autoposies. "If one of my members die, how can I go to the funeral? What would I say to their relatives?" Reid said. "I can't tell them that everything was done to protect them because it wasn't. The city wasn't prepared. And I can't tell them that no one knew what might happen. Because everyone did." It's not just in New York where protective gear is being tightly controlled by health care systems. In Texas, Henryk Nikicicz, an anesthesiologist at University Medical Center of El Paso who has asthma, said he put on a N95 mask in a hallway in mid-March because he saw a group of people approaching and he's susceptible to infections. In a text-message exchange provided to Bloomberg News, Nikicicz's boss -- the medical center's anesthesiology chief -- said the masks were in short supply and expensive, and that he wasn't at risk of exposure in the hospital halls. Nikicicz said in an interview that he was warned he might lose his job over it. "Is that something that's good for the community and doctors -- an experienced anesthesiologist is fired just before the pandemic is supposed to hit the city?" A UMC-El Paso spokesman disputed that Nikicicz was fired, saying in an email that he was removed briefly from rotation for "insubordination" and had been told "on numerous occasions" not to wear the N95 mask while not in the operating room or treating patients. "UMC is not unlike other hospitals in its efforts to conserve N95 surgical masks," the spokesman said in the email. At the time the incident took place, "the CDC did not require masks (and certainly not N95 masks) to be used by hospital staff when not treating patients." Nikicicz said he was told later he'd been reinstated. The latest developments around the region related to the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as of Wednesday morning include: Health officers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties as well as the city of Berkeley extended a shelter-in-place order through May 3 to try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the region. The previous order, issued last month, was set to expire on April 7. FILE PHOTO: Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland By Shu Zhang and Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China has increased U.S. crude purchases with some buyers snapping up cargoes at the widest discounts ever as sellers seek to offload excess supplies in Asia, six trade sources said on Wednesday. China started processing in March applications from its companies to waive import tariffs on U.S. energy goods as part of the Sino-U.S. Phase 1 trade deal and they have since bought liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the United States. The world's largest crude importer is boosting U.S. energy imports at a time when the world is swamped with excess supply after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia failed to extend production cuts and as measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus undermined demand. Cheap U.S. energy supplies will help China lower its import costs, but the deep discounts will add further pressure on U.S. producers to shut in production after U.S. crude futures slumped to their lowest since 2002. U.S. Mars Sour crude has been sold to Chinese buyers at discounts between $7 and $9 a barrel to September ICE Brent futures for July arrival while the discounts for West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) in Midland were between $6 and $7 a barrel, the sources told Reuters. BP and Equinor may have sold some of these cargoes, they said, while the buyers were not immediately known. BP declined to comment while Equinor could not be immediately reached for comment outside office hours. "Only the Chinese are buying and the rest of the world are selling," a Singapore-based trader said, leading to some "very aggressive offers" for U.S. crude into that market even though the oil's benchmark is already at the lowest in 18 years. In early March, independent refinery Panjin Haoye Chemical Co bought Mars crude from PetroChina in one of the first signs of Chinese refiners resuming U.S. crude purchases. Mars and WTI were then offered at spot premiums to benchmarks. Story continues U.S. crude is mired in deep discount as producers, forced to clear pipelines stuck with unsold oil, are now flooding the U.S. gulf coast with cheap crude. Strong demand to ship out excess U.S. crude to China has also caused freight rates to surge, with costs jumping to $8-$10 per barrel, two of the sources said. At least 9 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) have been booked by traders and refiners to load crude from the U.S. over the next two months for Asia, four of which could be bound for China, according to a shipbroker's reports. (Graphic: Supertanker freight rates from U.S. to Singapore link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/yxmpjkmzvrz/USFreightApril12020.png) Other Asian importers of U.S. crude such as India and Thailand are reducing refinery utilization rates to cope with a sudden plunge in domestic demand as their governments impose more stringent coronavirus lockdown measures. Chinese refiners are gradually ramping up output after sharp cuts in February although they have yet to return to levels before the outbreak as demand recovery is still slow, the sources said. "Demand is bad globally. Only China seems relatively OK," said a source at a Shandong-based refinery. "We are steadily increasing operation rates." (GRAPHIC-U.S. crude grades plunge link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/yxmpjkmzvrz/USFreightApril12020.png) (Reporting By Shu Zhang and Florence Tan; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Non-Ionic Surfactants Market Overview Non-Ionic Surfactants are surface active wetting agents that helps to reduce water surface tension. These surfactants offer superior wetting & detergency, emulsification, rinseability, low toxicity, and good handling properties. Some of the most commonly used non-ionic surfactants includes ethoxylated alcohol & alky-phenols, fatty acid esters, and glycerol esters among others. The product finds application in cleaning, food additives, cosmetics & personal care products, coatings, and pharmaceuticals among others. The global non-ionic surfactants market is driven by rising demand for detergents form industries and households. The product is being increasingly used for hand dish washing, laundry, and hard surface cleaners owing to good wetting and detergency properties. Surging demand for cosmetics & personal care products across the regions is augmenting the market growth. Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share in the non-ionic surfactants market in 2017 and is expected to grow at significant rate during the review period. Growing industrialization and urbanization coupled with changing lifestyles and rising disposable income is another important factor driving the market growth in this region. Furthermore, rapidly growing cosmetics & personal care industry as a result of increasing demand for the cosmetics from the working population for personal grooming and appearance is fuelling the demand. Furthermore, in the developed nations, the product consumption is growing in pharmaceutical industry owing to rising geriatric population coupled with high per capita income. Increasing R&D investment in pharmaceutical industry is stimulating the product demand in these regions further. Segmentation: The Global Non-Ionic Surfactants Industry is segmented on the basis of type, application, end users, and region. Based on the type, the market is segmented into alcohol ethoxylates, fatty alkanolamides, amine derivatives, glycerol derivatives, and others. Based on application, market is segmented into cleaners, emulsion, additives, and others. On the other hand, based on end user, the market is segmented into food & beverages, paint & coatings, oilfield, textiles, personal care, household, and others. Based on region, this market is segmented into APAC, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Non-Ionic Surfactants Market- Competitive Landscape The global Non-Ionic Surfactants is at nascent stage and is expected to witness considerable growth owing to rapidly expanding industrial base in the Asia Pacific region during the review period. Some of the growing trends notices among the market players includes new product invention, capacity expansion and acquisitions. For instance, BASF SE will expand its alkyl polyglucosides (APG) production capacity at sites in China, U.S., Ohio, and JInshan. This will help the company to meet the customer demands for surfactants with different specifications in the Asia Pacific region. Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: Feb 9, 2018- BASF SE will expand its alkyl polyglucosides (APG) production capacity along with two production improvement projects at sites in China, US, Ohio, and JInshan. The capacity expansion at Jinshan site has been started in order to meet the need for surfactants in personal and home care applications in the Asia Pacific region. July 31, 2017- Croda International Plc, a specialty chemical company acquired Enza Biotech having technology for making non-ionic sugar-based surfactants from carbohydrates. March 24, 2017- Evonik launched next generation Grind Aid non-ionic surfactant under the brand name Carbowet GA-200 with low-zero volatile organic compounds (VOC). This product will help to comply with the regulations set by the environmental protection agency to reduce VOC emissions. December 08, 2015 - Croda International Inc, announced nearly USD 140 million investment in North America to produce 100% sustainable non-ionic surfactants form bio-ethanol. Regional Analysis: Geographically, Asia Pacific accounts for the largest market share in Non-Ionic Surfactants Market growth. Increasing per capita income of the growing middle class especially in household, and personal care industry is reason to drive the non-ionic surfactants market in this region. Upgraded lifestyle, increasing cost of living and rising population have fostered the adoption of surfactants in various industries, such as personal care, soaps & detergents, and pharmaceutical industry; therefore, boosting the growth of the this industry. North America holds the second position for non-ionic surfactants market and is another profitable market in terms of value and volume after APAC. UK, Canada, and United Mexican States led the demand for non-ionic surfactants in this region. View Full Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/non-ionic-surfactants-market-3837 Just 2,000 NHS frontline staff forced to stay home due to coronavirus have been tested to see if they can return to work, Downing Street has admitted. The figure a tiny fraction of the 125,000 staff believed to be self isolating emerged as the government faced mounting criticism for its failure to move to mass testing for Covid-19. Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle told a Downing Street press conference that officials hoped hundreds of thousands of staff would be tested within the coming weeks. But ministers were unable to give clear answers on how quickly they can ramp up antigen tests, which show whether someone has the disease. They were also unclear over the question of when the UK will see the introduction of antibody tests, which indicate if an individual has been infected and recovered. Industry figures and scientists questioned ministers claims that a lack of chemicals and swabs is to blame for the UK lagging behind Germany, where as many as 70,000 are being tested every day. Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Show all 12 1 /12 Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Agnetha Septimus, Matthew Septimus, and children Ezra and Nora Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Husband and wife filmmakers, Claire Ince and Ancil McKain pose for a portrait for the series by Shutterstock Staff Photographer, Stephen Lovekin, shot around the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Khadijah Silver and son Eliot Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Anna Beth Rousakis and daughter Mary Rousakis Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Mike Pergola and Denise Pergola with children Henry, Jack, and Will Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Artist Shirley Fuerst Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Jean Davis and Danny Rosenthal, with children Simone, Naomi, and Leah Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Robert E Clark Jr Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Lisa Draho and Josh Zuckerman, with children Ruby and Ava Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Professor and activist Dr Kristin Lawler Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Tom Smith and Laura Ross, with daughters Caroline, Elizabeth, and Abigail Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Callie Lovekin and Lucas Lovekin Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Unions issued a joint demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for all frontline health and social care staff, warning that the lack of kit was a crisis within a crisis. And there were demands for testing to be extended to all care home staff, with one MP claiming there has been rationing of antigen tests. The UKs death toll from the pandemic has now reached 2,352 after 563 patients who had tested positive died in hospital in one day. Among them were 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who reportedly died alone and without his family as he became the youngest victim in England. And retired doctor Alfa Saadu, 68, died from coronavirus after returning to the NHS to join the fight against the infection. Defence secretary Ben Wallace became the fourth cabinet minister to be hit by the disease. NHS England wrote to all hospital trusts ordering them to lift a 15 per cent cap on the number of antigen tests devoted to staff, as it emerged that increased laboratory capacity was not being reflected in the number of tests completed. The antigen test is regarded as crucial, as it could allow thousands of staff to return to work if they have been self-isolating because they or a member of their household has symptoms such as a persistent cough or high temperature. Yvonne Doyle of Public Health England spoke at the 10 Downing Street press conference (PA) The cap was blamed for the fact that fewer than 5,000 tests were conducted on Saturday, rising to 8,630 on Monday, at a time when labs have a capacity to complete 12,750 a day. A new lab devoted to checking swab samples for coronavirus began operations in Milton Keynes as the government struggled desperately to push up capacity. But Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said maximum testing capacity remained very constrained and there was no immediate prospect of mass staff testing. Mr Hopson told the BBC that a small sample of tests from NHS staff over the weekend showed only 15 per cent were positive for coronavirus, and 85 per cent could go back to work. He said on Twitter that if existing NHS pathology labs had unlimited swabs and reagent, there would be enough test machine capacity to process around 100,000 tests a day. The Chemical Industries Association expressed surprise at minister Michael Goves claim of a shortage of reagents needed for the tests, insisting that they are being manufactured and delivered to the NHS. And government adviser Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London told the BBC: As far as I know there isnt a great shortage of supply, so thats really new to me. Asked if it could have been stockpiled in advance, he said: Potentially, yes. He criticised pretty systematic underinvestment in the infrastructure we need to tackle this sort of thing over the past 10 years. Business secretary Alok Sharma at the daily briefing (Reuters) (via REUTERS) Lincoln University associate professor Colin Butter said that universities and other institutions would have lots of kits to extract evidence of the virus from swab samples on their shelves and several companies were able to supply testing kits to order. It was not clear which reagents the government believed to be in short supply, he said. Dr Al Edwards of Reading Universitys school of pharmacy said there could be shortages of individual enzymes, swabs or containers in the current global rush to conduct tests. But he said: Its hard to square the government suggestion that centrally we are running out of chemicals, with the comment this morning from (health secretary) Matt Hancock that local hospitals can use spare lab space to test staff how can they do this if there arent enough reagents to do tests centrally? Warwick Universitys professor of molecular oncology Lawrence Young said that todays crisis highlighted a lack of investment in virology over many years in the UK. While Germany had a more joined-up approach that had allowed its virologists to produce diagnostic tests as early as January, Britains response suffered from a lack of national co-ordination, he said. In a joint statement, a group of industry bodies the Association of British HealthTech Industries, Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry, BioIndustry Association and British In Vitro Diagnostic Association said the life sciences sector was mobilising in an unprecedented way to make tests available to all NHS staff and patients. Inevitably, with the urgent and unprecedented demand for the new antigen tests across the world, demand is outstripping supply, they said. A balance needs to be struck between rolling out at rapid speed and ensuring testing can be delivered reliably across the UK. Issuing their demand for more PPE, unions including the Royal College of Midwives and Unison said frontline staff were being exposed to unreasonable and unnecessary risk because of inadequate, out-of-date kit and said some had been threatened with disciplinary action for complaining. The Royal College of Physicians underscored the importance of PPE support from the government. In fresh guidance to medical workers, the RCPs ethics committee called on frontline staff to immediately report any instance of being asked to care for patients without PPE to their clinical director. Meanwhile, Hove MP Peter Kyle wrote to Boris Johnson to demand testing and adequate PPE for all social care workers to protect residents of care homes. Mr Kyle told the prime minister that he understood homes were being rationed to five coronavirus tests each, and warned conditions were nothing short of a petri-dish that spreads infections. He wrote: Bluntly speaking, when Covid-19 enters a care home with residents living into extreme old age, it will likely kill those it infects. There is only one strategy, therefore, to protect residents and thats to stop the virus entering care homes at all. Speaking at the 10 Downing Street press conference, business secretary Alok Sharma said increasing testing capacity was absolutely the governments top priority. He said: Were now at 10,000 tests a day, were rolling out additional networks of labs and testing sites. And in terms of PPE, over the last two weeks, 390 million products have been distributed. And of course we will continue to do more and work to make sure that PPE is available. Detectives in Bondo, Siaya county are investigating the death of a man who died under unclear circumstances in Bar Kowino sub-location. The body of 60-year-old James Awuora was found in his house on Monday by his 13- year-old daughter. The girl has been staying with him after he separated from his wife a couple of years ago. Bondo sub-county police Commander Anthony Wafula said the man reportedly quarreled with his daughter over food on Sunday night before the girl left for her brothers house. The teenage girl went back to her fathers house at around 3 pm Monday when she discovered her fathers lifeless body. Preliminary reports indicate that the man may have taken his own life but investigations are ongoing. The police boss said that the body had been moved to Owens hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said last month that recent flight suspension have resulted in financial losses for Egyptian airlines exceeding EGP 2.25 billion Egypt's private airline companies called on the aviation ministry to intervene to stop the haemorrhage of losses incurred by the coronavirus outbreak, a statement by the aviation ministry read, as the pandemic continues to take its toll on the country's vital sectors. Civil aviation minister Mohamed Manar Ennaba held on Tuesday a meeting with chairpersons and representatives of private airlines to discuss the companies' financial status and the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis on the sector amid flights suspension from and to Egypt, according to the statement. The private airlines' representatives urged the civil aviation minister to interfere to stop "the bleeding of losses by the companies and help them to overcome the crisis." Ennaba said the state is currently going through a "difficult period", adding that the current events have reflected heavily on the civil aviation sector. He said that periodic meetings would be held to discuss developments of the pandemic, ordering the formation of a committee constituting all involved parties to discuss cooperation in the upcoming period and necessary facilities for private airlines. The meeting comes a few days after Egypt extended flight suspension from and to all its airports nationwide until mid-April as part of measures against the pandemic. The Egyptian airspace continues to be open for exceptional flights to bring back Egyptian nationals stranded abroad or receive flights sent to send tourists back home. There is no recent data concerning the amount of losses incurred by the sector, however, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said last month that the recent flights suspension has resulted in financial losses for Egyptian airlines exceeding EGP 2.25 billion. Search Keywords: Short link: Germany, France and Great Britain have sent a shipment of medicine to Iran. The two fronts to work together for "other transactions and to improve the mechanism". Dozens of US MPs write to the White House to ease sanctions on the Islamic Republic. In Iran 45 thousand Covid-19 cases and 2900 victims. Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Three European nations yesterday sent a shipment of medicine to Iran, the nation most affected by the new coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East, for the first time using the Instex system set up to stem US sanctions on Tehran. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom confirm that INSTEX has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran. These goods are now in Iran," the German foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The payment scheme was officially announced a little over a year ago and intends to encourage trade between the European parties and the Islamic Republic, without incurring US sanctions. The three countries are among the most critical of Washington's policy of confrontation. However, to date it had never been applied. "Instex and the Iranian counterpart Stfi - concludes the statement - will work for other transactions and to improve the mechanism". In reality, medicines and basic necessities should not be included in the list of goods and businesses subject to punitive measures by the White House, although reports of blockades and restrictions on Iran have emerged in the past to the detriment of the sick. For this reason, analysts and experts point out that Paris, Berlin and London have made a "political" and "propaganda" use of the mechanism, thus sending a message to the Iranian population and its moderate leadership, including President Rouhani and the Foreign Minister. Zarif. Following the dispatch of medicines and aid from Europe, a group of 34 US parliamentarians - including the Democratic Presidential candidateBernie Sanders - sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, asking for a relaxation of the sanctions. In response, the White House did not rule out a measure without giving further details or timelines, while in Iran there is a struggle to fight the pandemic. According to the latest data, the new coronavirus has infected nearly 45 thousand people, there are 2900 official victims but the numbers could be underestimated. To date, just under 15 thousand people have recovered. However, a European source explains that the material delivered via Instex is not connected to Covid-19, because the transaction had been underway since December, well before the emergency began. Finally, maximum confidentiality both on suppliers and on the type of goods sent. A 33-year-old Passaic firefighter died from coronavirus complications on Tuesday morning, officials said. Israel Tolentino died from complications after contracting COVID-19, Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said in a Facebook Live, flanked by Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost. Tolentino, who joined the Passaic Fire Department in December 2018, leaves behind a wife and two children, ages 7 and 9, Lora said. Battling tears, Trentacost said that Tolentinos death was considered a line of duty death, as he remembered the young firefighter who fulfilled his dream of joining the fire department little more than a year ago. Israel was a great father, person, husband, son, said Trentacost. When he wasnt fighting fires for Passaic, Tolentino served as an EMT, said Trentacost. In 2017, Tolentino, along with family and friends, set up a coat drive for his city, said Lora. During the afternoon press briefing, Governor Phil Murphy honored Tolentino and said he had spoken to Trentacost, Lora and Tolentinos wife, offering condolences. By all accounts an incredible guy," said Murphy. "And somebody who we mourn with his family friends. Tolentinos death comes as first responders continue to work on the frontlines of the worsening pandemic, often growing sick themselves. Three Newark police officers and six firefighters tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, city officials announced Tuesday. At the two state-run coronavirus testing sites, days have been set aside exclusively to test first responders and healthcare workers who continue to expose themselves to the virus by virtue of their jobs. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. A bleary-eyed Chris Cuomo, saying he wanted to be a cautionary tale for his audience, anchored his CNN show from his basement Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Via remote link, he interviewed Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an emergency room nurse and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who expressed worry about one of Cuomo's symptoms. Brace yourself, Cuomo told viewers, not for a hoax. But for the next few weeks of scary and painful realities. This is a fight. It's going to get worse. We're going to suffer. Cuomo looked pale, his eyes watery and red-rimmed. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself. He repeated himself. Even Gupta said he didn't look good, and said he'd call later to talk about a tightness Cuomo was feeling in his chest. The 49-year-old newsman, whose brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has logged just as much television airtime lately with daily briefings on how the disease is affecting his state, said earlier that he knew it was a matter of time because of how often he was exposed to people. He said he's staying in the basement of his Long Island home to protect himself from his wife and children. The New York governor, who appeared with his brother on CNN by remote link the night before, also used the personal story to warn others during his press briefing Tuesday. He noted that he had scolded Chris for having their 88-year-old mother, Matilda, visiting Chris' home two weeks ago. It's my family, it's your family, it's all of our families," he said. This virus is so insidious, and we have to keep that in mind. Chris Cuomo said he thought his mom would be safer at his house than in her New York City apartment, but his brother persuaded him to have her stay at his sister's place in Westchester County. Some competitors, including Sean Hannity and Geraldo Rivera of Fox Channel, and Joy Reid and Ali Velshi of MSNBC, sent best wishes to Cuomo through social media Tuesday. He said he appreciated the sympathy from well-wishers but tried to deflect it. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep doing the show, he said. But who knows? One of the most unsettling things about the disease, he said, is hearing from doctors that there really isn't much he can do now except suck it up. The best medicine is not to get it prevention, he said in a pre-show discussion with colleague Anderson Cooper. Most people who get the virus have mild to moderate symptoms and recover. But for older people, and those with underlying medical conditions, the disease can be dangerous. More than 3,000 people have died in the U.S. alone. Andrew Cuomo, 62, and the CNN anchor are sons of the late New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, and that teasing big brother-little brother dynamic often enlivens their appearances together. The governor called him his best friend. He is going to be fine, he said. He's young, in good shape, strong not as strong as he thinks he is, but he will be fine. Chris got a measure of revenge Tuesday night, referring to his brother as Captain Banana Hands. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Toyota Motor Credit Corp. said it has launched a private label business with Mazda North American Operations through the creation of Mazda Financial Services. Mazda Financial Services will offer a payment deferral program for up to 90 days on new and Certified Used Mazda Vehicles to eligible customers who finance a new or Certified Used Mazda vehicle on or after April 1, 2020, through April 30, 2020. In addition, the company will assist dealers by temporarily reducing rates on all floorplan lines and the interest on those lines, as well as providing a principal payment deferral option for real estate and working capital loans. Mazda Financial Services began operations today and offers a suite of automotive finance, lease, wholesale, dealer banking, and insurance protection products and services to Mazda dealers and customers in the U.S. 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. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has the biggest megaphone, but its governors and local officials who will decide what type of restrictions to impose on their citizens to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Constitution largely gives states the authority to regulate their own affairs. Trump has left guidelines limiting social interaction in place until the end of this month, after initially pushing April 12, Easter, as as the date to begin reopening the U.S. economy. Trump was moved by public health experts who showed him death tolls of 100,000 with strict measures in place, and hundreds of thousands of deaths more without. Initially, concerns were over states unwilling to open up by Easter, but now, the friction is over certain states unwilling to issue shutdown orders and calls for the president to issue a nationwide lockdown. Some questions and answers about the legal authority for shutting and reopening the U.S. economy. ___ Q. Does the president have the authority to override state and local orders? A. No. Under our constitutional system, states have the power and responsibility for maintaining public order and safety. As weve seen since the outbreak began, decisions about limiting social interactions by ordering people to shelter in place, closing businesses and shutting schools are being made by governors and local officials. Those same officials will make the call about when to ease up. Trumps comments are just advisory, said John Malcolm of the Heritage Foundation. An increasing number of states have ordered all nonessential businesses and schools to close at least until the end of April. This battle is going to be much harder, take much longer, and be much worse than almost anyone comprehends. We have never faced anything like this ever before, and I continue to urge the people of our state to stay in place at home and stay safe, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said recently. ___ Q. But the president has set a period until the end of April in which all Americans are being urged to drastically scale back their public activities. Doesnt that amount to a national order? A. No. The guidelines are voluntary, and they underscore the limits on Trumps powers. He can use daily briefings and his Twitter account to try to shape public opinion, and he has not been reluctant to do so. When Donald Trump selects a narrative and begins to advance it, especially through his Twitter account, it has a remarkable effect on those who trust him, said Robert Chesney, a University of Texas law professor wrote on the Lawfare blog. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis resisted calls to shut down the entire state but relented Wednesday with a stay-at-home order as federal and local pressure mounted for him to abandon his county-by-county approach. ___ Q. Still, Trump has invoked some federal laws to address the virus outbreak, hasnt he? A. Yes, he has. The Stafford Act allows the expenditure of tens of billions of dollars in emergency assistance. The Defence Production Act allows the president to direct private companies to produce goods or acquire raw materials. Trump has yet to actually order companies to do anything, over the objection of some local officials who have a desperate need for ventilators, masks and other equipment. But Trump can only assert powers that Congress has specifically given him. There are real limits on the president and the federal government when it comes to domestic affairs, John Yoo, a University of California at Berkeley law school professor, said on a recent Federalist Society conference call. At the same time, the federal government has the power, under laws aimed at preventing the spread of communicable diseases, to quarantine people when they arrive in the United States and travel between states. ___ Q. Is it clear that state and local governments have authority to impose the severe restrictions weve seen? A. Lawsuits already are challenging state actions on religious grounds and as seizures of property for which the government must pay compensation. But for more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has upheld states robust use of their authority, even when it restricts peoples freedoms. In 1905, the court rejected a Massachusetts pastors complaint that he should not be forced to get a smallpox vaccine or pay a fine, Malcolm noted. ___ Q. But weve seen the federal government curtail the public before, notably during World War II when people of Japanese descent, including U.S. citizens, were put into internment camps. Wasnt that the same? A. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used an executive order that designated certain areas as military zones to make camps. The Supreme Court in 1944 did uphold the internment in its notorious decision in Korematsu v. United States as a military necessity that was not based on race. In 2018, the court formally overruled Korematsu (even as it upheld Trumps travel ban on people from several mainly Muslim countries. ) Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided, has been overruled in the court of history, and to be clear has no place in law under the Constitution, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report. As federal, state and local agencies try to manage the flood of inquiries related to COVID-19, bots are serving on the front lines. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Coronavirus Self Checker, for example, uses a series of questions related to the patients age, location and symptoms and advises what kind of medical attention they should seek, offloading those questions from health professionals. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, however, robotic process automation (RPA) was gaining traction in government, as common business functions performed by staff transitioned to automated processes. To accelerate adoption, some agencies are retraining employees to learn how to build bots. Reskilled workers at the General Services Administration have created more than 40 automations across the agencys business functions in the areas of data reporting, migration and entry, and other rules-based manual tasks, increasing capacity by more than 90,000 hours. Twenty employees in GSAs Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) participated in the RPA Program, an initiative that trains workers on the craft of automation. Office managers compared workers current skill sets with those that OFCO needs and worked with software firm UiPath on training, a GSA spokesperson told GCN. This strategy enabled us to move existing employees to higher value work, and to increase their engagement and satisfaction with their new roles, the spokesperson wrote. Twelve of the 20 workers received the companys Advanced Developer certification and were assigned to teams of three to four developers to begin projects. Six employees have become full-time developers on the RPA Program team. One of the automations that resulted is the Accounts Payable (AP) Email Notification bot, which supports the Prompt Payment Act that requires agencies to pay invoices within 30 days of receiving an invoice or the requested goods and services. The bot automated the processes for notifying contracting officers and their representatives, contract specialists and their respective first- and second-line supervisors about outstanding invoices, the spokesperson said. That reduced time workers spent updating spreadsheets and let office staff focus on efforts to ensure timely payment and compliance. Other success stories include the Daily News Bot, which aggregates GSA-related news for agencywide dissemination, and the 889 Bot, which processes thousands of bilateral contract modifications required by a new Federal Acquisition Regulation rule regarding contracts with certain countries, the spokesperson said. The 889 bot can do in six minutes what used to take an hour. The added capacity, which amounts to 45 full-time employees has not displaced workers, but freed them to spend more time on the work that is driving the agency forward, the spokesperson said. Another benefit of our adoption of RPA is that it, in essence, creates a 24/7 workforce that can carry out tasks when people might not be able to. The fear of losing jobs to automation is a common misconception, said Jim Walker, federal chief technology officer at UiPath, which handled the training at GSA. Lifelong learners who are paying attention right now realize that a skill set that they have may not be needed by an agency five or six years from now. But RPA -- and by extension machine learning and artificial intelligence and chatbots and natural language processing -- are all going to be in the workplace in the five- to 10-year timeframe, so they are making themselves valuable now [by] retraining and reskilling, Walker said. We really want to democratize RPA and let everybody know how to use it. The company offers several training options, including in-person workshops at agencies, free one-day RPA Adds Value Everywhere workshops in the Washington, D.C., area and a free online academy. Walker said hes seen participants in all age groups embracing these learning opportunities. Although training staff to build automated tools themselves may be slower than contracting with a company that sells bots, many agencies are looking to invest in their workforce, Walker said. Additionally, the effort is in line with the Trump administrations Pledge to American Workers to enlist the private sector to retrain and reskill workers for the digital workforce. As a signatory to that, UiPath pledged to retrain 750,000 government workers over five years. In the DC area, it plans to reskill 2,020 people this year as part of its 2,020 by 2020 program, Walker said. Retrained employees often understand and have experience in the business processes they are automating, the GSA spokesperson said. This removes the period of discovery that contractors often have to engage in to understand the process, identify the stakeholders and determine the best automation design. Another benefit of reskilling is that it provides our employees opportunities for career development. Other agencies that trained with UiPath include the Agriculture Departments RPA cohort in New Orleans, where a class of 25 students completed an eight-week program, and the U.S. Postal Service, where reskilled employees built a bot that sped the ordering and delivery of postal uniforms. GSA has 45 more automations in development or under evaluation and has no plans to slow down, the spokesperson said, adding that the agency is working with the Federal RPA Community of Practice to identify and develop automation for use governmentwide. We will continue to educate and train employees on the benefits of RPA and will increase our developer pools as needed, the spokesperson said. RPA has allowed us to change the focus of the whole organization by getting the OCFO and the rest of GSA to think about RPA as a critical tool in improving how federal employees do their jobs. In anticipation of the financial blow, Olson said his company has deferred its utility payments and is already considering letting staff go. The federal or state government needs to take responsibility for shutting down jobs and pay rent to multifamily property owners, he said. It really hasnt hit hard yet, but its a looming monster up ahead thats definitely going to start to impact the multifamily industry over the next one to two months, pretty severely, Olson said. Other property managers say theyre trying to be flexible. Mike Francis, who runs a property management company for single-family homes in greater Austin, said his goal is to keep [residents] in the property and reduce their stress. If theyve been affected by the COVID issue in any way, shape or form, then were flexible in letting them tell us what they can do, Francis said. Pretty much whatever theyre asking for, were doing all we can to accommodate their request. Those requests include payment plans, rent deferment and, occasionally, rent forgiveness. cs0784 wrote: My post-MBA goal is management consulting. (realistically Deloitte/Accenture, etc. Although of course I am going to shoot for M/B/B) 720 GMAT I'm glad to see you're being realistic. I think a lot of folks get their heads in the cloud when they see that MBB recruits on campus - the reality is low single digits end up there at schools outside of the top 10, whereas at school like Booth McKinsey will take 40+. http://poetsandquants.com/2013/11/26/mckinsey-ups-mba-hiring-at-chicago-booth/ Both schools are going to offer similar career opportunities. The next question is cultural fit: Tepper is kind of like Sloan in that it's a techish program and a lot of your classmates are probably coming from an engineering background. Don't know how to classify UNC, but it definitely wouldn't be "tech"Next is post-graduation location. Both are probably stronger in their respective regions, so you'll probably do best in consulting offices close to the school. Again, some people think they can go to a top 20 B-school and recruit for Bain in San Francisco, when in reality, that's one of the toughest spots to land because everyone wants to be there. If you go to UNC for instance, be stoked if you can land a spot at McKinsey in Charlotte, because that probably won't be easier either.Best of luck, and congrats! You don't have to spend your holidays writing essays!_________________ Coronavirus cases are expected to peak over Easter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office says the government is mulling over the introduction of tougher quarantine measures for the period of April 6 through April 24. These issues were discussed during a daily Zelensky-chaired intercom meeting on the fight against the coronavirus, the press service of the Office of the President said on April 1. Read alsoPoll: Over 50% of Ukrainians believe COVID-19 threat "real" In particular, the measures include the mandatory use of face masks and a limited number of people outdoors. Coronavirus cases are expected to peak over Easter, the press service said. "To prevent this, the authorities have negotiated with all television groups on the broadcast of Easter church services. So far, only three TV channels have not responded regarding such broadcasts, but negotiations with them are under way," it said. Today, 20,000 law enforcement officers are on duty, monitoring how Ukrainians have been observing the quarantine in Ukraine, it added. As UNIAN reported earlier, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ukraine rose to 669 as of 10:00 Kyiv time on April 1. Tiger King star Dr. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle has made bold claims about what he alleges are factual inaccuracies within Netflix's popular docuseries. Speaking to Hit's Fifi, Fev and Byron, the 60-year-old animal trainer disputed allegations he had a harem of wives and claimed he felt manipulated by the production team during filming. 'It is not a documentary - it's a sensational ride down the director's story path, but it is outrageous and unique,' Antle said from his home in the US state of Oklahoma. Scroll down for video Netflix's Tiger King star Dr. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle (pictured) has rejected 'harem' allegations in the docuseries and has revealed how Joe Exotic has reacted to fame in prison Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is a docuseries exploring America's big cat breeding industry and its bizarre underworld, populated by eccentric characters, including its main star Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage). Antle said he believed the director manipulated him to give certain information. 'The director created a story by coming to speaking to the various entities and telling all of them a completely different tale he was pursing and what type of story he was trying to write to try to gain access to different aspects of their lives and activities and what they had to say about each other,' he claimed. Antle has previously stated that he thought the show would be about his Myrtle Beach Safari and conservation efforts in Sumatra and Africa. 'The director created a story by coming to speaking to the various entities and telling all of them a completely different tale': Antle said he believed the director deceived him about what the series would be about and thinks he was manipulated to give certain information 'I am by no means married to anybody or have a harem like they are suggesting': Antle told the radio hosts he never remarried after his late wife died 25 years ago in a car accident Antle told the radio hosts he never remarried after his late wife, who was the mother of his son Kody and daughter, died 25 years ago in a car accident. 'I am a guy that does date. I live alone in my house. I have a few girlfriends now and they certainly know about each other, but I am by no means married to anybody or have a harem like they are suggesting,' he said. The founder of Myrtle Beach Safari also joked about Joe Exotic's ex-husbands. 'How straight can you be to roll yourself up in bed with Joe Exotic? I think the line is pretty crooked there,' he joked. He added: 'I've met these guys, I know them, but I don't have a long friendship with them... but they seem like a pretty gay lot... They are eccentric gay cowboys.' Behind bars: In January 2020, the former G.W.Zoo owner and zookeeper Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a conviction that included two counts of murder-for-hire against Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin 'I've heard that the memes are what he's getting': Antle said Joe hasn't been able to watch the series from prison, but guards have slipped him a few updates through the bars via cell phones In January 2020, the former G.W.Zoo owner and zookeeper Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a conviction that included two counts of murder-for-hire against Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin. Antle said while Joe hasn't been able to watch the series from prison, guards have slipped him a few updates through the bars during their rounds. 'I've heard that the memes are what he's getting, the guard comes up to him and shows him a cell phone now and then... they've just been showing him clips.' Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness currently holds the No. 1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 list in Australia. The Czech Republic has reportedly become the first NATO country to send help to Spain after a Hercules C 130 aircraft lifted the emergency medical equipment supply from the Eastern European country back to the country, a Spanish daily reported. The aircraft landed at Torrejon airbase in Madrid with over 90 respirators and 10,000 personal protective equipment which was received by the authorities. According to an agency report, Spain, Europes second-worst impacted country after Italy, had earlier sought assistance from NATO for testing kits, ventilators and protective gears under NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). Spanish armed forces chief Miguel Villarroya told the press conference that Spain had made a request to NATO for medical equipment which is expected to be passed on to the member states armed forces, who might help. The aid would be transferred to civilians, Villarroya was quoted as saying. Italy had also requested assistance from NATO earlier, as per media reports. The organization, however, had deferred the request saying that due to the unavailability of products, the request was forwarded to each of its members. Read: Czech Volunteers Help Seniors With Errands Read: California To Release 3,500 Prisoners Early Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Several other countries received aid Earlier, NATO assisted Romania which received a 45-tonne shipment of health aid with more than 100,000 medical equipment, while Italy received a donation from the US through NATO, a Spanish daily reported. Ukraine, despite not being a member, had received aid as a partner nation to the alliance. Reports state that there hasnt been an official announcement from other nations so far to send emergency aid to Spain. NATO wrote on its official site, A further delivery of medical equipment from the Czech Republic, including 10,000 protective medical suits is set to reach the Italian city of Milan by truck on 30 March 2020. It further added, donations reached Spain as a part of the allied efforts to combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Read: 43 New Coronavirus Cases Reported In AP, Tally Rises To 87 Read: 8 New Coronavirus Cases In Guj; Tally Goes Up To 82 All Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice of India donated Rs 50,000 each to the PM CARES fund to aid the nation's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. An official of the apex court told PTI that all the 33 judges including the CJI have donated Rs 50,000 each to the fund. He said cheques have already been sent to the fund. Earlier, Justice N V Ramana, senior-most judge after CJI S A Bobde, had donated Rs 1 lakh each to PM's fund and funds of chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh And Telangana. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Desert X Al Ula, the first site-responsive art exhibition of its kind in Saudi Arabia, welcomed over 9,000 visitors across its five-week run from January 31 to March 7. Organised collaboratively by Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Desert X AlUla fostered cross-cultural dialogue, creating exchange among artists, curators and the international and local community. Free and open to the public, Desert X AlUla was co-curated by Saudi curators Raneem Farsi and Aya Alireza with Desert X artistic director Neville Wakefield and activated unique desert landscapes of AlUla through installations by Lita Albuquerque, Manal AlDowayan, Zahrah AlGhamdi, Nasser AlSalem, Rashed AlShashai, Gisela Colon, Sherin Guirguis, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Nadim Karam, eL Seed, Wael Shawky, Muhannad Shono, Superflex and Rayyane Tabet. As custodians of AlUla, its people are central to, and beneficiaries of AlUlas emerging cultural programme. Engagement with local communities at Desert X AlUla included the participation of a group of women weavers, Lines and Colours, in Sherin Guirguis installation. In collaboration with Guirguis, The group created a tracing of the inner ring of the artists Kholkhal Aliaa sculpture in Sadou, the traditional tent weaving technique. Similarly, Wael Shawkys mud house was inverted with a Bedouin-style tent on top of its roof rather than the ground, made in collaboration with local artisans. Artist-run workshops organised by Sherin Guirguis, Manal AlDowayan and Zahrah AlGhamdi brought local women artists to the exhibition site to preview the work and discuss how to find your voice as an artist, build a commission proposal and develop an idea for a work. The exhibitions school and university programmes brought together 200 students from the AlUla county to participate in on-site educational workshops led by Saudi artists Dalia Bakhurji and Abdelrahmen AlShahed, focused around sculpture making using wire and contemporary calligraphy. Newly released Desert X AlUla podcast series gives voice to participating artists from Saudi Arabia, the neighbouring region, Europe and the US. The Desert X AlUla podcast series provides a global platform for the voices of featured artists and carries forth the discussion and exchange fostered throughout the exhibition. The podcast series features co-curators Wakefield, Farsi and Alireza in conversation with participating artists about their experience of responding to the landscape and why they welcomed this collaboration. Lita Albuquerque, among the artists featured in the podcast series, commented: I think what were doing here is about art and its not about retreating, but its about making a statement to actually open up conversation, open up the doors. That goes beyond politics. Artist Muhannad Shono said: The change happening in Saudi Arabia is incredible. We have all these young people... who have been developing their skills and ideas. For them to be coming out of the shadows and being respected and given opportunities across the country and internationally, is extremely humbling. The large-scale site-specific works by 14 participating artists have inspired new dialogue about the desert and themes that range from the passage of goods and ideas along the ancient incense route, the cultural memory that passage has left, and the natural resources that have shaped the region, both past and present. The series of eight podcast episodes is free to download at www.desertx.org/podcast/alula and on iTunes and other podcast apps. - TradeArabia News Service Current coronavirus confinement measures have probably dampened the controversy over changing the clocks, a practice that could be eliminated by 2021 if a proposal backed by the European Parliament is adopted. Daylight Saving Time, which went into effect last weekend, may put our internal clocks out of sync for a few days. But this change is really insignificant in comparison to what happened to people living on the Iberian Peninsula in 1582. That was the year that they went to bed on Thursday, October 4, and woke up on Friday, October 15. Ten entire days had been wiped out just like that. Its not that King Philip IIs subjects spent 10 days sleeping, or woke up wondering who had stolen a third of the month of October from them. In the year 325, the Church of Rome established that Easter should be celebrated separately from the Jewish Passover Instead, the missing days were due to the fact that Catholic Europe had decided to end a mismatch between the real year the one measured by a full orbit of the Earth around the Sun and the one measured by the calendars of the period. And it happened that Salamanca University played a leading role in the adjustment, which meant 10 days being knocked out of existence. The Earth does not take exactly 365 days to go around the Sun. The Julian calendar, proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, took this into consideration and calculated that each year lasted 365 days plus a quarter of a day, which was fixed by establishing a leap year every four years. Even so, the Julian calendar remained out of sync by approximately 11 minutes and 14 seconds a year, which accumulated over a period of 128 years made up an entire day, so that over time the calendar was becoming increasingly out of date. At the meeting of the First Council of Nicaea (in modern-day Turkey) in the year 325, the Church of Rome established that Easter should be celebrated separately from the Jewish Passover. Until then, the shifting date of Easter for Christians had been a source of amusement to both pagan peoples and the Jewish, who were experts at measuring time. An idealized representation of 'The sphere of the fixed stars' by Petrus Apianus (1540). B. G. H. U. S. The Church agreed that it should always be celebrated on the Sunday following the full moon after the spring equinox. If it coincided with the Jewish Passover, the Christian celebration would be on the following Sunday. That same council established that the equinox be moved to March 21, the date to which the astronomical equinox had been brought forward from the traditional Roman worlds March 25, although the Feast of the Annunciation, nine months before Christmas, continued to be celebrated on the 25th, explains Juan Antonio Belmonte, a research professor at the Canaries Astrophysics Institute and an expert in archeoastronomy, which explores how ancient people studied the skies. As the gap in the Julian calendar increased over the years, the spring equinox came increasingly early, and the date for Easter stopped making sense. It was believed that Christs resurrection coincided with the beginning of springs lighter, warmer days and the idea of nature coming back to life, but the celebrations were being pushed further and further into the cold winter. The Salamanca solution For centuries, the experts racked their brains and devised calendars that would best suit the solar year, as described in the book Salamanca y la medida del tiempo (or, Salamanca and the Measuring of Time) by Ana Maria Carabias Torres, a lecturer of modern history at the University of Salamanca. But none of them came up with a convincing solution that would reconcile human time with the year as defined by the skies. In 1515, Pope Leo X and King Ferdinand the Catholic asked the University of Salamanca, as well as other universities and scholars, for a report on how to adjust the calendar. The Salamanca scholars calculated that the difference between the calendar and real time was a little more than 10 days, and proposed to remove 11 days from a month. Another proposal involved eliminating leap days over a period of 44 years, which would mean a more gradual adjustment without any sudden jump in dates. The equinox would return to March 21, and serve as reference for setting the dates of the major Christian feasts, while Christs resurrection would always be celebrated in early spring. With a view to the future, the University of Salamanca also proposed a new system, which would omit one leap day every 152 years. A refined and unusual astronomical calculation, says Carabias. Its perhaps Salamancas most important mathematical contribution, because no one had ever proposed such a precise measurement before. A 1578 copy of the calendar change proposal made by Salamanca University in 1515. B. G. H. U. S. However, their proposal was forgotten. The question of dates was so controversial that every ecumenical council held a commission to match up the calendar, says Carabias. At the Trent Council held between 1545 and 1563, no agreement was reached either, but as the supreme authority, the Pope was urged to adopt a solution. That is why in 1578, Pope Gregory XIII asked for new reports from the great centers of learning in Europe, including Salamanca University, which reminded the Pontiff that they had already sent in a proposal in 1515. The individual who supposedly discovered the solution was an Italian, Aloys Lilio, but my theory is that he copied the report that Salamanca had proposed in 1515, says Carabias. In fact, when Lilio calculated the dates for Easter, the Salamanca scholars commented that even a minor mathematician could have come up with them. We owe the calendar used by the immense majority of humanity today to the University of Salamanca. That proposal was taken on board by Gregory XIII, whose papal bull of February 24, 1582 imposed the Gregorian calendar on the entire Christian world. King Philip II of Spain, who ruled over an empire on which the sun never sets, introduced it on September 29, and it was thus that all of his subjects went from October 4 to October 15 literally from one day to the next. According to Carabias, October 4 was chosen for the leap in time because October was a month of few religious celebrations that could easily be dispensed with. Even so, the change brought with it a few problems, such as the fact that the martiniega or St Martins tax, which was collected from the subjects of the Crown of Castile on November 11 to coincide with Martinmas, was collected 10 days earlier that year. Globalization According to Carabias, the Gregorian calendar has been of the utmost significance in the history of globalization. Its imposition transformed the world, or at least redirected it towards a global project, since present-day history and civil life are governed by this calendar. Although the adjustment of dates was abrupt, it was several centuries before the new calendar was almost universally adopted, with territories ruled by Catholic monarchs being the first to make the switch. In France, where there had been religious freedom since Henry IV, Protestants also had to follow it, because the decision was made by the king, who was a Catholic, says Carabias. Subsequently, countries with Protestant rulers also accepted it, the last of these being England in 1752. By then the Julian calendar was already another day behind, and British subjects on both sides of the pond went to bed on September 2 and woke up on September 14. The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Japan in 1873 and by imperial China in 1912, while Russia took it on board in 1918 and Turkey in 1927. The current calendar is not perfect, but to an extent it follows the criteria established by the University of Salamanca in 1515, as the manner of eliminating the extra days is slightly different from the one adopted in 1578: a second is added to a day every few years, so that clocks and calendars can be synchronized with the rotation of the Earth, which measures the days, which in turn can be synchronized with the movement of the Earth around the Sun, which measures the years. English version by Heather Galloway PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 19:09:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 897 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 KINGSTON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / Delta Resources Limited ("Delta") (TSXV:DLTA) has granted an extension to Yorkton Ventures Inc. ("Yorkton") in regards to the Letter of Intent ("LOI") signed by both parties on January 14, 2020 for the sale of its interest in the Bellechasse-Timmins property (the "Property") and associated claims in southeastern Quebec for $1,700,000. As per an amendment agreement signed on March 31, 2020 by both parties, Yorkton will now have until April 20th, 2020 to complete its due diligence on the property. During this time, Yorkton will preserve its exclusive rights to acquire the property in exchange for a non-refundable cash payment of C$10,000.00 which has already been received by Delta. Yorkton will also assume all additional costs for the due diligence work. All other terms of the LOI signed on January 14, 2020, remain the same.The agreement is subject to Yorkton completing a legal, technical and environmental due diligence on the Property. If the due diligence is not satisfactory to Yorkton at its sole discretion, they shall have the right to terminate the LOI.Proposed Terms of the Agreement:To acquire a 100% interest in the Property, Yorkton will:Make a $100,000 cash payment within 10 days of signing of a definitive agreement,Make a $250,000 cash payment within 90 days after signing of a definitive agreement,Make a $350,000 cash payment within 180 days after signing of a definitive agreement,Make a $450,000 cash payment within 270 days after signing of a definitive agreementMake a $550,000 cash payment within 360 days after signing of a definitive agreementYorkton will also commit to paying Delta a gold royalty of I% NSR on any and all commercial production of gold. Yorkton may re-purchase 0.5% of the NSR for $1 Million at anytime.The parties agree to negotiate, in good faith, a formal agreement with respect to the transaction (the "Definitive Agreement"), together with such other documentation as is normally entered into in commercial transactions of this nature.The LOI and the transaction are subject to:(i) Satisfactory completion of the due diligence on the Property by the Purchasers;(ii) All required corporate and regulatory approvals having been obtained; and(iii) Execution of the Definitive Agreement.About Delta Resources LimitedDelta Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on growing shareholder value through the acquisition of high-potential gold and base-metal projects in Canada, exploring these projects with state-of-the-art methods, and potentially developing these projects into mines.On October 3rd, 2019, Delta announced the acquisition of the Eureka Gold Discovery in the Thunder Bay area and on October 16th, 2019, the acquisition of the Delta-2 Property which hosts the R-14 Gold Prospect in the Chibougamau Mining District of Quebec.Delta also owns a 100% interest in the Bellechasse-Timmins gold deposit in southeastern Quebec, Canada which contains a 43-101 gold resource of 171,000 ounces at an average grade of 1.83 g/t gold in the indicated category and an additional 95,000 ounces at an average grade of 1.36 g/t gold in the inferred category (SGS Canada Inc., Bellechasse-Timmins Property Resource Estimate, Southeastern Quebec, August 1, 2012).The company's focus is currently to build a strong portfolio of mineral exploration properties with a high potential for economic discoveries in Canada while evaluating the long-term potential of its 100% owned Bellechasse-Timmins gold deposit in southeastern Quebec.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DELTA RESOURCES LIMITED.Andre C. TessierPresident, CEO and DirectorWe seek safe harbor. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The TSX Venture Exchange has not approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.For Further Information:Delta Resources LimitedFrank Candido, VP Corporate CommunicationsTel : 514-969-5530fcandido@ deltaresources.ca orAndre Tessier, CEO and PresidentTel: 613-328-1581atessier@ deltaresources.ca Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking InformationSome statements contained in this news release are " "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward looking information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the use of proceeds of the non-brokered private placement and payment of the debt settlements. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake to update any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event.SOURCE: Delta Resources Limited A Limerick man wanted in the United States for the alleged trafficking of endangered black rhino horn, is willing to have himself extradited to America, the High Court has heard. John Slattery (30), who changed his name to John Flynn by deed poll in recent years, is currently in custody awaiting his surrender to US officials but the handover cannot occur at present due to the Covid-19 crisis. Mr Slattery, from Old Barrack View, Fairhill, Rathkeale, in Limerick, is accused of committing three offences in the US relating to wildlife trafficking. US authorities allege that he and two others travelled to a taxidermy shop in Austin, Texas, to buy the horns. It is alleged that the men bought the horns for $18,000 and then travelled to New York and sold them for $50,000. The men were initially unable to buy the horns because they were not local residents so they enlisted the help of a Texas man - a straw buyer - to complete the purchase, according to US authorities. It is alleged that between April 2010 and November 2010 Mr Slattery bought two further horns from an individual for $10,000. US authorities claim that in 2010 Mr Slattery and his coaccused travelled to an auction house in Macon, Missouri, where they allegedly obtained a consignment of horns from endangered white and black rhinos. In early 2011 six of these horns had been sold for $260,000. Counsel for Slattery, Mark Lynam BL, told the High Court today/yesterday(WEDNESDAY) that his client had consented to being extradited but surrender could not occur within the required time-frame given the current Covid-19 crisis. Mr Lynam said his client had obtained the services of a lawyer in Texas who was currently smoothing things out in relation to a potential plea bargain. Both of Mr Slatterys coaccused have already been sentenced in the US and it was virtually certain that Mr Slattery was facing a one year sentence in America, the court heard. Mr Lynam said his client had spent around nine months on remand throughout the process. By May it will have been 11 months which was close to time served. He said the plea bargain process itself took several months and Mr Slattery could spend several months in a US detention centre where conditions have been described as tough. File and unrelated image of Rhino horn seizures Mr Lynam asked the court to use its constitutional powers to grant Mr Slattery bail until surrender could be made, otherwise his client could spend longer in custody than any potential sentence. Counsel for the Attorney General, Lisa Dempsey BL, said May 22 was the outside date for potential surrender and Mr Slattery could well be extradited before then. She called Detective Garda Anthony Keane to outline the gardais concerns in relation to bail. Mr Justice Tony Hunt said he wished to consider Mr Slatterys bail application and he put the matter back to Friday, April 3. In America, Ann Neumann writes in The Good Death, death has been put off and professionalized to the point where we no longer have to dirty our hands with it. But with the coronavirus, death has drawn too near to ignore. And this is a good thing. The dying, their value and their particular wisdom should never have been banished from our common life in the first place. The physicians who accompany people as they face death have a unique perspective on mortality, perhaps thanks to the example of their remarkable patients. I spoke to Christopher D. Landry, a postgraduate trainee in the Columbia University psychiatry department, last month, during his emergency medicine rotation. A lot of young people feel that life in the shadow of death is no life at all, Dr. Landry said. But everybody approaches that shadow eventually. And then, even people who were previously young and healthy learn to appreciate the many good things in life that theyre still able to have. The prospect of death also prompts a philosophical evaluation of life. These reckonings can bring the blur of ordinary life into sharp and brilliant focus. At 19, Ms. Smietana lost her mother, and later, her older sister. From that point on, her family consisted of herself and her father, a stoic and steadfast garbage man who worked for the city of Chicago for some 30 years. Ms. Smietana told me that she had always been close with her father, but that their relationship became even more vital after the loss of her sister and mother. Thats made this whole situation a little more intense, she said. He called every health care facility he could think of to try to get results with little luck, he said. Frustrated with the process, he reached out to news outlets to call for faster testing, increased testing and more accurate testing. He feared the long turnaround time could mean others were at risk for the virus without knowing. That Israels prime minister tasked Mossad head Yossi Cohen with a frantic quest to source coronavirus kit in the Gulf is the most serious indictment of Netanyahu yet by Yossi Melman Tasking the Mossad head Yossi Cohen to lead the efforts to procure medical equipment and supplies to battle the coronavirus pandemic is an unusual step, and cause for concern. In a national emergency, it is the duty of each and everyone to help their people and nation to overcome the crisis. Many individuals and firms in the health care, science and civilian sectors are contributing to Israels efforts. Cohens involvement is welcome too, of course. But laying the responsibility on Israels spy agency with medical procurement of this kind and at this level is a clear expression of Benjamin Netanyahus total failure of management. Israel is the only major Western country to act this way. Neither the CIA nor MI6, nor the French or German security services are involved in this field. They leave the procurement to the civil authorities. But within Israel, the Mossad is not alone. The Defense Ministry has been involved in various forms of procurement since Israels independence and has accrued much more experience, know-how and capabilities than the Mossad, which possesses no inherent advantage when it comes to the medical field. Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan is tested for COVID-19 at a mobile test center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. March 28, 2020 Photo credit: MINISTRY OF PRESIDENTIAL AFFAI However, the Mossads expertise is to utilize its quiet contacts, especially in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Israel has diplomatic relations with around 100 countries; the Mossad has undisclosed ties with nearly 140 states. And even more tangibly, Netanyahu chosen Cohen to lead the procurement efforts because the two are very close and the ever-suspicious Netanyahu trusts him. It is most likely that Cohen is trying to leverage his contacts to charm his acquaintances - the leaders and heads of intelligence in the Arab world - to persuade them to help Israels deteriorating health system. It is likely that the Arab states bought their protective and diagnostic equipment from China. If this is the case, Israel is the only country in the world known to have mobilized its intelligence agency for such a mission. It reflects Netanyahus incompetence in managing the crisis. Netanyahu, more than any other official or minister, is responsible for Israels dire situation. His responsibility is threefold. First, as the prime minister for the last 11years; secondly, as self-appointed health minister for six-and-a-half of those years; and thirdly, as appointee of Yaakov Litzman, of the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel party, a nomination based on political expediency, who has been given a free ride to further degrade the health care system. Israel is often seen and presented as a financial, scientific and technological powerhouse, and there is no doubt that it punches far above its weight. So the shortage of adequate equipment not enough beds, especially in intensive care wards, a lack of ventilators, of protective gear for the medical staff at the hospitals and clinics all of this is a result of Netanyahus ideology. He is an ardent and enthusiastic disciple of Adam Smith, and a great believer in the hidden hand regulating the economy. For decades, even before he entered politics, Netanyahu believed in radical capitalism, the free market, privatization and the private sector. He always opposed the idea of big government involvement in the market, and pushed to marginalize and minimize the role of and investment in the public sector, not least in in physical and social infrastructures. This is how Israel has found itself in an unprecedented predicament (reminiscent of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Israel was surprised by the invading armies of Syria and Egypt.) Then and today, Israel had good intelligence providing early warning of calamity, but the leadership in both cases was complacent. When the coronavirus epidemic broke out more than two months ago, Israel received specific and sufficient information from China and scientists around the world that the danger was spreading. But Netanyahu ignored the signs. The prime minister could have imposed there and then a nationwide lockdown for two to three weeks. He could have established and deployed, there and then, a field hospital away from population centers to accommodate 1000 coronavirus patients in order to lessen pressure on the hospitals, and to concentrate the contagious in one place with staff who had full protective gear, rather than the current situation in which doctors and nurses face daily exposure with inadequate protection to safeguard them. Israels army certainly has the know-how, equipment and experience - acquired over 70 years of wars and casualties - to operate a field hospital. These were the actions taken by China. The IDF has serially sent its field hospitals to areas hit by natural disasters, from tsunamis to earthquakes, from Armenia to Haiti to Turkey. Its true that Netanyahu deserves credit for being among the first world leader to decide to start closing the countrys borders, by partially banning flights to and from Israel. But the criteria were blatantly political. And he didnt use the momentum to issue additional measures, such as testing Israelis returning from every corner of the globe right there at the airport. He could have demanded that each arrival would go straight to quarantine instead of being asked politely to go home and self-isolate. Israelis arent known for being the most disciplined nation on earth; many didnt go home and self-isolate - and thus spread the illness. During these early stages, the prime minister was preoccupied with his own political problems. He was dragging the country into a third election round in a year, and he was pre-occupied with dirty maneuvers to escape indictment and trial on multiple corruption charges. His attention was focused on his own welfare, and not on the publics health. Furthermore, to appease the ultra-Orthodox part of his political base, led in cabinet by Health Minister Litzman, he allowed to the Haredim to continue congregating in synagogues and in the streets, to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. The virus continued to spread. Now the ultra-Orthodox community accounts for 30-40 percent of all those infected. Netanyahu always boasts about his military service in the special forces unit of Sayeret Matkal. He was a good soldier; he was injured when participating as a junior officer in the daring 1972 rescue operation of the Sabena flight hijacked by Palestinian terrorists to Tel Aviv, What would then-Lt Netanyahu say if an unfit and untrained unit had been sent to rescue the fearful passengers? But that is exactly what Prime Minister Netanyahu has done, by giving free rein to Litzman at the health ministry. All Netanyahus least appealing traits are evident in how he is managing the coronavirus crisis. In 1998, Dr. Shaul Kimchi, a psychologist working for military intelligence (Aman), retired and went into private practice. He drew up a psychological profile of Netanyahu. He wrote about his narcissism, his suspicious mind, his unreliability, how hedonistic and self-absorbed he was and how little empathy he demonstrated to others. Today, 22 years after, his insights have proven to be more accurate than ever. Netanyahu's egocentricity and paranoia prevent him from delegating any significant authority or power. He wants to call all the shots - not because its the best approach, but to deprive others of credit. He is hesitant, and finds it difficult to make decisions. This is the reason why, for weeks, he could not make up his mind whether to impose a full curfew on the entire Israeli population. Instead he prefers a crippling lockdown and isolation which only confuses the public: what is forbidden and what is allowed. His hesitations lead to endless cabinet deliberations deep into the night, which exhaust his ministers and himself. Netanyahu is already 70 years old. In some of the cabinet meetings the discussions slide into bizarre minutiae, such as debates about whether to shut down falafel stalls. Netanyahu prides himself on understanding economics. He certainly cares about his own wealth, buying stocks in foreign markets, but remains apathetic to the current suffering of the public, whose income and savings are being drained dry. Unemployment is rising towards 20 percent. While other western governments, even including U.S. President Donald Trump, have now released huge financial packages and benefits to help workers and salvage the economy, Netanyahu offers empty promises and is still struggling to put forward a clear policy. Meir Dagan, the late head of the Mossad, once told me that during a discussion about whether to approve a special operation, instead of encouraging and supporting the Mossad operatives - as was expected from the countrys leader - Netanyahu confessed his worries and anxieties. His well-known anxieties have made the prime minister an alarmist but an alarmist who seems not to believe his own paranoia and thus fails to act. He always prefers worst case scenarios, even when there is no need. That is how he is dealing with Iran and this is how he is handling the coronavirus crisis. His purpose is to inject bleak fear in the hearts of Israelis, thus, he believes, prolonging his grip on power. Unlike other leaders, Netanyahu hardly ever talks about hope. His zigzagging and incapability to control the daily infighting between the ministries of health and defense show that, despite his much vaunted image, he is a weak leader and manager. He sees himself as the most successful CEO Israels ever had, but in reality, hes a micro-manager. He is wrapped up in tactics and not in strategy. Though Netanyahu often talks up the burgeoning Mossad-cultivated ties between Israel and the Arab world, it would be a full-scale irony if it was an Arab state - far less technologically and scientifically advanced - that came to Israel's rescue. Yossi Melman writes for Haaretz, where this piece first appeared. Chinese tech giant Huawei has said its sales of smartphones and other products grew by double digits last year despite US sanctions but warned it now faces a more complicated global environment. Huawei Technologies Ltd is embroiled in a series of disputes with Washington, which accuses the company of being a security risk. The company denies the accusation, and Chinese officials say the Trump administration is abusing national security claims to restrain a rival to US tech companies. Huawei is Chinas first global tech brand and most successful private sector company. Its conflict with Washington has added to tension over Beijings technology ambitions and trade surplus that prompted US president Donald Trump to launch a tariff war with China in 2018. Huawei 2019 Annual Report Press Conference Livestream is starting now! Join the livestream to get all the key #facts and #figures. https://t.co/VcgCeNHXu8 Huawei (@Huawei) March 31, 2020 Last years sales rose 19.1% over 2018 to 858.8 billion yuan (98 billion), in line with the previous years 19.5% gain, the company reported. Profit increased 5.6% to 62.7 billion yuan (7 billion), decelerating from 2018s 25% jump. Business remains solid despite enormous outside pressure, Eric Xu, one of three people who take turns as Huaweis chairman, said in a statement. Sanctions approved by President Donald Trump in May will, if fully enforced, cut off access to most US components and technology. Washington has granted extensions for some products, but Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has said he expects the barriers to be enforced. Story continues The company, the worlds number two smartphone brand behind Samsung, said 2019 handset sales rose 15% to 240 million. Huawei phones can keep using Googles Android operating system but face sales challenges because the American company is blocked from supplying music and other popular services for future models. Huawei is creating its own services to replace Google and says its system had 400 million active users in 170 countries by the end of 2019. Establishing its own ecosystem requires Huawei to persuade developers to write applications for its new system, a challenge in an industry dominated by Android and Apples iOS-based applications. Huawei also is, along with Swedens LM Ericsson and Nokia Corp, of Finland, one of the leading developers of fifth-generation, or 5G, technology meant to expand networks to support self-driving cars and other futuristic applications. The Trump administration is lobbying European governments and other US allies to avoid Huawei equipment as they prepare to upgrade to 5G. Australia, Taiwan and some other governments have imposed curbs on use of Huawei technology, but Germany and some other nations say the company will be allowed to bid on contracts. Huawei, which says it is owned by the 104,572 members of its 194,000-member workforce who are Chinese citizens, denies it is controlled by the ruling Communist Party or facilitates Chinese spying. The company responded to Trumps export controls by removing American components from its major products. The company has unveiled its own processor chips and smartphone operating system, which helps to reduce its vulnerability to American export controls. The company issued its first smartphone phone last year based on Huawei chips instead of US technology. Some 43 persons who had come into contact with the first Covid-19 patient in the Upper West region have been traced, identified and placed under surveillance for effective monitoring, the regional minister, Hafiz Bin Salih has disclosed. He therefore assured the people of the region of governments preparedness to implement the necessary measures to curb the spread of the virus as more contact tracing was being conducted in order to keep the region safe. Mr Bin Salih gave the information at the start of a disinfection exercise in the Wa Municipal Assembly which had sprayers deployed to disinfect seven markets and other public places such as lorry parks and streets with WHO approved chlorine solution. This was part of a regional exercise where 110 markets sparsely located across the region have been designated for spraying under the national disinfection exercise being supervised by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and implemented by Zoomlion, a waste management company. As part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in the municipality, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Tahiru Ishakku Moomin indicated that aPublic Health Emergency Management committee has put in place measures to prevent people from sneaking into the municipality on the blind side of the authorities. He explained that checkpoints have been mounted at strategic entry points to capture personal details of persons and vehicles while thorough examination of persons coming into the region were being carried out by health professionals. Any vehicles that is coming in, they stop the vehicle, and first of all you will be require to provide basic information and secondly we check the vitals of persons for pointers on the particular disease we talking about, then they subject you to thorough examination he said. The region announced its first recorded case of the disease in Wa last Friday where the patient was reported to be a 42-year-old Ghanaian who returned to the country from highly infected countries and managed to travelled from Accra to Wa via public transport. ---Daily Guide Fresh trouble seems to be brewing for BSP supremo Mayawati as the CBI is preparing to record the statement of four more senior officials of the UP government who reportedly played crucial role in the alleged irregularities committed in the selections by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) when she was chief minister in 2010. According to sources, the agency will soon call them (officials) for questioning. The agency has already recorded statements of more than 10 senior officials, including a former chief examination controller of the UPPSC in connection with the case. Besides, the agency examined more than 20 candidates, allegedly linked to certain former public servants in the state, who were selected by the UPPSC for different posts during Mayawatis regime (2010). There are allegations that certain former officials of the UPPSC in connivance with the examiners altered marks of the candidates to enable their selection, sources said. The CBI had recently registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against unidentified officials of the state administration for allegedly granting favours to close relatives of public servants in an examination to select additional private secretaries in 2010. Sources further said that the PE is based on a complaint from the BJP-ruled government in the state which was routed to it through the central government in January. It is alleged in the complaint that certain unidentified people including the then officials of the UPPSC committed irregularities and misconduct in the examination for about 250 posts of additional private secretaries in 2010 and extended undue favours to undeserving candidates. Some of the candidates favoured in the examination did not fulfil even the basic minimum eligibility, the officials citing the complaint claimed. The complaint has alleged that some selected candidates are close relatives of public servants then serving the Uttar Pradesh government which was headed by CM Mayawati between 2007-12, sources said. Six European nations on UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea's latest missile tests, describing the launches as "provocative actions." Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom "are deeply concerned by Pyongyang's repeated testing of missiles, developing its ballistic missile programs" on March the 2nd, 9th, 21st and 29th. The countries read a statement issued after an informal high-level UN videoconference. "They undermine regional security and stability, as well as international peace and security, and are in clear violation of unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolutions," the Europeans said. "It is vital that the Security Council ensures full implementation of its resolutions and that sanctions remain in place," the statement read. Germany's deputy U.N. ambassador Juergen Schulz told the council it was sad that North Korea is giving priority to its illegal weapons programs instead of making global solidarity and cooperation a top priority and working with the World Health Organization and the U.N. on "the unprecedented global threat faced by the Covid-19 pandemic," the New York Times reported on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of transparency in DPRK's cooperation with the U.N. over COVID-19 which we find dangerous and cynical," he said. The Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea which Germany heads has granted "all COVID-19 related humanitarian exemption requests with unprecedented speed and urgency," Schulz said. "The sanctions are therefore no impediment to effectively combating COVID-19 in the DPRK." The Europeans noted that Pyongyang has conducted 17 sets of such launches since May 2019 when the second summit between the North's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in Vietnam. Pyongyang said on Monday that the weapons launches included a developmental mid-range missile that could be launched from submarines, a "super large" multiple rocket launcher, and a new mobile, solid-fuel missile system. The joint statement again urged North Korea "to engage in good faith in meaningful negotiations with the United States aimed at denuclearization, to take concrete steps to abandoning all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and to refrain from further provocations." "There is no other way to achieve security and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the Europeans said. "Continued provocations risk undermining the prospect for successful negotiations." They called on the Security Council and all countries to implement sanctions against North Korea as well as the publication of their statement. China and Russia have called for the easing sanction against North Korea however, the Europeans and the U.S. want to see North Korean actions toward denuclearization before any measures are lifted. She's set to welcome her first baby imminently. And heavily pregnant Lauryn Goodman gave a candid update on Tuesday night as she continues to self-isolate at home amid the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown. The social media star, 29, took to her Instagram Stories to admit that she is 'exhausted all the time' and has 'never felt anything like it'. Mother-to-be: Heavily pregnant Lauryn Goodman gave a candid update on Tuesday night as she continues to self-isolate at home amid the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown Sharing a video, Lauryn said: 'Evening, I have found today to be a struggle, not going to lie. I'm literally exhausted all the time. 'I don't know whether it's just growing so much in these last few weeks, I've never felt exhaustion like it. Just thought I'd let you guys know how tired I am.' Lauryn also shared a snap of her baby bump in an oversized T-shirt as she held a giveaway on her Instagram page to win a bedside crib for any pregnant mothers struggling with the COVID-19 lockdown. Exhaustion: The social media star, 29, took to her Instagram Stories to admit that she is 'exhausted all the time' and has 'never felt anything like it' It comes after the reality star revealed her nerves at leaving self-isolation for a midwife appointment, amid a UK-wide lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. The social media star, who is set to welcome her first baby imminently, shared a throwback bikini bump snap as she discussed her preparations for leaving the house and how she is remaining positive during the crisis. She wrote: 'Hi Barbados. Oh how I took you for granted. It's crazy to think when I was there we first heard about [coronavirus] and we were trying to find masks then to fly home with. 'This holiday I thought my #bump was huge! Well it is now. Today I've tried to wake up a bit more #positive. I have my midwife appointment tomorrow which I'm nervous for. 'I will be going in my mask and material gloves and then coming back and stripping everything off and washing everything then jumping in the shower and washing my hair. Nerves: It comes after the reality star revealed her nerves at leaving self-isolation for a midwife appointment, amid a UK-wide lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic 'I'm not an expert with the #coronavirus nor do I claim to be, but I can tell you for a fact I'm paranoid so I'm literally doing everything I can to remain safe. I am in #selfisolation unless I have to leave for a medical appointment as I have to think about my baby as well as others. 'Really hope they find a solution for the self employed and anyone else that doesn't have an answer yet for their income. It's just an added worry you could do without at a time like this!' The star then praised the people who have volunteered for the NHS during the unprecedented time, writing: 'The amount of people that have offered to be volunteers since the government asked yesterday ... over 400,000 !! 'That is incredible... I am so emotional atm ! People uniting & coming together is just amazing & you are truly helping us fight this. Heavily pregnant: The social media star, who is set to welcome her first baby imminently, shared a throwback bikini bump snap as she discussed her preparations for leaving the house and how she is remaining positive during the crisis 'Thank you so much for everything you are doing. Xx' This comes after Lauryn admitted that she's 'scared' about the prospect of giving birth amid the ongoing pandemic, which has forced a lockdown in the UK. She took to Instagram last week to reveal that the climate surrounding the crisis left her feeling uneasy about how it would affect her. Sharing a shot of herself posing alongside her pregnant sister Chloe Goodman at their recent joint baby shower, the TV personality wrote: 'Honestly I don't think I've ever been so scared in all of my life to give birth to a baby right now. Scared: The TV personality wrote on Instagram, 'Honestly I don't think I've ever been so scared in all of my life to give birth to a baby right now' 'I've had so many girls message me using the words they're 'petrified' and 'terrified' and I totally get it. A lot of women are being told they cannot have a home birth now because the services are so stretched. 'Then a lot of them have been #selfisolating as we've been told and are worried about going to hospital where there could potentially be a case of #coronavirus & contracting it. 'It's just such a worrying time right now but I just wanted to say that I personally have spoken to a few hospitals down here and my midwife and she said they are all coping fine in the labour ward. Concerns: Lauryn admitted that she's 'scared' about the prospect of giving birth amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has forced a lockdown in the UK 'They've said it's running as usual apart from the fact you can only have one birthing partner now. 'I am still looking into all options as I want to know everything before I make that decision. I know private hospitals have now made a deal with the #nhs so not even sure if that's possible.' Speaking of her sibling Chloe, she continued: 'I have my sister @chloe__goodman who is due to go into hospital to have her #cervicalstitch removed. 'I can't imagine having to have an operation before giving birth and what she is having to go through mentally to prepare for this. 'One of my best friends @djmelreeves is suffering with anxiety over all of this and is crying so much she just falls asleep with exhaustion. Everyone is feeling it in a different way... You aren't alone!' The star added of her soon-to-arrive bundle of joy: 'My baby is over half way #engaged and it has been for a little while. ' Concluding her lengthy post, she said: 'We are strong. We can get through this. Our nation has to pull together and truly take this seriously. The government do not transform the ExCel Arena into a #covid_19 hospital for no reason Anticipation: Sharing a shot of herself posing alongside her pregnant sister Chloe Goodman at their recent joint baby shower, Lauryn shared a long caption about her concerns 'Please all be smart, selfless and safe. Our key workers are helping us and in return let's help them #stayhome Lots of love everyone .' Earlier this month, pregnant women were told to self-isolate for three months as the Government added mothers-to-be to the list of most 'at risk' people along with the elderly and those with health conditions. Officials said the measure was 'for precaution' because it is too early to say whether COVID-19 poses a significant threat to expectant mothers. Generally pregnant women are more likely to catch an infection than women who are not pregnant. Pioneering woman newspaper reporter Nelly Kenyon of the Chattanooga Times in 1932 snuck onto the private compartment of the passenger train transporting Alphonse Al Capone to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary to begin serving his 11-year sentence for income tax evasion and obtained a personal interview of Americas number one gangster. While Nelly got the interview scoop from Capone from a journalistic perspective little has been printed that it was a young female Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) from California that initiated the legal theory that ultimately led to Capones conviction in Chicago. Mabel Walker Willebrandt (May 23, 1889-April 6, 1963) was born in Woodsdale, Kansas and moved to Los Angeles, California in 1912. She received two law degrees in night school from the University of Southern California in 1916-1917 while teaching elementary school during the day. After graduating from law school she became the first public defender for the Los Angeles area and actually handled cases pro bono (free) while a student in law school. One area in which she developed expertise was the defense of prostitutes. During World War I she handled cases for the Draft Board dealing with soldier eligibility for military service. In 1921 she was appointed by the Warren G. Harding administration to be only the second woman to serve as an Assistant Attorney General in the United States. In that capacity from 1921-1929 she was the highest-ranked woman in the federal criminal justice system and became the first female head of the Tax Division that would ultimately lead to the downfall of Al Capone. Enforcing the Volstead Act of 1919 (prohibition) was one of several areas that she headed and had important responsibilities. Due to division in the country over the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale, or the transportation of alcohol for public consumption, she was faced with many problems enforcing the Amendment due to incompetent public officials, public indifference, and the reluctance by many politicians and law enforcement officers when it came to prosecuting the law. Although she faced strong criticism from both federal and state officials in her commitment to follow the letter of the Volstead Act, she was successful in overcoming many obstacles. During the one-year period from June, 1924 to June, 1925, she obtained 39,072 convictions out of 48,734 cases brought for alcohol-related offenses. During her tenure as the major prosecutor enforcing the Volstead Act she argued and won 40 cases in the United States Supreme Court that dealt with the prohibition statutes. She prevailed in spite of strong prejudice displayed towards her by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, James C. McReynolds, because she was a woman. Al Capone, took over control of the crime syndicate in Chicago from Johnny Torrio, who stepped down as crime boss after a near fatal gangland shooting in 1924. During the era mobsters such as Capone could not be prosecuted for murder or other serious crimes because of the reluctance of witnesses to testify against them. Most of them lived very opulent lifestyles flaunting the display of their illegally gained wealth from prohibition, gambling, prostitution, etc. Wiilebrandt created the novel idea of prosecuting the high-spending criminals under the federal income tax evasion laws and the United States Supreme Court upheld the legality of such prosecutions in the landmark decision of United States v. Sullivan, 274 U.S. 259 (1927), which she personally argued in the high court. She was responsible for successfully convicting several prominent bootleggers throughout the country including Capone and Cincinnati crime boss George Remus, who were both prominently featured in the popular 2010 HBO television series, Boardwalk Empire. Actress Julianna Nicholson portrayed Willebrandt and her law enforcement career was also featured in the 2011 public broadcasting system series (PBS) Prohibition by Ken Burns and Others. After being rejected by President Herbert Hoover for the position of attorney general she resigned her job and returned to the practice of law in California where she developed a successful legal career. She represented Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the Screen Directors Guild of America, as well as movie stars Clark Gable, Gene Harlow, Jeanette McDonald and others. A fitting tribute was paid to her by her friend and Watergate Federal Judge, John J. Sirica, who stated, If Mabel had worn trousers she could have been president. In the era where few women were in the legal profession, Mabel Walker Willebrandt relentlessly enforced the prohibition laws and earned herself such nicknames as Prohibition Portia and First Lady of the Law from both foes and supporters of the controversial 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment. * * * A number of militants loyal to the Islamic State have escaped from Ghuweiran Prison after a riot and prison break reports Al-Masdar. Several self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) detainees escaped Ghuweiran Prison in Hassakeh city on Sunday. Footage from outside the prison which is mainly controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), shows SDF and Kurdish Self-Defence Forces militants in an alert state in the vicinity of the prison and on its roof on Monday. Local media reported that prisoners broke down doors and made holes in the walls before escaping. The reports added that a number of detainees were wounded during the escape attempt. According to the spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, Colonel Myles B. Caggins, International Coalition forces provided SDF forces with aerial support in order to quell the prison unrest. At the beginning of March, ISIS detainees carried out three simultaneous rampages in SDF-controlled prisons in Hasskeh and Deir ez-Zor, in order to demand trials based on the surrender deal reached after the Baghouz battles last February. 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. President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Associated Press President Donald Trump and his leading health advisers dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic offered some grim statistics for Americans in the weeks ahead. Statistical models showed that roughly 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from the disease even if Americans observed the strict social distancing guidelines. The forecasted figures are an alarming when put in context with other pandemics and wars. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump and his leading health advisers dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic offered some grim statistics for Americans in the weeks ahead. Statistical models showed that roughly 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from the disease even if Americans observed the strict social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Trump's coronavirus team. Trump shifted his tone on Tuesday to reflect the new statistics. He previously described the novel coronavirus as seasonal influenza: "This is a flu. This is like a flu," Trump said in late February. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks." Earlier worst-case scenario estimates predicted around 200,000 to 1.7 million deaths and between 160 million and 214 million infections in the US. As of Tuesday evening, there were over 184,343 cases and 3,796 deaths in the US. "We really believe we can do a lot better than that," Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator said during the briefing, adding that it was imperative for people to continue observing health guidelines despite a potential improvement in the near-term. Birx stressed that there was "no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy" and that the proliferation of the disease depended on human behavior. Story continues The forecasted 100,000 and 240,000 deaths is an alarming number when put into context with other pandemics and wars. 100-car pileup kent uk bridge traffic car crash accident REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett Here are some other CDC statistics on deaths in the US: Accidental: 169,936 Alzheimer's disease: 121,404 Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672 Pandemics: Spanish Flu in 1918-20: 675,000 H2N2 in 1957-58: 116,000 US death resulting in direct battle: Civil War: 215,000 World War II: 291,557 World War I: 53,402 Vietnam: 47,434 Korea: 33,739 Read the original article on Business Insider At the Pike County Correctional Facility, a contraband economy has sprung up around limited supplies of soap. Fights have broken out between prisoners in Montgomery County over phone time since the state prisons banned visitors. Inmate trustees in Schuylkill County have logged 12-hour shifts fulfilling thousands of commissary orders from peers stockpiling what they could before their detention center went into lockdown. And at least 180 immigration detainees in the York County Prison launched a hunger strike over the weekend. Though public health advocates, defense lawyers, and even some prosecutors have been raising alarm for weeks about the risk of a coronavirus outbreak among Pennsylvanias incarcerated population, it is only in the last several days that a snapshot has begun to emerge of what life is like for the tens of thousands of people living and working in the states prisons, county jails, and immigration lockups amid the pandemic. READ MORE: ACLU to Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Act now to stop county jails from becoming coronavirus petri dishes Court filings, interviews, and social media postings detail an increasingly tense environment one in which close quarters makes social distancing all but impossible, and where daily contact between on-edge inmates and concerned guards has led to a growing sense that widespread exposure is inevitable. I cannot sleep. I cannot breathe, and I feel like Im going to die, wrote Mayowa Abayomi Oyediran, an asthmatic Nigerian asylum seeker housed in the York County Prison, in a sworn affidavit last week. Nobody in here can even get me an inhaler. How can they save us from this virus? Until a federal judge in Harrisburg ordered his release Tuesday, Oyediran, 40, had been housed in a cell block packed with as many as 60 other inmates using the same rarely cleaned six toilets and showers, eating shoulder to shoulder, and sleeping at night in bunks so close together he could reach out and touch his cellmate on the other side. Inmates in other facilities have described similar conditions, and worry about guards showing up to work with suspicious coughs and fellow prisoners who have recently developed fevers. At SCI Phoenix in Collegeville, some inmates have resorted to makeshift masks almost the size of a diaper for protection, said Thomas Schilk, who is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. Meanwhile, Matthew Stiegler, an attorney who represents a 69-year-old inmate seeking release from the federal detention center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, said inmates there were recently called to a town hall meeting with more than 100 people in a communal hall. The guards told them they were planning to put more hand soap in the restrooms sometime in the future. Its a scene out of a Hollywood disaster movie, he said. In many ways, advocates say, the characteristics that have long defined life in custody shared cells, communal bathrooms, a lack of freedom of movement are the very conditions that make such facilities vulnerable to a fast-moving and easily communicable virus. READ MORE: Inmate inside southeast Pa. prison tests positive for the coronavirus It is impossible for me to stay six feet away from other people, wrote Christopher Aubry, who is serving a one- to 23-month sentence for simple assault in the Montgomery County prisonl, in a court affidavit Monday. But corrections officials at the state, local, and federal level have resisted calls for widespread releases of low-level offenders or those most at risk for infection, and said such moves could pose a public safety risk. They contend that prison staff are fully equipped to manage inmates health and are taking all possible precautions to prevent an outbreak within their walls. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons has begun quarantining newly admitted jail inmates for 14 days, and anyone entering its facilities is screened for temperature and possible coronavirus symptoms. In federal prisons, new arrivals are monitored for coughs or fevers, and officials have temporarily banned personal and most legal visits. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, meanwhile, which oversees about 45,000 inmates in the state, placed its entire system under quarantine late Sunday after a prisoner tested positive at SCI Phoenix. I don't want to wait until we have several cases in our system to act, Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said in a statement. We're taking this proactive measure now." That may not be enough. On Monday, the ACLU of Pennsylvania petitioned the state Supreme Court, pushing for immediate release of five inmates with underlying medical conditions that would make them most at risk. Lawyers argued that it is only a matter of time before a crisis erupts like the one unfolding at New York Citys Rikers Island, where at least 300 inmates and staff have tested positive. The facilitys chief doctor described the situation as a public health disaster unfolding before our eyes. Three Pennsylvania state prison system guards had tested positive for the virus as of Tuesday. And officials in Philadelphia reported Friday that at least one prisoner and one guard have been infected in the citys jails, while at least five others have been quarantined. They declined to provide an updated tally Tuesday. Montgomery and Delaware Counties have identified cases among staff and inmates as well. Meanwhile, the union representing the states corrections officers continues to raise concern about continued nonessential transfers from county jails to prisons, which can expose even the most tightly regulated facilities to possible exposure from new arrivals, said union president Larry Blackwell. The problems plaguing prisons and jails are only exacerbated in immigration detention centers, where some inmates dont speak English fluently, frustrating efforts to educate prisoners on steps they can take to protect themselves. Meijing Lin, 45, sought asylum in the United States after being forcibly sterilized by the Chinese government, and was housed in a pod at the York County prison with 50 to 60 other inmates while awaiting a hearing. She sensed the anxiety levels rising all month among her fellow inmates and guards. But as a Mandarin speaker, she said, she understood very little of it. READ MORE: Amid coronavirus threat, Philadelphia will follow New Jersey and New York City in a push to cut the jail population If they are giving advice on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I dont know what it is, she said in a translated federal court affidavit seeking her release last week. Courtney Stubbs, a 52-year-old Jamaican man under a deportation order in the Pike County Correctional Facility after a drug-related conviction, said his panic kicked in when one day the television in the detention centers rec room suddenly switched from its usual CNN to Netflix. We used to ask the COs to put on Netflix to watch movies all the time, and they wouldnt do it, he wrote. Now its the only thing they put on. I feel like they did this so we wouldnt get information about the coronavirus in the outside world. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Harrisburg described Stubbs report of guards limiting information as troubling, and ruled that there were no precautions that federal immigration authorities could reasonably take to protect inmates like him with high-risk medical conditions. He ordered the immediate release of Stubbs, Lin, and eight other medically vulnerable immigrant detainees, saying it would be unconscionable and barbaric not to do so. But at least one of them, in court filings, worried it might be too late. A hacking cough from his cellmate in a bed three feet away kept Bharatkumar G. Thakker, 61, of India, awake for nights before the judges order led to his release from the Pike County Correctional Facility on Tuesday. Last week, Thakker started coughing himself. Staff writer Samantha Melamed contributed to this article. US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined Tuesday the need for ceasefires in Syria and Libya during the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. The two spoke by phone on efforts to "defeat the virus and bolster the global economy," the White House said in a statement. And they "agreed it is more important now than ever for countries in conflict, particularly Syria and Libya, to adhere to ceasefires and work toward resolution." Syria's government has so far reported only a handful of coronavirus cases, but health experts warn that the country, torn apart by years of civil war, is especially vulnerable to the rapidly spreading, sometimes fatal virus. The violence-plagued northwest, where around a million people have been displaced by conflict since December alone, is particularly at risk. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi and is divided between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNA) and forces loyal to eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar. The country's healthcare system is badly deteriorated, although the two rival powers have both instituted social distancing measures. TICKERS: CGM, DNI; DMNKF Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (3/31/20) Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable discusses the future of DNI Metals with the company's executive chairman. Maurice Jackson: Today we will share a graphite development company set for production. Joining us for a conversation is Dan Weir, the executive chairman of DNI Metals Inc. (DNI:CSE; DMNKF:OTC). Mr. Weir, welcome to the show, sir. Delighted to have you back to provide us with a number of updates regarding DNI Metals, which is focused on becoming one of the world's leading graphite producers. Before we begin, Mr. Weir, please introduce DNI Metals and the opportunity the company presents to the market. Dan Weir: Maurice, in late 2014, DNI Metals conducted research on the value proposition of graphite. We put together a team consisting of engineers, process engineers, mining engineers and geologists with expertise consisting in building four graphite processing plants in Canada [and] Australia, and had operated in graphite mines in Canada and Sri Lanka. In our analysis we concluded that we wanted to position ourselves to become one of the world's leading graphite producers. Graphite, which has a number of industrial purposes, will be seeing increased demand with electrification of cars, in particular, in lithium-ion batteries. To clarify, as demand increases for more and more lithium-ion batteries, the demand for graphite will increase. Why, 30% of a lithium-ion battery is graphite; by comparison it's only about 2% of a lithium-ion battery that is lithium. DNI Metals saw the demand curve increasing over the coming years and wanted to position our shareholders to take advantage opportunity before us. China dominates the graphite production in the world, therefore we needed to find a competitive advantage geographically outside of China that would allow us to have low production costs. Our research determined that we should focus our efforts in Brazil and Madagascar. And the reason why we targeted Brazil and Madagascar is because of their similarities in climate. Both are hot and receive a lot of rainfall, which produces a weathering effect on rocks called a laterite or a saprolite. And really, it's just a fancy word meaning that it's a sandy, clay material that you can just go in with an excavator, dig it up and process out the graphite. In 2015 we acquired a promising graphite project in Madagascar and have since added a second project adjacent to our first property. Maurice Jackson: And let me ask you, by the way, where are you today? Dan Weir: I'm back in Canada. I've been home for a few months and like billions of other people in the world, I'm isolating myself here at home. Maurice Jackson: And can you provide us with an update on the impact that the coronaviruses having in Madagascar? Dan Weir: I checked this morning. Officially in Madagascar, there's about 39 cases as of this morning. I can assure you I've been to hospitals in Madagascar before and that number is probably a lot higher. They don't have the testing facilities, they don't have the tests. So I'm confident that those numbers are or will be much higher. Madagascar has locked down the country. What I mean by that is there are no flights in or out of Madagascar. There are no cruise ships allowed to dock in the countryno other boats except for container ships bringing goods and supplies in and out of the country. Everything else is locked down. The schools are shut down. I believe today the government will be institute a curfew. Citizens will be allowed to be out of the house between 5 a.m. and noon, but the rest of the time, you must stay at home and not work outside of that. This will be quite a challenge because in Madagascar 58% of the population does not have access to clean drinking water, 75% of the population lives in poverty; that's less than $1.90 a day. Maurice, as a comparison your Starbucks coffee this morning probably costs more than that. Or, now that you're stuck at home, the coffee that you make, your instant coffee or whatever else, still probably cost you more than a $1.90 a day. So the other interesting fact is that 75% of the population doesn't have electricity. So they've got to go out every single day and get food, because they don't have refrigeration. . .they've got all these little markets that people go to, and I've driven through many of those markets and there are thousands and thousands of people all next to each other, all shopping. So what they're going to try and do is contain that as much as possible. But I think you're going to find that it will spread pretty quickly in places like the capital city and some of the other cities. Even within Madagascar, you're not allowed to leave the cities. They have the military set up [so] you can't leave the capital city. Nobody in or out of the major cities as well. So we're home here in Canada; our management team and all our board are here in Canada isolating themselves. And as of right now, nobody's showing any signs of the coronavirus. Maurice Jackson: In our last interview we talked about the termination of personnel in Madagascar, environmental permits and Cougar Metals. Beginning with the former, shareholders were informed that DNI terminated its Madagascar team for falsifying government documents and misappropriating funds, and were taking the previous country manager to court. Has a court hearing taken place, and if yes, what was the verdict? Dan Weir: On February 19, 2020, a trial was held. On March 5, 2020, a judgment and sentencing was released. The formal reports or court documents, we don't have them yet. We were supposed to pick them up a few days ago, but because of the coronavirus, all the courts are locked down. So I'm not sure when exactly we'll get that. So I don't have all the details. My lawyers, having talked to the prosecutors and the judge afterward, have told us that our previous country manager, Mr. Stephen Gertz, was convicted of fraud, and what that means is that he had misappropriated funds, and he had falsified government documents in relation to the environmental permits. Mr. Gertz had also made all sorts of different claims to the courts about me. One of the things that he went to the courts. . .and said [was] that I had illegally gone and falsified, or made a false declaration, to the police. Mr. Gertz and his team were terminated on October 15, 2018. At that time, we requested that he return all documents owned or pertaining to DNI and its businesses. We requested that multiple times. Mr. Gertz refused to give us those documents. Therefore, in an attempt to retrieve our documents from Mr. Gertz, DNI Metals, under counsel with prepared documents, went to the police. The documents were in French and stated that certain documents had been stolen from us. What came out in the trial [is that] Mr. Gertz said, "Well no, these documents haven't been stolen. I have all these documents. Here they are." DNI Metals had requested all documents in Mr. Gertz's possession because some of them were required to file our tax returns. Okay. Mr. Gertz would not return the documents that we needed to file the tax returns. So what we did is, again, at the advice of counsel, we went and prepared a document. I signed the document, it was taken to the police and registered. It was then we could go to the tax authorities, and the tax authorities could provide us with copies of the proper documents, in order to file the tax returns. Mr. Gertz, during the trial, went to the court and said, "Mr. Weir's lying because I have all the documents. He's lying if he says that they were stolen." Anyways, it's semantics and we are fully confident that the courts will drop all the charges against me in an appeal. Maurice Jackson: Speaking of permits, what are the last developments regarding the environmental permits on the Vohitsara and the Marafody, respectively? Dan Weir: I'm happy to announce that we have gotten conditional approval for all of the environmental permits. When we terminated the previous team, they had not filed the documents with the authorities, nor did they pay the proper fees. They did not conduct the public consultations out at the sites with all the different locals. And they also did not do the technical reports properly and did not have the technical meeting at the sites. To ensure compliance moving forward on our permitting, I had to conduct a thorough investigation and analysis to determine they meet and or exceeded the Minister of Mines' expectations and requirements. And I am happy to convey that applications process has been completed by DNI Metals and is awaiting final approval by the Minister of Mines. The ONE, or the environmental agency, has conditionally approved all of our permits. The last step is that we need the official title cards for our permits, or for our projects, and that has to come from the Minister of Mines, which signs approval and sends it over to the Registration Office, which will provide us our title cards. DNI owns two properties in Madagascar. Both of them are PE permits, meaning that they can go into production. The last thing we're waiting for is just the title cards for both of our projects, and it's the transferring of the name from the old owners over to us. Under Malagasy law, the Registration Office has 45 days to respond. In practice, it has taken a lot longer for a lot of reasonsone being of the aforementioned, from our previous country management teams' fraudulent activities. And there is now a new government, which came into power in January 2019. The new government has put a hold on issuing any documents, any title cards, any licenses. DNI is having to wait for approval because the new government wants to make some changes to the mining code. They had talked like they were going to make some major changes. I believe that they have backed off on all of that. By June of this year, and you can see it in the press release, we anticipate that they will provide us their final answers on what they want to do. I personally think what they want to do isor what will end up happening isthat they will probably increase the royalties they will be receiving. Currently in Madagascar, there is a 2% royalty on a project like ours, and the tax rate in Madagascar is 20%. We were always very happy with that. Just as a comparison, if you're a mining company in Canada, your tax rate is probably somewhere around 2426%. I think if you're in the United States you would probably be over 30%; don't quote me on that, but I think you'd be well over 30%. The new government wants to increase the royalty rate from 2% to 4%. We've run that through some of our models and it really doesn't change much. Obviously, we don't want to see any increase in the royalties, but it's not really going to affect us in a material way on the project. Maurice Jackson: And once you receive the environmental licenses, then it's off to building the pilot production plant. Is that correct? Dan Weir: Yes, and as we've stated before, it is designed and engineered. So we are ready to go. It's been great working with the environmental offices. They were absolutely amazing to work with. We just need the Mines Minister to sign off, and we're in constant contact. Just so readers are aware, I have people in Madagascar that keep in constant contact with Minister of Mines and the Registration Office. I'm in constant contact with them, and many other people as well. DNI Metals keeps pushing on them, and we believe that it will come sooner [rather] than later. I know I've been promising that for almost two years. But as I said, we're in the bottom of the ninth and it is all happening. Maurice Jackson: Let's move on to Cougar Metals NL (CGM:ASX). Are the any developments regarding Cougar Metals that shareholders need to be made aware of? Dan Weir: Since our last press release, which we put out in December, there's nothing really new. Cougar is currently in default of the agreement, and there are no payments that DNI is required to make at this time. There is nothing further material to comment on this matter at the present. Maurice Jackson: Switching gears, let's discuss trading. Provide us with some background on why trading halted on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE), and what actions have been taken to resolve this matter. And when can we expect to see trading resume? Dan Weir: In order to run a public company, it's very expensive. It can be somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000 a year by the time you pay audit fees and legal fees, and pay the monthly fees that you have to pay to the exchanges. DNI Metals completed the audited financial statements as of December 31, 2018. It's all about the money. The auditors also completed their work. The auditors and the audit committee and the board of directors have signed off on them, but the auditors won't sign them yet, until we pay them. So we have their fees outstanding and to release those audited financials, we've had all the other financialsthe three other quarters throughout the yearand now we're into the next year to complete the audit financials. We have been working and keeping track of everything, but it's all about having the money to be able to do that. We're glad we have received verbal confirmation from a number of shareholders who have stated, "Hey, get the permits and we will give you money." We've also been working with the regulators to get a partial revocation order. What that means is that we would be allowed to go out and raise some money here in order to finish off our financial statements, and get the stock up and trading. So the short answer is, Maurice, I need money in order to get the stock up and trading. I've had many people say to me that they would give us money if we had the permits, so I'm in a Catch-22 situation right now. Maurice Jackson: Understood. Dan, besides the aforementioned, what are some questions that you're receiving from shareholders, and what is your message to shareholders? Dan Weir: We know shareholdersthe board of directors, myselfwe all want to see the stock up and trading. We continue to work on that. We continue to look at all sorts of different options. Right now, with the coronavirus and very low oil prices, the demand for electric cars may trend downward near term. I am still confident that the future is strong for electric cars, and computers and cell phones. But right now it's going to be a little bit up in the air. The one thing that I'm seeing out here is that a lot of the different graphite mines in China have shut down. The largest graphite mine in the world, which is in Mozambique, has also shut down right now because of the coronavirus. So I think that demand will come back as we get out the other side of this. I can't tell you what oil prices are going to do out here. I do know that the future is still very strong, [based on] the need for more and more lithium-ion batteries, whether it's for electric cars, or cell phones, computers. I know that we'll be strong, but I can assure you that right now it's going to be some tough times out here in the markets over the next while. Maurice Jackson: Mr. Weir, for someone [who] wants to get more information on DNI Metals, please share the contact details. Dan Weir: You can get a hold of me at [email protected]. Maurice Jackson: And as a reminder, DNI Metals is listed on the CSE, symbol DNI; and on the OTC, symbol DMNKF. DNI Metals is a sponsor of Proven and Probable and we are proud shareholders of DNI Metals for the virtues conveyed in today's message. Before you make your next bullion purchase, make sure you call me. I am a licensed representative for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, where we provide a number of options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical delivery, offshore depositories, precious metal IRAs and private blockchain distributed ledger technology. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900 or you may e-mail [email protected]. Finally, we invite you to subscribe to www.provenandprobable.com, where we provide mining insights and bullion sales. Dan Weir of DNI Metals, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable. Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Maurice Jackson: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: DNI Metals. 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Overturned vehicle that smashed through fence behind Walmart View Photos Sonora, CA A stunt driving trick called drift did just that into a fence behind a Sonora store resulting in a DUI arrest for the driver. Drift according to Sonora Police is when a driver going at a fast rate of speed pulls the emergency brake causing the vehicle to drift or slide across the pavement. That is exactly the maneuver Sonora Police say 20-year-old Anthony M. Tuchsen of Sonora tried in a 2003 Hyundai behind the Wal-Mart store at the Crossroads Shopping Center off Sanguinetti and Wards Ferry roads on Sunday afternoon. However, Tuchsen was unable to pull off the trick. He lost control of the car and it ended up smashing into a chain-link fence and flipping onto its drivers side. He was able to get out of the vehicle and run away on foot, but officers caught up with him nearby. Noticing signs Tuchsen may be drunk, he was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He and his 20-year-old male passenger did not suffer any injuries in the collision. At least 89 people who were part of a gathering at a religious congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin West area last month have been traced to Nagpur and Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, officials said on Wednesday. Fifty four of these people were found in Nagpur and they have been quarantined, Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, adding their medical examination is being done. "Apart from these 54 people, I appeal to the other citizens who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West in the national capital to come forward and contact us, so that appropriate treatment could be provided to them if they have any (coronavirus) symptoms," Mundhe said. Besides, 35 such people have been identified in Ahmednagar. As many as 29 of them are from Indonesia, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and other countries, while the rest are locals, another official said. A foreigner and a local who were part of the group have been found positive for coronavirus infection. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West has emerged as one of the COVID-19 hotspots, prompting many states to launch a massive search for those who attended the religious congregation. The Ahmednagar Police received information on Monday that some members of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat had returned to the district after attending the congregation and have been staying in Nevasa, Jamkhed and Mukundnagar areas of Ahmednagar, the official said. "Accordingly, the police traced the attendees and found that at least 35 of them had participated in the meet," he said, adding that the group was taken to the district civil hospital and later kept under quarantine. Search is on to trace the people who came in contact with the Tablighi group, he said. All necessary precautionary measures are being taken by the police and administration to contain the spread of coronavirus, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 13:13:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing local financial regulator has granted an outbound investment quota worth 500 million U.S. dollars to the subsidiary of Oaktree Capital Management in the capital city. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Oaktree, a U.S. asset management firm focusing on alternative markets, is the first financial institution to participate in the city's outbound investment scheme, according to the Beijing Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau. The program allows a foreign asset manager to raise yuan funds in China and invest them overseas, which is of great significance for the further opening-up of Beijing's finance sector to foreign capital, according to the regulator. So far, seven financial institutions have applied for outbound investment quotas worth nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars. Oaktree established its subsidiary in the Chaoyang District of Beijing in February. Founded in 1995, Oaktree Capital manages over 120 billion U.S. dollars in assets for its clientele across the world. Compromise for crossing the bridges upheld as national police chief visits Phuket Check Point PHUKET: National police chief Gen Chakthip Chaijinda visited the Phuket Check Point yesterday (Mar 31) to encourage the officers there, who have been inundated with at least hundreds people either wanting to come back home to Phuket or leave Phuket to get back home since the order to close the bridges linking the island with the mainland was issued on Sunday. CoronavirusCOVID-19healthtransport By The Phuket News Wednesday 1 April 2020, 11:16AM Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatna was at the checkpoint in person in the middle of Sunday night to quell the panic and oversee operations. Photo: PR Dept Governor Phakaphong and Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai were both at the checkpoint in person in the middle of Sunday night to quell the panic and oversee operations. Photo: PR Dept Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatna was at the checkpoint in person in the middle of Sunday night to quell the panic and oversee operations. Photo: PR Dept Regular people and vehicles were still being let through the checkpoint yesterday (Mar 31). Photo: PR Dept People were still queuing up to be let through during national police chief Gen Chakthips visit yesterday (Mar 31). Photo: PR Dept Joining Gen Chakthip yesterday was national police deputy Lt Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat, with both top-ranking police officials being welcomed by Police Region 8 Commander Lt Gen Jirawat Thippayachan, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Rungrote Thakurapunyasiri and Tourist Police Region 3 Commander Maj Gen Kritsak Songmoonnak, among other officers. We came to encourage all officers, not only police, and to see the preparations for this tough situation, Lt Gen Damrongsak said. From the Phuket Provincial Commanders explanation, the management and working plan is quite good, but we want officers to take more proactive action to solve the problem of the [COVID-19] virus spreading as soon as possible, he added. Currently, there are high number of infected in Phuket. We want to suggest that those who violate the notice should be warned first, and any repeat violations met with law enforcement. I also want police to facilitate those catching flights out of Phuket, which are still available until April 10, he added. During the visit, officials at the checkpoint were handed personal protection equipment, including face shields, face masks, groves and hand sanitiser. While the officers were working, regular citizens were still queuing up to be allowed through the checkpoint in the hope of being allowed through. Some were, others werent. Confusion and panic followed after the order to close the bridges was issued on Sunday night, announcing that only emergency vehicles and personnel, and those delivering medical equipment and supplies will be allowed through the checkpoint from midnight Sunday night. Hundreds of people massed at the checkpoint, with scores of people wanting to leave the island to get home, and scores of people wanting to get back on the island to come home. The confusion saw Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana and Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai arriving in person in the middle of the Sunday night to quell the situation, with many people demanding the officers to let them through. Many of the people explained that the order was issued so quickly that they had no time to prepare, V/Governor Supoj explained. We explained why we need to close the bridge to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The number of people infected in Phuket is quite high, so we have to close the bridges for safety, he said. A compromise was reached, with many people who could prove they need to get off the island to get home, or back on the island because they lived or worked here, being permitted to pass. But every single one of them was screened for possible infection, V/Gov Supoj said. At last report, and even during Gen Chakthips visit yesterday, that comprise was still being upheld. Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub Want to build the largest radio telescope to fly in space? Here's an easier technique: Design six tiny satellites to fly in formation and work together. That's the approach of a NASA's new Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 2023. SunRISE aims to help scientists understand the complex relationship between the sun's activity and a host of dangerous phenomena around Earth called space weather. The mission selection comes amid a burst of solar science and an emphasis on missions that incorporate space-weather prediction into plans for human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit. "We are so pleased to add a new mission to our fleet of spacecraft that help us better understand the sun, as well as how our star influences the space environment between planets," Nicky Fox, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division, said in a NASA statement . "The more we know about how the sun erupts with space weather events, the more we can mitigate their effects on spacecraft and astronauts." Related: Our sun will never look the same again thanks to two solar probes and one giant telescope Scientists have watched the sun fling energy and material toward Earth in outbursts, and they have also seen the impacts that such events can have on orbiting satellites, particularly on communication and navigation instruments. But scientists don't yet understand the nitty-gritty details of the connection between solar outbursts and space weather phenomena well enough to predict space weather. If all goes well, the $63-million SunRISE mission should help to bridge that gap. The six telescopes that make up the mission are tailored to study the radio waves that the sun ejects during solar particle outbursts. In particular, SunRISE will target outbursts called coronal mass ejections , which can throw massive amounts of plasma, the soup of charged particles that makes up the sun, across the solar system. The toaster-sized satellites will spread out across about 6 miles (10 kilometers), orbiting Earth at an altitude of 22,000 miles (35,000 km). That orbit will keep SunRISE well above the ionosphere , which blocks radio waves of the relevant frequencies from reaching Earth. An artist's depiction of one of the SunRISE satellites. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) From that perch, the flock of cubesats should be able to map the influence of the sun's magnetic field across space. They should also be able to gather the data scientists need to understand how different parts of a coronal mass ejection dramatically speed up and which such events are accompanied by bursts of radiation, which are vital clues for space-weather prediction. "We can see a solar flare start, and a coronal mass ejection start lifting off from the sun, but we don't know if it is going to produce high energy particle radiation, and we don't know if that high energy particle radiation is going to reach Earth," Justin Kasper, a space scientist at the University of Michigan who leads the mission, said in a university statement . "One reason why is we can't see the particles being accelerated. We just see them when they arrive at the spacecraft, which isn't much of a warning." That situation is inconvenient when it comes to satellites, but downright dangerous when it comes to humans venturing beyond the safety of Earth, hence the impetus to better understand space weather. "Knowing which part of a coronal mass ejection is responsible for producing the particle radiation will help us understand how the acceleration happens," Kasper said. "It could also result in a unique warning system for whether an event will both produce radiation and release that radiation towards Earth or spacefaring astronauts." Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Google has decided to cancel this years April Fools prank out of respect for those fighting new coronavirus pandemic globally. An internal email from Google marketing head Lorraine Twohill reportedly said that Google is playing it straight on April 1, 2020 out of respect for those fighting the coronavirus, reports Business Insider. "We have already stopped any centralized April Fool's efforts but realize there may be smaller projects within teams that we don't know about. "Make sure your teams pause on any jokes they may have planned, internally or externally," Twohill wrote. "Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," Twohill added. Google usually goes all out on April 1, with numerous pranks across its many products. The search engine giant has also updated its popular Duo chat app by increasing the group video user limit from 8 to 12 people into a single group call to help more people stay connected and practice social distancing. The new 12-person limit compares to eight for house party, 32 for Apple's FaceTime, 50 for Skype and Messenger, and 100 for Zoom's free tier. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Tuesday renewed the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Darfur up to the end of May this year COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MedicareNewsWatch.com is leveraging the first-hand experience of HealthMetrix Research Inc. president Alan Mittermaier to assist other Medicare Advantage plan enrollees during the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency. Nearly 80% of the 22 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have access to free over-the-counter (OTC) benefits that may include various personal protection items e.g., disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, over-the-ear masks and antiseptic wipes. OTC allowances are a relatively new "extra benefit" now offered by over 80 Medicare Advantage plans including AARP-United Healthcare, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and WellCare. Typically, OTC allowances range from $25-$50 each quarter and may be used for ordering selected drug store personal products from online catalogs or by phone for home delivery. Some plans allow members to use their OTC benefit allowance for in-store purchases. Unused OTC allowance balances usually expire at the end of each quarter and do not rollover. According to HealthMetrix Research Inc. president Alan Mittermaier: "This time of national uncertainty prompted my own order of disposable gloves and hand sanitizer recently using my Aetna Medicare Solutions OTC quarterly allowance. I was pleased to see these personal protection items available in the OTC catalog and was motivated to share what I found with other Medicare Advantage enrollees. Now that most OTC allowances are renewed for the April 1-June 30 quarter, I encourage informed enrollees to visit the user-friendly Medicare Advantage OTC Personal Protection Finder feature to see whether free personal protection products are included as a Medicare Advantage OTC benefit." HealthMetrix Research Inc. sponsors the MedicareNewsWatch.com website featuring the annual Medicare Advantage CostShare Report cost-sharing comparisons, recognized as a trusted decision-support resource for Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and healthcare professionals since 1999. Source: HealthMetrix Research Inc. www.MedicareNewsWatch.com Contact: Alan Mittermaier, President - HealthMetrix Research Inc. 614-236-8345 SOURCE HealthMetrix Research Inc. Related Links http://www.hmos4seniors.com A man and his dog wear matching face masks in Caracas, Venezuela. Experts say it's unlikely pets can make their owners sick, and vice versa. (Federico Parra / AFP via Getty Images) With Californians under order to shelter at home and leave only for necessities, were spending more time than ever with our pets. Wet puppy noses and sandpaper cat kisses may be a balm for our souls during this time of stress and extended social isolation. But can our physical closeness to our pets affect our health or theirs? Here's a look at the latest advice from experts about keeping everyone in your household safe. Can pets become infected with the new coronavirus? Its incredibly unlikely. There are many kinds of coronaviruses out there, and some of them can make cats and dogs sick. Scientists, however, say it is highly unlikely that our pets can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The World Health Organization has said there is no indication that a dog or cat can transmit the virus to humans or to any other living thing, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not received any reports of pets becoming ill from exposure to it. At this time, there is no evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread COVID-19 or that they might be a source of infection in the United States, according to the CDC. Perhaps this will help put your mind at ease: A prominent veterinary diagnostics firm has reported testing thousands of cats and dogs for the virus, and not one has tested positive. It appears that companion animals are not infected easily with SARS-CoV-2, said Dr. Gail Golab, chief veterinary officer for the American Veterinary Medical Assn. We have little to no evidence that they become sick, and there is no evidence that pets can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to people or other pets. You can read up on further information from the AVMA about pets and COVID-19. But what about those reports of dogs and cats testing positive? The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in Hong Kong has found SARS-CoV-2 in two pet dogs, a 17-year-old Pomeranian and a 2-year-old German shepherd. Tests also found the virus in a cat belonging to a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19. Another 15 dogs and eight cats in Hong Kong have tested negative, according to the AVMA. Story continues A sick cat in Belgium has been found to have the virus, though tests by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain there have not determined whether the strain is the same as the one that infected its owner. For now, veterinarians and animal infectious disease specialists agree that there is far too little information to draw any firm conclusions from these isolated cases in the face of hundreds of thousands of human infections around the globe. Experts also agree that they wont be able to conclusively say more until rigorously tested scientific data become available. We need to wait to see the science," said Shelley Rankin, a microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. "Show me the science! So I don't need to worry that, if I become sick, my pet could get it from me? No, but you can still take precautions. Animal healthcare experts agree that although there have been no cases in the United States of a human passing the virus to a pet, the best practice for anyone infected with coronavirus is to treat their companion animal the same way they would a human: Avoid all unnecessary contact. If youre sick, practice social distancing, Rankin said. The big thing is to not be in contact with anyone else dogs, cats or humans when youre sick. In practice, that means pet owners who are diagnosed with the virus should avoid petting, snuggling or otherwise being in physical contact with their pets, said Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinary officer for the American Kennel Club. They should also be sure to inform their veterinarian about their illness. If possible, a healthy household member ought to feed and take care of the animal, Klein said. If there is no one available to do so, ill caretakers ought to wear a face mask and wash their hands before and after feeding and otherwise caring for their pets. And as unpleasant as this thought might be, Rankin said pet owners should have a Plan B in case they aren't around: "If you live on your own with an animal, then you should be planning a little bit for what to do with your dog or cat if you get sick and have to be hospitalized." What are the chances that I'll get the virus from my pet? It's highly, highly unlikely. There are no reported cases of a pet transmitting the virus to a human. It is remotely possible, however, if the following sequence of events occurs: Someone who is sick with COVID-19 sneezes or coughs. Their infected droplets touch a pets fur. Then another person quickly touches the same patch of fur and touches their eyes, nose or mouth before they've washed their hands. In other words, incredibly unlikely. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the American Veterinary Medical Assn. and others, to date, there is no reason to believe that any animals in the United States are the source of COVID-19, Klein said. Is there a test I can get for my pet? There aren't any that are widely available, and even if there were, experts recommend against it at this time. Companion animals presenting with illness or injury should receive veterinary care. Where appropriate, testing for infectious diseases that commonly cause companion animal illness should be conducted, Golab said. Because the situation is ever-evolving, public and animal health officials may decide to test certain animals out of an abundance of caution. In the United States, the decision to test will be made collaboratively between local, state, and federal animal and public health officials. Golab added that California and other states had classified veterinarians as essential service workers, so they can continue to operate during the shutdown. Rankin says it's not clear that tests should be conducted on pets when there aren't enough resources to test people who may be sick. There are ethical issues about veterinary labs stockpiling reagents in case we need tests for animals when these reagents are necessary right now to test samples from humans, she said. Should I make sure my pet stays inside, or is it safe to go out? Follow your existing routine, experts agree. Its good for your pet and for your own mental health. Fresh air is good for you and your dog, Klein said. Pets rely on a routine and can sense an owners mood and feelings. We do know that they respond to an owners feelings of happiness, anger, sadness, and even anxiety. He advises spending time with outdoor pets on walks or playing games such as fetch. Grooming indoor and outdoor pets will also provide comfort. It may also decrease your anxiety level by making you think of something other than whats on the news. It can be a win-win situation for both of you, Klein said. As always, pet owners should be sure to wash their hands before and after interacting with their pets. As the nations schools lurch into an unprecedented experiment with distance learning , with all of the hiccups and false starts that entails, teachers and administrators alike are starting to wrestle with a question deeply at the heart of the learning enterprise: How are they supposed to assign grades? Its a tough call. Districts must balance whats fair for students, considering that many dontor wonthave full access to their teachers. Theres also an art to the messagingthey dont want to communicate that theyre blowing off the rest of the school year. The Mountain Empire district in California stretches more than 660 square miles, includes students from three Native American reservations, and serves a half dozen distinct communities. Internet access ranges from decent to nonexistent. The district will be offering instruction both online and, for families who lack sufficient access, photocopied work packets. That hasnt stopped the district from trying to put together ambitious learning plans for its 1,700 students, like an interdisciplinary project for them to explore a topic of interest over several days. See Also See Which States Have Cancelled Spring Tests Because of Coronavirus But it does mean that students will have varying types and intensity of interaction with their teachers. Given those disparities, the district plans to recommend that, as long as students participate, teachers should revert to their previous progress grades. Students could potentially improve those scores, but they wouldnt be penalized. I dont want to give everyone an A because were just trying to be nice, said Patrick Keeley, the principal of the districts single high school. But we dont want to ruin peoples chances in the future, either, especially when its due to factors outside of their control. Contrast Mountain Empires context with that of the Salem City district in Virginia, near Roanoke. The district serves a small, fairly compact city. Every student in grades 3 through 12 has a Chromebook through its one-to-one program. Salem has about 200 hot spots for WiFi connectivity, and a cable company has agreed to provide free internet access for students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches. So when its spring break ends on April 13, the district plans to make a legitimate go at covering the most essential of its remaining state standards via online learningand to continue issuing letter grades for students work. We realize that if we tell kids today, Hey, your grade cant be any lower than it is now, or if we tell them were not going to grade them for the rest of the year, were going to have a big chunk of kids check out, said Curtis Hicks, the districts assistant superintendent. And thats not healthy for them for the short run, and its not healthy for the long term, if students are underprepared for what comes next. Those two anecdotes outline the different tension points surrounding grading, but theres also potentially a larger conversation to be had. Grading has been on the backburner as educators have focused on other measures of student progress, like graduation rates and standardized tests scores, but the coronavirus is prompting new questions about how it should work. It comes down to this: What is the point of grading, anyway? And how might it need to evolve in the age of the coronavirus? Cross Purposes? In the United States, grading is almost exclusively a local prerogative, with rules set by its more than 14,000 school districts. To try to give some shape to this far-flung, locally developed system, states and other public and private bodies have built a variety of policies around grades to force them, imperfectly, into a common currency. Every state sets credithour requirements for graduation, for example. Grade point averages are used for college admissions, scholarship programs, and even eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities and sports . Some states use grades to determine whether students are eligible for special programs, like magnets or gifted education; a handful use them as part of their 3rd-grade reading laws to determine whether students should progress to 4th grade. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing states and districts to give some serious reconsideration to nearly all of those policies. Most states are attending to the most pressing needs firstthose of high school seniors set to graduate. To date, the states of Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Oregon, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin have all waived various graduation requirements , including certain mandated courses, end-of-course examinations, and minimum attendance hours. Many of them are now allowing districts to decide whether students have met the requirements for graduation. The broader question of grades, though, is complicated by the fact that the purpose of grading has become a bit of a muddle, said Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell who is co-writing a book on the history of grading. Sometimes grades are meant as motivation, to help spur students to do better. Sometimes theyre supposed to communicate mastery of content to parents. And sometimes, in their most weighty function, theyre used to compare students to one another, as when colleges and universities look at transcripts. Most of the time, the A-to-F grading system is pressed into supporting all those goals even though some of them arguably work at cross-purposes, Schneider noted. And that effectively makes it harder for districts to tease out what to do with grades during an extraordinary disruptionlike the school closures wrought by the coronavirus. People will begin to realize they do want feedback, for instance, from their students teachers on how their kids are doing, he noted. But unless the playing field is equal or theyre getting the same type of supports they usually get, they dont want that kind of communicative effort to end up living forever on a student transcript. Equity Concerns Most of the districts interviewed by Education Week still want teachers to be providing lots of feedback to students on the assignments they complete. But theyre less certain about the other functions of grades. Many districts cite equity concerns for wanting to take a pause from traditional grading schemes, pointing to ways in which grades could penalize students who are low-income, lack access to a device and the internet, or who cannot rely on parents to help with home-based learning. Already our achievement scores are reflective of poverty in Ohio, noted Michelle Novak, a school board member for the 6,400-student Middletown City district, in Middletown, Ohio. Her district serves many students in poverty who come from single-parent households, and the opioid epidemic hit the area hard. It estimates that 1-in-5 students dont have access to both a device and the internet. If we want to give our kids grades during this time, were really going to be grading what their home life looks like, she said. And I dont think its fair to do that to anyone. The Mountain Empire district, for now, says it wants teachers to focus their feedback on students progress towards standards, rather than assessing simply to build a grade. As for the end of the term, If they have an A and are participating, then theyll have grade maintenance. If there are kids sitting there that want to try to improve their grade, well allow for them to try to build that grade up, Keeley said. Part of the decision, he added, is because admissions to the University of California and California State University systems are based on A-G subject requirements, and its not clear how the new distance learning will impact that structured sequence, he said. (Other states, like Texas, have similar college-entrance systems that depend on students GPAs or class rankings, which means that any decisions about grading will have to be squared with those systems.) For their part, many colleges nationwide appear to be favoring a pass-fail, or pass-no credit system for work completed this quarter or semester, and some K-12 districts are inclined to follow them. The Highline school district, in Burien, Wash., will assign scores of pass or no credit for work completed during its period of remote learningthe idea being that those students who dont initially earn credit could get opportunities to do so later in the summer or beyond. I think the whole grading issue is one where weve just got to wait and see, said Susan Enfield, the superintendent of Highline who also sits on the board of the nonprofit that publishes Education Week. One of her rationales behind the temporary grade freeze is that there are over 100 languages spoken in her district. While the district has done a swift job translating learning materials into the top five mostly widely spoken, serving English-learners who speak other native languages will be much more challenging in a distance-learning environment. A Question of Pedagogy Teachers who have made the often-rocky leap to distance learning are advocating for a cautious approach, too. Bobson Wong, a math teacher at a Queens high school in New York City, has noticed that his lessons are taking longer to deliver remotely. Partly thats because it is much more difficult to check for students understanding and make teaching adjustments in an asynchronous learning environment. Hes focused on trying to get students through the remainder of the curriculum before the systems spring break, which begins April 9, and wants students to be motivated to finishnot frustrated. I feel like the most important thing I want to accomplish right now is to establish a routine in this environment and a sense of order and progress that we are actually moving forward, and this is not just 13 days of busywork, he said. I have no idea how you could give a numerical grade for anything here. But at the same time, Wong said theres some value in determining which students appear to have mastered the content, and which students will need more help in the future. You need something to differentiate a kid who is clearly doing a lot of work and walks away with some kind of knowledge, and a kid for whatever reason just hasnt their parents may be sick, or they may lack internet access, he said. Grades arent a judgment of character. And he agrees that a larger conversation about grading could ultimately benefit students. Perhaps we emphasize them too much, or we use them in ways we shouldnt be using them, he said. Maybe we should look at why we give grades in the first place, and what we should be doing with them. Students are getting in on the action, too. In Georgia, more than 70,000 had signed a petition on Change.org calling on the state to void fourth-quarter GPAs. Without the proper help from teachers or having the ability to actively question teachers and receiving rapid responses, students are not truly learning, but rather grabbing the information temporarily, its organizer, Ellison Gonzalez, wrote. Youre Going to Make Mistakes As a testament to how fraught the issue of grading is, the nations two largest school districts, both of which have begun their remote-learning plans, are keeping things open on how theyll determine grades. The guidelines in the Los Angeles district say teachers should continue to grade and give timely feedback to students, with opportunities for those who cannot access instruction to make up missed assignments. But it doesnt say what will ultimately appear on students transcripts. A spokeswoman declined an interview, saying the district would issue more guidance in future weeks. New York City expects that teachers should continue to assign and grade remote work, but says it will give them the flexibility to adapt if students dont have the same access to devices or outside learning supports. Some states are offering guidance where they can, though they are aware that districts must make the final calls on their own. In Virginia, the second state to close school buildings and in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year, the Virginia School Boards Association and Virginia Association of School Superintendents recommended some practices for districts to consider if they move to pass-fail systems. They might choose to institute pass-fail only for certain courses rather than instituting a blanket policy, for example. Though the Salem City, Va., district is holding to traditional grades for now, it wants to give students a fair shot. Teachers will stagger the days theyre instructing so students arent slammed with assignments for seven courses every day. Theyre being told to boil down the state standards to the most essential ones. The district also plans to establish safeguards: If at the end of the school year students feel that their grade is not consistent with their academic history, or negatively impacted them, they could lobby to have that grade counted as pass-fail and drop it from their GPA calculation. The flexibility is intentional, Hicks said. If you try to make decisions too fast, you make mistakes. If you try to make decisions that are projecting well into the future, youre going to make mistakes, he said. We dont want to paint ourselves into the corner. More than 20,000 cases of COVID-19 were registered in Latin America and the Caribbean by Wednesday -- double the figure from five days ago, according to an AFP tally. As infections spread across the region, a Guatemalan migrant died and more than 20 were wounded in a riot over coronavirus fears at a holding facility for Central American migrants in Mexico, officials said. A protest by mostly Honduran migrants at the facility in southeastern Tabasco state turned violent late Tuesday after those inside set bedding ablaze. Authorities had registered 537 deaths and 20,081 cases across Latin America by Wednesday afternoon. Ecuador said Wednesday the bodies of 150 people were retrieved from homes in the port city of Guayaquil after the coronavirus crisis put a strain on resources. A joint military and police task force created to deal with the emergency removed the bodies in the past three days, government spokesman Jorge Wated said. Authorities have not confirmed how many COVID-19 victims were among the 150 dead. Brazil recorded Latin America's first infection on February 26. With a population of 210 million, the South American giant is now the most affected country with 5,717 cases, including 201 deaths. President Jair Bolsonaro -- who has repeatedly railed against social distancing measures he says are needlessly hurting the economy -- found himself at the center of a row over spreading misinformation. Bolsonaro posed a video online of a market supposedly hit by shortages caused by the pandemic, but he was forced to remove it hours later after journalists found it well stocked. Bolsonaro has compared the coronavirus to a "little flu," and condemned the reaction to it as "hysteria," statements which have left him increasingly isolated, in Brazil and beyond. Another leader criticized for taking the pandemic lightly, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, replaced his health minister. Nicaragua's government has yet to enforce preventive measures common in other countries, including closing borders or prohibiting crowds. It has reported five infections, with one death. The minister, Carolina Davila, will remain as an advisor to the presidency however, the government said. More than 300 Bolivians and dozens of Peruvians were stranded at a makeshift camp at Huara in Chile on Wednesday, after their countries' borders were shut due to the coronavirus. Chile's Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel pleaded for understanding, saying "all countries have to face this from a humanitarian perspective, especially with regard to the return of people who are in a position to return." The pandemic has compounded an already desperate situation facing millions of refugees and migrants who fled Venezuela's economic collapse, said Eduardo Stein, the UN special representative for Venezuelan migrants and refugees. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization of Migration jointly called on the international community to boost aid for millions of Venezuelan migrants threatened by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly five million people have left since 2015, most ending up in Colombia and other neighboring South American countries, overwhelming healthcare systems. Mexico adjusted its economic forecast for 2020 on Wednesday due to the negative effects of the epidemic, in line with other pessimistic estimates by analysts. The finance ministry said in a statement that the performance of the economy will be in a range of between minus 3.9 and 0.1 percent, well down from its previous estimate of growth, ranging between 1.5 and 2.5 percent. burs-je/fox Bolivians stranded at a makeshift camp in Huara, Chile, after the border was closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on April 1 2020 Coffins are transported into a cemetery on trucks, in Guayaquil, Ecuador on April 1, 2020 A worker checks the temperature of a passenger at the still-open Benito Juarez International airport, in Mexico City, on April 1, 2020 [April 01, 2020] Discover Financial Services Announces First Quarter 2020 Earnings Release on April 22, 2020 and Conference Call on April 23, 2020 Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) plans to report its first quarter 2020 results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. The earnings release will be available through Discover's Investor Relations website at https://investorrelations.discover.com. A conference call to discuss the firm's results, outlook and related matters will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. Central time. The live audio webcast will be accessible to the general public through Discover's Investor Relations website at https://investorrelations.discover.com. An audio replay will be available on the website following the call. About Discover Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005782/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation SNP, also known as Sinopec, reported fourth-quarter 2019 earnings per American Depositary Receipt (ADR) of $1.50. The bottom line was significantly higher than 30 cents per share reported a year ago owing to increased natural gas production and realized prices. Higher sales volumes of refined oil products also boosted profits. However, revenues decreased 12% year over year to $104,056 million, primarily due to a fall in refining and chemical products prices. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Quote Reserves Domestic proved reserves reached 587 million barrels of oil equivalent with reserve replacement ratio of 138.7%. Operational Performance Exploration and Production: In 2019, Sinopecs total crude oil production dipped 1.5% year over year to 284.22 million barrels. Although oil production in the domestic market inched up 0.2% year over year to 249.43 million barrels, overseas volume dropped 12.1% year over year to 34.79 million barrels. Natural gas volume grew 7.2% year over year to 1,047.78 billion cubic feet in 2019. Also, total oil and gas production rose 1.7% year over year to 458.92 million barrels of oil equivalent. Operating profit from this segment in 2019 was recorded at RMB 9.3 billion, reflecting a rise of RMB 19.4 billion from the 2018-level. This upside can be primarily attributed to higher natural gas production and realized prices. Refining: The companys Refining business recorded refinery throughput of 248.52 million tons (up 1.8% year over year). It also produced 159.99 million tons of petroleum products, representing a 3.4% improvement from the 2018-level. Segmental operating profit was recorded at RMB 30.6 billion, signalling a RMB 24.2 billion fall from the 2018-level due to a decrease in products prices. Importantly, since new projects were initiated and key refining plants were expanded, the company could successfully increase throughput and output of petroleum products. However, since the domestic market was already oversupplied with fuel, the segments profit margin took a hit. Story continues Marketing and Distribution: The Marketing and Distribution segment sold 254.95 million tons of refined oil products, depicting a 7.3% year-over-year improvement. Of the total figure, domestic sales volume came in at 184.45 million tons, up 2.3% from the 2018-level. Average throughput was recorded at 3,992 tons per station in 2019 compared with 3,979 tons in 2018. Operating profit from the segment grossed RMB 29.1 billion, up 24% from the 2018-level. Chemical: During 2019, the production of ethylene ramped up almost 8.5% year over year to 12,493 thousand tons from 11,512 thousand tons. Also, the production of Synthetic resin was 17,244 thousand tons compared with 15,923 thousand tons in the year-ago period. Operating profit from the segment was recorded at RMB 17.2 billion, down 36.5% from the 2018-level, affected by a significant decrease in chemical products prices. Operating Results The companys total 2019 operating expenses were RMB 4,759,649 million, higher than RMB 4,739,653 million a year ago. While expenses significantly declined in the four reported segments, the same rose in corporate and others by 7.8% year over year. Operating profits in 2019 logged RMB 86,198 million, translating to 4.8% growth from the 2018-level. Capital Expenditure Capital expenditure in 2019 totaled RMB 147.1 billion. Of this, 61.7 billion yuan was spent on exploration and production projects. Sinopec spent RMB 31.4 billion on the Refining segment while the Chemical segment was allocated with RMB 22.4 billion. The company had set aside RMB 29.6 billion for the Marketing and Distribution segment. Outlook The company anticipates that due to the short-term impact of the political and economic turmoil in the global market and coronavirus outbreak, demand for energy and chemical products will remain weak in first-half 2020. Increased supply and low demand growth will weigh on global oil prices. However, in the long run, accumulated demand is expected to rise rapidly. The company intends to minimize the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic through optimization of business value chain. The company plans to strengthen capacity building in Shunbei, Tahe and other oilfields. It will likely boost profit-oriented development in its mature oilfields. With reduction in oil prices, the companys refining business will adopt optimization of utilization rate and production scheduling for better outcomes. It also plans to expedite its low-sulfur bunker fuel projects to grab a plum market share in compliance with the IMO-2020 rule. The company expects capital expenditures for 2020 to be RMB 143.4 billion, of which, RMB 61.1 billion will be infused into exploration and production activities. Sinopec will focus on production capacity building in Shengli and Northwest crude development projects. Capital spending in the refining segment is expected at RMB 22.4 billion while the same for marketing and distribution will likely be RMB 22 billion. In chemicals segment, the company plans to invest RMB 32.3 billion. It will concentrate on the constructions of Zhongke, Zhenhai and Gulei chemical projects. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Sinopec currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the energy sector are Murphy USA Inc. MUSA, Enphase Energy, Inc. ENPH and RGC Resources, Inc. RGCO, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Murphy USAs bottom line for 2020 is expected to rise 7.7% year over year. Enphase Energys bottom line for 2020 is expected to rise 33.7% year over year. RGC Resources bottom line for 2020 is expected to rise 14.8% year over year. Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Murphy USA Inc. (MUSA) : Free Stock Analysis Report RGC Resources Inc. (RGCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Indian Railways and private airlines have started ticket bookings for travels from 15 April onwards, when the 21-day lockdown due to coronavirus announced by the Central Government ends Indian Railways and private airlines have started ticket bookings for travels from 15 April onwards, when the 21-day lockdown due to coronavirus announced by the Central Government ends. This comes after cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba refuted reports that the lockdown will be extended beyond 21 days and termed them baseless. In an interaction with BusinessLine, Pradeep Sharma, the PRO of Ahmedabad division of Western Railways, said that bookings have begun following an indication from the Centre that there will be no extension of the lockdown. The report adds that travel operators too have started taking enquiries from clients. Online booking systems of private airlines SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo are showing bookings open from 15 April 15 for domestic travel. However, neither the Indian railways nor the airlines have issued any statement regarding the same. International flights remain suspended. In the BusinessLine report, travel agent Manish Sharma of Akshar Travels said that even though their office is closed due to the lockdown, they are getting travel booking enquiries from businesses and corporate groups. The coronavirus pandemic has infected over 1,500 people in India and killed more than 40. The Centre imposed a 21-day lockdown from 25 March to stop the spread of the deadly disease. The lockdown prompted a ban on both rail and air travel in the country. Earlier today we reported that Apple, Xiaomi, and Oppo increased the prices of their smartphones in India after the Indian government increased the Goods & Services Tax (GST) on smartphones from 12% to 18%. Now, Chinese phone maker Realme too has announced a price hike on its smartphones in India, which is effective starting today. You can read the full statement from Realme below. The Realme 6 which was launched in India with a starting price of INR12,999 ($170/160) now costs INR13,999 ($185/170), and its Pro version, which was launched with a base price of INR16,999 ($225/205) now costs INR17,999 ($235/220). You can head this way to check out the latest prices of all Realme smartphones. That said, Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme aren't the only brands to increase the prices of their smartphones in India. Poco and Samsung have also increased the prices and smartphones from other brands will also get costlier due to the increase in GST. The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine helped to speed the recovery of a small number of patients who were mildly ill from the coronavirus, doctors in China reported this week. Cough, fever and pneumonia went away faster, and the disease seemed less likely to turn severe in people who received hydroxychloroquine than in a comparison group not given the drug. The authors of the report said that the medication was promising, but that more research was needed to clarify how it might work in treating coronavirus disease and to determine the best way to use it. Its going to send a ripple of excitement out through the treating community, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. The study was small and limited to patients who were mildly or moderately ill, not severe cases. Like many reports about the coronavirus, it was posted at medRxiv, an online server for medical articles, before undergoing peer review by other researchers. Nine UN employees in Geneva have tested positive for COVID-19, Xinhua reported referring to Alessandra Vellucci, director of the UN Information Service in Geneva. In her letter to UN-accredited journalists in Geneva, Vellucci noted further information will not be provided at this time to respect the confidentiality of the patients, but "all precautionary measures have been taken. "The United Nations is working closely with the Government of Switzerland and the World Health Organization on prevention and preparedness in the country," she noted. Vellucci has earlier said that 78 UN staff members globally have contracted coronavirus. The International Labor Organization, the World Trade Organization as well as the World Health Organization have all reported COVID-19 cases among their staff members. Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler traded millions in stocks in the days after a closed Senate briefing on the coronavirus and dumped holdings in retail stores that have been battered by the pandemic. The wealthy Loeffler, 49, who was appointed to her seat and is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, 65, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, sold $18.7 million in International Stock Exchange, according to information her office shared with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That is the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange. The trades came Feb. 26 and March 11, as the virus spread but the broader public was still learning about the extent of the danger to both people and the world economy. The power couple also sold shares in Lululemon and T.J. Maxx, two firms that, like other retailers, have been battered by stay-at-home orders by governors seeking to contain the spread of the deadly disease. They also sold $70,000 in Ross Stores. They sold about $56,693 in Lululemon and $27,580 in the company that owns T.J. Maxx. Sprecher also purchased more than $200,000 of stock in in chemical company DuPont de Nemours, which makes protective gear for medical professionals, although the company has been hit overall in the downturn. Their stock sales totaled $1.4 million in March, according to the Wall Street Journal. Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband sold millions in stocks in March, in the weeks after a closed Senate briefing on the coronavirus. Among stocks they sold were those in retail companies T.J. Maxx and Ross Stores Loeffler is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, president of the New York Stock Exchange Get out of retail: Kelly Loeffler disclosed new stock movements showing disposal of holdings in TJ Maxx and Lululemon as fears over coronavirus grew Buy: Loeffler says her husband Jeffrey Sprecher purchased more than $200,000 of stock in in chemical company DuPont de Nemours, which makes protective gear for medical professionals HE'S A BILLIONAIRE, NOW SHE'S A SENATOR (AND HAS NEVER RUN FOR ANY OFFICE) Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher turned his billionaire status into a Republican political career for her. Now both face problems as their share sales are part of Justice Department inquiry. Sprecher, 65, became a billionaire by trading electricity, seeing his business, Intercontinental Exchange, take off when Enron collapsed in 2002. That propelled him forward into buying other financial trading platforms, including in 2006 the New York Board of Trade and then in 2013 the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. His deal-making was backed by Goldman Sachs but he is from a humble midwestern background in Wisconsin and would stay at his sisters' New York apartments when traveling to the city for business. He met Loeffler, 16 years his junior, when she joined Intercontinental Exchanged in 2002 and they married in 2004, with his wife becoming the firm's head of investor and media relations. She too is from the midwest - in her case Illinois - and worked for Citibank among others before meeting Sprecher. The two have no children and she told the New York Times in 2013 that they both 'love to work.' The couple's net worth is unclear but not thought to be in the billions. However in 2010, Loeffler bought a minority stake in the WNBA Atlanta Dream franchise, giving her a public profile in local media. The two have given millions in political donations - not all to Republicans - but until 2014 it was unknown that she harbored ambitions to hold office. That year she briefly expressed interest in the Republican senate nomination in Georgia that year but said she would not run because the couple's company was in the process of completing its acquisition of the New York Stock Exchange. But when the state's senior senator, Johnny Isakson, announced he was stepping down in November 2019 she applied for the vacant seat - which was in the gift of Georgia's Republican governor. Loeffler was the choice of the Republican establishment and overcome opposition from Trump supporters to gain the vacant seat. Since then she has used her private plane to campaign around the state and commute to Washington D.C. She now faces a Republican primary to retain the party's nomination, with Trump ultra-loyalist congressman Doug Collins running against her - and the winner faces an energized Democratic party which came within 50,000 votes of winning the gubernatorial election in 2018. Advertisement Disclosures are required by the STOCK Act. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina is also under fire for his trades, with $1.7 million in sales that made up a big chunk of his total portfolio. Burr, the Senate Intelligence Committee chair, got briefed on the outbreak, but says his trades were made based on what he learned from public materials including financial television programs covering Asia. Loeffler's office says she did nothing wrong and that her investment advisor made the trades. According to spokeswoman Kerry Rom: 'Sen. Loeffler came to Washington on a promise to be a different kind of elected official. She holds herself to high standards of ethics and transparency, including acting in accordance with both the letter and spirit of the law, which she has done at every step of her time in the Senate and in her lengthy career in financial services.' Loeffler was already under public scrutiny for selling off 27 stocks - valued at between $1.275 million and $3.1 million - starting in late January until mid-February. She and her husband also purchased stocks valued at between $450,000 and $1 million, including in Citrix, a company that benefits when people are working from home. Loeffler and her husband's overall trades didn't pay off, however. According to the Journal, the stocks they dumped would have been worth $86,000 less if they had held them. But the stocks they purchased in March trades dropped even more, with $102,000 in losses through Monday. CNN reported the Justice Department is already examining stock trades made by senators this year. The Securities and Exchange Commission does not disclose whether it is conducting an investigation. After ProPublica reported on the trades March 19, Loeffler pushed back on Twitter and said she did not have knowledge of the trades before they were made. The publication also reported that Burr had sold off up to $1.7 million in holdings in mid-February, when he was being briefed about the coming pandemic. The next day, Burr responded to the reporting by sending a letter to Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford, asking for a review. Burr said he relied on 'public news reports' when making his financial decisions. 'Specifically I closely followed CNBC's daily health and science reporting out of its Asia bureaus at the time,' Burr said in a statement. 'Understanding the assumption many could make in hindsight however, I spoke this morning with the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and asked him to open a complete review of the matter with full transparency.' Burr's lawyer told CNN on Sunday that he'll continue to cooperate. Alice Fisher, a lawyer for Burr, said the senator 'welcomes a thorough review of the facts in this matter, which will establish that his actions were appropriate.' 'The law is clear that any American - including a senator - may participate in the stock market based on public information, as Sen. Burr did. When this issue arose, Sen. Burr immediately asked the Senate Ethics Committee to conduct a complete review, and he will cooperate with that review as well as any other appropriate inquiry,' Fisher said. Fisher previously ran the DOJ's criminal division under President George W. Bush. Sen. Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a series of stock transactions he made while being briefed on the coronavirus, CNN reported Monday Two additional senators, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (left), a California Democrat, and Sen. Jim Inhofe (right), an Oklahoma Republican, said they weren't the ones who decided to sell off stocks in their portfolios in the weeks before the coronavirus-caused stock market crash Lawmakers are prohibited from using information gleaned on Capitol Hill for their financial benefit due to the STOCK Act. Loeffler has pushed back on any allegations of impropriety. She said she uses a third-party financial adviser to handle stock transactions. A Loeffler spokesperson told CNN that Loeffler has not been contacted by the FBI, adding that the Georgia Republican has 'acted in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the law. Two additional senators were selling stocks in the weeks before the market's downturn, and neither of them have been contacted by the FBI, their offices said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the only Democrat swept up in the controversy, said it was her husband's decision to sell off between $1.5 million and $6 million in Allogene Therapeutics stock. She said she has no involvement in those decisions. 'I have no input into his decisions. My husband in January and February sold shares of a cancer therapy company. This company is unrelated to any work on the coronavirus and the sale was unrelated to the situation,' she said. Sen. Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, made a number of transactions on the stock market in January and February, but said he has no involvement in his investment decisions. Chennai: Tamil Nadu government has rejected Kerala governments plea for transporting 3lakh liter of daily milk from Malabar region to the state inorder to convert it into milk products, citing COVID-19 concerns. Sources said that the Kerala government took up the matter with chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday followed the health departments advisory on Sunday refusing to accept milk from Kerala. However, no relaxation has been given to the highly perishable essential commodity, leaving thousands of dairy farmers in Kerala in dire straits. To cope up with the situation, the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (MRCMPU) of Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) suspended daily procurement of milk from cooperatives in the six northern districts on Wednesday. K Vijayakumaran, Managing Director, MRCMPU, said that the difficult decision was taken after Tamil Nadu Milk Marketing Federation (Avin) intimated them that it would not be able to accept milk from Kerala citing the large number of coronavirus positives in the state. In the pre-corona era, the procurement of MRCMPU from the farmers was six lakh litre per day. The demand has now tumbled to just three lakh litre due to the corona outbreak. If we have to save the excess amount of milk, it has to be converted into value added products like milk powder. Since Kerala has no infrastructure to convert such large quantity of milk into milk powder, we had to get support from the private plants in Tamil Nadu. But the Tamil Nadu government is unwilling to approve transporting milk through the border. So we are forced to cut short the procurement from farmers since April 2 till the situation back on track, he said. Tamil Nadu clamped down restriction on the transport of milk from Kerala at a time Avian in February signed MoU with Milma to supply at least 1.5lakh litre milk per day at the rate of Rs40 per litre following the milk shortage in Kerala. The scenario in the Milk market now turned upside down with the Covid19 outbreak hit Kerala. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 01:15:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CHICAGO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, Chinese Consulate in Chicago has opened two hotline services to better serve Chinese citizens with regard to the pandemic. One is providing consular assistance and protection service to Chinese citizens and the other is offering the service to Chinese students studying in U.S. Midwest, according to a notice the consulate issued on Tuesday. The hotline service started on March 30. The Chinese consulate calls on Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese to stay calm, reduce travel, stay at home, and guard against COVID-19 rationally and scientifically. At a news conference held late Tuesday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker extended the state's stay-at-home order to April 30. Schools and non-essential businesses, including bars and restaurants, which are closed to dine-in customers, will also remain closed until that date. By Tuesday, the U.S. Midwest state of Illinois had reported 5,994 known infections and 99 deaths since the outbreak started. Adding beds Scouring for supplies More clinicians Unheeded warnings (TNS) Weeks before COVID-19 claimed its first Georgian, the states healthcare system was already showing signs of stress and crowding.Several metro area hospitals were planning significant expansions to handle spiking patient loads, while hospitals in rural areas continued to struggle under the strain of treating uninsured patients amid the closure of seven rural hospitals in recent years. In December, Atlanta hospitals faced an unexpected surge in patients from Grady Memorial Hospital after flooding from a broken water pipe forced the shutdown of three floors at the massive trauma center. Meanwhile, flu season was in full swing, pushing occupancy up at hospitals across the state.Then, COVID-19 attacked this vulnerable system.Georgia is now scrambling to avoid the grim scenes that have played out in China, Italy, Spain, Seattle and New York City, as the global coronavirus pandemic brings a deluge of patients to hospital doors. In just three weeks , when the virus is expected to peak in Georgia, thousands of patients will likely need hospital care, and one projection says that the state will need more than double the ICU beds that it has.Its not the kind of disaster that Georgia authorities had braced for. Experts warn that last-ditch efforts to prepare for the wave of critically ill patients may not be able to spare Georgia from heart-breaking decisions on care.Its not that easy to turn this ship around and push a button and tell them to get extra capacity in such a short amount of time, said Pinar Keskinocak, a Georgia Institute of Technology engineering professor who advises government officials on adjusting health care systems to handle outbreaks and pandemics. We are seeing so many gaps.To save lives, doctors, healthcare executives and state officials are frantically working to find or create space for more beds and ICU units, while securing more ventilators, masks , gowns and other crucial equipment and supplies. They also must find more doctors and nurses to staff overflow hospitals, medics to transport patients and backfill for healthcare workers who become infected.But other states are competing for those same scarce supplies and health care workforce. And while most hospitals have stopped elective procedures to free up beds and the state is ordering medical pods that have up to 25 beds and can function like a regular hospital, 57 Georgia counties have no hospitals while 93 have no ICU beds.That has left Georgias healthcare workers wondering what the worst will look like when it grips their hospital. Will they need a ventilator to save a patient but not have one? Will they be asked to care for patients without a mask, or even after testing positive? Theres a reason doctors and nurses across the nation are taking to twitter and openly talking about updating their wills and writing letters to their young children just in case.To give hospitals time to add capacity, the main hope is to slow the virus with social distancing and government mandates, such as the closures of restaurants. But Georgia cant bank on those alone.With the situation so unpredictable, health care systems have to prepare for whatever hits, whenever it hits.Piedmont Healthcare said this week it is in an aggressive planning mode that involves examining statistical projections from four to 12 weeks out, depending on the progression of COVID-19. Every scenario comes with a contingency plan.We are exploring every avenue that will help us expand our capabilities, said John Manasso, a Piedmont spokesman.In one such move, on Monday it announced that its hospital in Columbus is attempting a stunning, 10-day build-out of 36 beds, including seven ICU beds, in an empty floor of a former hospital building on its campus.Northside Hospital installed fully-equipped tents at its emergency rooms to help with triage. Floyd Medical Center in Rome, which was hit early, took over a specialty hospital that was closing. In hard-hit Dougherty County , emergency management officials said they are working to add up to 60 beds at the partially-used Phoebe North facility. On Tuesday, a fifth intensive care unit was added to the main hospital. Now, the hospital has four ICUs for coronavirus patients, and one for patients who do not have the virus. Emory, like other hospitals, is expanding critical care services throughout its system.The state said it is also helping to set up facilities. The Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency are working collaboratively to accommodate patient surge in hospitals statewide, said Cody Hall, a spokesman for Gov. Brian Kemp. In addition to buying medical pods, Hall said the state is working to bring on medical equipment and healthcare workers. Site assessments are taking place to determine placement for the medical pods, he said. Additionally, we are working with multiple vendors to provide additional COVID-19 general medical bed facilities.Many hospitals are working on contingency plans for more isolation rooms, such as using operating suites.But they may face infrastructure barriers, experts say.Over two decades, most U.S. hospitals created an infrastructure focused on ambulatory patients, not large numbers who were bed-ridden, said architect George Kimmerle, of the New York-based healthcare architectural design and construction firm The Kimmerle Group. Another problem is that newer facilities typically arent equipped with the types of heating and ventilation systems to avoid cross contamination between patients with the disease and those admitted for other reasons.Were returning to almost another era where we have infectious diseases, and our hospitals are not scripted for this, he said.In crisis situations, hospitals may need to use free-standing surgery centers, hotels and dormitories to hospitalize non-corona virus patients and separate them from those infected, Dr. Stephen Parodi, an executive with The Permanente Medical Group, said in a teleconference last week.On Monday, the federal government eased Medicare rules to allow hospitals to transfer non-COVID-19 patients to outside facilities.To equip surge facilities, authorities are scouring for beds and other supplies.Just in the last 48 hours, the level of activity has gone up significantly in terms of who is preparing for what, Gary Schindele, who heads a company that manufactures portable medical equipment, told the AJC last week.His company, Florida-based Paladin Healthcare, has been swamped for orders of medical carts and rail systems from hospital systems all over the country. He is working with Atlanta-based supply chain operator Ferno Aviation and Military Systems to deliver thousands of respirators, ventilators and monitoring devices for critical care patient across the U.S.Hospitals also need masks, gowns and other supplies to protect staff and patients alike from infection, and right now even the governor cant easily order what they need.In the modern era, most hospitals and EMS providers havent had to stockpile masks, gowns and surgical plastic for situations that require a rapid response. Instead they relied on assurances that they could quickly order and receive shipments of supplies, many of them manufactured overseas, to refresh their inventories.The coronavirus has upended that practice.Now, with doctors, nurses and medics working in untenable situations without proper equipment, hospitals are turning to everything from community donations to the underground market. On Monday, Georgia Tech said that Coca-Cola Co. brought 6,000 pounds of plastic sheeting to campus so that engineers could make 50,000 plastic surgical shields. Some rural Georgia businesses, responding to a plea from Gov. Brian Kemp, shifted to making hand sanitizers and face shields. The University System of Georgia said this week it would provide dozens of ventilators and hundreds of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment from its 26 colleges and universities.Other efforts are under way across the nation to buy, make and repair enough ventilators to save the most critically ill patients. Georgia has 2,400 ventilators on hand; it is not clear how many more the state may need, with many hospitals tight-lipped about where they stand.But last week, Dr. Janet Pak Memark, director of public health for Cobb and Douglas counties, told Cobb commissioners in a special meeting that intensive care units in the countys two hospitals, which are operated by Wellstar, were already full, and one had more than 60 people who had either known or suspected COVID-19 infections. The two hospitals, she warned, had fewer than 50 ventilators on hand, and that might not be enough.Wellstar said in a statement this week that it was not at full capacity across its system and was monitoring staffing, capacity and supply chains.Medical authorities everywhere have been holding strategy sessions on other ways to rapidly expand the ranks of doctors, nurses, medics and other essential workers to prepare for the surge.Piedmont Healthcare is using a social media campaign to recruit nurses and respiratory therapists and has implemented a simplified hiring process to make new hires within 24 hours. Dozens of candidates have already stepped up, said Bill Ryan, who is working on the project at Piedmont.At Kemps direction, Georgia licensing boards have loosened rules in hopes of add doctors and nurses who may be licensed in other states. Just days ago, the Georgia Department of Public Health issued an order that will allow dozens of paramedics to come out of retirement and fill vacancies in the backs of ambulances.Healthcare systems are also calling providers out of retirement and making plans to send doctors who normally work in offices to hospitals to help handle the surge or fill in for frontline workers who will, inevitably, be sidelined by the coronavirus. The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and Morehouse School of Medicine are among the colleges mapping out roles their students could take on.Kemp also authorized the Georgia National Guard to help. It is sending teams to support regional coordinating hospitals, and already dispatched a team that included two doctors, eight nurses, one respiratory therapist and 29 medics to Phoebe Putney to help, as it is already overwhelmed with patients.Healthcare staffing companies are also getting bombarded with calls for workers.An Atlanta-based company is getting ready to send clinicians, including nurses and respiratory therapists, to Albany to help at the expanded facility at Pheobe Putney. Its obviously busy right now as you can imagine, said Shane Jackson, president of Jackson Healthcare. Its been a bit crazy.But those efforts wont be enough even to backfill for exhausted and ill workers at Albanys main hospital, and a Phoebe Putney spokesman on Monday said the state still couldnt give clear answers on how the expansion facility will be equipped and staffed.It doesnt sound like the answer is imminent, spokeswoman Jessica Castle said.However Hall, one of the governors spokesmen, said Phoebe North should be ready to accept some patients early next week. State agencies continue to work with Phoebe to get Phoebe North fully operational as soon as possible, Hall wrote in a prepared statement. The ongoing construction efforts and staffing process are proceeding on schedule.For years, researchers have long warned about how difficult it would be to contain an infectious disease outbreak, and the severe consequences one would have on world populations.One 2014 report, based on planning assumptions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, predicted a severe influenza pandemic in the U.S. could infect 90 million people, requiring hospitalization for almost 10 million. Almost 1.5 million would end up in intensive care units. The report also stated that sick patients likely would require twice as many as ventilators and over 4 times the number of hospital beds than the U.S. then had on hand.A study last fall by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security warned that little specific focus had been given in high level reviews to a high impact respiratory pathogen pandemic. But most hospitals didnt plan for an emergency so extreme that it would affect every hospital and will strain to adopt some solutions on the fly.We dont extend a lot of energy or resources to things that dont happen daily to us, said Dr. Tom Blackwell, professor of emergency medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, who has decades of experience coordinating disaster relief operations. Theres really not a lot of prospective forward-thinking about how we prepare.2020 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Theresa Villiers is a former Environment Secretary, and is MP for Chipping Barnet. The Covid-19 crisis has provided a stark reminder of how important food security is to every man, woman and child in this country. Thankfully, the situation in our supermarkets and grocery shops appears to have calmed down as the majority of people have started to listen to the appeal that they only buy as much as they need for their regular shop. But there are some longer-term lessons to be learned from this emergency as we embark on this countrys first independent trade negotiations for half a century. At present, around 60 per cent of the food we eat in the UK is produced here. Ensuring continued access through Dover for the 40 per cent that isnt was the subject of painstaking planning in the run-up to a possible no-deal exit from the EU (and there is no reason to believe that those supply routes are in jeopardy in the current emergency). It is also the case that trade liberalisation and increasing specialisation of various types of production in different parts of the world have, as economic theorists like David Ricardo predicted, brought huge benefits in terms of lower prices, more choice for consumers and greater overall prosperity. But the complexity of the supply chains to which this globalisation trend inevitably leads does come with risks, especially when the fragility of our highly integrated global economy is highlighted by external shocks like Covid-19. We can manage those risks for products like phones, cars, clothing etc. Indeed, we should seek to go further and achieve greater liberalisation of trade in manufactured goods and in services; so we reap even more of those Ricardian benefits and see standards of living rise as a result. But food is different. There are people (some of them close to Government) willing to accept complete liberalisation of trade in agriculture, and the removal of the tariffs which currently apply on food imports to the UK via the EUs Common External Tariff. This, they would argue, is a price worth paying for a big trade deal. That approach is wrong. This is a point I made strongly when I was Environment Secretary. There is a case for a degree of liberalisation in agriculture, for example in relation to food which we do not produce in this country. But we should be very cautious before we start reducing tariffs in sensitive sectors such as beef, lamb, poultry and dairy. In my view, we should make any such reductions conditional on meeting standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection which are as good as our own. More or less every country in the world treats food production as a special case when it comes to its trade policy. That is for the good reason that one of the first duties of government is to ensure that its population can buy the food they need, produced according to regulations which secure safety and hygiene. It is notoriously the case that agriculture is always the last and most difficult chapter to close in any trade negotiation. The casual assumption of the free trade purists that removal of tariffs on food would simply mean buying our beef and chicken from low cost producers in the US is misguided. Offshoring food production to countries far away generates serious risks when a crisis hits. It is Covid this year, but who knows what other adversity we might face in the future? I would argue that our goal should be to increase the proportion of food we consume which is grown domestically, not reduce it. The advantages of liberalisation of trade in agricultural produce in terms of price reductions for consumers are limited. Most would notice very little in terms of the cost of their weekly shop. But the disadvantages are very significant. US producers are allowed to use intensive farming methods which would be unlawful in this country because of the tough rules and animal welfare with which we require our farmers to comply. While the science is disputed on the vexed question of chlorinated chicken, there is genuine anxiety that using a wash at the end of production can mask poor hygiene during the rearing of poultry, allowing producers to pack in birds so closely together that this would violate the rules on animal welfare which apply here. That I why I believe the ban on such imports which is currently on the statute book should stay in place. Exposing our upland farmers to competition from imports produced to lower levels of animal welfare means that there is a risk they would be undercut and many would find it hard to stay in business. That would have severe consequences for the rural economy. Widespread bankruptcies in farming would also have a major negative impact on the stewardship of the countryside. And they would put pressure on the Union of the United Kingdom because of the centrality of livestock farming to communities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The shock would be felt in the north of England too. We are already asking a great deal of farmers as we change farm support radically and move to a system which secures environmental goals via the principle of public money for public goods. It is right that we pursue this reform, but it does mean that farmers will need to change the way they operate and some may not get as much money as they do under the CAP. Farmers will face even greater challenges if the negotiations with the EU dont initially result in a free trade agreement. I have every confidence that there will be such an agreement, but it may take time. Securing it prior to the end of the transition period is by no means certain. A no-FTA relationship with the EU would mean lamb exporters to the EU would face a tariff of around 67 per cent, and the highest tariff on beef could be over 80 per cent. If you add in unfettered competition from US producers, that would be a hit which many livestock businesses would not survive. Moreover, the Conservatives were elected on a manifesto which contains commitments which are more far reaching on animal welfare and the environment than any before in the long history of our party. There is little point imposing tough regulations at home if you allow unrestricted imports into your country produced in jurisdictions with weaker rules. That means offshoring carbon emissions and animal cruelty not reducing them. If the Conservatives are to be taken seriously on our promises on the environment and on decent treatment of animals, then this must be reflected in our trade policy. At times of fear and insecurity like this, we should all be conscious of the profound debt of gratitude that we owe to our farmers who go out in all weathers, 365 days of the year, to keep food on our tables. We should be proud that they produce the highest quality food to the most rigorous standards in the world on safety, animal welfare and respect for the environment. And we should also remember that animal welfare is not just a sentimental concern of the kind-hearted, it has a real-world impact. Food safety and compassionate treatment of animals go hand-in-hand, as previous food scandals have demonstrated. Whilst it may be years before we know with any certainty what caused the Coronavirus outbreak, the most likely explanation appears to be poor hygiene practices at live animal markets in Wuhan. If even basic standards of animal welfare had been respected there, the world might not now be grappling with this cruel disease which is cutting short so many lives. Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize announced there are now 1,380 confirmed coronavirus cases, a daily increase of 27. He said 44,202 people have been tested, adding that this is not enough considering the population of South Africa. The number of infections is also much lower than anticipated. Mkhize previously said they expected between 4,000 and 5,000 cases by around 2 April. This did not happen. The health minister ascribed the lower infection rate to a few factors, including: Closing South Africas borders which reduced the importation of COVID-19 infected travellers. He said many infections came from people who entered South Africa. Enforcing quarantining of inbound travellers, which prevented them spreading the virus in South Africa. Enforcing a lockdown and preventing mass gatherings where the virus can easily spread. While these measures were effective, the minister said South Africa needs to remain alert to prevent a mass outbreak. He explained that coronavirus testing in South Africa has to date been reactive and restrictive, which means we may not have the full picture of the problem. He said internal COVID-19 transmissions have started, and this has the potential to spread silently among poor people who do not have the means to be tested. Decline in number of tests When the first daily decline in the number of new active COVID-19 cases was reported locally, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) explained it was cleaning patient data to ensure the information was verified and accurate. Data cleaning is required to conduct deduplication of contents and to correct details of patients in order to determine the most effective public health intervention, the NICD said. Another reason for the lower number of new confirmed coronavirus cases was the lower number of tests conducted. This is set to change soon, as Ramaphosa announced this week that South Africa will roll out a screening, testing, tracing, and medical management programme on a huge scale. Around 10,000 field workers will be visiting homes in villages, towns, and cities to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms, he said. New confirmed coronavirus cases per day New coronavirus tests per day These circumstances have shown our staffs ability to come together and quickly adapt, Garcia said. We will continue to connect with students in many different ways and do our best to provide a premier educational experience. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance must not allow the coronavirus pandemic to become a security threat, warning that adversaries like Russia and terrorist groups could try to exploit the situation and conduct hostile activities. Stoltenberg made the comments during a video news conference on April 1, on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to be held by video conference for the first time in the organization's 70-year history. The allies are set to discuss their response to the COVID-19 epidemic, which has infected more than 880,000 people across the world, killing over 44,100, according to a database maintained by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. "Our primary objective is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis," Stoltenberg said. Measures to try to slow the spread of the virus have forced NATO allies to scale down war games, but Stoltenberg insisted that NATO's "operational readiness is maintained." The allies "continue to patrol the skies and to defend our borders and we continue our missions and operations not least in the fight against terrorism, because these threats continue to exist," he said, adding that increased Russian military activity showed NATO needs to remain on its guard during the coronavirus crisis. "We see significant military activities close to NATO borders with a new exercise in the western military districts of Russia...and we have seen significant Russian presence in the North Sea," Stoltenberg said. Last week, Russia conducted large-scale exercises involving its two military districts geographically closest to NATO's Eastern European member states. Russia's Defense Ministry said the drills, which involved strategic missile forces, was intended to check troop readiness to deal with any contagion. Meanwhile, Britain's navy said its vessels had been shadowing Russian warships after "unusually high levels of activity" in the English Channel and North Sea, and Lithuania reported that NATO had intercepted five Russian military overflights. On April 2, NATO foreign ministers are expected to reiterate unity, as well as resolve and readiness to respond to threats. The ministers are also due to address developments in Afghanistan, while welcoming their 30th ally, North Macedonia, which officially joined the Western alliance last week. With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and AP Egyptian to the marrow: Mohamed Khan Letters to Said Shimi, 3rd Volume, Cairo: Al-Karma, 2020, pp.332 Egyptian to the marrow is the third volume of Said Shimis trilogy Mohamed Khan: Letters to Said Shimi, in which the cinematographer recounts the life of his late friend filmmaker Mohamed Khan (1942-2016), based around the letters Khan wrote him while he was in London (1959-1977). Shimis letters to Khan, as the author explains in the first volume, were lost on the way back to Cairo. Shimis way of keeping Khan alive following the directors passing was to review and eventually publish his letters. The third volume, concerning 1973-1977, appeared with Al Karma this year to coincide with its best publishing house award at the Cairo International Book Fair. The second volume had won the fairs best book award in 2019. In his introduction film critic Kamal Ramzy writes, For Khan, an expatriate at the time of writing those letters, Said Shimi represents a fundamental aspect of the home country, but also a hopeful prophecy of the future... For his part Shimi comments on the differences between them at the time: At that time I was involved in the film industry, while he was still struggling there in the city of fog with a heart full of anger and bitterness trying to find the way out. This explains his angry tone in some of the letters. The love of cinema that bound them would ultimately triumph. This book is divided into six parts, the first five of which correspond the years in which the letters were written: 1973-1976. They are entitled, respective, I write to you in order to breathe (28 letters), Finally marrying: us coming back to Egypt an adventure or a gamble (22 letters), Hope is born: Hassan, Khan Juniors birth (26 letters), A turbulent year (24 letters), and Difficulties, decisions and return (four letters). The sixth chapter, Life cycle after autumn 1997, recalls the friends reunion after Khans return, Khans early career and their collaboration with Shimi working as DOP on Khans films. All are accompanied by archival photos. The book is full of memorable moment. The death of Khans father in 1973, for example, was a catastrophe and a turning point: He became aware of the importance of working harder to keep the family prosperous and pay his late fathers debts. Casting aside his filmmaking dreams, he worked as a taxi driver. Shimi visited him twice, staying with him. What I discovered was that his mind and soul were full of cinema, it was the only topic of conversation. He did not stop thinking about how to return to Egypt and make his first feature film. The year of the October victory, 1973 gave Khan hope. In 1974 he was still struggling to find a way back, frustrated that his ideas never see the light. Shimi suggested making a documentary about young Egyptians in London, but Khan was not too keen. He quickly became preoccupied with his marriage to an Egyptian woman, the jeweller Zeinab Khalifa, who made him more eager than ever to return, and the birth of Hassan. Shimi was worried that Khan might not be able to realise his dreams on his return, and he warned him, but Khan proved stubborn: The issue of my return to Egypt is very realistic without any doubt. It is only a matter of time and a little organisation. Cinema is in my blood like the Italian wine that you love so much, the older the better. Me too, I became more cinematically mature and I am pretty sure of what I can do, and how I can contribute. By 1975 Khan had a detailed return plan. Feeling that he was growing older and had no more time to waste, Khan outlined the kind of cinema he wanted to make: Arab filmmakers learned to fight capitalist society with capital. They want to make films to show the West that in the East we too have intellectuals who see the world the way Westerners see it. Their films are not really about humanity. They are not about workers, peasants, employees, soldiers, judges, even thieves. I am not talking about documentary films, but drama, melodrama, and comedy feature films about society, our society. Films that are entertaining, exciting, and tackle important issues at the same time. In the letters following his visit Khan speaks of a film project he would later realise in 1983 in The Street Player, starring Adel Imam, which Shimi filmed just as planned. Next year Khan made a short exploratory visit with his small family. Both friends had financial difficulties, but Khan was full of hope and faith in his role in the Egyptian film industry. It was a very strange hope that motivated him, Shimi writes. A hope that no one else but he could see or feel. I believed in him although I had a lot fears at the same time. The final decision to ignore all his friends warnings was made in 1977. My return to my beloved career is essential, Khan writes. And you dont see how important it is. You act like someone who is eating mutton in front of a hungry man. Instead of inviting him to the meal he starts to theoretically talk to him about his philosophy of the value of a loaf of bread. Khan came back with the idea of his first feature, Shams (Sun), later called Darbet Shams (or Sunstroke), starring Nour El Sherif (1946-2015) who was so enthusiastic he produced the film. The rest would be film history. The two friends often collaborated but even when they didnt their close friendship remained till the last day of Khans life. I tried in the trilogy to introduce Mohamed Khan as I knew him. He was an Egyptian to the marrow who challenged every kind of obstacle and frustration to achieve his dream. His realistic style in filmmaking became a landmark in Egyptian cinema that was followed by others. He put all that he earned from cinema in cinema as he financially produced many of his films, those that were inspired by the stories of the people. That is why he lived with the peoples love and made films to his last breath. Whenever we were together in his car while he drove, if I made any comment warning him about a bump in the road, he would respond, in English, I am the captain of the ship. And he was. He was the captain of the ship of Egyptian cinema. Reviewed by Nahed Nasr Search Keywords: Short link: Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, a police officer in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh has come to the aid of families of six policemen killed in Naxal violence. Kunkuri police station house officer (SHO) Vishal Kujur has from his own income provided essential food items and medicines for a month to the families of six martyred police personnel. Kunkuri is one of the backward areas in the tribal dominated zone of Jashpur. "I have seen my colleagues falling in the line of duty and hardships faced by their families following their demise. When I came to know about such families in the jurisdiction of my police station, I decided to help them," Kujur said. During the ongoing lockdown, these families were finding it tough to arrange for groceries and other essential items as they have already lost their breadwinner, he said. "It is our duty to help the families whose sons have sacrificed their lives while serving the motherland. I met them and arranged one-month ration and medicines for them," the officer said. People should come forward to help such families in this hour of crisis, said Kujur, who has a long stint of working in Naxal-affected areas of the state. Among these six families are the kin of Special Task Force (STF) constable Amarjeet Khalko, who was among the 17 policemen killed in an encounter with Naxals on March 21 this year in Sukma district. "During my visit to Khalko's house, I came to know that his mother could not receive the ex-gratia given to the kin of martyrs by the state government as she was not having a bank account. I contacted the bank authority in the area and got her account opened," Kujur said. The police officer said he will continue to help such families during the ongoing lockdown. Jashpur Collector Nilesh Kumar Kshirsagar appreciated Kujur, saying such noble gestures should be highlighted among people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This timeline chronicles the early stages of the viral outbreak in China and the Chinese regimes coverup. Despite the evidence, Chinese authorities played down the severity of the outbreak for weeks, while suppressing vital information about COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. By the time authorities implemented the first containment measures on Jan. 23, it was too late. The disease had already spread around the country and overseas. Less than two months later, the outbreak was declared a global pandemic. It has now spread to more than 200 countries and territories. Click on the infographic to enlarge. Read the text version: 2019 Nov. 17: The first person is infecteda 55-year-old from Hubei Provinceaccording to the South China Morning Post, citing government documents. Dec. 1: The earliest documented patient, a man in his 70s who was bedridden from a stroke, falls ill. He has no connection with the Wuhan seafood market. This case is one week earlier than the official account, which says the first patient appeared on Dec. 8. Mid-December: First evidence appears of human-to-human transmission among close contacts, according to a Jan. 29 study. Dec. 27: A Chinese lab sequences most of the virus genome from samples from a 65-year-old patient, and reports the findings to Wuhan health officials and state-affiliated Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Dec. 30: Dr. Ai Fen, a director of the emergency department at Wuhan Central Hospital, shares a report of a contagious, SARS-like virus in her department group chat on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform. She is later reprimanded by her hospital for spreading rumors. Dr. Li Wenliang of Wuhan shares the report with his former medical school classmates on WeChat, warning them to take precautionary measures. Later that day, Wuhan Central Hospital transmits a notice from the Wuhan Health Commission that warns health workers not to spread information about the unknown pneumonia, or face potential penalties. Wuhan Health Commission issues an urgent notice, asking hospitals to report any pneumonia patients with unknown causes. Dec. 31: Wuhan Health Commission confirms 27 cases of an unknown pneumonia disease, but said it was preventable and controllable. It also says that there have been no infections of health workers, and no apparent evidence that the disease can spread between people. Chinese authorities notify the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak. Security guards stand in front of the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, on Jan. 12, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) 2020 Jan. 1: Officials close Huanan Seafood Market, which they believe may be a source of the outbreak. A Hubei Provincial Health Commission official tells a genomics company to stop testing virus samples and to destroy all existing samples. Local police summon eight Wuhan medical workers who had shared information about the virus online, and reprimand them for rumor-mongering. Jan. 2: Government-run Wuhan virology lab obtains the full virus genome. This information is not made public until seven days later. The PLA Naval University of Engineering in Wuhan, a military university, bans entry to visitors whose body temperature is over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a leaked internal notice. Jan 3: Local police call in Li and reprimand him for rumor-mongering. The National Health Commission issues a notice to researchers to hand over virus samples to designated pathogen detection agencies or destroy them. Jan. 4: Hong Kong activates serious response level to the outbreak. Beijing sends a team of medical experts to Wuhan. Jan. 7: Li contracts the virus while treating an infected patient. He later dies of the virus on Feb. 7. Chinese leader Xi Jinping gets involved in response by issuing the first containment order. This isnt made public until February. Jan. 9: Xu Jianguo, a lead expert in the response team, tells Chinese state media that researchers mapped the full virus sequence two days earlier, and believe its a new coronavirus. Jan. 12: Chinese health authorities share the genome sequence with the WHO. Jan. 11Jan. 16: Two important CCP conferences are held in Wuhan. On Jan. 11, Wuhan health officials report a drop in the number of infections. For the remainder of this period, they report no new cases. Jan. 13: Thailand confirms its first infectiona Chinese tourist who traveled from Wuhanin the first known case outside China. Jan. 14: The WHO says that Chinese authorities had found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. It also notes limited human-to-human transmission, potentially among families is possible. Jan. 15: The first confirmed U.S. patient, a man from Washington state, returns from Wuhan. Chinese officials say that the risk of human-to-human infection is low. Jan. 16: Japan reports its first casea Chinese national from Wuhanbecoming the second country outside China to confirm an infection from the virus. The man tested positive between Jan. 10 and Jan. 15. Jan. 18: Local officials hold a large annual potluck banquet in Wuhans Baibuting community for 40,000 families, despite a request by committee staff to cancel it. Beijing dispatches a second panel of health experts to Wuhan. Jan. 20: Famed Chinese doctor Zhong Nanshan, who is part of Chinas response team, confirms that the disease can be spread from human to human. He notes that one patient had infected 14 health workers. By the end of the month, more than 3,000 health workers will be infected in Hubei Province, as revealed by a Chinese official on March 6. South Korea reports its first case, a 35-year-old Chinese woman who traveled from Wuhan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping makes his first public remarks about the disease, calling on authorities to take swift action to combat the outbreak, in a speech reported by Chinese state media. Jan. 21: The United States, the first country outside of Asia, confirms its first case. The Seattle man tested positive on Jan. 20. Jan. 23: Wuhan imposes a lockdown. By then, around 5 million people had left the city without being screened for the virus. A March study estimates 86 percent of all infections were undocumented prior to the Jan. 23 travel restrictions. A resident peers over a barrier set up to prevent people from entering in Wuhan, in Chinas central Hubei province, on Feb. 29, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Jan. 24: Thirteen other cities in Hubei Province (whose capital is Wuhan) are placed under lockdown. Hubei authorities announce a bid to build a temporary hospital in days. Chinese Lunar New Year festivities begin. Prior to that, hundreds of millions of Chinese travel around the country to celebrate the occasion with family. Jan. 27: Authorities in Hubei Province say they will free up 100,000 hospital beds for patients. Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang concedes that disclosures of the outbreak were not timely, but attempts to shift blame to the central government, saying he needed permission from higher-ups before releasing information. Beijing extends the New Year holiday to Feb. 2 and closes schools indefinitely. Jan. 28: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says Beijing declined an offer to send a team of health experts to China. On Feb. 7, he says the United States had been offering for more than a month. Jan. 30: The WHO declares the outbreak a global health emergency. Jan. 30 Onwards: Countries around the world start imposing border closures and travel restrictions. Cathy He contributed to this report. This article was published in The Epoch Times CCP Virus special edition magazine. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date when China shared the genome sequence with the WHO. It was Jan. 12. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Actor Idris Elba says he and his wife are clueless about the next step in their treatment for coronavirus after they passed their quarantine period. The 47-year-old actor, who is in New Mexico, had in March revealed that he had contracted coronavirus. His wife, Sabrina Dhowre, also tested positive for the disease a few days later. Since then, the actor has been regularly giving updates about his and Sabrina's health through social media. In the latest video, posted on his official Twitter account, Elba said their self-quarantine period is over but they are yet to be tested again for COVID-19. "We're both doing okay, still asymptomatic. We've passed the quarantine period but we're a little bit stuck in limbo we can't get a flight back home. So we just have to sit still for a little bit. "Other than that, we're OK, and we're so thankful for that. I think the worst of it has probably passed," Elba said in the video. The actor said he and Sabrina are both finding it difficult to deal with the self-isolation period. "It's weird because I never sit still, Sabrina never sits still either and I think she's finding it harder. She's getting cabin fever," Elba added. The couple is staying mentally strong and optimistic, the actor further said. "I hope you guys are too, keeping yourselves sane and not getting too worried or panicked. I thought I was definitely going to see the worst of it as an asthmatic. But thankfully I came through and you can too," he added. The actor then gave a shout out to all the health personnel who are leading the fight against coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of over 42,000 people globally. "To everyone that's going through some hard times financially, just bear up. It's going to be a tough time for everyone, but keep your head up basically. Hope you're good. We're going to fight this thing and everything's going to be cool, man," Elba said. The actor had recently told Oprah Winfrey during her new Apple TV Plus show that Sabrina and him were under quarantine in New Mexico, where he was shooting for his next movie "The Harder They Fall". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mr David Oppong Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Education, has advised parents to ensure strict supervision of their children at home. He said now that the coronavirus pandemic had imposed restrictions and made both parents and children to stay at home, it was the duty of parents to ensure that children were reading their books at all times. Parents should now play the role of teachers and ensure that children developed study time tables and concentrate on their books. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, Mr Oppong said the lockdown period should offer opportunity to parents to monitor their children and know their true characters. He said since all schools were closed and academic work halted, children should be encouraged and supported to learn at home in order not to forget what they had learnt in school. Mr Oppong, who was the Sekyere East District Director of Education before his transfer to Kumasi, advised parents not to allow their children to loiter at the expense of their books. He encouraged pupils and students to utilize the learning programmes on television to complement that of their books. 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 This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune. Heather Artrip, an out-of-work single mother of two sons, is facing down the prospect of a high-risk pregnancy in the middle of a pandemic. The 30-year-old Austin woman lost her job as a server two weeks ago when city officials shuttered bars and restaurant dining rooms to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. She wants to look for a new job, but doctors have deemed her pregnancy high risk. I have a grade two prolapse. My uterus could fall out, Artrip said. I'd have to be bedridden for the majority of my pregnancy. GRIEDER: Republican leaders shouldn't use pandemic to restrict abortion access Artrip's plans to end the pregnancy were thrown into question when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that abortions wouldn't be considered essential procedures as local officials and medical professionals race to manage an expected onslaught of COVID-19 patients. The day before her scheduled procedure, Artrip's clinic called to cancel. She's just one of potentially hundreds of Texans whose reproductive health decisions have been cast into uncertainty as the ongoing battle between abortion providers and Texas' top officials plays out in the courts. Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has already canceled 261 abortions, KUT reported last week. DEBUNKED: 21 of the worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus It is definitely a terrifying place to be, in this purgatory. It's very uncertain, and the roller coaster of emotions is extreme, Artrip said. Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order March 22 barring any procedures that are not immediately medically necessary. Paxton subsequently declared that the order applies to any abortions not considered critical to protect the life or health of the parent, prompting a lawsuit from a group of abortion providers. On Monday, a federal court sided with those providers and temporarily blocked state officials' attempted abortion ban. But on Tuesday, an appeals court overturned that decision. For now, that means the state can still enforce the ban, pending additional litigation. Attorneys on both sides of the legal battle have been directed to submit arguments to the same appeals court for further review. This has taken a toll on Artrip. She still intends to end the pregnancy, but now she isnt sure where or when it will happen. I became so desperate that I tried to induce my own miscarriage, which in hindsight is incredibly dangerous, she said. Abortion providers argue that Texas officials ban on the procedure reflects political opportunism and not genuine concern for conserving medical resources. Just 3% of Texas abortions were provided at hospitals in 2017, according to the reproductive rights research organization the Guttmacher Institute. Abortions do not require extensive personal protective equipment because few health care workers are present for the procedure, providers said, and clinicians generally do not use the N95 masks that are needed to treat COVID-19 patients and have been in short supply nationwide. The Texas Attorney Generals enforcement threats are a blatant effort to exploit a public health crisis to advance an extreme, anti-abortion agenda, without any benefit to the state in terms of preventing or resolving shortages of PPE or hospital capacity, abortion providers argued in their lawsuit. A number of other states, including Ohio, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma, have made similar moves to restrict abortion access during the escalating pandemic, though Texas order was among the strictest. Federal judges in Alabama and Ohio blocked those states' bans Monday. The federal judge in Austin who temporarily blocked enforcement of the ban wrote that Paxtons interpretation of the order prevents Texas women from exercising what the Supreme Court has declared is their fundamental constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is viable. Meanwhile, Artrip says shes looking at options across state lines. She's been cold-calling abortion clinics in New Mexico and Arkansas. I am 100% pro-choice. I also would like to have a third child at some point, she said. Right now is not ideal considering we are experiencing a global crisis, a pandemic. Emma Platoff contributed reporting. Disclosure: KUT and Planned Parenthood have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Mumbai, April 1 : A 6-day old male infant, his 26-year old mother, a policeman and a nurse were among the 33 new Covid-19 positive cases recorded in Maharashtra on Wednesday, taking the total number to 335, while one more person died in Mumbai, officials said. The infant was born late at night on March 26 at a Chembur private hospital where a patient undergoing treatment was later found Covid-19 positive, the child's distraught father told IANS. "We were asked to immediately leave the hospital which was being quarantined and the doctors refused to attend to us. But we refused to leave. The reports of my wife and our son came positive around midnight and since then we are at the Kasturba Hospital. We are requesting the government to ensure that proper care is given to our infant son," the wailing father said. The Covid-19 death toll in the state shot up by two on Wednesday, taking the total to 13. The deceased included two men, 51 and 75, both from Mumbai with no history of foreign travel, health officials said. Among the other patients found positive on Wednesday were a nurse and a patient from a well-known private hospital, a policeman, and a first case of a man infected from the heavily congested Dharavi -- notorious as Asia's biggest slum in central Mumbai. The new patients on Wednesday include 30 from Mumbai and 2 from Pune besides one from Buldhana, with the state recording its highest spurt of 115 cases in the past 36 hours, from 220 to 335. Besides Mumbai and Pune, the other cases are in Thane, Sangli, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Satara, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Gondia, Jalgaon, Nashik, besides one from Gujarat. The state has so far notched 13 Covid-19 deaths, including 9 in Mumbai, and one each in Palghar, Pune and Buldhana. The deceased include the state's youngest victim, a 40-year old suburban home-maker with no history of foreign travel, and a medico in his early 80s, said officials. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Health Minister Rajesh Tope have again appealed to the people to remain indoors and maintain social distancing. "The 'war against coronavirus' has reached a crucial stage and this is the time to exercise extreme precautions. Please do not step out of your homes for your own safety," the CM pleaded. Officials attributed the spike in cases on Tuesday to the Mumbai population density, especially in sprawling dingy slums with tiny tenements, which make up half of the country's commercial capital. The slums house millions of people eking out an existence in cramped quarters, with common sanitation facilities, insufficient water supply and no open spaces or greenery, making them a potentially fertile ground for diseases with little or no scope for 'social distancing'. To address the serious problem, Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi on Tuesday ordered requisitioning of all vacant premises like flats, buildings, hotels, lodges, clubs, ships, hostels, community halls, dharamshalas etc. to convert them into quarantine centres for low-risk or high-risk slum dwellers who have come in contact with Covid-19 patients. The Argentine government said Tuesday that the number of people requesting food assistance has increased following the government lockdown to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, leaving some unable to work. "The demand for food assistance increased from 8 million people to 11 million people," said Daniel Arroyo, the country's Minister of Social Development. Arrollo visited the San Cayetano church of Priest Jose "Pepe" Di Paola, known for his work in impoverished neighbourhoods. From early morning, people queued in the rain outside the church to process their documents to receive government help. Inside the church, volunteers cooked a giant pasta with stew to serve at noon. With a poverty rate of more than 35% according to the latest official figures, many people in Argentina are struggling to make ends meet, so a number of people have resorted to soup kitchens. Priest Di Paola said the desperate situation for millions of people proves that Pope Francis criticism of the current economic system is right. Outside, standing in the line, Miguel Fernandez, a father of four, 27-year old fruit vendor, said that the pandemic had left him jobless. In Argentina, the coronavirus has infected 966 people and killed 24. In most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that disappear in two to three weeks. But in some people, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions, it can lead to more serious illness and even death. STEPANAKERT, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan met today with the delegation of the Television and Radio Commission of Armenia led by head of the structure Tigran Hakobyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Issues related to the cooperation of Armenia and Artsakh in the sphere of telecommunication were discussed during the meeting. The meeting was also attended by chairman of the Artsakh Republic State Commission on Regulating Public Services and Economic Competition Michael Virabyan. Bako Sahakyan welcomed the monitoring of TV and radio companies conducted during the pre-election campaign within the framework of the cooperation between the regulatory bodies of the two Armenian states qualifying it significant and demanded. (Newser) The US surpassed China in coronavirus deaths Tuesday. Or did it? Bloomberg News reports that the US intelligence community thinks Beijing is lying about its stats, both in terms of infections and deaths. The story is based on interviews with three anonymous US officials familiar with a classified report given to the White House. The officials say China's numbers are "intentionally incomplete," per Bloomberg, and two of the officials say the report concludes the figures are flat-out fake. The COVID-19 outbreak first surfaced in China's Hubei province late last year, and the official numbers out of the countryroughly 82,000 cases and 3,300 deathssuggest the worst of China's outbreak is over. One problem: As Time points out, China has changed its definition of what it counts as a COVID-19 infection eight times since the outbreak began. story continues below For a while, China did not count cases of those who tested positive but showed no symptomseven though asymptomatic people are thought to be big spreaders of the disease, reports the Voice of America. That criteria changed only Tuesday, when China added more than 1,500 asymptomatic cases to its total, per Bloomberg. (On Wednesday, China reported 36 new coronavirus cases, all but one from abroad, notes the AP. It did not say if any were asymptomatic.) Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House response, alluded to the Chinese figures Tuesday. "The medical community ... interpreted the Chinese data as: 'This was serious, but smaller than anyone expected,'" she said. But "I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that we see what happened to Italy and see what happened to Spain." (Read more China stories.) Shelagh woman Marina Woods was having the time of her life travelling through Central America until Covid-19s outbreak in the region forced her and friend Aoife to perform their own great escape. Currently self-isolating in Waterford having returned to Ireland last Saturday week, following a hectic few days in which she crossed borders and negotiated multiple flights, relief was the overriding feeling upon touching down in Dublin. The 30-year-old left for a four-month travelling adventure in the Concacaf region in January, flying to Mexico City with the aim of reaching Panama by the end of April. In between there was no real plan bar following instinct. Six-and-a-half weeks in Mexico preceded a seven-day stint in Belize before crossing into Guatemala at the start of March. All the while the coronavirus pandemic was thought of as an Asian and European problem. Not for long, though. By the time we arrived in Guatemala it began to become a problem in Europe, but again we didnt think itd impact on our travel plans, Woods tells The Democrat, from her quarantine base. El Salvador and Honduras - the two countries we had planned to go to next - closed their borders about two weeks ago so that was the first time we thought it could impact us significantly. At that stage the only option would have been to fly to Nicaragua or Costa Rica. Guatemala hadnt taken any action at that stage, but at 2pm last Monday (March 16) the President announced that they were closing the airport at midnight. That meant flying to Nicaragua or Costa Rica, our Plan B, no longer became an option so we didnt really know what to do. The next day there were further restrictions announced whereby public and private transport were banned. The President just announced it and that was that. Staying in a hostel with several other European backpackers, the pair became increasingly unsettled as locals began to suspect the tourists of bringing Covid-19 into the country. When the President made the announcement, we went to the supermarket and you could sense from the locals their worry. They would cross the street when they saw us, they didnt want to be walking on the same side as us. In the supermarket they would deliberately not walk down the aisles we were walking down because, in their eyes, we had brought the virus to Guatemala; it was a European problem. It wasnt a place where we felt very safe and the locals were concerned about not being able to make a living - the President had closed everything. We felt they might turn against us so I got on to the Irish Embassy. They were very good, but their knowledge of the situation was as much as we knew; theyd no additional information. Their advice was to leave and the only way out was to cross the border into Mexico and hope for a flight from there, because the airports in Guatemala were closed. We made a decision at 9pm on Wednesday night that wed leave on Thursday morning at 5am and hope for the best. With no publically viable way to make the five-hour hike to the Mexican crossing, they, along with a few other groups, hired a shuttle bus and a driver, who provided hand sanitiser and masks upon the outset of the journey. However, fear remained that they could be left stranded with reports indicating the borders would be closed. Rumours even circulated suggesting that police officers were commanding bribes to allow people to progress. Fortunately, they made it across, their driver saying it would be the last such opening, and from there they travelled to Tapachula Airport and on to Mexico City, via Guadalajara, where a return flight to Dublin was availed of. On the move from early Thursday morning until arriving in Dublin more than two days later, Marina went 36 hours with no sleep. But, having been in touch with some of those who remained, it was certainly the correct decision as uncertainty is reigning at where they had been staying. Weve been in touch with the other backpackers who are still there and theyre saying that its a ghosttown and theres not a lot of backpackers left. They feel they might be locked in the hostel soon and that was our concern. Aoifes family home in Waterford is empty at the moment so weve been self-isolating here ever since. I havent been back home or seen any family or friends, but I suppose thats the same for everybody at the minute. Its been strange to go from travelling every day to sitting inside all the time. Its been difficult to get used to, but thats the new normal now, isnt it? How is she health-wise? Im feeling absolutely fine and hopefully thatll stay the same. The symptoms mightnt display if we do have anything, because we did have four flights in quick succession and the flights were nearly full with everyone sitting beside each other. Fingers crossed we dont get any symptoms, but at the minute were lying low and trying to stay away from everyone. An accountant for an insurance firm in Dublin, a job which she left prior to setting off earlier in the year, Marina had planned to emigrate to Toronto after her Central American voyage. Indeed, only for Canada had shut itself, going directly there was an option prior to the Guatemalan airports going into lockdown. She celebrated her birthday when in Mexico. That milestone, along with everything else, makes the trip one to remember. Thats an understatement, definitely. I was having the best time of my life up until a few days ago. Its certainly been a story, lets put it like that, and Ill remember it for a very, very long time. I feel like Ive unfinished business in Central America. Maybe next time Guatemalas President, Alejandro Giammattei, will be more receptive. Marina also did a travel podcast, named Eat. Sleep. Leap. Repeat., while away and listeners can find it on the Podbean app. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition toward the so-called Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 which was recently signed by Washington into law. The U.S. practice seriously sabotaged the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques, and severely violated the international law and the basic norms governing international relations. It also grossly interfered in Chinas domestic affairs. The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 is an evil act that allows the U.S. government to enhance or cut economic, security and diplomatic relations with other countries in accordance with the latters relationship with Taiwan. It is nothing but a hegemonic threat that indulges the wrongdoings challenging the one-China principle. The U.S. made huge hypes over the so-called international space of Taiwan when selling the act. However, it shall be solemnly pointed out that Taiwans international space is never something that can be defined by Washington. Theres only one China in the world, and adhering to the one-China policy is a recognized code for international relations and a consensus of the international society. A total of 180 countries have established diplomatic relations with China. Even if the U.S. uses its hegemony to stop other sovereignty countries from developing normal international relations with China, the historic trend can not be reversed. The Taiwan question touches upon Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involves Chinas core interests. The Chinese government reiterated that China has an unshakable will in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and no external intervention can change that. The development of China-U.S. relations in the past 40 some years proved that the general stability of bilateral relations can not be achieved without certain political foundation. The Taiwan question has always remained a core and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, and without the one-China principle, the foundation of the relationship will not stand solid. If the U.S. keeps proceeding toward the wrong direction over the Taiwan question and seriously disrupts the general picture of bilateral relations and bilateral cooperation on major fields, it will finally damage its own interests. The U.S. has to take all responsibilities for the results of its practices. Lately, some U.S. politicians have acted in an arrogant and unscrupulous manner on China-U.S. relations, and even challenged the bottom line. At the recent Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting on COVID-19, U.S. officials pushed to include language that stigmatizes China in the joint statement. Such act blatantly violated the international rules, and was opposed by even traditional allies of the U.S. An European diplomat told the media that what the U.S. suggested was a red line. It proves that a just cause enjoys abundant support while an unjust cause finds little. The international justice can never be defined by the U.S. for its private profits. China and the U.S. are at a critical moment regarding their bilateral relations, and the U.S. should take concrete actions to improve the ties. In terms of the Taiwan question which decides the foundation of China-U.S. relations, the U.S. shall have a clear understanding following the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques, as well as removing obstacles impeding the China-U.S. relations that feature non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. To stabilize China-U.S. relations concerns the interests of both parties. Under the backdrop of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, both China and the U.S. should conform to the aspiration of the people, and cooperate with each other to overcome the current difficulties. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) Wrexham-based Village Bakery is donating spelt and honey bread to local care workers. The 800g sliced loaves were supplied to Hope House in Morda, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen, as well as Nightingale House Hospice and Pendine Park in Wrexham. There are currently three weekly deliveries of 2,500 loaves in total. The idea was introduced by members of staff at the bakery and a request from a nurse at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, said Robin Jones, managing director at Village Bakery. Ive seen videos online and news about people not being able to shop, including those who work in social care and the NHS, so I thought if we do a little bit, its going to help. These people deserve support and theyre all going to be snowed under in the weeks to come. This is a way for all the staff at the Village Bakery to say thank you to everybody who is on the frontline during this pandemic, said Jones. The loaves are produced using a spelt and honey mix that ingredients supplier Ireks is giving to bakers to use to support local causes during the coronavirus outbreak. All those who are on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus from health workers to public servants are earning plaudits for their brave and tireless work with good reason, said Ireks. We would like to do even more; hopefully together with you bakers! If you want to support these heroes of today, all you have to do is get in touch with us. Bread production had increased by 200% to cope with the demand from supermarkets and independent stores, said Village Bakery. Two more drops were planned for next week and the following week. We need as much support as we can, because fundraising is obviously very difficult in this climate. Were doing what we can, but a lot of events that wed organised have had to be postponed or cancelled, added Peter Jackson, catering manager at Nightingale House. Its all the more welcome because this kindness is also a recognition of the vital role social care staff are playing amid the coronavirus crisis in safeguarding the most vulnerable people in society, said Mario Kreft, proprietor at Pendine Park. For more information on the Ireks offer to bakers, see British Bakers Coronavirus impact update. Daniel Hannan is a writer and columnist. He was a Conservative MEP from 1999 to 2020, and is now President of the Initiative for Free Trade. One by one, firms starting to go under. They struggle on for as long as they can, furloughing their employees, taking government grants to cover their outgoings. But especially for companies that dont qualify for the 25,000 handout the bills eventually become too much. Yes, 80 per cent of staff salaries is generous. But they still have to cover their rent, rates, utility bills, insurance, council tax, supplier invoices and, of course, residual salaries. With zero customers, it becomes impossible. Which is why, within the first nine days of the crisis, half-a-million extra people had joined the dole queue. Even sectors that you would expect to be insulated are being hit. A publisher friend, for example, tells me that book distribution companies are going down, meaning that he, too, has to lay off staff. We have all spent a lot of time looking at exponential graphs recently. Insolvencies could soon be ticking up faster than infections. The furlough scheme is not designed to last. It makes sense to hold jobs open if the stoppage is brief. But that is the most weighted if since the Spartans sent their one word reply to Philip of Macedon. If most businesses are able to reopen by Easter, the policy will have been triumphantly vindicated. Staff will return to work, the rise in unemployment will be contained, and the economic hit will turn out to have been largely a one-off. If, on the other hand, the shutdown lasts until May, or even June, there will be few customers, since everyone else will also have had to retrench. That last paragraph will send several readers scrambling furiously for their keyboards. Typical Tories! they will say. How can you even be thinking about businesses at a time like this? How can you put a value on human life? Actually, governments are obliged put a value on life all the time. The NICE does it whenever calculates whether a new medical investment is justified. There is even a formula to work out Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY), reflecting the difference between the death of a healthy toddler and that of a bed-ridden nonagenarian. Since, all over the world, we can see a correlation between life expectancy and GDP, it is not unreasonable to ask how many extra years or how many extra QALY will be forfeited under the various strategies open to us. My point is not that shops must reopen at any cost. No one is arguing that. My point is simply that trade-offs need to be made. There must logically be a point at which the cost of the containment measures, in terms of human welfare and even of fatalities, outweighs the cost of the virus. I am not saying that we are at that point. Indeed, Im not sure anyone could confidently say so when there are so many unknowns. There are widely varying estimates of how contagious COVID-19 is, and how lethal. We have no idea how many people have already had it. In the circumstances, we cant say how many would be at risk if the strictures were loosened. Nor, obviously, can we put a number on the indirect costs of the shutdown: no one knows, yet, how many businesses are collapsing. But the fact that we cant yet put numbers on these things doesnt mean that, as we get more data, we shouldnt keep them under review. Two years ago, during the unusually cold winter of 2017/18, seasonal flu carried away some 50,000 people. No one argued that we should shut all shops to slow the virus. Indeed, according to the UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011: It will not be possible to halt the spread of a new pandemic influenza virus, and it would be a waste of public health resources and capacity to attempt to do so. Now the key point. How much we should pay, and who should pay it, are political questions. How much we borrow, how much of a hit we expect businesses to bear, how we compensate them for that hit these are democratic judgment calls, not medical facts. It is important to understand the distinction. We should listen to experts in their fields of expertise. But the question of how to allocate limited resources is political rather than scientific. Ministers should defer to their advisers when it comes to charting the epidemiology. But it is unreasonable to ask epidemiologists to rule on, say, the relative costs of closing down all commercial activity versus that of concentrating on protecting only those individuals in high-risk categories. We elect politicians to arbitrate competing claims of this sort. That is why MPs must continue to meet, virtually if necessary. It is why the identity of the next Labour leader matters. It is why it would be wrong to have a government of national unity. External scrutiny allows different ideas to be proposed, different perspectives to be tested. Commentators, like MPs, are partially cocooned. People who write columns, as I do, were already largely working from home. Although some media may be forced under by the loss of advertising revenue we have, so far, not lost our livelihoods. Nor have MPs or civil servants: their salaries are unaffected. That isnt a criticism; it is simply a reminder that the costs of a crisis like this are not felt evenly. To repeat, I am not in any position to say how high those costs will be, or how high they ought to be. I cant tell you whether the price of the hospitalisations and fatalities will be higher than that of a two-week lockdown, or a two-month lockdown, or a two-year lockdown. All I am saying is that that grim calculation must at some point be made. Refusing to face it is not an act of high-mindedness, but of dereliction. WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence is encouraging fellow faith followers not to attend services larger than 10 people to prevent the spread of coronavirus. "We really believe this is a time when people should avoid gatherings of more than 10 people," Pence told ABC's "Nightline" in an interview scheduled to air Wednesday evening. "And, and so, we continue to urge churches around America to heed to that." Pence also said that he, his wife, Karen, and President Donald Trump have "been enjoying worship services online," according to ABC. His admonition came on the same day he said on CNN that Italy "may be the most comparable area to the United States" in terms of coronavirus mortality rates and cases. "The American people need to know that our future is in their hands," Pence said in another interview on Fox News. Vice President Mike Pence talks on the warehouse intercom to employees at a Walmart Distribution Center along with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Wednesday April 1, 2020, in Gordonsville, Va. Pence, who calls his Christian faith "the most important thing in my life," tries to start every day by reading the Bible and praying with his wife. The Pence's oldest daughter, Charlotte, recently appeared on Fox Nation's "Bible Study: Messages of Hope," to share a favorite Bible verse that she hopes will help people cope with the pandemic. The pastor of a megachurch in Florida was arrested this week after defying county and state orders requiring that gatherings, including those held by faith-based groups, be smaller than 10 people. At least a half-dozen states have some type of exemption for faith gatherings, according to the Associated Press. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas and a major evangelical supporter of Trump, initially chose to keep an in-person service option by holding services of less than 500 people. He later reversed course and encouraged followers to participate online. Trump suggested last month that Americans could return to normal life on Easter, and fill all the churches. But he announced Sunday that the White House would be extending its social distancing guidelines through April 30. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Vice President Pence urges limiting church gatherings Representatives of VG-CARE and the University of Tubingen with the test tubes delivered from Vietnam at the University of Tubingen in Germany, March 30, 2020. Photo courtesy of the German Embassy in Vietnam. Vietnam sent Germany around 6,000 test tubes to aid the country in finding a cure for the disease, the German Embassy in Vietnam stated Tuesday. The Vietnamese-German Center of Excellence in Medical Research (VG-CARE) in Hanoi delivered the test tubes Monday, according to the German Embassy. The test tubes would be used in clinical trials for a Covid-19 cure, carried out by the University of Tubingen, the University of Hamburg and the University of Stuttgart. Trials begin Wednesday. At present, Germany doesn't have enough test tubes to properly commence trials, the press release added. Germany has so far recorded over 71,800 Covid-19 cases, with a death toll of at least 775. Previously, Vietnam had supported neighbors Laos and Cambodia with $200,000 worth of medical equipment to aid the Covid-19 fight. Meanwhile, Japan would aid Vietnam with at least $1.85 million to stem the pandemic, said Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in a telephonic conference with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Tuesday, according to the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The U.S. would further aid Vietnam with nearly $3 million to prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, support technical experts in response and preparedness, risk communication, infection prevention and control of the ongoing crisis, the U.S. Department of State announced March 27. Vietnam has so far recorded 212 Covid-19 cases, of whom 63 have been discharged. Many of the active cases are those returned from Europe and the U.S. and those whod come in close contact with them. The Covid-19 pandemic has so far spread to 203 countries and territories, claiming over 43,000 lives. Fiddling his fingers over two turntables and a mixer, a barefoot and black-clad, Lou Sanchez blasted out house and hip-hop music Saturday afternoon to hundreds from the comfort and safety of his empty dining room. With the coronavirus crisis closing bars and clubs across San Antonio, local DJs like Sanchez are now streaming their talents across social media, trading the sweaty hoots and hollers from the dance floor for digital hearts and thumbs-ups from the laptop and smartphone. Since mid-March, the San Antonio DJ known professionally as Filthy Chicken has played tunes on Facebook, where dozens tune in to the 39-year-olds daily hour-long gigs. Its nowhere near the same as Sanchezs normal DJ job at La Roca Cantina. But the way he sees it, the beat must go on as much for music spinners as for music lovers. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases More Information San Antonio DJs on Facebook San Antonio DJ Lou Sanchez, aka Filthy Chicken, plays daily on his Facebook page (@lou.alb.1) 2 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 9 p.m.Fridays and Saturdays (times may vary). Here are some other area DJs who play on Facebook at various times. DJ Cece (@D.J.CeceSaTx) DJ Ceejay (@djceejaysa) DJ Teerock (@DjTeeRock79) Tha Dark Knight (@OfficialThaDarkKnight) DJ Dogbone (@DJDogbone) DJ Hans 242 (@DJHANS242) Terpsi (@lorimartinez25) See More Collapse Im not driven by views, Sanchez said. Im driven by doing what I do and helping people out. Call it the DJ D-Nice effect. The Los Angeles-based Derrick Jones has made national headlines with his Instagram Live dance parties, where as many as 150,000 viewers have raised the virtual roof at his so-called Club Quarantine. Famous faces have tuned in, too, including former first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. As Jones told Variety, the point of the virtual DJ party is to bring isolated people together while remaining physically apart, and to take their minds off the outside world one song a time. Were all dealing with the coronavirus, Jones said. To have a few hours of not worrying about a thing and hearing music, celebrating each other and allowing that to relieve some stress is important. Music relieves all stress. On ExpressNews.com: Tips for a DIY San Antonio Book Festival Sanchez also administers the private Facebook group DJ Services in San Antonio Texas, which has more than 1,100 members. He figures about 60 DJs here are streaming online, whether live or prerecorded. The names and genres run the gamut. Dagoberto Patlan, aka DJ Dogbone, favors 80s alternative, while Frank Hans Jakobs, aka DJ Hans 242, plays retro 80s and industrial. And Lori Martinez, aka Terpsi, plays just about everything from disco and house music to club classics. Yet for many area DJs, the move to online streaming is a whole new dance. Cecilia DJ Cece Garcia may be the longest-running female DJ in San Antonio. She has worked just about every major club in town, including the popular Bonham Exchange. She returned to the downtown club in 2017, having previously worked there from 1996 to 2000. Garcia just did her first-ever Facebook Live gig on a recent Saturday afternoon, broadcasting on her iPhone from a friends house for her pals birthday. I liked it because most of the people on my (Facebook) friends list are a lot of people that I've met at the bar and known throughout the years, she said. They were sending messages through Facebook saying, can you play this, can you play that. It was a rush to be able to feel it and know that I'm making people happy and that theyre dancing around at their house. Because they really cant do it anywhere else. Garcia added that she DJed online as much for her benefit as for her listeners. I love DJing with everything in me, she said. And to not be able to do it is really frustrating and kind of depressing. San Antonio music producer and promoter Christian Lalinde actually sees a bright side to DJing in the age of COVID-19, starting with a stronger connection to fans. A local trance and hard-dance DJ who goes by Sephi Hakubi, Lalinde is organizing a virtual music festival called WeekEND Rave Smash. Slated for May 30-31, the rave will stream around 20 hours of prerecorded DJ sets via a link at the events website, weekendravesmash.com. What I hope is that more DJs and artists (will) actually be comfortable streaming and embrace technology, Lalinde said. Lalinde said more DJs are using social media to promote themselves and each other. And while most DJs dont have time to chat with audiences and peers while on the clock onsite, online they now they actually have more time to respond to comments, be it in real time or after a stream. And then theres the convenience of not having to lug all that DJ equipment to the next job site. They can just roll out of bed or whatever and just start playing, and they have everything around them, he said. In Sanchezs case, its a modern setup with an old school twist. For his shelter-in-place DJing, Sanchez mounted an old pair of 1970s Technics speakers to the upper corners of a dining room wall and plugged them into an amp connected to his high-tech mixer and twin turntables, which he uses to scratch and seamlessly fuse tunes queued up on his MacBook Air. When its time to broadcast on Facebook Live, Sanchez simply mounts his iPhone on a nearby smartphone stand and lights up his makeshift DJ station with a work lamp from his garage. Sanchez said most DJs streaming online either hook up their smartphones to an iRig device or just use their phones camera and microphone to broadcast a raw feed of the music blaring from their speakers. Sanchez opts for the latter, partly out of nostalgia (hes been DJing for nearly 25 years) but mostly out of necessity (iRigs these days are about as hard to come by as toilet paper). If anything, the biggest technological hurdle to DJing on Facebook is Facebook itself. Sanchez said the social network tends to shut down a feed whenever its AI detects copyrighted music being played by someone other than its original artist or record label. Thats why he gets creative. For a recent Facebook Live gig, Sanchez played around 80 songs in an hour, mixing one tune into the next every 30-odd seconds at a time. The shorter musical bursts make it difficult for Facebooks AI to recognize a tune and shut down the show, he said. Would that Garcia knew that for her Facebook Live debut. She recalled she had to restart her four-hour DJ set several times, and at one point even got a message from Facebook saying her video was banned in Canada. Even D-Nice has had to play nice with Facebook. When CEO Mark Zuckerberg tuned in to one of his Instagram Live shows (Facebook owns Instagram), D-Nice said he asked the Facebook mogul please dont cut us off! According to D-Nice, Zuckerberg apparently obliged with the response, You got this. Perhaps Facebook will relax its restrictions. Just the same, Sanchez said hes added his name to the more than 4,400 who have signed one of several Change.org petitions asking Facebook to temporarily stop muting DJs live streams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the biggest challenge for DJs right now is simply making a living. Its an industry where if you dont work you dont make money, Sanchez said. Theres no paid leave. As a full-time DJ, he said hes lucky to have squirreled away some money for a rainy day, though hes now using what was basically vacation funds to pay the bills. Most DJs arent so lucky. Its a big challenge because Im hired as contract labor, Garcia said. Its hit me pretty hard. Thats why Sanchez and other DJs include their Cash App name or $cashtag, so they can receive funds from other Cash App users. Sanchez also shares other DJs posts on his Facebook page, such as funk and hip-hop DJs Teon DJ Teerock Callaway, Calvin DJ Ceejay Miller and Tha Dark Knight. But as much as Sanchez loves boosting the DJ scene during such troubled times, he especially relishes reconnecting with those faces hes used to seeing in person. One La Roca regular who suffers from depression recently chimed in online to tell him that seeing him on the screen and listening to him play the songs she loves to dance to lifted her spirits. We are family to them, Sanchez said. Online audiences get to see Sanchezs side of the family, too. Often his 3-year-old son Max and 1-year-old daughter Zara will come tug him on the foot during an at-home gig and hell pick them up to say hi to the listeners. rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz The Defence Headquarters says the Air Component of the Armed Forces troops of Operation Gama Aiki deployed in Niger State has neutralised some bandits at their hideout located about 10km Southeast of Pandogari area of the state. The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, a brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Mr Onyeuko said attack was undertaken on March 31, sequel to credible human intelligence reports indicating that the bandits had assembled under a group of trees at Kalaibu Village near Pandogari. He added that a Nigerian Air Force attack helicopter dispatched for an armed reconnaissance mission in the area spotted and engaged the bandits, neutralizing some, while others managed to escape with gunshot wounds. He said the operations is in continuation of air operations aimed at flushing out armed bandits from the country. The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in furtherance of the objective of restoring peace and security in the North West, will sustain the offensive against the enemies of our Nation until our mission is accomplished, he said. (NAN) Advertisement Police allegedly let more than 30 guests celebrate a Melbourne wedding despite strict rules banning ceremonies with more than five people present. A reception was held in Broadmeadows, in the city's north, on Sunday, with pictures and video showing family and friends dancing to a drummer's beat and gathering for a photo with the bride and groom. Locals and guests said Victoria Police were called, and officers made a brief appearance, but celebrations continued afterwards. Attendees were allegedly told the party could continue following the traditional Islamic ceremony as long as they kept 1.5 metres away from one another and limited themselves to groups of five people. Victoria Police let wedding celebrations go ahead in Broadmeadows, Victoria, at the weekend despite strict social distancing measures. 32 people are in the above photograph Those present at the wedding were told the party could continue if they kept 1.5m away from one another and kept themselves in groups of five. The bride and groom are on left The Melbourne wedding sparked fierce debate online with guests and friends lashing out at critics on a local Crimestoppers Facebook group. 'The cops came and did nothing,' one wedding guest said. 'They let us continue in groups of five and 1.5 metres apart.' Rules announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 24 restricted weddings to the bride, groom, celebrant and two witnesses from March 26. 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 Several couples, including Steve Irwin's daughter Bindi and lover Chandler Powell, brought their weddings forward so they could celebrate with family. Authorities were hesitant to give an explanation for what occurred in this situation. 'Victoria Police will not provide a running commentary on individual spot checks, reports of people breaching self-isolation or breaches of mass gatherings,' a police spokeswoman said. 'However we have seen the vast majority of the community treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves up until this point.' Daily Mail Australia has approached Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville, the groom and several guests for comment. The wedding - although hardly large by normal standards - came before draconian new guidelines banning public gatherings of more than two people. Victorian authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the state's Stage Three guidelines are so strict couples can't meet up if they don't already live together. Ms Neville tweeted on Wednesday: 'You cannot visit your partner for social reasons'. Police stand guard outside Melbourne's Crown hotel where travellers from overseas have been placed into forced quarantine since new coronavirus control measures kicked at midnight Saturday NSW Police move on a family sitting in Rushcutters Bay park as authorities enforce 'stay home unless essential' orders across the nation Asked if a social visit was allowed, Premier Daniel Andrews said in a press conference: 'That's not work, that's not care-giving, that's not medical care, that's not shopping for the things you need when you need them, and it does not comply with the rules. People should not do that.' The rules are different in New South Wales, the state worst affected by the coronavirus, where couples are allowed to visit each other at home. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said visiting a partner counts as 'care' because it is vital for mental health. 'I would put that under care, absolutely, mental health, that's under care we need to look after each other,' Mr Fuller said. The Victorian government website reads: 'Every interaction with another person carries the risk of transmission and should be avoided.' The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Wednesday condemned the use of disinfectant spray on migrant workers in Bareilly who were returning home amid the coronavirus lockdown. It added that migrant workers should not be dehumanised or criminalised. "AITUC strongly condemns the use of disinfectant spray on the migrant workers in Bareilly who were desperate to reach home and walking for miles on the highways," AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said in a statement. "It is criminal to use chemical spray on human bodies as it can cause nausea, vomiting, head ache, irritation and damage to eyes...and could be fatal in case of children and those with ailment of asthma, diabetes etc," she added. AITUC also noted that in Bulandshahar, a police personnel was seen writing "I am a lockdown breaker" on the forehead of a worker. "Could anybody witness such a scene with an affluent, some of them in high positions violating advisories on lockdown even though having a history of travelling in Corona effected countries in the months of February- March 2020," Kaur added. Further, some workers in Surat were not only lathicharged, but cases have also been filed against them, it said. There are no efforts by the authorities to reach out to the places where these workers are held up in various states after losing their livelihood and having no resources to feed themselves, the union added. No efforts are being made to explain to them the need of the lockdown while also ensuring their basic essentials of food water and medical care, it said. "It is shameful that some of those in power including some responsible government officials having scant regard to the basic human rights of crores of vulnerable, helpless poor workers who are desperate having lost their livelihood, place of stay and compelled due to circumstances to walk for miles to reach back homes in villages," she added. The AITUC demanded the intervention of the Ministry of Labour to protect the workers. "We also demand from the central government to come out with special financial help to the state governments in fulfilling their obligations towards these migrant workers as well as the others poor working masses in the states who have suddenly lost their livelihood due to lockdown," it added. Earlier last month, the AITUC had demanded a Rs 5 lakh crore package in the wake of informal sector workers losing their jobs due to the lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. While the COVID-19 pandemic has reached nearly every corner of the globe, one country stands out, for now, as unmarked by the virus. Wrecked by five years of brutal war, Yemen is already home to the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. There are currently no reported cases in the country, which is very fortunate: The coronaviruss spread in the country would be particularly catastrophic. Advertisement Despite that potential disaster scenario, the Trump administration announced on Friday that it is cutting $70 million worth of aid to northern Yemen, where the countrys humanitarian crisis is the most acute. International organizations say this funding could have gone to health programs that Yemenis desperately need. The countrys medical facilities have been routinely attacked during the war between the countrys Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. According to Yemeni government statistics, there are only 700 ICU beds and 500 ventilators in the country for a population of about 30 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a very big problem as the U.S. was one of the biggest donors, says Caroline Seguin, Doctors Without Borders deputy program manager for the Middle East. For example, in northern Yemen, there is now no funding to open a COVID-19 treatment center, she said: If you dont have any money to pay doctors salaries, it will be very difficult to open any center that treats the coronavirus. Advertisement Advertisement The official reason for the U.S. cutting is that the Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have been siphoning off food supplies and other aid intended for the Yemeni populace. The move also fits into a strategy employed by the Saudi coalition in its war against the Houthis: limiting the rebels resources in order to pressure them into political concessions. Yemeni civilians have suffered as a result, but despite the outcry from human rights groups, the U.S. and U.K. have continued to provide military and logistical support to the Saudi coalition. Meanwhile, fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi coalition has kicked up a notch over the past few days despite United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recent call for a global cease-fire so the world can work together to fight COVID-19. The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, over the weekend. Saudi Arabia responded by bombing the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which the Houthis control. The pattern of fighting is consistent with Houthi-Saudi sparring over the past few years as negotiations consistently break down between the two warring sides. While these most recent attacks may only be posturing before the two sides begin negotiations yet again, less promising for a cease-fire is the increase in deadly fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-supported government forces along the border of Houthi territory in Yemen, eastward of the capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth is that even if the fighting were to stop, a COVID-19 outbreak would be catastrophic for millions of very poor, very hungry, and vulnerable people in Yemen, but if it does not stop, it will be far worse, said Peter Salisbury, Yemen senior analyst at International Crisis Group. Additionally, its unclear if the countrys beleaguered health system would be able to keep track of COVID-19 even if it had arrived. COVID-19 isnt the only health crisis Yemen faces. In 2017, the country went through the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, with about 1.2 million cases, and Yemen often seems to be on the brink of a resurgence, while also fighting outbreaks of dengue fever and typhoid. Advertisement Advertisement It would be very lucky to have no cases in Yemen, for sure, said Seguin. According to the World Health Organization, it has distributed about 1,000 COVID-19 testing kits to medical facilities across Yemen. So far, only suspected cases who have symptoms and a history of exposure are being tested. Its nowhere nearly enough where you could test every suspected case that walks into a hospital, said Christine Cool, WHO spokesperson in Yemen. Because Yemen hasnt announced any cases yet, its not considered a priority country for receiving more coronavirus-related supplies from WHO. Advertisement Advertisement Still, at the time of a pandemic, Yemens isolation may have turned into a strange blessing. Even before COVID-19, Yemen was relatively cut off. Houthi-controlled Yemen received no commercial air travel, and Sanaas airport had only been functioning for the past few months. While the Saudi blockade on Houthi territory has led to humanitarian catastrophe, it may have had the unintended consequences of helping keep the coronavirus at bay. Now the Houthis are enforcing a quarantine for any Yemeni entering their territory from government-controlled Yemen, even if the person is just returning home. The conditions of the quarantine are reportedly grim. Advertisement Advertisement Even in the rest of the country, nominally under control of Yemens internationally recognized government, there were few international commercial flights a day from neighboring countries on the national carrier, Yemenia, and only into two cities, Aden and Seiyoun. These flights were suspended in mid-March, though it is certainly possible that Yemenis traveling home from Cairo, for example, could have brought COVID-19 into the country. In preparation for the viruss arrival, Yemens government has tried to take steps to enforce social distancing by suspending gatherings for Friday prayers and closing markets that sell qat, the mild narcotic that is widely consumed in Yemen, though local reports show that these efforts have not always been obeyed. Advertisement Advertisement There is one part of Yemen, however, that did receive international travelers prior to the flight suspension: the island Socotra, south of the mainland in the Indian Ocean. Over the past few months, a few dozen tourists, mostly from Europe, have been flying from Cairo to the island each week. So far, there have been no known cases of COVID-19 in Socotra, but given that medical care is quite limited on the far-removed island of 60,000, it could swiftly turn into a coronavirus nightmare if there are cases. There also are no testing kits on Socotra, according to WHO. Swabs would have to be sent to Aden. I was one of those visitors in early February. I recall being required to complete a medical form upon arrival, attesting that I hadnt visited China recently. Little did Socotra authorities know that it would have been wiser to ask if I had come from Europe. Larry W. Smith/Getty Images A man wanted on felony charges was wounded in a shootout with Guadalupe County Sheriffs deputies who were attempting to arrest him, officials said Sheriff Arnold Zwicke said the incident began when deputies were attempting to arrest the 25-year-old man on a warrant for felony drug charges at about 4 p.m. Tuesday in the 2200 block of Weil Road. And to prepare for the coming surge of those carrying the virus, both are doing their best to clear beds, sending patients home or delaying surgeries they normally would not. Dr. Richard V. Riggs, Cedar-Sinais chief medical officer, said that at first, only elective surgeries were postponed, but as the urgency has mounted, the hospital has also begun postponing cancer surgeries that oncologists say can wait until after May, when the peak is expected to hit. But at M.L.K. clearing beds is complicated, because many of the patients do not have doctors in the community who can handle follow-up care. At least in Beverly Hills, when they send a patient home they have a doctor they know is going to take care of the person, said Dr. Batchlor. In our community there is just a huge deficit. And, they worry, they may be sending people home to living arrangements, such as homeless shelters or group homes, where social distancing is difficult, if not impossible. Were feeling the pressure to clear the decks yet we feel that in a good majority of our patients if we clear the decks we actually could be creating more of a surge later on, said Alaine Schauer, senior director of critical care at M.L.K. But if their challenges are slightly different, their fears are much the same. One doctor doing coronavirus triage at Cedars-Sinai went home last week and, after stepping into the foyer to strip out of scrubs and bleaching the area, reread the Hippocratic oath. Messages of support for a high-profile Belfast solicitor fighting for his life against the coronavirus have been "truly overwhelming," his colleague has said. Niall Murphy remained in a critical but stable condition on Wednesday after he was rushed to hospital last week. The 43-year-old father-of-three was placed in a medically induced coma last week and is on a ventilator. A partner with the KRW law firm, Mr Murphy is also a leading figure in Co Antrim GAA. On Monday, friends and work colleagues asked supporters to send a message of support to his family and for Mr Murphy to read as he recovers. Those messages in their own way can give a little bit of comfort to the family and indeed any family who is experiencing a similar horrendous ordeal as Niall's Kevin Winters KRW partner Kevin Winters told the Belfast Telegraph: "The outpouring of support has been truly overwhelming. "Those messages in their own way can give a little bit of comfort to the family and indeed any family who is experiencing a similar horrendous ordeal as Niall's. "So far there's been no real change in his condition. He remains critical but stable." The gesture was praised by Co Down pastor Mark McClurg, who is recovering after spending time in intensive care for coronavirus. He said receiving positive messages had been vital to give his family hope. "As a covid-19 patient I was sick, but my wife was worried sick," he said. "His wife will need something to fight for, and so will he when he wakes up. I don't know Mr Murphy personally, but when he wakes up and sees all the comments, it will take him hours to read. That's going to be a lovely way to get the day in when you're still isolating in a room Pastor Mark McClurg "What she needs right now is something to hold on to because she can't hold the hand of her husband. "Every message is an act of kindness and will give her strength to get through the next hour. This is not about getting through a day, it's getting through an hour." He continued: "That's why I've been telling people on social media to be kind. I've been getting thousands of messages from people rooting for me all around the world and it really does something for your spirit. "I don't know Mr Murphy personally, but when he wakes up and sees all the comments, it will take him hours to read. That's going to be a lovely way to get the day in when you're still isolating in a room." Over the weekend, former Sinn Fein MLA Raymond McCartney called Mr Murphy a "first-class lawyer" and advocate for human rights. "Our thoughts are with him and his family, because for them at this very moment this is their husband, father, son, brother fighting for his life," he said. "He is in the care of our health professionals, whose names we don't know, but we do know of their courage and dedication." SDLP Foyleside councillor Mary Durkan added: "Hoping his indomitable spirit - so evident in Niall's professional career, as well as his various other pursuits and leadership roles - helps him pull through in the days ahead." Last week, Mr Winters said his colleague would want everyone to protect their families and NHS staff by following the advice to stay at home. As a GAA mentor, he said Mr Murphy would especially encourage young people to stay indoors and use social media to contact friends and family. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 16:58 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ef1136 1 Business Perppu,government-regulation,COVID-19,coronavirus,state-budget,state-finance,crisis,financial-stability,Indonesia Free Indonesia is strengthening its financial crisis protocol in a new regulation that will provide policymakers with immunity from criminal charges when issuing policies deemed necessary to safeguard the economy as recessionary risks rise in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government Regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) No. 1/2020 stipulates that everything spent by the government on COVID-19 economic recovery programs will be regarded as a measure to save the economy from crisis and not a state loss. No actions, including decisions made based on this Perppu, may be subject to lawsuits that could be filed at a state administrative court, says the Perppu on state finance and financial system stability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulation, signed by President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Tuesday, provides impunity for Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) members, which includes officials from the Finance Ministry, Bank Indonesia (BI), the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS). Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained The Perppu comes as the government forecasts Indonesias economic growth to drop to 2.3 percent this year, a level unseen in 21 years, it may even contract by 0.4 percent under the worst-case scenario as the COVID-19 pandemic stifles businesses and households. The rupiah may also depreciate further to between Rp 17,500 and Rp 20,000 per US dollar, a historic low, from around Rp 16,500 today. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the regulation would provide financial authorities with legal protection to take extraordinary measures in protecting the economy. We are very aware that we must be very careful to avoid moral hazard, Sri Mulyani told reporters on Wednesday. We will formulate a safeguard so that policymakers that are taking measures to improve public health and the economy cannot be criminalized because of the acts of others. The Perppu also relaxes Indonesias budget deficit cap to allow it to surpass its legal limit of 3 percent of the nations gross domestic product (GDP). Jokowi has announced a plan to add an extra Rp 405.1 trillion spending into the state budget for healthcare spending and the social welfare safety net, as well as a stimulus package for businesses that suffer as a result of COVID-19, with the budget deficit expected to widen to 5.07 percent of GDP. Furthermore, the regulation will also allow the central bank to buy LPS debt papers through repurchase (repo) agreements to provide liquidity should there be financial problems within the banking industry. The OJK will be very assertive in selecting which financial institutions have a bad track record to discipline them and will allow only those with good track records to take such measures, the Sri Mulyani said. This is a preventive measure if it needs to be taken, BI Governor Perry Warjiyo added. Read also: Explainer: BI to throw lifeline to Indonesias economy to fight COVID-19 The Perppu will allow the central bank to buy debt papers directly issued by the government so the state budget can afford to bail out businesses at highest risk from economic shocks caused by the pandemic. Perry said the central bank would act as a lender of last resort rather than a first off-taker of the government bond issuance, which means the market will be prioritized in absorbing the debt papers. He said the central bank has yet to determine the size of the potential purchase. BI is granted the authority to buy government debt papers and sharia bonds not as a first lender but as a last lender in the case when the market cannot fully absorb the papers, Perry said on Wednesday. The finance minister has stressed that BI is a last resort. This we will maintain for macroeconomic stability. COVID-19 had infected more than 1,677 people with 157 dead in Indonesia as of Wednesday. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 860,000 people and claimed at least 42,000 lives. YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is discussing options for assisting microenterprises within the frames of the measures aimed at eliminating the economic consequences of the novel coronavirus, Deputy Minister of Economy Naira Margaryan said in response to ARMENPRESS question. The 8th measure approved by the government is envisaged for hotel and guesthouse services, public food, tourism, hairdressing salons, beauty salons and retail services. There is a restriction for the retail as stores selling food, tobacco, medicines or alcohol cannot take part in it. The 8th measure is envisaged for micro-businesses. Unfortunately, the 3rd measure currently has a restriction, and only businesses that had 24 million and more turnover can apply. But we are discussing now various measures also for microenterprises based on all inquiries and applications received, Margaryan said. The 3rd measure is directed for assisting small and medium enterprises. Those SMEs operating in tourism, healthcare, housing, public food, processing industry, can apply. On March 16 Armenia declared a 30-day state of emergency to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The state of emergency is effective until April 14. Currently there are restrictions on certain types of movement and economic activities. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:53:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close VIENTIANE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- One more COVID-19 case has been confirmed in Laos, with its total number rising to 10, according to a Lao official. According to Lao Deputy Health Minister Phouthone Moungpak at the press conference on Wednesday in Lao capital Vientiane, the new case of COVID-19 in Laos is a 21-year-old woman, living in Vientiane, who had close contact with the eighth infected case which was announced on Saturday. The patient is treated in Mittaphab hospital and she is not in serious condition. As of Wednesday, seven cases are treated in the designated hospital, the Mittaphab Hospital in Vientiane. Another three cases are treated in a local hospital in Luang Prabang province. All of them are not in serious condition and the treatment is going well, said the Lao official. Moungpak told a press conference on last Tuesday that Laos has detected the first two confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, including a female tourist guide and a male hotel staff. The third, announced on Wednesday, is a 26-year-old businessman in Vientiane, and a friend of the Tuesday confirmed case, the hotel staff. Two students at Kinsale Community School (KCS) in West Cork have started making 3D printed face shields in order to protect front line staff as they go about their duties. Fifth year student Oisin Coyle and Transition year pupil Shane Collins contacted their principal in recent days about the possibility of making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medics in hospitals. An assembly line was set up and the shields will be distributed to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and healthcare workers in the coming days. So proud of our Students and teachers coming together (never closer than 2 metres though!!) to make PPE for our health care workers. #kcs4life pic.twitter.com/toVLvySMs3 Aaron BowenKCS (@kcs_mr) March 31, 2020 Principal of KCS, Fergal McCarthy, said he was "blown away" by the quality of the shields produced by just two pupils at their makeshift assembly line in the school. "What happened as you know is that we have a shortage of PPE in the country. Two of our students stepped up to the plate with a design they obtained online. It is approved from the medical perspective. We had had doctors locally examine it here and they feel it is absolutely perfect. "It is to be used in conjunction with a face mask at front line level. But at administrative level or at pharmacist level it can be used independently. We currently have about 63 or 64 produced. We are hoping to have 100 by tomorrow. We want to distribute them as needed within the medical community. Last November President Michael D Higgins visited Kinsale for the official launch of a collaborative relationship between the local community school and Microsoft. Mr McCarthy says they were very fortunate to be chosen as a Microsoft Digital Hub. "We are very lucky in that we are a Microsoft Showcase School. We have cutting edge technology in our school. We are in a great position to support others at a time when the need is greatest." Mr McCarthy emphasises that social distancing was adhered to during the production of the shields. He has paid tribute to the two pupils involved in the venture for showing such concern about the needs of medical workers. However, he says their empathy wasn't a source of surprise to him with communities right across the country displaying enormous altruism since the outbreak of Covid 19. "Here are young people who are in a position to assist and are minded to do so. From a societal perspective in general people have been very good in responding to this virus. All of these efforts will help flatten the curve. Water is delivered to residents facing severe water shortage in Porterville, California on April 23, 2015. A group of water advocates urged the state administration on March 30, 2020 for an immediate statewide moratorium on water shutoffs amid COVID-19 pandemic. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Advocacy Groups Call for Moratorium on Water Shutoffs Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Amid already existing calls for a country-wide moratorium on water shut-offs during the COVID-19 pandemic, clean water advocates in California urged state leaders on March 30 to impose an immediate statewide moratorium on water shut-offs. The state has long been battling a water crisis. There are over 148,000 public water systems in the United States run by private companies, municipalities, and others, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and while the country faces the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, these water providers will keep facing questions about shutting off water supplies on non-payment of bills in places with no moratorium. Vulnerable communities across California in both rural (like Tulare and Fresno Counties) and urban (like Los Angeles County) locations, who are largely low-income families and people of color, face the possibility of imminent disruption to their water service due to inability to pay, said a group of nine California based water advocates in a statement on Monday. The advocacy group said one million Californians lack access to safe drinking water, and the CCP virus pandemic compounds this crisis as the next monthly billing cycle approaches. How can we stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect our communities if people dont have access to clean water? Susana De Anda, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Community Water Center, a non-profit agency thats part of the advocacy group, said in the statement. The crisis is aggravated in communities with contaminated water that cannot find bottled water in stores. Michael Claiborne, Senior Attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, told The Epoch Times in a statement that hundreds and thousands in California get tap water contaminated by arsenic, uranium, nitrate, and bacteria. COVID-19 has exacerbated this existing disparity in water access. Communities and households with unsafe tap water rely on bottled water for drinking, cooking, and sanitary purposes. Because of widespread stockpiling, grocery stores and corner markets do not have bottled water in stock, said Claiborne. The senior attorney shared the story of a grandmother in Pixley who has to regularly drive 20 miles to the city of Tulare because the local stores have no stocks of water left. In stopping at many grocery stores and markets, she is also exposing herself to possible infection despite being in a high-risk age group and acting as a caretaker for her grandchildren. This situation is so unsustainable that she is considering moving in with her daughter in Visalia until the state of emergency is over, Claiborne told The Epoch Times. State Governor Issues Orders State Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on March 16 that authorized local governments to prevent utility shut-offs for Californians affected by COVID-19. People shouldnt lose or be forced out of their home because of the spread of COVID-19, said Newsom in a statement. Over the next few weeks, everyone will have to make sacrificesbut a place to live shouldnt be one of them. I strongly encourage cities and counties take up this authority to protect Californians, he said. The water advocates group welcomed Newsoms order, asking the California Public Utilities Commission to monitor measures taken by utility providers to prioritize customer protections on utilities such as water. However, the group said that more needs to be done to ensure safe drinking water for all. We applaud those utilities who have not only placed a moratorium on shut-offs during the pandemic but which are turning the water back on for those whose water service was turned off prior to this crisis, Jennifer Clary, Water Program Manager at Clean Water Action said in the statement. Those who were struggling before this emergency hit need help even more now. We urge the governor to ensure that all residential water providers follow this example, she said. Calls for Nation-wide Moratorium The EPA, in a statement, said that it supports states and cities that have already issued orders to ensure peoples accessibility to clean water for drinking and hand washing during the pandemic. Many drinking water systems are discontinuing service cut-offs, restoring service to customers whose service was previously cut-off, and refraining from imposing penalties for non-payment. EPA recommends widespread adoption of these practices, which provide critical support for public health, the government agency that works to protect clean air, water, and land for Americans, said in a statement. A group of Congressmen on March 11 had also urged congressional leaders to provide relief for those facing high water bills during the pandemic. In a survey of the 500 largest water systems in the country, it was found that on average Flint, Mich. residents paid about $864 a year for water service, nearly double the national average. But Flint is not alone, said the 12 congress members in a letter. In other communities nationwide, high water rates have especially hurt low-income households, who pay a disproportionate amount of their income for water service, said the congress members. In early March, Food and Water Watch, another non-profit advocacy organization had called for a nationwide moratorium on water shut-offs amid the coronavirus pandemic. They allege that in the past few years, data shows that 15 million Americans had experienced water shut-offs. The Epoch Times couldnt independently verify these statistics. The state of Michigan has set-up a COVID-19 Water Restart Plan for those who want their water turned on. If you sign up before April 9, you dont have to put any money down. The State of Michigan will cover it for you! the state administration said in a statement. Atlanta, Phoenix, Birmingham, Alabama, and St. Louis are the other states that have suspended water shut-offs amid the pandemic, according to ProPublica. Meghan Markle's half-sister has branded her and Prince Harry 'selfish' and 'cruel' and 'disgusting' in a tirade against the royal couple. Samantha Markle, 55, ranted against the idea of the couple moving to California and stepping down as senior members of the royal family amid the coronavirus crisis. 'They can throw stones all they want but they are the biggest hypocrites out there now,' she said. 'It's a devastating pandemic, the idea of abandoning both families without so much of a phone call is just shocking. 'And now to abandon the British people and Royal family at such a critical time it is almost, it takes me back to the Colosseum in Roman times, it just seems so horribly cruel.' Samantha Markle, 55, ranted against the idea of the couple taking US tax-payer's money following their move to California last month. She is pictured in a screenshot from a documentary last month Her comments came after Harry and Meghan agreed to pay for the cost of their security in the US personally which could cost them 4million a year. A spokesman for the couple confirmed they had decided to fund the cost of their protection out of their own pockets after stepping down as senior working royals. Their security personnel will reportedly consist of former SAS soldiers at a cost of 400 per operative per day. The couple confirmed they would meet the cost after President Trump insisted the US taxpayer would not pay, a sentiment Samantha fully supports. Samantha added: 'The US people should not pay for their security. Harry and Meghan don't seem to care about families or people around them. Their self-preservation is quite disgusting. Her comments came after Harry and Meghan (pictured in London last month) agreed to pay for the cost of their security personally which could cost them 4million a year 'I totally support President Trump, he is remarkable under these circumstances.' Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, officially stepped down as senior working royals yesterday, and are said to have viewed a $20million mansion in the star-studded area of Malibu as they look to set up a permanent home in the US following Megxit. The Sussexes want to be close to 'their new team of Hollywood agents and PRs' as well as Meghan's friends and mother Doria, a source told The Sun. They are now believed to be in lockdown in the Hollywood area with ten-month-old baby Archie. The source added that Archie, now 10 months, is 'super smart' and 'is a strong baby'. Meghan and Harry are pictured in their first picture with Archie in May last year Speaking to Us Weekly, an insider claimed the couple will be trying for a sibling for Archie soon, but want to give their firstborn as much attention as possible. They told the publication: 'They're still enjoying these precious early days with him. They're committed to having another baby, but don't want to put too much pressure on the situation.' The source added that Archie, now 10 months, is 'super smart' and 'is a strong baby'. They are also believed to be building a 3 million UK 'bolthole' near their favourite private members' club Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire. The area has special significance to the couple as they enjoyed romantic getaways to the 725-a-night club - often called 'Butlins for toffs' - at the beginning of their relationship. Meghan held her two-night hen do there in 2018 where she enjoyed social media-free time with her closest friends. Ravindra Rao Nymex WTI crude price that fell to 2002 lows earlier this week has recovered nearly 10 percent to trade near $21.5 a barrel. In the last few days, we have seen twice that Nymex crude oil has bounced back after breaking below $20 a barrel. What we need to ascertain is whether it is just a rebound or start of a sustained recovery. Crude oil's sharp decline in the last few months has forced shale companies to cut spending and drilling. With price near multi-year low, profitability will be impacted and companies may consider production cuts. Hopes of production cuts rose after Texas shale producers Pioneer Natural Resources and Parsley Energy formally asked regulators to curtail oil production for the first time in nearly 50 years. This came after Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton proposed that Texas should curb oil output by 10 percent. The proposal was however met with criticism by other regulators. As per the US Energy Department, the countrys crude production fell by 0.7 percent in December to 12.779 million barrels per day, the first decline in five weeks. Texas production stood at 5.35 million bpd, almost 42 percent of the total output. If Texas is able to implement the production cut, it may help tighten the market. While crude producers are discussing production cuts, the American and Russian presidents agreed during a phone call to have their top energy officials discuss ways to stabilise oil markets. The alliance between OPEC and non-OPEC members led by Russia fell apart earlier this month and both Saudi and Russia expressed willingness to increase production. The move was partly to regain market share, which they have lost to the US in last few years. Saudi-Russia stance was enough to cause a sharp drop in crude prices and unsettle US producers. The US has now adopted a more conciliatory tone and its discussions with Russia and Saudi Arabia indicate that they are willing to work to support the economy. While President Donald Trump has always favoured lower fuel prices, he wants to boost prices to support investment and spending in the sector. Crude has slumped more than 60 percent from recent highs, as restrictions slapped to contain coronavirus have severely dented fuel demand while higher US production and breakdown in OPEC-Russia alliance has fuelled oversupply concerns. While fuel demand may not pick up until virus outbreak is contained, a concerted effort to reduce supply may be enough to stabilize prices. Historically, OPEC led by Saudi Arabia has managed global markets by altering its production policy. OPEC's alliance with Russia also helped keep prices stable. It is now time for the US to participate in balancing the market. The author is VP - Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities. : The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Dodai: Oh no! My fear is being sick alone (or actually dying here and no one realizes it). I sent emergency contact information to two people at work and a small group of friends. I have two friends and my brother on Find My Friends on my iPhone so we can see where each other are in the city. But if you are always at home and then something happens to you at home, that doesnt help much I guess. Taylor: Its a big fear of mine too. Find My Friends is a good idea, or location sharing on iMessage and Google Maps. I try to just call my family and friends a lot. Lindsey: I have never talked to my mom so much in my life. Its helping though! Dodai: Zoom happy hours and Houseparty gatherings to chat with my sister and brother and friends have been soothing. I also read some friends tarot cards over Google Hangouts for fun. Taylor: Ive done Zoom happy hours with friends and shown up to some Zoom events. Aside from one with a few other digital culture reporters, most have left me feeling more isolated. My main sources of joy throughout this quarantine have been TikTok and Tiger King. Lindsey: Yeah, Ive realized I dont have any actual hobbies. Watching Bravo, while my lifes passion, is not a hobby. I ordered a puzzle and a cross-stitch kit. I have never cross-stitched anything! Everyone online seems to be doing a lot more cooking. I love cooking under normal circumstances, but I havent been inspired to get into bread making just yet. Maybe next week! State prosecutors in Venezuela have summoned opposition leader Juan Guaido for an alleged "attempted coup d'etat" and attempted assassination, Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced Tuesday. In a statement broadcast on state television, Saab said Guaido had been summoned to appear before prosecutors next Thursday following an investigation last week into the seizure of a weapons cache in neighboring Colombia that he said was to be smuggled into Venezuela. The subpoena was delivered to his head of security on Monday night, Saab said. The opposition leader is recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries, including the United States, that refuse to recognize socialist President Nicolas Maduro after his disputed 2018 re-election. Colombian forces last week seized a cache of weapons linked to a retired Venezuelan general wanted on drug trafficking charges in the United States. The shaven-headed general, Cliver Alcala, surrendered in Colombia and was handed over to US authorities last week. Alcala claimed ownership of the weapons discovered by police in Puerto Viejo in Colombia's Magdalena department on March 23. He said in social media messages the intention was to deliver them to Venezuela to "begin the liberation." In his announcement Tuesday, Saab said Alacala -- who was once close to late president Hugo Chavez but retired when Maduro took power in 2013 -- had been operating under "direct instructions from Mr Juan Guaido." Guaido has been repeatedly targeted by the government in a number of legal cases but never arrested, amid warnings by the United States that it would be Maduro's "last mistake." Guaido called on Sunday for the formation of an emergency coalition government that would be able to convince multilateral agencies to provide badly needed funding for its crumbling health system to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The International Monetary Fund last week rejected Maduro's request for a $5 billion loan, on the grounds that there was "no clarity" on international recognition of his government. Cryptocurrency exchange company Binance is launching a crypto mining pool. On Tuesday, Russian news outlet Coinlife first reported the exchanges plan to build a new bitcoin mining pool. The move was later confirmed by Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao in a Wednesday tweet. Additionally, Zhao announced that there will be a series of new additions to Binances finance product line-up including staking, savings, and loans. Sources told Coinlife that Binance has already hired specialists to work on the new mining pool. The new hires include those who previously worked for Bitmain as the latter firm reportedly planned to carry out another round of layoff. The new pool, according to Coinlife , is expected to launch in q2 2020. Notably, both OKex and Huobi launched their mining pools last year, in August and September, respectively. KYODO NEWS - Mar 31, 2020 - 16:05 | World, All, Coronavirus South Korean children will start the new school year on April 9 with only online classes, after repeated delays due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the government said Tuesday. Prime Minister Chung Sye Kyun said that despite the nation's utmost efforts to contain the virus and lower the risk of infection, there is consensus among teachers and others that it is too early to let children go back to school. (South Korean Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun takes off a mask before his press conference in Seoul on March 27, 2020.[Getty/Kyodo] The nation's elementary schools, and junior and senior high schools were supposed to start the new academic year in early March, but the government has repeatedly postponed it to keep the virus from spreading among children. The start was last postponed until April 6, but has now been delayed three more days to allow preparations to be made for online classes. The nation's university entrance examinations will also be postponed from early November to early December, according to the Education Ministry. The Health and Welfare Ministry said Tuesday that there were 125 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, over a 24-hour period to the end of Monday. The nation now has 9,786 confirmed cases in total, with 162 deaths. Wary of another surge in infection cases, health authorities have focused their attention on people who enter South Korea after being infected abroad. "After the whole nation went into severe social-distancing mode, the number of new infection cases has been kept near 100, but cluster infections and cases among people from overseas are still occurring sporadically," a ministry official said in a press briefing, pledging even stronger monitoring of the imported cases. Staff at an Amazon warehouse in Michigan staged a walkout Wednesday days after their colleagues in New York also protested against coronavirus working conditions. Workers at the plant in Romulus are said to gone on strike at midday, The Verge reports. Employee Tonya Ramsay said: 'I get were essential, but our lives are essential as well.' Those working at the facility say management has been slow in telling them of the three positive cases at the site. They also say better cleaning and more space between workers is needed. An Amazon spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'Of the over 4,000 employees at our Romulus, MI fulfillment center, less than 15 people, participated in todays demonstration. Our employees are heroes fighting for their communities and helping people get critical items they need in this crisis.' It comes as the organizers behind Tuesday's Whole Foods 'sick out' slammed Jeff Bezos and his corporate staff for 'dismissing our actions while working from the safety of their homes'. Whole Workers vowed to continue strike action after staging the 'successful' nationwide protest, warning 'this is only the beginning'. In a statement Tuesday evening they pledged: 'We will be following this sickout with further action.' As millions of people stay at home in the United States and non-essential businesses are shuttered to slow the spread of the virus, grocery stores and pharmacies are staying open. A number of those working across the industry, including Instacart contractors, have confirmed they will strike 'until their demands are met'. Unemployment in the United States hit a record high last week with 3.28million people - four times the previous record of 695,000 in October 1982 - making claims. Dow Jones say a further 2.65 million may join them this week. One in three Americans report someone living in their household has lost their job or been forced to take a pay cut. Employee Tonya Ramsay, right, holds a sign outside the Amazon DTW1 fulfillment center in Romulus, Mich., Wednesday. Employees and family members are protesting in response to what they say is the company's failure to protect the health of its employees Staff at an Amazon warehouse in Michigan staged a walkout Wednesday days after their colleagues in New York also protested against coronavirus working conditions A Whole Foods store near Colombus Circle, New York on Tuesday. The organizers behind Tuesday's Whole Foods 'sick out' have slammed Jeff Bezos and his corporate staff for 'dismissing our actions while working from the safety of their homes' Whole Workers on Tuesday slammed the response from their employer, adding: 'Essential workers in all fields need to be protected and compensated for the increasingly dangerous work that we do.' They added: 'It is disappointing to hear Whole Foods corporate dismisses our actions and our intentions in media statements. Costco unveils new social distancing rules for shoppers who will now only be able to enter in twos Costco on Wednesday unveiled new social distancing rules for shoppers who will now only be able to enter in twos In a statement the company said: 'Effective Friday, April 3, Costco will allow no more than two people to enter the warehouse with each membership card. 'This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. ' Advertisement 'We are the team members who continue to put our lives at risk while our corporate leadership and our company spokespeople continue to work from home in safety.' Whole Foods had on Tuesday called workers who staged a 'sick out' protest at working conditions 'disappointing' while their 'heroic colleagues showed up to provide essential services' during the corona virus outbreak. A spokesman for the Jeff Bezos owned grocery store told DailyMail.com they 'have seen no operational impact'. But they added: 'It is disappointing that a small but vocal group, many of whom are not employed by Whole Foods Market, have been given a platform to inaccurately portray the collective voice of our 95,000+ Team Members who are heroically showing up every day to provide our communities with an essential service.' As millions of people stay at home in the United States and non-essential businesses are shuttered to slow the spread of the virus, grocery stores and pharmacies are staying open. There are now more than 200,000 confirmed coronavirus cases across the nation; the death toll stands at 4,391. A new poll released Wednesday shows that 28 per cent of Americans have already lost wages as a result of the pandemic. A further 16 percent have been laid off or furloughed from work, the Grinnell College poll shows. Whole Workers, an independent group say there is a lack of adequate compensation and protections from the coronavirus. The organization has about 300 members and describes itself as a grassroots movement of employees at Amazon.com Inc-owned Whole Foods who are working to unionize. AS AMAZON AND WHOLE FOODS WORKERS STRIKE OWNER JEFF BEZOS POCKETS $3.4 BILLION BY SELLING STOCK Jeff Bezos made $3.4billion selling shares of the company in February Amazon staff say they are struggling to access sick pay and fear colleagues are coming to work ill - as they paint a grim picture of coronavirus protections inside warehouses where 'everything has been touched by 1,000 hands.' The online retail giant has increased pay and offered sick leave to anyone who has tested positive for coronavirus, but critics accuse the $1trillion company and owner Jeff Bezos of failing to do enough - just weeks after he pocketed $3.4billion by selling stock. Bezos, the world's richest man, made $3.4billion selling shares of the company in February, just before the market tanked as coronavirus infections soared. The sale saved Bezos a staggering $317million, compared to him keeping the stock through to March 20. It also meant the billionaire sold as much stock in that one week as he has in the last year, the Wall Street Journal reported. The sale accounted for around 3% of Bezos's total Amazon shares, and made up over a third of all stock exchange sales during this timeframe. Bezos has also suggested that Amazon may be the solution to getting 'easy-to-access' COVID-19 test kits to people across the world after conversations he had with administrators in the World Health Organization. In an Instagram post last week, the Amazon CEO shared that he had had a good call with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom. The announcement comes as workers from facilities across the US have tested positive for coronavirus. 'This isn't business as usual, and it's a time for great stress and uncertainty. It's also a moment in time when the work we're doing is its most critical,' the billionaire wrote in the memo shared on his Instagram. Bezos said: 'Across the world, people are feeling the economic effects of this crisis, and I'm sad to tell you I predict things are going to get worse before they get better.' Advertisement The Whole Worker group is demanding, among other things, hazard pay and the immediate shutdown of any location where a worker tests positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. If a store is closed, all workers should receive full pay until the store can safely reopen, the group said on its Twitter account. It comes amid reports that worker at a Whole Foods in San Francisco were warned not to tell customers an employee there had tested positive for coronavirus as the store remained open. One told KQED: 'They don't want us to tell customers. They want us to direct customers to our store team leader.' The call for action at Whole Foods won the endorsement of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has 1.3 million members in the grocery industry. Instacart workers pledge to strike 'until their demands are met' It comes as Instacart contractors have shown on Twitter how their members are refusing to take deliveries over conditions after launching strike action Monday. They have confirmed they will strike 'until their demands are met'. Demands include hazard pay, expanding coronavirus sick pay and changing the default tip to 10 per cent. Instacart contractors have shown on Twitter how their members are refusing to take deliveries over conditions after launching strike action Monday. UNIONS AND WORKERS TAKING ACTION ACROSS U.S. AS CORONAVIRUS CASES RISE The United Auto Workers union Nurses demanding more personal protective equipment The Association of Flight Attendants union Whole Workers GE workers staged a silent protest to build ventilators Amazon in Staten Island Instacart workers Source: Axios Advertisement One Instacart shopper wrote Monday: 'Please stop telling customers it's just today. As per our original statement - we are striking until demands are met and a history of instacart abuse and lack of communication with us makes clear that won't be in 24 hours.' Another worker showed a stream of requests from customers that were not being picked up by Instacart 'shoppers'. They added: 'There are a lot alerts for orders and nobody fighting to take them! #INSTACARTSTRIKE is working! A spokesman for Instacart said the strikes resulted in 'absolutely no impact to Instacart's operations', adding: 'The health and safety of our entire community shoppers, customers, and employees is our first priority. Our goal is to offer a safe and flexible earnings opportunity to shoppers, while also proactively taking the appropriate precautionary measures to operate safely. 'We're focused on serving as an essential service for millions of families, while providing immediate earnings opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people across North America.' NYC Mayor orders investigation into firing of Amazon worker New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday he had ordered the city's human rights commissioner to investigate the dismissal of a worker at a Bezos owned Amazon.com warehouse who had participated in a walkout. He said: 'I've ordered the city's commission on human rights to investigate Amazon immediately to determine if that's true. If so, that would be a violation of our city's human rights law and we would act on it immediately.' The New York state attorney general Letitia James had earlier called Chris Smalls' dismissal 'disgraceful' and pointed out that the law protects employees' right to protest. Jordan Flowers holds a sign at Amazon building during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Staten Island borough of New York City on Monday 'At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling and are deeply concerned about their safety, this action was also immoral and inhumane,' she said in a statement. Amazon said fired Smalls made 'misleading' statements about conditions and that he was supposed to be in quarantine and had no choice but to fire him after he came to the facility. Rachael Lighty, Amazon Spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We did not terminate Mr. Smalls employment for organizing a 15-person protest. 'We terminated his employment for putting the health and safety of others at risk and violations of his terms of his employment. 'Mr. Smalls received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines. He was also found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14-days, which is a measure we're taking at sites around the world. 'Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite further putting the teams at risk.' DailyMail.com has contacted Whole Worker, Whole Foods and for comment. Nearly a third of Americans say they've already lost wages, 16% have been fired or furloughed and almost HALF of all millennials fear they'll lose their jobs as coronavirus threatens to tip the world into a recession More than a quarter of Americans say they've lost wages due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Grinnell College poll released Wednesday. 1,009 Americans from across the country were surveyed March 27 -30 about changes to their finances amid COVID-19, with 28% saying they have lost some form of income, due to sickness, reduced hours or business closures. Meanwhile, 16 precent of all respondents revealed that they have been laid off or furloughed from their jobs due to the evolving health crisis. The numbers are even more dire for young Americans, with 25 percent of those aged under 35 saying that they have already been fired or furloughed. A further 20 percent expect to lose their jobs at some stage in the near future. Disturbingly, a quarter of Americans aged 35 and under are currently going hungry, or expect to go hungry soon. The poll gives a grim snapshot of America's current economic situation - which is only expected to worsen as coronavirus cases skyrocket across the country and stay-at-home orders are extended in many places until the end of April. Several economists have estimated that 3.5 million people across the country will file an unemployment claim this week, up from the previous record of 3.1 million last week. Gap furloughed thousands of workers Tuesday. One of their stores is pictured However, the Grinnell College poll also uncovers a surprising optimism among the American people, with 88% of all respondents saying they are 'confident Americans will get through this'. 72 percent say they are remaining calm, while only two in every 10 claimed they are feeling lonely. Respondents also claimed the be following guidelines put out by the CDC and local governments. More than a quarter of Americans say they've lost wages due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Grinnell College poll released Wednesday. Pictured: a closed business in Detroit, Michigan 98 percent of Americans are washing their hands on a more frequent basis, while 84% have stayed mostly inside without any physical contact. 7 in 10 responders say they are willing to stay inside and social distance for 'as long as asked'. The poll was conducted between last Friday and this Monday, when the number of COVID-19 cases in the US skyrocketed. On Monday, Trump extended the country's effective economic shutdown through April 30, after having earlier claimed he wanted people back to work. 'Where can I file for unemployment': The stunning Google search chart that underlines the collapse the US economy A stunning Google search chart has underlined the grim collapse of the United States economy, showing searches for 'file for unemployment' spiking dramatically in recent days. Goldman Sachs now predicts the United States economy will shrink a staggering 34 percent in the second quarter, more than three times the biggest plunge in history. The investment banking giant has also warned unemployment could hit 15 percent as the country reels from the coronavirus outbreak. Google trends show searches for 'file for unemployment' have spiked in recent days High end stores in Manhattan board up their windows amid the coronavirus outbreak in NYC Economists at Goldman Sachs had warned then that U.S. gross domestic product will plummet by 24 percent in a post earlier this month. Revising their figures they said Tuesday they now expect the U.S. economy to shrink 34 percent in the second quarter, but they expect growth to rebound in the third quarter. They said decline would be deeper than it had previously forecast and unemployment would be higher, citing anecdotal evidence and 'sky-high jobless claims numbers.' It would mark the largest quarterly drop in GDP on record, which is currently held by a 10 percent decline in the first quarter of 1958 during the 'Eisenhower Recession.' There are now more than 180,000 confirmed coronavirus cases across the nation; the death toll stands at 3,699, surpassing China which has recorded 3,309 deaths. Private sector employees feel the pain of coronavirus cuts as 3.5million are expected to file for unemployment and as many as 47million could be laid off Private sector employees are enduring the worst of job cuts resulting from the coronavirus outbreak as a record 3.5 million Americans are expected to file for unemployment this week and predictions say tens of millions more could be laid off. Retailers including Macy's, the Gap, JCPenney, and Neiman Marcus, as well as mall owner Simon Properties, among others from the private sector are enacting furloughs because of the outbreak. Private companies enacting employee furloughs due to the coronavirus outbreak Macy's (operates Macy's, Bloomingdale's and BlueMercury stores): Most of 125,000 employees to be furloughed with health benefits J.C. Penney (employs 95,000 associates globally): Retailer will furlough the majority of its hourly store employees Gap (total workforce was 129,000 as of Feb. 1): About 80,000 employees to be furloughed with health benefits, plus an undisclosed number of corporate employees to be laid off Nieman Marcus: Luxury retailer says it will furlough the majority of its 14,000 workers or temporarily cut salaries Advertisement Companies like iHeart Media representing 800 stations, outdoor recreational craft maker Polaris, hospital operators and large law firms also are sending employees home. Meanwhile, government employees, including in the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, have remained employed full time, amid slow downs in work. Southwest Airlines airplanes, for example, are flying at about 20 per cent full, which means Jasmine and other TSA workers no longer have long security lines to contend with at LAX. As no one working security has been laid off, TSAs no longer face thousands of passengers squeezing through airport checkpoints. 'Things have been really slow for about two weeks now,' Jasmine confesses. 'Our numbers have just been slowly decreasing. Its super weird because were so used to constant rush. Now its literally, like, 10 people an hour, its crazy.' Im just hanging out with my friends at this point, a TSA worker at Los Angeles International Airport tells .The crisis has caused private payrolls to drop for the first time since 2017, likely as businesses shut down in compliance with strict measures by authorities to contain the global pandemic, supporting economists' views that the longest employment boom in history ended in March. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is probing the in-custody death of a 31-year-old man from Oxford House. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is probing the in-custody death of a 31-year-old man from Oxford House. The RCMP responded to a disturbance call last Thursday in the northern community, where officers found an intoxicated man and placed him under arrest. The man was taken to the Oxford House RCMP detachment and placed in a cell at 9:55 a.m. that same day. At 5:48 p.m., officers found him unresponsive. He was taken to a nursing station and later transported to Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre. He died Saturday. 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 RCMP was informed of the death Monday and notified the IIU that same day. The IIU is investigating the mans death and has requested the Manitoba Police Commission appoint a civilian monitor for the case. Meanwhile, on Tuesday the IIU announced it had concluded its investigation into excessive force allegations made against an RCMP officer in Thompson last fall. On Oct. 8, the RCMP were called the scene of a potential domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, officers took a 16-year-old girl into custody. The girl was unco-operative and sustained a wrist injury. The girl later went to Thompson Hospital where she was diagnosed with a dislocated right elbow and a fractured wrist. IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler reported the officer in question has been cleared of wrongdoing. A decision by a major company in Birminghams healthcare landscape illustrates one of the many strange ironies of the coronavirus pandemic. Tenet Health, which operates Brookwood Baptist Health, Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Hospital and Walker Baptist Hospital among other facilities, informed employees it would postpone contributions to their 401(k) plans. We are facing a growing demand, the company told employees, which is difficult to fully estimate given the changes we see daily. Tenet is just one facet in an industry coping with the massive demand for services related to the COVID-19 outbreak. At the same time hospitals are focusing on backbreaking care for those affected by the pandemic, other outlets - family doctors, dentists, eye care, specialists, elective procedures - are almost totally squeezed out by the sheltering requirements in place to stem the pandemic. Tenet, responding to questions about the 401(k) announcement, reiterated that the move was a postponement until a later time this year, not a cut, cancellation, or elimination. Our most important mission right now is to provide the best possible support for our hospitals and other care facilities so they can continue to deliver life-saving treatment to fight COVID-19 and many other illnesses and conditions, the company stated. Every effort is being made to help bring us all through this crisis, and we have made the decision to direct additional resources to meet the increased demand for healthcare services, address evolving patient needs in our hospitals and protect front-line staff." Thats one company illustrating the business problems healthcare companies are facing right now. Sam Pierce is the immediate past president of the American Optometric Association and practices in Trussville. Like others, he is navigating the shutdown from his own offices while watching what is happening around him. The economics at every level of this has yet to be felt, he said. Everyone wants to be back to normal as soon as possible. Im not sure everything will ever be normal again. As Pierce explained, a lot of the healthcare industry includes providers doing routine or specialized care that has been put on an indefinite hold. That affects not only the provider, but the people who work with them. It affects private, corporate and commercial practices, all around Alabama and beyond. If youre a plastic surgeon and 90 percent of what you do is elective youre on hold. The hospitals wont give you access to the operating rooms. That trickles down to every single person in your practice, including the one answering the phone," Pierce said. More than 10,000 communities around the U.S. have at least one doctor of optometry, he said. Karen Vanoy, an optometrist at Eyecare Associates in Homewood, would typically see as many as 20 patients a day before the outbreak. Now, like other specialists, she comes into the office for three hours a day on weekdays in case any patients need urgent care - something that could be potentially sight threatening. Last week, she saw two people. For the first time, she wore a mask during an exam. As she explained, the pressure she feels comes from several directions. There is no way to generate revenue other than emergency procedures. There are the patients she isnt seeing now, and the rescheduling of potentially hundreds of patients over the coming months, once restrictions are lifted. Finding a routine in all of that will be difficult. And while she isnt working with patients struggling to breathe from COVID-19, she is a healthcare provider on the front lines. You cant do eye care six feet away from someone, she said. Some companies are adapting through telemedicine. Vanoy, for example, said her company is using a secure app to see some patients. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the states largest insurer, has expanded its telehealth benefit, while Aetna also announced it will offer zero co-pay telemedicine visits nationally for any reason through June for all commercial plans. United Healthcare offers telemedicine through its mobile app. But Pierce said there is no template for what is happening to the business of healthcare right now. After the housing crash at the beginning of the 2008 recession, he remembers 30 to 40 patients a month cancelling appointments due to their financial situations. That was different from the current situation with virtually no patients. Its quite frightening, he said. The average eye doctors office typically has enough cash flow in reserves to sustain itself for two to three weeks. Now youre talking about four, six, eight weeks. The stress is similar to other businesses. Mortgage or rent payments come due. Utility payments. Lab bills. Payroll and payroll taxes, insurance for employees, 401(k) contributions all are due. Im already seeing large numbers of offices that are having to furlough their staffs and say, 'Ill hire you as soon as we have patients coming in, because theres no way to cover that, Pierce said. And as Vanoy said, doctors cant make money without staff. The staff makes everything go, she said. But the stress extends even to large hospitals. A primary reason for the extreme coronavirus sheltering procedures that have shut off large patches of the economy is the need to relieve stress on overtaxed hospitals. Flattening the curve, though, also flattens the amount of revenue coming in from elective procedures - basically, the lifeblood. Thats why part of last weeks $2 trillion stimulus package signed into law included more than $100 billion in emergency funds for hospitals and health care providers for lost revenue. Monica Aswani, assistant professor in UABs School of Health Professions, said healthcare companies are making hard choices at a time when they are massively hemorrhaging money that would be coming in. The choices right now may be between delaying 401(k) contributions and furloughs. But at the same time, Aswani said, there is something good about that. To hospitals credit, across the nation, theyre weighing the trade-off between losing significant reimbursement versus how to take care of the country during an unprecedented pandemic, and theyre choosing the latter over their own profit, she said. They recognize the moral imperative to contain coronavirus, which is notable since many organizations may only be able to sustain their current operations for a few weeks. There will be many other business issues going forward, once restrictions are relaxed. Will patients feel safe immediately going to practices for care, or will they wait and see? Will the country still be dealing with mass unemployment into the coming months, with patients foregoing care without insurance or in attempt to save money? If all those people are still unemployed, the last thing theyre going to think about is routine healthcare, Pierce said. A lot of normal things are going to be put aside until everything feels back to normal. With the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the world, countries continue to look for ways to contain the novel coronavirus before the situation gets worse. Some issued a complete lockdown and mass disinfections to contain the spread. But according to some disease specialists, mass disinfections can lead to more health problems still. Peace Officers Research Association of California Marylou Armer, a police detective who served on the Santa Rosa Police Department for the past 20 years, has died from coronavirus complications, police officials announced Tuesday. The veteran police officer had most recently been assigned to the departments Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team, Police Chief Rainer Navarro said in a statement Tuesday. He said Armer had faithfully served the Santa Rosa community as a member of the Police Department family for two decades. Government propaganda posters urge women to keep putting on makeup during the lockdown Malaysias government has drawn criticism for telling women to dress up at home and avoid nagging their husbands during the coronavirus lockdown. Controversial posters circulated by the countrys womens affairs ministry on Tuesday issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on 18 March. One of the illustrations said women should refrain from being sarcastic if they need help with household chores. Another told women to avoid nagging their husbands and attempt to inject humor by using a voice similar to the anime character Doraemon a blue robot cat popular across Asia. Firefighters spray disinfectant on a street during the lockdown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Reuters) The ministry also urged women to dress up and wear their make-up while working from home. The posters immediately sparked a fierce backlash on Tuesday, with critics accusing the government of sexism and promoting gender stereotypes. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice (It) is extremely condescending both to women and men, said Nisha Sabanayagam, a manager at All Womens Action Society, a Malaysian advocacy group. These posters promote the concept of gender inequality and perpetuate the concept of patriarchy, she added. The posters, uploaded on Facebook and Instagram, drew widespread ridicule online with social media users urging the government to remove them. The Malaysian government has not yet commented on the controversial advice, although many of the original social media posts have now been taken down. Womens groups across the world have warned lockdowns could see a rise in domestic violence, with women trapped with their abusers. Some governments have stepped up in response, including in France which offers hotel rooms to victims. Malaysia is ranked 104 out of 153 countries in the latest World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap index, after scoring poorly on political empowerment and economic participation. Story continues Coronavirus: what happened today The rainstorm that accompanied the heavy downpour experienced in Lokoja, Kogi State capital on Tuesday night has led to the destruction of 18 electric poles and some houses in the city. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visit to some affected areas on Wednesday shows that Lokoja and its suburbs are now in total blackout. The Public Relation Officer of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ifeoma Arudi, told NAN that 18 electric poles have been identified to be damaged by the storm. She, however, said that technicians of the company were already working on replacing the damaged poles in different locations. Mrs Arudi said the storm also damaged power installations when uprooted trees and roof tops fell on them. She said consumers may have to wait until late night or Thursday to have normal electricity supply. NAN reports that many landlords, shop owners and kiosk operators are now counting their losses following the havoc wreak on their properties by the windstorm. Rooftops of houses and shops were blown away by the storm which also swept away kiosks in Gaduma, Ganaja and Cali Vision areas and houses within 500 and 200 housing estates. The windstorm also uprooted trees in some areas of the city. (NAN) World Health Organisation spokesperson Margaret Harris has said that Covid-19 needs to be slowed down as much as possible in order to give people a chance to get through the disease and to ease pressure on health services. Dr Harris told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show that transmission will not immediately stop, and while the concept of a second wave comes from the experience with flu, it must be remembered that this is a completely new virus and cannot be expected to behave exactly as the flu. Dr Harris pointed out that the world is very connected so when people begin to relax and move again, there is a danger the virus could spread again if vigilance drops. This was what was being referred to as a second wave. She also urged the over 70s to stay indoors for the next two weeks. The WHO has been working with countries to enable them to ramp up testing capacity, she said, but there is one specific chemical reagent needed for testing that is in short supply worldwide. However, she said there were other ways, that the virus could be looked at clinically. Work could continue in the community to see what are the symptoms. This would require surveillance teams who would work with people suspected of having the virus. In the meantime everyone should do what they could to protect themselves hand washing, not sharing utensils or towels. Thats why governments have resorted to lockdowns. The real message here is to keep at it, to keep a handle on it. A 'very positive sign': WHO spokesperson says government is 'very open' about virus World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson Margaret Harris has said that the information it receives from Ireland in relation to the coronavirus is excellent. Your government is being very open about it all, where it is, who has it, where it's happening, this is a very, very positive sign, Ms Harris told Newstalk Breakfast. You have transparency, you have your community working together, these are things that mean you will get through it more quickly. Definitely. Ms Harris said that Italy seems to be slowly recovering, however, they've got new areas like any country it starts in one place, you get a big rise, it stops there, but then you get a rise elsewhere, unfortunately it is still very serious and an accelerating outbreak globally. She explained that the WHO does not prescribe lockdowns, we do prescribe social distancing which is easier for governments to maintain social distancing when they do a lockdown because the message really gets home to people, you're not moving around, you must not be in groups. Different countries have done things differently and in Asia not every country has gone into lockdown and they have slowed down their outbreaks. You're going to have this outbreak in your population, what you want to see is a slow rise in cases, not this accelerated rise we're seeing at the moment, because then you have an accelerated rise in the 10% of people who will need critical care and that's when you overwhelm your health care system. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] 1 of 2 Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL Discontinued in the US Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3XL are formally historical past, a minimum of within the US. Google has officially discontinued the Google Pixel 3 and the Google Pixel 3XL smartphones, the corporates flagship telephones from 2018. The two phones were found to be missing from Google's online store in multiple regions, including India. The more affordable Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are, however, still available on Google's store and otherwise globally. A Google spokesperson was quoted in an report as saying that the company has indeed decided to discontinue the 2018 flagships. He also said that the entire Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3XLinventory on the company's store in the US has been sold out. There is no confirmation on whether the phones are discontinued in India as well. Read More... STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The state bar examination, which had been scheduled for late July, will be pushed back to early September, state court officials announced. The test, originally set for July 28 and 29, is now scheduled to be administered either shortly before or after the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7, the state Court of Appeals decided on Tuesday. Even so, the court recognizes it may be difficult logistically to hold the test then in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Such a delay could impede spring 2020 law school graduates from obtaining full legal employment, the court said. As a result, the chief judge will explore the supervised practice of law school graduates. The expansion contemplated would allow private sector attorneys and law firms, as well as government offices and legal aid organizations, to apply to the Appellate Division for practice orders, and to allow such orders to include law graduates who are awaiting the administration of the first bar examination following their graduation, as well as law graduates who are awaiting results of the Bar Examination and meet the required criteria, according to the state court web site. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The Uniform Bar Examination is administered twice a year in late February and late July, said the New York State Board of Law Examiners web site. Nearly 3,600 candidates took the test on Feb. 25 and 26. Results of the exam may be delayed beyond the usual time period (on or before May 1), due to the pandemic. All candidates who sat for the test in February are advised to monitor their emails and the Board of Law Examiners web site for any updated information. RELATED COVERAGE: In addition to hospital beds, the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is equipped with a dozen operating rooms and laboratory facilities. Data analysis of Staten Island and New York cases Coughs, sneezes, surfaces: Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread These companies are hiring in wake of coronavirus Coronavirus: NY officially on pause; all non-essential businesses shuttered DECATUR Northeast Community Fund staff have been adapting in a time of uncertainty. The organization at 839 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive has seen demand skyrocket during the coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in job losses and furloughs as businesses have shut down. While the $2.2 trillion rescue packaged signed by President Donald Trump will provide relief, the payments are still weeks away. Anyone earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive a $1,200 payment. Parents will also receive $500 for each qualifying child. In the meantime, social service agencies are continuing to fill the gap even as they deal with a limited number of helpers. At Northeast, volunteers and staff 60 years and older back on March 15 were asked to stay home and not come into work, "which is more than half of our staff," said Executive Director Ed Bacon. The precaution came because of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that seek to limit the number of people in a building at once. As a result, the food pantry turned into a drive-through. The food pantry qualifies as an essential service that can operate during the Illinois stay-at-home order Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on March 20. The agency also provides family investment and micro-finance programs. Until the stay-at-home order is lifted, its clothing room will not be open and financial services will be done remotely via phone call. Clients who visit the pantry drive-through are asked to keep two weeks between each visit and have an ID verification. Hours remain 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday. In the drive-through, volunteers hand out pre-filled boxes to clients instead of them picking out food. Boxes Monday morning had frozen pizza, cereal, fresh produce, juices, pasta and toilet paper, among other items. Clients are asked to stay in their vehicles. "It's pretty much the same basic essentials in each one," Bacon said. "It's what we have in stock. You might have a rye bread instead of a white bread, or cookies instead of pies." The boxes come together on an assembly line inside a 17,000-square-foot facility the organization moved into in October. To keep up with demand, boxes are packaged and shuffled across the food line, then handed out of the facility's south side doors. "It's fast and easy to pull up and just grab it," said Joseph Horath on Monday morning while receiving a box through the drive-through. The 49-year-old is a regular client. "There are some items that have been hard to find in the stores," he said. "It's been a great big help." Demand has increased significantly. Northeast announced a policy change Sunday that now allows families to visit the pantry two times every 30 days, instead of one. A result of the virus has been a significant increase in first-time clients, Bacon said. The most amount of families served in one day by the agency is 448, Bacon said. Monday saw 330 and 170 were served Friday. Usually, it's about 125. "We actually broke our record this year," he said. "Within 50 years, we had about 205 families. The first day we opened the drive-through, we broke that record. The second day we doubled it, at least." Food Director Karol Schaefer keeps regular contact with Kroger, Aldi and Walmart for food orders. Since she's 66 years old, she was one of the staff members asked to work remotely. "It's really been difficult to get milk, eggs and bread," she said. "Everything in this situation has changed as far as delivery from grocery stores because they're not getting product. We've been put on hold so I've been trying to purchase what I can when I can." Schaefer said Kroger lifted an order restriction Monday that prevented the ordering of certain items, especially those that are hard to find at area stores. The Central Illinois Food Bank also limited orders of popular items to five cases every two months. The agency would typically order up to 30 cases of canned goods and a pallet, 72 cases, of macaroni and cheese, Schaefer said as an example. About 8,000 to 12,000 pounds of food is donated by Feeding America each week, which is one of the pantry's consistent source of donations. The United Way also assisted by purchasing four pallets of milk with funding from the $100,000 donated by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation donation to help stock food pantries. The pantry isn't accepting personal donations to limit social contact, something that has caused a decreased in total amount of food they receive. "We're trying to encourage the stay-at-home order and asking people to come here and donate food would defeat that, Bacon said. However, monetary donations and volunteer opportunities are needed and more information can be found at northeastcommunityfund.org/donate. "We can purchase food from the Central Illinois Food Bank for 19 cents a pound, so their money goes a lot further if they just make a monetary donation," Bacon said. I should offer a shout-out to the WSOY Food Drive," he said, referring to the annual collection each fall. "We were given $75,000 that came as a credit at the Central Illinois Food Bank. It has really been nice to have that credit, you know, to draw from in times like this. PHOTOS: New Northeast Community Fund facility groundbreaking Contact Garrett Karsten at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @GarrettKarsten This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist . The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission. Toys that encourage creativity do much more than prepare young learners to draw, sculpt, or star in the school play. They teach children to experiment and problem solve. Kids are going to live in a world thats changing and has problems that we cant anticipate, explains Julie King, co-author of How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen. The way were going to solve them is by being creative. The best toys show kids hold information in their mind, think flexibly as things change, and to use self-control, says Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making. Advertisement Finger paints and pint-size musical instruments might be the first things that come to mind when youre thinking of creative toys (and theyre certainly great options). But there is a much wider range of toys that inspire creative though in children, including building blocks, magnetic doodads, and other more whimsical playthings. Being creative is not just about being artistic, King says. According to Laura Phillips, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, the best creative toys are open-ended, with limited rules or guidelines and no correct answer or end goal. Below, our panel of child psychologists and development experts recommend the best multi-use, open-ended toys to spark kids imaginations. Best building toys Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box Nearly everyone we spoke to said classic Lego blocks are perfect for fostering creativity. Child psychologist Dr. George Sachs says playing with Legos allows the child to develop their own creative ideas and fosters spatial awareness. Both he and Galinsky like that even though kids often begin with building models based on a kits instructions, theyll soon want to build their own creations. Joanna Faber, the other co-author of How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen, agrees: Kids love Legos because you can endlessly make wild and crazy things with them. $26 from Amazon Melissa & Doug Wooden Building-Blocks Set Sandra Gordon, founder of baby-gear review site Baby Products Mom, recommends these wooden blocks for toddlers. Like any good creative toy, they inspire pretend play, building, [and] creating something, she says. $18 from Amazon Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 37pc Set Magna-tiles are often found in classrooms because, according to Gordon, they help spark a childs budding imagination and inspire endless creations. Clinical social worker Joseph Sacks, who is also a play therapist at Tribeca Play Therapy, is another fan of magnetic toys like Magna-tiles and uses them in his practice. Figuring out how the magnets interconnect in different ways is very fun, stimulating, and creative, he explains. $60 from Target Marble Genius Marble Run Super Set Marie Masterson, director of quality assessment at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and author of Lets Talk Toddlers, recommends this elaborate marble run for kids as young as preschool age because it teaches hand eye coordination as well as cause and effect. Masterson also notes a benefit for both children and parents: this set will keep kids busy for long periods of time. $37 from Amazon Best art toys Crayola Washable Kids Paint Setting up an area with lots of blank paper and other materials where kids can make art is essential for fostering creative development, according to Dr. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, a psychologist and co-author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children. I recommend that all kids be given art materials, whether theyve expressed interest or not. Sachs explains that art supplies give [kids] the opportunity to express themselves in their own unique way, and that if theres a dedicated art-making space at home, kids will naturally go there when they feel they want to create. He especially likes these washable paints because child artists arent known to keep their materials confined to a canvas. Gordon also likes Crayolas washable finger paints. $5 from Dick Blick Mobee Non Toxic Stackable Washable Crayon Research shows kids love to wield crayons, says Golinkoff, and while what they create might not look like much to you, it may be that theyre thinking about something that [their art] represents, and thats a wonderful thing. These non-toxic washable crayons are ergonomically designed for toddlers who are still working on their fine motor skills. $10 from Walmart Hey Clay Aliens Colorful Kids Modeling Air-Dry Clay Sachs loves these Hey Clay kits for the same reason he loves Legos: They come with instructions for kids to follow but also offer them endless opportunities to experiment on their own. Playing with clay doesnt just provide a tactile creative experience, it can also be emotionally therapeutic. This is actually a part of play therapy, in that children are given clay and they can create whatever they want. Often its an expression of what theyre thinking and feeling, he says. $17 from Amazon Lulu Jr. My Comic Book Kit Kids who love telling stories through their art or just enjoy a good book will surely be thrilled by this make-your-own comics kit. Sachs likes that it provides a kind of pathway to creativity but allows the child to really develop whats on their mind in the form of the comic book. It doesnt tell them who their superhero is, it allows them to really come up with their own ideas. $29 from Amazon Art 101 142 Piece Art & Creativity Art Set For older children and tweens, Phillips recommends adding increasingly sophisticated art supplies to the mix. She likes this set because it includes materials for several different mediums and an organized place to store it all. $50 from Walmart Best imaginative play toys VTech Switch & Go Dinos Animated Dinos 2-Pack Practically any stuffed animal, action figure, or doll can inspire a type of imaginative play in which kids will have whole conversations and play out scenarios with the toys, according to Faber. Sacks finds that transformer toys are especially good at encouraging this type of play in younger kids. These, which change from dinosaurs to cars (and make very realistic sounds in both forms), are among his favorites. $80 from Amazon KidKraft Vintage Kitchen If kids show an interest in any hobbies or careers, theyll probably enjoy make-believe toys like kitchen and doctor sets that let them play different roles. Gordon says you can also use creative toys like these to build a bridge between kids and the adults in their lives. You might choose toys that feed into Grandpa and Grandmas interests if Grandpa is a cook, a toy kitchen set could be just the thing to inspire an interest in your child. $130 from Walmart Meri Meri Swan Cape Dress Up Both Masterson and Phillips suggest providing kids with dress up materials. According to Phillips playing dress up can nurture their imaginations while also developing language, thinking, and social-emotional skills. Masterson says toddlers love boots, shoes, tutus, hats, and handbags. This adorable swan cape and hat will delight young children who love to dance and perform for their family. $45` from Meri Meri City Neighborhood Playmat Multi 3 ft. x 5 ft. Area Rug Several of our experts suggest mini cars and trucks as toys to encourage imaginative play. Enhancing that experience with a mat or rug featuring a city scene will give kids a setting for their adventures, according to Golinkoff. Even if they arent saying stuff out loud, what theyre doing in their mind is composing and making up scenarios. $38 from Home Depot While kids can certainly dream up stories using any toy (or even household objects), Faber says its nice to have puppets and a little puppet theater to give little ones another way to create and tell new tales. The Oyo State Ministry of Health has discharged the index case of Coronavirus in the State after the patient tested Negative after several tests. According to the State COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr Taiwo Ladipo, the patient was released after completion of treatment at the Agbami Chest Hospital isolation centre in Ibadan. Also Read: Coronavirus Patient In Ekiti Discharged After Testing Negative He went on to confirm that the index case has been released after spending six days in the isolation centre and had two negative tests, which resulted in his release. He also expressed that the index case has returned home. Choose your country to get an overview of the legal status and resources on homeschooling with a list of local contacts that can help you find out about mandatory homeschool requirements. Select a country or click on the map below. After reports emerged on March 31 that the Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group was looking to pledge a part of its stake in Tata Sons to raise funds, the latter has now objected to the move,, The Economic Times reported. SP Group heads, Pallonji Mistry and sons Shapoor and Cyrus Mistry, tapped Brookfield investors to facilitate its $2-2.5 billion stake pledge plan, as per the report. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. A spokesperson for SP Group told ET that the move was a periodic adjustment to portfolio to maximise value from assets, adding: SP Group has recorded their strongest performance to date in the last two years and has adequate liquidity to meet current obligations. However, an executive from Tata Sons said the move might be restricted as clauses in the entitys Articles of Association (AoA) would disallow transfer of stake to non-shareholders. The first right of refusal rests with Tata Sons and the SP Group will have to issue a notice to the Tata Sons board, they added. The company did not respond to queries, as per the report. Brookfield has reportedly begun evaluating the investment and tapped international and domestic banks for refinancing opportunities. Brookfield did not respond to queries, the report said. However, most lenders have sought a response from Tata Sonswhich is an illiquid stockpushing for a no objection before confirming their in-principle buy-in. The Tata Sons board is yet to take up the matter, sources told the paper. The first right of refusal stance has been dismissed by a top legal official at SP Group, who said the clause does not prevent pledging of shareswhich is a mechanism of security, not sale. If SP Group cannot meet obligations on pledged shares, nothing can stop them from selling shares which are held in Cyrus & Sterling Investments. Tata Sons can object to transfer of shares to undesirable entities which can only be a criminal or competitor," the official added. A lawyer for Tata Sons has told ET that no one can sell privately held shares in the entity without approval. Tata Sons will have to be offered the shares first which can be bought at a deemed fair price approved every year by the holding company, the lawyer added. The Mistrys hold 18.4 percent stake (pegged at $14-20 billion) in Tata Group parent Tata Sons via Sterling Investments and Cyrus Investmentsmaking them the largest single shareholders on the board. Owner Tata Trusts, which is controlled by Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata holds 66 percent stake. The Tata-Mistry feud has been on since Cyrus Mistry was dismissed as Chairman of Tata Group in 2016. He had taken the helm after Ratan Tata retired in 2012. The matter is with the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, SP Group held Sterling and Wilson Solar has repaid Rs 500 crore to Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd, its subsidiary Sterling and Wilson International FZE, and promoter Khurshed Daruvala on March 31, as per the revised schedule of repayment, Mint reported. SP Group promised promoters it would repay outstanding loans of Rs 1,644 crore as the following: Rs 500 crore by March 31, another Rs 500 crore by June 30 and the balance by September 30. DECATUR Seven Central Illinois communities, including Decatur, are receiving federal funds to help combat the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. A total of $4.85 million in Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grants disaster recovery grants have been awarded, U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis and Darrin LaHood announced Tuesday. Decatur is set to receive $834,287, money that city officials said would be used to help the community recover. The funding was appropriated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Davis and LaHood voted for and President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday. "While we are focusing on keeping the public safe right now, when we are past the health threat of the pandemic, we will need to rebuild our local economy," Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said Tuesday. "This grant money will kick-start that effort. We are very grateful Congressman Davis is bringing the money home to Decatur." City Manager Scot Wrighton said the money comes in addition to CDBG money awarded to Decatur already this year. In February, officials announced that the city would receive $1.4 million in CDBG funding and an additional $430,000 through the HOME Investment Partnerships program. That money is used for economic development and housing assistance for low- to moderate-income residents. "We are very pleased that Congressman Davis worked to include this funding in the CARES bill," Wrighton said in an email, "and we will make sure, to the extent possible based on the federal guidelines and restrictions placed on use of the money, that the new funds are applied in areas most affected by the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 in Decatur." Other communities' awards are: Bloomington, $329,144; Champaign, $591,549; Peoria, $1.08 million; Normal, $246,067; Springfield, $799,156; and Urbana, $294,96. "This federal funding will allow our local communities to respond to the specific needs they have," said Davis, a Taylorville Republican. "I've heard from mayors and county board chairs about the need for federal funding to deal with a wide-range of impacts the coronavirus pandemic is having on our shared constituencies." In response to presidentially declared disasters, Congress may appropriate additional funding for the CDBG Program as disaster recovery grants to rebuild the affected areas and provide seed money to start the recovery process. Since CDBG assistance may fund a broad range of recovery activities, HUD can help communities and neighborhoods that otherwise might not recover due to limited resources, the congressmen said. Analisa Trofimuk contributed to this story. Contact Maria Nagle at (309) 820-3244. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Nagle Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Kuwait counterpart Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the two leaders discussed the domestic and international aspects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Both leaders discussed the domestic and international aspects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They agreed that their officials would maintain regular contact during the health crisis in order to exchange information and explore avenues of cooperation and mutual support," a PMO release said. The Kuwaiti leader stressed that his country "greatly values the contributions" of the large Indian community and would continue to ensure their safety and welfare in the present situation. The Prime Minister expressed his "warm thanks and appreciation for this kind reassurance." Modi conveyed his greetings and best wishes for the good health of the Amir of Kuwait, the royal family and the people of Kuwait. "He underlined the importance that India attaches to its relations with Kuwait, a valued member of India's extended neighborhood," the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Wednesday urged Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, to give a message to the Sikh community to not congregate on Vaisakhi. The Cooperation and Jails Minister said that due to COVID-19 threat, keeping social distance as per the directions of the health department is the only way to combat the disease. Making an appeal to the Jathedar, Randhawa said, "As you are aware that the entire human race is going through a grave crisis. It is all the more a matter of concern that this pandemic increases with human contact and the chain of infection multiplies. He added, "You are also aware that the sacred festival of Vaisakhi, which marks the day Khalsa was born, is fast approaching and during which the Sangat visits Gurudwaras. But now the situation is such that vast gatherings of Sangat should be avoided." He requested the Jathedar, Sri Akal Takht Sahib, to "lead the community as you have always done and ask the Sikh sangat to not gather this time and instead stay in their homes and pray for the good health of all humanity besides contributing for helping the distressed people so as to save the human race from the crisis of alarming proportions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AFRICA Western Sahara Expected Council Action In April, the Council expects to receive a briefing on the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) as mandated in resolution 2494. Colin Stewart, the Special Representative for Western Sahara and head of MINURSO, is likely to brief. Western Sahara briefings have usually been held in consultations. MINURSOs mandate expires on 31 October. Key Recent Developments The political situation regarding Western Sahara remains relatively unchanged. The Secretary-General has yet to appoint a new Personal Envoy since the previous envoy, former President of Germany Horst Kohler, resigned his post on 22 May 2019 because of health concerns. The personal envoy is mandated to move the political process forward, towards settlement of the Western Sahara dispute, and in the year before resigning, Kohler had successfully led several roundtable discussions. The personal envoys mandate rests on being able to establish trust amongst the discussants, namely Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania. (Western Sahara has been the subject of territorial disputes since Spain withdrew in 1976. Initially, both Morocco and Mauritania presented claims, but Mauritania renounced its claim in 1979. The independence movement is led by the Polisario Front, which represents the nomadic inhabitants of the Western Sahara region known as the Sahrawis.) In the ten months since Kohlers departure, no initiatives towards reaching a political agreement have been evident. Meanwhile, the situation on the ground remains tense. Special Representative Stewart last briefed Council members in closed consultations on 16 October 2019, highlighting his concerns about the humanitarian situation as well as an ongoing funding gap. Stewart described rising frustration among Sahrawi youth because of the lack of opportunities and of any final settlement of the issue. Civil society actors continue to criticise violence by Moroccan police against activists in Western Sahara. According to the World Food Programmes 2019 nutrition survey, there was a deterioration in women and childrens nutritional status, with anaemia in refugee camps prevalent among 50.1 percent of children aged 6-59 months and 52.2 percent among women of reproductive age. As of 1 March, there were no reports of COVID-19 in the Tindouf refugee camps. Relations have remained tense between Morocco and the Polisario Front, moreover. In July 2019, King Mohammed VI of Morocco stressed in a speech that Western Sahara is part of Morocco and urged the international community to work on Moroccos autonomy plan, which was first submitted to the UN in 2007. With the support of the Moroccan government, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote dIvoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, and Sao Tome and Principe have all recently opened consulates in Moroccan-controlled Laayoune and Dakhla in the disputed territory. On 30 October 2019, the Council adopted resolution 2494 renewing the mandate of MINURSO for one year. The US, as penholder, opted not to make significant changes to the text at that time, aside from a return to the 12-month mandate cycle, for which France and others had been advocating. A 12-month mandate was the norm until 2018, when the US pushed for a six-month mandate to increase pressure on the parties to work towards a peaceful solution. The return to the yearlong mandate seemed to signal the US belief that the continued absence of a personal envoy had substantially reduced the possibility of any positive political progress. Thirteen Council members voted in favour of resolution 2494, with Russia and South Africa abstaining (as they did during the previous vote, in April 2019). In their statements, Russia and South Africa stressed their support for MINURSOs work. Russia indicated their belief, however, that others were trying to use the renewal to predetermine the direction of the negotiation process being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations or to change established approaches affirmed in previously adopted resolutions. South Africa did not believe the text was balanced between the parties and worried about attempts to subvert principles of self-determination. From 19 to 24 December 2019, the Polisario Front held its 15th Congress in Tifariti. About 2,000 attended, including Sahrawi delegates, Polisario Front administration officials, and several foreign delegations, including representatives from the newly elected government in Algeria. In a January letter to the Security Council, the Polisario Front denounced the fact that the motorsport Africa Eco Race crossed through its region, and also protested that the Secretary-General was not criticising Moroccan actions sharply enough. The Polisario Front also continues to advocate for the immediate appointment of a new personal envoy. Key Issues and Options MINURSO is one of the longest-running UN peacekeeping missions, having been established in 1991 with the key objective of facilitating a referendum for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. With no referendum held, its duties today mainly consist of monitoring the ceasefire across the Berm, a 1,700-mile-long earthen wall that divides the Moroccan-administered portion of Western Sahara from that held by the Polisario Front. Members will want to hear of any challenges on the ground to MINURSO or difficulties in implementing its mandate. Given the continued absence of the Secretary-Generals personal envoy, Council members could consider issuing a press statement urging the Secretary-General to appoint a successor to Kohler as soon as possible. In the past, there have been unsuccessful attempts at conveying this message to the Secretary-General, including during the mandate renewal negotiations in October 2019: some members wanted a stronger call for this, while others felt that a resolution was not the right place. The fact that the post has been vacant for nearly a year may have increased the Councils sense of pressure. Council and Wider Dynamics The Council has been quiet on the Western Sahara issue since the adoption of resolution 2494. With many member states frustrated by the absence of a personal envoy and the concomitant lack of political progress, they may voice these concerns. In January 2017, Morocco rejoined the AU after a 33-year absence. Morocco left when the AUs predecessor body admitted Western Sahara as a member in 1984. Since rejoining the organisation, Morocco has been stepping up its efforts to maintain its de facto governance over part of the Western Sahara territory and attempt to bring some AU members around to its way of thinking. This is reflected in the opening of the nine consulates, something that was unforeseeable before. South Africa remains the Polisarios most steadfast ally on the Council. It will likely continue to push for more negotiations to determine the status of Western Sahara as soon as possible, and for retaining a focus on human rights. The opening of consulates by nine African countries in Laayoune, in the disputed territory, may signal a changing dynamic among African states which had previously been consistent in their positions on MINURSO and in their support for Polisario. Tunisia, as a new Council member and part of the region, may have a useful point of view to share, though it will do so delicately given its critical relationships with all stakeholders. Tunisias neighbour Algeria has also renewed its involvement on Western Sahara after recently pulling back while it formed a government. Algeria is one of the countries that has spoken out against the recent consulate openings. UN DOCUMENTS ON WESTERN SAHARA U.S. military aircraft fly near Taiwan for 4th time this month ROC Central News Agency 03/31/2020 10:08 PM Taipei, March 31 (CNA) A United States military aircraft was reported flying near Taiwan's southern airspace Tuesday, marking the fourth time this month a U.S. warplane had been spotted operating near the country. The U.S. Navy P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft was operating in the South China Sea, according to a flight chart posted on Twitter on Tuesday by Aircraft Spots, a military air movement tracker. Asked to comment, Taiwanese military spokesman Shih Shun-wen () did not directly confirm the movement, saying only that the nation's armed forces are closely monitoring the country's surrounding waters and airspace. Based on charts released by Aircraft Spots and Taiwan's own records, the latest incident was the fourth time in March that a U.S. warplane was found to have been operating near the nation's airspace. The previously three occurrences all happened last week: on March 25 by an EP-3E ARIES II reconnaissance aircraft, on March 26 by a B-52 Stratofortress bomber and a KC-135 tanker, and on March 27 by another B-52 bomber and an RC-135U reconnaissance aircraft. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS McCampbell conducted operations in the Taiwan Strait on March 25, according to information released by the U.S. Pacific Fleet on its Facebook page. The U.S. military's frequent operations around Taiwan, both in the air and at sea in the past week are designed to show that the U.S. is continuing its monitoring of the region, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local military analysts told CNA. Su Tzu-yun (), a section chief of the government-funded thinktank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said the U.S. warplanes intentionally turned on their transponders so that their signals could be picked up by air movement trackers. In this way, it was sending a clear message tactically that it is closely watching the region despite the pandemic. These military movements might also be monitoring any moves made by their Chinese counterparts, he added. Lin Ying-yu (), an assistant professor at National Chung Cheng University's Institute of Strategic and International Affairs, said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is apparently playing the "anti-China/pro-Taiwan" card by frequently sending warplanes and warships near Taiwan in the hope of gaining more voter support in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address About 30 Midland Memorial Hospital employees have had known exposure to COVID-19, CEO Russell Meyers said during a briefing Wednesday, clarifying a statement made two days earlier that 61 employees were exposed to the virus. Those 30 employees were exposed by the first patient confirmed to have the novel coronavirus, who later died, Meyers said. By Lee Min-young The Asia Model Festival Organizing Committee (AMFOC) and Uzbekistan cryptocurrency exchange UZNEX have reached a marketing partnership agreement to further promote the Asia Model Festival an annual event to select Asia's next top model and forge cultural ties between Korea and other Asian countries in the fields of fashion and beauty. "I hope this agreement will become a chance for us to meet blockchain technology which will stretch our fashion platform into a wider business model for the global market," AMFOC President Yang Eui-sig said during a ceremony to sign a memorandum of understanding with the cryptocurrency exchange on Tuesday. UZNEX is Uzbekistan's new digital asset trading platform. It is operated by the Korean company Kobea Group. Under the agreement, UZNEX will use the Asia Model Festival to promote its token UZNEX coin (UNB) while AMFOC will be seeking ways to create a new business model incorporating blockchain technology and fashion modeling content. The organizing committee is set to explore new avenues through a fresh corporate body "AMF GLOBAL," which will be dedicated to recruiting, educating and managing influencers as well as developing fashion and beauty products based on blockchain technology. AMF GLOBAL will also expand into TV drama production and distribution by operating a media commerce platform. The company is now co-producing the Uzbekistan government-supported drama series "The Star of Tashkent" with production company KorTop Media. The drama is expected to air through the IPTV service and OTT video platforms in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations this year. The Pentagon will send roughly 500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist that department's efforts to deal with the coronavirus. Two U.S. officials have said the Pentagon approved a request by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The United States already maintains an average of 5,000 troops at the southwest border to support Border Patrol by performing non-law enforcement duties. The latest deployment will bolster those ranks as border agents grapple with possible exposure to COVID-19, the disease cause by the virus. The Trump administration is sending more than 500 troops to the southern border to combat the coronavirus threat U.S. Border Patrol agents conduct a training exercise in the Anapra area, in front of the wall that divides New Mexico, from Mexico, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move came as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump shelved a plan to send troops to the border with Canada, U.S. officials told Reuters. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland slammed the proposal last week, calling it 'an entirely unnecessary step' that would damage bilateral relations between the two nations, which have long maintained an undefended border. The Trump administration has stepped up its response to the coronavirus outbreak this month as infections have spread across the country. For the first time on Tuesday, the United States recorded nearly 700 new deaths in a single day. The country now has a total of more than 4,000 deaths and more than 189,000 cases. The troops will assist U.S. Border Patrol agents. The mission is to 'prevent more infections coming into the U.S. interior' The Department of Homeland Security made the request for personnel to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations on the southern border The United States closed its northern and southern borders to tourist and recreational travel to limit the spread of the new coronavirus on March 20. At the same time, the Trump administration began to use a health-focused statute to swiftly return migrants caught trying to cross U.S. borders illegally. The rapid removals also apply to unaccompanied minors from Central America with exceptions on a case-by-case, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Monday. The minors previously had been transferred into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with a federal law to protect victims of human trafficking. Guatemalan authorities said on Monday that a group of migrants deported from the United States were being held in a temporary shelter at the country's main airport after three children aboard the flight developed fevers, a key COVID-19 symptom. The border between the US and Mexico is quiet after the countries announced a temporary ban on non-essential and leisure travel between them As the health care workers, more popularly called today as the frontliners, beg for more persona protective equipment (PPE), specifically the N95 face masks, for protection from the infection of COVID-19, a Texas firm found one seller who claimed to have had at least two million masks on hand and discreetly offered them for sake at a shocking price of $6 per piece. Before the widespread pandemic, each mask was sold for only around $1. Typically, a big corporation would spend a dollar (or even less) for an N95 face mask, especially if it purchased at least a million of them. Unfortunately, these are not the typical times, and the pitch from Hatfield and Co., an industrial supplier, to sell around 2 million facial masks to a big oil industry player in the US last week was not the typical offer. Based on interviews and sales documents, the supplier asked for $6 million with at least one million masks for a minimum order and a choice of purchasing 2 million for almost $13 million. READ: Chris Cuomo, News Anchor, and Brother of Governor Andrew Cuomo Tested Positive for COVID-19 Overpriced? In these trying times when the COVID-19 pandemic is swiftly spreading across the nation and the frontliners are desperate for the N95 face masks which can filter out, no less than 95 percent of airborne elements to shield themselves and the sick, critics say, a cost such as this one, "smacks of racketeering" and price extorting by somebody who is in the supply chain. A salesperson in the industry, familiar with the pitch of Hatfield and Co. but is not authorized to speak to the media said, with the said price offered, it is not only marked up like 50 cents, and added that this indeed, "is highway robbery." Hatfield and Co.'s defense is that it said, it did not mark up the face masks excessively or involve price extortion. The company also told the Texas Tribune, its own supplier had its "terms and conditions" set for the sale of the said products. It declined to name though the supplier. Neither did it quantify the amount it stood to revenue, referring to its contractual agreements. READ NEXT: 'We've Got to Fight Together': the US Faces Shortage of Specially Trained Respiratory Therapists Face Masks Stored all over Texas Meanwhile, the salesman of Hatfield and Co. based in Beaumont, Brad Lindeman, who is also the contact listed for the proposed sale said via a short phone interview on Sunday, the firm had access to an unrevealed number of N95 face masks, stored in warehouses located all over Texas, as well as the other states. Lindeman said some face masks are stored in Florida, Houston, and Dallas, among others. The inventories, the Hatfield salesman said, are continuously moving and thus, it is quite difficult to divulge the exact quantity. Lindeman also added a team of doctors has the masks although he did not elaborate much on it. READ MORE: Texas: Pop-up Hospitals, Travel Restrictions, and Other COVID-19 Measures Meanwhile, Lindeman also mentioned about 3M, a Minnesota-based manufacturer, which was the original source of the face masks and one of the biggest manufacturers of the said products, did not return calls immediately. In relation to this, 3M chief executive officer, Mike Roman asked the state officials and federal to crack down on price extortion saying, 3M "has not and will not increase" its price for the face masks currently being used to help fight COVID-19. New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday appreciated officers and staff of Lok Sabha Secretariat who have contributed their a day's salary to PM CARES Fund. In his message, Mr Birla said, "The employees of Lok Sabha Secretariat have decided to contribute a day's salary, amounting to approximately 45 lakh, to the PM CARES Fund to combat COVID-19. I appreciate and laud their contribution towards our fight against the pandemic." Mr Birla in a letter had requested the MPs to contribute the fund towards purchasing protective equipment for health workers, masks, testing kits and other essential medical equipment. He has already announced that he would contribute his one months salary to the Prime Ministers Relief Fund. A general view shows the U.S. embassy across the Tigris river in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Jan. 3, 2020. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Says Iran Planning Sneak Attack on American Troops in Iraq President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran or one of the militia groups it controls is planning to make a sneak attack on American assets in the region. Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq, Trump wrote in a Twitter post. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! The president didnt offer any more details about a potential attack. Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020 Iranian proxy militia groups have targeted U.S. troops housed in several Iraqi bases. Iran launched a barrage of rockets at two bases earlier this year, causing minor injuries to more than 100 soldiers after the United States killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. The United States carried out a drone strike that killed Soleimani after Iranian-backed militia groups killed an American contractor and tried to storm the American Embassy in Baghdad. Earlier this month, at least two American soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on a base in Iraq. U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. William Urban confirmed to news outlets that the soldiers and another coalition member were killed after about 10 rockets were launched by Iran-backed proxies. Iran on Wednesday warned the United States after Patriot missile systems were reportedly deployed in the Middle East. The U.S. is moving defensive systems into Iraq to protect Iraqi, coalition, and U.S. service members from a variety of air threats seen at Iraqi bases that host coalition troops, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Robertson said. The U.S. deployment runs counter to the official position of the Iraqi government, parliament, and people, according to a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry. Iran then accused the United States of warmongering during the coronavirus outbreak and called on the United States to cease military activities, claiming it will lead to instability and disaster. Tehran has reported more than 3,000 deaths from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, although experts are skeptical of the number. American soldiers should respect the wishes of the Iraqi people and government and leave the country, the Iranian foreign ministry said. In late March, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran refused to follow U.S. air restrictions amid the CCP virus pandemic. In February, Irans chief terror airline, Mahan Air, continued to fly at least 55 times between Tehran and China, spreading the #WuhanVirus. At least five countries first cases of #COVID19 were a direct result of the Iranian regimes disregard for everyones health, Pompeo wrote. But Pompeo added that Iran is asking for more money, and since 2012, it sent $16 billion to terrorist proxies in the Middle East. They also stole money intended for medical supplies, and continue to hoard desperately needed masks, gloves, and equipment for sale on the black market, he said. Michigan asked the federal government for more than 20 million N95 respirator masks for health care workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Three days later, only 112,800 masks from the national stockpile were delivered. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has made 34 requests for various supplies to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as of March 28, according to a document shared with MLive by the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged the federal government for weeks to deliver more personal protection equipment, ventilators and other gear but said shipments from the Strategic National Stockpile meet only a fraction of the demand. Whitmer has been vocal in pressing President Donald Trump to send more supplies to Michigan, saying states have been forced to compete against each other and the federal government to get whats needed. Private companies, including Michigans automakers, have mobilized to manufacture medical supplies while hospitals solicit donations. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases confirmed across the state reached 7,615 Tuesday, with deaths rising to 259. Tuesday set a record for the most cases found in a single day since the outbreak was discovered on March 10. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. A majority of the cases are concentrated in Southwest Michigan. The city of Detroit alone accounts for 27% of the statewide cases. Trump acknowledged Michigan will need more support as it becomes one of the hardest-hit states in the nation. He said Michigan has to be taken care of during a Monday press conference. Were sending a lot of things to Michigan because thats becoming a hotbed, he said. Dr. Jenny Atas is the medical director for Michigans Region 2 South healthcare coalition covering Wayne County, home to the largest concentration of COVID-19 cases. She said hospitals dealing with a high volume of patients are facing a difficult time keeping up with supplies. The demand exceeds the supply chain across the nation, Atas said. As soon as we get it, we push it out. You can ask for it at the federal level, but if theres no supply, theres no supply." At a Monday press conference, Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigans chief medical executive, said health care workers remain in desperate need of life-saving ventilators and basic gear like N95 masks, gloves and gowns. The process of resupplying Michigans hospitals is more reactive than proactive, based on hospital needs. Resource requests are put together based on data from state, local and county agencies across Michigans eight healthcare coalitions, according to MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin. Atas said hospitals report daily to healthcare coalitions with the number of available ventilators, beds, supplies, patient numbers and various other data points. The detailed inventory list is used to determine when hospitals need resources, and when its time to ask the federal government for help. Michigans first request came 10 days after the states first COVID-19 cases were discovered. The state asked for 89,000 testing swabs and 2,000 testing kits on March 20. Requests followed every few days during the last week. The largest ask, which came on March 25, included millions of N95 respirators, surgical masks, disposable gloves, gowns and various other types of medical gear. The state also requested 25,000 life-saving ventilators, used to substitute the respiratory system of severely ill patients. Khaldun said Monday the state has 1,700 ventilator machines. Another 5,000 to 10,000 more are needed, according to the chief medical officer. Whitmer celebrated the arrival of 400 ventilators from FEMA Tuesday. Sutfin said they will to the worst-affected areas of the state. Michigan submitted its most recent request on March 28. Officials asked FEMA for pandemic response and recovery facilities and disaster alternate care facilities. Other items Michigan asked for on March 25 include: 110 million gloves 21.8 million N95 respirators 2.3 million disposable gowns 1.4 million surgical head caps/disposable bonnets 1.1 million surgical masks 600,000 disposable shoe covers 500,000 nasal pharyngeal swabs 232,000 face shields 20,000 full-body zip-up coveralls Whitmer said the state has been able to scrounge together many of these supplies with the help of donations and private businesses. The governor said the state spent $80 million to secure 20 million masks, nearly 9 million ounces of hand sanitizer, 255,000 boxes of gloves, 2.4 million gowns, more than 2,000 beds 210,000 testing kits, 3,000 thermometers, 185,000 face shields and 22,000 cartons of disinfecting wipes. The state releases a daily report on the number of available beds and medical equipment across eight health care regions. Michigan hospitals have 7.1 million gloves as of Tuesday, far fewer than the 110 million requested last week. Michigans hospitals had 346,722 N95 masks as of Monday. Michigan hospitals reported 1,596 available ventilators on Tuesday. Daily self-reporting by hospitals was required by an order MDHHS Director Robert Gordon issued on March 24. Tuesdays accounting of hospital beds attracted a 81% response rate, with a 79% response rate for PPE. State officials had a difficult time predicting the long-term demand as long as it remains unclear how long COVID-19 cases will increase in Michigan. The governors spokesperson directed these questions to MDHHS. Atas said its difficult to predict what the need will look like in the future. How quickly hospitals go through a shipment of gloves depends on how the number of patients and staff and a variety of other factors. Michigans demand for medical gear will also depend on how many people are diagnosed with COVID-19. Khaldun said Monday that models used by the state suggest a peak in the number of cases is several weeks away", and was hesitant to predict a more precise date. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees FEMA. He said the formulas FEMA uses to distribute supplies are based primarily on population primarily instead of the number of COVID-19 cases. While Michigan ranks 10th nationally in population, only New Jersey and New York had more confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of March 31. Part of what were working on right now is to make sure that allocations that are made, particularly out of the stockpile of personal protection equipment, goes to those states where the need is greatest, Peters said. It should go to those areas that have hotspots. U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, also said the federal government hasnt effectively coordinated resources. Shes calling for the creation of a national medical advisory czar to oversee the distribution of medical supplies during a pandemic. Slotkin said the official could streamline the process of evaluating what states need so that there are answers that dont differ when I go from agency to agency, that doesnt differ when I go from senior person to senior person." That is still what Im experiencing right now, and it puts us like the state of Michigan at a disadvantage because we cant possibly see the whole picture if even the federal government cant," Slotkin said. If one agency doesnt know what the other ones doing, you can imagine that a single state like Michigan is going to have an awful time trying to figure out what the real state of play is. Thats whats going on, repeated 50 times over across the country. Atas said Michigans eight health care coalitions are skilled at quickly moving supplies where they are needed. A national shortage of equipment remains the top problem, she said. You cant lean forward and make everybody super-prepared if you dont have any supply, Atas said. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: Whitmer says Michigan schools very unlikely to reopen this year under coronavirus pandemic All Michigan schools to close as coronavirus spreads, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces How Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order compares to other states Michigan coronavirus numbers now at 6,498 -- up 1,012 cases Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has told constituents she will "advocate strongly" on behalf of those who chose not to head to a polling booth last weekend over health concerns. During a Facebook Live Q&A session for members of her South Brisbane electorate, Ms Trad addressed the question of why the local government elections went ahead, and she conceded that the government "could have done things better" in the unprecedented circumstances. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad says she will advocate for anyone who failed to vote last weekend because of health concerns. Credit:Glenn Hunt/AAP "I know that this is something that has been also the subject of a lot of concern in the community and a lot of debate in the community," she said on Wednesday night. "Anyone out there in my community who chose not to vote out of health reasons and I did speak to a number of people on the actual day please contact my office if you are fearful of getting a fine for not voting. Libreville, Gabon (PANA) The Gabonese ministry of Health on Tuesday issued a statement to announce that nine new persons tested positive to coronavirus, which takes to 16 the number of contaminated The worlds oceans and Earth's marine life can be saved by 2050, scientists claim, but substantial rebuilding efforts will be required. An international team of researchers say humanity is at a point at which it must choose whether to leave future generations a resilient, vibrant ocean or an irreversibly disrupted one. The teams study lays out the essential roadmap of actions needed for the planet's marine life to recover in full within 30 years. This is based on the spectacular recovery of the humpback whale, which was brought to the brink of extinction in the 1960s but recovered by 2015 thanks to conservation efforts. Protecting species, restoring habitats, reducing pollution and mitigating the worse of climate change by reducing global greenhouse gas emissions are all major tasks that lie ahead, the researchers conclude. Success also depends on the support of a committed partnership of global governments and 'a substantial commitment of financial resources', they warn. It estimates that it will cost $10 billion to $20 billion a year on restoration projects, but for every dollar invested, the expected return would be $10. A giant humpback whale off of Australia's eastern coastline. Humpbacks decreased in numbers in the 1960s to just a few hundred in the wild, but recent conservation efforts have led to numbers of more than 25,000 We have a narrow window of opportunity to deliver a healthy ocean to our grandchildren's generation, and we have the knowledge and tools to do so, said co-leader of the study Professor Carlos Duarte at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Failing to embrace this challenge, and in so doing condemning our grandchildren to a broken ocean unable to support high-quality livelihoods, is not an option. The study, published in the journal Nature, lays out the essential actions required for the planet's marine life to recover by 2050. It documents recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions, and provides evidence-based recommendations on possible solutions. By studying the impact of previously successful ocean conservation interventions and recovery trends, the researchers identified nine components integral to rebuilding marine life Although humans have greatly altered sea life to its detriment in the past, the researchers found evidence of the remarkable resilience of marine life. The study found that 47 per cent of 124 populations of marine mammals had increased, 40 per cent had increased and 13 per cent had decreased. They noted steep losses of life throughout the 20th century to a slowing down of losses, and in some instances even recovery, over the first two decades of the 21st century. This includes particularly spectacular cases of recovery, such as the humpback whale, which was brought to the brink of extinction in the 1960s, with just a few hundred surviving in the wild, a result of commercial whaling. However, conservation efforts and the introduction of the Endangered Species Act saw the humpback population almost totally recover by 2015, to more than 25,000. Humpback whales migrating from Antarctica to eastern Australia have been increasing at a rate of 10 per cent to 13 per cent per year, from just a few hundred in 1968 to more than 40,000 today. Northern elephant seals which were hunted extensively for their natural oil during Victorian times have also recovered from about 20 breeding individuals in 1880 to more than 200,000 today. The study authors reckon the recovery of marine life can be accelerated to achieve substantial recovery within two to three decades for most components of marine ecosystems. The researchers identified nine components integral to rebuilding marine life salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna and the deep sea. An international study led by KAUST professors lays out the essential roadmap of actions required for the planet's marine life to recover to full abundance by 2050 They also outlined six recovery actions to protect and rebuild the nine components harvesting wisely, protecting spaces, restoring habitats, reducing pollution and mitigating climate change. Rebuilding marine life represents a doable grand challenge for humanity, an ethical obligation and a smart economic objective to achieve a sustainable future, said Professor Susana Agusti at KAUST. The actions recommended include opportunities, benefits, possible roadblocks and remedial actions, giving a tangible roadmap to deliver a healthy ocean that would provide huge benefits for people and the planet. If all recovery wedges are activated at scale, recovery timescales of previously damaged marine life show that the abundance of marine life can be recovered within one human generation, or two to three decades, by 2050. However, the impact of climate change already limits the scope for rebuilding tropical corals to only a partial recovery. The Great Barrier Reef is facing the 'most extensive' and potentially devastating coral bleaching event following unusually warm recent ocean temperatures. Climate change has already limited the scope for rebuilding tropical corals, the study says Overall, the goal of rebuilding the abundance of marine life can only succeed if the most ambitious goals within the Paris Agreement are reached. Success largely depends on the support of a committed, resilient global partnership of governments and societies aligned with the goal. It will also require a 'substantial commitment of financial resources', but these will be worthwhile as the ecological, economic and social gains from rebuilding marine life will be far-reaching. The study brought together the world's leading marine scientists, working across four continents, in ten countries from 16 universities, including the University of York. Indigenous groups in South America---including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru--- are blockading their villages amid the looming coronavirus threat. The global pandemic, COVID-19, has infected over 850,000 people across the globe over four months, with numbers still growing at a rapid pace each day. The virus claimed more than 40,000 lives since the first reported case in China in December 2019. The United States currently has the most number of cases anywhere in the world with 187,729 cases---81,937 more cases than Italy. Indigenous groups in South America began locking people out of their villages, barring all entry points, in a bid to keep tribe members safe from the virus sweeping the nation. The number of cases in South America has risen to almost 8,000 in recent days, with health officials expecting more cases to be unreported. Several tribe leaders urged their residents to hunker down and leave only if necessary. In a letter sent by the leaders to the local government, only healthcare workers will be allowed to enter the village so long as they are screened and the villagers are informed five days before their arrival. Roads to various reserves were sealed off, as of Monday. Public health officials have also stopped air and river transportation to the region as they focus on stopping the virus from reaching the villages where the health system is precarious. Should a member of the indigenous population be infected, professionals would not be able to attend to serious cases as ICUs and other medical equipment are a thousand kilometers. Indigenous communities are extremely vulnerable to epidemics as villages do not have basic sanitation and proper housing conditions. Their living conditions make them very fragile for lung and respiratory diseases. READ MORE ON LATIN POST: The lockdown tactics pose a risk, experts warned. Tribal members who were not properly tested or isolated could carry the virus home as they return to their remote homes. Tawasap, a 70-strong settlement in Ecuador, closed its border in February, becoming one of the first villages to forbid entry to their village. Peru's Amazon indigenous federation said they had urged over 2,000 isolated communities to close their borders. Various tribe leaders called out Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro who continues to dismiss the pandemic. Many Brazilians protested by banging pots and pans during a televised address where he announced containment measures and relief packages. Bolsonaro recently called the health crisis as a "fantasy" that was overhyped by the media. He also said he "wouldn't feel a thing" should he contract the virus. Over the years, Brazil's indigenous tribes were faced with highly infectious diseases such as measles and flu viruses which decimated their population and served as a threat to more than 100 isolated groups. Sofia Mendonca, a health physician who serves at Brazil's Xingu national park, said the virus can affect more than 6,000 indigenous tribe members. "If the virus gets into the villages," she began, "it will be a true genocide." P olice have urged people not to visit a small Welsh town that has been taken over by wild goats during the coronavirus lockdown because it is "non-essential travel". Videos of Kashmiri goats wandering freely through the streets of Llandudno, in north Wales, have circulated the Internet this week. The goats, which were first reported by Manchester Evening News journalist Andrew Stuart, have been eating plants, walking in the road and sleeping in the churchyard. But police officers have now have told people tempted to go see the goats' antics themselves not to come - as it would not be essential travel and would go against lockdown rules. Goats take over the deserted streets of Llandudno - In pictures 1 /21 Goats take over the deserted streets of Llandudno - In pictures A herd of goats take advantage of quiet streets in Llandudno, north Wales @AndrewStuart via PA PA PA PA @AndrewStuart via PA @AndrewStuart via PA PA @AndrewStuart via PA @AndrewStuart via PA @AndrewStuart via PA @AndrewStuart via PA @AndrewStuart via PA PA PA PA PA Officers said in a Facebook post: "It's great to see the media reaction around the Great Orme Goats that we are very fond of locally. "However, please do not travel to Llandudno to see them at this time, that would not be essential travel and is putting unnecessary demand on all public services." But North Wales Police encouraged people to visit when the lockdown is over. The Kashmiri goats belong to a herd of around 120 that live in the mountainous Great Orme area near Llandudno. They are thought to have been introduced to the Great Orme in 1907 from the Royal Familys Windsor Great Park herd. Flash The COVID-19 pandemic is a litmus test of character. While most people are caring for and helping each other during the global public health crisis, a few are callous enough to take advantage of the dire situation for their own agenda. In a recent report by The New York Times, Stephen Bannon, a former White House chief strategist known as a living fossil of the Cold War, went to great lengths to smear China and sell his confrontational take on China-U.S. relations, even exploiting the raging coronavirus disease to alienate the Chinese government from the Chinese people and the world. Bannon couldn't be more cold-blooded. It seems that he only views the ongoing global fight against the pandemic as a geopolitical game. Human lives do not bother him much. Bannon couldn't be more ridiculous. In his eyes, a government that has waged a rigorous battle against a previously unknown disease to protect the life and health of its people, offered timely support to those in need of help around the world, and whose prevention and control efforts have won global recognition is a threat. Bannon couldn't be more desperate. A long-standing far-right radical ideologue, Bannon is using every opportunity he can get to peddle his out-of-date zero-sum theories, without moral or humanitarian scruples whatsoever. Sometimes, many may wonder whether Bannon still lives in the Cold War era and just travels from time to time to the future to scare people with his extremist ideas that belong to the waste bin of history. Bannon is not the only mudslinger against China. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, with their own calculations, are also in the rank of habitual China bashers. As is shown repeatedly, and recently in the U.S.' response to COVID-19, if anything goes wrong, they just blame China. However, no matter how hard they try, they will fail. First, the Bannons have failed to comprehend that the world today is no longer divided into two rival camps along an ideological entrenchment, as in the Cold War years. Rather, the fate of almost everyone has become closely connected. The novel coronavirus pandemic has only exemplified that. Sadly, the geopolitical thinking pattern has fossilized the minds of the Bannon band, and made them unable to see China's development in a rational way. In their eyes, the United States is the world's natural leader, and anyone they deem a challenge or threat needs to be contained. In the old days, it was the Soviet Union and Japan; now, the target is China. As Chinese scholar Xin Jiyan noted in her recently published book "Fake Fear: America and China Relations," "the hostility and isolation of the two countries during the Cold War decades hampered the Americans' understanding of China, leading to stereotypes that prevail to this day." Secondly, the Bannons have failed to grasp that it is normal for two major countries in today's world to cooperate and compete at the same time. Their "de-coupling" theories only serve to do both countries more harm than good. The temporary disruptions to the global supply chains amid the epidemic have to some extent staged a drill of a worldwide economic and trade decoupling, which produces nothing but chaos and the possibility of a global recession. The sober minds in the White House will not miss those monumental risks. Also, the epidemic has actually provided new opportunities to broaden China-U.S. cooperation, notably in the health sector. This is not only in the interest of China and the United States, but also conforms to the common expectation of the whole world. Last but not least, the fact that the Bannons are getting ever more agitated shows that they are increasingly frustrated by the advantage, vitality and potential of the Chinese nation and the country's unique governance system. China's development is unstoppable. Its readiness to join other nations, including the United States, to promote peace and stability worldwide, is undeniable. The ultimate failure of the Bannons' fringe dogmas will be unavoidable. During a telephone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China-U.S. relations are now at an important juncture, and that both will benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. Xi also urged the two sides to work together to boost cooperation in epidemic control and other fields, and develop a relationship of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. It is therefore important for both sides to ward off the disturbance of the Bannons, and jointly steer arguably the world's most important bilateral relationship in the right direction. NAUGATUCK, CT The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Naugatuck has reached 16, according to local health officials. In a statement, the Naugatuck Valley Health District, which includes the towns of Naugatuck, Derby, Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour, and Beacon Falls, said "Today is another somber day for the Naugatuck Valley community." "We offer our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the families of 3 additional individuals who passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. Of the deceased, two (2) were males in their 80s and one (1) was a female in her 90s. All four COVID-19 related deaths in the jurisdiction have been among Shelton residents. The health district is working in conjunction with state and local partners to obtain more information and will provide additional details as they become available. Individuals who are experiencing grief, anxiety and/or stress can visit www.nvhd.org/coping for resources." Naugatuck Mayor Pete Hess said that "The virus is moving quickly from New York through Fairfield County and into New Haven County and up to Naugatuck." "Now you really don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. The virus has been here for a while. It's very contagious. Social distancing is necessary for everyone. No matter your age. Anyone can be a carrier, and the virus attacks people of all ages, here's my advice in a nutshell. Don't be a knot head follow the rules. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and anyone you've come in contact with. Let's make Naugatuck the safest place to be in the entire state of Connecticut. A couple of other points, for seniors or people who need help with errands, please call 203-729-1564. That's the number for the United Way, and they're organizing volunteers to help people with errands and whatever they need." To sign up for Naugatuck breaking news alerts and more, click here. This article originally appeared on the Naugatuck Patch US extends sanctions waivers on nuclear cooperation with Iran Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 9:27 AM The United States has once again waived its sanctions on nuclear cooperation with Iran, allowing firms of the remaining signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal to continue working on Iranian nuclear facilities. The US State Department said in a statement on Monday that the Russian, Chinese, and European companies could continue their work at Iranian nuclear facilities without drawing American penalties. The measure will offer 60 days of immunity from sanctions to several non-proliferation projects to continue at the Arak heavy-water research reactor, the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Tehran Research Reactor, among other Iranian nuclear facilities. The US State Department last extended the sanctions waivers in January. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that "Iran's continued expansion of nuclear activities is unacceptable," claiming that Tehran's nuclear development "is among the greatest threats to international peace and security." She repeated Washington's claims that Iran was pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program, saying, "We will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear program and can adjust these restrictions at any time." The decision to extend the waivers comes in defiance of calls by hawkish elements in Congress, who claim that the exemptions give Iran access to technology that could be used for weapons. They have been pressing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to revoke all the waivers. Pompeo canceled the Fordow waiver in mid-December. Iran has always said that its nuclear program is exclusively civilian and void of any military dimensions, as has been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency on multiple occasions. The extension comes amid growing global pressure on the US to lift the sanction it has re-imposed on Iran as the country battles a deadly coronavirus pandemic. Iranian authorities say the restrictions are hampering the country's access to lifesaving medical supplies at the current critical time. The US has so far refused to lift any sanctions and has even stepped up its pressure campaign in defiance of international objections. Last week, the US slapped new sanctions on 20 Iranian individuals and companies for what it called supporting Iraqi resistance groups. The US launched the so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran after pulling out of the 2015 multilateral accord officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and re-imposing the sanctions it had lifted under the agreement. The pullout decision came despite numerous reports by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirming the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and Tehran's compliance with the JCPOA. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tablighi Jamaat: The core of the Islamic ecosystem and the danger it poses India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: Back in 2016, the National Investigation filed a chargesheet in connection with an Islamic State related case. In its chargesheet, the NIA speaks about the role played by both the Tablighi Jamaat and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The Tablighi is currently in the news after over 2,000 tested positive for coronavirus from among the 4,000 who had gathered at the Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi. The ISIS may be a new phenomenon, but some members of the group today had taken a radical path several years ago thanks to sermons issued by the above mentioned groups. What is the Tablighi Jamaat and how does it function For several years now, the Intelligence Bureau has been warning about the role of the Tablighi Jamaat or JeI. They have played a vital role in the radicalisation of the youth. It would not be entirely correct to say that the ISIS changed the perception of these youth. The ground work was laid several years back and the ISIS only became a vehicle for them to drive across their point. The NIA chargesheet states much before the ISIS came into existence, members of the Tablighi would circulate propaganda material. At that time around the distribution of such material was not on the internet. They were sermons issued in select Mosques and pamphlets and compact discs were distributed. While going through the chargesheet it becomes clear that the ground work was laid several years back. In this context it would be interesting to explore the book written by Abhinav Pandya, " Radicalisation in India, An Exploration.Pandya, a Cornell University graduate in public affairs, is a policy analyst specialising in counterterrorism, Indian foreign policy and Afghanistan-Pakistan geopolitics. He has written for the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a premier think tank of India in national security. For VIF, he has written critical papers on post-ISIS terrorism-scenario, terror- financing and the use of bitcoins in terror financing. 57 new COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu; 50 linked to Nizamuddin congregation Pandya through his book attempts to explore the phenomenon of radicalisation in India, where counter-terrorism approach has primarily focused on military and law-enforcement measures. The study of Islamic radicalisation has by far remained on the sidelines. While it is highly encouraging that even with the world's third-largest Muslim population, merely 104 youngsters have attempted to join ISIS from India, yet this may be a mere tip of the proverbial iceberg. Most of the research work of the Indian scholars and policy specialists are focused on those individuals who got radicalised through online channels and attempted to join ISIS. However, India and the other South Asian nations are going through a different kind of radicalisation that happens in the remote rural and urban areas of India through Tablighi activity and Wahhabi missionaries. Pandya says, The core of Islamist ecosystem of Kashmir is today, constituted by hardline religious and fundamentalist organisations such as Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Hurriyat Conference, Jamiyat Ahle-Hadith (JAH), Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), Tahreek-ul-Mujahideen (TUM), and local-cum-Pak sponsored terrorist organizations like Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Al Badr, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM, Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), Ansaar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGUH), transnational terrorist groups like Al Qaida (AQ), ISIS, Pak-based 'charity' groups like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Pakistani establishment controlled by ISI. ALBANY Thousands of state employees paychecks are being held up as state offices debate whether the funds have been approved to pay those on the administrative payroll. State employees Tuesday confirmed they had not received their direct-deposit checks following the state comptrollers office warning to lawmakers that some employees could see a delay in their paychecks if legislators didnt secure funds to cover the costs. Budget Director Robert Mujica asserted Tuesday afternoon that Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli already had the "legal authority to make payments" to ensure thousands of state employees are paid this week. "It has nothing to do with when the budget is passed," Mujica said during an afternoon news conference at the Capitol. "It has nothing to do with where the pay period fell." However, officials from the comptrollers office say its not clear-cut and passing a budget would be the fastest way to solve the discrepancy. The executive and the state Legislature were advised early on that an emergency appropriation or an approved budget is required so that direct-deposit and paper checks can be released. This is the long-standing precedent for handling payroll when a budget deadline looms, said Jennifer Freeman, director of communications for the comptroller. Hardworking state employees should not be held hostage to budget gridlock. Lawmakers are in the throes of budget negotiations, grappling with a $15 billion loss in revenue and crippled economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The spending plan, once planned at $178 billion, will likely be much smaller and have cuts to departments and programs. It is due Wednesday, but legislators continued to hash out specifics late Tuesday. However, state budget officials were aware of the payroll discrepancies prior to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ravaging the state. Concern over payroll schedules during the budget process was first raised to the Division of the Budget in a letter from Executive Deputy for State Operations John Traylor in December. Should the 2020-21 budget not be adopted by mid-day March 31, the distribution of the administrative payroll could be delayed, Traylor wrote in a letter obtained by the Times Union. This delay would have a significant, adverse impact on employees, particularly those who have deductions and other adjustments made either before or after their payment is distributed. The majority of employees on the administrative payroll are on a lagged payroll schedule, and are owed a paycheck for days worked March 5 to March 18. But a portion are on non-lagged pay schedules, for which the latest check due covered March 19 through April 1. Employees in facilities including prisons and psychiatric centers are not impacted because they're on opposite pay schedules.The states total workforce is roughly 258,000 employees, according to the comptroller's office. Freeman said not only did their office bring up the payroll schedule issue in December, but also issued a payroll bulletin to all agencies in early March stressing the potential delay. She said the office also drafted legislation last week for lawmakers to approve and ensure employees would get paid on time. Typically, when payroll schedules potentially overlap with two fiscal years, the Legislature has passed budget extenders to ensure funding is available, Traylor said. Any adjustments to checks at this point would be labor intensive and further complicated with staff working from home. It would also be unprecedented, he said. We would have to start by looking at every single agency to see if they have enough personal service appropriation to pay employees, Traylor said. I think the comptroller has done everything we could possibly do to help avoid this mess, honestly. From where we sit today, the fastest thing is to pass a budget today, or tomorrow, so we can pay people. -- By Amanda Fries, Times Union, Albany ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) As New York navigates the coronavirus crisis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers are trying to find their way forward on a state budget despite uncertainty about the size of the financial toll the outbreak will take. The governor, a Democrat, has suggested lawmakers could pass a budget that slashes state spending for now and gives his administration the authority to increase spending later, as federal aid arrives. Democrats and Republicans have spoken in support of expanding Cuomo's authority on the budget amid the public health emergency. NY counties face potential $2 billion loss in sales tax revenue NY school districts brace for potentially tough budget cuts Cuomo warns of drastic budget cuts as lawmakers prepare to vote remotely Cuomo said in a Tuesday radio appearance that it would be "deceptive" for New York to pass a budget that papers over the need for big cuts to school aid and other spending as unemployment claims mount. This truth is an ugly and painful truth," he said. At stake is an April 1 deadline to pass a state budget a target that was once ignored in Albany but that Cuomo has prided himself on often meeting since he came into office in 2011. Lawmakers also need to ensure state agencies at a minimum can pay workers. At a news conference Tuesday, Cuomo said the biggest question is how much federal funding will arrive to offset the cost of the outbreak, which has killed over 1,200 people statewide. His budget director said the state comptroller has the legal authority to pay state workers. It's either coming or it's not coming. We are where we are. The numbers are where the numbers are, he said. The federal government says they're going to provide funding." Congress is sending New York at least $5 billion for virus response costs, but Cuomo argues federal funding isn't enough, given the outbreak's outsize effect on the state. And he said Tuesday he isn't counting on Congress's efforts to deliver more. There is some agreement among Democrats and Republicans that the need to nimbly manage the crisis justifies expanding Cuomo's budgetary and disaster response authority. Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said in a recent radio interview that she would never support giving the executive branch wide latitude over certain budget decisions without legislative involvement. Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, a Republican, wants Cuomo to at least report spending decisions to the legislature. The uncertainty and need for swift state action mean that a notoriously opaque budget process negotiated behind closed doors by the governor, Senate leader and Assembly speaker has only grown more secretive even as the stakes grow higher for New Yorkers who face cuts to schools and health care on top of economic woes. They have cloaked this as thoroughly as I've ever seen in 30 or 40 years. Nobody has any idea what's going on, said E.J. McMahon, research director for the Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank. As the Wednesday deadline approaches, Cuomo and legislative leaders have given few details about what a potential three-way deal will look like on the governor's proposed $178 billion budget, which would raise state spending by 2%. The Assembly and House declined this month to release their own policy and spending proposals, which have traditionally given the public a sense of lawmakers stances before budget negotiations ramp up. That means its still unclear just how New York will close a budget hole that includes billions in lost tax revenues as the state shuttered businesses to reduce the virus's spread. The response to the virus already has cost the state $1 billion, Cuomo said. Many issues can wait until the the federal government declares the outbreak over, Cuomo's budget director, Robert Mujica, said. That could include some Cuomo-led efforts to trim $2.5 billion in ballooning Medicaid costs, which he launched before the outbreak. Priority No. 1 is dealing with the pandemic, but we also have to do a balanced budget, Mujica said. It also remains to be seen whether the budget will include a host of new laws Cuomo has called for, including paid gestational surrogacy, a ban on plastic foam containers, gun control measures and efforts to make it easier to site renewable energy projects. Cuomo said Tuesday that the budget likely wont legalize recreational marijuana sales. [April 01, 2020] Signavio Releases Covid-19 Response Package, Offering Free Access to Business Transformation Suite Signavio, a leading provider of business transformation solutions, today announced that the Signavio Business Transformation Suite is available for free for 90 days to help affected businesses to rapidly roll out emergency plans and organize operations in response to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The pandemic has forced new social and business norms, requiring a global collaborative effort, with daily processes more important than ever. New ways of living, working, and understanding are driving significant impacts across countries and boardrooms with essential services and products under threat across production, distribution and sales. The Signavio Covid-19 Rapid Response package helps companies prepare backup plans, communicate activities across an organization and execute business change swiftly by leveraging the support of the Signavio Business Transformation Suite. Specifically, the Suite helps companies: Prepare a backup plan: Identify needs and performance across business functions and disciplines, where pain points lie, and when an emergency or crisis management plan is required Identify needs and performance across business functions and disciplines, where pain points lie, and when an emergency or crisis management plan is required Communicate the plan across a company: Leverage a single source of truth for the entire organization, allowing for collective decision making Leverage a single source of truth for the entire organization, allowing for collective decision making Turn planning into fast action: Utilize comments and sharing features, promoting collaborative and transpaent working environments, so ideas are put into action quickly Businesses interested in the Signavio Covid-19 Response Package should visit https://www.signavio.com/covid19. For more on how to respond to Covid-19, visit the Signavio blog and dedicated webinars page, which will be updated with further information for businesses. About Signavio Over 1 million users in more than 1,500 organizations worldwide rely on Signavio's unique offering to make process part of their DNA. With its powerful mining, modelling and automation capabilities, Signavio's Business Transformation Suite is a cloud-based management platform that enables mid-size and large organizations to understand, improve and transform all of their business processes faster than ever and at scale, providing new levels of business process speed and real-time intelligence. Its intelligent decision-making tools address digital transformation, operational excellence and customer centricity, placing them at the heart of the world's leading organizations. Headquartered in Berlin, with offices in the US, UK, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, Singapore, Japan, India and Australia, Signavio has helped optimize over 1 million processes across the globe. www.signavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005396/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Nairobi, Kenya 2020, (PANA) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta invited coronavirus survivors for a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday after an interactive session via a videolink to thank them for coming out against all odds to be tested for the virus Jaipur, April 1 : Two more corona positive cases were reported from Jodhpur on Wednesday, besides the 13 new cases reported from Jaipur in afternoon, taking the total tally in state to 108 (including 17 evacuees from Iran), said health officials, adding there are chances of community spread in Jodhpur with the first patient having no travel or contact history. While the first patient has been identified as 65-year-old male admitted in MDM Jodhpur, the second is 61-year-old patient, who is an evacuee from Iran, said Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. He said the first patient did not have any travel history nor any contact history with positive patient. Further investigation is on, he said. Jodhpur CMHO Dr Balwant Manda told IANS that the patient had cough and cold for 15 days. He said he did not have any travel history or any contact history with any corona patient. When asked if it could be the first instance of community spread here, he told IANS that there is a possibility but "right now, we can't ascertain as we are finding out the reasons". Raghu Sharma, state Health Minister said the residents of Rajasthan should follow government advisory with all discipline to avoid the threat of community spread. He said 19 people out of 90 residents of Rajasthan who tested positive have already tested negative in the state and 5 have been discharged. Even in Bhilwara, where 26 patients tested positive, 13 have been tested negative, which comes as good news. "138 residents of Rajasthan who went to attend the Tablighi Jamaat event or who came in touch with people who went there, have been identified. It is reported that they entered 13 different cities of the state. District administration has been alerted to trace, screen and quarantine them. Sharma further said that the trends emerging in the state are worrying, but the state government is trying hard to control the spread of the infection. "We have sufficient stock of masks, PPE kits, isolation and quarantine beds", he said. Ingram Micro Cloud announced today information and programs to assist resellers in helping their customers easily and successfully navigate the recent rebranding of Microsoft Inc.s Office 365 SMB subscriptions. Ingram Micro Cloud is extending two new incentives to our partners: 30 days free for new Microsoft 365 seats purchased through Cloud Marketplace (in select markets) as well as free email and data migration to Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 is the productivity cloud designed to help users achieve what matters, in work and life, with best-in-class Office apps, intelligent cloud services and advanced security. Microsoft Teams will continue to be included, providing remote working capabilities that are especially important in todays environment. Office 365 SMB business plans will be renamed Microsoft 365 business plans effective April 21, 2020. The updated name for Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business, and Office 365 Business will also be reflected on Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace effective April 21, 2020. We encourage all partners to begin using the new naming conventions by that time. Developing a Modern Workplace practice has become ubiquitous with the new Microsoft 365 business plans. For partners looking to accelerate their cloud journey leading with Microsoft 365, our Modern Workplace Accelerate program delivers exclusive services, promotions and offerings to help build a successful practice. Program details and registration available here. Moving to the cloud requires specific tools and skill-sets, says Tim Fitzgerald, vice president of channel sales at Ingram Micro Cloud. Ingram Micro Cloud is here to help partners accelerate through that journey and we believe theres no better time than now to lead with Microsoft 365. In addition, Ingram Micro Cloud will also extend its Free Migration Offer through June 30, 2020. The offer allows channel partners to access a free FLY migration license for smooth data migration to the cloud when purchasing net new seats of Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium), Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Microsoft 365 Business), Microsoft 365 E3, and E5. Offer details are available here. About Ingram Micro Cloud Ingram Micro Cloud brings together innovators and problem solvers to help the world accomplish more. It facilitates and manages the clouds complex digital value chainall powered by CloudBlue technology. Ingram Micro Cloud operates in 64 countries with over 55,000 reseller partners, and its Cloud Marketplace serves 6.5 million seats, offering more than 120 cloud solutions. With unmatched global reach, easy access to automated go-to-market and integration tools, deep technical expertise, and a curated selection of scalable SaaS and IaaS solutions, Ingram Micro Cloud helps vendors, resellers and managed service providers by offering More as a Service. Detailed information is available at www.IngramMicroCloud.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005260/en/ North Korea is one of the places that is yet to be affected by coronavirus. Let's rephrase that, rather it claims that no cases have been reported as yet. It is odd though that while countries around it are struggling to cope with the pandemic, nobody has tested positive for COVID-19 from the nation. But having said that, North Korea did take some extreme measures well before the other countries. In late January, it sealed its borders with China and cut off all business and trade ties. But after years of international sanctions, the health system is damaged and the sudden outbreak of coronavirus could be devastating. You can see immediately whats going to happen if you get a surge of COVID-19 patients streaming in, said Dr. Kee B. Park, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, according to the New York Times. It will overwhelm the system very quickly, he added. Its because they may have cases but they just dont know how to detect it, he went on to say. So they can say, We have not confirmed it. Its a blatant lie when they say they have no cases, said Seo Jae-pyoung, secretary-general of the Seoul-based Association of North Korean Defectors. The last thing the North wants is a social chaos that may erupt when North Koreans realize that people are dying of an epidemic with no cure, he added. North Korea claims to have quarantined 10,000 people, but nobody has tested positive. But it all remains shrouded in mystery. It could be they are not aware of it, of they are actually not suffering from the pandemic. But nothing can be said for sure. Sewing workshops in Idleb have started to produce medical masks, to meet the high demand by medics and health facilities writes Zaman Al-Wasl. Sewing workshops in northern Syria have begun to make medical masks for health facilities in the de-facto stricken areas due to the regime offensive and now due to the killer coronavirus. Ahmed Abdul Rahman, an owner of a sewing workshop in Idleb province, said his workshop of 55 workers produces 10,000 masks per day. We import raw materials from Turkey but the prices are rising daily, it went from two dollars to five dollars per kilo. We are selling the box from five and a half dollars and up to seven dollars, and the daily wages of the workers go from 3,000 Syrian pounds to 7,000 pounds, depending on the production quantity, he added. After the spread of the virus in Turkey and the demand for the masks increased, we started manufacturing them in Idleb. The workshops are distributing masks at reasonable prices within the liberated areas as the demand for masks by humanitarian organizations operating in Idleb and the countryside of Aleppo has also increased. Northern Syria has not yet recorded any case of coronavirus infection, with awareness campaigns warning civilians to stay home and avoid gatherings, and the closure of all crossings with regime-held areas. 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The alleged overpriced sets of personal protective equipment recently acquired by the Health Department have landed in hot water, with lawmakers now demanding answers on the purchase of the COVID-19 gear. In a statement, Senator Grace Poe questioned why DOH purchased PPE sets priced at 1,800 each, when market value for the product supposedly only ranges from 400 to 1,000. DOH earlier revealed that the government bought one million set of PPEs at 1.8 billion. Confronting an extraordinary public health crisis requires prompt response but in doing so, let us not forget the need for the judicious use of fund releases, Poe said. The solon likewise appealed to the DOH to coordinate with local manufacturers for the purchase of cheaper PPE. While the global demand for protective gear has increased amid the pandemic, Senator Joel Villanueva said the controversial purchase would still be worthy to look into. "The oversight committee can examine the allegation," Villanueva said in a message to reporters Wednesday. "We know that the global demand for these equipment (is) increasing, and naturally, their prices will increase and will be greater than what they used to be before the pandemic. But it is also worth examining to see if the price is reasonable." Both lawmakers said the amount that could have been saved from the purchase would go a long way, with several Filipinos left jobless due to the Luzon-wide quarantine. Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, on the other hand, said the allegation, if proven, would not sit well with Filipinos and even Congress. "If proven by convincing evidence, and he (President Rodrigo Duterte) refuses to take action... considering that this is a different level of greed and corruption especially at a time of national crisis, Congress as well as the Filipino people may not be forgiving or nonchalant anymore," Lacson said. The Health Department, in response to the claims, clarified the PPE sets would come in more complete package, which will include head gear, goggles, N95 masks, gloves, aprons, and gowns. Medical groups have repeatedly called for donations of protective equipment for the country's frontliners, with supplies dwindling amid the rapid spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Philippine Medical Association previously said deaths could have been prevented if there was enough PPE supply. READ: Medical group cites protective equipment lack for death of 17 doctors The Philippines has recorded over 2,000 COVID-19 cases, including 88 deaths and 49 recoveries. The Navy's top leaders aren't thrilled that a four-page letter from a ship's captain pleading for help with a novel coronavirus outbreak was leaked to the media this week, but they said they need commanding officers speaking out about challenges during the unprecedented pandemic. Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, was within his rights to raise concerns with his chain of command about a troubling situation on his ship, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said Wednesday. In his letter, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, which posted it on its website this week, Crozier made an urgent plea to evacuate his crew after cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, rapidly spread onboard his carrier. "I don't know who leaked the letter to the media -- that would be something that would violate the principles of good order if he were responsible for that, but I don't know that," Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told reporters. "The fact that he wrote the letter of his to his chain of command to express his concerns would absolutely not result in any type of retaliation." Related: 'Sailors Do Not Need to Die': Carrier Captain Pleads for Help as Virus Cases Surge Crozier, in his letter, said the Navy was risking the trust it has built with sailors if more wasn't done to look out for the crew's health on the Roosevelt. The aircraft carrier was operating in the Asia-Pacific region when sailors began testing positive for COVID-19 after the ship made a port call in Vietnam in early March. Modly hit back against the idea that the Navy isn't looking out for its personnel, calling it "not the truth." "It's disappointing to have him say that," Modly said. "We've been working very, very hard with the ship, with the command structure, to ensure that that's exactly what we're doing. It's our priority. We need the sailors to be safe, we need them to be healthy, and we need that ship to be operational. "We're doing everything we can," he added. The Roosevelt is now in Guam. Modly said 2,700 crew members are being evacuated off the ship. About a quarter of the crew has been tested for the illness so far, and 93 members were positive. Most of those crew members showed symptoms, Modly said, but seven did not. Testing will continue, he added. The Navy's plan to leave about 1,100 crew members on the ship falls short of Crozier's request to evacuate all but 10% while it was sanitized. Modly and Gilday defended the decision to leave more crew members aboard. "This ship has weapons on it, it has munitions on it, it has expensive aircraft, it has a nuclear power plant," Modly said. "It requires a certain number of people on that ship to maintain the safety and security of the ship." Gilday said Crozier's letter pointed to a breakdown in communications between the captain and his chain of command. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith said the captain should have first communicated with families through the command's ombudsman so panicked family members didn't read about the situation on the carrier in media reports. Ultimately though, Gilday added, Crozier is responsible for the safety of his crew. "That's an extraordinary responsibility and ... he takes it very seriously," Gilday said. "So if he has a difference of approach and he thinks he has a better way to do it, and if he doesn't feel that we're acting at the speed of urgency, then absolutely we need to know about that and we need to adjust." -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: US Navy Evacuating Virus-Struck Aircraft Carrier Roosevelt The armed forces have made available over 9,000 hospital beds and more than 8,500 doctors and support staff across the country to deal with the rising cases of coronavirus infection. Additionally, nearly 25,000 volunteers of National Cadet Corps (NCC) are being mobilised to provide assistance to civil administration to cope up with the increasing number of infected people, officials said after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the military's efforts to fight the pandemic. Singh carried out a comprehensive review of contribution by the three services and various wings of the defence ministry in helping civil authorities deal with coronavirus at a video conference with top military brass. "The defence minister directed all the organisations to redouble their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries/organisations of central government in this crucial time," the defence ministry said in a statement. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among those who participated in the deliberations. The number of coronavirus cases increased rapidly in the last few days. India has recorded over 1,600 positive cases of coronavirus and at least 38 deaths so far. Globally, the virus has infected more than 850,000 people and claimed around 42,000 lives. In the meeting Gen Rawat informed that separate hospitals have been identified to exclusively deal with coronavirus-affected people and that more than 9,000 hospital beds have been made available for it, a defence ministry spokesperson said. Gen Naravane informed Singh that more than 8,500 doctors and support staff are available to extend necessary assistance to civilian administration. Referring to Singh's direction that help should be provided to neighbouring countries, the Army Chief said assistance to Nepal in the form of medical equipment will be delivered shortly. The Chief of Naval Staff informed the defence minister that naval ships are on standby to extend any required assistance. He said the Navy is also extending assistance as required by local civilian administration. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the IAF has conducted several sorties within the country in the last five days to transport approximately 25 tonnes of medical supplies. He said critical operational work is continuing while ensuring all necessary precautions. Chairman of DRDO G Satheesh Reddy said the premier defence research organisation is engaged in minor modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time. Authorities apprehend a shortage of ventilators if the number of COVID-19 cases sees any dramatic rise as in other affected countries. Reddy said DRDO is providing 1.5 lakh litres of sanitizers to various security entities and other organisations across the country. He said five-layered face masks, N99, are being made on war footing using nano technology. A total of 10,000 masks have already been made and soon per day production will be extended to 20,000. He said DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 other face masks to Delhi Police, adding the organisation is also making arrangements to produce 20,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) per day for medical staff engaged in dealing with COVID-19 patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House has decided not to extend an open enrollment period for Obamacare despite the coronavirus public health crisis and an array of other initiatives meant to prevent health emergencies from bankrupting Americans. President Donald Trump had kept alive the idea of expanding the open enrollment period for health coverage due to the crisis, even though is administration is arguing in the Supreme Court that the law is unconstitutional. 'It's something we're talking to a lot of people about. We'll see what happens,' Trump said last month. The White House is not extending open enrollment under Obamacare, despite President Trump saying it was an option amid the coronavirus outbreak But the White House said Tuesday it would not follow through on having a 'special enrollment period' where Americans could still sign-up, Politico reported. The idea, which had been run by private ensurers who participate in the plan in advance, woud have been to extend the deadline. But the Healthcare.gov website said Wednesday that '2020 Open Enrollment is Over. Special enrollment does allow Americans to sign up for coverage if they 'have certain life changes,' according to the site. Those changes include the loss of a job a potential boost for the 3.3 million Americans filing for unemployment last week. The White House did not provide an immediate explanation for the decision. Neither did the Health and Human Services Department. The administration may have decided expanding enrollment would run counter to its current legal course of trying to have the law overturned. Last week, former Vice President Joe Biden demanded the federal government abandon efforts to seek to have Obamacare ruled unconstitutional by citing the impacts of the coronavirus. Biden released a letter to Trump and state attorneys general slamming the ongoing lawsuit. The Trump administration decided not to open up the Obamacare health exchange to allow people to buy insurance People wait for a coronavirus test at Elmhurst Hospital in the Borough of Queens on March 31, 2020 in New York President Donald Trump stands next to a graph during the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on March 31, 2020 in Washington, DC. With the nationwide death toll rising due to the coronavirus, the United States has extended its social distancing practices through the end of April Former Vice President Joe Biden demanded the federal government abandon efforts to seek to have Obamacare ruled unconstitutional by citing the impacts of the coronavirus 'At a time of national emergency, which is laying bare the existing vulnerabilities in our public health infrastructure, it is unconscionable that you are continuing to pursue a lawsuit designed to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance and protections under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the ban on insurers denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions,' Biden wrote. 'No American should have the added worry right now that you are in court trying to take away their health care. You are letting partisan rancor and politics threaten the lives of your constituents, and that is a dereliction of your sworn duty. I am therefore calling on each of you to drop your support of litigation to repeal the ACA,' he wrote. 'The litigation you are supporting Texas v. the U.S. jeopardizes every single one of those protections and threatens the peace of mind and access to care for hundreds of millions of Americans. Anecdotally, there have been reports of people running up large hospitals bills seeking testing or treatment for possible coronavirus infections. Trump has saluted three major health insurance companies who have said they are waiving patients' share of costs for treatment for COVID-19. But that won't apply to people who don't have insurance. Questions about the need for a new PM CARES Fund notwithstanding, nearly half of our MPs (Members of Parliament) have until now consented to allocate Rs 1 crore from their respective MPLADS to the recently set up PM CARES Fund to fight COVID-19. The government is hopeful that more MPs will come forward in the days to come, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have reached out to not just their party MPs but those from other friendly parties as well to give their consent to allocate money to the PM CARES Fund. Significantly, as of March 4, 2020, as much as Rs 5,275.24 ... Headmasters at some of the state's most elite schools are taking home hundreds of thousands of dollars more than Queensland's premier each year. Annual reports for eight grammar schools tabled in Queensland Parliament revealed half of their principals earned more than $500,000 in 2019. Brisbane Grammar School headmaster Anthony Micallef received $523,000 last year, while the school paid out $832,000 on settlements and counselling for ex-students who were sexually abused in the 1980s. Credit:Glenn Hunt Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made $399,955 for running the state last year. Brisbane Grammar School headmaster Anthony Micallef received $523,000 last year, up from $513,000 in 2018. The Arunachal Pradesh government will be providing financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per month in April and May to all registered construction workers in the unorganised sector, officials said on Wednesday. The decision would give relief to thousands of construction workers in the state who have been hit by the nationwide 21-day lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said. Each worker, registered with the Arunachal Pradesh Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board (APBCWWB), would get an amount of Rs 2,000 per month for April and May as cash relief, its secretary Jalley Sonam said. Chief Minister Pema Khandu lauded the decision to give relief to the worst-hit section of the society. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 14:57:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic continued its spread around the world, putting enormous strains on society and economy, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus disease has passed 42,000 worldwide. As of 0400 GMT Wednesday, nations and regions have reported a total of 42,332 deaths from COVID-19, along with almost 860,000 confirmed cases, while more than 178,000 people have recovered, an interactive map maintained by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering showed. SURGING DEATHS Spain's health authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the country has seen 849 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a new high over 838 reported on Sunday, bringing its death toll to 8,189. On Tuesday, Spain's total number of coronavirus cases increased by 9,222 to 94,417, a higher daily rise in new cases than on Sunday and Monday, when 6,549 and 6,398 new cases were confirmed respectively. The coronavirus cases in France have reached 52,128, with a death toll of 3,523, General Director of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Tuesday at a daily briefing. In the last 24 hours, 7,578 more people were diagnosed with COVID-19, which claimed 499 more lives, the biggest fatalities caused by the virus in one day. The coronavirus pandemic continued to advance in locked down Italy on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 105,792, according to the latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department. The country's death toll on Tuesday was 837, bringing the total fatalities to 12,428 since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21. Also, health experts on the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Tuesday that even with the country's national social distancing guidelines in place, the United States still should be prepared for the prospect of the coronavirus causing 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the country. Presenting the models before reporters at a White House press briefing, Deborah Birx, the task force's response coordinator, said as many as 1.5 million to 2.2 million people will succumb to COVID-19 if no mitigation measures whatsoever are taken to contain the virus. "MOST CHALLENGING CRISIS" United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic is the most challenging crisis since World War II. The pandemic "represents a threat to everybody in the world and ... it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past," Guterres said at the virtual press launch of the UN report "Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19." "This is, indeed, the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War and the one that needs a stronger and more effective response that is only possible in solidarity if everybody comes together and if we forget political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake," the UN chief said. The World Bank announced on Monday that it projected growth in developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific region to slow to 2.1 percent in the baseline scenario amid the COVID-19 pandemic, from an estimated 5.8 percent in 2019. Noting that making precise growth projections is unusually difficult in a rapidly changing environment, Aaditya Mattoo, chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank, told reporters that the new report presents both a baseline and a lower-case scenario for growth in 2020, which is 2.1 percent and negative 0.5 percent, respectively. The economist said the COVID-19 shock will also have a serious impact on poverty. The report estimates that under the baseline growth scenario, nearly 24 million fewer people will escape poverty than would have in the absence of the pandemic. If the economic situation deteriorates further and the lower-case scenario prevails, then poverty is estimated to increase by about 11 million people, Mattoo said. CONTROL EFFORTS Canada's largest city, Toronto, on Tuesday announced the cancellation of mass events permitted by the city through June 30 to stem the spread of the coronavirus. "While the city recognizes the importance of special events and festivals to the livability and vitality of the city, protecting the health and safety of residents is of primary concern," Mayor John Tory tweeted. "This is not an easy decision to make but it is necessary to protect the public and save lives," he added. The Iraqi authorities Tuesday also decided to extend the nationwide curfew until April 19 to contain the spread of the coronavirus, said Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi, also head of the Iraqi crisis committee to contain COVID-19, in an interview with local Dijla TV channel. Meanwhile, noting that he has been in touch with world leaders about the pandemic, Guterres said that "there is a growing consciousness that we are in this together, and we need to come out of it together." "The problem is how to create the practical ways to do so," said the secretary-general, adding that fast action is critical. "We are slowly moving in the right direction, but we need to speed up, and we need to do much more if we want to defeat the virus and if we want to support the people in need," he added. A three-kilometre (two-mile) stretch in New Delhi featuring some of Indias most iconic landmarks is to be redeveloped, angering historians and conservationists who say the move will rob the country of its heritage and valuable public space. Federal authorities last month said they would change the land use for the 86-acre (35-hectare) area that includes Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan (the presidential palace), and the India Gate war memorial to government use from recreation and public facilities. Conservationists fear that the Central Vista redevelopment project estimated to cost estimated to cost 200 billion rupees ($2.6bn) will obliterate the history and character of the area, which also has among the biggest public spaces in a city of more than 20 million people. The Central Vista is significant for historical, lived and architectural heritage. Equally importantly, it is a public-use area for tourists and residents, and a green area, said Kanchi Kohli, a senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Research. The redevelopment represents a form of government sprawl where powerful offices appropriate urban space with little concern for planning or socio-ecological consequences, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in emailed comments. In India, as in many countries, rapid urbanisation is putting greater pressure on governments to build office blocks and rail networks, which has led to the razing of old buildings and traditional markets. Cities risk losing not just their history and heritage, but also traditional knowledge which is key to promoting inclusiveness, sustainability and resilience, according to urban experts. The Central Vista project, due to be completed by 2024, envisages modern buildings replacing century-old structures that are as familiar to many Indians as the Taj Mahal. The Central Public Works Department, which is overseeing the project, said in its redevelopment proposal that the area currently suffers from inadequate space and infrastructure. The area lacks basic facilities, amenities and parking, which leads to congestion and gives a poor public perception, the proposal said. Therefore, there is a need for upgradation. A military parade on The Rajpath (Kings Way) boulevard that connects the iconic India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan [File: Sunil Malhotra/Reuters] Losing heritage to modernisation New Delhi was established as the capital of the Indian Empire in 1911 when the colonial British rulers moved the capital from the eastern city of Calcutta, now called Kolkata. Architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker planned the central administrative area of the city, retaining a third of the area for open spaces, including wide lawns that draw crowds of residents, tourists and vendors all year round. The Rajpath (Kings Way) boulevard connects the iconic India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan and is the site of the annual Republic Day celebrations featuring grand displays by the armed forces and a parade of colourful floats from each state. The Central Vista is an amalgam of traditions from across India: The distinct circular design of Parliament House; the red and beige sandstone from Mughal architecture; and the dome of the Rashtrapati Bhavan inspired by a Buddhist stone monument. The historical significance of the Central Vista lies in its architecture, town planning and politics, said Swapna Liddle, a historian at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. Its history is the history of India, she said. That does not mean that it should be frozen in time, she added, pointing out that several buildings have been upgraded to add amenities such as air-conditioning and internet cables. More can be done, as long as our starting point is a will to conserve and prolong the life and use of the existing buildings, Liddle said. Losing heritage to modernisation is not inevitable, but it requires careful choices. The decision on what should go and what should stay, and what should come in place of things that are removed must involve a body of experts, she said. Federal authorities said they would change the land use for the area that includes Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan (the presidential palace), and the India Gate [Manish Swarup/AP Photo] Heritage vs modernity The question of preserving heritage or modernising is being debated not just in New Delhi, but in cities around the world. Almost 70 percent of the worlds population will be living in urban areas by 2050, according to estimates by the United Nations, and governments everywhere are struggling to find space to accommodate booming numbers of city dwellers. Land is a scarce resource, but heritage is even more valuable since it cannot be reclaimed or rebuilt, said Anuj Srivastava, an architect who has filed a petition against the Central Vista project that is pending in the nations top court. Few details of the Central Vista project have been made public, and while several buildings are protected by heritage laws, these guidelines have often been diluted or ignored in the past, he said. A spokesman for the Central Public Works Department did not respond to requests for comment. The project needs a detailed study, including assessments of its effect on heritage, the environment and traffic, as well as the possible consequences of accommodating about 70,000 government workers in a small area, Srivastava said. Heritage precincts the world over use the principles of adaptive re-use for changing requirements, he said, referring to the practice of repurposing buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features. The Central Vista should follow these principles, and in no circumstance should open spaces meant for public use be appropriated for government buildings and residences, he said. The timing of the land-use change notification in the midst of the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has infected at least 1,200 and killed more than 30 in India has also angered opposition legislators. Last week, Shashi Tharoor, a member of the opposition Congress party, said in a tweet that the money earmarked for the project must instead be used to deal with the pandemic, which has devastated the countrys poor communities. Grand spending on buildings at this time of crisis is a postponable luxury, he said. (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia has made good on its pledge to ramp up oil exports in April, with a first wave of crude already on its way toward Europe and the U.S., a clear sign the price war remains in full swing. The kingdom has loaded several of the supertankers it hired earlier this month to boost its ability to increase exports, according to ship-tracking data. In addition, Riyadh has used the last few weeks to shuttle large amounts of crude into storage in Egypt, a stepping stone to the European market. The movements suggest that Riyadh is ramping up its oil production toward its target of supplying a record 12.3 million barrels a day in April, up from about 9.7 million in February, despite American pressure to end the price war. Saudi Arabia earlier this month slashed its official selling prices and announced the output hike after Russia refused to join other nations inside the OPEC+ alliance to cut output. The announcement, interpreted in the market as an oil price war, sent Brent and West Texas Intermediate crudes tumbling. Since then, the collapse in oil demand due to lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus has depressed prices even more. In a sign that Riyadh is opening the valves, oil shipments have already surged in late March. For the first three weeks of March, Saudi Arabia was exporting at a rate of around 7 million barrels a day, but that jumped to more than 9 million barrels a day in the fourth week of the month. With oil prices at the lowest in nearly two decades, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo last week directly asked the kingdom to rise to the occasion and reassure the energy market, diplomatic language for ending the oil price war. American President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed in a phone call Monday that current oil prices arent in the interests of our countries, according to a Kremlin spokesman, though he declined to say what might be done to change the situation. Story continues Trump earlier indicated that he was concerned about the impact of low oil prices on the American petroleum industry. In an interview on Fox & Friends, he said Russia and Saudi Arabia both went crazy and started an oil price war. Despite the diplomatic pressure, Saudi Arabia is preparing to export more in the next few days. At least 16 very large crude carriers, collectively able to carry about 32 million barrels, are stationed near the Saudi oil terminals of Ras Tanura and Yanbu, according to shipping data tracked by Bloomberg. Regardless of the recent headlines about the U.S. pressuring Saudi Arabia, we do not see any change in Saudi or Russian policy for now, said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., a London-based consultant. Riyadh has already loaded three supertankers that are likely to head to the U.S., and its loading a fourth right now, according to oil market intelligence firm Vortexa Inc. The tankers, all hired by the Saudi national tanker company in the past few weeks to boost its shipping capacity, include the Dalian, the Agios Sostis I, the Maran Canopus, and the Hong Kong Spirit. Shipments to Egypt Already through March, Saudi Arabia has exported about 1.3 million barrels a day into Egypt -- the highest level in at least three years -- to pre-position crude for re-export into Europe, according to shipping tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and people familiar with the operation. The surge in shipments to Egypt was so large that the African nation may become the largest destination for Saudi crude in March, displacing China and Japan, which traditionally top the ranking every month. The cargoes have gone to a terminal at the south end of the Suez Canal before getting pumped via pipeline across the country to a storage and export facility called Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean Sea. From there, the crude will then get re-exported as part of Saudi Arabias plan to supply as much as it can, at deep discounts, into a market that doesnt need the supply. The worlds largest oil tankers, known as VLCCs, cannot sail the Suez Canal fully loaded due to draft limitations. The next sign of whether the oil price war continues will come around April 5, when state-owned Saudi Aramco is expected to release its monthly official selling prices for May. Oil refiners and traders believe that Riyadh will have to deepen its discounts to sell all the oil the kingdom wants. If Aramco does indeed deepen the discounts, it will trigger a fresh round of tit-for-tat actions with other oil producing nations, piling further pressure on prices. (Updates with statement from Kremlin in seventh paragraph) 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. An Australian photographer has revealed how she overhauled her drab working from home setup to make her more productive during the coronavirus pandemic. Geneva Vanderzeil said she had been 'feeling the pressure' of working from home so set about sourcing materials from Bunnings Warehouse to revamp her workspace. Just a few hours and a bit of elbow grease later, Geneva said she is delighted with her handiwork and it has completely changed how she works from her home. 'This cost me less than $200 and has transformed my productivity,' Geneva told FEMAIL - adding that it has also hugely helped her mental health at this time. An Australian photographer and stylist revealed how she overhauled her drab working from home setup to make her more productive during the coronavirus pandemic (pictured after) Geneva Vanderzeil (pictured) said she had been 'feeling the pressure' of working from home recently, and knew something had to change First of all, Geneva said she analysed one of the rooms in her house, and decided to get rid of one of her old Kaboodle kitchen cabinet wardrobes (pictured before) So how did the photographer and stylist do it? First of all, Geneva said she analysed one of the rooms in her house, and decided to get rid of one of her old Kaboodle kitchen cabinet wardrobes. 'We originally had three wardrobes in this room, but to carry out the project, I removed one and moved it to the other side of the wall, so there was a gap in between,' Geneva said. She used the space between the wardrobes to create a desk and bought several items from Bunnings to create the desk (pictured after) 'We installed the shelves into the wall between the wardrobes, one at the right table height to use as a desk and the rest provided additional storage,' she said (pictured during) Next, she said she installed three $54 wall shelf Merbau timber panel pieces from Bunnings Warehouse - which serve as shelves and a desk, securing them with $4.60 wall shelf brackets from the discount home store. 'We installed the shelves into the wall between the wardrobes, one at the right table height to use as a desk and the rest provided additional storage,' she said. 'All I needed was a drill and a few screws, and now I have a space that is both homely and easy for me to be productive from.' Geneva estimates that the simple project took her just three hours to complete, and the entire thing cost her just shy of $200. Geneva estimates that the simple project took her just three hours to complete, and the entire thing cost her just shy of $200 (pictured after) Geneva (pictured) revealed the most important thing you can do is review your home and find the best possible space, trying to make sure it's far away from your living area What are Geneva's tips to transform your WFH setup? 1. Make a list: Take some time to decide what you need from your space based on what work you do and what your day usually entails. 2. Find a space within your home: The best home offices are spread away from your living areas so you can delineate between work and play. 3. Consider lighting: It's good to have your space near a window so you have natural light both for your eyes and a sense of time. 4. Use items from home: You don't need to go out and invest in loads, but it is worth buying some items like a desk and a chair. The best height for a desk is 750mm. 5. Make it yours: Add some items that make it feel personal, whether that's some artwork or some photos. Advertisement Speaking about her tips for others who need to improve their 'WFH setup' in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Geneva revealed the most important thing you can do is review your home and find the best possible space. 'The first thing to do is take some time upfront to decide what you need from your space,' she said. 'This means looking both at the type of work you do and what your day usually entails. Then, decide everything your working from home space needs to contain.' Following this, the photographer said you need to find a space within your home, and try to make sure it's away from your living room. 'It's really useful to be able to delineate between work and personal life, so make sure to take that into consideration when you're choosing the right space,' she said. Geneva's other tips include thinking about the lighting and remembering natural light is great both for your eyes and a 'sense of time'. Geneva's (pictured) other tips include thinking about the lighting and remembering natural light is great both for your eyes and a 'sense of time' 'You don't need to go out and buy lots of things to create a work from home space that works really well for you,' she said. 'Consider turning a table into a desk or using built in shelving as a working nook.' The one must-buy item you should invest in, however, is a desk - ideally at 750mm. 'Buy a chair that is comfortable at that height,' Geneva added. To follow Geneva Vanderzeil on Instagram, please click here. Asymptomatic coronavirus cases refer to people who have extremely mild or no symptoms of the infection but test positive for it. SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus which has led to a pandemic, originated in Wuhan, China, late last year. Once it started to spread, the country of 1.4 billion people went into lockdown mode for about two months. Cut to last week: the Chinese authorities declared that they would lift the travel curbs in Hubei province (Wuhan city is in Hubei), citizens started returning to work slowly and factories began reopening. In the midst of all this, on March 26, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang also asked local officials to track and treat asymptomatic patients, according to the local media reports. The result: around 1,500 asymptomatic patients had been placed under observation as of April 1. Asymptomatic coronavirus cases refer to people who have extremely mild or no symptoms of the infection but test positive for it. The worry is that asymptomatic cases go undetected and, as they are carriers, spread the virus to others who may or may not have a mild case like them - most of the time, without even realising theyre transmitting it. A study conducted in Iceland, which involved random coronavirus testing, showed that about 50% of people who tested positive for the virus had no symptoms at all. This adds to concerns that the asymptomatic population may be larger than anyone expected and could be behind the rapid spread. Many people have expressed concerns over the underreporting of coronavirus cases in China. As China now starts focusing on asymptomatic cases, we can only hope to see more transparency during the pandemic. Hidden cases On Monday, March 30, Wuhan reported no new local cases of infection again. On Tuesday, March 31, the National Health Commission in China said that China will now report asymptomatic cases with their count of coronavirus cases from Wednesday, April 1. According to Chinas National Health Commission, 1,541 asymptomatic cases were kept under observation by Monday. Of these 205 were imported cases. Imported cases refer to patients who brought the infection with them from another country or place, and did not get it locally. (China had reported 130 asymptomatic cases by Wednesday morning.) As per the Chinese government policy, China wasnt including the asymptomatic cases of coronavirus in the total tally till now. This meant that any patients who tested positive but didnt have the symptoms of this contagion did not have to be reported by medical officials. To be sure, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that all countries report symptomatic as well as asymptomatic cases - this is important because asymptomatic patients can also transmit the virus to healthy people. For more information, read our article on How COVID-19 spreads. Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. D'Angelo / Contributed photo Leap years mean an extra day of baby delivery duty for the hospital teams who manage the maternity floor. To keep the team fueled up for the day ahead, DAngelo Grilled Sandwiches made a surprise delivery to the maternity wards of hospitals within the communities where they do business. DAngelo gave these doctors, nurses and hospital staff a free lunch in the form of 29 Great Divide sandwiches. On the 29th day of each month, every company DAngelo location donates 29" Great Divide sandwiches to select groups in their communities such as schoolteachers, firefighters and police officers. Above, a DAngelo team delivers a sandwich to Middlesex Hospital. T-Mobile US Inc. on Wednesday completed its $26.5 billion acquisition of Sprint Corp., a yearslong saga that included a stare-down with U.S. antitrust officials, a court battle with state attorneys general, and a pandemic that has brought the nation to a near-standstill. While the covid-19 crisis is far from over, Sprint Chairman Marcelo Claure said in an interview last week that the new T-Mobile is arriving at a good time to offer lower-priced wireless options to consumers battered by economic damage. "This will be a tough crisis for the world and Americans to absorb," Claure said. "But at the end, every single person in the U.S. needs their mobile phone." Combining the nation's two most aggressive wireless competitors was a fraught proposition from the start. It drew opposition from consumer groups, unions, politicians and regulators. Wall Street only gave it 50/50 odds. Then the spread of the virus closed stores and forced executives, lawyers and officials from 16 banks to try to finish the deal remotely, most working from home. The journey started more than six years ago and almost immediately hit a wall. The vibrant wireless industry had four competitors and Washington was dead-set against reducing it to three. A series of setbacks ensued, including a bitter dispute over ownership structure, a new executive team, a secret meeting at a Hoboken, New Jersey, pizza shop and a return to the table with new resolve, according to several people familiar with the situation. SoftBank Group Corp. bought Sprint in 2013 for $22 billion. In February 2014, Masayoshi Son, chairman of both Sprint and SoftBank, met with regulators in Washington to sell them on his idea that Sprint and T-Mobile together could provide a formidable third competitor to the dominant duo of Verizon Communications and AT&T. Son's plan got a chilly reception from Obama-administration regulators. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom's U.S. mobile unit T-Mobile had been rapidly recovering from its failed takeover by AT&T in 2011. Much of its success was due to John Legere, a 20-year industry veteran who reinvented himself as the rebellious, shaggy-haired leader and mascot of the company. His deft social-media skills and an unending arsenal of marketing plans fueled an underdog assault on "Dumb and Dumber" -- his name for AT&T and Verizon. Starting at a distant fourth place in its wireless peer group, T-Mobile soon became the fastest-growing carrier. With the arrival of the iPhone, improved network performance and enticements like video and music streaming, the company leapfrogged Sprint to become the No. 3 U.S. carrier. Deutsche Telekom and SoftBank were close to an agreement to merge T-Mobile and Sprint, but eventually walked away due to the regulatory risk. During this time, Sprint was still losing money and customers. Disheartened, Son briefly explored selling the company, but later resolved to pursue his original plan with even more determination. He hand-selected Claure to lead the company in August 2014 and they drew up a five-year plan to stabilize the business, staunch its losses and make it attractive enough to swing a deal. Donald Trump's election in November 2016 gave them a new opening in Washington. Claure and Legere agreed to meet. Not wanting to be spotted together, they decided to rendezvous in Hoboken, across the river from New York City. They weren't friends. In fact, Claure had sniped at Legere amid an August 2016 Twitter spat: "You truly are a con artist." They met at Grimaldi's Pizzeria on Washington Avenue. The dark tavern with high-back booths allowed the kind of privacy they needed. They discovered they had similar goals, and by the end of the conversation they reached an agreement to start working toward a merger. It was a crucial first step in a multi-round negotiation. On Dec. 6, 2016, a month after Trump's election, Son visited Trump's Fifth Avenue office in Manhattan and pledged to invest $50 billion in new companies and create 50,000 jobs. It was an obvious homage to a new business-friendly leader and a gesture that could help Son's plans in the U.S. Within a year, T-Mobile and Sprint had a deal ready. To celebrate, Legere, Claure and Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Officer Tim Hoettges flew to Tokyo to have dinner with Son. Instead of reveling, Hoettges and Son tangled over who would control the combined company. The impasse couldn't be fixed and for the second time, the deal was discarded. Talks took a brief hiatus but were soon back on again. The prospects of 5G technology gave the merger even more impetus. The combination of T-Mobile's low-band airwaves and Sprint's mid-band ones would create the largest U.S. holding of ready-to-build 5G network capacity. On Sunday, April 29, 2018, the two companies announced the deal. And with all the terms finally ironed out, the next step -- regulatory review -- would prove to be equally challenging. The battle plan called for "war rooms" to be set up in Washington, where Dave Carey, T-Mobile's executive vice president of corporate services, would oversee teams from both companies. During the negotiations with officials from the Federal Communications Commission, the executives camped out the Mandarin Oriental hotel near the FCC offices in downtown Washington. About a year after announcing the deal, the companies had secured a key regulatory victory: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recommended deal approval with conditions, including divestiture of Sprint's prepaid brand Boost, 5G build-out commitments and a price freeze for at least three years. After the FCC recommendation, the companies moved their deal teams to the Willard Hotel, a short walk from the Justice Department headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the final stage of the review took place. Makan Delrahim, a Trump-administration appointee and the head of the department's antitrust division, wasn't ready to sign off on the deal. Delrahim wasn't a fan of conditions and conduct requirements that put the onus on agency staff to police the agreements, preferring cleaner remedies like divestitures. He also didn't like reducing the number of competitors in the market. But the deal presented a unique opportunity if the companies could pull it off: let T-Mobile and Sprint combine their networks and spectrum to take on AT&T and Verizon, while at the same time setting up a new competitor that had the wireless airwaves needed to build a network. Dish Network Corp., at first a major opponent of the deal, was the key to getting it through. Dish co-founder and Chairman Charlie Ergen had a track record of creating disruptive businesses, from his flagship satellite-TV operation to the streaming pioneer Sling TV, and was known as a shrewd negotiator. In a dispute with AT&T, Dish became the first TV distributor to black out HBO, one of the world's most popular TV networks. Dish had amassed $20 billion worth of airwaves over the past decade, with the goal of building or acquiring an advanced nationwide wireless network for 5G. With Delrahim wanting to set up a competitor with its own network, Dish was really the only logical choice to buy assets from T-Mobile and Sprint and get the deal across the finish line. In May, the day after the FCC chairman recommended approval of the deal, Ergen and Delrahim met to discuss how Dish could be the basis of the remedy. One of the key obstacles was that Ergen needed FCC approval to extend regulatory deadlines tied to the spectrum Dish owned. In June, Delrahim told Ergen in a text, "Today would be a good day to have your senator friends contact the chairman," a reference to Pai. Ergen spoke with Senator Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. As negotiations with Delrahim were heating up, a group of attorneys general led by New York and California sued to block the deal. The consolidation would remove choices, raise prices and stifle innovation, the states argued, and the fallout would affect poorer people most. The move presented a potentially insurmountable obstacle to the deal that hung ominously over the review process. Talks with Delrahim hit a standstill over final details of the Dish remedy. That's when Claure rushed to Justice Department headquarters to meet Delrahim in his office. Delrahim gave him a stark choice: take the settlement the department wanted or face a lawsuit. Claure gave in. Now Ergen is vowing to take on the industry. "There's an old saying -- I think this is an Abraham Lincoln quote -- but if you are going to chop down a row of trees and you got six hours to to do it, spend the first four hours sharpening your ax," Ergen told the judge who ultimately rejected the states' lawsuit and approved the deal. "And we spent 10 years sharpening a pretty sharp ax to go and compete, and this particular transaction is the catalyst that allows us to do that in a much faster manner than we thought." EDWARDSVILLE Two health-related Madison County Board committees are among those being held by teleconference Thursday and Friday. The countys Health Advisory Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday. On Friday, the Judiciary Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m. followed by the Health Committee at 10 a.m. and a special Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting at 1 p.m. The Finance Committee agenda has one item listed, a resolution to approve Additional Comp-Time and Benefits Outside of County Collective Bargaining Agreements by Auditor, States Attorney, Sheriff and Recorder During COVID-19 Response. According to the resolution, the sheriffs office is requesting $360,000 $242,000 for patrol and other activites, and $118,000 for the Madison County Jail. The auditors office is asking for $5,400, the recorder of deeds $8,000, and the states attorneys office $6,660. The meeting is expected to be controversial. The teleconferences come as the coronavirus pandemic continues and local governments are going to remote meetings to keep up with their business. Although much of what happens in meetings can be delayed, various officials have said other things like paying bills must be dealt with. As part of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers executive order dealing with COVID-19, some provisions of the Illinois Open Meetings Act relating to actual physical presence, quorums and the ability to teleconference meetings have been loosened. County officials have been working on setting up the teleconference system for some time, including testing it earlier this week. Meetings will be conducted in a way to safeguard the public, board members and employees, County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said. County Administrator Doug Hulme said the county wants to continue its operations as much as possible and committee meetings are essential. The public can call into the meeting to listen, Hulme said. They will also be able to send comments through email that will be read and entered as part of the official record. The number for the public to call is 618-296-2579. The public should call in five minutes prior to the start of the meeting and are asked to mute their phones. Public comments can be sent to public@co.madison.il.us. Public comments must be received 24 hours in advance of the meeting in order for their comments to be part of the official record. The public should put the committee name in the subject line and include the topic on which they want to speak, along with their name. All four of the teleconferenced meetings this week are expected to deal, at least in part, with COVID-19. The Health Advisory Committee, made up of healthcare professionals who advise the County Boards Health Committee, has two major items on its agenda reports from the Public Health Department Director Toni Corona and Dr. Mark McGranahan, a pediatrician and consultant with the Health Department. Corona has been the lead figure in the countys COVID-19 efforts. The Health Department agenda includes monthly expenses, purchase requests and another report from Corona. The Judiciary Committee agenda includes regular monthly reports by various departments, and a resolution to purchase medical care services for the Madison County Detention Home at a cost of $40,540.92. In addition to the meetings, the county is continuing to provide services and the public can go to the countys website, www.co.madison.il.us for more information specific to each department. A list of meetings are available on the county calendar, and agendas and other information is available under the Government drop-down menu. Destinations in nature, such as a lakeside or a walking trail, are the most commonly perceived environmental features motivating older adults to engage in outdoor mobility. In a study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, it was however observed that reporting a motivating feature did not necessarily mean the same thing as being more physically active. Environmental features perceived as motivating for outdoor mobility and levels of physical activity were investigated alongside the neighborhood types in which the older adults lived. Based on these findings, it could be seen that environmental features associated with higher levels of physical activity differed between neighborhood types. Differences existed especially between densely populated and sparsely populated areas. In densely populated areas destinations close to nature were associated with older adults' brisk physical activity. Yet in sparsely populated areas, perceiving features that improved pedestrian infrastructure close to home were important for reporting higher levels of physical activity." Kirsi Keskinen, PhD student Peaceful walkways, even sidewalks, and street lighting are examples of features that make an environment more walking friendly for older adults. They are also features that commonly differ in their amounts between densely and sparsely populated areas. "The specific conditions of a neighborhood type should be considered when planning measures to promote older adults' physical activity," Keskinen concludes. For the research, 848 people between the ages of 75 and 90 living in Jyvaskyla and Muurame, Finland, were interviewed about their physical activity, perceived environmental features that attracted to outdoor mobility, and health and socioeconomic factors. Characteristics of neighborhood types were retrieved from geospatial data. This study is part of the project Geographic characteristics, outdoor mobility and physical activity in old age (GEOage) conducted in the University of Jyvaskyla's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and in the Gerontology Research Center. The research has been financially supported by the Foundation for Municipal Development, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the Academy of Finland, and the European Research Council. London, April 1 : Formula One and Silverstone have set a deadline of April end to arrive at a decision on the British Grand Prix. "Silverstone and Formula One remain in close dialogue regarding the ongoing situation and are assessing the feasibility of holding the British Grand Prix on 17th-19th July," a statement from the circuit said. The first eight races of the Formula 1 season have been either postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all sporting events in the United Kingdom have also come to a close. "We fully appreciate that other UK sporting events in July have taken decisions regarding their events, but it is important to highlight that their logistics and sporting arrangements differ from Silverstone's and, therefore, our timeline gives us until the end of April to make a final decision," said the statement. "The safety of our fans, colleagues and the F1 community will be our priority and we will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities." A man waits for a haircut inside a barbershop in Canon City, Colo. The rural community is known for its many prisons. On the walls inside the shop are photos of customers who posed for a mug shot after a haircut. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Jhil Marquantte lived behind the sandstone walls of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in a 6-by-9-foot cell. Marquantte, 46, spent years here in this mountain town, but always behind bars locked inside Territorial, and most of the half-dozen other state prisons that dot this rural stretch of Colorado. If you asked him about home, hed tell you it was two hours north in Denver where he grew up and his family still resides and where he long dreamed of returning after serving his sentence. "My prison cell was not a home, said Marquantte, who was paroled in 2018 after serving 26 years for murder and returned to the Denver area. A prison should not be a home for any other person. Marquanttes concern cuts to the core of a long-percolating criminal justice question surrounding the 2020 U.S. census: Should prisoners be counted as residents of the community where theyre incarcerated or of their home when they were arrested and where they generally return to upon release? With the census officially due to begin Wednesday, the debate has become increasingly timely. After the tally is completed, states will use the numbers to redraw legislative and congressional districts, a once-per-decade procedure with broad implications for whether communities of color have an equitable opportunity at electing candidates who represent their interests and will fight for their concerns. And, in turn, the outcome of redistricting has a ripple effect on what programs housing, education, healthcare are funded over the next 10 years. "Counting people who are incarcerated where they have been imprisoned leads to a big distortion," said Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "The people incarcerated in a prison facility are often vastly demographically and socioeconomically different from the profile of local residents, with vastly different needs. The Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Canon City is among roughly a dozen state and federal lockups in Fremont County, Colo. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. Census Bureau counts inmates as residents of the counties where theyre imprisoned a practice that officials say is meant to provide the most accurate and fair way of capturing a moment-in-time count. Still, in recent years, a wave of states have passed laws requiring post-count adjustments during legislative redistricting to avoid what critics refer to as prison gerrymandering. Story continues Advocates contend that regions where prisons are located often rural, predominantly white areas have unfairly inflated their numbers, and thus their political clout, by being able to count inmates such as Marquantte, who is black. Many of the inmates are Latino or black men from more densely populated areas. It is unjust, advocates say, to count prisoners who in most states cant vote while incarcerated and often long beyond as residents of communities whose demographics and needs so drastically differ from their home communities. "This siphoning of black urban political power into white, rural communities is the modern-day version of the Three-Fifths Compromise, and violates the principle of one person, one vote, said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, a civil rights group. A handful of states, including California, have addressed prison gerrymandering and, in recent weeks, lawmakers in 20 other states, including Illinois and Virginia, have introduced bills to deal with the practice. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed a law requiring that, for redistricting purposes, the state must adjust data in order to count incarcerated people according to their last known address before their imprisonment. In Colorado where a fierce rural-and-urban divide shapes many policy discussions, including gun control the Legislature recently passed a similar bill that the governor has signed into law. The NAACP in February sued Pennsylvania, arguing that the state was "artificially and arbitrarily" inflating the political power of the predominantly white voters in rural counties where some of the states largest correctional facilities are located. In turn, the lawsuit contends, the state was diluting the power of black and Latino voters in more urban parts of the state. The suit is pending, as is a similar suit filed by the NAACP in Connecticut two years ago. In Illinois, where 60% of state inmates are from Chicago or elsewhere in Cook County, 90% are counted as residents of another county, according to the Prison Gerrymandering Project, an extension of the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit that focuses on criminal justice reform. In Colorado, which, like many other states, disproportionately incarcerates black and Latino men, many of those inmates are imprisoned in either the rural eastern plains or the southern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, such as here in Canon City. The states legislative districts are divvied up so that each contains roughly 77,000 constituents and, in rural communities with prisons, such as the Canon City-area, nearly 10% of some districts are made up of prisoners. (Fremont County, where Canon City is located, is home to roughly a dozen state and federal lockups, housing more than 7,500 inmates one of the biggest per capita prison populations in the country.) While the average state prison sentence is about three years, according to corrections data, redistricting shapes political representation for a decade. State Rep. James Coleman, right, speaks with churchgoers in Denver. Coleman, a Denver Democrat, helped spearhead the legislation to end prison gerrymandering. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) State Rep. James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, says he supported the anti-gerrymandering legislation because it only makes sense to count inmates in the communities where they had lived. "When people get out and theyre voting, Coleman said, their district needs fair and accurate representation. In New Jersey, then-Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar measure in 2017. "Prisoners are consuming services and resources at the prison, Christie said, in explaining his veto, and may have only fleeting, dated or tenuous ties to their prior residence. In Colorado, state Sen. Dennis Hisey, a Republican from the Canon City area, says he considers prison inmates his constituents. "Theyre a part of rural Colorado, Hisey said on a recent afternoon while walking the perimeter of Territorial, where silhouettes of guards inside towers overlooking the prison can be seen from the street. "They are essentially residents. Hisey views the measure passed by Democrats, who control both chambers of the Colorado Legislature, as little more than a liberal power grab. While the measure doesnt overtly focus on the allocation of money, Hisey believes funding will inevitably be affected somehow in the years ahead. State Sen. Dennis Hisey, a Republican from the Canon City area, stands on Main Street in Canon City. He sees the effort to end prison gerrymandering as an attack on rural Colorado. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) "This will dilute the voice of rural Colorado, he said. Thats a sensitive subject here. In 2013, the Colorado Legislature passed background checks and limits on ammunition magazines for guns, a move that some rural Coloradans viewed as an infringement on their 2nd Amendment rights. Some still protest on the steps of the Capitol. Then came crackdowns on oil and gas drilling, a big source of employment in some rural parts of the state. It started to feel like the cities mattered more than the small towns, Hisey said, and the gerrymandering bill only made things worse. Canon City Councilman Brandon Smith owns a barbershop on Main Street from which the towers of Territorial are visible. Many of his clients are prison guards, he said, and inside the shop he has a spot where, after getting a fresh cut, one can take a gimmicky mug shot. Canon City Councilman Brandon Smith, right, owns a barbershop on Main Street. Many of his clients are guards at the area prisons. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) "The way I see it," he said, "where you sleep a majority of the time is where you live. But to Marquantte, that amounts to oversimplification. "Canon City was never my home, he said. I never attended a political town hall, never knew my representative. My home is the Denver area and its where my voice is heard. Marquantte, a native of Denver, wound up in prison, sentenced to 60 years, for a shooting that left a man dead in the summer of 1992. During his high school years , he acknowledged, he fell in with a circle of drug dealers and gang members. Since his parole two years ago, he has lived in Aurora, a Denver suburb and works full time as a property manager. Jhil Marquantte, a property manager in the Denver area, served time behind bars in Canon City. He says the rural Colorado community "was never my home." (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) On a recent afternoon, Marquantte who serves on the board of a local recidivism support group traveled to the state Capitol in Denver to testify in favor of the anti-gerrymandering legislation. He wanted the lawmakers to have a face to put to the issue. "Inside of a prison the guys have no voice," he said. Marquantte said that he often lay in his cell thinking about what he would do with his life once released. He is now proud, he said, of the man he has become. This was the first time he testified before a legislative committee, he said. And as he sat down before the legislators, he wanted them to know that, when he got out in 2018, he did something hed never done before: He voted. Lee reported from Canon City and Kambhampati from Los Angeles. In the world as we knew it, Premier League soccer players earned 3m a year on average and a shelf-stacker in a supermarkets got around 15,000. Today, shelf-stackers seem more valuable than soccer stars. The Covid-19 pandemic is deeply unsettling, anxiety-provoking, even depressing as across the world even people whose health is unaffected become increasingly isolated from each other. Understandably, people hope for a return to normality. But is normality as we knew it really worth going back to? The economic fallout from Covid-19 has lifted the lid and shown some sectors of the economy are not really necessary - and may even be harmful. This month in Ireland the Airbnb-style, short-term holiday rental market has collapsed, but the result has been to make homes more affordable. It turns out scarcity of accommodation wasn't a problem the market was solving, the scarcity of rooms was being created by the economy. At the moment, government interventions here and elsewhere are two-pronged: public health measures to slow the spread of the virus - the now famous call to 'flatten the curve' - and economic measures to cope with the resulting instantaneous unemployment for many workers, collapse in tourism and hospitality, weak consumption and demand. National governments are supporting people with emergency welfare payments, wage supplements and mortgage relief. The European Central Bank is providing funds to borrow, to keep health and education running. Even the USA is distributing money to all citizens, an example which Europe should follow. The guiding idea is to pause the economy to preserve it, so that when the pandemic abates, we can get back to "business as usual". But what if we reorganised rather than rebooted the economy? After all, we are seeing how shorter working weeks are more productive, how guaranteed access to welfare payments makes unemployment more bearable. Housing markets can be regulated. Health services can be fully funded and functional. The need to be "internationally competitive" is often mentioned as a reason not to try radical measures. Salary caps and high minimum wages work in Japan and Scandinavia. In the face of global warming and pandemic disruptions, the world cannot afford "business as usual". What if instead we agree the economy as it existed in 2019 was unjust and unsustainable? Since China's lockdown, whole clouds of smog cleared, and the carbon-footprint of everyone under curfew was reduced to nothing more than their food-miles. More lives are being saved by the reduction in air-pollution than lost to Covid-19. But perhaps what the response to the pandemic really demonstrates is that a huge amount of economic activity is simply unnecessary. Schoolbooks define economics as the study of the allocation of scarce resources. But what if scarcity is not a real problem? There is enough food, shelter and warmth. The problem is how resources are shared out - the Irish rental market has just proved that. Scarcity was once the nightmare of over-population or famine; today, it exists because some people take more resources than they need. This inverts the text-book definition: the economy is the restriction of abundant resources - allocated unequally by the market and overseen by the State. When politicians and experts talk about the terrible hit to the economy, they mean the system where many people have to do jobs which are unnecessary to anyone's survival or indeed their happiness, so that others can invest their cash to generate profits to keep the same ball rolling endlessly. Meanwhile, most of us spend money on things we don't need - which creates more jobs, and more pollution. Those who do well under the current system tend to think they deserve their good fortune - the economy has efficiently allocated them a six-figure income, maybe seven figures or even nine. Yet overall, "normality" was unfair and unsustainable. Clearly, the economy keeps people working and active, but as Covid-19 proves, it also generates a large amount of busy work which we are now seeing could be done without. Businesses large and small are shut because we accept in the short term that people can do without the goods or services they provide. Should we accept more of that in the longer term? That's not to minimise the pain of what is happening right now. Closure will lead to losses and even bankruptcy. Unemployment is tremendously difficult, provoking anxiety, debts and poverty, and contemporary welfare services often push people into precarious work. But the pandemic proves resources are not so scarce; we can create a sustainable economy where work is reorganised so that both free-time and the necessities of life are abundant for everyone. The Turkish president also assured the problems faced by Ukrainian road haulage companies on the Turkish-Bulgarian border over the ban on entry to Turkey would be settled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the latter promised to respond to Ukraine's requests for the supply of respirators and protective suits. "They have discussed the situation with the spread of coronavirus in the world and the measures taken in both countries to ensure the protection of citizens. A number of practical arrangements have been made to coordinate efforts and cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey to combat the pandemic and its aftermath. The President of Turkey has promised to promptly consider requests of the Ukrainian party for the supply of respirators and protective suits," the press service of Zelensky's Office reported on April 1. Read alsoNew batch of PRC tests, protective gear from China delivered by plane to Ukraine The Turkish president also assured the problems faced by Ukrainian road haulage companies on the Turkish-Bulgarian border over the ban on entry to Turkey would be settled. Erdogan said that the responsible Turkish ministries would receive the respective instructions. What is more, the Ukrainian president thanked the Turkish side for its consistent support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, its condemnation of the illegal annexation of Crimea, and for its support for the Crimean Tatars. "In this regard, the presidents expressed content with the implementation of the agreements reached during their personal meeting on February 3 this year, including the construction of housing in Kherson and Henichesk for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Crimea," it said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:45:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) More efforts should be made to accelerate and further expand work and production resumption in an orderly manner on the premise of strictly implementing COVID-19 control measures, Xi said. HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed coordinating efforts for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) control and economic and social development, and striving to achieve this year's goals for economic and social progress. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. On Sunday, Xi visited the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port, whose throughput has recovered to normal levels due to the timely measures it adopted to resume production. The Ningbo Zhoushan Port took the lead in resuming production, which was of great significance to promoting Chinese enterprises to resume work and production as well as restoring the logistics system and the global industrial chains, Xi said. He called for efforts to cope with and blunt the adverse impact on cargo shipping brought by restrictive measures adopted by various countries to fight coronavirus. He also urged facilitation for the country's smooth trade flow. Xi said Zhoushan port plays an important role in the building of the Belt and Road, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. As one of the world's top container ports, the Zhoushan Port handled about 1.12 billion tonnes of cargo in 2019. Leaving the port, Xi visited an industrial park that produces high-end auto parts and molds in the city of Ningbo, where he inspected resumption of work and production at a privately-owned manufacturer. Chinese President Xi Jinping visits an industrial park, which produces high-end auto parts and molds, in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) By the assembly line, Xi asked the workers if they encountered any difficulties on their way back to work or in daily life, and if they got their paychecks on time. "Normal production of enterprises can keep the national economy on track and create employment opportunities for the public," Xi said. Stressing that China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are smart, full of vitality and good at braving challenges and striving for greatness, Xi said the SMEs will surely pull through the hard times and embrace better development with support from the Party, the government and society. GREEN, SMART DEVELOPMENT On Monday, Xi went to Yucun Village in the county of Anji, where he was greeted with applause and cheers of villagers thronging along the village roads to welcome his visit. In 2005, it was in this mountainous village that Xi, then secretary of Zhejiang provincial committee of the CPC, put forward the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Yucun has adhered to that concept and pursued green development for the past 15 years. Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with villagers and learns about the huge changes brought about by advancing green development, in Yucun Village of Tianhuangping Township in Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Revisiting the village, Xi said economic development should not be achieved at the expense of the ecological environment. To protect the ecological environment is to develop the productive forces, Xi said. He stressed the equal importance of urban and rural modernization. Leaving the village, Xi went to Anji's mediation center to learn about how primary-level social disputes are resolved. Xi stressed adopting diversified methods to prevent, mediate and resolve social disputes, for example through a mechanism where people file their complaints and Party members and officials can reach out to them more effectively. On Tuesday, Xi visited the Xixi National Wetland Park in the provincial capital of Hangzhou. Along the way, Xi was greeted by people touring the park, and he waved back to express his regards. Stopping by vendor booths that make Hangzhou's well-known Longjing tea and sell local signature cultural products, Xi encouraged the vendors to inherit and develop traditional handicrafts and other forms of intangible cultural heritage. Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the Xixi National Wetland Park during an inspection in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) He asked Hangzhou to better lay out production, residence and environmental functions in urban planning to create a residents-friendly city where humans and nature coexist and thrive in harmony. Xi then visited the City Brain, a smart city platform aiming to improve urban management, and learned how Hangzhou uses the technology to ease traffic congestions, manage the city and fight the COVID-19 epidemic. Advancing the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance requires stepping up modernizing the system and capacity for urban management, Xi said. Xi stressed utilizing big data, cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to innovate in the methods, models and visions of urban management and to make cities "smarter." OPPORTUNITIES AMID CHALLENGES While hearing work reports made by Zhejiang provincial committee of the CPC and provincial government Wednesday, Xi said the epidemic situation in China is moving steadily in a positive direction, and the peak of the current COVID-19 outbreak is over in the country. The risk posed by imported cases, however, has sharply risen as the pandemic is accelerating its spread across the world, said Xi, stressing intensified management of asymptomatic virus cases in China. China will make preventing imported cases the top priority in its COVID-19 response at present and even for a "prolonged" period of time, he said. Chinese President Xi Jinping visits an industrial park, which produces high-end auto parts and molds, in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Though the increasingly fast spread of COVID-19 abroad has disrupted international economic and trade activities and brought new challenges to China's economic development, it has also provided fresh opportunities for expediting the country's development in science and technology and advancing industrial upgrading, Xi noted. More efforts should be made to accelerate and further expand work and production resumption in an orderly manner on the premise of strictly implementing COVID-19 control measures, he said. Xi called for efforts to smooth global supply chains to ensure normal economic and trade activities. While seizing the opportunities of industrial digitization and digital industrialization, China also needs to expedite the construction of "new infrastructure" projects such as 5G networks and data centers, and deploy strategic emerging sectors and industries of the future including digital economy, life health services and new materials, he said. Xi also stressed the importance of expanding reform of important areas and key links. Efforts must be made to improve the mechanism for major epidemic prevention and control and the public health emergency response and management system, said Xi, stressing carrying out extensive patriotic health campaigns. He called for putting in place sound systems and policies for promoting integrated urban-rural development, and speeding up the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. Xi demanded efforts to guarantee an adequate supply of food with stable prices for urban residents and ensure sufficient income for rural people. Calling the anti-virus fight a "test" for governance over the Party, Xi urged better Party building work at all levels. Teck Resources Limited TECK has provided its operational update for the first quarter as well as revised the annual guidance for the ongoing year. Apart from this, the company announced precautionary measures to combat the coronavirus crisis. Notably, the companys operations are running production and its steelmaking coal segment results outpaced the first quarter guidance amid the coronavirus crisis. The company is taking precautionary measures for ensuring health and safety of its employees while maintaining operations. Operational Update on Q1 The Steelmaking Coal Business Units performance improved significantly in late February and March despite the turbulent start to the year. Sales from the steelmaking coal segment came in at 5.6 million tons for the first quarter, exceeding the prior view of 4.8-5.2 million tons. Also, the company expects to report adjusted site cost of sales of $65 per ton, lower than the previous projections. Finished coal inventories at mine sites reduced during the quarter, eventually driving revenues and enhancing operational flexibility. Moreover, the steelmaking coal logistics supply chain performed well for the first quarter. Canadian Pacific Railway Limited CP and Canadian National (CN) both recovered from weather-related disruptions and blockades. CP and CN both help transport coals from Tecks mining operations. The company is progressing well on the Neptune Bulk Terminals facility upgrades and major equipment deliveries are on track, which will significantly boost terminal-loading capacity and improve its capability to meet delivery commitments to customers while lowering overall logistics costs. The facility upgrades are expected to be completed in first-quarter 2021. In a bid to replace higher cost production from Cardinal River Mine with lower cost production from Elkview, the company plans to expand Elkview plant capacity from 7 million tons to 9 million tons. The plant expansion is on track and will likely be complete by middle of this month. Hence, cost saving and higher average pricing for Elkview coal is likely to translate to higher annual EBITDA of $110 million. However, the coronavirus outbreak might impact these projects on the cost and timeline front. Hence, the company closely monitors its project activities given the uncertainty caused by the outbreak. On Mar 18, the company announced temporarily suspension of construction activities at its major Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project in Chile for initial two weeks amid escalating coronavirus fears. The QB2 project is significant project for Teck, as its completion will make the company a major global copper producer. Measures to Contain Coronavirus The company has implemented extensive precautionary measures across its operations to ensure safety of employees on account of the coronavirus outbreak. The companys measures include social distancing, disinfecting protocols, screening contractors and visitors, self-isolation of employees returning from international travel etc. On Mar 25, the company decided to temporary slow down its operations and reduce half of its crew at steelmaking coal operations and Highland Valley Copper operations for initial two weeks. Coronavirus cases across the globe have escalated to 750,890, per the World Health Organizations situation report as of Mar 31, 2020, while the death toll stands at 36,405. Consequently, mining companies are halting their operations in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Peru has declared a 15-day national quarantine period. As a result, Newmont Corporation NEM and Pan American, along with other miners, have halted their operations in the country. Apart from this, in Canada, Brazilian miner Vale S.A. VALE is slashing its output in Voiseys Bay copper mine. Production Disruption Total production at steelmaking coal operations and at Highland Valley Copper is anticipated to reduce on average by 80% to 85% of normal levels during the initial two week period of production suspension. Further, at the companys Trail operations, Teck has temporarily reduced one-third employees on site, while continuing to operate at planned production levels. At Red Dog, production remains at planned levels despite the travel restrictions and modified schedules to maintain safe operations due to the fly-in fly-out nature of the operation. Moreover, the company continues to operate the Antamina mine with reduced workforce under an exemption from the restrictions imposed by the Peruvian Government amid the outbreak. Production has also been maintained at Carmen de Andacollo mine in Chile with minimum workforce. Pulls 2020 Guidance on Slow Production The coronavirus pandemic is likely to impact the companys customers and global supply chain, straining demand for its products. Thus, the company has withdrawn its financial guidance for the current year on slowdown of production and workforce reductions. Teck currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The companys shares have plunged 67.9% over the past year compared with the industrys decline of 30.2%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> 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 VALE S.A. (VALE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Newmont Goldcorp Corporation (NEM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Teck Resources Ltd (TECK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research One of the architects behind the design of Boston City Hall has died from coronavirus after refusing vital treatment with a ventilator. Michael McKinnell, who was 84 at the time of his death on Friday, teamed up with fellow architects Gerhard Kallmann and Edward Knowles in 1962, to design the renowned brutalist structure at Boston City Hall. The 84-year-old who lived in Rockport, Massachusetts turned down the breathing apparatus after contracting COVID-19, preferring to prepare for his final hours in a hospice. Boston City Hall Architect Michael McKinnell is pictured at a 50th anniversary celebration at Boston City Hall in Boston in February last year Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, left, stands with Boston City Hall architect Michael McKinnell, center, during the cake cutting at a 50th anniversary ceremony for City Hall in February last year Pictured: Undated file photograph of Boston City Hall in Boston, Massachusetts The Boston Globe reported that McKinnell had been feeling unwell in the weeks before his death, which lead him to the decision. X-rays revealed the architect had both pneumonia and COVID-19 when he died. Ventilators have proved essential in fighting the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, with patients sometimes requiring weeks with the medical equipment to ensure their survival. On Sunday, as coronavirus was seen ravaging US cities, with freezer morgues lining the streets outside some hospitals, the emergency supply of ventilators were still to be delivered. This shortage is forcing doctors and medical staff to make the impossible decision of who gets to breathe and who doesn't, the New York Times reported. McKinnell was born in Manchester in 1935 and won a scholarship to Columbia University. He spent the rest of his life living in the US. A January 2012 file photo shows Michael McKinnell, top, and Gerhard Kallmann posing for a portrait on Jan. 31, 2012 in Cambridge, MA. They won a competition to design Boston City Hall in 1962 In 1962, when the three unqualified architects first teamed up, they shot to fame after their design for the Boston City Hall was chosen from a pool of 256 suggestions. The trio went on to set up an architectural firm, which is known today as Kallmann McKinnell & Wood. The building for which the trio is known still stands in the centre of the city despite years of criticism and even plans to demolish it. 'City Hall is so ugly that its insane upside-down wedding-cake columns and windswept plaza distract from the building's true offense,' columnist Paul McMorrow wrote for the Boston Globe in 2013. 'Its great crime isn't being ugly; it's being anti-urban. The building and its plaza keep a crowded city at arm's length.' A view of an unusually quiet City Hall Plaza last week in Boston, Massachusetts. A stay at home order was put into effect by Governor Charlie Baker in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Largely attacked by the press and local government at the time, with its destruction even being promised by former Mayor Tom Menino, others have jumped to its defense, explaining the choice partners' choice behind the structure. 'Kallmann, McKinnell, and Knowles [the pair's colleague] did have an idea that this would be a very democratic building,' Mark Pasnik, an architecture professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, told Boston.com in 2018. 'They saw it as open. There's very large columns that allow you to enter into the building in multiple ways. It doesn't work like that anymore, but that was the original idea of that.' The layout of the building allowed people to pay parking tickets or get a permit, before walking through to the rest of the city. 'The whole thing was conceived with that sense of openness and aspiration to be very public, to be grand, to represent the civic realm,' Pasnik added. Police stop motorists on Park Street, Bristol, where random checks on essential travel are taking place during the coronavirus lockdown. (PA) Police in Derbyshire have started leaving notes on cars to remind drivers that they should avoid unnecessary travel during the coronavirus crisis. A post on the Glossop Police Facebook page showed the posters, which outline what is permitted during the nationwide lockdown. The force said: The government restrictions currently in place due to coronavirus (COVID-19) do not permit you to use your vehicle to travel to this location to exercise. We have all been instructed to avoid all unnecessary travel. You should not be driving to a location away from home to undertake your daily exercise. Some of those responding to the post questioned whether the police were correct in their interpretation of the law. David Quinn responded: That's not what the law says at all. I don't like it when policemen lie. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading Richard Waugh added: The legislation dies not say you cannot use your vehicles to travel to get exercise. Lying to the public undermines efforts to control this virus. Others were more supportive of the police measures, with one person responding: We have been told not to travel unless its necessary. What level of stupidity to do you have to be at not to understand that. The Facebook post comes as police forces across Britain have been told people should not be punished for travelling a "reasonable distance" to exercise, following criticism of heavy-handed tactics used to enforce the lockdown. The new guidance, issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing on Tuesday night, also states road checks on every vehicle are disproportionate". It comes after Derbyshire Police faced a backlash for filming walkers with drones to deter visitors to the Peak District, while North Yorkshire Police stopped motorists at "checkpoints" last week. Story continues The new guidance states: "Use your judgement and common sense; for example, people will want to exercise locally and may need to travel to do so, we don't want the public sanctioned for travelling a reasonable distance to exercise. "Road checks on every vehicle is equally disproportionate. We should reserve enforcement only for individuals who have not responded to engage, explain, and encourage, where public health is at risk. Police have been told to be "consistent" when using new powers brought in after the government introduced social distancing measures last week. A group of young men are spoken to by Kent Police officers before being dispersed from a children's play area in Mote Park, Maidstone. (PA) People can only leave their homes to go shopping for basic necessities and medicines, to exercise, or to go to work if their job cannot be done from home. Officers can fine or even arrest those flouting the rules under legislation enacted last Thursday. Read more: Senior officers deny UK is now a 'police state' amid claims forces 'went too far' But comments from government ministers have sometimes gone beyond the scope of the law, leading to potential confusion. Some forces, including Derbyshire, said on Tuesday they had not used the new powers once, while Lancashire Police issued 123 fines for breaches of the rules over the weekend. The guidance, which has been updated since it was originally sent to forces last week, said policing should be "by consent" with the initial response to "encourage voluntary compliance. It says: "There is no power to 'stop and account'. The police will apply the law in a system that is flexible, discretionary and pragmatic. "This will enable officers to make sensible decisions and employ their judgement. Enforcement should be a last resort. West Midlands Police Chief Constable Dave Thompson said in a series of tweets on Tuesday that claims that Britain is becoming a "police state" are "widely off the mark. "I think the public are trying to stick to this, which they are, and I think the general comments that have been made by experts and people, they just need to cut us a little bit of slack at the moment, it's pretty tough," he said. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Happy April Fool's Day and do not worry Prabhas is all fine and completely alright! What can happen to the Baahubali of the Tollywood industry? Well, yes the rebel actor has something to do with the hospital, but it is totally related to his next film. #Prabhas20 makers are soon going to erect a hospital set in Hyderabad's Annapurna Studios. As per reports, a hospital will be constructed on the premises, to shoot an important sequence of the movie. The makers have already begun the post-production work of the film, which will have Pooja Hegde essaying the female lead. Recently it was rumoured that the first look poster of Prabhas 20 might unveil on the special occasion of Ugadi. Helmed by Radha Krishna Kumar and touted to be a romantic entertainer, the movie is bankrolled by UV Creation on a high budget. Prabhas has recently won people's hearts after he donated Rs 3 crore to the Prime Minister Relief Fund. The actor also contributed Rs 50 lakh each to the Chief Minister relief funds of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Coming back to his work, Prabhas is also gearing up for his 21st outing. Well, recently rumours were rife that Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif might get roped in to essay the female lead opposite him. But neither the makers nor the actresses have signed on the dotted line. Helmed by Nag Ashwin, Prabhas21 is touted to be a sci-fi thriller. Anushka Shetty Chooses Prabhas Over Acting In Cinema; Here's The Proof Keep informed of these unprecedented times with the latest coronavirus updates on Independent.ie's live blog. 22:35 03/04/2020 HSE in negotiations about defective PPE delivered from China to 'ensure it doesn't happen again' Some of the personal protective equipment (PPE) imported into Ireland from China to help fight the coronavirus pandemic has emerged to be defective, according to health officials. Images posted online show gowns with three-quarter length sleeves, leaving arms exposed. Health officials have acknowledged supplies in some cases are different to what Irish medics are used to and the HSE is currently in negotiations to ensure more defective equipment is not delivered. A 200m order has seen 13 flights of PPE arrive in Ireland since Sunday and it is intended to protect doctors and nurses who are braced for a surge in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals over coming weeks. Speaking on tonight's Late Late Show, HSE consultant Dr Sarah Doyle called the defects "disappointing". "It's disappointing particularly when you see the huge effort that everybody has gone to in Aer Lingus but also behind the scenes," she said. "There is a process in place and it was identified that some of it was defective, so better that than it be used inappropriately. Some is okay, some is what may not be usually used, in Ireland and then some is defective. The HSE is in negotiations about that and ensuring that it doesn't happen again," she said. Read More 22:03 03/04/2020 WATCH: Dubliners host community karaoke, social distancing style Read More 60pc of special needs assistants have already signed up to help out in essential services during the Covid-19 emergency More than two in three special needs assistants (SNAs ) have already signed up to help out in essential services during the Covid-19 emergency. Within two days of the announcement that they were being asked to reassign to community-based centres for children with disabilities, 11,000 of the 16,000 SNAs have applied The SNAs are being asked to make themselves available to free up as many nurses as possible for hospitals and other healthcare settings. It is part of the wider temporary reassignment of public service workers to essential services during the Covid-19 crisis. While teachers are expected to continue working, from a distance, during the enforced shut-down of schools, SNAs cannot do their job remotely 19:51 03/04/2020 More than 12,000 arts events cancelled due to Covid-19 crisis MORE than 12,000 arts events from music and theatre performances to exhibitions have been cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. This will lead to a lost audience of 2.4m people by the end of May according to research by the Arts Council. It was also revealed that 112,000 tickets have already been sold for events that won't now take place. Arts Council chairman Kevin Rafter revealed the figures as he joined Culture Minister Josepha Madigan to launch measures to support Irish artistic and cultural life during the coronavirus emergency. Mr Rafter said the research his organisation has carried out on the impact on audiences, employment and finances of arts organisations will help understand how to help the sector respond to the challenging months ahead. The main measure announced today is a 1m fund for creating artistic work that can be shared on the internet. The Script announce free concert for healthcare staff The Script will hold a concert next year free of charge for 13,000 frontline staff and primary care workers, including doctors, nurses, ambulance staff, cleaners and porters. The concert will take place in Dublin's 3Arena on February 9, 2021 and is open to all frontline workers in Ireland. In a statement issued this evening, the legendary Irish band thanked frontline staff for their tireless work during the pandemic. "We've always been huge supporters of those working on the frontline of our health care," the band said. "They make sacrifices day in and day out, working harder than anyone. Not only to make sure we have access to resources in order for us to continue to live happy and healthy lives, but to also help us and our loved ones through some of the hardest points in our lives." 17:31 03/04/2020 A further 22 lives have been claimed in Ireland, with a further 424 new cases. There are now a total of 4,273 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ireland and a total of 120 deaths. Today's statistics: 18 deaths located in the east, three in the south, one in the west of the country. The patients included 11 females and 11 males. 16 patients were reported as having underlying health conditions Median age of todays reported deaths is 80 The median age of deaths in Ireland is 82. 17:11 03/04/2020 Another 12 patients have died in a day in Northern Ireland after contracting coronavirus A further 12 patients in Northern Ireland have died after contracting coronavirus. It is one of the highest number of deaths in a day recorded by the Public Health Agency so far. Friday's update brought the total number of people who have died in the region with Covid-19 to 48. The PHA also notified 130 new positive cases of infection, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the region to 904. So far, Belfast has over twice as many positive tests as anywhere else in Northern Ireland, with 272 confirmed so far. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland The next highest total is in the Lisburn and Castlereagh council area, 272. 16:04 03/04/2020 Premier League season put on indefinite hold and 'will only return when it is safe to do so' The Premier League has announced that they have put the current season on indefinite hold and will only attempt to restart games 'when it is safe and appropriate to do so' amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At their latest video conference meeting on Friday morning, Premier League chiefs and club officials ruled out any prospect of games returning in the opening week of May as they again made their intentions clear to try and find a way to finish the current campaign. "It was acknowledged that the Premier League will not resume at the beginning of May and that the 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so," they said in a statement. "The restart date is under constant review with all stakeholders, as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic develops and we work together through this very challenging time. Read More David Chance: Poorest are most at risk as State faces greatest economic crisis The damage wrought by coronavirus on the economy will run far deeper if lockdowns last more than three months, the Central Bank starkly warns today. Estimates of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak are out of date almost as soon as they are published. Just last week, the Economic and Social Research Institute estimated 300,000 would lose their jobs by the end of June, a number that was surpassed in a week. Read More 15:22 03/04/2020 Donohoe admits there's a 'gap' in wage subsidy scheme for low paid workers PASCHAL Donohoe has admitted there's a "gap" in the coronavirus wage subsidy scheme that sees some workers worse off if they're kept on by their employers. Some workers would get greater financial support if they're made unemployed because they would get the 350-a-week Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Mr Donohoe said the wage subsidy scheme was set up quickly and there was always going to be anomalies but he promised the government is looking at the issue. The temporary wage subsidy scheme is intended to help employers retain staff on their books for the duration of the crisis by paying a subsidy equal to up to 70pc of an employee's take home pay, up to 410 a week. Read More Fears over quality of personal protective equipment delivered to Ireland from China Concerns about the quality of some personal protective equipment (PPE) imported into Ireland from China amid the coronavirus pandemic have emerged across the country. Images posted online show gowns with three-quarter length sleeves, leaving arms exposed. Health officials have acknowledged supplies in some cases are different to what Irish medics are used to. They are attempting to source additional equipment. A 200m order has seen ten flights of PPE arrive in Ireland since Sunday. Read More Schools to donate surplus science lab stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline health services Second-level schools are to donate their surplus science lab stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline health services National Association Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) director Clive Byrne said that at this time of national crisis, when our medical professionals are putting themselves on the frontline to battle Covid-19, everyone must do their part to help where they can. According to the NAPD, significant stocks of PPE currently lie unused in second-level schools across the country and are now set to be made available to teams on the frontline. The NAPD has issued a circular to its members, asking them to arrange for their schools supplies of PPE to be transferred to local hospitals and nursing homes 14:06 03/04/2020 Minister signs regulations to assist with prescriptions during COVID-19 Minister for Health Simon Harris has signed two statutory instruments to relieve some of the pressures on our GPs, pharmacists and patients in accessing prescriptions. This will allow for the electronic transfer of prescriptions to a pharmacy via an approved electronic system: the HSE's Healthmail system. 13:40 03/04/2020 Google releases data to help countries track peoples movement during lockdowns Google has started releasing location data to help public health officials track how people are responding to lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. The US tech giant said on Friday that it is publishing aggregated, anonymised data for 131 countries and regions to highlight movement trends over time. The information is gathered from Google Maps or the search giants other services but no personal details, such as an individuals location, contacts or movement, is disclosed. Google plans to update the reports regularly, with a lag of two to three days. 11:51 03/04/2020 'Let me know if you need help' - Taoiseach moved by schoolboy's offer TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar was moved by a message from a young boy offering his help during the Covid-19 crisis. Mr Varadkar shared the special message he received, via postcard, from Jack Ryan (6) in Rochestown in Cork. The primary school student wrote to the Dublin TD to pay tribute to the leadership he has shown the nation during the virus pandemic. Expand Close A young boy offered the Taoiseach to help tackle the coronavirus / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A young boy offered the Taoiseach to help tackle the coronavirus 11:20 03/04/2020 Tokyos Olympic village could be used as coronavirus hospital The Athletes Village being built for the Tokyo Olympics could be used as a temporary hospital for cornoavirus patients. Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has been talking about the possibility of occupying the massive development on Tokyo Bay, which is to house up to 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes and staff during the games. The complex, which will eventually include 24 buildings, is expected to remain unoccupied with the Olympics delayed for 16 months. Mr Koike said the Athletes Village was "one of the options, but the village is not finished yet. We are talking about places that are available even today or tomorrow and checking a possibility one by one". 11:02 03/04/2020 Varadkar on recession from Covid-19 10:48 03/04/2020 Formality of deal between Belfast and Dublin for PPE from China questioned Stormont finance minister Conor Murphys deal with the Irish Government to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) from China has been questioned. Mr Murphy announced last week that a significant consignment of PPE had been secured in a joint order between Stormont and the Irish Government. However, Stormont sources have queried whether any deal between the Irish Government and Northern Ireland executive for the order has been finalised. 10:35 03/04/2020 Ryanair expects minimal if any traffic for two months Ryanair expects to carry minimal if any traffic this April and May as the coronavirus pandemic forces its fleet to stay largely grounded. Both depressed demand and government restrictions have forced Ryanair to stop flying, slashing the number of passengers it carries. The company said that the number of passengers it carried in March was 48% lower than the same month last year. It is currently flying less than 20 daily flights, compared to its usual 2,500. 10:00 03/04/2020 Family of boy, 13, who died with Covid-19 cant attend funeral due to symptoms Two of the siblings of the 13-year-old boy who died after testing positive for Covid-19 are displaying symptoms of coronavirus so no family members are able to attend his funeral. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, south London, died alone in hospital in the early hours of Monday. The teenager will be buried in Brixton on Friday without his family present as his mother and six siblings are forced to self-isolate. 09:25 30/04/2020 FREE NOW offering half price taxis to Ireland's 'healthcare heroes' Taxi app FREE NOW is offering taxis for half price for all "healthcare heroes" during the Covid-19 crisis. The e-hailing app, formally known as Mytaxi, has created a new 'medical' booking option which offers a 50pc taxi-fare reduction to "help the travel of healthcare heroes and support medical staff in the national fight against the COVID-19 pandemic". The new mechanism allows vital healthcare workers to select the new fleet-type option on the app to book their taxi and to get 50pc off their fare. These staff then just need to show their medical ID to drivers at the start of their trip. Read More 08:56 03/04/2020 Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine released from US prison as coronavirus precaution Expand Close Daniel Hernandez, known as Tekashi 6ix9ine (AP/Luca Bruno, File) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Daniel Hernandez, known as Tekashi 6ix9ine (AP/Luca Bruno, File) US rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has been freed from a New York prison because his asthma puts him in danger of catching coronavirus, US authorities have said. US district judge Paul Engelmayer ruled on Thursday that the 23-year-old performer, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, can serve the last four months of his two-year prison sentence in home confinement. The rapper was sentenced in December for his entanglement with a violent US street gang. But he was spared a much harsher possible sentence because of his decision to become a star witness for prosecutors. 08:45 03/04/2020 Virus deaths and unemployment accelerate across Europe and US as cases pass one million Worldwide the number of reported infections hit another gloomy milestone one million, with more than 53,000 deaths, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. But the true numbers are believed to be much higher because of testing shortages, many mild cases that have gone unreported and suspicions that some countries are covering up the extent of their outbreaks. On Thursday Spain reported a record one-day number of deaths, 950, bringing its overall toll to about 10,000. Coronavirus deaths have mounted with alarming speed in Spain, Italy and New York, the most lethal hotspot in the United States, as figures show more than one million people around the globe have been infected. 08:35 03/04/2020 Varadkar rejects demands for over-66s who lose jobs to receive 350 payment Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has poured cold water on demands that people aged over 66 who lose jobs due to the coronavirus crisis should get the emergency 350-a-week unemployment payment. It came after the issue was raised during a sometimes tetchy Dail session where Fine Gael ministers criticised TDs who wanted the House to meet to discuss the response to the coronavirus emergency. Health Minister Simon Harris said he accepted points made by Opposition politicians about the importance of the Dail but claimed TDs were "risking public health" by meeting. 08:30 03/04/2020 Redeployment of carers may leave families without help Some families will lose much-needed HSE-funded homecare support as hundreds of carers are redeployed to nursing homes struggling to cope with outbreaks of the coronavirus, it has been claimed. The concerns were raised by Catherine Cox of Family Carers Ireland after it emerged that hundreds of carers who look after people in their homes will be asked to transfer to nursing homes suffering staff shortages. 21:06 02/04/2020 Coronavirus cases worldwide pass one million Global coronavirus cases have topped one million as the pandemic explodes in the United States and the death toll continues to climb in Italy and Spain, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The virus has killed over 51,000 globally with the largest number of deaths in Italy, followed by Spain and the United States. The first 100,000 cases were reported in around 55 days and the first 500,000 in 76 days. Cases doubled to 1 million within the past eight days. Total cases reported by Thursday grew 10pc from a day earlier, the first time the rate has hit double digits since the virus took hold outside China Read More 19:45 02/04/2020 Exclusive: 'I was terrified of dying alone - but now at age 82, I have beaten coronavirus' WHEN Paddy-Joe Lynch went into hospital almost two weeks ago, he had convinced himself he wouldnt be coming back out. At 82, with several underlying health issues, he was well aware that the odds were stacked against him. He had tested positive for Covid-19, a virus that does its worst when it comes for the elderly. I was convinced that it was it for me, he told Independent.ie. Dubai said on Tuesday it would help its state-run Emirates airline overcome the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and enforced a full lockdown on a district famous for its gold and spice markets. The United Arab Emirates, the region's tourism and business hub which includes Dubai, has taken measures including temporarily halting passenger flights and launching a nationwide disinfection drive as the disease spreads in the region. The total number of infections in the six Gulf Arab states neared 4,000 on Tuesday, with 21 deaths, after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman recorded new cases of the virus. Saudi Arabia, which has the highest tally among them, reported two more coronavirus-linked deaths among expatriates to take its total to 10. It confirmed 110 new cases to reach 1,563. The UAE announced one more death, a 67-year-old Asian man with pre-exisiting conditions, to bring its total to six, and recorded 53 more infections to raise the count to 664. It had already extended a nightly curfew to April 5 to deep clean the country, but Dubai announced a 24-hour curfew would be imposed on the normally bustling tourist and trade district of Al Ras for two weeks starting Tuesday. "I am glad they are doing this because it is for our protection," said one rice trader who works in Al Ras but resides in the UAE's Sharjah emirate. The trader, who declined to be named, told Reuters he was now conducting business online. Dubai closed the main road entrances to Al Ras and halted public transport to the area, which abuts Dubai Creek, where dhows have been banned from shipping goods between Dubai and Iran, a regional epicentre for the virus. Authorities would provide residents with essential needs, the Dubai Media Office said. The UAE plans to open more drive-thru testing centres after the first was opened last week in the capital, Abu Dhabi. "We will never hesitate to take any measures against any potential threat to people's life. At the same time, we won't let development grind to a halt," Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the country's de facto ruler, said. Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said the emirate's government would inject fresh equity into the Emirates airline, given its strategic importance to the Dubai and UAE economy. He gave no details of the plan. In Kuwait, the first Gulf state to halt passenger flights and impose a partial curfew, the health minister said a clearer picture on the success of containment efforts would emerge by early June. "If infection numbers stabilise, there may be a gradual easing of current measures," Basil al-Sabah told Al Rai newspaper. "But if the average rate of transmission increases then ... I do not rule out the cabinet enforcing a full curfew." Gulf states continued repatriation flights from countries around the world. The UAE said it had evacuated more than 1,700 Emiratis and "those accompanying them". Kuwait said it has brought back more than 2,700 citizens. Search Keywords: Short link: Walking and Talking with Jesus One Day at a Time: A Devotional Thought For Every Day: a year-long journey of faith throughout words that bring hope, motivation, and drive to get through the days surprises. Walking and Talking with Jesus One Day at a Time: A Devotional Thought For Every Day is the creation of published author Pauline Romano, a passionate writer of poetry. She was a volunteer at Denver General Hospital in the childrens ward and also volunteered with troubled teens who were court-ordered to attend classes and counseling. Romano shares, I have always loved writing poetry, and I have always written poems for my family and friends for different special occasions in a rhyming format. But ever since I was baptized and became a Christian, I felt this urge in my heart to put into words how good it makes me feel as I talk with Jesus every day! I read my Bible every day, and I love the New Testament! I always read a small booklet called Our Daily Bread, which has scriptures and a short one-page story for each day of the month. I was inspired by this little book. I really enjoy reading it. Im hoping my book will make it easier for the working people to get in a little time to talk to our Lord and Savior every day. On their way to work, they ride the bus or if they carpool, or maybe even during their lunchbreak. I also hope to reach retired people who might be at home alone and might find some comfort by reading my book. It might also help them learn where a few passages are in the Bible. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Pauline Romanos new book is a mind-clearing devotional and a good company in every readers daily life. Through these inspiring pages, one will surely be stirred with the words that dont just give inspiration, but also instruction as to how one can live a better and a more God-centered life. View a synopsis of Walking and Talking with Jesus One Day at a Time: A Devotional Thought For Every Day on YouTube. Consumers can purchaseWalking and Talking with Jesus One Day at a Time: A Devotional Thought For Every Day at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Walking and Talking with Jesus One Day at a Time: A Devotional Thought For Every Day, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. An Enugu- born prophetess, Mrs. Sun Okoye, has claimed she has discovered drugs capable of curing the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus disease ravaging the world. She said she was ready for invitation from the federal and state governments to confirm the authenticity and efficacy of her claims and to make the drugs available. Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday in Awka, Okoye said the solution came as a result of spiritual revelation from God but said she would not reveal the secret of the discovery. She claimed the revelation of the incurable disease came to her last year, maintaining that she needed not to test it on a patient before establishing the efficacy of the liquid medication. The prophetess also predicted another fire disaster would befall Onitsha, the commercial hub of the state, stressing the need to avert it. She said: Let the governments call me to know the content of my secret power used in curing it. You can take me to any coronavirus patient and if they come in contact with me, they will be healed. I cannot be contaminated by the disease. God has given me the secret that brought the power of corona virus on earth. God is the creator of our lives and not science. God is the maker of everyone and has the sole power to save us from this deadly disease. He has revealed the solution to me and I cannot just let out the secret. Okoye however lamented the frustration she had met from the state government in her efforts to introduce the drugs to the officials. She added: Its painful that all efforts I made to reach the Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano or his commissioner for health, failed. I am acting on Gods instructions. I dont care what people will take me for or what they will say, but all I know is that the way of God is not the way of man. I listen to God and not men. God has picked me and given me divine secrets to heal coronavirus patients in Nigeria, and the world over. Remember that God made science and can decide to eradicate the virus through anyone. Let the government listen and pay heed to what I am saying otherwise some other countries will take the advantage. I am ready to work with Nigeria governments, she added. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates All non-resident foreigners to be vacated from Holbox Holbox, Q.R. UPDATED: Officials on the island of Holbox have given notice to foreigners who are not residents, that they are required to vacate the island. The vacating of non-residents is being enforced by the islands health head who has issued a formal letter notifying visitors that they need to return to their country. Alejandro Montiel Walter, Director of Centro de Salud of Holbox, says exceptional measures will be enforced which include the total evacuation of foreigners without resident visas. The move is being made in order to preserve the health of the community and remain without positive cases of coronavirus. The Total Evacuation Sanitary Framework of the island is an agreement also with hotels and owners of rental properties which will see the removal of people of foreign origin without residence, which includes people with tourist visas. People of foreign origin who have a work visa may stay, however, they must remain at home as per instructions of local authorities. Enrique Ramirez Borras, president of the Holbox Development Council said that on Tuesday, hostels, hotels, Airbnb operators and campsites were informed that as of Wednesday, non-residents should not be on the island. There must be no one from outside, neither tourists nor all these volunteers, he said adding that In Cancun there are hotels in addition to embassies. The tourists will be better served there than here, because there are no guarantees here. He reiterated that the island remains free of coronavirus cases and that there are no facilities to care for potential COVID-19 patients. Once the island is emptied of non-residents, police will patrol streets and beaches during the day, enforcing the stay-at-home rule, and an evening curfew will be put into place. At the same time, the US Department of State is urging Americans abroad to return home. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urged Americans abroad who want to return to do so immediately, amid a Global Level 4 Health advisory. UPDATE: Alejandro Montiel Walter, Director of Centro de Salud of Holbox, says that island officials are not expelling non-resident foreigners from Holbox. Instead, he says that foreigners were invited to leave Holbox and go to Cancun due to the lack of medical supplies, as well as to preserve the health of the islanders before the health contingency. He explained that after an emergency meeting with several island officials including Social and inter-institutional undersecretary of the Secretary of the Government Secretariat for the Northern Zone, Joel Espinoza Moreno, I prepared the document regarding the behavior of foreigners who work on the island because they believed it was a vacation and they were drinking alcoholic beverages on the beaches and last Saturday, they had a rave party, which are illegal and usually organized in abandoned places or rural areas such as in Punta Coco. Montiel Walter added that the mayor has already started calling on foreigners to check their passports and immigration papers to find out whether or not they are legally in Holbox. They are around 200 foreigners, some of whom will have residency and others will be illegal who work here and who have already decided not to leave (). It is about a hundred that surely remain in a situation illegally, but right now, it was determined that they can stay as long as they comply with the sanitary provisions due to the coronavirus pandemic, he said. Montiel Walter explained that what triggered the annoyance is that while local people respect the call for social isolation and do not go out, in Punta Coco, where a majority of foreigners reside, it seems that everyone is on vacation. Paul Conway, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, argued that evidence from history and the psychological literature suggests that under times of stress and uncertainty, there are a number of different effects. On the plus side, he wrote by email, people pull together and support one another more, adding that when people endure shared fight against a common enemy, their interests are aligned and theyre more likely to see a bond of camaraderie that can blossom into reduced prejudice. There is, however, another side of the coin, Conway said: When times are more uncertain and threatening, then strangers and outsiders and people different from oneself feel more threatening on an intuitive, gut level. Extensive research, he wrote, shows that fear of infection increases prejudice and distrust of outsiders. Hence, this pandemic also has potential to increase friction between social groups, thickening boundaries. We have already seen reinforcement of borders on a global scale not seen since the Second World War. Along parallel lines, Conway argued, the times were living in exacerbate economic tensions leading to greater pressure for left-wing policies, while at the same time exacerbating fear of contamination from others who seem different, which exacerbates support for right-wing policies. The severe economic recession in Weimar Germany in the early 1930s led not only to an increase in support for the Nazi Party but also for the Communist Party, Conway wrote, just as the economic collapse in Greece at the start of the last decade increased support for both Communist and National Socialist parties there. With this history in mind, Conway predicted that for the next decade or so in America and around the world, there will be even more intense partisan division, including, on the right, increased support for some authoritarian policies. Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at N.Y.U., argued by email that If we had good leadership a president who could unify the country and turn our shared adversity into social solidarity, trust, and cooperation, then we could look to past national crises such as World War II and the boost it gave to social capital. But, he continued, We dont have that. In fact, a marker of our political sickness is that taking the virus seriously has become itself a marker of tribal identity. Along similarly pessimistic lines, Marc Hetherington, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, told me by email that there were two reasons that this moment holds the potential to resuscitate negative feelings that Americans have about government. First: If the government actually succeeds in keeping the carnage to a minimum, it is unlikely to change much. Americans already think government can do this. If, however, the government doesnt succeed and I think there is every reason to think it will struggle with these problems it has the potential to further undermine trust in government. People already dont trust it to redistribute money and provide certain services, which is bad. If they come to think it is not competent to keep us safe, it will be even worse, much worse. And second: Republicans have internalized what used to be just a political strategy, which increases the chances that government will fail. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush used to run against government, but they still took staffing it seriously. The Reagan and Bush 41 White Houses were full of excellent professionals, Hetherington wrote. Since then, however: That cynical approach to campaigning seems to have infected their approach to governing. In 2016, the party nominated a complete political amateur, pointing up just how little governance means to the party. And, of course, Trump has failed to fill vacancies in key areas like the C.D.C., disbanded the pandemic task force in the N.S.C., and all sorts of other stuff. The result, Hetherington wrote, is a government characterized by poor leadership at the cabinet level and hollowed out expertise at the department level, sharply increasing the chance that government simply cant come through right now. This assessment is, in large part, shared by David Autor, an economist at M.I.T. Under different circumstances, Autor wrote me, it would be easy to tell a story in which this episode causes Americans to remember that their government is indispensable for marshaling expertise, coordinating emergency measures, guarding public safety, serving as an insurer of last resort, calming financial markets, and generally shepherding its citizens through an extraordinarily challenging time. But these are very different circumstances: After four decades of successful Republican effort to starve the U.S. government of resources and demonize its experts, our government is in fact less competent, less well prepared, and less agile than it used to be. Perhaps this event would have restored our faith in government were the government deserving of that faith. The picture is mixed at best, so far. Autor argued that the monetary and fiscal responses have been quite amazing, but the public health response has been a disaster a poisonous cocktail of denial, incompetence, and failed leadership. There are still some great civil servants in U.S. agencies. But the foundation is shaky. Most shaky of all is Trumps vacillating stance toward the pandemic. He has lurched from complete denial (One day, its like a miracle, it will disappear) to I am not responsible to Were doing a great job to Its going to disappear to It will go away to awarding himself a 10 out of 10 to calling the unavailable tests PERFECT to claiming We have it very well under control to setting Easter, April 12, as the date to reopen the country a beautiful time, a beautiful timeline to boasting of high ratings as death projections soared. On Tuesday, Trump seemed to have come to his senses, at least for now: This is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks. A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily reinstated Texas's ban on abortions during the coronavirus outbreak, saying it needs time to review arguments about its impact. The ruling is the latest in a ricocheting legal battle that began last week after Gov. Greg Abbott postponed non-essential surgeries, and Attorney General Ken Paxton declared abortions were included in Abbotts order. Texas is one of several Republican-led states that have moved to block the procedures, arguing that providers are draining critical medical supplies that could be used to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Two of the conservative justices on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down the ruling. The parties have until Friday to respond, meaning the ban will remain in effect at least through this week. In a dissent, Circuit Judge James Dennis noted that a federal judge in Austin had declared a day earlier that "irreparable harm would flow from allowing the (governor's) order to prohibit abortions during this critical time." For subscribers: Texas abortion ban has patients, doctors scrambling for options Abortion providers have said they were forced last week to cancel hundreds of appointments, leaving many women already financially hit by the virus without safe, in-state options. Their lawyers planned to respond to the appeal Tuesday evening. The litigation is being closely watched across the country. Sixteen other conservative-led states, including Louisiana and Ohio, where similar bans are in place, told the court on Tuesday that allowing abortion providers to continue procedures will "contribute to higher exposure and death rates. "The damage will not just be to Texas," they wrote. Blocking the state's ban "will engender more litigation and encourage more defiance of public health orders. It will deplete (personal protective gear) and contribute to the spread of the virus." Abortion providers argue that they use few of the medical supplies now in demand, and have accused Paxton and Abbott of politicizing a pandemic that has already killed thousands in the U.S. While people everywhere are trying to survive the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians like Gov. Abbott continue this perverse obsession with banning abortion, Alexis McGill Johnson, head of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. Anti-abortion advocates welcomed the news. Abortion is not health care and their obstinacy is worse than a waste of time, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement. It puts the life and health of countless Americans in jeopardy. North Chinas Tianjin and the city of Anyang in Central Chinas Henan province both reported two new cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant over the weekend. Both cities have launched new rounds of mass testing and designated more Covid-19 risk areas to control the spread of the virus Jan 10, 2022 06:18 PM 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. Following up on his 2015 TED Talks, where he urged world leaders to prepare for a pandemic like situation the same way they prepare for war, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, in his latest video, said if the right decisions are made now, we can emerge victorious in this fight against the Coronavirus. Speaking about the current situation in the US, he said in his virtual TED Talks, As weve seen this year, we have a long way to go. But I still believe that if we make the right decisions now, informed by science, data and the experience of medical professionals, we can save lives and get the country back to work. Emphasising on the significance of testing, Gates said that the federal government needs to step up on testing. He said, Far more tests should be made available. Testing indicates to you if you need to go into isolation or not. Testing is the key thing. South Korea didnt have to do extreme lockdown because they did such a good job on testing. Government is not allocating testing where its needed, he added. Also, Gates penned an op-ed for The Washington Post on Tuesday, where he said that the country needs a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down. He explained, First, we need a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down. Despite urging from public health experts, some states and counties havent shut down completely. In some states, beaches are still open; in others, restaurants still serve sit-down meals. Terming this as a recipe for disaster, Gates said, The countrys leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere. Until the case numbers start to go down across America, which could take 10 weeks or more, no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown. Besides, nationwide-lockdown and increased tests, he also urged for a "data-based approach to developing treatments and a vaccine. Reuters The billionaire philanthropist is extremely hopeful and optimistic about the fight against COVID-19, and said, In the short run, we will have more difficulty and pain and therefore, people are going to have to step up to help each other. Im still very much an optimist, whether its climate change, countries working together, or biology taking the diseases, Malaria, TB, or even advances for what are more rich-world diseases like cancer, the amount of innovation and the way we can connect and work together, yes Im super positive about that. Im very positive that this should draw us together and we will get out of this. And then we will get ready for the next epidemic, he added. Coronavirus cases across the globe have reached over eight lakh and the death toll has crossed the 40000 mark, so far. In the US, nearly 190000 have been affected as of March 31, as per reports. The King of Pop meets the Tiger King. Photo: Phil Dent/Redferns/Getty Images/Courtesy of Netflix Tiger King, Netflixs latest viral docuseries, just keeps on giving. Although our social-distancing boredom craves Fyre Festivallevel controversy to pass the days, well settle for this Fyre Festival documentarieslevel chaos. The latest addendum to Tiger King, which apparently needed multiple seasons, involves famous animal lover and accused child sexual abuser Michael Jackson. According to the Tiger King, Joe Exotic himself, seven alligators and one crocodile that used to belong to Jackson died when someone [wink-wink, nudge-nudge] burned down Exotics studio and crocodile enclosure. The arson comes later in the docuseries and wipes out Exotics recording studio and TV studio, not to mention several live creatures. But the doc didnt say that there were famous alligators in the bunch! Back in 2015, the Los Angeles Times confirmed that Jacksons seven gators and one croc did die in that fateful fire, citing Joe Exotics YouTube video of the incident, where he describes them boiling alive in a towering inferno. The reptiles were taken from Neverland Ranch when it closed and, according to Exotics ex-partner John Finlay, acquired by a former manager for the zoo. This story certainly didnt need another alleged criminal added to the narrative, but it got one anyway. The University of California will temporarily suspend some admission requirements for SAT testing and letter grades for required courses to support students affected by the coronavirus pandemic. California State University also announced some easing of requirements. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) The University of California announced Wednesday that it will greatly ease some admission requirements for fall 2020 and beyond by eliminating SAT scores and letter grades for required courses, saying that "grave disruption" to schools during the coronavirus crisis calls for maximum flexibility in evaluating students. The move, authorized by UC Board of Regents leaders, will relax the admissions process for the more than 200,000 prospective freshmen and transfer students who apply each year to the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses but are now studying under dramatically different and, for many, highly stressful circumstances. The 23-campus California State University also announced temporary changes to admission requirements for applicants, who numbered about 363,000 last fall. Those students may not meet UC and Cal State admission requirements this year because their high schools or community colleges have shifted to online instruction with varying degrees of success, pass/fail grading systems or reduced course offerings. In addition, standardized test scores may be difficult to obtain because testing dates are being canceled or postponed for many required tests, including the SAT and ACT, high school exit exams and, for international students, evaluations of English-language proficiency. The COVID-19 outbreak is a disaster of historic proportions disrupting every aspect of our lives, including education for high school students, among others, UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement. The Universitys flexibility at this crucial time will ensure prospective students aiming for UC get a full and fair shot no matter their current challenges. The UC Academic Senate agreed to temporarily suspend several admission regulations at the request of Han Mi Yoon-Wu, director of undergraduate admissions at the UC Office of the President. "With such grave disruption in the education system, administrators are seeking flexibility where possible under these untenable conditions," Yoon-Wu wrote in a March 20 letter to Eddie Comeaux, who heads the Academic Senate committee that oversees all undergraduate admission policies and practices. Story continues "We owe it to our students to ensure that we're supporting them in a process that is fair," Comeaux said. "We want to ensure temporary flexibility, understanding that all requirements may not be met because of serious family or personal issues, or because a school decided to cancel certain courses or change the grading format." The Cal State Academic Senate supports the admissions changes but is cautioning against a blanket reduction of entrance standards in the future. Catherine Nelson, systemwide chair of the Cal State Academic Senate, said faculty are concerned about how the changes might impact students' preparation for university-level coursework and whether adequate support resources would be in place this fall. "This is a very unique and challenging time for students, and we want to make sure that if they had planned to be CSU-bound we do everything we can to help them reach that goal," she said. The modifications to admission requirements include: Both the UC and Cal State systems will suspend the letter grade requirement for the 15 prescribed college-preparatory courses completed in winter/spring/summer 2020 for all students, including the most recently admitted freshmen. Cal State may make admissions exceptions on a case-by-case basis for students who fail to complete all of the required courses because of the pandemic. UC will suspend the standardized test requirement for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission. Cal State is still evaluating its process for fall 2021, as campuses normally use high school GPA and SAT or ACT scores to calculate eligibility for admission, but applicants may have problems providing those metrics. Neither system will rescind admission offers that result from students or schools missing official final transcript deadlines. UC will honor admission through the first day of class until official documents are received by campuses. Cal State will accept official transcripts through the fall 2020 term. For transfer students, UC will temporarily suspend the cap on the number of transferable units with pass/no pass grading applied toward the minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units required for junior standing. Cal State also will accept "credit" or "pass" for required courses taken in winter/spring/summer 2020 and reduce the number of transfer units needed to enroll. Yoon-Wu noted that efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak had caused an "unprecedented and growing number of school closures" that have forced institutions to confront myriad challenges as they have switched abruptly to remote instruction. The uncertainty is global, she said, noting that students studying overseas might be unable to earn the credentials typically required for UC admission, as prescribed testing has been or is likely to be disrupted in such countries as the United Kingdom, Pakistan, France, Germany and Italy. "This period of uncertainty predicated by the COVID-19 situation greatly impacts our previously assured pipeline of students to UC, which includes California resident freshmen, California Community college transfers, domestic and international nonresidents," she wrote. "The academic verification process ... and enrollments will be notably compromised." UC Board of Regents Chair John A. Perez and Maria Anguiano, the Academic and Student Affairs Committee chair, approved the temporary waiver of admissions requirements. We want to help alleviate the tremendous disruption and anxiety that is already overwhelming prospective students due to COVID-19, Perez said in a statement. By removing artificial barriers and decreasing stressors including suspending the use of the SAT for this unprecedented moment in time, we hope there will be less worry for our future students. Napolitano said students can still submit standardized test scores, which can support their statewide UC eligibility and application for scholarships and help fulfill some graduation requirements. She said campuses would adjust their admissions review processes "to ensure that no student is harmed in admissions selection should they not submit a test score." The suspension of standardized testing requirements for applicants was "intended as an accommodation and not a permanent policy shift, and does not foreclose future Board policy actions" regarding the tests, she said. UC officials are currently debating whether to eliminate the SAT and ACT testing requirement, and regents are expected to take action, possibly in May. Both UC and Cal State will accept the results of high school Advanced Placement exams even though they are being significantly revised to recognize the move to online learning and social distancing practices. The College Board, which owns the exams, has announced they will be given at home as open-book tests this year and last only 45 minutes, which is significantly shorter than the usual two-to-three-hour duration. Students typically earn college credit for the courses if they earn a score of 3 or above out of 5. The College Board also said Wednesday that it will provide additional SAT testing dates and increased capacity "as soon as the public health situation allows" and, if schools remain closed, would pursue "innovative means" to ensure all students can take the exam this fall. The UC announcement came as a relief to many students, families, high school counselors and equity advocates. Audrey Dow, senior vice president for the Campaign for College Opportunity, said the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated inequities in education as students struggle with access to computers, the internet, counseling and guidance. "UC leaders are showing us they can pivot quickly to ensure equity in admissions for our most vulnerable students," she said. UC campus admission directors say they plan to fully embrace the call for flexibility. Lisa Przekop, UC Santa Barbara admissions director, said admitted students are usually required to accept an admission offer by May 1, for instance, and provide official transcripts documenting their self-reported grades by July. Those deadlines are important, she said, so campuses can begin planning housing assignments, orientations and other events. Napolitano said that those deadlines would remain in place but that students and schools will not face consequences if they are not met, and students will not be required to submit a nonrefundable deposit by May 1 if they are unable to do so. At Cal State, campuses are making individual decisions on whether to extend those deadlines. Przekop said UC Santa Barbara would use "maximum flexibility" in considering why some students may not make those deadlines or meet other requirements. "We're going to need to give students the benefit of the doubt," she said. "I don't want them to panic. We're on their side." By the nature of their vocation, police officers are a cautious group, but when one factors in the novel coronavirus pandemic, becoming more vigilant is a no-brainer. Deer Park Police Chief Gregory Grigg says his 65-man force is functioning the best it can, given the circumstances. The department went on emergency pay after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos stay-at-home order. So obviously, that sent a lot of people home, Grigg said. We have a skeletal crew for records to meet public information requests and also primarily for wrecks where people cant afford to wait two weeks to get a wreck report to file with their insurance. Weve also gone to minimum staffing in dispatch, patrol and on jail staff. Weve instituted several other things. If theres not a reason for us to be on a scene, such as a disturbance to break up or evidence to collect, we will take your report over the phone. Well do that if its preferable to the citizen so we dont come in contact with them or them with us. Grigg said his officers are taking social distancing seriously. Unless its a medical problem involving CPR or requiring immediate medical attention, we dont even go to the sick calls anymore. Weve been letting EMS handle those, Grigg said. Were not making many minor traffic stops. Its going to have to be something substantial (for a traffic stop). However, were still taking people with warrants. A lot of people around us have stopped confirming warrants, but we have not done that. However, the courts have shut down, and theyre not putting out any more warrants. Grigg also said the courts are not charging late fees for those unable to pay fines because of courts are closed. According to Grigg, most Deer Park residents seem to be complying with the stay-at-home order. I think theyve done really well, he said. Ive seen more people walking in Deer Park (recently) than in the last 11 years Ive been here. By and large, the streets are clearly much lighter in traffic, and our call volume is down. Its close to half of what we normally do so I would say people seem to be responding to it well. Also hes seeing fewer arrests. In a normal year, we will arrest about 3,400 people, and that would be about 65 per week, he said. I dont know what our total to date is off the top of my head, but just looking through the call notes the last few nights, I would guess that (arrests) are about half that. Grigg said working with a limited staff has its challenges, but that his department has adapted. Generally, weve been having four officers and a sergeant work on days and six (officers) and a sergeant work on evenings. We have a lieutenant here as well. The detectives have been swapping out. Were trying to keep the cost down while under emergency pay, yet still have the work get done. Officers in the field must be extra cautious. Weve got the hand sanitizer, the wipes and we try to maintain the 6-feet distance when meeting people, Grigg said. After the (March 2019 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. chemical plant), we got all-new filters for our gas masks that will stop benzene. At the time, we werent aware that they wouldnt (stop benzene). Now officers have masks in their vehicles. Grigg always hopes for quiet days and nights, but said his department remains prepared. Pretty much everybody Ive talked to has said their call volume is down, Griff said, referring to other law enforcement agencies. You hate to use the word quiet because dispatchers will get on you about that, but its been pretty non-eventful. The last few days the disturbances have been up-ticking a little bit, which you kind of expect when people get holed up in a house for days on end. Sometimes tempers tend to flare. But even with those, were no more than average (on call volume). Grigg said the coronavirus pandemic is very unlike the Hurricane Harvey situation. When we had Harvey, you go to 12-hour shifts, and it was all hands on deck, he said. This has been just the opposite. Were trying to keep the fewest people here. Grigg isnt sure how long his force will operate at minimal staffing. (President) Trump came out and said that distancing guidelines have been extended to April 30, Grigg said. We want to see how that is going to impact what the governor may or may not do, and is it going to impact what the county judge does? One of the things that happens in emergency pay is that youre looking at seven to nine days most of the time. Were down to skeletal crews. As a city, we have to look at it and say Can we sustain emergency pay over this period? Grigg said the subject of layoffs has not been approached. Furloughs have not been discussed, he said, but I know other cities that have discussed that. We have not. I think we would be more inclined to go with the protocol we have in place where people are working from home. tdunnam@hcnonline.com Celebrity chef Adam Liaw has offered his guide to home cooking - including meal planning, simple ingredient swaps, and using offcuts to prevent food wastage. The food writer said you can substitute a missing ingredient in your dish with other alternatives so you don't have to return to the supermarket - as millions of Australians stay at home to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus. Whether you need a sweet, salty or sour ingredient, the MasterChef 2010 winner said you can recreate the flavours just from what you already have in the pantry. 'If you don't have sugar, use honey. If you run out of soy sauce, use a bit of salt. No lemon juice? Try vinegar instead,' Liaw said in a piece for The Good Food. Celebrity chef Adam Liaw (pictured) has offered his guide to home cooking - including meal planning, ingredient substitutions, and reducing food wastage Rather than stockpiling, Liaw said the best way to make the ingredients stretch further is to 'throw out less'. 'If you have some odds and ends of vegetables, chop them up and throw them into that quarantine bolognese. Turn bones and offcuts into stock,' he said. Liaw encouraged people to ignore 'use-by' and 'best before' dates - and instead use your nose to check whether the product has gone off. According to the Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand, most foods can be safely consumed after the best before dates but they may have lost some quality. Liaw said there are two distinct smells to avoid if you are sussing out foods that have just edged past its use-by or best-before dates. 'The first is putrefaction - the sour, disgusting and quite unmistakable smell of something that has gone off. Avoid,' he said. 'The second is rancidity. Rancid, oxidised oils have a waxy smell and while they might not make you sick immediately, they can be unpleasant tasting.' Rather than stockpiling, Liaw said the best way to make the ingredients stretch further is to 'throw out less'. He suggested turning offcuts and the odd parts of vegetables into stock Liaw encouraged people to ignore 'use-by' and 'best before' dates - and instead use your nose to check whether the product has gone off Last month, the chef revealed the ingredients every household should always keep in the pantry amid coronavirus - including dried mushrooms, polenta and eggs. Liaw said dried mushrooms should be a staple in your pantry at all times. 'They add a big punch of umami and a meaty texture to dishes, and reconstituting them in water gives you an instant mushroom stock,' he told Good Food. For vegetarians or vegans, Liaw said dried shiitake is perfect for grating over pasta dishes. Liaw said polenta is another ingredient you should stock up on because it can be served as a hot porridge, baked, fried or even grilled (stock image) Liaw suggested keeping a few dozen eggs in the pantry if you do end up in isolation because you could create different savoury or sweet foods such as fried rice, cakes, omelettes, boiled or scrambled eggs and even mayonnaise. 'Eggs are quite possibly the most versatile food in the world,' he said. Another ingredient he suggested is polenta, in which he described it as a 'very underrated apocalypse food'. 'What I like about it is that is that it's a different meal every day,' Liaw said, adding that polenta can be served as a hot porridge, baked, fried, or grilled. A doctor, working in a Delhi government hospital, has been tested positive for novel coronavirus on Wednesday. The doctor worked at the Delhi State Cancer Institute. According to NDTV, the doctor may have contracted the deadly virus from his relatives who had returned from the UK. Meanwhile, the hospital has been shut down and the building is getting sanitised. Besides, people who came in contact with the doctor have been quarantined. Yesterday, a doctor of a Mohalla Clinic in Janata Mazdoor Colony in Babarpur area in Delhi was tested positive for COVID-19 infection. This was the second case when a doctor of Mohalla clinic has been found positive for coronavirus. A few days ago, a doctor at a Mohalla Clinic in the Mohanpuri area of Maujpur in northeast Delhi had contracted the disease. Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Doctor from Delhi govt hospital tests positive for COVID-19, premises shut Delhi has registered 23 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. So far, the tally of confirmed cases has surged to 97, including two deaths, according to union health ministry. About 90 are admitted at various hospitals like the LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. Five have been discharged, two have had died and one has migrated out of the country. Also read: Coronavirus in India Status: COVID-19 positive cases near 1,400 mark, death toll climbs to 35; check state-wise tally Mizoram Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana on Tuesday said 43 of the 44 samples sent from the state have tested negative for novel coronavirus. He said Mizoram will soon have a virology laboratory to test COVID-19 samples. The Health Minister said Mizoram has not reported any new case of novel coronavirus since March 25 when the first case was detected of a pastor. "So far, 44 samples have been tested, including that of relatives of the infected patient. 43 of them tested negative which is good news for the state," he said. According to the Health Minister, the state has not reported community transmission till date. The state government has sealed its border with neighbouring states and with Myanmar and Bangladesh to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He said that a core committee has been formed on March 23 for setting up COVID-19 testing laboratory (Biosafety Level-3) and massive efforts are on with the help of legislators and experts from Zoram Medical College (ZMC), Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS), Mizoram University, Pachhunga University College (PUC) and Central Agriculture University in Aizawl to commence COVID-19 test. The minister said that the government is in close contact with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for setting up of the testing centre. "Unless there is a big hurdle, I believe that Mizoram will have a COVID-19 testing centre very soon," he said. Lalthangliana said that the state government has designated ZMC, which is also state referral hospital as COVID-19 operational hospital. ZMC is located at Falkawn about 16 km from Aizawl. Meanwhile, state health secretary H. Lalengmawia said that efforts are on to upgrade TB laboratory at ZMC to be used as COVID-19 testing lab. He said that the Centre has approved the laboratory to be used as COVID-19 testing lab. The health secretary said that the government has been working hard to upgrade the laboratory by clubbing it with other machines from MZU and PUC. More than 70 per cent of works has been completed and the laboratory is likely to become operational by Thursday, he added. STOCKHOLM As the temperature passed 50 degrees in Stockholm last week, people congregated in parks unable to resist socializing during the first signs of spring in the Swedish capital. This country of 10 million has bucked the trend in Europe, where many countries have locked down their residents in an attempt to slow the coronavirus that has spread throughout the world at breakneck speed. The Swedish government has left it up to individuals to act responsibly and decide whether to stay home or not. Restrictions that are in place are far more liberal compared with those of the nation's neighbors. Image: A sign assures people that this Stockholm bar is open (Colm Fulton / Reuters) Public gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited but there are no restrictions on private meetings, meaning parties and corporate events can still go ahead. Libraries and swimming pools remain open. Standing at bars has been prohibited but restaurants are still able to offer table service. Students over 16 have been asked to study from home but kindergartens and elementary schools are still open. Rather than wide-ranging restrictions, the authorities have instead advised the public to practice social distancing and to work from home, where possible, and urged those over the age of 70 to self-isolate as a precaution. In other words, the country has staked its bets on people acting responsibly. Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak There are a few critical times in life when you must make sacrifices, not just for your own sake, but also for those around you, for your fellow human beings, and for our country. That time is now, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said earlier this month. The British government had pursued a similarly laissez-faire approach earlier in the crisis before drastically reversing course and ordering a countrywide lockdown March 23. Britain's about-turn has left Sweden increasingly isolated in its response to the coronavirus outbreak and has prompted some scientists to suggest the strategy is based on scant scientific evidence and is irresponsible in a pandemic that has already killed more than 35,000 people worldwide. Story continues Its clear that what has been done so far has been insufficient, above all concerning the number of tests, said Sten Linnarsson, a professor of molecular systems biology at the Karolinska Institutet, a prominent medical university in Sweden. On March 25, two days after Britain imposed its nationwide lockdown, Linnarsson was among 2,000 Swedish researchers who demanded stricter regulations in an open letter to the government. Despite public gatherings being limited from 500 to 50 people, Linnarsson said, he still believes Swedens strategy does not go far enough. To fight the epidemic you have to test, he said. The material presented by the public health authorities is weak, even embarrassing on a scientific level, it is extremely thin. Image: The Swedish Armed Forces build a field hospital inside the exhibition center Stockholmsmassan in Alvsjo (TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer / Reuters) Sweden's state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, disagrees. We have the best material there is, he said. We have support from the very best researchers, not least at Karolinska. The Swedish government said Tuesday that it had commissioned the public health authorities to quickly develop a national strategy for extended testing for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Tegnell said Swedens strategy was rooted in its long tradition of respecting free will and on the high-level of respect Swedes have for authorities and their recommendations. As of Tuesday, Swedish health authorities had recorded close to 4,500 cases of the coronavirus and 180 related deaths. But despite the increase in cases, so far Swedes appear largely in agreement with their governments strategy. The populations trust in health authorities handling of the coronavirus increased from 65 percent to 74 percent this month, according to a survey by Kantar Sifo, a Swedish pollster. Tegnell said the strategy was also informed by the countrys societal structure where people tend to live separately rather than in extended familial groups. Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak More than half of all Swedish homes are made up of one resident, according to recent Eurostat figures, the highest proportion among European member states. The average age Swedes move out of their parents home is between 18 and 19, compared to a European Union average of 26, according to Eurostat. Meanwhile, 10 percent of Swedes over the age of 75 live alone and see relatives or friends only once or twice a month, according to official Swedish statistics. The country also has a population density of 25 inhabitants per square kilometer (65 per square mile), while Italy has 205 (531 per square mile) and Spain has 94 (243 per square mile). But those on the frontline of the country's battle against the coronavirus are beginning to feel the strain. Anne Rosendahl, a nurse in the intensive care unit at Uppsala University Hospital, said in the last week there has been spike in the number of patients needing intensive care. They are seriously ill, she said. Half of the people that I care for are young patients and most of them have no preexisting illnesses. Rosendahl, 41, said she didnt know whether the governments strategy was the right one but nevertheless urged people to follow its recommendations. From what I understand, many in Sweden still dont take this seriously, she said. If you go to the gym, go away for Easter break or the like, it will have consequences on what the situation at work will be in a few weeks. Karolina Modig reported from Stockholm, Saphora Smith from London. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Neuroblastoma is a devastating solid tumor of childhood and emerges in the sympathetic nervous system while many kids who develop it are still toddlers. Now, medical scientists in China who are studying neuroblastomasand how to mitigate the worst forms of the cancersay their newly developed strategy may ultimately alter the fate of children with the worst forms of the neuroendocrine tumor. Currently the research, which is aimed at beating back a form of the disease caused by a gene-driven feedback loop, is being conducted in xenograft models, but scientists in China say their findings are compelling enough to warrant clinical testing. Neuroblastomas have a wildly varied spectrum of clinical behavior that ranges from spontaneous regression to progressive disease and metastasis, report Drs. Yu-Feng Guo and Shi-Cang Yu. Both scientists conduct research in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at Southwest Hospital and Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China. The city is in the southwestern region of the country. What makes neuroblastoma so difficult for families, the scientists say, is that it strikes children at an exceptionally young and vulnerable age. Guo and Yu spell out the details of their neuroblastoma research in Science Translational Medicine. Although the cancer strikes children around age five and under, the median age at diagnosis is just 18-months-old, the researchers say. The tumors possess a number of genetic aberrations that have been extensively investigated. Among the chief concerns is the amplification of the gene MYCN, which is found in about 20 percent of patients. The gene has been identified as one of the strongest determinants of the tumor, but it also has prognostic value. Its presence aids in the prediction of unfavorable clinical outcomes and poor survival of high-risk neuroblastoma patients. MYCN encodes N-MYC, a transforming gene and oncogenic driver. N-MYC plays multiple roles in neuroblastoma malignancy, Guo and Yu explained, and functions as a master transcriptional regulator that can activate genes involved in self-renewal, proliferation, pluripotency, angiogenesis and metastasis. N-MYC additionally suppresses the expression of genes that promote differentiation, cell cycle arrest and immune surveillance. "We showed that aldehyde dehydrogenase family member ALDH18A1 exerts profound impacts on the proliferation, self-renewal, and tumorigenicity of neuroblastoma cells and is a potential risk factor in patients with neuroblastoma, especially those with MYCN amplification," Guo and Yu wrote in Science Translational Medicine. ALDH18A1 is multi-functional gene that carries the DNA blueprint for a mitochondrial enzyme, among other activities. Guo and Yu have shown that ALDH18A1 is a powerful gene because it regulates MYCN expression and with MYCN forms a positive feedback loop. Inhibiting the the ALDH18A1-MYCN positive feedback loop reduces MYCN-amplified growth, and thus the risk of the most malignant form of neuroblastoma, the team found. They additionally revealed in their research that there is a way to subvert the activity of the feedback loop and reverse the otherwise fatal course encoded in the ALDH1A1-MYCN combination. "Using molecular docking and screening, we identified an ALDH18A1-specific inhibitor, YG1702, and demonstrated that pharmacological inhibition of ALDH18A1 was sufficient to induce a less proliferative phenotype and confer tumor regression," the researchers said. YG1702 is a targeted protein that zeroes in on ALDH18A1, according to Guo and Yu. Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells, which can occur in multiple locations throughout the body. This untamed growth most frequently occurs in or within the region of the adrenal glands, which are situated on top of each kidney. However, neuroblastoma also can develop in other areas of the abdomen, or near the spine where nerves are in abundant supply. The cancer is notorious for striking young children, although it rarely may affect children older than age five. While some forms of the cancer resolve on their own, others are the more aggressive form with deep genetic roots in the ALDH18A1-MYCN positive feedback loop, Guo and Yu say. In the United States, an estimated 700 children are diagnosed annually with neuroblastoma, according to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. The tumor tends to be present at birth, but generally is not detected until it begins to grow and put pressure on surrounding organs and tissues. Explore further Researchers find new way to target childhood cancer More information: Yu-Feng Guo et al. Inhibition of the ALDH18A1-MYCN positive feedback loop attenuates MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma growth, Science Translational Medicine Journal information: Science Translational Medicine Yu-Feng Guo et al. Inhibition of the ALDH18A1-MYCN positive feedback loop attenuates MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma growth, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aax8694 (2020) 2020 Science X Network Cuomo's coworkers recently distributed a memo describing the present health condition of news anchor, and Governor Andrew Cuomo's younger brother, Chris Cuomo, after he was tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. The 49-year-old newscaster, according to the memo, is feeling well and is planning to host his prime-time program even while under home quarantine. Cuomo is doing the news program in his basement at home. Chris Cuomo, News Anchor, COVID-19 Positive A news anchor since 2013, Cuomo is the former NY Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's youngest son and one of the most reputable members of the US media to discover he had COVID-19 so far. The news program, Cuomo Prime Time, is a cornerstone of the COVID-19 coverage of CNN, and Cuomo has conducted a number of virtual interviews with the governor the latter's initiatives to combat the pandemic in New York. READ: COVID-19 Update: VP Mike Pence's Staff Member Has Tested Positive In his Twitter post, the veteran news personality said he has been exposed to people in recent days who successively tested positive for the infectious disease, adding he had chills, shortness of breath and fever. Cuomo also tweeted he hoped he had not passed the infection on to his children and his wife. Jokingly, the broadcaster said the rest of his family seemed to be pleased that he is currently on isolation in their basement. The Governor on His Brother's Diagnosis Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in the middle of a COVID-19 briefing, which was being televised nationwide when the news about his younger brother's COVID-19 test result got publicized. The said politician shared he learned of Chris's illness in the morning of Tuesday, and that the latter was going to be fine. He said that his brother is "young, strong, in good shape." And though the anchor, he added, is not as strong as he thinks, he is going to be fine. READ NEXT: Texas: Pop-up Hospitals, Travel Restrictions, and Other COVID-19 Measures Incidentally, the governor also explained about the severity of the effects of the diagnosis of his brother which also includes the relief that Matilda Cuomo, their mother who is 88 years old, had not moved into Chris's home. Gov. Cuomo also stated he had told Chris that such a move would definitely be a mistake. With this, he meant, if the media personality had brought their mom to his house, he could have exposed her to so many things. Cuomo Brotherly Love The Cuomo brothers are also known to be frequently teasing each other on air. And since he was exposed to the illness, chances are, their mother would have been very well exposed. In this case, they would be looking at a totally different situation--not only would his brother be quarantined in his basement for 14 days. Typically, Gov. Cuomo does not show sentiment in public. However, his voice turned more meditative as he talked about his brother. He described his presently-ill sibling as an argumentative, combative and "a pushing person." READ MORE: COVID-19 Effect: Latinos Lose Jobs in New York City Although it was Chris's job, he said to have such traits and added, the descriptions are not actually who his brother is. In reality, the governor shared, his younger brother is a beautiful guy, sweet and his my best friend. Cuomo is the news network's third employee to be tested positive for COVID-19. Cat Packer, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, at City Hall in 2017. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press) A newly released audit found that although some cannabis entrepreneurs got into Los Angeles' application system ahead of time, the city took "reasonable and appropriate" steps to prevent them from having any unfair advantage. An L.A. official is recommending, in light of those findings, that the Department of Cannabis Regulation press forward with processing and awarding licenses for new retailers, which had been suspended last year amid concerns about fairness. Auditors found that the department "conducted the process in good faith and found no evidence of bias or unfairness," City Administrative Officer Richard Llewellyn wrote in a summary of the report, concluding that the department should be directed to "commence the necessary work" to continue the licensing process. The Department of Cannabis Regulation said it was preparing recommendations on how to process such applications, aiming to make "reasonable and practical reforms" to its procedures and "establish a more equitable path forward." Although the audit found the process was "fair and reasonable, it still remains true that the process itself, and the overall and underlying policy, can be improved," department head Cat Packer said in a statement. The audit and its findings met with sharply mixed reactions from cannabis applicants and advocates, some of whom want the city to press forward with licensing, others who want the city to overhaul or reopen the process. The audit, called for last year by Mayor Eric Garcetti and other officials and conducted by Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, scrutinized the hotly contested process to snap up a limited number of new licenses for pot shops in Los Angeles. Hundreds of cannabis entrepreneurs rushed to turn in their applications in September, but only 100 licenses were expected to be awarded through a first-come, first-served process that hinged heavily on who submitted their applications fastest. Mere seconds made the difference in whether someone had a shot at a coveted license. Story continues When marijuana entrepreneurs discovered that some applicants had gotten into the application system before its official launch time of 10 a.m., they argued that the process had been tainted. Furious applicants packed meetings at City Hall. The Department of Cannabis Regulation said it had "normalized" the early applications pushing them back in line to where they would have been if they were started at 10 a.m. to prevent them from having an unfair edge. The audit found that was a "reasonable and appropriate" approach to fixing the problem. It wasn't the only way to do so: Sjoberg Evashenk found that if the department had adjusted the application order based on when applicants signed onto the online system, as opposed to when they actually started the application, nearly a dozen applicants who ended up disappointed might have had a shot at licenses. However, "we did not find alternative methods to be more reasonable or more appropriate than the adopted approach," the auditors said. Nor is it clear that those 11 applicants would have ultimately gotten a license, since their applications had not been vetted fully, the report noted. The auditors did fault the Department of Cannabis Regulation for "imprecise messaging" about when people could sign onto the online system, which they needed to do before beginning their applications. In some cases, the department told applicants that they couldn't sign on until 10 a.m., which wasn't accurate and that might have put some applicants at a disadvantage because they waited while others logged on earlier, auditors found. All total, 226 applicants accessed the platform before 10 a.m., although only 14 started their applications ahead of that time. The process for rolling out the application was "confusing and prone to human error," the auditors found. But they nonetheless concluded that the "normalization process effectively negated any benefits for all 14 applicants that accessed the application before 10:00 AM." Kika Keith, an applicant in the "social equity" program that aims to assist entrepreneurs from communities hit hardest by the war on drugs, questioned how auditors could conclude the process was fair to people who waited until 10 a.m. to log on, saying it insulted their intelligence to say there was any "misperception" on their part. "Every training, video, informational bulletin precisely indicated a 10 a.m. start time!" said Keith, founder of Life Development Group, concluding, "This is a grave injustice that requires intervention from the courts." The audit may have found that the process wasn't corrupt, "but it clearly was unfair," said Adam Spiker of the cannabis industry group Southern California Coalition. People who logged onto the system before 10 a.m. had "a clear and distinct head start and advantage over the rest who didn't know they could log in early." Another group that represents cannabis applicants who are now poised to get licenses said it welcomed the results. "We're excited about it and looking forward to moving this process forward," said Johnny Sayegh, another social equity applicant and founder of the Cannabis Equity Retailer Association. The bitterly contested process is only the latest round of licensing for marijuana businesses in Los Angeles. The city has already granted approval to some existing shops and their suppliers. But it was the first shot at opening a new shop for local entrepreneurs, who had complained about the financial strain they suffered as they waited on the city process. Another round of applications for new retailers is expected to follow. Attorney Ariel Clark, who has some clients who are poised to get licenses and others who are not, said she hoped that the city had learned from the problems. "We're happy that this will allow the licensing process to move forward or at least the discussion to proceed," Clark said. "I think it will help hone in on certain issues. Maybe next time we should do a lottery." The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to spike in New York, with thousands more fatalities expected, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. The governor announced Wednesday the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached more than 83,000 in New York - including more than 8,000 overnight. Of the confirmed 83,712 cases, 47,439 are in New York Citys five boroughs. Statewide death totals from the virus rose to 1,941, up 391 from Tuesday. That number will continue to go up, Cuomo said. We are still looking for a curve; we are still looking to see where we hit the plateau." The pandemic could claim the lives of 16,000 New Yorkers, Cuomo said Wednesday, citing a projection from the Gates Foundation. Cuomo emphasized the need for greater regional coordination to contain the spread. This is not just New York, he said. If you believe these numbers 16,000 deaths in New York that means youre going to get tens of thousands of deaths outside of New York. So, to the extent people watch their nightly news in Kansas and say, well, this is a New York problem, thats not what these numbers say. It says its a New York problem today. Tomorrow, its a Kansas problem and a Texas problem and a New Mexico problem," Cuomo said. The projection cited by Cuomo on Wednesday puts the peak of the outbreak at the end of April for New York. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and billionaire philanthropist behind the Gates Foundation, has called for a nationwide shutdown to combat spread of the virus. Theres no question the United States missed the opportunity to get ahead of the novel coronavirus. But the window for making important decisions hasnt closed, Gates wrote in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post. The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one because of COVID-19. Gates argues now is the time for a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down, citing disparity between states. The majority of Americans - about 80% - are under lockdown orders, with governors closing schools, banning social gatherings and ordering residents to stay home. But a handful of states have enacted only partial stay-at-home orders. Gates called the inconsistency a recipe for disaster. He wrote, Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The countrys leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere. Until the case numbers start to go down across America which could take 10 weeks or more no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown. Any confusion about this point will only extend the economic pain, raise the odds that the virus will return, and cause more deaths. Worldwide, the total number of confirmed cases approaches 900,000 as of Tuesday, with over 43,000 confirmed deaths. The United States has the highest number of cases, 189,633 as of Tuesday morning, and over 4,000 deaths. Massachusetts public health officials announced 33 new coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday the highest reported in a single day in the state since the outbreak began. Eighty-nine people have now succumbed to the virus, according to new data released Tuesday. The number of statewide COVID-19 cases rose to 6,620 on Tuesday, up from 5,752 on Monday. The ages of those who are reported to have died from the illness on Tuesday range from as young as a woman in her 50s, to a woman in her 100s. Three people who died were in their 60s; 6 were in their 70s; 12 were in their 80s; and 10 were in their 90s. Gov. Charlie Baker says Mass. could see a surge in cases by early April, projecting that the state could peak sometime between April 7 and April 17. Baker issued a stay-at-home advisory and banned all gatherings of more than 10 people. On Tuesday afternoon, Baker extended the business closure and stay-at-home advisory until May 4. An analysis of hospital data nationwide, conducted by Harvard researchers, suggests Massachusetts will be one of several states with a severe shortage of hospital beds for patients over the next few months. Related Content: Patrolling police officers use a tannoy and screens mounted on a police van to address people gathering in Gleisdreieck park Berlin on 28 March. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty) European tech and science institutes are teaming up to develop an app that can alert people if they are close to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, via Bluetooth handshakes between smartphones. Germanys Heinrich Hertz applied research institute told Reuters on Monday 30 March that a platform, called the Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT) could be ready in the next few weeks. Researchers from eight countries are involved in the platform development, and hope that it could aid in tracking and containing the spread of coronavirus across EU borders, as well as nationally. The PEPP-PT platform others can build on includes an anonymous and privacy-preserving digital proximity tracing approach, which is in full compliance with GDPR and can also be used when travelling between countries, Hans-Christian Boos, founder of business automation company Arago and a digital adviser to the German government, told Reuters. Boos told Der Spiegel that the app would collect no location data, no movement profiles, no contact information and no identifiable characteristics of the end devices. Germanys deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer told the press in Berlin on Wednesday that it was important to break the chains of infection as quickly as possible and digital solutions could be a huge support for health departments but of course such an app must comply with the data protection regulations. Demmer said she could not comment on specific implementation and timings of the app, adding only that the government welcomes this initiative. According to the most recent data from Johns Hopkins University, Germany now has 71,808 confirmed cases, and 775 deaths from COVID-19. Although the death toll has climbed in recent days, Germanys mortality rate from the illness remains low compared with most other countries, at around 0.9%. This has been attributed to several factors, including widespread testing of even mild cases, and that the first wave of coronavirus cases were among younger, fitter citizens. Story continues Ensuring the app complies with personal data protection laid out in the EUs General Data Protection Regulation rules is a significant challenge, and there have been concerns that governments may use the data for other purposes or beyond the duration of the coronavirus. The British government is also gearing up to release a similar tracer app, that will also use Bluetooth signals to let people know if they are in close proximity to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Sky News, which first reported on the details of the app on Tuesday, said that the plan would be to release it just before or shortly after the UK lockdown is lifted. It reported that the app would be opt-in and that the National Health Service believes up to 50% of the population could decide to use it. According to Sky News, the NHS will set up an ethics board to address privacy fears and concerns such an app could be harnessed as a means of social control. Asian countries have already launched various virus-tracing apps. Singapores TraceTogether app is also based on Bluetooth signals to notify if infected people are nearby. South Korea also uses peoples smartphone location, credit card and CCTV to monitor the movement of people confirmed to have coronavirus. An entire family in the Hemel Hempstead died in a suspicious murder-suicide housefire at 12.30, on March 29. Emergency services were called by one of the neighbors, but no survivors were found. The family that died on the property was the Walker family. According to their neighbors that said they were a nice and quiet family. Their deaths were unexpected and everyone was shocked, not knowing how this incident could even happen. The deceased The Walker family was generally, well-liked by everyone in Stuarts Close, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Family members Caroline and Gary Walker, about 50 and 57, with their only daughter Katie, age 24 were like any normal family in their suburbs. On a Sunday, their neighbors were alerted by smoke coming from inside the house. First thought by witnesses is to call emergency services and the paramedics, just in case any survivor needed assistance. All of them, from father, mother, and daughter did not survive and were all declared lifeless when they were found by the responders. The house was burned as well when the unusual incident happened. Hertfordshire Police declared that a murder-suicide could be the cause of the house burning and deaths of all family members, on Monday. Police added that they are not looking for any culprit involved or suspect in the Walker family deaths. Also read: Woman Stabs Young Girl to Death in Queens Park in Front of Her Parents The Statement of Detective Inspector Iain MacPherson Detective Inspector Iain MacPherson Cambs and Hertfordshire major crime unit said, "Police are following all lines of enquiry and considering all possible motives. We are treating this as an isolated incident. Our early inquiries have led us to believe there is no threat to the wider community. We are investigating three suspicious deaths and are not looking for anyone else in connection to this incident at this time." He added as the death of the entire Walker family as tragic, and expressed condolences for the family and friends of the deceased, who died in the house. What neighbors said about the deceased On Monday afternoon, one of the witnesses at the scene, mentioned that the police were taking a four-foot lamp from the ill-fated address, and were putting the item inside a unknown police van. The police were taking items from the scene of the Walker families demise, that was a reminder to their neighbors, their house at Hemel Hempstead will be silent with just memories of the dead occupants. Peter Downer, who lived near the house, was in disbelief to what happened, he said his remembrances to the Walkers. He added that Mr. Walker was a draftsman for an engineering firm, and his wife Caroline had worked at Waitrose, and their daughter worked with animals. The 67-year old was shaken by their demise. He added that they were his friends and their a nice family. He said their deaths were not ordinary. Furthermore, he said they were well-liked and cannot imagine what happened to them, expressing disbelief. Peter called emergency services when he saw smoke coming from the house. According to him, there was only smoke but no fire. Detective Inspector Iain MacPherson concluded that the suspected murder-suicide house fire of the Walkers is an accident, and no foul play was found. He also expressed condolences to the family and friends. Related article: Wife Accidentally Kills Husband in Utah But Further Investigation Reveals a Different Story @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Children as young as 10 in country Victoria are carrying out their first crime after they enter the children protection system. Victoria's Sentencing Advisory Council has analysed cases before the Children's Court over one year, focusing on "crossover kids" - young people who are known to both child protection and the justice system. Nearly every "crossover kid" was involved with child protection system before they committed their first criminal offence. Of those crossover kids who were removed from their homes and placed in residential care, more than half did not come before the court until their first child protection placement. While trauma and neglect have a detrimental effect on their behaviour, the "experience of care itself may be a contributing factor for many children", the advisory council found. PORTLAND Two women who usually make masks for high-end parties and prosthetic limbs have turned their attention to something more urgent: surgical masks for medical personnel battling the coronavirus pandemic. State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, visited SilTec Labs on Main Street Tuesday to salute the two developers, Kim Murray and Leigh Radziwon, and to encourage an investor to step forward to fund their effort. Murray and Radziwon have developed a silicone mask that can be used dozens of times a day, is easily cleanable, and adheres to the face, with a goal of providing protection of health care workers and first responders. The mask does use a fabric insert, which has to the changed out. Murray and Radziwon developed their prototype in just seven days, Radziwon said, describing their effort as an amazing Connecticut story. Their suppliers, Jonal Labratories in Meriden and Extreme Molding in Watervliet, N.Y., outside of Albany, are poised and ready to begin production once Murray and Radizown secure funding. Once they do, their Mask Sealz operation can produce up to 3,500 masks a day, Murray said. As the pandemic deepens, medical professionals in hard-hit cities - particularly New York - are pleading for masks. Separately, people around the country have been making masks to donate to hospitals and others, for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued clear guidelines. Radziwon and Murray are working with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory to ensure their prototype is acceptable for wide use. Needleman said he has contacted state officials about helping the women. But, he said, any help from the state is likely to take four to six weeks. That is why he encouraged as investor to step forward. The issue comes down to how fast can you begin to make these masks, he said. Right now, some people are cutting corners, which is going to cost people their lives, Needleman said. The partners said they dont need a huge amount of money, suggesting they could get by on a $50,000 to $100,000 investment. However, Needleman, who runs a medical supply business of his own in Essex, said, They probably need two to three times that number. In addition to Murray and Radziwon, their Stickfx company employs two other people. A Southington native, Radziwon had previously worked on special effects in Hollywood, while still living in Connecticut. Their silicone mask is better in terms of feel, comfort and fit, the South African-born Murray said. When Radziwon modeled one of the masks, she drew comparisons between typical surgical masks and their mask. A traditional mask has gaps at the side, letting in air and particulates, she said, whereas their mask adheres more evenly to the skin. They are reaching out to fabric experts to determine the best fabric for the disposable mouthpiece. We need input to make it even better, Murray said. With that input - and with the requisite funding, We believe we can make this a really great product, she added. California will lose $10.9 billion in travel revenue and 554,000 jobs in April alone, according to new projections from Visit California, the states tourism bureau. By the end of 2020, the state could lose a total of $54.5 billion in travel spending. The rapidly expanding coronavirus pandemic has effectively frozen the transportation and hospitality businesses, leading to the closures of hotels, small businesses and parks around the state in March. This erases more than a decades worth of progress and will return California to 2009 levels of travel spending, according to an analysis overview posted to Visit Californias website on April 1. California is one of the countrys most popular destinations, and the states tourism economy has been growing year over year for the past decade, bringing in $140.6 billion in spending in 2018, according to Visit California. Tourism employs 1.2 million people in the state. San Francisco tourism, for example, brought in $10.2 billion in spending in 2019, a record amount that capped a decade of continuous growth. The projected decline in state tourism revenue in April represents about 13.6% of the anticipated blow to tourism spending nationwide, and the projected hit to jobs will account for about 11.8% of the countrys total, according to the bureau. The figures were derived from a recent analysis of the coronavirus projected national economic impact by Tourism Economics, a company that tracks travel spending. U.S. travel industry revenue is expected to plummet 78% in April and May compared with the same period in 2019, and 34% overall for the year, amounting to a loss of $400 billion, according to the analysis. The analysis compares the losses to those suffered after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the SARS outbreak of 2003. A $400 billion decline in travel spending in the U.S. this year will translate into a total economic loss of $910 billion in economic output, the analysis reads. This is more than seven times the impact of 9/11 on travel sector revenue. That will hold in the psyche of consumers and travelers for a long time, said John Poimiroo, a former director of Californias tourism bureau. Its not just an immediate impact it will be very devastating long-term. Visit California is discouraging local tourism bureaus from promoting the states destinations to visitors during the coronavirus. This is not the time to use strong (calls to action) to visit, reads a recently published tool kit from Visit California to its partner groups around the state. Be sensitive and sympathetic in your messaging, and do not minimize the situation. Local tourism bureaus around the state are grappling with how to incorporate the new reality of shelter in place and stay at home into its public messaging. Many are simply telling prospective tourists to stay away until the pandemic subsides. With a wildfire or another natural occurrence, youd wait about a month before re-establishing your destination and telling people, Hey, come visit, Poimiroo said. The reality in this situation is, we dont know when the end is. Gregory Thomas is The Chronicles editor of lifestyle and outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas Two weeks ago, Red Bank business administrator Ziad Shehady started having respiratory issues. He went to a local hospital, where he was given a chest X-ray and swabbed for the coronavirus. His symptoms died down quickly, and he returned home that same day to self-isolate. But five days later, Shehady got the call from a lab: he had tested positive for COVID-19, though it was a mild bout. It was a 24 to 48 hour-hour episode, he told NJ Advance Media on Monday. Now fully recovered from the virus, Shehady is trying to help others. The 35-year-old is hoping to donate his plasma the yellowish fluid in blood that contains proteins called antibodies as part of a clinical trial headed by the Mount Sinai Health System. The procedure, known as plasmapheresis, takes antibodies from people who have recuperated from COVID-19 and transfers them into critically ill patients with the disease with the expectation that the antibodies will neutralize it, according to Mount Sinais website. We are at the front lines in fighting this pandemic and making discoveries that will help our patients," said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System in a statement. Shehady started the process last week. As a survivor, his blood may contain antibodies that fight the virus but he needed to be screened first. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine helped create a test earlier this month that can detect if a person has sufficient levels of COVID-19 antibodies in their blood. On Friday, Shehady went to a Mount Sinai clinic in New York City for a quick, 30-minute visit, where nurses swabbed him again for the coronavirus and drew his blood to analyze it. He was told he would be called if he is eligible to donate plasma. I think its important from an educational perspective and a community strength perspective that we all help each other in any way we can, Shehady said. There are some people who are less fortunate, and if I can turn my situation into something positive that can help others, Im happy to do that. The treatment hasnt been approved for routine use yet. Physicians can request approval for the plasma if a patient meets specific criteria, though participation in clinical trials is another way for patients to obtain access. Plasma therapy has not been shown to be effective in every disease studied, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. As of Tuesday, there were more than 18,00 coronavirus cases in New Jersey and 267 deaths, state officials said. Since posting his story on Facebook, Shehady said he has received multiple messages from recovered patients asking how they can help with the trial too. That was the purpose of sharing his story, Shehady said. The main goal is to get people who are out there and tested positive to try and help if they can because theres a lot of folks we read about who are not doing too well, Shehady said. If we can save any life, that is truly a blessing. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Papa John's International, Inc. PZZA announced preliminary first-quarter fiscal 2020 comparable sales. Considering the panoptic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on its business and the industry, the company has withdrawn its fiscal 2020 guidance. The companys shares surged 7.6% yesterday, after its reported robust preliminary first-quarter 2020 comparable sales. In the past three months, the companys shares have fell 15%, compared with the industrys decline of 23.7%. Preliminary Global Restaurant Sales & Comps In first-quarter fiscal 2020, the company anticipates domestic company-owned restaurant comps to increase 6.1%. At North America franchised restaurants, preliminary comps are estimated to be up 5.1%. Further, preliminary comps at system-wide North America restaurants are likely to increase 5.3%. Comps at system-wide international restaurants are expected to improve 2.3%. Coronavirus Impact on International Market Notably, the company has nearly 2,100 international franchised stores. It has temporarily closed 350 stores, primarily in Ireland, Peru and the Philippines. Although, the coronavirus impact on China has reduced significantly, the companys 15 franchise stores are still closed. Coronavirus Hurts Restaurant Industrys Traffic The restaurant industry has been facing declining traffic for quite some time now. We believe the coronavirus outbreak will further hurt traffic and sales in the coming quarters. Many companies have hinted about business disruptions in the United States, China and across Asia due to the deadly virus spread. The companies have also warned of soft sales trends on account of increased restaurant closures. Major restaurant companies like Starbucks Corporation SBUX, Yum China Holdings, Inc. YUMC and McDonald's Corporation MCD have also been negatively impacted by this deadly virus. 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Zacks Investment Research Fears are growing that the global downturn could be far more punishing and long lasting than initially feared potentially enduring into next year, and even beyond as governments intensify restrictions on business to halt the spread of the pandemic, and fear of the virus impedes consumer-led economic growth. The market is sort of steeling itself for the onslaught of bad news over the next couple weeks, said Julian Emanuel, chief equity and derivatives strategist at the brokerage firm BTIG. On Thursday, the U.S. government will report how many people filed for unemployment last week, and the data could show that as many as 5 million workers lost their jobs as people stay home and factories shut down. There was an expectation that April 30 was perhaps a doable date in terms of reopening the economy, said Mr. Emanuel. I think the market is trading today as if that date is more like the end of May. On Wednesday, the decline was led by companies that have become familiar targets of investor unease during the crisis. Airlines were the worst performing sector in the S&P 500 as government data showed a staggering drop in passenger traffic through airports. United Airlines fell 19 percent, and American Airlines dropped 12 percent. Cruise operator Carnival was the worst performing stock in the S&P 500, with a decline of 33 percent, while rival Royal Caribbean fell 20 percent. Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that Iran is planning a "sneak attack" against US forces in Iraq, without providing any evidence or sourcing for the assertion. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" he wrote on Twitter. Tensions between Iran and the US have been sky-high since the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January. Since then, US bases in Iraq have come under attack a number of times. More follows AFRICA Sudan/South Sudan Expected Council Action In April, the Council is expected to receive a briefing on the Secretary-Generals report on the implementation of the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), due by 15 April, as requested in resolution 2497. The mandate of UNISFA expires on 15 May. Key Recent Developments On 14 November 2019, the Council adopted resolution 2497, renewing the mandate of UNISFA until 15 May. The resolution maintained the authorised troop ceiling at 3,550 and the police ceiling at 640. It also extended the missions support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), established in 2011 to conduct monitoring and verification activities along the Sudan-South Sudan border, until 15 May. The resolution expressed concern that the delayed full deployment of UN police prevents UNISFA from fulfilling its mandate and may create a security vacuum in Abyei, the disputed territory along the Sudan/South Sudan border. It also expressed concern about efforts by both Sudan and South Sudan to impede UNISFA from executing its mandate fully, including by withholding visas for police and blocking the appointment of a civilian deputy head of mission. In relation to the latter, the resolution reiterated the request to the Secretary-General to appoint a civilian deputy head of mission for UNISFA, which was first requested in resolution 2469, adopted on 14 May 2019. (See our Whats In Blue story of 13 November 2019.) The overall security situation in Abyei remains fragile. Two major incidents took place on 19 and 21 January. On 19 January, three people from the Misseriya community were killed in an attack in the Kolom area of Abyei. On 21 January, an armed attack targeting the local Ngok Dinka community in the Kolom area was reportedly perpetrated by Misseriya armed elements, resulting in 35 confirmed deaths. The Security Council adopted a press statement on 29 January, condemning these incidents of violence between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities in the Kolom area. The press statement welcomed reports that the governments of Sudan and South Sudan had committed to de-escalate tensions and jointly investigate the violence. It also expressed disappointment that the governments of Sudan and South Sudan have obstructed full implementation of UNISFAs mandate, particularly the deployment of police and the civilian deputy head of mission, requested in resolution 2497, which had not yet been fulfilled. As requested in resolution 2497, Council members received a note on 7 February from the Secretary-General that reported on progress made in implementing the missions mandate, including the increase in police and the appointment of a civilian deputy head of mission, and progress in achieving the JBVMM benchmarks. The note expressed concern that the mission could be overstretched if no progress is made on the deployment of the proposed three formed police units to address the increase in criminal activities. It said that one formed police unit is expected to be deployed by the end of March and the second as soon as possible. Discussions with Sudan and South Sudan were still ongoing in relation to the appointment of a civilian deputy head of mission, according to the note. The JBVMM has made some progress on the benchmarks set out in resolution 2497, as outlined in the note. The Council was last briefed on the issue on 24 October 2019 by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga. Lacroix referred to the unprecedented opportunity to resolve the border-related issues between Sudan and South Sudan, adding that following recent positive developments in bilateral relations, the two countries need to resume direct talks immediately to resolve the final status of Abyei. Onanga-Anyanga also referred to the improved relations between the two countries, adding that the list of pending issues remains extensive, with most of the commitments agreed to in 2012 not yet implemented. Human Rights-Related Developments On 20 March, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, released a statement expressing serious concern over the escalation in intercommunal violence in South Sudan. Since mid-February, hundreds of people have been killed, women and children subjected to sexual violence and homes destroyed, forcing thousands to take refuge in makeshift camps, the statement said. The high number of weapons used by rival clans, tensions linked to the movement of cattle and access to natural resources were identified as contributing to the increase in violence along with the failure of local and national authorities to respond. Key Issues and Options A key issue for the Council to consider leading up to UNISFAs mandate renewal in May is the overall appropriateness of the missions current mandate in relation to the situation on the ground and what modifications, if any, to make to the mandate and force structure. This assessment is likely to be informed by the Secretary-Generals report on UNISFA due by 15 April, as requested in resolution 2497. The difficulty of obtaining visas for members of UNISFAs police component has been a longstanding issue attributed to the non-issuance of visas by Sudan. Another issue is the failure to appoint a civilian deputy head of mission, as requested by the Council in May 2019, in light of ongoing discussions with Sudan and South Sudan. In this context, members will most likely be eager to hear more about the steps taken to resolve these issues. Other issues Council members will be following closely are the significant recent political developments in Sudan and South Sudan, including the establishment on 22 February of the Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan, and the impact these developments may have on the situation in Abyei. An option would be to encourage Sudan and South Sudan to intensify their engagement to advance towards a political resolution of their common border issues. Council Dynamics As in previous years, the Councils focus on the situation in Abyei remains limited, largely overshadowed by its ongoing engagement on South Sudan and Sudan. However, the upcoming 15 May expiration of UNISFAs mandate and its support for the JBVMM present opportunities for Council members to direct attention to the issue. Negotiations around the missions troop and police levels have generally been contentious in the past, with the US typically seeking further troop reductions. It has asserted that UNISFA is persisting longer than intended for an interim force, and that Sudan and South Sudan are taking advantage of the relative stability that UNISFA provides to delay attempts to resolve the status of Abyei. The US has also pressed for a viable exit strategy for the mission. Unlike previous years, however, the US did not seek a troop reduction during negotiations on resolution 2497 in November 2019, making negotiations far less contentious than during previous mandate renewals. The US is the penholder on Sudan/South Sudan. UN DOCUMENTS ON SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN When Ottawa called on universities and research institutes last week to offer their expertise in the fight against COVID-19, Dalhousie researchers quickly mobilized to come up with some of the essential tools needed to combat the virus. An interdisciplinary team from the Faculty of Engineering immediately connected with colleagues at the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) to explore solutions for a face shield one of the most critical pieces of personal protective equipment, or PPE, used by frontline health-care workers. And just days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued the appeal, the team had successfully designed and prototyped a model that could be made in Atlantic Canada. The prototype was 3D printed and included off-the-shelf parts that are readily available. The design is simple and easily scalable from 3D manufacture to injection molding, which can produce thousands of units to meet the needs of our health-care system. In just a week weve been able to go from just an idea to something that actually we could produce hundreds of thousands of if we needed to, says Clifton Johnston, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering who is leading the project. Hes also the NSERC Chair in Design Engineering and the academic director of the Emera ideaHUB, IDEA Sandbox and MakerSpace. It has been neat to see Dals expertise and when you get it focused on a problem, you can make some impressive headway. It brings the level of collaboration up a few of notches to show what you can do when you can get people around the table focused on a common goal. A collaborative approach to design and innovation The team, including members of several Dal faculties, Nova Scotia Health Authority and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, started by evaluating the open source face shields that had already been produced. They then 3D printed some of them and narrowed the options down to a few that had the best potential, working closely with NSHA to ensure they met infection prevention and control standards. When they arrived at a version they liked, Jeremy Brown, a professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, made a quick prototype to be reviewed by a team at NSHA a critical step to validate the design with the health-care workers that will ultimately be wearing the face shields while caring for patients. After a few modifications, they settled on a unique design for the face shields headband. Dr. Johnston says the rest of the device the clear plastic shield and the elastic bands that hold it on the users head will be sourced from other manufacturers that they have contacted. They could also work with another contractor to produce the headbands using injection molds if large quantities are required. A united front Dalhousie President Deep Saini says he has been heartened by the work of researchers across the campus who quickly offered their skills in the effort to help frontline health-care workers, while also seeking answers to questions around the virus itself. While it is a time of anxiety and uncertainty, there is also reason for optimism. Our community has demonstrated strength, resilience and determination, says Dr. Saini. Our researchers have joined the global fight to combat this virus and will continue to work tirelessly, providing essential tools and expertise. Dr. Alex Mitchell, senior medical director of the QEII New Generation Project and co-lead of NSHAs PPE working group, says, Sourcing the appropriate personal protective equipment to keep Nova Scotias health-care providers safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is vital. Partnering with Dalhousie, NSCAD, ACOA and our industry partners to explore innovative, local production capabilities for PPE is a big win for all of us most of all, for health-care providers. The work has required some ingenuity and adaptation, since Dal labs have been shuttered temporarily and faculty and students are working remotely. We distributed the 3D printers to our engineering team so they could continue to work from home, Dr. Johnston said from his home, where he has been using one of the printers thats about the size of a small breadbox. Were using Microsoft Teams and lots of emails to manage this processits been interesting. Doing our part to help The project is just one of several happening across Dal to help supply frontline workers with the resources they need in dealing with the virus. Matt Hebb, assistant vice-president of Government Relations and Economic Development at Dal, convened a group to start assessing what parts might be needed, and whether existing equipment could be modified or if new products needed to be created. As soon as this started to hit, people have been thinking, What can we do to help? he says. We are working with NSHA to determine what is needed. Were trying to be as aware as we can about the context and the best things we can focus on. Were just interested in being helpful where we can. Its great to see the Dal community mobilizing around this stuff, says Hebb. The innovation ecosystem and Dalhousie University are working collaboratively to provide solutions for the health-care system as a response to COVID-19. More solutions like the face shield are also underway. The universitys Environmental Health and Safety Office is collecting a range of supplies that can be used by health-care workers. They have gathered gloves, gowns, pipettes, face masks and other materials offered up by labs in various departments. The Dalhousie Space Systems Lab is also in the process of developing a prototype of a mechanical ventilator, a critical piece of equipment that helps a patient breath by moving air into their lungs. The lab has assembled a taskforce to design a small, portable ventilator that could be used by hospitals if needed. Mercedes-Benz India announced on Wednesday it will set up in association with local authorities a temporary hospital with 1,500-bed isolation wards for coronavirua patients in Chakan in Pune. Besides, its employees will voluntarily contribute one day's salary, the amount of which will be matched by the company towards contribution to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a release. Mercedes-Benz India has both its manufacturing facility and corporate office situated in Chakan industrial belt in Pune. "In the wake of the ongoing global health crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz India has decided to set up a temporary hospital with medical facilities and isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. The newly developed medical facility in Mhalunge-Ingale village, Chakan Khed, will have isolation wards with a capacity to take care of 1,500 patients," the company said. The facility is in Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's (MHADA) housing area, which is newly built with 374 rooms, it said. The German auto-maker said it will assist the Zila Parishad with all the necessary infrastructure including the medical equipment required to create a temporary OPD, infrastructure for stay, stretchers, wheel chairs, PPE kits, sanitisers, among others. "In these challenging times, we are trying to support the local community and the local authorities. The new medical facility will help support the local authorities and the people of the region with healthcare in the coming times, if the situation worsens. We hope for a steady recovery of the crisis and getting back to normalcy, said Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes-Ben India. According to the company, after easing of the COVID-19 condition, the medical equipment will be donated to the Civil Hospital of Khed, and the assets from isolation wards will be donated to the tribal youth hostels. The company has also directly supported by donating ventilators to a hospital, it said, adding, "Mercedes-Benz India will also support 1,600 families from Khed and Viman Nagar area (a locality in Pune near the airport). The company will provide them dry ration and cleaning kits." This initiative will be executed through Mercedes-Benz India's existing partner NGOs, Shashwat Trust and Ashraya Initiatives for children and will secure the food and hygiene requirement for these families till the May. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The lockdown means millions of households are now relying on friends, family and neighbours to deliver food, prescriptions and other essentials to their doors. But many readers are worried about how to pay these good samaritans when they can't leave the house to get cash and are warned against handing over their debit or credit card and Pin. Some community groups have advised volunteers not to expect any payment. But with many of the country's most vulnerable people, including the over-70s and those with health conditions, self-isolating for three months, this just won't be practical in many cases. Lifeline: Millions of households are now relying on friends, family and neighbours to deliver essentials to their doors - but paying them can be a problem Banks have suggested using cheques, but just like cash, many fear these can carry bacteria. Here, Money Mail guides you through the ways you can transfer money without leaving the house... Do an online bank transfer If you have online or mobile banking you can send money directly to someone's bank account within a few minutes. You just require their name, account number and sort code. Those who have not yet set up online banking should visit their bank's website for instructions. The registration process varies from bank to bank, but you typically need to provide personal details including your name, date of birth and account information. You may then be sent an activation code by text message or post. Many banks also require you to set up some security questions that you will need to answer when logging into your account. Mobile banking is one of the best ways to pay someone, without having to come into contact Alternatively, smartphone users could download their bank's mobile app. You can then make bank transfers in much the same way and it may even be quicker, as you can often approve new payments using your fingerprint. Just be very careful you enter the correct account number and sort code. Getting one digit wrong could mean your money lands in a stranger's account, and it is difficult to then get it back. Try transferring just 1 first and then calling the person you are paying to check it has arrived before sending the rest. Make payments by phone Those with telephone banking are able to pay bills and transfer money to individuals just by calling their bank. The service is usually set up over the phone using your account number, sort code and personal information such as your date of birth. However, bear in mind that many banks have reduced the number of staff in their call centres, so it could take a while to get through. Banks have also said they will be prioritising their more vulnerable customers, key workers and those in financial difficulty. If you have access to the internet, check to see if you can set up telephone banking online. Royal Bank of Scotland customers who register for Digital Banking, for example, will also get access to its telephone banking service. No cash to pay family and friends Howard Hardy and his wife Glenys are vulnerable, owing to their age and health, and are self-isolating. The couple have friends and family in Cheshire who deliver supplies, but Howard, 74, says they do not have enough cash at home to reimburse them. Howard Hardy and his wife Glenys are vulnerable, owing to their age and health He says: 'We cannot leave the house to go to the bank. It is against the rules to give anyone a credit or debit card plus our Pin. 'We cannot pay by plastic and cannot expect anyone to finance our isolation for 12 weeks.' Howard has a PayPal account as do some friends and neighbours. He says: 'It should work as it provides security if we need to buy online as well as not having to disclose our bank details.' Sign up for a PayPal account PayPal allows you to send money to friends and family in the UK for free with ease, if they have a PayPal account, too. To sign up you need to register your email address and choose a password. You then have to add your bank account or card details. Once your account is up and running, you can make a payment by logging in and clicking 'send and request' at the top of the page. Then select the type of payment you want, and enter the recipient's email and the cash amount. When sending money to individuals, such as neighbours dropping off your groceries, choose the 'sending to family and friends' option. This will ensure the recipient does not pay a fee to receive the money. Easy: PayPal allows you to send money to friends and family in the UK for free with ease Send money by text message You can pay friends and family using just their mobile phone number with free services such as Paym which should already be an option if you use a mobile banking app. You and the recipient must both register your mobile numbers. You can do this on your banking app. The payee does not need a smartphone for payments to go through, but will need to register their number with their bank or building society. Once you are both registered you can just make a payment as normal through your banking app. But instead of entering their account number and sort code, you can simply choose a number from the contact list stored in your phone. Then just confirm the name, enter the amount you want to pay (usually up to 250 a day) and press send. You should receive confirmation that your payment has been sent straight away. Load up a prepaid card A prepaid card may be useful as you can just top it up with the money needed to do your shopping for that week. You can apply for the cards online in minutes. Many are free, although some come with spending limits. You can add funds by debit card or bank transfer. One card provider, Monese, has a simple mobile account that is free to use, but you must pay 4.95 for delivery of the card. A TransferWise account comes with a free card that can be topped up. Use the ATM with a code Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest allow customers to access cash at an ATM without a bank card or Pin. The customer just needs to generate a code using their mobile banking app which can then be entered into the cash machine. Select the 'Get Cash' option in the app and select how much money you want to be made available (up to a maximum of 130). The code will then be texted to you, and you can forward it to the friend or neighbour who needs the money to pay for your groceries. They can use it at any RBS and NatWest ATMs or those found outside Tesco stores. They should press the 'enter' key on the machine and follow the prompts on screen. The code remains active for three hours. a.murray@dailymail.co.uk Online food sellers in Saigon apartments are recording three time their normal sales as fellow residents rely more on deliveries amidst the Covid-19 crisis. Duong in District 8, HCMC, who sells food to apartment residents, has seen her revenues go up three times from before the outbreak. These days, she makes up to VND1.5 million ($64) in revenue a day from selling dumplings, beef jerky and frozen food to a Facebook group comprising residents in her apartment building. "My prices are 20 percent lower than physical stores because I dont have to pay for the brick and mortar costs. Most of my customers are apartment residents who know of my online reputation." Another seller, Loan, said that in the last three weeks, she has seen a five-time surge in orders, and even more in recent days after HCMC ordered restaurants and nonessential businesses to close. She sells Vietnamese sausage and spring rolls to a group in an apartment complex in Thu Duc District with 15,000 members, earning profits of VND400,000 ($17) a day, matching the earnings of a typical white-collar worker. "Customers like this type of food because it is easy to cook and preserve." The rising number of apartments in HCMC in recent years has contributed to the establishment of online market groups where residents sell and buy food. As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country go past 200 and most commercial establishments including have been asked to close, apartment residents are relying more on such these groups for daily meal ingredients as they refrain from going outside in compliance with authorities orders. An administrator of an online market group in Thu Duc said that the number of posts has surged this year amidst the pandemic with hundreds a day advertising food and ingredients. "We only allow residents to sell products to ensure high food quality. Farm produce is often sold out during the day because of high demand for fresh food." Residents say they also enjoy the convenience and quality. Hoa, who lives in an apartment building in District 8, has been reducing her shopping frequency in nearby markets due to fear of contracting the virus. "I now buy breakfast every day for my family online. The sellers have lots of different foods with no shipping fees." Other buyers say although these groups do not have the product range of a supermarket, they provide customers with fresh and reliable food, as most sellers are residents in the same complex. Now, more sellers are considering doing this business job long term, not just during the pandemic crisis. About six months ago, Oanh abandoned her milk tea shop in Binh Thanh District to focus on online sales among an apartment Facebook group of 8,000 members. Without rent, she managed to offer prices lower than milk tea chains and earns up to VND2 million ($85) a day in revenue. "I sell up to 200 cups a day easily." Staring at a drastic drop in the revenue receipts of outgoing fiscal 2019-20, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced the deferment of a part of the March salary of elected representatives and government employees. The elected representatives, from the chief minister (CM) to the gram panchayat members, will get 40% of their March salary, while the government employees will get 50% to 75% in the first installment. The remaining part of the March salary will be released later in the next financial year, the government has clarified. The decision has been taken in the wake of the drastic drop in revenue receipts and huge amounts spent on unforeseen expenditure while combating the Covid-19 outbreak. Class A and B officers, ranging from the rank of secretaries to desk officers, will get 50% of their March salaries, while the clerical staff in Category C will get 75% of the salary. There is no deduction initiated for Class D employees, comprising peons and office assistants, deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar said after his meeting with all the unions representing state government employees. I hope that the employees and their unions will extend their whole-hearted support to the government in this unprecedented challenge we are facing, Pawar said, adding that the decision would boost the morale and finances of the government in its fight against the outbreak. After Pawars announcement, chief secretary Ajoy Mehta issued a circular stating that the March salary will be released in two phases. A separate circular will be issued announcing the release of the remaining part of the salary, it read. The state government is expected to save 5,000 crore by deferring the payment and utilising the amount for the settlement of the balance sheet in a bid to make-up for the drop in the revenue receipts, in form of taxes and duties, due to the lockdown. There are more than 15 lakh state employees, drawing an estimated annual salary of 1.15 lakh crore for financial year 2019-20. GD Kulthe, chief consultant, Maharashtra Gazetted Officers Federation, said, We have agreed to the deferment of a part of the salaries in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. The delayed payment will help the government to adjust its bills during the closure of the financial year 2019-20. The government has assured us that the salary deduction will be restored within the next couple of months. However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Kirit Somaiya, Ashish Shelar and Nitesh Rane have criticised the state government for not excluding health workers and police from the decision. CM Uddhav Thackeray later in the evening clarified that the government would try releasing the second instalment of the salary of employees who have been fighting Covid-19 from front-line at the earliest. A day ago, Pawar had demanded the Centre to release a package of 25,000 crore to the state in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, which has badly hit the state economy. He also has demanded that dues of 16,654 crore with the Centre towards the devolution of central taxes and aid be released before March 31. All major political parties have already declared to donate the salary of their legislators to the relief funds. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actuators that can convert various environmental stimuli to mechanical works have revealed great potential for developing smart devices such as soft robots, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and automatic Lab-on-a-Chip systems. Generally, bilayer structures are widely used for design and fabrication of stimuli responsive actuators. In the past decade, to pursue fast and large-scale deformation, great efforts have been devoted to the development of novel smart materials. To date, various stimuli response materials/structures have been successfully developed and employed for bimorph actuators. Recently, graphene and graphene oxide (GO) that possess a series of outstanding physical/chemical properties have emerged as a new type of smart material for actuator design. Various graphene-based bimorph actuators have been successfully reported. However, these actuators are only capable of simple deformation, such as bending. To the best of our knowledge, less attention has been paid to the refined control of their deformation. Despite some previous works have reported that the bending direction can be controlled by the patterned constrained layer, their deformation is passively restricted due to the anisotropic mechanical resistance. Currently, the development of bimorph actuators that enable active and programmable deformation remains a challenging task. In a new paper published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, scientists at Jilin University and Tsinghua University present a self-healing graphene actuator swarm that enables programmable 3D deformation by integrating SU-8 pattern arrays with GO. Unlike previously published works, the actuator swarm can realize active and programmable deformation under moisture actuation. In this work, the SU-8 pattern arrays can be fabricated into any desired structures, in which an individual SU-8 pattern can be considered as an inert layer. In combination with the bottom GO layer, each SU-8 structure can form an individual bimorph actuator and deform actively under stimulation. In this regard, these SU-8/GO bilayer arrays can be considered as a swarm of actuators (actuator-1, actuator-2, and actuator-n). Under external stimulation, each actuator deforms individually, and the deformation of the entire structure is the collective coupling and coordination of the actuator swarm. Therefore, by controlling the size, shape and orientation of the SU-8 patterns, more complex deformations can be programmed. This work proposed a new way to program the deformation of bilayer actuators, expanding the capabilities of existing bimorph actuators for applications in various smart devices. ### This research received funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFB1104300) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (61590930, 61522503, 61775078 and 61605055). See the article: Jia-Nan Ma, Yong-Lai Zhang, Dong-Dong Han, Jiang-Wei Mao, Zhao-Di Chen, and Hong-Bo Sun Programmable deformation of patterned bimorph actuator swarm Natl Sci Rev, January 2020; doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz219 https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz219 The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China. JASPER The parents of a 12-year-old Jasper boy fatally shot in July say they are frustrated with a lack of transparency and communication from local officials nine months after their sons death. Both the Jasper County Sheriffs Office and Jasper County District Attorneys office denied the allegations, and said theyve been forthcoming with the family. The investigation was turned over to the DA on March 3. According to police, Nick McBride was with friends when at least one of the boys began playing with a loaded handgun. At some point, the gun fired, striking McBride. The sheriffs office ruled the shooting accidental a few days later, but few other details have been released. Jimmy McBride, the victims father, said he spoke with District Attorney Anne Pickle within two weeks of the shooting but now feels forgotten by authorities. It seems like they really dont care, Jimmy McBride said. Ive had to call them for everything. The familys attorney, Cade Bernsen, said the responsibility of communication falls on the elected officials. There is a lack of transparency, Bernsen said. They have not been keeping them in the loop about what is going on. Were not getting answers. Hopefully, other families that go through this can get some cooperation. As taxpayers, we pay their salaries for the district attorney and the sheriffs department. When a death occurs, they should be talking to the families and letting them know what is going on. They havent done any of that. That is unacceptable. Bernsen said he accompanied Jimmy McBride and Melanie Richards, Nick McBrides mother, to the meeting at the sheriffs office a few days after the shooting. We met with the sheriff and about four detectives, Bernsen said. At this point, we didnt know if there was a case or not. We made it abundantly clear that we wanted to know what was going on and they never reached out again after that. Jimmy has been persistent. They apparently told him that it was handed over to the district attorney and her office said it was up to the grand jury. Its like a hot potato. Richards said she reached out to the lead investigator with the sheriffs office. Every time I called him, he would never call me back, Richards said. I left voice messages but never heard back. The family said even small details about the incident remain a mystery, while rumors swirl in the community. There is speculation and gossip about who was there and what the circumstances were, Bernsen said. We are still at the rumor, speculation and gossip stage, because they have never told them. This was a loved young man. All of those people who attended the funeral at the middle school want to know what is going on. The parents certainly deserve to know, but all of his friends and family and the community deserve to know what the heck is going on. It is this black hole. McBride said not knowing the facts about what happened to his son haunts him daily. It boils in me every day, he said. Im angry. How? If it was a policemans child, they wouldve known more. I cant let my son go like that. I will never stop fighting. Richards said she would like to see someone charged with the shooting. There is a law that says if you are a gun owner and you have kids, that gun has got to be inaccessible to those kids and its for exactly what happened. Bernsen said. I dont know what more they need. The evidence speaks for itself. The gun was certainly accessible and someone died. In our mind, the owner of the gun should certainly be held accountable. Bernsen said the charge would be a misdemeanor, but the sheriff told him that since the gun was put on the top shelf of a closet, the law was open to interpretation. Jimmy McBride said the incident keeps him from letting his other children leave the house. I wont let them go anywhere, he said. I dont like when they leave my eyesight. I let Nick leave my eyesight and look what happened. Jasper County Sheriffs Office Lt. Scott Duncan said the office has done everything it can to help the family. We are trying our best to do a full and thorough investigation, he said. We met with the family and the lawyers early on. It is a tough situation for all families involved and we are going to do this the right way. Duncan said there was a miscommunication when he told The Enterprise in December that the case had been handed over to the district attorneys office at that time. They need to communicate and let this family know what is going on in detail. They deserve sit-down time with these tax-paid officials, Bernsen said. They deserve to know all of the facts and how they came to that conclusion. If it is an accident, prove it. chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/chris_moore09 Police in New Jersey broke up an engagement party Tuesday afternoon and cited 10 people, including a 99-year-old man, accused of violating the states coronavirus ban on gatherings just hours after the governor vowed to get more aggressive in charging people who ignore the restrictions. Responding officers found a group of individuals, including children, on the front lawn and inside the residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said in a joint statement. There were six children at the Lakewood home in addition to the 10 adults who were issued summonses when police arrived at 4:30 p.m., they said. The gathering was in violation of Gov. Phil Murphys executive order, signed March 21, that bans gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events, Billhimer and Meyer said. The engagement party Tuesday marked the third consecutive day summonses were issued in Lakewood. Police charged two people after 35 men were found Monday at a school for talmudic study, despite a statewide shutdown of public and private schools. A Lakewood couple were charged Sunday with child endangerment after police broke up a 40- to 50-person bar mitzvah, authorities said. Previously, three weddings were interrupted by police. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy at Bergen Community College, Moses Center, after the opening of New Jersey's First COVID-19 Community-Based Testing Site. Trenton Times/fileMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com During a Tuesday afternoon coronavirus briefing, Murphy said the vast majority of people are observing the stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, but he expressed frustration that reports of parties have continued to surface. Were not happy, Murphy said. I assume theres some amount of ignorance. The more swift, visible action that is taken the more quickly we can bring this non-compliant behavior to zero. Col. Patrick Callahan, acting superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said at the Tuesday afternoon briefing that police would be more aggressive in issuing summons, not just to the owner of the residence or building. Everybody at that gathering is now going to be cited, Callahan said. The hosts of Tuesdays gathering, Yaakov Kaufman, 47, and Eti Kaufman, 45, were charged with six counts of child endangerment for each of the six children who were at the gathering, police said. The Kaufmans were also charged with violating the governors emergency order. Police said the following Lakewood residents were also charged with violating the order for attending the party: Joshua Lichtenstein, 54; Brocha Lichtenstein, 22; Tzipora Wolfe, 24; Shmuel Kaufman, 23; Syril Lichtenstein, 54; Samuel Wolfe, 27; Michael Zimmerman, 99; and Ruky Zimmerman, 21. As of Tuesday evening, Lakewood has 438 cases of coronavirus and Newark has 568 cases. Only Jersey City has more cases at 820. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. More: Need entertainment during coronavirus shutdown? These theaters and arts groups have online content NFL plans to start 2020 season on time despite coronavirus pandemic, schedule to be released in May, officials say Coronavirus and pregnancy: Lots of questions and anxiety but, for now, few answers Sonora, CA Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Cathy Parker issued a response to Governor Gavin Newsoms school closure statements today. Newsom stated he thinks it is unlikely that school campuses will reopen for the rest of the school year especially since he anticipates the peak number of coronavirus cases to occur in Mid-May, as reported here. In a written statement released by Parker she states, District Superintendents and I are meeting later this week to discuss the recent developments and to make decisions related to a potential closure for the remainder of the year. At this time, schools in Tuolumne County are closed through May 1st. Parkers entire statement is below: Dear Families, Students, and Community Members, I have had an opportunity to speak with district superintendents in Tuolumne County, our Public Health Officer, and have heard from other community members and know that the current communication released by the CDE and the Governors Office has caused a great deal of anxiety as well as confusion. I have spoken to the State Superintendent (SPI) and to my county colleagues across the state and we are now clearer about the intent of the communication and how it relates to the decision we have made in Tuolumne County. The language used in the communication from the SPI states it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year. Superintendent Thurmond stated clearly that he understands local decisions may vary, but he wants to ensure that each and every school and district is well prepared to engage in distance-learning for the duration. What does this mean for our recently communicated decision to suspend in classroom instruction through May 1st? It means that while the Governor and the SPI have stated that they do not believe schools will reopen, there is also an understanding that we as leaders must do whats best to stay connected to and serve our community as well. As I have spoken to the CDE, the Governors Office, and the media, our message has been that we, as educational leaders, clearly understand the need to have plans in place should school not resume. I also made clear that we are working in close partnership with our public health department and want to ensure that current data and best health practices inform the decisions we make. We are still dedicated to the decision-making process we originally have put in place which includes our local Public Health Officers guidance. As for the possibility of physical closures of school sites for the remainder of the school year, that is becoming more likely and a very real scenario. As the Governor stated in his April 1st briefing, the expectation that schools are closed, but classes are in guides our work from this point forward. As we consider this possibility, we will be implementing flexible learning opportunities, increasing nutrition options for all children, and seeking resources from the state to provide equitable access to learning for ALL children in Tuolumne County. This situation has illustrated that rural areas in California continue to be underserved not only in regards to Internet access, but also funding for education in general. District Superintendents and I are meeting later this week to discuss the recent developments and to make decisions related to a potential closure for the remainder of the year. At this time, schools in Tuolumne County are closed through May 1st. Please be patient as schools pivot to this type of distance learning and be sure to connect with your school if you have not heard from them, as they are reaching out to all parents and students. All schools in the county have been, and are continuing to develop instructional opportunities to meet the needs of all students in all environments. Part of that work will be developing plans on how to ramp up support for students at the beginning of the next school year to help students make progress moving forward. As a community, you should be proud of the work that teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, instructional aides, and other staff have been doing over the last few weeks. We will get through this trying time together. Cathy Parker Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools The Jammu and Kashmir government said seven people tested positive on Wednesday taking the number of coronavirus cases in the Union Territory to 62, an official said. Principal Secretary Planning, Information, Rohit Kansal told reporters that there are 62 positive cases of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir till now. Giving a breakup of the figures at a press briefing, Kansal said 58 are active cases of which 48 are in Kashmir division and 10 in Jammu division. A total of 17,041 cases are under surveillance so far. This is a dynamic process and while some cases who complete their period are being released for home quarantine, newer cases keep getting added as per contact tracing results, Kansal, who is also the government spokesperson, said. The government is conscious that there has been concern among the public about many cases being tested positive, he pointed out. However, we would like to emphasise that we have a robust tracing process. Many of the positive cases could be traced as a result of a vigorous contact tracing exercise undertaken by the administration," Kansal added. As per the daily bulletin on novel coronavirus, seven new positive cases of COVID-19, all from Kashmir division, taking the total to 62. Till date, 17,041 travellers and other people who came in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which include 10,355 people in home quarantine including at facilities operated by the government, 516 in hospital quarantine, 52 in hospital isolation and 3,961 under home surveillance, the bulletin stated. Besides, 2,157 people have completed their 28-day surveillance period, it added. Further, the bulletin stated that till date 977 samples have been sent for testing of which 911 have tested as negative, 62 positive and 4 reports are awaited. As many as 300 people have been released from quarantine facilities in Kathua and sent home on Wednesday, while 236 people were discharged from various quarantine facilities in Srinagar city earlier in the day after they completed their isolation period, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ukraine's parliament has adopted two laws needed for IMF loans: a law on the farmland market and a law preventing former owners of banks declared insolvent from regaining their assets. It was unusual - the decision was made during a night meeting of MPs. In the afternoon, despite the request of President Vladimir Zelensky to adopt the laws, the MPs did not even consider them. On the agenda of the meeting was anything but the bills vital for Ukraine. However, the MPs failed everything else on the agenda of the meeting as well. The only thing they discussed with enthusiasm was measures to counteract the coronavirus outbreak, especially parts related to teleworking. It seems that they even managed to achieve a convenient work schedule for themselves. But perhaps there are other forces in Ukraine that take the country's gloomy economic prospects much more seriously. Kiev sources told Vestnik Kavkaza that in the second half of Monday the entire "government quarter" was cordoned off to prevent the MPs from dispersing, if they did it would be impossible to make them discuss the ill-fated two laws which is the IMFs terms for allocating tranche to Ukraine. But another source of Vestnik Kavkaza in Kiev suggested that it was sealed off for an opposite reason - in order to prevent the opposition or nationalists from organizing their actions when MPs would pass unpopular laws imposed by the IMF. However, if we look at the events in terms of time, it looks more like that the first source is right. Because when the security forces entered the "government quarter", the MPs did not even think about discussing any of the two laws. Discussions began late at night. By that time, Vladimir Zelensky entered the parliament and reminded the MPs once again that Ukraine is doomed to default and an unprecedented long economic crisis without the IMF. "It is really important for us, to sign the memorandum with the IMF, and you know well that the two main conditions were the land law and the banking law," Vladimir Zelensky said. There was something going on in the sidelines as well. What it was exactly is not known. It could be the fact they cordoned off the quarter or Zelensky's speech, but later in the afternoon, the obstinate MPs became flexible and got down to business. Both laws were adopted in a short time, while the MPs set a record by holding three meetings on the same day. However, the experts saw this as a violation of the regulations with its consequences - certain forces may try to take advantage of this and declare all Verkhovna Rada's actions on that day unconstitutional. Yulia Tymoshenko, one of the main opponents of selling farmland said: "They scare us with default to take the last from Ukrainians ... We will not only return Ukrainian land to people, but we will also bring to justice - not only political, but also criminal - everyone who stood behind this scam, starting with President Zelensky." Yulia Vladimirovna is not alone on this. She is supported not only by her Batkivshchyna party, but also by the Opposition Platform - For Life bloc. And of course, the part of Ukrainian society, which, according to one of the MPs, "now clearly understands what our vaunted independence is worth." But experts believe that Vladimir Zelensky, who has stubbornly pushed the adoption of "bad laws," is urgently required to prove he's right by achieving economic success in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, power transition processes may once again begin in Ukraine closer to the fall. To complete the picture let me recall you the essence of the adopted laws. The banking law prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized from regaining ownership rights. At the same time, the National Bank received additional powers to prevent such scenarios. Former owners of banks can receive compensation if they can prove that banks were illegally nationalized. The land law was adopted in a slightly modified form, depriving it of "universalism." Only a Ukrainian citizens can buy a land plot with the area of up to 100 hectares. But there are reservations in the law, suggesting that after 2024 the purchasing opportunities will be significantly expanded and qualitatively changed. Lucknow: Today, the coronavirus which is spewing poison throughout the country, is not taking the name of stopping. Every day this virus is wasting millions of lives. Now this virus has taken thousands of lives. Now the outbreak of this virus is not decreasing, while in some places the risk of coronavirus is constantly increasing. It is also difficult to say how long a solution will be given to this problem. 7 new patients infected Novel Coronavirus also appeared on Tuesday. 5 of them are from Bareilly and are admitted there. Their samples were tested at KGMU Lucknow. All positives are close contacts. One patient each of Noida and Ghaziabad has appeared. Corona: 224 new cases surfaced in 24 hours, question raises on this Muslim conference According to the information, the number of corona positive people has increased to 103. There are now 39 positives in Noida. Second place is Meerut with 19 patients and Agra with 11 positive patients at third place. Nine in Lucknow, eight in Ghaziabad, six in Meerut, two each in Pilibhit-Varanasi, one positive person each has been found in Lakhimpur Kheri, Moradabad, Kanpur, Jaunpur, Shamli Baghpat, Bareilly, Bulandshahr. Coronavirus infection spreads across country from Delhi Chief Minister's order: Quarantine everyone from outside to shelter home. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the last three days to control the coronavirus, to quarantine people from other states to their villages set up at district level before sending them to their villages has instructed. The Chief Minister was reviewing the lockdown system implemented to control the coronavirus with senior officials at his government residence on Tuesday. The Chief Minister has said that before sending people from other states to their villages, schools, community centers should be converted into shelter homes for quarantining and social distancing should be taken care of. Full arrangement of food, water and medicine should be made in the shelter home. Health department teams should be put there and regular thermal scanning of the people kept should be done. He directed to take all necessary steps and increase police patrolling to make the lockdown system 100 percent successful. Negligence of hospitals, no firm investigation of corona suspect from Singapore WASHINGTON, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After nearly 30 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center supporting human spaceflight, including 20 years as an astronaut and two spaceflights totaling 180 days in space, Astronaut Karen Nyberg is retiring from NASA. Her last day is March 31. Nyberg is from Vining, Minnesota. She received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Dakota, and master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She was selected as an astronaut in 2000, flew on one space shuttle mission, and was a member of one International Space Station long-duration expedition. "Karen has been an important part of the astronaut corps for many years. Her teamwork and leadership skills have made her a great astronaut, a dear colleague, and a mentor to many," said Pat Forrester, chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson. "I have so much respect for her and I appreciate all that she has contributed to the space program. I am sorry to see her go but wish her the best in the next chapter of her life." Nyberg started at Johnson as an intern in 1991 and worked in a variety of areas. She holds a patent for work done on the Robot Friendly Probe and Socket Assembly. After her astronaut selection and initial training in 2000, she was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office's Station Operations Branch where she served as a crew support astronaut for the Expedition 6 crew during its sixmonth mission aboard the International Space Station. On May 31, 2008, Nyberg launched on the space shuttle Discovery with the STS-124 crew to the space station to deliver the Japanese Experiment ModulePressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Nyberg flew to the space station again as a flight engineer for Expedition 36/37 on May 28, 2013. Nyberg and her crewmates spent 166 days in orbit, participating in hundreds of research experiments in the areas of physical science, technology, education, medicine and more. She also generated interest around the world by posting on social media including how to wash your hair in space, quilting in space, and being a mom while in space. She completed that mission and landed on Nov. 10, 2013. SOURCE NASA Related Links https://www.nasa.gov Soldiers take part in the "Dragon Golden 2020" joint drill in Cambodia's southwestern Kampot province, March 24, 2020. By Mao Pengfei and Zhou Guoqiang KAMPOT, Cambodia, Mar. 31 -- The counter-terrorism drill in mountainous area and the closing ceremony of China-Cambodia joint military training exercise " Dragon Golden 2020" were held on March 30, 2020, local time, in Kampot Province of Cambodia. General Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, together with Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, attended and addressed at the ceremony, and military attaches from many countries observed the drill. The counter-terrorism drill, conducted in the form of mixed grouping and joint operations of multi-arms, was carried out in four phases including reconnaissance and blockade, raid and rescue, seizure, control and clearance as well as force concentration and transfer. Throughout the drill, both militaries demonstrated the tactics of reconnaissance, blockade, strike, control and suppression in mountainous counter-terrorism operations. After the comprehensive counter-terrorism drill, China and Cambodia held a closing ceremony for the joint military training exercise. Amb. Wang Wentian said in his speech that in the face of the interference of COVID-19, the Chinese and Cambodian militaries worked together to overcome difficulties and arranged training subjects scientifically and reasonably. They have balanced combat readiness training and pandemic prevention and control. This joint training will definitely leave a strong mark in the history of friendly cooperation between the two countries and the two militaries, said Amb. Wang. Gen. Tea Banh stated that the success of the joint training exercise fully demonstrated the importance the two countries attach to the development of long-standing bilateral friendship. It implemented the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, strengthened mutual exchanges, deepened the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, and jointly lifted the bilateral relationship to a higher level and achieved new results. The joint training made new contribution to building a community of shared destiny between the two countries, promoting the integration of China's Belt and Road Initiative with the Rectangular Strategy of the Cambodian government, and maintaining regional peace and stability. According to Senior Colonel Zhang Tiren, head of the Chinese commanding group, during the joint training, Chinese and Cambodian troops focused on the new features of the terrorist forces and organized training on 10 subjects including raid and rescue, assault and deter, etc. They have improved the capability of jointly coping with international security threats such as terrorism, further consolidated the long-standing friendship between the two countries and the two militaries, and enhanced strategic mutual trust. It is leant that the China-Cambodia joint military training kicked off on March 15. In the context of counter-terrorism in unison, the training focused on simulating real combats against terrorism. The Chinese participating force is mainly from the 75th Group Army of the PLA. A total of 800 military personnel from both sides participated in the joint training. U p to 300 London firefighters will help paramedics during the coronavirus crisis, it was confirmed today. A blue-light partnership was announced between London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service after LAS said it was receiving an unprecedented 11,000 999 calls a day more than double the 5,000 it might expect on its busiest days. The firefighters will drive ambulances and use their first aid skills to assist paramedics. It is understood they will form LAS-led crews responding to both coronavirus and non-coronavirus emergencies. The first volunteers will start training tomorrow. It follows an agreement last week between the National Employers, National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Brigades Union to support local authorities and the NHS. NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures 1 /33 NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital via Reuters Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London PA Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer of the Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA AP The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Worker at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA LAS chief executive Garrett Emmerson said: As part of our preparations we must reach out to all our partners to help boost our response. London Fire Brigade commissioner Andy Roe said: We are committed to doing all we can to support a joint emergency response in the capital. Firefighters have been previously trained by LAS in basic life-saving skills. The extra training will take a day. The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved an unprecedented $2.2 trillion stimulus package to alleviate the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign into law. Here are major elements of the plan. Cost estimates are provided by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. DIRECT PAYMENTS TO AMERICANS Direct payments of up to $1,200 each to millions of Americans, with additional payments of $500 per child. Payments would be phased out for those earning more than $75,000 a year. Those earning more than $99,000 would not be eligible. Estimated cost: $290 billion ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT AID Payments for jobless workers would increase by $600 per week. Laid-off workers would get those payments for up to four months. Regular benefits, which typically run out after six months in most states, would be extended for an additional 13 weeks. Self-employed workers, independent contractors and those who typically don't qualify for unemployment benefits would be eligible. The government would also partially make up wages for workers whose hours are scaled back, in an effort to encourage employers to avoid layoffs. Estimated cost: $260 billion SMALL BUSINESS LOANS AND GRANTS Loans for businesses that have fewer than 500 employees could be partially forgiven if they are used for employee salaries, rent, mortgage interest and utility costs. The bill also includes emergency grants for small business. Estimated cost: $377 billion. AID TO AIRLINES, LARGE BUSINESSES The bill sets up a fund to support a new Federal Reserve program that offers up to $4.5 trillion in loans to businesses, states and cities that can't get financing through other means. Companies tapping the fund would not be able to engage in stock buybacks and would have to retain at least 90% of their employees through the end of September. They would not be able to boost executive pay by more than $425,000 annually, and those earning more than $3 million a year could see their salaries reduced. The fund would be overseen by an inspector general and a congressional oversight board. The Treasury secretary would have to disclose transactions. Businesses owned by President Donald Trump, other administration officials or Congress members, or their family members, would not be eligible for assistance. Loans are set aside for airlines, air cargo carriers, airline contractors and "businesses important to maintaining national security," widely understood to be Boeing Co. Total cost: $504 billion GRANTS FOR AIRLINES Airlines, air cargo carries and airline contractors also could get grants to cover payroll costs. They would have to maintain service and staffing levels, and would not be able to buy back stock or pay dividends. The U.S. government could get stock or other equity in return. Executive pay above $425,000 a year would be frozen for two years, and those who earn more than $3 million annually would see their salaries reduced. Total cost: $32 billion MONEY FOR STATES, HOSPITALS, EDUCATION - $150 billion for state, local and Native American tribal governments - $100 billion for hospitals and other elements of the healthcare system - $16 billion for ventilators, masks and other medical supplies - $11 billion for vaccines and other medical preparedness - $4.3 billion for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - $45 billion in disaster relief - $30 billion for education - $25 billion for mass-transit systems - $10 billion in borrowing authority for the U.S. Postal Service - $1 billion for the Amtrak passenger rail service and $10 billion for airports, which are experiencing a drop in passengers TAX CUTS - A refundable 50 percent payroll tax credit for businesses affected by the coronavirus, to encourage employee retention. Employers would also be able to defer payment of those taxes if necessary. Cost: $67 billion - Loosened tax deductions for interest and operating losses. Cost: $210 billion - Suspension of penalties for people who tap their retirement funds early. Cost: $5 billion - Tax write-offs to encourage charitable deductions and encourage employers to help pay off student loans. Cost: $3 billion - Waiving of federal tax on distilled spirits used to make hand sanitizer INCREASED SAFETY NET SPENDING - $25 billion in additional spending for food stamps and child nutrition - $12 billion for housing programs - $5 billion for child and family services OTHER ELEMENTS - A ban on foreclosing on federally backed mortgages through mid-May, and a four-month ban on evictions by landlords who rely on federal housing programs. Search Keywords: Short link: Police arrested a Silsbee man allegedly connected to multiple burglaries in the north part of of the city. The Hardin County Sheriffs Office arrested Dustin Jackson, 28, on two counts of burglary of a building, eight charges of burglary or felony theft, according to a news release from the sheriffs office. He said that about 70 percent of the apparel units are in the MSME sector and it is imperative to note that the member-exporters strictly comply with national and international norms. New Delhi: Apparel exporters on Wednesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in providing a specific financial stimulus package to protect the industry and its workers who are struggling to deal with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the prime minister, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) chairman A Sakthivel said that unless the government immediately announces a fiscal stimulus package, the apparel export sector, which employs 12.9 million workers, will "die a slow death". Elaborating the situation of the exporters, Sakthivel said that overseas buyers and buying houses are either cancelling or postponing confirmed export orders and are also holding back or indefinitely deferring the payment for goods already shipped/ ready to ship and asking for hefty discounts. "Apparel industry is a seasonal industry and the products are similar to a perishable commodity as they are a tailor-made, design-specific, fashion-specific export and any cancellation this year may be redundant and have little or no salvage value next year," he said. The cancellations, deferments and postponement of shipments have resulted in packing credits being eroded, and impacted the fund-liquidity position of the exporters, which is in a precarious condition, as the cash flows have completely stopped, he added. He said that about 70 percent of the apparel units are in the MSME sector and it is imperative to note that the member-exporters strictly comply with national and international norms. ''In the apparel sector, labour costs form the single largest component of product costs where workers' wages are in the range of 25-30 per cent of the product cost as opposed to the industry norm of 7-8 per cent. "We operate under extremely competitive margins in the range of 3-4 per cent, and are completely dependent on export benefits granted by the government," he said. He urged the government to announce several measures including payment of wages of workers through ESI funds or through Atal Bimit Vyakthi Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY) Scheme; and payment of employer's portion of EPF for the months of March/April/May/June for all companies. It also sought contribution by the government towards salaries of employees for six weeks, and deferment in the payment of GST dues for a period of three months without penalty. Worcester lock Michael Fatialofa says his ability to walk again is "just the tip of the iceberg" as he battles back from a horrific spinal injury suffered in an English Premiership match. The New Zealander had surgery following the injury in a game against reigning champions Saracens in January and spent more than two weeks in intensive care. Fatialofa has spent the past three months having treatment but is now able to walk unaided. "Walking is the tip of the iceberg with these types of injuries," the 28-year-old Auckland-born second row told New Zealand's 1 NEWS website. "My hands are probably the hardest thing for me -- getting my hands functioning. My left hand pretty much does nothing. "From my neck down, I couldn't feel anything or move anything." "It was pretty scary, and I was really short of breath because, what I did, was the spinal cord was compressed and anything below the spinal cord is affected and that includes my lungs and I was just kinda trying to breathe," he explained. Fatialofa, who helped New Zealand's Hurricanes win the 2016 Super Rugby title, said of his time in intensive care: "My room-mates were victims of gun violence and stabbings... It's a time that's tough to think about. I heard some people die next to me. It was quite traumatising." A few weeks ago Fatialofa's wife, Tatiana, posted an Instagram video of her husband walking. "You're witnessing a miracle that even medical professionals can't explain," she wrote. But the coronavirus pandemic means she cannot visit her husband at the moment. Fatialofa's contract with Worcester ends in July. He plans to complete his recovery in Britain before returning to New Zealand. Michael Fatialofa (C) is back walking unaided weeks after undergoing spinal surgery in what his wife described as a miracle A judge has ordered the long-beleaguered Parker lands project be brought before the City of Winnipegs standing policy committee without delay. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A judge has ordered the long-beleaguered Parker lands project be brought before the City of Winnipegs standing policy committee "without delay." The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, however, leaves a big question mark hanging over when that might be. "Many people in Winnipeg are in isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and generally speaking, business is not being conducted as usual," Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice Candace Grammond wrote in a 29-page decision released Monday. "Under normal circumstances, I would have imposed a deadline or a time frame by which the meeting must take place, but it is not appropriate to do so in the current climate." MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Andrew Marquess wants to develop the 1,900-unit project on 47 acres west of Pembina Highway and south of CN Rails River line. Last summer, Grammond found Winnipeg and its city centre community committee were in contempt of an earlier order when it failed to properly consider developer Andrew Marquess secondary plan for the Fulton Grove project on the Parker lands property during a public meeting the previous fall. Marquess wants to develop the 1,900-unit project on 47 acres west of Pembina Highway and south of CN Rails River line. In her decision Monday, Grammond rejected a motion by the city to reverse her contempt finding, ruling it had no merit. "I am not satisfied that I should exercise my discretion to set aside the contempt finding," the judge said. "There are no exceptional circumstances such as compelling new evidence or argument, and there is no other basis upon which to overturn the contempt finding." Marquess had urged Grammond to fine the city $2.5 million, arguing it had multiple opportunities to "purge" or remedy the contempt, but made no effort to do so. FULTONGROVE.CA Fulton Grove is the proposed residential development on the Parker lands by Gem Equities, a development company owned by Marquess. Grammond ordered the city pay Marquess court costs, but declined to impose a fine, ruling taxpayers should not bear the financial burden. "There is no support in the case law for the amount of the fine requested by the applicants, and this case is not so extraordinary that a precedent should be set," Grammond said. "Taking all factors into account, and in accordance with the case law, I have determined that the respondents need not pay a fine to obtain compliance and to restore the courts authority." 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. Marquess lawyer, Dave Hill, said he was "somewhat disappointed" in the result. A "significant fine" would deliver a message to the citys senior planners "that you cant just flout or disregard a court order," Hill said. "(A fine would) tell these planners that you cant just sit back in your ivory towers and make decisions and advice the city centre community committee to do something a certain way which was totally contrary to the court order." Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), who chairs the property and development committee, said he believed appealing the original contempt ruling was the right move. Now that the judge has released her decision, it is time to move ahead on the approval process, he said. "Whenever were next meeting... its time to get this thing moving I just feel this has been hanging over the city." dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca BRUSSELS The European Unions written response to Hungarys effective suspension of democracy omitted one important word: Hungary. A day after the Hungarian Parliament passed sweeping emergency measures allowing far-right populist leader Viktor Orban to rule by decree indefinitely, ostensibly as part of the countrys response to the coronavirus, the European Commission on Tuesday reminded its members to respect rights. But it was a muted first response from the one institution that can take on Orban, and it appeared aimed at balancing the political imperative of cooperation in the era of the coronavirus with the risk of emboldening him. Its of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in a statement that made no mention of Orban or Hungary. The European Commission is the EUs executive branch, and it often describes itself as the guardian of the treaty that created the bloc of 27 democracies. But Orban has long been in an open struggle with parts of that treaty. He has said frankly that he does not believe in liberal democracy which the European Commission says is fundamental to the EUs values. To be sure, in the face of the epidemic, European countries have all to lesser or greater extent adopted emergency measures curbing liberties, including measures that require citizens to register any movement and observe curfews. Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Benjamin Novak are New York Times writers. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm, with many countries caught off guard, leading to widespread havoc across the globe. Since the appearance of the novel coronavirus, now called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), scientists are racing to develop vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tools. With many countries in lockdown, governments must start mass testing of constituents to determine who is infected. Though children, teens, and young adults seem to be spared by the virus, they can be potent carriers that can spread the virus to vulnerable populations, such as older adults, those who are immunocompromised, and those with underlying health conditions. However, mass testing has been a struggle for most affected countries, such as Italy, the United States, Spain, and France, among others, since test kits are in short supply. Many countries are now developing their test kits to fast track the testing for potential virus carriers. Mass community testing aids in containing the virus, as those tested positive are required to self-isolate and effectively quarantine for 14 days in most places. The mini-pool method allows for increasing test capacities to detect the virus with no decrease in sensitivity. Image Credit: Salov Evgeniy / Shutterstock Pool testing Now, a team of researchers at the German Red Cross Blood Donor Service and the Institute for Medical Virology at the University Hospital Frankfurt at Goethe University have developed a pool testing procedure that will make it possible to rapidly increase worldwide testing capacities for SARS-CoV-2. Mass testing in broader population groups will help save time, provide more extensive isolation, speed contact tracing, and ultimately speed the containment of the outbreak. Pool testing involves detecting the virus in samples that are combined for faster results and, at the same time, maximizing the resources. For instance, swab samples from mucous membranes of the nose or throat are combined in a buffer solution. The samples are tested using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure and the direct genome detection of SARS-CoV-2. The new procedure can help reduce the demand for test kits, especially that more countries are grappling with the vast spread of the viral infection. Pool testing can also help save supplies and time while increasing testing capacity. Due to the uncontrolled outbreak of the disease, reagents to process are limited. Pooling the samples together so they could save on the reagents used to run the test can significantly help in detecting the novel coronavirus. In the case of a negative result, all samples will have a reliable negative result. Also, pool testing does not influence the detection limit, and when a positive result comes out, individual testing is then carried out in previously reserved samples. Within just four hours, the positive sample can be determined. Massive savings on test kits Across the globe, there is a shortage of test kits to detect infectious individuals. It is crucial for mass testing to be undertaken accurately to identify asymptomatic carriers, who may unknowingly put the lives of those who are vulnerable at risk of COVID-19. At present, the team is analyzing options for enlarging the pools further and providing better information on how many people are infected across the globe. As of writing, there are nearly 860,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 42,000 deaths. The hardest-hit is the United States, with more than 189,000 cases and at least 4,000 deaths. Italy has the highest death toll, with more than 12,000 deaths, and more than 105,000 infections. Spain already surpassed China with the number of cases as it reached more than 95,000 confirmed cases, with more than 8,400 deaths. The pool testing will be conducted in Germany to determine if the strategy is effective in fast-tracking testing. The current number of 40,000 tests per day in Germany, will increase to between 200,000 and 400,000 tests without sacrificing the quality of the test and diagnosis. With the new method, Germany can take the global fight against SARS-CoV-2 to a new a new level, Professor Erhard Seifried, heading the German Red Cross Blood Donor Service in Frankfurt team, said. Labour minister says investigation launched after Al Jazeeras report into circumstances surrounding the death. Beirut, Lebanon Lebanons labour ministry is investigating the death of a Ghanaian domestic worker after an Al Jazeera investigation revealed she feared for her life because of alleged abuse by her employers. Faustina Tay was found dead in the early hours of March 14 in a car park under her employers fourth-floor home in Beiruts southern suburbs. According to a forensic report, the cause of death was determined to be a fall from a high place. In the week leading up to her death, the 23-year-old sent dozens of desperate text messages and more than 40 minutes of voice notes to activists and her brother in Ghana. She said she had been beaten on at least four occasions by her employer, Hussein Dia, and Ali Kamal, the owner of domestic workers recruitment agency Al Kamal Trading and Services which brought her to Lebanon. Tay said Kamal assaulted her alongside an employee named Hussein. All three denied the allegations when contacted by Al Jazeera. Im scared. Im scared they might kill me, Tay had said in a voice note sent to Canada-based activist group This Is Lebanon two days before she was found dead. Al Jazeera provided Lebanons labour ministry and Internal Security Forces with Tays text messages and voice notes on March 20. Labour Minister Lamia Yammine told Al Jazeera on Wednesday the ministry had launched an investigation concurrent to a criminal investigation by Lebanons judiciary. Its our duty to look into these cases and investigate with the employer and agent, even as the public prosecutor investigates at the same time, Yammine said. This MUST STOP !! R.I.P. sister Faustina Tay https://t.co/0deHe7zyyR Naomi Campbell (@NaomiCampbell) March 27, 2020 She added that the investigation could lead to the employer and the agency being placed on a blacklist, meaning Dia would no longer be able to hire domestic workers, and Kamals agency would lose its license. Kamal previously told Al Jazeera he brought roughly 1,000 foreign domestic workers to Lebanon each year. Joumana Haymour, the head of the labour ministrys inspection department, told Al Jazeera Kamals testimony had been recorded, and Dia had agreed to come in for questioning on April 6. In the series of messages that began on March 7, Tay said she had been repeatedly beaten by Dia and Kamal between January and March after she asked to return to Ghana due to harsh working conditions, which included no days off, an average of six hours sleep at night and little privacy. Tays father is pressing for an investigation into his daughters death [Al Jazeera] She said she was not given a room but slept on a sofa in the kitchen. Tay also said she was beaten by Dia on March 10 and by Kamal on March 11 before being returned to Dias house. Less than three days later, she was dead. Tays brother Joshua Demyana told Al Jazeera his sister would likely be buried in Lebanon because of the difficulty of getting her body repatriated to Ghana given that the countrys airports are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her father sent a letter to Ghanas foreign ministry on March 26, pressing for an investigation into his daughters death. Kafala system Human rights groups have long called on Lebanon to abolish the Kafala system under which Tay was employed. Instead of being covered by the countrys labour law, some 250,000 foreign domestic workers in Lebanon are employed under the system that binds the legal residence of domestic workers to their employers. Domestic workers can only terminate their contract with the consent of the employer. Otherwise, they become illegal residents and can be jailed and deported. The system has facilitated widespread abuse, ranging from late or non-payment of wages to assault and sexual harassment. Yammine said the labour ministry was working with the International Labor Organization and groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International towards strengthening the contracts between employers and domestic workers, including a provision that would allow the latter to terminate the contract without the consent of the employer. The process, she added, is currently in the consultation phase. Humble ISD has extended distance learning until at least Friday May 1, following an order from Texas Governor Gregg Abbott to continue all school facility closures in the state through Monday May 4. The school district first canceled in-person classes after Spring Break as part of an effort to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Students will continue their at-home learning styles through the school districts closure. Teachers will not administer semester finals this spring, Chief Communications Officer Jamie Mount wrote. STARR and EOC tests were canceled by the state for this spring and summer. The district is also working on a plan to provide an electronic device to students that do not have a laptop or personal computer. Related: Montgomery County districts react as Gov. Abbott closes public schools through May 4 Teachers continue to connect with their students through video conferencing, phone calls, neighborhood teacher parades, digital messaging and other innovative ways, Mount wrote. Students are submitting assignments to their teachers through online platforms and by sending photos of their work. The school district will continue to provide meals to children up to 18-years-old. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at six campuses. However, on Friday parents are allowed to pick up two breakfasts and two lunches per child Mount said. Schedules for meal pick up can be found at https://www.humbleisd.net/meals. In the first two weeks of closure, Humble ISD served more than 100,000 meals, Mount wrote. Parents and grandparents have told us that they are very appreciative of being able to pick up food for children. At the March Board of Trustees meeting, Humble ISD approved a resolution that delegated various tasks to Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen. The district is temporarily raising pay for some employees who are at higher risk by leaving their homes for work. School cafeteria staff members are distributing food to children. Bus drivers are driving to deliver food and supplies. Custodial staff are cleaning and disinfecting buildings. This involves increased personal risk over and above the requirements normally performed in their assigned roles, Fagen wrote. Humble ISD joins other employers like H-E-B, Starbucks, and Safeway in temporarily raising pay for hourly workers who are serving the public outside their homes. Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox No events will be held through the month of April to align with the stay home-work safe orders by Abbott, County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Mayor Sylvester Turner, according to Mount. Events are being postponed and options are being considered to move these events to a future date. We know how important events are to our students, especially seniors, Mount wrote. Principals and district leaders will know more when we have greater clarity regarding the state and local orders that are in place in May. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com WITH all but the most essential workers now asked to self-isolate, a councillor has come up with an imaginative way to pass time. Since people have been self-isolating, City East Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely has been cooking up a storm in her kitchen and broadcasting her efforts live on the internet. Cllr Kiely initially qualified as a chef, which is where she met her late husband. Now she wants to share her skills and help people who are cooked up at home all day. I know people are trying to use their time productively and have routine and its very difficult at the moment. I just want to present activities to people so that they dont leave the home unless its really necessary, Cllr Kiely told the Limerick Leader. She acknowledged there is a need to leave the home to get food so thought about combining the two. I know people need to leave the house to shop for food, so if we incorporate that into providing a life skill and a bit of fun. There's an awful lot of doom and gloom around. Everyone was sharing it - what can I do? I had messages from people asking for recipes. So I decided to try this once, see how it went. And it took off, she added. The mother-of-twos nightly broadcasts take place at either 5pm or 6pm depending on what else is going on, said Cllr Kiely. They are broadcast on the Facebook live platform. People, she said, have been tuning in from around the world, from America to Turkey, as well as Donegal to Cork and everywhere inbetween! Some unlikely fans, she says, have been the Dominican Nuns, based at St Saviours Church in Glentworth Street. Its nice, it brings people together, Cllr Kiely added. And for those who are not great in the kitchen, dont worry: the recipes are simple. Scones, cakes and the like! A number of Sarahs council colleagues have asked her to bring some of her treats to the next meeting. Expect her to be very popular when the authority gets going again! The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has donated 500 Cedis to each of the stranded Kayaye (head porters) who were stopped at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region on their way to the Northern Region. The head porters, numbering about 76, had attempted to flee from Accra back to their hometowns in the wake of the President's order for a partial lockdown in the Capital City and other parts of the country, but their journey back home was unsuccessful as it fell within the lockdown time on Monday. Their attempted mass crossover to the north was seen as a threat to stop the spread of the virus in the country, and they were thus stopped from proceeding by security officials, who returned them to Accra. Despite the temporary provision of shelter for them by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, many have raised concerns over the plight of the Kayayes under the current circumstance, as business activities in the heart of Accra have come to a halt. It is in response of this that the Vice President has donated 500 Cedis to each of them to ameliorate their plight during the period of the partial lockdown. The donation was made on behalf of the Vice President by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama. She was accompanied by Dr. Sagare Bambangi , MP for Walewale and Mustafa Ussif, CEO of the National Service Secretariat. Hajia Alima Mahama also revealed that President Akufo-Addo has directed that government assist all Kayaye head porters by giving each of them GH 10 cedis per day to buy food throughout the lockdown period. Meanwhile the Vice President has also urged all Ghanaians to continue to observe the preventive measures of regular washing of hands with soap under running water, while they observe the partial lockdown at their respective homes. "While we stay at home to prevent the spread, let us continue to adhere strictly to all the preventive measures to avoid the spread of the virus," he urged. "Let us continue to wash our hands regularly with soap under running water, as well as constantly use alcohol-based hand sanitizers to sanitize our hands. We shall overcome, in shaa Allah." 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 Burlingtons Joseph Brant Hospital will be adding a temporary modular structure called the Pandemic Response Unit in anticipation of a projected surge in COVID-19 cases within Halton Region. The 8,250-square-foot structure, connected to the South tower, will provide 93 additional beds, specifically for COVID-19 positive patients requiring hospitalization. Ian Preyra, chief of staff for Joseph Brant Hospital, said the project is part of their ongoing pandemic response. The construction of the Pandemic Response Unit will allow the hospital to preserve our critical care and high acuity patient beds for our sickest patients, said Preyra. Physicians from the Burlington community are volunteering to provide patient care in the Pandemic Response Unit, treating COVID-19 positive patients with acute care needs who may require oxygen therapy and ongoing monitoring. The modular structure, built by a company called Sprung Structures, arrived from Calgary on Tuesday and will take about a week to construct. The company specializes in high performance modular structures that can be built quickly. The company was previously responsible for constructing disaster relief structures. The Pandemic Response Unit is a collaboration between Joseph Brant, local health-care providers, the City of Burlington and the Region of Halton. Eric Vandewall, president and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital, said the unit is about saving lives. The Pandemic Response Unit is being built as a critical part of our pandemic response plan to meet the heightened care needs of our community and, ultimately, save lives. We are doing everything we can to care for the people of Burlington to prepare for these unprecedented times, said Vandewall. As of Tuesday, there were 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Halton Region. RC Roland Cilliers is a general assignment reporter for InsideHalton.com and its sister papers. Reach him via email: rcilliers@metroland.com Read more about: Health-care workers treating the exploding number of New Jerseyans in the hospital with the coronavirus are arguably the living definition of acting in good faith. But just to be sure they are protected, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Wednesday granting these professionals protection from malpractice lawsuits. My order makes clear the healthcare professionals we are calling upon to help with our states COVID-19 response will be immune from civil liabilities for action taken in good faith, Murphy said at the Trenton War Memorial during his daily coronavirus press briefing. The executive order is designed to encourage more doctors, nurses and other professionals not already on the front lines to volunteer their time, as the state and federal government prepare to open four temporary hospitals that will need staffing. Murphy put out the call for such volunteers, and as of Wednesday, 5,200 people have responded, he said. Your talents will be matched to where our needs are the greatest, he said. Let me put on the Uncle Sam hat and tell you, we need you. The executive order was revised Wednesday night after questions arose about whether it would have actually prevented lawsuits against health care workers or medical facilities responding during the outbreak. The original order said health care professionals and facilities would be immune from civil liability to the extent that the practitioners existing liability insurance does not provide coverage or an applicable limit is exceeded, but not eliminate the possibility of a lawsuit. NJ Advance Media asked Michael Most, a head and neck surgeon who is volunteering as a critical care physician at Morristown Medical Center, to review the original order. At best, Most said, the order would only limit the financial payout beyond what the malpractice insurance agreed to pay but it would not prevent a lawsuit. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order last month providing unqualified immunity, noted Most, a member of the Doctor Patient Alliance, an organization of physicians which formed to speak out on statewide issues. I want to work and not be afraid," he said. The governors office reissued a revised executive order Wednesday night with language that provided unqualified immunity, Murphys spokeswoman Alex Altman said. Most said he had called his malpractice insurance carrier to make sure his volunteer work in the ICU would be covered and was surprised to learn it wasnt because it was outside his specialty. Atlantic Health Systems, Morristown Medical Centers parent company, later assured him he would be covered under its disaster liability policy, he said. But not every physician will receive that protection, he added, which is why the executive order is needed. Doctors dont think about that stuff. Like the fire department, when we are asked, we show up," Most said. Murphys order does not protect professionals from litigation over gross negligence." Murphys executive order comes five days after state lawmakers in Monmouth County called on the governor to grant reasonable, qualified immunity to healthcare personnel. The qualifier here would be if there is established evidence that the injury or death of the COVID-19 patient is as a direct result of gross negligence on the part of the medical personnel, according to a statement from state Sen. Declan OScanlon, Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso, and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, all R-Monmouth. Murphys executive order also waives scope of practice requirements for physician assistants and advance practice nurses who are already being called upon to shoulder extraordinary burdens." State regulations require these advanced-level professionals be supervised by physicians. But the order gives them greater autonomy, including the authority to prescribe controlled dangerous substances when appropriate." The order authorizes the state Division of Consumer Affairs to temporarily reactivate the licenses of healthcare professionals who have retired within the last five years, and to grant temporary licenses to doctors from foreign countries who are in good standing. There are 22,255 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 355 deaths in New Jersey, Murphy said. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Backpackers at Sydney's Bondi Beach have been filmed blatantly ignoring social distancing rules at McDonald's. The three young women huddled together, even though there were taped x marks on the tiles indicating the need to stand 1.5 metres apart, as they waited for their takeaway order. Metres away from them, another three women with English accents are also bunched together at the fast food outlet counter early on Tuesday night. Sydney's beachside eastern suburbs are the epicentre of coronavirus with 486 confirmed cases as of this week in the city's south east, New South Wales Health data showed. Backpackers at Sydney's Bondi beach have been videoed blatantly ignoring social distancing rules at McDonald's. The three young women huddled together, even though there were taped x marks on the tiles indicating the need to stand 1.5 metres apart, as they waited for their takeaway order The situation is so bad at Bondi the state government and St Vincent's Hospital are this afternoon setting up a pop-up COVID-19 clinic at the beachside Pavilion. Police have been out in force in the eastern suburbs, forcing sun bakers off the grass at Rushcutters Bay and doing spot checks on Kings Cross hostels to find backpackers partying in close proximity to one another. Waverley Council, which takes in Bondi, has the highest number of cases of any Sydney local government area. The figure this week surged by a third from 105 to 140 in the last five days. At least 21 cases came from an unknown source of infection. There were 2,182 coronavirus cases in NSW on Wednesday, while a 95-year-old woman became the ninth COVID-19 death in the state, bringing the national death toll to 20. Metres away from them, another three women with English accents are also bunched together at the fast food outlet counter early on Tuesday night 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 The images at Bondi McDonald's were taken less than 24 hours after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard signed the Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order 2020. Individuals now face on-the-spot fines of $1,000 and maximum penalties of $11,000 or six months in jail if they are outside unless they are going to work and can't work remotely by computer, are attending school, are buying medical supplies or are shopping for groceries or food. It's legal to exercise at the park but apparently not to linger in a public place. Australians are only allowed to gather outside in groups of two. There are exceptions if people live together or are moving. Adding to the confusion, Mr Hazzard's Twitter profile features a pre-COVID image of sunbathers bunched closely together at Dee Why, on Sydney's northern beaches, in his Wakehurst electorate. The situation is so bad at Bondi the state government and St Vincent's Hospital are this afternoon setting up a pop-up COVID-19 clinic at the beachside Pavilion (grass area nearby pictured on March 31, 2020) Adding to the confusion, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard's Twitter profile features a pre-COVID image of sunbathers bunched closed together at Dee Why, on Sydney's northern beaches, in his Wakehurst electorate. He has ordered new fines for going out unnecessarily and disobeying social distancing rules The Northern Beaches Council area has 109 coronavirus cases, making it second only to Waverley council. It has an even higher infection rate than City of Sydney council, with a tally of 107 cases. Woollahra Municipal Council in Sydney's east had 79 cases, compared with Central Coast Council's 84 tally north of Sydney. In Sydney's west, Blacktown City Council had 67 positive tests for COVID-19, one more than Canterbury-Bankstown's 66. The federal prison in Danbury has had an outbreak of confirmed COVID-19 cases this week and has quarantined inmates, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Wednesday evening. Nine inmates at the the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury have tested positive for the virus, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed via email. She said many more are under quarantine but declined to give a number. On Tuesday, just four had been diagnosed, indicating a potentially rapid spread within the facility. The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not provide details about the number of inmates awaiting test results at the facility, or on the conditions of any of the affected inmates. Its a really, really scary situation, said a woman who identified herself as the fiancee of a man incarcerated at the facility since 2017. The woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions against her fiance, said he is part of a unit under quarantine where the outbreak occurred. She has communicated with him daily via email, as he tries not to use the phones at the facility for fear they could be contaminated with the virus. The nine sick inmates at Danbury are among 57 federal prison inmates nationwide with the coronavirus, according to a tracker updated daily on the agencys website. Thirty-seven staff members have been diagnosed nationally across the federal prison system, which houses roughly 175,000 inmates in facilities across the country. The facility in Danbury houses 1,087 inmates in three units, with 756 at the largest unit, according to the website. Connecticuts prison system, with 12,000 inmates, reported five newly confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus at the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution in Enfield, the Department of Correction said Wednesday. All five are housed in the same building. Previously, the department reported two confirmed cases at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville. Inmates at the Danbury prison were notified of the outbreak and subsequent quarantine at a town hall meeting with staff members at the facility Tuesday, the woman said. He is looking around and seeing a lot of sick people, she said. He noticed one of his neighbors was laying in bed with a high fever ... Im just really worried. That facility has a large population of elderly and immunocompromised inmates, and the staff has been dismissive of the memorandum that was just sent out by Attorney General Barr. U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in a March 26 memo, directed the Bureau of Prisons to increase the use of home confinement for elderly and immunocompromised inmates, with priority given to inmates in low- and minimum-security facilities like FCI Danbury. Many inmates will be safer in BOP facilities where the population is controlled and there is ready access to doctors and medical care. But for some eligible inmates, home confinement might be more effective in protecting their health, Barr wrote. A spokesman for the facility in Danbury did not say whether the agency would begin releasing vulnerable inmates to home confinement. On March 13, 2020, the BOP instituted significant measures to prevent the COVID-19 virus from spreading in its facilities, said Sue Allison, an agency spokeswoman. These measures included temporary restrictions on visitation, restricting inmate movement to only required and mission-essential transfers, increased health screening of staff and inmates, and increased sanitary measures. In addition, all BOP facilities have been directed to designate available space for isolation and quarantine for inmates who have been exposed to or have symptoms of the virus. Some media coverage has suggested the federal agency is under-reporting the number of confirmed cases in prisons across the country, following a Washington Post report Sunday that a federal prison in Louisiana had positive test results for another 30 inmates and staff, despite the Bureau of Prisons tracker indicating just 27 people nationally had been diagnosed within the prison system. Advocates have pressured Gov. Ned Lamont to release nonviolent offenders near the end of their sentences from state prisons. The governor has declined. Lamont and the state Department of Correction have no jurisdiction over the federal facility in Danbury. Weve been focusing our advocates here in Connecticut on the state system, but the same concerns apply to the federal system, said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut. kkrasselt@scni.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt by Paul Wang Dozens of people gathered to remember the victims of the violence of August 31st. For the coronavirus emergency, gatherings with more than four people have been banned for four days. Police accused of abusing emergency law. 58% support the democratic movement born out of resistance to the extradition law. 63% want the resignation of Carrie Lam, chief executive. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Dozens of people were arrested and beaten by the police yesterday evening while they were having an informal gathering to mark seven months since the police violence inside Prince Edward's subway station. During the "831" incident, as it is called because it occurred on the evening of August 31, 2019, law enforcement officers are accused of using excessive force using pepper spray, throwing tear gas and using sticks to beat young people returning from an anti-extradition demonstration as well as casual subway passengers. Riot police officers sealed the station for a few hours. Many people suspect that they also killed some people, although the Hong Kong government denies that there were victims. Gatherings to commemorate the victims of that violence have become an end of month ritual. Also yesterday, a few dozen people gathered to lay flowers, burn incense sticks and chant some slogans in front of the station. But yesterday, in the afternoon, the police surrounded the station exits and ordered people to dissolve the "illegal" rally. Any gathering with more than four people is considered "illegal" as of March 29, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The demonstrators claim that they observed the safety distance. The police first lined up several of them and then arrested them. At least two people were injured in a scuffle with officers. Human rights groups and Democratic Party members accuse law enforcement agencies of abusing the new law to stifle all freedoms. The coronavirus emergency, which limits public gatherings, does not seem to have cooled the movement born in June 2019 to request the cancellation of an extradition law. Soon the various demonstrations that continued uninterrupted for months every weekend became a movement for democracy and civil liberties that China would like to stifle. According to a Reuters investigation, at least 58% of the population supports the movement in March; 28% are against it. More than 63% want the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, considered "a Beijing puppet". Net at Work shares our culture of putting clients first. That is a major reason why we are so happy to have them in our partner family says Pamela Perryman, CEO of LightWork Software. LightWork Softwar e announced today Net at Work, a full-service technology and business consultancy, has attained Elite Business Partner Status. This is a testament to their commitment and sales execution of the LightWork Software solution line. Elite Business Partner Status is the highest level of partnership available within the LightWork Partner Program requiring dedicated sales, marketing and technical initiatives. Along with execution and achievement of targeted goals, it is critical for Elite Business Partners to attain the highest levels of customer satisfaction for LightWork Software. Net at Work is the first business partner to achieve elite status within the program. Mark Dresser, practice director of employer solutions for Net at Work, has assembled a strong team dedicated to facilitating success with LightWork Software. We are pleased to have reached this level of achievement within the LightWork Software offerings as a part of our strong portfolio of client solutions. These flexible and powerful HCM (human capital management) LightWork modules of Time, Performance, HR, and Alerts are the perfect complement to our solutions and services that help unleash the power of business, said Dresser. This is a natural partnership for Net at Work because of LightWorks hand-in-glove integration with Sage HR and payroll solutions. Net at Work represents the full scope of Sage solutions, and the LightWork suite extends the power of those solutions to provide a stronger more holistic solution for human capital management. Net at Work shares our culture of putting clients first. That is a major reason why we are so happy to have them in our partner family says Pamela Perryman, CEO of LightWork Software. LightWork Software integrates with the full suite of Sage solutions, and makes the HCM experience easy and valuable in their clients organizations. They turn the overwhelming task of managing employees into an essential business strategy with dynamic performance management and simple timekeeping. LightWork Software HCM modules now include, Time and Attendance, Performance Management, Employee Analytics, Alerts and Workflow and Recruit and Onboarding. LightWork Software, a Perryman Company, empowers organizations and individuals to deliver more and be more. Headquartered in DeLand, Florida and serving clients since 1993 in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, LightWork Softwares focus is on people. LightWork Softwares human capital management (HCM) software solutions help companies grow and nurture their employees. To learn more about LightWork Software visit: http://www.lightworksoftware.com. CLEVELAND, Ohio Two immigrant detainees in a central Ohio jail are in isolation because of coronavirus-related concerns. The move comes advocates increased calls for the federal government to reduce the number of people it detained for immigration offenses because of the virus. The detainees are in the Morrow County Jail in Mount Gilead, about 50 miles north of Columbus. Sheriff John Hinton said in an email Wednesday that they are in a separate housing unit because they came from Franklin County, where a sheriffs deputy tested positive for the virus. Hinton said the detainees had not shown COVID-19 symptoms, which is the illness associated with the virus, and that staff is regularly taking their temperature. Morrow County Jail is one of four in Ohio with detention contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A third inmate, who is not in ICE custody, is also in the housing unit and has also shown no signs of the illness, Hinton wrote. None of the inmates in this unit were in contact with the Franklin County deputy who tested positive for the virus, the sheriff said. News of ICE detainees here comes as advocates in the state and across the country are getting louder about the need for jails and prisons of all stripes to reduce inmate populations. The concern is that cramped quarters and unsanitary conditions could lead to an uncontrollable spread of the virus among inmates and exacerbate an increasingly overburdened health system that is struggling to keep pace with the spreading virus. That has included those in ICE custody often held for noncriminal cases. ICE, under President Donald Trump, has gotten more aggressive and arrested thousands accused of being in the U.S. illegally. While his administration has recommended federal prison officials look at reducing the number of inmates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus further, it has not urged such action for immigrant detainees. ICE has 260 people in its custody at four jails in Ohio as of Wednesday, according to Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for the agencys Detroit office. In addition to Morrow County, jails in Geauga, Butler and Seneca counties contract with the federal agency to house immigrants. Walls said no immigrants in ICE custody in Ohio have tested positive for the virus and said officials had taken precautions to prevent the spread. However, concerns among advocates are serious because immigrant detainees have tested positive. Four detainees spread among three jails in New Jersey have tested positive for the virus as of Monday, along with five people who work at detention centers in Colorado, New Jersey and Texas, according to ICEs website. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio wrote a letter to immigration officials in Ohio, Michigan and Washington, D.C., that asked them to take steps to prevent the spread of the virus. In short, the more people ICE detains during the COVID-19 pandemic, the more deadly the consequences might be for detainees, correctional staff, and other members of society, states the March 18 letter. Among the steps, the organization urges them to cease new detentions and review the cases of everyone in custody to identify those who are at risk of becoming very ill from the virus and releasing them. Immigrants who stay in custody should have free access to health care, hygiene products and ways to communicate with their loves ones, the letter says. Read more: Immigration advocates ask Ohio to release inmates, ICE detainees due to coronavirus outbreak Immigration courts, including one in Cleveland, postpone many hearings due to coronavirus ICE to stop housing immigrant detainees at private Youngstown prison Ohio counties earn millions on ICEs hunt for undocumented immigrants Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 01:06:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VILNIUS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's government decided on Wednesday to ban all passenger transportation by airplanes and ferries to and from the country as of April 4 due to the spread of coronavirus. The only exception is the ferry line between the country's port city of Klaipeda and Kiel in Germany. "From midnight April 4, 2020, it is forbidden to carry passengers and their vehicles by passenger ferries, except the line Kiel-Klaipeda-Kiel or with the permission of the minister of interior or his authorized person," Lithuania's Minister of Health Aurelijus Veryga was quoted as saying by local media. Under the same regulation, as of April 4 all flights to and from Lithuania will be operated only upon a separate permit issued by the Transport Safety Administration on the order of the minister of transport and communications, with regards to the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. For now, such permits will be available for repatriation flights only. The only possibility to enter Lithuania by car is via two border checkpoints from Poland. All returnees will be screened for coronavirus, the government said. Restrictions will not apply to the movement of goods. This means that freight transport can come to Lithuania by ferries and airplanes can carry parcels. The government has also adopted additional new measures, such as prohibiting the export of personal protective equipment, including safety goggles and visors, face shields, mouth and nose protection, protective clothing and gloves. Exports of these items would be possible only by special authorization. According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at 581 as of the morning of April 1, with 108 patients hospitalized, 11 of them in serious condition. To date, 12,574 tests have been carried out in Lithuania. Enditem The US Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea as two Holland America cruise liners approach Florida. Federal, state and local officials have been negotiating over whether the Zaandam and Rotterdam would be allowed to dock at Port Everglades later this week. Two of four deaths on the Zaandam were blamed on COVID-19 and nine people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the company said. At least 190 more reported symptoms. More than 300 Americans are on Zaandam and Rotterdam. Holland America said the Rotterdam took on nearly 1,400 people who appear to be healthy from its sister ship, leaving 450 guests and 602 crew members on the Zaandam. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state's healthcare system is stretched too thin to take on the Zaandam's coronavirus caseload. DeSantis, who says coronavirus first started circulating in Miami during the Super Bowl, has finally issued a statewide lockdown as cases reached 7,000 on Wednesday. Scroll down for video The US Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea as two Holland America cruise ships (pictured on March 28) try to dock in Florida Canadian passengers Chris and Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the Zaandam on March 27 Who will make the call to let both ships dock in Florida? Federal, state and local officials have been negotiating over whether the Zaandam and Rotterdam would be allowed to dock at Port Everglades later this week. Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, said the port was being operated by a 'unified command' of federal and state agencies discussing the situation. 'As it stands today, they're going back and forth, working on a plan to ensure that we're safeguarding the people of Broward County from further spread of this virus, but also seeing how we can find a way to deal with these folks in a humanitarian manner,' Holness said. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said he was not opposed to them docking in his city. But he said a clear protocol was needed to protect residents of his South Florida city from infection. 'There can be no missteps in this process,' he said. 'We have to be comfortable knowing that they are being quarantined in such a way that they do not infect the rest of the community,' Trantalis said. The US Coast Guard said the decision would be punted to Washington if authorities can't agree. Advertisement 'Just to drop people off at the place where we're having the highest number of cases right now just doesn't make a whole lot of sense,' DeSantis said. But President Donald Trump has said that he would speak with his fellow Republican about the situation. 'They're dying on the ship,' Trump said. 'I'm going to do what's right. Not only for us, but for humanity.' DeSantis said there are already 857 people hospitalized and 85 people have died. His lockdown order will go into effect Thursday at midnight and will last 30 days. Jennifer Allan, whose parents, Bill, 75, and Gloria, are on one of the ships, told Today that 'they're very sick'. 'Both my parents have had fevers for 10 days. My dad's has developed into pneumonia. He's getting worse every day.' Allan said. Allan's mother, Gloria, 70, sent an email to Today saying that the ship's infirmary is full. 'My husband needs to be in a hospital before it's too late,' Gloria wrote. Holland America President Orlando Ashford penned an opinion column in the South Florida Sun Sentinel to plead with officials and residents to let the passengers disembark. Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony called the situation a 'humanitarian crisis' and asked commissioners at the Tuesday meeting not to decide based on emotion. Allowing the ship to dock would burden the local health care system and put residents at risk of additional exposure, he warned. 'This ship has been turned away from several countries already,' Tony said. 'We are in some very, very critical circumstances where we as a county are going to have to determine are we willing to take on this responsibility.' Florida Gov Ron DeSantis (pictured) said Tuesday that the state's healthcare system is stretched too thin to take on the Zaandam's coronavirus caseload But Laura Gabaroni and her husband Juan Huergo (both pictured), who work for a defense contractor in Orlando, wrote a letter to Gov Ron DeSantis imploring her governor to let them off the Zaandam Jennifer Allan, whose parents, Bill, 75, and Gloria, 70, (pictured together) are on one of the ships, said: 'Both my parents have had fevers for 10 days. My dad's has developed into pneumonia. He's getting worse every day' These 10 cruise ships are still at sea Cruise line: Holland America Line MS Zaandam: 190 ill onboard; 4 deaths MS Rotterdam: No COVID-19 cases If officials allow it, both ships will dock in Florida later this week. Cruise line: Princess Cruises Coral Princess: No COVID-19 cases Passengers will disembark on April 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Pacific Princess: No COVID-19 cases Passengers will arrives in Los Angeles in mid-April. Cruise line: P&O Cruises The Arcadia: No COVID-19 cases This ship is expected to dock in Southampton, England, on April 12. Cruise line: Cunard Line Queen Mary 2: No COVID-19 cases There are 264 passengers onboard and the ship is heading to Southampton, England. Cruise line: MSC Cruises MSC Magnifica: No COVID-19 cases The ship is heading to Europe Cruise line: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Columbus: No COVID-19 cases The ship is expected to arrive in Tilbury, England, on April 13. Cruise line: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises MS Europa: No COVID-19 cases With only crew members onboard the ship is sailing to Barbados and with an expected arrival of April 3. Hanseatic Nature: No COVID-19 cases With only crew members onboard, the the ship is expected to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, on April 15. Advertisement William Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival, which owns Holland America, told commissioners at an emergency meeting on Tuesday that 'we are coming to the place of last resort' and that his staff had worked through the night on a docking plan. Burke said he hopes two others who are severely ill 'will survive the transit'. Many of the commissioners were sympathetic about the passengers' plight, including Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich, who urged officials to quickly hammer out a plan. 'These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other. We are their last hope. What are we going to do? Let this ship go back out to sea and float around and let people die? I don't think so,' Rich said. Coast Guard Captain Jo-Ann Burdian told Broward County commissioners that 'there are no great choices left. These are all tough outcomes'. The Coast Guard said that the decision would be punted to Washington if local authorities can't agree. Dozens of cruise ships are either lined up at Port Miami and Port Everglades or waiting offshore due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most have only crew aboard, but the Carnival Corp, which owns nine cruise lines with a total of 105 ships, notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Tuesday that it has more than 6,000 passengers still at sea. Carnival said they expect to have them disembarked by the end of April. Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell said Tuesday night that the company had 40 ships at sea when it halted new cruises in mid-March. 'We expect to have three ships at sea by the end of this week,' Frizzell said. More cruise ships are on the way, including the Coral Princess, carrying what that ship's medical center called a higher than normal number of people with flu-like symptoms. The Zaandam and other ships became pariahs as countries sealed borders in response to the pandemic. Zaandam passengers said they were asked to keep their rooms dark and leave their drapes closed as they passed through the Panama Canal. While many have reported feeling ill, most of the passengers and crew on both ships appear to be in good health. There are more than 200,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and more than 4,300 deaths Laura Gabaroni and her husband Juan Huergo, who work for a defense contractor in Orlando, saw their dream vacation turn harrowing as countries shunned them and people fell ill. Fever-free and without symptoms, she and her husband were transferred to the Rotterdam. She wrote DeSantis imploring her governor to let them off. 'Florida continues to receive flights from New York, and it allowed spring break gatherings to go on as planned. Why turn their backs on us?' Gabaroni said. The Zaandam originally departed from Buenos Aires on March 7 - a day before the US State Department advised to avoid cruise travel and before any substantial restrictions were in place in Florida. The ship had been scheduled to stop in San Antonio, Chile, and then depart on another 20-day cruise to arrive in Fort Lauderdale in April. But beginning March 15, the Zaandam was denied entry port after port. Passenger Emily Spindler Brazell, of Tappahannock, Virginia, said they've been treated to unlimited phone calls, wine and nice meals including lamb chops and salmon. But they have had to isolate in their rooms. 'The captain said something like, "This is not a trip anymore. This is not a cruise. This is a humanitarian mission,"' she said. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard told cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered 'indefinitely' offshore during the coronavirus pandemic. Dozens of cruise ships are either lined up at Port Miami (pictured) and Port Everglades or waiting offshore due to the coronavirus pandemic The new rules require daily updates on each ship's coronavirus caseload for vessels in US waters, and come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels 'that loiter beyond US territorial seas' should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead. Many of South Florida's cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas, where hospital capacity is limited and people are still recovering from last year's Hurricane Dorian. The rules, which apply to any vessel carrying more than 50 people, were issued in a March 29 safety bulletin signed by Coast Guard Rear Admiral E.C. Jones, whose district includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. Under normal conditions, when a passenger or crew member become too ill for the ship's medical team to care for, they call the Coast Guard to provide a medical evacuation to an onshore hospital. Under the new rules, sick passengers would be sequestered indefinitely on board. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. 'This is necessary as shore-side medical facilities may reach full capacity and lose the ability to accept and effectively treat additional critically-ill patients,' the memo said. 'A potential evacuee has better access to comfortable surroundings and the medical staff on board the foreign passenger vessel where care is already being provided.' The document requires all ships in US waters to report their numbers of sick and dead on board each day or face civil penalties or criminal prosecution. The Coast Guard will decide if a transfer is absolutely necessary, but the cruise line would be responsible for arranging on-shore transportation and hospital beds. After years in exile, former vice president to Hafez al-Assad, Abdel-Halim Khaddam has passed away at his home in France. Former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam has died in France, aged 88, after several years in exile. Khaddam, who served as Syrias Vice President for several years under former President Hafez al-Assad, defected from the government in 2005 after a rift with the current leader, Bashar al-Assad. The former Syrian vice president would later join the Syrian opposition, where he would continue to denounce the Syrian president. Over the last few years of his life, rumors about Khaddams poor health were cited as the primary reason for his reluctance to speak publicly. The Syrian government has not announced the death of the former senior official. The Syrian opposition did not lament Khaddam either, except for his former partners in the so-called the Salvation Front, who mourned him warily. The Syrian people, who are more concerned about the coronavirus and their cheerless situation, have paid little attention to his death. Activists on Facebook, however, reminded everyone that Khaddam, despite opposing Bashar al-Assad, was loyal to the late President Hafez al-Assad, and did not disclose any of his secrets. In 2014, Khaddam acknowledged he was part of the Syrian regime, and stressed his willingness to appear before any commission of inquiry or Arab or international court in any case related to corruption. The Syrian Observer published an article entitled, Khaddam: I am Part of the Regime and Ready to Stand Trial. We republish the article below: Khaddam: I am Part of the Regime and Ready to Stand Trial Abdulhalim Khaddam challenged the regime to reveal a file of corruption that may convict him or any of his relatives. Former Syrian Vice President, Abdelhalim Khaddam acknowledged he was part of the Syrian regime, and stressed his willingness to appear before any commission of inquiry or Arab or international court in any case related to corruption. Khaddam was speaking in an interview with journalist Fahad al-Masri for the al-Masri al-Youm (The Egyptian Today), about the conspiracy by the regime. He said he recorded the methods of Bashar Assad as if on tape recorder, offering an insight in to the way the president directs the conspiracy. He said Assad directs things by accusing the young men who demonstrated demanding freedom and who worried about their future and the future of the country of plotting against the country. In addition, he accused some of them of being connected with terrorist organizations to kill the demonstrators. Khaddam added that the rule known by all dictatorships is that of oppression, inventing laws of conspiracy and accusing others of plotting. He did not deny that he was part of the regime apparatus. I was not the decision-maker and I had no role in domestic politics; the decision in the internal politics was in the hands of the head of state, and his basic tools were the security forces. I was responsible of preparing programs and actions for the implementation of foreign policy, and Im proud of everything I provided on basic and fundamental issues, he said. The regime did not commit large mistakes in foreign policy, and he did not make concessions to any country that might impair the safety of the Syrian land or the sovereignty of the state. regarding his responsibility for the Lebanon file, Khaddam said the security issues were not in the hands of the committee that ran the file, because all the security apparatus in Syria is directly linked to the head of state.. The Division of Military Intelligence, for example, is supposed to be related to the chief of staff or defense minister, but they do not know anything about the activities of Military Intelligence. All the reports go directly to the President, who decides what to do, he explained. Khaddam added that he had not worked on the Lebanese file since 1998. There was an election for the President of the Lebanese Republic and President Hafez Assad was heading towards Emile Lahoud. My view was that the advent of General Lahoud would disrupt Syria because Lebanon cannot stand a military president. I discussed the issue with President Hafez repeatedly but he insisted on his position. After the election of Lahoud, I informed the president that I could not follow the Lebanese file because President Lahoud knows my position towards the election and this does not serve our relations, because each command will be comprehended in accordance to my position towards him. So I gave up the Lebanese file, but sometimes there were some difficulties that needed my intervention with some Lebanese parties, so I would discuss the matter with them and so on. Khaddam challenged the regime to reveal a file of corruption that may convict him or any of his relatives. He also challenged the regime to launch an Arab or international commission of inquiry in this regard, expressing his readiness to implement the results and decisions of the commission of inquiry. Im not afraid at all of arrest, but I assure you that the Syrian people will soon put murderers and thieves in prison. I take the moral responsibility because I was part of the regime, this is true and I do not deny it, but I do not accept saying that I am in charge of all or part of the responsibility with respect to the crimes committed by the regime. On the work of his children, Khaddam explained: My older son is working in Saudi Arabia, and the younger one established a company with three non-Syrian partners. They have no relationship with Syria, even their products are not sold to any Syrian institution. Regarding the fate of Baath party after the fall of the regime, Khaddam said: We must distinguish between Baath Party in the 1950s, where the Baathists were not attracted to power, they were defending their people and their rights and issues of nationalism. When the country was in danger, they were not restrictive, they took part in the government of national unity, and the national responsibility was what motivated them. The current Baath Party, with its values and slogans, ended objectively on 22 February, 1958, when the unity between Syria and Egypt was declared. The former Baathists formed four parties, all of whom are led by ex-party members, and they have their own history. Each of them believes that he is the right one. Khaddam confirmed that the rebels will succeed in achieving their goals, and that Syria will regain its democratic system. He said Syrians will regain their full freedoms and will exercise their basic rights as citizens in rights and duties, and that the fate of the regime will be the fate of the regimes which are trialed by their people and are required to be held accountable. 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. More than 8,500 military doctors and support staff are ready to help the government in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, apart from 9,000 hospital beds that have been prepared to meet emergency requirements, the government was told by the armed forces on Wednesday. Review of the preparation of the armed forces to fight Covid-19 came during a video conference chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh. It was also attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat told the minister that the armed forces have made more than 9,000 hospital beds available for Covid-19 cases and separate hospitals have been earmarked to exclusively deal with the coronavirus. The armed forces have earmarked 28 service hospitals for managing Covid-19 cases. Also, five hospitals run by the armed forces are equipped to carry out Covid-19 tests and six more would be added to the list soon. Over 1,000 evacuees are quarantined at facilities in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Manesar, Hindon and Mumbai. Their quarantine period will end by April 7, Rawat said during the video conference that was attended by the top military and ministry brass. Last week, the army said it was prepared to extend its network of military hospitals and laboratory facilities to the civil administration to assist in managing Covid-19 hotspots. Lieutenant General Anup Banerji, who heads the Armed Forces Medical Services, said, Retired health professionals have also been kept in readiness to volunteer their servicesNecessary equipment has been procured and dispatched to various hospitals. Around 25,000 National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets are also being mobilised to provide necessary local assistance, said a defence ministry release. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said the air force had flown 25 tonnes of medical supplies during the last five days. He stressed that critical operational work was being undertaken with all necessary precautions. The essential medical supplies airlifted by the IAF include personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitizers, surgical gloves and thermal scanners, apart from medical personnel. Regular airlift of Covid-19 test samples from the Union Territory of Ladakh to Delhi is also being carried. Towards this, C-17, C-130, An-32, Avro and Dornier aircraft are being tasked on as required basis and IAF is adequately geared up to meet all the emerging demands, an IAF spokesperson said. During the video conference, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said warships were on standby to extend any assistance required. Defence Research and Development Organisation chief said a five-layered nanotechnology face mask N99 was being manufactured on a war footing. He said 10,000 masks have already been made and production would soon be raised to 20,000 masks daily. He said 50,000 litres of sanitizers made by DRDO labs have been supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 other face masks to Delhi Police. DRDO has also made arrangements to manufacture 20,000 PPE kits per day. It is also engaged in modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time. The defence minister directed all the organisations under the ministry to redouble their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. ... Description GIS - 01 April, 2020: Several measures have been put in place by Government to cater for the pedagogical needs of students and to support motor vehicle owners amid the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. These were announced, today, by the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, and the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Mr Alan Ganoo, during a press briefing held at the Treasury Building in Port Louis. As at date, Mauritius has 147 positive Covid-19 cases, including 5 deaths. Vice-Prime Minister Dookun-Luchoomun pointed out that as from 6 April 2020, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) will broadcast educational lessons on four channels for students from Grade 1 to Grade 9. These lessons have been prepared with the collaboration of the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), the Open University of Mauritius, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and teachers, she added. The details are as follows: Grade 1 to Grade 6 Lessons will be telecasted from 8 30 hours to 15 00 hours on four MBC channels Grade 7 to Grade 9 Lessons will be broadcasted as from 15 00 hours on four MBC Channels Online lessons will be available on the Student Support Portal of the Ministry Grade 10 to Grade 13 Two platforms have been put in place, namely Zoom and Microsoft 365 for teachers to conduct online classes and upload lessons. Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun indicated that all information will be available on the website of the MIE and she called on teachers and parents to remain connected to the Ministrys website for more updates. The MIE, she said, is also catering for pre-primary school learners and for students with special education needs. As for the tertiary sector, she stated that courses are already being conducted online through different platforms. With regards to the support provided to motor vehicle owners, Minister Ganoo announced that Government has decided to grant an automatic three-month extension to owners of vehicles whose Motor Vehicle Licence (road tax) is expiring this 31st day of March 2020. This measure applies to private cars and public service vehicles such as taxis, contract buses/cars, public service buses and goods vehicles (lorries and vans). The minister further pointed out that the payment of motor vehicle licence for any vehicle type has been exceptionally extended till 30 June 2020. When the Curfew Order will be over, upon renewal, the Motor Vehicle Licence, the Public Service Vehicle Licence or the Carriers Licence will be deemed to have taken effect as from the date of its expiry. The National Land Transport Authority will not impose the 50% surcharge on road tax as provided by the Road Traffic Act, added the Minister. The Minister also said that for any individual whose fitness certificate has expired, that person will be allowed to use his vehicle only in exceptional circumstances, that is, in case of a person holding a valid work permit access delivered by the Commissioner of Police, a medical emergency, or whereby a person has to purchase essential food items or necessities, subject to the vehicle having a valid insurance cover. #ResOuLakaz #BeSafeMoris Nearly 2,000 followers of the Tablighi Jamaat from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are estimated to have attended the March 15-17 congregation of the Islamic missionary movement in New Delhis Nizamuddin, which has since emerged as a coronavirus (Covid-19) hotspot, raising deep concern among governments of the two states at a time when the pace of the diseases spread has escalated. Also read: States rush to track down over 3K who attended Delhi event Telangana officials said six people from the state, who attended the congregation, had died of Covid-19, and the government was trying to trace the people who they had been in contact with. Andhra Pradesh discovered 11 people who had been infected by the virus after attending the event; three contacts too tested positive. At least 25-30 people from each district of the two Telugu-speaking states attended the congregation, said a statement released by the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday. Telangana has 33 districts and Andhra Pradesh 13 districts. The Andhra government has so far identified around 800 people who attended the Jamaat congregation. The Telangana government has identified 1,030 people who did so. Officials are gathering information from the event organisers, police officials, the railway department as they travelled in trains, and from various other sources and tracking down everyone, said the statement released by AP chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy s office on Tuesday evening. According to a bulletin issued by the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday, as many as 17 new positive cases of Covid-19 had been detected in the state since Monday night. Out of these, as many as 14 were connected to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation: 11 of them had attended the event and three are relatives of attendees. Chief minister Reddy, expressing concern over the development, appealed to the people who attended the congregation and the people they came in contact with to voluntarily step forward for medical treatment. He ordered the health department and the police to coordinate and identify fellow travellers of the Jamaat, test them, and shift them to quarantine centres in case they exhibited any symptoms. In Telangana, health minister Etala Rajender asked all those who returned from the congregation to get themselves tested and remain under quarantine so that the disease doesnt spread. Mohammad Irfan, a professor of electronics at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Nuzvid, in Andhra Pradeshs Krishna district, who attended the Nizamuddin event, said it was a peaceful congregation of Jamaat members to reaffirm their faith in Islam. He said no one exhibited any Covid-19 symptoms at the event. We returned safely on March 18. Later, I was put in quarantine at Nellore government hospital along with a few others. So far, none of us has developed any symptoms for Covid-19 and we are safe. We are being taken care of by the doctors and government officials well. There is no need to create unnecessary panic about the Delhi meeting, Irfan said on the phone from quarantine. Mohammad Akbar, who runs a business renting out tents for outdoor functions in Vijayawada, said he, too, had returned from the Delhi convention without any symptoms of Covid-19. Maybe a small number of people might have tested positive for Coronavirus, but I can say 95% of those who returned from there are safe. As per the government instructions, I am maintaining home quarantine since my return, Akbar said. According to the official statement, arrangements for the Tablighi Jamaat followers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to participate in the congregation were supervised by Ikram Ali, leader of the organisation based in Hyderabads Mallepall, who took care of their accommodation and food. HT couldnt reach Ikram Ali , whose phone was switched off. In Telangana, out of the 1,030 people who were identified as having attended the meeting, as many as 603 were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. We conducted a joint operation in coordination with the health department since Monday night and started tracing the people who came in contact with those who attended the congregation, said Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation commissioner Lokesh Kumar. Six people from Telangana who attended the congregation died in hospitals after they were infected by the Coovid-19 virus, a statement from the chief ministers office on Monday night. On Tuesday, 15 more tested positive. Apart from Greater Hyderabad, the other districts that recorded a high number of travellers to Delhi included Nizamabad (80), Nalgonda (45),Warangal Urban (38) and Adilabad (30 ) . Telangana police said they were are on the lookout for those who came in contact with the six people who died of Covid-19, after returning from the Tablighi Jamaat event. Director-general of police, M Mahender Reddy, who held a teleconference with officials late on Monday, directed all district officials to immediately trace the contacts and put them under quarantine. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Years of writing about and studying entrepreneurship and innovation have helped me understand that that every problem is a potential opportunity. Yes, an entrepreneurship mindset seems trite today as stores close and job loses soar. No one wants to talk about opportunities when so many people here and overseas are struggling. Positives are hard to find in a pandemic that has upended our way of life. Many Australians are currently struggling but there does need to be forward thinking about business growth on the other side of this crisis. Credit:istock However, "building a bridge" to get to the other side of this health and economic crisis, as the federal government puts it, is not enough. Business needs to be stronger when it gets there. We will need more creators, innovators and entrepreneurs in commercial and social enterprises, large and small. We will need people with new and expanded skills. People who, perhaps, look at work problems differently after coronavirus and can turn them into opportunities and create value for their employer, the community and themselves. People who take their career in new directions. The United States has more confirmed COVID-19 cases than any other nation, and experts predict the numbers will peak in April . The true scope of the pandemic will be difficult to gauge, because testing here remains limited , but experts have been unequivocal that tracking the spread of the virus is crucial for fighting it.Thats why Biobot Analytics , a startup that launched three years ago out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is repurposing its wastewater testing technology to find coronavirus in sewers and offering it practically for free to local government.Citing new studies that show the virus is shed in stool, Biobot started a pro bono program two weeks ago, in collaboration with researchers at MIT and Harvard University. The companys website says its shipping sampling kits and instructions at cost about $120 to wastewater treatment facilities that fill out an application , recommending that they take a couple samples a week and mail them back for analysis.According to Co-Founder and President Newsha Ghaeli, as of last week, Biobot had shipped about 30 kits to wastewater facilities across the country. She said the various predictive models used by experts to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on the health-care system are based on the number of confirmed cases, and she hopes wastewater data can be an additional input to make those models more accurate.The reason were doing this is, patient testing is very limited. So if only 2,000 [tests] are being administered in the state of New York, and 200,000 people are infected, then were only ever going to know that up to 2,000 people have the disease. We think wastewater epidemiology can help capture all the other individuals that arent being tested because theres limited access to tests, she said. Furthermore, its been shown that some patients are asymptomatic so our technology can also capture those patients.Not unlike the companys work detecting opioids in wastewater, Ghaeli said shes hopeful that Biobots data will give governments and health officials a better idea of the prevalence of the virus in specific communities and over time, whether the figure is increasing, decreasing or leveling off.Theres a group of folks working on forecasting the impact of this. Where are we going to be in six or 10 weeks? she said. Were hopeful our data can help them in those predictions. We dont want to create anything additional, just make those forecasts a little more accurate.Biobots website says its testing could also help track the effectiveness of interventions and offer early warnings if the virus re-emerges, if it proves to have a seasonal cycle.Ghaeli was uncertain how long Biobots coronavirus testing program will go the outbreak is still evolving, she said, and the company is trying to be flexible enough to respond to whats happening. For now, Biobot will continue sampling weekly for the next six to eight weeks, then re-evaluate with participants whether they want to continue. The above philosophical views could give us an insight into what our rights and duties are in this hour of crisis. My own take is that we owe a duty to our community, strangers though they might be, to see the world as they see it, understand their vulnerabilities and concerns and do something about it. by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne writing from Montreal In a previous article, I addressed issues of accountability for the spread of the Coronavirus. In this article, I wish to address the human rights and duties that we have as social beings and our part in the social contract theory. The operative question is when our leaders prescribe certain laws and guidelines for our social intercourse with others with a view to arresting the spread of Covid-19, how much are we obligated to adhere to them as individuals? We must start with the initial premise that in our social setting, we are a community of strangers and we owe certain duties to those whom we know as well as those we do not know so as not to adversely affect their welfare. The fact that all of us are bound together in the global order is in the Preamble of the United Nations Charter which starts with the plural first person: We The Peoples of The United Nations Determinedto reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is particularly relevant in this context: Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. On a national basis a good example is the United States Constitution which starts with We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. These statements resonate the fundamental truth that we are one both globally and nationally. As opposed to this we could be libertarians, which means that we could behave according to our free will and our individual judgment. On the other hand, we could conduct ourselves in the realization that we owe duties to one another in our communities. In 1762, around the time the United States Constitution was adopted, Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced the social contract theory where Rousseau argues that laws are obligatory and binding only when they are accepted and supported by the general will of the people. This theory, which focuses on the individuals rights as against those of the sovereign, has been endorsed by philosophers such as John Locke (1632-1704). Thomas Hobbes (1588 -1679),in defining contract in his book Leviathan (1651) says that it is "the mutual transferring of right" and that, in the state of nature, everyone has the right to everything - there are no limits to the right of natural liberty. This view seems to favour the sovereign over the individuals choice. The Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1766) on the other hand propounded the theory that the social contract carries with it a moral obligation to obey government to keep promises based on a fundamental obligation to further the common good, promise-keeping being greatly in the public interest. This has been explained as: The duty of allegiance to ones government derives from utility, not agreement, consent, or promise. The reason why one has a duty to obey the government (when one does) is that such obedience maximizes societys total utility. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) had his own theory on human rights and duties. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy presents Hegels philosophy of right as:Abstract Right, Morality, and Ethical Life. Each of these divisions is further subdivided triadically: under Abstract Right there is Property, Contract, and Wrong; under Morality falls Purpose and Responsibility, Intention and Welfare, and Good and Conscience; finally, under Ethical Life comes the Family, Civil Society, and the State. These last subdivisions are further subdivided into triads, with fourth level subdivisions occurring under Civil Society and the State. Turning to our own faith, The Holy Prophet Mohamed is quoted as having said: The faithful, in their love for one another and in their having mercy for one another and in their kindness toward one another, are like one body; when a member of it ails, all (the parts of) the body call one another (to share the pain) through sleeplessness and fever. Abd al-Rahman Azzam his article Social Responsibility in Islam says: The difference between Islam and most other religions is that it did not content itself with merely establishing acts of worship and abandon the needs of society to a Caesar or any form of temporal governing body. Rather, Islam established ways of conduct, relationships, and rights and obligations for the individual vis-a-vis members of his family and the nation and for the nation vis-a-vis other nations. In Luke 10:29-37 a lawyer asks Jesus and who is my neighbour in response to Jesus teaching: love thy neighbour as thyself. Jesus then teaches the Parable of the Good Samaritan with the ultimate truth that one who has mercy on another is ones neighbour. Hinduism posits that each person has a moral compass to guide one's life by cultivating family and social values to fulfil the social responsibilities towards the weak and the needy. The above philosophical views could give us an insight into what our rights and duties are in this hour of crisis. My own take is that we owe a duty to our community, strangers though they might be, to see the world as they see it, understand their vulnerabilities and concerns and do something about it. One final word about the angels of our better nature the doctors, nurses, other health workers and support staff - who are out there, trying to save our lives. Jack Kornfield in his essay The Buddhist Path and Social Responsibility quotes the enlightened one - The Buddha - as having said: The real strength--is in people who are not afraid to die. These are people who have touched the very source of their being, who have looked into themselves in such a deep way that they understand and acknowledge and accept death, and in a way, have already died. They have seen beyond the separateness of the ego's shell, and they bring to life the fearlessness and the caring born of love and truth. This is a force that can meet the force of someone who is not afraid to kill. That is why the whole world is applauding and serenading them from their balconies all over the world, and the church bells are ringing. 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. Trucks carrying goods have sought government intervention for extending the due date of payment of road tax and GST to September 30 amid growing concerns of penalizing truck drivers during the lockdown period. After the Centre relaxed norms on expired national permits we have also requested the government to grant extension on payment of road tax. The issue of e-way bill expiry is yet to be resolved. There is a growing concern of overzealous personnel extorting and penalizing truckers once the trucks start moving. Other concerns about, insurance premium, goods tax, road tax etc. too needs to be addressed urgently. On an average we are facing a loss of Rs 2000 crore per day, Kultaran Singh Atwal, president All India Motor Transport Congress said. Under GST, transporters have to carry an e-way bill for movement of goods. More than 85% of the trucking population is of small operators having one to five trucks and once their wheels stop moving there is no other source of income for them. In the ongoing lockdown, there is no business or revenue inflow to the transporter. Given the present critical situation of the trade, the poor truckers and transporters are devastated and the situation has been further aggravated by the lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis. It will be very difficult for them to pay road tax, goods tax or token tax till September 30, a letter written to Union Minister for Road Transport and highways Nitin Gadakri by the apex body of registered goods trucks said. Transport associations have also raised concerns with the ministry of road transport and highways alleging non-compliance of the ministry of home affairs order to all states allowing transport of both essential and non-essential goods. MHAs order has not percolated to the ground level even though operators want their vehicles to move. Trucks are still being stopped at various state borders and many complaints of vehicles being stopped have come from states like Delhi, UP and Haryana. We are also getting reports of consignors pushing transporters to move fresh loads. There is no staff left, no labour, traders, factories and workshops are also closed, and the drivers have no facilities for eating or basic shelter, Singh said. The transport ministry has also discussed the issue of the logjam across highways with lakhs of trucks stranded as movement has been stalled since the lockdown, with the home ministry. The lockdown left nearly six lakh cargo carrying trucks stranded across the country. The home ministry on March 29 had allowed transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential items during the lockdown period. In a clarification issued on March 29, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had said the changes have been incorporated as addendum in the consolidated guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act five days ago. Thirty-seven people were arrested and six shops sealed in different parts of Kashmir on Wednesday on the charge of violating the prohibitory orders imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, the police said. While in Awantipora area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district seven people were arrested, 15 were held in Vilgam area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district. Seven people were booked in Handwara, a spokesperson said. In Kralgund area of Kupwara, six shops were sealed and the shopkeepers arrested for violating the prohibitory orders. In Sadder area of Srinagar, two shopkeepers, both residents of Chanpora area of the city, were booked for defying the prohibitory orders, he said. Cases have been registered against all these persons, the spokesperson said and requested people to follow the restrictions imposed by government in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He warned that those violating the restrictions will be dealt with strictly. Most of the roads in the Valley have been sealed off and barriers erected at several places by security forces to check the unwanted movement of the people and to enforce the lockdown for containing the spread of the infection. Educational institutions across Kashmir have been closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants have been shut down more than a week before the nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Minister. While the Prime Minister announced the country-wide lockdown on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till 31 March as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The total number of positive cases in the union territory has gone up to 55 as six new cases were detected on Tuesday. Two patients both from the Valley -- have succumbed, while two one each Kashmir and Jammu -- have recovered. The administration on Tuesday declared 20 areas in Kashmir as red zones following detection of fresh cases of COVID-19 in the valley. The 20 areas are in Bandipora, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Shopian, Srinagar and Budgam districts of Kashmir division. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MUSCATINE With planting season just around the corner and the average farmer being in the high-risk category for infection by COVID-19, many area seed providers are working to keep social distance while still providing the seed that will become the worlds food supply. Virgil Schmitt of the Iowa State University Extension for southeast Iowa does not believe the COVID-19 outbreak will greatly impact agricultural production this year in the United States, but he said businesses have had to modify their normal practices. He added ag sales have not been impacted a great deal. The biggest issue is the average age of a farmer is just under 60 years old, which means there are a high percentage of them which the CDC would put in the high-risk category, Schmitt said. So, I think that is my major concern. As you take a look at how it would impact us during the growing season, assuming everyone stays healthy, is that we are hearing people are changing the ways they are operating. An example Schmitt gave is that instead of the face-to-face interaction of buying seed, farmers are now making seed purchases over the phone. They then pull a truck up to a seed supply dealer, where their truck is loaded while they wait inside the cab. The engineering fraternity of Mizoram on Wednesday joined a host of politicians, corporates and other associations in extending financial help to the state government in its fight against the deadly coronavirus. The Mizoram Engineering Service Association (MESA), an umbrella body of graduate engineers, donated a sum of Rs 10 lakh, PWD Engineer-in-Chief K Lalsawmvela told PTI. The state has so far reported one positive case of COVID-19. The donations were collected from 332 MESA members based on their payscale and contributed towards the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, he said. Four departments the PWD, power, publich health engineering and minor irrigation & water resources form the MESA. Besides, there are 41 associate members from different departments, including the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC), polution control board and police & industries, Lalsawmvela said. Till Tuesday, 40 state legislators contributed a total of Rs 21.26 lakh to the CMRF, while over Rs 73 lakh has been donated by at least seven individuals, eight churches, 23 associations and two private enterprises, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thomas Abraham, 93, and his wife Mariyamma, 88, both have been fully cured after days of life-and-death battle against the deadly virus. The secret behind their recovery seems to be the healthy lifestyle they have been leading. IMAGE: Thomas Abraham, 93, and Mariyamma, 88, in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. Photograph: PTI Photo At 93 years of age, Thomas Abraham has simple wants Pazhankanji, Kerala's own super food made of rice gruel, and tapioca or jackfruit snacks. And that's what he insisted on eating while confined in the isolation ward after becoming India's oldest COVID-19 survivor in what is being dubbed by the medical community as a 'miracle cure'. Thomas and his wife Mariyamma, 88, both have been fully cured after days of life-and-death battle against the deadly virus which they contracted from their son, daughter-in-law and grandson who returned from Italy last month. All three have also recovered fully and are now waiting for the return of the miracle couple home. Doctors say the couple will probably be discharged on Wednesday from the Kottayam Medical College Hospital where they were in critical condition for days. Coronavirus is known to be especially deadly for elderly people. The secret behind their recovery seems to be the healthy lifestyle they have been leading, said Rijo Moncy, their grandson half-jokingly. He said Thomas, a farmer in Ranni sub-division of Pathanamthitta district, is a very healthy person being a teetotaller and non-smoker. Even without going to the gym, he had a six-pack body. "It's a miracle that they survived the pandemic and the doctors and the health officials have put in their all efforts to save them," said Rijo who works in Italy in the radiology field. He and his parents, who also have been living in Italy for many years, praised the state government, which also has the distinction of having cured India's first three coronavirus cases earlier. "We were planning to come to Kerala in August but advanced the journey as my grandfather insisted that we should visit him soon. However, now we feel that it was a blessing or else we would have been in Italy right now," Rijo told PTI. Italy is the hardest hit country in the world with more than 11,500 fatalities and over 1,01,700 infections, as per the latest reports. "I used to live with my grandfather during my higher studies and we are really close. He insisted that we should visit him as soon as possible. He also said that they had a better chance of survival in Kerala rather than in Italy. "The government there passed off the initial signs of coronavirus as seasonal common flu. But later it got out of their hands. The area where we are staying in Italy is not that affected," he added. "We are sure that the good and efficient medical team in Kerala helped us to get cured from the pandemic. If we were in Italy, we might not have survived," he said. Asked about their favourite food, he said while his grandfather loves 'Pazhankanji' made of rice gruel, 'Kappa' (tapioca) and 'chakka' (jackfruit) snacks, his grandmother loved fish. Even while at the isolation ward, grandpa asked for his 'Pazhankanji' and coconut chutney and 'kappa' etc and these were provided to him, he said. "They were waiting for us to come (from Italy) and fill the home with fun and laughter. But... Now, we are eagerly waiting for their homecoming. We were told they are likely to be discharged by Wednesday", he said. The family has already prepared fish curry, fish fry and rice and hoping the elderly couple would soon reach home. The couple have three children, seven grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Besides his parents and grandparents, Rijo's sister and brother-in-law and his father's elder brother were among those infected by the virus in the family. "Grandparents had age related complications. But the nurses and the doctors of Kottayam Medical College considered them as their own family and took care of them. We are really thankful to the government, health minister and the chief minister for the care we got," Rijo said. Rijo's sister and brother-in-law, both nurses, had arrived from Italy eight months ago. Along with the seven-member team of doctors who led the treatment, 40 medical staff including 25 nurses actively took part in various stages of treatment. The central district of Pathnamthitta has 7,486 people under observation, 19 in isolation wards and five positive cases in hospitals. WOOD RIVER Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended his stay-at-home executive order until April 30 in an effort to continue flattening the curve of the coronavirus spread. His action comes as the Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported an additional 937 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths statewide, for a total of 5,994 infected and 99 deaths. In Madison County, the Madison County Health Department has reported 18 cases but no deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. Patients ranged in age from their 30s to 70s. That number was not reflected in state totals which on Tuesday listed the county as having 16 cases. Officials have said different figures may occur because the numbers are fluid and positive cases may be reported too late to be reflected in the daily totals at either the state or county. On its website, health department officials encouraged residents to limit their information intake in light of the overload of information out there. They suggested people visit local and state public health resources and only check them a few times a day. In St. Clair County, the number of cases rose to 43 with two deaths, according to Tuesdays state figures. The second COVID-19 related death there was identified as a woman in her 30s with underlying health conditions. Totals for other surrounding Illinois county include Bond, 2; Montgomery, 2; Clinton, 7; Washington, 1; and Monroe, 3. On Tuesday, Pritzker acknowledged the state has had a difficult COVID-19 journey. More Information Madison County accepting PPE donations WOOD RIVER - Madison County is accepting donations of personal protective equipment to assist in the COVID-19 response. Businesses, medical and nursing schools and residents can donate unused Personal Protective Equipment from 9 a.m. to noon through Friday, April 2 at the Madison County Wood River warehouse at 101 E. Edwardsville Road, Wood River. Items needed include: Masks: N-95 (equivalent or higher), surgical, or procedural Gowns: Isolation and non-surgical (all sizes) Gloves: Nitrile, sterile, and surgical (all sizes) Eye Protection: Goggles, safety glasses (fluid shield) Face Shields Sani Cloth Germicidal Disinfecting Surface Wipes Hand Sanitizer (any size) Thermometers: Forehead or temporal only. Homemade masks will be accepted and distributed as agencies determine their ability to use them in accordance with IDPH or CDC guidelines. "Our first responders and medical professionals are a vital part of the fight against coronavirus ," County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said. "Keeping them safe is a top priority so they can continue to care for our residents." Emergency Management Agency Director Tony Falconio said donated items should be unopened and in the original manufacturer's packaging. Open packages and donations of other materials will not be accepted at the county's location. No monetary or food items will be taken by the county. Questions about donations can be emailed to ema@co.madison.il.us. People wishing to volunteer with the Madison County Medical Reserve Corps, which assists the Madison County Health Department, can contact Cathy Paone at cmpaone@co.madison.il.us. See More Collapse Each step, we have been forced to take by this pandemic has made things more challenging for our residents, he said. The goal is to save lives. We need to maintain our course and keep working to flatten the curve. On March 13 Pritzker announced the closure of all K-12 schools. On March 20, he issued his stay at home order. On Tuesday he said extending that order will permit essential activities that will allow Illinoisans to meet their necessities while maintaining social distance from others. Grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies and other businesses providing services deemed essential will not close. Extending the stay-at-home order is key to slowing the spread of the virus, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. She said the major concern is the rise in the number of cases will stretch the states medical facilities and supplies beyond its limit. Pritzker said reports from hospitals statewide show 41 percent of adult ICU beds are empty, which means they are staffed and ready for immediate patient use. Thats down 2 percent in a week. As far as ventilators, 68 percent are available statewide, a 4 percent drop in a week. Statewide, about 35 percent of total ICU beds and about 24 percent of ventilators are occupied by COVID patients, state officials said. From all the modeling weve seen, our greatest risk of hitting capacity is not now but weeks from now., Pritzker said. We must not let up now. Recent models suggest the pandemic will peak sometime in mid-to-late April. We do know these numbers will increase, Ezike said. However, she emphasized the majority of those infected do not suffer severe illness, do not require hospitalization. She also said public health officials, including the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, continue to look at the COVID-19 related death of a Chicago-area infant. Pritzker on Tuesday also spent time talking about the effects of the extension on educators and students. He recognized the creativity of educators for remarkably able and agile methods to provide education and meals. He also noted schools will transition from Act of God Days to remote learning days. All these days will count toward the school year, and no days will have to be made up, he said. He also said the difference from in-person to remote learning will have some impact. He cautioned that, because of the negative impact on students learning, grades should be used as feedback and not an implement of compliance. Our first response must be empathy, he said, adding it was OK for students to be sad about all the missed activities and events. Dont beat yourself up over being human, he told students, adding there are numerous resources available for those suffering from overwhelming issues. He said students should focus on the fundamental goodness of people, citing several examples of people helping others. Be one of the people who finds a way to help, he said. Its not the school year you bargained for, and Im sorry for that. He also said the Illinois Department of Corrections is continuing actions to prevent the spread of the virus in the states prison population, including a review of low-risk inmates and their release when possible. One inmate at Stateville Correctional Center has died from COVID-19, he said, and 300 inmates had been released. All have been thoroughly vetted to make sure they have no history of violence.and homes to go home to, he said of those being released, adding they were balancing the need to free up space with concerns about releasing those who might be a danger to their communities. He said IDOC currently has 36,944 inmates in custody, the lowest number since the 1990s. Any inmate who becomes ill with COVID-19 will receive the same treatment as anybody else, he said. An incarcerated person is a person, and my administration will not be in the business of claiming one life is more important than another, Pritzker said. He added that hospitals refusing to accept DOC patients will be called out by name and action will be taken against them. He said Illinois prison system needs to be overhauled and there will be a real conversation about criminal justice reform when the COVID0-19 crisis is over. Almost a fifth of the UK's small businesses could go bust within a month, despite billions of pounds of grants, loans and tax relief pledged by the government to help firms through the coronavirus pandemic. Research by a UK-wide network of accountants suggests that up to a million firms will run out of cash in the next four weeks, putting around four million people out of a job. The Corporate Finance Network, a group of accountants that conducted the research, assessed the finances of some of their 12,000 clients. They found that 18 per cent would not be able to access government support and would collapse in four weeks. A separate survey of 600 firms by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) pointed to a similar cashflow emergency. Most firms only have up to three months' cash in reserve and one in five have enough for a month or less. The government has sought to avoid large-scale job losses by offering to pay 80 per cent of the wages of employees with no work to do during the crisis but some companies are still likely to run out of money.itBut job losses have soared. Since 16 March, 950,000 people have claimed for Universal Credit, up from an average of 100,000 over a normal two-week period. Many firms are struggling to access a 330bn pot of government-backed loans designed to keep them afloat as trade slows drastically thanks to social distancing measures that have shut down large parts of the economy. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said earlier this month that business owners would be able to go into a high street bank and obtain a loan of up to 5m. But many have complained that they have been asked for personal guarantees that mean they could have to sell their assets if they cannot repay some of the debt. Only then will the government step in to cover up to 80 per cent of the bank's losses on the loan. Others firms have complained that lenders have only offered them loans at high rates of interest while some SMEs have been turned down altogether. Critics say banks are blocking money getting to businesses and profiteering from a crisis. John Burnie, managing director of Southampton-based boat builder, Discovery Yachts, said his business could collapse if the government's support is not delivered soon. The company has around five weeks of cash left before it won't be able to pay its 100 staff. I personally cant see a situation in which the government can provide the money before June, by which it will be far too late," said Mr Burnie. More frustrating still is the fact that commercial bank loans could not only help pay staff, but also our suppliers. Rather than just survive this could actually mean kickstarting our supply chain. "However, lack of government direction has meant that these loans are near impossible to come by. The government must act fast or risk many more businesses going under." The group is proposing that the government facilitates the takeover of struggling firms by other businesses in the same sector that are in a strong financial position. Kirsty McGregor, founder of The Corporate Finance Network said: We already have in place a portal to advertise businesses on, accountants on standby to advise on the structure of any deal, and lawyers to prepare the legal documentation, all working to minimum fees using streamlined agreements, and all can be finalised to launch within a week. Ms McGregor wants the government to distribute grants via the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP Network) and the equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "In addition, it would require a series of tax reliefs for corporation tax and longer term capital gains tax which represents a return for the risk the government is asking companies to take when merging with a failing business. We have some excellent entrepreneurial business owners in the UK, but they are not usually motivated or indeed accustomed to make acquisitions, often perceiving such deals as high-risk, and complicated. A spokesperson for the Treasury said: "The chancellor has been clear that banks should support small and medium-sized businesses during these difficult times. "That is why we're taking unprecedented action to support firms, jobs and our economy through 330bn in business loans and guarantees, paying 80 per cent of the wages of furloughed workers for three months, VAT and tax deferrals, introducing cash grants of up to 25,000 for small companies and covering the cost of statutory sick pay. "We're working with the financial services sector to ensure that companies feel the full benefits from this support." The seventh annual Advocacy Day for Access and Independence in South Carolina turned into a virtual rally as advocates live-streamed their speeches because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 15 activists, legislators and disability advocates connected on Wednesday to cover a wide range of topics and issues that greatly impact the state's disability community. Those issues ranged from employment and transportation to voting. The event is hosted by Able South Carolina and the SC Access & Independence Network. During the virtual rally, organizers were able to include captions and an American Sign Language interpreter for all of their speeches. They touched on the need for more competitive wages and employment opportunities and the impact that a lack of transportation and housing can have on a person with a disability. This year's Advocacy Day also fell on the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a law that specifically prohibits any discrimination based on a person's disability. A reoccurring theme that appeared in many of the presentations were the circumstances that led speakers to the live-stream the need for social distancing during the pandemic. Some of the advocates emphasized to South Carolina's disability community that now is best time to reach out to representatives and legislators to make sure their concerns are addressed. With the health care industry seeing a heavy impact, some fear the community is being overlooked and having their own necessary care rationed to them. "Your voice can be heard even though we cannot physically be together," said Robbie Kopp, the director of advocacy and community access for Able SC. "We cannot be overlooked." Grace Trumpower is a South Carolina resident who gave a speech during the event. She was born with cerebral palsy and is also a member of Able SC's Equip, a young adult leadership group that focuses on empowering youth with disabilities. During the virtual rally, she spoke on disability pride and self advocacy. After touching on some of her earlier experience with self-advocacy as a child she also talked about her own struggle with building pride and fully advocating for herself. Trumpower said she used to say such things as people like her didn't get married or have jobs. Now that has changed. She encourages everyone to practice self-advocacy any way they can since it takes many forms. "We deserve to knock down these barriers. ... We all matter," she said. "We are not asking for too much." Some of those things include transportation and jobs. "Don't apologize for your needs," she said. Legislators, such as Rep. Neal Collins, R-Pickens, and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, were also in attendance and announced their support for the community. Chris Whitmire, a spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission, said they are hoping to do more with voting accessibility for the community with the coronavirus pandemic. The closing speaker for the event was Judy Heumann, a disability activist recognized internationally for her work in advocating for people with disabilities. As a baby, she was diagnosed with polio and requires the use of a wheelchair. She commended organizers for still being able to get the event together despite not being able to meet on the steps of the Statehouse. She also emphasized this being the best time to reach out to representatives about addressing issues. This is to help support the fight against any kind of bias. And with more elections coming in the fall, there should also be a fight to ensure that every vote is counted, she said. "We are trying to speak in a united voice," she said. "The message needs to get out." India's fiscal deficit in 2020-21 may shoot up to 6.2 per cent of the GDP from 3.5 per cent government estimate as a fallout of the Covid-19 economic stimulus package, Fitch Solutions said on Wednesday. With businesses disrupted due to the lockdown and its ripple effects, revenue will come under "heavy pressure" and may force the government to look towards additional borrowing and/or a higher central bank dividend to fund its expenditure, it said. "At Fitch Solutions, we are revising our forecast for India's FY2020/21 (AprilMarch) central government fiscal deficit to widen to 6.2 per cent of GDP, from 3.8 per cent of GDP previously (estimated by Fitch Solutions), which reflects our view that the government will miss its initial target of 3.5 per cent by a wider margin," the agency said. Underpinning the revised forecast are weaker revenue collection as a result of a sharp virus-driven downturn in economic activity and higher expenditures aimed at softening Covid-19's economic shock. Stating that weak economic activity will likely see revenue collection contract in 2020-21, Fitch Solutions said receipts may contract by 1 per cent from a growth of 11.8 per cent previously. "We have revised our FY2020/21 real GDP growth forecast to 4.6 per cent, from 5.4 per cent previously, to reflect our view for growth to weaken further from our estimate of 4.9 per cent in FY2019/20 due to both economic disruptions due to domestic movement restrictions and weak global demand," it said. The government declared a 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning March 25. "The rushed implementation of the lockdown which gave its citizens only a few hours to prepare has reportedly caused many rural migrants in the cities to be left without food and shelter, prompting them to return to their villages, either on the last remaining carriers or on foot." The mass migration of such workers raises a significant risk of a larger Covid-19 outbreak across the country, it said, adding the rural areas reportedly have fewer coronavirus cases versus the cities as of end-March and the perceived safety of the rural areas has given another reason for the migrant workers to return home. "As such, we see virus-led economic disruptions extending for several quarters, which will weigh heavily on personal and corporate income tax collections for the year," it said. At the same time, expenditures are expected to surge as the government responds to the Covid-19 crisis both on an economic and social front over 2020-21. "We forecast expenditures to rise by 22.2 per cent despite lower revenue collection," it said. "Faced with a humanitarian crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we believe that the central government will have no choice but to increase their spending, over and above what they have planned for in 2020-21 Union Budget and the Rs 1.7 lakh crore (0.8 per cent of GDP) fiscal stimulus package it released on March 26." The package included cash handouts, free food for the poor, medical insurance for medical staff, and a temporary regulatory amendment for employees of small companies to dip into their pension fund to fund their expenditures in the meantime. Fitch Solutions said the Rs 1.7 lakh crore fiscal stimulus is "inadequate to provide support the economy of India's size amid a likely global recession". "In contrast, countries such as Singapore and the US have already announced stimulus packages worth 11 per cent and 10 per cent of GDP, respectively, and still are prepared to do more if necessary," it said. "As such, we expect additional stimulus packages to be announced by the Indian central government over the coming months, and have accordingly factored this into our deficit forecast revision. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) H ealth Secretary Matt Hancock has called on pharmaceutical giants to develop new coronavirus testing solutions in the fight to ramp up diagnostic capabilities. The Government faces increasing pressure to boost the rate of Covid-19 testing as the UK far lags behind other countries like Germany, South Korea and Australia. Currently about 8,000 tests a day are being carried out, and the Government has admitted only 2,000 of the half a million NHS staff on the frontline have so far been tested. Mr Hancock said he used a virtual meeting with suppliers on Wednesday to launch a new challenge for industry to develop innovative solutions to overcome some of the main obstacles to scaling up capacity. Boris Johnson update on what's being done to help the NHS The Health Secretary, who has tested positive for the virus, said: "Testing is a crucial aspect of our coronavirus battleplan, and we are working day and night to increase our national testing capacity. "I'm determined we must rise to this challenge as a country." "So I've called together our pharmaceutical giants and testing specialists to call on them to build a scale of diagnostic capability never before seen in this country. "It is a huge task but they know they have the have the full support of this Government as we work towards this common goal in the national interest, as part of our national effort to tackle coronavirus. "Many companies are already working urgently to assist us in this and I'm delighted that so many more are looking to step up to this challenge. Loading.... The focus was on delivering national virus and immunity tests at scale, to help key workers and those in the community to know if they have or have had the virus, according to the Health Department. Boris Johnson earlier shared a video message from self-isolation to say the UK will "unlock the coronavirus puzzle" thanks to "ramped up testing." The Prime Minister filmed the update from Number 10, where he has spent the past five days in self-isolation after contracting Covid-19. London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /66 London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA An empty Millenium Bridge PA A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Waterloo station looking empty PA Getty Images A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Getty Images The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A deserted Chinatown PA A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP Westminster Bridge is deserted PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn Addressing the public, Mr Johnson said Wednesday had been a sad, sad day after the UK's virus death toll jumped by 563. Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims and all their friends, he said, acknowledging that it had been the country's biggest daily surge in fatalities so far. But he continued: "Let us be in no doubt that if we can follow the programme that we are currently set upon if we can comply with the measures that weve embarked on together then I have absolutely no doubt that we will begin to push those numbers down. And we will turn the tide of coronavirus in the next few weeks and months. Loading.... He went on to detail how the Government is looking after our amazing NHS staff including by shipping 397 million pieces of personal protective equipment over the past two weeks. And he stressed that ramped up testing remains the key to unlocking the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end, he said. "Of course, its crucial that people who to have the disease are able to be tested positive and to take the necessary steps to isolate at home in the way that Im doing and that many many others are doing as well, he added. Mr Johnson ended his message on a note of optimism, saying: Although Im sequestered here in Number 10 Downing Street I am, thanks to the miracles of modern technology able to be in constant touch with my officials with everybody in the various departments across the whole of Whitehall who is coordinating the response to coronavirus. Europe sends medical supplies to Iran in first INSTEX transaction: Germany Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 10:51 AM Germany says the three European signatories to the 2015 Iran deal have registered the first transaction under a trade system set up last year to protect companies doing business with Iran from US sanctions, delivering medical supplies to the Islamic Republic amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, Berlin's Foreign Ministry said Germany, France and Britain "confirm that INSTEX (trade system) has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran." "These goods are now in Iran," it said in a statement, giving no further details. The German Foreign Ministry added that Berlin hopes to enhance the mechanism and carry out more transaction with Tehran. "Now the first transaction is complete, INSTEX and its Iranian counterpart STFI (Special Trade and Finance Instrument) will work on more transactions and enhancing the mechanism," the German Foreign Ministry said. Iranian authorities have not commented on the news so far. The transaction comes over a year after the European trio announced the creation of INSTEX a non-dollar direct payment channel officially called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges in an effort to keep Iran's nuclear deal with world powers alive. The apparatus was designed to circumvent the sanctions that the United States re-imposed against Iran after leaving a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, the trio, plus Russia and China. However, the Europeans have not been able to operationalize the non-dollar trade mechanism under pressure from the US. The system was launched after Iran complained about the European countries failing to maintain trade with the country as mandated under the nuclear deal, and bowing insteadto Washington's pressure. In May, Iran initiated a set of countermeasures against Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and following the European partners' failure to guarantee Tehran's business interests under the agreement. Iran had accepted the nuclear limits voluntarily as part of the deal, despite not being obligated by the UN nuclear agency to commit to any such restrictions. Tehran has vowed to reverse all its nuclear activities as soon as the other JCPOA signatories begin fully implementing their obligations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Incheon Pharmaceutical Association encouraged its members to stay open on Sundays, to receive as many daily shipments as possible, so Ms. Yoo began working seven days a week. Her daily shipment went from 50 to 400 masks, with more on the weekends. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is weighing whether to recommend that everyone not just health care workers and people infected with the coronavirus wear masks. If this advice is issued, Americans may finally embrace wearing face masks, something that has long been common in East Asia, not only during disease outbreaks, but also during cold season and whenever air pollution levels rise. Such guidance could also worsen the already dire shortage of N95 face masks and other personal protective equipment. 3M has promised to make more than a billion N95 masks by the end of the year. But without a vast expansion of complementary manufacturing or imports, supplies will be inadequate. South Korea and Taiwan responded to their mask crises with significant market interventions. America needs to do the same. The U.S. government, and state and municipal bodies, should immediately enter into large-scale contracts to produce masks that can be sold at an affordable, standard price. These masks (and other personal protective equipment) should go first to health providers and hospitals, then to essential workers in sanitation, warehouses, transportation, food service, child-care centers, and people in prisons and detention facilities. A distribution plan along the lines of those in East Asia could then get masks to the public, perhaps through pharmacies, corner stores and post offices. Some of those masks should also be allocated, free of charge, to people who are homeless or living below the federal poverty level. For most of us, an N95 mask is not strictly necessary. Last weekend, I used a free online pattern to sew masks for myself and family members, using old handkerchiefs, shirts and elastic hair ties. I wore my homemade mask, reinforced with a large gauze bandage, to the grocery store and bodega, while trying to stay six feet away from fellow shoppers. To survive this pandemic, we Americans must stop viewing masks as a sign of disease, and see them instead as a social kindness, a courtesy as common as please and thank you. As Choi Gwi-ok, a pharmacist in northern Seoul, told me, Koreans wear masks to protect themselves from infections, but, even more important, to show consideration for others in public. Australia's Muslim community is making sure the elderly don't go hungry during the coronavirus lockdown. Human Appeal International are dropping off care packages with essential goods to self-isolating residents who don't have a support network. Ali Kadir, the state manager for Human Appeal South Australia, told Daily Mail Australia older residents are opening their doors in tears when charity workers arrive with groceries. 'It's quite heartbreaking because most of them never expected something like this would happen. One person yesterday - he was in tears - he was like, who are you?' he said. Ali Kadir, the state manager for Human Appeal South Australia, told Daily Mail Australia older residents are opening their doors in tears when charity workers arrive with groceries 'Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my life. It's not right for them to go through this, you know, they're vulnerable so we have to protect them,'he said. The care package includes enough food to last a couple two weeks and a single person three weeks. Each box contains 2kg of rice, 2kg of sugar, 2kg of plain flour, a large Uncle Toby's cereal pack, 2kg of oil, 1kg of honey, four packets of pasta, pasta sauce, long life milk and baked beans. The initiative was launched this week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison told elderly people not to to leave their home. Each package contains 2kg of rice, 2kg of sugar, 2kg of plain flour, a large Uncle Toby's cereal pack, 2kg of oil, 1kg of honey, four packets of pasta, Pasta sauce, long life milk and baked beans The initiative was launched this week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison told elderly people not to to leave their home The charity contacted a series of local councils across South Australia to get a snapshot of the elderly residents in each area living alone or with limited support networks. Within 24 hours they had secured goods from suppliers, identified where the needs were and started building the care packages. Mr Kadir said it's only going to get busier as more people hear about the service. 'The phones are going off the hook, we are delivering these essential packs to the elderly to try and keep them indoors so they can be protected and not to come out to get their stuff as it could be very dangerous for them,' he said. A group of 80 volunteers is working around the clock in small groups to ensure the organisation can keep up with the booming demand Volunteers are packing and distributing more than 500 care packages across Australia Human Appeal International needs the support of distributors and suppliers so they can continue to provide packages for vulnerable Australians What's inside a Food Parcel 2kg of rice 2kg of sugar 2kg of plain flour, A large Uncle Toby's cereal pack 2kg of oil 1kg of honey Four packets of pasta Pasta sauce Long-life milk Baked beans Advertisement Among the recipients in South Australia is pensioner Franciso Fioeretti who told 9News he was expecting to simply go without food. 'I'm very grateful, believe me. Otherwise we're not gonna eat. We're not going to eat this week,' he said. Within the next two weeks Human Appeal International will deliver more than 500 food parcels and hygiene kits across South Australia. But as demand skyrockets the charity is hoping to secure more supplies so they can meet demand. While the campaign originated in South Australia, it has expanded Australia-wide and more than 300 boxes have been sent out across Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane & Perth. Among the recipients in South Australia is pensioner Franciso Fioeretti (pictured) who told 9news he was expecting to simply go without food A group of 80 volunteers is working around the clock to ensure the organisation can keep up with the booming demand. Mr Kadir is urging distributors and suppliers to join the initiative so they can continue to support vulnerable Australians 'We really need wholesalers, distributors to support us with this because its' very challenging to get the stuff and they're charging an arm and a leg,' he said. While the campaign originated in South Australia, it has expanded Australia-wide and more than 300 boxes have been sent out across Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane & Perth Since being launched the Human Appeal International's COVID-19 campaign has also donating hand sanitiser to the New South Wales police force at at Revesby Highway Patrol and Campsie Police station 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 Since being launched the Human Appeal International's COVID-19 campaign has also involved providing food parcels to international students and donating hand sanitiser to the New South Wales police force at at Revesby Highway Patrol and Campsie Police station. They're also in arranging for the distribution of face masks, gloves and santitisers to Australian hospitals. The charity was formed in 1991 based of an 'unfulfilled need of the Australian Muslim Community' to support people suffering across the globe. Now, more than 28 year's later the group now has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and donations have exceeded $200million. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order on Monday, ordering the closure of all public access to the states beaches. McMasters executive order is the states latest attempt to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. I hereby order and direct that any and all public beach access points, to include any adjacent or associated public parking lots or other public facilities, shall be closed to public access for recreational purposes for the duration of the State of Emergency, the executive order read. McMaster also closed the public boat ramps as well as public access points to rivers and lakes, according to the executive order. He also said he will suspend any prior regulations in place that are inconsistent with this current executive order, that is, any prior regulations that would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency. I hereby order and direct that any and all public piers, docks, wharfs, boat ramps, and boat landings providing public access to the public waters of this State, to include any adjacent or associated public parking lots or other public facilities, shall be closed to public access for recreational purposes for the duration of the State of Emergency, the order read. The order comes after people in the state continued to visit beaches in groups and other public places, instead of practicing social-distancing as instructed by the state, the governor said in a Twitter post. As a result of behavior observed this past weekend by the Department of Natural Resources and SLED, it has become necessary to close public access to our states beaches, and close boat ramps and landings on our states lakes, rivers and waterways. (1/) https://t.co/3NSvZolaUY Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) March 30, 2020 As a result of behavior observed this past weekend by the Department of Natural Resources and SLED, it has become necessary to close public access to our states beaches, and close boat ramps and landings on our states lakes, rivers and waterways, he wrote. This is unfortunate for those who chose to responsibly follow the instructions of our public health officials, but a necessary action to prevent the spread of the COVID 19 virus. McMaster echoed this in the executive order, writing, in furtherance of the foregoing, and in view of the fact that individuals have continued to patronize the States beaches and access the States public waterways without heeding the instructions of public health officials or adhering to appropriate social distancing practices, further action is necessary to ensure the health, safety, security, and welfare of the people of the State of South Carolina. Any violations to the new order will result in a misdemeanor, the governor said, and will be fined up to $100 or imprisoned for up to 30 days. South Carolina has 1,083 confirmed cases and 18 deaths as of Tuesday night. The Ghana COVID-19 Sector Fund together with Julie Essiam (Commission at GRA) has launched a project dubbed 'Feed-A-Kayayo' to help support head porters in areas under lockdown. The project starts today, April 1, 2020, and ends on April 12, 2020, and maybe extended if need be, according to the managers of the Fund. Project Feed-A-Kayayo seeks to feed up to 8,000 head-porters a day six thousand porters in the Greater Accra region and 2,000 in the Ashanti region. A press release from the Ghana COVID-19 Sector Fund launched over the weekend explained that The project aims to provide a meal a day to head-porters at various locations in areas impacted by the directive to restrict movements. The feeding arrangements are being organized in conjunction with the leaders of various head-porter groups. The meals will be provided by existing caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme. Some head porters who were tried to flee Accra due to the partial lockdown of the city were intercepted at Ejisu and sent back to Accra on Monday. The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has provided temporary shelter for the head porters. They were screened in accordance with the COVID-19 medical protocols, given food, water, and soft drinks by the AMA and the BN Michael Ministries when they returned to Accra. The head porters, numbering 78, have subsequently pleaded with the government to allow them to return to their hometowns in northern Ghana. Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has also donated GHS500 each to the head porters. Read the Ghana COVID-19 Sector Fund press release here ---citinewsroom On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops descended on the island of Okinawa. The goal of Operation Iceberg was to occupy the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. On April 10, 1945, the Associated Press wrote, On the southern Okinawa front where Naha, the capital, and its airfields are the objective, a flaming duel of big guns was under way. The Japanese were throwing concentrated artillery and mortar fire into Doughboys positions. Answering salvos came from Yank Naval guns and field artillery. Carrier-based airmen added thunder of their bombs to the din of the battle. The Battle of Okinawa in World War II lasted until June 22, 1945. According to history.com, the battle was the last major battle of World War II and one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945 Easter Sunday the Navys Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. The war in Europe was coming to an end but in the Pacific, American forces were still painstakingly conquering Japans Home Islands, one after another. After obliterating Japanese troops in the brutal Battle of Iwo Jima, they set their sights on the isolated island of Okinawa, their last stop before reaching Japan. American soldiers had expected the beach landing at Okinawa to be worse than D-Day but they encountered little to no resistance. As troops moved inland they wondered when and where they would encounter the enemy. Japanese forces, according to history.com, had set up a triangle of defensive positions known as the Shuri Defense Line. The line included heavily-defended hills loaded with firmly-entrenched Japanese troops. The battles were fierce and casualties mounted. The Japanese fought to the death. Kamikaze pilots dove into the Fifth Fleet causing catastrophic damage. On April 26, Americans attacked on Hacksaw Ridge, where much of the fighting was hand-to-hand and particularly ruthless. The Americans finally took Hacksaw Ridge on May 6. Many Japanese soldiers killed themselves rather than be captured. The Battle ended on June 22, 1945, when the Japanese commander and chief of staff, committed ritual suicide. According to history.com, American casualties were 49,000, with 12,520 of them killed. Japanese losses were 110,000 soldiers killed and from 40,000 to 150,000 Okinawa residents killed. After victory at Okinawa, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9. On Aug. 14, Japan surrendered. In this photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, tired Sixth Marine Division leathernecks fighting the stubborn Japanese for the possession of Naha, on Okinawa Island, rest from the battle behind a protecting wall in the suburbs of the capitol city, May 28, 1945. (AP Photo/U.S. Marines/Sgt. Claude MacIntosh)AP 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. Second generation: Nieper in one of his Alfreton factories In Christopher Nieper's eyes, the coronavirus has hammered home the message that community is at the heart of business. It is certainly the case for him. He has spent 35 years working at David Nieper, the boutique clothing firm founded by his father, which is based in Alfreton in Derbyshire and is an integral part of the town. Whilst other fashion businesses have shifted their manufacturing abroad and are reliant on far flung suppliers, he is proud of the fact it is a British brand with almost all its supply chain in this country. Christopher Nieper has spent 35 years working at David Nieper, the boutique clothing firm founded by his father, which is based in Alfreton, Derbyshire and is an integral part of the town Normally the business sells upmarket ladies wear, but in the coronavirus pandemic, Christopher wants to switch production to make surgical gowns and scrubs to help the NHS. 'I feel this virus has shown that the whole idea of globalisation has passed its peak,' he says. 'Never again as a country should we leave ourselves so exposed, with the NHS desperate for scrubs and gowns the country can't supply, and it is the same with other things, such as respirators. 'We are moving into a new age of localisation, with community at its heart. We are loyal to local skills and have never been offshore,' he says. 'In the past 30 years, around 900,000 textile jobs have disappeared in the UK. Therein lies the problem. We need NHS garments but there is no textile sector left to produce them.' Normally, the second-generation family firm sells its clothing online and through a printed catalogue, making profits of up to 2million a year. 'It is often said that it's impossible to make a profit as a British business in this industry but we prove that is a myth.' The company employs 300 people in five factories in Alfreton, and has its own academy, a secondary school with 93 staff and 560 pupils. 'We took over an underperforming school three years ago. We need well-educated young people in the town, not just to work for us, but elsewhere,' he says. The business, Christopher says, is in a relatively good position. 'We have no debt. That is a deliberate policy and it has been the case for the last 25 years. Normally, David Nieper sells upmarket ladies wear, but in the coronavirus pandemic, Christopher wants to switch production to make surgical gowns and scrubs to help the NHS Everything we invest is from our own reserves that we save up.' Awarded an OBE in the New Year's honours list, he took over as chief executive from his father 15 years ago, who is still involved, 'though not as much.' He has had contact with the Government about making garments for NHS staff and volunteers. 'What about the thousands of retired medics who want to come back?' he asks. 'What are they going to wear? 'We need the right fabrics they need to be suitable, for instance, they need to be washable at very high temperatures. One problem is that all our suppliers are closed, so I'm not sure where we can get fabric.' Most staff are on furlough, but Nieper believes they could jump back into action immediately. 'They would love to be part of the solution. All of us want to be putting our shoulder to the wheel. We are here, we are like a coiled spring. We think we could produce up to 10,000 surgical gowns a week.' In the longer term, Nieper believes coronavirus will teach society and businesses lessons about the perils of globalisation and the importance of local communities. 'We are here with our business in Alfreton, in a forgotten town, a former coal mining town. 'One of Boris Johnson's big themes before this crisis was levelling up the Midlands and the North and helping towns like ours, the places where there used to be mining, steel and shipbuilding, but where the industry has gone. 'These places are just left stuck. The bright children leave, because they think they have to leave to achieve. I hope we are an exemplar of what can happen in these towns. 'This is why we have the school, because we want kids to do well, we want talented people to stay here, with their family around them, and their community. 'If they want to spread their wings, fine, but it should be a choice, they shouldn't have to do it.' THE world's airlines might burn through $61bn (55bn) of reserves during the second quarter of this year and post losses of $39bn for the period as the coronavirus pandemic persists, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned. The association, which represents more than 180 airlines around the world, has called for "urgent action" from European governments to provide relief to carriers in the region. IATA predicts that the potential revenue loss to European airlines is $76bn, and that passenger demand could be 46pc below 2019 levels this year. "A decline of this magnitude puts at risk about 5.6 million jobs and $378bn in GDP supported by air transport," IATA claimed. Rafael Schvartzman, IATA's regional vice-president for Europe, said that the air transport industry was an "economic engine", supporting 12.2 million jobs and $823bn in GDP across Europe. "Governments must recognise the vital importance of the air transport industry, and that support is urgently needed," he said. "First, this will keep airlines financially viable during the present lockdown, preserving jobs, maintaining essential connections to repatriate citizens, and carrying life-saving air cargo supplies. "Secondly, this would avoid broad economic damage by ensuring that airlines can rapidly scale up operations when travel restrictions are lifted, jump-starting the European and global economies." IATA wants the EU to allow airlines to temporarily give passengers vouchers instead of refunds, which it says would give firms breathing space to repair cash flows. It also wants a package of measures to underpin air cargo operations, including exempting their cargo crews from current 14-day quarantine restrictions. The airline association also says that fast-tack procedures should be introduced for obtaining overflight and landing permits. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:01:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHONGQING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Health experts in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality on Wednesday shared experience in fighting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic with their Hungarian counterparts via a video conference. The conference, held in the Hungarian General Consulate in Chongqing, gathers experts from the city's disease control center as well as multiple disciplines including epidemiology, respiration, and infectious diseases. Both sides discussed quarantine management, characteristics of the epidemic at different stages, virus test procedures and treatment plans. Tang Wen, deputy head of the municipal foreign affairs office, said the experts in the conference have rich frontline experience and are willing to share practices and medical plans as much as possible to help the Hungarian side. By the end of Monday, Chongqing has seen zero new cases for 35 consecutive days. Hungary is an important country with foreign exchanges with Chongqing. It is also the only country in central and eastern Europe that has established a General Consulate in the city. As of Monday, Hungary had 447 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 15 deaths and 34 cured patients. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 01:48:09|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close A digital billboard near the North Circular road displays a message urging people to stay home to slow the spread of the COVID-19, near London, Britain, on March 31, 2020. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 25,150 as of Tuesday morning, an increase of 3,009 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua) LONDON, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 25,150 as of Tuesday morning, an increase of 3,009 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. As of Monday afternoon, 1,789 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, up 381 over the same time on the previous day, the latest figures from the department showed. About 10,767 people in England have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms, with the majority in London, where 3,915 people are in hospital care, said Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove during Tuesday's Downing Street press conference. Britain's testing capacity is critically constrained due to a shortage of the chemical reagents that are necessary in the testing, and the government are working with companies worldwide to get the material to increase tests of all kinds, said Gove. Britain currently have just over 8,000 ventilators deployed in NHS (National Health Service) hospitals and is buying more from abroad while developing new sources of supply at home, said Gove. Co-chairing the conference with Gove, Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said the rate of hospitalisation is currently increasing, which is expected at this stage. But if social contact continues to decline, so will also the number of hospitalisations. China over time has flattened the curve and the number of deaths has reduced, he told reporters. "We are not out of the woods, we are very much in the woods. So green shoots but only green shoots and we must not be complacent and we must not take our foot off the pedal," said Powis. In another development, the British government has signed new contracts with train operators Southeastern and Great Western Railway to ensure vital train services continue to connect the south of England and Wales during the COVID-19 outbreak. Long-term capacity improvements have also been agreed as part of the contracts, according to the Department for Transport. Governor warns of fake news for April Fools PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has warned people to not share any fake news today (Apr 1), especially as today is April Fools Day, or as the Governor called it in Thai Wan Go-hok, or Day of Lies. COVID-19Coronavirustechnologycrime By The Phuket News Wednesday 1 April 2020, 12:16PM Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana warned people to not share any fake news especially today, April Fools Day, or as he called it in Thai Wan Go-hok, or Day of Lies. Image: PR Phuket Governor Phakaphong issued the warning yesterday, saying, Do not present or share fake news on April Fools Day or Wan Go-hok. We have the Computer Crimes Act. The warning comes after Phuket has featured heavily in the fake news sphere, with one fake news report of a large number of foreigners still entering Phuket being shared online being dismissed by a national broadcast in English yesterday (Mar 31) Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun. In the broadcast, Mr Natapanu said that officials had investigated the claims and immigration officials had confirmed the report as not true. From Mar 26-30 only about 800 foreigners passed through immigration in Phuket. Most of those were outbound, the said. Of the foreigners who entered Phuket, most of them had work permits, he added. (See broadcast in English here.) Meanwhile, the Anti Fake News Center has posted its rebuttal of a fake news post shared across Thai social media claiming that masses of foreign labourers were stuck at the bridge off Phuket, with the post claiming they hundreds of workers were not allowed to leave the island to go home. The post used a photo of the bridges linking Phuket with the mainland with a photo inset showing a densely packed crowd of foreigner workers. In its report, the Anti Fake News Center said that the Phuket Public Relations Office had investigated the claim and confirmed that it was not true. And from further investigation it was found that the incident [of the photo of the crowd of foreign workers] was on March 24, 2020, at the second Mae Sot border checkpoint, where Myanmar workers waited across the border before the checkpoint was temporarily closed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the report said. (See report here.) Therefore, we ask the public not to believe in such information and ask for cooperation: do not send or share the said information on various social media channels and for the people to receive information from Phuket Public Relations Office. You can follow the Facebook page of Phuket Provincial Police Station or call 076 216118, the agency advised. The conclusion of this story is: No, it shouldnt be reshared, the report said. Weve already run through the NL West, the NL East, the NL Central, the AL West and the AL Central in our look at some of the up-and-coming talent that figures to step into the Major League spotlight whenever play resumes. Lets take a run through our final division, the American League East. Blue Jays Nate Pearson and his 100 mph heater are close to the big leagues, and the Jays hope their 2017 first-rounder will cement himself as a controllable top-of-the-rotation complement to Hyun-Jin Ryu. If multiple rotation needs arise, they can turn to southpaw Anthony Kay, whom they acquired in last years Marcus Stroman trade with the Mets. Right-hander T.J. Zeuch made his big league debut in 19, and righty Tom Hatch, who came over from the Cubs in the David Phelps swap, dominated in six Double-A starts with his new org. As for position players, there arent as many names to monitor. Former top prospect Anthony Alford is out of minor league options and is facing an uphill battle as he vies for playing time in a crowded mix. Reese McGuire should be the backup to Danny Jansen. In the bullpen, Yennsy Diaz landed on the injured list prior to the shutdown due to a lat strain, but hes already made his MLB debut and now has additional time to rehab. Julian Merryweather, the righty received when Toronto traded Josh Donaldson to Cleveland, is on the mend from Tommy John surgery and could make an impact in relief. Orioles Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles 2015 first-rounder, has made it clear throughout his minor league tenure that hes a force at the plate, but hes also something of a man without a defensive home. Questions about his glove at multiple positions abound, but he slashed .312/.344/.527 in 127 Triple-A games as a 22-year-old. Baltimore will get a second look at Austin Hays, who soared through the minors to make his MLB debut barely a year after being drafted in 2016. Injuries tanked Hays 2018 season, but he had a huge September with the Os in 2019 and should get a look as the everyday center fielder. Outfielder Ryan McKenna and infielder Rylan Bannon could make their debuts in 2020, too. Bannon enjoyed a quality 120 wRC+ at both Double-A and a small sample in Triple-A last year. The Orioles rotation looks astonishingly thin, and at a certain point the Os would likely prefer to get a look at younger options as opposed to journeymen like Asher Wojciechowski, Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone. That could mean any of Dean Kremer , Keegan Akin, Michael Baumann or Zac Lowther will be tabbed for a big league debut. Former top prospect Hunter Harvey could eventually enter the closer mix if the team trades Mychal Givens and if his litany of injuries are in the past. Dillon Tate, the twice-traded No. 4 overall pick from 2015, debuted last year and will get a chance to establish himself. Any of Kremer, Akin, Baumann or Lowther could land here as well. Rays Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will be among the more interesting rookies to watch throughout MLB. Over his final four seasons in NPB, Tsutsugo hit .293/.402/.574 with 139 home runs, 116 doubles, five triples, a 15.1 percent walk rate and a 20.4 percent strikeout rate. Hell see time at the infield corners, in left field and at DH. Also in the outfield will be Randy Arozarena, whom the Cardinals sent to Tampa Bay in the surprising swap that shipped top prospect Matthew Liberatore to St. Louis. Hes not regarded as an elite prospect, but its hard to ignore a .344/.431/.571 slash between Double-A and Triple-A. Two-way player Brendan McKay should make an impact at the plate and on the mound. The former No. 3 pick could eventually be joined in the rotation by fellow premier prospect Brent Honeywell, whos on his way back from last Marchs Tommy John procedure. Both are top 100 arms. Look for hard-throwing right-hander Peter Fairbanks to log some innings in the pen. Tampa Bays comically deep collection of infielders will make it tough to break onto the roster, but any of Vidal Brujan, Kevin Padlo, Lucius Fox, Taylor Walls or newly acquired Esteban Quiroz could push for a spot. Of the bunch, Brujan is the most highly regarded, ranking comfortably inside most top 100 lists. Red Sox Bostons infield is mostly set outside of second base, which could make it tough for their top options to break into the Majors. Corner infielder Bobby Dalbec is the best of the bunch but could probably use a bit more time in Triple-A, where he slashed .257/.301/.478 in 123 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Rule 5 pick Jonathan Arauz (taken out of the Astros organization) and shortstop C.J. Chatham could compete for a bench spot. Young catcher Connor Wong, acquired in the Mookie Betts/David Price blockbuster, is blocked by Christian Vazquez but could end up in the big leagues if injuries arise. Given the Red Sox paper-thin rotation, any of Tanner Houck, Matt Hall, Bryan Mata or Kyle Hart could find himself with an opportunity. Hart and Houck enjoyed nice seasons in the upper minors, while Hall, acquired in a minor swap with the Tigers, has elite spin and movement on his curveball (albeit with an otherwise pedestrian arsenal). Mike Shawaryn has been primarily a starter in the minors but moved to the pen last season. He made his MLB debut in that role but didnt find success (22 runs in 20 1/3 innings). Righty Durbin Feltman dominated after being taken in the third round in 2018 but needs a mulligan after a terrible 2019 in Double-A. Yankees Dont look for many position players of note, but the Yankees have a number of appealing arms percolating in the upper minors. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt has surpassed righty Deivi Garcia as the top pitching prospect in the organization by some accounts, but he only tossed 90 2/3 innings last year (topping out with 19 in Double-A) as he worked back from 2017 Tommy John surgery. Garcias diminutive size (59, 163 pounds) has led to some skepticism, but he averaged better than 13 K/9 through 111 1/3 frames across three minor league levels last year. Those arent the only two options from which the Yankees can choose in the absence of Luis Severino, Domingo German and (depending on his recovery timeline) perhaps James Paxton. Righty Mike King made a brief debut (two innings) last season and has an excellent track record in the minors, though he was hobbled by a stress reaction in his elbow last season. Alliterative hurlers Albert Abreu and Nick Nelson both battled control issues in Double-A but are regarded as solid prospects who arent far from MLB readiness. If youre looking for a reliever to watch, Brooks Kriske flirted with a sub-2.00 ERA and averaged nearly a dozen punchouts per nine innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. (TNS) A group of Instacart shoppers from around the country said they will not accept orders for grocery delivery starting Monday until the company provides, among other things, necessary safety equipment and hazard pay for those working during the coronavirus pandemic.The strike was announced Friday. Two days later, Instacart responded: It would provide hand sanitizer to workers and make it easier for them to set a default tipping percentage. The Gig Workers Collective, the group organizing the strike, said that the company's response fell short of its demands and that the strike is still on.And one thing is clear: In this global pandemic, essential workers have power. The question is, how much power?The Instacart strike is the latest example of essential workers agitating for stronger protections during the crisis. Sanitation workers in Pittsburgh, bus drivers in Detroit, and poultry plant workers in Georgia have all staged walkouts to protest working conditions as coronavirus spreads at an alarming rate.Workers at Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, were planning a sick-out Tuesday. The concerns of the Instacart workers, whom home-deliver groceries ordered online or through a smartphone app, mirror the concerns of grocery workers across the U.S.What sets the Instacart strike apart, though, is that these workers are independent contractors -- which means they're excluded from the labor protections afforded to employees. And, most of them aren't members of a union, meaning they don't have the same support systems that union members have, such as strike pay. If Instacart shoppers don't work, they don't get paid. They also don't have the infrastructure of a traditional union to help organize a nationwide strike.That makes their strike all the more radical. They're relying on the fact that Instacart is hurting for labor right now. The company announced it would hire more than 300,000 shoppers during the pandemic, more than doubling its workforce."The last few weeks have been the busiest in Instacart's history and our teams are working around the clock to reliably and safely serve all members of our community," Apoorva Mehta, chief executive of the San Francisco-based company, said in a statement about the hirings.Because Gig Workers Collective is a grassroots group, as opposed to a union that collects dues and could survey its members, it's hard to know how many Instacart shoppers are participating in the strike. An online group used to organize Instacart protests has more than 15,000 shoppers, said organizer Alyssa Longobardi. She estimated that a majority are striking.But other Instacart shoppers have said in a Facebook group that they will still work because they need the money.Longobardi, who is based in Montgomery County and has been organizing Instacart workers over the last year, said one of the group's primary concerns is getting workers the 14 days of sick pay the company said it would pay to workers affected by the crisis -- including those who tested positive for the coronavirus and those who cannot work because they are under quarantine. But Longobardi said she has yet to see one person receive the pay.Workers have to prove they received a positive test result in order to be paid, but some don't have access to testing, Longobardi said. In Philadelphia, officials have told people not to get tested unless they have symptoms and are high-risk, such as those over 65 and those with compromised immunity.Instacart declined to comment on how many workers have gotten sick pay and what the requirements are to do so.In a statement to the website, the company said: "The health and safety of our entire community -- shoppers, customers, and employees -- is our first priority.""Our goal is to offer a safe and flexible earnings opportunity to shoppers, while also proactively taking the appropriate precautionary measures to operate safely," the company said. "We want to underscore that we absolutely respect the rights of shoppers to provide us feedback and voice their concerns. It's a valuable way for us to continuously make improvements to the shopper experience and we're committed to supporting this important community during this critical time."About 100 Amazon workers, meanwhile, walked out of an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y., on Monday, demanding the facility be shut and cleaned during a paid time off after a co-worker tested positive for the virus.Amazon said it has taken aggressive steps to safeguard its employees from the virus, including enhanced cleaning and sanitation and social distancing enforcement. At the Staten Island facility, which employs 4,500 people, Amazon implemented daily temperature screenings.Last year, Uber and Lyft drivers, including those in Philadelphia, orchestrated a similar protest against what they described as pay cuts and unfair working conditions. Drivers from more than two dozen cities and countries participated, making it what one expert called the biggest coordinated gig economy action of its kind.Despite that, it didn't result in major changes for most Uber and Lyft drivers, suggesting the difficulty of wielding gig worker power to influence such corporations. The Navajo Nation is facing a COVID-19 public health emergency. We have the largest numbers of confirmed positive cases of any Native American tribe in the United States. There are 148 confirmed cases across the Navajo Nation. The numbers will increase as we fight to stop community spread. Because COVID-19 is especially fatal for people over 60 years of age, it is extremely dangerous for our elders and the future vitality of our collective tribal cultural knowledge and Navajo language. With over 27,000 square miles spanning Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and over 350,000 tribal members, fighting COVID-19 presents a very difficult challenge. Compounding this challenge is the historical and shameful lack of federal funding and resources for health care guaranteed by the United States in the signing of the Treaty of 1868. This is not unique to the Navajo Nation. It is a deplorable reality for all 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States. The truth is that Indian Country has been overlooked when it comes to federal health care resources. This is the case today in our fight for our very physical and cultural survival. Congress and federal agencies like FEMA and the CDC have largely excluded tribal communities from directly accessing federal funding and resources. The recent $8.3 billion spending bill designed to fight COVID-19 created a bureaucratic nightmare for federally recognized tribes to access $40 million out of the nearly $1 billion for the entire United States. Currently, the CDC and the Indian Health Service are stalled in their discussion on how the money should be used for tribal governments to fight COVID-19. If and when these federal agencies get their act together, there is a problem of the sheer inadequacy of $40 million shared with 605 tribal and urban Indian health care facilities that provide health care to nearly 3 million Native Americans across the United States. This is a fatal health care disaster in the making. While the CDC doubled this to $80 million, Indian Country needs five times that amount of funding to even stand a fighting chance against COVID-19. A second funding package authorizes $64 million for the Indian Health Service to use in 170 hospitals in Indian Country to test for COVID. Thats roughly $376,000 per hospital for a health care population of nearly 3 million Native Americans! Additionally, we are told, once again, that the funding mechanism for an additional $70 million from (the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) that has been identified for health care resources has yet be determined. We simply do not have time for federal agencies to figure out their bureaucratic processes. Since the signing of COVID-19 funding legislation, states have received their funds to combat this new and aggressive virus. The Navajo Nation and 572 other federally recognized tribes have not received one penny to heal our sick and protect our communities. We have been recently informed by our Navajo Area Indian Health Services that they only have enough supplies for 30 days. With the tripling and quadrupling of cases in recent days, these lifesaving supplies will be gone in the next 15 days. That is the reality that we are facing out here in Navajo Country. The Navajo Nation has taken aggressive measures to ensure we stand a fighting chance against COVID-19 without federal assistance. We have issued stay-in-place orders for tribal members. We have initiated our own health operations command center to organize our resources and health and public safety personnel. We have drastically reduced tribal services and sent thousands of our tribal employees home. We have dedicated over $4 million of our own resources to purchase protective masks, gloves, gowns and lifesaving equipment for our first responders, and care packages and food boxes for people in outbreak communities who cannot leave their homes. We have closed parks, schools, businesses and gaming facilities. We were the first Native American nation to take drastic measures to protect our people. As we painfully wait for federal resources, our first responders and volunteers are stepping up. They travel long distances from across the Navajo Nation to coordinate limited services and limited resources to Navajo peoples homes to educate them about the coronavirus and its symptoms and how to stay safe and healthy. They are delivering food and supplies to elders. Like New Mexico, New York, Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, California, Washington and many other states, the Navajo Nation is quickly running out of resources to fight COVID-19. We are urgently asking county, state, and federal partners to share their already limited supplies of masks, gloves, protective clothing, law enforcement and emergency response resources. The White House, federal agencies and Congress must answer Indian Countrys dire call for help. A message to the leaders of the U.S. government: Honor the legal treaty obligations your ancestors have signed. Provide increased direct funding and resources for our tribal fight against COVID-19. Remove the bureaucratic red tape so that we stand a fighting chance. Great countries, like great men, must honor their promises. The Boeing Company BA recently secured a $1.56-billion modification contract for the production of 18 P-8A Poseidon maritime aircraft. Among these 18 aircraft, eight would be manufactured for the U.S. Navy, six for the Republic of Korea and four for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The contract has been awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD. The Royal New Zealand Air Force is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2022, while the Republic of Korea Navy will start receiving in 2023. Majority of the work related to this deal will be executed in Seattle, WA, along with other locations across the United States. Importance of P-8A Poseidon The P-8A Poseidon and P-8I variants are militarized with maritime weapons, which patrol the globe performing anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and search and rescue missions. Seven nations across the globe have now selected the P-8A as their future maritime patrol aircraft, including South Korea and New Zealand. Earlier this February, Britains Royal Air Force (RAF) also received its first P-8A aircraft, which will be instrumental in monitoring Russian submarine activities. Whats Favoring Boeing? Among all the varied defense equipment that Boeing manufactures, the companys key forte lies in the development of combat-proven aircraft, such as the P-8A Poseidon. Additionally, Boeing has started developing military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft for its fixed-wing military aircraft programs. Such notable developments are anticipated to fuel this aerospace giants growth, considering the increasing defense spending provisions made by the current U.S. administration. Further, the U.S. fiscal 2020 defense budget allocation includes massive war-fighting investments worth $57.7 billion for military aircraft. Such defense spendings highlight the BDS segments solid prospects, which in turn, are likely to boost the companys profit margins in the days to come. Per a Mordor Intelligence report, the global maritime patrol aircraft market is anticipated to witness a CAGR of more than 3% during the 2020-2025 period. The heightening threat of global terrorism and geo-political issues, alongside the need for the replacement of ageing maritime patrol aircraft with new and advanced aircraft, will likely spur demand for maritime patrol aircraft during the forecast period. Notably, other major industry players, which can significantly gain from the surging maritime aircraft demand are Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT, Textron Inc. TXT and Airbus Group EADSY. Price Movement and Zacks Rank In a years time, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has slumped 61.1% compared with the industrys 30.6% decline. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Textron Inc. (TXT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Airbus Group (EADSY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. [April 01, 2020] City of Burbank Improves Address Accuracy with Melissa Data Quality Tools RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melissa , a leading provider of global address, name, email, phone, and identity verification solutions, today announced the City of Burbank has successfully deployed Melissas Master Address Table (MAT) tool to boost the accuracy of its address data to better connect with citizens, administer permits, and verify addresses for projects throughout its many departments. Local governments and municipalities serve their citizens in a number of ways and many of the services they provide require accurate address data, said Bud Walker, vice president, enterprise sales and strategy, Melissa. To ensure residents and businesses receive the services they expect and deserve, the City of Burbank has invested in Melissa MAT address data to improve its ability to notify the public, respond in emergency situations, and even take advantage of federal funding. Missing unit numbers for apartment buildings, PO Boxes versus a physical address, and other factors contributed to Burbanks address data accuracy problem. Inaccuracy could contribute to permit notification issues, delays in delivery of emergency services, and difficulties surrounding Census data gathering affecting the amount of federal funding the city receives. With better address data, the City added more than 300 missing addresses to the Census file provided by the federal government. <>By deploying Melissas Master Address Table (MAT) solution, the City now manages and maintains a complete, accurate master address file. MAT consolidates location information and provides true address details on all residences, businesses, apartments, suites, and PO Boxes, with geo-coordinates and demographics. To improve its geocode datawhich coded addresses to a street center line versus directly on top of a buildingCity personnel integrated MAT data into their current system. Melissas address formatting was in line with our existing data and GIS location accuracy matched 99.9% of the time, far better than competitive solutions compared in testing, according to Mike Carson, Geographic Information System (GIS) Manager at the City of Burbank. Melissas Address Keys (MAKs) were precisely located on top of buildings while alternatives wouldnt land on the building or even register the correct street. To learn more about the City of Burbanks journey to accurate and updated addresses, and how its Melissa deployment has advanced the usefulness of address data throughout the organization, download the case study here . To connect with members of Melissas global intelligence team for additional information, support and solutions, visit https://www.melissa.com or call 1-800-MELISSA. About Melissa Since 1985, Melissa has specialized in global intelligence solutions to help organizations unlock accurate data for a more compelling customer view. More than 10,000 clients worldwide in arenas such as retail, education, healthcare, insurance, finance, and government, rely on Melissa for full spectrum data quality and ID verification software, including data matching, validation, and enhancement services to gain critical insight and drive meaningful customer relationships. Melissa supports its global clientele with sales and service from key locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and India. For more information or free product trials, visit https://www.melissa.com/ or call 1-800-MELISSA (635-4772). Media contacts Greg Brown Vice President, Global Marketing, Melissa [email protected] +1-800-635-4772 x1130 Jacqueline Zerbst, MPowered PR for Melissa [email protected] +1-877-794-6777 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. The coronavirus is spreading swiftly through the South. The state of Florida now has the fifth-highest number of cases in the country. The viruss spread in Louisiana is among the fastest in the world. Beaches in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas all recently drew crowds of nonsocially distant spring breakers. Reports of raucous partying in Southern cities such as Nashville, Tennessee, continued long after New York and the West Coast showed just how bad things could get. And churches remained stuffed with congregants, while some deeply conservative Southerners swatted away concerns about the pandemic, labeling it a liberal hoax meant to damage President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the severity of the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some state leaders have followed him and expressed reluctance to do anything. But the response in the region has varied. Other Southern leaders, including conservative Republican politicians, have heeded the warnings of public health experts and responded with a greater sense of urgency. Here is how each state in the Southeast has responded to the pandemic. Alabama: 1,019 cases, 17 deaths Only a few cities, such as Birmingham, have instituted a shelter-in-place order. Yall, we are not Louisiana, we are not New York state, we are not California, Gov. Kay Ivey said last week. Right now is not the time to order people to shelter in place. The day before, Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth had released an open letter to the governors coronavirus task force, criticizing it for not taking a realistic approach about the coming tsunami of hospital patients. Advertisement Advertisement Under a statewide order issued Friday, all nonessential businesses have been closed until April 17. Schools will remain closed through the spring, and gatherings of more than 10 people have been banned. Alabamas beaches will remain closed through April 17. Many Alabamians are still defying the bans; there has been a recent uptick in people going out onto state waterways for recreation, according to officials. Arkansas: 566 cases, 8 deaths Arkansas lawmakers on Friday voted to create a $173 million coronavirus fund, and schools and businesses such as bars, hair salons, and restaurants have been closed. But the state has not addressed the possibility of any kind of stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order. Advertisement Instead, Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged residents not to gather in groups of more than 10 people and recommended people head to state parks for socially distant recreation. Thousands of residents responded by signing a petition urging the governor to stop telling people to visit, and to stop crowding the river and parks in a feeble attempt at social distancing. While Hutchinson maintained that the parks were a good place for residents to spend time, he directed the state to recommend some state parks be closed to stop visitors from other states from coming. He also declared Sunday a Special Day of Prayer in the hope that we can be unified in prayer thanking God for his love and mercy and to ask for wisdom. Florida: 6,741 cases, 85 deaths Florida, a state with a significant population of retirees, has been one of the hardest hit. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been heavily criticized for his slow response to the pandemic and his refusal to issue a statewide stay-at-home ordereven on Tuesday, he said he wouldnt do so because the White House had instructed him not to. But on Wednesday, he finally reversed his position and announced a statewide 30-day order to go into effect the next day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis started to indicate he was taking things more seriously on Monday, when he issued a stay-at-home order for Southeast Florida. Several of those counties already had strict measures in place, and others in the state, including the counties containing Tallahassee, Orlando, and Tampa, had issued their own orders as well. (Walt Disney World expects to remain closed for the foreseeable future.) On Monday, the state also announced that its school closures would extend until May. DeSantis has also introduced some precautions to limit the travel of outsiders from New York and New Orleans into the state, sending the National Guard to greet the former at airports and establishing checkpoints with its border with Alabama to catch the latter. All people arriving from either location were notified they had to self-quarantine for 14 days or face jail time. Georgia: 4,117 cases, 125 deaths After a period of reluctance, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a stay-at-home order for the state on Wednesday. Previously, he had shut down schools through April, closed bars and nightclubs, and urged elderly and immunocompromised people to stay home, while some county commissioners and mayors, including Atlantas, called for more state action and tried to fill the gaps by closing nonessential businesses, authorizing curfews, and issuing shelter-in-place orders. Democrats in Georgia had also expressed outrage after Kemps chief of staff said in a Facebook post on Saturday that local governments were overreacting and that their overreach would hurt businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rural communities havent escaped outbreaks. According to the New York Times, Dougherty County, a majority-black rural county in the southwestern part of the state, is currently experiencing one of the worst clusters in the country. There have been 26 deaths in a county of 90,000 people, attributed in part to a February funeral that is now considered a super-spreading event. Kentucky: 590 cases, 18 deaths Gov. Andy Beshear ordered all nonessential retail businesses closed on March 23 and directed residents to stay healthy at home. He clarified that the order doesnt mean boarded in your home but that residents should stay home unless for essentials or exercise. Beshear also ordered Kentuckians to not leave the state and to only cross the border for grocery stores or health care needs or if they are caring for a family member. Anyone who travels out of the state for any other reasons must self-quarantine for 14 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kentucky, the number of inmates in jails has been reduced by 28 percent in order to prevent the viruss spread behind bars, though the states chief public defender warned in a letter that the state needs to drastically reduce the number of inmates in hopes of preventing a disastrous outbreak. Beshear said he was reviewing a more mild proposal for releasing some inmates. Louisiana: 5,237 cases, 239 deaths Louisiana is now the epicenter of the coronavirus in the South, with New Orleans as its central hot spot. Twenty-eight long-term care facilities have been identified as clusters, and New Orleans has the highest per capita death rate in the country. Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-at-home order through April, closing schools and nonessential businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spread of the outbreak in New Orleans appears to be waning, thanks to social distancing measures, but it also appears to be accelerating in the rest of the state. Edwards said last week that Louisiana had the fastest rate of growth of coronavirus cases in the world. Some experts believe that Mardi Gras in late February created the perfect conditions for the virus to spread around the city. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told CNN that if the federal government had told her of the dangers of public gatherings, she would have canceled the celebrations. Given no red flags, we moved forward, she said. Mississippi: 1,073 cases, 22 deaths Gov. Tate Reeves has been criticized during the pandemic for his unwillingness to institute restrictions. Reeves, who was on a European vacation with his family in early March when his state experienced its first confirmed case, issued an executive order on March 24 that defined most businesses as essential and allowed some (such as churches) to be exempt from limitations on gatherings of 10 or more people. Retail stores could remain open, and restaurants and bars were allowed to continue to have dine-in services as long as they didnt have more than 10 customers in one space at a time. (He later clarified that cities and counties were allowed to put more stringent restrictions in place overriding the executive order locally.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Reeves announced a two-week shelter-in-place order for Lauderdale County, which includes Meridian and which had a recent spike of cases. North Carolina: 1,609 cases, 12 deaths Gov. Roy Cooper has placed the state under a 30-day stay-at-home order. He also signed an executive order on Tuesday prohibiting any utility company from shutting off services to customers unable to pay in the next 60 days, and he blocked new eviction proceedings from being launched and urged those already in the process of evicting tenants to consider waiting. South Carolina: 1,083 cases, 22 deaths Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered restaurants dine-in services halted, access points to state beaches and waterways blocked (citing behavior observed this past weekend), and, as of Wednesday, all nonessential businesses closed for 15 days. He also authorized police to break up any groups of three or more people. Advertisement He has not, however, issued a stay-at-home order, even as a number of state legislators called for it. He said he trusted South Carolinians to follow social distancing guidelines. Some cities, such as Columbia and Charleston, issued their own stay-at-home orders. Tennessee: 2,239 cases, 23 deaths On Monday, Gov. Bill Lee issued a statewide order closing nonessential businesses. The 15-day safer at home order also instructed residents to stay home as much as possible, but it doesnt have the power of enforcement. This is not a mandated shelter-in-place order because it remains deeply important to me to protect personal liberties, he said. Lee had already resisted calls from some mayors and public health professionals to issue a statewide order, arguing that Tennesseans would be responsible and that a statewide mandate would be too difficult to enforce. The cities of Memphis, Knoxville, and Nashville had already put in place their own stay-at-home orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told his residents not to cross the border into Tennessee. We have taken very aggressive steps to try to stop or limit the spread of the coronavirus to try to protect our people, he said. But our neighbors from the south, in many cases, are not. Lee responded by noting population differences between the states that made containing the spread much harder in his state, and he fired back at Beshear: We test our citizens three times more per capita than the state of Kentucky. Virginia: 1,484 cases, 34 deaths Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday issued a largely non-enforceable statewide stay-at-home order lasting through June 10. He was met with immediate opposition from Republicans, who challenged its length. The states primaries are on June 9, and Republicans suggested that the order would suppress turnout. Northams office said that the order does not apply to the operation of government. Advertisement A different coronavirus conflict is playing out in Lynchburg, where residents have expressed fury over Liberty Universitys decision to allow students back onto campus. Last week, Jerry Falwell Jr., who has compared COVID-19 to the flu and posited that the response to it was intended to damage Trump, reopened the university, and 1,900 students returned. According to the New York Times, nearly a dozen students were sick with COVID-like symptoms as of Friday. One has tested positive for the coronavirus. Falwell has since said he is complying with the stay-at-home order, canceling all classes. Advertisement Northam has been challenged by Democrats for being overly cautious. Compared with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Northam has acted slowly. His was the last of the three governments in the region to close schools and shut down seating at restaurants and bars. West Virginia: 162 cases, 1 death West Virginia was the last state to confirm a case of COVID-19, but Gov. Jim Justice has attributed that lag to a lack of testing in the state. To try to slow the spread, Justice issued a stay-at-home order last week. Justice had already closed schools and many nonessential businesses. On Tuesday, he banned all elective surgeries and closed private campgrounds to visitors from outside the state, and he announced that the states primary would be moved to June 9. Justice took one of his most drastic measures on Monday when he directed police to monitor roads for people arriving from coronavirus hotspots outside of the state. Anyone arriving from places such as New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Connecticut, Italy, or China must self-quarantine for two weeks or risk being charged with obstruction. Justice also said authorities would conduct home checks to ensure that residents comply. On Tuesday, he acknowledged that this order might be unconstitutional, but he said he would continue to enforce it for safety reasons. Update, April 2, 2020, at 12:30 p.m.: This post has been updated with information about measures in Georgia, Alabama, and Virginia. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to The Gist. Earlier this year, the NikkieTutorials (aka Nikkie de Jager) appeared on Ellen to talk about her decision to come out as trans. However, the beauty YouTuber recently revealed that interacting with Ellen DeGeneres herself was apparently a less than welcoming experience. Back in January, she spoke about the experience with the Netherlands' De Wereld Draait Door. However, in the wake of renewed scrutiny surrounding DeGeneres' treatment of her staff and off-screen persona, the interview has picked up steam on English-speaking forums, per BuzzFeed News. Related | Watch NikkieTutorials Talk Coming Out on Ellen "Well let's just say there's a huge difference between this show and Ellen, and I'm saying that in favor of this show," she said when asked by the host about her experience. "It's nice that you came and said 'Hi' before the show started. She didn't." Not only that, but de Jager went on to confirm that DeGeneres was "a little" more "distant" and "cold," before adding that while "it was a huge honor to be on that stage with Ellen... it wasn't as nice as I thought it would be." DeGeneres has yet to respond to de Jager's comments. Soldiers could be brought into prisons to control fears of increased violence during the coronavirus pandemic. Staff shortages mean police forces are unable to help in jails, so members of the military may be drafted in to try and maintain order instead, a union chief claims. Dave Cook, from the POA, told LBC that prisons are a 'pressure cooker', with inmates locked up for 20 hours per day, and numbers that mean social distancing measures are 'almost impossible' to enforce. Prison are a 'pressure cooker', with inmates locked up for 20 hours per day, and numbers that mean social distancing measures are 'almost impossible' to enforce, a union chief claims A Government source confirmed that use of the military is being considered among several different options. Mr Cook said: 'The longer that it goes on, then the chance of violence and disorder increases. You only need to look at Italy. 'Coronavirus went into every prison in Italy and they suffered riots and hostage-taking and everything else, so that is what the Prison Service are trying to avoid or trying to keep a control against, but as staff get contaminated - and they will - then the number of staff available will start to drop off. 'It then becomes harder to let prisoners out of their cells, so that they can phone their families and have exercise and that sort of stuff.' Unless some lower risk prisoners are released the military may need to be drafted in to help keep order, he said. Dave Cook of the POA, pictured, says the military could be brought in to control fears of increased violence during the coronavirus pandemic There are already plans in place to grant pregnant inmates temporary release to protect them and their unborn children from Covid-19. As of 5pm on Monday, 65 inmates had tested positive for coronavirus in 23 different prisons in England and Wales. Mr Cook said: 'The Prison Service does have contingencies for the loss of staff and normally we would call upon the police to come in and assist in prisons, however, the police made it quite clear, they're suffering the same problems that everybody else will. 'The police officers will contract the virus, so they're facing a lack of staffing as well, so the alternative is that they'll be turning to the military and I'm aware that some military have been trained on some of the basics of working inside prisons. 'They're unlikely to be working close, face-up with the prisoners. They will be working somewhere within the prison.' Around 3,500 prison staff - representing about a tenth of the workforce - are in self-isolation due to suspected Covid-19. Some 14 employees have tested positive for the virus in eight prisons, as well as four prison escort and custody services staff. A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'We have robust and flexible plans in place to protect the lives of our staff, prisoners and visitors, based on the latest advice from Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care.' A coronavirus-stricken cruise ship embroiled in a dispute over plans to disembark passengers in the US has reported the deaths of four people, including one British national. Two of the dead had tested positive for coronavirus, with a further nine people on board the Zaandam cruise ship currently suffering from Covid-19. A total of 189 passengers have flu-like symptoms. One of the deceased passengers is from the UK, a spokesman for the Holland America cruise line, which operates the Zaandam, told PA news agency. Due to US ... laws, we cannot provide any additional medical and health details. More than 200 British nationals are aboard the Zaandam which, along with its sister ship the Rotterdam, passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports. Both ships are seeking to dock in Florida later this week. The states governor, Ron DeSantis, has pushed back on requests to allow more than 1,000 people disembark from the Zaandam, insisting that Floridas health care resources are already at breaking point and would not be able to accommodate a sudden influx of coronavirus patients. The US Coast Guard has said if local authorities cannot agree on a docking plan, the matter will go to the the federal government for decision. Mr DeSantis said he had been in contact with the White House about ferrying medical supplies to the ships. Just to drop people off at the place where were having the highest number of cases right now just doesnt make a whole lot of sense, Mr DeSantis said. However, Donald Trump said at the White Houses daily coronavirus briefing that he would ask Mr DeSantis to allow the ships to dock in Florida. Theyre dying on the ship, Mr Trump said. Im going to do whats right. Not only for us, but for humanity. Company president Orlando Ashford wrote an opinion column in the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper to plead with officials and residents to let the passengers disembark. The Covid-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity, he wrote. To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values. The Zaandam originally departed from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 March a day before the US State Department advised to avoid cruise travel and before any substantial restrictions were put in place in Florida. The ship had been scheduled to stop in San Antonio, Chile, then complete another 20-day cruise to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 7 April. But since 15 March, the Zaandam has been denied entry at a succession of ports. Holland America said the Zaandam was subsequently forced to rendezvous with its sister ship the Rotterdam, which had no passengers and was able to take on nearly 1,400 people who appeared healthy. This left 450 guests and 602 crew members on the Zaandam. The company said the two ships would remain together for the rest of the journey, and guests on both ships would remain in their rooms until disembarkation. Coronavirus has put much of the industry on hold after a number of companies announced the cancellation of cruises until May at the earliest. As countries close their borders and move to enforce strict travel restrictions amid the pandemic, at least 10 ships remain at sea as they finish their itineraries. Additional reporting by agencies Metinvest Group, the international mining and metal holding, has suspended two of its rolling facilities in Italy. This decision was taken in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Italian Government's demands to suspend the operation of steel mills in the country. The company said in a press release late on Tuesday that the group's plants Ferriera Valsider and Metinvest Trametal in Italy are closed until April 3, 2020 to counter the spread of the virus. It is expected that during the shutdown the production volume at these plants will decrease to 40,000 tonnes. The group does not exclude that the Italian government may impose additional restrictions on the operation of steel works, under which the restriction imposed on all major or part of the operating processes at Ferriera Valsider and Metinvest Trametal will be extended. The group said that at the same time, the availability of semi-finished products inventory will allow to resume the normal pace of operation immediately after the release of quarantine, if there is a demand for steel products. In the event of an extension of restrictions imposed on Italian plants and continued instability in the European market, Metinvest forecasts a decline in production at its Ukrainian plants, primarily, Azovstal. The Group is considering a complete shutdown of slab production at the plant. In addition, the option of stopping Blast Furnace No. 3 at Azovstal and rescheduling the launch of Blast Furnaces No. 4 at Illich Iron and Steel Works and No.4 at Azovstal that were shut down for major overhauls (from April to May) is under consideration. In turn, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works (joint venture) does not exclude the possibility of postponement of the launch of Blast Furnace No. 5 after the scheduled reconstruction. Final decisions on the re-launch of furnaces will be made on the basis of the availability of orders in April and the current situation globally, according to the press release. Excessive volumes of iron ore produced at the group's mining assets in Kryvy Rih due to a possible decline in iron production will be channeled to traditional markets, particularly China. Testing sewage water could give authorities clues about the circulation of Covid-19 in cities, new research has found. Scientists in the Netherlands found the virus circulating in sewage water even when cases of Covid-19 were very low and the outbreak was still in its early stages in Dutch cities. In another analysis, Chinese scientists have suggested the use of paper-based devices (analytical devices for rapid diagnostics of pathogens. For instance, paper-based testing kits for malaria) to trace these pathogens early on. In the Dutch study, tests were conducted from sewage water samples three weeks before the first case of Covid-19 tested positive in the Netherlands but no markers were found in wastewater. When the test was conducted again on March 4 and 5, one week after the outbreak began in the country, markers were found in wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants were selected from two large and three medium sized Dutch cities and an airport to draw samples from which ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) was conducted. Scientists, however, clarified that there is no evidence yet that sewage is a transmission mode for SARS-CoV-2. Although SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in a significant proportion of stool samples in earlier studies, just two studies reported finding infectious virus from these samples. This indicates virus doesnt sustain in sewage water for long possibly due to treatment. Surveillance of sewage water, however, offers the opportunity to check for community prevalence of the disease. It is important to collect information about the occurrence and fate of this new virus in sewage to understand if there is no risk to sewage work ers, but also to determine if sewage surveillance could be used to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in our communities sewage surveillance could also serve as early warning of the re-emergence of Covid-19 in cities, much like the sewage surveillance for poliovirus that has been used for this purpose, authors from the KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands said in the studypublished in medRxiv. Another analysis published in the Environment Science and Technology journal by scientists from the School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, and Chinese Academy of Sciences said paper based devices to pick up bio-markers in sewage samples similar to those being used for HIV, Malaria, Zika virus, human papillomavirus, among others, can be useful for tracking Covid-19. Dr Zhugen Yang, Lecturer at Cranfield Water Science Institute, said: In the case of asymptomatic infections in the community or when people are not sure whether they are infected or not, real time community sewage detection through paper analytical devices could determine whether there are Covid-19 carriers in an area to enable rapid screening, quarantine and prevention. Sewage surveillance has been done for polio and non-polio viruses in the past. But testing sewage samples is not easy. We need RT-PCR now on a large scale for people. Swabs from sewage in cities can be extracted from the common duct in an area to test it. But I think that would be a post pandemic response in India. We need testing kits to be available right now. Thats a priority, said Dr Shobha Broor, former head of microbiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. India is testing at only about 36% of its capacity currently, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. Sierra Leone has confirmed its first Covid-19 case, after a 37-year-old male travelled from France on March 16 via Air Brussels. Prior to this confirmation, Sierra Leone was the only West African State to have zero cases. President Julius Bio confirmed the case on national television. He said the health condition of the patient in quarantine is stable. The patient is currently in quarantine. On March 25, Mr Bio declared a 12-month public health emergency in a bid to tackle the pandemic. A report according to africanews states that so far 719 persons have been quarantined from February; 383 persons have been released from quarantine; 336 persons are currently in quarantine; and 66 of the quarantined persons are self-quarantined. Burundi also confirmed its two index cases on Tuesday. Both patients, 56 and 42 years of age, according to the minister of health Thadee Ndikumana are Burundians who had arrived from Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates via Rwanda. Both patients are under quarantine at an isolation hotel in Bujumbura. The health minister urged the public to embrace hygiene and social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Botswana also confirmed its first three cases of Covid-19 on Monday night. The patients had previously travelled abroad, then tested positive. This confirmation has led the president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, to declare an indefinite state of emergency, which will take effect at 12 a.m. on Thursday. He said the return of some of our citizens and residents from high risk countries has also escalated the threat of the virus in our country. Therefore, after consultations with the relevant stakeholders, it has become clear to me that it is necessary to declare a state of emergency for the purpose of taking appropriate and stringent measures to address the risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the president, people would not be allowed outside their homes except for essential services during the state of emergency. Meanwhile, Tanzania recorded its first death. A 49-year-old Tanzanian died of the virus in Mlonganzila, Dar es Salam. Tanzania has a total of 19 confirmed cases. In Mozambique, the president, Filipe Nyusi, declared a state of emergency on Monday night. It is expected to last from 12:00 AM Wednesday until the end of April. Advertisements As from April 1, all meetings except state events and unspecified social occasions are banned. This covers all political, cultural, sporting and recreational activities, and all religious ceremonies. There are now 5814 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Africa according to worldometer. Five countries in Africa are yet to confirm a single case of the virus. They are Comoros, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan. OUTGOING Independent senators David Norris, Michael McDowell and Ronan Mullen are returning to the Seanad after being elected by university voters. Mr Mullen, well known for his pro-life views, was elected on the first count with a vote of 9,642. Former Tanaiste and Justice Minister Mr McDowell also kept his seat and was elected on the tenth count. Separately Trinity College voters returned gay rights activist and former presidential candidate David Norris to the seat he has held since 1987. Labours Ivana Bacik and Independent candidate Lynn Ruane also hung onto their Seanad seats. The race for the third seat was a battle between outgoing Independent Senator Mary Alice Higgins -the daughter of President Michael D Higgins - and former Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger. Ms Higgins was elected. Ms Higgins got 4,944 first preference votes while Ms Coppinger got 3,615. Another Independent, Laura Harmon, trails them with 2,187 votes. The electorate is made up of graduates from UCD, UCC, NUIG and NUI Maynooth. Counting continues for this constituency and in the three-seat University of Dublin constituency where the voters are Trinity graduates continues this afternoon. Former TDs Shane Cassells and Pat Casey as well as Senator Ned O'Sullivan all took seats in the Labour Panel. Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell was also re-elected as was Sinn Feins Paul Gavan. The Green Partys Pauline OReilly and Labours Marie Sherlock were also elected as counting finished in the panel. Elsewhere outgoing Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer topped the poll in the Seanad's Labour Panel and is re-elected. Others vying for seats in the panel include former Fianna Fail TDs Shane Cassells and Pat Casey who lost their Dail seats in February's general election. Fine Gael Waterford councillor John Cummins was elected to the Labour Panel on the second count. Sinn Fein Senator Maire Devine lost her seat on the fifth count. Walmart will check the temperatures of its store workers and provide them protective gloves and masks, in efforts to keep its workforce and customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The retail giant announced the move Tuesday, as the US death toll eclipsed China's after climbing to more than 4,000 within two months of the outbreak first hitting. Walmart said it is shipping infrared thermometers to all its US stores so employees can have their temperatures checked when they come to work, to help detect infected individuals. 'Any associate with a temperature of 100.0 degrees will be paid for reporting to work and asked to return home and seek medical treatment if necessary,' the statement said. Walmart will check the temperatures of its store workers and provide them protective gloves and masks, the company has announced 'The associate will not be able to return to work until they are fever-free for at least three days.' Sick employees will still be paid during this time. Workers will also be asked 'basic health screening questions' and gloves and masks will be provided to anyone who wants them. The masks will be 'high-quality' but will not be N95 respirators, the retailer said. However, workers can expect a delay in receiving this equipment, with the firm saying thermometers should arrive in three weeks and masks in two weeks. The retail giant announced the move Tuesday, as the US death toll eclipsed China's after climbing to 3,906 within two months of the outbreak first hitting Walmart has been one of a small number of businesses to buck the trend for sites closing, mass layoffs, and staff being furloughed amid the pandemic. The grocery retailer has not only survived but thrived, both being classed as an essential business and benefiting from panic-buyers stockpiling food and household products in recent weeks. The firm announced in March that it was looking to hire 150,000 new temporary workers to help meet its spike in demand. Walmart plans to take on the additional staff by the end of May to work across its empire of stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers. It has shortened its hiring drive from two weeks to as short as 24 hours to ramp up hiring quickly. While the roles will be temporary at first, it said they could turn into permanent positions over time. The firm is reaching out to workers in the industries hardest hit by the outbreak. 'We've reached out to industry groups representing restaurants and hospitality to facilitate temporary roles that can be a bridge for their employees during this difficult time,' Walmart said in a press release. A man wears a face mask in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Pearl, Mississippi on Tuesday Shelves are nearly empty at a Walmart in Warrington, Philadelphia, in March. The retailer has been thriving amid the pandemic as panic-buyers stockpile food Dozens of scientists across the globe are expeditiously developing and testing a variety of therapeutic treatments for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, dozens more are working to protect those who have not yet been affected by creating a vaccine. The Department of Health and Human Services just announced that the government is working with major pharmaceutical and biotech companies to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccine trials and, ultimately, the manufacturing of said vaccines. MORE: Open by Easter? Relaxing coronavirus restrictions too soon could backfire. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, keeps reminding us, the development timeline for treatments and vaccines are "fundamentally different." Although it likely will take more than a year before a vaccine is ready for the public, Fauci also said COVID-19 vaccine development is on track to be "literally the fastest that we have ever done." Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis. With more people being infected and lockdown orders creating immense financial burdens with so many not allowed to work, the question becomes even more pressing: Is there a viable vaccine in sight? Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, believes a previously stated 12- to 18-month timeline may be too optimistic. "My concern is that people are hearing we are going to see things in a year or 18 months," Bottazzi told ABC News. "The reality is: That's probably not going to happen. We may have some real optimism and some safety evidence by then, but not a vaccine." PHOTO: A patient receives a shot in the first-stage study of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, March 16, 2020. (Ted S. Warren/AP) "There's a long road after safety -- you still have to do a lot of things before you can confirm the efficacy and give this to the public en masse," Bottazzi added. "That's the hard message. It's not just a 30- or 40-people trial to lead us to a solution." Story continues The long road to vaccine development Vaccines train a person's immune system to recognize a pathogen and attack it before it infects healthy cells. Vaccines can prime the immune system, give it a head start, get it ready to fight. But before vaccines can be tested for efficacy, they undergo even more safety testing than ordinary medicines. As Bottazzi noted, vaccines are intended for use among healthy people and there's "a high bar to make sure they are going to do more good than harm." MORE: Coronavirus map: Tracking the spread in the US and around the world Safety is the focus of Phase I testing, while Phase II involves determining whether or not the vaccines work. Bottazzi noted that many of the front-runner vaccine candidates that have received both media attention and critical funding dollars are new and unproven, and some use technology never used in humans. "The vaccines that have been funded and accelerated are all novel technologies -- I'm not saying that they are not going to work, but they are novel," Bottazzi cautioned. Some candidates, such as a vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna, use a technique never before been used on humans. Despite relying on new technology, Moderna's vaccine was rushed to Phase I trials before it was tested on animals, which, Bottazzi said "is very unusual." PHOTO: A first responder is tested for COVID-19 at a drive through testing facility in Chicago. (Illinois National Guard via AP) Mass producing vaccines before they're proven In a White House briefing last week, Fauci pointed out that vaccine production, too, would need to be expedited -- likely at an unusual stage of development. Typically, pharmaceutical companies would wait to see if their vaccine works in clinical trials before ramping up production. Not so with this pandemic, because, experts have said, because production on large quantities will need to begin before having complete data. That way, they can be ready to distribute widely when it's finally proven safe and effective. "Even before you know something works," Fauci said, "you have to start producing it. Because once you know it works, you can't say, 'Great it works -- now give me another six months to produce it.'" Those tactics present a risk, Fauci acknowledged, because it's unclear which vaccines now being tested will end up working, or working the best, but it's a risk developers must take. There's also concern using new technologies may create additional challenges. MORE: Timeline: How coronavirus got started MORE: What to do if you think you have coronavirus symptoms "Vaccines should be easy to make -- generic enough that everyone can reproduce them, with minimum proprietary technology," Bottazzi said, adding that doing so can prevent "another big bottleneck for vaccines." Her group at Texas Children's Hospital and other vaccine producers are staying with tried-and-true development methods, including the incorporation of a complimentary ingredient called an "adjuvant," which boosts the immune system's response to the vaccine. "Our vaccine uses the simplest and safest adjuvant possible: aluminum, the only adjuvant that has been licensed all over the world," she said. Not all vaccines, including several COVID-19 front-runners, use adjuvants, but many researchers consider it safer. Compounds including adjuvants require less of the new drug, also called the "antigen," which reduces potential side effects and makes the overall vaccines cheaper to produce. "Adjuvants classically will allow you to get a robust immune response at a tenfold-lower antigen dose," said Dr. Ofer Levy, an infectious disease physician and leader of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital. "How are you going to scale a vaccine to a billion doses without an adjuvant? I'm not seeing it." Echoing that newer vaccine technologies may be more expensive, time-intensive and difficult to mass produce, Levy said his group at Harvard instead is focusing on finding an adjuvant that's particularly effective in vulnerable populations. In the meantime, experts are hopeful another type of therapy soon will be available: convalescent plasma, a still-experimental treatment in which antibodies from someone who recovered from COVID-19 are shared via infusion. This method could be used to treat those hospitalized with the novel coronavirus as well as boost the immune systems of healthy people at the greatest risk of contracting it. Patients at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital now will be administered convalescent plasma under careful supervision. Bottazzi said: "Bottom Line: Let's continue to be optimistic, but at the same time be aware that it will take a lot of time, trial and error, and failures." What to know about coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map Chloe Nunneley, M.D., a resident physician in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center, is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit. The race for a COVID-19 vaccine: Fast, but fast enough? originally appeared on abcnews.go.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. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). Tests, hospitalizations and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Information on cases linked to these places comes from official releases by governments, companies and institutions directly. The Times is publishing lists of groupings of 50 or more cases related to a specific site, workplace or event. In the first year of the pandemic, The Times tracked cases in the types of places with some of the worst outbreaks, like nursing homes , food processing plants and correctional facilities . Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Select a table header to sort by another metric. About the data In data for Alaska, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state. The state releases new data on weekdays. It released new data daily until February 2021. The state includes residents by county of residence and separately counts nonresidents in the county of diagnosis. As of June 5, the Times includes cases and deaths from nonresidents that occurred in the state since many are seasonal workers living there for an extended time. Cases and deaths of Alaska residents who died out of state are excluded. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes Dec. 31, 2021: Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Dec. 24, 2021: Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Nov. 25, 2021: Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. Alaska did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. Nov. 11, 2021: Alaska did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. Alaska did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. Oct. 19, 2021: Alaska added many deaths after reviewing death certificates. Most of the deaths occurred in September and October 2021. Alaska added many deaths after reviewing death certificates. Most of the deaths occurred in September and October 2021. Oct. 18, 2021: Alaska did not release new data for Alaska Day, a state holiday. Alaska did not release new data for Alaska Day, a state holiday. Sept. 6, 2021: The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. April 15, 2021: Alaska added 19 deaths after reviewing vital records. Alaska added 19 deaths after reviewing vital records. March 29, 2021: Alaska did not release data because of Seward's Day, a state holiday. Alaska did not release data because of Seward's Day, a state holiday. Jan. 2, 2021: Alaska reported data for two days after reporting no data on New Year's Day. The state reports nonresidents in the location where they were diagnosed. The Times includes these nonresidents, many of whom are seasonal workers temporarily living in Alaska. Cases are reported for Valdez-Cordova Census Area, which has split into Chugach Census Area and Copper River Census Area, based on how the state reported data until February 2021. The tallies on this page include cases that have been identified by public health officials as probable coronavirus patients through antigen testing. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. Virologist with the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), Dr. Michael Owusu has noted that considering Ghanas current statistics, breakdown and the strategies undertaken so far, there will be a significant jump in the number of COVID-19 cases in the next one or two weeks if nothing significant changes. The virus has a reproductive number of 2.5 to 3 so it grows exponentially. And the exponential growth depends on the multiple number of contracts we have. So what I expect is that if nothing changes and things move on as it is, there is still multiple number of contacts happening then you expect a big jump and it will happen in the next one to two weeks, he explained in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com He added that the current death of 2.2 percent does not really represent the real situation on the ground since the true number of infected persons is yet to be ascertained. The death rate that we have set at 2.2 percent, I think it is too early. When the hospitals are overwhelmed, when we have sections full of patients, when you think that things are already exhausted thats when you can actually measure the prevalence of death, he explained. Ghanas COVID-19 cases currently stand at 161. As at March 31, 2020, nine (9) new cases of COVID-19 have been reported from NMIMR since the last update on March 30, 2020. All nine (9) were reported from Accra, three (3) of them travelled to Ghana within the past 14 days from Germany, France and Hungary respectively but for six (6) of them have no history of travelling outside. 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 ongoing health crisis is a "common invisible enemy" and a synchronized response is needed, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNBC on Wednesday. Since it was first detected in China towards the end of last year, the coronavirus has infected close to 880,000 people and killed at least 43,500, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It has overwhelmed health systems, sent countries into lockdown and prompted monetary and fiscal measures from authorities. "This is a common invisible enemy and therefore, we need common and coordinated efforts by NATO allies," Stoltenberg told CNBC's Hadley Gamble. He said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) main task was to ensure terrorist organizations and other adversaries were not taking advantage of the pandemic, but it also had a role to play in supporting civilian efforts to tackle the spread of the disease. "That's exactly what we do," he said, noting that military forces had been involved in controlling border crossings and setting up field hospitals. The Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged four countries, including India, to immediately lift the restrictions on internet usage and restore data transmission at full speed as it said they violate multiple rights and can be deadly during a health crisis like coronavirus. The international human rights body, in a statement, said, "Governments that are currently imposing an internet shutdown, such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, and Myanmar, should lift them immediately to save lives. "Intentionally shutting down or restricting access to the internet violates multiple rights and can be deadly during a health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it said. India had the most internet shutdowns with at least 385 such instances since 2012. In Jammu and Kashmir, the government had imposed a complete communications blackout in August 2019, which prevented many from communicating to their dear ones and disrupted the local economy. "Phone services were gradually restored, but it was only after the Supreme Court found the internet shutdown illegal in January 2020 that service was partially restored, and only at 2G speed, the human rights body said. The HRW also said that the COVID-19 infected people in the country have reported not being able to access websites for information about the pandemic due to highly restricted internet speed that makes accessing anything beyond text messages nearly impossible. "Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation has called on the government to make all tools, including high speed internet, available to doctors and patients to save lives, it said, adding that access to timely and accurate information is crucial during a health crisis. "People use the internet for updates on health measures, movement restrictions and relevant to protect themselves and others, the human rights body added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three Allentown police officers were hurt Tuesday evening arresting a pair of drug suspects near Mohawk and South Idaho streets, according to a news release. Patrol division officers responded about 5:15 p.m. to a report of people selling drugs, Captr. Michael Becker said. Two men face charges after the incident. They were arraigned early Wednesday before District Judge Michael DAmore and one of the men was arraigned again on Wednesday morning before District Judge Karen Devine, records show. Kevin Silva-Heredia, 18, of Allentown, is charged in two cases. The Tuesday offenses include conspiracy to possess drugs with intent to sell, aggravated assault, disarming a law enforcement officer, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, simple assault and harassment, records show. He was also charged with the Wednesday offenses of contraband/controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana, records show. Silva-Heredias bails were set at $50,000 and $1,000. Anthony Silva Zackey, 22, of Allentown, was charged with resisting arrest, conspiracy to possess drugs with the intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, records show. Silva Zackeys bail was set at 10% of $10,000. Preliminary hearings for Silva-Heredia are tentatively scheduled for April 8 and May 6. Silva Zackeys preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 6, The injuries to the officers were minor, Becker said. 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. Products from Vietnam have become more popular in the United States than ever before. U.S. imports from the Southeast Asian nation increased 36 percent last year to $67 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. This represents the highest increase in a single year since 2003. Vietnam is a major supplier of electronic products, furniture, clothing, footwear, and fish to the United States. It also is a major exporter of coffee, rice, and other foods. Michael Ryan is the director of economics at IHS Markit Economics, an investment research service. He told VOA the latest increase shows Vietnam is making a massive reorientation in trade toward the U.S. market. The United States has become far and away the most important driver of Vietnams export engine, accounting for two-thirds of Vietnams total export growth in 2019, Ryan said. Many businesses have been moving to Vietnam to reduce their dependence on China, where it has become more costly or harder to do business for several reasons. These include the trade war between the U.S. and China, higher operating costs and the spread of the new coronavirus. After U.S. officials asked Vietnam buy more American goods, the country announced in March it would buy $3 billion worth of farm goods. That promise came after Vietnam said it would buy American-made airplanes. Less than a year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Vietnam with tariffs. He accused Vietnam of abusing the trading system, but did not say how. Trump said he wants to increase U.S. exports to Vietnam to help make up for the much larger levels of imported goods. Instead, the difference between what the U.S. imports from Vietnam compared to the U.S. exports has increased every year from 2008 to 2019, the Census Bureau found. While economists say a trade balance is not the only way to measure trade success, Vietnam is exporting more because of the U.S. trade war with China. Jing Wu is an assistant professor of business at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He told VOA that the trade war did not get companies to move to the United States. Instead, it caused many to move to other nations, like Vietnam, he said. Wu and others at the universitys business school studied the relationship between trade uncertainty and the movement of companies. Their research supported the idea that many companies seek out new markets during a trade war. As examples, they named major companies including Apple, Chevron, and Victoria's Secret owner L Brands, which all have moved more business to Vietnam. Their study was carried out before the arrival of COVID-19, the coronavirus first reported in China that has since spread around the world. The virus has greatly damaged supply chains and economic activity around the world. But some businesses say they expect to be active in Vietnam after the crisis and continue to invest there. For example, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council recently acted on plans to send business representatives to Vietnam. Im Bryan Lynn. VOA News reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story furniture n. objects such as chairs, tables and beds that are put inside rooms or buildings reorientation n. the action of changing the focus or direction of something account for v. to be part of a total number of something tariff n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country uncertainty n. the state of not being sure about or not being able to decide something supply chain n. the processes involved in the production and sales of a product or products Every spring, American robins migrate north from all over the U.S. and Mexico, flying up to 250 miles a day to reach their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. There, they spend the short summer in a mad rush to find a mate, build a nest, raise a family, and fatten up before the long haul back south. Now climate change is making seasonal rhythms less predictable, and springtime is arriving earlier in many parts of the Arctic. Are robins changing the timing of their migration to keep pace, and if so, how do they know when to migrate? Although many animals are adjusting the timing of their migration, the factors driving these changes in migratory behavior have remained poorly understood. A new study, published in Environmental Research Letters, concludes that robin migration is kicking off earlier by about five days each decade. The study is also the first to reveal the environmental conditions along the migration route that help the birds keep up with the changing seasons. Lead author Ruth Oliver completed the work while earning her doctorate at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. At Canada's Slave Lake, a pit stop for migrating birds, researchers have been recording spring migration timing for a quarter century. Their visual surveys and netting censuses revealed that robins have been migrating about five days earlier per decade since 1994. In order to understand what factors are driving the earlier migration, Oliver and Lamont associate research professor Natalie Boelman, a coauthor on the paper, knew they needed to take a look at the flight paths of individual robins. Their solution was to attach tiny GPS "backpacks" to the birds, after netting them at Slave Lake in mid-migration. "We made these little harnesses out of nylon string," Oliver explained. "It basically goes around their neck, down their chest and through their legs, then back around to the backpack." The unit weighs less than a nickel -- light enough for the robins to fly unhindered. The researchers expect that the thin nylon string eventually degrades, allowing the backpacks to fall off. The researchers slipped these backpacks onto a total of 55 robins, tracking their movements for the months of April through June. With the precise location from the GPS, the team was able to link the birds' movements with weather data on air temperature, snow depth, wind speed, precipitation, and other conditions that might help or hinder migration. The results showed that the robins start heading north earlier when winters are warm and dry, and suggest that local environmental conditions along the way help to fine-tune their flight schedules. "The one factor that seemed the most consistent was snow conditions and when things melt. That's very new," said Oliver. "We've generally felt like birds must be responding to when food is available -- when snow melts and there are insects to get at -- but we've never had data like this before." Boelman added that "with this sort of quantitative understanding of what matters to the birds as they are migrating, we can develop predictive models" that forecast the birds' responses as the climate continues to warm. "Because the timing of migration can indirectly influence the reproductive success of an individual, understanding controls over the timing of migratory events is important." For now, it seems as though the environmental cues are helping the robins to keep pace with the shifting seasons. "The missing piece is, to what extent are they already pushing their behavioral flexibility, or how much more do they have to go?" said Oliver. Because the study caught the birds in mid-migration, the tracking data doesn't reflect the birds' full migration path. To overcome this limitation, the researchers plan to analyze tissue from the robins' feathers and claws, which they collected while attaching the GPS harnesses, to estimate where each bird spent the previous winter and summer. Over the long term, Oliver says, she hopes to use the GPS trackers to sort out other mysteries as well, such as how much of the change in migration timing is due to the behavioral responses found in the study versus natural selection to changing environments, or other factors. "This type of work will be really cool once we can track individuals throughout the course of their life, and that's on the near-term horizon, in terms of technological capabilities," she said. "I think that will really help us unpack some of the intricacies of these questions." ### The new study is part of a broader NASA-funded research and outreach project, called the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment, that is tracking how the rapid warming of the far north affects wildlife. Read more about the project on the researchers' blog: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/2016/04/12/a-migration-mystery/ Oliver is now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University. Other authors on the study include Peter Mahoney from the University of Washington, Eliezer Gurarie from the University of Washington and the University of Maryland, Nicole Krikun from the Lesser Slave Lack Bird Observatory, Brian Weeks from the University of Michigan, Mark Hebblewhite from the University of Montana, and Glen Liston from Colorado State University. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio-based startup SHARE Mobility specializes in helping businesses get people where they need to go. Now, with shelter-in-place orders sweeping the nation, the mobility company is using its resources to help businesses bring critical items directly to people's homes. Using its software platform and virtual dispatch service, the company hopes to ease pressure on essential businesses that are reacting to the sudden and increased demand for last mile delivery services. SHARE will support organizations that do not have a reliable home delivery service in place and organizations that need additional capacity. "There are critical supplies that need to be delivered and the current infrastructure is just not built to deal with the increased demand," said SHARE Founder and CEO Ryan McManus. "Businesses are scrambling to get people the food and medicine they need, so it makes sense to do what we can to help them solve this problem." Beyond its own fleet of vehicles in Ohio, the company is also working with other transportation companies across the countryenabling them to turn their own fleets of "people-moving" vehicles into supply delivery vehicles using SHARE's software platform. SHARE is well-positioned to help these companies because its software was built to handle high volumes of transportation requests, build delivery routes, send out orders to a shared network of vehicles and run the entire process through a central dispatch hub. "Our software is built to help businesses route inbound requests to available vehicles," added McManus. "Whether they need help getting people to their jobs or bringing food, medicine and other essentials to their homes, we can adapt. Now we want to help other transportation companies do the same." To learn more, visit ridewithshare.com About SHARE: Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, SHARE Microtransit offers a transportation solution between mass transportation and individually owned, single-occupancy vehicles. We develop dynamic mobility services to address transportation demands with a goal to increase access in our community while decreasing costs for riders. We know that access to transportation is far from equal, and we strive to break down old-world models to accelerate a change to smarter mobility for communities. Our software allows us to quickly create efficient routes that group together riders going the same way at the same time. SHARE Microtransit services are available through participating employers, schools, municipalities, and senior living communities. Learn more at ridewithshare.com. SOURCE SHARE Related Links https://ridewithshare.com BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China has lifted more than 6.74 million disabled people out of poverty by the end of 2019, accounting for over 93 percent of the country's total number of poor people with disabilities, according to authorities. Poverty among disabled people in eight provinces including Jiangsu has been eliminated by the end of last year, showed data released at a video teleconference by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The per capita net income of poor families with disabilities increased from about 2,776 yuan (391.8 U.S. dollars) in 2015 to about 8,726 yuan in 2019, with their income structure also improved. Supervisors will be dispatched to the six provinces that each still has more than 30,000 disabled people living in poverty, the authorities said. Subsidies and supporting policies will also be put in place. Existing problems will be investigated and solved to help the remaining 479,000 disabled people shake off poverty. The Trump administration has decided against reopening the Affordable Care Acts Healthcare.gov marketplaces to new customers, despite broad layoffs and growing fears that people will be uninsured during the coronavirus outbreak. The option to reopen markets, in what is known as a special enrollment period, would have made it easier for people who have recently lost jobs or who had already been uninsured to obtain health insurance. The administration has established such special enrollment periods in the past, typically in the wake of natural disasters. The administration had been considering the action for several weeks, and President Donald Trump mentioned such conversations in a recent news briefing. But according to a White House official, those discussions are now over. The news of the decision was previously reported by Politico. The decision will not prevent Americans who recently lost their jobs from obtaining health insurance if they want it. Under current law, people who lose job-based insurance already qualify to enroll for health insurance on the marketplaces but are required to provide proof that they lost their coverage. A special enrollment period would have made it easier for such people to enroll, because it would not require that paperwork. It also would have provided a new option for people who chose not to buy health insurance this year but want it now. Although the administration continues to run the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, it has taken numerous steps to weaken them, and Trump continues to call for the health laws elimination and replacement. The administration has joined a lawsuit with a group of Republican states that calls for the entire law to be overturned, which the Supreme Court will consider in its next term. Trump recently told reporters that he continues to support the suit and would like to replace the law, although he has not specified a preferred policy alternative. What we want to do is get rid of the bad health care and put in a great health care, he said, in response to a question March 22 about the lawsuit. So far, the administration has declined to publicize the existing options for Americans who have recently lost health benefits through job reductions. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have established special enrollment periods to allow people to obtain new insurance coverage. The states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, and they control their marketplaces. But federal action would have been required to allow customers to re-enter the markets in the 38 states with markets run by Healthcare.gov or that use the federal platform. (Idaho, which also runs its own marketplace, has decided against a special enrollment period.) Insurers, who had been arguing in favor of the enrollment period, had been hopeful just a few days ago that the White House might announce such a step. But the situation suddenly became fluid, in the description of one executive. Another described the administration as divided about whether to proceed, especially given the presidents support for the lawsuit that would overturn the law. Numerous other health care provider and consumer groups, including the American Diabetes Association, Families USA and the New Hampshire Nurses Association, wrote a joint letter to the administration last month asking it to establish a special enrollment period. The groups argued that forcing people to verify eligibility would not only delay care receipt, it would deter enrollment by healthy customers, endangering the individual-market risk pool, the grouping of customers that determines what the insurers charge for a policy. Many Democratic politicians criticized the decision Wednesday as insensitive to the needs of the public in a crisis. Joe Biden, who leads the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, called for a special enrollment period. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also released a statement, suggesting it may become a campaign issue. Democrats made health care a centerpiece of many House races in the 2018 midterm elections. In the midst of a global pandemic, Washington Republicans continue their crusade against the health and safety of the American public, Fabiola Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the group, said in the statement. By blocking uninsured COVID-19 patients from getting health care, Trump and his allies have decided to bankrupt American families. The American people deserve to know if House Republicans will stand up for the millions of Americans who face the challenge of being jobless and uninsured during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Democratic and Republican members of Congress had also urged the administration to consider a special enrollment period. But Congress declined to require such an enrollment period in its last round of coronavirus legislation, instead leaving the decision to federal officials. In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., recommended that Congress include a special enrollment provision in its next round of coronavirus legislation. He had also proposed such language be included in the last bill. At a time when our health care system is already under enormous strain, it makes no sense to willingly allow even more individuals to go without coverage, he said. Even though the White House official described the matter as decided, officials have the capability to establish a special enrollment period at any time. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan surpassed 2,000 on Wednesday, indicating an upward trend despite efforts by the government to contain the pandemic. The Ministry of National Health Services said that 105 new patients tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 2,039. It showed that the largest provinces of Punjab had 708 cases, Sindh 676, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 253, Balochistan 158, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 184, Islamabad 54 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 6. So far, 26 people have died due to the virus and 82 have recovered, while another 12 are in critical condition. The increase in the number of cases showed that there was little impact of the measures, including partial lockdown, taken so far to reduce the spread of the disease. Officials in Pakistan are scrambling to contain the disease by appealing to the public to remain inside homes and go out only in cases of emergencies. But there was little impact on the masses and in several cities, people were seen roaming out while security officials were trying to convince them to go back to their places. Prime Minister Imran Khan would hold a meeting of National Core Committee to discuss steps to contain the deadly virus. He has already announced Rs 1,200 billion package to deal with the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Distressing images of morgue trucks in New York City, taking away the rising number of dead from the coronavirus, have underscored the latest grim projections for the entire country. It has become a grim ritual outside New York Citys hospitals: workers in protective gear loading the bodies of coronavirus victims into refrigerated trailers. Deaths from the coronavirus topped 1,000 in New York City. A rise in deaths in the epicenter of the crisis in the U.S. has overwhelmed the citys permanent morgues and filled storage spaces in many hospitals to capacity. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending 85 refrigerated trucks to serve as temporary morgues, the city said. Experts warned that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. even if social distancing guidelines are maintained. America now has more than 4,000 dead from the outbreak. Here's an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage. President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a "hell of a bad two weeks" ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. The IRS and the Treasury Department say Americans will start receiving their economic impact checks in the next three weeks. AP's business team sets out what you need to do to get your check. New York is the deadliest hot spot in the U.S., with more than 1,500 deaths statewide, most of them in New York City, which is bracing for things to get much worse in the coming weeks. U.S stocks joined a worldwide downdraft Wednesday as more signs piled up of the economic and physical pain being caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Facing intense surges in the need for hospital ICU beds, European nations are on a building and hiring spree, throwing together makeshift hospitals and shipping coronavirus patients out of overwhelmed cities via high-speed trains and military jets. Spain reports a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark, making it the third country to surpass that milestone behind the United States and Italy. Japans Prime Minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the U.S., Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. Mexico starts taking tougher measures against the COVID-19 outbreak after weeks of its president hugging followers and saying religious medals would protect him. A Southern California nursing home has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with more than 50 residents infected a troubling development amid cautious optimism that cases in the state may peak more slowly than expected. A bleary-eyed Chris Cuomo, saying he wanted to be a cautionary tale for his audience, anchored his CNN show from his basement Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus. --- For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for tips to surviving financially as bills come due, interactive maps tracking the virus's spread, and more. --- It's the first of the month, and everybody knows the rent's due. For millions of Americans, Wednesday is the first time the landlord is knocking on the door since the coronavirus outbreak turned the economy upside down. Many of those renters are without jobs - nearly 3.3 million people in the U.S. filed for unemployment the week of March 16, about five times the previous high in 1982. Most state and local governments are putting evictions on pause as states prepare to pay unemployment and the federal government prepares to send stimulus checks. So for most, April's knock won't come with a notice to get out. --- This coverage is being provided free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus pandemic. Please support local journalism by subscribing. The latest from verified new sources An anti-gay evangelist who spearheads Samaritans Purse has erected a 68-bed hospital in New York Citys Central Park to assist with an influx of Covid-19 patients while calling for Christian volunteers to join his crusade. Franklin Graham, the leader of the controversial evangelical Christian humanitarian group, who has been known to compare transgender people to paedophiles and say gay people will burn in the flames of hell, was reportedly behind the makeshift medical facilities built in Central Parks East Meadow this week. The notoriously anti-LGBTQ organisations involvement in the treatment centre drew media attention after Mr Graham reportedly required all medical volunteers at the facility to oblige by his nonprofits statement of faith, which specifically rejects the idea of marriage equality. Mr Graham wrote in a tweet: If you are a Christian doctor, nurse, paramedic, or other medical professional interested in serving COVID-19 patients in our @SamaritansPurse Emergency Field Hospital in NYC, please visit SamirtansPurse.org. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman swiftly demanded Mr Graham publicly assure LGBTQ New Yorkers that they will receive the same treatment as anyone else at the Central Park field hospital in a statement on Monday. Mr Graham later told NBC News: Samaritans Purse treats everyone we help the same. The emailed statement continued: We do not make distinctions about an individuals religion, race, sexual orientation, or economic status. We certainly do not discriminate, and we have a decades-long track record that confirms just that. Samaritans Purse has reportedly instituted a policy at the medical facility that all volunteers follow the 11-Point Statement of Faith, which suggests human life begins at conception and calls out same-sex relationships. One item in the Statement of Faith reads: We believe Gods plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society, the statement continues. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. The makeshift hospital was constructed to assist Mount Sinai Hospital, a New York City-area hospital that has found itself at the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the US. New York City has more confirmed Covid-19 cases than anywhere else in the country, as official estimates said more than a thousand people died throughout the state as of Wednesday. Infectious disease experts have said the figures surrounding official confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus are likely far higher in reality, citing significant issues the federal government had in distributing testing kits to state across the country. Mr Hoylman, who is gay, told NBC News it was a shame that the federal government has left us in the position of having to accept charity from such bigots, while New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson also issued a statement on Tuesday expressing concern over Samaritans Purse having involvement in the states coronavirus response efforts. The council speaker called the groups involvement extremely disturbing and said he would be monitoring the situation closely and making sure that our citys values are being represented at all times. Israels defense minister suggested today that future coronavirus assistance for the Gaza Strip be contingent on recovering the remains of two Israeli soldiers who died in 2014. Reuters quoted Bennett as telling reporters that while the world is now discussing Gaza's humanitarian issues, "Israel also has humanitarian needs, which are mainly the recovery of the fallen." He added, It would not be right to disconnect these things. Israel accuses Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, of holding onto the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, both Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in the 2014 war. I think that we need to enter a broad dialogue about Gazas and our humanitarian needs, Bennett said. Although Gaza's borders are largely sealed to the outside world, the coronavirus was detected in Rafah on March 21. Movement in and out of the territory is heavily restricted due to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after the militant group Hamas took over the strip in 2007. As of today, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Mediterranean enclave had confirmed 12 cases of the coronavirus, including two Gazans who had recently returned from Egypt and are now in quarantine. Public health experts say the emergence of COVID-19 in the densely populated strip could be catastrophic. Military conflict with Israel, internal political instability and a 13-year blockade have left hospitals overburdened and understaffed. Refugees living in crowded camps in Gaza are especially vulnerable, where a lack of adequate sanitation and space could create the perfect breeding ground for an infectious disease. According to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, Gazas health care system is equipped with just 70 intensive care unit beds and faces a shortage of skilled staff, oxygen devices and protective equipment. In Israel, where the death toll from coronavirus has reached 25, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rolled out new guidelines to slow the spread of the disease. In a televised address this evening, the Israeli leader said that all Israelis should be wearing masks out in public or an alternative face covering such as a scarf. He also announced that families with children will receive a direct payment from the government of 500 Israeli shekels per child ($140). Travel to and from the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, where the virus is spreading rapidly, will be limited. " " If you don't have enough counter space to designate a dirty area and a clean area, you can make your table the dirty area for your groceries. Just be sure to sterilize it once you've put all the groceries away. Ronnie Kaufman/Getty Images Wash your hands has become the mantra of 2020. And we've all heard about the importance of cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. But once you've made your home a haven for sheltering in place, how do you bring new items into your sanitized safe zone? We still have to eat and get essentials, after all, so how do we get those groceries, takeout meals and mail-order products inside and ensure we do it safely? Concern over how to do just that led one physician, Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, to record a video about how to properly sanitize groceries and other food items once you bring them inside your home. After VanWingen uploaded the video to YouTube, it quickly went viral receiving more than 17 million views in just a few days and sparked discussion among experts who have helped the Grand Rapids, Michigan, family physician make updates. "I'm glad I stirred the pot in that way," he says. "As a primary care physician, my focus is on prevention. I really think it's important for people to do the best they can to not contract COVID-19." That's because each person who gets it, statistically infects two or three other people. "Things are evolving," VanWingen says. "We're becoming more aware, and we're trying to share best practices." One of those practices is to think of your groceries as just another surface that has to be sanitized. Advertisement Do You Really Need to Disinfect Your Groceries? Despite ongoing recommendations about sanitizing surfaces and washing hands, touching everyday objects is not the main way coronavirus is transmitted. "It's from being in close proximity with others," says VanWingen. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there is "likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated or frozen temperatures" because of coronaviruses poor survivability on surfaces. Nevertheless, the much-cited National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found that coronavirus can live up to three hours in the air, 24 hours on cardboard and 72 hours on hard surfaces like plastic and stainless steel. Hence the ongoing recommendation to wash your hands and sanitize surfaces. When groceries have just come from the store where numerous people may have touched them recently or worse, sneezed on them sanitizing that packaging too starts to sound like a pretty good idea. Still, VanWingen admits that the data from the NIH study offers the worst-case scenario of coronavirus viability in a lab. "In the real world that virus degrades with time," he says. But because on the front side of a pandemic people will be accused of doing too much and on the backside of not doing enough, he enlisted his 16-year-old son, Manny, to help him film the video. In the case of groceries, it's better to be safe than sorry. Advertisement How to Unpack and Disinfect Your Groceries If you have the time right now (and let's be honest, you probably do) go ahead and take the extra step to disinfect your groceries. "People are safe in their homes in a stay-at-home order, but the most concerning thing was people moving out of their homes," VanWingen says. "The one thing that people can do is that they can go out and get food." In his video, he explains how to unpack your and clean your groceries using the "sterile technique" similar to the one used in medical field. Here are the basic instructions: If possible, leave your groceries outside or in the garage for three days. This allows them to meet the 72-hour viability time frame determined by the NIH. If you use a shopping service, have the delivery person leave the groceries outside. If you must bring groceries inside immediately for instance for perishable items use VanWingen's modified sterile technique to remove possible coronavirus from containers and from groceries themselves. First, sanitize a table or countertop with a standard disinfectant like one of the EPA-approved types , including Clorox disinfecting wipes and certain Lysol sprays. Designate one area as the "clean" section and the other as the "dirty" section. When you bring everything inside, put your groceries on the area you designated as "dirty." Saturate a cloth with disinfectant and start wiping! Items in hard plastic are easy to clean, but other products should be removed from their wrapping or containers. For example, pull the cereal bag from the box and throw away the box. Then put the cereal bag in the clean section. You can also dump bread from its bag into a plastic container rather than sanitizing the bread bag. Wash all fruits and vegetables. In an older version of the video, VanWingen recommended using soap and water, but he now advocates for washing in water only. " " If you must go to the grocery store, consider wearing a mask. And only touch items you are going to buy. Images By Tang Ming Tung/Getty Images Advertisement Tips for Safe Grocery Shopping Of course, before you can even unload those groceries, you have to get them. And that means grocery shopping safely and that starts in the store. When you go, practice social distancing, don't touch your face, come home and immediately wash your hands, VanWingen explains. Consider wearing a mask. "One important thing that masks do is to prevent us from spreading it to others on some level," he says. "And also, it's a great reminder for us not to be touching our face." Although it might be tempting to get the kids out of the house, grocery shopping is not the time. In fact, you should plan what you want to buy before you go so that you can minimize your time in the store. Avoid picking up items to look at them only touch what you intend to buy. Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 meters) away from other shoppers and store employees. Some grocery stores are limiting the number of shoppers permitted inside at one time, and marking distance placement for checkout lines. Advertisement Are Takeout or Drive-thru Meals Safe? You can follow similar steps whether your food comes from take out or a drive-thru. Minimizing contact during the food exchange is best. In a Consumer Reports article, Tobie Stanger cautions that even if restaurants, stores or warehouses are cleaned, the delivery person may or may not take the same precautions. Many delivery services employ independent contractors who are not well monitored. Have any deliveries left on your doorstep, and pay and tip electronically. Again, once your meal enters the home, take it out of the container or wrapper, VanWingen says. The food itself is not the issue with coronavirus. "It's the wrappers that I'm more concerned about," he says. Even better, pop your to-go food in the microwave for a bit. Heat destabilizes coronavirus. Despite providing many precautions, VanWingen does not want people to fear food. "This is not a foodborne illness," he says. "Knowledge is the best way to combat fear. If we do the best that we can, we're going to do our part, every person out there, to lower the curve" In addition to the viral video about disinfecting groceries, VanWingen posted "A Message of Hope," which had received more than 20,000 views two days after going live. About 100 people gathered for a religious congregation at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Tuesday following which police used mild force to disperse them, police sources said. About 100 people gathered for a religious congregation at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Tuesday following which police used mild force to disperse them, police sources said. Six persons have been arrested by police for violating lockdown restrictions in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. As per tradition, a chadar is offered every year by the khadims of Ajmer dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti to the dargah in Sarwar. The religious congregation in Sarwar comes at a time when authorities nationwide are trying to trace people who attended a huge religious gathering in Delhi''s Nizamuddin area last month. 24 people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat''s Markaz have tested positive for coronavirus, while 1,548 have been evacuated and 441 hospitalised after they showed its symptoms. SP, Ajmer, Kunwar Rastradeep said that Ajmer police gave permission to five persons for this purpose but later many others joined them in the Sarwar dargah. According to police sources about 100 people had gathered at the dargah. When the police asked them to vacate the place, several of them objected and confronted the police. Later, police dispersed them using mild force and arrested six persons under Section 151 (arrest to prevent cognisable offences) of CrPC. Marlin Steel Wire Products is busy making wire racks for covid-19 test kits. Still, the company is going to pursue a paycheck protection loan because of concerns clients will stop paying their bills or slow buying because they are strapped during the coronavirus pandemic. "I never want anything bad to happen to my awesome employees. So for that reason, we're going to take the conservative approach, we want to protect our people," said Drew Greenblatt, CEO of Marlin Steel. The Treasury Department issued guidelines Tuesday about the $349 billion paycheck protection program, part of the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package signed into law last week. The aim is to make sure small businesses can continue to pay their workers through the pandemic disruptions. Organizations can apply for a loan through a Small Business Administration Lender beginning April 3rd. The loans will be forgiven as long as the money is used to keep employees on the payroll and other expenses like rent, utilities and mortgage interest. Smith & Richardson is a specialty parts maker based outside Chicago. The company has been putting in overtime making parts for ventilators, and the commercial aviation and transportation industries. Even though business is keeping his team of 53 busy now, his accountant advised him to consider applying for the new loans. "We don't need to but you know the way that was written, the Payroll Protection Program, we'd kind of be foolish not to," said Smith & Richardson CEO Richard Hoster, "It's almost free money." Russia's President Vladimir Putin on March 31. Mikhail Klimentyev/TASS / Getty On March 25, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would have a week-long paid vacation to stop the coronavirus. People thinking he meant an actual vacation took to the streets, according to The New York Times. Two days later, the Kremlin had to clarify that people were being told to stay at home, and those who could work from home should continue to do so. Russia had reported about 2,337 cases of COVID-19 and 17 deaths as of Tuesday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Russian President Vladimir Putin told all of Russia they could have a week-long paid vacation. Two days later, the Kremlin had to clarify people were meant to be staying home, and those working from home should continue to do so. Putin made his announcement on March 25. It was a precautionary measure to stop the coronavirus from spreading. But afterward, "the streets of Moscow and other cities filled with people enjoying their time off," according to The New York Times. The holiday was meant to run from March 28 to April 5, and workers were guaranteed their salaries, The Guardian reported. Two days after Putin's announcement, on an unplanned conference call with the media, the Kremlin interceded and clarified that people were meant to be staying home. Tourists in Palace Square in central St Petersburg during the pandemic of the novel coronavirus on March 21. Alexander Demianchuk / TASS / Getty Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that people who had been working remotely would continue to do so, according to Bloomberg. "It's not days off or holidays in the classical understanding of that word," he said. University classes across the country had also been canceled after Putin's announcement, but Peskov said they should still happen. He said this wasn't a change to the holiday, he was just clarifying what the holiday entailed. The number of COVID-19 cases is rising in Russia. As of Tuesday, Russia had about 2,337 cases and 17 deaths, according to Business Insider's David Choi. On March 30, The Washington Post reported that the reality of the coronavirus in Russia, which previously appeared to be in a better condition than much of Europe or China, was beginning to show. Story continues A number of signs backed this up, including reports about struggling hospitals, as well as Putin appearing in photos at a hospital wearing protective clothing a visual acknowledgment of the crisis. Putin made the holiday announcement after telling Russia it "cannot isolate itself from the threat," according to The New York Times. Read the original article on Insider Vehicle owners in Germany are being granted a temporary extension of their periodic techical inspection in this time of crisis. That is not the case in Luxembourg. Previously, German vehicle owners could delay their technical inspection by two months before it came to a fine. Now the German transport ministry has extended that delay to four months. But the periodic technical inspection deadlines of vehicles will not be extended in Luxembourg. According to a written response by the transport ministry, delays to technical inspection would be against the European directive. Roughly 2,500 vehicles fail the technical inspection on a monthly basis. If this process would be delayed for three months, up to, or over, 7,500 non-roadworthy vehicles could be driving around on Luxembourg's roads, suggests the ministry of transport. Most EU states are following the same path as Luxembourg. Thus vehicle owners are requested to proceed as normal. Up until 26 April, however, the technical inspection only permits urgent cases of vehicles that are within two weeks of their expiry date, or vehicles whose inspection dates have expired already. Social contact has further been minimised during the inspection. No more than five people are allowed into the inspection station, and all must remain a minimum distance of 2 metres away frm each other. The inspector must either wear disposable gloves or disinfect his or her hands on a regular basis. A mask is also recommended. Drivers are asked to cover their seats in case the inspector has to sit in the driver's seat. The transport ministry installed a hotline for information and any emergencies: 247-84958. Video in Luxembourgish. Information on Sanofi's Shareholders General Meeting of Tuesday, April 28, 2020 Paris (France) - April 1st, 2020 - In view of the current Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in France and around the world, Sanofi's Board of Directors has decided to hold its Annual General Meeting convened on Tuesday, April 28 at 2:30 pm in camera, without the physical presence of shareholders and with an unchanged agenda. However, shareholders will be able to remotely follow the proceedings of the General Meeting, which will be broadcasted live and in full on the company's website atwww.sanofi.com/AG2020 (https://www.sanofi.com/en/investors/financial-results-and-events/general-meetings/AGM-2020). During the meeting, it will not be possible to ask questions nor to submit draft amendments or new resolutions. Shareholders of the Company are invited to exercise their right to vote prior to the General Meeting in accordance with the procedures outlined below. Internet voting on the secure platform (recommended) Shareholders who wish to vote online can go to the secure voting platform VOTACCESS, prior to the General Meeting, available via Planetshares or through their financial intermediary's website. The platform will be open from Monday 6 April 2020 to Monday 27 April 2020 at 3 pm (Paris time). In order to avoid overloading the VOTACCESS platform, it is recommended not to wait until the day before the General Meeting to vote. Postal voting Shareholders can also vote by mail using the paper voting form. Registered shareholders or those who hold FCPE units must use the voting form attached to their notice of meeting; Bearer shareholders will have to request the voting form and a shareholding certificate from the financial intermediary that manages their securities, on or after the date the notice of meeting is issued The form can also be found on the company's website: www.sanofi.com/AG2020 (https://www.sanofi.com/en/investors/financial-results-and-events/general-meetings/AGM-2020), but the instructions on the website must be strictly followed. Once completed and signed, the voting form (accompanied by the shareholding certificate for bearer shareholders) must be returned to BNP Paribas Securities Services, CTO Assemblees - Les Grands Moulins de Pantin - 9, rue du Debarcadere - 93761 Pantin Cedex. Under no circumstances should the voting form be returned directly to Sanofi. In order for the voting form to be validly taken into account, it must be received by BNP Paribas Securities Services no later than Saturday, 25 April 2020. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which may increase postal delays, it is recommended that the voting form be returned as soon as possible. Due to measures restricting gatherings and travel, it will not be possible to apply for an admission card nor to designate a third party as a proxy to the General Meeting. The shareholders retain the possibility, according to the applicable provisions of the French Commercial Code, to ask written questions to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt addressed to the Company's registered office, or by e-mail at assembleegenerale@sanofi.com (mailto:assembleegenerale@sanofi.com) . (mailto:assembleegenerale@sanofi.com) Shareholders may request the disclosure of documents that would not be available on the Company's website by sending a request by e-mail to the address above, to which it will be replied by electronic means. All information relating to the General Assembly of 28 April 2020 will be available on the Sanofi website in the section dedicated to General Meetings:www.sanofi.com/AG2020 (https://www.sanofi.com/en/investors/financial-results-and-events/general-meetings/AGM-2020). The Board of Directors About Sanofi Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions. With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe. Sanofi, Empowering Life Media Relations Quentin Vivant Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 46 46 mr@sanofi.com (mailto:mr@sanofi.com) Investor Relations Felix Lauscher Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 45 45 ir@sanofi.com (mailto:ir@sanofi.com) Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future events or operations. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans" and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, volatile economic and market conditions, the impact of global disruptions, including pandemics, as well as those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements. Attachment SAN FRANCISCO -- Mandatory social distancing works. The earlier the better, preliminary data from two weeks of stay-at-home orders in California and Washington show. Those states were the first to report community cases of covid-19 and were also the first in the nation to mandate residents stay at home to keep physically apart. New analysis from academics and federal and local officials indicates the moves bought those communities precious time - and may have also "flattened the curve" of infections for the long haul. While insufficient testing limits the full picture, it's now clear that the disease is spreading at different speeds in different places in the United States. California and Washington continue to see new cases and deaths, but so far they haven't come in the spikes seen in parts of the East Coast. Even still, social distancing efforts need to continue for several more weeks to be effective, experts say. The data "gives us great hope and understanding about what is possible," said White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx during a Tuesday briefing. "In New Orleans, and Detroit, and Chicago and Boston right now, [we're] trying to make sure that each of those cities work more like California than the New York metro area." It has been 16 days since counties in the San Francisco Bay area told some 6 million residents to stay at home, and 13 days since the order extended to all of California. As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed infections per capita in densely populated New York City was 15 times that of the Bay Area. In New York City, a flood of coronavirus patients has overwhelmed local hospitals and 1,096 people have died. New York state ordered people to stay home 11 days ago. Compared to the Boston area, which has a more-similar population density, California's Bay Area has about a third of the of the cases, per capita. The state of Massachusetts ordered people to stay home eight days ago. "Every aggressive action appears to have helped stop the spread," San Francisco public health head Grant Colfax told The Washington Post. He warned on Tuesday about the virus potentially spreading in the 750-person long-term care Laguna Honda Hospital, but so far the city has seen a total of 397 confirmed cases and six deaths. The hardest-hit part of the Bay Area is Santa Clara County in Silicon Valley, which has seen 890 cases and 30 deaths as of Tuesday. Aggressive social distancing efforts haven't stopped the virus, say public health experts. But the goal was to slow the spread to keep it from overwhelming health care resources, so not as many people require hospital beds and ventilators at the same time. California hospitals, which saw their number of covid-19 patients double over the last five days, have yet to buckle under the load. 2 1 of 2 Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Washington Post photo by Melina Mara Show More Show Less "The ER is eerily quiet right now," said Jahan Fahimi, an emergency care physician at UCSF Health in San Francisco. He credited early action by policymakers in the Bay Area, even as he braced for what's next. "The surge is still coming. It's not that we've averted anything," he said. Academic models of the coronavirus spread from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which Birx cited in her remarks, indicate California's steps reduced the state's total projected death toll from 6,100 to about 5,100. "We are seeing less deaths and flattening of the curve," said Ali Mokdad, a senior faculty member at IHME. So far, California has reported 150 deaths. The IHME's model, which projects some 94,000 deaths across the entire country, is updated daily with data from each state. It is designed to help hospitals and other decision-makers determine what they'll need in terms of intensive-care beds and ventilators. In Washington state, where the virus first took off in a nursing home in February, officials first banned events of 250 people or more in Seattle on March 11, ordered bars and restaurants to close on March 16, and then ordered the whole state to stay at home on March 23. Following those moves, IHME death projections for Washington fell from 2,000 originally to about 1,600. So far, 195 people have died in the state. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, said on Tuesday that he wants to be "cautious" about drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of the state's social distancing efforts, but he's now more confident its health care system can handle what's coming. "We have the time to prepare. That was the whole point of moving early on physical distancing," Newsom said. "The only regret we will have is if we cut the parachute before we land." Coronavirus models and the public policy game plan they're informing are based on some very sophisticated guesswork. Since patients can take days or even weeks to show symptoms, case counts are a lagging indicator of the success of social distancing efforts. Even then, not everyone who feels sick can get tested. "We're really not sure of the size of the problem we're facing," said Warner Greene, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology in San Francisco. California, in particular, hasn't even been able to test all the patients who think they're sick. As of March 30, health officials report approximately 86,100 tests had been conducted in the most-populous state -- yet 57,400 results were still pending. Jeanne Noble, director of covid response for UCSF's Parnassus emergency department, said testing has been a constant struggle, and her hospital started to run out of critical nose swabs in mid-March. After contacting biotech firms and other private companies, the hospital finally was promised 4,000 swabs from the strategic national reserve. Those were sent to the wrong place, causing another multiday delay. "I think we are the only developed country who has lagged so poorly in our ability to test broadly," Noble said. "We are still struggling with the very first step of figuring out who has the disease and who doesn't, and that's simply atrocious." In lieu of widespread testing, academics and policymakers have been turning to other signals. Deaths offer a reliable view of the spread of the disease, but can lag its growth by weeks and also increase when the health care system gets taxed. A more current index is hospitalizations, which California began to report recently. Newsom said his models included hospital use, as well as data about population movement gathered by tech companies. The success of shelter-in-place orders in countries including China and South Korea have already given researchers an indication such measures work. But there are differences between countries and even within different parts of the U.S. that complicate direct comparisons. Some of the lessons of social distancing from West Coast cities could also be geographically and economically unique. They've got a fraction of the population density of many East Coast areas. In contrast to New York City, many people drive cars even in the most-populous California and Washington cities, rather than take trains and buses. "Los Angeles has the worst public transportation system in the country. Everyone drives. This has actually turned out to be protective for this kind of virus," said Lee Riley, a professor of infectious disease at the University of California Berkeley. The Seattle and San Francisco areas are also home to large tech companies including Facebook and Microsoft, both of which told their employees to start working from home at the beginning of March, a week before even the official orders. These communities, prosperous because of tech, tend to listen when tech leaders talk. Nicholas Jewell, a professor of biostatistics at the University of California Berkeley, said sheltering in place one week earlier can make a huge difference in stopping the disease. He said it's concerning that some states have yet to implement the policy. "States that are like 'we need to keep our economy opened,' that's a mistake," he said. "That's the lesson we've learned over and over again in infectious diseases." To date, about 30 states -- representing more than two-thirds of Americans -- have issued stay-at-home orders, with exceptions for "essential" workers. In some places, including Washington D.C., such orders just went in place this week. In Florida, which reported more than 1,000 new positive cases on Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, originally said he would issue a "safer at home" order covering only the four counties in the southern part of the state. On Wednesday, DeSantis announced that he would issue a statewide stay-at-home order that would go into effect midnight Thursday and last 30 days. "We're trying to tell everybody that [shelter-at-home orders] work," said Mokdad of IHME. He said his outreach included Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees. "I told him that they are working everywhere else, and I gave him examples, and I said, 'Please implement them,' " Mokdad said. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, acknowledged during Tuesday's White House news conference that social distancing is "inconvenient" for most people, "but this is going to be the answer to our problems." The glimmer of good news isn't a sign that cities and states can ease up on the restrictions that they've put in place, say researchers. They emphasize it's more important than ever that people stay home, and some regions are even adding to shelter in place orders. On Tuesday, the Bay Area extended its to the beginning of May. If shelter-in-place orders are withdrawn, the virus can rebound, San Francisco's Colfax said. Shelter-at-home orders also won't work on their own. As soon as an order ends, whether it's in the start of May or later, the virus could circulate again and knock some areas back to where they started. Weaning a city or state off lockdown requires something no area in the U.S. seems to have yet: an exhaustive number of tests. "Once this first wave is over, we'll have to get some kind of mass testing machine in order to get a situation where we don't need [social distancing]," said University of Washington's Christopher Murray, director of IHME. "We'll have to do mass testing and contact tracing and some quarantines." - - - The Washington Post's Elizabeth Dwoskin and Joel Achenbach contributed to this report. Austria Official Seeks Establishment of Independent Gaming Authority Published April 1, 2020 by Lee R Spurious intersection of private and public interests in Austria has garnered calls for an independent authority. In Austria, the Finance Minister is looking to adapt regulation with the formation of an independent gambling regulator. Calling For Change With market regulation currently in the hands of Austria's Treasury, Finance Minister Gernot Blumel called for the change on Austrian television over the weekend. Organizing Functions Better Blumel expressed a desire to untangle multiple functions currently held within the Treasury, starting with the outsourcing of gaming licencing and supervision to an independent authority, similar to many models across Europe today. Casinos Austria Scandal The challenges in Austria today are embodied in the current state of affairs of gambling monopoly Casinos Austria, which has been rocked by scandals of late. The allegation of most concern was Casinos Austria's appointment of Freedom Party of Austria member Peter Sidlo as CFO. The appointment of Sidlo, who is also currently serving as Vienna's district councilor, is suspected to have taken place to ensure Freedom Party political favors for Novomatic. Novomatic Whistleblowers Whistleblowers at Novomatic first revealed the allegations about Novomatic, which was hoping to secure a casino licence in Vienna while holding a 17.19% stake in Casinos Austria. Full-Scale Denials The agreement, which would have effectively done away with Casinos Austrias monopoly, has been categorically denied by all parties implicated. Blumel's Resolution Proposal With the scandal threatening to widen and get increasingly complex, Blumel is nonetheless championing a settlement package for Casinos Austria: Casinos Austria is a traditional company in Austria that provides over 3,000 jobs while calling for things to settle down so that jobs, its location and tax revenue remain secure. Blumels intervention seeks to pacify disparate forces within Austria, including Austrian gambling trade association the Osterreichische Vereinigung fur Wetten und Glucksspiel (OVWG), which called for an end to Casinos Austrias monopoly in the wake of the Sidlo allegations. Outlook With Casinos Austria retaining its monopoly since 2016, and three other providers having seen their licences revoked; a separation of church and state when it comes to governing gaming certainly looks like the best way forward for Austria in the current climate. Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) said that it is launching its 'Spring Packages' online, allowing investors hassle-free business registration, alongside its remote-friendly feature. The packages are designed to fully support SMEs, industrialists and investors at their stage of development without putting a high cost, a RAKEZ press release said. With RAKEZs recently-launched Portal 360, investors can easily set up their business by only completing the online registration form, uploading the necessary documents, e-signing the Memorandum of Association, and the licence will be issued electronically, reported WAM. Entrepreneurs, SMEs and startups keen to explore the market can take advantage of the economic zones Office Spring Packages, which provide a choice for a shared workstation, serviced office, private office or customisable office situated in RAKEZs premier business zones. The Office, Storage Warehouse and Industrial Warehouse Spring Packages can all be availed in multiple years and include a free UAE Investor Visa, instalment plans, free zone and non-free zone formation options.-- Tradearabia News Service It feels like years ago, but it was only back in January when we waxed poetic about the quiet, timeless appeal of an off-season Hamptons weekend. Its still the off-season, but two months later, as New York City became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., wealthy residents began escaping to their second homes and vacation properties on the East End of Long Island. Needless to say, the resort town is no longer quiet. It started off with what appeared to be relatively harmless, even quaint, anecdotes trickling out of the Hamptons. There were last hurrahs at bougie restaurants, then came the panic buying of Chablis and gourmet groceries, and now, local leaders are asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to issue a travel ban to keep city residents away. First and foremost, the unprecedented request, which came from the East End Mayors and Supervisors Association, as Page Six reported, comes from a concern about the spread of the coronavirus from the city. As of Sunday, confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Hamptonss Suffolk County exceeded 5,000, and 40 people had died, according to RiverheadLOCAL. But thats not the only worry. People out here are concerned that our hospitals and supermarkets will not be able to meet the needed demand if our population continues to surge, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman told Page Six. This isnt just happening in the Hamptons, either. Across the country, as out-of-towners flee to resort towns, looking for a more relaxing place to quarantine, they risk not only spreading COVID-19 but strangling local supplies and putting undue burden on remote medical facilities that arent equipped to handle a pandemic. Each year we anticipate the return of our snowbirds with great appreciation, whether they are returning from down-state or out-of-state, said James Janisse, village president of Elk Rapids on Lake Michigan, in a press release. It is with mixed feelings and heavy heart, therefore, that I strongly encourage people to stay where they are. Our demographics are such that we have a very vulnerable population currently residing here. Janisses remorse is echoed in many of these communities that rely on the business of vacationers. But in those towns that have already seen an influx of newcomers, some business owners find themselves in a damned if they do, damned if they dont situation. At one market in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota, employee Lynn Hart told the Star Tribune theyve been doing gangbusters summer-level business. While its a welcome financial boon in a town with a population just over 2,000, unusual buying surges like these could lead to shortages among year-round residents, especially as they stay home for fear of coming into contact with people leaving cities. I dont know why they dont stay home, Hart added. However, the responses differ wildly depending on the community. While the Hamptons seems extreme in asking for a travel ban, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell clarified to Page Six, We are not trying to tell those who have summer homes to stay away, this is about the people who really have no attachment to the community. Meanwhile in Petoskey, Michigan, Mayor John Murphy isnt interested in turning people away just yet, but he is advising strict quarantines, as the Detroit Free Press reported. We kindly ask that seasonal residents returning to our community do the right thing and self-quarantine for at least 14 days, Murphy said in a press release. Im confident that if everyone can abide by the requirements of social distancing and self-quarantine, we will get through this crisis. We are all in this together. That sentiment, that we are all in this together, that Americans can overcome anything (with or without the help of the current administration), is one that has been repeated regularly over the last few weeks. But in at least one resort town, some are prioritizing the local we to the detriment of outsiders. On Sunday, The New York Times detailed the disturbing case of Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, where local residents cut down a tree and dragged it into the middle of a road in an attempt to forcibly quarantine three people from out of state. They even cite one report directed to the sheriffs office that the culprits were armed with guns. Of course, actual islands could potentially see faster depletion of resources, from food to consumer goods to medical supplies, than inland towns and rural communities, but that doesnt even come close to justifying Lord of the Flies-level retaliation. Despite the risks associated with fleeing cities, as well as some restrictions on travel that have been put in place across the U.S., Maines Knox County Sheriffs Office pulled no punches when reprimanding the locals. Whether someone is a Maine resident or not, they have the right to free movement and anyone who infringes upon that free movement is potentially violating the law. But just because its legal to skip town for a bungalow in Southampton doesnt mean its ethical. The post The Hamptons Want a Travel Ban. Are They Onto Something? appeared first on InsideHook. Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo EAST HAVEN Route 1 south was closed to all traffic between the Interstate 95 Exit 51 on and off ramps Tuesday night after a crash. The closure was prompted by a one-vehicle crash, according to the state Department of Transportation. It was reported around 8:45 p.m. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brenda Goh (Reuters) Wuhan, China Wed, April 1, 2020 10:09 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ecbd9d 2 Lifestyle China,barbershop,wuhan,Wuhan-lockdown,lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19,hair-cutting,hair Free For barber Xiong Juan, a recent easing of restrictions in the city of Wuhan, epicenter of China's coronavirus outbreak, means she is now busier than ever. Xiong, 39, now spends her days riding around on her electric bicycle and offering her services to local residents who like her were stuck at home after authorities ordered a lockdown in the city of 11 million people in early January. "It was so difficult to bear," said one client who only gave his surname as Ren, describing how his hair had grown too long since he last had it cut in December. "This is bliss," he said as Xiong carefully trimmed his hair with a pair of clippers. Xiong worked at a hairdressing salon but, like hundreds of thousands of businesses across China, it had to shut due to government measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which as of Sunday had infected 81,470 people and killed 3,304 in mainland China, mostly in Wuhan. Xiong stayed indoors to look after her two children, but started venturing out three weeks ago. The additional income is welcome after being off work for such a long time. "In a day, if it's a peak period, I might work from 8 a.m. in the morning till 6 p.m. in the evening to cut the hair of 70 people," she said from an open-air square of a residential compound where she had set up a plastic chair for clients to sit in. She lets them see their final look via her iPhone camera. Read also: Cutting your hair at home? Clipper brand Wahl has these tips 'Still a little scared' Each client is charged 30 yuan ($4.23), much lower than her usual salon-based cuts, which cost up to 156 yuan. She only cuts men's hair as they usually take less than 15 minutes. Xiong wears a hazmat suit and gloves and disinfects the clippers between each customer. She usually finds customers by word of mouth or just riding around, and sometimes cuts their hair at the roadside due to the restrictions some compounds still have on visitors. The salon where she works is expected to reopen in due course when restrictions are eased further. Asked about the risk of infection, she said: "Of course I'm still a little scared. But society needs us so I should help in the little way I can." The relaxing of curbs in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, comes as the number of new local cases in China drops sharply, though the disease has since spread to 203 other countries, prompting lockdowns there too. 'Gun control' advocates speak constantly about "common sense gun laws". The phrase runs trippingly off the tongue. Rights advocates respond that most existing gun laws, and all proposed laws, defy "common sense". This phrase "common sense", as used in the gun debate, contradicts the plain meaning of the term, so it obscures any honest search for truth. A definition of the phrase is: "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts". But to be characterized as "common", a belief or conclusion must be a consensus, at least by a super-majority of those polled. It need only be a "simple" "perception" of the facts, not the result of thorough dispassionate investigation and analysis. In any case, common sense may boil down to either: 1) the best we can know of the subject under prevailing circumstances; or, 2) nonsense, complete error. There is much that meets the first definition. There is a consensus that Presidents Trump and Clinton are womanizers. And, that Vice President Biden cannot speak without putting his foot in his mouth. Likewise, much meets the second definition. For example, the common belief that the human body breaths to satisfy its craving for oxygen. It needs oxygen to function, but that's not what drives respiration. We breathe because our bodies abjure carbon dioxide, which is the byproduct of consuming oxygen. That we so vigorously debate the wisdom of 'gun control' proposals, requires rejecting their characterization as "common sense". There is no consensus. ..... He also has to forfeit 25 properties in Oregon and California and more than $16 million in Tesla stock. Here's how much time he'll serve. UK church sues city council for canceling 3-day conference over speakers views on homosexuality Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Scotland-based Destiny Church is suing the Edinburgh city council over the cancellation of a three-day conference because the council objects to the participation of Louisiana pastor Larry Stockstill and his views on homosexuality. The Edinburgh Evening News reports that the multicampus Destiny Church launched legal action last week after the Edinburgh Council canceled the churchs June booking of the Edinburgh Usher Hall for its Surge Conference. A keynote speaker scheduled for the conference is Stockstill, the former pastor of the multicampus Bethany World Prayer Center in Louisiana, which is now led by his son, Jonathan. Stockstill also founded the Surge Project, a church planting network. Stockstill is also the author of the 2007 book He Teaches My Hands to War, in which he calls homosexuality not normal behavior and behavior that is not accepted by God. Along with Stockstill, the head of the U.K.-based Evangelical Alliance, Gavin Calver, was also scheduled to speak. In January, the city council told The Sunday Times that it canceled the religious gathering over objections to previous comments Stockstill made about abortion and homosexuality. The church is being represented by the Scottish law firm Lindsays, which argues that the council violated U.K. discrimination law as well as breached the European Convention on Human Rights by canceling the conference. "We understand that this is a fairly clear-cut breach of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the freedom of expression enshrined in ECHR, Destiny Senior Pastor Andrew Owen told the Edinburgh Evening News. "Under the Equality Act 2010, the city of Edinburgh Council is also discriminating on the grounds of religious belief. "We organized an event, which we are free to do, at which speakers will express their religious views, as they are free to do, Owen added. "It is unlawful for the city of Edinburgh to cancel an event because it determines that the views previously expressed by a speaker are not acceptable." A city council spokesperson told the Edinburgh Evening News that the Destiny Church event was canceled due to the keynote speakers publicly-stated views about same-sex relationships which are, in the councils opinion, offensive and discriminatory. The spokesperson stressed that the council will vigorously defend its position in order to protect and promote diversity and equal rights for all. We are committed to promoting diversity and equal rights for all, the spokesperson continued. The proposed event did not meet the standards which we expect from those hiring and visiting our venues to respect and observe and the booking was therefore canceled." The nondenominational Christian charity the Christian Institute announced its support for Destiny Churchs lawsuit last week. Ciaran Kelly, Christian Institutes deputy director for communications, said the church has a strong case which they should win. He said the case seeks to resist the marginalization of Christians in the U.K. This is a clear case of unlawful religious discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, Kelly said in a statement. It is a clear denial of free speech under the European Convention on Human Rights. Destiny Churchs lawsuit comes as U.S. evangelical leader Franklin Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association filed legal action against three event venues for their cancellations of May events due to Grahams views on homosexuality. If Destiny Church or the BGEA can be banned from hiring public venues today, the same could be true for other Christian groups tomorrow, Kelly contended. We do not want that to happen. The late daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes (C) stands with friends and collaborators, Waldo Stakes (R) and Patrick Marchese (L), ahead of one of many launches Hughes made in homemade rockets, this one in Amboy, Calif., on March 24, 2018. (Toby Brusseau) The Legacy of Mad Mike Hughes, Rider of Homemade Rockets LOS ANGELESIt only takes 20 seconds for a daredevil to meet his demise. Maybe less. On Feb. 22, Mad Mike Hughes, 64, got into a handcrafted steel rocket and launched himself into the sky in Barstow, California. Blasting away at hundreds of miles an hour, the rocket climbed to the height of the clouds in a matter of seconds. Then, in an instant, the rocket hit the ground so hard, it created a four-foot-deep crater. Waldo Stakes, Mad Mikes friend and collaborator, said Hughes was killed instantly. If I didnt tell you it was a rocket that hit the ground, you wouldnt know what you were looking at, Stakes told The Epoch Times. It looks like somebody took a bunch of aluminum foil and crumpled it up and threw it in the ground. The forces are beyond what you can grasp. Imagine a plane crash and multiply it by ten. Thats what its like. Stakes, 64, who is a retired designer of high-speed vehicles, said Hughes should be remembered as the greatest daredevil the United States has ever seen. Mike Hughes sits in the cockpit of a homemade rocket while filmmaker Toby Brusseau documents the launch for his film Rocketman, in Amboy, Calif., on March 24, 2018. (Toby Brusseau) He just wasnt afraid, Stakes said. It wasnt in his DNA. Hed get into those rockets and say, OK Waldo, Im ready. Just like we were about to drive around the block on a motorcycle. This is a man, here. This is a real man. Hes going to sail a ship to see if the seas got an edge to it. He doesnt just sit in his cubicle waiting to die. Help me figure out how to make it not kill me Stakes first met Hughes in 2012. At the time, Hugheswho already held a Guinness World Record for a 103-foot jump with a stretch limousinewas living in his car with all his clothes piled in the back, Stakes recalls. He called me and said, Could you help me develop a steam rocket engine for this rocket that Im building? Im going to jump Snake River Canyon in Idaho, try to do what Evel Knievel couldnt. Hughes was referring to Robert Craig Evel Knievel, a famous American daredevil who attempted some 75 ramp-to-ramp jumps in his lifetime. He failed to launch himself across Snake River Canyon in 1974. He never tried it again because he knew better, Stakes said. Usually when people contact me, what theyre really alluding to is me building something for them, which I just dont have the time for, he said. But Mike had built this rocket and he wanted me to come see it. Stakes drove to a transmission shop in Riverside where a friend of Hughess had given him just enough room in the back to build the rocket. Mike Huges works on one of his rockets in 2018. (Toby Brusseau) What do you think? Hughes asked him. Its going to kill you, Stakes said. The balance is off, how you sit in there is stupid and its going to kill you for sure. Could you help me figure out how to make it not kill me? Yeah, I can help you, Stakes said. They talked about their plans over lunch, and Mike had sweet potato fries, Stakes recalled. He loved sweet potatoes. Hes a southern boy from Oklahoma City. Lunch was on Stakes. He soon learned Hughes was running out of money; hed sold all of his tools already. Stakes told Hughes he could rent a house at his ranch in Apple Valley. You can build your rocket there and you can even use my tools, he said. Old Daredevils in a New Age Before Stakes retired, he was CEO of Land Speed Research Vehicles (LSRV). He has studied aerodynamics and rocket propulsion practically his whole life. He began modifying motorcycles to increase their speed at age 14. When he was 19, he designed the body for his first rocket dragster. Over the years, hes acquired dozens of military rocket engines. Waldo Stakes at the site of Mike Hughess rocket launch in Amboy, Calif., in 2018. (Toby Brusseau) Waldo Stakes at the site of Mike Hughess rocket launch in Amboy, Calif., in 2018. (Toby Brusseau) Breaking land-speed records has been a lifelong obsession for him. At one point, he utilized parts from an experimental military rocket plane, nuclear missiles, and a NASA spacecraft to create a Sonic Wind Land Speed Record Vehicle designed to hit a top speed of 2,000 miles per hour. This endeavor and many others has earned him the nickname Dr. Landspeed. He describes himself as a dinosaur a product of the 50s and the 60s. The millennials nowadays, they dont care about guys jumping over canyons and stuff, Stakes said. Now its about playing video games, safe and comfortable at home, he said. This isnt a world of daredevils Thats over. Ive been building land speed car rocket dragsters, jet car dragstersall of this stuff, he said. Thats how Mike got a hold of me. Initially, Stakes had his doubts about Hughess ability to build a better rocket. At first I thought, Ah, hes never going to do this, he said. But hes very persistent, very hard-working, hes very smart. He has an IQ of 136, hes not a dumb guy. So if I show him something one time, he gets it. You dont have to show him again. With Stakess guidance, over the course of the following year, Hughes managed to develop some serious thrust. I thought he might just do this thing. But little did Hughes know, he wasnt the only daredevil interested in jumping over Snake River Canyon. He found himself in the middle of a bidding war that he lost to Big Ed Beckley, a 300-pound Texan who billed himself as the Worlds Largest Motorcycle Jumper. Beckley spent an estimated $1.6 million dollars to jump the Canyon on the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievels attempt to do the same. Mike couldnt put that kind of money up, Stakes said. Beckley thought that millions of people would come and watch it on pay-per-view, but this isnt that world anymore. Beckley ultimately cancelled his jump after a deal with Fox Broadcasting to televise it fell through. Stuntman Eddie Braun did make the jump in 2016. Hughes could have done it though. In 2014, he jumped Arizonas Winkelman Canyon in a rocket, covering a distance of 1,374 feet, according to the Associated Presswhich would have been enough to clear Snake River Canyon. He consulted Stakes often for advice, and just as often he shrugged off the advice he was given. The guy was very difficult to work with because he had a very high IQ and he knows it. So he thinks hes smarter than you, Stakes said. Whatever you tell him, he goes OK, he thinks about it, and then he does his own thing. Everything he did was his own idea, Danny Bern, one of Hughes consultants, told The Epoch Times. I could pose a question to him or an idea, but it was always his decision to either do it or not do it. He was pretty set in his ways. Bern, an expert on high-pressure oxygen systems, assisted Hughes on two launches. Between the three of us [Hughes, Stakes, and himself], it was always an interesting conversation going on. Three know-it-alls, he said with a laugh. I could tell [Hughes] was sort of an egomaniac. He had a goal and I just listened, mainly. [He was] a very brilliant man. A Close Call In preparation for the 2014 jump over Winkelman Canyon, Stakes told Hughes the ramp for the rocket had to be at least 58 to 60 degrees. Hughes built it at 52 degrees. He wanted to get more distance, Stakes said. Mike Hughes works on a ramp for a rocket launch in Amboy, Calif., in March 2018. (Toby Brusseau) When Hughes spotted a break in the rockets tank, he grabbed whatever tools he had on handwhich happened to be a stick welder, also known as a buzz box. Dude, you cant weld stainless steel with a buzz box, Stakes told him. Itll either crack it or it just wont hold. I cant help it, Hughes said. Im going to jump here in a couple minutes. I thought, Ah, this dudes gonna die, Stakes recalled. At any second, it could spring a leak. Moments before the launch, Hughes realized there was a problem with his last-minute weld job. Now anyone else would have gotten out of there and said, Run, run, run and just hit the ground, thinking any second the tanks going to split blow up and kill anybody within a couple hundred feet of it, Stakes said. Not so with Hughes, who consistently, radically, lived up to his nickname. He jumped in the cockpit, he threw the belt around his lapsorry, Im getting emotional thinking about it, Stakes said before taking a moment to pause. He threw the belt around his lap, told everybody to get out of the pit and he just closed the hatch on himself, and hit the hot button. Hughes launched himself, but the rocket hooked to the left and began traveling about 350 miles per hour sideways over the canyon. Stakes believes the initial launch knocked Hughes unconscious for a few seconds. (Other reports claim he was merely disoriented.) When he pulled the parachute, the canopy was instantly shredded; riddled with holes. These things are designed to come out at 100 miles per hour or less, not four times that velocity, Stakes said. But somehow it stayed together long enough to get him to the ground at 60 miles an hour with a loose seatbelt. How he survived, I have no idea, Stakes said. He was in a walker for two months after that. And More Close Calls As soon as he recovered, Hughes salvaged the tank from the launch and went back to work on his next rocket. Two years later, he was back at Winkelman Canyon, determined to beat his previous record. This attempt did not pan out as planned. Trouble ensued when an assistant (whom Stakes declined to name for legal reasons) slipped after inspecting the pressure gauges on the side of the rocket. He fell against the body, pulling the rocket into a slight arch that broke the seal that anchored it. This caused the rocket to launch itselfinstantly. At that moment, Mike was in the bottom of the pit behind the rocket. The thrust knocked him down and burned his face. The fins of the projectile severed both the assistants feet. The rocket took off, climbed vertically into the air, turned around and came down, impacted the ground at 400 miles an hour and turned itself into a steel pancake, Stakes said. The assistants feet were re-attached at the hospital, but according to Stakes, a year or so later, infection set in and he had to have one of his legs amputated. Stakes anticipated a lawsuit from the assistant, but it never happened. They stayed friends. A third jump was planned in Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, but Hughes could only get the rocket to 225 psi (pound-force per square inch). Stakes told him that would not be enough to get him over the canyon. Youll die, Stakes said. The rocket will come up the ramp, go right into the canyon, somewhere around 300 miles an hour and theyll be looking for you there, in that canyon. I was reading stuff about how Mike chickened out, Mikes a cowardno, Mike was smart not to die that day. Subsequent distance jumps were planned in Amboy, California, in 2017. However, the teams progress was interrupted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Stakes said the Bureau expressed concerns the launch from private property might land on property under its management. After several aborted attempts, Stakes said they felt dejected. But then, one of Stakes friends threw out an idea. Mike Hughes (R) speaks with a Bureau of Land Management officer in Amboy, Calif. (Toby Brusseau) He goes, Well, Mike is a flat Earther guy. Why dont you guys do a vertical launch instead? Just go straight up so youve got a better chance of staying on the property and you can tell everybody Mikes going to get up there and see if the Earth is flat? And we all laughed, we just all laughed, Stakes recalled. But after Hughes thought about it, he said, Waldo, could we do that? Wed have to change the inclination of the ramp and modify the rocket, but we could do that, Stakes replied. Lets do that. Flat Earth? Hughess conviction that the Earth is flat has been called into question by his public relations representative, Darren Shuster. I dont think he believed it, Shuster told the Los Angeles Times, referring to it as a PR stunt we dreamed up. But Stakes contends that Hughes had spoken to him about his flat Earth theory as early as 2016. Mike was a flat Earther at that time, he said. He totally believed the Earth was flat. With the aid of The Daily Plane, an outlet whose tagline is News, Media and Science in a post-Globe Reality, Hughes successfully raised $8,496 through a Go Fund Me campaign for a launch in 2017. That rocket had giant lettering painted on the side reading, Research Flat Earth. Mike Hughes and his rocket painted with the words Research flat Earth. (Toby Brusseau) Do I believe the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee? I believe it is, Hughes told the Associated Press at the time. Do I know for sure? No. Thats why I want to go up in space. He told NBC in 2017, I dont believe in science. I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the area, about the certain size of rocket nozzles, and thrust. But thats not science, thats just a formula. Theres no difference between science and science fiction. In 2018, Hughes went ahead with a vertical launch in Amboy, California. It was the subject of a documentary titled Rocketman: Mad Mikes Mission to Prove the Flat Earth. The films co-director, Toby Brusseau, told The Epoch Times that Hughes is this anti-hero you want to succeed, regardless. At surface value, everyone dismisses Mike as some kind of nut, Brusseau said. [But] theres always a bigger picture I wanted to cover more than the launch and give him a fair viewpoint. Mike Hughes hanging out at home in a 2018 documentary titled Rocketman. (Toby Brusseau) Waldo Stakes (L) and Mike Hughes (R) at the site of Hughess rocket launch in Amboy, Calif., in 2018. (Toby Brusseau) Brusseau said documenting the launch was intense. Im sitting there sweating and thinking that we could also die, he said. The rocket had a leak, like with Hughess 2014 jump. Im trying to put this camera into the cockpit and theres a leak in the rocket Im thinking, Oh my God, this is serious. The enormity and gravity of the situation hit me while I was up there [on the launch ramp] turning that camera on in the cockpit. I realized I could possibly die. To the relief of everyone involved, the launch successfully sent Hughes 1,875 feet into the air at a maximum speed of 350 miles per hour. The only problem was Mike waited too long to throw the second chute because, from his altitude, he could see four BLM cops ready to take us away in handcuffs, Stakes said. In fact, they had threatened us before we launched, You know, if you land on our land, youre going to jail. Get ready for it. So dont let that rocket land on our land. Were like Eh, well do everything we can. I said to myself, Wow, we could have [had] a completely different documentary here, Brusseau said. Stakes said the hard landing damaged Hughess spine a bit, but he never went to the hospital. In terms of the flat Earth theory, the launch didnt offer Hughes any proof or new insights. He wanted to go even higher. The Last LaunchAll the way to space? Shortly after the 2018 launch, Hughes began to wonder if it was possible to travel even further into the stratosphere. Waldo, could you get me all the way to space? he asked. Not with a ground launch, Stakes told him. It takes too much fuel; itd be too dangerous; itd be a $100 million deal. How can we get to space? Hughes asked. I had to think about that for a while, Stakes recalled. Thats when he began to entertain the possibility of using a rockoon to send Hughes 62 miles into the air, where the Earths atmosphere meets outer space. A rockoon is essentially a rocket-balloon combination. A gas-filled balloon carries the rocket about 20 miles into the atmosphere, at which point the rocket is fired through the balloon and climbs another 40 miles. Stakes said some can travel as high as 100 miles above the Earth. After a few months, I came up with a hinged rocket that could do that, he said. The math said that it would work. They were about halfway through the building process when they were approached by an individual in Barstow, California, who said he would allow them to perform a launch from his property for free. Stakes remembers telling Hughes, Mike, every time you get in that thing, you roll the dice, man. One of these times, its going to come up snake eyes. No, Waldo, Hughes said. Im going to be famous. Mike Hughes, Waldo Stakes, and Patrick Marchese stand near the site of Hughess rocket launch in Amboy, Calif., in 2018. (Toby Brusseau) He had no fear, Stakes said. He didnt have it. Thats how he was. The guy was absolutely fearless. On Feb. 22, the launch began. As the rocket was taking off, one of the chutes deployed too soon and hooked the ramp. When the rocket jerked to the right, Stakes believes it likely knocked Hughes unconscious by suddenly throwing him to the side. The thing made more thrust than we thought it could it boogied, he said. I dont know how fast it was going. Hundreds of miles an hour, more than three or four hundred miles an hour. It was gone. Everybody was surprised at the unexpected speed. Stakes and Bern were yelling at Hughes to deploy the parachutes. They had one-way communication with him, so they couldnt be sure if he heard them or not. It got to where I was screaming, Throw the chutes, already! Stakes recalls. And he never did. The rest is history. Then the rocket reached apogeethe highest point of a climband began a rapid plummet back to earth. I pretty well knew the end was there, Bern said. It was an unsurvivable situation. There was a lot of hope with the crowd and the spectators, but us crew members [knew] you cant survive that. Theres no way. Things are going pretty quick in your mind, he said. Theres not much time to think Its hard to watch somebody you know, [somebody] you just said goodbye to, going into the ground sopretty tough. Stakes and Bern believe Hughes was unconscious at the time of impact. He was knocked out, Stakes said. The way I view him dying, is he wouldve passed out and he wouldve woke up in front of Jesus. Thats how I look at it. Mike Hughes in Amboy, Calif., on March 24, 2018. (Toby Brusseau) Its a pretty lonely feeling sitting out there in the middle of nowhere, Bern said. You cant do nothing. We had to cordon off the wreckage and keep everybody away. [Mike and I] had talked about me coming out there and possibly filming, said Brusseau, the filmmaker. And selfishly, Im glad I didnt come out there and film this launch. I would not have wanted to be there. Its too much. I had pretty close connections with the crew, Brusseau said. I had been keeping in touch and I wanted to know the second he launched and made it down. I was wishing everybody well and good luck. And then I didnt hear from [Bern]. I texted him and said, Hows everything going? Havent heard from you. He said, Not good. Dont think he survived. It just hit me like a hammer, Brusseau said. Its just completely inevitable in the abstract, but sad in reality. You never are prepared for it. Stakes said that pioneers like Mad Mike have legacies akin to great artists, and theyre not fully appreciated until after theyre gone. Say youre a painter and youre trying to show people this new way of looking at stuff, Stakes said. Everybody ignores you. But once youre dead, then youre Monet, youre Van Gogh, youre a brilliant guy. Because human beings are competitive and while youre alive, they still have to compete with you, he said. But once youre dead, youre just a picture on a wall, youre just a historical figure. They dont have to compete with you. So what ends up happening, your artwork is loved. Bern said, These are daredevils, they put their life on the line. Theyre stepping over the line. Theres nobody else who does this kind of thing. Youve got to hand it to them. Theyre warriors and brave souls. He wanted to do it, Bern said. So its all good. Its all good. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 13:37:28|Editor: Liu Video Player Close The U.S. Navy Ship (USNS) Comfort docks at Pier 90 in New York, the United States, on March 30, 2020. The U.S. Navy Ship (USNS) Comfort arrived in New York City on Monday, bringing 1,000 hospital beds to help relieve the city's overwhelmed hospital system amid COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Guang Yu/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States reached 4,079 early Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. As of Wednesday morning, the United States, which is leading the world in terms of confirmed cases, has reported 189,510 infections, showed the tally updated by the university's Center for Systems Science and Engineering. New York State, the epicenter of the nation's outbreak, has recorded more than 75,833 cases and 1,714 deaths, both the most among U.S. states and territories. During a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned of "very painful two weeks" ahead. "And then hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting, after having studied it so hard, we're going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel, but this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks," Trump told reporters. Also speaking at the briefing, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the United States should prepare for a reality where 100,000 Americans are killed by COVID-19. Apart from briefing Parliament on the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Ghanas economy and the impact it is having on global supply chains and trade, Ghanas Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta must present a Budget Review to the House outlining governments new spending priorities in the light of the new developments, former President John Mahama has suggested. He also proposes that the necessary appropriations are made to secure the necessary logistics and to mount a robust public awareness campaign on how to prevent the spread of the disease which has killed five people out of the one hundred fifty-two cases confirmed in Ghana of which two have fully recovered. Mr Mahama made these suggestions when he was joined by the Chief Imam and his entourage for Friday Prayers last week. Additionally, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress said there was the need for an economic package that is administered transparently without the usual, parochial and partisan considerations so as to cushion Ghanaian businesses and SMEs. Clearly, Mr Mahama said, businesses, especially in the tourism and hospitality sector, are already struggling quite early into this pandemic. As we have seen around the world, governments are outdooring bold steps and initiatives to protect their economies. Our economy does not exist in isolation, he observed, noting: We have a country to protect, we have our fellow Ghanaians to protect. We all have a role to play, not just the government. Mr Mahama also reiterated the need to act while the country prays to God for deliverance from the ravages of the virus. When you read Quran chapter fourteen verse sixty, Allah says: Call me and I will respond. But as I said last Sunday, even as we pray, we must act, he insisted. The former President borrowed a leaf from the Hadith to buttress his point. Theres a story in the Hadith, he narrated, Where a man got down from his camel and did not tie the camel down; then the Holy Prophet asked him why he didnt tie the animal and he said: I have Allah watching over it for me, and the Prophet said: Go and tie the animal first before seeking the help of Allah. This Hadith teaches us to pray but at the same time to work and apply common sense to whatever we do. He urged calm among Ghanaians despite the spread of the virus having caused panic among the populace. In his view, In addition to a concerted effort to provide regular, accurate and timely information, the government must also work extra hard to ensure the implementation of adequate community mitigation measures, adding: We also need to urgently strengthen the public health management procedures and provide the needed resources and logistics for managing this pandemic. This is critical if our frontline healthcare workers are to have the confidence to continue to battle this disease. When he appeared before Parliament on Monday, Mr Ofori-Atta told the House that the total estimated fiscal impact, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, is estimated at GHS9.5 billion (2.5% of revised GDP). This is from the shortfall in petroleum receipts, shortfall in import duties, shortfall in other tax revenues, the cost of the preparedness plan, and the cost of Coronavirus Alleviation Programme. A recalibration of the 2020 Fiscal Framework underpinning the approved 2020 Budget to reflect the fiscal impact of the coronavirus, without incorporating measures, shows that the overall fiscal deficit will increase from the programmed GHS18.9 billion (4.7% of GDP) to GHS30.2 billion (7.8% of revised GDP). Also, the primary balance will correspondingly worsen from a surplus of GHS2.811 billion (0.7% of GDP) to a deficit of GHS5.6 billion (1.4% of GDP). According to Mr Ofori-Atta, measures are, therefore, required to close the fiscal gap of GHS11.4 billion (2.9% of revised GDP). Since we are faced with extraordinary circumstances which require extraordinary measures, we would like to propose the following measures for the consideration and support of the House, Mr Ofori-Atta revealed. The measures include to lower the cap on the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF) from the current US$300 million to US$100 million in accordance with Section 23 (3) of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA). This measure he believes will enable the excess amount in the GSF account over the US$100 million cap to be transferred into the Contingency Fund, consistent with Section 23 (4) of the PRMA. The amount transferred into the Contingency Fund will be used to fund the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP). Through this process, an estimated GHS1.250 billion will be transferred into the Contingency Fund to Fund the CAP. Others are an arrangement with the Bank of Ghana to defer interest payments on non-marketable instruments estimated at GHS1.22 billion to 2022 and beyond, as well as adjust expenditures on Goods & Services and Capex downwards by GHS1.248 billion, secure the World Bank DPO of GHS1.71 million and obtain the IMF Rapid Credit Facility of GHS3.145 billion. Both Mr Ofori-Atta and the President have also announced a GHS1 billion stimulus package for small scale enterprises and households. 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 100 Years Ago 1920: From general gossip about town, Easter Sunday will find many hundreds of residents absent, with the seashore and other points claiming their presence for the day. Weather conditions holding good, Atlantic City will have some few thousands of Chester in inhabitants. With the biggest automobile population in its history, the city will send shoreward scores of machines, and the trains will share in the movement to no small degree. Hundreds of workmen who came here from other points will take advantage of the Easter holidays to go to their homes. 75 Years Ago 1945: Sixty-two more names were added to Delaware Countys honor roll of war dead during March. The new total stands at 731 from the county who have given their lives for their country. On the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, the county list contained 448 names. By the end of February, the count had soared to 669, an almost 50 percent increase in three months and reflecting Americas stepped-up offensive. 50 Years Ago 1970: A proposed $36-million building program for the Delaware County Community College was unveiled Wednesday night during an informal meeting at the former Dante School in Concordville, the colleges temporary campus. Plans call for the 3,500-student facility, to be constructed on the colleges permanent campus in Marple. The 20 sponsoring districts will share a total cost of $17.7 million, with each district being assessed according to its market value. 25 Years Ago 1995: Sitting transfixed in front of your TV set playing video games. Thats hardly a new concept. But what about getting video games piped in from your TV? Tomorrows the day Suburban Cable introduces Sega Channel, a video-games-on-demand service, to its Delaware County customers. For a monthly fee of $12.95, subscribers will have unlimited access to 50 titles from the library of more than 500 games for the Sega Genesis console. 10 Years Ago 2010: A suggestion made by the mayor to restrict access to the secretarys office after hours divided Sharon Hill Borough Council at a recent meeting. Mayor Robert ONeill addressed concerns about the front door of borough hall being left open after business hours. He suggested all council members use key fobs to gain access to the front door and council chambers. A proposed restriction to the secretarys office, which would apply to everyone on council except the mayor, did not sit well with all council members. As elected officials, we should have access to this building, Councilman Scott MacNeil said. To me, it sounds like theres something to hide. COLIN AINSWORTH JUPITER, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to issue a statewide stay-at-home order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus because the disease has not hit many areas of the state, he said. At least 30 states have issued statewide stay-at-home orders so far. Florida, among eight states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, is the only one without such an order. DeSantis approach in trying to manage the disease without doing undue harm to the economy mirrors comments from President Donald Trump who, on Monday reiterated his belief that a nationwide stay-at-home order is not needed. There are some parts of the country that are in far deeper trouble than others, he told reporters. There are other parts that, frankly, are not in trouble at all. Coronavirus in America: How all 50 states are responding to this public health emergency But as the outbreak marches across the country, public health officials stress that the lack of testing is masking the true picture of the epidemic, a situation that they argue is playing out in Florida. As of Tuesday night, 29 of Floridas 67 counties had 10 or fewer cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In 13 largely rural and poor counties mostly in the northern part of the state between Gainesville and Tallahassee no cases had been reported to the state health department. Yet many rural counties have tested fewer than 75 patients in the past two weeks, according to health department data. Coronavirus is serious. But, 'the cows still have to be milked twice a day' Public health experts and emergency management officials disagree on whether a statewide stay-at-home order would make a difference in these rural counties. Several of Floridas largest cities and counties including all of South Florida, which has about 3,900 COVID-19 cases have ordered people to stay at home. These orders generally make exceptions only for travel to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations or other essential errands. People are allowed outside their homes to walk or run but are not allowed to congregate in groups. They also exempt essential workers, including those in health care. Story continues I would be doing a stay-at-home order across the state, said Dr. Leslie Beitsch, chairman of the behavioral sciences and social medicine department at Florida State Universitys College of Medicine. It tells people this is serious, and we are doing something unprecedented. Signs block the paths to the beach at the Okaloosa Island, Florida, Boardwalk, Saturday, March 21, 2020, as beach closure orders are in effect for Walton and Okaloosa Counties in the Northwest Florida panhandle. But in Okeechobee County, an agricultural community with about 40,000 people in the south-central part of the state, Emergency Management Director Mitch Smeykal said, an order would have little benefit. The cows still have to be milked twice a day or they are not going to be able to produce any milk, he said. He said residents already understand the seriousness of the outbreak having seen the run on food in area grocery stores and the early departure of thousands of part-time residents to return to their permanent homes. As of Tuesday night, just 55 people have been tested in the county and no COVID-19 cases had been confirmed. Smeykal said rural counties are likely not seeing anyone with the virus yet because people already live and work far apart from neighbors and crowds. But its only a matter of time until a positive test emerges, he said. We probably do have a case in the county, but it hasnt presented itself yet, he said. We are not going to be spared from this. Without a stay-at-home order across Florida, 'I worry people may not be as cautious' Florida has more than 6,700 cases of COVID-19 and has done about 65,000 tests far fewer than the tallies in New York and other states. As of Tuesday night, at least 85 people had died and 850 had been hospitalized because of COVID-19 in Florida. According to the Florida health department, only people who have had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 and have a fever, cough and/or shortness of breath can be tested. On Monday, DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for residents of South Florida until April 14, saying the action makes sense for the region because of the number of cases concentrated there. You're asking coronavirus questions: We're answering them. DeSantis has ordered restaurant dining rooms and bars to close and restricted gatherings of more than 10 people across the state. The state has also closed all public schools. DeSantis directed travelers arriving in the state from the New York metro area or Louisiana to self-isolate for 14 days. Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa, said the paucity of positive test results in many Florida counties gives a false sense of security. Visitors enjoy Clearwater Beach, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Beach goers are keeping a safe distance from each other to help protect from the spread of the new coronavirus. Until we do more widespread community testing, we wont really know who has been exposed, Levine said. From her standpoint, she said, the governor should set restrictions across the state. From a public health standpoint, there is no question that the earlier you do it the better. Floridas large senior population, the age group hit hardest by COVID-19, is another reason to go to a statewide lockdown, Levine added. A stay-at-home order would signal to people, even in counties with few or no cases, that people need to change their normal behavior. When you dont have such an order in place, I worry people may not be as cautious or [not] go about their hand-washing and social distancing, Levine said. In rural Hendry County, sugar cane harvest season is 'full speed' ahead In Hendry County, which has four positive COVID-19 cases after administering 63 tests, residents are practicing the same precautions as in urban areas on lockdown, said R.D. Williams, CEO of Hendry Regional Medical Center. The rural community halfway between West Palm Beach and Fort Myers reported its first positive test on Sunday. Williams said he favors DeSantis approach because projections on the spread of the outbreak in the region dont support the need for a shelter-in-place approach statewide. U.S. coronavirus map: Tracking the outbreak, state by state March and April mark the peak of the harvest season for sugar cane, so hundreds of migrant workers in Hendry County are still going to work. Those operations are going full speed, Williams said. Because those workers are outside, he added, its easier for them to practice social distancing than in a production facility. While rural Florida has not struggled with coronavirus, if cases escalate, these areas could be hard-pressed to handle an outbreak because of a lack of doctors and hospitals, said Jerne Shapiro, a lecturer in the department of epidemiology at the University of Florida. Many rural residents also lack insurance and may not have a strong understanding of the health system or how to seek help, she said. This is going to exacerbate the problems we have in these rural counties where people now are struggling to get seen by a provider, she noted. The gap for this underserved population is only going to be magnified. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Why Ron DeSantis hasn't issued statewide order in Florida CLEVELAND, Ohio State officials today issued an order requiring hospitals that cant process coronavirus tests in-house to send their samples to hospitals with the capability to cut down on the time it takes for results to get to patients and doctors. The order bars hospitals from sending their samples to private labs, which are sometimes out of state and can take up to six days to process results. Read the hospital order here. Gov. Mike DeWine said in the states daily press briefing that waiting so long for test results is simply, simply unacceptable for patients and health officials when there are faster ways available. In Cuyahoga County, several people have died from respiratory complications possibly related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, before test results came back from private labs, according to Dr. Heidi Gullett, medical director for the countys board of health. Only cases with lab-confirmed positive results are included in death statistics shared by county and state health officials. Some results have been negative. In one case, results from a test 12 days ago, taken while a patient was still alive, are still pending, she said. Gullett said specific information about the cases cant be shared to protect the privacy of the patients and their families. Private labs causing delays The state order follows weeks of uncertainty around testing availability for patients and a widespread rationing of tests. At first, the state was unable to test samples for the virus because of delays in receiving key materials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Within a week of the state beginning to test, locally, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals began testing in-house and launched drive-through testing sites for those with doctors orders. Immediately, the sites were overwhelmed by long lines and, in some cases, the hospitals sent samples taken from patients with more mild symptoms to private labs, many of which are out of state. The problem is that many of the private labs are very overburdened from the whole country, Acton said Tuesday. One of the largest testing companies, Quest Diagnostics, can test patient samples for coronavirus at 12 locations across the country, but not in Ohio. Most hospitals in the state do not have in-house testing capacity and will now have to send their collection kits to other health systems that do, including Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, UH, the Clinic and MetroHealth. These health systems have the capacity and are willing to take your tests, DeWine said. Some of these labs have a very significant unused capacity each day. At private labs, it can take four to six days to get coronavirus test results, while results can be available in a day or less even as little as two hours when completed elsewhere. DeWines message with regard to private labs on Tuesday was blunt: Please, please do not send these tests to a lab that takes five or six days to get it back. Waiting four or five days is just not helpful. Dont do that. Read more: Local coronavirus test results delayed, creating backlog of data and anxiety for patients As of Tuesday morning, almost 30,000 coronavirus tests had been performed in Ohio. Hospital labs across the state processed more than half of these tests, private labs completed about 42%, and the remainder roughly 4% were done by the states lab. The data remains incomplete, however, because hospitals are providing their numbers voluntarily, and not all labs are yet reporting their results to the state, according to ODH spokeswoman Melanie Amato. The ODH lab, which is processing about 280 tests a day and can have results in eight hours, is only testing patients who are severely ill and health care workers. We are making sure we are prepared and conserving the amount of tests we have to anticipate a surge in patients needing testing, Amato said. Testing, regardless of where its done, is still limited by the supply of the specialized collection kits and the chemicals and other supplies needed to test samples for the virus. The trouble we are having more is on the kit side, Acton said Tuesday. We are still limited by the amount of swabs we can do. DeWine put out a call Wednesday for manufacturers who can produce swabs and vials used in the collection kits to contact the state. The CDC, Acton said, is also allowing for different types of swabs to be used for collection and for saline, rather than a specialized solution, to be used for preserving the samples in order for more test kits to be created. Right now, Acton said, the hospitals and ODH can still test faster than private labs. The state lab, she said, is switching to three shifts in order to process additional tests. Rapid testing on the way On Tuesday, Acton expressed frustration that two of the promising options for rapid testing, known as point of care and high throughput methods, are still unavailable in Ohio. As soon as these methods become available, she said, the state is ready to deploy an army of healthcare workers and public health officials across Ohio who can administer the tests widely. On Wednesday, DeWine said rapid testing could be available in Ohio within the week. At least two companies, Hologic Inc. and Roche, are developing rapid coronavirus testing by using high throughput screening. The tests, granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to speed their path to the market, detect the novel coronavirus in samples run on automated machines that can process results quickly. Hologics machine, called Panther Fusion, can process up to 1,150 coronavirus tests in a 24-hour period. Roches, called the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems, can complete up to 2,880 tests in 24 hours. These automated machines, however, are highly expensive and not available everywhere. A Hologic spokesperson said that the company has about 100 Panther Fusion machines in the United States in use by clinical labs in hospitals, as well as reference and public health laboratories. The company would not disclose whether any of these machines are in Ohio, but said it is placing more every week as we ramp up production in response to the pandemic. Hospital labs On Wednesday, DeWine said that some of the in-house hospital labs in Ohio have significant unused capacity at the end of each day and can take samples from other hospitals. MetroHealth, which would not share the number of coronavirus collection kits it has tested or its current capacity, says it has enough tests available for hospitalized patients who have the flu or any acute respiratory infection and health care workers who have symptoms of respiratory illness, according to Tim Magaw, hospital spokesman. The health systems infection prevention doctors decide who is tested, he said. MetroHealths testing is done in-house in a lab on the main campus, and results are available in about 2 hours, Magaw said. We are not offering mass testing or testing for those with mild infections, which can often be treated at home with rest and over-the-counter medications, Magaw said. We must reserve the limited supply of tests for those people who need more sophisticated care. The Clinic can process a little more than 1,000 coronavirus tests a day and is looking for ways to increase its testing capacity, said Clinic spokeswoman Halle Bishop Weston. The hospital is prioritizing its testing supply for hospitalized patients and those who are 61 years old or older. The Clinic is also testing first responders who have symptoms of COVID-19. Thus far, the Clinic has had enough tests available for the patients who meet its testing criteria, Bishop Weston said. If the need arose, we could likely test everyone who is hospitalized, but currently we are testing only those with symptoms, she said. The Clinic, like MetroHealth, performs all of its coronavirus tests on-site and is not sending tests to outside laboratories, or to the states lab. The Clinics coronavirus turnaround time is one to two days, but the Clinic is looking for ways to get test results to patients more quickly, including with a different form of rapid testing. We are in the process of ordering materials and plan to validate this method of testing, Bishop Weston said. The Clinic has also added testing machines to expand capacity. The UH Landerbrook Health Center drive-through testing site can test 90 patients per hour and up to 500 per day, if medically necessary, UH said in a statement. UH said it strategically prioritizes testing to provide results quickly for sick and hospitalized patients, as well as employees, and tries to provide results to those patients within 24 hours using its in-house lab. UH also this week began using a newly-approved testing method, known as a polymerase chain reaction test, that has already improved testing capacity and decreased turnaround times. This story was updated to include information from University Hospitals. More coronavirus coverage: How the Cleveland Clinic is using modeling to respond to the coronavirus pandemic: Q&A Ohios limited coronavirus testing for the living and the dead means pandemic toll likely never known Delivering without doulas: Coronavirus hospital restrictions remove key support for black women Expectant moms, hospitals grapple with coronavirus uncertainties Cuyahoga County received 312 complaints about nonessential business operations Health care workers balance protecting family, serving community during coronavirus pandemic Cuyahoga Countys public health warriors try to get ahead of the local coronavirus curve Arrests in Washington have dipped as much as 75 percent on some days during the covid-19 pandemic, Kevin Donahue, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice, said Monday. He said the decrease stems from efforts to reduce the number of people in the justice system, such as officers giving citations much more robustly than before, instead of making arrests. President Donald Trump has warned Iran of a "heavy price" if it or its allies in Iraq attack U.S. troops or assets in Iraq. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq," Trump tweeted on April 1. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" he added. It was not immediately clear if Trump meant the United States actually has intelligence of such a plan. Over the past year, the United States has accused Iranian-backed militias of attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting coalition forces and on foreign embassies, particularly the U.S. mission. Hours before Trump's tweet, a top military aide to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cautioned the United States of consequences of "provocative actions" in Iraq. "Any U.S. action will mark an even larger strategic failure in the current president's record," General Yahya Rahim Safavi said, according to the semiofficial news agency Tasnim. On March 11, a rocket attack on an Iraqi base killed two U.S. troops and one British soldier, heightening tensions in the region. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which was followed by deadly U.S. air strikes on the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah militia group. Tehran warned Trump against taking "dangerous actions." In December, Washington blamed Kataib Hezbollah for a strike that killed a U.S. contractor and triggered a round of violence that led Trump to order the killing of a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike in Baghdad the following month. In retaliation, an Iranian ballistic-missile strike on an Iraqi air base left some 110 U.S. troops suffering from traumatic brain injuries. With reporting by Reuters live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Nifty is down about 30 percent from its recent record high of 12,430 hit on January 20, and about 90 percent of the companies hit their 52-week low in March. As many as 45 companies out of Nifty50 have hit their multi-year low amid the mayhem caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 virus across the globe. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have alone pulled out more than Rs 60,000 cr from the cash segment of the Indian equity market in March alone. Stocks that have hit their fresh 52-week low in March include prominent names like Shree Cement, Eicher Motors, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti Suzuki, UltraTech Cements, Bajaj Finance, TCS, and Hero MotoCorp, according to data collated on March 27. 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 Most of the companies which are part of the index are bluechip names and are leaders of their respective sectors. With the recent fall seen in the markets, many of the blue-chip names are trading at multi-year lows. The question now is are these stocks good long-term buys? Moneycontrol spoke to experts on this and they said, not all stocks which have hit their 52-week lows are long term buys, but only a select few. Some of the stocks which are going through a turmoil are due to structural or industry-specific issues, hence, it does make sense to avoid while some of them are under pressure due to institutional selling. It makes a valid case for investors who are looking at an investment horizon of 2-3 years. Because the volatility is likely to continue amid the Coronavirus outbreak at least till the time a medically approved vaccine comes to light. Investor, looking to build long term portfolio, can start investing in blue chips companies such as Reliance Industries, HDFC twins, Bajaj finance, Asian paints, Colgate, Britannia, Dabur, L&T, Axis Bank, Titan, Cipla, Infosys and TCS which are available at a reasonable valuation, Ajit Mishra, VP Research, Religare Broking told Moneycontrol. Though we do not rule out further downside in the stock price due to on-going virus concern and its impact on the economy, we would advise buying these fundamentally sound stocks in a phased manner for healthy returns over the next 2-3 years, he said. Experts do advise caution on the part of investors before making a buy or a sell decision. Positions in quality stocks can be made in a staggered manner keeping in view the risk profile of investor(s) in order to avoid opportunity loss, suggest experts. Markets are in grip of risk aversion due to the spread of coronavirus pandemic. Though the stocks have corrected significantly from their highs, the uncertainty involved in the markets has not abated given the escalation of new cases and causalities due to the virus esp. in the US and Europe, Pankaj Bobade, Fundamental Research head, Axis Securities Limited told Moneycontrol. If one has more than 3 years of investment horizon, one can look at investing in the corrected blue chips in staggered manner thereby averaging the cost of acquisition, he said. : The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Vanderpump Rules Prank Wars Season 8 Episode 13 Editors Rating 2 stars * * Previous Next Photo: Courtesy of Bravo We must address when Brett, a Crest White Strip come alive, invites Scheana over to his house to film a YouTube video for his channel. This is not a taping; this is an act of aggression. Its a hate crime. Its a nuclear bomb with a one-meter radius, which is a description I usually reserve for what happens after my husband eats prepackaged Indian meals we buy at the supermarket. First of all, its insane that Brett has nearly half a million subscribers on YouTube. What does this dried-up blob of Play-Doh have to say that 500,000 people are interested in it? Well, we see that most of his videos are of him working out shirtless, so this is starting to make a lot more sense. Most of my subscribers just want me being my authentic self, because I have a lot of women following me, Brett says. By authentic self, he means his most naked self, and by women following him, he means homosexuals. Its never clear exactly what he wants Scheana to talk about, but within five seconds of starting to film, he calls the 34-year-old middle-aged, which, even for a person who does as much drinking as Scheana, woefully underestimates her life expectancy. Secondly, she says that she is sleeping with fuckbois, and Brett says, If we attract the energy we put out into the world, does that mean you are a fuckgurl? Oh, Brett. I have never heard ridiculous New Age tenets redeployed as a verbal IED before, but there he goes. Also, there is no such thing as a fuckgurl. Women, in our society, arent allowed to sleep around willy-nilly and treat men like shit in the way that men can women. That is an equivalency so false it could be one of Scheanas eyelashes. Jax, on the other hand, is clearly middle-aged. With his 40th birthday, he is officially older than many Real Housewives and far too old to be a full-time bartender at a second-tier WeHo eatery. Theres something about Jax that has been starting to grate on me this season, and I think its his complete absence of joy and self-awareness. He throws an 80s-themed party (Scheana wins for best costume dressed as Jem of Jem and the Holograms if she was leading an aerobics class), but then says its only a suggestion, not a theme. He shows up dressed as a hair rocker with a giant mullet wig and a midriff-baring shirt and says, I would have just worn this anyway. This is all because he doesnt want to admit hes having a theme birthday after Sandoval did it last episode and he complained about having to put some actual effort into doing his job. Hiding oneself in flimsy semantics is the kind of thing that the president of the United States would do, and maybe that is why I find it so distasteful. He also cant admit that the prank that Sandoval (and Max, I guess, but I would rather leave him out of this narrative entirely) pulled is pretty funny. When they arrive home to find their trees covered in an entire Costco-size pallet of toilet-paper rolls, Brittany thinks its a gas, but Jax is just annoyed. It isnt just that he got got, its that he knows he has to clean it up, too, and he cant look past that to appreciate the prank. Jax says hes going to pay Sandoval back for what he did, but hes either too lazy, complacent, or self-involved to actually plan anything. Instead, Lalas boyfriend, Randall, a fleshy lump that Im actually starting to warm to, orchestrates the whole thing. The after-party for Jaxs birthday is at Sandovals house the emptiness of which Jax has to make fun of at every petty opportunity and Randall arranges for two actors in LAPD squad cars to show up and arrest Sandoval for vandalism. They get him in handcuffs and pull him out into the street and plop him in the back of the car. Katie is out in the street practically crying about his arrest. Ariana is in the driveway totally freaking out. Schwartz is in the background grinning that Sandoval finally got what was coming to him for all of his unpaid parking tickets. The whole scene is a mess, then Jax steps in and is like BOO-YAH! I GOT YOU! but he didnt even do anything. Randall, a far better prankster, arranged it and bequeathed it to Jax for his birthday. Its sort of like saying you can sing like Adele just because someone else paid to have her song played on the jukebox. I can admit that this is a very good, Punkd-level prank. It is very funny, and, while embarrassing for Sandoval, it put him in his place. I can also admit that the optics of involving the police and a false arrest might come off as tone deaf; if one of the participants involved was black, this would have been a totally different story, something that could have had deadly implications. However, Katies reaction seems outsize to me. I think that Katie is embarrassed that she was the one most affected by a prank that turned out to be totally fake. Also, its easy for Katie, from her party of entirely white people in her mostly white suburb of Los Angeles on the cast of a show that is whiter than Vail in January (in so many senses), to be offended on behalf of black people. What Im saying is that Katie is not wrong, but Katie is also not right. Also, where is Katies outrage, in the middle of a national toilet-paper shortage, at Sandoval for wasting all of that precious, precious ass-wiping paper? It also seems ironic to me that Katie is standing up for decency and understanding while lobbing around cruelty so casually. She threw a wine partyslashgirls night at her house for every female cast member of the show but left Kristen out on purpose. She knew Kristen would find out and be hurt. She knew this would happen, and she did it anyway because Kristen said something mean to her at a party. Katie should care less about the social impact of a prank that Russell plays on Sandoval and more about her emotional impact on the people in her immediate orbit if she wants to see some trend toward kindness in the world. Also, if I were Kristen, I would have barged right into that damn party, gotten right up in Katies face, and told her just how mean and awful shes been for just about her entire tenure on the show. That would have made excellent reality television. That Kristen demurred from this occasion to show up as Scheanas plus one shows why she is not a true practitioner of the reality-television arts and sciences. Speaking of Katies wine party, I am about to admit something that might be very painful. Guys, I might have been wrong about Raquel, the one pack of Minions Valentines cards left on a Rite Aid shelf on February 15. She is the kind of girl who will drive you to your AA meeting, run some errands, and pick you up on time. She is the kind of girl who will cover your shift for you at SUR so that you can go to an audition you surely wont get. She is the kind of girl who will get you a skinny margarita at the bar and not even make you pay her back. Raquel is and forever will be a free yoga mat you get after buying 12 Moon Juices in eight days, but she is also a good person and, well, I think shes being unfairly beset upon by Lala. At the wine party, Lala decides she needs to make a scene with Raquel because Raquel was talking about how mean Lala was to her at Sandovals birthday party when Lala, for no reason, basically called James gay to Raquels face. Lala says that Raquel took her genuine concern and made something dirty out of it. No, I think Lala feigned genuine concern so that she could hurl some accusations at James. Going into the party, Lala says that she needs to remind Raquel to stay in her lane and let people like Lala run shit. She does not need to do this. Raquel, for all of her craven, fame-hungry, wanna-stay-on-the-show-by-any-means behavior, does not need to be reminded to sideline herself. If Lala wants to minimize Raquel, all she needs to do is ignore her. Lala has ingratiated her way into the main cast of the show while Raquel, a pair of Jessica Simpson gummi sandals, is still trying to peer her way in. Lala giving this her energy is elevating Raquel in a way that just dismissing it never could. As Lala points out, Raquel is a yapping Chihuahua and she is a pit bull. Grabbing Raquel by the neck and dragging her all around the dog park does not make her look powerful, it does not make her look like a boss, it makes her look cruel. Yes, she looks cruel wearing an immaculate lace top with delicately layered ruffle sleeves that the bulbous pink extremities on Raquels blouse could only hope to be, but she looks cruel nonetheless. If we cant agree that shes a bully, we can all agree that shes a bitch, Raquel says of Lala, and I caught myself nodding in agreement and had to question everything that Catholic Jesus ever taught me. Speaking of cruel, we have to go back to Katie and Tom for a second. When Katie has her crazy reaction to the prank, Schwartz has an equally crazy reaction, yelling at Katie for not thinking its funny. It is funny, he says to her. No one gives a shit about your opinion. He follows that up with, Ive never been more turned off in my life. That is why I dont have sex with her. Beau, decent lovable Teddy Ruxpin Beau, says he never hears people spew venom like that. I dont really like it. Sandoval seemed to be handling things, though. He confronted Schwartzs ire with love, hugging him, mauling him with his arms, trying to drag him somewhere closer to sanity, wishing he could drag him up the empty stairs of the empty house, drag him into his mostly empty bedroom, drag down his very full underwear, and show him the love and sexual attention that Katie obviously will not. He wanted to breathe his own love into Schwartz, inject it any possible way he could with his tongue, with his fingers, with his entire being if necessary. He wanted to pound the hatred out of him, over and over, as Schwartz bent over and received his love, sweating on the wrinkled duvet, his moans cascading out of the window and across the valley as the red and blue lights of fake cop cars sputtered on the street below. Bankruptcy attorneys and restructuring experts are quickly becoming the most popular people in the oil patch. Energy companies are lining up to seek survival advice as oil prices linger around $20 per barrel and the coronavirus pandemic ravages the economy. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, settled at $20.34 per barrel Monday, nearly a 20-year low and well below the break-even point for companies in the U.S. shale industry. Amid the simultaneous supply and demand shocks, companies are bracing for the worst but before they take action, they are making phone calls. Caused by a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia and falling demand due to the coronavirus, the oil crash started about three weeks ahead of borrowing redetermination season a busy period that kicks off April 1 and marks a time when companies review their credit agreements with lenders. Matthew Cavenaugh, an attorney who specializes in restructuring work for energy companies at Houston office of the law firm Jackson Walker, has stayed busy in recent weeks fielding phone calls from shell-shocked clients facing meetings with banks and investors. Theyre trying to determine if they need to update their presentations or throw them in the trash and start completely new ones, Cavenaugh said. Oil War: U.S. shale industry braces for pain as budget cuts run deeper Lenders, of course, hold the power but, Cavenaugh said, they could offer to postpone debt payments, waive loan defaults, change credit terms or, in some cases, extend more credit. Ray Battaglia, an energy bankruptcy attorney based in San Antonio, has been receiving calls from clients with what if scenarios and seeking advice for approaching creditors. Companies with too much debt face the most risk, Battaglia said. There are high-risk companies and there are low-risk companies, Battaglia said. During times like these, its the healthy patient that will survive. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox For many in the industry, the oil price crisis brings back bad memories of the 2015 downturn and the 1986 crash, which resulted in more than 225,000 layoffs and plunged Texas into recession. MACCO Restructuring Group founder Drew McManigle said his family lost its Midland-based oil-field services company during the early 1980s oil bust when work evaporated. He now advises companies about how to survive difficult periods or how to wind down a company and get the most value when liquidating assets. This is going to clean off the table again, just like it did in the late 1980s, McManigle said. As part of the work he describes as showing the mouse how to get out of the mouse trap, McManigle said he recommends that clients take a hard look at their assets, customers base and production before developing a strategy. Companies with cash, he said, will be able to buy assets at low prices from those that are distressed. Banks and private equity firms will be looking for any type of exit, McManigle said. To survive in this, youre going to need big balance sheets and strong financing. Drilling Down: Drilling permit activity slows down amid record low oil prices Rob Albergotti, with the Houston office for the restructuring firm AlixPartners, said he and others have been fielding calls from energy industry clients and other companies asking about setting up furloughs, complying with local and state shutdown orders, liability issues and maintaining liquidity. One tip the firm offers to clients with large enough credit agreements is to draw some of the funds and keep them as cash on their books. Having cash on your balance sheet is critical when navigating in uncertain waters and uncertain times, Albergotti said. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com Thats advice many companies have failed to heed. Some 432 energy companies saddled with more than $209.3 billion of debt filed for bankruptcy from 2015 to 2019, according to figures from the law firm Haynes and Boone. The firm reported a significant uptick of inquiries from clients since oil prices crashed in early March. Some oil and gas companies were overleveraged and struggling before the recent downturn, while others were relatively healthy, Haynes and Boones Jeff Nichols said. Some are hedged at higher oil prices for the next year or so, some are more exposed. All producers, large and small, are having to adapt to this new environment and make contingency plans for a lengthy downturn. A consistent theme is the need to conserve cash and cut costs. John Castellano, an energy industry restructuring specialist with the Chicago office of AlixPartners, advises companies considering filing for bankruptcy to negotiate with their creditors as much as possible and if possible, file a time-saving prepackaged plan. Castellano was part of a team with AlixPartners that helped Houston oilfield services company McDermott International file a prepacked Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan in January. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones accepted the companys reorganization plan less than two months after the case was filed. Castellano went on to serve as McDermotts chief transformation officer, Its a better way to use Chapter 11, Castellano said. Its a more efficient way to use Chatper 11 but you have to do a significant amount of work beforehand. sergio.chapa@chron.com @SergioChapa on Twitter Photo: Twitter Emergency field hospital in New York City New York authorities rushed to bring in an army of medical volunteers Wednesday as the statewide death toll from the coronavirus surged past 1,900 and the wail of ambulances in the otherwise eerily quiet streets of the big city became the heartbreaking soundtrack of the crisis. As hot spots flared around the country in places like New Orleans, Detroit and Southern California, New York City was the hardest hit of them all, accounting for the majority of the state's deaths, with bodies loaded onto refrigerated morgue trucks by gurney and forklift outside overwhelmed hospitals, in some cases in full view of passing motorists. And the worst is yet to come. How does it end? And people want answers," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "I want answers. The answer is nobody knows for sure. Across the U.S., Americans braced for what President Donald Trump warned could be one of the roughest two or three weeks weve ever had in our country." The White House projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. before the outbreak is over. Meanwhile, European nations facing extraordinary demand for hospital intensive-care beds are putting up makeshift hospitals, unsure whether they will find enough healthy medical staff to run them. London is just days from unveiling a 4,000-bed temporary hospital built in a huge convention centre to take non-critical patients so British hospitals can stay ahead of an expected surge. In a remarkable turnaround, rich economies where virus cases have exploded are welcoming help from less wealthy ones. Russia sent medical equipment and masks to the U.S. Cuba sent doctors to France. Turkey dispatched masks, hazmat suits, goggles and disinfectants to Italy and Spain. Worldwide, about 900,000 people have been infected and over 44,000 have died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real figures are believed to be much higher because of testing shortages, differences in counting the dead and large numbers of mild cases that have gone unreported. The U.S. recorded over 190,000 infections and more than 4,100 deaths. In New York, at least 78,000 people have volunteered as medical reinforcements, according to state officials. The group includes recent retirees who are willing to go back to work, health care professionals who can take a break from their regular jobs and people between gigs. Few have made it into the field yet, as authorities vet them and figure out how to use them, but hospitals are expected to begin bringing them in later this week. Health care workers who have hit the ground already, many brought in by staffing agencies, have discovered a hospital system becoming overwhelmed. I have never seen so many human beings in an ER at one time in my entire life, said Liz Schaffer, a nurse from St. Paul, Minnesota, who had her first shift Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital. Shoulder to shoulder. It is a sight I never thought I would see. Patients are dying every day. Every single day. With New York on near-lockdown, the normally bustling city streets are so empty that a single siren, to some, is no longer the easily ignored urban background noise. After 9-11, I remember we actually wanted to hear the sound of ambulances on our quiet streets because that meant there were survivors, but we didn't hear those sounds, and it was heartbreaking. Today, I hear an ambulance on my strangely quiet street and my heart breaks, too, said 61-year-old Meg Gifford, a former Wall Streeter who lives on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Distressed small businesses such as cafes and restaurants that have been forced to pause trading or scale back their operations due to coronavirus will have their power bills slashed as network operators combine to offer a relief package. The package - announced by grid owners in three states including ASX-listed AusNet, Victoria's Powercor, NSW's Ausgrid and SA Power Networks - will heavily discount bills for up to hundreds of thousands of small and mid-sized businesses whose energy usage had fallen to 25 per cent of ordinary levels due to the impact of the pandemic. Power grid owners in three states are offering a lucrative coronavirus relief package aimed at small businesses and households. Credit:Carla Gottgens Industry representatives told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald the measures would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars in "foregone or deferred" revenue for the nation's network operators. "Networks understand these are extraordinarily tough times for small business and energy bill relief will really help," Energy Networks Australia chief executive Andrew Dillon said. "For small businesses that are mothballed, electricity and gas network charges will not be applied from the start of April to the end of June 2020, if their consumption is less than a quarter what it was in 2019." Smith humbled by rapper tribute Will Smith says he was humbled and honored after rapper Joyner Lucas released a tribute song honoring his career work. Lucas released the music video for his track Will last week. In the video, the rapper paid homage to Smith through a reenactment of the actors biggest projects including the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bad Boys, Men in Black and Pursuit of Happyness. Smith shared a clip of Will with his nearly 44 million followers on Instagram. He personally thanked Lucas in a separate video on social media, calling the rappers song creative. Smith also said he hopes to meet Lucas one day. In a post, Lucas said he needed to take a cold shower and wake up. Im dreaming right now. Will is a single from Lucas debut studio album ADHD, which was released Friday. Lineman, Dr. Dre added to registry Dr. Dres classic debut rap album The Chronic, Selenas sophomore release Ven Conmigo and the worldwide disco hit Y.M.C.A. by the Village People are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced that Tina Turners Private Dancer, Glen Campbells Wichita Lineman written by Jimmy Webb and Whitney Houstons No. 1 hit and cover of Dolly Partons I Will Always Love You are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape. The titles have to be at least 10 years old. Others that made the list include Russ Hodges play-by-play of the National League tiebreaker between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951; the original 1964 Broadway cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof; the announcement of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor during the recording of a live performance on Nov. 22, 1963; songs from Mister Rogers Neighborhood; field recordings of over 50 hours of traditional Afghan music; and albums by Dusty Springfield, Cheap Trick and Maria Schneider. Associated Press Vietnam urges people to stay at home, bans gatherings of more than two Vietnam starts a nationwide social distancing campaign Wednesday, not allowing gatherings of more than two people, asking people not to leave their homes. The campaign would last 15 days, under a directive issued Tuesday by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. It calls for people in the same families, villages, communes, districts and cities to stay put where they are. Factories must maintain safe distances, disinfect premises and employees must wear masks to prevent infection. People should only leave home for emergencies, buying food and medicine, and working in factories, production facilities and businesses that involve trade in "essential" goods and services. People must maintain a distance of at least two meters from each other, and no gathering of more than two would be allowed in public, except for in offices, schools and hospitals, where the government imposed a 20-person limit earlier. People must inform authorities of their health status and undertake measures to protect their families' and their own health. Business leaders will be responsible for deploying disease prevention measures at their businesses and keeping their employees healthy. Ministries and local authorities must expend all resources at their disposal to contain the Covid-19 virus in outbreak areas, such as Hanoi's Bach Mai Hospital which has been associated with 33 infections and Saigon's Buddha Bar & Grill with 13 other cases. Not lockdown Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of the Government Office, said Phuc's directive is not a lockdown order and the government still manages to contain the epidemic. Dung said the directive only serves as a guidance and more specific orders for different scenarios will follow. "If the situation gets worse and the disease spreads widely in the community, we will need stricter rules. And we will do that step by step," Dung said. Vietnam has recorded 204 Covid-19 cases so far, of whom 55 have recovered and been discharged. Many of the active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from Europe and the U.S., foreigners coming from the same regions and those whod come into contact with both groups of people. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected 200 countries and territories, killing more than 37,800 people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory on its website urging residents in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to "refrain from non-essential domestic travel" for the next 14 days due to extensive community transmission in the area. The CDC said this advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. These employees of critical infrastructure, as defined by the United States Department of Homeland Security have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedules. "On the recommendation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the CDC to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors," the president tweeted. For the tri-state area, the CDC's travel advisory is redundant, given that the governors of all three states issued "stay-at-home" executive orders more than a week ago according to Forbes news. On March 20, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued what he called "the ultimate step" with an executive order "mandating that 100 percent of workforce must stay home, excluding essential services." The same day, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont also issued "stay safe, stay at home." to the state's residents which took effective three days later. On March 21, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also issued a statewide stay-at-home executive order. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomed home around 1,400 Filipino seafarers from America and Brazil on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. The 881 repatriated Filipino crewmen, who arrived this morning from America, included 445 seafarers from MV Norwegian Encore and MV Dawn of Norwegian Cruise Lines and 436 workers from MV Magica and MV Favolosa of Costa Cruises. Another batch of 446 Filipino seafarers from America arrived this afternoon from Miami. These individuals are working at MV Divina, MV Marigivilla and MV Arminain of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). Another 88 Filipino crew members of MSCs MV Seaview also arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil today. The DFA and the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. coordinated with the Department of Health, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the local manning agencies for the return of these workers. The Filipino seafarers from America and Brazil will undergo a mandatory 14-day facility-based quarantine monitored by the Bureau of Quarantine. DFA Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. earlier said around 4,000 Filipino crew members are expected to come home in the next three weeks amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Last March 29, the DFA brought home 370 Filipino cruise ship members from Italy. RELATED: 370 Filipino cruise ship members back home from Italy amid COVID-19 crisis Sportsbet boss Barni Evans. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: Its a tough life for corporate bookmakers these days as the coronavirus pandemic puts an end to the sporting fixtures which account for much of their business. So spare a thought for the countrys largest online bookie, Sportsbet, who have tried to fill that void with such haste they may have stumbled into the sights of the corporate regulator. Sportsbet, for the record, is owned by Dublin-based giant Flutter Entertainment and in the midst of a friendly takeover of its largest rival BetEasy. When thats done, chief executive Barni Evans will be serious competition to local heavyweight Tabcorp. For now, however, Sportsbet gets much of its publicity by way of novelty bets, creating wagering markets for everything from the weather to how the ASX will go. And the latter, announced to some fanfare on Wednesday, might just be a problem. People queue up in front of a supermarket outside the town of Casalpusterlengo, which is under quarantine, on February 23. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Over the past few weeks and months, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths has escalated dramatically. "The number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week," the World Health Organization's director-general said in a media briefing on April 1. "In the next few days, we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths." The director-general emphasized the need to help protect developing countries from the political, social, and economic collapse the virus could cause in their regions. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A few months ago, much of the world was unconcerned with the novel coronavirus outbreak, if they had heard of it at all. Now, the virus has impacted almost every corner of the globe, and the number of confirmed cases is expected to surpass 1 million any day now, the World Health Organization's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on April 1. "As we enter the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection," he said. "Over the past five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new cases reaching almost every country, territory and area," Tedros said. "The number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week. In the next few days, we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths." Airline tycoon Richard Branson (L) and former U.S. vice-president Al Gore hold a globe in central London February 9, 2007. Branson announced on Friday a $25 million prize to the first person to come up with a way of scrubbing greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere in the battle to beat global warming. Reuters/Kieran Doherty Developing countries need support Tedros emphasized the need for developing countries where there have been fewer reported cases including countries in Africa, Central America, and South America to have support in order to both prevent infections and also stop the economic, social, and political collapse that could accompany outbreaks. "It's critical that we ensure these countries are well-equipped to detect, test, isolate, and treat cases, and identify contacts," Tedros said. "I'm encouraged to see that this is occurring in many countries despite limited resources." Story continues He said he's called on governments to put social welfare measures in place to protect vulnerable populations. One encouraging example is India, where the prime minister announced a $24 billion package, including free food rations, cash transfers, and free cooking gas for the next three months. "Many developing countries will struggle to implement social welfare programs of this nature," Tedros said. "For those countries, debt relief is essential to enable them to take care of their people and avoid economy collapse." He added that WHO, along with UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross, has also released new guidelines to help developing countries adopt practices like physical distancing and rigorous handwashing. "The guidance recommends that countries set up hand-washing stations at the entrance to public buildings, offices, bus stops, and train stations, and many countries are doing it," he said. Tedros applauded the now-underway "solidarity trial," which so far includes 74 countries and is testing four different drug combinations' safety and effectiveness against COVID-19. "Three months ago we knew almost nothing about this virus. Collectively, we have learned an enormous amount and every day, we learn more," he said. "WHO is committed to serving all people everywhere with the best evidence to protect their health." Read the original article on Business Insider Hudson, NY (12534) Today Some clouds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 7F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 7F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Numbers dont lie, or so they say. Official figures as of April 1, 2020 showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed 43,520 lives, with over 876,000 people infected globally. So grim is the situation that with the number of those affected rising sharply and shocking projections on the final death toll flying all over the place, the UN chief has warned the pandemic presents the world with its worst crisis since the second world war. READ ALSO: AMREF says coronavirus could force people to stay indoors for up to 5 months Health CS Mutahi Kagwe expressed fear many Kenyans will be infected as result of coming into contact with those who have tested positive for the virus. Photo: Ministry of Health. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Rais Uhuru ahutubia taifa pamoja na waathiriwa wa coronavirus waliopona It is simply mind-boggling that such figures and warnings have not sufficed to shock Kenyans into reality. Wanton disregard of the governments directives to curb spread of the disease has been the order of the day locally; the social distancing concept, which is critical if Kenya is to be spared of COVID-19's devastation, remains alien to many. This weeks convention of 700 youths at Maanzoni Lodge to strategise on 2022 presidential campaigns accentuates the mess we are in. READ ALSO: 10 beautiful photos of Kenya's patient zero Brenda who recovered from COVID-19 Maanzoni Lodge where police detained hundreds of youth holding a meeting against order banning public gatherings. Photo: Maanzoni Lodge. Source: Facebook At a time we are all expected to be fighting to save a whole generation from annihilation, some fool somewhere is still selfishly obsessed with succession politics while putting the lives of some 700 poor souls in danger. House parties have become the order of the day as some Kenyans find clever ways to sidestep the dusk-to-dawn curfew and social distancing measures that have seen social gatherings banned. Others are holding out-of-town beer parties in scenic tea plantations, ignoring Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwes directive that urban dwellers, especially Nairobians, avoid travelling to the villages where majority of the countrys vulnerable aged population, reside. Even more worryingly, some senior police officers have been accused of joining and protecting revellers drinking during curfew hours. In the public transport sector, matatu crews continue to disregard the new passenger limit while boda boda riders and their passengers continue to operate without masks. In some market places, business continues as if COVID-19 was nonexistent. Notably, these are the same Kenyans who loudly grumbled that the police used excessive force when enforcing the 7 pm to 5 am curfew on March 27. They simply want to operate at their own convenience. This business as usual attitude is unspeakably treacherous given the virus has now entered the community transmission stage in Kenya, it poses an obvious existential threat to the country. These reckless Kenyans have to be saved from themselves. Their actions are a direct call to the authorities to roll out even tougher measures to stem the pandemics spread. In some countries, individuals who violate lockdowns are being fined heavily while others are put in mandatory quarantine in cells. Kenya should start considering such stinging penalties for those flouting the Public Health Act and other guidelines. Someway, somehow, there must be a formula to hammer in the hard truth into this seemingly unconscious public. One cannot help but empathise with the government, which is doing its best to tame the virus spread without declaring a total lockdown, fully aware of the pain a shutdown will visit on individual households and the economy. But the current state of affairs dictates that more radical control measures are put in place to save ignorant Kenyans from themselves. The writer is Sammy Kwinga, a regular commentator on social, political and economic affairs. The views expressed in this opinion piece are his and do not necessarily represent the position of TUKO Media Ltd in any way. We welcome writers, bloggers, photographers and all sorts of noise makers to become a part of our Blog network Send your opinion, story or both to news@tuko.co.ke. 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. Opinion : Uhuru has failed this country -Angry Kenyan rants / Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Expressing its concern over reports of Pakistan targeting Hazara Shi'a community for the spread of coronavirus. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Tuesday accused the Balochistan provincial government of "scapegoating" the already vulnerable Hazara Shi'a community for this public health crisis. "We are troubled that government officials in Balochistan are scapegoating the already vulnerable and marginalized Hazara Shi'a community for this public health crisis," stated USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. "This virus does not recognize religion, ethnicity, or border and should not be used as an excuse to discriminate against a single community," Bhargava added. In the provincial capital Quetta, the government completely sealed off two Hazara areas--Hazara Town and Marriabad--as part of a lockdown in the city; forbade government employees from traveling into Hazara neighborhoods; and reportedly forced Hazara policemen to go on leave under suspicion they are infected by relatives. Pakistan has reported 1,943 coronavirus cases. On 26 February, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus. As per Pakistani media, the initial cases were pilgrims from Iran, especially those who returned after crossing the border at Taftan. Social media users have made allusions to coronavirus as the "Shi'a virus," given fears of its spread by pilgrims returning from Iran. This isolation and further stigmatization of the Hazara minority could limit their ability to receive proper medical care as the coronavirus continues to spread within Pakistan and stretch its public health infrastructure. USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore added, "We are gravely concerned about Pakistan's Hazara Shi'a community. We understand the many challenges the Pakistani government, and many other governments around the world, are facing to contain this deadly virus. Yet, we urge the Pakistani leadership to work to protect all its citizens, regardless of religion or belief, and ensure that everyone has equal access to the necessary medical treatment. In fact, governments have a greater obligation to protect the most vulnerable in an emergency like this one." In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF noted the rise in sectarian violence in Pakistan in recent years, and how Hazara Shi'a Muslims have been targeted by extremist groups including the Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and the Pakistani Taliban. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON - Manufacturing contracted in the United States and around the world last month, dragged down by economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jolee Masson, a Coker student and costume designer, volunteered to sew new elastic into medical masks at the Tara Grinna Swimwear factory Monday, March 30, 2020 in Conway. The factory has converted their operations from making custom swimsuits to sewing elastic into N95 masks in response to the coronavirus. Tidelands Health has delivered 35,000 of the masks that were held in storage with degraded elastic bands. The swimwear manufacturer's sewers, many of whom are at high risk for the virus, all volunteered to come back to work to complete the project along with help from volunteers within the community. March 30, 2020. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP) WASHINGTON - Manufacturing contracted in the United States and around the world last month, dragged down by economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reported Wednesday that its U.S. manufacturing index fell to 49.1 in March after registering 50.1 in February. Any reading below 50 signals a contraction. The index had signalled growth in January and February. Also Wednesday J.P. Morgan reported that global manufacturing shrank in March. Its worldwide manufacturing index registered 47.6 in March. That was a slight improvement on February's 47.1 but only because Chinese factories began ramping back up last month after being locked down in February to counter COVID-19. Excluding China, J.P. Morgan found, global manufacturing dropped to the lowest level last month since May 2009 at the depths of the Great Recession. Economists had expected a bigger drop in the U.S. index. Timothy Fiore, chair of ISM manufacturing index committee, said that things got worse as March dragged on and predicted that the index will signal more weakness in April. New orders and factory employment fell last month to the lowest level since 2009. Production and export orders also fell. 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 COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantines, travel restrictions and business closings imposed to combat it have hammered global manufacturers, disrupting their access to supplies and crushing demand for their products. FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2018, file photo robots weld the bed of a 2018 Ford F-150 truck on the assembly line at the Ford Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Mich. Ford says it wants to reopen five North American assembly plants in April 2020 that were closed due to the threat of coronavirus. The three Detroit automakers suspended production at North American factories March 19 ago under pressure from the United Auto Workers union, which had concerns about members working closely at work stations and possibly spreading the virus. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) But the impact of the outbreak is falling even harder on service businesses such as restaurants and hotels. Manufacturing is not, for the most part, in the very front line of the virus hit, but nonetheless large swathes of the sector are vulnerable as consumers cut back on spending on goods, especially big-ticket items like cars and trucks," Ian Shephardson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a research report, adding that while this headline ISM reading is a pleasant-looking surprise, dont be fooled.'' Ten of 18 U.S. industries surveyed reported growth in March, but six contracted, led by energy companies, coal producers and textile mills. Already weakened by President Donald Trump's trade war with China, manufacturers around the world are reeling from COVID-19 and its economic impact. J.P. Morgan reported that its manufacturing index for the 19 European countries that share the euro currency dropped last month to the lowest level in nearly eight years. Confidence among eurozone manufacturers fell to a record low. Manufacturing in the Philippines dropped to the lowest level on record as authorities locked down Luzon, the country's biggest and most populous island, to combat COVID-19. J.P. Morgan also reported that Italy, the Czech Republic and Vietnam registered especially deep manufacturing contractions last month. Check latest coverage on coronavirus updates in india: According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, the total number of active COVID-19 cases has reached 1,649 in India as of date whereas the death toll has risen to 41. Globally, according to World Health Organisation data, 40,598 have died and 823,626 have been infected so far due to the respiratory infection. Meanwhile, Wimbledon has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The lawn tennis tournament will now be held from June 28 to July 11, 2021. 64 out of total 87 novel coronavirus patients in Andhra Pradesh had attended the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Six of these peoples' close contacts were also tested positive for COVID-19. 543 people from Andhra Pradesh who had attended the Jamaat event have been traced and tested so far. Meanwhile, out of these 543 people, the contacts of 269 have been traced and tested for novel coronavirus infection. The religious gathering at Delhi's Nizamuddin has left the government grappling with a new challenge in its fight against novel coronavirus pandemic. The religious gathering that took place at Nizamuddin Markaz building defied the Delhi government's lockdown orders as over 3,400 people attended the Tablighi Jamaat event ignoring social distancing guidelines in the wake of COVID-19- the disease caused by coronavirus. Gujarat on Wednesday recorded 82 fresh novel coronavirus cases. These new cases were reported from Ahmedabad (32 cases), Gandhinagar (10 cases), Surat (10 cases), Rajkot (10 cases),Vadodara (9 cases), Bhavnagar (6 cases), Gir Somnath (2 cases), Mehsana (1 case), Kutch (1 case), Porbandar (1 case). Meanwhile, the new coronavirus cases spiked across the nation. Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, trends, list of testing facilities Also Read: Wipro, Azim Premji Foundation contribute Rs 1,125 cr to tackle coronavirus crisis Also Read: PM CARES Fund better suited to deal with coronavirus crisis, say legal experts Stay tuned to BusinessToday.in for all the live updates on novel coronavirus pandemic: 1.30 am: Coronavirus news: 12 new COVID-19 cases in Indore 12 patients in Indore have tested positive for coronavirus. This brings total number of positive corona patients in the city to 76. The tally in Madhya Pradesh now stands at 99. 6 deaths have been reported so far in state due to the respiratory infection. 12:00 am: Coronavirus update: Death toll at 41; total active cases at 1,649 According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total confirmed cases of coronavirus, as on April 1, 2020, 7:30 pm, stand at 1,834. The number of active cases in the country is 1,649, and 41 deaths have been confirmed by the country. 143 patients have been cured and discharged so far. 9.19 pm: Wimbledon cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has decided to cancel Wimbledon this year in the face of coronavirus pandemic. The 134th Championships will now be held from June 28 to July 11, 2021. 9.14 pm: Second coronavirus case in Odisha makes full recovery Odisha Health Department informed that second coronavius case in the state has completely recovered. Hailing from Bhubaneswar, the patient tested negative for COVID-19 and is being is being discharged. 8.16 pm: Coronavirus in Maharashtra: First COVID-19 case in Dharavi A 56-year old man from Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, has tested positive for coronavirus. He is undergoing treatment at Sion hospital, while his family members have been put in quarantine. Authorities have sealed his hose and are providing food and other necessities to the residents as they can't go out. His contact history is being traced. Dharavi is a densely populated area, with over 15 lakh people living in 613 hectares. Caution is being taken so that the virus doesn't spread in the area. 8.02 pm: Haryana bans chewing gum over coronavirus fears Haryana government has banned manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of chewing gum and bubble gum in the state for three months. The decision was taken as coronavirus can spreaad through saliva droplets on chewing gum. 7.46 pm: Coronavirus impact: SpiceJet, GoAir lower March salaries by up to 30% Indian airlines SpiceJet and GoAir announced that all employees will have to take a pay cut in March as flight operations were suspended due to coronavirus lockdown. While SpiceJet implemented salary cut of 10-30 per cent for March, GoAir deferred a part of March salaries for its staff in addition to salary cuts implemented earlier. 7.40 pm: Coronavirus: MHA warns states against granting exceptions beyond lockdown measures Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla noted that some state government and union territory administrations are allowing exceptions beyond what prescribed lockdown measures by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This amounts to violation of lockdown measures issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under Disaster Management Act, 2005, Bhalla said. 7.38 pm: All 33 Supreme Court judges donate Rs 50,000 each to PM CARES Fund All 33 judges in the Supreme Court have donated Rs 50,000 each in the #PMCaresFund. #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/HF43sFa0Ps ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 7.34 pm: Coronavirus in Maharashtra: 14 new cases in Mumbai, number of case rise to 335 Maharashtra Health Department informed that one more person tested positive for coronavirus in Buldhana today, while 14 new cases were identified in Mumbai. Total number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state has increased to 335. 7.22 pm: Several flights on weekend beginning April 4, reach New Delhi, US Embassy tells US citizens in North India In a statement on Wednesday, US Embassy in New Delhi said that it expects to have several flights beginning the weekend of April 4. US citizens in areas in northern India should work with the Consular Section to make travel arrangements to New Delhi, the Embassy stated. 7.21 pm: United Kingdom reports 500 deaths due to coronavirus in one day, reports news agency AFP. 7.19 pm: Coronavirus in India: Promote students in classes I-VIII, Union HRD Minister tells CBSE schools In view of the current situation due to COVID-19, I have advised CBSE to promote ALL students studying in classes I-VIII to the next class, said Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Students in classes IX and XI will be promoted on the basis on an internal assessment by schools. Announcement In view of the current situation due to #COVID19, I have advised @cbseindia29 to promote ALL students studying in classes I-VIII to the next class/grade. #CoronavirusPandemicpic.twitter.com/zvklNiJ4Tj Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) April 1, 2020 7.14 pm: Coronavirus outbreak: SPMCIL donates 1.9 crore to AIIMS, New Delhi Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL) has contributed Rs 1,99 crore from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund contributes to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. These funds are to be used for procurement of 45 ventilators. 7.01 pm: 9 Nizamuddin Markaz event attendees identified in West Midnapore West Midnapore Police informed that 9 persons, including 7 Indonesians and 2 Indians, who attended Tblighi Jamaat at Markaz Nizamuddin have been identified. They have been in kept in government quarantine and have showed no symptoms as of now, said Superintendent of Police, West Midnapore. 6.45 pm: Coronavirus in Maharashtra: BMC designates 'containment areas' Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has marked 191 areas in various locations of Mumbai as 'containment areas', where confirmed cases of coronavirus have been identified. Entry and exit is restricted for all such areas, and residents of such areas have been instructed to remain under home quarantine. 5.28 pm: IISc developing indigenous ventilator for coronavirus patients A team of scientists are Indian Institute od Science (IISc) are developing an indigenous electro-mechanical ventilator as coronavirus cases continue to rise in India. 6.21 pm: Coronavirus outbreak: Spain death toll hits 9,053; postive cases at 100,000 Coronavirus death toll in Spain crossed 9,000 on Wednesday after a record 864 deaths in 24 hours. Number of confirmed cases has passed the 100,000-mark in the country, the government said. Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy, with the virus so far claiming 9,053 lives and the number of confirmed cases reaching 102,136 6.14 pm: Coronavirus in India: Indian Railways, airlines begin bookings After clarification from the government that the 21-day coronavirus lockdown will not be extended beyond April 14, Indian Railways and airlines have started accepting bookings from April 15 onwards. Presently, passengers are planning urgent travel. 6.10 pm: PM CARES Fund to take foreign donations The government of India has taken the decision to receive foreign donations for #PMCARES: Sources (file pic) pic.twitter.com/AtHc7loE0d ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 6.04 pm: Coronavirus: Delhi govt announces Rs 1 crore ex gratia for health, sanitisation workers In an emergency Cabinet meeting, Delhi government decided that kin of anyone who loses their life while serving coronavirus patients will be provided Rs 1 crore "as our mark of respect for their service". Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the ex gratia will be given to sanitation workers, doctors or nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from private or government sector, working with coronavirus patients. 6.03 pm: Coronavirus in India: Mamata Banerjee seeks Rs 25,000 aid from Centre In a letter to Prime Miniter Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged him to sanction Rs 25,000 crore for the state. She also sought release of funds still due to West Bengal from Government of India, as per her earlier letter to him. (file pics) 5.59 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: 112 positive cases reported; one on ventilator Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed that 766 people have been admitted in hospitals of Delhi due to coronavirus. Out of them, 112 are positive and rest are being tested, he added. Of the positive cases, only one is on ventilator, two are on oxygen supply and 109 people are stable. 5.56 pm: Coronavirus in India: Supreme Court to hear petition seeking financial emergency The Supreme Court will hear the petition seeking a financial emergency in India due to the economic impact of coronavirus lockdown. The plea Filed by Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), the petiton came before bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Abdul Nazeer which observed that the plea could be considered after two weeks. 5.50 pm: WATCH: Visuals from Nizamuddin Markaz building where Tablighi Jamaat event was held in violation of lockdown conditions #WATCH Delhi: Inside visuals from 26th March 2020, of Markaz building in Nizamuddin. A religious gathering was held here that violated lockdown conditions & several #COVID19 positive cases have been found among those who attended it. (Video Source: Delhi Police) pic.twitter.com/CMHEzDPOXc ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 5.47 pm: Coronavirus in India: 5 Jammu villages declared 'Red Zones' 5 villages in Jammu division - Sarola, Dehridhara, Mangal Nar, Gambir Muglan and Kotli of Manjakote tehsil in Rajouri district - have been declared Red Zones, informed Department of Information and Public Relations under Jammu and Kashmir government. 5.47 pm: Coronavirus in India: Relief for MSMEs, exporters on the cards Government might be working on a relief package for MSME firms and exporters, a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ministry official told Business Today. Proposals under consideration include part-waiver of fixed electricity charges, support in salary payment to workers and interest subvention. 5.40 pm: Coronavirus in India: Adequate supply of masks, protective overalls, assures Health Minister Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has assured that adequate quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks, etc are available in the country. We are prepared if more masks, PPE kits, ventilators, ICU beds etc are needed in the future, the minister added. #WATCH Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks etc are available in adequate quantities. If in future, more masks, PPE kits, ventilators, ICU beds etc are needed, then, we are prepared for it: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan pic.twitter.com/MIC35sdZIM ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 5.37 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: Govt to track mobile phones of quarantined people Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that the government will track the mobile phones of people who have been put under quarantine in order to check their movement to ensure that they don't break the lockdown norms. Kejriwal added that around 14,000 phone numbers today and 11,000 number yesterday have been given to the Delhi Police to check the same. 5.32 pm: Corona cases in Delhi: Have requested Centre to provide testing kits, other medical equipment, says CM Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that there are a total of 112 active novel coronavirus cases in Delhi as of now. He added that the Delhi government has also requested the central government to provide testing kits and other medical equipment. 5.25 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: 29 of total 120 COVID-19 patients contracted the virus from infected people, says CM Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that 29 out of total 120 COVID-19 positive patients contracted the deadly virus from already infected people. 5.19 pm: India coronavirus cases: All 33 Supreme Court judges donate Rs 50,000 each to PM-CARES fund All 33 Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice of India, SA Bodbe have donated Rs 50,000 each to PM-CARES fund to help the government fight novel coronavirus pandemic. 5.10 pm: Coronavirus in Chennai: State govt extends section 144 till April 15 Chennai Commissioner of Police AK Vishwanathan has extended section 144 of CrPC till 6 am on April 15 in the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases. 5.00 pm: Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh: 64 of total 87 COVID-19 patients attended religious event in Delhi 64 out of total 87 novel coronavirus patients in Andhra Pradesh had attended the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Six of these peoples' close contacts were also tested positive for COVID-19. 543 people from Andhra Pradesh who had attended the Jamaat event have been traced and tested so far. Meanwhile, out of these 543 people, the contacts of 269 have been traced and tested for novel coronavirus infection. 4.50 pm: Coronavirus in Maharashtra: 54 attendees to Nizamuddin religious event quarantined in Nagpur Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Tukaram Mindhe said on Wednesday that 54 persons from Nagpur, who had attended the Tablighi Jamat religious meet in Nizamuddin, Delhi. 54 persons from Nagpur, who attended the Tablighi Jamat meet in Delhi's Nizamuddin, have been identified and quarantined: Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. #Maharashtrapic.twitter.com/KBin9WpzlI - ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 4.40 pm: Coronavirus in Jharkhand: 11 people who attended Nizamuddin event in Delhi taken to hospital Around 11 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin were taken to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This was after the authorities found out that these people had returned on March 23 after attending the religious event at Markaz building in Nizamuddin. 4.30 pm: Coronavirus in India news: We have developed PPEs in India, says Health Ministry Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said during a routine briefing on COVID-19 on Wednesday that the government is developing some indigenous PPEs in the country. He added that there were some production issue in the beginning but since January the government is working on several fronts including bringing PPEs from abroad. 4.24 pm: Coronavirus cases in India: 126 labs carrying out COVID-19 tests now, says ICMR The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) said during a daily briefing on COVID-19 that a total of 126 labs are currently conducting COVID-19 tests in India. Out of these 126, 51 are private labs. 4.17 pm: Coronavirus in India live updates: 21,486 relief camps have been set up, says Punya Srivastava, Joint 4.16 pm: Coronavirus cases news: Over 6 lakh people sheltered in relief camps: Health Ministry 4.15 pm: Coronavirus updates: All relief cmaps running as per SC guidelines: Health Ministry 4.14 pm: Coronavirus news: 47981 tests conducted so far, says Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) 4.12 pm: Coronavirus cases: 15.4 tonne medical equipments supplied across India, says Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry 4.11 pm: Coronavirus India updates: Spike in cases don't reflect national trend: Health Ministry 4.11 pm: Coronavirus cases news: Lockdown effective in all states, says Punya Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Home Secretary 4.08 pm: Coronavirus updates: 386 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours: Health Ministry The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that a total of 386 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in the past 24 hours. The ministry added that the jump in the coronavirus positive cases is due to the Tablighi Jamaat assembly that took place in Nizamuddin, Delhi. The ministry said that 132 coronavirus patients have recovered till now. 4.08 pm: Coronavirus India latest news: 3.2 lakh beds in Rail coaches soon: Health Ministry 4.07 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Surge in cases due to Markaz, Nizamuddin event in Delhi, says Health Ministry 4.07 pm: Coronavirus in India news: Active coronavirus cases in India jump to 1,500, says Health Ministry 4.05 pm: Coronavirus cases in India: 3 new deaths reported on Wednesday, says Health Ministry 4.00 Coronavirus in India: Press conference at Health Ministry on COVID-19 preparedness The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is going to hold a press conference on the government's preparedness regarding novel coronavirus. 3.46 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi seeking advance payment to MGNREGA workers Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting advance payment of 21 days' wages to the MGNREGA workers. 3.35 pm: Coronavirus cases in Delhi: 2 doctors at Safdarjung Hospital test COVID-19 positive Two resident doctors at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital have been tested positive for COVID-19 infection, reports PTI. 3:25 pm: Punjab Minister urges jathedar Akal Takht Sahib to issue appeal to not assemble for Baisakhi celebration Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has appealed to Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, to give a message to the Sikh community to not congregate on Vaisakhi in view of coronavirus pandemic. 3:15 pm: Around 1,200 people from Telangana attended Markaz gathering in Delhi, says state health minister Around 1,200 people from Telangana had attended Markaz gathering in Delhi, some of them were found COVID 19 positive, six of them died. In the last three days only those who had gone to Delhi for Markaz have tested positive for coronavirus, says Eatala Rajender, Telangana Health Minister. 3:05 pm: Coronavirus update: PM Modi to hold meeting with all CMs on Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold video conferencing with all Chief Ministers on Thursday over COVID-19. 2:55 pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announces Rs 1 crore insurance cover for healthcare personnel Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced Rs 1 crore for families of healthcare personnel if they die while dealing with coronavirus cases. 2:45 pm: Markaz building in Delhi's Nizamuddin sanitised by South Delhi Municipal Corporation South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday sanitised the markaz building in Delhi's Nizamuddin. Nearly 1,800 people participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin which violated lockdown conditions, while several COVID 19 positive cases have been found among those who attended it. Delhi: Markaz building in Nizamuddin being sanitized. A religious gathering was held here that violated lockdown conditions & several #COVID19 positive cases have been found among those who attended it. 6 people from Telangana who attended the gathering have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/1O5tMaEEax - ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 2:40 pm: 5 coronavirus positive cases reported in Assam Total five COVID 19 positive cases have been reported in Assam - one shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital and four to Gauhati Medical College in Guwahati, says Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. 2:35 pm: Ten people who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi sent for quarantine in Jammu As many as 10 attendees of Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi have been traced and put under quarantine in Jammu, according to officials. 2:30 pm: Cabinet Secretary holds video conference with Chief Secretaries Cabinet Secretary on Wednesday took a meeting by video-conferencing with all the Chief Secretaries/DGPs of states. They were sensitised about the intensive contact tracing of Tablighi Jamat participants as this has increased the risk of containment efforts of COVID 19, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. In the meeting, states were asked to implement the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Yojana within the next week. This will involve large cash transfer to beneficiaries in a staggered manner to ensure social distance. 2:25 pm: Railway police head constable tested positive for coronavirus A Railway police head constable has tested positive for COVID 19. He has been quarantined at Kasturba hospital, Mumbai along with 5 of his colleagues. His 3 family members and 8 other colleagues have also been asked to remain in quarantine, according to Railway official. 2:20 pm: Three people arrested for attacking police in Bihar's Madhubani on Tuesday. "Stones were pelted at police when they went to check if any attendee of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event was staying at a mosque in Girdarjung village," says Jhanjharpur DSP Amit Sharan. 2.15 pm: Coronavirus in Mumbai: 16 fresh COVID-19 positive cases reported Another 16 fresh COVID-19 cases have been reported in Mumbai on Wednesday, taking the total number to 167, a Health department official said. The death toll has reached 8 in the city. "As many as 167 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai. Of them, 16 people have tested positive on Wednesday," the official said. 2.10 pm: Coronavirus in J&K: 25 villages declared as red zone The Jammu and Kashmir administration has designated 25 villages in the red-zone category. No movement is allowed at these villages to avoid the further spread of novel coronavirus pandemic. 2.00 pm: Coronavirus in Tamil Nadu: Tirupur district launches first of its kind corona disinfection tunnel Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu has launched a first of its kind corona disinfection tunnel which is placed at the opening of a market. To enter the market space, people have to walk through this tunnel for about 3-5 seconds. 1.50 pm: Coronavirus in India: Delhi State Legal Services Authority distribute ration in Rohini Delhi State Legal Services Authority distributed ration among the poor and needy at Prahladpur area of Rohini on Wednesday amid the coronavirus lockdown. 1.45 pm: Coronavirus cases in Delhi: Visuals of the Markaz building in Nizamuddin being sanitised The authorities sanitised the Markaz building in Nizamuddin where the religious congregation was held despite the lockdown in early March. 1.35 pm: Coronavirus news United Kingdom: Visas for foreign doctors extended by 1 year The UK government has extended the deadline for foreign doctors whose visas are going to expire in October this year. These doctors include the ones from India as well. 1.26 pm: Coronavirus latest updates: COVID-19 death toll crosses 9/11 toll The COVID-19 deaths crossed 4,000 in the United States (US) on Wednesday, a number higher than the 9/11 terror attacks in the country. Meanwhile, the health experts are pegging the death toll due to the pandemic to be between 1,00,000 and 2,00,000 in the US. Over 4,000 people have died in the country due to novel coronavirus infection and around 1,90,000 have been infected by the deadly virus, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre. 1.15 pm: Coronavirus cases news: Indian film crew stranded in Jordan requests govt help An Indian film crew that is stranded in Jordan is seeking help from the Minister of External Affairs and Kerala CMO to be evacuated. The crew was shooting for Prithviraj starrer movie 'Aadujeevitham' directed by Blessy. It had got permission to shoot till April 5 in Wadi Rum, but the authorities have now instructed the crew to stop the shooting in the wake of COVID-19 regulations. 1.07 pm: Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh: 43 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours Andhra Pradesh has recorded 43 fresh novel coronavirus cases in the last 12 hours. Kadappa city had zero cases till Tuesday but it has witnessed 15 positive cases in the last 12 hours. Out of 373 sample that were tested on Tuesday, 43 have been tested positive for COVID-19. Presently, total 87 cases have been reported in Andhra Pradesh. 12.54 pm: Coronavirus in Karnataka: State govt to give excess milk to poor The Karnataka government will buy all the extra milk and give it to the poor people in slums and other areas, Chief Minister BS Yediyrappa said on Wednesday. Karnataka produces an excess of 7 akh litres of milk every day which is going waste in the wake of lockdown due to novel coronavirus. 12.46 pm: Coronavirus in Gujarat: 82 fresh COVID-19 positive cases reported Gujarat on Wednesday reported 82 fresh novel coronavirus cases. Here is the state wise break-up: Ahmedabad 32, Gandhinagar 10, Surat 10, Rajkot 10, Vadodara 9, Bhavnagar 6, Gir Somnath 2, Mehsana 1, Kutch 1, Porbandar 1. 12.42 pm: Coronavirus in Rajasthan: 100 people assemble at dargah in Ajmer Over 100 people assembled at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district for a religious congregation. Following this the police used force to disperse the crowd. 12.30 pm: Coronavirus update worldwide: Death toll crosses 1,000 in New York Over 1,000 people have died in the New York City from the novel coronavirus as the authorities grapple to acquire enough medical equipment to tackle the mounting COVID-19 cases. The total number of novel coronavirus positive cases in New York was 41,771 and the death toll was 1,096 as of March 31, according to the official data. Around 8,400 people are hospitalised and out of them, about 1,888 are admitted in the ICU. 12.20 pm: India coronavirus cases: IIT researchers developing robots to deliver food, medicines to COVID-19 patients The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are in the process of developing two robots which can be used to deliver food and medicine in the isolation wards for COVID-19 patients as well as collect the contagious waste. 12.12 pm: Coronavirus updates: 144 Nizamuddin event attendees untraceable The 140 people from Hyderabad who attended a religious gathering in Nizamuddin, Delhi in early March have been untraceable. 348 people who attended the assembly have been home quarantined and 115 have been put in quarantine centres. 12.00 pm: Coronavirus Madhya Pradesh news: Deceased man's sample found to be COVID-29 positive Samples of a 65-year-old man who passed away three days back in Madhya Pradesh have been found to be COVID-19 positive, a senior official said on Wednesday. The total death toll in Madhya Pradesh has now gone up to six. The man was a resident of Dhargaon village in Khargone district. 11.53 am: Coronavirus in India: Maharashtra reports 18 new COVID-19 cases; total tally at 320 Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 18 fresh novel coronavirus cases. Where, Mumbai recorded 16 fresh cases, Pune reported 2 new cases. With this the total tally stands at 320 in the state. Maharashtra and Kerala have been the worst affected states in the country. 43 new cases have emerged in the last 24 hours making it difficult for the state governments to fight the deadly virus. 11.40 am: Coronavirus Uttar Pradesh news: State govt reports first COVID-19 death The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday reported its first novel coronavirus death with the death of a 25-year-old COVID-19 positive man in Gorakhpur. 11.32 am: Coronavirus in India: LIC donates Rs 105 crore to PM-CARES Fund The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has donated Rs 105 crore to PM-CARES Fund to support India's fight against novel coronavirus pandemic. The life insurer took to Twitter to make the announcement. "LIC Contributes Rs.105 Crore to PM CARES Fund to support India's fight against Covid-19. LIC reaffirms its solidarity in supporting the efforts of Government of India in combating the global pandemic," LIC tweeted on Wednesday. LIC Contributes Rs.105 Crore to PM CARES Fund to support India's fight against Covid-19. LIC reaffirms its solidarity in supporting the efforts of Government of India in combating the global pandemic. #IndiaFightsCorona@DFS_India@PMOIndia@nsitharaman@narendramodipic.twitter.com/PkPtkKDmV0 - LIC India Forever (@LICIndiaForever) March 31, 2020 11.24 am: Coronavirus latest news: 2,361 people evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz: Manish Sisodia Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that 2,361 people have been evacuated from Markaz building in Nizamuddin after a 36-hour exercise. 11.15 am: Coronavirus live news updates: Doctor from Delhi govt hospital tests positive for COVID-19, premises shut A doctor from a Delhi government-run hospital has been closed after a doctor working there has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection. The doctor worked at the Delhi State Cancer Institute. The doctor has no travel history and did not even come in direct contact with the COVID-19 patients at all. Meanwhile, all those who came in contact with the doctor are being isolated. However, reports tell that he had contracted the deadly virus from his relatives who had returned from the UK. The hospital building has been shut and is being sanitised as a preventive measure to combat the further spread of novel coronavirus. 11.03 am: Coronavirus news: 'Star Wars' actor Andrew Jack dies of COVID-19 at 76 'Star Wars' actor Andrew Jack died due to the novel coronavirus infection in Britain on Tuesday, his agent Jill McCullough said in a statement. Jack, 76 passed away at a hospital in Surrey. 10.55 am: Coronavirus latest updates: FIR registered against 7 people in Markaz Nizamuddin case Delhi Police has named 7 people in its FIR in the Markaz Nizamuddin case. These people are- Maulana Saad, Dr Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M Saifi, Younus, Mohd Salman and Mohammed Ashraf, according the police sources. Markaz building where the religious took place was vacated around 3.30 am on Wednesday. Delhi Police sources added that the building had nearly 2,100 people and it took 5 days to vacate the place. Another person Mohammed Ashraf's name has also been included in the Markaz, Nizamuddin case FIR. The place is yet to be completely sanitized: Delhi Police Sources https://t.co/cWATl6Xe5R - ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 10.46 am: Coronavirus Noida updates: Visuals- State govt starts distributing free ration to people The Yogi Adityanath government with the help of police has started distributing free ration to people in the state. People have been made to stand in line with social distancing norms. See visuals. 10.36 am: Coronavirus update worldwide: US death toll doubles in 2 days, surpasses 4,000 The death toll in the United States (US) has jumped to 4,000 early Wednesday. This is more than double the number from days earlier, as per a tally done by Johns Hopkins University. The date further showed that the total number of deaths was 4,076, which is more than twice the 2,010 recorded late on Saturday. 10.25 am: Coronavirus Delhi news: Govt hospital doctor tests positive for COVID-19 A doctor working a Delhi government hospital has been tested positive for novel coronavirus infection, ANI reported. 10.20 am: India corona positive: Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa to donate one year's salary Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) BS Yediyurappa announced on Wednesday that he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. Yediyurappa also urged other state ministers, legislators, MPs, officials and people to come forward and contribute in whatever capacity they can to help the state fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a very difficult time that we are all going through. And it is important that we fight this epidemic together. Personally, I am donating my one year's salary to the #CMRF Covid19. I request you all to contribute, however small, and help #Karnataka fight #Corona. Thank you pic.twitter.com/15jwrk1Ixz - B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) April 1, 2020 10.13 am: Coronavirus Karnataka news: People defy social distancing rules in Karaburagi People in Kalaburagi, Karnataka defied social distancing guidelines by the government on Wednesday as heavy crowd came out and gathered at a vegetable market amid the COVID-19 lockdown Karnataka: People in Kalaburagi defy social distancing norms as heavy crowd gathers at a vegetable market, amid #CoronavirusLockdown. Total number of positive #COVID19 cases in the state is 101, including 3 deaths & 8 discharged/cured cases. pic.twitter.com/r9NZpfuBnO - ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020 10.04 am: Coronavirus Madhya Pradesh updates: 21 people test COVID-19 positive, total tally reaches 86 Madhya Pradesh recorded 21 more COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday, taking the total tally in the state to 86. Among the new cases reported, 19 were from Indore, one from Khargone district. Out of these 19 new cases in Indore, nine are from a family, comprising three children, aged 3,5 and 8. The family lives in Tanzeem Nagar area of the city, an official said. 9.56 am: Coronavirus India: Rajasthan becomes first state to screen entire state population Rajasthan has become the first state in India to screen all of its 7.5 crore people in the state. 9.50 am: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 1,238 in the country; death toll at 35 The total number of active COVID-19 cases has reached 1,238 in India as of date whereas the death toll has risen to 35 from 32 recorded on Tuesday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of those cured/discharged has been recorded at 123 so far. 9.45 am: Coronavirus latest news: World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee dies from COVID-19 in South Africa Prominent virologist Gita Ramjee passed away in South Africa after getting infected from novel coronavirus. She has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the COVID-19 infection. The deadly virus has killed five people in the country so far. Ramjee had returned to South Africa from London a week ago but had reportedly shown no symptoms for novel coronavirus infection. Read more here: Indian-origin virologist Gita Ramjee dies due to coronavirus in South Africa 9.40 am: Coronavirus updates: COVID-19 worst crisis since World War II, says UN chief UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has cautioned that the world is faced with the worst crisis since World War II, as the novel coronavirus pandemic has gripped every country in the world, one that will bring a recession. 9.36 am: Coronavirus Andhra Pradesh news: State govt postpones salaries of CM, staff The Andhra Pradesh government late on Tuesday night said that the salaries of the chief minister, officers and employees will be deferred as the revenue streams have "totally dried up" in the wake of the ongoing nationwide lockdown to fight novel coronavirus. The deferments are going to range from 10 to 100 per cent for several categories of employees, the government added. Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney said in the order issued around midnight that the deferment of salaries will continue to be in effect till further orders. 9.25 am: Coronavirus West Bengal news: COVID-19 death toll rises to 4, total cases at 32 The West Bengal reported a total of 4 deaths due to novel coronavirus on Tuesday after two people passed away due to the deadly virus. Meanwhile, 10 new cases were also reported, the biggest single-day rise in the state so far. Five people did not have any international travel history, while the rest of them either came in contact with the COVID-19 positive people or had a travel history outside the state. Officials said that the two persons who died were among the 10 new COVID-19 cases. 9.18 am: Coronavirus in India live updates: 16 more people test positive in Mumbai, 2 in Pune Another 16 people have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai whole two more persons have also been confirmed positive for the deadly virus in Pune. With this the total number of novel coronavirus cases has reached 320 in Maharashtra. 12 people have died due to the virus in Maharashtra so far. 9.15 am: Coronavirus Maharashtra updates: Mumbai cop tests positive for COVID-19 A railway police cop posted at Mumbai CST railway police station has been tested positive for COVID-19. 9.00 am: Coronavirus Noida news: 34 people quarantined after attending Nizamuddin event The authorities have quarantined 34 Gautam Buddh Nagar residents who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event twice in Delhi's Nizamuddin, the police said on Tuesday. Although they did not show any symptoms of COVID-19 yet, but have been isolated as a precautionary measure. 8.45 am: Coronavirus in India live: 50 people isolated in UP's Jaunpur after Nizamuddin event The Jaunpur administration in Uttar Pradesh has quarantined around 50 people who attended the religious gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and returned to the district recently. Dinesh Kumar Singh, District Magistrate, Jaunpur said that the people who returned to the district two days ago from Delhi and Noida were scanned. Out of them, about 50 people who attended the Nizamuddin event have been isolated at Shia College and their health check-up is being conducted. 8.30 am: Coronavirus updates worldwide: COVID-19 death toll crosses 42,000 globally The global death toll due to COVID-19 has crossed 42,000 as the disease spirals across the world. The death toll in the US crossed that of China's on Tuesday. The deadly virus has infected over 8,00,000 people worldwide. 8.15 am: Coronavirus in India: Delhi's Nizamuddin becomes COVID-19 hotspot; 24 infected and 400 show symptoms The religious congregation that took place in Delhi's Nizamuddin in early March has left the government grappling with a new challenge in its fight against novel coronavirus outbreak. Nizamuddin has become a hotspot of COVID-19 infection as 24 people have been tested positive for the deadly virus while 1,548 have been evacuated and 441 hospitalised after they manifested the symptoms for novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against its cleric for breaching government orders. The police registered an FIR against Maulana Saad of the Nizamuddin centre under Epidemic Disease Act and other sections of the IPC. A five-degree decrease in temperatures is predicted, and the sandy winds are expected to die down The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) has forecast cooler weather in the majority of governorates on Wednesday, with chilly weather at night, except for Upper Egypt, where it will be slightly warmer. Cairo will see highs of 26 degrees Celsius and lows of 16 degrees on Wednesday. In the majority of Egypt, a high of 24 degrees and a low of 14 degrees is expected, while the southern part of the country will see hotter weather, between 33 and 20 degrees. "A decrease in temperatures of between four and five degrees is expected on Wednesday [compared to Tuesday], with mild spring weather during the daytime, and cold weather at night," EMA spokesman Walid Saudi told Ahram Online. He said the sandy winds Egypt has been experiencing will also decrease on Wednesday. "Visibility will decrease during the morning due to mist. The wind speed is expected to subside, allowing all marine activities and road transport to be practiced safely," the expert added. The weather in Greater Cairo, the Nile Delta cities, South Sinai and the Red Sea mountains will be moderate in the morning and cold at night. Search Keywords: Short link: Rum: Spiced and flavoured variants are picking up pace Spiced rum producers have been studying the gin category closely for inspiration, and this now looks to be paying off. UK distilleries in particular have carefully sought out natural and authentic flavours to help push the flavoured segment into a more premium space, while the mixing possibilities of rum to rival the classic G&T are also increasingly being explored. And this has all had a positive effect on the overall rum category. At the end of 2019 The Whisky Exchange says it saw rum grow faster than gin for the first summer in five years, with rum sales up 165% in the three months to October. Majestic Wine says it added several rum lines such as Rockstar Spirits, Plantation and Appleton to its range before Christmas because of the growing popularity of this spirit and it reports that flavoured and spiced rum is driving annual sales growth of 30% in the category. It is also seeing really exciting developments with higher- priced rums. Jack Merrylees, head of communications at Majestic, says spiced and flavoured rums are working well with the companys customers. We have introduced grapefruit, pineapple and a number of vanilla or spiced styles, he says. They have all proven hugely popular. Of course, theres a novelty angle customers are eager to sample them in stores, but theres a seriousness and provenance to them too. This novelty factor has, in the past, been frowned upon by some evangelists of premium, unadulterated rums, but is it now possible for flavoured and spiced rums to be regarded as premium products? Over the past 12 months a number of new flavoured rums have entered the market and many of these have been positioned as more premium, with authenticity and, in some cases, a nod to sustainability too. William Grant & Sons has now added a Banana Peel rum to its Discarded range, to sit alongside the existing Cascara vermouth. The rum is made from discarded banana peel and Caribbean rum, previously used to season casks for the producers whisky. Calum Fraser, Discardeds UK brand ambassador, says: The rum category as a whole is premiumising. This isnt limited to ranges with age statements. The exploration of this is only beginning. There are a number of fine examples of premium flavoured or spiced rums, which are being championed in bars, and that is filtering into the off-trade. We will see a rapid disruption to the traditional rum shelf over the next 18 months as consumers demand the opportunity to explore a wildly diverse category. GIN INFLUENCES Majestics Merrylees says rum producers are clearly learning lessons from the gin boom. He says: Getting that sense of place, of craft, in the labelling and ingredients creates a product which people cant wait to get in their hands. A clear influence from gin is the increased focus on ingredients, with the popular word botanicals now finding its way into the category. Brewdog Distilling is one producer that has segued into rum via this route. Brewdogs Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum, which was introduced at the end of last year, is made using 11 botanicals, including orange peel, lavender, Schezuan peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, tonka beans, ginger, allspice and cardamom. David Gates, chief executive of Brewdog Distilling, says: We created this by using two mixing methods: redistilling the softer botanicals with the base spirit to create a spiced white rum distillate, then steeping the bolder flavours in the remaining white spirit for 14 hours. That way, when the macerated white rum and white rum distillate are combined, you are left with a more authentic, complex and layered palate, rather than a generic spiced rum with artificial colour and sweetness. Also going down the botanical route is Spirited Union Distillery, which recently launched the worlds first white botanical rum, Union Lemon & Leaf rum. It joins the producers existing Union Spice & Sea Salt rum. Founder Ruben Maduro says: We are seeing a clear trend towards high quality natural spirits with quality cues borrowed from gin. By introducing a range of fresh botanical rums, we are trying to tap into consumers moving away from gin and unlocking the gin and tonic moment in rum. In the past, flavoured and spiced rums have been valuedriven with heavily sweetened artificial liquids. As consumer behaviour changes and bars and retailers are becoming more knowledgeable and quality driven, there is more room for premium-positioned infused rums. Gin has also helped to inspire a number of British producers, such as Brewdog, to explore the potential of rum. Arlu Rum, which describes itself as Caribbean born, Manchester made, is one of many UK newcomers in rum. The range, from Aldermans Drinks, comprises Arlu Rum Original Spiced, Passionfruit & Mango and Blood Orange. The Duppy Share, founded in 2015 as the first London- based rum company to launch in over 100 years added Duppy Share Spiced in February with an exclusive listing with Selfridges. The newcomer is flavoured with pineapple and kola nut. Founder George Frost says: Spiced rum is booming in the UK, with sales topping 10 million bottles in 2019, and I saw a massive opportunity to create a spiced rum that focused on adding depth of flavour and complexity that consumers dont usually get or expect from other spiced rums. Spiced rum has had a bad reputation in the past for being super sweet and packed so full of flavourings that you cant even tell its a rum. We wanted to forge a different path to advance the category and show consumers how good a spiced rum can be. Another UK newcomer in rum is Lugger, which is now stocked in Waitrose. Lyme Bay Winery sources Caribbean rum which it ages in bourbon-charred oak barrels in Devon. The liquid is then spiced with nutmeg, orange peel and cloves, as well as vanilla. RUM IN THE OFF-TRADE Merrylees notes that Majestic staff have taken the energy and excitement of rum into their stores, following a company-wide tasting of rum for all of the retailers store managers. He says: Customers are eager to embark on their own mix and match experience, and it is something we can facilitate with our expert staff and in-store tastings to really create that sense of theatre. One of the notable rum success stories for Majestic has been Rockstar Spirits. Founder and chief executive Tom Hurst says: Our first release, Pineapple Grenade 65% Overproof spiced rum is still our bestseller. Pineapple is the key flavour at the moment with lots of new entrants due on the market this year. My prediction for the next big flavour after pineapple is orange. However, I expect my more premium take on a more traditional spiced rum, Captn Webbs Two Swallows Spiced, will overtake sales of Pineapple Grenade when our new national listing in Sainsburys goes live this month [March]. Rockstar also has a cherry variant of Two Swallows and it promises NPD this year: Passionfruit Grenade 65% and Two Swallows Orange & Ginger. Hurst adds: Retailers can definitely offer tiered pricing in spiced and flavoured as more premium brands are being launched into the category. At Rockstar Spirits we use premium spirit from Diamond Distillery in Guyana, with all natural flavours, higher abvs and premium packaging that allow our brands to justify a premium upsell price point on shelf. Related articles: OSullivan was philosophical about their circumstances. Everyone is experiencing loss and disappointment right now; ours is small in the grand scheme of things. Were healthy, were supported by our community and we have fantastic partners in Oscilloscope and the independent movie theaters whove come up with this brilliant new model. The fact that people will be able to watch our movie at home staying safe and being responsible, while supporting their local theater feels miraculous and resourceful, and Im grateful and proud to be a part of it. We still get to have our premiere with the Music Box, now just in a different way. A medical institutes projection that more than 1,300 Iowans will die as a result of the novel coronavirus is based on incomplete information, Gov. Kim Reynolds and a state public health official noted Wednesday. But Reynolds did not say whether she expects the impact in Iowa will be less than that projection. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a health research center at the University of Washingtons medical school, projects 1,367 Iowans will die as a result of the coronavirus. But the projection does not account for myriad measures Reynolds and her administration have put in place, including suggesting that schools close for at least a month --- all Iowa schools have closed --- and that many non-essential businesses close or, in the case of restaurants and bars, remain open only for drive-through or carryout service. The projection can be viewed online at covid19.healthdata.org. Reynolds said Wednesday during her daily briefing on the states response to the coronavirus that those measures will impact the projection, but declined to say whether her administration expects fewer deaths in Iowa than the model predicts. What I can say that were doing is were doing everything we can to hopefully keep the numbers as low as we can to protect the health and well-being of Iowans, especially those that are vulnerable to COVID-19, Reynolds said during the briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Dodge in Johnston. That will have some bearing on the numbers. But again, these are projections. Its based on assumptions. And every day were learning new things and were gathering more information. Two more novel coronavirus-related deaths in Iowa were confirmed Wednesday by the state, bringing the states total to nine virus-related deaths. The two individuals whose deaths were confirmed Wednesday were both 81 years or older, one in Polk County and the other in Washington County. But state public health officials expect those numbers to continue to climb daily until mid- to late April, when they expect the virus spread and impact in Iowa to peak. Like with any other model out there, there are assumptions that are made, said Sarah Reisetter, deputy director of the state public health department. Our goal in all of this is to prevent illness and death in our state. So were making the recommendations to Gov. Reynolds that we feel like need to be made, and that includes some of the things that she has done (already). Because we want to protect our most vulnerable Iowans. So well continue to make the recommendations that we feel are necessary to do that. The state reported 52 newly confirmed cases of the virus Wednesday; Iowa has had 549 total positive cases since the virus first was confirmed here in early March. A total of 63 Iowans are hospitalized with coronavirus-related illnesses or symptoms. Reynolds also said Wednesday that she expects to issue an additional state public health emergency declaration on Thursday. She said that in response to a question about the extension of federal guidelines on social distancing to April 30 and the impact that could have on Iowas school closures. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 3 Sad 2 Angry 1 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. For the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, China on Wednesday revealed the presence of 1,541 asymptomatic cases carrying the deadly novel coronavirus, raising concerns of a second wave of infections amid the relaxation of stringent measures in the country initiated to contain the deadly disease. Asymptomatic coronavirus cases are those who carry the virus but do not show any symptoms and can cause sporadic clusters of infections. In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said it would begin to release the data of asymptomatic patients. A total of 1,541 asymptomatic patients infected with COVID-19 have been put under medical observation in China by the end of Monday, including 205 imported cases, state-run Xinhua agency quoted the NHC in a statement. Besides the asymptomatic cases, there are reports of 35 new imported cases and one domestic infection, NHC said on Wednesday. The total number of imported cases has risen to 806, it said. Seven more people have died of the disease, taking the total number to 3,312. As of Tuesday, a total of 81,554 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 had been reported on the Chinese mainland. The announcement about asymptomatic cases came as the other countries are including asymptomatic cases in their number of confirmed cases for their potential to infect others. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that the data suggested that by the end of February, more than 43,000 people in mainland China had tested positive for the coronavirus but had no immediate symptoms. They were not included in the official tally of the confirmed cases. There is no official explanation why these cases have not been included earlier. Starting on Wednesday, China will publish the number and conditions of asymptomatic people due to heightened concerns over the risks posed by these stealth virus carriers, who were excluded from the official tally of confirmed cases, Chang Jile, head of NHC's disease control bureau, said on Tuesday. Both asymptomatic cases and their close contacts will be quarantined in centralised facilities for 14 days. These patients won't be released until they test negative for the virus twice, he added. "The Commission has always attached great importance to asymptomatic infections and taken strict measures to cope with such cases and their close contacts," he said. The decline of coronavirus cases even in its epicentres in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan prompted China to relax its lockdown permitting people to travel out. China, which has banned new arrivals of foreigners to minimise imported cases, is limping back to normal with most of the factories and businesses humming with activity. While releasing the figures of the asymptomatic cases, the NHC said a previous study showed that the viral load in samples from asymptomatic infected patients is not much different from that of confirmed cases. The symptom-free individuals infected with COVID-19 may lead to further spreading of the disease, but the infectivity of asymptomatic cases is still unclear, the NHC statement said. Some experts believe that without coughing or sneezing, asymptomatic infections may be less infectious, it said. Unconfirmed reports also said that China plans to do large scale serological testing of its population to detect the presence of antibodies against a microorganism. A serologic test can determine whether a person has been exposed to a particular microorganism. As China steps up screening and quarantine of symptom-free patients, health authorities are also rushing to take samples in areas severely affected by the virus for epidemiologic research on asymptomatic cases in a bid to improve its overall disease control measures, Chang said. "Monitoring data has shown that some asymptomatic people have caused second-generation transmission among their close contacts, and they have set off a small number of clusters of infections," Chang said. While the domestic coronavirus epidemic has abated due to aggressive containment measures, public appeals for releasing more information on asymptomatic people and tightening control over them have been running high, China Daily reported. During a meeting on Monday, the central leading group for epidemic control headed by Premier Li Keqiang also emphasised the monitoring and managing of asymptomatic infections and their close contacts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 21-day national lockdown and strict social distancing measure to battle coronavirus have prompted the Congress to rescind its 10-month-old decision of not sending its spokespersons on television debates. The party has decided to send its spokespersons and panelists to TV channels to articulate its views on the pandemic. However, according to a party functionary familiar with the development, the Congress will continue to boycott certain anchors who are perceived to be biased and only toe the line of the government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was on May 30 last year soon after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that the Congress had decided not to send its spokespersons on television debates. The move was then widely attributed to the partys discomfiture caused by the leadership crisis triggered by Congress president Rahul Gandhis insistence on quitting the post. But Congress functionaries had maintained that the decision was taken to register protest against the alleged unfair treatment meted out to its panelists in debates. This is our protest against the acquired characteristics of the media. There is no level playing field on news channels. The TV debates are more like a circus than a discussion where they pitch one against the other and most of it is aimed at painting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP as hero and all the opposition as villain, an office bearer of the partys media department had then said. But the Covid-19 crisis forced a rethink in the Congress and accordingly it was decided to revoke the earlier decision. Keen to ensure that its voice reaches a wider audience, the grand old party has started using the new technologies available to cater to the needs of the media. From this week, Congress spokespersons have addressed daily press briefings through video-conferencing. The questions from journalists are sought well in advance and after initial remarks the spokespersons respond to those. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has also held a meeting through video-conferencing with party chief ministers on the coronavirus situation and the steps taken by the state government to deal with the crisis and also spelt out her suggestions. A meeting of Congress general secretaries, in-charge of states, state unit chiefs, legislature party leaders and heads of frontal organisations was held on March 28 through video-conferencing to assess and discuss the preparedness in fighting Covid-19. As many 82 functionaries, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala took part in it. And now on Thursday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys highest decision-making body, will discuss through video-conferencing the impact of nationwide lockdown on the economy, poor and marginalised besides the problems faced by the migrant workers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Queen has won a battle with environmentalists to build a hydroelectric turbine on her land The Queen has won a battle with environmentalists to go green and build a hydroelectric turbine on her land. Her Majesty wanted to build a two-megawatt generator on the River Muick, which runs through her 50,000-acre Balmoral estate in Scotland. The plans will generate up to 650,000 of power a year, which will power the estate, and surplus electricity could be sold on to the National Grid. But the plans were opposed by environmentalists who feared it would be too noisy for woodland creatures living nearby. Aberdeenshire Council's Environmental Team objected to the proposals. Spokeswoman Louise Cunningham said in planning documents: 'Typically, hydropower turbines can emit significant amounts of noise. 'The noise information currently provided in the Environmental Statement offers no measurements of the current background noise nor any site specific predictions.' Her Majesty is planning to build a a two-megawatt generator on her Balmoral estate (shown) Consequently, the plans were 'called in' by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) in order to further scrutinise the environmental impact of the idea. But the authority recently approved the plans along the river. It comes after a similar hydropower scheme began on the Gelder Burn, a stream that also runs through the area. Richard Gledson, on behalf of Balmoral Estates, said of the plans: 'Balmoral Estates has already developed a hydro scheme on the Gelder Burn, which was commissioned in 2014. 'Following on the success of this project, and with a view to increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of Balmoral Estates, a study was carried out in 2013 into the potential for additional hydro generation.' Plans detail how the hydroelectric turbines work to power the estate while surplus electricity can be sold on to the National Grid The plans will see the two-megawatt generator built on the River Muick, which runs through her 50,000-acre Balmoral estate in Scotland Plans show the front of the building where the generator will be situated the turbines will be the fourth and fifth installed there Outlining the decision, the CNPA ruled that it would jar with the national park but stressed that no work should be undertaken during the nesting bird season between February and August. The hydro scheme will provide electricity to the Balmoral estate to help provide a focus on green energy. The turbines will be the fourth and fifth installed there. The first was supplied to provide electric light to Queen Victoria in 1898. The Balmoral Estate is a working estate and covers 50,000 acres. Coronavirus: some councils are doing better than others. And where are the Police and Crime Commissioners? Some councils are doing more to galvanise volunteers than others This site has run some encouraging examples of the number of volunteers that have come forward to help their vulnerable neighbours. Many have been informal community efforts operating independently of the state. There has been a huge response to appeals for volunteers to help the NHS over 750,000 people have offered to help. But local authorities will also be under strain due to the increased pressure on providing social care to the elderly. So it is important to encourage people to come forward and then to make the most effective use of these offers that is possible. Given the obvious priority, the home page of each local authority website should feature information about coronavirus prominently including how people can register their willingness to assist. By this measure, some councils are responding better than others. Wandsworth does this well on its website the guidance is easy to follow, both for those who need help and those offering it. So does Westminster. The good citizens of Kensington and Chelsea wishing to do their bit, first have to navigate around their Councils website though if they look hard they can see a link to register with the local volunteer centre. I would have thought simplicity would be an advantage. Surrey County Council has lots of information about local groups perhaps too much. Nottinghamshire offers a single email address where everyone can register which is more straightforward. Where are the Police and Crime Commissioners? In these extraordinary times, most police officers have responded with restraint and common sense. But there have been some high profile exceptions. As Lord Sumption, the former Supreme Court judge says: The tradition of policing in this country is that policemen are citizens in uniform, they are not members of a disciplined hierarchy operating just at the governments command. The police have no power to enforce ministers preferences but only legal regulations which dont go anything like as far as the governments guidance. I have to say that the behaviour of Derbyshire Police in trying to shame people into using their undoubted right to travel to take exercise in the country and wrecking beauty spots in the fells so people dont want to go there is frankly disgraceful. This is what a police state is like. Its a state in which the government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce ministers wishes. I have to say that most police forces have behaved in a thoroughly sensible and moderate fashion. Derbyshire Police have shamed our policing traditions. Some will think this a bit strong others will agree with Sumption. But where have the Police and Crime Commissioners been? This is just the sort of challenge where they should be ensuring that the police do not behave in a way that alienates people either by exceeding their authority or penalising people who are behaving responsibility by maintaining social distancing. Hardyal Dhindsa, the PCC for Derbyshire, would seem to have no criticism of his police officers but nor has he offered any convincing justification of their conduct. PCCs have the responsibility to show some leadership. But they generally seem to be keeping rather quiet. Freeing up the beds The media has, quite properly, highlighted the achievement in building new field hospitals at impressive speed. The ExCel arena in the Londons Docklands is now a hospital with 4,000 beds. Birminghams National Exhibition Centre has had a similarly rapid transformation and will provide up to 2,000 beds. But also important is to avoid bed blocking as it is unattractively called. This is where patients are well enough to leave hospital but they are waiting for their local authority to sort out arrangements for their care package, Dr Carol Tozer is the director of adult social care at the Isle of Wight Council and a trustee of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. She says that she and her colleagues are fully aware of the special priority to avoid delay at this time. She says: The Adult Social Care sector is playing its fullest role in getting out everyone out of hospital who is medically fit for discharge. It has never been more important to eliminate delayed transfers of care (DTOCs) and many ASC departments are reporting low levels of DTOC. My own department had not one person who delayed last week and I am not alone. The Isle of Wight has one of the oldest populations in England. Nearly one in five people are aged over 80 and 65 per cent of the elderly live alone. So if undue delay is being avoided there, that is a pretty good sign. South American drug kingpins attempted to flood Europe with cocaine last month in hopes of getting ahead of the coronavirus shutdown that has closed one of the trade's biggest markets, a top Belgian official said on Wednesday. The theory is from Belgium's top customs official, Kristian Vanderwaeren, after a series of extraordinary seizures in a country considered Europe's main import hub of cocaine through the sprawling port of Antwerp. "In recent days there has been a substantial increase in seizures," Vanderwaeren, Belgium's customs administrator general, told AFP. Whether by air or ocean, cocaine moved in massive quantities between South America and Belgium, as narco-dealers seized a window of opportunity before the slowdown in travel and trade in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "The mafia in South America organised itself and placed as much product as possible in containers, knowing that shipping traffic to Europe will decrease in the coming months," said Vanderwaeren. At the port of Antwerp, a total of more than 1.6 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted in just three seizures. "Three times the jackpot," said Vanderwaeren as seizures of 300 and 700 kg of cocaine are rare so many months from the summer and New Year peaks of consumption in Europe. In another surprise, a stash of nearly 350 kg of the white powder was seized on March 16 at Brussels national airport on a flight from the Dominican Republic. "Normally, we spot 1 kilo, 1.5 kilos, 2 kilos... Never have we ever had such a quantity" in luggage, said the head of customs. The local prosecutors office said the drugs were hidden in "eight pieces of luggage" placed in the hold, and were not claimed on arrival so there was no arrest made. The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has severely disrupted air transport since mid-March, particularly in Brussels and Charleroi, Belgium's two main airports. The port of Antwerp is Europe's second busiest shipping hub after Rotterdam, which is just a few kilometres away in the Netherlands. The docks are less busy because transport companies are partly teleworking, said Vanderwaeren. Customs checks have dropped off too, "following instructions from the government," he added. In 2019, cocaine seizures in the port of Antwerp had reached a new record of almost 62 tonnes. Nearly 60 per cent of this amount came from three countries: Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. The draft state of emergency law has received strong criticism from civil society members, human rights defenders, and politicians for the wide-ranging powers it gives to the government with nearly no accountability. In a copy of the draft leaked late Tuesday, later verified by a Justice Ministry spokesperson, the law aims to give the government sweeping powers during a national emergency, while at the same time curbing a range of fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. The newly-proposed law on national emergency would potentially give Cambodian government unlimited access to martial power to enforce an emergency, while vastly controlling the citizenrys online and offline activities. The draft also spelled out no defined timeframe or guidelines for how long a declared emergency can last, though on Wednesday a Council of Minister's statement said it would be no longer than three months, but at the same time gave the government leeway to extend it. San Chey, executive director at the local office of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said he was worried that such an important law would have no sufficient oversight, given that parliament was a one-party body without any opposition parties. There should have been more consultations to make sure the draft was revised with inputs from other stakeholders, including civil society, academia, the private sector, and legal experts, San Chey added. To make sure the content of this law is relevant beyond COVID-19, there is an even stronger need of consultation that needs to take place, he added. King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath departed for Beijing Wednesday morning leaving Say Chhum, President of the Senate, as the designated head of state, enabling him to sign the legislation as law after it was passed by parliament. Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party occupies all 125 seats in the National Assembly and 58 out of 62 seats in the Senate, leaving the draft legislation with no obstacles before it is promulgated. Leng Penglong, secretary-general of the National Assembly, said the lower house would work on the law this week, but he didnt expect the law to be passed until next week. He added that no parliamentary session had been scheduled as of Wednesday. Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Asia Division, said the law would equip Prime Minister Hun Sens government with unprecedented legal powers since the 1980s. This decree is the coup de grace for Cambodian democracy because it marks the complete and final extinguishing of any remaining civil and political liberties, Phil Robertson said in an email. What's truly frightening is this: taking the powers in the decree to their logical extension of absolute control over all aspects of society, economy, and politics, it's fair to say such dictatorial authority has not been seen in Cambodia since the days of Pol Pot. Sam Rainsy, opposition leader, and former Cambodia National Rescue Party president said Prime Minister Hun Sens government should focus on fighting the epidemic rather than exhausting resources to legislate a new law, which he said could further dismantle civil liberties. Hun Sens regime can use COVID-19 as a pretext to suppress citizens, overlooking the efforts to find solutions to the other priorities in response to this epidemic, Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer during a talk show program on Tuesday. But, they choose to set up politically-motivated measures to arrest people, shut down human rights, and silence critics, he added. Yang Saing Koma, a senior member of the fledgling Grassroots Democratic Party, said there was no need to include all the restrictive measures in legislation meant to tackle a national emergency under more realistic scenarios. The law enables declaring of a state of emergency in the case of war, foreign invasion, health crises like pandemics, but also the vaguely-defined scenario of severe chaos to national security and social order. It is not necessary to include these kinds of conditions, including denying [of] rights and freedoms - banning this and that, he said. There is no need to include those [articles] in the draft, I cannot find the need to do so. What is the real purpose? Yang Saing Koma said. Prime Minister Hun Sen said in the parliament on Monday that even though the law would be passed, there had been no decision on whether a state of emergency would be required, given the current coronavirus tally in the country. A state of emergency would put Cambodia in the company of ASEAN allies, such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, which have also enforced national emergencies. Chin Malin, spokesperson for the Justice Ministry, dismissed any concerns and said the law was only meant to protect public interest, national security, and social welfare. In any country, vast powers are granted to the executive to take needed and urgent measures to control these situations, he said. If you follow the governments orders there is no need for concern as it will ensure both your interests and the public interests. Violations of the draft law could result in imprisonment for up to 10 years, and, in some cases, result in fines totaling one billion riels, or around $250,000. In a statement released Wednesday, Hun Sen pledged to donate seven months of his salary to fund the fight against the coronavirus, while also instructing officials to ensure there were sufficient reserves of rice and salt to weather the pandemic. Tan Thanh is one of the auxiliary border gates in the northern province of Lang Son. Photo: VNA The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) last week proposed to the prime minister to permit customs goods clearance across all secondary border gates in the northern province of Lang Son on the Chinese border. The goal of the move is to improve volumes of import and export goods between the two countries, currently only hitting around 50-60 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers. Lang Son alone boasts 10 secondary border gates. Two of them, Tan Thanh and Coc Nam, were reopened recently as China tries to pull itself out of the COVID-19 mire. According to the ministry, current clearance capacity at Tan Thanh is exceedingly limited, with only up to 150 trucks moving goods to China, accounting for half of the goods set for export on a daily basis. Remaining items are stored at the border gate. Lang Son, along with Chinas Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has agreed to ensure the required conditions to help restore clearance of goods at the border, involving strict utilisation of disease prevention procedures. The MoIT added that Chinas control of the pandemic has improved recently, demonstrated by Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region lowering the emergency response level from one to three. These two provinces have been partially restoring trade between residents of the two sides to meet the increasing production and consumption demands. This attempt to reopen borders, especially with Vietnam, is part of a wider effort by China to jump-start its economy. It is a huge juggling act determining the correct amount of time to ensure lockdowns, while increasing economic activity in a way that does not trigger a second wave of coronavirus infections across the country. Nevertheless, Chinas moves will provide clues for other countries. The crisis may have started there, but simply through that fact, China may be best placed to gain in the long term as nations worldwide attempt to recover economically. What were initially seen by many as drastic measures by China are now being viewed as perfectly sensible in trying to control the virus. Now, locally-transmitted cases have plummeted, and a shutdown of most of Hubei province, where the pandemic originated, was lifted last week. But the lockdown also halted activity for around two months, likely to result in Chinas first contraction in decades. Goldman Sachs analysts have predicted that the countrys GDP may fall by 9 per cent for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. The Chinese government understood that its actions to contain the virus came at the expense of economic health, just as the Vietnamese governments timely moves illustrated in this country. The task now is for leaders to figure out how to dampen the consequences and get working again, which will have knock-on effects for the rest of the world but particularly bordering nations. Chen Xingdong, chief China economist for BNP Paribas told CNN, The economic losses have become intolerable, adding that the government has to balance resuming work while remaining vigilant. I dont think it is right to restart business and production only when the virus has totally disappeared. Learning from others Vietnam and China hold a colourful history together, and have strived to build a successful trade relationship over the years. It only took a few years after Vietnam introduced the Law on Foreign Investment in 1987 for their northern neighbour to begin seriously looking at pumping money in the country. Funding was relatively limited in the 1990s, but saw a significant increase after China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, with a main focus on real estate, agriculture, and labour-intensive manufacturing. In Vietnam, local producers over the years have depended on exported materials from across the border but amid warnings that depending on one other market is risky, and with Vietnams increasing stature among other economies in the form of free trade agreements, the country has forged its own image as a safe and profitable destination for investment. Yet, similarities of course remain when it comes to fighting against a common enemy in the coronavirus. Chinas economic solutions rest on policies and campaigns attempting to get people back to work, while encouraging business confidence both at home and abroad, protecting as many companies from failing as possible. Many countries after China will strive for the same and while Vietnam is currently tightening movement of people within their daily lives, it is likely the country will follow suit with policies akin to China, especially if they work. But these actions might only provide so much help for Western markets that are less-centralised in control. The Chinese are resuming some large infrastructure projects which are largely funded by the state, said Xiaobo Lu, a professor of political science at Columbia University, adding that industries served by those ventures are fairly simple to kick-start, and can absorb idle labour. While its true the crisis isnt over for China, lessons can be learned from it, said Helge Berger, the International Monetary Funds assistant director of Asia-Pacific. China is also demonstrating importance that policymakers have to be ready for what is an unavoidable slowdown in growth. The economic fallout from the virus is going to be severe. This is meaningful and requires our attention. Future winners In fact, despite suffering first, the country could ultimately benefit and move ahead on the global economic chessboard, outmanoeuvring the United States. Europe is also watching on, and in a few months could find itself in the middle of a tug-of-war between the worlds two biggest superpowers. The Chinese are in a much stronger position than they have been coming out of any recent global crisis, Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, told MarketWatch. China owns most of the global medical supply chain, and theyve leveraged this containment success by providing aid to Europe and emerging markets. Carl Weinberg, founder and chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said in one interview Chinese leaders simply seem to have a better handle of the issue. The Chinese built a hospital with 2,000 beds in 10 days from start to finish, he said. This happened in January before the pandemic was fully recognised. The US is way behind the curve on this. Increased tensions could result in further dents in the already-fractious US-China economic relationship. This may not only help continue the acceleration of businesses relocating to regional countries, but also push Europe into the arms of China. The pandemic is going to reinforce that the US is simply not the highly functional, advanced role model it used to be, said Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank specialising in Americas foreign affairs. The Europeans have, in the past, looked at the US with a fair degree of awe, because of its innovative companies, strong university system, and the ability to attract highly skilled immigrants. Now, Alden warned, the US is on a course to suffer a worse outbreak than Italy. The consequences for a Chinese revival, and the US not sufficiently dealing with COVID-19, could be deep for American businesses, according to Eurasia Groups Bremmer. This will accelerate the de-globalisation trend in data and manufacturing, and it means that the Europeans are less likely to follow the US on some issues, Bremner said, explaining that it also increases the ability of China to happily continue with its ambitious global development strategy initiatives. Meanwhile, for Vietnam, it may be a waiting game to capitalise on global movements, but the country was already seemingly on the right track as the US-China trade dispute unfolded. Global companies have been testing Vietnams capabilities for several years even before the added impetus from the US-China trade wars, explained Min Zhou and Vivian Chen, research analysts at global asset management firm AllianceBernstein, in a recent report. Labour costs in Vietnam, with its younger workforce and ample supply, are about 40 per cent lower than in China. Many popular clothing and sportswear brands, including Nike and Adidas, already have a large manufacturing presence in Vietnam. The key for Vietnamese plants is to meet the strict standards of these major companies, and Zhou and Chens report found that, in general, managers are taking a step-by-step approach by introducing simpler product lines before moving onto more complex items. Risks in this area are unlikely to stop the shift. If anything, the coronavirus crisis will accelerate moves by global companies into Vietnam, the report added. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 10, Dr. Josh Eisen recommenced his campaign to represent New York's 17th Congressional District in Congress. Dr. Eisen and his staff commend Governor Cuomo and President Trump in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These are precisely the unexpected turn of events that compelled Dr. Eisen to suspend rather than end his campaign. Soon after Dr. Eisen and his campaign staff recommenced their campaign on March 10, they learned that they were exposed to COVID-19 and one staff member has since tested positive. Out of respect for its staff, the campaign waited to make this announcement. The campaign will release more information as the situation crystallizes. For press inquiries, contact [email protected] SOURCE Eisen For Congress, Inc. Press Release April 1, 2020 De Lima urges Anti-COVID-19 task force to release qualified detainees Through an open letter, opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima called the attention of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), to also consider the welfare of PDLs (Persons Deprived of Liberty) that have a higher risk of contracting the highly contagious COVID-19 due to the overcrowding of jails and detention centers in the country. De Lima penned the letter after the United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights (UNCHR) and the World Health Organization urged governments "not to forget those behind bars" and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic. "The current crisis situation gave rise to quarantine and social or physical distancing protocols to minimize, if not totally avoid, the transmission of COVID-19: maintain a distance of one meter to other people, regularly wash hands with soap and running water, wear face masks, disinfect living areas, and consult doctors if one experiences any of the known symptoms. These are practically luxuries that our PDLs cannot afford," she said. "Given the state of our jails and prisons, the infection rate will be catastrophic. We thus offer a solution: decongest our jails and prisons through a systematic release of qualified PDLs on humanitarian grounds," she stressed. As the COVID-19 paralyzed many nations around the world, many governments have made arrangements to release detainees, adhering to calls of both local and foreign human rights organizations. UNHRC Commissioner Michelle Bachelet was quoted to have said that "authorities should examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, among them older detainees and those who are sick, as well as low-risk offenders." Last March 17, Iran has released more than 85,000 prisoners and detainees as the coronavirus crisis escalated in the region and as repeated riots has threatened prison security. Similarly, the Indonesian government has committed to release around 30,000 prisoners "to avoid a possible surge in coronavirus infections in its overcrowded prisons". Other nations, including the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Britain, Poland, Italy, Sri Lanka, and Yemen, among others, are also taking and considering similar measures to decongest their jails. De Lima, a former justice secretary, urged the IATF-EID to follow the lead of these nations to release detainees and inmates that meet certain qualifications, to wit: Elder PDLs - 70 years old and above PDLs with serious illness or disability PDLs detained, pre-conviction, for minor non-violent offenses PDLs convicted for minor non-violent crimes De Lima also noted that those who will be considered for an early release should also meet qualifications under the Enrile Doctrine (Enrile vs. Sandiganbayan, August 2015) where "that the detainee will not be a flight risk or a danger to the community; and that there exist special, humanitarian and compelling circumstances." "If done properly, we would be able to free up additional resources to improve the nutrition and sanitation in the jails and prisons for the remaining PDLs. This will also ease some pressure on the jail and prison health care facilities," she said. However, the lady Senator from Bicol emphasized that those who have been detained or convicted of heinous crimes should not be included for consideration for early release. De Lima pointed out that 2019 and 2020 data from both the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), shows a congestion rate of 349% and 441%, respectively. She also noted that the World Prison Brief database ranked the Philippines as "highest in the world in jail occupancy rate" according to their latest report. "With the number of arrests and detentions piling up, even during the Enhanced Community Quarantine, and persons, including BuCor and BJMP officials and personnel, presumably still going in and out of our jails and prisons on a regular basis, it is only a matter of time before COVID-19 infects our PDLs," De Lima said. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the quality of living and economy of the Philippines, particularly areas under lockdown, including the whole island of Luzon and select other regions in the country. As of March 31, there have been 88 reported deaths due to complications caused by the coronavirus disease, while 2,084 others have been tested positive. Globally, the COVID-19 has an estimated 4.85% mortality rate, with more than 750,000 confirmed cases, which resulted to more than 36,500 deaths. (Sharecast News) - London stocks had fallen further into the red by midday on Wednesday after the release of weak UK manufacturing figures and with banks under pressure as they were pressed to cancel their dividends to help weather the coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE 100 was down 3.7% at 5,464.68 after data showed that UK manufacturing output fell in March at its fastest rate in eight years, while employment declined at the fastest rate in more than a decade as the coronavirus outbreak and efforts to slow its spread took their toll. The IHS/Markit CIPS manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 47.8, down from 51.7 in February, below the flash estimate of 48.0 but above consensus expectations for a reading of 47.0. This marked the fastest rate of decline since July 2012. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, while a reading below signals contraction. Meanwhile, employment fell for the eleventh time in the past 12 months and at the fastest rate since July 2009. Job losses were linked to lower levels of production and new orders, in many cases due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: "The manufacturing sector was knocked sideways by the impact of Covid-19 and into contraction territory, experiencing some of the most challenging trading conditions since PMI records began. "Closed borders, significant shipping delays and a reluctance from clients to authorise new instructions resulted in the sharpest contraction in orders from domestic and overseas markets since 2012. Business optimism dropped to historical lows as manufacturers struggled to get essential raw materials, whilst some fortunate few were able to stockpile to a limited extent before the opportunities vanished." Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the PMI likely "greatly understates" the pace of the downturn now underway in the manufacturing sector. The escalating coronavirus pandemic also weighed on sentiment. Nigel Frith, senior market analyst at AskTraders, said US President Trump's prediction that up to 240,000 Americans could lose their lives as a result of the virus "sent a chill down the spine of the markets". "These numbers are truly horrifying," added. On the UK corporate front, banks were under the cosh, with Barclays, RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Standard Chartered all sharply lower as they suspended dividend payments due to the outbreak. In response to a request from the Prudential Regulation Authority, the banks agreed to scrap 2020 interim dividend payments, cancel their payments for 2019 and not undertake any share buybacks on ordinary shares until the end of the year. Shore Capital said that by taking this action, the banks could save around 50-150 basis points in core tier 1 capital over the course of the year, which can then be used to support lending into the economy. "In addition, we believe that this action reduces the risk of potential future dilutive equity issuance to recapitalise balance sheets as a result of any losses generated due to higher impairments, while also helping to support tangible net asset values. "We think that the UK banks entered this crisis well positioned to weather the storm with well-capitalised, well-funded and liquid balance sheets. The actions taken to suspend dividends and share buy-backs further strengthen their position." Elsewhere, Taylor Wimpey was in the red after it said executives at the housebuilder had agreed to cancel bonuses and take a 30% base salary for the duration of the coronavirus lockdown. Defence company Qinetiq fell after saying it will postpone a decision on whether to pay a final full-year dividend until later in the year, when there is greater clarity on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Auto Trader retreated as it announced a share placing equal to 5% of its share capital and reductions to directors' pay to strengthen its finances during the Covid-19 crisis. Real estate agent Savills was down after saying it was pulling its final and supplemental interim dividends to save cash in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 5,464.68 -3.65% FTSE 250 (MCX) 14,567.95 -3.53% techMARK (TASX) 3,235.11 -2.75% FTSE 100 - Risers Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 1,374.80p 1.10% Fresnillo (FRES) 673.00p 0.93% Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 1,430.00p 0.78% British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,766.00p 0.25% Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,436.50p 0.14% Admiral Group (ADM) 2,232.00p 0.09% Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,022.00p -0.64% Ocado Group (OCDO) 1,212.00p -0.66% BP (BP.) 340.70p -1.02% Imperial Brands (IMB) 1,479.50p -1.16% FTSE 100 - Fallers 3i Group (III) 713.60p -9.92% Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 308.40p -9.45% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 175.85p -9.29% Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 398.50p -9.25% Meggitt (MGGT) 264.60p -8.85% ITV (ITV) 60.26p -8.72% HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 416.00p -8.42% Persimmon (PSN) 1,758.50p -8.24% Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) 205.90p -8.04% Prudential (PRU) 956.80p -7.60% FTSE 250 - Risers Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 109.00p 71.22% Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) 192.00p 3.62% PPHE Hotel Group Ltd (PPH) 1,010.00p 3.59% G4S (GFS) 95.18p 3.12% Ibstock (IBST) 156.20p 2.76% Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 101.60p 2.38% Royal Mail (RMG) 127.25p 1.64% Drax Group (DRX) 156.20p 1.63% Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ) 1,278.00p 1.59% Avon Rubber (AVON) 2,340.00p 1.52% FTSE 250 - Fallers Cineworld Group (CINE) 42.33p -14.71% OneSavings Bank (OSB) 215.40p -14.11% Elementis (ELM) 42.64p -12.98% Airtel Africa (AAF) 36.55p -11.11% Bank of Georgia Group (BGEO) 814.00p -11.04% Greencore Group (GNC) 147.00p -10.88% GVC Holdings (GVC) 500.80p -10.73% WH Smith (SMWH) 1,025.00p -10.17% Paragon Banking Group (PAG) 299.00p -10.05% Provident Financial (PFG) 198.20p -8.71% CALGARYIt was the first coronavirus case in the United States involving the death of an infant. The nine-month-old babys death was confirmed by officials in Illinois over the weekend. We should grieve, state Gov. J. B. Pritzker was quoted by the Chicago Tribune as saying. We should grieve for a sense of normalcy we left behind just a few short weeks ago. While deaths among young children are rare, the world is slowly waking up to the idea that coronavirus doesnt just affect the elderly. Yet there remains much we do not know about how the illness presents in children, or how to treat them effectively. Now, thanks to a global study led by a Calgary researcher, the race is on to figure that out and to get the information into the hands of doctors who need it. Dr. Stephen Freedman, Alberta Childrens Hospital Foundation professor in child health and wellness, has a plan to harness an existing network of hospitals around the world to track thousands of young patients in 14 countries, gather data on their symptoms and treatment, and then turn around and make the findings publicly available to anyone who needs them. The world has never, I don't think, worked this quickly. And it is a challenge, but also an opportunity. Freedmans is one of 49 new COVID-19 research projects being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Researchers will collect data on 12,500 children brought to emergency departments with respiratory illness at 50 sites around the world. Freedman said hes already started receiving information. While the idea that young people or kids are not at risk isnt true, they are at less risk, Freedman said. In general, we know that children present milder than adults, and a certain proportion of children who are carrying SARS-CoV-2 (the official name of the coronavirus) will actually be asymptomatic. What we do know, as well, is that some children can get critically unwell and there have been deaths reported. However, those are few and far between. But children arent just tiny adults, and Freedman said illness can sometimes manifest differently when they get it. Even the normal flu is different for kids, who tend to have vomiting or diarrhea more often than adults. With coronavirus, he said, its not yet known which children are most a risk, or how the illness can affect those who have other conditions. It's really an important piece of the puzzle, to try to figure out which children need to be hospitalized, which children need to be monitored more closely, which children need to be more aggressively treated. For example, he said, we know that adults tend to get worse seven to 10 days after they start showing symptoms. We also know that adults who have diabetes or hypertension, or who are on chemotherapy, face a heightened risk. But its not clear yet if any of that holds true for children. There was on study out of China that suggested children under a year were at an elevated risk, but Freedom said thats something that needs a lot more confirmation. Part of the reason this study has been able to get moving so fast is that the Alberta Childrens Hospital is part of a global network studying pediatric pneumonia. One of the barriers to doing this type of work is that setting up things such as data-sharing agreements can often take a surprisingly long time, Freedman said, due to privacy laws that prevent different hospitals from sharing patient data. But the ethics and data-sharing agreements for the pneumonia study which took a year to sort out were already in place. This new study is basically using the same agreements but with some tweaks, which has allowed them to start immediately, something Freedman called unprecedented. He said he hopes to have an electronic database in place in about a month. The hope is that doctors and health organizations around the world who are treating children with COVID-19 will be able to use it to improve their treatment plans. Read more about: The outlook for early April in California looks wet. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times) An extended forecast for California shows an above-normal probability of precipitation during the week of April 6-10, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. After a disappointingly dry winter that has left most of the state with below-normal precipitation, that's good news, although it would take a lot of rain and snow to make up for the shortfall. "This is a decent storm system," said senior meteorologist Todd Hall with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "It's cold with potential for snow in the Sierra." The above-average probability of precipitation continues into Easter week, and the extended outlook also calls for below-normal temperatures during the period. April isn't one of the big three wettest months in California those are January, February and March and downtown Los Angeles normally gets less than an inch. But Hall says this storm could drop a half-inch on downtown Los Angeles. Precipitation throughout most of the state is below normal. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times) The effects of the dry winter are evident in many of California's reporting stations. San Diego is a bright spot, having received 9.87 inches since July 1. The normal by March 30 is 9.33, so that puts San Diego at 106% of normal. A few other locations in Southern California are also above normal: Thermal has 175%, having received 5.42 inches to date when its normal is 3.09. Needles stands at 165% of normal, with 7.03 inches 2.76 inches more than normal. Lancaster, with 1.58 inches more than normal, is at 123% of normal to date. A few other spots in the Southland are near or slightly above normal, but that's pretty much where the good news ends. Northern California, which got some relief in March, still is far behind normal. Sacramento and San Francisco are at 48% and 49% of normal to date, respectively. In other words, both have received lass than half of the rainfall they would normally receive. The Sierra Nevada reporting stations are all hovering around half of normal with the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index at 56% of normal. This is an area where watersheds supply the state's biggest reservoirs. Story continues The state's reservoirs are generally in good shape, but continuation of long-term drought doesn't bode well for the future, especially the fire season. Even Crescent City, which is normally extremely wet with 53.9 inches of rain from July 1 to March 30, is at 68% of normal, having received only 36.9 inches to date. Normal for the full season ending June 30 is 64.03 inches. So while any rainfall is welcome and beneficial, it is unlikely to relieve drought conditions, especially in Northern California. Six elderly nuns from the same Italian convent have died from coronavirus while another nine are in hospital after being infected. Maria Annetta Ribet, 85, was the latest to die at a hospital in the commune of Tortona, in Italy's hard-hit north, on March 27. An outbreak at Little Missionary Sisters of Charity was first reported on March 12, with 19 of the 40 nuns living there testing positive for coronavirus. Six nuns from the same convent have died in hospital in the Italian commune of Tortona, including Sister Maria Ortensia Turati, 89 (left) and Sister Maria Caterina Cafasso, 82 (right) Sister Maria Annetta Ribet, 85, died in hospital last Friday, Italian media reported The nuns were part of the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity (pictured), where 19 sisters were infected after an outbreak on March 12. Nine are still in hospital The sick were evacuated to be treated at hospital, while two sisters stayed behind to care for six others who did not have symptoms but have other health issues, the Catholic Herald reported. The remaining nuns were placed under quarantine in a separate facility in case they develop symptoms. The victims range in age from 82 to 98, with the first death reported on March 15. The other victims are Maria Cristina Fontes, 91, Maria Filomena Licitra, 98, Maria Ulisia Felici, 86, Maria Caterina Cafasso, 82, and Maria Ortensia Turati, 89, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa. Italy has seen the highest number of deaths of any country in the world over coronavirus, with almost 12,500 registered there as of midday Wednesday. Tortona is located 40 miles south of Milan, in Italy's hard-hit northern region. In all, the country has seen almost 12,500 deaths from the virus - more than any other country in the world The country has also counted 105,792 cases of coronavirus, though the true total is thought to be much higher due to a lack of testing. The European death toll from the virus also surpassed 30,000 on Wednesday, with two thirds of that number coming from Italy and Spain - though deaths are rapidly increasing in countries such as Germany, France and the UK. There are also 458,601 cases of coronavirus reported on the continent, compared to just 36,347 on March 13 when it was declared the new epicentre of the pandemic. Europe also had just 1,192 deaths on March 13. China has announced just 82,301 infections and 3,310 deaths from the virus, though doubt has been cast on those figures. Italy's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by cases of coronavirus, though there are signs that infection and death rates have now peaked (pictured, an elderly woman is treated by a nun, right, in a nursing home in Italy) Italy has also confirmed 105,792 cases of the virus, though the true number is believed to be far higher due to a lack of test kits The situation is also rapidly worsening in the USA where almost 190,000 people have been infected with the number of deaths heading towards 4,000. President Trump - after initially playing down the severity of the virus - has now admitted that up to 240,000 people will die even in a best-case scenario. America's death toll has now exceeded figures reported by China, while the country has the most confirmed infections of any nation in the world. With governors left to manage lockdowns on a state-by-state basis amid shortages of protective equipment and life-saving tools such as ventilators, the rate of new infections and deaths shows no sign of slowing either. Trump has warned Americans of a 'painful' two weeks ahead after initially suggesting that the economy could be largely reopened by Easter. At any rate four million Mexicans living in urban communities along the 1,954-mile (3,144-km) fringe have been hit hard by the limitations on unnecessary travel. The measures adequately discredit visas permitting short intersections into U.S. urban communities to see family, get clinical consideration or shop. While such B1/B2 "fringe crossing cards" are formally recreational, Reuters addressed almost two dozen inhabitants of Tijuana, Nogales and Ciudad Juarez who utilize their cards to arrive at employment or to think about family members on the U.S. side of the river. All said they could never again make the crossing, managing another hit to organizations previously experiencing shutdowns on the U.S. side of the outskirt, including fundamental ventures like agribusiness. Check these out: -Illegal Border Crossings Reduced by Half Due to Pandemic Measures -US-Mexico Border Situation Exposes Crowd to COVID-19 -Detained Migrants Requested Release as the Pandemic Intensifies Coronavirus effect The coronavirus limitations forbid all trivial travel over the border. In any case, the limitations have not been broadly forced on U.S. residents venturing out to Mexico. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement organization said it didn't have a gauge of what number of Mexican the travel industry related visa holders work without consent in the United States. Be that as it may, U.S. what's more, Mexican migration specialists state the training is normal. As per the U.S. State Department Report of the Visa Office in excess of 4 million outskirt cards have been given since 2015. The cards are substantial for a long time. Before the coronavirus limitations, more than 950,000 individuals entered the United States from Mexico by walking or in vehicles on a run of the mill day, as indicated by 2019 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) organization information. Andrew Selee, leader of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, said restricting vehicles to contain the pandemic was reasonable, however in urban areas, for example, San Diego or El Paso "organizations that should be open in an emergency may find that they don't have workers." Cause and Effect Once teaming border crossing utilized by walkers and vehicles have discharged on account of the measures, and individuals' dread of coming down with the infection. In U.S. fringe urban communities like El Paso and San Diego, the effect is now being felt. Cindy Ramos-Davidson, CEO of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the absence of Mexican customers was "destroying" for retail organizations downtown. She was likewise worried about day work for close by ranches that develop chiles, tomatoes, feed, and horse feed. . Homestead laborers are assigned "basic" explorers under the new DHS rules, however just those with the correct desk work. Laborers typically ready to cross utilizing fringe cards are presently stuck on the Mexican side. The U.S. Branch of Homeland Security said the measures would not "upset basic stock chains." CBP said in an announcement freight trucking proceeded and was not seen as a risk. Paola Avila, VP of worldwide business affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the retail travel industry, the second greatest supporter of the city's economy, had endured the greatest shot from the outskirt conclusion there. Avila is likewise stressed over the impact on U.S. inhabitants thought about by family members who cross from Mexico, and the other way around - particularly amidst a general wellbeing emergency. Asked about such humanitarian cases, a Customs and Border Protection official said officers had discretion to handle such situations on a case-by-case basis. Health workers sanitise an area near Nizammuddin mosque, after people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz, tested positive for COVID-19, in New Delhi. PTI photo The Delhi police on Tuesday registered a case against Maulana Saad and others under various sections of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act for violation of government directives given to the management of the Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin. The government said so far 1,582 Tabligh Jamaat workers were shifted to the Narela, Sultanpuri and Bakkarwala quarantine facilities that included 441 admitted in hospitals. The police said an FIR was filed against Maulana Saad and others of Tablighi Jamaat for violation of the directives issued after the coronavirus outbreak. Over 3,000 people had gathered March 1-18 at the Nizamuddin Markaz mosque for a Tablighi Jamaat meet. A senior police official said the FIR was filed under Section 269, 270, 271 and 120B IPC at the Nizamuddin police station. The organisers violated government directions on restrictions on social/political/religious gatherings and taking safety measures, including social distancing, the official said. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to religious leaders, irrespective of faith, to not organise any event during the lockdown. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said 24 people had tested positive and 700 people at the congregation were quarantined. The Delhi police special branch on Tuesday asked the Delhi government to take immediate action on at least 157 persons, mostly foreign nationals, linked to the Talbigh Jamaat now staying at various masjids and other places in and around Delhi. These include 94 from Indonesia, 13 from Kyrgyzstan, nine from Bangladesh, eight from Malaysia, and some Indian nationals. The police warned no social distancing is possible at these places and there was a grave public health risk. State-run Bank of Baroda on Wednesday said it is offering retail customers the option of getting a refund of the EMI that already has been deducted in March to meet any liquidity need during the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic. This option is for home and auto loan borrowers only and is given under the three-month moratorium announced by the Reserve Bank of India last week, on payment of all instalments of all term loansfalling due between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020. The RBI has offered this dispensation to mitigate the burden of debt servicing brought about by disruptions on account of COVID 19 pandemic and to ensure the continuity of viable businesses. The bank's managing director and CEO Sanjiv Chadha said there are some cases where instalments have already been deducted because the RBI instructions came in over the last few days while the applicable period is from March 1, 2020. In those cases, we are giving our borrowers (home loan and auto loan borrowers) the option that they can make a request to us and we will be making sure that we refund that amount, reverse the transaction and the amount can be credited back to their account because we do recognise that these are special circumstances and the borrowers might want to preserve that liquidity, Chadha told PTI in an interaction. I would believe that this is what the spirit of RBI's instruction is and we would want to make sure that when it comes to benefiting our customers we follow both the letter and the spirit of the instructions. He said the bank would refund the entire EMI amount- principal and interest, which has already been deducted, to its borrowers. The lender will not raise any demand from its borrowers for repayment of loans during the moratorium. For borrowers, where standing instructions to debit EMIs are there, the bank is reaching out to them, asking if they would like to suspend the standing instructions. We are sending SMSes to borrowers and they can give a reply and we will suspend that, he said. Explaining about the RBI moratorium, he said for business loans, the interest on outstanding loans would become payable at the end of the moratorium period. But in case of home and car loans, we are extending the maturity of loans. So, the period of loan would be the current maturity plus three months. So, to that extent the borrower does not have to bother about these three instalments, he said. The RBI moratorium is applicable on all term loans, including agricultural term loans, retail, crop loans and loans under pool purchases and cash credit/overdraft.This is available to all such accounts, which are standard assets as on March 1, 2020. The overdue payments post-March 1, 2020, will not be reported to credit bureaus/ CRILC for three months and no penal interest or charges will be payable to the banks, Indian Banks's Association (IBA) said in a frequently asked questions (FAQ) released on Tuesday. Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) may not consider the delay as default by listed companies if the same is owing to lockdown conditions arising due to COVID-19, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SHANGHAI, Mar.31 -- The keel-laying ceremony for the second Type 054A/P missile frigate destined for the Pakistani Navy was held at the HudongZhonghua Shipyard in Chinas Shanghai on March 23. Officials from the Pakistan Navy and the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group attended the ceremony. The Type 054A multi-purpose guided-missile frigate is the backbone type of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, with 30 vessels in commission. Pakistan signed the first contract of two Type 054A/P frigates, an export version of the Type 054A, in 2017 and purchased two more ships in June 2018. The steel cutting ceremony for the final two ships took place in last November. All four frigates will be manufactured in China and delivered to the Pakistan Navy in 2021. Commodore Azfar Humayun, Chief Naval Overseas (China) of the Pakistani Navy, attended the keel-laying ceremony and said that despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the expertise of HudongZhonghua Shipyard and Chinese contractors ensured the timely completion of this important milestone program. The Pakistani Navy claimed that the 054A/P frigates are equipped with a modern surface, underwater and anti-aircraft weapons and sensors. Once built, these warships will become the most technologically advanced platforms of the Pakistani Navy, which will enhance the Pakistani Navys combat capability to meet future challenges and maintain peace, stability, and balance of power in the Indian Ocean. Early in March, when a homeschooling family in Kentucky returned home from running errands in town, two officialsa Child Protective Services (CPS) investigator and a law enforcement officerwere waiting, demanding to interview their children and examine them for bruises. Why did this happen? Short version: That day, mom and dad had gone to the bank with five of their children. The bank staff criticized them for bringing so many people into the building in light of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. So the dad stood aside with the children while the mom transacted their business. Thats it. The incident offers some important takeaways. First, with tensions heightened and stay-at-home orders generally in place during the current health crisis, some people may be more likely to report out-and-about children as possible victims of neglect or abuse. Second, this familys experience confirms the need for CPS reformsomething HSLDA has been advocating for years. Welcome to Kentucky Bill and Kristy (not their real names) are from New York City. They decided the kids needed a house with a backyard to play in, so they moved Kristy and the kids to Kentucky before Bill could transition his work from New York. Kristy has a Kentucky drivers license, and Bill still has a New York license. While Bill was in Kentucky on one of his frequent visits, the family ran errands, as any family in the middle of a move does. They loaded up their seven children in the van and made their way around town, working through their errand list. All seven children went into the various businesses with them until the family got to the bank, where the oldest two children asked to stay in the van. A COVID-19 warning sign was posted on the banks front door. At the desk, the teller immediately interrogated Bill and Kristy about why they had brought five kids into the bank at one time. She told them they could not get within six feet of her and that they needed to take the children out. Kristy explained that the children were too young to be left unsupervised by an adult, and neither she nor Bill could take them elsewhere because the couple were opening a joint account, and both had to be present. While Bill stayed with the children away from the counter, Kristy opened the account, feeling self-conscious as the staff whispered to each other and watched her family suspiciously. When Bill walked to the counter to show his New York ID and to sign, the bank staff asked why Bills and Kristys identifications were from different states, which the couple explained. When they left, Kristy told Bill she would never go back into that bank. She is used to having people comment on her large family, but this was too much. Then the family arrived back at their house. A female law enforcement officer and male CPS investigator were there waiting, and immediately separated the children from Bill and Kristy. The officials stated that they needed to do a safety check on the familys five children (not seven) because it had been reported that the children were out in public with a strange man who was not their father, and they had bruises on their arms as though they had been improperly grabbed. The CPS investigator moved all seven of the children farther away from Bill and Kristy and questioned the kids. At least one of the boys had to remove his shirt, on the investigators orders. The girls would have had to do the same, but Kristy objected and insisted on being present for the girls physical examinations. The investigator pulled up the girls sleeves, lifted their clothing, and took pictures. Kristy and Bills 10-year-old daughter, in particular, felt extremely uncomfortable having her privacy and dignity invaded in this way. Of course, the children did not have bruises. False Allegations And, of course, when the CPS investigator learned Bill and Kristy were homeschooling, he didnt think they could adequately educate all their children. He asked what curriculum they were using, which had nothing to do with the false allegations. There is no question that, by this time, the investigator did know the allegations were false: not only did the children have no bruises, but Bill was clearly not an unrelated male (his last name on his New York drivers license proved it!). The caseworker told Kristy that all her children needed physical exams, even though the report of injury was false and there were no other concerns. Kristy explained that she had already tried to get new patient appointments, but none were available until May. He then told her to take the kids to the health department. She told him that she was pregnant and that taking all the kids to the health department, where other people could be sick with COVID-19, didnt seem like a good idea. The investigator didnt carehe said all the children needed to be seen. Thats when Kristy called Home School Legal Defense Association. Our attorney, Tj Schmidt, is helping Bill and Kristy bring this wholly unnecessary investigation to a close. Where Pandemic Panic Meets Bad CPS Practice For years, HSLDA has been advocating for CPS reform. What happened to Bill and Kristy illustrates the need for two specific reforms, even if we were not currently enduring COVID-19. Reform number 1: eliminate anonymous reportsInstead, require reporters to leave verifiable contact information that will remain confidential unless a report is later determined to be knowingly false or malicious. This would significantly reduce the number of false reportswhich would free up overworked CPS investigators to focus on cases where their assistance is truly needed. CPS hotlines are too easily weaponized. HSLDA sees this often during divorce or child custody cases or in disputes among neighbors. We dont know who made the report against Bill and Kristy, but we have a good guess. And it has all the hallmarks of a weaponized false anonymous tip, made by someone who is familiar with CPS practices. The tip referred to five kids, and the bank was the only place where Bill and Kristy left their two older kids in the van. The tipster knew that the parents had drivers licenses from different states, something the bank teller also knew. The false tip said Bill was an unrelated male, which is a known risk factor for child maltreatment. The false tip also said the children had bruises on their arms that appeared to be caused by grabbing, the kind of accusation that gets a quick response. (In fact, because it was a cool day and all the children were wearing long sleeves, whoever made the tip had not had the opportunity to see their arms at all.) If the tipster left contact information, we intend to get it. Most likely, the tip was made anonymously. Reform number 2: ban open-ended investigationsBill and Kristys experience also illustrates the need for what I call offramp legislationthat is, the requirement that caseworkers terminate an investigation immediately once they determine the allegations made in the report are false. A hotline tip should not be an invitation to fish around for additional details about a familys life. A typical investigation includes private interviews with the children, body checks (in other words, strip searches), searches of the home, medical records checks, and more. And contrary to common sense, it is understood by CPS investigators around the country that once they begin this intrusive process, they must complete it, even if they discover the tip is false. Assailable Logic An after-hours call I handled a few years ago aptly illustrates the point. A homeschool mom and HSLDA member, calling from Virginia, told me that a CPS investigator was at her door demanding to come in and interview her children, based on a report that the mother frequently left her toddlers unattended by the pool in the backyard. But Mr. Mason, she said, theres two things wrong with this. First, my children are all teenagers. Whats the second thing? I asked. Well, she said (more calmly than I would have), I dont have a swimming pool. Forgetting that I was in CPS-investigator-land, I momentarily thought that common sense would prevail. I told my caller to take the investigator to the backyard and show him that there was no swimming pool. Then I spoke to him, certain that my unassailable logic would lead to the conclusion that the investigator should move along because there was nothing to see here. As I am sure you will agree, I began, the anonymous report is false. There is no swimming pool to leave anyone beside unattended, even if this mother had toddlers, which she doesnt. As if speaking to a young childand a none too bright one at thatthe investigator explained, It doesnt really matter that there is no pool. I have started an investigation and I cannot leave until I complete it. I still need to look inside the home and interview the children privately. It then became a whole thing. Imagine how much more sense it would have made for the investigator to be freed up to acknowledge that the tip was false and then go about his real businesshelping children who were really in danger. HSLDA handles this kind of call way too often. If our members involve us in the proceedings early enough, our attorneys are skilled at shepherding investigations to smooth landings, avoiding some of their more unpleasant, intrusive, and damaging aspects. COVID-19 Panic One possible interpretation of what happened to Bill and Kristyand that HSLDA will be looking intois that a bank employee had heightened concern about COVID-19, was offended by a large family invading her space, and made the hotline tip as a form of retaliation. It also appears that whoever made the call knew how to juice up the details with just the right kind of false information to cause an overreaction by CPS. In the fullness of time, we hope to get to the bottom of the situation and remedy this injustice. When that happens, we will report back. I suspect the COVID-19 crisis could lead to more panicked false reports of this kind. While this is something to be aware of, Gods strong words of comfort reassure us, Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread . Dt 31:6a (ESV). And just as panic isnt a good response to a pandemic, its not families best response to the possibility of false CPS reports, either. In both cases, being measured, wise, and brave will get us through. So keep calm, wash your hands, and call HSLDA. Were here no matter what. 3 1 of 3 Odessa Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Odessa Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Two teens were being held Wednesday at Ector County jail on aggravated robbery charges in connection with an armed robbery at an Odessa liquor store, according to a press release from Ector County Sheriffs Office. Deputies were dispatched at about 7:15 p.m. March 26 in reference to an armed robbery at CCs Liquor, 6918 N. County Road West, according to the release. Paris, April 1st, 2020 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces the completion of the first successful implementation of SAP S/4HANA for a European institution, the European Parliament. The project, started at the end of 2016, replaced its legacy financial systems with SAP S/4HANA in order to modernize and automate its financial system and empower employees. Atos brings its solid expertise and experience as a global leader in SAP solutions, delivering end-to-end SAP HANA solutions, as ranked by NelsonHall in its Vendor Evaluation & Assessment Tool. Atos leverages its team of more than 13,500 SAP experts and supports more than 3 million SAP end-users in over 90 countries. "Atos' extensive experience and expertise in SAP S/4HANA implementation and management was essential for the success of this project, as was our close working relationship throughout the implementation" said Mr. Didier Klethi - Director-General of DG FINS (Directorate-General for Finance)at the European Parliament." The SAP S/4HANA system is now one of our major systems which provides our employees with a modern user experience and it simplifies administrative burden through integrated approval workflows which save on manual paperwork." "We are delighted to have delivered the first SAP S/4HANA transformation for a European institution, and I'm proud of how our teams worked together in tight partnership with those at the European Parliament throughout the entire project for a successful delivery. We approached this project as a complete digital transformation, which relied on our strong partnership to enable us to go beyond the technical challenges.This project demonstrates our solid capabilities and expertise in managing and delivering successful end-to-end SAP S/4HANA transformation programs" said Pierre Barnabe, Head of Public Sector & Defense and Head of Big Data & Cybersecurity. The new system provides the European Parliament with better visibility of critical-decision information (budgetary, financial & asset accounting). It now benefits from an "always up-to-date" SAP S4/HANA system, ensuring business continuity, security and compliance with changing regulations. In order to ensure a smooth transition and avoid any impact on financial operations, Atos used a 'release' approach to deliver the new SAP landscape, so that its teams were able to deliver change quickly and safely, with control, visibility and governance, as well as lower risk, effort and cost for EP. This approach will also be applied to the further evolution and maintenance of the system. *** About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of 12 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos|Syntel, and Unify. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. Press contact: Laura Fau | laura.fau@atos.net | +33 6 73 64 04 18 | @laurajanefau Attachment Hospitals are threatening to fire health-care workers who publicize their working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic -- and have in some cases followed through. Ming Lin, an emergency room physician in Washington state, said he was told Friday he was out of a job because hed given an interview to a newspaper about a Facebook post detailing what he believed to be inadequate protective equipment and testing. In Chicago, a nurse was fired after emailing colleagues that she wanted to wear a more protective mask while on duty. In New York, the NYU Langone Health system has warned employees they could be terminated if they talk to the media without authorization. Hospitals are muzzling nurses and other health-care workers in an attempt to preserve their image, said Ruth Schubert, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Association. It is outrageous. Hospitals have traditionally had strict media guidelines to protect patient privacy, urging staff to talk with journalists only through official public relations offices. But the pandemic has ushered in a new era, Schubert said. Health-care workers must have the ability to tell the public what is really going on inside the facilities where they are caring for Covid-19 patients, she said. One reason is to prepare other nurses and doctors for the looming onslaught of cases and encourage donations of much-needed equipment, particularly the personal protective equipment or PPE that protects them from being infected and in turn infecting other patients as well as their families when they go home. In China, one of the earliest alarms about the mysterious new illness was raised by a doctor in an online chatroom in late December. He was reprimanded and forced to sign a police statement that the post was illegal. He later contracted the disease from a patient and died. It is good and appropriate for health-care workers to be able to express their own fears and concerns, especially when expressing that might get them better protection, said Glenn Cohen, faculty director of Harvard Law Schools bioethics center. Its likely hospitals are trying to limit reputational damage because when health-care workers say they are not being protected, the public gets very upset at the hospital system. Doctors are a famously independent profession, where individual medical judgment on whats best for the patient is prized over administrative dictates. Thats reared its head during the Covid-19 outbreak, with many physicians, nurses and other health-care workers taking to social media to express deep concerns about the lack of protective gear or much-needed patient-care equipment like respirators. Some posts have gone viral and are being shared hundreds of thousands of times, often tagged with #GetMePPE. Privacy laws prohibit disclosing specific patient information, but they dont bar discussing general working conditions. NYU Langone Health employees received a notice Friday from Kathy Lewis, executive vice president of communications, saying that anyone who talked to the media without authorization would be subject to disciplinary action, including termination. Jim Mandler, a spokesman for NYU Langone Health, said the policy was to protect patient and staff confidentiality. Because information is constantly evolving, it is in the best interest of our staff and the institution that only those with the most updated information are permitted to address these issues with the media. New Yorks Montefiore Health System requires staff get permission before speaking publicly, and sent a reminder in a March 17 newsletter that all media requests must be shared and vetted by the public relations department. Associates are not authorized to interact with reporters or speak on behalf of the institution in any capacity, without pre-approval, according to the policy, which was seen by Bloomberg News. Lauri Mazurkiewicz, the Chicago nurse who was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital after urging colleagues to wear more protective equipment, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. A lot of hospitals are lying to their workers and saying that simple masks are sufficient and nurses are getting sick and they are dying, she said. Mazurkiewicz, 46, has asthma and cares for her father, who suffers from a respiratory disease. At 75, hes in one of the most at-risk groups of dying from the virus. I didnt want to get infected because Im not wearing the proper mask and then spread it to my patients and my family, she said. A Northwestern Memorial Hospital spokesperson declined to comment, citing the lawsuit. The hospital said in an emailed statement that it is committed to the safety of our employees. Charles Prosper, chief executive of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Centers Northwest network where Lin worked in Bellingham, said in an email that Lin was publicly critical of the hospitals readiness to deal with patients. Lins contract is through TeamHealth, which said its seeking to find him new work. Our oath is to do no harm, Lin said. I spoke out for patient safety and as a result I got terminated. Not all hospitals are blocking staff from talking to the press. New Yorks Mount Sinai has been scheduling media interviews for nurses, physicians and trainees to help the public understand the severity of the crisis, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The University of California San Francisco Medical Center has gotten hundreds of such calls and encouraged workers to talk to reporters. Nisha Mehta is a 38-year radiologist from Charlotte, North Carolina, who runs two Facebook groups for physicians with around 70,000 members. Shes fielded numerous requests from health-care workers hoping to get their stories into the public arena. Im hearing widespread stories from physicians across the country and they are all saying: We have these stories that we think are important to get out, but we are being told by our hospital systems that we are not allowed to speak to the press, and if we do so there will be extreme consequences, she said. Many say they get daily emails urging them not to talk to the media under any circumstances. The public needs to hear these stories and other physicians need to hear them to be warned against whats coming, Mehta said. Its so important that everyone understands how bad this is going to get. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The Philippines has yet to reach its peak in COVID-19 infections, a health expert said Wednesday as the public continues to clamor for mass testing for the highly-contagious disease. Esperanza Cabral, who served as head of the Department of Health in 2010, said the country can still expect an increase in positive cases in the next two weeks. "I don't think we are peaking next week or even the week after. I don't think we have controlled coronavirus yet," Cabral told CNN Philippines' The Source, adding that the worst has "yet to come." The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country topped 2,000 as of the Health Department's latest record. Cabral attributed the continuous upward trend to more tests conducted by officials. Despite this, the former health chief said the government would still need to secure tens of thousands more tests before officials can analyze the severity of the virus in local communities. "We will have to do more tests. If we have done 10 or 20,000 of them, we can more or less determine what is the prevalence of coronavirus in our community," she added. "And perhaps we can say that at that time, (if) we have controlled or not controlled the coronavirus." A total of 88 people have died due to the infectious disease in the Philippines, which saw its biggest single-day increase in cases so far on Tuesday. Fourty-nine patients have meanwhile recovered. Online calls for mass testing including from netizens and healthworkers alike have circulated in the past few days, but DOH noted there was no need for that at the moment amid limited laboratory capacity. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved five imported rapid test kits four manufactured in China and one from Singapore in an effort to expedite the testing procedures for patients. However, the regulator said samples will still need to undergo confirmatory tests through the real-time polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR machine method. Local scientists from the University of the Philippines have also developed cheaper rapid test kits for COVID-19, but the products are still under field validation. READ: How a team of Filipino scientists developed a COVID-19 test kit Quarantine ineffective? The entire of Luzon has also been placed under an "enhanced" community quarantine, a directive seen to restrict the movement of the people to curb the spread of the disease. Cabral, however, said the quarantine imposed may prove to be ineffective, with some families unable to practice social distancing given the size of their homes. "Most people do not have enough space in their homes to be really isolated from the rest of their family and community," she said. The former health official meanwhile proposed a possible amendment to the quarantine protocol, which would allow "COVID-immune" individuals to leave their homes for work. She said this could be done by deploying the rapid test kits to communities. "What we can do with it is we can test the community to find out who are already immune to coronavirus. These are the first people we can let out of the lockdown so that they can engage in economic activity," Cabral said. A similar proposal also made rounds in Germany, with researchers reportedly proposing to roll out "immunity certificates" to residents who may be allowed to re-enter the workforce. German researchers, through mass antibody tests, would check if residents have recovered or are already immune to the virus. Those who obtain positive results would be allowed to transition back to life and out of the lockdown. Some lawmakers and officials have proposed the extension of the Luzon-wide quarantine, given the spike in COVID-19 cases. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, however, said health officials would still have to finalize findings and guidelines before the government can figure out its next steps. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted his administration to consider a partial lockdown of domestic air and rail travel, but he added it would put the transportation sector in a very tough position. You have them going from hotspot to hotspot, very few flights, Trump told reporters during a White House news conference Wednesday. But were certainly looking at it. But once you do that, you are really clamping down an industry that is desperately needed. Pressed on how the administration makes the calculation on when to cut off domestic air travel amid a spreading virus that experts say could overrun hospitals, Trump said that is a calculation that were looking at very strongly right now. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted on Tuesday that he noticed flights between hotspots heavily impacted by the virus, including New York, Detroit and New Orleans. Does this make sense in terms of aggressive containment? Graham asked. Just saw that tomorrow there are still direct flights from: Detroit - New York New Orleans - New York New Orleans - Detroit Does this make sense in terms of aggressive containment? Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 1, 2020 Asked whether the administration was considering curtailing air travel between hotspots or across the country, Trump at first said were looking at the whole thing ... we may have some recommendations. Later in the news conference, the president said he was focused on hotspots. Some of these flights I didnt like since the beginning, he said. But closing up every single flight on every single airline, that is a very rough decision. Well let you know fairly soon. Trump said he was considering a similar thing on rail travel. We have trains going back and forth. People dont think of trains but we do a lot of transportation business, he said. Were pretty late. Those are very, very big decisions from the standpoint of the future of our country in a way. We have to get our country back. We have to start moving again. We have to start working again. Theyre doing tests on airlines getting on, getting off. Doing tests on trains, getting on, getting off. The $2.2 trillion relief packaged signed by the president last week included $500 billion for industries impacted by the economic fallout of the virus, including at least $50 billion for airlines. The pandemic has hit airlines hard amid plummeting demand, with restrictions on international travel from Trump and the State Department, and advisories on interstate travel and quarantines mandated by governors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. American Airlines last Friday announced it would suspend 60% of its capacity in April compared to last year, with plans to suspend up to 80% of its May capacity due to significantly decreased customer demand and government travel restrictions related to coronavirus. At least $1 billion in the relief package was set aside for Amtrak, nearly half of that for the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C, according to Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts. The CDC has warned that crowded travel settings, like airports, may increase chances of getting COVID-19, if there are other travelers with coronavirus infection. While its challenging for officials to identify precisely how people become infected, The New York Times has tracked and identified at least 340 U.S. COVID-19 cases tied to travel, including 174 from overseas travel and 166 within the U.S. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Dileep V Kumar By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kasaragod continued to be the hotspot of Covid-19 epidemic in Kerala after the total number of infected persons in the district rose to 108 on Tuesday, but the state health department should be worried more about Pothencode near here where a 68-year-old died. His case could be a pointer to what the state had feared the most a possible community transmission as it is still unclear as to how the man, with no international travel history or known contact with a confirmed case, contracted the virus. Abdul Azeez, who tested positive on Sunday, died at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, late Monday night. Thiruvananthapuram reported two of the seven new cases on Tuesday while the other infected persons were from Kasaragod (two), Kannur, Kollam and Thrissur (one each). The fatality in Pothencode could be an indication of the presence of asymptomatic or silent carriers in society, said health officials. The department is also not ruling out the possibility of people who are not very sick or have not yet developed symptoms becoming stealth carriers of the virus, thereby triggering a community transmission. The department is planning to conduct mass screening rapid antibody tests for the first time in the state at Pothencode. Kits for the tests have started arriving and the initiative is expected to speed up identification and isolation of the infected. The deceased doesnt have an international travel history to any of the disease-affected countries nor is he a contact of a confirmed case. Thus, theres a chance that he might have got infected through a silent carrier. If thats the case, were going to deal with community transmission, said a health department official. The official said China had scaled up prevention and control activities after many asymptomatic infections were reported. A section of the experts, however, said it is too premature to say the Pothencode case is a result of community transmission. Incident does provide some leads THE possibility of silent carriers cant be ruled out. At the same time, without any conclusive details, it cant be said that community transmission has happened in the state. The Pothencode case does provide some leads, but lets wait for the final report. The department is considering it as a special case. Well tweak our prevention and control methods, said a senior officer. A member of the rapid response team said: The health department is not in the dark. It has specific plans for dealing with worst-case scenarios like community transmission. First, we need to find out if there is a spike in influenza or acute respiratory illness cases in Pothencode grama panchayat. If there is an increase, then the cluster containment strategy will have to be rolled out. As per that, the priority is to determine the disease early and contain it within a specific geographic area by breaking the chain of transmission and thus preventing its spread to new areas. For the same, geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, home quarantine of contacts and social mobilisation to follow preventive public health measures will have to be implemented. State starts identifying Nizamuddin returnees The state government has started identifying the Malayalis who attended the recent Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin. As many as 54 people from the state attended the meet, a majority of whom returned in the second week of March. Most of them are in home quarantine. Stocks in Asia were lower on Wednesday as a private survey showed Chinese manufacturing activity expanding slightly in March. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 led losses among the region's major markets as it dropped 4.5% to close at 18,065.41, with shares of robot maker Fanuc plunging 6.58%. The Topix index shed 3.7% to end its trading day at 1,351.08. The big manufacturer's index in the Bank of Japan's Tankan March 2020 for the first quarter came in at -8. That was its lowest level since March 2013, according to Reuters. Still, that was above expectations of a reading of -10 in a Reuters poll. Mainland Chinese stocks shed earlier gains to close lower, with the Shanghai composite down 0.57% to about 2,734.52 while the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.351% to around 1,660.08. The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index for March came in at 50.1, above expectations of a reading of 45.5 by analysts in a Reuters poll. The data release came on the back of February's reading of 40.3, the sharpest contraction on record. PMI readings below 50 signify a contraction, while figures above that level indicate an expansion. On Tuesday, China said its official manufacturing PMI for March came in at 52.0, indicating an expansion and defying expectations of a contraction. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the figure to come in at 45 for the month. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong declined more than 2%, as of its final hour of trading. Hong Kong-listed shares of HSBC and Standard Chartered plunged 9.06% and 6.83%, respectively. The moves came after both British lenders canceled dividend payments at the request of the U.K. financial regulator in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi fell 3.94% to close at 1,685.46. Meanwhile, shares in Australia rose, with the S&P/ASX 200 ending its trading day 3.58% higher at 5,258.60. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was 1.16% lower. JPMorgan Asset Management's Tai Hui told CNBC on Wednesday that it's "still premature" for investors to return into equities "in any major quantity or amount." "The earnings and certainty is still the biggest issue," said Tai, who is chief Asia market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management. "We don't know the duration of this slowdown or recession globally." Click here to read the full article. Arte France, a bastion of quality European TV, is looking to make its French series ever less French , as it consolidates its position as one of Europes most internationally-minded TV operators. Early fruit of that drive, No Mans Land, in microcosm, and in a thriller format, what were trying to do in general, Olivier Wotling, Arte Frances head of drama, told Variety was selected for main competition at Series Mania. Had the TV festival taken place in Lille, it would surely have been a strong contender for its best series prize. More from Variety No Mans Lands main stars are French: Felix Moati, who plays initially dapper Parisian construction engineer Antoine, and Melanie Thierry. A lead producer is most certainly French, Paris-based Haut et Court, the reputed producer of Les Revenants, The Last Panthers and The New Pope. But Antoines journey is certainly not as, unable to move on from his sisters presumed death in a 2012 Cairo terrorist attack, four years later he glimpses her, or so he thinks, in TV footage of the Kurdish YPG militia. Learning the female figure on TV is French, he flies on impulse to Turkey, gets over the border into Syria where the series opens up to uncharted territory for Antoine and viewers alike, as he discovers a desperate war waged by the Kurds against ISIS, where its women who are frontline soldiers given the Islamic belief that a man killed by a woman may have a hard time getting to paradise. A geo-political eye-opener a gathering trend in high-end European production No Mans Land is also one of Arte Frances most global productions to date, taking in as production partners, Haut et Court TV, Israels Masha Production and Spiro Films, the U.K.s Fremantle, and Hulu in the U.S. The writers are from Israel, Amit Cohen and Ron Lesham, the actors from France, Switzerland and the U.K. Story continues This, said Wotling, is one way most definitely for Arte to go. The interesting thing for us is the crossing of the cultures and the various loops between countries, said Wotling. So No Mans Land is an intimate story about two main French characters, but based in a Middle East conflict and from Israeli writers and directors, intertwining actors from various countries, he added. Uncharted territory and uncommon settings is becoming, ever more, a hallmark of Arte France. Produced with Movistar Plus and Portocabo in Spain and Frances Atlantique Productions, Hierro is set on the westernmost of the Canary Islands. Its volcanic-hued landscape and wind-bent trees, captured in a near surreal credit sequence, stand metaphor for the inner torment and resilience of its characters. In its early stretches, 2019 Series Mania competition contender Eden, an Arte France co-production with SWR Germany, unspools at a chic white-hut encampment bordering a deep meridian blue Mediterranean sea, fruit of a private sector investment into refugee aid. It looks too good to be true, and it is. In Scandinavia, Wotling pointed out, Arte is now targeting not only its foremost powerhouses of Sweden and Denmark , co-producing TV Denmarks new crime drama DNA, created and written by Torleif Hope, head writer on The Killing. It is also partnering with lesser known production hubs such as Iceland backing Gisli Orn Gararsson and Bjorn Hlynur Haraldssons Blackport, which lifts the lid on Icelands fishing industry. Recently, noted Alexandre Piel, Arte France deputy head of drama, Arte Deutschland has driven into Eastern Europe, co-producing Czech series The Lynching and with ZDF Dariusz Jablonski pan-Eastern Europe crime drama The Pleasure Principle, the first co-production between Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine. Arte now ranks as the second most international of European drama series producers with 24% of its commissioned series produced outside France or Germany, according to an Ampere Analysis study, released Monday on MipTV Online Plus. Arte Frances more general push into ever broader horizons has met with early success, both Il Miracolo and Hierro punched great ratings on Arte, Wotling noted. Arte France is looking more and more for projects of the No Mans Land type, Wotling said. One title may be the Arte-ZDF productionAlgiers Confidential, a noirish crime thriller written by Abdel Raouf Dafri (A Prophet, Braquo) adapting a German bestseller uncovering a noirish corruption scandal set in Algeria. It has a French writer and director but almost no French character at all, Wotling anticipates. Another candidate, soon to broadcast on Arte France, may be The Middleman, a four-part series which, said Wotling, is totally French, with French actors [led by Mathieu Amalric] speaking French, and taking place in Paris, but written and directed by Shira Geffen and Israeli novelist Etgar Keret whose logic and humor is not that French at all. Arte Frances push into international and ever broader horizons began in 2015, when Arte boarded is first major European co-production, TV2 Norways alternate future thriller Occupied. It continued from 2016 as Arte sought to ring more change in the type of series it produces, backing French sci-fi thrillers Trepalium (2016), Transferts (2017) and Ad Vitam (2018). Over the last two years, Arte France has also begun to diversify away from its main fount of acquisitions for most of last decade, the U.K. and the Nordics, co-producing series with Italy (Il Miracolo, 2018, with Sky Italia) and Spain (Hierro, 2019, with Movistar Plus). It can now look to more potential production partners across Europe, given the launch of regional VOD players. Already backed by Arte France, Hierro became a go-project when Movistar Plus came on board, Piel recounts. Less-French French series may better appeal to international broadcasters and producers, Wotling argues. Created by Edward Berger, director of Deutschalnad 83,, then directed by French-German Dominique Moll (Harry Hes Here to Help), Eden mixed French and German writing teams, allowing them to learn from one other, he argued. Arte France also forms part of a loose-knit title-by-title European alliance which includes public televisions such as ZDF, RTE, VRT, the Scandinavian network of DR, NRK, RUV, SVT, YLE and also Studiocanal, Movistar Plus and Nents Viaplay. They produce with and buy from one another, making series which share certain values: Respect for creators, which Wolting underscores; stories grounded in true events; character-driven narratives allowing audience to feel for characters across ethnic, social and even political divides. Thanks to global platforms, audiences are warming to stories set in foreign lands spoken in their languages. Were not aiming to create new industry guidelines, Wotling said. But we do think theres a niche for us in this landscape, and its getting bigger. Hierro Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Police accused of using heavy-handed tactics to enforce the dusk to dawn curfew since its introduction on Friday. Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta has apologised for violence by the police following the enforcement of a nationwide curfew last week. The police have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics to enforce the dusk-to-dawn curfew since its introduction on Friday to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, with tear gas, baton charges and the alleged firing of live rounds. I want to apologise to all Kenyans for some excesses that were conducted, President Kenyatta said on Wednesday in Nairobi. But I want to assure you that if we work together, if we all understand that this problem needs all of us, and if we pull in the same direction, we will overcome. The police also ordered an investigation into the shooting of a 13-year-old boy who died in the capital Nairobi on Monday after being shot while standing on his balcony as police forced people into their homes. The victims father, Hussein Moyo, told AFP news agency that the bullet had ripped through his intestines. This operation was planned in the wrong way. The police arrive yelling and when people see that they run scared. They beat and rob people, they also throw tear gas into our houses, Moyo said. During the day we are fighting coronavirus, and yet we have to deal with bullets during the night. Sporadic clashes have also been reported in the western city of Kisumu and the port town of Mombasa where officers chased and beat commuters and fired tear gas last week. The curfew is among measures that Kenya has taken to slow the spread of coronavirus. It has also closed borders and schools, and encouraged people to stay at home and avoid gatherings. A lockdown has yet to be imposed, but Kenyatta said tighter restrictions had not been ruled out. We as a government are preparing for the worst, but together with the 47 million Kenyans, we are hoping and praying that we do not need to take further measures, he said. Kenya has so far recorded 81 cases of coronavirus and one death. STATEN ISLAND For the second time this week, the number of deaths on Staten Island resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit a single one-day high of 14. As of Wednesday morning, 91 borough residents had succumbed to the disease 68 in Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and 23 in Richmond University Medical Center, according to information from the boroughs two hospital systems. There had been 77 fatalities as of Tuesday. Fourteen Staten Islanders had also died between Sunday and Monday mornings. Citywide, the death total spiked by 207 from Tuesday morning into Wednesday morning. There were 1,139 fatalities in the five boroughs as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** However, hospitalizations on Staten Island due to the pandemic increased less sharply over the most-recent 24-hour period. An additional 55 patients had been admitted as of Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of those being treated on Staten Island for the coronavirus to 458. There had been 102 new patients admitted between Monday and Tuesday mornings. Of the current patients, 368 are hospitalized in SIUH 279 at the Ocean Breeze campus, with an additional 89 in the Princes Bay facility, said Jillian OHara, a hospital spokesman. RUMC, in West Brighton, is caring for 90 patients, including 20 in the Intensive Care Unit, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said. The news wasnt all grim. By Wednesday morning, an additional 24 patients had been released from the two hospitals after receiving coronavirus treatment, spokespersons said. Twenty-three of those patients had been in SIUH, with one in RUMC. Thus far, 295 patients have been treated and released 257 from SIUH and 38 from RUMC. Overall, 844 patients have been treated or are currently undergoing treatment for the coronavirus at borough hospitals, the data indicates. The Health Department said there were 2,480 confirmed coronavirus cases on Staten Island as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. That figure represented a spike of 166 from Tuesday mornings total of 2,314 cases. Throughout the city there were 44,915 cases, a boost of 4,015 during the prior 24-hour period. Men account for 55% of the overall cases, women for 45%, said the data. The infection rate per capita continues to rise throughout the city. Testing, which officials stress does not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus, now shows 521 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have tested positive, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Departments Wednesday morning data. Staten Island accounts for 6% of the citys total coronavirus cases. Queens continues to show the highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 657 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough has 14,966 cases, accounting for one-third of the citys total. The Bronxs infection rate of 586 residents per 100,000 remains the second highest in the city. There are 8,398 cases in the Bronx. Manhattan retains the lowest infection rate among the boroughs with 427 per 100,000 residents testing positive. There have been 6,960 positive cases in Manhattan, which accounts for 16% of the citys total cases, according to the citys Health Department. Brooklyn, the heaviest-populated borough, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents - 468. Brooklyn has the second highest case total at 12,076, accounting for 27% of the citys reported coronavirus cases, Health Department statistics show. RELATED COVERAGE: These companies are hiring in wake of coronavirus Coronavirus and the workplace: How Staten Islands largest employers are coping Cuomo: New York pause extended until at least April 15 Coronavirus: NY officially on pause; all non-essential businesses shuttered Warning: Spoilers for Netflixs Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness ahead. By now, everyone and their moms have heard the name Joe Exotic, the former owner of Oklahomas Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, whos in prison for murder-for-hire and animal abuse. While Joe Exotics net worth from Netflixs Tiger King should be the last thing on viewers minds after his heinous crimes were revealed in the seven-episode docuseries. But, alas, here we are, wondering how much the self-proclaimed Tiger King is really worth and if he was paid anything for Netflixs doc? Whats His Job? Joe is the former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. He opened the park after his brother Garold... Continue Reading Getty Images Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed as an excuse claims from Donald Trump and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, that impeachment proceedings distracted the president from appropriately responding to the coronavirus pandemic during its initial outbreak. We have a life-and-death situation in our country, and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they do not take action, the California Democrat said. Thats an admission that perhaps the president and the majority leader cannot handle the job, she said. House Democratic leaders have targeted 20 April as the earliest they are likely to call members back to Washington to continue legislating the governments response to the health crisis. Senate Republicans, who control that chambers majority, have adopted a wait-and-see approach for calling senators back before considering new relief proposals. House Democrats have promised to conduct aggressive oversight of the administrations response to the health crisis once the viruss impact abates. For now, Ms Pelosi is seeking to strike a more bipartisan tone to continue bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on the governments response. Lets put an after action review down the road, Ms Pelosi told CNN Wednesday. But Republicans have already sought to direct some of the blame for the presidents lagging coronavirus response towards Democrats, linking it to Democrats impeachment case against him. The impeachment trial diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day was all about impeachment, McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday. Impeachment proceedings wrapped up when the Senate voted to acquit Trump on 5 February. Mr Trump announced restricted travel from China, where the virus originated, on 31 January, but the first death from Covid-19 in the western world wasnt announced until 14 February. Mr Trump initially admitted at his daily coronavirus press briefing Tuesday that impeachment probably did distract him from responding to the coronavirus. But he quickly backtracked. Story continues I dont think I would have done any better had I not been impeached, OK? the president said. another round of funding for state and local governments, another round of cash payments to American taxpayers, expanded definitions of family and medical leave, and an expansion of free coronavirus health coverage to include treatment and hospital visits. Right now, only testing is free in the US The president and speaker have both prioritised proposals to revamp US infrastructure, efforts that have failed repeatedly throughout Trumps first term but, ironically, have been resuscitated in recent weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Pelosi has highlighted modernizing water systems and enhancing broadband Internet access for rural swaths of the country that suffer from poor web connection as key initiatives she wants to see in the next coronavirus relief package. Ms Pelosi admitted Wednesday it would be a number of weeks before Congress can pass any new legislation because lawmakers arent physically present in Washington at the moment and there isnt a remote voting mechanism in either the House or Senate. But she stressed she wants to negotiate the next package with party leaders from both chambers at the table alongside the presidents advisers. The roughly $2.4tn (1.9tn) phase three relief bill was first negotiated between Senate Republicans and the White House before McConnell began negotiating with Democrats. After weeks of downplaying the coronavirus as no more dangerous than the common flu and seeking ways to keep the economy afloat during the pandemic Trump appeared on Tuesday to accept the harsh facts that the crisis will inflict a steep death toll and economic damage on the US. The administrations initial focus on the health of the economy was apparent in previous negotiations, Ms Pelosi said. The speaker kicked off one negotiating meeting with treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, last month with the prayer of Pope Francis. When she finished the prayer, Mr Mnuchin had a follow-up. Youve quoted the pope, Mr Mnuchin said, according to Ms Pelosi. Ill quote the markets. Read more US coronavirus cases reach 200,000, reports say Florida issues stay-at-home order Trump admin claims it found out alarming coronavirus figures Saturday Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of top news as of 01.04.2020: Armenia has already confirmed 571 new cases. According to the latest data, 31 people have recovered. The death toll has reached four in Armenia [UPDATED]. In the meantime, deputy PM Tigran Avinyan has made a new decision on the restrictions in Armenia amid the pandemic. Thus the free movement of population is restricted between the provinces of Armenia as well between the provinces and capital city Yerevan. Special checkpoints shall be put in place to monitor the movement of persons and vehicles. The decision has entered into force on April 1, and it shall remain in force until April 12. By the way, yesterday the Armenian parliament adopted the draft amendments to the law on the medical care of the population. The legislative initiative provides for a ban on autopsy on patients who die from COVID-19. Over 877,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed globally. The death toll has exceeded 43 thousand. And the number of recovered is more than 185 thousand. According to worldometers.info, COVID-19 is affecting 203 countries and territories globally and two international conveyances: the Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Japan, and the Holland America's MS Zaandam cruise ship. The first round of presidents elections in Artsakh has ended. The total number of voters at elections was 104,348, whereas the voter turnout was 76,728, said Srbuhi Arzumanyan, chair of the Artsakh Central Electoral Commission. According to her, a second round of the presidential elections will take place on April 14. As per the preliminary results, the votes of the top 3 candidates were distributed as follows: Arayik Harutyunyan - 49.26%, Masis Mayilian -26.4%, and Vitali Balasanyan - 14.7%. What comes to parliaments elections, according to the complete preliminary results, five political teams have won seats in the Artsakh new parliament. According to Arzumanyan, the voter turnout was 73.5 %. These teams are Free Homeland Party-United Civil Alliance Party bloc - 40.4%, United Homeland party - 23.63%, Justice Party of Artsakh- 7.9 %, ARF -6.4%, and Democratic Party of Artsakh - 5.81%. Gazprom Armenia CJSC has issued a statement with respect to petitioning to the Public Services Regulatory Commission with a request to set new natural gas tariffs or revising them. Gazprom Armenia intends to increase the price of natural gas for the countrys consumers by 36% from July 1. The American dollars exchange rate against the Armenian dram comprised AMD 504.96/$1 in Armenia on Wednesday; this is up by AMD 0.49 from Tuesday, CBA reported. A woman wears a mask as she walks along a closed Waikiki Beach pier in Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 28, 2020. (Caleb Jones/AP Photo) Hawaii Lt. Governor: Everyone Should Wear a Mask When Leaving Home Everyone should wear a mask when theyre leaving their home during the CCP virus pandemic, according to Hawaiis Lieutenant Gov. Josh Green, a physician. Experts across the United States are increasingly recommending the same while warning people to leave N95 masks for healthcare workers, a request Green also made. Most other masks dont provide the same level of protection but can still protect against the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Any mask, Green told KHON-2, is better than nothing. We are all doing what we can by staying home but a lot of people are still having to to go out to run a few errands or go out and provide health care. When you do, wear a mask, cover up. And if youre in the hospital of course wear an N95, Green said. People wearing masks should still follow social distancing measures, including staying at least 6 feet from other people. Mask wearers should take the time to learn how to properly wear them. Most surgical masks were designed for one-time use but masks made at home may be able to be washed and used again. I want to go on record, Im recommending anyone whos out there in line, any line whatsoever, please keep 6 feet social distance, thats totally critical, and have a mask of some sort if you have it, Green said. Greens recommendation was one of the first made by a state official as federal officials consider advising everyone to wear masks after recent data shows asymptomatic patients, or people with the CCP virus who arent showing symptoms, can easily pass on the virus. A man wears goggles and a mask as he walks a dog along Waikiki Beach in Honolulu on March 28, 2020. (Caleb Jones/AP Photo) Medical staff helps a patient upon entering a COVID-19 screening tent of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York on March 31, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) As many as one in four patients will never show symptoms, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield said this week. Current guidelines only recommend masks for healthcare workers and for people who are sick who have to leave their homes. Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the matter was still under discussion. President Donald Trump said that people can use scarves to cover their mouth. I think some people disagree with the mask, for various reasons, and some people dont. But you can wear a scarf. You can do the masks if it makes you feel better. We have no objection to it, and some people recommend it, the president said. The CDC has recommended health workers who cant obtain masks wear scarves. Officials have expressed concern about potential shortages of masks in hospitals, he noted. We dont want everybody competing with the hospitals. So you can use scarves. You can use something else over your face. Doesnt have to be a mask, Trump added. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/31/2020 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Nicole Nafziger has gushed about being in love with her fiance Azan Tefou , saying she never wants to leave him in Morocco.Nicole revealed a little less than two weeks ago she's stuck in Morocco while visiting Azan and "everything is closed" after the country temporarily shut down international flights due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic."Not going home just yet. But I'm fine. We're good," she wrote at the time.Well it appears things are better than just "fine," as Nicole recently posted a selfie of the happy couple."I never want to leave your side my love," Nicole, 26, captioned the image.Nicole disclosed she and Azan, 29, had reunited in a selfie she posted March 11 on Instagram."So happy to finally be with my love again," Nicole captioned the picture.Nicole subsequently posted a video of Azan making a funny face and her laughing at him."These days with you have been so amazing.A I love laughing and smiling with you my love," Nicole captioned the video.She also shared another photo of the couple claiming they had "a great night out" together.Since it appears Nicole's six-year-old daughter May from a previous relationship did not join her on the trip, Instagram users have been slamming Nicole for leaving her daughter behind and not seeming upset or worried about May back in the United States as the coronavirus rapidly spreads.Many of Nicole's followers, in fact, are questioning whether Nicole ever really went to Morocco at all. While one person claims to have spotted Nicole shopping in a Publix grocery store in Florida, others have accused her of posting old photos with Azan.Nicole first revealed in February she had an exciting "trip coming up," and then she teased her vacation again on March 4 -- without telling her social-media followers where she was traveling."My last week of work until my trip! I'm so excited for this vacation," Nicole teased alongside a photo of herself working as a barista at Starbucks on March 3. "Where do you think I'm going?"Nicole's secret resulted in fans speculating she was planning to visit Azan in Morocco, especially since she had confirmed in a recent Q&A session she'd be seeing her love "soon," according to In Touch Weekly.Fans of the show, however, were skeptical and gave Nicole a hard time that Azan would probably cancel on her and flake."Azan has only ever canceled one trip and that was for a family emergency," Nicole clapped back. "I canceled my last trip there."According to In Touch, Nicole recently confirmed Azan is still her fiance and she loves him with "all" of her heart after four years of dating. She reportedly said they're just trying to "navigate this challenging thing called life together."In November 2019, RadarOnline reported it had been two years since the couple last saw each other "They still talk occasionally, but there have been a lot of fights between them on the phone," a source said. "The family is surprised they're still together."The source also insisted Nicole and Azan had "no plans for a wedding.""He can't get a visa," the source explained to the website. "She's talked about going back to Morocco, but she doesn't have money. She has to save."Nicole and Azan met on a mobile dating app years ago when she was 21 years old and living in Bradenton, FL. Azan was 23 years old and from Agadir, Morocco, at the time.Nicole and Azan got their start on reality TV by starring on Season 4 of the original series, followed by Season 5 of the series.That later led into an appearance on Season 3 of : Happily Ever After? and then Season 4.Nicole and Azan's initial wedding plans in Morocco in 2018 fell through due to alleged time and financial constraints.At the time, Azan seemed to convince Nicole to invest $6,000 of her wedding money into opening a beauty store instead, while he planned to contribute $500 to the overall cost.It's unclear whether that store was a real possibility or will ever actually open considering both Nicole and Azan have made different claims in recent months.Nicole then planned to meet Azan for a fun vacation in Grenada, but that's the trip Azan chose to cancel due to an alleged "family emergency."Nicole therefore booked a trip back to Morocco in 2019, when she thought a wedding would be "highly likely." But the trip got canceled just two weeks later.Nicole never disclosed the reasons behind canceling that trip to Morocco, but the frustration and disappointment all over her face on Season 4 of : Happily Ever After? pointed to Azan being the decision-maker.During the Tell-All special for the spinoff's fourth season, Nicole announced her trip to Morocco didn't happen "because sometimes, things are just personal."In August 2019, a source told In Touch that Nicole was getting her life "back on track" with a her new job as a barista and an apartment of her own. Nicole had also enrolled May in kindergarten.The global coronavirus outbreak has led major cities in the United States, including Massachusetts and New York City, to shut down restaurants, bars and schools as the number of confirmed cases rises.The coronavirus pandemic has also affected production schedules of dozens of television shows, including reality shows such as ABC's The Bachelorette and CBS' Survivor and The Amazing Race.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our webpage! As at 1st April 2020, Thirty four (34) new cases of COVID-19 have been reported from NMIMR since the last update on 31st March 2020. This brings up to a total of 195 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana, including five (5) deaths. The numbers seem overwhelming but Presidential Health Advisor, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare says Ghanaians should not panic over the surge in the cases of COVID-19. He assured that the government is on top of issues and will do everything to curb the virus infection. But speaking with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo' program on Tuesday, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. disagreed with Dr. Nsiah-Asare's remarks that there should be no cause for alarm. Mr. Pratt believes the "panic is necessary" to drive awareness of the virus into the citizenry. He stated that despite the partial lockdown by President Akufo-Addo, many Ghanaians are still found outside for whatever reason and this should be very worrying. He was of a strong view that some Ghanaians do not see the gravity of the situation, hence trivialize the issue. He opined that one of the reasons why there is this category of Ghanaians is because of statements that no person should panic but, to him, the panic is sometimes helpful. You need a certain dose of panic. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/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 Coronavirus: Bangladesh Navy deploys 9 ships to alert fishermen at sea by Arifur Rahman Rabbi April 01,2020 | Source: Dhaka Tribune The Bangladesh Navy has deployed nine ships to alert fishermen and their families in the coastal areas at sea and rivers to create awareness and take precautionary measures regarding the coronavirus spread. In order to raise awareness, the navy ships are operating in Saint Martin's, Cox's Bazar, Kutubdia, Patharghata, Barguna, Bhasan Char, Payra Port and Chandpur. The information was revealed in a press release from Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday. ISPR said Navy members were giving various suggestions through loudspeaker announcements and regularly instructing fishermen in small and large trawlers and fishing boats to maintain social distance and prevent transmission of the coronavirus pandemic. Masks and disinfectant soaps are being provided to ensure the safety of fishermen. Besides, various relief goods, including rice and pulses, are being provided to the poor to face emergencies, the press release said. The Navy contingent has been deployed in the sea and coastal areas to assist the civil administration in implementing the directives of the government. The vigilance by the naval vessels will continue till the overall situation in Bangladesh improves, the press release said. 2012-2019. 2A Media Limited. All Rights Reserved. Theme(s): Others. SARATOGA SPRINGS Local chambers of commerce and business groups are helping local employers get access to low-interest loans to continue paying their employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The loans, some of which can be forgiven, were approved through the recent federal stimulus package through what is known as the Paycheck Protection Program that will make $349 billion in low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration and their bank partners. "The SBA told us that this program opens Friday," Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus wrote members in an email Wednesday morning. The Small Business Development Center at the University at Albany is also hosting web conferences to help people learn how to apply for the loans, which are given through SBA lenders. "Forgiveness (of the loans) is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time head count declines, or if salaries and wages decrease," Shimkus added in his email. The maximum loan is $10 million, according to an email sent out to members of the Greene County Economic Development Corp. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "All loan payments will be deferred for six months," the Greene County EDC wrote its members. "Most importantly, the SBA will forgive the portion of the loan proceeds that are used to cover the first eight weeks of payroll costs, rent, utilities, and mortgage interest. The new loan program will be available retroactive from Feb. 15, 2020, so employers can rehire their recently laid-off employees through June 30, 2020." Local restaurants, hotels and non-profits across the Capital Region have had to lay off staff amid the Covid-19 outbreak due to state mandates for social distancing. The SBA loan program is designed to get those employees back on the payroll and for rent payments to landlords by the businesses and non-profits. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Wed, April 1, 2020 16:39 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206eedba9 1 National pekalongan,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,curfew,Balikpapan,Sikka,Mataram,jam-malam,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,outbreak,pandemic Free As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread across the country, some regions have decided to impose a curfew to restrict social activities and the further spread of the virus that causes the disease. President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Tuesday declared a public health emergency and imposed large-scale social restrictions to respond to the escalating figures of the outbreak on Indonesian soil. At the same time, he called on regional administrations to adhere to government policy and "not make policies of their own". The port city of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan has enacted a curfew from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. Central Indonesia Time (WITA). The curfew also applies to seven thoroughfares in densely populated residential areas, which will also be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m every day. We are doing this to protect the residents, Balikpapan Mayor Rizal Effendi said on Tuesday. They are prohibited from doing [any] activities outside their homes. The city reported 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of a provincial total of 20 confirmed cases. Read also: COVID-19: Regions start locking down as govt works on regulation The mayor said that people in an emergency situation, such as those needing medical attention and those tending to a sick family member, would be exempted from the scheduled road closures. Online food delivery services, such as GoFood and Grab Food, were also exempt. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), the local health agency, the Indonesian Red Cross and the COVID-19 task force were permitted to use the roads at all hours of the day and night. Aside from Balikpapan, kompas.com also reported other regions that had enforced a curfew, including Sikka regency in East Nusa Tenggara. Individuals caught violating the curfew, which starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 5 a.m., would be fined Rp 1 million (US$60.23). As of Tuesday, the province has yet to report a positive COVID-19 case. The Regency Regulation is ready and is awaiting the regents signature. He is expected to sign it today, Sikka Health Office head Petrus Herlemus said on Monday. He added that residents could request exceptions from the local COVID-19 task force. The port city of Pekalongan in Central Java has also decided to enforce a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., effective April 1. The province has recorded 93 cases to date. Pekalongan Mayor M. Saelany Machfudz said that the administration had decided to enforce a curfew because most residents had ignored the governments appeal to stay at home. All public activities were prohibited and stores must be closed during the curfew. The city administration also planned to set up a joint team to patrol the streets. Meanwhile, Aceh province on Sunday enforced a curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. that is to last until April 29, according to a signed public notice from Aceh Governor Nova Iriansyah. The province has recorded five confirmed cases to date. Read also: UAE orders overnight curfew for deep clean, Gulf coronavirus cases rise All residents in the province must stay at home while the curfew is in effect. Everything is written [in the notice], and we expect it to proceed as it should, said Aceh COVID-19 task force spokesperson Saifullah Abdulgani. Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara has enforced a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the next two weeks, according to a city official. Mataram administration assistant secretary Lalu Martawang noted on Sunday that the residents of the provincial capital generally headed out to night hangouts for leisure. We are therefore restricting [the practice] by enforcing this curfew and thank God, it has received a very positive response, he said, adding that the administration would be deploying a joint patrol during the curfew. (mfp) More than 40 people in Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur came together to file a complaint against Chinese President Xi Jinping over the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state. Several migrant workers from Nepal also backed the complaint against China for the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. Coronavirus News India LIVE Updates An ANI report states that social activists and lawyers came together to file the plaint against the Chinese leader for putting the lives of millions in danger by allowing the spread of the deadly disease. The request to file an FIR was submitted in Palia Khan Police Station on March 31. A LiveMint report quoting IANS stated that police have admitted that several complaints have been lodged in this regard but will seek legal counsel before taking further action due to the international ramifications. Notably, the highly contagious disease started in China's Wuhan city late in December 2019 and has killed more than 42,000 people across the globe already. Close to 9 lakh people have been infected, including nearly 1,600 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in India. 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 Coronavirus pandemic | Top-10 places most responsible for spreading COVID-19 in India Of these, one patient is reportedly from Lakhimpur, who is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. Two more persons have tested positive from the neighbouring Pilibhit district. Last month, Sudhir Kumar Ojha, a Muzaffarpur-based advocate, had also filed a complaint against the Chinese President and China's ambassador to India Sun Weidong for hatching a criminal conspiracy to spread the novel coronavirus. Follow our full coverage on: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/tags/coronavirus.html As the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic continues and predictions for potential deaths soared to more than 100,000 people in latest estimates released by the White House on Tuesday, concerns for mental health of the general population have risen. First responders, doctors, nurses and even grocery store workers have heightened stress from their jobs, tens of thousands of others are being laid off or furloughed and other citizens are working from home while at times trying to juggle child care and sudden, round-the-clock closeness. Domestic violence calls to Montgomery County law enforcement have also risen in March compared to statistics from the same time period in 2019. Related: Montgomery County DAs Office sees 35 percent increase in domestic violence cases during coronavirus isolation It all makes for a potent mix of potential mental health pitfalls, said Judge Wayne Mack, the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace. Mack was one of the co-founders of the Montgomery County Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force in February of 2019. Since then, he helped coordinate massive public forum on mental health and suicide in 2019 and has been planning another assistance day that was planned for May 19. Mack talked about mental health in our Sunday Conversation. Related: Suicide prevention task force to host community health expo May 19 Mental Health Resources Mack recommended anyone struggling with mental health issues utilize these resources: Telephone 800-273-TALK Via text message: text TALK to 741741 Trained counselors are available at both hotlines 24-hours a day. See More Collapse QUESTION: What is the status of the planned Community H.E.L.P. Day that was being organized for May? MACK: It was May 19, we have temporarily postponed it. The reason for that is obviously where we are at here with this national disaster. We wanted to put it out far enough (so it occurs). Well being meeting via phone conference later this week to come up with a tentative date. We will have one, and were looking at sometime this fall. QUESTION: As founder of the Montgomery County Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force, have you heard from partner entities on whats happening on the mental health front in the past month? There is obviously..,mental health professionals are encouraging people, that we are doing social distancing, but we are not social disconnecting. We need to still stay connected with our friends and loved ones. It is very, very important that if someone knows someone that has a mental health issue that we are continually checking on them and we are not disconnecting. Hopelessness can create a lot of things. People that struggle with mental health and any behavioral health issues or suicidal thoughtstimes like this can be what it commonly referred to as a trigger. It is very, very important that we check on our neighbors, our friends and family that are being impacted by this. QUESTION: Has the unexpected and sudden development of the pandemic and its severity caused more mental health concerns than other events such as Hurricane Harvey? MACK: This is something that our nation and world has not dealt with since on this level we had H1N1, but this is so much more contagious and from what were seeing is a higher mortality rate. So, there is a fear that goes with that. The faith-based community, the mental health professionals, friends and familywe need to remain calm. Hope is the most powerful thing in the world and we know were going to get through this. That is a message (staying calm) that needs to happen to everyone who has a mental health history, or, financially, if they lost their job. Trauma can cause a mental health event. There is a difference between mental illness and mental health. Mental illness is a biological, medically diagnosed (condition). Mental health can be caused by trauma. Just like we need to practice good hygiene, we need to practice good mental health and brain health hygiene. It is very, very important that our community be reaching out and offering hope to people. I am glad to see the federal and state and local level people are stepping up. Very excited, but itll be a few weeks before a lot of people have financial help (from the stimulus legislation). The Montgomery county food bank is stepping up in a huge way, providing those needs and keeping people fed. It goes back to creating hope. As a nation, as a world we need to offer hope to people. This will pass, and we are going to be OK. QUESTION: Have authorities reported to you any increases in the monthly suicides and attempted suicides year-to-year in Montgomery County? MACK: Attempts, I wouldnt have information on. As for deaths by suicide, I have not seen any increase over what we would normally have this time last year. There has not been a drastic increase to raise panic. So far, in the last few weeks it has not increased more than it normally does. For me, one is too many. QUESTION: Can you discuss first responder mental health and how to stay healthy while in a stressful job? The Woodlands Fire Department had 15 firefighters in quarantine as of March 30. MACK: Just like in a hurricane event, agencies are more aware (of mental health) and taking more preventive measures, and asking the question, are you OK? It is not only important for people on the front lines, but your next-door neighbor, your family. Asking people: Are you OK. That is what I am seeing an increase in, an increase of awareness from agencies because they are working short-handed due to quarantining. My wife works in communications and theyve seen an increase in phone calls and people are calling and they are very, very concerned about the issues we are all facing today. QUESTION: Any advice or suggestions for the public as the COVID-19 pandemic continues? MACK: It is very, very important that we ask the question, are you OK, and very, very important that we are social distancing but we should not social disconnect. If someone has a history of mental illness, or a history of mental health issues, or someone is just not acting normal, check on them. When people start doing things differently, that is a flag. They are not returning phone calls, not checking back with youthese are all flags. We just need to be aware. This event, we are not seeing it yet, but I know we willbehavioral health issues and suicides will increase, weve been seeing it rise for several yearsthis wont make it better. jeff.forward@chron.com Italian doctors and unions have warned that a government policy to send patients discharged from hospital but still positive for coronavirus to care homes is like priming 'biological bombs'. With over 28,000 people in hospital including more than 4,000 in intensive care, beds need to be freed up as soon as possible, and those unable to convalesce in isolation at home are being moved to care homes or requisitioned hotels. The virus has already infiltrated assisted living facilities across the nation, in what is being dubbed the 'silent massacre'. Italian doctors and unions have warned that a new policy of discharging coronavirus-positive patients from hospitals into care homes to free up beds is risking disaster (pictured, doctors attend to an 80-year-old patient in a care home in Lombardy) At least 2,000 people in the Lombardy region alone have been sent to care home to sweat out the illness, which is more likely to be fatal in older patients Hundreds of people in care homes are feared to have succumbed to the disease - over 600 in the hard-hit Bergamo region alone - though firm data is impossible to find, with many victims reportedly going untested, experts say. They have voiced serious concerns over the safety of the 300,000 or so residents in Italy's 7,000 care homes. 'In a war like this, we can't expose ourselves to the danger of a recurrence of new outbreaks that risk turning care homes into 'biological bombs' that spread the virus,' Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi, head of Italian geriatric society SIGG, told AFP. 'Widely using care home beds to ease pressure on hospitals... would put the elderly residents at risk, and they are the weakest link in this pandemic,' he said. Some 2,000 patients have already been transferred to care homes in Lombardy, the epicentre of the crisis, while the Marche region in central Italy and Sicily in the south have begun following suit, said SIGG. Figures for the numbers of patients involved nationally had not yet been compiled, it said. Matteo Villa, research fellow at the Italian Institute for Political Studies (ISPI), told the foreign press association Monday that regional data showed a significant proportion of those discharged from hospital still had the virus. Italy is facing an acute shortage of hospital beds in badly-affected regions, and to ease pressure has been discharging people who are coronavirus positive but who do not require intensive levels of treatment (pictured, an ICU ward in Brescia) The government has said strict rules apply to which facilities can be used to ensure no contamination takes place, from physical distancing, to training staff and equipping them with protective gear. 'Who's going to be checking the rules are enforced?' Marco Agazzi, president of the Bergamo branch of the national union of Italian doctors, told AFP. 'There are enormous difficulties in accessing protective gear, and if new recruits cannot be found it will mean taking away essential staff at already overstretched facilities,' he said, describing the government's decision as 'extremely perplexing'. Roberto Bernabei, geriatrics professor at Catholic University in Rome, said regulations at care homes were a 'grey zone, because they change from local health authority to local health authority, city to city, region to region'. Italy's national health institute said 86 percent of care homes surveyed reported difficulties getting hold of protective equipment, while 36 percent said they were struggling due to staff off sick. Worried relatives have been bringing staff homemade masks and non-medical gowns in the hope it will stop them catching the virus and spreading it to loved ones, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, SIGG said. Italy has been under lockdown for more than three weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, which has overwhelmed healthcare systems (pictured, police in Sicily) A view of the town of Villafrati, near Palermo, Sicily, which has been left near-deserted after people were told to stay at home to slow the spread of coronavirus Pensioner trade unions have been calling for hotels, student housing or military barracks to be used instead. A national lockdown imposed three weeks ago and affecting 60 million people appears to be working, with the ISS saying Tuesday the virus - which has killed nearly 12,500 since emerging at the end of February - has begun to plateau. But Villa warned coronavirus recovery times meant the pressure on hospitals would only reduce slowly - and could very well rise again when the punishing lockdown is eased, meaning care home beds would still be in demand. 'It's unrealistic to imagine there won't be any other moments of stress on the health system,' he said. Four policemen were injured when a group of people owing allegiance to Tabligh-e-Jamaat assembled in a village here allegedly attacked them as the men in uniform admonished them for defying the ongoing lockdown, a senior official said on Wednesday. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident and efforts are underway to nab others, he said. Superintendent of Police (SP), Madhubani, Satya Prakash, said it is not known whether any of the congregators has returned from Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz (headquarter) in Delhi's Nizamuddin West area, which has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot. The incident took place late on Tuesday night when a police party went to Girdargunj village in Andhra Dhari block of the district after information was received that a large number of people had gathered there under the banner of Tabligh-e- Jamaat, he said. At the spot, a heated exchange ensued between the police party and those assembled. The participants of the gathering clashed with the policemen, he added. Prakash said four assailants have been arrested and police are trying to identify and nab the others. It was not immediately known why the group had assembled in the village. Earlier, Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, had confirmed that 81 people from Bihar attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin before the nationwide lockdown was imposed. Out of them 30 have been traced to Buxar and Patna districts and their samples sent for testing. Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha on Tuesday appealed to people who have returned to the state after attending the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin to identify themselves by calling a helpline number 104 or visiting the nearest government hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday directed officials to ensure that religious congregations like the one held in Delhi last month are not allowed in the state, which has reported the highest number of novel coronavirus cases in the country. Holding a meting with district collectors and divisional commissioners via video conferencing, Thackeray said that the Tablighi Jamaat gathering has raised concerns of the spread of infection. "The administration should ensure there is no festivity and that no religious gathering is allowed in Maharashtra. "I will speak to organisers personally, but till the corona crisis remains, public gatherings will not be allowed at any cost," the CM said on the eve of Ram Navmi. He also appealed to those who had attended the Delhi congregation and travelled back to Maharashtra to come forward and get themselves medically checked. He also directed officials to ensure that people do not crowd markets amid the lockdown. "It has been found that citizens are misusing the facilities like visiting grocery shops and purchasing other essential commodities, which are allowed to remain open 24 hours," he said. The CM also expressed the need to ensure that vegetable markets too are regulated. "Either move the markets to open spaces or decide on their timings," he said. Thackeray saidthat senior citizens living in old age homes as well as migrant labourers should be taken care of. He called for providing special care for senior citizens and differently-abled citizens. The CM also said that services of ASHA workers and anganwadi sevikas as well as Homeguards be requisitioned to ease the load on health workers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US citizens stranded in India due to a lockdown in the country to combat the coronavirus outbreak will be repatriated in flights that are likely to begin from April 4, the American Embassy here said on Wednesday. In an "alert" for US citizens, the mission said it is coordinating closely with the US Department of State and airlines to facilitate flights to the United States. "We anticipate we will have several flights beginning the weekend of April 4. We will contact you as we develop more details," the US Embassy said in its message to American nationals. "As the Mission moves closer to arranging flights from New Delhi to the United States, those US citizens in areas in northern India, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, should work with the Consular Section to make travel arrangements to New Delhi," it said. The US Embassy said it can assist with curfew passes for drivers of privately arranged vans and buses for travel to New Delhi. "To request this assistance, please email your request to indiaevac@state.gov. We anticipate it will require at least 24 hours for the permission to be arranged," it said. The US Embassy said it is also working to facilitate transportation to Delhi from some cities in northern India and will make the details available via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to citizens in those cities once the arrangements are finalised. "Travelers may wish to make arrangements to stay at hotels near the Indira Gandhi International Airport as flights out of Delhi may be announced at short notice," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In March, Canara Bank had said Krishnan will be appointed as executive director with effect from 1 April 2020 till 31 October 2020, or until further orders. New Delhi: State-owned Canara Bank on Wednesday said Krishnan S has become its executive director post its merger with Syndicate Bank. Krishnan held the same portfolio in Syndicate Bank. Syndicate Bank has been merged with Canara Bank with effect from Wednesday. In March, Canara Bank had said Krishnan will be appointed as executive director with effect from 1 April 2020 till 31 October 2020, or until further orders. "We further inform that, he assumed the office as executive director, Canara Bank today i.e. on 1.04.2020," Canara Bank said in a regulatory filing. Krishnan served as the executive director of Syndicate Bank from November 2017 to 31 March 2020. He is a post graduate in commerce, a qualified cost accountant (ICMA) and also a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB). He joined the services of Indian Bank in January 1983. The career banker with over thirty years of banking experience has specialisation in credit, more specifically corporate credit. NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), a leading global technology company offering a creative platform for high-quality content, tools and services, will report its first quarter 2020 business and financial results on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 before the market opens. The company will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the results. The conference call can be accessed in the U.S. at (844) 634-1442 or outside the U.S. at (615) 247-0239 with the conference ID# 4398652. A live audio webcast of the call will also be available on Shutterstock's website at http://investor.shutterstock.com. Following completion of the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available in the investor relations section of Shutterstock's website. A telephone replay of the call will also be available until May 5, 2020 in the U.S. at (855) 859-2056 or outside the U.S. at (404) 537-3406 with the conference ID# 4398652. About Shutterstock, Inc. Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK), directly and through its group subsidiaries, is a leading global provider of high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations, videos and music to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world. Working with its growing community of over 1 million contributors, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images each week, and currently has more than 310 million images and more than 17 million video clips available. Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock has offices around the world and customers in more than 150 countries. The company's brands also include Bigstock, a value-oriented stock media offering; Shutterstock Custom, a custom content creation platform; Offset, a high-end image collection; PremiumBeat a curated royalty-free music library; and Shutterstock Editorial, a premier source of editorial images for the world's media. For more information, please visit www.shutterstock.com and follow Shutterstock on Twitter and on Facebook. SOURCE Shutterstock, Inc. Related Links http://www.shutterstock.com Alameda County Chief Probation Officer Wendy Still told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that she's concerned about a lack of infrared thermometers at the county's juvenile hall in San Leandro. Speaking at the board's weekly update on the novel coronavirus pandemic, Still said infrared thermometers are in high demand and she can't test her staff until she gets them. However, Still said there haven't been any confirmed COVID-19 cases among her staff or among the youths at juvenile hall. Still said there are currently 56 youths at juvenile hall, 24 at the Camp Sweeney juvenile detention center in the San Leandro hills, 47 under electronic monitoring and 39 under home supervision. Still said detention hearings for youths housed at juvenile hall are only held twice a week so some of them may wind up being detained longer than normal under the current circumstances in which most courts are closed. Sheriff's Cmdr. Thomas Madigan said there haven't been any confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates or staff members at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Madigan said a nurse at the jail presumptively tested positive for the coronavirus last week but the test was conducted by a private laboratory that hasn't yet been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the result hasn't been confirmed. Madigan said jail staff have taken extra precautions in the wake of the pandemic and do thorough screenings of new inmates in the open air outside the jail before they are admitted inside. The Board of Supervisors' online meeting was marred by technical problems and most of the weekly update by county interim health officer Dr. Erica Pan couldn't be heard by the public. The board eventually wound up switching its meeting to the Zoom video conferencing app. At one point board president Richard Valle said, "I apologize to the public for the technology." The board was scheduled to vote on a request by Sheriff Gregory Ahern for $85 million in additional funds to hire an extra 216 sworn and 47 non-sworn positions at the Santa Rita Jail over the next three years but the board postponed the matter until its April 21 meeting. Even though the matter was postponed, several members of activist groups who oppose Ahern's funding request waited until the public comment session at the end of the lengthy meeting to tell the board that they should either scrap the proposal completely or at least vote against it. 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. By PTI JAIPUR: About 100 people gathered for a religious congregation at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Tuesday following which police used mild force to disperse them, police sources said. Six persons have been arrested by police for violating lockdown restrictions in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. As per tradition, a chadar is offered every year by the khadims of Ajmer dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti to the dargah in Sarwar. ALSO READ| How shall we respond to the pandemic? The religious congregation in Sarwar comes at a time when authorities nationwide are trying to trace people who attended a huge religious gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. 24 people who attended the religious congregation at Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz have tested positive for coronavirus, while 1,548 have been evacuated and 441 hospitalised after they showed its symptoms. Ajmer SP Kunwar Rastradeep said that police gave permission to five persons for this purpose but later many others joined them in the Sarwar dargah. According to police sources about 100 people had gathered at the dargah. When the police asked them to vacate the place, several of them objected and confronted the police. Later, police dispersed them using mild force and arrested six persons under 151 (arrest to prevent cognisable offences) of CrPC. DUBLIN, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Telecom API Market by Technologies, Application and Service Types, Stakeholders, User Types, Deployment, and Platform as a Service Types 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global Communication Service Providers (CSP) continue to see Telecom APIs as a means of leveraging their network and subscriber assets to generate revenues with high margins. However, the ecosystem remains one in which largely third-parties, such as OTT players, maintain the end-user relationship with app and service clients, while CSPs merely provide data as a service on a B2B basis. While this model may suffice for CSPs with respect to the consumer segment and SMBs, it is not sustainable for large corporate clients. CSPs are facing increasing pressure to provide a greater variety of high-quality enterprise communications and business collaboration solutions. Accordingly, the author sees this as an area ripe for leveraging Telecom APIs to offer value-added carrier offerings such as team collaboration, telepresence, and unified communications (UC) as part of a Telecom API enabled marketplace. This vision is beginning to come true. With the help of leading Telecom API and Communications-enabled app providers like Ribbon Communications, AT&T has recently launched an API Marketplace, which is something that the author has recommended since 2011. Offering a turn-key approach by levering solutions such as Ribbon's Kandy APIs and Wrappers, AT&T plans to facilitate enterprise customer ability to leverage telecom assets for embedded applications. Ribbon is also supporting KPN's Telecom API marketplace. Longer-term, the author sees CSPs leveraging Telecom APIs and related tools to support a variety of industry requirements in which carriers are amply positioned to leverage their market position. Those opportunities include Internet of Things (IoT) authentication, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and support of Blockchain. Three areas that represent great opportunities for carriers to aggressively pursue solution development in the more near-term timeframe are AI, IoT, and Mobile Edge Computing. Telecom APIs in IoT IoT represents a huge and largely untapped market for CSPs, which the author sees emerging once carriers begin to fully leverage 5G for IoT apps and services. More specifically, we have identified the opportunity for carriers to act as an orchestrator/mediator within the IoT ecosystem. Uniquely positioned as the owner of the primary network to be used for IoT, and provider of data services for humans and machines alike, CSPs have the opportunity to provide various critical services such as IoT authentication, authorization, and accounting. This will include the use of Telecom API resources to help manage IoT related access control, permissions, and usage tracking. Telecom APIs in Mobile Edge Computing Carriers are also well positioned to leverage Telecom API enabled capabilities in support of many edge computing use cases as MEC is rolled-out to optimize LTE, 5G, and IoT. Many MEC use cases will require support from multiple Telecom API categories such as Location, Presence, Subscriber Data, and QoS in support of zone-based enterprise apps, services, and data analytics. This will create both a challenge and opportunity for CSPs, which will need the assistance of systems integrators for implementation and managed infrastructure services providers for ongoing operations. Telecom APIs in Artificial Intelligence While many AI capabilities will be embedded within other areas (such as platforms, devices, semiconductors, etc.), AI will also be closely associated with end-users, creating an opportunity for CSPs to provide resource support for many AI-enabled use cases. This will include basic support for AI, such as user verification, as well as more advanced functionality, such as identifying resource usage and behaviors among a closed user group like enterprise collaboration teams. Now in its eighth year of covering the Telecom API market, the author is pleased to offer the most comprehensive research covering the ecosystem including players, platforms, tools, solutions, and service offerings. Telecom API Market by Technology, Application and Service Type, Stakeholder, User Type, Deployment (Enterprise Hosted, Public Cloud, Private Cloud), and Platform as a Service Type 2020 - 2025 provides an in-depth assessment of the global Telecom API market, including business models, value chain analysis, operator strategies and a quantitative assessment of the industry from 2020 to 2025. Report Benefits: Gain a better perspective of the State of the Market for Telecom APIs Identify challenges and opportunities across the entire API ecosystem Understand the role of Telecom APIs within the realm of Programmable Telecom Identify leading companies and solutions for Telecom API enabled apps and services Understand the market dynamics, players, and outlook for communication enabled apps Forecasts for every major Telecom API area including Categories, Solutions, Stakeholder Share, and more Forecasts for Telecom API support of Unwanted Call Management including Do Not Disturb and Call Screening Report Findings: Global Telecom API related revenue will reach $510B by 2025 by 2025 Global UCaaS revenue will exceed $70B by 2025 with 48.0% CAGR by 2025 with 48.0% CAGR Enterprise-hosted deployment is growing most rapidly through 2025 While the smallest in revenue overall, MEA is fastest growing region at CAGR 31.7% Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 2.1 About the Report 2.1.1 Topics Covered 2.1.2 Key Findings 2.1.3 Target Audience 2.2 Programmable Telecom 2.2.1 Programmable Telecom Definition 2.2.2 Programmable Telecom Purpose 2.2.3 Telecom Programmability Tools 2.2.3.1 Application Programming Interfaces (API) 2.2.3.2 Cloud Hosted Services 2.2.3.3 Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2.2.3.4 Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) 2.2.3.5 Open Source Telecom Software 2.2.3.6 Software Development Kits (SDK) 2.2.3.7 Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) 2.2.4 Programmable Telecom Deployment Models 2.3 State of the Industry 3. Telecom API Overview 3.1 Role and Importance of Telecom APIs 3.2 Business Drivers for CSPs to Leverage APIs 3.3 Telecom API Categories 3.4 Telecom API Business Models 3.5 Enterprise Market Segmentation 3.6 Competitive Issues 3.7 Applications that use APIs 3.8 Telecom API Revenue Potential 3.9 Telecom API Usage by Industry Segment 3.10 Telecom API Value Chain 3.11 API Transaction Cost by Type 3.12 Volume of API Transactions 4. API Aggregation Marketplace 4.1 Role of API Aggregators 4.2 Total Cost of Operation with API Aggregators 4.2.1 Start-up Costs 4.2.2 Transaction Costs 4.2.3 Ongoing Maintenance/Support 4.2.4 Professional Services by Intermediaries 4.3 Aggregator API Usage by Category 4.3.1 API Aggregator Example: LocationSmart 4.3.2 Aggregation: Intersection of Two Big Needs 4.3.3 The Case for Other API Categories 4.3.4 Moving Towards New Business Models 5. Telecom API Marketplace 5.1 Data as a Service (DaaS) 5.1.1 Carrier Structured and Unstructured Data 5.1.2 Carrier Data Management in DaaS 5.1.3 Data Federation in the DaaS Ecosystem 5.2 API Marketplace Companies 5.2.1 Kong (Mashape) 5.2.2 Salesforce (Mulesoft) 5.2.3 TeleStax 5.3 Telecom API Ecosystem Vendors 5.4 Telecom Application Development Market 6. Telecom API App Enablers 6.1 Monetization of Communications-enabled Apps 6.1.1 Direct API Revenue 6.1.2 Data Monetization 6.1.3 Cost Savings 6.1.4 Higher Usage 6.1.5 Churn Reduction 6.2 Telecom App Development Issues 6.2.1 Security 6.2.2 Data Privacy 6.2.3 Interoperability 7. Communication Service Provider Telecom API Strategies 7.1 Carrier Market Strategy and Positioning 7.1.1 API Investment Stabilization 7.1.2 Carriers, APIs, and OTT 7.1.3 Leveraging Subscriber Data and APIs 7.1.4 Telecom API Standards 7.1.4.1 GSMA 7.1.4.2 TM Forum 7.1.5 Telecom APIs and Enterprise 7.2 Select Network Operator API Programs 7.2.1 AT&T 7.2.2 Verizon Wireless 7.2.3 Vodafone 7.2.4 France Telecom (Orange) 7.2.5 Telefonica 7.3 Carrier Focus on Internal Telecom API Usage 7.3.1 The Case for Internal Usage 7.3.2 Internal Telecom API Use Cases 7.4 Carriers and OTT Service Providers 7.4.1 Allowing OTT Providers to Manage Applications 7.4.2 Carriers Lack the Innovative Skills to Capitalize on APIs Alone 7.5 Carriers and Value-added Services 7.5.1 Role and Importance of VAS 7.5.2 The Case for Carrier Communication-enabled VAS 7.5.3 Challenges and Opportunities for Carriers in VAS 8. API Enabled App Developer Strategies 8.1 Telecom APIs as a Critical Developer Asset 8.2 Judicious Choice of API Releases 8.3 Working alongside Carrier Programs 8.4 Developer Preferences: OTT Service Providers vs Carriers 9. Telecom API Vendor Strategies 9.1 General Strategies 9.1.1 Value Chain Enhancers and Development Facilitators 9.1.2 Moving from Platforms to Cloud-based CPaaS 9.2 Specific Strategies 9.2.1 Reliance upon SIP Trunking 9.2.2 Improving Existing Solutions 9.2.3 Increased Focus on Enterprise Solutions 9.2.4 Embracing Next Generation Use Cases 10. Global Markets for Telecom APIs 10.1 Telecom API Market by Category 10.2 Telecom API Market by Service Type 10.3 Telecom API Market by User Type 10.4 Telecom API Market by Network Technology 10.5 Telecom API Market by Deployment 10.6 Telecom APIs Market by Platform as a Service 10.6.1 Telecom APIs Market by CPaaS 10.6.2 Telecom APIs Market by UCaaS 10.7 Telecom API Market by Module 10.8 Telecom API Market by Stakeholders 10.9 Telecom API Market by Region 11. North American Markets for Telecom APIs 11.1 North American Markets for Telecom APIs by Country 11.2 North American Telecom API Market by Category 11.3 North American Telecom API Market by Service Type 11.4 North American Telecom API Market by User Type 11.5 North American Telecom API Market by Network Technology 11.6 North American Telecom API Market by Deployment 11.7 North America Telecom APIs Market by Platform as a Service 11.7.1 North America Telecom APIs Market by CPaaS 11.7.2 North America Telecom APIs Market by UCaaS 11.8 North American Telecom API Market by Module 11.9 North American Telecom API Market by Stakeholders 12. Latin American Markets for Telecom APIs 13. European Markets for Telecom APIs 14. APAC Markets for Telecom APIs 15. MEA Markets for Telecom APIs 16. Telecom API Success Stories 16.1 Patronus 16.2 RumbleUP 16.3 Rently 16.4 Phone.com 16.5 VOIPo 17. Technology and Market Drivers for Future API Market Growth 17.1 Service Oriented Architecture 17.2 Software Defined Networks 17.3 Virtualization 17.4 Internet of Things 17.5 Bringing it all Together for a Bright Telecom API Future 17.6 IoT WANs and Telecom APIs 18. Conclusions and Recommendation 19. Appendix Companies Mentioned Amdocs Apidaze (VoIP Innovations) Apifonica Aspect Software Bandwidth BICS CA Technologies Cisco CLX Communications Ericsson Fortumo Google hSenid Mobile Huawei Hubtel LocationSmart Mashape MessageBird Mulesoft Nokia Networks Oracle Persistent Systems Ribbon Communications Syniverse TeleStax Telnyx Twilio Tyntec Vidyo Vonage For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/d356ym 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Flash Asian political party officials called for concerted action to tackle the common threat of COVID-19 via an ongoing online conference. The Asian Political Parties Online Conference under the theme of "Forging Synergy against COVID-19" is co-hosted by the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC) and the Secretariat of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) Standing Committee. Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the IDCPC, stressed COVID-19, as a common challenge for humanity, not only gravely threatened lives and safety of the world's peoples, but also poses unprecedented challenges to Asian countries in safeguarding public health security. "Today, many Asian countries are devoting utmost efforts to fighting the outbreak," Guo said. "At this crucial juncture, Asian political parties must take concerted actions to play a positive role in epidemic prevention and control." Guo said China's epidemic response had drawn intense interest and indeed promoted great solidarity from both the ICAPP and political parties in Asian countries, further expressing the willingness of the CPC to share China's response experiences and solutions. Jhalanath Khanal, secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Nepal Communist Party, said humanity faced unprecedented challenges posed by the global coronavirus pandemic. "At this trying time, closer cooperation among countries and parties, especially in Asia, is necessary," he said. It is the common responsibility of all countries to protect and cure people facing the coronavirus, and to create synergy to deal with the growing health crisis, said Jhalanath Khanal, also member of the ICAPP Standing Committee. Ardy Susanto, head of the Energy Trade System and Law Department of the National Awakening Party in Indonesia, also emphasized the urgency of a joint response by the international community. "COVID-19 is not a problem facing China alone, but a common threat affronting the whole world and needs to be dealt with by all countries together." China has been devoting its utmost effort in an exhaustive manner to meeting this challenge ranging from isolating virus strains to developing antiviral drugs, said Ardy Susanto, also general chairperson of the Indonesia-Chinese Youth Association. "The Indonesian people will always support the efforts China has made in these aspects." Wee Ka Siong, president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, said, "So long as people of all countries, regardless of nationality or race, remain united and work with one mind, we will win the battle against the epidemic and let people return to their normal and peaceful life." The online conference, opening Monday, is currently scheduled to run for five days. Its content includes speeches and statements by the leaders of Asian political parties on the fight against COVID-19, presentations on the experiences of various countries and the latest information on cooperation in battling the pandemic. The ICAPP is an important multilateral forum for political parties in Asia. The online conference can be accessed via the official IDCPC website (http://www.idcpc.org.cn/english) and the official ICAPP website (http://theicapp.org). The majority of Airbus sites in Spain have joined forces to produce 3D printed visor frames, providing healthcare personnel with individual protection equipment in the fight against Covid-19. More than 20 3D printers are working day and night. Hundreds of visors have already been produced and dispatched to hospitals close to the Airbus facilities in Spain, the company said. Airbus leverages a patented design to manufacture the visor frames, using PLA plastics. "One of the reasons I love my job is the capability we have for advanced design and quick manufacture. Overnight, we have gone from making aerospace concepts to medical equipment. This genuinely makes a difference in the fight against the pandemic and I couldnt be prouder of our teams working day and night on this Airbus project, said Alvaro Jara, Head of Airbus Protospace, in Getafe, Madrid. Despite the pause of the majority of production at Airbus sites in Spain following the Royal Decree of March 29, Airbus employees are allowed on site to continue with this essential activity. In addition, Airbus in Germany also joined the project. The Airbus Protospace Germany and the Airbus Composite Technology Centre (CTC) in Stade, together with the 3D-printing network named Mobility goes Additive, are now supporting this project in Spain, also coordinating the collection and transport of visors to the Madrid region.- TradeArabia News Service On the other hand, victims might wait until the order lifts, Weese said. They may be uncertain whether resources are still available during the current upheaval, and they may be fresh out of work and newly dependent upon their abusive partners for money. Whatever the situation, Weese and her counterparts around the state want victims to call their local shelters as they would at any other time. They're going to be more alone than they have been in a long time, so we want them to know that we as advocates are here, Young said. There are 22 organizations around Montana that provide emergency shelter services for victims of domestic violence, according to Young. About half of those are traditional shelters, while the other half are networks of apartment rentals or hotel rooms paid for by the shelter organization. Staff across the state are taking calls from women stuck at home and helping them create a safety plan, even while they are under the same roof as their abuser. Kejriwal said the tracking was being done to ensure people do not violate the quarantine and also identify how many people they contact. New Delhi: The Delhi Police has been ordered to track mobile phones of people under home quarantine to check their movement and ensure no violations, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday. "We handed over a list of 11,084 phone numbers to police yesterday and 14,345 phone numbers today of people who have been asked to remain in home quarantine. The police will track if they are following the instructions on home quarantine or not," Kejriwal said at a press conference. He said the decision was made in a meeting with the Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. The chief minister said the tracking was being done to ensure people do not violate the quarantine and also identify how many people they contact. He said police will take strict action against those who do not follow the government's orders. He said the move was inspired by some countries like Singapore, which uses such technology to check the movement of those under quarantine. On the matter of salaries to people employed in companies, he said, "Passes will be given to two employees/owner of every private company so that they can go to their respective offices to calculate and transfer the employees' salaries." Follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak here "Since it is time to give salaries, the accountants in each company will be given two passes for two days," he said while adding that one pass will be for the vehicle and the other for the accountant. Speaking on providing rations for the poor during the lockdown, he said, "About 10 lakh poor people do not have ration card in Delhi. I request them to apply for the ration card on Delhi government's e-district website. They will not get the card but we will give them ration till the COVID-19 issue persists." The chief minister also said a total of 120 positive cases for coronavirus have been reported in the national capital till Wednesday morning. He also said that of the total 766 people admitted to the hospitals of Delhi due to Corona, 112 have tested positive and the rest are possibly infected and are being tested. "Out of the 112 positive cases, only one is on ventilator, two are on oxygen supply and 109 people are stable," he said. About the Nizamuddin Markaz (Tablighi Jamaat) case he said: "536 people, out of 2346 who were brought out of Markaz, have been admitted to hospitals and 1810 people have been put in isolation/quarantine." According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has jumped up to 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. After initially dismissing concerns that asymptomatic carriers could spread the CCP virus, the Chinese regime announced that it will report such cases publicly beginning April 1. Chinas National Health Commission acknowledged that asymptomatic carriers can infect others and cause outbreaks. During an epidemiological investigation, we found asymptomatic carriers caused clusters of infections, the commission stated in a March 31 article on its website about the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Asymptomatic carriers dont show symptoms such as fever, coughing, and sore throat, although test positive during nucleic acid testing. There were 1,541 asymptomatic carriers in China by March 30, according to the commission. But China commentators suggested that the true number could be far greater. The commission admitted in the article that it could be difficult to identify these carriers, as they dont feel sick. The carriers wouldnt be easily detected by nucleic acid test or blood test alone, it added. Currently, carriers are found after they get testedusually because they came into close contact with diagnosed patients, were exposed to diagnosed patients, or recently traveled to Hubei province or countries where the outbreak is severe, the commission stated. Health authorities havent conducted large-scale testing, so there are asymptomatic carriers [in society] that are hard for us to find. Chang Jile, director of the disease control and prevention bureau at the commission, said during a March 31 press conference in Wuhan that authorities will report new asymptomatic carriers and the progress of prior infections. He added that authorities plan to take samples from the heavy-hit outbreak areas, investigate the asymptomatic carriers, and analyze the epidemiology. Real Number The Chinese regime previously didnt count asymptomatic carriers into their total numbers of infections. Nor did it count patients who exhibited symptoms or lung damage consistent with the new virus, but tested negative during nucleic acid testing. U.S.-based China commentator Tang Jingyuan said the commissions new announcement is likely due to the regime realizing it can no longer ignore such cases and risk another big outbreak. He said while official figures are likely underreported, he could extrapolate that there are at least 100,000 asymptomatic carriers in China. Beijing officially reported that there are more than 82,000 people infected with the CCP virus in China. Wu Tangchun, a public health expert at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, led a new study, currently in preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, that examined cases in Wuhan. By our most conservative estimate, at least 59 percent of the infected individuals were out and about, without being tested and potentially infecting others, Wu told Nature magazine in an interview. Most unreported cases were people with mild or no symptoms, the study authors concluded. According to estimates, the official figure represents only the detected cases, or just 41 percent of all infections, or about 200,000. And, as many as 118,000 people could be asymptomatic carriers. Tang said the regime suddenly decided to report asymptomatic carriers because another outbreak could lead to another crisis. Beijing was keen to report no more domestic infections to push all businesses to resume production but now, it is worried that people believe the official figures and wont take health precautions, which would cause another large-scale outbreak, Tang said. From The Epoch Times A group set up to help feed frontline workers battling coronavirus has hit more than 550,000 in donations. Feed The Heroes announced the milestone as it said more than 18,500 meals have been delivered nationwide. "We have been completely blown away by the response of the Irish people," said Cian O'Flaherty, who founded the group as the first cases of the virus arrived on these shores. He revealed how the generosity of Irish people has seen the amount raised vastly exceed the goal when he and Tad McAllister set it up on March 15. Expand Close Food on its way to Feed the Heroes / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Food on its way to Feed the Heroes Solidarity "They have transformed what began as an ambition to raise 1,000 to buy a few meals into a national operation that to date has delivered more than 18,500 meals to critical frontline workers nationwide," he said. More than 11,300 Irish people have contributed to Feed The Heroes, from a seven-year-old donating 5 of their pocket money to a 20,000 donation from Ireland international and Everton star Seamus Coleman. Coleman posted a message of solidarity, shared on social media. "It is a tough time for all of us at the moment, for all Irish people, for all people around the world, but speaking for Irish people, I know we are a very proud nation," he said. "We stick together, we work hard for each other and though I know it's a tough time at the minute, we will get through this. Stay positive and keep fighting." Expand Close Hard-working staff in St James' Hospital with Feed the Heroes helpers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hard-working staff in St James' Hospital with Feed the Heroes helpers Mr O'Flaherty, who has a tech start-up business in Dun Laoghaire, said the idea came to him when he saw a tweet that a takeaway had been delivered to the Mater Hospital. He believes the massive response from people is a result of wanting to do something to help, while being stuck at home. "I suppose there's a feeling of powerlessness. We come from a generation where everything we want is at our fingertips and then comes along a virus that we can do nothing to stop," he said. "Also, every one of us has friends or family involved in the frontline, we see how they work tirelessly at great risk to themselves and how they've doubled down on that work. "Every single euro makes a difference and we take the responsibility entrusted to us by all our donors very seriously. "We now have 20 volunteers co-ordinating our efforts, along with an advisory board to ensure we are operating to the highest corporate governance principles. "Our mission is simple - to get food to Ireland's critical frontline workers - and our intention now is to continue to grow the fund to enable us to support Ireland's frontline heroes for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency." He said the meals have been greatly appreciated by those who receive them. "Not just for the food itself, but also for what it represents - a symbol of our solidarity with and gratitude to those combating Ireland's biggest ever public health emergency," he said. The organisation links with restaurants, takeaways, caterers and commercial kitchens to prepare and deliver meals and co-ordinates with frontline teams to ensure they get where they are needed. So far, meals have been delivered to staff at Covid-19 testing centres, HSE contact tracing, the National Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade, plus hospital workers. Volunteers The group now has a team of 20 volunteers and an advisory board. Each meal costs around 7 to prepare and deliver. Bigger operators have been refusing to take payment for orders, delivering for free and asking that the group use smaller, more vulnerable businesses. Feed The Heroes' GoFundMe page can be accessed through feedtheheroes.com. For corporate donations, contact corporatedonations@feedtheheroes.com. MONTREAL, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - GOODEE, a leading curated marketplace where good design and good purpose come together, proudly joins B Corporation's international network of industry leaders who are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. GOODEE set out less than a year ago launching an online marketplace to connect the conscious-minded consumer with an array of home and lifestyle goods that they could trust and feel proud to support. To receive the GOODEE stamp of approval, every item offered on the e-commerce platform has been ethically and transparently sourced. GOODEE carefully assesses their brand partners reporting on their use of sustainable materials, supply chain, fair labor standards, ecological footprint and business practices. "As a company founded on principles of sustainability and mindful connection to our world, becoming a certified B Corp felt like a natural fit from day one. It validates our raison d'etre to create a world where caring for people and the planet comes first and ensures we always live up to the high standards we've set for ourselves," said Byron Peart, co-founder of GOODEE. When shopping at GOODEE, the conscious consumer is quickly able to see which cause each artisan supports, ranging from carbon reduction, community engagement, gender advocacy and products made with recycled materials or natural ingredients. GOODEE is proud to partner with the likes of fellow B Corp companies that include, ecoBirdy, The Skateroom, Skagerak, and more. "We are proud to welcome GOODEE to our growing community of Certified B Corporations, companies who are redefining success in business to balance both profit and purpose. They're helping to redefine the home goods industry through their dedication to using their business as a force for good and meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance," said Kasha Huk, Country Manager, Canada at B Lab. In 2019, GOODEE launched its first collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, the co-secretariat of The United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, with the introduction of the GOODEE Pillow. The EFI acts as a bridge, connecting marginalized artisan communities in challenging and remote locations with global lifestyle brands. The GOODEE Pillow was brought to life using textiles from artisans in Burkina Faso and produced in Kenya through Artisan Fashion, a social cooperative. GOODEE looks forward to unveiling future initiatives in partnership with the EFI, and aligning further with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in the coming months. "At GOODEE, we are inspired and motivated by the unique opportunity we can offer to value-driven brands around the world to trade in ways or places that they may not have been able to otherwise," said Dexter Peart, co-founder of GOODEE. "This extends to empowering the makers and workers throughout our brand partners' supply chains where ethical treatment and responsible production are paramount." For more information about GOODEE, visit www.goodeeworld.com. For more information about B Corporations, visit www.bcorporation.net. SOURCE GOODEE Related Links https://www.goodeeworld.com/ Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:47:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 200 countries and regions. The following are the updates on the contagious disease. - - - - LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 29,474 as of Wednesday morning, an increase of 4,324 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. As of Tuesday afternoon, of those hospitalised in the country who tested positive for novel coronavirus, 2,352 have died, up 563 over the same time on the previous day, the latest figures from the department showed. Prince Charles, who has come out of self-isolation after being diagnosed with COVID-19, delivered a message to the public through recorded video posted on social media. - - - - TOKYO -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said that 2,362 people have been infected with the COVID-19 virus in Japan as of 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, with 66 new cases recorded in Tokyo, adding to pressure on the government to take further measures to curb the domestic spread of the virus. The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 78, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo. - - - - MADRID -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain rose by 7,719 to 102,136 on Wednesday, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services. The ministry also reported that the number of deaths rose to 9,053, up 864 in the past 24 hours. This is the highest death toll for a single day so far witnessed during the pandemic, beating Tuesday's record of 849. - - - - TEHRAN -- Iran on Wednesday reported 2,987 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of cases to 47,593 in the country, according to the health ministry. Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, reported 138 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, and the death toll of the virus in the country hit 3,036. - - - - HANOI -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decree on Wednesday to declare COVID-19 a nationwide epidemic in Vietnam, according to the government website. The COVID-19 is spreading nationwide as it was classified as a Class A contagious disease, and defined as a group of "extremely dangerous infectious diseases that can transmit very rapidly and spread widely with high mortality rates", according to the prime minister. European Union states are giving guarantees to credit insurers in a bid to keep coronavirus-hit companies afloat, as some firms cut cover for trade involving bloc members such as Italy and Spain, sources said. Without insurance, companies can be reluctant to buy or sell goods or services to others, with a rise in insolvencies expected among European firms forced to halt operations due to lockdowns aimed at slowing the coronavirus pandemics spread. Atradius, which like rivals Coface and Euler Hermes sells protection to companies against the risk of default by their customers, forecasts a 2.1% rise in insolvencies in western Europe this year, compared with a 0.2% fall in 2019. Credit insurers, which are often the frontline for absorbing loan losses, are already lowering credit limits and are heading towards withdrawal of coverage for places like Italy and Spain, one industry source told Reuters. The $11 billion trade credit insurance sector has a bigger exposure in Europe than in Asia, where the coronavirus pandemic began and where brokers say insurers have withdrawn cover. When risks of bankruptcies grow, credit insurers tend to reduce coverage for future sales in countries that are most hit. During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, credit insurers pulled the plug on some clients, such as car manufacturers, prompting governments to adopt some emergency measures. In France, the finance ministry said credit insurers had vowed not to cut or curtail cover, in return for a reinsurance backstop worth up 10 billion euros to be set up by the end of the week. And on Tuesday, the French government announced 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in short-term aid as part of a package to help French exporters with credit insurance. It would be needed to convince credit insurers not to massively reduce the lines, otherwise we will have problems, especially if there is a delay in payments, a member of the French association of corporate treasurers, AFTE, said. AFTE last week said that some of members had reported credit insurers were reducing cover in countries like Italy and Spain. I was not satisfied with the situation last week. There were unacceptable blockages that could simply block the financing of our economy, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday when asked about credit insurance. Italian insurers were aware of an issue with Frances Coface, which was reducing cover for credit lines involving Italian counterparts, and were working on possible ways to address it, one industry source told Reuters. Coface said that it continued to issue guarantees in Spain and Italy, both for domestic and export-oriented clients, to prevent risks for them in a deteriorating economy. Euler Hermes said that the basis for insurance was always based on an individual analysis of a company. Atradius declined to comment. Uniform System Robert Nijhout, executive director at the International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA), said discussions were taking place about the issue at national and EU level. There had been no request for governments to support the credit insurers, with talks aimed at avoiding a situation where the industry has to pull cover on companies if things do not improve in the next few months, Nijhout added. Europe lacks coordination on supporting export-oriented companies, with each country having its own approach, something Nijhout said ICISA had asked for both the European Commission and European insurance regulator EIOPA to address. Our call is for a uniform system as much as possible and a system where the existing cover can stay in place, he added. In Germany, insurers are also holding talks about state guarantees for commercial credit insurers. In return, the industry would pledge to keep their credit limits, or the maximum amount of risk they accept from a client, stable where possible, a source familiar with the matter said. ($1 = 0.9117 euros) (Reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Carolyn Cohn in London, Maya Nikolaeva and Gwenaelle Barzic in Paris, Alexander Hubner in Munich; Tom Sims in Frankfurt, Elvira Pollina, Stefano Bernabei and Valentina Za in Milan, Jesus Aguado in Madrid; editing by Alexander Smith) Topics Carriers Europe Nokia 7.2 is now receiving Android 10 as HMD Global expands the rollout to more smartphones. The Android 10 update is now available for Nokia 7.2 users in India but since it is a staged rollout for all units to receive the update. The Nokia 7.2 was launched in India in September last year as an upgrade over the Nokia 7.1 and comes with specifications such as a Snapdragon 660 processor, 48-megapixel triple cameras, and HDR10 display. The Nokia 7.2 runs Android One programme, which essentially means regular Android and security updates but the coronavirus pandemic forced HMD Global to push back the rollout timeline. The Android 10 update for Nokia 7.2 updates the software version to 2.250. Android One programme on the Nokia phones, including the Nokia 7.2, ensures a stock Android-like experience with minimal addition of apps on top of the native ones. HMD Global sells its Nokia-branded phones with the promise of timely Android updates but it has not worked out well for some time now, thanks to the halt caused by coronavirus pandemic. Ideally, Nokia 7.2 should have been updated in the very beginning of 2020 but whatever time HMD Global took to finalise the update was extended by the feasibility issues created by the pandemic. As a part of the Android 10 update on the Nokia 7.2, features such as Smart Reply, better gesture navigation, granular privacy controls, and Family Link will be available to users. There will also be a Focus Mode on the Nokia 7.2 that will allow users to block out distracting apps and focus on the essential ones. But the feature is in beta currently, HMD Global said in a statement. The Android Security patch for March 2020 has also been added to the update, which brings more security on the Nokia 7.2. As we said, this is a staged rollout which means some Nokia 7.2 units will get the Android 10 update before the rest of them. But if you are impatient and want Android 10 on your handset right now, you can visit the Software Update settings on your device and manually check for the update. Chances are you will receive the update with the manual fetch. As for specifications, the Nokia 7.2 comes with a 6.3-inch FHD+ LCD display with a notch on top. It supports HDR10 and Always-on Display feature. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt memory. It has a 48-megapixel main sensor, paired with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. for selfies, there is a 20-megapixel front-facing camera as well. There is ZEISS optics on the cameras of the Nokia 7.2. The smartphone is backed by a 3500mAh battery that charges at 10W. Observatories on Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain, have closed due to a stay-at-home order. (Caleb Jones / Associated Press) Observatories on Hawaii's tallest mountain have shut down operations in response to the governor's stay-at-home order aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The shutdown of telescope operations on Mauna Kea is expected to affect more than 500 astronomers, instrument scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff who work at the Big Island summit and at observatory bases below, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported this week. Democratic Gov. David Ige signed a March 23 proclamation ordering state residents to remain at their homes from March 25 through April 30. Only essential workers were exempted. Most of the work at the Mauna Kea observatories is federally funded, so few, if any, employees are likely to be laid off or furloughed, said Doug Simons, director of Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. This is the second time operations on Mauna Kea have shut down in a year. The mountain's access road was blocked for more than five months last summer and fall as demonstrators protested against the Thirty Meter Telescope, a $2.4-billion project that involves land held sacred by some indigenous Hawaiians. Last years shutdown interrupted hundreds of programs run by scientists from around the world and affected about 100 scientific publications that would have used data from Mauna Kea. Simons expects the same could happen for every month that the Mauna Kea observatories do not operate. Its a big blow, he said, adding that some scientific discoveries are likely to be lost. We dont know things we miss because we werent looking. The cancellation includes the second run of the Event Horizon Telescope, the global array that includes the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea. The array, which last year provided the first image of a black hole, was supposed to begin observations at the end of March to build on the first set of results. A combination of weather patterns and celestial mechanics make the observations possible only from late March to early April. (TNS) State auditors warned Gov. Ron DeSantis last year that Floridas unemployment website was still suffering major problems, including glitches, error messages and other problems that thousands of Floridians are now experiencing.In a damning 2019 report, auditors found that they had flagged all of the problems with the website in previous audits going back to 2015 yet state officials had not made a serious attempt to fix them.The consequences for delaying the fixes will be severe. The unreliable system is failing under an unprecedented crush of unemployment claims because of the coronavirus, and many Floridians are unable to apply because the site keeps crashing.If Florida cant get its website fixed, the hundreds of thousands of Floridians thrown out of work could, at the least, be forced to wait weeks for unemployment relief because theyre unable to apply for them on Floridas website.At the worst, they could lose out on federal unemployment benefits included in Congress recent stimulus package.This is absolutely shocking, state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said of the audit. The Republican Party of Florida and Republican leadership who crafted this website deserve all the shame right now and should be held responsible for fixing it immediately.The problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. The federal stimulus package includes unemployment benefits for people who work in the so-called gig economy, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, and people who are employed part-time or are self-employed.That segment of the workforce is not covered by Floridas stingy unemployment rules. But to receive the federal aid, those workers must apply through Floridas website, adding an additional burden to a system that regularly malfunctions.The cost for the mismanagement could be millions, or billions, of untapped aid that wont make it to Floridians, said Sen. Joe Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami.Were literally carting off money from D.C. to some other state because we cant get it out to people, Rodridguez said Tuesday.Its unclear whether the problems auditors flagged last year still exist and are causing headaches for the thousands of Floridians who are trying, and failing, to apply for unemployment benefits.Neither DeSantis administration nor the Department of Economic Opportunity, which he oversees and which operates the states unemployment website, responded to questions about which of the 17 findings in last years report had been fixed since DeSantis took office in January 2019.Most of the responsibility lies with former Gov. Rick Scott, whose administration launched the new website,, seven years ago. When asked why Scott, now a U.S. senator, failed to fix the problems flagged repeatedly by auditors during his tenure, spokeswoman Sarah Schwirian did not say.As governor, he made investments to ensure the system worked and Floridas Unemployment Insurance program is funded at record levels thanks to reforms under Gov. Scott, meaning more Florida families can receive the help they need, Schwirian said in a statement.The Department of Economic Opportunity has blamed the websites problems on a historic workload caused by the coronavirus. In the third week of March, more than 74,000 Floridians filed for unemployment, nearly double the previous weekly record. Thats almost certainly an undercount, because many Floridians have been unable to apply because of the websites problems.To handle the workload, the Department of Economic Opportunity has hired more call takers and added additional servers. The problems are not unique to Florida other state unemployment systems are also crashing under historic workloads.But as auditors made clear last year, state officials failed to fix fundamental problems with the site dating back to its launch in October 2013, when Floridas unemployment rate was falling.Building a new unemployment site was one of Scotts top priorities, and the contract to build it was awarded to Deloitte Consulting, a major contractor whose high-powered lobbyists at the time included Brian Ballard, the co-chair of Scotts inaugural finance committee.Deloitte had problems from the start. Two years before the site launched, the Department of Economic Opportunity was warning the project wasnt working right and and had fallen behind schedule. Department officials were threatening to fine Deloitte $15,000 per day until it revised its final design. At one point they threatened to fire the company.When the site launched, website glitches locked thousands of recipients out of the system and delayed their payments by weeks.The site, in violation of state law, required applicants to sign in with their Social Security numbers, and the site had so many problems that people found their claims denied or were paid claims when they werent qualified for.To add insult to injury, the site cost taxpayers $77 million, $14 million more than originally estimated.State auditors detailed those problems in a 2015 audit. An audit in 2016 found the state failed to fix many of the problems they had flagged.Last years audit was essentially a repeat of 2016's audit, since nothing had been fixed.The results of our follow-up procedures disclosed that many of the findings in our report [from 2016] were not corrected, auditors wrote.In between those audits, the state did create a process to record system failures it had more than 600 outstanding issues in 2019, auditors noted. But the state had no process to analyze those errors to see how frequently they occurred or how many people were affected by them.The Department lacked a proactive approach to identify and analyze [the websites] technical system errors and other [website] defects that may prevent or hinder the processing of [website] data, auditors wrote.Auditors found the websites automated functions still entered wrong data, such as inaccurate postmarks on documents, which could erroneously negate someones claim.While the state no longer required people applying for unemployment to use Social Security numbers to log in, the site was still letting people use them. To prevent fraud and to preserve privacy, state law makes it illegal for state agencies to collect someones Social Security number, and auditors wrote that allowing its use also goes against the advice of the Social Security Administration.The site also wasnt requiring applicants to use stronger eight-digit passwords. Instead, it let them them use four-digit PIN numbers.Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Ken Lawson offered no substantive responses to any of the 17 problems flagged by the audit, writing that the department would continue working on them and was prioritizing fixing two of the items in 2019.Eskamani said shes received scores of emails from people who havent been able to apply using the states website. While she was being interviewed for this story, she received another email from a constituent asking for help.Rodriguez said the excuse that the state is simply overwhelmed by the workload isnt legitimate.The system wasnt working before the crisis, so the excuse that theyve been overwhelmed with demand is absolutely part of the picture, but its definitely not the full picture, he said.Floridas unemployment payouts, which max out at $275 per week, are some of the lowest in the country, and he said he wonders whether the failure to fix the problems are intentional.Because were the state that is the most Scrooge-like in unemployment assistance, it almost makes you wonder if these application failures and having to run the gauntlet in a system that was designed to fail was intentional, he said. Foreign nationals, who attended a congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat in the national capital, will face punitive action if they are found to have participated in the gathering violating visa rules, government sources said on Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs has already informed Indian missions in the countries from where they came to India. Sources said appropriate action will be taken by relevant authorities against the foreign nationals if there have been violations of the laws of the land by them. They said if needed, the ministry of external affairs will extend its cooperation to agencies handling the issue. Thousands of Tablighi Jamaat members gathered at its headquarters in Nizamuddin, ignoring warnings by the government against large gatherings. A number of people who attended the congregation were found to be having coronavirus infection and a sizeable number then travelled to different states, spreading the infection of the virus. Authorities across states have identified over 6,000 people who attended the congregation and more than 5,000 of them have been quarantined. Efforts are on to trace another 2,000 including in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Hundreds of people have been evicted from the headquarters of Tablighi in Nizamuddin in the last three days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso reported 41 new COVID-19 cases in his city on Tuesday, the largest single-day jump in infections in the nations capital. Moreno shared the information in an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines Pia Hontiveros. With the new infections, the City of Manila now has a total of 116 confirmed COVID-19 cases. But Moreno added there are 10 patients who recovered from COVID-19. Three of these are confined in private hospitals, while seven are from Sta. Ana Hospital. Among those who recovered in Sta. Ana Hospital is the patient cheered on by hospital workers in a viral video online. Moreno also told CNN Philippines that he had been "exposed" to the virus. He said he undertook "due diligence" and submitted himself for tests while hunkering down in his City Hall office. The mayor revealed the tests yielded negative results. As the city tallied its largest COVID-19 cases in a single day, Moreno appealed to people not to discriminate against the frontliners and patients healed of the virus. Ituring po natin silang mga normal na tao. Mahirap yung pinagdaanan nila, said Moreno. (Translation: Let's treat them as normal people. It was difficult for them to go through [being infected by COVID-19].) Moreno urged citizens to spread love and compassion amidst the crisis brought by COVID-19. The country has confirmed 2,311 COVID-19 cases today, along with 96 deaths and 50 recoveries. Taco Bell recently announced it is giving away free taco to any individual going to its restaurant for drive-thru orders. This treat to customers is the food chain's contribution to the government in its call for social distance among people to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Taco Bell offers at least one million "Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos" via the participating locations' drive-thrus. Relatively, in a letter Mark King, the company's Chief Executive Officer wrote, he said that it is the restaurants' commitment to providing food for important workers in this pandemic, particularly the health workers, as well as those working in the transportation and grocery stores. READ: Chris Cuomo, News Anchor, and Brother of Governor Andrew Cuomo Tested Positive for COVID-19 Doing its Part to Take Care of the Brave People In his letter, King said, since his letter on March 13, a lot of changes have been taking place every day. Nevertheless, he added, he has noticed that there's only one thing that hasn't changed and that is the coming-together of people to help one another to show how much their care. The company CEO also identified what he described as "a distinct group of brave individuals," from the health workers to grocery store employees, to teachers-who guarantee that the world continues to run, and there is a need to guarantee that Taco Bell is going its part to take care of these brave people he referred to. READ NEXT: Stimulus Package: Benefits for Residents of New Mexico $1-Million Donation Taco Bell is also donating "$1 million to No Kid Hungry," an organization providing a meal to children without easy access to food. In addition, No Kid Hungry is ardently hoping as well, to reinstate its program known as the Round Up program to allow the customers of driver-thrus "to round up their total, not to mention, give donations to the program. In relation to this, Taco Bell is set to deploy, too, its Taco Bell Taco Trucks for the delivery of food to people who cannot access and go to a drive-thru. READ MORE: Brazil and Mexico In Taking Precautionary Steps To Fight COVID-19 Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, is contributing too, to combat COVID-19. David Gibbs, Yum Brands CEO, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, is sacrificing his base salary for 2020 to help the employees. Also, on top of the workers of the company, the money will be allotted for the one-time bonuses amounting to $1,000 for the 1,200 general managers of The Habit Grill and Pizza Hut, also owned by Yum Brands. Other Companies' Commitment to their Employees Other food companies and businesses are providing their respective employees with a boost as well, in the midst of the pandemic. Some of these companies, according to the Nation's Restaurant News include Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons. Meanwhile, according to the same report, Starbucks offered a bump of $3 per hour for employees, effective from March 21 to April 19. Chipotle also announced it would offer a 10-percent increase in pay to its hourly employees temporarily. Estimates made earlier suggest approximately one million American workers could have turned unemployed in March due to the shutdown which COVID-19 caused. In relation to this, the Labor Department stated that the number of Americans who file applications for unemployment benefits rose to 281,000 as of March 14. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company says its American manufacturing plants, including the one in Gadsden, will continue with suspended operations through April 10. The company suspended operations March 18, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. According to an announcement, the extension is due to the ongoing decline in market demand resulting from the rapid spread of COVID-19 in our region. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work through the unprecedented challenges of this global event together, the company said in an announcement shared on its Facebook page. Gadsdens Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant laid off 105 employees last month, which leaves the plants workforce down to 411 employees. In December, 740 employees took part in voluntary buyouts at the plant. At the time, the company said declining demand for the "products that can be produced by most of the equipment at Goodyear-Gadsden drove the decision to adjust staffing levels at the plant. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 14:07:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has attracted nearly 8.6 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first quarter this year, down 20.9 percent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency on Wednesday. During this period, the country licensed 758 new FDI projects with a total registered capital of 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, up 44.8 percent on-year in capital, and saw 236 operational FDI projects increasing their capital by nearly 1.1 billion U.S. dollars, down 18 percent. Among the 5.5 billion U.S. dollars of fresh FDI, 72.3 percent were poured into the electricity, gas and air-conditioner production and distribution sector, and 21.4 percent into the processing and manufacturing sector, according to the agency. In the three-month period, foreign investors spent nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars buying shares of or contributing capital to Vietnamese firms, down 65.6 percent on-year. In the first quarter, Singapore was Vietnam's largest source of new FDI with over 4.2 billion U.S. dollars, followed by China with nearly 456 million U.S. dollars and South Korea with over 284 million U.S. dollars, said the agency. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 13:32:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BELGRADE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- While China appeals for international cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19, Washington is slandering Beijing with an aim to divert attention from its own problematic response to the pandemic, said a former Serbian diplomat. The United States, instead of combating the disease at home where they have tens of thousands of cases, has stigmatized China and spread prejudices about the new virus, said Zivadin Jovanovic, who served as minister of foreign affairs of Yugoslavia, in a recent interview with Xinhua. Those baseless and irresponsible accusations are aimed at damaging China's global standing, said Jovanovic, who currently presides over two think-tanks -- the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals and the Silk Road Connectivity Research Center. It seems safe and comfortable for Washington to put the blame on China and divert public attention from its own responsibilities, he added. At present, COVID-19 has spread in many countries around the world. China has provided assistance to other countries including offering medical supplies, sharing experience through video conferences and dispatching medical expert teams. Jovanovic said that at this time of unparalleled global danger, China is demonstrating in practice a policy of solidarity, openness and shared future of humanity. "After consolidating the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control at home, China is now helping more than 80 countries around the globe ... unselfishly providing experience, medical equipment, urgent medicines and materials," Jovanovic noted. He reiterated that global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic demand a joint approach through a common platform or plan of measures under "the UN umbrella." Jovanovic said the dialogue initiated within the Group of 20 is an important step to provide common, coordinated, inclusive planning and actions for both the control of the COVID-19 pandemic and the revival of global economic growth afterwards. "Consensus should be reached on the efficient exchange of information, and coordination of actions. Artificial obstacles to the flow of medical supplies, such as sanctions, geopolitical calculations and alike, should be removed. In this fight, nobody can succeed acting alone, behaving egoistically. There are no isolated, no privileged ones," he said. Australia's Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, on March 5, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Australia Bans Exports of Medical Supplies After Items Sent in Bulk to China Amid COVID-19 Pandemic The Australian government on March 29 enacted new laws banning price gouging as well as the export of personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfectant products as supplies in hospitals, aged-care centers, and other centers across the country are in short supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton moved to ban the exports of disposable masks, gloves, gowns, and eye visors, as well as disinfectant products like alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer. Those breaching the law can be punished with up to five years in jail. Australias Customs can seize the critical items and incorporate them into the national stockpile for use by healthcare workers, provided the items are not defective. Were cracking down on price gouging during this crisis. The Coalition Government will also ban the export of masks, hand sanitiser, alcohol wipes and more. Goods that arent defective will be added to the National Medical Stockpile. pic.twitter.com/8lkzurKbc7 Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) April 1, 2020 The latest measure comes after Chinese-Australian companies reportedly sent back bulk medical supplies to China in recent months as people in Wuhan and across China fought the first known epidemic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic. In one case, Australian employees of Greenland Group, a global property giant backed by the Shanghai government, bought up 3 million masks, half a million pairs of gloves, 700,000 hazmat suits, and bulk quantities of hand sanitizer, thermometers, and other medical items, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The Herald also reported that another property group Risland Australia, a subsidiary of one of Chinas largest property developers, had shipped 80 tons of medical supplies to China in late February. The supplies included 100,000 protective coveralls and 900,000 pairs of medical gloves. Late Tuesday, the Herald revealed that a former Chinese military officer, Kuang Yuanping, now based in Sydney, was found to have coordinated with CCP agencies to export tonnes of Australian medical supplies to Wuhan in February. This marked the first time an explicit link can be made to Chinese influence activities in Australia, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie noted. Kuang, a former Peoples Liberation Army officer who runs CCP-backed organizations in Sydney and Melbourne, reportedly helped coordinate two airlifts of medical supplies from Australia to Wuhan. Kuang is now planning to send medical equipment to Australia. Those familiar with his plans told the Herald that he wants to help Australia in its fight with the CCP virus and help the CCP meet its soft power and political influence goals through charitable activity. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday reported, citing an anonymous law enforcement official, that the Australian Border Force (ABF) in recent weeks has seized several deliveries of PPE that have been found to be counterfeit or faulty. The Epoch Times has not been able to independently verify the reports. Price Gouging Ban Health Minister Greg Hunt has used emergency powers to stop the same critical medical supplies and disinfectant products from being sold at unreasonably high prices. From Monday, those who are found guilty of selling the items at a mark-up of 120 percent or more face a fine of AU$63,000 ($38,500) or five years in jail if they do not surrender the items to law enforcement. If the items are surrendered, they would be directed to the national stockpile. There is growing public concern that protective gear and disinfectants are not reaching those with the greatest need, as a small number of individuals continue to purchase these goods in large quantities from retailers with the intention of re-selling them at extortionate prices or sending them offshore, according to an explanatory statement on the countrys updated biosecurity measures. This practice prevents these goods from reaching individuals who need them the most. Included are essential service providers such as front-line health professionals and law enforcement, whose services are vital to preventing or controlling the spread of COVID-19 and who frequently deal with individuals who carry a high risk of transmitting the virus, it adds. The Australian federal government in mid-March tried to source locally-made masks and gowns as global supply chains were becoming depleted. The countrys Department of Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources issued a Request for Information to better understand Australias manufacturing capability and capacity for PPE. Department minister Karen Andrews said at the time, We are casting the net as widely as we can, asking manufacturers if they have the ability to diversify the work they do. As those opportunities continue to present, we will work with manufacturers to support their transition. Australian manufacturers have already been reaching out with offers to help. Im confident our Aussie ingenuity will guide us through this difficult time. The Australian Army was deployed in mid-March to manufacture masks in the countrys only mask manufacturer at the time, Med-Con, which is located near the city of Shepparton in Victoria. Across the country, companies are modifying their production lines in efforts to keep up medical supplies. Motorsports company Erebus Motorsport has begun producing full masks and protective Perspex boxes in Melbourne for medical staff on the front-line. Adelaides food packaging manufacturer Detmold Group recently began mass-producing masks. Under an agreement with the government, the company will hire up to 160 extra staff to produce 145 million masks, 100 million of which are destined for the national stockpile. The remainder will be kept for use in South Australia. Information on the COVID-19 pandemic for Australians is available at health.gov.au. The Coronavirus Health Information Line for Australians is 1800 020 080. Call Triple Zero (000) if you have serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing. To opt-in for daily government updates on Whatsapp, register at oz.gov.au/whatsapp Marks and Spencer has announced that staff working during the coronavirus pandemic will receive a 15% pay rise while furloughed staff will receive full pay. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) GMB union is calling on Marks and Spencer (MKS.L) to take steps to ensure safe social distancing between staff is enforced in order to protect workers from the coronavirus. GMB has made the demands after distribution staff at the retailers Swindon warehouse staged two walk outs over safety fears. The trade union has criticised DHL (DPW.DE), which runs the warehouse on behalf of M&S, for its cavalier attitude to health and safety. Around 80 GMB members walked out of work on 24 and 26 March to remove themselves from dangerous working conditions, and lack of precautions over coronavirus. Andy Newman, GMB branch secretary, said: Our members are extremely frightened. GMB shop stewards challenged managers about the impossibility of maintaining a two metre distance, the lack of hand sanitiser and PPE and the practice of passing equipment between staff without hygiene precautions. Sadly, they were shouted down. Read more: Food prices could rise as UK faces seasonal worker shortages One DHL manager agreed if staff didnt feel safe they could leave the site this led to a walk out. But now DHL are saying that they will not pay staff who dont turn up for work, even though the staff dont feel safe. Workers then removed themselves from what they saw as a dangerous situation, as theyre entitled to do under the Employment Relations Act. GMB demands Marks and Spencer steps in to ensure safe social distancing is enforced, and work practices are modified to meet government guidelines to prevent virus contagion. A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said: The UK government considers the work done by the logistics industry to be essential. As a result, the Swindon distribution remains open, although with reduced volumes. In these exceptional times, the safety of our employees and customers is paramount. Since the start of last week the distribution centre has been following the governments updated guidelines around social distancing, with regular enforcement by local management. All staff have been briefed on the importance of social distancing and the correct way to hand wash, while soap and hand washing facilities are readily available with clear instructions displayed throughout the operation. Story continues Read more: Sainsbury's accused of exploiting 'loophole' to keep Argos open "In addition, we have implemented a number of new measures at the site. These include floor marking at key locations to help colleagues maintain distance, staggered break times, and canteen seating arrangements that allow colleagues to stay at least two metres away from each other. We have also introduced a maximum number of people per work area per shift to ensure colleagues are spread out across the site. "The management team is actively monitoring the site at entry and exit points, and at the start and end of shifts, to ensure full compliance with our social distance policy. All non-essential workers who can perform their roles from home have been told to do so, and all high-risk team members have been instructed to self-isolate. "We will continue to carry out regular briefings while actively engaging with our on-site trade union steward to help reinforce the message, to ensure the wellbeing of all our colleagues. An M&S spokesperson said: M&S fully supports the governments efforts to protect the NHS and save lives. Last week, we temporarily suspended our Clothing & Home store operations and closed outlet stores, whilst our Foodhalls and online businesses remain open so we can continue to deliver for customers. This does mean a change to our operations we know these are difficult times and our logistics partners are doing all they can to support and update their brilliant teams, from the strict social distancing and hygiene measures theyve put in place at their sites, to furloughing where necessary. Marks and Spencer has announced that staff continuing to work in stores and its supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic will receive a 15% pay rise while furloughed staff will receive full pay. Read more: Millions of 'minimum wage heroes' set for 6.2% pay rise The retail giant temporarily suspended its Clothing & Home operations and closed its outlet stores last week. M&S Foodhalls remain open and the chain said it has taken more steps to protect the health of staff and customers in store including providing frontline workers with plastic face shields and installing protective sneeze guards at checkouts. We are actively encouraging social distancing in our Foodhalls, and have already introduced a number of measures to help colleagues stay healthy and enable customers to shop for the essentials they need with confidence from floor markings to the introduction of sneeze guards at till points, M&S retail director Sacha Berendji said. The latest measure is the introduction of reusable face shields, which will be distributed to our hard working teams this week. The Big Issue is to be available in supermarkets and other stores from Thursday for the first time in its 29-year history in a move aimed at supporting vendors not able to sell it on the streets. Sainsbury's will stock the magazine in hundreds of stores and online, while McColl's will sell it in 1,400 stores across the UK. Vendors were told to stop selling the magazine last month because of the coronavirus crisis, with people urged to take out a subscription so funds could continue to be given to them. The Big Issue magazine will be sold in supermarkets for the first time in its 29-year history after its street sellers were withdrawn to protect them from contracting coronavirus Sainsbury's is among the the supermarkets that will sell the magazine which has helped more than 100,000 people since it was founded in 1991 Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue, said: 'We have helped well over 100,000 people over the past 29 years, and on average we put 5 million into the pockets of our vendors every single year. Now, more than ever, we need your support. 'Our income comes from street sales and without our vendors on the streets we cannot support those people that really need us now and in the future. 'We are thrilled that the good folk at Sainsbury's and McColl's have partnered with us so that readers new and old can continue to buy the Big Issue during this turbulent time, with 50 per cent of the net proceeds going to supporting our vendors.' Lord Bird told the PA news agency that many people bought the Big Issue because of the vendors on the streets, but he hoped the new venture with supermarkets and stores would help retain sales, and therefore financial support. McColl's says it will sell the Big Issue in its 1,400 stores across the UK John Bird, founder of the Big Issue said the magazine has helped more than 100,000 people since it was launched and put 5m a year into the pockets of his vendors Big Issue editor Paul McNamee said it had been a 'remarkable effort' to change the sales model of the magazine so quickly, so that funds can continue to be given to vendors. 'When this is all over, our vendors will need more support, and we need to be here for them,' he said. Paul Mills-Hicks, commercial director at Sainsbury's, said: 'We are proud to be supporting a cause as important as the Big Issue Group, which exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of becoming homeless the opportunity to earn an income. 'Coronavirus has affected everyone in the UK, and it's important that we show our support for each other in these increasingly challenging times. 'We hope that by providing a means for our customers to purchase a copy of the Big Issue, we can encourage people to continue to buy the magazine, which so many vulnerable people rely on.' McColl's chief executive Jonathan Miller said: 'We urge our customers to lend their help by buying copies of the magazine available at our stores to help the organisation's street vendors who will be struggling to make a living as people stay at home amid the coronavirus outbreak.' In 2017 judges cracked down on the number of poor EU migrants selling The Big Issue as a back door to claiming benefits. A court has now ruled that a Romanian woman who used the magazine to access tens of thousands of pounds of in-work benefits should have them stopped. By selling copies of the magazine worth 50 each week, she was able to claim 150 a week of taxpayers money in tax credits and housing benefit. In a key judgment, a court has said that the woman earned too little to claim her work was genuine and effective thus cutting off her eligibility to UK handouts. In November 2014, Iain Duncan Smith highlighted the problem in a speech in Berlin. He said: A good example of that is the Big Issue, a magazine which is a brilliant idea by a brilliant individual who himself was homeless. It is wonderful. But actually what is happening progressively, more and more, is people mostly from southern and eastern Europe have actually ended up being Big Issue sellers and they claim, as self-employed, immediately, tax credits. Nearly 100,000 unemployment claims in just over one week. Retail businesses, movie theaters, bowling alleys, casinos and salons closed. Restaurants moved to take-out only, laying off or furloughing employees. Senior centers, libraries, religious institutions and schools closed. These are just some of the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 crisis here in Connecticut over the past two weeks. As we all adjust to these unusual circumstances, many of our friends and neighbors are left stranded, facing the stark reality of unemployment, isolation and an increasing need for help. This historic time highlights the critical importance of Connecticuts nine Community Action Agencies, or CAAs, which have been in business for nearly 60 years. CAAs connect neighbors in need with vital programs, services and resources that stabilize and improve lives. Last year, they removed obstacles and created opportunities for 259,512 people children, teens, adults, single parents and older adults statewide, helping them reach their full potential and contribute fully to their communities. As the situation at hand continues to unfold, CAAs are experiencing a growing need in many of the programs and services they provide. This includes Meals on Wheels, which delivers nutritious meals to homebound older adults who are unable to shop or prepare meals on their own. With congregate meal sites (groups of people aged 60 and over receiving nutritious meals) closed and older adults in the most vulnerable, at-risk group amid COVID-19, Meals on Wheels requests have increased dramatically often from children seeking help for their parents. CAAs are doing everything they can to meet this surge in demand, and taking every necessary precaution to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers and customers. Additionally, as small businesses, bars, restaurants and other services were forced to close, Connecticut saw a record number of people file for unemployment. With their financial situation in disarray, theyre calling their local Community Action Agency for help putting food on the table, paying their energy bill, and meeting other essential, basic needs. Most have never asked for assistance before, and all are fearful and uncertain of what the future holds for them and their families. Our local, state and federal governments have put some policies into place to help. There is a temporary moratorium on evictions, and the no shut-off period for utilities has been extended. Connecticut has reopened enrollment into insurance plans through Access Health CT. Schools have adjusted to provide breakfast and lunch through grab and go stations throughout their communities, so our children dont go hungry. And the federal government has allowed agencies providing congregate meals to transition to providing meals delivered to peoples homes through Meals on Wheels. Unfortunately, this situation could worsen as people continue to lose income, as well as access to health care, affordable housing, food and more. And so now is the time to reach out to your family, friends, neighbors and community members who may be navigating an unparalleled time of struggle in their lives. Ask what you can do. Let them know youre there to support them (if only from six feet away). And tell them to call their local Community Action Agency for help. Were mostly working remotely, but well be on the other end of the phone, ready to help people across Connecticut during this difficult time and beyond. Deb Polun is executive director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action, or CAFCA, the state association for Connecticuts nine Community Action Agencies, the state and federally designated antipoverty agencies covering all 169 cities and towns. CAFCA is a member of the National Community Action Partnership. Find and contact your local CAA at https://www.cafca.org/agencies/ . by Nirmala Carvalho To date, official data reports 1637 positive cases and 38 deaths. But experts predict up to 300 million infected people. Migrant day laborers left without work, without home, without food. Frederick DSouza and his faithful offer money and food to the bricklayers in the slum near the parish. A vast and unprecedented migration. I fear it will cause a tragedy, a human catastrophe. " New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Tens of thousands of migrant workers are stranded in the capital without work, without a home, without food. Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to close factories, shops, construction sites, restaurants and block transport to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, is inseminating panic. To date, official data show 1,637 positive cases and 38 deaths. But the overcrowding of many cities and the lack of sufficient health facilities lead experts to fear for the worst. In recent days, hundreds of millions of people left without jobs have sparked a huge exodus. Frederick DSouza, former director of Caritas India and today parish priest of the church of St. Alfonso in Vasant Kunj (South Delhi), tells AsiaNews about the tragedy of migrants and the way in which his parishioners try to help them: Due to the lockdown, the migrants have lost their jobs and this terrifies them. There is terror because they have learned that many people have already died from the virus; there is terror because they don't know how long this will last and how they will survive or eat." The priests of the parish and some volunteers go every day to visit the makeshift accommodation where migrants are amassed. Migrants - he continues - are day laborers and having lost their jobs and wages. We are trying to help them, first of all by encouraging them not to go back to their villages of origin, but to stay in the city, for their own safety. We priests and all parishioners distribute money to all of them, at least for the purchase of some food, especially for construction workers who live here in a slum. We meet all the people in the slum advising them not to migrate. They would like to go back to their villages, to be with their families, rather than unemployed and homeless here in Delhi." The priest explains that tens of thousands of them have come from other cities and stop in Delhi hoping to be able to return to their villages with some means of luck. Many of them face hundreds of kilometers on foot. "The government - explains Fr. Frederick - is distributing food to migrants, even to those who are passing through to go to other states. But everyone wonders: how long will the government feed us? There is a great sense of insecurity ". The lockdown imposed on a nation of 1.3 billion people is almost total. Those who move on the street must have a permit. A permit is also required to help migrants. When we go to find them we need a permit, which is sent to us via Whatsapp. On the other hand, the migrant slum is very close to the parish, you can reach it on foot." Fr. Frederick talks about the generosity of his parishioners: The parish takes care of the expenses for food for migrants, but also many of our faithful make it. We are not a wealthy parish, but some of our parishioners have stable jobs and are happy to make a contribution. Many of our friends abroad also send aid." Fr. Souza was the director of Caritas India and has seen other migrations in the country in the past. This - he says - is a migration dictated by fear; it is not like the others, dictated by need and necessary. Maybe it could have been avoided. It is a vast and unprecedented migration. I fear it will cause a tragedy, a human catastrophe. " According to some experts, the vastness of the territory, the huge population and the pockets of extreme poverty could cause the infection of 300 million people. Kerala High Court, while hearing the Karnataka-Kerala border closure issue on Wednesday, asked who will take the responsibility if people die due to illnesses other than coronavirus during this time. "If people die due to other illnesses, who'll take responsibility? Would the doctor tell you to only check on someone with COVID-19? Centre to take a decision and inform the court," the court said. Kerala government today filed an affidavit in the High Court on the matter and also submitted a letter was given by the hospitals of Mangalore which states that they are ready to give treatment to Kasargode natives. "Karnataka closed the Pathore road in Mangalore border... It was decided jointly by both states to close 12 of the 17 roads on the Kerala-Karnataka border," the affidavit said. "But five more roads were forcibly closed by Karnataka. This is a violation of the Central Government's directive. Five roads including the Thalappady Highway were also closed by Karnataka. They are not even giving permission to ambulances. Six people have died so far due to this," it added. Kerala government, in the affidavit, said that Karnataka's stand on the matter is inhumane. Karnataka's Advocate General, on the other hand, told Kerala High Court that people from Kasargod can't be admitted. "Coorg-Mangalore can't accommodate more people. We are only differentiating between one infected area from another," Karnataka submitted. Kerala High Court, had on Tuesday, asked Karnataka government not to block patients at the border and open the Kasaragod route to Mangalore for medical purposes. This comes as the country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) City Editor Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has covered statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids. By Trend The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the US has exceeded the 3,400 mark, Johns Hopkins University said Tuesday, Trend reports citing TASS. According to the university that regularly calculates data based on federal and local authorities reports, 175,067 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US, while 3,415 people died and 5,995 recovered. Therefore, the US now has more coronavirus deaths than China, where 3,309 people died, the university noted. US media outlets also underline that the US coronavirus death toll also exceeded the number of people who were killed in the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. Back then, around 3,000 people died when Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:44:30|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close VIENNA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Three critically ill French patients of COVID-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus, are to be brought to Salzburg, Austria, for treatment, according to local media. France has asked Austria to admit some coronavirus-infected patients in intensive care, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday evening, according to the Austrian Press Agency (APA). "Of course we will help France in this difficult situation to save human lives," said the chancellor, thanking the State of Salzburg for it. "Given the great drama of the situation, this is only a small contribution, but it is symbolically important that we support each other in Europe," he added. Austria has reported over 10,000 COVID-19 cases and 128 deaths, while France registered more than 52,000 cases and some 3,500 deaths as of Tuesday. London: Harry and Meghan are house-hunting in the area of Los Angeles where Diana, Princess of Wales, reportedly planned to settle in 1997, it has emerged. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be looking for a beachside home in Malibu to raise Archie, their 10-month-old son. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry are searching for a home in Malibu. Credit:Getty Images Harry's mother reportedly planned to move there with Dodi Fayed, her boyfriend, after he bought a palatial home in the area a few months before the couple died in a Paris car crash. The Tuscan-style villa, set on two hectares and boasting a private beach and 40 metres of ocean frontage, used to belong to Julie Andrews, the Mary Poppins star, and Blake Edwards, her film director husband. In 2007, Paul Burrell, the Princess' former butler, confirmed she had planned to move to what he described as a "lovely house ... in Malibu" adding that he had seen the plans for it. By Andrew Osborn, Polina Devitt and Steve Holland MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia sent the United States medical equipment on Wednesday to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, a public relations coup for Russian President Vladimir Putin after he discussed the crisis with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump, struggling to fill shortages of ventilators and personal protective equipment, accepted Putin's offer in a phone call on Monday. A Russian military transport plane left an airfield outside Moscow and arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy airport in late afternoon on Wednesday. Usually, the United States donates supplies to embattled countries rather than accepting them. The origin of the delivery, which Moscow called aid, was bound to revive criticism from Democrats that Trump has been too cozy with the Russian leader. "Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday. Trump himself spoke enthusiastically about the Russian help after his call with Putin. The State Department said that following the call between the two leaders, the United States "has agreed to purchase" needed medical supplies, including ventilators and personal protection equipment, from Russia and that they were handed over to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday in New York City. "We are a generous and reliable contributor to crisis response and humanitarian action across the world, but we cannot do it alone," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. "Both countries have provided humanitarian assistance to each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future," she added. "This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all of us." A U.S. official in Washington said the shipment carried 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators and other items. Story continues The official said the equipment would be carefully examined to make sure it comports with the quality requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Russia's Rossiya 24 channel on Wednesday morning showed the plane taking off from a military air base outside Moscow in darkness. Its cargo hold was filled with cardboard boxes and other packages. Confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases have surged to more than 205,000, with 4,500 deaths. In Russia, the official tally of confirmed cases is 2,337, with 17 deaths, although some doctors there have questioned the accuracy of official data. STRAIN IN RELATIONS Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in recent years by everything from Syria to Ukraine to U.S. election interference, something Russia denies. Trump spent two years battling a federal investigation into whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. "Nothing to see here. Just a Russian military aircraft landing at JFK with 60 tons of medical supplies to support Americas #COVID19 response. A propaganda bonanza as our own government shrinks from Americas leadership role in a global crisis," said Brett McGurk, a former diplomat for Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Trump said on Tuesday he and Putin discussed the virus at length. "Russia is being hit pretty hard," he said. Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said Moscow hoped the United States might also be able to provide medical help to Russia if necessary when the time came. "It is important to note that when offering assistance to U.S. colleagues, the president (Putin) assumes that when U.S. manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary," Peskov was cited as saying. Peskov complained that some U.S. officials had made it needlessly difficult to expedite the aid. He also was quoted as saying that Russia and China cooperated in a similar way because "at a time when the current situation affects everyone without exception ... there is no alternative to working together in a spirit of partnership and mutual assistance." Russia has also used its military to send planeloads of aid to Italy to combat the spread of the coronavirus, exposing the European Union's failure to provide swift help to a member in crisis and handing Putin a publicity coup at home and abroad. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Polina Devitt in Moscow and Steve Holland in Washington; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Editing by Mary Milliken, David Gregorio and Peter Cooney) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Tethyan Resource Corp. (TSXV: TETH) ("Tethyan" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an arm's length agreement to purchase a 100% ownership stake in Serbian company EFPP d.o.o. ("EFPP"), the holder of two exploration licences (the "Licences") over the past-producing Kizevak and Sastavci silver-zinc-lead mines in the Raska district of Southwestern Serbia (Figure 1). Acquisition Highlights: The Licences are contiguous with Tethyan's existing exploration rights and the acquisition would complete the consolidation of a district of known silver-zinc-lead vein-type and copper-gold porphyry deposits, presenting numerous strategic advantages; The Licences include two past-producing open pit silver-zinc-lead mines and host significant historical mineral resources and reserves that were reported in accordance with Yugoslav GKZ reporting criteria and indicate excellent brownfield exploration potential (see Historical Resource and Reserve Estimates below); At Kizevak, historic drilling and underground channel sampling data define mineralisation that is present from surface up to 200 metres depth and 1.2 kilometres in strike length that is open down dip and along strike, representing an immediate drill-ready target (Figures 2 & 3); Staged acquisition payments allow Tethyan to focus funds on drilling; Serbia is establishing itself as a recognised mining jurisdiction, attracting significant investment interest. Fabian Baker, Tethyan's President and CEO, commented: "This acquisition is a key step in Tethyan's strategy to consolidate a district of historical mines and exploration prospects in Serbia. The Kizevak project in particular gives Tethyan an immediate drill ready target, and we can now drill the 1.2 kilometres of strike length, reported to host historical resources, between the former open pit mine and Tethyan's excellent 2018 drilling results. With Kizevak as a cornerstone project the many satellite exploration targets identified by historical drilling, all within a few kilometres of Kizevak, become relevant to a possible district-wide operation. The plan moving forward is for Tethyan to commence drilling of these high-grade silver-zinc-lead targets in parallel with advancing our two copper-gold porphyry projects at Rudnica and Kremice in the Raska district of Serbia." Story continues Kizevak Project Kizevak is a past-producing mine reported to host considerable historic mineral resources, along-strike from which Tethyan drilled mineralization including 12 metres at 22.03% zinc, 10.29 % lead, 167 g/t silver and 0.18 g/t gold (refer to Tethyan's news release dated September 4th 2018). The mine was operated as an open pit by the Serbian state between 1984 and 2000, ceasing operations due to conflict in the region. The project benefits from numerous infrastructure advantages including water, power, road and rail access all within 5 kilometres, and a local workforce with a long history of mining. Additionally, the land comprising the wider project area is designated for mining purposes under the Serbian State spatial plan, providing many permitting benefits and efficiencies. Mineralisation at Kizevak comprises steeply dipping, southeast striking, structurally controlled lenses of quartz-carbonate-sulphide vein breccias and stockwork zones hosted in andesite volcanics. Historic drilling and underground sampling data indicate that mineralisation occurs over a strike length of at least 1.2 kilometres, between 1 and 30 metres wide, and up to 200 metres down dip (Figures 2 & 3). This dominant southeast striking trend is intersected by at least one perpendicular southwest striking mineralised structure, which is inferred as an important control on high grade shoots. Mineralisation is open down dip and along strike to the northwest, southwest and southeast. In 2018 Tethyan drilled four drill holes on its wholly owned licence 1.2 kilometres along strike to the southeast of the mine (refer to Tethyan's news release dated September 4th 2018 and Figure 2) that returned mineralized intervals including: 12 metres at 22.03 % zinc, 10.29 % lead, 167 g/t silver, and 0.18 g/t gold for 35.09 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD002, from 130 m) 43 metres at 4.30 % zinc, 2.49 % lead, 26 g/t silver, and 0.21 g/t gold for 7.39 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD001, from 193 m) including 13.1 m @ 11.28 % zinc, 5.05 % lead, 57 g/t silver, and 0.32 g/t gold for 17.44 % ZnEq (from 221 m) 40.0 m @ 4.35 % zinc, 2.14 % lead, 27 g/t silver, and 0.34 g/t gold for 7.37 % ZnEq (Hole KSEDD003, from 137 m) Sastavci Project Sastavci was also mined historically by open pit on a smaller scale than at Kizevak and represents a priority drilling target. Outcropping, steeply dipping, massive sulphide veins up to 5 metres wide are visible in the pit walls. Tethyan collected 65 rock-chip samples across the Sastavci area, which returned assays ranging from trace to >30 % zinc (over range), 7.1 % lead, 94.3 g/t silver and 0.47 g/t gold in the Sastavci pit. A historic resource estimate is reported in the Serbian geological archives (see Historical Resource and Reserve Estimates below). Additionally, to the north of the Sastavci open pit Tethyan has defined a greater than 100 ppb gold in soil anomaly over 800 metres long and 400 metres wide in strongly silica altered volcanic rocks. Rock-chip sample assays range from trace to 3.7 g/t gold, representing a separate epithermal gold exploration target. Historic Resource and Reserve Estimates In 1994 the Yugoslav Geological Survey reported combined estimated mineral resources in GKZ compliant A+B+C1+C2 categories of 8Mt at 45 g/t silver, 5.06 % zinc and 2.96 % lead at Kizevak, Sastavci and Karadak (a portion of the Kizevak resource, and Karadak are located on Tethyan's existing licences). The mineral resource estimates were reported by the state geological survey according to Yugoslav GKZ guidelines and do not comply with NI 43-101 reporting requirements and associated CIM definition standards. The authors caution that a qualified person has not done sufficient work to validate the historical estimates, and Tethyan is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or reserves. Tethyan has not completed a detailed review of the historical resource or completed a new mineral resource estimate. The historical resource estimates were completed using the polygonal method using data acquired from diamond drilling and underground sampling. For readers not familiar with Yugoslav mineral estimates, such estimates were always stated as "reserves" and classified according to the A+B+C1+C2 or "alphabetical" classification, which was derived from the Russian system and is still applied throughout many countries in southeast Europe. The reserves had to be approved by the official Commission for Ore Reserves. The A, B, C1 and C2 categories reflect the levels of confidence in the actual tonnage exploited from a reserve, with confidence levels being - 95%, 80%, 70% and 35% respectively. Henley (2004) and others have evaluated the alphabetical classification system with respect to the compliant codes in Canada and Australia, and concluded that A+B is comparable to "measured", C1 to "indicated" and C2 to "inferred" in internationally acceptable codes for reporting resources. However, these comparisons are only an approximation, and cannot be considered as equivalents. To verify the historical resource estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, drilling, mapping, detailed geological interpretation, geological modelling, grade mapping by interpolation using geostatistical analysis and mineral resource classification, using industry standard software, is required. Terms of EFPP Acquisition Closing of the transaction to acquire EFPP (the "Transaction") is subject to satisfactory due diligence and TSX acceptance on or before 15th April 2020. The acquisition of EFPP will occur in two steps, an initial 'First Closing' whereby Tethyan will acquire 10% of the shares of EFPP and management control of the company, and a 12 month period in which to decide, in its sole discretion, whether to proceed to a 'Second Closing' when Tethyan has the right to acquire the remaining 90% of the shares of EFPP. A summary of the terms of the Transaction is as follows: First Closing: In consideration for 10% of the shares of EFPP Tethyan will pay to the Sellers a total of EUR 625,000 cash on the First Closing. Second Closing: At any time within 12 months of First Closing, Tethyan may elect to acquire the remaining 90% of shares of EFPP on the Second Closing by: Paying EUR 1,375,000; Granting to the Sellers a 2% Net Smelter Return over the Licences; Issuing a total of 4 million ordinary shares of Tethyan, to be issued in four equal tranches of 1 million shares, with the first tranche issued on the Second Closing and each additional tranche issued each six months thereafter; Paying a deferred cash payment of EUR 500,000 on the two-year anniversary of First Closing. Resignation of Directors The Company also announces the resignation of Mr Richard Warke and Professor Poonam Puri as directors of the Company. Tethyan anticipates that additional directors will be appointed to the board of directors of the Company in due course. Fabian Baker, Tethyan's President & CEO, commented: "We would like to sincerely thank Mr. Warke and Professor Puri for their support of the Company, it has been a privilege to work with them and they are leaving us well positioned to successfully advance our new assets." Figure 1: Location of the Kizevak and Sastavci exploration licences within Tethyan's existing licence holding in the Raska District of Serbia. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_003full.jpg Figure 2: Map showing historical exploration drilling and adits that define a mineralised zone in excess of 1.2 kilometres in strike-length overlain on satellite imagery in which the past-producing Kizevak open pit is visible. Selected significant intercepts from historic sampling are labelled and all mineralised intervals greater than 2% lead + zinc are shown for reference. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_004full.jpg Figure 3: Long section through the Kizevak deposit showing historic drill and exploration adit intercepts greater than 2 % lead + zinc; note the intercepts down to 530 metre elevation in the northwest versus intercepts to only 680 metre elevation in the southeast indicating significant upside to depth. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5611/54025_8db25805949eeaa7_005full.jpg About Tethyan Resource Corp. Tethyan Resource Corp. is a precious and base metals mineral exploration company incorporated in British Columbia, Canada, and listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Tethyan is focused on the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt in Eastern Europe, mainly Serbia, where it is acquiring and exploring a portfolio of quality precious and base metals projects with known mineralization and compelling drill targets. Tethyan emphasizes responsible engagement with local communities and stakeholders, and is committed to the proactive implementation of Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and sustainable health, safety and environmental management. More information can be found on Tethyan's website: www.tethyan-resources.com. Sampling Methodology, Quality Assurance and Quality Control The drill core and rock chip sampling program and sampling protocols were supervised by Tethyan's Exploration Manager, Mr Andrew Tunningley MAusIMM(CP), who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Tethyan's drill core samples were collected from half cut PQ and HQ diameter core, where the core was sawn along a pre-defined cutting line. Sample intervals were selected by the geologists based on geological criteria including presence of alteration and mineralisation, style of mineralisation and lithological contacts. Minimum sample lengths of 0.5 metres and maximum sample lengths of 2 metres were employed. Each sample weighed between 2 and 13 kg depending on the length of the sample and diameter of drill core. Sampling was only conducted on visually mineralised intervals, including 10 metres either side of the visually mineralised interval. Data verification was conducted by the Qualified Person including checking of detailed geological logs against core observations, core photographs and analytical results. In addition, digital data was verified using industry standard software to validate the drill database prior to entering data into the master database. No check assays have been conducted to date. The chip samples were taken using a rock hammer. Typical sample weights were 2 kg per sample. Samples were collected in cotton bags and given a unique reference number. Quality Assurance is provided through provision of standard operating procedures for the collection and submission of samples as well as data handling and management. Quality Control is monitored through the insertion of one certified reference material sample and one blank sample per batch of 20 samples. One duplicate sample is also inserted per batch. All samples are securely transported from the project site to the ALS Global sample preparation laboratory in Bor, Serbia by ALS couriers. Sample pulps are then sent to ALS Rosia Montana, Romania by air freight for gold analysis by 30 gram fire assay with AA finish (code FA-AA23). Multi-element analyses are conducted by ALS Loughrea, Ireland using a highly oxidising digestion with ICP-MS finish (code ME-ICPORE). ALS's laboratories are ISO 2005 accredited, employ a Laboratory Information Management System for sample tracking, quality control and reporting, and are independent of Tethyan. Historical drill and underground channel sample data has not been verified by the Qualified Person and should not be relied upon. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tethyan's Exploration Manager, Andrew Tunningley, MAusIMM(CP), who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Contact Fabian Baker, President and Chief Executive Officer +44 1534 881 885 | fabian@tethyan-resources.com Andjelija Vujovic, Investor Relations +381(0) 11 4077 433 | andjelija@tethyan-resources.com TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the exploration program. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expected", "intends", "will be", "look forward", "looks" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Tethyan to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the completion of the First Closing and the Second Closing, receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals; future exploration programs; capital expenditures and other costs; and additional capital requirements. Although management of Tethyan 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. Tethyan will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54025 Poet Cathy Park Hong tackles the complexities of the Asian American experience in her incisive essay collection, "Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning," published last month by One World. "Most Americans know nothing about Asian Americans," she writes. "They think Chinese is synecdoche for Asians the way Kleenex is for tissues. They don't understand that we're this tenuous alliance of many nationalities." Hong fuses memoir, cultural criticism and history to investigate topics from self-hatred and depression to shame and capitalism. She also explores Asian Americans' "vague purgatorial status," distrusted by African Americans and ignored by whites "unless we're being used by whites to keep the black man down," and the "model minority myth," which she says masks real discrimination suffered by Asian Americans. "There are a lot of fantastic Asian American writers who've come out and are coming out in 2020, and what a sad irony that they're now publishing these books when anti-Asian racism has spiked," Hong told NBC Asian America. "I hope that the stories and the poetry and artwork that's coming out can act as a counterweight to the hate." Hong, poetry editor of The New Republic and a professor at Rutgers-Newark University, is the author of the acclaimed poetry collections "Engine Empire," "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Translating Mo'um." Her poems have been featured in Poetry, A Public Space, The Paris Review and McSweeney's, among other publications. We chatted with Hong about her book of creative nonfiction, the invisibility and current hypervisibility of Asian Americans and the rise in racism during the pandemic. Image: Cathy Park Hong (Beowulf Sheehan) NBC Asian America: You argue that Asian Americans are often invisible in society, but in the last few weeks we've become hypervisible and the victims of racist bullying and physical attacks. Does this moment remind you of past scapegoating in the U.S.? Story continues Cathy Park Hong: Right now, Asians are seen as diseases, which reminds me of the late 1800s, when Chinese immigrants were seen as vermin. It's like the return of the yellow peril. We're seen as foreigners and enemies. Then there's the Japanese internment camps where Japanese Americans were scapegoated, as they were in the 1980s, too. South Asians were considered part of the "model minority," and then after 9/11, Asians who were visibly Muslim or South Asians who were brown became targets. This happens all the time. Assimilation doesn't save us. NBC Asian America: Trump and other Republicans have used the term "Chinese virus" to describe the coronavirus pandemic. How did you feel seeing the photo of his remarks where he'd crossed out the word "corona" and replaced it with "Chinese"? Hong: I was enraged. However, I wasn't surprised. It's a strategic move. Instead of facing up to his own errors, he blames it on immigrants. When he realized that the coronavirus was going to be a catastrophe, he was, like, "Let's just place it on the Chinese and anyone who looks Chinese." He's made the anti-Asian racism official and is enabling it, but it was widespread before he called it "Chinese virus." NBC Asian America: After widespread criticism, Trump recently wrote on Twitter: "It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it." What did you think about his use of the words "they" and "us"? Hong: We're not "us." We're not part of the U.S. We're still foreigners. That's just typical of Trump. It's typical of America. Asians are never part of the U.S. and never American. NBC Asian America: The term "Asian American" has a radical history that's unknown to most Americans. Do you think there's a future Asian American identity that can encompass the vastly different experiences of Asians in the U.S.? Hong: I don't know. In the late 1960s, what mobilized a lot of Asian Americans was the rampant racism and xenophobia, but it was also the Vietnam War. Perhaps now that anti-Asian racism is out in the open, this will be a reckoning for Asian Americans to unify. There are Asians in the younger generation who are much more progressive and radicalized by climate change and Bernie and Black Lives Matter, but there are also Asian Americans for whom race was not a part of their lives. They prefer to live in their bubble, still in the Sunken Place, and I think this was a wake-up call for them. I hope there's more of an awakening and a stronger allyship with other people of color. NBC Asian America: You write about "minor feelings," which you say occur when "American optimism is enforced upon you, which contradicts your own racialized reality, thereby creating a status of cognitive dissonance." Can you talk more about this racialized range of emotions? Hong: Minor feelings are more about the anticipation of a racist incident or knowing you've been denied a job or promotion or emasculated because of your Asian identity but you can't find proof of it. It's suspicion, shame, melancholy, maybe frustration, anxiety and those feelings when your reality is constantly gaslit. One of the misconceptions about Asian Americans is that Asian Americans don't experience racism. This is what white people and some people of color think, because we don't experience racism the way African Americans or Latinx people do. Now we're seeing this blow up and people are really racist against Asians. These minor feelings are major. NBC Asian America: What is the conflicted position of Asian Americans in the U.S.'s racial and capital hierarchy? Hong: I think there's a lot of misrepresentation where Asians are seen as wealthy and all doctors and lawyers, but Asian immigrants are in low-paying service industry jobs. I think there are a lot more Asian Americans in the working class than we acknowledge. This myth we're all crazy rich Asians we are not. There's a real class divide among Asians that's not talked about and has to be recognized. Those of us in the professional class also suffer injustices. We're always middle management, but we don't get promoted because of racial discrimination. NBC Asian America: Do you think Asian Americans will always be trying to assert their humanity? Hong: Racism never goes away. It adapts. Maybe certain groups within the Asian American umbrella will become white or pass as white, but then there will be other groups discriminated against. I don't have a lot of optimism about America overcoming these inequities. Right now, racism against Asians is a spectacle. It's camera-ready. We're seeing people being visibly harassed. Maybe that will indicate to other people there is actually racism against Asian Americans. These prejudices don't come out of the blue. They're under the surface. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. A German tourist celebrated her first day out of quarantine by heading to a popular Sydney beach - despite strict social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ella, from Berlin, arrived in Australia two weeks ago after backpacking through Southeast Asia. Like all international arrivals she was forced to spend 14 days in self-isolation to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. But as soon as the globetrotter was able to leave isolation she hit the streets, filming as she made her way to Dee Why Beach in northern Sydney. She shared the footage on Instragram, writing: 'First day to go out after quarantine. #Freedom'. The beach was packed with sunbathers, swimmers and surfers, despite authorities pleading for people to avoid public spaces and large gatherings. Ella, from Berlin, arrived in Australia two weeks ago after backing through Southeast Asia A paraglider was also seen enjoying to warm summers day, flying above crowds of beachgoers. The government and health officials have been pleading for residents to remain home as much as possible as the number of cases continues to rise with 4,762 people now infected. The Northern Beaches has some of the highest infection rates in the country, with 101 cases. It comes just behind Waverley, which includes Bondi, Bronte and Queens Park in Sydney's eastern suburbs, leads all areas in New South Wales with 140 cases. Mayor Michael Regan said: 'We want to keep our outdoor places open where we can to allow people to exercise as recommended under the Federal Government guidelines. 'Council and local police are working together to actively monitor and enforce social distancing requirements. 'This has resulted in the temporary closure of a number of beaches and outdoor spaces over the past few weeks and we will continue to do that if necessary. 'We will also be reminding people to move on under the advice of the state and federal authorities, if they chose to sunbake or stay longer than is necessary in an outdoor place. 'The public health and safety of our community, is Councils priority.' The government introduced strict social distancing measures last month to slow the spread of the disease. Only two people are allowed to gather in public places together. Playgrounds, outdoor gyms and skate parks were forced to close. As soon as the globetrotter was able to leave isolation she hit the streets, filming as she made her way to Dee Why Beach in northern Sydney She shared the footage on Instragram, writing: 'First day to go out after quarantine. #Freedom' Cafes, bars and restaurants have been forced to close or offer takeaway only. The restrictions have brought the Australian economy to a crashing halt, with thousands of people now out of work. Centrelink offices have been flooded with desperate Aussies hoping to get the job seeker benefit. The government has been working to soften the blow to the economy, pledging to support workers who lose their jobs. 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 Scott Morrison announced an extra $66billion worth of spending on Sunday, bringing the total survival package to $189billion - or 10 percent of Australia's GDP. A series of bills was approved on Monday night, with two packages worth $17.6billion and $66billion at the heart of the Morrison government's response. In separate legislation, the government set aside a further $40billion for urgent and unforeseen spending associated with the pandemic, likely to cause a recession. The government will no longer need legislation to make changes to welfare settings after passing an amendment to the package, giving the social services minister unprecedented powers. The money is to help businesses survive the shutdown, and to help people buy food and pay their bills through an extended period when they might be unable to work due to quarantines and lockdowns. It includes wage subsidies so businesses can keep staff on the payroll even when money is not coming in, and early superannuation access for people struggling to make ends meet. A number of welfare payments almost doubled. Banks have also offered a six-month repayment holiday for mortgage holders. On-demand shuttle startup Via has hit a $2.25 billion valuation following a Series E funding round led by Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that owns stakes in PartnerRe, Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The Series E funding round, which included other investors, totaled $400 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. Exor invested $200 million into Via as part of the round, both companies said in an announcement. Noam Ohana, who heads up Exor Seeds, the holding company's early-stage investment arm, will join Via's board. New investors Macquarie Capital, Mori Building and Shell also participated in the round, as well as existing investors 83North, Broadscale Group, Ervington Investments, Hearst Ventures, Planven Ventures, Pitango and RiverPark Ventures. Via, which employs about 700 people, plans to use most of these funds to expand its "partnerships," the software services piece of its business. Via has two sides to its business. The company operates consumer-facing shuttles in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York. But the core of its business is really its underlying software platform, which it sells to cities and transportation authorities to deploy their own shuttles. When the company first launched in 2012, there was little interest from cities in the software platform, according to co-founder and CEO Daniel Ramot . The company started by focusing on its consumer-facing shuttles. Over time, and using the massive amounts of data it collected through these services, Via improved its dynamic, on-demand routing algorithm, which uses real-time data to route shuttles to where they're needed most. Via landed its first city partnership with Austin in late 2017, after providing the platform to the transit authority for free. It was enough to allow Via to develop case studies and convince other cities to buy into the service. In 2019, the partnerships side of the business "took off," Ramot said in a recent interview, adding that the company was signing on two to three cities a week before the COVID-19 pandemic. Story continues Today, the Via platform is used by more than 100 partners, including cities such as Los Angeles and Cupertino, Calif., and Arriva Bus UK, a Deutsche Bahn company that uses it for a first and last-mile service connecting commuters to a high-speed train station in Kent, U.K. Raising funds in a pandemic Via managed to close the funding round during an inauspicious time for startups that have found it increasingly difficult to lock in capital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus, has upended markets, along with every industrial and business sector, from manufacturing and transportation to energy and real estate. Via managed to raise a sizable fund, which just closed, despite the credit tightening and uncertainty. Ramot told TechCrunch that while he was worried the round might be delayed, he noted that Exor is a long-term and patient investor that shares the company's "same vision of where transit is going." Even now, as nearly every category within transportation including public transit, ride-hailing, shared micromobility and airlines has seen ridership drop or dry up altogether, Ramot and Ohana see a promising future. Ohana said that the market is starting to understand the limits of ride-hailing hurdles such as poor unit economics and an uncertain path to profitability. "On the other hand, the size of the market for an on-demand dynamic shuttle service is large and underappreciated," Ohana said. "When we look at public transit today, there is a significant opportunity for Via, which already has impressive experience working with municipal and public transit partners across the globe." That doesn't mean Via is immune to the widespread tumult caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Via's consumer business has been negatively affected as ridership has dropped due to the spreading disease. However, there has been some promise with its partnerships business, Ramot said. Existing partners, a list that includes transit authorities in Berlin, Germany, Ohio and Malta, have worked with Via to convert or adapt the software to meet new needs during the pandemic. A city might dedicate its shuttle service to transporting goods or essential personnel. For instance, Berlin converted its 120-shuttle fleet transport to an overnight service that provides free transit to healthcare workers traveling to and from work. "There has been a real interest in emergency services," Ramot said, adding he expects to see more demand for the software platform and the flexibility it provides as the pandemic unfolds. They're anxious, without work and a long way from home. International students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, overwhelmed with distress in Brisbane, have prompted the city's Indian community to donate essential groceries at a park bench. Kishan Vyas said students hit hard by the pandemic and desperate for work raised concerns on a Facebook group popular with the local community. Bags of essential groceries are being donated to international students in Brisbane during these hard times. "There are some of us who have been here years, like ourselves, and blessed with good job security with savings, and thought it would be good to help them," he said. Michigan Office of the Governor LANSING, Mich. President Trumps allies are trying to contain a politically risky election year fight with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he struggles to balance presidential politics with a global pandemic in one of the nations most important swing states. Both sides have tried to de-escalate the feud this week, although Trumps supporters in particular sought to downplay tensions that ratcheted up over the weekend when the Republican president unleashed a social media broadside against Whitmer, a Democrat who had been critical of the federal governments response to the coronavirus outbreak. Trump has clashed with other Democratic governors as well, but he saved his most aggressive insults for the first-term female governor, who is considered a leading vice presidential prospect for his opponent. As Ireland gets used to what can only be described as a full lockdown, despite the Taoiseachs reluctance to use that term, there are more and more people wearing masks and gloves when out in public at the shops or while exercising. But the coronavirus isnt airborne, so wearing a mask while out in the open air is a complete waste of a mask, according to local GP and president of the IMO Dr Padraig McGarry. For the vast majority of people wearing masks around, it is a totally pointless exercise, Dr McGarry told the Longford Leader. A totally pointless exercise, because that is not how its going to be caught. And oftentimes what happens is you see people wearing masks and theyre wearing them incorrectly, because they pull them down over their face. If they happen to have covid viruses on the masks and they pull it down, theyre actually introducing it to their face. Ive seen some people with very elaborate masks and other healthcare workers not having any at all. That is an appalling thing. Last week, Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, put a call out to small businesses and enterprises that may have access to a supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to consider donating it to the hospital, as masks, gloves, eye protection and other protective gear was running low. Read also: Incremental measures can amount to a huge impact, when preventing the spread of Coronavirus says Longford GP GPs were all given an assignment for our PPEs last week, said Dr McGarry. We have a facility whereby if we need them, we can reorder stock as they go down and at the moment, concerning General Practice, there does not appear to be an issue in relation to PPEs at this moment in time. But as the situation progresses, and perhaps it might be more difficult to source them, that may change but at the moment, we dont have that situation. But, he added, while there is a large consignment of supplies coming in from China, it is important that those who do have masks are aware of how to use them correctly, and to avoid wasting them. People are using PPEs, gloves and masks, and they actually dont understand what they have to do, said Dr McGarry. In fact, if you were to think of one aspect of this that the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry have highlighted again and again, the most important mode of transmission is through hands. By washing with soapy water, you kill off the lipid wall of the virus. Its probably the single most effective protective mechanism that can be used. If people were to use the alcohol gels and the soapy water, cleanse, cleanse, wash hands, wash hands, wash hands, its the most significant thing that people on the street can do, he added. But you see ridiculous sights of people with masks up around their head and theyre putting them up their nose and theyre touching them. The biggest risk you have for transmission is if you have a mask on and you touch it with your hand, you possibly then can transmit it through your face and touching your face is the biggest risk of transmission. So washing the hands, using the alcohol gel and trying to avoid touching your face is the most important protective aspect of this. That and social distancing, he added. With so many people now isolating in their homes, the country is taking the best action against this virus to drive it out of the community. At the time of going to print, the total number of confirmed cases in Ireland was 2,910, with 10 of those cases located in Longford. A total of 54 patients had passed away from the virus as of Tuesday afternoon, with the death toll rising daily. For more up-to-date figures see the Longford Leader website at www.longfordleader.ie. Read also: The measures that people take themselves will be important, says Longford GP of Covid-19 fight As of Tuesday, two possible coronavirus-related cases remained pending after autopsies, including the case of an infant from Chicago who public health officials say had COVID-19 and died last week. The medical examiners office has sent out additional specimens from the 9-month-old to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a precaution. It is also examining lung tissues, routine bacterial cultures, viral cultures and the coronavirus test. We understand that in the face of large anticipated demand for the PPP loans, both lenders and their business applicants will be significantly challenged with the verification process that can lead ultimately to debt forgiveness under the program. Frazier & Deeter (FD), the nations 51st largest accounting and advisory firm, announced today the launch of its Federal CARES Act Monitoring and Debt Forgiveness Verification Program (FD CARES Act Program). The FD CARES Act Program is staffed by a multi-discipline team of former bank audit executives, auditors and tax professionals and is designed to meet the needs of the nations SBA lenders and small businesses seeking to effectively comply with the requirements of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other aspects of the newly enacted CARES Act. The FD CARES Act Program is led by FD Principal Bradley Carroll, a former bank Chief Audit Executive. Carroll and his team bring decades of bank audit experience to this initiative. The CARES Act tasks SBA lenders with administering the Paycheck Protection Program, which contains specific requirements regarding how a business can deploy the proceeds from the loans under the PPP and how that business may ultimately qualify for debt forgiveness under the program. The recently enacted CARES Act promises much-needed relief to businesses that qualify, said Carroll. We understand that in the face of large anticipated demand for the PPP loans, both lenders and their business applicants will be significantly challenged with the verification process that can lead ultimately to debt forgiveness under the program. The FD CARES Act Program is designed to provide third-party attest services for debt relief. The FD CARES Act Program will also include assistance for businesses seeking to take advantage of the various payroll and other tax provisions that can provide much-needed cash relief. Interested financial lenders and businesses can learn more about the FD CARES Act Program and schedule appointments at http://www.frazierdeeter.com/coronavirus/SBA About Frazier & Deeter Frazier & Deeter is a nationally recognized accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Frazier & Deeter and its FD family of brands have nine offices across the United States and one in the United Kingdom. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, a Best Firm to Work for in the U.S. and a Best Firm for Women in Leadership. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to help clients reach their unique financial goals. Frazier & Deeters brand promise is investing in relationships to make a difference. The district administration and police on Wednesday launched a state-wide campaign to trace the persons who travelled to South Delhis Nizamuddin area during Markaz Tablighi, an event which has emerged as a hotspot for Covid-19 spread. This has come after the state government received a list over 840 persons with travel history to Nizamuddin. Off these, 167 persons have been quarantined at home. Till Tuesday, 17 people, including 14 from Chamba, 2 from Sirmaur and one from Nahan, who attended the congregation, were quarantined in Delhi. Of the 167 people who had traveled to Nizamudin between March 13 and March 16 and have been home quarantined, 4 are from Mandi, 10 from Kangra, 35 from Una, 23 of Shimla, 53 from Baddi, 10 Chamba and 32 from Sirmaur. All 840 people were identified by using the digital foot printing technology. Director general of police Sitaram Mardi said, The 11 Tabligh Jamaat attendees who had tried to enter Shimlas Chopal area have been quarantined at government hospital in Merwa and an FIR has been registered against them under sections 188 and 269 of the IPC. They had walked around 100km from Paonta Sahib and claimed that no body checked them. Meanwhile, the government has started a day-to-day campaign to identify coronavirus suspects. During the week-long drive, health teams comprising ASHA workers will make door-to-door visits and compile health records of each individual in both rural and urban areas. The teams will also educate people about the precautions to be taken against Covid-19 and ensure that all symptomatic persons observe social distancing and follow the health advisory. 6 WITH TABLIGHI JAMAAT LINK IN KANGRA Kangra district authorities have identified six persons who attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area of Delhi. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) said that they belong to Indora sub-division and had returned to their homes a few days ago. We have identified the persons and sounded an alert in the area. Some of them had cough and have been kept in isolation while others are quarantined at home. We are also trying to ascertain who they came in direct contact with, the SSP said. Meanwhile, Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati has appealed to the people who attended the congregation to inform the authorities on 104 or 1077 helpline. HUNGER HELPLINE STARTED The state government has started Hunger Helpline for migrant labourers where they can report shortage of essential items, especially ration. Additional divisional commssioner Sandeep Sood (contact number 8894029000), district Red Cross secretary Raj Kumar (8219509229) and district food and civil supply officer Narender Dhiman (9418056534) have been deployed as the nodal officers. (With inputs from Naresh K Thakur) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Jerseys cases are ticking up rapidly, making it the second hardest-hit state and hospitals can barely keep up. As the COVID-19 death toll in the state of New York alone passed 1,500 on Tuesday night, with 300 deaths in 24 hours, adjacent state New Jersey is also being hit hard, Hundreds of thousands of commuters from New Jersey cross over into New York every day, which is why there has been a corresponding rise in coronavirus cases there. Al Jazeeras Gabriel Elizondo reports from Weehawken, New Jersey. The doctors of KGMU are upset not just because the three-layer surgical masks are ineffective against the coronavirus but they were aggrieved as none of them was consulted before making the decision. In Uttar Pradesh, doctors engaged working in coronavirus testing centres of the state have to face manifold challenges. They are not only at the risk of contracting the contagion but also have to battle administrative apathy and insults from neighbours; add to this the lack of standard personal protection equipment. We surveyed two COVID-19 testing centres of UPthe King Georges Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow and the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC) in Aligarhto assess the conditions in which healthcare professionals operate; both institutions were found wanting. King Georges Medical University, Lucknow At the King Georges Medical University, doctors and residents are being threatened for asking for WHO prescribed N-95 masks. On the 28 March, I received a call and a text from a senior resident doctor from the KGMU: Requesting anonymity, she told me that the doctors working in the coronavirus ward do not have N-95 masks or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) units. This becomes even more critical as a doctor working there was tested positive. Click here Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE updates She said doctors there work using a makeshift safety kit and put on triple-layered surgical masks to stave off infection. The doctors and hospital staff claimed that they were neither provided with proper shoe covers nor headgear while working in the coronavirus ward. On 27 March, a circular was issued by the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) claiming that a days salary of all the doctors, nursing staff, and even the 3rd and 4th - grade employees would be deducted to cover the cost of procuring the three-layer surgical masks. I have reviewed this circular. The doctors of KGMU are upset not just because the three-layer surgical masks are ineffective against the coronavirus but they were aggrieved as none of them was consulted before making the decision. After the intervention of the Resident Doctors Association and the KGMU Employees Union, the order was rescinded with a separate notice. The notice stated that the requirements for masks and other equipment have been fulfilled, but in reality, the hospital authorities only procured surgical masks. Resident doctors told me university administration and hospital authorities are now threatening to dismiss or suspend those who maligned the image of the university and are blaming the doctors for refusing to cooperate. This is the subsequent order rescinding the prior order. Courtesy @Avanish53464570 pic.twitter.com/DmW9Y1M0hd Rudrarpan Chatterjee (@reallyrudi91) March 28, 2020 Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh At JNMC, doctors and the residents said they have to "fight with their consultants, the university authorities as well as risk exposure to coronavirus" in order to fulfil their duties. They have recently managed to obtain N-95 masks while working in or near coronavirus wards. Kashif (he uses just one name), the secretary of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) said, We had to fight with the heads of departments and the CMS for two weeks continuously to get the basic supply of masks and an acceptable replacement for PPE. That too, they give us bare minimum. We have been supplied 150 masks even as there are 300 residents on duty every day and a total of 750 on campus. Rehan (he uses just one name), from the Department of Medicine, said the masks are "just enough to cover" doctors treating patients in the coronavirus and fever wards, but they have none to spare for the nurses or the supporting staff. It is like they forget they are humans, too. They have much more exposure to the patients than any regular doctor, and yet, they are made to be much more vulnerable, he said. The fight with the hospital authorities wasnt just a verbal spat. The CMS never directly told us he would not fulfil our rightful demands of being given proper equipment. He just failed to do so each time until we were forced to go on strike, said Kashif. On 27 March, we were forced to shut down the fever clinic as we had no protective equipment and no consultants were sitting with the residents at the OPDs. After five hours, we resumed our duties on the assurance of the principal, JNMC that our demands shall be met. However, it has been some time since the assurance and nothing has been done as of now, he said. On being asked about PPE, Rehan said: We have lost hope of getting PPE practically speaking. The first kit that the college had provided us with was a joke. It was a piece of cloth, or plastic covers, to be put over our coats, as PPE. Then, they had asked us to work with HIV suits, which have the entire area around the neck and the head exposed. While taking throat swabs, it makes the doctor extremely vulnerable to catching the virus, Rehan said. Kashif said that the university was now providing them with a modified version of the kits, with a scarf and an added headgear to act as makeshift PPE. We werent even sure they would do as much, considering their attitude. They have 40 PPE units but they are not letting us use them, saving them for worse times. We had been notifying them since January to update their stocks, but they kept asking us to not panic. Now, we need the equipment to work without panic, but it is nowhere to be found, he said. A young Junior Resident (JR) doctor, not wanting to be named, told that consultants were threatening JRs to not be a worthless doctor by trying to avoid working without PPE, and dared them to speak about this again without consequences. He showed the correspondent the WhatsApp group where duties are assigned to each doctor and the messages of the consultant verbatim. (Image 9) The Makeshift PPE at JNMC, AMU The RDA says they have been notified about this issue, and they plan to take it to higher authorities. Tip of the iceberg for medical professionals Medical facilities in other parts of the country face such shortages as well. In Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, for instance, hospitals are working with little or on medical safety equipment, and there is a reason that number is likely to increase. India has a requirement of around 38 million masks and 6.2 million pieces of PPE to take care of COVID-19 patients, according to a Reuters report quoting another internal report from Invest India. Invest India said it contacted 730 companies for ventilators, ICU monitors, protective equipment, of which 319 firms had responded so far. What makes matters worse is that India did not preserve its supplies of PPE as per WHO recommendations and the sweeping lockdown has hindered the manufacturing and the production of medical equipment severely. The struggles for medical professionals are not limited to their workplace itself. Many healthcare workers at Lucknow and Aligarh have been stigmatised in their locality simply for their profession. At the Medical Colony of Aligarh, Rubina resides with her two children and her husband. Ever since the lockdown, people have avoided talking to her with her neighbours choosing to not stand at the same grocery store if she is there for fear of being contaminated with the virus. All over India, doctors and other healthcare staff are being ostracised by their neighbours or housing societies, fearing they would spread the coronavirus to their places of residence. Update 8:05 PM CT, April 1: After pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the Trump administration has reversed course. According to the Washington Post, the Treasury Department is now saying that Social Security beneficiaries who typically do not file a tax return will automatically get the $1,200 payment without having to take additional action like filing a simple tax return. Original story: The Trump administration has added additional steps for some Americans to receive their stimulus checks. Alabama still does not have guidance on how to provide unemployment expansion. And the stock market continues to tumble. Its a lot to keep up with. Heres Alabamas latest economic news -- good and bad. And a few things to know about how swiftly-changing national policies could affect you. What you need to know tonight National: The Federal government has started to clarify aspects of the $2 trillion dollar stimulus package signed into law last week and, as is often the case, the devil is in the details. We now know more about who will and will not receive a stimulus check. If you collect social security, you are now being advised to fill out a simple tax return in order to receive the funds. The Congressional bill originally indicated that a 1099 would suffice to receive the checks but the Trump administration is now directing people to file a return. That also applies to people receiving disability, to veterans and to people whose incomes are too low to meet the tax threshold. [See update above] Senators from both sides are protesting the presidents decision, saying it creates a significant burden that could prevent many Americans who need the checks from receiving them. Additionally, some high school seniors and college students will not be receiving checks. The bill only provides money to parents for children who are 16 or younger so non-working high school seniors or college students who are claimed as dependents will not receive the checks. State: Alabama says it has not yet received guidance for the unemployment expansion included in the stimulus package, leaving some out-of-work Alabamians in limbo. Independent contractors, self-employed individuals, gig workers and others who are out of a job because of the coronavirus are being encouraged by the Alabama Department of Labor to file unemployment claims even as the state has yet to receive clear instructions on how to process those claims. Cubic, a defense-technology firm in Huntsville, is partnering with the University of Alabama at Huntsville to build up to 100 emergency ventilators per week to be distributed locally. Market update: Dow Open: 21,227.38 Dow Close: 20,941.50 (Down 4.44%%) In case you missed it: What were watching Gulf coast businesses are bracing for a financial hit that may be harder than a hurricane or the BP oil spill. Tomorrow morning John Sharp will publish a story examining how beach businesses are preparing for the worst. At 11:15 CT on the AL.com Facebook page, Ivana Hrynkiw will interview Isaac Cooper, a financial consultant based in Birmingham. Hell be taking audience questions about ways to navigate these tough economic times. Resources COVID-19 COVERAGE RESOURCES: Follow our live updates. Find all of our coronavirus stories. A continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download our mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications. Housefull 4 actress Kriti Kharbanda has treated her Instafam with an endearing picture where she is seen gorging on a delectable pancake. In the caption, she tagged boyfriend Pulkit Samrat and wrote, Take me back! The snap, clicked against a beautiful sunset in the backdrop, shows a chilled-out Kriti clad in a bathrobe. Kriti and Pulkit have been actively sharing delightful images of each other on their respective social media handles. Their relationship was just the fodder of rumour mills for a long time until the Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana actress confirmed it, putting all the speculations to rest. Recently, during an Instagram live session with Pinkvilla, the 29-year-old star revealed that she and Pulkit are in no rush to take their relationship to the next level yet. We are taking each day as it comes. He is not ready for marriage neither am I. It is gonna take a few years before we decide to get married. He is a bachcha as of now and were putting any marriage plans on a backburner, said Kriti. The couple seems to be much-in-love and is trying to take things slow. Kriti also attended Pulkits brothers engagement ceremony last month. They have featured together in two films Veere Di Wedding and Pagalpanti. The duo has reportedly been roped in for Bejoy Nambiars directorial Taish. Pulkit Samrat was earlier married to long-time girlfriend Shweta Rohira and decided to part ways in 2015. Follow @News18Lifestyle for more Online aviation degree launches at Kansas State Polytechnic this spring Wednesday, April 1, 2020 An online Bachelor of Science in aeronautical technology with a professional aviation option is now being offered by Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus. | Download this photo. MANHATTAN Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is expanding its aviation offerings to include an online bachelor's degree geared for students who have previously earned aviation-related certificates, ratings, licensures or college credit. This spring, a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical technology with a professional aviation option has launched at Kansas State Polytechnic. The online program combines a business and leadership emphasis with an aviation area of concentration in which the student already has experience. It is designed to provide a pathway for students to build on their training, advance their skills and complete a bachelor's degree. "We wanted to offer a degree that would give students the opportunity to accomplish their professional goals by maximizing the value of the college credit or certifications they have already achieved," said Troy Brockway, aviation professor at Kansas State Polytechnic. "The professional aviation degree is convenient with its online option and is comprehensive by welcoming a variety of transferrable aviation specialties. It also will enhance students' employability and will assist with their upward mobility in the industry." Students can transfer in up to 60 credit hours with up to 35 of those hours being in an aviation focus, such as professional pilot, aviation maintenance, air traffic control, airport management, unmanned aircraft systems, avionics and aviation safety. The degree utilizes the students' aviation focus by connecting it with classes in management, leadership and business, including Aviation Law, Practices of Industrial and Labor Relations, Managerial and Project Economics, and Supervisory Management. Those who consider the professional aviation degree could include students who have obtained flight ratings at a different university or at an airport fixed-base operator, an A&P aircraft maintenance technician, an air traffic controller, members of the military, and an aviation-focused associate degree holder. Once students have graduated with this bachelor's degree, they can expect to seek careers in every facet of aviation including sales, management, operations, maintenance and safety. To learn more about the new professional aviation degree option, contact Kansas State Polytechnic's admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The National Bureau of Investigation is probing Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III over his possible breach of quarantine protocols. I understand Senator Pimentel is also being investigated, NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin told CNN Philippines on Wednesday. He added that he is not sure when Pimentel would be summoned, considering that he still needs to be under quarantine. Pimentel earlier drew flak after he accompanied his wife, Kathryna, who was about to give birth to their first child to Makati Medical Center despite having been tested for COVID-19. Results later confirmed that he did contract the disease and potentially exposed a number of health workers at Makati Medical Center and staff at members-only supermarket S&R. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the NBI may conduct its own fact-finding investigation on the incident and ask Pimentel to explain his side if the Makati Medical Center or anyone else does not file a complaint. While Makati Medical Centers management denounced Pimentel, it did not directly say if it will file charges against the former Senate President. Pimentel subsequently said sorry, but the hospital only took note of his apology. Senator Manny Pacquiao, his partymate who chairs the Senate Ethics Committee, said he can call a hearing to tackle any complaint that may be filed against Pimentel. Legal experts have said that a string of criminal, administrative and civil charges may also be filed against Pimentel over his breach of quarantine protocols. / -- KareXpert Technologies, a Reliance Jio funded digital telemedicine platform provider makes services live in Paras Hospitals (Gurgaon, Darbhanga, Patna, Chandigarh, Mohali). One of the leading & top hospital chains on the Pan-India basis, Paras Hospitals are known for its top-class treatment of cancer, cardiac, neuro, ortho, etc. Because of the current pandemic situation, telemedicine at Paras Healthcare has been implemented which helps Corporate and Large hospitals to maintain a constant revenue stream along with proper utilization of doctors. KareXpert Telemedicine digital platform enabled around 400+ doctors across five units of Paras Healthcare to perform audio/video consultations, send E-prescriptions and access patient EMR/EHR records, and integrated call center CRM. The whole set-up of the solution took just a few hours with zero IT staff requirements from Paras's side using Cloud-First, Mobile-First approach. Over 100,000 registered patients now can access medical services remotely. "We are fully committed and dedicated to providing quality healthcare to all patients. Due to COVID-19, it was the need of the hour for us to provide instant access of our doctors to their patients and KareXpert's digital Telemedicine digital platform along with their exceptional customer service, enabled us to provide uninterrupted services to our patients instantly," said Dr. Sameer Kulkarni, Director of Facilities - Paras Hospitals. With the current pandemic in the world, Telemedicine solutions have seen an exponential surge in usage during this time, where its benefitting both doctors and patients. KareXpert has recently announced to provide free access to its Telemedicine digital platform as a social give back to Indian healthcare professionals for the lockdown period as per T&C. "We stand in full solidarity with Indian healthcare professionals in this fight against COVID-19 and believe that our initiative of providing free Telemedicine digital platform access to hospitals, doctors, and clinics will enable them in reducing the exposure risk to some extent till the threat subsidies," said Nidhi Jain, CEO-KareXpert Technologies. Hospitals, Clinics, and individual Doctors can start their free Telemedicine practice after completing a signup form and KareXpert executives will help to start the services instantly. About KareXpert Telemedicine: KareXpert Telemedicine, a digital healthcare platform is one of the most exhaustive products and services portfolios for private and public healthcare providers globally. Advanced HIMS, Cloud-based EMR/EHR, Telehealth, Connected Ambulance, Medical BI, Medical AI, LIMS, RIS, Pharmacy, Home Care, Call Center CRM, and Medical IoT. The company is ISO27001 certified and complies with security standards and medical standards such as HL7, ICD10/11, Snomed-CT, IONIC. The services can be made live for our customers instantly. To sign-up, visit the KareXpert website Visit www.parashospitals.com to see the process of video consultations through the portal. App download links : Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.parashospital.patientapp Apple Ios - https://apps.apple.com/in/app/paras-health-mate/id1391068251 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1094951/KareXpert_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 8 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 25 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. 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. Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation on Wednesday said they have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the "unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis" arising from the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society, Wipro and the foundation said in a joint release. Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd's is Rs 25 crore and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore. These sums are in addition to the annual CSR activities of Wipro and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, it said. Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the COVID-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it, it said. The responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundation's 1,600-person team, in collaboration with many of its over 350 strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country, the release added. These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PHILADELPHIA My pager goes off again: The police are en route to my hospital. Theyre bringing a gunshot victim. E.T.A.? Right now. I get these pages almost every night at the trauma center where I work. I rush to put on my protective equipment to guard against blood and other bodily fluids. But for the first time, Im saving clean masks to reuse them. Because of coronavirus, the parents of my patients need a special escort because visitors are not allowed in the waiting room. I cant bring a family to a gunshot victims bedside in the intensive care unit. I cant tell a frightened mother that she can stay as long as she wants. Doctors like me are trying to keep the world safe from the coronavirus pandemic. But thousands of families in America are already caught in the countrys existing epidemic: gun violence. Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill are further apart than the required two metres when deciding how to tackle coronavirus When Sinn Fein topped the poll in the Irish general election a few weeks ago (raising the possibility of the party joining a coalition government at some point) I mentioned what I described as the party's 'two jurisdictions problem'. In other words, if it were in government on both sides of the border it would have to find a strategy for dealing with the possibility of pursuing separate Programme for Government policies in the Assembly and the Dail; because, if it didn't have a solution to the problem, it risked becoming a two-state party, with slightly different priorities and agendas on either side of the border. Which, in turn, raised other problems when it came to elections and manifestoes. Covid-19 has magnified the problem. People are dying on both sides of the border and Sinn Fein, while not in government in the Republic, is keenly aware that the Irish government is perceived - particularly, although not exclusively, by nationalists in Northern Ireland - of doing a better job than the UK government. And that raises an enormous problem for the party, precisely because it is in government in Northern Ireland and increasingly worried that the DUP and UUP (along with the Alliance Party) are taking a lead from London rather than Dublin; a lead Sinn Fein views as wrong and immoral. So, what does it do? Michelle O'Neill summed up her party's position in a statement on Monday afternoon: "I often hear, whenever there is disagreement in the Executive, that it is painted as Orange versus Green, Sinn Fein versus DUP, London versus Dublin. "Can I say very clearly that's not the case. This is about what is the best action at the right time, how we save lives. This is about adhering to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) advice. This is about how we do best by our people. "And I as a political leader have a job to do to make sure that when I feel like something isn't perhaps working in maybe the way that it should, or dealt with in speed in the way it should, then I have an obligation to actually say that." Fair enough, in one sense, but where should she say it? Arlene Foster spoke at the same press conference: "We are a five party Executive and I don't think there's anybody shies away from that fact. But to be very clear, we know that this is a national emergency and we know we have to step up to the plate. And whatever differences we may have about emphasis, or the way of doing things, or who we listen to, it is important we are able and free to have those discussions at the Executive and then come forward with common strategy and that is what we have done today." The problem, and I have heard it expressed in DUP/UUP circles, is the growing perception that Sinn Fein isn't particularly interested in the present 'common strategy' from the Executive. Indeed, the party has hosted its own separate online briefings about Covid-19 with its 'Sinn Fein ministerial team'. Evidence suggests that the party's grassroots was very supportive of John O'Dowd's 'bastards' criticism of UK policy a couple of weeks ago and remain supportive. Sinn Fein policy remains in favour of following what has been described as the 'WHO/Dublin/EU line' to the challenges posed by Covid-19. But unless there is a formal agreement between Belfast, London and Dublin to pursue an all-island strategy, then it is inevitable that the differences within the Northern Ireland Executive will continue to both deepen and widen. And, for the life of me, I don't see how a coalition government can fight a common enemy if it is divided internally and externally. What is the point of 'official' advice from the Executive if key members of the coalition are prepared - and openly - to disagree with that advice? Why pretend to have a 'common strategy' when there is so much evidence indicating the contrary? I'm also pretty sure that Sinn Fein will row in behind the view of Belfast-born Dr Gabriel Scally (president of Epidemiology and Public Health section of the Royal Society of Medicine): "Two different approaches to testing and contact tracing are just not compatible with achieving the level of control needed to win the battle. It is a big ask, but now is not the time to be captives of our histories. Lives can and should be saved. "The political leaders in the North need, on the specific issue of coronavirus, to decouple themselves from the Whitehall approach. They and their counterparts in the Republic must as equals set about, with every possible urgency, harmonising their strategies and actions. The situation requires boldness of thought and deed." Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures; and we have already seen many of those extraordinary measures introduced across the United Kingdom and the Republic. But decoupling Northern Ireland from Whitehall, as Scally suggests, would raise very particular political problems here. So particular, in fact, that it would probably prove a step too far for the DUP and UUP to run with. And the failure to do so will, in all likelihood, simply exacerbate the very obvious present tensions between the Executive parties. That's not to say that some North-South cooperation shouldn't and won't be ruled out (Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar spoke a few days ago and said that there were areas both countries could work together on) and there were discussions two weeks ago and again yesterday afternoon. But time is very tight for the three governments involved - with the dreaded 'surge' almost upon all of us - so I think it's very unlikely that any proposal as 'big an ask' as Scally's will see the light of day. The key challenge for the Executive parties over the next few weeks/months is to stand firm. They must not get to a point at which it looks like UK and Irish strategies are being played against each other. Covid-19 isn't going to give a damn about where the border begins and ends; and nor will it give a damn about national identities or voting habits in Northern Ireland. Every one of us, every single one, is a target for the virus and every one of us, every single one - irrespective of political beliefs - must be on the same side until this crisis is over. Twelve weeks ago, five parties agreed to resume collective responsibility for governing Northern Ireland again. The key words there are 'collective' and 'responsibility'. They are in it together. We are all in it together. That's the only thing that matters right now. LEHI, Utah, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Since author Richard Louv coined the term "nature-deficit disorder" in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, families have recognized the need to get children outdoors, but screens and scheduled activities often compete for children's time. Now, with COVID-19 causing cancellations nationwide, many look to the outdoors for a break. Parents report the uncertainty and loneliness of quarantine has left many children feeling anxious. A recent study by the Royal Holloway University of London revealed children's moods improved after a single session of time outdoors, and after a year of weekly learning sessions in nature, their well-being significantly improved. Learning takes a leap forward with time spent in nature, too, according to Jenny Phillips, curriculum developer and owner of The Good and the Beautiful, a homeschool curriculum company based in Utah a notion backed by research. With mandated school closures in all 50 states, parents are concerned about children falling behind in learning. "Young children develop their bodies and minds while they're jumping in mud and soaking in the sun," Phillips said. "They learn cause and effect when they drop a twig in the stream and watch it float. It's more engaging to learn biology when you witness it at work in your backyard. It's more satisfying to study literature when they've experienced what great authors describe about nature." "Parents can get outside and learn and explore right along with their kids," Phillips said. "We encourage children to notice, to observe, and to appreciate the natural world around them." To help make it simple for parents to engage children in the outdoors, Phillips' company has decided to offer for free The Good and the Beautiful Nature Notebook as a printable PDF download during this time of uncertainty through May 31, 2020, at www.goodandbeautiful.com/nature . Parents who have used it say it is an easy and fun way to engage their children in nature through scavenger hunts, games, poetry, sketching, journaling, collecting and more while gently including language arts, art, handwriting, science and motor development. With most parents nationwide suddenly finding themselves teaching at home however temporarily The Good and the Beautiful has seen families seeking help. "Since March 9, we've had a 769% increase in online sales," Phillips said. While some of the increase is attributed to a one-week sale the company held as they prepare to move to a larger warehouse, families are still shopping The Good and the Beautiful in record numbers, likely due to COVID-19 school closures. Phillips, the mother of five children who started The Good and the Beautiful in her basement five years ago and now has 100 employees and a 29,000-square-foot warehouse, understands families feeling restless with the COVID-19 global pandemic. "A little fresh air will be good for everyone right now," she said. Photos: www.goodandbeautiful.com/media SOURCE The Good and the Beautiful Related Links http://www.goodandbeautiful.com/ COVID-19 is surging in Toronto long-term-care homes, with public health reporting three new deaths as tests confirm the virus is now in 15 nursing homes, with outbreaks in six. The numbers are fluid as test results for residents and workers continue to come back positive but Toronto Public Health released details on new cases Tuesday. It shows the virus has spread in homes where it already existed and is also causing outbreaks, sometimes with deadly results. In the nine long-term-care homes with a single positive test, two homes have finished their 14 days of full precautions without any new transmission, public health said. Toronto considers two cases to be an outbreak while cities like Ottawa consider one case an outbreak. Last night, Toronto Mayor John Tory said he is discussing additional protections for long-term-care homes with the medical officer of health to see if there are additional measures we can undertake as soon as possible to protect long-term-care residents. Any outbreak in a long-term-care home is deeply concerning given the age and vulnerability of the residents and the relatively close quarters in which they often live, Tory said. In Mississauga, Trillium Health Partners said there is an outbreak of COVID-19 as four patients in its Credit Valley Hospital have tested positive and have been isolated. The other patients in the unit an in-patient rehab unit are being monitored for symptoms. According to Toronto Public Health, Torontos current list includes: Seven Oaks, a City of Toronto home, with 23 confirmed cases including 14 residents and nine staff; St. Clair OConnor long-term care, with six confirmed cases among three residents and three staff; Extendicare Bayview, with four confirmed cases among two residents and two staff; West Park Health Care Centre with four cases among two residents and two staff; Chartwell Gibson with three confirmed cases among residents; The Rekai Centres Sherbourne Place with one death and three confirmed cases; Of the three new deaths, two are presumptive cases at Seven Oaks, where two residents died from the virus last week. The third death was a 66-year-old man living in the Rekai Centres Sherbourne Place, who tested positive late last week. Rekais CEO Sue Graham-Nutter said the man was stable all weekend but declined quickly on Monday and died that evening. Its really tough, Graham-Nutter said. In long-term care it is not unusual for a resident to pass away unfortunately, because when they come to us, they are quite sick. But this is an invisible enemy. The three Sherbourne Place residents who tested positive all live in the same room. Like many long-term-care homes across Canada, Sherbourne Place was built decades ago when residents lived with two to four in a room. Their close proximity and diminished health leave them vulnerable to outbreaks. Last week, when the man who died showed symptoms of COVID-19, the runny nose, fever and cough, Graham-Nutter said he was immediately tested. Later, the three roommates were tested and their results came back positive. As of late Tuesday afternoon, she was waiting for the test results for two other residents. Some homes are not testing more than three residents for COVID-19, even if dozens more have the symptoms. Hillsdale Terraces, operated by Durham Region, had three residents test positive and another 25 residents who have COVID symptoms but have not been tested. Graham-Nutter said shes not taking any chances. We just want to know for certain which residents have it, she said. We are trying to separate, literally, the individuals who have unfortunately contracted COVID-19 and those who have a regular cold or flu. She said frontline workers are working double shifts and Rekai is paying for hotel rooms so they dont go back to their families and risk infection. They work, sleep and repeat, she said. To help, Rekai staff called nursing students who previously worked in the home and asked them to return, mostly acting as personal support workers. The home is able to bring in students under the emergency measure order the province filed over the weekend, she said, calling them our Florence Nightingales. Lisa Levin, CEO of Advantage Ontario, said her association worked with the Ministry of Long-Term Care on the emergency measures. The temporary regulations, which last for 14 days, lessen training requirements so different types of workers can come into homes to help staff, she said. The Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario questioned the temporary lessening of the regulations, but Levin said they will support homes as workers grow ill or exhausted. Levin said her association is working with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario to connect 5,000 nursing students to long-term-care homes that need help. Within two days, Levin said 135 homes contacted the RNAO for help. Torontos seniors advocate, Councillor Josh Matlow, said he is speaking with families across the city who have elderly relatives in long-term care. The reality of COVID-19 is that it does affect seniors but the vast majority will survive if all of us do our part and stay at home to prevent the spread. Technical achievement Recognized for contributions that have significantly promoted technical progress in their fields, UC Santa Barbara professors B.S. Manjunath and Yuan Xie have been selected to receive the Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society. The annual recognition is given for outstanding and innovative contributions to the fields of computer and information science and engineering or computer technology, usually within the past fifteen years. Manjunath and Xie are faculty members in the department of electrical and computer engineering. "Congratulations to professors B.S. Manjunath and Yuan Xie for receiving this well-deserved, prestigious recognition and honor from their peers around the globe," said Rod Alferness, dean of the College of Engineering. "We are proud that they have taken international leadership roles in the areas of image search, computer vision and technology-driven computer architecture." A fellow of IEEE, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Xie was selected "for contributions to technology-driven computer architecture and to [developing] tools for their implementation and evaluation." Xie researches computer architecture, electronics design automation (EDA) and embedded-systems design. His application-driven projects include novel architectures for artificial intelligence, and hardware acceleration for emerging applications such as bio-informatics, graphics analytics and robotics. He has authored four books and published more than 300 IEEE/ACM journal or conference papers in the areas of computer architecture, very large-scale integration (VLSI) design and EDA. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the IBM Faculty Award, a Semiconductor Research Corporation's (SRC) Inventor Recognition Award, and several best paper awards at IEEE/ACM conferences. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the three premier computer architecture conferences: the ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture; the IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture; and the IEEE International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture. Manjunath, a fellow of IEEE and ACM, received his award "for contributions to image search retrieval, and bio-image informatics." Manjunath's research focuses on image processing, computer vision and machine learning. He integrates human contextual information into the analysis of images and video, leading to bio-inspired methods for computer vision. Manjunath serves as the director of UCSB's Center for Bio-image Informatics, and of the Center for Multimodal Big Data Science and Healthcare. His research team developed BisQue, an advanced, open-sourced image database and analysis system for biological images. The cloud-based platform allows researchers to easily share, verify, test and collaborate on data by effectively leveraging cloud computing resources. An inventor on 24 patents, Manjunath has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in major journals and conferences. With more than 50,000 members, the IEEE Computer Society is the world's largest member organization dedicated to computer science and technology. ### This story has been published on: 2020-03-31. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. As we continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the blues community continues to keep their spirits up with live shows online. Keep an eye out as more and more gets added. The John Lamb Show is on Facebook Live, as he puts it, every Wednesday until this crap is over. For music, to chat or call in, use 350-504-9989. Connect on https://www.facebook.com/events/149435933053568/ Also check it out, The 5 O'Clocks on Spotify. The Middletown Music Festival is a celebration of the wellspring of original music and art in Connecticut. They are a nonprofit organization and this year's event is supported by a grant from The Middletown Commission on the Arts. Tentative dates are June 5-6; the lineup is being discussed. More information to come. Tim Duffy of the Music Maker Relief Foundation writes, Times are tough right now and the Music Maker staff is hard at work ensuring that our partner artists have groceries and medicine. We wanted to share some ways that you can entertain yourself during these trying times and maybe find some inspiration through the powerful lives and music of these important musicians. Duffy suggests watching their feature length documentary Toot Blues or check out the over 300 videos on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/musicmakerrelieffoundation Check out a digital version of their photography exhibition We Are the Music Makers!: http://www.wearethemusicmakers.org/exhibition-supplement/ If the blues teaches us anything, it is how to persevere. We need arts and culture now more than ever, Duffy said. The Blues Foundation established the COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief Fund to provide immediate resources to full-time blues musicians whose revenue streams have been severely diminished by the current coronavirus pandemic. The fund is intended for blues musicians for whom performing makes up the bulk of their income and who have no other outlets for work. A professional blues musician with financial need will be considered for an award by the Fund Committee based on the subjective merits of their application and financial need. Award amounts are intended to assist primarily with immediate essential needs such as food, rent/mortgage, utilities, phone and car payments. Medical insurance premiums will also be considered. Requests for funding should be made by contacting The Blues Foundation directly. Upon contacting the Foundation, you will be asked to complete a short application form that will be reviewed by a committee. To request funding please contact: Elizabeth Montgomery Brown at elizabeth@blues.org All funds donated to the COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief Fund go to artist relief efforts. Contributions may be made online or by sending a check to: The Blues Foundation (COVID-19), 421 South Main, Memphis, TN 38103. Every March, Switzerlands Montreux Jazz Festival reveals its eclectic artist lineup. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, however, organizers have had to postpone the announcement. To tide fans over in the meantime, Montreux Jazz has unearthed from its archives over 50 full sets from acts like Johnny Cash, James Brown, Nina Simone, and more. During this unprecedented time, fans will have the chance to experience iconic performances by some of their favourite artists from their living rooms, reads a press statement via NME, including rare concerts from The Godfather of Soul James Brown, who played Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981 and the legendary Nina Simone in 1976. Fans will also be able to enjoy Johnny Cashs 1994 Live at Montreux performance, as well as the ground-breaking hip hop group RUN DMCs electrifying show in 2001. We hope that a little music and soul will brighten up your day! the organizers continue. To access this treasure trove of concert videos, head to the Montreux Jazzs official website. The festival, which is now in its 54th year, will communicate a new date for the 2020 lineup announcement soon. Fender is offering three months of free guitar lessons so you can learn in lockdown. Were all going to be spending a lot more time inside - so we might as well make some noise," said Ben Kaye. The company is offering free three-month subscriptions to the first 100,000 new subscribers to their Fender Play platform. The service provides instructional videos to teach guitar, bass, and ukulele based on a personal style preference and instrument choice. London uses Coronavirus closures to restore the Abbey Road crosswalk. It had been looking pretty rough in recent years. Ever since The Beatles used that street for the cover of their final album, millions of tourists have gone to visit the Abbey Road Studios. Often taking pictures of themselves stepping into traffic, often causing unsafe conditions. With the global Coronavirus pandemic keeping everyone at home, Abbey Road hasnt seen this few tourists since The Beatles made it famous in the first place. London officials took advantage of everyone sheltering at home, restoring the crosswalk with a fresh coat of paint. U.S. lawmakers are voting on a stimulus bill that for the first time includes relief funds for gig workers, creating momentum for future benefits. A proposed federal relief bill in response to the coronavirus outbreak is setting a new precedent for gig workers. Songwriters, along with other gig economy workers in the music industry ranging from producers to roadies, will be eligible for grants and loans under the $2 trillion stimulus bill passed by the Senate in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the advocacy organizations Songwriters of North America andNashville Songwriters Association International announced. (The House is expected to confirm a counterpart bill this week. Any questions or comments should be sent to Domenic Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com. AdiSinghV12 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: BOM-CCU-PAT Posts: 624 Thanked: 1,002 Times re: My Mini Cooper Countryman SD - The Grumpy Kid from Great Britain The Decision to Buy and the Buying Experience It was 2020, the start of a lovely decade what it looked liked until the Coronavirus pandemic turned into a nightmare (PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD #FIGHTCOVID19), but at this time it was just the beginning of the year with some positive hopes just like we do every year. I had just came back from a long ride in the WRV and the jaw breaking ride quality had me clear that its about time I replace this car. I had my mind on the Polo GT TSI since quite a while but the fact that VW India didn't launch the upgraded car and the fact that it had become a cliche amongst the enthusiast didn't work in its favor any further. I didn't mind spending a bit but wanted a small car that has good ride quality and feels special and something that can occasionally chauffeur my grandpa in the front seat thanks when the city is packed with traffic. My uncle had just got the GLA in December and I had the X1 till the last year so it was obvious that I'm not looking into that segment again so the choice was pretty clear from the beginning that it'll be the Mini and some good BS4 deals further sweeten the deal. Countryman it was then and SD was the variant as I knew I'll tune this car and its petrol counterpart didn't have a good track record holding up neither did I want to carry proctane in my boot as I did with the Jag. It was short and sweet from there. I was well acquainted with folks at Bird Automotive, been in touch with them since quite a while. Made a quick call, they knew I'm in for a car and gave whatever the best deal they could straight-up but the only catch was there were limited colour options with the BS4 and to my surprise there were all colours but white. I had a quick discussion with family and some friends and was ascertain that I'll go for a not so common shade if I'm breaking the All White code hence went ahead and confirmed the Island Blue Metallic . Next day the downpayment was done and the car was booked. Since the car was meant for Patna it was now time to plan a quick Delhi vacation and take the delivery. I had the option to send the car via the flatbed but wanted to have some fun and unwind some old memories of the "20d" So there it was then, once the formalities were over and the TR of the vehicle done we flew down to Delhi and took the delivery from the Bird Automotive outlet in Vasant Kunj. The car was delivered with HR TR plates valid for 30 days and the delivery experience was good sans the fact that the car came with a bit of swirl marks as they said the car wasn't 'buffed' before delivery. It was a slight let down as it was my first car that wasn't white but then the fact they were all friends the dealership people I never had any intention to make a fuss out of it and hence the Grumpy was delivered. No freebies or anything in case you're wondering but then hey I can't be too greedy. However when they noticed the swirl marks they did offer to have the car polished from BMW but since I was a bit short on time I rather took some car care products supply from them which they happily gave. Thanking the almighty and played his bhajan first-up as a Puja as we ended up in a Pub post delivery courtesy to fellow BHPian A.Shubrah hence taking the car for the Puja wasn't possible. We were hungry as the delivery took a little longer than we expected. Coming to the car, my excerpts in brief... Driving Dynamics & Economy Since the car was booked over a phone call from a city that did not have a Mini Dealership, I never really got to take a test drive for the starters. The first time I drove the car was post delivery and as a responsible member of Team BHP and a self acclaimed car lover I stuck myself with the good ol' run-in period rule and made sure I refrained from any kind of spirited driving. The day 01 was a very normal one with only a few kms driven, during this I found some of the tech features really sporty about the car about which I'll mention in the next part, and day 02 the car was with a relative for the first half of the day. By the time I got the car back it had done around 200 kms on the ODO and I thought of giving it some beans. The first impressions weren't too great regarding the NVH levels of the engine but overall apart from that it felt very smooth and more zippier than the same motor felt in my F48 X1. It was day 02 still and I decided to visit a close friend who happens to be a tuner as well and is the one who has tuned all my cars. Needless to say he has one of the best aftermarket paint quality in Delhi IMHO and I gave him a very casual visit for a small paintjob. After all the reason for flying down to Delhi was catching up with long lost friends, the car was just an excuse. So yes, I visited my friends at GT Tunerz, as mentioned above the antenna trim was not body-coloured and 'black unpainted plastic' on a white roof looked really out of place so I had to get that painted. While we were at it I also requested him to paint a portion of the side skirts matched to the bodycolour and the brake calipers in red. I had decided to leave other things stock, and it was just going to be some minor paintjob to enhance the appeal. However, we did discuss about its remap potential very casually and quickly checked if the car was doable via the OBD, and yes it was possible! That was it I left my car there for the day and took an Uber back to the Hotel. The next morning I go there to take my car and got a surprise x surprise! He had remapped the car as he said it was easily done through the OBD and is very safe since its stage 1. It was a Quantum Tuning Stage 1 map and it was a moment that really left me surprised having a brand new car with just 200 kms on the ODO remapped While I was still speechless he asked me to go for a spin as he rode shotgun alongside. Boy this car had turned into a different beast. The 225 Pirelli RFTs were crying for traction and it was a different car altogether. The Sport Displays were updated as well and the claimed figures were around 234 bhp and 470 nm torque. I didn't push the car any further and came back to my run-in mode even though the car was tuned. I called it a day as I had to drive down to Patna the next day and it was going to be a long long drive with a few relatives on board. We started at around 10 am from Delhi, what was around a good 3 hours delay than the scheduled departure but luckily it being the day of election in Delhi the roads were empty and we reached the Yamuna Expressway in no time. I fell in love with the engine because of how it was exceeding speed limits without giving me a hint that it is...without breaking a sweat under 2000 rpm. The NVH levels at idle is poor but over all while on the move the car feels smooth & quiet. It was around 500 kms on the ODO when I decided to go all guns blazing and did some spirited acceleration and figured that the mid end of the car is way too good and very similar to the 525d E60 I had years ago post the remap. If you knew the right rpm that was just around the 1500 rpm to around 3500 rpm the car acted as a pocket rocket with continuous power throughout the mentioned rev range. The Sport Mode which is straight outta BMW (BMWs IMHO has the best 'Sport Mode' amongst others) makes things hotter and more fun to drive with a further very noticeable increase in power and surprisingly the car gets Adaptive Suspension making the handling a slight better and reducing the body roll and as soon as you switch to Sport Mode, other than the animation on the iDrive you also get an option to configure the Chassis setup. There's no dedicated button to control the damping but it automatically pops up whenever you switch onto Sport mode. Still even on a Mini, which is known for its handling I'd say my XF outdoes everything else in my garage currently or the past cars I owned in terms of steering feedback & handling. that being said, the Countryman drives like how a Mini should (from whatever I have read), with its transverse engine keeping the weight well behind the front wheels, making the nose lively and responsive to steering input. And despite a increase in ride height over the Clubman and the 3-Door there is a conspicuous absence of body roll in tight, fast corners. Having owned various cars with the same engine this came SECOND if I compare it with all the BMW 20ds I owned and the ranking would be E90 320d Grumpy > F30 320d with MPPK > F48 X1. It was a breeze to drive the car because the engine was always relaxed at triple digits and we reached Lucknow in about 6 hrs. It was time to catch up with some friends yet again and call it a day. The first thing I did that even delayed my check-in procedure at the Hotel in Lucknow is call my tuner friend and thank him. The engine was so zippy and not to mention ECONOMICAL that it just blew away the blues caused by taking delivery with swirl marks all over. The car had done around 600 kms in 6 hrs and returned an economy that would please the kitna-deti-hai-gang because the figure was a majestic 16 km / l which involved city driving as well in Delhi and even though I was in the run-in mood I was doing good speeds on the expressway. The local economy as well was far from bad which I observed in the last 3 days as per the 'on board computer'. It was around 14 km / l so the average IMHO was mind blowing. It was in one tank of fuel which was filled post delivery that resulted in a range of around 700 kms before giving the reserve light just about 100 kms before reaching Lucknow from Delhi, including a couple of days of city driving as well and it was just the first tank (the tank capacity is 51L for the sake of curiosity). We started from Lucknow the next day after lunch at around 1 pm and reached Patna by late midnight which included a couple of halts and that's how Grumpy made its way home. Throughout the 1000 kms journey never did the car felt boring or claustrophobic to drive and the tiredness quotient wasn't too bad either as the roads were fairly good and that leaves me with the statement that ride is actually good and the reason to upgrade was more than just-sorted. Its not pilowly smooth, but quite composed, and the best part is it's still fling-able (its got to have some Mini qualities and it doesn't disappoint the badge it wears). The Exterior x Interior & the Build Quality Ever since I booked the car, my would-be named it 'Grumpy'. I thought it to be a very weird name but then a few days later I too was convinced that's how it looks. A Grumpy kid who's a foodie (considering the curves and weight ) As the official TBHP Original Mini review said, I'd keep it short and just quote from there that this has a Blend of Retro + Modern exterior and interior design and the cocktail is a really desirable one. My favorite bit is as soon you unlock the car the Oval-ish headlights flashes (raises) eyebrows to say hello! I hate the rear tail lamps that they offered from the factory so retrofitted Union Jack Tails which pays some homage to its originating country. For the rest its just love it or hate it styling so I'd leave your opinions to describe it the best way. One big complaint would be the tiny alloys that comes from the factory but I have kinda sorted it and will write more about it in the modification section. Coming to the inside, the Retro + Modern exterior cocktail is spilled all over the inside as well. It has a traditional Mini Speedo (Pardon the Holi colours, didn't have any other pic of the Speedo lol) ...and there's high quality soft touch materials all over, the extreme center of the car is surrounded by an LED light ring that changes colour depending on the mode and setting and whatever mode you're in, it even changes colour when the PDC has activated or if you're controlling the AC temperature. This is something new from the other cars I have and I find it cool. My favorite bit has to be the banked array of metal toggle switches in the middle of the dash, to control various things like Start / Stop, Park Assist, Drive Modes (Green, Mid and Sport) and when you select Sport, rather than the car on the display showing thought bubbles of rockets and go-karts (sigh ), now it adopts white for its bonnet stripes, mirror caps and roof. And since that takes us to the Central Display - its just a MINIfied version of the iDrive but surprisingly has touch screen feature as well which I accidentally found. The seats are comfy and the extendable thigh support is a cherry on the cake. The door handles on the inside also gets circular metal finish which further adds to the quality. And the rest IMO is just doable, I wished the car came with black headliner and some more ambient lighting as Mini has some of the best ambient lighting and not having them is a big let down and I'm looking for ways to retrofit it. Maybe in the coming days once the Coronavirus scene has bettered, as it has just kill the joy of life. OT, but having cars are one thing but seeing the society sad around you it kills all the excitement and makes things gloomy in one's own life as well. So I'll sum up my review here and let the pics do the talking for now. Feel free to hit me up if you want to know anything in particular and I'd love to know your thoughts and suggestions, if any. Optional Extras x Modification The section I would be most excited to tell you about. As already mentioned above, I wanted to paint the shark fin antenna to match the roof colour from the plasticky black it originally came with, along with a portion of the side skirts as seen in pic below and red brake calipers. Now I don't really know, many of you wouldn't recommend sending a new car for paintjobs and modification but I have this OCD where I do make a few small changes if I personally feel something isn't ticking the box like it should and same was with Grumpy as well. The remap came as surprised but as I write this I now have around 2000 kms on the ODO and feels like it was the most VFM thing I got done, no regrets. Now here's something which I haven't mentioned above but is an important mod and was somewhat pre-planned. As you can see the Diesel variant of the Countryman comes in only one variant and has somewhat sad looking alloys. It was post the remap we had gone for a spin and I spotted Crave Design and figured the owners are acquainted to me. I dropped by just out of curiosity and liked a few designs and consulted with a few close friends including BHPian cityvic. Even though there were a lot of designs he strictly asked me to stick with branded wheels and strictly no replica. I had almost finalized the BBS SR in Himalayan Grey but here came the downer, the car was only 200 kms roughly at this point and I was gonna get a good buy back for my stock tyres (not the alloys) if I was changing now. After a few minutes more I saw a set of OZ Racing wheels packed in a box not being displayed... I loved it in the first look as it was OZ Racing wheels, something I desired since the days I desired to buy a Chevy Cruze as a child. That was it then, it was installed in the next half n hour and balancing was done. I left my stock set and moved on, as I do now from writing this thread and let you be the judge and the audience both to let me know your thoughts and if anything's more required. Signing out, cheers! It was 2020, the start of a lovely decade what it looked liked until the Coronavirus pandemic turned into a nightmare (PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD), but at this time it was just the beginning of the year with some positive hopes just like we do every year. I had just came back from a long ride in the WRV and the jaw breaking ride quality had me clear that its about time I replace this car. I had my mind on the Polo GT TSI since quite a while but the fact that VW India didn't launch the upgraded car and the fact that it had become a cliche amongst the enthusiast didn't work in its favor any further. I didn't mind spending a bit but wanted a small car that has good ride quality and feels special and something that can occasionally chauffeur my grandpa in the front seat thanks when the city is packed with traffic.My uncle had just got the GLA in December and I had the X1 till the last year so it was obvious that I'm not looking into that segment again so the choice was pretty clear from the beginning that it'll be the Mini and some good BS4 deals further sweeten the deal. Countryman it was then and SD was the variant as I knew I'll tune this car and its petrol counterpart didn't have a good track record holding up neither did I want to carry proctane in my boot as I did with the Jag.It was short and sweet from there. I was well acquainted with folks at Bird Automotive, been in touch with them since quite a while. Made a quick call, they knew I'm in for a car and gave whatever the best deal they could straight-up but the only catch was there were limited colour options with the BS4 and to my surprise there were all colours but white.I had a quick discussion with family and some friends and was ascertain that I'll go for a not so common shade if I'm breaking the All White code hence went ahead and confirmed the. Next day the downpayment was done and the car was booked. Since the car was meant for Patna it was now time to plan a quick Delhi vacation and take the delivery. I had the option to send the car via the flatbed but wanted to have some fun and unwind some old memories of the "20d"So there it was then, once the formalities were over and the TR of the vehicle done we flew down to Delhi and took the delivery from the Bird Automotive outlet in Vasant Kunj. The car was delivered with HR TR plates valid for 30 days and the delivery experience was good sans the fact that the car came with a bit of swirl marks as they said the car wasn't 'buffed' before delivery. It was a slight let down as it was my first car that wasn't white but then the fact they were all friends the dealership people I never had any intention to make a fuss out of it and hence the Grumpy was delivered.No freebies or anything in case you're wondering but then hey I can't be too greedy. However when they noticed the swirl marks they did offer to have the car polished from BMW but since I was a bit short on time I rather took some car care products supply from them which they happily gave.Thanking the almighty and played his bhajan first-up as a Puja as we ended up in a Pub post delivery courtesy to fellow BHPian A.Shubrah hence taking the car for the Puja wasn't possible. We were hungry as the delivery took a little longer than we expected. Coming to the car, my excerpts in brief...Since the car was booked over a phone call from a city that did not have a Mini Dealership, I never really got to take a test drive for the starters. The first time I drove the car was post delivery and as a responsible member of Team BHP and a self acclaimed car lover I stuck myself with the good ol' run-in period rule and made sure I refrained from any kind of spirited driving. The day 01 was a very normal one with only a few kms driven, during this I found some of the tech features really sporty about the car about which I'll mention in the next part, and day 02 the car was with a relative for the first half of the day. By the time I got the car back it had done around 200 kms on the ODO and I thought of giving it some beans. The first impressions weren't too great regarding the NVH levels of the engine but overall apart from that it felt very smooth and more zippier than the same motor felt in my F48 X1.It was day 02 still and I decided to visit a close friend who happens to be a tuner as well and is the one who has tuned all my cars. Needless to say he has one of the best aftermarket paint quality in Delhi IMHO and I gave him a very casual visit for a small paintjob. After all the reason for flying down to Delhi was catching up with long lost friends, the car was just an excuse. So yes, I visited my friends at GT Tunerz, as mentioned above the antenna trim was not body-coloured and 'black unpainted plastic' on a white roof looked really out of place so I had to get that painted. While we were at it I also requested him to paint a portion of the side skirts matched to the bodycolour and the brake calipers in red. I had decided to leave other things stock, and it was just going to be some minor paintjob to enhance the appeal. However, we did discuss about its remap potential very casually and quickly checked if the car was doable via the OBD, and yes it was possible! That was it I left my car there for the day and took an Uber back to the Hotel.The next morning I go there to take my car and got a surprise x surprise! He had remapped the car as he said it was easily done through the OBD and is very safe since its stage 1. It was a Quantum Tuning Stage 1 map and it was a moment that really left me surprised having a brand new car with just 200 kms on the ODO remappedWhile I was still speechless he asked me to go for a spin as he rode shotgun alongside. Boy this car had turned into a different beast. The 225 Pirelli RFTs were crying for traction and it was a different car altogether. The Sport Displays were updated as well and the claimed figures were around 234 bhp and 470 nm torque. I didn't push the car any further and came back to my run-in mode even though the car was tuned. I called it a day as I had to drive down to Patna the next day and it was going to be a long long drive with a few relatives on board.We started at around 10 am from Delhi, what was around a good 3 hours delay than the scheduled departure but luckily it being the day of election in Delhi the roads were empty and we reached the Yamuna Expressway in no time. I fell in love with the engine because of how it was exceeding speed limits without giving me a hint that it is...without breaking a sweat under 2000 rpm. The NVH levels at idle is poor but over all while on the move the car feels smooth & quiet. It was around 500 kms on the ODO when I decided to go all guns blazing and did some spirited acceleration and figured that the mid end of the car is way too good and very similar to the 525d E60 I had years ago post the remap. If you knew the right rpm that was just around the 1500 rpm to around 3500 rpm the car acted as a pocket rocket with continuous power throughout the mentioned rev range. Thewhich is straight outta BMW (BMWs IMHO has the best 'Sport Mode' amongst others) makes things hotter and more fun to drive with a further very noticeable increase in power and surprisingly the car getsmaking the handling a slight better and reducing the body roll and as soon as you switch to Sport Mode, other than the animation on the iDrive you also get an option to configure the Chassis setup. There's no dedicated button to control the damping but it automatically pops up whenever you switch onto Sport mode. Still even on a Mini, which is known for its handling I'd say my XF outdoes everything else in my garage currently or the past cars I owned in terms of steering feedback & handling. that being said, the Countryman drives like how a Mini should (from whatever I have read), with its transverse engine keeping the weight well behind the front wheels, making the nose lively and responsive to steering input. And despite a increase in ride height over the Clubman and the 3-Door there is a conspicuous absence of body roll in tight, fast corners.Having owned various cars with the same engine this came SECOND if I compare it with all the BMW 20ds I owned and the ranking would be E90 320d Grumpy > F30 320d with MPPK > F48 X1. It was a breeze to drive the car because the engine was always relaxed at triple digits and we reached Lucknow in about 6 hrs. It was time to catch up with some friends yet again and call it a day. The first thing I did that even delayed my check-in procedure at the Hotel in Lucknow is call my tuner friend and thank him. The engine was so zippy and not to mention ECONOMICAL that it just blew away the blues caused by taking delivery with swirl marks all over. The car had done around 600 kms in 6 hrs and returned an economy that would please thebecause the figure was a majestic 16 km / l which involved city driving as well in Delhi and even though I was in the run-in mood I was doingspeeds on the expressway.The local economy as well was far from bad which I observed in the last 3 days as per the 'on board computer'. It was around 14 km / l so the average IMHO was mind blowing. It was in one tank of fuel which was filled post delivery that resulted in a range of around 700 kms before giving the reserve light just about 100 kms before reaching Lucknow from Delhi, including a couple of days of city driving as well and it was just the first tank (the tank capacity is 51L for the sake of curiosity). We started from Lucknow the next day after lunch at around 1 pm and reached Patna by late midnight which included a couple of halts and that's how Grumpy made its way home. Throughout the 1000 kms journey never did the car felt boring or claustrophobic to drive and the tiredness quotient wasn't too bad either as the roads were fairly good and that leaves me with the statement that ride is actually good and the reason to upgrade was more than just-sorted. Its not pilowly smooth, but quite composed, and the best part is it's still fling-able (its got to have some Mini qualities and it doesn't disappoint the badge it wears).Ever since I booked the car, my would-be named it 'Grumpy'. I thought it to be a very weird name but then a few days later I too was convinced that's how it looks. A Grumpy kid who's a foodie (considering the curves and weight) As the official TBHP Original Mini review said, I'd keep it short and just quote from there that this has aand the cocktail is a really desirable one. My favorite bit is as soon you unlock the car the Oval-ish headlights flashes (raises) eyebrows to say hello! I hate the rear tail lamps that they offered from the factory so retrofitted Union Jack Tails which pays some homage to its originating country. For the rest its just love it or hate it styling so I'd leave your opinions to describe it the best way. One big complaint would be the tiny alloys that comes from the factory but I have kinda sorted it and will write more about it in the modification section.Coming to the inside, the Retro + Modern exterior cocktail is spilled all over the inside as well. It has a traditional Mini Speedo(Pardon the Holi colours, didn't have any other pic of the Speedo lol)...and there's high quality soft touch materials all over, the extreme center of the car is surrounded by an LED light ring that changes colour depending on the mode and setting and whatever mode you're in, it even changes colour when the PDC has activated or if you're controlling the AC temperature. This is something new from the other cars I have and I find it cool. My favorite bit has to be the banked array of metal toggle switches in the middle of the dash, to control various things like Start / Stop, Park Assist, Drive Modes (Green, Mid and Sport) and when you select Sport, rather than the car on the display showing thought bubbles of rockets and go-karts (sigh ), now it adopts white for its bonnet stripes, mirror caps and roof.And since that takes us to the Central Display - its just a MINIfied version of the iDrive but surprisingly has touch screen feature as well which I accidentally found. The seats are comfy and the extendable thigh support is a cherry on the cake. The door handles on the inside also gets circular metal finish which further adds to the quality. And the rest IMO is just doable, I wished the car came with black headliner and some more ambient lighting as Mini has some of the best ambient lighting and not having them is a big let down and I'm looking for ways to retrofit it. Maybe in the coming days once the Coronavirus scene has bettered, as it has just kill the joy of life. OT, but having cars are one thing but seeing the society sad around you it kills all the excitement and makes things gloomy in one's own life as well. So I'll sum up my review here and let the pics do the talking for now. Feel free to hit me up if you want to know anything in particular and I'd love to know your thoughts and suggestions, if any.The section I would be most excited to tell you about. As already mentioned above, I wanted to paint the shark fin antenna to match the roof colour from the plasticky black it originally came with, along with a portion of the side skirts as seen in pic below and red brake calipers. Now I don't really know, many of you wouldn't recommend sending a new car for paintjobs and modification but I have this OCD where I do make a few small changes if I personally feel something isn't ticking the box like it should and same was with Grumpy as well. The remap came as surprised but as I write this I now have around 2000 kms on the ODO and feels like it was the most VFM thing I got done, no regrets.Now here's something which I haven't mentioned above but is an important mod and was somewhat pre-planned. As you can see the Diesel variant of the Countryman comes in only one variant and has somewhat sad looking alloys. It was post the remap we had gone for a spin and I spotted Crave Design and figured the owners are acquainted to me. I dropped by just out of curiosity and liked a few designs and consulted with a few close friends including BHPian cityvic. Even though there were a lot of designs he strictly asked me to stick with branded wheels and strictly no replica.I had almost finalized the BBS SR in Himalayan Grey but here came the downer, the car was only 200 kms roughly at this point and I was gonna get a good buy back for my stock tyres (not the alloys) if I was changing now. After a few minutes more I saw a set of OZ Racing wheels packed in a box not being displayed...I loved it in the first look as it was OZ Racing wheels, something I desired since the days I desired to buy a Chevy Cruze as a child. That was it then, it was installed in the next half n hour and balancing was done. I left my stock set and moved on, as I do now from writing this thread and let you be the judge and the audience both to let me know your thoughts and if anything's more required.Signing out, cheers! Last edited by Gannu_1 : 1st April 2020 at 11:34 . Reason: Spacing between writeup and images, typos corrected. Govt creates email id technicalquery.covid19@gov.in to provide technical help on COVID-19 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: Based on the directive of the Supreme Court, the government has created an email id through which a joint secretary rank officer and specialised doctors of AIIMS will provide technical support. For any technical support and information relating to COVID-19, people could send an email at technicalquery.covid19@gov.in, the health ministry has said. Earlier the Supreme Court said that it expects the media to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing is not disseminated. A daily bulletin by the Government of India through all media avenues including the social media and forums to clear doubts of the people would be made active within a period of 24 hours as submitted by the Solicitor General of India, the court also said. Coronavirus death toll in India rises to 38, total positive cases stands at 1,466 Further it said that it does not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media refer to and publish the official version written about the developments. The migration of the large number of labourers working in the cities was triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months. Such panic driven migration has caused untold suffering to those who believed and acted on such news. In fact some have lost their lives in the process. It is not possible for us to overlook this menace of fake news either by electronic, print or social media. On Tuesday the Centre has sought a direction from the Supreme Court that no media house should print, publish or telecast anything on COVID-19 without first ascertaining facts from the mechanism provided by the government. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 16:58 [IST] Biochemist Joanne Lemieux is working with U of A colleagues to find out whether a compound known to cure a deadly coronavirus-caused disease in cats might also work against COVID-19 in humans. Credit: University of Alberta University of Alberta researchers are racing against the clock to test an antiviral drug that has been proven to cure a cat coronavirus and is hoped to have the same effect on people with COVID-19. "Our lab has been working as fast as we can to get our results out," said biochemist Joanne Lemieux. "We have not taken weekends, the days of the week have blurred. We're all working non-stop to get results as fast as we can." The project is one of 11 at the U of A to receive funding from the federal government's $52.6 million investment in COVID-19 research. "There is a possibility that combination therapy can be used, so there are multiple lines of attack," Lemieux said. Following the worldwide outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, chemist John Vederas, biochemist Michael James (now a professor emeritus) and other U of A scientists studied a mechanism that stopped the virus from replicating in the laboratory. The compounds, known as protease inhibitors, have since been further developed in the United States, tested and shown to also stop a fatal virus in cats. Now Vederas, Lemieux and virologist Lorne Tyrrell are combining their labs' efforts to test the inhibitor against the new coronavirus that is causing the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm very excited about this research project," Lemieux said. "It's nice to think that we can make a difference." How protease inhibitors work It is estimated that five to 10 percent of all new drugs in development worldwide are protease inhibitors. They have been used successfully to target diseases including high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, HIV, Type 2 diabetes and even cancer. COVID-19 is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus, as are many other infectious viruses such as Ebola, hepatitis C, West Nile and polio. Proteases are enzymes that allow the virus to replicate inside a human host. "When the virus enters a cell, the RNA is translated into a polypeptidea long single protein chainand the protease chops that long chain into many different parts, which then cause the damage," explained Lemieux. "If the protease does not work, the virus cannot replicate in the cell, so it's a pretty clear antiviral target," she said. Vederas' lab in the Faculty of Science will produce the inhibitor drug, and Lemieux's lab will determine the crystal structure of the COVID-19 protease after it is blocked by the drug to observe how it works. Tyrrell will test its effect against the viral load in a cell culture at his lab, which is federally approved to work with deadly pathogens such as COVID-19. Connection to a cat virus There are several promising things about this protease inhibitor that make the U of A researchers hopeful it will be a fit for COVID-19. Genome sequencing of the novel coronavirus indicates that its protease is nearly identical (96 percent) to the protease in the original SARS virus. "Of the 306 amino acid residues in the chain that makes the 3CL protease of the "Wuhan' virus, only 12 are different and they are highly similar in properties," the researchers stated in their research proposal. Another good sign is that a derivative of the same protease inhibitor was recently shown by American veterinary investigators to cure cats of feline infectious peritonitis, a coronavirus-caused condition that is almost always fatal to the animals. "The key compound affected cures or significant remissions in all the cats," the researchers stated. "It is very exciting that the drug was effective and tolerated in cats," said Lemieux, while cautioning that it still must be proven and tested in humans. Translating discovery into life-saving products Lemieux, who is director of the Membrane Protein Diseases Research Group within the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, usually focuses her research on proteases associated with other diseases such as Parkinson's and urinary tract infections, but all work in her lab has shut down except for the COVID-19 project. "When I teach my classes at the university I try to impart that fundamental research can really assist us in drug development," she said. "I try to get the students excited about protein structures and protein chemistry, and especially how proteases can be inhibited for drug development." Tyrrell, who is the founding director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, said another advantage for the U of A project is that the institute has a commercialization hub designed to take promising bench research to patients as soon as possible through licensing or partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. It is led by Michael Houghton, who identified the hepatitis C virus and has more than 70 patents in development. Tyrrell said pharmaceutical companies can sometimes be reluctant to develop drugs against viruses that may be fleeting if they can be contained through public health measures, such as the SARS and MERS outbreaks. He said that may be different this time. "With the crisis right now, it is critical that virologists translate some of the things we are discovering into products," said Tyrrell. Lemieux said the U of A researchers hope to know within the next two months whether the protease inhibitor they are developing is effective against the COVID-19 virus. "Obviously cats and humans are different," said Lemieux. "We're far away from developing something to treat people, but I would call these promising first steps towards development of a protease inhibitor drug to treat either this outbreak or future ones." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad, who has been booked for defying restrictions on public gatherings, concealed crucial information on the number and the health condition of those inside the Islamic missionary groups headquarters in Delhis Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a hot spot driving up the tally of Covid-19 cases in India, according to multiple police and government officials. On March 25, when a joint team of police and health officials went inside for the first time, people in the six-storey building hid in bathrooms, concealed symptoms of the contagious disease even as some took medicines to reduce their body temperature, a senior police officer said on the condition of anonymity. This officer also said the Jamaat management lied about the size of the gathering, putting the number of people present between 800 and 1,000. The joint team of police, health workers, and the World Health Organization has evacuated 2,346 people, including at least 250 foreigners, from the building in a 50-hour operation till Wednesday morning. They have been sent to quarantine centres and hospitals. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic Saad and six other top functionaries of the group were booked on Tuesday after the Jamaat headquarters emerged as the single-biggest source of Covid-19 infections in the country. By Wednesday evening, the headquarters, also known as Markaz, was linked, directly and indirectly, to at least 283 infections and eight deaths. States have been instructed by the cabinet secretary to trace the thousands of attendees of the March event organised by the Jamaat. Over 500 people who were at the headquarters have shown Covid-19 symptoms. The Centre has separately begun the process of blacklisting about 250 foreigners who attended the congregation, allegedly flouting visa rules by claiming to be tourists. Ideally, they should have applied for a religious missionary visa. Amid reports of Saad going missing, another senior officer of the Delhi Polices crime branch said: I am not sure if you can say he is absconding. He [Saad] is not at the Markaz. He is also not at any hospital or quarantine facility. We have just started the probe...The police were busy clearing the site and getting it sanitised while also identifying others who may have been infected by the Sars-Cov-2 virus [which causes Covid-19]. Fuzail Ayyubi, the legal counsel of Jamaat, said Saad was in Delhi, and denied allegations of concealing information. ... [He] will join the investigation when police summon him. We got to know about the FIR from the media reports. The allegation of concealing information is wrong because between March 25 and 28, the police and health teams came inside and took several pilgrims. Between March 25 (the day a three-week, nationwide lockdown was imposed) and March 28, officials evacuated 39 people showing symptoms of the infection and sent them to hospitals. A third police officer, who too spoke on the condition of anonymity, said until the night of March 28, Jamaat members tried to hide from health workers who were allowed inside the building. The health authorities found about 40 cases of people showing symptoms till then (March 25-28). Nobody volunteered to take the test. Most of the persons who had symptoms were hiding in the rooms above. Some of them had taken medicines to reduce fever. The actual number of people with symptoms was likely over 500. When we realised that they were not cooperating, we decided to visit each room to find those people on the morning of March 29. The main process of evacuation started then, this officer said. Officials also said they were seeking to interrogate Saad over an audio recording (mentioned in the FIR filed on Tuesday) in which he is purportedly heard asking his followers to flout social distancing guidelines. Jamaat counsel Ayyubi, however, said the allegation about the audio tape was completely misplaced. Before the lockdown, they [Jamaat management] should have sent back the visitors. Instead of making arrangements, the head [Saad] wilfully misled the gathering and asked them to stay put. The case against him and others has been registered under sections of criminal conspiracy and the Epidemic Diseases Act, the third police officer said. Investigators said Saad allegedly ignored the governments March 13 and March 16 orders banning gatherings of over 200 persons and any form of religious congregations. The Tablighi Jamaat issued a statement on Tuesday, saying the visitors were stuck at the headquarters because of the lockdown. Its spokesman, Mohammed Shoaib, said the group sent a request for curfew passes to the Delhi government to help the visitors leave the Jamaat headquarters but received no reply. A Delhi government official said Jamaat reacted late. The orders to ban gathering were issued more than 10 days before they sent the request for passes [on March 24]. Panic over coronavirus had already gripped Delhi when the first order was issued on March 13. Schools were closed. Holi celebrations were cancelled across the city, the official said on condition of anonymity. He said despite knowing that foreigners and people from across the country were inside the building, the Jamaat stayed put and endangered the lives of everyone. Their request for passes was kept in abeyance because there was confusion on whether issuance of passes to them would have violated the lockdown norms as their request did not come under essential services [which were allowed to function]. We are still looking at lapses, if any, on the part of government officials, he said. This official added that chief minister Arvind Kejriwals office asked for an explanation on why the district magistrate and the sub-divisional magistrate did not escalate the matter after meeting Jamaat members inside the building on March 26 over health concerns involving those who attended the gathering earlier in the month. (With inputs from Sweta Goswami and Vatsala Shrangi) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated what President Donald Trump said about whether he had been distracted by impeachment while fighting the coronavirus outbreak. What the president said was, "Well, I don't like to think I did. I think I handled it very well, but I guess it probably did. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump had a hard time deciding Tuesday whether impeachment distracted him from fighting the coronavirus but he eventually claimed it "probably" did. "Well, I don't like to think I did," Trump said at a news conference with the White House coronavirus task force. "I think I handled it very well, but I guess it probably did. I mean, I got impeached." He added that, "I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it." The president later expanded on his answer. "But certainly I guess I thought of it. And I think I probably acted I don't think I would have done better had I not been impeached, OK? And I think that's a great tribute to something. Maybe it's a tribute to me. But I don't think I would've acted any differently or I don't think I would've acted any faster." Trump echoed the claims of supporters who blamed the administration's slow response to the coronavirus outbreak on the president's impeachment case. Coronavirus response: Barack Obama takes veiled swipe at Donald Trump's handling of coronavirus pandemic The Senate impeachment trial which began with the swearing-in of senators on Jan. 16 and ended with Trump's acquittal on Feb. 5 "diverted the attention of the government," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaking Tuesday to radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt. Critics described the impeachment argument one employed by many Trump supporters in recent weeks as excuse mongering. Trump, they noted, began taking questions about coronavirus in January and downplayed the threat until late February, well after the trial ended. Story continues On Feb. 27, Trump said during a speech at the White House that the coronavirus was "going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear." He then said, "you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens." Three weeks before, the Republican-run Senate acquitted Trump of House impeachment charges that he abused power and obstructed a congressional investigation into his team's efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Democratic political opponent Joe Biden. Trump supporters like Fox News commentator Sean Hannity have long claimed that impeachment diverted the government's attention from things like the coronavirus. But Joshua Geltzer, a former national security aide during the Obama administration, countered that impeachment previewed Trump's response, including his ignoring government experts and relying on private sources of information. "Mitch McConnell just blamed Trumps COVID-19 failures on impeachment," tweeted Geltzer, a visiting law professor at Georgetown University. "Thats wrong dead wrong. In fact, the opposite is true: impeachment warned McConnell & other Americans about exactly how Trump would screw this up." Where is the virus? US coronavirus map: Tracking the outbreak This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Trump says impeachment distracted him from coronavirus The car industry wants the Government to intervene to protect 50,000 jobs in the sector, as new figures show vehicle sales plummeted in March. Only 6,174 new cars were registered in March, which is down 63% compared to March 2019, which had 16,687 new registrations. It is a similar situation across Europe after sales plunged in France and Spain and a major parts supplier scrapped its outlook. Brian Cooke, the director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, has called for Government intervention to help the industry. While showrooms, service, and other activities within the industry are closed, members are available to assist in emergency call-out or delivery services. This will be vital in keeping essential and emergency services moving, he said. The motor industry and its employees, like so many industries, is feeling the devastating impact of Covid-19. Even before the crisis commenced, the new car market was in decline, and this fall has accelerated rapidly in the last fortnight, with new car activity down nearly two thirds on last year. Whatever the duration of this crisis, once we emerge, we will need to see decisive and ambitious action from Government to protect the nearly 50,000 jobs in our sector. Registrations for the year to date are also down 20.5% to 51,015 when compared to the same time period last year, which had 64,126 registrations. This is due to lockdown restrictions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the sharp rise in unemployment. The new car registration figures were released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry yesterday. Light commercial vehicle registrations are down 52.9% to 1,434 when compared to March last year, which had 3,044 registrations. Overall, light commercial vehicle registrations are down 15.2% for the year to date, with 9,378 being registered so far. However, heavy goods vehicle registrations are up 17.67% to 313 in comparison to March 2019, which only had 266 registrations. For the year to date, HGVs are up 12.59% to 993. The number of used car imports for March was 4,656, a decrease of 48.1% compared to March 2019. In France, passenger car registrations dropped 72% in March compared with the previous year. In Spain, new car registrations fell by 69% to below the worst levels of the financial crisis. Carmakers including Volkswagen, the PSA Group, Fiat Chrysler, and Renault have shuttered factories and showrooms after governments restricted public life to stem the spread of Covid-19. With people housebound in major car markets such as France and Italy, and non-essential purchases prohibited, consumers arent buying new vehicles. Space Force identifies USAF missions for transfer to newest service By Maj. William Russell , U.S. Space Force Public Affairs / Published March 31, 2020 ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- In a significant step that enhances the U.S. Space Force's capabilities and development, the Department of the Air Force has identified 23 U.S. Air Force organizations whose space-related missions will soon transfer to the Space Force. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, in conjunction with Chief of Space Operations Gen. John "Jay" Raymond and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein, directed the transfer which entails shifting space missions from Air Force organizations into the newest military branch. Currently, Space Force is comprised primarily of units which previously fell under the former Air Force Space Command prior to the service's establishment on Dec. 20, 2019. According to Space Force officials, the goal is to have each of the 23 space missions formally transferred from the Air Force into the Space Force within the next three to six months based on timing and conditions specific to each organization and mission. The CSAF and CSO have been delegated the authority to actually execute the transfer when they jointly agree the necessary conditions have been met to affect a smooth transfer. This transfer plan does not include the physical movement of units or billets to a different geographic location, nor does it include moving any of the people assigned to units. The missions and billets will simply be transferred to the Space Force and remain in place to leverage the talent, infrastructure, and key capabilities at their current location. The mission transfers are aligned with the White House's Space Policy Directive-4 vision, which calls for the Space Force to "consolidate existing space forces and authorities for military space activities." "Building the U.S. Space Force represents a top priority for the Department of the Air Force," said Barrett. "These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests." The list of affected units emerged from analysis and planning by Department of the Air Force planners who determined that transferring these missions would play a critical role in directly supporting space missions and related operational capabilities. Approximately 1,840 Air Force billets will be transferred into the Space Force from across the 23 units. Importantly, while the mission transfers will change the alignment of units themselves from the Air Force to the Space Force, these actions will not constitute a change in service for the people assigned. In the near term, military personnel will remain in the Air Force, although assigned to a unit in the Space Force. In the coming months, and when appropriate provisions are in place as part of a separate process, military members who meet applicable criteria will be given the opportunity to volunteer to transfer to the Space Force. If they choose not to transfer, they will remain in the Air Force and assigned to the Space Force unit until their normal assignment rotation is complete, at which time they will be moved to an assignment within the Air Force. The status of civilians, as Department of the Air Force employees, is unchanged. Whether serving in Air Force or Space Force billets, civilians will remain DAF employees and have the ability to remain in their current positions, or apply for other positions across the department. As the stand-up of the Space Force continues, additional space missions may be identified for transfer, which will be coordinated and approved by separate action. The following locations have been identified for a transfer action: 17th Test Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado 18th Intel Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 25th Space Range Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado 328th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A, Schriever AFB, Colorado 7th Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland* 16th AF/Advanced Programs*, Schriever AFB, Colorado 32nd Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Maryland* 566th Intel Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colorado* 544th ISR Group Staff & Detachment 5, Peterson AFB, Colorado Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colorado 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California National Security Space Institute, Peterson AFB, Colorado AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio* AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico* AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division, Edwards AFB, California* AFRL Electro-Optical Division, Maui, Hawaii & Kirtland AFB, New Mexico* AFRL Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio* Counter-Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4, Peterson AFB, Colorado Air Force Safety Center - Space Safety Division, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico ------ * Partial mission transfer (i.e., size of a flight, branch or division or above) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address This is the dramatic moment a vape shop owner was pinned to the floor and arrested by four police officers for flouting the coronavirus lockdown. Ian Grave, 45, kept his business open in St Helens, Merseyside claiming he provided a key service selling products which help people give up smoking. But four officers arrived at his Dog House Vaping Co store last Thursday and told a staff member working there she had to shut up shop immediately. She rang Mr Grave who drove to the shop and asked the police why he had to close. Following an argument, Mr Grave was bundled to the floor and carted off in a police van. Ian Grave, 45, was arrested after keeping his business open in St Helens, Merseyside. He claimed he was providing a key service selling products which help people give up smoking Mr Grave was pinned to the ground by four police officers following an argument. He claimed his shop was providing a 'vital service' but officers disagreed Speaking afterwards, he said: 'I thought we were doing everything right, I only had one member of staff in and we only let one customer in at a time and then wiped down every time. 'I think we're providing a vital service selling nicotine products. Off licences are still allowed to stay open, so why not us? You can also go to DIY stores, are nails essential? 'But they turned up and said we had to shut. I asked under what law did I have to close and they didn't know.' Only stores selling 'essential goods' such as supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices and hardware stores have been told they can remain open during the national fightback against the illness. But some high street vaping shops are sidestepping the emergency rules and staying open by claiming they are healthcare retailers. Mr Grave accused the police of being too aggressive as they pushed him to the ground and arrested him. He added: 'It was totally over the top. They twisted my arm up my back, I was in agony. 'When I got to the station they didn't know what to charge me with. On the board where they write things like "mugging" or "burglary", for me, they wrote something like 'shopkeeper'. 'I was in a cell for a couple of hours before they let me leave. To be fair the officers in the station were great, it was just the ones who came to the shop.' Only stores selling 'essential goods' such as supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices and hardware stores have been told they can remain open during the national fightback against the illness. But Mr Grave said he should be allowed to stay open (he is pictured getting arrested) Shops face 'unlimited' fines for breaching the lockdown under sweeping powers given to police and councils last week to stop the virus spreading. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, whose members work for councils, and are responsible for enforcing the new rules, said: 'There does seem to some confusion over what should be closed and what shouldn't. Vaping shops are self-identifying as health care and staying open. 'Our people are getting in touch with businesses to ask them what grounds they are open because there seems to be a feeling the legislation is open to misinterpretation. 'We're finding quite a few businesses open when they should be closed, and closing when we catch them and saying they will stay closed and then re-opening the next day.' Four officers arrived at Mr Grave's Dog House Vaping Co store last Thursday and told a staff member working there she had to shut up shop immediately. She rang Mr Grave who drove to the shop and asked the police why he had to close. Following an argument, Mr Grave was bundled to the floor and carted off in a police van (left and right, his tussle with police) The UK vaping industry has urged the Government to exempt its outlets, claiming it would be a counterproductive move that could place a further strain on the NHS. In other acts of defiance, people have climbed over 6ft high fences or torn them down to reach park gyms and police have had to reinstall the cordons. But a snapshot survey by institute members has found that the vast majority of businesses and people are complying with the lockdown. A spokesman added: 'Small businesses are also really struggling to introduce social distancing measures and people have been complaining about it. We're reminding businesses about their legal obligations because there does seem to be confusion among the smaller businesses. 'We've already served two prohibition notices and expect that others will follow. We've also experienced widespread cases of the public tearing down 'do not use' signs and 'keep out' tape around park gyms.' A Merseyside police spokesperson said: 'We can confirm a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of operating a non-essential business following inquiries in Thatto Heath on Thursday March 26. 'He has been released under investigation while our enquiries continue.' New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews efforts being undertaken to contain Coronavirus (COVID-19) with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat through video conferencing, in New Delhi on Apr 1, 2020. (Photo: IANS/PIB) Image Source: PK New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews efforts being undertaken to contain Coronavirus (COVID-19) with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat through video conferencing, in New Delhi on Apr 1, 2020. (Photo: IANS/PIB) Image Source: PK New Delhi, April 1 : Over 9,000 beds in military hospitals have been allocated to deal with COVID-19 cases, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat informed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday in a meeting to review preparedness to assist the civil authorities. Gen Rawat said exclusive hospitals are identified to take care of coronavirus cases. "Over 1,000 evacuees are quarantined at facilities in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chennai, Manesar, Hindan and Mumbai. Their quarantine period will end by April 7, 2020," General Rawat told Singh. The Defence Minister reviewed through video conference the assistance being extended by various organisations of the Ministry to fight COVID-19. Singh appreciated the efforts being made by various services, organisations and DPSUs in terms of evacuation, provision of health care in quarantine facilities and research & production of medical equipment such as sanitizers, facemasks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). He directed the organisations to redouble their efforts and work in close coordination with other ministries and organisations of Central government. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh informed the Defence Minister that naval ships are on standby to extend any required assistance. He said the Navy is also extending assistance as required by local civilian administration. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria said the Air Force planes conducted several sorties within the country in the last five days to transport approximately 25 tonnes of medical supplies. He said critical operational work is continuing while ensuring all necessary precautions. Indian Army Chief General M.M. Naravane said that more than 8,500 doctors and support staff are available to extend necessary assistance to civilian administration. Referring to Singh's direction that help should be provided to neighbouring countries, he said assistance to Nepal in the form of medical equipment will be delivered shortly. Secretary Department of Defence and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy informed Rajnath Singh that 50,000 litres of sanitizers made by DRDO labs were supplied to various security entities, including Delhi Police and another one lakh litres were supplied all over the country. He said, a five-layered nano technology face masks N99 are being made on a war footing. As many as 10,000 have already been made and soon per day production will be extended to 20,000. DRDO labs have also supplied 40,000 other face masks to Delhi Police. The DRDO Secretary, being a member of the empowered Group of Secretaries, is coordinating closely with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the requirement of medical equipment. Another DRDO laboratory has also made arrangements to make 20,000 PPE per day. DRDO is also engaged in a minor modification of ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time. Director General of Armed Force Medical Services Lieutenant General Anup Banerji said necessary equipment have been procured and dispatched to various hospitals. "Retired health professionals have also been kept in readiness to volunteer their services. Approximately 25,000 NCC cadets are being mobilised to provide necessary local assistance," he said. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is also engaged in manufacturing hand sanitisers, face masks and PPE. (JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) The Missouri Department of Corrections said there are no positive cases of COVID-19 in the state's prison system. Director Anne Precythe made the statement during Governor Mike Parson's press briefing on Tuesday. The inmate who tested positive at the Western Reception, Diagnositc and Correctional Center in St. Joseph has now tested negative twice for coronavirus, according to Precythe. The prisoner had been monitored for a respiratory condition from March 4 to March 19 before being admitted to a Kansas City area hospital. Precythe said a total of 20 prisoners have been tested. Fourteen offenders tested negative while five results are still pending. Two Missouri DOC staff members have tested positive and are in isolation. Precythe said those staff members do not work in prisons. Precythe said prisons across the state are screening all incoming offenders from county facilities and medical staff is on-site at all prisons 24 hours a day. On March 12, the Missouri DOC suspended visitations. It also suspended inmate transfers between prisons in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. "Managing communicable diseases in prison is not new," Precythe said. "Every year we prepare for the flu and are forced to contain and isolate those that are impacted to prevent the spread of the disease." Offenders working in 22 factories in 12 prisons across the state are also helping in the fight against coronavirus, according to Precythe. Inmates at a factory in Cameron have increased production of toilet paper by 20 percent manufacturing 3,500 cases of tissue each week. Inmate at two other factories have also produced 6,800 gallons of sanitizer and more than 4,000 medical gowns. Road and bridge projects in Michigan will continue during the COVID-19 pandemic so long as construction workers can practice social distancing measures and be appropriately protected from the virus, the Michigan Department of Transportation clarified Tuesday evening. Construction on roads and bridges has continued in Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, contractors will proceed with state trunkline projects when they feel their workers can do their work in a safe manner, MDOT spokesperson Jeff Cranson said Tuesday, noting that guidance could change depending on future developments. If any contractor does not feel they can do it safely within those guidelines, MDOT engineers will work with them until the executive order is lifted, he said. In cases where a contractor feels they cannot begin or continue work because of concerns about their work force, supply chains or other things related to COVID-19, the delays will be excusable and liquidated damages will not be assessed. Cranson said contractors could also be granted an extension on active projects for any reasonable efforts to put COVID-19 safety measures in place, such as reduced crew sizes or delayed operations. Related: Is fixing Michigan roads essential during coronavirus pandemic? Construction industry isnt convinced The new guidance comes after the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents road construction contract workers, requested the work be deemed non-essential under Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home order so employees can stay home and avoid contracting COVID-19. The association requested all construction field operations, not just public works construction, be deemed non-essential, arguing continued operations could divert needed equipment like N-95 masks, gloves and hand sanitizer away from health care providers. Mike Nystrom, MITAs executive vice president, said they accept the directive from the administration and appreciate the assurances that health and safety of workers is paramount. To have further clarification from the department is very helpful, Nystrom said. We know we need to do our part and to plow forward now that this decision has been made. Nystrom said with the circumstances changing rapidly during the coronavirus pandemic, other issues could continue to arise, noting the association continues to pay close attention to workforce safety. MITA and other groups representing the construction industry have put forward best practices for highway construction worksites for keeping workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Were going to follow this in a way that puts safety as the foremost concern, and if it affects productivity, were going to work with the owner, he said. There have been more than 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and almost than 3,000 deaths in the United States. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Related coverage: Michigan coronavirus cases now at 7,615; up 1,117 cases, 75 deaths in one day Tuesday, March 31: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Computer system for Michigan unemployment agency crashes amid crush of new claims Michigan Attorney General warns of scammers imitating health officials during coronavirus pandemic Lunch on me! Lizzo surprises Henry Ford Hospital ER staff Hospitals are telling Premier Doug Ford its time to walk the talk on providing masks and other protective gear to doctors and nurses battling severe shortages on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. The rare plea from the Ontario Hospital Association came Wednesday as Ford said deliveries are happening every single day and talked of several deals being made with suppliers, including the purchase of ventilators in small batches of five or 10 wherever they can be found. The OHA is extremely concerned that many Ontario hospitals are running low on PPE (personal protective equipment), particularly masks, the organization representing the provinces 141 public hospitals said Wednesday. Today, were calling on the government to clearly and specifically inform hospitals on when new supplies will be delivered. Hospital association president Anthony Dale reinforced the demand on Twitter as nurses, doctors and other health-care workers dealing with potential COVID-19 patients complain of being rationed to two masks a day a situation they consider dangerous because of a higher risk of infection. Clear information is needed now to support contingency planning for all scenarios, especially over the short term, Dale said, acknowledging hospitals are conserving masks to safeguard the supply at the direction of Ontarios chief medical officer. Many nurses have contacted the Star in frustration and fear amid the latest Ontario Ministry of Health statistics showing at least 229 health-care workers have contracted COVID-19 to date. It is nice that everyone is talking about how much ordering there is of PPE, but when the hell is it going to be shipped and arrived at hospitals? asked one. Another who contacted the Stars Bruce Arthur said Im risking my life, my family life, my community, and all you value me is two masks in a brown paper bag? Ford announced Wednesday a $50 million fund to help provincial manufacturers retool their production lines to make medical supplies, and has repeatedly expressed concerns about front-line health workers. Theres very little separating what we will face here in Ontario from the devastation weve seen in Italy and Spain, he said, a reference to hundreds dying daily in overwhelmed hospitals in those countries. Read more about: Hospitals should use spare laboratory space to test self-isolating NHS staff for coronavirus, Matt Hancock has said. The health secretary says he wants as many front-line workers as possible to be tested for Covid-19 so they could return to work if found clear of the illness. And he has scrapped previous government guidelines that 85 per cent of tests must be reserved for patients, even if there were spare to go round. The intervention comes amid mounting criticism of both the government and Mr Hancock himself for a lack of overall testing in the UK a failure which critics say leaves the country far behind others in their battle to suppress the infection. Figures released on Tuesday suggest one in four doctors and one in five nurses are currently off work having to self-isolate either because they are showing symptoms or a member of their household is. Without tests being provided, the British Medical Association has said, they cannot get back on duty. Speaking at Tuesday afternoons daily government press conference, cabinet office minister Michael Gove admitted the UK had to go further, faster to build up its capacity. Ministers have now announced plans to work with the private sector and universities to scale up testing, but Mr Gove admitted the government had more to do. More NHS staff are returning to the front line, and more testing is taking place to help those self-isolating come back, and to protect those working so hard in our hospitals and in social care, he said. But while the rate of testing is increasing, we must go further, faster. He said it had been difficult to source the reagents required for tests at a time when much of the world was trying to buy the same chemicals but could not explain why the government had been so slow in attempting to establish an overarching testing system. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA, said: Its been well over two weeks since the government said it was going to roll out priority testing for healthcare staff. But many doctors still have no idea about where or how they can get tested. Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative former health secretary, said it was very worrying that the government had not already introduced mass testing. It is internationally proven as the most effective way of breaking the chain of transmission, Mr Hunt said. However difficult it is to source the reagents to ramp up the capacity of laboratories up and down the country, it is essential that mass community testing is part of our national strategy. More than 1,700 have died in the UK from coronavirus, with a further 25,150 people infected. FILE PHOTO: An oil storage tank and crude oil pipeline equipment is seen during a tour by the Department of Energy at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport By Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to lease out space for energy companies to store oil in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after a previous effort to buy millions of barrels for the emergency stockpile was canceled over a lack of funding, according to two people briefed on the matter. The new plan could help the United States deal with a growing glut of crude oil that risks overwhelming commercial storage tanks and sending world energy prices deeper into a tailspin as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand for fuel. It could be announced as soon as Wednesday, the sources said. The plan is a change of tack from the initial scheme, which would have had the Department of Energy (DOE) purchase crude from domestic drilers using federal funds. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the DOE on March 13 to fill the reserve "to the top" to help oil producers suffering from the global oil price drop, and the initial solicitation asked for supply only from U.S. companies with fewer than 5,000 employees. But Congress did not approve funds for the buys, forcing the Energy Department last week to cancel the proposal. The revised plan would help traders and others as they try to ride out a precipitous drop in the price of oil by storing crude for sale later once the crisis is over. The country's main commercial storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma is quickly filling up. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve has 77 million barrels of free capacity, a little less than the country uses in four days. It currently holds about 635 million barrels of oil in salt caverns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts. It was not clear if the DOE has ever before leased space in the caverns to private companies. "We appreciate any actions the administration is taking to alleviate the oversupply flooding the market and allow U.S. independent producers to continue to operate," said Anne Bradbury, the CEO of AXPC, an industry group representing independent oil and gas companies. Story continues "We encourage Congress to work with DOE to ensure they have the resources needed for SPR flexibilities, to address the oversupply issues we are facing," Bradbury said. The DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The coronavirus pandemic has crushed global fuel demand as governments keen to slow the spread of the respiratory disease seek to restrict the movement of roughly 3 billion people across the world. A price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that erupted earlier this month has exacerbated the crisis by flooding the market with crude. U.S. oil futures lost 54% in March, the biggest monthly percentage decline in the benchmark's history. The country's flagship physical crude oil grade traded at about $10 a barrel, the lowest in more than two decades, earlier this week. In response, traders in the United States and elsewhere have scrambled to find to space to hold the devalued barrels while waiting out the storm. (Reporting by Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar; Editing by Richard Pullin) WASHINGTON - The husband of Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler recently acquired as much as $415,000 in stock in DuPont de Nemours, a chemical company that manufactures protective equipment in exceedingly high demand because of the coronavirus pandemic. The transaction, detailed in a mandatory disclosure the Republican filed late Tuesday, comes as senators in both parties have faced questions about the stock transactions they made in the weeks before the coronavirus upended the U.S. economy, wiping out jobs and personal wealth. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., whose sales of as much as $1.7 million in stocks have come under the most scrutiny, requested an ethics review of his actions in the days before markets dropped in February. The FBI has also contacted him about the sale. He has denied trading on inside information. Like Burr, Loeffler came under fire last month after she and her husband dumped substantial portions of their portfolio. The transactions came after a series of private congressional briefings on the then-burgeoning pandemic. The new purchases disclosed by Loeffler include the purchase of DuPont stock, a company that could see profits soar from the sale of protective equipment as hospitals search for desperately needed supply. Loeffler says she had no involvement in the trades. Her stock portfolio is managed independently by third-party advisors, said spokeswoman Kerry Rom. Sen. Loeffler continues to operate with integrity and transparency - following both the spirit and the letter of the law. Their latest financial moves are likely to give more ammunition to critics of the newly appointed senator, who is on the ballot this year. Her top Republican primary rival, Rep. Doug Collins, previously accused her of profiting while people are losing their jobs, their businesses, their retirements. The mandatory disclosures senators must make do not detail specific amounts of stock sales or purchases. Instead, they give a range in dollars of the value of each transaction. Tuesdays filing shows Loefflers husband purchased anywhere between about $166,000 and $415,000 in DuPont, spread across four transactions in late February and early March. The companys website says thousands of DuPont employees are working around the clock in all parts of the world to increase capacity of protective garments during this time of high demand. The purchase represented just a portion of their recent financial activity. They also bought as much as $250,000 in Chevron, as much as $50,000 in Amazon and as much as $350,000 in CME Group, the new disclosure shows. At the same time, they sold between about $100,000 and $250,000 in DocuSign stock, sold as much as $150,000 in Facebook stock and unloaded holdings in retail stores like Ross, TJ Maxx and Lululemon. Loefflers husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. A separate disclosure made Tuesday reveals he recently sold between about $6 million and $30 million of stock in its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange. Loeffler, who also worked for Intercontinental Exchange, sold between $5 million and $25 million in stock from the company while exercising an option that gave her as much as $25 million more. Stock options are one of the primary ways the couple is paid by the company. The couples new investment in DuPont drew notice from government watchdog groups, particularly because they also recently invested in a tech company that offers telecommuting software that could also benefit from the pandemic. I think it deserves an extra amount of scrutiny because when she did the first round of sales after she got nonpublic information, she also bought a stock in a telecommuting company, said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed a Senate ethics complaint against Loeffler and Burr last month. This would follow that pattern, which is why it does raise an eyebrow, and its one of those things that even if it doesnt go to the level of breaking the law or any rules, it looks bad. NEWTOWN >> The Council Rock School Board on Jan. 6 announced that it has granted Superintendent Dr. Robert Fraser a temporary leave from his duties as administrative head of the school district. In the interim, the board has appointed assistant superintendent for teaching and learning Dr. Susan Elliott as substitute Superintendent. The Board looks forward to Dr. Fraser's return to the district... As the world faces the most serious public health crisis in a century, scientists and medical professionals are scrambling to understand who is most vulnerable to Covid-19 and why. But one clear trend is emerging: Men are much more likely to die from the disease than women. It is a pattern occurring in almost every country as researchers frantically begin to collate data from national health authorities. We are seeing with every country that provides us with sex-disaggregated data that men are more likely to die from the virus, anything from 10 percent to more than twice as likely, said professor Sarah Hawkes, the director of the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health in the UK. The centre is home to the independent Global Health 50/50 initiative, which has embarked on a project to collate data on gender and Covid-19 the disease caused by the novel coronavirus from across the globe. While much emphasis was initially placed on the elderly or those who have pre-existing health conditions as being at risk of dying from the virus, it is now becoming clear that being male is also a factor. Data from China first revealed a gender gap in deaths, with 64 percent of male sufferers dying compared to 36 percent of women, according to the Global Health 50/50 initiative. Figures from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain have confirmed the pattern. In the two hardest-hit European nations, 71 percent of the Covid-19 deaths in Italy were male while in Spain almost twice as many men as women have died. Undoubtedly, a part of this is biology but a large part of this difference is also driven by gender behaviour, such as far higher levels of smoking and drinking among men compared to women, professor Hawkes told FRANCE 24. Here in France, figures from the Public Health institute show that, from March 1 to March 22, 57 percent of Covid-19 deaths were men with the average age being 81 years old. But Hawkes said that when it comes to contracting the virus, the gender gap is far more less noticeable women are at just as much risk as men of being infected. While it is still too early to determine why the gender gap is emerging, researchers point to several possible factors. Data has already shown that other coronaviruses, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), tend to affect men disproportionately. Lifestyle choices and behaviours also play a part, with men less likely to seek medical help at the first signs of disease or to follow public heath advice. Studies show that men are also less likely to wash their hands or use soap. They are also more likely to indulge in risky lifestyle behaviours such as drinking and smoking, which means men have a higher incidence of both pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Then there are the biological factors, with hormones, particularly oestrogen, playing a role in increasing womens antiviral response. Genetic structure is another important factor, with a significant number of genes that regulate the immune response encoded on the X chromosome, of which women have two while men only have one. We know that womens immune systems function differently to mens after all, womens bodies are designed to host a foetus for nine months at a time without it being rejected as a foreign body, professor Hawkes said. Dr Sabra Klein, an immunologist and a specialist in gender and infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Heath, spoke to FRANCE 24s The 51 Percent show earlier in March about the possible reasons for men being at more risk of dying from Covid-19. Generally speaking, women mount greater immune responses to a variety of viruses as well as other infectious agents than do men, Dr Klein said. There are biological differences in the immune systems between men and women which impact our ability to fight an infection, she said, pointing to blood samples from China collected from Covid-19 patients. [Those samples] suggest our blood chemistry and immune cell counts do, in fact, differ between men and women, which could be contributing to some of the gender differences that were observing in the severity of the disease. In the meantime, researchers are pleading with countries to provide specific data on gender and age differences when it comes to recording deaths, especially in the US and Britain. The Covid-19 crisis reveals, in stark terms, that in most countries, the data-for-decision-making process is broken, said Dr Kent Bush, the co-director of Global Heath 50/50. Advertisements We have the data, but too often we fail to analyse it and we fail to act on it. While its great to see some countries stepping up, too many still dont, including those with the wherewithal to do better, such as the [United] States and the UK. Such data should be used to shape public heath messaging, said Dr Klein. This pandemic may end up being the defining moment for sex and gender in the way we view infectious diseases, she said. I am disappointed that many of the public health officials around the world are not speaking out that being male is indeed a risk factor for a more severe outcome and, in particular, being an older male. I do think that there could be public heath messaging [that] could occur in that context. She later told FRANCE 24 that such public health advice is critical when there is no drug to prevent or vaccine to help cure the virus. So if more older-aged men knew this, or their spouses knew this, it may mean they would be more vigilant, and also taking advantage of healthcare while also practising good hygiene. FRANCE 24 is PREMIUM TIMES syndication partner. We have permission to republish its contents. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:42:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Chinese medical experts share their experience in COVID-19 prevention and control with their Pakistan counterparts at Pakistan Emirate Military Hospital in Rawalpindi of eastern Pakistan's Punjab province, April 1, 2020. A Chinese medical expert said on Wednesday that prevention work should be the top priority for Pakistan to cope with the increasingly severe COVID-19 epidemic in the country. (Xinhua/Liu Tian) ISLAMABAD, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese medical expert said on Wednesday that prevention work should be the top priority for Pakistan to cope with the increasingly severe COVID-19 epidemic in the country. Ma Minghui, head of a medical expert team sent by the Chinese government to Pakistan, told Xinhua that since the eight-member team's arrival in Pakistan, they have emphasized the importance of prevention in the fight against the COVID-19. "The Pakistani side starts to understand the significance of the prevention work and we are in the same page now regarding this point," said Ma. "If the situation is getting worse, Pakistan's medical resources and system would face a huge challenge. Therefore, prevention should be the top priority so as to control the totality of the infected" and provide better treatment with limited medical resources, Ma said. Ma and his colleagues on Wednesday visited Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH) in Rawalpindi. The Chinese team shared their experiences on the disease diagnosis, suspected patients quarantine and treatment to critical patients. The experts, who served in the frontline when the disease broke out in China, also gave their Pakistani counterparts suggestions on improving their treatment schemes. Nigar Johar, commandant of the PEMH, told Xinhua that the Chinese team's visit to the hospital was important. "And definitely they have vast of experiences and we are gaining from that experiences and they are recommending things which would be helpful to us." The Chinese medical experts will also visit Lahore and Karachi later to guide local medical staff over COVID-19 related prevention and treatment. Episcopal priest, first coronavirus case in nation's capital released from hospital Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The first confirmed case of coronavirus in Washington, D.C., an Episcopal priest, has been released from the hospital and is continuing his recovery at home. The Rev. Tim Cole, rector at Christ Church Georgetown, recently garnered headlines when he became the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the District of Columbia. Chad Thorley, senior warden of Christ Church Georgetown, told media that Cole had been cleared to return home and was discharged on Thursday. He spent three whole weeks in the hospital. That was a long ride for him and a long ride for all of us, Thorley, told news station WTOP. And the recovery has been slow, but hes definitely on the upswing now, and hes resting comfortably at home. Thorley also said Cole had some serious issues with his lungs themselves, and that will take some time to repair itself. So now that hes home, its basically just rest and taking it easy, doing some work from the house, but not anything like he would usually be doing if he hadnt had this happen, Thorley added. Cole tested positive for the coronavirus in early March and was hospitalized. His diagnosis was considered alarming in part because he had encountered scores of congregants. I can now confirm that I am the individual [in Washington, D.C.,] who tested positive for the coronavirus, Cole wrote in an email to parishioners on March 8, according to The Georgetowner. 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. In an update sent to the congregation on March 15, Christ Churchs staff reported that Cole was fever free and feeling pretty good. The church also noted in the update that other members of their congregation with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are resting at home and continuing to improve. Continue to reach out to your neighbors, particularly those whom you might not have contacted previously. Lets care for one another and continue to hold our community in prayer, the church's update added. News of Coles improvement comes as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stay-at-home to take effect on Wednesday to help curb the rate of coronavirus infections in the area. The stay-at-home will allow residents to leave their homes only under certain conditions, including necessary medical care, essential business, obtaining food, and recreational activities under certain restrictions. Residents who violate the order can be fined up to $5,000 and imprisoned. Staying at home is the best way to flatten the curve and protect yourself, your family, and our entire community from COVID-19, said Bowser in a statement released Monday. Many people want to know how they can help right now, and for most people this is how by staying home. Hong Kong remains the worlds most expensive city for high-income expat housing, though rents are expected to fall amid the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The the third year in a row, the city topped a ranking by ECA International based on the monthly cost of an unfurnished, three-bedroom, mid-range flat in an area commonly inhabited by executive-level expats. The average rent for such a flat in Hong Kong is US$11,318 (HK$87,747) per month, with Tokyo taking the second spot in Asia at US$9,207, ECAs 2019 Accommodation Survey found. The eye-watering figure, an increase of more than 3 per cent from the previous year, is driven mainly by the citys high population density and lack of new housing. However, rent is expected to drop in the coming months. In light of the prolonged anti-government protests and coronavirus outbreak currently under way, we expect to see rents fall throughout 2020 as the number of overseas workers in Hong Kong drops significantly and the usually high demand for housing is tempered, said Lee Quane, regional director of Asia at ECA International. Hong Kong has been grappling with social unrest arising from the now-withdrawn extradition bill since June of last year, and the public health crisis caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 since January. This is a developer-led market thats not highly leveraged, so not under pressure even in times of recession or when other kinds of pressure come to bear Mark Cumming, strategic business adviser Mark Cumming, a strategic business adviser who moved to Hong Kong from London 12 years ago, does not believe there will be a significant fall in rents. This is a developer-led market thats not highly leveraged, so not under pressure even in times of recession or when other kinds of pressure come to bear I think if anything, rather than rents dropping, people will leave. The father of two plans to remain in Hong Kong, but believes it has changed since the anti-government protests rocked the city. Story continues We used to refer to Hong Kong as golden handcuffs. It made it really hard to leave, because we had such a great lifestyle, the 54-year-old said. Yes, it was expensive, but we had a great city to live in that had great opportunities. It was absolutely safe. It was predictable. It was well governed to a degree. So much of that has gone. Hong Kongs astronomical housing prices are driven mainly by its high population density and a lack of new housing. Photo: Felix Wong Rents in Singapore, meanwhile, increased after five consecutive years of dropping for expatriates, due to an increased number moving to the city over the past 12 months. The average rent for equivalent high-end flats there rose to US$4,233 (HK$32,817) per month, an increase of 1.4 per cent from last year. There was evidence that expatriate populations were moving from Hong Kong to the relative stability of Singapore, thus increasing the demand for housing, Quane said. Shanghai came third in the rankings for Asia the most expensive rent in mainland China. Other Chinese cities also saw increases in the average rent, with Shenzhen seeing the biggest increase at 7.2 per cent. Taipei, in Taiwan, moved into the top 50 most expensive locations for expat accommodation, with a rise of 5.3 per cent as more expats moved to the city. The results of the survey are used by companies to determine levels of assistance to be provided to international executives to meet housing costs when being relocated overseas. This article Hong Kong still most expensive housing for high-end expats, though Covid-19 crisis may see rents come down first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. For three years, Kristi Hanson has been a substitute teacher in Woodbridge, where she said she has become a familiar face at the elementary school where she usually works. Esmeralda Polo has driven a school bus in Union County for 11 years, work she loves for the opportunity to interact with the children she picks up and drops off each day. Both women rely on those jobs to support families of four and for Polo, a single mother, it is her sole source of income. But today both are earning nothing, after school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic thrust them into the exploding ranks of the unemployed. Thousands of New Jersey public schools workers are now without jobs, though the little-noticed roles they play help the education system run day to day in better times. Substitutes like Hanson. Bus drivers like Polo. Support staff such as classroom aides. My income goes to buying food, paying bills and now thats a challenge, Hanson said. It is hard. It is disappointing. And its kind of upsetting because we are such an integral part of helping at the schools, and we seem to be forgotten." The central offices and school boards of New Jerseys 584 districts and 88 charter schools are taking hard looks at their bottom lines as they scramble to adjust to unprecedented hurdles. Public schools employ more than 221,000 people, from teachers and administrators to service workers and unskilled laborers, according to the state Department of Education. Many enjoy union protection, including members of the states powerful teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association. But some jobs lack that security. And countless other workers are subcontractors employed indirectly by businesses hired by districts to fill critical needs, such as Hanson and Polo. At the district where Hanson substitutes, Woodbridge Superintendent Robert Zega said the school system has managed to keep all of its employees on the payroll, despite the radical changes that have forced schools to teach remotely. But the district contracts with a staffing firm to fill its substitute teacher needs, and that company is now employing only a few substitutes who are handling existing long-term absences, he said. Unfortunately, they dont work for us. They are contracted out, Zega said. We just dont have the need right now for as many substitutes." Zega said his school board has made a commitment to continuing to pay district staff. But whether that will be reexamined if the shutdown extends into months remains unknown, he said. Everything is up for consideration depending on how this changes, Zega said. I think there are changes right now based on every hour. Gov. Phil Murphys administration is keeping an eye on those challenges. The governors office looks forward to continuing to work with the Legislature to ensure that all school employees are compensated during this time, Alyana Alfaro Post, a spokeswoman for the governor, said in a statement. The New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association has asked Murphy to order school districts to pay bus companies that have suddenly been put out of service, saying districts have already allocated that money in their budgets for the year. The association, which represents nearly 20 bus companies across the state, says more than 15,000 of their employees have lost or could lose their jobs if payments dont resume. Do we have strong fears that our business is at risk? Yes, said Courtney Villani, the president of Villani Bus Co. in Linden, which serves districts in Union and Middlesex counties. But our concerns for our drivers come first, and government has the ability to bridge the gap. Villani said she employs 237 people, with a fleet of 120 school buses. Just eight of those buses are in service, delivering meals to low-income students who continue to be eligible for nutritional assistance, she said. Though regular school routes have stopped, one district she serves has agreed to continue to make payments on that contract, and others have expressed sympathy but are waiting for direction from the state, she said. In the meantime, Villani said, most of her employees have lost their livelihoods. Almost everybody," she said. And it has been one of the most difficult things. Im third-generation. This is a family business. Thats my name on the buses. Among those workers is Polo, who drives a bus for Union Township public schools, a job she calls perfect and the best shes ever had. Polo, who has three children, said she worries about covering the rent at their home in Elizabeth and paying other bills. She said she lacks savings and hasnt worked since schools closed. For three weeks not getting a check? Imagine putting yourself in my position, Polo said. Usually a single mom, you live check by check. Polo said it is frustrating knowing that school districts will turn to bus companies once the contagion ends, but wont ensure drivers are paid while schools are shuttered. If they are able to, why wouldnt they, if they know they are going to need that when things get back to normal?" Polo asked. Union Superintendent Gregory Tatum did not respond to a request for comment. Kristi Hanson at her Woodbridge home with her 8-year-old son, Justin. Hanson, the Woodbridge substitute teacher, said she her frustration is directed toward the Knoxville, Tennessee-based ESS, the staffing company that places her. It does business in 28 states providing substitutes, paraprofessionals and other support staff to school districts. Hanson said the company hasnt done enough to back the workers it relies on, as they face unexpected hardship. When things go back to normal, they need us, then they suddenly care about us, Hanson said. Representatives of ESS did not return requests for comment. On a good week, Hanson said shell spend five days in the classroom and earn $425 before taxes. Most weeks, she is teaching at least a couple of days, she said. Her income supplemented her husbands, who works in accounting, and helped them support two sons and a mortgage. When you dont have that anymore and the bills keep coming and you dont know how to pay them, thats a big chunk out of your pocket, Hanson said. Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com. 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. Two projects led by scientists from the University of Bristol have received grants totalling more than 5 million from the European Research Council (ERC). The two Bristol scientists are among 185 academics from across Europe to be awarded an annual ERC Advanced Grant. Professor Jonathan Clayden from Bristols School of Chemistry has been awarded a 2.2milion grant to support five years of research in the field of synthetic chemistry. The project will bring together a team of researchers to design and build molecules known as dynamic foldamers that are capable of reading chemical codes and converting them into useful function. Life does this using complex biochemical mechanisms to translate the genetic code of DNA, but the aim of this work is to design new, simpler and more general ways to get molecules to interpret a code and to carry out instructions by communicating with one another through changes in shape and charge distribution. The work will have applications in catalysis, with molecules that can be instructed to change from one role to another at just the right time during the synthesis of a drug molecule. These new molecular communication devices will also provide new ways of sending chemical messages into cells, with possible long-term applications in medicine. Professor Clayden said: We plan to steal one of Natures best ideas that a simple chemical code can create complex behaviour and use it to design new networks of communicating molecules. This is blue skies, open ended research, but we expect the breakthroughs we make in the next five years to have an impact on the way we treat diseases in the next generation and beyond. The second project, led by Professor Tim Elliott from the School of Earth Sciences, aims to understand the dynamics of the Earth before plate tectonics became established and indeed when plate tectonics started. The ERC has awarded a 3million grant towards this project. Professor Elliott said: Planet Earth currently runs at an approximate steady state. In the last 50 years we have understood that tectonic plates are continually formed and destroyed. This is a more modern manifestation of the foundational tenet of burgeoning 18th century geology that the present is key to the past. Yet the violent accretional growth of the Earth and its recovery from an initial magma ocean phase cannot be part of such Uniformitarianism. The project will seek remnants of the early magma ocean phase by looking for diagnostic signatures in high-precision magnesium and silicon isotope measurements, asking if there is evidence for dregs of this primordial event preserved at the base of the mantle and recently brought to the surface in mantle plumes, such as Hawaii. Work will also look for tell-tale chemical signatures of subduction - the process where a tectonic plate sinks into the mantle. Magmatism associated with subduction has peculiar chemical characteristics and if these can be found in the geological record it tells us plate tectonics was active at that time. Although simple in theory, a challenge is to robustly identify such fingerprints in ancient rocks. The project takes a new approach to this problem with a set of novel in situ analyses of ancient grains. This work will be undertaken by Professor Elliott alongside colleagues from Bristols School of Earth Sciences with academic partners at the University of Leeds and ETH Zurich. This project also involves a major collaboration with instrument manufacturers Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen, Germany). As part of a previous ERC grant, the Bristol Isotope Group and Thermo successfully developed a novel, tribrid mass-spectrometer. The new grant will build on this innovative, patented work to produce a next generation instrument. This work should ultimately realise new capabilities for Earth Sciences and other disciplines (potentially medical applications) beyond the specific remit of the proposed work. Professor Jens Marklof, Dean of Science at the University of Bristol, added: ERC Advanced Grants are amongst the most prestigious research grants in Europe, providing multi-million Euro awards to world-leading scientists. I am absolutely delighted for Jonathan and Tim, who will now have a unique opportunity to make significant advances in their research areas. Many congratulations to both of you for these richly deserved awards. The President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Mauro Ferrari, said: I am glad to announce a new round of ERC grants that will back cutting-edge, exploratory research, set to help Europe and the world to be better equipped for what the future may hold. Thats the role of blue-sky research. These senior research stars will cut new ground in a broad range of fields, including the area of health. I wish them all the best in this endeavour and, at this time of crisis, let me pay tribute to the heroic and invaluable work of the scientific community as a whole. In this grant competition, we noted a drop in number of UK-based grantees, which reflects the recent decline in applications from the UK. Collaboration is one of the biggest gifts we have in science and I am hoping for the best for our future relationship with the UK. Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : Top Kerala actor Prithviraj and award winning director Blessy and 56 others are stuck in Jordan after shooting of a movie was stopped there following restrictions in the wake of coronavirus crisis and have sought help to return home. Blessy emailed to the Kerala Film Chamber, seeking help to take up the case with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The media came to know about the email on Wednesday. A Chamber official Anil Thomas said the email has been forwarded to various lawmakers, including Malayalam superstar turned Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi. Prithviraj's mother Malika Sukumaran, a yesteryear's actress, said that she spoke to her son on Monday. "He said the shooting has been stopped following strict restrictions imposed on account of Covid-19 in Jordan. The shooting was on in a desert. Things are fine with them, except that the shooting is not happening. They were supposed to wind up the Jordan part of the shoot next week and were scheduled to fly out to Algeria as per their original schedule," said the actor's mother. Billed as one of the costliest Malayalam film 'Aadujeevitham' is based on the award winning eponymous Malayalam novel by Benyamin. It tells the tale of the life of a man ending up in shambles after reaching the Middle East and finds himself tending goats in extreme desert temperatures. Blessy's past films including his debut film in 2004 'Kaazcha', 'Thanmathra' (2005) 'Pranayam' (2011) to name a few, all of which occupy a place of pride in the Malayalam film industry. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Prince Albert of Monaco has recovered from the novel coronavirus, the Russian RBK reported citing the statement of Monacos Royal Palace. The Prince has recovered and feels well, the statement said. The Palace also said that the Prince is going to continue the self-quarantine regime, but already with the family. On March 19 it was reported that Prince Albert of Monaco has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Six new Covid-19 cases take national tally to 218 A health worker collects samples at a Covid-19 testing station in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. The Health Ministry confirmed Wednesday evening six new Covid-19 cases, all Vietnamese citizens, bringing the national tally to 218. Three of the new infections are linked to the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi that has become a major hotspot of the novel coronavirus and other three are citizens returning from abroad. All three were quarantined upon arrival. "Patient 213" is a 40-year-old woman in Hanois Thanh Oai District who had visited the Bach Mai Hospital for a checkup. She isolated herself at home after learning about the outbreak in the hospital. Swab samples collected by health officials tested positive. "Patient 214" is a 45-year-old woman who works for the Truong Sinh Company, a food and logistic services provider to the Bach Mai Hospital that has also been implicated in a large number of infections. "Patient 215" is a 31-year-old male employee of the Truong Sinh Company. So far 26 Truong Sinh employees have contracted the virus. "Patient 216" is a 48-year old woman returning from Germany who landed March 23 in Hanoi and Aeroflot flight SU290. "Patient 217" is a 25-year-old woman from the central province of Nghe An who flew from Japan to Hanoi, landing March 25 on Nippon Airways flight NH857. "Patient 218" is a 43-year old woman from the northern province of Thai Nguyen who landed in Hanoi March 25 on Aeroflot flight SU290 from Moscow. All patients are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanois Dong Anh District. The latest six cases bring Wednesdays Covid-19 confirmations to 11; and of the national total of 218. Sixty three have been discharged from hospitals. The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 203 countries and territories, claiming over 42,000 lives. How to support your children during Covid-19 Strategies for parents to engage with their children at home during Covid-19 lockdown. The national lockdown as a result of the coronavirus started in South Africa at 23:59 on Thursday, 26 March. Exposure to uncertainty has heightened anxiety levels and stretched the care and protection mechanisms normally provided at home. Children, in particular, are vulnerable to the extraordinary circumstances of lockdown, social distancing, and a global pandemic. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) indicates special obligations for the caregivers of children in times similar to these. The best interest principle stresses that children should be assisted and protected at all times and their developmental needs met. Covid-19 presents parents and caregivers an opportunity to deepen their participation in the lives of their children, mitigate harmful consequences and thereby safeguard their children's futures. The impact that the coronavirus might have on children will vary and their responses could be influenced by factors such as gender, social support, age, inherent resilience, and level of exposure to the virus. What remains evident is that children tend to rely on parents for their emotional needs. Thus, parents (and any primary caregivers) can play a crucial central role as childrens sources of safety, security, and information. The family is one of the most important systems of a childs life. The collective nature of care that happens within the home setting is crucial, as many people, including children, look to their family for support when they face challenges. Social and cultural factors influence the care that people give and receive within these networks of care. Here are some strategies for parents to engage with their children at home during Covid-19 lockdown. These strategies are drawn from a published study, which investigated strategies used by parents in Kenya to support children during terrorism acts: Engage the child in open conversations using a language that the child can understand. Avoiding discussions may make the child more fearful and anxious. During the lockdown, remember that parents might be the only available support to the child. However, this support could also (be nurtured to) include older siblings, grandparents, teachers, etc. who can be accessed online. using a language that the child can understand. Avoiding discussions may make the child more fearful and anxious. During the lockdown, remember that parents might be the only available support to the child. However, this support could also (be nurtured to) include older siblings, grandparents, teachers, etc. who can be accessed online. As parents/caregivers, manage your own anxieties , which will help your children cope. Your well-being is imperative to your childrens wellbeing and recovery, as children sometimes regulate their own emotions based on the emotional response of their parents/caregivers. , which will help your children cope. Your well-being is imperative to your childrens wellbeing and recovery, as children sometimes regulate their own emotions based on the emotional response of their parents/caregivers. Answer your childrens questions . The kinds of questions asked by children range from issues of safety, access to medical care, recovery, death, schooling, friends, teachers, pets, etc. Parents should respond both to their childrens anxieties (emotionally, by providing reassurance) and to the question itself. Children can ask difficult questions, but parents should not shy away from answering. Do not give a child false information rather provide reassurance and let your child know that you will look up accurate information and share it with them. Childrens questions are essential. Questioning permits children to exercise their right to participation on matters concerning them. . The kinds of questions asked by children range from issues of safety, access to medical care, recovery, death, schooling, friends, teachers, pets, etc. Parents should respond both to their childrens anxieties (emotionally, by providing reassurance) and to the question itself. Children can ask difficult questions, but parents should not shy away from answering. Do not give a child false information rather provide reassurance and let your child know that you will look up accurate information and share it with them. Childrens questions are essential. Questioning permits children to exercise their right to participation on matters concerning them. Listen! Children need to make sense of things happening around them. The ability of parents/caregivers to actively and intently listen to their child is crucial. Parents/caregivers who are constantly glued to their cell phones for coronavirus updates might miss the opportunity to provide the secure base needed for children to take risks and ask frightening questions. Children need to make sense of things happening around them. The ability of parents/caregivers to actively and intently listen to their child is crucial. Parents/caregivers who are constantly glued to their cell phones for coronavirus updates might miss the opportunity to provide the secure base needed for children to take risks and ask frightening questions. Provide accurate, factual information . Generally, children might not have clear, factual information. It is vital that parents/caregivers help children to understand what is happening, i.e., tell the real story reassuringly and holistically. This also presents an opportunity to rectify any incorrect information or misconceptions your children might have heard about or read. . Generally, children might not have clear, factual information. It is vital that parents/caregivers help children to understand what is happening, i.e., tell the real story reassuringly and holistically. This also presents an opportunity to rectify any incorrect information or misconceptions your children might have heard about or read. Covid-19- related events have altered the way we do and see things. Thus, it is important to maintain a daily routine . Performing everyday activities as far is possible is vital, as this routine provides the structure that children rely on. By maintaining familiar schedules, based on age, gender and culture, children can establish normalcy, which will reduce their anxieties. . Performing everyday activities as far is possible is vital, as this routine provides the structure that children rely on. By maintaining familiar schedules, based on age, gender and culture, children can establish normalcy, which will reduce their anxieties. Monitor exposure to media. Continuous repetitions of Covid-19 news in any form risks re-traumatising or causing secondary trauma to children. Protect your children from what you think and know would exacerbate their anxieties and that which is unhelpful towards their healing. Continuous repetitions of Covid-19 news in any form risks re-traumatising or causing secondary trauma to children. Protect your children from what you think and know would exacerbate their anxieties and that which is unhelpful towards their healing. Help build resilience in your children by facilitating play, nurturing care and celebrating survival with them on an on-going basis. Resilience can go a long way post-Covid-19. in your children by facilitating play, nurturing care and celebrating survival with them on an on-going basis. Resilience can go a long way post-Covid-19. Consider and plan for the worst-case-scenario . Parents/caregivers need to think about and work out alternative care arrangements for their children, should the parents/caregivers fall ill or die. Discuss these arrangements with children (reassuringly!) in an age-appropriate manner and with those identified and expected to provide care. . Parents/caregivers need to think about and work out alternative care arrangements for their children, should the parents/caregivers fall ill or die. Discuss these arrangements with children (reassuringly!) in an age-appropriate manner and with those identified and expected to provide care. Look after yourself. Care for parents/caregivers is also vital. Engage in a relaxing activity and check-in with other parents. Share problem-solving strategies and support each other towards for effective childcare. These safe spaces enable parents/caregivers to talk about their own Covid-19-related (parenting) challenges and pain. Parents/caregivers need to monitor their own mental health and, if they have difficulties caring for their children, seek professional help. RESOURCES: UNICEF Department of Health Covid-19 webpage South African Depression and Anxiety Group National Institute for Communicable Diseases CCDU Lockdown Wellness Chronicles Authorities suspended public transport in Yerevan and set up roadblocks across Armenia on Wednesday as they stepped up their efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus. An Armenian government task force coordinating those efforts announced the new travel restrictions after extending on Tuesday existing curbs on peoples movement and the closure of most businesses in the country by at least ten days. The Armenian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday morning that the number of registered coronavirus cases rose by 39 to 571 in the past 24 hours. The ministry had reported slightly faster rises in COVID-19 infections in previous days. Health Minister Arsen Torosian expressed concern over these infection rates late on Tuesday. He said that if they do not fall in the comings days Armenia will have as many as 2,000 coronavirus cases by April 14. This would overwhelm the national healthcare system increasingly struggling to contain the epidemic, he said. If this pace persists and [the coronavirus curve] does not become flat like in South Korea we will be forced to treat [COVID-19] patients with mild or no symptoms at home, warned Torosian. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who heads the coronavirus task force, said for his part that by toughening the nationwide lockdown the government hopes to cause the epidemic to recede in the second of April. In line with the new restrictions, all subway and bus services in Yerevan were suspended on Thursday morning. Only taxis will be allowed to transport people until April 12. People also can move around in their or their family members or co-workers cars. But they must prove, including with documents signed by their employers, that they left their homes for work or other urgent needs. Early in the afternoon, police and other security agencies set up checkpoints on highway sections just outside Yerevan and other Armenian cities and towns. They checked every vehicle leaving or entering those communities. Bus services between the Armenian capital and the rest of the country were already halted last week. Many of the remaining commuters in Yerevan were not happy with the temporary ban on public transport. They argued that they have to go to work and cannot afford taxis on a daily basis. I work in a hospital and also provide home care to a sick person, said Liana Babayan, a healthcare worker. Working people should be able to use public transport. Let them just show their documents or have their temperature checked. I now have to go to work on foot, complained another resident. My workplace is far away from my home. : Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday praised the LDF government for its 'pro-active" handling of the "invisible threat" of coronavirus. Kerala has reported a total of 241 COVID-19 cases, of which 24 people have been cured. Presently, 215 people are being treated for the virus, which has claimed two lives. Eighty per cent of the coronavirus patients in the state were those who had returned from the Gulf, Europe and U.K. The Governor, in a release, said the very fact that only 20 per cent of the local people have been infected, proves that the state governmnet has been very "pro-active" in battling this invisible threat. Though initially the required awareness was lacking, people realised the importance of social distancing after the lockdown, he said. Khan also expressed anguish over the recent religious congregation held by Tabligh-e-Jamaat at Nizamuddin west in Delhi, which is among the Covid19 hotspots in the country. "I feel deeply anguished, very sad about this totally ignorant behaviour. "We must learn a lesson from this episode. They ignored the advisory, they ignored the guidelines and they organised a gathering of over 1,000 people from various parts of the country and abroad. Although all these people have been dispersed and they have been taken to quarantine centres, but those who have gone back to their respective states and districts, have become a source of spreading corona virus, Khan said. Any careless person will not only become a threat to himself, but to all people around him, he said. On the Karnataka government closing its border roads with Kerala following the lockdown, he said he had drawn the attention of the central government to the matter. Describing Karnataka's decision as "unfortunate", Khan said this could affect the supply of essential commodities. The state government has taken up the matter at the highest level and a solution would soon be found, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Imperial Oil Ltd. IMO recently trimmed capital spending for the current year owing to the outbreak of novel coronavirus and sudden oil price slump. The ongoing global pandemic has dented global energy demand amid the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Oil prices have plunged more than 65% since January 2020 to $20s a barrel. Moreover, prospects for the prices to recover appear dim. Further, the Canadian oil market is in complete disarray, which adds to the woes. Heavy Canadian crude, which usually trades at a discount to U.S. West Texas Intermediate oil, seems to be sinking after the countrys oil-sands producers were required to suspend maintenance activity, thereby choking the market with a possible supply glut. The price of Heavy Canadian crude collapsed to a record low of less than $10 a barrel recently. Following in the footsteps of other oil Canadian energy giants, namely Suncor Energy SU, Cenovus Energy CVE and Canadian Natural Resources CNQ, Imperial Oil has trimmed its capital expenditure guidance for the current year by C$500 million to C$1.1-C$1.2 billion from the prior projection of C$1.6-C$1.7 billion. It has further identified opportunities to cut operating costs by C$500 from 2019 levels. The company has also suspended the share buyback program to weather the current oil price woes. In view of the weak oil demand scenario, it aims at reducing the planned second-quarter turnaround work at its Sarnia site. It has deferred a planned coker turnaround at the Syncrude facility in Western Canada until the third quarter, while continuing to assess other planned shutdowns across the business. Imperial Oil expects the current business environment to negatively impact upstream production, downstream refinery utilization and product sales. The company is re-modelling strategies to maintain the balance sheet, so that it can sustain payout and offer attractive returns to its shareholders. About the Company Story continues Founded in 1880, Calgary-based Imperial Oil is one of the largest integrated oil companies of Canada, mainly engaged in oil and gas production, petroleum products refining and marketing and chemical business. It is Canadas largest jet fuel supplier and a major producer of asphalt. The company currently carries Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> 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 Suncor Energy Inc. (SU) : Free Stock Analysis Report Imperial Oil Limited (IMO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The crime branch of Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested a 34-year-old woman under the Essential Commodities Act for hoarding a huge quantity of masks for sale in black market, an official said. Masks are in high demand currently because of the coronavirus outbreak. Unit-10 of the crime branch seized some 90,000 masks worth Rs 22.50 lakh from Rinku Tayyil, a resident of suburban Bandra, he said. On March 28, the police had arrested five persons and seized 2.97 lakh masks worth Rs 74.90 lakh, he said. During the probe it came to light that Tayyil was in contact with one of them, he said, adding that further probe was on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Loss of smell, taste: Coronavirus survivor Diya Naidus story India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bengaluru, Apr 01: In March choreographer Diya Naidu from Bengaluru went public with her COVID-19 infection, saying that her throat swab test confirmed it and she was awaiting the blood test result. She had returned from Switzerland on March 9 and was admitted to the isolation ward of the ESI hospital Indiranagar. On her Facebook, she had posted, "I am sorry to do this here. The BBMP is supposed to but seeing how unprepared we are I'm trying to make sure. I have tested positive for Covid-19 and am in hospital currently. I was barely symptomatic... In case you have come into contact with me or someone who has met me - please quarantine yourself." "The only thing I got was total loss of smell - no cough or cold or fever or shivering - none of the typical symptoms yet," she also said. Diya spoke with R J Jimmy of Radio Mirchi about her ordeal and also heaped praises on the authorities and medical staff, who she said were doing an exception job. #Stayathome and send us your selfie Excerpts from the interview: I have been quite asymptomatic. I had no cough or cold or fever or shivering. It was a complete loss of smell and taste. While in isolation it does not feel like a space station. In isolation you tend to have headaches. Initially the communication was not clear and I did not know what was going on. In the next few days, the authorities got their act together. There would be someone from the BBMP or the area medical officer who would call. They were empathetic, calm and gave as much information as possible, Diya says. In my experience, I had no cough or cold. I was given paracetamol. Primarily there were antibiotics given to prevent a secondary infection. They basically do like a preventive treatment and then treat symptoms. You can listen to the full interview here: When I came back to India from Switzerland, there were no quarantine norms. The country which I came back from was not on the list. After I returned, I called the numbers that were displayed at the airport. I did not get any response. Then I decided to get tested. Five days later I could not smell or taste. Many doctors had told me that this was not a symptom. The hospital then told me that many countries had been added to the list and now I could get myself tested. NASA satellite images reveal change in China's Hubei amid Coronavirus lockdown Explaining how it is like to be in isolation, Diya says none can visit you at this time. There is no nurse around too. If you need something you have to call. You are kept away for a good reason. The staff at the hospital are completely in gear. Earlier, it was not there. Now they are completely organised. With all the protective gear, they look like astronauts, Diya also says. Explaining the tracking system of the government, she says it is unbelievably stringent. The authorities have traced and tracked everyone who has been in contact with me. This includes the place where I purchased my grocery or even the cab that I travelled in. All the primary contacts are now in home quarantine. The authorities have been very empathetic and kind about it. The grocery shop was shut down. The authorities through the CCTVs looked everywhere where I was. Diya advises that all we can do is stay at home. Listen to the authorities and let them do their job. The medical staff face a terrible stigma, but they are our super heroes. Wash your hands, practise social distancing and stay at home she says. We need to support and help the government. Caste, creed, religion does no matter. All are involved in this fight. We have to be present, vigilant and one wrong step can make it all go horribly wrong, she also says. By Senator Danny Carroll Mar. 31, 2020 | 02:00 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY Members of the Kentucky General Assembly returned to Frankfort on Thursday with the primary goal of advancing the state's biennial budget plan. While negative economic impacts due to the coronavirus are inevitable, I am confident in the legislature's ability to reconcile political differences and craft a balanced two-year financial plan for the Commonwealth. The budget conference committee began meeting this week. This bipartisan and bicameral group is tasked with reexamining the current budget document and determining the most financially responsible avenue moving forward, given the economic climate. To get a clearer view of what the state's financial future could look like, the committee heard a report from the State Budget Director who offered a less than optimistic projection with an estimated minimal $300 million in revenue losses over the next two years. These difficult financial conversations and budget revisions will be ongoing until a final version of the budget is agreed upon. We are constitutionally required to pass a budget prior to adjourning the legislative session. Therefore, it is anticipated that both chambers will vote on the finalized budget bill when we reconvene on our next legislative day on Wednesday, April 1. We will then be in veto recess until the session's final days on April 14 and 15. The Kentucky Senate passed legislation during the abbreviated week of session to boost the state's response to COVID-19 in hopes of speeding the eventual recovery from the pandemic. The measure, known as Senate Bill 150, would take a broad approach by including measures addressing the state's strained health system, businesses forced to shutter and governmental functions that have slowly stopped amid social distancing. A key provision, however, would extend unemployment eligibility to the self-employed including many small business owners and gig workers, such as ride-share drivers. Supporters of SB 150 said the state was expected to quickly deplete the $600 million it had in the bank to cover unemployment benefits, but the federal government would provide additional money to help cover the coming tsunami of claims. Provisions designed to give a shot in the arm to the health care system would include allowing the state medical board to let out-of-state doctors practice in Kentucky, expanding telehealth, permitting providers to continue to treat clients for such things as addiction and granting health care providers civil immunity in some cases. Municipalities, counties and other government agencies would be able to meet open meeting laws by broadcasting gatherings live. In addition, the groups would have more time to respond to open record requests. Various government hearings, such as ones dealing with zoning issues, could also be delayed. SB 150 will codify some actions already called for in various executive orders issued during this state of emergency. The bill was delivered to the governor after it passed the Senate by a 30-0 vote and later cleared the House of Representatives by an 82-0 vote. Because the bill contains an emergency clause, it would become effective immediately upon being signed into law rather than 90 days after adjournment. SB 150 would also sunset once the governor ends the current state of emergency or the General Assembly takes action during next year's regular session. The following includes other bills acted on during the 12th week of session: Kentuckians would finally be able to legally have their favorite out-of-state wine shipped to their homes with the final passage of House Bill 415. The measure would impose shipping limits of 10 liters of distilled spirits, 10 cases of wine and 10 cases of malt beverages per month. Packages of alcohol would have to be clearly labeled and be signed for by someone 21 or older. HB 415 would also prohibit shipping to dry territories, communities where alcohol sales are prohibited by local laws. HB 415 would provide a new source of tax revenue for the state, much-needed jobs and a new stream of income for Kentucky's distillers, vintners and craft brewers. Those alcohol producers have been battered by the closing of the bourbon trail, lesser-known wine trail and taprooms. Opponents suggested the bill would make it easier for minors to get their hands on liquor while also taking business away from mom-and-pop liquor stores. After a 21-11 vote in the Senate, HB 415 was delivered to the governor. It had previously passed the House by a 52-33 vote. Kentucky would become the 36th state to ban female genital mutilation with the final passage of Senate Bill 72. A federal ban that had been in place for more than two decades was found unconstitutional in 2018. SB 72 would make performing the procedure on minors a felony. The World Health Organization states the barbaric practice, often referred to as FGM, is mostly carried out on young girls. It includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female organs for non-medical reasons. The bill would also ban trafficking of girls across state lines for FGMs and strip the medical licenses from providers convicted of the practice. SB 72 was delivered to the governor after the Senate voted 31-0 for the measure. The House had previously passed it by an 84-0 vote. This bill also contained an emergency clause. The separation of the County Employees' Retirement System (CERS) was addressed in House Bill 484. The bill would transfer the administration of CERS from the Kentucky Retirement Systems' board of trustees to a newly created County Employee Retirement System. An amendment would require CERS to pay any additional ongoing expenses that occur as a direct result of the separation. Supporters of the amendment said this would incentivize CERS to be thrifty in its management, citing the already high administrative costs in other public pensions. CERS accounts for 76 percent of the pension assets KRS manages and makes up 64 percent of the KRS membership but controls only 35 percent of the seats on the KRS board. The bill received final passage with a 78-4 vote in the House after it cleared the Senate by a 31-1 vote. The measure has been delivered to the governor. There are many ways for you to stay informed on legislative happenings as we continue our work in Frankfort. Livestreamed video feed is available for all General Assembly meetings. Kentucky Educational Television (KET) currently livestreams Senate and House proceedings as well as many committee sessions. The Legislative Research Commission (LRC) will livestream any committee meetings that aren't covered by KET on YouTube. To see the daily meeting schedule with links to livestreams visit: LRC: legislature.ky.gov (link to watch is on the homepage). KET: ket.org/legislature I understand that these are troubling times, and it feels like there are more questions than answers. However, I believe it is important that all Kentuckians are informed of the resources that have been made available to help with any questions or concerns that you may have. I would ask for your assistance in sharing this information with those in your community as well. The COVID-19 hotline is still available to those in need: 1 (800) 722-5725. The hotline is a service operated by the healthcare professionals at the Kentucky Poison Control Center who can provide advice and answer questions. They ask that you first review their website, kycovid19.ky.gov, before calling. Guidance and updated information is being provided as it becomes available. As we maneuver through the final legislative days of the 2020 Regular Session, I encourage you to utilize resources mentioned to stay updated on the coronavirus situation and budget discussions. Take care of each other and stay healthy. It is an honor to represent you in Frankfort. If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at danny.carroll@lrc.ky.gov. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you in the Kentucky State Senate and value your feedback throughout the 2020 legislative session. Note: Senator Danny Carroll (R-Paducah) represents the 2nd District encompassing Ballard, Carlisle, Marshall and McCracken counties. Senator Carroll is the chairman of the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor Committee, as well as the co-chairman of the Program Review and Investigations Committee. He also serves as a member of the Health and Welfare Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Medicaid Oversight Committee, the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council and on a national level the National Conference of State Legislatures Nuclear Legislative Working Group. The world is continuing to learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic with each passing day. As your State Senator, I am proud to see how those in my district and across the Commonwealth are responding. Even while implementing safety precautions such as "social distancing" that physically keep us apart, we are pulling together like never before in order to fight this invisible enemy. Our motto has never been more evident: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." Councils across Wales given emergency powers to support NHS with new coronavirus field hospitals This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 1st, 2020 Councils are being given new powers to support the NHS and increase hospital capacity as Wales responds to the coronavirus pandemic. Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James has introduced emergency permitted development rights, which will allow local authorities to change the use of buildings or create temporary structures on their land without planning permission. The new powers mean councils can use leisure centres as temporary hospitals if they are needed to prevent or control an emergency. It comes after Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board confirmed it had identified three sites in North Wales. Councils in Wales can now use their land for developments for the pandemic response planning law altered https://t.co/9uFM9KefBa Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 30, 2020 The minister said: Local authorities in Wales are doing an excellent job of responding to rapidly changing situations and it is vital that we allow them to meet their wide-ranging responsibilities quickly. Relaxing the usual planning requirements allows local authorities to take swift action to respond to local need. It is of course only right they plan for the emergency but by staying home we can help to avoid these plans becoming a reality. Under the permitted rights, any temporary structures must be removed and the land restored to its previous condition within 12 months of the development starting. Alternatively, planning permission would have to be sought for any continuing use. Meanwhile, the regions health board has been progressing plans to increase capacity to care for patients with COVID-19. Bed numbers have been increased at all three main hospitals in North Wales to provide care for those most in need. Work is also underway to develop three field hospitals away from hospital sites to further increase the number of beds available, although the locations have yet to be confirmed. In a statement released on Monday, a Betsi Cadwaladr spokesperson said: We are now working with our partners to finalise plans for these locations, and will share further information on them in the coming days. We have a phased escalation plan in place to significantly increase the number of beds for our most poorly patients over the coming weeks, with plans in place to increase our capacity of ventilated beds. We are also progressing opportunities to establish additional capacity within all of our hospitals. For example, construction work has already begun to install an additional 80 beds at Glan Clwyd Hospital, using void space left as part of the hospitals recent redevelopment, which would be ready to use at the end of April. They added: At the same time, primary and community care services are working hard to keep people well and out of crisis. This will ensure that our specialist acute services are available for those people who need them. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme) Deliveroo customers have donated more than 130,000 to NHS staff in just 48 hours to help them in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The food delivery company launched a new fundraising function for customers to donate to health workers on Monday and they quickly took advantage. At the same time, Deliveroo has also been working with several restaurants to secure donations of free food and will make 500,000 meals available to NHS staff and groups of vulnerable people. Restaurants taking part include Burger King, Pizza Hut, German Doner Kebab and Itsu. Deliveroo launched a new fundraising function for customers to donate to health workers on Monday So far, customers have donated more than 130,000 to NHS staff through Deliveroo's donate function Deliveroo is delivering to Charing Cross, St Mary's, Lewisham and Barking Hospitals and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital this week. While the majority of the 500,000 meals delivered will go to the NHS, the food company will also give food to the vulnerable, working with St Mungo's last week to deliver meals to homeless people in hotels in London. Burger King today pledged to donate free meals, while Bella Italia also signed up to the pledge, alongside Pizza Hut, German Doner Kebab, Itsu and Lewis Hamilton's Neat Burger. Will Shu, CEO and founder of Deliveroo, said: 'Thanks to the incredible generosity of our customers we are able to deliver free meals to those in the NHS working night and day to save lives. 'As a British company, nothing makes me more proud than being able to support the NHS, as well as delivering free food to vulnerable groups during this period.' It comes as the UK recorded another 563 coronavirus deaths today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis. The increase takes the country's total death toll to 2,352 - today's surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. And 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19. The UK is the fifth hardest-hit nation in Europe and eighth in the world. At the same time, Deliveroo has also been working with several restaurants, including Burger King, to secure donations of free food and will make 500,000 meals available Pizza Hut, German Doner Kebab, Itsu and Lewis Hamilton's Neat Burger are also taking part Wales today recorded 29 new deaths caused by the coronavirus along with a further 16 fatalities in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland. 486 victims were declared in England and 11 remain unaccounted for. The youngest patient announced today was a 13-year-old, believed to be Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, London, whose tragic death came to light last night after he died at King's College Hospital on Monday. The oldest patient included in today's update was 99 years old. Today overtakes yesterday as Britain's darkest day so far in the escalating crisis. Tuesday saw a then-record of 381 deaths and 3,009 cases declared across the home nations. But the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital - and not the tens of thousands of Britons with milder symptoms who are recovering at at home. The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with coronavirus has soared in the past 10 days, particularly in London, which is still at the heart of the country's outbreak Business Secretary Alok Sharma faced a barrage of questions on the lack of tests for NHS staff today amid claims that 85 per cent of healthcare workers self-isolating may be clear of the virus and could be working. Just 2,000 medics have been tested and the UK capacity for all tests stands at 10,000 per day, while Germany is already carrying out 100,000 per day. But Mr Sharma appeared to have few answers, saying: 'Increasing testing capacity is absolutely the Government's top priority. 'We're now at 10,000 tests a day, we're rolling out additional networks of labs and testing sites.' Research by Imperial College London has suggested that as many as one in 37 Brits - around 1.8million people - may already have caught the coronavirus and be unrecorded. And separate statistics published yesterday suggested the true death toll is 24 per cent higher than believed when deaths outside of hospitals are included. But there are reasons to be hopeful - early research suggests the UK's lockdown is starting to work and may have cut the number of people each patient infects from 2.6 to 0.62, a number too low for the outbreak to sustain itself. The head physician of Moscows main coronavirus hospital has tested positive a week after meeting with and shaking hands with President Vladimir Putin. Putin now is self-isolating while he continues to work to make the world a much more dangerous place. Opinion: By James DiGeorgia If a Dr. Denis Protsenko wind up being the person for infecting Russian President Vladimir Putin with the coronavirus and the Russian strongman dies from COVID-19, he should be granted asylum in the United States and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Protsenko met with the Russian leader who inspected the Kommunarka Hospital while wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit. But the 67-year-old Putin was later photographed talking to Protsenko without any protective gear and shaking his hand. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov swiftly reported to Russian news agencies that Putin has taken a coronavirus test and made assurances that there is no reason to worry about the Russian strongmans health. Saying. Everything is fine, Dr. Protsenko has confirmed he has tested positive but felt quite well. He has become one of the highest-profile figures in Russia reporting on Russias fight against COVID-19 by posting daily updates on Facebook to keep Russians informed about his hospitals battle against the pandemic. Vladimir Putin said he self-isolated in his office and would continue to work. The pandemic is only now beginning in Russia over the past 24 hours Russian authorities have reported 500 new cases -- the biggest daily increase so far --- bringing the total tally to 2,337 cases with only 17 fatalities compared to 183,000 cases in the United States with over 3,800 deaths. Most of Russias cases of coronavirus have been reported in Moscow, making the capital of Russia the epicenter of its outbreak. The Kremlin started measuring temperatures of people attending events with the president since the beginning of the pandemic - asking journalists feeling unwell to stay home. Vladimir Putin seems to be exceptionally conscious of the risk to his health as opposed to President Trump. This is leading many observers wondering if he knows the virus is a Chinese bio-weapon, as many are speculating. Though factories have shut, planes have been grounded and cars left in the garage, the coronavirus pandemic is having very little impact on climate change, the World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday. Any reductions in pollution and carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be temporary, said Lars Peter Riishojgaard, from the infrastructure department of the WMO, a United Nations agency based in Geneva. "It does not mean much for climate," he told a virtual press conference. Riishojgaard said there was a lot of media speculation about what impact the global pandemic might have on the climate, greenhouse gas emissions and longer-term global warming. "The answer to that is it probably does not mean very much," he said. While in the short term, carbon dioxide emissions would go down as cars stay put and aircraft remain on the ground, "we expect the impact will be fairly short-lived," Riishojgaard said. "The pandemic will be over at some point and the world will start going back to work and with that, the CO2 emissions will pick up again, maybe or maybe not to quite the same level." He said visibility in cities such as New Delhi had improved because there were fewer traffic-emitting fumes, but cautioned that it was only down to an "artificial halt" to normal activity. "You could see it as maybe science experiment: what happens if all of a sudden we turn the whole thing off?" said Riishojgaard. "It will lead some people, and perhaps also some governments, to rethink." He reflected on China shutting down much industrial production during the Beijing 2008 Olympics. "They demonstrated very clearly that you can absolutely, if you have enough control over the situation, you can turn off the air pollution," he said. "But I don't think we should claim victory here yet because things will pick up again eventually. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rideshare drivers are urging Australians to wear gloves and masks if they have to catch an Uber and say measures such as perspex shields should be considered in cars to protect against the coronavirus. The Rideshare Drivers Network, which represents drivers in the sector, has stood by its call for a maximum of two passengers in vehicles. Uber has placed a limit of three customers in the back seat. "It's better if it's two, but it's even better if people just ride by themselves. When there's two [passengers], if someone coughs, they're coughing at the driver's head," Rideshare Drivers Network spokesperson Debra Weddall said. Uber drivers are allowed to continue to accept rides though, the official advice is to stay at home. Credit:AP Ms Weddall said drivers needed to be protected and urged the use of perspex shields to protect those still driving despite the drop-off in demand. "Drivers don't want to be driving, and our position is drivers should stop driving unless they absolutely have to," she said. Madrid (Spain), April 01, 2020 (SPS) - The Saharawi representative to Spain, Abdulah Arabi, has expressed the maximum opposition of the Frente POLISARIO to the unilateral approval or publication of Moroccan new laws of territorial waters in its official, directly transgressing the borders of Western Sahara and Spain. Abdulah Arabi has warned that "the unilateral approval or publication in its official bulletin by Morocco does not change the political and legal nature of Western Sahara." In line, the Sahrawi Diplomat has once again recalled that "Western Sahara continues to be a territory pending decolonization, illegally occupied by Morocco, as established by the resolutions of the international organizations and acknowledging the judgments of the Justica court of the European Union, which determine that Western Sahara is a distinct and separate territory from Morocco. " In the midst of an international health crisis caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus, Morocco has taken advantage of the state of alarm in neighboring countries to take a new step in its expansionist adventure in the region. The choice of time to make the news public, adds the Sahrawi official, "shows that they do not know how current Morocco is on the international stage."SPS 125/090/TRA 'It is not good to have a situation in which a minister or ministers go on a solo run and, in doing so, undermine a previously agreed decision through apparent dissension.' The latest figures of 381 deaths from coronavirus in the UK in the last 24 hours and a total of more than 1,800 give rise to further apprehension and worry. In Northern Ireland there are 28 deaths and 586 confirmed cases a rise of 53 in 24 hours. The latest figures in Ireland, meanwhile, show 17 deaths and 325 new cases. It is against this background that there is some concern about apparent differences in the Executive over certain aspects of handling the crisis. First Minister Arlene Foster has said that there are ministers around the table and they are free to discuss and come to an agreement. Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill has said that if she feels something is not being done, she has the right to make that point. Both women are correct, and it seems natural in any free society that major politicians have the right to discuss the situation thoroughly and try to reach an agreement. However, it is also vital that a common approach is agreed and adhered to. It is not good to have a situation in which a minister or ministers go on a solo run and, in doing so, undermine a previously agreed decision through apparent dissension. It is important to have earnest debates about proposed steps to be taken, but when it comes to public policy and pronouncements which ask the public to accept something and act accordingly, it should be done on the basis that everyone agrees to buy into it. That is by far the best way to move forward. Of course we should listen to expert advice from London, and elsewhere, but because we are on the same island of Ireland we also need to be aware of what is happening across the border and what the impact may be. We have our own and other experts to help protect ourselves, but we really cannot have the public starting to wonder whether the authorities are making the right decisions and then questioning which set of advice should be followed. There was some good news last night when the chief medical officers from Northern Ireland and the Republic agreed a memorandum of understanding to formalise coordination and cooperation between the two jurisdictions. This is a welcome move in these difficult times, when it is more important than ever for the Stormont Executive to have a joined-up approach and show real leadership. Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber have kindly agreed to let the buyers of their Malibu home to pull out of the $6.5 million sale amid the current COVID-19 health crisis. TMZ reports that the couple have given up the 'sweet deal' to help out the new buyers who were 'desperate to cancel the deal and get their money back'. The buyers are based in Europe and had agreed on a $6.5 million price for the property - which is one of two Malibu-based homes owned by the supermodel and her husband. A kind gesture: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber have kindly agreed to let the buyers of their Malibu home to pull out of the $6.5 million sale amid the current COVID-19 health crisis [pictured last autumn in New York] The buyers are unable to travel from Europe due to the global pandemic and the travel restrictions in place across the planet. According to the publication, Cindy and Rande told them 'we're all in this together' and agreed to a cancellation of the deal. It's reported that they have returned the deposit and the deal has been closed. MailOnline has contacted the couple's rep for comment. It's thought that the property in question is the couple's four-bedroom beachfront house, perched on the cliff-edge at the end of a private gated road. On the market: It's thought that the property in question is the couple's four-bedroom beachfront house, perched on the cliff-edge at the end of a private gated road Stunning: The house features decking - accessed via the likes of the master bedroom, the entertainment room and the dining area - with sweeping views of the Pacific, and has a spa bathroom Views for days: The house was put on the market originally last spring; the couple have owned it for 20 years The house was put on the market originally last spring; the couple have owned it for 20 years. The house features decking - accessed via the likes of the master bedroom, the entertainment room and the dining area - with sweeping views of the Pacific, and has a spa bathroom. It seems the couple are doing what they can in this trying time - with Rande keeping his Malibu restaurant, Cafe Habana, open for takeout. Family: Rande and Cindy are pictured with their children Kaia, 18, and Presley, 20, in London, in 2018 He is also making sure his employees are getting paid despite less staff being required currently. With regards to existing house sales, Rande and Cindy are one of many who will be suffering from the pandemic's interference. While an Act Of God allows contract cancellations, coronavirus is not classes as this. Stocking up: Meanwhile, Rande was seen stocking up on water amid lockdown with the help of his and Cindy's son, Presley, 20 The global illness is more likely to be classed as Force Majeure - which is defined as unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from fulfilling a contract. Meanwhile, Rande was seen stocking up on water amid lockdown with the help of his and Cindy's son, Presley, 20. He was spotted on Saturday working up a sweat as he helped his father haul water containers into the back of their truck. Cindy and Rande are also parents to fashion model Kaia, 18. San Francisco, April 1 : US automaker Ford has said it will make 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days, starting April 2, at its Rawsonville plant in Michigan in the US to meet the critical demand. Ford has partnered with GE Healthcare to produce a simplified type of ventilator titled "GE/Airon Model A-E". "The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers," Jim Hackett, Ford's president and CEO said in a statement on Tuesday. "By producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW, we can help health care workers save lives, and that's our No. 1 priority," Hackett added. Ford looks to produce 1,500 ventilators by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4. In a statement, White House Defense Production Act Coordinator Peter Navarro said Ford and GE are moving to speed urgently needed ventilators to the front lines of the Trump Administration's full-scale war against the coronavirus. The number of deaths reached 3,899 on Tuesday night in the US, exceeding the 2,977 toll of the terrorist attack on the US on 9/11. The number of confirmed cases in the US was 188,547. Air Mauritius has suspended all international commercial flights until 30 April 2020, in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 and the travel restrictions to Mauritius and most destinations to which it operates. In order to enable passengers better plan their future travel, flexible rebooking facilities will apply for holders of Air Mauritius tickets issued on or before 31 May 2020. Re-bookings Regardless of conditions of the original booking, all penalty fees will be waived for passengers who wish to change their travel dates. For passengers who do not have a firm date for future travel For tickets issued for the period up to 31 March 2020: Passengers who are not sure when they wish to travel, may claim a voucher worth the price of their ticket plus a 10% bonus on the fare (excluding travel taxes). This voucher will be valid for a period of 24 months and enable the passenger (or a person to whom he/she wishes to transfer the voucher) purchase a ticket for future travel. The 10% bonus is also valid for vouchers that have already been issued. For tickets issued for the period between 01 April to 31 May 2020: Passengers who wish to cancel their trip may claim a voucher worth the price of their ticket which will be valid for a period of 12 months. For both periods no penalty fee is applicable. Passengers who opt for a monetary refund instead, will be charged an amount under the cancellation rules as specified. Their Call Centre will remain at your service seven days a week from 08h00 to 20h00 on +230 207 7575 or via email at reservations_mru@airmauritius.com. Please channel your request through your travel agent if you have not booked directly with Air Mauritius. Air Mauritius regret inconveniences caused due to these exceptional circumstances. Air Mauritius will be back soon, and are looking forward to welcoming you again on their flights. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires (CNN) -- World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned during a media briefing in Geneva today that there is still much to learn about the current coronavirus pandemic which means guidelines and recommendations for the public could evolve. "This is still a very new virus, and we are learning all the time. As the pandemic evolves, so does the evidence, and so does our advice," Tedros said. Tedros continued: "We have to constantly learn from our actions and adjust based on what we learn ... This is the first ever coronavirus pandemic and its behavior is still unknown and thats why we should always be in a learning mode." Ajit Pawar's warning came amid reports of blatant violation of the lockdown norms by people from many cities Mumbai: People should learn lessons from COVID-19 victims in the US, Italy and Spain and not venture out of their homes, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday as he warned of taking stricter measures if citizens continue to roam around on streets despite the lockdown. Pawar's warning came amid reports of blatant violation of the lockdown norms by people from many cities. He said people stepping out of their homes in large numbers to purchase vegetables and grocery are endangering the very purpose of the measures undertaken by the Central and state governments to check the spread of novel coronavirus. "People should behave and learn lessons from coronavirus victims in the US, Italy and Spain. They should respect the sacrifices made by doctors, paramedical staff, police and sanitation workers who have risked their lives in fighting coronavirus," the deputy chief minister stated. Appealing to people to stop crowding to purchase vegetables, he said those who behave irresponsibly and defy rules will not be spared. Expressing concern over the rising number of COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra, Pawar said the people venturing out to purchase vegetables during morning hours in this context endangered the very aim of lockdown. "(The government) will have to review the current situation and take stricter measures if the people continue to congregate unnecessarily," Pawar said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak Maharashtra has till now reported 320 COVID-19 positive cases including 12 deaths. Pawar further said that the fight against corona virus is receiving setback because of the few who are behaving irresponsibly. "But this irresponsible approach will not be tolerated now if the battle against corona virus is to be won," he added. Pawar also said that the departments like the public health, home, revenue, food and civil supplies, urban, rural and others are working at the war-level in tackling the COVID-19 and also thanked those people who have been staying inside their homes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 14:01 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206edc626 1 World India,COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients Free The Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi has confirmed that 10 Indonesians who previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the Indian state of Telangana have all recovered. The 10 citizens were treated at a hospital in Hyderabad, Telanganas capital, after testing positive for the illness last month. According to a statement released by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the Telangana health authority informed Indonesian Ambassador to India Sidharto Suryodipuro of the recoveries on Monday. Although the patients have recovered from the disease, they are required to undergo further self-quarantine for 14 days. Sidharto conveyed his gratitude for the cooperation of health authorities in Telangana and the Indian government in providing treatment for the Indonesian citizens. We also want to thank our fellow Indonesians in Hyderabad for their help and support, Sidharto said in the statement on Tuesday. Last month, The New Indian Express reported that 10 Indonesians and three Indians had been admitted to Hyderabads Gandhi Hospital on March 16 after showing symptoms of COVID-19. Read also: Govt urges Indonesians abroad to stay put, promises aid during COVID-19 pandemic The police said the 10 Indonesians were part of an Islamic outreach organization and had arrived in Karimnagar a city in Telangana state in southeast India two days after traveling from New Delhi. The news outlet reported that the Indonesians and the three Indians had been staying in a mosque in Karimnagar. As the Indian government has restricted international arrivals into the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities that received information regarding the arrival of the Indonesians began to look for them and later took them to a nearby hospital for COVID-19 testing before taking them to Hyderabad. According to Worldometer, India had recorded 1,397 cases of COVID-19 and 35 fatalities as of Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the countrys 1.3 billion people to remain indoors until April 15, saying that such self-isolation was the only hope to stop the viral pandemic, Reuters reported. The vast shutdown has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of poor migrant laborers employed in big cities such as Delhi and Mumbai heading to their homes in the countryside on foot after losing their jobs. The federal government said on Monday that it had no plans to extend the shutdown beyond the three-week period, the news agency reported. We call on Indonesians to obey the orders of local authorities and practice a healthy lifestyle, the Indonesian Embassy said. As part of its corporate social responsibility of giving back to society and the country, the Management of Interplast Ghana has seen the need to support the government in these extraordinary times and most especially, to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. A Cheque of Ghc1.2m was presented today by Mr. Hayssam Fakhry; Managing Director of Interplast Limited, the biggest Pipe Manufacturing company in Ghana and West Africa to government as its contribution to the COVID-19 Fund set up by government over the weekend. Together with the company's Public Relations Officer, they presented a dummy cheque to the Chief of Staff for the trust fund at the Jubilee House on Wednesday. Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare receiving the Cheque on behalf of the fund board, called on other organizations and the private sector to support the cause. She also used the opportunity to encourage industries to educate their workers on the best practices at these critical times and encourage all to go by the social distancing and hygiene protocols. She on behalf of the President thanked Interplast for their continuous support for the country and hope others will follow suit. 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 A father in North Carolina on Tuesday shot and killed his two-year-old daughter before ending his own life in what law enforcement officials are calling a murder-suicide. According to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, at around 4pm on Tuesday deputies were dispatched to a home in the 500 block of Greensboro Street Extension outside Lexington after getting a 911 call reporting a shooting. When deputies entered the single-story home with a child's pink ATV parked on the front lawn, they found a man and a young girl dead from apparent gunshot wounds. No one else was inside the house at the time. Scroll down for video Deputies responded to this home in the 500 block of Greensboro Street Extension outside Lexington, North Carolina, on Tuesday after getting a call about a shooting Inside the home deputies found a father and his two-year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds, which they say were inflicted by the dad The man, believed to be in his 40s, was later identified as the father of the two-year-old girl. Authorities are withholding the names of the deceased pending the notification of next of kin. Capt Mike Burns, with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, told the Winston-Salem Journal the agency is not searching for any suspects. BENZIE COUNTY -- As the numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in down state areas, more communities and health organizations in northern Michigan are asking summer residents and people with second homes in the area to follow the governor's orders and stay at home. On March 24, the City of Frankfort posted a Facebook update asking the same. "Attention to those that love our beautiful Benzie County," the update read. "Please encourage friends and family that are currently outside of Benzie County to postpone their return to Benzie County until we have COVID-19 under control. If our friends and family must return up north from other areas then please be courteous and self-quarantine for two weeks. Contact a neighbor or family friend to pick up the essentials that you will need upon your return. These essential items can be left on your porch. It is our responsibility to keep our community safe, so please conduct interaction in a responsible manner. We must all do our part to minimize the spread of this virus." The post went on to say an influx of visitors who may or may not be sick could tax the area's medical facilities, and that by obeying the stay at home order or quarantining in place if traveling up north could help flatten the curve. "The Facebook post got some criticism, but I think as time went on, attitudes changed a little bit," said Josh Mills, superintendent for the City of Frankfort. "People are realizing the severity of the virus and how it is spread. It is become more evident every day. We're in a spot where we have people coming up here from places like Detroit and Chicago and snowbirds returning from all over and there is a chance they could have a big impact." Mills said they could already have the virus, or catch it during their travels at a gas station. "The region can't handle a large outbreak here," Mills said. "There's not enough medical equipment. We love our snowbirds and summer residents, but until we figure this outbreak out, and get it under control, the best thing is to stay where you're at." Mills also said if somebody has no choice, that going directly to their home is the best option, and then self quarantine for two weeks. "They can contact a friend or neighbor for their needs," Mills said. "Benzie Bus is offering grocery and take out delivery, and some restaurants are offering delivery. They can call city hall and get assistance." Mills said staying put isn't a mandate, and that he doesn't want the message to sound negative, but he hopes people understand the reason for the request. "We don't want to shove people away and sound negative, but this virus can be spread very easily, and we're learning more about it every day," he said. "If you have the option to stay in place, that is the best option, but if they have to come home, be mindful of our resources and self quarantine. Let us know what you need, we'll get it to you." Michelle Klein, director of personal health at the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, also said while there isn't a mandate, it is best for people to stay at home and not travel. "People are permitted to travel between residences," she said. "There is no mandate to quarantine if you do travel, but, with that said, we want everybody to do their part if they are coming from an area with a lot of cases. The best thing to do is stay home. Even if residents here in Benzie and Leelanau are around somebody who is sick, even if it isn't known to be COVID-19, it is best to stay home for 14 days." Klein said in an area where there is a lot of infection, exposure is more likely, and that it could be brought to the area by people who don't know they have it. "If they do travel up north, it is best to lie low for a few weeks," she said. "We don't want to overwhelm our medical system. Everybody has a role to play in helping to prevent that by maintaining the stay at home order and staying safe. Even if you think it is jut a cold, if you're sick, stay home." So far, the Benzie-Leelanau Health district has tested 53 people, 18 in Benzie County. None have tested positive. SIDEBAR Josh Mills, superintendent of the City of Frankfort, said some Crystal Lake residents received an anonymous email telling them they were not allowed to return, which was written in such a way that made it look like it was an official statement from the city. The email did not come from the city, or any city officials. Facing a coronavirus pandemic that has invaded most countries of the world, the Kurdish autonomous administration in Syria has imposed a curfew and lockdown throughout its areas of control, as a preventive measure. Under the lockdown, which began March 23, the administration also closed cafes, restaurants, public places, wedding and mourning halls, and even private medical clinics. Bakeries, grocery stores and pharmacies were excluded from the decision. The curfew was set for 15 days that could be extended if necessary. Residents appeared to be strictly abiding by the restrictions in many neighborhoods and the main roads in northeastern Syria, especially the entrances to cities and roads leading to markets, according to video footage posted by the North Press Agency. But clear violations were noted in some neighborhoods Al-Monitor visited, such as Ashouriya, Arbawiya, Bashiriya and Kaddour Beik. Al-Monitor met some children along the way. One of them said, We aren't afraid of the coronavirus, and we will not wear gloves and masks. Our parents didn't ask us to stay home. Another added, We haven't heard that anyone is infected. We will wear gloves and masks when the virus gets here. Indeed, Syria had reported 10 cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 and two deaths as of March 31, and none of them were in the autonomous administration area. On March 23, Al-Monitor spotted a large gathering in southern Qamishli, where people were out for walks. A patrol by the Kurdish security police, known as Asayish, ordered them to go back home. The autonomous administration announced it will arrest anyone violating the curfew. But a large number of residents rely on a daily salary, which means many must go to work to make ends meet. This is the case of Mahdi, a pseudonym, who told Al-Monitor, I am from Deir ez-Zor, and I have seven sons there. If I dont show up to work today, I will not be able to secure their food. The lockdown decision is good but incomplete. We need an alternative to be able to secure our daily needs. Al-Monitor phoned journalist Rumman Issa from Hasakah for his take on the situation. The lockdown imposed a bit late is the appropriate measure and helps prevent the spread of the virus, he said. During our media coverage, we monitor the residents commitment to the home quarantine decision, which is a vital primary preventive measure. We note some repeated violations on a daily basis. Residents go out collectively under the pretext of securing household items. Some neighbors and relatives are exchanging night visits. This pushed the crisis cell [a group formed by the autonomous administration] to combat the virus by issuing a statement urging residents to strictly abide by the lockdown decisions, and to only leave their homes when absolutely necessary. Commenting on the situation of daily wage-earners, Issa said, This segment of the community is the most affected, but the scale of the epidemic is far greater than their loss. In many countries, a monthly amount of money has been allocated for each family to solve this problem. If the lockdown gets tighter, the autonomous administration and the crisis cell ought to secure financial aid for families in need until a solution to the epidemic is found. Facing the possibility of a prolonged lockdown, and considering the critical situation of the poor and the increase in public and media pressure, the autonomous administration announced March 29 it would provide some food aid to the poor and needy. Muhammad Abu Hassan, who sells clothes, praised this step. However, he told Al-Monitor, We still need money to cover a portion of our expenses, such as paying for bread, electricity, infant formula and medicines for the needy and the sick. The lockdown is the only way to avoid a major COVID-19 outbreak, according to Abdul Basit Kuti, an official at the General Administration for Supply and Consumer Protection in al-Jazira, which is a department of the autonomous administration. The curfew was accompanied by the closure of many factories and stores, which affected workers and the poor, especially those who work on a daily wage, Kuti told Al-Monitor. To prevent merchants and owners of food stores from establishing a monopoly and manipulating prices of various foodstuffs, the department has set prices for foodstuffs. Those who fail to abide by the fixed prices could be subject to the closure of their stores and monetary fines. Akram Hussein, an independent Kurdish politician, argues that imposing strict laws to limit the movement of residents and arresting or fining those who violate these procedures, without taking into account the basic needs of residents and their livelihoods, will create a kind of authoritarian administration that controls the way people think and their way of life. This does not fall within the scope of preventive measures or containing the spread of the virus. No cases have yet been confirmed in the eastern Euphrates area. The way these measures are imposed is tantamount to tyranny aimed to control peoples habits and behaviors even after the isolation procedures end," Hussein told Al-Monitor. No one wants the coronavirus to spread, but peoples livelihoods should be a priority. The prevention procedures and measures must be implemented smoothly and with flexibility so as not to disrupt the basic livelihoods and living requirements. Resident Fadwa Murad spoke with Al-Monitor about the curfew and lockdown. My husband is a taxi driver. We have five children. How will we make ends meet? We have no other source of income. Some of our neighbors give us some food, but for how long? The authorities ask us to stay home, but how will I feed my children? We either die from the coronavirus or from starvation. In the past, many groups have helped the poor in the area, but so far, the international community and humanitarian organizations have not addressed the issue of allocating financial aid. In light of this situation, daily wage earners many of whom are poor and live in slums are stuck between needing a source of income on the one hand, and fear of the coronavirus pandemic on the other. Journalist Soulin Mohamed Amin said the conditions of the lockdown need to be clarified. The curfew is painful for some and costly for workers, craftsmen, professionals and sellers whose sole income depends on their daily work and who have a limited wage," Amin told Al-Monitor. "For most of the people, this decision serves the public interest and aims to keep them safe. The autonomous management areas have yet to register any confirmed coronavirus cases. But a solution must be found for the daily workers who will not have the ability to provide their daily necessities under the lockdown, he added. A chorus of governors from across the political spectrum is publicly challenging the Trump administrations assertion that the United States is well-stocked and well-prepared to test people for the coronavirus and care for the sickest patients. In New York state the center of the nations outbreak, with at least 1,550 deaths Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Tuesday that the countrys patchwork approach to the pandemic had made it harder to get desperately needed ventilators. You now literally will have a company call you up and say, Well, California just outbid you, Cuomo, a Democrat, said in his daily news briefing. Its like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator. Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican, said Tuesday that his state was flying blind in the fight against the coronavirus because officials did not have enough tests. When asked during an NPR interview about President Donald Trumps comments suggesting that a chronic lack of test kits was no longer a problem in the United States, Hogan did not mince words: Yeah, thats just not true. And in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, said Tuesday that it was disturbing to learn that a national stockpile of medical supplies was running empty. We are on our own, he said. Across the country, Americas governors are going head-to-head with the Trump administration over the need for testing supplies and ventilators, at times defying party lines. Some have sparred with the president on phone calls and in public interviews. Still others have sided with the president, or calculated that it would be easier to get the needs of their states met with support and praise. Trump, who has been quick to pick fights with governors who have criticized his efforts, took aim at Cuomo on Tuesday, saying that the governor shouldnt be complaining. You know what, he has a lot of ventilators, the president said. The problem is, with some people, no matter how much you give its never enough. As the number of coronavirus cases has exploded in the United States, threatening to overwhelm the countrys hospital system, governors have become key figures in the public fight against the virus. This week, two governors Hogan, the Republican from Maryland, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a Democrat teamed up to write a bipartisan op-ed, calling on the federal government to send tests, track ventilator shortages and buoy state budgets. The coronavirus doesnt distinguish between red states and blue states, they wrote in the joint piece, which appeared in The Washington Post, and neither can we. In recent weeks, the president has launched broadsides against Democratic governors who accused him and his administration of failing to adequately supply states with needed medical equipment, while claiming that the federal government has done a job the likes of which nobodys seen in delivering needed supplies quickly. The White House has held more than 90 briefings with state, local and tribal leaders since January, according to data from the Trump administration. In addition to doling out federal supplies to states, Trump has also invoked the Defense Production Act to spur the private sector to make ventilators, despite resisting pressure from state governors and Democrats to use the law to accelerate the production of supplies in the days after its signing. President Trump has taken an unprecedented approach to communicating and working with our nations governors, Judd Deere, a White House spokesman said in a statement when asked about the criticism of Hogan and others on Tuesday night. During these difficult times, Americans are receiving comfort, hope and resources from their president, as well as their local officials, because this is an all-of-American effort. But governors across the country, from South Dakota to New York, have for weeks pleaded with the administration to produce supplies they say have not arrived. During a teleconference with several governors earlier in March, Trump heard from several governors who said they were still waiting for masks and ventilators, despite repeated claims from White House coronavirus task force officials that the equipment was on the way. The country has really stepped up like I dont think weve seen it in many, many probably decades, Trump told the governors during the call held March 19. Its incredible the way theyve stepped up. So we hope we can get rid of this thing quickly. The presidents tone has changed rapidly as several governors who were concerned about supplies on that call have started to speak out publicly. At a news briefing with reporters Friday, Trump said that Whitmer, who has been a vocal critic of his administrations coronavirus response, has no idea whats going on, adding, All she does is say, Oh, its the federal governments fault. At different points, Trump has directed Vice President Mike Pence to stop calling Whitmer and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, a Democrat who has also criticized the administrations response. I want them to be appreciative, the president said. Weve done a great job. On Tuesday, officials in Michigan said the state had received three shipments of supplies from the federal government, including about 1 million masks and hundreds of thousands of gloves, allocated by population size. They said they had also requested additional supplies from the federal government: Of thousands of ventilators requested, they had received about 400. All of the supplies sent to Michigan had been working and usable, a state representative said. In California, officials said 170 ventilators sent to Los Angeles had been unusable and were sent to a Silicon Valley company for repair. Trump struck a cooperative tone at the White House in a news conference Tuesday as he detailed his calls with governors to a group of reporters. He said that he had spoken to Whitmer and that a field hospital with 250 beds would be established in Michigan. The need for more supplies has become a central issue as the coronavirus has spread, foretelling months of crisis. One model, created by scientists at the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, predicts that deaths from the virus in the United States will rise rapidly during the month of April, from about 4,000 to almost 60,000, even with the many restrictions on movement now in place. The study suggests that the pace of deaths will eventually slow down, reaching a total of about 84,000 by the beginning of August. Trump recently extended federal social distancing guidelines at least through the end of April. White House officials have struggled with the idea of federal mandates, preferring to take a traditionally conservative small-government approach to the crisis. Officials have at times discussed the idea of a national curfew or similarly stringent measures only to have those dismissed by higher-ranking players. That has left governors to make their own decisions about whether to take the significant step of ordering residents to stay home, creating a split across the United States, with more than 30 states issuing some type of statewide stay-at-home instruction. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has been criticized for refusing to set more statewide mandates as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus there has soared to more than 6,700, said Tuesday that one reason he had not was because the White Houses task force had not recommended it. If they do, thats something that would carry a lot of weight with me, said DeSantis, a Republican who has been conciliatory to the White House and received praise in return. Hes been doing a great job in every respect, Trump said of DeSantis, whom he speaks with regularly and who has been aggressive in his requests to the government to supply masks and ventilators to his state. Trump also has an ally in Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, who has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order and who spoke positively of the federal response Tuesday. Abbott said that governors in the United States have conference calls once or twice a week with federal officials, including the president, the vice president and Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the lead coordinator of the White Houses coronavirus task force. They are constantly they at the federal level are constantly working on increasing supplies, he said. We are anticipating far greater supplies coming forward. But other governors who have taken an aggressive approach were adamant that more supplies were needed. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican, said on CNN on Tuesday that it was difficult to project when cases would peak in his state, in part because there were not enough tests. That is not unique to Ohio, he said. We have seen that throughout the country. Thats been a real challenge. The Ohio Health Department Tuesday said that it had received thousands of gowns, masks and gloves from the federal government, but that even combined with what the state has on hand, the stockpile would not be enough to protect health care workers and emergency medical workers. Cuomo, at the center of the crisis in New York, has taken to appealing directly to Trump and key federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Time to say to that federal government and to FEMA and HHS: You have to learn how to do your job, he said. And you have to learn how to do it quickly. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) on Wednesday said it has handed over its skill training centre in Gwalior for creating 72-bed quarantine facility in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak. The institute has also attached its staff and officers on a 24x7 duty to provide support services to the paramedical team. Moreover, the Bhubaneswar centre has distributed face masks, sanitizers, disinfectants and water bottles besides creating awareness on preventing transmission of the viral disease. The research and development wing of the centre has prepared sanitizers as per the World Health Organization norms and distributed them to the security and housekeeping staff. All the employees of CIPET have voluntarily contributed their one day's salary amounting to Rs 18 lakh to the PM-CARES fund. Its Lucknow centre has donated Rs 5 lakh to a grain bank called 'Annada Nagar Nigam Nidhi' for providing food to the needy and migrants in the city. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A local religious leader teamed up with a state representative to bring new meaning to the month of April. April is now "Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month" in the state of Indiana. Rabbi Michael Harvey from Temple Israel has been working on this for about a year. He worked with State Representative Chris Campbell to pass the resolution this legislative session. April has several tragic milestones in it, including the anniversary of the Darfur genocide in Sudan, the siege of Sarajevo in Bosnia, the Cambodian genocide, Rwandan Genocide Remembrance Day, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and Holocaust Remembrance Day. Many people from around the world look to make Indiana their home, especially in university towns like West Lafayette, South Bend and Bloomington. Rabbi Harvey said this resolution sends an important message to those people. "We have people who come here from overseas who have lived in conflicted areas," he said. "It's to let people know that we as a state of Indiana, acknowledge that, we welcome these people, it gives an idea about how to welcome refugees to say this is a place of safe haven that people can come and live and work." It's also about giving educational tools to people so that future generations can learn about these situations and what can be done to prevent them. Rabbi Harvey said even though we are facing a health pandemic, other tragedy still occurs in the world. "We all have to remember that the problems of this country and the problems of the world don't stop because of the coronavirus," he said. "So we have to recognize that even though we are stuck inside and even though there are some restrictions, there are real issues that are going on in the world and they don't stop just because we are in quarantine." A traffic jam was witnessed at the Padi flyover junction here on Wednesday due to checking at a police checkpoint put in place to catch persons indulging in non-essential travel in wake of the Coronavirus lockdown. The police pulled the violators out of the traffic and made them perform sit-ups. Those who flouted the lockdown were also made to wear masks that were a replica of the coronavirus and hold posters, which accused them of being 'an enemy of society'. This is the second week of the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at containing the spread of novel coronavirus. T The number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu has now climbed to 124. The state has seen four recoveries from the infectious disease and one death. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases and 133 who have been cured/discharged. 38 people have lost their lives to the infection so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Good news for businesses! Babken Tunyan, member of the majority My Step faction at the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia and Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, wrote this Wednesday on Facebook. "As of today you can apply for one-time support," he added, in particular. The procedure for the implementation of the Fifth Economic Assistance Program has been approved. The eligible businesses can apply for support as of today and receive it within 5 business days. The purpose of the measure is to assist in the maintaining of jobs as a result of the difficulties caused among individual businesses in the Republic of Armenia as a result of the spread of the coronavirus." The MP added that amount of this one-time support will make up 16-20% of the one-month fund of the salaries. Also, Tunyan informed which businesses are and are not eligible for this support. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 05:27:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Airport employees unload cargoes containing medical supplies at Chopin International Airport in Warsaw, Poland on March 31, 2020. A plane from China carrying protective gear for Polish medical services to fight the coronavirus epidemic has landed in Warsaw, the press office of the Polish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/Xinhua) WARSAW, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A plane from China carrying protective gear for Polish medical services to fight the coronavirus epidemic has landed in Warsaw, the press office of the Polish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement. According to the Twitter account of the Chinese Ambassador to Poland Liu Guangyuan, within the framework of Chinese humanitarian aid, the Chinese government provided 10,000 COVID-19 test kits, as well as 20,000 N95 respirators, 5,000 protective suits, 5,000 medical goggles and other protective materials needed in the fight against the coronavirus. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz thanked the Chinese side for the support, the statement said. Czaputowicz also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge for societies around the world, which means this is a responsibility that all countries have to face together. Michal Dworczyk, head of the Polish Prime Minister's Office, said last week that an air bridge with China would be initiated to transport personal protective equipment for medical services involved in the fight against coronavirus. The first batch of medical equipment from China arrived in Warsaw on March 26. The coronavirus has begun to take hold in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific Islands, threatening some of the most impoverished people on earth. Many countries have introduced a combination of border closures, limitation or bans on international flights, shelter at home orders, shuttering of schools, universities and social venues and restrictions on movement for all but essential work and shopping. These measures, while necessary, are of limited value without testing suspected cases, tracking their contacts and treating the severely ill. Crucially, even sheltering at home and self-isolation are impossible under conditions where one seventh of humanity lives in so-called informal housingshacks, tents and shanty towns, constructed out of crude brick, straw, recycled plastic, cement blocks and scrap wood. A Friday market in Goa, India. (Image Credit Flickr/Aaron C) Most of the worlds urban poor occupy squalid, overcrowded slums, surrounded by pollution, excrement and decay, with limited or no access to sanitation, clean water and the basic amenities of modern urban life. The worlds most notorious slums include Ciudad Neza in Mexico City, with 1.2 million people; Dharavi in Mumbai, with 1 million peoplethe largest slum in Asia and location for the film Slum Dog Millionaire Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, the largest favela in Brazil with 200,000 people; Makoko, Lagos, with over 300,000 people, many of whose homes are built on stilts in a lagoon. Residents live in homes that were detrimental to their health and safety even before the onset of the coronavirus. Self-isolating or quarantining is a non-starter in a single room shack that serves as bedroom, kitchen and living space, often for an extended family, with no running water and a communal toilet shared with dozens of others. As the director of the International Labour Organisations (ILO) Social Protection department, Shahra Razavi, explained, If the COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world one message, it is that we are only as safe as the most vulnerable among us. He warned, Those who are unable to quarantine themselves or to get treatment endanger their own lives and the lives of others, and if one country cannot contain the virus, others are bound to be infected, or even re-infected. And yet, around the world, social-protection systems are failing miserably at safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable groups. Medical treatment, let alone the intensive care required to treat those most severely affected by the coronavirus, is simply not available in the oppressed countries. Some 40 percent of the worlds population have no access to health insurance, whether public or private, or public health services. Around 800 million people spend at least 10 percent of their household budget on health care each year. The cost of medical treatment frequently plunges families into debt, with 100 million people falling into poverty because of the expense. Many people simply cannot afford to get the treatment they need when they fall sick, under conditions where HIV/AIDS, malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis, to name but a few, are widespread. For those who can afford treatment, even in the best placed African cities, there are only two doctors for 10,000 compared with 41 doctors per 10,000 people in Italy. Without sick pay, the majority of workers cannot afford to take time off work to recover, jeopardising their own health and that of others. Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, less than two-thirds have social insurance schemes that provide sickness benefits. More than half the worlds 7 billion population have no social protection whatsoever. Those who are ill must choose between sacrificing their own health and feeding their families. Millions of people across the advanced countries have already been laid off or furloughed as a result of the closures of nonessential shops, cafes, restaurants and cultural and leisure facilities and the precipitous fall in demand for travel, tourism, hospitality and related business sectors. Only 20 percent of the worlds population can claim any unemployment benefits, however meagre, forcing them to take whatever work they can find in the informal economy at slave labour rates. According to the ILO, some 2 billion peoplemore than 61 percent of the worlds employed populationwork in the informal economy. Some 86 percent of Africas employment is informal, 68 percent in Asia and the Pacific, 69 percent in the Arab States, 40 percent in the Americas and 25 percent in Europe and Central Asia. Along with low, unstable and insecure income, such work is synonymous with long hours and appalling working conditions, including lack of workspace and frequent harassment and intimidation. Many African workers rely on the tourism and travel industry, which accounts for more than 10 percent of global GDP and which is unlikely to recover any time soon. Demand for natural resources, which accounts for 30 percent of Africas GDP, is falling as a global economic slump takes hold. Copper and oil are already trading at their lowest prices for years. The 2008 global financial crisis gives a foretaste of the economic impact of COVID-19, which is expected to be far greater. Angola saw its GDP growth of 13.2 percent in 2008 fall to -0.6 percent in 2009, while Nigeria went from 6 percent to 3 percent. Sub-Saharan African countries saw their GDP growth fall from 5 percent to 2.5 percent, not enough to keep pace with the population growth. Remittances, which in some countries account for 10 percent of GDP, have already been affected. South Asia, the Philippines and the Middle East have seen a reduction in the flow of remittances and vital foreign currency earnings they bring, as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other economies that rely heavily on migrant workers to construct their buildings, care for their sick and elderly and prepare their food, shut down parts of the economy to contain the spread of COVID-19. Returning workers will add to burgeoning unemployment rolls. The Gulf, whose migrant workers sent home some $119 billion in 2017, is the worlds largest source of remittances after the US. Foreign workers account for about a third of Saudi Arabias 33 million population and almost 80 percent of its private sector workforce. Expatriates account for about 80 percent of the UAEs population. Under these conditions, workers have no option but to seize whatever opportunities they can to continue working, typically without any personal protection equipment or sanitizers. Travelling to work means sitting, packed like sardines in over-crowded buses or shared service taxis, stuck in traffic jams and exposing more people to infection. Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called on the G20 countries to provide a $150 billion aid package for AfricaAfrica Global COVID-19 Emergency Financing Package. Even were this sum to be allocated, it would not begin to address the sources of the current crisis, which lie in the economic and political relationships of imperialist domination, capitalist ownership and production. The way out of the terrible poverty and brutal exploitation facing the mass of the population in the worlds poorest nations, including implementation of the measures necessary to combat Covid-19, is through a struggle against the corrupt national bourgeoisie--who live in grotesque luxury amid squalor--and the systematic imperialist exploitation over which they preside. This demands the development of a social and political movement of the working class, fighting for state power and socialism. The allies of the workers of Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific Islands are not the leaders of the G20, but the worlds working classthe only force that can overthrow of the existing social order and implement the global redistribution of wealth and internationally coordinated economic plan required to raise billions out of ever worsening social degradation. WILLIAMSPORT The U.S. Labor Department has resolved its fiduciary misconduct charges against the owner of a former day school that had facilities in Lycoming and Northumberland counties. U.S. Middle District Judge Mathew W. Brann on Tuesday approved a consent judgment that permanently prohibits N&B Lundy Corp. from serving as a trustee, fiduciary, adviser or administrator of any employee benefit plan subject to the Employment Retirement Income Security Act. N&B did business as Pitter Patter Day School, which operated two facilities in Williamsport and one each in Muncy and Watsontown. It ceased operations in 2015. The parties agreed to resolve the case without further litigation, the settlement filing states. The Labor Department had accused N&B and owner Bobbi Jo Lundy of using employees share of health insurance premiums for unrelated expenses. Failure to forward employee health and welfare plan premiums to First Priority Life Insurance Co. resulted in repeated lapses of coverage and eventual cancellation, the Labor Department claimed Failure to notify employees the policy had been canceled resulted in $60,546 in unpaid health claims that remain unpaid, it said. The Labor Department alleged approximately $1,464 was deducted from plan participants in October 2014 after the coverage had been canceled. Records show the state Department of Human Services numerous times had cited Pitter Patter for non-compliance with regulations. They included: * Leaving an 18-month-old unsupervised in an outdoor place space. * Falling asleep while holding children. * Using harsh tones while imposing discipline in the toddler room. * Not knowing the names and whereabouts of assigned children. * No running water for 8 to 10 hours. * Lack of liability insurance. The White House will formally reissue nationwide coronavirus guidelines on Tuesday after President Donald Trump -- faced with dire models showing up to 200,000 American deaths and polls indicating support for social distancing and calamitous scenes at New York hospitals -- determined another 30 days were necessary to avert disaster. Not all of Trump's advisers support the decision, and some have privately questioned the models his health advisers used to convince him the distancing efforts were necessary, multiple people familiar with the matter said. Trump faced intense pressure from business leaders and some conservative economists to reopen some parts of the country before ultimately deciding against it. Amid the internal debate over whether to ease the social distancing efforts, some aides recommended the President only extend them another 15 days, but health advisers argued a month was necessary, people familiar with the discussions said. Trump told aides it would be better to ease the guidelines earlier than expected rather than have to extend them again. The guidelines are expected to last until April 30. Trump has explained his decision as a necessary one to protect potentially millions of lives. To that end, Trump and the coronavirus task force plan to delve into more detail on their models using graphs and information during the daily late-afternoon press briefing at the White House on Tuesday. The principal coordinator on the coronavirus task force, Dr. Deborah Birx, said on Monday the team would come to Tuesday's briefing prepared to back up their recommendations and the President's ultimate decision with data. "We'll go through all of the graphs and all of the information that we took to the President for the decision," she said. The picture could be stark. Birx has said their data show that even if the country executes social distancing measures "perfectly," between 100,000 and 200,000 people could still die. Those predictions don't have universal support inside the White House. There remains a concern among some skeptics on Trump's team that Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci have put stock in models that could be wrong. Epidemiological models rely on assumptions and can't, by their nature, always be 100% accurate. Much about the virus's spread remains unknown, particularly with persistent problems on getting Americans tested. Trump himself seemed preoccupied with another figure -- 2.2 million -- during Sunday's briefing. An earlier study from the United Kingdom projected that number of potential American deaths if mitigation efforts weren't taken seriously. Tuesday marks the expiration of the initial 15-day period for the federal social distancing guidelines that Trump announced earlier in March. He announced Sunday the guidelines would be extended another 30 days but indicated there might be some alterations. "We will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings, supporting data and strategy to the American people," Trump said Sunday. "So, we'll be having lots of meetings in between, but we'll be having a very important statement made on Tuesday, probably Tuesday evening, on all of the findings, all of the data, and the reasons we're doing things the way we're doing them." The team also plans to spell out steps its taken to increase testing and surveillance of coronavirus cases in individual states, a key component to containing the spread. Health experts have warned that without adequate testing, it's impossible to know how many people have been infected and which areas are better off. Contact tracing -- the practice of determining who an infected person may have interacted wit -- also requires robust testing efforts, and is another step experts have said is necessary to containing the virus. Speaking on CNN, Fauci said Tuesday that social distancing measures were bearing some initial results. "We're starting to see glimmers that that is actually having some dampening effect," he said. "I don't want to put too much stock on it because you don't want to get overconfident, you just want to keep pushing in what you're doing," Fauci added. "You're starting to see that the daily increases are not in that steep incline, they're starting to be able to possibly flatten out." Fauci and Birx presented Trump the models showing between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths during an Oval Office meeting on Sunday that seemed to resonate and helped him finalize his decision. "He looked at them, he understood them, and he shook his head and said, 'I guess we got to do it,' " Fauci said. CNN also reported on Monday morning that Trump was struck by grave images from Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, near where he grew up, showing hospital workers inundated with coronavirus cases. The scene helped solidify his decision that further distancing measures were necessary to prevent the disease from spreading. Polling presented to Trump also helped him determine that asking Americans to keep refraining from going to crowded workplaces or schools would not necessarily be unpopular. As Trump codifies the extension of the guidelines, he and his advisers are weighing another recommendation with potential political fallout: that Americans being wearing masks or other face coverings, a reversal from earlier federal guidance that indicated such a step wasn't necessary. Trump appeared open to the idea during Monday's press briefing, but said he didn't anticipate making a long-term mandate on mask-wearing. "I could see something like that happening for a period of time. But I would hope it would be a very limited period of time," he said. Fauci told CNN on Tuesday it would be up for "very active discussion" by the task force. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The MTA has reversed course on following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in regard to face masks. Despite both organizations stating that masks only need to be worn by people who feel sick or those who are caring for the sick, the citys transit agency has elected to distribute 75,000 masks a week to the frontline workers who are keeping New York City moving through the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Were not medical people or public health people, so weve taken direction from the CDC and other public health officials, MTA CEO and Chairman Pat Foye said on MSNBC Tuesday. Crazily, the CDCs direction is still not to provide masks except to those who are ill or medical people... and indeed the World Health Organization yesterday affirmed the same advice. That doesnt make sense to us. So were distributing north of 75,000 masks to our frontline workers. That number, thats a weekly number, that number we expect, and that number will grow, he continued. As of Tuesday, 582 MTA employees had tested positive for the virus, including Foye. Eight employees have succumbed to the illness, with over 3,000 additional workers quarantined at home. Later in the day, MTA Chief Safety Officer Pat Warren issued a statement regarding the agencys pandemic plan, outlining the supplies that have been distributed thus far and plans to continue providing them. Here are the facts on what supplies the MTA has been distributing to operating employees: 240,000 masks, 3.2 million gloves to those whose jobs require it, 45,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 50,000 gallons of cleaning supplies and 7,000 boxes of sanitizing wipes since the pandemic began," Warren said. Additionally, the MTA continues to replenish and maintain a stockpile of these essential items so that we can continue to distribute them as we have not yet reached the apex of the crisis and expect it to continue for some time. Its crucial that we have the ability to protect our workforce and customers, not just today but going forward during this unprecedented event," he continued. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** CDC CONSIDERING GUIDANCE CHANGE Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump suggested that all Americans could be asked to wear a face mask in public for a short period of time as reports surfaced that the CDC is considering changing its guidance to reflect the suggestion. Were not going to be wearing masks forever, but it could be for a short period of time, the president said. I could see something like that happening for a period of time, but I would hope it would be a very limited period of time. Currently, the CDC says that those who are not sick and not caring for someone who is sick dont need to wear a mask. If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a face mask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a face mask). Face masks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers, according to CDC guidance. However, The Washington Post reported Monday that the CDC is considering changing those guidelines to encourage members of the general public to wear masks when out and about. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering altering the official guidance to encourage people to take measures to cover their face amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it is an ongoing matter of internal discussion and nothing has been finalized, the article states. The source told The Washington Post that the guidance is still being developed, but if enacted, would clearly note that the public should wear non-medical masks as to not exacerbate the limited supply of medical masks for healthcare workers. WHO STANDS BY RECOMMENDATION Meanwhile, WHO is sticking by its guidance that healthy residents do not need to wear masks. There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, theres some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, said Monday. There also is the issue that we have a massive global shortage, he added. Right now the people most at risk from this virus are frontline health workers who are exposed to the virus every second of every day. The thought of them not having masks is horrific. *** Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Latest on NYC school closures: Child care to be available for first responders With restaurant dine-in option halted, Uber Eats waives delivery fees MTA continuing to monitor service levels as coronavirus spreads Amazon warns of slower deliveries, depleted stock amid coronavirus Rumor of a mandated national quarantine is untrue and unfounded, White House says S.I. to be first borough with drive-thru testing for coronavirus Fact vs. rumor: America is not quarantined for coronavirus, National Security Council says Coronavirus: NYC bars, restaurants limited to takeout and delivery Lees Tavern to temporarily shut its doors amid coronavirus outbreak Photos: Bare shelves inside Staten Island stores during coronavirus outbreak Coronavirus court scale-down: No new jury trials starting Monday; other appearances to be limited With NYC schools closing, parents and teachers prepare for new normal How fast is coronavirus growing in New York? Chart shows dramatic rise in cases Coronavirus on Staten Island: Non-essential court proceedings postponed Coronavirus: Executive order will postpone all elective surgeries SPRINGFIELD The Massachusetts Building Trades Council is urging Gov. Charlie Baker to halt all non-emergency construction work across the state due to the coronavirus. The executive board of the statewide labor union, which represents workers in the building trades across the state, voted unanimously in favor of a one-month halt on regular construction. The organization is seeking to only allow emergency construction and certain work deemed essential, according to a trades council statement. The vote came one week after Bakers administration rejected the idea, calling instead for strict workplace precautions. The Building Trades Council has 75,000 members statewide. In the vote, the Council called for the suspension of construction to begin Friday and continue through April 30. The only way to protect the health and safety of our members, their families and of the general public is to keep people apart, said Francis X. Callahan, the organizations president. It is impractical and, in many cases, impossible to safely work on a construction project right now given the current state of affairs. There are roughly 150,000 workers connected to the building trades statewide including union, non-union and office workers, Callahan said. Workers would be eligible to collect unemployment pay during a shutdown, he said. While the impact is great, the top priority is worker safety, he said. Such a ban would impact major projects across the state, including the construction of Polar Park in Worcester. Last week city officials said work on the minor league ballpark as well as the construction of the South High Community School and a new public library would continue, despite Bakers stay-at-home advisory. In Springfield, work is ongoing on an apartment project at the long-vacant Indian Motocycle building at 837 State St. and the adjacent Mason Square fire station. The projects developer, Gordon Pulsifer, said this week that he expects the 60-unit apartment project to be done by July 1 if there are no coronavirus-related delays. Work allowed under the Councils proposal would include emergency utility work, new utility connections to occupied buildings, work at health care facilities and shelters, and work to ensure the reliability of the transportation network. The Baker administration said last week that it was requiring adherence to the safety stand down as part of sweeping set of guidelines provided to the construction industry. That included workers certifying before each shift that they are not sick, and for each job site to post cleaning and decontamination procedures, among other guidelines. Boston and some other cities have enacted halts on construction, and were not withdrawing the orders as of last week when the Governors office called for coronavirus regulations and enforcement. The Mass. Building Trades Council said that in the meantime, it is working with industry stakeholders and public health experts "to develop best practices and new safety protocols to ensure the safest worksites possible for the emergency and essential projects that need to continue, and for all projects when it becomes feasible to return. Related Content Tigran Karapetyan, 28, who was subjected to violence at a Yerevan police station on March 27, has been arrested for two months. His lawyer Gurgen Hovhannisyan told about this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. The lawyer added that their motion to commute Karapetyans pretrial measure was granted, but his family did not have the 1.5mn drams needed to release him on bail, so he was arrested. Tigran Karapetyan is under arrest on charges of violence against a representative of the authorities. But he is the injured party in the criminal case which the Special Investigation Service (SIS) has launched. A criminal case has been opened at the SIS Wednesday and has been accepted for proceedings. On Tuesday, this mans family had addressed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with a video message. The police statement says in particular that on the early hours of March 27, police noticed a speeding car, whose driver stopped the car in violation of traffic rules. Police officers approached the driver to find out the reason for the speeding, as well as to check for a note containing the information and identity documents as required by the Commandants decision in connection with the current state of emergency in Armenia. But the driver, hearing the lawful demands of the police, was outraged, he cursed at them, and did not to comply with their lawful demands. Police took the young man, along with the, to the police station. During this time, the young man punched a police officer in the face several times. The detainee continued the illegal and immoral behavior in the police department, too. The investigation found out that this 28-year-old man had consumed vodka with a friend. The drink had finished, and therefore they had gone to a supermarket by car to buy vodka again. He had driven the car in a drunk state and at high speed. His friend was also brought to the police station. Both were under the influence of alcohol. But his lawyer Gurgen Hovhannisyan had told Armenian News-NEWS.am that Karapetyan had not hit the police officer, but rather he was hit because of irregular movements while being dragged. "At the police station they spat on him, wanted to drag him into the toilet, break him," Hovhannisyan had added. Right now Tigran is mentally depressed, he is not talking. They cursed at his five-year-old child, wife, mother." A group of refugees and asylum seekers medically evacuated from Manus Island say they are terrified of contracting the deadly coronavirus while being held in cramped facilities in a Melbourne motel. More than 1180 health-care professionals have signed a joint letter to the government calling for the men to be released, saying makeshift detention centres like the Mantra Hotel in Preston, where they are being held, represent "a very high-risk environment" for the virus to be transmitted. The letter, drafted by infectious diseases expert Professor David Isaacs, argues hotel guests are also at risk. Some of the detainees are pictured in a meeting with guards in narrow communal spaces in the Mantra Hotel. "At the Mantra Hotel in Preston, an already high-risk environment is compounded by the fact that the hotel is used by airline crews, with personnel constantly coming and going from the hotel," it said. Faced with evidence that federal immigration agents in New York have routinely jailed almost everyone theyve arrested during the Trump administration, a judge ordered them Tuesday to carry out the individualized bond review the law requires. The decision by Judge Alvin Hellerstein at U.S. District Court in Manhattan applies only in New York, but it calls into question whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding people unjustly across the country at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic ratchets up the danger of being incarcerated. Since 2013, ICE has relied heavily on a computerized tool called the Risk Classification Assessment to evaluate whether to release someone pending a hearing. The New York Civil Liberties Union and Bronx Defenders charged in a lawsuit that By mid-2017, ICE had changed the tools algorithm to prevent it from recommending that people be released on bond or their own recognizance. Heres Why the Rejection Rate for Asylum Seekers Has Exploded in Americas Largest Immigration Court in NYC Federal authorities denied that ICE had created what the lawsuit called a No-Release Policy, but Hellerstein granted a preliminary injunction on the basis of the governments own data. The numbers showed that starting in June, 2017, there was wholesale jailing in New York even of people the classification system judged to be a low risk of flight or danger to the communitya shift from freeing nearly half of those arrested to under 4 percent. The federal governments sweeping detention dragnet means that people who pose no flight or safety risk are being jailed as a matter of course, the lawsuit asserts, charging that its the result of the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy. New York State underscored the immediate health risk of this practice in a friend-of-the-court document the state attorney general filed on Monday. Unnecessary immigration detention will only further burden the immigrant populations and state and local governments that are already dedicating all available resources to combating the current public-health crisis, it said. Story continues In criminal cases, defendants must be arraigned before a judge within 48 hours. But deportation is a civil matter, and under federal immigration law, ICE agents, not a judge, make the initial determination within 48 hours on whether to jail or release someone. It then takes weeks before the case goes before an immigration judge and, often enough, that review results in the release of ICEs detainee. According to a Daily Beast review of deportation cases initiated in immigration courts served by ICEs New York office, immigration judges released 827 people ICE detained in fiscal year 2019, or about 36 percent of the cases. They were detained a median of 41 days before getting an initial hearing before a judge, according to data maintained by the Justice Departments Executive Office of Immigration Review, which runs the immigration courts. In a hearing held by telephone late Monday afternoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Waterman rejected accusations that ICE had rigged its algorithm for evaluating people taken into custody. He said that in any case, the final decision was made by a deportation officer and supervisor, not the algorithm, and that it was individualized. Also, he said, ICE has been re-evaluating its decisions in light of the COVID outbreak, and had released about 100 detainees within 11 days. But the government couldnt explain the sharp shift in the numbers to the judges satisfaction. The number of people who have been denied release, whether on bond or recognizance, has become so infinitesimally small as compared to what has been in existence, as to show such a fundamental alteration of the nature of the program, he said. And whether it is done by this Risk Classification Assessment or by actions of arresting officers, or by their supervisor, really does not make a difference. There has been a change, a marked change, and there has been no recent explanation to support that. He ordered ICEs New York field office director not to use whatever more stringent or more onerous evaluation may have been adopted in June, 2017 and required the government to report back to him on its progress by April 17. While the order applies only to New York, the case has national implications since ICE has been using its Risk Classification Assessment since 2013. In a 2015 review, the Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general recommended revisions in it, saying that the tool is time consuming, resource intensive, and not effective in determining which aliens to release or under what conditions. And in 2018, an ICE spokesman had confirmed to Reuters that the previous year, ICE had changed the Risk Classification Assessment so that it no longer could issue a release recommendationbut said ICE officials could always override a recommendation to detain someone. Robert Hodgson, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that the case was based on data for New York arrests that a judge required ICE to release under the Freedom of Information Act. Certainly its the case that the risk assessment tool affects people across the country and that the Trump administrations enforcement priority is placing more and more people at risk of being detained unlawfully, he said. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, declined to comment on the case. In court documents, New York ICE official William Joyce said the agencys New York enforcement office has no policy of denying release to all aliens. He said that after individualized custody review, most people were held because they had been charged or convicted of crimes, or had prior orders of deportation. 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. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. An audio recording of this Perspective by the author, David North, is available in todays WSWS podcast. In the Transitional Program, the founding document of the Fourth International, Leon Trotsky described the sit-down strikes that erupted in the United States in 1936-37, in the midst of the Great Depression, as the expression of the instinctive striving of the American workers to raise themselves to the level of the tasks imposed on them by history. This insight of the great twentieth century strategist of international socialism provides a historically grounded framework for understanding the significance of the eruption of wildcat strikes and protests by Instacart, Amazon and Whole Foods workers. There have also been reports of protests by General Electric workers in Massachusetts and Kentucky, Perdue workers in Georgia and nurses in San Francisco. All of these actions have been in response to the criminal subordination of workers safety to corporate profits. The characteristic of every great crisis is that it lays bare the contradictions that have accumulated and been suppressed for decades. All that is backward, anachronistic, corrupt, and, in the most profoundly objective sense, absurd and even irrational in the economic organization, social structure, political leadership and dominant ideology of the existing society is brutally and comprehensively exposed. That which was glorified is suddenly despised. The heroes whose achievements were lauded become objects of universal contempt. The sight of those who represent, or are seen to be apologists for the ruling establishment, evokes among masses of people a feeling of indignation, anger and disgust. The pandemic is such a crisis. In a matter of just a few weeks, it has discredited in the eyes of millions the existing social, political and economic order. The United States, by far the richest country in the world, with the largest banks and corporations, and the home of the greatest number of billionaires, has proven incapable of organizing anything resembling an effective response to the disease. There existed no plan to slow and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The danger of a lethal pandemic has been the subject of numerous medical studies and government reports for the past two decades. These warnings were downplayed and ignored. For an economic and political system whose primary objective has been the enrichment of a parasitic oligarchy, the diversion of financial resources to areas of research and production that did not generate high levels of profit was seen as a waste of time and money. The result of reactionary social policy is now seen in the expanding landscape of death, as the pandemic spreads through New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles. No state or major city can expect to be spared. The rural areas, which will not escape the pandemic, lack in many cases even the most rudimentary facilities to cope with mass infections. The United States, which spends hundreds of billions on the most advanced weapons systems for its multiple wars in one or another part of the world, cannot provide its hospitals with ventilators or its health care workers with face masks and other protective gear. The tests that are required to track and counteract the virus are not available. Countless thousands who complain of symptoms associated with the coronavirus are unable to know for sure whether or not they are infected. Doctors, nurses and all those who provide essential support to patients labor 15 to 18 hours a day and are themselves in constant danger of contracting the disease. The hospital beds required for the sick who are desperately in need of treatment do not exist. The morgues are overcrowded. Even the dead are denied the dignity to which they are entitled. The crisis has exposed the irreconcilably opposed interests that are embedded in American society. There is no greater lie than We (i.e., capitalists and workers) are all in this together. No, We certainly are not! The ruling corporate-financial elite and the working class experience this crisis in profoundly different ways, and their concerns and priorities are worlds apart. From the beginning, the major concern of the corporate-financial elite and its political flunkies in the Democratic and Republican parties has been to protect its wealth, and the capitalist profit system upon which it is based, from the economic fallout of the pandemic. It was not the rate of infection and the rising death toll that roused the Trump administration and Congress to action, but the sudden and massive fall of share values on Wall Street. As in 2008, but now on an even greater scale, the ruling class demanded the immediate infusion of trillions of dollars into the financial markets and the coffers of the corporations. The words that are always used to deny wage increases for workers and to justify massive spending cuts for essential social servicesThere is no moneywere not to be heard in the halls of Congress. It voted to place unlimited sums of money at the disposal of the banks and corporations, without any significant restrictions or oversight on the use of the funds. Most important of all, the six-trillion-dollar bailoutthe second such rescue operation within little more than a decadewas implemented without encroaching to even the smallest degree on capitalist property and wealth. As for the overwhelming majority of the population, the amount of money devoted to its needs amounted to an insignificant fraction of the congressional rescue package. The ruling class breathed a sigh of relief. Once the bailout had been voted on, the Wall Street casino was soon back in operation and share values rose, within days, by 20 percent. But the trillions forked over by the bipartisan Congressa show of unity in which Senator Bernie Sanders duly participatedintensified the underlying economic crisis spawned by decades of capitalist parasitism associated with the process of financializationthat is, the ever greater separation of money creation from the actual process of production. However vehemently bourgeois economists deny the Marxist labor theory of value, no capitalist economy can survive without the expenditure of the labor power of the working class. As Marx succinctly noted, Every child knows a nation which ceased to work, I will not say for a year, but even for a few weeks, would perish. And so, the demand for a rapid return to work was soon being advanced. The new phrase of the hour was: The cure for the pandemic cannot be worse than the disease. Ignoring the explicit warnings of experts on the pandemic, Trump declared that the workers should be back on the job within two weeks. The fact that this reckless decision would, if implemented, cost hundreds of thousands of lives was a matter of indifference to Trump. But it is on precisely this issue that the profound and irreconcilable conflict between the interests and objectives of the capitalist class and those of the working class have exploded into the open. The capitalist demandendorsed by substantial sections of the mediafor a premature and dangerous resumption of work is totally opposed to the insistence of the working class that the pandemic be suppressed by stopping unessential production and strictly observing safety procedures to protect workers whose labor is essential, in both their interests and those of the public they serve. Even though the Trump administration has nowin the face of an exponential increase in the rate of infections and a rapidly rising death tollretreated from its call for an early return to work, corporate interests are still depriving workers who provide essential services of the safe conditions upon which their very lives depend. The walkout and protest actions of the Instacart, Amazon and Whole Foods workers and other sections of the working class reveal not only the class polarization in society. They are an initial expression of the growing efforts of the working class to advance a progressive solution to this crisis, a solution that proceeds from the objective needs of humanity as a whole. There is no question that the actions of the Instacart, Amazon and Whole Foods workers are supported by the great mass of the working class. To mobilize and organize this support, we urge workers to form rank-and-file committees to coordinate their struggles and build the greatest possible unity among all sections of the working class. Industrial action requires a new political orientation. It is necessary to break with the capitalist Republican-Democratic two-party system, which is totally beholden to the capitalist class. It is vital that this movement, which insists on the absolute priority of life over profits, acquire a politically conscious, that is, socialist direction. The fight against the pandemic is inseparably bound up with the struggle of the working class against capitalism. Toward this end, the Socialist Equality Party advances the following demands: Repeal of the corporate-Wall Street bailout and the immediate redirection of financial and industrial resources toward fighting the pandemic and providing all health care, service and industrial workers with all necessary equipment to serve those stricken with the virus and society as a whole in a safe environment. Take the profit out of medical services. Nationalize the entire health care and pharmaceutical industry without compensation to large shareholders and executives, and place it under the democratic control of workers, scientists and researchers. Nationalize Amazon and other vital service industries. No reduction or loss of pay for workers who are laid off or have their hours reduced, for the duration of the pandemic. Initiate global collaboration of scientists and researchers in a world-wide fight against the pandemic. End spending for war and invest trillions in fighting disease, global warming and other existential threats to life on this planet. In advancing this program, we state openly that its realization is bound up with the transfer of political power to the working class, supported by all progressive forces in society. This statement is focused on developments in the United States. But the pandemic is a global crisis and the same social and political issues are raised in every country. All countriesand many with resources that are but a fraction of those available to the United Statesare experiencing the tragedy of this pandemic. That is why the fight against the pandemic requires the unity of the working class on a world scale. There is no place for national chauvinism and great-power politics in this struggle. A century ago, in the midst of the First World War, the revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg said that the alternatives that confronted mankind were socialism or barbarism. Today, the alternatives present themselves as the capitalist profit system and death, or socialism and life. We appeal to all those who recognize the necessity of this fight for workers power and socialism to join the Socialist Equality Party. As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But really big losses can really drag down an overall portfolio. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Australian Pacific Coal Limited (ASX:AQC); the share price is down a whopping 88% in the last three years. That might cause some serious doubts about the merits of the initial decision to buy the stock, to put it mildly. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 75% in a year. Even worse, it's down 32% in about a month, which isn't fun at all. However, we note the price may have been impacted by the broader market, which is down 21% in the same time period. We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson. Check out our latest analysis for Australian Pacific Coal With just AU$2,950,647 worth of revenue in twelve months, we don't think the market considers Australian Pacific Coal to have proven its business plan. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. For example, investors may be hoping that Australian Pacific Coal finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money. We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. There is almost always a chance they will need to raise more capital, and their progress - and share price - will dictate how dilutive that is to current holders. While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Australian Pacific Coal investors might realise. Australian Pacific Coal had liabilities exceeding cash by AU$94m when it last reported in December 2019, according to our data. That makes it extremely high risk, in our view. But since the share price has dived -51% per year, over 3 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can see in the image below, how Australian Pacific Coal's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values). Story continues ASX:AQC Historical Debt April 1st 2020 Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. Would it bother you if insiders were selling the stock? I'd like that just about as much as I like to drink milk and fruit juice mixed together. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling. What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Australian Pacific Coal's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. We note that Australian Pacific Coal's TSR, at -88% is higher than its share price return of -88%. When you consider it hasn't been paying a dividend, this data suggests shareholders have benefitted from a spin-off, or had the opportunity to acquire attractively priced shares in a discounted capital raising. A Different Perspective We regret to report that Australian Pacific Coal shareholders are down 75% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 16%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 20% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should learn about the 6 warning signs we've spotted with Australian Pacific Coal (including 4 which is are potentially serious) . 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 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. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday of a "heavy price" if it or its allies in Iraq attack US troops stationed there. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" Trump tweeted. The US president also wrote: "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq." It was not clear whether Trump meant Washington actually has intelligence of such a plan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Smokers may be more likely to contract the coronavirus and have a greater chance of dying from the disease if they do, Australian researchers have warned. Medical experts from the University of New South Wales have said there is evidence showing how those with inflamed lungs because of smoking are more susceptible to infectious respiratory diseases. UNSW professor of respiratory medicine Christine Jenkins said smokers could also be more vulnerable because of the number of times they touch their face. 'Smokers may also be more vulnerable through bringing their hands to their mouths and inhaling repeatedly,' she said. Medical experts have warned smokers may be more likely to catch the coronavius and have worse outcomes than non-smokers (pictured file image of people smoking during a lunch break in Brisbane) The smoke-harmed cells in the lungs have meanwhile been linked to a susceptibility to diseases like influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, UNSW associate professor Freddy Sitas said. He said smokers are between 50 and 300 per cent more likely to die from respiratory diseases than non-smokers. Once those with smoke-affected lungs catch the disease, the damage could make it more difficult to flush out a virus, Professor Sitas said. 'The harm smoking causes to the lungs includes mild immune impairment and significant impaired function of cilia in the lung,' he said. 'Cilia have the vital role of clearing foreign bodies in the lungs; i.e., viruses and bacteria.' Those suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), an umbrella term for lung conditions like emphysema which can be caused by smoking, could also suffer bad outcomes. A woman is pictured smoking on a set of steps in Campbells Cove in Sydney last month A trade worker holding a cigarette during a lunch break in Sydney's Martin Place on Tuesday 'From everything we know about the effect of viral respiratory infections, people with COPD are very much more likely to be predisposed to bad outcomes from COVID-19,' Professor Sitas 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 Those with COPD can suffer from fluctuating oxygen levels on a day-to-day basis and could therefore deteriorate more quickly than others after contracting the virus. Both professors said data about the disease had not yet painted a clear picture of the link between COVID-19 and smoking. Professor Sitas said though it was 'plain common sense' to expect smoking could turn out to have play a more serious role in coronavirus deaths than previously thought. It comes after Chinese academics found a quarter of infected patients who needed life support or died were smokers. In contrast, only 11 per cent of patients with mild symptoms such as a cough and a fever smoked. Another study by experts in Wuhan - where the pandemic began - also discovered smokers were more likely to see their disease progress. COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maine's Bureau of Insurance has added Demotech as a consumer resource for Mainers purchasing insurance. Consumer now have access to information online at https://www1.maine.gov/pfr/insurance/company_rating_services.html. "Demotech is pleased to have the ability to provide Mainers with access to our perspective on the financial stability of the more than sixty regional and specialty insurers offering coverage in Maine. Access to our rating also assists thousands of independent insurance agents licensed by the insurers that we review and rate," says Sharon Romano Petrelli, CPCU, AIAF, CCP, ARC, Vice President and co-founder, Demotech. "The independent, regional and specialty insurers that serve Mainers were overlooked by the legacy insurer rating agencies. In 1989, Demotech became the first to review and rate regional and specialty insurers. In 2019, we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of our thought leadership on Worldwide Business with Kathy Ireland. Our segment featured regional carriers and Demotech in a live interview broadcasted on Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Channel. You can search YouTube using "Kathy Ireland Demotech" to learn more about the capability of regional and specialty carriers to address the insurance needs of consumers," says Joseph Petrelli, President and co-founder, Demotech. About Demotech, Inc. Demotech, Inc. is a financial analysis firm specializing in evaluating the financial stability of regional and specialty insurers. Since 1985, Demotech has served the insurance industry by assigning accurate, reliable, and proven Financial Stability Ratings (FSRs) for Property & Casualty insurers and Title underwriters. FSRs are a leading indicator of financial stability, providing an objective baseline of the future solvency of an insurer. Demotech's philosophy is to review and evaluate insurers based on their area of focus and execution of their business model rather than solely on financial size. Visit www.demotech.com for more information. SOURCE Demotech, Inc. Related Links http://www.demotech.com PRESS STATEMENT FROM SOUTHERN KADUNA PEOPLES UNION (SOKAPU) The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), wishes to draw the attention of the people of Kaduna state to the reality of the presence of the deadly coronavirus in the state which has been ravaging around the world. We wish to commend the government of Kaduna state for the proactive measures taken so far to ensure that the virus is contained. We equally applaud the residents of Kaduna state for abiding by the orders of the government authorities remain in a lockdown situation in spite of the difficult situations associated with this directive. We encourage the people to continue to obey instructions and cooperate with the law enforcement authorities to ensure that we all remain safe. Aware that our governor Nasiru Elrufai is the first known victim to test positive of the much dreaded virus, we wish him a quick recovery and restoration back to his work of serving the good people of Kaduna state. Seeing that the rate of virus spread is increasing across the states, and taking cognisance of the fact that Kaduna South Senatorial District does not have a hospital with the capacity to handle any eventual outbreak of the disease in that part of the state, we wish to appeal to the the state government to establish a facility in Kafanchan to handle cases that might arise in that zone, otherwise, victims will have to be transported over a distance of 250 kilometers average to Kaduna metropolis or Zaria for treatment. Killings in Southern Kaduna Continues. Meanwhile, in spite of the fear that has gripped Kaduna state over this pendamic, armed herdsmen still lurk over Southern Kaduna destroying communities and shedding blood of innocent persons. This afternoon, Komo community in Guruku ward, Chikun LGA, came under savage attacks by armed herdsmen. Thought SOKAPU is yet to fully identify the victims, not less than six persons have been confirmed killed by the rampaging murders. Yesterday, a royal father the District Head of Jagindi, in Jemaa Local Government Area (LGA), Mr Danlami Barde, was shot dead by armed herdsmen. Barde, who left behind a wife and four children was a retired policeman before becoming District Head. Also killed along with him was his brother, Mr Musa Barde who also had a wife and 3 children. The wife of the slain Musa Barde survived gun shots injuries and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital in Keffi. In Kuduru, a Gbagyi village, in Chikun LGA, armed herdsmen struck last Thursday and burnt homes, foodstuff rusting cows and stealing valuables. Those killed in the unprovoked murder are: Hassana Bala, Jamilu Hassan and Halima Bala. Haliru Nawela and Kure Dogonyaro escaped with grievous injuries. Again, we call on the Federal and state government to deploy security to our ravaged villages and secure lives and property. We also appeal to good spirited individuals and corporate bodies to assist surviving victims with food, shelter and drugs especially at this time of extreme difficulties. Sign: Luka Binniyat (National Public Relations Officer) A retired physician who returned to work to fight the coronavirus pandemic has become the fourth doctor in Britain to die after contracting the infection. Alfa Saadu, 68, had been back at work at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, having retired in 2016 after a 40-year career in the NHS. But Dr Saadu died yesterday morning after fighting coronavirus for a fortnight, meaning he is the fourth UK doctor to be killed by the bug over the past week. It follows the deaths of GP Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex; consultant Amged El-Hawrani, 55, of Burton, and surgeon Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, of Hereford. Dr Zaidi's family said he 'sacrificed' his life to help take care of his patients, while Dr El-Hawrani was described as 'dedicated' and 'extremely hard-working'. The other, Dr El Tayar, was an organ transplant consultant who developed symptoms after volunteering to help treat patients at Hereford County Hospital. It comes as medics are still urging the Government for more personal protective equipment to keep them safe from the virus which has now killed 1,789 Britons. The Royal College of Physicians has said around one in four NHS doctors are now off work, either with coronavirus or because a family member or housemate is ill. Meanwhile doctors and nurses are being 'gagged' and may face the sack if they speak out over conditions on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. Unions have warned NHS staff 'should not be gagged' after reports were published of staff being ordered not to speak to the media over concerns about PPE. The British Medical Association says staff face 'life-threatening shortages' of protective equipment as they work with Covid-19 patients round the clock. Some doctors have described how kit is being 'hidden' by desperate staff, while others have described how they feel as though it is 'inevitable' they will get sick. Here are the three fallen heroes from the NHS frontline over the past week: DR ALFA SAADU Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, died yesterday morning after fighting the coronavirus for two weeks Dr Alfa Saadu was described by his family as a 'passionate' physician who had come out of retirement to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in Britain. The 68-year-old doctor, who died yesterday morning after fighting the virus for two weeks, had been working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. His son Dani told HuffPost UK: 'He was a very passionate man, who cared about saving people. As soon you spoke to him about medicine his face would light up. 'He worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years in different hospitals across London. He loved to lecture people in the world of medicine he did so in the UK and Africa.' He also described his father as a 'massive family man', adding that he leaves behind two sons and a wife who is also a retired doctor, in occupational health. Dr Saadu had been working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire Dr Saadu, who was originally from Nigeria, was a former clinical director of the care of the elderly department at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. He was also medical director of Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, and medical director and consultant physician at Ealing Hospital in West London. Lance McCarthy, chief executive of The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: 'Alfa was well-known at the trust for his passion for ensuring our patients received high quality care. 'He was a committed member of the team and is remembered fondly by many. His family and friends are in our thoughts at this sad time.' DR HABIB ZAIDI, GP Dr Habib Zaidi worked as a GP at Eastwood Group Practice in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Dr Habib Zaidi's grieving family said the GP, believed to be the first British doctor to die from coronavirus, 'sacrificed' his life to take care of his patients. He became ill on March 24 and died just 24 hours later in hospital. Test results for Covid-19 came back positive yesteday - and his daughter Sarah, a GP at his practice in Essex, had earlier said he had 'textbook symptoms'. Dr Zaidi, who came to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1970s and worked at Eastwood Group Practice in Leigh-on-Sea, had been self-isolating for a week before he became ill. His death raised concerns among the medical community about being exposed to the deadly virus without sufficient protective equipment. Dr Zaidi's family said: 'For him to be snatched away from us in this way, in these desperately troubling times for the whole world, has left us truly heartbroken. 'But we are overwhelmed, touched and comforted by the many kind tributes and love we have received. The name Habib means beloved and beloved he truly was. 'We know that not only has he left a gaping hole in our hearts but a loss that is also felt within the community that he devoted almost his entire life to.' His daughter Sarah told the BBC: 'For that to be the thing that took him is too much to bear. It is reflective of his sacrifice.' Dr Jose Garcia-Lobera, GP chair at Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said he was a 'hugely respected, selfless man who dedicated his life to helping others'. He added: 'Dr Zaidi will always be remembered for his significant contribution to local health services through his long career as a GP. AMGED EL-HAWRANI, ENT CONSULTANT Amged El-Hawrani was an ear, nose and throat specialist at Queen's Hospital in Burton Amged El-Hawrani became the UK's first front-line hospital doctor to die from coronavirus following warnings that a lack of protective equipment would cost medical staff lives. The 'dedicated' consulant, who was an ear, nose and throat specialist at Queen's Hospital in Burton, was known for being 'extremely hard-working' and deeply committed to his patients. He died on March 28 at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester the first UK death of a full-time hospital doctor from the virus since the crisis began. Dr El-Hawrani was primarily an ear, nose and throat consultant and surgeon but before he became unwell, he had also been volunteering in A&E. His family said they were devastated but 'immensely proud', and staff at his hospital said they were 'desperately saddened'. But the British Medical Association warned that his death would reverberate amongst NHS staff, who are becoming increasingly concerned over the lack of protective equipment. Last week the trade union claimed lives would be lost because the clothing and masks were being rationed by hospitals, with doctors forced to source their own. Dr El-Hawrani was primarily an ear, nose and throat consultant and surgeon but before he became unwell, he had also been volunteering in A&E The consultant was known for being 'extremely hard-working' and dedicated to his patients, and was well-liked by his colleagues across the board. Outside work he took part in a trek across the Himalayas several years ago to raise money for the trust. Dr El-Hawrani was known for being 'extremely hard-working' and dedicated to his patients He was also closely involved in the merger of the Derby and Burton hospitals in 2018 and provided regular support for doctors outside of his own department. His family issued a statement which read: 'Amged was a loving and much-loved husband, son, father, brother, and friend. 'His greatest passions were his family and his profession, and he dedicated his life to both. He was the rock of our family, incredibly strong, compassionate, caring and giving. 'Losing Amged is devastating for our family. Life without him is impossible to imagine but together, we will do all we can to honour his memory and live how he would have wanted us to.' Gavin Boyle, chief executive at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS trust, said: 'The whole UHDB family are desperately saddened at losing Amged who was such a valued and much loved colleague.' Dr El-Hawrani is understood to have fallen ill several weeks ago and had been on intensive care for some time. Colleague Sonia Maxim, a healthcare assistant, wrote on Facebook: 'He was an amazing colleague and friend, he will be missed so, so much. My heart is broken.' ADIL EL TAYAR, TRANSPLANT SURGEON Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, an organ transplant consultant, developed symptoms after he volunteered to help treat patients A transplant surgeon who volunteered to work on the NHS frontline against coronavirus died from the disease. Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, an organ transplant consultant, developed symptoms after he volunteered to help treat patients at Hereford County Hospital. His grieving family warned NHS staff were 'sitting ducks' and called for them to be given better protective kit and disease testing. Cousin Dr Hisham El-Khider said he believed Dr El Tayar's death was preventable, saying: 'If we don't improve protection for staff across the board then more of us will die. 'The brunt of this disease is only going to get bigger and bigger, and more needs to be done. 'If we don't, there will be more doctors and nurses who fall seriously ill and are unable to treat patients who desperately require their care.' Dr El Tayar, pictured with his family, self-isolated once he developed symptoms but had to be taken to hospital with breathing problems Dr El Tayar, a father-of-four, self-isolated once he developed symptoms but had to be taken to hospital with breathing difficulties and died last Wednesday at the West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, West London. His cousin, BBC journalist Zeinab Badawi, said: 'He'd wanted to be deployed where he would be most useful during the crisis. 'That was typical of my cousin Adil, always willing to help, always with a willing smile.' She added: 'It had taken just 12 days for Adil to go from a seemingly fit and capable doctor working in a busy hospital to lying in a hospital morgue.' The Indian government has alerted envoys of several South and Southeast Asian countries whose nationals violated visa regulations to attend a gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi that has emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot, people familiar with developments said on Wednesday. Action will be taken under Indias regulations and laws against hundreds of foreign nationals who entered the country on tourist visas and joined the gathering at Tablighi Jamaats Markaz or headquarters in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. The Jamaats six-storey headquarters has emerged as the single biggest source of Covid-19 infections in the country, after being linked to at least eight deaths and 117 infections. Officials have said members who joined a gathering at the Markaz earlier this month had tested positive in New Delhi, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Kashmir. All the ambassadors of the concerned countries have been contacted and theyve been informed about the position of various nationals who are involved in this [matter], said a person who declined to be named. The home ministry is taking action in close coordination with external affairs ministry, the people said. If there have been violations of the rules and laws of the land, appropriate action will be taken by relevant authorities, said the person cited above. According to a statement from the home ministry, as of March 21, there were 216 foreigners at the Jamaats Markaz and 824 more foreigners engaged in activities of the Jamaat in different parts of India. The home ministry directed state police forces to identify these 824 foreigners, medically screen and quarantine them. A classified assessment by the home ministry, accessed by HT, said eight Indonesian nationals who were part of a Jamaat team tested positive for Covid-19 in Telangana. It also estimated some 2,000 foreigners from 70 nations, who all entered India on tourist visas, were spread all over the country for Tabligh work. The assessment said a majority of them were from Bangladesh (493), Indonesia (472), Malaysia (150) and Thailand (142). The home ministry directed state authorities to immediately deport foreigners who test negative for Covid-19 by the first available flights. Most foreign members of Tablighi Jamaat travel to India on tourist visas, and the people cited above said it is difficult to ascertain the purpose of visit of individual applicants, especially in the case of friendly countries such as Thailand and Indonesia for which visa regimes are relatively liberal. They said Jamaat members should apply for missionary or conference visas. The home ministry has now said the external affairs ministry should advise foreign missions to refrain from granting tourist visas to foreigners who are likely to use it for Tabligh activities. It also said missions should check details such as place of stay in India, return tickets and financial means of applicants before granting tourist visas. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rantoul, IL (61866) Today Sunny. High around 25F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A clear sky. Low 7F. NNW winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph. M uslims should wait before making Hajj plans this year as fears over the global coronavirus pandemic continue to rise, Saudi Arabia has said. The Hajj, due to take place this year from July 28-August 2, is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that all Muslims should attend at least once if they are able, according to Islamic tradition. More than two million people take part every year, with pilgrims flying in from all over the world. Halting the pilgrimage would be unprecedented in recent history. But events within the Hajj involve tightly-packed crowds, which would go against social distancing recommendations. Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh Benten told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya television: "Saudi Arabia is fully ready to serve pilgrims and Umrah seekers. "But under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic... the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens and so we have asked our brother Muslims in all countries to wait before doing [Hajj] contracts until the situation is clear." An aerial view of a smaller crowd surrounding the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia / via Reuters But Saudi Arabia had already cast doubt on the 2020 event after suspending Umrah, a less important pilgrimage that takes place year-round. Saudi Arabia has also halted all international flights indefinitely. The Middle Eastern country has had more than 1,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. Ten people have died after contracting the virus. The announcement will have major implications for the UK's Muslim community, thousands of whom attend the Hajj every year. Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Going for Hajj is one of the biggest events in a Muslims life, and there is no doubt that many will have been making plans to go this year. "In these unprecedented times, it is imperative that public health is put first, and with millions of people from across the world coming to one place to perform the pilgrimage in close proximity to one another, it is sensible that we exercise a degree of caution and wait and see what the situation is closer to the time." The death of a 13-year-old boy from Covid-19 shows the virus is indiscriminate and should be taken seriously by people of all ages, a minister has said. Robert Jenrick, the housing and communities secretary, said news that two teenagers with no apparent underlying health problems had died of the disease in the UK was sobering. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, from Brixton, south London, died in hospital on Monday to become the countrys youngest coronavirus victim. His family said they were completely devastated by the loss of the gentle and kind teenager, and urged people to listen to government guidance and do everything you can to adhere to social distancing. Covid-19 is a virus that is attacking all members of our society, not just older people or those with pre-exisiting conditions, they added. NHS England had earlier confirmed the death of 19-year-old Luca Di Nicola, an Italian chef living in the capital, who had had no existing medical problems before contracting Covid-19. Mr Jenrick told the BBCs Breakfast: Every death is a tragedy, but two young people dying is even more sobering. It does remind us all that this is a virus thats indiscriminate. It doesnt just affect the elderly, or those who are extremely vulnerable because of their pre-existing conditions, although those people do need to take particular care. He said some young people had previously felt almost invincible, pointing to scenes a couple of weeks ago of young people out enjoying themselves when we first started to implement some of the social distancing measures. I think now everybody in the country understands and appreciates the seriousness of the situation, Mr Jenrick added. Ismail was admitted to Kings College Hospital on Friday after showing symptoms of coronavirus and suffering breathing difficulties. He tested positive for the disease and was put on a ventilator and later into an induced coma, but died in the early hours of Monday morning. Family friend Mark Stephenson said: To our knowledge he had no underlying health conditions. We are beyond devastated. The boys mother and six siblings are now awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination. In a statement issued on Wednesday, they said: We are heartbroken as family due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus as it becomes too real for us as a family and community. Ismails family described him as a loving son, brother, nephew to our family and a friend to the many people who knew him, adding: His smile was heartwarming and he was always gentle and kind. Mr Stephenson, director of a Brixton college where Ismails sister works, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs and for the family, who also lost Ismails father to cancer. By the early hours of Wednesday more than 55,000 had been raised, far exceeding the 4,000 target. One of the saddest things in this whole situation is that he died alone, Mr Stephenson told Good Morning Britain. As you know, when someone has got this infection theyre in isolation. So how difficult it is for a mum not to be able to be with her son at this time when hes sick. Usually a mum will be at the bedside. Florence Eshalomi, the Labour MP for Vauxhall, said she had spoken to Ismails family to offer her condolences following his heartbreaking death. She added: Ismail was a bright and ambitious boy who had the whole of his future ahead of him. This disease does not discriminate. And this personal tragedy shows the very real and devastating impact this virus is having on our society. We must follow the advice to stay at home and save lives. Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at University of Reading, said: Any premature death is tragic news, but the death of any child is particularly sad and the first death of a child in the UK following a positive test for Covid-19 is particularly significant. The lesson from countries such as China is that while the old are much more likely to die from coronavirus infection, the young are certainly not immune from it. Di Nicolas family, from Nereto in eastern Italy, have said he was very healthy but had been suffering a cough and a fever for a week before his death. The teenagers aunt told Italian newspaper La Repubblica a GP had dismissed the symptoms as bad flu. He was taken by ambulance to North Middlesex Hospital in north London after collapsing last Tuesday but died shortly after arriving at A&E. Dr Julian Tang, associate professor of respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester, said: Tragically we are going to see some cases of otherwise healthy individuals dying from Covid-19, as the infection and disease progresses. Covid-19 is mostly immune-mediated, which means that disease in the body results from the activity of the immune system, so young healthy people with good immune systems can also end up with severe disease. Recommencement of Field Activities at Reids Dome Brisbane, April 1, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - State Gas Limited ( ASX:GAS ) is pleased to advise that field activities are recommencing following the lengthy wet season and flooding in the region, aimed at progressing development of the Reid's Dome Gas Project (PL 231) to bring gas to market as quickly as possible.Following the receipt of very encouraging flow rates from the Nyanda-4 well and early evidence of coal seam gas from Serocold-1 at the Reid's Dome gasfield, the current phase of the Project has been focused on production testing of the Nyanda-4 and Serocold-1 wells.The production data is providing important data on the gas productivity of the Reid's Dome Beds and focusing plans for additional drilling and testing required for reserve certification over a large area of PL 231. The production data is also valuable as an input to work currently being undertaken with potential pipeline partners and for broader project economics and planning.As announced on 12 February 2020, the production testing was interrupted by mechanical issues at both the Nyanda-4 and Serocold-1 wells. Prolonged and heavy rainfall and flooding in the region has also prevented access to the site, and hence delayed the recommencement of dewatering of the wells. Recent weather improvements have meant that the site has now dried sufficiently to allow access to be restored.In recent gas market developments, a lower Asian spot price for LNG has caused downward pressure on the price of domestic gas in Eastern Australia. The Company's Board believes that this situation will be short-lived, and when industrial production in China, South Korea and Japan returns to normal (ie pre-Coronavirus levels) the price of domestic gas will rebound. Indeed, the Board's view on the looming domestic gas shortfall is commensurate with that prognosed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in recent days. In particular, AEMO has warned that Victoria and the southern states of Australia could face gas shortfalls by 2024 and as early as 2023.AEMO has also advised that supply from existing and committed southern gas developments is expected to reduce by more than 35% over the next five years, despite the increase in newly committed gas projects over the last 12 months.Recommencement of Production Testing at Reid's DomeAccordingly, with the improvement in weather and site access, the State Gas Board has resolved to re-commence production testing at both Nyanda-4 and Seocold-1 as soon as practicable and expected during April.The Company is highly encouraged by the early results from flow testing at the Reid's Dome gasfield. As previously advised, gas flow from the Nyanda-4 production test commenced after only five days of dewatering and reached 227 mscf/d after only six weeks, before the mechanical interruption impacted downhole pressures. Providing further encouragement, the volume of water produced from the test to date is extremely low, and if indicative of future wells in the permit, should lead to lower than usual production costs (water treatment being a large component of CSG operating costs).The Serocold-1 production test commenced on 17 January 2020 and also quickly provided indications of gas production within the first week of dewatering commencing.These positive results and gas market dynamics have encouraged the Board to recommence production testing now that site access has been re-established (subject to potential government travel restrictions). The Company believes that the excellent initial results warrant the continuation of production tests for up-to three months to demonstrate the potential of the Reid's Dome gasfield.Export PipelineWhile field activities were restricted during the wet season, State Gas has also progressed plans for an export pipeline from the Reid's Dome gasfield. A desktop study of potential options has been undertaken and has confirmed a viable route from the gasfield to the high pressure east coast gas pipeline network, via the Queensland Gas Pipeline (approximately 45km to the east of the field).Discussions with potential pipeline partners have been positive and are progressing.About State Gas Limited State Gas Limited (ASX:GAS) is a Queensland-based developer of the Reid's Dome gas field, originally discovered during drilling in 1955, located in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland. State Gas is 100%-owner of the Reid's Dome Gas Project (PL-231) a CSG and conventional gas play, which is well-located 30 kilometres southwest of Rolleston, approximately 50 kilometres from the Queensland Gas Pipeline and interconnected east coast gas network. Permian coal measures within the Reid's Dome Beds are extensive across the entire permit but the area had not been explored for coal seam gas prior to State Gas' ownership. In late 2018 State Gas drilled the first coal seam gas well in the region (Nyanda-4) into the Reid's Dome Beds and established the potential for a significant coal seam gas project in PL 231. The extension of the coal measures into the northern and central areas of the permit was confirmed in late 2019 by the Company's drilling of Aldinga East-1A (12 km north) and Serocold-1 (6 km to the north of Nyanda-4). State Gas is also the 100% holder Authority to Prospect 2062 ("Rolleston-West"), a 1,414 km2 permit (eight times larger than PL 231) that is contiguous with the Reid's Dome Gas Project. Rolleston-West contains highly prospective targets for both coal seam gas (CSG) and known conventional gas within the permit area. It is not restricted by domestic gas reservation requirements. The contiguous areas (Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West), under sole ownership by State Gas, enable integration of activities and a unified super-gasfield development, providing economies of scale, efficient operations, and optionality in marketing. State Gas is implementing its strategic plan to bring gas to market from Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West to meet near term forecast shortfalls in the east coast domestic gas market. The strategy involves progressing a phased appraisal program in parallel with permitting for an export pipeline and development facilities to facilitate the fastest possible delivery of gas to market. State Gas' current focus has been to confirm the producibility of the gas through production testing of the wells. As we all know, the so-called addiction may come in different forms other than coffee and liquor. Many people turn out to be addicted to exercising, sweets, a certain type of food, and well, of course, K-Dramas. Today, we are going break down five of the classic indications of K-Drama addiction and how to detect it in you or someone else. If the characters are as real as you and I Have you ever observed yourself rooting for your favorite main character or you are hoping that danger may come to the villains of the drama? The reason is that they are not just the characters of the drama. They have became people whose happiness and downfall affect you on a deeper level. Whenever they cry, you also feel like crying, and if they're so happy you are also happy because their feelings are also attached to yours. And even after its finale, you still wallow in sadness days later because of your beloved character that went through a painful, tragic story. You see K-Drama life in reality. There are times where the lines between the K-Drama and reality begin to blur. You reach the point where you confuse reality with K-Drama tropes in your everyday life. You tend to compare the happenings of your everyday life to a scene in the Korean drama that you are watching. You are known as the one who's a Korean drama fan. Okay, so being a Korean drama addict, most of your friends and even your family knows that you usually spend most of your time watching K-Dramas and you are always updated to what series is going to be released after the other. More than usual, there will be an officemate or even an acquaintance that would tell you, "Oh, you're the girl that watches the Asian dramas. I'd heard someone liked to watch them during lunch but didn't know it was you." You are somehow the representation of the Korean drama fever. You finally decided to learn the Korean language, so subtitles won't be necessary in the near future. Patience is the key to be able to enjoy a Korean series. You have to wait for the episode with subtitles. If you are kind of impatient, then you should embrace the study of the Korean language. Even though you are grateful for the translators online, however, in the back of your mind, you can't help but express your frustration at them for being too slow. Being an addict, you can't help but be more encouraged to learn the language, so you won't have to wait for the episodes with subtitles. You figure that, one day, when you travel to Korea (or if Lee Dong-wook announces a fan meeting in your area), you'll be more than ready. A former Green Party leader says government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is unlikely to get even a working majority within the current Green membership. John Gormley, the former Minister for the Environment and leader of the Green Party from June 2007 to May 2011, writes in tomorrow's Irish Examiner, that any "government that lacked total ambition on climate action" would fail to get even half the party's membership on board. The party requires two-thirds of its membership to be in agreement for any such arrangement to take place. Pressure has mounted on the Greens in recent days to form a government with the two traditional parties in the name of "national interest", and Mr Gormley, who negotiated with Fianna Fail after the 2007 election to join government, takes aim at "indignant commentators urging the Greens to 'step up to the plate'". "I certainly dont recall glowing editorials or articles praising the party for taking the hardest ever economic decisions in the history of our state, in the full knowledge that it would result in electoral meltdown," he writes. Likewise, the party whip Neasa Hourigan baulked at the suggestion, labelling it a "power grab" from the traditional parties, and say it would force the party to give up principles for a government they don't agree with on major policies. Mr Gormley notes that power, for many in his party, is not the ultimate goal, and many in Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have failed to grasp that notion. Hinting too, that even if the parliamentary party or older members could be persuaded, the new wave of younger, more radical Green members will not be pushed or pressured into a deal for the sake of a seat in Cabinet. "The Greens that I know are not in politics to protect their seats at all costs. In fact, many of them would regard electoral martyrdom as a badge of honour - if it's for the right cause," he writes. "Would it (losing seats because of their role in a coalition) be worth it? Perhaps. "But only if the programme for government was a humdinger, one that ticked every green box and then some. "Traditionally, participation in government was based on the logic that half a loaf is always better than no loaf. "Its an argument that simply doesnt cut it with many younger Greens who now make up a sizeable proportion of the membership. They want to see radical action. "Forcing an inadequate deal on the Greens wont work." Lambert here: Patient readers, again I apologize for too many links; we are in an overly dynamic situation now, and although I am desperately trying to curate, theres too much. I hope the categories help you navigate the complexity, so you can take what you like and leave the rest. Also, weve noticed a drop-off in comment quantity. While we appreciate your efforts to spare the moderators, its not quantity were worried about, but quality. As I wrote: Take your time to be analytical, add links and evidence, and if possible quotes. Then the commentariat can proceed on the basis of building collective knowledge, as opposed to spending its time, and ours, filtering out ego-driven, self-involved crap. No shit-stirring. No quackery. And dont throw your drink in your hosts face! Otherwise, carry on as above. Revealed: Monsanto predicted crop system would damage US farms Guardian How to rescue our coronavirus-infected economy from collapse Richard Vague, The Hill. Lets hope proposals like this set the baseline for what Congress does. Jobs Arent Being Destroyed This Fast Elsewhere. Why Is That? Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, NYT. The next bill should introduce a Covidcare for All program. This federal program would guarantee access to Covid-19 care at no cost to all U.S. residents no matter their employment status, age or immigration status. Yes, #MedicareForAll for this one pandemic is something the Democrat Establishment might be cajoled into accepting. #COVID19 China? India Asia Europe/UK In 1348 LRB. Very good. Russia Trump Transition US offers Venezuela sanctions relief for power-sharing agreement BBC Copper, coronavirus and a constitutional crisis: Chiles banks under pressure S&P Global Why Quebecs coronavirus cases have skyrocketed Globe and Mail 2020 Our Famously Free Press News Corp to suspend print editions of 60 local newspapers as advertising revenue slumps Guardian MMT Its Modern Monetary Theory time as the state steps in Australian Business Review Failed State The Postal Service Is Breaking Down The Nation. The USPS is useful not only to deliver pharmaceuticals, as well as handle the last mile for Amazon, but for voting by mail. Imperial Collapse Watch Guillotine Watch Class Warfare What Makes a Community Resilient? Stanford Business Everyone Does What Theyre Told, But No One Knows Why The American Conservative The Law of Informational Capitalism (PDF) Yale Law Journal. From the abstract: Drawing on Cohens insights, I construct an account of the law of informational capitalism, with particular attention to the law that undergirds platform power. Once we come to see informational capitalism as contingent upon specific legal choices, we can begin to consider how democratically to reshape it. Though Cohen does not emphasize it, some of the most important legal developmentsspecifically, developments in the law of takings, commercial speech, and tradeare those that encase private power from democratic revision. Todays informational capitalism brings a threat not merely to our individual subjectivities but to equality and our ability to self-govern. Questions of data and democracy, not just data and dignity, must be at the core of our concern. Antidote du jour (via): Bonus antidote: Reindeer starting their move up north is one of the signs spring is coming to the Yamal Peninsula. Vid credit Ivan Sakal pic.twitter.com/CKVfIP2MTY The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) March 30, 2020 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here Citing economic turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic, Xerox is scuttling its attempted hostile takeover of print equipment rival HP. Connecticut-based Xerox was weeks into a buyout offer valued originally at $35 billion for shares of HP held by independent investors. The board of Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP had rejected it as not reflecting the stocks future worth. In the past month, Xerox shares were down 43 percent to just under $19, with HP off 21 percent to $17.36 a share. Xerox had offered $22 a share for HP. Xerox and HP each have substantial operations in Oregon, and HP has a major research site in Vancouver. Xerox CEO John Visentin suggested in mid-March that the deal could be put on hold, tabling meetings with investors as Connecticut and California instituted stay-at-home policies to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, among other states. While it is disappointing to take this step, we are prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders, and our broader response to the pandemic, over and above all other considerations, Xerox said in a statement issued Tuesday. A COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment at the government Gandhi Hospital has attacked the doctors, after learning about his elder brothers death in the same COVID-19 treatment block on Wednesday. Both the deceased and his brother have returned from the Delhi Markaz, Dr. Shravan Kumar, hospital superintendent told DH. The heinous attack comes at a time when Telanganas health machinery especially the doctors and nurses has been overstretched with the piling cases of COVID-19 patients who returned from the Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat Markaz event. Explaining that all the hospitals staff are working in testing conditions, under extreme pressures, Dr. Kumar termed the incident as demoralizing for his community. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we are all working tirelessly and selflessly forgetting about our families. Our moral strength weakening at this point, would weaken our physical capacities too, Dr Kumar told DH. For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here The assault was condemned by health minister Etela Rajender. DGP Mahender Reddy promised strong action on the offender We will beef up security immediately and take all necessary measures to provide protection to all the Doctors and paramedics treating the Covid-19 patients 24x7, Reddy said. The state-run Gandhi hospital is the nodal centre for the COVID-19 isolation, testing and treatment in the state. The deceased a 56-year-old from Hyderabad was admitted here a few days back in critical condition. The person with comorbid conditions had tested COVID-19 positive and was put on ventilator. Later his brother too was found to be positive and was put in the same ward. On Wednesday evening, following his brothers death, he attacked the duty doctor and security staff. We will stand firmly in support of doctors who are striving day and night to save lives, said health minister Etela. Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar visited the hospital to instill confidence among the staff and said that a case has been registered against the culprit patient. T he Government hopes to have capacity to test 25,000 people each day for coronavirus by mid-April. As pressure mounts for more widespread examinations, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said capacity at present had reached 12,750. He told Sky this was "clearly not as much as we would like". Asked when the target of 25,000 per day would be reached, he said: "We'd like to be at that position by mid-April." Loading.... Mr Jenrick also said that the capacity now gives a position for NHS staff to be tested, which they had previously been unable to despite exposure risks. Some of those workers will also be able to do home tests, he added. As well as comments on testing, Mr Jenrick was also pressed on ventilators. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images He said that the Government had received 30 new ventilators from British manufacturers who started making them due to the coronavirus outbreak. "I appreciate that's a small number but that's just the beginning," he said. Mr Jenrick would not comment on exact figures of how many there would be in a week's time though said there was hope of thousands more. He said the UK currently has 12,000 ventilators. The World Health Organisation has urged nations to "test, test, test" while other European countries have tested hundreds of thousands of citizens. The state of Michigan is now accepting donations from the public to support critical services," according to an announcement from the State Emergency Operations Center. On Tuesday afternoon, state officials announced the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Initiative," featuring an option for people to make monetary donations of any size to the state via credit or debit card. Funds will be dispersed through the State Emergency Operations Center based on critical needs. Those needs could include food and water, education support for children or other essential activities as more needs are identified, per a press release. A spokesperson with the governors office did not immediately respond to additional queries about the nature and scope of the fund, including whether the amount donated and how the funds are spent will be made public. Officials said any donations would also be used to help leverage additional federal resources that require a match. Michiganders are stepping up and taking heroic actions across the state to help each other during this public health emergency. We want to give residents and businesses an opportunity to help lift others up through the support of essential services and needs, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said in a statement. The state is also soliciting donations for medical equipment like masks, ventilators, hand sanitizer, wipes, gloves, surgical masks, hospital gowns and no-touch thermometers. The total number of coronavirus cases reached 7,615 on Tuesday, March 31. A total of 259 people have died, according to the states daily update on coronavirus numbers. A week ago today, the state reported a total of 1,791 cases and 24 deaths. There have been more than 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and almost than 3,000 deaths in the United States. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Related coverage: Tuesday, March 31: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discusses states coronavirus response needs with President Trump Michigan road construction will plow forward if deemed safe to proceed during coronavirus pandemic Computer system for Michigan unemployment agency crashes amid crush of new claims Michigan Attorney General warns of scammers imitating health officials during coronavirus pandemic Lunch on me! Lizzo surprises Henry Ford Hospital ER staff Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas has expressed concern over the recent incident that took place at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. In response to a question from Armenpress, Stanislav Zas stated that it is perplexing that the escalation is happening at a time when the international community is waging a unified battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Ive been informed by the Armenian side about the incident that took place at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The fact that this has resulted in two servicemen and the [14-year-old] resident of Voskevan being wounded is very concerning. At the same time, I would like to express concern regarding this kind of an incident in the CSTO zone of responsibility at the border of a member country of the organization. It is perplexing that the escalation is happening at a time when the international community is waging a united battle against the coronavirus pandemic. In this regard I am calling on the parties to the conflict to heed to the UN Secretary Generals calls on a global ceasefire. By the way, as far as I know Armenia has officially endorsed this call. I would also like to underscore the importance of the implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of ceasefire in the conflict zone, and I wish the victims of the incident speedy recovery, Zas said. On March 30, Azerbaijan made an attempt of sabotage penetration in the direction of the Armenian military posts in the Noyemberyan region of Tavush Province. The adversarys attack was thwarted, but Azerbaijan also targeted the Baghanis and Voskevan villages, and a young resident of Voskevan village was wounded. You are the owner of this article. With a view to effectively combat the coronavirus pandemic, adigital application named 'MahaKavach' has been designed, which will help the health authorities in contact tracing and tracking of quarantined COVID-19 patients. This platform has been developed after extensive inputs from on-ground officials and by studying the existing methodologies deployed in other countries and other states in India, an official release issued here said on Wednesday. It is a joint initiative by the National Health Authority, the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Nashik District Innovation Council, Nashik Municipal Corporation, Digital Impact Square (A TCS foundation initiative), and the Kumbathom Foundation. The app is currently being used by the Nashik civic body, and will come into use across the state soon, the release added. The platform allows improvement in two major processes essential for combating the virus - contact tracing and quarantine tracking. Contact tracing involves investigating and tracking the citizens who might have come in contact with a COVID-19 patient. MahaKavach allows the administration to track the location history of the citizen, it said. It allows checking if he/she has visited other public places such as shops, restaurants, markets, transport hubs so as to identify the mass infection hotspots, the release added. Currently, the process is carried out manually and health officials visit each place and investigate indirect contacts themselves. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors and misdirections, it said. MahaKavach uses location mapping technologies to streamline the entire process, thereby saving both time and valuable resources. The administration thus has a real-time dashboard showing possibly infected places, areas, and people, the release said. The second important aspect of the platform is the ability to supervise and track quarantined patients. As per the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), citizens who have been advised by the medical officers must quarantine themselves for at least 14 days. However, as it has been observed that people are reluctant to do so or often unknowingly fail to quarantine themselves effectively. This endangers the people around them and highly increases the risk of community transmission. According to the release, MahaKavach allows the administration to effectively supervise and digitally track such cases by installing this platform on their smartphones. The platform has features such as geo-fencing and selfie-attendance, which allows the home quarantines to be restricted in a digitally-mapped area and in case of breach an alert is given to the local health officials. The patient will also be required to provide regular updates to the authorities via selfie-attendances. Advanced technologies such as image processing and ML have been used to prevent the patients from faking their attendance. Only citizens advised by the health officials will be allowed to use the MahaKavach app, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The old adage is that "tough times build character." The old adage is wrong. The reality is that tough times reveal character, and a stunning number of people come up woefully lacking in this department: A businessman who retooled his operation to make a wholly unrelated product because that product is needed in dealing with this virus is dismissed as "the pillow guy" by a media establishment whose malpractice is almost a punch line. Members of Congress think it totes wonderful for people in certain delivery services to go on strike. Because it's apparently better to have more people crowding into stores, not to mention the loss of income for the strikers. But hey eggs and omelets. CBS used footage from Italy in a story about an NYC hospital and called that a "mistake." Just as ABC some months back mistook a Kentucky firing range for a Turkish attack on Syrian Kurds. It's a remarkably enlightening time in our history, not because of things being learned, but because of people being exposed for who and what they really are. There have been multiple stories documenting serial failure across all levels of government to restock certain supplies, a failure that predates Trump. Yet the talking point that the Trump administration responded so poorly continues being repeated. Poorly compared to whom? Trump banned flights from China, assembled a task force (which the media immediately objected to as too male and too white), and declared a public health emergency while his critics were marveling at their commemorative impeachment pens. NYC officials were stoking interest for a February Chinese New Year event, and Pelosi was doing likewise on the other coast. The E.U. wet itself over another travel ban, until its member nations began locking down their own borders. Yet Trump is to blame. Okay, doomers. For the sake of argument, what would any other administration have done differently? Obviously, no one knows for sure, yet it's presented as an article of faith that any other president would have done something bigger/stronger/faster/better. Based on what, not knowing then what has only now come to light? It's inconceivable to imagine similar hostility occurring if anyone from Cruz to Hillary or Ben Carson to Bernie were in the Oval Office. If a Dem was president, Mike Lindell would have been on every morning show to detail how honored he is to help his country and answer the call of his wonderful commander in chief. Some of the other CEOs assembled yesterday would be similarly feted for their selflessness, which could be possible only through the wisdom and guidance of the Dem-in-Charge. The inability or unwillingness to think outside the Trump lines colors everything, to the point of being a meme unto itself. A virus originates in China, which hides information and lies; the infected fly around the world to include the U.S.; taxis and shuttles move them into communities, facilitating the spread; hotspots emerge; and now people try to flee cities like N.Y., making the interstate system a mode of further spread. And somehow, it's the fault of one Donald Trump. This isn't just losing the ability to debate; it's losing the ability to reason at all. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, March 2, 2020. World Health Organization officials are "deeply concerned" about the "rapid escalation and global spread" of the coronavirus outbreak, saying global infections will eclipse 1 million with 50,000 deaths in a few days. "Over the past five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new cases, reaching almost every country, territory and area," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing at the organization's Geneva headquarters Wednesday. The world knew almost nothing about the virus three months ago, when reports of a novel coronavirus first started surfacing in Wuhan, China. Tedros emphasized how much scientists still don't know about the virus, saying this is the world's first pandemic caused by a coronavirus "and whose behavior is not really known." Scientists have traced the coronavirus back to bat DNA, saying it likely jumped from there to a pangolin before jumping to humans. The last time the WHO declared a pandemic was during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak. The 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, which is also a coronavirus, was contained enough to avoid that classification. "COVID-19 is a real threat. It is a real threat to everyone on the planet," said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on the outbreak. On Monday, WHO officials said government lockdowns aren't enough to contain the coronavirus outbreak. However, they are necessary, despite their impact on the economy and society, they said. Without them, the coronavirus would kill even more people. "This is serious. This is a deadly virus, people will get through it, countries will get through it," said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program. World leaders need to build out their public health systems "if we're going to get out of an interminable cycle of economically punishing lockdowns and shutdowns," Ryan said. "We must get back to be able to control this virus, live with this virus, develop the vaccines that we need to finally eradicate this virus." Ryan said that it's too early for anyone to determine the impact of shutdown or lockdown measures on disease transmission at this point. Each country should focus on adapting consistent policies and adapting their strategies against the disease, and then measuring how effective they were in suppressing infection. "I'd love to say there's an easy way to do this, I'd love to say that there's way out of this without that kind of hard work, but there isn't." Ryan said. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 885,000 people and has killed at least 44,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data. A model produced by University of Washington researchers suggests that the novel coronavirus will peak in Wyoming in early May and that hospital beds overall wont be overrun should strong isolation measures be taken here. The projections also indicate that the death toll from the virus here will be five times higher than one of the deadliest flu seasons this decade, and national estimates released by the Trump administration project a much higher death toll than the university models authors. Published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the university researchers projections take available data about hospital capacity and death rates from around the country. It indicates that Wyomings worst cases will begin to climb in mid-April, peak in May and decline through the rest of that month. It projects that 143 Wyomingites will die of the novel coronavirus through early August, with deaths peaking in early May and tapering off as the summer continues. While 143 is a relatively low number, it represents a five-fold increase over the 2017-18 flu season, one of the worst in Wyoming in recent years that contributed to the deaths of 27 people. The model is based on assumptions that states that havent enacted strict social distancing orders do so within the next week and (maintain) these measures throughout the epidemic, emphasizing the importance of implementing, enforcing, and maintaining these measures to mitigate hospital system overload and prevent deaths. In Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon has ordered the closure of schools and businesses where people congregate, along with prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people. However, he has expressed a desire to avoid a shelter-in-place order and has noted the pages of exemptions that other states have in their measures. Projections vary Theres reason to believe the universitys model is conservative in its estimates, likely because it assumes every state will lock themselves down. It projects roughly 84,000 deaths nationwide by early August. But estimates described by the Trump administration Tuesday afternoon projected anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the coming months. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the situation a great national trial unlike any we have ever faced before. He warned Americans of the hard days and very tough weeks that lie ahead. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, there have been 120 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming in 15 counties. Twenty-six people have recovered, and more than 2,000 tests have been processed in state and private labs. In at least two places Fremont and Campbell counties health officials are presuming case totals to number in the hundreds but cannot confirm them because of testing shortages. Nationwide, at least 183,000 people are sick and more than 3,700 have died from the respiratory disease thats rapidly spreading and killing across the country. Gordon has said if he does issue a stay-at-home order, there will be no exemptions to it. Schools have been closed for two weeks, and restaurant dining rooms, bars and other public spaces have been closed for nearly as long. Hospital capacity Overall, the models researchers focused heavily on hospital capacity and death rates. It does not project the number of cases the state may expect to have; instead, it focuses on estimating how many hospitalizations may occur. It projects that Wyomings hospital beds overall will not be overwhelmed, assuming shut-down orders. But intensive care beds, which the model projects will be needed in more than 15 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations, will be overrun. The state will need 66 beds and only has 44, according to the model. The state will also need 53 ventilators to deal with the peak of the disease here, according to the model, which is updated daily. A message seeking comment from researchers was not immediately returned Tuesday. In an email, state Health Department spokeswoman Kim Deti said epidemiologists here are working to refine our estimates of Wyoming hospital and healthcare system capacity to make them more useful. We are aware of numerous modeling tools that have been developed, some of which have the ability to incorporate Wyoming-specific parameters and assumptions, she said. Several of these tools are currently being analyzed and evaluated by some of our key staff together with our partners to see how they may or may not be useful. But at this point we are not endorsing any specific modeling tool. Asked if the University of Washington model was in line with the work state officials are doing on their own projections, Deti demurred, repeating that the state wouldnt endorse a model. Avoiding overrun Eric Boley, who leads the Wyoming Hospital Association, said he hoped the projections were correct and that hospitals wouldnt be overrun entirely. I think a lot of this has to do with when and if we get the surge seen in some other states, he said. I hope and pray that we have the capacity to treat and care for everyone and that the trend holds even truer and we dont lose anyone to this terrible virus. Dr. David Wheeler, the president of the Wyoming Medical Society and an advocate for an immediate shelter-in-place order, echoed Boley and said he hopes the projections are as bad as it gets here. I am worried the peak might be more sustained than modeled and that what looks like a slight deficit of beds will be prolonged, he said. He added that physicians experiences elsewhere show that patients in need of critical care remain so for weeks on end and that stresses to hospitals will persist even after the peak for disease. He also urged state officials to not use the model or any other projections as a pretense to loosen the restrictions that have been in place. Thats a fear that other officials, like Caspers Dr. Mark Dowell, have voiced as well that the state will begin to open up once things look up slightly, only to be hit hard again. Another mistake would be to assume that since the peak isnt so bad and it will be here soon that we can lessen up on stay at home advisories which would blow up the model, Wheeler said. I would be extremely happy to be ridiculed for being overly pessimistic if by doing so I helped keep the numbers close to the lower end of the model. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. U.S. President Donald Trump signs HR 748, the CARES Act, in the Oval Office of the White House on March 27, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Read more Since the COVID-19 outbreak first reached U.S. shores, the Trump administration has taken proactive steps to limit Americas exposure to the virus while working with Congress to give working families the financial support they need to weather the economic consequences of this global crisis. While measures such as restricting travel from coronavirus hot spots and limiting nonessential activities are vital to protect the country, they also have direct economic consequences for working Americans. Businesses including the small businesses that employ almost half the countrys private-sector workforce cant survive very long without a source of revenue. This problem is becoming increasingly widespread as states across the country, including Pennsylvania, have ordered nonessential establishments to close for at least several weeks. The presidents authorization of direct cash payments to Americans, which will provide most working families with an invaluable financial buffer in these uncertain times, is about to take effect. I wholeheartedly support this proposal, which will give the typical family of four a vital $3,400 buffer. The federal government will also provide an additional $600 per week in unemployment compensation to help eligible workers laid off during this crisis up to July 31. The unprecedented coronavirus relief bill will also provide hundreds of billions of dollars in low-interest loans to small businesses, ensuring that workers will have jobs to return to once its safe to leave home. Businesses that retain their workforce and rehire any employees who have been laid off wont have to repay those loans a powerful incentive for employers. We need to get Pennsylvania back to where it was economically before the COVID-19 crisis. Pennsylvania had its lowest unemployment rate in decades, dipping to just 4.1% at one point during the last two years, just above our states historic low. Under President Donald Trumps leadership, the country was seeing the best economy in our lifetime. Now, given the presidents stewardship, we can turn this around. Unlike the 2008 recession, which was caused by systemic policy disincentives to economic growth, this pandemic can be beaten through mitigation efforts, repurposing manufacturers to produce urgently needed products like ventilators, and moving forward with construction and other parts of the economy while adhering to Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Here in Pennsylvania, members of the General Assembly convened last week for a historic voting session. For the first time since 1682, members of our body could vote remotely in order to recognize social distancing while maintaining a functioning democracy. Along with Gov. Tom Wolf, the General Assembly enacted new laws last week in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To sync with the federal changes, we modified our unemployment compensation laws by suspending the one week waiting period before Pennsylvanians can collect benefits, as well as the job search requirement. We also provided employers with relief from charges for those employers who have had to furlough employees through no fault of their own. Further, we authorized the Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry to enact temporary regulations needed to access federal funds. To do our part in providing necessary personal protective equipment for our frontline health-care providers, we appropriated $50 million to purchase medical supplies and equipment. In addition, we have been working to identify both available supplies of personal protective equipment and manufacturers in Pennsylvania who can retool their assembly lines to produce personal protective equipment. We are also urging the governor to allow construction sites to open again. I am introducing HB 2400 to allow public and private construction activities that can adhere to social distancing practices and other mitigation measures defined by the CDC to protect workers. Highway and other open-air infrastructure projects, for instance, could easily be completed without requiring workers to come within six feet of each other. On March 19, Pennsylvania became the first state to shut down all active public and private construction sites, while issuing selective waivers on an ad hoc basis. There is no consistency. Pennsylvanians should be assured that their elected officials at all levels, from President Trump to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, are working to provide the necessary tools to combat COVID-19 together and turn the economy back into the robust engine it was. Mike Turzai is the speaker of Pennsylvanias House of Representatives. Ukrainians will vote on a nationwide referendum on whether to allow foreigners to buy farmland. The bill, long pushed by economists to stimulate investment in agriculture, was approved by 259 votes out of 450 late Monday. It opens up the land market for Ukrainian citizens starting from July 1, 2021, and for Ukrainian companies starting from 2024. Ukraine's parliament has voted to lift the ban on the sale of farmland in a move that would allow the country to get $8 billion worth of aid from the International Monetary Fund. Speaking in parliament Monday night, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of getting the IMF loan. "It is really important for us, to sign the memorandum with the IMF, and you know well that the two main conditions were the land law and the banking law," Zelensky said. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal echoed his sentiment in televised remarks Monday. "Without the support of international organizations we will have to fall into the abyss of a financial meltdown," Shmyhal said. Earlier Monday, lawmakers approved the banking law in the first reading. It prevents former owners of banks that were nationalized or liquidated from regaining ownership rights or receiving compensation from state funds. Some said that the bill, among others, targets billionaire tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky, whose Privatbank was nationalized in 2016 and who sought to get it back using his connections to Zelensky. In recent months, Zelensky has been trying to distance himself from Kolomoisky, who wasn't hiding his ambitions to influence both domestic and foreign policies, observers say. According to Zelensky, once Ukraine fulfills the conditions outlined by the IMF, it will receive the first batch of funds -- $1.75-$2 billion -- in 15 days. "We agreed with the management of the IMF," Zelensky said. Kolkata, April 1 : The West Bengal government has quarantined 54 persons including 40 foreigners who attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Baneree said on Wednesday. 71 people from the state attended the congregation, Banerjee told the media here. "Yesterday (Tuesday) we quarantined 54 of the participants at the quarantine centre. The central government earlier informed us that 71 had attended the religious programme from our state," the chief minister said. Banerjee said 40 of those quarantined were foreigners who came from Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. "We identified and picked them up." The state government has received information of more participants from Bankura, North Dinajpur districts. "We have got two names form Magrahat in 24 Parganas (South) district also". "We will enquire. If any of them had gone to Nizamuddin, I hope they will report to police on their own. No need to panic over this congregation," she said. Banerjee hoped that 30 more people who attended the congregation would be quarantined on Wednesday. The chief minister said the information about foreigners are maintained by the external affairs and home ministries at the centre. "We came to know of it very late. But those who came here are cooperating," she said. Banerjee appealed to all those who attended the congregation or came in contact with those who had participated to come forward and report to the government. "Then we can put you in quarantine either at home or at a quarantine centre. You don't have to worry about the quarantine centre. It is just like another home for you," she added America's coal-fired power plants sank to new lows in 2019. Investors hoping last year marked a bottom won't find any relief in the latest electricity data. The nation's coal fleet generated only 65 terawatt-hours of electricity in January 2020, according to numbers compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). That marked a 35% decline from the year-ago period and the first time in decades that coal-fired power plants failed to deliver more than 100 terawatt-hours of electricity in January. The latest numbers confirm what individual investors likely already know: The United States is increasingly ditching coal in favor of natural gas and renewable energy. That poses challenges and opportunities for your portfolio. A little context What the heck just happened? A mild winter, lower natural gas prices, and increasingly stringent environmental policies at the state level all contributed to the poor performance of coal-fired power plants in January. The confluence of factors is pressuring coal on two fronts: total operating capacity and utilization rates. Many coal-fired power plants are being sent to an early retirement. While the United States had a relatively large 229,000 megawatts of coal-fired power capacity in January 2020, that was about 13,000 megawatts lower than the operating capacity in January 2019. That may not seem like a significant reduction, but it's not the whole story. The coal fleet that remains operational is increasingly being idled. Numbers aren't yet available for January 2020, but the nation's coal-fired power plants recorded a full-year 2019 utilization rate of only 47.5%. Ten years ago, the figure was over 67%. The combination of retirements and lower utilization has led to an unprecedented collapse in coal's contributions to the nation's power mix. Last year, the nation's coal fleet delivered its lowest annual amount of electricity since the late 1970s. From 2007 to 2019, the electrical output of the country's coal fleet fell by more than half. It was the first time that had happened for any energy source (including the wood burned in the colonial era) in any 13-year period since the United States was founded in 1776, according to data compiled by the EIA. Coal's collapse continues to outpace most projections -- and create opportunities for natural gas, onshore wind, and solar to grab market share. Here are several other highlights from the January 2020 data: The country's total electricity consumption declined 5% year over year. Natural gas-fired power plants kept their momentum going. After generating a record amount of electricity in 2019, the nation's fleet grew year-over-year electricity generation 11% in January 2020. Nuclear power plants are bracing for a wave of reactor retirements but managed to deliver a record level of electricity in 2019. They're also beginning to outperform coal. The nation's nuclear fleet has only ever outproduced the nation's coal fleet in three months: April 2019, December 2019, and January 2020. The United States typically sees its wind resource peak in April and October, but a wave of capacity additions in late 2019 led to a surge in electricity generation. Onshore wind power generated a January-record 28 terawatt-hours of electricity this year. The ongoing energy transition has big implications for your portfolio. What does it mean for investors? The decisions to retire or idle coal-fired power plants comes down to economics -- and economics are difficult to argue with. Case in point: Even power generators and electric utilities with the most favorable coal economics or most severe lack of alternative power options have been forced to decarbonize their assets. PPL (NYSE:PPL) operates in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and the United Kingdom. Kentucky has an ample supply of coal, as evidenced by the fact that the company generates 78.5% of its total electricity in the state from coal-fired assets. Yet the business caved to shareholder pressure in 2017 to implement a long-term emissions reduction plan. It has already had to accelerate those goals. The company now expects to reduce carbon emissions 70% by 2040 compared to 2010 levels, which is 10 years faster than previously expected. It'll likely be achieved even earlier than that. Investors could benefit if the goal is achieved with lower-cost natural gas or solar, which are increasingly being favored in Kentucky. PPL delivered stagnant revenue and earnings growth from 2015 to 2019, but it has seen long-term debt and the number of shares outstanding increase 15% and 14%, respectively, in that span. New England offers another case study of the energy transition. The region isn't Kentucky, but it remains relatively energy-poor. It doesn't have ample onshore wind or utility-scale solar potential and must import all of its natural gas via pipelines or carrier. That's forced some creativity on the part of electric utilities looking to ditch coal. Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) has invested heavily in energy efficiency measures, transmission infrastructure, and offshore wind power. The latter is uniquely suited to become a dominant power source in the region. Offshore wind power is virtually nonexistent in the United States today, but it could become the leading source of renewable energy in New England. That's especially true considering most of the region's population lives in coastal metropolitan areas. The company forged a partnership with Orsted (OTC:DOGE.F), the world's leading offshore wind developer, to develop up to 4,000 megawatts of the next-generation renewable energy source in the next 10 to 15 years. That should help Eversource Energy meet increasingly strict environmental policies at the state level. For example, Massachusetts mandates nearly 39% of total electricity come from renewable sources by 2025, up from 25% last year. Is this coal's last decade? American coal-fired power plants kicked off 2020 with one of the worst operational performances ever. Some of this is already penciled into short-term outlooks. For instance, the EIA estimates that coal will provide just 21% of the nation's electricity in 2020, down from 23.5% in 2019. However, investors should consider that the fall of coal and the rise of renewables have both been consistently underestimated in projections. As recently as 2017, the EIA expected coal to provide 22% of the nation's electricity at midcentury. It's unlikely that coal will be completely booted from the American grid by the end of this decade, but, conversely, investors shouldn't expect a bottom to be reached anytime soon. Therefore, it's best to carefully weigh any exposure your portfolio might have to coal-fired power plants -- and ensure those risks are being successfully mitigated with long-term thinking and decarbonization efforts. Anusha Ravi By Express News Service BENGALURU: With Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir witnessing the deaths of seven people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat (religious congregation) in New Delhis Nizammudin, due to COVID-19, Karnataka has stepped up its efforts to track those from the state who took part in the event. On Tuesday evening, Health Minister B Sriramulu said at least 54 people from Karnataka had travelled to Delhi to take part in the congregation that was held in the second week of March. By Tuesday night, the number had increased to 79. The numbers are set to rise as more and more people who attended the congregation contact the government. We have appealed to such people to reach out to us, said Pankaj Pandey, Commissioner for Health and Family welfare. From Bidar alone, 26 people went to Delhi to take part in the congregation. All of them have been quarantined. The process of tracing and quarantining the others is under way, Sriramulu said. Earlier in the day, the minister said that so far, 13 people who were part of the event have tested negative for COVID-19. Also, at least 10 people from Belagavi, who attended the event, have been quarantined for the last 14 days and none of them have showed any symptoms, according to DC Dr S B Bommanahalli. So far, the government has identified only the Sira man, who took part in the event and is among the states thee casualties, as the lone positive case. The rising numbers also include foreign nationals who were accommodated in various districts in Karnataka. At least 50 foreign nationals came to Karnataka and took accommodation in various districts including Bengaluru. Of them, 10 from Malaysia, 19 from Kyrgyzstan, 20 from Indonesia, four from South Africa, three from Gambia and one each from the UK, France and Kenya have been traced so far, said Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai. As of Tuesday, the state police have identified and quarantined 50 foreign nationals. Besides, measures have been taken to identify and quarantine around 300 others who took part in the markaz, a release from the state DG&IGPs office said. Not just the people who were part of the event, even their primary and secondary contacts are being traced. All will be kept in isolation, said Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar. Heath and Family Welfare Department Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar said the state has quarantined 78 people in connection with the Delhi congregration but the authorities are not sure if these people attended the religious event physically. The event has been determined as a source of spread for Coronavirus and was held between March 8 and March 20. We are not sure if they all attended the event, but they met frequently and were associated with the congregation. They were quarantined 2-3 days ago. We appeal that others who attended the congregation must intimate the government on 080-29711171, Akhtar said, adding that they are locating those who have reported themselves. Over-70s must stay indoors even if they are fit and active, the Assistant Secretary-General at the Department of the Taoiseach has said. Speaking at a Government briefing in Dublin on Wednesday, Liz Canavan said: We know many people over 70 are fit, well and active. Nevertheless the chief medical officers advice is that you should stay at home. "We appreciate how frustrating this is but the reason the CMO [Chief Medical Officer] has made that recommendation is based on what we know about the impact of the disease. Ms Canavan also warned of an increase in Covid-19 related frauds and scams. Were anticipating that fraudsters may attempt to pose as Government, banks or other organisations to ask for financial details to process payments, she said. Dont be rushed, take your time to do relevant checks and always support immediate suspicious activity to banks or gardai. She said as today is April Fools Day people should only heed messages and advice from official sources. Remember, if it is true, youll hear it here. It was also announced that SNAs are to be re-deployed across the rest of the public sector to help frontline staff dealing with coronavirus. Staff not required for education or research purposes will be available for reassignment elsewhere. A process has been set up through the PublicJobs.ie website to put this in place. There are around 16,000 special needs assistants in Ireland, but it is expected the number reassigned will be much smaller. Meanwhile, Ms Canavan said a number of applications for the pandemic unemployment payment have not progressed to payment due to missing or incorrect information. Ms Canavan added that a new podcast to help young people cope with anxiety is being launched during the Covid-19 emergency. She said: Understandably, the risks and reality of the global pandemic have probably been at the forefront of everyones mind. For that reason, its particularly important to take the necessary steps to look out for our mental health at this time. Were very conscious that parents, children, young people may be anxious about the disease and about the disruption to their own routine, even school and all the other activities, theyd like to be involved in. No age group is immune to the stress caused by this crisis. So in order to address this fear and anxiety in young people in particular, a podcast has been created with the systems of the National Education Psychology Service (NEPS) which offers a series of relaxation techniques, specifically designed to help young people cope with that anxiety, and thats available via SoundCloud. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] Mayor Patrick Payton has changed the current disaster declaration that puts in place measures that mandate social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. The declaration states businesses can allow in the store the number of customers equal to 10 percent of its occupancy based on square footage. For example, if a store such H-E-B has an occupancy of 2,000, then it would be allowed to have 200 customers at any one time. Employees would not factor into that number, Payton said at Tuesdays special city council meeting. The declaration also states that those who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) are required to remain in their place of residency if they arent recovering at a medical facility. City and medical officials talked at length about the next step. Doctors providing counsel included pulmonologist Dr. P.K. Patel and Dr. Summer Merritt, who has been vocal about what the community should do and is a leader of Protect our Frontline, a concerned group of physicians and medical personnel. Both talked about wanting to see city leadership erring on the side of being too safe. Im scared for my patients and scared for my community, Merritt said during the meeting. City council members brought forward their ideas, including District 3 representative Jack Ladd Jr., who called for closing certain nonessential businesses such as salons and tattoo parlors, where social distancing between employees and customers is basically impossible. City Attorney John Ohnemiller said that if the Midland City Council wanted to put together an ordinance that is different than the mayors declaration, it could so at the councils next regularly scheduled meeting, which is April 14. While the idea of restricting the number of customers has been talked about and put into play by some businesses -- including grocery stores in the community -- the first council member to talk about limiting it based on occupancy was Lori Blong, the representative of District 4. Blong called for a limit to 20 percent of the buildings occupancy. Every job that feeds a family is essential, Blong said for her support of occupancy restriction. Payton said during the meeting that restrictions based on occupancy make sense because it could allow stores such as H-E-B and Walmart make decisions that promote a healthier community during pandemic times. It was stated during the meeting that arbitrary numbers -- such as 50 or 100 of people in a store can be counterproductive if there are many people standing in line waiting to get in and their social distancing is worse than those inside the store. Also, the restrictions based on occupancy provide clear guidelines for businesses, something operators asked about this weekend, Payton said. The mayor also said his declaration treats large and small businesses equally and fairly. The council also stressed that employees are not part of the occupancy count, should that be an issue during enforcement. District 1 Councilman Scott Dufford said during the meeting that he thought the previous declaration was working but wasnt against the direction of the mayors declaration. At-Large Councilman Spencer Robnett said he believes allowing more people in stores will expose more people to the virus -- not less -- and that personal responsibility was working. His motion to take no action failed, and leaving the previous declaration in place died for a lack of a second. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a $2.2 trillion aid package - the largest in history - to help cope with the economic downturn inflicted by the intensifying coronavirus pandemic, and President Donald Trump quickly signed it into law. The massive bill passed the Senate and House of Representatives nearly unanimously. The rare bipartisan action underscored how seriously Republican and Democratic lawmakers are taking the global pandemic that has killed more than 1,500 Americans and shaken the nations medical system. Our nation faces an economic and health emergency of historic proportions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the worst pandemic in over 100 years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at the close of a three-hour debate before the lower chamber approved the bill. Whatever we do next, right now were going to pass this legislation. The massive bill also rushes billions of dollars to medical providers on the front lines of the outbreak. But the bipartisan spirit seemed to end at the White House. Neither Pelosi nor Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was invited to Trumps all-Republican signing ceremony for the bill, aides said. Their Republican counterparts, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, did attend, along with three Republican House members. This will deliver urgently needed relief to our nations families, workers and businesses, Trump said. I really think in a fairly short period of time ... well be stronger than ever. In an statement about signing the bill, Trump rejected aspects of a provision in the law setting up an inspector general to audit some loans and investments. Asked about the statement, Pelosi told MSNBC: Congress will exercise its oversight and we will have our panel ... appointed by the House, in real time to make sure we know where those funds are being expended. She called Trump a dangerous president who had chosen to ignore the threat of the coronavirus. Our next thrust will be about recovery and how we can create good-paying jobs so that we can take the country into the future in a very strong way, Pelosi said. The Democratic-led House approved the package on a voice vote, turning back a procedural challenge from Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who had sought to force a formal, recorded vote. To keep Massies gambit from delaying the bills passage, hundreds of lawmakers from both parties returned to Washington despite the risk of contracting coronavirus. For many, that meant long drives or overnight flights. One member who spent hours in a car was Republican Representative Greg Pence, the brother of Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump has put in charge of efforts to handle the coronavirus crisis. Pence drove the nearly 600 miles (966 km) from his home state, Indiana, to Washington on Thursday. We cant afford to wait another minute, he said on Twitter. THIRD-RATE GRANDSTANDER Massie wrote on Twitter that he thought the bill contained too much extraneous spending and gave too much power to the Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank. His fellow lawmakers overruled his request for a recorded vote. Trump attacked Massie on Twitter, calling him a third rate Grandstander and saying he should be thrown out of the Republican party. He just wants the publicity, wrote the president, who last week began pushing for urgent action on coronavirus after long downplaying the risk. Democratic and Republican leaders had asked members to return to Washington to ensure there would be enough present to head off Massies gambit. The session was held under special rules to limit the spread of the disease among members. At least five members of Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than two dozen have self-quarantined to limit its spread. The Senate, which approved the bill in a unanimous vote late on Wednesday, has adjourned and is not scheduled to return to Washington until April 20. Democratic and Republican House leaders appeared together at a news conference at the Capitol to celebrate the bills passage - an unusual event for a chamber that is normally sharply divided along partisan lines. The virus is here. We did not ask for it, we did not invite it. We did not choose it. But with the passing of the bill you will see that we will fight it together, and we will win together, McCarthy said. He did not say whether Massie would face any disciplinary measures from the party. The rescue package is the largest fiscal relief measure ever passed by Congress. The $2.2 trillion measure includes $500 billion to help hard-hit industries and $290 billion for payments of up to $3,000 to millions of families. It will also provide $350 billion for small-business loans, $250 billion for expanded unemployment aid and at least $100 billion for hospitals and related health systems. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States exceeded 100,000 on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, the most of any country. Adding to the misery, the Labor Department reported the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to 3.28 million, the highest level ever. Three large luxury downtown condo projects by developer Cresford Group have been placed under court-ordered receivership following a claim by creditors that the company failed to pay construction trades and hid its precarious financial standing from investors. Among the allegations set out in court documents posted on the receivers website is an allegation that Cresford kept two sets of books to conceal budget overruns from its lenders. The receivership, which involves about 2,000 condo units across three buildings (33 Yorkville Ave., the Halo and Clover), was ordered by the Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) on Friday. Investors bcIMC Construction Fund Corp. and Otera Capital asked the court for the receivership in early March. Cresford lawyer Steven Graff said the companys mortgages were in default and it was trying to find a resolution with its senior lenders. The company took efforts to try to stabilize the business through court protection under (the) Companies Creditors Arrangement Act. The company wasnt successful in obtaining that relief and all three developments went into receivership, he said on Tuesday. Any allegations of financial improprieties will be dealt with in the receivership and in other ongoing proceedings, said Graff. The allegations of financial impropriety have not been proven in court. Graff added that the receivership is happening in the context of the COVID-19 shutdowns where developers are having a difficult time meeting their requirements due to ... the flow of trades and the curtailment of the availability of funding generally. The court filings allege a complicated network of creditors and lenders in the three projects. Among them, the applicants claim the developer owes payments on a $164 million mortgage. It also alleged that Cresford in effect sold interests in 33 Yorkville to fund equity contributions for the project. In the court documents, it is claimed that Cresford pre-sold 918 units in the Yorkville project, taking in $160 million in deposits. It is also claimed that Cresford took in $3 million from purchasers of 388 units at Halo and $49 million in purchase deposits on 499 units at Clover. Otera and bcIMC had extended about $200 million in credit to Cresford and each is owed half that amount, according to their court application. A lawyer for the those companies declined to comment on the case, referring questions to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the receiver. It also declined to answer questions. As of March 2, Cresfords senior secured creditors on the three projects claimed they were owed a total of $421.4 million, according to court documents. That includes about $202 million for the Yorkville project, $75 million for Halo and $145 million for Clover. Cresford also owed about $35 million to trades and other suppliers at the end of February, according to the pre-filing reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Yorkville debt is owed to bcIMC Construction Fund Corporation and OteraCapital Inc. The Halo and Clover debts are owed to bcIMC Construction Fund Corporation and bcIMC Specialty Fund Corporation. Those amounts do not include money owed to other secured creditors or claimants, including the pre-construction condo buyers. All the figures are subject to revision, said the receiver. The PricewaterhouseCoopers website said that no decision has been made as to the future of the contracts of pre-construction condo purchasers. Those buyers are asked to contact project.yorkville@pwc.com or halo.clover@pwc.com for more information. The receivership comes after the former chief operating officer of Cresford filed a claim in January against the company and its president Daniel Casey. Maria Athanasoulis alleged she was fired for pushing Casey to make contractually required equity investments and that Casey secretly borrowed high-interest funds from a third-party lender. A countersuit from Cresford denied those claims. Neither claim has been proven in court. The three condo projects under receivership are in various phases of development. The luxurious Yorkville Ave. residence is supposed to incorporate 1,079 units in two towers, one 69 storeys tall and the other 45 storeys. The site is under excavation but the buildings arent yet under construction, according to court documents. The Halo at Yonge and Grosvenor streets is supposed to have 413 units in a 39-storey building and is in the early phases of construction. The Clover at Yonge and Wellesley streets is at the most advanced building stage, with plans calling for 522 condo units in two buildings, one 49 storeys tall and the other 18 storeys. Those are all prime sites close to or on Yonge St., said Pauline Lierman, director of market research at Urbanation, a company that tracks new development. It would not surprise us if the sales do fall through and the sites are re-marketed at some point with the exception of the Clover, which just needs to be finished and I dont know how theyre going to work that out, she said. Lierman said the Cresford situation is comparable to the insolvency of Urbancorp, and is not representative of the health of the condo industry as a whole. About four years ago, hundreds of Urbancorp buyers who had paid deposits on pre-construction homes were left in a lineup of creditors when that developer failed. The court application by bcIMC and Otera alleges that a cost consulting report from Altus Group on 33 Yorkville showed that its $900 million budget was substantially short of the amount needed to complete that project. Examinations of the Clover and Halo projects showed similar shortfalls in their respective original budgets of $270.5 million and $230.9 million According to court documents, another preliminary review by PricewaterhouseCoopers found inappropriate project contracting and accounting, and the transfer of costs between condo projects. Those findings bear further investigation, however, says the receivership application by the two lenders. The bcIMC and Otera application also alleges that, It appears that the Cresford Group did not want to return to its lenders to seek approval from the relevant lenders for above-budgeted contracts that would have required the injection of additional equity. Instead, in certain circumstances, it asked specific trades to divide their awarded contracts in two. First, the trade would agree to a construction contract that was consistent with the lender-approved budget. Second the trade would issue a separate purchase order for any amounts in excess of the budgeted amounts. There is a fourth Cresford project underway. The Yonge St. Living (YSL) condos at Gerrard St., an 83-storey tower still in the excavation phase, is not included in the receivership, said Graff. A spokesperson for Tarion, Ontarios regulator for homebuilders, said it is aware of the Cresford financial situation and is investigating the developer and the three projects. Under the Condominium Act, developers have to hold buyers money in a trust, said Tarion. When a project is cancelled, the seller has to return the payments. If those deposits are not returned, buyers are entitled to up to $20,000 under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and billionaire philanthropist behind the Gates Foundation, called for strong action Tuesday to combat the spread of coronavirus: a nationwide shutdown. Theres no question the United States missed the opportunity to get ahead of the novel coronavirus. But the window for making important decisions hasnt closed, Gates wrote in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post. The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one because of COVID-19. Gates argues now is the time for a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down, citing disparity between states. The majority of Americans - about 80% - are under lockdown orders, with governors closing schools, banning social gatherings and ordering residents to stay home. But a handful of states have enacted only partial stay-at-home orders. Gates called the inconsistency a recipe for disaster. He wrote, Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The countrys leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere. Until the case numbers start to go down across America which could take 10 weeks or more no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown. Any confusion about this point will only extend the economic pain, raise the odds that the virus will return, and cause more deaths. His comments are in line with officials who have enacted stringent policies in response to thousands of confirmed cases of COVID-19. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spoke Tuesday of a possible out-of-state ban. Were not going to pay this price and pay to watch that movie again." Rhode Island is has officers stationed at checkpoints on Interstate 95 and other commonly traveled roadways looking for out-of-state drivers after Gov. Gina Raimondo ordered New York residents visiting the state to self quarantine for two weeks. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker last week asked all out-of-state visitors to self quarantine for two weeks, announced in response to residents of New York and others states with high numbers of coronavirus cases seeking to leave town. In addition to a nationwide shutdown, Gates called on federal heath officials to significantly ramp up COVID-19 testing and make it possible for states to follow the example set by New York which expanded testing capacity to more than 20,000 per day, prioritizing essential workers for testing, followed by high risk, symptomatic people. And Gates called on federal officials to support efforts to find a vaccine and build facilities to manufacture it. If we do everything right, we could have one in less than 18 months about the fastest a vaccine has ever been developed. But creating a vaccine is only half the battle, he wrote. To protect Americans and people around the world, well need to manufacture billions of doses. Worldwide, the total number of confirmed cases approaches 900,000 as of Tuesday, with over 43,000 confirmed deaths. The United States has the highest number of cases, 189,633 as of Tuesday morning, and over 4,000 deaths. Massachusetts public health officials announced 33 new coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday the highest reported in a single day since the outbreak began. Eighty-nine people have now succumbed to the virus, according to new data. The number of statewide COVID-19 cases rose to 6,620 on Tuesday, up from 5,752 on Monday. The ages of those who are reported to have died from the illness on Tuesday range from as young as a woman in her 50s, to a woman in her 100s. Three people who died were in their 60s; 6 were in their 70s; 12 were in their 80s; and 10 were in their 90s. Gov. Charlie Baker says Mass. could see a surge in cases by early April, projecting that the state could peak sometime between April 7 and April 17. Baker issued a stay-at-home advisory and banned all gatherings of more than 10 people. On Tuesday afternoon, Baker extended the business closure and stay-at-home advisory until May 4. An analysis of hospital data nationwide, conducted by Harvard researchers, suggests Massachusetts will be one of several states with a severe shortage of hospital beds for patients over the next few months. Hannaford is up and running. However, after following the protocols and settings by the government. Hannaford hours will be shortened from the long hours to a shorter batch from seven in the morning to nine in the night. People can head to the store by following all the social distancing norms and regulations. Hannaford hours are also sorted into Hannaford senior hours. These slots will be regulated by the administration for a comfortable Hannaford senior hours execution. Is Hannaford open? Hannaford is open in all its branches. The authorities are urging the local households to respect the timings and the rules set up by the branches of Hannaford. So now, as your query, Is Hannafors open? is clear, one is still suggested to call the front desk to confirm the timings at that branch. Also Read | Smart And Final Store Hours During COVID-19 Outbreak: When To Shop And Other Details What are Hannaford hours? Hannaford hours for its shoppers are changed from long hours to shorter hours that is 7 am in the morning to 9 pm in the night. However, the last hour is for the staff reports and closing of accounts. Hannaford hours for customers will last until 8 pm in the night. Also Read | Menards Store Hours During COVID-19 Outbreak: When To Shop And Other Details What are Hannaford Senior Hours? Hannaford senior hours are dedicated to one hour three days of the week. Hannaford Senior hours are on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, every week from 7 am to 8 am in the morning. The Hannaford Senior hours is only dedicated to people above 60 years, expectant mothers and people with compromised immunity and health. Others are expected to respect Hannaford senior hours. Also Read | Redners Store Hours During COVID-19 Outbreak: When To Shop And Other Details Hannaford near you Many times people are curious about, Hannaford near me?. One can head to the website to locate the stores near a neighbourhood. Maine in the USA has the largest number of stores in the state. Hannaford hours today Hannaford hours today will be similar to above. However, people are requested to respect Hannaford senior hour timings. Hannaford hours will be monitored for cleanliness and sanitization as well. Thus, the hours have been cut short. Everyone is expected to follow social distancing rules in the store, outside the store and also during checkout. Also Read | Costco Senior Hours Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak: When To Shop And Other Details Jordana Brewster took a break from quarantine in her Los Angeles home for a sunny stroll on Tuesday. The Yale University grad - turning 40 this month - wore a b&w-striped sailor shirt, skinny blue jeans, and blue AllBirds trainers. As of Wednesday, there have been 3,019 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles with 54 deaths, and California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order on March 19 to slow the spread. Out and about: Jordana Brewster took a break from quarantine in her Los Angeles home for a sunny stroll on Tuesday Glued to her phone: The Yale University grad - turning 40 this month - wore a b&w-striped sailor shirt, skinny blue jeans, and blue AllBirds trainers The Random Acts of Violence actress later streamed herself playing sex addict Darla's (Brittany Snow) boss Tanya in the road trip dramedy Hooking Up, which Saban Films released on iTunes/VOD March 20. 'Oh how I LOVED playing @brittanysnow's BOSS B****,' Jordana - who boasts 10.5M social media followers - wrote on Instagram. 'Congratulations to @nicoraineaufilm and @thesamrichardson. Watching tonight lifted my spirits and made me laugh out loud in these uncertain and all around sh***y times.' Nico Raineau's feature directorial debut - also starring Vivica A. Fox and Sam Richardson - scored a dismal 41% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 'Watching tonight lifted my spirits!' The Random Acts of Violence actress later streamed herself playing sex addict Darla's (Brittany Snow) boss Tanya in the road trip dramedy Hooking Up, which Saban Films released on iTunes/VOD March 20 Postponed: Brewster will next reprise her role as Mia Toretto in Justin Lin's star-studded action flick F9, which moved its May release date to April 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic Brewster will next reprise her role as Mia Toretto in Justin Lin's star-studded action flick F9, which moved its May release date to April 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'To our family of Fast fans everywhere,' F9 producers wrote in a March 12 statement. 'We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chpter in our saga. That's why it's especially tough to let you know that we haveto move the release date of the film. It's become clear that it won't be possible for all of our fans aroudn the world to see the film this May. 'We are moving the global release date to April 2021, with North America opening on April 2. While we know there is disappointment in having to wai a little longer, this movie is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration. Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together. We'll see you next spring.' 'The new highlight of our day!' Last Friday, the Panama-born, Manhattan-raised beauty shared a snap of herself 'checking the mailbox' with her six-year-old son Julian 'The best husband and daddy!' Jordana also has a three-year-old son Rowan with her producer husband Andrew Form, and the couple will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary on May 6 (pictured February 3) Last Friday, the Panama-born, Manhattan-raised beauty shared a snap of herself 'checking the mailbox' with her six-year-old son Julian, which she joked was the 'new highlight of our day.' Jordana also has a three-year-old son Rowan with her husband Andrew Form, and the couple will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary on May 6. The 48-year-old producer's most recent onscreen effort, John Krasinski's A Quiet Place Part II, has also delayed its March 18 release for the foreseeable future due to the fast-spreading virus. Hungarys parliament passed an emergency law on Monday that grants Prime Minister Viktor Orban unrestricted dictatorial powers. Orbans critics have labeled it an enabling act, a reference to Germanys Enabling Act of 24 March, 1933, which cemented the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The law allows Orban to rule by decree for an unlimited period of time. He is allowed to ignore existing laws and suspend the rights of citizens. He has the right to suspend the application of specific laws by decree, and introduce other extraordinary measures to guarantee the security of life, health and the personal and material security of citizens and businesses. Parliament is effectively being suspended. It has no right to review the governments emergency measures, and elections and referendums will not be held so long as the emergency situation remains. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo Credit: Annika Haas (EU2017EE)) The law threatens government critics with draconian punishments. The spreading of so-called fake news will be punished with five years in prison, while breaching quarantine rules carries a maximum sentence of eight years. The criminal offences are so vaguely formulated that they could be applied to virtually any oppositional opinion or activity. The government justified the law with the need to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but this is a transparent pretext. Orban is exploiting the pandemic to implement dictatorial plans he has been pursuing for some time. After returning to power 10 years ago, Orban brought the judiciary and media directly under his control and altered the electoral law so that his Fidesz Party could obtain two thirds of the seats in parliament on just 48 percent of the vote. Only the facade of bourgeois democracy remained, and even that is now being torn to shreds. Orban has no reason to fear any objections from the European Union, of which Hungary has been a member since 2004. The new EU Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, was elected in part thanks to the votes of Fidesz. Orbans party is a member of the conservative European Peoples Party, which also includes Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) and many other parties represented in European governments. Orban is the trailblazer for the path being followed by the entire EU. If Italy has demonstrated the horrific medical consequences of the pandemic, Hungary reveals its political results. The ruling elite is well aware that a social explosion is inevitable and is preparing to brutally suppress it. After decades in which a tiny minority has enriched itself at the expense of the majority, the coronavirus pandemic is more the trigger than the cause of explosive social tensions. Millions are directly confronting in their own life experience the political and moral bankruptcy of a social system whose only goal is to enrich the wealthy by driving up the value of the stock market. Although scientists have long warned of a global pandemic, health care services were cut to the bone everywhere. The most elementary preparations were neglected. The ruling elite is now responding to the crisis as it has always done: it showers billions on the financial markets and large corporations, while workers and small business owners are confronted with the alternative of starving or dying from COVID-19. Although the danger of infection grows by the day and medical personnel in hospitals and care homes lack basic protective equipment, the call from big business for a return to work grows louder every day. The ruling elite is well aware that this will be possible only through bitter class battles. Protests and strikes by workers forced to work without adequate protection are on the rise around the world. In a guest comment for German news magazine Der Spiegel, Free Democratic politician Marco Buschmann blurted out what the ruling class really thinks. The 750 billion bailout package approved by Germanys federal parliament on 25 March has the goal of giving the citizens and businesses some breathing space to respond to the external shock of the coronavirus crises, he wrote. But the little bit of time the state can buy for society and business, in spite of the vast sums expended, will soon run out. Nobody should be in any doubt: The people wont accept this for very long. To put the matter bluntly: revolution could soon be in the air if it goes on like this. This is the reason for Hungarys dictatorial measures. In the Eastern European country, where capitalism was restored 30 years ago, social contradictions are particularly sharp. Orban embodies the social type that opposed the Stalinist regime, not because it oppressed the working class, but because it blocked individuals from enriching themselves at the workers expense. He began his political career as the leader of a Stalinist youth organisation at high school, then transformed himself into a liberal student leader immediately prior to capitalist restoration, and increasingly turned to nationalism and fascism as social tensions grew. Today, Hungarian workers are exploited by transnational corporations for starvation wages. Labour costs per hour, including additional non-wage expenses, are less than one-third of the EU average. The once well equipped health care system lies in ruins and will collapse in the coming days if the official number of coronavirus cases, which currently stands at just 500, increases. Three years ago, a report by the German public broadcaster MDR examined the terrible state of health care, noting, Anybody unlucky enough to get sick in Hungary will see straight away that the health care system is chronically underfunded. Hospitals are often in a terrible state, there is a shortage of staff, and patients have to bring their own basic items such as toilet paper. Horror stories regularly make it into the headlines... A total of 32,000 deaths could have been prevented in 2014 had the health care system been in a better state. The transition of Hungary to an open dictatorship must be taken as a warning. Governments throughout Europe are preparing to follow in Orbans footsteps. The German government, for example, is planning a major domestic deployment of the military. The coronavirus demands a social response that is incompatible with the capitalist profit system. The capitalists response to the crisis is mass poverty, millions of deaths and dictatorship. The response of the working class is a socialist society, which will expropriate the major corporations and banks and utilise all resources to meet social needs. This requires the building of an international socialist party in the working classthe Socialist Equality Parties and the International Committee of the Fourth International. Former nominated Senator Zipporah Kittony is counting losses after robbers broke into her resort in Sibanga, Trans Nzoia County during curfew hours. The former lawmaker said the thugs, whose numbers could not be established, spent over eight hours enjoying free beer and wine at Sirwo Resort on Tuesday night. The suspects reportedly gained access to the establishment after cutting a barbed wire fence from a neighbouring farm. They are said to have taken advantage of the heavy downfall to break the doors into hotel without the knowledge of the security guard. Kittony added that the robbers disabled the CCTV system, pointing to the likelihood of an inside job. After entertaining themselves with free beer, the thugs then made away with electronics worth Sh500,000 and expensive liquor. The items included two television sets, music systems and other valuables. I was informed by my house help that the hotel had been broken into and several items including expensive electronic equipment and wines were missing, the retired politician told Standard. We suspect that the thieves were many and had the knowledge of the building because they disabled the CCTV installed at the hotel before executing their mission, she added. This is a big blow for me. Im urging security agents in the area to monitor the movements of idle youths in the county and also intensify security patrols especially on business premises, Kittony pleaded. Police officers from Kachibora Police Station visited the scene and launched an investigation. The PHL COVID-19 Fund, which announced its formation on March 19, has already raised more than $8.25 million in pledges and gifts from regional businesses, foundations, and private donors. The fund launched with a total of $6.5 million committed, including $3 million from the William Penn Foundation and $500,000 from the City of Philadelphia. While fund-raising will continue, the next phase allocating grants to Philadelphia-area nonprofits that are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic begins this week. Nonprofit organizations eligible to receive grant money from the PHL COVID-19 Fund include those in Philadelphia, as well as Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania and Camden and Burlington Counties in South Jersey, that assist vulnerable populations. Fund organizers said distributing the money quickly is a priority as they continue to raise additional funds. Besides the William Penn Foundation and the city, lead contributors to the fund include the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, the Philadelphia Foundation, and the Lenfest Foundation. A growing list of more than 30 partner contributors is adding to the funds bottom line, 100% of which will go directly to local nonprofits. Bill Golderer, executive director of the local United Way, spent the past week speaking with the leaders of nonprofits that have been hit hard financially due to the coronavirus pandemic. From communicating with the nonprofits, Golderer said he has received a firsthand sense of how needed extra funding is at this time. There are some organizations whose capacity, which is already probably pretty challenged, is now going to be even more kind of constrained given the way this is shaking out with the COVID epidemic, he said. Golderer understands how badly the funding is needed. "We asked all of these organizations to let us know what burden you are carrying as a result of the virus, Golderer said. The number of applicants was an indication of how many nonprofits could use the funding. We have over 300 applications, and the need is outstripping our pledged funds, he said. We will be working hard to continue to enlarge the fund, but I am afraid we will not be able to meet every need. At the forefront of this effort is the William Penn Foundation, the largest local funder in the region. We consider ourselves a civic leader, and felt obligated to step up and make a significant contribution to the fund to signal that it is important, and hopefully others will support the fund, said Shawn D. McCaney, William Penns executive director. We want to be part of something that is bigger than just us. Its really impressive to see so many individuals and organizations come together to respond to this crisis, McCaney added in a separate interview about the PHL COVID-19 Fund and other money that the William Penn Foundation has recently approved to help the arts and educational sectors recover. In addition to the heavy-hitting foundation and businesses that are supporting the PHL COVID-19 Fund, individual donations also have been key to its early success. More than 1,000 individuals have contributed so far. That is sizable and a big signal to how the community is committed to helping with this effort, McCaney said. Another sign of how much this matters: the speed at which various organizations came together to create the fund. As we started talking, we connected with the city and United Way and decided this would be a lot more powerful as a coordinated effort. We were fortunate that we had funds that were authorized just for this occasion, said Pedro Ramos, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, which gave an opening $500,000 donation in addition to underwriting PayPal costs associated with individual donations. Dan Hilferty, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross, said that when Mayor Jim Kenney called to ask if his company would get involved with the fund, he pledged to match the citys $500,000 donation. "The best way to connect with every community is not only through our network of providers, hospital providers, and clinicians, it is also with those organizations that work closely in the communities we serve. And right at the top of the list ... are the not-for-profits, Hilferty said. They work on everything from helping us feed people, house people, [... and] making sure that our members have access to health care, access to the best information, and are, frankly, cared for by a safety net of nonprofits. So it was natural for us when the mayor called me and asked if we would be interested. In dire times, the United Ways Golderer said, many more people rely on community organizations to be pillars of strength. When things get worse, people tend toward going in the direction of community organizations that are already usually resource-constrained, Golderer said, adding that nonprofits are rarely provided with extra resources. They always seem to do more with less. For more information on the PHL COVID-19 Fund, visit phlcovid19fund.org. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recently made the following statement on Twitter: "This is what 'Health for All' means! Thank you so much, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for your leadership and commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to the health services needed to fight COVID-19. I hope other countries will follow your lead! Solidarity!" The WHO top official also addressed Saudi Arabia's leadership of the G20 Virtual Summit, which was hosted recently by the Kingdom. "Shukran jazeelan (thank you very much), Your Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the G20 leaders for your commitment to keeping your nations safe, and also for showing your solidarity with vulnerable countries that need your support now more than ever. Together, we can push back the effects of novel Coronavirus." On 29 March 2020, and in response to an urgent appeal from the WHO, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) signed an agreement giving WHO an amount of USD 10 million for urgent action needed to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and support countries with vulnerable health infrastructures. WHO Country Representative for Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ibrahim El Ziq, stated that, "the ten million dollars provided by Saudi Arabia will contribute to the implementation of the COVID-19 National Health Plan." The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia commits considerable resources to helping to alleviate the suffering of people in need globally. As the Kingdom's humanitarian representative, KSrelief continues to work in cooperation with United Nations agencies and other leading humanitarian organizations to safeguard public health and address a wide range of global humanitarian issues. SOURCE The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The Department of Labor and Employment reminded companies to submit the necessary documents of their employees so that they can avail of the department's financial assistance amid the COVID-19 crisis. "I therefore appeal again to companies that, for the sake of your employees and workers, submit your reports so that we may be able to extend them their most needed assistance under the COVID-9 Adjustment Measures Program," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement Wednesday. Under the program, monetary assistance can be availed of by companies that have implemented flexible working arrangements or temporary closure under the enhanced community quarantine. However, Bello noted that there are some establishments that refuse to submit their report along with the payroll "to the detriment of their workers." Bello clarified that the financial aid which employees can receive under the program is different from the 5,000 to 8,000 subsidy to be provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to low-income households, as provided under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law. In an interview with CNN Philippines' New Day earlier, Bello noted that the cash assistance worth 5,000 can be remitted to the employer within 48 hours, as soon as they receive the necessary requirements. "As soon as we receive the payroll, within 48 hours we will remit the cash assistance to the employer and the employer [will] remit it immediately to the respective employees," the secretary said. As for informal workers, Bello noted that they can also avail of the program through a money transfer service. "Usually we pay them through the 'Palawan' system, yung mga naka-unyon, mga Palawan [Express], M Lhuillier, that's how we remit the cash assistance to the informal workers like the sidewalk vendors, tricycle drivers, labandera, mga masahista, manikyurista." [Translation: Usually we pay them through the 'Palawan' system, those who are under workers' unions, those who can receive through Palawan Express, M Lhuillier, that's how we remit the cash assistance to the informal workers like the sidewalk vendors, tricycle drivers, laundrywomen, masseurs, and manicurists.] "These are the informal workers and we give them ten-day work and then pay them their minimum wage in every region where they reside," Bello told CNN Philippines. Apart from the said program, the DOLE also provides a cash and non-cash emergency subsidy program for two months based on the prevailing regional wage rates. As of March 31, the DOLE has reported that more than 630,000 workers have been displaced either by reason of temporary closure or flexible work arrangements, as reported by 15,213 establishments. Of these figures, 169,232 belong to the informal sector. "We have so far distributed 160 million and we are accelerating the release of assistance to all those affected," Bello added. The local impact of COVID-19 is growing rapidly, and our reporters at syracuse.com | The Post-Standard are working around the clock to make sure Central New Yorkers have the news they need to stay informed on this public health crisis. Because this information is so vital to our readers as they go about their daily lives, we have decided to make all our most essential coronavirus-related stories available to all readers, not just subscribers. Sign up for our free text alerts about coronavirus in Central New York and get direct access to the latest developments, brought to you by syracuse.coms unparalleled team of reporters, visual journalists, editors and more, delivered right to your phone. Do you have questions about Coronavirus? Ask us: Do you have questions about daily life in the time of coronavirus? We are here to get you answers from experts and trustworthy sources of information. What do you want to know? ----- Here are Tuesdays top coronavirus-related stories: Sobering growth in cases continues: The number of people in Onondaga County battling for their lives against the coronavirus reached its highest number yet Tuesday, with 12 in critical condition. The number hospitalized also hit a new high, 31. These are sobering numbers, County Executive Ryan McMahon said. Worker at Wegmans in DeWitt tests positive: A Wegmans employee at the companys DeWitt store has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a company spokesperson. The last day the employee worked was March 23. Onondaga County furloughs 275: The economic downturn caused by coronavirus is starting to hit local governments, even those busy fighting the pandemic. Onondaga County will furlough about 225 hourly workers to save some money as the county faces both lost revenue and increased public health expenses. Upstate healthcare workers to NYC? Upstate New York hospitals will soon be asked to send staff to the New York City area to help facilities there stressed by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. School break canceled: School districts across New York state who had spring breaks planned for next week must cancel them and continue to provide remote instruction for students during those day, the state education department announced. Quarantine creativity: Who knew Home Alone was an educational movie? A couple from Central New York shared a fun video on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night, showing a creative way to kill time while stuck at home in a coronavirus quarantine. And it was all inspired by Kevin McAllister. READ MORE: Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 (8:53 am) - Score 2,283 UK ISP Zzoomm has announced that, in response to the crisis caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus), customers of their new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network will all be given a free upgrade to their 900Mbps (average speed) package, which normally costs 89 per month. The free boost to 900Mbps is set to remain through April, May and June 2020. One other interesting aspect of this give-away is that the package comes with a symmetric upload speed, which is different from the normal 900Mbps package that only gives an average upload of 90Mbps. We should point out that Zzoomms top package is a 2Gbps tier, albeit at the eye watering price of 189 per month (leased line territory). The obvious catch here is that at present the providers network is only available to premises in the Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames (assuming the original plan still holds, then we expect to see 6,800 premises covered by the second half of 2020), although they have an ambition to cover 1 million UK homes by the end of 2025 (here). COVID-19 has brought the arcane work of mathematical disease modelers to the forefront, as politicians search for ways to flatten the curve. Why it matters: Models are the only way we can plan out effective steps now to prevent more deaths in the future. But modeling a disease in mid-pandemic isn't easy, and important nuance can be lost in the translation between academic modelers and policymakers. Driving the news: During the White House briefing on Tuesday, Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx displayed graphs showing government projections that even with mitigation, COVID-19 would kill as many as 240,000 people in the months ahead. It was the first time the White House had officially estimated the potential death toll. What Fauci and his colleagues are trying to do is "flatten the curve" taking steps now to reduce the speed of COVID-19's spread and therefore prevent hospital systems from being overloaded. The shape of that curve is the product of mathematical disease modeling. To simplify things which is the point of a model mathematical modelers take known data like the past number of cases, plug in estimates for things they don't know, and create models for how an outbreak will progress. If those models are accurate, they can help policymakers visualize how an unchecked outbreak will play out and take effective steps to protect their populations. Yes, but: Any attempt to predict the future will be imperfect, and the less modelers know for certain, the more weight they need to put on their estimates. That's especially true for a new disease, so we've seen models spit out a wide range of potential outcomes for COVID-19 sometimes by the same modelers. Early COVID-19 models by a team at Imperial College London assumed that demand for intensive care units would be roughly the same as previously modeled flu pandemics. The result was a milder forecast that initially encouraged the U.K. government to adopt a "mitigation" strategy with relatively little social distancing. But when data from China and Italy showed that COVID-19 patients required intensive care at much higher proportions, the same team revised its models, predicting that a laissez-faire strategy could lead to as many as 500,000 deaths in the U.K. alone. The British government eventually abandoned mitigation in favor of a near-total lockdown. Be smart: As the famous saying (among modelers) attributed to the British statistician George Box goes: "All models are wrong, but some are useful" meaning that perfect prediction is impossible, but a rigorous model can help politicians see how their actions might bend an outbreak one way or another. The problem is that politicians and mathematical modelers don't speak the same language and don't move at the same pace, especially during an outbreak. "Sometimes you need an immediate answer, not one in five days," says Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and modeler at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who earlier worked with the federal government. It's notable that while other governments publish data-rich updates on the epidemiology of COVID-19, the best dashboard in the U.S. is updated by academics at Johns Hopkins not the U.S. government. One possible solution is to try to bridge the gap between the mathematicians who model diseases and the politicians who respond to them. In a new report, Rivers and her colleagues suggest creating the equivalent of a National Weather Service for disease modeling. The proposed federal institution would provide authoritative disease models during outbreaks and embed modelers in the government so that both cultures can learn from each other. "Right now with modeling the outbreak, it's as if we're building the plane as we're flying it. If it was already there, it would be much smoother and more effective." Caitlin Rivers The bottom line: Because there's so much we still don't know about COVID-19 and because the field mostly remains an academic endeavor the models that are being produced are likely flawed. But they remain the best intelligence we have in the war on the pandemic. RAMALLAH, West Bank Palestinians are divided over the Palestine Capital Market Authority's decision to suspend trading indefinitely on the local stock exchange due to urgent health conditions arising from the coronavirus pandemic. For investor Ahmed Abu al-Haija of Jenin in the West Bank, the decision to shut down activity on the Palestine Exchange (PEX) March 23 was reassuring. Abu al-Haija believes this step will help overcome the sharp downturn stocks experienced. For him and other investors, this period is critical, especially in light of the state of emergency and the ensuing movement restrictions in Palestinian cities due to the spread of the coronavirus. The banking sector in the West Bank has also restricted activities to a minimum. Abu al-Haija told Al-Monitor his investments in shares are short term. He explained that the closing gives him hope the situation will improve once the state of emergency is lifted and life returns to normal. Yet even those in charge of the market don't know when it will resume trading. The decision is linked to the state of emergency the Palestinian government declared beginning March 5 until April 5 in an effort to contain the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. But many people expect the state of emergency to be renewed, as 117 cases had been recorded in Palestine as of March 31, nine of which were in the Gaza Strip. However, Abu al-Haij knew the negative impact of the coronavirus crisis on stock prices was inevitable. He had been monitoring global stock exchanges and the sharp decline in their indicators. PEX CEO Ahmad Aweidah justified the closure as a precautionary step related to the banks' operation under a state of emergency. "This measure aims to ensure fair opportunities for all individuals and companies who benefit from the stock market, Aweidah told Al-Monitor. On March 22, the Palestinian Monetary Authority revealed a plan for banks to operate under the emergency state. The plan included shutting their doors to individuals and limiting their operations to corporate and electronic services. According to Aweidah, this is not the first time PEX has been disrupted. The Israeli military operation in the West Bank in 2002 dealt the exchange a heavy blow for more than eight months. The current crisis will have a softer impact on the Palestine Exchange than on other international stock exchanges, given the unstable conditions it has [already] been operating in, and its ability to adapt to [them], Aweidah said. Buraq Nabulsi, director general of the Palestine Capital Market Authority, shares Aweidahs view that PEX will not be as affected as some other exchanges. However, he attributes this to PEX's small amount of foreign investments. Foreign investors in times of crisis would rush to sell their shares, he told Al-Monitor. He said, "PEX was hit by the coronavirus crisis while witnessing a regression triggered by the economic hardship that the Palestinian Authority was battling. This is not to mention its clearing fund withheld by Israel. Yet he believes PEX will not witness a major collapse. PEX, hosting 48 listed companies with a total market capitalization of $3.8 billion, saw its index drop by $200 million before it closed, but Nabulsi said this is acceptable during a global crisis. The closing was an attempt to freeze the impact of the crisis and buy time to come up with solutions. PEX management has maintained some internal work. It continued to hold scheduled meetings in March to ensure the distribution of profits and pump liquidity to shareholders and the market in light of the crisis. Nabulsi explained that the current PEX status will prevent major shareholders from stockpiling and monopolizing shares at low prices. Regarding the duration of this trading halt, Nabulsi said that when banks return to work at their full operational capacity, the stock exchange will be able to resume trading even if the general state of emergency continues in Palestine. However, economic analyst Nasr Abdel-Karim has a different view about the need for a shutdown. He noted that while all international exchanges have been negatively affected in these situations, they have not closed. We would have understood a ban of trading inside the [PEX] building for public safety measures, but the suspension of trading altogether at a time when most of the trading transactions are carried out electronically is not economically justified, he said. Abdel-Karim indicated that although PEX indexes had registered a decline before the suspension of trading, he also found the decline limited and acceptable. This decline does not imply a major collapse that requires radical measures such as halting trading. Such measures are usually taken by stock exchanges in cases of a major crunch and for a period not exceeding minutes. He warned that this measure will prevent shareholders from transferring their shares into cash at a time when the Palestinian economy is suffering a liquidity shortage in the market. According to Abdel-Karim, taking this step indicates the limited impact of the stock market on the Palestinian economy, compared with global stock exchanges whose sustained closures would have a catastrophic economic impact. A new coronavirus test from Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) can deliver results about 15 minutes after a healthcare provider drops a person's blood sample in the test kit. The new test was developed by BioMedomics, a privately held company based in North Carolina that will also manufacture the point-of-care diagnostic. Unlike a recently approved point-of-care test from Abbott (NYSE:ABT) that looks for genetic material specific to SARS-CoV-2, Becton Dickinson's new test looks for some of the proteins produced from that genetic material. On Sunday, the FDA authorized the use of a rapid test that runs on Abbott's toaster-sized nucleic acid amplification machines, which are already in use by healthcare providers across the U.S. Becton Dickinson's new antibody test hasn't been reviewed by the FDA, but the company will be allowed to distribute it immediately to U.S. healthcare providers thanks to emergency guidance issued by the regulator in March. However, that guidance also makes it clear that results from antibody tests -- whether performed at an urgent care center or a giant laboratory -- should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose a patient or inform them of their infection status. Becton Dickinson's more widely known for marketing infusion systems than diagnostic tests. Sales of the company's popular Alaris systems, which are used by a majority of healthcare providers in the U.S., are under pressure at the moment. And investors hoping that this new COVID-19 test will offset the decreasing revenue from the infusion system line could be disappointed. Healthcare providers can order the new coronavirus antibody test from Becton Dickinson, although a company with more experience in the point-of-care diagnostics field, Henry Schein will distribute the test exclusively. To contain the spread of the Covid-19 infections, private societies have been opting for fumigation with 1% solution of sodium hypochlorite at open places including passages and staircases, which experts say can be more dangerous than beneficial. While fumigation with this solution is expected only in areas where a positive Covid-19 patient or a suspected patient is living, many a times private societies and even Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) staff have been found spraying the solution without protective gear. Indian Medical Association (IMA) also cautions the use of the solution as it is highly inflammable. Dr Avinash Bhondwe, state IMA president, said, As per the guidelines of the Centre for Disease Control, USA, the same guidelines which we are following, states that sodium hypochlorite solution should be used only for surgical cleaning like the surgical tables, surgical instruments, operation table and floors and clothes using during operation. Government officials and workers who have been spraying the solution are not aware that if anyone is exposed to the solution then it may cause skin irritation, blindness if it enters the eyes, exposure to the vapours can also cause burning sensation in the respiratory tract and if it enters the respiratory system it may cause choking too. While the Pune fire department staff has fire proximity suits for all the manned fire tenders for spraying the solution, the sanitation workers and its contract labourers do not have protective kits. A fire department official responsible for spraying this chemical, on condition of anonymity, said, We use about 10ml of sodium hypochlorite for about 10 litres of water. We have given the workers gloves and masks and have asked them to spray the solution in the direction of the wind so that it does not splash onto the workers. We spray the solution only in areas where positive and suspected patients are living in open areas, including the staircase and open passages. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 30 tweeted, This is to inform that all spraying of disinfectants is being done by urban local bodies centrally as per schedule. Please refrain anybody else apart from Urban Local Bodies to step in and spray as their will. The Disinfectant must not be sprayed without the permission of ULBs as a wrong formula can be more harmful than its intention to citizens and animals. Only ULBs will spray as per the medical needs and globally advised protocols. (sic.) [April 01, 2020] The Kerrigan Index Drops to 2012 Levels as Auto Retailers Underperform in Wake of COVID-19 Kerrigan Advisors, in the wake of the global economic shock caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has released The Kerrigan Index as of March 31, 2020, which is comprised of the seven publicly-traded auto retailers. When taken in context with Kerrigan Advisors' just-released 2019 Blue Sky Report, the updated Kerrigan Index provides the firm's initial view on the short-and-mid-term ramifications of the crisis on dealership valuations and the buy/sell market, as well as on 2021 trends and prospects. Through Tuesday, March 31st, The Kerrigan Index reveals a devastating 37.7% decline for the month, more than triple that experienced by the S&P 500. Year-to-date, The Kerrigan Index is down 42.6%, and is currently 47.9% below its 52-week high, which was achieved in mid-December 2019, just three months ago. The Kerrigan Index is now trading at levels not seen since 2012. "After an incredible year in 2019, it has been a roller coaster since news of COVID-19's spread started to consume the industry," said Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. "We had a strong start to 2020 but, not surprisingly, March has been a very challenging month for auto retailers. Our firm expects the buy/sell market to slow dramatically in the second quarter of 2020. Having said that, we believe private dealership values will not decline to the same degree we're seeing public company values plummet." A special edition of The Kerrigan Index released on March 23rd highlighted that auto retail is primarily a private industry with the publics owning just 6% of dealerships. As such, while the publics' valuations provide insight into valuation trends, they do not usually determine the market value of a private dealership. The Blue Sky Report noted that the publics represented only 5% of the buy/sell market in 2019. "Car dealers have proven time and time again their ability to survive, even in the worst of times. We expect they will do so again, once this pandemic is under control. Those who are considering a sale will wait until the industry returns to a more normal state and the buy/sell market reactivates, likely in the second half of the year. In the meantime, we focus on health and hope for calm," said Erin Kerrigan. The Kerrigan Index also noted that while COVID-19 will undoubtedly force some distressed dealership sales, those sales are not considered benchmarks for industry valuations, as most dealers today have strong balance sheets and can patiently wait for the right time to go to market. According to Kerrigan Advisors' 2019 Blue Sky Report , after a slow start in the first half of the year, the 2019 auto dealership buy/sell market had the most active second half on record leading to 233 completed transactions1 for the full year - the second highest number since 2014, and the sixth consecutive year of over 200 transactions. This was fueled by a high level of multi-dealership transactions and an increase in average dealership earnings and blue sky values. "We are profoundly aware of dealer anxiety in the current crisis, but auto retail will bounce back much faster than many other sectors of retail. We just need to wade through this crisis, get to the other side, and then start rebuilding. Experienced dealers know the playbook," said Ryan Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. "The business model is resilient because of its diversification with fixed operations and used vehicle revenue often sustaining losses in new vehicle sales. It is for this reason that buyer demand has recently been so high for dealerships. We anticipate demand will bounce back as we come out of this crisis," said Ryan Kerrigan, Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. The Kerrigan Index Highlights The mid-March Kerrigan Index vividly details the altered state of the automotive retail industry as it grapples with state-wide lockdowns, uncertainty about the crisis, and the continuing economic freefall -- albeit with optimism for the future. The special edition also examines the balance sheet strength of the seven public auto retailers, including CarMax, AutoNation, Penske Automotive Group, Lithia Motors, Group 1 Automotive Asbury Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its economic aftermath that has rattled investors and sent stock prices plummeting. Notable points include: Major banks now predict a global recession (defined as two quarters of negative growth) Goldman Sachs expects US GDP to decline by 24% in the second quarter of 2020 and 3.8% for the full year. RBC Capital Markets now predict US auto sales will fall to 13.5 million vehicles, 20% below last year's sales. Buy/sell market is likely to be impacted through Q2 2020; expect a resurgence in the second half of 2020, with optimistic trends playing into 2021. As a group, The Kerrigan Index component companies have a combined total debt (including floorplan)-to-equity ratio of 2.7x, and long-term debt-to-equity ratio of 0.7x. Historically, floor plan debt has not proven to be risky as long as operators stay "in trust"; as such, overall debt levels are reasonable and should provide ample resources to work through the financial challenges of the coming months. Excluding CarMax's $8.8 billion market capitalization, The Kerrigan Index's new car retailers as of March 31 st are now collectively valued at just over $9.3 billion. This compares to their collective value of $17 billion at the end of 2019. are now collectively valued at just over $9.3 billion. This compares to their collective value of $17 billion at the end of 2019. For the month of March, Sonic Automotive posted the largest loss of 51.7%, followed by Group 1 Automotive (-48.1%), Penske Automotive Group (-39.2%), CarMax (-38.4%), Asbury Automotive Group (-37.8%), Lithia Motors (-31.3%) and AutoNation (-29.7%). Kerrigan Advisors' Long View Over the long term, Kerrigan Advisors expects strength and stability in the buy/sell market, as evidenced by outside capital's growing interest in auto retail. "We continue to speak with investors who are seeking investments in auto dealerships. These investors are keenly aware of how well auto retail performed coming out of the Great Recession and believe now is the time to invest as the industry consolidates and capitalizes on efficiencies from digital retailing," continued Erin Kerrigan. The 2019 Blue Sky Report found that an increasing number of experienced operators are linking up with private equity sources to grow their dealership groups. The number of dealerships owned by Top 100 Dealership Groups backed by private equity capital has increased 123% since 2014. In 2020, Kerrigan Advisors believes this will continue as investors seek to buy on a downturn, knowing strong growth prospects are ahead. "Now that we are in a more challenging time, we are hearing from more family offices, high net worth individuals and private equity firms," said Ryan Kerrigan. "They believe valuations will be more attractive and, as a result, they will be more interested in buying dealerships; plus, they see a long runway of acquisitions ahead as the industry continues to consolidate and digitize" The Blue Sky Report by Kerrigan Advisors covers dealership M&A activity as well as franchise values, including analysis of all transaction activity and lays out the high, average and low blue sky multiples for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. The 2019 Annual Report also includes Kerrigan Advisors' annual review of each franchise, discussing buyer demand, franchise profitability, product pipeline and sales expectations for 2020. For the 4th quarter of 2019, the following adjustments were made to Kerrigan Advisors' Blue Sky Multiples: Increased Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram ("CDJR") blue sky multiple to 3.5 - 4.5 Lowered Buick, GMC's blue sky multiple to 2.75 - 3.75 Lowered Infiniti's blue sky multiple to 2.5 - 3.5 Initiated Lincoln's blue sky multiple at 2.5 - 3.5 Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report, which includes Kerrigan Advisors' signature blue sky charts, multiples, and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. To download a preview of the report, click here. The firm also releases monthly The Kerrigan Index composed of the seven publicly-traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index, click here. About Kerrigan Advisors Kerrigan Advisors is a leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers in the US. The firm advises auto dealers nationwide, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and monetizing their businesses. Kerrigan Advisors has represented on auto retail's largest transactions, including five of the Top 100 Dealership Groups in the US, more than any other firm in the industry. Led by a team of veteran industry experts, the firm does not take listings, rather Kerrigan Advisors develops a customized approach for each client to achieve their personal and financial goals. In addition to Kerrigan Advisors' sell-side advisory and capital-raising services, the firm also provides a suite of consulting services including growth strategies, capital allocation, transactional due diligence, open point proposals, operational improvement and real estate analysis. Kerrigan Advisors publishes The Blue Sky Report, which is the auto industry's most comprehensive and authoritative quarterly report of dealership buy/sell activity and franchise values, received by over 9,000 industry recipients in 35 countries. To register to receive The Blue Sky Report, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also publishes The Kerrigan Index, the only monthly report tracking the seven publicly traded auto retail companies. To access The Kerrigan Index, click here. Kerrigan Advisors' Founder and Managing Director, Erin Kerrigan, is a recognized expert on dealership valuation, real estate, and buy/sells, and is a frequent speaker at leading auto retail events and conferences, including NADA, JD Power Automotive Roundtable, Automotive News' conferences, AICPA, and NADC. She has also been quoted numerous times by The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg (News - Alert) and The Economist and has been a keynote speaker for events hosted by American Honda Motor Company, Audi of America, US Trust, Bank of America, Ohio Automobile Dealer Association, and SunTrust Bank. Kerrigan Advisors' Managing Director Ryan Kerrigan is also a sought-after industry expert. He is featured in a monthly column for Dealer Magazine and has written Op-Eds for Automotive News. _____________________________ 1 Source (News - Alert): The Banks Report, Kerrigan Advisors Analysis View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005199/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday available projection models show COVID-19 cases in Virginia could surge between late April and late May. In explaining his stay-at-home order, which extends until June 10, Northam said, "I want Virginians to prepare themselves for the long haul." During the regular briefing by the governor and state health officials, Dr. Norman Oliver, Virginia Health Commissioner, said officials are working on models that project the spread and peak of the outbreak, and they hope to be able to share Virginia-specific models in just days. Northam also said the state has received a third shipment of PPE personal protective equipment for medical workers from the national stockpile, but he said we still need more. "PPE remains a critically important issue," said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey. 'Just Me' project presents 'raw' images of people wearing no make-up By Jung Da-min Photographer Jo Yong-jae. Courtesy of Jo Yong-jae [@studio_ieul] For Jo Yong-jae, who has been taking various photos of people ranging from celebrities for commercial purposes to ordinary people for special occasions, the most fulfilling moment as a professional photographer is when seeing people change their social networking service (SNS) profile photos to those taken by him. Living in Paris from 2003 to 2015 before coming back to Korea, Jo found a special meaning in photography especially through taking snapshots of Korean travelers there, capturing their "precious" moments. What he felt after coming back to Korea, however, was that many people are too obsessed with "refined" images, those edited through photo programs, even refusing to accept how they look in "raw" photos. Running his own studio in Seoul now, he found that people tend not to like photos of themselves taken by others while liking "selfies" those taken by themselves. "Each person has his or her own imagination of how they look and it often matches well with their reflections they see through mirrors or their selfies," Jo said during a recent interview with The Korea Times in Seoul. "Selfies could easily satisfy people's expectations in terms of their own idealized self image as they can show an even prettier or cooler images of themselves." Jo said many people these days have a desire to "display" themselves only through such idealized images while denying their "other parts" which could be their real charms once they accept them. He said he wanted others to also realize that their own charms could be found in "undesirable" or "raw" images of themselves. This was how he launched a project titled "Just Me," a photo taking project of normal people under the themes of "no make-up" and "no Photoshop," where Jo takes photos of applicants wearing no make-up with only adjustment of the background lighting. Photo editing programs are used only to adjust brightness and color of the photos. About 50 people participated in the project conducted from January to March. A photo from photographer Jo Yong-jae's "Just Me" project, where Jo takes photos of people wearing no make-up and does not edit or make changes to the photos other than their brightness and color. Courtesy of Jo Yong-jae(@studio_ieul) Another photo from photographer Jo Yong-jae's "Just Me" project / Courtesy of Jo Yong-jae(@studio_ieul) A Newtownabbey may have to spend three months in his hostel room in Peru after two guests learned they had contracted coronavirus. Rhys McKendry (21) had been travelling for five weeks before Peru went into lockdown on March 16. On Monday it was confirmed that two guests at the Pariwana Hostel in the city of Cusco had tested positive. Rhys was told he could not leave for at least 15 days. This means he has been unable to take a seat on repatriation flights being arranged by the British and Irish governments. Rhys said he fears the quarantine will be extended if there are any new cases. He called on both governments to negotiate his release with the Peruvian authorities. Rhys spends 23 hours a day in his room and is only allowed to leave for meals that he likens to prison food. "We currently have the military on the door and the police are barricading the street at the other end," he said. "We've been put on government rations, so the meals have taken a big hit. A couple of nights we haven't had dinner." Guests have been told they could face a prison sentence of five to 10 years if they try to leave without permission. "The announcement we got in the hostel is that the quarantine can be anything from 28 days to three months," Rhys said. "Kate Harrison, the British Ambassador for Peru, said on Twitter it would be 15 days, but she's had a huge backlash because she hasn't clarified what the 15 days means. "From what we understand, it means 15 days from when a new case is reported. "Two new cases were confirmed on Monday, so that's another 15 days for us already." Originally, around 140 travellers were in the hostel, with around 20 from other countries securing flights home before the lockdown was announced. "The other night the military stormed the hostel and basically had a list of people to bring to another hostel," Rhys said. "No one knew what was going on, but they eventually told the hostel manager that 60 people had to pack their stuff and be disinfected. "It was like a sci-fi movie where people are getting sprayed down. Their clothes were completely ruined because it wasn't basic alcohol they were using to spray people. "At the start people were happy and had that optimistic backpacker mentality. "But when the two people tested positive and we had to go back to our rooms, guests started crying because it looked like we were going to be here for at least a month." A spokesperson for the UK Foreign office said: "We continue to work around the clock to help British travellers struggling to get back to the UK and we thank the Peruvian government for all their support in making this happen." It is understood the Peruvian government has insisted the 15-day quarantine at the hostel cannot be overturned, but efforts to bring those affected home continue. A Cleveland area father cleaning his gun is telling law enforcement he accidentally shot his 15-year-old son. The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. Sunday on CR 3560 in north Liberty County and sent the teen by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. law enforcement sources said. According to authorities, the juvenile was shot in the lower back while his father, Juan P. Herrera Lopez was allegedly cleaning his 9mm semi-automatic pistol at their residence. The gun shot was reported to be a through and through wound. The teen was alert and talking to deputies at the scene. His exact physical condition was unknown until he was examined by medical personnel. A preliminary prognosis showed the wound was not life-threatening. No arrest was made and no charges were filed against the father at the time, but the investigation is on-going to determine if charges should be warranted. dtaylor@hcnonline.com Onondaga County residents are responding to the 2020 Census at a faster rate than most big Upstate NY counties, according to the Census Bureau. The response rate in Onondaga County was 40.6 percent as of midnight Monday. That is slightly lower than Erie County, which had a 40.7 percent response rate. That national average is 36.2 percent. Today is Census Day. Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts every American where they live on April 1. The new population number determines the number of Congressional representatives in each state, as well as the amount of federal funding given to state and local governments. The response rate may be high as New Yorkers shelter from the coronavirus and have extra time on their hands. But the shutdown has thrown an unexpected challenge into the count for places like Syracuse with a high number of college students. College students are supposed to be counted where they live on April 1. But most of them have gone home this year. The Census Bureau is still reminding students to fill out the form where they would have been today even if they have gone home. The census tract that covers the Syracuse University hill has been listed among the 500 census tracts in New York state most at risk of being undercounted this year, according to a report by the Rockefeller Institute. The coronavirus shutdown has also paused the Census Bureaus efforts to hire thousands of people to help count residents who fail to fill out the form. Here are some of the date changes the Census Bureau has made because of the spread of coronavirus: The deadline to respond online has been moved to Aug. 14. Census takers will start following up with households that havent responded around some colleges and universities starting April 23. Census takers will interview households in person that failed to respond online, by phone or by mail until Aug. 14. The Census Bureaus media message during the shutdown is It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail all without having to meet at census taker. MORE ON THE CENSUS 2020 Census: Should college students be counted at home or school? 2020 Census: Whats the current status of the citizenship question? Syracuse thinks Census missed thousands of poor; can neighbors bring trust in 2020? Contact the author: mbreidenbach@syracuse.com | 315-470-3186. A young woman with travel history to Malaysia has tested positive for coronavirus infection, which is the first such case in Jharkhand, a senior officer said on Tuesday. "There is one confirmed case of coronavirus in the state" Nitin Kulkarni, Jharkhand Health Secretary, told IANS. According to Health Department sources, the patient has been admitted in Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Ranchi. Till now, 274 samples of suspected coronavirus cases have been taken in Jharkhand, out of which 266 are negative one positive. The report of rest seven are awaited. The department has set up 557-bed isolation ward for coronavrus patients, including 96 in medical colleges, 200 in Sadar Hospital and another 261 in private hospitals. The state has also prepared 1,469-bed quarantine centres. The world is getting united in fighting against Covid-19 crisis but for Pakistan, religious discrimination remains as a priority amidst this global crisis. The countrys Hindus and Christian minorities are not being treated well, food supplies are not given by the authorities, saying they are meant for the Muslim community only. Authorities are not helping us during the lockdown, the ration is also not being provided to us because we are a part of a minority community, a Hindu man said. Number of marginalised people gathered at Karachi's Rehri Ghoth to receive food and daily essentials as shops remain shut to limit the spread of coronavirus. But those who belong to Hindu community are told to go back since the rations were only meant for Muslims. AFP Member of the Hindu community in Karachi said, "We only hear that people in our neighbourhoods are receiving essential goods. My son drives the rickshaw. Due to the lockdown, all services have been suspended. He is sitting idle at home. We do not have anything to eat. We have no money. Even when we visit the ration distribution centers, the authorities assure us that they will send essential items in separate trucks but eventually they don't ,as reported by ANI In Pakistan, the Hindus are only 4 per cent of the country's population. The community is subjected to discrimination and are often denied basic human rights. Under international pressure and global outcry over the condition of the minorities in Pakistan, the Imran Khan-led government decided to restore the temples which were demolished over the years in Pakistan. One year on, the plan is yet not fulfilled as not more than 12 temples in the country are made functional. And the discrimination continues even at the time of global crisis. AFP "There is no ration at home since last week. The police chase us when we move out of our houses," complained another Hindu. Sindh government issued an order to distribute ration lockdown through local NGOs and administration to daily wage workers and labourers. The distribution of food supplies is being organised by the local government in collaboration with the district government. "This is the second week of lockdown and we have no food at home. The officials only visit us to ask for votes. We don't even have money to buy food. Our daily living has been suspended due to the lockdown. Nobody has asked us so far regarding the problems we are facing," said a member of the Christian community in Karachi. The Government has so far identified about 25,000 vulnerable people to provide for their health, nutritional and safety needs during the two-week restriction of movement of persons in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan areas. About 15,000 of them are head porters, with the rest being mentally ill and other persons with disabilities. They are benefitting from the provision of temporary accommodation, food, water, stipends, medical assistance, grooming, and basic training in personal hygiene. Madam Cynthia Morrison, the Minister of Gender Children and Social Protection, who announced this on Wednesday morning at a media briefing, said a Census was conducted to identify such vulnerable people in Accra, considering the homeless, their ages and other variables. In Accra, food and will be sent to them in areas such as Tema Station, the Central Business District, Mallam Atta, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Agbogbloshie, Nima and Maamobi, she said. After the COVID-19 crisis, those in the school-going age group would be sent back home to continue their education, adding that, We will ensure that no underage person engages in the Kayaye business. Mrs Morrison said the measures were being implemented with philanthropic organisations, with some cooking for about 6,000 people. They were also caring for some 20 mentally ill persons on the streets by cleaning and giving them medical assistance. The briefing was to give an update on the national status of COVID-19, with regard to preventive behaviour, testing and case management, security, among others. Ghana has since Thursday, March 12, confirmed a total of 195 cases; after testing 4,650 presumptive cases. Five of the patients, who had underlying chronic conditions, have passed on. However, there are three full recoveries, while 49 have been discharged to continue their care at home. The rest are responding well to treatment, the Health Minister has said. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:48:54|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close Students talk with each other in a high school in Bazhou District, Bazhong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 1, 2020. More than 450,000 students in the final year of senior high schools in Sichuan returned to school on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Liu Kun) Trump administration officials previously advised the public not to bother wearing masks to try to prevent the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he is now engaged in a very active discussion with the administration officials about reversing the guidance on Tuesday morning, as the number of infected people across the U.S. rises and mask shortages across the country continue. Right now, the Centers for Disease Control doesn't advise the general public to wear masks, and for months, high ranking officials like Vice President Mike Pence have declared that the normal American doesn't have to go out and purchase a mask. To recall, surgeon general Jerome Adams tweeted about stopping the general public in buying masks. The U.S. government has been broadly criticized for neglecting to act rapidly and adequately because of coronavirus. A few people like Director-General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control George Gao, claim that discouraging mask use unnecessarily endangers lives. Fauci told CNN, "When we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks," on Tuesday. Read Also: Netherlands Recalls Defective Masks From China President Donald Trump is also open-minded about the idea saying, "We are not going to be wearing masks forever, but it could be for a short period of time after we get back into gear. I could see something like that happening for a period of time." Fauci noted said,"You don't want to take masks away from the health care providers who are in real and present danger of getting infected." Many are concerned that stockpiling masks would deprive those who actually need it for their protection to the coronavirus. Fauci's remarks come on the heels of the World Health Organization's emphasis that masks are not recommended for people unless directly exposed to or infected with coronavirus; while confusion over whether masks are useful or harmful in preventing COVID continues to abound, Forbes has guides that may help explain the risks and benefits of masks. The quantity of affirmed coronavirus cases over the United States soars to about 175,000 on Tuesday, undermining Trump's January attestation that the outbreak was absolutely under control. He has also backed off his situation to switch social distancing rules before Easter and chose to summon the Defense Production Act. The organization's developing strategy recommends they are paying attention to the pandemic more, but some worry that the harm has already been done. The personal protective equipment, or PPE, shortage, which puts healthcare workers in danger of getting sick, prompted the viral hashtag #GetUsPPE as clinical experts pleaded with government authorities to make sure about essential assurance. While the government is presently attempting to address PPE issues through new procurement, Department of Defense allocation, or Strategic National Stockpile sources, some local officials say the Trump administration's response to giving this equipment has been causing delays. Christian Siriano, a fashion designer has offered to sew masks to help meet the shortage but have struggled to source surgical-grade material and meet other guidelines. Others are taking matters into their own hands, sewing non-surgical masks for personal use, as shown in this New York Times tutorial. According to the Washington Post, the Centers For Disease Control is considering a possible middle-ground that would advise citizens to cover their faces but leave N95 and other medical-grade masks available for healthcare workers. Related Article: Coronavirus Cripples Face Mask Production, Poses Challenge to Medical Professionals Worldwide @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Patpicha Tanakasempipat BANGKOK, April 1 (Reuters) - Thai rice exporters expect to increase sales as the spread of coronavirus sparks global food security concerns and major competitors face export bans or go into lockdown to battle the outbreak. Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter after India, started the year bracing for its lowest export volumes in more than seven years, after a strong baht and drought kept its 2019 prices uncompetitive against main rival Vietnam. However, it now sees a better outlook after the virus outbreak sent India into a three-week lockdown and Vietnam, the world's third-largest exporter, banned new rice export contracts last week to ensure domestic supply, an industry body said. "Thai rice exports should improve in the second quarter of the year, as our competitors limit exports or encounter logistics problems," Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters. "There is no sign Thailand will limit rice exports yet," he said, adding that no such measure was discussed during an exporters' meeting with the country's Ministry of Commerce last week. Thailand, which usually produces just over 20 million tonnes of rice each year, consumes about 10 million tonnes domestically and exports the rest. This year's output, hurt by an ongoing drought since November, would be enough to ensure no domestic shortage, while leaving a smaller surplus of around 8 million tonnes for exports, Chookiat said. The lower Thai supply was in contrast with India's record-breaking rice output this year and Vietnam's ample winter-spring crops. Benchmark Thai 5% white rice climbed this month to the highest levels since August 2013. It was quoted last week at $481.5 per tonne, about 19% higher than a year earlier, and about $70-$120 higher than a similar Vietnamese grade and a benchmark Indian parboiled variety . Story continues In mid-January, the rice exporters body forecast a 7.5 million tonnes export target for 2020 due to uncompetitive prices, which Chookiat at the time described as "optimistic". But with the competitors' restrictions and limitations, that goal seemed more achievable as the coronavirus prompted consumers to hoard food and countries to replenish stocks, he said. Since early March, Thai rice has been sought by supermarkets overseas, pushing up overall sales for the month by about 16% from February, said Chookiat. Major importer Philippines, which has bought more Vietnamese than Thai rice in recent years, said on Tuesday it was seeking to import 300,000 tonnes. "At the beginning of the year, the Thai rice export outlook was so gloomy. But with the coronavirus outbreak, it's a complete 180," Chookiat said. "It should get better for Thai rice going forward." (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; editing by Richard Pullin) Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is stuck with the crew of his film Aadujeevitham in Jordan, has issued a statement detailing the status of their current whereabouts. The crew of Malayalam film Aadujeevitham, including actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, are stranded in Jordan due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus. (Click here to follow LIVE Updates on coronavirus outbreak) The actor has taken to Twitter to issue a statement updating on their current situation. "We have now been told that an immediate permission for shoot to resume is unlikely due to the situation and hence, our next best option would be to return to India at the first available opportunity, he said. He went onto say that the crew had planned to stay and shoot in Wadi Rum till the second week of April, and thus have access to food and supplies. "We completely understand that given the circumstances around the world, our team of 58 might not be the biggest concern of authorities back home now, and rightfully so. But we also felt that it was our duty to let all concerned know about the situation and keep them updated, he added. Here's his statement According to a report in The Week, the Department of Non Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) approached the Indian embassy in Jordan on Friday to enquire about the actor and director Blessy. The NORKA principal secretary was asked by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to notify the Indian embassy in Jordan about the situation. Subsequently, the embassy contacted the filmmakers. The embassy has assured the Kerala government that they will assist them in all manner possible. Sukumaran, who is playing the lead role in the Blessy directorial, had a few days back posted on his Facebook page on how the need of the hour was to contain COVID-19. Calling the present period tough times, he had said that social distancing and self hygiene are the only ways to contain the pandemic. He had also thanked everyone who had messaged him and expressed concern over his safety and return. Stay safe. These are tough times. Times we need to think and act collectively. The difference this time being..acting... Posted by Prithviraj Sukumaran on Thursday, March 19, 2020 Aadujeevitham is based on the best-selling novel by noted Malayalam writer Benyamin. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 42,000 and affected over 8 lakh people globally. In Jordan, more than 270 people have tested positive for the deadly virus. True to its Austin roots, Alamo Drafthouse is keeping it weird. The Drafthouse, which has three San Antonio theaters, is now part of the Virtual Cinema initiative, a collaboration between independent movie theaters and film distributors nationwide. Patrons can buy tickets through their local theater to watch one of a growing slate of movies, and part of the purchase price will go to that theater. Links to the movies, which can be streamed on a variety of devices, are on the Drafthouse website. Alamo Drafthouses virtual movie schedule includes a continuation of the theater chains Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday series as well as a slate of independent features and documentaries. The first Terror Tuesday offering, Centipede Horror, is available now. The first Weird Wednesday flick, Godmonster of Indian Flats, will be available April 8. Those movies are renting for $7.75. Virtual Cinema movies will rent for $12 and can be streamed on computers, tablets or smartphone or cast to a TV using Apple TV or Google Chrome. The Alamo Drafthouses current schedule, posted on the Alamo-at-Home Page on the chains website, includes the following movies. All are available now. Bacurau, a Cannes Film Festival prize-winner about Brazilian villagers who must defend themselves against outsiders who may be extraterrestrial and who definitely want them dead. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band, a documentary about the Canadian bar band that became Bob Dylans backing band and then a force on its own with classics such as The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. And Corpus Christi, a Polish film about a young ex-con who found God in prison and, with no prospects outside, pretends to be a priest. It was nominated for an Oscar for best international film. To watch a movie, click on the link at the end of the movies description, then choose San Antonio from the list of markets. Future screenings will be announced on the Drafthouses Twitter and Facbook accounts. jkiest@express-news.net | Twitter: @jimik64 ALBANY Facing mounting pressure, state prison officials on Wednesday said they will allow corrections officers, parole officers and prison workers to wear masks on duty to protect themselves from the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic. And to reduce the risk of secondary transmission of COVID-19, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision also will allow inmates subject to quarantine to wear surgical-type masks, prison officials said. DOCCS' decision followed health concerns aired by union representatives of DOCCS' employees and their families. After thorough internal review and in order to continue to protect staff and the incarcerated population from COVID-19 entering or leaving our facilities, effective immediately, staff will be permitted to wear either an N95 respirator or a surgical-type mask while on duty inside of the correctional facility, a DOCCS spokesperson told the Times Union on Wednesday. The DOCCS spokesperson said the agency will not oppose use of the masks known as personal protective devices if "there is a chance that they may slow or even stop the spread of this virus from entering our facilities." Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Officers will be permitted to wear either the N95 respirator mask or surgical-type mask in prisons, said James Miller, a spokesman for the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, or NYSCOPBA, which represents corrections officers. Underscoring the problem, NYSCOPBA's president, Michael B. Powers, announced earlier this week that he and 55 other corrections officers have tested positive for COVID-19. "NYSCOPBA lobbied the administration last month with repeated requests to provide officers PPEs or be allowed to provide their own. We are satisfied that they finally recognized the importance that all front-line personnel need to protect themselves during this crisis," Miller said. He said the union was committed to working with the state to promote safe conditions and is in the process of purchasing PPEs for its membership. Wayne Spence, president of the Public Employees Federation (PEF), which also represents state employees at DOCCS facilities, said in a statement that "after weeks of requesting, and a lengthy discussion with the governors staff late last evening," he was pleased to announce that DOCCS was allowing employees to wear the masks in prisons. The wife of a state corrections officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said she was pleased to an extent. "I think its a step in the right direction. I feel that they should attempt to locate masks for everyone inside," the woman told the Times Union. "Im fully aware that its not an easy feat right now, collecting supplies. But, with that being said, the state at least attempting to do so would make it seem as if they actually are attempting to keep prisons safe, not just saying 'fine bring your own if you can.' While its a step, its a small one." On Tuesday, she had been concerned that the prison system was "very reactive" as opposed to proactive adding, "This is not a disease that you can be reactive with. She had said if prison officials could not protect inmates from the potentially deadly coronavirus, they could not protect officers such as her husband. This virus doesn't just attack people in blue. It attacks people in orange as well, she said. More than 350,000 people have been fined in France for not following the rules during lockdown, according to the interior minister. Christophe Castaner said hundreds of thousands have been penalised in the first two weeks of the nationwide quarantine, during which people can only go outside if it is deemed essential. Those breaking the rules risk a fine of 135, which can increase to 200 if caught a second time, according to local media. Our goal is not to hand out fines, Mr Castaner told TV channel La Chaine Info. It is to make sure the French stay at home. France has been in lockdown since 17 March as authorities work to combat its coronavirus outbreak. The lockdown initially planned for two weeks has now been extended until 15 April. All public gatherings have been banned, and people are only allowed outside for a list of reasons, for example to buy food or medicine. At the end of these first ten days of confinement, it is clear that we are only at the beginning of the epidemic wave, Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, said last week. It has overwhelmed the east and is now arriving in the Ile-de-France and the Hauts de France. Badly-hit areas of the country, such as the northeastern Grand Est region, have sent patients for treatment in other French regions and even abroad as authorities try and ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals. On Wednesday, nearly 40 critically ill people are to travel from the Paris area to less overwhelmed regions by high-speed train, health officials said. Military helicopters and planes have also been used to transfer patients since the start of the outbreak. More than 52,000 people have been infected with coronavirus which gives carriers flu-like symptoms and can turn into pneumonia in France, with around 9,400 people who tested positive overcoming the virus. The death toll stood at around 3,500 on Tuesday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:42:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The German government would support start-ups with 2 billion euros (2.2 billion U.S dollars) during the coronavirus crisis, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy announced on Wednesday. Venture capital by the government would be expanded so that "financing rounds for promising and innovative start-ups from Germany can continue to take place," said Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier. In the short term, additional funds would be given to public venture capital investors. The funds could also be used in co-investments with private investors for financing rounds of start-ups, according to the Ministry. In addition, Germany's umbrella fund investor KfW Capital and the European Investment Fund (EIF) would be enabled to take over shares from defaulting fund investors, according to the Ministry. The measures were seeking to help young German start-ups and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) without investors among their shareholders to find venture capital and equity replacing forms of financing, the Ministry noted. "With a package of measures that is specially tailored to the needs of start-ups," the government was supplementing the existing aid packages to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus to the economy, the Ministry said. Already, German start-ups had access to all public financing provided as part of Germany's coronavirus aid package. However, classic credit instruments were often "not suitable to the needs of young start-ups," the Ministry said. "Start-ups should continue to be able to successfully tinker with their ideas even in the current crisis," said Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz, adding that "Germany needs innovative minds for a good future." Haiti - Covid-19 : List of factories authorized to operate Following the request of Prime Minister Jouthe Joseph to contact factories in the textile sector for the production of masks and other health protection products as part of the fight against the spread of Covid-19 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30403-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-30-2020.html , the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) announces that the factories whose names follow, are authorized to operate provided that the following measures be implemented : obligation for employees to wash their hands with soap before entering the factory; wearing a mask MANDATORY at all times; distance of 1.50 m between each employee.] List of authorized companies : lnteramerican Woven IW (Metropolitan Industrial Park - PIM) Modas Gloria MGA (Metropolitan Industrial Park - PIM) Haiti Premier Apparel SA (Street Jean Gilles) Quality Sewing SA (Rue Freres Simon) Caribbean lsland Apparel (SHODECOSA Parc) MBI (Metropolitan Industrial Park - PIM) Brand Apparel (CODEVI) MD lndustries (CODEVI) Top Choice Apparel (CODEVI) Superior Group SGC (CODEVI) Class lnternational Holding (CODEVI) H4H (Sisda Zone, Tabarre) These companies can at any time receive an inspection visit from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Coalition of Textile Trade Unions (COSET) and any other trade union organization concerned. According to the companies concerned, the following measures have already been adopted : Constant communication with employees and with all persons for their protection and that of their family; Installation of hand washing stations; Use of an alcohol-based disinfectant at passageways and doors; Installation of two barrels of chlorinated water at the factory entrance (compulsory hand washing); Thermometer control to detect fever in people; Installation of an infirmary not far from the workplace; Identification of suspect cases in all discretion, so as not to create panic; Revision of the mitigation plans to be organized each week; Forecast for some companies to consider sick leave. In addition, Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe confirmed that he had already placed an initial order for the production of 10 million masks in Haiti. Georges B. Sassine the President of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) indicated that a million washable masks will be produced in addition for FREE as a contribution in the fight against Covid-19 and will be available Friday 3 April. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30403-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-30-2020.html HL/ HaitiLibre Sixty-two Indonesian and Malaysian nationals who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi had visited Karnataka as well. Twelve such people have been quarantined, informed state Health Minister on Wednesday. "We got information that 62 Indonesian and Malaysian nationals who took part in prayers in Delhi, had also visited Karnataka. We have detected 12 such people and quarantined them. The home department will investigate the case further," said B Sriramulu, Karnataka Health Minister. Earlier, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the accurate number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. The religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between March 13 and March 15. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has made an Instagram post on the measures the state is taking to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The post on her official Instagram page says: Dear fellow countrymen! Trouble has come to our motherland, to our common home. Unfortunately, the epidemic of the insidious disease has not bypassed our country. It seems that there is not a single country left on the planet that this pandemic would spare. Entire states have been compelled to isolate themselves from the outside world. The number of people infected with the virus is rapidly approaching a million, the number of lost lives is already in tens of thousands! Every day, the pandemic changes the usual way of life and fills our daily routine with anxiety and apprehension right before our eyes. Many are tormented by the same questions: Is it really so serious?, What is in store for us, what will happen to us? And the most important question, When will this epidemic end? What should each of us do for this terrible story to end as soon as possible? I will be frank: the answers to these questions are difficult, but they are there. First of all, we should all unconditionally acknowledge that the situation is very serious, requires maximum cohesion and consolidation from all of us, from all generations of our citizens. COVID-19 does pose a real threat to the life and health of each of us. Together with you, I pray for the Almighty to protect our native land from misfortune, to divert misfortune from our homes and families! I live with the faith and hope that human genius will definitely stop the pandemic and return to all of us the happiness of a usual life! The current emergency requires nationwide mobilization. All possible material resources of our state have been mobilized for the fight against the epidemic and its consequences. The best minds of the country, the entire medical science and the whole state mechanism works to save peoples lives. Unprecedented and colossal measures are being taken to defeat the epidemic. Enterprises are quickly switching to production of much-needed medical equipment. Every day, our hospitals are building up their capacity and concentrating their resources to create new wards that would be capable of accommodating all those in need. Life-support services of cities and settlements work on a round-the-clock basis. Law enforcement bodies and rescue services responsible for public order and always ready to help perform their duty in a reliable manner. The countrys servicemen guarding its borders maintain the highest morale. As for our medical workers, doctors, nurses and sanitary workers, they, without any exaggeration, commit a professional and civil feat on a daily basis. All work in the Republic is carried out under close attention, confident leadership and round-the-clock supervision of the President of Azerbaijan! I believe that the titanic efforts being undertaken by governments and scientists, the billions of dollars, euros and manats that have been invested in the fight against coronavirus will certainly and inevitably lead to the desired result, to our common victory over the epidemic. However, we all must deeply realize that all the efforts and resources may not produce the expected results if these measures and these activities are not underpinned by all of us, literally by each of us, our civic and fundamental human responsibility and our readiness to strictly and unconditionally carry out clear instructions. Dear fellow countrymen, my dear ones! I am appealing to you as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a grandmother! I am appealing to you with the hope that you will hear and understand my words coming right from the heart and addressed to each one of you! I ask you to take this as an absolute necessity and duty of each of us IN THE NEXT 20 DAYS, WE NEED TO BE AT HOME WITH OUR FAMILIES. I ASK YOU NOT TO LEAVE YOUR HOMES UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO! These days, not all of our citizens can afford to comply with the quarantine regime. Thousands of our compatriots are at their posts and working to the limit of their capabilities so that most of our fellow citizens can protect themselves, stay at home and observe the quarantine regime. And our best gratitude to those who are at the forefront of the fight against the coronovirus epidemic today is compliance with the self-isolation regime. The more rigorously and effectively we will abide by it, the sooner our brothers and sisters fighting the epidemic will be able to return to ordinary life and to their families. I understand how difficult it is to give up the usual way of life, to sit at home without being able to see relatives and friends and sometimes not even be able to hug children and grandchildren. But if we are responsible citizens, if we really love our parents (and Im sure of that!), if we really value our children and grandchildren, we are obliged yes we are! to do this for them! For ourselves! For our homeland! The tragic experience of several countries has taught mankind lessons on how to formulate the basic principle of survival in the coronavirus pandemic. This principle is dramatically simple and unambiguous: either people strictly follow the rules and regulations of the special quarantine regime and survive together or they ignore the rules and suffer huge human losses. Just think about that the negligence of just one person can lead to the deaths of dozens of innocent people. I have already written that since COVID-19 is a new virus that is not known to science, the WHO recommendations are situational in nature and are updated as information from around the world is analyzed. In particular, the latest WHO statements unequivocally say that this infection affects people of all ages and poses a real threat to people of young age too. There are already cases of children dying of the coronavirus infection. This is exactly why each of us must fully understand the importance of the measures being taken by the state and show maximum civic responsibility. Exactly by carefully supporting each other, showing tolerance and understanding we will be able to pass this terrible test that fate has put us on and save each other for a full life after the victory over the coronavirus, which will definitely come! I believe in this victory! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! I LOVE YOU! I BELIEVE IN YOU! With prayers for everyone, Your MEHRIBAN. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz New Delhi, April 1 : The government has set up a National Monitoring Dashboard where novel coronavirus or COVID-19 related grievances received in Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System with all ministries, departments, states and Union Territories are monitored on priority basis by a technical team. It aims to ensure timely redress of COVID-19 grievances. Directions have been issued to all ministries and departments to prioritize these grievances and provide redress in three days. The grievances monitored by a technical team of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) which developed the dashboard and implemented it at https://darpg.gov.in. DARPG is the nodal agency of the Central government for administrative reforms as well as redress of public grievances relating to the states in general and those pertaining to Central Government agencies in particular. Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh on Wednesday launched the dashboard through video conferencing facility. The dashboard was developed by DARPG in pursuance of the recommendations of the 10 Empowered Group of Officers constituted under the Disaster Management Act 2005 on Public Grievances and Suggestions to ensure timely implementation of COVID 19 response activities. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said: "It is the endeavour of the Modi government to ensure timely redress of COVID 19 grievances and directions have been issued to all ministries and departments to prioritize these grievances and provide redressal in a period of three days." Singh said he had personally reviewed the status of 262 grievances of Central Government and 83 grievances of state governments received on day one, and directed officers in the DARPG to pursue with the ministries and state governments. On Day 1 of the launch, the dashboard received 43 grievances of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 31 grievances of Ministry of External Affairs and 26 grievances of Ministry of Finance. The nature of grievances related to quarantine facilities, lockdown not being adhered to complaints, essential supplies related complaints, examination related complaints, rescheduling of interest repayments on loans, evacuation requests from foreign countries. The portal will be updated and monitored at senior levels in government on a daily basis. The Minister said that it was a feather in the department's cap that within two days, the national monitor was operationalized and 62 citizens' grievances were redressed. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Forbearance is one of those old-fashioned words found in the Bible, but the novel coronavirus is reintroducing it to our vocabulary. The word means patient self-control, or restraint and tolerance. When anxiety rises, patience wears thin, or anger erupts, forbearance is what keeps us from making horrible mistakes, keeps us from doing things we later will regret. Forbearance is essential today because rents and mortgages are due, and employers also are distributing their last paychecks to millions of people laid off due to COVID-19. Most Americans do not have a savings account, and 53 million qualify as low-wage, averaging $10.22 an hour, according to the center-left Brookings think tank. But even among families that make six figures, more than a third have no financial cushion, notes a survey by AARP, the retiree association. Coronavirus updates: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust The emergency savings challenge is widespread and includes 51 percent of people over the age of 50 and people at every income level, the AARP analysis concluded. As those who have lost jobs log-on to the overloaded Texas Workforce Commission website, and then wait three weeks for an unemployment check, they must make a tough decision. Do they make their housing payment, or save the cash? Here is where our word-of-the-crisis has a special meaning: In business, forbearance is the intentional delay in collecting a debt or demanding performance on a contract. The CARES Act passed by Congress last week prohibits banks from foreclosing on any federally backed mortgages until May. If the homeowner faces economic difficulties due to COVID-19, then banks must offer forbearance for 360 days. At least 14 large banks have announced programs to help customers cope with financial difficulties. Most are handling requests on a case-by-case basis to decide if delayed payments, minimum payments or other accommodations make the most sense. What kind of forbearance you can expect, though, depends on who owns your loan, not necessarily who services it. Tomlinsons Take: Corporate CEOs should go without pay until employees jobs are secure For example, as the CNBC financial news network recently reported, if Bank of America owns your mortgage, it can extend the life of your loan to cover up to three missed payments. If the bank only is servicing your loan, and its federally backed, then your missed three payments all are due at the end of 90 days. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy decided to reject those kinds of inconsistencies and negotiated with 40 institutions to agree on a single set of rules. Anyone suffering financial problems due to COVID-19 will get a 90-day break on mortgage payments without late fees or penalties. Hint, hint, Gov. Greg Abbott. Mortgage forbearance makes a lot of sense. Most Americans losing their jobs will get them back, and foreclosures are expensive and complicated. Not to mention, who will buy these houses? Extending the loan is cheaper. Renters and landlords, sadly, face a tougher challenge. But that doesnt mean they also shouldnt show forbearance. One of the most disappointing things Ive seen since the pandemic started are the fliers that landlords are posting on apartment doors demanding rent. My colleague Sarah Smith found property managers demonstrating little patience, restraint or tolerance. Despite what you may have heard in the media, rent is still due and evictions will be filed, the managers of the Ashford Westchase complex in Houston declared. Their idea of compassion is providing a $50 credit if renters paid on the first of the month rather than the third. Tomlinsons Take: Craven Texas politicians pander to business over public health If the landlords loan mortgage is federally backed, or the landlord receives any federal benefit, the CARES Act makes it illegal to evict or collect penalties from renters for 120 days. It also orders banks to grant 90 days of forbearance to owners of multi-family properties with a federally-backed mortgage. Perhaps the time spent intimidating customers would be better used negotiating available forbearance from bankers. Or consider forgiving a months rent rather than leaving an apartment empty for a month following an eviction. Property owners and managers will complain they must still pay other bills, but I doubt all renters will stop paying. Some freeloaders undoubtedly will try to take advantage of the crisis, but thats no excuse for not taking the time to determine who is in legitimate need. According to the Bible, Gods forbearance is one of many ways he demonstrates his love for humanity. We all should practice forbearance as our communities struggle to cope with the personal, financial and spiritual toll the pandemic is taking on us. Lets make sure we do all we can before we put more people on the street, something we will all regret. Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy. twitter.com/cltomlinson chris.tomlinson@chron.com Calls to set up a military hospital in northern Manitoba and bring ventilators to First Nations have been met with no promises. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Calls to set up a military hospital in northern Manitoba and bring ventilators to First Nations have been met with no promises. More than $35 million in federal funds is set to go to Manitoba First Nations as part of the country's COVID-19 response plan, but a federal government spokesperson said Wednesday it is still reviewing requests from First Nations leaders who have asked for military support as they brace for the arrival of COVID-19 in their communities. On Monday, Norway House Cree Nation and Pimicikamak (Cross Lake) jointly asked the government to establish a military field hospital to help with testing, isolating and treating cases of the virus. Farther south in Berens River First Nation, leaders proposed establishing a regional emergency ventilator centre and oxygen-tank refilling station, and they asked for the military's help to keep emergency flights running. No cases have been confirmed in any of those communities, which have a combined on-reserve population of roughly 17,000. On Tuesday, the first case of COVID-19 in northern Manitoba was announced in Flin Flon. Remote Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus, federal officials have acknowledged. "Even one case in any of these communities is extremely serious," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said during a news conference Tuesday in Ottawa. Pimicikamak Chief David Monias said he knows that to be true. Twelve people live in his household. There are about 900 homes in the community and roughly 8,600 people. Overcrowding and lack of medical resources are major concerns. The community is in lockdown, and Monias said he knows the nursing station staff are doing their best, but they're already stretched thin. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It's going to be very devastating for us. And if we don't have the hospital or treatment facilities, well, we're going to stay home and die," Monias said. By phone Tuesday evening, he said his community is just trying to plan and prepare as it awaits the government's response. "Right now we're doing the best we can with what we have," he said. "If they had a plan, and they can identify what the plan is to us, something that can reassure us that we are going to be safe." The department of national defence said in a statement to the Free Press it is reviewing the requests for military support, along with other federal and provincial government departments. -with files from Dylan Robertson katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Wednesday was released from isolation at home after testing negative for coronavirus, the presidency said. The southern African country's leader went into a 14-day self-quarantine on March 21 after a visit to neighbouring Namibia for an inauguration ceremony. "The Office of the President wishes to inform the public that the Director of Health Services has released... (the) President of the Republic of Botswana from home quarantine with immediate effect," said a statement on Wednesday. "This follows the release of his COVID-19 test results yesterday which came out negative." Botswana has so far detected four cases of the novel coronavirus, one of which has died from the infection. Masisi travelled to Namibia for the inauguration of President Hage Geingob earlier this month -- breaching a ban on all external trips by public officers imposed by his own government to curb the spread of coronavirus. Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Angola's President President Joao Lourenco also attended the ceremony, despite having declared strict travel restrictions in their own countries. Botswana's government has since announced stricter measures to fight the pandemic. The country's 2.2 million inhabitants are expected to enter a 28-day period of "extreme social distancing" on Thursday. Only people performing "essential services" or transporting "essential goods" will be allowed outside their homes during this time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior official in Saudi Arabia has urged more than 1 million Muslims who intend to perform the hajj pilgrimage this summer to delay making plans this year. The statement by Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Muhammad Saleh Benten late on March 31 is the latest sign suggesting Saudi Arabia could cancel the annual Islamic pilgrimage to prevent the spread of coronavirus to Muslim worshippers from around the world. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared to secure the safety of all Muslims and nationals, Benten told state television. That's why we have requested from all Muslims around the world to hold onto signing any agreements [with tour operators] until we have a clear vision. The hajj pilgrimage of 2020 is scheduled to begin on July 28 and last through the evening of August 2. In February, Saudi Arabia decided to close off the cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners in response to the pandemic. Restrictions have been tightened further since then as Saudi Arabia tries to deal with more than 1,500 confirmed cases of the virus. Saudi officials have reported 10 deaths so far. There have been more than 75,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the Middle East including more than 3,400 deaths. Most of those cases and deaths have been in neighboring Iran. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP When Bill and Donnelle Lawton from Mandurah, south of Perth, set off on the cruise ship holiday of their lifetime, they didnt imagine their final destination would be Rottnest Island. They thought they were headed to exotic locations including Thailand, Egypt, the Greek islands, and would eventually end up in London. Bill and his wife Donnelle Lawton are in quarantine on Rottnest Island, off Perth. Instead, they werent even five days into their planned 45-day tour on board the Vasco da Gamo before they struck trouble. It all came to a grinding halt just days into the cruise, Mr Lawton said. Our first port, the second day out, Penang closed their port. BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company") LEI: UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151 Voting Rights and Capital (Article 15 Transparency Directive, DTR 5.6) In conformity with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, the Company would like to notify the market of the following: As at 31 March 2020, BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc's capital consists of 39,259,620 Ordinary Shares of 10 cents each, carrying one vote each, excluding 2,181,662 ordinary shares held in treasury. As at 31 March 2020, the total number of voting rights for Ordinary shareholders in BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc is 39,259,620. Shareholders should use 39,259,620 as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company. All enquiries: Sarah Beynsberger BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, Company Secretary Tel: 0207 743 2639 1 April 2020 Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD, will lead an effort involving five clinical trials in patients with three cancer types. Our goal with this project is to convert cancers that are traditionally checkpoint-resistant into treatable, hot tumors so that more patients will be able to benefit from some of the most commonly prescribed immunotherapies." - Prestigious grant will fund 5 clinical trials in patients with 3 cancer types Focus is targeting chemokine system to make cold tumors hot Strategy to be studied in patients with colorectal, ovarian or melanoma tumors A team led by Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has earned a five-year, $14.54 million award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to expand a promising immunotherapy platform. Funded through the NCIs Program Project Grant program, this prestigious five-year grant will fund five clinical trials, all focused on a strategy for making some of the most common immunotherapies work for more cancer patients. Our goal with this project is to convert cancers that are traditionally checkpoint-resistant into treatable, hot tumors so that more patients will be able to benefit from some of the most commonly prescribed immunotherapies, says Dr. Kalinski, who is Vice Chair for Translational Research, the Rustum Family Professor for Molecular Therapeutics and Translational Research and Director of Cancer Vaccine and Dendritic Cell Therapies at Roswell Park. This five-year National Cancer Institute grant continues a long tradition of groundbreaking immunotherapy research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, says Congressman Brian Higgins. The research the clinicians at Roswell are conducting represents the next generation of transformational care for cancer patients. Cancer touches every family in one way or another, says Congressman Tom Reed. We are pleased to see this critical grant funding delivered to right here in our backyard to promote innovative breakthroughs for cancer treatment. We will continue to be a constant advocate for Roswell Park in the halls of Congress. Currently, depending on their cancer type and the genetic characteristics of their tumors, only about 20% of cancer patients are good candidates for a newer class of treatments called checkpoint inhibitors drugs such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda), nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy). Even among those patients who are likely to respond initially to treatment with a checkpoint inhibitor, 60% to 70% are likely to have their cancers recur or progress. Dr. Kalinski and colleagues have built a compelling case in support of their out-of-the-box approach to cancer immunotherapy, says Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. All of us in the field will be eagerly following this elegant work, which involves combinations that would uniquely harness previously untapped properties of the human immune system, and accompanied by innovative translational science that should yield greater understanding of immune responses to solid tumors. Dr. Kalinski has spent the last 15 years developing a unique approach to cancer immunotherapy, or cancer treatment strategies that engage the immune system first as a faculty member at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and more recently at Roswell Park. The NCI grant, which involves partners from both UPMC and The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, will enable five new phase II or phase IIA clinical trials to assess the efficacy of this multipronged approach two studies in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, one in patients with checkpoint-resistant advanced melanoma and two in advanced ovarian cancer. Three of the five studies will be conducted at Roswell Park, with the two ovarian cancer studies to be led at UPMCs Hillman Cancer Center, with participation from Roswell Park. Chemokines are a type of signaling protein with the ability to control the movements and growth of many immune cells, including cancer-fighting cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Together, the trials will explore three complementary strategies for targeting chemokines to alter the tumor microenvironment, or cells surrounding cancer cells, to promote the attraction and activation of CTLs, the key antitumor immune cells. Based on our earlier studies both in the lab and in early-phase clinical trials, we have evidence that we can selectively promote entry of antitumor killer cells into tumor microenvironments and reduce local accumulation of suppressive cells in order to sensitize cold tumors to immune checkpoint-inhibition therapy, notes Dr. Kalinski. The clinical trials will employ a chemokine-modulating regimen targeting three separate pathways of immune response the toll-like receptor-3, type-1 interferon and prostaglandin networks as well as specialized dendritic-cell therapeutic vaccines. The team will also work to assess the immunologic and clinical efficacy of this new therapeutic strategy; identify the biomarkers of response; and develop optimized treatment combinations for many patients with hard-to-treat ovarian and colorectal tumors. The program will also address the pressing challenge of determining the best treatment for patients with melanoma whose tumors recur or persist despite treatment with immunotherapy. OmniSeq Inc. will conduct advanced molecular diagnostic testing on participating patients tumor cells as part of the studies. AIM ImmunoTech Inc. has agreed to provide rintatolimod (brand name Ampligen), the chemokine-modulating agent to be incorporated into these studies. The clinical trials are not yet underway. Dr. Kalinski and team expect to open all five studies by year-end 2021. When active and open to accrual, the studies will be listed on both roswellpark.org/clinicaltrials and clinicaltrials.gov. ### For an online version of this release, please visit Roswell Park's website. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancers grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org. India's fiscal deficit in 2020-21 may shoot up to 6.2 percent of the GDP from 3.5 percent government estimate as a fallout of the COVID-19 economic stimulus package, Fitch Solutions said on April 1. With businesses disrupted due to the lockdown and its ripple effects, revenue will come under "heavy pressure" and may force the government to look towards additional borrowing and/or a higher central bank dividend to fund its expenditure, it said. "At Fitch Solutions, we are revising our forecast for India's FY21 (AprilMarch) central government fiscal deficit to widen to 6.2 percent of GDP, from 3.8 percent of GDP previously (estimated by Fitch Solutions), which reflects our view that the government will miss its initial target of 3.5 percent by a wider margin," the agency said. Underpinning the revised forecast are weaker revenue collection as a result of a sharp virus-driven downturn in economic activity and higher expenditures aimed at softening COVID-19's economic shock. Stating that weak economic activity will likely see revenue collection contract in 2020-21, Fitch Solutions said receipts may contract by 1 percent from a growth of 11.8 percent previously. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "We have revised our FY21 real GDP growth forecast to 4.6 percent, from 5.4 percent previously, to reflect our view for growth to weaken further from our estimate of 4.9 percent in FY20 due to both economic disruptions due to domestic movement restrictions and weak global demand," it said. The government declared a 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning March 25. "The rushed implementation of the lockdown which gave its citizens only a few hours to prepare has reportedly caused many rural migrants in the cities to be left without food and shelter, prompting them to return to their villages, either on the last remaining carriers or on foot." The mass migration of such workers raises a significant risk of a larger COVID-19 outbreak across the country, it said, adding the rural areas reportedly have fewer coronavirus cases versus the cities as of end-March and the perceived safety of the rural areas has given another reason for the migrant workers to return home. "As such, we see virus-led economic disruptions extending for several quarters, which will weigh heavily on personal and corporate income tax collections for the year," it said. At the same time, expenditures are expected to surge as the government responds to the COVID-19 crisis both on an economic and social front over 2020-21. "We forecast expenditures to rise by 22.2 percent despite lower revenue collection," it said. "Faced with a humanitarian crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that the central government will have no choice but to increase their spending, over and above what they have planned for in 2020-21 Union Budget and the Rs 1.7 lakh crore (0.8 percent of GDP) fiscal stimulus package it released on March 26." The package included cash handouts, free food for the poor, medical insurance for medical staff, and a temporary regulatory amendment for employees of small companies to dip into their pension fund to fund their expenditures in the meantime. Fitch Solutions said the Rs 1.7 lakh crore fiscal stimulus is "inadequate to provide support the economy of India's size amid a likely global recession". "In contrast, countries such as Singapore and the US have already announced stimulus packages worth 11 percent and 10 percent of GDP, respectively, and still are prepared to do more if necessary," it said. "As such, we expect additional stimulus packages to be announced by the Indian central government over the coming months, and have accordingly factored this into our deficit forecast revision." Stratford-on-Avon District Council has been forced to turn down a request for 137,000 from Stratforward BID to underwrite its continued operation for the next 6 months. The Leader of the District Council, Cllr Tony Jefferson, in conjunction with Cabinet colleagues, Stratford Town Ward members and other senior Councillors took the decision not to approve the funding in the light of the COVID-19 emergency. Stratforward, which supports businesses in the town centre, turned to the district council for help as many of those businesses will be unable to pay their annual levy bills in the coming weeks, on which the organisation relies for its funding. Daren Pemberton, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Place said: This was an extremely difficult decision to make, balancing the desire to support Stratforward in its current form, against the wider challenges across all sectors of the districts economy and the prospect that new structures will need to emerge to support economic recovery. He added: The BID has played a valuable role for its members in promoting Stratfords retail offering and organising events such as the River Festival, which clearly will not go ahead in 2020. The District Council has contributed financially to the BIDs running costs for many years. The majority of funding, however, through the member levy, due for renewal in April has dried up. The District Council is absolutely committed to helping the districts retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism sectors recover as quickly as possible from the economic impacts of COVID-19. We have already begun engaging with Stratforward, Shakespeares England, Leamington BID and Warwick District Council about a wider and more strategic cross sector approach to recovery planning. The Council has also lobbied central Government for further national support for the work of BIDs. Stratford District is in the eye of a perfect storm where all our key economic sectors including retail, leisure, hospitality tourism, automotive and agriculture are among those already hardest hit. Planning for recovery starts now and it is clear that the future of the retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism sectors in this district are inextricably intertwined. This calls for new structures agile enough to ensure Stratford District emerges stronger than before the impact of COVID-19. The District Council will play a pivotal strategic planning and enabling role in conjunction with businesses in these sectors of all sizes along with our neighbouring Councils at District and County level, regionally with CWLEP, the WMCA and at national Government level. A statement from Stratforwad BID said: Like millions of companies in the UK, Stratforward BID is having to come to terms with what has been basically a seismic change in circumstances overnight. As effectively a membership organisation, reliant for its income from member businesses that themselves have had their work and income turned upside down, it is particularly vulnerable. Annual levy bills are due to go out to members in the coming days, many of whom will simply not be in a position to pay at this time. Stratforward has therefore been exploring alternative possible temporary income streams, as well as changes to its normal operational practises, to ensure it is able to continue its work. Stratforward, like BIDs across the country are proving to be key conduits of information and advice from Government and other stakeholder organisations to individual members. Looking ahead they will be key to any strategic economic recovery plan. An application to Stratford District Council was just one of those avenues being explored. We understand and respect their decision. Their limited resources and funds are being stretched in every direction at this time and they understandably have to prioritise these. We are committed to finding other solutions so that our work can continue. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:32:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Students eat in canteen at the middle school attached to Sichuan University, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 1, 2020. More than 450,000 students in the final year of senior high schools in Sichuan returned to school on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) DUBAI: Irans president said on Wednesday the United States had missed a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country during the coronavirus outbreak, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehrans fight against the infection. It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions, crippling its economy. On Tuesday, U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility that the United States might consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus, but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. More than 80 Victorian healthcare workers have been infected with coronavirus, which authorities say was mostly contracted in the community rather than from their work on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis. The infected workers include doctors and nurses, as well as support and administrative staff. They comprise about 10 per cent of the cases confirmed in Victoria to date. Hospital staff assist people waiting in line to be screened for COVID-19 outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Around 80 members of Victoria's health workforce have tested positive to coronavirus. Credit:Luis Ascui Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said not all of the workers acquired the illness while at workplaces and none were suffering severe symptoms. "The numbers are significant," he told radio station 3AW. People who cough or spit at police officers during the coronavirus crisis could face two years in prison in Belgium. A group of Belgian prosecutors have laid out tougher guidelines for punishing offenders, saying coughing and spitting can be 'traumatising' for police. It comes after two men spat at police officers in separate incidents in Antwerp, where at least seven people have been booked for violating public health rules. Belgian police officers wearing a protective mask check a driver on the Dutch border last week. Spitting at such officers could lead to a two-year prison sentence The usual fine for violating Belgium's coronavirus measures is a 250 fine (220), Belgian media says. However, the tough new guidelines seen by De Standaard suggest sentences of between three months and two years in coughing and spitting cases. Law-breakers can also receive larger penalties of up to 2,400 (2,100) under the new regulations. Coughing or sneezing on food can attract even harsher penalties of up to five years in prison and a 16,000 fine (14,000). Erwin Dernicourt, the prosecutor general for Ghent and head of the nationwide College of Attorneys General, said: 'We want to signal that this is not permissible. 'Given the consequences that the coronavirus can have, it can be very traumatising for the officer.' Reports say judges are deciding whether seven people booked in the past week in Antwerp will be punished under the new regulations or not. Emergency workers wearing protective suits stand by a vehicle outside a nursing home as they prepare to evacuate residents to a hospital in Brussels today Belgium has reported 13,964 cases and 828 deaths in the pandemic, imposing a lockdown similar to that in many neighbouring countries. People are required to stay at home except for essential travel 'such as for food and medical needs, as well as for physical activity,' the government says. The government in Brussels has also imposed entry and exit checks on non-essential travel to and from Belgium. Belgium is also one of only two places, along with Hong Kong, to have found a pet being infected by coronavirus. Officials said a cat tested positive last week, but said it was an isolated case and that there was no evidence of animals spreading the virus to humans. Update: See the latest stories on the coronavirus outbreak. More than 25,000 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, just weeks after the first case in the country was confirmed. According to the latest official figures: As of 5pm on Monday, of those hospitalised in the UK, up to 1,801 people have died after contracting coronavirus. And as of 5pm on Tuesday, there had been 76 coronavirus-related fatalities in Scotland, a rise of 16 on Tuesday bringing the UK total to at least 1,817. Scotland, Northern Ireland and England have yet to announce their figures for Tuesday. More than 25,000 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus though the number of people actually infected is likely to be much higher. Coronavirus Heres the latest on Covid-19. Prince Charles records video message after self-isolating The Prince of Wales has made his first appearance since coming out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis, to record a video message in support of Age UK in response to the health crisis. Charles, who is patron of Age UK, said in the footage posted on royal social media accounts that he is now on the other side of the illness but is still in a state of social distance and general isolation. As Patron of @age_uk, The Prince of Wales shares a message on the Coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the older members of the community. pic.twitter.com/a6NEFPOtvQ Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 1, 2020 Edinburghs August festivals cancelled Edinburghs festivals have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Heres a list of all the events, shows and festivals that have been axed so far.) The Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, the Art Festival, the International Book Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have all been scrapped. Fergus Linehan, festival director, Edinburgh International Festival, said: We are hugely disappointed to announce this cancellation but given... Continue reading on HuffPost BERLIN Late last year long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus that was causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China. They had one by mid-January and labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later, around the same time that Europes most populous country registered its first case. It was clear that if the epidemic swept over here from China, then we had to start testing, said Hendrik Borucki, a spokesman for Bioscientia Healthcare, which operates 19 labs in Germany. That quick work stands in stark contrast to delays and missteps in other countries. Coupled with Germanys large number of intensive care beds and its early social distancing measures, it could explain one of the most interesting puzzles of the COVID-19 pandemic: Why are people with the virus in Germany currently dying at much lower rates than in neighboring countries? The numbers are remarkable: As confirmed cases in Germany passed 71,000, the death toll Wednesday was 775, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. In contrast, Italy has reported almost 106,000 infections and more than 12,400 deaths, while Spain has more than 102,000 cases with over 9,000 deaths. France has four times as many virus deaths as Germany and Britain has twice as many, even though both countries have fewer reported infections. There may be many factors at play, but experts said early on that fast and widespread testing gave Germany an edge. The reason why we in Germany have so few deaths at the moment compared to the number of infected can be largely explained by the fact that we are doing an extremely large number of lab diagnoses, said virologist Dr. Christian Drosten, whose team developed the first test for the new virus at Berlins Charite hospital established over 300 years ago to treat plague victims. He estimated that Germany is now capable of conducting up to 500,000 tests a week. Spain, meanwhile, tests between 105,000 and 140,000 people each week, about 20% to 30% what Germany is capable of. Italy did around 200,000 tests over the past week, but that reflects a significant recent ramp-up. Early access to the test from Drostens team is only part of the reason for Germanys head start. Before the country even registered its first case, authorities agreed the tests would be covered by its universal insurance system, and be available to everyone with symptoms and either recent travel to virus hotspots or close contact with a confirmed case. Still, Germany may not be as much of an anomaly as it seems. The fact that Spain and Italy which have seen much more intense outbreaks are doing fewer tests indicates they are missing many mild or asymptomatic cases. That makes their fatality rates look worse than they are. But Germany, too, is likely missing cases, and experts say that all figures worldwide undercount the extent of the pandemic. Limited testing also means the true spread of the virus is hidden in those countries further fueling the outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to to death. Ensuring those severely ill patients can be treated properly is key to managing the outbreak and preventing deaths. And there again, Germany has an advantage. Italy had 8.6 intensive care unit beds per 100,000 people before the outbreak, according to the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development. By comparison, Germanys most recent available figure is 33.9 per 100,000, or about 28,000 in total, a number the government wants to double. We are well prepared today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, said Dr. Uwe Janssens, who heads Germanys Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Hospitals in the hardest-hit areas of Italy, are now buckling under the weight of treating so many ill patients at once, contributing the countrys death toll the highest in the world. In the rare position of having beds to spare, German hospitals have taken in dozens of patients from Italy and France. While that will allow German doctors and nurses to learn how to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients, it also reflects a remarkable confidence in the countrys ability to manage its outbreak at a time when many others are shutting their borders. The Robert Koch Institute, Germanys disease control center, has suggested that strong measures imposed almost three weeks ago, including closing schools and restaurants, and later barring more than two people from gathering outside, seem to have slowed the rate of new infections. Experts have bemoaned that many countries took similar steps too late. Scientists advising the British government say major social distancing measures are necessary before there are 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people. According to the, albeit imperfect, data available, Italy imposed its lockdown four days after hitting that threshold but Germanys came a week before that level was reached. Officials stress Germany is still in an early stage of its outbreak. But Dr. Sebastian Johnston, a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said countries that intervene early with aggressive measures should theoretically be able to avoid the tsunami of cases seen in Italy and Spain. We were lucky to have had a long time to prepare, said Dr. Susanne Herold, a specialist for lung infections at the university hospital in Giessen. For weeks, her staff has been installing new ICU beds, training in the use of ventilators and planning for an emergency scenario. Amid the cautious optimism, there are those who warn against complacency. Chancellor Angela Merkel who is herself in isolation after her doctor tested positive has resisted calls to loosen the lockdown. A top government medical adviser, Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute, said he wouldnt rule out Germanys health system reaching its limit, too. This is still the calm before the storm, said Health Minister Jens Spahn. ___ Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak MBABANE Despite all institutions and government having taken stiff precautionary measures for the containment of the coronavirus, judges are expected to report to work. Chief Justice (CJ) Bheki Maphalala has issued a practice directive informing all judges to continue working during this period. There are 13 High Court Judges, six permanent Supreme Court judges and four in the Industrial Court. You are reminded to report to work timesouly and execute your duties accordingly. You are further advised to observe the necessary precautions in the practice directive, reads part of the directive. Directive According to the practice directive, only judicial officers who are lawfully on leave will be excused from reporting to work. It has been reliably gathered that the directive by the CJ did not sit well with most of the judges as they felt that by continuing to come to work, they were exposing themselves to the virus. This is not only unfair but it is also discriminatory as flexible working conditions have been made for the support staff, said one of the concerned judges. They further noted that the directive did not talk about them working from home, self-isolation or quarantining themselves but only directed them to report to work timeously. One of the judges opined that instead they should be allowed to work from home as it seemed the situation was calamitous. We are worried why we are not allowed to work from home as lawyers do not come to court and clearly our lives are in danger. This is the time when we should be working from home, writing reserved judgments, added another concerned judge. The judge said sometimes they went to court only to find that there were no lawyers, no witnesses and no prosecutors, forcing them to postpone matters. According to the judge, this had resulted in them postponing most of the matters. It was further observed by the judges that since the outbreak of the virus, no one had met with them to discuss precautionary measures they were expected to take and they mostly relied on the media for information. Weeks into a public health crisis that has rapidly gripped the state and threatens to crater state government finances, New Jersey officials announced they will extend the states fiscal year, slated to close June 30, through September, because of the coronavirus pandemic. The prolonged budget year allows the state to delay the tax filing deadline for taxpayers into July, which would otherwise be a new fiscal year. And importantly, it buys the governor and state lawmakers more time to get a handle on tax collections and hash out a government spending plan for the next fiscal year. Gov. Phil Murphy and leaders of the state Senate and Assembly announced the new arrangement Wednesday morning. This will allow the administration and the Legislature to focus fully on leading New Jersey out of this crisis, and to allow for a robust, comprehensive, and well-informed budget process later in the year, Murphy, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said in a joint statement. As of Tuesday evening, though, they were still awaiting a legal opinion blessing the expanded fiscal year, according to two legislative sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. New Jerseys state constitution does not specifically lock in a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year, and actually contemplates future changes in the makeup of a fiscal year. All moneys for the support of the state government and for all other state purposes as far as can be ascertained or reasonably foreseen, shall be provided for in one general appropriation law covering one and the same fiscal year; except that when a change in the fiscal year is made, necessary provision may be made to effect the transition, the constitution says. While the governors office and legislative leaders are confident they can alter the fiscal year, there is an argument to be made that constitutional amendments over the years requiring certain dedicated funds be appropriated by June 30 have effectively set the fiscal year, a legislative source said. But the circumstances are uniquely dire and the options few, the source added. The governor has ordered all nonessential businesses to close or drastically scale back their services in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which by Tuesday had infected at least 18,696 people and killed 267. That fight and those business closures are taking a toll on state tax revenues, which are vulnerable to economic conditions. If consumers arent shopping, sales tax revenues wane. If commuters arent driving, gas tax collections nosedive. If people arent working, income tax withholdings fall. New Jersey is considered ill prepared to weather a crisis such as this, due to its relatively small cash reserves and long-term pattern of spending outpacing revenues. Bracing for that precipitous declines in revenues, the treasurer announced last week she froze $920 million in discretionary spending. Moving the start of the next fiscal year until Sept. 30 relieves the pressure on the governor and lawmakers to pass a new spending plan by June 30, allowing the states budget analysts more time to monitor tax collections and estimate how much the state can expect to take in next year. Extending the fiscal year also means the state can delay the gross income tax and corporation business tax filing and payments deadlines to match the federal deadlines. Murphy had put off extending the states April 15 tax filing deadline, despite moves from the IRS and every other state to give taxpayers more time to file and pay their taxes. Usually by the end of April, we can access with a high degree of certainty how the balance of the fiscal year is gonna play out through May and June. And thats a good runway for us to be able to project and negotiate and finalize a budget, Murphy said during an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. So our decision is to push back our budget another three months to Sept. 30, push back filing of state taxes to July 15," he continued. "By the end of July, well have a good sense of where the year is coming out, and well be able to negotiate what will be a tough budget. Murphy introduced his state budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1 in late February. He wanted to raise taxes on people with more than $1 million in income, tack new taxes onto cigarette and gun purchases and tax opioid manufacturers and businesses whose employees wind up on Medicaid. Instead of trying to rewrite the budget and cram budget negotiations and the legislative review process into the next three months, Murphy and lawmakers will have six months to get a deal done. The Legislature will need to pass a supplemental bill to fund state operations into September, Murphy said. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Net Profit Surged by Over 75% with Financial Technology Boosting Business Transformation HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / GF Securities Co., Ltd. ("GF Securities" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; HKSE: 1776; SZSE: 000776), one of the most influential securities companies in China, announced its annual results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2019 (the "Reporting Period"). In 2019, GF Securities continued to maintain favorable development momentum with overall good operating performance, and achieved a significant increase in key financial indicators, such as revenue and net profit. During the Reporting Period, the Group's total revenue and other income recorded RMB30,077 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 31.82%. The net profit attributable to owners of the Company rose by 75.32% year-on-year to RMB7,539 million. Mr. Sun Shuming, the Chairman of GF Securities Co., Ltd., said: "Facing the complicated internal and external environments in 2019, GF Securities' management has cultivated with all staff in a cohesive way and the Company's respective key operational indicators continued to stand at the top of the industry. The year 2020 is a decisive year for building China into a moderately prosperous society, the last year of China's 13th Five-year Plan, and a critical year for poverty alleviation. Facing the sudden outbreak of novel coronavirus disease at the beginning of the year, the Company responded quickly with assistances including from capital and resources to financial services, proactively fulfilling our social responsibilities as a corporate citizen." Speeding up the transformation of the investment banks customer structure and ranking 4th in the industry by the number of acting as a lead underwriter in equity financing projects In 2019, GF Securities continued to speed up the strategic transformation of the customer structure and continually expanded and reserved large customers with high quality. Actively responding to the national strategic deployment and regulatory requirements, the Company focused on the projects in the STAR Market and endeavored to develop, cultivate and recommend the listing of projects in the STAR Market. And the Company continuously improved the internal control system of investment banks by strictly controlling project risks and insisting on stable and balanced development. Story continues During the Reporting Period, the Company completed 34 equity financing projects, for which it acted as a lead underwriter, ranking 4th in the industry. The equity financing lead underwritten amount was RMB26.614 billion, ranking 8th in the industry. Among these projects, the Company acted as a lead underwriter for 16 IPOs, ranking 4th in the industry and the lead underwritten amount was RMB8.96 billion, ranking 5th in the industry. For the debt financing business, the Company acted as the lead underwriter for 166 bonds, with a total underwritten amount of RMB135.929 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 41.13%. As of the end of 2019, the Company sponsored a total of 64 companies listed on the NEEQ as the lead brokerage, of which there were 12 innovative enterprises. Leading scientific and technological financial model in the industry to boost the transformation of wealth management business In 2019, leveraging on financial technology, the Company made good progress in promoting the transformation of its business model to digitalization and intelligence and the transformation of its business lines from brokerage to wealth management, expanding institutional brokerage business and comprehensive business and other aspects. In 2019, the Company endeavored to build a quick trading system for the brokerage business by constructing a full chain quick passage from day trading to day-end clearing, built Touyitong () trading platform as a trading service port for professional investors to provide them with algorithm transaction support and smart information warning for their positions, continuously improved the self-developed blockchain based ABS credible cloud system for monitoring the status of underlying assets in the CMBS commercial property special plan, implemented the strategic idea of data center and intelligent center and made continuous effort to optimize the big data and artificial intelligence open platform (GF-SMART), developed the technical application of intelligent warning, intelligent recommendation, intelligent calling and knowledge map, established real-time, penetrating and continuous risk tracking and measurement to provide an integrated compliance and risk control capability coverage for the entire group and business, constantly pushed on the cloud evolution of the Company's own infrastructure, integrated the idea of micro-service and DevOps at the platform level and laid a solid foundation for our business development. As of the end of 2019, the Company has in aggregate applied for 29 invention patents, 3 utility model patents and 12 software copyrights; among them, the Company has obtained 1 utility model patent and 12 software copyrights. Benefiting from the continuously implement of financial technology strategy, the Company's trading volume of stocks and funds increased by 33.37% year-on-year to RMB11.07 trillion (bilateral statistics) in 2019. As of the end of 2019, the number of the Company's mobile-phone securities users exceeded 27.20 million, representing an increase of approximately 23% as compared to the end of last year; the number of subscribers of the Company's WeChat account was over 3.00 million; during the Report Period, the sales and transfer amount of financial products of the Yitaojin E-commerce platform amounted to RMB366.2 billion (including GF Golden Cash Return Collective Asset Management Scheme); the Betanew () smart investment advisory system served over 800,000 customers accumulatively with the sale amount of financial products of RMB22.8 billion. Outstanding performance in trading and institution business while investment research capability maintaining excellent In respect of trading and institution business, in 2019, the Company obtained the 2019 AA (highest) rating in terms of the SSE's 50ETF market maker business, and ranked No.9 among securities firms in terms of the trading volume of bonds in China. As of the end of 2019, the Company provided market-making services for 102 NEEQ enterprises and was recognized as "Excellent Market Marker of the Year" and "Excellent Market Maker of the Year in Market-Making Size" by NEEQ. In respect of asset custody business, total asset scale of asset custody and fund service business provided by the Company as at the end of 2019 was RMB217.365 billion, representing an increase of 16.44% as compared to the end of 2018, of which the scale of trust products was RMB95.146 billion, and the scale of fund service products provided was RMB122.219 billion. The Company has issued 15,080 OTC products in aggregate with an aggregate amount of approximately RMB727.948 billion as at the end of 2019, with a market value of approximately RMB51.031 billion. Specifically, the Company issued 4,744 new OTC products with an aggregate amount of RMB103.948 billion during 2019. Its wholly-owned subsidiary GF Qianhe actively carried out alternative investment business with its own funds. During the Reporting Period, GF Qianhe completed 19 new equity investment projects with a total investment of RMB0.806 billion. As of the end of 2019, GF Qianhe has completed 117 equity investment projects. GF Securities' investment research capability maintained its leading position and granted several major titles, including 1st in the "New Fortune's Domestic Best Research Teams" again, "Top 5 Golden Bull Research Team" awarded by "China Securities Industry Analyst Golden Bull Award" for the sixth consecutive year and 2nd in the "Best Analyst Team" by "Institutional Investors Caixin Capital Market Analyst Achievement Award" in 2019 for the first time. GF Securities' equity research covers nearly 700 A shares listed company in the PRC in 28 industries and nearly 110 companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Currently, the Company is actively promoting the internationalization of research brands so far as permitted by and in compliance with laws and regulations. Leveraging on the financial group edges to improve investment management capability Leveraging on the financial group structure edges, GF Securities has been continuously strengthening investment management capability through its subsidiaries in 2019. As of the end of 2019, its wholly-owned subsidiary GF Asset Management had a net asset management scale of RMB297.214 billion and successfully issued two products transferred from large collectives to public offerings; its wholly-owned subsidiary GF Xinde set up and managed nearly 40 private funds and the total size of customers' asset under management was near to RMB10 billion. GF Xinde and the funds under its management completed approximately 250 equity investment projects covering industries such as biomedicine, intelligent manufacturing and corporate service. The Group's controlled subsidiary, GF Fund, and associate company, E Fund maintained its leading position in the industry. As at the end of 2019, the publicly offered funds managed by GF Fund have reached RMB502.56 billion, representing an increase of 7.28% as compared to the end of 2018, and the total fund size excluding money market funds and short-term wealth management bond funds was RMB278.46 billion, ranking 7th in the industry; the publicly offered funds managed by E Fund have reached RMB730.870 billion, representing an increase of 11.75% as compared to the end of 2018, and the total fund size excluding money market funds and short-term wealth management bond funds was RMB405.086 billion, ranking 1st in the industry. Looking ahead to 2020, GF Securities will further uphold the philosophy of a robust operation, strengthen internal control management and continue to deepen the promotion of transformation of investment banking, wealth management, trading and institutions, investment management businesses, as well as prudently implement the overall requirements of "leading the healthy development of the industry with cultural construction" by the regulatory authorities, further increase cultural soft power of the Company, and take on more important historical mission. - End - About GF Securities Co. Ltd Established in 1991, GF Securities Co., Ltd. is one of the first, full-service investment banks in China. The Company was successfully listed on the main boards of the Shenzhen stock Exchange (Stock code: 000776.SZ), and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock code: 1776.HK), in 2010 and 2015, respectively. Relying on excellent business performance, risk management and quality services, the company achieves sustained and steady development, and is one of the most influential securities companies in China. The Company possesses industry-leading innovation capabilities and has built a diversified business portfolio serving various corporations, individuals, institutional investors, financial institutions and governments. As of December 31, 2019, the Company operates 283 brokerage branches, providing extensive national coverage to 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions throughout China. For five consecutive years in 2015 and 2019, GF Securities ranked in the forefront of "Hurun's Top Brands List" amongst listed Chinese securities companies. The Company is actively committed to social responsibility and caring, focusing on education and poverty through "GF Securities Social Charity Foundation", and as a result has enjoyed a continuously growing reputation and an influential brand. The press release is issued by Porda Havas International Finance Communication Group on behalf of GF Securities Co. Ltd. For enquiries, please contact: Porda Havas International Finance Communication Group Mr. Bunny Lee +852 3150 6707 bunny.lee@pordahavas.com Ms. Angela Shi +852 3150 6778 angela.shi@pordahavas.com Fax: +852 3150 6728 SOURCE: GF Securities Co., Ltd. via EQS Newswire View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/582972/GF-Securities-Announced-2019-Annual-Results Scott Olson/Getty Images The vicious stabbing of an Asian-American family, including a 2-year-old girl, at a Sams Club in Texas earlier this month has been deemed a hate crime by the feds, as authorities continue to raise alarm bells about a potential surge in racially motivated crimes amid the coronavirus outbreak. Jose L. Gomez, 19, confessed to authorities that he attempted to murder three Asian-American family members, including the toddler and a 6-year-old, on March 14 at the Midland, Texas store, according to the Midland Police Department. Gomez, who stabbed the individuals and a Sams Club employee, is now facing several charges, including three counts of attempted capital murder and one count of aggravated assault. He is being held on several bonds totaling $1 million. The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with coronavirus, according to an FBI analysis report obtained by ABC News. Inside the Ugly Uber and Lyft Driver Freakout Over Coronavirus The Texas incident was used in the report as one example of a recent surge in hate crimes and racially fueled violence targeting Asian-Americans as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the United States. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Gomez attempted to kill the Asian-American family of four inside the wholesale store at about 7:30 p.m. When a Sams Club employee and another patron intervened, Gomez allegedly stabbed the patron in the leg and fingers with a knife. At one point, the customer was able to knock the knife away from Gomez during the struggle before the teenager was finally subdued by Border Patrol Agent Bernie Ramiez, who was off-duty and just leaving the store after shopping for groceries, the affidavit states. Ramirez later told CBS7 that during the altercation, he saw the store employee had managed to put Gomez in a chokehold after he had stabbed multiple people. Story continues My initial thought was it was just the shortage of items that they were fighting over, Ramirez told the local outlet. So I just started making my way over there to break it up. The agent added, Ive got close to 19 years in law enforcement. Its crazy and its sad the way certain individuals think, their mindset. Its a sad deal. When authorities arrived at the Sams Club, investigators immediately began to question Gomez. The teenager then admitted to trying to kill the family and assaulting the patron with a knife, the affidavit states. Ramirez did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment and a spokesperson for Midland Mayor Patrick Paytons office declined to comment, stating that the case has now been turned over to the FBI. According to the intelligence report that was compiled by the FBIs Houston office and distributed to local law enforcement agencies across the nation, federal officials believe hate crimes will only increase as COVID-19 continues to spread. Were Scared: Doctors in New Coronavirus Hotspots Brace for Tsunami of Patients The FBI assesses hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease... endangering Asian American communities, the report states. The FBI makes this assessment based on the assumption that a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations. To date, more than 3,416 people have died and 174,467 individuals have been infected with the virus nationwidea death toll that has eclipsed Chinas official count and put much of the United States on lockdown. Since then, several political and media commentators, including President Donald Trump, have adopted the practice of calling the pandemic the China virus or the Wuhan virus. It did come from China, Trump said at a March 19 White House briefing. It is a very accurate term. Many experts and political figures believe that officials using racial terms for the virus has contributed to discrimination against members of the Asian-American community. This is a global emergency that should be met with both urgency and also cultural awareness that COVID-19 is not isolated to a single ethnic population, Jeffrey Caballero, executive director of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, said in a statement to The Daily Beast. Xenophobic attacks and discrimination towards Asian American communities are unacceptable and will not make our families safer or healthier. California Gov. Gavin Newsom reiterated the FBIs report findings, stating he has seen a huge increase in assaults targeting the Asian-American community in his state. In New York, Attorney General Leticia James launched a hotline for victims of coronavirus-related bias crimes. Since the surge, even Trump tried to backtrack on his language, tweeting on March 23, It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER! This Is a War: Cuomo Pleads for Help From Doctors Across U.S. as Coronavirus Death Toll Surges According to one New York City medical social worker, racism is also rampant in the health-care system as Asian-American doctors and nurses struggle to care for patients who dont want to be touched. I get yelled at down the street coming into work from people in their cars saying all these really nasty things and telling me I should be punished for bringing the virus here, the social worker told The Daily Beast last week. Inside the hospital, I have heard from several Asian-American doctors and nurses that some patients dont want to be treated by them because they think they already have the virus. Its like we are the virus or something. Its scary and its dangerous. Were already putting ourselves on the line to help others. Dont make it harder for us than it is, she added. 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. Just recently, Mexico started implementing more proactive measures against the deadly COVID-19. However, some critics state that the country with a population of approximately 129 million may have waited too long to make efforts to contain the COVID-19 situation, says an article. Confirmed Cases in Mexico As of March 31, Mexico had reported more or less 1,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with least 28 people who lost their battle with the illness, according to the latest records of Johns Hopkins University. However, some experts believe that that information is an understatement to the true numbers of the country's COVID-19 cases. Banning Non-essential Government Work In the previous week, Mexico had banned non-essential government work as COVID-19 confirmed cases escalated further. However, they waited until Monday to extend the ban to other business sectors in the country. The government also ordered the avoidance of gatherings of more than 50 attendees. COVID-19 Testing in Mexico Mexico conducted significantly less COVID-19 tests compared to other nations despite the strong assumption that the illness may be more advanced in Mexico compared to the results that the limited tests reveal. According to the National Public Health Institute's infectious disease expert Janine Ramsey, people should've been tested in February and March. CHECK THESE OUT: Mexico's Health Surveillance System The government of Mexico stated that the country's surveillance system provides an idea of how the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving. They also revealed that health experts are already charting Mexico's battle with the deadly novel coronavirus. As of now, the government is focused on keeping citizens inside their homes. This will help prevent the spread of the disease. Additionally, this will help prevent the illness to overwhelm the Mexican health care system. Mexico's Coronavirus Spokesman: "Stay at Home" The coronavirus spokesman of the government Hugo Lopez-Gatell is urging the public to stay at home. He said that it is urgent advice and that it is the country's last opportunity. However, the government's advice to the people to stay at home is not penalized when not followed. Crossing the US-Mexican Border There was a previous agreement between the United States of America and Mexico to prevent crossing the US-Mexican border. However, the restrictions only apply to those who will be crossing it for reasons such as tourism, recreation, and other non-essential reasons. The Stay-At-Home Advice to Public Previously, it was reported that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had been showing a relaxed attitude towards the COVID-19 crisis. He even said through a video clip that the novel coronavirus is not the plague. Many people in the country revealed that they cannot follow the stay-at-home order because of their need to work and earn income to put food on the table, while other people were saying the Mexican government does not believe that the COVID-19 pandemic does not show any threat to the country. From Global Virus Acceleration to Global Debt Explosion The novel coronavirus is exploding in the US and Europe, due to complacency and inadequate preparedness. The escalation will translate to debt explosion, which will further complicate and prolong the fight against the virus globally. As the COVID-19 challenge moved from imported cases to local transmissions, I warned in the briefing of March 9 that the rise of local transmissions was a game-changer in the coronavirus escalation. Here's what I projected then: Even though many observers expected virus challenges to ease toward April, the acceleration of new cases outside China is only beginning and likely grossly under-reported. The number of confirmed cases worldwide is set to climb in the future even faster as tests are broadened in major affected countries. So, what has actually happened in the past three weeks? Explosion of new virus cases in the US and Europe On January 9, the few known cases were in Wuhan. On February 9, the number of cases exceeded 40,000, most of them were in China. During the subsequent critical month, when China contained the virus, major countries outside China especially North America and Europe failed to mobilize against the virus. The net effect? On March 9, there were almost 315,000 cases, but most of them outside China. And if these cases continue to soar by 40,000-60,000 daily nearly 4-6 times faster than 1-2 weeks ago, then by April 9 they could exceed 1.3 million. If the acceleration still intensifies, that figure will be even higher. If it decelerates, it will be lower (Figure). Figure Current acceleration scenario (through April 9, 2020) Source: Difference Group; data from WHO In the worst phase of the Chinese outbreak, the comparable acceleration was barely 4,000; that is, less than 7% (!) of the current acceleration. Over time, this acceleration may translate to huge collateral damage not just in North America and Europe, but particularly in emerging and developing economies of the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Africa through plunges in world finance, trade, investment, and migration. Explosion of new sovereign debt The early economic defense has been by the major central banks to cut down the rates, inject liquidity and re-start major asset purchases. But as the post-2008 decade has shown, monetary responses cannot resolve fiscal challenges. The early damage has focused on a set of key sectors, such as healthcare, transportation, retail, tourism, among others. As a result, ultra-low rates, liquidity injections and asset purchases will be coupled with targeted fiscal stimuli in affected economies. Yet, current measures to restrict the infection and economic damage will contribute to further debt erosion in major advanced and emerging economies. Recently, the White House signed the $2 trillion coronavirus bill, the largest ever US stimulus. In the Trump era, US sovereign debt has increased record fast and now exceeds $23.5 trillion (107% of GDP). Thanks to the bill, it will soar faster than ever before. Yet, unemployment rates and business defaults could prove devastating. In view of the US Federal Reserve, there is no reason for concern because it can support the economy. As the only central bank in the world, the Fed can print more dollars to reduce the severity and limit the duration of the coronavirus economic crisis. That will ease the US crisis in the short-term, while worsening the severity and extending the duration of the coronavirus contraction in the rest of the world. In other words, we are back in the post-2008 territory, but now, after a decade of ultra-low rates, rounds of quantitative easing and liquidity injections, the situation is potentially much worse. Before the virus, Washingtons debt burden was expected to increase to 110% of GDP, which the stimulus bill (9% of GDP) will dramatically increase to a level where that ratio was in Italy during its sovereign debt crisis in the early 2010s. In Italy, the level of sovereign debt is today significantly higher (135%) and in Japan outright alarming (240%). In Europe, the Maastricht Treaty deems that member states should not have excessive government debt (60%+ of GDP). Today, no major European economy fulfills that criteria. Nevertheless, to overcome their short-term challenges, the major European countries will take more debt, which will further erode their debt to GDP ratios. Multipolar cooperation to deter nightmare scenarios In advanced economies, the coronavirus contraction has potential to wipe out much of the past decades recovery, which the US tariff wars have already undermined for two years. Meanwhile, developing countries, which have weaker healthcare systems, already suffer from financial and debt vulnerabilities and may not be able to withstand still another external shock. Moreover, supply-side measures alone cannot resolve pandemic challenges. If containment measures fail, or subsequent mitigation proves inadequate, or new virus clusters emerge after containment and mitigation, markets will remain volatile and economies will suffer further damage, particularly with multiple waves of secondary infections after the current restrictive measures. Worse, current virus scenarios are based on the assumption that the virus wont return and wont mutate. Yet, increasing numbers of cases could raise the probability of both scenarios. What is needed to avoid further nightmare scenarios is multipolar cooperation among major economies and across political differences. President Xi Jinpings call on Trump to cooperate against the virus is a good start but far more is needed in the US and Europe to defuse the virus acceleration. Dr. Dan Steinbock is the founder of Difference Group and has served at the India, China and America Institute (US), Shanghai Institute for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). For more, see http://www.differencegroup.net/ 2020 Copyright Dan Steinbock - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Dan Steinbock Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. New Delhi, April 1 : South Korea did a very good job of mapping the people affected by virus using technology and by February 17, the countrys tally of COVID-19 patients was just 30 with zero deaths. South Korea thought the situation was well under control. The 31st case in South Korea, discovered on February 18 in Daegu city, was a member of a quasi-Christian cult called Shincheonji, one of the religious movements in the country. Within eight days of patient no 31 contracting the virus, the count of infected people went up to 977 -- with the patient became the tipping point in spreading the virus widely across South Korea. In France, a five-day megachurch conference is reportedly being blamed for sparking the country's largest cluster of coronavirus cases. According to local government officials, the annual prayer meeting at the Christian Open Door Church in the border city of Mulhouse in mid-February has been linked to as many as 2,500 coronavirus cases worldwide. In India, the Nizamuddin Markaz of Tablighi Jamaat has found itself in the eye of a storm for holding a religious programme during prohibitory orders issued amid the coronavirus scare in the country. Sources say a total of 2100 people have been evacuated from the Markaz till early morning on Wednesday and symptomatic patients have been shifted to hospitals. As per Delhi government source, till Tuesday, a total of 24 people have tested positive from the Nizamuddin Markaz so far. From the Markaz, while 441 were taken to hospitals, 1,447 have been put in quarantine. According to Santhosh Babu, founder of OrgLens, a start-up that maps and analyses social networks to increase organisational effectiveness, we need to look into the construct of social networks and roles different people play in social networks to understand this crazy spread. While it is difficult to map these networks in our community and take preventive action, a general awareness about how infectious diseases spread through social connections and how some people could accelerate this spread is useful. "If you happened to be a Hub with so many connections and social interactions or a connector or a bridge, you need to be more careful and aware so that your proactive actions could reduce the spread," he added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Ukrainians, who escaped from the place of observation, are obliged to pay fine in the sum of 17,000 hryvnia (about $613) In Kyiv, over 50 people escaped from observation at Kozatsky hotel. They recently returned from abroad as 112 Ukraine TV channel reported citing Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko. According to him, these people were returned from Qatar by a special flight a few days ago. Herashchenko explained that they could leave the observation due to legislative inaccuracies. We cannot keep people forcibly, Herashchenko noted. However, the Deputy Interior Minister underlined that the citizens should understand their responsibility and they will pay fines. We did not apply forcible actions toward these people. Everyone who left observation without permission will pay fine in the sum of 17,000 hryvnias (about $613). It is the punishment for violation of the rules of observation. Just, some citizens are very rich in comparison with the majority of the population of Ukraine, can afford to pay fines. For every violation of the observation, and people who left it once will be constantly controlled; 17,000 hryvnias will be paid for each violation, Herashchenko said. Besides, the Interior Ministry urged Ukrainians not to jeopardize surrounding people with infection and take care of their health. It is necessary for our citizens to understand the importance of their responsibility that if they are infected, they may infect someone else, in such case they will face criminal punishment. As for today, our position is clear the Interior Ministry does not agree with any flight to Ukraine. We offer our citizens and demand from you to comply with the conditions of the observation, Herashchenko concluded. On March 30, the Ukrainians who returned from Bali and Qatar were transferred to Kozatsky hotel for observation. Three buses accompanied by police proceeded to the observation place from the airport. Later, the Ukrainians started to leave the place of observation. Due to this fact, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov believes that the further evacuation of Ukrainians from abroad would be inappropriate. Care workers who volunteered to isolate with the vulnerable residents of a care home have insisted there was 'no hesitation' about the decision. Eight staff at Bridgedale House home in Sheffield are isolating themselves with 23 dementia patients, giving up going home after their shifts to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus to their residents, who are 'like family'. The staff are staying in the residential home round the clock for at least two weeks, and told on Lorraine today they would have stayed 'from the get go', despite the lock-down, to avoid any spread of the disease. Care assistants Sarah Willis (left) and Maria Mantu with residents of Bridgedale House care home in Sheffield pictured on lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak Deputy manager Lynsey Wright (right), care assistant Sarah-Jane Clark (left)and Katie Wright (middle) appeared on Lorraine today Deputy manager Lynsey Wright, said: 'No hesitation at all, for me or any or the girls. We just thought, "Yeah we'll do it". 'They are like another family, obviously we spend a lot of time with them. But its not like work, in a way it's like visiting your family. She later added: 'I would not be doing this because of lockdown, I was going to do this from the get go. 'Because people need to be looked after and if we're not going to do it, who's going to do it? Id rather do it myself than have people going in and out putting them at risk.' The carers told they are giving up going home after their shifts so they don't spread the coronavirus to their resitents, who are 'like family'. Pictured, care assistant Sarah Willis (R) and cate assistant Maria Mantu (L) with residents of Bridgedale House She explained that while a few of the patients are aware of the situation, the majority are not, and so she and other staff are trying as hard as possible to maintain a normal atmosphere. 'We have a few that are aware, said Lynsey, 'The majority of them arent. We're just being very over positive, carrying on day to day, so their normal lives are as normal as possible. 'We are still contacting family members, by Facetiming them, daily calls to family members - so they're still seeing them.' Care assistant Sarah-Jane Clark admitted that at 23-years-old, while she was dubious about spending time away from her family and fiance, she too knew that her 'second family' needed her. Lyndsy explained that while a few of the patients are aware of the situation, the majority are not, and so she and other staff are trying as hard as possible to maintain a normal atmosphere They told host Lorraine Kelly (pictured left) they would have stayed 'from the get go' despite the lock-down, to avoid any spread of the highly contagious disease 'At first in the back of my mind, I thought can I be away from my family for that long? But you have to, and this is my second family and they need me.' Speaking of her fiance, she said: 'He was really good and very understanding, he messages me every day. Lovely messages, saying how proud he is. He's been brilliant about the whole thing.' She added that grateful families have been sending supportive messages everyday, revealing: 'They're so grateful, Im waking up to messages everyday,checking in, seeing how we're all getting on. It really keeps us going and puts smiles on our faces.' Katie Wright, spoke of leaving her children with her partner, saying: 'I miss them all the time. Im on constant contact with them. We're always video calling and I think he's doing quite well on his own.' Lindsay celebrated birthday over the weekend, and admitted while it was strange being away from her husband, she was able to enjoy the occasion with her patients and 'sleepover buddies'. 'It was a little bit strange', she said ,'But it was really nice. I had my sleepover buddies and all the residence, we had a birthday cake and we really enjoyed it.' Packed out megachurches. Pastors facing arrest for violating state orders. Thousands of worshippers defiantly congregating while the coronavirus pandemic rages on in the United States. Despite the countrys death toll surpassing that of China and nearly 200,000 cases of the novel virus having been confirmed nationwide, reports throughout the week showed some religious leaders continuing to hold church services in states across the country. On Monday, the head of an Evangelical megachurch in Tampa, Florida was arrested for hosting services in the state as it faced over 5,200 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Rodney Howard-Browne was charged with unlawful assembly and violating health emergency rules. A day later, another pastor was charged with defying public orders in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the Life Tabernacle Church reportedly drew hundreds of parishioners and protesters on Tuesday evening. That pastor, Tony Spell, insisted he would continue holding church services despite the charges against him and said his doors will remain open this coming Sunday. We will continue to have church, Mr Spell said in a Facebook Live video, describing the state orders as a government overreach to his followers. They are asking us as a government to stop practising our freedom of religion, he said. We have a mandate from God to assemble and to gather together and to keep doing what were doing. Louisiana has also confirmed at least 5,200 cases, though experts said the true figures were likely far higher due to a lack of testing for coronavirus. Meanwhile, pastors have joined a lawsuit in Texas demanding religious liberty exemptions to a local order restricting Houston residents to stay at home amid the pandemic. The order notes that faith leaders may continue to minister and counsel in individual settings, so long as social distance protocols are followed. But at least three pastors have rejected those orders according to the court filings. They were joined in the lawsuit by Republican activist Steven Hotze, Vox reported, whose political action committee was labelled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre. US health officials have estimated as many as 100,000 to 240,000 deaths resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, as the White House extended guidelines for Americans to continue practising social distancing measures for another 30 days. Donald Trump initially suggested a re-opening of the country could take place on Easter Sunday, saying it would be a beautiful day for the hundreds of millions of Americans living under various stay-at-home orders to be allowed out, even if it were somewhat early. Asked just a week ago when he thought the White House guidelines would end, the president told Fox News: I think Easter Sunday and you'll have packed churches all over our country, I think it would be a beautiful time. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Financial relief is finally on the way to many Americans who are struggling due to the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, it will take a lot longer for Americans to recover from the fear the Coronavirus has sparked in many peoples hearts. I take this pandemic seriously and you should as well. But statistically, your risk of getting the virus is still remote and the risk of dying from it is minimal, but there is a virus that we hear almost nothing about these days, and it is absolutely going to touch you. In fact, the death rate from it is 100%. I speak of the virus of sin; an infection that has been passed on since the beginning of human existence. Its a virus that we all have and are born with. The Bible says it this way: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And sadly, every single one of us will actually die from it. Again, the message of the Bible is that The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Thats pretty dismal and sounds hopeless. But while we cant stop the earthly consequences of the sin virus, the rest of that verse tells us there is a cure. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The cure is blood-based; the blood of a Savior that cures the sin virus for its eternal effect. I say this not to be preachy, but to remind you that even in the midst of some of the most frightening days of our nations history and while understanding that many will have a hard time of paying bills, holding a job, or finishing school, or visiting elderly relatives there is hope. There is light in the midst of the darkness, and even if you avoid coronavirus, you need to take steps to protect yourself from an even more deadly virus, but one that already has a cure and a cure that costs you nothing but your willingness to accept it. As Christians, many of us have already accepted this free gift, but we have a golden opportunity to share it with others and tell them about the hope that we have in the Lord. My prayer is that this virus would not leave the imprint of economic hardship, or fear, but instead that it would cause hearts to come to God, people to care more for their neighbors, and families to be strengthened as they spend time together. I believe that when we bring the powerful solution of our faith to others, to our communities, and to the voting booth, we will be a force for good in our nation. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the United States missed a historic opportunity to lift the economic sanctions and apologise for their wrongdoing. During a televised cabinet meeting on April 1, Rouhani said that the Americans did not learn a lesson even in these harsh global conditions. They have always acted against the Iranian nation, but today their animosity towards the Iranian nation is more obvious, said the Iranian leader. Calling the sanctions cruel and illegal, Rouhani highlighted that the coronavirus crisis is not confined to one region and even one country lagging behind in the fight would impact the whole world. His comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted that Washington might consider easing sanctions on Iran. Read: Trump Wants Florida Officials To Welcome Cruise Ship Hit By Coronavirus 'Health infrastructure strong enough' Last week, Rouhani assured that the health infrastructure is strong enough to combat the Coronavirus pandemic if the situation escalates. Addressing a session of National Task Force fighting against the deadly virus, the Iranian President expressed hope that the government should not have to fine anyone while implementing the plan of social distancing. Rouhani said that a COVID-19 patient will have to pay only 10 per cent of the healthcare cost while the government and insurance companies will take care of the 90 per cent. He said that the grocery stores would remain active with an adequate supply of food and it is not one of those countries where it remains available for just the two hours a day. You see, how well the transfer of food from the port or the farmland where the food is shipped to the warehouses and from there to the stores and from stores to the people is happening without any interruption, said the Iranian President. Read: Coronavirus Test Kits Heading To UK Found Contaminated With Virus: Reports The 71-year-old Iranian leader said that all refineries, oil wells, power plants, water treatment plants and the country's major transportation system are active and ready to operate all over the country. He also urged everyone to disclose their medical condition if they fall ill adding that if he gets the infection and doesnt tell his family and friends, it will be one of the greatest betrayals. Read: Coronavirus: Hassan Rouhani Warns Of 'new Way Of Life' As Iran Death Toll Reaches 2,640 Read: Hassan Rouhani Defends Iran's Response To Combat Coronavirus Outbreak Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Presidential advisor on health has disclosed some of the medicines given to people infected by the COVID-19 in Ghana. Ghana so far has 195 cases with 5 deaths. According to the Ghana Health Service, Three (3) of the confirmed cases have fully recovered and reverted to negative status for COVID-19 after repeat test following recovery from symptoms. Apart from that forty-nine (49) of the confirmed cases have significantly improved with no symptoms and have been discharged from admission for home care pending repetition of laboratory tests. There is a huge debate on some of the medications given to COVID-19 patients. This controversy started when US President Donald Trump mentioned Chloroquine as potential remedies for coronavirus. Subsequently, officials in Nigeria issued a statement cautioning against the use of chloroquine for Covid-19 treatment after some people overdosed on the drug. Interacting With Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Dr Nsiah Asare said according to the treatment guidelines in Ghana, Chloroquine is one of the first line of drugs given to the patients. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Domestic violence victims are reporting abuse cases at a higher rate in the Houston region since COVID-19 stay-at-home orders took effect in area counties last month, advocates and law enforcement officials say. Theres been a significant increase in the number of domestic violence hotline calls and requests for emergency housing since social isolation became Houstons new normal in early March, shelters in the region are reporting. The number of domestic violence calls for service to the Houston Police Department increased by 6 percent this month compared to last, Chief Art Acevedo said. Some will die not from the COVID-19 virus, but instead at the hands of an intimate partner and domestic violence, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez in a statement Tuesday. Life as we know it, has come to a halt, but domestic violence has not. It will only escalate as people shelter in place, lose jobs and deal with mounting stress. That, of course, is no excuse. That is a huge recipe for some very bad things to happen. In Harris County, the Houston Area Womens Center, which works with a network of nearby shelters, reported an unusually high number of calls 175 on Saturday and Sunday, half of which were requests for shelter. The centers capacity is capped at 120. More Information See More Collapse Two people have been killed because of suspected domestic violence in Harris County since the stay-at-home order was implemented. A Channelview man was fatally shot and stabbed by his wife Thursday night, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office. On Tuesday, a northeast Harris County woman was shot to death by her husband while their three children were inside the home, Gonzalez said. Major disruptions of regular routines escalate the occurrence and severity of domestic violence, said Linda Phan, policy director for the Texas Council on Family Violence. (Its) the same outcome our agencies are reporting across Texas as the COVID-19 crisis continues and perpetrators use the pandemic as a weapon of control to reinforce isolation from family and friends. Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, which provides free legal and counseling services to survivors in the greater Houston region, reports it experienced an uptick in calls since the stay-at-home order took effect. The Montgomery County District Attorneys office said there was a 35 percent increase in the number of domestic violence-related cases filed last month compared to the same time period in 2019. While national data on domestic violence since the pandemic began is not yet available, agencies across the nation have anecdotally said they are also seeing an increase in calls. In China, where the novel coronavirus originated, domestic violence incidents have reportedly tripled since the country enforced its lock-down. On HoustonChronicle.com: Emergency domestic violence shelters struggle to meet growing need in Houston Houston and Texas already had a fatal domestic violence problem before the new coronavirus began to spread. Between 2008 and 2018, men killed 1,470 women in Texas with whom they had romantic relationships, including 340 in Harris County. Advocates anticipated a spike in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, because they were aware of the relationship between domestic violence and natural disasters, in part because of what they witnessed after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Studies of natural disasters around the world support the theory that stress increases the number of family assaults. These emergencies do not create the dynamic of domestic violence, but they do exacerbate an environment in which domestic violence can occur, Phan said. Whether its a weather calamity or folks needing to shelter-in-place with their abusers, disasters make things much more difficult for survivors. Data from 2018 indicates there was a 64 percent increase in domestic partner killings in Texas counties impacted by the hurricane. The spike contributed to a record number of domestic partner killings in Texas in 2018, the culmination of a decade-long trend in which such deaths increased annually. On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Isolation compounds violence': Abuse victims more at risk during coronavirus quarantines The hurricane exacerbated the existing factors delayed justice in overburdened court systems, failed protection and a lack of access to safety on-demand, among others that typically put victims at risk of injury or death by their partners. As Texas advocates work quickly to prepare their networks for an increased need for services, the lessons learned in the months following Harvey are being utilized as a framework for their response to the COVID-19 spike. This is a state of emergency, said Phan. Its a different kind of emergency, but the trends are comparable. Delayed justice Just as many hearings were postponed after Harvey caused courthouses to flood and lose power, advocates say the new precautions courts are taking to slow the spread of coronavirus are backlogging the progress of family violence cases. Many court systems this month have moved to telecommunication hearings, have delayed jury trials or are taking measures to practice social distancing, like limiting the number of people allowed in courtrooms. Though necessary during the outbreak, court proceedings held over the phone or via a webcam raise serious privacy concerns, said Phan. Privacy is a cornerstone of survivor safety, she said. Because of the open courts provision in the Texas code, a lot of these hearings will be (posted online). Anyone could watch these hearings online and we are nervous about it. On HoustonChronicle.com: Immediate Senate funding critical for Houston domestic violence survivors Officials at the Texas Office of Court Administration and the states Supreme Court are working to build additional safety measures in light of COVID-19, said Phan. At the moment, Texas local jurisdictions are all handling the new challenges in different ways, she added. Were looking to our past experiences to figure out how to move forward, said Echo Hutson, a prosecutor for the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office. Unlike after Harvey, the courts are not completely shut down and are still working. Hutson said her office is calling each domestic violence victim in Montgomery County to check-in with them and connect them with resources, as it usually does. We want to make sure victims arent getting pushed to the side, said Hutson. They are vulnerable and in a position where access to resources is limited. Calling and asking if anyone can help can be a lifeline. Failed protection Advocates have previously taken issue with the states bond system, which they say regularly releases abusers with a documented history of violence and puts victims at a higher risk of being killed. Lax sentences for domestic violence convictions also dont help to deter recidivism, some say. Every case needs a thorough risk-assessment, said Phan. Every case has nuances when it comes to survivors safety. On HoustonChronicle.com: Judges, others call for closing immigration courts over coronavirus Protective orders in Texas had previously lacked the teeth many advocates said were necessary. The year following Harvey, 23 of the intimate partner femicides in Texas were committed by men with prior interactions with the criminal justice system related to domestic violence. Of those men, six were out on bond, parole or released supervision at the time of the slayings authorities say they committed. Four had prior felony domestic violence convictions. Now, advocates say they fear getting protective orders during the pandemic will be more difficult than it was before. Survivors already face obstacles in reporting their abuse, and added complications to the court process may deter them for coming forward, said Phan. Were worried if theres not appropriate guidance at this point, there might be a chilling effect on applications for protective orders, she said. Prevention efforts Texas nonprofit shelters and advocacy groups are still in operation during the pandemic. If youre worried about someone and youre not sure how to help, call a hotline and ask, Hutson said. People who can help set up a lifeline and feel like they can do something to help this person. Emergencies like the spread of COVID-91 highlight pre-existing cracks in the system that place victims in danger, according to Phan, and the need for more support for advocacy organizations. I hope it will make people realize the need to be prepared for disasters before they happen, she said. We dont want to wait until the next calamity to address the issues that were already present before the pandemic and hurricane. hannah.dellinger@chron.com Sierra Leone which was the only West African country without a case of coronavirus has finally reported its first case. In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, President Maada Bio announced that the index case is a 37 year old male who arrived in the country from France on an Air Brussels flight on the 16 March and was immediately put into quarantine. The man reportedly finished the requisite 14 days isolation at a hotel on Sunday and was collected by his wife yesterday. Apparently the subject's wife, who is a medical doctor, noticed the signs and symptoms of Covid-19 and immediately drove her husband to the 34 Military Hospital where he tested positive for the virus Emphasising that from now on Every minute matters, President Bio disclosed that we have quickly isolated case number one. We have immediately and aggressively operationalised tracking and surveillance for all primary and secondary contacts (Ed.Note: that is every person Case# 1 may have come into contact with). "Those persons will be placed into mandatory quarantine and tested immediately starting today. From now on, I direct that health teams proactively seek out and compulsorily test all suspected cases. Health minister confident enough test kits are available When questioned by journalists about the level of testing, the Minister of Health Alpha Wurie revealed that health officials had been conducting tests only when patients are suspected with signs and symptoms and so far they have done 42 of those tests. He added a further 12 people were tested, who are suspected of having contact with other who had been traveling and subsequently tested positive. However, he said that enough kits are around and can presently do 40 tests a day but they can quickly scale up to do 100 tests per day if the need arises. The Minister promised that already the wife of the index case and all those who were in the quarantine facility with him will be tested today. President Bio emphasised that this is not a lockdown adding, but the government will respond rapidly to changes in the situation by announcing additional enhanced measures. Self discipline required The national coordinator of the government's Covid-19 response, retired Brigadier Kellie Conteh warned that the directives issued so far must be honoured by all citizens. It all boils down to our own self discipline he said, adding we hope we will not need to use force to enforce some of these measures, we hope it will be your own natural instinct to obey these measures, but if it comes to that we have to use force for people to understand what we are talking about - believe you me we will do that in the name of Sierra Leone we will he stressed. Schools, Colleges and Universities have all been ordered close as from today until further notice. Land, sea movement on the riverine areas have all been banned, as also gatherings of over 100 people. Hand washing and social distancing have also been encouraged. A new mother has been charged with murder after walking into a hospital with her dead son in her arms. Shauna Donnelly, 24, sparked a murder investigation after walking in the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, North Yorks, with day-old baby Ellis laying in her arms. It was quickly established that the infant, probably born the previous day, was already dead and police were called. On Wednesday Donnelly was released on bail after a court heard the case was 'sensitive and delicate.' Shauna Donnelly (pictured) appeared before a judge accused of the murder of a newborn baby The defendant was described as having a learning disability and an appropriate adult from the mental health charity MIND attended Teesside magistrates court along with her parents. Donnelly's barrister Rob Mochrie told Judge Paul Watson, QC, in a hearing conducted by video link: 'I acknowledge that this is an extremely serious offence but at the same time my submission is that this is an extremely sensitive and delicate allegation.' He said that Donnelly attended Middlesbrough police station this morning knowing that she potentially faced a homicide charge of either murder or the related offence of infanticide. She had been under investigation since twice being arrested last year on suspicion of murder. Donnelly, from Middlesbrough, spoke only to confirm her name and address and did not enter a plea. Judge Watson ruled that she could be granted bail so long as she lives with her parents and observes a curfew between the hours of 4pm and 6am - pointing out the she was already restricted by coronavirus movement laws. Judge Watson said: 'The defendant attended at hospital on October 4 last year with a newborn baby, probably born a day or so before. 'Sadly Ellis, the newborn, was found to be deceased on arrival at hospital. Donnelly sparked a murder investigation after walking in the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, North Yorks, with baby Ellis laying in her arms 'During the course of the medical investigations which took place very shortly after that Miss Donnelly has remained at large and under investigation since October last year. 'During that time she has been living with her mother and father who will be witnesses in the case. 'I imagine the key issues in any trial will as likely as not revolve around medical evidence.' Donnelly, wearing a police issue grey tracksuit, left court with her parents and solicitor following the hearing. The case will next be heard before Teesside Crown Court on June 10th but a trial date could not be set due to the continued disruption to the court service from the coronavirus restrictions. Two persons were arrested for allegedly selling fake infrared forehead thermometers and manufacturing sanitisers illegally, police said. The Central Crime Branch police arrested the two on Tuesday night and seized a huge cache of fake thermometers and materials used for making sanitisers. According to the police, Kesavan N, a resident of Kurubarahalli in Bengaluru was arrested with 70 infrared forehead thermometers and 60 batteries, which he had allegedly brought from Chennai and was selling at exorbitant prices. Police sources said he was selling it for Rs 10,000 per piece. Also, the police raided the house of Shivakumar in an apartment in Srirampura and seized 180 litres of isopropyl alcohol, 10 litres of glycerine, 65 litres of surface sanitiser and 5,382 empty 100 ml bottles for packing. This, police said, was supposed to be used for manufacturing sanitisers illegally. The police had Tuesday raided a shop, which was selling fake N95 masks in Bengaluru. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight Countries Ask EU to Halt Trucking Reforms Amid Pandemic Eight countries have asked the European Union to support road transport firms hit by the CCP virus outbreak and halt work on reforms to truck drivers working conditions, which they said would leave vulnerable companies worse off. In a letter seen by Reuters, transport ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, and Romania said the EU should stand up for transport firms as it has already taken steps to help struggling airlines. Instead, we are on track of adopting the first Mobility Package whose provisions, combined with the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, will literally bring many European road transport businesses to an end, stated the letter to the heads of the three main EU institutions. Even before the pandemic, the same mainly eastern European nations were considering a legal challenge to the looming revamp of EU trucking rules, which they say would put their firms at a disadvantage by forcing them to send empty trucks homecausing excessive costs and extra carbon emissions. Wealthier nations including France and the Netherlands support the reforms, alongside workers unions that say it would make jobs in Europes trucking sector more attractive. It will facilitate the drivers regular return home, addressing one of the major causes for driver shortagenotably the poor worklife balance the sector is notorious for, Livia Spera, general secretary of trade union group the European Transport Workers Federation, told Reuters. The new rules would force trucks to return to home countries every eight weeks, give drivers the right to return home every four weeks, and require drivers to spend rest periods outside their vehiclewith employers shouldering the cost of accommodation. A majority of EU countries and the European Parliament struck a deal in December 2019 on the reforms. The 27-member bloc had planned to sign off on the rules at a meeting on March 24, but coronavirus pushed that off the agenda. Road transport, which accounts for 75 percent of freight shipments within the EU, has been disrupted by the pandemic as countries have imposed emergency checks at normally open frontiers, resulting in pile-ups of trucks and waiting times of more than 24 hours to cross some of the blocs internal borders. The EU executive has urged countries to put in place green lanes to let fresh produce and medical supplies skip traffic jams. By Kate Abnett Qantas' largest shareholder, Pendal Group, says the airline does not need a loan from the federal government because it can easily raise debt in the market itself, adding that any support offered would only be useful if it was interest free. With rival Virgin Australia chasing a $1.4 billion loan from the government to ensure its survival, Qantas has told the government that it should in turn receive a $4.2 billion facility to "level the playing field" if Virgin's request is granted. However, Pendal analyst Sondal Bensan said only a government loan with zero per cent interest would help Qantas, given the airline raised fresh debt itself last month at 2.75 per cent. "They can get funding externally, they have a lot of liquidity and its fairly cheap," he said. President Trump speaks during a coronavirus briefing at the White House on Monday. (Getty Images) To the editor: President Trump is not a seasoned politician, a fact that he has proved time and again. Don't expect him to be an effective politician today, but recognize the fact that he's getting there. Some of what Doyle McManus wrote about Trump ceding global leadership to China is old news. I feel that Trump has done a good job catching up and doing what needs to be done to protect Americans from the coronavirus. As for shortages of test kits and other medical supplies, COVID-19 reared its ugly head so quickly that no government anywhere in the world had the ability truly to get ahead of it. We need to stop blaming Trump for our supposed unpreparedness, because he's getting that job done now. Does Trump need to take the worldwide leadership reins and cut China off at the pass? Yes, he does. Gregory Sirbu, Redondo Beach .. To the editor: About 200,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, and worldwide the numbers are even more staggering. Brave healthcare workers and first responders are risking their own lives to treat the sick and dying, all while worrying about the shortage of personal protective gear and equipment needed to treat these patients. Soon it may become necessary for doctors to be forced to decide who lives and who dies. Meanwhile, the president bragged about the TV ratings for his daily coronavirus updates. On the very, very long list of despicable things Trump has said and done, this one moves to the top. The man has not a shred of decency. Sally Holloway, San Diego .. To the editor: McManus tells us that China "bungled" its initial response to the coronavirus. In fact, the Communist government deceitfully hid the problem from the world for several weeks, and it's likely still hiding key information and data. Consequently, millions across the world have become infected and thousands have died. To attack Trump, McManus becomes an apologist for a brutal totalitarian regime. Kip Dellinger, Santa Monica Story continues .. To the editor: McManus points out that the United States under Trump is losing its global leadership role. A prime example offered was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's failed attempt to get the other G-7 nations to sign off on a communique calling the coronavirus the "Wuhan virus." This was wisely rejected by the other G-7 nations, a move that McManus said reflected that the coalition was disunited. I suggest that it reflected that the coalition was quite united against the xenophobic Trump regime. The Trump administration is not fit to lead this nation nor the G-7. Terry Shenkman, Culver City Joy Ranch reopens under new ownership Joy Ranch near Watertown has reopened under new ownership. HOLYOKE A former trustee of the Soldiers Home in Holyoke is defending the facilitys superintendent, saying he is being unfairly blamed for the spread of the coronavirus that has killed as many as a dozen residents and infected many more. What is happening at the Soldiers Home is Western Massachusetts story in a global tragedy, said Brian Q. Corridan, who served on the board until a month ago when he was not reappointed. Quite frankly, for something like this coronavirus, a home like this, any long-term health care facility out there is a soft target. Once it sets in, this is going to happen. There are going to be deaths. It is a tragedy for everyone involved. Kevin Jourdain, chairman of the six-member board of trustees, declined comment, referring all calls to a spokesman for the state Department of Veterans Services. Another member also declined comment and another did not return phone calls. Walsh was placed on administrative leave with pay on Monday after Gov. Charlie Bakers office and Marylou Sudders, secretary of the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, responded to inquiries about the spread of the coronavirus made by Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse. Officials for the department would not give details about why Walsh was placed on leave or say if any investigation is being conducted into the home, saying it is a personnel matter. Walsh, who was sworn in as superintendent in 2016, could not be reached for comment. Morse discussed the problems with the public on Facebook Tuesday morning and answered questions. The Board of Health initially reached out to administrators Saturday after receiving an anonymous note about multiple people infected with the coronavirus. After the Board of Health received no response, Morse said he talked to Walsh on Sunday and learned eight residents who are believed to have had COVID-19 had died at the home in five days and others were believed to have contracted the virus. Concerned that neither the city, the state nor the Board of Health had been notified, he contacted Bakers office asking for help. As of Tuesday afternoon a dozen veterans had died, with six having tested positive for the virus, results pending for five. The cause of the death of another is still unknown. In addition, 10 other residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 25 more have test results pending. Seven staff have also tested positive for the virus, state officials said. There are about 210 residents and 240 staff members at the Soldiers Home, state officials said. If theres mismanagement here, it has to do with mayor of Holyoke mismanaging his words and his mouth, Corridan said. "Ask Alex Morse how many times hes set foot in the Soldiers Home over the past five years. Ive never seen him there, and I was a regular. Heres a guy running for Congress, looking for issues and trying to personalize this. Morse announced in July 2019 that he would challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, for his seat in the 2020 election. The two are set to square of the the September Democratic primary, but neither is actively campaigning during the coronavirus crisis. Officials for Baker confirmed that they first received word of fatal coronavirus cases at the Holyoke Soldiers Home Sunday after Morse texted his concerns to them. Families of residents also said they have been having a difficult time finding information about their relatives since the Holyoke Soldiers Home was closed to visitors starting March 14. Corridan said he believes Walsh is being unfairly targeted by the state with his suspension. We have one of the most dedicated public servants being hung out to dry, being used as scapegoat unnecessarily. There are no bad people here. (Walsh and the staff) were following CDC guidelines right to the letter, he said. Added Corridan, whose long record of public service includes having been a trustee at Elms College and Springfield Technical Community College, There is no reason to isolate (Walsh) for any blame. This is highly political, not by the governor, but others. I dont know why, but I have detected for well over two years the embarrassment and disrespect with which Bennett has been subjected to. It is just ridiculous. In particular, Corridan cited Veterans Services Secretary Francisco Urena, saying the secretary imposed a gag order on Walsh and attempted place one on the trustees as well when the Soldiers Home came under scrutiny two years ago when there were concerns raised about the care given at the home. Later Walsh was slapped with a letter of reprimand for having spoken at a public event, giving thanks to the Victory 4 Veterans Motorcycle Run organization, which raised in excess of $40,000 for the home, Corridan said. They have made life miserable for this young man over the past two years. To personalize it and try to make him a scapegoat now ... Im not going to put up with it, Corridan said. Now they have a chairman in place who is in lockstep with them. Theyre probably glad to get rid of me because I was not in lockstep with them. This is the backdrop against which this is now happening. Val Liptak, a registered nurse and chief executive officer of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, was put in charge of the administration of the Soldiers Home. Chief Operating Officer Anthony DiStefano will oversee day-to-day operations of the facility, said Daniel Tsai, deputy secretary of Health and Human Services. Officials have also formed an onsite clinical command team made up of medical, epidemiological and operational experts responsible for the comprehensive and rapid response to the outbreak of COVID-19, Tsai said. National Guard members who have professional medical backgrounds are also assisting with testing and other things at the Soldiers Home, he said. Testing has begun on all residents and staff to identify anyone who may be infected with the coronavirus so they can be isolated and treated. One resident of the Holyoke Soldiers Home said he supports Walsh, saying deaths at the facility are not uncommon. Many residents he plays cards and socializes with are in their 90s and some are 100 or older. I think the superintendent did a good job in an awful time, said Joe Langland Jr., 73, a Vietnam War veteran. By Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen and Ankit Malhotra Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen Ankit Malhotra LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Residential developer Taylor Wimpey PLC (TW.L) Wednesday announced a pay cut to Executive Directors to conserve cash due to the coronavirus or Covid-19 crisis. For the Executive Directors, the 2% annual salary increase due to come into effect on April 1, 2020 has been canceled. Further, the Executive Incentive Scheme, i.e., annual bonus, has been canceled and there will be no cash bonus payable in respect of the company's performance in 2020. The company also announced a voluntary 30% reduction in base salary and pension for the duration of the Government-imposed lockdown. If the lockdown continues beyond June 30, the Remuneration Committee will review this particular matter again at that time. The Non-Executive Directors will also take a 30% reduction in their fees for the same period of time. The company said its Remuneration Committee has carefully considered the proposed application of the Remuneration Policy in 2020. The company has already closed all show homes, sales centres and construction sites temporarily. 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. "We did not lay anyone off during the financial crisis that started in 2008," said Ron King, Chairman and CEO. "We will not lay anyone off during the current crisis. In fact, Centaurus recently welcomed several new hires and is continuing to hire people to assist our clients as an essential financial services business." Among the steps Centaurus has taken to ensure continued operation and the safety of its employees: Dozens of workers have been moved off-site to several locations to increase the social distancing ability of employees at all locations. Work schedules have been modified to ensure increased social distancing. Certain business continuity procedures have been implemented utilizing advanced technology to integrate its numerous locations. Information about staying safe and healthy is frequently disseminated to workers. "Centaurus has been built over the last 27 years to weather a storm like this," Centaurus General Counsel Paul King said in an email to the company's employees. "In those 27 years, Centaurus has been a profitable enterprise every year. Our Firm is built for moments like these. So, as we navigate this challenge together, we want you to know that while we wait for this storm to pass, we can rely on our strong, debt-free balance sheet to manage our business and take care of the 80-plus employees across our affiliated companies that depend on us for their livelihood." About Centaurus Financial, Inc. Headquartered in Anaheim, California, Centaurus Financial, Inc. is a national independent broker/dealer registered and licensed to offer securities, investment advisory services and insurance products. Centaurus Financial is a member of both the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Centaurus Financial is registered as a broker-dealer and a Registered Investment Adviser with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). For more information about Centaurus Financial, please visit www.centaurusfinancial.com. Contact: Wes King, President and Chief Marketing Officer, (714) 456-1970 SOURCE Centaurus Financial, Inc. Related Links https://www.centaurusfinancial.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:33:24|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MANILA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines on Wednesday warned its citizens against spreading fake news about the COVID-19 on April Fools' Day, saying that dangerous misinformation puts people at risk, and adds anxieties and fears among people. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire encouraged Filipinos to always fact-check and to obtain information about the COVID-19 only from legitimate sources. "Remember, lives and safety are at stake each time you click and share on social media. Today is April 1, April Fools' Day, we are warning the public, please do not spread false information," Vergeire said in a virtual coronavirus media briefing held on Wednesday. Vergeire said wrongful information might mislead and put people at risk while dealing with the COVID-19 situation facing the country. "It will worsen the situation," she added. The highly infectious disease has so far infected 2,311 people in the Philippines. Fifty patients have recovered and 96 have died so far. The Philippines has taken serious measures to curb the spread of fake news about the disease, threatening to imprison and impose hefty fine against anybody caught peddling wrong information to mislead the public. Philippine Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said "these rumors being spread via social media platforms and being sent via messaging applications are all fake news." "I advise the public to refrain from forwarding or posting rumors like these as they unnecessarily cause panic and fuel detrimental behavior like hoarding. This does not help," he added. Fake news gripped Metro Manila and many parts of the country after the government imposed a 30-day lockdown on mid-March in a drastic move to halt the spread of the disease. False news triggered a panic button that sent people rushing to buy groceries and hygiene essentials such as alcohols and face masks. A new law that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed on March 24 punishes "individuals or groups creating, perpetrating, or spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms" with imprisonment of two months or a fine of not less than 10,000 pesos (roughly 196 U.S. dollars) but not more than 1 million pesos (roughly 19,599 U.S. dollars), or both. AS Christians celebrate Easter next weekend, Diocesan Bishop of Zanzibar Diocese, Anglican Communion, Reverend Dr Michael Henry Hafidh, has tasked Christians on the essence of true worship, pray for the nations progress, and World to get rid of devastating corona-virus. Hafidh made this call here when briefing some members of the media on the preparations for this years Easter which comes when the world struggles against COVID-19. He said that prayer remained the key to the resolution of the world health problem and countrys numerous socio-economic and political challenges as it prepares for general elections. The cleric called on the worshipers to continue to pray that things would get better for the country, as he urged members of the public to observe health precaution as another workable way to address corona-virus. Dr Hafidh, We should join together at this time of global health challenge. Prayers and taking precautions could be the best weapons to apply to win the problems including the COVID- 19. He said the Easter program including prayers will be condensed and other activities to be left-out in response to the advice from the Ministries of Health, discouraging prolonged gathering in close contact, and promoting social distancing, as urged everyone in this country to rise and seek for Gods mercy. WASHINGTON -- The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was signed into law with near-unanimous support in both congressional chambers, which includes the local delegation. The $2.2 trillion package, known as the CARES Act, was passed in the House Friday by voice vote, a few days after unanimously passing in the Senate. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law also on Friday. Paul Mitchell, a Republican who represents Michigan's 10th Congressional District, which includes the Thumb, was in attendance for the vote and voiced his support for the legislation. "Americans are looking to their government to deliver some stability during these uncertain times, and the CARES Act provides that," Mitchell said in a statement. "Small businesses need to know they can stay afloat, individuals and families need economic support to pay their bills, and healthcare providers need the proper resources to continue providing critical care to the sick. We are facing an unprecedented public health crisis, which requires an unprecedented response." During the debate on the package on Friday, Mitchell spoke for a minute about his support for the bill, mainly for how it works to protect the health of the American people while also extending a lifeline to businesses both big and small. "This bill is certainly not perfect, rarely to we see perfect in this chamber, and certainly not under these circumstances," Mitchell said during his time speaking on Friday. "However, we cannot delay, we cannot waiver. We must ensure that this aid is delivered to the American people as soon as possible." Provisions in the act include unemployment insurance for affected workers, a $1,200 payment to American individuals not subject to income taxes, various loan opportunities for businesses, and $150 billion to state and local governments pertaining to their housing, education, and childcare needs. The states of Alabama and Massachusetts are now giving the details of people who are known to have been diagnosed with coronavirus to the police. Alabama has been providing the addresses but not names to law enforcement and other emergency responders for more than a week. The information is supposed to be given to officers when they go out on calls. Alabama and Massachusetts are handing details of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 to the police and other emergency services 'It's only on an as-known, as-needed basis,' said Leah Missildine, executive director of Alabama's 911 Board to Vice. 'The impetus behind this is to protect first responders because 911 receives the information and coordinates the response of first responders. That was deemed the most efficient way to share this information.' 'The Alabama Department of Public Health was requested to provide addresses of patients home quarantined for COVID 19 to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board for the protection of first responders,' said Arrol Sheehan, director of public information at the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state of Alabama could also release information to third parties including doctors or anyone else who could be deemed to be exposed. Daily lists are compiled and sent over so that any calls that are made by police or ambulance crews will know in advance if they are dealing with a virus carrier (file photo) The state say the rule came into force to help protect first responders, in particular. Sheehan quoted the part of Alabama law that authorizes such disclosures: 'Physicians or the State Health Officer or his designee may notify a third party of the presence of a contagious disease in an individual where there is a foreseeable, real or probable risk of transmission of the disease.' Sheehan said the decision was made mutually between the health department and the members of the 9-1-1 Board 'to share this information to protect our first responders.' In Massachusetts, the exact same system has also been operating for almost two weeks. Each day, daily lists are sent over to police forces and ambulance crews across the state. The state say that no information will be kept about who was known to be sick once the crisis is over. Robert Greenwald, clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School, has called Massachusetts' order 'misguided.' Officer Shaun Gariepy, left, and Officer Jessie Murray wipe down all the surfaces that are regularly touched on their cruiser at the beginning of their shift. Many police officers are following new cleaning and safety procedures amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country 'Requiring local boards of health to disclose the addresses of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to officials administering the response to emergency calls and, in turn, to first responders, is not sound public health policy,' he wrote in a statement. Meanwhile, civil rights advocates say the policy ends up putting first responders in danger because many coronavirus carriers don't show symptoms. 'It's based on an early and mistaken idea that the disease was only spread by people who were obviously symptomatic,' Dr. Deborah Peel, founder of the advocacy group Patient Privacy Rights, said. 'We now know that that's wrong, so it makes no sense. Everybody should act in a careful, social distancing way to interact with anybody's door they have to knock on.' Alabama currently has 993 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 23 confirmed deaths from the disease. Massachusetts has 6,620 current cases and 89 deaths. A County Derry teenager has been sharing her love for music online as she tries to spread some joy and keep people connected during the Covid-19 lockdown. Caitriona Lagan, from Castledawson, won the U12 All-Ireland mandolin title at the 2018 Fleadh in Drogheda and is usually found playing at a session every weekend. Due to the measures in place to curb the spread of coronavirus, however, she has ploughed her efforts into performing online and sharing much-needed positivity. Caitriona told the County Derry Post that it was vital to keep peoples spirits up at this time. She said: I think its very important to keep playing because it can cheer people up and help them to take their minds off things. It makes them feel better. Its nice to keep children happy and, instead of all the technology, give them something else to do as well. The 13-year-old recently posted a video of her playing a few tunes for the children of Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt. Her mother, Roisin, said Caitriona had a great fondness for the children at Kilronan, having held charity events and performed there before. She said: After she won the All-Ireland, we didnt really get a chance to play any events, so for her 13th birthday she wanted to have a big session. We dont have any connections with Kilronan or anything, but she had met a few children at sessions who went to it. She did a charity night and then was invited up to the school and the summer scheme, so shes been up and they know her. She decided, in order to keep her practice up, she would share some videos online. Its a good way for her to practise and its good for her confidence too. One thing that Caitriona will miss out on this year is the annual series of Fleadhanna county, provincial and All-Ireland which have had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus. She said: Im a wee bit disappointed because I love going to the festivals because the atmosphere is so good at them. Im using the time to catch up with my schoolwork, take my dogs for a walk if I can, do a wee bit of painting, bake at some point, practise my music. I play a few different instruments banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and piano. Caitrionas mum Roisin said that social media has been a godsend for the music community during this time. At the minute its the only way people are able to connect. A lot of Caitrionas friends would be in the music scene, and she would be at sessions every week, so shes missing that. With the Fleadh not being on this year, theres going to be a massive gap. We normally plan our whole year around the fleadh, so the music is great for everyone to keep spirits up. Caitriona is certainly helping to keep spirits up, and Roisin said a few children had already been in touch via social media. A wee boy this morning sent her a rainbow, so hopefully they keep coming and keep children and adults occupied. You can keep up to date with Caitrionas videos via her Twitter and Facebook accounts. As the number of cases in New Jersey keeps rising, hospitals in the northern half of the state are already starting to see an expected surge in patients with the coronavirus, the states top health official said Wednesday. State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the state had been preparing for the surge an influx of patients that tests hospital capacity by the second week in April. But seven hospitals in the northern section of New Jersey notified the state they reached divert status Tuesday, Persichilli said. That means either the whole hospital or a unit cant accept new patients temporarily, and those patients are being diverted to other hospitals. It looks like the surge is beginning in the northern part of the state, Persichilli said at the Trenton War Memorial during the states daily coronavirus press briefing. Were beginning to feel the real stress and strain on the critical care. Persichilli said some hospitals went on divert status due to overcrowding in their emergency rooms and some due to general overcrowding. She said the state is "looking at possible alternative care sites. Persichilli did not list the names of the hospitals, but the states website shows eight hospitals with either full or partial divert status as of Wednesday at 3 p.m.: Englewood Hospital And Medical Center (partial, psychiatric beds) Hoboken University Medical Center Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway (full) CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth (critical care) St. Marys Hospital in Passaic (full) Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (critical care) Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck Technically, Freehold and Somerset are in the central part of the state. Two of the seven hospitals that reported divert status requested additional ventilators, and the state was able to supply them, Persichilli said. The health commissioner continued to express confidence New Jersey will be able to handle the surge, though she stressed the state needs more ventilators, which are required for the most seriously ill coronavirus patients. Persichilli said hospitals are repurposing anesthesia machines, which has helped. On a statewide basis, we are not feeling the same capacity issues in the central to south part of the state, she said. We believe the beds will be there, Persichilli added. We want to make sure the supplies and the ventilators will be there. We dont believe were going to run out of IV pumps and everything else you would need to take care of a critical care patient. The guidelines are focused specifically on ventilators." So far, the state has received 650 of the 2,300 ventilators it has asked President Donald Trumps administration to provide. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that Trumps administration sent 350 more ventilators to the state. But 1,650 more are still needed, he said. We believe we are going to be okay," Persichilli said. But we do believe we are going to be moving ventilators around. Murphy echoed the cautious optimism during a radio interview Wednesday afternoon. So far, were staying ahead of this, he said on 1010 WINS. But it is growing by the day. New Jersey a state of 9 million people now has at least 22,255 cases of COVID-19, including 335 deaths, officials announced Wednesday. Only New York has more cases among U.S. states. Persichilli said Wednesday that 80 percent of people that test positive have mild to moderate symptoms and can stay home, while 15 percent may need to be admitted to the hospital. And 50 percent of those may need ventilators, though that could go up, she said. Persichilli said hospitals are reporting to the state the number of ventilators are in use. She said officials are planning a ventilator for every patient. The federal government is constructing four pop-up field hospitals across New Jersey to help increase hospital space. The first one at the Meadowlands in Secaucus is likely to open sometime next week, Persichilli said. She said the site will be available for lower-acuity patients who can be safely transferred there. That would create more space at existing hospitals for coronavirus patients. Officials say they expect the number of coronavirus cases in the state to keep increasing. Murphy has said the pandemic is likely to bleed meaningfully into May, at least. The governor has put the state in near-lockdown to help halt the spread of the virus and protect hospital capacity, ordering residents to stay at home, banning social gatherings, and mandating non-essential businesses close. Persichilli said Wednesday that the increased demand on hospitals "just underscores how important social distancing measures are." When you stay home, you are all helping us slow the spread of this virus and you are doing your part to help save lives, the health commissioner said. NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco and Susan K. Livio contributed to this report. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A suspected case of COVID-19 death has come to light in Thane district of Maharashtra. According to a release issued by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Wednesday, a 46-year-old woman with a travel history to Bangkok died in Dombivli township on Tuesday. The deceased was suffering from underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. The woman returned from Bangkok on March 10. She approached a local doctor on March 30 after she complained of fever, vomiting and loose motion, it stated. On March 31, she was referred to a hospital where she was examined for fever and breathlessness accompanied by the symptoms of COVID-19, it said. The release stated that though the doctors advised the woman to visit Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai, which is the nodal facility for coronavirus patients, she went to her home. "Her condition deteriorated gradually and she died on Tuesday," it said. Authorities have referred five members from the family of the deceased to Thane civil hospital. Their reports are awaited, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An ambulance car parks in front of the Cu Chi Field Hospital in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Three people in HCMC were discharged from the Cu Chi Field Hospital Wednesday after recovering from their Covid-19 infections. Under the Health Ministrys protocol, a Covid-19 patient is deemed recovered after testing negative for the virus at least twice in succession, but has to remain quarantined for 14 days after being discharged. The patients, a 25-year-old man in Tan Binh District, a 31-year-old man in District 10 and a 28-year-old woman in Go Vap District, were infected after having contact with a 51-year-old Vietnamese businesswoman, Dang Thy Lynh Trang, from the central province of Binh Thuan when she flew from Washington D.C. to HCMC on March 2. Trang was confirmed infected on March 10. The 25-year-old man had dinner and worked with Trang in Binh Thuan on March 3. He tested positive on March 13. The 31-year-old man is a colleague who was in the same car as the 25-year-old man. He also had close contact with Trang, and tested positive on March 14. The 28-year-old woman worked with and had close contact with the two men on March 3 and 10. She tested positive on March 17. The three discharged persons would have to isolate themselves at home for the next 14 days and will be medically monitored. Vietnam has confirmed 212 Covid-19 cases so far. Most of the active cases are those whod returned from Europe and the U.S. and people whod come into close contact with them. The three Saigon residents have raised the number of people discharged from hospital in Vietnam to 63. The Covid-19 pandemic has so far spread to 203 countries and territories, claiming over 42,300 lives. Urine from astronauts could be mixed with lunar soil and used to build a future base on the Moon - saving on the cost of shipping material from the Earth, study finds. NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese space agency are all planning to build bases on the Moon in the next few decades. No breathable atmosphere, radiation, extreme temperatures and meteorite bombardment mean a solid structure would be needed for long-term stay. Researchers for the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Spain, found the urea in urine could be mixed with lunar soil to create a flexible 3D printed concrete. Scroll down for video Architects Foster and Partners created a design that could work as a lunar base in partnership witht he European Space Agency. Researchers from Spain say urine could form a base of any future concrete used in 3D printed buildings Material scientist Ramon Pamies said any construction material would have to withstand extreme temperatures changes while still insulating the base. He said the two main components of urine are water and urea - a molecule that allows the hydrogen bonds to be broken and helps bind liquid mixtures. It would plasticise the concrete used to build lunar structures, making them less brittle and more flexible - and in turn more able to withstand the extreme conditions. It's not just the temperatures - which range from 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to -208F at night - astronauts will also have to deal with high levels of radiation. The question of what materials to use in building a robust structure on the Moon, how to get those materials to the surface and what form it will take have been debated by scientists and space agencies for years. As urea can be found anywhere humans are - researchers decided to see how effective it would be in the construction of a Moon base. Pamies and colleagues built a series of small structures out of simulated regolith - lunar soil - and urea using a 3D printer. They created cylinders of the urea and simulated regolith mixture to see how well the urea worked to reduce the viscosity of the regolith. They also made cylinders from the regolith and other plasticisers - materials that make it less viscous - to see how the urea compares to commercial products. All of the cylinders, including one with no plasticiser, were put through a series of strength tests including being frozen and thawed. The urea cylinders performed well as they were soft enough to build up a structure without any noticeable deformation while still able to bear heavy loads. This was based on them being 3D printed materials rather than constructed in another way and also being able to work soon after being printed. The control mixture with no urea was too rigid to be easily moulded and developed fractures soon after being built up into a structure. Researchers printed cylinders of material made from simulated regolith - lunar soil - and urea extracted from urine Researchers found that urine made a good material for the construction of lunar bases but more testing is needed, including around the use of urine without having to separate out the urea first. 'We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, as we are assessing whether this would really be necessary, because perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete,' said materials scientist Anna-Lena Kjniksen of stfold University College in Norway. 'The actual water in the urine could be used for the mixture, together with that which can be obtained on the Moon, or a combination of both.' This could be of use sooner than many think, as NASA hopes to have a Moon base on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis mission. Space agencies are investigating a range of materials that could be used to set up a base on the lunar surface and most are looking at 3D printing The space agency programme will see it go to the Moon to stay as part of its longer mission to send humans to Mars. 'More than 45 years since we last set foot on the Moon, our president has renewed the nations focus on expanding humanitys presence beyond Earth,' NASA wrote. The goal is to 'develop a permanent presence off Earth that generates new markets and opportunities, both scientific and economic.' The plan is to get to have the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, an orbiting research station around the natural satellite soon after and as part of the same mission a permanent base - that could be made from 3D printed materials. The research has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. KYODO NEWS - Apr 1, 2020 - 14:16 | All, Coronavirus, Japan The government established Wednesday a team within the secretariat of the National Security Council tasked with crafting Japan's strategic response to the coronavirus crisis while improving its competitiveness in the technology and economic spheres. Specifically, the team will focus on overcoming the novel coronavirus epidemic as well as driving Japan's development in the fields of artificial intelligence and 5G wireless, especially in the face of the United States' and China's race for supremacy in the technologies. "An important point for the economic team is to think of industrial policies from the standpoint of national security," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary session last week. The team, the seventh within the council secretariat, will gather information from various government ministries and come up with strategic policies. Related coverage: Gov't to unveil guidelines on school reopening amid coronavirus Subaru to temporarily halt all global output due to coronavirus Japan advises against travel to some 50 nations including U.S., China Its roughly 20 members are senior officials from the economy, finance, foreign and internal affairs ministries as well as the National Police Agency. While about half of them at the same time belong to other teams, the newly launched group is the second largest among the seven behind the coordination team, according to the Cabinet Secretariat. In October, in the run-up to the team's launch, the government set up an office to oversee preparations. Their initial work involved drawing up measures against the pneumonia-causing coronavirus, such as facilitating the dispatch of government-chartered aircraft to bring home Japanese nationals in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus outbreak began. The secretariat was established in 2014 to support the U.S.-style NSC created the previous year, giving the prime minister greater power in crafting foreign and security policies to tackle security threats. Federal inmates will be locked in their cells with limited exceptions for at least the next 14 days as the Bureau of Prisons scrambles to prevent a coronavirus outbreak, which killed an inmate in custody last week, the agency announced late Tuesday. The bureau said the action was in response to a growing number of quarantine and isolation cases in their facilities. The lockdown begins Wednesday and will be re-evaluated after 14 days. The agency said inmates will be allowed out of their cells on a limited basis. The announcement said to the extent practicable, inmates should still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures, like mental health services and education programs. Other group gatherings, such as laundry, showers, telephone and computer access will also be afforded to inmates when practical, the agency said. The move is the latest by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to try and prevent an outbreak from occurring in their facilities. In March, the agency suspended all visits, implemented health screenings of all inmates brought into their facilities and updated its quarantine and isolation procedures. The BOP has more than 120 facilities nationwide that house more than 160,000 inmates and employ more than 30,000 staff members. So far, according to the agency, 29 inmates and 30 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and one inmate, Patrick Jones, 47, died of the disease at a minimum-security prison in Louisiana last week. As of Tuesday afternoon, no one incarcerated or employed at the two federal prisons in New Jersey, Fairton and Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institutions, have tested positive for the disease, according to the BOP. There are around 4,000 federal inmates imprisoned in the state. Advocacy groups and civil rights attorneys have been calling on officials who oversee correctional facilities on all levels local, state and federal to begin releasing non-violent inmates who are incarcerated in order to prevent an outbreak, which could have devastating consequences on an inmate population and those who work at the facilities. In New Jersey, hundreds of inmates were released from county jails under a state Supreme Court order issued to curb a possible coronavirus outbreak behind bars. Attorney General William Barr issued a directive last week to the BOP, urging the agency to to grant home confinement for at-risk inmates who are non-violent and pose minimal likelihood of recidivism. In the directive, Barr said any inmate who the agency grants home confinement to must be placed in a 14-day quarantine period before the inmate is discharged. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: 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 Scottish Highlands is the most-searched-for destination for a UK bucket list holiday - post-coronavirus crisis - according to new research. The region has proved more popular than Snowdonia, which is the second most sought-after location. The next three most popular spots are Yorkshire Dales (third), Cornwall (fourth) and the Lake District (fifth). The Scottish Highlands is the most sought-after destination for a post-coronavirus UK holiday, new research has found. Pictured is the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Line, which Harry Potter fans will be very familiar with The research was carried out by holiday rental marketplace Snaptrip.com, which looked at its internal data to reveal the top search results for UK holiday destinations in the last month as Britons plan future holidays while on lockdown. Other popular places that Britons want to visit, when it is safe to do so, are the Peak District, which is in sixth place, and Kent, which is in seventh place. Also making the top 10 are London in eighth, the Brecon Beacons in ninth and County Antrim in 10th. Completing the top 15 are Edinburgh (11th), the Gower Peninsula (12th), Bath (13th), Brighton (14th) and the Shetland Islands (15th). Snowdonia, pictured, is the second most sought-after destination for a UK holiday, when it is safe to take one Pictured is the Yorkshire Dales, which is the third most-searched-for destination Cornwall, with its beaches and pretty harbours, is the fourth most popular destination Meanwhile, Snaptrip.com has also noted a 30 per cent rise in searches for holidays in 2021 since the government told people to stay at home. It found that when it asked people what type of destinations they most longed to visit, 45 per cent said they would like to go to the beach or somewhere along the coast, 28 per cent wanted to go to the countryside and 17 per cent wanted a city break. Matt Fox, CEO and co-founder of Snaptrip.com, said: 'It is a tough time for the travel industry at the moment, with the majority of the British public avoiding making concrete plans until there is more reassurance and stability moving forward. 'However, we have definitely noticed an increased interest over the past couple of weeks towards certain destinations, and we can only surmise that Brits are eagerly planning dream trips to take around the UK when it is safe to do so. 'We are confident that the British tourism industry will bounce back, and it is looking as though there will be a greater appreciation for the amazing spaces that Britain has to offer and a desire to visit some of the more remote and wild locations within the British Isles once we have put this episode behind us.' With an increasing number of global cases and casualties due to the coronavirus pandemic, doctors and health workers have been leading the fight from the forefront. However, they have also been one of the worst affected by the public health emergency. As the global number of COVID-19 cases crossed 8,00,000, doctors and medical professionals across the world have been facing an increasing shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Amid growing reports of lack of necessary protection that doctors should be provided with, popular video platform TikTok has come forward to join the fight against the pandemic and highlight doctors' safety as their "utmost priority". The social media platform has announced a fund of 100 crore rupees including donation of 400,000 hazmat medical protective suits and 200,000 masks, "to protect doctors and front line medical staff in India". In a recently released statement it said, "While citizens are practicing social distancing and staying at home as a preventive measure, India's medical personnel are working tirelessly to keep all of us safe and protected." The platform, owned by Chinese millionaire Zhang Yimin's ByteDance, further added, "With support from the Union Ministry of Textile, this essential gear, which meets the prescribed standards and guidelines, is being handed over to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India." The masks shall be provided to both local and state level medical workers and have been handed to the Delhi and Maharashtra governments. According to reports, since the outbreak of the pandemic, TikTok, which currently has over 119 million active users in India, has seen a surge in its number of users, who have taken the platform by storm to spread awareness about the contagious disease through innovative contents. Earlier, on March 22, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the 'Janata curfew' and had urged Indians to come out to their balconies and terraces and clap, clank utensils to honour the efforts of people in the essential services including health workers and doctors. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in India rose sharply to 1,637, the health ministry website showed today, a jump of 240 cases in a single day. The death toll from Covid-19 has also increased to 38. Advertisement Drone footage of a deserted Las Vegas show desolate casinos, an empty Strip and scenes straight out of an apocalyptic movie as the city continue to be on lockdown in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Footage captured by Michael Tushaus and Ches Owen shows a near empty Sin City, save for a few cars, and includes eerie music that perfectly syncs up to the visually shocking Vegas streets. Nevada's largest city recently had signs put up warning people to adhere to social distancing policies, as seen in the footage. Closed restaurants, casinos and hotels are the norm in the clip, with just a few essential groceries still open in the city. Closed restaurants, casinos and hotels are the norm in the clip, with just a few essential groceries still open in the city Footage captured by Michael Tushaus and Ches Owen shows a near empty Sin City, save for a few cars, and includes eerie music (Lights featured on the Wynn Las Vegas read 'Vegas Strong') An adult superstore in Sin City has had to board up its windows while it remains closed during the pandemic The few people who do appear in the tourist town are all seen wearing masks and keeping to themselves. At at least 26 people have died from the coronavirus in Nevada. More than 1,100 people in the state have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory disease. The footage comes after reports that a parking lot in the city has recently been turned into a temporary emergency zone for homeless people. City officials said they were forced at the weekend to transform the upper parking lot of the Cashman Center as a refuge after the closure of the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada left 500 people without a place to sleep. The few people who do appear in the tourist town are all seen wearing masks and keeping to themselves The charity was forced to close after a man staying there tested positive for COVID-19. 'We were able to temporarily house everyone at the city's Homeless Courtyard Resource Center but could not adequately follow social distancing guidelines,' Jace Radke, a spokesman for the city, said. 'We then opened the emergency shelter at Cashman,' he added. 'Initially, padded carpeting was provided but it couldn't be adequately sanitized each day. 'We don't have enough mats to accommodate everyone. We are trying to get more but have been unsuccessful so far.' City officials said they were forced at the weekend to transform the upper parking lot of the Cashman Center as a refuge after the closure of the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada left 500 people without a place to sleep The charity was forced to close after a man staying there tested positive for COVID-19. Homeless people getting tested in the parking lot He said the outdoor shelter area will remain open until April 3, when Catholic Charities is set to reopen. Images of people lying on the concrete floor of the parking lot painted with white boxes in an effort to facilitate observance of federal social distancing guidelines have prompted uproar online. There are about 5,500 homeless people and around Las Vegas, a metropolitan area that has an estimated population of about 2.3 million people. The city and county announced Tuesday that it had begun building a 350-bed complex of tents at the same facility for homeless people who have been exposed to the virus, those who have the virus but show no symptoms or those who are recovering but still need to be monitored by a nurse. The facility will offer those who don't need to be hospitalized a place be quarantined or isolated, with access to drinking water, restrooms, meals and other services. Images of people lying on the concrete floor of the parking lot painted with white boxes in an effort to facilitate observance of federal social distancing guidelines have prompted uproar online There are about 5,500 homeless people and around Las Vegas, a metropolitan area that has an estimated population of about 2.3 million people The outdoor shelter area will remain open until April 3, when Catholic Charities is set to reopen. Many have questioned how a city like Las Vegas, with thousands of hotel rooms, could leave people sleeping on the streets during the pandemic. Officials in Nevada have not proposed putting the homeless in vacant hotels, including the famous casino resorts of the Las Vegas Strip, which began emptying two weeks ago when Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered a monthlong halt to gambling and closure of casinos. The resorts were allowed to keep their hotels open to avoid displacing guests or for emergency purposes, but all of them have since closed those operations too, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman Erica Johnson. More than 4,300 people have died from the coronavirus in the United States Tim Burch, Clark County human services administrator, said Tuesday that officials have been asking hotel and motel owners to allow use of their buildings. 'That has been our plan since day one,' he said. He said the county has been looking for hotel owners who would offer their facilities because the goal is to provide a room and restroom for every person 'so they can isolate the same way you and I can in our homes.' Former presidential hopeful Julian Castro denounced the city for failing to protect its vulnerable population. 'After criminalizing homelessness this year, Las Vegas is now packing people into concrete grids out of sight,' he tweeted. 'There are 150K hotel rooms in Vegas going unused right now. 'How about public-private cooperation (resources) to temporarily house them there? And fund permanent housing!' But despite the backlash, some staying at the parking lot have welcomed the temporary shelter which, they say, provides more space than some facilities, which are packed. 'This right here is helping us feel secure, feel safe,' Denise Lankford, a homeless woman, told the local CBS station. 'Other places, you don't feel safe.' Las Vegas police officer guards the temporary homeless shelter while wearing a mask People try to sleep in the moderately warm weather. Temperatures were around 76 degrees Fahrenheit By Jun Ji-hye Visit Finland, a state-run organization promoting tourism for the northern European country, has announced five tips on how to be happy at home as many people around the world have been forced to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The tips on how to relax at home the Finnish way were shared as Finland was named as the happiest country in the world for the third consecutive year in the 2020 World Happiness Report announced March 20 by the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The report determined the ranking of 156 countries, scoring various aspects such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and social freedom. "Time and again we see the reasons for wellbeing include good social support networks, social trust, honest governments, safe environments and healthy lives," SDSN Director Jeffrey Sachs said in a statement. Start your day with a cold shower Finns love winter swimming as much as they love the sauna. The benefit of plunging into icy water lies in the feeling that surges through your body once you get out of the water your circulation kicks in, and your body starts to warm up, making you feel happy. Your body starts to produce serotonin and dopamine, and stress starts to melt away. The easiest way to do this at home is to take an ice-cold shower. Alternating between cold and warm showers lead to a sauna feeling, further improving blood circulation. Make sense of the world by reading Finland was named the world's most literate nation in 2019 and Finns are among the world's most enthusiastic users of public libraries. With a population of 5.5 million, some 68 million books are borrowed each year. Helsinki's Oodi library, opened in 2018 to celebrate the centenary of Finland's independence, was awarded the best public library in the world in 2019. A Fin holds a book featuring the Moomins, most known and adored Finnish literary icon. / Courtesy of Visit Finland The Moomins are probably the most well-known Finnish literary characters. Moomin books can be found in every bookshop and library in Finland. Experience a relaxing forest path from your sofa With about 70 percent of Finland being covered in forest, exploring nature is a part of everyday life in Finland. Over 3.2 million people visited the national parks in Finland in 2019. According to the Natural Resources Institute Finland, it has been scientifically proven that only 15 minutes in the forest calms your pulse and helps you to rest. To share the power of nature with the world, Visit Finland shared the relaxing sounds of Finnish Lapland on the "OnlyInLapland" YouTube channel. Bake cinnamon buns to be enjoyed with coffee One of the most common desserts in Finland is Korvapuusti, a cinnamon bun baked in the Finnish style with a dash of cardamom. With average coffee consumption amounting to almost 10 kilograms per person per year in Finland, there is even a word for enjoying a cinnamon bun with coffee. Finnish style cinnamon buns with coffee / Courtesy of Visit Finland Dr Ming Lin says they were reasonable requests. Set up a triage system outside the hospital, check the temperatures of all patients, visitors and staff before they can go inside, and give healthcare workers scrubs so that they do not risk taking the novel coronavirus home with them, were high on his list. But about 10 days after the emergency physician made those recommendations for how to improve his hospitals response to the COVID-19 pandemic sharing several posts publicly on Facebook and speaking to a local newspaper he says he was fired. I was surprised. I got a couple of warnings, and then the next thing you know, about 10 days later, I got terminated, says Lin, who had worked for 17 years at PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center, a hospital in Bellingham, Washington state. He told Al Jazeera that he felt he needed to voice his concerns on social media in order to protect his patients and colleagues from COVID-19, which has ravaged Washington state, among other places in the United States and around the world. Healthcare providers and healthcare workers are often silenced, he said. We, as healthcare providers, take an oath to do no harm, and that includes pointing out any deficiency that may cause harm to patients. If we speak out, we can be reprimanded and terminated. PeaceHealth did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment by the time of publication. TeamHealth, which has a contract with PeaceHealth to provide staff at the hospital, said in a statement that Lin was not terminated by TeamHealth and that the group is committed to engaging with him to try to find a path forward. Lins case highlights a growing trend of healthcare workers sharing their experiences and concerns around the response to the coronavirus pandemic on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites, drawing attention to the often grim pictures they are seeing inside the hospitals. Lack of equipment Their sometimes harrowing accounts circulate online daily, from freezer trucks set up in hospital parking lots to store dead bodies, to physicians having to tell families their loved ones died over FaceTime and desperate pleas for more personal protective equipment. As the pandemic grips the US, where the death toll is steadily climbing, social media has become the easiest way for some healthcare professionals to raise awareness and get people to take the contagious virus seriously. Today. I told a 28 year old that he needs intubation. He was scared. Couldnt breathe. I told the wife of a 47 year old that he is dying over FaceTime. I bronched a #COVID19 patient who mucous plugged. It saved his life. Risked mine. Anna Podolanczuk (@AnnaPodolanczuk) March 29, 2020 In some instances, social media has also become a tool to lobby government and other officials to get them the tools they need, while it can also help build a sense of community and support amid a fraught pandemic response. A lack of masks, gowns, gloves and other equipment is one of the main issues that doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are speaking out about. A photo of nurses at a New York hospital wearing rubbish bags as protective gear to treat COVID-19 patients went viral last week. NO MORE GOWNS IN THE WHOLE HOSPITAL, read a caption on the photo on Facebook. NO MORE MASKS AND REUSING THE DISPOSABLE ONES. Dr Richard Loftus, an internist in Rancho Mirage, California, also spoke out about the lack of equipment for healthcare workers on the front lines, comparing it to sending ill-equipped troops into battle in World War II. Your front-line troops right now wear medical scrubs, and they do not have helmets and they do not have weapons, he said in a video shared on Twitter on Sunday. Bold, loud truths In an interview with Al Jazeera, Loftus said he chose to speak out publicly after he realised that the public was not taking the threat of COVID-19 seriously enough, and that local government was not doing much, either. He said he raised serious concerns in February with his hospital leaders about the potential impact of the virus. I told them at the time, this is going to be a one-in-500-years event, like an asteroid hitting the earth. And I am sure they thought I was histrionic. Of course, now looking at whats happening in the world, my analogy was apt, he said. Dr. Rick Loftus describes the dire lack of #PPE facing American doctors & nurses. "I welcome any support from any citizens who are enterprising enough to figure out creative means to get protective gear to the front line doctors and nurses. Our needs are DIRE." #MillionMaskMayday pic.twitter.com/XdSzVsSBHx Masks For Docs (@MasksForDocs) March 29, 2020 Officials from Eisenhower Health, the hospital where Loftus works, did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment. He said many doctors and nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 response feel like cannon fodder because they are being told to work without the masks, gowns and other equipment they need to do their jobs safely. In that way, the pandemic has exposed fissures between front-line workers and administrators who are trying to control the messaging around COVID-19, Loftus said. Those of us who are front-line care workers know how much danger were in and when we get told stupid things like youre not allowed to wear a mask it makes us angry because we know better. He added that he believes bold, loud truths is how we save the most lives and so that is what he will continue to do. As a front-line doctor I can say things that my hospital cannot say, he told Al Jazeera. A support network Dr Uche Blackstock works at an urgent care centre in Brooklyn, New York, which has been hardest hit by the pandemic in the US. Like a walk-in clinic, the facility typically treats patients with moderate health problems, such as a cough or runny nose, or a laceration to an arm. But last week, Blackstock said she noticed people were coming in with more serious respiratory issues and many of their symptoms were similar, irrespective of age or medical history. On March 27, she tweeted that one patient after another came in with fever, cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches and that she had to call an ambulance for three patients who had difficulty breathing. Blackstock told Al Jazeera thats when she realised that COVID-19 really had arrived. During that shift, it really struck me that COVID-19 is here and its rearing its ugly head. And if anyone in the public had any doubt that this was serious its very, very serious, she said in an interview this week. Its been incredibly surreal, and it was also very sobering. I just finished an almost 13-hour urgent care shift in central #Brooklyn where one patient after another came in with fever, cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches. #COVID2019 is here. I called EMS for 3 patients in respiratory distress. #NewYorkers, please #StayHome. pic.twitter.com/RydlAaOvfm uche blackstock, md (@uche_blackstock) March 28, 2020 Dr Daniel Choi, a spinal surgeon practising on Long Island, New York, said doctors also have been sharing their concerns around COVID-19 in private group chats on WhatsApp and Facebook, which he said have become a source of solidarity and community for many. In a WhatsApp chat seen by Al Jazeera, someone wrote that their emergency room in New York City intubated nine patients in 13 hours, and that seven of them were likely to be COVID-19 positive. All the patients were under age 50, the person wrote. https://twitter.com/drdanchoi/status/1244367379024564224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw While Choi is not on the front-lines of the COVID-19 response, he said he feels compelled to amplify the voices of his colleagues that are. He regularly tweets out messages he has received from other physicians related to the crisis. While doctors typically shy away from sharing their views publicly often in fear of retribution the coronavirus pandemic has changed things, Choi told Al Jazeera. A lot of those fears and worries have kind of gone out the window because doctors [are] feeling a pressing need to tell the public whats going on. That was echoed by Blackstock, who said social media had become a platform for healthcare workers to have their voices heard and share their expertise on what needs to be done to combat the virus. To be able to control the narrative of what we think are the important points to make, what the priorities of the situation are, what our concerns are, is incredibly invaluable and social media definitely does that for us. On March 10, more than a week before the US state of California locked down and 13 days before the UK did the same, the streets of downtown San Francisco were already empty. Even as New York's mayor Bill de Blasio took a publicity stunt subway ride to calm his city's fears, and as packed commuter trains ferried workers to their office jobs in London, parts of the San Francisco Bay were becoming deserted. Google was one of the first big companies to take action. Credit:Alamy Perhaps it was because the San Francisco Bay Area, a metropolitan hub perched on America's west coast, has so much travel to and from China. But it can't have hurt that one of the area's richest and influential industries - Silicon Valley - had already been steadily descending into quarantine mode for a week beforehand. "Totally vindicated," says Stephen Shortell, a professor of health policy at the University of California, Berkeley, of the tech industry's response. "Better safe than sorry." Vietnam has reaffirmed support for peace process led by Afghan people at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)'s teleconference on March 31 discussing Afghanistan situation and activities of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). At the teleconference Speaking at the event, Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnams Mission to the UN highlighted the importance of continued implementation of the UNSCs Resolution No.2513 on supporting the Peace Agreement signed on February 29. Expressing concern over terror attacks, Ambassador Anh called for promptly improving security amid the COVID-19 pandemic towards reaching a long-term cease-fire deal. Anh expressed hope for more active involvement of women in the peace process and called on the international community to provide more enhance technical support so that Afghanistan could continue joining teleconferences amid the pandemic. The same day, the UNSC issued a press statement expressing concern over the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and calling for increased joint work to curb its spread. It highlighted the need to soon reach a cease-fire agreement and ensure humanitarian access in Afghanistan, and urged Afghan leaders to deal with differences while expressing the hope that peace talks will soon be held despite challenges arising from the epidemic. According to the UNAMA, over 10,000 civilians were killed and injured in 2019 and hundreds more since the beginning of this year. As of March 30, Afghanistan recorded 123 infection cases and four deaths from COVID-19. On March 24, the UN Secretary General appointed former Canadian Ambassador in Afghanistan Deborah Lyons as his new Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.VNA On a regular day, 86-year-old Jersey City resident Emma Richardson says shed likely be crocheting with friends at the Maureen Collier Senior Center on Bergen Avenue. But since the rise of the coronavirus, days have been anything but regular, especially for seniors citizens like Richardson who are the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease. As senior events have been canceled and social distancing measures put into place, Richardson cant help but feel isolated from the outside world. I feel shut in from everybody, Richardson said, adding that the pandemic has also cut her off from her church on Oak Street. Almost like being in jail Hopefully, everything will be alright soon. "I miss going to the center. Efforts to connect with Jersey City senior citizens who are feeling lonely during the coronavirus outbreak are starting to take shape. Ward E Councilman James Solomon is looking to recruit 500 volunteers to send at least four cards to senior citizens in his ward and eventually, throughout Jersey City. We know that seniors may be isolated at home pending on their circumstances there maybe some that dont have family that they can speak to over the phone, Solomon said. We just wanted to be good neighbors and cards seemed like one of the safest ways to reach seniors. (1/2) Senior Cards Update: 200 JC residents signed up to send over 1,000 cards. Amazing response JC! We need 200 more to send to all downtown seniorsand then expand citywide! Sign-up here: https://t.co/hmHVz8qoI2 pic.twitter.com/FKq9kTtA0h James Solomon (@SolomonforJC) March 31, 2020 New Jersey health officials reported Wednesday the state has at least 22,255 cases of COVID-19, including 355 deaths. In Jersey City, there were 820 cases and six fatalities as of Tuesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control, adults 65 years old and older may be at higher risk for more severe illness from COVID-19. Eight out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been adults 65 years old and older. Solomon said he has already recruited 218 volunteers for this pilot program. Some volunteers have sent as many as 10 or 20 cards each, for a total of 1,300, Solomon added. He said based off a list of registered voters there are roughly about 2,000 seniors in Downtown Jersey City. While they know that it is not all the seniors in Ward E, Solomon hopes to reach as many as possible. Giving them a note sort of just saying, Hey! Im a stranger but I am your neighbor and I am thinking of you. If theres anything I can do to help please reach out. thats appreciated, Solomon said. We wanted to just do as much neighbor to neighbor outreach as we could. Sarah Ordway, a college professor at Raritan Valley Community College, came to Solomon with the idea for the program. She had been reading a lot about how isolated seniors have felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ordway, whose parents are in their late 70s, has been thinking about her mom and dad being alone in Rochester, New York, as she remains quarantined in her home in Jersey City after returning from a trip overseas. I mainly thought about ways we can make seniors in Jersey City feel supported and cared for if we are not able to visit them and theyre not able to have contact with there loved ones in the form of face to face visitation, Ordway said. It adds a little sunshine to a dark time. Super excited to mail these cards to local senior citizens to remind them that #JCcares. Thanks to @SolomonforJC for this kind initiative, and hopefully me getting a new pen pal or two! pic.twitter.com/Q3S96C0UH4 Tracey Sheehy (@TraceySheehy) March 31, 2020 Solomon isnt the only public official in Hudson County trying to connect people with seniors. Hobokens First Ward Councilman Mike DeFusco has launched a similar effort for the 5,000 seniors in the Mile Square City. In less than 24 hours, DeFusco was able to connect 200 Hoboken residents with seniors. In this time of uncertainty, many of us may be feeling alone or forgotten, but none more so than our seniors and most vulnerable residents, DeFusco said. Little acts of kindness go a long way and sending quick notes of encouragement and positive wishes will help remind those individuals that all of Hoboken is here to support them." Like everyone, Richardson looks forward to the day when she can resume her normal routine. Its not just trips to the senior center or her church, but once again connecting with her community. I just miss being out among people, she said. "I enjoy people. Now I been here about two weeks with nobody but me and me. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Yes Bank to file a response on a private company's plea regarding not to take coercive or adverse steps for its failure in paying loan instalments. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked Yes Bank to file the response on the plea and listed the matter for hearing on April 3. The petition was filed by Anant Raj Limited seeking direction to respondent -- Yes Bank -- not to take coercive or adverse steps. According to the petitioner, Yes Bank, through e-mails, have informed the former that since the instalments for the months of January and February 2020 are due and in case the amount due towards instalments are not paid by March 31, the account of the petitioner shall be declared as a non-performing asset. The petitioner argued that in view of the RBI circular dated March 27, which gives moratorium on terms of loan, the respondent cannot declare the account of the petitioner as a non-performing asset and have to defer any coercive action till June 1. The counsel, appearing for Yes Bank, contended that the moratorium is applicable only with regard to instalments which fell due after March 1 and are not applicable in respect of the instalments and sought time to file reply. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Boris Johnson's photographer has coronavirus symptoms and is self-isolating - just days after he visited a temporary field hospital set up to treat patients. Andrew Parsons reportedly failed to isolate after Mr Johnson's diagnosis and went on to visit the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCeL centre in East London and take photos of the soldiers helping to build it. He then went on to take photos of civil servants at Downing Street. The photographer is now believed to be self-isolating at home with mild coronavirus symptoms. Boris Johnson's photographer Andrew Parsons reportedly failed to isolate after Mr Johnson's diagnosis Parsons had photographed Mr Johnson outside his Downing Street office during a moment of appreciation for NHS workers on March 26. The next day, the PM announced he had tested positive for coronavirus and had been suffering symptoms before the 'clap for carers' event. However, the photographer carried on his work despite the PM's announcement. On March 27, Parsons photographed the construction of the NHS Nightingale temporary hospital in East London and on March 28 he photographed staff inside the cabinet room of the prime minister's residence, listening to Johnson on a video conference call. A source told the Sun: 'After Boris was diagnosed, instead of self isolating he (Parsons) went over to the new hospital at Excel to do pictures. 'Instead of doing the sensible thing he has potentially passed it on to all the squaddies working over there, as well as a number of civil servants and officials he's been in touch with. 'He was last close to the PM after the hand clap pics in Downing Street last Thursday - and was stood next to other photographers and film crews - potentially giving it to them too.' Parsons had photographed Mr Johnson outside his Downing Street office during a moment of appreciation for NHS workers on March 26 However, the photographer carried on his work despite the PM's announcement. On March 27, Parsons photographed the construction of the NHS Nightingale temporary hospital in East London Soldiers helping to build the Nightingale hospital in London last night compared the coronavirus crisis to the Battle of the Somme. Colonel Ashleigh Boreham, who has carried out two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan, said it was the biggest mission of his career. As commanding officer of 256 City of London Field Hospital, he is in charge of military personnel working on the NHS facility at the ExCeL centre. Built in around ten days, it will have 4,000 beds for coronavirus patients when it opens this week. Similar hospitals are being installed in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to ease pressure on existing sites. Colonel Boreham, who has helped create field hospitals around the world, said: 'We are building a hospital for people in our nation. You are saving people's lives and they could be the lives of your families. It's the biggest job I've ever done. 'My grandfather was at the Somme, this is no different. I'm just at a different battle. I'm from London, I have friends and family in London. Many of the people working here, many of the soldiers working here, are from London. 'We are doing this to save the lives of Londoners. These are our comrades, there's no difference. It doesn't matter if they are civilian or military.' Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, says the nine new COVID-19 patients in Osun state came into the country from Benin Republic by road.... Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, says the nine new COVID-19 patients in Osun state came into the country from Benin Republic by road. At a media briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister said the patients were originally coming from Cote dIvoire and had passed through Benin Republic from where they were to link their destination by road. He said the vehicle carrying several people, all Nigerians, was intercepted and the passengers were isolated and tested. Osun has so far recorded 14 cases of the disease, the third highest in the country. Lagos state has 82 cases while the federal capital territory (FCT) has 28 COVID-19 patients. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the Osun government allayed the fears of residents over the rising number of COVID-19 patients in the state. The State of Osun has recorded an increasing number of confirmed cases in the past few days, the tweet read. This of course isnt a pleasant development but the good news is that the State is firmly on top of the situation. The confirmed cases in the State isnt a case of community transmission yet, but a situation of transmission within a controlled group. They are returnees from a neighbouring African Country who the State Government proactively received, isolated and tested. 1. The State of Osun has recorded an increasing number of confirmed cases in the past few days. This of course isn't a pleasant development but the good news is that the State is firmly on top of the situation. Government of Osun (@StateofOsun) April 1, 2020 As part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the state, Gboyega Oyetola, governor of Osun, announced a lockdown on Sunday, explaining that the priority of any responsible government is to safeguard the lives of citizens. SYRACUSE, N.Y. The Syracuse VA Medical Center has sent six nurses to help out in New York City where hospitals are being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. The nurses were deployed Monday to bolster staffing at several downstate VA centers, said Robert Mclean, a spokesman for the Syracuse VA. The nurses are expected to be in New York City for one week. The VA has hospitals in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. This type of resource sharing is routine within the VA health care system during emergencies and participation is voluntary, McLean said in an email. The VA announced Sunday it had set aside 50 beds at its hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn to accept non-veteran, patients who dont have coronavirus from other overcrowded hospitals in New York City. The VA took that step after state officials asked for federal assistance. New York City has become the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic. The VA has a legal mandate to provide civilian care in an emergency. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie recently told Politico the VA is preparing to deploy 3,000 doctors, nurses and other emergency personnel along with mobile hospitals and pharmacies to bolster the nationwide effort to combat the coronavirus. The VA operates 170 hospitals and 135 community living centers nationwide. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com Have you been deployed to NYC? Wed like to hear from nurses, doctors and other health providers from Central New York who are in New York City, or plan to go there, to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Contact James T. Mulder at jmulder@syracuse.com or (315) 470-2245. Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday. On Monday, officials revealed that a police officer tested positive for the virus, the department's first case. The male officer's identity was not revealed. During the news conference on SAPD's social media channels, Sgt. Michelle Ramos said the news outlet, which she did not name, was spreading misinformation about any threat the officer posed to the community. It is unclear whether the report was inaccurate. According to SAPD, the news outlet reported that the officer traveled to New York City to pick up a family member who was infected with COVID-19 and then returned to duty without telling his supervisors he was feeling ill. RELATED: From H-E-Bs pandemic prep to clear river water, 12 things you should know about coronavirus in S.A. The police department refuted the information, saying that another member of the officer's household traveled to New York and at that time no one in his family had received either a positive or negative test result for COVID-19. The officer returned to work for four days after coming in contact with a family member, Ramos said, but she did not specify which one. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases It is unclear from the news conference if that family member was showing symptoms for the virus or had been exposed. Ramos said the officer informed his supervisor when he began to feel ill and was sent home and asked to seek medical attention. It is unclear how many people the officer came in contact with during the four days he worked before showing symptoms. Ramos said SAPD is working with Metro Health to determine whether other individuals may have been exposed and whether any additional precautions need to be taken. "Ensuring the safety of this community is the reason why we come to work every day. Every officer on this department is accountable to one another, and we will never take the trust and accountability that you have in the SAPD for granted," Ramos said. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: : Navy Vet, 93, Died of COVID-19 Refused Ventilator, Family Says It Might Be to Save Somebody Stating that proceeds from new sales and collection from the sold units have been severely affected due to coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown, a real estate sector body has sought the central banks intervention to permit a one-time restructuring of loans and to extend the moratorium period to six months for all dues, installments, EMIs and interest on loans. In a letter addressed to the Reserve Bank of India, CREDAI MCHI has also requested the apex bank to not charge any interest during the lockdown period plus 30 days. The body has asked RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das to intervene and facilitate one-time restructuring of loans and stimulate cash flow into the real estate sector. Having welcomed the RBIs COVID-19 initiatives for the economy at large, CREDAI MCHI seeks further strategic and effective measures to combat the adverse implications of the virus on Indian realty and its stakeholders, it said. Proceeds from new sales and collection from the sold units have been severely affected. Coupled with complexities arising from collection of licence fees/ rentals from tenants who have been forced to shut down their establishments in retail malls and office complexes have added to the industrys liquidity woes, it said in the letter. 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 To eliminate short-term uncertainty and long-term risks, CREDAI MCHI wants all lending institutions, governed by the RBI, to allow a moratorium of six months on all dues and overdue installments/EMI/interest of all loans, including term loans, which are outstanding as on March 1, 2020 The group also called for a one-time restructuring of loans. Where lending institutions find that the project is cash-flow positive as defined by the finance ministry for the SWAMIH Fund, a One-Time Restructuring (OTR) is more beneficial in the interest of the Lending Institutions, Borrower and the Apartment purchasers, and thus should be allowed as was permitted in GFC 2008, it said. A clarification needs to be issued stating that dues and overdues of all loans (including loans categorised as SMA0, SMA1, SMA2 and NPA) as on March 1, 2020, shall be granted this moratorium for a period of six months. It has also requested that no interest should be charged for the period of lockdown plus 30 days. No penal interest or default interest shall be charged for this differed period from March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020. The developers body has said Term Loan to include Working Capital Term Loan (WCTL), Funded Interest Term Loan (FITL) or Debentures subscribed by the lending institution. Interest payable on term loans for the period 1st March 2020 to 31st August 2020, should be allowed to be capitalised, payable at the end of the period of term loan. All the term loans should be directed to be extended by six months with the same terms and conditions, it said in the letter. In the case of deferment of interest on working capital facilities sanctioned in the form of cash credit/overdraft, lending institutions should allow a deferment of three months on payment of interest in respect of all such facilities outstanding as on March 1, 2020. The accumulated interest for the period shall be paid over a period of six months after the expiry of the deferment period, it said. CREDAI MCHI lauds the RBIs continuous support for the economy and its stakeholders which is extremely reassuring given the unpredictable scenario. However, considering the current predicament of Indian real estate, the industry yearns for more decisive and potent initiatives that will reinstate stakeholders belief. We request the RBI to permit one-time restructuring of loans and stimulate cash flow in the industry, to enable the sector to continue to be Indias strongest economic pillar for the foreseeable future, CREDAI MCHI president Nayan Shah said. With the world reeling under the effects of the global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 infection, that causes COVID-19 disease, the numbers have been steadily rising over the past couple of months. As of today, there have been 857,487 reported cases around the world, with the global death count now at 42,107. While these numbers are alarming, a group of experts has predicted that we are far from seeing a peak effect of this infection, and if the present measures of social distancing work, the peak of the epidemic in New South Wales, Australia would be less severe and occur in November. Researchers from the University of Sydney, Monash University and James Cook University, have published their study titled, Modelling the impact of COVID-19 upon intensive care services in New South Wales, in Medical Journal of Australia. Social distancing. Image Credit: eamesBot / Shutterstock What was this study about? With the rising number of cases of COVID-19, there have been 4.707 cases of the disease and 20 deaths in Australia. New South Wales remains the most reported area in the nation. The country has been under lockdown to enforce social distancing. The researchers used mathematical models to compare the data gathered from Australia and well as the United Kingdom to see the burden the disease would be on the intensive care units and the effects of the disease in the near future. The researchers wrote, Under the scenario of increased social isolation, the peak infection will shift to early October and peak ICU utilization will shift to mid-November and would be around one-third the size of the business-as-usual peak. What was done? For this study, the team used a complex mathematical model to estimate the demands for intensive care unit beds associated with COVID-19 in the different local health districts of New South Wales. There were essentially two ways the analysis was done; the team wrote. The first method was to use an individual-based simulation model, as is being used in the UK. This was applied to the NSW population based on their age. The second approach was to analyze a compartmental model, which was again applied to the population in New South Wales. From both analyses, the team looked at the number of hospitalizations and the highest demands for ICU beds when several strategies were in place to reduce them. What was found? The team wrote that when they applied the UK model, the peak demands for ICU beds among the population of New South Wales was around 6,965 ICU beds. They add that this was after an intensive mitigation strategy. The mitigation strategy was to increase the ICU bed capacity by 797 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic hits hard in the region. Using the second analysis technique, the team noted that if 584 percent of ICU capacity was built before the onset of the peak, and transmission was reduced by one third before the peak, at least 5,109 ICU beds would be necessary. The team writes that restrictions in movement can reduce the reproduction rate of the virus by 1.6, meaning that every individual with the infection can infect 1.6 others. If this were that case, even then, the immediate availability of ICU beds would not be sufficient, say the researchers. They explain that with 5 percent of the population needing the ICU beds and showing symptoms, there would be 14,000 people admitted to the hospitals and 5,100 patients admitted to intensive care. They added that before this epidemic, there were 874 intensive care beds in NSW. This meant that even if the current facilities were doubled by the time the peak hit the region, there would still be a substantial shortage from the peak necessity. They write that both hospitals and ICU facilities would be overwhelmed unless transmission can be reduced significantly. How can social distancing help? With such grim figures, the researchers calculate that in order to meet the requirements of the peak needs of ICU and hospital beds, social distancing is needed to prevent transmission. They explain that if the transmission chain was not broken, the peak would be earlier in late June, for example. Peak hospitalization would be in early July. With cutting down on transmission by one third, the peak could be less severe and hit the region in around November. At present, there are signs that the curve of transmission is flattening in Australia. However, it is not enough, write the researchers. If present conditions persist, 16 percent of the population will develop symptoms of the disease, and over 35,000 persons would need to be hospitalized, and 11,800 intensive care beds would be needed to meet the demand. This expectation is 1,349 percent of the present capacity, they write. At present, other than family or household members, no more than two persons are allowed to gather in public places for all of Australia, and students are requested to stay at home if possible. Employees are also requested to work from home where possible. Elderly persons over the age of 70 years and those with long term ailments are advised to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. The authors admit that their second method of analysis the compartment model may not be absolute because the reproduction rate cannot be firmly predicted. They also wrote that present mitigation strategies are vital in bringing the requirements down. The present report does not estimate the effect of more intensive suppression strategies which would be likely to reduce the peak ICU requirement, they add. Conclusions and implications The authors of the study conclude that both their analytical models predict a significant burden of COVID-19 on intensive care services. They wrote, Modelling is an important tool to assist policymakers and the public to understand the impacts pandemic diseases. The present approaches to reduce transmission and increasing the critical care services remain vital to prevent overwhelming the healthcare services they concluded. Bulgaria plans to extend the state of emergency in the country for a month, Reuters reported. The number of confirmed cases rose to 422. Earlier, parliament unanimously voted to introduce the state of emergency on April 13. The government said it would ask parliament to extend it until May 13. Bulgaria was making every effort possible to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the full extent of the crisis could not yet be assessed, the government said. The pressure on the healthcare system can only be reduced by extending the social distancing measures. As of Wednesday, Bulgaria has confirmed nine deaths from the disease. Parliamentary speaker Tsveta Karayancheva told an emergency briefing that all lawmakers were undergoing tests after an MP tested positive on Tuesday. Regulatory News: Maurel Prom (Paris:MAU): 2019: sound financial results led by operational delivery Working interest production of 27,340 boepd, a 19% increase compared to 2018 Operating cash flow before change in working capital of $263 million, up 35% compared to 2018 despite a 2% dip in average oil sale price ($67.2/bbl vs. $68.8/bbl) Exploration capex of $43 million, and closing of the Angola acquisition in July 2019 for a cash consideration of $35 million Strongly positioned thanks to a robust capital structure and high liquidity $231 million cash balance as of 31 December 2019, plus an additional $100 million available via the undrawn tranche of the Shareholder Loan Renewed support from banks and majority shareholder PIEP, as amendments with lenders were obtained in March 2020 to ease debt repayments in 2020 and 2021 Committed to debt reduction, as repayments started in March 2020 Taking immediate actions to address the fall in oil price Flexibility provided by the operational control of key assets Drastic and thorough action plan launched to reduce opex, G&A, and capex programmes Suspension of development drilling activities on the Ezanga licence in Gabon The Board of Directors has decided not to propose the payment a dividend for FY 2019 Analyst and investor call M&P will hold a call to discuss this announcement via a webcast in French, today at 9:30. This will be immediately followed by a Q&A (questions may be asked in English). A version of the webcast translated into English will be available by the end of the day. To join the webcast or play the on-demand version, please use this link: https://www.maureletprom.fr/en/article/fy-2019-audio-webcast-1er-avril-2020-a-9h30 Key financial results $mm FY 2019 FY 2018 Change Income statement Sales 504 440 +14% Opex G&A (195) (140) Royalties and production taxes (65) (45) Change in overlift/underlift position 34 (13) Other 9 3 EBITDA 286 245 +17% Depreciation, amortisation, and provisions (163) (115) Expenses and impairment of exploration assets (48) (1) Other (4) (3) Operating income 70 126 -45% Net financial expenses (31) (27) Income tax (62) (68) Share of income/loss of associates 59 31 Net income 35 62 -43% Cash flows Cash flow before income tax 298 236 Income tax paid (35) (41) Operating cash flow before change in working capital 263 195 +35% Change in working capital (102) (3) Operating cash flow 162 192 -16% Development capex (104) (104) Exploration capex (43) (7) M&A (35) (51) Free cash flow (21) 30 N/A Net cost of debt (24) (22) Dividends received 12 12 Dividends paid (9) Other (7) 0 Change in cash (49) 20 N/A Opening cash 280 259 Closing cash 231 280 Olivier de Langavant, CEO of M&P, declared: "We are currently experiencing strong economic headwinds, but are firmly positioned to weather this environment. M&P is a resilient company, and we have a strong capacity to manage adverse market conditions. In response to the current pandemic, we have put in place all appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our staff and the continuity of our operations. With regards to economic conditions, our teams are fully operational and focused on delivering on our cost savings plan to preserve cash flow generation and secure M&P's future. Thanks to the recently announced amendments to our debt facilities, we have also managed to enhance our liquidity for 2020 and 2021, which will help us maintain a robust profile. We will take advantage of these challenging times to reshape the Company and strengthen it for the long term." Financial update Sound financial results led by operational delivery On the income statement, sales were up 14% thanks to the increase in production (27,340 boepd in 2019, +19% compared to 2018), driven in particular by Gabon, despite a slightly lower oil price environment (average oil sale price of $67.2/bbl in 2019, down from $68.8/bbl in 2018). Operating expenditures increased as a result of the integration of the Angolan acquisition from August 2019. Royalties and other production taxes were also higher, due to the marked increase in production in Gabon. EBITDA was up 17% at $286 million. Depreciation and amortisation rose sharply (+53%) to reach $163 million as a result of the higher production from Ezanga (depreciation based on unit of production method). $48 million of exploration expenses were recorded, including $31 million for the Kama-1 well in Gabon. As a consequence of the exploration activity and higher depreciation and amortisation charges, operating income decreased to $70 million, compared to $126 million in 2018. Net financial expenses on the income statement amounted to $31 million for 2019. M&P's share in income from equity associates was $59 million, compared to $31 million in 2018. This marked increase results in particular from one-off items boosting Seplat's net income (recovery of historical tolling revenue and sale of Oben gas plant). After taking into account all of the above factors, FY 2019 net income decreased stood at $35 million. From the cash flow perspective, cash flow from operating activities before change in working capital rose by 35% to reach $263 million (up from $195 million in 2018). After taking into account the large working capital effect (negative impact of $102 million, $52 million of which coming from the change in the overlift/underlift position), operating cash flow came at $162 million. Development capex was in line with previous year at $104 million. $43 million were spent in exploration capex, the majority of which on the Kama-1 well drilling in Gabon. The $35 million M&A charge consists in the net cash consideration paid to AJOCO in July 2019 at closing of the Angolan acquisition. It is worth highlighting that the $20 million deferred consideration payable to Shell in December 2020 with respect to the Venezuela acquisition was postponed in agreement with Shell, and will be paid in full by April 2020. M&P received $12mm of dividends from its 20.46% stake in Seplat, the same amount as in 2018. A $9 million dividend (0.04 per share) was paid to M&P's shareholders in June 2019, the first one since 2012. At 31 December 2019, the cash position stood at $231 million. The gross debt at 31 December 2018 amounted to $700 million (nominal value), i.e. a net debt of $469 million. Strongly positioned thanks to a robust capital structure and high liquidity In March 2020, M&P announces the signature of amendment agreements (together the "Amendments") to re-profile the repayment of its two debt facilities, the $600 million term loan with a syndicate of lenders (the "Term Loan") and the $200 million loan ($100 million drawn and $100 million undrawn) from M&P's controlling shareholder PT Pertamina International Eksplorasi Dan Produksi ("PIEP") (the "Shareholder Loan"). Under the terms of the Amendments, the scheduled debt repayments for both facilities have been reduced in 2020 and 2021, allowing M&P to maintain ample liquidity and better adapt debt repayments to cash flow generation and investment profile. The amendment to the Shareholder Loan also demonstrates the continued support of PIEP to M&P, as a significant amount of its repayment has now been pushed to 2024, beyond the final maturity date for the Term Loan. Impact of the Amendments on M&P's repayment profile: M&P's total outstanding debt currently amounts to $700 million ($600 million under the Term Loan and $100 million under the Shareholder Loan). As of end of December 2019, M&P's cash position stood at $231 million, resulting in a net debt of $469 million. M&P can also immediately unlock additional liquidity thanks to the undrawn $100 million tranche of the Shareholder Loan. Business review and outlook Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on M&P's operations M&P is taking all necessary measures to ensure business continuity, in full compliance with all recommendations from relevant health authorities. Work from home is the preferred option whenever possible, and strict proactive measures to minimise contamination risks have been enforced in offices when work from home is not possible. Those initiatives include entry controls, distancing measures, and reinforced hygiene and disinfection practices. On operations sites, reinforced measures going beyond recommendations have been implemented to ensure resilience. At this stage and for the short term, M&P does not foresee major disruptions in the conduct of its operations arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. Should the circumstances change, M&P will update the market in due course. Update on oil markets Over the last couple of months, oil markets have been strongly impacted on both the demand and supply sides. The oil demand worldwide has shrunk considerably due to the economic slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak, and in particular its impact on the Chinese economy. This contraction has been severely amplified by the recent decision taken by Saudi Arabia to materially increase its oil production, as well as the end of the informal alliance between OPEC and Russia which had kept oil prices relatively steady over the past two years. As a result, oil prices plunged, with Brent falling under $25/bbl in March 2020, compared to $60/bbl in average in January and February. Cost control and capital discipline initiatives Immediately after the drop in oil prices in early March, M&P has launched a comprehensive review of cost saving opportunities. A number of areas for improvement have been identified, and an action plan has been prepared and launched before the end of the month. This plan targets savings of: On operated assets, a reduction of over 20% in opex and over 15% in G&A (equivalent to $25 to $30 million of savings on an annualised basis) Optimisation of logistics, reorganisation of well interventions, optimisation of consumables and chemicals, reduction in contractor staff count Over 60% in development capex compared to the 2020 budget (reduced from $130mm to $50mm) Development drilling activities on Ezanga suspended as of March 2020 Further initiatives are under review, and it is expected that more measures will be implemented. It is worth highlighting that, as operator of the asset and owner of its in-house drilling company, M&P retains full flexibility to promptly restart development drilling on Ezanga as soon as conditions improve. Additionally, as part of the cash preservation measures, the Board of Directors of M&P has decided not to propose a dividend for FY 2019. Production and financial guidance for 2020 For 2020, M&P is targeting a working interest group production of 28,000 boepd, consisting in: 18,400 bopd in Gabon (equivalent to 23,000 bopd gross production on Ezanga) 34 mmcfd in Tanzania (equivalent to 70 mmcfd gross production on Mnazi Bay) 4,000 bopd in Angola (equivalent to 20,000 bopd gross production on Block 3/05) These production assumptions reflect the announced revisions in work and capex programmes, in particular the suspension of development drilling on Ezanga as of March 2020. Under these production assumptions and taking into account the cost saving initiatives previously detailed, the guidance for operating cash flow in FY 2020 under various Brent price assumptions1 is as follows: At $25/bbl: $70 million $70 million At $30/bbl: $100 million $100 million At $35/bbl: $125 million Other significant cash outflows for the year will consist in: Capex (including M&A): $80 million $50 million of development capex $30 million of M&A (includes $20mm payment to Shell related to the acquisition of the interest in Urdaneta West) $80 million Exploration: $30 million Includes Kama-1 well costs in 2020 and seismic acquisition in Sicily $30 million Financing: $105 million $77 million of debt repayments $28 million of net cost of debt $105 million M&P's internal forecasts show that it will be able to operate and maintain adequate headroom for the next 12 months from the date of approval of the 2019 accounts (31 March 2020). In addition to its cash on hand ($231mm as of 31 December 2019), M&P has access, if necessary, to $100 million of immediate liquidity via the undrawn portion of the Shareholder Loan. As explained in the financial statements (note 3.3), the impairment tests as of 31 December 2019 have been run under different assumptions, reflecting the market conditions at year-end 2019. Given sensitivity to oil price, it is expected that impairments would have to be recognised under assumptions reflecting current market conditions as of March 2020. The assumptions will be revisited in light of prevailing market conditions for new impairment tests to be run as of June 2020. 2019 activity Environmental, health, Safety, and security (EHS-S) performance 2019 saw a 54% decrease in lost time injury frequency ("LTIF") which amounted to 0.45, as total recordable injury rate ("TRIR") increased slightly at 2.70 in 2019, compared to 2.46 in 2018. Over the last two years, M&P has been engaged in an effort to improve its internal processes and had them certified by third party auditors, which resulted in M&P obtaining two certifications in December 2019: ISO 45001 related to health and safety, and ISO 14001 for environmental management. These certifications highlight M&P's commitment to comply with highest industry standards, and work relentlessly to improve its EHS-S performance. Production and sales Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 FY 2019 FY 2018 Change Working interest production Gabon (oil) bopd 19,733 20,316 20,654 18,612 19,828 16,273 +22% Angola (oil) bopd 3,0412 4,415 1,879 Tanzania (gas) mmcfd 35.4 28.2 37.4 34.1 33.8 40.0 -15% Total boepd 25,636 25,020 29,937 28,706 27,340 22,934 19% Average sale price Oil $/bbl 63.9 72.5 65.8 66.8 67.2 68.8 -2% Gas $/BTU 3.26 3.28 3.25 3.26 3.26 3.17 +3% Sales Gabon $mm 103 126 118 107 454 376 +21% Angola $mm 11 19 31 Tanzania $mm 9 7 9 9 34 39 -13% Valued production $mm 112 133 139 135 519 415 +25% Drilling activities $mm 4 3 3 2 12 12 Trading of third-party oil3 $mm 7 7 Adjustment for lifting imbalances $mm (34) 13 Consolidated sales 504 440 +14% M&P's working interest oil production (80%) on the Ezanga permit in Gabon was 19,828 bopd (gross production of 24,785 bopd) for 2019, up 22% from 2018. The technical measures implemented allowed for the resolution of export issues faced in 2018, thanks to the optimisation of crude oil evacuation. No production interruptions due to pipeline problems were recorded in 2019. In Tanzania, average production for M&P's working interest (48.06%) in Mnazi Bay in 2019 was 33.8 mmcfd (gross production: 70.3 mmcfd), down 15% from 2018. Since 1 August 2019, the Group has consolidated its production in Angola in Blocks 3/05 and 3/05A. This production amounted to 4,415 bopd for M&P's working interest (20%) in Q4 2019. Exploration activities In the spring of 2019, two wells were drilled on the Mios permit in France, resulting in a modest discovery (0.8mmbbls of certified 2P reserves as of 31 December 2019). A long term production test is planned to start in the second half of 2020. In December 2019, M&P spud the Kama-1 well, first high impact exploration well for the Company since 2015. On 25 February 2020, M&P announced that the well encountered several series of oil shows between 1,865 and 2,701 metres (total depth of the well) in the Kissenda formation, main objective of the drilling, and a sample of 35 API oil was collected. However, no commercial test was attempted due to the poor quality of the reservoirs. The drilling nevertheless confirmed the presence of an active petroleum system in the region. It also provided valuable data which will be helpful for the continuation of exploration activities in the area. In Sicily, a 3D and 2D seismic acquisition campaign started in Q4 2019. As of March 2020, the 3D acquisition is completed, and 2D acquisition is coming to its term. Interpretation is expected to take place by the end of 2020. Significant events for the year M&P Trading, a French subsidiary wholly owned by the Group, now buys oil volumes produced by M&P Gabon and M&P Angola, and sells them on the international markets. M&P Trading may also lift barrels on behalf of third parties, including joint venture partners. Since the first lifting completed by M&P Trading in March 2019 in Gabon, the company has marketed 4.8 million barrels. In June 2019 M&P entered into an agreement with Gabon Oil Company (GOC), partner for the Ezanga permit, to end the carry mechanism from which GOC benefited. Under the terms of the agreement, GOC gained priority access to 812,000 barrels (corresponding to the rights carried after 31 December 2017) in return for payment to M&P of $52.5 million in 2019. Additionally, the sum of $43 million corresponding to historical carry receivables (prior to 31 December 2017) was paid by GOC into an escrow account which is expected to be released after an audit currently ongoing. The acquisition from AJOCO of 20% interests in Block 3/05 and Block 3/05A offshore Angola was finalised in July 2019. In accordance with the sales and purchase agreement, the transaction amount of $80 million (less a deposit of $2 million paid when the transaction was announced) was adjusted by $43 million to take into account working capital and cash flow received and disbursed by AJOCO on behalf of M&P since the economic effective date of 1 January 2018. Consequently, the net consideration paid at closing to AJOCO was $35 million. In July 2019, Sucre Energy took a 20% stake in Maurel Prom Iberoamerica, which holds a 40% interest alongside the national oil company PDVSA in the Petroregional del Lago ("PRDL") mixed company operating the Urdaneta West field in Venezuela. As a result of the transaction, M&P holds a 32% net economic interest in PRDL. Due to international sanctions against PDVSA, operations conducted locally by the M&P's Venezuelan subsidiary, M&P Servicios Integrados U.W., are strictly limited to maintenance related to the safety of staff and assets, and to environmental protection. As a result, and in spite of an asset that remains in production (gross production of 9,475 bopd in 2019) and that has retained its development potential, no contribution to M&P's net income has been recognised. Olivier de Langavant was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Maurel Prom Group effective 1 November 2019, replacing Michel Hochard. Olivier de Langavant spent over 35 years at French major Total within the exploration and production division, and held key managing positions, including head of Myanmar, head of Angola, Senior VP for Finance, Economics Information Systems, Senior VP for Strategy, Business Development and R&D, and finally Senior VP for Asia-Pacific. French English pieds cubes pc cf cubic feet millions de pieds cubes par jour Mpc/j mmcfd million cubic feet per day milliards de pieds cubes Gpc bcf billion cubic feet baril B bbl barrel barils d'huile par jour b/j bopd barrels of oil per day millions de barils Mb mmbbls million barrels barils equivalent petrole bep boe barrels of oil equivalent barils equivalent petrole par jour bep/j boepd barrels of oil equivalent per day millions de barils equivalent petrole Mbep mmboe million barrels of oil equivalent For more information, visit www.maureletprom.fr This document may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial position, results, business and industrial strategy of Maurel Prom. By nature, forward-looking statements contain risks and uncertainties to the extent that they are based on events or circumstances that may or may not happen in the future. These projections are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which may prove to be incorrect and which depend on a number of risk factors, such as fluctuations in crude oil prices, changes in exchange rates, uncertainties related to the valuation of our oil reserves, actual rates of oil production and the related costs, operational problems, political stability, legislative or regulatory reforms, or even wars, terrorism and sabotage. Maurel Prom is listed for trading on Euronext Paris CAC All-Tradable CAC Small CAC Mid Small PEA-PME and SRD eligible Isin FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP / Reuters MAUP.PA ___________________________ 1 Brent price assumption from 1 April 2020 (average Brent price in Q1 2020: $51/bbl) 2 Production in Angola was 4,484 bopd for M&P's working interest (20%) for the period during which the asset was held (since 1 August 2019), corresponding to 4,587 bopd in Q3 (two months only) and 4,415 bopd for the full Q4 3 M&P Trading buys and markets M&P's production in Angola and Gabon. Third-party production may also be traded by M&P Trading. In such instances, it is shown in consolidated sales View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005890/en/ Contacts: Maurel Prom Press, shareholder and investor relations +33 (0)1 53 83 16 45 ir@maureletprom.fr NewCap Financial communication and investor relations Media relations Louis-Victor Delouvrier Nicolas Merigeau +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53 +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 maureletprom@newcap.eu While some young people continue to be pilloried for socialising as the rest of us shelter indoors from COVID-19, Alex Dekker is quietly highlighting the greatest qualities of his demographic. Watching stress mount for his sister and other healthcare workers as the virus started to slam the system 10 days ago, the Monash University science and global studies student felt there must be something he could do. Student Alex Dekker and a network of volunteer young people are pumping out hundreds of meals a day for healthcare workers too frantic due to COVID-19 to cook for themselves. Credit:Jason South He could see his sister, Pietra, a doctor at Monash Medical Centre in her first year out of medical school, working so hard along with her young peers that they often either forgot to have meals or lacked time to cook them. "Pietra was working strenuous hours that seemed to increase day by day as the pandemic intensified," says Dekker, who turned 20 on Tuesday. The gesture is particularly meaningful to him because both his parents are immunocompromised, so at greater risk if they contact COVID-19. Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the urgency of providing income to the rural poor and suggested that MGNREGA payment be made in advance. This comes as the country is gripped with the surge in cases of Coronavirus, taking the total to over 1600. Expressing distress over the plight of the poor in the country, the Congress President urged PM Modi to take immediate action and extend support to nearly eight crore rural workers in the country. "Social Distancing norms have rendered all works unfeasible during the lockdown. Furthermore, even after the work commences, the MGNREGA workers have to wait for more than a month to recieve wages," the letter added. Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi on the urgency of providing income to the rural poor & suggested that MGNREGA payment be made in advance. #ActNowSaveIndia pic.twitter.com/VpEscLiyHn Congress (@INCIndia) April 1, 2020 READ: 'Congress fights Coronavirus': Priyanka Vadra touts Punjab, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh steps READ: 54,600 MT boiled rice & 13,000 MT raw rice sent to South India amid COVID: Telangana FCI The Coronavirus Pandemic As of date, India has reported over 1,600 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, around 38 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar, apart from barring all incoming international flights. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in order to curb the spread of the virus. At present, there are around 871,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 43,200 people across the world. Meanwhile, around 184,482 people have reportedly recovered. The US is at the top of the charts with respect to Coronavirus cases, with over 1.8 lakh people infected with the virus. READ: NTPC, NHPC, REC & other Power Ministry PSUs donate huge Rs 925 cr to PM-CARES Covid Fund READ: Over 160 from Delhi's Nizamuddin sent to hospital; Religious meet's organiser to be booked Sun was supposed to have a visit from a daughter and son-in-law March 14, but she told them not to come: Both she and her husband were feeling ill. Probably the flu, Sun said. A week earlier, she had flown to California and back to attend to some of the items that still needed moving. Plans by one of Melbournes largest TAFE institutes to open up its classrooms for teaching early next month have alarmed students who want to self-isolate as the COVID-19 pandemic builds to its predicted peak. Multi-campus institute Melbourne Polytechnic told students on Tuesday that it intended to restart face-to-face lessons after a locked-in four-week period of remote learning at the start of term two. Liam Ward, a horticulture student enrolled at Melbourne Polytechnic, at home in his Reservoir garden. Credit:Luis Ascui Students in courses including horticulture, floristry, landscaping, sport and arboriculture were told to prepare to return to class after the period of remote learning between April 14 and May 8. An email sent on Tuesday to students in the school of food, fibre and animal industries says that it is hoped that at the completion of this four-week period, students will return to their on-campus studies and all protocols of social distancing will be in place in the practical sites and classrooms. Border Force officials processing migrants at the UK border are not wearing facemasks or practicing social distancing. A number of workers were pictured without the right protective gear at Dover this morning. Workers in high-visibility jackets were seen crowded together, less than 6ft apart from one another, after picking up a group of migrants off the coast at Folkestone. Border Force employees are 'key workers' allowed to continue doing their jobs throughout the coronavirus outbreak, which has already killed 1,789 in Britain. But the Government has issued strict guidance on those who are still going to work, insisting they must stay at least six feet apart from one another and wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Border Force officials are pictured without masks processing migrants at Dover this morning after picking a group up off the coast at Folkestone, Kent Border Force workers are also pictured not following the Government's social distancing rules at Dover this morning The Home Office said Border Force officers were alerted around 7.50am today. A Border Force coastal patrol vessel intercepted a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat which was carrying a group of 11 men who presented themselves as Iranian, Syrian and Afghan nationals. They were taken on board the CPV and brought to Dover. All have now been transferred to immigration officials to be interviewed and their cases will be dealt with according to the immigration rules, including detention where appropriate. The Home Office says that in line with Public Health England guidance, Border Force and all operational staff 'have the relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available to them.' The discovery comes after a staggering 169 migrants tried to cross the Channel to Britain last week - with 95 making it to the UK and the rest stopped by the French. During those incidents Border Force officers wore masks to protect themselves. The total number of migrants who have made it to Britain this year now stands at around 441, including the latest group. In February, a record 102 completed the perilous trip across the Dover Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. It followed a year where around 1,900 migrants made it to Britain in small boats from France. Key workers such as Border Force officials are allowed to continue work during the coronavirus outbreak, but are expected to wear masks. These workers today were not A migrant is pictured being led away by a Border Force official at Dover this morning One Border Force employee is pictured processing a migrant found off the coast of Folkestone, Kent this morning not wearing a mask Another Border Force employee is seen leading a migrant away with no facemask or PPE With the increasing number of infections across the globe, scientists have resorted to studying existing drugs in the hope of discovering a cure for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A team of researchers has found that an existing drug, Nafamostat or Fusan, a drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the process used by the novel coronavirus to spread and cause illness. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has wreaked havoc across 180 countries, affecting more than 860,000 people and killing more than 42,000. As the pandemic spreads further, scientists are scrambling to find existing and new vaccines and drugs that can help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and to treat COVID-19 disease. According to the new research by scientists at the University of Tokyo, Nafamoslat mesylate can prevent fusion of the virus envelope with the surface membranes of the host cell, which is the first and crucial step in infection. Nafamostat mesylate, a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, is a short-acting anticoagulant, which also has some antiviral and anti-cancer properties. It has been used in trials studying the prevention of Liver Transplantation and Postreperfusion Syndrome. The use of nafamostat in Asian countries is approved as an anticoagulant therapy for patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy due to acute kidney injury. Nafamostat, an existing safe drug, may inhibit entry of SARS-CoV-2. Image Credit: The University of Tokyo. Inhibits membrane fusion The coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, can be transmitted to another person through droplets when a person sneezes or coughs. Viruses are packets of nucleic acid, and it can be RNA or DNA, which are surrounded by an envelope or a protein shell. Sometimes, it is protected by fatty materials called lipids. When viruses are outside a living cell, it is a dormant particle or a nonliving entity. However, once it enters a host, it can have all the raw materials for reproduction. When SARS-CoV-2 enters a host cell, it becomes alive, hijacking the cell's metabolic machinery to reproduce copies of itself. It then triggers an infection. The genome RNA of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV, are covered and surrounded by an envelop containing a lipid bilayer and envelope proteins. The S protein, which is a spike in the envelope, attaches or binds to a cell membrane receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, resulting in membrane fusion. In the case of Nagamostat, it can inhibit the membrane fusion at a concentration less than one-tenth that of Camostat mesylate, which is a drug identified by German scientists as another potential inhibitor of COVID-19. These drugs were both developed and manufactured in Japan to treat acute pancreatitis, or the inflammation of the pancreas, and other diseases. For years, doctors in the country had been using these, with adequate data that they are safe to use. Drug repurposing Drug repurposing had been an action performed by many scientists and institutions worldwide. Scientists have studied many possible substances and drugs that can combat COVID-19 since it would be faster given the urgency of the situation. "Considering that SARS-CoV-2 infection is already spreading worldwide, drug repurposing, which searches for therapeutics among existing drugs with established safety records, seems to be extremely worthwhile," Professor Jun-ichiro Inoue from the Research Center for Asian Infectious Diseases of the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo said. Nafamostat can be given through intravenous infusion and can be used to prevent membrane fusion through the SARS-CoV S protein. The study suggests that the drug will prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells, inhibiting infection. Nafamostat can be used alone, or in combination with other drugs like antivirals to fight COVID-19. The study is published in the journal Cell. COVID-19 situation The coronavirus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, has been ravaging through the world, with 180 affected countries. Dubbed as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection has taken a toll on many countries, locked down cities, and negatively impacted the economy. With the high number of infections happening, many front-liners and health workers are dying while some are overworked due to the influx of patients infected with the virus. The United States now has the highest number of infections, with 189,624 confirmed cases, followed by Italy and Spain, with 105,792 and 95,923 infections, respectively. A bikie who headbutted a paramedic half his size so hard he damaged his victim's eye socket will not spend a day in jail. Blake Jon Moller, 40, walked free from a Perth court on Tuesday with a suspended sentence. Paramedics fear he avoided prison to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in Western Australian jails by having fewer inmates, although there was no mention of COVID-19 during sentencing. Veteran ambo Andrew Wilson, 36, was bashed after he arrived at a domestic dispute on October 6 and was confronted by the drunk 130kg bikie. Andrew Wilson, 36, was headbutted by a bike twice his size during a routine domestic call out Blake Jon Moller, 40, (pictured) walked free from a Perth court on Tuesday with a suspended sentence 'He grabbed me by the shoulders and put his head through my head. He just destroyed me, I fell down to the ground dazed and confused,' he said. Moller pleaded guilty two weeks after the attack and attended a rehab clinic in Northam, about 100km east of Perth. The heavily-tattooed thug was found guilty in the Perth Magistrate's Court on Tuesday and given a seven-month prison term, suspended for nine months. Mr Wilson said his attacker dodging jail was a 'real kick in the guts' for all paramedics who were sick of being treated like 'punching bags'. 'Everyone is livid he did this to me and gets off with no jail time. We feel really let down,' he said on Wednesday. Western Australia has not followed NSW's lead in releasing some prisoners to ease crowding amid concerns coronavirus could rapidly spread through jails. Mr Wilson pictured with his wife Sarah and eldest son Billy, now 10, eight years ago when he first joined St John's Ambulance as an eager young recruit Eight years later he is sick of paramedics being treated like 'punching bags' after a series of attacks that left him battered and bruised But Mr Wilson was furious his attacker was not sent to jail in WA, which has 364 COVID-19 cases and two deaths. 'It's an absolute cop out. It's just horrible that just because this virus is going around people like him are let out on to the streets,' he said. 'He's a violent offender guilty of a serious assault on a public officer, that should mean jail time. 'He should take priority in going into jail over a lot of people. Let someone else out to make room if you have to.' Mr Wilson said he still played the traumatising incident, which left him with a damaged eye socket and concussion. 'I don't know how I'll feel going to a similar job, especially now that it's clear there's no repercussions for these people, the system's s**t and failing,' he said. 'Paramedics will start leaving because they're subjected to so much violence and the magistrates let them off. 'Many of us already have backup plans to do something else.' Mr Wilson, who has been a paramedic for eight years, said just six months earlier he was headbutted again by a drunk patient in a hospital emergency department Mr Wilson's wife Sarah with their sons Billy (left) and Eddy (right) worry that he won't come home Mr Wilson said his wife, two young sons Billy, 10, and Eddie, 5, and father didn't want him returning to work after a series of other assaults. He spent weeks off work after Moller's shocking attack, but managed to secure a transfer to a fly-in fly-out role on Barrow Island in the state's north. Instead of a dangerous city environment, he stabilises offshore oil and gas workers and evacuates them to hospital in a helicopter. 'It's a much more controlled and safety-conscious environment up here, I'm not dealing with so many drunks and drug addicts, which is refreshing,' he said. Mr Wilson told Daily Mail Australia days after the attack that he was sick of his family bearing the brunt of his frequent injuries. 'My kids see me come home with black eyes and they don't understand. I go to work and my family doesn't know if I'll come home tonight,' he said. His five-year-old so Eddy made him a get well soon card, but his older son Billy, 10, is getting far too used to his father getting hurt. 'This shouldn't be normal for a child with a paramedic dad to be seeing them with black eyes and broken noses,' he said. 'I don't tell them about the verbal abuse, but I can't hide that from them.' His five-year-old so Eddy made him a get well soon card after seeing his black eyes from the bikie assault Mr Wilson the assault was on a routine job on North Beach Drive in Tuart Hill, Perth, about 1.10am. Moller's partner said no one was injured but she wanted him out of the house because he was drinking and belligerent, so Mr Wilson radioed for police. 'I told them he's a big guy and it's going to escalate, he's going to lose his s**t, can we get the police here now,' he recalled. Suddenly, the well over 6ft, bald, heavily tattooed bikie kicked off a security screen and ran through the window out of the house towards the 70kg paramedic. 'He grabbed me by the shoulders and put his head through my head. He just destroyed me, I fell down to the ground dazed and confused,' he said. Mr Wilson got up and staggered away while hitting the panic code on his phone to summon police reinforcement in minutes. His older son Billy, 10, is getting far too used to his father getting hurt. 'This shouldn't be normal for a child with a paramedic dad to be seeing them with black eyes and broken noses,' he said Mr Wilson is pursuing a transfer to northern Western Australia where his family believes he will be safer on the job He said the man's partner was very apologetic and distressed about the attack and claimed the bikie had high-powered guns in the house. Multiple officers eventually wrestled the attacker into a paddy wagon and Mr Wilson was taken to hospital. Mr Wilson, who has been a paramedic for eight years, said just six months earlier he was headbutted again by a drunk patient in a hospital emergency department. He said the man was in a drunken fight and police said to take him to hospital. He was abusive on the way and attacked after they arrived. Mr Wilson's nose was broken but the man got off with a six month good behaviour bond. 'I'm sick of paramedics being punching bags. We get abused three or four times a day, mostly verbally but too often also physically,' he said. 'Anyone I know will say I'm the mellowest guy, I don't aggravate anyone, but this happens all the time anyway.' Mr Wilson said his wife Sarah was still a bit rattled by Sunday's attack and worried about when he goes back to work Mr Wilson said about 70 per cent of ambulance jobs were drug or alcohol related and many cases simply didn't need to involve ambulance officers Mr Wilson said about 70 per cent of ambulance jobs were drug or alcohol related and many cases simply didn't need to involve ambulance officers. 'We get called out to a lot of jobs where it's just people who are drunk and don't really need medical attention,' he said. He argued paramedics shouldn't have to treat them as it put officers at risk for people who just needed to go home and sleep it off. 'People think we have a duty of care because we are there, but if they're just drunk they don't need us. We should just be able to say we won't take them,' he said. 'Ambos let their patients abuse them because they think it's part of the job, but it's not. It happens too much and I'm sick of it.' Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, says placed himself in isolation after shaking hands with a doctor who tested positive for the coronavirus. The Russian president said he would be working from home for now. Denis Protsenko, head of Russias main coronavirus hospital said he tested positive for the disease, but that he feels well. I have tested positive, But I feel fine, Protsenko said. Ive isolated myself in my office, where everything is in place for remote work, management and telemedicine consultations, Protsenko wrote. I think the immunity that Ive built up over this month is doing its work.stay tuned. Read Also: Davido Tests Negative For Coronavirus Again Putin had met the doctor in Kommunarka hospital in Moscow on March 24 and they shook hands. According to Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to Putin, said the president is regularly tested and he is fine. The president prefers these days to work remotely, Peskov said. We are taking all precautionary measures. All of those who were with the president at Kommunarka are being tested daily for the coronavirus, The spokesman added that Putin was at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow. Russia has recorded a total of 2,777 cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / World-Class Extractions Inc. (CSE:PUMP) (FRA:WCF) (OTCQB:WCEXF) (the "Company" or "World-Class"), an innovation-driven company that deploys and manages purpose-built cannabis and hemp extraction and processing centres, is pleased to announce the signing of a definitive investment agreement (the "Investment Agreement"), dated effective March 27, 2020, outlining the terms and conditions with respect to an acquisition (the "Acquisition") of Pineapple Express Delivery Inc., ("Pineapple Express Delivery" or "PED"), an arm's length, privately held, Toronto-based company offering different types of legal delivery services (including same day and next day) to the cannabis sector in Canada. Pineapple Express Delivery's financial results will be reported with World-Class on a consolidated basis. Pineapple Express Delivery currently has several contracts in place with Licensed Producers ("LP's") for delivery within select provinces in Canada. Pineapple Express Delivery is targeting to become the delivery company of choice for Business-to-Consumer ("B2C") and Business-to-Business ("B2B") companies associated with medical and recreational cannabis, including all provincial organizations which manage cannabis distribution. Pineapple Express Delivery has also partnered with a US organization to assist in establishing joint ventures for distribution in California, Nevada, and Oregon in the near future. Pineapple Express Delivery is experiencing significant growth in B2B and B2C deliveries having completed 7,916; 8,935; and 22,478 deliveries in January, February and March (estimate) 2020, respectively, resulting in revenues of $131,179, $154,962, $347,897 in January, February and March (estimate) 2020 respectively, against gross margin of -12% (Jan), 12% (Feb) and 25% (March estimate) over the same period. Pineapple Express Delivery's impressive revenue growth is demonstrated by March revenues being 265% of those in January as the company's operations continue to ramp up to satisfy the current demand. Pineapple Express Delivery is in the process of submitting its evidence package to Health Canada to obtain a "Sale for Medical Purposes' license for its facility located in the Greater Toronto Area ("GTA"), with a population of 6 million people. This license gives Pineapple Express Delivery the ability to store inventory for other LPs at its licensed facility, by way of supply agreements. This allows Pineapple Express Delivery to leverage its facility in the GTA and offer same day delivery services to the patients of those LPs. During these unfortunate times, while we live through the COVID-19 pandemic, Pineapple Express Delivery has seen a substantial increase in volume throughout the provinces in which it delivers medical and recreational cannabis. In response to a surge in volume from the recreational market in Ontario, Pineapple Express Delivery is in the process of increasing the number of delivery drivers from 104 currently to 200, in order to better support both patients and recreational consumers to receive their products safely, securely, and in a timely manner. Pineapple Express Delivery, currently one of the premiere, most used delivery services in Ontario, will continue to maintain its high standards of security and compliance for same day and next day parcels, even as it grows to meet each provincial need. Pineapple Express Delivery benefits from a management team with over 10 years of experience offering same-day delivery services in multiple industries across Canada. Pineapple Express Delivery owns in-house proprietary software which offers a personalized experience for its customers and has established in-depth security and delivery protocols to facilitate same-day delivery of medical and recreational cannabis across Canada. Pineapple Express Delivery has been providing B2C and B2B delivery options to the legal cannabis industry since October 17, 2018 and has provincial offices set up across Canada. Rosy Mondin, CEO of World-Class, remarked, "World-Class is very excited with its acquisition in Pineapple Express Delivery, a fast-growing cannabis delivery business with an impressive management team. With the unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19 and the cannabis sector deemed an "essential' service in Ontario, the need for a legal, proven and reliable solution for cannabis delivery in Canada is evident now more than ever. This investment will allow us to participate in and capture Pineapple Express Delivery's potential growth on our future financial statements. Pineapple Express Delivery's strategic partnerships enable interprovincial deliveries across Canada, providing services for key industry clients and partners which we believe will create additional opportunities for World-Class in the future." Randy Rolph, CEO and Founder of Pineapple Express Delivery stated, "This acquisition of a controlling interest represents a defining moment for Pineapple Express Delivery. Alongside our long-term supporter Namaste Technologies Inc., we are excited to welcome World-Class who believe in our vision and long-term goals of becoming the go to same day delivery and next day delivery company in Canada and the US. With this being said, World-Class brings a strong leadership team to achieve all these goals and help us grow to our full potential at a quicker rate. We have established ourselves as the clear leader in the B2C market and with World-Class' investment we will now be able to focus 100 percent on the growth of Pineapple Express Delivery and rapidly differentiate ourselves across the market. Our goal is to provide the whole cannabis industry with an exceptional safe, secure and compliant same day and next day service both in the B2C and B2B market." Terms of the Acquisition Under the terms of the Acquisition, World-Class purchased a $500,000 secured convertible debenture ("Convertible Debentures") from PED, convertible at the option of World-Class at $0.15 per common share of PED. The Convertible Debentures have a two-year term and bear interest at 12% per annum, compounded monthly in advance. World-Class also purchased 8,333,333 units (the "Units") of PED, at a price of $0.15 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,250,000. Each Unit consisting of one common share and one half of one share purchase warrant, with each full warrant exercisable at $0.30 for a period of two years. The 8,333,333 common shares of PED held by World-Class represent approximately 21.55% of the current issued and outstanding share capital of PED, valuing PED at approximately $5.8 million dollars. As part of the Acquisition, PED utilized a portion of the financing proceeds to purchase 25,000,000 common shares of World-Class at a price of $0.05 per share. These shares are subject to a statutory hold period expiring on August 1, 2020. World-Class also acquired an option to acquire up to an additional 24,046,182 common shares (the "Option") of PED from existing shareholders, in addition to any additional common shares of PED they acquire during the term of the Option. The Option is exercisable during a 60-day period, starting two years from the closing of the Acquisition, based on a valuation of PED of one time its annualized revenue during the last quarter of the period. The exercise price per common share of PED is payable in common shares of World-Class, based on the 20-day Volume Weighted Average Price of World-Class' share price prior to the end of the two-year period. World-Class also entered into a voting trust with the optionors, entitling World-Class to vote such shares for a period of two years. Upon satisfaction of certain other conditions, including the restructuring of certain of PED's debt, World-Class has agreed to purchase an additional $500,000 in Convertible Debentures of PED under the same terms and conditions described above. Assuming the conversion of the Convertible Debentures and exercise of the Option by World-Class, the Company would hold 39,046,182 common shares of PED representing approximately 86.1% of the then issued and outstanding share capital of PED. The Convertible Debentures will rank pari-passu with PED's existing secured debt. Subject to certain conditions, the current holder of secured debt of PED has agreed, on the maturity of such debt, to assign the debt to World-Class in exchange for common shares of World-Class based on the 20-day Volume Weighted Average Price of World-Class' share price, calculated on the maturity date of the secured debt. About World-Class Extractions Inc. World-Class develops, deploys and manages custom-built extraction centers for licensed cannabis and hemp processors. Utilizing its custom technology and processes, World-Class enables its licensed partners to efficiently produce high-margin cannabis and hemp concentrates and oils. Through its relationships with licensed partners, World-Class also has the ability to offer toll processing of cannabis and hemp to licensed third parties that lack the expertise and equipment required to produce high-quality cannabis and hemp concentrates and end-products. With over half of a decade spent in research and development, the Company allows licensed producers to access the technology required to create value-added products in the expanding concentrate market. Company Contact Rosy Mondin, CEO & Director World-Class Extractions Inc. rosy@worldclassextractions.com 1-604-473-9569 Investor Contact Christina Rao & Daniel Mogil World-Class Investor Relations 1-604-723-7480 ir@worldclassextractions.com https://worldclassextractions.com About Pineapple Express Delivery Inc. The Pineapple Express Delivery management team has over 10 years of experience offering same-day 60-minute delivery services in multiple industries across Canada with a record breaking 40,000 deliveries per month. Pineapple Express Delivery offers a personalized experience for its customers and has established in depth security and delivery protocols to facilitate same-day delivery of medical and recreational cannabis across the country. Pineapple Express Delivery has been providing a same day delivery option to the legal Cannabis Industry from October 17th, 2018 and has provincial offices set up across Canada. For more information regarding Pineapple Express Delivery, please visit www.pineappledeliveryexpress.com. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management of the Company. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to the capture of revenue with operational margins on our income statement, successful deployment of the Company's cannabis and hemp processing centres, the ability of the Company to generate revenue from such processing centres, and the ability of its partners to produce high-margin cannabis products. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking 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 such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 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 unless required by law. SOURCE: World Class Extractions View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583539/World-Class-Acquires-Controlling-Interest-in-Pineapple-Express-Cannabis-Delivery The UAE will emerge as a world leader in using drone capabilities in a growing list of fields, said experts at Falcon Eye Drones Services (FEDS), a leader in drone technologies and one of the worlds top Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) companies. The speed of the initiative of government agencies in the UAE to use the capabilities of the drone to speed up the fight against the coronavirus confirms its proactive approach by adopting the latest technologies to maintain and enhance its leading position in various fields, said Rabih Bou Rashid, CEO of FEDS. "The rapid spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 has played a vital role in accelerating the adoption of the drone in a growing list of unconventional tasks, which is what we have witnessed in the UAE, which has become a global leader in utilising latest technologies to improve peoples quality of life and enhance the countrys competitiveness, he added. Bou Rashid also mentioned that even before the threat of the pandemic, drones have already been showing promising ways to provide human support more efficiently. In early 2020, FEDStogether with the UAEs Ministry of Climate Change and Environmenthas completed its drone seeding of 6.25 million Ghaf and Samar trees across 25 locations in the country in a span of a few daysa much shorter time compared to the decades it used to take farmers to complete such process. COVID-19 has prompted more usage of drones, with a lot of countries utilising them to conduct its services without the risk of infection. We must put drones to our advantage in this crisis, as this technology offers a unique yet safe way to conduct remotely what used to be only human-to-human interactions, he said. The ability of drones to deliver daily assistance at a distance makes it a favourable technology in the future. Drones will be an essential part of the daily lives of humans and will be as vital as phones are to everyone today. And now, more than ever, drones give us a fighting chance in our battle against the epidemic with the several solutions they offer for epidemic control, he added. Further to this, FEDS highlighted five ways on how drones can speed up the fight against coronavirus disease COVID-19 and strengthen the enforcement of the #stayhome campaign. Broadcasting Drones, equipped with loudspeakers, are significantly helpful in epidemic control by conveying information to the public and enforcing the #stayhome campaign amidst the coronavirus pandemic. In the UAE, police authorities such as Dubai Police and Sharjah Police, are now utilising drones to disseminate messages to encourage residents to stay home and avoid stepping out unless necessary. The message aired out in loudspeakers in different languages such as Arabic, English, Urdu, and Filipino says, Stay home. Avoid gathering. Stay away from anything that puts you and your family at risk. It is our wish for everyone to be safe. Bou Rashid said this is to maintain the health and safety of the community while keeping the authorities protected. Some countries, he said, have been using drones to share key information on personal sanitation, disinfection, and self-protection to educate the community. Disinfection The UAE has also used drones during the recent national disinfection program. Drones, Bou Rashid said, can carry up to 16 litters of spraying disinfectanta feature that allows them to fumigate large areas without sending people into impacted places. Drone sprays are estimated to be 50 times more efficient than hand sprays. He added that the drones of FEDS, for instance, have a spraying efficiency of 180 mu per hour, and can already cover 120,000 sq m. They also have omnidirectional radar to be able to carry out the mission automatically. Detection According to Bou Rashid, drones can help detect new cases as they are equipped with a dual visual and infrared image sensormaking it easy to measure body temperature from a safe distance and reducing the risk of further infection. He added that drones can travel up to one-kilometre radius, allowing for a large area observation in a shorter period. Monitoring and Crowd Guidance Authorities can deploy drones to monitor people who defy government decisions, allowing strict enforcement of regulations. Surveillance drones are capable to identify those who have broken the countrys confinement laws. The drones are also used to guide crowds and vehicles in places prone to infection in a much safer and more efficient manner. Drones, Bou Rashid said, can carry out onsite guidance like patrols in key transport hub areas to minimise congestion, as well as observe public areas to locate unprotected crowds. Without drones, Bou Rashid said common issues like road congestion and crowd gathering, would require onsite manpowerwhich could lead to cross-infection. Goods Delivery Bou Rashid noted that drones can deliver necessary goods without human contactssuch as samples, medicine, and groceries. He added that since human-to-human contact is risky at this time, some nations have utilised robots for contactless deliveriesreducing cross-infection while making sure aid arrives for people in need. Robots like drones are immune to infection, so many countries have stepped up to get them out in force to deliver medical supplies and other goods. Drones have indeed proven their value especially to those who are quarantined at homes, he said. The CEO also stressed that FEDS can offer these types of services, saying: We do our best for our drones to become essential support in battling this disease. Today, we are at war with the disease, and it is only right to treat advanced technologies like drones as our allies in combating this pandemic. TradeArabia News Service A tourist has revealed how contracting coronavirus left him unable to eat tomato sauce without it leaving a foul metallic taste in his mouth. Joshua Dent, 23, believed he caught the virus while travelling overseas to London to meet a friend in early March before making his way to Paris. Upon returning to New Zealand on March 16 he began to drive home from Auckland Airport when he started to develop symptoms. Joshua Dent said he contracted coronavirus while travelling overseas in London and Paris before he returned to New Zealand 'It was about a four-hour drive to get home and two hours into the drive I started getting a runny nose and a sore throat.' he told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Dent said he started to become very tired and was overcome by the virus by the time he got home. But the one symptom that surprised Mr Dent was when he suddenly lost his ability to eat tomato sauce. 'I just remember tasting it and it was just this horrible metallic kind of taste. I tried another brand that we had and it was exactly the same thing,' he said. 'The (bad) taste stayed the entire time I had corona and then it was fine again after.' Even more confusingly Mr Dent said all other foods tasted exactly the same, including tomatoes themselves. Mr Dent said the symptom that surprised him was the inability to eat tomato sauce as it now tasted 'disgusting' and had a 'metallic flavour' Mr Dent is still in isolation but has since recovered from coronavirus and said the first thing he ate after his recovery was a sausage in bread with sauce. Change in taste and smell, or the complete loss of it, has been raised by doctors and health experts as a common symptom of coronavirus. The loss of the two sensors often develop within hours and could be one of the first detectable symptoms. New data gathered by ENT UK, which represents ear, nose and throat specialists has even seen some UK doctors calling for the symptom to be added to official lists. Mr Dent said he wanted to support others who had contracted the virus and left an open invitation for sufferers to contact him through his email: j.pomare@yahoo.com. Police will allege that the man who hit and killed a group of four children walking at Oatlands earlier this year was driving under the influence of MDMA and driving more than 45 km/h over the speed limit. Samuel Davidson, 29, was in February charged over a fatal crash at Oatlands in Sydney's north west that killed siblings Antony, Angelina and Sienna Abdallah and their cousin Veronique Sakr. Sienna, Angelina and Antony Abdallah. Three other children, all relatives of the children killed, were also injured. Mr Davidson will on Thursday face 14 fresh charges when he appears in Parramatta Local Court, including four counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of MDMA, four counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death going, driving with cocaine in his blood stream and failing to provide his details to police. The Project host Carrie Bickmore has noticeably darker roots after avoiding her usual trips to the hairdresser due to the coronavirus outbreak. She showed off her regrowth on Tuesday in an Instagram photo that highlighted the difference in colour between her roots and her blonde tresses. 'S**t's about to get real,' Carrie, 39, joked in caption. Scroll down for video Missing the salon! The Project host Carrie Bickmore (pictured) has noticeably darker roots after avoiding her usual trips to the hairdresser due to the coronavirus outbreak While some salons remain open despite the pandemic, the public has been advised to avoid unnecessary contact with people outside of the home or workplace. The Channel 10 personality then revealed her go-to product for hiding grey hairs: L'Oreal Paris Magic Retouch. 'For those days you can be bothered covering the greys and you need to go on national TV, this stuff is the bomb!' she wrote. 'S**t's about to get real': She showed off her regrowth on Tuesday in an Instagram photo that highlighted the difference in colour between her roots and her blonde tresses 'This stuff is the bomb!' The Channel 10 personality then revealed her go-to product for hiding grey hairs: L'Oreal Paris Magic Retouch Several of her famous friends confessed to being in similar predicaments, including Lisa Wilkinson, who wrote: 'I hear you, sister!' Radio host Kate Ritchie joked: 'I can't even show you my eyebrows.' Meanwhile, the business page for activewear label Lorna Jane, founded by Lorna Jane Clarkson, wrote: 'It's OK, put in a high pony and fresh as!' 'Don't do it!' On Tuesday, former Bachelorette Sophie Monk chose to take her regrowth into her own hands by attempting a DIY dye job at home On Tuesday, former Bachelorette Sophie Monk chose to take her regrowth into her own hands by attempting a DIY dye job at home. She shared a video of the disastrous results to Instagram, and said it looked like her hair 'had a fight with a Twisties packet'. As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 4,862 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 21 deaths. Over the past week, I have exchanged several out-of-character text messages, calls, and emails with colleagues and long-distance friends: Happy to talk on the phone anytime. ... How are you? Been thinking of you. ... We just did a virtual workout, you should join next week!... You doing OK with all of this? ...Whos up for a Google Hangout tomorrow? I feel like we all need it. There has been a palpable shift in my relationship to human connection, and the same feels true for most people Ive encountered. The coronavirus pandemic presents increasingly obvious challenges across many fronts. It will tax our health care system, our economy and our communities. Undoubtedly, the virus, its aftermath and our mitigation techniques will also tax our individual and collective mental health. Unprecedented measures are being taken to temper the effect of the virus on our economic and health care systems. A proportionally anomalous response may be required of each of us to address the mental health implications of our current reality. While the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 era will be varied and wide-ranging, it could render us particularly vulnerable to depression. The clinical construct of depression commonly manifests as social withdrawal, loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, sleep disturbance, depressed mood, hopelessness, and anxiety. The pandemic-related uncertainty could alone exacerbate distress. People are now being encouraged or required to physically separate from social supports and disengage from all non-essential activities outside the home. These social distancing measures, while currently necessary, could prompt or worsen symptoms of depression. In fact, an article published earlier this year in the Lancet Public Health suggests that social disconnectedness increases depression by way of loneliness and perceived lack of support. There is a neurobiological explanation for this, too. Loneliness and social isolation trigger changes to our immune response, which are associated with depression, possibly because brain tissue becomes inflamed. Overall, the science is clear social connectedness is an important ingredient of mental health. In ways that feel particularly salient now, we are all dependent on one another. Cruelly, our physical health depends largely on our adherence to staying apart physically, and our mental health depends on our willingness and ability to stay connected emotionally. The latter will be difficult given the former. Many of us depend on polite, albeit often superficial interactions with co-workers and neighbors to reach our minimum necessary dose of social connectedness. Before COVD-19 upended our daily lives, these interactions were conveniently and seamlessly integrated into our routines. Now, maintaining social connectedness will require individuals to bravely extend invitations of vulnerability to colleagues, friends, family and neighbors. In normal times, we may find ourselves asking, hows it going? while passing a co-worker in the hallway in anticipation of receiving a placating response devoid of any meaningful self-disclosure. These times, however, call for us to intentionally reach out virtually to that same colleague and compassionately encourage a genuine answer to the same question. There are important reasons why this shift in behavior and mind-set could be difficult to put into practice. Research by Nicholas Epley, a behavioral scientist at University of Chicago, suggests that connecting with one another leaves us feeling happier despite the fact that we erroneously forecast that social interactions will be unpleasant. Our tendency to inaccurately appraise the consequences of social interactions helps explain why we act against our interests by foregoing opportunities to connect. Another challenge will be working against the urge to socially withdraw if symptoms of depression emerge or worsen, as clinical literature suggests that depression and social withdrawal often go hand in hand. Many of us will need to increase our approach toward social connection during this time of physical isolation and distress, and that may require effortful and courageous instances of acting in opposition to our instincts. As those who have experienced depression can attest, this simple heuristic is easier said than done. Yet it is one of the core tenants of behavioral therapies and one of the most powerful tools we have in the treatment of depression. Despite these and other challenges, we must persist in our efforts to connect with one another in order to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from causing an epidemic of social isolation and depression. If we are able to work against cultural and individual barriers to connection, we will increase our likelihood of maintaining mental health during this pandemic. In the best case, we might take this opportunity to irreversibly strengthen and enhance our connections with one another, thus indefinitely gracing our personal and professional lives with a new dimension of depth and genuineness. At the very least, we temporarily bolster our social networks to get us through this collective time of greatest need. Either way, each of us has the power to choose social connection over social isolation today. Send that text. Make that call. Accept that video chat invite. If it feels outside the norm, youre doing it right. These times call for anything but the status quo. Ironically, the solution is eerily similar to the problem itself: If it is indeed the case that the virus can spread pervasively through a series of individual interactions, it must also be the case that emotional connection can spread the same way. Sarah L. Hagerty is a dual Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology and neuroscience and a research affiliate at the Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 15:54:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved 60 million U.S. dollars in financing for Laos to strengthen the country's financial safety net and civil registration system. Some 35 million U.S. dollars will help Laos strengthen its financial safety net, and 25 million U.S. dollars will support an upgrade of the national civil registration system, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Wednesday. The Financial Sector Safety Net Strengthening Project will build the capacity of the Deposit Protection Office, a public legal entity, so that it can fulfill its deposit insurance mandate while benefiting households and small and medium enterprises with deposits in the banking system by protecting them in case of a bank failure. "A strengthened deposit insurance system will make the banking system more resilient to possible shocks," said Mariam Sherman, the World Bank country director for Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Meanwhile, the 25 million U.S. dollars Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Project will support the establishment of a comprehensive national civil registration system equipped to record key life events. The CRVS will provide vital data that can inform the formulation and implementation of public policies and help the monitoring and evaluation of national and sub-national development plans. "The systematic collection and analysis of key life events provide evidence-based information for policymakers to target specific segments of the population, including the poor, with tailored policies and services," said Nicola Pontara, the World Bank country manager for Laos. This project will help expedite implementation of the Lao government's 2016-25 CRVS Strategic Plan and the 2018 Family Registration Law, and meet the commitments of the Asia and Pacific 2015-24 Regional Action Framework on CRVS, according to the report. Contributed photo To support first responders, AIEP Host Families has donated this week more than 10,000 disposable masks and more than 100 gallons of sanitizers to 40 police/ fire departments and hospitals in 20 Connecticut communities where their host families and international students reside. Recipients included the fire and police departments in Milford. AIEP Host Families is located in Derby, and is an international student and host family recruiting agency. AIEP was established to assist U.S. secondary educational institutions with the recruiting and hosting of international students from China. AIEP has more than 500 students in their program with 300 host families housing them. The students are studying at private middle and high schools in Conn., Mass., R.I. Penn., N.Y., and Md. To learn more about hosting an international student, contact AIEP at 203-992-2437 or info@aiepusa.com. The number of healthcare workers diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Monastyryska district of Ukraine's Ternopil region has reached 32, Deputy Chairman of Ternopil Regional State Administration Pavlo Dron has said on Facebook. "Seventy-seven people were infected with coronavirus in the Monastyryska district as of 09:00 [on April 1]. Among them, there are 32 medical professionals (ten doctors, 14 nurses, eight junior nurses), five children, two civil servants, two police officers, a priest, a kindergarten chief, a teacher, a State Emergency Service rescuer, and the head of a merged territorial community," Dron wrote. The head of the Monastyryska merged territorial community, Andriy Starukha, contracted coronavirus on March 31. According to the latest data from the regional laboratory center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 98 cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in Ternopil region so far. op Food prices in India are likely to rise soon, warn experts, as farmers in the country face the double whammy of erratic rainfall and coronavirus lockdown Food prices in India are likely to rise soon, warn experts, as farmers in the country face the double whammy of erratic rainfall and a nationwide lockdown due to the novel coronavirus. The Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, in a report published on Monday, expressed fear of loss of crops due to the recent untimely rainfall when the agriculture sector in India is already struggling to meet the challenges thrown by the nationwide lockdown. The report said, "The month of March has been rather harsh for many crops across several parts of the country. Widespread rains lashed several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Even Gujarat experienced unseasonal rain, but it was mercifully light to moderate only. This untimely and unrelenting weather activity has triggered fear amongst farmers about damage to standing crops. Rains are not good at this stage and will certainly affect the yield of the crops." A source in the private weather forecaster told Firstpost that n the month of March alone, this year, there has been excessive rainfall by 57 percent along with hailstorm, which could damage crops. The source also informed that heavy rainfall along with hailstorm during the harvesting season makes standing crops fall, thus decreasing the yield substantially. Rekha Mishra, an expert with Skymet said that heavy rainfall not only decreases the quantity of produce negatively but also quality. Due to heavy rains fields would be filled with water and the falling of crops could also result in damage of food grains, she said. The harvest season of Rabi crops starts from the month of February and continues till the month of May. The unseasonal rains are likely to impact Rabi crops like wheat, potato, tomato, and onions. Brijkishore Yadav, a farmer in the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh told Firstpost that his district has seen a massive loss of crops due to unseasonal rains. On average, 50 percent of the wheat produced in the district has been damaged due to the rains, which was accompanied with hails in many places, he said. He further added that the gravity of the situation would become clear only after the wholesale markets open up after the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 March is over. "It is unlikely that adequate crops would reach the wholesale markets to meet the demand," he warned. The unseasonal rains have only added to the woes of the farmers, who are already suffering due to the nationwide lockdown over coronavirus. The agriculture sector has already been facing a shortage of manpower to harvest crops due to mass-scale migration of labourers from states like Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Delhi NCR to their home districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, following the lockdown. Venkatesh Athreya, a leading economist associated with the MS Swaminathan Research Institute told Firstpost a number of states are dependent on migrant labourers for agricultural works. States like Punjab, Haryana and a part of Uttar Pradesh are heavily dependent on migrant labourers for the agriculture sector. On the other hand, many states engage these labourers for loading and unloading, which also has a bearing in the agricultural sector," he said. Only recently, Delhi saw lakhs of daily wage labourers migrating back to their villages on foot. Experts say that this is not a phenomenon limited to Delhi only. Most of the states in India have seen a migration of daily wage labourers to their hometowns after the lockdown. Ranveer Singh Munder, a farmer at Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh, however, says that restrictions on mobility have also resulted in the unavailability of labourers. On account of the lockdown many labourers living in Uttar Pradesh are not being able to move to the farmlands in Haryana, as a result of which, the harvesting of the crop has suffered, he said. Apart from a scarcity of labourers, there is also a scarcity of buyers of the agricultural produce as the wholesale markets are closed due to the lockdown. Many farmers are not finding buyers for their produce which they have already harvested as some of the wholesale markets are closed as well, said Yadav. Rajesh N Garh, a wholesale trader in the Najafgarh wholesale market in Delhi, who deals in foodgrains told Firstpost that due to the lockdown, the operating time of the market has been reduced to four hours per day. As per the instructions of the market committee, we open our shops at 8 am and shut it down within four hours. Whatever sale or purchase is done is done during this period and not beyond that, he said. Several farmers fear that a major chunk of their produce may get damaged by the time they would find buyers. There's also the fear that the closure of the wholesale markets coupled with a substantial decrease in agricultural production may lead to a rise in price levels of food. Yadav, who also leads a farmers organisation in Uttar Pradesh, says that the only solution out of this mess is a dialogue between the government and the farmers about how to ensure mobility and facilitate the sale of agricultural produce during the lockdown. An official report by the World Health Organization (WHO) published on Feb 25th, 2020, on WHO's official website indicates global numbers of 80239 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and over 2600 confirmed deaths. So far, China is the leading zone for death tolls from the virus. The rapid spread of COVID-19 that originated in Wuhan, China, internationally, is putting the global populace at a higher risk. In an article featured on Aljazeera, the coronavirus outbreak is now a global health emergency, as declared by WHO. Rising fears are pushing for travel sanctions, calling for evacuations, and pushing medical researchers and doctors to the limits as they join hands to contain this deadly virus and push on their research for a vaccine. What Is Coronavirus? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines coronaviruses (CoV) as a big virus family that causes a wide variety of diseases like a common cold, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). Both humans and animals can transmit the virus because it is zoonotic. It circulates in animals and passed on to humans. Many coronaviruses are circulating among animals that have not infected humans. The coronavirus that recently originated in China is called COVID-19. Your chances of getting COVID-19 are low if you haven't had close contact with someone ill, traveled to an area where the viruses are spreading, or you are not from a COVID-19 vested area. Where Did The Coronavirus Come From? It is not the first time coronavirus is hitting the headlines. In 2002, SARS, a type of coronavirus, originated from China's wet markets of Guangdong, spreading to 29 regions by 2003, with global cases reported at 8,098 and a fatality rate of 9.6%. Bats were the primary cause of SARS coronavirus, although civet cats sold in the Chinese markets were intermediary sources. The recent outbreak in China is one such case. Many conspiracies are surrounding the origin of coronavirus named COVID-19 by WHO. To date, the Chinese department of health is still attempting to determine the exact origin of the virus. The information from the health authorities prospects the virus to originate from a Wuhan-based seafood market that the government says partly involved black-market trading activities. In a study published on Jan 21st, 2020 by SCIENCES CHINA Life Sciences, Chinese researchers have discovered the principle protein necessary for the new China-originated coronavirus infecting humans. The researchers have identified bats as the natural habitat for the virus. Further findings from the study trace a familiar semblance of the coronavirus genome to the coronavirus HKU9-1 present in the bat family. Although the Wuhan wet market thought to be the origin of the virus does not sell bats, researchers prospect that bats may have spread the virus to the animals sold in the market. The Wuhan wet market sold both live and dead animals, including birds and fish. Coronavirus is one of the most common bat diseases that can potentially infect humans. Bats are reservoirs of many other viral infections, including rabies, HIV, and Ebola. Read more to find out about bats and the origins of Coronavirus. The Rise Of Coronavirus (In Summary) On Dec 31st, 2019, the People's Republic of China (China) alerted the World Health Organization about many upcoming cases of pneumonia. On Jan 7th, 2020, France confirmed the first case of coronavirus infection that was the first one among European nations. Four days later, on Jan 11th, China publicly announced the first death case from coronavirus. On Jan 13th, a report by WHO reported the first coronavirus case outside China in Thailand. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a global health emergency on Jan 30th and the Philippines recorded the first death outside China. The situation kept worsening as the death of a whistleblower and Chinese doctor Li Wenliang on Feb 7th, and since then, the death toll has persistently risen. On Feb 11th, WHO named the virus COVID-19. Egypt confirmed the first African COVID-19 case on Feb 14th, and more countries are on confirming more coronavirus cases. Symptoms Of Coronavirus The WHO identifies common COVID-19 symptoms to include difficulties when breathing, shortness in breath, cough, and fever. In worse circumstances, the infection can lead to kidney failure, severe acute respiratory syndromes, and pneumonia. How Long Does It Take For Coronavirus Symptoms To Show Up? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's observation on coronavirus incubation, it might take between two to fourteen days for the signs to show up after exposure to predisposing factors. If you see any of the signs, especially after exposure to an environment or to people likely to contain the virus, it is advisable to seek an early medical intervention to prevent the situation from getting worse because the virus can lead to death within a short time. Standard Prevention Measures Against Coronavirus (COVID-19) Thorough egg and meat cooking can prevent the spread of infections. Covering the nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing and washing hands regularly can help prevent the spread of the infection. Keeping off close contact with anyone with respiratory symptoms like sneezing and coughing can help prevent infections. The best you can do now is to practice good hygiene. Is coronavirus curable? Can it be treated? Can coronavirus be treated? The question as to whether coronavirus can be treated is one of the bothersome inquiries that are intensifying the fear of people contracting the virus or those already infected. Most people who show the symptoms of the coronavirus are afraid to show up themselves for fear of victimization and stigmatization. Presently, containing the virus involves providing the patient with basic support like breathing support to sustain them until their bodies develop enough immunity to fight the virus. Goods news! Scientists are actively developing vaccines to address this pandemic. Researchers have already released coronavirus vaccines and are running the tests on animals. If the tests on animals prove positive, then doctors will move on to vaccine trials on humans. The only thing to keep in mind about the discovery of the coronavirus vaccine is the timescale is not definite, and the various new approaches to vaccine development call for patience. Although clinical trials are using anti-viral drugs on coronavirus victims, their ability to guarantee to heal is uncertain. Parting Thoughts Anybody can be susceptible to COVID-19 because it may be difficult to expressively identify victims due to the long incubation period of the virus from 2 to 14 days or even more. The most ideal is to take precautions against close contact with potential cases and to seek medical help as soon as any of the coronavirus signs show up. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:06:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The street and sidewalk of Times Square are seen mostly empty in New York, the United States, March 26, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) When the disease broke out in China, U.S. organizations and companies extended their helping hands, which is highly appreciated by the Chinese people. In return for such solidarity, Chinese companies, non-governmental groups and individuals have offered support and assistance to the American people, who are suffering from the shortage of medical supplies. by Mohamed Mazen BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- As the novel coronavirus continues spreading across the world, joint work between China and the United States, the world's top two economies, is of particular importance to the global fight against the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China and the United States have seen their people help each other through this difficult time. When the disease broke out in China, U.S. organizations and companies extended their helping hands, which is highly appreciated by the Chinese people. Photo provided by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows that Bill Gates (R) and Melinda Gates pose for a photo after annotating the 2019 annual letter in Kirkland, Washington, the United States, on Jan. 8, 2019. (Xinhua) To name some, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed up to 100 million U.S. dollars in emergency funding, much of which would help China bolster epidemiological research, emergency intervention, and the research and development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics. MedShare, an American medical non-profit organization, has donated 1.8 million respirators and 80,000 isolation gowns to China early February. The U.S.-based beverage giant Coca-Cola also sent 1.5 million surgical masks and 40,000 isolation gowns to China to support its anti-virus efforts. In return for such solidarity, Chinese companies, non-governmental groups and individuals have offered support and assistance to the American people, who are suffering from the shortage of medical supplies. On Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed appreciation to Chinese telecom operator Huawei for providing tens of thousands of N95 face masks, isolation gowns, medical goggles and gloves. Jack Ma, founder of China's Internet giant Alibaba, addresses the audience during the Africa Netpreneur Prize final competition in Accra, capital of Ghana, Nov. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu) In mid-March, the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation said they would donate 1 million masks and 500,000 testing kits to the United States to help Americans fight against the epidemic. Chinese doctors have also been engaged in exchanging professional advice and anti-virus experience with their American peers. All these demonstrate the long-standing fond between the two peoples, which remains the foundation of the world's most important bilateral ties. During their two phone calls since the epidemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have touched upon cooperation. The two presidents, joined by other world leaders, also sat visually at the same table and exchanged views last week at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit. Unfortunately, the past months witnessed some U.S. politicians trying to politicize the global combat against the virus and stigmatize China. Medical workers pose for a photo with donated medical supplies at a hospital in Staten Island of New York, the United States, on March 29, 2020. (Xinhua) Facing the global challenges, a coordinated international response is badly needed. As the world's major countries, cooperation between China and the United States on the global public health crisis is beneficial to not only the two countries but also the world as a whole, and should not be held back by muds or mutters. According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, the number of global confirmed cases has surpassed 860,000, with nearly 190,000 people in the United States having been infected. As the human species are facing the common enemy, cooperation is the only right choice to end the pandemic and restore the world economy. No one can stand alone. It is the call of both its people and its global duty for Washington to join hands with Beijing and work together. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said that 200 people, out of 342 from the state who had attended the religious gathering at Markaz building in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, have been quarantined. "200 people including four from Bengaluru and five from Belgaum, who participated in Tablighi Jamaat (in Delhi's Nizamuddin), have been quarantined. Total 342 people from Karnataka had attended the event," Sriramulu told reporters here. The gatherings organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in March. Twenty-four cases were reported from the capital alone, apart from Telangana, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. The minister had earlier said that Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru have been identified among the prime 25 COVID-19 hotspots in the country. Chikkaballapur, since the last fourteen days, has been emerging as another hotspot, according to Sriramulu. The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1,637 after 240 new cases were reported in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Wednesday. The total number of active cases rose to 1466 in the country, while 132 people have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment, as of 9 am. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) High alert ahead of Amarnath Yatra: Here is how the pilgrimage is being guarded Coronavirus: Security personnel guarding Srinagar Mayor put in Isolation India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Apr 01: Security personnel guarding Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu were put in isolation after a family member of an employee in his office tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday. The employee, whose brother tested COVID-19 positive, works as a generator operator at the Srinagar Municipal Complex. Mattu said the precautionary step was taken because of the security personnel station's proximity to the generator room. In a letter to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) 10th Battalion's commandant, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for the Police Control Room in Kashmir on Tuesday asked him to put his men on escort duty with the mayor for the last 10 days in isolation as a precautionary measure. Railways may convert 20,000 coaches into isolation wards for COVID-19 patients The personnel from the battalion were deployed for escort duties with the mayor and there are chances that they could have come in contact with the generator operator or any other official from security or other departments who may be in contact with the generator operator, according to the letter. "In view of the above facts the nafri (personnel) of SSB 10th battalion who were deployed for escort duty for last 10 days with the mayor may be kept in isolation being probable suspects for COVID-19 as precautionary measure," it stated. Mattu said the order was an exercise in caution and he has had no contact with SMC employees. "I'm perfectly fine and healthy. The order issued by SSP-PCR is an exercise in caution. I haven't come in contact with the said employee (whose brother has tested positive). The employee hasn't tested positive but has submitted himself for screening and testing," the mayor tweeted. #Stayathome and send us your selfie Mattu said the security personnel were sent into isolation because of the proximity of their station to the generator room. "Not *my* generator operator. The brother of the generator operator of the entire SMC complex! Have had no contact with him whatsoever. The Escort Personnel and SSB deployment sent into isolation because of the proximity of their station with the generator room. Just precautions, he said reacting to a barrage of tweets. New Jersey State Police investigated the alleged sexual assault by the private-duty nurse. Read more Edmondo DiPaolo, a private-duty nurse whose job was to take care of a severely developmentally impaired 16-year-old girl, instead sexually assaulted her, and now he is under arrest, said Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. DiPaolo, 33, of the 100 block of Daniels Avenue in Pemberton Township, has been charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree attempted aggravated assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He was taken into custody March 21 and is being held at the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a detention hearing in Superior Court and the case being presented to a grand jury, the Prosecutors Office said. The victim has a degenerative brain disorder and is confined to a wheelchair, authorities said. She does not have the ability to move or speak and is fed and medicated through tubes. DiPaolo had been caring for her two days a week for the last seven months in her Southampton home, authorities said. The investigation began after the victims family members discovered an injury to her leg. Her femur was broken when DiPaolo adjusted her position prior to sexually assaulting her, authorities said. The case was investigated by the New Jersey State Police. DiPaolo was employed by Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services Inc. of Eatontown, Monmouth County. Anyone who suspects he may have mistreated others is urged to call State Police Detective P. Ryba at 609-859-2282. In the middle of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis, Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan spoke to Amandeep Shukla about flattening the curve, the importance of the lockdown period, aggressive testing, community transmission, and the quest for a cure, among other issues. Edited excerpts: India has crossed 1,500 Covid-19 cases. When do you think the curve will flatten? All public health measures are being put into place to mitigate the rise of the epidemic curve in India. The upcoming few days are critical. Our experience from the global response tells us that even with stringent lockdowns and public health measures, the transmission dynamics of Covid-19 is such that it takes about 2-4 weeks to bend the curve. We recommended quarantine for 14 days, based on the incubation period of the infection. Incubation period is the time between acquiring the infection and manifestation of the symptoms. So, persons who acquire the infection prior to the lockdown will keep manifesting symptoms and be reported as cases in the first 10-14 days of the lockdown period. Only after this incubation period is over can we expect a change in the trajectory of the epidemic curve. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic How important is the lockdown period? It is an important intervention, as it delays the peak of the epidemic, slows the growth of the curve, and provides the health and social systems the time to mount a response. However, despite the lockdown and all public health measures being in place, it will take some time for the caseload to reduce, because individuals exposed just prior to the lockdown may take some time to manifest symptoms. Assuming that the lockdown is effective in ensuring social distancing, it will be important to see how the epi curve looks after two weeks. It is vital that we initiate community-led interventions to ensure social distancing, quarantining, and isolation of symptomatic persons to augment the scale of the lockdown. Do you think the lockdown should be extended? The situation is still evolving. No doubt, the lockdown and quarantine has tried to contain the spread amongst clusters, still we have a long way to go till every contact of a confirmed case is rendered safe. I would like to convey to your readers through this interview that they must honour the lockdown protocol. Staying at home is the only way of staying safe. There is a lot of discussion or speculation as to whether the country has reached stage 3 or not. Have there been cases of community transmission? There is no clear globally accepted definition for community transmission. Right now, India has mostly cases related to international travel, or such contacts. There have been only a few sporadic cases, which do not indicate a wider communitywide spread of infection at the national level. There are a few clusters of cases, which are being managed through cluster containment strategies. With the information at our disposal, it appears that there is no widespread transmission of Covid-19 in the community at the moment. However, we are far from being complacent, and we are maintaining stringent adherence to social distancing measures, ensuring a tight lockdown, and motivating the communities to own the social distancing strategies. How close or far are we from finding a cure? Is a vaccine still a distant possibility? There is no definitive cure for Covid-19 at the moment, and management is mostly symptomatic and supportive. However, a lot of investigational therapeutics are being researched, and India is part of international efforts to find a cure, such as the multi-country Solidarity Trial of WHO. Several treatment alternatives are also under trial; however, a definitive cure is not yet on the charts. Some of the agents under investigation include remdesivir, favipiravir, hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, lopinavir/ritonavir, to name a few. Some of the recent trials have indicated that the last two options may not be very effective. However, new evidence is emerging every day. According to WHO landscaping, there are over 40 vaccine candidates under investigation. However, most of them are in the pre-clinical evaluation stage, and only two have progressed to Phase 1 clinical trials. The availability of the genomic details has accelerated vaccine production, but still we are unlikely to have a vaccine ready to scale up in time to staunch the current epidemic. Also Read: Genetic sequencing takes lead in Covid-19 vaccine development Around 100 cases have been declared as recovered? What are the lessons learnt from those cases? Are there any patterns which give us hope? Most cases of Covid-19 are mild to moderate. Around 80-85% of cases are likely to be mild. Hence, we expect a significant proportion of infected people to recover without any significant sequelae. Our focus remains on preventing deaths. The most vulnerable groups include the elderly, or those with other conditions such as lung diseases, heart diseases and other chronic diseases. It is important to protect these high-risk individuals first. What is the biggest challenge in countering this virus? The timely dissemination of critical public health information down to the last man is the challenge. The other challenge is the misinformation about Covid-19 that is spread through social media or because of certain myths. We are constantly strategising on how to meet and counter both these challenges. Central and state infrastructure is pressed into action to ensure critical information related to precautions, social distancing norms, lockdown and self-quarantine protocols is available to the common public. Official channels of information are being constantly updated and monitored. Similarly, steps are being taken to prevent spread of misinformation that can otherwise give rise of panic amongst the people. The third challenge is to get the communities to own the process of ensuring social distancing and self-enforcing these measures so that transmissibility is reduced. My biggest challenge is to ensure that affected people are treated with compassion, and not stigmatised. This is also applicable for the health care workforce, which is working hard to counter this epidemic. It is through concerted, community-owned efforts, supported by the policies put in place by the government that we can contain this disease. A lot of people feel that India is not doing sufficient testing. The example being given is of South Korea. Are we going to increase testing, especially in rural areas? India has scaled up the capacity for testing in a massive way. As of April 1, 2020 there are 124 government laboratories across the nation that have been supported by ICMR. Further, 49 private laboratory chains have also been approved for testing. In order to ensure that we have reliable and accurate results, and the laboratory staff are also not exposed to undue risks of acquiring the infection, all labs have to meet a set of minimum standards. However, we have pan-India testing capacity, and are testing more samples every day. Further, in initiating the testing work, we have to keep in mind the Indian context as well as the state of propagation of the epidemic in India. While indiscriminate testing is discouraged to ensure optimal use of resources available to us, targeted testing of higher risk groups has been the strategy to identify and contain the cases. In the near future, however, we will be scaling up testing to reach out to a wider population. When will we widen testing and make it more aggressive? India has scaled up the capacity for testing in a massive way recently. Collection centres are located in over 16,000 places across India. At present, we are utilising only 43% of our capacity to test in public laboratories. As of April 1, 2020, 8pm, we have tested a total of 53,605 persons. The figure for today alone is 5,654 persons, who have undergone testing. Further, serologic testing is also under consideration, However, presence of antibodies indicates either past or currently active infection. They appear late in the natural history of disease between 5-7 days or so. Though these tests can be used for persons under surveillance, they cannot be used for early diagnosis. These laboratories are expected to offer tests to those who are eligible to receive the test based on the Covid-19 testing guidelines. These testing guidelines are appropriate for the level of the outbreak and avoid indiscriminate testing. What is your strategy for areas where the spread is more? NCR is one such area. Kerala and Maharashtra have almost over 200 cases each. A differential strategy needs to be adopted for areas depending on the extent of infections being reported. While it is important to protect the districts where no cases have emerged, it is also important to limit the spread of infection in districts where cases have been noted. To do this, we are focusing on multiple strategies. At present, 10 states are contributing more than 80 per cent of the total number of Covid cases in India. Maharashtra and Kerala have the highest number of confirmed cases. Also, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka have the fastest-growing incidences. Only 16 districts account for 80% of the cases that have occurred in the last three days. Quite obviously, we work in a very focused way to contain the further spread of infection in these districts and employ multiple strategies for doing so. The central government works in very close coordination with the states to ensure that the rate of growth of new cases is contained. Testing of eligible populations remains a focus area. Self-reporting of symptomatic persons, either through mobile apps or helplines is also being undertaken in some places. The lockdown needs to be supplemented with sustenance and relief operations through provision of food or other benefits to ensure that people are incentivised to adhere to the lockdown. COVID-19 specific healthcare facilities need to be identified at district level, starting with the COVID-19 affected districts first. These facilities should be provided with the resources needed to combat the clinical workload. How cooperative have the states been? There is perfect coordination between the Centre and the states. I have been in regular touch with the state health ministers right from the beginning of this battle. I must commend them for the excellent work done by them in helping us control the spread of this epidemic either in the form of contact tracing, enforcing lockdown, providing isolation and quarantine facilities, ensuring smooth flow of supplies of critical equipment and supplies, boosting the morale of health workers, etc. There is a continuous dialogue that I hold with the states. Just recently, I asked them to request retired doctors to volunteer proactively for battling this disease. Similarly, I requested the states to sort out issues related to health workers transportation on priority so that there is no shortage of doctors, nurses and other staff. We have asked them to issue directives that no landlord can evict doctors, nurses and other health workers. We are ironing out all difficulties together. What is your message for the medical community? This is an unprecedented crisis that is facing humanity as a whole. My heartfelt gratitude to all our health workers and support staff taking care of patients across the world. They are the ones who are leading this battle from the front. I call them Corona Warriors. Their selfless service at this juncture is unparalleled. The health of the nation is in their hands, they are placing the needs of the patients before their own. My request is to provide them with safe and respectful working conditions. On March 22, Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji told the nation to observe a day-long Janta Curfew and come out on the balconies at 5pm in large numbers to honour all the medical, nursing, paramedical, sanitary workers and other staff engaged in the hospitals. He asked the nation to stand up and in unison clap for our Corona Warriors and clang thalis. The air reverberated with the pious sounds of Thali Bajao, Thali Bajao that evening. I felt moved by the commitment that people across the country showed, and I personally know many who cried that evening. My message to the community is simple the nation shall never forget your sacrifice. We are grateful to not just you, but your families as well. What are the most important things to keep in mind during this crisis? I would like to reiterate the importance of remaining calm, ensuring that there is no spread of misinformation, and ensuring that there is adherence to the policies and advisories which are being provided by the government from time to time. Precaution, and not panic is the need of the hour. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prince Charles of the British Royal Family, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, is out of self-isolation after seven days and is in good health. The Clarence House office revealed last week that Prince Charles, 71, had been tested after displaying mild symptoms of the virus. He reportedly had been in self-isolation at his Birkhall home in Scotland where he worked indoors. They released a statement, saying, "Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation." His isolation period was in accordance with the current medical and government restrictions in the U.K. Prince Charles' wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is in a self-isolation because she is required to see if she exhibits symptoms, a source said. After Clarence House confirmed his diagnosis, how he contracted the virus was unknown due to his recent busy schedule of public engagements. While the government required anyone with symptoms to self-isolate for seven days, everyone living in their household should be in self-isolation for two weeks. Buckingham Palace stated that the Queen last saw her son, the heir to the throne, March 12 and was in a good condition. Some people were furious when it was reported that Prince Charles had been tested despite experiencing merely mild symptoms for the coronavirus. Also Read: School Teacher With Diabetes, Other Health Conditions Conquered Coronavirus Buckingham Palace insisted that the testing was done for sound clinical reasons, and even if it was not, one test of a royal makes no practical difference to the capacity of hundreds of thousands of key workers to get tested. Prince Charles will now resume meetings and take exercise in accordance with medical and government guidelines. The prince had last seen the Queen on March 12 shortly after an investiture ceremony for public awards at Buckingham Palace in London. The 93-year-old monarch has canceled all her royal duties for the foreseeable future, staying at Windsor Castle, west of London, for the Easter period. The total number of fatalities of the virus in the U.K. has reached 1,408 in the latest total until 17:00 BST on Sunday. Adding to that are a further 159 people in England, 14 in Wales, one in Northern Ireland, and six in Scotland. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall fleed London for the Balmoral estate merely hours before the government ordered every citizen not to leave to the country, due to the fear of spreading the virus or overloading rural health services. Several senior British officials have been diagnosed with the coronavirus nowadays, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The prime minister was the first world leader to declare he had the coronavirus has continued to spearhead U.K.'s response to the outbreak. He is carrying out meetings over video chat while self-isolating in his flat in Downing Street. Experts have alerted that the rate of fatalities is expected to rise in the coming days. Above 9,000 people who have tested positive for coronavirus are receiving treatment in hospitals all over England, said NHS England's Simon Stevens. Related Article: High Dosages of Vitamin C May Help Treat Coronavirus Patients @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bindi Irwin and her husband, Chandler Powell, have shared new details about their intimate wedding ceremony at Australia Zoo last Wednesday. Appearing on the front cover of People, the newlyweds explained how they paid tribute to Bindi's late father, Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin, at the ceremony. Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland. It felt like dad was with us: Bindi Irwin has told People magazine how she and Chandler Powell paid tribute to her late father, Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin, at their wedding last week Happily every after! The newlyweds posed with a koala on the cover of People magazine 'We had dad's picture with his dog Sui blown up on an easel. So mum [Terri] and Robert [her brother] were standing right next to dad as we exchanged vows,' said Bindi. The couple also commemorated Steve with a candle-lighting ceremony. Bindi, 21, said of the touching moment: 'It really felt like he was there with us.' Terri helped her daughter get ready for her special day, while younger brother Robert, 16, walked her down the aisle. Touching moment: 'We had dad's picture with his dog Sui blown up on an easel. So mum [Terri] and Robert [her brother] were standing right next to dad as we exchanged vows,' said Bindi. Pictured: Steve, Terri and Bindi in Sydney on July 7, 2002 Intimate ceremony: Terri (left) helped her daughter get ready for her special day, while younger brother Robert, 16, walked her down the aisle The pair married just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison enforced new restrictions on weddings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the new rules, only five people are allowed to attend, including the couple, the celebrant and witnesses. The family had planned the nuptials for nearly a year but decided at the last minute to hold a 'small ceremony' without guests. Determined: Bindi said she and Chandler had considered postponing their wedding, but decided to go ahead because they 'desperately wanted to get married'. Pictured in November 'Oh my goodness!' In a video published on social media after their wedding, Bindi said it felt 'incredible' to finally call Chandler, 23, her husband Bindi told People she and Chandler had considered postponing their wedding, but ultimately decided to go ahead because they 'desperately wanted to get married'. In a video published on social media after the ceremony, Bindi said it felt 'incredible' to finally call Chandler, 23, her husband. 'Oh my goodness! Can you believe it? You're my husband, we're married!' Bindi said in the footage, which was shared by Animal Planet. As of Thursday morning, there are 5,049 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 22 deaths. National Bank not ready to lift restrictions on Ukraine's forex market 17:40, 01.04.20 2385 The NBU has no plans to introduce any additional limits. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation will broadcast educational shows and mini lessons on one of its children's channels from mid-April, with shows for primary students in the morning and high school content in the afternoon. The broadcaster will create the mini-lessons, run by teachers, for the ABC Education portal and on ABC Me. They will be partially financed by the NSW and Victorian education departments. With so many Australian children now studying at home or preparing to do so, the ABC is boosting its support for students, teachers and parents to help young Australians receive the education they need, said ABC Managing Director David Anderson. ABC Managing Director David Anderson says the broadcaster is boosting its support for students, teachers and parents. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer From Monday April 14, when students in some states will be beginning term two (schools in NSW resume on April 27), ABC Me will run educational programming between 10am and 3pm. Programs will include Ecomaths, ScienceXplosion, and Numberblocks. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). Tests, hospitalizations and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Information on cases linked to these places comes from official releases by governments, companies and institutions directly. The Times is publishing lists of groupings of 50 or more cases related to a specific site, workplace or event. In the first year of the pandemic, The Times tracked cases in the types of places with some of the worst outbreaks, like nursing homes , food processing plants and correctional facilities . Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Select a table header to sort by another metric. About the data In data for Arizona, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state, as well as health districts or county governments that often report ahead of the state. Arizona typically releases new data each day. Weekend counts may be lower because fewer sources report to the state. The state reports cases and deaths based on a persons permanent or usual residence. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes Oct. 17, 2021 to Oct. 18, 2021: Arizona did not release new data during planned system maintenance. Arizona did not release new data during planned system maintenance. Aug. 25, 2021: Arizona was unable to announce new data during system maintenance. Arizona was unable to announce new data during system maintenance. July 14, 2021: Arizona added many cases after resolving a tehnical issue that affected case counts for the two previous days. Arizona added many cases after resolving a tehnical issue that affected case counts for the two previous days. April 9, 2021: Arizona added about 600 cases from previous months after verifying testing records. Arizona added about 600 cases from previous months after verifying testing records. April 1, 2021: The daily testing count includes many older tests. The daily testing count includes many older tests. Dec. 1, 2020: Arizona announced many cases and deaths from delayed reporting over the Thanksgiving weekend. Arizona announced many cases and deaths from delayed reporting over the Thanksgiving weekend. Sept. 19, 2020: Arizona removed a number of cases previously reported in Maricopa County. Arizona removed a number of cases previously reported in Maricopa County. Sept. 17, 2020: Arizona added 577 probable cases from antigen testing conducted in September. Arizona added 577 probable cases from antigen testing conducted in September. May 8, 2020: Arizona began reporting probable deaths based on death certificates from earlier in the year. The tallies on this page include probable and confirmed cases and deaths. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. The executive directors of the erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India -- Vijay Dube and Sanjay Kumar -- have taken charge as the executive directors of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from Wednesday. PNB, which has now become the country's second-largest lender after amalgamating OBC and UBI into itself, on Wednesday informed about the charges assumed by Dube and Kumar. On March 18, PNB had informed about appointments of Dube and Kumar as the executive directors of the bank with effect from Wednesday until October 31, 2021, and September 19, 2021, respectively. "Vijay Dube and Sanjay Kumar have assumed the office of executive director of Punjab National Bank on April 1, 2020," PNB said in a regulatory filing. Dube holds Masters Degree in Business Administration from FMS Delhi, University of Delhi, and a Post-Graduate in Statistics from Lucknow University, besides being a Certified Member of Indian Institute of Bankers. He has more than 34 years of banking experience and he has also served as CVO of erstwhile State Bank of Mysore, CVO of IFCI with additional charge of Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. Kumar, is an M.Sc. degree holder, who started his career in banking in United Bank of India in the year 1985 as Probationary Officer. He is a Certified Associate member of Indian Institute of Bankers and has over 35 years of banking experience. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teenage thugs in Melbourne are using social media to brag about their reckless 'gangster' lifestyles and committing crimes. Two Instagram pages titled @melbournecrimes and @burncitycrims ask their followers to send in criminal content to share online. The pages are littered with gang brawls, illegal drug use, money, guns, knives and speeding cars, including one video where a thug steals a Mercedes Benz. The ruffians pose in balaclavas to conceal their identity, often wearing designers brands such as Gucci to flaunt their wealth. Melbourne's youth gangs are using social media to brag about their reckless lifestyles and committing crimes, often posing with balaclavas and wearing designer clothes Melbourne Crimes' description boasts about being 'Melbourne's number one crime page' that posts 'the best s**t daily'. The description reads 'send s**t in, bongs, fights, cash, flexing, steals, chases and other s**t.' City of Casey Neighbourhood Watch president Rob Ward told the Herald Sun the groups are a threat to the public, even during the coronavirus pandemic. 'Just because theres no one on the street doesnt mean were suddenly safe,' he said. 'People need to remain vigilant and should lock their doors and windows.' Swinburne University criminology expert Associate Professor James Roffee said the youths thrive off the online adoration and notoriety for their petty crimes. 'This is a very good example of young people wanting positive attention, which they may not receive at home and they could be struggling at school,' he said. Victoria Police are aware of the gangs actions and will continue to monitor them during the coronavirus pandemic. 'We are confident we know the identities of the majority of young people involved in street gangs. Disrupting their criminal activity and holding offenders to account continues to be a priority for us,' a spokeswoman said. New coronavirus measures in Victoria will make it easier for police to manage youth on the streets as all gatherings are limited to two people to stop the spread of the disease. Police can give on the spot fines of up to $1,652 for breaking the rules. The Metropolitan Correctional Center, which is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, stands in lower Manhattan on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Federal Prisoners Start 2 Week Cell Confinement to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19 Federal prison inmates across the country will be confined to their cells or quarters for two weeks from Wednesday in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the CCP virus pandemic, according to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The BOP announced the implementation of the next phase of its COVID-19 action plan on Tuesday, in response to the growing number of quarantine and isolation cases in BOP facilities. There are currently 29 confirmed inmate cases and 30 confirmed cases among staff as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the agency. The BOP said the decision to confine inmates to their cells was based on health concerns and not on disruptive behavior. It added that inmates, to the extent practicable, would still have access to programs and services that are usually offered under normal operations, such as mental health treatment. Meanwhile, limited group gatherings will also be available to the extent practicable to provide prisoners access to commissaries, laundry, showers, and telephones. The agency added that it will coordinate with the United States Marshals Service to significantly decrease incoming movement. This comes after the agency announced that a 49-year-old inmate, Patrick Jones, at an institution at Oakdale, Louisiana, had died after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (pdf). The agency noted that Jones had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that people with underlying medical conditions might be at high risk of developing more severe COVID-19. Last week, the BOP said it had instituted significant measures to prevent the virus from spreading in its facilities, including screening all newly admitted inmates and checking their temperature. Meanwhile, asymptomatic inmates are being placed in quarantine for a minimum of 14 days or until cleared by medical staff. Those who are showing symptoms are placed in isolation until they recover or are cleared by medical staff based on CDC guidelines. Public health experts and epidemiologists have also raised concerns about the potential spread of the CCP virus inside prisons. Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, previously told The Epoch Times that the risks of people contracting respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 are higher in prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers. Beyrer said implementing social distancing in those facilities is difficult and access to hand sanitizers and other hygiene products is often limited. There are currently 175,376 inmates held in federal prisons either run by the BOP or private corporations, according to the agency. More than 10,000 among this population are over the age of 60. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have urged Attorney General William Barr and BOP Director Michael Carvajal to reduce federal prison populations to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in federal prisons. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Subcommittee on Crime Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) sent a letter to urge the attorney general on March 30 to use authority under the newly passed coronavirus stimulus packagethe Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Actto protect vulnerable inmates and prison staff members. The lawmakers called on Barr to immediately move to release medically-compromised, elderly, and pregnant prisoners in the custody of the BOP. On March 26, Barr said he had directed the BOP to assess whether it was possible to expand home confinement particularly for those older prisoners who have served substantial parts of their sentence and no longer pose a threat and may have underlying conditions that make them particularly vulnerable. He said this includes assessing on a case-by-case basis whether an individual will be safer outside than inside prison. Moreover, he added that if anyone is to be released for home confinement, the individual would need to be quarantined for 14 days prior to leaving to ensure that the prisons are not putting people in the community at risk. Barr said among the 10,000 inmates that are aged 60 and over, 40 percent of them are serving sentences for violent crimes or sex offenses. Update at 4:20 p.m. ET Crocketts vehicle was spotted on Interstate 75 near Tampa on Wednesday, which led to a police chase onto Interstate 4, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. Crockett eventually crashed near the interchange between the two highways, FHP said. The child was recovered safely, but Crockett remained in the vehicle in a standoff with law enforcement, officials said. A manhunt was launched by authorities in Georgia and police are asking for help in locating a man accused of a triple homicide and kidnapping his child. Police said a shooting incident was reported at 9:22 p.m. on Tuesday, involving a family on Moreland Avenue in Macon. According to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriffs Office on Facebook, a 29-year-old man identified as Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr. is wanted for three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping after he allegedly shot and killed 3 family members of his childs mother and kidnapped his child. Police said after deputies arrived on the scene, they found three people dead in the house and one female with injuries. The injured victim, identified as 30-year-old Jamila Augustine French and the mother of Lamar Crocketts child, said she got into a fight with Lamar Crockett, who then shot and killed three members of Frenchs family. During the altercation, Crockett pulled a firearm and shot Frenchs mother, step-father and sister killing them, according to the statement. Police said Lamar Crockett then fled the scene with his 2-year-old son King Cane Crockett. The boy was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jogging pants with a white stripe on the side and a black and white hoodie with a blue superman logo on the front, according to the statement. Lamar Crockett is 6 foot 1 inches tall and weighs between 180 to 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black long sleeve shirt and black shorts with red and white stripes on the side. Police added photos of Lamar Crockett, the child, and a vehicle similar to the one Lamar Crockett is believed to be driving. Police said they believe the vehicle to be a black 2007 Pontiac G5 with a drive-out tag. Anyone with information on his location is asked to contact the Bibb Sheriffs Office at 478-751 -7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME. Macon is a consolidated city-county located in Georgia approximately 85 miles southeast of Atlanta. Parental Kidnapping According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, approximately 200,000 children are kidnapped each year by a family member. Child custody experts say that people kidnap their own children to force a reconciliation or continued interaction with the other parent, to spite or punish the other parent, or from fear of losing custody or visitation rights. Common warnings signs include the other parent threatening abduction, suspected abuse, or paranoid delusion. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:39:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Kigoma regional authorities on Wednesday warned refugees sheltered in camps in the region to stop moving outside their camp sites as a protective measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Emmanuel Maganga, Kigoma regional commissioner, warned that refugees wandering outside their camps will lose their refugee status and be charged in court. "Since the region is sheltering a good number of refugees from neighboring countries, letting them to wander outside their camps will frustrate measures aimed at controlling the spread of the viral disease," Maganga told a meeting that discussed the best ways of protecting the western region against the COVID-19 threat. Kigoma region, located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, shelters refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently there are 137,000 refugees in Nyarugusu camp, 75,000 refugees in Nduta camp and 32,000 refugees in Mtendeli camp, said Maganga, a retired Brigade General from Tanzania's People's Defense Forces. Maganga directed police to reinforce security along Kigoma region's borders with Burundi and the DR Congo. Beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa has raised Rs 100 crore from existing investor Steadview Capital, a UK-based hedge fund, the company said early on April 1, hours after it suspended operations across the country. The round values Nykaa at $1.2 billion (Rs 9,200 crore), nearly double the $750 million (Rs 5,000 crore) it was valued at last year when private equity firm TPG Growth invested Rs 100 crore. Moneycontrol first reported on March 9 that Nykaa was targeting a valuation of $1.2 billion in a fundraise this year, and is the latest addition to Indias coveted list of unicorns, or firms valued at over a billion dollars. Avendus Capital was the financial adviser to the deal. Steadviews fund push comes at a time when the Mumbai-based retailer has suspended operations amid a 21-day countrywide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus even though infections continue to inch up. 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 April 1, the eighth day of the lockdown, the number of confirmed cases stood at 1,397. Thirty-five people have died of COVID-19, the health ministry has said, referring to the respiratory disease caused by the virus. A few hours earlier, Nykaa shut down its offline stores, corporate offices and warehouses. It would not be able to make payments to vendors and partners in time, the company said, citing disruptions in cash flow due to the lockdown. We deeply value the trust and support of our investors, customers and brand partners who have been instrumental to our success. In the midst of this unprecedented global crisis we are working to ensure all our stakeholders are well served and that Nykaa emerges as a leading retail player in the industry, founder and CEO Falguni Nayar said in a statement. As infection from the coronavirus spreads and with it, fear hospitals are facing extraordinary tension between health care providers and administrators. The tension comes against the backdrop of sickness and death for health care professionals, in China, Italy and Spain, and now more than 200 health care workers sick in New York. Mostly, staff and administrators are fighting over masks, whether they should be worn outside of treatment rooms, and which kind of masks thinner surgical ones, or heavier respiratory masks. Should they be worn at all times? Only in procedures or while visiting patients? There is also some quibbling over testing and isolation: whom to test and when, and whom to isolate, given limited bed space? Whom to send home if a staff member has symptoms, and whom to require to work? Some hospitals allow masks outside of treatment rooms and some even make them mandatory. But a number of others say they arent necessary at all times and dont allow them. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions guidance has changed several times. Currently, it says medical professionals dont need to wear masks all the time. It also says that if theres not enough protective equipment available, homemade solutions like bandannas or scarfs are OK for health care workers to wear. On Tuesday Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a leading member of the federal governments coronavirus response task force, told CNN that the C.D.C. was considering another change: it is reviewing its guidelines on whether the general public should wear masks. Amid the confusion, furious and terrified, doctors and nurses say they must trust their own judgment. Administrators counter that doctors and nurses, motivated by fear, are writing their own rules. JACKSON COUNTY, MI Jackson College officials are preparing the schools field house to become a field hospital, in case Henry Ford Allegiance Health reaches capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. The school has had an emergency plan in place with the hospital and the Jackson County Health Department for years, offering the field house as a hospital in case of emergency, Jackson College Vice President Cindy Allen said. Hospital officials recently checked out the field house and determined its in good shape to be used if needed, Allen said. "It's all part of a larger plan," Allen said. "Everyone out here is on standby. If at any point in time they call and say, 'This is what we need, when we need it,' we've got people to make it happen." The big open space, coupled with close parking, shower facilities and running water make the field house a prime spot for a field hospital, Allen said. The space hosted a blood drive last week, which was booked solid with donors before the event even started. All Jackson College classes have been moved online and almost all students have moved out, Allen said. The hospital has an extensive contingency plan for creating more space, if needed. It has the ability to convert the 86 rooms in the new patient tower into space for COVID-19 patients, can alter other parts of the hospital to be suited for patient care and has other buildings around town that can be used, HFAH spokeswoman Vicky Lorencen said. Once the hospital and (our) own facilities have met capacity, if more beds are needed, we would begin to use alternate sites of care, such as Jackson College, to provide care for patients without COVID-19, Lorencen said. Daily numbers at HFAH are actually down, Lorencen said, as non-time sensitive appointments and procedures have been canceled. As of Monday, March 30, only 139 of the 325 beds at the hospital were in use less than the average of 270, hospital officials said. Officials didnt answer questions on how many patients the field house could accommodate. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. HFAH started accepting patients from overcrowded hospitals in the Detroit-area on Monday. The hospital has 32 patients with COVID-19 or suspected of having the virus, per Tuesdays numbers. There are 51 COVID-19 cases in Jackson County not counting patients brought in from other counties. Besides space, the equipment stock is also a concern for hospitals nationwide. Jackson College shipped two pickup trucks full of masks, gloves, wipes, ventilators and more to the hospital this week, Allen said. The college is also taking an inventory on its beds that could be used in a field hospital, Allen said, both from the dorms and its health center. Jackson College welcomed in some HFAH employees to an open dorm last weekend, saving the workers from long commutes after long days at the hospital. Were here to help. This is our community, Allen said. We want to make sure we do everything we can do. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Jackson jail releasing inmates to help mitigate coronavirus spread Henry Ford Allegiance Health accepts COVID-19 patients from Detroit-area hospitals Jackson County tops 50 cases of coronavirus TCF Center alternate care facility to include 2 floors, 900 beds once completed, officials say From shelter to hotels: Jackson community helps place homeless amid coronavirus Henry Ford Allegiance Health accepts COVID-19 patients from Detroit-area hospitals Alt-right white nationalist, Augustus Sol Invictus, 36, from Florida, who sought bail from jail in South Carolina due to coronavirus concerns, has been released A South Carolina judge has released a known white nationalist, Augustus Invictus, on $10,000 after he claimed to have concerns over catching coronavirus while in custody. Invictus, 36, from Florida, was being held on charges of kidnapping and aggravated domestic violence. Judge Daniel Hall instructed him to stay away from his wife, whom he is accused of choking and kidnapping at gunpoint last year. The charges could see him jailed for more than 50 years. Having been released, he is allowed to leave the state but not to enter certain counties. Invictus was released on a $10,000 bond Tuesday on charges of domestic violence and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He is pictured at a court hearing in January There have been no coronavirus cases at the jail where Augustus Invictus, 36, had been held Invictus spoke at the 2017 Unite the Right rally. Prosecutors say he was still managing to publish information online from jail and was updating his 'alt-right news site' from jail, leaving his wife living in fear, according to the Daily Beast. The Orlando-area attorney has called for violent uprisings on his site. Last month, the same judge denied Invictus bail after his wife claimed she was afraid he might come and kill her if he was released. His estranged wife claimed he forced her and their children to go to Florida before they escaped. During his failed bid, he claimed he killed a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual During his 2016 Senate bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Invictus got widespread attention for claiming that he killed a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual When he was arraigned in January, Detective Matthew Beech read from Invictus' online writings to show his mindset. 'The destruction I incite is not terrorism. The only aim is the destruction of buildings or person plaguing the Earth. 'The long-term aim is the overthrow of this civilization. It has absolutely nothing to do with causing fear. 'This is terrorism the same way removing a tumor is terrorism. Although you are the cancer, and I am the Earth's physician,' he wrote. Invictus rose to prominence during his 2016 bid to unseat US Senator Marco Rubio. He got widespread attention for claiming he killed a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual. But he failed to win the nomination from Florida's Libertarian Party to challenge Rubio. Richard Spencer, who organized the Charlottesville rally that saw 32-year-old Heather Heyer die in a car attack, had credited Invictus with drafting the core tenets behind the meetup. Richard Spencer, who organized the Charlottesville rally that saw 32-year-old Heather Heyer die in a car attack, had credited Invictus (pictured at the rally) with drafting the core tenets behind the meet up REUTERS/Stephane Mahe It was just two weeks ago that Lesley Gouldie, the chief executive officer of Toronto-based Thornhill Medical, reached out to the government about the companys mobile ventilator technology. Within days, Gouldie was meeting with key officials, explaining the advantages of the companys portable technology and how it could help in the fight against COVID-19, particularly in the event of intensive care unit surges. We have this amazing technology and its not currently used in Canada, Gouldie said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada. There was no way we were going to stand by and not get this in front of the people that need to know about it. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that the federal government will spend $2 billion on protective personal equipment, including masks, face shields, gowns, along with ventilators, test kits and swabs and hand sanitizer as the country fights the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in that spending is a contract with Thornhill Medical to manufacture 500 mobile compact ventilator systems that could be delivered as early as April. Protective personal equipment is essential to protect healthcare workers that are on the frontlines of this fight. We recognize that more is needed, Trudeau said in his daily press conference outside his home. Were coordinating with the provinces and territories, the public health agency and the experts to make sure our healthcare workers get everything they need. This is a priority for our government, and we will continue to source new solutions everyday. In order for Thornhill Medical to complete the federal order as quickly as possible, the company has partnered with Linamar, Canadas second-largest auto parts manufacturer, to produce the ventilators. Thornhill Medical typically produces about 50 ventilators a month. We needed the depth and breadth of Linamars facilities in order to deliver on the federal governments order, Gouldie said. To have access to their infrastructure, supply chain expertise, capabilities, technology and people, its huge. Story continues Linamar chief executive Linda Hasenfratz said in an interview that the company is working day-and-night to get production at its Guelph, Ont. facility as quickly as possible. Over the weekend, Linamar put a call-out asking for volunteers to for a range of positions involved in the ventilator production. We were overwhelmed by the response of people really wanting to help out, Hasenfratz said. Its incredible how many companies and individual are rallying together to try to help solve the shortages and protect our frontline healthcare workers. I think its fantastic. Trudeau said Ottawa has spoken to more than 3,000 companies that have offered to contribute in various ways in the fight against COVID-19. It has so far reached formal agreements with Thornhill, as well as Medicom and Spartan Bioscience to produce medical supplies and equipment. The government has also signed letters of intent with five companies, including Irving Oil, to produce various goods for healthcare professionals. Trudeau also cited Bombardier and 3M as companies that have offered assistance. Irving Oil will retool its blending and packaging facility in Saint John, N.B. to produce hand sanitizer that has been approved by Health Canada. Bombardier has offered to donate its overstock of personal protective equipment to the provincial governments in Quebec and Ontario, and is in the midst of discussions about retooling its manufacturing capability to help produce medical equipment. We are engaging with officials of all levels Government to understand the evolving urgent needs, Bombardier spokesperson Jessica McDonald said in a statement. The agreements are part of the governments effort to mobilize Canadas manufacturing industry in a war-time effort to fight the spread and impact of the coronavirus. Various federal programs have been refocused to prioritize the fight against COVID-19, including the Strategic Innovation Fund, the National Research Council, Innovation Solutions Canada and the governments Superclusters fund. Many companies have been stepping up in recent days to provide assistance to governments and frontline workers. Canada Goose announced last week that it will reopen two of its manufacturing facilities to produce scrubs and patient gowns, donating the goods to local hospitals at no cost. With files from Jeff Lagerquist Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. In mid-October 1978, two months after a strike by pressmen shut down New Yorks major newspapers, a broadsheet bearing the words New York Times appeared on newsstands. Newsstand shoppers found some peculiarities. Sleepy Villages Dull Anecdote Is Grist for Reporters Mill, read one headline. Universe Very Old, read another. The bylines, too, seemed off. Joseph Toaster was not quite the same as the foreign correspondent Joseph B. Treaster, and William Satire was one letter away from the columnist William Safire. THE trustee of Bernie Madoff's seized assets has appealed a US court ruling made in February that saw a case taken by him against ABN Amro's Irish arm dismissed. Trustee Irving Picard took a case against ABN Amro Ireland in 2010, seeking $230m (209m). He also took cases against a number of other banks, claiming the institutions received money transfers from Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities via a range of Madoff feeder funds. He claimed the banks either knew, or should have known, of the Madoff fraud. Madoff ran what was the world's largest ever Ponzi scheme, building billions of dollars from well-heeled investors, from movie stars to politicians. He was sentenced in 2009 to 150 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $170bn in assets. Mr Picard, a partner with law firm Baker & Hostetler, was appointed by a US court as trustee to oversee efforts to recoup money for investors. Almost $14bn of the $17.5bn directly lost by Madoff's clients has now been recovered. When he initiated legal action against ABN Amro Ireland, formerly Fortis Prime Fund Solutions Bank (Ireland), Mr Picard said as trustee that he was seeking to recover what he claimed were "avoidable transfers" from Bernie L Madoff Investment Securities. The trustee claimed that relevant subsequent transfers in the case are traceable to initial transfers from Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities, and that as such, he could recover the subsequent transfers from the defendants. There were a significant number of legal arguments and hearings in the years after the action was launched by the trustee against the Irish firms. In January this year, a bankruptcy court in New York ruled that "far from turning a blind eye to Madoff's fraud, Fortis performed due diligence when working on transactions involving Madoff and Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities and ultimately put its money where its mouth was by investing $470m of its own funds". "There is always a risk that a broker will be a fraud or become insolvent, and that included Madoff," the court added. "But investing in the face of a known risk or deliberate indifference to that risk is not wilful blindness." The court ruled that the trustee had "failed to plead that the defendants turned a blind eye to Madoff's fraud". Madoff, who is now 81 years old, has sought early release from prison in the United States. Last month, his lawyer asked a New York court to schedule a hearing, where he could make a personal plea by phone for clemency. Madoff is reportedly suffering from kidney failure and has no more than 18 months to live. London: A highly influential team of modellers has shot down hopes that large parts of the population have already contracted and recovered from coronavirus without knowing it, and has credited economy-wrecking lockdowns with saving as many as 120,000 lives in almost a dozen European countries. The latest work by Imperial College London researchers - who have played a key role in advising the "war cabinet" of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as well as top officials in the United States - was released just hours before Britain and Spain recorded their deadliest days since the pandemic began. More than 380 people died in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 1789, while hard-hit Spain announced total deaths had reached 8269 after 849 patients died in the previous 24 hours. More than 30,000 have now been killed across Europe. Researchers say lockdowns in France and 10 other European nations have saved tens of thousands of lives. Credit:AP The modelling suggests measures to limit the spread of the disease by shutting down large swathes of the economy have saved 59,000 lives in 11 countries - within a possible range of lives saved from as few as 21,000 and as many as 120,000. North Korean released from Chinese prison thanks God for guiding her 'in the valley of death' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A North Korean defector, who was arrested while leading Bible studies in China, thanked God for guiding her in the valley of death after she was miraculously released from prison. Lady Eunji, the leader of a Bible study for North Korean women refugees, was held in a Chinese detention center for nearly ten months, after she was arrested in August 2019 around the North Korean/China border, according to persecution watchdog Open Doors USA. She was waiting for repatriation back to North Korea as a Christian. Because of her faith, Eunji would likely be transferred to a Kwan-li-so, a maximum-security political labor camp in North Korea, where Christians are often tortured and killed. While the details of Eunjis release and escape are few, Eunji said that because her deportation to North Korea was delayed, she was able to remain in China and be released before she was repatriated. The delay gave her Chinese husband an opportunity to rescue her. Eunji thanked God for His protection over her and for guiding her in the valley of death and expressed gratitude for the prayers of Christians around the world: Thanks for your prayer support and love in Christ. North Korea has for the last 19 years ranked as the worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs World Watch List. Open Doors estimates that approximately 50,000 Christians are held in inhumane prison camps in the isolated country, where Christianity is seen as hostile to the state. The group reports an increased number of arrests and abduction of South Korean and Chinese Korean Christians and missionaries in China, strengthened border control with harsher punishment for North Korean citizens who are repatriated from China, and increased efforts by the North Korean government to eliminate all channels for spreading the Christian faith. In a previous interview with Open Doors, a woman identified only as "Prisoner 42" revealed the horrific conditions captives endure in North Korean prisons. After fleeing from North Korea to China, she was captured and sent to a North Korean prison camp, where she spent one year in solitary confinement. At the prison camp, guards shaved her head and stripped her down to nothing. Each morning when they would call for her, she would crawl out of a door flap typically used for dogs or cats and keep her head bowed low because she was not allowed to make eye contact with the guards. She recalled how for an hour, guards would ask her the same questions: "Why were you in China? Who did you meet? Did you go to church? Did you have a Bible? Did you meet any South Koreans? Are you a Christian?" To stay alive, she was forced to lie: "Am I a Christian? Yes. I love Jesus. But I deny it. If I admit that I was helped by Chinese Christians, I will be killed, either quickly or slowly," she said. "They will murder me in this North Korean prison. Every day, Im beaten and kicked it hurts the most when they hit my ears. My ears ring for hours, sometimes days." During her year in solitary confinement, she was trapped in a cold cell and never saw sunlight or another prisoner. "I spent one year in prison, and for one year my skin didnt touch a single ray of sunlight," she said. She was later sentenced to four years at a reeducation camp where she and other Christians formed a secret church. She was released after two years in detention. Last year, Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American pastor who was held hostage in North Korea from 2012 to 2014, claimed the North Korean government is more afraid of Christians than nuclear weapons. "They said, 'we are not afraid of nuclear weapons ... we are afraid of someone like you bringing religion into our country and use it against us and then everybody will turn to God and this will become God's country and we will fall," Bae said. Because of his evangelistic efforts, Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, and was then sent to a North Korean labor camp. He was ultimately released in 2014. He revealed that when he would talk about Jesus with North Koreans, they would ask him if Jesus lives in Korea or China. "North Korea is not a country where Christians are being persecuted; it is a country [where] Christianity has been eliminated, the total elimination taking place," he stressed. "And if you're Christians, they'll kill you, they'll kill your parents." Dry-Concepts is providing disinfection services to Florida residents and business owners to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Our team is working diligently to clean and disinfect homes and businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michael Jatoft, CEO of Dry-Concepts. Dry-Concepts, Florida-based cleaning and restoration company, is providing disinfection services to Florida residents and business owners to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Dry-Concepts is following guidelines set by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) to thoroughly clean, disinfect, and sanitize surfaces that may have been exposed to the virus. Our team is working diligently to clean and disinfect homes and businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michael Jatoft, CEO of Dry-Concepts. Dry-Concepts is using a multi-step approach to clean potentially affected surfaces. They first use an EPA-registered disinfectant to clean key touch points in a home or business. The tools and materials used meet the specific requirements of the emerging pathogen procedures for enveloped viruses (the class of organism of the SARS & COV-2). This cleaning process targets the areas that are most likely to be exposed to pathogens, including doorknobs, countertops, cupboard handles, computer/electronic equipment, and many more. After a thorough touch point disinfection, Dry-Concepts uses a proprietary fogging machine to further clean the entire area. The fogging equipment allows the technician to clean and disinfect residual pathogens that may have spread throughout a space. The fog used is a hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant that is stabilized with silver ions. The result is a deep clean that goes far beyond traditional disinfection measures. Dry-Concepts provides its cleaning and disinfectant services to both residential and commercial customers. They are fully operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and are considered to be essential service company and are ready to quickly respond to those needing coronavirus disinfection services. Dry-Concepts is also keeping up to date with the latest coronavirus research and developments from the CDC. The company is dedicated to using the most effective cleaning measures to fight this virus by updating their cleaning techniques as new information is released. With decades of infectious disease control experience, Dry-Concepts understands the threat of this virus and the best possible ways to keep their consumers safe. About Dry-Concepts: Dry-Concepts has been in the cleaning and disaster restoration industry for 41 years (Since 1979). Dry-Concepts is using the most up to date and innovative procedures, chemistry and tools that are available to the restoration industry. We are always keeping up to date with new breakthroughs at trade association conventions, continuing education courses for our staff and trade association bulletins. This experience along with the guidance of the CDC/EPA and our own industry trade associations (RIA and IICRC) puts Dry-Concepts in a unique position to help combat the current issues with COVID-19. Dry-Concepts is continually monitoring the latest news and developments that are taking place in regards to COVID-19 and as things change Dry-Concepts will be positioned to respond. Visit https://www.dryconcepts.com/ to learn more about the companys COVID-19 disinfection services or call them at 954-370-7778 (Broward County) or 800-248-5071 (Palm Beach/Dade/Orlando). Highlights Huawei could soon have GMS-based apps on its app store The move could see Huawei phones again support Gmail and other essential Google apps Currently, new Huawei phones are barred from using GMS and its suite of services The US-China trade war has been bad news for business, with Huawei emerging as one of the worst-hit brands in the last few months. The company has been facing declining sales as a result of Huawei's inability to provide support for crucial applications that come bundled with Google Mobile Services (GMS). However, the company is now looking to change that, by extending GMS and its apps to Huawei phones through a clever workaround. The company is now attempting to ask Google to let it submit GMS apps to Huawei's app store like it does Apple with Apple's App Store. Speaking to CNBC, Huawei's Rotating Chairman Eric Xu said, We hope Google services can be available through our AppGallery, just like how Google services are available through Apple's App Store, The idea looks quite interesting, especially considering that Apple's devices already get Google's apps from the App Store. As such, a similar arrangement for Huawei phones cannot entirely be ruled out. Since being banned from using Google's Play Store and it's other suite of essential apps, the Huawei has moved to the AppGallery. Although it replaces the Google Play Store on Huawei and Honor Android devices, it still isn't perfect at the moment. There are alternatives for Maps, and Google's cloud computing platform and more, yet it still remains quite some distance from bring complete. With GMS apps being allowed to be put up on AppGallery, Huawei will be able to provide all of the essential Google apps that we've grown accustomed to using over the last few years. However, it will be interesting to see if anything really comes of this plan. As it stands right now, US has imposed quite strict sanctions on Huawei, and as such, the company will find it difficult to strike up a partnership with Google that would let it essentially sideload the company's apps on Huawei's app store. Many Upstate New York anglers didnt let the coronavirus pandemic get in the way of enjoying opening day of the statewide trout fishing season. A survey this morning of two popular Central New York fishing spots Ninemile Creek in Onondaga County and Grout Brook, a tributary at the south end of Skaneateles Lake in Cortland County -- revealed hordes of anglers and crowded parking lots and pulls-offs. Anglers interviewed talked about the good stream conditions and fish being caught and how many were taking precautions such as not shaking hands and observing proper social distancing by staying more than six feet away from each other. Only a few were observed wearing face masks. Many said they didnt give it a second thought about staying home. The good weather, the fact the streams were well stocked during the pre-season, the tradition of getting out opening day, the fact that many needed to just get outside all contributed to the decision to fish this morning. Stream conditions on Ninemile were a bit high and the water was colored. Nevertheless, it appeared that many fish were being caught. William Galla, of Hastings, N.Y. had five trout on his stringer, all caught with salted minnows, by 7:30 a.m. With the sun shining and a robin loudly chirping on a tree branch overhead, Galla said he felt blessed to be out of the house on such a beautiful morning. With all weve been through, I couldnt think of a better distraction from the coronavirus, he said. Nearby, Jarad Ray Garcia, of Eastwood, had three brown trout on his stringer caught with a gold Phoebe lure. You cant get too close while trout fishing. Your lines will get tangled, he said. About 40 yards upstream, Tom Komuda, of Baldwinsville was fishing with his two sons, Matthew, 17, and Justin, 20. He said he hasnt missed an opening day fishing with his boys in 20 years and he was determined to keep that streak going this year. Pointing to his youngest son, he noted his birthday was April 8. And where were we on opening day that year? We were out fishing, he said, smiling and casting a white-colored Rooster Tail lure. Jeremy Sevigny, of Baldwinsville, who wore a dark-colored face mask, noted with many out of work and kids home from school, many anglers just wanted to get out of the house. Down on Grout Brook, a Finger Lake tributary, stream conditions were clear and near ideal. Being a Finger Lake tributary, anglers couldnt start fishing until sunrise. Kevin Cute, of Cortland, said he scouted the stream ahead of time with his buddies. I got here about 11 p.m. last night, he said, adding he hung around his car with his friends throughout the night drinking coffee, waiting to fish a prime spot when the sun came up. We skipped out on our usual barbecue and social hour thing (during the night), he said. We didnt want to get too close. Their trout scouting paid off as he and friend, Jon Wood, also of Cortland, landed three, 20-plus inch rainbow trout. Another friend, James Miller, of McGraw, also landed a 20-inch rainbow. NEED A FISHING LICENSE? With the closure of town clerks offices and many stores, you can purchase your fishing license online through the DEC website or over the phone between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 1-866-933-2257. SEND US YOUR FISH PHOTOS Photos should be sent to outdoors writer David Figura at dfigura@NYup.com. Person who caught the fish must be in photo. Information supplied should include full name of the angler, where he or she lives, where and when the fish was caught -- and on what. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Coronavirus: Its not just the elderly who are at risk of severe illness Parents make heart-wrenching decision to not visit newborn until coronavirus scare passes Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says 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. Twelve more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 13, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. All the patients had attended a congregation at Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West earlier this month, he said at a press conference. Assam now has the highest number of cases in the Northeast, followed by Manipur and Mizoram with one case each. The state has "entered a very critical stage and we have to maintain the lockdown strictly to ensure that the situation does not worsen", Sarma said. Nearly 350 people have returned to Assam after attending the congregation in Delhi, which has emerged as an epicentre for spread of the coronavirus in different parts of the country. Sarma requested those who came in contact with the patients to report to the nearest health facility for their samples to be tested and quarantine themselves. Of the 12 new patients, four are being treated at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), while the rest are undergoing treatment at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, he said. One of the four patients at the GMCH is from Nalbari and the other persons are from Jagi Road in Morigaon district, he said. Details about eight other patients admitted at the Jorhat hospital are yet to be shared. A person tested positive for the deadly disease on Tuesday and is undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Sarma said, adding that he is a maulana from Karimganj and also a cancer patient. The minister said that the Centre had given the state a list of 457 people from Assam who had been to the Nizamuddin area and 91 others reported for testing on their own after coming in contact with the people who attended the congregation. Out of the 457 people, investigations revealed that 134 of them had not attended the congregation but were in the area and their presence were detected by mobile phone towers. Another 68 did not return to Assam and are in Delhi, Lucknow and other places, he said. There are 347 people now in Assam, who returned from the congregation by March 16, and out of them, 230 people have been located so far, while the remaining could not traced as their mobile phones were switched off and their family members did not cooperate, the minister said. "The situation is very dangerous and we appeal to all who had gone to the congregation and also those who have come in contact with them to give their swab samples for testing and quarantine themselves," he said. The samples of those traced have been taken and sent for testing. "Even those who are found to be negative will be kept in quarantine," he added. The contact tracing of those who have tested positive have begun as "we know that they did not quarantine themselves and went to different places in connection with their trade", Sarma said. "We appeal to the people not to hide where they went but quarantine themselves and get tested along with those who have come in contact with them," he urged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALBANY Thousands of state employees paychecks are being held up as state offices debate whether the funds have been approved to pay those on the administrative payroll. State employees Tuesday confirmed they had not received their direct-deposit checks following the state comptrollers office warning to lawmakers that some employees could see a delay in their paychecks if legislators didnt secure funds to cover the costs. Budget Director Robert Mujica asserted Tuesday afternoon that Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli already had the "legal authority to make payments" to ensure thousands of state employees are paid this week. "It has nothing to do with when the budget is passed," Mujica said during an afternoon news conference at the Capitol. "It has nothing to do with where the pay period fell." However, officials from the comptrollers office say its not clear-cut and passing a budget would be the fastest way to solve the discrepancy. The executive and the state Legislature were advised early on that an emergency appropriation or an approved budget is required so that direct-deposit and paper checks can be released. This is the long-standing precedent for handling payroll when a budget deadline looms, said Jennifer Freeman, director of communications for the comptroller. Hardworking state employees should not be held hostage to budget gridlock. Lawmakers are in the throes of budget negotiations, grappling with a $15 billion loss in revenue and crippled economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The spending plan, once planned at $178 billion, will likely be much smaller and have cuts to departments and programs. It is due Wednesday, but legislators continued to hash out specifics late Tuesday. However, state budget officials were aware of the payroll discrepancies prior to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ravaging the state. Concern over payroll schedules during the budget process was first raised to the Division of the Budget in a letter from Executive Deputy for State Operations John Traylor in December. Should the 2020-21 budget not be adopted by mid-day March 31, the distribution of the administrative payroll could be delayed, Traylor wrote in a letter obtained by the Times Union. This delay would have a significant, adverse impact on employees, particularly those who have deductions and other adjustments made either before or after their payment is distributed. The majority of employees on the administrative payroll are on a lagged payroll schedule, and are owed a paycheck for days worked March 5 to March 18. But a portion are on non-lagged pay schedules, for which the latest check due covered March 19 through April 1. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Employees in facilities including prisons and psychiatric centers are not impacted because they're on opposite pay schedules.The states total workforce is roughly 258,000 employees, according to the comptroller's office. Freeman said not only did their office bring up the payroll schedule issue in December, but also issued a payroll bulletin to all agencies in early March stressing the potential delay. She said the office also drafted legislation last week for lawmakers to approve and ensure employees would get paid on time. Typically, when payroll schedules potentially overlap with two fiscal years, the Legislature has passed budget extenders to ensure funding is available, Traylor said. Any adjustments to checks at this point would be labor intensive and further complicated with staff working from home. It would also be unprecedented, he said. We would have to start by looking at every single agency to see if they have enough personal service appropriation to pay employees, Traylor said. I think the comptroller has done everything we could possibly do to help avoid this mess, honestly. From where we sit today, the fastest thing is to pass a budget today, or tomorrow, so we can pay people. Victorian opposition frontbencher Tim Smith has taken a swipe at some of Melbourne's so-called "Aspen set" and branded newly returned overseas travellers disobeying rules to self-isolate as "flogs". The opposition planning spokesman on Wednesday criticised a man who was meant to be self-isolating but instead was allegedly drink-driving when he crashed into a Kew East bike shop. The MP blasted the driver, while also taking aim at others who skip quarantine, echoing comments from federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, who told The Age on Tuesday that authorities should "throw the book" at offenders. A backlash greeted Melbourne holiday makers who returned from Aspen's ski resort and ignored advice to self-isolate. Mr Smith said the Kew driver should be dealt with harshly if found guilty, as should others accused of avoiding isolation in Melbourne after being exposed to COVID-19. Nurses prepare a patient for transport at Cremona Hospital in Italy (Picture: Getty) The global coronavirus death toll now stands at more than 48,000 people, with six nations suffering at least 3,000 fatalities. In the UK, deaths linked to COVID-19 are rapidly increasing, with the latest tally of people who have died from currently at 2,352. In total 29,872 people have tested positive for the disease in Britain, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As of 12pm on Thursday there have been around 952,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with Italy, Spain, China, France, Iran and the United States all suffering more than 3,000 deaths. Italy Italian army doctors work in the intensive care at Celio Military Polyclinic Hospital (Picture: Getty) Italy officially has the highest death toll from coronavirus, with the disease killing more than 13,000 people in under six weeks. The government has imposed a nationwide lockdown to try to contain the outbreak. The restrictions have brought the Italian business world to a halt, with a huge knock-on impact for many peoples livelihoods. Spain On Thursday it was confirmed that Spains coronavirus death toll has climbed by 950 to more than 10,000, which is thought to be the largest daily increase in COVID-19 related deaths. The country now has 10,003 recorded deaths and more than 110,000 infections. Spain has rapidly risen to levels seen only by Italy so far among European nations, and has passed Chinas official recorded number of cases. China People wearing face masks ride bicycles on a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province (Picture: Getty) China, where the coronavirus originated, has had more than 81,000 reported cases and 3,318 deaths. It has begun to ease lockdown restrictions and is now reporting on asymptomatic cases as part of an effort to allay fears that people could be spreading the virus without knowing it. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading United States President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus (Picture: AP) More than 5,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, it emerged on Thursday. The total confirmed cases has risen to 216,722, which is the most in the world. Story continues Almost half of the new fatalities were in New York state, the epicentre of the pandemic. White House medical experts say 100,000 to 240,000 people could ultimately die from the respiratory disease in the US. France More than 4,000 people have died from the coronavirus in France. The country is now in its third week of lockdown to try to slow the spread of the virus. President Emmanuel Macron pledged to make France self-sufficient in protective masks by the end of the year and learn lessons from the coronavirus emergency, firing back at growing criticism of his government over equipment shortages. People wearing protective clothing carry the body of a victim who died after being infected with coronavirus in Tehran, Iran (Picture: AP) Iran Irans death toll from the coronavirus has reached 3,136, the countrys health minister confirmed on Thursday. There have been 124 deaths in the past 24 hours Kianush Jahanpur said the country now has more than 50,000 cases. The US has been urged to lift sanctions on Iran to help it fight the pandemic. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility Washington might consider easing penalties but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. Irans President Hassan Rouhani said the US has missed a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country. Coronavirus: what happened today? Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter "The studios that embrace this are going to thrive." - Punchpass CEO Chris Patton. Punchpass, a global provider of fitness studio software, this month launched a new software integration that allows fitness businesses to instantly connect existing class schedules, class passes and memberships to live video, so that studios can monetize their online classes. The platform automatically emails registered students before class with the link to the class broadcast, and allows studios to collect payments. The new technology is enabling thousands of small fitness business owners worldwide to stay financially viable despite mandatory closures, and the threat of lost class and membership-based revenue. And home-bound customers have a way to stay fit, healthy and connected to their community at a time when fear and isolation are at an all-time high. The studios that embrace this are going to thrive," said Punchpass CEO Chris Patton. This has been a crazy time for most of us, and a scary one, as the floor supporting our businesses has disappeared. The Punchpass integration with Zoom has been a lifeline for these small fitness studios and their communities. As the coronavirus pandemic threatens the global $94 billion fitness industry, businesses that rapidly deploy live, online classes could not only avoid permanent closure, but create a whole new digital market. My first thought was to stay in front of the customers, just to stay in peoples minds, said Bill O'Connor, owner of Hot Yoga Burlington. Forced to close March 16, within hours, OConnor was offering his first online classes through Punchpass. The classes quickly grew, outpacing the typical in-person attendance numbers, and drawing local and out-of-state participants. After just the first class, there was this tremendous response. The feedback has been extremely positive. The emails and texts and social media that's been coming in has been so positive. Other Punchpass customers are also finding that the online class offerings have been a boom for business. Customers are enrolling at unexpectedly high rates, and are willing to pay for the live connection, despite the abundance of free, recorded classes online. People who value it dont seem to mind paying for it, said Dana Darr, owner of Asana Yoga Center in Valparaiso, IN. Asana Yoga once hosted classes of thirty to forty students. But after six new yoga studios entered her market, her classes had dropped to six students, on average. Now, her online classes are drawing twenty or more. This place is picking up! Who knew creating a pandemic virtual yoga classroom would be so much fun and so widely attended, said Darr. "It's so unexpected which makes it fun and exciting in what otherwise would be just a really rough time." As the COVID 19 outbreak continues to spread, an increasing number of fitness businesses and customers will likely turn to online classes. Its a trend that could reshape the entire club and studio industry long-term. For now, the technology is a light for the many small businesses and their customers who are struggling to survive. We are thrilled that so many of our clients have shown resilience and optimism by offering online classes as a way to keep their communities active and vibrant, said Patton. In the words of Erin Henderson, owner of Hot26 School of Yoga, just outside Seattle, WA: "This isn't about me. This is about my community and keeping them connected and realizing how important it is for these people." About Punchpass Punchpass was founded in 2013 by Chris Patton and provides simple software for fitness and yoga studio management. Currently, 1,100 small businesses around the world use Punchpass to run their group classes in person and online. The small and mighty team at Punchpass delivers best-in-class service to the small, local businesses who use our software, as we cannot achieve success without theirs. ### For more information, including additional fitness studio owners, quotes, photos and to schedule in-person interviews, please contact Marsha Austin at 303-475-2796, or marsha@marshaaustinmedia.com. PRESIDENT John Magufuli and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa are among high-profile personalities who have eulogized prominent presenter with Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) Marin Hassan Marin following his sudden death. Marin died on Wednesday at Lugalo Military Hospital in Dar es Salaam while receiving treatment. He was rushed to the hospital earlier in the morning but was pronounced dead at 8:40am. In his condolence message, President Magufuli said that he was shocked to hear the news over the demise of Marin, citing him as a journalist who practiced his profession with high integrity. I received the news of the demise of presenter Marin Hassan with a great shock and disappointment. Marin Hassan loved his work and practiced his profession with high integrity. He was a true patriotic and was devoted to working for his country through TBC, he said. The President said that he knew Marin as a person who contributed to the promotion of journalism in the country through hard work at TBC where he worked, creating and hosting various innovative programmes. He mentioned prrogrammes such as a journey to Dodoma, and coverage of general elections and the newly created Ardhio as among the programmes the late Marin hosted at TBC. Marin Hassan has died when we needed him most Marin Hassan is a media hero, he really loved TBC and his country. I join his family, TBC and journalists to mourn him, he said. TBC Director General Ayub Rioba expressed shock over the death of Marin sending condolences to TBC staff and the media fraternity in Tanzania. Speaking on his behalf, one of the senior workers with the Corporation, Gabriel Nderumaki, said the TBC boss consoles the family of the late Marin and TBC staff for losing a colleague who was hardworking and devoted to his journalism work. Speaking during an event to bid farewell to the fallen practitioner at TBC Headquarters in Dar es Salaam, TBC Acting Director Ms Martha Swai told the mourners that Marins death was a big loss to the corporation and media fraternity at large. Marin was a journalist who practiced his profession with high integrity, we are shocked of his demise, she said and thanked President Magufuli for the condolences he sent to the family and TBC workers. The TBC Director of Information and Events Frank Bahati said the late Marin joined TBC in 2005 and since then, he worked in various posts before he was promoted to a senior journalist presenting and hosting popular TV programmes. He worked for 15 years since he joined the Corporation in 2005, working as a junior journalist and went through various posts before he became a senior journalist, creating and hosting special programmes, he said and noted that the late Hassan would be remembered for his hard work, solidarity and kindness. A senior journalist with the corporation, Gabriel Zakaria, said that the late Marin was in the office on Tuesday night and took part in preparations of the Ardhio Programme that was to be aired yesterday. We worked together yesterday at around 1pm, leading us in preparations of the Ardhio programme and later we escorted him to his home before we left and all the time he showed no signs of illness, said Fatuma Matulanga, one of the TVs presenters at TBC. The late Marins body was yesterday transported to Zanzibar for burial. The deceased is survived by a wife. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said about 300 people from the state had attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid in New Delhi last month, and 40 of them have been identified and quarantined. In a tweet, the Minister also said COVID-19 test reports of 12 of them have come out as negative. Stating that government has got information about 62 Malaysia and Indonesia nationals who had attended the congregation have come to Karnataka, in an another tweet Sriramulu said, 12 of them have been identified and ... A child under five has died of coronavirus in a Chattanooga hospital, county officials said Wednesday. Becky Barnes, Health Department administrator, said the child had underlying illnesses. It is our deepest regret to share with you today our first COVID-19-related pediatric death, said Ms. Barnes, As we mourn with the family, we also take this opportunity to urgently plead with each member of our community to practice social distancing by staying at home and take precautions to protect yourselves. She also said there are two new coronavirus cases in the county and both are under 18 years old. She said one is isolating at home and still exhibiting symptoms. Another has recovered at home. However, that child's sibling has become ill and is being tested for coronavirus. Ms. Barnes said those children had not been at day cares or schools since they became ill. Hamilton County now has 52 coronavirus cases with three deaths. Ms. Barnes said Chattanooga hospitals are receiving coronavirus cases from the region. She said there are 18 confirmed coronavirus patients in local hospitals as well as 25 under investigation for coronavirus. Continuing to urge social distancing, she said when people consider going to a store say to yourself, 'Is this worth spreading illness or death to a member of my family?' " She said, "The peak of this is determined by us. It's hard, but this can get bigger and bigger if we don't have the will." The death toll from the conoravirus in Tennessee has risen to 24 - up just one since Tuesday. Cases in the state jumped to 2,683 - up from 2,239 on Tuesday. Officials said 200 people have been hospitalized in the state from coronavirus. It is now in 80 of the state's 95 counties. Bradley County is up to 14 cases of the deadly new strain of virus. Rhea County and Sequatchie County each have one coronavirus case. Grundy County is up to six cases, Meigs County has one, while Marion County has increased to eight cases. Bledsoe County has two cases, and Franklin County has seven. McMinn County has three cases and Monroe County has increased to five. Metro Nashville Public Health Department officials announced a total number of 673 confirmed cases - an increase of 132 cases in the past 24 hours. The confirmed cases range in age from two months old to 84 years old. Health officials have confirmed the death of an 83-year-old man as the fourth person in Davidson County to have died after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Eighteen others remain hospitalized; and 90 people have recovered from the virus. The remaining cases are self-isolating at home and have mild and manageable symptoms. There are 148 cases in Williamson County with two deaths. Shelby County has shot up to 496 cases and has three deaths. Knox County is at 78 cases with one death. County Positive Negative Death Anderson 10 135 Bedford 4 77 Benton 4 35 Bledsoe 2 8 Blount 28 131 Bradley 14 142 Campbell 4 56 Cannon 3 50 Carroll 5 83 Carter 1 54 Cheatham 11 164 Chester 3 45 Claiborne 2 24 Clay 1 25 Cocke 1 42 Coffee 1 126 Crockett 0 20 Cumberland 14 266 Davidson 423 4,235 4 DeKalb 5 63 Decatur 0 31 Dickson 18 127 Dyer 3 63 Fayette 14 131 Fentress 1 48 Franklin 7 68 Gibson 6 111 Giles 3 72 Grainger 3 37 Greene 15 66 1 Grundy 6 23 Hamblen 3 67 Hamilton 50 533 2 Hancock 0 5 Hardeman 4 36 Hardin 2 87 Hawkins 5 51 Haywood 2 27 Henderson 0 75 Henry 1 62 Hickman 1 58 Houston 1 70 Humphreys 2 31 Jackson 0 27 Jefferson 6 73 Johnson 2 5 Knox 78 673 1 Lake 0 12 Lauderdale 1 30 Lawrence 2 104 Lewis 2 16 Lincoln 2 46 Loudon 8 88 Macon 4 66 Madison 7 143 Marion 8 37 1 Marshall 1 104 Maury 17 391 McMinn 3 114 McNairy 1 48 Meigs 1 28 Monroe 5 92 Montgomery 27 403 Moore 0 14 Morgan 1 25 Obion 2 64 Overton 2 68 Perry 2 20 Pickett 0 8 Polk 0 17 Putnam 31 227 Rhea 1 58 Roane 2 89 Robertson 35 292 Rutherford 86 873 1 Scott 3 40 Sequatchie 1 16 Sevier 9 179 Shelby 496 2,397 3 Smith 3 74 Stewart 0 44 Sullivan 17 140 Sumner 201 743 7 Tipton 22 148 Trousdale 5 22 1 Unicoi 1 22 Union 1 22 Van Buren 0 17 Warren 1 74 Washington 21 235 Wayne 1 21 Weakley 1 59 White 2 64 Williamson 148 1,194 2 Wilson 45 538 Non-Tennessee Resident 243 4,645 1 Unknown 442 7,160 Total 2,683 29,769 24 Please note regarding case counts: This data changes rapidly as labs conduct tests and identify new cases. Labs assign those cases to a county or leave that information blank. Metro and regional health departments then determine the appropriate county of jurisdiction during their public health investigation. Were working to reduce the pending number to 0. Contact the local health department for county specific information. Cases among Tennessee residents are counted by their county of residence. Residents of other states who were tested at Tennessee healthcare facilities are counted as Out of TN. The current case data for Hamilton County is as follows: Positive Test Results 51 Negative Test Results 737 Total Test Results 788 Quarantined 231 Recovered 29 Deaths 3 Age Demographics Less than 18 years 2 18-49 years 18 50-64 years 13 65+ years 18 Not yet determined at the time of press 0 Not all of the details of a case may be available at the time of publication. Sex Demographics Male 32 Female 19 Not yet determined at the time of press 0 Race Demographics White 42 Black 8 Asian 1 Not yet determined at the time of press 0 For more information or questions about COVID-19, please call the hotline at (423) 209-8383, or visit the Health Departments website at Health.HamiltonTN.org. President Donald Trump and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke Tuesday to discuss the states ongoing needs for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday night, Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown confirmed the two leaders spoke. The focus was on the importance of getting PPE and resources to Michigan for healthcare workers, slowing the spread of COVID-19, and protecting the people of Michigan, Brown said. The conversation comes after Trump approved Whitmers major disaster declaration request over the weekend. Under the major disaster declaration, funding is now available for state, tribal, local governments and certain non-profit agencies for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Michigan impacted by COVID-19," per a White House statement. It also allows funding for crisis counseling for affected individuals in Michigan. Federal Emergency Management administrators will help coordinate recovery efforts. The coronavirus pandemic has occasionally caused tension between the Democratic governor and Republican president. In tweets and during press conferences, Trump has made reference to the woman in Michigan and expressed that Whitmer and other governors were not showing enough gratitude to the federal government. He also recently referred to her as Half Whitmer on Twitter. Whitmer had previously said Michigan has had a difficult time obtaining important medical gear in a Friday interview with WWJ Newsradio, a claim several Republicans questioned. She later said in an interview with Meet the Press that she was making the observation that she is bidding against other states, but did not directly address if she felt Trump was punishing Michigan. On Saturday morning, Whitmer said more than 112,000 N-95 masks had just arrived from the strategic national stockpile. On Tuesday, she announced on Twitter the state received 400 ventilators from the strategic national stockpile. Today, we received 400 ventilators from the strategic national stockpile. Theyre on their way to hospitals in need across the state to help save lives. We are still working to secure more and ensure our health providers have the tools they need. Thank you James Joseph from FEMA. pic.twitter.com/Subeob6Njz Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) March 31, 2020 The total number of coronavirus cases reached 7,615 on Tuesday, March 31. A total of 259 people have died, according to the states daily update on coronavirus numbers. A week ago today, the state reported a total of 1,791 cases and 24 deaths. There have been more than 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and almost than 3,000 deaths in the United States. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Related coverage: Trump approves Michigan disaster declaration; Whitmer says more supplies on the way in coronavirus fight Trump takes another dig at Gov. Whitmer as coronavirus crisis deepens Joe Biden comes to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers defense after Trump slams states coronavirus response Gov. Whitmer downplays tensions with Trump on CNN, Meet the Press appearances Trump says Whitmer isnt stepping up as governors plead for coronavirus supplies Patna, March 31 (IANS) Bihar reported another new case of the novel coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 16 and one death, health officials said. Surveillance Officer with the Bihar Health Society, Ragini Mishra said that a 35-year-old resident of Gopalganj who returned from Dubai, has been found infected with the coronavirus. According to another official of the state health department, 1,051 samples of suspected coronavirus cases have been tested in Bihar, of which 16 have been found positive so far. A resident of Munger, who returned from Qatar, died in Patna AIIMS on March 21. A large number of people have returned to Bihar from other states in the last three days. In such a situation, the number of coronavirus infected people is expected to increase. Meanwhile, the administration has made arrangements for separate isolation wards to quarantine workers. --IANS hindi-sdr/bg Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Connecticut-based private equity firm Gemspring Capital has closed its second fund, Gemspring Capital Fund II (Fund II), with USD750 million of capital commitments. The lower middle-market private equity firm said that its sophomore investment vehicle secured commitments for Fund II from a globally diversified investor base comprised of leading endowments, foundations, family offices, consultants, insurance companies, pension plans and funds of funds. Each of Gemspring's institutional investors from its first fund, which closed in 2016, com...................... To view our full article Click here A: When you no longer can see the smile of someone near the elevators or someone nodding in a meeting when were removed from those small, human social signals, work can start feeling isolated for a lot of us. If youve got a few workers who work remotely, they quite often say that they fear that their boss doesnt like them and their colleagues dont trust them. Its simply because we get so many nonverbal cues from the people around us that when those are removed, we start filling the void with dark thoughts, especially in the time were in right now. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday the government was expanding a ban on the entry of non-Japanese people to cover 73 countries as policymakers try to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The number of countries was increased by 49, including the United States, China and South Korea, he said. Abe also said that everyone entering the country, including Japanese nationals, will be asked to go into a voluntary two-week quarantine. Both measures will be effective from Friday. The premier said he has asked airlines to curb the number of international flights. (Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, writing by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Kim Coghill) A new app could determine if you may have contracted the coronavirus just by analyzing your voice. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an AI-powered system that analyzes your voice and provides a score on the likelihood it contains signatures of the virus. The technology picks up breathing patterns and other vital parameters, as the coronavirus greatly affects the lungs. The team is urging the public, healthy or infected, to share a recording of their voice in order to help improve the algorithm. Scroll down for video Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an AI-powered system that analyzes your voice and provides a score on the likelihood it contains signatures of the virus The app, called COVID Voice Detector, is still in the early stages and comes with the disclaimer that it is not approved by the FDA or CDC, and 'it shouldn't be used as a substitute for a medical test or examination,' Futurism reported. The coronavirus (COVID-19) first made headlines in December 2019, when cases began popping up in Wuhan, China. Within a few weeks it had spread throughout the country and has now infected nearly every part of the world. As of Tuesday, there are more than 786,000 cases and over 37,000 deaths reported around the globe. And with the cases continuing to rise, so has the shortage of test kits available, but that is why Carnegie Melon has developed their new app. The coronavirus (COVID-19) first made headlines in December 2019, when cases began popping up in Wuhan, China. Within a few weeks it had spread throughout the country and has now infected nearly every part of the world Benjamin Striner, a Carnegie Mellon graduate student who worked on the project, said in an interview with Futurism: 'I've seen a lot of competition for the cheapest, fastest diagnosis you can have. 'And there are some pretty good ones that are actually really cheap and pretty accurate, but nothing's ever going to be as cheap and as easy as speaking into a phone. Although the app is still in the development stage, Striner believes it could be vital to healthcare officials once it is released. It uses a ranking from one to 10 when analyzing the person's voice the higher the ranking the more likely the individual has coronavirus. To use the app, the person would cough several times when prompted and say a few different vowel sounds and recite the alphabet. And the tool then presents a score in a download progress bar. The team has gathered recordings from 19 individuals who have tested positive for the virus and those with other viruses in order to train the algorithm to spot coronavirus. However, as the app says it should not be used as a sole means of diagnoses and Striner noted that they have yet to test the accuracy because they do not 'have the verified test instance' they need. If it comes from a healthy person, we then have examples of what 'healthy' sounds like,' he told Furturism, 'If it comes from a person who has some known respiratory condition, we then know what that condition sounds like. 'The system will use all that data as counterexamples, and for disambiguating COVID signatures from those of other confusing conditions.' A local GP has encouraged the Derry public to maintain their steadfast efforts by staying at home ahead of the anticipated first wave of cases. Yesterday, new local modelling data set out a reasonable worst case scenario, based on a number of assumptions including social distancing measures producing a 66% reduction in contacts outside the home and workplace. The modelling teams best judgement is that this would lead to a peak number of 180 COVID-19 patients requiring ventilation and critical care beds during the first wave of the epidemic. The peak number of Covid-19 hospital admissions would be 500 per week. Under this reasonable worst case scenario, the projected number of cumulative COVID-19 deaths in Northern Ireland over 20 weeks of the epidemic would be 3,000 just 500 less lives than the whole of the Troubles. The modelling indicates that the peak of the first wave of the epidemic is expected between April 6-20, 2020. Over the weekend Derrys new COVID-19 Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital was forced to shut temporarily due to staff sickness. The Western Trust has now prioritised the nurse staffing levels at the centre, giving it the same status as ICU and Emergency Department, and doctors running the GP led service are confident it wont happen again. Yesterday, one of the centres GPs, Dr Paul Molloy, said it is running very well and patients and staff are handled very safely. Patients who are concerned ring 111 and then their own GP. Patients are presenting with different symptoms which can be influenced by factors such as age, underlying illnesses and fitness levels playing. Dr Molly commented: The clinical presentation is varied, stuffed up nose, loss of smell and taste seem common at present. However, these are symptoms of a head cold or flu also and in themselves not worrying. Worrying symptoms are a cough that is constant, a high temperature over 38 and shortness of breath. It is still reasonable at this point however if you feel you are managing with paracetamol and fluids (remember warm tea/fluids and vitamin C) to stay at home. The worry would be when you are very short of breath or out of puff. If you are normally able to do a lot of exercise then if you cant go upstairs without feeling out of puff, thats significant. If you have COPD that might mean you are out of puff at rest. If you feel really poorly, just awful, but cant put your finger on it that might even be worth checking out. All the clinical presentations will be different due to age, other illnesses and levels of fitness. Others will be at risk if they have other illnesses and their overall strength and immunity make it difficult to fight another illness. As the virus seems to cause blockage of airways with mucus it would seem reasonable that people with COPD, asthma and smokers isolate. ISOLATION As of yesterday afternoon there were 101 coronavirus deaths across the island of Ireland, with 30 of those occurring in the North. At 11.19am on Wednesday April 1, testing had resulted in 103 new positive cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Northern Ireland to 689. In addition there have been 3,235 Further figures were announced in the South yesterday evening. A number of young people, whose families said they were healthy, have died after contracting coronavirus. Dr Molloy acknowledged that young people are dying but not in large numbers, in fact in numbers that are able to be counted on one hand that I have heard of here. He added: If a young person without any obvious illnesses dies there is not any evidence to know why at present. These are questions that will be answered by research and not by speculation, which is frankly deeply upsetting. If you have COPD or asthma or heart disease, isolate yourself. If you get COVID the probability of you dying is still very low. While the number of confirmed coronavirus cases are increasing, the local GP, believes that people in Derry have heeded the advice of health professionals. However, he has urged people to phone a doctor if angina or other conditions worsen. It would be very silly to die at home of a heart attack because of fear of going out. Also children are very low risk here but they will still get urine infections and things like meningitis so please phone a doctor if your kids temperature isnt improving or he/ she is very sick. Explain to kids also that we arent all going to die as Im sure they are all very anxious about this. Its a big change being off school and everyone around us in a heightened state of fear. All in all Id say we are better than where I thought wed be but itll get worse in the next few weeks so continued isolation is needed. Remember hand washing, remember to stay 2m apart, he concluded. Putin, Trump agree global oil prices 'not in interests' of Russia, US Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 5:57 PM Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, have agreed that current global oil prices are "not in the interests" of their countries, the Kremlin says, as the coronavirus pandemic sends oil prices plunging to historic lows. Trump called Putin and the pair had a lengthy and "constructive" conversation on the phone on Monday, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that both leaders also agreed that their energy ministers had to begin consultations on the oil market. Peskov, however, did not give details on what the two countries would do to change the situation and when contacts between Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette might begin. Separately and in a readout of the call, the Kremlin said that, "Opinions on the current state of global oil markets were exchanged. An arrangement was made on Russian-US consultations in this regard through energy department heads." The Monday agreement marked a fresh twist in global oil diplomacy, days after a failed deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia to reduce production launched a price war between Russia and OPEC's de facto leader, Saudi Arabia. Before the Monday call, Trump had said that he did not want to see the US energy sector "wiped out" as Moscow and Riyadh "both went crazy" and started a conflict that he said pushed down oil prices. "The price is so low now they're fighting like crazy over, over distribution and over how many barrels to let go," Trump said in an interview on Fox News. The current low oil prices are threatening higher-cost drillers in the US particularly the highly leveraged American shale industry and across the world with bankruptcy. Washington is now seeking to convince Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, to reduce its crude output. On Monday, oil prices further dropped, with US crude future CLc1 going below 20 dollars a barrel and international benchmark Brent LCOc1 falling to 18-year lows. Moscow has described the situation as "very unpleasant" but not catastrophic, and it has so far been reluctant to repair relations with Riyadh following the breakdown of its production deal with Saudi-led OPEC. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The tone of Tuesday nights briefing about the coronavirus was grim as Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced the deaths of three more people from COVID-19, the highest announced in one day, raising the total number in Bexar County to nine. Nirenberg requested a communitywide moment of silence at 9 a.m. Thursday for victims of the fast-spreading illness and urged everyone to remain vigilant to help contain it. One victim, a man in his 50s, had underlying health issues, Nirenberg said. Another, a man in his 80s, had underlying health issues had been treated for an unrelated illness before testing positive for the coronavirus. The third victim, a female in her 80s, also had underlying health conditions. Our sympathies are with the families of these victims, and we wish them healing during this very difficult time, Nirenberg said during his daily briefing with Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. Confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bexar County also shot up Tuesday to 207, up by 39 from Monday. It was the steepest daily increase in new cases since the start of the pandemic. Also for the first time, the number of cases attributed to community spread drew even with travel-related cases, both at 63, with each comprising 30 percent of the cases. Twenty-seven cases are attributed to close contact with someone who is infected, and 54 cases are under investigation. More Information Local coronavirus information Call the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District for information about coronavirus: 210-207-5779 (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., English and Spanish). Email questions to COVID-19@sanantonio.gov See More Collapse Of the confirmed cases, 69 patients have been hospitalized because they require acute care, including 32 in intensive-care units and 28 supported by ventilators, Nirenberg said. According to data on the citys website, people in their 40s comprise the highest age group to test positive in Bexar County, at 21 percent, followed by those in their 50s, 20 percent. Nirenberg warned of asymptomatic carriers people who have COVID-19 but show no outward signs of it each of whom could expose 15 people to the virus. He called on everyone to comply with city and county stay-at-home orders and social distancing standard of at least six feet of separation. Its as contagious as the measles, he said of the virus. This non-pharmaceutical intervention is our best chance of slowing the spread and reducing the number of infections and deaths. On a positive note, the mayor said the city started receiving testing data from private labs Tuesday to help track the spread of the coronavirus. The city has received 1,192 results 547 tests performed by Metro Health, and 645 by private labs. Altogether in San Antonio, including testing by the University Health System, about 2,500 tests have been administered, Nirenberg said. Wolff singled out several companies that have kept paying employees, and in some cases given raises, as part of the backbone of Bexar Countys response, as well as some 23,000 employees of the UHS, Baptist Health System and Methodist Healthcare who are hard at work. So were all working hard together to overcome this, with everybody pulling together like we have been doing in San Antonio in previous crises. We will end up overcoming this and we will rebuild our economy, Wolff said. Elsewhere Tuesday, Peterson Regional Medical Center officials in Kerrville confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Kerr County. A county resident was admitted to the hospital, then discharged to self-isolate, officials said Tuesday. The case appeared to be related to the persons travel history, not community spread, officials said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA C ovid-19 is at its most infectious during the first week of symptoms, according to new research. Scientists from one of Europes largest university hospitals conducted the study, which they said could help inform when a coronavirus patient is discharged from hospital. Their research showed that the disease was most commonly spread via "droplets" emitted through sneezing or coughing, rather than through the contamination of materials. The team, from Berlins Charite Universitatsmedizin centre, analysed data from coronavirus patients in Germany to check how contagious they were at different points of their infection. They looked at nine adults from Munich with relatively mild symptoms and measured how much of the virus they shed over the course of their illness. The researchers analysed throat, lung, stool, blood and urine samples collected from the patients during their clinical course. They found the virus was most active in terms of reproduction and shedding in the upper respiratory tract during the first seven days of symptoms. They also noticed that two of the participants, who showed some early signs of pneumonia, continued to shed high levels of the virus in their mucus until day 10 or 11. Coronavirus testing: What we know so far According to the study, published in the journal Nature, the virus remained detectable in patients mucus even after symptoms stopped. The virus was not present in blood or urine samples, and the authors didnt find a replicating form of the virus in stool samples. The scientists, led by Institute of Virology director Christian Drosten, called for further studies to further investigate the diseases possible transmission route. The researchers wrote in the paper: Our initial results suggest that measures to contain viral spread should aim at droplet, rather than fomite-based (via clothes or materials), transmission. The prolonged viral shedding in sputum (mucus) is relevant not only for hospital infection control, but also for discharge management. In a situation characterised by limited capacity of hospital beds in infectious diseases wards, there is pressure for early discharge following treatment. Based on the present findings, early discharge with ensuing home isolation could be chosen for patients who are beyond day 10 of symptoms with less than 100,000 viral RNA copies per ml of sputum. Both criteria predict that there is little residual risk of infectivity, based on cell culture. Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images Shes back! Well, her voice is back. On April 3, Disney will be releasing a thrilling nature documentary, Elephant, which revolves around an elephant family as they trek through the Kalahari Desert for hundreds and hundreds of miles all so they can finally experience the joy of not luxuriating in a desert. Its heartwarming, a little sad at times, and definitely great for families who are currently trapped in their homes. Its also a return to form for Meghan Markles acting career and marks her first Hollywood role since her engagement to Prince Harry back in 2017. Markle narrates the entire 90-minute doc, for which Disney donated a sizable amount of money to her charity of choice. Vultures Elephant highlight, without getting too much into the details, is when Markle is forced to narrate a moment when a baby elephant goes on a farting spree while playing in the mud. Oh, dear, she coos. Ah, who did that? Some other line readings you can look forward to are the following: Its time for an elephant feast! The mud has a dark side. Thats a crocodile! Probably best to stick with the herd. The death of a matriarch is a momentous event in his young life. A little extra protein never hurt anyone. She has her hands full trying to raise her 1-year-old son. And this kid is a handful. That last one, though. A subtle cry for help from the duchess herself? Or a coincidental overlap of how her life is like the African elephant Shanis? The New York Times, March 6, 2020 At least 32 civilians were killed in the attack. At least 32 civilians were killed in the attack. By Najim Rahim and Mujib Mashal KABUL, Afghanistan Two gunmen opened fire on a crowded event in Kabul attended by the opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah on Friday, and officials said at least 32 civilians were killed and dozens wounded. The attackers struck Afghanistans capital less than a week after the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement aimed at ending the 18-year-old war. Mr. Abdullah escaped injury in the attack, his aides confirmed. But it took Afghan security forces five hours to hunt down the assailants, who had used a nearby high-rise to fire into the crowd, before the government declared the attack over. The countrys health ministry said at least 58 people were wounded. Dawod Danish, head of the main hospital nearby, said 26 bodies and 20 wounded people had been brought to his facility alone. The attack came at a particularly delicate time in Afghanistan. Political tensions have been at high pitch in recent weeks, with Mr. Abdullah challenging the results of an election that declared the incumbent president, Ashraf Ghani, the winner of another five-year term in office. Mr. Abdullah also declared victory, and had threatened to hold a rival inauguration at the same time as Mr. Ghanis if it went ahead as scheduled. The inauguration was originally set for the eve of the agreement-signing between representatives of the United States and the Taliban last Saturday in Doha, Qatar. American diplomats had managed to buy some time by convincing the Afghan government to postpone the inauguration until after the signing, hoping the rival Ghani and Abdullah factions could find their own negotiated solution. The Taliban, who within days of signing the deal with the United States had resumed attacks against Afghan government forces, immediately denied involvement in the assault on the Kabul event on Friday. Hours later, the Islamic States branch in Afghanistan claimed responsibility, according to the AFP news agency. The event was a ceremony commemorating the killing of an ethnic Hazara leader, Abdul Ali Mazari, by Taliban militants in 1995. Most Hazaras are Shiite Muslims, a persecuted minority in Afghanistan and a favorite target of Islamic State loyalists in recent years. But attacks by the Islamic State had dropped off sharply after a sustained offensive against them last year. President Ghani called the attack a crime against humanity and against the national unity of Afghanistan and said he had spoken to Mr. Abdullah on the phone. But many of the opposition leaders who were at the event have raised questions about the lapse of security. We are in a sensitive time. The investigations need to be thorough, and not like past incidents that remained vague, Mr. Abdullah told local media after the attack. Mohammed Mohaqiq, another senior leader present at the event, said the security forces had assured them they had secured the area. He expressed skepticism about the circumstances of the lapse. Those in the palace are writing on their Facebook pages saying why werent the political leaders in attendance killed? Mr. Mohaqiq wrote on his Facebook page. As if their bullets missed their target. The attack has once again raised concerns about whether the American deal with the Taliban to extricate United States forces from the conflict can help end the bloodshed for Afghans. Even as the Taliban denied responsibility for the Kabul assault, they have resumed their attacks on Afghan forces across the country, refusing to forsake violence as their leverage. The conflict has gone on for so long, and with so much overlap among the violent players, that it is often difficult to identify the plotters of an attack. The Islamic State chapter in Afghanistan for several years had a foothold in eastern Nangarhar province. Carnage in urban centers, particularly striking Shiite soft targets such as mosques and wedding halls, was also carried out in its name. In recent months, both the Afghan government and the Taliban had said the Islamic State offshoot was largely defeated in Nangarhar province. But concerns have remained that Islamic State cells could regroup in surrounding provinces. In an effort to further curb any community spread of novel coronavirus, Laredo City Council has mandated that anyone who enters a building that is not their home must cover their mouth and nose with a mask, bandana, scarf or any fabric, or else face of a fine of up to $1,000. This includes offices. The order begins April 2 and continues through April 30. Council had originally voted that anyone who goes outside at all must cover their nose and mouth, but later refined the rule because it was so broad. Now if anyone enters a building, public transit or outdoor gas station, they must cover their nose and mouth. Council also voted to extend the curfew that originally pertained only to juveniles to all Laredo citizens. Now only people who are working or out for essential services may leave the house between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. or else face a fine of $50 to $1,000. This is an arrestable offense, and will also go into effect from April 2 to April 30. According to Gov. Greg Abbotts order, Texans can continue to exercise and walk pets on the sidewalk. The citys curfew does not supersede that order, so Laredoans can walk outdoors after 10 p.m. as long as theyre not in a group, according to the city spokesperson. The citys Stay at Home Work Safe order, which has closed a range of non-essential businesses, was also extended another 30 days. There was concern that in these tough times people may not be able to afford the fines attached to the new aspects of the order. Id rather bury them in debt than bury them in a coffin, Councilman George Altgelt responded. He also noted that Laredo is next door to a country that is not taking this pandemic seriously, so the city is compelled to take extra precaution. Council also voted to give $10,000 to the Laredo Regional Food Bank, $10,000 to Josephs Pantry and $100,000 to the South Texas Food Bank, anticipating that they will be reimbursed by FEMA up to 75%. City Manager Robert Eads said this reimbursement is not guaranteed, and noted that the citys budget is already under strain due to this crisis. But Councilman Dr. Marte Martinez said it is their responsibility to feed the community in times of crisis and to not let people starve. Council members and city staff were separated between several rooms during the meeting, and wore masks and gloves. This caused some audio issues, which made much of the meeting difficult to decipher over the live stream on the citys website. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Albany, N.Y. New York City hospitals have started transferring coronavirus patients to Albany Medical Center amid the ongoing pandemic, according to the Albany Times Union. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been saying for days that Upstate New York hospitals could be called on to help stressed facilities in the New York City area. Cuomo had said that could mean moving patients. Sources told the Times Union that coronavirus patients arrived in Albany late Tuesday via ambulance and air transport. They came from Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital in Queens. The patients were being kept in a single unit, the Times Union said. Albany Med confirmed Wednesday morning it accepted 14 patients from downstate sites with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Patients with suspected cases will be tested in Albany. COVID-19 has brought a significant influx of patients to hospitals in other areas. In alignment with our mission, Albany Med believes it is our responsibility to help, Albany Med president and CEO Dennis McKenna said in the release, according to the Times Union. "Our dedicated, skillful and compassionate health care workers are prepared to do so. Upstate NY sheriff to Cuomo: Dont send coronavirus patients here Coronavirus in NY: Deaths top 300 in 1 day for 1st time, total reaches 1,550 Cuomo and health leaders from around the state have been hashing out plans for New York's hospitals to work collectively in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo wants them to share resources, supplies, equipment and staff. Officials are also working out a system to facilitate patient transfers among hospitals statewide. The goal is to avoid overwhelming any one hospital with coronavirus patients. Sites throughout the state should help shoulder the burden, Cuomo has said. He has noted repeatedly in recent days that some Upstate hospitals are facing few coronavirus-related challenges at the moment. "We have hospitals in Upstate New York that are experiencing none of this, where they have staff capacity, they have bed capacity," Cuomo said Monday during a press briefing in New York City. "We need you now, here, in this fight and engaged." Cuomo has also said Upstate facilities will be asked to send staff to New York City sites. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has said hes willing to help downstate hospitals as long as local facilities are able to care for Central New York patients first. A total of 31 people in the county were hospitalized as of yesterday with coronavirus and 12 were in critical condition. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Coronavirus: Its not just the elderly who are at risk of severe illness Parents make heart-wrenching decision to not visit newborn until coronavirus scare passes Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 In one of her recent ads airing in Kentucky, titled Cooped Up, McGrath is shown in her living room as her husband and three young children play in the background. She says that her campaign is now focused on the coronavirus response and makes no mention of McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on Wednesday said the company's lessons learned from its numerous mistakes over the past couple of years has prepared it to deal with the crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "Some of the troubles we had and some of the mistakes we made over the past years, we worked so hard to correct those and set ourselves up, they're serving us well," Sandberg said on the Skimm'd from The Couch podcast. From 2017 through 2019, Facebook dealt with a conga line of scandals. Most notably, the company came under criticism for its failure to police its services for misinformation ahead of the 2016 U.S. election. In 2018, the company was rocked by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the world learned that a data firm improperly accessed the data of 87 million Facebook users and used it to target ads for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. That scandal resulted in a record-breaking $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission. In 2019, four separate antitrust investigations were launched against the company. The Cambridge Analytica scandal was a particular black eye for the company, made worse by the fact that Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg waited in silence for five days before publicly addressing the situation. Now, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Sandberg said Facebook is doing its best to move as quickly as possible. "We have felt very much under siege, not quite at this level, but knowing that we had a lot to chew very quickly for the last couple of years," Sandberg said. "And again, I think the pace at which we've been working is serving us well during this period." Over the past two months, Facebook has taken a number of steps to address the coronavirus pandemic. The company has met with the World Health Organization and tech leaders to discuss what solutions Silicon Valley can offer. The company has taken down misinformation and it has banned ads for medical masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and COVID-19 test kits. It has also done a number of programs to support its employees working from home, and it set up a $100 million program to help small businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic. "When you think about harmful misinformation, you know years ago we didn't have the policies to take that information down," she said. "We learned the hard way that we needed that. We had that in place when COVID-19 came around." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police and the military to shoot violators of the enhanced community quarantine if they are unruly and prove to be a threat to law enforcers lives. My orders are sa pulis pati military, pati mga barangay, na pagka ginulo at nagkaroon ng okasyon na lumaban at ang buhay ninyo ay nalagay sa alanganin, shoot them dead! Tingnan natin. Patay. Eh kaysa manggulo kayo diyan, eh libing ko na kayo, Duterte said in an impromptu TV address Wednesday night. [Translation: My orders to the police, the military and the barangays: If they become unruly and they fight you and your lives are endangered, shoot them dead! Lets see. Dead. Instead of causing chaos, Ill just bury you.] Dutertes statement came hours after residents of a Quezon City barangay staged a protest demanding food aid, which they said they have yet to receive. His statement also came as calls for his ouster flooded social networking site Twitter. The Quezon City government said the left-leaning urban poor group Kadamay instigated residents of Sitio San Roque to protest and claim they were not given aid. Duterte appealed to aid beneficiaries to be patient as he addressed "the Left," telling them not to riot or he will have them jailed. I will order you detained at bibitawan ko kayo pagkatapos na wala na itong COVID, he said. Pag kayo ang na-detain, bahala kayo sa pagkain ninyo. [Translation: I will order you detained and I will release you after this COVID-19 crisis is overIf you are detained, you are on your own when it comes to food.] The President also ordered the police and the military to patrol and look out for anyone who may assault health workers, after a health worker in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat was allegedly attacked by strangers by throwing bleach at his face. Wag kayong mag-istambay diyan sa estasyon," Duterte said. "Maglakad kayo, tandem at maghanap kayo ng mga taong bastos. At kung mahuli mo, kung ano ang binubuhos niya sa health worker o sa doktor, ibuhos mo rin sa kanya para tabla." [Translation: Dont just stand around at the station. Walk around, in tandem and find rude people. If you catch them, whatever they are pouring over the health worker or doctor, pour it also over him to be fair.] Duterte had earlier approved restrictions on the movement of people, ordering most to stay at home as he placed the entire island of Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine to contain the spread of COVID-19. The quarantine is scheduled to last until April 13. The country has recorded 2,311 patients with the viral disease, with 96 dead. Only 50 have recovered so far. The analyst covering China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings Limited (HKG:334) delivered a dose of negativity to shareholders today, by making a substantial revision to their statutory forecasts for this year. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting the analyst has soured majorly on the business. Following the latest downgrade, the current consensus, from the solo analyst covering China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings, is for revenues of CN3.8b in 2020, which would reflect a stressful 30% reduction in China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings' sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are anticipated to plunge 60% to CN0.01 in the same period. Before this latest update, the analyst had been forecasting revenues of CN5.1b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN0.055 in 2020. It looks like analyst sentiment has declined substantially, with a sizeable cut to revenue estimates and a large cut to earnings per share numbers as well. Check out our latest analysis for China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings SEHK:334 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 The consensus price target fell 8.6% to CN0.48, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading analyst valuation estimates. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. There are some variant perceptions on China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at CN0.48 and the most bearish at CN0.47 per share. With such a narrow range of valuations, analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business is worth. Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 30% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 25% over the last three years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 13% next year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings is expected to lag the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analyst cut their earnings per share estimates, expecting a clear decline in business conditions. Unfortunately the analyst also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings' revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. Given the scope of the downgrades, it would not be a surprise to see the market become more wary of the business. As you can see, the analyst clearly isn't bullish, and there might be good reason for that. We've identified some potential issues with China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings' financials, such as its declining profit margins. Learn more, and discover the 2 other warning signs we've identified, for free on our platform here. Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free 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. New Delhi, April 1 : President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said that China-India relations have now arrived at a new starting point with new opportunities for both the countries. The statement was issued when President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang exchanged messages of felicitations respectively with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China. In his message, President Xi noted that the bilateral relations "have traveled a remarkable journey in the last seven decades." India and China, he said, "have established a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity and are working to build a closer developmental partnership." President Xi said the two countries are enjoying deeper exchanges and cooperation across the board and growing coordination in major international and regional affairs. "China-India relations have now reached a new starting point with new opportunities to be grasped," he said. "I place great importance on China-India partnership and am ready to work with President Kovind to take it to a new level. A stronger bilateral relationship will bring more benefits to our countries and peoples, contribute more positive energy to ASia and the world at large," he conveyed it through his ambassador in New Delhi, Sun Weidong. In the same spirit, Premier Li Keqiang in his address said that a relationship defined by friendship, cooperation and mutual benefit will serve the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples and benefit Asia and the world at large. China, he said, is ready to join hands with India to build on the momentum created by this 70th anniversary to work for new progress in our strategic and cooperative partnership. President Kovind in his message to China pointed out that the two ancient civilisations were neighbouring countries as well as large emerging economies. Good relations between India and China are not only in our mutual interest but also important for peace and prosperity of the world at large, he said. "India looks forward to furthering our relationship with China and working together to broaden and deepen our closer development partnership," President Kovind said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared similar views. "Over the past 70 years, India-China political, economic and cultural relations have expanded steadily. India and China should strengthen coordination and mutual solidarity and jointly tackle the challenges faced by the world." The felicitations of diplomatic ties come at a time when the whole world is battling covid-19 pandemic which originated in Wuhan city of Hubei province of China a few months ago. On Tuesday, Chinese envoy to India, Sun Weidong said both the countries are sailing in the same boat as regards the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak. "We are confident that we can handle and win the battle with solidarity. It highlights spirit of mutual assistance & working together through thick and thin," he tweeted. Incidentally, the second batch of donation from Chinese charity organizations Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations arrived in Delhi on Tuesday. The donation includes protective clothes, masks, respirators and ventilators. "Chinese state-owned companies also provide assistance to their Indian partners. The Chinese people will stand firmly with the Indian people in the fight against COVID19 and we'll get through hard times together," Weidong said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) AKGs first pair of truly wireless earbuds, the AKG N400, made a surprise appearance in South Korea earlier this month. The buds have now been officially announced and they are seeming better than Samsungs Galaxy Buds+, which are also tuned by AKG. The Galaxy Buds+ might be Samsungs best truly wireless earbuds offering yet, but they still lack active noise cancellation (ANC) and waterproofing. The newly announced AKG N400 offer both. AKG N400 earbuds offer ANC and water resistance The new AKG earbuds feature two mics each and offer active noise cancellation. The level of noise cancellation can be controlled through the companion app using the Ambient Aware feature. Theres also this TalkThrough feature which lets you hear your surroundings with a single tap on the buds. You also get customizable touch controls for music playback and volume. Advertisement AKG has implemented beamforming technology to pick up your voice clearly and offer better audio quality during calls. The AKG N400 earphones also support the Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby voice assistants. The new AKG earbuds offer IPX7 water resistance that means they can survive under 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. You probably wont go swimming with the buds on, but no amount of rain and sweat should do no harm to them. Battery life is an area where the AKG N400 lags behind the Galaxy Buds+, though. The new AKG earphones offer playtime of up to six hours on a single charge (five hours if you turn on ANC). The case can further extend the playtime by another six hours. The Galaxy Buds+, on the other hand, offer 11 hours of playtime and get an extra 11 hours from their case. Advertisement For charging, the AKG N400 case features a USB Typ-C port though it also supports wireless charging. And it charges quickly too, with Samsung claiming a 10-minute charge is enough for 1 hour of playtime. The buds take two hours to charge fully. Specs, price, and availability The new wireless earbuds from AKG, a subsidiary of Samsung-owned Harman International, pack 8.2mm drivers with a frequency response of 10Hz-20KHz, an impedance of 16 ohms, and a sensitivity of 96 dB SPL. They use a Bluetooth 5.0 chipset that includes support for SBC and AAC codecs. Each bud weighs 7.7 grams with the case adding another 65 grams. The AKG N400 earbuds are now available in South Korea in three color variants black, blue, and navy. The latter comes in a dual-tone finish with gold accents. The buds are priced at KRW 230,000 (roughly $190) in Samsungs home country, making them more expensive than the Galaxy Buds+. Advertisement Samsung is yet to announce pricing and availability for the AKG N400 outside of South Korea. The earbuds will most likely arrive in several international markets in the coming weeks. As the United States battles the coronavirus outbreak, Dr Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, has found his way into the households of Americans As the United States battles the coronavirus outbreak, Dr Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, has found his way into the households of Americans. Stores and online portals have released merchandise, ranging from baked goods to candles and apparel, featuring the 79-year-old infectious disease expert, who has had the experience of handling many outbreaks over more than three decades and is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. New York-based Donuts Delite is selling donuts featuring Faucis face, while Melt-In Your Mouth, a bakery in North Carolina, is selling cupcakes branded after the renowned immunologist. "We came up with the idea because he's (Fauci) been a steady voice throughout this whole process," Michael Chambers, co-owner of Melt-In Your Mouth, told CNN, adding that 1,000 of these cupcakes were sold in three days. View this post on Instagram #anthonyfauci pure delight! A post shared by Scott Alves Barton (@senhorokra) on Mar 31, 2020 at 6:16am PDT Fan clubs and commercial establishments have also started selling I Need a Hero and In Dr. Fauci We Trust t-shirts, badges and even prayer candles to celebrate Faucis work and determination. Fauci, with his straightforward statements regarding the coronavirus pandemic getting worse in the US in the coming days, has emerged as a trusted voice. He has been active during the HIV, SARS, MERS and Ebola outbreaks and the 2001 anthrax attacks. His age puts him in the age category that highly prone to contract COVID-19, but he has continued his work through the outbreak which has claimed over 1,000 lives in the US. The UN climate change summit due to take place in Glasgow in November have been postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak, it has been announced. The Cop26 meeting was set to take place at Glasgow's Scottish Events Campus - which is being turned into a temporary coronavirus field hospital - from November 9 to 20. But an announcement from the UN's climate body, the UNFCCC, and the UK Government said the summit would be pushed back to 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The UN climate talks are thought to be the most important since the Paris Agreement to curb global warming was secured in 2015. Boris Johnson officially launched the countdown to COP26 at an event with David Attenborough in London in February Countries were expected to deliver more ambitious domestic plans for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030, as current proposals are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises. The decision to postpone was taken by the UNFCCC with the UK and its Italian partners in hosting Cop26, with dates in 2021 set out after further discussion. UK Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said: 'The world is currently facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and fighting Covid-19. That is why we have decided to reschedule Cop26. 'We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference.' UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said: 'Covid-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term. 'Soon, economies will restart. This is a chance for nations to recover better, to include the most vulnerable in those plans, and a chance to shape the 21st century economy in ways that are clean, green, healthy, just, safe and more resilient.' A mid-year UN climate meeting scheduled for June in Bonn, Germany, which would have laid groundwork for the November talks, has been delayed to October. The October summit became mired in controversy after David Cameron and William Hague both refused to host it. And ex-minister Claire O'Neill, previously president of the conference, was later sacked by the PM's adviser Dominic Cummings. It comes as the UK recorded another 563 coronavirus deaths today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis. The increase takes the country's total death toll to 2,352 - today's surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. And 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19. The UK is the fifth hardest-hit nation in Europe and eighth in the world. Wales today recorded 29 new deaths caused by the coronavirus along with a further 16 fatalities in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland. 486 victims were declared in England and 11 remain unaccounted for. The youngest patient announced today was a 13-year-old, believed to be Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, London, whose tragic death came to light last night after he died at King's College Hospital on Monday. The oldest patient included in today's update was 99 years old. Today overtakes yesterday as Britain's darkest day so far in the escalating crisis. Tuesday saw a then-record of 381 deaths and 3,009 cases declared across the home nations. But the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital - and not the tens of thousands of Britons with milder symptoms who are recovering at at home. By Julia Cheever Bay City News Service Lawyers for California prison inmates will ask a three-judge federal court on Thursday for an order releasing some prisoners, saying there is a danger the COVID-19 coronavirus could "spread like wildfire" among inmates and staff in the state's crowded prisons. The motion was filed last week in two long-running prison overcrowding cases filed in federal court in San Francisco in 2001 and federal court in Sacramento in 1990. In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a three-judge panel's order that the prison population must be reduced to correct "grossly inadequate health care" that violated constitutional standards. In the new motion, the prisoners ask for orders reducing the prison population in order to achieve social distancing, as well as releasing or relocating prisoners who are at low risk for criminal conduct but high risk for severe illness or death from the virus. Attorneys for the inmates wrote, "The system is far too crowded. The prisons house tens of thousands of people in crowded dormitories where they live, sleep, and bathe within feet -- sometimes inches -- of each other." In a response filed on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration said it is already taking "immediate, bold and appropriate steps" to protect prisoners and staff, and asked the court not to interfere with the executive branch's work at a time of crisis. Those steps include the planned early release of about 3,500 non-violent inmates who are close to release dates, suspending intake of new prisoners from county jails and moving about 500 inmates to other prisons with unoccupied spaces, state lawyers said in the brief. State lawyers wrote, "This court must not accept plaintiffs' invitation to substitute its judgment for that of a co-equal branch, which is far better positioned to respond to this unprecedented emergency." The state currently houses about 114,000 prisoners in its 35 adult institutions, according to the brief. The panel will be made up of 9th U.S. Circuit Judge Kim Wardlaw of Pasadena, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of Oakland, and U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of Sacramento. They are replacing the three judges on the original panel, who have retired or passed away. A federal law, the Prison Litigation Reform Act, requires that a court order for reduction of prison population can be made only by a three-judge panel. 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. ROME (AP) Facing intense surges in the need for hospital ICU beds, European nations are on a building and hiring spree, throwing together makeshift hospitals and shipping coronavirus patients out of overwhelmed cities via high-speed trains and military jets. The key question is whether they will be able to find enough healthy medical staff to make it all work. Even as the virus has slowed its growth in overwhelmed Italy and in China, where it first emerged, hospitals in Spain and France are reaching their breaking points and the U.S. and Britain are bracing for incoming waves of desperately ill people. There are approximately 190,000 reported cases of coronavirus reported in the United States. Both Italy and Spain have surpassed 100,000 cases as well. Live coronavirus tracker Coronavirus news in the U.S. Global stocks, U.S. futures drop after Trumps dire warning (CNN Business) U.S. coronavirus deaths top 4,000, surpass China (Fox News) Jockeying begins in Congress over the next coronavirus relief bill (NBC News) US coronavirus deaths predicted to peak by mid-April if all states impose restrictions (USA Today) The next coronavirus hot spots are in states that arent testing enough (Politico) A coronavirus recession will mean more robots and fewer jobs (Vox) Pennsylvania pastor slams coronavirus precautions, plans Woodstock-like Easter gathering (Fox News) Over 3 million Americans delinquent on child support could lose stimulus checks (NBC News) In this Monday, March 30, 2020, photo provided by the Illinois Air National Guard, members of the Guard assemble medical equipment at the McCormick Place Convention Center in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Chicago. Approximately 30 members of the Guard were activated to support the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to temporarily convert part of the convention center into an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) for virus patients with mild symptoms who do not require intensive care in the Chicago area. (Senior Airman Jay Grabiec/U.S. Air Force via AP )AP Coronavirus news around the globe Why Asias new wave of virus cases should worry the world (New York Times) Comparing infection curves in U.S. with Italy and Spain (CNBC) China starts to report asymptomatic coronavirus cases (Reuters) Indias lockdown sends migrant workers on a risky trip home (NPR) Some NE Ohio hotels joining response to coronavirus (Fox 8) Toledo mayor discusses Michigan coronavirus cases (WTOL) Man uses bucket truck to visit mom at assisted living facility (WHIO) Read complete prior coronavirus coverage. Airline tycoons will have to put their hands in their pockets if they want a bail out, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned yesterday. The industry has been pleading for state aid after being crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Virgin Atlantic, part of Sir Richard Branson's business empire, has led calls for an 7.5billion industry rescue package. This would include cash advances which would only have to be paid back when airlines have recovered. Hands out: The airline has been pleading for state aid after being crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic Easyjet, founded by another super wealthy entrepreneur Sir Stelios HajiIoannou, and regional airline Loganair, controlled by the secretive Bond brothers, have also begged for help from the Government. But as British Airways suspended all flights to and from London Gatwick after Easyjet was forced to ground its entire fleet on Monday ministers are scrambling to find alternatives to a taxpayer bail out. Insiders say they are acutely conscious of the need to ensure those who have made fortunes from the airline industry in the good times 'share the pain' with taxpayers. Shapps said 'detailed discussions' are taking place with airlines, airports and 'ancillary services', which include specialist firms employing airport workers. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: 'We do want there to be competition in the airline market. 'We think that's absolutely right when we come out of this crisis for that to be there. Having said that, we also are very firmly aware that a lot of the large airlines have shareholders who will also be expected by the public to put their hands in their pockets. 'It can't be right for example that in the good times the shareholders benefit and in the bad times the taxpayer pays. So we've got to get that balance right.' Sir Richard Branson (pictured with burlesque star Dita Von Teese) has pledged 215million from his personal fortune and Virgin Group's coffers to help rescue the airline He added that 'it is a question of finding the right solutions from the whole wide range of packages that the Chancellor has announced'. Ministers are conscious that a straight-forward bailout for airlines would be politically toxic, and would be seen by many as special treatment for the super-rich. Easyjet founder Sir Stelios HajiIoannou has been lambasted for pocketing a 60m dividend Branson is worth an estimated 4billion and lives on Necker, his own Caribbean island. He has come under fire for quickly putting 7,300 employees on unpaid leave, before the Government even announced its wage subsidy support package for furloughed staff. Labour MP Kate Osborne branded the decision an 'absolute disgrace' while he was urged by Labour's shadow education secretary Angela Rayner to sell his private island to pay staff. Branson subsequently pledged 215million from his personal fortune and Virgin Group's coffers to help rescue the airline. Stelios, who owns 34 per cent of Easyjet with his family, has also been lambasted for pocketing a 60million dividend as the budget airline has plunged into crisis. Much lower-profile are Stephen and Peter Bond, who own Loganair, now the UK's biggest airline following the collapse of Flybe. The brothers are also controversial figures. They previously owned FlyBMI, which collapsed just over a year ago leaving hundreds of passengers stranded across Europe and most of its 376 staff without jobs. Subsequently some of its more lucrative routes were taken over by the Scottish-based Loganair, which is now warning it could go bust without a government bail out. Last week Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the Government would only step in to help airlines as a 'last resort' once they have exhausted all other options. He said decisions would be taken with individual airlines on a 'case by case basis'. But Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry lobby group Airlines UK, said more support is urgency needed from ministers, including allowing airlines to offer vouchers to customers for cancelled flights rather than refunds. He said: 'The situation is now very grave for airlines, and we're seeing on a daily basis some of the practical impacts of this crisis, from planes being grounded to airports closing their doors.' SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The San Francisco Police Department on Wednesday released the name of a man who allegedly shot a neighbor through his front door in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood on Monday. Officers responded to an apartment building in the 100 block of Eddy Street around 9:25 p.m. Monday after receiving a report of the shooting. In the building, they found a 53-year-old man in his apartment with a gunshot wound in his leg. According to police, the victim went to the suspect's apartment to discuss ongoing loud noises in the apartment. The suspect allegedly shot the victim when he knocked on the door. The victim was transported to a hospital to be treated for injuries that are not life-threatening. Police identified the suspect as 60-year-old Ronnell Vines and arrested him without incident. Vines was booked into San Francisco County Jail. San Francisco police continue to investigate the case and are calling for cooperation with members of the public who may have more information. People can call the department's 24-hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text tips to the department at TIP411 and begin the message with "SFPD." 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. Piers Morgan has slammed ministers Michael Gove and Matt Hancock for 'backslapping each other' on their efforts to fight coronavirus when hundreds are dying of the infection. The Good Morning Britain presenter said the two cabinet ministers 'got his goat' last night when they congratulated one another on showing 'great leadership' over the provision of ventilators for seriously ill patients on Twitter. He fumed on GMB this morning: 'Imagine being so tone deaf that two of the most senior members of this government, when we know there's a crippling shortage, when people are literally dying in ICU units right now through a lack of ventilators. 'Imagine being so tone deaf that you back slap each other on Twitter, in public. What a great job we've done. You have not done a great job.' 'We don't have enough ventilators, we don't have enough PPE equipment, we don't have enough tests, we haven't got enough anything. We're going into this battle without the tools to fight it with. It's a disgrace.' Yesterday the UK saw its biggest increase in coronavirus deaths yet from 1,408 to 1,789. Piers Morgan (pictured on GMB today) said the two cabinet ministers 'got his goat' last night when they congratulated one another on showing 'great leadership' over the provision of ventilators for seriously ill patients on Twitter Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet minister Michael Gove congratulated each other on Twitter last night The Government has been desperately trying to increase its stock of 8,000 ventilators by placing orders with a number of UK manufacturers - some who have not made any before. This morning Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the Government has received 30 of the new ventilators. Meanwhile there have been reports of 'ventilator rationing' at one London hospital. Extremely ill patients need ventilators for a number of weeks, which officials at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said would 'not be in their best interests. Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: 'NEWS: The first new ventilators will be ready for delivery to our NHS next week.' Cabinet minister Michael Gove, who has stepped in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver the Government's daily coronavirus press conference, replied: 'Thanks to Matt Hancock for great leadership on this.' This means only those with a 'reasonable chance of survival' could get access to ventilators. Mr Morgan's co-host Susanna Reid added: 'Imagine if you're someone waiting for a ventilator.' The TV hosts' scathing comments come after Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: 'NEWS: The first new ventilators will be ready for delivery to our NHS next week. The Government has placed two orders of 10,000 ventilators - one to Dyson - and the other to a group of manufacturers including Ford (prototype pictured) 'A fantastic response from businesses to our call for a national effort to fight #coronavirus.' Cabinet minister Michael Gove, who has stepped in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver the Government's daily coronavirus press conference, replied: 'Thanks to Matt Hancock for great leadership on this.' The Health Secretary then replied: 'Thanks Michael - and for your leadership too - it's been a big team effort.' Experts at University College London have also teamed up with the Mercedes Formula One team to produce a different type of ventilator - a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device (pictured) - to treat COVID-19 patients who are not as severely ill with the virus Health bosses have ordered 10,000 ventilators from Dyson and another 10,000 from a group of 23 businesses, including Ford and JCB. Experts at University College London have also teamed up with the Mercedes Formula One team to produce a different type of ventilator - a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device - to treat COVID-19 patients who are not as severely ill with the virus. CPAPs push a mixture of air and oxygen into the mouth and nose without having to directly pump it into the lungs, which an invasive ventilator does and requires sedation. So far 1,789 people have died of COVID-19 in the UK and 25,150 have tested positive. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held phone talks with Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas today. Armen Grigoryan wrote about this on his Facebook page and added the following: "During the phone talks, we discussed the actions for prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus and attached importance to cooperation to overcome the pandemic within the scope of the CSTO. We also discussed a wide scope of issues related to security. During the conversation, we attached importance to the need for the secretaries of the Security Councils of CSTO member states to cooperate during the period of overcoming the pandemic." Two senior members of Kyrgyzstan's government responsible for handling the coronavirus outbreak were dismissed on Wednesday after President Sooronbay Jeenbekov criticised their efforts to fight the spread of the virus. The dismissal of health minister Kosmosbek Cholponbayev and deputy prime minister Altynai Omurbekova was announced on the president's official website. Jeenbekov on Tuesday had criticised the two who helped lead the country's task force against COVID-19, calling their work "unsatisfactory" and saying it had allowed the disease to spread. Jeenbekov said the task force had been slow to identify the "circle of persons" who had come into contact with people who tested positive for coronavirus. Kyrgyzstan has 111 registered coronavirus infections and no deaths, according to official figures. The first infections in the Muslim-majority country were people who had travelled to Saudi Arabia for Islamic pilgrimages. Impoverished Kyrgyzstan, an ex-Soviet republic of six million bordering China, was the first country to receive emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund after the COVID-19 outbreak. The IMF said last week that the $121-million support package was issued "to meet (Kyrgyzstan's) urgent balance of payment needs stemming from the outbreak." Kyrgyzstan's economy is reliant on the output of a single major gold mine, while hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz migrants working in Russia have sent home remittances worth billions of dollars in recent years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Texas-based defense giant Lockheed Martin (LMT) has been awarded a $4.7 billion contract modification, according to a statement released by the US Department of Defense on March 31. This modification is for the procurement of 78 F-35 combat aircraft (48 F-35A combat aircraft for the Air Force, 14 F-35B combat aircraft for the Marine Corps, 16 F-35C fighter aircraft for the Navy) and associated aircraft red gear. The statement adds that the majority of the work will be carried out in Fort Worth Texas, and work is expected to be complete by March 2023. In the last five days, shares in LMT have surged 17% to $339. TipRanks reveals that the Street sees further upside ahead- with an average analyst price target of $452 indicating 33% upside potential. Analysts have a consensus of Moderate Buy on LMT stock with 9 buy ratings vs 5 hold ratings. This includes a recent ratings upgrade from hold to buy by DZ Bank AGs Robert Czerwensky. (See LMT stock analysis on TipRanks) On March 27, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson set out a raft of measures to assist with Covid-19 relief and recovery efforts. These include a $10 million charity donation, a $6.5 million employee relief fund and a $50 million advance to small- and medium-sized business partners to ensure their continued operation. Latest News: Verint Systems Misses Profit Estimates, Sees Growing Cloud Demand Momentum Apple Buys Weather App Dark Sky in Undisclosed Deal Zoom Shares Pull Back As Company Sued For Personal Data Breach Human ancestors that lived more than 3 million years ago had brains that were organized like chimpanzee brains, but had prolonged brain growth like humans, new research from the University of Chicago and other leading institutions shows. That means these hominins -- the species Australopithecus afarensis, made famous by the Lucy and Dikika child fossils found in Ethiopia -- had a mosaic of ape and human features, a hallmark of evolution. By using precise technology to scan eight fossil skulls from this region, the researchers also resolved a longstanding question of whether this species had prolonged childhood, a period of time unique to humans that allows us to learn and grow. "As early as 3 million years ago, children had a long dependence on caregivers," said Zeresenay (Zeray) Alemseged, PhD, Donald N. Pritzker Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and senior author of the research, published April 1 in the journal Science Advances. "That gave children more time to acquire cognitive and social skills. By understanding that childhood emerged 3.5 million years ago, we are establishing the timing for the advent of this milestone event in human evolution." Alemseged, who discovered the Dikika child fossil in 2000 and leads the Dikika field project in Ethiopia, has studied its species for decades and helped design the new research. Widely accepted to be ancestral to all later hominins, including humans, Australopithecus afarensis lived in East Africa more than 3 million years ago and had many human-like features: They walked upright, had brains that were 20% larger than chimpanzees and may have used sharp stone tools. But many questions about the species remain unresolved, including whether its brain was organized like humans -- which could indicate more complex behaviors, like communication -- and whether it also had protracted brain growth. When Alemseged discovered the Dikika child, he used a CT scan to examine its skull, and by studying its teeth determined that its age at time of death was around 3 years. To understand how the child's brain was organized, however, he needed more precise imaging technology, so his team used synchrotron-computed tomography -- which uses extremely powerful X-rays to reveal detailed information about a material's structure -- to scan the child's skull and seven other skulls from the same region. While brains do not fossilize, they do leave imprints on the inside of the skull. With the scans, the researchers could measure endocranial volume, and see the placement of the lunate sulcus -- a fissure that separates the anterior and posterior parts of the brain. This placement differs in humans and chimpanzees -- in humans, who have a large prefrontal cortex, the fissure is pushed further down in the brain. In chimpanzees, the fissure is closer to the front. The scans revealed that Australopithecus afarensis had a lunate sulcus in a similar position to the fissure found in chimpanzee brains. "This resolves a contentious argument that has polarized paleontologists for years," Alemseged said. "We can now say the organization of the brain was more ape-like." Did that mean that the species acted more like chimpanzees? Not necessarily. The group of researchers also used synchrotron-computed tomographic scans to count the Dikika child's dental growth lines. Similar to growth rings in trees, these growth lines can show the exact birth and death date of the child. The team's dental experts then calculated the child's age as 2.4 years. "That allows you to ask how much of the brain was formed at that given age," Alemseged said. When researchers compared the child's endocranial volume to that of a chimpanzee and humans, they found that brain development in Australopithecus afarensis was protracted, like in humans today. That meant the species had a long childhood, which laid the foundation for subsequent evolution of the brain and social behavior that differentiates humans today. Alemseged's collaborators on this research were from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Florida State University, the School for Advanced Research, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Griffith University, Arizona State University, the Natural History Museum of London, and University College London. The Dikka child, known as Selam (which means "peace" in the Ethiopian Amharic language), has been the source of several important papers on human evolution. Alemseged's graduate students are still studying the fossil, looking at the development of its face and shoulder growth. Ultimately, Alemseged hopes to compile everything that he and his lab have discovered about the fossil into one compendium. "This fossil has played a pivotal role in allowing paleoanthropologists to ask and answer several major questions about how we became human," he said. ### "Australopithecus afarensis endocasts suggest ape-like brain organization and prolonged brain growth" was published April 1 in Science Advances. Workers manufacture garment products in a factory in southern Long An Province. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Market research firm Fitch Solutions estimates Vietnams GDP will grow at its lowest pace in 34 years at 2.8 percent this year. The growth rate forecast by Fitch Solutions, a unit of credit rating firm Fitch Group, is the lowest since 1986 when the country opened its economy to the world after decades of war. Fitchs forecast is based on expectations that Vietnams three main sectors agriculture, industry and services will come under headwinds brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Agriculture and fisheries, accounting for 13 percent of GDP, have been under great pressure, given the contraction in pig production following a culling of 20 percent of the countrys herd last year due to the African swine fever and double-digit drops in exports of the pangasius fish, giant tiger prawns, squid and octopus. Seafood exporters have seen up to half of their orders canceled or delayed by buyers in Europe, South Korea and China, according to a recent report by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Seafood exports to all markets in the first two months fell 10.8 percent year-on-year to $991.5 million, it said. Other challenges come from salinity intrusion and drought which could pose risks to crop yields in the Mekong Delta. Industry and construction, accounting for 35 percent of GDP, have also seen slower growth in manufacturing due to supply chain disruptions as a result of Chinas lockdown of some cities in the first two months. The fall could continue in upcoming quarters as global demand weakens with the world entering a recession. Domestic demand could also fall if Vietnam locks down its major cities to contain the virus. Services, accounting for 44 percent of GDP, saw growth fall from 8.4 percent year-on-year in Q4 last year to 3.3 percent in Q1. The collapse in the tourism sector could weigh heavily on related sectors like hospitality, transport and retail. As income falls and jobs are lost, consumer spending could fall, and gains in healthcare services will not be enough to offset the growth deceleration in the services sector. In a report released Tuesday, the World Bank has revised down Vietnams GDP growth for 2020 to 4.9 percent, about 1.6 percentage points lower than the projection in its previous support. The country, however, is set to remain the fastest-growing developing economy in the East Asia and Pacific region, said the report. While Vietnam remains significantly exposed to the Covid-19 outbreak and the ongoing turbulence in the global financial markets, its economy has remained resilient to external shocks in the first few months of 2020, the World Bank said. Over the medium term, Vietnam's growth is projected to rebound to 7.5 percent in 2021 and reach around 6.5 percent in 2022, it added. Vietnam recorded a decade-low GDP growth of 3.8 percent in Q1 as the country fought the Covid-19 pandemic, banning flights, asking non-essential businesses to close and closing tourist hotpots to foreigners. Last year, GDP growth hit 7.02 percent, the second highest growth figure in the last decade, after a record 7.08 percent in 2018. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough debunked information circulating on social media Wednesday that his office enacted martial law calling it dishonest and threatening. Keough urged residents to stay calm and check the countys website for accurate information regarding the current orders in place for Montgomery County during the COVID-19 crisis. He added he did not have the authority to enact martial law. There is no martial law, Keough posted on social media. The current stay at home order still allows our citizens to freely conduct essential business as defined by the governors order from yesterday afternoon. It also allows for essential activities that are also defined by the order. Please ignore this article or anything associated with it. Any order addressing our county will come from either the president, the governor or myself. Once again while it may have been intended in humor it is dishonest and dangerous language in our present public health crisis. Martial law is the imposition of military control of normal civilian functions by a government, especially in response to a temporary emergency. Officials with the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office echoed Keough, calling the posts foolish but not criminal. We are aware that an online blogger has posted an April Fools prank type article indicating that Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough has instituted martial law, the statement read. That is false. It is selfish and harmful and may even lead to loss of life as people are already emotionally strained due to coping with loss of income, jobs and overwhelming health concerns, but it is not unlawful. The first amendment gives people the right to express themselves, even foolishly. The statement also addressed the many worried residents that flooded 911 call centers after the information spread across social media. During a time when law enforcement resources are needed for legitimate response, dispatch personnel of the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department and the Conroe Police Department have had to answer calls regarding this foolish prank, the statement continued. We continue to thank the hundreds of thousands of residents of Montgomery County who have shown bravery and restraint during this time and who have voluntarily complied with CDC guidelines. Please continue to look to official sources for news, not at people who are merely trying to selfishly draw attention to themselves. The Conroe Police Department and MCSO also released statements on the issue. The Conroe Police Department is aware of false or misleading information being posted on the internet regarding emergency declarations made in Montgomery County. These blog articles are not true, the statement read. Carefully select your news sources so that you are sure to obtain accurate and legitimate news regarding Emergency Management Operations of the state, county, and local governments. The governor, county judge or mayor will issue official statements if there are any changes to their local orders. MCSO officials warned of sharing unverified information. Please be cautious of sharing or posting information right now with shocking/alarming headlines, MCSO officials stated. There is so much unverified, unreliable information being used both as masked satire, and you need to know information. This shared content only fuels more panic and anxiety in people, and causes our already overtaxed first responder networks to work that much harder to undo the messes created. We ask the public to verify the validity of a post of this nature with your local law enforcement agency or governmental entity before sharing it online. Keough first issued a disaster declaration regarding the novel coronavirus March 12. Since then, after several amendments as the virus has continued to spread, the county is currently under a Stay at Home Stop the Spread order, which closed all non-essential businesses and public facilities, and canceled dozens of public and private events. The order expires April 30. People are going to say certain things, emotions are high, Keough said. They say things that they later regret and wish they can take back. However, to make an April Fools article that we declared martial law is irresponsible. It does not help the psychological adjustment of a community in a deep ongoing crisis. For more information regarding the coronavirus and orders issued by Keough visit www.mctx.org. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Coronavirus pandemic has now killed more people in the US than the unfortunate 9/11 terrorist attacks according to the latest updates. As per Johns Hopkins University resource centre data, as many as 4,081 Americans have died because of Coronavirus, meaning over 1,000 more people have lost their lives in comparison to - 2,977 the official tally of American deaths during the dastardly terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As far as the number of confirmed cases is concerned, according to the WHO data, the US had 140,640 confirmed cases of Coronavirus until March 31, 2020. Many health experts have warned that the situation may turn to worse in the coming days. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a chilling warning, said in an interview on CNN that the US will certainly have millions of cases of COVID-19 and more than 100,000 deaths before the crisis subsides. 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 March 30, the US Navys hospital ship, the USNS Comfort docked outside Manhattan for the first time since the 9/11 attacks, further indicating the magnanimity of the crisis. A doctor working in the Intensive Care Unit of a New York hospital said in an interview with The Guardian, 9/11 was nothing compared to this. Current conditions are Hell. Biblical, he continued. With regard to 9/11, he said, We were waiting for patients to come who never came, okay? Now, they just keep coming. US President Donald Trump and his top healthcare advisers urged Americans on March 31 to follow strict social distancing measures ahead of a "tough two weeks". During a news conference, he said, "It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days. It's a matter of life and death. " Trump said the next two weeks would be "very, very painful. When Manuel Perez Luis died from coronavirus in a Spanish hospital, his family thought their pain could not be worse. Yet their grief was compounded after they spent six days trying to find his body. The insurance company that was supposed to have taken care of the corpse told the family they were not sure where the body had been moved. His relatives were finally able to trace the body to an ice rink in Madrid, which had been converted into a makeshift morgue. Funeral services have become overwhelmed by the deaths of more than 3,500 in the Spanish capital. The pain of losing my father has been multiplied a thousand times not only because I could not get near him to say goodbye due to the fever, but because his body was lost for six days, his son Luis Perez told The Independent. Even though we have located the coffin with my fathers name on it, I cannot be sure he is inside. I will never know. As Spains daily death toll rose to a record of 864 on Wednesday, morbid stories emerged by the dozen. The pathogen has caused 9,053 deaths in Spain, health authorities said the second highest toll in the world after Italy. The total number of confirmed cases is 102,136. Perez, 75, a retired police officer, was admitted to the Hospital La Paz in Madrid on 9 March after being diagnosed with coronavirus. Two weeks later, his family was informed he had died. When the family asked the insurance company Albia where his body was, they were told the company was not sure, as it was dealing with so many deaths. They said they were not sure if they had taken my fathers body or not. Finally, through contacts at the company we were told that his corpse had been taken to the Palacio de Hielo ice rink, said his son. Luis, 45, an administrative officer at a telecoms company, added: Even when we were told where the coffin was I cannot look inside it to check it is my father because of the strict regulations in Madrid. Stories like ours are not isolated. I read another one in the paper today. There are so many people dying. Under Spains state of emergency restrictions, families are not allowed to get close to the bodies of their loved ones due to risk of contagion. The Perez family are not alone in their ordeal: when Juan Pedro Moran died from the pathogen, his family was also forced to embark on a week-long odyssey to find his body. Originally, they were told that his remains were taken from a hospital to the Palacio de Hielo ice rink the same makeshift morgue as Perez. However, they were later informed it was taken to a morgue in another part of the city. Mr Moran was admitted to the Hospital Fundacion Jimenez Diaz in Madrid on 18 March with a fever. The 83-year-old, who only had one kidney and was in poor health, died a week later. A spokesperson for Santa Lucia, the insurance company that acts for Albia, the funeral services company, said: The health crisis which we are experiencing has dramatically increased the number of people who have died from Covid-19. We are working with the authorities and the armed forces to reduce waiting times in the transfer of bodies from the place of death, to temporary places of deposit to the final place of rest. In both these cases, the families were attended by the customer services department and informed of the location of the deceased and at their request, the bodies have been cremated. The Madrid regional government, which is responsible for health services in the Spanish capital, was also asked for comment but did not respond. Spain has been under strict lockdown since 14 March, with all but essential workers confined to their homes. However, the virus has continued to spread, overburdening hospitals and straining medical supplies. Two planes carrying masks, overalls and anti-bacterial fluids one from China and one from Turkey landed on Wednesday at a military airport near Madrid. Salvador Illa, the health minister, said 7,000,000 pieces of protective equipment would be distributed among health workers, bringing the total to 18 million items since the outbreak began. All Texas schools must remain closed until at least May 4 to further reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday, extending the shutdown of campuses that already has lasted more than two weeks. At an afternoon press conference, Abbott employed his authority to order the closure of Texas public and private schools, superseding decisions made by local elected officials and superintendents. All Houston-area public school superintendents previously had ordered that schools remain closed until at least April 10, though they were expected to extend the shutdown in the coming days if Abbott did not act. For a little bit more time, we all must remain apart so that we can come back together, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said. Our educators all over the state of Texas, working with love and diligence, are doing everything in their power to support parents all over the state of Texas and we will continue to do so for the duration of this executive order and beyond. The closures have forced more than a million Houston-area children to remain home, with instruction provided through online lessons and paper packets. All of the regions largest school districts also are providing free meals to children throughout the shutdown, with the exception of Houston ISD. The district indefinitely suspended food distribution at its campuses last week after an individual present at a meal pickup site self-quarantined due to possible COVID-19 exposure. HISD officials said Tuesday that they are exploring options to resume operations of food distribution, though details have not been finalized. On HoustonChronicle.com: How one Houston school is moving classes online tech support included Districts across the region have been planning for an extended school closure, which could last through the remainder of the academic year. Houston, Aldine, Spring and Tomball ISDs announced Tuesday that they are suspending in-person class until further notice, following the lead of Harmony Public Schools, which made a similar decision last Friday. Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent Mark Henry said he wasnt shocked at all by Abbotts announcement, adding that he directed his curriculum team to prepare as if in-person classes would remain canceled through at least April. We havent even reached the peak (of COVID-19) in Texas and, specifically, the Houston area, so I would say May 4 is the earliest we could have gone back, said Henry, who leads the states third-largest district. Were certainly spending a lot of time, not only developing the at-home learning, but were trying to improve it, too. The timing of the announcement further imperils year-end ceremonies such as prom and graduation, many of which are scheduled for May. Henry said he does not anticipate making any decisions on holding graduation ceremonies in Cy-Fair ISD for another three to four weeks, though district staff have started analyzing alternative dates and methods for holding events. In Pearland ISD, Superintendent John Kelly said he cannot yet predict whether events scheduled for April, May and June will be held. While our hundreds of senior students will complete high school requirements and be pronounced as graduates, it remains very uncertain whether any accompanying ceremony can or will occur, Kelly said in a statement. The extended closures are causing countless complications for districts, which must continue to provide instruction to avoid extending the school year. Educators have described significant challenges in reaching students living in poverty, navigating technological hurdles with online learning and providing services to students with disabilities. On HoustonChronicle.com: Long lines, food shortages follow changes to school meal pickup plans For parents, Abbotts announcement means at least four more weeks of scheduling child care and assisting with at-home learning. Renee Sorrels, a single mother of a fifth-grader attending Conroe ISD, fears her son will fall behind and enter middle school unprepared if he remains out of school through the end of the academic year. He has a hard time engaging in the material because its not his teacher talking to him, walking behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder to make him pay attention, Sorrels said. The teachers have been amazing, but theyre doing everything they can with the limited resources they have. Abbotts decision came two days after the federal government extended its guidance on social distancing through April 30. The guidelines recommend that people stay six feet away from each other and not gather in groups of more than 10. They also call for older people and those with preexisting health issues to remain isolated. County judges in Harris, Montgomery and Brazoria counties also extended their stay-at-home orders Tuesday until April 30. Fort Bend and Galveston counties have similar orders in place through Friday. jacob.carpenter@chron.com Technavio has been monitoring the digital education content market and it is poised to grow by USD 22.97 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 8% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005435/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Digital Education Content Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please request latest free sample report on Covid-19 Impact The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Adobe Systems, Cengage Learning Holdings, McGraw-Hill Education, MPS, and Pearson are some of the major market participants. The emphasis on personalized content will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Emphasis on personalized content has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Digital Education Content Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Digital Education Content Market is segmented as below: End-user K-12 Higher Education Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30174 Digital Education Content Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our digital education content market report covers the following areas: Digital Education Content Market Size Digital Education Content Market Trends Digital Education Content Market Industry Analysis This study identifies rapid penetration of internet-enabled devices as one of the prime reasons driving the digital education content market growth during the next few years. Digital Education Content Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Digital Education Content Market, including some of the vendors such as Adobe Systems, Cengage Learning Holdings, McGraw-Hill Education, MPS, and Pearson. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Digital Education Content 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 Digital Education Content Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist digital education content market growth during the next five years Estimation of the digital education content market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the digital education content market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of digital education content market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 END-USER Market segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user K-12 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Higher education Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Rising influence of data analytics in digital education Growing shift toward connected learning Increased gamification of learning PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Adobe Systems Cengage Learning Holdings McGraw-Hill Education MPS Pearson PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200401005435/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/ As the oil war and coronavirus demand destruction rage on, WTI crude prices briefly dipped below $20 per barrel, but many prices arent even fetching $20 per barrel as they are struggling to find buyers for their crude. Prices in Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Louisiana, for instance, have dropped significantly over the last week, with benchmark prices such as Louisiana Light falling to $5.85 and Oklahoma Sweet falling to $16.50 on Monday, while prices in the cowboy state, Wyoming, have fallen to $1.25. The deepest discounts in crude are often found in more remote areas with little access to pipeline and export infrastructure, and these are also often the areas where, once shut-in, production isnt likely to be restarted anytime soon. So-called stripper wells made up about 10 percent of total U.S. crude output back in 2015, and after a round of serious cost-cutting, theres not much left to cut for these tiny producers, most of whom are now losing money on every barrel they produce. Larger shale producers such as Pioneer, Exxon, and Chevron can bring back production relatively easy as weve seen in the past, but smaller producers are more likely to either shut-in production or face bankruptcy. The Houston Chronicle cites energy data provider Enverus as saying that stripper wells now make up about 6 percent of total US oil production, or about 850,000 bpd, and that about 500,000 bpd or even more could be at stake with oil prices in the teens or even lower. The question is then, how much production will bigger oil producers shut-in, and where will most well shut-ins occur? Even before oil prices crashed into the $20-range, Canadian, Bakken, and SCOOP/STACK producers were struggling to churn out a profit, and as prices of some blends fall below $10 per barrel, these areas are most likely to see the first major well shut-ins. Canadian oil giant Suncor has already shut-in production at its Fort Hills heavy crude operation, and other producers are set to follow suit. Matt Murphy of Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. thinks that some 20 percent of Canadas thermal bitumen production could be shut-in within the next couple of months, equating to some 340,000 bpd. In the meantime, Canadas rig count has fallen by 44 rigs in just one week as producers are starting to focus on the lowest cost wells in their portfolio. Related: Trump Proposes A $2 Trillion Infrastructure Intervention In the heart of the U.S. shale industry, producers such as Pioneer Natural Resources and Parsley Energy have asked the Texas Railroad Commission to consider formal output cuts. Pioneer CEO Sheffield and Parsley CEO Gallagher sent a letter to the Commission on Monday to officially ask for pro-rationing orders for the entire state of Texas, something that has not been done since the 1970s. Pioneer CEO Sheffield states that his company received requests from pipeline operators to stop the flow of crude and shut-in production, saying that he fears a total decimation of the industry if action is not taken immediately. Total global production then is set to decline this year as a result of the coronavirus crisis. In a note on Tuesday, IHS Markit said that the total number of shut-in barrels could reach 10 million bpd between April and June as storage is filling up at an unprecedented pace. The declines, however, are not equally distributed, with OPEC producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and possibly Iraq set to boost output by 4 million bpd this year according to Energy Aspects, highlighting the significant production crash in non-OPEC production countries. Is it all bad news then? For now, it seems like the industry is set for a huge round of consolidation, spending cuts and well shut-ins, but the producers that will survive this brutal supply/demand crisis will likely see higher prices as a result of a possible oil shortage later this decade according to investment bank Goldman Sachs. By Tom Kool of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In Austin, health officials with the city government and the university have contacted every young person who was on the chartered plane, using flight manifests shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the authorities said. City health officials used the case to urge residents of all ages to stay home and to avoid nonessential travel. At least four of the 44 students who tested positive had not shown any symptoms of the coronavirus. The virus often hides in the healthy and is given to those who are at grave risk of being hospitalized or dying, Dr. Mark E. Escott, the interim medical director and health authority for the city of Austin and Travis County, said in a statement. While younger people have less risk for complications, they are not immune from severe illness and death from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. U.T. Austin canceled classes on March 13 and resumed instruction online on Monday. The incident is a very strong reminder of the importance of taking seriously the warnings of public health authorities on the risks of Covid-19, said J.B. Bird, director of media relations at the university. The states flagship university has been hit hard by the virus. Its president, Gregory L. Fenves, announced last month that his wife had tested positive, and that his family was self-isolating. Mr. Fenvess wife, Carmel, began exhibiting flulike symptoms after the couple traveled to New York City for events with alumni and students. Mr. Fenvess tests later came back negative. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva Azerbaijani Parliament ratified the United Nations treaty - The Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports at the plenary session on March 30, local media reported. The draft law On joining the Intergovernmental Agreement for Dry Ports was discussed at sessions of parliamentary committees and recommended for discussion at the parliaments plenary session. Following the discussions at the plenary session, the proposal was put to a voting and adopted. At the same time, according to the note in the document, its provisions will not be applied by Azerbaijan in relation to Armenia. Azerbaijan cannot ensure the implementation of the provisions of the agreement in the Armenian-occupied territories of the country, the statement said. The document provides for the creation of a system of dry ports. We are talking about a logistics complex that provides services for the maintenance, temporary storage of container and other types of goods of import and export destination with the possibility of organizing customs inspection and clearance of goods directly on the spot. Typically, the dry port is located on one of the access routes to the port and performs auxiliary functions. It can also be used as a full-fledged marine cargo transshipment center. In this case, customs inspection is carried out directly in the dry port, and all necessary documents are registered immediately to the destination without the need to re-register the goods already in the seaport. The agreement was signed at a meeting of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand on November 7, 2013. The agreement aims to promote international recognition of dry ports, facilitating investment in dry port infrastructure, improving operational efficiency and enhancing the environmental sustainability of transport. It has been ratified or acceded to by such states like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. The document entered into force on 23 April 2016. It envisages development of dry ports within the national programs, laws and regulations. It reflects such issues as the signing, ratification, approval, accession and entry into force of the document. The agreement also reflects clauses providing for the establishment of working groups on dry ports, amendments within the agreement implementation, the procedure for changing and amending the documents main content, withdrawal from the agreement and other issues. Annex I of the Agreement identifies the dry ports subject to the agreement. The following dry ports of Azerbaijan are included in Annex I: Baku Cargo Terminal of Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku Balakan Cargo Terminal, AzerbaijanGeorgia border Bilasuvar Cargo Terminal, AzerbaijanIran border Gabala International Airport, Gabala Ganja International Airport, Ganja Julfa Cargo Terminal, AzerbaijanIran Lankaran International Airport, Lankaran Nakhchivan International Airport, Autonomus Republic of Nakhchivan Silk Way Cargo Terminal, Baku Zagatala International Airport, Zagatala --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 17:27 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ef625f 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,outbreak,pandemic,mahfud-md,state-of-emergency,health-quarantine Free The government has stated will not enforce civil emergency measures after President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced a public health emergency and signed a government regulation (PP) to impose large-scale social restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Mahfud MD said the government would only implement procedures stipulated in the 2018 Health Quarantine Law. The public health emergency announced by the President is also intended to allow regional administrations to initiate measures stipulated in the law. The measures outlined in the law, Mahfud said, were sufficient to handle the pandemic. Therefore, we will not implement civil emergency measures to combat COVID-19, Mahfud said on Tuesday evening. Read also: Turf war undermines COVID-19 fight in Indonesia Jokowi signed on Tuesday Presidential Decree No. 1/2020 announcing a public health emergency for COVID-19, as well as PP No. 21/2020 to impose large-scale social restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The regulations, derived from the Health Quarantine Law, allow regional administrations to initiate regional quarantines with approval from the health minister. According to the government, seven provincial administrations and 41 cities and regencies have declared public health emergencies because of the pandemic. Mahfud added that the regulations disproved allegations that the central government and regional administrations were caught in a turf war over the handling of the disease, with many regions having imposed their owns lockdowns before Jakarta issued a decision. We coordinate with regional administrations every day, the minister said. Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained Although Mahfud claimed that the regulations were sufficient to contain the disease, he argued that civil emergency measures could still be enforced if the outbreak worsened. The 1959 State Emergency Status Law allows the government to enforce extreme measures to maintain public order if a civil emergency is declared. The measures include confiscating items deemed a threat to national security, wiretapping telephone conversations and prohibiting mass gatherings. Indonesia had recorded 1,677 confirmed cases, with 157 deaths and 103 recoveries, as of Wednesday. A local cable and internet service company won more than $2 million in state grants to provide high-speed internet access to rural parts of the Wiregrass, including Coffee, Covington, Geneva, Houston and Pike counties. Troy Cablevision was one of nine broadband providers across Alabama to win a portion of the grants, part of the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund, totaling $9.5 million to fund multiple projects in their coverage areas. The two projects are estimated to expand coverage to 1,793 households and 118 businesses. Availability of high-speed internet has always been vital, but the events of the past several weeks magnify just how imperative it is that all Alabamians have access to broadband, Gov. Kay Ivey said. I am pleased to support these projects and look forward to the day when every household, school, health-care facility, emergency service and business throughout Alabama is afforded broadband availability. The fund, which is being administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, was created by the Alabama Legislature in 2018 to provide high-speed internet to rural and underserved areas. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC : A traves de Resolucion Ministeral, estamos formando el Comando de Operaciones COVID, conjunto de instituciones publicas y privadas con la responsabilidad de liderar las decisiones operativas para enfrentar la pandemia de manera organizada e integral. pic.twitter.com/m5iDWkHHNY Este es el grupo de representantes de diferentes instituciones de salud del pais que conforman el Comando de Operaciones #COVID19. Ellos tienen la responsabilidad de liderar, implementar, ejecutar y controlar la atencion de casos de manera coordinada e integral. #HeroesDeLaSalud pic.twitter.com/OZlbuF2Soe The appeal by the government asking landlords to postpone rent collection by a month may bring some relief to tenants amid the coronavirus outbreak but a section of citizens has been left worried. The central government's recent order, issued under the Disaster Management Act, stops landlords from demanding rent from poor workers and migrant labourers for one month. It also provides for strict action against the landlords who force evict their tenants. "Wherever the workers, including the migrants, are living in rented accommodation, the landlords of those properties shall not demand payment of rent for the period of one month" said the Home Ministry order. The order may impact monthly earnings of people who are largely dependent on rent, especially senior citizens. "Giving up on rent could have a big negative impact on our earnings as rent only supplements the income of the senior citizens," 65-year-old Ghaziabad-based landlady Prabha Shukla told Business Today.In. The onus to testify if the tenant is a worker employed in a factory according to the UP government's latest order further adds to the worries, she added. The Uttar Pradesh government also issued a magisterial order in the Noida region asking landlords to postpone rent collection by a month. It also contains a punishment clause under which landlords found violating the order could be sentenced up to one year in prison or imposed with a penalty, or both. The Delhi government has already issued a similar appeal in this regard. "It's a welcome decision and many landlords especially in the Noida region could already be seen announcing on social media about not demanding rent from migrant labourers for one month. However, expecting the same from the people who are totally dependent on rent income would be too demanding," Shweta Bharti, General Secretary, Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA), told Business Today.In. UP government's order comes days after the government provided for fiscal stimulus. Also, the RBI deferred the EMI payment on loans to provide relief amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Even as the public sector banks can wait to get additional interest from the borrowers after the three-month moratorium is over, landlords with only rent as a major source of income may not have room to do such, a Mumbai-based investment advisor said on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, India is currently under a 21-day lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown has also triggered a huge exodus of migrant labourers and wage workers. Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: Landlords can't ask rent from students, workers for 1 month Also Read: Coronavirus in India: Ordinance for tax compliance relief comes into force BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The timetable for beginning the new semester and resuming classes in universities should be based on the local epidemic situation and the composition of students, Wang Dengfeng, an official with the Ministry of Education, said Tuesday. Noting that the ministry has set no unified requirements on resuming classes for universities, Wang, who is also an office director of the ministry's leading group on the COVID-19 response, said at a press conference that universities across the country should follow differentiated schedules. Wang said graduating students and post-graduates with research tasks should be given priority in resuming classes, noting colleges comprising of mostly local students will resume classes earlier, while colleges in high-risk areas should postpone the resumption of classes. He emphasized the importance of sticking to three principles, namely no resuming of classes before the epidemic situation is basically under control, no resuming of classes before the universities' prevention and control measures are in place, and no resuming of classes unless the safety of teachers and students can be guaranteed. Universities will gradually resume classes in Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province and Jiangsu Province in April, according to Wang. International students who are unable to return to school for the moment will be given access to online classes and updates on the schedule to return, the official added. The ministry also required efforts in making emergency response plans in every university due to the large-scale cross-region population mobility caused by university students returning to school, Wang said, adding that every provincial-level region should also draw up emergency response plans for the beginning of the new university semester. If a quick and reliable test were available, such screening would be far more precise. There is no question that a state could force a quarantine on anyone known to have the disease. But forcing a quarantine on vast numbers of people who dont have it to get the few who do who, in most cases, could be persuaded to voluntarily sequester themselves is an overreach. Roxy Jacenko revealed her daughter Pixie Curtis was struggling with the work load of home schooling during the coronavirus lockdown. The PR maven revealed her eight-year-old was left in tears on Wednesday after feeling like she couldn't keep up, but eventually 'pulled herself together'. 'So proud,' the doting mother, 39, gushed on Instagram. 'So proud!' Roxy Jacenko cheered on her daughter Pixie Curtis (pictured), eight, after a hard day of home schooling She added: 'This little monkey left the house in tears feeling like she couldn't keep up with all her work as part of home schooling. 'Anyone would think the kids are in final year of med school. She pulled herself together and got on with it, go Pix!' In the picture, Pixie smiled brightly at her desk, with her workbook filled notes. Motivation: The PR maven revealed her eight-year-old was left in tears on Wednesday after feeling like she couldn't keep up, but eventually 'pulled herself together' Roxy issued a warning last week about the seriousness of social distancing and self-isolation. Taking to Instagram, the blonde entrepreneur encouraged her followers to take the threat of the pandemic seriously. 'Hi everyone, well this is just a message to really encourage you to stop and think at the moment,' Roxy began in the clip. 'While it doesn't seem real at this time, it seems like a bit of a vacation. Doting mother: 'So proud. This little monkey left the house in tears feeling like she couldn't keep up with all her work as part of home schooling. She pulled herself together and got on with it, go Pix,' Roxy wrote on Instagram 'The importance of really isolating and making sure you stay a safe distance away [is crucial].' After returning home from New Zealand last month, Roxy has been documenting her 14 days of self-isolation on Instagram. Roxy lives with her husband, former investment banker Oliver Curtis, and their two children, Pixie and Hunter. As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been 4,832 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 20 deaths. Family: Roxy lives with her husband, former investment banker Oliver Curtis, and their two children, Pixie and Hunter (pictured) Ukraine could receive $4 bln as first tranche from IMF as soon as meets previously envisaged parameters MP Hetmantsev Ukraine could receive a first tranche of the loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the amount of $4 billion at once after the final adoption of the bill on banks by parliament, Head of the parliamentary committee for finances, tax and customs policies Danylo Hetmantsev has said. "We have already received an official letter, a statement from the IMF that there are two parameters, if they are met, then the funds will go to Ukraine, and to the national budget. According to our estimates, this should be about $4 billion loan," Hetmantsev said on NV radio on Tuesday. According to him, the funds will be sent to the national budget's stabilization fund. FLAME University, the pioneer of liberal in India has successfully moved to online classes for over 200 courses, including those as diverse as calculus, psychology, finance, economics, cinematography, music and visual art. Over 100 faculty members have been seamlessly conducting their classes as of March 31, 2020. "The coronavirus pandemic is a serious and alarming situation. Our first priority is health and well-being of our stakeholders, but that has not held us back from providing the best to our students. We are working in coordination with our faculty to give everyone the best support during this time. It is definitely a challenging situation but we have adapted well", said Dr Dishan Kamdar, Vice-Chancellor. A Digital Learning Task Force was formed to train and support faculty members to transition to conducting courses online. G-Suite products and Google Meet was chosen to centralize class scheduling and for providing tutorial support for faculty members and students. Two temporary studios were set up on campus as well. "When I received a communication from the Vice-Chancellor about conducting online classes, I got a little worried because my course is hands-on and I thought it would be challenging for me to teach my course online. However, we adapted with some new techniques to keep multilateral communication and feedback intact. For example, I included a question after each slide of my online course. This approach worked well as it kept students engaged", said Professor Hoshiar Mal, Assistant Professor. For assessments, many faculty members leveraged FLAME University's Learning Management System, to create online quizzes to engage students remotely. The FLAME University library is also digitized, which makes it possible for students and faculty to access all subscribed databases and digital resources from off-campus locations. "FLAME University's virtual class room operations are brilliant. I belong to the same sector and I am aware of the concept of delivering educational services online but it used to be a supplement to class room activity in schools and colleges in our country. FLAME rose to the challenge of lockdown and executed it as a mainstream delivery mechanism within just a couple of days. Delivering what's being planned is not easy. Observing my daughter's participation I can endorse that it's engaging, intense and sustainable even on full day schedules like the real campus day. I sincerely thank the faculty, support staff and the students who made learning effective this way. Well done FLAME", said Polkampally Sameer Kumar, Parent of PolkampallySarayu, undergraduate student at FLAME University. This story is provided by Hunk Golden and Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Forrest Glass, 25, of Philadelphia, a gifted conductor, vocalist, and choir director whose friends came together to safely help and celebrate him despite the coronavirus pandemic, died Monday, March 23, of cancer at his home. Beginning in August 2018, Mr. Glass was music director at First United Methodist Church of Germantown. He directed the church choir and sang in a ringing baritone. When he became too sick to sing but could still conduct, choir members sang for him. As he was dying, we asked ourselves, how do you support someone during this time of necessary isolation? How do you then celebrate his life after his death, and support each other as we grieve? choir member Phyllis Strock wrote in an email. During his three-month illness, church members provided meals for him and visiting family members at his Strawberry Mansion home. He died at 4 a.m., and eight hours later the congregation convened in the rain to honor him. The church community came together in their cars in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church of Germantown while the carillon played some of Forrests favorite songs, Strock wrote. We sat separated but together in solidarity and love. He was an amazing man. His funeral Thursday, March 26, was attended only by close family due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forrest was a man who inspired courage and faith, and we continue to mourn but find solace in community, even as we adhere to social distancing, Strock wrote. Born in Richmond, Va., Mr. Glass graduated from Appomattox Regional Governors School, and from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with a bachelors degree in music. A serious student, he had scholarships for three of four years at the university. His mother, Cassandra Glass Smith, said Mr. Glass wanted to become a conductor of classical music. She described him as a very determined young man. Mr. Glass wrote in his LinkedIn profile that he believed in the uniquely unifying power of music and its potential to create compassion, understanding, and solidarity among people from incredibly diverse and disparate backgrounds." My goal as a conductor is to bring classical music off its pedestal and into less fortunate but deserving communities. I aim to influence and inspire young people of color in the same way that I was when I was younger. He earned a masters degree in choral conducting from Temple University last December and was to receive a second masters degree in the vocal arts in May. Just days before his death, he received an honorary degree in voice performance from Temple. Mr. Glass was moved by the gesture, his mother said. The night before he died, he would look up at me and smile, she said. Thats what everybody loved about him, his smile. He lit up every room he walked into with his talent, kindness, and humility, said Paul Rardin, an associate professor in Temples vocal arts department, who conferred the honorary degree. He will be dearly missed. Im so sorry and heartbroken over this, friend John J. Lewis posted in an online message. No one deserves to go through what Forrest went thru, nor what his family will now deal with. Forrest was a living beacon of happiness for all of us. Now we are left to bear his light. In 2016 and 2017, before joining First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Mr. Glass was assistant choral director of River Road Presbyterian Church in Richmond. He led warmups, conducted the chancel choir, and sang solos in special concerts. While in college, he was a residential adviser on a floor of 40 students. He also led RAMifications of VCU, an award-winning a cappella group. Besides his mother, he is survived by his twin brother, Fabian; brother Sebastian; grandmother Odessa; and his partner, Nathan Barry, who nursed him during his illness. Plans for a memorial service in Virginia are pending. Donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144. Beijing has run circles around Washington on the global diplomacy front during the coronavirus crisis, although the US has badly undercut its natural advantage even as China risks overplaying its hand. Thats an early assessment by former officials, crisis management and China experts evaluating the two nations soft power the ability to persuade rather than coerce as the pandemic wreaks global havoc. Both countries made mistakes underplaying the threat, whitewashing problems, blaming local officials and pointed fingers at each other, experts say. During the crucial January-February period, censorship, scapegoating and a system that discourages reporting bad news spotlighted shortcomings in Chinas one-party system. This allowed the disease to incubate and ultimately spread globally, they added. Mistakes supposedly learned during Chinas 2002-03 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) were repeated to deadly effect, leading to white-hot anger among ordinary Chinese and a battered reputation abroad. But President Xi Jinping, increasingly aware of the outbreaks threat to his power, took charge to slow the spread, deploying authoritarian methods not normally available to democracies. The US also dithered for several crucial weeks, although the costs remain more national than global. In late February, re-election-driven President Donald Trump dismissed attention on the pandemic as a hoax, failing to mobilise equipment and manpower. State and local officials have done more to raise awareness and drive policy than Washington, with mixed reviews of Trumps performance reflecting the polarised US electorate. We are where Xi Jinping was earlier in the crisis, said J. Stapleton Roy, a scholar at the Wilson Centre in Washington and former US ambassador to China. President Trump has had an extremely appalling response to the crisis. In some ways, hes even followed the Xi Jinping model in trying to put political controls on information. Its truly a scandal. Story continues With new infections falling and domestic critics largely silenced, Beijing deftly pivoted, shifting the narrative in March to focus on Chinas global largesse, as much for domestic as global consumption, analysts said. With TV cameras running, China has dispatched doctors, protective gear and expertise to some 80 countries worldwide. The shift capitalises on Chinas manufacturing strengths and accelerated production of masks and test kits. Beijing has also benefited in embracing a larger global role from early European Union foot dragging and a global leadership vacuum given Trumps America First agenda. The US reputation abroad has been further dented by Trumps bid to acquire for exclusive American use a German companys vaccine, threats to deploy troops on the Canadian border and insistence on calling it the Chinese virus before reversing course after World Health Organisation criticism and growing domestic concerns over racial profiling. A global crisis usually helps us [in the US], but were nowhere to be seen, said Bonnie Glaser, China analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Our president is in denial, too worried about the stock market rather than saving lives of Americans and citizens around the world. A worker in Alsip, Illinois, sews medical gowns and other personal protective equipment. Photo: Getty Images/AFP In 2019, US soft power slipped to No 5 globally, according to the Soft Power 30 index compiled by the University of Southern California and the Portland consultancy. That was down from No 1 in 2016 before Trump took office. The index cites the administrations trade wars with close partners and its questioning of long-standing security alliances for the decline. The same year, China edged up one notch to No 27 as its culture, sports and education activities counterbalanced its handling of Hong Kong protests, the mass detention of Uygurs in Xinjiang and South China Sea island building, according to the index. The US appeared to shift gears in late March when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced US$274 million in new health and disaster assistance for the worlds most at-risk countries. The US will continue to lead the global battle against the virus, Pompeo said, adding that America was the worlds greatest humanitarian nation and welcomed foreign donations provided there are no strings attached. Some questioned the timing. This strikes me as a very defensive response, and one prompted by China's forward-leaning on this, said Jude Blanchette, CSIS analyst and author of China's New Red Guards: The Return of Radicalism and the Rebirth of Mao Zedong. If the US government had rolled this out months or even weeks ago, the response would have been more positive, but I suspect anyone reading this knows it's reactionary. But China also risks overplaying its hand, others said. Apparently borrowing a page from Russia, and from Trump, Beijing has fuelled conspiracy theories in recent weeks, a possible new front in the US-China tussle over narratives. Last month, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian suggested on Twitter, which is banned in China, that the US military introduced the coronavirus to Wuhan. This angered many in Washington, with Pompeo accusing Beijing of spreading outlandish rumours. In an apparent sign of poor coordination, the Chinese ambassador to Washington, Cui Tiankai, dismissed the US-is-responsible idea as crazy. And state-run Global Times retweeted an unsubstantiated claim that Italy was the origin of Covid-19. The controversial Foreign Ministry statements, the willingness to engage in conspiracy theories, theres some domestic pushback that theyre lowering China to Trumps level, hurting its moral authority, said Jessica Chen Weiss, associate government professor at Cornell University and author of Powerful Patriots: Nationalist Protest in Chinas Foreign Relations. Beijings messaging tends to be most effective when accompanied by material benefits, she and others said. Chinese propaganda works best when its backed by significant sums of money, said Blanchette. Its the wrapping paper. When it stands on its own, most people find their propaganda pretty limp. Countries everywhere make political calculations in dispensing foreign aid. But some say Beijings mask diplomacy has been overly short-term and transactional. Beijing has loudly touted aid and donations for items actually sold or, in the case of Italy, provided as for Italian Red Cross donations a short while earlier, said Lucrezia Poggetti, an analyst at Germanys Mercator Institute for China Studies. And some Chinese masks and test kits sent to Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey reportedly arrived defective. While certainly not intentional, it undercuts Beijings messaging. With Chinas soft-power projection, it might be that its pushing too far, Poggetti said. Initially it was thank God, someone is giving us a hand. But the second reaction is OK, this is a bit manipulative. This concern was echoed by Josep Borrell, the European Unions top foreign and security policy coordinator. China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner, he said We must be aware there is a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence through spinning and the politics of generosity. Xu Hong, Chinas ambassador to the Netherlands, denied any political agenda. We are trying to save lives, he said. Medical supplies donated by China to help Laos fight the coronavirus pandemic are stacked in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua In addition to official Chinese aid, Red Cross shipments and commercial sales under mask diplomacy, China also has seen donations sent worldwide from foundations run by Huawei Technologies, ZTE, Jack Ma and the Alibaba Group. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. After Borrell raised EU concerns, however, some European reports suggested that Huawei, wary of getting caught in a US-China power play, might scale down its donations. Some of the disconnect may reflect a Chinese view that aid can include outright gifts, reciprocity and even a willingness to sell items in short supply, said Marina Rudyak, a researcher on Chinese aid policies at Heidelberg University in Germany. From Beijings perspective, emerging nations like the Philippines generally qualify for outright gifts with developed countries expected to pay unless they donated earlier to China, in which case they can expect an equal amount back, she said. Political considerations also colour these decisions, including whether a country recognises Taiwan or is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Its very dynamic, said Rudyak. Its a bit of crossing the river by feeling the stones. For beleaguered countries, however, Chinese shipments are welcome no matter the motivation. I doubt if its been taken with any cynicism, said Dayo Aiyetan, executive director of Nigerias International Centre for Investigative Reporting. We need supplies and we would take it from whoever gives it. While Americas poor crisis management does not directly affect many Africans, Aiyetan said, it has badly undercut Washingtons reputation. Many people are disappointed at the US response and lack of show of leadership, said Aiyetan. The way it read Trump has handled the pandemic is deemed scandalous here. And that has led to fears that Nigeria faces an even more devastating fate. Part of the subtext behind Beijings publicity campaign and mask diplomacy, experts say, is that Chinas autocratic system operates faster and better in a crisis than liberal democracies. Amid the political posturing, sometimes missed is the sacrifice of ordinary Chinese people, analysts said. No society has all the answers or the means to act unilaterally, said Nicholas Cull, professor of public diplomacy at the University of Southern California. But the willingness of Chinese people to put their community before the self was impressive and gave an important lesson to the world. Trump has also missed easy opportunities to counter Chinas political narrative, analysts say. Instead of engaging in name-calling with China, he could have pointed out that democratic South Korea and Taiwan have done well during the crisis without some of the heavy-handed social controls employed by Beijing. Analysts also say some of the best elements of American soft power including its generous citizens, companies and civic groups are continuing despite Washingtons missteps, with tonnes of supplies, field hospitals and health equipment quietly donated to other countries in recent weeks. The soft power slide by the US also could reverse if Trump significantly alters his approach after November or if a new president is elected. Trump changes every day, Everythings beautiful, well reopen by Easter, said Maria Repnikova, director of the Centre for Global Information Studies at Georgia State University and author of the book Media Politics in China: Improvising Power under Authoritarianism. A lot of soft power weakness comes out of his performance. But if theres a new leader in November, that could turn around pretty quickly. More from South China Morning Post: This article Beijings coronavirus-era diplomacy is outflanking Americas, but some cite overreach first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Savills Plc (SVS.L) said, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Board has decided to defer the holding of the 2020 Annual General Meeting from 6 May 2020 to 25 June 2020. Also, Savills is withdrawing its previously announced proposed final ordinary and supplemental interim dividends in order to retain sufficient cash reserves. The Board intends to consider an enhanced interim dividend on or around the revised date of the AGM. Savills Plc said it will, on 6 April 2020, publish and mail the company's 2019 Annual Report and Accounts to shareholders who have elected to receive hard copy communications. 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. Grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, the Boris Johnson government on Tuesday extended for free the visa of nearly 2,800 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff from India and non-EU countries currently working in the National Health Service. They will also be exempted from paying the annual immigration health surcharge of 400 for every person in the family, home secretary Priti Patel announced. It will benefit those whose visa is due to expire before October 1. The extension will also apply to their family members. The visa extension was announced as new figures by the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of deaths is higher than those released by the Department of Health and Social Care, which releases figures of deaths in hospitals, and not those in homes and care-homes. The Home Office also lifted the restriction on the number of hours student nurses and doctors can work in the NHS. Pre-registered overseas nurses who are currently required to sit their first skills test within three months and to pass the test within eight months, will now have this deadline extended to the end of the year as well. Patel said: Doctors, nurses and paramedics from all over the world are playing a leading role in the NHSs efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives. We owe them a great deal of gratitude for all that they do. I dont want them distracted by the visa process. That is why I have automatically extended their visas free of charge for a further year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bombay High Court granted temporary bail to a doctor, accused of causing death of a woman after performing an illegal abortion on her, and directed him to serve at a government hospital in Aurangabad amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Aurangabad bench of Justice T V Nalawade on Monday was hearing an application filed by Dr Suraj Rana, seeking temporary bail on the grounds that he would serve the needy. Rana was arrested in August 2019 for allegedly performing an illegal abortion despite complications, causing the death of the woman. The doctor was booked under sections 314 (death caused by act done with intent to cause miscarriage), 201 (destruction of evidence), 203 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. "In view of the circumstances, this court is granting temporary bail to the applicant. The applicant shall approach the Dean of the Aurangabad Government Medical College and Hospital and submit an undertaking that he is ready to discharge services as per the directives of the Dean," the court said. The court granted Rana bail on a bond of Rs 15,000 and directed him to not tamper with the prosecution witnesses in the case. The temporary bail shall continue till April 30, the single bench held. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Head of the European Commission in Dublin outlines the work of the EC in combating the Covid 19 pandemic and the medical and economic initiatives currently being advanced. (Op-ed by Gerry Kiely, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland) The Covid-19 virus knows no borders. It is only by working together, through resolute and co-ordinated action, that Ireland and Europe can win the battle against it. Such action will save lives, limit the economic damage and prepare for as rapid a recovery as possible. The European Commission is pulling out all the stops to achieve this. The loss of so many people to this deadly virus is a tragedy on a scale unimaginable even just a few short weeks ago. The incredible efforts of doctors and nurses, and the work of those who provide essential services to the population, in Ireland and across Europe, is a source of great pride. I am also proud that European countries are pulling together to fight Covid-19, including when faced with unprecedented challenges at home. Germany is taking patients from Northern Italy. Luxembourg is taking patients from France. Another illustration comes from medical supplies, with France, Germany and Austria each having sent at least one million masks to Italy. Such European solidarity is a vital ingredient to getting through the crisis. Indeed solidarity goes beyond our borders as evidenced by the 56 tonnes of protective clothing sent to China during the height of their epidemic and the help we are and will have to increase to developing countries as the epidemic spreads around the globe. In the shorter-term, ensuring our health services can deal with the pandemic is the top priority. While national governments are in the driving seat here, the EU has a big role to play in standing alongside governments in the battle to protect citizens. The EUs clout is enabling us to secure vital medical equipment at a fair price. To help address the shortage of such equipment, the European Commission has launched, jointly with Ireland and other EU countries, a series of procurement initiatives. Tenders have already been successfully completed for personal protective equipment, such as gloves, face-masks and goggles. Offers from suppliers covered, and in some cases exceeded, all the equipment requested. The EU is now working flat out to secure ventilators, laboratory equipment and test kits, and these efforts should bear fruit shortly. In the longer-term, the development, production and deployment of a vaccine is vital in the COVID-19 battle. The Commission has therefore reoriented existing research and is making new funding available to this end. It has mobilised 140 million of funds for vaccine research, and selected 17 new projects. The Commission has also made 80 million available to Cure Vac, a global leader in this effort, for its work on a vaccine. EU countries have many lessons to learn from each other in the fight against this new virus. To this end, the Commission has established an expert panel, composed of a team of Europes top epidemiologists and virologists, to formulate science-based best practice advice and help guide the EU response. As Ireland knows only too well, the safe return of people stranded abroad is a pressing priority. The EU is doing all it can to ensure citizens are reunited with their families as soon as possible, and is working 24/7 with national governments to this end. Thanks to repatriation flights organised through the EUs Civil Protection Mechanism, well over 2,000 people have got home to Europe, including from China, Japan, the US, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia, the Philippines and Cape Verde. More than 80 further repatriation flights are planned. On the economic and social front, the pandemic is sending an extremely sharp and cold wind through the length and breadth of Ireland and Europe. No sector is being left untouched, with many households and workers enduring huge knock-backs. The European Commission has acted to ensure a co-ordinated response, granting national governments unprecedented powers to pump money into the health service and provide a financial lifeline to businesses, workers and households hit hard by the pandemic. The Commission has also launched a massive investment initiative to tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic, with EUR 37 billion available to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector. While the pressing need is to fight the pandemic and its immediate consequences, we must also look further ahead and work out how to help Ireland and Europe get back to normality. Work is therefore starting on a co-ordinated exit strategy and recovery plan that puts our economies on a sustainable footing, preserves European values and strengthens our way of life. European leaders are committed to doing everything that is necessary to protect their citizens and overcome the crisis. While the pandemic is placing a great burden on all of us, by working together, first at an EU level and then globally, we can emerge stronger from this battle, and our communities can become closer and more resilient going forward. Patients discharged from hospital early to free up beds for coronavirus patients have been told not to contact their GPs for advice. NHS England wrote to doctors at the weekend telling them discharged patients should not be phoning them or visiting A&E after they leave the ward. They should instead be seeking help, if they need it, from community services such as care homes and at-home carers. The controversial guidance is part of a wider emergency plan to limit pressure on NHS staff dealing with surging numbers of COVID-19 patients as the number of positive tests in the UK today neared 30,000. It's hoped that discharging non-infected patients quickly will make up to 15,000 extra beds available around the country. And cancelling planned operations is expected to release a further 15,000. But even so, capacity limits have forced the Government to act fast and create temporary hospitals in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester. NHS England wrote to GPs at the weekend telling them patients being discharged from hospital early to free capacity for coronavirus patients should not be phoning them or visiting A&E after they leave the ward (stock image) According to GP magazine Pulse, the letter from NHS England to GPs said: 'Part of the recommended guidance for effective discharge includes giving patients the direct telephone number of the ward they are discharged from to call if they need advice relating to their discharge, and not to contact their GP or visit A&E.' GP SURGERY ASKS PATIENTS TO SIGN 'DO NOT RESUSCITATE' FORMS' A leaked letter sent by a GP surgery reveals a grim future for thousands of people who will not be given hospital treatment for Covid-19. The letter says they would like certain patients to complete Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) forms. Llynfi Surgery, in Maesteg, South Wales, sent the letter to patients with serious health conditions such as incurable cancer, motor neurone disease, and untreatable heart and lung conditions, on March 27. It said that people with certain serious conditions are 'unlikely to be offered hospital admission' if they become unwell with coronavirus and 'certainly will not be offered a ventilator bed'. The letter has been revealed by a patient who wished to remain anonymous. He said: 'It was like having my death warrant being sent by the grim reaper. It made me feel worthless. I've lived with cancer for eight years.' The letter continued: 'We would therefore like to complete a DNACPR form for you which we can share with the OOH [out of hours] GP services and which will mean that in the event of a sudden deterioration in your condition because of a Covid-19 infection or disease progression the emergency services will not be called and resuscitation attempts to restart your heart or breathing will not be attempted.' The surgery goes on to suggest that the 'best option' for patients is to stay at home to be cared for by their family with 'ongoing support from ourselves and community nursing services'. Senior NHS chiefs have apologised for any distress the letter may have caused but have not denied the accuracy of the plans outlined. Advertisement NHS England said 'community health services will take overall responsibility' for patients who need to be monitored following hospital discharge. In most cases this will happen in the patient's own home and a healthcare worker would provide support such as going shopping for the patient. For more complex needs, the patient, deemed 'medically fit' for discharge, could be allowed a bed in a residential nursing home or somewhere similar. The community services would be 'working with other delivery partners including GPs'. Community care systems in the UK are known to be under immense strain which is one of the reasons hospitals have a bed shortage in the first place - because people cannot get the care they need when they're discharged. The letter follows another sent on March 17 instructing hospitals to consider patients who could be discharged early, such as those those who have been in hospital for over 21 days or anyone deemed medically fit. For example, if a patient needs oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, or are barely conscious, they can stay. A new leaflet for discharged patients, created on March 19, says: 'The health system is busy helping patients affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). 'It is important that our hospitals are ready to look after those people who need this hospital care. Because of this, you will not have a choice over your discharge. You will not be able to remain in hospital if you choose not to accept the care that is being offered to you.' The idea behind the drastic move is hoped to potentially free 15,000 acute beds. The message, signed by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens, said: 'Community health providers must take immediate full responsibility for urgent discharge of all eligible patients identified by acute providers on a discharge list.' It was initially thought that GPs would step in to help those patients, offering them support on any concerns following their hospital visit. But the latest letter makes clear that GPs will not take on the extra workload, as they report already being overwhelmed. Many doctors have limited services to over-the-phone or by video consultation in order to protect themselves from the coronavirus. The Government said funding to support out-of-hospital care broadly is being made available. The NHS is facing huge obstacles in the face of COVID-19 in every corner of the service. A shortage of physical space to accommodate COVID-19 patients has led to conference centres across England being used as temporary hospitals. NHS Nightingale, in London's ExCel centre, is due to open next week and accommodate some 4,000 patients who are not seriously unwell. Jammu, April 1 : The high-powered committee constituted in J&K on the direction of the Supreme Court has passed direction for release of jail inmates to decongest jails in the Union Territory, an official statement said. "On the directions of Supreme Court of India, the Jammu and Kashmir Government constituted a High Powered Committee to pass several directions for release of prisoners to decongest the jails following the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the country, the statement said. With J&K state level screening committee's Executive Chairman, Justice Rajesh Bindal, as its Chairman and Principal Secretary, Home, Shaleen Kabra and Director General of Police, Prisons, V.K. Singh, as its members, the committee, on basis of the nature of offence, the number of years and severity of offence, proposed to release convicted prisoners and under trials. "With regard to release of convicted Prisoners, categories of convicts shall be considered for release on special parole for eight weeks, extendable for another eight weeks if the lockdown by the government continues, subject to good conduct: a) All those who have been convicted in one case only and have spent more than ten years (eight years in case of women) in jail, except those involved in militancy related cases, convicted for intermediate or large quantity recovery under NDPS Act or convicted under POCSO Act or convicted for offence for an offence against woman, or convicted for offence of acid attack or foreign nationals. b) All those who have been sentenced to imprisonment for three years with or without fine and the conviction has been upheld by the Appellate Court but revision against the judgment by Appellate Court is pending before the High Court. c) All those who have completed their sentence but are still in prison due to non-payment of fine. d) Matters pertaining to prisoners with advanced age, suffering from any illness may be examined on case to case basis." "Similarly, in case of Under-Trial Prisoners, it is proposed that category of under-trial prisoners may be considered for 60 days interim bail, extendable for another period in case the circumstances so demand, on furnishing surety and personal bond. "All under-trial prisoners with only one case pending against them, in which maximum prescribed sentence is 7 years or less with or without fine. Matters pertaining to prisoners with advanced age, suffering from any illness may be examined on case to case basis: UTPs falling under Section 436 CrPC.; UTPs accused of compoundable offences; UTPs who were detained under sections 107, 108, 109 and 151 of CrPC. "However, these detainees shall appear before the Magistrate concerned for appropriate orders when the lockdown is over; "UTPs detained for non-payment of maintenance ordered under Section 488/125 CrPC. However, these detainees shall appear before the court concerned for appropriate orders on the date so fixed; UTPs detained under the Code of Civil Procedure for not obeying the decree/order of the court. These detainees shall appear before the Court concerned for appropriate orders on the date so fixed." On interim bail, the Committee said that this "shall be dealt with either by the visiting judges in the jails (DSJ/ADJ/CJM/JMIC) on the bail applications in the jail itself; or alternatively by devising a mechanism of routing the bail applications through the DLSA to the courts convened especially for this purpose". "Use of technology may be preferred instead of manual intervention. Since the compliance of directions issued requires relaxation of J&K Suspension of Sentence Rules, 2020, as such, government is requested to treat the matter with utmost urgency, so that the directions issued by the Supreme Court as well as by the High Power Committee are implemented at the earliest." "All the Principal District and Sessions Judges, who are Chairman of district UTRCs of their respective districts are requested to comply with the directions of HPC with regard to under-trial prisoners and submit the report within one week for placing the same before the HPC on April 10, 2020," it said. N o post-mortem examination will be carried out on 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab who died after contracting coronavirus, a family friend has said. Ismail died at King's College Hospital in London on Monday and is believed to be the UK's youngest victim of Covid-19 after testing positive for the virus on Friday, a day after he entered hospital. A spokesman for the Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said on Tuesday that the boy's death had been referred to the coroner but gave no further details. But on Wednesday, family friend Mark Stephenson, speaking on behalf of the boys mother and six siblings, said there would be no post-mortem on Ismail. He also confirmed the teenager, from Brixton, south London, died after suffering a cardiac arrest. Daily coronavirus press briefing compilation The update came as Ismail's family paid tribute to a loving son with a heartwarming smile and urged people to stay at home as much as they possibly can, to protect the NHS and save lives. In a statement issued through GoFundMe, they said: We are heartbroken as a family due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus as it becomes too real for us as a family and community. Ismail was a loving son, brother, nephew to our family and a friend to many people who knew him. His smile was heart-warming and he was always gentle and kind. They went on: As a family, we have decided not to release Ismails picture at this juncture as we are concerned where it may end up and how this will impact us upon seeing it. We as a family are still trying to come to terms with the sudden death of Ismail. He leaves behind six siblings who are completely devastated and this has been made more difficult not being able to be with Ismail while he was in the hospital. Loading.... Downing Street described the death of 13-year-old as a "tragedy". Prime Minister Boris Johnsons official spokesman said: "The case is obviously a tragedy and the Prime Ministers thoughts are with the family." The spokesman declined to comment on reports in the past 24 hours that his family were not allowed to be at his hospital bedside. Speaking earlier on Wednesday on Good Morning Britain, Mr Stephen told Good Morning Britain Ismail had "died alone". "As you know, when someone has got this infection theyre in isolation," he said. "So how difficult it is for a mum not to be able to be with her son at this time when he's sick. "Usually a mum will be at the bedside. You know, staying overnight in the hospital." Loss of smell, taste could be strongest symptom of Covid-19 Mr Stephenson, college director at Brixton's Madinah College, where Ismails sister works, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs and for the family, who also lost Ismails father to cancer. By early Wednesday afternoon, nearly 60,000 had been raised in donations, far exceeding the initial 4,000 target set. Any extra money raised will go directly to the family, the GoFundMe page says. A statement accompanying the appeal said Ismail "sadly" passed away "without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of Covid 19". Ismails family have meanwhile said they are "beyond devastated" by his death, in a statement released through Mr Stephenson. Ismail started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing and was admitted to Kings College Hospital, the family said. He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning. By Mata Press Service Sikh entrepreneur Habinder Singh Sewak has always been in the forefront of Vaisakhi celebrations in British Columbia. This year its no different, despite the cancellation of the mammoth Vaisakhi parades in Surrey and Vancouver, due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Sewak has pivoted operations at his specialty candle and soap making operation AlooAtta.com to manufacture hand sanitizers. Together with the B.C. Dairy Association, these hand sanitizers will be distributed at Sikh temples, community centres and facilities catering to seniors over the next few weeks in conjunction with Vaisakhi. "BC Dairy planned to participate in this year's Vaisakhi event. When we learned of its cancellation, we asked Harbinder how we could assist the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with AlooAtta, we are assisting the manufacturing of hand sanitizer and soap to help keep families safe," said Holger Schwichtenberg, chairperson of the B.C. Dairy Association. "Dairy farmers value family and community. We are pleased to give back in a time of unprecedented need," said Holger, whose organization represents about 500 dairy farms most of which are family-owned and operated - across B.C. Every April, hundreds of thousands of Sikhs congregate in Vancouver and Surrey to celebrate Vaisakhi, one of the most significant days in the Sikh calendar, which marks the creation of the Khalsa or the Sikh faith. The Surrey Vaisakhi parade draws more than 500,000 people in a massive show of diversity and inclusion and is considered the largest such event outside of India. Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, organizers of the Surrey event, which was scheduled for April 25, said they made the difficult decision to cancel the event after consultations with health authorities. For Sewak, this obstacle was an opportunity to give back to the community. We decided to pivot our operations at AlooAtta during this health crisis to provide hand sanitizers and soap to help control the spread of the virus in community settings, said Sewak, who is also the founding publisher of the Post Group of Newspapers in Vancouver. There is a lot of emotional, religious and cultural attachment to this event and it provides for a good platform to reinforce the message that the fight against COVID-19 is in our hands. Sewak said the plan is to install dispensers at temples and distribute hand-held sanitizer spray bottles at smaller gatherings that abide by the current health policies. We will get close enough to send the message but stay far enough to maintain social distancing rules at this time, he said. Sewak said he was delighted with the B.C. Dairy Association which stepped up immediately on hearing about the initiative. Together AlooAtta and the B.C. Dairy Association are spending about $100,000 on the Vaisakhi Its in your hands campaign. We are now increasing our capacity as other organizations, companies and individuals want to help provide hand sanitizers in these unprecedented times, he said. Sewaks Its in Your Hands campaign comes in the wake of another AlooAtta community initiative last November to honour of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. AlloAtta made a record-breaking giant candle that stayed lit for over 550 hours at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Surrey. As Vaisakhi Day draws near, Sikh temples are advising their volunteers and congregations to be extra vigilant during the festival, which has always been about coming together to celebrate shared values. Temple committees have enacted special rules about serving food at communal kitchens and hand hygiene and a schedule for volunteers to disinfect all surfacesincluding the main prayer hall, kitchen, langar (communal dining) hall, and bathrooms before and after every religious gathering. The cancellation of the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade also referred to as the Khalsa Day Parade is expected to adversely impact the citys economy. Sewak, who commissioned an economic study based on the 2014 Surrey Vaisaskhi Parade said the event generates between $30 to $40 million in spending by visitors from out of town. The 2014 parade was estimated to have contributed between $6.6 million and $12.3 million in GDP for the provincial economy, supported between 116 and 215 Full-Time Equivalent jobs, and contributed between $2.3 million and $4.4 million in tax revenues for federal, provincial and municipal governments. Based on the estimates of the parade, between $2.6 million to $4.5 million worth of food and beverages were served; The average length of stay was 7 days for visitors from the rest of BC, 15 days for visitors from the rest of Canada, 15 days for visitors from the US, and 30 days for other international visitors. (If you are interested in helping make and distribute free hand sanitizers during the current health crisis please email contact@alooatta.com or visit the website at alooatta.com) The origins of Vaisakhi Vaisakhi originated as a harvest festival in India's Punjab region hundreds of years ago. In 1699, it took on special significance for Sikhs when Guru Gobind Singh the tenth Sikh guru created the order of the Khalsa. Sikhs believe that on April 14, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh called all Sikhs to the Indian city of Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. At the gathering, he asked all those in attendance to uphold their faith and preserve the religion. The Guru is then said to have lifted his sword and asked the crowd who was prepared to die for their faith. Five men stepped forward. Guru Gobind Singh called the five men the 'Panj Pyare', which means the Five Beloved Ones. Vaisakhi or Khalsa Day parades are led by five men in ceremonial dress - to represent the Panj Pyare - the five beloved ones. To this day the five men are known as the first members of the Khalsa. Officials of the Delta Task Force on Environment on Wednesday unleashed some beatings on the Chairman of the State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Michael Ikeogwu. Also attacked was the correspondent of the Daily Post, Mathew Omonigho. The duo was in Otiotio Street, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state to monitor the stay-at-home order by the government, as a measure taken to curtail the spread COVID-19 pandemic in Delta. Narrating his ordeal Mr Ikeogwu said he had approached the environmental officials on why they should force residents to do sanitation, despite the government order. According to him, he and his fellow journalist were held hostage for over 45 minutes by the overzealous officials led by one Kingsley Iweka. It took the swift intervention of the Chairman of the Environment Task Force, Mr Sylvester Oromoni, to free us from them through phone call. I wondered what will become of the ordinary man in the society if government officials could assault journalists in this manner even after identifying ourselves. Today is not environmental sanitation. Why should a taskforce constituted for environmental sanitation come out on a day that people are asked to stay at home to enforce environmental sanitation? The action further endangers the lives of the people as it contravenes the social distance directive of the governor. I am disappointed with the attitude of the leader of the team, who, after I had introduced myself, ordered his boys to attack me and my colleague, he said. Mr Ikeogwu, however, urged the state government to call the officials to order, noting that many journalists might become victims before the expiration of the two weeks lockdown of the state. Reacting, Mr Oromoni said the task force gave the order that the people should come out and clean their environment. He, however, pleaded that the matter should end there. (NAN) BETHEL Aki Arai understands what its like to not know how to afford his next meal. Arai immigrated to the United States from Japan 22 years ago and described himself as very poor, despite working six days a week. I know how horrible a feeling it is not to have food, he said. So when Arai, who now owns House of Yoshida in Bethel, realized more families would be in need due to the coronavirus outbreak, he knew he had to step up. He posted on his restaurants Facebook page, telling hardworking parents to come to his business for pasta, tomato sauce, ham and cheese. Unfortunately I couldnt find any bread in a store, but food is food, he wrote. The post was shared 615 times and sparked an effort to raise money for restaurants to make meals for those struggling during the outbreak. The first 86 meals were distributed to families on Friday. He (Arai) inspired the whole situation, said Jeff Taibe, the owner of Taproot Restaurant, who organized a GoFundMe page to collect donations for the restaurants. The fundraising page surpassed its $10,000 goal on Tuesday morning. A donation of $15 pays for one meal, with money going to the restaurants based on how many meals they make. On Friday, Arai made 25 meals to go to residents at Bishop Curtis, senior housing in downtown Bethel, and had planned to feed 40 workers at Danbury Hospital on Saturday. I just dont want to see anyone suffering, Arai said. For Fridays distribution, J. Lawrence also made 25 meals for Bishop Curtis, while Taproot made the rest for Reynolds Ridge, the Bethel Housing Authoritys complex for low- and- middle-income seniors and disabled residents. Molten Java provided cookies for all. Arai also donated 100 masks to the Regional Hospice in Danbury. He had purchased them for his family in Japan before the outbreak became severe in the United States. He is still sending 500 masks to friends and family in Japan and another 500 masks to another Japanese man he connected with on Instagram. That man plans to send goods, like diapers and wipes, that are apparently still plentiful in Japan, but in short supply in Connecticut. Arai plans to distribute those items, too. Arai uses masks when he cooks, but does not need many. I only have one mouth, he said. Arai immigrated to the United States at 18. He aspired to become a guitarist, but did not come to the country with much of a plan, he said. I was bored in Japan, to be honest, he said. He had worked at his uncles sushi restaurant in Tokyo, so he got a job at the former Sushi Yoshi in Brookfield, where he had lived at the time. He also worked at a country club in Bedford Hills, N.Y. He had little money, and his friends used to invite him over for holidays so he could eat. Back then, we all were poor, Arai said. Thats why I kind of pay back now. In 2002, he was hired at House of Yoshida. When the former owner moved back to Japan about five years later, Arai bought the place. The worst part of the outbreak for Arai has been that his wife and three kids had planned to move to the United States from Japan in April, but have had to postpone due to the virus. Thats the toughest thing for me because I was so looking forward to it, Arai said. He and his wife have known each other since they were 9 and reconnected in adulthood. They married in Japan after Arai had already moved to America, and he used to visit frequently. It had taken a while for him to get Green Cards for his family. My fear is if I die here, Im not going to see them ever again, Arai said. Business has been down about 40 percent at the restaurant since it was forced to close to sit-down customers more than two weeks ago, he said. He has kept his kitchen staff for take-out, but had to temporarily let his wait staff go. He said he will have to figure out how to manage his debts. Now its not the time to live, Arai said. Its time to survive. The community has still been generous. One resident gave him $100 when hearing about the fundraiser, he said. Another customer tipped $500, a photo on the restaurants Facebook page shows. He hopes his efforts will encourage more people to help their community. Arai said he does not have the resources to help 500 people. But if I can help five people, that would be great, he said. United Nations, April 1 : A UN envoy for Afghanistan warned against political brinkmanship in the war-torn country -- at a time when COVID-19 is making the situation even more complex. "Afghanistan appears to be reaching a defining moment," Ingrid Hayden, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told the Security Council on Tuesday, referring to the political impasse between President Ashraf Ghani and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Xinhua news agency reported. Ghani was announced the winner of the September 28, 2019, presidential election, and was sworn in for a second term on March 9, 2020. Abdullah rejected the outcome and held a parallel presidential inauguration on the same day. "Almost two decades after the start of the coalition intervention, the question for the Islamic Republic now is: can its leaders rally together to engage in meaningful talks with the Taliban to achieve a sustainable peace? The choice is made stark by the all-encompassing threat of COVID-19, which poses grave dangers to the health of Afghanistan's population and, potentially, to the stability of its institutions," said Hayden. The political brinkmanship prompted serious concerns in many quarters, Afghans and internationals alike, of the potential for a dangerous miscalculation which could have long-lasting implications for the future of the country, she said via video teleconference. The impasse continues, despite intensive engagement by key stakeholders, particularly the United States, regional actors and Afghan political leaders. The seriousness of the situation is underlined by the U.S. decision on March 23 to immediately reduce assistance by 1 billion U.S. dollars for 2020 and Washington's preparedness to do the same again the year after, she noted. "Given the state's heavy reliance on donor funding, this could have severe consequences for Afghanistan's fiscal viability, as well as for socio-economic outcomes in the country," she said. "Now, with the onslaught of COVID-19, many donors are likely to turn inward to meet the needs of their own population. Afghanistan needs to demonstrate a compelling case for the continued investment of international resources." The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is urging all Afghan parties to work together to resolve their differences peacefully for the good of the people of Afghanistan, said Hayden. "Now is not the time for divisions. Now is the time for statesmanship, accommodation and inclusivity. The interests of Afghans must come first, including the rights of all women, minorities and youth." The resolution of the conflict depends on the will of all actors to engage constructively on the fundamental issues at stake. This is a profound responsibility and above all, it is for Afghan leaders. Understandably, grievances are deep-seated, multi-faceted and impact on all segments of society. But now may be a rare opportunity to address these issues, she said. It is heartening that, despite the political impasse, the Afghan establishment has been able to agree on a diverse negotiating team to hold talks with the Taliban. The team includes representation from all major ethnic groups and five women members, according to Hayden. All sides are urged to take concrete steps to make the prospect of intra-Afghan negotiations a reality. Having announced its negotiating team, the Afghan government has the weighty task of equipping its negotiators with the necessary skills to help frame its agenda, and the necessary principles to secure and advance the rights of its citizens. It is also incumbent on the Taliban to demonstrate that they are ready to enter into good-faith negotiations with the government with a view to achieving a lasting settlement to the conflict, according to the envoy. Recent weeks have also seen developments on prisoner releases, which, if carefully managed, could form an important confidence-building measure to start the peace process, said Hayden. Despite the very real logistical challenges imposed by COVID-19, representatives of the government and the Taliban have held three video teleconferences to discuss prisoner releases. The UNAMA welcomes this engagement and urges the parties to resolve the prisoner release issue swiftly in accordance with international law, she said. The confluence of political uncertainty, delays in the commencement of the peace process, increasing violence, and the imminent full-force of the COVID-19 pandemic makes this a critical time for the people of Afghanistan, according to the envoy. "Addressing these issues will require joint efforts from all of us, in the interests of the global population," she said. Queensland health authorities insist there is sufficient protective equipment for staff in public hospitals dealing with coronavirus cases, but admit supplies might be getting thin in other parts of the health system. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Queensland hit 781, with 40 new cases confirmed on Wednesday morning, the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association sent out another warning about personal protection equipment (PPE) levels. Doctors say they're concerned about the levels of PPE available, however Queensland Health says it's working on sourcing more. Credit:AP State president Dilip Dhupelia said a recent survey of AMAQ members found more than 70 per cent of doctors at the front line of the crisis say they do not have sufficient PPE. These are both private and public doctors as well as those working in GP clinics in the community the very people who are putting their own safety on the line to care for and treat Queenslanders, Dr Dhupelia said. The 2008 recession aka the Great Recession was Americas worst financial decline since the Great Depression. Millions of jobs were lost, countless homes were foreclosed on and many people depleted their life savings in an attempt to stay financially afloat. Even though its been over a decade since the Great Recession hit and ended, some cities in the U.S. are still reeling from its effects. For example, in Illinois, one city suffered an almost 60% decline in home values, which it never recovered from. And one city in California saw an unemployment rate that escalated from 9.7% to 19.6% within a decade. To discover which cities are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession, GOBankingRates analyzed median home values, unemployment rates, labor force participation rates and median household incomes from 2007, 2009, 2017 and 2019 in cities across the country. To offer some perspective, here are the U.S. averages for the most relevant statistics in the study: Change in median home value from 2007-2019: 17.12% Change in median home value from 2009-2019: 37.35% Change in unemployment rate from 2009-2017: -0.6 percentage points Change in labor force participation rate from 2009-2017: -1.6 percentage points Change in median household income from 2007-2017: 15.29% Change in median household income from 2009-2017: 12.11% By looking over the data, you might be able to spot certain trends and learn the warning signs of another recession. Last updated: Dec. 31, 2019 Alabama Dothan has fared the worst among cities in this Southern state. Over a decade, unemployment rose by 2.6 percentage points from 5.5% in 2007 to 8.1% in 2017. However, Montgomery had the most drastic change in median home value from 2007 to 2019. In approximately 12 years, home values in the city dropped by 18.29%, plummeting from a median home value of $102,500 to $83,750. Alaska Fairbanks has seen the biggest negative changes in terms of its unemployment rate and labor force participation rate. The unemployment rate rose by 1.6 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, increasing from 7.8% to 9.4%. The labor force participation rate dropped by 3.9 percentage points going from 76.8% to 72.9% between 2007 and 2017. Story continues Arizona Overall, Catalina Foothills has struggled to bounce back from the 2008 recession. The median home value in the city plunged by 13.08% from 2007 to 2019, going from $635,758 to $552,590. Flagstaff, on the other hand, has fallen short mostly with its unemployment rate and labor force participation rate. Within 10 years, the unemployment rate rose by 3.7 percentage points, from 4% to 7.7%. During the same period, labor force participation dropped by 4.9 percentage points. Arkansas West Memphis has experienced the greatest decrease in home values among Arkansas cities. The median home value dropped from $74,408 to $68,490 between 2007 and 2019, equaling a 7.95% change. However, unemployment rates rose by 1.1 percentage points in Russellville, from 8.2% in 2007 to 9.3% in 2017. The city also experienced the largest decrease in median household income between 2007 and 2017, dropping from $36,390 to $35,295 a 3% change. California Reedley has fared the worst overall, but its unemployment rate, in particular, stands out. The rate jumped by 8.5 percentage points over a decade from 8% in 2007 to 16.5% in 2017. And out of the top five California cities that have recovered the least from the Great Recession, Indio saw the largest decrease in labor force participation. The participation rate dropped by 5.5 percentage points over 10 years. Colorado Grand Junction qualifies as Colorados most economically troubled city since the 2008 recession. For example, its unemployment rate jumped by 2 percentage points from 2007 to 2017, going from 6.5% to 8.5%. However, Highlands Ranch and Brighton stand out for their lack of labor force participation. Over the decade, labor force participation dropped by 5.2 percentage points and 5.7 percentage points in those cities, respectively. Connecticut Home values took a nosedive in many cities across Connecticut between 2007 and 2019. In Norwich, the median home value plunged from $214,575 to $157,490 a decrease of 26.6%. And in Waterbury, the median home value dropped from $167,033 to $128,380, which is a decrease of 23.14%. Plus, New London had a 2.8 percentage point change in its unemployment rate between 2007 and 2017, from 9.4% to 12.2%. Delaware Home values in Wilmington fell by 15.98% between 2007 and 2019 from $152,800 to $128,380 whereas home values in Newark dropped from $244,933 to $237,450 during those 12 years. The labor force participation rate also decreased in both cities. In Wilmington, the rate dropped by 2.5% from 2007 to 2017. In Newark, it dropped by 1.9% during that same period. Florida Titusville has struggled the most with unemployment. From 2007 to 2017, the unemployment rate increased by 5.8 percentage points, from 3.7% to 9.5%. Fruit Cove the place that was the most affected by the recession saw a 3.6 percentage point increase in unemployment, from 2.9% to 6.5%. What Is a Recession? Learn What Happens and What It Means for You Georgia The top three cities in Georgia that have struggled the most to bounce back from the 2008 recession are Albany, Valdosta and Columbus. In all three cities, home values took a hit between 2007 and 2019, with Columbus homeowners suffering the most. The median home value in that city dropped from $105,383 to $93,350 an 11.42% change. Hawaii The unemployment rates for many cities in Hawaii may have risen between 2007 and 2009, but they typically decreased by 2017. Kahului and Kailua were the exceptions. Kahului experienced the largest unemployment rate increase a change of 2.4 percentage points, rising from 2.8% to 5.2%. And Kailua experienced a 0.7 percentage point increase in its unemployment rate, going from 4.2% to 4.9%. Idaho Rexburg saw the largest unemployment rate increase from 2007 to 2017 a change of 1.4 percentage points, going from 9.1% to 10.5%. Labor force participation rates experienced the most dramatic decline in Meridian, with a decrease of 6.3 percentage points, dropping from 72.1% to 65.8%. The second-most dramatic decline in labor force participation happened in Post Falls, where the rate dropped by 4.9 percentage points, from 71.2% to 66.3%. Illinois Overall, Harvey was hit the hardest by the recession compared to other cities in Illinois. From 2007 to 2019, the median home value nosedived from $104,592 to $42,550, which is a decrease of 59.32%. Plus, the median household income plummeted from $39,378 to $24,343 in just 10 years a 38.18% decrease. However, Lansing suffered the most dramatic increase in unemployment rates, with a rise of 6.7 percentage points, from 5.8% to 12.5%. Indiana Lawrence, the city that has struggled the most, also suffered the largest jump in unemployment. From 2007 to 2017, the unemployment rate in Lawrence increased by 3.1 percentage points, from 4.7% to 7.8%. Meanwhile, the city of Elkhart saw the largest decline in labor force participation during the same period, with an 8.1 percentage point decrease, from 71.3% to 63.2%. Iowa Urbandale saw the largest jump in unemployment between 2007 to 2017. There was a 0.7 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate, going from 2.9% to 3.6%. The cities of Ames, Clinton and Davenport, however, saw the largest decline in labor participation rates, with a decrease of 5.6 percentage points, 4.2 percentage points and 3.8 percentage points, respectively. Kansas Overall, Hutchinson has experienced the hardest time recovering from the Great Recession. One example of that is the citys unemployment rate, which increased by 0.7 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, rising from 4.6% to 5.3%. However, other cities have suffered as well. Topeka saw the largest decline in labor force participation over the decade, with the rate dropping by 3.3 percentage points. During the same period, labor force participation in Salina dropped by 3.2 percentage points. Kentucky Overall, Covington is the Kentucky city that has recovered the slowest from the recession it had an unemployment rate that consistently increased between 2007 and 2017. The rate rose by 1.6 percentage points, from 7.6% to 9.2%. Additionally, the most dramatic change in labor force participation occurred in Nicholasville, which suffered a 5.8 percentage point decrease, from 71.4% to 65.6%. Afraid of a Recession? 32 Legit Companies That Will Pay You To Work From Home Louisiana Slidell experienced the largest uptick in unemployment rate 3.4 percentage points from 2007 to 2017. The unemployment rate in Houma also rose by 2.8 percentage points during the same period. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate in Bossier City declined by 4.8 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, dropping from 69.8% to 65%. Maine Among the cities in Maine, Bangor and South Portland experienced the largest increases in unemployment from 2007 to 2017. Bangors unemployment rate rose by 4 percentage points, from 3.4% to 7.4%. South Portlands rate grew more slowly, gaining 1.4 percentage points over the decade, from 4.7% to 6.1%. Maryland Montgomery Village saw a 27.33% decrease in home values from 2007 to 2009, with the median home value dropping from $333,117 to $242,083. In 2019, home values increased, but only to $289,910 $43,207 below the median home value from 12 years earlier. The median household income in Montgomery Village also dropped between 2007 and 2017, going from $82,129 to $77,034. Massachusetts In Massachusetts, Randolph has struggled the most to bounce back from the 2008 recession. Unemployment went up by 5.1 percentage points, from 5.5% in 2007 to 10.6% in 2017. Plus, the citys median household income has never quite recovered. In 2007, it was $70,506, and 10 years later it was just $69,969. Michigan Flint has had to deal with not only the effects of the Great Recession, but also its own water crisis. In 2015, it was discovered that lead was present in the citys drinking water, which had previously been declared safe for consumption. By 2017, the effects of the recession and the water crisis had driven the median home value to 63% below where it was a decade earlier. Lincoln Park, Eastpointe and Lansing also experienced declines of 17.84%, 18.72% and 17.3% in median home values during the same period. Minnesota Owatonna, located in southern Minnesota, is approximately 65 miles south of Minneapolis. Its labor force participation rate decreased by 4.8 percentage points from 2007 to 2017. But Owatonna wasnt the only Minnesota city that experienced labor force woes. During the same period, Maple Grove and Inver Grove Heights both suffered a decline of 5.4 percentage points and 7.6 percentage points, respectively. Mississippi Among the cities in Mississippi, Hattiesburg and Pearl saw the greatest increases in unemployment, with rates rising by 4.1 percentage points in each city. Hattiesburgs unemployment rate increased from 10.5% to 14.6%, and Pearls rate grew from 4.5% to 8.6%. Additionally, Biloxi has a median household income thats lower than what it was 10 years ago $43,632 in 2017 versus $44,528 in 2007. Learn: In Photos: A Look Inside Consumer Life Across the US Affected By the Coronavirus Missouri Both Hazelwood and Florissant saw a decline in home values changes of 7.64% and 12.05%, respectively during the period between 2007 and 2019. In Hazelwood, the 2007 median home value was $122,925, which dropped to $113,530 by 2019. Florissants median home value was $122,450 in 2007, but by 2019, it had decreased to $107,690. Montana Bozeman experienced a 1.5 percentage point increase in unemployment between 2007 and 2017, going from 3.6% to 5.1%. Within the same period, Missoulas unemployment rate experienced an increase of 1 percentage point, rising from 5.2% to 6.2%. Nebraska The unemployment rate in Bellevue rose by 0.3 percentage points, going from 5.6% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2017. In Grand Island, unemployment was also on the rise, increasing by 0.8 percentage points, from 5% to 5.8%. In Lincoln, however, it was labor force participation that suffered. Over the decade, the citys labor force participation rate saw a decline of 2.5 percentage points, dropping from 73.9% to 71.4%. Nevada Home values in North Las Vegas declined by 48.32% from 2007 to 2009. By 2019, the median home value had climbed back up but was still 2.87% below where it sat in 2007. From 2007 to 2017, the unemployment rate in North Las Vegas also increased by 3.5 percentage points, going from 5.4% to 8.9%. And in 2017, the median household income in the city was $55,828 it was higher in 2007, at $56,716. New Hampshire While most cities in New Hampshire witnessed a decrease in unemployment between 2007 and 2017, Nashua is the only city that had a higher unemployment rate in 2017 than in 2007 5.5% vs. 5.3%. However, labor force participation rates declined for all cities in New Hampshire over the decade. As of 2017, none of those rates had recovered to what they were in 2007. New Jersey The median home value in New Brunswick took a nosedive of 10.4% between 2007 and 2019, declining from $300,517 in 2007 to $269,270 in 2019. Plus, the median household income in this city plummeted by 17.86% from 2007 to 2017. The unemployment rate was also notable, increasing by 4.6 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, from 4.9% to 9.5%. New Mexico Rio Rancho has been the slowest to recover from the recession, and its unemployment rate proves it. The rate increased by 2 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, going from 5.2% to 7.2%. Additionally, the city saw a 6.3 percentage point decrease in its labor participation rate, dropping from 69.5% to 63.2%. New York The median home value in Shirley has declined by 14.55% since 2007, falling from $309,000 to $264,050. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Harrison increased by 3.3 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, going from 4.2% to 7.5%. In Deer Park, a 3 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate occurred over the decade, rising from 3.9% to 6.9%. North Carolina In Rocky Mount, the median home value went from $103,717 in 2007 to $91,460 in 2019 a decrease of 11.82%. Plus, during the period from 2007 to 2017, the citys unemployment rate rose by 1.6 percentage points, going from 9.1% to 10.7%. In Matthews, however, the median household income declined by 5.74% during the decade. North Dakota Compared to the other cities in North Dakota, Grand Forks has struggled the most in recovering from the Great Recession. While it made gains in some areas, the citys unemployment level in 2017 was higher than its 2007 rate. Over the decade, the unemployment rate increased by 0.8 percentage points, going from 3.3% to 4.1%. Ohio Garfield Heights has been the hardest-hit Ohio city. The median home value plunged from $103,650 in 2007 to $67,740 in 2019 a decrease of 34.65%. Plus, it suffered a 2.78% decrease in median household income. During the same period, however, Euclid and Cleveland also experienced plummeting median home values, with decreases of 27.31% and 34.9%, respectively. Oklahoma Midwest City saw the largest unemployment rate increase between 2007 and 2017, when unemployment rose 1.6 percentage points, from 4.1% to 5.7%. Broken Arrow had the second-largest unemployment rate increase 1.3 percentage points. Owasso and Bartlesville tied for third, with a 1 percentage point increase in each city over the same period. Oregon Labor force participation declined across this Northwestern state from 2007 to 2017. In Albany, the labor force participation rate dropped by 4.9 percentage points, going from 67.5% to 62.6%. Keizers decreased by 4.5 percentage points, moving from 66.9% to 62.4%. And in Grants Pass, labor force participation dropped by 3.8 percentage points 57.2% to 53.4%. Pennsylvania In Harrisburg, the median home value decreased by 18.3% between 2007 and 2019. Home values fell in Scranton too, but more drastically by 24.26%. Harrisburg also suffered an increase in unemployment, going from 10.2% to 12.8% between 2017 and 2017, which amounted to a change of 2.6 percentage points. Rhode Island Woonsocket has felt the biggest residual effects from the recession. The citys 2017 median household income was 3.07% below where it stood in 2007. Woonsockets labor force participation rate also declined by 1.3 percentage points, going from 61.3% to 60%. And its unemployment rate has risen by 3.2 percentage points over the decade, growing from 5.4% to 8.6%. South Carolina Hilton Head has seen the largest decline in home values, which plummeted by 15.3% between 2007 and 2019. The median home value in Myrtle Beach also took a nosedive, with an 11.09% decline during the same period. Additionally, the unemployment rate in Myrtle Beach increased by 4.5 percentage points, going from 4.7% to 9.2%. South Dakota In Rapid City, the unemployment rate increased by 0.5 percentage points between 2007 and 2009, but it has since declined. However, the citys labor force participation rate also decreased by 2.9 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, going from 68.6% to 65.7%. Tennessee The unemployment rate in Cookeville rose by 2.6 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, going from 5.8% to 8.4%. Morristowns unemployment rate also grew by 3.1 percentage points over the same period, whereas Lebanon saw a slightly lower increase of 3 percentage points. Additionally, labor force participation in Bartlett dropped by 6.1 percentage points, moving from 70.5% to 64.4%. Texas As a result of the Great Recession, Harker Heights has fared the worst among the cities in Texas. Its unemployment rate increased by 2.7 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, jumping from 6.8% to 9.5%. Deer Park wasnt far behind, with an unemployment rate increase of 2.4 percentage points. Additionally, Harker Heights labor force participation rate plummeted by 8 percentage points during the same period. Read More: States Least Prepared for the Recession Utah The unemployment rate in American Fork rose by 3.2 percentage points between 2007 and 2017, from 2% to 5.2%. Meanwhile, St. George and West Jordan saw some of the biggest decreases in labor force participation, with their rates dropping by 3.1 and 2.8 percentage points, respectively. Vermont Burlington experienced a slight decrease of 1.41% in home values between 2007 and 2009, but the median home value has since increased. And while the unemployment rate never increased between 2007 and 2017, labor force participation in the city declined by 1.8 percentage points, dropping from 67.1% to 65.3%. Virginia More than one city in this state experienced a decline in home values between 2007 and 2019. The median home value plunged by 10.5% in Portsmouth, 9.28% in Newport News, 8.57% in Hampton and 8.75% in Suffolk. Additionally, in all four cities, unemployment increased during the same period. In 2017, unemployment rates were still higher than where they were 10 years prior. Washington Unemployment consistently rose from 2007 to 2017 in the cities of South Hill and Olympia, resulting in a 1.3 percentage point increase and a 2.2 percentage point increase, respectively. In Parkland, the unemployment rate rose by 1.7 percentage points during the same period. Additionally, South Hill saw the largest decrease in the labor force participation 6.2 percentage points. West Virginia Between 2007 and 2017, Morgantown experienced the largest increase in unemployment 2.7 percentage points. However, Huntington saw the largest decrease in labor force participation, with a drop of 2.7 percentage points. Charleston followed close behind with a 2.1 percentage point decrease, going from 61.5% to 59.4% in labor force participation. Wisconsin Fitchburg witnessed the largest decrease in median household income, dropping by 4.76% between 2007 and 2017. However, during the same time frame, Fond du Lac and Franklin experienced decreases of 4 percentage points and 5.7 percentage points, respectively, in their labor participation rates. New Berlin fared slightly worse, with a 5.9 percentage point decrease in labor participation. Wyoming Between 2007 and 2017, the unemployment rate in Cheyenne outpaced that of other cities, increasing by 1.4 percentage points, from 4.5% to 5.9%. Laramie followed with an unemployment rate that increased by 0.9 percentage points. However, Gillette was the Wyoming city that saw the biggest dip in labor force participation 8.2 percentage points from 82.2% to 74% during the same period. More From GOBankingRates Methodology: To find the cities in every state that havent recovered from the 2008 recession, GOBankingRates looked at cities with 25,000-plus in total population according to the 2017 American Community Survey. They had to have the following data available: 2007, 2009 and 2019 median home values; 2007, 2009 and 2017 unemployment rates; 2007, 2009 and 2017 labor force participation rates; and 2007, 2009 and 2017 median household incomes. Home value data was sourced from Zillow, and all other data was sourced from the American Community Survey for each respective year. If the criteria were met, the cities moved on to be analyzed across the following eight factors: (1) percentage change in median home value from 2009 through 2019 (how it has recovered since the Great Recession); (2) percentage change in median home value from 2007 through 2019 (how it compares to pre-Great Recession figures); (3) change in unemployment rate from 2009 through 2017 (how it has recovered since the Great Recession); (4) change in unemployment rate from 2007 through 2017 (how it compares to pre-Great Recession figures); (5) change in labor force participation rate from 2009 through 2017 (how it has recovered since the Great Recession); (6) change in labor force participation rate from 2007 through 2017 (how it compares to pre-Great Recession figures); (7) percentage change in median household income from 2009 through 2017 (how it has recovered since the Great Recession); and (8) percentage change in median household income from 2007 through 2017 (how it compares to pre-Great Recession figures). These factors were scored among the other qualifying cities in each respective state. The cities with the highest scores were deemed to be the ones that are the least recovered from the 2008 recession. In final tallies, factors No. 5 and 6 were weighted 1/2 times the other factors. All data used to conduct this study was compiled and verified on Dec. 12, 2019. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Cities in Every State That Havent Bounced Back From the 2008 Recession Denver, CO April 1, 2020 Judith Briles, the Book Shepherd, will conduct a webinar on Saturday for authors and writers looking to up their game in their marketing and their productivity. The event will be conducted in the morning from 10 am-noon. Since many writers and authors will be home-based for several weeks, this is the time for them to build their platform and up their creative productivity. Dr. Briles will help with both as she takes AuthorYOU members by the hand and gives her expert advice on how to: -Get organized with a computer so it's book friendly. -Uncover tools to push authors forward for writing and marketing. -Help writers discover your writing mojo to maximize their writing skills. "Writers and authors need the tools for success in today's wide world of publishing," Dr. Briles stated recently. "It's both simple and complicated to know which ones to select. I love to guide them through the maze so they avoid the common mistakes most make." Judith Briles has published 37 books and has a lifetime of experience within the publishing industry, having experienced the pitfalls and benefits of both self-publishing and traditional publishing. She is the president of AuthorYOU, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping authors navigate the publishing world and give self-published authors access to publishing resources. Her consulting company, The Book Shepherd based in Colorado, has created over 500 bestsellers for authors. To register, go to http://bit.ly/AuthorGoldmine. Press inquiries: Judith Briles, Judith@Briles.com or 303-885-2207. ### In Californias north state, residents have a clear message for people in the Bay Area and Sacramento during the coronavirus pandemic: Dont come here. People shouldnt be leaving their counties, said Matt Romaine of Weaverville, who helps run several now-closed recreation properties. Were opposed to people coming in from outside areas that have higher infection rates. Across seven counties between Redding and the Oregon border, which many call the Shasta-Cascade region, there have been only 10 positive tests for the coronavirus and one death, according to each countys respective health department. Four counties, Trinity, Modoc, Lassen and Tehama, have reported zero cases. The low numbers of cases could be attributed to few tests being administered, health officials said. The prospect of escaping from coronavirus clusters in the Bay Area and Central Valley might inspire some people to venture north into one of the top outdoor recreation areas in the U.S. But the consensus across the region is to stay away. Im real firm about it, said Dave Marshall a retired forester in McCloud. The best minds say, Shelter in place, so you should stay home. Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen and northern Plumas, which together span more than 27,000 square miles, which would rank it as the 41st largest state in the U.S. Yet the collective population is only 364,300, far less less than the population of Wyoming (579,000), the least populated state in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the past week, the lack of traffic on the highways, and closed restaurants and small stores in small towns, is like nothing many have ever seen across the region, residents say. To further discourage visitors, Lake Siskiyou Resort and Marina chained the entrance and closed the facility to the public on Wednesday. Our streets are empty, said Dave Hicks, an attorney-mediator in Dunsmuir. Im staying home and so should they, meaning people from the Bay Area, Hicks said. People in small towns tend to look out for each other. Right now, theyre not going to be welcoming tourists. Tourism needs to be ended until we get over this COVID crisis. Trinity County has a population of only 14,000, yet spans 3,208 square miles roughly half the size of the greater Bay Area. Tourists are often welcomed in Weaverville and the nearby lakes, Lewiston and Trinity, and at the trailheads for the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Romaine said. Not now. Its a different time right now, Romaine said. Its really strange and everybody says youve got to be real careful. As a resident, I dont leave here except for essentials. We dont people to stay out forever, but if somebody showed up (from the Bay Area or Sacramento), wed expect each person to adhere to a 14-day quarantine. Im being responsible and I want everybody else to be that way. My circle is a total of three people right now. As a Trinity County resident, I feel like Im in a time bubble. Doug Carter, an inspirational business trainer in the town of Mount Shasta, suggested that people in cities who feel cooped up could create what they need without traveling to the North State. Everybody should deal with what theyve got, right where theyre at, Carter said. A lot of people who visit Mount Shasta are searching for something. When youre on the right path, you can find what youre looking for in your own world, rather than looking for it in someone elses. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom. Coronavirus testing in the Shasta-Cascade region Trinity County: 44 tests, 0 positives. Population 14,000, size 3,208 square miles. 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. Modoc County: 31 tests, 0 positives, 24 negatives, 7 pending. Population 9,600, size 4,203 square miles. Siskiyou County: 82 tests, 3 positives, 69 negatives, 10 pending. Population 43,700, size 6,278 square miles. Shasta County: 236 tests results, 6 positives, 1 death, 230 negatives, pending test results unknown. Population 180,000, size 3,847 miles. Lassen County: 41 tests, 0 positives, 33 negatives, 8 pending. Population 31,000, size 4,720 square miles. Tehama County: 0 positives, 93 negatives. Population 64,000, size 2,962 square miles. Plumas County: 54 tests, 1 positive, 42 negatives, 11 pending. Population 22,000, size 2,163 square miles. Totals: 581 tests, 10 positives, 1 death, 535 negatives, pending unknown Total population: 364,300 Total square miles: 27,381 Note: Best numbers available April 1 from each countys respective health services department and the U.S. Census Bureau Penneys has put plans to expand at Dundrum Town Centre on hold, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc on the economy. In February it was reported that Penneys - which trades as Primark in the UK - and Brown Thomas were in negotiations to split the retail space in Ireland's largest shopping centre that is being vacated by House of Fraser. "In light of the current situation, all expenditure is being reviewed and these negotiations are on hold," said a spokesperson for Penneys. "Our current priority is to support our people and the business through this pandemic and we look forward to resuming business as usual as soon as possible once our stores re-open." Penneys already operates an existing outlet in Dundrum Town Centre. Both Penneys and Brown Thomas are owned by Ireland's wealthiest family, the Westons, who hold a majority stake in Primark's parent firm, Associated British Foods. A spokesperson for Brown Thomas said the group is continuing with its plans for the shopping centre, which will see it take on two floors and 63,000 square feet at House of Fraser's current location. This will mean the closure of Brown Thomas's existing, much smaller BT2 outlet in Dundrum. Ireland's retail sector is being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, as the majority of shops have been forced close their doors in order to combat the spread of the deadly virus. Restaurants, pubs and cafes were among the first places of business to pull down their shutters all over the country. Arnotts and Brown Thomas have also temporarily suspended their online offering. Dozens of retailers here including Penneys, River Island, Carrolls Irish Gifts, Burger King, KFC, Eason and Dealz last month said they want a 12-month rates freeze and a 50pc cut for six months after that to prevent an all-out collapse of the sector in Ireland due to the coronavirus crisis. Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday affirmed that the US authorities are reaching out actively to the Indian students facing difficulty amid lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. Speaking exclusively with Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Sandhu said that the US has taken several measures in providing relief to the Indian citizens during these difficult times. The Envoy said, ever since the Indian Government imposed restriction on visas on March 11, the Indian embassy in the US launched a 24x7 helpline for students facing any trouble. The embassy also provided emergency visas to them and got in touch with students through student bodies. A special task force constituted by the United States reached out to universities and persuaded them to continue accommodation for students. READ | Coronavirus: Unemployment Rate In US Can Hit 32% As 47M Workers Are Laid Off "We got in touch with the hotel Industries, amongst them many Indian Americans provided free accommodation to the students. Even the Indian doctors provided medical assistance on telephones. So within the constraints, we have responded to all those who have contacted us for help," said Taranjit Sandhu. READ | Hospitals Overflowing With Bodies In US Epicenter Of Virus How many Indians have tested positive for COVID-19? A total of 200,000 students, 300,000 Green Cards, 125,000 H1B visa holders reside in the US. As of Wednesday, ten Indians have tested positive for COVID-19 and four deaths have taken place. "We are in touch with the families of the deceased. Most of them are settled in New York," Taranjit Sandhu said. The Envoy also said that the United States is responding to the emergencies. He also said that the US is looking up to the measures taken by the government of India in combating the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disease. READ | Trump Finally Issues 30-day Consolidated 'guidelines' For Americans Amid US COVID-19 Horror READ | COVID-19: US Appeals To India To Lift Export Ban On Sale Of Pharmaceutical Ingredients (UPDATE: Man charged with murder in womans death at Davison-area mobile home park) GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- A 40-year-old man faces an open murder charge after a woman was found dead at a Richfield Township mobile home park. Officers with the Richfield Township Police Department responded shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 to the Davison Hills Mobile Home Community off East Mount Morris Road for a welfare check. A 28-year-old woman -- identified by police as Sidney Szewczyk -- was found deceased inside her residence by a relative whod come over to check on her. The initial police investigation revealed the death to be a homicide. The man, whose name is not being released pending arraignment, was arrested in Kentucky Tuesday evening in connection with Szewczyks death. He is awaiting extradition from Kentucky on an open murder charge. Richfield Township police Lt. Melissa Galloway said Kentucky State Police were notified the suspect was a person of interest or suspect in the case. Its not clear under what circumstances the suspect was apprehended. The suspect is familiar with the victim and there is believed to be no threat to the general public, police said. Both the victim and suspect are from the Davison area. Davison Township police, Davison police, Genesee County Sheriffs Office, and Michigan State Police are assisting Richfield Township police with the investigation. The incident remains under investigation. Turkeys medical aid plane lands in Spain Turkish military aircraft arrived in Spain on Wednesday due to bring medical aid to the virus-hit country. Earlier on Wednesday, the aircraft departed from the capital Ankara for Spain and Italy. Turkey's Ambassador in Madrid Cihad Erginay speaks to reporters upon the arrival of the aircraft on Wednesday. Turkeys medical aid plane lands in Spain WATCH "Upon the instructions of President Erdogan, health supplies consisting of masks, overalls and anti-bacterial fluids, produced domestically in the Defence Ministrys factories and sewing facilities with local resources, will be sent by TAF aircraft to Italy and Spain to combat coronavirus," Turkish Defense Ministry had said on Twitter. Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Dallas. Governor allows only essential services statewide, closes schools until May 4 Read the full story on The Dallas Morning News. Suspect sought in fatal bludgeoning of homeless man in downtown parking garage Read the full story on The Dallas Morning News. Authorities identify 50-year-old man fatally shot in South Dallas parking lot Read the full story on The Dallas Morning News. 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. Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 3:12AM The COVID-19 pandemic has kept children from going to school to learn. Shaw hopes to do its part by offering some online learning lessons to help your kids keep up with their studies. The company is using an established education platform called EVERFI to bring these select learning games and lessons to kids between kindergarten and grade 12. You can check this initiative out over at this link. This offer is part of the company's #ShawHelps campaign, which hopes to keep people connected, safe, and engaged during this crisis. The telecom company has already donated $1 million to food centres in Canada and offered free internet to low-income families, among other initiatives. Source: MobileSyrup Prominent Ghanaian media maven Anita Erskine, staunch advocate for Entrepreneurship in Africa, has been appointed Brand Ambassador and official Host of the 2020 edition of the Africa Netpreneur Prize. The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) which was created by Jack Ma founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation after his first trip to Africa in 2017, identifies Africas Business Heroes - male and female entrepreneurs who are building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future of the continent.. In the first year of its 10 year journey, approximately 10,000 entrepreneurs from 50 African countries applied. The final competition, which was was held in Accra, Ghana in November 2019, awarded the top three finalists Temie Giwa-Tubosun, founder and CEO, LifeBank (Nigeria), Dr. Omar Sakr, founder and CEO, Nawah-Scientific (Egypt) and Christelle Kwizera, founder, Water Access (Rwanda) $250,000, $150,000 and $100,000 respectively. In its 2020 edition, the ANPI will have Anita Erskine as the anchor of their April 6th webcast launch and the host of their final event. Jack Ma Foundations Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative is excited to have Anita serving as the official host and brand ambassador of Africas Business Heroes. Anita reflects the boldness, creativity and strength that we look for in our entrepreneur heroes. says Jason Pau, Senior Advisor for International Programs at Jack Ma Foundation. Since 2013, Anita Erskine has actively placed her advocacy for Entrepreneurship, Girls Education and Women in Leadership at the core of her media career. Anita has a special focus on developing content that showcases innovative solutions to Africas socio - economic challenges. In her shows, for example: Sheroes of Our Time and Ifactorys Making of a Mogul, Anita has consistently highlighted young African Entrepreneurs both on the continent and in the diaspora who are fueled by their innate desire to find homegrown solutions to the continents socio - economic challenges. Anita has created platforms such as the Womens Elevation Fund which helps marginalized girls access Education and the STEM Women Project which highlights the role of STEM in Gender Equality. She is conscious of the unique opportunities that enable her to lend her voice and personality to the empowerment of Africas youth through entrepreneurship. There is an army of resilient and innovative entrepreneurs in whose hands, I believe, the emergence of Africa truly lies. The opportunity to win money that helps them scale up, ultimately means these Entrepreneurs will be able to provide homegrown solutions to some of the continents biggest problems faster. In my opinion, the ANPI is a timely enabler, allowing dreams to migrate from exciting conception to outstanding reality. lhave been given the responsibility to drive stories that will inspire more Africans to make big changes with their small businesses. I deem it an extraordinary honor to commit my voice, advocacy for sustainability and skill in the art of story telling to the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, says Anita Erskine. The Africa Netpreneur Prize is a search for Africas Business Heroes. Anita Erskine will be at the helm of the launch via webcast on 6th April 2020 at 3pm GMT. The webcast will have a plethora of discussions and presentations by a range of dynamic speakers including: the founder and executive chairman of Econet Global - Strive Masiyiwa, Jason Pau Snr. Advisor for International Programs at Jack Ma Foundation, ANPI 2019 Africa Business Hero Finalists: Christelle Kwizera, Moulaye Taboure, Waleed and El Rahman and Kevine Kagirimpundu. One of the major highlights of the launch will be to showcase the special role of Entrepreneurs in the fight against COVID - 19. To register for the launch sign-up here: https://bit.ly/ANPIwebinar and follow Africas Business Heroes on Social Media for exciting 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 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools should promote all students of classes I to VIII to the next grade in view the present coronavirus inflicted lockdown. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has asked these schools that students of class IX and XI will also be promoted to the next grade based on the school based assessments, projects, periodic tests, term exams conducted so far. Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank took this decision after having detailed meetings with top official led by Education Secretary Amit Khare. In the view of the current situation due to COVID 19, I have advised CBSE to promote all students studying in classes I to VIII to the next class or grade,: the minister announced in a tweet. He said students of class IX and XI will be promoted based on school-based assessments including project, periodic tests, term exams etc. Significantly, it has also been decided that students not promoted this time can appear in school based tests online or offline. According to an official, the CBSE schools may also soon begin online classes. The HRD ministry and CBSE are also closely examining the possibilities for providing the best possible solution to the students of class X and XII, whose annual exams have been disrupted. Paramedics, anaesthetists and critical care nurses will be among those called on to staff 4000 new beds in the fight against coronavirus as the Victorian government prepares for an unprecedented $1.3 billion expansion of its intensive care capacity. The nations health regulator will also move to fast-track the return of tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists who have stopped practising to help prop up the health system as it braces for the coronavirus pandemic to reach its expected peak in May or June. Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced a massive expansion of Victoria's intensive care capacity on Wednesday. Credit:AAP On Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews revealed an ambitious plan to create an additional 4000 intensive care beds in Victoria. There are currently about 2400 beds in intensive care units across the country. Swinburne University dean of health sciences Bruce Thompson suggested the government might be forced to increase the skills of other health workers such as physiotherapists and osteopaths to work in intensive care units if hospital wards became overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases in the coming months. By Trend Azerbaijans anti-crisis program is ambitious enough and large-scale compared to other countries, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC) Executive Director Vusal Gasimli. Azerbaijans anti-crisis program is 2.5 billion manat, which is 3.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). For comparison, the Georgian government received a package of assistance in the amount of 1 billion Georgian lari, or 2 percent of the country's GDP. Russia received a package of assistance in the amount of 300 billion rubles, which is 0.3 percent of its GDP. Kyrgyzstan received an anti-crisis package in the amount of 760 million soms, or 1 percent of its GDP, Uzbekistan - $9.5 trillion, or 1.5 percent of its GDP. It is seen that the support program of Azerbaijan is quite ambitious and more wide-scale compared to other countries," he noted. According to Gasimli, the governmental support program for mitigating impact of global upheavals to Azerbaijan will cover 4 sectors and 20 areas of activity. Working group headed by the minister of economy assessed the affected sectors by 3 categories: the most affected, significantly affected and low-affected ones. This approach is important in terms of fairness, as well as efficient use of resources. In this context, nine program projects are being developed. First of all, it should be noted that the program, covers 304,000 hired employees and 44,000 business entities. Given that out of 1.6 million hired employees, 915,000 ones regularly receive wages because they work in the public and oil sectors, accordingly, the state will support 304,000 of the remaining 640,000 hired employees. Here, the salary fund of a business entity will be supported by the state subject to the degree of affect caused by its field of activity. Of course, the main criterion in this case is the average wage at the level of 712 manat," the executive director said. "At the same time, 290,000 micro-entrepreneurs will receive the governmental support. In this case, the amount of taxes paid by them in 2019 will be taken into account. Also, state programs for tax privileges and support for tax holidays and mortgage credits have been developed. Currently, the state is planning a support package to overcome difficulties that citizens may face when paying credits under the influence of global upheavals. At the same time, difficulties with repaying credits are forecasted not only among households, but also among some entrepreneurs," Gasimli said. At present, 7 billion manat has been allocated to households, and 6.1 billion manat to the private sector. In particular, credits worth 2.4 billion manat issued to the trade and service sector and 1.2 billion manat to the transport and communications sector. Thus, the state will allocate 1 billion manat to support the existing credit portfolio, and in this case, such criteria as vulnerability of the sector and credit discipline will be taken as a basis, Gasimli noted. Azerbaijans Entrepreneurship Development Fund will provide 10 percent support to the credit, which covers a significant part of the credit interest, while in Azerbaijan the average credit makes up 14 percent - 8.8 percent for legal entities and 16.6 percent for individuals. At the same time, the new credit support program will cover a maximum of 15 percent per annum. Thus, half of this credit interest will be paid by the Enterprise Development Fund. According to Gasimli, within the state support programs, the limit of communal services will be increased, and the major enterprises - AZAL, Baku Transport Agency, Baku Metro, Azerbaijan Railways and others will be involved in the passenger traffic. Support will also be provided to the public authorities. In addition, the state will expand coverage of social programs and provide support to the low-income people. The working group, headed by Azerbaijans minister of labor and social protection of population, will also submit its proposals in the coming days. "Currently under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the largest economic support program in the history of Azerbaijans independence is underway. Such a systemic support program minimizes the impact of the largest pandemic in the last 100 years on the country and better prepares it for the post-crisis period. Through the government programs, both demand and supply will be supported, and thereby macroeconomic stability will be maintained," he said. "These days, its needed to more strictly observe the special quarantine rules, because we can restore economic losses, but we cannot return health and human life. For the Azerbaijani state, a citizen and his decent standard of living have the paramount importance," Gasimli added, reminding about necessity of complying with quarantine regime introduced in the country. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz In China, international flights have been cut back so severely that Chinese students abroad wonder when they will be able to get home. In Singapore, recently returned citizens must share their phones location data with authorities each day to prove they are sticking to government-ordered quarantines. In Taiwan, a man who had traveled to Southeast Asia was fined $33,000 for sneaking out to a club when he was supposed to be on lockdown in his home. In Hong Kong, a 13-year-old girl, who was spotted out at a restaurant wearing a tracking bracelet to monitor those in quarantine, was followed, filmed and subsequently shamed online. Across Asia, countries and cities that seemed to have brought the coronavirus epidemic under control are suddenly tightening their borders and imposing stricter containment measures, fearful about a wave of new infections imported from elsewhere. The moves portend a worrisome sign for the United States, Europe and the rest of the world still battling a surging outbreak: Any countrys success with containment could be tenuous and the world could remain on a kind of indefinite lockdown. Even when the number of new cases starts to fall, travel barriers and bans in many places may persist until a vaccine or treatment is found. The risk otherwise is that the infection could be reintroduced inside their borders, especially given the prevalence of asymptomatic people who might unknowingly carry the virus with them. 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 Following a recent uptick in cases tied to international travelers, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan barred foreigners from entering altogether in recent days. Japan has barred visitors from most of Europe, and is considering denying entry to travelers from countries including the United States. South Korea imposed stricter controls, requiring incoming foreigners to quarantine in government facilities for 14 days upon arrival. Countries have really been struggling to implement their own domestic solutions, and domestic solutions are insufficient for a transnational global health problem, said Kristi Govella, an assistant professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Even countries that have been relatively successful in managing the pandemic are only as safe as the weakest links in the system, she said, adding that in the absence of cooperation among countries, closing borders is one of the ways that individual governments can control the situation. The virus, which emerged in Asia and spread to the West, is at risk of ricocheting back. Citizens who were worried about outbreaks in Europe and the United States rushed home after finding themselves in the new epicenters of the pandemic. Almost immediately, countries and cities in Asia started seeing a rise in new cases, often detecting infected passengers at airports as they passed through health screenings. Hong Kong, which had been reporting new daily cases in the single digits, suddenly saw new cases spike as high as 65 in one day. In Japan, where infections have remained relatively controlled, cases started to rise last month in Tokyo as travelers returned from overseas. To try to stem the influx of infections, governments clamped down on their borders. South Korea, which has been praised globally for flattening the curve quickly after an early explosive peak in infections, initially required travelers from some countries to quarantine. This week it expanded the list to cover the entire world. Japan started by having travelers quarantine, but now bars travelers from most of Europe outright. It is discussing more bans, including for travelers from the United States. China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have simply shut their borders to virtually all foreigners. We believe that under the current situation of the epidemic, minimizing unnecessary entry and exit activities is a responsible and necessary measure to effectively protect the life, safety and physical health of all Chinese and foreign personnel, said Liu Haitao, director-general for border control and management of the National Immigration Administration in China. Even some residents are having a hard time getting home. On mainland China, where leaders are keen to declare the worst of the outbreak that started there over, the new border controls have forced most foreign airlines to cut back to one flight a week. Ticket prices have skyrocketed and bookings are constantly canceled. Alex Fei, a Chinese student at a university in Canada, has struggled to get back. His flights have been canceled twice once after Hong Kong banned transfers through the hub, and another time when the airline suspended a direct flight from Vancouver to Shanghai. Fei said he might have no choice but to remain in Canada. Overseas students hands are tied for now, he said. Citizens who do return to Asia are often put under strict surveillance as they serve out their time in quarantine. In some cases governments are using the tools of criminal justice to enforce them. Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese city, initially managed to contain its early coronavirus outbreak with swift measures like the closing of schools and government offices and restrictions on travelers from mainland China. But as students and expatriates rushed back from Europe and the United States in March, officials warned that a new wave of imported cases was beginning to strain hospitals. Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, barred all nonresidents on March 19, and returning residents are now tested upon arrival. During a 14-day quarantine at home, they wear tracking bracelets, and their movements are monitored by a smartphone app. Lam said that more than 200,000 people were currently being quarantined at home. Technology is a key tool for enforcing quarantines. In China, returnees spend 14 days in government-assigned hotels and send their temperatures daily to neighborhood committees on WeChat, a messaging service. In Taiwan, the government uses location tracking on mobile phones and adds some old-fashioned police shoe leather; officers visit people at home if they leave or turn off their phones. Filia Lim, 50, said the quarantine measures in Singapore were a headache because she normally travels extensively for her job in human resources. But she said she was thankful that Singapore was monitoring returnees so closely. The virus spread mostly because people didnt realize they have the symptoms, or for some they blatantly ignored those symptoms and they interacted with a lot of people despite advice by government to self-isolate themselves, she said. Punishment for breaking the rules of quarantine can be stiff. A 53-year-old Singaporean who breached the order had his passport invalidated, immigration authorities said Sunday. Japan officially says those who break quarantine can be imprisoned for up to six months or fined as much as 500,000 yen, about $4,600. But the Japanese government relies on trust that those in quarantine stay cloistered. Upon returning from countries on the banned list, residents sign a pledge stating that they will remain in one place for 14 days and stay off public transit. If they go out for food, they are told to wear a mask and be quick. South Korea has yet to bar entrants from anywhere but the Hubei region of China. Critics say that simply quarantining foreigners may inadvertently put more stress on the medical system. Some say that there are people abroad who think they should come to Korea to be tested and treated, said Dr. Park Jong-hyuk, a family medicine specialist and spokesman for the Korean Medical Association. Park has called for a total entry ban on foreigners. It is time to make efforts to protect one another on a global level by practicing international social distancing, he said. In the immediate term, when governments are still scrambling to protect their citizens, such measures make sense, experts say. But the longer it goes on, the more likely it could do sustained damage to the global economy and the collective psyche. Although the first priority should be on definitely trying to control the virus, said Karen Eggleston, director of the Asia health policy program at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, one has to think about those very large costs, and as the crisis is prolonged, those costs can definitely mount. Sean Sierra, 30, a petty officer in the U.S. Navy stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, said he did not see an end in sight. After a recent posting to a ship based in Singapore, he was required to quarantine at home in Japan for 14 days when he returned. Although he has completed his stint in isolation, the entire base is now sheltering in place. Were going to be stuck here for a bit, Sierra said. He said that his mother-in-law was scheduled to visit in two weeks but that the quarantine puts a damper on any plans. c.2020 The New York Times Company 'It would be an honor to die for your country, I assure you,' he added President Duterte made the comments on Monday evening in televised address Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has drawn criticism for saying medical staff who lose their lives treating coronavirus patients are 'lucky' to die for their country. Duterte made the comments on Monday evening in a pre-recorded televised address to the nation, which is largely on lockdown due to the pandemic. 'There are doctors, nurses, attendants who died. They were the ones who died helping others. They are so lucky. They died for the country. That should be the reason why we die,' he said. 'It would be an honor to die for your country, I assure you,' he added. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte (pictured on Monday) has drawn criticism for saying medical staff who lose their lives treating coronavirus patients are 'lucky' to die for their country His comments sparked concern that the president was romanticizing the deaths of medics due to the virus, Filipino outlet Rappler reported. At least 12 Filipino doctors had passed away from COVID-19 as of Sunday, March 29, according to the Philippine Medical Association. Medics have complained of a lack of protective equipment for those on the front lines of the pandemic. The country recorded 227 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said. The latest figures brought the total number of infections and deaths in the country to 2,311 and 96, respectively. A father with his children aboard their bicycle crosses an almost empty road in Manila on March 20, fter the government imposed an enhanced community quarantine against the rising numbers of COVID-19 coronavirus infections The Philippines, the third country after China and Italy to order home quarantine for a large part of its population of 107 million had until recently reported fewer cases than expected, with many deaths. Authorities had attributed that to a lack of testing kits and lab capacity. President Rodrigo Duterte has put retired generals among his cabinet in charge of the task force battling the crisis, saying its management requires military-style discipline. Coronavirus: Alcohol producers are making a difference during this difficult time By John Timothy, chief executive, The Portman Group As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol producers of all sizes are playing their part in making donations to aid frontline healthcare workers and support those in the industry and local communities impacted by ongoing closures to contain the virus. We applaud the efforts of all producers and groups across the industry to make a difference during this unprecedented and difficult time. Just some of the actions taken by Portman Group members in response to COVID-19 include: Asahi: Across the world, Asahi has invested in the development of hand sanitisers, whilst in Japan Asahi Group Holdings Ltd has donated 150 million yens worth of food & beverage products to social causes and facilities for vulnerable people. In the UK, Asahi has also supported NHS Trusts local to its London breweries in Greenwich and Chiswick. Bacardi: Globally, Bacardi has a commitment to produce more than 1.1 million litres of hand sanitiser. In the UK, the Laverstoke Mill distillery in Hampshire is producing a small quantity of hand sanitizers to be donated to local doctors, chemists and care homes; whilst the Dewar distillery in Aberfeldy is helping to produce hand sanitisers for the Scottish Ambulance Association among other local community groups. Brown-Forman: In the US, the Brown-Forman Corporation has donated $1 million to COVID-19 response funds, with donations to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation to support their COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund and to the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) Foundation Emergency Assistance Programme. Budweiser Brewing Group: Across Europe, AB-InBev is producing 50,000 litres of ready-to-use disinfectant alcohol, using the surplus alcohol from its alcohol-free beers for European hospitals; and it is committed to producing and donating more as needed. AB InBev is also offering billboards in cities in Belgium and the Netherlands to reinforce public health preventative measures for those still commuting to work. Budweiser Brewing Group UK have donated 6,000 litres of hand sanitiser to the Metropolitan Police and have also launched the Save Pub Life campaign to allow pub goers to purchase a gift card to use at a later date, with the company matching the funding the pub receives. Carlsberg: Globally, the Carlsberg Foundations have donated DKK 95 million (approx. 11 million) in response to COVID-19, with recipients including three internationally recognised Coronavirus research teams. In the UK, the company has taken action to support the local community, making around 10,000 available for Northamptonshire Community Foundations COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. Diageo: Globally, Diageo has pledged to donate up to two million of litres of alcohol to create more than eight million bottles of hand sanitiser to help protect key frontline healthcare workers, including 500,000 litres in the UK and Ireland. Diageo has also pledged 1 million to support the wages of bartenders in pubs and bars across Great Britain and is offering complimentary virtual training as the hospitality industry closes down to help tackle the virus. Heineken: Is supporting its 2,500 leased Star Pubs and Bars by suspending the collection of rent and associated charges until at least the end of April, and is working to ensure uptake of the additional support made available by the UK Government. Mast-Jaegermeister: In Germany, Mast-Jaegermeister has donated 50,000 litres of alcohol for the production of disinfectant. Furthermore, the Mast family has donated one million Euros to establish a solidarity fund for small local businesses in Wolfenbuttel, and, via the Curt Mast Jagermeister Foundation have bought and donated bouquets to local medical staff to thank them for their great service for the community and to residents of local retirement homes. Pernod Ricard: Globally, the company is aiding the production of hand sanitisers, including in France, Sweden, the US, Spain and Ireland. In the UK, Pernod Ricard has pledged an initial donation of 100,000 litre of ethanol to help bolster hand sanitiser and has donated 250,000 to The Drink Trust to support the drinks industry workforce. Pernod Ricard has also partnered with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust to offer Level 1 Spirits courses online for free. To aid efforts, the Scotch Whisky Association have created an online portal to connect distillers who can produce high-strength ethanol and/or hand sanitiser with packagers, distributors and organisations who are in need of hand sanitiser. Other trade bodies are playing their part in co-ordinating support for the hospitality industry and workers effected by the prolonged shutdown. The Wine and Spirits Trade Association, Society of Independent Brewers and National Association of Cider Makers have created online hubs bringing together key pieces of advice for businesses, whilst the Campaign for Real Ale and SIBA have launched the Pulling Together campaign to help consumers continue to support their local pubs and brewers. Finally, the independent charity Drinkaware is encouraging consumers to drink in moderation and to be careful not to use alcohol as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety while in isolation. These are just some of the actions taken to date, with many producers committed to further steps in the days and weeks ahead. Together, we will pull each other through this, and we encourage everyone to look out for each other and look after their own physical and mental health. Related articles: Andrew Kelly/Reuters A Pennsylvania man extremely upset about losing his job amidst the coronavirus pandemic allegedly shot his girlfriend, before turning the gun on himself in an attempted murder-suicide, authorities said Wednesday. The Wilson Borough Police Department said in a statement to The Daily Beast that Roderick Bliss IV, 38, attempted to fatally shoot his girlfriend with a semi-automatic pistol on Monday afternoon, before dying by suicide, after he had become increasingly upset over the COVID-19 pandemic. The 43-year-old girlfriend, who was shot once in the back, survived the attack and is in St. Lukes hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. In the days prior to the shooting, Bliss had become increasingly upset over the COVID-19 pandemic, police said. Minutes before the shooting Bliss was extremely upset about the pandemic and the fact that he had recently lost his job. What if This Coronavirus Lockdown Is Only the Beginning? At around 1:20 p.m. on Monday, authorities responded to reports of multiple shots fired with injuries at Bliss Wilson Borough home, about an hour outside of Philadelphia. Upon arrival, officers found Bliss unresponsive and not breathing and a semi-automatic pistol near his body. The Northampton County Coroner ruled Bliss death a suicide. The girlfriend, who is alert, and other witnesses told police that Bliss had become upset that the pandemicwhich has infected more than 206,200 people and killed 4,542 nationwidecost him his job. Authorities said an enraged Bliss went into the basement and came outside on to the rear porch with a handgun. While holding the handgun, Bliss told the victim, I already talked to God and I have to do this, police said. The victim ran off of the porch and he shot at her four times striking her once. Bliss then shot himself. The attempted murder-suicide marks the latest example of the collateral damage of the coronavirus pandemic. Domestic violence experts and law enforcement believe domestic violence incidents will rise as families are forced into social isolation across the country. Story continues Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of Sanctuary for Families in New York, told The Daily Beast that, for some survivors of domestic violence, being able to leave their home is criticaland forced stay-at-home orders isolate them from the social support system that would have previously allowed them to report abuse. White House Trots Out Grim Death Models to Drive Home Social Distancing Domestic violence is all about power and control and what a powerful tool it is to be able to say to somebody, You cant go out of this house, you have to be here, Kluger said. Even though people can go out for certain things, this environment just engages in the most negative way the power of the abuser. Kluger said her organization, and several others across New Yorkthe current epicenter of the outbreak in the United Statesare anticipating an increase in domestic violence calls as the pandemic continues. A spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline said they havent yet seen a significant increase in call volumes but were receiving an increase in calls related to COVID-19 and the anxiety of people being stuck in their homes. Right now, the people who are at risk are very isolated, Kluger said, noting her organization is reaching out to former clients who might be at risk. We are worried that we are going to see an uptick while this shelter-in-place is in effect. Also, as the tension of the crisis rises, we anticipate people will begin reporting soon. But, even as the looming number of domestic violence cases threatens New York and other cities, the number of healthy police officers is also dwindling. New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday there were at least 1,400 officers who had tested positive for coronavirus, while about 17 percent had called out sick. Despite trying to police a city with a virus-related death toll of more than 1,000, Shea has previously stressed the NYPD is focused on domestic violence cases. What Im concerned about is, its happening and its not getting reported, Shea said Tuesday, noting that survivors may not be calling for help. Weve asked the domestic violence officersyou know who the people are in your commands, who are most vulnerable. Pick up the phone, pick up the computer keyboard and start communicating with them. Just make sure that things are OK. 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. Only one percent of Americans have fevers despite experts' predictions that twice as many would as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the US. Kinsa Health, a medical technology company based in San Francisco, has been tracking daily fever readings using data from smart thermometers connected to the Internet. On Tuesday, data showed that fevers were 56 percent lower than expected during this time of year. They continue to decrease and were down an additional five percent, to 61 percent, on Wednesday. Around this time of year, about 3.16 percent of Americans are expected to have fevers - but only 1.24 percent reported temperatures above 99F. Officials at Kinsa say the map indicates that social-distancing measures such as shelter-in-place orders and nursing homes barring visitors are helping reduce cases, decease the number of patients in hospitals and slow down deaths A map of daily temperature readings collected by Kinsa Health show fevers across the US are 61% lower than experts' predictions About 3.16 percent of Americans were expected to have fevers - but only 1.24 percent reported temperatures above 99F Kinsa has been collecting at least 162,000 daily temperature readings from smart thermometers. Pictured: A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a visitor entering Bellevue Hospital in New York City, March 27 Across the US, there are more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 4,000 deaths. Pictured: EMTs load a patient into an ambulance in New York City, March 26 Kinsa has distributed more than one million thermometers and get about 162,000 temperature readings a day. The thermometers upload the temperatures to a database (similar to Apple iCloud) and users can add other symptoms into an app. 'As specific diagnostic testing ramps us slowly, we're going to have to come up with other methods to figure out where [the virus is] spreading,' Dr Peter J Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. 'I think [this] is a great method and it's very robust technology.' HOW DOES KINSA ANALYZE READINGS Kinsa has distributed one million smart thermometers from across the country Users take their temperatures, which are then uploaded to a database The company has received about 162,000 daily readings People can then add other symptoms they are experiencing into an app The app will offer advice on whether or not the person should consult their physician Advertisement Prior to using the tool to track COVID-19, Kinsa's tool has mostly been used to track where seasonal flu outbreaks are occurring. Traditionally, the company's predictions have been two or three weeks ahead of those compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the coronavirus pandemic a new feature has been added to the map, which the company calls 'atypical' illnesses. This tracks illnesses that don't match up with typical flu patterns and are likely due to the novel coronavirus. According to The New York Times, fevers across the nation were dropping everywhere except in two areas, one in Louisiana and another in New Mexico, last Wednesday. 'Due to widespread social distancing, school closures, stay-at-home orders, etc. feverish illness levels are dropping in many regions,' Kinsa wrote on its website on March 24. 'This does not mean that COVID-19 cases are declining. In fact, we expect to see reported cases continue to surge in the near term, but it may indicate these measures are starting to slow the spread.' But today, on April 1, every county in every state also showed that downward trend, which was signified in four shades of blue - light blue depicting fevers dropping by a small percentage and dark blue a large percentage. Particularly the West - aside from Northern California, Oregon and Washington - saw the biggest drops, by as much as 20 percent in some counties. The Midwest - Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin - also showed similar decreases. 'It's a good back-up system to traditional measures and the first sure sign I've seen that social distancing is working,' Dr Hotez said. (CNN) -- Many countries in Africa are imposing lockdowns on their citizens as they race to curb the spread of coronavirus. But it has further highlighted the wide gulf between rich and poor, as it becomes apparent that the practicalities of social distancing and lockdowns are a privilege millions of people in Africa simply cannot afford. On Monday night, Nigeria became the latest country on the continent to impose a 14-day lockdown in major states across the country as President Muhammadu Buhari invoked a law from the country's colonial era. But the millions of Nigerians such as food vendors, hairdressers, cleaners, and others who earn their wages daily and make up the informal job market, say they are faced with stark choices. 'We don't work, we don't eat' Cecilia Achonwa runs a local roadside restaurant in Yaba, a suburb in Lagos mainland selling affordable lunch packs to students and local businesses. Before coronavirus, her food business saw lines of people forming to buy their meals. Now they are all gone and her business has almost collapsed, she says. The 53-year-old says she is responsible for the welfare of five chefs who were hired from neighboring West African country Togo. "What they are managing now is their allowance and the remaining foodstuff that I had stocked at the restaurant to sell this month when that finishes, we'll have nothing," she told CNN. In the lead up to the shutdown, Lagos, a bustling metropolis with around 20 million people, was thronging with crowds as shoppers raced around to stock up to beat the 11 p.m. deadline set for the shutdown of the city against coronavirus. But many could barely afford to stock up as prices had increased. "Some people are shouting, they are crying and going home without buying anything. Things are too expensive," Felicia Emmanuel, a trader at the Obalende market told CNN. "It's bad ooo, a lot of people, it's the profit they make per day is what they will eat. As they are shutting down now, I wonder what it will look like, hungry will kill some people. We pray that government should do something about it. We are begging them, they should help us," she added. Another resident Abiodun Gaji told CNN. "There are no provisions, no facilities made available for us to cook. So people are panic buying goods and food ... It's crazy. People are hungry, some people, millions of people depend on daily sales. They don't make sales, they don't eat." A local food seller in Abuja, Nigeria's capital declined to be named, but told CNN: "I cannot afford to stay at home and not feed my children. I know it is risky to be out here, but if I don't come out to look for what to feed my family, we will die of hunger faster than being killed by the virus." Another challenge facing Lagosians and others like them around the country is that Nigeria's power infrastructure is weak and blackouts are frequent. One shopper, Amaka, a bank worker says she does not want to buy too much as she will end up trashing the items. "There is no light and you can't preserve items. We don't have steady light in Nigeria and in my area too. We hope this ends as soon as possible. We are all buying out of fear because you can't go to the market everyday. We just hope it will be over soon." Food distribution Efforts are being made to help ease the burden of the lockdown on vulnerable members of society, Nigeria's government says. Lagos State governor, Jide Sanwo-Olu is facing his first major crisis since he was elected last year and is being widely praised for his efforts in handling the crisis. He says his administration will distribute food to 200,000 homes with an estimated six people per household, as a start. However, millions more live in extreme poverty in the city. At a special briefing attended by CNN, the country's vice president said the welfare of the most vulnerable members of society was important to the President, adding that he had issued a 10 billion Naira grant ($25 million USD) to Lagos, which is the epicenter of coronavirus in Nigeria, with 81 cases of the 131 announced as of Monday morning. "The President constituted an economic sustainability committee on how to alleviate sufferings of Nigerians at this time," Yemi Osinbajo said. "The committee is to take care of the economic challenges and fallout of the pandemic," he added. The country's humanitarian minister also announced Monday that cash transfers were being paid to the poorest households. Millions of dollars have also poured in from wealthy individuals such as Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote and corporations. However in Ikorodu, a low-income community on the outskirts of Lagos, the promises of the committee seem far away. "We are hungry, we are hungry," a throng of angry women gathered, unable to purchase any food items. Among them is popular Lagos businesswoman and fashion designer Toyin Lawani. Lawani, who runs 33 businesses from a single building in Lekki, Lagos, has been distributing food packs, hand sanitizers and masks that she produced in her factory. She told CNN: "I had to come here because most of my staff are from here and they told me about this situation." Overpopulated communities Nigeria, which has the largest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world, has inadequate housing stock which has been described as a "complete crisis," by the United Nations. "Informal settlements are ballooning where conditions are inhumane and perhaps the most severe I have seen worldwide," Leilani Farha, special rapporteur on adequate housing last year, said last year. Many families live in one or two-bedroom apartments known colloquially as 'face-me-I face-you,' tenement style homes where residents share a communal bathroom and kitchen spaces. Social distancing becomes near impossible in such conditions. Abdulwahab Abubakar, a motion designer, says he had to leave his home in Shomolu, a largely populated region in Lagos. "I left because it is cramped up and it is almost impossible to avoid people there. I also wanted to be with family, I cannot imagine what it would feel like being alone at this time," he told CNN. Abubakar said at the time he moved from his community, residents were oblivious to the rules of social distancing as they went about their daily lives as normal. Political elite and coronavirus There are a lot of uncertainties about coronavirus but what is clear is that millions of poor people's lives are at risk in Nigeria from a disease spread by wealthier members of society as they traveled around the world. "Every single case I have heard about is from someone returning from abroad, someone who can afford to go abroad. The other cases are from contact with those who returned and did not self-isolate," says Rolayo Subair, a legal researcher from Lagos. Many of those diagnosed with coronavirus have been among Nigeria's elite and top politicians, many of whom continued to attend conferences, birthday parties, and high profile events globally. Some of the country's lawmakers also violated screening procedures and failed to self-isolate prompting the President's chief of staff, Abba Kyari to raise an urgent public health warning in a memo. In a twist of fate, Kyari confirmed Monday in a statement posted on Twitter that he too had tested positive for coronavirus upon his return from a meeting in Germany. Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, attended a political rally on March 18 where he was filmed making light of coronavirus dressed in his party colors. He announced Monday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. There are fears of community spread in Nigeria if there is inadequate contact tracing due to some leaders not disclosing their diagnosis. Civil society group EiENigeria, recently issued a statement calling on "Nigeria's representatives and elites to come forward openly and honestly if they or their staff, extended family members ... have had COVID19 exposure ... to make sufficient information available for all necessary urgent contact tracing." As legal researcher Subair puts it, "If these people are nice enough to self-isolate, I think those who did not travel won't have anything to worry about." This story was first published on CNN.com, "'We don't work, we don't eat': Informal workers face stark choices as Africa's largest megacity shuts down" LONDON The world is almost certainly ensnared in a devastating recession delivered by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, fears are growing that the downturn could be far more punishing and long lasting than initially feared potentially enduring into next year, and even beyond as governments intensify restrictions on business to halt the spread of the pandemic, and as fear of the virus reconfigures the very concept of public space, impeding consumer-led economic growth. The pandemic is above all a public health emergency. So long as human interaction remains dangerous, business cannot responsibly return to normal. And what was normal before may not be anymore. People may be less inclined to jam into crowded restaurants and concert halls even after the virus is contained. The abrupt halt of commercial activity threatens to impose economic pain so profound and enduring in every region of the world at once that recovery could take years. The losses to companies, many already saturated with debt, risk triggering a financial crisis of cataclysmic proportions. Its a challenge to keep a pediatric practice open during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its one thats been accepted by Dr. Hannan Alsahlani, owner of Serenity Pediatrics in Bloomfield Hills. She was running low on masks and other protective equipment that was needed if she was to continue seeing patients. So on Monday night with only one can of Lysol left she asked for donations on her Facebook page. Part of her message read: We have been calling each major store outlet before they open daily for the past 2 weeks with no success . We are reusing our protective wear . We are desperate. Lysol spray especially. Within 12 hours she had thousands of donations. Friends who knew her, left gloves and masks on her porch which she found when she opened the door at 6 a.m. for a walk. Its unbelievable, Ive never seen so much Lysol in my life. (The post) got shared like a zillion times, Alsahlani said. I have an identical twin sister in Chicago, she said, I cant believe it, I opened my door and there was tons of Lysol and tons of masks. She was like, What the heck? Shes not a doctor. Cars lined up on Long Lake Road, east of Woodward, near the office to donate on Tuesday. She said an older couple in one car held up a sign that donations were in the trunk and thanked the doctors for being heroes. I think a lot of people just want some sense of purpose. Theyre home, they dont know what to do or how to help, Alsahlani said. We even got people from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, people from Florida. I was a little overwhelmed. I put my cell phone number on the post. I got close to a thousand text messages overnight. I have four kids and I own the practice. I was like, What just happened? She said it was a constant barrage with donations. We didnt have masks, we didnt have protective wear, we couldnt get it from anywhere and now people are calling and saying, I have a thousand masks, I have a thousand this and that. People are making masks there is a group of women who spent the whole night making pediatric masks, cloth masks with filters and shields, Alsahlani said. She even received hand sanitizer from an adult store. It says Perfect Pleasure. I was like, Oh my God. And there were tattoo parlors that dropped off stuff they use like alcohol, she said. The generosity has allowed her and her team of five other female doctors to help kids in need. We had seen so many patients, two of them are positive already for COVID, three of them had gone to the hospital. We know tons of families that have it and so we have to come home to our kids, we dont have any option to isolate ourselves from our kids, Alsahlani said. The Bloomfield Fire Department, which is next to their office, help them put up a tent. Weve been seeing patients in the parking lot basically, Alsahlani said. We see the well visits of kids newborn babies, kids who absolutely have to be seen who are healthy theyre the only ones allowed in the building with just one parent. We screen them intensely, its like Alcatraz with doors locked. We screen them for travel, we take their temperature, same with all our staff. Its been crazy. She will see all patients, with and without insurance. We always do but especially now. Sometimes people just drive in and they dont have any other place to go because urgent cares turn them away because theyve got fevers and theyve got no contacts, Alsahlani said. She had to cut her staff back because they cant see the volume they were seeing previously. Now so many are coming for sick visits, because other places arent seeing the sick and because they dont have a place to put them they dont want them in the building. If they have a fever they cant be seen, Alsahlani said. Patients under the age of 12 are not tested for COVID-19 unless theyre sick enough to be hospitalized. So thats a huge challenge. We assume everyone has it right now because many, many families have it. Weve also been doing tele-visits where we call patients every day and check up on them, check on their families, Alsahlani said. Today Ive been face-timing a family three times a day checking on each child. We know one family member has it, so then all the other family is isolated with them. The kids are all sick as well too. Thats how we know they have it. If her patients are too sick she coordinates with the hospital to have them admitted. We had a little baby admitted yesterday for suspected respiratory distress and a prolonged fever, he was only a couple months old, Alsahlani said. Some of her team works from home and face-times all day long to check on patients. Some of our doctors are at work, every day is different Its really unpredictable, we keep urging on our Facebook page to everyone to stay home, stay home, she said. But a big issue is if their children are sick they need to know if they should bring them in. Were fielding a lot of those calls. That way we can know if we need to see them and prepare for them in the parking lot, Alsahlani said. We do see them, we see quite a few, but were trying to do our best by keeping them home and managing them through tele-visits. The protective gear gives her and her colleagues protection so hopefully they wont be infected. I think like everyone, I have my own anxieties of getting (coronavirus) but I also have the mentality of this is what I signed up to do, this is what i have to do. Im trying to protect myself as much as I can, said Alsahlani whose husband is also a physician. They have four daughters. For her the coronavirus has hit close to home. There are a lot of my colleagues who have gotten it, some are doing well, some arent. Our babysitters entire family was exposed and two of them are in the hospital intubated, Alsahlani said. Were in the midst of it, were in the heat of it, we see it all around us. Theres always that fear but its like when we treat other patients who have other illnesses, the flu and things like that. We always know we could get it, but its not at the top of our lists at that moment, its just to take care of it. She is sorting through the donations and spreading the wealth with local hospitals and medical practices. She even mailed packages to New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic. The doctor is still accepting donations. Information can be found on her Facebook page Hannan Alsahlani at Serenity Pediatrics. Theres so much love thats been poured out, our community is incredible, Alsahlani said. We have the most amazing patients, were so blessed. But several incidents have touched a nerve in a nation where individual liberty is taken seriously. In the past, attempts by governments to introduce national identity cards have failed largely because the idea of the police demanding to see such documents is regarded as alien to the countrys storied historical traditions. Five years ago, Britons celebrated with much fanfare the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, a document that began the long process of proscribing the powers of the monarch. Britons may be hazy about its contents hence the joke once made by Tony Hancock: Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you? Did she die in vain? but they know it became a symbol of the preservation of fundamental freedoms. And to some, those are being trampled even if the rules in Britain are much less exacting than those imposed in several countries in continental Europe. Those who can work from home are encouraged but not forced to do so, and everyone is allowed to leave the house to shop for necessities or for exercise. Unlike in France, for example, Britons do not have to fill out paperwork to go outside. Stephen Kinnock, an opposition lawmaker, thought he was observing the rules when he posted a picture on Twitter of restrained celebrations on the 78th birthday of his father, Neil Kinnock, a former leader of the Labour Party. The meeting was outside, the men separated by a good distance. All Bihar residents and foreign nationals who attended the religious gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi will be traced and most of them are already being monitored, said Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey on Wednesday. "86 residents of Bihar and 57 foreigners who had attended Markaz in Delhi are being traced and will be monitored. 48 people have been quarantined already. Some of 86 Bihar residents are not in the state but other parts of country and have been quarantined in other states. We are coordinating with other states to trace them," Pandey told reporters here. "We are locating each and every individual and tests of each of them will be carried out and they will be quarantined," he added. The gatherings organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in March. COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from those who attended the event in Delhi, with 24 cases being reported from the capital alone, apart from Telangana, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. Earlier today, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that a total of 2,361 people have been brought out from Markaz, Nizamuddin in a joint operation by authorities which lasted 36 hours. "In the last 36 hours, we have run a very extensive operation in coordination with medical authorities, police, DTC, and others which went on till 4 am today. A total of 2,361 have been brought out from there, out of those 617 have been sent to hospitals while the rest have been sent to different quarantine facilities," Sisodia told ANI here. The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1,637 after 240 new cases were reported in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Wednesday. The total number of active cases rose to 1466 in the country, while 132 people have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment, as of 9 am. The number of deaths due to the infection also rose to 38, while one person has migrated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising from the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society, as per a company statement released on Wednesday. Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd's is Rs 25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore, it added. These sums are in addition to the annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, the statement said. "Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the COVID-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it," the statement said. These responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundation's 1,600-person team, in collaboration with many of its over 350-strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country, it added. These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro, the statement said. Corporate India has been rushing in to help the government and citizens fight the covid-19 pandemic in India. Tata Trusts and Tata group together have pledged Rs 1,500 crore - by far the highest by any corporate. Reliance Industries' chief Mukesh Ambani has also committed a further Rs 500 crore to the Prime Minister's COVID-19 fund, topping up over the multi-crore initiative of India's first coronavirus hospital, meals to the needy, and fuel to emergency vehicles. Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has committed Rs 100 crore, while a number of other companies are also extending support efforts towards fighting COVID-19 in India. South Korean consumer electronic giants Samsung and LG have said they will provide help to local authorities in India, offering preventive kits, infrared thermometers and consumer durables to hospitals, to help fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Digital payments companies like Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon Pay and others have urged users to donate to PM's Fund through their platforms and they, in turn, will make contributions to the fund as well. No Gary police officers, firefighters or EMTs have tested positive for COVID-19 to date, Mayor Jerome Prince said. Two EMTs are isolated, one with minor symptoms, after treating a patient with the coronavirus. Another paramedic and off-duty firefighter, who may have been exposed through family, are also quarantined, he said. Sales opportunities are getting scarcer during the COVID-19 pandemic as preventative measures keep getting extended, but one Brandon business is deliberately choosing to be open less as a service to the community. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Muhammed Furqan is closing his newly opened restaurant Khan Foods on Mondays going forward to pick up supplies for people stuck at home during the pandemic. (Submitted) Sales opportunities are getting scarcer during the COVID-19 pandemic as preventative measures keep getting extended, but one Brandon business is deliberately choosing to be open less as a service to the community. Khan Foods, a Pakistani and Middle Eastern restaurant, is one of Brandons newest businesses, having opened on March 21. The restaurant has already had to deal with restrictions on how they can serve their customers under provincial health guidelines, and as of yesterday theyre going to be closing on Mondays for the foreseeable future. Owner Muhammad Furqan, who opened the restaurant with his wife Bushra, has decided to take that day to volunteer his services to help out people stuck at home during the pandemic. From 9 a.m. until stores close, Furqan is offering to pick up groceries and other essential items for people if they call or text him on his cellphone. Hes not charging any delivery fee, just the cost of the goods themselves. When picking up items and delivering them, he is wearing a mask, a fresh pair of gloves for every order and using hand sanitizer before handling goods. For reimbursement, hes encouraging people to use e-transfers but will do cash exchanges with sanitized sandwich bags if necessary. The restaurant owner said that his religion has taught him to help people in need and that inspired him to offer this service on Mondays. Hes hoping that he can establish trust in the community by helping out where he can. As for the success of his restaurant during the pandemic, Furqan said it has been going well. "The people of Brandon have a big heart," he said. "Theyre are supporting every local business and were still getting a lot of orders." Furqan said that he thought that the pandemic was a good time to open a business because so many businesses have had to close down and the community needs to be served by restaurants. For those who have never tried Pakistani food, Furqan said that it is very similar to Indian food but the flavour is different. Furqans wife Bushra cooks the Pakistani food on the menu while another chef handles the Middle Eastern cuisine. There are other members of Brandons business community offering a helping hand during the pandemic. Chilli Chutney posted on its Facebook page that it will be offering free meals for pickup to people who have lost their jobs and students in limbo due to the pandemic. They ask that people taking advantage of this call ahead 30 minutes in advance so they can have the food ready upon arrival. Westman Communications Group announced on March 27 that it would not be disconnecting any residential or small business services for 90 days. The company is also waiving late fees that occur due to the pandemic for those 90 days. Additionally, the company is also freezing rate increases until September and temporarily increasing internet speeds for all packages by 20 per cent. CAA Manitoba sent a notice out last week saying that the company will be offering free roadside assistance for health-care professionals and first responders during the pandemic, even for non-members. The Western Manitoba Regional Library in Brandon is offering a contactless book delivery service on Tuesdays and Thursdays within Brandon city limits. These are just some of the ways that the local business community is coming together during a difficult time. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark Students in Educating Women, a GWSS course taught by Professor Tamara Beauboeuf, hopped off the shuttle at Mayflower Community recently to spend the afternoon chatting with women at the senior living community about their college experiences. At 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, two generations of women spent a few hours mingling over juice and Lindor chocolate balls, exchanging stories of college life, then and now. The event was held in an elegant dining room at the Mayflower. In the spirit of a speed dating event, students switched tables every 15 minutes to hear another womans story about her path to getting an education in the mid-20th century, and the social and academic joys and challenges she experienced. Educating Women is an interdisciplinary exploration of womens roles and experiences in education over the past 125 years. Before coming to Grinnell, Beauboeuf or as her students call her affectionately, Dr. B spent 20 years at DePauw University in Indiana. Thursdays activity was based on an activity Beauboeuf did with her students at DePauw. For them, talking to older women was a good opportunity for students to get a longer, more historical view on education so we dont take our access for granted. The women at Mayflower certainly havent taken theirs for granted. Anne Sunday, coordinator of independent living events said every woman she invited to the event was eager to participate. Education is something people get really excited about [at Mayflower]. They come as lifelong learners, said Sunday. Within the Silent Generation, which includes people in their 70s and 80s, only 9 percent of women had graduated from college in 1965, compared to 15 percent of men, according to data from the Pew Research Center. The coeducation of higher ed was seen as a dangerous experiment, Beauboeuf said. Today, women outnumber men on college campuses. Beauboeuf stressed that this progress hasnt been universal. We have to examine what were talking about when we talk about women, said Beauboeuf. Women who are first-generation college students, women of color, non-binary students and other underrepresented groups still face barriers to belonging at colleges and universities. As Beauboeuf put it, just because women dominate, the experiences of pioneering generations still apply for students today. According to Beauboeuf, this exclusion seeps into all realms of college life, from lack of representation in STEM disciplines to beauty standards and access to campus spaces. Homogeneity is intentional, she said. I want students to realize that history is written in those everyday acts of inclusion or exclusion There are women who still feel that they need to insist on their right to be on campus. If [students] are feeling comfort, thats a luxury. Back at the dining room tables, the Mayflower women shared stories about some of the ways womens college experiences have changed since the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Deb Van Arkle, who graduated from Iowa State in 1973 told Audrey Doss 22 about classmates that snuck men into gender-segregated dorms after curfew and the more conservative culture of drugs and alcohol during her time as a student in Ames. On her educational experience as a whole, Van Arkle stressed the importance of seeking out education throughout life. Education has given me a belief in lifelong, informal education experiences, she said. Jean Libbey, who graduated from Iowa State in 1953, said that during her time at university, women werent expected to aspire to a career. It was an era when women stayed home if they were married, she said. I was encouraged to get a degree so if my husband died I would have a job to fall back on. But the leadership skills she gained have stuck with her through the decades. Its never lost, your education. Both women felt that racial diversity on campus in their college days was lacking, but they said that meeting people with different backgrounds was one the most important parts of their college experiences. After almost two hours of reminiscing and connecting, the students and residents gathered to reflect on the experience. I had to go back 70 years, so thank you for the digging opportunity, said one Mayflower resident. A student remarked, I was pretty impressed with how many of the women met their significant others in college. The class talked about the value of sharing lived experiences and engaging with different forms of knowledge outside of the classroom. In an email to The S&B, student attendee Grace Wallace 22 said Sometimes a class about the historical struggles of women in education can be intensely interesting but can leave me exhausted, so going to the Mayflower and talking to people with so much wisdom and excitement about education was very refreshing. For Mayflower resident Katherine McClellan, Oberlin College Class of 69, was reminded of how her own views on womens belonging in higher education have changed. Looking back, McClellan remarked, it seems easy to get angry about the opportunities that were denied to entire generations of ambitious women, but that anger was not necessarily felt by women at the time. All of us went to school before the womens movement. I needed that societal framework in order to see some of the issues that were being talked about, she said. I didnt think many of us wouldve thought about that as the way things were. The conversations may have been quick, but women across generations reflected on the value of higher education and the importance of continuing to create inclusive spaces on college campuses. Dr. Beauboeuf wrapped up the discussion with a quote from the former president of DePauw University: The task of college is to keep your world as big as possible. (Photo : Image by Engin_Akyurt from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Engin_Akyurt from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Susanna Lee, Georgetown University When Donald Trump was running for president, he cultivated a tough-guy persona: tough on immigration, tough on crime and tough on America's adversaries. He never admitted having made a single mistake, nor did he ever apologize. Question him and face his wrath. As COVID-19 cases multiply daily in the U.S., Trump's approach has remained largely unchanged. He demanded that state governors show him personal appreciation before requesting masks and ventilators. When a reporter asked what he would say to Americans who were scared by the virus, Trump retorted that the question was "nasty" and that the journalist was "terrible." And when asked if there would be enough ventilators for patients who needed them, he simply sneered, "Don't be a cutie pie." Many Americans may have become accustomed to - or have even reveled in - Trump's penchant for cruel digs, bellicose rhetoric and self-absorption. His supporters see him as someone who's in their corner, excoriating political opponents and fighting on their behalf. But a virus is a different sort of enemy. It doesn't discriminate between who's tough and who isn't. You can't threaten it, humiliate it or dispatch it with a drone strike. And if history is any guide, Americans will want more than one-note tough guys to lead them through the pandemic. We saw this play out during the Great Depression, when a certain sort of cultural archetype fell out of favor - and a different one emerged. Detached from reality During his 1928 campaign, Herbert Hoover described America as "challenged with a peacetime choice between the American system of rugged individualism and a European philosophy of diametrically opposed doctrines - doctrines of paternalism and state socialism." Like Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge before him, Hoover didn't believe that it was the job of the federal government to support the needy. Depending on yourself - not the government - was cast as patriotic and courageous. In keeping with the times, popular literature of the 1920s showcased bold individualists. Through much of the decade, the most popular pulp-fiction hero was Carroll John Daly's Race Williams. Williams, a gun-toting, tough-talking private eye, was the spiritual descendant of 19th-century frontier protagonists like James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumppo and John Kennedy's Horse-Shoe Robinson, and of real-life Western sheriffs like Pat Garrett and Wyatt Earp. Embodying these rugged, cowboy archetypes, Williams frequented the back alleys and tenements of New York City, never hesitating and never missing a shot. He was a good guy, but bombastic and relatively one-dimensional - no weaknesses, no fears, no personal problems. In the wake of the 1929 stock market crash, economic desperation and disillusion became a broadly American experience. What shell shock was to the soldiers returning from World War I, unemployment and economic insecurity were to the middle and working classes. And as I explain in my book "Detectives in the Shadows: A Hard-Boiled History," the American public no longer yearned for fearless and invulnerable characters who glided above the worries of the world. They already had that in Herbert Hoover and in an oblivious top 1%, whose share of national income went from 12% in 1919 to 34% in 1929. Two years into the crisis, Americans who hoped a callous president might turn compassionate were disappointed: Hoover doubled down on his opposition to government aid, stating that "No governmental action, no economic doctrine, no economic plan or project can replace that God-imposed responsibility of the individual man and woman to their neighbors." A new hero emerges As Hoover's popularity started to decline, so did Race Williams'. Replacing him as the most popular pulp fiction detective was Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op, a hardworking detective who appeared in the novels "Red Harvest" and "The Dain Curse" and in dozens of short stories. Rather than being blithely indestructible, the Op was nameless, unpretentious and empathetic. Unlike Race Williams, who praised himself and reminded readers that his shots never missed, the Op was much less facile and camera-ready. Overweight, overworked and middle-aged, he paused to think and to talk with others. When surrounded by death and corruption, he worried that it was "getting to him." He showed that just making it through the day - with some combination of resilience and denial - was the way of the world, the way of all people. That sentiment was particularly sustaining during the Depression, when alarming circumstances remained beyond individual control. At that time in American history, the Op's no-nonsense understanding of desperation gained a new and enhanced currency. A middle-aged hero who did society's dirty work on very little sleep, who showed up whether he wanted to or not, seemingly indifferent to solitude and the absence of support, and yet willing to pursue the rich and hold their feet to the fire - this wasn't a person whose life Americans envied, but someone they wanted on their side. As it turned out, in the throes of the Depression, it was the sort of person more and more Americans were forced to be. Finally, it was the sort of person American wanted as president. In 1932, Americans elected - with 472 electoral votes - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who promised to shoulder the task of improving the country's economic fortunes. Like the Op, he was prepared to "speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly." And he understood that the government could help people navigate pain and turmoil. Even before the days of social distancing and empty supermarket shelves, Trump's harsh indifference to others cast a heavy shadow. As the nation faces a worsening pandemic and what promises to be the gravest economic downturn since the Great Depression, aggression and egotism cannot carry a nation. Indeed, it is negligence, and many Americans are starved for a leader who sees them. It's no wonder that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sharing his own experience with loneliness and acknowledging that this is as much a social crisis as a health crisis, has gained such a large following. Leaders in times of real crisis have to know how to serve - to combine everyday vulnerability with exceptional resilience. It's not enough to have a made-for-TV tough guy. As literature and history have shown, a fully rounded human and worker among workers - able to tolerate discomfort and put others first - is the leader we need. Susanna Lee is the author of: Detectives in the Shadows: A Hard-Boiled History. Johns Hopkins University Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. Susanna Lee, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Georgetown University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Advertisement TagsCoronavirus, Confrontation, trump Jasmine Manwell is staying in a tent on her mums lawn in Tauranga. She tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24. My mum has made it very comfortable for me, its more glamping, says the 23-year-old. Jasmine says she is the Bay of Plentys sixth person to test positive for coronavirus and wants her message to get through to her local community to self-isolate and stay home. Its not a nice virus, its very aggressive. I have many family members in the house so I would rather stay away from them. Jasmine works for an overseas tourism company and, along with other employees, lost her job due to coronavirus, returning immediately to NZ. On the second flight I had a dry throat and I just thought it was from the air conditioning on the plane, but at home I developed a sore throat. She found her trip back to NZ a scary experience and made sure to wear a mask, gloves and long sleeves through the airport, going into self-isolation immediately on her arrival. Luckily I took it seriously because after that I got a phone call saying I was positive, says Jasmine. I never would have guessed that it would have been me. If you think about it, and the number of cases in New Zealand, it may seem high but its also very low compared to the amount of people that populate New Zealand, which makes it even more scary that I happen to be one of those people who caught the virus. Its lucky I did wear gloves, mask and things through the airport, because I quite possibly caught it before I left to fly back. Were not sure at this stage where it came from, but it also possibly helped protect other people as I went through the airport, as I already had it. She arrived home in Tauranga having absolutely no idea that she was soon going to become very unwell. My mum picked me up from the airport in a hazmat suit and mask and she had googles on. First I thought it was quite funny seeing her wearing that but I understood why and I took it very seriously as I have a huge houseful of family members, and two nephews under the age of six. Mum set me up a cool tent in the back yard and she makes my meals for me. After I got home, I started to develop a sore throat, so she took me to the drive-through. Tauranga opened the Community Based Assessment Centre CBAC at the Tauranga Racecourse last Tuesday. This Friday the COVID-19 drive-through testing centre will be relocating to Baypark. I sat in the back seat of the van while she drove me to get tested, says Jasmine. Again, we both wore zip up suits, everything, the works, just in case. We take it a bit more seriously than other people seem to. And again, we were very lucky that we did, because I could be protecting and saving my own mothers life as well. Jasmine at the drive-through Community Based Assessment Centre for her Covid-19 test which turned out to be positive. Two days later I got a call to say I was tested positive. From there, Jasmine found that she quickly deteriorated. I got very bad body aches, all my muscles and my joints were very sore, I couldnt move very well out of my bed. She had to stay isolated in the tent outdoors away from the rest of her family and started to experience up and down fevers and episodes of confusion and anxiety. Overall, it does make you they say theres a symptom of feeling anxiety and confused - thats very true. Like I find it harddifficult to have a conversation with the nurse over the phone because I just felt so confused, like I cant make sense of what Im saying sometimes. Its very difficult to put the message across to some people about actually how serious this is. And I never would have thought that I would ever get it. She has a message for the younger population. At the end of the day you could be one of those very few people who catch something as aggressive as this. I understand that a lot of people think it only affects older people. And even for myself, this virus affects me very differently every day. And it does give me anxiety because my body feels a way that Ive never felt before. And it is scary not knowing whats happening. The other day I couldnt wake up, I couldnt get out of bed, because my muscles and my joints were so sore. Even the muscles in my jaw were so sore, I could hardly open my mouth to eat, because my body was fighting this virus, says Jasmine. It seems unreal when they tell you that you have this virus yet suddenly it hit me, and my body really felt like it was trying to kill it off. It just shows that even someone in their 20s, thats how your body has to behave, to fight something like this. So even when youre young, fit and healthy, it still is very worrisome to know whats happening and whats going to happen. Jasmines family of eight, in the house across the lawn, are also in complete lockdown. Its taken a toll on all of them, Jasmine says. Jasmine Manwell inside her tent singing a song the night before she found out she had tested positive for COVID-19. My sisters, their partners, their kids, my mum all of them are in the house and they cannot leave, they cant even go for a walk, not even to the supermarket. But we also follow those requirements and do it, staying home, because we dont want to affect our community. We cant get our groceries; we have someone bring them to us. So, we are all completely isolated and Im completed isolated away from my family. My mother brings me meals, but we stay two metres away from each other. Mum will come and talk to me from the top of the deck so that shes far away from me. In Jasmines video on Facebook, she was self-isolating in her tent, unaware that the very next day she would learn she had tested positive for COVID-19. That was me the day before I deteriorated, says Jasmine. After that, I dropped very quickly, and it was quite scary how quickly it affected my body. Over the past week, there has been an average of about 120 people per day visiting the CBAC at the Tauranga Racecourse. From Friday, the CBC will be open at the Trustpower Baypark Stadium, 81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui from 9am 6pm seven days a week and will be able to manage up to 500 people per day. Interviewed by Rosalie Liddle Crawford, (NZCS (Paramedical), Cert. Med. Microbiology, Spec. Immunohaematology) Email: Rosalie@topshelfdesign.com The 2020 US census suggests those of Lebanese, Egyptian and other MENA descent select white on the race question. The United States Census Bureau says the 2020 census is an opportunity to shape the future of your community, but for many Arabs, Iranians and others of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) descent, the decennial count is only a reminder of the lack of recognition. The US census, taken every 10 years since 1790, helps the federal government determine everything from congressional seats to how about $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed. Despite repeated attempts to add a MENA category, those of Middle Eastern and North African descent completing this years census, like in years past, will effectively be forced to identify as white a decision that some say aggregates Arabs and others numbers in favour of the white demographic. In a 2015 Census Bureau study, researchers concluded that it is optimal to use a dedicated Middle Eastern or North African category for the 2020 census. The researchers also wrote, The inclusion of a MENA category significantly decreased the overall percentage of respondents reporting as White. The administration of former President Barack Obama was considering adding a MENA category, but in 2018, officials said that a category would not be added, citing concerns that MENA was seen not as a race, but an ethnicity, which the bureau has not researched. The question about race lists Lebanese and Egyptian as examples of white. Residents can specify what ethnicity they identify with by writing it on the form. A screengrab of the planned 2020 question on race [US Census Bureau] Skewing data Advocates for the MENA categorys inclusion blame the administration of President Donald Trump, who has targeted many from the Middle East and North Africa, including signing an order that bans nationals from several Muslim-majority countries. The MENA category was a 95 percent certainty going to happen until the Trump administration came in, said Samer Khalaf, the national president of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Khalaf said the exclusion of the MENA category was a politicised act. Why? If you take Arabs out of the white category, its going to drop, Khalaf told Al Jazeera. Almost to the point that its going to be a white minority and God forbid that should happen when you basically have government officials who are white extremists. Mike Friedrich, a representative for the Census Bureau, said further research is still needed before implementing a MENA category. The bureau did not respond to questions on aggregated effects, conflicts with the OMB or how a category would affect federal funding for individuals from the MENA region. Stigmatisation Beyond these issues, a lack of recognition also allows for continued civil rights abuses and in the case of Arab-Americans, a further stigmatised image that can permeate into policy, advocates say. The many types of Arab-Americans all face consistent othering in political and popular discourse, said Matthew Jaber Stiffler, a University of Michigan professor of Arab-American studies, adding that their connection lies in being stereotyped by the general public. When a MENA demographic as diverse as Arabs is diminished into a one-dimensional group, Stiffler said, it creates a paradox: on one hand, Arab-Americans are connected by constantly fighting stereotypes and on the other, the lines of a racial hierarchy within the community are blurred. A 100 years ago, Arabs were literally fighting in court to be white, Stiffler said, who is also Arab-American. Identity for Arabs has always been in relation to the majority group. Signs advertising the 2020 US census cover a closed and boarded up business amid the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle, Washington [Brian Snyder/Reuters] The Naturalization Act of 1790, the same year the census started, allowed citizenship only to a free white person. In 1915, George Dow, an immigrant from Syria, had to prove he was white and not Asiatic to gain citizenship. Over the years, laws better reflected the nations racial makeup. It was only until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that the US outlawed discrimination in the naturalisation process. However, with issues like the Muslim ban and immigration, Stiffler said, it reinforces the tenor that all Arabs look or act a certain way. A MENA category would represent a diverse set of dismissed identities with specific needs ... Getting census data would be a good start to meet those needs. Jad Elharake Former University of Michigan students Jad Elharake, Nadine Jawad and Ibtihal Makki led their school in 2017 including a MENA category on university applications. Elharake, who spearheaded the movement, said a diverse group of MENA people supported their efforts with no pushback. The trio hopes their efforts are reflected in a future census. A MENA category would represent a diverse set of dismissed identities with specific needs, Elharake said. Getting census data would be a good start to meet those needs. This years census is also taking place during the coronavirus pandemic, which experts say could skew the data even further, experts say. For someone like Stuart Elnagdy, who is half-Egyptian and half-Mexican, filling the census has one problem: no accurate choice, he said. If theres no other, then I choose Hispanic, he said. I would prefer a MENA box over anything else but Im definitely not putting down white. My Latino side already went through that fight. Florida governor Ron DeSantis today issued a 30-day stay-at-home order for the state. Floridas approximately 21 million residents are instructed to remain at home unless they are pursuing essential services or activities. Its not clear what DeSantis accomplished by delaying this effort to mitigate the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Floridas economy will now be hammered. The state might experience the worst of all worlds. The bigger question, which John raised last night in a thoughtful and informative post, is the degree to which stay-at-home orders will save lives. John wrote: Sheltering in place wont prevent the COVID-19 virus from working its way through the population, it will just do so more slowly. That view seems to be widely shared by epidemiologists. This doesnt mean that sheltering in place wont save lives. It will. For one thing, as John noted, lives will be saved by flattening the infection curve because if the same number of infections is spread out over time, hospitals will be better able to prevent the infected from dying. Why? Because there wont be the kinds of acute shortages of equipment, such as ventilators, and staff that we experience during extreme peaks of infection. Thats not necessarily all. While the spread is delayed, we may find medicines that treat the infection effectively. Delaying the spread might also mean reducing the spread if it turns out that the virus doesnt do well in warm weather. Its even possible that, over time, the virus mutates or simply goes away. So sheltering in place will save lives. But how many? We dont know. But I think it was reasonable for John to conclude that it wont save nearly as many lives as some modelers and politicians would have us believe. It seems implausible that in Britain, the ways in which staying at home reduces fatalities (as described above) can swing the number of deaths from around 500,000 to fewer than 20,000, as Dr. Neil Fergusons models indicate. And it seems absurd to suppose that staying at home in Minnesota will reduce the death total there from more than 70,000 (as the governors model apparently forecasts) to a little more than 1,000 (as a University of Washington model, IHME) predicts. In absolute numbers, staying at home might well produce a substantial reduction in deaths without decreasing the total number of infections. But I doubt it will produce such a reduction in large multiples. This raises the question of whether such orders are desirable, given their economic impact. More acutely, it raises the question of how long such orders should remain in place. Yesterday, I learned from one of my daughters that Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia (Mr. Black Face himself), has directed that citizens of the Commonwealth stay at home until June 10. Virginians would surely balk at an order of this duration if informed that complying wont reduce the odds of them becoming infected, but will only delay the date of infection. This is particularly true given that a very high percentage of those infected wont die from the virus even if hospitals are flooded. But is it really the case that staying at home has no effect on the number of infections (absent a hot weather effect of which we are unsure)? Would all of the 77 people said to have become infected at a Biotech conference in Boston have been infected eventually, even absent the conference and even if they stayed at home for two and a half months? Would all of the hundreds of people in South Korea said to have been infected by Patient 31 after she attended two church services have been infected eventually anyway? Im not sure about Boston, but I believe most of the people in South Korea who were infected thanks to Patient 31 would have avoided infection had she stayed at home. Why? Because South Korea was still in containment mode. In other words, it was (or is said to have been) effectively testing, tracking, and isolating. As I understand it, when a country or area is in that mode, infections on a large scale can be avoided, as apparently happened in South Korea. The infected are identified through tracking and testing. Isolated, they either die or get better and (we think) are no longer capable of transmitting the virus. The rest of the population mostly avoids infection (though the tracking/testing/isolation cycle must be continued). The problem in the U.S. is that, at least until recently, we didnt have nearly enough tests to do tracking/testing/isolation. (For a good explanation of why that was, go here.) Now, its too late, at least in much of the country. Thus, were in mitigation mode, which means flattening the infection curve but not reducing total infections. However, it may be possible that, by staying at home, we can get back to containment mode. While we self isolate, the infected die or get better and can (we think) no longer transmit the virus. Thus, the infection rate is sharply reduced, as is the number of now-current infections. To be sure, not all infections will be extinguished even after months of sheltering in place, and once the stay-at-home order is lifted, the infected will be able to start spreading the virus rapidly. However, the number of now-current infections might be low enough that we can restore our missed opportunity to contain the virus through testing, tracking, and isolating the reduced number of carriers. (This assumes, of course, that we have enough tests. We should, by then.) In this way, the sheltering in place will enable us not just to flatten the infection curve, but also to reduce the number of infections. The purpose of this post is not to defend or attack stay-at-home orders in general or any such order in particular (okay, I am attacking the Virginia governors order). The purpose is to try to advance my understanding, and perhaps that of others, of the virtues and limits of such orders from a public health perspective. As always, the economic effects of such orders must also be considered. CONAKRY, Guinea - Guinea has voted to change its constitution, according to provisional results from a referendum that could see the West African countrys president remain in power for two more terms. Nearly 92% of voters on March 22 supported the change, according to the head of Guineas electoral commission, Amadou Salifou Kebe, who gave the results late Friday. The proposal would keep a two-term limit on presidencies, but increase the length of each term from five years to six. President Alpha Conde, whose second and final term ends in December, has implied that his previous terms served would not count, meaning the 82-year-old could remain in office for another 12 years. A coalition of opposition and civil society groups, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution, demonstrated against the proposal and boycotted the referendum. Opposition parties said at least 10 people were killed in violence surrounding Sundays vote, while the government said 4 died. Despite the boycott, violence and fears surrounding the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the turnout was 61%, according to Kebe. Guineans also voted for National Assembly seats. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The National Bureau of Investigation has summoned Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto to explain his supposed violation of the national government's policy on the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. NBI Spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin told CNN Philippines in a text message that they have sent Sotto a letter requiring him to appear at their office on April 7. He said the mayor has to respond to allegations that he violated Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act which was recently passed to address the coronavirus disease crisis. If Sotto fails to show up, "then we proceed with the investigation," Lavin said, adding that the NBI's Anti-Graft Division is handling it. Sotto previously earned the ire of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in March when he ordered the limited mobilization of tricycles in the city to help bring health workers and patients with urgent needs to hospitals. This is prohibited under the enhanced community quarantine guidelines, which include the suspension of mass transport. Sotto has since complied with the ban. In a televised media briefing, Sotto confirmed receiving a letter from the NBI. He said it did not specify the violation he supposedly committed. "Nakasulat lang, in parentheses pa, ibig sabihin ng e.g. di ba, halimbawa, example, e.g. continuous tricyle operation," Sotto said. "In the first place hindi totoo yun, noong sinabi nilang tigil tumigil kami," he added. [Translation: What was written was, in parentheses, meaning for example, continuous tricycle operation. In the first place, that's not true. When they asked us to stop, we stopped.] Sotto said that when the national government turned down his request to allow some tricycles to operate for the sake of health workers, he immediately complied. He added that even if he was airing his own opinion, the city government has always complied with national government directives. Sotto also pointed out that the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act was only enacted on March 24, days after the tricycle issue. When asked if the law has a retroactive effect to apply on Sotto's case, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said "penal provisions of any law are not applied retroactively unless the offense is a continuing one and its commission has not been stopped." He added that there's no letter from the Department of Justice "addressed specifically to Mayor Vico Sotto," but it asked the NBI to monitor all actions of local government units and investigate any violations to the guidelines set by the inter-agency task force. Lavin also clarified that the NBI is not singling Sotto out as it also invited the barangay chairman of Talon Uno, Las Pinas. Meanwhile, Sotto said the summons was "extra work, extra hassle," but it will not stop him from doing his job during the crisis. Ontario began enhancing the pandemic data it provides to the public earlier this week, but provincial health officials are not reporting more than 1,000 cases that are very likely to be COVID-19 but lack lab confirmation because of test rationing, backlogs or flawed results. Ontarios official tally of COVID-19 cases 2,392 as of Wednesday only counts laboratory-confirmed cases. Experts have warned that this number significantly underestimates the true spread of disease, both because constraints on lab capacity means not everyone with symptoms is being tested and because testing backlogs mean todays results reflect infections that occurred weeks ago. Local public health units, however, also report probable cases to the province. Ontarios Ministry of Health would not provide the total number of probable cases, but the Stars survey of health units this week counted more than 1,100. That number is likely to fluctuate given the rapidly evolving epidemic. Probable cases are people who have symptoms and whose travel history or close contact with another case makes them very likely to have COVID-19, but whose laboratory test results are unavailable, inconclusive or negative. Some dont have lab confirmation because with limited capacity, tests are being prioritized for sicker patients and for high-risk groups like health-care workers. Others are awaiting their test results, though not everyone with a pending test result will count as probable. Some received a negative result that seems suspect, given their history or contacts. Ontario does not include these probable cases in its daily total or anywhere in its public information. Some local public health units have begun to report probable cases totals on their own websites, however, including Toronto. On Tuesday, Toronto Public Health reported a total of 793 COVID-19 cases. Of those, 628 cases are laboratory-confirmed, and 165 are probable. A day earlier, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontarios Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health said that these probable cases are not a high priority. We know some public health units are entering them and some are not. And theyre not as high priority as the confirmed cases, Yaffe said at a press conference Monday in response to the Stars questions. There should not be too many probable cases its related to lab testing capacity, and as you hear, lab testing capacity is going up. So hopefully well be dealing mostly with confirmed cases. Experts disagreed. This is vital information we need to know, said Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the University of Toronto. This gives us a much better understanding of what the true burden of illness is in Ontario. This can be factored into some of the equations that we use to determine whether or not our curve is truly being flattened. It seems unusual that this information is available but not being shared. Bogoch said it was great Toronto was sharing the probable case count on its website. Were all for honesty, openness and transparency of data. That includes sharing the good news but also sharing the bad news as well. The Star contacted public health units across the province to gather the number of probable cases. Local health units, which are charged with managing the COVID-19 response in their region, report new COVID-19 cases to the province through an integrated tracking system. Ontarios official definition of a COVID-19 case includes both lab-confirmed and probable patients. A small number of public health units said they didnt have any cases that met the probable criteria, or didnt use this definition, focusing on lab-confirmed cases only. Some didnt answer the Stars requests, and one Grey Bruce claimed that the information was proprietary to the province. How Ontario's probable cases of COVID-19 compare to the official tally The Star surveyed local public health units this week and compared the number of confirmed and probable cases in each unit with the province's total count of cases that were confirmed through a test. 1100 The number of very likely COVID-19 cases in the province that lack lab confirmation because of test rationing, backlogs or flawed results. 2392 Ontarios official tally of COVID-19 cases, as of Wednesday morning. 793 Total number of COVID-19 cases in Toronto, as of Tuesday. 165 The number of probable cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, as of Tuesday. These were the numbers reported by local public heath units as of April 1, 2020 on Wednesday morning. Source: Star reporting; Local public health units; Ontario's Ministry of Health Others reported the number online or provided it to the Star. Earlier this week, Southwestern had five lab-confirmed and 30 probable cases, Sudbury had seven lab-confirmed and three probable cases, Peel had 197 lab-confirmed and eight probable cases, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph had 40 lab-confirmed and 15 probable cases. Those numbers have likely since shifted, given how quickly the outbreak is evolving. Hastings-Prince Edward now releases information about its probable case total online as well. The region, which has 11 lab-confirmed cases, has 253 probable cases as of Wednesday, up from 219 from two days earlier. On Tuesday, Middlesex-London said it had 640 probable cases on top of its 52 lab-confirmed cases. A spokesperson for the health unit emphasized that this number was dynamic, changing daily or even hourly. While the number of lab-confirmed cases would continue to rise, the number of probable cases could decrease, as people with pending test results are either moved into the confirmed category or are ruled out. Some of those probable cases would never be tested for clinical reasons, the spokesperson said. Doctors may choose not to test patients with mild respiratory symptoms: if a patient is well enough to recover at home, and if they, say, just got back from northern Italy or lives with their brother who is a confirmed case, it would not change the clinical management of the case to get what is very likely to be a positive test result. A test of insignificant clinical value might be considered a waste of limited laboratory resources. However, experts say that widespread testing is still important because it gives us a truer sense of how wide the scope of the outbreak is here. Provincial labs are scaling up testing, with new hospital-based and other facilities coming online to add to the volume processed by Public Health Ontarios primary lab. Ontarios top doctors say the volume of tests processed daily will rise above 15,000 by later in April, and the testing backlog is shrinking daily. On the one hand, we should be happy that were expanding diagnostic testing now. But on the other hand, during a critical time in Ontarios epidemic we were still restricting diagnostic testing when we really need to have a much better understanding of what the true burden of illness is in the province, and thats disappointing. On Wednesday, Yaffe confirmed that the province wouldnt include the probable cases in its tally. Until we know that all the health units are actually counting probable cases and inputting them into (the provinces integrated case-tracking database), we would not be able to count them because it would not give us a complete picture. As the lab capacity goes up, there will be less probable cases. That is my hope. So its good that the health units have decided, those that are entering the data, to put it out. Thats fine. But until theyre all entering it we really cant put it in. Even the probable and confirmed cases combined still dont capture the true burden of illness in the province, however, since some people with mild symptoms never seek health care at all. Bogoch credited Ontario for adding more data to its case information website earlier this week, calling it a good start. But he called the probable case counts necessary information. How many confirmed cases, how many probable cases? This is textbook epidemiology. This is textbook epidemiology. We need to know. A U.S. appeals court ruled that a Texas abortion ban is back in effect - at least for now. The order limits women's ability to receive abortions - part of the state stopping non-urgent medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. The Tuesday (March 31) ruling came from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just a day after a federal judge blocked the Texas ban and called it unconstitutional. Texas is one of five states that took steps to limit access to abortion and linked those steps to COVID-19. The fast-moving litigation facing Texas could soon reach the conservative-majority Supreme Court. The Fifth Circuit's green light on Tuesday lets state officials enforce the abortion limits while the legal merits of the ban are decided in the courts. The order was announced last week by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. Paxton said the ruling would quote, "justly prioritize supplies and personal protective equipment" for doctors fighting the spread of COVID-19. Abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood tried to block the Texas policy on Monday (March 30) after clinics said they were forced to cancel hundreds of abortion appointments across the state. They argue that the restrictions violate the rights to abortion recognized by the Supreme Court in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Alabama and Oklahoma all previously pursued abortion restrictions and are now cracking down during the pandemic. Abortion rights advocates have criticized the actions as political opportunism. The new figures brought the total number of infections in the Southeast Asian country to 1,771 and 12 fatalities Bangkok: Thailand confirmed 120 new coronavirus cases and two more deaths on Wednesday, said a spokesman of the governments Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. The new figures brought the total number of infections in the Southeast Asian country to 1,771 and 12 fatalities. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak The two new deaths included a 79-year-old Thai man from a southern province who attended a wedding in Malaysia in early March and a 58-year-old businessman who returned from England last month, spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin said. In addition to the usual rambling, President Donald Trumps daily briefings of efforts to contain and combat the coronavirus have featured another regular bit that has begun to reoccur with dreadful predictability. It goes like this: The president is asked a question by a reporter. The president then insults that reporter. Within two minutes, the reporter's name begins to trend on Twitter. Articles are written, and at least some cable news channels focus their coverage of the press conference not on the number of ventilators that governors have managed to squeeze out of the president's hands but on the number of insults the president managed to squeeze into a 30-second television sound bite. And 24 hours later, at the next press conference, it begins again. There was the time NBC News reporter Peter Alexander asked Trump whether he was giving Americans false hope and asked the president, What do you say to Americans who are scared? "I say that you are a terrible reporter," Trump replied. There was the time a reporter asked about the president's tweets in which he alleged that the media wants the country to remain closed to hurt his reelection campaign. "I think it is very clear that there are people in your profession that write fake news," Trump retorted. "You do, she does." There was the Sunday evening episode in this new TV drama. Yamiche Alcindor, a PBS NewsHour reporter, asked the president about comments hed made on Sean Hannitys show suggesting that governors were exaggerating their need for ventilators. The president denied he'd made the remarks, and when Alcindor began to quote him back to himself, he cut her off. "You know, why don't you people act ... a little more positive?" He said. "It's always get you, get you, get you," he went on. "Be nice. Don't be threatening." And on Monday night, like clockwork, it happened again. What do you say to Americans who believe that you got this wrong? CNNs Jim Acosta asked the president. Its people like you and CNN that say things like that, Trump seethed. Its why people just dont want to listen to CNN anymore. You could ask a normal question. Within minutes, Acosta, #WhiteHouseBriefing and #BoycottTrumpBriefings were all trending on Twitter. It's astonishing. At a time when a pandemic is raging across the world, with millions of Americans unsure of where their next meal is coming from and whether they will have a job to go back to, the thing preoccupying the Twitterati is the president insulting journalists. Needless to say, the president should not be engaging in such undignified displays and personal attacks; they are beneath the office he holds, and they convey a sense of "open season" on the press that evokes the well-known practices of more successful, less buffoonish autocratic leaders. Yet Trumps attacks are not and never have been about silencing the press; they have always been about appropriating it. If theres one thing Trump knows how to do, its how to keep cameras rolling, how to keep them on him. Hes hacked the mainstream media, and realized that despite their routine threats to stop carrying his news briefings, the one thing the media -- like Trump -- finds irresistible is a story about itself. The president all but admitted that this is his motivation in a Sunday morning tweet: "President Trump is a ratings hit," he tweeted gleefully. The bit wouldn't work if the media didn't do its part turning themselves and their wounded sense of their own importance into the story day after day. It's a perfectly symbiotic relationship. To millions of Americans living in deep fear and uncertainty, a reporter asking "What message does President Trump lashing out at reporters send to countries around the world?" is just the flip side of the ridiculous and embarrassing One America News Network reporters asking the president questions designed to flatter his ego. Enough. Batya Ungar-Sargon is opinion editor at The Forward. Related Content: More than 1.7 million people may have contracted Covid-19 so far, according to the NHS. New figures from NHS 111 online show there were 1,496,651 web-based assessments which flagged potential coronavirus cases based on peoples symptoms between 18 March and 31 March. A further 243,543 assessments via the NHS 111 and 999 phone lines also concluded people had possibly contracted the disease. But the assessment numbers do not necessarily relate to individual people, the NHS said, as it is possible people have sought help more than once or through various channels. The data, published by NHS Digital, comes after GP practices in England were told to open over the Easter Bank Holiday to help the NHS cope with coronavirus. It is thought infections from the virus could hit a peak over the period. The British Medical Association told members emergency changes to ... contract regulations are being made which are likely to lead to practices being required to be open on Good Friday and Easter Monday. The UK government is under pressure to address concerns over the lack of Covid-19 tests available either to frontline NHS workers or the public. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said maximum testing capacity in the UK was currently very constrained at around 13,000 tests per day. Meanwhile, in Germany, around 70,000 people are being tested for the virus each day. The housing and communities secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme he expects there to be 25,000 tests per day by the middle of April. The promise of just 25,000 tests per day by mid-April comes in stark contrast to comments made by NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis, who said last Wednesday there would be hundreds of thousands of tests per day within the next few weeks. Asked on LBC radio if the kit was in place, Prof Powis said: We are getting the kit... you heard me correctly, we need to get to hundreds of thousands of tests a day, and we will do that over the course of the next few weeks. Additional reporting by PA WASHINGTON - In the solitude of her bedroom, she sits on a faded teal rug and writes messages to loved ones around the country. A note to a grandmother. A hello to a friend. A love letter to a new relationship stalled by a pandemic with no end in sight. In a time of mass-quarantines, stay-at-home orders and social isolation, LaNae Fluellen describes each postcard as a little lifeline - to unemployed people like her who make $15 an hour hand-writing these messages, and to the recipients who, she hopes, feel less alone when they open their mail. Fluellen, 22, is one of nearly 2,000 people who applied to write postcards for close to minimum wage after The Outrage, a downtown activism incubator and retail shop, put a call out for people in need of work to handwrite postcards to and for people around the country. The District last week reported unemployment claims increased 18-fold over two weeks, to nearly 25,000 - a number that surpasses 100,000 when adding Maryland and Virginia. Nationally, a record 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits during a single week last month, a worrisome metric that economists say is only the beginning of a spike in joblessness. The overwhelming need for work became clear to Rebecca Lee Funk, co-founder of The Outrage, when, 24 hours into launching The Postcard Project, the retailer received nearly 1,000 applications. The first week, she said, she hired a dozen people. Several dozen more will be brought on this month. "That has been the most profoundly sobering part," Funk said. "People are clamoring to write postcards for $15 an hour. What does that say about the state we're in in our country?" Virtual tip jars and GoFundMe campaigns have sprung up to help restaurant workers, barbers, fitness instructors, massage therapists, bartenders and other workers whose jobs have been lost in a shutdown meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. When Funk shut down The Outrage's brick-and-mortar location in mid-March, she asked community members what the store could do to support them from afar. Some said they wished they had a way to stay connected to loved ones, while others said they needed a job. "I have a list of thousands of people who are looking for work. Do I give each person 10 hours of work? Like 150 bucks? Or do I give fewer people meaningful income that could, like, pay rent for the next month?" Funk said. "Those are very heavy questions that I did not have to grapple with a month ago. A month ago, we were talking to investors about opening hubs for activism all around the country, and now, for the foreseeable future, we're a postcard company." In its first week, Funk said, The Outrage sold about 2,000 postcards. Irene Scher, 33, bought more than 100 of them. Scher, who lives in San Francisco and follows The Outrage on social media after volunteering with the store during the first Women's March on Washington in 2017, was supposed to get married in June. The pandemic upended her plans. Instead of sending invitations, Scher said, she is sending postponement postcards encouraging friends and family to stay safe and stay home. "I wanted to do something that might have a positive social impact," Scher said. "A lot of people are finding meaning and comfort in being able to do something to connect to people right now." The Outrage is selling the postcards online on a sliding scale of $3, $5 and $10 apiece. The customer can choose how much to spend. A $3 payment covers the cost of the card and the labor to hand write a message. A $5 payment covers the card, labor and some of The Outrage's overhead. A $10 payment will also go toward keeping the store afloat and paying its employees, who were told they would be paid for scheduled shifts through the end of April. New designs will be released weekly, Funk said, with guest designs by social media influencers and celebrities. Cards in stock have messages like "we can do hard things." "I'm grappling with questions like, how can we bring our community together? It's tough. It's a crazy time," Funk said. "I've been having all the feels from all these people writing in." Customers fill out a form that tells the postcard writers where to address the message and what to write. Workers are given a spreadsheet detailing how each card should be filled out. Each writer receives about 80 postcards per shift. For card writers like Fluellen, whose hours at the hostel where she works have been cut due to the public health crisis, writing postcards has afforded a financial buffer in a time of increasing uncertainty. For some, it will help pay rent, Funk said. Fluellen said it has afforded her grocery money. "What people should understand is right now anything helps," Fluellen said. "A lot of people are panicking right now, and a lot of people are panicking alone. If in some small way I can help someone not feel alone and other people can help some of us feel less financially stressed by purchasing these postcards, it's such a small and easy way to help each other." The messages she writes are messages of hope, encouragement, love. As she sits on the floor of her room, the scent of lavender incense drifting through the air, Fluellen tries to feel those feelings, too. It's made her long for deeper connections in her own life and search for ways to reach out to the people she loves. Last week, Fluellen printed out photos of herself to send to her aunt and grandmother in Florida. "Something I've learned from writing these messages in the postcards is having a constant fear or anxiety during this time isn't going to help," she said. "What helps is letters of encouragement, reaching out to people every day, telling my mom that I love her. Letting the people I care about know that I care about them even though I can't be with them. That's something we can all do." Now fans of Superstar Mahesh Babu and Tamil top star Vijay are clashing with each other on Twitter. Neither Mahesh Babu nor Vijay have any rivalry. They are not competitors either. Both of them work in different industries. Still, fans have started ugly hashtags on Twitter. The fight between the fan clubs of Ajith and Vijay is well-known. And now, it's across industries. Two soldiers of the Military Emergency Unit are seen carrying material to disinfect the nursing and day centre ORPEA Sanchinarro for the second time to stop coronavirus infection on April 01, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. Europa Press News The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. Global cases: More than 856,900 Global deaths: At least 42,081 Top 5 countries: United States (187,919), Italy (105,792), Spain (95,923), China (82,278), and Germany (71,808) The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 7:58 a.m. Beijing time. All times below are in Beijing time. 7:13 pm: Putin to hold meeting by video-conference after contact with coronavirus doctor, Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a government meeting on Wednesday by video conference, the Kremlin said, Reuters reported. It comes a day after a doctor who met Putin last week said he had been diagnosed with the virus. Denis Protsenko last week gave Putin a tour of Moscow's main coronavirus hospital and shook hands with the Russian leader. Protsenko is now self-isolating in his office. The Kremlin, which has said that everything is fine with Putin's health, said on Wednesday he was keeping his distance from other people and preferred to work remotely. Holly Ellyatt 6:36 pm: Spain now has more than 100,000 cases, record daily death toll Spain now has 102,136 coronavirus cases, its health ministry reported Wednesday, with the number of fatalities over the last 24 hours reaching a record 864 people. A total number of 9,053 people have now died from the disease in Spain. The total number of cases rose by 7,719 from Tuesday. Holly Ellyatt Tweet 6:00 pm: UK urges hospitals to increase testing for coronavirus The U.K.'s health minister has asked hospitals to use spare laboratory space to test frontline and self-isolating NHS staff for coronavirus, amid concerns of a lack of testing for health care workers, and potentially unnecessary staff absences. Health Secretary Matt Hancock called for more testing of health service workers as pressure grows on the government over its small amount of testing compared to other countries, like Germany. Another government minister, Michael Gove, said the U.K. had to go "further, faster" to increase testing. Holly Ellyatt 5:03 pm: Indonesia set to open emergency coronavirus hospital on uninhabited island Indonesia will by next week open a new coronavirus emergency hospital on the uninhabited island of Galang, Reuters reported Wednesday. The authorities there have reportedly re-purposed a former Vietnam war era refugee camp as part of efforts to rapidly augment health care capacities. Indonesia has recorded 1,677 cases of coronavirus as of April 1, and 157 deaths - the highest mortality rate in Southeast Asia. It's believed the infection rate among Indonesia's population of 260 million could be substantially higher, while official data from mid-March shows the country has only about 12 hospital beds per 10,000 people. Holly Ellyatt Workers using heavy equipment lift medical equipment to be used for Corona Special Hospital (COVID-19) at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, , on March 12, 2020.. A number of medical devices for the Corona Special Hospital on Galang Island which were transported by the TNI Air Force Squadron 31 type A-1317 Halim Perdanakusuma. NurPhoto 4:30 pm: US, Italy and Spain have the most coronavirus cases. These charts show their infection curves The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shown few signs of abating and is now one of the largest threats to the global economy and financial markets. The virus, first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has spread to 180 countries and territories, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, more than 850,000 infections have been reported, with over 42,000 deaths, the data showed. Take a look at these seven charts that show how the coronavirus disease, which has been formally named COVID-19, has spread in countries with the largest outbreaks. Yen Nee Lee and Audrey Cher 4:08 pm: Italy's manufacturing activity fell to a 131-month low in March Italy's manufacturing sector saw activity fall to its lowest level in nearly 11 years in March, purchasing managers' index (PMI) data from IHS Markit showed Wednesday. Italy saw the sharpest deterioration in operating conditions, IHS Markit said, with the manufacturing PMI falling to 40.3. The euro zone's manufacturing PMI for March came in at 44.5, below an initial reading of 44.8. Elsewhere, France, Ireland and Spain all saw multiyear low readings for their PMIs. Only the Netherlands recorded a PMI above the 50.0 level in March, though growth there was marginal. The 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction. Holly Ellyatt 3:15 pm: Forecast of 6% fall in Italy's GDP in 2020 is 'realistic,' economy minister says Italy's Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said on Wednesday that a forecast of a 6% fall in gross domestic product due to the coronavirus emergency this year is realistic. The forecast was made by Italian business lobby Confindustria. "Unfortunately the estimates are realistic ... at the same time we can aim for a vigorous recovery," Gualtieri told newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano in an interview published Wednesday. "The more rigorous and effective we are in tackling the epidemic, the sooner we can start again. The economic measures that we are taking to avoid layoffs, support income and provide all the liquidity necessary to avoid a reduction in production capacity are all necessary," he said. Holly Ellyatt 2:20 pm: Macao's gaming revenue plunge 80% in March Gaming revenue in Macao dived 79.7% in March year-on-year as the flow of tourists dried up due to the pandemic, Reuters reported, citing the Chinese territory's government. It said that major operators Wynn Macau, Sands China, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment were all losing between $1.5 million and $4 million a day to keep operations going. Last week, Macao banned visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan who have traveled overseas, following an earlier ban on foreign visitors. Weizhen Tan 1:30 pm: China reports 36 new cases, 7 deaths China's National Health Commission (NHC) reported 36 new cases as of March 31, of which 35 were "imported." It had seven more deaths, of which 6 were in Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak. That brings China's total to 81,554 confirmed cases and 3,312 deaths, the NHC said. Starting Wednesday, the NHC will report data on asymptomatic cases under medical observation. There were 130 new asymptomatic cases as of March 31, with a total of 1,367 under this observation, according to the NHC. Weizhen Tan, Christine Wang 12:20 pm: Investors can do some buying as markets are 'a lot cheaper,' says billionaire investor Howard Marks Oaktree Capital co-chairman Howard Marks is leaning toward a more negative outlook because of the uncertainty from the coronavirus pandemic, but still, he said investors can do some buying as "things have gotten cheap enough." He urged investors to take a moderate approach in these uncertain times, adding that his approach "is not black or white, buy or sell." "I never believe that I know when's the bottom, but I know things have gotten a lot cheaper and it's reasonable to do some buying. If it goes lower, do more buying," Marks told CNBC's Tanvir Gill. Weizhen Tan 11:23 am: Nissan suspends production at Kyushu plant after employee tests positive Nissan Motor said it stopped operating the vehicle production line at its Kyushu plant to begin disinfection work after an employee there tested positive for COVID-19 on March 31. It did not give an indication of when operations may resume, saying that it would be decided based on the guidance of health authorities. Last week, the automaker said it would temporarily adjust production at three of its manufacturing facilities in Japan due to decreased demand in the automobile market. Saheli Roy Choudhury 11:05 am: A private survey shows China's manufacturing activity expanded slightly in March Business confidence in China improved as output resumed gradually after lockdowns were lifted, a private survey showed. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index for March was 50.1. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the Caixin/Markit PMI to come in at 45.5, compared with February's sharpest contraction on record at 40.3. PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that level signal contraction. Caixin and IHS Markit noted demand challenges ahead. The Chinese government implemented large-scale lockdowns and quarantines of millions of people since late January to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, formally known as COVID-19. This restricted movement and economic activity. Huileng Tan 11 am: Japanese carmakers brace for US sales shock as coronavirus hits consumers As the U.S. auto industry braces for the biggest downturn since the 2008 financial crisis, analysts are counting the cost for Japan's automakers whose fortunes depend heavily on the world's second-largest car market. To reect weaker U.S. demand, Goldman Sachs slashed its combined operating prot estimate for seven Japanese automakers by 22% in a note to clients last week. Nissan is projected to fare the worst under Goldman's revision, with fiscal year 2021 operating prot forecast cut by 92%. Nancy Hungerford 10:30 am: South Korea reports 101 new cases, three additional deaths Another 101 people in South Korea were confirmed to have the coronavirus, bringing the country's total number of infections to 9,887, according to the latest numbers from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three more people died from the virus; the total death toll in the country stands at 165. Though the infection rate in South Korea has relatively slowed down compared to what it was at its peak in late February, new reported daily cases are still hovering near or above 100. As part of the measures to contain the spread of infection, South Korea made it mandatory for all new arrivals to the country to be placed in self-quarantine for 14 days starting Wednesday, Yonhap reported. Those who do not have a place of residence in the country will be charged around 100,000 Korean won ($82) a day for using public facilities, according to the news agency. Saheli Roy Choudhury 9:36 am: HSBC, StanChart shares fall in Hong Kong 9:15 am: Los Angeles encourages residents to report non-essential businesses violating stay-at-home orders Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti asked Los Angeles residents to report businesses violating the city's order to stay at home and said that recurring violations could be submitted to a new city website. 144 businesses in Los Angeles have been visited by the LAPD in relation to violations of the order, according to the mayor. Washington state earlier released a web form on Monday to speed up the process of reporting businesses violating that state's stay home order. "You know the old expression about snitches, well, in this case, snitches get rewards. We want to thank you for turning folks in and making sure we are all safe," Garcetti said. Kif Leswing 8:50 am: Japan's large manufacturers are pessimistic about business conditions The Bank of Japan's "Tankan" survey showed Japanese manufacturers are pessimistic about business conditions in the country. The closely-watched sentiment index among large manufacturers fell to negative 8 in the three months that ended on March 31 from zero in the October-December quarter; a negative reading implies most of them see business conditions to be unfavorable. It underscored the challenges Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces as he attempts to navigate Japan's economy through the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Sentiment also worsened among medium and small manufacturing companies as well as the non-manufacturing firms. Snow falls as people wearing face masks walk through the Asakusa district on March 29, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images The indexes are calculated by subtracting the percentage of businesses which said they find conditions unfavorable from those that said they find it favorable. The survey is often an indicator of Japan's economic health and factors into the central bank's considerations for monetary policy implementation. Saheli Roy Choudhury 7:46 am: Korean Air reportedly to suspend flights to Washington DC Korean Air will suspend flights to Washington D.C. starting April 13 through to the end of May, Reuters reported. The airline cited the coronavirus as a reason and a spokesperson said passenger demand for air travel to the U.S. fell sharply due to the rapid spread of the virus there, Reuters said. Korean Air has already suspended or reduced routes between Incheon and a number of U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. Saheli Roy Choudhury 7:39 am: Global coronavirus death toll over 42,000 The fast-spreading coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has killed at least 42,081 people around the world since it was first reported in China's Hubei province late last year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Most of the deaths occurred in Europe: 12,428 people have died in Italy, 8,464 in Spain and 3,523 in France. China has recorded 3,309 deaths to-date, though some have raised questions about the accuracy of the reported numbers there. There are at least 856,955 cases of infection worldwide, with more than 187,919 infected in the United States alone. About 177,917 people have recovered from the disease, most of them in China, followed by Spain, Germany, Italy, and Iran. Saheli Roy Choudhury All times below are in Eastern time. 6:51 pm: Senators push Mnuchin to guarantee oversight of $500 billion bailout fund Leading Democratic senators called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to ensure proper oversight of a $500 billion fund aimed at helping companies hit by the coronavirus' economic fallout. The fund, which was established as part of a more than $2 trillion stimulus bill President Donald Trump signed into law last week, became a point of contention for Democrats who worried that earlier versions of the bill gave Mnuchin too much discretion over how the funds are dispersed. After tense negotiations, Republicans and Mnuchin agreed to add an inspector general to oversee that fund, as well as a congressional committee. But Trump on Friday questioned the authority of the inspector general. According to a signing statement he released alongside the bill, he declared his belief that the inspector general needs his permission before letting Congress know whether Mnuchin or Treasury block efforts to glean information. Lauren Hirsch 5:56 pm: White House predicts 100,000 to 240,000 will die in US from coronavirus President Donald Trump prepared Americans for a coming surge in coronavirus cases, calling COVID-19 a plague and saying the U.S. is facing a "very, very painful two weeks." "This is going to be a rough two-week period," Trump said at a White House press conference. White House officials are projecting between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the U.S. with fatalities peaking over the next two weeks. "When you look at night, the kind of death that has been caused by this invisible enemy, it's incredible." Berkeley Lovelace Jr. 5:36 pm: CDC says diabetes, lung disease, heart disease and smoking may increase risk of severe coronavirus illness Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 07:38:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Workers upload food aid provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) at a refugee camp in Gaza City, March 31, 2020. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Add CoolSocial badge. Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Clixserve.com scored 43 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 22 Nov 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Add a widget like this on your site: click here The total number of people who shared the clixserve homepage on Delicious. 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Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. 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 type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND A Chinese teenager studying in the UK has become the first person to bring the novel coronavirus back to Wuhan, the former centre of the pandemic. The city last week declared that it had largely curbed the outbreak after recording only one new infection in 10 days. Local health officials today reported the 16-year-old student as its first 'imported case' in the city. They claimed he showed no symptoms. The 16-year-old student left the UK on March 21 and arrived in Wuhan on March 23 after stopping over in Dubai and Beijing. Pictured, airport staff wearing protective suits check information of inbound passengers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on March 29 The boy, known by his surname Zhou, had travelled to Wuhan from Newcastle via Dubai and Beijing, authorities revealed. The news comes as Beijing resorts to new draconian measures to screen new arrivals from abroad as well as the so-called 'silent carriers' amid fears that they could trigger a second wave. China has so far registered 691 cases of COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus - among people entering the country, with the main source being the UK. Official statistics show that more than a third of the imported cases in the Chinese capital of Beijing were detected among people arriving from Britain, followed by those coming from Spain and Italy. More than 1,800 people have died of COVID-19 and over 25,000 have been infected with the disease in the UK. Hubei officials have identified 982 asymptomatic cases, who suffer no symptoms and can pass on the virus without realising. They are under medical observation, authorities said today. Official statistics show that more than a third of the imported cases in the Chinese capital of Beijing were detected among people arriving from Britain. The picture shows a passenger wearing a protective mask while riding on the tube in London during the coronavirus crisis According to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, Zhou lives in the city's Caidian District and studies in the UK. It is said that he boarded a plane in the Newcastle International Airport on March 21 and arrived in the Beijing Capital International Airport the next day after stopping over in Dubai. After passing medical checks at the airport, he was taken to a single room to undergo medical observation. He was arranged to travel to his hometown from Beijing on March 23 by high-speed train and put into quarantine at an isolation centre. The patient, who studies in the UK, flew out of the Newcastle International Airport (pictured) HOW BADLY AFFECTED HAS EUROPE REALLY BEEN? THE IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON PREDICTIONS IN NUMBERS COUNTRY ESTIMATED % OF POPULATION INFECTED POPULATION (CIA World Factbook) ESTIMATED # OF CASES OFFICIAL # OF CASES (World Health Organization) DEATH RATE Spain 15% 50,015,792 7,502,368 85,195 8.6% Italy 9.80% 62,402,659 6,115,460 101,739 11.4% Belgium 3.70% 11,720,716 433,666 11,899 4.3% Switzerland 3.20% 8,403,994 268,927 15,412 1.9% Sweden 3.10% 10,202,491 316,277 4,028 3.6% France 3% 67,848,156 2,035,444 43,977 6.9% United Kingdom 2.70% 65,761,117 1,775,550 25,150 7.1% Austria 1.10% 8,859,446 97,453 9,618 1.1% Denmark 1.10% 5,869,410 64,563 2,577 3% Germany 0.72% 80,159,662 577,149 61,913 0.9% Norway 0.41% 5,467,439 22,416 4,226 0.6% TOTAL/AVERAGE 4% 376,710,882 19,209,279 365,734 4.49% The authority said that Zhou showed no symptoms of the disease. But the result of his nucleic acid test, which can detect the coronavirus, came back positive on March 28. He was taken to the Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital on the same day as a suspected asymptomatic case and was diagnosed with the disease on Tuesday. Zhou is the only new infection reported by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission on Wednesday. The authority also reported five news deaths and 173 new cases of recovery. At least 2,553 have died of COVID-19 and 50,007 have contracted it in the former ground zero. Worldwide, the pandemic has killed more than 42,300 people and infected about 860,000. Jonathan Van Ness wants people in isolation to make friends with their gray hair! While virtually chatting with Access Hollywood's Scott Evans about his debut picture book, "Peanut Goes for the Gold," the "Queer Eye" grooming guru shared his tips for those struggling to touch up their roots while under quarantine. Jonathan also opened up about his childhood obsessions with guinea pigs and gymnastics, which both inspired his new book, and explained how he made the most of his recent 33rd birthday at home. Plus, the author's adorable cats crashed his interview! "Peanut Goes for the Gold" is available now. As many as 560 foreigners were flown to Paris and Frankfurt in two different flights from the Goa international airport on Wednesday amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown. The Goa airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) tweeted on Wednesday evening that the ninth relief flight (from the state) took off for Paris with 246 passengers and two infants. It was a Qatar Airways flight, it said. It was the third relief flight from the airport on Wednesday, it added. "In all, 1,831 adults and 14 infants were sent home till date," it added. On Wednesday morning, the eighth relief flight from Goa airport took off for Frankfurt via Mumbai with 314 passengers in a chartered Air India flight, it added. The Travel and Tours Association of Goa (TTAG), the apex body of the tourism industry in the stat, has said that 1,500 to 2,000 foreigners were stranded at the beach destinations in the state, who were being evacuated through different flights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top toilet paper manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has a message for all those Americans who didn't get a chance to score rolls during the mad dash for household goods as stay-at-home orders went into effect: Toilet paper is coming. "We are working around the clock to help get these essential products back on the shelf," Arist Mastorides, president of family care for Kimberly-Clark North America, tells CNBC Make It. Kimberly-Clark, which has a current market cap of about $43 billion, is one of the country's largest producers of toilet paper with big brands like Cottonelle and Scott. Its portfolio also includes Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Pull-Ups and Viva (paper towels). While the company would not comment on sales or volume numbers during the pandemic, the latest Nielsen data found that Americans have spent more than $1.4 billion on toilet paper from Feb. 28 to March 21, according to a Nielsen spokesperson. Last week alone, the U.S. toilet paper category netted more than $378 million and was up 123% from the same week last year, the spokesperson added. "We know the demand is real. We see the empty shelves, our teams see those empty shelves and they are working really hard, really safely to make sure that we close the gap," Mastorides says. "We are producing and shipping 24 hours a day, seven days a week." Mastorides says shelves are still empty because people are buying in such large quantities that it's hard to keep up. Over the last few weeks though, Mastorides says the company has "simplified" production lines to increase speed and volume. For example, Kimberly-Clark significantly minimized the numbers of specialty products it's making, says Mastorides. Typically, production line workers switch SKUs (or stock keeping units) to make different types of toilet paper like ultra soft, strong or sensitive rolls, which can slow down production. Now, Kimberly-Clark has reduced variety to enable higher volume. "That reduction has enabled our assets to have less freight changes and produce more product than we ever have in our past," Mastorides says. Additionally, the company has increased the number of trucks shipping its toilet paper. But as far as a date when shelves will be fully stocked with product, Mastorides says he can't really comment, "because it's up to how consumers are buying and how they start to share." To that end Kimberly-Clark's Cottonelle brand launched a campaign called #ShareASquare. The company is encouraging Americans to give rolls of toilet paper to those who need it and post it on social media. In return, Cottonelle will donate a $1 for each post (up to $100,000) to the United Way Worldwide COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. Additionally, Cottonelle has pledged to give a $1 million donation and one million rolls of toilet paper to the fund. The idea for the campaign came from its employees who wanted to do something after seeing so many people panic about buying toilet paper. "We really want to encourage others to step up and be generous," Mastorides says. Mastorides is also "very confident" that Kimberly-Clark will be able to produce toilet paper at these "elevated levels" throughout the pandemic. Check out: The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years Don't miss: Why there will soon be tons of toilet paper, and what food may be scarce, according to supply chain experts Coronavirus stockpiling: Don't waste your money on these items, according to a pandemic planner Fanatics Still Dream of Removing Assyrians From Iraq Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Najeeb Michaeel Moussa of Mosul, Iraq. More than three years on from the defeat of Daesh (ISIS), Islamists in Iraq are as determined as ever to rid their towns and cities of Christians -- according to a senior bishop, who has warned of a surge in extremism. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Najeeb Michaeel Moussa of Mosul and Akra told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the Islamist mindset means many Mosul Christians displaced by Daesh are too afraid to go back. He said: "The fanatical ideology continues to reign in many minds, and some people are still dreaming of driving all the Christians out of their historical dwelling places." He added: "The greatest fear, and one which prevents Christians from returning to their former homes in Mosul, is that of seeing the renewed growth of Islamic fundamentalism." According to the archbishop, Christians and other religious minorities need "the disappearance of the Salafist mentality" that is heavily embedded in the Iraqi establishment. He added: "Sadly, however, this sectarian mentality continues to impose the Shari'a [Islamic law] within the Iraqi legislation. The school textbooks and the sectarian preaching in the mosques are a source of social and political division. "The separation of politics and religion would be a blessing, and could certainly ease the Calvary that the Christians have been so painfully enduring ever since the seventh century." Archbishop Moussa said that Christians wanted to live in an Iraq where they are treated with respect and not persecuted for their religious beliefs. He said: "The hope of the Christians is to be able to live in peace in their own country on the basis of equality of rights and duties, on exactly the same basis as the other Iraqis and not as second-class citizens or as dhimmis [the discriminatory status given to non-Muslims]. "They continue to demand their rights for the revision of certain unjust laws, for example, the forced conversion to Islam of young underage girls, if one of the parents should become a Muslim." The archbishop said Christians need equal opportunities at work and that some jobs are not open to them. He said: "The Christians are also demanding the right to equality of the sexes with regard to matters of inheritance, marriage, freedom of religion and so forth... But he added: "Personally, I am optimistic regarding the future of the Christians in Nineveh and in Iraq. Through education and culture, we can overcome obscurantism and violence." [April 01, 2020] Marcus & Millichap Acquires Dallas-Based Metropolitan Capital Advisors Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (the "Company", "Marcus & Millichap", "MMI") (NYSE: MMI), a leading brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services, today announced that it has acquired Metropolitan Capital Advisors (MCA), a commercial real estate finance intermediary specializing in arranging debt and equity for commercial real estate on behalf of developers, investors and owners. Hessam Nadji, president and CEO of Marcus & Millichap stated, "MCA makes an excellent addition to Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) from a service and coverage standpoint and in the execution of our financing strategic growth plan. MCA's nearly 30-year track record of providing financing solutions to a broad spectrum of real estate investors, as well as excellent client and lender relationships will add significant value." Through the acquisition, MMCC welcomes a team of financing professionals, analysts and support staff, including Dallas-based principals Sunny Sajnani and Todd McNeill. "Sunny and Todd have built a high-quality brand focused on personal relationships and the delivery of custom capital markets solutions. This commitment to customer service dovetails with our high standards and core values and will be highly synergistic with our excellent MMCC and investment sales teams in Dallas," Nadji added. Sunny Sajnani stated, "We are excited to join the MMCC platform and contribute to the firm's growth by integrating Metropolitan's extensive lender relationships, wide product offering and broad client base, which includes REITs, equity funds, family offices, private owners and developers." Todd McNeill added, "Our hallmark is to find and secure the most cost-effective capital structure regardless of transaction size or complexity Similar to our new Marcus & Millichap colleagues, we pride ourselves on providing expert capital markets advice and execution. We look forward to sharing our expertise on construction loans, mezzanine debt and joint venture equity investments to further strengthen and scale MMCC's product offerings." About Metropolitan Capital Advisors Metropolitan Capital Advisors, a Dallas-based real estate capital provider founded in 1992 by Scott Lynn, specializes in arranging debt and equity financing for commercial real estate on behalf of developers, investors and owners across the nation with a concentration in Texas and the Southwest. The firm, which has completed over $16 billion in transactions, is committed to the exclusive representation of its clients as a financial intermediary and is clearly positioned to provide unbiased capital markets recommendations and solutions. In 2019, Metropolitan Capital Advisors completed more than $650 million of debt and equity transactions across mixed-use, multifamily, retail, industrial, office and other property types. About Marcus & Millichap, Inc. Marcus & Millichap, Inc. is a leading brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had 2,021 investment sales and financing professionals in 82 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada who provide investment brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate. The Company also offers market research, consulting and advisory services to our clients. Marcus & Millichap closed 9,726 transactions in 2019, with a sales volume of approximately $50 billion. For additional information, please visit www.MarcusMillichap.com. About Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) is a subsidiary of Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), a leading commercial real estate investment services firm with offices throughout the United States and Canada. Through its network of national, regional and local lenders, MMCC provides capital markets products for a wide variety of investment properties, including apartments, shopping centers, office buildings, industrial facilities, single-tenant net-lease properties, seniors housing, hotels/motels, manufactured home communities and self-storage facilities. In 2019, MMCC closed over 1,900 commercial real estate financing transactions totaling $7.1 billion. To learn more, please visit www.mmCapCorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005170/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] At least 400 Indians, all of them crew members of cruise ships, are stuck off the Miami coast in the US since mid-March, unable to get back home. The crew members, their relatives and even a former chief minister of Goa have written, either to the Prime Minister's Office or Ministry of External Affairs. But they may have to wait until the 21-day lockdown enforced from March 24 is lifted, to return home. "Due to the ship being stuck in the middle of the seas for so many days, the crew members are getting frustrated," said Teena Menezes, in her mail to the Ministry of External Affairs. Her husband, Vivian Menezes, is part of the crew of a cruise ship that is stranded about three miles away from the Miami Beach. The ship is owned by MSC Cruises, which is registered in Switzerland. "There have been incidents where three of the crew members tried committing suicide," Menezes added in the letter. 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 Moneycontrol has seen a copy of the letter. Talking to Moneycontrol, Menezes said only Indian crew members are now left in the ship. "All the others have been evacuated by the governments of their respective countries," she said. Menezes added that four ships belonging to MSC Cruises are stuck off the Miami coast. Newspaper reports from the US point out many more cruise ships that are also stranded in the seas. "In total, there could be about 1,000 Indians who are unable to get out," she said. Moneycontrol has written to MSC Cruises and is awaiting a reply. The story will be updated once the company responds. Its spokesperson told Miami Herald that with the airports shutting down and many countries closing borders, it was becoming a 'challenge' to evacuate the crew. "Despite our biggest efforts, often at the highest possible level within the relevant governments, we still have found no solution for a certain number of nationalities to travel back to their home countries, the spokesperson told the paper in this March 29 report. Vivian, who has been working with MSC Cruises for six years, was booked to fly back home on March 17. "He was booked on a Turkish Airlines flight to Delhi, via Istanbul. But the flight didn't take off and Vivian was forced to go back to the cruise ship," she said. At a risk All the cruise liners operating in the American waters had suspended service on March 13, in a joint call to limit the spread of COVID-19. The US has now reported the highest number of those infected with the virus, globally. Nearly 2 lakh people have been infected and over 4,000 have lost lives. The decision to suspend services left about 15 cruise ships, including four of MSC Cruises, stranded in the sea. While all the guests were evacuated, it was not the same for the crew. To make matters worse, reports now say that crew in some of the ships have been tested positive for the virus. It is not known if any of the Indians have been infected. Menezes said her husband and the rest of the crew of MSC Cruises, are safe. The official line Responding to Menezes mail, a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs said that "there is no information regarding evacuation of Indian citizens," and advised the crew to be in touch with the local Indian embassy. Vivian, along with the rest of the crew, contacted the Indian embassy in Washington DC and were said that help can only come after April 14, when the lockdown in India is lifted. Request for help has also come from Churchill Alemao, the former Goa chief minister, who wrote to the Prime Minister's Office on March 29, asking for intervention. "Sir, please help all our Indians seafarers who are anxiously waiting for the Govt of India to intervene and come to their rescue," he says in the mail. Menezes is worried that the lockdown could continue beyond April 14. "The government has done so much to evacuate Indians from other parts of the world. Even foreigners from India have been taken back to their countries. We hope that there is help for the crew too." Exit 43, Hearst Connecticut Media Groups new podcast, examines the Connecticut you cant see. Each week take an in-depth look at local news and issues, focusing on things in and around Connecticut that you probably didnt know about. Why is it called Exit 43? As anyone who drives the Merritt Parkway knows, there is no exit 43, and the reasons why include issues of privilege, access and the history of the state itself. A shipping vessel, MV Tomini Destiny, and its crew have approached the Indian government complaining that they are under duress due to unsafe offloading operations in Chittagong in Bangladesh. New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) A shipping vessel, MV Tomini Destiny, and its crew have approached the Indian government complaining that they are under duress due to unsafe offloading operations in Chittagong in Bangladesh. "The Master and crew have been forced to write direct to the flag State administration, the Indian Government and Indian Unions due to the alleged conduct towards them by their management in raising their concerns for discharge, while the owner has allegedly threatened "disciplinary action of termination of the services of full complement" if they do not allow stevedores onboard," said a statement by Human Rights at Sea. Human Rights at Sea has received a formal letter dated March 31 from the Master of the Marshall Islands flagged vessel, the MV Tomini Destiny in this regard. "The letter is signed by all 22 crew, raising serious concerns about the conduct of owners and charterers deemed to be harassment and intimidation relating to their asserted unsafe offloading operations at Chittagong, Bangladesh, and a lack of COVID-19 screening of stevedores, and adequate protection for the crew," Human Rights at Sea said in statement. The signed, vessel stamped and dated letter identifies the Owners as Tomini Transports LLC and the Charterers as Western Bulk Carriers A/S. The statement said that the concerns first raised internally to the owners and charterers focused on the continuation of vessel offload operations without sufficient safeguards in place for the crew, with correct and not sub-standard PPE, and the ability to limit external persons coming onboard during the discharge period, over whom they have no control over in terms of potential COVID exposure. Importantly, it is stated that the ships agent has confirmed there is no screening for COVID-19 for the stevedores who would come onboard. The Master highlights in his letter that: "We, the full complement of the Tomini Destiny are under enormous pressure, fatigue and mental stress due to owners and charterers insisting to perform shipboard operations under duress." In order to contain the spread of coronavirus in Russia, lawmakers have proposed legislation imposing severe punishments for people convicted of spreading misinformation. According to reports, the proposed legislation will foresee punishments including up to five years in prison or fine up to 2 million rubles ($25,000). According to reports, the legislation was proposed by the Speaker of the Lower House of the Russian parliament and another senior lawmaker of the governing United Russia party. Read: Nurse On The Frontline Against COVID-19 Shares Her Experience, Says 'I Was Scared' Russia is also using a highly sophisticated facial recognition software to identify violators who are defying lockdown orders. Media reports suggest that last week Moscow police fined nearly 200 people who were allegedly violating the quarantine orders and were out on the streets. As per reports, police used the facial recognition system to identify the violators and fine them. Read: Amazon Fires Employee Who Accused Company Of Making Them Work In Unsafe Conditions According to reports, Russia has so far recorded 2,337 confirmed coronavirus cases, of which 501 came in the last 36 hours. There have been only 17 deaths due to COVID-19 in the former Soviet Union, which is far less if compared to Germany and South Korea, who had also been praised for their effective handling. There are currently 2,199 active cases in the country and 121 patients have been successfully treated so far. Russia was one of the first countries to close down its borders in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and knowing that the country shares a 4,200 km long border with China, it seems a good decision now. Read: Amid COVID-19 Crisis, UK PM Boris Johnson Faces Pressure To Push Brexit Transition Period Coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 has claimed more than 42,300 lives across the world and has infected more than 8,59,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The United States and France are on the verge of overtaking China in terms of the number of deaths recorded in these countries. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Read: Here's How Russia Is Managing Coronavirus Outbreak Using Authoritarian Technology (Image Credit: AP) Gracelee Thorton has been named the Chattanooga Football Clubs Champion of Character. The award is presented by Trey Nelms - State Farm. Gracelee Thorton has been with CFC Academy since she started in the Chattanooga Identification and Development Program (IDP). She plays on the Chattanooga FC Academy 2009 Girls Navy team, coached by Heath Parham, and is in the 4th grade at Graysville Elementary. Gracelee is one of the hardest working kids I have ever coached. She shows up to practice with a smile, she works hard and shows much respect to her teammates and coach. Gracelee is the model of what type of Character we want our players to have," says Heath Parham. She shows up to practice with a smile, she works hard and shows much respect to her teammates and coach. Gracelee is the model of what type of Character we want our players to have," says Heath Parham. According to a press release from the club, Gracelee lives by her personal motto: "Always doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do...trying to do better than the day before, always." Femi Fani-Kayode made the revelation on Twitter A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has claimed that General Adeniyi who was spotted in a viral video complaining about Boko Haram insurgents having more ammunition than Nigerians soldiers, has been relieved of his appointment. The latest development comes after General Adeniyi had yesterday said their morale have been high even though the insurgents have pushed back with so much resistance. He also disclosed that the Boko Haram terrorists have been fighting with much ammunition than before. According to the Army General, they were faced with over 15 gun trucks on every flank during a recent fight against the insurgents. Serving an update on the alleged action taken against the military General, Femi Fani-Kayode tweeted; Gen. Adeniyi, the gallant commander who led our troops in Operation Lafia Doyle & who appeared in a video that went viral 2 days ago complaining about the conditions that his troops were facing on the war front with BH was relieved of his appointment yesterday. What a pity! Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday inspected arrangements at a shelter home which has been set up for the migrant workers amid the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. The Chief Minister visited a shelter home to inspect the arrangements made for the migrant workers, according to an official. Earlier today, Baghel directly interacted with people from different sections of the society to understand the impulse of the general public of the state during the lockdown period. He also inquired about their problems. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown which came into effect on midnight of March 24. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is likely to extend the 30 April deadline to bid for Air India as the COVID-19 fallout has disrupted economic activities globally, an official has said New Delhi: The government is likely to extend the 30 April deadline to bid for Air India as the COVID-19 fallout has disrupted economic activities globally, an official has said. This would be the second extension in the deadline to submit bids for Air India since the government initiated the process of stake sale in the debt-ridden national carrier on 27 January. Initially, the bid submission deadline was 17 March, which was extended to April 30 in view of the requests from interested bidders (IBs) and situation arising out of coronavirus. "There is a case to extend the bid submission deadline for Air India given the current global and domestic situation," the official said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic activity globally with many countries announcing lockdown to contain the virus spread. The aviation sector has been hit hard by COVID-19 with airlines cancelling international flights and announcing pay cuts for employees. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell Air India in 2018, the government in January 2020 restarted the divestment process and invited bids for selling 100 percent of its equity in the state-owned airline, including Air India''s 100 percent shareholding in AI Express Ltd and 50 percent in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd. In 2018, the government had offered to sell its 76 percent stake in the airline. Of the airline''s total debt of Rs 60,074 crore as of 31 March, 2019, the buyer would be required to absorb Rs 23,286.5 crore, while the rest would be transferred to Air India Assets Holding Ltd (AIAHL), a special purpose vehicle. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Union Budget has pegged disinvestment proceeds at Rs 2.10 lakh crore. This includes Rs 1.20 lakh crore from CPSE share sale and Rs 90,000 crore from share sale in public sector banks and financial institutions, including listing of insurance behemoth LIC. The Virtual Hospital (Advanced Centre for Clinical Simulation) of Valencia's Catholic University (UCV) has become the flagship site for the tests of researchers, universities and companies to measure the suitability of mechanical respirator prototypes created for patients affected by COVID-19. Tthe patient lung simulator assesses the suitability of the mechanical respirators that are being created in a hurry. In other words, it makes it possible to learn the capabilities of the prototypes and their responses to a wide range of respiratory frequencies and lung volumes." Constantino Tormo, Director, Virtual Hospital Tormo says that the RespiSim System (ASL 5000) from Medical Simulator, the most advanced in the world and the only one available in Spain, "is making it possible to reproduce all the situations of a diseased lung, and to test the operation of a real respirator in all possible settings. It is designed to tackle different clinical situations, both with non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation. "It provides the data with analogue output curves and in digital output, in real units, that are used in human physiology and physiopathology and, in all cases, the same ones used by a bedside physician when mechanically ventilating a patient." The UCV team, headed by Constantino Tormo and Vicente Prats, Simulation and Clinical Technician, is collaborating with engineers, doctors, anaesthetists, intensive care doctors and simulation technicians "who are currently creating artificial respiration devices in a rush, but which need the green light from the Ministry of Health, because they haven't had the chance to be tested in clinical conditions, unlike the respirators that are currently on the market", in order to "make it possible to, in a safe environment, ensure that experts in mechanical ventilation can simulate normal and extreme ventilation conditions." Companies such as Power Electronics have also requested the Respiration Simulator of the Virtual Hospital and technical help to test their prototypes. Likewise, Tormo and Prats have tested "to the full satisfaction of UPV researchers, the invasive mechanical ventilation prototypes in their laboratories." The director of the Virtual Hospital adds that it is "the only one that can reproduce all respiratory system pathologies in all the stages of life, from newborns to adults, such as the emergency response by patients affected by coronavirus, following the no patient that needs one will be left without a respirator motto." Three respirators for Manises hospital Likewise, the Virtual Hospital of the UCV has accepted a temporary and indefinite assignment of three respirators to Manises hospital. These are two high range respirators to conduct mechanical ventilation on the most critical patients who are in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Furthermore, the Virtual Hospital has supplied a transport respirator, which is essential to move invasive mechanical ventilation patients inside the hospital. New delivery of healthcare materials for the regional Health Department and hospitals Following the first delivery of healthcare materials to the regional Health Department on 19 March, and with more material gathered in different facilities and campuses of the UCV, Valencia's Catholic University has delivered two new batches of health protection material, consisting of sterile gowns, protective eyewear, masks, long socks, surgical caps, overalls, hydroalcoholic solution and alcohol for medical use to the regional Healthcare Department, which will be sent to the Peset hospital. Healthcare material has also been delivered to Valencia's IMED and Casa de Salud hospitals. Regarding its facilities, the UCV has sent a report to the regional Health Department, making their adapted facilities, equipment and Virtual Hospital staff, as well as the new University Clinics, available to patients who need special care and severe cases, providing ambulatory, consultation and hospitalisation health care services. In summary, the UCV has made all its resources and capabilities available for society and the healthcare authorities in order to overcome the pandemic sooner rather than later. KYODO NEWS - Apr 1, 2020 - 22:15 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Japan said Wednesday it will deny entry to foreign nationals travelling from a total of 73 countries and regions, or about a third of the world, expanding its ban to include the Americas and Africa due to the continued rise in global coronavirus infections. Speaking at a meeting of a government task force on the country's coronavirus response, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the new ban will be imposed from Friday. The measure will be in place for the time being, the government said. Foreign nationals who have been in those parts of the world within 14 days of their arrival in Japan will be refused entry. (Tokyo's Haneda airport on March 31, 2020.) Those with permanent residence status and their spouses -- even if the spouses are Japanese -- will also be subject to the measure if they try to return to Japan from any of the listed countries and regions from Friday. "We have decided to strengthen our border control measures on the back of explosive increases in infections overseas, mainly in Europe and the United States," Abe said at the meeting. Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, Morocco and the United States are among the 49 newly added countries and regions, along with most of Europe and many countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Japan will also broaden its ban to the whole of China and South Korea from selected areas of its two Asian neighbors hit by the new coronavirus outbreak in the latest beefing-up of border controls. From Friday to the end of April, all incoming travelers will be requested to self-quarantine and refrain from using public transportation for 14 days. All Japanese returnees will be asked to undergo virus tests, the government said, a state taken in response to a rise in imported cases. The Foreign Ministry had already raised its travel advisory to Level 3 for the 49 countries and regions on Tuesday, which means that all travel should be avoided. Foreigners from European countries such as France and Italy that are under lockdowns and Iran have already been barred from entering Japan. The ministry will suspend visas that have been issued at all of its embassies and consulates located in countries that are not covered by the entry ban, as well as all visa waivers. This measure will also be effective from Friday through the end of the month. The coronavirus pandemic has led to travel bans and restrictions globally, slowing economic activity. The total number of infections worldwide has topped 860,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Japan has reported over 3,000, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that had been under quarantine. Following recent sharp gains in infections in Tokyo and other urban areas, Japan is scrambling to prevent an explosive surge in infections that would prompt Abe to declare a state of emergency. The prime minister had come under fire for his slow initial response to the viral outbreak that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. [April 01, 2020] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. ("ServiceMaster" or "the Company") (NYSE: SERV) 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. ServiceMaster announced its preliminary financial results for the third quarter of 2019 on October 22, 2019. The Company missed estimates of both revenue and earnings. The Company also gave downward adjusted EBITDA guidance of $415 to $425 million, down from $435 to $44 million. According to the Company's press release, the disappointing results were in part due to "termite damage claims arising primarily from Formosan termite activity," primarily in Mobile, Alabama. According to the Company, this was a known issue, and it had taken mitigation efforts "starting in 2018." The Company also announced the sudden department of Terminix Residential President Matthew J. Stevenson. Based on this news, shares of ServiceMaster 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 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected]. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005743/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Weve got to give the American public a rough estimate of how long we think this is going to take, based mostly on the South Korean model, which seems to be the trajectory that we are on, thankfully, and not the Italian model. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, March 23, 2020 Last week, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick spoke about the coronavirus pandemic on a local talk radio show, and he told the host that the outbreak in this country looks more like the one in South Korea than the one in Italy. Weve got to give the American public a rough estimate of how long we think this is going to take, based mostly on the South Korean model, which seems to be the trajectory that we are on, thankfully, and not the Italian model, the Republican congressman from Bucks County said on The Dom Giordano Program. We wondered how the spread of the coronavirus in the United States compares with the spread of the disease in other parts of the world. When Fitzpatrick made those remarks, he was comparing the three countries case fatality rates, said Will Kiley, his spokesperson. Thats the key metric were all watching, he added. Fitzpatrick is right that the fatality rate in the United States roughly matches South Koreas and is far lower than Italys. But Drexel epidemiologist Michael LeVasseur cautioned against reading too much into those numbers. The virus appears to be deadlier in Italy because the population there is older, and elderly coronavirus patients are the most likely to die. For example, 23% of people in Italy are over age 65, compared with only 14% in South Korea and 16% in the U.S. The age-specific case fatality rates in the three countries are about the same, LeVasseur said. He also pointed out that the curve epidemiologists keep talking about depicts the number of coronavirus patients and hospitals capacity to care for them not deaths caused by the virus. Flattening the curve means slowing the virus rate of transmission and reducing the number of new cases so that fewer sick people need to seek treatment all at once. The latest data on coronavirus cases show that South Korea did flatten the curve, while case counts in the United States and Italy keep climbing. Another way to compare the virus impact in the three countries is to look at their economies. Fitzpatricks comments came amid a discussion with Giordano about the economic pain the virus has already inflicted on Pennsylvania business owners, and how much longer the closures ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf might last. The congressman argued that businesses need to know when things will go back to normal if they have any hope of surviving this crisis. READ MORE: Fact-checking coronavirus claims by Pennsylvania politicians In South Korea, businesses have remained open even as the country fights the virus, whereas in Italy, businesses have been closed for weeks. The latest modeling suggests the outbreak will peak in the United States in two weeks. But that doesnt mean that Pennsylvania businesses should necessarily expect to reopen by May, said Nate Wardel, a spokesperson for the State Department of Health. The scarcity of coronavirus tests and the time it takes to get results remain the biggest hurdles to relaxing restrictions. Asked whether Wolf would use the states case fatality rate to determine when businesses may reopen, Wardle said it would be one of several metrics used to make that call. And no, he said, the similarity between the fatality rate in the United States and South Korea doesnt mean Pennsylvania is ready for South Korea-style normalcy. Our ruling Fitzpatrick said the spread of the coronavirus in the United States matches the spread of the virus in South Korea, not Italy. The U.S. and South Korea have similar case fatality rates Italys is higher but all three countries have age-specific mortality rates that are about the same. In addition, public health experts say the fatality rate wouldnt be the only or the most important metric used to determine when businesses may reopen. The growth in cases and hospitals capacity to treat new patients is the most important factor, and in that department, the United States looks more like Italy than South Korea. We rate this statement Half True. Our sources Email interview, Will Kiley, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, March 30, 2020 Phone interview, Michael LeVasseur, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel Universitys Dornslife School of Public Health, March 30, 2020 Phone interview, Amesh Adalja, spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, March 30, 2020 Phone interview, Nate Wardle, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health NPR, Why 'Death Rates' From Coronavirus Can Be Deceiving, March 27, 2020 The New York Times, Flattening the Coronavirus Curve, March 27, 2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer, Flattening the coronavirus curve goes way beyond science | Expert Opinion, March 24, 2020 PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Hundreds of thousands of UK citizens are stranded abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the PA news agencys answers to 10 key questions around efforts to bring them home. How many people are stranded? Precise numbers are unknown, but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Tuesday that around 300,000 UK travellers are still abroad. #Algeria The UK will operate a special flight from Algiers on 2 April for British nationals and their direct dependents to return to the UK. More info: https://t.co/Du7rbUUz88 pic.twitter.com/7DtvMaRHrh FCO travel advice (@FCOtravel) April 1, 2020 Why can they not get home? Airlines have suspended most of their regular flights due to a collapse in demand and travel restrictions. Internal travel is also difficult in many countries. So there are no flights? Not quite. Airlines are operating rescue flights from certain destinations to bring customers home. What is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) doing? It is telling tourists to return home by commercial routes if possible, but will also spend up to 75 million to charter flights on routes where required. Watch again: @DominicRaab announced new plans to fly home stranded UK travellers where commercial flights are not possible. Read our travel advice: https://t.co/1Zz9jms2jG pic.twitter.com/qeteHkuMUK Foreign Office (@foreignoffice) April 1, 2020 Where will these charter flights operate? Story continues A special flight is taking place from Algeria on Thursday, but the FCO has not revealed a full list of routes. It has said it will fly to priority countries, which may include locations such as India, South Africa and New Zealand. How much will flights cost? UK nationals brought home on repatriation flights from Peru earlier this week were charged 250, which could be a flat fee for all flights. The additional cost per seat will be met by the Government. When will the main repatriation operation begin? A handful of rescue flights have brought people back from China, Peru and Tunisia since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The operation is expected to ramp up in the coming days. Passengers who travelled on a repatriation flight from Peru arrive at Gatwick Airport (Adam Davy/PA) How do people obtain a seat on the special flights? Flights will be promoted through the FCOs travel advice. British travellers will need to book and pay directly through a dedicated travel management company. What is the health advice for people returning to the UK from abroad? When asked if there is specific advice for returning travellers, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care referred to the general NHS guidance. This includes self-isolating for seven days if you have either a high temperature or a new continuous cough. People who live with someone with symptoms must stay at home for 14 days. What happens when people land at UK airports? Passengers who flew into Gatwick on a repatriation flight from Peru on Tuesday said they had not been given any clear instructions or told to take extra precautions. LONDON, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TIGA, the trade association representing the UK's video games industry, is writing to the Secretary of State for Education to set out the priorities for the Higher Education sector to allow it to cope with the impact of Coronavirus. The recommendations are based on feedback from TIGA members, including universities. 1. Hardware: With classes going online, it is essential that students have computers at home and that they are good enough to run the software needed for their courses. Some students will either not have a computer at home at all, or have an insufficiently powerful one and so cannot run the software. Up to 25 per cent of students on some games courses do not have computers at home that are good enough to run the software needed for their courses. Universities are helping students to learn online, but face challenges. The Government should explore options to enable students to work from home effectively. For example, the Government could consider a system whereby students are given a zero per cent interest loan to purchase hardware and software licenses that they need for their courses. Alternatively, a Government grant could be made accessible for students to buy/upgrade computer hardware that would enable them to work from home effectively. 2. Software: Students need access to software at an affordable price in order to learn effectively. Some software providers (e.g. Adobe) have helpfully made their software free for students to use during the Coronavirus crisis. Others have made temporary keys available (e.g. DragonFrame). It would be helpful if more software providers could either provide free or low cost personal learning editions to help students in the UK. The following table shows the current availability of students licenses for development software.[1] Software Student Licence Available Cost Adjustment during Lockdown? Autodesk (3DS Max, Maya, MotionBuilder) Yes Free N/A Adobe Yes 194.88 in first year 303.36 afterwards Accounts via Educational Licence opened up during lockdown period for use at home. Allegorithmic (Substance Painter, Designer) Yes Free N/A Zbrush Yes 414.00 one off current version No 3D Coat Amateur (commercial with limitations) 79.86 one off No Marvelous Designer No 169.52 per annum 274.46 one off current version No Houdini Yes Free N/A Foundry (Nuke, Mari, Modo) Yes 158 for 3 year node locked license Unity Yes Free N/A Unreal Engine No Free N/A Toon Boom Yes 72 - 204 per annum depending on package 30 day key matching our number of licences Storyboard Pro Yes 108 per annum 30 day key matching our number of licences DragonFrame Yes 157.21 Temporary keys provided For some students some of these costs are achievable, but others are quite high and with the need to practise that is inherent with all games subjects, not having software at home can be limiting. 3. Student welfare: As students are dispersed from campus and go to study at home, there could be a negative impact on the mental health of some students, many of whom have had their university experience cut short and are familiar with working in teams. Financial pressures such as still having to pay for student accommodation when the student is no longer living there and having to leave part-time jobs in cafes and bars could be causing great strain on some students. Some universities have already cancelled accommodation costs. Support measures for students to help in this regard would be welcome. Many students who have moved back home may now be facing working from home in less than ideal circumstances. Some students have dependent children that they will now need to be looking after as well as studying, or have moved into conditions that do not facilitate an effective working environment. Also, some students are on placement and businesses need to ensure that students, like employees and freelancers, are working in safe environments. 4. Higher education policy: With the postponement/cancellation of university exams and the changes that have had to be made to the end of this university year, universities fear a lower intake of students in the upcoming university year. Students may not apply for a university place this year, or may defer their place at university by a year to wait for the dust to settle. This could have an impact on university finances. The Government will want to consider the impact of the Coronavirus on our universities. UK higher education is one of our most successful industries. The sector: contributes almost 3 per cent to UK GDP; supports thousands of jobs; is a the cutting edge of research and development; and equips large numbers of well-educated and highly skilled people for UK employers. The UK is the second most popular country in the world in the market for overseas students. UK Government policy must be framed to support growth of our important and successful higher education sector. 5. Access to free cloud rendering: It would be particularly helpful for 3D/VFX students to have access to free cloud rendering. Some universities have been working towards their own render farm that is properly accessible to the students remotely, but they will have lost a significant amount of rendering time due to the disruptions. Access to additional rendering resources could help mitigate this. Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said: "The UK video games industry needs a high skilled workforce if it is to continue to grow, expand and succeed. TIGA has recommended 5 points for the Government and industry to consider in order to enable games students at university to continue to study effectively. It is important that students have access to the software and equipment that they need to complete their work. Student welfare is also a prime concern for universities and support measures for students who are adapting to working from home are imperative. "Many final year students are worried about the availability of jobs after they graduate. If the COVID-19 crisis persists over several months, it would be helpful for university students to hear from as many games businesses as possible about the opportunities of taking on new hires directly into remote-working roles." [1] Data collected by Staffordshire University. A team of nurses at the Pwalugu Police barrier in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region has identified one suspected case of COVID-19 among travellers from the southern part of the country into the Region. As at 1000 hours when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the barrier to observe activities, long queues of vehicles moving into the Region were packed by the barrier for temperatures of passengers to be checked before continuing their journey. There were only three nurses at the barrier with three non-contact thermometers attending to all passengers, and as at the time of the GNAs visit, about 30 or more vehicles were packed with the passengers waiting their turn. Madam Elizabeth Issahaka Abotibala, a Public Health Nurse, Bolgatanga Municipal, who disclosed this to the GNA, said: We have only one case at hand from one of the VIP buses, and we have taken records of all the occupants of the bus so that if the test turns out positive, then we can do the contact tracing. The suspected case is a native of the region. She said We are overwhelmed with the people, they are many, and the cars are still coming, today is a market day. Since last night a team of nurses were here and we took over from them at about 0800hours this morning. She indicated that the thermometers were failing them, saying As the sun is so hot, I dont know whether it had effects on the thermometers, so right now they are failing us, but one is working, we have called for more thermometers. Taking the GNA through the screening process, Madam Abotibala said they ensured that on arrival, all passengers onboard the vehicles disembarked for their temperatures to be checked; those with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius, and above were separated from the rest for immediate attention. When we separate and check the temperature for the third time and it remains the same, the person will be isolated and then the response team will come for the person, she explained, and emphasized that Right now we have only one suspected case at hand. Madam Abotibala, who is also a Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS), said in spite of the inadequate staff at post and the many numbers they dealt with, they still educated the passengers on the preventive measures of the disease, and stressed on the need for proper handwashing under running water and social distancing. Commenting on the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), she said the nurses had only disposable face masks and examination gloves to work with. It is better to use what you have to prevent, than to wait for the full complement, which may even make the case to get out of hand. These are not the appropriate PPE, but we are using them in addition to our barrier nursing skills, to distance ourselves from the passengers. The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACOP) Alexander Amenyo, who was at the barrier with a team of Police Officers to provide security and ensure compliance by the passengers, said the Command observed that some recalcitrant passengers were trying to by-pass the process. 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 By ANI LAKHIMPUR KHERI: A group of 42 persons on Tuesday requested the police to file an FIR against Chinese President Xi Jinping for "spreading COVID-19 disease" that has affected their businesses. "Deaths have been caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people have lost their livelihoods as the economy has come to a standstill due to the spread of the disease," they said in a representation to the police. They submitted their request to the Palia Kalan police station in Lakhimpur Kheri district. There is a possibility that a case will be filed in the matter. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (ANI) Recent activities and news from the Royal Palace have been involved with no other than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Since their decision to demote their title and be non-working royals instead, tabloids and magazines are spreading rumors and stipulations about them. This has given Meghan Markle a negative image. This news about the couple quitting the royal family has been rounding international media lately. Before they announced to the majority, the news held a statement that Prince Harry informed his father, Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth II that they are going to step down through email. READ: Prince Charles Tests Positive for COVID-19 Although it was announced a few months ago, a new piece of information is coming out about how Meghan and Harry, along with the Royal Family, dealt with the changes. Allegedly, a new report says that the couple let the Queen and Prince Charles know their decision through an email. The report says that right after they got back from their trip to London last January, Prince Harry messaged his father as well as his grandmother via email that he and Meghan wanted to step down from royalty. This obviously caused a lot of issues, the Queen and Prince Charles told Prince Harry that they do not want him to rush into things. ALSO READ: The Queen Allegedly Disrespected Meghan Markle, But There's More to the Story Another source says that the Queen and Prince Charles understood what the couple wanted to happen and that they wanted something different. They are willing to help, but it is easier said than done. There will most likely be many issues that the couple will encounter, including security and funding, visas, and most especially taxes, which may have been more thought through. They also told Harry to put their request in writing and come up with some ideas that can help them with their desire. READ NEXT: Meghan and Harry Borrowed Money from the Queen after Megxit: Will They Pay It Back? Unfortunately, Prince Harry was said to think that they were blocking him, leading them to make a huge decision to announce it in public. As soon as the announcement went off, the situation caused a lot of tension within the royal family. But looking at the royal family now, they seem to have seen things through and made a settlement. A source recently stated that Meghan told her inner circle of friends that Prince Harry has been talking to Prince William and the Queen regularly. So it looks like the royal family has settled with their decision. Tabloids and magazines have been feeding the public a lot of rumors about the royal couple, and they found a perfect issue for their targets. The royal family has reconciled and is supporting the couple's desire. The royal family supported them for the next twelve months as Prince Charles is also contributing financially through the income of the Duchy of Cornwall. So it is clear that the issue died down a long time ago. READ MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Could Face Tax and Financial Issues in America Soldiers tower over youngsters in South Africa's Soweto township, forcing them to do push-ups and roll on the floor as punishment for not adhering to a lockdown meant to halt the spread of coronavirus. Caught on camera and circulated on social media, they added to a string of videos purporting to show violence by security forces deployed to enforce curfew and confinement across Africa. Rubber bullets, tear gas and whips have been used to maintain social distancing in shopping queues and to discipline citizens caught outside their homes without valid reason. "It seems to be the only way in which authorities know how to deal with the populace, through violence and humiliation," said Amnesty International's Shenilla Mohamed, executive director for South Africa, adding that abuse had also been reported from Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria. South African police are investigating the deaths of three citizens allegedly killed by patrols for defying the lockdown, which came into force last Friday. "That's almost the same amount of people that have died from coronavirus," noted Mohamed, referring to the nation's latest death toll of five. One person was allegedly shot by police on his way home from a bar -- a direct breach of regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol during the 21-day shutdown. Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has condemned the reported heavyhandedness and vowed to withdraw soldiers caught abusing their powers. Intimidation tactics To date coronavirus has infected more than 5,690 people in Africa and killed at least 195, according to an AFP tally. The pandemic has been slow to reach the continent, despite an acceleration in recent weeks, and numbers remain relatively low compared to other parts of the world. Dozens of African governments have made use of the extra time to roll out curfews and shutdowns earlier than their worse-hit counterparts in the West. But such measures are difficult to enact in countries where most people live in poverty and work informally, often in packed urban slums with little access to sanitation. "If we take measures which starve everybody, they will quickly end up being defied," said Benin's President Patrica Talon on Sunday, adding that his country lacked the means to enforce public confinement. As governments have struggled to keep citizens indoors, their security forces have been quick to fall back on intimidation tactics, raising widespread concern. The Kenyan port city of Mombasa has seen police firing tear gas and whipping those out after curfew. By - (AFP/File) "It is unacceptable to see such inhuman and degrading treatment against the population," tweeted Nicolas Simard, Canada's ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in response to a video of masked policemen beating a young man to the ground in the capital Kinshasa, which went into lockdown last week. 'Excessive' and 'detestable' "This is uncalled for and inappropriate," tweeted Mombasa governor Hassan Joho after police charged hundreds of commuters waiting for a ferry in Kenya's port city. Clad in riot gear, they fired tear gas at the crowd before the start of a dusk-to-dawn curfew, forcing people to the ground and whipping them. The Mombasa Law Society denounced the police intervention as "excessive" and "detestable". Uganda's army meanwhile apologised for a "high-handed" response after security forces violently cleared the streets in the capital Kampala, causing an outcry. Uganda's army apologised for a 'high-handed' response after security forces violently cleared the streets in Kampala. By Badru KATUMBA (AFP/File) In a separate incident, two men were hospitalised after being shot by police for violating a restriction on public transport. Footage from Senegal surfaced last week showing policemen beating people found outside after a night curfew. In one video, officials force three young men to do squats after they were caught exercising at night. "No torture, no inhuman degrading treatment and no excessive use of force," pleaded Amnesty International's former West and Central Africa director Alioune Tine. Police eventually assured that all "excessive interventions" had been punished. Innocent victims Yet the risk of a beating has done little to stop citizens across the continent from pursuing their daily activities. The need to make a living trumps both fears of catching the deadly virus and encountering the police, prompting law enforcement officers to step up their show of force. More than 1,100 people have been arrested for lockdown violations in South Africa, while Ivory Coast has detained 450 for failing to respect curfew. Ivory Coast has detained 450 for failing to respect curfew. By ISSOUF SANOGO (AFP/File) Ivorian Human Rights Movement (MIDH) chief Doumbia Yacouba said many of the detainees had been beaten and mistreated. "It is unacceptable and it adds to the psychosis created by coronavirus," he said. Further cause for concern emerged when Kenyan police called for an inquiry into the death of a 13-year old boy felled by a bullet allegedly fired by police as they cleared a slum area last week. In South Africa, three young children were wounded when security officials allegedly opened fire against a man. Human Rights Watch has called for urgent investigations into all abuse allegations and "disproportionate" use of force. sch-burs/bp Marisa and Scott, with twins: Sammy in her lap, and Declan in his Read more THE PARENTS: Marisa McClellan, 40, and Scott McNulty, 43, of Center City THE CHILDREN: Samuel Reed and Declan Klein, born July 12, 2019 THEIR NAMES: Scotts brother suggested honoring their disparate heritages with one Jewish name and one Irish name. Reed and Klein both come from Marisas side of the family, since the babies have Scotts last name. It took Marisa nearly a decade to convince Scott that they should try to have a baby. One baby. But there was the ultrasound tech, scooting the wand around and peering at the screen and saying, How many embryos did you have transferred? Marisa sent her husband a text: Two babies. Her own reaction? Shock. I thought: This is not how its supposed to go. People talk about multiple rounds [of IVF], about the struggles. I just couldnt believe that it had worked that it had worked so well. Scott launched into a kind of panicked planning: They would need to move from their one-bedroom apartment in Center City; they should cancel their planned vacation to Disney World and strip all unnecessary expenses from their budget. It was early 2019. Marisa, a food writer and cooking teacher, had her fourth book due out that spring. Ultimately, they decided to remain in the apartment it had belonged to Marisas grandparents and go to Disney as planned, a good opportunity to be playful before we had to take on this responsibility, Marisa says. Theyd met at a blogger meet-up in 2005: Marisas blog, named Apartment 2024, chronicled dating and food and life in Philadelphia; Scott blogged (and still does) about random stuff. We became friends, we hung out, we made an online cooking show together called Fork You, Marisa recalls. And then there was a night December 2007 when they acknowledged that this friendship could translate into something more. We realized that wed essentially been dating, without touching, for the last two years, Marisa says. But there was a caveat: If we ever get married, Marisa told Scott, you have to be willing to have children. That was the beginning of a 10-year conversation that continued through their engagement a proposal in the middle of a December-lit City Hall and their wedding, a DIY potluck in a cousins backyard. Marisa baked: one vanilla pound cake, one flourless chocolate. They wrote their own vows. Their families Marisas Jewish, West Coast, folk-singing clan and Scotts Irish-Catholic relatives from Long Island somehow meshed. Scott had never thought seriously about children; when confronted with other peoples offspring, I never knew what to do with them. But for Marisa, parenthood felt like an impulse that needed to be realized. I have a really strong care-taking strand of energy in me. That part of my personality needed a place to go. There were moments when the quandary seemed irreconcilable. We thought: Are we going to split up over this issue? But we never did, Marisa says. Finally, she was nearing 40, and they faced a crossroads: Try to conceive with the help of science, or let it go. We had tests; they checked my egg reserve and Scotts sperm count and said IVF would be our best choice. I really was OK with whether it worked or not, but I needed to try. And then? Dumb luck, she says. Four fertilized eggs; three that continued to grow in the lab; two robust enough to transfer, in the hope that one would implant. After the shock, they settled into the reality of twins, jettisoning books and 500 canning jars to create more space in their apartment. Marisas book was published. She slurped pho broth in her first trimester and craved protein in the second. At 32 weeks, her blood pressure spiked, and she spent two weeks in Pennsylvania Hospital with preeclampsia before a scheduled induction. It was a time to rest from weeks of book-touring and events, a time to loosen her expectations about what would come next. One of the things I learned at the beginning of this pregnancy is that, when youre pregnant with twins, whatever you want your process to be, you have to give all that up. She worked with an obstetrician, not a midwife; even a vaginal birth would need to happen in the operating room. Sammy came first, after two hours of pushing. They put him on Marisas chest. She looked at him and said, Oh, I love you, Scott remembers. But there wasnt time to revel; there was another baby coming. Twenty more minutes of pushing with everything I had, Marisa says, and Declan was out. Both babies spent time in the intensive-care nursery; Sammy had episodes of heart-deceleration, and Declan needed a feeding tube. Each was just over five pounds when discharged. And already, they are distinct: Sammy quick to smile and even-keeled emotionally; Declan showing more obvious highs and lows. The twins have changed their parents albeit, in different ways. Marisa says motherhood has had a mellowing effect. Im 40. These are my only babies. Im trying to be I know its a cliche present for this. Its been one thing after another of having to surrender my expectations. Scotts experience is the flip side: I think Im less mellow, he says. Im more worried now about finances, about something happening to them. Babies become all-consuming; they take up any available space you have in your mind and in your life. Hes wary of becoming that parent who talks only about his children; he tries to remember to ask Marisa about her own day and mood before checking on the kids when he calls from work. There have been sanity-shredding moments: walking the babies through Rittenhouse Square at 11 oclock at night, trying to get them to chill out, or the time Scott paced with Sammy around their dining room table for three hours while he screamed. But then theyll put Declan and Sammy down on twin play mats, turn away and look back to see that theyve wiggled close together. The babies stare and smile and try to stuff their hands in one anothers mouths. The thing thats fun about twins, Marisa says, is how interested they are in each other. A sign hangs on the door of a shuttered restaurant in the Chicago Loop on March 19, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images When the calendar turned to 2020, Toast was one of the hottest names in technology. Shares of the privately held company, which makes software for restaurants, were in high demand on the secondary markets. Existing investors led a $400 million financing round in mid-February at an almost $5 billion, close to double where it was a year earlier. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., and many of Toast's customers had to shut their doors. Suddenly, the eight-year-old cloud software business, which had blossomed as restaurants rushed to modernize their tech systems, found itself in the teeth of an economic crisis and facing the prospect of evaporating revenue. Toast isn't alone in its current predicament. As residents in California, New York and numerous other states shelter in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, a number of once high-flying start-ups have hit the skids, particularly those with ties to travel, tourism and mobility. Airbnb was supposed to be gearing up for a public market debut. Instead, the room-sharing company instituted a hiring freeze, suspended marketing and said on Monday it will allow guests to receive full refunds for trips starting on or before May 31, and set aside $250 million to pay hosts for missed bookings. Scooter company Bird cut about 30% of its staff last week and travel software start-up TripActions, valued nine months ago at $4 billion, laid off about one-fifth of its employees. Toast tells visitors to its careers page that it's paused hiring. CEO Chris Comparato told CNBC in an email that it's looking for other ways to cut spending. "We have taken initial steps to halt our hiring efforts in response to slowing demand from the restaurant industry, and are focused on fortifying our existing customers and the broader restaurant community with services and support as we collectively navigate this challenge," Comparato said. While the coming months pose a major financial hurdle for Toast, the company is as busy as ever, trying to help clients survive and preserve the industry for the future. Restaurants that have long been predominantly dine-in establishments are being converted on the fly into takeout-only eateries, complete with online and mobile ordering. And with customers unable to pay for the additional layer of service, Toast is giving it away. In an email to customers on March 15, Comparato said the Boston-based company was providing "millions of dollars in the form of a one month credit of software fees for all Toast customers," as well as free access to its software for online ordering, takeout, gift cards and marketing. Radha Dhruv assistant general manager, using Toast software, February 23, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Joe Amon | The Denver Post via Getty Images "We will launch a program early this week to allow you to enroll in these products, and we will waive software fees for them for the next three months, Comparato wrote in the email, which was obtained by CNBC. "We have enabled our team to help you get up and running as quickly as possible." Toast then went a step further, announcing a suite called Toast Now, consisting of software for digital ordering and gift cards that it's offering for free for three months, even to restaurants that aren't customers. Toast is fortunate to have padded its balance sheet just before the crisis struck. The $400 million deal was announced Feb. 14, but the lead investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, TPG and Tiger Global, had committed to the round in January, before the coronavirus had become a big story in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the details are confidential. Toast declined to comment on its talks with investors. At the time of the deal, the company said it was coming off a year of 109% revenue growth from the addition of tens of thousands of restaurants. More broadly, the historic expansion in the U.S. economy was leading to the opening of more restaurants, and Toast was unique in providing a point-of-sale (POS) terminal and cloud software suite specifically built for the food industry. Square, for instance, has a competitive product for restaurants, but the company serves small shops of all types. Shifting from fine dining to takeout and delivery Like most of its peers, Ethan Stowell Restaurants (ESR) in Seattle has been battered by the coronavirus, laying off over 300 people in mid-March, or about 90% of its staff. The company owns 13 restaurants, including Ballard Pizza, Tavolata, the French brasserie Red Cow and How to Cook a Wolf, which serves upscale Italian-Mediterranean food. Ethan Stowell's Tavolata in Seattle Geoffrey Smith As of last week, six of ESR's restaurants were open for takeout and delivery, and two more were preparing to open under the same conditions, allowing the company to hire back 10% of its employees. ESR has been using Toast for several years to integrate all of its restaurants from the casual to the fancy into a single POS and management system rather than having to rely on a disparate set of older tools, said Michael Pagana, the restaurant group's vice president of development. The pizzerias were used to doing takeout, but the other restaurants had never focused on it and were able to quickly get a system in place and their menus online using the Toast service, Pagana said. Everything with the ordering process is automated, and anyone who calls in an order is directed to the website. Customers are sent texts telling them when the food will be ready so they can avoid long waits and the restaurant can keep lines from forming. In addition to the free ordering and gift card software, Pagana said that Toast has stopped charging for its service at restaurants that are closed. The main Toast service costs $75 a month for a single terminal with volume discounts available. Pagana said that the value of Toast's technology will be even greater when the virus passes and people are able to go out again, because the world's not going to revert back to the way it was. A lot of people will still prefer some level of social distancing. "When mission accomplished is declared, this is probably going to be the new reality for us," said Pagana. "It's not going to be the happy, go lucky we're ready to go to bars and make out with each other for quite a bit of time." Toast told CNBC that "off-premise dining" now accounts for about 70% of restaurant revenue, and the company has seen a tripling in volume through digital ordering. Pay it forward with gift cards On its homepage, ESR says that all of its dining rooms are closed and encourages customers to buy gift cards at a discount. A similar message appears on the websites of many other Toast clients. The owners of Side Street Cafe in Bar Harbor, Maine, said in a post dated March 15, that they made the "tough decision to close our in-person dining and switch to take-out only service starting tomorrow morning." Tios Mexican Cafe in Ann Arbor, Michigan, expanded its delivery service, telling customers, "You can't come to see us, but we can come to you." Protein Bar & Kitchen, which has locations in Colorado, Illinois and Washington, D.C., shows a popup on its website suggesting people buy gift cards or order pickup or delivery. In Austin, Texas, Kome Sushi Kitchen says online ordering is available from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, adding that 100% of tips "go directly to our furloughed staff until we can put them back to work." Kayo Asazu, who along with her husband owns Kome and five other restaurants in Austin, said that she had never personally learned how to use Toast's software until the last couple weeks after letting go of about 90% of her 150 employees. Two of her restaurants are closed, the ramen shop has lost about 80% of its revenue and sales at Kome, her biggest restaurant, are off by about half, she estimates. Asazu said that it took her half a day to get up to speed on Toast and that she was easily able to get all the menus online even though "I'm not computer savvy." Toast proactively reached out to her offering free software for online orders and gift cards, Asazu said, and is available when she needs help. A view of an empty restaurant is seen at Grand Central Station on March 25, 2020 in New York City. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought Centre's response on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to avail WHO-approved protection kits for doctors, especially since they are working under tedious conditions. The bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud sought Centre's response on the PIL filed by a Nagpur based doctor Jerryl Banait, by next week. The petitioner contended that in the absence of adequate protective gear, doctors put themselves at the risk of being affected by the virus, warranting availability of graded protective gear to them and other welfare facilities, so as to aid them to combat the virus. The plea not only sought this equipment for medical professions in metro cities but in tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well. "As there is no specific vaccination to prevent or cure COVID- 19, it is imperative for doctors to be in constant contact with patients, so as to monitor them on regular intervals, and observe their symptoms," the plea said. "In the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors put themselves at risk of being affected by the virus in the discharge of their duties. It is the duty of the States to ensure graded protective gear to doctors and other welfare facilities, so as to aid them to combat the virus," it added. READ: Coronavirus test kits heading to UK found contaminated with virus: Reports READ: Coronavirus death toll rises to six in Bangladesh, positive cases surge to 54 The Coronavirus Pandemic As of date, India has reported over 1,400 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, around 38 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar, apart from barring all incoming international flights. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a nationwide lockdown in order to curb the spread of the virus. At present, there are around 786,270 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 37,830 people across the world. Meanwhile, around 165,660 people have reportedly recovered. The US is at the top of the charts with respect to Coronavirus cases, with over 1.2 lakh people infected with the virus. READ: Trump wants Florida officials to welcome cruise ship hit by coronavirus READ: Coronavirus USA: USTA has no plans to cancel US Open 2020 despite growing number of cases (With Inputs from ANI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said salaries of its employees will neither be deferred nor cut amid the coronavirus lockdown and its impact on revenues. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has clearly said that the condition of the states economy is strong and it would deal with the challenge posed by the pandemic, Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi told newspersons here. There would be no cut or deferment in the salaries of state government employees, Awasthi said, quoting the chief minister. The chief minister is of the view that when he has asked private agencies to pay full salary to their employees in this hour of crisis, it is the responsibility of the state government to pay its employees as well, Awasthi pointed out. Several states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana have announced deferment of payment of full salaries to the chief minister, officers and employees, saying their revenue streams have dried up due to the ongoing lockdown to combat coronavirus. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON T he house of the late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman has been saved from private sale by conservationists, who were supported by artists and actors including Tilda Swinton. Mr Jarman, who made several arthouse films in the 1970s and 1980s including Caravaggio and Jubilee, lived in Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, Kent, until his death of an AIDS-related illness in 1994. The house was managed by his partner Keith Collins until Mr Collins' death in 2018, when it was put up for sale. But a group of conservationists, led by the arts charity Art Fund, raised over 3.6 million in just ten weeks to buy the house so it can be kept for public use. The money raised includes over 8,000 donations from members of the public, as well as 750,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, 500,000 from Art Fund and 250,000 from the Linbury Trust, among others. Derek Jarman / Howard Sooley The campaign is the biggest ever arts crowdfunding initiative, Art Fund said. Stephen Deuchar, the charity's director, said: "Securing the future of Prospect Cottage may seem a minor thing by comparison with the global epidemic crisis which has recently enveloped all our lives. "But Derek Jarmans final years at the cottage were an inspiring example of human optimism, creativity and fortitude battling against the ravages of illness, and in that context the success of this campaign seems all the more apposite and right for its time." Several well-known artists also funded the campaign, including David Hockney and the Turner Prize winning artists Wolfgang Tillmans and Jeremy Deller. Actress Tilda Swinton and costume designer Sandy Powell, who were friends of Jarman, helped to gather support. Ms Powell gathered signatures from filmmakers like Robert De Niro and Scarlett Johansson on a suit that she later auctioned to raise money for the campaign. Sandy Powell and Tilda Swinton / PA Ms Swinton said: "When Derek initiated the project of making of this little house on the shingle the unique and magically empowering space it has come to be, not only for him, but for so many of us, it was at a time of intense uncertainty and fragility in his own life. "That our casting the net of our appeal to keep this project alive has coincided with the phenomenal global challenge to community with which we are currently faced and that that net has still come in so full of bounty has only served to prove how invaluable this vision of future is to us all." The house will be managed by local arts group Creative Folkstone. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future Published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Global Metal Powder Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023 Market Segmentation: Global Metal Powder Market Forecast is segmented on the basis of Type, Production Method, Compaction Technique and End-User Industry. Depending on the Type, the market is split into non-ferrous, ferrous, and others. With respect to the Production Method, the Metal Powder Market can be considered for physical method, chemical method, and mechanical method. Compaction Technique-Wise, the market is bifurcated based on cold compaction technique and hot compaction technique. The End-User Industries in the market are transportation, electrical and electronics, building and construction, and others. Regional Insight: The Worldwide Metal Powder Market is spread across the primary regions of Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa and North America. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5666 Asia Pacific covers the substantial portion of the market and can expect to expand at the fastest rate during the review period. Rapidly expanding industries as well as urbanization in the region fuels the growth of Metal Powder Market in the developing economies. Furthermore, lucratively increasing electrical and electronic and automobile industry within the region on account of the tax benefits and availability of cheap labor boosts the market as well. The burgeoning population, primarily in India and China has given a boost to the construction and automobile sector, further contributing to the market growth. India, China, and Japan are the biggest consumers of Metal Powder within the region. Another dominant region, North America benefits from the high demand for Metal Powder across established end-user industries including building & construction, electronics, and transportation, among others. Presence of prominent construction machinery manufacturers in the region also adds to the market growth. The new construction in the United States (U.S.) has been estimated at USD 1.16 trillion and can grow further very soon due to ongoing investments, particularly in New York City. Europe market shows remarkable development, chiefly driven by the advanced construction, automobile and electrical & electronics sector. The expansion of the metal fabrication industry combined with the rising infrastructural development could aid in market expansion. In addition, surging research and development (R&D) activities within the automobile sector accelerates the use of Metal Powder backed by the hike in demand for lightweight vehicles. Market Scope: Global Metal Powder Market is possibly going to achieve a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period (2017-2023), says Market Research Future (MRFR). Key Companies: The esteemed players shaping the Worldwide Market for Metal Powder include GKN Plc. (U.K.), Hoganas AB (Sweden), Carl Schlenk AG (Germany), American Chemet Corporation (U.S.), Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (U.S.), Sandvik AB (Sweden), Carpenter Technology Corporation (U.S.), Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd (Japan), Metaldyne performance Group Inc (U.S.), Rio Tinto (U.K.), to name a few. Industry Update: July 2019 Hoganas AB (Sweden) is set to expand its metal powder production facility in Pennsylvania, USA, adding few production capabilities for supporting Additive Manufacturing as well as other technologies. A 24,000 ft2 building will be added, coupled with purchase of new machinery. Browse Key Industry Insights spread across 137 pages with 59 market data tables & 15 figures & charts from the report, Metal Powder Market Information: Types (Non-Ferrous, Ferrous), Production Method (Physical, Chemical And Mechanical), Compaction Technique (Cold, Hot) End-Use Industry (Transportation, Construction) and Region Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2023 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/metal-powder-market-5666 Growth Boosters and Key Barriers: Rising adoption of additive manufacturing, coupled with the increasing demand for lightweight components within the automotive sector, could favor market growth. Additive manufacturing is also called 3-D printing, known for imprinting excellent shades within the manufacturing sector, based on the phasing in of advanced technologies including digitalization to cope up with additive manufacturing which is blended with Metal Powder to make a 3D prototype. It is believed that the 3D-Printing Market could demonstrate double-digit growth in the coming years. Lightweight material is gaining immense popularity in the automotive industries, on account of its beneficial properties, including high accuracy and high life expectancy, among others. Materials that are lightweight, such as aluminum (Al) alloys, high-strength steel, polymer composites, carbon fiber, and magnesium (Mg) alloys can directly decrease the entire weight of the body as well as the chassis of a vehicle by almost 50%. This factor is poised to drive the demand for Metal Powder in the automotive Industry. The surge in adoption of additive manufacturing within aerospace and healthcare industries leaves a lucrative effect on the market. 3D-Printing Technology or additive manufacturing has gained plenty of traction in the medical industry to make high-quality medical equipment that can perform critical operations in less time. For instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved spinal implants that were created from titanium alloys using the 3D-printing technology. Therefore, the boost in the adoption of 3D-printing technology across numerous end-user industries could do wonders for the market in the subsequent years. Read our Blogs @ http://mrfrblog.com Related Chemicals and Materials Market Research Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/categories/chemicals-market-report About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Flash The Chinese Embassy to Britain on Tuesday said some British media reports claiming that China's "misinformation blitz" around the COVID-19 epidemic has led to a "lack of testing" in Britain are untrue and their accusations are groundless. The embassy's spokesperson said these reports completely disregard the tremendous efforts and huge sacrifices made by China and its people in the battle against COVID-19, and deny China's significant contribution to global public health and safety. "We are shocked and deeply concerned," said the spokesperson. Some British media also said that China is seeking economic power with "predatory offers of help," and that some British government officials "are furious over China's campaign of misinformation" and "demand an urgent review" of Britain's relationship with China. The spokesperson said after the outbreak of COVID-19, China wasted no time identifying the pathogen of the virus, sharing its genetic sequence with the World Health Organization, taking the most effective, strict and comprehensive measures to contain the spread of the disease, sharing experience with other countries in need and providing assistance to more than 120 countries, including Britain and four international organizations. These efforts and contributions made by China should not be distorted or defamed, said the spokesperson. The Chinese Embassy in Britain has expressed grave concern to the British side regarding those claims and remarks, and has urged the latter to clarify them, according to the spokesperson. "Senior officials of the British government have replied that the reported remarks do not represent government position, and that the British side speaks highly of China's contribution to the global response to COVID-19 and regards China-UK relationship as fundamentally important," the spokesperson said. Prejudice, vilification and discrediting would only undermine global response to COVID-19, the spokesperson said, urging relevant British media and politicians to abandon their arrogance and prejudice, and objectively view China's efforts and achievements in combating COVID-19, and help boost global public health and safety, instead of doing the opposite. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that of the 71 people from West Bengal who had attended the religious event at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi, 54 have been quarantined. "71 people from the state attended the event at Markaz Nizamuddin. 54 people out of 71 have been put under quarantine," said Banerjee. She also said, "If anyone visited Markaz, they must inform the authorities. There is nothing to be scared of." The gathering organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in mid-March. COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from those who attended the event in Delhi, with 24 cases being reported from the capital alone, apart from Telangana, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Local hospital staff on the frontline of the war against coronavirus will be offered free meals from Staten Island restaurants and caters thanks to a new program. Feeding the Frontline started Tuesday as a partnership between Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, the United Federation of Teachers, and the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, according to a media release from Oddos office. What our nurses and front line healthcare workers are doing each day is nothing short of heroic, Oddo said. As we fight each day to get them the supplies they need, the least we can do is get them some food to eat at the hospital or maybe take home. Meals will be served at both campuses of Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay, and at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The organizations, along with Community Television, donated over $15,000 in partnership with restaurants and caterers, which have place the cost of each meal at $7. According to the media release, 1400 meals will be served at each mealtime. 42 NYC on pause: A month into the battle against deadly coronavirus This collective effort is a small gesture to show our appreciation for all the essential workers who are selflessly taking care of our community, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce President and CEO LInda Baran said. At the same time, it also allows us to support our local businesses when sorely needed. UFT has also launched a separate program providing free meals three times a week to its 1,000 nurse members at Staten Island University Hospital in Princes Bay and NYU Brooklyn. I want to thank everyone who has stepped up to help, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. Its important that we do all that we can to support our nurses and other healthcare workers during this crisis. Anyone interested in donating should visit the Staten Island Chamber of Commerces website. Donations start at $35, which will feed five hospital staff members. Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: RELATED COVERAGE: Navy hospital ship Comfort docks in Manhattan at front line of coronavirus pandemic In addition to hospital beds, the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is equipped with a dozen operating rooms and laboratory facilities. Data analysis of Staten Island and New York cases Coughs, sneezes, surfaces: Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread How the coronavirus hit Staten Island: A timeline of the pandemic in our borough NYPD Commissioner: Cooperation, not closures, expected for ban on dining at restaurants and bars Washington President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Americans to brace for a "hell of a bad two weeks" ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials stressed that the number could be less if people across the country bear down on keeping their distance from one another. "We really believe we can do a lot better than that," said Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. That would require all Americans to take seriously their role in preventing the spread of disease, she said. Added Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, "This is a number that we need to anticipate, but we don't necessarily have to accept it as being inevitable." Trump called it "a matter of life and death" for Americans to heed his administration's guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a "light at the end of the tunnel" in a pandemic that has killed more than 3,500 Americans and infected 170,000 more. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said. "This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country," Trump added. "We're going to lose thousands of people." The jaw-dropping projections were laid out on during a grim, two-hour White House briefing. Officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. And the model's high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World II. "There's no magic bullet," Birx said. "There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors. Each of our behaviors, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic." Fauci called the numbers "sobering" and urged Americans to "step on the accelerator" with their collective mitigation efforts. "We are continuing to see things go up," Fauci said. "We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work." Birx said pandemic forecasts initially predicted 1.5 million to 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. But that was a worst-case scenario, without efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing. She added that states that have not yet seen a spike in cases as New York has could take action to flatten the curve of rising hospitalizations and deaths. It's not only social distancing that could make a difference, but also the frantic efforts by hospitals around the country to prepare for an onslaught of seriously ill patients. The better prepared hospitals are, the greater the chances of lives being saved. There's also a wild card when it comes to treatment: whether the experimental drug combination Trump has touted a medicine for malaria and an antibiotic will actually make a difference. That combination is already being used on thousands of patients, and Fauci said he would want to see a rigorous test of its effectiveness. Trump's comments came after he announced Sunday that he was extending to April 30 the social distancing guidelines that advise Americans to cease large gatherings, work from home, suspend onsite learning at schools and more in a nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus. It was an abrupt reversal for Trump, who spent much of last week targeting April 12 as the day he wanted to see Americans "pack the pews" for Easter Sunday services. Trump called the data "very sobering," saying it was his understanding that 100,000 deaths was a minimum that would be difficult to avoid. He also sought to rewrite his past minimization of the outbreak, saying he rejected those who compared the virus to the flu when in fact he repeatedly did so publicly. Americans and Bahrainis have been working together to combat epidemics for more than 100 years. One of the first activities of the doctors and nurses of what would become the American Mission Hospital at its founding in the early 1900s was offering medical care to confront outbreaks of cholera, smallpox and dysentery. The cooperation and trust developed than between Bahrainis and Americans has only strengthened in the intervening years, and will help see us through the current challenges of COVID-19 together. Today, as the United States faces an unprecedented threat to our national health at home, we are no less committed to building a global health capacity to fight COVID-19 and other outbreaks. We are coordinating closely with the Bahraini Government, especially the COVID-19 Task Force under the leadership of HRH Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the Ministry of Health, as well as the private sector and ordinary citizens. Americans in Bahrain are extremely appreciative of the decisive and proactive response with which Bahrains leadership has met the current challenge. Whether in the high ratio of COVID-19 testing, the establishment of critical care facilities, and early action on social distancing, Bahrain has rightly been lauded by the World Health Organization and others for its response. No less impressive has been the willingness of Bahraini citizens to come together to assist, especially the thirty thousand Bahrainis who volunteered for the national anti-COVID 19 campaign by the National Taskforce to Combat the Coronavirus (COVID 19). American companies and organizations in Bahrain are also doing their part. Westpoint Home, a textile manufacturer based in the United States with a factory in Bahrain's industrial area, has converted a large section of its factory floor to produce face masks in response to a global shortage of these critical items. Thousands of the masks are being donated to the Ministry of Health. Big Texas Barbecue, an American owned restaurant in Bahrain, has donated food to support labourers and others without access to kitchens. Meanwhile, the United States continues to demonstrate leadership in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2009, USAID, the U.S. Governments foreign assistance arm, has invested more than one billion dollars to help prevent, detect and respond to endemic and emerging health threats like COVID-19, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases. This funding has strengthened the public health response capabilities in some of the poorest regions of the world. Once the United States learned about the virus outbreak in China in early January, we immediately offered assistance. Since then, the American People have provided 17.8 tons of donated relief supplies to Hubei province in China. This U.S. government funding is in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars that U.S. private and charitable organizations have committed to stop the spread of COVID-19. And despite the extraordinary challenges to our own economy, the United States is prepared to spend up to $100 million in additional State Department and USAID funds to assist at-risk countries in combatting and containing the virus. Coordination and strong binational cooperation such as we enjoy with Bahrain are central to fighting this virus. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Health and other American public and private sector organizations are working with the World Health Organization, among others, to provide up-to-date guidance to countries around the world, including Bahrain, on the latest diagnostic options to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our scientists are working with global counterparts to push vaccines through the early stages of development at record speed. To expedite this process, the United States is inviting researchers worldwide to use our supercomputers, the worlds most powerful, under the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium. This will help them understand the virus faster and expedite better diagnosis and therapy. Americans and Bahrainis have worked together for over 120 years to overcome a wide array of challenges, including deadly diseases like cholera and smallpox. Together, we will prevail again. (Newser) NBC News is calling them "coronavirus deniers"; the Daily Beast is going with "coronavirus truthers." These are the peoplemost of them conspiracy theorists or far-right activistswho started the #FilmYourHospital hashtag urging people to head out to their local hospitals, film the entrances, and then post the results on social media. Their argument: Things seem pretty quiet at these hospitals despite harrowing reports to the contrary. As NBC points out, just because the outside of a hospital appears calm doesn't mean the inside is. And an expert notes that some hospitals, even in hard-hit areas like New York City, may simply be quieter than others: "There can be particularly high-risk neighborhoods within a hot spot. There may be hospitals where they're not putting refrigerated morgue trucks out the door. If you take it all together, it's one big picture. If you look at it separately, it may look like another." story continues below Adds Will Sommer at DB, "The videos also dont consider that, as hospitals cancel elective surgeries and ban visitors, fewer people could be parking at the hospital. The videos also dont take into account the fact that coronavirus patients are likely isolated from the rest of the hospital, meaning they cant be easily seen by walking past an entrance or lobby." The phenomenon started when former Fox News commentator Todd Starnes tweeted a video Saturday of a calm-looking Brooklyn Hospital Center; the next day, a New York City councilman tweeted a video of bodies being loaded onto an 18-wheeler outside the same hospital. Even so, the hashtag (which Sommer notes was started and proliferated by QAnon conspiracy theorists) and accompanying conspiracy theory had already taken off, with thousands tweeting about it by Monday and people including a onetime California congressional candidate posting similarly quiet-appearing videos of hospitals. A Fox News contributor retweeted, then deleted, that video. (Read more coronavirus stories.) With Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebestas Stay Safe at Home order now extended until at least April 30, most of the countys tax offices remain open, but residents are being urged to carry out their business with the tax department online, by phone or by mail. Unlike in neighboring Galveston County, all of Brazoria Countys tax offices have remained open except for those in west Pearland and Sweeny. The open offices are at the following locations: 260 George St., Alvin 7313 Corporate Drive, Manvel 2341 N. Galveston Ave., Pearland 111 N. 10th St., West Columbia 309 Plantation, Lake Jackson; and the main office at the West Annex, 451 N. Velasco, Angleton. The offices are open weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. County Tax Assessor-Collector RoVin Garrett said Wednesday that although there are no plans to close the remaining offices, she strongly encouraged people to carry out their business in ways other than visiting the offices. The county reported 95 cases of the novel coronavirus as of late Tuesday afternoon. Garrett said her staff, which is working at about a third of its capacity any given time, can guide people through online services over the phone and will process any tax business, including the payment of taxes, through the mail. We really dont want people coming into the office if they dont have to, she said. But for those who must come into a tax office, the county has instituted safety measures that include marking the floors to encourage social distancing and not allowing people to wait together. People are asked to stay behind the blue line and not hover over the clerk and not to accumulate in the office, and they are being respectful of each other, Garrett said. Grace period for expired registrations Concessions are being made on certain transactions because of the financial hardships the ongoing pandemic has created for many residents. Expired motor vehicle registrations have been given a grace period for registration renewal, Garrett said. There will be no penalties or tickets given for expired registrations until further notice under the governor's disaster declaration. Drivers are, however, encouraged to register their as-yet-unexpired vehicle registration online This method of renewal will save people $1. Garret said the county also will not impose any penalties on a vehicle ownership transfer that isnt registered within the usual time frame set by law. When individuals are buying/selling a motor vehicle between them, there will be no penalties imposed for failing to transfer title to a motor vehicle within the normal required time frames until further notice, she said. Although there is no way to transfer vehicle ownership online, if you can wait until the situation improves to visit the tax office, that would be a good decision. Delinquent payments to continue to accrue penalties Delinquent payments on property taxes will continue to accrue penalties and/or interest until they are paid. However, even in this instance Brazoria County is trying to be sensitive to the current situation. There are no aggressive collection efforts or enforcement at this time, Garrett said. It is not necessary to pay your taxes in person, unless you must pay in cash. Payment by credit card or echeck can be made online or by phone by visiting https://bit.ly/3bKnFOk. Garrett reminded residents there is a charge for credit-card payments but echeck payments are free. People can still mail in their taxes by check or money order to 111 E. Locust St., Angleton, Texas 77515. For help, call 979-864-1320 or email taxoffice@brazoria-county.com . Residents in the Brazosport area should call 979-388-1320; people in the northern part of the county should call 281-756-1320. All mail correspondence for Brazoria County Tax Office should be addressed to: 111 E Locust Angleton, Texas 77515. The massive amount of automation and digital transformation taking place in the business world would be impossible if companies needed to code all of it "the old-fashioned way." Low-code and no-code platforms are building new applications faster and allowing non-coders within a company to be involved. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The coronavirus has stressed the ability of public officials and government agencies to act quickly enough to take control of a fast-moving crisis, but one way in which New York City has moved with previously impossible speed is online. The city beseiged by the pandemic created a COVID-19 crisis-management software platform in a matter of days, and without writing one line of computer code. Time is of the essence. The online portal, which allows New York to map the virus and identify hot spots, as well as connect residents to critical services, was built with no-code start-up Unqork. Backed by investors including Alphabet's CapitalG and the world's largest money manager BlackRock, Unqork's no-code software allowed the city to go live with the service in 72 hours, using no more than visual drag-and-drop tools to create it. "Information is power, and we are in a race against the clock," said Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and the Citywide CIO, in a release on Wednesday. "To fight the coronavirus pandemic, we need not only more medical equipment and testing but also more data in real time. We hope this program will serve as a model for other municipalities around the world." The Unqork-built portal can be customized for other cities, counties or states and can be live in 48 to 72 hours. The coronavirus build is a notable use case for no-code software, but what is referred to as low-code and no-code is fast becoming an intense area of competition between technology and cloud giants, including Microsoft and Alphabet's Google. In addition to investing in Unqork, Google Cloud acquired one of the biggest no-code players, AppSheet, earlier this year. 450 million new apps in next 5 years "The old way of doing it for decades was to get a hundred people in IT to spend three years on the product to design software for the end customer, collecting all the information to the risk-management system and through the front and back office, and it's a massive IT project," said Alex Schmelkin, chief marketing officer at Unqork. While the New York City case is an extremely quick build, Schmelkin said what a financial services company used to spend years on can now be built in months. "In no-code a small handful of developers gets together with business people and a final working piece of software can be produced in three months," he said. Unqork, which employs approximately 100 coders itself, has focused primarily on the financial services sector to date because it is an industry that the start-up's top officials understand. Founder and CEO Gary Hoberman was previously chief information officer at MetLife. Its clients include John Hancock, Goldman Sachs and Liberty Mutual. But Unqork's ambitions extend to other slow-to-change sectors, like government and health care and real estate, and it works across all three major cloud platforms Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services, the latter of which has the largest market share in the cloud. "We're cloud agnostic," Schmelkin said. "We said we will tackle the most stubborn, old-fashioned industries that think they can't innovate because of legacy systems or mainframes that are decades old." "Everyone is bringing their assets to the cloud, and we can accelerate that by allowing companies to shut off data center assets more quickly," Schmelkin said. At Microsoft, a simple run of the numbers on how many apps will be built in the next five years shows how critical low-code and no-code software will become. Microsoft expects 500 million new apps to be built in the next half decade, which is more than all the apps built in the last 40 years. "If that's true, 450 million have to be built with a low-code tool," said Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president of the citizen applications platform at Microsoft. "There are not enough humans to code fast enough to build that many. Professional developers should focus on harder challenges than another expense submission form or approval form." In terms of usage, its Power Apps is the fastest-growing business app ever at Microsoft, and Lamanna compared this moment in time to when public cloud infrastructure began to take off at the beginning of the last decade. "There are tons of processes today tracked in Excel spreadsheets, and being able to move to an app improves efficiency. Apps for fieldwork are growing five times faster than IT departments can satisfy," Lamanna said. "Our goals are very ambitious, mainly because we see such strong customer demand out there," he said. The Microsoft executive who stressed the company refers to the Power platform rather than Power Apps said the largest value is with an integrated suite. "People don't go buy Word and spreadsheets separately," he said. Some third-party forecasts have estimated Power Apps could represent a $10 billion revenue driver for Microsoft, but Lamanna said that's not high enough. "We think the opportunity is even larger than that. It's a massive surface area," he said. Microsoft Excel, which still requires the use of some formulas by users, is like a rudimentary "low code" software that replaced decades of number-crunching. An estimate of the number of business professionals already using Excel and doing some complicated tasks with it, and potentially migrating over to new platforms, can produce a big number. And it is expected that "self-serve" software like Excel, where the numbers of users are huge already, will move to managed platforms and increasingly become app developers. More technology companies will build in no-code Amit Zavery, general manager and vice president of Google Cloud who came from Oracle, said in past decades many tech vendors offered what can be considered "proto" low-code/no-code software. "Making it easier to build an app has been around as long as software has existed, but the older products were very specific to one technology, and what's happening now is that no-code allows you to do it across multiple platforms Oracle, Salesforce and many others rather than be tied to one vendor. And that's where the value is getting better," Zavery said. "When it was tied to one company's product, you could not build powerful apps." The Google Cloud executive said there's still a distinction between low-code, which requires some technical expertise to build an app, and no-code software, which is "really catering to the rank and file, anyone who has never built without needing to call IT," but Zavery thinks the world will move more rapidly to no-code. No-code software can require only a few days for workers to get trained on, and while low-code is still easier for tech vendors to build, the no-code product set is increasing. Google acquisition AppSheet has had 1.8 million apps created on its platform. "We saw people doing lots of work on AppSheet before we bought it," Zavery said. "No-code is the next generation of change and improvements. Most vendors are going to no-code if they can build it," he said. Every cloud vendor will have something in this area. Amit Zavery general manager and vice president, Google Cloud Google Cloud is integrating AppSheet with G Suite (the cloud-based collaboration and productivity Google set of apps that includes work staples like Gmail, Docs, Drive and Calendar), which has many non-technical business-world users in sectors like manufacturing and utilities. "We've seen lots of no-code at companies like American Electric Power, one of the largest utilities in the U.S.," Zavery said. Alphabet is probably not done competing with rivals for acquisitions in this area, either. "Over time, anything like this usually goes through consolidation," Zavery said. "It's much more powerful if it's integrated and better built across a set of services. Every cloud vendor will have something in this area," he added. AWS for everyone? Recent market speculation has centered on Amazon's response to Microsoft Power Apps and Google's AppSheet deal. Even Apple has long owned a low-code platform, called FileMaker, though it gets little attention compared to its consumer products, and Apple does not compete in the enterprise cloud services market. Amazon will have to respond to low-code and no-code, said Rob Koplowitz, vice president at Forrester Research, which coined the term "low-code" years ago. "Microsoft Azure is a major player and Power Apps is a big push for them," Koplowitz said, and he added that the Google acquisition of AppSheet was at least partly a response to Microsoft. "I suspect the answer is AWS needs to develop something itself, but for all of them, there is still this careful dance to be done about nurturing large partner ecosystems," Koplowitz said. "If you are selling AppSheet, users don't want to be told they have to deploy on Google Cloud." AppSheet continues to be available on all the major cloud platforms, while Google Cloud offers no-code software like Unqork. "Unqork is now deep in one industry, financial services, so not a competitor to AppSheet. Over time users might be able to use one or the other, but today we don't see that," Zavery said. Adam Bosworth, a well-regarded technology executive who had been linked to reports of an "AWS for Everyone" product in recent years and "gave some credibility to the effort at Amazon," according to Koplowitz, recently left Amazon. But Bosworth said in a personal blog post that the project he had worked on at Amazon was coming "relatively soon" and has "as much potential as any I've ever built." John Rymer, Forrester Research vice president and leader of its cloud platform application development research effort, said tech vendors that have the most momentum, growing 100% a year, are in low-code niches. "It's just massive, growing really fast," Rymer said. Everyone is curious about Amazon's plans, but "regardless of what Bosworth and his guys have built, AWS has a serious challenge in front of it in low-code," he said. "Their core customer is the 'alpha geek,' period. The alpha geeks will say 'Real men code' and say 'Low code? Forget it.'" Amazon Web Services spokesman Scott Beaver declined to comment on any plans it has for low-code or no-code software services. A 1 million developer shortfall Coders and software engineers who build complex applications will not be going away. They may just be going even more to jobs at the tech giants. The more no-code platforms grow, the more demand there will be for the specialists to run the underlying technology. "If people build on Google Cloud using AppSheet, the volume of users and data keeps going up, so I need more people to keep running the infrastructure so it can scale," Zavery said. "And software engineers building complex apps will still exist. Tech like the Uber app can't be built using no-code." With the software vendors hiring engineers aggressively, shortages in finding talent to build applications result in the risk of companies waiting too long before they can deliver to business users. "This is a good way out," Zavery said. "You don't have to hire lots of people, since you can't find them anyway. It's a good way to get going and not have business disruption." Companies outside tech need their most sophisticated software engineers to be more productive and, at the same time, increase the number of staffers who can access and create enterprise technology even if they did not come from a computer science background. "There is a 1 million developer shortfall in the U.S. alone, and all these companies are struggling to create content and applications to go truly digitally native. You don't need someone who studied comp sci for four years," said Microsoft's Lamanna. Unqork now has more than 2,000 people it has trained and certified to build on its software-as-a-service platform. The start-up says that the first set of badges can be completed in one to three weeks (it has had high school juniors who were trained and certified in less than a month) and "master level" reached in under three months. "People can be coding in Java for 10 years and still not be considered master level," Schmelkin said. Unqork has started to see its skills certifications show up in LinkedIn profiles. "If you look at some Liberty Mutual employees, they are showing on LinkedIn their Unqorked badges," he said. "I grew up as a coder and a hacker, and I believe there will always be need for incredible programmers and technologists, but can't train them fast enough, and it's harder to get them into stodgier industries. Even an enormous bank in the Midwest will have a hard time competing with Google, Facebook." But there are risks in turning every employee into an app developer without setting up the proper processes and infrastructure first, Forrester's Rymer said. He was aware of one large insurance company that inherited a portfolio of 16,000 Quick Base applications running on a version of Quick Base that had been end-of-lifed. "That's the example of a company that brings in low-code with no governance, and it's a nightmare," Rymer said. "That was completely the fault of the customer and illustrates how badly things can go without governance." Quick Base, like most other vendors, has been building tools to help customers govern their low-code development projects and portfolios. "That's what people are afraid of. It's just gonna be chaos and business people creating junk, and IT forced to support it," Rymer said. "Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as... 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SOURCE Kigh Consulting Related Links https://kighcbd.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara Wed, April 1, 2020 09:23 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206eca25f 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,East-Manggarai,East-Nusa-Tenggara,farm,shelters,NTT,Manggarai-Timur,pertanian,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-korona-nusa-tenggara-timur Free In a scramble to escape from the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 80 families in Lopa Kampong of Borong district, East Manggarai regency of East Nusa Tenggara province have been choosing to stay on their farms since early March. "Residents of Kampong Lopa in Gololeda village avoid meetings with homecoming residents who recently came back from other regions. They also avoid meetings with new people," the Gololeda village chief, Martinus Jenama, told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Monday. He explained that residents started to move out of their houses and stay on their farms after village officials disseminated information about the transmission of and preventive measures against the COVID-19 coronavirus. Read also: Bappenas, UI modeling shows grim projection of COVID-19 spread in Indonesia The same thing has also been happening in Mbengan village, Kota Komba district of the same regency. The Mbengan village chief, Yohanes Tobi, told the Post that the residents had taken shelter on their farms in a bid to avoid being infected by the coronavirus. He added that some residents even stopped going to market to sell produce or buy basic needs because of concern over the pandemic. According to Tobi, the paranoia formed ever since mass media started to report virus-related fatalities every day. The deputy regent of East Manggarai, Jaghur Stefanus vowed to coordinate with local officials to provide more information on how to avoid contracting COVID-19. (trn) Beijing , April 1 : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will join hands with both the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Organizing Committees to make the two Games, set to be held within half a year of each other, a commercial and public success. The IOC and local organizing committees jointly announced on Monday the decision to host the Tokyo Olympic Games from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5, 2021, and Beijing 2022 will start five months later on February 4, 2022, reports Xinhua news agency. "We see the impact being a positive one. The proximity of both Games will mean that it will be easier to keep the momentum going from one Games to the other without the usual one and a half year gap. We will be working with both Organising Committees with this objective," the IOC spokesperson said. On Tuesday, Beijing 2022 organizers said, faced with this "special situation ... We will have a detailed assessment of how the new dates of Tokyo 2020 will affect the Beijing 2022 Games." "In the meantime, will keep close communication with the IOC and the Olympic family to handle the situation properly and push forward our preparation in all aspects. We believe the Summer Games in Tokyo and the Winter Games in Beijing will both be a success." In modern Olympic history, the Summer and Winter Games were held in the same year from 1924 to 1992 and starting from the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, the two Games were held a year and a half apart. A selloff in world markets, weak global cues, spiralling coronavirus cases and MSCI deferring changes to the Foreign Inclusion Factors to May weighed on sentiment on April 1, with the Sensex plunging more than 1,200 points and the Nifty50 closing below 8,300. The final tally on D-Street: the Sensex fell 1,203 points to 28,265 while the Nifty50 closed 343 points lower at 8,253. The Indian market will remain shut on April 2 on account of a public holiday. Sectorally, the fall was led by losses in IT, banks, telecom, FMCG, public sector, and capital goods stocks. Broader markets were better off. The S&P BSE Midcap index fell 2.1 percent while the S&P BSE Smallcap index was down by just 1 percent. Experts are of the view that the recent selling is largely on the back of institutional offloading of stake in an attempt to raise cash. Investors should tread with caution as volatility is likely to remain. ''The Sensex took a knock of 1,200 points today as FIIs pulled out a staggering Rs 62,000 crore during March from Indian Equities, S Ranganathan, Head of Research at LKP Securities told Moneycontrol. Today's trade witnessed sustained selling across pivotal led primarily by technology and private sector banks as foreign wealth funds created cash by selling equities. Top Nifty gainers include Titan Company, Bajaj Auto, and Hero MotoCorp. Stocks & Sectors Top Nifty losers include UPL, TCS, Kotak Bank, and Tech Mahindra, which fell more than 6 percent each. Sectorally, the selling pressure was evident in the BSE IT index that was down 5.5 percent, followed by the Bankex that fell 5.3 percent, and the BSE Telecom index was down 4.09 percent. Volume spike of 100-400% was seen in Tata Chemicals, YES Bank, NIIT Tech, Kotak Bank, TVS Motor, and Bosch. Long buildup was seen in stocks like Balkrishna Industries, IGL and Biocon. Short buildup was seen in stocks like JSPL, Cummins India, Bosch and MRF. More than 250 stocks on the BSE hit a fresh 52-week low that includes names like Eicher Motors, PVR, Oberoi Realty, and TVS Motor Company. Stocks in news Maruti Suzuki: The S&P BSE Auto index was down 1.5 percent, led by losses in TVS Motor, MRF, Cummins India, Tata Motors, M&M, Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd reported a 47 percent fall in overall sales for the month of March. Yes Bank: The share gained 6 percent after reports said that the private lender had raised Rs 3,500 crore from public sector banks. Biocon: Biocon share price rose over 2 percent 1 after the company received an establishment inspection report (EIR) for its Malaysia facility. Oil & gas stocks: Oil & gas stocks fell after bigger-than-expected rise in US inventories and a widening rift within OPEC heightened oversupply fears. BPCL, HCPL, IOC, ONGC and Reliance Industries shed 2-3 percent each. Delta Corp: Shares of Delta Corp jumped almost 5 percent, a day after Radhakishan Damani bought 15,50,000 shares in the company at Rs 65.25 each from Derive Investments. Bank stocks fall: Banking names tumbled with investors fearing that the lockdown triggered by coronavirus would have a serious impact on businesses across sectors, resulting in an increase in bad loans. Kotak Mahindra Bank was down over 8 percent followed by Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India and Axis Bank. Technical View The Nifty formed a Bearish Belt Hold pattern on charts. The days can be regarded as profit-booking ahead of a market holiday. The Nifty is retracing only recent leg of rally from the lows of 7511 9038 levels The present dip can be an opportunity to go long. However, a close below 7,800 will negate bullish assumptions, which will force a neutral stance on the index once again, Mazhar Mohammad of Chartviewindia.in said. Strength in the index would resume on a close above 8,680 with bigger targets. The warehousing and storage market is poised to grow by USD 326.91 billion, during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of about 7% during the forecast period. Request free sample pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005239/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Warehousing and Storage Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Warehousing and Storage Market Analysis Report by Type (General, Refrigerated, and Farm products) and Geographic Landscape (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/global-warehousing-and-storage-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the growing demand for refrigerated warehousing. In addition, the increasing need for warehouses from the rising e-commerce industry is anticipated to boost the growth of the warehousing and storage market. The growing demand for refrigerated warehousing due to the rapidly developing frozen food industry is expected to drive the warehousing and storage market growth during the forecast period. Before being distributed to the retail stores or sold to consumers directly through e-commerce, frozen dinners, fruits and vegetables, and ice creams require refrigerated warehousing and storage facilities. In addition, the frozen food market which includes ready-to-eat meals that are convenient for individuals with busy schedules, is growing at an unprecedented rate. Thus, the increasing demand for frozen products will directly boost the need for refrigerated warehousing, leading to the growth of the market over the forecast period. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Warehousing and Storage Companies: A.P. Moller Maersk AS A.P. Moller Maersk AS has business operations under various segments, such as ocean, logistics and services, terminals and towage, and manufacturing and others. The company offers dedicated solutions across an extensive network of shared warehousing and distribution operations. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. operates its business through various segments, such as North American surface transportation, global forwarding, and Robinson fresh. The company provides warehousing services in South America and key ports around the world. CEVA Logistics AG CEVA Logistics AG has business operations under two segments, namely freight management and contract logistics. The company provides services such as storage, cross-docking, order management, and fulfillment services. Deutsche Bahn AG Deutsche Bahn AG operates its business through various segments, such as DB Long Distance, DB Regional, DB Arriva, DB Cargo, DB Schenker, DB Netze Track, DB Netze Stations, and DB Netze Energy. The company provides warehousing for spare parts. It also provides services such as kitting and repacking. Deutsche Post AG Deutsche Post AG post eCommerce parcel; express; global forwarding freight; supply chain; and corporate functions. The company provides solutions such as designing and distribution and operates flexible warehouses. Furthermore, it provides cross-docking services and raw materials management. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Warehousing And Storage Type Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) General size and forecast 2019-2024 Refrigerated size and forecast 2019-2024 Farm products size and forecast 2019-2024 Warehousing And Storage Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) APAC size and forecast 2019-2024 North America size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe size and forecast 2019-2024 South America size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005239/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/ US Unveils Venezuelan Transitional Government Plan By VOA News March 31, 2020 The United States says it is willing to lift sanctions against Venezuela in exchange for the formation of a transitional government comprised of allies of President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday. The plan calls on Maduro and Guaido to hand over power to a five-member council until presidential and parliamentary elections can be held within the next year. Pompeo called on Maduro and Guaido to form a transitional government which would be tasked with scheduling elections within six to 12 months. Pompeo said the U.S. would welcome efforts by Guaido to seek office in future elections, but maintained the U.S. position that Maduro must go. The U.S. and more than 50 countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader. "We've made clear all along that Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Pompeo said at a Washington news conference Tuesday. Pompeo said the U.S. continues to support Guaido and added, "When we put together this pathway to democracy, we worked closely with him." The U.S.' top diplomat said sanctions "will remain in effect, and increase, until the Maduro regime accepts a genuine political transition." The oil-rich country's economy, already weakened by a U.S. economic pressure campaign, has been dealt subsequent blows by the coronavirus pandemic and falling oil prices. The coronavirus has also crippled the country's health care system. The U.S. proposal also addresses for the first time the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector and Maduro officials. Officials facing accusations of human rights abuses and drug trafficking are not eligible for sanctions relief. But members of Maduro's socialist government who have been blacklisted would benefit. A transitional government is unlikely to be supported by Maduro and many of his allies unless he is guaranteed protections from the U.S. justice system. "It's a little hard to see how this is going to be convincing to the major players in the government," said David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America. "They seem to think the military is going to step in, but that seems extremely unlikely." The plan would also need the approval of Cuba, Russia or China Maduro's major political and economic supporters. The U.S. campaign against the South American country was spearheaded by economic and diplomatic pressure to break the military's support for Maduro. Last week, however, the U.S. indicted Maduro, the head of the supreme court, the defense minister and other key allies on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. A high-ranking U.S. administration official who spoke anonymously with reporters on Monday said the U.S. is willing to negotiate with Maduro the terms of his exit, even with respect to the indictments against him. On Saturday, Guaido called for the establishment of a "national emergency government." VOA's Nike Ching contributed to this report from the State Department. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remember when Kanan Gill mentioned how he was robbed while riding his two-wheeler in Bengaluru? Apparently, for those of us who do not stay in the Karnataka capital, vehicle theft among other things is a frequently committed crime in the city. However, due to the lockdown set in place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, criminals have been forced to stay out of action. According TOI, Bengaluru police has provided data on different categories of crimes that took place in the city and the numbers have decreased ever since the lockdown was announced. Shutterstock One of the major drops was in the incidents related to chain-snatching, unfortunately a common occurrence in the city. In March 2019, 24 incidents of chain-snatching were reported and the number dropped down to just five by March 26 this year. Due to the heavy police presence and the absence of citizens on the streets, criminals are prevented from committing any sort of crime and the police personnel at Jnanabharathi and HSR Layout police stations told TOI that even vehicle theft reports have gone down with the number of cases going from 432 in March 2019 to 249 in the 26 days of the ongoing month. Other police stations also reported that while 55 vehicle thefts were committed during March last year, only 20 such cases took place in the first 26 days of this month. AFP (Electronic city flyover - Bengaluru) A police personnel from Upparpet police station told Times of India, We registered three cases of motor vehicle theft in the last week. Perhaps, this is the first time that such few number of cases have been reported. Generally, we register at least five vehicle theft cases a week. Another police officer said, "Vehicle-lifters are finding it difficult to spot potential buyers. Usually, stolen vehicles are sold immediately. But now, fearing Covid-19, buyers of such vehicles have remained indoors. This is the main reason for the decrease in vehicle thefts. Secondly, many vehicles are stolen from parking lots and these places are literally empty now." Pixabay Back in March 2019, several different areas in Bengaluru reports about 60 cases of robbery, chain-snatching, mobile-snatching and mugging. However, barely 25 cases from the same categories were reported from the same stations this year during the same month. Police officials also claimed that there has been a slight spike in attempt-to-murder cases. He pointed out that the lockdown could be the reason for old animosity to resurface among certain people. Reuters (Image for representational purposes only) It will be great for our country's safety if these numbers continue to drop even after the lockdown is lifted. March 31, 2020 Transcript USTRANSCOM Commander Gen. Lyons Holds a Press Briefing on Support for the Nation's COVID-19 Response Efforts General Stephen R. Lyons, commander, U.S. Transportation Command GENERAL STEPHEN R. LYONS: Hey, (Staff). General Steve Lyons here. How do you hear me? Over. STAFF: Pretty good. GEN. LYONS: Okay, great. Hey, well listen, thanks. And thanks to everybody that's on the net. I appreciate it very much. And I appreciate the level of effort that the media's going through to keep the public informed of all that's going on in the crisis, and I'm happy to help in any way that I can. You, like a logistics enterprise, don't get to sit out a crisis. So just a couple comments to start with, and then I'll go right to questions. For those that may not be familiar with Transportation Command, as one of the 11 COCOMs in the Department of Defense, we run the department's global mobility enterprise; so our ability to project and sustain the force on a global scale. So you think about airlift, sealift, aerial refuel, aerial medical evacuation, planes, ships, trains, trucks, if you would. That's a combination of both military capability, and many of you think of the gray-tail airplane, but it's also a commercial capability that we leverage as well, both in terms of sealift and airlift and other particular areas. We do see -- as a result of the secretary's stop movement orders, we are seeing a reduction in movements, as you would expect, across the enterprise. But we are also seeing a necessity to continue to operate for mission-essential tasks and operations. Our priorities directly mirror the secretary's priorities. We're focused on protecting and preserving the force against the CV-19 outbreak, maintaining mission readiness. Proud to report at this point, we -- we are mission-ready to do whatever the secretary asks us to do. And then, third, to support the FEMA and broader interagency efforts to counter the -- the coronavirus outbreak. We've done several things in that particular area we can talk about along the way. We are supporting the State Department in their task force repatriation effort. We have moved things in support of HHS -- for example, corona test swabs -- across the globe. We've helped to move field hospitals that you see being built in places like New York and the state of Washington. We're -- we're pleased to help. We're proud of all that we do every day. And let me pause there, I'm happy to take any questions that you may have. STAFF: Okay, sir. I'm going to go to Ryan Browne with CNN for the first question from here. Q: Hello, General. Thank you for doing this. Two quick ones for you. You mentioned the efforts to fly some of the testing swabs and the field hospitals around. Is there a limit on how much you can move or is -- is there more -- do you have more capability you could bring to bear to that effort? Obviously, there's -- there's it's spread all across the 50 states now, so are you -- are you kind of putting -- raising your hand and saying, "We have these kind of assets. We could do more of this"? And has that involved any of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet? Have you had to tap into that to, kind of, help move this stuff around? GEN. LYONS: Yeah, Ryan, great question. We've been able to respond to any of the mission requirements that have come to us thus far. You know, with the -- with the reduction in major movements -- and we -- you know, we typically, on an average day, we've just got thousands of movements, moving across the globe -- we do have some capacity. An area in which I look at capacity and I really -- from two perspectives, you mentioned CRAF, the Civil Reserve Aviation Fleet. On the cargo side, the Civil Aviation Fleet is really going pretty strong. On the passenger side, as you can imagine, it has dropped off significantly. And so as we take on missions, we're specifically looking for opportunities to workload our commercial partners. We're talking to them regularly. I am concerned, to some degree, about the impacts on the passenger segment of the aviation industry. And so any opportunity we have to push workload in their direction, we're doing that. We're doing that largely with the repatriation efforts and -- and other efforts of that sort. So hopefully that answers your question. Q: That does. And actually, if I could follow up on that very quickly, you mentioned the repatriations. Are you -- there seems to be a mix. Sometimes it's military, sometimes it's charter. Do you anticipate additional military repatriation flights in the next week or so? Or are -- do you -- or is that now, kind of, in the civilian transportation, kind of, hands? GEN. LYONS: Yeah, you know, the way I would describe it is that our main effort in repatriation, those missions that are coming from the task force at the State Department -- and the State Department's really done a great job on this. And so we're their overflow valve. Those missions are being workloaded into the commercial sector, aviation sector. So to your point, our CRAF partners. There are some residual movements that will continue out of -- you know, what I would describe on the margin. As we move gray-tail aircraft around the globe, where there's space available, opportune lift, you know, we'll present opportunities for those geographic commanders to put -- you know, to put emphasis on those as the situation represents. But the main effort will be on commercial airlines. Over. Q: Thank you. STAFF: Okay, and we'll go to the phone now. Bob Burns, are you on? Q: Yes, I am. Thank you. General, this is Bob Burns with Associated Press. Are you -- is TRANSCOM flying test kits or other medical supplies or medical personnel to Guam to assist the Theodore Roosevelt with its COVID-19 outbreak? GEN. LYONS: You know, Bob, we're watching that very closely. We don't have a requirement at the moment specifically -- you know, a separate requirement to do that. We do operate regularly what I would call channels, just regularly scheduled missions across the globe. Sometimes people characterize them as Patriot Express, that's the -- kind of the name of the mission that we have and those missions will continue to carry whatever priority cargo is required in whatever region of the globe. So I haven't received any specific requirements on -- on the T.R. but, you know, if something comes our way we're -- we're more than willing to do whatever our Navy counterparts need. Over. Q: Thank you. STAFF: Okay, we'll come back to the press briefing room here for the next question. Q: General, Lucas Tomlinson, Fox News. How do you practice social distancing on a C-17? (CROSSTALK) GEN. LYONS: I think -- I think the question was how do you practice social distance on the C-17. Is -- was that the question? Over. Q: That is, sir. GEN. LYONS: Yeah, it's a great question. And obviously when you're in the cockpit, there's no way to get six foot apart. And so, you know, the way that we're managing our flight crews is unique in many ways and we're trying to create an -- an isolated system of systems, if you would, even in motion. So the way we treat our flight crews is, you know, they can't create social distancing inside the cockpit. Where we billet them is controlled, where they eat from, their food is delivered. So we're trying to create a very concerted cocoon, if you would, over our entire flight crew apparatus. And knock on wood, that seems to be working to date. It allows us to continue mission and protect the force at the same time. But there are -- you know, you can't telework and fly a plane, at least not on the -- on the -- you know, on the lift side of the house. And so there are exceptions that we're working through to how to mitigate those. Over. Q: And just a follow up, you mentioned this cocoon and that you can't telework while flying a plane. How many people in TRANSCOM have tested positive for COVID-19? GEN. LYONS: Well it's a fair question. We're not -- you know, we're not talking about numbers related to specific units for many good reasons that we won't talk about specific numbers. What I would characterize, though, is that at this particular moment in time, our COVID-positive rates are very, very low, single digits across the entire mobility enterprise. You know, that -- that will change over time, I acknowledge that and every day we're making a concerted effort to understand how do we protect the force and maintain a level of resiliency to -- to operate this global mobility enterprise for the department. Q: Finally, one last question. How concerned are you with your aircraft flying all over the world with this pandemic globally? How do you keep these crews from picking up the virus somewhere, let's say in Europe, and bringing it back to the United States? GEN. LYONS: Well it's a -- it's a great question and we spend a lot of time working through this issue and particularly at the air component. But back to as I was describing earlier on the way we're managing our air crews and our attendants, very, very isolated. You might characterize it as isolation in motion. But as they go into a particular country, it's very, very limited, straight from the aircraft into billets. They don't go out for food, they don't leave the billet until their next mission, and it's a very, very controlled environment, as you can appreciate. And that's how we mitigate moving from a country that might be a level-three country -- they never -- they never actually leave that base. And even inside that base, they're very, very controlled and that's the way we're managing that. Over. Q: Thank you. STAFF: Okay, before we go on, I'd remind you again to please mute your phone. We're getting some feedback from somebody. And with that, we'll go to Mr. David Martin with CBS. Are you on the line, sir? Q: I am. General, could you give us some specifics on the number of missions you've flown, both for repatriation and in response to HHS/FEMA? GEN. LYONS: David, specifically (inaudible) we have flown to date approximately three million COVID test swabs, for example, in support of HHS. That -- you know, that was a very specific mission. We're working broader missions for FEMA as they come. And then specifically on the repatriation effort, you know, to -- to date that's been a couple thousand, either, you know, executed or being planned. We know that's going to grow significantly. We received a mission on Friday afternoon from the secretary to provide direct support to task force repatriation in the State Department, and we're -- we're -- we're great partners with the State Department as they've done a great job. And overall, I think they've moved closer to probably 27,000 to 30,000 AMCITs (American Citizens) and that number continues to grow every day. So we are pleased to join our State Department partners and you know we've got several missions planned, a dozen -- probably half a dozen missions this week and continue to grow and we'll continue to support that effort in any way we can. Over. Q: Just to follow up, are those half dozen missions like the previous ones, which are -- sound like they are space available on -- on flights that are normally going from these locations? And on the FEMA missions, are the only FEMA missions you've flown to date the -- the three million swabs? Because it sounds like you have a lot of unused capacity right now. GEN. LYONS: Let -- let me ask -- let me answer both questions. On the repatriation effort, no, no, those are very, very specific individual missions. We stood up a -- a -- an actual repatriation task force here at TRANSCOM that's linked directly to State and we are scheduling commercial passenger airlines for those specific repatriation missions in support of the State Department. There will still be small numbers that move on a space-available basis but the main effort is through our -- our civil reserve aviation fleet partners that we use on a day-to-day basis. On your second question with regard to support to FEMA, interagency, HHS, et cetera, there is -- there is more work ongoing, for sure. I highlighted the three million swabs. We're supporting the -- you know, the transportation support for NORTHCOM -- is to move the hospitals, for example, up into the Javits Center, up into Seattle, and many other mission assignments as they come. So as -- as -- as missions come our way, we're prepared to support that. The secretary has made it clear that that's a line of effort, a priority line of effort, and we're prepared to respond to that, and we're working very, very closely with NORTHCOM, FEMA and all the other agencies as things -- as -- and -- and -- and frankly, there's just hundreds of missions every day that move from the Defense Logistics Agency and other agencies like that that don't even -- don't even come up above the radar. STAFF: Okay. We -- are we still connected? GEN. LYONS: We -- we still are. STAFF: Okay. All right, with that, again, I ask, please put your phone on mute. And with that, I'll go to Tara Copp, if she's on the line. Q: Hi, yes I am. Thanks, General, for doing this. I have a follow-up to Bob's question. You know, there was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle today that the captain -- or, the commanding officer of that ship is desperate for tests. So, who would give you a request to get a TRANSCOM flight out there to get them tests and -- and medical assistance? And then secondly, on the 27,000 to 30,000, if I'm -- I'm correct, American civilians you've helped work through repatriation for, can you give us some of, like, where the -- where there were bulk numbers of citizens that you brought back? And then last, on flying test kits around, do you have any breakdown by state of what flights you've flown, what materials you've delivered? Of course, there's a lot of interest from the states about who's getting what and -- and what's on deck. Thank you very much. GEN. LYONS: Okay. To -- to your first question on the -- on the T.R., the -- you know, the -- the Navy has a lot of capacity available to it, and they typically, internal to the Navy, resupply their -- their ships that are underway. And so we -- we would -- by exception, if we got a mission either from Navy or from the Joint Staff if they ask for specific support, I mean, we'd certainly step in and support whatever they needed. But they've got a lot of capacity and -- and -- and I can't speak for what -- what that looks like on the ground, so I won't speculate to what the requirements might be. But we're -- we're certainly prepared to support them. I think you asked for some specifics on the AMCIT repatriation mission. We'd just, again, say that Friday afternoon we received that mission and the first mission, as I understand it, is scheduled to head for Nigeria, and that schedule, I think, is -- is Thursday of this week. So that -- so I'll give you an example of the schedule that I'm looking at. It's -- it's 150 passengers coming out of Nigeria, and those passengers would come back into Dulles and -- and -- and be received into the continental United States. There's other missions of that sort, so you know, if you think about Central and South America, I think the focus right now is on Africa, and then obviously, we're seeing some missions start to emerge from the Indo-Pacific. But -- but that's building every day. I'll -- I'll pause for any additional comments. Over. Q: Okay, and just, thank you for that. And just, my last question -- do you have a breakdown by state of how many missions you have flown or supported through either charter air or mil air to get test kits out to the states, or medical equipment? Thank you. GEN. LYONS: Okay. Well, you know, look, we'll take that -- I -- I think -- if you -- if your -- if your question's specifically about the 3 million, those test swabs came in directly to the FedEx Memphis hub for onward distribution to state and municipalities, as required and -- and as directed by the -- by the whole-of-government effort. STAFF: Okay, sir, we're going to come back to the room here. We have a question in the room. Q: Yes, sir. Mike Glenn with the Washington Times. I was wondering, what percentage of work being done by TRANSCOM is devoted specifically to the coronavirus, COVID-19, and what percentage is still focused on your normal -- your -- your day-to-day operations? And could you talk a little bit about what impact all this might have had on readiness for TRANSCOM? GEN. LYONS: Mike, good -- good questions. We're -- you know, we're -- we're still operating the global mobility enterprise. We still must do that to maintain our level of readiness for the secretary. And so I believe we are doing that. I believe we are ready. I've just -- I reported to the -- to the secretary that we are ready to meet our mission requirements as -- as they come. Proportionally, you know, we're still going through -- there's -- there's -- as you can appreciate, there might be some lagging movements on the stop movements, so we're still working through what the exceptions to policy are, what's absolutely essential inside the department to continue to move, what actually we're going to stop move on. So there's a lot of activity that's still underway. We do forecast that's on the decline. But nonetheless, as I talk about global mobility and for example, the scheduled missions around the globe which we call, you know, regularly-scheduled channels, for example, we'll continue to operate those, even though, you know, our utilization rate of those aircraft has probably dropped considerably, right, down to about 30 to 50 percent. We know that those are the lifelines for the units that are out in the field, so we'll continue to operate that, you know, regardless of utilization rates. And then the special assigned missions, we anticipate those will -- will come down, you know, particularly as we really drew down the efforts for major exercises like Defender Europe and otherwise. And so -- and then we'll start to pick up in -- in other areas like support to the interagency in COVID efforts as that comes. So I wouldn't necessarily, you know, without looking (inaudible) I wouldn't characterize it as a percentage, but we shift -- we shift -- this is what we do every day anyway. We shift to where the global priorities are and as the secretary describes them, and that's the way the global mobility enterprise is built, to be able to shift to the priority requirements across the globe. Q: Thank you very much. STAFF: Okay, now we go back to the phone. Phil Stewart with Reuters, are you on? Q: I am, thanks. A question about just your -- your role in internal domestic U.S. potential support. Are you developing any -- any plans to potentially help ensure logistics/transportation of -- of -- of basic goods in the United States, should the supply chain in the United States break down? Thanks. GEN. LYONS: Well, you know, the -- the domestic freight, both rail and motor freight, that we utilize as the Department of Defense is largely a commercial backbone. And so we're working very, very closely with our commercial partners and the Department of Transportation. And all indicators are that -- that freight is actually moving. And in some areas, it's actually spiking, like on air freight, in ways that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. So domestic freight, it -- it's a good sign because that supply chain must move regardless, right? I mean, the logistics underpinning of the nation must continue. And so we're working with the Department of Transportation as they look at this and they -- they want to ensure that there's continued -- continued freight across the continental United States; for example, any policy implications that they need to look at. And so we do not see any -- any downturn in freight for the most part. There are some specific sectors that will be impacted. I mean, we're working very, very closely with -- with the household goods industry, because at this time of year, we would normally be on a -- a steep ramp to the summer peak season. And now we're really, kind of, throttled back on that mission set. And so, you know, every -- every industry sector's a little bit different. Passenger airlines very concerned about, Passenger -- freight is up, freight -- motor -- surface freight, motor freight, rail freight continues to -- to run unimpeded. And then what -- I think to your broader question, for example, if the commissary or exchange services that support our families and service members overseas were at all degraded, we're certainly prepared to step in, and we've been talking to Defense Commissary Agency about those kind of contingency plans. So hopefully that helps answer your question. Over. Q: But, I mean, is there any sense that TRANSCOM may have to play a more active role in -- in doing the basic movement of -- of goods in the United States domestically? GEN. LYONS: Not on the private sector, commercial side. There's no indicator that that would be required. We would use very similar sets of commercial providers as exist today in the existing supply chains. STAFF: Okay. And with that, we'll go on. Travis Tritten with Bloomberg, are you on? Q: Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me? GEN. LYONS: I can hear you, Travis, go ahead. Q: Great. Thank you, sir. I wanted to ask you a follow-up on Phil's question. I wanted to ask you about the moving industry and household goods movements. Obviously, those have been halted. And the industry is particularly vulnerable because it gets so much of its revenue from DOD, and they've warned that some of the companies may go out of business. I'm wondering if you're concerned if the domestic moving industry could be gutted by this outbreak, this pandemic. And if this could further reduce the capacity to move troops around when we eventually do come out the other side, which has obviously been -- been a big issue? And I have a follow-up question as well. GEN. LYONS: So I think your -- I think your question's an excellent question. And the answer is yes. I am very, very concerned, especially for our small-business partners that make up so much of the -- you know, the household goods moving industry. You know, we're -- we're very, very active in our communication, both with the industry sector and the services who are, you know, managing the exception to policy on the moves, to make sure we're at least seeing -- seeing things the same way in terms of managing expectations and workload. And I think this -- this -- you know, this package that the Congress passed last week, I think will come into play here. It will be very, very important that we protect our small business across the nation. And so we're watching that very closely. Q: And if I could just follow up, I wanted to ask about the status of the global household goods moving contract, which I believe it was around this timeframe that you had, I think, hoped to wrap that up before. I'm just wondering how the pandemic has affected that timeline and how you're looking at that now. GEN. LYONS: Well, at the moment, the work that's been done on that has largely been unaffected by the COVID outbreak, because all the preliminary work is largely completed. So at the moment, we're on the same timeline that we were originally, which is really at the end of April was our target to -- to make an award. You know, we assess every day, based on the COVID situation, what we're doing and what we're not doing. So if things change in that area, we'll adjust them as needed. We're certainly not going to put, you know, people or industry at risk in any kind of way. But there's -- administratively, we're continuing to -- to move on that. STAFF: Okay, we're near the end of our time but we just have a few more questions. I'm going to try to squeeze in a couple more real quick here. Courtney Albon, are you on? Courtney? Q: Hi, yes. Thanks for taking my question. I wanted to ask a broader tanker capacity question. The Air Force announced yesterday that they'd elevated a new KC-46 cat one deficiency involving excessive fuel leaks. Are you concerned about how this issue might impact the program's delivery schedule along with the other cat one deficiencies? And are you making any progress with the Air Force and Congress on finding ways to -- to mitigate the capacity gap there? GEN. LYONS: Yes, Courtney. I -- well, yes, I believe we're making progress with the Air Force and -- and Congress to ensure that we retain a taskable capacity for the combatant commands to support the joint force. You know, while simultaneously the Air Force works through the technical issues with Boeing to make sure that the KC-46 presents a viable capability that can essentially -- well, basically refuel everything that the KC-135 refuels today. I -- I'm not going to get in -- you know, I'm not going to get ahead of the Air Force and their negotiations with Boeing specifically. I can -- I can tell you that things have been much more optimistic here of late. I think, you know, the big key there is to move to a mutually agreed upon technical solution and lay out those timelines. For me specifically, I know that we've got to preserve aerial refuel capabilities for the joint force until such that the KC-46 is presentable. And we're working with the Air Force on that and I do think we have good agreement on a bridging strategy at this particular point. Thanks for the question. STAFF: Okay, and really quickly, I'm going to go to Jeff Schogol if he's on. Q: Hi, this is Jeff Schogol with Task and Purpose. I'm just curious: Has Air Mobility Command medevaced any patients to civilian hospitals or to -- or to military hospitals due to COVID-19? GEN. LYONS: We have. And I'll spend a little bit of time describing that to you. It's a good question, because the movement of a highly contagious patient is a much different challenge. And we did move a COVID-positive patient this past weekend from -- from AFRICOM, specifically from Djibouti, up to Landstuhl in Germany to get the level of support that particular patient needed. And -- and we are also working, candidly, to increase our capacity to be able to meet these kind of requirements because we know they're increasing. So today, our approach to patient movement for COVID, particularly for highly contagious patients, is to move them in an isolation system, either air ambulance or you may recall the transportation isolation system that was developed during the Ebola crisis. And then in addition to that, we're -- because that's a limited capacity, we're working with scientists around the Air Force and Defense Threat Reduction and NASA and some others to really study the aircraft circulation flow and implications of the movement of those particulates and -- and potential impacts on crews so that we can indeed move COVID-positive patients and passengers without an isolation unit while -- while adequately protecting the crew. And we think we're making some progress there. It's a great question, thank you. STAFF: Okay, for the last question we'll go to Theresa with Breaking Defense. Q: Thank you, but I'm going to pass since Courtney asked my questions. Q: A small follow up -- STAFF: Okay, I've got one last small follow up from Fox and then we'll -- we'll cut it off. Q: General, you mentioned bringing some Americans home from Nigeria. I was wondering, is that a military aircraft that's going to be bringing them home? GEN. LYONS: No, that'll be a commercial aircraft. Almost exclusively, I see us using U.S. flag commercial passenger airlines, the ones we use everyday, frankly, to move troops for the most part; we'll use those to support the repatriation effort. Q: So you guys are like the Army Corps of Engineers from the air, and you contract the air mostly? GEN. LYONS: We do. We have regular providers that are in the civil reserve aviation fleet, if you would, probably about 25 or 26 providers, and they provide commercial augmentation, both in day-to-day operations and then of course we would mobilize them if needed in a -- in a conflict. And so we use those (inaudible) for the State Department mission. STAFF: Okay. GEN. LYONS: Over. STAFF: Thank you very much for your time today, sir. Thanks for going a little bit over. I think we have most of the questions answered. If you have some lingering questions that you need answered, please send them to our duty officer and we'll do what we can to get you some responses. That's all for now. Out of here. GEN. LYONS: Okay. Thanks, everybody, have a great day. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2132440/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Construction workers across the Bay Area were busy Wednesday shutting down job sites no longer allowed to stay open under revised stay-at-home orders handed down Tuesday in six Bay Area counties because of the coronavirus pandemic. Windows and doors were boarded up. Open excavations backfilled or covered up. Flammables locked away. Scaffolding secured. Mobile cranes removed. Deliveries canceled. Workers were calling their union halls to see if there were other jobs to get on. Its a big demobilization, said L37 partner Eric Tao, whose company began shutting down work on a hotel and condo project being built at 950 Market St. in San Francisco. We had 170 workers on the job site. On Tuesday health officials from six Bay Area counties ruled that nonessential construction must stop through at least May 3 because of the coronavirus health emergency. The order shut down construction of hotels, commercial buildings, and residential buildings that dont have at least 10% affordable units. It allows projects that provide services to vulnerable populations as well as those that are required to maintain safety, sanitation, and habitability of residences and commercial buildings. The order exempts health care projects related to fighting the pandemic. The orders cover six counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. Bob Nibbi, president of the Nibbi Brothers construction company, said his group would be able to continue building four affordable housing projects. They will have to shut down three commercial projects and one market rate condo complex. We will be able to keep the vast majority of our people working, he said. But many builders called the order confusing and inconsistent. In Oakland, where about 9,000 units are under construction, nearly all construction will have to be suspended. Thats because Oakland does not require builders to include on-site affordable units, instead asking developers to pay a fee. In contrast, developers can choose to pay a fee, dedicate a piece of land, or provide below-market-rate units on-site. Most San Francisco projects chose the on-site option and therefore may continue. I definitely do not get stopping some housing projects and not others, said Build Group President Ross Edwards. Matt Regan, vice president of the Bay Area Council, a trade group, said the order created confusion and sent a mixed message. We have an acute shortage of shelter and, at the moment, a shelter-in-place order, said Regan. It makes sense that we would continue to build housing so that people can shelter in place. The new standards seem to be going in the wrong direction and further confusing matters. Some San Francisco developers said the order is inconsistent because it penalizes builders for choosing to either pay a fee or dedicate land to the city for affordable units, even though those contributions often add up to far more than a portion of a building set aside for low-income residents. In the case of 950 Market St., the developer bought a parcel at 180 Jones St. and gave it to the city for affordable housing. The developer also agreed to contribute $12 million to build 70 units there. The land dedication and contribution, which then-Supervisor Jane Kim advocated for, will result in far more affordable units than if the builder had simply made 13% of the units below market rate. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The community asked us to buy by a site because we could do more units that way, Tao said. Everybody thought it was a win-win. Tim Paulson, secretary-treasurer of the Building Trades Council, said unions have been closely monitoring adherence to physical separation rules and hygiene standards at job sites. The health and safety of our members is our No. 1 priority, and its important that members know that if they do not feel safe on a job site for whatever reason they should bring it up with the contractor, he said. Nobody is being forced to go to work. He said the construction unions are seeing their out-of-work lists grow considerably, although not as much as might be expected because there is still a lot of essential construction work being done safely. Rincon Hill resident David Osgood, whose apartment overlooks the luxury One Steuart Lane development, said he didnt see much of a difference on the first day of the new order. One Steuart Lane is 100% market rate and therefore must shut down. Its still full of workers, he said. They are still getting curtain wall delivered. It seems like just another day. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen At Office Depot, employees have been told that they cannot wear masks in the store. Some Walgreens workers say they were also discouraged from wearing them. Many other large retailers, including Target, have started to allow masks, but are leaving it up to employees to procure their own supplies. Federal health officials appear ready to recommend that Americans of all ages start wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus, but millions of retail workers have been interacting with the public for weeks without them. Sometimes, they have been told that wearing masks could scare shoppers. Now many are scrambling to find available gear. The retailers different positions on masks, which follow those of the government, are indicative of how the industry has been fumbling through the fast-moving pandemic, potentially endangering workers. The restrictions could also increase the risk that their stores, which are virtually the only places where the public can still congregate, could be contributing to the spread of the virus. Protective gear has become a point of contention in the increasingly tense environment at grocery and big-box stores. This week, workers at Amazon and Instacart staged protests over working conditions during the pandemic, and walkouts are planned at other major retailers in the coming days. Many retailers are being pressured to take even more precautions than regulators have advised. TPG telco enters Singapore market with 50GB for SGD 10 plan TPG Telecom is entering the Singapore market as its fourth telco with a "50GB for SGD 10" plan available from Tuesday, March 31. At just SGD 10 per 30 days for its no-contract SIM Only plan, TPG is lowering the barriers of entry significantly. The company will also be launching a prepaid plan of "the same simplicity" at a later date. Photo courtesy: TPG Singapore Based on the valuable feedback from our large service trial subscriber base, consumers here want to have easy-to-understand yet attractive mobile plans with no hidden charges," said Richard Tan, Acting Chief Executive Officer of TPG Singapore. "The TPG proposition is simple, just SGD 10 per 30 days for 50GB of data and 300 call minutes with no bill shock and no lock-in contract." For SIM Only customers, the subscription is valid for 30 days and is automatically renewed. Excess data is charged at SGD 1 per extra GB, which is just a fraction of the typical SGD 10 per extra GB charged by the industry. Customers can register for the TPG 50GB SIM Only plan on TPGs website. With 790 deaths and 36,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, a horrifying footage of dead bodies being loaded onto a refrigerated truck using a forklift outside Brooklyn Hospital circulated online. A bystander took the video from their car wherein it shows bodies being loaded onto a truck, while a nurse also shared online a harrowing photograph of dead bodies piled into the refrigerated vehicle, ready to be transported to a different hospital. Makeshift morgues and hospitals popped up all over New York City, as the virus continuously damaging the entire city making New York the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States and as of Monday morning, 142,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country wherein 2,500 of them died. Expecting its peak in the next few weeks, New York City is on a frantic race against time to prepare the hospitals which are already overflowing with cases. White House's most authoritative voice on the subject, Dr. Anthony Fauci shared that as of the moment New York is the epicenter of the outbreak but other cities will soon experience the same distressing outbreaks with New Orleans expected to be the next hotspot where there is already 1,350 confirmed cases and 73 deaths while Detroit and Los Angeles are next in line. Extending his social distancing guidelines until the end of April, President Trump gave the grim prediction om Sunday that if the number of deaths remains under 200,000 by the time the pandemic is over, and he will have done a good job. The same day when the clip was shared, an unnamed person at a Manhattan hospital shared a photo of the inside of one of the trucks, lined on either side with body bags. At the end of his shift on Sunday, the 38-year-old took the photo to show people the ghastly reality of the COVID-19 in the United States. Read also: LOOK: Controversial Photo Shows Indian Migrant Workers Drenched in Disinfectant Cuomo calls on health workers in US to help New York On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on for help as the coronavirus crisi in the state worsens, he asked healthcare workers to travel to the state and aid them in combating the virus. He also noted that the crisis they are facing right now is not a 'New York only situation'. he said that anyone who thinks so is in a state of denial, since if the situation in New York continues to get worse, other states will be affected and the virus will move across the nation. Situation similar to 9/11 aftermath Aside from the latest pandemic, the last time New York City deployed makeshift morgues outside hospitals was during the aftermath of 9/11 or September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. City's largest borough, Queens, has been the hotspot, hitting five-digits on Sunday with 10,373 of confirmed cases. Brooklyn trailed with 8,451 cases, Bronx with 6,145, Manhattan with 5,438 cases and Staten Island with 1,866 confirmed cases. Within a 24-hour period from Saturday night to Sunday night, an additional of 161 deaths are tallied in the city. Late Sunday citywide COVID-19 death toll stood at 776 and by Monday it had climbed to 790. As of Sunday night, a total of 59,513 confirmed cases is tallied across the state. Related article: Trump Announces Extension of Social Distancing Guidelines in U.S. Until April 30 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As Ghanaians are facing difficult times due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in the country, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) seems to be largely concerned about the 2020 general elections. The party is taking on the NPP for allegedly interfering with the operations of the Electoral Commission. According to the party in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, in the past few days, it has been reported that a senior official at the Electoral Commission has declared that if the Commission is unable to compile a new voters register, there would be no elections in December this year. It says again, the Special Prosecutor is also reported to have formally invited some personalities to assist his office in investigating the so-called Airbus scandal. The NDC is raising concerns over electoral issues at a time millions of Ghanaians are under a two-week partial lockdown due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Akufo-Addos administration has been seriously battling to contain the virus which has infected some 161 persons in Ghana and killed five others. 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 Writer-illustrator Baek Hee-na poses in this Dec. 20 file photo, 2012. Baek has been named the winner of the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She's the first Korean to win the world's largest children's literature prize. Korea Times file By Park Ji-won Baek Hee-na, author and renowned picture book artist, has been named the winner of the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's largest children's literature prize. She is the first Korean to win the prestigious award. The jury of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award announced Tuesday (local time) that Baek was the winner of the annual award and will receive $500,000 (611 million won) in prize money for her unique artwork. After announcing Baek as the winner, Boel Westin, head of the jury said: "With exquisite feeling for materials, looks and gestures, Baek Hee-na's filmic picture books stage stories about solitude and solidarity. In her evocative miniature worlds, cloud bread and sorbet moons, animals, bath fairies and people converge. Her work is a doorway to the marvelous: sensuous, dizzying and sharp." Elena Druker, a member of the Jury, said "The books' characters and their surroundings are all fabricated of paper and cardboard lit and photographed by Hwang Su-kim. The contrast between the flat paper figures and the three-dimensional spaces creates a dynamic magic world that draws viewers irresistibly into the story.. Her techniques connect to a long tradition of the toy books genre to which she has brought development and renewal within her highly original and technical and artistic solutions." Druker added "Baek Hee-na is an artist who is renewing the picture book medium through bold and uncompromising development of new techniques and artistic solutions." The announcement was made through a livestream video due to the spread of the corona virus. The video also showed Baek's reaction to her winning the award, where she said "Thank you." She didn't make any further remarks citing difficulties in hearing Boel's voice. The award was established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honor children's writer Astrid Lindgren. This year, 240 writers from 67 countries were put forward for the award. Multi-award winning authors are among the previous recipients. In 2003, Maurice Sendak from the United States and Christine Nostliger from Austria became the first winners of the award. In 2005, Ryoji Arai from Japan won the award. Bart Moeyaert from Belgium won the prize in 2019. In an email interview with The Korea Times, Baek said Wednesday that she is honored but still doesn't feel it is real and the prize gave her hope to overcome the difficulties caused by the legal battle with her former publishing company. Baek said "I didn't know that I had been nominated and announced as the winner because I was too exhausted by the legal fight, which I lost two times, with my former publishers to regain the license and re-publication rights for my book "Cloud Bread." Baek is in a legal battle with Hansol Education, her first book publisher, and other companies which used her Cloud Bread characters, to take back her intellectual property rights. But she failed to win the first case and appeal, and is awaiting a decision from the country's top court. "I was forced to become a bystander and had to witness my characters become products in numerous contents like musicals and animations as I signed a contract to give over my rights." The cover page of Baek Hee-na's "Cloud Bread" Korea Times file Despite her book's international reputation and huge success in terms of sales using its intellectual property allegedly raising more than 440 billion won in sales she only received 18.5 million won in total from the publisher and wasn't able to take part in the process of developing her creations for use in other art formats such as animation. Many agencies and publishing companies have been taking the publishing rights and intellectual property rights from authors, which has angered many writers and led some of this year's winners of the prestigious Yi Sang Literary Awards to refuse to accept it. When asked about the defeats in the legal process, she said she knew it would be a difficult battle but she started the fight to create a better environment for new writers and authors in a weak position. Stressing that the international award and Swedish people give the huge amount of prize money to motivate the creators and promote the importance of children's book, Baek said "In Korea, basic rights for children and teenagers are being ignored. Further, the rights for writers who create contents for them remain trifling. I think this winning would become a meaningful one if it is able to shed a light on our reality once again." Born in Seoul in 1971, Baek has created 13 picture books, including her latest, "I Am a Dog," (2019) and "The Strange Visitor" (2018), which are illustrated with crafted miniature figures and environments. Baek's first book, "Cloud Bread" (2004) saw a rare level of success for a picture book, winning multiple awards both in South Korea and internationally. Baek studied at Ewha Womans University in Seoul and the California Institute of Arts and worked for a company to create animated films. She later founded her own publishing company "Story Bowl." Quentin Heyward, (left) a flight attendant and purser at Delta Air Lines, and the Rev. Martini Shaw, a priest at the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, walk together but apart at the Race Street Pier. Read more On Sunday, President Donald Trump extended social distancing guidelines through the end of April, and Gov. Tom Wolf followed suit Monday, continuing a stay-at-home order in 33 counties until at least April 30. The practice saves lives and keeps hospitals from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. But in Philadelphia and neighboring counties, as recently as last week residents were still hosting and attending gatherings reminiscent of Eagles tailgates and college parties, resulting in angry 311 calls and photos on social media shaming participants for their actions. While criticizing people on social media may be tempting, experts say that people interested in changing the behavior of their neighbors, friends, and family members who arent staying home and maintaining a six-foot distance from others should pursue a different avenue: empathy. READ MORE: When people defy social distancing directives during pandemic, what are others to do? Why people are resistant to social distancing Before initiating a conversation about social distancing, its important to understand the psychology behind why some people refuse to participate, said Syon Bhanot, a behavioral economist and assistant professor at Swarthmore College. In general, he said, people are not as responsive to threats they cannot see, like a virus, and some may think the situation is not serious because theyre not seeing people falling down on a street from being sick. Theyre seeing people walking their dogs, the nice weather, and thinking, Whats the big deal? Bhanot said. Theres also the phenomenon of when you feel that your freedom is being threatened, you push back against it. Its more visible in the United States, where we teach people to have pride in their freedom, and thats a really challenging thing to have in a scenario like this. Bhanot also noted that young people may feel a false sense of security because they are considered low-risk for severe complications from the virus, and therefore be unwilling to take on the burden of social distancing and isolation. READ MORE: The coronavirus is less deadly for young people, but doctors say they should still care about it As a young person in particular, you might think that youre not going to die from this, he said. So in the interim, you get a little sick, but also you can have a great time, meet your friends, do whatever. The damage of that is that youre bringing the disease home to your family, and somebody down the road might die." FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. For some, ignoring social distancing guidelines may be a coping mechanism to deal with their heightened anxiety about the pandemic, said Jeff Wolper, founder and director of the Wolper Institute for Group Learning in New York City. He noted a common psychological reaction to anxiety: fight or flight. In this case, flight can look like ignoring the situation, being in denial about its seriousness or joking about it, Wolper said. Well-meaning people who are approaching those defying social distancing are creating a paradox, because theyre raising the anxiety of those refusing to comply, causing them to dig their feet in further. A gentle approach Engaging someone in a conversation about why their behavior might be hurtful to others is not easy, but is necessary, Bhanot said. But instead of approaching someone in a critical, emotional way, conveying empathy will likely get better results. Maybe your neighbors have a job and theyre working from home, and because they have to get their work done, they tell their kids to go play outside, he said. You could tell them that you understand why they have to do this, but that your community is worried, and keeping their kids inside could be better for the neighborhood. And you could also help them come up with some ideas for the problem, instead of saying, How dare you! Wolper said he tries to take a gentle approach that lessens someones anxiety level. For example, he models the desired behavior, like running onto a lawn during his jogs when he encounters someone whos not adhering to social distancing. That raises their awareness, Wolper said. And Im not telling them what to do, Im simply disclosing what I care about, which doesnt exacerbate their anxiety and allows them to think more responsibly and altruistically. Refrain from shaming Consider that posting pictures of people flouting social distancing recommendations on social media can send the wrong message, Bhanot said. Maybe someone who is struggling with being cooped up in the house sees your post, he said. And they think, Oh! It cant be that bad. Maybe I should leave and walk around. In the meantime, youre not actually breaking up the gathering youre witnessing. Wolper said that finding ways to bring down peoples anxiety level before giving advice about social distancing is key. Because of the uncertainty of the pandemic, coping strategies are peaked, he said, and its important to prioritize the person youre talking with. After you understand the person youre engaging with ... help them design a new temporary normal that includes things that reduce anxiety that are safe, along with behaviors that honor the scientific recommendations were getting," he said. READ MORE: Coronavirus math shows the importance of social distancing, and the horrible consequences of not doing it Bhanot said most people are not ignoring social distancing recommendations because they want to hurt others, but are acting in their own best interest under the circumstances without considering the consequences. Its possible to find a compromise, he said. I dont think that these people hate their towns or their communities. Theyre just not really thinking through the damage that their actions might be causing. A nurse who was subject to snide comments after using her NHS card to avoid a long queue at Aldi after a 13-hour night shift said she 'cried all the way home' from the shop. The woman, who did not wish to be named, had just finished the lengthy overnight shift at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and stopped at a nearby Aldi five minutes before it opened at 8am, on Monday. The nurse, who has worked at Alder Hey for more than 30 years, said: 'I had just finished work and the girls had said to me Aldi opens at 8am and the NHS don't have to stand in the queue. People queue outside Aldi in Fazakerley, north Liverpool, where the nurse was subject to snide comments. There is no suggestion anyone pictured was involved 'I got there, got out of my car and there was a big queue. I walked over and there was a security guard standing there. I said 'where do I stand?' and said I was NHS and showed him my card, so he said 'stand here'. 'And then the comments from people in the queue, they started saying "oh yeah, we're all NHS here", and '"so what NHS, that's your job". 'There were about six or seven of them saying things, and I didn't answer back because I thought it would just fuel it.' The woman, who did not wish to be named, had just finished the lengthy overnight shift at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool The nurse said she felt so upset by the incident she rushed around the store and left. But she was again aware of snide comments as she walked out of the exit, with one woman heard to say: 'There she is, I know the NHS do a good job but so what?' Aldi announced earlier this week that NHS workers do not need to stand in line to beat the long queues that are now a familiar part of everyday shopping. The unseemly incident came only days after millions across the nation stepped outside and clapped for the NHS. People at queue outside Aldi. NHS workers are entitled to enter without queuing Plastic screens are pictured around tills in an Aldi store in Northwich as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues The nurse said: 'I couldn't believe it, after feeling so humbled the other night. 'After the clapping for the NHS, to being abused this morning from a few people who haven't a clue what I had endured on my nightshift. 'It's just horrible, people just don't know.' People queue outsidea central London Sainsbury's Local in Horseferry Road, Westminster, London The nurse said she 'cried all the way home' after the comments. She said Aldi staff had been fantastic and she had written to thank them - but the reaction of the customers she described as 'very sad'. She said: 'I never expected for one minute I would be challenged going in, I was embarrassed to be doing it in the first place. I cried all the way home.' People queue inside a Sainsbury's supermarket in Watford, March 19, with similar scenes up and down the country The nurse said members of her extended family have died after contracting coronavirus and other relatives have had the disease. She said: 'This disease at some point is going to touch a lot of people's lives, whether it is a neighbour, a close family member, it is going to affect each and every one of us. 'But for the NHS staff, it does not feel as if we get the same respect as we used to.' According to the current analysis of Reports and Data, the global Cardiac Safety Services Market valued at USD 384.9 million in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 895.7 million by the year 2026, at a CAGR of 11%. Cardiac safety is the primary cause of the Clinical trial delay and drug abandonment. Cardiac Safety services are beneficial for monitoring the abnormalities of the heart. There has been a significant rise in the R&D expenditure in the pharmaceutical & biopharmaceutical industry and increased R&D activities. The increase in the number of clinical trials is fuelling the growth of the market. Additionally, the advances of the new technologies in the cardiac services market are offering growth opportunities for players in the market. However, the high expenditure cost of cardiac safety evaluation is hindering the growth of the market. American college of cardiology has reported in the year 2019 that Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in the United States and is responsible for 840,768 deaths in 2016. From 2006 2016, the U.S. death rate from cardiovascular disorders have decreased by 18.6% and from coronary heart disease by 31.8%. Request free sample Copy of this research report to understand the structure of the complete report@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/2707 Further key findings from the report suggest Microsoft had launched Microsoft Hololens; it enables the measurement and visualization of blood flow. Microsoft Hololens do not require any tethering device or any additional hardware. The system includes a front-facing camera, remote imaging photoplethysmography software; it allows the users to view the physiological state of a person by simply looking at them. The blood Flow is measured by just looking at the appearance of the subject. Acoalition of professional societies had developed the AUC (Appropriate use criteria) for cardiac imaging to standardize the cardiac imagining system for patients with congenital heart disease it was developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), American Society of Echocardiography, and the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease, AUC provides guidelines to the clinicians to understand the relative risks and benefits of various cardiovascular procedures it also guidelines to understand the risk tetralogy of Fallot, transposition, or atrial septal defects ERT in the year 2018 had launched a Cardiac Safety Center and is also the first to do it; they offer cardia safety assessment in Phase 1 studies using integrated ECG analysis. They had used the Icardiac Technologies for obtaining a precise ECG data using an ERT Expert technology platform. ECG or Holter monitors in the product and service segment have obtained the largest share in the year 2018 of about 31.5% due to an increase in the rise of cardiac disorders in individuals and easy monitoring by these devices. North America in the region has obtained an exceptional share due to better healthcare facilities, improved clinical trials, and also due to the prevalence of the incidences of cardiovascular disorders and also due to the presence of major pharmaceutical & biopharmaceutical companies in the region. Biotrial (France), Banook Group (France & Canada), Bioclinica (a subsidiary of Cinven, US), Certara L.P. (U.S.), Celerion, Inc. (U.S.), ERT, Inc. (U.S.), Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (U.S.), Medpace Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Ncardia AG (Belgium), Richmond Pharmacology (U.K.), PhysioStim (France), Shanghai Medicilon Inc. (China), Pharmaceutical Product Development LLC (U.S.), SGS S.A. (Switzerland), BioTelemetry, Inc. (U.S.), IQVIA (U.S.), OMRON Healthcare, Inc (Japan), Biobeat (U.S.) and InBody USA (U.S.), Microsoft (U.S.) are the key players in the Cardiac Safety Services market Order Your Copy Now (Customized report delivered as per your specific requirement)@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/checkout-form/2707 For the purpose of this purpose, Reports and Data have segmented the Cardiac Safety Services market on the basis of product and service, applications, end use and region. Product and Services Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) ECG/Holter Measurement Blood Pressure Measurement Cardiovascular Imaging Thorough Q.T. Studies Other Services Applications Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) Integrated Services Standalone Services End Use Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) Pharmaceutical Companies Biopharmaceutical Companies Contract Research Organizations Regional Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) North America U.S Canada Europe Germany France UK Spain Italy Rest of the Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America Brazil To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/cardiac-safety-services-market Related Reports Oleoresins Market Growth & Analysis, 2020-2026 According to the Reports and Data, global oleoresins market was valued at USD 1.3 Billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2019 to reach USD 1.9 Billion by the year 2026. 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Acute Exacerbation of CRS Treatment Market By Treatment (Antibiotics, Leukotriene Inhibitors, Antihistamines, Mucolytics, Decongestants, Nasal Saline Irrigation, Oral Corticosteroids, Endoscopic sinus surgery, Others) By Route of Administration (Topical, Nasal, Oral, Injectable) By Distribution Channel, By Infection Type (Staphylococcus Species, Others) and Region Forecast to 2028 Human Growth Hormone Market Size, Growth & Analysis By Product Type (Powder, Solvent), By Route of Administration (Subcutaneous, Intravenous, Oral, Intramuscular), By Application (Growth Hormone Deficiency, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Idiopathic Short Stature, Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospitals, Online Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies), By Region, Forecast To 2027 Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) Market Size, Share & Analysis By Product Type (IABP Consoles, IABP Catheters, Introducer Tray), By Indication (Heart Transplant, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Coronary Artery Diseases, Chronic Heart Failure, Cardiogenic Shock, Others), By Condition Type (Pre-Operative, Post-Operative, Intra-Operative), By Balloon Size (50cc, 40cc, 30cc), By End-User (Hospitals, Cardiac Care Centers), By Region, Forecast To 2027 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 Direct Line: +1-212-710-1370 E-mail: sales@reportsanddata.com Top Kerala actor Prithviraj and award winning director Blessy and 56 others are stuck in Jordan after shooting of a movie was stopped there following restrictions in the wake of coronavirus crisis and have sought help to return home. Blessy emailed the Kerala Film Chamber, seeking help to take up the case with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The media came to know about the email on Wednesday. A chamber official Anil Thomas said the email has been forwarded to various lawmakers, including Malayalam superstar turned Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi. Prithviraj too took to social media to post a long note of how the situation unfolded. He wrote: Hello all. Hope everyone is holding up and doing their best to stay safe during these tough times On 24/03/2020, the shooting of Aadujeevitham in Jordan was temporarily stopped due to the prevailing circumstances. But after an appraisal of our situation, the authorities were convinced that our unit was isolated and operating safely within the confines of the Wadi Rum desert and we were given a go ahead for the shoot. Unfortunately, soon after, the prevailing restrictions in Jordan had to be further strengthened as a precautionary measure and as a result, our shoot permission was revoked on 27/03/2020 (he corrected it in his post caption). Following that, our team has been staying at he desert camp in Wadi Ram. We have now been told that an immediate permission for shoot to resume is unlikely due to the situation and hence, our next best option would be to return to India at the first available opportunity. He also mentioned that since they were to stay there till the second week of April, there have provisions for that. However, what would happen after that is a matter of concern, he added. He also said that while there were far more pressing concerns for the authorities to look into, it was their duty to keep them informed There were thousands of Indians waiting to return home, he added. Prithvirajs mother Malika Sukumaran, a yesteryears actress, said that she spoke to her son on Monday. He said the shooting has been stopped following strict restrictions imposed on account of Covid-19 in Jordan. The shooting was on in a desert. Things are fine with them, except that the shooting is not happening. They were supposed to wind up the Jordan part of the shoot next week and were scheduled to fly out to Algeria as per their original schedule, said the actors mother. Billed as one of the costliest Malayalam film Aadujeevitham is based on the award winning eponymous Malayalam novel by Benyamin. It tells the tale of the life of a man ending up in shambles after reaching the Middle East and finds himself tending goats in extreme desert temperatures. Blessys past films including his debut film in 2004 Kaazcha, Thanmathra (2005) Pranayam (2011) to name a few, all of which occupy a place of pride in the Malayalam film industry. (With HT inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Ten Indonesian nationals, who were staying in a mosque near Dhanbad for a month, have been kept in isolation inside the shrine, police said on Wednesday. According to the preliminary investigation, they came here to attend a religious event. Govindpur police station Inspector Randhir Kumar said the Indonesians were found on Tuesday evening at the mosque in Asabani, around 18 km from this coal mining town. "Their swab samples have been taken for testing. Till the test reports arrive from Ranchi, they have been kept isolated inside the mosque," Kumar said. Their passports have been seized. The police has also pasted a notice on the gates of the mosque asking outsiders not to meet the Indonesians. The Indonesian men had visited mosques at Jharia and Govindpur in Dhanbad district during the past one month, the police officer said. This is the third batch of foreigners found to be staying at different mosques in the state in a week. On Monday, the Ranchi district administration located 17 foreign nationals, including a 22-year-old Malaysian woman, who later tested positive for COVID-19, staying in a mosque at Hindpiri. The police had on March 24 tracked down 11 people from China, The Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan staying in a mosque at Radhgaon in Ranchi district. They were all quarantined. Meanwhile, the Ranchi district administration is trying to trace those who have come in contact with the Malaysian woman. Police sprayed disinfectants and sealed the five houses in Hindpiri where she had stayed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that 24 new positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state, taking the total tally to 265. "There are 24 new COVID-19 positive cases in the state including 12 in Kasargod, three from Ernakulam and two each in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur and one in Palakkad. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state is 265," Vijayan said. Of the total number of cases, 191 have travel history of abroad, 67 people contracted from positive cases and seven are foreign nationals, the Chief Minister informed. Meanwhile, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas said that a 57-year-old British citizen who was under treatment for COVID-19 has been discharged from Ernakulam Medical College. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases reached 1,637 in India, including 1,466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The presidents aides some of whom have tired of Mr. DeSantiss special requests and believe he takes advantage of the relationship with the White House tried to explain to the president that it would be almost impossible to enforce such a quarantine. Mr. Trump has also resisted a broader national stay-at-home order, which his advisers see as at odds with years of Republican orthodoxy about states rights, and unfair to states that are not experiencing major outbreaks. On Sunday, the White House dropped its earlier, rosier suggestion that stringent social-distancing measures could be lifted by mid-April, and extended national guidelines to combat the coronavirus until April 30. And on Tuesday, Mr. Trump sounded a distinctly somber note, as he acknowledged for the first time that the next two weeks will be painful and allowed that predictions of more than 100,000 deaths were realistic possibilities. Still, when Mr. DeSantis on Monday signed a more limited stay-at-home order for four counties from Key West to Palm Beach, he insisted that it would be needed only through April 15. Because most of the affected cities and counties, like other large jurisdictions in the state, had already enacted their own orders, the governor conceded his own action was of little consequence. Cellphone location data showed that people in places like Jacksonville and Daytona Beach in northeast Florida, which were not on lockdown, were frequently traveling across county lines. Commissioners in southwest Floridas Lee County, which likewise had no stay-at-home order, maintained that they did not need one, in part because the governor had not suggested it. It seems like hes listening to the Florida Chamber and Associated Industries and business interests more than he is to medical professionals and health care professionals, which is incredibly disappointing, Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg said before the governors latest order. He added that neither the governor nor his staff had called at any point to ask about the citys needs. I may not have agreed on a whole lot of things with Rick Scott when he was governor, said Mr. Kriseman, a Democrat. But every time there was a storm approaching the state, I got a phone call from him saying, Just wanted to check in, see how youre doing, is there anything you need? (Mr. Scott, now the states junior Republican senator, called him on Saturday.) Germany confirms first INSTEX transaction IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency London, March 31, IRNA -- The Federal Foreign Office of Germany in a tweet confirmed the first transaction with Iran through the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) on Tuesday. The Federal Foreign Office of Germany wrote in its Twitter page, "France, Germany and the United Kingdom confirm that INSTEX has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran." The message added, "INSTEX and its Iranian counterpart STFI will work on more transactions and enhancing the mechanism." INSTEX is a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) launched in January 2019 by France, Germany, and the UK, with the goal to facilitate non-USD transactions with Iran. INSTEX is based in Paris. However, European companies have not used this mechanism for fear of US sanctions on them. The three European countries have already contributed 5 million to Iran in order to fight with spread of coronavirus. The help was made through the United Nations and the World Health Organization. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Monday that Brussels would support Iran's $5b loan request from the International Monetary Fund for assistance in fighting coronavirus. "We are going to support this request because these countries are in a very difficult situation mainly due to the US sanctions that prevent them from having income by selling their oil," Borrell said after talks with EU foreign ministers. The bloc is preparing to send 20 million euros' (USD 21.5 million) worth of humanitarian aid to Iran and Venezuela in the coming weeks, he said. Tehran and Caracas are both under swingeing US sanctions aimed at starving their regimes of income, Borrell said, stressing that shipments of food, medicine and medical equipment should not be affected. "This has to be reaffirmed because many believe that if they participate in this kind of humanitarian trade they can be sanctioned," he said. 9417**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Massachusetts Nurses Association is calling on Baystate Health to commit to universal N95 masking for frontline nurses and health care workers due to the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus. The MNA represents unionized registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield. Union spokesman Joe Markman said the request is for any nurse or other staff who is coming into contact with patients" regardless of unit. Just because a patient is not diagnosed positive or officially suspected of having the virus, does not mean they dont have it and can spread it, Markam said. The nurses demands come at a time when more data suggests airborne transmission of the virus through aersosols as well as droplets and by those infected but not showing symptoms. Their letter states, In recognition of the highly contagious nature of the virus and the likelihood of asymptomatic exposure, all frontline staff should be provided with N95 masks, eye protection, hospital issued scrubs and gowns. Markman said a March 31 letter from MNA nurse representatives from both hospitals to Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, with their demands and a request for a response by noon today had not been unanswered. However, Nancy Shendell-Falik, Baystate Medical Center president, senior vice president of Hospital Operations for Baystate Health and a registered nurse, said in a statement to The Republican that Baystate recognized the importance of providing Baystate Health employees with the equipment and knowledge needed to protect themselves when caring for patients with proven or suspected COVID-19." She said federal and state guidelines were being followed to assure that we are correctly using Personal Protective Equipment, along with other techniques to minimize spread of infection. At this time, Baystate Health is prioritizing all available resources in support of our efforts to address the public health needs associated with COVID-19, Shendell-Falik said. Baystate truly values the work ethic, commitment and collaboration of its nurses and will continue to make strong operational decisions that consider our regional health needs and are in the best interests of the patients, physicians, nurses and staff. In response, Markham said the CDC weakened its personal protective equipment guidelines during this crisis. "We recognize there is a widespread shortage of equipment, but if frontline caregivers are not protected right now, there will be fewer people able to care for patients and more sick people in the future," he said. There are nurses right now being exposed to COVID-19 at Baystate Health facilities who do not fall under the N95 mask protection standards Baystate is operating under. The nurses letter calls a significant improvement over prior policy the surgical masks and eye protection that it says Baystate Health has offered staff since March 27. However, the nine registered nurses, from units that include intensive care, medical surgical as well as obstetrics and telemetry, continue to say in the letter that surgical masks do not offer effective protection against COVID-19 and that segregation of patients as is being done by Baystate offers limited protection. We appreciate Baystates efforts to segregate patients who have tested positive and who are suspected COVID-19 onto separate units. However, it is a fallacy to believe that the coronavirus only appears in patients on COVID-19/PUI units," the letter reads. "Many frontline staff who have been exposed to patients who later tested positive were caring for patients on non-COVID-19/PUI units. It is unacceptable that on units designated as COVID-19/PUI, your policy is only for staff to wear an N95 mask only if and when caring for a patient who is undergoing an aerosol generating procedure. It is a fallacy to believe that staff can predict in advance when the virus will be aerosolized. If it becomes necessary for a nurse to perform emergency suctioning of a patient, or even if a patient sneezes, then the virus becomes aerosolized. Two of the letters signers, Robin Tibbetts and Dennise Colson, nurses at Baystate Franklin and Baystate Noble, have been quarantined for exposure to COVID-19. Neither nurse was working in a designated COVID-19 hospital area when they were exposed, according to a MNA release. The letter also requests that frontline staff be provided with temporary housing, if they wish to use it, so that caregivers who are quarantined and/or have vulnerable loved ones at home dont need to worry about exposing their families." The letter asks for a moratorium on any staff reductions and unit closures, a proposal the MNA release said Baystate administration rejected last week. Our membership and our communities are currently feeling the effects of Baystates 2019 layoffs, unit closures/reductions and threatened unit closures at Franklin, Noble and Wing," the letter reads. Our frontline nurses and other coworkers are doing everything to fill in the void, but the fact remains that Baystates cutbacks have damaged our community hospitals capacity to provide necessary care. In 2019, you closed the Intensive Care Units at Noble and Wing. If it werent for the skills of our ICU-trained nurses who remain in spite of the ICU closures, patients lives would have been lost. Our community hospitals need fully functioning ICUs in normal times but especially in times of crisis. By refusing to agree to a moratorium on further cutbacks, Baystate Health is threatening our communities health. Samsung has launched a buyback program for the Galaxy S20 that would make it quite a steal -- provided you take care of it. Here's how it works: If you buy any of the Galaxy S20 phones on Samsung's store, you can return it any time within 24 months. Provided you've kept it in good shape with "no damage beyond normal wear and tear," Samsung will credit 50 percent of the full retail price to your payment account. The deal means you could get from $500 off for the Galaxy S20 5G 128GB, up to $800 off of the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G 512GB. That effectively gets you these expensive phones for as little as $500 for the entry-level Galaxy S20 -- better than most OnePlus or Xiaomi flagships these days. It's clear that the coronavirus crisis has taken a bite out of Galaxy S20 sales, which is terrible timing for Samsung as these phones were just released. On top of that, the S20 Ultra has received some pretty tepid reviews. Samsung has tried other ways to mitigate the lockdown impact, most notably by offering in-home trials in South Korea. It's also rolling out an at-home repair service specifically for its foldable devices. In any case, if you were looking at buying an S20 to keep you in touch during this crisis, now might be the time -- just be careful not to drop it. Nepal authorities on Wednesday detained 1,158 people, including 168 women, who defied the nation-wide lockdown in Kathmandu. Kathmandu: Eighteen Nepali Muslims, who recently returned from India after participating in a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area in New Delhi, have been identified and kept in a quarantine facility in southern Nepal's Saptari district, authorities said on Wednesday. Famed for the shrine of the 14h century Sufi mystic Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, the Nizamuddin area of New Delhi has emerged as an epicentre for spread of the coronavirus in different parts of India after thousands of people took part in a Tablighi Jamaat congregation from 1-15 March. Indian authorities have launched a nationwide search for participants of the huge religious gathering amid fears that thousands present there could have carried the infection to the length and breadth of the country. Various nationals, particularly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan come for Tabligh activities in Delhi. Nepali authorities on Wednesday said that 18 local Muslims, who recently returned from the Indian capital after participating in the religious gathering, have been quarantined in Saptari district in Southern Nepal. According to spokesperson of Kanchanpur municipality Raj Kumar Shah the India returnees have been quarantined at a newly constructed building of Lakshmi Naryan Secondary School. Meanwhile, around 400 Indian nationals, who gathered from different parts of Nepal to return to India, have been stranded in Birgunj area in Parsa due to the closure of the India-Nepal border. According to Parsa's Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganga Panta, the huge mass of Indian citizens heading towards India via border in Parsa have been kept in an education faculty building . They returned to Birgunj Tuesday morning after finding finding that the border was closed in the Indian side. They were provided meal by Nepal Police on Wednesday morning and necessary arrangements are being made for their temporary stay. Meanwhile, two Indian men who travelled to Gaur of Rautahat district from Kathmandu riding on bicycles crossing a distance of more than 200 km during the lockdown reached Sitamarhi border only to find that the border was closed. Raj Kishore Sah and Sanjaya Sah, permanent residents of Betauna in Motihari district in Bihar of India, left Kathmandu on Sunday and reached Gaur on Wednesday, a town in Rautahat bordering Sitamarhi of Bihar. They used to work as fruit vendors in Kathmandu. "We used to work daily to earn a living. But we could not sell fruits after the lockdown, and we ran out of money. The shopkeeper did not give us goods on credit, so we left, Raj Kishore told local media. They have managed to stay in the Nepalese side of the border for the time being. Nepal authorities on Wednesday detained 1,158 people, including 168 women, who defied the nation-wide lockdown in Kathmandu. Out of 993 samples so far tested in the government hospitals for coronavirus, only five are found to be positive. Over 80 people have been kept in isolation in different hospitals across the country. Pallonji Mistri Group has gotten in touch with Canadian investor Brookfield for a $2-2.5 billion funding facility and has used part of its stake in Tata Sons as collateral, according to a report in the Economic Times. The move has brought them in conflict with the Tata Sons. Speaking to ET, an SP Group spokesperson said that they have recorded their strongest performances in the last 2 years and has adequate liquidity to meet current obligations. However, a senior Tata Sons executive who is aware of the development said there is clear restriction on transfer of Tata Sons shares to a non-shareholder since it is a closely held holding company. The person, on condition of anonymity, said that the first right of refusal rests with Tata Sons and that SP Group will have to issue a notice to the Tata Sons board. Senior Tata executive referred to the Clauses in the Articles of Association that say shares cannot change hands including to lender or other parties. But a top legal official close to SP Group said that AoA does not ply when it comes to pledging shares. The official added that if SP Group cannot meet obligations on pledged shares, no one can stop them from selling shares which belong to Cyrus & Sterling investments, the report added. According to the official Tata Sons can only object to transfer of shares to undesirable entities like a criminal or competitors. The 18.4 per cent stake that the Mistry family has in Tata Sons is held through two family entities Sterling Investment and Cyrus investment. Tata Trusts, helmed by Ratan Tata owns 66 per cent stake in the conglomerate, valued at USD 111 billion. Brisbane City Council could be forced to use teleconferencing for its first meeting back after the elections, as lord mayor-elect Adrian Schrinner prepares a coronavirus-affected budget. While the official election result will not be known until later in April due to a high number of postal and pre-polling votes, the LNP has been comprehensively returned to power for another four years. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner (left) says council chamber meetings might have to be put on hold in favour of teleconferencing. Credit:Tammy Law Cr Schrinner has quickly moved to address the impact of coronavirus and the city's shutdown on the budget, on Wednesday announcing a $36 million cost-saving measure by freezing councillor and council staff salaries for two years. The council budget is expected to be delivered in June, with the lord mayor disinclined to delay its delivery, as the state and federal budgets have been. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE When New Mexicos Legislature is in session, there can be nearly as many oil and gas industry lobbyists in the Roundhouse as lawmakers, according to a new report. And the industry, which deployed roughly 90 lobbyists representing more than 60 companies over a six-year period, has been generous when it comes to campaign contributions for New Mexico candidates and elected officials. Oil and gas executives, corporations and lobbyists along with affiliated political committees made $11.5 million in campaign contributions from 2017 until 2020, according to the report, released Tuesday by Common Cause New Mexico and New Mexico Ethics Watch. That includes $2 million that Chevron used, through a political committee, to launch TV ads in the 2018 land commissioner race between Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard and Republican Pat Lyons. Despite being targeted by the Chevron ad blitz, Garcia Richard won the race. The recent oil boom in New Mexico has unleashed more than an ocean of oil and gas money; it has unleashed a gusher of campaign contributions, a flurry of lobbyists offering expensive dinners, and a mammoth public relations offensive financed by one of the largest and most powerful professional associations in the state, said Heather Ferguson, the executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. The report also highlighted several pieces of legislation that were stymied amid opposition from the oil and natural gas industry, including a 2019 bill that would have increased royalty rates on oil leased and produced on state trust lands. While the reports authors said they were not implying lawmakers votes had been purchased by campaign contributions, they said legislators who voted to table the bill got more campaign funds from the oil and gas industry than did lawmakers who voted to advance it. Robert McEntyre, the communications director for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said the report was a one-sided attack on the oil and natural gas industry that ignored spending by out-of-state activists who have sought to curb oil drilling levels. While our state and country are experiencing one of the greatest health and economic crises we have ever seen, it is appalling that groups like this continue to engage in divisive political attacks, McEntyre said in a statement. New Mexico state spending is largely reliant on revenue generated by the oil and gas industry, which makes up about 40% of the states total general fund revenue. In all, the extractive industries contributed roughly $3.1 billion in tax payments and royalties to the states coffers in the 2019 budget year, according to a report by the New Mexico Tax Research Institute. Attempts to require lobbyists to disclose which bills theyve lobbied lawmakers on has failed to win approval in recent years at the Roundhouse. Thai police check the temperature of drivers at a checkpoint after the country entered a state of emergency. Thousands of people began leaving the capital Bangkok and returning to their provincial homes after businesses were closed on March 22. The exodus caused the number of Covid-19 coronavirus patients outside of Bangkok to surge and the government put the country under the state of emergency to stop the spreading. Footage from Sukhothai, central Thailand, shows the traffic police and the medical staff at the checkpoint screening travellers at the province's border yesterday morning (March 30) The more strict screening process has been applied to stop the Bangkok residents spreading the virus to other provinces. Sukhothai province has two border checkpoints waiting to check the travellers' body temperatures and contain them if they show symptoms. Sukhothai has three cases and another 1,821 people are under the observation, of which 1,418 of them had returned from the capital Bangkok. A case has been registered in connection with the use of DTC and cluster buses to carry migrant workers leaving the city to Anand Vihar ISBT amid the lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak, police said on Wednesday. The case was registered at Shakarpur police station in East Delhi based on the complaint of a policeman. "We have registered the case under various sections of IPC and the Disaster Management Act, 2005," said a senior police officer. "This act on the part of bus drivers/conductors and operations head of DIMTS C K Goyal and other government servants who are responsible for it, had committed an offence under Sections 269, 270, 271 and 188 of IPC and Section 55 of Disaster Management Act, reads the FIR. No reaction was immediately available from Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. The complainant was on picket duty at ITO bridge on Sunday when he saw 44 DTC and cluster buses ferrying migrant workers. When enquired, the passengers said they were going to Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) from where they will board the buses to their native places in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he said. The passengers were briefed about COVID-19 and the lockdown, and the buses were sent back to the places from where they started. According to the police, the buses originated from various parts of the city, including Badarpur, Vasant Vihar, Hari Nagar, Anand Parbat, Uttam Nagar, Manglapuri, Munirka and Punjabi Bagh. "When drivers of these buses were asked why were they carrying passengers that too without issuing them tickets, they replied, 'upar se order hai' (there are orders from senior officers)," the complainant said. The Delhi Integrated Multi Modal System (DIMTS), which operates cluster buses in the city, refused to comment on the episode. The Centre had on Sunday suspended two senior Delhi government officers and served show-cause notices on two others for "serious lapses" in duty during the ongoing lockdown. Meanwhile, the Delhi Contract Bus Association in a statement claimed that 50 to 60 buses of its members that were deployed to transport migrant workers, on the directions of government, were seized by the police. The association appealed to the prime minister, home minister and Delhi chief minister to help the bus operators and get the buses released. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of a young woman who took her own life after a colleague filmed her showering at work reveals he's haunted by the thought he 'could have saved her' in a new Stacey Dooley documentary. The man, who is not named, told how his daughter was 'tormented' by the thought the footage may be shared online and be seen by friends and family. She began taking antidepressants and her fiance moved into her flat to take care of her, but weeks later she threw herself from the 17th floor of a building on September 24 last year. The woman was a victim of Molka, a digital sex crime rife in South Korea where hidden cameras are set up to capture pornographic footage of women without their knowledge, which is then shared on the internet. Scroll down for video The father of a young woman who was driven to take her own life after a colleague filmed her showering at work reveals he's haunted by the thought he 'could have saved her' in a new Stacey Dooley documentary Since 2010, Molka cases have jumped 600 per cent, with 6,800 cases reported in 2018. In BBC Three's Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spycam Sex Criminals, the presenter speaks to victims and perpetrators of Molka in the country. She travels to Suncheon in the south to speak to the late victim's family, who explain that their daughter was secretly filmed in the changing room of the hospital where she worked by a clinical pathologist in his thirties, who was caught in August last year. Her father told how he would receive early morning phone calls from his daughter who was plagued by a recurring nightmare about the perpetrator. The woman (pictured) was a victim of Molka, digital sex crime rife in South Korea. She began taking antidepressants and her fiance moved into her flat to take care of her 'She kept dreaming it. At first my daughter took antidepressants, but she continued to have a hard time,' he told Stacey. 'The fear that someone she knows could have seen it, she was tortured by that thought.' Speaking about the late night phone call he received informing them his daughter had jumped to her death, he broke down, admitting: 'I just thought she was badly injured. Well, I've lived 50 years, that feeling made me crazy, when I realised she was on the 17th floor, I can't bear to think about it. 'I was driving for two hours after the call. Her boyfriend saw her jump. We only heard about it, but he suffered the biggest trauma, so we keep telling him to forget our daughter, just to forget.' The grieving father told how he would receive early morning phone calls from his daughter (pictured) who was plagued with a recurring nightmare about the perpetrator The victim's mother added: 'The perpetrator fulfilled his own pleasure in the dark and slowly sucked the life from my daughter, who was living in pain. 'How can we express her grief, to leave behind her loved ones and her family, how tormented she must have been, with sadness and pain.' The father told how he tried to remain pragmatic with his daughter, but she couldn't get past the humiliation of her ordeal and the potential harm it could cause her career. 'I said, it's not like you were raped, and also you did nothing wrong so live with confidence, I just spoke pragmatically, but my daughter was asking about the humiliation,' he explained. The victim's father told how he tried to remain pragmatic with his daughter, but she couldn't get past the humiliation of her ordeal and the potential harm it could cause her career 'She asked me to keep quiet about it so that's why I stood by and watched. I feel like I killed my daughter, that thought drives me insane. I had the chance to save her but I didn't, that drives me insane.' The distraught parents are filmed clearing out their daughter's flat, preparing to burn her personal belongings at her Buddhist funeral, and show Stacey the contract for her wedding venue, where she was due to get married in January. Clearly moved, Stacey replied: 'F*** I'm so sorry you've lost her.' In a separate piece to camera, the presenter muses: 'Some people trivialise Molka crimes because we tend to associate it with weird loner types who take a couple of pictures up girls' skirts. You don't realise how harmful it is until you hear the extremes. it's horrendous.' Stacey also travels to Seoul to meet a victim whose boyfriend filmed them having sex and threatened to share the videos with friends and family if she didn't stay in a relationship with him Pornography is illegal in South Korea and has been blocked online since 2007, driving Molka underground. Stacey also travels to Seoul to meet a victim whose boyfriend filmed them having sex and threatened to share the videos with friends and family if she didn't stay in a relationship with him. The woman, whose identity was concealed, said: 'I felt really ashamed, I had to quit school and I couldn't work anymore. He destroyed everything. It would have been better if he'd just hit me and that was the end of it. 'The only person who watched the video was my ex. He told my friends that he had a sex video of me. He was even going to send the video to my father. Molka is a digital sex crime rife in South Korea where hidden cameras (like the one pictured) are set up to capture pornographic footage of women without their knowledge, which is then shared on the internet 'It would be shameful if a stranger saw it but at least that would be it. But if someone I knew or my family saw it, it would be social death.' Stacey also meets with a Molka user, who has been illegally filming women without their consent for five years and is being investigated by police after being caught twice. He told her: 'If someone looked nice, if one girl's body was more attractive than another's, I'd take a photo because they were my type,' adding that this year alone he has taken approximately 8,000 pictures. 'I just collect them, I don't do anything with them, I've always been lonely and alone. Taking pictures and making them part of my collection, that's what gave me satisfaction.' Stacey also meets with a Molka user, who has been illegally filming women without their consent for five years and is being investigated by police after being caught twice Asked repeatedly by Stacey if he thinks it's wrong, he replied: 'Society and the law think it's wrong, and I'm aware of what they're saying, so I don't really want to deny them. 'With those pictures, I never uploaded them to the internet or put them on websites, or tried to make money from them or shared them to humiliate the person. None of that happened. 'I feel there's no direct harm in what I did, but indirectly from their point of view, there could be psychological damage.' Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spycam Sex Criminals is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. [April 01, 2020] Graphics Printers Mobilize Globally to Support Public Health PALO ALTO, Calif., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HP Inc.s print service providers (PSPs) are mobilizing industrial facilities worldwide to deliver print products and help in the global effort to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Many PSPs are working with limited staff to adhere to health regulations, while retooling production lines to support the effort. We greatly appreciate our print partners and their employees for their unrelenting dedication and are pleased we can also play a part in supporting the huge effort taking place, said Santi Morera, general manager and global head of HPs Graphics Solutions Business. Important supplies and healthcare needs Nosco of Illinois, a subsidiary of Holden Industries, Inc, a supplier of digital print solutions for folding cartons, labels and flexible packaging focused heavily on pharma and healthcare, is using multiple HP Indigo digital label press equipment 24/7 to produce packaging testing kits, Drug products, syringes for hospitals, face masks, and hand sanitizer during the current crisis with the virus. Millions of labels have already been produced and production will continue to support the needs of the pharma and healthcare market. Custom Label of California is a supplier with a designated essential business status producing products for healthcare, food and more. As a result of a spike in orders, HP has shipped emergency ink supplies the same day to the site to ensure no disruption in production. One of the largest increases in incremental volume is for packaging for ready-to-eat food due to the shift from dining out to making food at home, said Lars Ho-Tseung, President and CEO, Custom Label. Volume is also increasing for labels and packaging for over-the-counter drug products for flu symptoms. Duggal Visual Solutions, a New York City commercial print service provider, has also teamed up with Kings County Distillery, a Brooklyn Navy Yard neighbor that has converted its efforts to produce hand sanitizer. The two companies are producing, bottling and labeling the products that are in short supply in the US. Duggal is printing the paper-based labels on its sheetfed HP Indigo 12000 presses. Neighbors are helping neighbors, taking the tools you have to partner and create immediate solutions, said Marc Lovci, vice president at Duggal. Kings reached out at to our Indigo department to create the labels including die cutting and adhesive. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5ced42f9-b800-432c-9e6b-897e19a466db In China, Foresee Images Technology of Shanghai, printed labels for medical equipment, such as sterilized wet wipes. The customer required labels in same-day turnaround, within 6 hours, for a print job that typically requires a week to complete. To ensure protective measures were also in place, the printer had to disinfect the premise and provide shielded gear for staff who were quickly resourced to complete the production of uncontaminated labels. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e8cf58b-9078-4ac3-9066-a1dc1767c9f0 Signage for testing centers, hospitals and supermarkets Kirkwood Printing of Wilmington, MA, also mobilized for overnight delivery of outdoor signage printed for drive-thru testing centers set up by a locally headquartered national pharmacy. The signage, produced on HP Latex R2000 printers, helps direct people around the area. In addition, point of purchase posters are being printed on HP Indigo digital presses for many retailers to advise of store closings. Shortly after this crisis began, we began diverting resources to COVID-19 related needs, providing materials as fast as possible for signage to inform the public, said Mark Nappa, chief sales officer of Kirkwood. As a leading printing company in hina, Beijing Indigo Digital Printing printed virus prevention informational signage and materials for National Health Commission and Beijing National Health Commission. HP Indigo digital printing enabled printing and supply of the materials in fast turnaround for sending materials to front-line hospitals quickly. Ironmark of Maryland is supporting with COVID-19 related signage for nine different health care systems at over 150 locations. The new signage warns of health precautions, designates areas at hospitals including triage and repurposed space with facilities for patient care services. Carly Press of the UK identified the need to print free stickers for local residents to put up outside their homes, in order to indicate they are in self isolation. Utilizing their HP latex 360 printer and some spare press capacity, Carly Press was able to print clear, bright stickers, and are experiencing growing demand for from their local area to nationally across the UK. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5148e98e-04bc-4906-8cc9-99f2c63d71e9 Protective gear for those on the front lines Dispackaging in Spain is using its HP Latex R series printers to produce face shields to help cope with the lack of protection for health service workers. Production of the low-cost masks has reached 50,000 units a week. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/51042963-1d6c-4f74-bdea-bd9100d0df04 Duggal Visual Solutions has retooled its production facility to produce face shields for medical staff and first responders in New York City. Over the past week, we assembled a task force to address the shortage in health care safety equipment and immediately saw we could quickly produce face shields. Over 150 volunteers are coming to work to make this life-saving equipment, producing 120,000 units in the first week, with a total order of 360,000 units, said Marc Lovci, vice president at Duggal. Duggal Visual Solutions occupies 250,000 square feet of production space, in five buildings within the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. Labels are printed in the Indigo Digital Press division. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5e4c3b0a-aeb8-4d62-aa3d-5f7080e5c22e Sabate, a specialized point of sale creator from Spain, has used HP Latex technology to produce protective separation screens and floor signs in grocery stores. The protective separation screens for counters create a barrier between customers, workers and product (in this case, food). The counters are made of polycarbonate and HP Latex printed ultra-transparent vinyl. The floor vinyl is self-adhesive, and its used to limit passage of people and keep the safety distance. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eff8cbab-e428-486b-94b6-fc69f60d37c7 Superior Packaging & Finishing of Braintree, MA is using HP Indigo 12000 presses to create thousands of face masks to donate to local hospitals and businesses to limit the potential for exposure faced by essential, non-medical employees. "My heart goes out to all the doctors, nurses, and first responders putting their health on the line for all of us. We want to do everything we can to make sure they have the tools to stay safe so that they can continue to do their jobs," said Donny Charlebois, president and founder. Family activities to keep spirits high Smartphoto and Cartamundi in Belgium, identified two family groups that love each others company, kids and their grandparents, forced to spend time apart during the outbreak. An initiative called ik denk aan jou kaartspel (translated as Im thinking about you - card deck) encourages children to design playing cards by drawing or uploading pictures for their grandparents so that when the lockdown has passed the family can play together again. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f4f3da84-0e08-4bab-85c0-181f4fdb1417 40,000 Thank yous Personalized airline boarding passes for medical workers To thank nurses and doctors who were on the frontline in Wuhan hospitals for more than two months, boarding passes home were personalized with special messages for a group of over 40,000 doctors and nurses who selflessly risked their lives in the call of duty to save countless lives. Chinas Jiangsu Baicheng printed the unique boarding passes using their HP Indigo 12000HD to reinforce their gratitude for their efforts and hard work during a highly tense environment. They were given only 24 hours to complete the job to catch the flights. They completed it in 16 hours! A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf417b21-976e-49fc-a502-9ec11f5f2629 About HP Inc. HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com. Vanessa Forbes, HP [email protected] Nina Gilbert, HP [email protected] www.hp.com/go/newsroom Copyright 2020 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:00:07|Editor: yhy Video Player Close BANGKOK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Bangkok is forcing a partial shutdown to all retail stores, convenience stores and cell phone shops to curb the COVID-19 spread in the capital city, beginning on Wednesday night. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang confirmed on Wednesday that the partial shutdown to all retail stores, convenience stores and cell phone shops throughout Bangkok is effective between midnight and 05.00 a.m. from Wednesday until the end of this month. People have usually visited those crowded places even late at night, unknowingly risking infection, according to the Bangkok governor. The Bangkok move followed suit of Nonthaburi, a northwestern neighbor province. Department stores and discount stores throughout the capital were earlier ordered closed until April 12 except for supermarkets, restaurants and food shops in their premises to remain open only for take-home orders. Nevertheless, the Bangkokians are not being legally prohibited from leaving home either in the daytime or night time though authorities have insisted they stay home as much as possible instead of risking infection outdoors, according to Thaveesilp Wisanuyothin, spokesman of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. The number of cases of COVID-19 infection has remained high in Bangkok and the outlying provinces partly because many people have continued to leave home and go to places daily, he said. In several provinces, a curfew has been imposed by respective provincial governors to keep local villagers from leaving home during specified hours in the night. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Coronavirus: KIOCL contributes Rs 10 crore towards PM CARES Fund India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 01: State-owned KIOCL on Wednesday said it will contribute Rs 10 crore towards the PM CARES Fund to fight the coronavirus pandemic in India. The employees of the PSU have also offered one day's salary towards the fund, according to M V Subba Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of the company. "Our contribution to fight the pandemic is Rs 10.1 crore. The aid would be extended to the PM CARES Fund to contain COVID-19 virus outbreak in our country," he said. Most of the staff is working from home and only necessary operations are on at the unit, he said adding that those on duty including the Central Industrial Security Force staff have been provided with proper safety equipment and the premises are being sanitised on a regular basis. PM-CARES fund to help fight coronavirus: How to donate? Check details Besides, food packets, hygienic products such as masks, hand sanitisers and other medical facilities are being provided to the communities living near the KIOCL's unit in Karnataka. Mangalore-based KIOCL (formerly known as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited), under Ministry of Steel, is in the business of iron ore mining, its beneficiation and pelletisation in Karnataka. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:45 [IST] Melbourne wharfies are refusing to unload cargo from a fully laden ship from China carrying toilet paper, surgical masks and tinned food due to fears they could catch coronavirus. In the largest dispute to hit the Port of Melbourne since the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 60 dock workers have been stood down by stevedores DP World since Tuesday night over their refusal to unload the Xin Da Lian, which left a Taiwanese port less than 14 days ago. The Xin Da Lian in the Port of Melbourne on Wednesday. Credit:AAP The Victorian opposition is calling on the Andrews government to urgently intervene in the stand-off between DP World and the Maritime Union of Australia. "This ship is carrying critical supplies needed by our doctors, nurses and paramedics to fight the coronavirus," shadow minister for ports and freight Roma Britnell said. Redispersible polymer powders product line to help drive growth of VAE emulsions business as part of Celanese acetyls derivatization strategy Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global chemical and specialty materials company, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Nouryon's redispersible polymer powders business offered under the Elotex brand. With the completion of the acquisition having cleared all necessary closing conditions, regulatory and works council requirements Celanese takes ownership of Nouryon's global production facilities for redispersible polymer powders across Europe and Asia, all products under the Elotex portfolio, and all customer agreements, technology and commercial facilities globally. Celanese will integrate the Elotex product portfolio and production facilities into its global vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions business to further meet global product demand. Elotex has production facilities in these locations: Frankfurt, Germany* Geleen, Netherlands* Moosleerau, Switzerland Shanghai, China (*Elotex manufacturing facilities in Frankfurt and Geleen are co-located and operationally integrated with Celanese emulsions assets at these locations. Elotex R&D and Technical Services functions are located in Sempach, Switzerland.) Elotex is one of the world's leading manufacturers of redispersible polymer powders for growing applications including: self-leveling flooring and wall texturing smoothing/painting exterior thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) which provide exterior walls with an insulated and waterproof surface, applied as a topcoat by trowel or spraying cement tile adhesives and grouts for floor and wall tiles, mosaic and flat natural stone on dimensionally stable sub floors gypsum plaster and joint fillers, polymer binding systems, and cement and time-based renders Celanese announced its intent to acquire Elotex on January 30. Financial details of the acquisition will be reported as part of the company's regular quarterly financial disclosure. About Celanese Celanese Corporation is a global chemical leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese's global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2019 net sales of $6.3 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com Forward-Looking Statements: This release may contain "forward-looking statements," which include information concerning the company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words "outlook," "forecast," "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "believes," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that the company or its customers will realize these benefits or that these expectations will prove correct. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed as forward-looking statements. Other risk factors include those that are discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005360/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations Abe Paul +1 972 443 4432 abraham.paul@celanese.com Media Relations Global W. Travis Jacobsen +1 972 443 3750 william.jacobsen@celanese.com Media Relations Europe (Germany) Jens Kurth +49(0)69 45009 1574 j.kurth@celanese.com Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter @JosephVMicallef. Of all the world's commodities, petroleum best epitomizes the geopolitical consequences of natural resources. Countries that were fortunate to possess large reserves of hydrocarbons found themselves with incredible wealth and in control of a powerful driver of economic development. Countries that were unable to produce enough oil and gas for their needs found themselves vulnerable to supply disruptions and at a major geopolitical disadvantage. The oil and gas industry had a significant Achilles heel, however. Oil and gas development had significant up-front development costs but, in many cases, relatively low operating costs. Once a well was brought into production, the cost of keeping it operating was relatively low, even if the revenue was insufficient to amortize the development cost. The result was that, historically, the oil and gas industry has been subject to volatile swings in pricing. In 1919, the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) was charged with setting production levels among Texas oil producers in order to control the supply and stabilize prices. From 1930 through 1960, the TRC was largely responsible for setting the price of oil worldwide. In 1960, a group of oil-producing countries, led by Saudi Arabia, adopted the TRC model and formed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to regulate oil production and stabilize prices. OPEC did not eliminate oil price volatility, but its willingness to regulate its production levels helped moderate some of the pricing instability. Between 2000 and 2020, average yearly oil prices varied from a low of $21.99 per barrel in 2001, to a high of $102.58 per barrel in 2011. The average price in 2019 was $57.92 per barrel. Currently, average oil prices are approximately $20 per barrel. Canada, Russia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, all significant oil producers, were among the oil-producing countries that did not join OPEC. The U.S., a major producer, began to import oil in 1959. Although the U.S. still imports oil, it has been a net exporter of both refined petroleum products and crude oil since November 2019. OPEC's share of the global oil market peaked at slightly more than 50% in 1973. In 2019, it was approximately 30%. Energy conservation; new discoveries; improvements in drilling and production technology; and, most significantly, the development of horizontal drilling to open "tight" oil- and gas-bearing formations and the development of the Canadian tar sands, have all cut into OPEC's market share. In addition, Asia, principally China, India and Japan, have now become the main market for OPEC's exports. In 2017, Russia, along with 10 other non-OPEC oil-producing countries, agreed to coordinate production cuts with the group in order to stabilize prices. The countries were referred to as the "Vienna Group" and the arrangement as OPEC+. The agreement represented a strategic alignment of Saudi Arabia and Russia to rationalize prices. It lasted through March 2020. One of the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was a sharp drop of approximately one to two million barrels per day (BOPD) in world demand for petroleum. In early March, OPEC agreed to extend its current cutbacks of 2.1 million BOPD and to reduce production by an additional 1.5 BOPD to a total of 3.6 million BOPD. OPEC requested that Russia and the other 10 oil-producing countries in the OPEC+ group decrease their production by an additional 500,000 BOPD. Russia refused to accept the additional production cuts, arguing that any production cutbacks would simply be made up by American shale oil producers. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia declared that it would flood world oil markets in a quest to regain lost market share and indirectly punish Russia for its unwillingness to cooperate. Within a matter of days, world oil prices cratered by approximately 60%. The collapse of oil prices, coupled with rising anxiety over the economic consequences of the growing COVID-19 pandemic, triggered widespread economic turmoil and a marked decline in financial markets. U.S. Strategic Interests and OPEC The governments of both Russia and Saudi Arabia are heavily dependent on petroleum exports to fund the bulk of their expenditures. In Riyadh's case, oil exports supply 70% of its revenues; in Moscow's case, the number is approximately 46%. Both countries have sovereign funds designed to cover shortfalls in government revenues from falling oil prices. Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund had $320 billion in assets, while Russia's National Wealth Fund had approximately $124 billion at the end of 2019. The Trump administration was quick to characterize the Saudi and Russian decisions to increase oil production as a thinly veiled attack on American shale oil producers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 7.7 million BOPD, or about 2.81 billion barrels, of crude oil were produced from tight oil formations in the United States in 2019. This was equal to about 63% of total U.S. crude oil production last year. This was not the first time that Saudi Arabia had tried to use low prices to force the producers of the more expensive shale oil out of the market. In response, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would buy up to 77 million barrels of oil from American producers for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Funding for these purchases was not, however, included in the recently passed 2020 Cares Act. In the meantime, the TRC announced that it would consider limiting Texas oil production to stabilize prices. Texas represents 40% of U.S. oil production. Pundits were quick to take positions on which country, Saudi Arabia or Russia, would be able to hold out the longest in the ensuing price war. Meanwhile, television commentators pointed out that lower gasoline prices represented a boon for American consumers. The more germane questions, however, are where does the U.S. interest lie? Is the U.S. better off from lower or higher petroleum prices? What are the consequences of lower oil prices on America's strategic interests around the world? From the 1960s through 2013, the U.S. was the largest net importer of petroleum in the world. Lower petroleum prices were in America's interest as they decreased the balance of payments deficit created by oil imports and represented savings to American households. Today, gasoline costs represent around 2% of average household income. So even significant reductions in gasoline prices are not going to represent a major change in a family's income -- certainly not in respect to the current economic turmoil. Moreover, given that the U.S. is now a net exporter of oil and natural gas, lower prices reduce its export earnings. Additionally, over the last two decades, the U.S. shale oil industry has emerged as an important driver of economic development and a source of high-paying blue-collar jobs. On balance, the U.S. economy would be better off if prices returned to their $50-to-$60 pre-crash levels than if they continue at their current depressed levels. From Washington's standpoint, the strategic implications of low oil prices around the world are mixed. On the one hand, low oil prices are a significant constraint on the Russian government and on the Kremlin's ability to fund the expansion and modernization of Russian military forces. Russia needs oil prices at around $50 a barrel or higher to balance its budget, and closer to $75 to finance the more ambitious social and military programs that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to implement. On the other hand, low oil prices threaten to destabilize countries that are American allies and to create new areas of regional instability or aggravate existing ones. This is particularly true of the Gulf region, but also of countries such as Nigeria and Mexico. Roughly one-third of Mexico's federal budget comes from oil exports. The average cost of producing a barrel of oil in the world is around $25. It's a difficult number to pin down because operating costs are typically in local currency and are affected by exchange rates, as well as each country's relative market share. Costs per country, however, can vary dramatically. The U.K., whose North Sea oil fields are mature and declining, has a production cost of $52 per barrel. Norway, whose oil fields are in a similar position, has an operating cost of $36.10 per barrel. On average, the amortization of capital costs typically represents about 50% of operating costs. Direct production, overhead, taxes and transportation costs represent the other half. The U.S., where oil shale production represents two-thirds of output, has an equally high cost at $36.20. Brazil and Canada, whose new oil production is particularly capital intensive, have costs of $48.80 per barrel and $41 per barrel, respectively. Russia's average production cost is around $19.20, although the cost of new production, especially in its Arctic oil fields, is much higher. At the other extreme, Saudi Arabia has a production cost of $9.90 per barrel, while Kuwait has the lowest production cost at $8.50. Across OPEC, the average production cost is probably between $25 and $30 per barrel. That means, at current prices, most OPEC producers' costs exceed revenues after they factor in capital costs. Only Iraq, Iran and the UAE have costs comparable to Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. In short, current oil prices are unsustainable long term. Even those countries that can produce oil profitably at these levels cannot produce enough to make up in volume the revenues they need to fund government expenditures. In the short term, prices may drop even lower but, in the long term, low prices are both unsustainable and extremely destabilizing politically. The trends that produced the current instability in petroleum markets are not new. They have been in process for some time. The COVID-19 pandemic simply accelerated those trends and brought them to a culmination faster and more dramatically than would otherwise have been the case. Ironically, instead of dealing with the consequence of "peak oil" and skyrocketing prices, today we are dealing with too much production capacity and insufficient demand. For much of its existence, OPEC has been an American nemesis, a position underscored in 1973 when the Arab members of OPEC (OAPEC) embargoed oil shipments to the U.S. in response to American aid to Israel. Historically, as a net consumer of oil, the U.S. wanted lower prices, while producers wanted higher prices. Today, however, it's a different world, one in which the interests of OPEC and the U.S. are more closely aligned. Prices in the $50 to $60 range are sufficient to keep the U.S. shale oil industry economic and afford OPEC members a basis of financial stability. It's also in Russia's interest, as it stabilizes the Kremlin's finances, even if it falls short of Moscow's more ambitious goals. In the meantime, the U.S. petroleum industry will continue to innovate and to bring down its shale oil production costs, while continuing to expand its liquefied natural gas export capability. Moreover, the U.S. would likely get Canada, Brazil, the U.K. and Norway to participate, even if unofficially, in such an arrangement. The Alberta provincial government is already limiting oil production. In light of the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. and the global economy, stabilizing the oil market and a key American industrial sector would be a first step in repairing the economic damage. It's time for Washington to make a deal with OPEC and Russia to stabilize the oil market, even if that means the U.S. must agree to some production cuts or export curtailment to ensure price stability. -- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. The KHAAMA PRESS, February 28, 2020 By Khaama Press A Hindu woman who lived alone in a highly secured area of Kart-e-Parwan, a place in PD4 of Kabul city, where many high government officials and politicians live, was killed in a ferocious way by armed robbers on Thursday night. The robbers looted the money and jewelry of the lady after they killed her. According to the residents and the victims relatives, armed men have robbed $4,000,00 cash and jewelry worth $13,000.00. The Ministry of Interior has said the case is under investigation but has not provided further information to press and media outlets. Hindus are a tiny minority group in Afghanistan, most of whom have left the country during the last 40 years of war and insecurity. Hindus and Sikhs were the traders and wealthy community in Afghanistan, their properties and business were seized by warlords during the war times and they were forced to leave the country in order to survive lives. In Donbas, Ukrainian soldier Volodymyr Movchaniuk was killed whilst performing a combat mission. It was reported by Vinnytsia regional state administration. Movchaniuk was born in 1983 and lived in Andrushkivka village, Pohrebyshchenskyi district. In 2015, he began serving under contract He was shot by a sniper while carrying out a combat mission in the Pervomaisk, Donetsk region. He died on March 30. In total, 160 soldiers from the Vinnytsia region were killed as a result of hostile shellings in Donbas, another 73 died from wounds and illnesses and two soldiers went missing. On March 30, Russia-backed militants violated the ceasefire in Donbas 18 times. As we reported earlier, the European Union stated about the importance of the unhindered access of the OSCE SMM to areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are uncontrolled by Ukraine. It is crucial that Russia and the armed formations that it backs allow the OSCE SMM, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and the ICRC freedom of movement across the contact line, the message said. CARBONDALE Debbie ODell enrolled as a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale at the age of 52 after the Maytag plant in Herrin shut down where she had worked for nearly a decade. When the factory closed, employees were offered financial assistance for job training or to return to school, and she decided to pursue a bachelors degree in criminal justice. While taking classes, ODell worked in the dining halls for extra cash. And after graduation, she decided to stick around because of the stability and benefits the job offered. In 2012, she became a full-time culinary worker at SIU, and has since served thousands of meals to countless students during the past eight years. Food service workers know that they are classified as essential when they accept the job, meaning they have to show up to make sure students are fed even when campus is largely closed, she said. Usually, that duty requires them to battle bad weather to report to work, not a global pandemic caused by a dangerous virus. We are essential, but we didnt sign up for this. We signed up for if there is a snowstorm and we have to be there, she said. ODell is among the food service and university hall workers at SIU who are raising concerns for their safety after two students on campus tested positive in the past week, and 21 others were quarantined in a precautionary measure. The Jackson County Health Department and SIU confirmed last Thursday that a student tested positive who had recently traveled to Chicago. And on Saturday, SIU said that another student in the same residence hall had tested positive, and that the two had been in close contact. The other students in the west campus residence hall were quarantined after an investigation by the health department concerning their social interactions with the other two students. This prompted food workers to raise concerns about their own safety and need to quarantine. As of Saturday, the university shut down its dining halls and is serving students grab-and-go meals that students pick up and take to their dorm rooms to eat. But over the prior two weeks, students were allowed to eat in the dining halls. During Mondays special SIU Board of Trustees meeting, the boards secretary read prepared remarks on behalf of AFSCME-represented culinary employees. Collectively, they told the board that they have held back their fears and put students first, but now they are requesting that the university close its residence halls and send students home. Our jobs are more than just cooking and cleaning, they said in the statement. We are committed to making the students feel at home and comfortable. Through our actions, we help ensure that they will return and continue their education at SIUC. The workers said they have done this over the past few weeks even though many of them, or their families, are considered high-risk for COVID-19 reactions because of their age or compromised immune systems. When we received the message that two of our students tested positive, and 21 other students have been quarantined, this news hit us hard, they wrote. All these students passed through our dining facility, and likely interacted with us. We are all now at heightened risk for contracting this illness. Interim Chancellor John Dunn was advised by the Jackson County Health Department that it would be an overreaction to place culinary employees on temporary leave unless they had direct interaction with one of the students from less than six feet away for 10 minutes or more. Dunn said the university reviewed video footage of the dining hall where the affected students were served, and found that no food workers met that criteria. Jeremy Noelle, an AFSCME Council 31 union representative for about 100 campus food service workers, said employees are not satisfied with that answer. Many are also offended that Dunn said it would have been an overreaction to send some workers home. Thats a slap in the face, and I take great offense to that, and my workers take great offense to that, Noelle said. This is a deadly virus that changes day to day. If we are overreacting, Im proud to be overreacting. My people arent disposable. In a statement provided to the newspaper, Dunn said he regretted his phrasing as he did not intend to minimize the concerns of the employees. "I have nothing but respect and appreciation for their work, especially during these times," he said. Dunn said that his goal was to convey that employees should not be concerned about exposure based on the level of contact they had with the students. Bart Hagston, the administrator of the Jackson County Health Department, said his departments recommendation to the chancellor is in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what defines a close contact with a person who has COVID-19. And so that suggestion to the chancellor was based upon the assumption that the dining hall workers had not been into contact with confirmed cases for that length of time or that close, so they did not meet the definition of a close contact, and therefore did not need to be quarantined, Hagston said. Hagston said he did not know specifically why the CDC considers 10-minutes a benchmark for concern, but said the guidance has been in place since the outbreak began in the U.S. Its based upon the current science at the time, he said, noting best practices are subject to change as the situation evolves. Hagston said that everyone should adhere to social distancing policies, wash their hands and stay home to the degree possible. People who must continue to report to work should closely monitor themselves for any symptoms and call their primary care physician or SIHs COVID-19 hotline for an assessment to determine if a test or other action is warranted, he said. The union has sent a demand to the university asking officials to tell them which workers had contact of any duration with the quarantined students based on their review of the dining hall video footage. The Local 878, the AFSCME 31 chapter representing the campus culinary workers, has also filed a grievance over the fact that food care workers are not receiving enhanced pay for working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Food service and residence hall workers typically receive extra pay when campus is closed and they are required to show up despite a campus shutdown. Typically, these administrative closure" days are due to weather-related events, Noelle said. But Noelle said the university isnt offering extra pay through the COVID-19 pandemic because the university isnt technically closed, even though the vast majority of staff are working off campus. SIU spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said this situation is different because during the stay-at-home order, all employees are expected to work or be available to work, and are therefore being paid their usual rates. During administrative closure, all employees get paid but only "essential' employees are required to work, she said. Chris Dueker, another culinary worker at SIU, said he was glad to see the university move to grab-and-go style food delivery over the weekend. He wishes they would have done that sooner. But overall, Dueker said he feels that employees are being heard by their supervisors, and that the university is taking steps to protect people like him. The workers are happy to be working, and even though the carry-out is slow, we do appreciate the opportunity to work, he said. Dueker said he hopes the university will consider enhanced pay for the employees on the front lines considering that they are putting themselves at risk to help keep the university operational. Two other food service and university hall workers also shared their concerns with The Southern, but did not want to speak publicly out of concerns about how it might affect their work situation. In a letter to staff last week, Director of University Housing Jon Shaffer said that the Jackson County Health Department and Student Health Services is monitoring students confined to their rooms, and University Hall staff are delivering meals to them wearing a thorough outfit of personal protective equipment. Chancellor Dunn told board trustees that the two students with confirmed cases are recovering well, and that no other students had developed symptoms as of Monday. Among other precautionary measures, Shaffer said in his letter that University Housing has begun providing N95 masks for certain employees to exercise the utmost in prevention for our staff and students. While the CDC maintains that masks are not necessary in virus protection were happy to provide the peace of mind these masks may bring, Shaffer wrote. Shaffer also said hes been asked repeatedly if hes concerned for his safety. The answer is no, not really. Having worked with the Health Department and our Health Services, and in seeing all the precautions we have in place, I feel safer here than I do going to the grocery store, he said in the communication with his employees. Still, Shaffer said he appreciates fully that this is a very scary time. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A lab at the University of Wyoming has 3D-printed 150 face masks and donated them to providers battling the spread of the novel coronavirus here. The masks are being manufactured from plastic within the universitys maker space lab, which is itself a part of the student innovation center in the engineer building. The masks being plastic allows for reuse: Traditional surgical masks can be cut up, with small squares being applied to a window-like opening on the front of the mask to allow the wearer to breathe. The masks themselves are made out of a plastic than can be disinfected and reused. Tyler Kerr, the coordinator of the maker space, said his staff have been printing the masks from their state-of-the-art equipment and donating it to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. A nurse there reached out after Kerr put out a call that his printers were ready to help. Is this a permanent solution? No, Kerr said. But its definitely a very effective Band-Aid. The shortage of personal protective equipment face masks, face shields and gowns has been felt acutely, both in Wyoming and in hospitals across the country as providers gear up to protect themselves against potential contamination against the novel coronavirus. Officials in Natrona County, the site of the states largest hospital and a coronavirus-specific clinic, have said the shortage is critical here. In a statement, Cheyenne Regionals chief medical officer called the donations a blessing. The biggest hurdle we are facing in healthcare facilities throughout the nation is shortages of personal protective equipment specifically face masks and face shields, Dr. Jeffrey Chapman said. As we look into the unknown of how long this pandemic will last or how many patients we could potentially have, we want to make sure we are as equipped and prepared as possible. It is a blessing that our community is able and willing to help out. The state has tapped local and national reserves to supplement providers supplies, and local efforts seamstresses and contractors with spare masks have lent a hand, too. But the warnings about shortages continue, especially as health officials say that the state is right at the beginning of COVID-19s spread here. There were 137 confirmed cases in the state, as of Tuesday. More than two dozen of those patients have fully recovered. The printers have been running for a week and have produced roughly 150 masks, which can make a cloth mask last six days instead of one. The printers arent making respirators the specialty face masks that are becoming a rarer and rarer commodity and havent started making ventilators yet. Kerr said hes letting the hospitals decide on what gear they need and which items have been medically vetted to be 3D printed. Were talking regularly with the teams there, Hey take a look at these designs, if you think any are viable and could be medically vetted, let us know, he said. Were a production center, and the hospitals are calling the shots. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By AFP MOSCOW: Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to handle his duties remotely, the Kremlin said Wednesday, after the head of the country's main coronavirus hospital tested positive following a meeting with the president. Denis Protsenko, who met with Putin last week as the Russian leader visited the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow, said Tuesday he had been infected with the coronavirus but was feeling well. "The president prefers these days to work remotely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, shortly before Putin was due to hold a cabinet meeting by videoconference. ALSO READ: Trump, Putin discuss oil price plunge, coronavirus "We are taking all precautionary measures," he said, adding that Putin was at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow. Putin donned a bright yellow hazmat suit for the visit last Tuesday to the hospital. He was also seen talking to Protsenko without any protective gear but the Kremlin said there is no reason for concern about the president's health. "All of those who were with the president at Kommunarka are being tested daily for the coronavirus," Peskov added, after saying on Tuesday that "everything is fine" with Putin. FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE Asked if Putin continued to shake hands with those he is meeting, Peskov said: "Of course everyone is now social distancing." Almost 70 percent of Russia's 147 million population has been ordered into strict confinement over the pandemic, following a first announcement by the mayor of Moscow on Sunday. Russia has so far registered 2,777 cases of the coronavirus and 24 deaths, mostly in Moscow. Selling wine in the best of times is hard work. In a global pandemic it means closing your doors to the public and grinding it out with curbside pickups and home deliveries. This is a single snapshot of Oregons wine stores and wineries as they struggle to balance public safety with economic survival. THE RETAILERS When co-owners Stacey Gibson and Neil Thompson closed Park Avenue Fine Wines to foot traffic, their wine bar revenues disappeared. Thompson says those revenues accounted for 50% of their business. Bottle sales then dropped 30%. The downturn forced Gibson and Thompson to furlough four full-time employees. Gibson and Thompson hope to survive through website sales and Portland metro area delivery. Delivery costs $7, reduced to $5 for purchases of 12 bottles or more. Special mixed cases are available with a significant discount and free delivery. Stacey and I are here by ourselves six days a week, eight hours a day trying to pull this off. But Ill be honest, without local support, we could close, Thompson said. The situation isnt much better outside Portland. Andrew Turner of Valley Wine Merchants in Newberg began seeing a significant downturn in walk-in sales in early March. My March sales were probably down 65% compared to the two previous years, Turner says. After what Turner describes as many sleepless nights, he decided to close his doors and offer curbside pickup service. Im a one man show. If I get sick, nothing happens at the store. Turner also offers free home delivery in Dundee and Newberg. Turner will deliver to Portland and to Clackamas and Yamhill counties for no charge with a six-bottle minimum purchase. Driving offers Turner plenty of time to think about the future: I have the flexibility and lower overhead that goes with a one-man operation. Im optimistic the store will survive. But ask me again in a few weeks. It could be a much different picture. https://www.oregonlive.com/wine/2020/03/oregon-wineries-bottle-shops-are-ready-to-stand-and-deliver-during-coronavirus-outbreak.html With 90% of his business generated by local foot-traffic, Alex Marchesinis Thelonious Wines was particularly vulnerable when the time came to close its Portland doors. Marchesini now offers free delivery in the Portland metro area with no minimum purchase required. So far he is only taking in about $300 a day. I keep reading magazine articles about increased retail sales, but I havent seen it, he says. Im wondering how sustainable this situation is if I have to dip into savings to stay afloat, Marchesini says. He plans to give it a few months before making any decisions. One option is to return to his native Argentina. The cost of living and rent is so expensive in Portland. My savings would go a lot further in Argentina, Marchesini says. THE WINERIES Matt Berson of Love & Squalor Wine reports wine sales plummeted 70-75% after closing the doors of his urban winery. Now he offers curbside pickup service at his Portland Wine Co. building. Berson also started making free home deliveries within a 20-mile radius of his winery for a six-bottle minimum purchase. Berson also extends a 20% discount to all food service workers. Small, family-run restaurants are a key part of our wine ecosystem and I want to be supportive, Berson says. According to Berson, home deliveries are starting to pick up. People are not only getting thirsty again, Portlanders like to support local producers, Berson says. Berson is confident his winery will survive COVID-19. There will be belt tightening, but we love what we do and we will push through. Besides, people drink wine in times of both great joy and misery. Does Berson have any advice for winemaking colleagues who may not be as optimistic? Pull up your Blundstones and dont drink all your stock, Berson said. Christopher Lindemann, the director of direct sales for owner/winemaker Erin Nuccios Evesham Wood and Haden Fig wineries, also believes restaurants are important to his business. Our biggest concern right now is losing customer referrals from our restaurant and retail partners, Lindemann said. Evesham Wood and Haden Fig offer curbside pickups by appointment. They also deliver their wines for free, with no minimum purchase, in the Salem and Portland metro areas. Calling it a key part of hospitality, Lindemann refuses to entirely concede face-to-face customer interactions to COVID-19. Four and eight bottle wine flights are available for purchase on the Evesham Wood website. Customers may then host their own in-home wine tasting and arrange for Lindemann, an advanced sommelier, to attend via videoconference. Lindemann thinks things are going well so far. We are financially solid and work with small enough margins to make it until next year. I also think our wine club members are helping out by purchasing extra bottles when they dont really need to. Park Avenue Fine Wines, 626 S.W. Park St., Portland, parkavenuewines.com or 503-914-5595. Valley Wine Merchants, 112 S. College St., Newberg, valleywinemerchants.com or 503-538-5388. Thelonious Wines, 516 N.W. 9th Ave., Portland, theloniouswines.com or 503-444-7447. Love & Squalor Wine, 3201 S.E. 50th Ave., Portland, portlandwinecompany.com or 503-320-9956. Evesham Wood, 3795 Wallace Road N.W., Salem, eveshamwood.com or 503-371-8478. -- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A Scottish woman has been airlifted to hospital with 'serious' injuries after becoming stuck under a tractor. The 42-year-old farm worker suffered 'serious lower limb injuries' as a result of the incident, which occurred on a field near Glen Dye, Aberdeenshire. A coastguard helicopter took the woman to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Monday night (30 March). The woman is said to be in a stable condition, according to a police spokesman. He said emergency services were called 'in relation to a person trapped under a tractor'. A casualty was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, a 42-year-old female, the spokesman said. A fire services spokesman added: We were passed the call by the ambulance service at around 9.50pm. We dispatched two pumps from Banchory and heavy rescue from North Anderson Drive in Aberdeen the heavy rescue unit was not needed. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been informed of the incident. Statistics from the safety watchdog shows that during 2018/2019, 17,000 farm workers suffered from work-related ill health. Around 13,000 experienced a non-fatal injury and there were 29 fatalities. Bhatkal, Karnataka: The district administration in Uttara Kannada has decided to move all foreign returnees to Bhatkal since March 19 into a separate quarantine facility. As on Tuesday, eight from Bhatkal in Karnataka tested positive for Covid-19 and are under treatment at naval hospital INHS Patanjali in Karwar. Of those who tested positive, four are from the same family. Few days after a person who returned from Dubai was tested positive, three of his family members too were tested positive with the virus. With the number of affected cases on the rise, a Health Emergency was declared in Bhatkal and nearby villages. Now going one step ahead to stop the spread of Covid-19, separate arrangements have been made for the foreign return Bhatkalis. "All those who have returned to Bhatkal after March 15th have been shifted to a separate quarantine facility. Meanwhile, all the identified primary contacts are in government quarantine centers," deputy commissioner Dr K Harish Kumar told Deccan Chronicle. They are provided with all necessary materials and the district administration is providing them police protection. As the movement of people is completely restricted in Bhatkal where Health Emergency has been declared, officials have made arrangements not only for the daily essentials but also for medical treatments to be made available at doorstep. "There may be some people who suffer from a health problem. The family members need not panic. We are here to help them. We have identified doctors who would go to the house of the patient and provide free treatment," Dr Harish Kumar said. A list of doctors, who are ready to provide treatment in this manner, has been prepared and shared with the people. The doctors would be stationed at the office of Bhatkal assistant commissioner. As soon as he or the helpline gets a phone call, the doctor would go in the government vehicle to the house of the patient and provide necessary treatment. If there is a need for further treatment at the hospital, the doctors would convey the message to the officials and the district administration would send the ambulance. A similar helpline facility has been made for supplying groceries, medicines and other basic needs and has received good response in Bhatkal. US private hiring fell in March amid the coronavirus pandemic, with small businesses suffering the biggest losses, however the report almost certainly underestimated the damage, according to data Wednesday from payrolls firm ADP. Total employment fell by 27,000 in the month, the biggest -- and only -- drop since September 2017, according to ADP's monthly report. Small business jobs suffered their largest setback since the worst of the global financial crisis in early 2009, plunging by 90,000, with the smallest firms employing less than 20 employees taking the biggest hit, the report said. However, like the government jobs report due out Friday, the private data in the ADP National Employment Report looks at payroll data in the week including the 12th day of the month -- which was before the most stringent of the lockdowns due to COVID-19 took effect and forced businesses nationwide to close their doors. "As such, the March NER does not reflect the full impact of COVID-19 on the overall employment situation," ADP cautioned. The consensus forecast among economists expected a decline of around 175,000, but analysts note the data will be hard to forecast and they caution that the closely-watched employment report from the Department also is expected to dramatically underestimate the damage to the economy. More recent data from the Department showed 3.3 million workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ended March 21. The ADP data showed both goods and services firms lost jobs, with the biggest decline of 37,000 suffered by trade/transportation/utilities firms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A state appeals court Wednesday upheld the criminal convictions of a central Pennsylvania man who was arrested based largely on a video shot by a self-described freelance sex predator hunter. In an opinion by Senior Judge John L. Musmanno, the Superior Court panel rejected Thomas H. Wises claim that Lancaster City police violated the state Wiretap Act by basing the criminal charges on Facebook footage filmed by Justin Perry. Perry posed as a 15-year-old girl on-line as part of his private effort to trap child molesters, Musmanno noted. When Wise, now 37, of Lancaster, made contact with the nonexistent bait girl in July 2018 Perry set up a rendezvous near the citys Binns Park. Perry then aired the encounter and his confrontation with Wise live on Facebook, Musmanno wrote. A city detective learned of the broadcast and logged in to watch as Perry questioned Wise about soliciting the fake teen for sex acts. The video was used by the police as the foundation for Wises criminal charges. Musmanno noted that, after the incident, Perry told police he had his girlfriend call Wise, pretend to be the teen, and arrange the meeting. The judge said Perry allowed police to search his cell phone. Investigators said that examination revealed Wise engaged in graphic sex chats with the bogus teen, had asked for a nude photo of her, and had sent her a picture of his penis. County Judge Merrill M. Spahn rejected Wises attempts to have the video and other evidence suppressed. Wise was convicted during a non-jury trial on charges including criminal solicitation to statutory sexual assault, tampering with evidence and criminal use of a communications facility. Spahn sentenced him to time served to 23 months in prison followed by 5 years of probation. In denying Wises appeal, Musmanno found there was no violation of the Wiretap Act because Perry made no attempt to secretly record the video of his encounter with Wise. So, the police, who told Perry to stop doing his own investigations, had full legal authority to use Perrys video to build the case, the state judge concluded. Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty along with their family have committed to offer Rs 10 crore from their personal funds toward Akshaya Patra Foundation for relief work related to coronavirus pandemic. The funds are intended to be used for serving food and distributing essential groceries to the migrant labourers and daily wage earners who have lost their livelihood and are in great despair. The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been serving cooked meals and distributing food, relief kits consisting of essential groceries to migrant labourers and daily-wage earners. In a press release, the Akshaya Patra Foundation said that Murthy family's contribution will help it serve over 55 lakh meals to people from vulnerable communities affected by the lockdown. "Their generous donation will enable Akshaya Patra to distribute 1.33 lakh food relief kits which will serve 55,86,000 meals," the foundation said. The food relief kits, which consist of essential groceries, will be distributed in various locations, such as Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, Mathura, and Hyderabad. The contents of these relief kits will be based on the local palate, it said. Also Read: Coronavirus live news updates: Nizamuddin Markaz building sanitised by South Delhi Municipal Corporation "For instance, the kits that are to be distributed in South India will contain sona masuri rice (5 kg), tur dal (1 kg), oil (0.5 litre), sambar and rasam powder, and vegetables which have a long shelf-life, such as potatoes and pumpkins," the foundation said. Acknowledging Murthy family's support, Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, Akshaya Patra, said, "We have known the heart and mind of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty. They have worked all their life for the welfare of the citizens of this country. In giving their personal money for the benefit of the vulnerable sections of the society who are facing difficult times now, they have yet again demonstrated how socially responsible and compassionate they are." Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: Lakshmi Mittal announces Rs 100 cr to PM CARES Fund The family has supporter Akshaya Patra in the past too. In 2015, they helped build the Foundation's Hubballi kitchen, which serves over 1 lakh children every day. One of the biggest units, it was featured in popular TV show, India's Mega Kitchens on National Geographic Channel. On Monday, Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, committed Rs 100 crore to support India's fight against COVID-19. The half of this commitment (Rs 50 crore) will go to the PM CARES Fund. Teachers who have shifted to online lessons due to the coronavirus pandemic are missing their students. Now, staffers at Liberty High School have put their longing some human-to-human connection to music. Yes, indeed, that is a full-length parody of All By Myself, the 1975 Eric Carmen song (you probably know the Celine Dion version, sorry Eric). Schools in Pennsylvania closed effective March 16 and a return to the classroom isnt in sight, and both students and teachers have had to get accustomed to education in the age of self-isolation. Online class is clearly not the same for the faculty members who miss the traditional style of teaching, rather than figuring out how Zoom works. The lyrics were written and sung (quite well) by Allen Frank, one of the schools band directors. The art of parody is a tricky game to play, but Frank seems like a natural. With zingers like trapped in my house/with just my children and my spouse, the miserable plight of teachers trying to work from home with kids, pets, cleaning, laundry, isolation and more is obvious. The idea came from art teacher Beth McFadden and was organized by choir director Julie Wydrzynski. According to an email from the videos editor, music production teacher Timothy Treweek, the whole thing came together in about five days. The video component features Liberty staff members lip-syncing along to Allens words as they express their misery surrounded by science experiments, a parakeet, a dog who is not in on the joke, a valuable package of toilet paper and an unfortunately empty bag of wine. While the Liberty staff is having a bit of fun while trying to stay sane and on-task, Pennsylvania is doing its best to help out schools across the state. The Pennsylvania Department of Education released a set of resources on Tuesday available to teachers across all levels that will help continue to provide instruction to students. The resources can be found on the departments website at education.pa.gov. The decision to extend school closures is a difficult one, but we must take the necessary steps to protect the health and safety of all citizens of the commonwealth, Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera said in a statement. These are unprecedented times that call for extraordinary measures. We must do everything we can to create equitable learning environments for our students under these circumstances." The resources should help schools that are not currently offering online platforms, those requiring additional technology support and those that may rely on traditional methods, such as paper lessons, to continue educating students. The department is also partnering with PBS stations across the state to provide instructional programming through Learning at Home. The Department of Education is also allocating $5 million in state funding for equity grants for schools to purchase computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets and internet hot-spots, or to use toward providing instructional materials such as paper lessons and coursework. Grants will be available April 6 and must be submitted by April 10. Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ConnorLagore. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. At the Albertsons grocery store in a remote town approximately 100 miles north of Boise on Tuesday evening, an earthquake had occurred, says an article. Susie Baker, a checker of the grocery store, saw all of the hanging signs of every aisle in the grocery store move as the earthquake occur. Later, she heard a sound and she saw the ground of the store was moving. A Powerful Earthquake in Gem State Since 1983 It was a powerful earthquake. A similar one was last witnessed in Gem State in 1983 with a magnitude 6.5 temblor. The earthquake was felt by people residing in Idaho. Also, the earthquake was felt in three nearby states. Center of the Earthquake The center of the quake was 73 miles northeast of the Meridian. It was near Boise, says the Idaho Geological Survey. A Former Earthquake Another recent earthquake had awakened bad memories to the states' people on its worst natural disaster. Approximately four decades in the past, an earthquake with a 6.9 magnitude hit Borah Peak. Two people lost their lives from the dreadful event. Damages had totaled to millions from that earthquake, says Idaho Geological Survey. Bringing Back Childhood Memories According to Melissa Hawkins, who lives in northwest Boise, she thought that the sound was a weird thunder. She then shared that after hearing the sound, her house was moving. She then realized that it was a big earthquake. Hawkins shared that the earthquake had brought back a childhood memory about the Borah Peak Earthquake. The earthquake had also affected the remote parts of Idaho. However, the intensity of the earthquake was mostly felt in the capital city of the state. She remembered the light in her house was swinging and that was what she saw in her home with the earthquake that occurred on Tuesday. She shared how she yelled at her children to stay in the doorways but her young ones did not know what was going on during the recent earthquake. Check these out: During the Earthquake Elisa Bullock and her husband were on their back deck in Boise when they felt the movement of the ground. During that time, they were trimming the nails of their pet dog. Bullock said that they were in the least safe areas in their home and the two of them stood there during the earthquake. When the ground stopped shaking, she asked his husband to go look into a door jam. She said that they will be implementing earthquake drills to prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario. Reports of Damages from the Recent Earthquake No primary reports are saying that there were damages caused by the recent earthquake, says the Boise Police Department through a social media post. The tweet includes a statement of asking the people at Boise to stay safe. They reminded everyone to call them in case their service is in need. Bigg Boss 13: Television actor Rashami Desai has been trolled for supporting Devoleena Bhattacharjee in her fight against Sidnaaz fans. The actor has also urged everyone to unfollow Sidnaaz fan clubs. Bigg Boss 13 might be over but the controversies surrounding its popular contestants is certainly not. This time, it revolves around Devoleena Bhattacharjee and the fan clubs of Sidharth Shukla and Shehnaaz Gill- Sidnaaz. After facing the ire of Sidnaaz fans for expressing that Sidnaaz lack chemistry in their latest music video Bhula Dunga, Devoleena Bhattacharjee has shared a shocking video in which a female can be seen saying nasty things about not just about Devoleena but also her parents. The video has sent shock chills on social media and enraged especially her best friend in the Bigg Boss 13 house- Rashami Desai. Reacting to the video, Rashami recently sent out a message on Twitter that there should be a limit to everything. These kind of fans deserve to be behind the bars. Tagging the cyber cell of Maharashtra, Rashami further said these trolls need to learn a lesson. Soon after Rashami shared the tweet, she also got trolled for supporting Devoleena Bhattacharjee. To which, Rashami responded that she is being trolled just for supporting her friend. The actress further urged everyone to unfollow the fan clubs of Sidharth Shukla and Shehnaaz Gill, which includes Sidnaaz, SidHearts, Shehnaaz Gill and Shehnaazians. She ended the note by saying shame on such disgusting fans. Also Read: Bepanah Pyaar actor Pearl V Puri wishes to do a romantic web series with Hina Khan Also Read: Bigg Boss 13: Paras Chhabra finally pays his dues to his stylists and designers This audio is so bad..As I mentioned below there should be a limit.Such fans &trollers are not good & deserve to be behind the bar to defame someone so badly. Apologies @MahaCyber1 asking u to look into this matter in sucha time but these mannerless people need to learn a lesson https://t.co/l5DF0a4E9Y Rashami Desai (@TheRashamiDesai) March 31, 2020 Wow! Just because I supported my friend @Devoleena_23 so now Im also being trolled.. Acha hai mere paas bhaut time hai ghar pe abb.. Lets block these SidNaaz SidHearts ShehnaazGill Shehnazians fans right away.. Shame on such disgusting fans Rashami Desai (@TheRashamiDesai) March 31, 2020 The entire controversy started after Devoleena Bhattacharjee expressed that Shehnaaz Gill and Sidharth Shukla share no chemistry. It all looks fake. In the music video, Sidharth Shukla looks much more mature and she would have liked to see Rashami Desai opposite him. Also Read: Coronavirus: Surbhi Chandna reveals only workout can keep her sane during lockdown, watch For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App Northside and North East independent school districts have donated thousands of items of medical gear to local hospitals to prepare for an expected surge of coronavirus patients. The districts responded to a call for personal protective equipment and medical supplies from UT Health San Antonio last week. School districts usually have the items on hand in case of a disease outbreak, said Jennifer Krueger, director of Health Services at Northside ISD. With our school buildings closed right now, we realize that the immediate need is to help the health care workers in our hospitals, Krueger said. Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox Northside donated hundreds of masks, isolation gowns and thermometers to UT Health and the South Texas Regional Advisory Council, according to a district press release. UT Health also received hundreds of respirator masks and gowns from North East ISD, a university news release said. We are very grateful for the donation of these supplies at a critical time, said Jennifer Sharpe Potter, professor of psychiatry and vice dean for research at Long School of Medicine at UT Health. We are working to get the districts inventory replenished as soon as possible. San Antonio hospitals are not experiencing a shortage of supplies but are trying to prepare in case of a surge of patients, Potter said. Ruth Berggren, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, said the institution expects there will soon be more COVID-19 patients. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases We expect these supplies will be critically needed by front-line health care workers treating a surge of COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks, she said. Northside ISD Superintendent Brian Woods issued a challenge to other school districts in Bexar County across the country to help their communities as well and donate what they can. Staff writer Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this report. Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Krista, become a subscriber. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva Technavio has been monitoring the bus tire market and it is poised to grow by 1.77 million units during 2019-2023. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005622/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Bus Tire Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will decelerate during the forecast period. Bridgestone, Continental, MICHELIN, Pirelli C., The Goodyear Tire Rubber, and THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER are some of the major market participants. The lower rubber prices will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Lower rubber prices have been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Bus Tire Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Bus Tire Market is segmented as below: Product Replacement tires OE tires Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30345 Bus Tire Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our bus tire market report covers the following areas: Bus Tire Market Size Bus Tire Market Trends Bus Tire Market Industry Analysis This study identifies development of specialized tires for electric buses as one of the prime reasons driving the bus tire market growth during the next few years. Bus Tire Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Bus Tire Market, including some of the vendors such as Bridgestone, Continental, MICHELIN, Pirelli C., The Goodyear Tire Rubber, and THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Bus Tire 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 Bus Tire Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist bus tire market growth during the next five years Estimation of the bus tire market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the bus tire market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of bus tire market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 Replacement tires Market size and forecast 2018-2023 OE tires Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by product PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: TRENDS PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Bridgestone Continental MICHELIN Pirelli C. The Goodyear Tire Rubber THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200331005622/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/ The federal prison system will begin locking inmates down for two weeks today amid rising cases of coronavirus across the country. The 14-day quarantine will be waived while prisoners attend certain education programs or psychiatric treatments, but otherwise they will be confined to their cells. Access to prison facilities, like telephones and laundry, will be permitted if 'practical', the Bureau of Prisons announced. The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced the new restrictions after an inmate at FCI Oakdale I in Louisiana (pictured) died after testing positive for coronavirus. The lockdown rules being rolled out today come after it was announced that the first federal prisoner has died after contracting the deadly coronavirus. Officials told AP that the man died Saturday. He had been housed at FCI Oakdale I, a low-security prison in Louisiana. The Bureau has said five inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at the same prison complex. Attorney General William Barr said earlier this week that one of the inmates had been hospitalized after showing coronavirus symptoms, including having a fever. He said on Thursday that the man had 'significant pre-existing conditions' and was in critical condition. Attorney General William Barr said earlier this week that one of the inmates at the Louisiana facility had been hospitalized after showing coronavirus symptoms, including having a fever. He said on Thursday that the man had 'significant pre-existing conditions' and was in critical condition Advocates and correction officers have been calling for reforms to head off a potential outbreak in the federal prison system. So far, 14 inmates and 13 staff members have tested positive. Health officials have been warning for more than a decade about the dangers of epidemics in jails and prisons. Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, even the heavy-lifting aircraft of the U.S. military. When an overloaded cargo plane needs just a little extra push to get off the ground, it gets it -- in the form of an explosive burst from a pair of jet engines. The video above was taken in 2009 during an air show at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. Back then, the Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team used a Marine Corps C-130 dubbed "Fat Albert" to carry its supplies, spare parts and anything else the team might need. Fat Albert would open air shows with a Jet-Assisted Take-Off (JATO), to the delight of onlookers. Although Fat Albert no longer shows off its JATO capabilities, assisted takeoffs can still be used by military aircraft. Sometimes called Rocket-Assisted Take-Offs (RATO), the concept is simple. Any time an aircraft is underpowered, rockets are used to help give the plane extra thrust to get it airborne. Watch: Incredible Footage of a C-130 JATO The idea dates back to the earliest days of aviation. In the 1920s, German aviators used rockets to help get gliders off the ground. During World War II, the practice became more common. Since early engines didn't create the thrust of modern-day jets, a little push was sometimes necessary, especially when a plane was flying heavy. One of the first projects NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory worked on was a JATO-related test for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Back then, JATO was needed to help heavy bombers get airborne. The JPL's first JATO test came in 1941 at March Field, California. Both the United States and the Soviet Union experimented with "zero length" takeoffs during the Cold War. The U.S. had planned to use the method during Operation Credible Sport, a second but aborted attempt to rescue hostages held by Iran in 1979. Short-burst, high-thrust rockets would have been used for short landings and takeoffs. Today's engines create much more thrust than earlier designs, so JATOs are increasingly rare. But the Air Force's LC-130 "Skibirds," which resupply Antarctica's McMurdo Station, still use JATO to depart the frozen continent. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 15:04 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee1202 1 World UN-Security-Council,COVID-19,diplomacy,Afghanistan,UN-Secretary-General,cease-fire,PKO Free Even the august forum of the United Nations Security Council was not spared from the far reach of the COVID-19 pandemic, as member states began adapting to the new realities of the global health crisis by resuming activities virtually including for voting in new council resolutions. Diplomatic activities at the UN headquarters have been significantly reduced after the state of New York became yet another epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, but discussions on world peace and security had to go on, as UN member states discovered. The pandemic has also forced the council to vote in writing, while the results were announced in a teleconference. Negotiations were also conducted virtually, where possible. On Tuesday, Security Council members held a video conference with deputy UN special representative for Afghanistan Ingrid Hayden to discuss the latest situation in the war-torn country, which has had to contend with the contagion on top of recent efforts to bring about lasting peace between the US-backed government and the Afghan Taliban group. The council urged the warring parties to heed the UN secretary-generals call for an immediate ceasefire and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Afghanistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire for all conflict around the world on March 23 so countries could shift their resources to respond to the pandemic. Indonesia underlined the importance for all Afghan political leaders to unite, set aside their differences and put the interests of the people first, according to its mission to the UN. Earlier on Monday, in a historic first, the Security Council adopted four resolutions virtually, including one on the safety and security of UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) abroad a priority issue Indonesia has flagged for its two-year non-permanent term on the council. As the largest contributor to peacekeeping forces among council members with 2,705 deployed personnel, Indonesia co-sponsored the draft resolution and played an active role in its negotiation, Ambassador to the UN Dian Triansyah Djani said on Tuesday from New York. "UN peacekeeping forces have shown real dedication and sacrifice to bring about peace," he said in a statement, underlining the safety and security of UN peacekeeping forces as a top priority. Deployed in conflict-addled regions around the world, the UN Blue Helmets are at the forefront of the UN Security Councils efforts to bring about world peace and security, but ground forces are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to illnesses and other physical conditions. The UNSC resolution encourages, among other things, increased support and medical facilities for the evacuation and/or treatment of members of the force who are in critical condition. The three other resolutions passed were related to the extension of the mandate by the UN Security Council. Resolution 2515 extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts for North Korea to April 30, allowing them to continue to report its work on the implementation of a resolution related to North Korea. Meanwhile, Resolution 2516 extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to June 30. With this extension, UNSOM is expected to continue to support Somalia as it approaches election season in late 2020 or early 2021. Through Resolution 2517, the Security Council will maintain a total of 6,505 UNAMID troops until May 2020 to help keep the peace and support the transitional government in Sudan. Council members were also briefed on the latest developments in the Isreali-Palestinian conflict. As the region continues to confront the enormity of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the broader geopolitical tensions, the situation on the ground remains fragile, said Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Secretary-Generals special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, according to a transcript on the UN website. Mladenov said that credible negotiations had yet to be launched, and Israel had not taken steps to cease all settlement activities and respect related legal obligations during the reporting period. The worsening coronavirus crisis has taken the lives of over 30,000 people in Europe. This is accelerating the class struggle, as workers strike and protest to demand safe conditions. With employers breaching social distancing measures and often not supplying even the most rudimentary personal protective equipment and hygiene supplies such as sanitisers and soap, strikes and protests have been mounted by Italian and Spanish auto and steel workers, Amazon workers, postal workers, bus drivers, supermarket staff and local government workers. The Colosseum, that will be closed following the government's new prevention measures on public gatherings, is reflected in a puddle where a face mask was left, in Rome, Sunday, March 8, 2020. . (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP) In Italy, the death toll reached 12,428 Tuesday as another 837 died. The number of infected rose by 2,107. On Monday, 300 workers, mostly drivers, at Amazons Calenzano warehouse near Florence walked off the job, demanding a new face mask each shift, reducing deliveries to essential goods, and regularly sanitising all work areas and trucks. Protests continue in Amazons facilities in Piedmont, Lazio and Lombardy. The heightened class tensions were expressed in a widely shared video of a father in lockdown beside his young daughter, who is eating a slice of bread. He tells Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Weve already been inside for 15 to 20 days and we are at our limit. Just like my daughter, other children in a few days wont be able to eat this slice of bread. Rest assured you will regret this, because we are going to have a revolution. In the UK, after the largest daily rise in deaths was reported, 381, it was announced that a 13-year-old boy who tested positive for coronavirus has died. He was the youngest to perish in Britain, following news that a 12-year-old girl had died in Belgiumthe youngest in Europe. On Monday, 80 postal and administrative staff at a sorting office in Alloa, Scotland, walked out in an unofficial strike. They refused to work in unsafe conditions in the sorting room and have not been given sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). They also have grievances over delivering junk mail. Fifteen postal workers walked out of another Royal Mail, depot, Lochgelly in Fife, for a second day Tuesday. There were strikes last week over the same issues at Southwark in London and Bridgewater in Somerset. Warehouse and distribution workers have struck and protested at several sites. On Saturday, 500 warehouse workers employed by British fashion retailer ASOS walked out in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, to protest unsafe conditions. Around 500 staff work each shift at the warehouse where 4,000 people are employed. The GMB union commented, The warehouse is now processing orders from the companys German warehousewhich has closedand hundreds of extra staff have been drafted in to deal with the million online orders Asos received over the weekend. ASOS is owned by Scotlands biggest private landowner, Anders Holch Povlsen, who has an estimated wealth of 6.1 billion. Images have been widely circulated on social media showing workers going to the warehouse on public transport, with no social distancing, and then clocking in with large numbers gathered in a small area. The warehouse canteen serves hundreds of staff breaking at the same time. One worker tweeted a message to company CEO Nick Beighton, I am telling you me and my colleagues we are really afraid to go to work, it is impossible to keep a safe distance inside the warehouse. They told us [is] not [allowed] to wear mask because [this is] not part of our uniform. We gonna die there. Just days after issuing a call for workers to inform if their firms were still working without good reason, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham received more than 300 email complaints from staff at 150 different companies. The most basic health and safety measures are being flouted on building sites. Construction News (CN) reported, Operatives on sites, which have not been adhering to two-metre distancing rules, are having suspected COVID-19 cases retrospectively confirmed by management, having discovered the information via word of mouth. On one site in the north of England, workers were not told that one of the team who they had been in close contact with was self-isolating because their relative had died from the illness. There is currently no requirement from government for employers to inform staff if there is a suspected case of coronavirus in their workplace. The article states, All the sources CN spoke to were terrified about losing their jobs, being docked pay and blacklisted from future work. In France, another 499 deaths were reported Tuesday, the biggest rise in deaths since the start of the pandemic. The virus has claimed 3,523 lives in total, with 22,757 still in hospital and 5,565 of these in critical condition. After workers walked off the job at PSA, Renault and Toyota auto plants last week, strikes are continuing. Workers struck March 18 at Amazons distribution centre in Montelimar to demand safe working conditions. Now a nationwide sick-out is underway. Half of the firms workforce is now calling in sick, according to union officials, although Amazon management in France claimed that only 20 percent were refusing to work. Workers at the Carrefour supermarket chain in Vitrolles, near Marseille in southern France, walked off the job Monday after two colleagues were diagnosed with COVID-19. They demanded an end to sales of non-food items and the disinfection of the facility before returning to work. Fati Poucel, a trade union official, said workers refused to continue going to the front lines, risking their lives. The action forced the company to issue a statement Monday that all its employees nationally will receive protective masks from a batch of 2 million it has ordered. In Germany, 129 new deaths were reported yesterday, bringing the total to 774. Workers of FraCareServices, a joint subsidiary of Lufthansa and Fraport, are opposing the lack of PPE at Frankfurt airport. One said, The conditions at the airport are a scandal and incompatible with the countrys pandemic rules. The 800 employees take care of passengers who need special help and support including the elderly, children or people with disabilities. One of their tasks is to help people with walking disabilities, something that cannot be done without physical contact. We are not provided with any disinfectant, no face mask, not even gloves, a worker said, although we naturally have more frequent contact with customersit is often impossible to maintain the prescribed distance. Actually, the wheelchairs should be disinfected after each guest. He complained, There is no crisis management team, and a pandemic plan is not being followed. As flights from China, Iran and Italy still arrive in Germany, the worker had not observed any special measures for passengers from these risk areas. Neither fever is measured on arrival, nor is particular attention paid to the safety distance. Truck drivers in Germany are protesting conditions at work. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, restaurants are closed along the motorways. If at all, only snacks are offered. The condition of the sanitary facilities is often horrendous, with showers and toilets not properly cleaned. Truck driver Bernhard Schumann told radio station NDR 1 Lower Saxony, Before corona we were treated disrespectfully, now we are treated disrespectfully and inhumanely. A worker at stainless steel group Outokumpu in Krefeld, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the WSWS, I know from my own experience that German companies are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to make a profit at the expense of their employees. They want to profit from closed competitor factories in the Asian region and, with full order books, even let their employees work overtime without regard for their health. He counts himself among the risk group and complains that there are no disinfectants or other effective precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Public or even private mourning during lockdown was forbidden. It has hardly been openly allowed to be expressed, perhaps as a mark of respect to the dead, but more as a strange way, of a show of support for the bereaved, in crisis situations. by Victor Cherubim The Coronavirus has brought out the best and the worst in society,perhaps in our lifetimes. During this unsettling time, it has become my drive to write blogs to provide my readers, a respite of enthusiasm or escapism, as well as "random research" of a "lock down world" in disarray. It has no doubt been a public nightmare in many ways. Some terrible things have happened, Draconian laws accompanied by over zealous approach at enforcement powers by the Police as well as others, with public as well as global governments not at all prepared for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Antibody Tests and Ventilators. It was a known fact that Governments around the world have not enforced hygiene over decades. But most of all, there has been no reserve capacity of Intensive Care Unit Beds. All the available ICU units had been fully occupied worldwide with Care occupants prior to the outbreak of this virus in December 2019. It was a calamity waiting to happen. The real cause of this virus turning from a epidemic to a pandemic is because of too little, to late action taken by world governments over years,if not decades. Result was understandable panic by the public. Public judgement of law enforcement has thus been harsh on Governments for over reaching, in fact overreaction, with lockdowns, restrictive in some cases, on social contacts and generally knee jerk reaction. There was no balanced approach all the while, and no coordinated action by health authorities worldwide. Can you blame globalisation or do you blame populism for concerted action to control the spread? Some will maintain it was unavoidable, others will rightly state it was unpreparedness. Public sentiment trampled Public or even private mourning during lockdown was forbidden. It has hardly been openly allowed to be expressed, perhaps as a mark of respect to the dead, but more as a strange way, of a show of support for the bereaved, in crisis situations. We can only comprehend the exact number of dead due to the Coronavirus pandemic as an a number statistic, with exact condition of cases calibrated and measured in a variety of ways, by each country, according to its own standards. John Hopkins Research team too, has quoted these figures of people with Coronavirus, according to statistics compiled by Governments around the world, as people counted "as dead". There is no detailed medical history record of the cause of their individual condition, prior to death, perhaps, as it has become an impossible and thankless task for governments. Nobody really knows the exact numbers attributed to coronavirus and/or due to natural causes, other than these official statistics. Rather, no one has been able to assess, who has succumbed as a direct result of the contagion of this pandemic or partly due to natural causes of death. Perhaps,it has been easy to lump one figure as the number dead and attribute it to this pandemic at this difficult time. The anomaly is that it has become a "statistic rather than a condition". The World Health Organisation to date has not authenticated a verifiable figure,perhaps, due to the vagaries of identification information. As Longfellow stated: "the dead have been left to bury the dead". In many countries the only form of internment is cremation, with families not attending final rites or saying fond farewells. It all appears very strange, with some countries requesting families to say goodbyes to loved ones by SMS messages relayed to patients in hospitals, before entering ICU's. Some day in history, there may be monuments erected for these dead like the monument in Vienna, for the Black Death of 1347 to 1351. Some day, a century later,historians will write epitaphs in commemoration. The anomalies of life under lockdown in Britain and abroad The UK now has been in lockdown for almost a week in a bid to tackle this pandemic. At least 19,522, the authorities say, have tested positive for Coronavirus with 1,228 people confirmed to have died to date, some 90 days of pandemic outbreak. Experts warn it could be months before life returns to normal. Whilst there is a virtual lockdown worldwide, there is no general consensus about "anti-body tests" or what action needs to be enforced to combat it on a worldwide scale other than WHO advice on "Tests,Tests and Tests". In Belarus,the government has dismissed the pandemic as a conspiracy,with life going on as normal. In Sweden, on the other hand,there are no constraints of segregation or movement or containment. In refugee camps around the world, people have no choice but continue living as normal in cramped conditions,with a scarcity of food and water, as compensation. Compare this to the 1.4 billion population of China,with confirmed cases of coronavirus deaths officially declared as 83,000 to date (30 March 2020). There is fakenews, even conjecture that the death rate is 40 times this figure.The anomaly is that there is no way of authentication or verification. Only the Space Satellites have shown towns and cities in China deserted during the period of quarantine over months with air quality less polluted by the shutdown of factories and travel. At a cursory reckoning, it appears to be minuscule in relation to deaths recorded per head of population in the two main European counties, of Italy or Spain. We are told that Italy has a population of 50 million with infections surging past 100,000 and 11,591 deaths and Spain has 46 million with 85,195 infections and 7,340 deaths. We know the health system of these two European Member countries have been crumbling under the weight of caring for so many desperately ill patients,infirm all at once. The number of Intensive Care Units in both these nations were never expected to cope with the outbreak of this virus. Care Homes in these countries were not required to state the cause of death of inmates. Financial assistance from the EU has been lacking over years. As a show of solidarity, a minuscule number of Coronavirus patients from Italy and France have been recently transferred by air ambulance to be cared for at German hospital ICU's. In the UK 20,000 former NHS staff have volunteered to go back to work and some will perform support roles, such as changing beds, at the newly turned Excel Exhibition Centre now called Nightingale Health Care Emergency in East London and at similar makeshift centres nationwide, A breathing aid, called Continued Positive Airway Pressure Machine (CAPM) to deliver oxygen to the lungs without the need of a Ventilator or for a patient to be sedated,has been developed by a team of researchers from Mercedes Formula 1 Team and University College London. They hope to produce up to 1000 such machines a day. The CAPM would help keep Coronavirus patients out of the limited number of 25,000 Hospital ICU beds in UK. The cost of dying The curbs of life and death in this time of Coronavirus is unaccountable. At this time digging deep within our psyche to focus on our immediate access to our human instinct of survival is the key. Creating the environment that brings each one of us inner peace and serenity can lead us to mental,emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Whilst we individually mourn the dead, and do all in our power to constrain our governments to deliver solutions sensitively at this time of crisis, let our creative side of our humanity shine. Indian stock markets ended nearly 4% higher on Tuesday, mirroring the confidence in global markets after Chinese manufacturing activity rose. The BSE Sensex ended at 29,468.49, up 1,028.17 points or 3.62%, while the 50-share index Nifty closed at 8,597.75, up 316.65 points or 3.82%. Markets in other parts of Asia were mostly firm. China, Hong Kong and Korea edged higher, while Japan and Australia ended lower. China on Tuesday said its manufacturing PMI for March was at 52, indicating an expansion and defying expectations of a contraction. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the figure to come in at 45 for the month. PMI readings below 50 point to a contraction, while figures above that level indicate an expansion. According to Ajit Mishra, vice-president, research at Religare Broking Ltd, positive global cues, mainly in response to improvement in Chinas manufacturing data, lifted investor sentiments, which led to buying in the Indian markets despite the rise in coronavirus cases. The India volatility index or VIX also fell 10.29% to end at 64.49 on Tuesday, which could indicate that probably there may be some respite in the sharp sell-off in Indian markets. However, FY 2020 that ended on Tuesday saw the steepest market fall in 11 years. Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty lost 23.8% and 26.03% respectively in FY20, worst since FY09. Markets slipped considerably towards the end of the fiscal, with benchmark indices falling over 20% in March alone as the number of covid-19 cases increased in India and a mandatory 21-day nationwide lockdown disrupted business. For smaller stocks too, it was one of the worst years since FY09. In FY20, BSE Midcap index lost 31.72% and BSE Smallcap 36.06%. Until the spread of covid-19 is curbed, market sentiment is likely to remain fragile, analysts said. According to analysts at Nomura, fears of an escalation, given the scenario in some European countries, have severely impacted market sentiment and hence, volatility is expected to remain high in the near term. In the near-term, in case the virus outlook in India improves, we expect a bounce-back in high-beta sectors such as financials that underperformed in the fall, Nomura said. For other asset classes too, it was a year of significant losses. The Indian rupee was down 8.46% in FY20 while Brent crude was down by a massive 66.42%. Foreign institutional investors bought Indian shares worth $390 million in FY20, lowest in four years. Domestic institutional investors, including mutual funds pumped in 1.25 lakh cr this fiscal, highest in at least 10 years. (Ravindra Sonawane contributed to this story). Russian citizen fined for fake coronavirus news distribution flickr.com/ Marco Verch 10:21 01/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI) A court has fined a resident of Magnitogorsk, a city in the Chelyabinsk Region, 30,000 rubles (about $400) for distributing fake information on the coronavirus situation, the regional Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry reports. According to police, the local man, born 1985, published comment containting knowingly false information on the ban on leaving the city to one of the VKontakte posts. A working group on the prevention of dessiminating fake news about coronavirus spread in Russia was created in the Investigative Committee in March. It is authorized to detect facts of distribution of fake and unchecked information on the number of people tested positive for COVID-19 on the Internet and in messengers. (EDITORS: This story reveals spoilers from Episode 5 of "Little Fires Everywhere." ) - - - It's tough to choose just one significant turning point in "Little Fires Everywhere," the best-selling book turned Hulu miniseries, but one moment stands out: when high school senior Lexie Richardson gets pregnant. A wealthy teen who is upset that her college application essay topic is about hardships because she's never experienced any, Lexie (Jade Pettyjohn) suddenly faces a life-changing decision. At first, the story line on the show follows the book: She keeps the pregnancy a secret from her parents, siblings and boyfriend and decides to get an abortion. The only person she tells is Pearl Warren, the teenager (played by Lexi Underwood) who lives in the Richardson family's rental property. Pearl agrees to accompany Lexie to the abortion clinic but is shocked to find that Lexie wrote "Pearl Warren" as her name on all the paperwork. "Sorry, I panicked," Lexie says when she notices Pearl's expression, and gestures to the director of the clinic. "That woman in there is my mom's friend. And if it got out, if people found out, it would actually matter, you know?" After the procedure, Lexie begs Pearl not to take her back home, so Pearl dutifully brings Lexie back to the rental where she lives with her mother, Mia (Kerry Washington). Although Mia and Lexie don't have a warm relationship (Mia, also the Richardsons' housekeeper, is appalled by Lexie's spoiled nature, while Lexie virtually ignores Mia's existence), Mia takes one look and realizes what happened. She gives Lexie a big hug and lets her sleep in her bedroom. That's where things diverge. In the novel, Mia remains deeply sympathetic. When Lexie wakes up crying, Mia cooks her soup and comforts her as Lexie repeatedly asks whether she made the right decision. "You'll always be sad about this," Mia tells her gently. "But it doesn't mean you made the wrong choice. It's just something that you have to carry." However, in the show, Mia sees the paperwork where Lexie wrote Pearl's name and is furious. She makes Lexie a mug of tea, but as Lexie tearfully asks whether Mia thinks she did the right thing, Mia gives her a harsh lecture about privilege. "My daughter skipped school to help you, and you thanked her by using her name and then demanding that she take care of you," Mia says. "I spent two months cooking your dinners, working in your house, you never so much as uttered a thank you. And now you want more. Pearl may love to give and give to you, but I do not. I'm done." "I'm sorry," Lexie says through tears. "I didn't have anywhere else to go." "You have plenty of places to go," Mia retorts. "And plenty of people who care. You have no concept of what it's like to not have anyone. Don't insult your own intelligence by pretending otherwise. When you're done, wash out your own mug. For once." Liz Tigelaar, the executive producer who developed the series, said the writers had long debates about how to handle the scene. They decided to change the tone because the show's Mia is a black woman. (Mia's race in the novel isn't specified, but author Celeste Ng pictured her as a white working-class woman.) "We talked a lot about how a black woman would feel about what this white girl - whose house she worked in yet has never once acknowledged her or had a conversation with her - has done to her daughter," Tigelaar said in an interview. "Mia knows Lexie wrote Pearl's name down and truly believes it doesn't matter. And, by extension, that Pearl doesn't matter." "I'm so glad we landed where we landed because it feels so authentic," Tigelaar continued. "It doesn't feel like Mia is attacking her. What happens is Mia gives to her, and then gives again, and Lexie keeps taking. Mia gets pushed to a point: 'Come here, I can help you, lend you clothes, take care of you and give you tea, but I am not going to make you feel better about your decisions and the kind of person you are.' That is not her job." Tigelaar said the scene also led to a conversations in the writers' room (composed of seven women and one man, with four people of color) about how black mothers raise their daughters. She loved how the reworked scene revealed how Mia tried to protect Pearl. "Those were the really great changes to make," she said. And although the scene doesn't specifically address it, Mia is also thinking of Bebe Chow, the young immigrant mother fighting to regain custody of the infant daughter she left outside a fire station when she had no money or resources. Part of Mia's reaction is because while Lexie says she had nowhere to turn, Bebe's situation is actually what happens when there's no safety net. So, Tigelaar explained, Mia has to tell her: "Don't be ridiculous, of course you have people, you're never going to fall, no matter what happens. Whether you got an abortion or you had the baby, you would have been OK. You have a whole sea of people, including society." Students of Jadavpur University on Wednesday said they have opened a community kitchen to feed at least 200 poor people daily, who are rendered jobless due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown. They have started the initiative with the support of teaching and non-teaching staff and the authorities of the university from Monday, a student, who is part of the programme, said. The kitchen is located at one corner of the sprawling main campus of the university here, he said. "It costs everyday around Rs 2,000 for us to prepare 'khichdi' and another Rs 2,500 for making hand sanitiser by students of the science departments under the supervision of teachers," Avik, a student of the JU, said. The students have been mobilising the resources through crowd-funding and all the contributions are being put on record, he said. "We are also reaching out to people in suburbs, North and South 24 Parganas districts, Howrah, East Midnapore and other places through our contacts and students living in these areas," he said. Presidency University Students' Union has also come forward to help poor people by raising fund for them. The students of the varsity requested faculty members, researchers and non-teaching staff to donate money to a fund for helping vendors, canteen, security and cleaning staff and others, as they are severely hit by the lockdown, a student union leader Subhojit Sarkar said. "We are aware of the fact that the nationwide 21-day lockdown imposed by the Centre and the closure of all educational institutions announced by the state government, as a preventive measure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, hit these people badly. Many of them have become jobless," he said. He called upon everyone to donate to a dedicated account of the union and said that the details of future expenses will be communicated. "We will wait for some time for raising a substantial amount and then make arrangements for handing it over to those people who have returned to their native places now," Debnil, another student of the Presidency University, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Texas Tavern employees Chris Dobe (L) and Nick Moore wait for take out orders on March 30, 2020. (Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times via AP) What You Need to Do to Get Your Government Stimulus Check The IRS and the Treasury Department say Americans will start receiving their economic impact checks in the next three weeks. The payments are part of the $2.2 trillion rescue package signed into law last week by President Donald Trump aimed at combating the economic ravages of the CCP virus outbreak. Most people dont need to do anything to get the money. But someincluding senior citizens and low-income people who might not traditionally file tax returnsdo need to take action. People behind on filing their taxes might also want to get caught up. The IRS and Treasury have provided more details on how to ensure you get paid. Here are the basics: Who Is Eligible for the Payment? Anyone earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive a $1,200 payment. That means married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment$2,400if their adjusted gross income, which what you report on your taxes, is under $150,000. The payment steadily declines for those who make more. Those earning more than $99,000, or $198,000 for joint filers, are not eligible. The thresholds are slightly different for those who file as a head of household. Parents will also receive $500 for each qualifying child. What Do I Have to Do to Get the Check? For most people, nothing. The money will be directly deposited in your bank account if the government has that information from your tax return. If you havent filed your 2019 taxes, the government will use information from your 2018 taxes to calculate your payment and determine where to send it. It can use your Social Security benefit statement as well. I Dont Usually Have to File Taxes. Do I Still Get a Payment? Yes. People who are not required to file a tax returnsuch as low-income tax payers, some senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and people with disabilitieswill need to file a very simplified tax return to receive the economic impact payment. It provides the government basic details including a persons filing status, number of dependents and direct-deposit bank information. I Havent Filed My 2018 or 2019 Taxes. Will I Still Get a Payment? Yes, but the IRS urges anyone required to file a tax return and has not yet done so for those years to file as soon as possible in order to receive an economic impact payment. Taxpayers should include their direct-deposit banking information on the return if they want it deposited in their account. I didnt Use Direct Deposit on My Taxes, What Can I Do? The government will default to sending you the check by mail if you did not use direct deposit. However, the IRS and Treasury say that they will develop an online portal in the coming weeks for individuals to provide their banking information so that they can receive the payments immediately instead of in the mail. It has not yet set a deadline for updating that information. Where Do I Do This? The IRS and Treasury say the website irs.gov/coronavirus will soon provide information about the check, including how people can file a simple 2019 tax return. I Need More Time to File My Tax Returns. How Long Do I Have to Get the Payment? The IRS says people concerned about visiting a tax professional or local community organization in person to get help with a tax return should not worry. The economic impact payments will be available throughout the rest of 2020. By Sarah Skidmore Sell The telco Vodafone Idea has brought in two major offers for its prepaid users. In the midst of national lockdowns, the telco has decided to increase the validity of prepaid plans till April 17 for no additional cost. Moreover, the telco will credit a talktime of Rs 10 for nearly 100 million of its users. This move came in to support the people of the low-income groups. "The free-of-cost extension will enable millions of feature phone users of both Vodafone and Idea to continue to receive incoming calls even if their plan expires," Vodafone said in a statement. "Customers availing Vodafone Idea's services via smartphones can continue to recharge their accounts using online and digital platforms," it said. With no means to get to their homes, many migrant workers have been stranded. By bringing in the current offers, the telco wants to ensure that the migrant workers remain connected to their loved ones. Avneesh Khosla, Marketing Director, Vodafone Idea, said, "Our customers must remain connected without worrying about any disruption, especially in these troubled times. Extending plan validity and crediting talk time will particularly benefit migrant workers and daily wage earners, whose lives and livelihoods have been most unsettled due to the precautionary lockdown. Our network teams are already operating 24X7 to ensure seamless connectivity." Other telcos like Airtel, Jio, BSNL and MTNL have also brought about similar offers. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directed the telcos to extend the validity in the backdrop of 21-day national lockdown in order to contain coronavirus pandemic. "...you are required to take necessary steps as deemed fit including extending the validity period to ensure that all prepaid subscribers can enjoy uninterrupted services during the period of lockdown," TRAI said in a communication to all operators on Sunday. Vodafone changes operator name to "Vodafone-Be Safe" In wake of the global pandemic which has crossed a thousand active cases in India and has over 30 reported deaths, the telco has decided to alter its name, in order to bring awareness among its users. A report by Telecom Talk states that Vodoafone changed its name to Vodafone- Be Safe to make users more aware about COVID-19 disease. Government-owned telco, BSNL too, changed its name to BSNL Stay at Home The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has directed all the telecom operators to change their default caller tunes into 30-second Coronavirus Prevention Caller Tune. By Andy Bruce and William James LONDON (Reuters) - The number of deaths from coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose by 27% in the space of a day, according to new figures on Tuesday that a senior cabinet minister described as shocking and disturbing. The government said 1,789 people have died in hospitals from coronavirus as of 1600 GMT on Monday, an increase of 381 from Sunday, the largest rise in absolute terms yet. "The increase in the number of deaths is deeply shocking, disturbing (and) moving," Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said at a news conference, adding that it was not possible to predict when fatalities would peak. "It depends on the actions of all of us," he added. "We can delay that peak, we can flatten the curve through our own particular actions." Later on Tuesday, a London hospital announced that a 13-year-old boy had died after contracting coronavirus, Britain's youngest fatality from the pandemic. Britain initially took a gradual approach to containing the virus compared with European countries such as Italy. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed stringent controls after projections showed a quarter of a million people could die. Johnson has since become the first leader of a major power to announce a positive test result for coronavirus. Britain lags Italy, Spain and France in terms of the number of deaths, but they are still doubling around every 3.5 days. While that is similar to the trajectory of Italy - the world's worst-hit country - when it was reporting similar numbers of deaths just over two weeks ago, British officials said on Tuesday they saw tentative reasons for optimism. Official figures showed confirmed cases rose 14% between Monday and Tuesday to 25,150 as of Tuesday at 0800 GMT, the third day of increases around that rate - slowing from around 22-24% last Thursday and Friday. "We're not out of the woods, we're very much in the woods, and it's really important that we keep complying with those instructions," said Stephen Powis, director of the National Health Service in England. Story continues "But as you can see, the number of infections is not rising as rapidly as it was. So, green shoots, but only green shoots, and we must not be complacent and we must not take our foot off the pedal." The government also announced the first medical ventilators which Britain has recently ordered from businesses will be ready this weekend and available to the health service next week. The Daily Mail reported that the first batch would be 30 units. (Editing by Stephen Addison and Estelle Shirbon) In a heartwarming gesture, a senior citizen from Madhya Pradesh's Vidhisha city donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to fund the state government's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. After reading an appeal in a newspaper, Salbha Uskar, a retired employee, donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, an official said. "After seeing the current situation, I decided to extend my help. I urge people to honour the lockdown and follow the government's orders," the 82-year-old said in a video shared by the public relations department. Sharing her video on Twitter, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "Maa Tujhe Salam. Salbha Uskar, an 82- year-old woman from Vidisha, donated Rs 1 lakh from her pension to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. This invaluable blessing of a mother has boosted my confidence in the fight against #COVID19." Meanwhile, Chouhan on Tuesday spoke to representatives of social organisations, health and police officials in Indore and thanked them for their efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official from the public relations department said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick said Tuesday morning that the district will have a summer learning environment to help students prepare for the 2020-21 school year. Riddick said that the current academic year will end in May as scheduled, but the district will establish some type of learning environment this summer. He stopped short of saying it would be a formal class or a mandatory class, what the learning environment day would look like or how long the summer session would last. He expects ideas could formulate into something for learners that need to maintain the course, who are behind or who have gaps. Midland ISD last had classes on campus before the districts spring break, which was March 9-13. Riddick announced Tuesday that campuses will remain closed through at least May 1. That means it could be nearly two months since students last had face-to-face interaction with teachers -- should they return to class on May 4. The district has been providing enrichment material for its 26,000-plus students since last week. MISD officials have talked about creating a Google classroom for students and their teachers. Riddick talked about the difficulties of reaching students whose homes dont have the internet and/or equipment needed for an online educational experience. He said the district is doing its best with its resources to bring WiFi to the masses. Midland ISD already was behind some of its own board-created academic performance goals as reported by Midland ISD staff during board meetings -- before coronavirus impacted the 2019-20 school year. Education officials in the past also have worried about what it does for students to be out of the classroom for extended periods of time. One example of this is the so-called summer slide. Scholastic.com reports on its website that a study about summer slide indicates that kids lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break, which tends to have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year. A more recent study of children in third to fifth grades also showed that students lost, on average, about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math during summer break. Weve done (a summer learning program) every year with summer school in some form or fashion, Riddick said. And we need to think through what summer learning will look like for students who need to come back into the environment and dive forward. I cant tell you what that is today, but I can tell you, that were going to have some form of a learning opportunity for families to dive into, so their kids can be at their best as they walk into the 2020-21 school year. US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper recently said at the meeting of all military personnel that the US military should take cyber security measures and strengthen information security protection to prevent military secrets from being leaked when telecommuting, according to reports on the website of US Military Times. Esper's statement sounds like covering up their own misdeeds by shifting the blame to others. For now, the US is undoubtedly the lead surveillance authority on the issue of cyber security in the world. Large-scale surveillance has become a normal. The PRISM incident exposed in June 2013 profoundly exposed the double standards implemented by the US in cyberspace. On the one hand, the US conducts large-scale surveillance on other countries in the pretext of anti-terrorism and national security. On the other hand, the US publicly boasts and promotes "Internet freedom" and continuously strengthens its leading role in the cyber world. It is reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) implemented surveillance on 122 foreign leaders as early as 2009, and established a special database to hoard information on foreign leaders, including 300 reports on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Besides, ordinary people are also the main subject of surveillance in the US. It has a vast project on Internet monitoring. "The US can monitor almost all Internet activities of a targeted netizen," according to the report. US President Trump released the National Cyber Strategy in September, 2018. It means that the US will be more proactive on cyber security issues followed by more frequent cyber monitoring and hacking. Diversified organizations and means emerged. As cyberspace became an important battlefield, agencies such as the NSA have also expanded its coverage from traditional signal intelligence to cyberspace data. The US weaved a "global surveillance network" by a variety of organizations and means. In terms of organization, with the NSA as the main agency, the Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), Special Source Operations (SSO) and Global Access Operations (GAO) are the three enforcement departments to jointly monitor the global network. Among them, the TAO is usually responsible for developing cyber attack technology, carrying out cyber attacks and accessing foreign computers for cyber-espionage activities; the SSO mainly for collecting, processing and analyzing Internet metadata; and, the GAO for intercepting intelligence from satellites and other international intelligence platforms. In terms of means, the US has taken advantage of technology to steal information by means of radio eavesdropping, satellite surveillance, password decryption, and cyber attacks. Also, the US has continuously raised the status of cyberspace in the overall national security strategy by increasing investment in capital, human and technical resources, and conducted network monitoring in the name of maintaining cyber security. Cooperation against cyber hegemony is urgently needed. On the one hand, the US keeps stealing information, and on the other hand, it is concerned that military secrets might be leaked during telecommuting. On March 26, Reuters reported that CIA hackers had conducted 11 years of cyber-attacks and infiltrations on China. In this regard, all countries should take strict precautions, strengthen international cooperation on cyber security, promote the establishment of a multilateral democratic and transparent international Internet governance system, as well as a common network security information communication and governance channel, and formulate universally abiding international rules so as to eliminate the ground for cyber hegemony. The stranded Holland America ships are Florida-bound, but not yet permitted to enter US waters. Joe Raedle/Getty Images and LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images The US Coast Guard will not yet permit the MS Zaandam, a Holland America cruise with at least two confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard, and the MS Rotterdam, the ship sent to rescue its healthy passengers, to enter US waters. Florida officials remain concerned that allowing Zaandam and Rotterdam passengers to disembark in Fort Lauderdale seaport Port Everglades could worsen the spread of coronavirus in the area. Coast Guard Sector Miami Commander Captain Jo-Ann Burdian said at a March 31 Broward County Commission that Holland America's parent company Carnival Corp. must first submit a complete report regarding the medical situation on each ship. Four passengers have died on the Zaandam after an outbreak of respiratory illness sickened at least 189 people. Carnival Chief Maritime Officer William Burke told county officials that it was fair to assume at this point that the disease was COVID-19. He said only 14 people are currently experiencing influenza-like symptoms, however. Are you a cruise-ship passenger or employee with a story to share? Email acain@businessinsider.com. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A Holland America cruise stricken with COVID-19 and the sister ship sent to rescue healthy guests have made it through the Panama Canal and are en route to Florida's Port Everglades. But the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea do not yet represent the home stretch for these ships and those on board. The fate of both the MS Zaandam and the MS Rotterdam and their combined pool of 2,500 passengers and crew members remains uncertain, as officials in southern Florida weigh the risks of disembarking potentially sick passengers in a region already rife with coronavirus. In a March 31 Broward County Commission meeting, US Coast Guard Sector Miami Commander Captain Jo-Ann Burdian said that the Zaandam and the Rotterdam would not be permitted to enter US waters until Holland America's parent company Carnival Corp. submitted a complete plan regarding the medical situation on each ship. Story continues "In the opinion of the seventh Coast Guard district, the conditions onboard present especially hazardous conditions," she said. The Coast Guard has been working with the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health, US Customs and Border Patrol, port pilots, and other officials, in an interagency task force formed to deal with the crisis at Port Everglades. It will be left to that task force to approve any course of action regarding the stranded Holland America vessels, as well as other cruises stuck without a port of call. The plight of the Zaandam and the Rotterdam reflect the unprecedented blow that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the cruise industry. The Zaandam's cruise was scheduled to last 14 days, embarking from Buenos Aires on March 7. For some passengers, the cruise would end after 14 days in San Antonio, Chile. For others, it was due to reach April 7 in Fort Lauderdale. Those plans were diverted because of the coronavirus, and the cruise ship was closed out of ports across South and Central America. Now that four passengers have died onboard and at least two people have tested positive for COVID-19, it is unclear whether the ship will find safe harbor in the Sunshine State. Florida's Ronald DeSantis, a Republican ally of President Trump, has loudly objected to south Florida taking on the floundering cruise ships. But conversations at the county level have been more sober and muted, with officials weighing the humanitarian issue presented by the Holland America ships with the possibility of endangering citizens of Broward County. 'It has fallen on our doorstep' "This is a humanitarian crisis," Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said, addressing Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness and the rest of the county commission on March 31. "This is not something that is exclusive to Broward County in terms of our responsibility. But it has fallen on our doorstep." He went on to say that the task force is still working with Carnival Corp. to come to a decision regarding the Zaandam and the Rotterdam. The ships are just two of about 15 cruise vessels looking to dock at Port Everglades. "This is not a decision that should be taken lightly, nor is it a decision that should be exclusively made emotionally," Tony added. Broward County Commissioner Mark D. Bogen said that officials "can't seem to get a straight number from the cruise line," and asked Burdian if there was a way to verify Carnival's claims about the number of sick people on its ship. He cited conflicting reports about the number of COVID-19 cases onboard. "We rely on these companies who care about their reputation to submit information that is true and correct," Burdian said. "At this point, we are assuming the people who get sick have COVID," Carnival's chief maritime officer said. IVAN PISARENKO/AFP via Getty Images Carnival Chief Maritime Officer William Burke also addressed the county commissioners to share the company's perspective as well as updates from the ships. "We are coming to the place of last resort," he said. According to Burke, the Zaandam attempted to dock in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia. "And I heard this morning that Mexico is saying no," he said, adding that the ship is currently attempting to arrange for two seriously ill individuals to medically evacuated to Mexico. He said the Zaandam has four doctors and five nurses, while the Rotterdam has two doctors and four nurses. "Where today as of last night, our numbers were 14 passengers who are currently experiencing influenza-like illness," Burke said. "Seven of those are in our hospital, and are being treated. Two of those are those that we would like to Medvec." He said that reports in the media have been higher because it is Holland America's protocol to report all those who have reported to the ship's medical center. According to Burke, the Zaandam initially received 200 COVID-19 rapid-test kits. "At this point, we are assuming the people who get sick have COVID," he said. Burke added there have been zero new cases today, one yesterday, and three on March 29. Regarding Carnival's plan of getting healthy passengers home, he said that the company would arrange for charter or "charter-like" flights to return guests to their country of origin, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Passengers residing nearby in Florida would be provided with car rides home. In his comments, Burke also stressed Carnival's ties to Broward County. "I feel a little uncomfortable pointing this out," he said. "We do have a couple of offices in Broward. We do have 115 employees in Broward. We are not only a requester in this situation, we are also a user of your wonderful services. The Zaandam is home-ported in Port Everglades." At this time, Carnival is proposing a plan to only disembark passengers in Florida. Crew members would remain on the ships. At the meeting, commissioners raised multiple questions regarding whether or not the county could trust the cruise line to honor its agreement to not disembark ill crew members. At one point, Bogen raised the breaking issue of the Regal Princess docking in Port Everglades with two COVID-19 positive employees onboard. Carnival Corp. owns both Princess Cruises and Holland America. Burke said he was not familiar with the situation regarding the Regal Princess. 'No one wants to turn anyone away' During the meeting, county commissioner Michael Udine expressed frustration about the matter of jurisdiction regarding the stranded cruises. "Why is this being hurled on the people with the least amount of ability to solve this?" Udine said. "Where is this the idea of bringing this to a naval station? I just don't understand how this has simply become a Broward County issue?" Udine said that Broward County officials have fielded outreach from politicians across the United States with constituents on the Zaandam and the Rotterdam. "No one wants to turn anyone away, so there's additional suffering or additional health-related issues," he added. There have been four passenger deaths on the Zaandam. LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images 'Lives are at risk' At one point during the March 31 meeting, Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr remarked that many people "didn't realize" that many of the passengers aboard the Zaandam and the Rotterdam are United States citizens. There are 304 US nationals aboard. Some of that confusion may stem from Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis' rhetoric regarding the ship. Appearing on Fox News on March 30, DeSantis said he did not want to see Holland America passengers taking up hospital beds or resources. "Not only that, I think a lot of these are foreigners," DeSantis said. "We cannot have people who aren't even Floridians dumped into South Florida, using up those valuable resources," he added. DeSantis said he was in touch with the White House, as well as county officials, about the situation. "We view this as a big, big problem and we do not want to see people dumped in southern Florida right now," he told Fox. The Florida governor's office directed Business Insider to DeSantis's March 30 press conference, in which he appeared alongside officials from Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties to discuss the state's COVID-19 response. DeSantis announced that he signed an executive order that "codifies common set of rules regarding safer at home." "Another issue that we're monitoring is the cruise ship coming through the Panama Canal," DeSantis said in the press conference. "We think it's a mistake to be putting people into southern Florida right now given what we're dealing with." He said that Holland America should arrange for medical personnel to be dispatched directly to the ship to "tend to folks who need medical attention." "But a lot of these are foreign nationals," he said. "And we want to make sure we have the beds available for the folks here in southern Florida." DeSantis has repeatedly characterized the people on the cruise ship as "foreigners." Joe Raedle/Getty Images Broward County's Holness also appeared alongside DeSantis at the press conference. "Clearly what must be done is that we safeguard the people of south Florida," he said. "And they haven't given us a full list of all those who are on board and what the conditions are. So there's a lot of work that is yet to be done in order for us to understand who's on there and what the situation is." He also concurred with the governor that the "possibility" of Holland America organizing "on-ship" medical treatment had to be considered. In response to an inaudible question at the press conference, DeSantis reiterated that he has spoken with the White House about the issue. He said that the cruise line should "work with some of the folks in DC." Regarding the option of diverting the cruise ship entirely, DeSantis said he did not believe that he had the power to do so, noting that it lay with the county or the White House. He said that he was waiting to hear back from the White House. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. DeSantis said that he alongside Holness and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez met with "the cruise ship people" several weeks ago. Business Insider reached out to DeSantis' office to clarify whether those individuals were Holland America leadership or cruise industry executives, but has not heard back. The governor went on to say that there is "nothing" that says Florida must take the ship, that the state is "just a convenient place." "The problem is that then that takes resources away from the folks in south Florida and, yes, we do have available beds but I don't want it to be a situation where those bed could've gone to Floridians," he said. The relative of one group of United States citizens on board the Rotterdam told Business Insider that she found DeSantis' comments "unbelievable," and took issue with his use of the word "dumped" in particular. "I am appalled," she told Business Insider. "Lives are at risk." Read Holland America's latest statement: Holland America Line can confirm that it was granted approval by the Panama Canal Authority to transit Zaandam and Rotterdam through the Panama Canal. We greatly appreciate this humanitarian consideration and the compassion shown for our guests and crew by the government of Panama and the Panama Maritime Authority. We are also thankful for the support of the various embassies that are partnering with us to help get their citizens home as quickly as possible. We are still finalizing the details for where and when our guests will disembark, and are asking for the same compassion and humanity to be extended for our arrival. The Zaandam cruise was originally scheduled to end in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 7. The transfer of guests between Zaandam and Rotterdam was completed earlier today, March 29, before transiting the Panama Canal. The primary purpose of the transfer was to balance the workload between the two ships and to provide immediate relief to the service staff on Zaandam, which has fewer crew members working at this time. The two ships will remain together for the rest of the journey. Guests on both ships will remain in their staterooms until disembarkation, and all necessary precautionary measures are being taken on both ships that have been developed in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guests have not been ashore since March 14 in Punta Arenas, Chile, and have been self-isolating in their staterooms since March 22. Guests who moved to Rotterdam completed a health screening prior to transferring via sanitized tender, with all other necessary precautions in place, including wearing masks, social distancing and direct transfer to their new staterooms. No guests who had any respiratory symptoms in the last ten days were transferred, and no Zaandam crew were transferred to Rotterdam. Currently 73 guests and 116 crew members on Zaandam have reported influenza-like illness symptoms. There are 797 guests and 645 crew on Rotterdam. On Zaandam there are 446 guests and 602 crew. Complimentary telephone counseling services have been made available to guests and crew if they would like extra support during this time. For those with family members on board, they can call the Zaandam Care Center at the following numbers for information: 1-877-425-2231 or 1-206-626-7398. Due to global health concerns, Holland America Line made the decision to suspend its global cruise operations for 30 days and end its current cruises in progress as quickly as possible. At the time, Zaandam was sailing a South America cruise that began in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 that was originally scheduled to end at San Antonio, Chile, on March 21. On March 21, Zaandam was originally scheduled to begin a 20-day South America and Panama Canal cruise from San Antonio, Chile, to Fort Lauderdale. Read the Panama Canal Authority's full March 29 statement: The Panama Canal facilitated this Sunday the transit of Holland America's MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam cruise ships, under extraordinary conditions and for humanitarian reasons. After not being able to dock at ports in South America, the MS Zaandam arrived to the assigned anchorage in Panama on March 27. Holland America's MS Rotterdam cruise ship arrived earlier that day and was assigned anchorage awaiting the arrival of the MS Zaandam, in order to transfer healthy passengers and medical supplies, following strict protocols developed in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Passengers transfer continued throughout Saturday, March 28, and the delivery of additional supplies was completed this Sunday, March 29. Panama's Health Ministry (MINSA) authorized the MS Zaandam's transit on March 28 after receiving information on the sanitary conditions of the vessel, including four deaths on board. On Saturday, the Panama Canal also authorized the transit of the MS Rotterdam, under the same conditions established by MINSA, allowing both ships to transit one after the other. The Panama Canal has taken extreme sanitary measures to transit these two ships, including using the Neopanamax Locks as means to reduce to a minimum the number of Canal employees involved in the transit. The MS Zaandam had booked, since April 2018, a transit through the Panama Canal for April 1, 2020. Transiting the Panama Canal will decrease travel time to a port on the Pacific Coast of the United States by 2.5 days. But now, with the authorization of Panama's Ministry of Health, the ship will be "scheduled for transit after entering Canal waters," according to the statement. The statement said that the Zaandam was originally scheduled to transit the canal on April 1. The Zaandam is now anchored outside Panama Canal waters, undergoing a Panama Maritime Authority-approved operation in which healthy passengers are being moved to Holland America's MS Rotterdam. It has therefore not had its transit scheduled yet. "Traveling through the Panama Canal will allow the Zaandam to save two days in their journey back to Florida," the statement from the Panama Canal Authority's spokesperson said. Holland America confirmed that four passengers have died on board the ship, while two individuals have tested positive for COVID-19. The Zaandam has been stranded off the coast of South America and Central America after different ports began closing to cruise ships due to coronavirus concerns. A bout of respiratory disease then broke out on the ship, prompting 138 sick passengers and crew members to report to the vessel's medical center. Read the original article on Business Insider As COVID-19 spreads across the country, Nicholas Nicholson, Jr., an associate professor of nursing at Quinnipiac University, is thinking about another public health crisis: social isolation among senior citizens. Even before coronavirus came to the U.S., older adults faced social isolation at such high rates that Nicholson considered the problem something like an epidemic, he said. A recent study indicated almost one in four elderly Americans is socially isolated, he said. Now, as Americans practice physical distancing to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus, senior citizens face an even greater risk of social isolation and its consequences, Nicholson said. We talked with Nicholson about what that means, and what steps seniors and community members can take to alleviate the situation. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation. A video of the full interview also is available on YouTube. Question: What are some of the health consequences associated with social isolation? Answer: Social isolation is not just a social problem. It also comes with a long list of health consequences, according to Nicholson. Folks who are socially isolated experience higher all-cause mortality rates. That means youre more likely to die, in general, by being socially isolated, Nicholson said. Social isolation also increases your risk of being hospitalized, Nicholson continued, adding that hospitals are the last place you want to be right now. It also decreases your quality of life and increases your risk of cognitive dysfunction, substance abuse and depressive symptoms, according to Nicholson. Depressive symptoms and social isolation are very closely connected, he said. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Question: What can older adults do to stay socially connected even as they are physically isolated during the pandemic? Answer: Although face-to-face contact is one of the most valuable forms of social interaction, physical distancing is absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Nicholson said. That means its a good idea for senior citizens to find other ways to interact with people so that they can rebuild the social connections they lose by foregoing face-to-face contact, Nicholson said. Technology marks one important tool. If you cant see someone in person, a video chat might be the next-best thing, the professor said. While plenty of older folks are tech savvy, some may feel intimidated by the perceived difficulty of learning to use different online applications, Nicholson said. Nows a great time to connect with a family member if you can. Find the youngest person that you know, talk with them about the technology. And a lot of its not as difficult as people think, Nicholson said. Nicholson also recommended staying in touch via text and email. Question: What can non-senior citizens do to help people stay more connected? Answer: Theres plenty that community members can do to help ease the burden of social isolation on seniors. Nicholson suggested folks reach out to older adults in their neighborhoodsnot by knocking on doors, but by calling or sending a message to see if a neighbor needs anything. You might offer, for example, to leave some food at the doorstep. Actions like these [help] to build community, Nicholson said. People want to know that theyre part of a community. Online interactions might also help. The professor recommended reaching out to older people on social media and commenting on their posts. Volunteer work is another option, Nicholson said. He suggested contacting your local senior center or town hall to see how you can help. Question: Easter and Passover are coming up. Is seeing family for a celebration or holiday worth the risk, or should senior citizens stay isolated? How do you balance your mental health and your physical safety? Answer: Given the lack of data about the virus thats available, Nicholson advised folks against in-person family gatherings, even on holidays. I would probably recommend doing a virtual Passover, doing a virtual Easter, he said. I dont think its worth the risk because we dont know enough about who carries [the coronavirus] and doesnt show symptoms. Question: How can older adults get adequate information about COVID-19 and their communitys response? Answer: Its likely that many senior citizens get their information from newspapers or television, instead of from the internet, Nicholson said. If you are unable to get the newspaper because of the pandemic, or if your news source does not provide sufficient local coverage, Nicholson suggested some other ways to get information. First, he suggested downloading news apps from multiple sources and making sure those sources come from a range of political bents. While Nicholson advised against using social media as a news source, he pointed out that it can be a great way to get information on local programming. Folks might also want to sign up for state and local emergency alert systems, he said. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com Bernie Sanders called for Wisconsin to delay its April 7 primaries to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a press release from his campaign on Wednesday. Why it matters: So far, 14 states and one territory have postponed their primaries because of the pandemic, but Wisconsin has held firm to its date. Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, requested that absentee ballots be sent to all of the states 3.3 million voters, the New York Times reports. That's set up a battle between Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the state over loosening voting restrictions in the midst of the pandemic. What he's saying: "The state should delay Tuesdays vote, extend early voting and work to move entirely to vote-by-mail. While we wait for a decision, we urge our supporters to vote-by-mail," Sanders said. The big picture: The virus has motivated many state legislators to consider expanding voting options within their states but laws, political calculations and a hefty price tag could hamstring those efforts, Axios' Stef Kight and Alexi McCammond report. 12 states still don't let all voters cast their ballots by mail. Go deeper: Biden and Sanders outline coronavirus plans of attack More than 12 percent of the Tuscaloosa fire department has been put on leave in less than 24 hours after at least one firefighter tested positive for COVID-19. Seventeen firefighters were put on paid leave Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, a total of 31 firefighters had been sent home amid coronavirus concerns. By Wednesday afternoon, said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, seven had been cleared and returned to work. Additionally, four Tuscaloosa police officers also are on leave after possible exposure. Its very fluid, Maddox said. Maddox and Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue officials said they cannot discuss specifics of the ill firefighter, but the mayor said he or she is hospitalized and seriously ill. A second firefighter is suspected to have COVID-19, and the rest are quarantined because of possible exposure. Maddox said both firefighters the one who has been diagnosed and the one suspected of having coronavirus - are believed to have been exposed through community spread, or in other words, not while on active duty. Fire spokeswoman Holly Whigham said obviously its a strain on the department to have so many firefighters out at once. Weve been prepared for this and we have a plan in place, Whigham said. We are not releasing that plan at this time, but we do have a plan to make sure there is adequate coverage. Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Paul Randy Smith said in a statement that the department remains fully capable of responding to their needs. Coronavirus has surfaced among other first responders in Alabama. The City of Mobile on Tuesday reported that three firefighters and one police officer there tested positive. In Tuscaloosa, Maddox said the high number of firefighters exposed to the virus is a preview into the future. Were going to see our first responders exposed to it at a higher rate because of their positions, he said. One of the metrics we are looking at daily is the police department, the fire department and environmental services. He said the first responders are equipped with personal protection equipment. In the existing cases, that didnt matter since they werent on duty when they were exposed. Because forecast models show the worst could yet be to come, he said they are trying to preserve that equipment. This is why were asking everyone to adhere to the 24-hour curfew, he said. Its scary and I believe what gets lost in the discussion about coronavirus is not only ones personal health, but also the ability to provide health care. It can overwhelm the system. Maddox last week issued an executive order extending the public safety curfew for Tuscaloosa residents to 24 hours a day. The order went into effect on Sunday, March 29 at 10 p.m. and will continue until midnight on Saturday, April 11 at which time it will be reevaluated. Tuscaloosa residents are asked to remain home at all times, leaving only for essential purposes. These purposes include but are not limited to: work at essential businesses; visiting essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, financial institutions and gas stations; providing care for others; retrieving to-go orders from restaurants; attending doctors appointments; and exercising outside as long as six feet of social distance is maintained. Businesses and places of employment that are considered essential may continue to operate under health protocols as outlined by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Such businesses include, but are not limited to: public safety and emergency services; public health & medical providers; utility providers; medical providers; media outlets; delivery services; organizations that provide or restock essential services such as food, fuel, pharmaceutical supplies or emergency supplies; and federal, state, county and city governments. I use the analogy that were able to put 100,000 people in Bryant Denny Stadium within three hours comfortably, but you could not do that in an hour, said Maddox of preparing hospitals for the pandemic. You need to spread it out over a period of time. Thats why were asking everyone to abide by the curfew so we can slow the burn rate of those contracting coronavirus, he said, and slow the influx into the health care system. Now that the U.S. airline industry has secured tens of billions of dollars in financial relief from the federal government, nine U.S. Senators, including California's Kamala Harris and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders have sent major carriers a letter warning them to provide full cash refunds to customers when flights are canceled, instead of offering them vouchers or credits good for future travel. They also criticized airlines for gouging U.S. citizens desperate to return home from overseas by charging them exorbitant fares during the coronavirus crisis. As we reported a few days ago, airlines contracts of carriage specify that passengers are entitled to full refunds if the airline cancels their flight and they choose not to accept a rebooking. That applies to non-refundable, basic economy tickets and even to bag fees. However, many airlines only tell passengers that they can retain a credit for the full value of their ticket and apply it to another flight, usually within the next year, and dont mention a cash refund unless the passenger knows he or she is entitled to one. If the passenger cancels a booking on a flight that is still scheduled to operate, he or she may have to take what the airline offers generally a credit for a future flight. The letter from the senators to the airlines makes no distinction between who cancels the flight the airline or the passenger. Most domestic airlines have taken some steps to temporarily waive coronavirus-related change and cancellation fees, the letter noted. But travelers who cancel their flights are finding that they will receive only airline credits, not cash refunds. Unfortunately, these travel vouchers do the public little good in this time of emergency, especially when airlines require their redemption in as little as 90 days. Americans need money now to pay for basic necessities, not temporary credits towards future travel. The senators also criticized airlines for overcharging Americans who were trying to get home from overseas as the crisis escalated and governments started imposing travel restrictions. We appreciate the efforts many airlines have already made to assist the State Department with evacuation flights, the letter said. However, prices for flight tickets back to the United States have been inconsistent and often exorbitantly expensive, forcing Americans to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, simply to comply with national travel restrictions and State Department guidance. Moreover, many of these flights were also cancelled last-minute, leaving Americans no choice but to resort to alternative travel arrangements. The senators told the airlines it would be unacceptable to us if they insisted on hold(ing) onto travelers payments for canceled flights instead of refunding them, especially in light of the $25 billion bailout that the airline industry just received from Congress. Regrettably, forcing airlines to issue refunds for canceled flights was not included in the recently passed bailout package. Their letter posed a series of questions to the airlines, asking for replies by April 7. They asked the carriers if they would commit to a full cash refund policy to travelers who cancel their flights during the coronavirus crisis including those customers who have already received travel credits but havent yet used them. They also asked airlines to estimate the number of flights canceled during the crisis and the total value of all vouchers and credits issued to customers. And they asked if airlines would be willing to work with the State Department by providing flights to bring stranded Americans home at an affordable price. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. Senators who signed the letter include Edward Markey (Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Bernie Sanders (Vt.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Bob Casey (Penn.). Airlines might find that being extra-nice to customers during the crisis is in their long-term interest if they hope to regain their business in the months ahead. A new Harris Poll out this week found that even after the coronavirus curve eventually starts to flatten in the U.S., 20 percent of the respondents said they wouldnt travel by air for at least four months after that point. And 29 percent said they have a more negative view of the airline industry now. Some Wall Street airline analysts are predicting that the industry isnt likely to get back to 2019 traffic levels until 2022 or 2023. The bailout bill passed by Congress last week gives the airlines $25 billion in direct grants, which they are expected to use to keep paying workers through September. If they agree to not lay off any employees during that time, they could also qualify for another $25 billion in loans and loan guarantees. Airlines that accept federal aid would also be barred from buying back their own stock or issuing shareholder dividends, and their executives pay would be capped at 2019 levels. 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 weekly 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. Bareilly : , April 1 (IANS) The Dargah Aala Hazrat Trust has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers for Home and External Affairs and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding immediate ban on Tablighi Jamaat for continuing with its Markaz congregation at Nizamuddin in the national capital despite a lockdown. It has also demanded legal action against the Markaz organizers. The Bareilly Sharif Dargah or Dargah-e-Aala Hazrat is a Dargah or monument of Ahmed Raza Khan located in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. Ahmad Raza Khan was a 19th-century 'Ahle Sunnat', who is known for his staunch opposition to Wahhabis in India. Aala Hazrat Trust president Mohtashim Raza Khan said: "The irresponsible organizers of the Tablighi Jamaat held their conference with neither security nor healthcare professionals, even as WHO declared the novel coronavirus as a pandemic. "They have critically endangered our country and people. Many of the attendees were unwell, but did not inform the government. "We condemn their irresponsible behaviour and demand that the central government should ban the organization and take strict action against its organizers. They have broken a fundamental rule of Islam, which says we are responsible for every single life in this universe." The Nizamuddin Markaz in South Delhi held the meetings starting March 13, when thousnads of people gathered in the building for the annual event. The Markaz has been evacuated by authorities for over two days and evacuees were sent to quarantine as 24 cases of coronovirus positive were detected till Tuesday late night. Sources say a total of 2,100 people have been evacuated from the Markaz till early morning on Wednesday and symptomatic patients have been shifted to hospitals. The attendees were hundreds of foreigners apart from hundreds from Assam, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, besides many more reaching far and wide from Kashmir to Andaman and Gujarat to West Bengal Tablighi Jamaat Markaz has been booked for violating the Epidemic Act provisions and also IPC Section 120B (criminal conspiracy). The Crime Branch will also question the Markaz chief as well as Saad Kandhalvi, who organized such a large gathering of the sect's followers in a situation where coronavirus infection spreads quickly. Crime Branch sources said it would now look for those who participated in the event and then dispersed to various parts of the country, many among them carrying the deadly corona infection. Many states have already reported that such religious followers have already been found corona-positive. Besides, it would also list out foreigners who might have already left for their countries. WASHINGTON, D.C. On Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered that manufacturers immediately halt distribution of ranitidine drugs, commonly known under the brand name Zantac. The FDA said that this was part of an ongoing investigation into the drug over a contaminant called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications. "The agency has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity," the FDA said in a statement. Ranitidine products will not be available for prescription or over-the-counter use in the U.S. for the foreseeable future while the investigation continues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NDMA can occur in drinking water through industrial waste or pesticides, and is "probably carcinogenic to humans," increasing the risk of cancer. Studies have yet to definitively quantify the risk of cancer from NDMA. The FDA said that testing prompted by information from third-party laboratories confirmed that NDMA levels increased in ranitidine even under normal storage conditions, and NDMA has been found to increase significantly in samples stored at higher temperatures including temperatures the product may be exposed to during distribution and handling by consumers. The testing also showed that the older a ranitidine product is, or the longer the length of time since it was manufactured, the greater the level of NDMA. Those conditions could raise the level of NDMA in the ranitidine product above the acceptable daily intake limit. Its not the first time that the democratic processes in Nagorno-Karabakh show the functioning of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as a republic. This is what head of the delegation of observers from the National Assembly of Armenia during the elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan declared during a joint press conference held in Stepanakert today, responding to the question whether the absence of international observers and several mass media outlets will serve as an occasion to declare the elections as invalid. According to Simonyan, there are no doubts and cant be doubts about the level of development of elections in Karabakh. There is no problem with legitimacy. I dont think the presence of many observers would lead to radical changes, Simonyan said. The Central Electoral Commission of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has officially released the preliminary results of the presidential elections held on March 31. Based on the results, none of the candidates garnered more than 50% of the votes, and a second stage has to be held on April 14. The top three candidates are Arayik Harutyunyan (36,076 votes or 49.26%), Masis Mayilyan (19,360 votes or 26.4%) and Vitaly Balasanyan (10,755 votes or 14.7%). The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposed resuming rice exports from April, with a volume of 400,000 tonnes, after it has compiled reports on production, domestic consumption and exports to submit to the Prime Minister. Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes resuming rice exports (Photo: thuongtruong.com.vn) In the ministrys report sent to the PM, it suggested exporting 800,000 tonnes of rice in April and May. In the last week of April, based on the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and reports of relevant ministries and sectors, the Prime Minister will consider rice exports in May. The ministry has also proposed to apply monthly quota for rice exports during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report was made after the ministry received feedback from a number of enterprises about the Governments decision to suspend rice exports on March 24. The suspension is to implement the conclusion made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a national online meeting on food security in the context of COVID-19 pandemic held in early March, during which he affirmed that food security must be ensured in every situation. According to the MoIT report, in the context of the pandemic, drought and saltwater intrusion, Vietnam is estimated to produce 43.5 million tonnes of paddy this year, including 20.2 tonnes from the winter-spring crop. Of which, the output of the Mekong Delta is estimated at 10.8 million tonnes. Regarding consumption and storage, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) forecasts domestic demand this year to reach 29.96 million tonnes of paddy, including national reserves. Specifically, the domestic consumption is 14.26 million tonnes of paddy, while the paddy volume for processing food products is 7.5 million tonnes. Meanwhile, there are 3.4 million tonnes to supply the livestock sector, one million tonnes used as seed and 3.8 million tonnes for national reserves. Thus, the remaining paddy for export is about 13.5 million tonnes, equivalent to 6.5 - 6.7 million tonnes of rice. According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), as of March 27, VFA-member enterprises have not yet shipped a total of 1.6 million tonnes of rice under signed export contracts. Of which, they need to have delivery of 1.4 million tonnes from now until May 31, said the MoIT. Meanwhile, VFA member enterprises have a total of 1.65 million tonnes in stock. To ensure domestic consumption, the 20 largest rice exporters must sign contracts with at least one supermarket system to supply 5 percent of their inventory when required./.VNA PM: rice exports must be controlled to ensure food security Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said that in the current situation, rice exports should be controlled to ensure food security in line with the Governments Decree No.107. Bengaluru, April 1 : Enforcing the 21-day lockdown strictly for containing coronavirus spread, Karnataka sheltered hundreds of workers, including daily wagers and construction labourers in relief camps across the state to prevent reverse migration, an official said on Wednesday. "We have halted intra-state and inter-state movement of the workers by camping them in community and wedding halls in cities across the state, with food and care," the official told IANS. The 3-week lockdown since March 25 at a short notice forced the migrant labour, including their women and children to rush back to their home towns or villages in private vehicles, tractors or even on foot as bus and train services were also stopped. "With the help of local police, we have persuaded the reluctant migrant labour to stay in the relief camps for another two weeks, as lockdown is in force to protect them from the virus and no public transport to ferry them," the state home department official noted. A partial shutdown in 9 districts, including Bengaluru Urban and Rural since March 14 and a complete shutdown since March 21 across the southern state forced hundreds of migrant labour leave cities to neighbouring states by any transport mode, as markets and factories closed and construction activity came to a grinding halt. "The nationwide lockdown along with the suspension of buses and trains on March 25 panicked the remaining workforce as they were desperate to go back to their native place because they could not afford to stay put in cities for 3 weeks without work and money," recalled the official regrettably. Karnataka shares border with 6 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Admitting that the sudden lockdown with no transport caused untold hardship to the migrant labour, the officials said on the condition of anonymity that there was a delay in setting up the relief camps from day one (March 25), which forced them to defy the curfew and hit the state and national highways on cycles, two-wheelers, tractors and tempos. "The Union Home Ministry's direction to the state government on Sunday (March 29) to enforce the shutdown strictly, forced us to seal the intra-state and inter-state borders and shift the migrant labour to the relief camps, providing them food, water and medicines," asserted the official. In India's tech hub, Bengaluru, which has the maximum migrant labour in the state, about 100 relief camps were opened since Monday in community and marriage halls to shelter them. "With the help of the civic body (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), non-government organisations (NGOs) and scores of voluntary agencies, food, drinking water, beddings and additional washrooms have been arranged for taking care of the migrant labour," the official noted. Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao deployed hundreds of police personnel to shift the migrant labour stranded on the city outskirts, near markets, factories and at construction sites to the relief camps and guard them from venturing out. "As all public events and marriage functions have been stopped, the state government booked the vacant community and wedding halls, with the cooperation of their owners to shelter the migrant labour," said the official. Similar relief camps were set up in cities and towns bordering the neighbouring states by the district authorities for the migrant labour. "The relief camps helped us to stop the migrant labour from crossing the border into the states they hail from and were eager to go back, although there are many like them from Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh," the official added. (Fakir Balaji can be reached at fakir.b@ians.in) Boxes with medical equipment and masks to help fight the CCP virus (COVID-19) are seen on board a Russian military transport plane on April 1, 2020. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters) Russian Plane With Medical Equipment Takes Off for the US to Help Amidst the Outbreak: State TV MOSCOWA Russian military transport plane took off from an airfield outside Moscow early on Wednesday and headed for the United States with a load of medical equipment and masks to help Washington fight the CCP virus, Russian state TV reported. President Vladimir Putin offered Russian help in a phone conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday, when the two leaders discussed how best to respond to the virus. Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday night. Trump himself spoke enthusiastically about the Russian help after his call with Putin. Russias Rossiya 24 channel on Wednesday morning showed the plane taking off from a military air base outside Moscow in darkness. Its cargo hold was filled with cardboard boxes and other packages. Confirmed U.S. cases have surged to 187,000 and nearly 3,900 people have already died there from COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. In Russia, where some doctors have questioned the accuracy of official data, the official tally of confirmed cases is 2,337 cases with 17 deaths. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in recent years by everything from Syria to Ukraine to alleged election interference. Peskov, Putins spokesman, said Moscow hoped the United States might also be able to provide medical help to Russia if necessary when the time came. Russian President Vladimir Putins press secretary Dmitry Peskov listens for a question during his news conference at the ASEAN Russia summit, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) It is important to note that when offering assistance to U.S. colleagues, the president [Putin] assumes that when U.S. manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary, Peskov was cited as saying. Russia has also used its military to send planeloads of aid to Italy to combat the spread of the CCP virus, exposing the European Unions failure to provide swift help to a member in crisis and handing Putin a publicity coup at home and abroad. By Andrew Osborn and Polina Devitt Epoch Times staff contributed to this article. C laridges is transforming itself into a five-star refuge for dozens of London NHS workers who cannot live at home during the crisis. Up to 40 doctors, nurses and other key staff will move into the 208-year-old hotel in Mayfair from Friday. They will be given free accommodation in bedrooms that usually start from around 650 a night, as well as breakfast and dinner. The Brook Street institution, sometimes known as the annex to Buckingham Palace because of its regal connections, closed last week for the first time in its history as part of the national lockdown. London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /66 London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA An empty Millenium Bridge PA A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Waterloo station looking empty PA Getty Images A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Getty Images The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A deserted Chinatown PA A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP Westminster Bridge is deserted PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn However, staff will start returning from today to look after the new guests from St Marys Hospital in Paddington. Many cannot safely return to their homes after long shifts because they live with relatives in high-risk groups, while others have been recruited from elsewhere in Britain and have nowhere to stay in London. Most are expected to stay for at least a week, and in many cases a fortnight or longer, with the number being housed at Claridges expected to increase over the coming days. Paddy McKillen, co-owner of the Maybourne Group, which runs Claridges, said: Just as it has in the past world wars, Claridges has a duty to step up and support the people of London. Teams from all our hotels have volunteered to help and support the dedicated NHS workers at this critical time. We are forever in their debt. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), the country's largest passenger car manufacturer, on Wednesday reported 47 per cent year-on-year fall in its total sales during March to 83,792 units. With this, the company ended FY 2019-20 with total sales of 15.63 lakh units, down 16.1 per cent from 18.62 lakh in the previous fiscal.The sales during March 2020 are not comparable with sales in March 2019 due to suspension of operations from March 22 in line with national policy, said the company. "Maruti Suzuki remains committed to the safety and well-being of its employees, partners and customers. The company will continue to support government at the Centre and state levels and follow all advisories in combating COVID-19," it said in a statement. Data showed the company sold 76,976 vehicles last month, 47.4 per cent less than 1.45 lakh in March last year. Export sales were down 55 per cent to 4,712 units from 10,463 in the year-ago period. In the domestic market, light commercial vehicles suffered a blow of 71.5 per cent to 736 units in March 2020 compared to 2,582 units in March 2019. The automobile sector has been experiencing a slump for several months with nearly all manufacturers reporting falling sales due to subdued consumer sentiment amid an economic slowdown. Auto dealers now face a halt in customer walk-ins with rising coronavirus cases being detected in India and subsequent countrywide lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 13-year-old British boy has died days after testing positive for COVID-19, hospital officials and his family have said, with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses. The boy, who died Monday at King's College Hospital in London on Tuesday, is believed to be Britain's youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic. A 12-year-old girl, whose death was confirmed earlier on Tuesday in Belgium, is thought to be Europe's youngest victim. The boy's family said Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab "started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing" before he was admitted to hospital. "He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning," the family said through a family friend, Mark Stephenson, adding: "We are beyond devastated." Nathalie MacDermott, a lecturer at King's College, said: "While we know it is much less likely for children to suffer severe COVID-19 infection than older adults, this case highlights the importance of us all taking the precautions we can to reduce the spread of infection in the UK and worldwide." She urged research into deaths outside the groups expected to succumb to infection as it "may indicate an underlying genetic susceptibility."On Tuesday, Britain announced 381 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest figure in the country since the start of the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 1,789. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An intelligence report sent to the White House last week concluded coronavirus numbers coming out of China are fake China's reporting on coronavirus is intentionally incomplete, three U.S. officials revealed in a Wednesday report, adding its government is underreporting statistics on both the death toll and number of cases. The intelligence community handed over a classified report to the White House last week, one of the officials told Bloomberg News, and the report concluded that China's numbers are fake. The coronavirus outbreak originated from Wuhan in the Hubei province of China at the end of 2019 but China has only publicly reported 82,361 cases and 3,293 deaths as of Wednesday. This would mean China is less impacted by coronavirus than the U.S., Italy and Spain. So far, according to a Johns Hopkins University of Medicine world tracker of the virus' impact, there are more than 190,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and more than 4,000 people have died. The U.S. has the largest publicly reported outbreak of coronavirus in the world skyrocketing this week starting over the weekend when deaths doubled from 1,000 to 2,000 in just one day. 'The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming,' Vice President Mike Pence said during an interview with CNN Wednesday afternoon, conceding that the nation has been more honest regarding coronavirus than other diseases over the years. 'I mean the reality is that China's been more transparent with regard to the coronavirus than certainly they were for other infectious diseases over the last 15 years,' Pence, who is heading the White House coronavirus task force, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. 'But what appears evident now is that long before the world learned in December that China was dealing with this, and maybe as much as a month earlier than that, that the outbreak was real in China.' Three officials claim the intelligence findings conclude China's reporting is intentionally incomplete as skepticism already swirled that they were under-cutting death tolls and confirmed cases in not reporting asymptomatic cases Mike Pence brought up China's transparency issue in an interview with CNN Wednesday. 'The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming,' Pence asserted If China's reporting were true, the nation would have less cases and deaths than the U.S., Italy and Spain even though the virus originated in Wuhan, China in the Hubei province Ambassador Deborah Birx, the State Department immunologist advising the White House on its response to the outbreak as part of the task force, said that China's public reporting influenced how other countries responded to the outbreak. 'The medical community made -- interpreted the Chinese data as: This was serious, but smaller than anyone expected,' she said at the daily coronavirus press briefing Tuesday evening. 'Because I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that what we see happened to Italy and see what happened to Spain.' Speculation arose over China's reporting after its government said earlier this month that there were no new cases in Wuhan, where the pandemic stemmed from, and images of stacks of thousands of urns outside funeral homes in Hubei province showed up. There have also been questions surrounding China's ever-changing methodology for counting and reporting its coronavirus cases and deaths. For weeks, the Chinese government did not count asymptomatic individuals, even if they tested positive and only on Tuesday added more than 1,5000 asymptomatic cases to its total. While skepticism continues to swirl over China's reporting methods, there are concerns from western officials that Iran, Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and North Korea, which has not reported any cases, are also under-counting their cases and death tolls. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged during a press conference Tuesday that China and other nations to be honest and transparent about coronavirus outbreaks in their respective countries. 'This data set matters,' he said, 'so that we can save lives depends on the ability to have confidence and information about what has actually transpired.' 'I would urge every nation: Do your best to collect the data. Do your best to share that information. We're doing that,' Pompeo asserted. The International Amazon Workers Voice wants to hear from you. How is the COVID-19 crisis affecting you and your workplace? Get in touch with us to tell your story. Amazon workers near Detroit walked out at noon Wednesday to demand protective gear and safe working conditions after at least three of their co-workers tested positive for COVID-19. The workers at the fulfillment center known as DTW1, which is located just north of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, say management has concealed the extent of the infection at the facility and are demanding its immediate closing and sanitizing. Striking Detroit Amazon worker on Wednesday afternoon (Source: Facebook) The number of COVID-19 cases has risen sharply in Detroit, which, along with New York City, has become one of the epicenters of the pandemic in the US. My safety means a lot more to me and my family than $17 an hour, Mario Crippen, a striking worker said on a livestream of the strike. You cannot replace a life. You can close down and clean this place up. Tonya Ramsay said, I get were essential, but our lives are essential as well. Another worker carried a home-made sign listing the net worth of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and the companys 2019 profits. Jeff Bezos is worth $119 billion. Amazon earned $239.9 billion in revenue and $10.1 billion in profits last year. They can afford to close down DTW1 for cleaning. With reports that Amazon workers in at least 20 US facilities have tested positive for coronavirus there is a growing movement to demand the closing and sanitizing of facilities and the provision of protective gear, sick leave and hazard pay to workers. The Detroit walkout follows similar actions by Amazon workers in the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Queens, a facility in Chicago and other locations. Amazon workers have also struck in Italy and Spain. This week, workers at Instacart and Amazon-owned Whole Foods also struck to demand protective equipment, hazard pay and the extension of sick leave and testing to workers. The Detroit workers listed their demands on a leaflet. They include: * The shutdown of the facility for professional cleaning with full compensation to workers * The implementation of safety measures and the stocking of necessary cleaning supplies * Stopping the processing of all non-essential items at DTW1 * The covering of all medical bills for workers who contract the virus, along with their families * The suspension of all write-ups for not reaching quotas, known as rates, and the reduction of piece rates so work can be done safely while social distancing at 6 feet * The full payment of workers who must quarantine due to government mandates, medical issues or to care for loved ones * Communicate transparently all coronavirus-related issues to workers as soon as the information is known With more than 250 million people in the US under some sort of lockdown, the delivery of food and other critical items to people who cannot or should not go to stores has become an essential service. But Amazon and other giant corporations have insisted that workers continue to labor in packed warehouses, supermarkets and other workplaces without protective gear. In a letter to Amazon workers last month, Bezos said they would have to wait our turn to receive protective masks due to the nationwide shortage. Of course, Bezos and other corporate oligarchs have access to the best protections and health care. Far from providing these essential workers with the protection and other resources they need, Bezos has victimized strike leaders in an attempt to terrorize other workers into submission. The company fired Chris Smalls, the organizer of the Staten Island strike, based on the bogus claim that he violated quarantine restriction after coming into contact with a COVID-19 victim. Responding to the victimization, Detroit strike leader Mario Crippen told the Verge, If Im afraid of a little retaliation, then Im not fighting for nobody. There has to be one person to stand up and fight for whats right, and thats got to be me. they fired [Smalls] because he was standing up for whats right. So, once I stand up for whats right, you fire me, and then lets say another building does a walkout, you fire them. What are you trying to hide, Amazon? What are you trying to hide? The strikes by Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods workers deserve the support of the entire working class in the United States and internationally. There are millions of workers, including health care, logistics, grocery delivery workers and others, who are willing and able to provide a critical social service in the midst of this crisis. But these workers must be guaranteed living wages and a safe working environment. The Socialist Equality Party urges workers to form rank-and-file workplace committees, democratically controlled by workers themselves, to oversee working conditions and ensure the defense of workers interests. No confidence can be placed in the trade unions, which are arms of corporate management that have done nothing to secure the safety of workers. Rank-and-file committees, working with medical professionals at every workplace, must ensure the safety of all workers. The SEP insists that rather than being bailed out, the giant banks and corporations like Amazon be turned into publicly owned utilities, democratically controlled by the working class, with no compensation to the billionaire shareholders and corporate executives. There is no reason why the distribution of food and other essential items should be run by Instacart, Amazon and other private corporations. This vital social service should instead be part of a centrally planned socialist economy, based on addressing social needs, not generating private profit. Australias vets are joining the fight against coronavirus, pledging their human-grade ventilators to hospitals ahead of a predicted peak in infections in May or June. Vets in Australia have offered up 188 ventilators, including 47 in Victoria, since a call-out from the peak vets' council last week as the country struggles to provide enough equipment to match intensive care beds. Jo Clapham from the Animal Referral Hospital in Essendon Fields. Credit:Luis Ascui Many veterinary practices which are continuing to operate under social-distancing restrictions use ventilators identical to those in human hospitals. Greencross Vets owns animal hospitals and emergency centres in Essendon, Dandenong, Frankston, Mount Waverley and Moorabbin. The group is ready to donate 35 ventilators across Australia, including 10 in Victoria. Iranian leader criticizes US on sanctions Rouhani said that the US had lost the opportunity to lift Iran sanctions amid coronavirus. Irans president said on Wednesday the United States had missed a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country during the coronavirus outbreak, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehrans fight against the infection. "US HAS LOST THE OPPORTUNITY" It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise... and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since 2018 when US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions, crippling its economy. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility that the United States might consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus, but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. A second person who attended a now infamous Miami Beach festival has died of contracting the coronavirus. Several other party-goers have reported that they are suffering from flu-like symptoms, reiterating the importance of social distancing during the pandemic. Ron Rich, described as a 'loyal volunteer' for The National LGBTQ Task Force, passed away over the weekend after attending the LGBTQ festival in March. The National LGBTQ Task Force in Miami pays tribute to Ron Rich, who sadly passed away on Friday and became the second person to die after attending a Miami festival The LGBTQ Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach occurred over a week before any federal restrictions were put on gatherings In a Facebook post in which the the Task Force announced the death of Rich, he was described as a 'familiar face to the guests who attended the Task Force Gala, Winter Party Festival and our Fort Lauderdale house parties over the past five years as his big smile and warmth had him mostly serving on our hospitality team. 'Ron also volunteered with the Outshine Film Festival and Lambda Legal,' the post said. 'He will be missed. We extend our condolences to his family and friends.' A friend of Rich, Vin Kruger, who described him as his best friend and 'security blanket' said: '"Theyre putting me on a ventilator" was the last thing he wrote me, and that was Friday morning.' The Winter Party Festival in South Beach, an LGBTQ festival that took place in early March, has now been linked to two deaths and a number of cases. The week-long 'circuit party' which was held at multiple locations throughout the city, including the beach, from 4 March - 10 March is feared to have spread the virus further at a time when events had yet to be cancelled and social gatherings weren't restricted. Since the festival, other scenes at Miami beaches showing college age spring-breakers have been captured, increasing fears that people who went to Miami for such events have spread the virus across the country after heading home. Measures have now been brought in to restrict such gatherings in Miami and other states in the U.S. Multiple party goers have reported that they are experiencing flu-like symptoms after attending the festival, that ran from the 4 March - 10 March Miami Beach is now empty after measures have been taken to limit social gatherings, but these beaches were full of people mere weeks ago for festivals and spring break, potentially spreading the virus further with busy crowds 'Safer at home' measures have been put in place in Miami, in-line with a number of other states as the U.S. tries to limit the spread of the coronavirus One person, a 35-year-old Seattle resident, spoke anonymously to the Miami Herald, said that four of his friends also attended positive after they attended the festival. 'I think given the atmosphere and the parties, and people packed in as tight as they were, I think its bound to be more,' he said. 'Nobody was talking about it, nobody was concerned about it because nobody had it.' Spring breakers could be seen lining the beaches in Miami as recently as the 18 March. People have been criticized for still gathering like this and not taking the threat seriously enough When this photo was taken, states across the U.S. were beginning to implement measures to enforce social distancing, shutting down public places such as bars and restaurants Since these images circulated, Police have been forced to close the beaches to stop people from gathering in large crowds Organizers of the festival have faced criticism for allowing an event to go ahead during a global pandemic. However, the federal government was yet to place restrictions on large gatherings. A top health official for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, said publicly that she wouldn't make broad pronouncements about cancelling large gatherings. '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,' she said. On Tuesday 31 March, Governor Ron DeSantis said that he had no plans to issue a Florida-wide stay-at-home order, partly due to the fact that the White House task force has not told them to do so. However, more than 30 states and Washington DC have issues such an order. View of an empty beach in South Beach, Miami early Tuesday morning as people stay at home in accordance with measures to limit interaction between groups of people A man cleans the entrance to a closed restaurant on Ocean Drive, Miami. Americans have been told to brace for 'very painful' weeks ahead as more people die from the coronavirus Rich becomes the second person to have died after attending the party. Isreal Carrera, 40, died last Thursday, also attended the party and developed symptoms of the coronavirus. He was described as energetic and had adopted a healthy lifestyle while living in Miami, making his death more surprised for those who knew him. His boyfriend, Franco Consquista, described how they had both attended the Winter Party Festival in South Beach, the same one that Rich attended earlier in March. Within two or three days they were both experiencing symptoms, and Carrera went to the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach after he found it difficult to breathe. 'Its just not fair,' Consquista said. 'Its just not fair to die like this. He was so charming and kind. His energy was incredible.' A free COVID-19 drive-through testing site in Hialeah will open tomorrow (Thursday) at Amelia Earhart Park. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo told the Miami Herald that the site will open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offer about 200 tests. Appointments are required and patients are required to be in their cars, with a maximum of two people per appointment. The 31 March was the most deadly day so far in the U.S. during the coronavirus crisis, with 719 people succumbing to the illness, bringing the total close to 4,000 Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : With Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asking the State Police to locate all those who have visited the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin in Delhi, around 300 of them have been identified from various parts of the state. But of the 300 who took part in the prayer sessions, only 80 are deemed to have returned to Kerala. While over 200 took part in the first week, an estimated 80 are understood to have been there in the third week. While there has been some reluctance on the part of those who have taken part to cooperate, the police are doing their best to find out by tracking the mobile numbers of such people. Meanwhile around a dozen people who have been identified appear to be fine and have no symptoms of coronavirus, but the health authorities are leaving nothing to chance and have put them into isolation. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text YUBA-SUTTER, Calif. A Yuba-Sutter COVID-19 Relief Task Force group has been formed to assist local residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Yuba-Sutter Community Task Force announced Wednesday, its being managed by the Yuba-Sutter Chambers LEADership Yuba-Sutter Class of 2020 and community leaders. The task force will prepare and deliver food with a zero-touch delivery process, to help the aging population who are self-isolating. Those over the age of 65 and suffer from chronic illnesses, or over the age of 65 and are self-isolating and are food insecure qualify for this service. The group is also asking if youre under the age of 65 without chronic illness and are interested in volunteering for this effort, to visit the Yuba-Sutter COVID-19 Relief Task Force Facebook page or Click Here. As of April 1, Yuba County has seven confirmed cases and Sutter County has 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to public health officials. If your family is food insecure and needs food assistance, Click Here If you are 65 or older and wish to self-isolate, but would like assistance with grocery shopping and delivery, contact Cornerstone Church in Yuba City at 674-8463. Medical information is considered to be among the most personal and private of information under California law, says Keller Grover LLP attorney Eric A. Grover. For that reason, healthcare providers are required to give patients timely notice of data breaches and the negligent release and disclosure of medical information can, under certain circumstances, give rise to claims by affected individuals for money damages. Similar medical data breaches involving the failure to properly secure medical information have given rise to class action lawsuits. Recently, for example, St. Joseph Health Systems finalized a class action lawsuit settlement valued at over $30 million involving St. Josephs alleged failure to properly secure its network, allowing patient information to become publicly accessible on the internet. If you have any information about the Tandem Diabetes Care data breach or are a California resident that has been affected by the data breach and have questions, contact Keller Grovers attorneys at 888-535-5291 or by email at info@kellergrover.com. Keller Grover LLP is a leader in the field of medical information privacy litigation and has represented clients in numerous medical data breach class action cases, including lawsuits against St. Joseph Health Systems, Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, Health Net and 21st Century Oncology. Keller Grover will not charge you for reviewing your information and all information that you provide to Keller Grover in the process of seeking legal advice will be held strictly confidential. (Attorney Advertising) Over 11 million poor Nigerians have been identified by the federal government to benefit from the palliatives to cushion the harsh effec... Over 11 million poor Nigerians have been identified by the federal government to benefit from the palliatives to cushion the harsh effects of COVID-19. Schools, markets and shops have been shut down as a result of the pandemic which has put most of the world on lockdown. Speaking during the briefing by the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Tuesday, Sadiya Umar Farouk, minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, said the government already has a social register with details of those considered as the vulnerable in society. This, she said, covers 35 states of the federation with around 2.6 million households mapped across the country. Farouk also disclosed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the north-east have received two months rations of relief materials. On Monday, she said the federal government had commenced cash transfer to Nigerias poorest households to cushion the effects of the pandemic. Four people have died of COVID-19 on the Zaandam cruise ship, which was on a South American trip when passengers fell ill. Above, the Rotterdam, which is now sailing in tandem with the Zaandam. (Cheng family) Fearing the coronavirus, the children of a Los Angeles couple are pleading for help for their elderly parents aboard the Zaandam, a cruise ship heading to Florida and trying to dock. Shou-Yinn Cheng and her husband, Min-Lee Cheng, started their two-week South American trip March 6, departing from Buenos Aires with eight friends, half of them from California. They snapped pictures at the breathtaking Iguazu Falls, spanning the border of Argentina and Brazil. They posed with penguins and spent evenings in the splendor of the ship's dining hall. Their comfortable, elegant vessel, built in Italy, was designed to house as many as 1,432 guests. But days into their trip, travelers began to hear about people falling ill with symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. After exploring Chile's Punta Arenas along the coast, Min-Lee Cheng, 72, feeling feverish, went to consult with the ship's staff. He was surprised to find the medical center packed and soon, as the global pandemic halted markets and activities worldwide officials on the Zaandam urged all passengers to self-quarantine. On board, four people would die of COVID-19. Nine people have tested positive for the disease so far, according to Erik Elvejord, spokesman for Holland America Line, the cruise line. Back home in Southern California, the couple's sons, Jih-Fei and Jih-Hao Cheng, panicked. They began to call City Council members in La Habra Heights, where their parents live, along with elected leaders in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington, seeking to publicize the plight of more than 1,000 travelers and crew members captive on a ship denied entry at port after port. "We must get them off, everyone. Catching this disease that is the absolute primary concern," said Jih-Hao Cheng, a regional director for a sporting goods company from Fullerton. "They're in a petri dish, and the risk of them contracting the virus is incredibly high. They told me their next-door neighbor has been coughing and coughing nonstop night and day. And you know the thin wall that separates them. I've requested that they be moved, but I understand how the staff is overwhelmed." Story continues Even with spotty Wi-Fi, Jih-Hao Cheng and his older brother tried to stay in constant contact with their parents who are barely eating or sleeping. Their father believes he may have gastritis. He asked to be tested for COVID-19, but without respiratory issues, doctors turned him away. Crew members have separated the passengers; those who have had no illness have been transferred to the Rotterdam, another ship owned by Holland America. The Zaandam and Rotterdam are sailing in tandem, carrying the deceased and two people in dire need of medical evacuation, possibly to Mexico. The ships are destined for Florida's Port Everglades, where Broward County officials, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, have demanded a plan "for self-support of the medical issues occurring on board the vessels." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an interview with Fox News, said that "we cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources. Elvejord said company representatives have "requested and were denied to disembark in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama." Officials in Panama, however, allowed the ships to pass through its canal and, before that crossing, gave permission for crew members to transfer supplies between the two vessels. Crew members also were permitted to bring provisions and medication on the vessels in Chile. There are 797 guests and 645 crew members on the Rotterdam; 446 guests and 602 crew members are on the Zaandam, according to Elvejord, who added that the company "will certainly provide the information" that Florida officials are requesting. Meanwhile, with each day blurring into the next, "we are not on a regular clock or routine anymore," said Min-Lee Cheng, a retired public health official and expert on diseases transmitted via mosquitoes. Jih-Fei Cheng, a Scripps College professor, said his father's medical background helped him to "stay calmer. But we are all fearful. Can you imagine them watching from their room as most of their friends boarded the Rotterdam while they were asked to stay behind? They heard that those friends have reserved flights that will take them home as soon as they are allowed to disembark while what will happen to them?" He said it surprised him that people were criticized about going on cruises, adding that "when my parents flew out of Los Angeles they were under the impression that there were very few cases in South America. None of us knew how huge this would be. Early intervention would have prevented all of this trouble. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to resolve." Min-Lee Cheng said "the biggest challenge is the uncertainty. We are not given current information on board the ship. We only found out this morning there are people who have tested positive for COVID-19." A passenger looks at his phone while wearing a protective face mask at the Phoenix International Airport on March 14, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. Passengers are wearing masks to avoid the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The data could alert health care providers about growing clusters of cases in the specific communities in the city, which would help them better allocate resources throughout the five boroughs, the hospital said. The coronavirus has infected more than 76,000 people in New York, far more than any other state in the U.S. The hospital's patients and city residents will be able to monitor their symptoms through a web-based app, called STOP COVID NYC, Mount Sinai said in a press release. To sign up, the hospital is encouraging residents to text "COVID" to 64722. Users will need to complete an initial survey with questions about demographics, exposure and symptom history, followed by short daily surveys about their symptoms through text messages sent to their phones. A team of data scientists, physicians and engineers at New York City's Mount Sinai Health System has created an app that aims to track the spread of COVID-19 in the city, considered the epicenter of the nation's outbreak. "To do this well, we need our whole city to help, not just those in hospitals or with access to health care. Everyone is included, and everyone can help. Capturing citywide coronavirus data from residents before, during, and after they become ill could help to reduce the pressure on medical resources and contribute to slowing the spread," said Laura Huckins, and assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in a press release. The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a medical school and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. This is not the first time an app has been developed to help fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In February, China launched an app that tracks people and alerts them if they have been in "close contact with someone infected" with the new coronavirus. In Singapore, the government rolled out an app called TraceTogether that uses Bluetooth signals between cellphones to see if potential carriers of the coronavirus have been in close contact with other people. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology also developed an app called "Private Kit: Safe Paths." The idea is that users can update information about themselves on the app and then declare if they have the coronavirus or not. However, apps like MIT's and Mount Sinai will require widespread use to be effective. "Most data used to guide clinical decisions for COVID-19 have been generated in China, but with New York City among the cities with the largest number of casesa number that continues to growwe see a critical and urgent need to understand more about the clinical course of the disease," said Girish Nadkarni, an assistant professor at the Icahn School at Mount Sinai, in a press release. 10 L.A. First Responders contracted the COVID-19 virus, most recovered and went back out to the frontlines Tuesday, March 31, the Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center addressed protection for the first responders during the Coronavirus pandemic. L.A. County disclosed the collaboration with public and private sectors, along with 88 cities that are in works of increasing COVID-19 testing. L.A. has been working with the city of Lancaster and the High Desert Medical Group to ensure testing takes place in Antelope Valley. There was an update in the COVID-19 data in Los Angeles. Fire Chief Daryl Osby, established the number one priority of the fire department is the safety and welfare of the community that they serve. As the regional coordinator, Osby has been in contact with all 30 fire departments in L.A. county. He confirmed the updates to emergency response plans are cohesive across the board. There are contingency plans in relation to trigger points prepared for the projected progression of the spread of COVID-19. There have been virtual meetings with those on the frontlines, discussing their safety as they face the pandemic head on. In full transparency, the fire fighters expressed the feeling of fear and anxiety. During the month of March, Chief Daryls department responded to 1,070 calls per day. 250 of those calls were coded as potential COVID-19 cases, there have been ten fire fighters that tested positive of COVID-19. Seven of them have recovered and returned to work. The other three are still in isolation. The fire department has implemented tele-medications, this is virtual contact with physicians that they have immediate access to. ADVERTISEMENT Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 Virus. As of Tuesday, March 31. Over 19,300 people have been tested for COVID-19, and 12% tested positive for the virus. Ferrer shared on Tuesday that there were 10 additional deaths, these individuals were between the age of 41-65. One of the fatal cases reported on Monday was a health care worker, they are the first in the health care occupation that has passed in Los Angeles. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 54. Barbara disclosed that as of March 31. There are 548 new COVID-19 reports, in summary there is a total amount of 3,011 cases in the Los Angeles region. The cases in the L.A. region have more than tripled within a week. Over the last 48 hours, there has been 890 reports. These numbers are reflective of 115 cases in Long Beach and 25 reports coming from Pasadena. Approximately 20% of those infected with COVID-19 are hospitalized at some point. Data is reflecting 1.8% of carriers of the Corona Virus have died, which is higher than the general mortality rate for influenza related deaths in the United States. New guidance came from the CDC, they were described as the national public health department. In the past, close contacts were considered those in direct exposure that were symptomatic, the CDC has redefined the term to any contact with a positive carrier of COVID-19 or someone presumed to be positive within 48 hours. This is in light of scientific findings that show people may be spreading the virus before being symptomatic. You can check for these types of updates on the CDC website, cdc.gov. Fr Romanelli notes that the Strips lockdown has favoured greater control" over crossings. So far, 12 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the Palestinian territory, all people crossing the border from Egypt. Gazans have been used to restrictions for years. Masses are streamed online. Families received pastoral visits and the Eucharist. Gaza (AsiaNews) Israels 13-year blockade has unexpectedly had a positive effect because "it has allowed greater control over border crossings" and contained the novel coronavirus pandemic, this according to Fr Gabriel Romanelli, Gazas Argentine-born parish priest. The clergyman, who is a member of Institute of the Incarnate Word, explained that Gaza residents are not living this situation with anxiety", but they are "becoming aware" of the gravity of what is happening elsewhere, like in Italy or Spain. "The absence of port or an airport and open borders, as well as tourism or religious pilgrimages have limited the spread of the virus, said Fr Romanelli. Gaza has reported so far 12 COVID-19 cases, including two people who returned from Egypt just yesterday. The two were placed in quarantine immediately. The Health Ministry of the Hamas-controlled Gaza administration said that their conditions were stable and reassuring. All the confirmed cases involve people returning from other countries, checked at the border, and prevented from moving within the territory, thus minimising the risk of spreading the virus. Official figures indicate 12 cases, all at the border with Egypt, said Fr Romanelli. The novel coronavirus has ravaged other parts of the world. Here too, new cases are reported every day. A week ago, we had two; now there are 12. School has been cancelled; working hours, reduced. And in the parish, we try to do things via remote means. Hamas, which has controlled the Strip since 2007, has taken precautionary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the small enclave, home to two million people. Public meetings have been banned; schools, universities, public parks and places of worship, including mosques, have been closed. The territorys health system is cause for concern though. There are only 70 beds in intensive care and 62 ventilators. NGOs and pro human rights activists are calling for an end to restrictions on the entry of humanitarian and medical aid. In this time of crisis, two young Palestinians from Beit Lahia, north of the Strip, retooled an old factory to manufacture protective gear to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Former employees are happy with the initiative. This quarantine has not surprised or affected the hearts of residents, said Fr Romanelli. We have given the authorities our advice; we follow the rules. People have been living with restrictions for years. They are used to staying at home for weeks. No one has called in for depression or complained that their life was turned upside down. Freedom was already limited and so nothing has changed. Religious authorities, starting with Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, took the necessary measures in time". Parish activities have been on hold for almost a month; even Masses are restricted. Anyone who wants to come to church can pray, but my advice is to stay at home, noted Fr Romanelli. We visit the sick and the elderly. We have started to visit families bringing the Eucharist. The celebrations are streamed online and next Sunday, Palm Sunday, after the service, we will visit people and give them olive branches. Despite the hardships, we try to keep up our spirit. Inability to go to church hasnt prevented us from praying; on the contrary. This trial shall pass, but we must not give in to circumstances. We must keep our ways. "Providence hasnt abandoned us. We know this very well, especially since we often had to cope with shortages of food, drinking water and electricity. Despite everything, we keep going anyway. Maharashtra BJP leader Anil Bonde on Wednesday hit back at Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for accusing the opposition party of being not serious in tackling the coronavirus crisis. Bonde said it is not time to indulge in His criticism comes two days after an editorial in Sena mouthpiece- 'Saamana'- slammed the BJP for not donating in the chief minister's relief fund and instead setting up a separate party fund to tackle coronavirus. It had also alleged that the opposition was not serious over the issue. Raut is the executive editor of the Marathi daily. In a tweet, Bonde, a former state Agriculture Minister said, "You need to take the opposition into confidence while taking decisions. BJP is with Modi government at the Centre and the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the state in times of the present crisis." He said even though the state government was working to contain the spread of coronavirus, there was no coordination among its ministers. "Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tells police to keep their lathis oiled, while Uddhav Thackeray tells them to exercise restraint. What should the police do?" he asked. He was referring to the police action against those found stepping out of homes during the lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, April 1, and California has stopped reporting how many medical workers have become infected with COVID-19. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Shop Rites well-stocked toilet paper aisle in East Oakland is a surprisingly tranquil place during the global pandemic. Customers from the community, which is predominantly populated by black and brown low-income residents, apologize when their baskets get within 6 feet of each other, which happens often at the store. And everyone, it seems, adheres to the stores one-container-per-customer limit without complaint. East Oakland is familiar with hardships, and the coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated the communitys long-standing problems. But in the face of the coronavirus, residents in the community are turning to each other for support. Read more from reporters Sarah Ravani and Justin Phillips. On the front lines Gary Kazanjian Nurse Brenna Frigultis first feeling when she found out she tested positive for COVID-19 was heartbreak that she couldnt help anymore. Her second was dread of dying alone like shed seen happen to coronavirus-positive patients in the intensive-care unit of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. Shes one of at least 73 health care workers in California who have been infected and she worries that having to reuse her mask is what allowed her to become infected. Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health drastically curtailed the kind of coronavirus data it is sharing with the public this week including the number of health care workers who test positive for COVID-19 each day at a time when the public is hungry for the information and to the consternation of health care workers who say infection details are crucial to tracking and halting the pandemic. The number of infected health care workers in California jumped 52% in one day from 48 to 73 between Friday and Saturday, the last time the state reported the numbers. Before then, the numbers climbed by roughly six cases a day since March 24, when reporting began. Kate Munsch/Special to The Chronicle How to use telemedicine while sheltering in place. Restaurants feed hospital workers during coronavirus, keep staff employed. Education will continue California schools will be unable to reopen this year given current safety concerns and ongoing social distancing, the state superintendent told county officials in a letter Tuesday. The letter, obtained by The Chronicle, was not a directive, but rather an acknowledgment that the still-growing coronavirus crisis will mean schools must stay shuttered. While the decision means an unprecedented shutdown for public schools, the memo was the guidance local districts had been waiting for to make the hard call, Jill Tucker reports. New rules: No using playgrounds, public picnic areas or dog parks until May 3 in 6 Bay Area counties. FAQ: What if I need to renew my drivers license or vehicle registration at the DMV? Full coronavirus coverage Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle On the bright side: Mission spirit dances on, at a responsible distance, one 15-minute dance party at a time. Laguna Honda: Senator Dianne Feinstein urged Tuesday that the federal government provide additional support to San Franciscos Laguna Honda nursing home, where city officials are struggling to contain a coronavirus outbreak. At least two residents and nine staff members at Laguna Honda have tested positive for the virus. Cruises under fire: Bay Area Rep. Jackie Speier wants to crack down on the cruise line industry to prevent operators from receiving any federal assistance without new regulatory strings attached, including stricter environmental rules and refund guarantees for customers. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests lifting the deduction cap on state and local taxes in the next coronavirus bill. Captains plea works: An aircraft carrier loaded with stricken sailors gets Navys help. Grounded but needed: American doctors desperate to come home as more countries close borders. Budget hit: San Francisco projecting budget shortfall as high as $1.7 billion because of coronavirus impacts. Few crimes of opportunity: Property and violent crime fall dramatically in Bay Area cities as residents stay home, but experts fear that crimes that typically occur inside the home such as child abuse, battery and domestic violence could increase. Moving up release dates: California to speed release of up to 3,500 prison inmates because of coronavirus. End of watch: Marylou Armer, a police detective who served on the Santa Rosa Police Department for the past 20 years, has died from coronavirus complications, police officials announced Tuesday. Seven other Santa Rosa police department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 Dry dock: People in recovery from addiction struggle without their daily congregation. Sam Whiting talks to two meeting leaders about reaching out to those in recovery. About that other slow moving crisis Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. A 48-inch increase in the bays water level in coming decades could cause more than 100,000 Bay Area jobs to be relocated. Nearly 30,000 lower-income residents might be displaced, and 68,000 acres of ecologically valuable shoreline habitat could be lost. These are among the findings reported after the most detailed study yet on how sea level rise from climate change could alter the Bay Area. Read more about the report from John King. Previously: Our Climate Challenge. Around the Bay From Bruce Jenkins: Games without fans may be a necessity, but will be a hollow solution. Nowhere to go: Small businesses in S.F.s Bayview suffer as storage facility relocates after rent hike. Oceanwide center: After delay, S.F.s second-tallest tower project could sell for $1.2 billion. The world turned upside down: Remainder of BroadwaySFs Hamilton run canceled. Theres people out there who want to help each other: As shows shut down, actor Phil Wong gets help, gives back to theater community. Facing blowback: PG&E says Camp Fire criminal fine wont be paid with victims fund. In Case You Missed It The Chronicle How did a fearsome, fast-talking union boss help California legalize pot and then end up in prison? Over the past two years, reporter Jason Fagone has explored in-depth how Dan Rush ended up the target of one of the most surprising federal investigations in Bay Area history. Read more. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. Japan is expected to supply Vietnam with support worth more than US$1.8 million to help the Southeast Asian country battle the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, the Vietnam Government Portal reported. During the phone talks with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh on Tuesday, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu said his country has pledged to provide at least 200 million Japanese yen ($1.8 million) in aid to support anti-epidemic efforts in Vietnam. Over the past two months, Japan has granted JPY20 million ($186,000) worth of medical supplies to the Southeast Asian nation, according to Minister Motegi. He praised the drastic measures taken by Vietnam in the fight against the epidemic, and expressed gratitude toward the Vietnamese government for taking care of and ensuring safety for 20,000 Japanese living and working in the Southeast Asian nation. In his reply, Deputy PM Minh appreciated the assistance from the Japanese government and people. As the current ASEAN Chair, Vietnam has been working actively to coordinate and accelerate ASEANs joint efforts as well as cooperation between the bloc and partners in response to the pandemic. Both sides underlined the importance of international collaboration in the exchange of information and experience, manufacturing of vaccines and medical equipment, and citizen protection. The Japanese side vowed to proactively cooperate with Vietnam regarding the latters initiatives on fostering ASEAN responses to the pandemic. The COVID-19-causing novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 859,800 people and killed more than 42,300 globally as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has announced 212 COVID-19 patients so far, with 63 having recovered. No fatality related to the disease has been reported in the country to date. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday issued a directive requesting the implementation of social distancing from April 1 to 15. The premier declared COVID-19 a nationwide infectious disease pandemic on Wednesday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The daily White House coronavirus briefing looked more like an episode of The Apprentice on Monday, with a line of CEOs pitching the country on how their companies were planning to ramp up efforts to help the United States fight the spread of the coronavirus. Among the list of CEOs speaking from the White House Rose Garden was Mike Lindell, the head businessman behind the late-night informercial mainstay My Pillow and a Republican donor who passionately praised President Donald Trumps efforts in fighting the virus and pledged his company would escalate its own efforts making upward of 50,000 cotton masks a day. Afterward, while some critics questioned why Lindell was addressing the nation about coronavirus from the White House, Lindell tells PEOPLE that Trump paused to show him around his D.C. domain. Mike, have you been in the Oval Office? Trump, 73, asked Lindell, whom he called a friend during the briefing moments earlier. When Lindell told him no, the 58-year-old CEO says Trump told him, Well, come on, Ive got to show you! Lindell tells PEOPLE the two spent 20 to 25 minutes having a one-on-one conversation in the Oval Office. The conversation, which took place amid the most large-scale national crisis the United States has seen in decades, highlights a long-growing kinship between the president and the wily, religiously invigorated infomercial barker, which started growing from a random text message Trump sent Lindell in 2016. Lindell tells PEOPLE he first met Trump in 2016 after the then-Republican candidate invited him up to Trump Tower in New York City, less than two blocks from Central Park where healthcare workers have rushed this week to set up field hospitals to manage the overflow of COVID-19 patients in New York City hospitals. (More than 183,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed across the U.S. and 3,727 have died, according to a New York Times tracker monitoring the latest available updates.) The My Pillow salesman says he didnt know much about politics in 2016. In fact, before January 2009 when he started to get sober following a well-documented crack addiction, Lindell says he didnt know anything at all. Story continues When I quit everything January 16, 2009 I had never voted, I didnt know anything about politics. I didnt know a liberal from a conservative, he says. By their August 15 meeting at Trump Tower in 2016, Lindell says he studied up and learned a little bit about what each party was, before meeting with the soon-to-be president. Lindell says Trump was just intrigued and he wanted to know about his My Pillow business and picked the CEOs brain about his company and his American-based operations. After that, Id see him at different events and stuff and we became friends, Lindell says. And Lindell has proudly championed Trump since, appearing in the crowd behind him at campaign rallies, writing glowing editorials in local Minnesota newspapers and digging his heels deeper into his belief that God directly chose Donald Trump to become the president of the United States. RELATED: Justice Department Begins Probe Into Senators Who Sold Stocks After Coronavirus Briefing: Report Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock President Trump looks on as Mike Lindell speaks at the White House on Monday. Lindells second meeting with Trump came after he was invited to attend a manufacturers summit at the White House in 2017 and was seated directly next to the president. It was just surreal, Lindell says. Now, my friends all seen that on TV me sitting next to the president and theyre going, Wow! This can only be God because theres no way this ex-crack head is sitting next to the president. Lindell says he believes moments like that, and his appearance at Trumps press conference on Monday, are part of Gods plan for him to be part of The Great Revival and be part of bringing this country back to God and back to Jesus. Lindell says he believed Trump was chosen by God for such a time as this and that hed heed Gods call to run for office if he gets a sign from above. Politico reported that Lindell has been telling associates that he was approached by Trump to run for governor of Minnesota as a Republican in 2022. Lindell denies the report and tells PEOPLE that he hasnt been approached by Trump or anyone in the administration, but instead a number of governors, congressmen and other former lawmakers have all implored him to run in 2022. If Id gotten prayer to run, I would do it in a second, Lindell tells PEOPLE. Im going to do what God wants me to do. Lindell says South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis were among those who encouraged him to run. They said, Mike, youll like it, Lindell says. They encouraged me. But thats 2022, Lindell says. He doesnt know whether hell run for the states gubernatorial race yet or not. He only learned about politics a few years ago, he says. When I came out of addiction, Im going, Wow! And Ive learned now over the past couple of years, it affects everything we do, Lindell says he realized. RELATED: White House Health Experts Say 100,000 to 200,000 Americans Could Die Due to Coronavirus Justin Sullivan/Getty My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell cheers as President Donald Trump gives a speech at a campaign rally on June 27, 2018 in Fargo, North Dakota. Inside the Oval Office on Monday, the fiercely loyal Trump ally says he and the president talked about business and an idea to put health care workers at the front doors of public buildings to make sure customers arent carrying the virus. The pair also discussed whether churches could be considered an essential business during social distancing shutdowns. We need to get people back working and people in churches, Lindell tells PEOPLE. This is sad that this is going on and our churches are getting attacked. The president who has faced his own share of criticism from evangelical voters in recent months had already pushed back his dream date of April 16, Easter, to reopen the U.S. after weeks of isolation due to the virus. Wouldnt it be great to have all the churches full? Trump said during a Fox News interview last Tuesday. Youll have packed churches all over our country. I think itll be a beautiful time. President Trumps response to the coronavirus pandemic has been widely criticized, especially from a growing list of governors who say the federal government needs to do more to send necessary medical supplies to states reeling with the effects of the outbreak. Instead, Trump has trumpeted private businesses like Lindells that he says are stepping up to help the country in a time of crisis. But while the presidents past life as a reality television star was well-known before he was elected in 2016, Trump still draws criticism and shock when he involves politically loyal business leaders to speak at the presidential podium. Dont give me the MyPillow guy doing a song and dance when people are dying in Queens! New York City sportscaster and longtime Trump ally Mike Francesa said in response to Mondays press conference. We dont need to hear from the My Pillow guy, we need to hear from the My Face-Mask guy and My Ventilator guy and the My Virus Test guy, another viral tweet criticizing Lindells appearance read. The Trump campaign defended Lindells standing alongside the president in the time of a global crisis. Mike Lindell is a great American and is grateful to the country that gave him a second chance at life, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh told PEOPLE, referencing Lindells previous addiction. He has become wildly successful through hard work and perseverance and is now trying to help his fellow citizens by converting his factory to make 50,000 masks a day. Instead of mocking him, the unhinged left should be appreciative. The White House did not respond for a request for comment. Lindell says hes since been attacked by the media, which hes been speaking to all day, including an appearance later Tuesday night on Fox News for an interview with anchor Lou Dobbs. Im just trying to do a lot here all at once, Lindell tells PEOPLE, putting the phone down to ask an assistant what time his interview is on Fox because hell need to change his suit. Sounding rushed and filled with a sense of duty following his one-on-one with the president, Lindell says hes flying to Denver soon to pick up a shipment of hand sanitizer hes experimenting with to create a 24-hour sanitation gel he believes can help stop coronavirus and help his friend, Donald Trump. Im very proud of what hes done, Lindell says. I will not back down ever ever. As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here. A message left on a beach groyne in Whitstable, Kent, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus (Picture: Getty) A man who spat at a police officer and told him I have coronavirus has been jailed. Oliver Cook, 35, was arrested outside an Iceland supermarket in Whitstable, Kent, at around 6.20pm on Sunday after he attempted to steal meat, police said. Officers were forced to put a spit-hood over Cooks head after he attacked one of them on Oxford Street. He also kicked a second policeman as he was being placed in a van. Cook was later charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, theft and criminal damage. Read more: UK coronavirus death toll rises by 31% in biggest daily increase as total reaches 2,352 People enjoy the spring sunshine on the seafront at Whitstable on Mother's Day. (Getty) Chief Inspector Elena Hall, District Commander for Canterbury and Dover, said: All emergency services and our whole community, which includes our officers and staff, are working extremely hard in challenging circumstances. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading She added: "We will not tolerate attacks of this kind. "We will seek the prosecution of anyone who spits at or otherwise assaults any of our team, making sure the court knows it is aggravated by any claims to have the coronavirus infection." Cook, of no fixed abode, admitted the charges at Medway Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was jailed for a total of 120 days. Coronavirus: what happened today? Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Hundreds of Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods workers throughout the United States took strike action yesterday and Monday against hazardous work conditions amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Instacart employs over 150,000 people. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon, with over 566,000 employees worldwide. The Instacart and Amazon strikes were organized outside of the trade unions by three groups, Whole Worker (Whole Foods), Gig Workers Collective (Instacart), and DCH1 Amazonians United (Amazon). Amazon worker at Staten Island Facility JFK8 (Image Credit: @AngeMariaSolis) Instacart employs gig workers, workers like rideshare drivers, who are able to work by logging into the Instacart app. Through instructions given by the app, these workerscalled shoppersdeliver groceries to residences. As great masses of people quarantine themselves at home, Instacart workers provide the essential service of delivering food and supplies. Like other logistics and transport workers, if any of them get infected they could potentially spread the disease to hundreds of customers before ever showing symptoms. Sarah, an Instacart shopper, told the WSWS, We havent been offered any type of cleaning products or funds to purchase such products. We havent been given any real information on how best to take precautions. They are doing the bare minimum and even making it hard for those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 to get paid time off. Instacart, in response to the pandemic, has promised workers that it would give them 14 days paid sick leave if they are able to prove that theyve contracted COVID-19. In response to the pandemic, Whole Foods has raised hourly wages by $2 and introduced double overtime pay. It has done virtually nothing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. A Whole Foods employee recently tested positive for COVID-19 today in Chicago, four days ago in Huntington Beach, California and several workers have tested positive in New York City. As testing kits are limited, far more are likely infected. Amazon workers picketed in Chicago over similar concerns of safety. Amazons response has been nearly identical to that employed by Whole Foods, a tiny raise in wages but virtually nothing done to ensure the safety of its workers from a deadly virus. The coronavirus has infected at least 14 Amazon Warehouses. A worker at the strike said We all have families; we all are missing out on money. But were doing this for a cause thats bigger than you, and its bigger than me and its bigger than a lot of us. We are here because we want to work. We want to work! But how can we be essential workers when our lives are not essential. We want to work in a clean facility, where were going to be safe. Our kids are going to be safe. Our families are going to be safe. We want cleanliness. We hear it all over the news, wash your hands. We dont even have enough time to wash our hands. They want us to social distancewe are never at one point in time less than 6 feet from one another. This building, this company, makes so much money off the back of us! When our reporters asked an Amazon worker in Chicago what safety measures the conglomerate was taking, he responded, I was told they had workers put tape on the floors demonstrating 6 feet but thats impossible in our facility. Research by an associate professor at MIT suggests that an individual infected with COVID-19 can spread the disease through sneezing as far as 27 feet. Amazon workers have resorted to desperate measures to keep themselves safe. In a social media post by a worker, bufferboards made of cardboard were set up to protect workers in an Amazon facility. Far from protecting workers, this measure might actually facilitate infection as the virus can stick to cardboard for up to 24 hrs. There is immense support for the striking workers. The petition by Whole Worker, including demands for adequate safety gear and immediate shutdown of any location with COVID-19, has gathered over 11,000 signatures thus far. The demand by Gig Workers collective on the website Medium, for basic sanitation equipment and increased pay, has gotten over 2,000 claps or likes thus far. A tweet in support of Chicago Amazon workers gained over 1,000 likes in less than one hour. In this context of global crisis, Amazon and Instacart workers and alongside them key production, medical, distribution, logistics, and transit workers have been deemed as essential workers. Workers without whom society would collapse. In response to the strike, a Whole Foods Spokesperson wrote 'It is disappointing that a small but vocal group, many of whom are not employed by Whole Foods Market, have been given a platform to inaccurately portray the collective voice of our 95,000+ Team Members who are heroically showing up every day to provide our communities with an essential service. These sentiments have been repeated by Instacart and Amazon spokespeople as well. While lauding their workers as heroes, the companies are unable to provide even the most basic of protections. Medical experts estimate that the Coronavirus can kill up to 1.6 to 2.2 million people and permanently injure many more. Medical workers, on the frontline of the pandemic, have been told to wear bandanas by the CDC due to shortages. In these unbearable conditions, as workers are forced to gamble with their lives, a strike wave is emerging throughout the country and the world. This strike wave follows a strike yesterday of Amazon Workers in Staten Island, New York City. The worker leading the strike was promptly fired. The same day, over 300 Amazon workers in central Italy went on strike. Eleven days ago, workers in an Amazon facility in Queens shut it down for a night after a worker was revealed to have been infected. Nurses protested over lack of personal protective equipment last Saturday in Bronx. Sanitation workers in Pittsburg went on strike for protective gear a week ago. Numerous strikes are planned in the near future. Trillions are being squandered in bailout funds to Wall Street and large corporations while workers are told there is no money for livable wages or health care. The workers striking at Whole Foods, Amazon and Instacart are taking an important stand to contain the epidemic. It was "pretty damned obvious in retrospect" that couples shouldn't be banned from visiting one another, chief health officer Brett Sutton has acknowledged. Hours earlier, the Andrews government had warned partners who lived separately not to visit each other under the tough new 'stay-at-home' rules or face $1600 fines. But Dr Sutton said it was never his intention to stop couples from seeing one another. "We have no desire to penalise individuals who are staying with or meeting their partners if they dont usually reside together. Well be making an exemption," he announced on Twitter at 5pm. Investment in Jinshan kicks off 2020 nicely By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-04-01 13:00 The planned investment reached RMB 8.72 billion in the first quarter of 2020 in southwest Shanghais Jinshan District. A total of 58 investment projects were inked in Jinshan from January to March, 2020, among which 17 were worth more than RMB 100 million. (Parrot Wetland Park in Jinshan) With a three-pronged approach - epidemic prevention and control, resumption of work and production, and business attraction and investment - Jinshan has been conscientiously boosting its economy. As of March 26, a total of 3,408 manufacturing companies have restarted work, with 89% of production capacity recovered. 83.3% of employees have returned to their posts. The work resumption rate of above-scale enterprises has reached 100%, recovering 92% of production capacity. The outbreak of COVID-19 has exerted some impacts on attracting investment and business. But the negative side can be overcome through approaches like online services or online agreement signing. Jinshan has seen a year-on-year increase of 57.7% in the value of its investment projects signed in Q1. On top of the soaring amount of value, the quality of the projects has seen an improvement, while the agglomeration of leading industries has also sped up. Meanwhile, the contracted foreign investment from January to March reached USD 176.88 million, accounting for 50.48% of the annual goal, according to a person from the Jinshan District Investment Promotion Office. At the same time, a fast-forward button has been pressed on work resumption. As a key project in Jinshan, Jilin OLED Material Tech Corporation resumed work on March 10. In order to recoup the delayed construction of its OLED project, the company has taken multiple measures to adjust the construction plan and methods. The planned investment valued around RMB 600 million, with an estimated production output of RMB 0.8 to 1 billion each year. Once completed, it will be a first-class and modernized R&D and production base for OLED materials. The second phase of the Lingang Fengjing Advanced Manufacturing Project also restarted on March 10. The construction is expected to be completed in December. Matchmaking of a number of projects in such fields as application of carbon fiber materials, semiconductors, new medical materials and medical device production are stepping up, with a total planned investment of about RMB 445 million. In addition, the first phase of the Advanced Manufacturing Base has attracted a range of quality projects in high-end medical equipment, auto parts and airplane accessories manufacturing, such as 3Shape Dental, Shanghai Tongzhou Intelligent Robot, and Shanghai Andgele Industrial, to name a few. Another major construction project in Jinshan, which resumed on March 18, is also making efforts to meet the original deadline. The project is a customized facility for Huntsman Polyurethaness expansion, with an area of 8,117 square meters. As statistics show, all the 39 key industrial projects under construction across Jinshan have been fully resumed as of March 29. Five of them were commenced in Q1 of 2020, with a total investment value of nearly RMB 1.36 billion. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has described as fake videos of soldiers brutalizing people. The Military and the Ghana Police Service are currently leading an operation to ensure that Ghanaians adhere to the lockdown directives to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Some videos trending on social media show some soldiers reportedly punishing Ghanaians who flout the directives. However, a statement signed by GAF Director of Public Relations, Colonel Eric Aggrey-Quashie said those videos are fake It would be recalled that on Saturday, 28th March 2020, TV 3 News carried a news item purportedly showing the arrival of troops in Kumasi to ensure residents conform to the partial lockdown directives by the President. The purported recording featured a voice which issued threats to residents of the Ashanti Region of intended brutalities by the Military. This reportage, after our investigation, was found to be a doctored video. The said troops were in fact, part of a disinfection exercise which took place recently in Accra but had no bearing to the restrictions programme currently underway Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo', Colonel Aggrey-Quashie further advised Ghanaians to stop deceiving the security operatives just to avoid the 'stay at home' directive. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Citgo must pay the clean-up costs for a massive oil spill that tainted the Delaware River more than 15 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. In 2004, the oil tanker Athos I had its hull punctured by a submerged anchor while attempting to dock at an asphalt refinery in Paulsboro. The rupture sent roughly 265,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River, creating a spill that affected 280 miles of shoreline. Mondays 7-2 Supreme Court ruling finds that Citgo Asphalt Refining Company, which owned the refinery at the time and had charted the Athos I, was responsible for clean-up costs related to the spill. Justice Sonia Sotomayer wrote the majority decision for the case, which hinged on a safe-berth clause in Citgos charter contract with Frescati Shipping, which owned the Athos I. The clause, Sotomayer wrote, was effectively a warranty that required Citgo to ensure that the ship docked safely. We conclude that the plain language of the safe-berth clause establishes a warranty of safety and therefore affirm the judgment of the Third Circuit, Sotomayer wrote to conclude the decision. The ruling sets a new precedent for such contract clauses, which are common in the maritime industry. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samual Alito were the two dissenters; they argued that the safe-berth clause did not constitute a warranty. Frescati and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is administered by the federal government, paid $133 million to remediate the spill, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the two parties sued Citgo to recover that money after the spill. Frescati also sought recovery of costs of repairing its vessel. In 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Joel Slomsky ruled that Citgo had to pay more than $71 million to Frescati and Tsakos Shipping & Trading, which operated the Athos I, for their clean-up costs plus interest. Citgo was also ordered to pay more than $48 million to the federal government. Slomskys decision was later upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which spurred Citgo to appeal to the Supreme Court. The many years of effort ... underscore our confidence in the rule of law while the Supreme Courts decision underlines the importance and significance of safe, well-respected, understood and applied marine navigation practices, which have, for decades, safeguarded human life at sea, the protection and preservation of the marine environment as well as property, Frescati, said in a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer through its law firm, Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads. "While we obviously have different views regarding the merits of our case, we respect the Courts interpretation and can finally close this chapter on the Athos case, Citgo President and CEO Carlos Jorda said in a statement to The Hill. Read more of NJ.coms coverage of New Jersey water issues here. Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. 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. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there will be delays in Covid-19 tests and results in the coming weeks. Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar told reporters he understands the anxiety and worry of people waiting for tests and results. He said: The current cause of delay is a shortage of reagents. We hope to address that but then there may be a shortage of something else. We have to be honest about that we will hit delays. There is no handbook or roadmap for dealing with this. Everyone across health service is pulling out all the stops. We are going to run into issues. Every country is looking for kits, reagents, ventilators. Mr Varadkar added that Ireland is doing a lot of tests for Covid-19. He said: In Ireland weve decided as a country, to do a lot of tests. Were in the top tier of countries in the world when it comes to number of tests were doing. Thats the right thing to do in terms of containing the virus. But we are running into difficulties and we need to be honest with people and frank about that. There is a global shortage to testing kits, theres a shortage of reagents, and we also need the laboratory capacity. So we are going to have bumps in the road where there are delays at particular points in time. Well do everything we can, working with international partners and companies to make sure that we continue to maximise the number of tests that we do and we prioritise people working in healthcare facilities, in particular, as well as those who are sick. But it is important to bear in mind, getting your test results in itself doesnt actually determine whether or not you get any better. This is a virus that has no treatment. So the fact that somebody is delayed in getting their test results doesnt actually determine in any way when they get better or not, but it does help us to identify more cases and do more tracing. "One of the things we decided to do and that was actually yesterday is actually to step up contact tracing considerably because we have 14 people now working on contact tracing. "Thats going to help to make up in some way for the fact that there are delays in getting the test results. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] Registered users of over 4.9 million from over 200 countries or regions Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Hello Pal International Inc. (CSE: HP) (FSE: 27H )(OTC PINK: HLLPF) ("Hello Pal" or the "Company"), a provider of rapidly growing international social messaging, language learning and travel mobile apps, is pleased to announce that it achieved record receipts in March 2020 as set forth below: Livestreaming Service Hello Pal's livestreaming service achieved record receipts of approximately $448,000* and daily active livestream users of 10,000 for March 2020. "We are very pleased that we achieved record revenues even with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. We look forward to the continued grown of the Hello Pal app," said KL Wong, Founder and Chairman of the Company. Strong Registered User Base As of the date of the news release, Hello Pal's registered user base is over 4.9 million users from over 200 countries and regions. The positive increase in registered users continues to be driven by our livestream service. ------ To download Hello Pal, Language Pal, Travel Pal or the proprietary Phrasebooks please visit the IOS or Android store. For information with respect to the Company or the contents of this news release, please contact the Company at (604) 683-0911 or visit the website at hellopal.com. Email inquiries can be directed to: investors@hellopal.com. About the Hello Pal Platform The Hello Pal Platform is a proprietary suite of mobile applications built on a user-friendly messaging interface that focus on social interaction, language learning and travel. Hello Pal, has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use and enables users' the freedom to speak in their own language regardless of the other person's language they are speaking to. Hello Pal's overriding mission is to bring the world closer together through social interaction, language learning and travel. By creating a platform where it is easy to instantly interact with others around the world and giving them the tools to communicate with each other in a joyful and fun way, we hope to do our part (however small) in fostering understanding and tolerance between all citizens of the world. The Hello Pal platform also includes a proprietary digital wallet allowing users to store and transfer popular digital assets and tokens, including Bitcoin and Ether, based on blockchain technology. Hello Pal, was the first app released to the public and experienced rapid growth building a diverse and active global user base. Travel Pal and Language Pal are the first and second companion apps to launch. Both apps benefit immensely from the existing and ever expanding globally based group of users. Each new app will launch with this established rapidly growing user base accelerating their adoption. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Hello Pal cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Hello Pal's control. Such risks and uncertainties are described in Hello Pal's Listing Statement dated May 10, 2016 available on www.thecse.com. Although Hello Pal is currently generating revenues, Hello Pal remains in the growth stage and such revenues are yet to be profitable. Accordingly, actual, and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Hello Pal undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. *Non-IFRS Financial Measure Readers are cautioned that "receipts" is a measure not recognized under IFRS. Total receipts includes the amount of cash received by the Company and its agents from the use of the Hello Pal app. Under IFRS, total receipts may be higher than revenue as a portion of the revenue is received by agents of Hello Pal. However, the Company's management believes that "receipts" provides investors with insight into management's decision-making process because management uses this measure to run the business and make financial, strategic and operating decisions. Further, "receipts" also provides useful insight into the operating performance of the Hello Pal app. "Receipts" does not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Readers are cautioned that "receipts" are not an alternative to measures determined in accordance with IFRS and should not, on their own, be construed as indicators of performance, cash flow or profitability. THE CSE HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND DOES NOT ACCEPT 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/54020 Trump says expects Russia-Saudi oil deal soon, invites U.S. oil chiefs to White House FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump holds meeting with pharmaceutical executives to discuss developing coronavirus vaccine at the White House in Washington By Jeff Mason and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he has invited U.S. oil executives to the White House to discuss ways to help the industry "ravaged" by slumping energy demand during the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Trump also said he had talked recently with the leaders of both Russia and Saudi Arabia and believed the two countries would make a deal to end their price war within a "few days" - lowering production and bringing prices back up. "I'm going to meet with the oil producers on Friday. I'm going to meet with independent oil producers also on Friday or Saturday. Maybe Sunday. We're going to have a lot of meetings on it," Trump told reporters at a media conference. "Worldwide, the oil industry has been ravaged," he said. "Its very bad for Russia, its very bad for Saudi Arabia. I mean, its very bad for both. I think theyre going to make a deal." Global oil prices have fallen by roughly two-thirds this year as the coronavirus has slammed global economies at the same time major producers Saudi Arabia and Russia have started to flood the market with oil. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, a senior Gulf source familiar with Saudi thinking said the Kingdom supports cooperation between oil producers to stabilize prices but Russia's opposition to a proposal last month to deepen supply cuts has caused market turmoil. The collapse in prices has threatened the once-booming U.S. drilling industry with bankruptcies and massive layoffs, and Washington has scrambled for ways to protect the sector. In the coming meetings with oil executives, Trump is expected to discuss a range of options to help the industry, including the possibility of tariffs on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, according to the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the planned meetings. Major drillers expected to participate in the initial meeting on Friday include Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Occidental Petroleum Corp, and Continental Resources, according to the Journal. Occidental said it had no comment, while officials at the other companies did not respond to requests for comment. Story continues A source familiar with the plan told Reuters that oil refiners and small producers would also be represented and the issue of potential waivers for royalties on existing federal offshore and onshore leases would be discussed. The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the U.S. oil and gas industry, said its president Mike Sommers would attend the initial meeting, but added: "We are not seeking any government subsidies or industry-specific intervention to address the recent market downturn at this time." The API, many of whose members operate globally, has said in the past it opposes trade tariffs because it can complicate projects and business relationships in other countries. The group on March 20, however, sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting relief from some regulatory requirements to ensure steady supplies during the coronavirus. The administration has since announced it will temporarily ease some environmental enforcement. Trump this week called Russia and Saudi Arabia's price war "crazy" and spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue. Top energy officials from the two countries later spoke and agreed to continue discussions alongside other major global oil producers and consumers, according to the Kremlin. The Trump administration said it is also planning to send a special envoy to Riyadh to push for lower output. Saudi Arabia's crude supply rose on Wednesday to a record of more than 12 million barrels per day, two industry sources said, despite a plunge in demand triggered by the coronavirus outbreak and U.S. pressure on the kingdom to stop flooding the market. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Jeff Mason, Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Gary McWilliams in Houston, and Rania el Gamal in Dubai; Editing by Tom Brown, David Gregorio, Lincoln Feast & Simon Cameron-Moore) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) (the "Company" or "Seabridge") announced today that it has secured a non-brokered private placement from an existing shareholder for 1.2 million common shares of the Company at a price of $11.75 per share for gross proceeds of $14,100,000. No commissions are payable on this transaction. The private placement is expected to close on or about April 16, 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions including, but not limited to, the approval of the TSX and the NYSE. The financing is being made by way of private placement in Canada and the issued shares will be subject to a four-month hold period in Canada. Seabridge has granted the private placee an option to increase the size of the private placement by an additional 240,000 common shares exercisable until May 15, 2020. The main use of proceeds is to make deposits to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) which cover potential tax liabilities stemming from re-assessments of its Canadian Exploration Expenses by the CRA as disclosed in the Company's 2018 and 2019 financial statements. Making the deposits enables Seabridge to proceed with its legal challenge of the CRA. Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk said: "We have an obligation to reimburse the investors who purchased our flow-through shares and are now going to be subject to re-assessment by the CRA. We intend to honor our obligation to our investors and with this financing we have raised the funds needed to do so without affecting the business of the Company." Mr. Fronk noted that the CRA had recently re-assessed Seabridge for an expected $2.15 million and that a re-assessment of flow-through investors for an aggregate of $11.8 million of tax was also expected, all as previously disclosed. "CRA decisions can be appealed to the courts and we intend to do so. We, and our advisors, are very confident that the Canadian Exploration Expense which the CRA has disallowed meets the requirements of the relevant statutes. Moreover, we believe the disallowed expenditures were accrued by us in a manner consistent with similar expenditures accepted by the CRA in previous audits," Fronk said. The total potential tax reassessments for which Seabridge is liable, if the CRA's position is fully upheld, is $14 million which is fully provided for in this financing. This press release is not an offer of common shares for sale in the United States. The common shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements of the US. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and applicable U.S. state securities laws. Seabridge will not make any public offering of the securities in the United States. The common shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws. 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 these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. The Company's principal assets are the KSM and Iskut properties located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, nor their Regulation Services Providers accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. All reserve and resource estimates reported by the Corporation were calculated in accordance with the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Classification system. These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Statements relating to planned exploration work at the Company's projects and on the timing of completion of the private placement are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by words such as the following: expects, plans, aims, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, assumes, potential and similar expressions, and, being estimates, resource and reserve estimates are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements also include reference to events or conditions that will, would, may, could or should occur, including in relation to the use of proceeds from the offering, the timing of the closing of the offering, the Company's confidence that the Canadian Exploration Expense which the CRA has disallowed meets the requirements of the relevant statutes and the extent of Seabridge's total potential liability relating to CRA's disallowance of the Company's Canadian Exploration Expenses. These forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable at the time they are made, are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund the planned work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from logistical, technical or other factors; the possibility that results of work will not fulfill projections/expectations and realize the perceived potential of the Company's projects; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and other tests and the estimation of gold reserves and resources; risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of environmental issues at the Company's projects; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in work programs; the need to obtain permits and comply with environmental laws and regulations and other government requirements; fluctuations in the price of gold and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's December 31, 2019 Annual Information Form filed with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com) and the Company's Annual Report Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR (available at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Rudi Fronk" Chairman and CEO For further information please contact: Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and CEO Tel: (416) 367-9292 Fax: (416) 367-2711 Email: info@seabridgegold.net NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES SECURITIES LAWS To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54043 Technavio has been monitoring the automotive sun visor market and it is poised to grow by USD 212.55 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005451/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive Sun Visor Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please request latest free sample report on Covid-19 Impact The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Continental, Grupo Antolin, KASAI KOGYO, PISTON GROUP, and TOYOTA BOSHOKU are some of the major market participants. The demand for premium vehicles will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Demand for premium vehicles has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Automotive Sun Visor Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Automotive Sun Visor Market is segmented as below: Type Passenger Vehicle Commercial Vehicle Sales channels OEMs Aftermarket Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30381 Automotive Sun Visor Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our automotive sun visor market report covers the following areas: Automotive Sun Visor Market Size Automotive Sun Visor Market Trends Automotive Sun Visor Market Industry Analysis This study identifies use of eco-friendly material for making automotive sun visors as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive sun visor market growth during the next few years. Automotive Sun Visor Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Automotive Sun Visor Market, including some of the vendors such as Continental, Grupo Antolin, KASAI KOGYO, PISTON GROUP, and TOYOTA BOSHOKU. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Automotive Sun Visor 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 Sun Visor Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive sun visor market growth during the next five years Estimation of the automotive sun visor market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the automotive sun visor market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive sun visor market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TYPE Market segmentation by type Comparison by type Passenger vehicle Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Commercial vehicle Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by type PART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY SALES CHANNELS OEMs Aftermarket PART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE PART 10: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY SALES CHANNEL Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS Use of eco-friendly material for making automotive sun visors Growing preference for lightweight sun visors Increasing adoption of sun visor-mounted HUDs and LCD sun visors PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Continental Grupo Antolin KASAI KOGYO PISTON GROUP TOYOTA BOSHOKU PART 15: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200401005451/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/ By Carl Bildt Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Kinross Gold Corp.s (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC) production has not been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic so far, but the company nevertheless is withdrawing 2020 guidance due to the uncertainty, Kinross said Wednesday. The company made the announcement at a time when many other mining companies including producers of gold, silver, platinum group metals and base metals have had to curtail operations in response to government measures to combat the virus. While the company cannot predict the future impact of the pandemic on its global operations, all Kinross mines continue to operate and have not been materially impacted to date, Kinross said in a prepared statement. Officials say preventative measures and contingency plans have been put in place for all sites, including social-distancing guidelines, working remotely when possible, medical preparedness, halting non-essential travel and more. Kinross has also continued to assess the potential impacts of the pandemic on its 2020 production and cost guidance, the company said. While the crisis has had no material impacts on the companys operations to date, Kinross has decided to withdraw its full-year 2020 guidance. The company believes this is the prudent approach given the pandemics significant impact on the world economy, the implications of government-mandated constraints on financial, commercial and business activities, and the potential for further business disruptions and global health impacts. However, gold sales could be slightly lower than production due to the impact of the pandemic on timing of sales and shipments, Kinross said. The company said it has a strong financial position and liquidity, but as a precautionary measure drew down $750 million from its $1.5 billion revolving credit facility on March 20. However, the company does not currently plan to deploy the funds, Kinross said. The Chevy Colorado is a fun compact truck that appeals to the daily driver and the enthusiasts alike. The company offers an off-road variant with a V-6 mill under its hood - the ZR2 but Chevy never offered a hot, powerful V-8 on it. As it turns out, aftermarket tuners saw the void and decided to capitalize on it by plonking in the V-8 from the C7 Corvette Z06. But, it didnt end there. The owner went ahead and further tuned it with Lingenfelters 720 Horsepower Kit. Result? A badass Colorado that is scary fast. Lingenfelter Offers A Supercharger Kit For the Chevy Colorados V-6 Engine The Colorado ZR2 is an impressive truck known for its off-roading prowess. Chevy even offered it with the supercar suspension technology from Multimatic. However, you could have this only with the four-cylinder diesel, or the V-6. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel mill makes 186 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque. As for the V-6, the 3.6-liter engine churns out 308 ponies and 275 pound-feet of torque. First of all, Lingenfelter offers a supercharger kit for this V-6 that puts the truck on steroids and increases the power by 142 horses on paper. Never heard of the tuner? Well, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering was founded by NHRA racer, John Lingenfelter, and the company is famous for its GM tuning packages. Anyway, coming back to the Colorado, in the V-6, two-wheel-drive guise, it puts out 260 ponies and 235 pound-feet of torque when tested on the dyno. After equipping it with Lingenfelters 450 Horsepower Kit, the dyno results showed 377 horses and 321 pound-feet of torque. Update: This article and the graph below has been updated to reflect horsepower at the crank. Lingenfelters update provides 450 horsepower and the crank and 377 horsepower and the wheels. What Do You Say About The LT4 V-8 Mill With A Performance Kit? The owner of this particular ZR2 wanted more and thus decided to swap out the engine for a V-8. The V-8 they chose was the famous LT4 thats also seen under the hoods of the C7 Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V. This was installed by the folks at Current Performance. The 6.2-liter, V-8 LT4 mill essentially produces 650 horses and the same pound-feet of torque. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. In this example, the LT4 was further mated to Lingerfelters 720 Horsepower Kit. The Lingenfelter kit includes a pulley designed to overdrive the supercharger by 15 percent, thus yielding an extra 2.5 psi of boost pressure, fasteners, belt, crankshaft bolt, 100-millimeter idler kit, a low-restriction air filter, engine tune, and a plethora of other parts. When tested on the Dyno after installing the 720 Horsepower kit, the results showed 534 horses and 526 pound-feet of torque. This seems to be a lot less than the theoretical 720 figure, but do take into consideration the difference of power delivery to the wheels in this type of a vehicle and a supercar. The big off-road tires dont help the cause either. Nevertheless, the truck is an absolute beast with this package. How Much Does this Performacne Update Cost? Lingenfelter has priced this LT4 720 Horsepower kit at $1,095. The 6.2-liter, supercharged LT4 wet sump costs around $15,000, whereas the dry sump is around a thousand bucks more. These, of course, dont include the prices for the 8L90E eight-speed transmission. What are your thoughts on this conversion? Share them with us in the comments section below. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:43:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The total number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Taiwan has increased by seven to 329, the island's epidemic monitoring agency said Wednesday. All the new patients, three men and four women, were believed to have contracted the virus during their trips to Britain and the United States, the agency said in a press release. Among the island's confirmed COVID-19 cases, 283 were imported. A total of 45 confirmed patients have recovered, and five died. Ahead of the four-day tomb-sweeping holiday that will start Thursday and lead to an increasing flow of travelers, the island's authorities have stepped up disease control measures. The island's railways, high-speed railways, airports, service areas of major highways and post offices started to take the temperature of passengers and ask them to wear face masks on Wednesday. The disease control agency urged the public to maintain a distance of 1.5 meters between each other indoors and 1 meter outdoors. It also warned that people who are quarantined at home would face a fine between 200,000 to 1 million New Taiwan dollars (about 6,600 to 33,000 U.S. dollars) for breaking the rules. According to the agency, 318 people have been fined a total of 27 million New Taiwan dollars. The Telangana administration is estimating that over 1,000 people from the state might have attended a religious congregation in the national capital's Nizamuddin area earlier this month, a senior official said on Tuesday. A search is on to identify people who came in contact with them following the death of six coronavirus patients who attended the meeting between March 13 and 15 died due to coronavirus ,according to a government release on Monday. "We estimate over 1,000 persons might have attended the congregation in Delhi. Respective district collectors and police personnel were on the job to locate people who came in contact with them after their return. Family members of the deceased were quarantined depending on the symptoms they show," the official told PTI. Two of the six died in Gandhi Hospital and one each in two different private hospitals here and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns, the release said without mentioning the time of deaths. Till Monday night, Telangana reported 77 coronavirus positive cases,of which 14 have been discharged. Since those who participated in Markaz religious prayer meeting were inflicted with coronavirus, all those who participated in the prayers should inform the officials concerned, the government appealed. It also requested anyone who has information about them should alert the government, the Medical and Health Department of Telangana State had stated in a statement. When contacted, Nizamabad Collector Narayana Reddy said as of now more than 200 people who are either related to or came in contact with the 53 people who attended the religious prayer from the city have been quarantined. "One person is still in Delhi and with one death now all the 51 (who had been to Delhi) are under quarantine," Reddy said. A senior official of Gadwal district said the immediate contacts of the deceased are also being identified and quarantined. "His (deceased's) son and daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were shifted to Gandhi Hospital after they reported to district administration with fever. The son and daughter-in-law have tested positive and are under treatment," the official said. A press release from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation ( GHMC) said 603 people returned to the city after participating in the religious meeting in Delhi. As many as 200 teams comprising officials of revenues, GHMC and Police searched 463 households and referred 74 persons who have Covid-19 symptoms and other ailments to state-run hospitals. According to the release, 348 were home quarantined while 41 have been sent to state-run quarantine facilities. Meanwhile, as per directions of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, distribution of 12 kg rice and Rs 500 to each migrant worker began in GHMC limits on Tuesday. Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Active cases rise to 1,238 in the country; death toll at 35 Also read: Nizamuddin congregation: 34 Noida residents who attended Tablighi Jamaat show no coronavirus symptoms yet Countries have been advised to manage their border restrictions in a manner which respects international human rights and refugee protection standards, while fighting the coronavirus pandemic. This was disclosed in a joint statement by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on Tuesday. There are ways to manage border restrictions in a manner which respects international human rights and refugee protection standards, including the principle of non-refoulement, through quarantine and health checks, the organisations said. They suggested that since many refugees, displaced, stateless people and migrants have skills and resources, they can also be part of the solution. We cannot allow fear or intolerance to undermine rights or compromise the effectiveness of responses to the global pandemic. We are all in this together. We can only defeat this virus when each and every one of us is protected, they said. Migrants health at risk The global bodies in the statement said in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, many refugees, those forcibly displaced, the stateless and migrants are at heightened risk. We are all vulnerable. The virus has shown that it does not discriminate, they said. They said three-quarters of the worlds refugees and many migrants are hosted in developing regions where health systems are already overwhelmed and under-capacitated. Yet, many live in overcrowded camps, settlements, makeshift shelters or reception centers, where they lack adequate access to health services, clean water and sanitation. The situation for refugees and migrants held in formal and informal places of detention, in cramped and unsanitary conditions, is particularly worrying, the organisations said. Release the Migrants Considering the lethal consequences a COVID-19 outbreak would have, countries have been asked to release detained migrants without delay. Migrant children and their families and those detained without a sufficient legal basis should be immediately released, it said. Inclusive health approach To avert a catastrophe, governments must do all they can to protect the rights and the health of everyone, the groups said. Protecting the rights and the health of all people will help control the spread of the virus. The disease can be controlled only if there is an inclusive approach which protects every individuals rights to life and health, they said. Migrants and refugees are disproportionately vulnerable to exclusion, stigma and discrimination, particularly when undocumented. The global bodies said it is vital that everyone, including all migrants and refugees, are ensured equal access to health services and are effectively included in national responses to COVID-19, including prevention, testing and treatment. Inclusion will help not only to protect the rights of refugees and migrants, but will also serve to protect public health and stem the global spread of COVID-19,. While many nations protect and host refugee and migrant populations, they said such countries are often not equipped to respond to crises such as COVID-19. To ensure refugees and migrants have adequate access to national health services, States may need additional financial support. Advertisements Also, the statement said the worlds financial institutions have to pay a leading role in making funds available. More than ever, as COVID-19 poses a global threat to the collective humanity, the primary focus should be on the preservation of life, regardless of status. This crisis demands a coherent, effective international approach that leaves no-one behind. At this crucial moment we all need to rally around a common objective, fighting this deadly virus. As of Tuesday, new deaths have taken the worldwide total past 38,000, and new cases have made global figure close to 800,000. President Trump floated during Tuesday's briefing that Americans can wear scarves 'if they want to do it' if they're concerned about contracting coronavirus. 'And just about masks, you could get a mask, but you could also - but most people have scarves and scarves are very good and they can use a scarf and we're only talking about a limited period of time,' the president said. Health officials who have previously urged Americans not to wear face masks unless they're ill are in the process of deciding if the public should wear them as a way to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. At the White House Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx - known for wearing colorful scarves as she briefs the press - said a decision hasn't been made yet. 'So it's still under discussion,' she told reporters. The coronavirus outbreak has prompted Americans to don surgical, cotton or even makeshift masks when they leave the home to buy groceries or exercise with the majority of the US now in various stages of lockdown due to the pandemic. Presdident Trump floated the idea Tuesday that Americans could wear scarves if they're worried about contracting the coronavirus - as the administration wants the flow of masks to go to the medical community Dr. Deborah Birx, known for her colorful scarves, said the White House is still considering whether to advise all Americans to don masks when they go outside to stop the spread of the virus Despite the CDC and the World Health Organization recommending that healthy people don't need masks, some health experts are advocating for the need to wear some form of mask out in public to reduce the risk of asymptomatic spreading. They argue that people who have no idea they are infected are spreading the virus because they either have no symptoms or have not begun to experience symptoms. Healthcare workers, however, are currently facing shortages of personal protective equipment - including N95 respirator masks and surgical masks - as they treat the onslaught of highly contagious patients. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top coronavirus expert, said on Tuesday that when the US gets into a situation where there are enough masks there would be very serious consideration about broadening the recommendations of face masks. The possible shift in guidance comes as the virus continues spread rapidly across the country with more than 189,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths as of Wednesday morning. It has prompted questions as to who should actually be wearing masks out in public and what to do if a person can't actually find one due to the current shortages. The coronavirus outbreak has prompted Americans to don surgical, cotton or even makeshift masks when they leave the home to buy groceries or exercise with the majority of the US now in various stages of lockdown due to the pandemic. Pictured above is the New York subway on Tuesday Who should be wearing masks? The current official guidance from both the CDC and the World Health Organization urges people who are healthy to avoid using masks due to the ongoing shortage for doctors and nurses. Out the healthcare setting, people who are healthy are urged to wear masks if they are caring for a person who has or is suspected of having coronavirus. Others are asked to wear masks out in public if they are coughing or sneezing - given they are some of the symptoms of having the coronavirus. How to wear masks to protect against coronavirus? The WHO says that masks are only effective for the general public when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning, including with alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and water. Health officials say that if people choose to wear a mask, it is important to know how to use it and dispose of it correctly. The US Surgeon General Jerome Adams has previously warned that healthy people who don't know how to wear a mask correctly can actually increase their risk of being infected. The risks increase because people wearing masks are likely to touch their face more often than others to make adjustments. The WHO has a list of recommendations for safely wearing masks, including putting it on with clean hands. They advise to make sure the mask is covering both the mouth and nose and to make sure there are no gaps between the face and mask. People are urged not to touch the mask while wearing it and, if they do, to immediately wash their hands. To remove the mask, health officials warn that people should avoid touching the front of the mask and should instead take it off from the side closest to the mouth. People are advised to throw single-use masks away immediately and to then wash their hands. The current official guidance from the CDC (above) urges people who are healthy to avoid using masks due to the ongoing shortage for doctors and nurses The World Health Organization has a list of recommendations for safely wearing and removing masks to avoid the risk of infection WEARING MASKS: THE WORLD HEALTH ORG'S ADVICE When to use a mask: If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly. How to wear medical masks to protect against coronavirus: Before putting on a mask, clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Cover mouth and nose with mask and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask. Avoid touching the mask while using it; if you do, clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Replace the mask with a new one as soon as it is damp and do not re-use single-use masks. To remove the mask: remove it from behind (do not touch the front of mask); discard immediately in a closed bin; clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Advertisement What to do if there are no masks available? The CDC currently has advice on its website for healthcare professionals to help them deal with situations where face masks are not available. The same advice can be implemented by the public. Heath officials say that when masks are unavailable, homemade masks should be used as a last resort. Homemade masks include a bandana or scarf covering a person's mouth and nose. Officials do, however, warn that homemade masks are not considered personal protective equipment and caution should be used when using this option. There are also cases across the country where people have opted to sew their own DIY masks with a t-shirt or kitchen towel due to the shortage. Past studies have also shown that vacuum cleaner bags can be used to make homemade masks. When masks aren't available, the CDC also advises health professionals to use some form of face shield that covers the entire front and sides of the face. Is there any evidence that face masks actually work? Research on how much protection face masks provides varies but, recently, experts are increasingly leaning toward the notion that something is better than nothing. Research published by the University of Oxford published on March 30 concluded that surgical masks were just as effective at preventing respiratory infections as N95 masks for doctors, nurses and other health care workers. While it is too early to tell if those masks can prevent infection in relation to coronavirus, the study found that thinner, cheaper masks worked in flu outbreaks. The difference between surgical or face masks and the N95 masks lies in the size of particles that are able to get through the material. N95 respirators are made of thick, tightly woven, molded material that fits over the face and can stop 95 percent of all airborne particles. Surgical masks are thinner, fit more loosely and have more holes - meaning they are less effective at stopping small particles from entering the nose and mouth. Research on how much protection face masks provides varies but, recently, experts are increasingly leaning toward the notion that something is better than nothing. A man wearing a face mask jogs in Venice Beach, California on Saturday A crowd of people lined up wearing face masks outside a Whole Foods in Harlem, New York on Tuesday A Pat's Farms grocery store worker wears a mask and plastic visor on Tuesday in Merrick, New York. When masks aren't available, the CDC has advised health professionals to use some form of face shield that covers the entire front and sides of the face Will health officials change the guidance for face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic? US health officials said on Tuesday they are discussing whether to recommend that the general public wear face masks as a way to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus but that it was too soon to take that step. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease experts, said the use of masks outside the healthcare setting is under active consideration by the CDC and that the White House coronavirus task force would discuss it on Tuesday. 'The thing that has inhibited that bit is to make sure that we don't take away the supply of masks from the healthcare workers who need them,' Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN. When the country gets into a situation where there are enough masks, Fauci said, there will be very serious consideration of broadening the recommendation on face masks. 'We're not there yet but I think we're coming close to some determination, because if in fact a person who may or may not be infected wants to prevent infecting someone else, one of the best ways to do that is with a mask,' Dr Fauci said. The consideration of wider use of masks stems from the likelihood that people who have no idea they are infected are spreading the virus because they either have no symptoms or have not begun to experience symptoms. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams cautioned that wearing surgical-type cotton masks may not protect healthy Americans from contracting coronavirus and may even put them more at risk. 'Wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease. It can also give you a false sense of security,' Adams told Fox News, adding that the CDC was looking at data involving the cotton masks. 'The data doesn't show that it helps individuals,' he said. 'If you're sick, wear a mask. If you have a mask and it makes you feel better then by all means wear it. But know that the more you touch your face the more you put yourself at risk. 'There may be a day when we change our recommendations - particularly for areas that have large spread going on - about wearing cotton masks... But again, the data's not there yet.' Who is pushing for the guidance to change? The idea is being pushed by some health experts, including Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. In a pandemic roadmap for the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank published on Sunday, Gottlieb advocated for people, even those without symptoms, to wear non-medical masks during this initial phase of rapid community transmission. He called for the public to 'initially be asked to wear fabric nonmedical face masks while in the community to reduce their risk of asymptomatic spread'. Gottlieb told CBS on Sunday that the CDC should be issuing guidelines on how people can make adequate DIY masks so it would take away from the healthcare workers on the front line. On the issue of face masks, President Donald Trump said at the White House coronavirus briefing on Monday that 'it's certainly something we could discuss'. 'After we get back into gear, people could - I could see something like that happening for a period of time, but I would hope it would be a very limited period of time,' Trump said. A new study reveals that samples of sputum and feces continue to test positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus even after a person has recovered from COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal secretions test negative for the virus. The study from researchers at the Institute of Infectious Diseases at Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, appeared in the latest issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The study is titled, SARS-CoV-2Positive Sputum and Feces After Conversion of Pharyngeal Samples in Patients With COVID-19. Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a VERO E6 cell (blue) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (orange), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID What was the study about? The world has been brought down to its knees by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, causing COVID-19 disease. Since declared a global pandemic, the number of cases and deaths due to the disease has steadily climbed. As of today, the total number of cases globally is 858,785 and the infection and its complications have killed 42,151 individuals. There are no specific therapies for COVID-19 nor vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 infection. At present, the only available options are the diagnosis and isolation of the positive patient to prevent transmission to others and treatment of the symptoms such as fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. For diagnosis, real-time quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) testing of nasopharyngeal secretions for SARSCoV-2 RNA is used. At present, apart from respiratory specimens, other specimens are also used for the detection of the virus. The specimens that test positive for the virus on RT-qPCR include blood, feces, and urine. However, there are no studies that look at the efficacy of testing multiple sites in the body for the virus. The main aim of this study was to look at the results of RT-qPCR for SARSCoV2 RNA from sputum as well as fecal samples of patients who tested negative for the virus in their nasopharyngeal samples. What was done? The study team looked at the admitted patients from the Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University. They had all tested positive using paired RT-qPCR testing of their pharyngeal swabs and either their sputum or feces samples. For a positive diagnosis, at least 2 RT-qPCRpositive pharyngeal swabs are needed wrote the researchers. The patients were treated symptomatically, and at the end of their treatment course, the patients had to meet four criteria before they could be discharged from the hospital. These included; No fever for three consecutive days No respiratory symptoms Significant improvement in the chest CT scan findings Two consecutive negative RT-qPCR tests for SARSCoV2 in the respiratory secretion samples. These two samples are to be taken at least 24 hours apart. For this study, the team looked at least 1 follow up RT-qPCR positive sample of sputum or feces in the patients at least 24 hours after they had tested negative in their respiratory samples. RT-qPCR assay, wrote the researchers looked at the open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) region and the nucleoprotein (N) gene along with negative control. They explained that the cycle threshold value they decided on was 37 or less, and Chinese national guidelines were followed to determine positive results. What was found? The researchers assessed samples of 133 patients who were admitted with COVID-19 between 20 January and 27 February 2020. The patients included 18 who were aged between 15 and 65 years and 4 children. 11 of the patients had a history of travel to regions where there were clusters of COVID-19 or had been exposed to an individual who had returned from Hubei Province in China in the last month. One of the most prevalent symptoms of the patients was fever. Five of the patients had at least one comorbid disease. From these, they identified 22 who had an initial or positive result from sputum and fecal samples paired with negative nasopharyngeal samples. A total of 545 samples were collected from the 22 patients, and these were 209 pharyngeal swabs, 262 samples of sputum, and 74 samples of feces. All the enrolled patients met the criteria for hospital discharge and were subsequently discharged. The researchers noted that RT-qPCR positivity persisted in the sputum and feces for up to 39 and 13 days, respectively, even after the pharyngeal samples tested negative. Limitations of the study This study was not performed under usual protocols, say the researchers. They said the study was not conducted in a systemic manner, and it was still not clear if these patients testing positive in their sputum and fecal samples were a danger to their contacts. The team explains that sampling for this study was convenience sampling. Conclusions and implications This study reveals that there is much scope for study regarding the persistent presence of the virus in various bodily secretions and its implications in transmission. The team wrote, These results warrant further study, including the systematic and simultaneous collection of samples from multiple body sites and evaluation of infectious risk. Irans foreign ministry Wednesday warned about American military moves in Iraq leading to disastrous instability in the region. The official warning came after expressions of concern by Iranian officials and allegation of U.S. preparing some sort of military operation. The ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi sounded the warning in reaction to reports and speculations about a possible U.S. attack on Irans militia proxy forces in Iraq. Mousavi renewed a call by Iran that American forces should leave Iraq in accordance with demands by the people and government of the country and should refrain from creating tensions in the region. In the past week, the U.S. has relocated part of its forces out of some of Iraqi military bases. In the meantime, reports said on Monday the U.S. increased the number of its Patriot anti-air defense systems around Iraqi military bases where American troops are deployed. One of the Patriot batteries was deployed to the Ain al-Asad base last week and was being assembled, according to a U.S. defense official and an Iraqi military source, AFP reported on Monday. The New York Times and Washington Post also reported in recent days that Pentagon was planning possible retaliation against Iraqi paramilitaries allied with the Islamic Republic. "Annihilation of Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), in particular, is on Pentagon's agenda," New York Times reported. In recent months, the Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups have intensified their attacks on the U.S. military and diplomatic targets. According to AFP, Iraq's caretaker prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi warned on Monday against any "offensive military action without the approval of the Iraqi government" but did not specifically mention the Patriots. On March 31, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) also issued warnings and vowed retaliation if the U.S. attacks any targets in Iraq. National Bank of Greece SA has halted the sale of its Ethniki Insurance unit after the coronavirus pandemic dashed any lingering hopes of a successful auction, according to people familiar with the matter. In addition to the market rout, bids for the unit came in lower than expected, prompting the Greek lender to put the divestment on hold, said the people. National Bank could restart a sale once the situation stabilizes, the people said, asking not to be identified because discussions are private. Ethniki Insurance had attracted bids from suitors including buyout firm CVC Capital Partners, while Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd. and private equity firm Varde Partners dropped out of the process, the people said. Offers came in substantially lower than the target of as much as 600 million euros ($658 million), they said. Representatives for National Bank, CVC and Varde declined to comment, while Fosun couldnt be immediately reached. Its another blow for National Bank, which has been trying to sell the asset for years to shore up its capital buffers. Greeces biggest lender by assets pledged to the European Commission after the financial crisis that it would try to offload the business. National Bank joins a long list of companies putting asset sales on hold as the spread of the virus roils financing and equity markets. The volume of deals through March marks the slowest quarter since the first three months of 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. With assistance from Shirley Zhao. Photograph: A pedestrian walks past the entrance to the National Bank of Greece bank in Athens. Photo credit: Yorgos Karahalis /Bloomberg Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics COVID-19 Member of Parliament (Servant of the People Party faction) Geo Leros has said he told the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on Tuesday where he received videos of a person who resembled Denys Yermak, the brother of head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak. "On Friday I got these videos. I watched what was on the flash drive, and the next day I gave them to journalists from the Schemes: Corruption in Detail program, and the next day to investigative journalists at Bihus.info. On Monday I wrote to the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and gave them the original flash drive. Where the flash drive came from is part of the investigation now. Sooner or later investigators will tell the details. They asked me not to talk about it yet," Leros said in an interview with the Kyiv-based ezine Ukrayinska Pravda on Tuesday. Leros said he is not personally interested who made the video clips or for what purpose. "I hope SAPO or NABU will find the people who recorded them and get more specific information, because they can be witnesses in this matter," he said. Leros refuted accusations by Yermak that he was trying to help "a man from the previous government who previously worked in the Kyiv City State Administration." "This is my good friend Illia Sahaidak (deputy of the city council, former deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration), who worked at the headquarters of President Zelensky a year and a half ago ," Leros said. He denied allegiance to former head of the President's Office Andriy Bohdan. As reported, on March 29, Leros posted several short videos on his Facebook page in which a person who looks like the brother of the head of the parliament, Denys Yermak, discusses appointing persons to government posts. The video clips were purportedly made between August-September 2019. (Natural News) A Michigan emergency room nurse on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic issued a dire warning and chilling update on the reality of the virus and the strain it is having on hospitals, begging people to stay home and warning that its getting to the point now that its going to be just like Italy. (Article by Hannah Bleau republished from Breitbart.com) Mary MacDonald, who works for the Ascension Health System, posted a viral update on Instagram this week, detailing her experience after working at the Southfield location to assist with an influx of patients. Ill have to admit, in being totally transparent, if you had asked me ten-plus days ago if I thought this was going to get as bad as it was, I would have told you no, she said in the video: I mean, you heard the rumors. You saw the trends. But until you see if first hand, you just have no idea what its like whats its going to be like. And its truly frightening, she continued, explaining that they are now seeing double even triple the number of patients coming in, many of whom are not getting tested. Coming into the hospital, she said, does not serve to benefit a person unless he or she is experiencing respiratory distress, and even then, the hospitals are quickly running low on vital supplies to treat those patients from ventilators to Tylenol. Its getting to the point now that its going to be just like Italy. We intubated, from 10:00 p.m. last night to this morning, we intubated two of my patients within a half hour. And upwards of ten patients were put on ventilators. My patient took the last ventilator available in the hospital, she said, further detailing the chilling new reality. Resources are very slim. We have no medications to keep these patients even ventilated, let alone ventilators, she said. Medications like fentanyl or propofol that would keep a patient sedated while theyre intubated were out of. Were out of Tylenol. And thats not even going back to the fact that we dont have any ventilators to put these patients on, so were going to start making life or death decisions in regards to peoples care, she said. So youre going to come in and youre going to get tagged whether you deem necessary to even get intubated, or are you being sent home to die, she added: Normally, if a patient was to pass away, it would be because we tried everything that we could, we did everything that we could, we had all the resources and all the people that we needed to help save this patients life, and it was just their time. And now, we arent giving the patient the time to choose whether its their time or not. Were choosing for them. I never wanted to go into a career where I wasnt able to save everyone, the nurse said. This is truly scary, and nobody is taking it seriously, she continued, noting the pictures on social media of spring breakers partying on beaches and others not practicing proper social distancing. Hospitals are also running out of gloves, and medical professionals are forced to reuse masks because we are completely out of resources, MacDonald continued. There are no masks. There are no gowns. Theyre running low on gloves because everyone has panicked and stockpiled this so that medical staff doesnt have it, she said, showing the camera the brown paper bag she uses to transport her mask to and from work. We cannot stay safe, and we cannot care for all of these people that are coming in because no one is taking this seriously. And I am being super transparent. I was one of those people that wasnt taking it seriously, she said. But Im here to tell you that you need to. We are literally making life and death decisions for people, MacDonald added, begging people to heed her advice and stay home. Stay home with your loved ones. Dont go out. Dont go to the grocery store. Dont go through the drive-thrus. Dont do anything that could put you at risk to have to see me at the end of the tunnel, she said. Im telling you its not worth it. And I dont know what I can do to save people anymore, and that is something Ive never wanted to say in my entire career. Her warning comes as Michigan emerges as one of the United States latest coronavirus hotspots, with nearly 3,000 confirmed cases and 60 related deaths, including a Detroit mother of four. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has issued stringent stay-at-home orders, which prohibit all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring among persons outside a single household. Read more at: Breitbart.com Latest News MFAA calls submissions for 2022 Excellence Awards The association also reveals a new award Playing it safe? Here are 50 of most consistent suburbs to invest in Hotspotting founder claims investors should look into stable markets, not booming ones Loan Market has announced the appointment of a former non-bank executive as state director of Western Australia. Royden DVaz has over 25 years of experience in finance, most recently having spent five years as Bluestones national head of sales and marketing where he spearheaded the lenders broker and industry relationships. He was also the head of broker for NAB in WA/SA. Ive always been passionate about supporting the broker channel and the value brokers provide in the marketplace, said DVaz. Im very excited to now be working shoulder-to-shoulder with brokers in their businesses at a time when there are both significant opportunities, as well as immediate challenges ahead. Globally, there are inherent challenges at the moment and Im committed to helping Loan Markets brokers through this period so they can be even stronger once the climate normalises and we start to reframe business as usual." As a Perth local, DVaz is thrilled to help WA brokers navigate the period of regulatory and market change the industry has found itself in. Theres an appreciation of the affordability in Perths property market right now and people are willing to buy and sell, he said. Loan Markets former WA state director, Ken MacLennan, plans to join sister company Ray White, at the office in Mirrabooka. Royden has been a prominent member of WAs broker market for more than two decades, said executive director of network success, Andrea McNaughton. He has a strong understanding of the business community and markets in WA and an infectious energy that will support brokers through the forthcoming industry adjustments. Global credit rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P) on Wednesday lowered the forecasts for India to 5.2 per cent from the earlier 5.7 per cent. In a statement S&P Global Ratings said: "We lower our forecasts for China, India, and Japan for 2020 to 2.9 per cent, 5.2 per cent and -1.2 per cent (from 4.8 per cent, 5.7 per cent, and -0.4 per cent previously)." According to S&P, the timing of a recovery depends, most of all, on progress in containing Coronavirus spread. "Even if major progress is made during the second quarter, after a sustained period of stressed cash flow many firms will be in no position to resume investing quickly. Households that have either lost their jobs or have worked fewer hours will spend less. Banks will be busy managing the deterioration in asset quality. There will be pent-up demand but the longer the crisis drags on, the weaker it will be," S&P said. Citing its report titled "Asia-Pacific Recession Guaranteed" S&P said the economic growth in 2020 in the region will more than halve to less than three per cent as the global economy enters a recession. "An enormous first-quarter shock in China, shutdowns across the U.S. and Europe, and local virus transmission guarantees a deep recession across Asia-Pacific," Shaun Roache, the chief Asia-Pacific economist at S&P Global Ratings was quoted as saying in the statement. According to S&P, by recession, it means at least two quarters of well below-trend growth sufficient to trigger rising unemployment. "Our estimate of permanent income losses is likely to at least double to more than $400 billion," said Roache. "For credit markets, a key question is how these losses are distributed across sovereigns, firms, banks, and households." According to the statement, China is gradually recovering from an enormous economic blow early in 2020. February data confirm a huge shock to activity in the first quarter. Investment accounts for about 45 per cent of China's economy -- and fixed asset investment in January and February combined plunged by almost 25 per cent compared with a year ago. Over the same period, industrial production and retail sales fell by 14 per cent and 21 per cent. "These are unprecedented numbers," said Roache. "This not only confirms a hard hit to China's growth but indicates that the authorities are not smoothing the data." External shocks from the fallout of global viral spread add a new dimension. People flows from the US and Europe will be decimated for at least two quarters, heaping more pressure on the tourism industry. The global policy response, including the Federal Reserve's policy-rate cut to zero and the Bank of Japan's scaled-up asset purchases, will help cushion but not quickly reverse these shocks. Local measures aiming to support vulnerable sectors and workers may help but their effect will wane the longer the crisis lasts. The amplifier of the real economic shocks, which has taken an outsized role, is tightening financial conditions. This could tip an economic recession into financial stress, said S&P. "If lingering uncertainty results in a strong preference for US dollars, policymakers in Asia's emerging markets may be forced into a damaging round of pro-cyclical policy tightening," Roache said. "The countries most vulnerable to capital outflows remain India, Indonesia, and the Philippines," he said. "The scars that may be left on balance sheets and in labour markets threaten a more drawn out U-shape recovery in Asia-Pacific," said Roache. Rapper Medikal has denied accusations that he has abandoned a die-hard fan who got inhured at his recent "Welcome To Sowutuom" concert. Medikal has been in the news for sometime now for neglecting a fan who picked up serious bodily injuries during his show on November 30, 2019 at Kwashieman park in Accra. According to reports the fan known as Frank Arhin got hurt at the concert because one of the huge sound systems used on the day fell on him, leading to him being hospitalized. Eric Arhin who is the elder brother of Frank has granted a couple of interviews on radio accusing Medikal of having abandoned his brother who is in a critical condition at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The news went viral and Medikal has come under serious attack especially on social media with some accusing him of flaunting his wealth whiles neglecting a fan to rot in the hospital. But the "Omo Ada" crooner went live on Instagram to react to the allegations and set the records straight by showing receipts to prove having foot the medical bills of the said abandoned fan who is still on admission at a health facility. Watch his full video below: Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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 To assist Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru to leave the country smoothly, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it will charter a flight, the cost of which will be borne by the passengers. Peru has declared a state of emergency and imposed strict restrictions on all land and air traffic. At present, Hong Kong residents still in Peru cannot leave through normal flight arrangements. The Hong Kong SAR Government said after it received requests for assistance from stranded Hong Kong residents, the Security Bureau and the Immigration Department have been liaising with the Chinese Embassy in Peru and several airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for their return. It will arrange a chartered flight from Lima to London on April 3, followed by a connecting flight with secured flight bookings back to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong SAR Government is actively following up with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese Embassy in Peru, including assisting in arranging a chartered flight to take about 30 Hong Kong residents in Cusco to Lima. Those in other locations will be assisted by local travel agencies or transport companies to arrange for them to arrive at Lima Airport before noon on April 3 to catch the chartered flight out of Peru. Hong Kong residents in Peru who have yet to contact the departments Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit but wish to take the chartered flight out of Peru to London and then return to Hong Kong should call the department's 24-hour hotline (852) 1868 or email [email protected] for assistance by March 31, Peru time (ie 1pm on April 1, Hong Kong time). According to legal requirements, all people who have been to an overseas country or territory within 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong must undergo 14 days of compulsory quarantine. According to the World Health Organization's guidelines, airlines will refuse to board passengers with symptoms of illness. As at noon today, the department has received a total of 91 assistance requests from Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru, including more than 30 group tour members. Nine of those who sought assistance have left Peru already through other arrangements. One of the Hong Kong residents had earlier passed away from COVID-19 infection. Three of the deceased's close contacts have to stay in Peru for quarantine and take the COVID-19 virus test. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong SAR Government continues to closely follow up on Hong Kong residents stranded in Morocco. The department received assistance requests from 152 Hong Kong residents concerning home passage from there. To assist Hong Kong residents to return home, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been taking action on multiple fronts, including actively liaising with several airlines to secure flight bookings for the affected Hong Kong residents to leave Morocco via other places. As at noon today, 113 people have either already returned to Hong Kong by different flights, or have secured return arrangements. For the 39 Hong Kong residents remaining in Morocco, they are mainly in the cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh. The Hong Kong SAR Government is actively following up with the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco and a number of airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for their return. It will notify the Hong Kong residents of the latest information as early as possible. By AFP BEIRUT: The war in Syria killed 103 civilians in March, marking the lowest monthly non-combatant death toll since the start of the conflict in 2011, a war monitor said on Wednesday.The bulk of the remaining casualties were caused either by explosive remnants or mysterious "assassinations", the Observatory added. The civilian death toll was more than double that of March in February, when a regime offensive on Syria's last major rebel bastion was still in full swing. According to the Observatory, the number of deaths that month stood at 275. The war in Syria has left more than 380,000 people dead since it started nine years ago. The highest civilian death toll recorded in a month since the start of the conflict was 1,590 in July 2016, when battles between rebels and the regime raged in the northern province of Aleppo. Damascus in early March paused a military offensive on rebels and jihadists in Syria's northwest, after a ceasefire brokered by regime ally Russia came into effect. The Moscow-backed campaign had displaced nearly a million people in the region since December, piling pressure on informal settlements already brimming with families forced to flee previous bouts of violence. The fate of the displaced has been a key concern of aid groups amid an outbreak in the country of the novel coronavirus, which has killed two and infected eight others. The United Nations has appealed for a nation-wide ceasefire to tackle the novel coronavirus threat, while aid groups have warned of a health catastrophe if the pandemic hits overcrowded displacement camps or crammed regime prisons. Of the total deaths, some 51 people were killed in shelling and airstrikes by the Syrian regime, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. BEIJING Chinese officials say dry conditions, high temperatures and a sudden change in wind direction all contributed to the deaths of 19 people in a forest fire in mountainous southwestern China. The official Xinhua News Agency said this week that thousands of firefighters were still battling the blaze near the city of Xichang in Sichuan province. An emergency evacuation was initiated, and more than 300 professional firefighters and another 700 militiamen were sent to help along with 142 fire engines and six remote water supply systems. In the days leading up to President Trump signing the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, dubbed the CARES Act, on March 25, right-wing media were filled with claims that Democrats were padding the bill with giveaways to people and organizations that supported their liberal agendawhich, to seasoned right-wing watchers, signaled that if perks were being added, better to look right than left for the sources. And of course, a side "benefit" of this right-wing chicanery is that women's rights are getting screwed in the process as well. But first, a prelude to all this. Remember when everyonethat is, everyone except dyed-in-the-wool conservatives and Fox News commentatorswas saying that one of the best ways to prevent coronavirus exposure was social distancing: everyone staying at least six feet away from strangers and anyone already infected? Well, of course, The Faithful knew that warning didn't apply to them, because they knew that whatever they did, God would take care of them. F'r'instance, just last weekend, Pastor Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge held a service for 1,000 of his followers after Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, just a few days prior, had called on all citizens to shelter in their homes, and had outright banned groups of more than 50 from gathering. Spell, who styles himself a faith healer, having claimed to have cured HIV and cancer during his services, claimed discrimination, arguing that unless all businesses were being required to close, his services should be allowed to continue. (Conservative attorney Jonathan Turley likened Spell's stance to that of Mary Mallon, better known as "Typhoid Mary," who in the early 1900s was a cook for several well-to-do families in New York City, who "repeatedly defied orders to wash her hands and quarantine herself"and infected pretty much everyone she cooked for.) Earlier, on March 15, Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church and leader of Revival Ministeries International, also brought his congregation together in defiance of the "pansies" who feared the virus' spread, and according to an article in The New York Post, "encouraged congregants to hug in defiance of health warnings." "We are not stopping anything," he said. "Ive got news for you, this church will never close. The only time the church is closed is when the Rapture is taking place ... God will protect our people, and if you die to be with Jesus, so whats the problem?" Um ... the fact that as of this writing, just over 4,000 Louisianians have been infected with COVID-19, and 185 have already died from it? P.S.: Both of those guys have been arrested for "creating a public nuisance." ** UPDATE: Dr. Steven Hotze, an anti-LGBTQ nutbar preacher, has appealed to the Supreme Court of Texas for an emergency Writ of Mandamus, overruling Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos March 24 stay-at-home order, which closes churches and gun shops during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an article on AboveTheLaw.com. If the Order is allowed to remain in place, the harm to individuals, businesses, the general public, people of faith, and the fundamental rights guaranteed to Harris County residents under the United States and Texas Constitutions would be impossible to undo, reads Hotzes petition, filed with three local pastors, who contend that their flocks cannot possibly wait until after the pandemic to assemble in worship and top off their arsenals. ** And then, of course, there's the decision by Liberty University head Jerry Falwell Jr. to reopen his school after spring break and encourage students to move back into their dormsa move that one commentator described as "16,000 petri dishes hes inviting back to Lynchburg, who have gone out all over country for spring breakhes inviting them back into our city, our community, knowing that at some point theyre gonna have to interact with the public." "We think Libertys practices will become the model for all colleges to follow in the fall, if Coronavirus is still an issue," Falwell told the schools news service about ten days ago. But enough about past insanity; how about the insanity that just around the corner? Those with a good deal of fortitude can read the CARES Act's 880 pages here, but several interest groups have already done that homework and noticed that when it comes to women's and children's rights, religious conservatives have stuck it to them, using the bill to push their anti-rights agendas into state law. First, let's take abortion. As pretty much everyone knows, if a woman is pregnant, there's a time limit within which she must terminate that pregnancy if she wants to do so. Various states have already passed laws preventing an abortion from taking place if the woman is anywhere from six weeks to 22 weeks "with child," though the six-week limit is currently under challenge and isn't being enforced. But the point is, any pregnant women who were considering termination when the coronavirus pandemic struck are currently shit out of luck in three states, and depending on how some recently filed lawsuits turn out, may also lose that right in others as well. "In recent days, leaders in several statesincluding Texas, Ohio and Louisianahave pushed to close abortion clinics or severely curtail access, arguing that abortion is a nonessential procedure that ought to be delayed," The New York Times stated in an editorial last week. "The 'nonessential' bit is obvious nonsense and the delay a transparent attempt to put abortion out of reach for those who need it. As several major health care groups noted in a joint statement last week, 'Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care. It is also a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks, or in some cases days, may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible. The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a persons life, health and well-being.'" Abortion rights supporters can add Mississippi to their enemies list as well. The Times did have a few suggestions, including making birth control available for all women on demand (which continues to be part of the Affordable Care Actthat isn't always enforced); make "morning after" pills available by mail; and ditch the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits any federal monies from being used to pay for abortion services. In fact, the CARES Act reiterates that the Hyde Amendment applies to all federal funding distributed under the Act. Also, remember how adult companies won't be eligible to apply for Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans? Guess what? No Planned Parenthood branch or similar service organization is eligible for such loans either! Of course, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have already filed suit in four states (so far)Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma and Alabamato ensure that women continue to have access to abortion services, and it seems likely that once PP applies for SBA loans and is turned down, a lawsuit about that will be in the offing as well. (The excuse for the SBA will be that there are about 16,000 Planned Parenthood employees countrywide, making it not a "small business"but many of those Planned Parenthood clinics are independently owned and operated.) And speaking of women and minor teens, who can forget the cautionary words of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which asked in a recent email, "We have heard that traffickers are pushing victims to take gig jobs while sex buying is down. Are you hearing anything about this?" And what about the children? Well, as usual, the religio-conservatives have plans for them as welland in the CARES Act, that takes the form of Section 3821, the "Extension of Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program," which, after sorting through all the "strike this" and "add that," means the bill will allocate monies on top of the already allocated $48,287,671 from last year's budget, to extend this utterly worthless abstinence education through November 30just to make sure it's in effect when Americans go to the polls on November 3 to vote for a new president. "Abstinence-only means anti-science and anti-reality," declared Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Dan Barker. "These programs don't educate children, they keep them ignorant and that puts them at risk. Ironically, the 'ab-only' crusaders help to cause the abortions they denounce. We need comprehensive sex education." And speaking of sex ed, that's one thing kids won't get if a new organization, Public School Exit, has its way. Building on the fact that public schools in all large metropolitan areas and elsewhere have been closed due to the pandemic, "According to the non-profit, founded in 2019 by Christian leaders passionate about K-12 education, government schools are seriously harming children through sexualization, indoctrination, and dumbing down," the organization's press release on Christian Newswire states. And finally, there's the draft. "What draft?" you ask. Why, the one that's sure to come as it becomes more and more difficult to find people willing to fight the current pandemic "in the trenches," so to speak. "The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service, a congressional panel championed by the late Sen. John McCain, has seized the moment to advocate mandatory registration of all young women for the draft," wrote conservative whackjob Robert Knight in The Washington Times. "For years, women have served admirably in many capacities, just not deliberately in direct combat. Women have been exempted from the draft, and military women from combat, because theyre the bearers of life and primary caregivers. Plus, men are better equipped for combat," the sexist columnist claimed. But since President Obama okayed women to serve in front-line combat in the Middle East, as far as Knight is concerned, all bets are off. After quoting former Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's support for female troops in Afghanistan, Knight declares, "Translation: Lets ram this through while people are terrified and distracted" by the pandemic. Darn these leftists! Don't they have any respect for suppressing women's rights? Photo from public source via Wikimedia Commons Japan is planning to place an entry ban on foreign nationals from an additional 49 countries and territories as the coronavirus pandemic expands. Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu revealed the plan on Tuesday. The additional areas will include the United States, Canada, and all of China and South Korea as well as Britain and Greece, covering most of Europe. The updated list will cover a total of 73 countries and territories, including Africa, South America and parts of the Middle East. Foreigners who have been to any of those regions within 14 days of arriving in Japan will not be allowed entry. Motegi also said the Foreign Ministry raised travel alerts for those 49 countries and territories to level 3, urging Japanese nationals to avoid traveling to them. The alerts for all countries and territories other than those ranked level 3 were raised to level 2. Japanese nationals are being warned against making any non-essential trips to such places. At least 48 members of Tablighi Jamaat from Uttarakhand attended the Nizamuddin Markaz in March causing concern among authorities who are also trying to reach its 650 other members who travelled to the state from outside since January this year. At least 48 members of the Jamaat attended the Nizamuddin Markaz during March out of which 19 were from Dehradun district and 29 from Haridwar, Intelligence Department sources here said. Twenty-six of them are still in Delhi, DG (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar said. The rest may have moved to other states from the congregation at Nizamuddin, intelligence officials said. They also said efforts are underway to reach 650 members of Tabligh-e-Jamaat who travelled to Uttarakhand from outside since January this year. Seventeen Jamaats numbering over 300 members from outside the state are scattered at different places across Uttarakhand at present, apart from around 341 from the state who have returned home after attending religious congregations in different states since January, Intelligence Department sources said. These jamaats are located mostly in Dehradun, Haridwar, Ramnagar and Haldwani, they said. Twenty-two jamaat members from Nizamuddin Markaz, mostly residents of Delhi, arrived in two separate batches at two mosques at Mallital and Ramnagar in Nainital district during March. Eight people came into contact with them. All of them have been identified and are being screened and quarantined, the sources said. Three people from Uttarkashi and four from Almora attended the Nizamuddin Markaz since January. Though hundreds of people attended the Nizamuddin Markaz since January the focus is on those who attended it during the month of March which saw a spike in coronavirus cases countrywide. All jamaat members who attended the Nizamuddin congregation or went to other states including Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh since January till date have been identified. According to a list issued by the Intelligence Department, some groups have returned to Uttarakhand while others are yet to return. All district magistrates, SPs and SSPs have been furnished with information on such Jamaat members and asked to act accordingly, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:00:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China appropriated 24.5 billion yuan (around 3.45 billion U.S. dollars) in medical assistance subsidies in 2019, including 4 billion yuan allocated for beefing up medical security in areas of deep poverty, the National Healthcare Security Administration said. In 2019, more than 77 million people funded by the subsidies signed up for basic medical insurance, according to a statistics report released by the administration. China has built a system of basic medical insurance, major disease insurance and medical assistance to alleviate poverty through healthcare. By the end of 2019, 200 million impoverished people had benefited from such programs, and 4.18 million people who fell into poverty due to illness have been lifted out. Basic medical insurance had covered more than 99.9 percent of the poverty-stricken population in rural areas by the end of 2019, the report said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday registered a case in the gurdwara terror attack that took place in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 25. This is for the first time that the NIA has registered a case in context to attack outside India. This comes after a recent amendment to the NIA Act empowering it to investigate terror cases committed at any place outside the country against the Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India. The NIA registered a case under section 120B, 125 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 16,18,20 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) under the provisions of section 6(8) of the NIA Act and started an investigation. On March 25, unknown gunmen had stormed into a gurdwara in Shor Bazar area in Kabul and fired indiscriminately killing 27 devotees and injuring several others. About 150 persons were inside the gurdwara when the attack took place. An Indian citizen Tian Singh a resident of Greater Kailash-1 in New Delhi was also killed in the attack. The proscribed terrorist organisation, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) had claimed the responsibility for the terror attack. As per the preliminary investigation, one Muhsin from Trikkaripur in Kerala's Kasargod and others who had joined ISKP, are suspected to have been involved in the terrorist attack. Coronavirus antibody tests may finally be on the way to Britain as one manufacturer of the kits has restricted sales to just UK healthcare providers. Belfast-based Biopanda Reagents posted an alert on its website to say the ban on all international orders was 'effective immediately'. Its kits, which work on just a finger-prick of blood, give results in 10 minutes and can tell if someone has ever had the life-threatening coronavirus. Ministers claim to have ordered 17.5million kits in principle, with firms only securing deals if their tests pass medical checks by health chiefs. But officials have still yet to approve any type of coronavirus antibody test, despite promises the DIY kits would be ready for use by mid-April. Health Secretary Matt Hancock first said the UK had bought antibody tests last Tuesday. Other manufacturers of similar DIY kits have warned it could take up to six weeks for them to start supplying Britain because of the hold-up. Mass antibody testing will allow the UK to slowly ease its draconian lockdown, which senior officials have warned could last for months. The regime would paint a clear picture on who has already caught the killer infection and is immune to being struck down again. It would allow frontline NHS staff who are stuck at home - estimates suggest around a quarter of doctors are in lockdown - to get back to work. It comes as ministers were today accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs to scale-up mass coronavirus viral testing. Belfast-based Biopanda Reagents posted an alert on its website to say the ban on all international orders was 'effective immediately' WHAT IS AN ANTIBODY TEST, AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT TO AN ANTIGEN OR PCR TEST? ANTIBODY TEST An antibody test is one which tests whether someone's immune system is equipped to fight a specific disease or infection. When someone gets infected with a virus their immune system must work out how to fight it off and produce substances called antibodies. These are extremely specific and are usually only able to tackle one strain of one virus. They are produced in a way which makes them able to latch onto that specific virus and destroy it. For example, if someone catches COVID-19, they will develop COVID-19 antibodies for their body to use to fight it off. The body then stores versions of these antibodies in the immune system so that if it comes into contact with that same virus again it will be able to fight it off straight away and probably avoid someone feeling any symptoms at all. To test for these antibodies, medics or scientists can take a fluid sample from someone - usually blood - and mix it with part of the virus to see if there is a reaction between the two. If there is a reaction, it means someone has the antibodies and their body knows how to fight off the infection - they are immune. If there is no reaction it means they have not had it yet. PCR TEST Antibody tests differ to a swab test, known as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which aims to pick up on active viruses currently in the bloodstream. A PCR test works by a sample of someone's genetic material - their RNA - being taken to lab and worked up in a full map of their DNA at the time of the test. This DNA can then be scanned to find evidence of the virus's DNA, which will be embroiled with the patient's own if they are infected at the time. The PCR test is more reliable but takes longer, while the antibody test is faster but more likely to produce an inaccurate result. It does not look for evidence of past infection. ANTIGEN TEST Antigens are parts of a virus that trigger the immune system's response to fight the infection, and can show up in blood before antibodies are made. The key advantage of antigen tests is that it can take several days for the immune system to develop enough antibodies to be picked up by a test, whereas antigens can be seen almost immediately after infection. Antigen tests are used to diagnose patients with flu, as well as malaria, strep A and HIV. They can also be done using swabs. Advertisement The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of PCR swabs carried out, amid claims it is the only way to end the draconian lockdown. All testing so far has involved centralised PCR tests, which involve transport to a lab, processing by staff and a wait of up to 48 hours for a result. But the Prime Minister is facing mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany. For reference, Germany carries out more than 90,000 coronavirus tests every day - nine times more than the UK's 10,000. Germany has also announced it will give 100,000 people coronavirus antibody tests in the next few weeks to get a firmer grip on its outbreak. Berlin has also announced it is planning to bring in 'immunity certificates' as part of preparations for the country to cease its lockdown. British health chiefs have said they could give out coronavirus 'immunity' certificates like Germany to allow millions of Britons out of isolation. Otherwise, there is no official way of keeping track of who has already battled the virus and has developed some form of immunity. Several manufacturers of coronavirus antibody tests are in discussions with Number 10 about scaling up production, if their kits pass stringent checks. Despite repeated requests from MailOnline, the Department of Health has refused to confirm which businesses are in the running. One of these firms includes Derby-based SureScreen, which has shipped its tests to be used in Germany and Spain, among other nations. The company has sent hundreds of the tests to a Public Health England laboratory in Oxfordshire earlier this week but has yet to hear back. Another of the firms is known to be BioSure, an Essex-based manufacturer which has been asked to get ready to ramp up production. The company's chief executive revealed earlier this week that it had chosen to hold off on scaling up production in case its tests fail. Brigette Bard warned the delay in approval could mean it won't have any kits ready for Britons to use in the comfort of their own home until mid-May. BioSure already makes a home-testing kit for HIV, which looks for antibodies in the blood and gives a result in 15 minutes. Its test, which is also still being evaluated, has been recalibrated to look for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. MailOnline has asked Biopanda Reagents whether it is also in the running to provide antibody tests in Britain but has yet to hear back. MailOnline has also asked the Government for clarity on whether Biopanda was instructed to halt international orders, or if it chose to do so itself. On its website, the firm says its kits are 'easy to use' and that the results can be read visually - but also says they are only to be used by healthcare professionals. It is unclear which countries was buying its kits before the ban. It is also unknown as to when the message was posted on the firm's website. There was little activity at the Chessington coronavirus testing site which was set up as a drive-thru for NHS workers who need to get tested Workers were seen sitting, standing around and stretching at the testing centre in Chessington, south-west London yesterday as the Government was blasted for a lack of testing, especially for NHS staff Pictured: Stewards organise traffic at a Covid-19 test centre for NHS workers which has opened at Ikea's store in Wembley, north-west London Professor Yvonne Doyle, PHE's medical director, revealed earlier this week the tests would be point-of-care, meaning they could be done 'in the home'. MINISTERS TOLD TO GET A GRIP OF MASS TESTING IN BRITAIN Ministers have been told to get a grip of mass testing after Britain endured its darkest day so far in the coronavirus epidemic yesterday. The Government is under pressure for failing to ramp up its testing quickly enough - only 8,240 patients were tested in the last 24 hours. One British firm which claims it could be supplying more tests to the NHS is selling them to 80 countries abroad, including India and the Middle East. Novacyt - which has a subsidiary firm based in Southampton - suggested the reason it was unable to supply more kits was a shortage of lab space. Separately a former director of the World Health Organisation, Professor Anthony Costello, said the Governments health protection agency had been slow and controlled over testing, claiming that 44 labs in the UK were underused. Meanwhile, Number 10 admitted that the Government target of carrying out 25,000 tests a day may not now be hit until the end of next month. Ministers had previously implied they would have reached this rate already, while NHS officials said it would be achievable within the next three weeks. Last night, Michael Gove blamed the fiasco on a critical shortage of chemical reagents, crucial substances in test which enable them to detect the virus. However former health secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed disquiet at the Governments strategy and called for mass-testing, or so-called community testing, to help Britain through the outbreak. Advertisement In a Downing Street press conference, she said: 'This needs to be evaluated to make sure it is valid. In other words, that it does what it says and at scale. 'This would be large numbers. We want to make sure we are doing something that is safe and is actually valid and correct when it is ready.' Her comments echoed concerns of England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, who warned that the only thing worse than no test was a bad test. Confusion has surrounded Britain's plan to buy millions of antibody kits, which last week it was revealed would have to be sent off in the post. Professor Doyle said samples would need to be sent to a laboratory and analysed by specialists - a process that could take as long as a day. It is unclear who makes the antibody kits that would need to be posted - Number 10 has been tight-lipped regarding the whole testing regime. But the Government is also in talks with firms that produce home-testing kits, which can give results in 10 minutes. Number 10 originally claimed to have ordered 3.5million kits in principle. It is unclear whether these relate strictly to just the postal kits. But ministers have now claimed to have ordered 17.5million kits. It is thought most of these will be home-tests, which will be available in batches. An antibody test is one which tests whether someone's immune system is equipped to fight a specific disease or infection. When someone gets infected with a virus their immune system must work out how to fight it off and produce substances called antibodies. The body then stores versions of these antibodies in the immune system so that if it comes into contact with that same virus again it will be able to fight it off. BioSure claims to have developed an at-home finger prick test that takes a quarter of an hour It works exactly like the firm's HIV self test, which requires the user to take a drop of blood using a safety lancet before using its pen device to scan the sample for COVID-19 antibodies Despite repeated requests from MailOnline, the Department of Health has refused to confirm which businesses are in the running. One of these firms includes Derby-based SureScreen, which has shipped its tests to be used in Germany and Spain, among other nations MANUFACTURER OF ANTIBODY KITS WARNS IT COULD TAKE SIX WEEKS TO GET ANY MADE FOR THE GOVERNMENT A manufacturer of an antibody test warned it could take six weeks for them to have any antibody tests ready for Britons to use at home. BioSure, one of the firms in talks with the Government to make 17.5million home-kits, has been asked to get ready to ramp up production. But no DIY antibody tests have been approved yet, meaning the company is holding off on mass-producing the kits in case stringent medical tests fail. Brigette Bard, BioSure's chief executive, warned the delay could mean it won't have any kits ready for Britons to use in the comfort of their own home until mid-May. BioSure already makes a home-testing kit for HIV, which looks for antibodies in the blood and gives a result in 15 minutes. Its test, which is also still being evaluated, has been recalibrated to look for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Advertisement Britain has repeatedly been criticised for its controversial testing policy to only swab patients in hospital for the killer coronavirus. It means the true size of the Britain's outbreak is a mystery because officials have no idea who is actually infected. Leading Government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson - whose predictions sent the UK into lockdown - suggested up to 2million people may already be infected. And University of Oxford scientists last week claimed that up to half of the UK could have already caught COVID-19. But official figures show 25,000 patients have tested positive. The death toll stands at around 1,800. The World Health Organization earlier this month warned the only way to get a grip on the escalating pandemic was to 'test, test, test'. It comes after it was revealed last night a British firm producing millions of pounds worth of PCR tests is selling most of them abroad. Novacyt has made 17.8million selling its equipment to more than 80 countries via its Southampton-based subsidiary Primerdesign. But only 1million worth has been sold to the UK, raising questions about why Britain is not buying more at a time when there are global shortages of tests. It came as a huge NHS coronavirus swabbing site stood deserted yesterday despite the urgent need for more patients and medics to be examined. Pictures surfaced that showed a deserted testing site for NHS staff in Chessington, London, while one at Ikea in Wembley was also quiet. Damning truth about the nation's testing scandal: After a strong start in coronavirus battle, the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world and the Government doesn't have the testing capacity to cope, writes BEN SPENCER As the world battles the deadly coronavirus outbreak, Britain's response has faced savage criticism, particularly the Government's handling of testing. Here, Medical Correspondent Ben Spencer investigates what has been going wrong for our testing programme and what steps can be taken now to fix it and save thousands of lives across the country. Medical Correspondent Ben Spencer investigates what has been going wrong for our testing programme (stock image) TESTING IS CRUCIAL Until scientists develop a vaccine, mass testing will be our most powerful weapon in the war against coronavirus. Testing tells experts who has the virus, how it is being transmitted and where the hotspots are. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has told every country to 'test, test, test' and said any nation which fails to will be fighting the virus 'blindfolded'. Countries such as South Korea and Singapore have already shown it is possible to curb national outbreaks with aggressive testing programmes. These countries, which were hit badly in the early days of the pandemic, made sure every suspected patient was properly diagnosed, their contacts tracked, and anyone who had been in touch with them put into isolation. AFTER STRONG START, UK IS FIGHTING BLIND The country started strongly in its fight against coronavirus. The initial 'contain' phase of the campaign identified suspected cases as travellers arrived from China, northern Italy and other countries affected early on. People were tested, isolated and all their contacts traced. A testing protocol one of the first outside China was set up in January at Public Health England's main lab at Colindale, north-west London, then expanded to 12 other public health laboratories. But on March 12, with 600 people diagnosed with the virus, the Government admitted the containment strategy had failed and that the virus was freely spreading throughout the population. At that stage ministers decided to change tack and said they would only test those in hospital and would stop contact tracing. In doing so, they gave up all knowledge of how the virus was spreading outside hospitals. The information is now based on death rates and hospital admissions. Pictured: A nurse adjusts her face mask before taking swabs at a COVID-19 Drive-Through testing station for NHS staff on Monday GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE TESTING CAPACITY Officials say they can only test so many people and must reserve this for the very ill. The testing programme was expanded to an additional 40 labs in NHS hospitals last month, but it has still not been enough. On March 18, the Department of Health said it would ramp up testing to 10,000 a day by the following week and hit 25,000 a day within four weeks. But, a fortnight later, it has yet to hit 10,000 once. Over the last week just 51,000 people have been tested an average of 7,300 a day. UK LAGGING GLOBALLY As of last night, the US which was slow to start its response to the crisis had tested more than one million people, equivalent to 3,058 per million Americans. The UK has done 143,186 tests or 2,169 for every million people. Two weeks ago Germany had tested 167,000, and has boosted that figure to 500,000 a week. But Italy had only carried out 47,000 tests as of Monday night just 783 per million people. LACK OF EQUIPMENT Every country in the world is trying to ramp up coronavirus testing, and there is a major race for equipment. Testing is done by taking a cheek swab, which is sent to a lab to seek evidence of the 'antigen' the virus causing the illness. The process, called a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, is nothing new the same machines are used to test for seasonal flu. But existing equipment is not sufficient for the scale of testing. British suppliers of testing swabs, such as Surrey-based Novacyt, are selling their kits abroad as there are not enough UK machines to process the results. Officials have requisitioned university equipment and struck a deal with Roche Diagnostics to supply two high-capacity machines to process tests, but it will only boost UK capacity by 5,000 a day by the end of April. TOO FEW CHEMICALS Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove last night claimed testing 'reagents' are in short supply. The testing process involves certain chemicals that are added to a cheek swab and then run in the testing machine. These reagents help spot strands of coronavirus DNA in samples. Officials are looking for alternative sources of these chemicals and investigating whether different substances could be used. NHS STAFF TESTS VITAL One in four NHS doctors is now off work self-isolating. Thousands of key workers could be allowed back to work if they were proven clear of the virus. But testing of staff is minimal. Last weekend, the NHS announced a new staff testing procedure involving the establishment of three new testing hubs. These hubs have been equipped by two private companies Thermo Fisher Scientific and Randox. Staff are being tested by Boots workers at drive-through centres around the UK. The NHS aimed to initially test 800 staff. Insiders last night said the numbers of tests completed are still 'in the hundreds'. USE PRIVATE FIRMS Use of private firms in the staff testing programme shows what can be achieved by looking outside the closed world of the NHS and other health agencies. But businesses are not being used nearly enough in the testing war. In Germany, anyone can be tested with even mild symptoms, because they have a network of private labs which anyone can use through their health insurance. There are not as many labs in Britain as the strength of the NHS means the private health market is smaller but there are enough to boost capacity if used. But officials have been reluctant to use these labs because they say they may not guarantee accuracy. Britain also has 44 unused molecular virology labs in research institutes, according to former WHO director Anthony Costello. RAPID TESTS ARE KEY All testing so far has involved centralised PCR tests, which involve transport to a lab, processing by staff and a wait of up to 48 hours for a result. The Government has appealed to companies to develop rapid 'point-of-care' antigen tests that could give a result in half an hour. An emergency summit was held at Downing Street to discuss the challenge on March 17, with Roche, Thermo Fisher, Boots and Amazon in attendance. US medical firms Abbott and Cepheid have since developed two such tests, and have already received approval from the FDA, the US medical watchdog. But these are likely to be swallowed up by the US so it is vital that UK companies make their own breakthroughs. ANTIBODY TESTING OFFERS A ROUTE OUT Every test so far has involved 'antigen' testing determining whether someone suffering symptoms has Covid-19. But ministers have pinned their hopes on an 'antibody' test, which shows whether someone has carried the virus in the past. The Government is planning to use these tests in a randomised testing programme across the population. Such a project which may start as early as mid-April would mean officials were not blind in their fight against the virus. If it showed a high percentage of people are immune it could mean an early lifting of the lockdown. Some 17.5million tests have been earmarked for the testing programme but still need to pass stringent quality-control checks. If they pass these hurdles, it would solve many problems and could pave the way to a return to normality for us all. P upils who are not at school due to coronavirus lockdown should call their grandparents for history lessons, academics have said. Dr Sam Willis and Professor James Daybell said interviewing elders would not only educate young minds but help older people combat loneliness during self isolation. They have set the over the phone project as part of a series of homeschooling podcasts called Histories of the Unexpected. Through 30 to 40 minute episodes, children of all ages can lean about topics such as the Romans, Tudors, Great Fire of London and the Second World War. The project helps young and old during lockdown / PA Schools across the UK and Ireland have been closed to all pupils apart from children of key workers to curb the spread of Covid-19 and will remain shut for the foreseeable future. We are encouraging kids to be historians by interviewing their grandparents, Prof Daybell, of the University of Plymouth, said. Were getting kids to ask questions about their past to trigger memories. They can interview grandparents about their childhoods, or particular events such as the Second World War or the moon landing if they were around at that time. Children will be able to see the world through their grandparent's eye, academics have said / PA At a time when grandparents are locked in and not allowed to go out, they are a vulnerable category that experiences loneliness and solitude, so it is an opportunity to connect the younger population with the older population. He added that it was a way of getting young people to look at life though the eyes of their grandparents and see the 20th century in a different light. As part of the project, children are given a list of questions for their grandparents and should take notes of the answers. They can record it on to a mobile phone as a podcast, or write a report of their findings. Dr Willis added: Were hoping to engage our young historians in oral history. Were encouraging kids to create their own history by interviewing their grandparents about their lives, memories and reflections on the past. Not only is this a great way to capture the imagination of youngsters, but at a time when elderly people, such as grandparents, are self-isolating, this is the perfect way to encourage social contact online with groups of people who may be alone. [April 01, 2020] Harris Williams Advises Kissner Group Holdings on its Sale to Stone Canyon Industries Holdings for $2 Billion Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces that it advised Kissner Group Holdings LP (Kissner), which is owned by Metalmark Capital Holdings LLC (Metalmark Capital), Silvertree-KMC II LP (a venture between Silverhawk Capital Partners and Demetree Salt, LLC) and the Kissner management team, on its sale to Stone Canyon Industries Holdings LLC (SCIH) for a purchase price of $2 billion. Kissner is a leading pure-play producer and supplier of salt in North America. The transaction was led by Tim Webb, Brad Morrison, Ty Denoncourt and Chris Toussaint of the Harris Williams Industrials Group and Joe Conner of the firm's Transportation & Logistics (T&L) Group. Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, Kissner is a leading, vertically integrated bulk salt, specialty salt and evaporated salt producer focused on governmental and commercial customers across the United States and Canada. Kissner owns and operates two rock salt mines located in Detroit, Michigan and Lyons, Kansas; an evaporated salt business (US Salt), which has a refinery in Watkins Glen, New York; three salt production facilities co-located on potash mines in Western Canada; multiple packaging facilities; and a network of distribution and storage terminals located throughout the United States. Metalmark Capital is a leading private equity firm that seeks to build long-term value through active and collaborative partnerships with business owners, founders and executives. The firm focuses its investment activity in growth industrials, natural resources, agribusiness and healthcare. Metalmark Capital manages funds with $3.7 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Silvertree-KMC II LP is a special purpose vehicle, led by Silverhawk Capital Partners and Demetree Salt, LLC. Silverhawk Capital Partners is an independent investment group established in 2005 to invest in management buyouts and other private equity transactions in the growth industrial, energy/natural resources and business service sectors. The partners of Silverhawk Capital Partners have invested as a team and operated businesses since 1989, and have successfully deployed more than $1.3 billion of capital. Demetree Salt, LLC is a family investment office. SCIH is a global industrial holding company designed to "buy, build and hold" for the long term, with a strategy focused on acquiring and operating market leading companies. SCIH was founded by co-CEOs Adam Cohn and James Fordyce. SCIH companies operate in essential industries that provide mission-critical products and services to customers around the world. SCIH seeks to build out industrial verticals in stable and mature industries that possess favorable economic dynamics with high barriers to entry; a fragmented industry poised to create or strengthen a market leader through consolidation; and an opportunity to build a substantial company that will make a difference. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Industrials Group has experience across a variety of sectors, including advanced manufacturing; aggregates, metals, and mining; building products; chemicals and specialty materials; industrial technology; and packaging. For more information on the firm's Industrials Group and other recent transactions, visit the Industrials Group's section of the Harris Williams website. The Harris Williams T&L Group serves companies in a broad range of attractive niches, including third-party logistics (3PL), truck, rail, marine and air transportation, automotive and heavy duty vehicle, and transportation equipment. For more information on the firm's T&L Group and other recent transactions, visit the T&L Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Katie Langemeier, associate brand manager, at +1 (804) 648-0072. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005762/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam after its captain warned a coronavirus outbreak was threatening the lives of the crew. With dozens of COVID-19 cases discovered, a senior official said the navy was rapidly arranging hotel rooms on the Pacific island for many of the 4,000-plus crew, while organizing a skeleton team of uninfected sailors to keep the ship operational. Pentagon officials admitted the Roosevelt's plight was a challenge for military readiness, noting that defense forces worldwide are equally confronted by the pandemic. "The plan at this time is to remove as many people off the Teddy Roosevelt as we can, understanding that we have to leave a certain amount of folks on-board to perform normal watch-standing duties that keep the ship running," Rear Admiral John Menoni, commander for the Marianas region, told reporters in Guam on Wednesday. Earlier this week the captain told the Pentagon that the new coronavirus was spreading uncontrollably through his ship and called for immediate help to quarantine its crew. "The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Captain Brett Crozier wrote in a letter to superiors. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," he pleaded. "Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," Crozier said. "This is a necessary risk." Menoni said a plan was being developed to get as many sailors off the ship as possible, and they were awaiting the arrival of 40 US Marines health specialists to help in testing. He said only sailors deemed healthy would be housed outside the Guam naval base, a strategically important Pentagon port in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean. "No one is allowed off the base unless they have tested negative for COVID-19," Menoni said. Crozier did not give the number of infections aboard the ship, and the Navy is not offering figures for security reasons. But one official said it was fewer than the 100 reported by US media. More than 1,400 Defense Department employees, contractors and dependents have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including 771 military personnel, the Pentagon said. The Roosevelt's docking in Guam on March 28 left both of the Pentagon's western Pacific aircraft carriers in port, with the USS Ronald Reagan berthed in Japan, also reportedly suffering an unknown number of coronavirus cases. On Tuesday Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly admitted it was a challenge for US forces' defense readiness. "This is a unique circumstance and we're working through it, and trying to maintain that proper balance, to ensure our friends and allies, and most importantly our foes and adversaries out there, understand that we are not standing down," he told CNN. "We have the responsibility to protect the seas and to protect our friends and allies around the world. We have to adjust the best way we can to do that." Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he did not see anyone testing US military readiness amid the pandemic. "Not at this time," he said on Tuesday. "What we find, tend to find right now, it's that a lot of countries have turned inward and are focusing inward," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ten new coronavirus patients were detected in Noida and Greater Noida in past 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar district to 48, officials said on Wednesday. Three of them were detected on Tuesday night and seven on Wednesday, they said. District Magistrate Suhas L Y told reporters only seven new patients were detected and put the total cases at 45. But a local health department bulletin later said three more positive cases were found. A mother-son duo from Sector 37 and an 81-year-old man from Sector 28 in Noida are the three cases detected on Tuesday night , officials said. The age of the mother and the son could not be known immediately but they possible contracted the virus from a relative who returned from Switzerland, officials said. The source of infection for the octogenarian was yet to be ascertained. The cases detected on Wednesday are: two females aged 45 and 19 in Greater Noida, a 30-year-old woman from Patwari village in Greater Noida, and two females aged 11 and 80 from Greater Noida West (Noida Extension), the officials said. A 35-year-old man from Sector 22 in Noida and a 32-year-old man from Sector 94 have also been detected positive for the virus, they said. They said the infection trail of the girl and the two men could be traced to Cease Fire company, which is already under government scanner for triggering a COVID-19 chain and has been booked for endangering people's life. DM Suhas said the administration's focus is on contact-tracing. Officials are monitoring those who have returned from abroad as well as those from outside the district, he said. "They are also tracing primary and secondary contacts of those infected," the DM said. He insisted that the situation is under control and appealed to people to stay indoors. "If 99 per cent people follow precautions and 1 per cent don't, then that 1 per cent will put the whole society at risk. The government and the administration need your support and we are ensuring minimum difficulties to the citizens," Suhas said. The health department said 696 samples have been sent for testing from the district so far, of which 48 have tested positive, 445 negative and the result for 203 was awaited. Currently, 2,046 people were under surveillance in Noida and Greater Noida, and 317 have been quarantined 97 of them at a university hostel and the rest in isolation facilities at hospitals, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CALIFORNIA The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said that seniors with an expiring driver license will receive a 120-day extension in the mail during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, those with safe driving records whose last DMV visit was 15 years ago will not be required to renew in person for the next 60 days and will be able to renew online or by mail, the DMV said Wednesday. Todays actions ensure hundreds of thousands of Californians can keep their driver license current while following the states stay at home request, DMV Director Steve Gordon said. The health and safety of our employees and customers is the DMVs top priority. We encourage customers to take advantage of our online services whenever possible, including for eligible driver license or vehicle registration renewals. RELATED: DMV closure, essential services going online The DMV said it's providing Californians age 70 and older with a driver license that expires from March 1 to May 31, 2020, with a 120-day extension. Those that are eligible will receive a paper license extension in the mail beginning in the next two weeks. Governor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Order on Monday, March 30 temporarily waiving for 60 days the requirement for Californians with safe driving records to renew their driver's license in-person at a DMV field office. That order also temporarily waives required in-person renewals for identification cards, according to the governor's office. The DMV added that they are working to complete the programming needed for individuals who meet the criteria to be able to complete their renewal online or by mail, beginning Wednesday, April 8. As a reminder, the DMV is offering Californians the option to use its online services for various needs, CLICK HERE Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 14:25:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia is a country with thousands of remote small towns, isolated by hundreds of kilometres of desert, farmland and bush. While these may seem like an ideal sanctuary during the COVID-19 outbreak, outsiders are being firmly told to "stay away". Social and economic impacts and insufficient health services mean that remote communities could become some of the hardest hit by the coronavirus. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told Australia's national broadcaster on Wednesday that there had been a surge of Australians packing up their caravans and heading inland, passing through countless at-risk communities, and potentially spreading the virus on their way. "They're not just putting themselves at risk, they're actually putting these little communities at risk," Littleproud said. One of the concerns for those in small towns is the availability of health services, with a lower number of accessible doctors and other facilities already an issue in rural Australia. "We don't expect to have huge medical facilities but the ones that are here are designed to support the small communities that are here and when you have a significant influx of thousands of people it puts everyone at risk," Littleproud said. Allan Wilson, a resident of Temora in rural New South Wales state, told Xinhua that the virus had the potential to spread in his community like wildfire and that advising outsiders to stay away was likely their best defense. "Small country towns like Temora probably don't have the infrastructure in place to be able to handle something of this magnitude," Wilson said. To help deal with virus outbreaks in remote communities, the federal government said last month that it would fund 100 dedicated COVID-19 clinics to help deal with mild to moderate symptoms, however it was unclear where exactly these would be deployed. Testing clinics have appeared in some of the larger rural centers, however smaller communities including Temora are so far relying on existing services to handle a potential outbreak, with Wilson saying that severe cases would likely be transferred to city hospitals for treatment. With a population of a little over 4,000, measures to curb COVID-19 have hit hard in Temora and towns like it, not just economically but socially. Many small town businesses were already struggling to recover following Australia's horror bushfire season, as well as an ongoing drought - with new social distancing measures threatening to tip some business owners over the edge. "We've already had several businesses close up shop. I think from a rural perspective that's probably having the biggest effect," Wilson said. Another blow, especially for those living on secluded properties, is the loss of social ties, through sporting events which have all been called off, and shutting the doors of local pubs, now only serving takeaway food and beverages. "There's a huge social impact that's going to come out of this I think, as well as an economic impact, because those services are where townspeople congregate, especially those from out of town who live on farms," Wilson said. Crucially, once the virus emergency passes, small towns like Temora will need as much help as possible to get up and running again, including somewhat ironically, visitation from tourists to boost local economies. "We are happy to have you out there, but just at this time we all need to take a breath and stay away until we get through this," Littleproud said. Egypts tourism sector revenues were up to $12.9 billion between the second quarter of FY2018/2019 and the end of the first quarter of FY2019/2020, up from $11 billion during the same period the previous fiscal year, according the Central Bank of Egypts statistical report. The report showed that the tourism sector saw an increase in revenues by the end of the first quarter of FY2019/2020, recording $4.2 billion, up from $3.9 billion during the same quarter in FY2018/2019, an increase of $300 million. The sectors revenues were up to $7.2 billion during the first half of FY2019/2020, with an increase worth $459.7 million compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. The tourism sector is among the top economic sectors significantly affected on the back of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani, losses in the sector could reach $1 billion due to the current crisis. Moreover, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a press conference on 18 March that losses from the suspension of air traffic could reach EGP 2.25 billion ($143 million). According to the International Monetary Funds COVID-19 impacts tracker, which launched its first report on Tuesday, the COVID-19 epidemic is likely to impact the Egyptian economy primarily due to declining travel and tourist activity, reduced worker remittances, capital outflows, and slowdown in domestic activities as people are asked to stay home. With the announcement of the first infection of C0VID-19 in Egypt, the government suspended flights at all airports from 19 to 31 March, which was later extended for two more weeks amid the rise in infections. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 00:16:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NEW DELHI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- India on Wednesday welcomed the formation of a team by the Afghanistan government for intra-Afghan negotiations. According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India has consistently supported an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process for enduring peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. "In this context, we view the formation of the team as a positive step which would lead to a peaceful and stable future for Afghanistan free from the scourge of externally sponsored terrorism," added the statement. "We also call upon all sections of the political spectrum to work together to meet the aspirations of all people of Afghanistan, including those from the minority community, for a prosperous and safe future," it added. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government last week announced a 21-member "inclusive" team to negotiate a sustainable peace and power sharing with the Taliban. However, the Taliban refused to engage in talks with the team of negotiators, saying the Afghan government's move violated the insurgent group's peace-building pact with the United States, according to media reports. Modern humans, Neanderthals share a tangled genetic history, study affirms BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In recent years, scientists have uncovered evidence that modern humans and Neanderthals share a tangled past. In the course of human history, these two species of hominins interbred not just once, but at multiple times, the thinking goes. A new study supports this notion, finding that people in Eurasia today have genetic material linked to Neanderthals from the Altai mountains in modern-day Siberia. This is noteworthy because past research has shown that Neanderthals connected to a different, distant location -- the Vindija Cave in modern-day Croatia -- have also contributed DNA to modern-day Eurasian populations. The results reinforce the concept that Neanderthal DNA has been woven into the modern human genome on multiple occasions as our ancestors met Neanderthals time and again in different parts of the world. The study was published on March 31 in the journal Genetics. "It's not a single introgression of genetic material from Neanderthals," says lead researcher Omer Gokcumen, a University at Buffalo biologist. "It's just this spider web of interactions that happen over and over again, where different ancient hominins are interacting with each other, and our paper is adding to this picture. This project will now add to an emerging chorus -- we've been looking into this phenomenon for a couple of years, and there are a couple of papers that came out recently that deal with similar concepts." "The picture in my mind now is we have all these archaic hominin populations in Europe, in Asia, in Siberia, in Africa. For one reason or another, the ancestors of modern humans in Africa start expanding in population, and as they expand their range, they meet with these other hominins and absorb their DNA, if you will," Gokcumen says. "We probably met different Neanderthal populations at different times in our expansion into other parts of the globe." Gokcumen, associate professor of biological sciences in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, led the study with first author Recep Ozgur Taskent, a recent UB PhD graduate in the department. Co-authors include UB PhD graduate Yen Lung Lin, now a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago; and Ioannis Patramanis and Pavlos Pavlidis, PhD, of the Foundation for Research and Technology in Greece. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. To complete the project, scientists analyzed the DNA of hundreds of people of Eurasian ancestry. The goal was to hunt for fragments of genetic material that may have been inherited from Neanderthals. This research found that the Eurasian populations studied could trace some genetic material back to two different Neanderthal lineages: one represented by a Neanderthal whose remains were discovered in the Vindija cave in Croatia, and another represented by a Neanderthal whose remains were discovered in the Altai mountains in Russia. Scientists also discovered that the modern-day populations they studied also share genetic deletions -- areas of DNA that are missing -- with both the Vindija and Altai Neanderthal lineages. The DNA of the Vindija and Altai Neanderthals, along with the modern human populations studied, were previously sequenced by different research teams. "It seems like the story of human evolution is not so much like at tree with branches that just grow in different directions. It turns out that the branches have all these connections between them," Gokcumen says. "We are figuring out these connections, which is really exciting. The story is not as neat as it was before. Every single ancient genome that is sequenced seems to create a completely new perspective in our understanding of human evolution, and every new genome that's sequenced in the future may completely change the story again." ### This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for families of doctors, health workers and sanitation workers who die while providing services to Covid-19 infected patients. If anyone, irrespective of whether they are from the private or government sector, loses their life while serving coronavirus patients be it sanitation workers, doctors or nurses, their family will be provided Rs 1 crore as respect to their service, said Kejriwal, who along with Delhis health minister Satyendar Jain, addressed health workers in the city through a video conference on Wednesday. Kejriwal equated health workers fighting against Covid-19 with the armed forces and pointed out how there is a similar financial assistant scheme in place for people in the armed forces who are residents of Delhi. He further said, in case any doctor, health worker or sanitation worker is affected by the virus, all expenses of his/her treatment will be borne by the government. Delhi has so far recorded at least 120 coronavirus cases and two deaths. Kejriwal said that his government is open to the possibility of having dedicated hospitals for treating virus-infected patients in case the numbers increase with time. The chief minister also maintained that Delhi has yet not slipped into the stage of community transmission a stage in which the source of infection can no longer be traced. He said that more tests need to be conducted for a fair assessment of the scale of the spread of the virus, but admitted that there is a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) and testing kits in the city. He also admitted how multiple attempts to procure these essentials recently did not yield results owing to shortage in the market and logistical reasons. Once again, I urge the Central government to provide us with more PPEs and testing kits. For people who want to donate in the CM relief fund, I also urge them to help us procuring testing kits and PPE, said Kejriwal. He further said, Security of hospitals is an issue. Patients and their relatives are angry. There is also certain stigma against people suffering from coronavirus because the disease is highly contagious. I have learnt about a patient trying to commit suicide in one of the hospitals. For security, I have already requested for more police deployment in hospital premises. A British Playboy model has revealed she narrowly cheated death when a 170mph tornado ripped through her house. Lora Drammis, 30, saw her roof fall in as she was blasted onto her bathroom floor in the middle of the night when two tornadoes ripped through a 50-mile stretch of Tennessee killing 26 last month. The model, originally from Dorchester, Dorset, moved to LA six years ago and relocated to Nashville in 2019. Speaking to the Sun, Lora, who lives alone, said: 'It sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off. The whole thing was terrifying.' Playboy model Lora Drammis, 30, lost her home and her possessions when a tornado ripped through her Nashville home last month The Brit, who has lived in the US for six years, saw her roof fall in as she was blasted across her bedroom in the middle of the night when two tornadoes ripped through Tennessee Devastation: Lora's home was completely destroyed by the tornado, including her bedroom, which is where she was sheltering when her house was hit Remains: The house was in one of the areas that suffered the most destruction as a result of the tornado Lora feared all her neighbors had died when the F3 tornado hit her home last month. She was in bed watching a lightning storm when she heard tornado-warning sirens and got a text from her friend urging her to hide. 'I got the text that said take shelter and then like two seconds later one of my friends texted me and just said "hide" so then I took it seriously,' she told Fox17, revealing that she sprung into action as soon as the messages came through. Thinking quickly, the model grabbed her dog Araya and ran to jump in the bath, which she says is the safest place to be in a tornado. But she was knocked off her feet as soon as she opened the door, and blasted back across her bedroom. The model, originally from Dorchester, Dorset, ran to grab her dog Araya when she was first warned about the tornado and was able to save the pup's life Lora feared all her neighbors had died when the F3 tornado hit her home last month - and she has since set up a GoFundMe to help an elderly couple who lived near her 'We believe in East Nash': Since that tornado hit, Lora has shared many Instagram pictures to show her support of rebuilding the community in Nashville She tolled on top of her dog, and managed to push the door closed with her feet. 'It just knocked me back into the bedroom and I just got on top of her because I was holding her and managed to push my door shut with my feet and hold it because I could just feel the pressure and stuff going through,' she said. 'The pressure of it felt like the door was going to fall on top of us. It was the most frightening experience of my life,' she added to The Sun. Lora revealed her windows were all smashed and her kitchen and bedroom caved in, leaving her trapped, with images revealing the horrific damage that her house sustained while she was still inside. 'I was screaming,' she recalled. 'I thought everyone else on my street was dead. I was in my pajamas and there was glass everywhere. My car was wrecked.' Speaking to the Sun, Lora, who lives alone, said: 'It sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off. The whole thing was terrifying' Helping hand: Lora is now working to help two elderly neighbors, Winston Morelock (pictured) and his wife Faye, whose home of 42 years was completely destroyed by the tornado Heartbreaking: Winston's home (pictured) was on the same street as Lora's, and he and his wife were ripped from it in the middle of the night when the tornado hit Support: Lora (left) and her friend Kayce Mcgehee (right) set up a GoFundMe for Winston and Faye, which has since raised more than $12,000 She was later freed by a neighbor, but revealed if she had gone into her bedroom instead of her bathroom, she may have died. Lora is now staying with a friend in Nashville, and is helping to rebuild the local community, even starting a GoFundMe page for two of her elderly neighbors, who saw their home of 42 years completely destroyed by the tornadoes. The model and her best friend, Kayce Mcgehee, saw an interview with Winston Morelock on local news station Fox17, and were devastated by his emotional story about losing the house that he has shared with his beloved wife for so many years. During the tornado Winston and his wife Faye, who were sleeping when it hit, were ripped apart when their bed was pulled out of their home. Despite suffering so much loss of her own, Lora was determined to help Winston and his wife in whatever way she could - so she and Kayce set up an online fundraiser for the couple, which has since amassed more than $12,000. 'Losing everything is so terrible, but then when you don't have that what's next option, I just couldn't even imagine if I didn't have my friends,' Lora said of her desire to help the couple, while crediting her closest pals with helping her to get through such a horrific time. Terrifying: Lora said the moment was 'the most frightening experience of my life' Lora was later freed by a neighbor, but revealed if she had gone into her bedroom instead of her bathroom, she may have died Buildings damaged by the storm are seen in the Germantown neighborhood following devastating tornadoes on March 3, 2020 in Nashville People try to salvage merchandise at Music City Vintage after a tornado hit eastern Nashville in March Among the 26 people who died in the two tornadoes, several were young children and 73,000 people were left without power for days. The first tornado began early Tuesday morning on March 3, creating a more than 50-mile trail of destruction well after midnight. A second tornado then exploded through communities farther east of Nashville, causing in most of the deaths. One twister wrecked homes and businesses across a 10-mile stretch of Nashville that included parts of downtown. It smashed more than three dozen buildings, including destroying the tower and stained glass of a historic church. Another tornado damaged more than 100 structures along a two-mile path of destruction in Putnam County, wiping some homes from their foundations and depositing the wreckage far away. Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift led celebrity tributes to those affected. Parton shared a video on Twitter, telling Tennesseans: 'You're being thought of and we love you.' New Delhi: With nearly quarter of 39 deaths from COVID-19 in India being linked to a congregation of Islamic preachers at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, the organisers of the Tablighi Jamaat have come under scanner of the authorities for the alleged violation of various guidelines. What is Tablighi Jamaat? Set up nearly 100 years ago by Deobandi Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalawi as a religious reform movement, the Tablighi Jamaat translates into an outreach society or a society to spread faith. A completely non-political movement, the Jamaat aims at propagating basic tenets of Islam espoused by Prophet Mohammed - Kalimah (declaration of faith), Salat (five times prayers), Ilm-o-Zikr (knowledge), Ikraam-e-Muslim (Respect of Muslim), Ikhlas-e-Niyyat (Sincerity of intention) and Tafrigh-i-Waqt (sparing time). Considered as an influential spiritual movement in the world, the Jamaat is now understood to have been plagued with factionalism emanating from centres in Pakistan and Bangladesh. How does it function? Estimated to have 150 to 250 million members primarily in South Asia, the Jamaat members only work among Muslims teaching them ways of life practiced by Prophet Mohammed. At the congregation, various small groups of preachers are constituted with a senior among them as their leaders. These groups visit designated destinations through mosques to spread Islamic practices among Muslims. COVID-19 and Tablighi Jamaat The congregation of preachers took place in early March in Banglawali Masjid in Nizamuddin area where Markaz (headquarters) of the Jamaat is located. It is believed that over 800 foreign nationals from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan had attended the event. According to the government, over 2,000 foreigners from 70 countries arrived in India since January 1 to participate in Jamaat activities with over 1,000 got stuck at Nizamuddin due to the lockdown. Many of them had six-month tourist visa. Alarm bells started ringing with the death of an Indonesian citizen who had participated in the congregation and was travelling in Telangana. He was found COVID-19 positive on March 18. The Home Ministry alerted all state governments about preachers of Jamaat on March 21. The Jamaat claims that about 2,500 members were at Nizamuddin Markaz. After sudden announcement of 'Janta Curfew' on March 22 followed by a similar action by the Delhi Government and ultimately a 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister, a large number of the Jamaat members got stuck at the Markaz while about 1,500 had left. So far 10 participants of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation including a Filipino national have succumbed to coronavirus while 285 people staying at the Markaz were admitted to hospitals for suspected coronavirus cases. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. As part of the wider economic relief package it passed last week, Congress enacted a $349 billion rescue effort for small businesses battered by the coronavirus crisis. Its a potential lifeline to countless restaurants, bars, shops, and others that have lost sales or been forced to shutter for the sake of public health. But is it going to work? We dont know yet. Which is why I want to hear from small-business owners, as well as the accountants, lawyers, and bankers who work with them, to help figure it out. The Paycheck Protection Program, as its been dubbed, will offer low-interest loans to small and medium-size businesses so they can cover payroll and other major expenses for eight weeks, and will forgive the debt as long as they dont lay off staff. In short, the government is going to pay businesses to keep their workers employed (not totally unlike whats being tried in Denmark). The U.S. Small Business Administration, which is overseeing the program, released guidelines and a short sample application on Tuesday and said that lenders could start processing loans as soon as April 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there are many reasons to worry about whether this program will succeed, and for whom. Will there be enough funding for all the businesses that need help? Will the loans be large enough to keep them afloat? What happens afterward? Will the money go to small businesses that are in serious peril right now? Or are the rules and requirements so complicated that only bigger firms that can afford skilled lawyers and accountants will be able to take advantage of it? How fast will banks, which are tasked with underwriting these loans, actually be able to get money out the door? If this program doesnt work as advertised, what should Congress try next? To figure out the answers to these questions, Ill talk with the small-business owners whose livelihoods now depend on this program succeeding. If thats youwhether youre still deciding if one of these loans makes sense for your business, or are jumping into the application process, or have already decided its not for youplease get in touch. Likewise, I want to hear from lawyers and accountants who are helping businesses navigate the Paycheck Protection Program, and bankers who are deciding whether to participate. Even if you think the whole program will be a baffling mess, I want to hear your perspective. As I wrote last week, whether the government can save small businesses is one of the single most important questions facing the country right now. The more restaurants, bars, and independent retailers that go bust, the longer it will take the economy to recover from this disaster, and the more our cities and towns will be irreversibly changed. A lot is riding on the governments efforts working. With your help, Ill follow those successes and failures in real time. If youre interested in talking, please email me at jordan.weissmann@slate.com. Amid the panic of the COVID-19 pandemic, with large swaths of the country stuck at home, the economy paralyzed, and state elections postponed, Yale University forensic psychologist Bandy Lee ominously suggested on Twitter that President Donald Trump would use the opportunity to impose martial law. Newsweek began publishing stories with fear-inducing titles such as Inside the Militarys Top Secret Plan If Coronavirus Cripples the Government and Inside the U.S. Militarys Plans to Stop Civil Disturbances. With thousands of members of the National Guard deployed at the state level and U.S. Navy hospital ships entering domestic waters, Vice President Mike Pence felt compelled to state that, I want it to be understood that this is not martial law. Yet The Associated Press acknowledged that rumors of martial law fly despite reassurances. American history and the strength of our system of checks and balances should be enough to dispel such rumors. While fears of martial law turning into dictatorship have a long and deep history in America, so too does the use of the American military to help alleviate domestic crises of the sort were currently facing and the latter has yet to lead to the realization of the former. Before we go any further, we should define our terms. Martial law is a very specific and rare phenomenon outlined in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution. There, it is defined as the suspension of the trial by ones peers guaranteed under the Bill of Rights in favor of military justice, or tribunals. It exists only for cases of rebellion or invasion in order to maintain the public safety. Nationally, only the president (with an act of Congress) can declare it, though it can be imposed on a lesser scale at the state and local levels through a governors use of the state National Guard or through the state National Guards federalization by the president. Fears of martial law are as common in American history as the declaration of martial law is rare. We have dreaded the perceived tyranny of unlimited military control since before the United States was even a country: American colonists were fearful of a victorious general becoming a dictator like Julius Caesar or Oliver Cromwell. For much of the colonial era, America lacked a formal military, instead relying on local militias made up of men between the ages of 16 and 60. A standing army of British soldiers only appeared on American shores on three occasions: in 1676, to instill royal authority in the aftermath of a revolt against the Virginia government known as Bacons Rebellion; in 1754, to fight during the French and Indian War; and, finally, in 1768 to silence Bostons no taxation without representation protests. The last resulted in the Boston Massacre, certainly among the low points in American civilmilitary relations. Story continues Six years later, in 1774, the British closed the port of Boston, suspended local government, and seized colonial guns and gunpowder under the Coercive or Intolerable Acts. These acts were designed for the suppression of colonists riot and tumults during the Boston Tea Party and essentially imposed martial law. They would remain in force until Massachusetts assented to parliamentary taxation and repaid the British East India Company for the millions of pounds worth of tea thrown into Boston Harbor. And they were a key part of the indictment of King George III in the Declaration of Independence: Since the king had affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power, American patriots felt justified in revolting. These experiences all came to define how the United States employs the military domestically. Since General George Washington selflessly surrendered his commission to Congress in 1783, civilian supremacy over the military has remained sacred. Ratified in 1789, the U.S. Constitution intentionally limited the domestic power of the military, separating its control between the president and the Congress. Yet while early Americans were deeply fearful of unchecked military authority, they were still aware that using the military domestically might be a necessity in certain situations. In fact, the Constitution Convention of 1787 was partly spurred by the inability of the federal government created by the Articles of Confederation to suppress a rural farmers uprising in western Massachusetts known as Shays Rebellion. Thus, martial law does exist as a legal option. But at the national level it has been used only once, in perhaps the most extraordinary circumstances of all: During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, or the right to a trial by jury, as a means to defeat the Confederacy and preserve the Union. This suspension continued in the South during Reconstruction. After it was ended under President Rutherford B. Hayes, Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 in order to enhance the Constitutions restrictions on the use of martial law. The act prohibited the military from policing U.S. civilians, barring an act of Congress. At the state and local levels, however, martial law has been employed more often, and it has a checkered history. General Andrew Jackson used it in 1815 before and after the Battle of New Orleans, earning himself the derisive nickname American Napoleon, not to mention a contempt-of-court citation. Joseph Smith, the mayor of Nauvoo, Ill., and the founder of Mormonism, used it in 1844, as did Utahs Mormon governor, Brigham Young, in 1857. Both were brought up on charges as a result: The Illinois governor imprisoned Smith for treason, leading to Smiths murder by an angry mob, while President James Buchanan pardoned Young. Later, martial law was used at the state level during strikes and protests in the 19th and 20th centuries and to combat a potential Japanese invasion and espionage after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. But its also been used in response to natural disasters and to shield the innocent. After the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the military was called in to assist victims. During the 1950s and 60s, the military was used to defend African-American students, promote school integration, and protect the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala. The domestic use of the military absent martial law is another story entirely. It has occurred repeatedly in American history from the 18th century onward, usually without violence. In 1794, President Washington personally led a militia to stop the Whiskey Rebellion. And in 1970, Richard Nixon employed the National Guard to deliver the mail during a postal strike. Such occurrences have, in short, remained a constant throughout our history, though theyve become less common in recent decades. That history is why no one should fear martial law if President Trump federalizes the National Guard or employs active-duty military domestically in response to the current crisis. The U.S. Constitution and the Posse Comitatus Act still protect the rights of U.S. citizens as much today as they ever did. Perhaps even more importantly, the U.S. military has no interest in assuming control of the countrys government; its subservience to civilian leadership remains as sacred today as ever, among both service members and the general public. Our brave men and women in uniform have the capacity to help alleviate some of the strain of this unprecedented crisis. No one should be alarmed if theyre called upon to combat the present pandemic. They have all are sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and that includes against viruses. More from National Review PRESS RELEASE: Guerrilla Gravity From the same team of Guerrilla Gravity mad scientists that brought you the four-bikes-in-one Modular Frame Platform comes the Municipal Haste, a category-defying townhill bike.This made-in-Colorado frameset was born to party and encourages rowdy riding straight out of your front door. And if youre saying to yourself,you should finish your drink and take another look, because thats the only way youll be seeing double chainrings on this path-thrashin machine.If youve ever eyed a loading dock drop or 6-stair gap on your way to the dive bar, the Municipal Haste is there as your own personal beer-pressure support system. Think of it as your own little shotgun-riding devil, pointing out every curb-cut huck or speed bump jump. Embrace every two-wheeled bad decision with gleeful abandon and an adolescent disregard for safety.The Municipal Haste has some big shoes to fill given our rich history of Secret Menu mutations made possible by various combinations of shocks, wheels, and Seatstay Tuning Kits on our Modular Frame Platform.You may have heard of their MegaSmash mullet-thrasher or Pistola sniper-line-finder. When assembling these wild mutants, we encourage you to customize your new bike and put together the ultimate expression of who you want to be as a bike, personified. Especially if your idea of expression is that of a debauched pirate raiding your roadie friends treasure trove of old parts. Eye patches are encouraged.While some of you think this is an elaborate April Fools joke, we encourage you to spin the dial back to April 1, 2017 when the Shred Dogg was first announced with their game changing ideas, like Laid Back geometry and Ass Drop technology. Three years later, its one of our most popular bikes!We are so convinced that youll have 11% better shreds that they are now offering 11% off all Municipal Haste frames and complete bikes, plus free shipping inside the US and Canada. Framesets and complete bikes set sail within 4 weeks, customized to your component specifications.Build your own Municipal Haste Learn more about the Guerrilla Gravity Modular Frame Platform It's easier to book a table at Asia's best restaurant. But it definitely helps to already be in Singapore. Odette was named the top restaurant in Asia, earning the coveted prize for the second year in a row when Asia's 50 Best Restaurants were announced last week. Helmed by French chef Julien Royer, the French-Asian inspired restaurant, housed in Singapore's sprawling National Gallery, was also named the 18th best restaurant in the world in 2019. The awards are voted on by 300 industry leaders throughout the region. The list is produced by William Reed Business Media, which also publishes The World's 50 Best Restaurants. The interior of Odette. Courtesy of Odette This is the eighth year for the awards, which traded their usual ritzy ceremony presentation for a more muted online announcement in response to coronavirus-related lockdowns and travel bans around the world. Pursuant to measures announced on March 24, Singapore restaurants can remain open as long as tables are set one meter apart. Odette is typically fully booked every night, but same-day reservations are now available as the restaurant like many around the world grapples with the effects of the global pandemic. Around 80% of Odette's customers are from Singapore. Mandatory 14-day stay-at-home requirements apply to anyone (resident or traveler) who arrived in the country after midnight on March 20. Many Singaporeans are exercising social distancing and staying home. Odette's Julien Royer (second from left) with his team. Courtesy of Odette In contrast to top New York restaurants such as Le Bernadin, Daniel and Per Se, which have announced temporary closures, Odette remains open. The restaurant is instituting safeguards, such as extra cleanings and sanitization of the interior, thermal temperature checks and travel declarations for guests upon entry. It's adding extra space between tables. "It's been a challenging time for the (food and beverage) industry, and we feel extremely fortunate to be able to remain open," said Royer. Other Singapore restaurants made the list Other Singapore restaurants also fared well on the list, especially when considering that the country of just 5.6 million people is competing with culinary powerhouses like Tokyo and Bangkok. Singapore's Burnt Ends rose in the ranks from No. 10 last year to No. 5 in 2020. And French restaurant Les Amis which was also awarded the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality award this year climbed 22 spots to finish in 11th place. Les Amis' Brittany blue lobster salad topped with caviar. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Jaan by Kirk Westaway the restaurant where Royer cut his teeth before opening Odette ascended 11 spots to No. 21. And Corner House, which several days ago announced the hiring of new head chef David Thien, climbed seven places to No. 42 on this year's list. Singapore newcomer Zen which founder Bjorn Frantzen describes as "Nordic kaiseki with French perfume" debuted at No. 28 on the list. With a fixed dinner price of SG$450 ($310), Zen is known as Singapore's most expensive restaurant. Nouri's iberico presa with uni emulsion and tamarillo. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Finally, globally-inspired Nouri scratched out a place in the No. 50 spot. Individual culinary awards In addition to the overall list, restaurants were singled out for individual awards. The Highest New Entry award was given to Macau's Sichuan Moon, the latest venture by chef Andre Chiang, who once fronted Singapore's Restaurant Andre before closing it in 2018. Natsuko Shoji nicknamed "Japan's queen of cakes" of Tokyo's single-table restaurant Ete was named Asia's Best Pastry Chef for 2020; she serves four guests at one table per night. Richard Ekkebus, the executive chef at Amber in the Mandarin Oriental Landmark Hotel in Hong Kong. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Hong Kong's Amber, which reopened last year, took home this year's Sustainable Restaurant award. Chef Richard Ekkebus's menu includes sustainably caught seafood and no dairy or gluten. The restaurant banned straws five years ago. Asia's best restaurants: The complete list A pastor whose church service has been blamed for sparking a huge wave of Covid-19 infections in France apologised today as countries across Europe continued to struggle to slow the rising death toll from the disease. Thiebault Geyer said he wanted to say sorry to God for my selfishness after officials confirmed that around 2,500 of his parishioners have contracted coronavirus. At least 17 of those have died after a mass outbreak of the virus among the thousands who attended a week-long gathering at the pastors Christian Open Door church in the eastern city of Mulhouse in February. Pastor Geyer admitted he had not taken its threat seriously enough. I would like to apologise, he said. Sorry to have taken this crisis lightly. Sorry to have read all the articles which tried to alert us. I couldnt listen. Im sorry to God for my selfishness. He said he was now conducting services only online. 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 France announced a record daily death toll of 499 yesterday. President Emmanuel Macron tried to fight off criticism of his governments failure to provide more masks and respirators. When we fight a battle, we must be united to win it and those who are already trying to hold trials when we have not won the war are irresponsible, he said. The time will come for accountability, he added, as he ordered a tripling of domestic mask production by the end of April to 10 million and production of 10,000 extra respirators by mid-May. Meanwhile the Netherlands has become the latest country to extend its lockdown, to April 28, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying that the curbs seem to start working, but it is too early to draw conclusions. He added: Experts tell us that the spread is slowing Hold on and stick to the rules. In Spain, health bosses were frantically working to add to the number of intensive care units in hospitals which are quickly filling up in the countrys hardest-hit regions. The country counted on 5,779 intensive care beds before the crisis and 5,607 were filled as of yesterday. In the capital, Madrid, the first intensive care units were finished today in a huge field hospital that is planned to hold 5,500 patients when completed. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities are bringing into the country 1,500 purchased ventilator machines and asking local manufacturers to ramp up production, with some creative solutions employed, such as snorkeling masks repurposed as breathing masks. 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. A drive-thru, walk-up coronavirus testing site opened in Camden on Wednesday and any county resident who showed up would receive some level of service, officials said. The testing site one of the first in South Jersey, scheduled to run through April 15 is located at Coopers Poynt Waterfront Park, 801 Delaware Avenue and will be open Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Officials said they could administer up to 60 tests daily. Previously officials said the site would only serve county residents with an appointment who have symptoms and a referral from a medical provider. But hours before testing started, some of the rules were relaxed. Were asking that if you have a prescription, you can come up. But listen, dont mistake it. If you come up, were not turning anybody away, said Camden County Freeholder Jonathan Young. Nearly an hour after it opened, only a handful of people had turned out. Five cars with people seeking tests lined up outside one of two drive-thru tents. They were quickly processed and most of the nearly 50 medical workers in the drive-thru tents and two smaller adjacent walk-up tents, stood idle. People with an appointment were allowed to go to the drive-thru lanes. Without an appointment, you had to walk through. Wilfredo Echvarria, 65, a retiree from Camden drove up to the site but was told he would have to go to the walk-up tent. Less than 15 minutes later he walked back to his car parked across Delaware avenue from the testing site with a flier in hand. He pulled down a mask he was wearing and stopped to talk. Everyday I called for information, Echvarria said. Today, yesterday my throat was hurting. He said he had not gone to a doctor because, thats money. The Camden County COVID-19 test site located at CooperOs Poynt Waterfront Park in Camden City, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The site is located in one of the poorest cities in America. But hospital and public officials said they would evaluate anyone who came up for symptoms and provide a test if needed, with or without insurance. John Zachornacki, 62, of Cherry Hill, emerged from the testing site shortly after Echvarria. He said he had heard about the site on a morning news show and quickly called his doctor. I did not have an appointment but I had a prescription, said Zachornacki who runs his own car service. I had non-stop coughing and a fever for the last two days. I called my doctor this morning and they referred me to this place. Last week the county delayed plans for a drive-up testing site at Camden County College it began assembling earlier this month because it could not secure test kits. The county has at least 242 coronavirus cases with six deaths. It is the most populous county in South Jersey with 507,000 residents. New Jersey health officials reported Wednesday the state has at least 22,255 cases of the coronavirus including 355 deaths as 3,649 new positive tests were confirmed. The figures include 91 additional deaths, the highest single-day increase in the outbreak. The increases in cases was also the highest single-day jump. New Jersey has more cases than all but 8 countries in the world. A person is tested at the Camden County COVID-19 test site located at CooperOs Poynt Waterfront Park in Camden City, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that more than 18,000 people in New Jersey have tested positive for coronavirus, though it still remains unclear how many are exhibiting mild symptoms or those whove recovered. While some counties and towns have said how many people who tested positive were later cleared or are out of quarantine, state officials have not. Bergen County has nearly 3,000 coronavirus cases while seven other counties have eclipsed the 1,000 mark. The Camden City site will be jointly operated by Cooper University Health Care and Virtua Health, medical systems that operate multiple hospitals in the county. The new testing facility is located on the site of a former state prison on the Delaware River waterfront in the shadow of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into Philadelphia. The prison was torn down in 2010 and redeveloped into a public park. Camden County officials said some street closures may occur to mitigate traffic backups in local neighborhoods near the site. But the recommended route to reach here is on from Cooper Street to Delaware Avenue. Staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Cash withdrawals and deposits at Egypts banks have been limited for individuals and businesses The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) decided to apply temporary limits on daily cash withdrawals and deposits at all banks operating in the country on Sunday in a bid to control panicked withdrawals or hoarding amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily limit for withdrawals is now LE10,000 for individuals and LE50,000 for companies, but the latter are exempt from deposit limits and from limits on withdrawals made to pay salaries. The CBE has also set a limit of LE5,000 for cash deposits and withdrawals from ATM machines. Credit card dues and cheques worth more than LE10,000 are exempt from the decision, on condition that any cheques amounting to more than 10,000 be cashed over several days or placed in a bank account. According to the CBE, the measures also aim at reducing crowding or gatherings at the banks at peak times during the withdrawals of salaries and pensions. The CBE called on all citizens to rely more on bank transfers and the use of electronic payment methods. All expenses associated with bank transfers and electronic payments would be cancelled, it said. Tarek Amer, the CBEs governor, said via telephone to a talk show on Sunday that huge amounts of money had been withdrawn from the banks lately. About LE30 billion has been withdrawn from the banks during the last three weeks, he said. We want more discipline, he added. Cash in the Egyptian market outside banking operations amounted to some LE540 billion, Amer noted, adding that about 15 million people currently use online payments. He said that many companies should adjust their dealings with cash and opt for bank transactions instead. Egypt has the highest liquidity rates in the region, and any institution that needs cash can receive any amount through online transactions, Amer stressed, adding that this was in line with preventative measures and the financial inclusion agenda. He also said that the new banking system law placed fines on cash transactions beyond a certain limit and that it had set a period of one year to adjust conditions and comply with them. Car showrooms that deal in cash would be fined, according to Amer. The CBEs decisions were praised by Hany Abul-Fotouh, a financial analyst, who said they were important to rationalise the many cash withdrawals that had taken place as a result of unjustified fears of a lack of cash amid the pandemic, putting pressure on the liquidity in the banks. The decisions could also help in reducing the risk of spreading the new coronavirus by limiting the exchange of paper currency that could transmit the infection, he said. The present curfew and the shorter working day at the banks, he added, had imposed practical difficulties in making money transfers, adding logistical difficulties to transferring funds from the CBE to the banks and from the banks to their branches. He also said that the implementation of the decisions could act as a test period for a gradual transformation away from a society dependent on cash to one making mostly electronic payments, which was one of the goals of the governments financial inclusion strategy. But Abul-Fotouh warned that monetary transactions could be negatively affected in informal markets and remote areas, for reasons related to access to electronic platforms or because of the communication network or because of cash-based traditions. Some businesses expressed their discomfort with the daily limits on cash withdrawals and deposits. The General Union of Poultry Producers (GUPP) said in a statement that the decisions would disrupt the poultry industry since it relied mostly on cash-based trading. Changing this system and moving to electronic payments would require time to adequately prepare farms, feed factories, veterinary pharmacies and others with the necessary tools for dealing with electronic payments. The GUPP called on the CBE to reconsider the decisions for certain businesses that depend on daily cash trading so that they do not suffer a sudden and disruptive shock. It asked for a grace period to be applied to review the situation of such businesses, after which the CBEs decisions could be applied. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: WASHINGTONThe captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier facing a growing outbreak of the CCP Virus is asking for permission to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members onshore, which would take the warship out of duty in an effort to save lives. The ship is docked in Guam. In a memo to Navy leaders, the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt said the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating. He added that removing all but 10 percent of the crew is a necessary risk to stop the spread of the virus. U.S. Navy leaders on Tuesday were scrambling to determine how to best respond to the extraordinary request as dozens of crew members tested positive. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset, our sailors, said Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, in a memo obtained by The Associated Press. A U.S. Navy official said Crozier alerted commanders on Sunday evening of the continuing challenges in isolating the virus. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Crozier wants more isolated housing for the crew. Also, Navy leadership is reviewing options to ensure the health and safety of the crew. In Asia, a carrier presence is central to what the Pentagon has identified as a fundamental shift from fighting insurgent and extremist conflicts in the Middle East to a return to great power competition. That means, principally, a bigger focus on China, including its militarization of disputed areas of the South China Sea. The carrier, like other Navy ships, is vulnerable to infectious disease spread given its close quarters. The massive ship is more than 1,000 feet long; sailors are spread out across a labyrinth of decks linked by steep ladder-like stairs and narrow corridors. Enlisted sailors and officers have separate living quarters, but they routinely grab their food from crowded buffet lines and eat at tables joined end-to-end. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported croziers memo. By Lolita C. Baldor Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, the foot soldiers of rural healthcare in India, earn about Rs 3000 per month. Tasked with surveying households and spreading awareness about the coronavirus pandemic, these workers find themselves exposed to risk due to a lack of adequate masks and no sanitisers Every day before she leaves, Shubhangi Kamble has to lock down her fears. But upon surveying the 204th household, her anxiety has resurfaced. I have to be very careful when I return home, my younger daughter is all of five. What if she contracts the coronavirus? Shubhangi, 34, is an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker the foot soldiers of rural healthcare. The thaali and taali banging on 22 March, a gesture to thank those fighting the virus, as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has not resolved her concerns. We need masks and hand sanitisers, she asserts. ASHA and anganwadi workers have been assigned the task of containing the local transmission of the coronavirus. For this, they have to survey and find the suspected cases, list the people who came in contact with them, monitor them daily, inform the Supervisory Medical Officer about these cases, and create awareness about the disease among community members. They also consistently follow up with self-quarantined and isolated individuals, to check if they have developed any symptom of COVID-19. Click here to follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak Of the 212 families she surveyed in the first round, five people had returned from Pune and one from Goa. Shubhangi ensured they were all quarantined as per the government guidelines. She and four other ASHA workers in the Arjunwad village of Shirol taluka in Maharashtras Kolhapur district have been given one single mask each as protective gear while they conduct their surveys. Considering this, how will we escape the virus? she asks. As per the guidelines, ASHA workers are supposed to survey 50 houses daily. Shubhangi leaves at 8.30 in the morning and returns only by 2.30 pm. When I spoke to her on 28 March, her troubles had escalated because of an ill-planned lockdown of 21 days announced by the Central Government. Don divsat chul band hoil (The food at home wont last beyond two days), she says as she breaks into tears, The local kirana store has refused to sell grains on credit now. To make ends meet, Shubhangi works as an agricultural labourer, but she had to pause this work in February because of poor health. Her husband Sanjay, who is in his mid-30s, works as an agricultural labourer and a cane cutter. These days, he leaves at 7 in the morning and returns only after 6 in the evening. In a fit of anger, she says, Theres no point of poor people living anymore. Her frustrations stem from the "lack of concern" for ASHA workers and the 2019 August floods which ravaged her house. Every day, my husband asks why I conduct these surveys... I tell him that I want to do social service, to make sure that the right information reaches the people. I am proud to be a health activist, she says. On 14, 15 and 16 March, ASHA workers distributed pamphlets about the coronavirus in Arjunwad. Over the course of her visits, she found that a lot of the older villagers dont follow the lockdown; they frequently ask her questions about the disease. They say they will inevitably die after four days. If people don't pay heed to her advice about staying safe, she warns them that she will take a photograph and send it to the local police and panchayat. This has helped her to persuade people into staying at home. It is impossible to go about this work armed with a single mask. Somehow, I managed to procure another mask, and I wash it with Dettol each day, she says. However, masks alone arent enough to ensure her safety. The government should help us now. What is the point of being given 50 lakh rupees after we die? she asks. As per the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), there are 60,794 ASHA workers working under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Maharashtra, and 9,05,047 across India. One among them is 36-year-old Deepali Rawal, who has been on pandemic duty since 17 March. She began with surveying 230 families, and as more cases were reported across the country, the list of tasks she was assigned seemed endless. On 26 and 27 March, she surveyed 500 of the 1327 families in the Nigave Dumala village in Kolhapurs Karvir taluka. 47 people in our village had returned from Pune and Mumbai, and two returned from Canada and Germany 45 days ago, she says. Like many other ASHA workers, Deepali wasn't given a mask or sanitizer when the survey work began on 17 March in the village. We received masks two days ago (25 March), she says. Apart from the lack of equipment, Deepali and her fellow workers have to battle patriarchy and the carelessness of people. Convincing their own families about the need to do this work is a hurdle, too. I have to fight with my family members to go out and do this work. They are scared for me, she says. Surveying in Nigave Dumala has been far from easy. People make fun of us when we ask them questions about their health. They should co-operate and take this pandemic seriously, she says. She faces a lot of problems from men, especially. Whenever there is a gathering of even three men, they make fun of us and dont listen to what we say. During such times, she calls up the village police and panchayat members, and then proceeds with her work. The 21-day lockdown has heavily impacted farmers, agricultural labourers, and other workers across the country. A common refrain she has heard is the demand for free medicines. The price for a single hospital visit can amount to Rs 500, these labourers and farmers lamented. The Community Health Centres (CHCs) in Nigave Dumala are running out of medicines for fever, cough and common cold. On the subject of logistics, she says, "A disaster has come upon the nation, and we expect nothing from the government. All we want is for them to arrange for basic medicines (at the CHCs) at the earliest. A doctor from one of the talukas in Kolhapur said on the condition of anonymity, We lack necessary masks and sanitisers. They should have been made available. In his department, each doctor was just given just one mask. When this disease was first reported in China, the government was aware about it and they should have acted on it back then. The World Health Organization (WHO) made several recommendations and even issued guidelines, but it seems like the government didnt take them seriously. If those measures would have been taken, the government wouldnt have had to lockdown the country, the doctor added. Recently, a person from the Vadgaon town of Hatkanangale taluka in Maharashtras Kolhapur district tested positive for coronavirus. From then on, many people began spreading the rumour that multiple villagers had come into contact with the individual, Deepali said. Thus far, such rumours have been false. Deepali is often spoken to with impoliteness by community members who are offended when she asks whether they have interacted with the individual who tested positive, even shunning her. What does Deepali get in return for her labour? A fixed honorarium of Rs 2000 each month; with money from other tasks, this amount is raised to roughly Rs 3000 - 4000. ASHA workers havent yet been notified about being paid a fee for the pandemic surveying. Many of them are of the opinion that people aren't taking the pandemic seriously. Twenty-seven-year-old Swapnali Chougule, who became an ASHA worker in 2016, sounds frustrated. People dont co-operate at all [in Juni Dhamani, her village in the Miraj taluka in Sangli district]. What should we do in such circumstances? A person who came from Vijaywada refused to get himself stamped. Eventually, after multiple visits (over a week), we had to get the sarpanch of the village to intervene, she says. Another hurdle is the fact that villagers are not observing the rules of the lockdown. Swapnali has spent the last 12 days spreading awareness and noting down the names of people who have returned from cities. We dont have masks. I use either a big napkin or a stole. The government should have thought about giving ASHA workers hand sanitisers and masks, she says. The sole ASHA worker in her village, she has surveyed 235 households in Juni Dhamani from 18 March onward. People think they won't contract the coronavirus. They tell me 'I havent contracted it, so why are you asking us for details?' Incidentally, Sangli district has reported 25 cases so far. As of 1 April, India reported 1637 positive cases, and Maharashtra, 320, with 12 deaths. Swati Siddh, 34, has been an ASHA worker for a decade now. She has only just received a mask, and there are no sanitisers available at the chemist in her village Khochi, in Kolhapurs Hatkanangle taluka. Her precautionary measures are limited to washing hands with soap, wherever possible. Swati's monthly honorarium averages between Rs 2500 - 3000. She senses fear among the people of her village, of the disease itself and those who have returned from cities. A lot of villagers look at people coming from cities with suspicion. These are our people... Its our duty to help them, she says. ASHA workers like her are looking to the government with hope. "What will the government do if we contract coronavirus? she asks. Gorakhpur : , April 1 (IANS) A 25-year-old man from Basti district, who died on Monday evening in Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College, has become the first COVID-19-linked death in Uttar Pradesh. His samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, two days after he died. Government officials are now worried about the number of people who may have been infected or exposed since he was earlier admitted to a hospital in Basti, which is around 50 kilometres from Gorakhpur. Originally a resident of Basti, the youth had a history of travel to Mumbai but he hid this from the doctors. The man had been admitted to Gorakhpur's BRD medical college hospital on Sunday, with breathing problem. However, here too he was admitted to the general ward and not the one reserved for COVID-19 patients. After his condition worsened, he was shifted to the ICU where he succumbed to his medical condition on Monday. His body was handed to relatives who brought it to Basti for the last rites. The patient was admitted to the general ward, where the virus may have spread to staff and other patients. The BRD Hospital doctors had sent his saliva sample to Lucknow's KGMU where his samples tested positive on Wednesday. KGMU media in-charge Dr Sudhir Singh said that this makes him the first established death in the state due to coronavirus. Dr O.P. Singh, hospital-in-charge, told reporters, "The man gave no information he had a travel history. This is the fault of the patient and his relatives. He said he had been ill for a month and had no fever at the time. He was diagnosed at the OPD (outpatient department) and admitted to general ward. If he or his relatives had said, even once, that he had returned from Mumbai, we would have immediately sent him to the Corona virus ward." The Basti district administration has now sealed off the area in which he lived. All relatives he had contact with, have been identified and put into quarantine and also the doctors and paramedical staff at both, Basti and Gorakhpur hospitals. Patients and relatives who came into contact with him during his stay at either hospital have also been identified and will be isolated and tested. Gorakhpur is the constituency of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. While 104 cases have tested positive from various districts of Uttar Pradesh so far, this is the first death due to the disease. According to state government data, Uttar Pradesh has, so far, confirmed 103 cases of the novel coronavirus. The biggest clusters are in Noida in the National Capital Region (39 cases) and Meerut district in the western part of the state (19 cases). Our goal is to transform the management of a 30-year-old gathering and processing system with high tech solutions and having everything run on the cloud was important to us, which is why we felt like W Energy Software was the best solution for us and a superior product W Energy Software, the emerging leader in upstream and midstream oil & gas ERP solutions, announces that Colt Midstream has licensed its plant accounting software. By selecting W Energy Software, Colt Midstream enhances its ability to track the accounting movement of natural gas, NGL, and gas condensate through its gathering and processing system in North Texas. Top reasons for choosing W Energy Software include the ability to rapidly and accurately perform calculations, flexibility to configure the software to Colt Midstream workflows, and W Energy Softwares reputation for customer service. With the announcement of W Energy Softwares latest midstream customer, the company continues a track record of replacing legacy plant accounting software with its modern, cloud-based solution. Our goal is to transform the management of a 30-year-old gathering and processing system with high tech solutions and having everything run on the cloud was important to us, which is why we felt like W Energy Software was the best solution for us and a superior product, said Sean Morton, Chief Financial Officer at Colt Midstream. Morton continued, When we took over operation of our North Texas assets we knew that support was going to be important, however, based on feedback from peers and partners it was clear that we wouldnt get the level of service we require from the legacy plant accounting software provider. Frankly, when you look at the list of W Energy software clients compared to our legacy provider, it was an easy choice as the market at large is moving over to their cloud-based solutions and a big reason for that is their reputation for going above and beyond for customers, he said. Houston-based Colt Midstream owns and operates a 3,500-mile gathering system in the Fort Worth Basin and Barnett Shale of North Texas. The companys processing facilities accommodate approximately 100 million MCF equivalent of natural gas, NGL, and gas condensate per day. Having recently acquired these assets, Colt Midstream took over operation of multiple software systems required to track shipments and processing through its facilities, including legacy plant accounting and measurement solutions. However, the accounting software it had inherited was cumbersome to use and required manual workarounds to verify allocations. Monthly settlement required overnight processing and often forced users to rerun allocations multiple times. Colt Midstream wanted to modernize its entire software portfolio and run 100% of its back-office operations on the cloud. After evaluating the capabilities and costs of maintaining its current legacy software, the company selected W Energy Softwares cloud-based accounting solution, which includes modules for Plant Processing, Gathering, Division Order, and Disbursement. The solution also includes a Customer Activity Website that enables third party shippers to track their inventory and manage nominations. In addition, Cold Midstream is working with a W Energy Software partner to integrate Colt Midstreams new measurement solution into its plant accounting and financial solutions. Reasons for selecting W Energy Software over the competition include: Fast and reliable processing of settlements and allocations eliminates manual workarounds, enables processes to be run in minutes, and builds confidence in the results. W Energy Softwares reputation (validated by multiple peers and references) for customer service and partnering with customers to ensure business results. Flexibility to take a fresh look at contracts and configure software modules to the workflow requirements of Colt Midstream vs. forcing users to adapt their workflow to the existing legacy software setup. Ability to easily onboard data from other W Energy Software accounts following a merger or acquisition. Superior functionality and user experience across a unified database and integrated software suite. The industrys most comprehensive single platform, modern technology deployed in the cloud enables teams to reduce IT costs. A warm welcome to Colt Midstream and a big thank you for placing your trust in W Energy Softwares technology and team, said Pete Waldroop, CEO of W Energy Software. Waldroop added, while there are many reasons why midstream companies are rushing to our cloud-based platform, sluggish performance, lack of trust in financial results, and a clear focus on monetizing versus partnering are the common themes that explain our rapid market share growth, and we are just getting started. About W Energy Software Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, W Energy Software (formerly Waterfield Energy) offers the oil & gas industrys only unified ERP solution built for the cloud that is relied on by more than 100 upstream and midstream companies to accelerate business performance, improve operational efficiency, and drive costs down. W Energy Software combines precision-built software in one extendable cloud-based workspace with an intimate understanding of the oil & gas business to deliver solutions that offer flexibility, affordability, and continuous upgrades. Unlike other ERP software that loosely ties together a mix of legacy solutions and fragmented technologies, W Energy Software designed a unified upstream and midstream ERP platform to seamlessly track oil, gas, and NGL from the wellhead through transportation and marketing, eliminating data silos as well as the burden and costs of maintaining multiple systems. With W Energy Software, oil & gas companies stay lean and agile with the tools they need to adapt to market changes and meet evolving customer needs head on, all while gaining the confidence that their business is running on the latest technology. For more information, please visit https://WEnergySoftware.com. Radisson Hotel Group continues to expand in Chinas most dynamic destinations with the signing of its inaugural property in Nanjing, the countrys ancient capital city, the current capital of Jiangsu province and a thriving modern metropolis. Radisson Blu Hotel Nanjing South New Town is a striking new upper-upscale hotel being developed in Nanjing South New Town, a rapidly emerging commercial area that will become the citys new CBD. The property will take centre stage in the heart of this master-planned district, as part of a large complex also featuring a high-end shopping mall and an office tower. Scheduled to open its doors in 2024, Radisson Blu Hotel Nanjing South New Town will feature 300 contemporary rooms and suites, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, a lobby lounge and three restaurants. It will also provide extensive event space, with two exhibition areas covering more than 3,200-sq-m, a large ballroom and seven other meeting and function spaces. This will make the hotel one of the most prominent conference venues in the city. With an array of amenities and facilities, this new hotel will become a hub of the community, creating meaningful guest experiences that are underpinned by Radisson Blus unique Yes I Can! service philosophy. The property is being developed by Nanjing South New Town Exhibition Centre Development Co., Ltd. Nanjing has always been one of Chinas most important cities; its name literally means Southern Capital, which reflects its historical influence. Today, Nanjing remains one of Chinas 21st century most vibrant destinations and the rise of Nanjing South New Town will further enhance its development. With its world-class accommodation, facilities and conference space, Radisson Blu Hotel Nanjing South New Town will be a central landmark in this exciting new district. We look forward to seeing this spectacular project come to life, said Katerina Giannouka, president, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group. The new hotel will be located just 3.3km from Nanjing South Station and easy access to Nanjing Lukou International Airport, which offers connections to many major cities including Bangkok, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. Radisson Blu, Europes largest upper-upscale brand, creates memorable experiences in stylish places. With over 397 hotels and resorts globally in operation and under development, and an extensive footprint in Europe, Radisson Blu hotels can be found in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations including Amsterdam, Chicago, Paris, Sydney, Shanghai and Zurich. - TradeArabia News Service Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender said that with the exception of 160 to 170 people, everybody who returned to the state after participating in the Tablighi Jamaat at New Delhi's Nizamuddin last month, have been identified. "We have identified most of them (who returned from Tablighi Jamaat), but there are 160-170 people more. We will trace them also by today evening," Rajender told ANI on Wednesday. Rajender shared that over 1,000 people from the state had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in the capital. The state minister further stated that there is no case community transmission in Telangana. So far, six people in Telangana have died due to coronavirus. According to the Telangana Public Health and Family Welfare Department there are 77 active COVID-19 positive cases in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The retired Venezuelan army general surrendered in Columbia and is now being taken by Drug Enforcement Administration agents to New York for arraignment. He is charged as a co-conspirator of Nicolas Maduro in narco-terrorism. He has been an outspoken critic of the Venezuelan president for years but has now been charged with narco-terrorist conspiracy on Thursday. He is allegedly running the conspiracy alongside Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello who is a socialist party boss, and another retired general. The United States prosecutors said that the group sent 250 metric tons of cocaine annually to the country and turned Venezuela to a platform filled with violent cartels and Colombian rebels. Alcala is being flown on a charter plane to New York City from Barranquilla, Colombia after he waived his extradition hearing and agreed to cooperate and collaborate with the prosecutors of the US. He has been living in the coastal city since he fled from Venezuela in 2018 after the conspiracy to oust Maduro has been discovered. Alcala claims responsibility for weapons After his indictment on Thursday, Alcala surprised many as he claims responsibility for the stockpile of US-made assault weapons and other military equipment that was seized on a highway in Columbia. He said it was the planned incursion into Venezuela to oust Maduro. Without any evidence at hand, Alcala claims that he worked with opposition leader Juan Guaido and an American adviser to buy the weapons. On a social media video, Alcala claims that they had everything ready but a leak coming from the opposition who wanted to work with Maduro prevented them from fulfilling their goal. Alcala's claim was seized by a socialist leader who accused the DEA of corroborating Alcala in assassinating him and other political leaders. Check these out: Based on the indictment, Alcala was then a trusted aide to President Hugo Chavez. He was given an additional task of coordinating drug shipments with corrupt elements of the Venezuelan military and guerillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia. Before his surrender, Alcala published a video bidding farewell to his family. US offers reward for the arrest of Nicolas Maduro The United States Department of Justice has announced that it has indicted Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro and several key aides on charges of narcoterrorism. The department accused them on Thursday of conspiring with Colombian rebels "to flood the United States with cocaine". With its charges released to the public, State Secretary Mike Pompeo revealed that the State Department would grant up to $55 million in cash reward for information that leads to Maduro's and four of his members 'prosecution or arrests. The rewards, up to $15m for Maduro and up to $10m each for the others are being offered under the department's Narcotics Rewards Program, which has paid more than $130m in awards for information regarding some 75 drug traffickers since it was created in 1986. "While holding key positions in the Maduro regime, these individuals violated the public trust by facilitating shipments of narcotics from Venezuela, including control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan air base, as well as control of drug routes through the ports in Venezuela," Pompeo said in a statement. Donald Trump displayed none of the carefree dismissiveness that characterised his reaction to the coronavirus in February and early March, when he repeatedly said that we have it totally under control and that its going to be just fine. Washington: Top US government scientists battling the coronavirus estimated on Tuesday that the deadly pathogen could kill 100,000 to 240,000 Americans as it ravages the country despite social distancing measures that have closed schools, banned large gatherings, limited travel and forced people to stay in their homes. Dr Anthony S Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, and Dr Deborah L Birx, who is coordinating the coronavirus response, displayed that grim projection at a White House briefing, calling it our real number but pledging to do everything possible to reduce it. As dire as those predictions are, Fauci and Birx said the number of deaths could be much higher if Americans did not follow the strict guidelines vital to keeping the virus from spreading. The White House models they displayed showed that more than 2.2 million people could have died in the United States if nothing were done. Those conclusions were based on a continuing analysis of cases in the United States and generally matched those from similar models created by public health researchers around the globe. The two public health officials urged people to take the restrictions seriously, and a subdued President Donald Trump, appearing with them, echoed that message, saying that now is not the time to relax. I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead, said Trump, who answered questions for more than two hours and predicted that there would be light at the end of the tunnel, but warned that were going to go through a very tough two weeks. Fauci and Birx showed charts indicating that coronavirus cases in New York and New Jersey have risen far higher than in other parts of the country, a fact that they said gives them hope that the overall number of deaths might be lower if people in the rest of the states follow the guidelines for at least the next month. But outbreaks in New Orleans, Detroit and other cities are growing quickly, and experts say it is unclear whether social distancing measures can stop them from rising even more in the next few weeks. Recent estimates in Florida suggest that it may be entering a phase of exponential growth. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed that even with those efforts, it is possible that nearly a quarter-million people in the United States could lose their lives. As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it, he said. Trump displayed none of the carefree dismissiveness that characterised his reaction to the virus in February and early March, when he repeatedly said that we have it totally under control and that its going to be just fine. For most of the briefing on Tuesday, the president appeared to understand the severity of the potentially grave threat to the country. But asked about whether the impeachment effort had distracted him in the early days of the pandemic, Trump reverted to form, lashing out at Democrats and once again calling it a phony impeachment and a hoax. He acknowledged that he might have been distracted, but insisted that he still deserved an A+ for his effort to combat the virus The president, who on Sunday extended for 30 days the governments recommendations for slowing the spread of the virus, made it clear that the data compiled by Fauci and Birx convinced him that the death toll would be even higher if the restrictions on work, school, travel and social life were not taken seriously by all Americans. Trump said the virus was a great national trial unlike any we have ever faced before, and said it would require the full absolute measure of our collective strength, love and devotion to minimise the number of people infected. Its a matter of life and death, frankly, he said, offering a sober assessment of the pandemics effect on the United States. Its a matter of life and death. As of Tuesday, more than 183,500 cases of the virus have been reported in the United States, with more than 3,700 deaths more than 1,500 of which are in New York, the centre of the nations outbreak. Governor Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, told residents of the state that things would continue to get worse the peak was not expected there for another one to three weeks. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 declined 1.6 percent on Tuesday, the end of a month in which the index fell 12.5 percent. The projection released at the White House was the first time that Trumps administration has officially estimated the breadth of the threat to human life from the disease caused by the coronavirus, COVID-19. In the past several weeks, Birx and Fauci have resisted predicting how many people might die in the pandemic, saying that there was not enough reliable data. That is no longer the case, they said. Public health scientists spent the past week constructing a model that could predict how widely the virus would spread in the coming months and how many people who get infected would succumb to the disease. Birx said the result was clear: The only way to minimise deaths is to continue the difficult restrictions on American life. Theres no magic bullet. Theres no magic vaccine or therapy. Its just behaviours, Birx said. Each of our behaviours, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic over the next 30 days. The new government estimates came to the same conclusion that other researchers have: That even with the isolation efforts already underway to limit the spread of the virus, infections are almost certain to soar, straining the ability of hospitals to care for infected patients and leading to a growing number of deaths. One of those models, created by scientists at the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, predicts that deaths from the virus in the United States will rise rapidly during April, reaching a total of about 84,000 by the beginning of August. The model uses the severe lockdown in Wuhan, China, to calibrate how the outbreak might play out in the United States. That approach has some critics because control measures imposed in the United States have generally been less stringent than those in Wuhan. If we fail at those measures, we face outcomes far worse than any included in the range of possibilities predicted by their model, said Carl T. Bergstrom, a professor of biology at the University of Washington. A second study, released on 17 March by the epidemic modelling group at Imperial College London and written by 30 scientists on its coronavirus response team, predicted that if the United States had done nothing to prevent the spread of the virus, 2.2 million people could have died. If, however, the government tried to isolate people suspected of having the virus and people they were in contact with, the number of deaths could be cut in half, the researchers said. They concluded that only a nationwide suppression effort an expanded version of efforts now underway across parts of the country might significantly reduce the death toll. But they warned that such efforts might have to be maintained for long periods to ensure that the threat is over. Trump, who spent weeks playing down the threat of the virus and who has retreated from saying that social distancing could be scaled back in mid-April congratulated himself at the briefing for projections showing that public health measures may significantly limit the national death toll. What would have happened if we did nothing? Because there was a group that said, Lets just ride it out, Trump said, without saying what group he was referring to. The president noted the estimate that as many as 2.2 million people would have died if we did nothing, if we just carried on with our life. You would have seen people dying on airplanes; you would have seen people dying in hotel lobbies. You would have seen death all over, Trump said. By comparison, he said, a potential death toll of 100,000 is, according to modelling, a very low number. Asked whether the projected death toll might be lower still had he called for social distancing measures weeks earlier than mid-March, almost two months after the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the United States, Trump insisted that he had acted decisively, noting that he had limited air travel from China on 2 February and from Europe six weeks later. Birx said it was impossible to know whether earlier action would have made a substantial difference until widespread antibody testing revealed how many Americans had already been infected without realising it. If there was no virus in the background in late winter, Fauci added, there was nothing to mitigate. If the virus was already widespread at the time, he said, then the answer was probably yes. Trump said that his weeks of largely dismissive commentary about the virus, until a recent abrupt change in tone, were meant to reassure Americans. I want to be positive. I dont want to be negative, the president said. I want to give people in this country hope. He also insisted that what nobody knew about this virus is how contagious it was, even though health experts were alarmed by its virulence as early as January. Near the end of the briefing, Trump said that the United States was going through probably the worst thing the countrys ever seen, adding that we lose more here potentially than you lose in world wars as a country. Models of the spread of any infectious disease often give widely varying estimates of the ultimate death toll. Modellers use different assumptions on how the disease will spread and how much people change their behaviour to stop new infections. Michael D Shear, Michael Crowley and James Glanz c.2020 The New York Times Company Today A mix of clouds and sun. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 26F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Cloudy skies. High 38F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. An aircraft arrived at Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) delivering from China to Ukraine another 100,000 PCR tests for coronavirus, 40,000 reusable glasses, medical masks and equipment for ventilators. After passing all sanitary and customs procedures, the cargo will be delivered to hospitals and laboratories all over the country, the press service of the head of state reported. Protective equipment will also be provided to the military and State Border Service personnel. In addition, medical face masks will be provided to pharmacies to meet the demand of the population. The Office of the President of Ukraine, which organized the delivery of medical supplies for the healthcare system, also facilitated the import to Ukraine of rapid tests and medical supplies purchased by domestic entrepreneurs. As reported, on March 30, the plane with 100,000 PCR tests for COVID-19 arrived in Ukraine from the Republic of Korea. Test systems were delivered to the infectious disease laboratories in all regions of the country. ish DES MOINES, Iowa, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nelson Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the Nelson family, which privately owns and operates Kemin Industries, announced today a $50,000 donation to the Food Bank of Iowa to assist with feeding food insecure Iowans during the coronavirus pandemic, which has created more populations in need of additional support during this unprecedented situation. Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, was founded in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1961. Today, the company operates in more than 90 countries, but its worldwide headquarters remains in Des Moines. "As a family company that produces ingredients to protect the world's food supply, when a global crisis arrives in our backyard, it is our responsibility to lend support to those most in need," said Mary Nelson, co-founder of Kemin. "We hope this donation encourages other companies and foundations to continue to support their local communities and those most vulnerable due to COVID-19." Driven by servant leadership and a motivation to help their community, R.W. and Mary Nelson, the founders of Kemin, established The Nelson Foundation in 1983 to support in-state efforts to enhance science, education and assist children in need. Mary Nelson has always been passionate about food security issues and lending support to vulnerable populations. The Nelson Foundation's gift has been designated to go directly toward meal programs. According to the Food Bank of Iowa, for every $1,000 the nonprofit receives, it can feed up to 4,000 people. With this donation, about 200,000 meals will be provided to food-insecure Iowans. "This generous gift from the Nelson Foundation will have an immediate impact on the increased demand for food assistance as a result of COVID-19," said Michelle Book, President and CEO, Food Bank of Iowa. "In this time of crisis, we are incredibly grateful to the Nelson family for standing with Food Bank of Iowa and those in need." In addition to what The Nelson Foundation has done to support those facing food insecurity in Iowa, Kemin continues to assist communities around the world, including a donation of nearly 10,000 items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Kemin teams in Italy and Belgium have donated PPE to their local hospitals, including homemade masks for healthcare workers, and a recent internal fundraiser collected more than 13,000, which will be matched by Kemin, for the Ospedale Mater Salutis di Legnago in Verona, Italy, where Kemin operates. "The more we can all work together to help those in need during this turbulent time, the better and stronger our community will be," said Mary Katherine Nelson, Chair of the Nelson Family Council. "With a family business focused on food production and transforming the quality of life, the Nelson family immediately recognized the need to support an organization in our community that works tirelessly to provide food for those who have been severely impacted by this pandemic." The Nelson Foundation is comprised of Nelson family members, including the third generation. Kemin founders R.W. and Mary Nelson, who are both in their early-90s, are still actively engaged in the business and The Nelson Foundation. Their son, Dr. Chris Nelson, President and CEO of Kemin, and the entire Nelson family continue R.W. and Mary's philanthropic legacy within the company, in Iowa and around the world. About Kemin Industries Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies and textile industries. For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products. Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States. About Food Bank of Iowa Food Bank of Iowa is a private, nonprofit donor-funded organization dedicated to making hunger-free Iowa a reality. Through key partnerships with corporations, the USDA and Feeding Americaas well as community donationsFood Bank of Iowa distributes 1.5 million pounds of food each month (before COVID-19) to 175,000 Iowans via 625 partner agencies across 55 Iowa counties. Media Contact: Lauren Burt, Head of Worldwide Communications, [email protected], + 1 (515) 249-4219 Kemin Industries, Inc. and its group of companies 2020. All rights reserved. TM Trademarks of Kemin Industries, Inc., U.S.A. Certain statements, product labeling and claims may differ by geography or as required by government requirements. SOURCE Kemin Industries Related Links http://www.kemin.com On Monday, a federal court sided with those providers and temporarily blocked state officials' attempted abortion ban. But on Tuesday, an appeals court overturned that decision. For now, that means the state can still enforce the ban, pending additional litigation. Attorneys on both sides of the legal battle have been directed to submit arguments to the same appeals court for further review. This has taken a toll on Artrip. She still intends to end the pregnancy, but now she isnt sure where or when it will happen. I became so desperate that I tried to induce my own miscarriage, which in hindsight is incredibly dangerous, she said. Abortion providers argue that Texas officials ban on the procedure reflects political opportunism and not genuine concern for conserving medical resources. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE updates: 'The assault on Duty Doctor at Gandhi Hospital treating COVID19 patients is condemned. Strong action against the culprits will be taken immediately. Anyone indulging in such acts of vandalism will not be spared,' said Director General of Police. Auto refresh feeds The total number includes 1,238 active cases, and 124 people who have been cured/discharged/migrated and 35 deaths. Three deaths two in Punjab and one in Maharashtra were reported on Tuesday. The Centre on Tuesday said that there has been an increase of 146 novel coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 positive cases to 1,397 in India. "While the revenue streams have totally dried up due to the lockdown, the demand on state resources has increased tremendously for contact tracing, quarantining, providing personal protection equipment, drugs, health facilities, etc. and for providing financial assistance to the poor people, most affected by the lockdown," he said. The deferments will range from 10 to 100 percent for different categories of employees, it said. In an order issued around midnight, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney said the deferment will continue to be in force till further orders. The Andhra Pradesh government late on Tuesday night announced deferment of payment of full salaries to the chief minister, officers, and employees, saying its revenue streams have "totally dried up" in view of the ongoing lockdown to combat coronavirus. After he was discharged, he conspired with three others and forged a certificate of his death to travel in a private ambulance, officials said. A police team intercepted the ambulance and found the man alive and subsequently arrested all the four accused. Police sent them to a quarantine facility. A man faked his death to reach home in an ambulance in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district during the nationwide lockdown, according to officials. A 1,000-bed emergency hospital set up at the mammoth Javits Convention Center began taking non-coronavirus patients to help relieve the city's overwhelmed health system. A Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds that arrived on Monday was expected to begin accepting patients on Tuesday. New York was the nation's deadliest hot spot, with about 1,550 deaths statewide, most of them in New York City, which braced for things to get much worse in the coming weeks. The governor pronounced on Tuesday the disaster unlike any other the city has weathered: "This is ongoing and the duration itself is debilitating and exhausting and depressing." The crisis hit close to home for Governor Andrew Cuomo, who reported teary-eyed that his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, was infected. The US death toll from the coronavirus has climbed past 3,600, eclipsing China's official count, as hard-hit New York City rushed to bring in more medical professionals and ambulances and parked refrigerated morgue trucks on the streets to collect the dead. The containment measure will remain in force in all parts of the district, he said. In exercise of powers under Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the state government order to initiate effective and immediate measures needed to prevent and contain the spread of coronavirus, the total closure will be imposed from 6 am on April 1 to Midnight of April 3, 2020, an order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Anoop Khinchi, said on Tuesday. At the end of the first week of 21-day nationwide lockdown, the district administration of Dimapur has ordered total closure of all shops, commercial, private establishments, and imposed restriction on movement of public and vehicles for 66 hours with effect from 6 am on Wednesday. The state government so far had identified 70 people, who had attended a religious gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin earlier this month. A total of 1,03,391 people are under home isolation in various parts of the state as on Tuesday, while the total number of positive cases stands at 32. Two persons have earlier died due to the disease. Five people did not have any travel history, while the rest either came in contact with a positive patient or had a travel history outside the state. The two persons who died were among the 10 new cases, officials said. The death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic climbed to four in West Bengal on Tuesday after two patients succumbed to the contagion, while 10 new cases were reported, the highest single-day rise in the state so far. He said their addresses and the places they visited after attending the religious congregation are being ascertained. Nizamuddin area in Delhi has turned into a new hotspot after a number of people who attended the Jamaat's gathering tested positive for coronavirus. "People who returned two days ago from Delhi and Noida on buses were scanned. Of this, there were around 50 persons who returned after attending the Tabligh-e-Jamaat. These people have been quarantined at Shia College, and their health check-up is being done," District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Singh said. The Jaunpur administration has quarantined about 50 people who attended a Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and returned to the district recently. If no steps were to be taken, the death toll could range between 1.5 million and 2.2 million, Brix said on a day when the confirmed number of coronavirus infections in the US, according to the Worldometer website, skyrocketed to over 188,000, adding more than 24,000 new cases in a single day and the fatalities rose to 3,867. Trump's remarks came as Deborah Bix, a member of White House Task Force on coronavirus, based on a model from actual data from the ground, said the death toll in the US could be between 100,000 to 200,000, with the strict implementation of the existing mitigation measures including social distancing till 30 April. The US is headed for a "tough two weeks", President Donald Trump has warned, advising people to be prepared for the "hard days" ahead, as the country fights the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic that the White House projects could claim one to two lakh lives in the coming weeks. Ramjee, aged nearly 50 years, was the Clinical Trials Unit Principal Investigator and Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) offices in Durban. Ramjee, a stellar vaccine scientist and an HIV prevention research leader, had returned from London a week ago but reportedly showed no symptoms of COVID-19. World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country. Governments, companies and citizens must therefore work together to pool their resources, to ensure every action is taken to combat the pandemic as swiftly as possible, he said. Mittal also said his companies are providing daily meals to over 5,000 people and food kits to more than 30,000. COVID-19 is having significant repercussions for people in every continent, Mittal said. No country will be immune to it and for nations like India which have a vast population, the impact could be very serious, he added. Collaboration in times like these is critical, the industrialist asserted. "Citizens across India have shown extraordinary dedication, bravery and compassion in this moment of singular crisis and they deserve our support and the gratitude of the nation," the steel magnate said. "Both our operations in India commit equally to a total of Rs 100 crore to PM-CARES for the ongoing relief efforts countrywide," Mittal said in a statement. "ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture between (L N Mittal's) ArcelorMittal and Japan's Nippon Steel, and HMEL, a partnership between Hindustan Petroleum and Mittal Energy Investments, today announce a package of support to strengthen India's capacity to protect families and communities impacted by the virus. NRI billionaire Lakshmi N Mittal on Tuesday announced a contribution of Rs 100 crore to the PM CARES Fund to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus in India. The district administration said the COVID-19 positive tested persons attended the Markaz meeting in New Delhi. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. Four more fresh coronavirus positive cases were reported from Vishakhapatnam on Tuesday. This takes the total number of those infected with the deadly virus in Andhra Pradesh to 44. A total of 229 suspected COVID-19 cases were investigated in which 222 samples have been found negative and 3 samples were positive, Himachal Pradesh Health Department said on Tuesday. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. Nearly half those deaths were in New York state, still, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pleaded for reinforcements from the Trump administration, saying the worst may still be weeks away. The US government raced to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals to ease the strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems as the United States marked 700 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time on Tuesday. That is the equivalent of a person dying every two minutes. Adequate arrangement of sanitisers, soaps, and water should be maintained at every shop, and only after washing hands, the ePOS machines should be used. No crowding should take place at the ration shops and social distancing must be adhered to. Free ration should be distributed to Antyodaya card holders, MGNREGS labourers, registered labourers of the labour department and daily wage labourers of the urban development department. Social distancing should be adhered to during the distribution of food grains at e-POS shops. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed nine district officials, including from Meerut and Saharanpur, to ensure an adequate supply of food grains to the poor, an official said. The official said the meeting was held via a video link. Health department officials in Srikalahasti in Andhra Pradesh have identified 15 persons who had attended the Markaz gathering in Nizamuddin in Delhi. These individual have been shifted them from Srikalahasti to Ruia Hospital in Tirupati, reports ANI. Meanwhile, Deputy Director Heath and Nodal Officer in Andaman and Nicobar, COVID-19 Abhijit Roy, on Tuesday informed that nine out of the 10 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the Islands had attended a Tablighi Jamaat event at the Jamaat's headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin. These people have been giving wrong information about the places they visited during the home quarantine period apart from violating the terms and conditions of home quarantine. Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman District has ordered to register FIR against two people who have been tested positive for COVID-19 for continuously misleading contact tracking in tracking their contacts. The two people tested positive have been identified as Farzand Ali and S Rehman. 18 new positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Maharashtra, taking the total count to 320. 16 new cases are reported in Mumbai, while two were reported in Pune. The toll in Maharashtra climbs to 12 after the death of two more coronavirus positive patients, said Health official on Wednesday. Twenty-four people, who took part in the congregation in Nizamuddin West earlier this month, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday. According to the Delhi Health Department, out of the total 120 cases recorded so far, about 90 are admitted at various hospitals like the LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. Five have been discharged, two have had died and one has migrated out of the country, it said. These 120 cases include 24 people who took part in a religious congregation at Nizamuddin West area earlier this month. Till Monday night, the number of cases of the deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) stood at 97, including two deaths. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 120 on Tuesday after 23 new cases of the pandemic was reported in the past 24 hours, the Health Department said. "So far none of them has any coronavirus symptoms," said the senior police official on the condition of anonymity. Over 115 people from Pune are suspected to have attended a religious congregation in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area, reports News18. Out of them, 30 people have been identified and sent for quarantine in Pune. Some of them were from neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad, am official told PTI. The first four tests conducted in the lab had also come out negative. After initial five coronavirus positive cases in the coastal state, rest all tests have come out negative so far. The GMCH has set up a virology lab which started functioning from Tuesday. "The tests conducted on all the 14 samples at GMCH lab have come out negative," Rane said. This has come as a huge respite for residents of the tourist state. Tests conducted on 14 coronavirus suspects in Goa have come out negative, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Wednesday. This was the second batch of tests conducted at the newly set up virology laboratory at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near Goa. Meanwhile, after 24 people who attended the Markaz event in Nizamuddin were tested positive for coronavirus, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava, on Tuesday said that an FIR has been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. Delhi Police on Tuesday wrote a letter to Delhi Government seeking an immediate action with regard to the persons including 157 foreign nationals associated with Tablighi Jamaat meet in Nizamuddin and presently staying at various mosques and other places in Delhi. The Palghar man had no travel history, he said. This is the first death reported from Palghar, a predominantly tribal district. Maharashtra now has 320 COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths. Thirty-nine coronavirus positive patients have been discharged after recovery. "The 75-year-old male patient died in Mumbai on Tuesday. We are finding details of his travel history and also checking if someone close to him had a travel history, an official said. Two more COVID-19 patients died in Maharashtra, taking the state toll to 12, health officials said on Wednesday. One was a 75-year-old man from Mumbai, while the other, a 50-year-old man, died in adjoining Palghar district, the officials said. Benchmark indices are trading flat to positive in the pre-opening session with Nifty above 8,600-level. At 09:02 am, the Sensex was up 172.05 points or 0.58 percent at 29640.54, and the Nifty up 7.35 points or 0.09 percent at 8605.10. The US government raced to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals to ease the strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems as the United States marked 700 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time on Tuesday. Two people from Kerala lost their lives to the coronavirus in United States on Wednesday, reported Manorama. A 45-year-old man hailing from Elanthoor in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district died in New York, while an 85-year-old man who hailed from Ramamangalam in Ernakulam district lived in New Jersey. The Karnataka government had closed the roads connecting its border with Kasaragod in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the north Kerala district. During the hearing, the High Court directed both states to inform it about the easiest way connecting Kerala''s Kasaragod and Mangalore in Karnataka to facilitate the movement of people from Kasaragod seeking treatment in hospitals in Mangalore. The AG said Karnataka was ready to open two roads connecting the state with Kerala''s Kannur and Wayanad districts to facilitate movement of essential goods. This followed a request from the bench to the Advocate General of Karnataka on Monday, seeking the government''s views on the matter Joining the hearing conducted by Kerala High Court Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chali via video conferencing. The Kerala HC to take up the issue of border closure by Karnataka again on Wednesday. The Karnataka government on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that it was willing to open two roads connecting both states, which it had closed following the COVID-19 outbreak. Those without ration cards can also purchase grains by giving an affidavit at the PDS shops. Non-priority cardholders will get 15 kgs of rice over and above their regular ration, as part of the Rs 20,000-crore package announced by the chief minister. New India Express r eports that Kerala will start distributing free rice through 14,250 ration shops from today (1 April). Priority card holders (yellow and pink cards) can purchase free rice and other items from ration shops from morning till noon, while the non-priority cardholders (blue and white cards) can approach the shops in the afternoon. The test of their samples conducted in the centrally administered JIPMER here found that they were infected with the virus. A source said the two persons belong to Ariyankuppam village near. Director of Health and Family Welfare Mohan Kumar said the two had returned from Delhi after attending the congregation and were admitted to the State Government hospital. Two persons, who had attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, tested positive for coronavirus in Puducherry on Wednesday, a senior official said. As a precautionary measure, the police officials wife and two daughters are also kept in a separate ward of the hospital. The police station where the official was posted as in-charge has been sanitised and steps are taken to protect the other staff from the infection, Parashar said. Of the 19 new patients in Indore, nine are from one family, including three children, aged 3, 5 and 8, residing in Tanzeem Nagar area of the city, the official said. A police official from Indore is also among the new coronavirus patients. Twenty more people tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 86, a health official said. Among the new cases, 19 were reported from Indore and one from the neighbouring Khargone district, he said. Karnataka DGP threatens pranksters that their vehicles will be seized if they violated lockdown rules. The police officer urged citizens to strictly adhere to lockdown rules which include the ban of two/ four wheelers from use till the 14 April in view of April Fool's Day. Tech Mahindra said it has taken all the necessary preventive measures to ensure the wellness and well-being of its associates. CP Gurnani, MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, said the company's focus continues to be on ensuring the safety and well-being of associates, partners, and customers, while continuing to keep mission-critical systems on for global clients. These employees are working towards keeping critical systems running for global clients, including governments, public-sector institutions, healthcare institutions and leading service companies, it added. The tweaked logo shows the "e" in Tech Mahindra as boxed inside a house for the next few weeks, and showcases how the company's over 1.3 lakh associates have adjusted to the crisis, it said in a statement on Saturday. IT services major Tech Mahindra has temporarily tweaked its brand logo to show solidarity with the fight against COVID-19 that has claimed thousands of lives globally. Accroding to the FIR, despite the direction and notice served on 24 March, the place was not vacated. The complaint further states that around 2,100 people were vacated from Markaz within five days, but it has not been sanitised completely. Saad has two houses in Delhi - one in Zakir Nagar and another in Nizamuddin. An FIR has been filed in the case of the Nizamuddin Markaz event, 100 of whose attendees tested positive for coronavirus. The FIR in the case names Saad, Dr Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, Mursalin Saifi, Yonus and Mohd Salman. In a letter to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) 10th Battalion's commandant, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for the Police Control Room in Kashmir on Tuesday asked him to put his men on escort duty with the mayor for the last 10 days in isolation as a precautionary measure. The employee, whose brother tested COVID-19 positive, works as a generator operator at the Srinagar Municipal Complex. Mattu said the precautionary step was taken because of the security personnel station's proximity to the generator room. Security personnel guarding Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu were put in isolation after a family member of an employee in his office tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday. Yediyurappa on 25 March had appealed to people to help the state government by donating money for the advanced medical support system to fight the spread of COVID-19. He has appealed to Ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament, officials and citizens to also do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. The total US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 4,000 early Wednesday, more than double the number from three days earlier, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 4,076 -- more than twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday, Johns Hopkins data showed. The religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between 13 to 15 March. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the accurate number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. "Nobody has the symptoms and samples are being sent for testing. Tracing for others is on," said Ram. "The total number of people from Pune who attended the event at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi is more than 130. Many of them are either not in Pune or are untraceable. The search for them is underway," he added. Pune District Collector, Naval Kishore Ram on Wednesday said that till now 60 people from Pune have been put under quarantine in connection with the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi, which was attended by over 130 people from the State. It continued: A daily bulletin by the government of India through all media avenues, including social media and forums to clear the doubts of people, would be made active within a period of 24 hours as submitted by the Solicitor General of India. It noted that such panic-driven migration has caused untold suffering to those who believed and acted on such fake news and in fact, some have lost their lives in the process. The top court, however, made it clear that the court does not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media refer to and publish the official version about the developments. In particular, we expect the Media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated, the bench said. The top court said that the migration of large number of labourers working in the cities was triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months. Taking a serious note of the panic caused among the migrant workers due to fake news, the top court said it expects the media including print, electronic and social to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that "unverified news" with regard to coronavirus pandemic is not disseminated. The Supreme Court on Tuesday had directed media outlets to publish the governments official version of developments pertaining to the coronavirus outbreak. "We expect the media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of social responsibility and ensure that unverified news, capable of causing panic, is not disseminated," the report stated. The Centre stated in its report that it wanted media houses not to publish the news of COVID-19, without asking the Central government authorities, who are assigned to talk to media houses, keeping in view the welfare and benefit of migration labourers and other people due to the pandemic. The Central government had filed its status report with respect to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava, seeking a direction to provide food, medicines, shelter and other basic necessities to migrant labourers and workers amid the national lockdown. The Centre has sought directions from the Supreme Court for the media houses not to publish, print or telecast anything without first confirming it from the concerned authorities, keeping in view the sensitivity of the news regarding COVID-19 in the country on Tuesday. These 120 cases include 24 people who took part in a religious congregation at the Markaz in Nizamuddin West earlier this month. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 120 on Tuesday after 23 new cases of the disease were reported on Tuesday. Taking to Twitter, Sisodia said that out of the 2,361 people, 617 have been admitted to hospitals while the rest quarantined. "The medical staff, administration, police and DTC staff worked together in this 36-hour operation, putting their lives at risk. Hats off to all of them," the deputy chief minister said in another tweet. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West, which is among the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, has been cleared after the evacuation of 2,361 people in the past 36 hours, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday. Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had last night said about 300 people from the state had attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat and efforts were on to identify and quarantine them. "The Home Department and the Health Department will identify and quarantine those who are staying here without going to their country," he added. In a tweet, the Minister also said COVID-19 test reports of 12 of them have come out as negative. Stating that the government has got information about 62 Malaysia and Indonesia nationals who had attended the congregation have come to Karnataka, in another tweet Sriramulu said, 12 of them have been identified and quarantined. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said about 300 people from the state had attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid in New Delhi last month, and 40 of them have been identified and quarantined. In all 373 samples were tested since 9 pm on Tuesday and 330 of them turned negative till 9 am on Wednesday, the bulletin added. Five new cases were added in Chittoor district, four in Prakasam, two each in East Godavari, SPS Nellore and one each in Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts, according to the latest bulletin of the Medical and Health Department. West Godavari district, which did not have a single COVID-19 case till Tuesday, recorded 13 positive cases while Kadapa district too reported 15. As many as 43 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Andhra Pradesh since Tuesday night, taking the overall count to 87 in the state, the government said.Most of these cases relate to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. These companies are currently producing 50,000 litres of sanitisers per day and it will be increased to 60,000 litres soon, he said. To deal with this increased demand, the government has issued licences to distilleries and sanitiser-manufacturing companies to increase production, he said. "The total sanitiser licenses issued in the state is 48 and production ramped up to 50,000 litres per day," Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Awanish Awasthi, told reporters. The move comes in the wake of a spike in demand of sanitisers, an alcohol-based disinfectant, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 35 lives and infected 1,397 people in the country. Forty-eight companies have been issued licences by the Uttar Pradesh government to produce 50,000 litres of sanitiser per day, officials said on Wednesday. Two men from Sheoraphuli in Hooghly district and another man from Egra in Purba Medinipur district tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 34, he added. "The man was diabetic for the last 20 years and was hospitalised since March 23 with kidney ailments. He tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday night," he said. Family members of both the deceased have been placed under quarantine, the official said. The second person had no history of travelling abroad or to any other state in India, the official said. Another 57-year-old man died in a hospital in Belghoria in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday morning, he said. "We are trying to find out the travel history of the deceased and whether he had come in contact with any person infected with coronavirus," the official said. A 57-year-old man, who was admitted to a private hospital in Golabari area of Howrah district two days ago, died on Tuesday night, he said. According to multiple reports, two COVID-19 patients died in West Bengal on Wednesday, taking the death count rises to six in the state. A huge religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between 13-15 March, the gathering came into the spotlight after over 24 people who attended the event tested positive for coronavirus. The FIR holds the seven accused responsible for the gathering which took place, and added that visitors were allowed to continue living in the premises despite a notice being issued to them on 24 March. Maulana Saad, Dr Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M Saifi, Younus, Mohammad Salman and Mohammed Ashraf have been named in the FIR filed in connection with the case, according to sources in the Delhi police. The FIR filed by Delhi police in connection with the religious gathering held at Markaz Nizamuddin case holds seven people responsible for the gathering and the ensuing stay of people on the premises. "We are keeping a close watch on them. There is no reason to worry or panic," he added "We have identified all the 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat's event in Delhi. They have been put under quarantine and are being examined thoroughly," Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode told PTI. The gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Delhi headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat, was held earlier this month. All 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin West, which has turned out as one of the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, have been identified and quarantined, a senior official said on Wednesday. Among the 23 confirmed cases, one patient has died while another has been discharged from hospital upon full recovery. According to the state health department, 1,350 samples have been collected so far across Bihar out of which 1,324 have tested negative while three were rejected. According to Pradip Das, Director of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute, an ICMR centre here, those who have tested positive include one man each from Begusarai and Nalanda districts with travel histories to Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Two fresh cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number so far in the state to 23, an official said. The man hailed from Basti in Uttar Pradesh. The two lab technicians, who had taken his samples, have been admitted to the quarantine ward of the hospital as a precautionary measure, Kumar said. "Whether the patient died due to the coronavirus has not been ascertained yet," he said, adding that the patient showed symptoms of COVID-19, but the test reports came after he died on Monday. "The sample of the patient was found positive for the coronavirus," an official of the King George's Medical University said in Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh reported its first coronavirus-related death on Wednesday after test reports of a 25-year-old man, who died two days ago, came COVID-19 positive. The man was admitted to the BRD Medical College here on Sunday and he was suffering from kidney and liver problems, the institute's principal Ganesh Kumar said. In a statement, the RBI said presently value of goods or software exports made by the exporters is required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within a period of 9 months from the date of exports. It also increased ways and means advances (WMA) limit by 30 percent from existing limit for all states and union territories. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today announced more measures, including extension of period for realisation and repatriation of export proceeds, to deal with the economic fallout of COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 300 attendees, an estimated 150 persons from the State had left the centre to other regions for religious work. At least 300 persons from Kerala had attended the back-to-back meetings from which the disease had radiated to outlying States. The Hindu reported that the Kerala government is bracing itself to contain a possible spread of COVID-19 infection from a large group of persons who had returned from the Tablighi Jamat centre at Nizamuddin in New Delhi in early March. A total of 1,637 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far and 38 deaths have taken place due to the infection, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of active cases in India climb to 1,466 with 132 cases recovered so far. Nigam said around 30 to 35 people might have arrived in that region from Nizamuddin in the intervening night of 29-30 March. They had travelled in two mini-bus registered in Noida and Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. Block Development Officer Rajjan Lal Nigam told the Firstpost that all six have been put under quarantine and they are questioning the leader of the group to find out whereabouts of others. Six people from Nizamuddin's Tablighi Jamaat have been traced to a remote village 'Kunjbanna' in Pirpainti of Bihar on 30 March. Villagers informed the police on Tuesday. According to the official data, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the City was 41,771 and 1,096 people died of the disease as of 31 March. At least 8,400 people are hospitalized and of those, at least 1,888 are in the ICU. More than 1,000 people have died in New York City alone from COVID-19 as the authorities struggled to procure enough medical equipment to cope with the rising coronavirus cases and warned that it is approaching the toughest weeks of this crisis. State officials said that the railways are providing lists of passengers to the district authorities which are being compared to the list of participants of the event to ensure contact tracing. While there are yet no definite numbers with the railways on the actual number of people who could have come in contact with the participants of this event, sources say that each train carried around 1000-1200 passengers and other staff members which could put them all at risk. All these trains began from Delhi between 13 and 18 March: the Duronto Express to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, the Grand Trunk Express to Chennai, the Tamil Nadu Express to Chennai, New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express and the AP Sampark Kranti Express. Railways is scrambling to provide information regarding thousands of passengers who travelled on five trains with people who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, many of whom have tested positive. Palaniswami told reporters that while a section could not be contacted yet, others have been quarantined in Delhi. "About 515 people have been identified...others who took part in the meet should voluntarily get in touch with the authorities...we have not got the addresses of others fully," he said apparently indicating that their whereabouts could not be ascertained so far. Several people who took part in the meet from Tamil Nadu at the national capital recently have tested positive, Palaniswami said adding 1,131 men have returned of the about 1,500 people who went for the event. The whereabouts of a section of people from Tamil Nadu who took part in the recent conference held by the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi is not known yet and in view of several attendees testing positive they should voluntarily get in touch with authorities, Chief Minister K Palaniswami appealed here on Wednesday. These 120 cases include 24 people who took part in a religious congregation at the Markaz in Nizamuddin West earlier this month. The doctor, who tested positive for coronavirus, worked at the institute. The total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi climbed to 120 on Tuesday after 23 new cases of the disease were reported. Delhi State Cancer Institute has been shut for a day after a doctor tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Wednesday. According to the official, the Delhi government-run institute is being disinfected and that is why it has been shut for a day. The Indian government curtailed all international flights and later extended that suspension on domestic flights as well. Seeing the situation turning adverse, the Russian Embassy decided to extend an immediate helping hand to the 28 stranded nationals who were in New Delhi and sought help to return to their country. At least 28 Russian nationals who arrived in India for different purposes were stranded here due to curbs placed on travel by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus. The fourth flight with Russian nationals on board departed from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to their country on the intervening night of 31 March and 1 April, the country's embassy said on Wednesday. The results of the rest 51 samples, including those of 15 foreigners, are likely to arrive by Wednesday evening. Apart from this, the samples of those who came into contact with the foreigners and others were also sent for testing which revealed three more cases bringing the tally up to five. A total of 34 people, including 29 foreigners, who had attended the religious gathering in Delhi were traced in Ahmednagar by the administration. Out of these 29 foreigners, the results of 14 people have arrived which revealed two confirmed cases of the infection. Five positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, including two foreigners who had attended the Markaz in Nizamuddin, Delhi, according to the District Collector on Wednesday. In the backdrop of COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown, a high-level meeting of Union Ministers was held at Singh's residence earlier on Sunday. There has been an increase of 240 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours across the country. Taking to Twitter Singh posted the pictures of the review meeting held today. "Today, via video conferencing, had a review meeting with the CDS, Service Chiefs, Secretaries, and DPSUs to discuss the preparedness and ongoing efforts towards tackling #COVID19 menace. Armed Forces and MoD are fully prepared and geared up to face any situation," Singh tweeted. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a review meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, Service Chiefs and other officials to discuss the preparedness and efforts being taken to tackle COVID-19 outbreak. The government has inserted a clause for the domicile category under which a person has to stay in the Union Territory for a period of 15 years. Children of all-India services personnel who have served there for 10 years also come under the category. The government on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew of amendments to 138 Acts of Jammu and Kashmir that included protecting jobs up to Group-4 for only those who are domicile of the union territory. The notification said among the laws amended is the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act. Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to question the timing of the Centre to introducing a new domicile for the newly formed Union territory amid a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said, "Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the COVID-19 outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir." The policeman, a resident of Kalyan township in neighbouring Thane district, complained of uneasiness in breathing following which he was rushed to hospital on Monday. This is the first case in Maharashtra of a police personnel contracting the viral infection, he said. The constable is being treated at the Kasturba Hospital, the official said, adding that samples of four police personnel who worked with him have been sent for test. After a constable posted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus police station in Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus, his family members and 32 police personnel who came in contact with him have been asked to remain in home quarantine, an official said on Wednesday. The minister had earlier said that Bengaluru Urban and Mysuru have been identified among the prime 25 COVID-19 hotspots in the country. Chikkaballapur, since the last fourteen days, has been emerging as another hotspot, according to Sriramulu. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said that 200 people, out of 342 from the state who had attended the religious gathering at Markaz building in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, have been quarantined. He added that 68 people had stayed back in Delhi and 4 of them tested positive in the National Capital itself. "347 are back in Assam and but did not get themselves quarantined. Out of 347, 230 of them have been traced overnight and samples are being collected." said the health minister. 117 are yet to be traced. Sarma further said that Centre has provided with a list of 547 people to Assam government on Tuesday. Out 547, 134 were in the Nizamuddin area but not in Tablighi Jamaat. Addressing a press meet in Guwahati, health minister Sarma said that in addition to the first patient at Silchar Medical College and Hospital, four more people have been tested positive for Coronavirus at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Four more positive cases reported in Assam on Wednesday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 5 in the state. "All four were in Markaz, attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi," said Assam health minister HB Sarma. He also stated that the cases in the state increase. "may cross double-digits by evening." "On the directions from the Centre, a team of seven to eight medical officials has been deployed along with the police to carry out inspection and for identifying those who had attended the event. So far they have identified at least 25 persons from two madrasas (seminaries) in Mumbra and the search is still on," said Dr RT Kendre, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) incharge for coronavirus cases for Thane. The area has emerged as one of the hotspots for coronavirus outbreak since the 'markaz' or gathering of Tabligh-e-Jamaat was held there, prompting many states to launch a massive search for the attendees. Authorities have so far identified at least 25 people from Mumbra in Maharashtra's Thane district who had attended a religious event in Nizamuddin area of Delhi last month, an official said on Wednesday. His wife, Gabrielle Rogers, who is quarantined in Australia, posted on social media: Andrew Jack was diagnosed with coronavirus 2 days ago. He was in no pain, and he slipped away peacefully knowing that his family were all with him. Star Wars actor Andrew Jack has died in Britain as a result of the coronavirus, his agent said on Wednesday. He was 76. The actor, who also worked as a dialect coach, died in a hospital in Surrey on Tuesday, Jacks agent Jill McCullough said in a statement. She also documented her experience on Instagram highlights saying she came down with body aches, chills and temperature on 13 March, which escalated on 14 March and on 19 March she was diagnosed. Nikkanen said she was feeling better but still had some tightness in her chest. According to a report by the Hollywood Reporter, the actress said, This is a scary thing. It's all-consuming...Im glad that Im okay and that my mom is okay." The Society actress Olivia Nikkanen has tested for the novel coronavirus. The 21-year-old appeared on Instagram Live with her co-star Kathryn Newton for the health update. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said it will pass the orders in favour of the petitioners and would ask the Indian embassy to take fresh tests and look into the possibility of bringing them back as and when possible. It observed that government is taking the matter seriously. The top court observed that it is thinking of asking the Indian embassy to constantly monitor the situation and be in touch with the stranded Indians in Iran. The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court that 250 Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran, have tested positive for coronavirus and have not been evacuated, while over 500 have already been brought back. Efforts were underway to trace these people, and information is also being gathered if those who came in contact with these people display any symptoms of the virus, the state health department said in a release. A religious congregation held earlier this month at Nizamuddin West has turned out to be one of the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country. According to the details sent by the Centre to the Gujarat health department, around 1,500 people recently returned to the state after visiting the Nizamuddin area in the National Capital. The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 82 on Wednesday after eight more people tested positive, officials said, adding that efforts were on to trace nearly 1,500 people from the state who recently visited Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to a meeting via video conferencing with the chief ministers of al the states on Thursday over coronavirus, ANI reported. Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said that around 32,358 construction workers have been given the sum of Rs 5,000 in their bank accounts through the Delhi government's initiative. He added that other 9,000 workers will also be given the amount soon. He also added that no community transmission has been reported in Delhi yet. "I request them to apply for the ration card on Delhi government's e-district website. They will not get the card but we will give them ration till COVID-19 issue persists," he said, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that there are around 10 lakh people who don't have a ration card should apply for one on the government's website. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao, which took up the matter for hearing through video conferencing, issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi government and sought their replies on the plea filed by NGO 'Justice For Rights Foundation' and others. The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on a plea filed by an NGO seeking direction to ensure fair and equitable distribution of masks and also the sale and distribution of hand sanitisers and liquid soap among the public to deal with COVID-19. For rest of the subjects, CBSE will not hold board exams and instructions for their marking, assessment will be issued soon, he said. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct class 10 and 12 examinations for only 29 main subjects which are crucial for promotion and admission to higher educational institutions, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced on Wednesday. "The entire governemnt machinery has been working overtime the last 24 hours. We have taken them into isolation wards, 658 samples have been lifted and 110 have been found positive so far. For every patient, we'll see what was the mode of transport used, who were the people who travelled with them, what have they been doing, where all have they gone, all of these are being worked out. Since numbers are large, it will take some time," she added. "I would like to thank every person who came forward voluntarily on our appeal for having attended the Delhi conference and they have come into our treatment facilities. We have tested 658 of them, 1,103 members have come forward," she said. Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh said that the government machinery is working "overtime" for the last 24 hours to trace contacts of the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday granted special permission to conduct cargo operations using passenger category aircraft during the lockdown which was enforced as a measure to curb the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, BMC said that 191 areas in various locations of Mumbai have been marked as 'Containment Areas', where COVID-19 patients are confirmed. Entry/exit is restricted for all such areas and residents of the area are instructed to remain home quarantined. The Maharashtra health department on Wednesday said that the coronavirus cases rose to 335 with 14 cases reported in Mumbai and one case in the Buldhana district. "One attendee from Bhavnagar, who tested positive, has passed away while 71 others are asymptomatic and in quarantine," said DGP Shivanand Jha. Gujarat Police on Wednesday said that seventy-two people from Gujarat, including 34 from Ahmedabad, 20 from Bhavnagar and 12 people from Mehsana, attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. The figure of 29, however, does not include the 14 Italian tourists who were earlier admitted to a private hospital in Gurgaon for treatment. During the day, no positive case was reported from anywhere and the total number of Covid-19 cases stands at 29, a bulletin issued by the state Health Department said. No new COVID-19 patient was detected on Wednesday in Haryana which has seen 29 coronavirus cases so far, PTI reported. Customers on-boarded under settlement scheme SBI OTS 2019, Rin Samadhan 19-20 and general compromise can meet payment obligation by June 30, 2020, said the country's largest lender. Against the backdrop of current disruption in the market and 21 days lockdown till 14 April, 2020, State Bank of India (SBI) has come forward to extend the timeline for payment of settlement amount by three months, it said in a statement. State Bank of India has given a three-month relief to borrowers under its settlement schemes and will not charge extra interest keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's largest lender said on Wednesday. He had symptoms like fever, cough, respiratory issues and also had co-morbid condition of renal failure, ANI reported. A 56-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus from Mumbai's Dharavi died on Wednesday in Sion Hospital, reports said. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked chief secretaries of all states and union territories to create a mechanism at state -level where people can verify facts and unverified news promptly, similar, to the web portal being created by the Centre. He had symptoms like fever, cough, respiratory issues and also had co-morbid condition of renal failure, ANI reported. A 56-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus from Mumbai's Dharavi died on Wednesday in Sion Hospital, reports said. "The assault on Duty Doctor at Gandhi Hospital treating COVID19 patients is condemned. Strong action against the culprits will be taken immediately. Anyone indulging in such acts of vandalism will not be spared," said Director General of Police. Twelve Tablighi Jamaat attendees have tested positive for coronavirus in Rajasthan so far, of which five are from Tonk. There are now 120 COVID-19 cases in the state. "It is learnt that some audio recordings etc are circulating through social media creating confusion about COVID-19. It is clarified that till date there is no new/second confirmed COVID19 cases in the state and there is no advice from the govt to hoard essential items." The Manipur government on Wednesday said, "There were 10 persons who returned to Manipur after attending religious conference at Nizamuddin, Delhi. Out of them, eight tested negative for COVID-19 and are now at quarantine centre. Result of the remaining two are inconclusive and they're presently at JNIMS and RIMS respectively. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories to create a mechanism at state -level where people can verify facts and unverified news promptly, similar, to the web portal being created by Govt of India. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/MduBP5JaUR Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked chief secretaries of all states and union territories to create a mechanism at state -level where people can verify facts and unverified news promptly, similar, to the web portal being created by the Centre. Twenty-four new COVID19 positive cases were reported in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, taking the total number of positive cases to 111. According to reports, Maharashtra has reported 302 cases of coronavirus which is the highest in the country, followed by Kerala with 241 cases. Tamil Nadu has reported 234 cases, while Delhi has reported 152. Padma Shri recipient and former 'Hazoori Raagi' at the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh, on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus, India Today reported. Noida chief medical officer Anurag Bhargava was removed from his post on Wednesday, reports said, adding that AP Chaturvedi is likely to be appointed as the next CMO. A 60-year-old person from Surya Nagar in Bhubaneswar with multiple co-morbid conditions, and admitted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, tested positive for COVID-19. This is the 5th COVID-19 positive case in the state, the state department of health and family welfare said. Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: "The assault on Duty Doctor at Gandhi Hospital treating COVID19 patients is condemned. Strong action against the culprits will be taken immediately. Anyone indulging in such acts of vandalism will not be spared," said Director General of Police. A 56-year-old man who tested positive for coronavirus from Mumbai's Dharavi died on Wednesday in Sion Hospital, reports said. The Maharashtra health department on Wednesday said that four more coronavirus patients passed away in the state, taking the total statewide toll to 16. The total number of positive cases in the state has risen to 335, including 41 people who have been discharged. 'It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021," the official statement by Wimbledon said on Wednesday. BMC said that 191 areas in various locations of Mumbai have been marked as 'Containment Areas', where COVID-19 patients are confirmed. Entry/exit is restricted for all such areas and residents of the area are instructed to remain home quarantined. The Maharashtra health department on Wednesday said that the coronavirus cases rose to 335 with 14 cases reported in Mumbai and one case in the Buldhana district. Some of the people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi and returned to the Thane and Nagpur districts of Maharashtra have been identified and quarantined, authorities said on Wednesday. The congregation, which was attended by over 2,000 people from all over the country and abroad, has become a hotspot of the coronavirus infection after several attendees tested positive. Thane Police said that 13 Bangladeshi nationals and two people from Assam who visited the event and came to Thane afterwards have been home quarantined. "Their test reports will be available by tomorrow. On the basis of the report, further action will be taken," said Subhas Burse, DCP, Mumbra, Thane. Meanwhile, Nagpur municipal corporation commissioner Tukaram Munde said, "54 people from Nagpur, who attended the Tablighi Jamat meet in Delhi's Nizamuddin, have been identified and quarantined." The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct class 10 and 12 examinations for only 29 main subjects which are crucial for promotion and admission to higher educational institutions, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced on Wednesday. For rest of the subjects, CBSE will not hold board exams and instructions for their marking, assessment will be issued soon, he said. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the phone numbers of people who have been prescribed quarantine will be tracked to ensure compliance with the measure to curb the spread of coronavirus. He added that 1,1084 phone numbers have already been shared with the police and another 14,345 will be shared on Wednesday. "These are the numbers of people who are supposed to be in quarantine. However, there have been complaints that people are violating this. Now, movement will be tracked though your phone we will know of you have violated quarantine norms and also who else you have come in touch with." Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal tweeted that the CBSE board has been advised to promote all the students studying in classes 1 to 8 automatically as regular schedules of exams have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Eight villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district have been declared as red zones after 10 people from the district attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, PTI reported. Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a press conference over coronavirus on Wednesday said that of the 87 confirmed cases in the state so far, 70 are returnees from the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizammudin. "A total of 1,083 people had attended Delhi's event from the state and 585 people who return from Delhi have been tested. The state government is requesting private hospital help at this juncture," he added. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that a total of 2,344 people connected to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizammuding have been evacuated, out of which 536 people have been admitted to hospitals and 810 have been quarantined. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the state governments are arranging food and shelter for the migrant workers. Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said, "21,486 relief camps have been set up where 6,75,133 persons have been given shelter." The health ministry on Wednesday said that so far, 1,637 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in India, including 386 new positive cases since Tuesday. The statement also said that 38 people have died and 132 people have recovered. "The number of positive cases have gone since Tuesday and one of the main reasons for it is the travel by members of Tablighi Jamat," the statement said. The Telangana government on Wednesday said that so far, about 1,100 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event in Deljhi have been traced in Telangana, out of which 940 people have been traced and 160 people are left. Four more positive cases reported in Assam on Wednesday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 5 in the state. 'All four were in Markaz, attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi,' said Assam health minister HB Sarma. Five positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, including two foreigners who had attended the Markaz in Nizamuddin, Delhi, according to the District Collector on Wednesday. A total of 34 people, including 29 foreigners, who had attended the religious gathering in Delhi were traced in Ahmednagar by the administration. All the 43 patients tested positive for COVID19 on Wednesday in Andhra Pradesh had returned after attending the event at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz. Meanwhile, a total of 1,637 positive cases of coronavirus has been reported in India so far and 38 deaths have taken place due to the infection, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Uttar Pradesh reported its first coronavirus-related death on Wednesday after test reports of a 25-year-old man, who died two days ago, came COVID-19 positive. The FIR filed by Delhi police in connection with the religious gathering held at Markaz Nizamuddin case holds seven people responsible for the gathering and the ensuing stay of people on the premises. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West, which is among the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, has been cleared after the evacuation of 2,361 people in the past 36 hours, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday. An FIR has been filed in the case of the Nizamuddin Markaz event, 100 of whose attendees tested positive for coronavirus. The FIR in the case names Saad, Dr Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, Mursalin Saifi, Yonus and Mohd Salman. Saad has two houses in Delhi - one in Zakir Nagar and another in Nizamuddin. The complaint further states that around 2,100 people were vacated from Markaz within five days, but it has not been sanitised completely. Twenty more people tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 86, a health official said. Among the new cases, 19 were reported from Indore and one from the neighbouring Khargone district, he said. Two more COVID-19 patients died in Maharashtra, taking the state toll to 12, health officials said on Wednesday. One was a 75-year-old man from Mumbai, while the other, a 50-year-old man, died in adjoining Palghar district, the officials said. Eighteen new positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Maharashtra, taking the total count to 320. 16 new cases are reported in Mumbai, while two were reported in Pune. The toll in Maharashtra climbs to 12 after the death of two more coronavirus positive patients, said Health official on Wednesday. Four more fresh coronavirus positive cases were reported from Vishakhapatnam on Tuesday. This takes the total number of those infected with the deadly virus in Andhra Pradesh to 44. The Centre on Tuesday said that there has been an increase of 146 novel coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 positive cases to 1,397 in India. The total number includes 1,238 active cases, and 124 people who have been cured/discharged/migrated and 35 deaths. Three deaths two in Punjab and one in Maharashtra were reported on Tuesday. The Supreme Court asked the Centre on Tuesday to prevent migration of people due to coronavirus and set up within 24 hours a portal for disseminating real-time information on the pandemic to counter the panic being spread through fake news. Meanwhile, a religious congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat held from 1 to 15 March in Delhi's Nizamuddin West has become a point of concern for authorities after several people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in the congregation. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the registration of an FIR against a cleric for leading the congregation State-wise figures The cases of coronavirus in Maharashtra, which is one of the worst-affected states by the pandemic, have gone up substantially, reports said on Tuesday adding that there are now 302 positive cases in the state. News18 reported that there are 59 cases in Mumbai, two each in Pune, Thane, KDMC and Navi Mumbai. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that seven positive cases have been reported in the state, two each in Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. He said that additionally, one each was reported in Kollam, Thrissur, and Kannur. The total active cases are now 215 in the state. Thirteen new cases of coronavirus were reported in Karnataka in the last 21 hours, reports said. The total number of positive cases in the state rose to 101, including three deaths and eight discharged/cured cases. Additionally, reports said that 88 COVID-19 patients (including one pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while two are in the ICU. In Assam, a 52-year-old person has been found positive for coronavirus, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Sarma said that it is Assam's first COVID-19 patient. He is undergoing treatment at Silchar Medical College and his condition is stable, the minister said. In Madhya Pradesh, the total number of coronavirus positive cases on Tuesday rose to 66 in the state, of which 44 positive cases have been reported in Indore. Five people have died due to the infection till now in the state. However, in what comes as a positive development, several patients have been successfully cured of the disease across the country. News18 India reported that in Rajasthan's Bhilwara, 13 out of 26 positive cases have been cured. The first three COVID-19 patients in West Bengal have recovered, reports said, adding that they will remain in quarantine for the time being. Meanwhile, two new cases were confirmed for the infection in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 27. Row over Tablighi Jamaat event At least 24 members of the Tablighi Jamaat tested positive in Delhi and another six died in Telangana due to the virus, nearly two weeks after attending a congregation in its Nizamuddin West centre. Following this, the Centre has asked all states and Union territories to immediately trace and quarantine the estimated 2,000 foreign workers of the organisation present in India. The Home Ministry in a letter to all chief secretaries and police heads told them to deport all foreign Jamaat followers who test negative for the deadly virus to their countries "by the first available flights". "Presently, it is estimated that about 2,000 foreigners, on tourist visa, from over 70 countries are spread all over the country for Tabligh work. Majority of these foreign nationals belong to Bangladesh (493), Indonesia (472), Malaysia (150) and Thailand (142) and their period of stay in the country is up to six months," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in the letter. Some Jamaat members in Erode district of Tamil Nadu and eight Indonesian nationals, part of a Jamaat team in Hyderabad in Telangana, tested positive for the virus recently. Kejriwal said that the congregation at the Nizammudin markaz (centre) in Delhi, which was attended by around 2,000 people, was "highly irresponsible". Prevent migration, SC tells Centre The Supreme Court asked the Centre to prevent migration of people due to coronavirus and set up within 24 hours a portal for disseminating real-time information on the pandemic to counter the panic being spread through fake news. "Panic will destroy more lives than the virus", the top court said and asked the Centre to get trained counsellors and community leaders of all faiths to calm down the migrants, who are kept in shelter homes across the country. It said these shelters should be run by volunteers and not the police, and there should be no use of force and intimidation. It asked the Centre to prevent migration of people and take care of their needs of food, shelter, nourishment and medical aid. The Centre told the apex court that the suggestion by a petitioner to sprinkle water and chemicals on migrants to sanitise them does not work scientifically and is not the right way. Meanwhile, the Centre, in an affidavit, also sought a direction from the Supreme Court on Tuesday that no media outlet print, publish or telecast anything on coronavirus without first ascertaining facts from the mechanism provided by the government. It said that in an unprecedented situation of this nature, any deliberate or unintended fake or inaccurate reporting either in electronic, print, social media or web portals has a serious and inevitable potential of causing panic in large sections of the society. Considering the very nature of the infectious disease which the world is struggling to deal with, any panic reaction by any section of the society based upon such reporting would not only be harmful for such situation but would harm the entire nation," it said. The government said that though an act of creating panic is a criminal offence under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, appropriate direction from the top court would protect the country from any potential and inevitable consequence resulting from a false alarm having the potential of creating panic in a section of the society . With inputs from PTI Kim Kardashian proved her focus is on prison reform, as she promotes her upcoming documentary The Justice Project. While hunkering down at home, the stunning 39-year-old reality star took a series of interviews sporting an extra-long braid, over-sized earrings and an eggshell blue tank. 'Hi, I'm Gayle King and I just spoke to Kim Kardashian-West about her new documentary,' the CBS anchor began in a clip shared Tuesday. 'It's called The Justice Project, and I'll say this, you see a different side of Kim Kardashian-West. Looking good: Kim Kardashian proved her focus is on prison reform, while rocking the same ensemble, as her virtual interviews on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The View 'Hey Kim! You look the same, but there's something different,' King noted, as the mother-of-four, who is married to rapper Kanye West, beamed. 'Well honestly, this is the most important work that I've ever done,' the KKW Beauty founder said of her upcoming two-hour documentary, debuting on Oxygen April 5. 'So, I can't wait for you guys to see it.' 'Alright thanks Kim,' the longtime best friend of Oprah Winfrey concluded in a short clip, ahead of their interview dropping on CBS on Wednesday. TOMORROW: Gayle King speaks with Kim Kardashian West about her new documentary 'The Justice Project' and how shes giving back to families affected by the #coronavirus pandemic. Learn more Wednesday 7-9 a.m. on CBS. Posted by CBS This Morning on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 The law student, who recently completed her first year of a four-year apprenticeship program, revealed younger sister Kylie Jenner, 22, did her makeup for the virtual appearance. ''Im in my moms glam room,' she said said on Tuesday's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 'Kylie did my makeup and my hair. I dont have anyone to do it and Im not that good, so she like did all my makeup.' 'And thats the first time Ive seen her cause the whole family is distancing. We havent even seen each other,' she explained, adding that Jenner has been isolated for at least 20 days. 'Well honestly, this is the most important work that I've ever done,' the KKW Beauty founder said of her upcoming two-hour documentary 'So I snuck out and I am at my moms house in her glam room cause theres a door from the outside so this is all she will let us in. And I had to get away from my kids,' she joked of kids: North, six, Saint, four, Chicago, two and Psalm, ten months. This week, Kim also revealed she is also looking into helping produce face masks to help make up for the shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. 'We have five factories all in different countries,' she said on Tuesday's episode of The View, rocking the same look. 'And we have been exploring that, of how to make like medical-grade masks, how to make things that would be helpful in the hospitals.' Being the change: Kim also revealed she is also looking into helping produce face masks to help make up for the shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday's episode of The View Kim called the development 'a huge shift in what we do, and we're so happy that we're seeing some good information that we're gonna be able to help out.' Last week Kim announced that her shapewear line SKIMS would be giving $1 million to 'families affected by COVID-19.' On the morning show, she said that the money will go to Baby2Baby which is 'helping moms and babies and you know, for the longest time I worked with them donating, you know, diapers and strollers and tons of baby stuff that I've had throughout the years.' Concerned: Last week Kim announced that her shapewear line SKIMS would be giving $1 million to 'families affected by COVID-19' Mrs. West added: 'So to know that they are going to be really helping families during this time really is important to me.' She added that 'I really wanted to give back - you know, I'm grateful that SKIMS has that opportunity to be able to help me and do that.' Her announcements come after a series of TV dramas about emergency services donated their protective equipment to mitigate the shortages. Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project will premiere on Oxygen on Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm ET/PT Karnataka Congress on Wednesday said its newly appointed President D K Shivakumar has donated Rs 5 lakh towards the party's coronavirus relief fund. "KPCC President D K Shivakumar has donated Rs 5,00,000 towards KPCC's Corona relief fund," state Congress tweeted. The party had last week said, all its legislators and Members of Parliament will be contributing a minimum of Rs 1 lakh to the KPCC fund set up towards fighting COVID-19, and has also constituted a task force headed by former Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumarto monitor and make suggestions aimed at containing the spread of virus. Also if anyone from block, taluk or district level want to contribute voluntarily can send in their contribution to KPCC, Shivakumar had earlier said, adding that "Once the amount is collected the task force and KPCC leadership will discuss and decide on whats needs to be done and how to utilise it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In Hindsight: The Women, Peace and Security Agenda at 20 Ahead of this years 20th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325, the inaugural resolution on women, peace and security of 31 October 2000, a closer look at the current state of the agenda is warranted: is the agenda regressing, progressing or being maintained? Security Council Reports upcoming research report Women, Peace and Security: The Agenda at 20 argues that the Council should focus its attention on the implementation as well as the maintenance of the agenda. Several examples of Council decisions, highlighted in our report, illustrate the divisions among Council members and the threat that the agenda faces even when Council members intentions are to restate parts of the existing normative framework. Resolution 1325 recognised that armed conflict has a differential and disproportionate impact on women. It further acknowledged that equal participation by women in the maintenance of international peace and security, an expansion of womens roles in preventing and resolving conflict, and womens protection can all contribute to the Councils fulfilling its mandate of promoting and maintaining international peace and security. The Councils normative work developed accordingly along four main paths: protection, participation, prevention, and relief and recovery. This includes, for example, the protection of women from conflict-related sexual violence, and the participation of women in peace processes, political processes, the prevention of conflict, and peacebuilding. Recent efforts to develop this framework furthernamely with resolutions 2467 and 2493 adopted in 2019have shown the difficult political environment at the Council as well as the risk of rolling back the agenda. During the negotiations on resolution 2467 on conflict-related sexual violence, initiated by Germany, three permanent members of the CouncilChina, Russia and the USexpressed opposition to several aspects of the text, and at various stages of the process, all three threatened to use their veto. The initial text had ambitious goals to progressively develop the agenda, such as the establishment of a formal Security Council subsidiary body on conflict-related sexual violence. This idea, however, did not resonate with a number of Council members. One of the most striking developments during the negotiations was the challenge to previously agreed language on the sexual and reproductive health rights of victims of sexual violence, showing the difficulty of maintaining existing norms and commitments pertaining to the women, peace and security agenda. This led some observers, including civil society advocates, to question the insistence on seeking a resolution at a time when the US administrations reservations about sexual and reproductive health rights were well known. The resolution was ultimately adopted with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (China and Russia; for more details, please also see our 2 May 2019 Whats in Blue story). With resolution 2493, South Africa had intended to focus on the full implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. Womens sexual and reproductive health rights were never explicitly mentioned in any of the drafts. The US apparently argued that its national position on sexual and reproductive health meant that it could not support the implementation of the entirety of the agenda, as that would include Council resolutions that referred to these rights. While the resolution was adopted by consensus and includes the formulation full implementation (the US reportedly having argued for effective implementation instead), following the adoption the US representative said that the US could not accept references to sexual and reproductive health. Our report also examines developments involving Council sanctions regimes. During the period covered by our report (1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019), five sanctions regimes established listing criteria for individuals and entities for targeted sanctions related to sexual and gender-based violence: the 2127 Central African Republic Sanctions Committee and the 2374 Mali Sanctions Committee in 2017; the 1970 Libya Sanctions Committee, the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee, and the 2206 South Sudan Sanctions Committee in 2018. Resolution 2441 of 5 November 2018 on the Libya sanctions regime was adopted with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (China and Russia). The two countries did not agree that a separate criterion for sexual and gender-based violence was necessary. Following the addition of these listing criteria, one individual was listed under the Mali sanctions regime and two individuals were listed under the South Sudan sanctions regime. The Informal Expert Group (IEG) on women, peace and security, established by resolution 2242 of 13 October 2015, has consolidated a practice of regular meetings on developments related to the women, peace and security agenda in countries on the Councils agenda. It is chaired by two Council members, currently the Dominican Republic and Germany. UN Women acts as the secretariat of the IEG, organising and preparing its meetings. The IEG provides a space for systematic discussions of country-specific situations between senior UN representatives from the field and Council members country experts and women, peace and security experts; usually, there is a follow-up meeting a few months after a country situation is discussed. According to the IEGs guidelines (S/2016/1106), its goal is to inform the work of the Council and UN activities in the field and to mainstream the agenda. Between February 2016 and June 2019, the IEG held 27 country-specific meetings. They included four meetings each on the Central African Republic and Iraq; three meetings apiece on Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Yemen; two meetings each on the Lake Chad Basin and Libya; and one meeting each on Mali and the Sahel, Myanmar and South Sudan. This format has not gone unchallenged, however. Attempts to strengthen the role of the co-chairs during the negotiations on resolution 2493 failed because of the resistance of some members. A paragraph in the resolution that initially welcomed the work of the IEG had to be reformulated to noting its work. Generally, it seems that the majority of Council members, relevant parts of the UN system, and civil society agree that the IEG works well as an informal body and that there is no desire to push for anchoring it within the subsidiary body system of the Council, such as transforming it into a working group. Resolution 2242 expressed the Councils intention to invite civil society, including womens organizations, to brief the Council in country-specific considerations and relevant thematic areas. The number of female civil society briefers has steadily increased. Looking ahead to the 20th anniversary of resolution 1325 in October, the research shows an environment unconducive to a progressive development of the agenda or even for the restating of previously agreed language. While this may change, until it does, the wisest way to mark the anniversary may be by actively pursuing the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. When Timaree Kosciks husband, Tom, fell off the couple's roof in Tonopah, Nevada, and shattered his heels, she knew what they had to do. It was just like, 'Well, put him in the car and take him to Bishop.' The closest hospital is in Bishop, California, 115 miles away. You just do what you have to do," she said. The remoteness of Tonopah, population 2,200, now feels like a buffer against the coronavirus pandemic. Its more than 200 miles from the flare-up of cases in Las Vegas. As of March 26, there was only one case in all of Nye Countys 18,000 square miles. "Honestly, I think we're better off here in the middle of nowhere than in the cities," Koscik said. But she knows it's a false sense of security. Anyone sickened by COVID-19 may be hundreds of miles from the nearest open hospital bed, ventilator or isolation room. In Tonopah, patients would have to make the trip to Bishop, but only until that hospitals 25 beds are full. Across the United States, rural communities could be among the most vulnerable in an outbreak. Urban and suburban Americans live, on average, roughly 5 miles from the nearest hospital, according to Pew Research Center data from 2018. For rural residents, its an average of 10.5 miles. But many towns are twice as far as that or more. Coronavirus for kids without internet: Quarantined worksheets, learning in parking lots The poorest will suffer: Safety-net health clinics cut services amid coronavirus pandemic An analysis of rural communities nationwide by the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, shows 1.1 million people live in rural communities at least 20 miles from the nearest hospital. Of those residents, a quarter are age 60 or older, putting them in the highest-risk age groups for the disease. A surge of severe cases in those small towns could require stabilizing and transporting patients, one by one, dozens or hundreds of miles. For many of these communities, the risks have worsened in recent years, as their own local hospitals have closed. In some, though, nursing homes have remained, concentrating the most vulnerable far from the best care. Story continues Those same small towns may be more skeptical of the coronavirus threat and more resistant to official calls to close businesses or halt activities to slow the threat. Almost every state has at least one place more than 20 miles from acute care. But three western states Texas, California and Arizona account for nearly a third of Americans in communities without a nearby hospital. In Morenci, Arizona, a hilltop townsite is home to employees of the countrys largest copper mine. There is no hospital in Morenci, its twin town of Clifton or anywhere in Greenlee County. But to most of Morencis 1,500 residents, the red-roofed building atop the hill looks like a hospital, said Dr. Jonathan Manwaring, the clinics chief medical officer. Its not. Its a clinic to provide family medicine and all-night urgent care. The clinic's parent company, Gila Health Resources, also runs a five-unit ambulance system for the county. It doesnt have an emergency room or a single hospital bed. It owns no ventilators. "Were basically a large doctors office with a 24-hour urgent care that takes all comers, and stabilizes and transports, Manwaring said. The nearest hospital is in Safford, more than 40 miles away, with 49 beds. On Monday, Arizona health officials confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Greenlee County. Losing hospitals for years Long before the arrival of the new coronavirus, rural America was already in a slow-moving health care crisis. Over the past 10 years, 126 rural hospitals have closed, according to the University of North Carolinas Rural Health Research Program. The research cited a number of factors for the decline: shrinking rural populations, consolidation in the hospital industry, states foregoing Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and residents tendency to seek hospital care elsewhere. Long distances from anywhere, physically declining buildings, no doctors its really tough to make a (rural) health care business financially viable, said George Pink, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who does research on rural hospitals. And when a rural hospital closes, the effects are felt beyond the immediate community. The March 2016 closure of Southeast Health Center of Reynolds County in Ellington, Missouri, population 925, left seven communities without a hospital within 20 miles. Each of those rural communities has a nursing home. On Saturday, Ellington, nestled among the Ozarks Mountains in the 3-million-acre Mark Twain National Forest, saw its first positive test for the new coronavirus. Hours later, a second test in the county was confirmed as positive. Meanwhile, officials at the Reynolds County Health Department have been assembling supplies for an outbreak, and others are taking precautions to avoid spread of the disease. The towns nursing home has closed to visitors. Paula Dement runs a senior nutrition center where meals are served weekdays and residents socialize over bluegrass performances and bingo. The center began curbside meal pickup this week. I did it for the safety of the seniors, theyre in a high-risk group, Dement said. Even though they cant get out and socialize, were an hour away from any major hospital: Poplar Bluff is an hour away, Farmington is an hour away. Timeline: US coronavirus deaths predicted to peak by mid-April if all states impose restrictions 'Its time to save people': Synagogue members who had coronavirus donate blood to help others The financial burden of a coronavirus outbreak will put even more pressure on remaining rural hospitals, which some fear could lead to additional closures. More than 800 rural hospitals currently lose money. Going into the COVID-19 crisis, Pink said he is more worried about the remaining 2,000 rural hospitals than communities where the hospital has already closed. Communities where hospitals closed have learned to adapt, unlike places that still have their hospital. Congress passed a bill last week that includes $275 million for rural and critical access hospitals as well as telehealth, but after that funding is gone, the future of many rural hospitals remains uncertain. In a letter to congressional leaders requesting help to weather the outbreak, the American Hospital Association said some facilities and practices are able to absorb significant losses for a period of time, but others, such as rural facilities, are not. Tribal lands face 'state of inequity' The Navajo Nation has seen its number of confirmed coronavirus cases rise to more than 100. The epicenter of the outbreak is Chilchinbeto, a community of 900 people that sits about 25 miles from the nearest grocery store and hospital. The Navajo Nation Police Department has set up checkpoints near the Chilchinbeto Community in Arizona in response to the increase of positive COVID-19 cases. Of the 74 communities on the 27,000-square-mile Navajo reservation, which touches parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, half are more than 20 miles from the nearest hospital, according to The Republics analysis. Other Arizona tribes Fort Apache, Havasupai, Hualapai, Tohono Oodham all have communities that are far from hospitals. In Supai, the Grand Canyon community that is home to the Havasupai Tribe, theres one doctor, one nurse and no ventilators, tribal Councilwoman Ophelia Watahomigie-Corliss said. The tribe closed public access to its famous trail and waterfalls, but has a dilapidated clinic now being rebuilt. I doubt our tribe is alone in this state of inequity, Watahomigie-Corliss said. Nationally, 295 communities on tribal lands are farther than 20 miles from the nearest hospital. China: This is what China did to beat coronavirus. Experts say America couldn't handle it Coronavirus live updates: CDC reviewing face mask policy; Wimbledon canceled; US death toll tops 4,100 On South Dakotas Cheyenne River Reservation, the Cheyenne River Hospital closed, leaving four communities without a nearby hospital. In response to the outbreak on the Navajo Nation, tribal leaders swiftly issued a stay-at-home order and travel restrictions for the entire reservation. Help beat the virus by staying at home, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a written statement. "To prevent a massive public health crisis, every person must remain at home unless you need food, medicine or other essentials." Such measures could be critical. Across the Navajo Nation, there are just 13 ICU beds in the three large in-patient facilities run by the Indian Health Services, according to Dr. Loretta Christensen, the chief medical officer with the Navajo Area Indian Health Service. Christensen said in a widespread outbreak that filled the ICU, the health agency would first use its more than 50 isolation beds, then convert health care clinics and smaller service units for patients who are more stable or at the end of their quarantine. So far, patients with severe cases have been flown to hospitals in Phoenix; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Flagstaff, Arizona. But Christensen said at some point, hospitals in those cities might reach capacity, and their system will too. 'Tendency' not to trust government Other rural communities have been slow to adopt measures to stem the spread of the virus, even though they have minimal access to hospital care. When Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak called for all nonessential businesses statewide to close in an attempt to halt the spread of COVID-19, Reno was already in the middle of its own shutdown. Police and code enforcement officers in the mid-sized city sent out warnings about fines and license revocations for those that didn't comply. In Las Vegas, local officials were slower to act, but casinos began closing on the Strip even before the governor's order came down. The state's rural counties were also less than receptive to the Democratic governors plea. In White Pine County, home to about 9,700 people on the remote eastern edge of the state, the sheriff took to Facebook to tell business owners to ignore Sisolak. Sheriff Scott Henriod walked that back when Sisolak signed an executive order requiring the closures. Elective surgeries: Medical workers concerned some surgeries are still ongoing amid coronavirus outbreak Field hospital: An emergency field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients is opening in NYC's Central Park In Elko County in the states northeast corner, Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza lambasted Sisolak on Facebook. "Now due to the coronavirus, Las Vegas and Reno are loosing their ass in revenue," he wrote. "As far as I am concerned, Las Vegas gets what they deserve." He has since deleted the post and also has promised to enforce Sisolak's shutdown order. Neither sheriff responded to requests for comment. Nicole Baldwin, White Pine County's clerk, acknowledged that many people in the rural town of Ely felt the shutdown orders were overkill. "We are four hours from everywhere," Baldwin said. "And we're not on an interstate, so we do feel like we are on an island here. However, in the same breath, we recognize the seriousness of the virus, and it is spreading rapidly. We have vulnerable people we want to keep protected." Scott Lewis, director of emergency management for Nye County, which includes Tonopah, acknowledged that a cultural aversion to government mandates in rural Nevada can complicate the response to the epidemic. "In general terms, there can be a tendency not to have trust in government," he said. "But realizing this is a potentially serious issue for Nye County, you do see a cooperative spirit. We just have to be diligent in remembering to take all the necessary precautions." The disease has already reached far-flung towns. In Beatty, Nevada, another gas stop of a town on the way to Las Vegas, a man with no travel history and no known contact with anyone with coronavirus tested positive. As in Tonopah, the nearest hospital to Beatty is more than an hour away. Sixteen other rural Nevada residents have tested positive. 'Not just a big city issue': Coronavirus cases soar in rural America popular with tourists "Wherever you live, you never know where that potential risk could be coming from," Lewis said. As of March 20, only 119 of the 240 beds in rural acute care hospitals were open, according to data from the Nevada Hospital Association. Only eight of the 20 ICU rooms were available. The good news on ventilators: All 33 in rural Nevada were available as of March 20. The bad news: They're scattered across a state more than twice the size of Pennsylvania. Lewis said the absence of a hospital in Tonopah isn't a complicating factor in these early days of the spread. People who are experiencing coronavirus symptoms are asked to call their doctor and not visit the hospital. But if coronavirus patients begin to experience the severe respiratory symptoms associated with the infection, they must rely on a volunteer ambulance service to get them to far-away hospitals. The question now is whether a bed will even be available for them. "We have advanced paramedics in town 365 days a year and they can assist and make the transport safe for the patient," said Karmin Greber, chairwoman of the Northern Nye County Hospital District. "But now it's all about finding a place to receive them." Contributing: Alden Woods, The Arizona Republic. Follow Pamela Ren Larson and Anjeanette Damon on Twitter: @renLarson_ @AnjeanetteDamon This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Coronavirus: Case surge in rural towns would leave many far from care The Ayawaso West Municipality has been identified as a hotspot for the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Therefore a compulsory house-to-house testing will begin today, April 1, 2020. In a statement by the Municipal assembly, the house-to-house testing will be conducted for 10 days in order to tackle the spread of Coronavirus amongst residents. The statement added that it has become necessary for the residents to be tested because most individuals within the municipality have in one way or the other come into contact with patients with confirmed COVID-19 positive status. The testing will cover Legon, Dzorwulu, East Legon, West Legon, Okponglo, Abelenkpe, Roman Ridge, Airport Residential and surrounding areas. Over 100 health personnel and security agencies (police, Immigration and National Security) would be deployed into the communities within the Municipality to carry out the exercise, the statement signed by Dr Louisa Matey, Municipal Director of Health noted. Ghana's confirmed cases of Coronavirus now stands at 195 with 5 deaths and 31 recoveries. Read the full statement below Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:37:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest developments on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China: -- Non-Beijing residents who come to the capital for medical care will have to undergo a 14-day observation at home or collectively. -- The Wuhan-based Istituto Italo-Cinese jointly built by China's Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and the Sapienza University of Rome has cooperated with medical experts from the city's top hospital on compiling an Italian version of a COVID-19 prevention guide. -- The power grid of Wuhan saw a maximum daily load of up to 5.62 million kW Wednesday afternoon, 30 percent higher than a week ago. The city's pillar industries including automobile making, electronic communication and pharmaceutical manufacturing saw a faster growth of electricity consumption. -- Over one-third of all existing domestic COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland are in serious or critical conditions. -- More than 35 million yuan (about 4.94 million U.S. dollars) has been offered as special allowances to more than 13,000 people with difficulties in Hubei. In the meantime, nearly 6,000 people stranded in Hubei by travel restrictions were provided with temporary shelters and accommodations. -- The National Health Commission received reports of 36 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Tuesday, of which 35 were imported. A new domestic case was reported in Guangdong Province. Also on Tuesday, seven deaths including six in Hubei Province and one in Shanghai, and 26 new suspected cases, all imported ones, were reported on the mainland. -- The central Chinese city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, on Tuesday reported a new imported COVID-19 case, the city's first imported case after the city had seen no new cases for seven consecutive days as of Monday. The province registered no domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. -- A total of 186 patients of COVID-19 were discharged from the hospital Tuesday on the mainland. Altogether 76,238 patients had been discharged from the hospital after recovery by the end of Tuesday. As of Tuesday, a total of 81,554 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported on the mainland, and 3,312 people had died of the disease. -- Restaurants, bookstores and barbershops will gradually reopen in Huanggang, a neighboring city of Wuhan, once the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, local authorities said. He celebrated his 49th birthday on Tuesday. And Ewan McGregor's daughter Clara commemorated the event by sharing a selection of throwback snaps of herself and her father on his special day. The model, 24, posted a picture of herself being pushed by the actor in a wheelbarrow, clad in a tweed jacket and cap. Cute! Ewan McGregor's daughter Clara commemorated the event by sharing a selection of throwback snaps of herself and her father on his special day She captioned the sweet image: 'Happy birthday Dad. Not much has changed.' Clara's sister Esther, 18, also paid tribute to their father on his birthday by sharing a selection of old pictures of Ewan and their mum on her Instagram page. Ewan was married to their mother - French actress Eve Mavrakis - for 23 years after tying the knot in 1995 and later divorcing in 2018. Cool dude: A third image shared by his daughter showed the Star Wars actor with a mullet hairstyle lighting a cigarette, which wash hanging out of his mouth Old flame: Clara's sister Esther, 18, also paid tribute to their father on his birthday by sharing a selection of old pictures of Ewan and their mum on her Instagram page Esther shared a selection of images from the early days of their relationship, where they posed for a smiley snap on a beach and headed for food at a restaurant. A third image shared by his daughter showed the Star Wars actor with a mullet hairstyle lighting a cigarette, which wash hanging out of his mouth. She captioned the snaps: 'Happy birthday pops.' All smiles: Esther shared a selection of images from the early days of their relationship, where they posed for a smiley snap on a beach and headed for food at a restaurant Say cheese! Further snaps shared on Clara's Instagram Story, show the duo on the set of their film The Birthday Cake as well as a childhood picture of her behind a film camera Family: Ewan is dad to four daughters - Clara, Jamyan, 18, Esther and Anouk, nine - whom he shares with estranged wife Eve - and has been in lockdown with Further snaps shared on Clara's Instagram Story, show the duo on the set of their film The Birthday Cake as well as a childhood picture of her behind a film camera. Ewan is dad to four daughters - Clara, Jamyan, 18, Esther and Anouk, nine - whom he shares with estranged wife Eve - and has been in lockdown with. The former couple separated in May 2017, with Ewan filing for divorce in 2018. It was reported in November last year that Ewan had filed court documents to declare himself and Eve both single, a move known as bifurcation, ahead of their divorce being finalised. People reports the move was in an attempt to speed up divorce proceedings. Ewan allegedly states in the documents, 'that a termination of the status of our marriage at this time will assist in [the] resolution of the balance of this matter.' TMZ reports Ewan petitioned for joint custody of their children, while Eve filed for sole custody with the actor getting visitation. Ewan has moved on with girlfriend Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Lonnie Franklin Jr., a convicted serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper," is sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court., on Aug. 10, 2016. (Al Seib/File/Los Angeles Times via AP) Serial Killer Dubbed Grim Sleeper Dies in California Prison Lonnie Franklin, the convicted serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper who preyed on the women of South Los Angeles for more than two decades, has died in prison. He was 67. California corrections officials said Franklin was found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin State Prison on March 28 evening. An autopsy will determine the cause of death; however, there were no signs of trauma, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said in a statement. The stepmother of a victim named Barbara Ware told People magazine she was shocked by the news. I wont say Im pleased he died but at the end there was justice for all the bad things he did in his life, Diana Ware said. We can now be at peace. Franklin had been on death row since August 2016 for the deaths of nine women and a teenage girl. Franklin was linked at trial to 14 slayings, including four women he wasnt charged with killing. Police have said he may have had as many as 25 victims. Most of the victims were fatally shot at close range, though two were strangled. Their bodies were dumped and left to rot in alleys and trash bins. The killer earned his moniker because of the apparent hiatus from the late 1980s to 2002. The murders went unsolved for years and Franklin avoided suspicion by working as a city trash collector and onetime garage attendant for Los Angeles police. Community members complained that police didnt seriously investigate the killings because the victims were black and poor and many were drug users and prostitutes during the crack cocaine epidemic. Franklin was connected to the crimes after a task force that re-examined the old cases discovered that DNA from Franklins son, which was in a database because of an arrest, showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the Grim Sleeper victims. A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor collected utensils and crusts while Franklin was attending a birthday party. Lab results connected him to some of the bodies and led to his arrest. Investigators found a gun used in one of the killings and photos of victims in Franklins house after his arrest. Last year, Franklin was granted a reprieve when Gov. Gavin Newsom halted the execution of more than 700 condemned inmates on the nations largest death row for at least as long as hes governor. California hasnt executed anyone since 2006, under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and inmates are far more likely to die of old age. Corey Yazzie Parents today are trying to work from home, navigate the system, and home school with no real direction. However, this is new territory and it can be overwhelming. This is where we step in to make your job a little easier. Take a deep breath and relax, because we got you covered. Weekly Alibi has taken the guesswork out of home schooling with a comprehensive list of resources for learning at home. This is just a sample of the overflowing fountain of knowledge available at your fingertips. A good place to start on the path to learning, both as a student and a parent, is our very own Albuquerque Public Schools web site. It is a wealth of information and resources to help begin your journey. Take the time and check out all this site has to offer. Helpful areas of interest are the Curriculum and Instruction page where you will find core-based curriculum for all grade levels; The student-meal pick-up list is next on the list. Here you can find the school nearest you to pick up pre-made lunches for all school-aged children. If you don't have access to a printer or online capabilities, the city is also making efforts to have printed packets available for at home learning for pick up as well. On this list is an important resource for those who have children with learning disabilities. The Google document has links for easy reader books, kid-friendly news articles, and even has resources for talking to children with Autism about Coronavirus. Our next stop takes us to New Mexico PBS. This is a great place for learning for all students and is a treasure trove of information for parents. Make sure to check out the interactive lessons for grades K-12 on PBS LearningMedia. Here you will find videos and tutorials on every subject needed to keep you on track. For additional learning services you wont want to miss the opportunity to teach your children Native culture through storytelling and other content. Vision Maker Media, through partnership with PBS, are offering Native storytelling and content complete with lesson plans and discussion guides, all for free! NMPBS and APS Teaming Up It was just released that Albuquerque Public Schools has partnered with NMPBS to bring APS @HOME. The initiative is available to all students, K-5. This at-home learning classroom will begin broadcasting on your local PBS station on April 6, 2020 at 8 a.m. every weekday morning during closure. Lessons are broken into clusters with English on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Math and Science on Tuesday and Thursday. This will enable all students to resume lessons in key-topics determined by APS. Each lesson can be watched on local channel 5.1 or viewed 24/7 on the APSExpectGreatThings YouTube channel. Remember, Weekly Alibi is here finding ways to support our community during the Coronavirus pandemic. As always, stay safe and wash your hands. The German government is readying a massive cash injection to help innovative young companies ride out economic difficulties. BERLIN, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The German government is supplementing its existing uncapped aid for businesses to survive the ongoing coronavirus crisis with two billion euros directed specifically at the country's startups. The initiative sees the state supporting venture capital investors who make funds available to creative fledgling firms. "Classic credit instruments are often a poor fit for young, innovative companies," said Germany Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier on Wednesday, April 1. "For this reason we are offering a tailor-made support package." "With this two-billion-euro aid package, we are ensuring that this innovative growth sector with its many thousands of jobs gets through the crisis in good shape," said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. "This aid will allow financing rounds to continue. That's important because for a positive future, Germany needs innovative minds." The initiative also aims to enable the umbrella funds KfW Capital from Germany's national development bank and the EU's European Investment Fund (EIF) to use public funds to replace money withdrawn by other investment funds. In addition, the German Economics Ministry hopes the measure will give startups and other small firms without venture capital support access to it for the first time. "This is a sizeable investment in the most creative segment of the German economy and is likely to pay dividends down the road," says Germany Trade & Invest CEO Robert Hermann. "It's another sign of how serious the German government is about helping the commercial sector survive the current crisis with as little permanent damage as possible." Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany.GTAI supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany. Contact: Jefferson Chase Senior Manager, Communications Germany Trade & Invest Friedrichstrae 60 10117 Berlin +49-30-200-099-170 jefferson.chase@gtai.com Today we'll take a closer look at Taizhou Water Group Co., Ltd. (HKG:1542) 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. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. There are a few simple ways to reduce the risks of buying Taizhou Water Group for its dividend, and we'll go through these below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Taizhou Water Group! SEHK:1542 Historical Dividend Yield March 31st 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. Taizhou Water Group paid out 26% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. A medium payout ratio strikes a good balance between paying dividends, and keeping enough back to invest in the business. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend. Consider getting our latest analysis on Taizhou Water Group'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. This company has been paying a dividend for less than 2 years, which we think is too soon to consider it a reliable dividend stock. Its most recent annual dividend was CN0.16 per share. We like that the dividend hasn't been shrinking. However we're conscious that the company hasn't got an overly long track record of dividend payments yet, which makes us wary of relying on its dividend income. Story continues Dividend Growth Potential Examining whether the dividend is affordable and stable is important. However, it's also important to assess if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Growing EPS can help maintain or increase the purchasing power of the dividend over the long run. It's good to see Taizhou Water Group has been growing its earnings per share at 18% a year over the past five years. A company paying out less than a quarter of its earnings as dividends, and growing earnings at more than 10% per annum, looks to be right in the cusp of its growth phase. At the right price, we might be interested. 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. Firstly, we like that Taizhou Water Group has a low and conservative payout ratio. Next, earnings growth has been good, but unfortunately the company has not been paying dividends as long as we'd like. Taizhou Water Group has a number of positive attributes, but falls short of our ideal dividend company. It may be worth a look at the right price, though. It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Just as an example, we've come accross 5 warning signs for Taizhou Water Group you should be aware of, and 2 of them are potentially serious. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Samsung has recently had an interesting track record regarding Android security updates, which have at times come out before Google had a chance to release them for its Pixels. The situation is the same this time around. The Galaxy S20 family is now receiving an update that includes the April 2020 security patch level. So far the rollout is happening in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with Korean units set to receive it very soon. Aside from the new security fixes, the new software also packs some general camera improvements. The build number is G98x0ZHU1ATCT, where "x" is to be a different digit according to which of the three S20 iterations you have. Since the models sold in this part of Asia are different than the ones that are up for grabs in other markets, like Europe and the US, keep in mind that the updates they receive may be different to those in other places. So while the April security patch will probably make it to every S20 out there pretty soon, this specific update may not. About a week ago, international models already received an update to fix camera issues, for example. Source (in Korean) | Via FILE - In this Wednesday, March 25, 2020 file photo, American Airlines jets sit idly at their gates as a jet arrives at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Associated Press Air travel demand will not return to pre-outbreak levels until at least mid-2021 and that's only if the best-case scenario plays out, according to a new report from an analyst at Stifel. A worst-case scenario would see new travel restrictions and quarantines, coupled with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the fall, dragging the crisis out even longer for the world's airlines. Airline stocks continued their decline this week after a brief rally when the federal bailout package was signed into law on March 27. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Demand for air travel will not return to normal until mid-2021 at the earliest, under a best-case scenario outlined by an analyst at Stifel. Under the worst-case scenario for the airline industry, more stringent travel restrictions and quarantines, coupled with a resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall after a slump in the summer, will lead to lower demand for a longer period of time. For the best-case outcome, analyst Joseph DeNardi wrote in the April 1 report, the growth of COVID-19 cases would slow around the US and abroad as the weather warms, and as various measures to contain the virus such as social distancing and shelter-in-place orders have an effect. Still, under that scenario, demand would only return "to the pre-outbreak trend by mid-2021," the report said. However, even that may be optimistic. "Currently, the bearish scenario is playing out," the report said. Stocks of major US airlines have been decimated across the board as the novel coronavirus has led to a near-complete drop in travel demand, trading at their lowest levels in years. While shares rallied briefly last week on news that the federal government had passed a nearly $60 billion bailout for the industry, they resumed their decline this week amid uncertainty over the terms of the aid package. As part of the aid, which is split into loans and payroll grants, airlines would be required to continue their current levels of service within the US, despite the fact that many planes are flying almost empty. That has caused airlines to hemorrhage money each time they fly, according to Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly. Story continues Airlines are exploring the possibility of consolidating operations to lower overall costs of continuing service, although there is no decision on the matter yet. However, based on the spread of the virus, DeNardi wrote that a steady decline in demand, coupled with quarantine orders and domestic travel bans or warnings, could still lead to a virtual cessation of flights for up to three months during the normally profitable summer season. "While timing is difficult to predict, we believe it's rather likely that airlines suspend scheduled flying in the near future," the report says. "As such, we assume very limited capacity in our 2Q estimates." Creating additional uncertainty for investors, the bailout terms allow the US Treasury Secretary to take equity in the airlines in exchange for aid. The airlines and employee unions are lobbying Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to not execute that option. According to union leaders, that will prompt airlines to decline the offered payroll grants, causing them to begin worker layoffs. The good news, according to DeNardi, is that even though the industry will likely face structural changes on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis, travel demand should eventually return. "Demand for air travel has been incredibly robust historically through outbreaks, terrorist attacks, war, aviation accidents," the report said," and we see no reason why it won't be once this outbreak stabilizes and is better understood." Read the original article on Business Insider trends Explained | Why India has relatively lesser number of COVID-19 cases According to Worldometer - India has one COVID-19 confirmed case and 0.03 deaths for every 1 million population while the global average is 113.2 cases and 5.7 deaths We are so sorry to hear of this loss of one of our community members. Our hearts go out to her family and friends, TJHD Health Director Denise Bonds said in a press release. It is important that we all take this illness seriously and follow precautions to protect ourselves and those around us from illness. This is especially important for those at higher risk, like older adults and people with serious underlying health conditions. The Sekondi- Takoradi Covid-19 Rapid Response team in collaboration with the Metropolitan Guards has detained 73 children who were roaming about in the twin city. The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Anthony KK Sam had advised parents and guardians to get their children off the streets, markets and other public places in order not to put them in danger in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. He warned that any child found loitering in the city for no apparent reason would be detained and fines imposed on their parents or guardians. He explained that leaving children on their own and on the streets could undermine efforts to curtail the spread of the disease in the country. Those arrested were found selling in and around the various markets and transport terminals in the metropolis. The team arrested 32 of the children at the Central Business District of Takoradi while the remaining 41 were arrested at the Kojokrom Market, near Sekondi. Those arrested at Kojokrom, were detained at the Kojokrom Methodist Church while those arrested in Takoradi were sent to the All Saint Anglican Church. DGN online gathered that some few minutes after the arrests, scores of parents rushed to the two holding centers and pleaded for clemency for their wards. Public Relations Officer of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, John Laste told journalists that particulars of the children who were arrested and their parents were taken and were cautioned before the children were released Court We have warned the parents that if their children are arrested for the second time, they will be arraigned in court, he said. He stressed that the team would continue the operation at the other markets within the metropolis adding It will continue until there is a high level of compliance. ---Daily Guide A 25-year-old Jersey City man was shot dead Tuesday night on a city street, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The fatal shooting occurred just after 8:30 p.m. in the area of Cator and Rose avenues. The victim, Damone Smith, was taken in a private vehicle to the Jersey City Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his upper body, Suarez said. He was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday. The homicide, only the countys second of 2020, is being investigated by the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department. No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential. Why was there always a shortage of fashionable clothing in the USSR? What was the typical career path for a Soviet fashion designer? Who had power and influence in the socialist fashion industry? HSE Associate Professor Yulia Papushina examined these questions by reconstructing the everyday life of the Perm Fashion House during the late socialism era. Her study is the first to look into the recent history of clothing design and manufacturing in Russian provinces. https://www.nlobooks.ru/magazines/teoriya_mody/54_tm_4_2019/article/21895/ Strict Hierarchy What is now termed the 'late socialism' era is the period between the so-called 'thaw' in the mid-1950s and 'perestroika' in the mid-1980s. The Soviet authorities at that time were trying to upgrade the country's highly centralised economy by introducing free-market elements and lifting the iron curtain just slightly; consumer behaviour was evolving, and 'fashion houses' tasked with designing clothes for mass production were set up in many provinces. In 1961, a fashion house was opened in the city of Perm, controlled by the Ministry of Light Industry as part of a rigid hierarchy of actors. The industry was led by three main entities: the All-Union Fashion House, the All-Union Institute for Consumer Goods Industry and Garment Culture (VIALEGPROM), and the Ministry of Light Industry's Special Design Bureau. Acting as the 'official source of judgment regarding good taste and style', this trio dictated the fashion trends which provincial fashion houses were expected to adopt and translate into production and marketing. The Perm Fashion House (PFH) was supervised by the All-Union Fashion House, guided by its workplans and performance targets. However, by interviewing former PFH employees and studying archival documents*, Papushina https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/7161403 realised that, 'The creation of Soviet fashion and the profession of fashion designer in the USSR had more in common with Western bourgeois fashion than the Soviet authorities were willing to admit'. The most obvious things that this system had in common with the capitalist West included a clear distinction between mass production and runway fashions - and also the way careers were built in fashion design by gradually acquiring professional capital such as knowledge, skills, work experience and qualifications. Human Capital for Career Advancement The first and often critical step to a career in fashion was training, preferably at a university in Moscow or Leningrad. Designers with degrees from metropolitan universities were rare, and highly valued in the provinces and could expect to be appointed to senior positions in the industry immediately after graduation. In contrast to provincial cities, Moscow and Leningrad had no shortage of local human resources, so recent graduates of design schools still had to wait for a good job. The perceived value of provincial school degrees was not as high, and graduates could only expect lower-level appointments. Sewing professionals (tailors and dressmakers trained in vocational schools) could be promoted to higher positions with the PFH after taking a professional development course, e.g. from the All-Union Correspondence Institute of Textile Industry and Forestry. Someone who had spent some time studying art but never obtained a degree could still have a career with the PFH by starting out as a model sketcher, then being referred by their employer to a textile industry course before returning as a certified fashion designer. The PFH also hired people without any training other than secondary school and an amateur art studio. Usually, they were initially given a low-level job and the option of further training, e.g. at a regional light industry college. Enrolling in a university art and design course was less accessible, because the entrance exam included a demanding test in drawing which could be too hard to pass for an applicant who had only attended a provincial art studio. Creative Freedom According to the researcher, 'Soviet fashion designers lived in a paradox, where the state had established one of the world's least flexible systems for mass production of clothing but encouraged the creation of limited-edition fashion.' As a result, the sphere of fashion design split into mass production and runway collections, and designers identified with either mass-market producers or fashion artists. This was similar to how fashion worked in the West, with certain differences due to some specific features of the socialist system. Fashion artists in the USSR used fashion as a means of self-expression and contributed to their fashion house's standing in the industry. But neither the designers nor the fashion houses were allowed to 'dictate fashion'. Moreover, provincial fashion collections were not even intended for the runway per se but only featured at internal industry meetings hosted by the All-Union Fashion House and VIALEGPROM. In that internal space, fashion designers were given creative freedom. According to former PFH designers, their supervisors rarely interfered with their process or results. For example, the PFH design team was allowed to work from home to create the 1968 collection. In another instance, in the late 1970s the PFH art director complained of excessive administrative workload and threatened to quit -- and was freed from all administrative tasks for almost five years. While all collections were the result of teamwork, the role of the team leader as idea generator was never challenged. Their creative fantasy was not necessarily limited to typically Soviet imagery, but fashion designers always stayed within the boundaries of what was permissible by official aesthetics. Reflecting Soviet Identity The artists' Soviet identity determined their understanding of what was permitted by the system and considered beautiful by the masses. Here is an excerpt from an interview with the head of the PFH 'experimentation team' that existed between 1968 and 1972: - What was not permitted, for example? - Well, all sorts of vulgarity. But if [a design] resembled something by Kandinsky or the like, it was okay. - And what was considered vulgar? - Maybe a monkey necktie. Bad taste. According to a dress designer who worked for the PFH between 1982 and the late 1990s, a Soviet woman was supposed to wear high-quality, inexpensive and comfortable garments allowing for ease of movement and free from health risks: 'low necklines were not allowed even when they looked flattering'. Another question to the same interviewee: - What made a Soviet woman different from a non-Soviet woman? - First, there were no non-Soviet women [in the USSR] to begin with. And second, a woman making money, for example, would be considered 'non-Soviet'. Or perhaps female dancers in restaurants--they were perceived as ... not entirely Soviet. These things were not openly discussed but ingrained in people's minds. A non-Soviet woman was one who... no, we did not even describe a person in terms of Soviet or non-Soviet. - What did you say instead? - A woman who lived off earned or unearned income. - Living off earned income implied working at an enterprise? - Yes, working at an enterprise. These responses reflect how the designers perceived their target audience. When asked to elaborate on the role of their Soviet identity, the respondents explained the prevalent clothing style by a specific public mentality: 'Russia and the Soviet Union are different from Western society ... it does not even need to be proven. So the idea was for us to be true to ourselves ... to express ourselves in our own language'. The Soviet ideology was so deeply rooted in the mind that it was not perceived as a major constraint on creative expression; indeed, the shortages of essential materials were seen as a far greater problem, concludes the study author. Runway versus Street Since fashion designers were supposed to be contributing to industrial production, they faced the demands of a planned economy. Clothing factories were expected to cost-effectively produce garments suitable for street wear and therefore called for 'less imagination and more practicality' in design. Unlike its western counterpart, the USSR clothing industry did not have rigid boundaries between its different segments: designers working at factories could help their fashion house colleagues, while the latter were sometimes assigned to mass production facilities. Some of those who considered themselves fashion artists were not entirely enthusiastic about mass production; in contrast, designers at factories were often proud of their work: 'It felt so rewarding to have your design approved for production... and then perhaps 20 people or so would buy an item I had designed, isn't that nice?' It was up to an expert board (khudsovet) which included representatives of factories and retail stores, as well as fashion designers, to decide what would and would not go into mass production. Some expert board meetings involved confrontations in which the PFH would often lose. While formally the three parties represented on such boards were equal, in reality the interests of factories and shops prevailed over those of fashion designers. Clothing factories used their own criteria -- such as industry standards and targets, cost minimisation and product replicability in different sizes -- to assess PFH proposals. A factory could decide to simplify a design or use a different type or colour of fabric without consulting the author who could only agonise, 'sometimes I was thinking, God forbid someone might find out that I designed this item'. In contrast to factories which were reluctant to change their product range, retailers pushed for novelty during expert board meetings. Constrained by a limited choice of virtually everything they needed, designers often resented the retailers: 'They kept asking if we had anything new to offer, but how could we have produced anything new with the same type of fabric?' Autonomy Minus Freedom Mass production of clothing in the USSR, therefore, faced the proverbial Swan, Pike and Crawfish effect [i.e. each party pulling in a different direction], with the PFH being in the least favourable position, perceived as 'a hindrance to the other two parties' plans and thus causing dissatisfaction of the government bureaucracy,' Papushina concludes. The fact that fashion designers never had the end consumers in mind, nor received any feedback from the public, made the situation even more absurd. Any likeness to the Western fashion industry was distorted by the dictatorship of a planned economy. While the fashion house director could free an artist from bureaucratic responsibilities, and the designers were allowed to balance between the dominant ideology and their own sense of style and enjoyed relative autonomy in creating their collections, they still operated within a rigid system, in which: clothing factories - rather than fashion trends - dictated what designers could and could not do; to be successful in their profession, fashion designers needed to submit to this diktat in producing new designs; provincial designers enjoyed a degree of autonomy in creating their collections precisely because their creations were considered safe, since they were not intended for mass production--and therefore could not have a negative impact on the clothing industry--and never made it to international events, i.e. presented no risk of 'undermining the international image of Soviet fashions'. ### Helicopters hovered over the DCU Center in Worcester Tuesday afternoon as trailer trucks backed into the facility delivering medical supplies. Men and women dressed in army fatigues unloaded the trucks. City officials used their sleeves to pull open the doors to enter what is now the states first medical field station amid the coronavirus pandemic. The unloading of supplies began Tuesday but is expected to last a few days until the DCU Center can become a fully operational remote hospital housing 250 beds. Things are going well. Its a very busy day at the DCU, said Dr. Eric Dickson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of UMass Memorial Health Care. The DCU Center represents the third aspect to the city of Worcesters surge planning. The first step involved creating four sites for the homeless population to seek shelter and care. The second leg involved Beaumont Nursing Facility that provides about 150 beds and already has some patients that have tested positive for COVID-19, Dickson said. The DCU Centers 250 beds increases the total number of beds available beyond hospitals to about 500. I think Central Massachusetts is in good shape in terms of managing the crisis, Dickson said. Beyond supplies, beds and space, Dickson is more concerned about staffing at this point. The biggest challenge we have right now is not the beds and the equipment, its the people that provide the care, Dickson said. Nursing schools across the state joined Dickson for a call Tuesday afternoon. Dickson described the help needed. Any medical or nursing student is encouraged to go to www.joinumassmemorial.com to see if they can help. Any person with health care experience is encouraged to apply, but students on average are younger and healthier, Dickson said. The surge of coronavirus patients is expected to hit Central Massachusetts within the next two weeks Dickson said. Patients with coronavirus in the Worcester area have doubled every three to four days. If it doubles three more times well be overwhelmed, and thats what New York City is seeing right now, Dickson said. Dickson said Central Massachusetts has seen a slowing of the doubling rate. The models used to project coronavirus show that most people that contract the virus dont report severe symptoms and usually recover in a week. Some who seek medical attention may need to be hospitalized for an additional week, Dickson said. The most severe cases, though, involve patients needing potentially a month to recover. We can predict by the prevalence and what the positivity of the tests coming back are and what the load is going to be almost three weeks in advance, Dickson said. So we know next week and the week after there is going to be many more patients than today based on the testing done today. What is uncertain is what kind of impact the citys social distancing has on slowing those numbers. Currently, UMass Memorial Medical Center is at about 90 percent of its 800-bed capacity. About 75 to 100 patients at the facility are being treated for the coronavirus, Dickson said. Our surge is for the coronavirus but we really still have to run the hospitals for all those things we did before, Dickson said. Thats a bit of a challenge. Dickson was confident that the three capacity locations in the city would suffice during the surge, but additional locations are being looked at. Well find a way, Dickson said. We always plan for the worst and hope for the best. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Coronavirus could "spread like wildfire" among Perth's homeless population, clogging up the public health system and spreading the disease to the broader community, a leading public health expert has warned. University of Western Australia associate professor Lisa Wood said Perth's nearly 1000 rough sleepers had to be accommodated urgently to prevent the virus from taking hold. Homeless people camp outside HBF Park in inner-city Perth. Credit:Jesse Noakes "The more we can get people off the street and into accommodation where they have access to testing and healthcare, the more we can prevent them from having to go to hospital," she said. "That's taking pressure off the health system, and we are all going to benefit from that." She's been heading into the Global Radio studios every morning to host her radio show amid the coronavirus lockdown. And Ashley Roberts, 38, bought some springtime chic to the deserted streets of London on Wednesday. Ashley wowed in a brightly coloured ensemble for her short walk from her car to the studios in Leicester Square. Rainbow style: Ashley Roberts, 38, bought some springtime chic to the deserted streets of London on Wednesday as she headed to the Heart Radio studios The blonde beauty teamed her bright pink coat with matching neon heels. She layered the statement coat over a lime green knitted jumper, tucked into a chic midi skirt in a pretty blue and white print. The finishing touches were a black YSL cross-body bag and retro white framed shades. So chic: Ashley wowed in a brightly coloured ensemble for her short walk from her car to the studios in Leicester Square Check out the shoes: The blonde beauty teamed her bright pink coat with matching neon heels Ashley has continued to host her showbiz news slot on the Heart Radio breakfast show, while her co-presenters Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston work from home. On Wednesday Amanda shared a snap of herself in the Heart Radio studio, telling fans she was 'Sending love '. 'Hoping to bring you some feel good & great tunes through the radio waves during these uncertain times.'. Colourful: She layered the statement coat over a lime green knitted jumper, tucked into a chic midi skirt in a pretty blue and white print Current government guidelines stipulate all British residents must only go outside for essential chores - including one hour of exercise per day - in an attempt to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus was classed a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month, leading countries such as Italy, Spain and the UK to implement nationwide lockdowns. But despite the unprecedented restrictions, Ashley has still been keeping the nation entertained by continuing her day job as a presenter on radio station Heart. As the number of cases of COVID-19 increases, more data is being tracked, including the number of probable cases locally and number of hospitalizations statewide. Statewide, the number of positive cases reached 1,550 by 2 p.m. Wednesday. 398, or 26%, required hospitalization, and 24 resulted in death. Of those tested, the number of negative cases reached 18,819. In Kenosha County, more is being learned about the way COVID-19 is presenting in those who have tested positive, Jen Freiheit, director of the county Division of Health, said during a teleconference with the County Board Tuesday night. Reports worldwide list a fever and a cough as two of the main symptoms of COVID-19. In Kenosha County, roughly two-thirds of those with the disease have no cough and just over half have a fever. Only 66% of our positive cases have ever had a cough, Freiheit said. Just over half (53%) have had a fever. More surprising, given testing guidelines designed to limit testing of the asymptomatic, 22% of those who tested positive in Kenosha County as of 2 p.m. Tuesday had no symptoms at all. Freiheit said these people were most likely able to be tested because their doctor determined through screening that a test should be administered, the person had been in close contact with another positive or is a first responder or healthcare worker. Available online later this week A breakdown of the cases, age ranges of those who have tested positive and other demographics about the spread of the disease in Kenosha County will be available online later this week on a new Kenosha County COVID-19 Dashboard. We are able to identify mini clusters, Freiheit said, adding this is a result of many people being in one area prior to testing positive. The depth of data will be fascinating at the end of this, Freiheit said, adding it will help the department understand what happened and what we can do better. County cases at 66 The number of Kenosha County positive cases as Wednesday afternoon was 66, up from 42 on Tuesday afternoon. The increase was attributed to a large batch of results coming in from a private lab. (Tuesday) was an intense day for the Health Department, Freiheit said. It was a flurry of activity. Freiheit said the total number of negative cases was at 495 and 225 tests were pending. She said a new reporting category of probable cases has been added to account, for example, of situations where a spouse develops symptoms, is not tested, but is assumed to have COVID-19. We have 14 probable cases, Freiheit said. This is a really hard number to track. I can foresee this number is going to continue to grow. Recovery reports start coming in On the positive side, Freiheit said they are hearing reports of recovery among those at home and among the handful of people who have been hospitalized. We are hearing amazing reports from nurses and doctors at both hospitals about how theyre really bringing this people back, she said. On Tuesday she learned one patient who had been intubated was now sitting in a recliner and is expected to be able to breathe without assistance in the next couple of days. Freiheit said there are 12 public health nurses who work to interview those who test positive and 23 people on the contact investigation team. As of Tuesday there were 68 people under contact investigation, or less than last week. However, this was before the number of positive cases grew to 56. I expect this number will jump greatly (Wednesday) as we work through the recent positives, Freiheit said. Resource peak near The resource peak for Wisconsin, when hospitals could reach capacity, is estimated to be April 27, Freiheit said. She added that hospitals in Kenosha County, which are part of larger hospital systems, report having plenty of ventilators and are working to project future needs. Freiheit also reported the department has been busy fielding calls from area employers and the community. For example, employers have called to request letters to verify employees who report having been in close contact with someone who tested positive are being truthful. These requests are becoming increasingly time constraining for us, Freiheit said, adding they are asking employers to be as forgiving as possible and to allow public health nurses to do what they need to do. She said there have also been many questions about why grocery stores and other businesses are not doing temperature scans of everyone who enters. She said this is because many who have the virus do not have a fever. However, she added, while it is not an end all, be all screening measure, it is still a good practice. The Huawei logo is pictured at the IFA consumer tech fair in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 6, 2019. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters) Chinas Huawei Gambit 5G Viral Spies? Commentary February was a cruel month for the Chinese corporate giant Huawei Technologies, and rightly so. The high-risk telecommunications company with deep ties to Beijings communist dictatorship deserves an even crueler April and a disastrous 2020 marked by criminal investigation, criminal indictment and billion-dollar lawsuits. For several years Huawei has pursued a strategy to position itself as the worlds biggest supplier of telecommunications equipment, with the goal of dominating global and regional communications infrastructure as well as crucial international digital systems. Its most worrisome operation gambit involves the 5G next generation wireless communication systems that have the ability to connect cellphones, the internet, the internet of thingswell, virtually all things digital. Huawei intends to provide hardware and corporate technical support. Heres the high-risk rub: Does anyone not on the payroll of the Chinese Communist Party trust Beijings dictatorship with the power to pervasively monitor communications (spy locally as well as globally), interrupt, deny or corrupt digital services, and possibly take surreptitious control of digital devices, say, the air traffic control computers at Los Angeles International Airport? Outrageous scenario? No, given Huaweis baggage is a legitimate worry exacerbated by the regimes criminal dishonesty (e.g., lying about COVID-19/Wuhan virus). For all practical purposes, Huawei is a Chinese Communist Party tool. In spy lingo, a cutout company can hide an espionage operation. Abundant evidence suggests Huawei serves as a cutout. Which is why Februarys tough responses to Beijings gambit were so encouraging. On Feb. 10, U.S. Attorney General William Barr did more than make the case that Huawei poses a security risk to the entire free world. He also suggested several actions the United States and its allies could undertake to confront China and mitigate Huaweis threat. He suggested the United States form a consortium with private U.S. and allied companies to manufacture 5G equipment. He specifically mentioned Nokia and Ericsson. Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung are Nos. 1, 2 and 3 globally in holding standard and essential telecommunications patents. By this measure, three democracies, Finland (Nokia), Sweden (Ericsson) and South Korea (Samsung), have superior tech. Huawei is sixth, according to one analysis. Huawei, however, has assets its intellectual superiors lack: Beijings money and political muscle, and the covert support of the authoritarian states intelligence services. Some sources estimate Huawei has received $75 to $80 billion from Beijing and used the money to increase sales by guaranteeing financing. On Feb. 13, Barrs Department of Justice and the FBI detailed Huaweis national and international security risk. The DOJs 56-page indictment hit the company with 16 charges involving racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. Huawei faces numerous counts of intellectual property theft. The indictment has some interesting tidbits that stink of government espionage. Federal investigators found a top-secret Huawei manual that ordered certain individuals to conceal the fact that they worked for the company when meeting foreign law enforcement officials. Numerous analysts believe Huawei has aided Chinese espionage efforts. Huawei personnel have admitted that the company has the ability to intercept communications using its hardware, both in mainland China and in foreign nations. The company databases contain information on foreign personnel, phone records and property that have nothing to do with telecommunications. Moreover, it is a fact the Chinese dictatorship requires Chinese companies to give Beijing access to all data they hold. But Huawei is not a private corporation. It is owned by a holding company that is owned by a trade union investment committee that is essentially an arm of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, which is a public entity. Then theres laffair Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng is chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of its founder. According to the DOJ, she was directly involved in stealing American-developed source code. She tried to steal memory hardware and antenna technology. She also violated U.S. sanctions on Iran. The United States is trying to extradite her from Canada. Is she a spy? She acquired secrets of value to Chinas military. Beijing is doing everything it can to prevent her extradition, including harassing Canadian diplomats. Why, the regime treats her as if she were a diplomator a spy. Austin Bay is a colonel (ret.) in the U.S. Army Reserve, author, syndicated columnist, and a teacher in strategy and strategic theory at the University of Texas. His latest book is Cocktails from Hell: Five Wars Shaping the 21st Century. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A British national is among four people to have died on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship embroiled in a bitter dispute over plans to disembark passengers in the US. In what is being described as an unfolding humanitarian crisis, so far two of the four people to have died on the cruise ship Zaandam have been confirmed to have had Covid-19, with nine people aboard testing positive and 189 reporting flu-like symptoms. "One of the deceased passengers is from the UK," a spokesman for the Holland America cruise line, which operates the Zaandam, said. "Due to US ... laws, we cannot provide any additional medical and health details." The Zaandam, which is carrying more than 200 Brits, and its sister ship the Rotterdam, passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports. Both ships are seeking to dock in Florida later this week. The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA The state's governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference on Tuesday that Florida's health care resources were already stretched too thin by the coronavirus outbreak to take on the vessel's caseload. The US Coast Guard has said if local authorities cannot agree on a docking plan, the matter will go to the the federal government for decision. Mr DeSantis said he had been in contact with the White House about ferrying medical supplies to the ships. "Just to drop people off at the place where we're having the highest number of cases right now just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Mr DeSantis told a news conference. US President Donald Trump responded by saying he would speak to DeSantis about the ships. "They're dying on the ship," Mr Trump said. "I'm going to do what's right. Not only for us, but for humanity." Holland America said 73 guests and 116 crew members on the Zaandam had reported influenza-like illness symptoms. Covid-19 has been confirmed as causing two of the four deaths on the ship. Nine people on the ship had tested positive to the coronavirus, Holland America said. Company president Orlando Ashford wrote an opinion column in the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper to plead with officials and residents to let the passengers disembark. "The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity," he wrote. "To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values." Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony called the situation a "humanitarian crisis" and asked country commissioners at a Tuesday meeting to avoid decisions based on emotion. "This ship has been turned away from several countries already," Mr Tony said. "We are in some very, very critical circumstances where we as a county are going to have to determine are we willing to take on this responsibility." However, Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich said: "These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other. We are their last hope. What are we going to do? Let this ship go back out to sea and float around and let people die? I don't think so." William Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival, which owns Holland America, told commissioners "we are coming to the place of last resort," and that his staff had worked through the night on a docking plan. Noting four people had already died, he said he hoped two others who were severely ill "will survive the transit". The Zaandam originally departed from Buenos Aires on March 7 - a day before the US State Department advised to avoid cruise travel and before any substantial restrictions were in place in Florida. The ship had been scheduled to stop in San Antonio, Chile, then complete another 20-day cruise to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 7. But since March 15, the Zaandam has assumed pariah-like status, having been denied entry at a succession of ports. Zaandam passengers said they were asked to keep their rooms dark and leave their drapes closed as they passed through the Panama Canal. Holland America said after being denied entry to a number of ports, the Zaandam was forced to rendezvous with its sister ship the Rotterdam took on nearly 1,400 people who appeared healthy. This left 450 guests and 602 crew members on the Zaandam. Listen to this episode of The Leader:Coronavirus Daily podcast The company said the two ships would remain together for the rest of the journey, and guests on both ships would remain in their rooms until disembarkation. Guy Jones, whose parents Nick and Celia are among some 229 British nationals on the luxury cruise liner, said the cruise company had at least been keeping passengers informed. The Federal Government on Wednesday disbursed N20,000 under its Conditional Cash Transfer scheme to 5,000 beneficiaries in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouq, supervised the disbursement. Henry Ayede, the spokesperson for the cash transfers programme office, told PREMIUM TIMES that the N20,000 covers four months stipends for the beneficiaries from January to April. Mrs Umar-Farouq said the disbursement was one of measures authorised by President Muhammadu Buhari to help citizens cope with the fallout of coronavirus. Other measures include a moratorium on repayment of certain Federal Government-funded facilities to the Nigerian public. President Buhari on Sunday had ordered the three-month moratorium on government-funded loans from institutions such as the Bank Of Industry and Nigerian Export-Import Bank to beneficiaries of schemes such as TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni beneficiaries. The gesture is to provide relief for the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy. The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme was introduced in 2016 as part of President Buharis Social Investment Programme (SIP). It involves payment of N5,000 monthly, paid bi-monthly, to the poorest Nigerians, mostly in rural communities. According to the minister, the disbursement is to help in reducing the effect of the lockdown ordered by the president in Abuja and Lagos over the COVID-19 pandemic. But Ms Farouk, during the flag off said the Federal Government would be giving out N20,000 per recipient in Abuja for the next four months starting from March. We have directed immediate cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable households in the country, she said. Because of this COVID-19, the vulnerable groups have to expand, because we are aware that there are people who live on daily wage, so we are also going to look at those groups of people to see how we can get this food relief intervention to them in this period. The programmes spokesperson, Mr Ayede, said: The federal government has not paid the beneficiaries from January till March, but following the presidents order on Sunday, the ministry decided to pay in April in view of the lockdown directives. CCT The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) aims at reducing poverty, preventing the vulnerable households from falling further down the poverty line and building their resilience to withstand shocks. According to a 2019 report by the NSIP, about 297,973 poor households in 20 states had already been receiving the cash transfers. The CCT uses a model called Community-Based Testing to identify the poorest households in a given community; then after identification the details are uploaded into the National Social Regiter, where the NSIO mines from to pay the beneficiaries. As part of efforts to the get many Nigerians out of vulnerability and poverty, the Federal Government In December 2017 signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with Switzerland on the return and monitoring of the $322m Abacha loot. The fund is to be used on the National Social Investment Programme (SIP) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) that began in December 2016. The federal government also obtained $500 million credit from the World Bank to run the initiative for six years from 2016 to 2022. Another source of fund was the N500 billion National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), captured in the Federal Government budgets since 2016. The NSIP was last year moved away from the office of the vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, to the newly-established Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, headed by Mrs Umar-Farouq. Lindsay Van Zile McAloney demonstrated once again last week why she had been named her schools teacher of the year even before the coronavirus outbreak, seizing on the current online learning environment to let students vent their feelings of isolation amid the pandemic thats turned their young lives upside down and kept them apart from their friends. In a video she posted last week, McAloney, known as Mrs. Mac, told her Acting I students at Vernon Township High School to set original lyrics to the melody of a Broadway show tune, record it and send it to her. After vetting them, McAloney has been uploading the videos to YouTube. I prefer it to not specifically be about coronavirus or COVID-19, McAloney in the YouTube video explaining and demonstrating the assignment. You can tell me about what youre going through, or a situation. Something along the lines of being home, or something you like that youre missing. Something that you like and now that youre home you get to do. Teaching by example, McAloney capped the video with her own rewrite of Its Quiet Uptown from Hamilton, which she sang with a sonorous vibrato that revealed a love of performing very much alive in the 38-year-old theater major, who never planned to teach but fell into it five years ago through a cosmetology client. It is tough but we must still teach/There is stress too terrible to name, McAloney sang. You hold your lessons as tight as you can/And teach through the unimaginable. Search #broadwayrewrite on YouTube, and youll find McAleveys video and those of her students. Its also the name of a Facebook page she launched to encourage other theater teachers to get involved. Hannah Kolonoskis is a rewrite of the cultural phenomenon Let It Go, from Frozen. The schools are closed every night, not a foot print to be seen/A country of isolation and the world is unforeseen, Kolonoski sings in her rewritten opening couplet. In the famous chorus, she adds, Let me go. Let me go. Cant hold me back anymore/Let me go. Let me go. Turn to me and open the door. Lindsay Van Ziles McAloney with Vernon Township High School theater students. Courtesy of Lindsy Van Ziles McAloney Word of the assignment began to spread through the community, including McAloneys video. I was listening in, and I said, Oh, my god, I love that! Just her personality itself, it drew my attention and I couldnt help listening in, said Kristin Hayde, a church administrator in West Milford, whos nephew is in Mrs. Macs class. Just her positive outlook on the whole situation, it just cheers everybody up. Haydes nephew, 15-year-old Gabriel Crespo of Vernon, rewrote, A Hard Knock Life, the upbeat group lament by the orphans in Annie, which Crespos mother shared on Facebook. Its a quarantined life, for us/Its a quarantined life for us, sings Gabriel, freshman at VTHS. If we dont stay home, we get sick/Instead of kisses, we bump fists. Vernon Township High School Principal Pauline Anderson named McAloney the schools Teacher of the Year for 2019-20, after McAloney launched Pledge 2 Pause, a campaign for civility on social media that has included a Facebook page and appearances by McAloney before the Board of Education, the Vernon Township Council and local civic groups. The Pledge 2 Pause campaign followed one McAloney had waged two years earlier in support of Vernon student Vincent Ventriglia, who was suffering from sarcoma, or cancer of the connective tissue. He died from the disease in December 2017. McAloney had Vinnies Avengers T-shirts printed up, and 1,200 were purchased by the community, with the proceeds going to the Ventriglia family. Shes the glue that holds the Vernon High school community together, read a letter from a Vernon resident in support of McAloney for teacher of the year. I dont like to sit still, McAloney said. I like to be doing things. And Im a moving and a shaker. I get that from my parents. Gabriel said the #broadwayrewrite assignment, challenged me to be creative. I think shes a great teacher, Gabriel said. Shes really awesome. I love her so much. Im very lucky to have her, for sure. I definitely enjoyed being quarantined instead of going to school, Gabriel added, meaning that he had to stay home and learn online. Asked if he missed his friends, he said, Yes, I do. Thats the only sad thing about it, I cant hang out with my friends anymore. In addition to teaching online, McAloney is also learning that way. Shes now in her final semester pursuing a masters in student counseling at Seton Hall University. She loves teaching, and she said she was lucky to be in Vernon, one of the districts in the state with a theater program and a full-time teaching position. But with the added responsibility of directing school plays, the hours can be overwhelming, said McAloney, who is married with a 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. So, as much as she loves inspiring young thespians, and they love her, McAloney said she may not be long for the classroom, and counseling is likely the direction shell take. Just before the coronavirus forced Vernon and other districts to shift to online learning only, McAloney had directed the Vernon high school musical, My Favorite Year, a stage version of the 1982 non-musical film starring Peter OToole. We were lucky we got our three shows in, McAloney said. We were told the morning of the show that we were not going to school on Monday, and that we had to gather up our things and clear out. It was very surreal. Have you seen an inspiring story in your community during this troubling time? Tell us about it. And, see more uplifting stories in #TogetherNJ. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. As a dwindling number of tourists remain, precautions were taken at every level to ensure the safety of all travellers In one example, Vietnamese expat forums and social networks were abuzz this month with the story of a European tourist who was struggling to find a hotel in Ninh Binh province. We just arrived in Hanoi from Austria two days ago, and it is really uncertain whether we should stay in Vietnam or not, wrote Anna Marlena on March 15. She planned to go to Ninh Binh but all tourist attractions were closed. She didnt know if she should go to the beach and try to relax there while she really didnt want to go back to Austria because everything is in chaos there. Annas post received hundreds of comments, with many people sympathising with her plight and suggesting that she could go somewhere in Vietnam still safe and open to foreign visitors, such as Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, representatives of some international travel agencies said that although there are still some overseas tourists in Vietnam, they will most probably have to cut their journey short as many destinations have stopped operating, an opinion that was proved right in the face of tighter movement controls. Nothing is as miserable as an epidemic season tour, a tour guide shared on the Vietnam Safe Travel Facebook group. According to the guide, this means having to be more aware of customers health, and changing the schedule to account for closures. Many customers sympathise because of the global situation, but a lot of people are upset because the service is constantly changing. This is a difficulty shared by the entire tourism industry in Vietnam, not helped by the decision to stop operating international routes. And the restrictions have only been getting stronger on a daily basis. According to a notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, on March 18 Vietnam stopped issuing visas to foreigners entering Vietnam for a period of 30 days due to the complicated development of the disease. The most famous tourist destinations in Vietnam have all been affected and been forced to close their doors, including attractions in Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, and many others. In response to last weeks situation, travel companies decided to postpone or cancel tours for international visitors. By this week, guests were being advised by their home countries to leave the country altogether. Tran Xuan Hung, chairman of Viking Travel, said that an Indonesian group had plans to visit My Tho in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on March 12, but upon receiving notice that the province was temporarily closed to foreign tourists, the company immediately set about turning the trip into a city tour exploring Ho Chi Minh City. On travel forums, many businesses and guides exchanged and shared solutions and ideas to overcome these difficulties before strengthened restrictions were put in place, with the aim of giving visitors a good impression of a friendly, hospitable Vietnam. I havent seen Vietnam this quiet and beautiful for at least ten years. Stay strong and well go through this difficult time together. What doesnt kill us will make us stronger, shared a member of Vietnam Safe Travel. Safety measures have also been strengthened for the last remaining foreign tourists in Vietnam. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced a requirement for foreign citizens as well as Vietnamese citizens to wear face masks in public places. Thanks to reminders from local travel agencies, foreigners are more aware of this obligation, and according to a VIR survey, tourists who were visiting and shopping at Ben Thanh Market have mostly used masks. John, a tourist from Australia, said, My apologies if it is impolite not to wear my mask here. The Vietnamese government has put in place sensible measures to protect people from the COVID-19 pandemic. For overseas citizens still in Vietnam, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism had also proposed that hotels continue to serve guests until they leave, taking measures to ensure safety for everyone, and avoid discriminating against foreigners. We didnt travel in the best of times, with establishments in Hoi An closing daily during our stay due to the threat of coronavirus. However, this didnt spoil our stay, as we were very well looked after there, wrote Chris and David from the United Kingdom. Two days before they were due to leave, their flight home was cancelled by the airline. A staff member at Santa Sea Hoi An Villa was an absolute godsend. With a smile, he calmly took over on our behalf, due to the language barrier, with our phones unable to be used in Vietnam. He contacted the airline and booked us another flight home, including an internal flight via Hanoi. We cant thank him enough, and we will be back. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Two policemen from Marikina City have been arrested after raping two female detainees, Metro Manila police chief Debold Sinas claimed on Tuesday. He said patrolman Arnold Geroy and patrolman Sonny Maruzzo, who were assigned in the Special Operation Unit in the Marikina Police Station, sexually assaulted two detainees after conducting their custodial debriefing on March 29. "Kinuha nila ang dalawang inmates na babae, tapos dinala nila sa opisina, from there, sa opisina nila minolestiya sila ng dalawang pulis," he said in a media briefing. Sinas said the two policemen were immediately arrested after the women told the guard on duty of what happened. He said Geroy and Maruzzo did not deny the allegations. The chief of Metro Manila police said rape charges were filed against the erring policemen, adding they are now detained in a jail facility in Marikina separate from the detention cell of the two women. Sinas said the Philippine National Police's efforts to weed out rogue cops from the organization continue. "This will prove may mga suwail pa rin kaming mga pulis, but we are willing to correct," he said. (@FahadShabbir) Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday reported the first death of a patient who tested positive for the coronavirus TIRASPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday reported the first death of a patient who tested positive for the coronavirus. "The positive COVID-19 result came back last night, after the woman died. Experts say the patient had diabetes and heart problems," the territory's coronavirus response center said in a statement. The 55-year-old woman was hospitalized with double pneumonia the region's main city of Tiraspol and stayed in a ward with a man who then tested positive for COVID-19. She was transferred to an infectious disease hospital on Sunday and died the next day. Health authorities are now waiting for test results of a 59-year-old woman who likewise died from double pneumonia while on ventilator support on Monday in the city of Slobozia, 7 miles southeast of Tiraspol. She also suffered from diabetes. PeterHermesFurian/iStock(NEW YORK) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the news agenda across the globe since the start of this year, but in one secretive Central Asian country you wont even hear the word coronavirus mentioned -- and its putting its citizens in danger, according to a new report. In Turkmenistan, which was ranked at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index in 2019 -- one place lower than North Korea -- the word coronavirus has been removed from the national vocabulary, according to the independent NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The government, led by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who is known in Turkmenistan as the Father Protector of the nation, was one of the fastest moving countries in combatting the pandemic by closing its borders in early February. To date, no cases of COVID-19 have been reported by the authorities, and the media, controlled by the Turkmen government, has removed the world coronavirus from every source of public information, from health pamphlets to schools and hospitals, according to RSF. Despite the banishment of the word, leader of neighboring Uzbekistan spoke to the Turkmen President last week, the Uzbek readout of the call made clear that the two discussed a number of measures related to the spread of coronavirus. Current aspects of bilateral cooperation were discussed, including the priority measures taken in both countries to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, according to the readout. The work of the relevant departments and organizations in providing mutual practical assistance and monitoring the development of the epidemiological situation, especially in the border areas, was noted with satisfaction. Meanwhile there was no mention of coronavirus on the Turkmenistan governments published readout of the call. The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus, the head of RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, Jeanne Cavelier, said in a statement. This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Delhi Police received over 1,000 calls on their helpline number within a period of 24 hours till Wednesday after seeking assistance in resolving issues being faced by people due to the lockdown, officials said on Wednesday. Delhi Police received 1,053 calls from Tuesday 2 pm to Wednesday 2 pm, out of which 160 where related to areas outside the national capital and those have been referred to the respective state police, they said. While 29 calls were regarding not having food or money, which have been forwarded to an NGO for direct relief at their addresses, 27 calls were related medical issues and have been resolved through proper guidance, the police said. As many as 696 calls related to movement passes were, and were advised to approach their respective Additional DCP-I office, they said, adding till Wednesday, 8,303 number of calls have received on their helpline number. Police also distributed 450 ration kits in Jahangir Puri area along with an online food firm, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Published on 2020/03/31 | Source Actress Jang Nara made a special proposal to someone. Advertisement The teaser poster of the new tvN drama "Oh My Baby" was released on the 31st. Jang Nara is holding baby items in a captivating pose. There is a pacifier on the fourth finger of Jang Nara, who plays Jang Ha-ri, an infant care magazine journalist who doesn't want to get married, but wants a child. This unique set up differentiates her from the typical career women. On the poster is written, "Shall we skip marriage?", asking questions about the man that's going to be proposed to by Jang Nara. "Oh My Baby" is a romantic drama about a woman who doesn't want marriage, but wants a child, and three men that catch her attention, starring Ko Jun, Park Byung-eun and Jung Gun-joo. ___________ "Oh My Baby" is directed by Nam Gi-hoon, written by No Sun-jae, and features Jang Nara, Ko Jun, Park Byung-eun, Jung Gun-joo, Kim Hye-ok, Jo Hee-bong. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2020/05/06~Upcoming, Wed, Thu 22:50 on tvN. REDDING, Calif. - The governor is calling for more health care workers to fight the coronavirus through a new initiative called the California Health Corps. It's aimed at bringing in more health care workers to help fight the coronavirus. Action News Now reached out to Nursing Program Director Laurie Meyers at Butte College. Meyers believes that the new plan would not help solve graduation requirements for nursing students because it's not definitive. Ellen Limpin, a nursing student at Samuel Merritt University feels the new initiative has limitations. I feel like a lot of the nurses won't time to babysit them or walk them through the policies they need to learn, said Limpin. If it's a good idea, I think it depends on how confident they are in their skills. The Governor's Office says the Department of Consumer Affairs and Board of Registered Nursing is considering a waiver for nursing students who are working during the pandemic, where they could then apply that work towards graduation. Census Day the date used to reference where a person lives for the once-a-decade count arrived Wednesday with a nation almost paralysed by the spread of the novel coronavirus. But census officials vowed the job would be completed by its year-end deadline. The virus's spread has forced the US Census Bureau to suspend field operations for a month, from mid-March to mid-April, when the hiring process would be ramping up for up to 500,000 temporary census takers. The bureau also has delayed the start of counts for the homeless and people living in group quarters like college dorms and nursing homes, and has pushed back the deadline for wrapping up the head count from the end of July to mid-August. The Census Bureau is required by federal statute to send the president the counts that will be used to carve up congressional districts a process known as apportionment and draw state legislative districts by December 31. Some groups are suggesting that the deadline be pushed back, though it's currently mandated by federal law. "We are laser-focused on the statute's December 31 deadline for apportionment counts and population counts. We will continue to assess all of our operations to see if there are any changes that need to be made," Michael Cook, chief of the Public Information Office at the US Census Bureau, said Tuesday. The head count started in late January in rural, native villages in Alaska, but the rest of the country wasn't able to start answering the questionnaire until the second week of March when the Census Bureau's self-response website went live and people received notices in the mail that they could start answering the questions. But that was only a week before many governors and mayors started issuing stay-at-home orders to slow the virus's spread, greatly hindering in-person rallies, meetings and door-knocking by activists to raise awareness about the 2020 census. Experts say connecting with trusted community leaders in person is the best way to reach people in hard-to-count groups that may be wary of the federal government. "There is the issue of attention. Certainly when folks are anxious about the public health issue, and kids are away from school, and they're being away from work, it's a concern that the census isn't on top of people's mind as you would want it to be," said Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The US Census Bureau is spending USD 500 million on outreach efforts, including advertising, and it's relying on more than 300,000 nonprofits, businesses, local governments and civic groups to encourage participation in their communities. Those efforts have been hamstrung by the nationwide shutdown. Two surveys by the Pew Research Centre suggest the messaging was reaching an audience at least before the coronavirus outbreak. Pew conducted two surveys, one in early January and another in late February and early March. During that time, those who had seen or heard something about the census grew from half to two-thirds of respondents, the centre survey found. Most of the census takers won't be sent out until late May to knock on the doors of homes where people haven't yet answered the questions online, by telephone or by mailing back a paper questionnaire. Until then, the Census Bureau is pushing people to answer the questions so they won't have anyone knocking on their doors in late spring and summer. As of Monday, more than 36 per cent of households had already answered the questions, and the Census Bureau reported this week that 40,300 temporary workers were on the payroll as of mid-March. The 2020 census will help determine how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets, as well as the distribution of some USD 1.5 trillion in federal spending. Researchers at the Urban Institute worry that changed accommodations made in response to the coronavirus may present a distorted picture of where people are living on Census Day. Some people have left their usual residences to move back in with parents or elderly relatives, escaped to vacation homes or had to move because they couldn't pay rent due to lost jobs during the pandemic, they said. Urban Institute researchers said the Census Bureau needs more processing time to identify duplicate responses and offer additional guidelines about how people should respond when the traditional recommendation to answer where you are living on April 1 is no longer clear for some. They're asking that the December 31 deadline be postponed, which would require an act of Congress. "There's no way reliable counts are going to be generated by the end of December," said Robert Santos, vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute. "It's implausible. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The latest: The number of U.S. coronavirus cases surged by more than 14,000 in just a few hours Wednesday, and more than 215,000 people in the United States have been infected. Now, more data showing people without symptoms are fueling the spread has top officials rethinking whether the general public should be wearing masks. The two top infectious disease experts on the White House coronavirus task force believe social distancing measures appear to be helping, but reminded Americans they are going to have a significant effect on how many people in the United States die. "It's communities that will do this. There's no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy, it's just behaviors," said Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the task force. "Each of our behaviors translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic over the next 30 days." Cases and deaths are soaring: There have been at least 5,100 reported deaths in the United States more than 800 of which were reported Tuesday alone. Hawaii became the 49th state to report a death. Only Wyoming, which has had 109 reported cases, has not announced a fatality. Models used by the White House predict that even with perfect adherence to social distancing guidelines, at least 100,000 Americans could die. PGlmcmFtZSBpZD0iaHR2LWNvdmlkLW1hcCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2NvdmlkLTE5LWFzc2V0cy5odHZ0b29scy51cy9pbmRleC5odG1sIiBzY3JvbGw9Im5vIiBzdHlsZT0iYm9yZGVyOm5vbmU7Ij48L2lmcmFtZT4= Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters that Americans should be ready for such a death toll, but the task force is working to keep the number down. "We should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much? I hope not, and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less the likelihood it would be that number," he said. Social security recipients will automatically receive stimulus check Social Security recipients will not have to file a tax return to receive a stimulus check, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday. "The IRS will use the information on the Form SSA-1099 and Form RRB-1099 to generate $1,200 Economic Impact Payments to Social Security recipients who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019," the Treasury Department said in a press release. The reversal comes after lawmakers urged the Treasury Department to send Social Security recipients their payments automatically, according to CNN. "Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return need to take no action, and will receive their payment directly to their bank account," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. Federal ventilator stockpile nearly depleted Meanwhile, Trump acknowledged the federal stockpile is nearly depleted of personal protective equipment used by doctors and nurses to protect themselves from the new coronavirus. "It is, Trump told reporters at a press briefing Wednesday, because we're sending it directly to hospitals. Trump has said that the stockpile has almost 10,000 ventilators but that the administration has been keeping a close hold on them so they can be deployed quickly to states that need them. But he said the administration had agreed to ship out 1,000 ventilators. He says, we have to have the flexibility of moving the ventilators to where the virus is going. Surgeon General: CDC taking a look at mask guidance New insights into asymptomatic spread of the virus have led to a reconsideration of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention's guidance telling Americans to only wear masks if they are sick. "Now we've learned about this disease and we've always said we're going to learn more, we're going to adjust and we've learned there's a fair amount of asymptomatic spread and so we've asked the CDC to take another look at whether or not having more people wear masks will prevent transmission of the disease to other people," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Among the issues discussed by the task force and the CDC have been how to teach Americans to wear masks and how to prevent a rush on medical-grade equipment, like N95 respirators, still in short supply for hospitals. There have also been discussions of the cultural shift that recommending masks would represent, since Americans (unlike citizens of some Asian countries) are not accustomed to wearing masks in public. President extends coronavirus guidelines President Trump announced the White House's coronavirus guidelines would be extended for another 30 days and that Americans should be ready for a "very tough two weeks ahead." Trump called it a matter of life and death for Americans to heed his administrations guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a light at the end of the tunnel." Fauci also told Americans not to get discouraged when the number of deaths keeps increasing because other data will show mitigation is working. Early clues in places like New York, California and Seattle indicate social distancing may be slowing the rate at which COVID-19 cases otherwise would have increased in the United States. But health officials warn it's too early to know how well it's working and even if mitigation measures continue, the number of U.S. deaths still could be hard to take. There are, however, signs that rates of case increases may have been slowed in some places. It's too early to pinpoint why, though the signs have come after federal and state officials urged people to stay at home or avoid crowds: New York has by far the most U.S. cases (75,700+) and deaths (1,500+). But the state's average of day-over-day case increases for the past seven days was 17%, compared to 58% for the previous seven-day period, a CNN analysis shows. In Northern California, "the surge we have been anticipating has not yet come," Dr. Jahan Fahimi, medical director at the University of California San Francisco Health, told CNN. San Francisco issued the country's first shelter-in-place order two weeks ago, and officials hope it is paying off. That hope has not necessarily reached Los Angeles County, where hospitals are seeing a steady patient increase. In Washington state's King County, two new reports from an institute that specializes in studying disease transmission dynamics showed social distancing measures appeared to be making a difference. Another model shows a lower death toll for strict social distancing. Still, even if all states mandate social distancing within the next week, and then maintained this through May, some 82,000 people in the U.S. could die from coronavirus by August, University of Washington health metrics sciences professor Christopher Murray told CNN on Tuesday, citing his modeling. Related video: White House expects 100,000 to 240,000 coronavirus-related deaths 'Stay at home, buy us time' In parts of the country, walking into work feels like walking into a war zone for many medical care workers. "There is not enough of anything," one trauma physician at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital said. "There are just so many patients who are so sick, it seems impossible to keep up with the demand." Inside New York City's Elmhurst hospital, one doctor told CNN "we are at the brink of not being able to care for patients." It may seem simple, another doctor said, but staying at home could also be saving those working to save patients. "It feels like coronavirus is everywhere and it feels like we have very little to protect ourselves from getting very sick ourselves as healthcare workers," Dr. Cornelia Griggs, a pediatric surgery fellow at Columbia University, said Monday. "I want everyone at home to know that even though it seems like staying at home is futile, it's not." "We need everyone at home to hold the line, stay at home. Buy us time, flatten the curve." W2lmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZDJjbXZicTdzeHgzM2ouY2xvdWRmcm9udC5uZXQvZW1haWwvcHJvZF9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1c19pZnJhbWVfYXJ0aWNsZS5odG1sIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQxNCIgc3R5bGU9IndpZHRoOjEwMCU7Ym9yZGVyOm5vbmU7b3ZlcmZsb3c6aGlkZGVuIiBzY3JvbGxpbmc9Im5vIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3dUcmFuc3BhcmVuY3k9InRydWUiXVsvaWZyYW1lXQ== 'As of this moment, we have 1,173 ventilators, 2,695 ICUs and about 10,408 plus isolation beds.' 'But this number keeps changing with every passing hour as we incorporate more private as well as government hospitals in our fight against the pandemic.' IMAGE: Medics conduct door-to-door thermal screening of residents in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo As Maharashtra reported over 300 cases of coronavirus infected patients, Dr Pradip Awate, the state's disease surveillance officer, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, gives Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com the details about the Maharashtra government's battle-preparedness as it emerges one of the major hotspots of coronavirus patients in India Could you tell us about the measures that the Maharashtra government has taken so far to control the COVID-19 pandemic? Actually, in the initial phase we started with the point of entry screening of passengers across all international airports and ports in the state from January 25. The next stage was keeping those coming from coronavirus-affected countries under surveillance and quarantine them for 14 days under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at government facilities and those who were quarantined at home were asked to self-report about their symptoms and condition. Along with that we focussed on the development of more isolation facilities. Apart from the two hospitals at Kasturba in Mumbai and Naidu at Pune, we have now more hospitals where COVID-19 patients can be treated and hospitalised or quarantined. The next important need is the diagnosis and testing labs for patients showing COVID-19 like symptoms. Till the second week of January, we had just the National Institute of Virology, Pune. But step-by-step, we increased our lab capacity to 23, which includes ten government and 13 private labs, after the ICMR (indian Council of Medical Research) permitted the latter to join the government's efforts. We are also planning to have these testing facilities at many of our district hospitals and government medical colleges so that in future if we need to conduct more tests for patients we are ready for that. Are these 23 labs enough to take care of the testing requirements coming from the entire state? At this stage, they are enough. Apart from that capacity building and training of manpower is also needed. We have recently completed the training of trainers programme at block, district and state level. The next important component in this fight is the requirement of N95 masks, personal protection equipment (PPE) and triple layered surgical masks. We are ensuring that these are available at every institute that screens or tests or treats COVID-19 patients in adequate numbers. We are using CSR funds too to procure these equipment. We are trying our level best to maintain adequate stocks for the fight against Coronavirus. What is the requirement of all these equipment and what is the situation on the ground right now? I can assure you that we do have sufficient number of PPEs, N95 masks and triple layered surgical masks. We did undertake a mathematical modelling of this outbreak which projects the increase in the number of COVID-19 like patients in the month or two, and we are preparing to stock ourselves keeping that scenario in mind. But even if one per cent of Maharashtra's population were to come under the COVID-19 outbreak it will be a huge number. At that juncture we may fall short of supply, but we are trying our level best to prepare for that situation. There is no shortage today, but in the future nobody knows. What number has this mathematical modelling thrown at you? There are different views coming out from different mathematical models. But assuming even if 0.5 per cent or one per cent of the state's population gets affected, even then it is a huge number, isn't it? With almost 122 million (12 crore) people, it becomes a huge number. Fortunately, from whatever trends that we saw in China and other countries, 80 to 85 per cent COVID-19 patients showed milder symptoms or were asymptomatic which could be handled at the OPD (outpatient department) level. Only 15 to 20 per cent required hospitalisation with only 3 to 5 per cent requiring ventilators and ICU beds. We are planning accordingly. Now that we have moved on from the district to block level our assessment of requirement of hospital beds, ventilators and other necessary equipment will help us to prepare for the future. We are planning to prepare 50-100 beds at even block levels. IMAGE: Dr Pradip Awate. What is the trend in Maharashtra like? We are observing the same trend as one saw in China. Though our tally is 302 (this number was at 153 on March 27), and this number keeps changing by the hour and is so very fluid, more than 80 per cent of these patients are either showing milder symptoms or are asymptomatic and they are recovering well even with minimum treatment support to them. What about the number of ventilators, ICU beds available and manpower being prepared in Maharashtra to treat serious COVID-19 patients? We have completed the entire training cascade from block level to the state level. I can tell you that we have completed 62 'train the trainers' sessions that include doctors nurses and other hospital support staff and each session was joined by at least 50 participants. We are also ensuring that most of these doctors are also epidemiologists. As of this moment (this interview was conducted at 9.30 pm India time), March 31, we have almost 1,173 ventilators, 2,695 ICUs and about 10,408 plus isolation beds. But this number too keeps changing with every passing hour as we incorporate more private as well as government hospitals in our fight against the pandemic. What we are doing is we are hoping for the best, but we are also prepared for the worst. As I told you before, even if one per cent of the population of Maharashtra gets affected, we are looking at a huge number. But looking at global trends, 80 per cent patients show only milder symptoms and respond to monitoring and medicines at homes, and about 20 per cent will require some kind of hospital intervention. And at least three to five per cent of them will require admission in the hospital in the ICU facility. Accordingly, we are preparing for all situations and scenarios. How many tests are we conducting now every day in Maharashtra? Every day 500 plus tests are being conducted across Maharashtra at least since last week or so. We have been able to ramp up the number of these tests because now we have expanded our lab network, which now includes government as well as private labs. With every passing hour, every passing day we are ramping up our capacities of ICUs, isolation beds, trained personnel, protective gear, number of labs that can perform tests and number of tests that can be conducted at these labs. What is the ratio out of COVID-19 positive patients to total tests done? Maharashtra has reported 302 COVID-19 positive patients out of 6,331 tests done till now. That's like less than five in every 100 people tested are reportedly COVID-19 positive. Are these efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the state well-funded? The state government has made it amply clear that there will be no financial restrictions or rules and regulations which apply in procurement of goods and services in normal times, will be applicable to procurement of goods and services to fight this pandemic. Only the nodal officers will have to make whatever decisions need to be made. There will be no financial restrictions. We have taken into account availability of all the ventilators and ICU beds at government hospitals, at municipal corporation hospitals and district hospitals, and along with medical colleges, both public and private. We are also involving private hospitals at places like Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur for the treatment of coronavirus patients. This has definitely boosted our medical infrastructure preparation. Now that the Union government has asked for screening of 15 lakh travellers who were not scanned on their arrival from international destinations in India, how big is that a challenge for the state government? Screening and scanning of international travellers arriving in India was vital at the initial phase of this outbreak. Now that phase is almost over and as of today, the international travel has been halted. Maharashtra has already screened three lakh people since January 25 at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airport. Even today, we have more than 23,900 people home quarantined, more than 1,400 in isolation quarantine at hospitals, almost 3,500 admissions in Maharashtra having COVID-19 symptoms and only 302 of these patients tested positive. (As of April 1, 1.30 am, the number of dead in Maharashtra totalled 10, but the number keeps changing with time; for the country this number stands at 35 out of 1,397 COVID-19 positive cases; these figures could easily increase by the time you read this interview). By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov NATO has rejected the illegal elections held in Azerbaijan's occupied Nagono-Karabakh region. "With regard to the general elections that took place today in Nagorno-Karabakh, NATO does not accept the results of these elections as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. NATO supports the OSCE Minsk Group, including the recent statement of the Co-Chairs on this issue," NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai wrote on his Facebook page on March 31. It should be noted that James Appathurai also made a statement on so-called "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 23: "NATO does not recognise the so-called elections which took place yesterday in the Georgian region of Abkhazia. The Alliance continues to support Georgias territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders". Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form We are in the midst of a deadly coronavirus pandemic that has put millions of lives at stake, and yet there is grave cause for concern over the independence of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). To be clear: There is no concern over the frontline health-care workers, scientists, and experts who do heroic work, often at great risk to themselves. They embody the WHOs stated values of put[ting] peoples health interests first. No, the concern stems from WHOs current leadership, who have regularly demonstrated their servility to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The latest example comes in the form of a now-viral video interview, in which a WHO senior adviser abruptly ends the interview when asked about Taiwan. Dodging questions about Taiwan to please Beijing isnt fatal, but it is indicative of a systemic problem within WHO leadership: a subservience to Beijing that comes at the expense of its stated commitment to public health. Examples that could prove fatal are rife. In December, the WHO refused to act on or publicize Taiwans warning that the new respiratory infection emerging in China could pass from human to human. In mid January, despite accumulating evidence of patients contracting what we now know as COVID-19 from other people, the organization repeated the CCPs lie that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. In January the WHO, at Beijings behest, also blocked Taiwan from participating in critical meetings to coordinate responses to the coronavirus and even reportedly provided wrong information about the viruss spread in Taiwan. These actions are unacceptable and should not be allowed to continue. The worlds leading global health organization cannot be used as a tool of the CCP, and the U.S. the WHOs largest financial contributor, giving five times as much money as obligated must take steps to ensure it does. Once this pandemic is under control, WHO leadership should be held to account. That includes Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community. Today, WHO leadership continues to laud the CCPs response even as more independent international observers raise questions over whether it is in fact under control in China. At this moment, Dr. Ghebreyesus is either complicit or dangerously incompetent. Neither possibility bodes well for his future at the helm of this critical organization. Story continues I will also work with my colleagues in Congress to review U.S. contributions to the WHO. Most of our contributions can be used at the discretion of the WHO leadership. Maintaining current levels of U.S. contributions should depend on whether the WHO can reclaim its independence. First, we need investigations into the WHOs unacceptably slow decision-making on whether to declare a global pandemic and into how China has compromised the integrity of the WHO. As well, we need accompanying reforms. Every U.S. administration, Republican and Democratic alike, recognizes the critical value the WHO can play in protecting global health. If, after these steps, the organization demonstrates it is still not up to the task, then the U.S. must lead the world in exploring an alternative multilateral arrangement for global pandemic warning. I am confident the world can work together to advance public health. Taiwan represents a model, which other nations should follow, for success outside Beijing-dominated organizations. Despite the CCPs suppression of information about COVID-19 and the WHOs breach of public trust, the Taiwanese have seen low rates of infection, thanks in part to clever preventive strategies put in place after the 20023 SARS epidemic another instance in which a virus from China affected Taiwan. This time, Taiwan implemented a raft of rapid emergency measures such as travel bans, quarantines, and strict social distancing. When peoples lives were at stake, Taiwan acted to protect them. That is exactly what the WHO should be doing; instead, it has undermined global health by carrying water for Beijing. The global coronavirus pandemic is one of the greatest threats the world currently faces. If the WHO cannot return to its true mission, all responsible international actors should come together and consider what is needed to warn the world of emerging pandemics. More from National Review Graduating from the Mekong Deltas prestigious Can Tho University, 24-year-old Pham Thanh Vu still refers himself as a farmer in the truest sense of the word. Pham Thanh Vu works on an organic paddy field which is able to resist the impacts of climate change. Over the past four years, along with his studies, Vu has experimented and cultivated different types of organic rice and vegetables on a small farm of 4,500sq.m in Hon at District, Kien Giang Province. He had meticulously run countless tests on soil quality and pests situations since his second year at university before throwing the dice for commercial cultivation in 2019. An investment of VN15 million (US$645) per 1,000sq.m brought a profit of VN40 million ($1,700), Vu said. Organic farming is my passion, said Vu, recalling his undergraduate days when he worked part time for agricultural projects to finance his trips to farms in Viet Nams rice bowl to learn different cultivation models and farming practices. Those field trips offered Vu opportunities to meet and talk with both farmers and researchers as he realised agricultural science had to go hand-in-hand with the cultivating conditions, soil and climate in each area. Born and raised in Hon at District one of the Deltas oldest rice-cropping localities, Vu was eager to experiment on innovative and organic farming methods to help local farmers better manage their crops, save expenses and mitigate climate change impacts. Since 2019, he has developed a hydroponic vegetable cultivation system and sold to local households. Depending on the number of family members, Vu will set up racks from 4-15m to efficiently serve the daily demand for vegetables at VN2.5-20 million ($107 to 860). Start it up on rice It was a special encounter with Professor Huynh Quang Tin of the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute that helped Vu open a new door to cultivate organic rice and able to resist salinity, alum and diseases. Tin gave Vu three types of national-level rice including Long Ho 8, AG 1 and TC 7 for piloting. These types of rice require 100 per cent plant-based fertiliser to unleash the special flavours, sweetness, aroma and nutrition. They can adapt quite well to different weather conditions and the impacts of climate change in the Mekong Delta, according to Vu. At present, he cultivates each type on an area of 3,000sq.m with productivity of 800kg for every 1,000sq.m. The best seeds from each crop are saved for the next season and the rest are for sale, ranging from VN13,000 to 50,000 (56 US cents to $2.15) per 1kg. Several organic food distributors in Long An Province and HCM City have approached Vu to offer contract farming but he turned them down. His current priority is to research 20 different new types of rice as well as set up cameras on farms for customers to track the growth of their crops. At the end of each season, Vu plans to air a video on the production of organic rice. Dare to think and to do, Vu Hoai Thanh, secretary of Hon at District's HCM Communist Youth Union said about Vu. His passion for agriculture and aspiration to apply innovations as well as sustainable farming methods are changing our hometown, he added. VNS Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | 11:33 AM | PADUCAH Small businesses that applied for the Paducah Small Business Relief Fund Wednesday morning between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. are being asked to resubmit their applications due to unexpected email issues. Paducah Public Information Officer Pam Spencer says the previously submitted applications were not received. You will receive an auto-reply message if your application is successfully submitted. To apply for the Small Business Relief Fund, visit http://paducahky.gov/news/covid-19-resources-and-information. Download the form, complete it, and then email it to wk-reliefgrant@kctcs.edu. This is a partnership among the City of Paducah, West Kentucky Community & Technical College, and the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. Small businesses that are not a franchise or franchise-affiliated, with 25 or fewer employees and a brick-and-mortar presence within the Paducah city limits may be eligible to apply for the funds. During this first round of funding, the first 75 eligible businesses will receive grants of $2000 each. The Application which includes all of the guidelines will be available through April 10 at 4:30 p.m. The funds must be used for expenses limited to rent, mortgage, payroll, and utilities. If you are a business and have questions about the application process, call the City of Paducah Planning Department at 270-444-8601. A second round of funding will be opened at a later date with funding based upon the amount of donations to the Community Foundation which will be matched by the City of Paducah up to $100,000. If you would like to donate to the Small Business Relief Fund, contact the Community Foundation of West Kentucky or call 270-442-8622. A province in northern Thailand has imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol as part of efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus, with violation of the rule punishable by up to one year in prison. The measure, which will be enforced in Sakon Nakhon until at least 15 April, is designed to prevent group drinking at home, a popular tradition among a population that has the highest per-capita alcohol consumption in southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organisation. Last week a state of emergency was declared across the country, forcing non-essential shops to shut and restricting travel. Large social gatherings are also forbidden, while a number of regions, including the popular island of Phuket, have been placed into lockdown. Under Sakon Nakhons alcohol ban, which affects more than one million people, violators will face up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of 100,000 baht (2,452). Thailands other provinces have been granted the authority to follow suit in imposing stricter measures, according to Taweesilp Witsanuyotin, a spokesman for the Thai Health Ministry. The government is pleading with citizens to avoid all social gatherings during this time, he said during a briefing on Tuesday in Bangkok. To date, coronavirus has infected more than 1,770 and killed 12 people in Thailand. The government has warned that it is prepared to take further action if the countrys outbreak continues to escalate. Were ready to announce the most intense measures when the time comes, Narumon Pinyosinwat, a government spokeswoman, said in a statement on Friday. The administrations priority is ensuring the safety of Thai people. At a time of nationwide economic slowdown, with the Thai tourist industry ground to a halt and businesses shut for an indefinite period, the government has rolled out a series of stimulus packages to ease the impact of Covid-19 on workers. Among them is a 50 billion baht (1.2 billion) government fund that provides 5,000 baht (122) per month to three million affected temporary employees and self-employed workers. The relief scheme is set to last for three months. Thailand will also give the public free mobile data as companies initiate work-from-home policies and schools use remote learning amid the outbreak, a senior government official said on Tuesday, as operators considered investment to expand capacity. Individuals can register for 10 gigabytes (GB) of mobile data each month starting April 10, said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission. The government is giving the data so the public can stay home and limit the spread of Covid. "Are you Islamophobes?" "Why are you doing this?"If you have any of these questions, please visit On this website, we engage Muslims and the foundations of Islam without trying to be "PC". We feel honesty is better than disguised language. As you can read on our FAQ, this is out of love, not out of hatred. Thanks, and we're looking forward to seeing your comments! By Sneha Lohani lohanisn@grinnell.edu As fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19) sweeps the country and the world, preparations are being made in Grinnell to prepare for a potential outbreak. Senior citizens, in particular, have been proven to have a greater mortality rate upon contracting the virus. In the Mayflower Community, a local retirement community, its being dealt with like an outbreak of any other respiratory disease. Quarantines in place are being maintained and staff often go through webinars and other training about pertinent topics. Kellie G. Frank, nursing home administrator and associate director, acknowledges that people in the health profession are generally prepared to handle potential outbreaks. In our industry the staff are used to it, she said. Every January, staff go through training and webinars about potential outbreaks like Influenza A and B, Clostridium and Corona. Additionally, a new protocol has been set in place for volunteers at the Mayflower Community: Their recent travels are inquired upon, and if they have been in proximity with someone displaying a range of symptoms for respiratory infections, they will be barred from working with residents. Since their symptoms are almost identical, COVID-19 could easily be mistaken for the flu. For patients with deep cough and a body temperature of above 100.4F fever, a swab is taken to test for influenza. If tested negative, then coronavirus becomes the next suspect. Although the focus is on COVID-19, the larger threat to Grinnells seniors remains influenza. The elderly are especially susceptible to influenza because of compromised immunity and advanced age, and any type of infection could lead to residents becoming severely ill. Many patients who are up to date with the news have been asking questions and are following the general guidelines when there is a lingering potential of an outbreak: refraining from personal physical contact like hugging or shaking hands, as well as frequent hand washing. The Mayflower Community is planning a live webinar for the residents so that they are aware of the impending concerns in the case of an outbreak. Given how rapidly cases of the novel coronavirus proliferate, a diagnosed case would drastically elevate concerns. It would be extremely difficult and costly to place protective equipment in every facility. For example, the N95 masks that provide protection against COVID-19 are incredibly expensive, and making them available to every single health worker would be a debilitating task for small health care providers. The superintendent of the Grinnell Community School District, Dr. Janet Stutz, told The S&B that all school districts in the state are following directions from the Iowa Department of Public Health. If a certain percentage of students is affected by COVID-19, schools will close. One complicated aspect of the novel coronavirus is that infected individuals are required to be quarantined for fourteen days, which would impact school attendance. Further, Iowa state law does not count virtual classes as school attendance, which raises questions about how and when school days would be accounted for. In a statement released March 5, the Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) confirmed that it had begun to make preparations to care for patients who contract COVID-19, and is currently monitoring the situation closely in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and the Iowa Department of Public Health to disseminate accurate information and coordinate a response. As with any global health emergency, we take the threat of COVID-19 very seriously, said Jennifer Havens, GRMC Chief Executive Officer. While this is a new disease, the processes required to ensure patients are treated appropriately while protecting our staff and the public are not unfamiliar to us. Its important to remember our hospitals and clinics effectively care for individuals with contagious illnesses every day, and our staff is well-trained. Grinnell Regional Medical Center officials also stressed that the risk of influenza is much higher than the risk of COVID-19 in Iowa at the moment but also recommended that if residents think they may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, they should call their doctor before arriving at the hospital or clinic in person. The GRMC says this may help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 in the community. The best way to tackle an outbreak is always prevention. Kellie Frank of the Mayflower Community advises area residents to wash their hands with soap and water, cover your mouth with the upper sleeve of your arm if you are sneezing or coughing, and dont touch your mouth or eyes and it is really a problem. A person touches their face 23 times an hour, she added. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold currency in the amount of $1.9 million at exchange auctions in March 2020, Trend reports with reference to the fund. This is 68.9 percent more than in March 2019, when the sales amounted to $600.5 million. SOFAZ sold $300.2 million in January 2020 and $543.4 million in February 2020 at the currency auctions organized by Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA). The sale of currency is carried out within the framework of SOFAZ transfers to the state budget of Azerbaijan, which were envisaged for 2019 in the amount of 11.6 billion manat ($6.8 billion). The Azerbaijans State Oil Fund was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million. According to the SOFAZ's regulations, its funds may be used for the construction and reconstruction of strategically important infrastructure facilities, as well as for addressing important national problems. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on Apr. 1) --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis by Samir Youssef* The Iraqi priest draws a parallel between the limits imposed by the pandemic and Christs exile before Easter. He holds Masses and prayers for Italy. At a time of suffering, faith is an element of support. The outbreak is damaging the economy, shutting down factories. The authorities must provide support. The second part of his testimony follows. Erbil (AsiaNews) Being under quarantine is bit like Jesuss exile in the desert to heal and purify from all evil, from every virus that affects the heart and mind, our spirit, writes Fr Samir Youssef, Chaldean priest in northern Iraq, in the second part of his testimony to AsiaNews amid the coronavirus outbreak. For some time, we have been celebrating Mass for Italy, he explains. After the Mass I kneel before the crucifix, and pray in Arabic and Italian. At a time of great trial and suffering, the rediscovery of faith becomes an element of strength and support. I truly believe that only with Gods help through the cross of Jesus will we be able to get out of this situation. The second and last part of Fr Samirs testimony follows. For the first part, click here. Being in quarantine is a bit like Jesuss exile in the desert to heal and purify from all evil, from every virus that affects the heart and mind, our spirit. We must not be afraid of those viruses that only kill the body; we must instead fear what ends up killing the spirit: like the persecutions in the world, the religious and social, economic persecutions, crime, drugs . . . how many people die from these viruses. Ever since the epidemic began in Italy, then in other countries, we have continued to pray on our knees at the feet of the crucified Jesus and knocked on his merciful heart asking for the grace to save the world. We all need his mercy. This is why I celebrate Mass every day, in Latin and Italian. I like it and it's nice to do it on my own. On Sunday we celebrate Masses and post them on the Internet, with only the choir, but now the government has stopped that too. In the evening I pray the Rosary with my mom and my aunt; after I go back to the parish church and pray the Rosary of mercy for Italy and the entire world. Like in the rest of world, the [Iraqi] economy is in difficulty, everything has stopped. I think the damage will last for years. Here the factories are closed and to restart they will need support from the authorities. Iraq has been hard hit because most of our economy is based on oil and pries are currently very low. The fear is that the virus will stay, becoming seasonal. The world after coronavirus will no longer be as before; many [new] practices will remain. We are so used to washing our hands and disinfecting them that a priest friend of mine put disinfectant in the tea instead of sugar! I truly believe that only with Gods help through the cross of Jesus will we be able to get out of this situation. Without him we cannot do anything. For this reason, the Pope visited the miraculous cross in the church of San Marcello a week ago, asking for the grace to be able to save Italy and the world from this epidemic. They later carried it to St Peter's Square to be held up as a symbol of the universal Church, with arms outstretched to the world. For many, the suspension of Mass is a tough test. All collective rites Sunday services, funerals, weddings, baptisms, confirmations and communions have been suspended. However, I believe that praying can be done anywhere and at this moment the Church is everywhere, in homes and hospitals. Whatever we do for the sick and the weak is like a mystically celebrated Mass. Our patriarch has started a prayer for Italy and celebrates Mass live online, allowing everyone to attend from their homes. Even in my own diocese the bishop celebrates alone and the service is carried online. As for our parish, I celebrate in the evening in the presence of three people and we too stream it on social media, so that the whole parish can ideally unite. People listen to the word of God and we keep in touch, united in a mystical body. For some time now we have been celebrating Mass for Italy. After the Mass I kneel before the crucifix, and pray in Arabic and Italian the litany I brought with me from the church of San Marcello, which has a miraculous cross. The Italian Church, with all the people, stood by us in difficult times of war and persecution, under the occupation of the Islamic State group. Today we all pray for Italy; today we are all Italians. *priest in the Diocese of Zaku and Amadiyah (Second and last part) Sustaining a major television series, intended to run for five seasons or more, is a bit like playing Barcelona during their glorious 2009-2011 period. Lose the ball just once and youll have a hell of a hard time winning it back. If a TV series loses its mojo, it faces a huge struggle to recover. Remember when Homeland was the hottest drama series of 2011? Everybody seemed to be watching it, including President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose office was known to request advance screeners from broadcaster Showtime. Things started to unravel in seasons two and three, the point at which some of us decided wed had enough of the increasingly silly, far-fetched plot machinations and the concentration on dreary supporting characters we couldnt care less about. When the eighth and final season (RTE2 on Thursdays, Channel 4 on Sundays) comes to an end in a few weeks time, Homelands departure is likely to be greeted with a shrug of indifference. American Gods started brilliantly too, thrilling those of us who love Neil Gaimans dazzlingly inventive source novel. However, the buzz didnt last much beyond the first season. Original showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green departed over budget cuts, signalling the start of a slow-motion implosion. Key cast members Gillian Anderson whose characters transformation into David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball was one of the highlights and Kristin Chenoweth quit in solidarity. A replacement showrunner was quickly hired but left just as quickly. There were reports of blazing on-set rows between principal star Ian McShane and the producers, and of McShane and Orlando Jones, who plays Mr Nancy, rewriting scenes. Video of the Day Just before Christmas, Jones took to Twitter, claiming hed been sacked from the series, while other actors described the culture on the set as toxic. The production chaos of the second season was all too obvious in the ragged finished product. Will the third which was in production, with yet another showrunner in charge, when the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down be any better? Frankly, Im finding it hard to care. Im finding it even harder to care about The Handmaids Tale, which is on course, once the crisis is over, for a fourth season. Everything after the first one, which would have been excellent as a mini-series, has been redundant and repetitive. In light of all these, its remarkable that Westworld, a series that promised so much but lost its way during its second season, is enjoying a remarkable resurgence. Admittedly, were still only three episodes into the eight, but its suddenly great again. Season two was a confusing tangle of subplots and knotty multiple timelines; puzzle-box storytelling that became exhausting. Season three features a much slimmed-down cast (despite the addition of new faces, including Aaron Paul and the great French actor Vincent Cassel) and, at least by Westworld standards, a stripped-back story. Three major characters, Dolores, Maeve and Charlotte or rather whichever host brain is nestling inside the Charlotte shell (my money is on Teddy) have effectively been given a whole episode each. Doloress plan, which was vague in season two, is crystal clear now that were in the real world: she plans to start a revolution that involves robots and humans. The big idea at the heart the story is that humans, like the hosts back in the park, are having their destinies written for them by an algorithm, fed by guest data stolen from Delos, that decrees what kind of lives theyll live, and even how and when theyll die. Its a thrilling, chilling notion that speaks to our contemporary fears about data-mining by huge corporations. Westworld might finally be about to deliver on all that promise. (Liana Jegers / For The Times) Every journey changes your life. For my family, it was the trip in the summer of 2005 that made the difference. Thats when my wife, Mary Frances, and I flew to China carrying two weeks worth of luggage and a suitcase full of baby clothes, infant-care supplies and medicines. We had three tickets for the return trip to LAX. We were there to adopt our daughter. We hadnt met her yet, but two months before we had received three photographs from her orphanage in Chengdu and a one-page affirmation of health from a local doctor. We named her Grace. We were far from alone on this trip. About two dozen other couples from the U.S. were part of the same venture, organized through the Chinese government. We started in Guangzhou, then moved on to Chengdu. Why China? Because that countrys one-child law had put many of its children in peril and because Chinas international process seemed more predictable than any other adoption path. In the days before the official hand-off, the organizers kept us busy being tourists. Through temples, parks and shopping streets, we paid scant attention to everything, imagining days ahead. And then, 20 minutes before we parents-to-be were to meet our children, there was a knock on the door of our room at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. It was the adoption team. Grim faces. Theres been a problem, one of them said. Three children were sick, too infectious to allow in a room with others. Our daughter was one of them. And the adoption team had an urgent question for us. Have you had chickenpox? The question wiped our memories blank. While most of the other parents were joyfully meeting their children, we retreated to call our mothers in California and repeat the question. We also wondered: Is this a delay or something worse? Would they try to send us home without Grace? Would they suggest some kind of switch? We werent having that. What could we do? We worked the phones and the web, satisfying ourselves and the authorities that Mary Frances and I each had chickenpox in childhood. So when would we see Grace? Story continues Nobody knew. To keep us occupied the adoption team packed us off to more tourist attractions. A folk village. An embroidery studio. And on a 100-degree day, we found ourselves at Chinas foremost panda preserve, where Mary Frances was invited to cradle a young red panda that was the size of an infant. She forced a smile, the saddest Ive ever seen. We pestered authorities, dragged translators to medical offices, waited for our phones to ring and commiserated with the two other couples in the same situation. One night as we sat in the hotel, a tour bus rolled up and out stepped the rest of our new adoption group, back from a day of play. Through a glass window we watched the moms with babes in arms, the dads brandishing new strollers. This is only temporary, we told ourselves. Everything is only temporary. But it still felt rotten. On the second day, we met our girl. At 13 months, she was 15 inches tall and 15 pounds, her face dotted with a yellow paste to dry the red welts, her brow furrowed in confusion. And then after 15 minutes, we had to say goodbye. She wasnt well enough, the authorities said. A second visit ended the same way. On the third day, the team took us to City Hall, and there was Grace in the arms of Mrs. Chen, an orphanage foster mother, who offered a quick lesson in mixing formula (heavy on the sugar) and gently handed her over. We were a family at last. Christopher Reynolds, wife Mary Frances and newly adopted baby Grace, in China in 2005. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) Once all of the postponed families were united, the distracted tourism continued, but now happily, because we were seeing the world through Graces watery eyes. Some of it now seems like a hallucination. The temple thick with incense fumes. That traumatic first encounter with ice cream. Did we really, on a 105-degree day, end up in a rural theme park with cockfighting, high-diving pigs and Cher on the public address system? Yes, we did. The 15-inch child is now 5 feet tall. She has a learners permit and a bedroom full of trophies from Irish dancing. Her schools mascot is a panda. Christopher Reynolds and wife Mary Frances with teen daughter Grace in 2019. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times) We have the ups and downs all families have. But weve been incredibly blessed (or lucky, if you prefer). On a trip to China in 2013, we got to show her Chengdu and tell her how, in the wake of that miserable three-day chickenpox delay, a family was born and the arc of three lives bent immeasurably for the better. All it took, we remind ourselves, was a step into the unknown, a measure of patience and resolve when things went wrong, and a little faith. On our very worst days, as on our very best, its good to remember that everything is temporary. CHICAGO, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market by frequency (24-GHz & 77-81 GHz), component (LRR, S&MRR, Mono Camera, and Stereo Camera), vehicle (CV & Off-highway), Application (ACC, AEB,BSD, FCW & IPA) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 27.4% during the forecast period, to reach USD 831 million by 2027 from an estimated USD 153 million in 2020. The demand for autonomous and safety features, real-time data monitoring, government mandates, and increasing accident cases will drive the overall market of radars for commercial & off-highway vehicles. The shift of the auto industry towards advanced technologies is expected to drive the growth of the Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market. However, spread of coronavirus in 2020 will be showing a economic slow down in regions which will impact the automotive sector. AEB is expected to hold the largest share in the commercial vehicle radar market during the forecast period. Increasing concern about the safety of passengers in commercial vehicles is the key factor in the demand for AEB. Thus, many of the government bodies are promoting the application of AEB in the vehicles. For instance, Euro NCAP offers 5-star rating to vehicle which has AEB as a standard feature. The study conducted by Euro NCAP and Australian NCAP found out that the application of AEB leads to a 38% reduction in rear-end crashes. Browse in-depth TOC on "Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market" 136 - Tables 52 - Figures 181 - Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=182016868 Commercial vehicle, in-vehicle type segment is estimated to be the fastest-growing and the largest market during the forecast period. The increasing trend towards autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle has been fueling the growth of the commercial vehicle radar market. The key factor that drives the application of radar in the commercial vehicle is the increased safety awareness among the public and the government, as 4,136 people had lost their lives in the year 2018, in the US alone due to large truck crashes as per IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Such occurrences are the major driver for radars for commercial vehicles. Though the impact of CONVID-19 will effect the commercial vehicle segment for a while due to consumer preference of opting travel in personal vehicles and no public transport. North America region is expected to have the largest share in the Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market from 2020 through 2027. The growth of the North America region can be attributed to the most number of vehicles equipped with ADAS features. Early adoption of technologies in the region will be the key factor for the growth of the radar market for commercial vehicles. The presence of players like FCA, GM, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Visteon Corporation, and Velodyne Lidar, Inc has also contributed to the growth of the North American region in the radar market for commercial vehicles. Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=182016868 The Commercial Vehicle & Off-Highway Radar Market is dominated by globally established players such as Robert Bosch GmBH (Germany), Continental AG (Germany), Aptiv (Ireland), Denso Corporation (Japan), and Infineon Technologies AG (Germany). For instance, in August 2017, Denso Corporation developed a 24-GHz submillimeter-wave rear and side radar sensor to help enhance vehicle safety systems. The sensor is used in the 2018 Toyota Camry released this past July. Additionally, in September 2019, a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai Motor Co, to develop autonomous vehicles for the commercialization of Level 4 and 5 self-driving technologies will be driving the expansion of Aptiv capabilities in autonomous vehicles market in South Korea. Browse Related Reports: Automotive V2X Market by Connectivity (DSRC, and Cellular), Communication (V2V, V2I, V2P, V2G, V2C, and V2D), Vehicle (Passenger Car, and Commercial Vehicle), Propulsion (ICE and EV), Unit, Offering, Technology, and Region - Global Forecast to 2028 Truck Platooning Market by Type (DATP, Autonomous), Systems (ACC, AEB, FCW, GPS, HMI, LKA, BSW), Sensor (Lidar, Radar, Image), Services (Telematics- ECall, ACE, Tracking, Diagnostics, & Platooning- Pricing, Match Making), Region - Global Forecast to 2030 Semi-Autonomous and Autonomous Vehicles Market by Level of Automation (Level 1, Level 2&3 & Autonomous Vehicles), ADAS Features, Components (AI, Radar, LIDAR, Camera and Ultrasonic Sensor), Fuel Type (ICE, EV), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 & 2030 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. 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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/commercial-vehicle-off-highway-radar-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/commercial-vehicle-off-highway-radar.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg The answer cannot be that we will beat the disease at the end of the 21 days. And the answer cannot be that it is to halt the spread because the spread is going to happen anyway, notes Aakar Patel. IMAGE: An aerial view of south Mumbai during the national lockdown. Photograph: PTI Photo Our economy has come to a halt and there are predictions that gross domestic product may contract by as much as 5% because of this loss of production. Clearly there is a good and strong reason for us to all stay at home. But what is that reason? The famous Johns Hopkins University's Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy has released a study predicting the spread of coronavirus in India. It has examined three possible scenarios 1. High: The trajectory with current lockdowns but insufficient physical distancing or compliance. 2. Medium: Most likely scenario with moderate to full compliance, but no change in virulence or temperature/humidity sensitivity. 3. Low: Optimistic scenario with decreased virulence and temperature/humidity sensitivity. Under low or the optimistic scenario, the centre predicts that by June a total of 12 crore or 120 million Indians will be infected and of these 11 lakh or 1.1 million will be hospitalised. Of course, India has only 70,000 ICU beds and only 40,000 ventilators so most of these people will not receive treatment. The medium (most likely) scenario has 18 crore or 180 million people infected and 18 lakh or 1.8 million in hospital and the high predicts 25 crore or 250 million and 25 lakh or 2.5 mi.lion. These are numbers we cannot manage, even in the low numbers scenario. Does the government agree with these scenarios? And if not, does it have alternative scenarios? We do not know. So the question, to repeat it is, why is India in lockdown? The answer cannot be that we will beat the disease at the end of the 21 days. Even in China the disease hasn't completely gone. And the answer cannot be that it is to halt the spread because the spread is going to happen anyway. The only possible reason is that the lockdown will slow the spread. But then what? The answer to that is not known because nothing has been discussed with us other than the lockdown. The confusion is compounded because it appears that India appears to be in some way immune to the spread in the way that it has happened in other nations. New York is being devastated by it and even the British prime minister is infected. So what's going on in India? To understand that we must know that we really have no idea how many people in India are infected. Total tests done till date are for the United States 5.5 lakh, Germany 4.5 lakh, Korea and Italy 3.5 lakh. India has tested 27,000 (at the time of writing). We have tested as many people as The Netherlands, which has a population of less than Delhi. The Netherlands has 8,000 positive cases, 10 times more than India. Andhra Pradesh has so far tested only 384 people. Spain, which has a population of less than Andhra Pradesh, has tested 3.5 lakh people. The fact is that our real positive numbers are hidden, the only question is by how many. All of South Asia is returning low numbers of coronavirus positive cases. Pakistan has the most, but only 1,200. India has 1,397 (as at 1259 on April 1), Bangladesh 44, Sri Lanka 106, Bhutan and Nepal 3 each and Maldives 13. Within this low testing space in India some states are testing more than others. Many of India's positive cases have come from Kerala, but Kerala is testing much more than other states. Till March 24, it had tested 4,500 people, but Maharashtra which had 24 more positive cases at that time only had tested 1,000 people. Doesn't mean that Kerala has more infected people; only that it has identified more than other states. So why are we not testing more? A report in the Web publication Scroll which spoke to several state governments, explained that it was not an issue of a lack of kits, but a lack of laboratories. Many states don't have a single lab to test. Nagaland, for instance, needs to send samples to Assam. The second reason was that people were backing out of testing from private labs after realising that the home test would involve nurses coming in protective gear to their doorstep. They did not want to be stigmatised by their neighbours and so cancelled the test. The private test is Rs 4,500 and after learning that they would have to pay and it was not free, other people would also back out. Many labs also think that it is too much work for such little money, and they do not have the protective gear and they don't want to put their staff in danger. The lockdown has also made it difficult for the private labs to get around. All of these have contributed to our low numbers and as the days go by we will learn that despite the lockdown, the numbers of infected are growing exponentially. What happens after that? This can only be answered if we know what the lockdown is meant for. As the last few days have shown there appears to be no plan even at the very beginning of the lockdown for the lakhs of people who are walking across India with no water, food or money. What will happen when the State apparatus needs to act beyond its capacity to cater to lakhs and crores of infected? Unfortunately that is not a hypothetical question. We will learn the answer very soon. Aakar Patel is a writer and columnist. You can read Aakar's columns here. Author Brynda Lattimore launched her new book, Mervin the Church Mouse Learns To Pray. It is an inspiring book for children, and worth a read for anyone feeling lost in our fast paced world. SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / Author Brynda Lattimore is pleased to announce the release of her new book, titled Mervin the Church Mouse Learns To Pray. Brynda hopes to help readers discover prayer as a powerful tool in today's world of excesses, symbolized by Mervin the Mouse choosing the church as his dwelling place after some exploration. As a foster parent herself, Brynda is able to see and experience firsthand the sadness and disappointment in the eyes of children in the foster system. She strongly believes in the need to provide hope for young children, as younger minds could be more susceptible to loneliness and sadness. Losing all hope of their future, as a young child, could lead to other problems in future such as crime, as evidenced by the increasing gun violence that we see. In this easy-to-read book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, Mervin is a young mouse who is excited about learning and teaches everyone that prayer does work. The author hopes to convey to her readers the encouragement to pray each day and trust that everything will turn out fine in accordance with God's Plans. In "Mervin the Church Mouse Learns to Pray", Mervin finally chose the church as his dwelling place as everyone there sang with praise and glee. For readers who are feeling isolated, the author hopes that prayer and church can be a heartwarming and inspiring experience for them. Reader's review: "This book is definitely a cute way to introduce younger readers to the concept of prayer and faith in the Lord's ultimate plan. There were great colours, crisp images and attention to detail in the illustrations. The key to an effective children's book is to ensure the reader remains engaged and this book definitely delivers in this regard. Readers will be initiated into the concept of prayer, God working in mysterious ways and faith in general. Readers follow Mervin as he applies his newfound knowledge about prayer and attempts to ask God to save his home." Story continues About the author: Brynda Lattimore, a writer who resides in Lincolnton, North Carolina, is a graduate of American Intercontinental University majoring in business administration and art. Her first book The Lost Fedora was written in 2012. Since then Mrs Lattimore has been featured in P.O.W.E.R (Professional Organization Of Women Of Excellence Recognized) Magazine for the Fall and Winter issues. Mrs Lattimore's business Walkright Knee Pads and her book Mervin The Church Mouse Learns To Pray were mentioned in both issues. Most recently she has been named by Dabb Media as one of the most inspiring authors of 2020. Contact Info: Name: Charlotte Simmons Email: Send Email Organization: Dabb Media Address: 338 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States Website: https://dabb.media SOURCE: Dabb Media View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/583446/Author-Brynda-Lattimore-releases-a-new-book-aimed-at-inspiring-children United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world faces the most challenging crisis since World War II, confronting a pandemic threatening people in every country, one that will bring a recession "that probably has no parallel in the recent past. There is also a risk that the combination of the disease and its economic impact will contribute to "enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict," the UN chief said at the launch of a report on the socioeconomic impacts of Covid-19 on Tuesday. Guterres called for a much stronger and more effective global response to the coronavirus pandemic and to the social and economic devastation that Covid-19 is causing. He stressed that this will only be possible if everybody comes together and if we forget political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake. "We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations -- one that is killing people, spreading human suffering, and upending people's lives, the report said. "But this is much more than a health crisis. It is a human crisis. The coronavirus disease is attacking societies at their core. The secretary-general told reporters: The magnitude of the response must match the scale of the crisis large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive, with country and international responses being guided by the World Health Organization. He stressed that we are still very far from where we need to be to effectively fight the Covid-19 worldwide and to be able to tackle the negative impacts on the global economy and the global societies. First, he said, many countries are not respecting WHO guidelines, with each tending to go its own way in dealing with the pandemic. "Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world, he said. It is essential that developed countries immediately assist those less developed to bolster their health systems and their response capacity to stop transmission. Second, he said, while $5 trillion has been mobilised, most of that money was by the developed world, including $2 trillion in the United States, to support their own economies from the consequences of the pandemic. We are far from having a global package to help the developing world to create the conditions both to suppress the disease and to address the dramatic consequences in their populations, in the people that lost their jobs, the small companies that are operating and risk to disappear, those that live with the informal economy that now have no chance to survive, he said. Massive support to the developing world is still required. The report also cites International Labor Organization estimates for 2020 that between 5 million and 25 million jobs will be lost, with a corresponding loss of between $860 million and $3.4 trillion in labor income. It also cited an estimate by the UN trade and development organization UNCTAD of a 30-40 per cent downward pressure" on global foreign direct investment flows this year. Guterres announced the establishment of a Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support efforts in low- and middle-income countries, with the aim of swiftly enabling governments to tackle the crisis and promote recovery. He expressed hope that there will be a positive response from the international community to help vulnerable people including the tens of millions of refugees and internally displaced people, those in the slums of big cities in the global south, and poor people in middle-income countries who are more numerous than in the least developed countries. The secretary-general said developed countries must massively increase the resources available to the developing world by expanding the capacity of the IMF to issue special drawing rights, and enabling other international financial institutions to rapidly inject resources into countries that need them. Guterres said he strongly supports an idea from French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at last week's summit of the Group of 20 major industrialised nations that there should be a G20 initiative to help Africa. Twenty-six people from Uttarakhand who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat's congregation at Nizamuddin last month are still in Delhi. Director General of Police (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar said26 members of the Jamaat from Uttarakhandwho attended the congregation in New Delhi's Nizamuddin are still in the national capital. Their mobile locations confirm this, he said. Members of the Tablighi Jamaat keep moving from one place to another in the country and if any of them shows symptoms of coronavirus they should come forward and report it to the authorities concerned instead of hiding it, Kumar said. Apart from this, if anyone of them needs to be quarantined or kept in isolation, facilities will be made available to them, he added. Noting that the death rate due to coronavirus is just two per cent of the total cases and those afflicted by the disease standa good chance of recovery, he asked people who have symptoms of it to come forward and get themselves tested in the interest of their families and society at large. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States and much of the western world, by utilizing the most draconian of tactics, is plunging many nations into potential economic and societal chaos as they attempt to stem the tide of the Chinese Coronavirus. Relying on dubious and error-prone projections, politicians and bureaucrats constitutionally or statutorily limited in their power, are now exercising near-dictatorial authority in their edicts, which are effectively suspending or terminating numerous freedoms under the guise of protecting their respective nations. All Americans, not be just those with first-hand experience dealing with World War II and its aftermath or living in Eastern Europe under iron boot of the Soviet Union or escaping the Communist/socialist hellholes of Cuba, Southeast Asia or Venezuela, should view these actions with considerable trepidation. When societies lose their freedom, it is not ordinarily because autocrats or tyrants have forcibly taken it away. It is usually the result of the population willingly surrendering their freedom in return for protection against an external threat. While the threat is oftentimes real, it is invariably exaggerated. This is what we in the United States are experiencing. The general public has been stampeded by the fearmongering in the media into demanding action from the politicians at both the state and federal level. The politicians respond and do not pause to ask whether these actions will work -- just do something! They do not ask if the financial and societal cost to the nation is worth the unknown and perhaps nebulous return. Any student of history and human nature would recognize that these are the classic symptoms of collective hysteria. Hysteria is contagious. This nation is turning itself inside out as we, thanks to the media, are exaggerating the threat and not stopping to ask if the cure is worse than the disease. In times like these, it is to be expected that the citizenry will look to the government for guidance and assistance. When that happens in an environment of mass hysteria, then it is unsurprising that the state will take on or assume new power, as that is what has been demanded of it. This historically has been the process which leads to the rise of authoritarianism. Over the past four weeks and with little or no legal basis, one state governor has outbid another in their dramatic responses to the Coronavirus outbreak. Invariably their actions revolve around the curtailing of individual freedom. Arrest warrants are being issued for holding funeral services, fines are being levied for not maintaining proper distance, people are being arrested for holding gatherings of over ten people, fines and arrests are the order of the day for re-opening a business the state deems to be nonessential, and the national guard has been called out to enforce state borders and lockdowns. Pastors have been arrested for holding worship services, and in New York City the mayor has threatened to permanently close any church, synagogue or mosque that violates his lockdown order. The Second Amendment is under assault as 12 states either have ordered or are contemplating ordering all gun stores and retailers closed, thus depriving millions of their right buy a gun. Neighbors and ordinary citizens, in the best tradition of the Soviet Union and Communist China, are being encouraged to inform the authorities if anyone they know is not adhering to state lockdown rules. Stores, deemed essential by the state, are being told what in their inventory they can and cannot sell. Congress, faced with the task of mitigating the economic plight of the citizenry, chooses instead to expand the federal governments power and influence over the private sector through a massive and bloated $2.2 Trillion spending package. Additionally, the politicians in both parties and the media, are clamoring for President Trump to declare a nationwide quarantine, nationalize industries, mobilize the military and in essence declare martial law. President Trump, in contrast to the medias portrayal of him, has not succumbed to these overtures, as he is among the few political leaders in the nation that respects the freedoms enumerated in the Constitution. But his power over the individual state governors or Congress is limited. The defenders of these authoritarian tactics say that these extreme measures are necessary in order to save hundreds of thousands of lives. But is that just a fig leaf to permanently transform the society? This is not to say that the Coronavirus is not a serious health issue and steps must be taken to protect the most vulnerable sector of the population -- the elderly with significant medical conditions. The number of people infected with the virus over the past 30 days continues to rise as the nation has dramatically expanded testing. Of those who have died, approximately 1.6% of total infections, we do not know how many succumbed as the direct result of the virus or died of other ailments, as any death with the virus present is currently being counted as a Coronavirus fatality. The Italian evidence, for example, suggests that only in 12% of deaths is it possible to say the Coronavirus was the main cause of death. The Coronavirus started in China in early December of 2019; in the subsequent four months the virus has spread to 177 countries and more than 40,000 deaths have so far been recorded. (For updated data, click here.) At this same juncture during the Hong Kong Flu (which had many of the same symptoms as the Coronavirus) pandemic in 1968-69, it is estimated that were over 350,000 fatalities globally (40,000 in the United States). Eventually, over 1 million throughout the world (100,000 in the United States) died. In its 244-year history the United States has weathered seven of the worst pandemics in world history without the hysteria and loss of liberty and freedom. All indications reveal that the Coronavirus will be exponentially less life-threatening than any of these previous pandemics. Is the Coronavirus pandemic serious enough to warrant putting much of the nations population into house imprisonment, or wreaking the economy for an indefinite period of time, or prohibiting worshipers from attending their churches, synagogues or mosques, or outlawing freedom of assembly and travel, or destroying businesses that have taken years to build up, or saddling future generations with unfathomable debt? The nation is choosing to plunge millions of people into depression, heart attacks, suicide and unbelievable distress, though they are not especially vulnerable and will only suffer mild symptoms or none at all. This is what a police state is like. It is a nation in which the government can issue orders and edicts or convey preferences with no legal authority. Yet, it appears the majority of the American people are willing to sacrifice their freedoms and way of life in order to empower such a potential police state in the guise of conquering a pandemic. Governments never give up power once attained. They only seek to normalize it and now they have in their toolbox the knowledge that the citizenry will meekly acquiesce to any national emergency being declared an existential crisis which requires government to unconstitutionally impose its will on the people. Graphic credit: AK Rockefeller This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, to include the age and gender of the person who died from COVID-19. JACKSON, MI Another person has died from the novel coronavirus in Jackson County. The second death was announced Wednesday, April 1, by the Jackson County Health Department. Representatives from Henry Ford Allegiance Health said it is a 58-year-old Jackson County woman who had underlying health issues. There are 56 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, in Jackson County as of Wednesday, April 1, up six from Tuesday, March 31, according to the health department. One of the cases is someone in the 0-to-19 age range. Eighty percent of the countys positive results are from people age 30 through 69, and people 70 and older make up 13 percent of the cases, according to the health department. Of the positive cases, 30 are women and 26 are men, per the health department website. Henry Ford Allegiance Health has 23 people hospitalized from the virus, a news release said. There are five people suspected of having it who are awaiting test results. Four patients have fully recovered and were discharged and there is no concern of them spreading the virus, a hospital news release said. Positive COVID-19 results from the prisons in Jackson County are not included in the health departments data. Jackson prisons have 52 inmates whove tested positive, per the Michigan Department of Corrections. Two inmates are in the Duane Waters Health Center. Coronavirus cases in Michigans prisons double over weekend Michigan had 7,615 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, March 31, including 259 deaths. Wednesdays numbers arent released until 3 p.m. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here: Churches still gathering, slow coronavirus testing topics of Jackson virtual town hall Jackson jail releasing inmates to help mitigate coronavirus spread Henry Ford Allegiance Health accepts COVID-19 patients from Detroit-area hospitals Hospital employee tests positive for COVID-19 in Hillsdale At 10:15 am, the BSE Sensex was up by 462 points or 1.62 per cent to 28,902 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 147 points or 1.77 per cent to 8,428. Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices traded higher during early hours on Tuesday tracking gains in global markets and a sizable improvement in Chinese manufacturing data for March. All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the positive zone with Nifty metal up by 4.1 per cent, financial service by 2.6 per cent, IT by 2.3 per cent and realty by 1.4 per cent. Among stocks, metal major witnessed substantial gains with Vedanta moving up by 7.5 per cent to Rs 66.20 per share. Hindalco ticked up by 7.5 per cent, JSW Steel by 6.6 per cent and Tata Steel by 5.6 per cent. Private sector lenders Axis Bank and ICICI Bank edged higher by 4 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. The other prominent gainers were Bharat Petroleum Corporation, ONGC, Wipro, HDFC and Britannia. Meanwhile, Asian shares rallied as factory data from China held out the hope of a rebound in activity. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) bounced to 52 in March, up from a record-low 35.7 in February. MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose by 1.1 per cent while Japan's Nikkei firmed by 1 per cent while South Korea's Kospi added 2 per cent. BMW's former F1 boss Mario Theissen says it is "of course" possible that the sport could witness an exodus of car manufacturers amidst the global pandemic. After the global financial crisis struck in 2008, four manufacturers involved in Formula 1 - Honda, Toyota, Renault and the Theissen-led BMW - withdrew from the series soon afterwards. Speaking to the BBC, Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted that the impact of coronavirus "reminds me very much of the 2008 financial crisis - but this goes way beyond that". Theissen agrees, telling the Starting Grid podcast that a similar carmaker exodus "cannot be ruled out". "We just have to wait and see," he said. "I think the situation is far too fresh now. We are also dealing with completely different things." The German said the virus' impact on Formula 1 should only be fully judged in six months, but when asked about a potential exodus Theissen admitted: "Of course that could happen." (GMM) Bhopal, April 1 : The Madhya Pradesh government here on Wednesday claimed to have tracked all 107 people who attended a recent religious congregation of Tabligh-e-Jamaat's markaz in Delhi. Over 20 of them were suspected to have carried coronavirus infection to the state. "We have identified all the 107 who attended the markaz in Delhi. They have been isolated and being examined," Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode said. "We are keeping a close watch on them. There is no reason to worry or panic," said Pithode. After the Delhi government sounded the alarm bells claiming 24 markaz attendees tested positive for Covid-19, the MP government searched all through the Tuesday night for the people who had returned to the state. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked the police and the civil authorities to locate Jamaat members and quarantine them. Meanwhile, the government has not divulged the number of people quarantined to prevent virus scare. They were scattered at different places, including Delhi, Bhopal, Sehore, Vidisha and Raisen, and efforts were being made to track them, said the official. It's been five years since Robert Durst made a shocking apparent confession in the final episode of HBO's "The Jinx." Months later, Netflix's flawed but engrossing "Making a Murderer" became a streaming sensation. Television's true-crime space has exploded in the years since, with both documentaries and dramatized series tackling some of the darkest, most confounding aspects of human nature. You can't go wrong with any of these true-crime offerings, but remember this list is subjective. Documentaries "The Keepers" (2017) This gripping Netflix docuseries explores the murder of Catherine Cesnik, a beloved teacher and nun who was found dead eight weeks after she mysteriously disappeared from a Baltimore suburb in 1969. "The Keepers" puts forward a haunting theory related to the Catholic high school where Sister Cathy taught English as it lays out the details of the still-unsolved case. "Wild Wild Country" (2018) This addictive six-part Netflix series recalls the tension between the Rajneeshpuram, a religious movement founded by controversial guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and government officials in 1980s Oregon. It's a wild ride that involves sex, guns, a mass poisoning attack and figures charismatic enough to attract seemingly ordinary people to a cult. "The Staircase" (2018) French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade won a Peabody award in 2005 for his pioneering true-crime documentary "The Staircase," which recalled the suspicious death of Kathleen Peterson and the ensuing high-profile trial that sent her husband, Michael, to prison for life. "Who Killed Garrett Phillips?" (2019) In this HBO documentary, Liz Garbus ("There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane") examines the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips, who was found strangled in his Potsdam home. The film unpacks the deep racial division that led to the arrest and trial of Nick Hillary a former boyfriend of Phillips's mother and one of the town's few black residents despite questionable evidence. "Lorena" (2019) This Amazon Prime docuseries, co-produced by Jordan Peele, revisits the infamous Lorena Bobbitt case with an emphasis on the sexual and physical abuse Bobbitt (now known as Lorena Gallo) allegedly suffered at the hands of her then-husband, John. "The Most Dangerous Animal of All" (2020) This FX docuseries (available to binge on Hulu) follows Gary L. Stewart's all-consuming quest already the subject of a best-selling book to uncover the identity of his biological father, who he comes to believe is the infamous Zodiac killer. "O.J.: Made in America" (2016) Ezra Edelman's Oscar-winning ESPN documentary goes beyond the heinous crime for which O.J. Simpson was tried in 1994, taking an exacting look at how race played into Simpson's unique brand of celebrity and why his murder case divided the nation. It's worth a watch (on ESPN Plus) even if you can remember the sensational murder trial: Post TV critic Hank Stuever called the five-part series "nothing short of a towering achievement." "The Pharmacist" (2020) After his son was killed in a botched drug deal, pharmacist Dan Schneider embarked on an exhaustive (and risky) search for his son's murderer. This Netflix docuseries, based on a 2017 Times-Picayune article, follows Schneider as he turns his efforts to another drug-related issue plaguing his hometown of New Orleans: the opioid crisis. "Don't F..k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer" (2019) It would appear that Netflix + cats of any size equals documentary gold. Before "Tiger King," there was this cult-favorite docuseries about amateur Internet sleuths hunting for a brazen animal abuser. "Tiger King"(2020) Just in case you haven't seen the series everyone is talking about, let us catch you up. Everyone is a character in this irreverent Netflix docuseries, which follows the murder-for-hire case that resulted from an escalating feud between private zoo owner Joe Exotic (also known as Joe Maldonado-Passage) and animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Dramatized series "Unbelievable" (2019) This Netflix drama was inspired by a 2015 collaboration between ProPublica and the Marshall Project that recalled the harrowing ordeal of Marie, a woman who was accused of filing a false police report after she reported being raped. The series, led by Kaitlyn Dever, makes heroes out of the female detectives (played by Merritt Wever and Toni Collette) who ultimately helped convict Marie's rapist, while calling attention to the systemic flaws that make it difficult for sexual assault survivors to find justice. "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (2016) Yes, another O.J. series. When Ryan Murphy debuted the 10-episode show about the O.J. Simpson murder trial, many wondered what a series starring Cuba Gooding Jr. could add to such a widely covered moment in American history. But the series wowed viewers with fresh perspectives on various aspects of Simpson's trial,. "The Act" (2019) Hulu's eight-episode drama offers a disturbing window into the lives of Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy, who was treated for a host of medical issues throughout her childhood despite not actually being sick. Christian Horner says he trusts Liberty Media to stand firm with Formula 1 throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of crowning winners in Australia and Bahrain and looking ahead to round three in Vietnam, the sport is currently at a complete and indefinite standstill. Initially, there were fears the smallest teams may not survive the loss of income, but now there are concerns about the manufacturers, sponsors and circuits as well - and the entire sport. F1's FWONK share price has crashed by more than 40 percent, and Forbes' F1 business journalist Christian Sylt said there is speculation "the sport could be a takeover target" because of Liberty Media's debt. "To be honest, the Liberty structure is quite complicated," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told the BBC. "And you can only imagine that Live Nation, the owner, is also taking a hit on the events business. "But they have deep pockets as well. And they have always taken a long-term view on this. I think they will do whatever is needed to ensure the sport continues," Horner added. But that doesn't mean F1 is not taking drastic precautionary measures, including delaying the new 2021 rules until 2022 and considering a lower-than-$175m budget cap for 2021. Horner says the teams are also thinking about freezing not just the 2020 monocoque for 2021, but also other parts including suspension, gearbox and "60 percent" of the car in total. "We're also talking about pushing the new regulations back a further year, because in my mind it would be totally irresponsible to have the burden of development costs in 2021," he said. "There seems to be reasonable agreement but it needs ratifying by the FIA to push back those development costs into 2022 for introduction in the '23 season." (GMM) Trumpeter Wallace Roney attends New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Medallion Ceremony for Miles Davis at 312 West 77th in New York City on May 16, 2013. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) Jazz Trumpeter Wallace Roney Dies of Complications From CCP Virus Wallace Roney, a well-known jazz trumpeter, died from complications from the new virus from China, according to his publicist. The CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, causes a disease called COVID-19 that can prove deadly for some, particularly those who are elderly or have underlying health conditions. Roney, 59, passed away on Tuesday at St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. I am saddened to confirm that the iconic trumpeter and jazz legend Wallace Roney passed away due to complications of COVID-19 this morning just before noon, Lydia Liebman, the musicians publicist, said in a statement to news outlets. Working with Wallace was and will remain one of the greatest privileges of my life. It was an honor to represent him and to be part of his musical world. I cannot even begin to express how much I will miss him and his music. Roney earned acclaim starting at age 16 and played with many jazz legends, including Tony Williams, Sonny Rollins, and Carole King, according to his official website. The trumpeter was mentored by Miles Davis and they played together in Montreux, Switzerland in 1991. Trumpet player Wallace Roney and guitarist Mike Stern perform a medley of Miles Davis songs to honor the late inductee Miles Davis during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York on March 13, 2006. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) Roney was part of the group that toured the world in tribute to Davis following his death. My goal is to make the best music I can. I enjoy, listen, and can play ALL types of music I filter my expression through the jazz experience, wrote Roney, who won a Grammy Award with other surviving members of the Miles Davis Quintent in 1995, in a statement. Roney released his last album in 2019 and had toured as recently as last year. The Jazz at Lincoln Center official Twitter account called Roney a true modern great who will be missed dearly. Roneys family was waiting to decide on whether to hold a memorial service until the CCP virus pandemic passes. The new virus is believed to spread primarily from person to person between people in close contact, or within 6 feet, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Preventative techniques include frequently washing hands, wearing a mask and gloves when leaving ones home, and regularly cleaning objects and surfaces. The patients had been treated at the Ninh Thuan General Hospital for more than two weeks. After their discharge, the two men have been taken to their homes in Ninh Thuan Provinces Van Lam 3 Village, Phuoc Nam Commune, Thuan Nam District. They will be placed under medical monitoring for 14 days. The two were announced to have recovered from Covid-19 after testing negative three times in a row, on March 21, 24 and 28. Thai Phuong Phien, a hospitals director, said that for the last six days, the two had displayed no symptoms, including fever and cough. One of the men is a 42-year-old member of the Muslim community. He went from Ninh Thuan to Saigon on February 26 and flew to Kuala Lumpur on February 27, where he participated in a February 27 March 1 religious event with around 16,000 people. He returned March 4 to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat Airport and joined a prayer session at a mosque in the city the same day and the following day. The other patient is a 36-year-old native of Ninh Thuan who had accompanied him on the Malaysia trip. They were admitted to Ninh Thuan General Hospital on March 15 and 17. 131 people who came into close contact with the duo had all tested negative after being quarantined. As of Wednesday morning, Vietnam had recorded 212 infections. The latest discharges raise the number of Covid-19 patients released from hospitals in Vietnam to 60. To date, the Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 42,100 lives in 202 countries and territories. Authorities have been forced to spell out social distancing guidelines to stubborn Sydneysiders who were caught flouting rules to swim and sunbathe at hotspots across the city. Police officers descended on beaches and parks across Sydney on Tuesday to crack down on social gatherings of more than two people and non-essential movements. Despite repeated calls for people to stay indoors and threats of hefty fines, dozens of young people were still seen out and about, swimming, sunbathing and gathering with friends at the park. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Wednesday reiterated the stringent new rules to remind residents what they can and cannot do during the coronavirus pandemic. 'Small numbers are safe. Stay home when you can. If you need to go to work, please continue to work, it is so important for our economy long term,' he said in press conference on Wednesday. 'If you need medical assistance, pharmacies, doctors, the hospital - you can leave. If you need food, can you leave. Scroll down for video NSW Police Force and the Australian Defence Force conducting Public Health Order checks at homes and businesses in Sydney to ensure residents are following self-isolation procedures Police on Tuesday descended on beaches and parks across Sydney as they cracked down on social gatherings of more than two people and non-essential movements at popular areas Two officers are seen knocking on residents' doors as they make their rounds in Sydney on Wednesday 'If you are driving home and you need a take-away coffee, nothing wrong with jumping out the car and a coffee, just don't sit down and have it there.' Mr Fuller pleaded for the public's cooperation saying they 'would much rather work with the community on this' and said officers will take a common sense approach in issuing fines. Gatherings of more than two people - apart from immediate family - are banned in NSW and police now have powers to penalise those flouting the rules. Police are now jointly working with the Australian Defence force to conduct public health checks across the state, to ensure residents are compling with self-isolation rules. Despite yesterday's police blitz, Mr Fuller confirmed no infringements have been issued anywhere in the state since police were granted new powers at midnight on Monday. Only one fine was issued in the last 24 hours for a breach of self-isolation - however the incident does not relate to the increased powers, Mr Fuller said. 'We haven't issued one infringement of the new powers at this stage. I've asked police to show a high level of discretion. Police were called to a hostel in Kings Cross to break up this rooftop social gathering, where revellers were visibly flouting social distancing rules Gym goers are confronted by police for training at an outdoor gym at Greenhills in Cronulla Beach on Tuesday 'Our power of discretion is one of the most powerful powers and we will continue to use that. I'm not suggesting we don't issue a ticket to someone or business owner. Self-isolation is important.' 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 Police earlier this week warned they would no longer let isolation-breakers off with warnings and will be handing out $1,000 on-the-spot fines. The new powers also mean they could also arrest and charge those repeatedly ignoring health orders, with a maximum penalty of six months in prison. On Tuesday, backpackers were singled out in the crackdown after a virus cluster emerged in the city's eastern suburbs, a hotspot for young travellers staying in cramped hostels. The number of confirmed infections in NSW has risen to 2,182, while a 95-year-old woman has become the ninth COVID-19 death in the state, bringing the national death toll to 20. There were 150 new coronavirus cases recorded in NSW overnight. A pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic will be established in Bondi to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus after clusters developed within Sydney's backpacker community. NSW Health is directing doctors in Sydney's Waverley Council area, which includes suburbs such as Bondi, to send more patients for COVID-19 testing. Crowds of sunbakers are spotted on the rocks at Mackenzies Bay in Sydney's east on Tuesday Karnataka dramatically revised the numbers of Tablighi Jamaat members from the state who had attended the gathering at Nizamuddin, to 1500 on Wednesday from less than 100 on Tuesday. The state government added that it had screened around 800 of the Jamaat members and throat swabs of 143 members had been sent for testing, while 700 others were still to be traced. We received this total of 1500 people from the Centre in three different installments. Of them, 800 have been identified and throat swabs of 142 symptomatic cases have been taken and sent for testing. We expect the results to start coming in from tomorrow. Efforts are on to trace the rest of the people who attended the meet, said Jawaid Akhtar, states principal secretary health and family welfare. The principal secretary also said that a public notification appealing to all those who attended the meet to voluntarily get in touch with the state government has been issued. He added that the 800 identified individuals will be first quarantined at a public facility for two weeks followed by home quarantine. We are in the process of collecting travel history of all these people. The government, however, has not provided details as to how many of these 1500 Jamaat members are foreigners and from which countries. It only said that they were spread all over states 30 districts. Nine more people tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the states total infections to 110. Three patients have died and nine have been discharged till now. Meanwhile, Bengalurus city crime branch police have arrested the manager of Prajaval Surgical and Scientific store for selling fake infrared thermometers. These thermometers were apparently being sold for Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a piece. A bunch of these fake thermometers were also seized and a case registered. This comes in the backdrop of busting of rackets selling fake sanitizers and masks. While major cities like Boston and New York City have temporarily banned all non-essential construction amid the coronavirus pandemic, New Jersey is still deeming the construction industry essential. Were holding where we are on construction but were looking at that regularly, Gov. Phil Murphy said during Tuesdays daily coronavirus press conference. Murphy ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down or have employees work from home on March 20 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than 18,000 people and caused more than 260 deaths in the state. Thats something weve considered but were still holding where we are, Murphy said when asked if the state would follow in New Yorks footsteps of suspending non-essential construction. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the immediate suspension Friday, through April 19. San Francisco and Boston have implemented similar measures. The Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey, which represents contractor firms that employ thousands of union workers, urged the governor to keep construction sites open as well, pointing to how hard it was for the industry to bounce back after the 2008 recession. The governor has adopted a thoughtful, balanced course of action. Our role is to support our members with all the information they need to keep job sites safe and functioning, said CEO Jack Kocsis in a statement to NJ Advance Media. He noted the industry only truly started emerging from the Great Recession in 2016, and believes that not dealing with an economic collapse is how to emerge from this global crisis in a matter of weeks or months, not years. But construction workers have growing concerns, as do residents who live close to construction sites. A Hudson County woman said shes worried about her husband, a foreman who works at job sites around the state. Since the outbreak began, he has still reported to work almost every day, and few precautions are being taken. Life is on pause. Everyone is being kept at home. Why are buildings still being built? Its alarming, she said, asking to keep her and her husbands name withheld out of fear of retaliation. Murphy has implored everyone in the state to practice social distancing and stay at least six feet away from each other, including those still reporting to work. And the contractors association is urging workers to stay safe by scheduling fewer workers on a shift, cleaning bathrooms and equipment, and keeping distance during breaks and lunch. This is virtually impossible at a construction site, the Hudson County woman said. They know they have to stand six feet away and wear their masks, but whos enforcing that? And you really think these guys are disinfecting every tool they use after every time? Its not realistic," she said. She also said her husband has worked at job sites in the past few weeks that have no running water or hand sanitizer in the porto potty. But they dont want to complain, she conceded, both because he feels lucky to have a job and a culture of resilience in the construction industry. A Jersey City resident captured a photo of dozens of construction works gathering for their 45-minute morning meeting at the top of a construction project on Marin Boulevard. Hes reached out to state and county officials to complain, but hasnt heard back. Workers who believe their employer is violating the executive order can file a report. They can also contact their union, or ACCNJ, with the location of the site. We cannot afford to have construction shut down because of negligent actions by some contractors that puts everyone at risk, Kocsis said. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. 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. Prince Charles today described the coronavirus pandemic as a 'strange, frustrating and often distressing experience' after recovering from the infection. The 71-year-old Prince of Wales paid tribute to emergency services workers and shop staff in a three-minute video and stressed the importance of living with hope. He also said it was 'essential' that key workers including NHS staff were 'treated with special consideration' when finishing their shifts and trying to go shopping. The message, recorded this morning by staff at Birkhall, the Prince's home in Scotland, marked his first appearance since coming out of self-isolation on Monday. It comes as: Banks threatened the future of up to one million firms who say they will go bust after being denied access to the Government's emergency loan scheme; Couriers begged people to stop going on spending sprees online during the crisis, claiming they are delivering more non-essential parcels than ever before; Ministers were accused of 'complacency' and snubbing offers of help from labs as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the coronavirus testing shambles. Scientists claimed the UK could already have had 1.8million coronavirus patients with one in every 37 people having caught the disease. It was revealed nearly one million Britons have tried to claim Universal Credit in the last two weeks as the pandemic batters the UK economy; and London Mayor Sadiq Khan again blamed commuters for packed Tube trains during the crisis as he was shown footage of the cramped conditions on live TV. The UK today saw its biggest day-on-day rise in the number of deaths since the outbreak began - up 563 on the previous day's total to 2,352. Prince Charles paid tribute to emergency services workers and shop staff in a video message released by Clarence House today and stressed the importance of living with hope Today, Charles said: 'Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus, luckily with relatively mild symptoms, I now find myself on the other side of the illness, but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation. 'As we are all learning this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience when the presence of family and friends is no longer possible and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed. 'At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all of those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances, and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness.' ln addition, Charles also praised those on the front line in the National Health Service, saying they needed the country's support. Charles meets an NHS worker in a photograph shared again today. The picture shows him with nurse Leonie McCaffrey and dialysis patient Eaimie Gormley at Omagh Hospital in June 2018 The Prince also spoke about the elderly, adding: 'As patron of Age UK, and my wife the patron of SilverLine, our hearts go out to all those older people throughout this country who are now experiencing great difficulty. Prince Charles's full video message on coronavirus today 'Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus - luckily with relatively mild symptoms - I now find myself on the other side of the illness, but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation. 'As we are all learning, this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience when the presence of family and friends is no longer possible and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed. 'At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances, and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness. 'As patron of Age UK, and my wife the patron of SilverLine, our hearts go out to all those older people throughout this country who are now experiencing great difficulty. 'However, we also know that in every community up and down this land - where people of all ages are being affected by this virus - there are truly wonderful neighbours, individuals and groups of volunteers who are providing ceaseless care and attention to those most at risk and that all this network of selfless assistance is, in itself, helping to provide vital support and reassurance to the hard-pressed professional services. 'And at a time when doctors, nurses and all the vital ancillary staff that form the backbone of our remarkable NHS are increasingly under such enormous strain, and risk, as they battle heroically to save lives in intensive care centres and to contain, as much as possible, the spread of this virus, our thoughts and prayers are very much with those marvellous people whose extraordinary skills and utter, selfless devotion to duty and the care of their patients make us so very proud. 'Indeed, it has been so wonderful to see just how many across the UK have signed up in their hundreds of thousands to be NHS volunteers, offering their help to do whatever they can to provide support to those on the front line. 'It is clearly essential, therefore, that such key people are treated with special consideration when coming off their exhausting duties and trying to do their shopping, for instance, while having to contend with constant anxiety about their own families and friends. 'In this regard, we also think of all those many shop workers who are toiling as hard as they can throughout each and every night to keep supermarket shelves stocked - a further 'emergency service' on which we are all relying. 'As a nation, we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation, which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens. None of us can say when this will end, but end it will. Until it does, let us all try and live with hope and, with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come.' Advertisement 'However, we also know that in every community up and down this land - where people of all ages are being affected by this virus - there are truly wonderful neighbours, individuals and groups of volunteers who are providing ceaseless care and attention to those most at risk and that all this network of selfless assistance is, in itself, helping to provide vital support and reassurance to the hard-pressed professional services. 'And at a time when doctors, nurses and all the vital ancillary staff that form the backbone of our remarkable NHS are increasingly under such enormous strain, and risk, as they battle heroically to save lives in intensive care centres and to contain, as much as possible, the spread of this virus, our thoughts and prayers are very much with those marvellous people whose extraordinary skills and utter, selfless devotion to duty and the care of their patients make us so very proud.' The heir to the throne, who was sat at his desk and dressed in a jacket, shirt and tie, concluded his message with the words: 'Indeed, it has been so wonderful to see just how many across the UK have signed up in their hundreds of thousands to be NHS volunteers, offering their help to do whatever they can to provide support to those on the front line. 'It is clearly essential, therefore, that such key people are treated with special consideration when coming off their exhausting duties and trying to do their shopping, for instance, while having to contend with constant anxiety about their own families and friends. 'In this regard, we also think of all those many shop workers who are toiling as hard as they can throughout each and every night to keep supermarket shelves stocked - a further 'emergency service' on which we are all relying. 'As a nation, we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation, which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens. None of us can say when this will end, but end it will. Until it does, let us all try and live with hope and, with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come.' Charles, who is residing at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate, was diagnosed as having Covid-19 following a test on the NHS in Aberdeenshire. Fortunately, he only suffered what were described as 'mild' symptoms and carried on working throughout. He came out of self-isolation on Monday. Royal sources said the prince was in 'good health' and his self-isolation lasted seven days 'in accordance with government and medical guidelines'. He is now said to be operating under 'standard' government and medical nationwide restrictions. It's understood that he will continue to hold meetings over the phone and via video conferencing, talking to the many charities he supports to see if he can help them through the current crisis. He is also in touch with his Duchy of Cornwall land stewards about supporting his tenants, particularly in the south west of England. But he can now also get some exercise outdoors, walking in his beloved Scottish Highlands. His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested negative for the virus but immediately went into self-isolation and will remain so - in a different part of the house - until the end of the week. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall greet guests during the Commonwealth Reception at Marlborough House in London on Commonwealth Day on March 9 Sources say Camilla has shown no sign of the virus. The Mail revealed last week that Camilla has been cheering herself up by chatting with her family via video on the popular Houseparty app. The Prince began to experience symptoms of Covid-19 around ten days ago, as he flew up to Scotland from Highgrove, his Gloucestershire home. He is said to have been in 'good spirits' throughout his sickness. Last week, a member of the Scottish Parliament expressed surprise that the Prince was tested for Covid-19 on the NHS. This MailOnline graphic shows who Prince Charles met in the 16 days leading up to the announcement by Clarence House that he had contracted coronavirus Joan McAlpine, SNP MSP for the South of Scotland, wished him a speedy recovery but added: 'Given that his symptoms are said to be mild, like many I wonder how he was tested when many NHS and social care workers cannot get tested. 'My nephew, who has serious asthma and a chest infection was recently refused a test.' Royal sources insisted, however, that both Charles and Camilla met 'local criteria for testing'. The NHS Scotland website says people will only generally be tested for Covid-19 if they 'have a serious illness that requires admission to hospital'. Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland's chief medical officer, defended the decision to test Charles and his wife, saying there were 'very good reasons'. Prince Charles with his wife Camilla, the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9 (From left) The Queen, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate at Westminster Abbey on March 9 She said: 'My understanding is there were very good reasons for that person and his wife to be tested, and obviously I wouldn't be able to disclose anything else that I know because of patient confidentiality.' Footage of Charles joining the nation in applauding the country's health workers last Friday, while still suffering from the virus, was previously posted on Clarence House's official Instagram account. Clarence House, Charles's official London office, is currently closed down as a result of the virus lockdown, with staff working from home. Charles has had a packed public schedule, including the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, where he was with Boris Johnson and his pregnant partner Carrie Symonds, and other senior royals, including the Queen. Mr Johnson has also since tested positive for coronavirus, although this was nearly three weeks after their meeting. On March 10, Charles attended a round table conference with Prince Albert of Monaco, who subsequently revealed he had tested positive for Covid-19. That week Charles also met celebrities including Ant and Dec and Ronnie Wood at a major Prince's Trust Event, held an investiture at Buckingham Palace, and attended a charity dinner with Lord Archer and his wife, Dame Mary. On March 13, the prince went to stay at Highgrove, where he was visited by the Duchess of Cornwall, who has a home, Raymill, nearby, and held private meetings with staff, organisations and tenants. If anything, the United States has doubled down, imposing fresh sanctions as recently as two weeks ago, even as it offered Iran medical aid to help combat the pandemic, aid Iran has refused. The United States frequently reiterates that the sanctions exempt the sale of medicine and medical devices. However, American secondary sanctions on financial institutions and companies that do business with Iran have made it nearly impossible for Iran to buy items like ventilators to treat coronavirus patients. The sanctions have largely deterred international banks and firms from participating in commercial or financial transactions with Iran, including for exempted humanitarian transactions, due to the fear of triggering U.S. secondary sanctions on themselves, Human Rights Watch found in a report last year, months before the coronavirus emerged. Now the need for such equipment is urgent. U.S. sanctions are stopping medical equipment from being sent to Iran, Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said in a tweet on Tuesday. As a result, innocent people are dying. Irans leadership also bears a share of the blame for its fumbling response to the crisis. The virus was first detected in Iran in late February, but the government, ignoring the advice of its own health experts, took no action to enforce social distancing or lock down affected areas until this week, allowing the virus to spread unchecked and turning Iran into a regional hub for the outbreak. New Delhi, April 1 : Two days after the Delhi government directed the police to register an FIR against Maulana Saad Kandalwi of the Nizamuddin Markaz, a poster allegedly shared by a faceless students' organisation named Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) is catching the eyeballs. In the poster, the group, which is said to be founded by sedition accused Sharjeel Imam, has demanded the revocation of the FIR filed against the management of Nizamuddin Markaz after several people from different parts of the country who attended a Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation there last month tested positive for coronavirus. The poster says, "Stand against Islamophobia, Muslims are not your scapegoats." "Stand with Tablighi Jamaat," the poster highlighted in the centre. The group also urged the government to provide 'dignity' and 'safety' to migrant workers. What's interesting is that the organisation currently has no face in the varsity, but various students claim that it was founded by Sharjeel Imam, who is currently in prison on sedition charges. "Sharjeel had founded this group to fight 'anti-Muslim' elements and it was this group that had called a meeting on the day the Ayodhya verdict was announced," a student from the School of Social Sciences told IANS. The FIR against Nizamuddin Markaz Maulana Saad Kandalwi was filed after several cases of suspected coronavirus were found in the Nizamuddin area. The Maulana has been accused of organising a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the area flouting the social distancing norms. According to sources, when the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced, there were thousands of persons present inside the Tablighi Jamaat's international headquarters in southwest Delhi. A PSNI officer takes a picture of a message of support for the NHS in the Bogside area of Londonderry Health Minister Robin Swann will decide where field hospital sites could be set up in Northern Ireland to treat those less severely ill with coronavirus in the "near future". First Minister Arlene Foster told the daily briefing by the Stormont Executive that a number of field hospitals are under consideration. She suggested places being looked at included the former Maze prison site outside Lisburn, which hosts the annual Balmoral Show. Mrs Foster said the Health Minister "intends to flex up his own estate in relation to intensive care beds but as the virus takes hold he believes it will be necessary to expand his hospital estate". The DUP leader added: "The minister will come to a decision on that in the near future. I absolutely support him in the need to expand our capability at this particular point in time and to do everything we can to protect lives because that is what we are engaged in, in this Executive." Mrs Foster said intensive care unit (ICU) beds would not be located in the field hospitals, similar to that being built at London's ExCel centre. "When we talk about a field hospital we are not talking about tents. We are talking about the like of what we have seen in the Nightingale Hospital located at the Excel Arena in London," she said. The briefing came as health officials confirmed that the number of people who have died in Northern Ireland after contracting coronavirus has risen by six to 28. Testing has resulted in 53 new positive results, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the region to 586. Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the chief medical officers in Northern Ireland and the Republic will sign a memorandum of understanding formalising co-ordination and co-operation between the Irish Government and the Executive this week. It comes after Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill held a "successful and important meeting" yesterday with Secretary of State Brandon Lewis, the Republic's Health Minister Simon Harris, and Tanaiste Simon Coveney. Expand Close Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill at the Stormont media briefing Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill at the Stormont media briefing Ms O'Neill said: "This disease does not respect borders. We live on one island and it is important that we co-operate and collaborate as much as we can as we go through a public health emergency." The Sinn Fein deputy leader added that while she was not undermining the Department of Health, she has a duty to call out where she thinks there is a difference of approach on issues. Expand Close A makeshift Covid-19 hospital being built in the Odyssey carpark Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A makeshift Covid-19 hospital being built in the Odyssey carpark Ms O'Neill said: "I subscribe to the World Health Organisation's approach, I subscribe to the European evidence, that's the approach that I believe we should be following and their evidence clearly says that we should be doing more testing, we should be isolating and tracing. I want us to get to that point and I am going to continue to work with Executive colleagues to make sure that we get to that point." Earlier, Professor Gabriel Scally from the University of Bristol said the island of Ireland needs to work as one unit in the fight against coronavirus. He warned there was a risk of squandering the geographical advantage of living on an island because of different health policies either side of the border. Expand Close A PSNI officer takes a picture of a message of support for the NHS in the Bogside area of Londonderry PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A PSNI officer takes a picture of a message of support for the NHS in the Bogside area of Londonderry When asked to respond to his comments, Mrs Foster said: "I am very content that I take my advice on science and what we need to do from our chief medical officer, who has access to the modelling in the UK and WHO and who is in very close contact with the chief medical officer in the Republic of Ireland." Mrs Foster also commended Northern Ireland businesses which have joined the effort to equip frontline health care workers with "much needed" personal protective equipment (PPE). Mrs Foster applauded O'Neills in Strabane for switching from sportswear manufacturing to producing medical scrubs and praised Bloc Blinds in Magherafelt and QUB's School of Pharmacy for helping to produce protective shield masks. She also praised several distillers which are now producing bottles of hand sanitisers, takeaway services that are keeping NHS staff fed and Translink for providing free transport to healthcare workers. From home isolation, to professionals, many in our West Michigan community are stepping up to stop the spread of coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic has upended lives all across the globe including right here in Michigan. Residents of our state are experiencing first-hand the fear, death and isolation brought on by the global pandemic. Most have been ordered to stay home by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, essential workers like doctors, nurses and law enforcement are bravely caring for the sick and keeping us safe. Throughout the outbreak, MLive photographers have spent time with people all over Michigan police chiefs, shop owners, politicians and regular everyday residents as they go about their days, many in isolation. These are just some of the pictures our photographers have captures, the portraits of a pandemic in Michigan. These images show how our neighbors are adjusting to life with COVID-19. For MLives coverage of the coronavirus, go here. Cory Morse | MLive.com Jett Klein Stephanie and Vince Klein pose for a picture with their newborn baby, Jett, at a window of their Walker home on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The family was given the option to leave the hospital a day early after Jetts healthy birth because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Were trying to stay positive with everything and be prepared, Vince said. After family leave, they both hope to work remotely. Jett is their third child. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Neil Blake | MLive.com Kelly and Kevin Sundberg Kelly and Kevin Sundberg get married at Harbor Life Church in Grandville, Michigan on Saturday, March 21, 2020. The couple had planned on having 150 guests and a reception at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, but the coronavirus forced them to alter their plans. After many disappointments, they decided to go ahead with their vows, though since Kellys family could not attend due to the virus Kelly didnt wear her wedding dress. (Neil Blake | MLive.com) Joel Bissell Chris ONeill Chris ONeill, Owner of One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan poses for a portrait on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Gov. Whitmer ordered last week all bars and restaurants to close their doors for dine-in service. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Nahvia Thomas-Skott Second-grader Nahvia Thomas-Skott, 7, poses for a portrait after picking up her free lunch and homework packet from Kalamazoo Public Schools at Eastside Neighborhood Association in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Emergency care physician Dr. Nick Kuhl speaks to members of the media at Spectrum Healths coronavirus (COVID-19) triage screening area outside the Emergency Department at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. This is a unique challenge for the healthcare system. Its not something weve seen in our lifetime. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Joel Bissell Ben Gretchko Ben Gretchko a junior at Western Michigan University poses for a portrait in his dorm room window in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Most of the WMU students have left campus after the university switched to distance-learning amid coronavirus concerns. Gretchko has a local internship so he decided to stay in Kalamazoo and not return back to his home on the east side of the state. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas With the world plague map in the background, Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas poses for a portrait in the Kalamazoo Strategic Operations Center, also known as KSOC, which is the command center for operations surrounding COVID-19 in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, March 20, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Kempker Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Kempker gives an update on the countys response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the Ottawa County Fillmore Complex in West Olive, on Monday, March 16, 2020. Kempker stressed that road patrol services are fully operational. He said the Ottawa County jail has suspended all visitors and that anyone who is arrested and brought into the jail is screened by medical personnel. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Joel Bissell Dean Hauck Owner of the Michigan News Agency, Dean Hauck, poses for a portrait at her store in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Hauck took over the store in 1988 from her father that opened the newsstand in 1947. It will remain open to the public. The most important thing in my world is you get to make our choices based on research, information, perception, wisdom - all of those things, she said. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) Alison Zywicki | MLive.com Skarlett Monczunski 21-month-old Skarlett Monczunski peaks through her door to her familys room at Family Promises of the Lakeshore in Muskegon, Michigan on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (Alison Zywicki | MLive.com) Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com Makenna and Harper Soules, Olivia Zibell From left, Olivia Zibell, 7, Harper Soules, 6, and Makenna Soules, 10, pose for a photo on their porch in Grand Rapids on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Ricky and Charlie Mack 5-year-old twin boys Ricky and Charlie Mack stand at the front door of their home in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com Sabrina Walker Sabrina Walker, 22, studies after her shift at the Laker Store at Grand Valley State University in Allendale Township on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Walker will remain on campus to work until the store closes. (Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com) Joel Bissell Jennifer Fankhauser Jennifer Fankhauser poses for a photo with several bags of food for her son and her neighbors children at El Sol Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Kalamazoo Public Schools will be handing out free lunches to students while the schools are closed due to coronavirus concerns. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Tammy Sweeney, Shasta Newton and Laura Surprenant Kenowa Hills Public Schools bus drivers (from left) Tammy Sweeney, Shasta Newton and Laura Surprenant pose for a portrait after dropping off food to families affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) school shutdown in Walker on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The district served 1,100 students Thursday representing a total of 2,200 meals. In addition to being a part-time bus driver, Sweeney also works as dental receptionist at a practice that needed to shut down due to the virus. Sweeney said her receptionist employer plans to pay her for two weeks but she doesnt know what will happen after that. Maybe it will be unemployment, she said. Newton said her sister needed to file for unemployment because of the coronavirus and her mother has a high health risk. I dont want to put her in a situation where she would get sick. Surprenant, who came out of retirement to be a bus driver for the district, continually asked families how they were doing while giving out the meals. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Alison Zywicki | azywicki Amia Jenkins Amia Jenkins waits on the side of Third Street after getting supplies from a local food pantry in Muskegon on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The food pantry was one of the few places that Jenkins was able to procure the necessities she needed for her and her child. A lot of stores dont have any food, at least the food that we need, Jenkins said. We cant survive off of junk food. (Alison Zywicki | MLive.com) Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com Penny and Leo Van Drunen Penny Van Drunen, 5, her brother Leo Van Drunen, 3, pose for a photo in their home in the Ottawa Hills neighborhood in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The Van Drunens have put Teddy bears around the windows in their house for people to see as they walk past. (Anntaninna Biondo | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Fisher Watts Fisher Watts, 3, reacts as friends celebrate his birthday by parading past his Grand Rapids home on Cambridge Drive SE on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Fisher couldnt host a party because of coronavirus (COVID-19) social distancing so friends paraded up and down his street for 30 minutes from the safety of their vehicles. Fisher has cystic fibrosis so we try to avoid germs as much as possible on a normal day but this takes it to a whole new level, said his mother, Sarah Watts. This may be his best birthday ever, we will certainly remember it! (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Carly Erin Kaisers dog Carly parades with a hat during a celebration for Fisher Watts third birthday at Fishers Grand Rapids home on Cambridge Drive SE on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Faro Uccello Owner Faro Uccello prepares to serve food through a window to families affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) at Uccellos Ristorante, 2630 E Beltline Ave SE, in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Uccellos plans to give away free food every day through Friday to people experiencing unexpected hardship. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Martel Bartley Martel Bartley, 12, sits at a picnic table outside of Eastside Neighborhood Association with free distributed food for him and two of his friends in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Kendall Warner | Mlive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Theresa Charleston Theresa Charleston, a Kalamazoo Public Schools food service employee, stands with a homemade sign announcing the food distribution at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Kendall Warner | Mlive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Jeffrey VanderWiere Kalamazoo Public Safety Assistant Chief of Strategic Planning Jeffrey VanderWiere poses for a portrait in the Kalamazoo Strategic Operations Center, also known as KSOC, which is the command center for operations surrounding COVID-19 in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, March 20, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Sandy Glasser Sandy Glasser holds a note she made and is hanging on the outside very residents window at New Friends Memory Care and Assisted Living Facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Glassers mother, Harriett Toxopeus, lives at New Friends. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Zamariah, Olana Morton and Serenitee Morton From left, sisters Olana Morton, 6, Serenitee Morton, 5, and Zamariah Morton, 9, stand with their bags of free food distributed by Kalamazoo Public Schools at Eastside Neighborhood Association in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Claire Guisfredi, Claire Guisfredi, executive director of North Kent Connect, 10075 Northland Drive NE, poses for a picture in the facilitys food pantry in Rockford on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. To reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the facility is offering drive-up food distribution. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com Jesenia Campbell Jesenia Campbell, 6, stands with a carton full of free food for her and her siblings that was distributed by Kalamazoo Public Schools at Eastside Neighborhood Association in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Kendall Warner | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Blair family Abigail Blair, top left, is pictured through a window as she holds her daughter Giaunna, 4, center, near children (from left) Kingslee, 6; David, 13; and Tristiana, 12; as they wait for more food to arrive at the Grand Rapids Public Schools grab and go nutrition service site at Campau Commons, 821 Division Ave. South, in Grand Rapids, on Monday, March 16, 2020. Blair said she was grateful for the meals because of having four kids. I pray, thats where I put faith at, she said. So I dont worry. All K-12 school buildings in Michigan closed March 16 as the state seeks to mitigate the risk to public health posed by the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced. The food temporally ran out of food but had more meals quickly delivered. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com Reed family Nate Reed is pictured through a window at his Walker home with his children (from left) Myra, 4; Nora, 6; and Otis 1; on Friday, March 20, 2020. Not pictured is Nates wife, Suzie, and daughter Liana, 10. The family is taking advantage of a program through Kenowa Hills Public Schools that delivers meals to families affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) school shutdown. Nate, who works for a local tool and die company, has been able to keep working with social distancing. Suzie, who works in the service industry, was forced to go home after a coronavirus shutdown and now stays home with their children. They received a free Wheres Waldo? book through the Kenowa Hills program. We spent three hours looking through it, he said. Were keeping their spirits up because they miss school. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Joel Bissell Karlissia Munn Karlissia Munn poses for a portrait along the Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on Monday, March 23, 2020. Munn uses a wheelchair and has services where people come into her home to help with chores and she does not know where that will stand given the stay-at-home guidelines issued that day. I was cool until this order, Munn said. Im pretty social and this is awful for me. Im trying my best to stay positive. She misses going to church and interacting with others, she said. Munn said she always reminds herself, this too shall pass. She said she has found new ways to stay busy inside and is grateful to have a cat to keep her company. I think what (Whitmer) is doing is good, she said. Its torture, but its good. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) Alison Zywicki | azywicki Alisha Poland, Ronald Monczunski and Scarlett Alisha Poland holds baby Scarlett with Ronald Monczunski as they pose for a family portrait inside Family Promise of the Lakeshore in Muskegon, Michigan on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Living here we want to be able to get back up on our feet and we cant with everything shut down. Ive got multiple medical appointments that I have had to cancel and some of these issues are why we are in this situation, Poland said. It is really hard not being able to get done what we need to, to get back on our feet. (Alison Zywicki | MLive.com) Alison Zywicki | azywicki Raj Grewal Raj Grewal, owner of the Curry Kitchen, waits for Muskegon residents to arrive for free meals at Curry Kitchen in Muskegon, Michigan on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Grewal and his wife Kismat decided they wanted to provide an easy way for the community to receive meals without having to go to the store. Muskegon is my hometown, Grewal said. We just want to give them healthy food. (Alison Zywicki | MLive.com) Barclays Plc won a Supreme Court ruling over allegations that a doctor sexually assaulted patients while conducting physicals for the bank more than 30 years ago. The court said Barclays wasnt financially liable for the assaults, which took place from the 1960s to 1980s. The court ruled Wednesday that Gordon Bates was a contractor with limited contact with the bank. The group of 126 people who filed the initial lawsuit said Bates assaulted them during examinations of employees and prospective employees. Bates died in 2009. Nothing in this judgment seeks to deny or downplay the very serious harm which sexual abuse of the sort alleged against Dr. Bates can do, Judge Brenda Hale said in the ruling Wednesday, which was read out by another member of the court. But the relationship between Dr. Bates and the bank was not such that the Bank should be made to pay for it. The suit had drawn one of the worlds top banks into a reckoning over sexual abuse and who should pay for it. Barclays has defended itself by saying it isnt responsible for what the doctor might have done because he wasnt an employee. Lower courts have consistently sided with the victims. It was one of two rulings Wednesday the other involved a data leak at Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc that set a precedent for the vicarious responsibility corporations have for those who work for them. Barclays said that it sympathized with the victims and said it was concerned to learn of the allegations. We take the welfare of all employees, including former employees, very seriously, Barclays said in a statement. Its a significant ruling for the plaintiffs, most of whom were women and some as young as 15 years old when the assaults took place. One of them, James (whose name is a pseudonym to protect his identity), was 16 when he visited Bates for a medical exam in 1976. He went on to work at the bank for more than three decades. The enormity of my disappointment cannot be put into words, he said in an email. British justice has let a significant number of people down today, it is truly April Fools Day. Richard Scorer, a lawyer who represents a number of the victims, said the ruling was regrettable. Barclays has subjected Bates victims to a long legal battle when the only reason our clients were assaulted by Bates was because they attended this medical as a requirement of employment, Scorer said in an email. Barclays won permission to appeal to the Supreme Court last year, after losing its case at a lower court. The court said in a separate ruling that Morrisons isnt liable for a data breach by a disgruntled employee who leaked personal details of thousands of staff members online. Vicarious liability means that a person who has done no wrong has to pay damages for the wrong done by someone else. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Technavio has been monitoring the floating wind turbine market and it is poised to grow by 296.35 MW during 2019-2023. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005212/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Floating Wind Turbine Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will decelerate during the forecast period. aerodyn Energiesysteme, GENERAL ELECTRIC, Hitachi, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Senvion, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy are some of the major market participants. The favorable government regulations will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Favorable government regulations has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Floating Wind Turbine Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Floating Wind Turbine Market is segmented as below: Foundation Spar-buoy Semi-submersible Others Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30369 Floating Wind Turbine Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our floating wind turbine market report covers the following areas: Floating Wind Turbine Market Size Floating Wind Turbine Market Trends Floating Wind Turbine Market Industry Analysis This study identifies rise in wind energy consumption as one of the prime reasons driving the floating wind turbine market growth during the next few years. Floating Wind Turbine Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Floating Wind Turbine Market, including some of the vendors such as aerodyn Energiesysteme, GENERAL ELECTRIC, Hitachi, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Senvion, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Floating Wind Turbine 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 Floating Wind Turbine Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist floating wind turbine market growth during the next five years Estimation of the floating wind turbine market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the floating wind turbine market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of floating wind turbine market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 07: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023 ROW Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY FOUNDATION Market segmentation by foundation Comparison by foundation Spar-buoy Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Semi-submersible Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by foundation PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Decline in LCOE of wind power generation Advances in floating wind design Rise in wind energy consumption PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors aerodyn Energiesysteme GENERAL ELECTRIC Hitachi MHI Vestas Offshore Wind Senvion Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200401005212/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/ The 18 men from Tamil Nadu had voluntarily come forward to be tested Nationwide, people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Old Delhi from March 10-13, such as these people from Nalgonda and Miryalaguda in Telangana, have come forward to be tested for the Covid-19 virus after reports emerged that the coronavirus spread that meeting. (PTI) Chennai: Following the nationwide alarm over the spread of the Covid-19 infection from the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Old Delhi last week, 18 men who took part in that meeting voluntarily went to the medical authorities in Chennai on Tuesday to have themselves tested. It was reported in the media later that they all tested positive. The tests never took place. The 18 men from Medavakkam and Pallikaranai, according to a video clip posted in Facebook by one of them on Wednesday, were taken to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital and made to wait the whole day. They were given no food until evening and were never subjected to any medical test. Yet some media houses declared that they had tested positive for Covid-19. In the video, the men are seen idling in the ward with no social distancing and no signs of any treatment given to them. Following an appeal by the government, the men contacted the authorities on their own. They were reportedly asked to go the government hospital at Medavakkam at around 10.00 am Tuesday. At around 3 pm they were taken to Chengalpattu in an ambulance. Though not even blood samples were taken from them, some media organisations reported that 18 persons from Pallikaranai had tested positive for the coronavirus Covid-19, the man speaking in the video said, adding that such reporting would create panic among their relatives and neighbours. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and health secretary Beela Rajesh have been asking people who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat conclave in Nizamuddin Markaz to voluntarily come forward to be tested for the virus. It is said that more than 500 persons from Tamil Nadu attended the meet. There were some 300 foreigners as well. Tablighi Jamaat is a non-political global Sunni Islamic missionary movement that was born at Mewat in India in 1927. It has followers all over India. A team of 3,000 reservists has been mobilised by the Ministry of Defence to help during the coronavirus pandemic. Reservists from the Army, Navy and Air Force have been called up to help with the Covid-19 response, including providing medical and logistical support for the NHS. A spokesman for the MoD said the reservists, who will also act as liaison officers and use skills such as engineering and accounting, would be initially mobilised for six months. "At the moment, only Reservists with specialist skills that meet specific requests for help from other government departments will be called out," the MoD said. No reservists already working for the NHS or delivering front line services will be mobilised "to make sure these key workers can continue their excellent and critical efforts". NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures 1 /33 NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital via Reuters Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London PA Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer of the Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA AP The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Worker at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said: "Our Reservists are a truly remarkable group of people; each with their own skills and experience from their civilian careers beyond the armed forces. "At times like these, to be able to draw on that pool of talent and expertise is invaluable. In quick succession on Monday, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. issued stay at home orders for residents in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus in the US capital region. According to the orders, residents of the three jurisdictions will be allowed to leave their homes for food, medicine or medical assistance. While Virginias Governor Ralph Northam and Washington, D.C.s Mayor Muriel Bowserboth Democratswould not discuss the predictions made by current models for the region, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, said that within weeks scenes in the region could resemble the social catastrophe that has befallen the New York City area, which has more than 40,000 known cases. In two weeks time, Hogan said, the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas could look like New York and the tri-state area." COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the United States with New York City becoming the global epicenter of the virus in recent days with over 75,000 cases in New York and over 18,000 in New Jersey as of Tuesday. This has led to a complete shutdown of the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area, with the CDC directing anyone traveling out of the region to self-quarantine for 14 days. As of Tuesday evening, there were 1,660 confirmed cases in Maryland, 495 in Washington, D.C. and 1,250 in Virginia. The number of deaths stands at 62 throughout the region. An outbreak of the virus in a Carroll County nursing home north of Baltimore infected 77 residents and 27 members of the staff. The shelter-in-place orders affect over 15 million people throughout the region. Violations can lead to misdemeanor convictions, fines ranging from $2,500 in Virginia and $5,000 in Maryland and D.C., and jail time of up to a year in Maryland and Virginia and ninety days in Washington. State parks and campsites are closed at night. Beaches are closed for all but fishing and personal exercise. In Maryland, religious establishments have been deemed nonessential, ending on-site worship for an extended period. While not yet part of the official decree, Hogan cautioned Maryland residents not to leave the state unless it was absolutely necessary, including for business travel. The directives follow orders earlier in March closing nonessential businesses. It also follows an announcement on Sunday that President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the District of Columbia, freeing up federal funding to be funneled to the area. In their remarks, the state and district leaders took to chastising residents for not following earlier guidelines on avoiding leaving the house for nonessential reasons, blaming the spread of the virus on those who decided to ignore them. All three leaders emphatically stated that testing remains limited to those with a referral from a doctor, despite the fact that a significant share of those who are infected with the novel coronavirus do not show any symptoms and can easily spread it to others. Maryland Deputy Secretary of Health Frances Phillips said that the state is setting up new testing centers at vehicle inspection stations, but it will be very limited testing for at risk people with symptoms of disease who will not be tested in emergency rooms or crowded physicians offices. Officials for DC and Virginia also emphasized the limited availability of testing. As in the rest of the United States, the measures being taken by Maryland, DC, and Virginia are wholly inadequate to the scale of the crisis. Absent from Hogan, Northam or Bowsers bans were fines against large employers such as Amazon, United Parcel Service and FedEx, logistics corporations who have ruthlessly forced their employees to remain at job sites where known cases of COVID-19 have emerged. Amazon alone operates eleven facilities between Maryland and Virginia, employing thousands of workers. Interviews with warehouse workers have revealed that Amazon workers still face extremely unsafe conditions, working shoulder to shoulder, and that Amazon is still fulfilling orders of clearly nonessential items to maintain profits at the expense of their workforce. In addition to exempting major corporate offenders, Hogan also explicitly mentioned the importance of keeping open the NSA, headquartered at Fort Meade in Maryland. Much of the work done by the NSA is required to be done on site by US secrecy regulations, and one person at Fort Meade has already tested positive. No mention was made of any extra measures taken to protect the doctors, scientists and other workers at the National Institute of Health or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, both of which are headquartered in Maryland and have been conducting critical work to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US authorities will evacuate passengers from a stranded cruise ship due to dock in Florida after being barred from several South American countries because of a coronavirus outbreak aboard. Both the cruise ship Zaandam, where dozens of people have fallen ill, and its sister ship Rotterdam are due to enter US waters early Thursday ahead of their expected docking in Fort Lauderdale. Trump said the US was "sending medical teams on board the ships" and taking people off, with foreigners sent home. "We're taking the Canadians off and giving them to Canadian authorities," he said. "Same thing with the UK. But we have to help the people. They're in big trouble." State Governor Ron DeSantis, who issued a stay-at-home order on Wednesday for Florida's 21 million residents, had earlier stated he didn't want the ships to come into port. But late Wednesday he told Fox News network that he had not realized there were US citizens aboard. The ships' operator, Holland America Line, said it was awaiting confirmation that disembarkation will take place in Fort Lauderdale. About 1,200 passengers who are not ill would be sent home on charter planes. They will be "transported in coaches that will be sanitized, with limited person-to-person contact and while wearing masks," the company said. Some 45 people with mild symptoms will remain aboard in isolation until they recover and 10 people requiring critical care will be taken ashore for treatment locally, the company said. DeSantis, a Trump ally, had resisted calls to issue stay-at-home orders in Florida and likewise had said he didn't want the additional burden of sick cruise ship passengers. "I was told that these ships were all foreign nationals and that they had no connection to Florida. So I was just like, why would you just bring them to Florida?" the Republican said, explaining his earlier thinking. "It turns out there are American citizens and we actually have Floridians." With nearly 7,000 coronavirus cases and 87 deaths, Florida -- home to many retirees -- has the fifth-most virus cases in the United States. More than 30 other US states have already issued stay-at-home orders. - 'Ghost ships' - Holland America Line appealed to the US authorities on Monday to allow the two ships to dock, saying four passengers had already died and others were at risk. "What happened to compassion and help thy neighbor?" Holland America president Orlando Ashford pleaded. A total of 1,243 passengers and 1,247 crew members are stranded at sea on the Zaandam and also on Rotterdam, which came to its sister ship's aid last week, bringing supplies. About 200 passengers and crew aboard the Zaandam had reported influenza-like illnesses and at least nine have tested positive for COVID-19, the company said initially. The desperate situation aboard the Zaandam, which was not allowed to enter several South American ports, attracted worldwide publicity, but it is just one of several cruise liners seeking permission to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. On Tuesday, Trump signaled he was ready to help, saying "there are people that are sick on the ship and we dont want to be like, theyre going to be ghost ships. You know, people turn those ships away." The Zaandam, which left Buenos Aires on March 7, was originally meant to finish the trip in Chile on March 21, but changed course due to the virus and was scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on April 7. Rick De Pinho, a 53-year-old lawyer on the Rotterdam, told AFP he and his wife couldn't wait to get off. "We're sitting ducks. And the longer people sit out here, the more chance somebody could get sick, and I know that four people already passed away," he said. Shares of Hindustan Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd on Wednesday fell by up to 5.2 per cent after announcement of completion of GSKCH merger with the FMCG major. Hindustan Unilever scrip declined 5.17 per cent to close the trade at Rs 2,179.25 on the BSE. During the day, it dropped 6 per cent to Rs 2,159.90. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare scrip also fell by 4.63 per cent to close at Rs 9,530.55 after tumbling 5.58 per cent to Rs 9,435.20 in intra-day trade. Both these companies had scaled their one-year highs during the day on the BSE. FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday announced completion of GSKCH with itself. The company has received all necessary regulator approvals along with the National Company Law Tribunal for the merger of GSKCH into the company, HUL said in a statement. In addition, the board of HUL also approved acquisition of popular health drink brand Horlicks from GSK for a consideration of Euro 375.6 million (Rs 3,045 crore), exercising the option available in the original agreement between its parent firm Unilever and GSK. "This will enable HUL to utilise cash on its balance sheet and create value for shareholders. In addition, it will enable HUL to drive better salience in a local context. The other brands which were under the ownership of GSKCH like Boost, Maltova and Viva come to HUL's brand portfolio by virtue of the merger," the statement said. On December 3, 2018 HUL had announced merger of GSKCH, which was subject to obtaining necessary approvals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the present day, insofar as physics has captured the popular imagination, it has been through the romance of the quest for the fundamental forces and particles of the universe. Less well known is the study of condensed matter, although it offers the promise of world-changing applications as well as new ways of looking at fundamental aspects of the natural world. When Fasika Getahun, 48, finishes her shift as a custodian at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle each day, she goes home exhausted but excited to see her seven kids. She's a single mom who immigrated from East Africa, and it's gratifying to come home to see them healthy and happy. But since the coronavirus outbreak has pummeled Washington and her adopted city, the anxiety of working on the front lines in a hospital where she thoroughly disinfects bathrooms and infected patient areas without personal protective equipment has begun to wear on her. Returning home now doesn't bring the same comfort it once did. Getahun said she and the 50 other members of the cleaning staff are asked to constantly work without masks or any protective gear, and their team meetings each morning begin in a small room where they are packed together tightly. "I am worried. I have family, my children in my home," she said. "There's no masks or anything for us. How are we expected to clean?" Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak The University of Washington School of Medicine, which operates Harborview Medical Center, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but it has put up a page on its website asking for personal protection equipment and other "in-kind" donations as supplies have fallen short. One custodial worker at the hospital has already been sent home and is awaiting test results, the custodial workers' union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, confirmed. That's the concern of many custodial and sanitation workers who are now deemed essential across the country. Once ignored or taken for granted, custodial and sanitation workers often members of the working poor have become front-line soldiers in the battle to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Although many of these important staff members are working tirelessly to keep essential businesses, as well as hospitals, schools, state and local governments, free of infection, some said they remain understaffed, get little praise and, like Getahun, don't have access to supplies. Story continues Image: Custodian Anton Jennings (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) "We're important. We know it. I think after this dies down, the rest of the world will know, too," said Derrick Fields, 50, the head custodian at Medina Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. On a call on Tuesday, AFSCME President Lee Saunders put some of the blame on President Donald Trump, who he said had waited much too long to use the Defense Production Act to accelerate manufacturing of protective gear that could help workers. "They deserve support. They deserve respect. They deserve leadership from the White House that is as competent and compassionate as they are," Saunders said. "They deserve gloves and gowns, masks and swabs, respirators and ventilators so they can get the job done safely right now when we need that professionalism and expertise more than ever." For people like Fields, while his school may have closed, the work hasn't concluded. He's disinfecting hundreds of Google Chromebooks for students who are homebound, as well as keeping the school building free of the disease for all who have to come through. Other custodians in the district are helping to prepare meals for kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, but they're doing it with a third of the workforce after the school district laid off a large chunk of the staff a few years ago. "The needs didn't shrink. The size of the building didn't shrink," Fields said. "We're expected to do the same amount of work with less people in the same amount of hours. The physics don't work." But it's not just the people who are keeping buildings clean who are putting themselves at risk. Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak Tracey Thornhill, 54, is pre-diabetic but still drives a garbage truck each day through the streets of Atlanta. The difference now is that he's doing it with little to no protective gear. Thornhill said that as efforts to address the pandemic ramped up, sanitation workers' typically easy access to hand sanitizers, masks and disinfectant wipes completely dried up. They're now handed two or three disinfectant wipes to last them an entire shift. "We walk around and try to stay 6 feet away from each other," he said of himself and his co-workers. "But everything I come in contact with I bring home to my son and my fiancee. I have a child to raise, and I want to be here to raise him." Fields said sanitation workers' nerves are increasingly fried. They want to be on the front lines, but they're scared when they don't have any way to protect themselves. Fed-up sanitation workers in Pittsburgh went on strike last week to protest the limited gear being provided to them. It's a real fear for custodial and sanitation workers, and it's increasingly getting personal for people like Getahun and Thornhill. In Atlanta, one of Thornhill's colleagues is self-isolating after having experienced coronavirus symptoms. Days earlier, the colleague had moved a garbage can that bore a note warning that the owner had the virus. He hopes the pandemic will change how people perceive sanitation workers in the future. "We don't get the recognition, but we still want to be respected," Thornhill said. "We still want to be treated like human beings. We don't want to be treated like trash. We were told we are essential. We answered the call. We didn't cry about it, but we need the gear to help us." New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the IMF can develop innovative and ingenious methods to meet COVID-19 related financing requirements given that policy space is severely constrained in most countries in these unprecedented circumstances. She was speaking at the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting, held in a virtual manner. During her intervention, Sitharaman also shared with her G20 counterparts the efforts being made by Government of India to deal with COVID-19 crisis, including the recently announced relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore for the poor, the emergency health fund of Rs 15,000 crore along with several other monetary, fiscal and regulatory measures taken to address the economic and social concerns of those most impacted by the crisis. On the issue of swap arrangements, the finance minister encouraged IMF to use its existing resources to create a non-stigmatised short-term liquidity swap facility which could be rapidly deployed as and when needed by the countries. She also emphasised upon the need to allow flexibility for countries to engage in new lines of bilateral swap arrangements as per requirements. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors during the first Extraordinary Virtual G20 FMCBG Meeting held on March 23, 2020 had decided to meet virtually on a regular basis to continue discussions on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on markets and economic conditions and take further actions to support the economy during and after this phase. This meeting was held to follow up on discussion of the first virtual meeting as well as to discuss the follow-up in line with the statement made by G20 Leaders during the G20 Virtual Leaders Summit held on March 26, 2020. During the summit, the Leaders had tasked G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to deliver a G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19, in close cooperation with relevant international organizations (IOs). Sitharaman participated in the second meeting to discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and coordinate efforts in response to this global challenge. She appreciated the Saudi Presidency for organizing these meetings which provide opportunity to all G20 members to not only share their individual experiences but also to work in better coordination. People wait in long lines to buy face masks in order to protect themselves from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a pharmacy in Taipei TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan accused the World Heath Organization of ignoring its questions at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, part of what it has long described as a pattern that puts it at risk because of Chinese pressure to exclude it from international bodies. Taiwan is barred from membership in the WHO under pressure from China, which views it as a province rather than a state. It responded early to the coronavirus outbreak in China, and has had notable success in limiting contagion so far, with just two deaths and 215 cases. Taiwan's government has said that keeping it out of the WHO during the outbreak amounts to playing politics with Taiwanese lives, and it has been denied access to first-hand information. Both the WHO and China say Taiwan has been provided with the help it needs. Speaking to reporters in Taipei, the island's Centres for Disease Control chief Chou Jih-haw said that it written to the WHO and China as early as Dec. 31, asking for information about the newly uncovered virus outbreak in China's Wuhan city, including whether there was human-to-human transmission. "We asked them whether there's a possibility of human-to-human transmission. We indeed asked them and reminded them of the matter," Chou said. He said the WHO confirmed it had received the letter but did not respond to it. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, sitting next to Chou, said Taiwan had fortunately decided that same day to begin screening passengers flying in from Wuhan, and activated its emergency operations center on Jan. 2 - a move experts say allowed Taiwan to effectively control the early spread of the virus. While Taiwan did send experts to China in January, they were not allowed to see any patients or to go to the market where the virus is believed to have originated, Chen said. That trip made Taiwanese officials realize they had to act quickly. China confirmed human-to-human transmission on Jan. 20. The WHO said on Jan. 12 there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. Story continues The WHO, in a statement to Reuters, did not directly address the issue of Taiwan being ignored, but said its office in China was informed of the "pneumonia of unknown cause" on Dec. 31. "Since that time until now WHO has regarded the event as very serious and applied the full range of attention to it from across the organization," it said. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denounced what he said were efforts to "politically manipulate" the outbreak, and that the WHO dealt with Taiwan under the "one China" principle. Taiwan has also complained about the WHO listing its cases under China's, saying this has confused countries into believing its situation is as serious as in mainland China, where more than 80,000 cases have been reported. (This story is refiled to change Wuhan description to city not province in paragraph 4) (Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Gabriel Crossley in Beijing) There was no sign that trade had increased between Serbia and Kosovo a day after Pristina said that it was lifting its 100 percent tariffs on goods from its neighbor. Only a few cargo trucks arrived at Serbia's snowy Merdare border crossing with Kosovo on April 1. Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 59F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 29F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes. Police have arrested and charged a Toronto man after a fatal Scarborough shooting on March 13. Steadley Kerr, 28, faces one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Police say they responded to calls for a shooting in the area of Brimley Road and Pitfield Road at around 9:55 a.m. on March 13. Two women were found with gunshot wounds and were taken to a local trauma centre, where one woman died and the other was treated for serious injuries. Theepa Seevaratnam, 38, of Toronto, is the citys 13 homicide victim. TWITTER has said it sees no evidence of extensive "politicised bots" seeking in influence the social media debate on the coronavirus crisis in Ireland. In recent days there have been claims that pro-government 'bots' have been deployed to laud ministers' response to the pandemic. Health Minister Simon Harris has been on the receiving end of a large amount of praise online for his efforts to halt the spread of the disease. This has prompted claims among some Twitter users that fake accounts are promoting the government. Accounts with few followers, no profile picture, or which have a series of numbers in the user name and have made positive comments about the government response have been accused of being so-called 'bots'. Users who were long dormant or only set up since the virus emergency started have also been on the receiving end of speculation that they're automated or fake accounts. The allegations are often accompanied by the hashtags #Leobots or #Concannonbots. That's after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar brought back PR guru John Concannon - who was part of the controversial and now defunct Strategic Communications Unit, to manage the Government's public information campaign on the Coronavirus crisis. Twitter this evening responded to queries on the issue in a series of online posts. Its Dublin-based account said: "Were focused on protecting the public conversation and helping people find authoritative sources of information on #COVID19. "Our specialist teams investigated and do not see evidence of extensive politicized bots amplifying narratives on the pandemic conversation in Ireland." The statement added: "In recent weeks, we've seen more and more new people joining Twitter to follow whats happening and find the authoritative information they need. "Having no profile photo or having a numbered handle or username does not mean an account is automated; it often just means its new." The Twitter statement also said: "If you see anything suspicious on our service, please report it to us. "This is an evolving global conversation and we will remain vigilant." It provided a link to a blog post outlining its rules and the "proactive steps" being taken by the company to "protect the public conversation". Bhubaneswar, April 2 : The second coronavirus patient of Odisha has recovered completely and was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. "The second COVID-19 positive case in Odisha, belonging to Bhubaneswar has completely recovered and tested negative. He is being discharged," the Health Department tweeted. The patient was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. After returning from the UK on March 18, the 20-year-old youth had shown symptoms of the disease and was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Later, he tested positive for Covid--19. The first Covid-19 patient of the state is also doing fine. "The first COVID positive person undergoing treatment at Capital Hospital is doing fine. No need to panic about his health. As per protocol, discharge of a COVID positive case is considered only after two consecutive samples taken during 24 hours are negative," the Health Department tweeted. The youth from Bhubaneswar with travel history to Italy had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 15. The Odisha government has conducted test of 610 samples while four were confirmed positive for Covid-19 so far. However, after the late evening development, the number of positive cases comes down to three. A senior DUP member has paid tribute to a former Ballymoney councillor who inspired him to get involved in politics. North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey spoke of his sadness at the passing of Sam McConaghie. Mr Storey said: "I would not have been involved in public life without the help, assistance and friendship of Sam." The former DUP minister said Mr McConaghie allowed him to contest his seat when he retired in 2001. "Sam enabled me to take my first tentative steps in public life and I want to thank him," Mr Storey added. Mr McConaghie is survived by his wife Ellen, sons Tommy, James, Allen and David and daughter Janice. COVID-19 is spreading at an alarming rate and the number of cases are going up in most countries. India, too, is facing a troublesome situation, with the cases crossing 1600. While the increasing number is worrisome, Manoj Muntashir felt that considering the population of India, we were doing a great job as a nation. The popular lyricist compared Indias population-cases ratio with that of neighbouring Pakistan, also similar in climate and topography, to laud the warriors of the battle against COVID-19. READ: 'Teri Mitti' Lyricist Manoj Muntashir Boycotts Award Shows After 'Apna Time Ayega' Wins Sharing the population of Pakistan of around 20 crore and cases around 2000, and Indias 1200 cases (which has since risen) for a population of 130 crore, Muntashir wrote that in India, 1 in 10 lakh persons were infected, while in Pakistan, it was 1 per 1 lakh persons. The Teri Mitti lyricist hailed the efforts of the nation at the moment by sending kudos to the #coronawarriors. READ:Mexico Evacuates COVID-19 Passenger From British Cruise Ship Heres the tweet: Pakistans population,19.7Cr. Corona cases,1914.India 135 Cr. Cases, 1251.Simple maths, 1 in 1 lakh infected in Pakistan, 1 in 10 lakh in India. Both countries have similar climate N topography. Moral of the story, we are doing a great job as a nation. Kudos #coronawarriors Manoj Muntashir (@manojmuntashir) March 31, 2020 As netizens questioned him if India should be comparing itself to Pakistan, he said he was not doing it for political reasons but to appreciate the efforts of the government. Muntashir also shared a video where Pakistanis were praising the steps taken by PM Narendra Modi as he wrote that we were in better shape as compared to many countries like Brazil. I am comparing based on climate and topography, not for political reasons. Also, we must start appreciating the efforts put in by government and administration instead of being cynical. We could have been easily Abondoned. Check what #Brazil's president did to its citizens. https://t.co/939HrPwCuJ Manoj Muntashir (@manojmuntashir) March 31, 2020 Muntashir had recently made headlines for his post over being ignored at the Filmfare Awards despite writing the much-acclaimed Teri Mitti from Kesari. READ:Maj Gaurav Arya Praises Teri Mitti Lyricist, Shares Unseen Video From Army Camp Meanwhile, celebrities across the film industry have been contributing to the PMs fund and state funds to aid in the relief efforts as the nation entered day 7 of the 21-day lockdown. Stars have also contributed to help the daily wage workers who are directly impacted by the lockdown, by feeding them meals and other essentials. Some have come out to help the workers specifically of the film industry. READ:Hockey India Contributes Rs 25 Lakh For Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Union of Doctors of Mali (SYMEMA) has expressed sadness over the shortage and absence of protective materials for doctors and other health personnel to work with against the coronavirus, PANA learned on Wednesday from a union source in Bamako Hellmut Stern, who fled Germany with his family as a child to escape the Nazis, then returned years later to join the Berlin Philharmonic as a violinist and later became a leading member of the orchestra, died on March 21 at his home in Berlin. He was 91. The Philharmonic announced the death. Mr. Stern had Parkinsons disease in his later years, according to Misha Aster, a friend who wrote about the Philharmonic. Admired as much for his life story as for his musicianship, Mr. Stern was a member of one of the worlds most illustrious orchestras for more than three decades. For most of that time, the Philharmonic was led by the strong-willed conductor Herbert von Karajan, one of the towering maestros of the 20th century. Mr. Stern rose to become the equivalent of associate concertmaster and also served several terms as a member of the orchestras leadership committee. As such, he was deeply involved in orchestra politics and management, Mr. Aster said in a phone interview. This often put him in conflict with Mr. Karajan, who had a tempestuous relationship with the orchestra anyway. There are many great features about Misfit trackers. First and foremost, they are fairly affordable. Misfit's devices are also very attractive pieces, as far as fitness trackers go. They look like a cool digital watch, and the color options are many and varied. They can also be worn in a variety of ways, so if you find wrist accessories to be annoying or uncomfortable, there are other options [source: Ghose]. Misfit trackers also don't require charging, and the replaceable battery lasts in the neighborhood of four to six months [sources: Kwok, Misfit]. As someone with roughly 27 charging cords lying around the house, I appreciate this feature. The wireless syncing capability is another major pro, and the graphs/charts that present the user's daily data are easy to read and understand. Plus, the app also uses a points system, so that you can compare yourself with other users on an apples-to-apples scale. Misfit's waterproof status also makes it invaluable to swimmers. Advertisement Even the best tech has its flaws, and Misfit devices are not without theirs. Although a user can check progress throughout the day by percentage, more detailed information is only available via the app, or a pretty confusing display feature, which involves lights flashing on the face. As a result, it's necessary to log in to the app to truly get a handle on calorie burn and overall progress. Critics of the app says that it's tricky to navigate, and doesn't offer any advice on what to do with the data that has been collected. There's also no nutrition entry capability, which is a pretty important part of overall health and fitness [sources: Ghose, Stables]. It should be noted that you can connect through to MyFitnessPal, so that helps fill that void [source: Palladino]. Flash, as the least expensive option on the market, has been noted as feeling and functioning cheaply. Test users claim that the wristband breaks/cracks and the face pops out with little effort, making it frustratingly easy to lose. Natasha Hill, of Kennesaw, Georgia, purchased Flash for each of her two sons. She reports that they have been through five wristbands in only a couple of months and had to scour their home to locate the tracker face when it fell out. Despite legitimate complaints and concerns, the fitness tracking industry is still relatively young, giving the companies involved plenty of opportunity to enhance the features that users love, as well as work out the kinks. Rise and Shine Misfit is stepping out of the activity tracker realm into smart housewares with the launch of Misfit Bolt, an IOS-connected light bulb that can be controlled by Misfit Shine and Misfit's Beddit sleep tracker. In fact, the bulb can actually be used to mimic sunrise, waking sleepers at the perfect time for them, based on their nighty-night data [source: Marks]. On my wish list? Kindly design a smart stove and/or oven that can cook dinner safely and deliciously, 'mkay? Firemen remove protective gear from medical staff after they load a COVID-19 patient onto a French Air Force plane at the Bale-Mulhouse airport The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed on Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Italy and Spain bore the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three in every four deaths on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is already under some form of lockdown in a battle to halt contagion. Spain reported a record 864 deaths in 24 hours, pushing the country's number of fatalities past 9,000. The toll is only surpassed by Italy's, where the virus has killed nearly 12,500 people. Britain recorded its biggest day-on-day jump in the number of deaths, with 2,352 people having succumbed to the disease. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has spread across the globe, claiming over 43,000 lives and infecting more than 860,000 people, according to an AFP tally. President Donald Trump has warned of a "very, very painful two weeks" as the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of what he called a "plague". In a scramble to halt the contagion, governments have shut schools, most shops, and ordered millions of people to work from home. Cancellations of key events on the global calendar have swept both the sports and cultural worlds, with the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament and the Edinburgh arts festival the latest to be scrapped. Staff dig graves at Vila Formosa cemetery, in outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil For UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the extraordinary upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades. The disease "represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past," he said. "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War." Economic desperation With most business activity grinding to a halt for an undetermined period of time, scenes of economic desperation and unrest were emerging across the globe. In Italy, queues were lengthening at soup kitchens while some supermarkets were reportedly pillaged. Half a million more people now need help to afford meals, Italy's biggest union for the agriculture sector Coldiretti said, adding to the 2.7 million already in need last year. "Usually we serve 152,525 people. But now we've 70,000 more requests," confirmed Roberto Tuorto, who runs a food aid association. It was crucial to "ensure that the economic crisis unleashed by the virus doesn't become a security crisis," he warned. Nigeria's economic hub Lagos is also under lockdown, its streets emptied The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in poorer nations. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately hit the poor. "Never mind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos was just into its second full day of lockdown on Wednesdaybut with some of the world's biggest slums, containment will be a challenge. Dwellers of South Africa's townships say it is simply impossible to stay at home despite a 21-day lockdown ordered last week. "We don't have toilets... we don't have water so you must go out," said Irene Tsetse, 55, who shares a one-bedroom shack in Khayelitsha township with her son. Markets keep plunging Wary of a collapse of the world's economy, the globe's leading central bankers have pumped billions in liquidity into the system. Last week, G20 leaders in turn said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. Mumbai police order people to do sit-ups as punishment for going out without a valid reason during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in India But with the spread of the virus far from abating, key indexes fell again in major markets. In the European Union, the terms of a rescue plan threatened to divide the bloc. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrumentdubbed "coronabonds", but talk of joint debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries. No visiting on Easter The economic cost of the crisis was still piling up as lockdowns remain at the forefront of official disease-stopping arsenalsa strategy increasingly borne out by science. Germany extended to April 19 bans on gatherings of more than two people outdoors and other restrictions on public life. Chancellor Angela Merkel said that this meant families may not be able to visit during Easter celebrations, stressing that "a pandemic does not recognise holidays". Researchers said China's decision to shutter Wuhan, ground zero for the pandemic, may have prevented hundreds of thousands of new cases. Scientists are now also turning their attention to how asymptomatic cases may be fuelling the spread. Countries around the world are setting up extra medical facilities to cope with the pandemic, such as this Nightingale hospital in Britain China on Wednesday said it has more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases, the first time it has released such data following public concern over people who have tested positive but are not showing symptoms. Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said in a state media interview last week that asymptomatic carriers could potentially infect "3 to 3.5 people each". Germany and France were also ramping up testing of the population to establish how many already have immunity. Painful choices For now, the focus of the health sector in the hardest hit countries remains the scramble for available facilities to treat patients. Emergency hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. But even with the extended capacity, doctors say they are still having to make painful choices. "If you get a surge of patients coming in, and you only have a limited number of ventilators, you can't necessarily ventilate patients," Shamit Patel of the Beth Israel hospital said. "And then you have to start picking and choosing." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP EUSA Pharma, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and rare disease, today announced initial preliminary findings from the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital sponsored SISCO (Siltuximab In Serious COVID-19) Study,1 based on a pre-planned data analysis on 24 March 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005245/en/ Siltuximab is an interleukin (IL)-6 targeted monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as well as in a number of other jurisdictions worldwide for the treatment of patients with multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) negative (also known as idiopathic MCD; iMCD). Siltuximab is under investigation for COVID-19 patients who have developed serious respiratory complications, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The interim data, presented from the first 21 patients treated with siltuximab and followed for up to 7 days, show that one-third (33%, n=7) of patients experienced a clinical improvement with a reduced need for oxygen support and 43% (n=9) of patients saw their condition stabilise, indicated by no clinically relevant changes. Combined, this means that over three-quarters of patients treated with siltuximab (76%, n=16) had either stable or improved disease at this interim analysis. A worsening of the disease was seen in 3 (14%) patients whilst 1 (5%) patient died and 1 (5%) experienced a cerebrovascular event. Furthermore, C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels, a marker of systemic inflammation, declined from baseline through to Day 5 following treatment with siltuximab in all patients with sufficient recorded values (100%, 16/16). This level of reduction was maintained in those patients (100%, 16/16) 7 days after receiving treatment with siltuximab. Reduction in CRP is considered a robust surrogate for indicating the efficacy of IL-6 inhibition.2 The majority (90%, 19/21) of patients presented with fever at baseline, 13/21 (62%) with a dry cough and 15/21 (71%) with dyspnoea (shortness of breath). Partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO 2 ) to percentage of inspired oxygen (FiO 2 ), otherwise known as the P/F ratio or lung function, and IL-6 had out of normal ranges at baseline in the majority of patients with a median P/F ratio of 127 (excluding those >300 and indicating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome [ARDS]3) and median peripheral IL-6 levels of 140 pg/mL (range 113-239 pg/mL). Serum CRP was elevated in all patients at baseline with a median of 23 mg/dL (range 10-43 mg/dL). A manuscript is in preparation for submission to a leading medical journal, and the pre-print summary has been deposited and will be available via medRxiv.org imminently. Professor Alessandro Rambaldi, MD, PhD, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy, Study Sponsor-Investigator and Director of the Hematology Unit and Department of Oncology and Hematology, said: "The team at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital are pleased to share these preliminary observational data. Whilst we are yet to identify and analyse the control group of patients, these initial data in siltuximab-treated patients provide vital information to guide decisions regarding appropriate use of siltuximab in both the real-world and new COVID-19 studies as we continue to investigate the role IL-6 blockade can play. Importantly, these preliminary uncontrolled data confirm high levels of IL-6 at baseline, with baseline CRP also high but declining with siltuximab treatment, suggesting a role for monoclonal antibodies as a possible therapeutic strategy for this fatal infectious disease. Further data will be made available on remaining patients, the case-control analysis and 30 day follow-up of mortality as they become available." Lee Morley, Chief Executive Officer, EUSA Pharma, said: "We are very pleased to be able to release these preliminary data from the SISCO Study and hope the findings will help to guide real-world treatment decisions during this critical emergency situation. We look forward to engaging in further studies to research the potential of siltuximab for patients suffering severely with respiratory complications from COVID-19 and making additional data available as soon as possible. We are very grateful to the team at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Italy, for their extraordinary efforts to undertake the SISCO Study and collate these interim data under extremely difficult circumstances." About the SISCO Study Sponsored by the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, the SISCO Study is an observational case-control trial of siltuximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting human IL-6, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients who develop serious respiratory complications. Ergomed plc (LSE: ERGO), a company focused on providing specialised services to the pharmaceutical industry, is providing clinical research services for the study. The study represents the data collection and analysis of a series of patients treated under an ongoing emergency compassionate use protocol. The study is investigating two cohorts retrospectively, hospitalised patients prior to admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) or patients already requiring intensive care, and will compare to matched controls. Primary endpoints are reduction in the need of invasive ventilation, time spent in ICU or 30-day mortality. Emerging evidence suggests that some patients with COVID-19 may respond with overproduction of IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine, leading to a cytokine storm when the immune system becomes over-stimulated and attacks the patient's own body. Elevated IL-6 levels are associated with severity of disease and can lead to serious lung complications and/or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) the leading cause of mortality in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, direct targeting of this cytokine may improve clinical outcomes in these critically ill patients. The SISCO study has enrolled a total of 25 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and respiratory complications of which preliminary data is presented from the first 21 treated with siltuximab. All patients in the study were treated with siltuximab at a dose of 11mg/kg infused over 1 hour with a second dose possible at physician discretion. Of the 21 patients treated with siltuximab, 5 received a second dose (5/21; 24%) 48-72 hours following the initial infusion.The majority of patients were male (18/21, 86%) with ages ranging from 48 to 75 years. The most prevalent comorbidities in this group of patients were: hypertension in 43% (9/21), cardiovascular disease in 19% (4/21), diabetes in 24% (5/21) of patients, respectively. This study will provide important data to inform future clinical studies, discussions on which are ongoing, to further investigate the efficacy of siltuximab in patients with COVID-19 who develop serious respiratory complications. Initial data have been announced today. The next phase of data, which will compare outcomes in matched case-control patients not treated with siltuximab, is expected in the coming weeks. References 1 SISCO Study (NCT04322188); https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04322188 2 Clin Cancer Res; 21(6) March 15, 2015 https://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/21/6/1248.long 3 JAMA, 307 (23), 2526-33 2012: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/1160659 ENDS# About siltuximab Siltuximab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the action of interleukin (IL)-6, a multifunctional cytokine detected at elevated levels in multiple inflammatory conditions. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as well as in a number of other jurisdictions worldwide, under the brand name SYLVANT, for the treatment of patients with multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) negative (also known as idiopathic MCD; iMCD). iMCD is a rare, life-threatening and debilitating lymphoproliferative disorder, which causes abnormal overgrowth of immune cells and shares many symptomatic and histological features with lymphoma. Siltuximab is not approved for the treatment of COVID-19. EUSA Pharma has exclusive rights to SYLVANT globally. EUSA Pharma has granted BeiGene, Ltd., exclusive development and commercialisation rights to SYLVANT in Greater China. Indications and Usage of SYLVANTSee full Prescribing Information for additional information. SYLVANT (siltuximab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) who are HIV negative and HHV-8 negative. Limitations of Use: SYLVANT was not studied in patients with MCD who are HIV positive or HHV-8 positive because SYLVANT did not bind to virally produced IL-6 in a nonclinical study. Contraindications: Severe hypersensitivity reaction to siltuximab or any of the excipients in SYLVANT Dosage and Administration Administer SYLVANT 11 mg/kg over 1 hour as an intravenous infusion every 3 weeks until failure. Perform hematology laboratory tests prior to each dose of SYLVANT therapy for the first 12 months and every 3 dosing cycles thereafter. If treatment criteria outlined in the Prescribing Information are not met, consider delaying treatment with SYLVANT. Do not reduce dose. Do not administer SYLVANT to patients with severe infections until the infection resolves. Discontinue SYLVANT in patients with severe infusion related reactions, anaphylaxis, severe allergic reactions, or cytokine release syndromes. Do not reinstitute treatment. About EUSA Pharma Founded in March 2015, EUSA Pharma is a world-class biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and rare disease. The company has extensive commercial operations in the United States and Europe, alongside a direct presence in select other markets across the globe. EUSA Pharma is led by an experienced management team with a strong record of building successful pharmaceutical companies, and is supported by significant funding raised from leading life science investor EW Healthcare Partners. For more information please visit: www.eusapharma.com. About Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital is one of the biggest hospitals in Lombardy, covering 320 thousand square meters in total and comprising more than 900 beds. Among the areas of excellence, an important role is covered by the Cancer Center that brings patients from the whole national territory and also from foreign countries. The Hospital is playing a leading role in the Italian response to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005245/en/ Contacts: Lee Morley Chief Executive EUSA Pharma Email: covid.media@eusapharma.com Barney Mayles Associate Director OPEN Health Mobile: +44 (0)7936 768568 Rusty Unger, 74, former film executive columnist for The Village Voice I was talking to my friend Chris Cerf, saying it would be so great to do a parody of The New York Times while it was on strike. He said, My friend Tony Hendra [an editor at National Lampoon magazine] and I were just talking about the same thing. Christopher Cerf, 78, former songwriter for Sesame Street I remember Id been thinking of Victor Navaskys parodies of The New York Post and The Daily News ever since they came out. He took advantage of an opportunity that the world handed him of a newspaper strike [in the early 60s]. I always thought that was brilliant, and I just filed that fact away. I remember Victor saying that they couldnt do The Times because they couldnt match the typeface. As we talked about this, we got quite excited. We thought, I wonder if we could get some of our friends, writers that we know, involved. Unger Between the three of us, we probably knew every writer in New York and, you know, all the funny people. Frances FitzGerald, 79, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Rusty would call people up and say, We dont know what were doing exactly, but come help us. Cerf The real fun was when we began to find that all the people from The Times wanted to do it. Steven Crist, 63, former Times horse racing writer I graduated in June of 78 and went to work at The Times as a copy boy, which was the lowest rung, entry-level job. After the paper went on strike, I started going to the racetrack and tried to make a living betting on the horses. And then along came Not The New York Times. Richard Yeend, 75, former Times designer I had no food at the time. I figured this might be an opportunity to have a free meal. I learned that was exactly what this was. In December, security researchers noticed an uptick in brute-force attacks against publicly exposed Microsoft SQL servers. It turns out the attacks go as far back as May 2018 and infect on average a couple thousand database servers every day with remote access Trojans (RATs) and cryptominers. Researchers from Guardicore Labs have dubbed the ongoing campaign Vollgar and traced it back to China. The scans and attacks originate from Chinese IP addresses -- likely associated with infected and hijacked machines -- and the command-and-control (C&C) servers are also hosted in China and uses Chinese language for their web-based management interfaces. The infected MS SQL servers belong to organizations from various sectors, including healthcare, aviation, IT, telecommunications and education, with many located in China, India, US, South Korea and Turkey. "With regards to infection period, the majority (60%) of infected machines remained such for only a short period of time," the researchers said in a report released today. "However, almost 20% of all breached servers remained infected for more than a week and even longer than two weeks. This proves how successful the attack is in hiding its tracks and bypassing mitigations such as antiviruses and EDR products. Alternatively, it is very likely that those do not exist on servers in the first place." Infection and reinfection Guardicore has seen an infection rate of between 2,000 to 3,000 machines daily, which is significant given that there are only around half-a-million MS-SQL servers on the internet -- a small number compared to other types of database servers. What's even more surprising is that 10% of systems become reinfected, which suggests administrators tried to clean the malware but missed some components or failed to change the weak credentials that led to the compromise in the first place. The infections resulting from this campaign are thorough and have multiple components. The attackers are also aggressive in removing malware belonging to other competitors from the machines. Once they gain access to a database server, attackers make configuration changes to enable WMI scripting and command execution through MS-SQL, features that might have been disabled by the administrator. They also ensure that cmd.exe, ftp.exe and other important binaries are executable and they proceed to add backdoor administrative accounts to both the database and the operating system. The infection process involves clearing several registry keys that could be used by pre-existing malware to start automatically on system reboot or to attach itself to legitimate executables. The deployed payloads, named SQLAGENTIDC.exe or SQLAGENTVDC.exe, also scan the running processes for known malware and kill it. They then download multiple remote access modules and a cryptocurrency mining program based on XMRig. The remote access modules contact the command-and-control domain on different ports, including 22251, 9383 and 3213. The researchers believe this is done for redundancy purposes in case one of the servers that make up the malware's infrastructure goes down. "We found two C&C platforms used by the attacker," the researchers said. "These two platforms were developed by different vendors, but offer a similar variety of remote control capabilities to the attacker who controls them: downloading files, installing new Windows services, keylogging, screen capturing, running an interactive shell terminal, activating the camera and the microphone, initiating a DDoS attack, and more." The cryptomining component uses the server's CPU resources to mine for Monero and another cryptocoin named VDS, or Vollar -- hence the name of the campaign. The CNC domain also uses the coin's name under a free TLD. Mitigation for the Vollgar attack Organizations should always assess whether their database servers -- or any servers -- really need to be exposed directly to the internet. If that can't be avoided, they should be protected with access control lists and strong access credentials that cannot be easily guessed. Enabling brute-force protection through rate limiting for failed authentication attempts is also recommended. Guardicore Labs has published the indicators of compromise associated with this campaign on GitHub, as well as a PowerShell script that can be used to thoroughly scan a system for artefacts of a Vollgar infection. The primary goal of this attack seems to be cryptocurrency mining, a method of abusing enterprise servers that has been increasingly popular and profitable over the past few years, but attackers also have the capability to do much more through the deployed RAT modules. "What makes these database servers appealing for attackers apart from their valuable CPU power is the huge amount of data they hold," the researchers said. "These machines possibly store personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, etc., which can fall into the attackers hands with only a simple brute-force." The Chinese government will roll out a set of fiscal and financial policies, including allocating more local government bond quota in advance as per due procedures, and intensifying inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Fiscal and monetary policies will be further leveraged to expand domestic demand, assist businesses reopening, sustain employment, and help all types of businesses to weather this difficult time. Related plans were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. The Chinese government puts great emphasis on intensifying counter-cyclical macro-policy adjustment to advance both the epidemic control and economic and social development. Premier Li Keqiang stressed the need for local government bonds to be expeditiously issued and the funds raised properly utilized to catalyze effective investment. The meeting underscored the need to scale up special local government bonds and expand effective investment in areas of weakness. On top of this year's local government bond quota already made available, more of such quota will be expeditiously allocated in advance as per due procedures. Such funding will be directed to where the projects are. It will thus prioritize regions with key projects, low risks and the prospect of quickly boosting effective investment and will be channeled to expedite those projects and livelihood programs. Localities across the country will be asked to bring forward the issuance of these bonds and endeavor to get the job done before the end of the second quarter of this year. "It is essential to make well-calibrated arrangements in advance to keep the projects under construction going, and launch some new projects in light of real needs," Li said. The meeting adopted stronger measures to offer inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the start of this year, the People's Bank of China has allocated a 300 billion yuan (about 43 billion U.S. dollars) special re-lending quota, which has so far supported more than 7,000 key enterprises involved in the outbreak response. Another 500 billion yuan of re-lending and re-discount quota is now supporting an increasing number of micro, small and medium-sized firms to get loans at rates below 4.55 percent for their business re-opening. "Smaller businesses have been hit the hardest by the outbreak. Their restart of operation affects the entire industrial chain and is vitally important for keeping employment stable. The government must promptly roll out support measures that benefit them all," Li said. It was decided at the meeting that for small and medium-sized banks, re-lending and re-discount quota will be increased by one trillion yuan. Targeted cuts in the required reserve ratio will be further implemented to encourage these banks to funnel all the newly-obtained funding in the form of loans at concessional rates to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, who are great in number and cover many sectors. The agricultural and foreign trade sectors and sectors heavily affected by the outbreak will get greater loan support. Financial institutions be will be supported in issuing 300 billion yuan of financial bonds to be used as loans exclusively targeting small firms. The meeting called for an increase of one trillion yuan over the previous year in the net financing from corporate credit-backed bonds to expand low-cost financing channels for private and smaller businesses. It also encouraged developing supply-chain financial products such as raising funds pledged against orders, warehouse receipts and accounts receivable. Smaller firms may thus gain access to another 800 billion yuan of annual financing backed by accounts receivable. The meeting urged strengthening the loan risk sharing mechanism. It encouraged developing commercial insurance products to enhance credit for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, and lowering the government-backed financing guarantee fees to ease the overall financing burden on smaller firms. "The small and medium banks must meet the eligibility criteria when accessing the re-lending quota. The loan risk sharing mechanism should be strengthened, including targeted cuts to the required reserve ratio for smaller banks," Li said. Those at the meeting also decided on steps to boost auto consumption. The subsidy and tax exemption for purchases of new energy vehicles, which were set to expire at the end of this year, will be extended by two years. Support will be intensified for low-income groups, the meeting decided. Between March and June, the temporary monthly subsidy will be doubled under the mechanism of raising social benefits pro rata with price increase. Those caught in outbreak-induced difficulties will be covered by social protection and work support schemes such as the subsistence allowance scheme, the support regime for people in extreme poverty and the provisional relief program. "The essential needs of low-income groups, especially those living in difficulties, must be provided for, and support for livelihood intensified. We have introduced some policies on raising social assistance benefits in relation to price increase, subsistence allowance and unemployment insurance. We must develop a keen understanding about how the situation may evolve in the second half of the year, and work out as quickly as possible additional support measures as part of our policy reserve. Meanwhile, we must fine-tune the criteria and coverage of relevant policies in light of the changing realities," Li said. Four more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Guwahati on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in Assam to five, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. All the five patients had attended a congregation at Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West earlier this month, he said at a press conference. "The number in Assam is expected to go up by this evening as some more tested positive at Jorhat Medical College Hospital, but we can declare it only after all the confirmatory tests, according to guidelines and protocol, are completed," Sarma said. Announcing the names of the patients, Sarma requested those who came in contact with them to report to the nearest health facility for their samples to be tested and quarantine themselves. The four new patients are being treated at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and they are in the age group of 19-60 years, he said. A person tested positive for the deadly disease on Tuesday and is undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Sarma said, adding that he is a maulana from Karimganj and also a cancer patient. Four other persons from the state, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the national capital, have tested positive and are undergoing treatment in Delhi, he said. There are 347 people now in Assam, who returned from the congregation by March 16, and the situation is "very dangerous and we appeal to all who have come in contact with them to give their swab samples for testing", the minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JACKSON, MI More than 45,000 free meals have been distributed in 12 days by Jackson Public Schools. The meals are being provided while all K-12 schools are closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The district started giving out meals March 16. Every day, 30 food service workers report to the Middle School at Parkside to prepare lunch and the next days breakfast for kids 18 and younger, Food Service Director Brant Russell said. Thats a lot of meals in two weeks, Russell said. My staff is incredible. Theyve really stepped up to the plate and I appreciate them so much. Where kids can eat free in Jackson County amid coronavirus school closures On Friday, March 27, JPS handed out 12,000 meals. Crews provided three lunches and three breakfasts for the weekend, Russell said. The number of meals handed out daily has nearly doubled since the effort started, district spokesperson Kriss Giannetti said. Its not just for the impoverished, Giannetti said. There are so many families living paycheck-to-paycheck or almost everybody lives beyond their means no matter what their means are. They arent planning on having an extra 10 meals or 14 meals a week per child for breakfast and lunch. Or someone has recently lost a job and now they are in a position where they need this food. The situation has evolved. We think we have more in need as people are being told to stay home. There are two units of about 30 workers that rotate week-to-week, Russell said. Every worker has their temperature checked every morning and must report any cough, headache or possible symptom they have experienced, he said. "Their temperatures are checked, we're looking for fevers, we're looking for any sign of even a hiccup from folks when they come in the door, Superintendent Jeff Beal said. Kids do not need to be present with their guardian to get food, and kids can get food by themselves, Giannetti said. Michigan relaxed the laws around food pickup during the pandemic. Someone asked us Arent you worried that people are going to take advantage? Giannetti said. Its food. If youre hungry and you need food, we dont care. For now, all the meals are cold food, such as sandwiches or packaged items that can be cooked in a microwave or oven, Russell said. He is trying to figure out logistics to serve hot food, but with two bus routes and numerous pickup sites, its a challenge. I havent wrapped my head around trying to hand out hot food, he said. I will work on that because this is going to be our new normal for a while, unfortunately. The district does not need any volunteers or food donations, Giannetti said. It has paid employees and money from the state to buy food. We talk about the healthcare providers; we value our food service people just as much, she said. The district did buy gift cards to give to the food service employees as an extra thank you for their work, Giannetti said. She said she hopes community members are willing to donate gift cards as well, to show appreciation. Theyre a group thats getting up, coming to work and going to war," Beal said. If you would like to donate gift cards, you can drop them off at any food site, preferably Parkside. You can also email Giannetti at kriss.giannetti@jpsk12.org. View all food pickup sites here. READ MORE JACKSON NEWS: 2nd person dies from coronavirus in Jackson County Jackson woman accused of murder can use duress defense, Michigan Supreme Court says Northwest schools celebrate spirit week from home with dancing, crazy hair Jackson County adds millage increase proposal to August ballot Churches still gathering, slow coronavirus testing topics of Jackson virtual town hall Jackson jail releasing inmates to help mitigate coronavirus spread M edical officials have ignored offers of help from some of the UKs leading scientific institutions to boost Britains rate of coronavirus testing, it is claimed. The Government said it aims to increase the rate of tests to 25,000 every day by the end of April at the latest and has asked private companies to help drive up test production. But the number of daily tests fell on Tuesday to 8,240, leaving a total of 143,186 tests since February as Britain severely lags behind other countries like Germany and South Korea. Despite this, UK officials have repeatedly ignored offers from institutions like Oxford University and the renowned Francis Crick Institute to help with hundreds of testing machines and trained personnel, according to The Daily Telegraph. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images The paper said senior health sources had warned the window for the UK to launch a successful mass community testing programme may already have been lost. Professor Matthew Freeman, head of Oxford's Dunn School of Pathology, one of Britain's leading disease research centres, told the Telegraph that his repeated offers to provide dozens of specialised machines and expert staff had been largely ignored by officials. A NHS nurse holds a Coronavirus testing kit / Getty Images He said his department had 119 of the crucial PCR machines, or thermal cyclers, used to identify tell-tale genetic signs of coronavirus, but health officials had accepted only one. Hundreds of specialist workers and trained graduate students were poised to help increase testing, he added, but despite initial signs of enthusiasm he had heard nothing more from Public Health England. The paper said other institutions across Britain were understood to have had similar offers of help rejected. "We're clearly not doing as well as we could be doing as a nation when it comes to testing, and therefore people like us feel a bit frustrated," he told the paper. Prof Freeman said some two weeks ago PHE had issued a request for "a very specific model" of PCR machine. His department had one, which was duly collected, but he added: "We have another 118 that can broadly do the same job, but they don't appear to be part of PHE's plans." London's Francis Crick Institute, a world-leading biomedical research centre based in London, has given five PCR machines to PHE so far, but is understood to have dozens more. A source at Public Health England said Prof Freeman was referring to work led by the Department of Health to scale up mass testing at the planned super lab in Milton Keynes. PHE also offered a defence of its response to the outbreak, with a spokesman telling the paper it had rapidly developed, validated and delivered an accurate test, which had spread to 12 different sites in England, and that this represented the fastest deployment of a novel test to PHE and NHS labs in recent history, including in the swine flu pandemic. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Testing is a crucial part of the UKs response to the coronavirus pandemic and we have committed to boosting diagnostic testing to at least 25,000 a day, as well as testing thousands of healthcare workers. We have also launched a partnership with universities, research institutes and private companies to begin rollout of a network of new labs and testing sites across the UK, to provide thousands more tests each day for key workers. NHS front line staff will be first in the queue so those who test negative for coronavirus can return to work. A pilot scheme tested 900 frontline staff this weekend and our ambition is to massively roll out this programme should it be a success. Migrant workers need social protection to overcome trauma in lockdown: Health Ministry India oi-PTI New Delhi, Apr 01: The Health Ministry on Wednesday called for providing a social protection to migrant workers, saying they are prone to social, psychological and emotional trauma in lockdown situations. Immediate concerns faced by such migrant workers relate to food, shelter, healthcare, fear of getting infected or spreading the infection, loss of wages, concerns about the family, anxiety and fear. "Sometimes, they also face harassment and negative reactions of the local community. All this calls for strong social protection," the ministry said in a document. It further said that migrant workers faced with the situation of spending a few days in temporary shelters, which may be quarantine centres, while trying to reach to their native places, are filled with anxieties and fears stemming from various concerns, and are in need of psycho-social support. As part of such support the ministry listed some measures which include treating every migrant worker with dignity, respect, empathy and compassion, recognising specific and varied needs for each person/family and helping them to acknowledge that this is an unusual situation of uncertainty and reassure them that the situation is transient and not going to last long. Normal life is going to resume soon. Emphasise on the importance of their staying in their present location and how mass movement could greatly and adversely affect all efforts to contain the virus, the ministry said. It also said that they should be made to realise their importance in the community and appreciate their contributions to the society. Panic bigger problem than COVID-19: SC seeks Centres reply on migrant crisis "Remind them that they have made their place with their own efforts, acquired the trust of their employer, sent remittances to their families and therefor deserve all respect. "Reassure that even if their employer fails them, local administration and charitable institutions would extend all possible help," the ministry said. The document stated that out of desperation, many may react in a manner which may appear "insulting" but calls for understanding their issues and staying patient with them. "Remind them that it is safer for their families if they themselves stay away from them. Instead of reflecting any mercy, seek their support in the spirit of winning over the situation together," the ministry said. The document stated during outbreak of communicable diseases, such a COVID-19, and the restrictions imposed on routine activities as part of social distancing norms to prevent the spread of the disease, scores of migrant workers tend to move back to their native places. During the prevailing COVID pandemic also, many migrant workers used all possible means to reach their destinations. Many of them are, however, stuck at borders, including state, district and at national border areas. "These are the most marginalized sections of the society who are dependent on daily wages for their living, and in times of such distress need sympathy and understanding of the society." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:48 [IST] The dash to sell at-home kits coincided with a push by the White House to promote rapid innovation in coronavirus testing by relaxing federal health regulations. Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration was studying the possibility of introducing self-swabbing on a mass scale an effort that could free up health providers to focus more on treating seriously ill patients and less on collecting specimens. Then on Monday, the White House appeared to overrule the FDA, saying that self-swabbing options should be available to Americans this week. Medical staff working on the frontline will be offered free accommodation in Dublin during the coronavirus pandemic. Irelands property site Daft.ie said it wants to use its platform to provide much-needed accommodation for HSE doctors and nurses. It comes after the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) advised medical staff to no longer share accommodation. A lot of hospital staff will need their own housing throughout the health crisis. Ireland has introduced a number of social-distancing measures in an effort to help curb the spread of the coronavirus (Brian Lawless/PA) Daft.ie said it is partnering with large companies based in Dublin to connect now empty apartments with the many healthcare workers who are in need of clean and convenient places to stay as they self-isolate outside of hospitals. A spokesman for Dafte.ie said: This free short-term housing can help ease our doctors and nurses concerns of sharing a home with their families or housemates while giving them the safe and secure space they need to replenish their energy on their breaks from duty. We are currently working through the details of this product and expect it to be live on our website daft.ie next week. Our team are working day and night sourcing rent-free apartments for our frontline doctors and nurses.Eamonn Fallon Eamonn Fallon, chief executive of Daft.ie, said: Irelands healthcare workers are doing an amazing job and we want to support them in any way we can. Our team are working day and night sourcing rent-free apartments for our frontline doctors and nurses. We hope to be in a position to start filling them by early next week. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 09:24:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A sales clerk arranges clothes inside a shop in a shopping mall in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) The Chinese government will roll out fiscal and monetary policies to expand domestic demand, assist businesses reopening, sustain employment, and help all types of businesses to weather this difficult time. BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government will roll out a set of fiscal and financial policies, including allocating more local government bond quota in advance as per due procedures, and intensifying inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Fiscal and monetary policies will be further leveraged to expand domestic demand, assist businesses reopening, sustain employment, and help all types of businesses to weather this difficult time. Related plans were made at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. The Chinese government puts great emphasis on intensifying counter-cyclical macro-policy adjustment to advance both the epidemic control and economic and social development. Premier Li Keqiang stressed the need for local government bonds to be expeditiously issued and the funds raised properly utilized to catalyze effective investment. The meeting underscored the need to scale up special local government bonds and expand effective investment in areas of weakness. On top of this year's local government bond quota already made available, more of such quota will be expeditiously allocated in advance as per due procedures. Such funding will be directed to where the projects are. It will thus prioritize regions with key projects, low risks and the prospect of quickly boosting effective investment and will be channeled to expedite those projects and livelihood programs. Localities across the country will be asked to bring forward the issuance of these bonds and endeavor to get the job done before the end of the second quarter of this year. "It is essential to make well-calibrated arrangements in advance to keep the projects under construction going, and launch some new projects in light of real needs," Li said. Workers manufacture suitcases at a factory in Yaozhou District of Tongchuan City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) The meeting adopted stronger measures to offer inclusive financial support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the start of this year, the People's Bank of China has allocated a 300 billion yuan (about 43 billion U.S. dollars) special re-lending quota, which has so far supported more than 7,000 key enterprises involved in the outbreak response. Another 500 billion yuan of re-lending and re-discount quota is now supporting an increasing number of micro, small and medium-sized firms to get loans at rates below 4.55 percent for their business re-opening. "Smaller businesses have been hit the hardest by the outbreak. Their restart of operation affects the entire industrial chain and is vitally important for keeping employment stable. The government must promptly roll out support measures that benefit them all," Li said. It was decided at the meeting that for small and medium-sized banks, re-lending and re-discount quota will be increased by one trillion yuan. Targeted cuts in the required reserve ratio will be further implemented to encourage these banks to funnel all the newly-obtained funding in the form of loans at concessional rates to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, who are great in number and cover many sectors. The agricultural and foreign trade sectors and sectors heavily affected by the outbreak will get greater loan support. Financial institutions be will be supported in issuing 300 billion yuan of financial bonds to be used as loans exclusively targeting small firms. The meeting called for an increase of one trillion yuan over the previous year in the net financing from corporate credit-backed bonds to expand low-cost financing channels for private and smaller businesses. It also encouraged developing supply-chain financial products such as raising funds pledged against orders, warehouse receipts and accounts receivable. Smaller firms may thus gain access to another 800 billion yuan of annual financing backed by accounts receivable. The meeting urged strengthening the loan risk sharing mechanism. It encouraged developing commercial insurance products to enhance credit for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, and lowering the government-backed financing guarantee fees to ease the overall financing burden on smaller firms. "The small and medium banks must meet the eligibility criteria when accessing the re-lending quota. The loan risk sharing mechanism should be strengthened, including targeted cuts to the required reserve ratio for smaller banks," Li said. Workers are seen at a factory of Great Wall Motors in Yongchuan District of Chongqing, southwest China, March 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Those at the meeting also decided on steps to boost auto consumption. The subsidy and tax exemption for purchases of new energy vehicles, which were set to expire at the end of this year, will be extended by two years. Support will be intensified for low-income groups, the meeting decided. Between March and June, the temporary monthly subsidy will be doubled under the mechanism of raising social benefits pro rata with price increase. Those caught in outbreak-induced difficulties will be covered by social protection and work support schemes such as the subsistence allowance scheme, the support regime for people in extreme poverty and the provisional relief program. "The essential needs of low-income groups, especially those living in difficulties, must be provided for, and support for livelihood intensified. We have introduced some policies on raising social assistance benefits in relation to price increase, subsistence allowance and unemployment insurance. We must develop a keen understanding about how the situation may evolve in the second half of the year, and work out as quickly as possible additional support measures as part of our policy reserve. Meanwhile, we must fine-tune the criteria and coverage of relevant policies in light of the changing realities," Li said. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) today announced that the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will now be conducted exclusively online by remote communication. This decision was made in light of the coronavirus outbreak ("COVID-19"), public health concerns, the current state of emergency in New Jersey and government-recommended and required limits on public gatherings and to assist in protecting the health and safety of the Company's shareholders and employees. The meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2020 and will be conducted in a virtual format only. Shareholders will not be able to attend the 2020 annual meeting in person, however shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 25, 2020 will be able vote and ask questions during the meeting through the online platform. Investors can access the webcast/conference call and participate in the following ways: Visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/JNJ2020 and enter the 16-digit control number included on your Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, on your proxy card, or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. Log into the meeting platform beginning at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2020 . on . Vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions available on the meeting website during the meeting. To submit a question during the meeting, log into the virtual meeting platform at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/JNJ2020, type your question into the "Ask a Question" field and click "Submit." If you encounter any technical difficulties with the virtual meeting platform on the meeting day, please call 800-586-1548 (US) or 303-562-9288 (International). Technical support will be available beginning at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2020 and will remain available until the meeting has ended About Johnson & Johnson At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That's why for more than 130 years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world's largest and most broadly-based health care company, we are committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Related Links http://www.jnj.com Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Four more people - all of whom attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi - tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam even as four others from the state, who too had attended the same programme, tested positive in Delhi. Maulana Jamal Uddin (52) from Badarpur in Assams Barak Valley was the first to test positive. He had also attended the Delhi programme. He is a cancer patient and his son had earlier said he (Jamal Uddin) visited Delhi for treatment. However, Assams Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the person had attended the Delhi event for four straight days from March 6. Sarma disclosed the names of all nine patients so that people, who came in contact with them in recent days, could get themselves tested. Four persons from Assam, who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive. Their samples were tested at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. However, to reconfirm, we have sent the samples to NIV, Pune, Sarma told journalists at a press conference in Guwahati on Wednesday. ALSO READ | Death of Assam doctor who took Hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID 19 causes ripples He said the persons were Arshad Ali (19) from Nalbari district, Hazrat Ali (60), Nur Uddin (55) and Jonab Ali (46), all of them from Jagiroad in Morigaon district. Sarma said 456 people from the state had attended the Delhi programme while 91 others had contacted helpline numbers. There are 134 others who had passed by the Delhi area those days. These 134 people are not being suspected prima facie. There are 68 people who havent returned to the state. Of the remaining 345 people, we have identified 230 people. The blood samples of 196 of them have been distributed to various hospitals and they were being processed. The phones of remaining 115 others were found to be switched off or we didnt get the kind of support, we expected, from their families, Sarma said. He said the four others from the state, who tested positive during medical examinations in Delhi, were Naskar Ali (72), Fahar Uddin (48), both from Baksa district; Mustafa Ahmed (60) from Barpeta district and Mohammad Ali (65) from Nagaon district. He said given the indications, the number of positive cases is set to rise in the state. Some other cases were found to be positive during screening at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital but the minister said a formal announcement would be made on the cases as and when the final results would be available. He said two of three people from Jagiroad, who tested positive on Wednesday, had come to Guwahati and moved around the city to sell poultry. Assam is in a critical stage. I appeal to people to buy essential items only from people they know. We have to strictly follow the guidelines of lockdown, he said. Dozens of people from Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh attended the Delhi religious congregation. The state governments were making efforts to identify the people. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of St. Maarten started coordinating controls together with French St. Martin counterparts on Friday, March 27th, 2020, in order to enforce the restricted movement of persons as part of preventative measures to avoid the further spread of the coronavirus. To broaden the enforcement capability of police organizations from French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten, a decision was taken to bring together personnel from both police forces to patrol the entire island together. Today, Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 the first combined patrol between the Police of Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin was implemented. The first combined patrol, consisting of members of the French and Dutch police started today around 3.00 pm and ended at 5.00 pm. These mix patrols and combined controls will be extended in the future. The decision to have mix patrols working on both sides of the island was realized in a meeting held at the Police station in Philipsburg on Monday, March 30th, 2020, between the Chief of St. Maarten Police Force KPSM Mr. Carl John and commander of the gendarmerie Mr. Stephan Basso. KPSM Press Release. Salman Khan's nephew Abdullah Khan succumbed to 'heart ailments' at a hospital in Mumbai. The superstar took to his social media page to offer his heartfelt condolence with an emotional post. Unfortunately, according to reports, Salman won't be able to attend Abdullah's funeral in Indore due to the nationwide lockdown owing to the novel Coronavirus pandemic. The Bharat actor's manager Jordy Patel informed Bombay Times that Salman is upset over not being able to pay his final tributes to his nephew. However, the superstar will pay a visit to the bereaved family after the lockdown is lifted. Salman's manager was quoted as saying by the daily, "Salman is at his farmhouse in Panvel and because of the nationwide lockdown, he won't be able to travel. The funeral will be held in Indore, which is Abdullah's hometown. Salman will visit the family later." Salman's father Salim Khan told the tabloid, "Abdullah mere nephew ka beta tha. I am glad that in the times of a lockdown also, all the paperwork went smoothly. Abdullah was staying in Mumbai, and was very close to all of us." Abdullah was not connected to the film industry. However, Salman often posted pictures and videos with him on social media. With respect to work, the superstar will be next seen in Prabhu Deva's action-thriller Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. The film is an official remake of the Korean film The Outlaws and also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff. Besides this movie, Salman is also doing Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali with Pooja Hegde as his leading lady. Salman Khan's Nephew Abdullah Khan Passes Away, Superstar Mourns His Death With Emotional Post Akshay Kumar Compares Lockdown To Salman's Bigg Boss: The Winner Is That Person Who'll Stay At Home Salonis twitter account has 98.3k followers and this charming college students impersonation of Kangana Ranaut who she wickedly calls Kangana 'Runnout, has earned her 34.7k likes on Twitter. I hope she likes it too. I have seen Queen multiple times and I believe Kangana is a great actress, she quickly adds. It is Kangana, who by default paved the way for Salonis foray into comic videos. I used to mimic her in school and my friends loved it, she concedes. This youngster straddles dual worlds. She studies economics and political science by day at her university and recedes into her hostel, to make comic videos. Initially I only did voiceovers but one day a random video I made went viral and my friends suggested that I should show my face. So I bought this wig from Amazon as a part of my get up and everybody loved it. Everyone was making videos. When I joined insta I noticed that Mallika Dua was making videos. I did not know how to channel my thoughts into a video. My brother Shubham, who has appeared in Amazon Primes Hostel Days and hes a Youtuber, guided me. And that is how the demure housewife with fierce views became an instant hit. And the biggest high for her was, When Kusha Kapila messaged me after seeing my video. I was on cloud nine that day, she says. Nazma Aapi airs her views nonchalantly on everything from panic buying post corona virus to a desi mother-in-laws views post lockdown. Like actress Sonam, who Saloni recently impersonated and even got an appreciated response back, the young sensation has the ability to laugh at herself. Recounting an older video on Delhis air pollution, she laughingly admits, I look very poor in that video. I stay at a hostel in Delhi. I opened the door, it was so hazy, I just woke up, did not wash my face, used my phone camera and started shooting. I look so pathetic. Youve got to hand it to Saloni. She exudes remarkable self confidence when she says, People ask me why I dont apply make up? So when I mimicked Sonam I put on the best kurta I had, to do justice to Sonam as she is a fashion icon. But Nazmi aapi does not require a makeover, asserts the girl who also doubles up as the background guy who comments in her videos. I am the guy in the background, I can imitate Jimmy Shergil too, so decided to do the male voice over. Saloni who hails from UP modestly states she is not famous in her hometown but wickedly adds that her relatives are wary of her as she might just mimic them. My nani refuses to speak in front of me as she is afraid that I will imitate her also, she laughs. Saloni happily admits that none of her videos have generated any hate mails or comments. I am very balanced and take care not to offend anyone in my social commentary. The future looks bright as Saloni is currently doing collaborative videos and ads and will be venturing into radio soon. Speaking about the process of creating, Saloni says that working on filmi impersonations does not take time but when she dons the garb of Nazma Aapi, it takes her 2.5 hours to work on the script and shoot. My parents are supportive. They told me to not target anybody and that is something that I am cautious about. My brother too was very supportive. Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP, a national leader in privacy and cybersecurity litigation, is investigating the data breach at Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. that compromised the sensitive personal information of 140,000 patients, the firm announced today. On January 17, Tandem discovered its email system had been hacked through a phishing scheme. An internal investigation showed several employee email accounts were compromised for three days between January 17 and January 20. The compromised information included names, email addresses, contact information, Social Security numbers and a range of patient data, including details related to customers use of Tandem products or services, and clinical data about diabetes therapy. Tandem announced the data breach on March 16 and said it would notify affected customers. Individuals who receive these notifications can contact Stueve Siegel Hanson at 816.714.7105 or online to discuss their legal options. Recognized by Law360 as Cybersecurity & Privacy Group of the Year, Stueve Siegel Hanson has prosecuted cases involving the largest data breaches in U.S. history, securing billions of dollars for affected customers. In 2019, the firms work included: Securing final approval of a $1.5 billion settlement with Equifax in a nationwide class action resulting from its massive 2017 data breach; Obtaining a $3.25 million settlement in a class action by optometrists following a data breach at the national testing organization for new eye doctors; Serving as co-lead counsel against Capital One following a data breach affecting 106 million credit applicants; and Pursuing a consumer lawsuit accusing Facebook of tracking users location information even after they opt out of Location History features. About Stueve Siegel Hanson: Stueve Siegel Hanson provides aggressive, cutting-edge representation in litigation. Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., the law firm serves companies in business disputes as well as individuals harmed by dangerous products, unfair employers or unsavory business practices. More information is available at http://www.stuevesiegel.com. Prior results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. CHAMA cha Mapinduzi (CCM), cadre and Deputy Minister for Information Culture, Arts and Sports, Juliana Shonza has rebuffed recent claims that over 50 members of her political party have defected to Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema). For the past two days, information surfaced in some social and mainstream media detailing that Mbozi Member of Parliament (MPChadema,) Mr Pascal Haonga was involved in welcoming the alleged over 50 CCM members to his party. This is a false information as only two people, who had been long sacked from CCM for embezzling party funds had decamped to the opposition-Chadema. I can confirm to you that only two per cent of the information released by the MP is correct and the rest is a mere fabrication, she said. Without mentioning names, the Deputy Minister identified the two individuals as the former CCM Mlowo Ward Secretary and Kalasha Office Secretary. However, according to Ms Shoza the two were long sacked and had not been in any active political clout since June 2019. She said that the duo were relieved off their duties for mismanaging members contributions and funds meant to construct the partys office. After they were removed from their positions they became ordinary members and thereafter elections to fill their positions were conducted, she pointed out. Detail emerged that the decision was reached by the CCMs Songwe Regional management, where elaborating the Deputy Minister noted that the partys policy does not entertain such leaders. They have just opted to run to another political party that they think its financial oversight would not question them. There was never over 50 members who had decamped from the ruling party...its all political lies, she said. However, Ms Shonza assured that the ruling party in Songwe is twice stronger than it was before and would remain confidants of President John Magufuli in his administration. The government, she said works tirelessly to improve social and economic status of the region, district to the village level, hinting that it is just a matter of time before the MP also packs his bags after witnessing a landslide CCM sweep in the area. Due to financials losses from the coronavirus pandemic, Boston Medical Center is furloughing 700 employees, roughly 10% of the hospitals workforce, news outlets reported. BMC President Kate Walsh told employees in an email Tuesday the cutbacks are due to a sudden and significant decrease in revenue, according to a report from The Boston Globe. We have reassigned a number of staff members and made the difficult decision to furlough approximately 10 percent of our health system workforce, Walsh said, according to the Globe. Although furloughed employees will cease to work temporarily, they will remain in active status with the expectation of returning. Mostly administrative staff members at BMC and not to front-line health care providers are being furloughed, according to the Globes report. The coronavirus public health crisis has led to layoffs, furloughs and major revenue decreases at a number of businesses in Massachusetts. General Electric announced last week its aviation divisions workforce in the U.S. would be reduced by roughly 10%. The majority of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts 170-person staff is also expected to be laid off, and newspapers across the state and country have had to make similar cutbacks. Many hospitals across the state and country, including BMC, have started limiting non-urgent medical procedures and elective surgeries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Hospitals have also put into effect visitation restrictions. BMCs furloughs come as some hospitals continue to see a decline in normal business because of the outbreak of the viral respiratory infection. The Globe reported that the medical group Atrius Health has had to temporarily cut employees and decrease other staff members pay. More than 200 employees at Steward Health Care hospitals in Massachusetts are also expected to be furloughed. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Determined to contain the dreaded virus from spreading in the community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his big team of experts are working tirelessly to monitor minute-to minute development of any happening related to the pandemic in the country. From the announcement of the 21 day lockdown to various key strategies of preventing community transmission in the world's second most populated country, PM Modi's decisions are based on massive research and collective opinion of top experts. Amid the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Modi has stretched his working schedule to 17-18 hours, often working through night till 3 a.m. or even more. "Series of meetings go on through the middle of the night, as the PM vigorously reviews implementation of decisions taken by various high-level groups constituted to effectively control the pandemic," highly-placed sources informed IANS. Besides holding frequent video conferencing from his camp office at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg and consulting key Cabinet Ministers on a daily basis, PM Modi works tirelessly with 11 dedicated teams of experts which includes doctors, bio-scientists, epidemic experts, and economists, each working as separate group. Top sources in the PMO revealed that presently the PM is more focussed on Emergency Medical Management Plan. The team looking after this plan is led by Dr V Paul, member of the NITI Aayog and coordinated by Modi's aide Rajendra Kumar, a director level officer in the PMO. These groups feed into the core group assisting the PM which in turn disseminates vital information to him. Another area which concerns the PM is disease surveillance, testing and setting up hospitals and quarantines. This important team which includes AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and ICMR's top epidemic expert Dr Raman Gangakhedkar is headed by C.K. Mishra Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change. Prevention of coronavirus in India largely depends on this crucial team. PM Modi has kept two of his trusted PMO officials, Shrikhar Pardeshi and Mayur Maheshwari in this team. "Modiji keeps a close tab on the number of people being tested (and its outcome) and also on the increase in number of cases of COVID-19. He seems determined in his endeavour to prevent the virus from spreading into large communities," says an official, a member of one of the 11 groups constituted to fight the pandemic. While these core groups keep updating crucial information to PMO, Modi's Principal Secretary P.K. Mishra remains in constant touch with experts. He is assisted by two senior bureaucrats, Tarun Bajaj a 1988 batch IAS officer from Haryana cadre working with the PM since last 5 five years, and A.K. Sharma, a trusted officer of Modi from his Gujarat days. "Most of the meetings and exchange of notes takes place between Mishra and the experts of different groups. However if some crucial points are to be discussed or any important decisions are to be urgently taken, it takes just a few minutes for Mr Modi to join the conversation," a source revealed, adding: "Everyone of us do adhere to social distancing. Even senior ministers follow the norm of safe distance while talking to the PM." In an outbreak of a pandemic at such a large scale, seen as the worst in the last 100 years, the Prime Minister realises the contribution of the private sector, NGOs, international organisations and relief related social groups. A special team to coordinate with NGOs and the private sector has been working round the clock under Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog. Gopal Bagley, a joint Secretary in the PMO, is coordinating with Amitabh Kant to mobilise the NGOs and leading companies in raising funds and also organising relief work on the ground at a bigger scale. Several big corporate houses from Tatas, to Reliance and Bharti to Adani group have contributed major amount for the PM Cares fund. The private sector, with the help of leading NGOs, have also teamed up with state governments and local administration in providing food and shelter to the poor across India. The role of the media also plays a vital role in prevention of such dreaded viral disease. Taking time out from his packed schedule these days, the PM recently interacted with top media barons, including editors of TV channels and newspapers. He also held video-conference with radio jockeys to spread the message of people fight against the pandemic. On bringing awareness on the 'dos and don'ts' on spread of COVID-19, the social media team of PMO led by Hiren Joshi works round the clock. PM Modi himself suggests of uploading useful messages for people staying at home during the 3-week long lockdown. Idea of uploading various Yoga asanas on the PM's Twitter account was welcomed across party lines. The Prime Minister also revealed about practising Yog Nidra, which allows the body to relax and reduces stress. Sources said that coming two weeks would be crucial as experts hope that if all goes well with the lockdown, a rise in temperature by the end of April may also help in fighting the dreaded virus. JOHNSTON, Iowa Another Iowan died and more residents tested positive Tuesday for the coronavirus, a tally now approaching 500 confirmed cases in the state including a surge in Linn County fueled by an outbreak at the Heritage Specialty Care facility. Iowa Department of Public Health officials reported the number of Iowans who have died due to COVID-19 rose to seven, with the latest victim being a middle-aged resident of Muscatine County between 41 and 60 years old. COVID-19 doesnt discriminate, Gov. Kim Reynolds told an afternoon news conference. It spreads quickly and easily, infecting young and old alike. But the virus is far more serious for older adults above the age of 60 with underlying health conditions and thats why nursing homes and long-term care facilities were identified early on as a high priority for mitigation efforts. She confirmed that 30 of the 90 total cases in Linn County are tied to Heritage Specialty Care, a Cedar Rapids nursing home that first reported an outbreak Monday. An outbreak in a long-term care facility is defined as three or more residents testing positive. Last week, two members of its staff tested positive, according to a spokesman. A few days later, four residents were infected. The family of a Linn County man living at Heritage Specialty Care who died Sunday confirmed to the Cedar Rapids Gazette his death was a result of COVID-19. The family declined to identify the individual or comment further on his illness. Infected residents are isolated in a segregated section of the facility and cared for by a dedicated team of staff members, officials said in a statement Tuesday. All direct care staff wear personal protective equipment throughout the day and all other employees wear face masks at a minimum, officials said. We will continue to put the safety and needs of our residents first and foremost, a Heritage statement read. State health officials Tuesday added 73 positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 497. Reynolds also reported that Tuesday brought 726 negative results for a 6,888 overall total. Currently, 61 Iowans are hospitalized with coronavirus-related illnesses or symptoms, while another 85 have been discharged and recovered. Another 268 Iowans who have tested positive have not required hospitalization. Reynolds stressed the need for Iowans to continue to observe social distancing and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, stay home if they are mildly sick, venture out only for food and medical necessities and work from home as much as possible. Those mitigation steps, she said, are designed to avoid shelter-at-home directives or actions to close more businesses that could hurt Iowas supply chain. I cant lock the state down. I cant lock everybody in their home, Reynolds said. Also Tuesday, Reynolds extended Iowas public health emergency order until April 7 allowing bars and restaurants to provide carryout or delivery of alcoholic beverages and authorizing the sale of mixed drinks and cocktails for carryout or delivery. The proclamation also provided county hospitals greater borrowing flexibility, permitted electronic corporate annual meetings, and eased certification requirements for law enforcement officers. According to Health Department numbers released Tuesday, Linn County continues to lead all counties with 90 positive cases, followed by Polk County with 76 and Johnson County with 73. A total of 57 of Iowas 99 counties have at least one positive case. A total of 264 women and 233 men have tested positive, with the 41-60 age range the highest with 176 total cases. The locations and age ranges of the 73 individuals include: Black Hawk County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years); Cedar County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years); Clay County, one adult (18-40 years); Clinton County, two middle-age adults (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years); Dallas County, four adults (18-40 years); Harrison County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years) Iowa County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years); Jasper County, one elderly adult (81+); Johnson County, two adults (18-40 years), one middle-age adult (41-60 years); Jones County, two adults (18-40 years), one middle-age adult (41-60 years); Keokuk County, one adult (18-40 years); Linn County, three adults (18-40 years), seven middle-age adults (41-60 years), seven older adults (61-80 years), two elderly adults (81+); Marshall County, one adult (18-40 years), one older adult (61-80 years); Muscatine County, two middle-age adults (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years); Polk County, one child (up to 17), five adults (18-40 years), three middle-age adults (41-60 years), four older adult (61-80 years), two elderly adults (81+); Pottawattamie County, one middle-age (41-60 years); Scott County, two middle-age adults (41-60 years); Sioux County, one middle age adult (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years); Tama County, one adult (18-40 years); Warren County, two middle-age (41-60 years); And Washington County, three adults (18-40 years), two older adults (61-80 years), one elderly adult (81+). Michaela Ramm of the Cedar Rapids Gazette contributed to this report. Read The Stars live coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic here. This story is no longer updating. 10 p.m.: Two Manitoba government liquor stores in north Winnipeg have been temporarily closed after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries says the employee worked in a store in the Garden City neighbourhood last Saturday and is self-isolating at home. A second outlet has been closed because a worker there had been in contact with the Garden City employee who tested positive. Both outlets are being cleaned and the Crown corporation is asking customers who attended the Garden City store last Saturday and who may have symptoms to call the provincial Health Links phone line for advice. 9:35 p.m.: U.S. President Donald Trump says there are plans to remove nearly 250 Canadians from two cruise ships and get them back to Canada. The U.S. Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea where they may be sequestered indefinitely during the coronavirus pandemic, but Trump says Canada is coming to get the Canadians from the MS Zaandam and its sister ship the Rotterdam. The ships hope to dock in Florida. Trump made the comments at his daily press briefing. Global Affairs Canada has said there are 97 Canadian passengers on the Zaandam and 150 Canadians on the Rotterdam. At this time, no COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among Canadian passengers. 6:39 p.m.: The Beer Store announced it will begin to accept empties at select retail locations as of April 6. The retailer said it has temporarily reduced the number of stores accepting empties as it ensures it has enough personal protective equipment and can maintain social distancing. Returns will begin at 71 stores initially. These locations will modify hours to 10 a.m.-4 p.m .Monday through Saturday, and regular operating hours on Sunday 6:10 p.m.: The number of COVID-19 deaths in Toronto surged to 19 between Tuesday and Wednesday as the virus continued to spread in local nursing homes. Toronto Public Health reported Wednesday that the deadly pandemic sweeping has now claimed the lives of 19 Torontonians, up from 11 reported on Tuesday night. The number of people with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 jumped to 818, with 75 of them in hospital and 35 in intensive care. Thats up from 793 confirmed or probable cases, with 65 in hospital and 33 in intensive care. A total of eight people from Seven Oaks, a City of Toronto long-term-care home in Scarborough, have now died, up from four reported as of last night. The home has a total of 77 confirmed and probable cases. (CORRECTION This post corrects an earlier update that said there had been six new deaths at Seven Oaks.) 5:27 p.m.: Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson says the 2020 Queens Plate has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 pandemic. The thoroughbred horse race, which was to be run June 27 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, is the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America dating back to 1860. Last month Woodbine Entertainment postponed the start of the 2020 racing season. 5:06 p.m.: According to the Stars tally from all the local health units in the province, there are at least 2,806 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases in Ontario, including at least 82 deaths. Wednesday afternoon saw the number of COVID-19 victims in the province jump dramatically in Toronto with eight new deaths reported in the city and at a pair of ongoing outbreaks in Ontario nursing homes, with two new deaths reported at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., and another two at the Landmark Village home in Sarnia. The Stars tally, compiled at 5 p.m. Wednesday, is significantly higher than the total reported by Public Health Ontario. The Stars count of COVID-19 deaths is based on the public tallies and press releases issued by Ontarios 34 regional public health units. The province says its tally is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its count of deaths may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in its reporting system. (CORRECTED) 4:54 p.m.: Toronto Public Health confirms four new deaths that were reported overnight at the Seven Oaks nursing home in Scarborough, bringing the total there to eight deaths. Seven Oaks has 23 confirmed cases (14 residents, including 8 deaths; 9 staff with no deaths); 54 probable resident cases. The ages of the residents who died range from their 60s to their 90s; six of these eight are over 85 years old. The home is on Neilson Road, near Ellesmere Road, and had two deaths last week tied to presumptive cases 4:20 p.m.: There have been a total of eight deaths at Seven Oaks nursing home in Scarborough, CP24 reports, citing Toronto Public Health. The home is on Neilson Road, near Ellesmere Road, and had two deaths last week tied to presumptive cases. 4:04 p.m.: Two more residents of a Bobcaygeon, Ont., nursing home dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak have died. Fourteen residents and the spouse of a resident of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon have now died amid what the local health unit is calling the largest COVID-19 outbreak in the province. The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit has said at least 24 staff members are also infected. 3:48 p.m.: The federal government likely did not have enough protective equipment in its emergency stockpile to meet needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister Patty Hajdu acknowledges. Successive governments in Ottawa have not spent enough money preparing for public-health crises, Hajdu told a news conference. Federal officials are now working hard to procure scarce equipment such as surgical masks at a time when governments everywhere are scrambling to do the same, she said. We likely did not have enough. I think federal governments for decades have been underfunding things like public-health preparedness, and I would say that obviously governments all across the world are in the same exact situation, Hajdu said. 3:39 p.m.: Manitobas COVID-19 numbers continue to climb and health officials say they are now seeing early signs of community transmission in Winnipeg. The province has announced 24 new probable or confirmed cases, bringing the total to 127. Among them are three health-care workers at two hospitals in Winnipeg and one in Selkirk. 3:34 p.m.: Nearly a quarter of Quebecs seniors residences have at least one case of COVID-19, Premier Francois Legault said Wednesday. Legault said 519 of the provinces roughly 2,200 seniors homes and long-term-care facilities have reported cases, and he urged Quebecers to refrain from visiting elderly people who are highly susceptible to the virus. There must be no visits in residences. Its a matter of life and death, he said. 3:07 p.m.: A senior Saudi official urged more than one million Muslims intending to perform the hajj to delay making plans this year comments suggesting the pilgrimage could be cancelled due to the new coronavirus pandemic. In February, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners over the virus, a step which wasnt taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. 2:45 p.m.: The City of Brampton has issued its first ticket under its new physical distancing bylaw after a resident called 311 to report a backyard party in their neighbourhood. 2:30 p.m.: Finance Minister Bill Morneau says wage subsidies for large and small businesses will cost about $71 billion. The program is expected to offset the cost of emergency benefits for workers, and reduce spending on those benefits to $24 billion. The wage subsidy will be available to large and small businesses who have lost significant revenue due to COVID-19. Morneau has encouraged businesses to rehire employees they may have laid off in the wake of COVID-19, and says the wage subsidy will be available in six weeks. 2:29 p.m.: Plans to get nearly 250 Canadians off the MS Zaandam and its sister ship, the MS Rotterdam, were still in doubt Wednesday morning despite assurances from U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to remain at sea where they may be sequestered indefinitely during the coronavirus pandemic. They must also be prepared to send any severely ill passengers to the countries where the vessels are registered. 2:15 p.m.: The Manitoba government has announced another 24 probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 127. The provinces chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, says officials are seeing early signs of community transmission in Winnipeg, and he is urging people to stay home as much as possible. The cases include three health care workers and officials are tracking other staff or patients who may have had close contact with those individuals. 1:45 p.m.: There are 11 new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, raising the provincial total to 81. Chief medical health officer, Dr. Jennifer Russell says of the total, 43 cases involved travel outside of New Brunswick, 22 were close contacts of other positive cases, there were three cases of community transmission, while 13 cases are still under investigation. There have been no cases of people contracting COVID-19 in New Brunswick health care facilities so far, but Russell says a number of health care workers have contracted the virus outside of their workplace. They are self-isolating. Russell also confirms the case of a taxi-driver in Fredericton who has tested positive after picking up a passenger who had travelled. Contacts with that driver have been contacted by Public Health. 1:35 p.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting 26 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the provincial total to 173 confirmed cases. Health officials say of the 26 new cases of COVID-19, one is a staff member at The Magnolia residential care home in Enfield outside Halifax. That makes three staff members and two residents at the home who have tested positive. Officials say most cases in Nova Scotia are connected to travel or a known case, while there is one confirmed case of community transmission and more cases are expected. 1:30 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford said he would listen to Ontarios chief medical officer and health professionals on whether to make masks mandatory for all health-care workers in long-term care facilities. Ive been saying from Day 1. I take the advice of the chief medical officer of health and our health professionals, he said. I understand, its difficult. Personally and I dont overrule again, I want to stress this I listen to the health professionals. Are you safer with the mask? Absolutely youre safer. I cant stand up here and say you wouldnt be safer without a mask. 1:20 p.m.: Ford suggests more businesses in Ontario are going to be ordered to shut down when asked about construction sites and others still considered essential. Were going to be adjusting that list in the next day or so. 1:19 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says the number of COVID-19 cases in the province is now 4,611, an increase of 449 over a day ago. There were also two new deaths, bringing the provincial total to 33. Legault says there are 519 seniors residences with at least one case, which he described as a source of concern for the province. 1:17 p.m.: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has appealed to the nations landlords to not evict tenants who cannot pay their rent today. The government is planning to provide benefits to people who have lost their income due to COVID-19 but that money has not started to flow yet, leaving many people unable to pay their rent. Freeland says it would be heartless for landlords to evict tenants during this crisis. She says for those landlords who need rent money to pay their mortgage, the federal government has worked with banks to try to give homeowners some breathing room. 1:15 p.m.: Ontario establishes $50 million fund to help manufacturers re-tool factories to make masks, ventilators and other gear needed to fight COVID-19. Your province needs you now, Premier Doug Ford says. We have some dark days ahead. 1:04 p.m.: A sombre Ford warns there is very little separating us from what happened in Italy or Spain to what could happen in Ontario. We know a surge is coming. 12:50 p.m.: Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the health care system has the potential to be overwhelmed in all of the COVID-19 scenarios projected by the federal government. The government has not shared any of its projections related to how the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to play out in Canada. But Tam says the health system is not designed to deal with this kind of surge, and could be facing difficult decisions about how to allocate scarce resources in all those scenarios. She says in some of the worst case scenarios, the health care system will not be able to cope. 12:45 p.m.: There are no new cases of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island Wednesday, with the provincial total remaining at 21. Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison says three of the Island cases are considered recovered. All the cases on the Island have been the result of international travel. 12:45 p.m.: There are 23 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, all within the Eastern Health authority. The total number of known cases of the illness in the province is now 175. Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, chief medical officer of health, says 15 people have been hospitalized and three are in intensive care. She says 10 people have recovered. 12:40 p.m.: Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the backlog of employment insurance claims filed in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis will be addressed within the week. Canada has seen an unprecedented surge in requests for support. In the last two weeks 1.3 million EI claims have been filed, compared to just 2.1 million for all of last year. Qualtrough says the department has found a way to streamline applications, and starting today they will be able to process 400,000 applications per day. 12:35 p.m.: Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the government has created a mobile app to provide direct updates on COVID-19. The app will provide updates on the latest government measures and public health advice to limit the spread of the virus. It will also include a self-assessment tool for people experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. 12:26 p.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the United States appears to have backed off on its plan to send soldiers to the Canada-U.S. border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had been floating the idea to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials keep migrants from crossing the border between official entry points, ostensibly to limit the possible spread of COVID-19. But Trudeaus equivocal language Wednesday suggests the idea might not be off the table. The ongoing conversations we have with the American administration continue on a broad range of subjects, and we have heard that that is not something they are continuing to pursue, the prime minister said. But we will, of course, continue to engage with the American administration as new situations come up and as things develop. 12:10 p.m.: Trudeau says the government is expecting a shipment of much needed medical supplies in a few days, or even sooner. Several provinces have reported shortages of personal protective equipment for front line workers, given that the equipment is in demand all over the world. Trudeau says the government is working with international partners to try to bring more surgical masks and in-demand supplies to Canada. 11:40 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says hes asked the government house leader to reach out to opposition parties about bringing back parliament. He says the entire government needs to be involved in the largest economic program in Canadas history. Canadas parliament was suspended on March 13 to limit the spread of the virus and allow the cabinet to focus on the COVID-19 response. It briefly reconvened last week to pass the governments emergency COVID-19 response bill. 11:35 a.m.: Ontario began enhancing the pandemic data it provides to the public earlier this week, but provincial health officials are not reporting more than 1,000 that are very likely to be COVID-19 but lack lab confirmation because of test rationing, backlogs or flawed results. Read the story from the Stars Kate Allen. 11:30 a.m.: According to the Stars tally from all the local health units in the province, there are at least 2,581 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases in Ontario, including at least 65 deaths. Newly reported deaths include the sixth death in York Region, a 92-year-old man who was a resident of the Markhaven Home for Seniors; the death of an Elgin County woman in her 70s; and the first COVID-19 deaths reported in Hastings-Prince Edward and Windsor-Essex. The Stars tally, compiled at 11 a.m. Wednesday, is significantly higher than the provincial report earlier in the morning. The Stars count of COVID-19 deaths is based on the public tallies and news releases issued by Ontarios 34 regional public health units. 11:09 a.m.: Wimbledon was cancelled on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first time since the Second World War that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament wont be played. Wimbledon was scheduled to be played on the clubs grass courts on the outskirts of London from June 29 to July 12. Instead, the next edition of the tournament will be June 28 to July 11, 2021. 11:05 a.m.: Ontarios chief medical officer Dr. David Williams is strongly urging his local public health counterparts to invoke a law allowing them to issue orders restricting the movements of COVID-19 patients and their contacts. 10:50 a.m.: According to the Stars tally from all the local health units in the province, there are 2,451 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases in Ontario and at least 61 deaths. These numbers were of the end of day Tuesday. The death toll compiled by the Star is significantly higher than the provincial report earlier in the morning. The Stars count of COVID-19 deaths is based on the public tallies and news releases issued by Ontarios 34 regional public health units. The province says its tally is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its count of deaths may be incomplete or out of date, due to delays in its reporting system. 10:35 a.m.: Ontario has reported 426 new COVID-19 cases for a provincial total of 2,392 patients. Its the biggest one-day spike reported by the province since the outbreak began. This is from data compiled as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. The new cases mark a 21.7 per cent increase from the last daily report. According to the provincial report, 37 people in Ontario have died, 689 cases have been resolved and 3,135 under investigation. 10:30 a.m.: Mayor John Tory says the numbers in the COVID-19 outbreak in Toronto are turning the wrong way. 10:17 a.m.: Torontos medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa emphasizing that residents should stay home, and only go out as needed and just for essentials. Under provincial advice, local public health officers can issue written orders to those with COVID-19 to take or to refrain from taking any action that is specified. Says these measures may need to be in place for up to 12 weeks which would be until the end of June. 10:14 a.m.: De Villa recommending new measures including issuing orders to emphasize the significance of self-isolation for those tested positive, suspected cases and close contacts. 10:10 a.m.: De Villa reviewing how few cases the city had at the start of March. COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on our world and on our city, she says. As of Tuesday, Toronto reported 628 confirmed cases and 165 probable cases with 65 people in hospital and 33 in ICUs. Given this is our current situation, it is my belief that we must, we must absolutely implement stronger measures to avoid the type of results that we are seeing in places like New York City. One only has to look at the news to see what is happening there. I feel the need and obligation to use my powers to the greatest extent possible to save lives. 9:45 a.m.: Some Manitoba health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, leading to other health workers having to self-isolate. One staff member at a hospital in Selkirk tested positive after travelling within Canada, and had been working while symptomatic between March 19 and 23. The Manitoba Nurses Union says a nurse at a hospital emergency room in Winnipeg has also tested positive. And St. Boniface Hospital has sent a letter to workers that says a staff member in the echocardiography department has tested positive, and was working while symptomatic on March 25. 9:20 a.m.: Sources tell the Stars David Rider that the City of Toronto will make a significant announcement on new measures to enforce social distancing at a 10 a.m. news conference. 8:30 a.m.: COVID-19 is surging in Toronto long-term-care homes, with public health reporting three new deaths as tests confirm the virus is now in 15 nursing homes, with outbreaks in six. Read more by clicking here. The city is expected to address the issue at 10 a.m. 8:15 a.m.: Parking will be free for front-line workers at the University Health Network for at least the next month, says UHN CEO and president Kevin Smith. The announcement was made on Tuesday during a virtual open-forum for the hospital networks staff live-streamed on YouTube. A number of our very generous donors and our board leaders have made donations to ensure that parking will be without cost for the next month to our front line workers and Im so pleased and thankful for that, said Smith during the live-stream. I know thats something youve wanted, and Im happy to share well be moving to that model. The rate for parking for front-line staff was $127 for a 10-day parking pass. UHN initially planned to lower the cost to $100 per pass before deciding to make it free entirely. 8:10 a.m.: A hospital in Burlington, Ont., is building a temporary COVID-19 unit in anticipation of a surge of patients. Joseph Brant Hospital says the structure being built on hospital grounds will have 93 beds. The hospitals chief of staff, Dr. Ian Preyra, says the pandemic response unit will allow the hospital to keep its critical care and high acuity beds for the sickest patients. 7:30 a.m.: A driver in Ottawas transit system is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. The city says the driver developed symptoms on March 20 and was tested for the virus that causes the illness the next day. The local health unit says theres concern the driver might have spread the virus in the days before feeling sick. The city says its deep-cleaning the buses that the person drove, which mostly ran between downtown Ottawa and western suburbs. 7:25 a.m.: A ship carrying passengers sick with COVID-19 is expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Thursday. About 250 Canadians are among the passengers aboard Holland Americas Zaandam, which was denied entry by several countries after reporting four deaths and dozens of infections. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the states health care resources are already stretched too thin to take on the ships coronavirus caseload. But President Donald Trump said people are dying on the ship, and hes going to do the right thing for humanity and allow it to dock in Florida. 6:35 a.m.: Its April 1 and rent payments are due for millions of Canadians for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic led to an economic shutdown and many layoffs. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have signed petitions, asking for the outright cancellation of rents and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggests thats not going to happen, but says the banks have been asked to give people a break if they need it. Multiple provinces have placed an outright ban on evictions, while others have placed an effective ban by closing down landlord and tenant boards. Applications for federal support payments and details about wage subsidies that are meant to help Canadians weather the storm are still to be released. 6:05 a.m.: The TTC will be adding 47 extra buses during the early morning and morning rush hour across 15 bus routes to allow customers to better practise physical distancing. The TTC asks that riders consider delaying non-essential trips until after 8 a.m. These routes are getting additional buses: 300 Bloor-Danforth Blue Night, 320 Yonge Blue Night, 35 Jane, 37 Islington, 39 Finch East, 41 Keele, 44 Kipling South, 52 Lawrence West, 96 Wilson, 102 Markham Rd, 117 Alness-Chesswood, 119 Torbarrie, 123 Sherway, 165 Weston Rd North. 5:35 a.m.: Global shares skidded Wednesday as reports of rising numbers of coronavirus cases deepened the gloom over the likely impact on the world economy. Frances CAC 40 slipped 3.6 per cent to 4,241.02 in early trading, while Germanys DAX shed 2.9 per cent to 9,648.42. Britains FTSE 100 plunged 3.9 per cent to 5,450.63 after major banks announced they were scrapping dividend payments, bringing their share prices sharply lower. 5:26 a.m.: Spain is frantically working to add to the number of intensive care units in hospitals which are quickly filling up in the countrys hardest-hit regions. The country counted on 5,779 ICU beds before the coronavirus crisis. As of Tuesday, it has 5,607 patients in ICU. But, in the leading hot spots of Madrid and northeast Catalonia have almost tripled their capacity in recent weeks by adding intensive care beds at hospital facilities and deploying field hospitals. In the Spanish capital, the first intensive care units were finished on Wednesday in a huge field hospital that is planned to hold 5,500 patients when completed. Although Spain has had over 19,000 recovered patients as of Tuesday, a key issue is that COVID-19 patients who need intensive care occupy a bed for some 3-4 weeks. So authorities are warning that even when Spain manages to halt contagions there will still be increasing pressure on its hospitals for several days or weeks. 4:15 a.m.: Canadians are supposed to get more details today of the federal governments massive emergency wage subsidy program a day later than promised. Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Small Business Minister Mary Ng were to have held a news conference Tuesday to fill in the details of the program including the multibillion-dollar price tag but that was cancelled. The pair, along with Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, are expected to try again today to explain the program, aimed at saving jobs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has shuttered businesses across the country. A government official says the delay was simply a matter of trying to iron out all the fine print in a huge program that, in normal circumstances, would have taken months to put together. 4:15 a.m.: President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a hell of a bad two weeks ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials stressed that the number could be less if people across the country bear down on keeping their distance from one another. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert, noted that This is a number that we need to anticipate, but we dont necessarily have to accept it as being inevitable. 4:15 a.m.: As increasing numbers of European hospitals buckle under the strain of tens of thousands of coronavirus patients, the crisis has exposed a surprising paradox: Some of the worlds best health systems are remarkably ill-equipped to handle a pandemic. Outbreak experts say Europes hospital-centric systems, lack of epidemic experience and early complacency are partly to blame for the pandemics catastrophic tear across the continent. If you have cancer, you want to be in a European hospital, said Brice de le Vingne, who heads COVID-19 operations for Doctors Without Borders in Belgium. But Europe hasnt had a major outbreak in more than 100 years, and now they dont know what to do. Last week, the World Health Organization scolded countries for squandering their chance to stop the virus from gaining a foothold, saying that countries should have reacted more aggressively two months ago, including implementing wider testing and stronger surveillance measures. De le Vingne and others say Europes approach to combating the new coronavirus was initially too lax and severely lacking in epidemiological basics like contact tracing, an arduous process where health officials physically track down people who have come into contact with those infected to monitor how and where the virus is spreading. During outbreaks of Ebola, including Congos most recent one, officials released daily figures for how many contacts were followed, even in remote villages paralyzed by armed attacks. 4:01 a.m.: There are 8,591 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 4,162 confirmed (including 31 deaths, 1 resolved) Ontario: 1,966 confirmed (including 33 deaths, 534 resolved) British Columbia: 1,013 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 507 resolved) Alberta: 754 confirmed (including 9 deaths, 120 resolved) Saskatchewan: 184 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 21 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 152 confirmed (including 1 death, 7 resolved) Nova Scotia: 147 confirmed (including 10 resolved) Manitoba: 91 confirmed (including 1 death, 4 resolved), 12 presumptive New Brunswick: 70 confirmed (including 9 resolved) Prince Edward Island: 21 confirmed (including 1 resolved) Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed Yukon: 5 confirmed Northwest Territories: 1 confirmed Nunavut: No confirmed cases Total: 8,591 (12 presumptive, 8,579 confirmed including 101 deaths, 1,214 resolved) 2:44 a.m.: A senior Saudi official urged more than 1 million Muslims intending to perform the hajj to delay making plans this year comments suggesting the pilgrimage could be cancelled due to the new coronavirus pandemic. In February, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners over the virus, a step which wasnt taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. 2:07 a.m.: As the number of coronavirus deaths continues to surge in the U.S., officials are warning the disease could kill between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans, even if people continue to stay home and limit their contact with others. Experts made the prediction at a Tuesday media briefing with President Donald Trump. But they said they hope the figure wont soar that high if everyone does their part to prevent the virus from spreading. 1:34 a.m.: Chinas National Health Commission on Wednesday reported 36 new COVID-19 cases, one day after announcing that asymptomatic cases will now be included in the official count. The commission said all but one of the new cases was imported from abroad, while seven more deaths from the disease had been reported over the previous 24 hours. The commission did not say if any of the new cases were asymptomatic but on Tuesday reported that, of a total of 1,541 asymptomatic cases now being isolated and monitored for symptoms, 205 had come from overseas. Read more about: By Anshuman Daga and Jamie Freed SINGAPORE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines said it had secured up to S$19 billion ($13 billion) of funding to help see it through the coronavirus crisis and expand afterward, in a sign of confidence travel demand will eventually return. It is the single biggest financing package announced by an airline since demand plunged because of the pandemic, forcing carriers around the world to ground planes, put staff on unpaid leave and scramble to raise more cash to ensure their survival. American Airlines , a much larger carrier, said on Thursday it would be eligible for $12 billion of U.S. government aid as part of a $58-billion loan and grant package for the industry. That plan still needs U.S. government approval. Singapore Airlines' majority shareholder, state-fund Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL], said it would underwrite the sale of shares and convertible bonds for up to S$15 billion. Singapore's biggest bank, DBS Group , will provide the airline with a bridge loan of S$4 billion until it gets the funds from the rights issue. "This transaction will not only tide SIA (Singapore Airlines) over a short term financial liquidity challenge, but will position it for growth beyond the pandemic," Temasek International Chief Executive Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara said. "The delivery of a new-generation aircraft over the next few years will provide better fuel efficiencies as well as meet its capacity expansion strategy." For now, the airline, a major customer for Airbus and Boeing , has cut capacity by 96% and grounded almost its entire fleet after the Singapore government banned foreign transit passengers, the lifeblood of the hub carrier. Some other financially strong carriers are also banking on a return to more normal times once the pandemic has passed, such as Australia's Qantas Airways , which is continuing with costly plans to refurbish the interiors of its fleet of 12 grounded A380 superjumbos. Others, including Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia Holdings , have warned they expect to be smaller carriers in the future. Story continues South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar has begun returning some of its Boeing 737 planes to lessors, while Southwest Airlines said it would consider actions to reduce the company's size if passenger traffic remains significantly lower six months from now. Nearly a third of the world's aircraft fleet is now in storage, data provider Cirium said. BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst, said normal commercial financing arrangements such as credit lines or the sale and leaseback of planes were unlikely to be enough to help most airlines survive the crisis and thrive afterward. "When these airlines raise cash privately, they won't get the kind of terms Singapore Airlines got from Temasek," he told Reuters. "They may be able to get the cash to pay bills such as monthly leasing bills at a time of virtually no revenue but later on, the cost of the capital is very high - and that in turns limit what they can do," Sobie said. "That in turn slows the potential recovery of air transport in some markets." Airport traffic at 12 major hubs in Asia-Pacific region plunged by 80% on average in the second week of March compared with the same period last year, Airports Council International Asia-Pacific said on Friday as it called for government relief measures for airport operators. U.S. airlines are preparing to tap the government for up to $25 billion in grants to cover payroll, even after the government warned it may take stakes in exchange for bailout funds, people familiar with the matter said. After the U.S. House of Representatives approves the airline bailout and President Donald Trump signs it as early as Friday, airlines are to receive initial payments within 10 days. European lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed on Thursday to suspend until Oct. 24 a rule requiring airlines to use at least 80% of their flight slots to keep them the following year. France, which has a stake in flagship carrier Air France-KLM , said it would ask companies in which the state has a stake not to pay dividends. Airbus has already scrapped its dividend. China, which had been showing some early signs of a recovery in flight capacity, ordered airlines to sharply cut flights in and out of the country, for fear that infected overseas travelers could reignite the coronavirus outbreak. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it had directed Chinese airlines to fly only one route to any country with only one such flight each week, effective March 29. CAAC also ordered foreign airlines to cut international flights to China to one each week on only one route into the country. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Jamie Freed; additional reporting by Joyce Lee in Seoul, Stella Qiu in Beijing, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago, David Shepardson in Washington, Alexander Cornwell in Dubai and Marine Strauss and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Clarence Fernandez) OFFICERS at Bulawayo Central Police Station pressed the panic button when a local returning from South Africa, who is also a fraud suspect, started coughing uncontrollably in the holding cells leading to the suspicion that he had Covid-19. Bewildered officers called the Bulawayo City Council Covid-19 Rapid Response team to the station and the suspect was rushed to Thorngrove Infectious Diseases Hospital where he is admitted to the isolation ward. The drama unfolded hours after the detention of the suspect on Monday. Sources said police officers initially thought the 30-year-old suspect was faking Covid-19 symptoms to get released. The virus has infected about 894 000 people and has killed about 45 000 people globally. In Zimbabwe, eight have been infected and one has died. Other suspects who were locked up in the holding cells with the suspect reportedly started hysterically banging cell bars for attention as the coughing got worse. The suspect was at the time exhibiting more Covid-19 like symptoms, such as shortness of breath, shivering and sneezing. A senior police officer allegedly had to rally subordinates who were scurrying all over the charge office in alarm. National Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident yesterday and said the affected police officers and other inmates were in isolation. I can confirm that we had a suspect who exhibited symptoms of Covid-19. The rapid response team was called to the station and the suspect was taken to the Thorngrove Infectious Diseases Hospital for monitoring, said Asst Com Nyathi. We are waiting for the relevant health authorities to confirm if its a Covid-19 case or not. The safety of police officers and any other staff involved in Covid-19 activities is of primary concern to the Commissioner-General of police (Godwin Matanga). Government is mobilising resources to avail more protective equipment for police officers. Asst Comm Nyathi said medical officers within the police force were attending to police officers who were on duty and had sent them into self-isolation as prescribed by health experts. He said other suspects who may have come into contact with the patient would also be under self-isolation. New York, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Building Cable Management System Market - Premium Insight, Competitive News Feed Analysis, Company Usability Profiles, Market Sizing & Forecasts to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871850/?utm_source=GNW The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Building Cable Management System Market including are ABB ltd., Atkore International, Inc, Eaton Corporation Inc., Legrand, Niedax Group, Gripple Ltd, Houston Wire & Cable Company, Schneider Electric, and Screwfix Direct Ltd.. On the basis of Product, the Global Building Cable Management System Market is studied across Boxes, Ducts, Racks and Enclosures, Cable Conduits, Cable Trays, and Raceways. 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Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871850/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:51:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China lifted the limitations on the ratio of foreign shareholding in securities and fund management firms on Wednesday, allowing them to set up wholly-owned units on the Chinese mainland. The accelerated pace of China's opening-up has brought confidence to foreign institutions amid the coronavirus pandemic. By He Xiyue, Sang Tong, Zhou Erjie SHANGHAI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China scrapped the limitations on the ratio of foreign shareholding in securities and fund management firms on Wednesday, a move that shows wider opening-up of its financial industry. The move gives those foreign companies the green light to set up wholly-owned units on the Chinese mainland, offering them a chance to better tap the Chinese market. It also provides Chinese investors with a greater variety of financial products and services. The accelerated pace of China's opening-up could help boost confidence for global companies, many of which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and are grappling to mitigate its economic fallout. Photo taken on March 31, 2020 shows the office of Nomura Orient International Securities in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL The abolition of the limits on foreign ownership in securities firms on Wednesday came after a March announcement by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to advance the time for the move originally scheduled for this December. Foreign financial institutions have acted quickly. On Friday, Morgan Stanley said it had received CSRC approval to increase its shareholding in its China securities joint venture, Morgan Stanley Huaxin Securities Company Limited, from 49 percent to 51 percent. On the same day, Goldman Sachs said it had been approved to increase its ownership in its China joint venture, Goldman Sachs Gao Hua Securities Company Limited, from 33 percent to 51 percent. The approvals put the number of foreign-controlled joint venture securities firms in China at five. The other three are Nomura Orient International Securities, J.P. Morgan Securities (China) Company Limited, and UBS Securities. DBS Bank has also applied for the establishment of a controlling joint venture securities firm in Shanghai. "This is a significant milestone in the evolution of our business in China," said Todd Leland, co-president of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific ex-Japan, adding that the company will now seek to move toward 100 percent ownership at the earliest opportunity. Mark Leung, CEO of J.P. Morgan China, said the company is eyeing the same move in its Chinese joint venture. Along with foreign companies in securities business, world asset management leaders such as BlackRock, Fidelity, Schroders, Neuberger Berman are actively preparing for the application of wholly-owned mutual fund units in Shanghai. "China's asset management market is expected to grow more than four-fold in the next 10 years," said Jackson Lee, country head in China for Fidelity International. The removal of foreign ownership caps will bring benefits to both global investment banks and Chinese investors, said Toshiyasu Iiyama, head of China Committee of Nomura Holdings. Chinese investors will enjoy more financial products and services, and have more ways to diversify their investment portfolio, said the executive. Guests unveiled the five newly-established foreign financial institutions at an online opening ceremony in Shanghai, east China, March 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) CONFIDENCE IN TRYING TIMES In recent years, China has taken concrete steps to open up its market. The well-rounded process includes widening market access for foreign firms, increasing commodity and service imports, and improving the business environment. The latest move to open up China's financial sector on Wednesday has brought confidence to foreign institutions, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to exert a negative impact on the global economy. On March 20, five newly-established foreign financial institutions in Shanghai, including J.P. Morgan Securities (China) Company Limited, held an online opening ceremony. A week later, the first sales department of Nomura Orient International Securities in Shanghai opened an account for its first client. "Over the past years, we have been impressed by the pace of opening-up pushed forward by the Chinese government. It was beyond our expectations," said Iiyama of Nomura. J.P. Morgan's Leung also said that he was delighted to see the opening-up of China's financial sector continued to yield new results, citing the rapid development of the new economy and the acceleration of the internationalization of Chinese currency. "These moves have made China's financial market more mature, and brought tremendous opportunities for many companies including J.P. Morgan and our customers," said Leung. By further opening up the finance industry, China can attract more investment from international companies and make the country more integrated with the world economy, said Yan Hong, a finance professor at Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance. (Video reporter: Ding Ting; video editor: Zhu Cong) Kabul: A three-member Taliban technical team has arrived in the Afghan capital to monitor the release of their prisoners as part of a peace deal signed by the Taliban and the US, a spokesman for the insurgent group said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the team's Tuesday arrival in a tweet. It marked the first time a Taliban delegation has been in Kabul since the group was driven out by the US-led coalition in November 2001. Jailed Taliban members are seen inside the Pul-e-Charkhi jail in Kabul, Afghanistan late last year. Credit:AP There was no immediate comment from the Afghan government on the team's arrival. On Monday, Jawed Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Adviser's office, said Afghan officials and the Taliban agreed during a video conference that the insurgent group should send a technical team to Kabul for face-to-face discussions on the release of Taliban prisoners. The International Committee of the Red Cross agreed to assist the team in getting to Kabul. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. (Newser) The University of Texas at Austin says 28 students have tested positive for the coronavirusand most of them were on the same plane for a spring break trip. The Austin Public Health Department says the students were part of a group of around 70 people in their 20s who took a chartered flight to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico around 10 days ago, People reports. Some members of the group returned to Texas on scheduled flights, and authorities have been using flight manifests to contact other passengers, reports the Daily Texan. Authorities say the 28 infected students are self-isolating. Mexico was not under a travel advisory at the time of the trip, and students say the company that organized the trip told them that it was safeand that there would be no refunds for anybody who decided to cancel. story continues below "Were currently in our 2nd week of Cabo and have had almost 5000 travelers, all with no issues," JusCollege, which specializes in organizing trips for college students, said in a March 12 email to a student obtained by the Austin American-Statesman. "Flights have been fully operational and we have had nearly 100% turn out. Our events are completely operational with zero impact from COVID-19 thus far." Students say the trip cost around $2,000. Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said almost half of the coronavirus cases in the county are in people between 20 and 40. "The virus often hides in the healthy and is given to those who are at grave risk of being hospitalized or dying," he said. "While younger people have less risk for complications, they are not immune from severe illness and death from COVID-19. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Popular social media commentator and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri says billionaires should not have donated to the federal government of Nigeria over the coronavirus pandemic. Read Also: Omokri Reacts As Buhari Receives COVID-19 Updates From Health Minister Speaking via his official Twitter handle, he said rather, they should have given the money to top commercial banks and ask them to credit any Nigerian with less than 10k in their accounts He wrote: Instead of billionaires donating moneys to the FG, they could have given it to any top commercial bank and say pay 10k to 100,000 Nigerians with less than 10k in their accounts. You cant trust donations to the government of General @MBuhari. Georgia Northwestern Technical Colleges Spring Commencement Ceremony has been rescheduled to Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Forum River Center in Rome. The decision was made in accordance with Governor Brian Kemp's Executive Order for all public elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools to remain closed through the spring semester. Both spring and summer semester GNTC graduates will be invited to attend the ceremony. We want to recognize and celebrate our students successes; however, during these extraordinary times, we believe it is best to reschedule the graduation ceremony, stated GNTC President Dr. Heidi Popham. The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff remains our top priority. Graduation letters will be emailed to GNTCs spring and summer graduates at the end of May. Students should follow the instructions in the letter regarding the ceremony. For any questions about GNTCs Spring Commencement Ceremony, please contact us at graduation@gntc.edu. Several months ago, before anyone imagined the current crisis, I read a book called Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a Jewish Viennese psychiatrist who was captured by the Nazis during World War II and managed to survive four concentration camps including the infamous Auschwitz and Dachau. He went through the ordeal observing human behavior, and the result was his formulation of a system of therapy he called logotherapy. Frankl found that those who were most successful, surviving under the most challenging circumstances, were those who retained a sense of meaning in their lives. That is, the real challenge that every person faces is not whats happening outside of themselves but whats happening inside. In Frankls own words: Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose ones attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose ones own way. He continued: Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said people who leave the house for frivolous reasons during the coronavirus pandemic are incredibly selfish and risk spreading the disease in Michigan. The governor encouraged residents and businesses to take seriously her order to suspend activities that are not necessary to sustain or protect life until April 14. Whitmer used emergency powers to shut down most businesses and restrict public life throughout the state to slow the person-to-person spread of COVID-19, an infectious respiratory disease. Anyone whos out and about is doing so at the cost of a nurse or a doctor somewhere whos already got too many patients and is going to see more because individuals are continuing to press the limits, Whitmer said in a Tuesday interview with MLive. Local police departments were charged with enforcing the order, which threatens a misdemeanor charge, $500 fine and 90 days in jail for each violation. People who wish to report a violation are encouraged to call local police tip lines instead of 911, though multiple police agencies said in news releases that arrests will only be necessary when a person refuses to comply. Its important that everyone does their part," Whitmer said. "We cant arrest every single person is out too many times or needlessly, but what we can do is educate the public about how serious this is. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Whitmer said she believes residents are changing their behavior and following social distancing guidelines. The order allows residents to leave their homes to work, exercise, seek medical care, gather food, gas and other supplies, and care for family members. The governor said anyone who isnt following her order is conducting themselves in a way that is incredibly selfish and can put other people at risk. including themselves. Whitmer said everyone in Michigan needs to take responsibility for keeping COVID-19 from spreading further. The number of coronavirus cases confirmed across the state reached 7,615 Tuesday, with deaths rising to 259. Tuesday set a record for the most cases found in a single day since the outbreak was discovered on March 10. COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory disease spread between people who are in close contact with one another and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Whitmer said Michigans hospitals are nearing capacity as the number of COVID-19 cases grows each day. Just by getting yourself sick youre putting others at risk because youre putting more pressure on an already inundated healthcare system, Whitmer said. Its going to struggle to meet the needs of people in our state, and so everyone needs to do their part. Whitmer also warned businesses against staying open. Her order includes exemptions for essential employees, jobs related to public safety, health care and other critical industries, their suppliers and other distributors. A wide range of businesses across the state are justifying their continued operation for a variety of reasons. JoAnn Fabrics, a chain of arts and crafts stores with a large presence in Michigan, was told to cease operations by the Attorney General this week. Whitmer indicated that businesses could see their licenses revoked if they do not comply with her order. You know, just about every business in the state has some sort of license, from the state of Michigan or not, and so weve encouraged them not to play fast and loose with this order because their licenses could be in jeopardy as a result, Whitmer said. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: Michigan coronavirus cases now at 7,615; up 1,117 cases, 75 deaths in one day Michigan asking feds for more medical supplies as coronavirus cases grow Michigan closed non-essential businesses to stop the spread of coronavirus. Now, local police are left trying to enforce it Whitmer says Michigan schools very unlikely to reopen this year under coronavirus pandemic All Michigan schools to close as coronavirus spreads, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces How Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order compares to other states The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week provided the necessary authorization for clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of the novel coronavirus. These two drugs have been claimed by President Donald Trump to be a potential treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which causes COVID-19 disease. To date, there has been no conclusive proof regarding the safety and efficacy of these drugs in COVID-19 cases, say officials. Image Credit: Video_Creative / Shutterstock What is the risk? President Donald Trump, a few days back, had claimed to the media that the FDA had approved the drug for coronavirus treatment. The FDA has since then negated this claim. After Trump's announcement, there was a rush for over the counter chloroquine, and this ended tragically for one Arizona man who consumed not-for-human-use chloroquine used to clean fish tanks. He sadly died due to the toxicity. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has warned the general public against taking non-pharmaceutical chloroquine phosphate and even medicinal chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine without prescription of a healthcare provider and always under the supervision of a healthcare provider because it can lead to "serious health consequences, including death." The media attention on this drug has led to many doctors stockpiling hydroxychloroquine sold as Plaquenil and prescribing it for themselves and their family members. State pharmacy boards of Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Ohio have thus limited the prescriptions the healthcare providers can write for the drugs. However, there is no sound evidence in the form of clinical trials showing the efficacy of these agents in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, say the officials. Announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services The Department of Health and Human Services this Sunday (29th of March 2020) issued a statement saying that both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine products can "be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible." Germany's Sandoz, said the officials had given 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to the Strategic National Stockpile. This stockpile is the government supply of essential medicines during public health emergencies. Bayer, too has donated one million doses of chloroquine to the government stockpile. FDA and clinical trials Approvals for clinical trials usually take time, say FDA officials. The clinical trials may take years. But with the current emergency and rising number of COVID-19 cases across the nation, the whole process is being fast-tracked, says the FDA. The USA, as of today, has recorded 188,547 cases and 3,899 deaths. The clinical trials are planned for New York, the worst affected region, say officials. This emergency authorization was issued to measure the potential benefits against the harm caused by the treatment. The Department of Health and Human Services said that there are "anecdotal reports suggest that these drugs may offer some benefit in the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but clinical trials are needed to provide scientific evidence that these treatments are effective." FDA's chief scientist, Denise Hinton, wrote in a letter of fast-tracked approval, saying, "It is reasonable to believe that chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate may be effective in treating COVID-19." The rationale behind chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 prevention and treatment Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been prescribed for the last several decades as a standard drug for the treatment of malaria and several autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs are not free of adverse effects and have proved to be toxic to the eyes and the heart. Many users complain of irregular heartbeat and may develop arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest, say experts. Clinical trial enrolment Infectious disease specialist, Dr. David Boulware from the University of Minnesota at present is running two experimental trials to look at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in a large population. Enrolment for the studies are on at present and began around a couple of weeks ago. Persons interested can enroll in the study at trialcovid.com. While one of his trials is looking at the preventive capacity of hydroxychloroquine to protect a healthy person from getting COVID-19 after being exposed to it, the other trial is to check if hydroxychloroquine can be used to reduce the rate of the severity of symptoms in COVID-19 positive patients and reduce their risk of getting hospitalized. This trial is including those patients who have begun to show symptoms. The cut off for their eligibility to enroll in the trial is four days after they become symptomatic. Those who enroll in the study will receive a package by post containing either active drug pills or placebo (inert pills) to be taken. By the 30th of March, a total of 537 individuals have enrolled in the first prevention study, and 74 people with the early appearance of symptoms of COVID-19 have enrolled in the second trial. The final target is to enroll 1,500 participants in both trials. The dose of hydroxychloroquine given to participants is 800 milligrams at the start, along with 500 milligrams per day for the next five days. At the end of two weeks after taking the drugs, the participants would have to fill at least four out of five questionnaires that ask them about the side effects, symptoms of COVID-19, and if they needed to be hospitalized. Recruitment would be completed within two weeks, and results from both trials are expected by the end of one month, say the researchers. Dr. David Boulware said in his statement, "There's some suggestion that maybe it works, but there isn't any good data." He added, "If we're going to give this medicine to tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, or millions of people, we should know if it works." He said, "My goal is to figure out does it work. I don't know the answer, but we'll know soon." Dr. Boulware explained, "The vast majority of people are not hospitalized. Besides social distancing and quarantine, if we can break that chain of infection by identifying somebody and then prophylaxis everyone around them that's been in contact with them to prevent infection, you can stamp out stuff much quicker." NEWTON, Mass. The mayor of Holyoke, Mass., got an unsigned letter over the weekend that deeply disturbed him. Are you aware of the horrific circumstances at the Soldiers Home? the letter read, and went on to describe serious breaches, like a resident suspected of having the coronavirus, awaiting the results of a test, being sent back to a dementia ward with 20 other veterans. Where is the state in addressing what is truly happening in this building? the letter concluded. The mayor, Alex Morse, reached out to Bennett Walsh, the superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers Home, a 247-bed, state-managed nursing home for veterans, to figure out what was going on. But by then, Mr. Morse said, the damage was far more than he had imagined: In a matter of five days, eight veterans had died, apparently without being reported to either state or local officials. Others were sick with the coronavirus; staff members were too. India will likely relax some export restrictions on pharmaceutical products soon due to intense pressure from the United States which is worried about drug shortages as the number of coronavirus cases surge, two Indian government officials told Reuters. India, which supplies more than a quarter of the world's generic drugs, last month restricted exports of 26 pharmaceutical ingredients and the medicines made from them. The move was seen as an attempt to secure supplies for its domestic population after the outbreak played havoc with the industry's supply chain globally. The ... Several tons of food is flooding into a network of warehouses across London, as volunteers pack up vital supplies for vulnerable people struggling to get enough to eat during the coronavirus outbreak. A small army of unpaid workers at The Felix Project one of The Independents Help The Hungry campaigns key partners have been working extra hours, stacking crate after crate into vans at the charitys main distribution centre in the west London suburb of Park Royal. The eager crew careful to maintain safe distance of two metres from each other has just delivered one ton of fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk and canned goods to a brand new council-run community hub in Enfield. Were trying to scale up very quickly so we can help as many people as we possibly can, said the charitys CEO Mark Curtin. People are working really hard. Were determined to keep getting food out there. The number of people in need is much greater now, but were set up to do a lot more than we used to. And the Help The Hungry campaign is certainly helping get us plenty of traction and offers of help. Recommended How to support our campaign Prior to the pandemic, The Felix Project had been picking up surplus food from restaurants, caterers and manufacturers and delivering it to around 600 food banks, care homes, school providers and other charities. Some of the charities are either closing or having to reduce what they can do, said Mr Curtin. We are still getting food to all those that are still operating, and all those trying to get supplies to peoples homes in different ways. Responding to the enormous scale of the current crisis, The Felix Project has joined forces with two other large food surplus charities City Harvest and FareShare to create the London Food Alliance. And to make sure food redistribution is as efficient as possible, the alliance is now co-ordinating with all 32 London boroughs to make sure the new, centralised community hubs are well-stocked with surplus food. Mark Curtin, CEO of The Felix Project, at the charity's west London distribution centre (The Independent) The Felix Projects pool of volunteers has gone up to around 75 people, and Renault have provided the charity with six new vans. Mr Curtin said he would like to get hold of more vehicles with refrigerators inside and is also looking for more volunteer drivers. That would make a massive difference, he said. The CEO added: There is actually plenty of food in the supply chain the industry, the farmers, the producers, the manufacturers, the supermarkets they are all stepping up. Over at the new community hub in Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield, council staff and volunteers are gearing up for a huge emergency food operation. Weve made the decision to help everyone who needs help, including people who may be struggling financially, said the council leader Nesil Caliskan. Enfield council workers set up new hub for emergency food distribution (London Borough of Enfield) On Tuesday, residents who have signed up to help their council dropped off the first 80 food parcels to some of their most vulnerable neighbours, with deliveries set to accelerate in the days ahead. The council has been provided with around 4,400 names of the most vulnerable people in the area, given age and underlying health conditions, from the NHS list. It is also inviting everyone struggling because of job losses or a sudden drop in income to register with them for help. The small, local groups have done brilliant work, but we need to co-ordinate so that we made sure absolutely everyone who is in a vulnerable position is picked up, said Ms Caliskan. The Felix Project works right across London, so its been a great partner. Food parcels being prepared by Haringey council volunteers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd) (Daniel Hambury/stellapicsltd) Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the first of the community hubs to open on Monday, as Haringey council staff and volunteers began getting surplus food out to vulnerable people in the borough. Rachel Ledwith, FareShares development manager in London, said her organisation and the others in the alliance were speaking to each other at a daily 11.30am phone call to co-ordinate deliveries across the capital. Were ready to get a high volume of food into the hubs, and all the boroughs are reacting as fast as they can to get things up and running, she said. Ms Ledwith added: Theres been a tsunami of food coming from the hospitality and catering sector. Were also seeing the large manufacturers and retailers donate more, as well as providing us with surplus food. Whats important next is that we work closely with the food industry to ensure the current volumes of food were accessing remain sustainable, as we know demand from our charity network will only continue increasing over the coming weeks. The encouraging developments come as the total raised by our Help The Hungry appeal, in conjunction with our sister title the Evening Standard, leapt by 300,000 in 24 hours to 850,000. We are also asking food aid charities across the UK to contact us using the email helpthehungry@independent.co.uk to tell us about your project and what problems you are facing right now. You can help us build a directory of ways that our readers can help the hungry in their area through money, volunteering and food donations. Find out more about how you can support the campaign here. Srinagar, April 1 : Suspected terrorists shot and killed two civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday evening, officials said. The two killed in the attack at Damhal Hanjipora have been identified as Ghulam Hassan Wagay, a retired government employee, and Seeraj Din Ahmad. According to details, they were fired at a close range and suffered severe injuries. Wagay died at the spot while doctors declared Ahmad dead in the hospital. Police parties have reached the spot and started investigation. The area have been cordoned off and a search operation has been started. By the time the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Washington state on Jan. 20, it had already infected hundreds of people in China and had spread to Japan, Thailand and South Korea. While the Washington State Department of Health had prepared a plan for the arrival of the virus that detailed how the state would obtain tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, what type of messaging it would release to citizens and how it would train staff at local health centers to handle the virus, it assumed it still had weeks before the disease would reach the U.S. In three days, the plan was trashed. We went through every step, Marcia Goldoft, a clinical epidemiologist with the Washington State DOH, told Yahoo News. I dont think anyone involved has ever seen anything go this fast. Though President Trump has often asserted that the coronavirus pandemic surprised the whole world and that nobody knew there would be a pandemic, state health departments and the CDC are tasked with doing just that. To anticipate events like the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC established the Epidemic Intelligence Service, its elite disease detective training program. Over the course of two years, EIS officers receive immersive, on-the-job training either at CDC headquarters, where theyre assigned to focus on specific disease areas, or at state and local health departments around the country to investigate every aspect of an outbreak like this one. Illustration: Nathalie G. Cruz for Yahoo Lifestyle When a new disease emerges, such as COVID-19, EIS officers arent studying pathogens in a lab; theyre the ones sent out into the field to figure out where it came from, who its been spread to and how to stop it from traveling farther. As part of her EIS training, epidemiologist Michelle Holshue had been placed at the Washington State DOH. So, when the phone call came in about a man with symptoms of a novel coronavirus, Holshue who spent two months studying Ebola in West Africa as a nurse with the United States Public Health Service sprang into action. By then it was Jan. 19 and the virus, now officially named SARS-CoV-2, had been spreading rapidly through China. With new cases appearing in Asia each day, she and her colleagues knew it was no longer a question of whether the virus would appear in the U.S. but when. Story continues The patient, an otherwise healthy 35-year-old, had shown up at an urgent care center in Snohomish County, Wash., 50 miles north of Seattle, complaining of a dry cough, fever and nausea. Most important for Holshue, he had just returned from a trip to visit his family in Wuhan, China, where the virus had been traced to a live animal market. With pertinent symptoms for COVID-19 and a history of travel to Wuhan, the man was considered to be a probable case. Nurses took two swabs from his nasal passages and overnighted them to the CDC in Atlanta, which at the time was the only facility in the country with access to a test. Within 24 hours, it came back positive. Pay attention, people; its here The CDC notified the Washington DOH of the positive test result on Monday, Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Only a few staff were on call that Monday, but by Tuesday, local officials, epidemiologists like Goldoft and physicians had already mobilized to begin tracking the disease. Since Washington was the first state in the nation to identify a positive test result for COVID-19, the most critical step soon became pulling together everything that was known about the case. Holshue was tapped for the job. Working long hours from the Washington DOH headquarters (and sometimes, her own apartment), she pieced together a list of all the patients recent contacts, then phoned the urgent care nurses who had seen him and the hospital X-ray technicians who took images of his lungs. She then gathered information on the more than 50 people who had come in contact with the patient, who was, by then, in quarantine. Different people had different pieces and we couldnt see the whole picture, said Goldoft, who worked with Holshue on tracing the patients contacts. What happened in the outpatient? What happened in the inpatient? Every piece of this first case had to be pulled together and no one person had it. We didnt know what was going on and it was all moving so quickly. It sounds simple but it was a huge amount of work. Goldoft said they were concerned about the viruss spread, so Holshue did the calls remotely rather than conduct in-person interviews, reporting back to a team of physicians, scientists and Washington state officials. Twelve days into the patients illness, when the symptoms dissipated, she worked nights and weekends with others in the department to compile the first report of what they saw. In a paper later published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Holshue and her colleagues wrote that there were several aspects of this emerging outbreak that are not yet fully understood, including transmission dynamics and the full spectrum of clinical illness. Goldoft, who is also an EIS alum, said that her team took the first case as a call to action. It doesnt mean anything in terms of probabilities or frequencies. Its just one case, Goldoft said. But it means: Pay attention, people; it's here. Doctors, start looking for it; start testing. Holshues paper became a road map for other physicians to follow. Its a very medical description: Heres what the X-ray looked like, here was a blood test, heres what we saw clinically, Goldoft explained. There was zero experience [with the coronavirus] in the United States. This was experience No. 1. In the months since Holshue and the team in Seattle confirmed the first U.S. case of COVID-19, the disease has been confirmed in more than 174,000 more Americans. Globally, more than 826,000 people have been infected. The pandemic is now in full swing meaning the priorities for EIS officers like Holshue have shifted from confirming the virus is in the U.S. to tracking where it is spreading fastest across the country. Goldoft says Holshue, who is too deeply immersed in the crisis for an interview, has been tirelessly collecting all the information about the outbreak she can gather. Shes been down at the quarantine station; shes met some of the returning travelers from the cruise ships; shes getting pulled into a lower supervisory role, Goldoft said. We need all the staff we can get. Graphic: Nathalie G. Cruz for Yahoo Lifestyle Its an all-hands-on-deck situation On a normal given day, officers in the EIS program are scattered around the globe, working on a wide variety of assignments. But with the U.S. facing a public health emergency, they have all been called on to respond. It's an all-hands-on-deck situation, Eric Pevzner, who oversees the EIS program as chief of the CDCs Epidemiology Workforce Branch, told Yahoo News. Pevzner, who was part of the EIS class of 2005, said that during his own training, he was assigned to focus on global tuberculosis, a position that involved working with the World Health Organization and individual countries to help strengthen programs for diagnosing, treating and preventing TB around the world. While many of his projects involved travel to countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, where HIV was driving the global TB epidemic, Pevzner said he was also called on to investigate domestic outbreaks of tuberculosis, such as one that began in 2005 in Washington state that had been fueled by methamphetamine use. But when a public health crisis emerged in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Pevzner said that he and most of his EIS classmates were enlisted in the CDCs response. Right now, our officers are all focused on COVID-19, said Pevzner. Officers like Holshue, who were already assigned to specific state health departments, are working with their local public health colleagues on a variety of tasks, said Pevzner, from surveillance, to tracking the spread of disease, helping with implementation of testing programs, collecting data on quarantine, following up with people that might have been exposed and trying to implement better control measures. Some EIS officers have also been deployed to quarantine stations around the country, such as those established at certain airports, where theyre tasked with screening people coming into the United States to evaluate whether they might have been exposed or are at risk of disease, to try and stop any importation of disease into the United States. Others have been sent to assist with quarantines set up at military bases for cruise ship passengers and Americans returned from China. Current EIS officers arent the only ones responding to the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., however. Many of the programs alumni, who often go on to work in a variety of public health roles, are also involved in leading the response from the local, state and federal levels. Dr. Anne Shuchat, principal associate director of the CDC, and Nancy Messonnier, a director at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, are among the EIS alumni at the forefront of the federal governments response to the pandemic. Once trained as a disease detective, youre pretty much always a disease detective, said Pevzner. Photo collage: Quinn Lemmers for Yahoo Lifestyle / Getty Images They want to be the first people out to help Since the EIS was established in 1951, more than 3,600 disease detectives have been trained by the organization. Applicants include physicians, nurses, scientists and veterinarians, all of whom (besides nurses) are required to have a doctorate-level degree, as well as service-oriented volunteer experience. Every year that we do application reviews, the alumni that are reviewing these applications all turn to ourselves and say, We would never get in now, because every year the group that comes in is just more and more impressive, said Pevzner. Still, the underlying drive to serve remains a core qualification for anyone seeking to join the program. Theyre the first people that, when there's a new threat, are calling my phone, sending me emails, knocking on my door they want to be the first people out to help and assist, said Pevzner. Regardless of whatever the threat is, whether it's Ebola, COVID-19, the opioid epidemic, they want to go out there and they want to serve and assist. Pevzner told Yahoo News that hed recently spoken to several officers whod completed 14 days of self-quarantine after returning from weeks of working on the response to COVID-19. They're lining up, ready to go right back out again, he said. _____ Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides. Read more: On Sunday, the government announced a second coronavirus economic package. In addition to further one-off payments, the package includes some of the most significant changes to social security payments Australia has ever seen, even if only on a temporary basis. The amendments passed by parliament on Monday night expand them further. The package effectively doubles rates of JobSeeker Payment for most people without children. The maximum rate for a single recipient without dependants is currently A$565.70 per fortnight. Lone parents and those over 60 who have been on benefit for nine months or more currently get more, while members of couples each get somewhat less. For the six months from April 27 the government will boost it by A$550 per fortnight through a special time-limited Coronavirus Supplement. Importantly, the extra $550 will go to all current recipients, including those who get less than $565.70 because they have assets or are in part-time work. It will also go to both existing and new recipients of the Youth Allowance JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit. Thanks to Monday nights amendments, it will now also go to full-time students receiving Abstudy, Austudy and Youth Allowance for Students. There are also reports that special payments (and the Coronavirus Supplement) will be made available to temporary visa holders who lose their jobs or suffer significant financial hardship because of the coronavirus. In addition, the government will no longer need legislation to make further changes to settings, giving the Social Services minister unprecedented powers. This will give the government the ability to respond flexibly as circumstances change. One million now, an extra million soon Roughly 1.3 million existing recipients will receive the supplement, including the 200,000 or so students added on Monday. To them will be added as many as one million more, who are not currently receiving the JobSeeker or any other payment. Among them will be permanent employees who are stood down or lose their jobs, sole traders, the self-employed, casual workers and contract workers who find themselves meeting the benefit income tests as a result of the coronavirus. Included are people required to care for people who are affected by the coronavirus. Accelerated processing The assets test for JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance Jobseeker and Parenting Payment will be waived for the duration of the Coronavirus Supplement. In addition, the normal one week waiting period will be waived, as will the liquid assets test waiting period (which can be up to 13 weeks). People already in this waiting period will be given immediate access to payments. It is also important that the Coronavirus Supplement will be paid automatically. Current recipients will receive the full $550 on top of their regular payment without asking for it. Services Australia is putting on an extra 5,000 staff to deal with the inflow of new claimants and accelerating claim process. Australia moves up the ranks These changes will significantly boost the adequacy of working age social security payments in Australia at least temporarily. This chart shows where Australia sat in 2019 compared to other members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on replacement rates the percentage of previous after-tax earnings that an unemployment payment provided to a single unemployed worker who had previously been on two-thirds of the average wage. Australia is coloured red, and is at the bottom of the pack. OECD 2019 unemployment income replacement rates Source: OECD, Net replacement rates in unemployment A number of countries have boosted their payments, at least temporarily, in response to the coronavirus. The chart below shows where Australia and New Zealand and France sit now, compared to the 2019 replacement rates of other countries. Australia is again coloured red, but has climbed toward the middle of the pack. OECD unemployment replacement rates and announced increases Source: OECD, Net replacement rates in unemployment, government announcements The charts show that Australia short-term earnings replacement rate climbs from 38 per cent to 68 per cent, because the base rate nearly doubles while rent assistance stays the same. Replacement rates will be lower for higher income workers who lose their jobs and higher for part-time workers and casuals. It is worth noting that other countries are adopting approaches that differ in where support is being targeted. Denmark, for example, is providing a direct wage supplement to employers of 75 per cent of wages up to a ceiling, on the condition that they do not lay off workers. This is actually less than the current replacement rate of 84 per cent in Denmark, but if it is successful it would effectively mean that Danish workers would continue to receive their normal salary (a 100 per cent replacement rate). It remains to be seen whether that strategy works. Improvements on delivery The government has indicated that the stimulus package is scalable, meaning that it is possible to increase the amounts even further and to extend their duration. And the government has already fixed some gaps in its initial plan relating to students and newly arrived residents and temporary visa holders. Permanent residents will be eligible for assistance immediately and not subject to current waiting periods - which can be up to four years. Without extending benefits to temporary visa holders we would have had what academics Henry Sherrell and Peter Mares warned would be hundreds of thousands of people who are suddenly unemployed, without access to welfare, and without a method to return to their country of citizenship. The provisions of the special benefit that will be available to temporary visa holders define severe financial hardship as earning less than the highest special benefit fortnightly payment, being unable to improve that financial position and having limited savings. There is another group whose status should be clarified urgently - that is people who have applied for permanent residence and are still in that application process. There is a case for treating them as if they had already become permanent residents rather than temporary workers. The benefit cliff remains A remaining downside with potentially big unintended consequences is the legislated proposal doesnt yet adjust the spouse income test, excluding many couples where one earner loses their job and leading to a perverse and undesirable benefit cliff. If the recipients spouse is working and not receiving a Jobseeker or equivalent payment, then the JobSeeker payment will be reduced by 60 cents for every dollar the partner earns over $994 per fortnight. This means that the recipient can receive some JobSeekers Payment and hence the full $550 per fortnight Coronavirus supplement - until the working partners income reaches $1,844 per fortnight. At that point they face the benefit cliff. If the working partner has an income of $1840 per fortnight, the recipient gets the full supplement of $550 per fortnight, but if the worker has an income of $1850 a fortnight, the recipient gets nothing. The same cliff faces single people, as well. But this partner income threshold of $1850 per fortnight ($925/week) is right in the middle of the Australian income distribution. We calculate that, among two-earner couples aged 25-54, of the primary earners who lose their job, about half will get the Coronavirus Supplement, while of the secondary earners, only somewhere between a quarter and a third will get it. (These are rough estimates based on Bureau of Statistics income survey estimates of the personal income distributions). Given that in most couples the secondary earner is female, the different treatment has the potential to discriminate against women. One way to eliminate the cliff would be to integrate the Coronavirus Supplement more properly into the income support system, so that people with spouse income above these cutoffs would continue to receive a reduced payment. The government has asked for power to fix this issue via regulation, but has not yet announced how it will address it. The scale of the challenge An extra one million recipients (the treasurers estimate) would mean that the share of the working age population receiving income support climbed from 14.2 per cent to 18.7 per cent, an increase of 4.5 percentage points, which is bigger than the 3.5 and 3.8 percentage point increases during Australias two previous post-war recessions in the early 1980s and early 1990s. In both of these earlier recessions, the unemployment rate shot up from under 7 per cent to near 10 per cent or higher within a year. The current increase will take place in the next six months, rather than over a full year. Not all the effect will directly be in the unemployment rate. Some will be in the non-participation rate as people decide to neither work nor look for work. The best measure to watch to track the labour market will be the reduction in hours worked. International experience also suggests that it will be substantial. Service Canada is reported to have received more than 500,000 applications for Employment Insurance in the past week, 20 times the number recorded in the same week a year ago and equivalent to about 2.5 per cent of the labour force. Similar trends have appeared in the United States. In Australia, we are already seeing the payment system struggling under the load of new applications. Ultimately, the key goal of our economic response to the coronavirus must be to share the economic costs. The government has made an excellent start in the package announced on Sunday and extended on Monday. But we have to be prepared to ramp it up and expand support so that everyone living in Australia is adequately supported and the burden of the crisis is shared fairly. Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and Bruce Bradbury, Associate Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. With the entire country in lockdown mode owing to COVID-19 outbreak, the Delhi University has decided to extend help in the fight against the deadly virus. The varsity administration has decided to contribute one days salary to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF), university officials said on Tuesday. For the same, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi has written to the teaching and no-teaching staff of the varsity for the voluntary contribution. Enormous financial resources will be required by the Government of India to combat the emerging situation and to help fellow citizens, who need it the most, at this trying time. I, therefore, appeal to my colleagues to contribute one days salary to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF), a mail by Vice Chancellor Tyagi read. We, at the University of Delhi, an Institution of Eminence, highly appreciate the efforts of all the stakeholders and pledge to continue to support the initiatives taken by the government from time to time to eradicate the menace of COVID-19 from our country in particular and from the world at large, Tyagi added. However, for those who do not want their salaries deducted, the varsity administration asked them to give a declaration for non-deduction through an email. Earlier on Saturday, the Vice Chancellor of JNU Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala said that teachers and the non-teaching staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University will be contributing a days salary to fighting coronavirus. In our fight against COVID-19, JNU has decided to voluntarily contribute one-day salary of regular teaching and non-teaching employees for the month of April to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund, the JNU Vice Chancellor said on Saturday. --IANS rag/kr The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service. Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts. Accra: April 1, 2020: Four institutions have received large quantities of hand hygiene materials and cheques totaling Ghc200,000 from the Methodist Church Ghana to help the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The items include gun thermometers, large quantities of industrial ethanol, paracetamol, Veronica Buckets, hand gloves, mask, bleach, liquid soap, tissue papers and cheques to the Ministry of Health, Noguchi Memorial Institute, Ghana Prisons Service and some Methodist Health facilities in rural areas in the country. The Ministry of Health received a Cheque for Ghc 20,000 and 100 gallons of hand sanitizers and GHc 5,000 worth of paracetamol, while Noguchi Memorial Research Institute received two drums of industrial ethanol worth Ghc 15,000 and a cheque for Ghc10,000 for other items they would need. The Ghana Prison Service benefited from Ghc 5,000 cash to purchase their items while the Methodist Health facilities in the country received Ghc30,000 worth of materials comprising Veronica Buckets, gun thermometers, liquid soaps, gloves, tissue papers and bleach and 100 gallons of hand sanitizers valued. Presenting the Items, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev Dr. Paul K. Boafo, said such crisis was Gods own way of calling the attention of nations that he alone was the true God who must be honoured and feared and that all men must seek him. He said the country was not in normal times and that period, therefore, demanded solidarity, unity and sharing from all and it was in that spirits that the Methodist Church had donated in support of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos quality leadership and guidance in response to the pandemic. He announced that the Methodist Church Ghana had commenced processes to help the governments effort to provide factual information to stop rumors, stigma and the rate of infection of COVID-19 among Ghanaians in the rural and deprived communities. Consequently, Dr Boafo said, the Church had mobilized and activated all its health teams throughout the country to use every available means including house to house, social media, and mass media among others for education. He said the Methodist had from the onset followed the protocols spelled out by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation and added that we stand here and reiterate our commitment that we will continue to observe the hand hygiene and all other protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. The Minister of Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu, commended the Church for their support in the efforts at dealing with the pandemic and said the crisis had offered the state and the church a greater opportunity to increase their collaboration. This demonstration is a milestone that we all have to emulate. I must express the appreciation of the President, myself and the entire nation for the gesture you have shown. I will send the message to the President and I believe in good time you will hear from him, he added. As many as 74 flights have been operated, carrying a total medical cargo of 37.63 tonnes, till March 31 to various parts of the country under the civil aviation ministry's Lifeline Udan flights initiative, an official release said on Wednesday. These flights had commenced operations from March 27. Of the 74 services, 12 flights were operated on March 31 alone, carrying a total medical cargo of 22 tonnes, the ministry said. Air India operated a total of nine flights while two services were flown by its regional subsidiary Alliance Air and one by the Indian Air Force, the release said. Air India flights on Mumbai-New Delhi -Guwahati-Mumbai route carried consignments of Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Pune while its services on New Delhi-Hyderabad-Trivandrum-Goa-Delhi route carried consignments of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, ICMR and Goa. The national carrier also operated services to Port Blair from Chennai and back, it said. Alliance Air carried medical cargo consignment of the Textiles Ministry through its services on Hyderabad-Bengaluru-Hyderabad route, the ministry said in the release adding the IAF operated a medical cargo service to Port Blair via Sulur from its Hindon airbase. Air India and IAF collaborated for Ladakh, Dimapur, Imphal, Guwahati and Port Blair flights, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 1. Elon Musk @elonmusk We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please me or @Tesla know. 8:27 AM Mar 31, 2020Twitter for iPhone https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1245009716935188481 2. http://finance.efnchina.com/show-100-68793-1.html Li Lu, the chairman of Himalaya Capital Management, said he was helping to arrange a shipment to the United States of one million masks made by BYD, a Chinese automaker of which Himalaya Capital is a part owner. Since January, Mr. Li had helped to send more than $1.4 million of medical supplies from all over the world to Wuhan, where the outbreak first began. But by the beginning of March, as China was slowly recovering from its epidemic and a crisis was looming in the West, Mr. Li realized he needed to send the supplies in the other direction. When BYD began producing masks in China at the end of February, the Chinese government initially bought up everything they made, he said. Now, the company is busy filling an earlier order of 40 million masks for Italy, but it will send its first order of a million masks to the United States on April 1, Mr. Li said. Mr. Li said he was also speaking with Chinas largest ventilator manufacturer, whose production had been bought up by parties in Europe through September, to try to persuade them to send a few hundred ventilators to the United States. China has the capacity now, and the U.S. has a huge need, Mr. Li said. Weve got to fight together. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/business/economy/coronavirus-china-supplies.html (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: A smartphones with Sprint logo are seen in front of a screen projection of T-mobile logo, in this picture illustration taken April 30, 2018. T-Mobile U.S. Inc said it officially completed the merger with Sprint Corp. The combined corporation will now operate under the T-Mobile name. A U.S. federal judge approved the deal in February, rejecting a claim by a group that claimed the proposed transaction could violate antitrust laws and raise expenses. Now that the deal is eventually closing, it can bring a seismic shift in the cellular world. T-Mobile and Sprint's mixed assets should push the industry further into next-generation technology. They've additionally said they'll lock in client expenses for at least three years. As a part of all the wrangling, Dish Network turns into the fourth countrywide carrier, giving consumers a new alternative. ALSO READ: T-Mobile, Sprint, Comcast Follow AT&T in Waiving Data Caps to Aid the Public as Coronavirus Continue to Spread Why a merger? The merger was formally completed today after clearing several felony hurdles over the last year, including a Department of Justice review and complaints from several states. T-Mobile and Sprint have long courted each other. The logic is simple: Verizon and AT&T are much bigger than either of the two corporations. A merger could create a stronger competitor. Both telecommunication companies tried merging twice before. Sprint parent SoftBank floated the idea of dealing with T-Mobile in 2014. Still, regulators and the White House were eager to keep four countrywide competitors. Trump's administration and the FCC have been more open to deals, which is why each facet got close to an agreement in 2017. The deal failed in the latter part of that year. SoftBank and T-Mobile discern Deutsche Telekom could not agree on how much each facet might get. ALSO READ: T-Mobile, Sprint trade punches with unlimited data, cheaper offers So Dish might be a brand new fourth carrier? Yes. Though it is unclear what the service will seem like beyond using Sprint's prepaid commercial enterprise and retail stores. Under the deal, Dish will pay $1.4 billion for the prepaid corporations and $3.6 billion for the 800MHz spectrum. Dish already has spectrum holdings in the 600MHz and 700MHz bands, in addition to a few midland holdings that'll permit for higher speeds. "Taken together, these opportunities will set the stage for our entry as the nation's fourth facilities-based wireless competitor and accelerate our work to launch the country's first standalone 5G broadband network," Dish CEO Charlie Ergen said in a statement. What's it all imply for consumers? That's the $26 billion question. T-Mobile and Sprint promise a combined community that'll deliver higher provider at lower charges. They argue that their blended scale could assist them in constructing out a faster, more efficient group. But consumer groups disagree. "This deal could be most dangerous to the two carriers' poorer and greater urban patron base, who pays dearly for this aggregate after yet every other failure by our nation's antitrust enforcers," stated Matt Wood, vice chairman of the policy and general counsel for Free Press. "This approval is nothing but bad information for individuals who already pay too much for critical communications services." What occurs to current service plans? T-Mobile's declined to comment on what the corporations plan to do with some of the ultra-competitive grandfathered plans that customers have clung to. T-Mobile usually has been excellent about honoring existing plans inside its personal service. However, it is doubtful what it'd do with Sprint's plans. How will the migration happen? The groups say it would take about three years to migrate customers over to the T-Mobile network. Though each company guides LTE, T-Mobile's older network is primarily based on a technology known as GSM, and Sprint is based totally on CDMA -- incompatible networks. Fortunately, famous telephones like some Samsung and the iPhones on Sprint can run on T-Mobile. The new 5G-enabled phones are also supported on each network. Sievert says there are about 20 million Sprint phones, which might be like-minded on T-Mobile. Eventually, the idea is to get all and sundry onto the T-Mobile community. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Commandant of Armenia Tigran Avinyan today chaired the regular session of the Commandants Office, as reported the news service of the Government of Armenia. Tigran Avinyan said the following: As you know, yesterday we discussed and decided to extend the restrictions on movement and on types of economic activities for another ten days and tighten the restrictions. Today we will make adjustments and fill the gaps. Nevertheless, interregional transportation in Armenia will be sharply restricted. People who go to their workplaces will have to have sheets certifying information about their workplace to be given by the particular employer. Police troops will be joined by the forces of the National Security Service, the Military Police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations so that control will be more effective. Last evening, the National Assembly adopted a bill that is linked to the state of emergency and will provide us with the opportunity to filter, as quickly as possible, the circle of people who might have had contact with an infected person. Public transport is also restricted, and there will only be railway transport. The participants of the session also discussed the placement of special checkpoints, disinfection and anti-epidemic actions and other issues related to the upcoming actions. NEW YORK - In Sandwich, New Hampshire, a town of 1,200 best known as a setting for the movie On Golden Pond," broadband is scarce. Forget streaming Netflix, much less working or studying from home. Even the police department has trouble uploading its reports. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Ashley Bullard, left, sits on the porch of her family's rural home in North Sandwich, N.H., as her daughters Raven, center, a senior in high school, and Willow, right, a freshman at Brandeis University, try to complete their classwork from home during the virus outbreak on a very limited internet connection, Thursday, March 26, 2020. In the town of 1,200 best known as the setting for the movie On Golden Pond," broadband is scarce. Forget streaming Netflix, much less working or studying from home. Even the police department has trouble uploading its reports. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) NEW YORK - In Sandwich, New Hampshire, a town of 1,200 best known as a setting for the movie "On Golden Pond," broadband is scarce. Forget streaming Netflix, much less working or studying from home. Even the police department has trouble uploading its reports. Julie Dolan, a 65-year-old retiree in Sandwich, has asthma. Her husband has high blood pressure. Dolan doubts her substandard home internet could manage a remote medical appointment, and these days no one wants to visit the doctor if they can help it. That leaves 19th-century technology -- her landline phone. "That is all I would have," she says. As schools, workplaces and public services shut down in the age of coronavirus, online connections are keeping Americans in touch with vital institutions and each other. But thats not much of an option when fast internet service is hard to come by. Although efforts to extend broadband service have made progress in recent years, tens of millions of people are still left out, largely because phone and cable companies hesitate to invest in far-flung rural areas. Government subsidies in the billions havent fully fixed the problem. Many more simply can't afford broadband. U.S. broadband costs more than in many comparable countries an average of $58 a month compared to $46.55 across 29 nations, according to a 2018 Federal Communications Commission report. Such disconnected people "already have to work harder to tread water," said Chris Mitchell, who advocates for community broadband service at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. "I dont think people appreciated the magnitude of the problem." Even in cities, the high cost of internet access means many go without. Low-cost local alternatives such as libraries and cafes have shut down. In St. Louis, Stella Ashcraft, 63, lives from check to check and can't afford internet. Her senior centre, where she plays bingo, does puzzles and gets lunch five days a week, is closed. So is her church and the library where she checks email. She's gotten texted photos of her newborn grandchild, but forget about a Zoom call to see the baby. "I feel very withdrawn, isolated, alone," she said. There are no definitive numbers on those without broadband. The FCC puts the number at 21 million, but its data is faulty and most likely undercounts the problem. An independent group called BroadbandNow pegs it at 42 million. The digital divide disproportionately affects rural areas, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans on tribal lands. Phone and cable companies have pledged not to cut people off if they can't pay bills and opened their Wi-Fi hotspots to the public. Some are expanding low-cost programs for poor people and lifting data caps so more people can get and stay connected. Millions of Americans working from home are learning to use online video in place of face-to-face meetings, but thats not an option for those with only a trickle of data service. Brie Morrissey, who owns a building outfitted with broadband in Dublin, New Hampshire, would prefer to maintain social distance by working from home. But she keeps heading into the office for the connection, and as a result, is constantly cleaning the place -- wiping down door knobs, the bathroom sinks and "every inch of the building," she says. Morrissey avoids other tenants and won't rent space to anyone else. Most people recover from the virus, but the elderly and those with underlying conditions are more likely to get seriously ill or die. "I have to tell people to stay home and that we cant accommodate them, which is a hard thing to do for a small business owner in a small town," she said. "You obviously want to help. But following guidelines means for the most part we cant." Students, meanwhile, struggle with a "homework gap" when they cant get or submit assignments, much less watch online lectures or participate in discussions. Online schoolwork is now the norm, but the millions of students who don't have home internet or access to computers at home require creative solutions as schools shut down. In rural western Alabama, less than 1% of Perry County's roughly 9,100 residents have high-quality internet at home, so online lessons are out. County teachers spent three days manually loading scanned images of math worksheets and other materials on to iPads and Chromebooks for the systems 1,100 students to take home while out of class, said Superintendent John Heard. A New York City family shelter has no Wi-Fi and 175 school-age children, only 15 of whom have laptops. City schools are sending some kids tablets equipped with internet service. But Estrella Montanez, who runs the shelter, worries that kids will have trouble managing remote work. "Many families are not so tech-savvy," she said. Lawmakers want the federal government to send schools and libraries more money to lend out Wi-Fi hotspots to students. But the FCC says it's not authorized to do that under current law and is discussing a solution with Congress. 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. On Navajo Nation, the countrys largest Native American reservation, its common to see people sitting in their vehicles at night outside local government centres, fast-food restaurants and grocery stores to connect to Wi-Fi. Dine College is lending laptops to students and asking internet providers to improve service. Digital-access advocates hope that this crisis propels the government to do more to get people connected. In some places, relief was expected later this year. But that's too late to help with the current crisis. A cable company is supposed to start servicing Berkshires town Peru, Massachusetts, later this year. State Rep. Paul Mark has only satellite internet now, though, and that doesn't let him videoconference. Even Facebook video is a strain. And, like many others in his area, he also has unreliable mobile service at home. To help his constituents, he has to get in his car and drive around to get on calls and go on local TV and radio. "Its a hassle," he said during a recent phone interview from his car as he drove to the Boston statehouse. Then the line went dead. ___ AP writers Jay Reeves contributed from Birmingham, Alabama; Anthony Izaguirre from Charleston, W.Va.; Michael Casey from Boston; Wilson Ring from Stowe, Vermont; and Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona contributed to this report. Hyderabad, April 1 : The Telangana government on Wednesday formed a committee of officers for disposal of bodies of suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19. The Department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development issued an order, constituting eight-member committee to ensure disposal of dead bodies as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) stipulated by the government of India. The order was issued after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar. It was attended by the Director General of Police, Special Chief Secretary, Health Medical and Family Welfare Department and others. The panel headed by N. Ravi Kiran, Zonal Commissioner, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will monitor the disposal of bodies in GHMC limits. The panel members include two professors from Gandhi Medical College, Osmania Medical College and a police officer. Telangana has already reported six deaths due to Covid-19. All of them had attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:27:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese commercial property giant Dalian Wanda Commercial Management Group Co., Ltd. will offer coupons worth nearly 200 million yuan (about 28.2 million U.S. dollars) to consumers to encourage spending in its vast offline retail complex network. Starting from Wednesday, the company's 320 Wanda Plazas will offer a total of 3.84 million coupons to consumers this month, with each coupon worth 50 yuan, Wanda said in a statement. Consumers can get the coupon via online and offline draws, and enjoy the bill deduction at certain catering businesses and apparel shops in these Wanda Plazas. The move is expected to boost business for its over 60,000 merchant partners in Wanda Plazas amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The company earlier had offered them support, such as waiving or delaying payments of rent and property management fees. All of the company's Wanda Plazas across the country have reopened for business, Wanda said. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Xixi National Wetland Park during an inspection in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) HANGZHOU, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Tuesday inspected wetland conservation and technology-based urban management in the city of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. During the inspection, Xi visited the Xixi National Wetland Park and the City Brain, a smart city platform aiming to improve urban management. Hangzhou's City Brain project was launched in 2016 to help the city make plans in areas including public security, transport and healthcare with the use of big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, among other cutting-edge technologies. With a total area of 11.5 square kilometers, the Xixi National Wetland Park is the first national wetland park in the country. The momentum for Oregon lawmakers to return to Salem for a special session on the states coronavirus response has eased this week, as top leaders from both parties on Tuesday cited a variety of reasons to wait. Last week, a co-chair of the coronavirus legislative committee said he expected lawmakers to hold a session this week and Gov. Kate Brown also said leaders were looking at convening this week. The outlook has shifted, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said in an interview Tuesday. "We wont have a special session this week, Im not gonna deny that, Courtney said. Courtney wouldnt discuss whether he believes there is an urgent need for legislation to address the coronavirus health crisis and its economic impacts. Its the governors call to call us (into special session) and when she does, well go, Courtney said. "She has more or less said she wants to make sure she knows what the (federal) economic stimulus is doing. And theres some speculation shell wait until the (May 20 state tax revenue) forecast. Oregon leaders are already expecting the near shutdown of certain sectors of the economy will devastate state revenues and that will likely require lawmakers to rebalance the state budget. An updated revenue forecast could give lawmakers a better idea of the resources they might realistically have to work with for the remainder of the biennium, which runs through June 2021. A spokesman for Brown confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the governor is still working with legislative leaders to assess what the impact of the federal aid package will be in Oregon. Conversations are still ongoing with legislative leadership about holding a special session, press secretary Charles Boyle wrote in an email. Last Wednesday, Brown said in a call with reporters she expected Oregon would receive $1.2 billion in federal aid from Congress $2 trillion economic stabilization package. House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, of Canby, said in an interview Tuesday that the federal money could end up largely covering Oregons immediate needs so it is important for state leaders to fully analyze how it compares to the states needs and where lawmakers might still need to fill any gaps. The federal package we now know is going to provide a lot of relief, Drazan said. "Were just waiting to get the information we need for people to fully understand the best use of Oregons dollars. She pointed out that unlike the federal government, Oregon is required by law to maintain a balanced budget. House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, has been pushing for a special session to happen as soon as possible. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday. In the Senate, Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger of Grants Pass said the governors broad executive powers have allowed her to respond to public health crisis and economic damage from coronavirus without immediately needing lawmakers to pass legislation. I think just were trying to figure out where were at, Baertschiger said. "Where were at with the virus, where were at with the politics, where were at with the government stimulus package, where were at with our own budget. Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature are not all in agreement on one proposed economic response, a request from a wide array of businesses to delay or tweak the states new business tax to fund education. But Baertschiger said lawmakers from both parties who were fighting like cats and dogs roughly a month ago when Republicans walked out to kill Democrats priority climate bill are now focused on getting help to Oregonians and discussing, 'How are we gonna fix this?' Another question that remains unsettled: Whether lawmakers, particularly those who are older or have underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk from COVID-19, will be required to show up in person at the Capitol for an eventual special session. In 2012, voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution that gave the governor the power to allow the Legislature to vote remotely by declaring a disaster. Brown has not said whether she would do that, but it would be one way to allow the states 90 lawmakers to vote while still following public health guidelines that people stay at least 6 feet apart. Drazan said it might not be necessary for lawmakers to vote remotely, since each chamber only needs a two-thirds quorum to hold votes meaning vulnerable lawmakers could stay home and legislative leaders could tweak their parliamentary rules in unspecified ways to allow lawmakers to keep a distance from each other while voting. Courtney said he firmly supports remote voting. The safety of the members and their families and the public is playing into this vote, how we come to the capitol, Courtney said. "I do support the remote voting I do support it and have now for weeks. Boyle, the governors press secretary, said Brown was carefully considering whether to use the power because it can only be invoked once per emergency ... We would want to be extremely confident we had everything figured out before calling an Article X session. -- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Central Bank of Uzbekistan ordered a temporary suspension of cash and currency exchange offices located outside the buildings of commercial banks, Trend reports citing Uzbek media. The exceptions are organizations that provide urgent services to citizens (such as bank cash desks in public service centers), banking infrastructure in the customs border zone and mobile cash desks for distribution of pensions and benefits. Banks should stop providing all reports (by agreement with the relevant department of the Central Bank), except for reports on issues of banking system stability and implementation of urgent tasks. The order also provides for the transfer of all bank clients to remote service. Asaka bank, Turonbank, Trustbank, Alokabank, Khamkorbank and others informed about changes in their work. In particular, they also announced the suspension of international money transfers located outside their respective bank buildings. The currency exchange offices will continue to operate in the buildings of the banks themselves. Also, citizens can use mobile applications of banks or ATMs. A former recruiter at Facebook hired to diversify its workforce has filed a $100m lawsuit against the social media giant, alleging she was discriminated against based on her race and disability, as well as harassed. Anastasia Boone Talton and her legal representatives filed the complaint against Facebook with California's Superior Court of San Mateo on 17 March. According to court documents filed by Boone Talton, the complaint for damages accuses Facebook of eight offences including discrimination and harassment, failure to accommodate her disability, retaliation, wrongful termination and breach of contract. She has requested a trial by jury. Anastasia Boone Talton worked for Facebook as a recruiter and was tasked with improving the company's workforce, but claims that the company prevented her from doing her job In a video posted to her social media feeds, she sits with her Lawyer who reads her public statement and explains they have filed a $100m lawsuit against the silicon valley giant In a video posted on her Facebook and Twitter pages, Boone Talton sits with her lawyer who reads her public statement. 'I'm here with my client, Anastasia Boone Talton, a senior talent acquisition specialist, who was hired to diversify Facebook,' she says. 'We are here to announce that Ms Boone Talton was not able to do her job, and as such she will be filing a case for $100m against Facebook in the San Mateo Superior Court.' In the video, Boone Talton's experience as a diversity recruiter is described by her lawyer. She says that Facebook only 'paid lip service' to its diversity goals, and would fly candidates out to be interviewed at their company headquarters just to meet a quota. '[Facebook] would simply fly out a candidate just to make the quota of saying that they interviewed at least one diverse candidate, but nine times out of ten, that person was not hired,' her Lawyer says. Boone Talton claims that Facebook would simply fly candidates out to its corporate headquarters campus in Menlo Park, California, just to meet diversity interview quotas Boone Talton complained to Facebook about the culture she had experienced, but says after doing so she was shunned from social events with her colleagues The lawsuit alleges that when Boone Talton complained to Facebook about what she had seen, she was excluded from company social events and was told she was not a 'cultural fit' after asking for her medical issues to be accommodated. 'When Ms Boone Talton complained to management, she was shunned, she was kept out of diversity planning meetings, she wasn't given her Facebook anniversary balloon, and she was kept away from extra curricular activities that other employers were able to do, such as go to happy hours and outings as a team,' her Lawyer says in the video. The statement explains that what made her file the complaint and come forward about her experience was the fact a male colleague who was hired at the same time was allegedly given preferential treatment and promoted to manager. Despite this, she claims that she was still doing the same work as her colleague but getting paid less than he was, which is the grounds for the violation of the equal pay act complaint. In a statement published by Business Insider, Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson said: 'We don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind at Facebook and absolutely disagree with the account presented in this claim. 'We are proud of our efforts to find, grow and keep diverse talent, and of the support we provide to our employees with disabilities.' Facebook's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This is not the first time the social media giant Facebook has been accused of a similar culture, with Chia Hong filing a lawsuit in 2015 As is referenced in the video, this is not the first time Facebook has been accused of similar actions in a court of law. In 2015, Chia Hong filed a lawsuit against Facebook in the same court against Facebook for gender discrimination and racial discrimination. The parties underwent a voluntary mediation out of court, and the case was voluntarily dismissed by Hong. It is unknown whether a settlement was reached. India's Aviation Behemoth HAL Expects More Orders as It Completes Production of Su-30MKI Sputnik News 17:07 GMT 31.03.2020(updated 17:38 GMT 31.03.2020) New Delhi (Sputnik): State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has recorded a turnover of more than INR 21,100 crore ($3 billion) for the financial year ending on 31 March 2020. The company said that the production facility of Su-30MKIs is expected to continue to be in operation as the Indian Air Force may opt for more fighter jets. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has completed the production of all 272 Su-30MKIs contracted to HAL by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the current year and is expecting to get a few additional orders for the multi-role fighter jet, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. India's state-owned HAL was producing 272 Su-30MKI fighter jets on a license from Russia's United Aircraft Corporation. The company, which is assembling each aircraft at $70.3 million, also expects to continue the Nasik facility for the assembly of additional Su-30MKIs for the IAF. HAL set up a Su-30 (MKI) Refuelling and Overhaul (ROH) project stores facility in Nasik city in Maharashtra state in 2014. Sputnik reported last year that the state-owned firm had requested that the Defence Ministry provide an additional order for the assembly of 72 Su-30MKI fighters for about $5 billion. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, in a media interaction in October 2019, confirmed that the additional Sukhoi-30MKI fighters would be built by HAL in Nasik. "We are moving towards ordering 12 more Sukhoi-30s. Whether we need some more in lieu of aircraft that are going to get phased out from 2025 onwards we will have to take a look later. But at the moment, 12 is what is being followed up straightaway", Bhadauria said. HAL on Tuesday hoped that with additional Su-30MKI orders and the expected order for 83 domestically made MK1A LCA, "the order book is likely to attain a healthy position during the next financial year 2020-21". For the financial year 2019-20, HAL recorded a turnover of over INR 21,100 crore ($3 billion). Improved Sukhoi-30MKI The IAF chief also provided details on upgrading the Sukhoi-30MKI with modern "radar and weapons capabilities and also tackling obsolescence management and electronic warfare aspects". Earlier this year, the IAF commissioned its first squadron of Su-30MKI with the BrahMos-A (Air) supersonic cruise missiles in the southern part of the country to counter threats emanating from the Indian Ocean Region. HAL has said that the avionics upgrade of the SU-30MKIs and BrahMos missile modifications would be a game-changer and is important for the future growth of the company. Currently, the Indian Air Force has been facing a shortage of over 250 fighter jets against a required strength of 42 squadrons (18-20 fighter jets in each). A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The breakthrough agreement inked by the two companies positions them as dominant players in the international cannabis market. The agreement is expected to cover more markets in the future. To date, collaborations between large pharmaceutical and medical cannabis companies were limited to research and development partnerships or local-scale distribution. The establishment of the business collaboration reflects Neuraxpharm's and Panaxia's strategy to become a European leader in the commercialization of medical cannabis products. Currently, a complex patchwork and different regulatory approaches for cannabis use are found across the European countries. While the sector is still in its early stages, market possibilities are expected to increase strongly with the growing acceptance of medical cannabis in more countries. With its direct presence in now 12 European countries and annual revenues of around EUR 480 million, Neuraxpharm is a leading European CNS Specialist. Neuraxpharm covers over 80% of the European CNS drug market with its pharmaceutical products with more than 130 different CNS active ingredients. With over 60,000 patients treated with medical cannabis (out of a total population of 82.8 million), Germany is the largest medical cannabis market outside the USA. The average cannabis expenditure per patient in Germany is EUR500 per month. The market is backed by regulatory support, concurrently with strict quality standards and increasing demand for advanced administration methods. With the consistent increase in the number of patients treated with medical cannabis, the market is expected to account for 1-2% of Germany's population in four years. Products are prepared and sold prescription only by specially certified pharmacies. Initial sales in Germany of the Panaxia / Neuraxpharm medical cannabis products are expected upon the receipt of the regulatory approval later in 2020. Under the business collaboration, Panaxia will be responsible for manufacturing the products according to EU-GMP standards, as well as for the development and production of advanced new products, including tablets, suppositories and inhaled products. Panaxia will also be responsible for registering the products for commercialization according to the German regulatory requirements. Neuraxpharm will be responsible for branding, market penetration and distribution of the products to all certified pharmacies in Germany. The business collaboration includes a mutual option to consider expanding the collaboration to other EU countries. Dr. Jorg-Thomas Dierks, CEO of Neuraxpharm, commented: "As a leading European pharmaceutical company specialized in CNS, we are delighted to announce this promising collaboration with Panaxia, a leader in medical cannabis products. As part of our commitment to find new solutions for unmet needs, we are truly excited to jointly pioneer in the fast growing medical cannabis sector and expand our portfolio of products in CNS. This follows our recent entry into the market for cannabidiol (CBD) products, and is a logical step that further strengthens our specialist position in Germany, and subsequently in other European countries." Dr. Dadi Segal, CEO of Panaxia Labs Israel, commented: "We are excited and proud to have an European leader of Neuraxpharm's caliber select Panaxia to move forward together into the medical cannabis market. Having Neuraxpharm distribute our products in Germany is not only an incredible achievement for Panaxia, but also strong momentum for the medical cannabis industry in general and for the Israeli medical cannabis industry in particular. For the first time, an international pharmaceutical player includes medical cannabis products in its portfolio, formally acknowledging the market need and the medical value of cannabis based products. As a company with global capabilities since its inception, Panaxia manufactures according to the strictest scientific standards. We are beginning to see the fruits and to realize our business potential in sales in Europe's largest market, and in additional EU countries at a later stage. We are confident this is a favorable signal of the strong interest the pharmaceutical world has in Panaxia's products." About Neuraxpharm the European CNS specialist Neuraxpharm is a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders (CNS) with a direct presence in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Hungary and Portugal. Backed by funds advised by Apax Partners, Neuraxpharm has a unique understanding of the CNS market built over 35 years. With its focus on CNS, Neuraxpharm develops and commercializes value added medicines, standard generics and Consumer Healthcare products, e.g. probiotics and other nutraceuticals, and is continuously striving to offer a wide range of effective, high quality and affordable CNS treatment options in Europe. Present with its products in more than 50 countries, Neuraxpharm also manufactures pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients in its own manufacturing sites in Spain, Lesvi and Inke. To learn more about Neuraxpharm, please visit: https://www.neuraxpharm.com About Panaxia Israel Panaxia Labs Israel, Ltd. is a publically traded company at TASE (TASE:PNAX). It is the largest Israeli manufacturer and home-delivery distributor of medical cannabis products, and the first to have received the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Health for the manufacturing of medicinal cannabis based pharmaceuticals (under the IMC-GMP directive). The company manufactures over 30 hemp-based medicinal products and has accumulated a broad foundation of clinical experience based on tens of thousands of patients. Panaxia is part of the Segal Pharma Group, owned by the Segal family and founded over forty years ago. The company manufactures over 600 different pharmaceutical products that are distributed in over 40 countries worldwide. Panaxia Labs Israel is a subsidiary of Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries, co-founded by Dr. Dadi Segal, Dr. Eran Goldberg, and Assi Rotbart, Adv. as the cannabis division of the Segal Pharma Group. A sister subsidiary, Panaxia US, manufactures in North America over 60 hemp-based medicinal products, including sublingual tablets, lozenges, oils, and inhalators aimed for the treatment of conditions such as PTSD, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, anorexia, burns, and many other ailments. Panaxia Group has over 150 employees, and all clinical trials are conducted by in-house. The Segal Pharma Group additionally owns Luminera Derm, manufacturer of injectable dermal fillers, and Tree of Life Pharma, manufacturer of over-the-counter drugs. For more information, visit the Panaxia website at: https://panaxia.co.il/ For further information please contact: Gali Dahan +972(52)3935529 [email protected] SOURCE Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries LTD.; Neuraxpharm Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:22:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BANGKOK, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's opposition Pheu Thai Party leader Sompong Amornvivat on Wednesday pledged to work with the government in the fight against COVID-19. "Thailand is now facing a crisis of immense proportions, which is affecting everyone's daily life, with impacts on our health, income and the economy, all of which challenges our ability to weather the crisis together," said Sompong. "Saving lives is our top priority," said Sompong, urging all parties to act wisely. "We will work with the government to find solutions to weather through this very tough period," said Sompong. Sompong said the opposition will cooperate fully in the allocation of funding and finding creative solutions to the imminent problems, including unemployment in the service, tourism and restaurant businesses. Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 120 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths, with the total number of confirmed cases in the country rising to 1,771 and death toll at 12. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). Tests, hospitalizations and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Information on cases linked to these places comes from official releases by governments, companies and institutions directly. The Times is publishing lists of groupings of 50 or more cases related to a specific site, workplace or event. In the first year of the pandemic, The Times tracked cases in the types of places with some of the worst outbreaks, like nursing homes , food processing plants and correctional facilities . Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Select a table header to sort by another metric. About the data In data for New Hampshire, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state. The state does not update its data on weekends. Prior to June 2021, it released new data daily. The state reports cases and deaths based on a persons permanent or usual residence. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes Dec. 31, 2021: New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Dec. 24, 2021: New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Nov. 25, 2021: New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. New Hampshire did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. Nov. 11, 2021: New Hampshire did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. New Hampshire did not announce new data because of the Veterans Day holiday. Oct. 26, 2021 to Nov. 1, 2021: New Hampshire reported many cases on Nov. 1 after the state was unable to report data regularly the week of Oct. 25 because of technical issues. New Hampshire reported many cases on Nov. 1 after the state was unable to report data regularly the week of Oct. 25 because of technical issues. Sept. 6, 2021: The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. The daily count could be artificially low because many jurisdictions did not announce new data on Labor Day. Feb. 17, 2021: New Hampshire added a backlog of 421 cases from November, December and January. New Hampshire added a backlog of 421 cases from November, December and January. Jan. 2, 2021: New Hampshire reported data for two days after reporting no data on New Year's Day. New Hampshire reported data for two days after reporting no data on New Year's Day. Dec. 26, 2020: New Hampshire reported data for Dec. 25 and 26 after reporting no data on Christmas. New Hampshire reported data for Dec. 25 and 26 after reporting no data on Christmas. Nov. 27, 2020: New Hampshire reported data for Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 after reporting no data on Thanksgiving. New Hampshire reported data for Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 after reporting no data on Thanksgiving. Oct. 2, 2020: New Hampshire began reporting probable cases identified through antigen testing and also reported a backlog of 22 cases from one laboratory. The tallies on this page include cases and deaths that have been identified by public health officials as probable coronavirus patients through antigen testing. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. All that the world needs right now is a collective hug. It also needs right now is empathy, your sense of responsibility and sincerity. It's not just about 'me' at this hour but every action is about a collective 'we' as it impacts and affects everything and everyone around us. Every day, we are reading the news of film celebrities all over the world showing up for people who have been hit the most with the lockdown. While many celebrities are posting perfectly-crafted tweets for their donations, there is one actor, who is doing all its takes to save the farmers. Sacred Games actor, Rajshri Deshpande, who is also an activist is currently working in all her capacity and tirelessly for drought-affected villages in Maharashtra. Why is Rajshri the hero we needed right now? Because, Rajshri-the activist believes in doing, rather than talking. Not many know that she has been extensively dedicated to humanitarian causes. In 2014, after the Nepal earthquake, she worked with an international NGO in one of the villages. In 2015, she adopted a drought-prone village in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra called 'Pandhari' and single-handedly executed a rainwater harvesting project, built toilets, conducted a health check-up and community motivation camps and built an eco-sensitive school in the same village. She later adopted one more village in the region. In 2018, she created the Nabhangan Foundation (www.nabhanganfoundation.org )so that she could intensify her efforts towards sustainable village development. How is Rajshri saving her village from the Coronavirus crisis? Right after COVID-19 news, she knew that the safety of the people of her adopted-village Pandhari in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra is a duty. She took to Instagram to share how she decided to halt the construction work of her school. She started collaborating and working with the village sarpanch for chalking out an actionable plan of action so that she could safeguard her villagers, who are hit in the worst possible way amid this pandemic. Sharing her plan of action, she wrote: "Low .. helpless. After closely working for villages affected in floods, earthquakes, drought now its difficult to see the whole world suffering from coronavirus. The situation around us is tensed. There are so many people in Pandhari village in fact almost all the villages of India are daily wage workers. Farming happens maximum 4 months and 8 months they have no work so they join nearby factories as labor or travel to some metropolitan city .. now they all are at home in their villages some reached and some are still on their way .. walking from the highways, suffering in the sun without food, water with their kids on shoulders with elders and trying to reach their villages their home where they have a roof on their head where they feel safe. They all are trying to understand the situation But their first priority is to keep their kids and elders safe. Villages are majorly dependent on everyday jobs. Now, what next will be a major issue with them? Today lets fight this #covd19 virus first and soon start working on long term solutions where they can be self-sustainable in any condition. After Pandhari village school I wish to build a hospital for poor people. We seriously need more hospitals .... hope my wish comes true." Deshpande also added that the situation could be in control in no time as the villages are self-sufficient and some villagers are also making masks and distributing them to the whole village. The corona lockdown has also hit disrupted her personal life. She is currently self-isolating herself in Kerala after her shoot was halted because of the lockdown. Rajshri is the kind of hero we really need today and these are the kind of stories we need to tell the world! More power to you, woman! A healthy teenager died from suspected coronavirus after being told he had nothing to worry about. Luca Di Nicola, 19, worked as a chef at a family restaurant in Enfield, North London, before contracting Covid-19. Originally from east Italy, Luca, died at the North Middlesex Hospital in London. His family described him as very healthy, although he did visit a GP with coronavirus symptoms before he died. Speaking to Italian news outlet La Repubblica, Lucas auntie said: For a week before his death Luca had a fever and a cough and my sister-in-law Clarissa and her partner Vincenzo who lived in the same house also had it. The London-based doctor gave my nephew some paracetamol. But Luca got worse on March 23. The doctor visited him at home and told him that he was young, strong and that he didnt have to worry about that bad flu. However, Lucas condition worsened when he collapsed after complaining of chest pains. Family members called an ambulance, and paramedics managed to revive him, but his lungs collapsed. There are now fears that Lucas mum Clarissa and Vincenzo may have the disease after showing similar symptoms. They have been told to self-isolate for two weeks. Italy continues to be Europes worst affected country for coronavirus, with almost 11,000 deaths. The country has recorded more than 92,000 cases of Covid-19, with 919 dying in a single day on Friday, Italys largest daily toll. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Chinese FM calls for adherence to multilateralism, solidarity in fight against COVID-19 People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 16:08, March 31, 2020 BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday spoke with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron, with the two sides vowing to uphold multilateralism in the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Wang said that the two heads of state recently called on the international community to unite in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit, injecting important impetus into global cooperation against the outbreak. In the face of the global spread of the pandemic, the international community should strengthen confidence and respond with cooperation, instead of going its own way, Wang added. Noting that China, despite its huge domestic demand, remains open to the export of anti-epidemic supplies, Wang said the Chinese side believes that helping other countries combat the epidemic is also helping the country itself. China will continue to provide assistance to France in purchasing supplies and equipment for epidemic control, he added. The fight against the pandemic once again demonstrates that mankind, living in a global village together, is a community with a shared future, Wang said, urging to hold high the banner of multilateralism in the joint efforts to address various global challenges. Noting that any unilateralism or egotism is neither desirable nor popular, Wang said the Chinese side stands ready to strengthen multilateral cooperation and coordination with the French side in the joint fight against the pandemic. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China holds a positive attitude towards any initiative conducive to promoting international cooperation in epidemic control and stands ready to maintain communication with all parties, including France. It is imperative to fully implement the important consensus reached at the G20 leaders' summit, he added. Bonne, for his part, said both sides share highly consistent views and that facing the rapid spread of the epidemic, the international community needs to unite as one and step up coordination so as to prevail over the difficulties together. He thanked China for its support of anti-epidemic supplies to France, which demonstrates the profound friendship and good relations between France and China, while hoping that China will continue to provide convenience to France's commercial procurement of anti-epidemic equipment in China. Bonne said the French side is satisfied with the outcomes of the G20 leaders' summit, and stands ready to work with the Chinese side to uphold multilateralism, advance cooperation under such multilateral frameworks as the UN Security Council, and advance third-party cooperation in the health care and economic development in Africa. When the epidemic is over, he added, high-level exchanges and practical cooperation between France and China will make further progress. Enditem NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UNITED NATIONS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China has led other United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members to set up new working modalities for emergencies amid COVID-19, in an effort to ensure the council functions effectively and plays its due role, according to a Chinese envoy. During its presidency of the UNSC last month, China has explored emergency work plans and created new modalities, making it possible for the council to discharge its mandate, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, also president of the Security Council for the month of March, said Tuesday in a briefing on the council's work in March. The security council has "pioneered and recorded two breakthroughs for first time in history," Zhang noted. Council members, with the technical support of the UN Secretariat, set up a video teleconference (VTC) system and the first VTC meeting was held last week. The council also voted in written procedures for the first time. Its members wrote to the UN Secretariat informing their voting positions on four council resolutions on Monday. "I am pleased to see that the new working modalities have continued to improve, and countries directly concerned have been able to attend and address the VTC meetings. I am convinced that this working modalities will become more mature," Zhang said. Despite the pandemic, the council has adopted six resolutions, one presidential statement, five press statements and multiple press elements, among which two outcome products are the first of its kind in history. Under China's initiative, it was the first time that the council engaged in a thematic discussion on countering terrorism and extremism in Africa and adopted a presidential statement, which underscored the importance of a holistic approach, including capacity building, information sharing, and border control. It was also the first time that the council adopted Resolution 2518, which highlights the safety and security of peacekeepers and urges the international community to increase investment in peacekeeping operations. Facing the spread of COVID-19, China has made timely adjustments to the UNSC's daily work and took necessary precautionary measures to reduce the risks of infection, including asking each delegation to send no more than three participants for each meeting and moving internal consultations to the UN Chamber which is more spacious. "Making the Security Council well-functioning is, in itself, combating the pandemic and lending confidence and strength to the whole world," he noted, adding that China will continue to overcome difficulties to maintain transparency as much as possible and ensure appropriate participation of all member states. By Akbar Mammadov The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have made a press statement on the so-called elections in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on March 31. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) have taken note of the so-called general elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, the first round of which took place on 31 March, the press statement said. In the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Co-Chairs recognize the role of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future in accordance with the principles and elements reiterated in the Co-Chairs statement of 9 March 2019. The Co-Chairs note, however, that Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized as an independent and sovereign state by any of the Co-Chair countries or any other country, the Co-Chairs stressed. Accordingly, the Co-Chairs do not accept the results of these elections as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the statement said. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A pen pal friendship between a six-year-old boy from London and an eight-year-old girl from Yemen has been described as humbling by a charity. Apollo, from London, was put in contact with Razan, from Yemen, by Save The Children after he asked for donations to the charity instead of birthday presents. The two have been pen pals since October 2019, and first bonded over their love of animals. Im very worried that its not fair that we have everything we need and that children in Yemen dont have anything, Apollo said in a statement. The friendship began when Apollo saw Razans story in a campaign run by Save The Children. Born in the war-torn city of Hodeidah, Razan and her family were forced to flee their home during an airstrike. In the attack, shrapnel from a bomb seriously injured Razans eye. Touched by her story, Apollo decided to write to Razan through the charity, asking: Do you like animals too? Once Razan had recovered from her injuries in hospital, she replied: I like black and white rabbits. (Save The Children/PA) George Graham, Save The Childrens children and armed conflict director, said: The story of Apollo and Razans friendship is incredibly humbling. Despite their differences, separated by a vicious war and living half a world apart, they are united by their human connection. These children serve as a timely reminder to us all that kindness is a universal language. (Save The Children/PA) Razan is still receiving support from the charity to help her deal with her experiences. Im happy. Im not going back to the hospital and Im happy that Im alive, she said. Mr Graham said: At a time when healthcare in the UK has never been under more pressure, it is sobering to think about the catastrophic devastation that coronavirus could cause in a country like Yemen, whose health system has been decimated by war for five years. As Britain rightly focuses on halting the spread of the coronavirus here in the UK, we must not forget that we can still transform the lives of children like Razan. [April 01, 2020] TransPerfect Offers Corporations Free Customized COVID-19 Prevention Tips Video in 11 Languages TransPerfect, the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, has created a customizable COVID-19 Prevention Tips video for corporations. This video, available in 11 languages, is being offered free of charge, customized with company logos for requesting organizations, with the goal of raising employee awareness of general safety tips to prevent the spread of the virus. In the week since the video was first made available, more than 500 companies have taken advantage of TransPerfect's offer. Companies requesting the video include an array of industry-leading corporations from virtually every sector, financial institutions, and law firms from around the globe. The video was produced by TransPerfect's Propulse Video division, a Barcelona-based creative agency. Propulse specializes in professional video content, including training and corporate explainer videos, and their resources comprise copy and script writers, animators, live-action video production teams, and post-production experts. Localization and voiceover work was completed through a joint effort between Propulse and TransPerfect's Barcelona production center and linguistic teams. The video is currently available in English (US), English (UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Requests for the video can be made at www.transperfect.com/covid19video. Noncustomized versions for each language can be delivered within 24 hours. Versions branded with a logo provided by the requesting company take 3-5 business days. All videos provided through this program include a license to share and distribute the video through company channels in perpetuity. TransPerfect President and CEO Phil Shawe remarked, "TransPerfect is fortunate that our business model can accommodate working remotely during this crisis, and we're happy to be in a position to donate our services-especially those aimed at fighting this horrific pandemic." About TransPerfect TransPerfect is the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 5,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink Product Suite to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005589/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. The number of people diagnosed with coronavirus COVID-19 in Michigan climbed by 1,719 cases Wednesday, April 1, bringing the states total confirmed cases to 9,334. With 78 new deaths reported since Tuesday, Michigan saw a 30 percent increase in fatalities in 24 hours. The number of deaths has reached 337. One week ago today, the state had 2,295 cases and 43 deaths. Confirmed cases have increased significantly each day since the state began reporting numbers in early March. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Sixty-seven of Michigans 83 counties are home to confirmed coronavirus cases. Mackinac County joined the list Wednesday with its first confirmed case. The majority of cases remain in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties with about 80 percent of the cases and almost 88 percent of the states deaths from COVID-19. The trio of counties are home to 39 percent of Michigan residents. The disproportionate number of cases in the metro Detroit area is a result of multiple factors, including the large population, more aggressive testing in those counties and community spread of coronavirus, according to experts. In 24 hours, Detroits total climbed from 2,080 to 2,472 cases with eight new deaths. There are 1,910 cases in Oakland County, up from 1,591 the day before, and 1,088 cases in Macomb County, up from 853 on Tuesday. The two counties reported 29 and 13 new deaths, respectively. Emmet, Ingham and Sanilac counties have each reported their first death from the virus. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Wednesday marked the states largest increase in positive tests in one day and marked the second consecutive day with an increase of more than 1,000 cases. Health officials expected the number of confirmed cases to increase dramatically as more testing has become available. Of the 24,934 total specimens tests in Michigan as of Tuesday, March 31, 5,861 tests were positive (23.5 percent) and 18,963 tests were negative for COVID-19. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 10 after the first cases were identified. Since then, she has closed schools, bars, restaurants and other establishments to prevent further spread of the virus. On Monday, March 23, she issued a stay-at-home order, requiring Michigan residents to stay at home except for essential business. Earlier this week, Whitmer said its important to pause and reflect on the seriousness of this health crisis. I think we have a tendency to look at the numbers, the number of people who test positive, the death count," she said. I think we have to pause and remember that every one of those is a person. Its a Michigander whose life was cut short, who leaves loved ones and friends and a story behind. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. To read more on MLive: Whitmer says those who dont follow Michigan stay home order are incredibly selfish,' risk coronavirus spread Wednesday, April 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Three weeks into Michigans coronavirus crisis, the numbers are rising exponentially About a week after Mayor Ron Nirenberg ordered certain businesses shuttered across San Antonio, a city official paid a visit to a vape shop that remained open on Austin Highway to warn that it was not exempt and must close. But Richard Tisdale, 81, the proprietor of Texas Vape, is having a real hard time complying. Last week, he hastily added some bottles of disinfectant to his stock of vape products, believing this would exempt his shop from the order. It does not, according to the mayors office. On Tuesday morning, Tisdale welcomed a customer inside for business as usual. Im not going to get out of here. My lawyer told me I dont need to get out of here, Tisdale said from his back office, where a wall of photos showed him posing with Texas lawmakers such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz. Ive got too many deliveries still coming. Im not closing the business. Ive already paid for all this product coming in. I have to be here. Tisdales intransigence is a taste of what the city could face as it tries to force hundreds of businesses to comply with a sweeping order meant to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. This week, police had warned 476 non-essential businesses to shutter but had not yet cited any of them. Violating the order carries a fine of up to $2,000 and up to six months in jail. City officials have stressed they want to avoid harsh enforcement and hope businesses comply with the order voluntarily. Theyre going to try to put me in jail, and Im laughing, Tisdale said. Im saying, Youre letting crooks out, and you want to put me in your jail? In another attempt to suppress the virus, local officials have reduced the jail population by 770 inmates, in part by releasing nonviolent misdemeanor offenders. But Tisdale isnt convinced the virus is a major threat, despite projections by public health experts that the virus could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans even with social distancing measures such as the order to shutter his business. I think its way overblown, he said. I think its strictly people that have illnesses. I mean, its a virus. And as soon as they find a shot for it like they did the flu, itll go away. Tisdale defended his resistance to close as a benefit to his customers and employees, adding that few people are ever in the store at one time. Ive got nine employees Im trying to pay and not put out of work, he said. Id have to lay them off. People need vaping equipment to keep them from smoking cigarettes. We have soldiers who come in. And theyre under a lot of stress. And they need their vape. At a virtual town hall last week, local officials specified that vape shops were not exempt from the order, and Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales suggested that their closure was a good thing in light of the virus, which can invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. This would be a good time to reconsider whether or not you want to engage in anything thats going to compromise your lungs, Gonzales said then. This made Tisdale bristle on Tuesday. Now the district attorney says (COVID-19) attacks your lungs? You can go into (expletive) H-E-B and buy a cigarette, he said. Now if youre going to ban it, tell H-E-B you cant sell cigarettes. On Monday, a city officer delivered a red-colored stop work order to Texas Vape, warning it was violating the mayors declaration of a public health emergency. In response, Tisdale tacked a sign to the front of his business. Attention! it read. Due to the City of San Antonios anti-small business policy we are keeping our doors closed. The sign told customers to call one of two phone numbers for deliveries, and urged them to remember all this next election that they kept car washes open but did not allow you to obtain your Vaping needs. Tisdale owns another vape shop in Schertz, where he said he has been allowed to stay open. An ordinance passed last week by the city council there lists specific businesses that must close bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, theaters and massage parlors but allows places of employment that provide critical infrastructure or essential services to remain open. Right now we send (customers) to the Schertz store, Tisdale said. If they come up here, they can stand outside and we sell it to them. See, here comes somebody right now. A man stood outside the shop, reading the sign on the door. If he needs something, just tell him to hand you his credit card and sell it to him, Tisdale told an employee, who opened the door for the customer. Do you have any of the cinnamon bun? asked the customer, a 40-year-old man who gave his name as Nathan S. Let him come in, Tisdale said. Well sell it to him real quick. Were sorry, man. Well sell it to you. Come on in. The man purchased the e-juice for $16.29. Back in his office, Tisdale resumed his rant against the city. How can a car wash be open? Tell me how important that is, he said. But you dont let somebody get their haircut. You can go buy liquor but you cant buy a vape. You cant buy a CBD product but you can go into H-E-B and buy a cigarette. So theres no common sense. If youre going to shut something down, he said, then shut everything down. bchasnoff@express-news.net Ireland has provided 10 million euros to the UNs humanitarian response fund. It will help particularly vulnerable countries in their response to the virus, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The infection is beginning to sweep through Africa and concern has been expressed about lack of intensive care unit beds. Minister Simon Coveney said: We are doing everything possible to ease the impact of the crisis here in Ireland and are making a difference. But as we stay at home to protect our most vulnerable, there are millions of vulnerable people around the world who lack access to such basics as clean water and soap and who need our help if they are to stay safe and well. Helping them is not only the right thing, an expression of our values of solidarity, generosity and compassion, it is also the sensible thing for Ireland to do. He added: That is why today I have allocated 10 million euros from the Irish Aid programme to the UNs global humanitarian appeal, which help meet the most basic and urgent needs of the worlds most vulnerable communities as they resist Covid-19. The additional 10 million euros will be allocated to the WHOs Covid appeal (3.5 million euro); UNHCRs Covid appeal (3.0 million); the World Food Programme in Uganda (one million euro), WHO in Uganda (830,000 euro); WHO in Tanzania (0.5 million euro); Unicef in Tanzania (500,000 euro); and Unicef in Malawi (0.5 million euro) and 315,000 euro funding under Irelands Emergency Response Fund mechanism to NGOs for projects aimed at mitigating the impact of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe, Gaza and Malawi. The RBI on Wednesday provided more time to exporters to collect payment of goods and software sold to overseas buyers and repatriate that to India, as the central bank announced more measures to deal with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. The central bank has also decided to increase the limit of advances it gives to states and UTs by 30 per cent under the Ways and Means (WMA). While announcing further steps for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the RBI also said "it is not necessary" to implement counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) now. On the extension of realisation period of export proceeds, the RBI said that in view of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the time period for realisation and repatriation of export proceeds for exports made up to or on July 31, 2020, has been extended to 15 months from the date of export. "The measure will enable the exporters to realise their receipts, especially from Covid-19 affected countries within the extended period and also provide greater flexibility to the exporters to negotiate future export contracts with buyers abroad," it said. Presently, value of the goods or software exports made by the exporters is required to be realised fully and repatriated to the country within a period of 9 months from the date of exports. On WMA, temporary advances given by the RBI to the government to tide over any mismatch in receipts and payments, the central bank said it has increased WMA limit by 30 per cent from the existing limit for all states/UTs to enable them to tide over the situation arising from the outbreak of the pandemic. The Reserve Bank had constituted an advisory committee to review the WMA limits for state governments and Union territories. The decision to increase the limit has been taken "pending submission" of the final recommendations by the committee, and the revised limits will come into force with effect from April 1, 2020 and will be valid till September 30, 2020. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank had set the WMA limit at Rs 70,000 crore for the central government for the July-September quarter, up from Rs 60,000 crore in the previous quarter. It further said based on the review and empirical analysis of CCyB indicators, it has been decided that "it is not necessary" to activate CCyB for a period of one year or earlier, as may be necessary. The framework on CCyB was put in place by the RBI in terms of guidelines issued in February 2015, wherein it was advised that the CCyB would be activated as and when the circumstances warranted and that the decision would normally be pre-announced. The framework envisages the credit-to-GDP gap as the main indicator, which is used in conjunction with other supplementary indicators. The guidelines were issued with the two-fold aim of ensuring capital buffer for difficult times and restricting banks from indiscriminate lending during the periods of excess credit growth. Last week, the RBI had announced a host of measures, including a sharp reduction in the key lending rate and moratorium on re-payment of term loans as the coronavirus outbreak has triggered global slowdown in economic activities. Photograph: Shashank Parade / PTI Photo. A new rapid Covid-19 test which gives a result within 15 minutes has been rolled out in Thailand. The team behind the strip test at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, hope it will take pressure off hospitals by screening people early. They stressed it has not been designed to replace the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test used by doctors after collecting throat and nasal swabs. But it should ease the burden on the countrys hospitals, where waiting lists for the PCR test are now three to four days long because of an influx of patients as the outbreak intensifies. Professor Narin Hiransuthikul, head of Chulalongkorn Universitys Covid-19 emergency operation centre, where the trial was launched on Monday, said the new test involves a nurse pricking a patients finger to draw blood, which is then added to the strip test. The test works by detecting antibodies (IgG & IgM) in the blood to confirm whether the person has or previously had Covid-19. It gives a positive or negative result within about 10 to 15 minutes, compared to the regular PCR test which takes about twice as long. Dr Hiransuthikul told the Bangkok Post anyone who tests positive will immediately be sent to hospital for the standard PCR test to confirm they have the virus. Those who receive a negative result will be asked to return for another test in three days, he added. The expert said his team had carried out more than 100 trials of the test with 95 per cent accuracy. He told the Bangkok Post the new test would be a game changer as he believed there were about four to five times as many patients as those officially confirmed. Thailand confirmed 120 new cases and two more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 1,771 and 12 fatalities. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially mark the end of their royal status and are now living their non-royal life away from the British monarch. However, the couple, especially Meghan Markle, still cannot escape the complications of her short-lived royal spotlight. Queen Elizabeth, Royal Family "Did What They Could" According to a U.K. news outlet, one royal commentator pointed out that Her Majesty the Queen "did what they could to accommodate Meghan;" however it was not enough. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added that Meghan has the characteristics to be a successful royal, making him believe that the Duchess would cope up as time goes by. "Despite her articulacy and wide appeal as well as championing causes such as female empowerment so successfully, she found the pressures too much even though I think the royals, especially the Queen, did what they could to accommodate her," Fitzwilliams shared. "Megxit" A Big "Shame" Fitzwilliams also described "Megxit" as a big "shame" since this will be forever part of history of the royal family. "The date of Megxit will be remembered as one of sorrow," the royal expert mentioned. The royal commentator also emphasized the conditions of their independence from the British monarchy. "Harry and Meghan finally bow out as senior working royals though it is worth remembering that this arrangement, whereby they remain part of the royal family, keep their titles and don't use them and keep Harry's military posts vacant, will be reviewed with the Queen in a year," he added. After their big announcement earlier this year, the Queen has ordered Meghan and Harry to drop their HRH titles as they step back as senior members of the royal family. Aside from their titles, they are now financially independent and will no longer receive money through the sovereign grant. Sussexes Handling Negative Publicity Fitzwilliams was also puzzled about how the situation was handled from the very start, blaming the Sussexes on how they dealt with negative publicity. This also made him question "whose advice they were taking." The commentator emphasized how the press was handled during Archie's christening, the couple's visit to South Africa and how the tabloids attacked them, and when Meghan Markle served as the guest editor of British Vogue for their September 2019 issue. He also talked about the recent post for their official Instagram account which is the @sussexroyal, saying that the couple's farewell to fans was "lackluster" -- seemingly a "prelude" to something. To symbolize the end of their royal life, Meghan and Prince Harry officially bid goodbye to their 11.3 million Instagram followers. However, although this means the end of their duties as senior royals, their charity work will continue. The couple also thanked the community "for the support, inspiration and the shared commitment" that they have given. The Sussex Welcomed (Not) by Trump As the couple settled their new life in the United States instead of Canada, Meghan and Harry were forced to clarify their arrangements in terms of security after US President Trump welcomed the couple by announcing that they should pay for their security protection. The Sussexes, on the other hand, had no plans to ask the U.S. government for help with their security costs. Penta reflects on the success of its Souper Heroes campaign, and announces extension of its "Buy One, Give One" initiative FRANKFURT, Germany, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last December, Penta launched its Souper Heroes campaign, with the aim of raising money for local charities across Europe and providing hot soup to people in need during the cold winter months. They succeeded: between December 2019 and February 2020, all Pentahotels across Europe and their guests collectively donated over 6,300 soups to the most vulnerable members of society and raised over 13,000 for local charities. Based on the simple principle of "Buy One, Give One," Penta designed a campaign that enabled its guests to participate in local community engagement, giving them the opportunity to become "Souper Heroes." With neighbourhood spirit as a core part of the Penta brand, each Hotel co-operated with a local charity and for each soup purchased, one was donated to the charity partner. Together with new partner Kleinste Soep Fabriek and Penta's Executive Head Chef John King, three delicious organic soups were created, that were available in the hotel restaurants and in jars to take home. Alongside the soup donations, the Pentahotels also raised voluntary cash donations, with 1 added to guests' bills throughout the winter season. As the campaign comes to an end, Penta has announced that they will extend the "Buy One, Give One" initiative permanently. This means that for every soup of the day sold at any Pentahotel, a soup will be donated to someone in the local community. While the donations themselves are significant, Penta's greatest goal with the project has been to inspire people to reflect on their actions, to realise that - just like Penta and their guests - everyone has the power to make a real, positive impact on their local communities. The Souper Heroes campaign has been an exciting step forward in Penta's broader pentagives mission of creating a global brand that continually gives back to the community. Because Penta knows, when you do good, you actually feel good too. Click here for the post campaign video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfCnhxMK10w Click here for the list of all charities supported: https://www.pentahotels.com/docs/Charities.pdf Penta represents a new generation of neighbourhood lifestyle hotels offering modern-minded individuals and business travelers comfort and style in a relaxed atmosphere. Known for its unique interior design and attitude, the lifestyle brand stands for true innovation in the industry's upper-midscale segment. With a total of 28 hotels in operation under the brand across Europe and Asia, the hallmark of the hotel chain is the Pentalounge - a combination of lounge, bar, cafe and reception - that stands out with its "living room" look and feel. For further information and bookings, please visit www.pentahotels.com. Follow us on facebook.com/pentahotels and instagram.com/pentahotels for our latest news. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1140290/Penta_Hotels_Souper_Heroes_Mug.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1140289/Penta_Souper_Heroes.jpg Penta Hotels Worldwide GmbH Global Marketing & Communications Phone: +49-(0)-69-256699-760 E-mail: pr@pentahotels.com It hasnt been a good week for biotech Amarin (AMRN). On Monday, a District of Nevada judge ruled against the company and in favor of two generic drug makers seeking to establish their own versions of Amarins treatment for high triglycerides, Vascepa, thereby, making mincemeat of Amarins six patent claims. Judge Dus ruling caught the Street somewhat by surprise, as it was widely expected Amarin would prevail in the case. Alas, investors were not impressed and on Tuesday, the stock was sent tumbling by a merciless 70%. The next step, naturally, involves an appeal. With this in mind, H.C. Wainwrights Andrew Fein, a long standing Amarin bull, sought clarity on the probability of a successful turnaround following the biotechs appeal. After consulting the firms patent lawyer about Judge Dus record, the statistics dont look particularly promising. Judge Du is a designated patent judge, has officiated a large number of cases, and has a relatively low reversal rate. Specifically, there have been 246 appeals for reversals since 2013, of which only 18 have resulted in a turnaround. While we note that these numbers are specifically for all cases, and not just patent cases, we highlight they do provide an indication of her track record, Fein noted. While the ANDA filers (Dr. Reddys and Hikma Pharmaceuticals) are now free to move forward with their generic versions, such a move is currently unlikely and would be considered a launch at-risk, so long as Amarin is still pursuing a reversal of the verdict. Story continues Due to absent clarity on full ramifications of Judge Du's decision and the full extent of the appellate options available to Amarin, Fein keeps his Buy rating intact, along with the very bullish $51 price target. The contrarian act here, could yield the risk-tolerant investor a massive 1076% gain in the next 12 months, should Feins optimistic scenario play out. (To watch Feins track record, click here) Fein concluded, Going forward, we hope to gain further clarity specifically on: (1) possible competing ANDA approval; (2) potential generic manufacturing and launch capacity, albeit in the context of Vascepas characterized complex manufacturing requirements; and (3) traction in Amarins appeals process. It is possible the majority of analysts havent yet managed to update their models following the ruling. Amarins Moderate Buy consensus rating breaks down into 8 Buys and 3 Holds. With an average price target of $29.57, the upside potential hits 580%. (See Amarin price targets and analyst ratings on TipRanks) 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. Mumbai, April 1 : India captain Virat Kohli will have a chat session with former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, he told his social media followers on Wednesday. "Tomorrow at 7 PM IST my good friend @KP24 and I are going live on Instagram. Tune in to catch us chatting about what's happening world over at the moment and also about all the years we've known each other," Kohli said in a tweet. Peitersen has been doing social media lives with the likes of Kohli's limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma and South Africa pace ace Dale Steyn over the past few days as the world observes virtual lockdown to beat the coronavirus pandemic. Kohli and actress wife Anushka Sharma recently pledged to support the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Chief Minister's (Maharashtra) Relief Fund in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic. A source in the industry had told IANS that Virat and Anushka have jointly donated Rs 3 crore towards the cause. The batting icon also made an appeal to all to strictly follow the guidelines that have been set by not just the government, but also medical experts in our fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the country to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. He said this is an essential step to fight coronavirus decisively. He added that saving lives is priority as of now. The Justice Department inspector general revealed Tuesday that his investigators found errors in every FBI application to a secret surveillance court examined as part of an ongoing review - suggesting that problems exposed in the bureau's probe of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign extend far beyond that case. The memorandum issued by Inspector General Michael Horowitz stems from an audit launched last year after his office found 17 serious problems with the FBI's surveillance applications targeting former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. These interim results appear to indicate that other sensitive counterintelligence and counterterrorism cases are similarly plagued by mistakes. Trump has long decried the FBI investigation of him and his campaign's contacts with Russians as a politically motivated "witch hunt" aimed at wrecking his candidacy and his presidency, and he and his supporters are likely to embrace the new revelations as further evidence of wrongdoing among former FBI leaders. Tuesday's findings suggest, however, that the bureau may be suffering instead from broad, institutional weaknesses more than political bias - problems were found in an array of cases managed by FBI field offices across the county. Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the inspector general's audit shows "the entire process is prone to abuse" - a function of inadequate accountability and oversight. "The irony here is that, in one sense, the memorandum suggests that the Carter Page episode was not a partisan political scandal," Vladeck said. "The irony is it suggests it was part of a far bigger and more problematic pattern - a nonpartisan, systemic problem." Horowitz's early findings "should hopefully put to rest the assertion we hear across different administrations that we can trust the Justice Department to check itself." Page served as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016, but after he left, the FBI sought and received authorization from a surveillance court to monitor his electronic communications for about a year. He was never charged with any crime and Horowitz issued a report last year highly critical of the FBI's assertions to the court about Page. A key part of the inspector general's ongoing review has been to analyze documents - known as Woods files - assembled by the FBI to help ensure the accuracy of filings to the surveillance court, which was established by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. The inspector general selected a sample of 29 FISA applications to review and found problems with all of them. The comparison of FISA applications to corresponding Woods files "identified apparent errors or inadequately supported facts in all of the 25 applications we reviewed," the memo said, while in four cases, no Woods files could be found at all. In three of those cases missing supporting documentation, it was unclear whether a Woods file was ever created. The inspector general's staff continues to review the surveillance applications, but the memo bluntly states, "We do not have confidence that the FBI has executed its Woods Procedures in compliance with FBI policy, or that the process is working as it was intended to help achieve the 'scrupulously accurate' standard for FISA applications." Each FISA application reviewed had an average of 20 "issues," the memorandum said. One had a handful; the worst had 65. The inspector general audit also suggests that Justice Department lawyers tasked with overseeing the FBI's FISA work and rooting out problems frequently found troubling indicators but did not think they rose to the level of alerting the FISA court. The memorandum said lawyers with the Justice Department's National Security Division regularly found such errors during "accuracy reviews" of FISA applications. In one sample of 42 applications, the accuracy reviews found "a total of 390 issues, including unverified, inaccurate, or inadequately supported facts, as well as typographical errors," the memo said. None of the 390 issues identified were deemed by Justice Department lawyers to be "material" errors, the memorandum said. Horowitz has not reached any conclusion about whether the errors in the applications his investigators have reviewed are important or would have altered the decisions on whether to seek or approve FISA surveillance. He did, however, make two immediate recommendations: that the FBI conduct a survey to determine whether any more Woods files are missing, and scrutinize the results of past accuracy reviews that should have surfaced these problems earlier and find ways to fix them. In a response, FBI official Paul Abbate said the bureau has begun implementing dozens of changes to prevent such errors in the future. The FBI, Abbate wrote, "has been intensely focused on implementing these remedial measures with the goal of ensuring that our FISA authorities are exercised with objectivity and integrity." James Baker, who served as the FBI's top lawyer from 2014 until early 2018, said the memorandum shows that fault lies with both the FBI and the Justice Department. "I'm extremely disappointed, angry, and what they found is completely unacceptable," said Baker, who has worked on national security law and FISA cases for decades, and helped draft the Woods procedure rules nearly two decades ago. "Of course, I feel a shared sense of responsibility for this," he said. "But I was relying on the people in the organization, and the policies and procedures that I was aware were in place." Baker said the Justice Department and the FBI may need to scale back the number of FISA applications to get a better handle on what agents are doing. A Justice Department spokeswoman said officials are "committed to putting the inspector general's recommendations into practice and to implementing reforms that will ensure that all FISA applications are complete and accurate." Civil rights groups said the memorandum vindicates their long-held view that the FISA process is prone to abuse precisely because of the intense secrecy that surrounds it. "The Carter Page issue isn't a one-off," said Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's becoming more and more clear that procedural surface changes are not going to address the fundamental flaws with the FISA process." Civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers have pushed for reforms to FISA in legislation to renew a set of surveillance provisions. Those provisions lapsed earlier in March when Congress did not renew them in time, and it is unclear when the legislative body will reconvene. Though the Senate passed a 77-day extension through the end of May, the House has not voted on it. FOS-SUR-MER, France The line of giant chimneys ceaselessly belching smoke in the air stretches to the horizon in one of the most polluted industrial zones in Europe. For years, the inhabitants of Fos-sur-Mer, France, accepted their illnesses for example, a cancer rate that is double the national average in exchange for jobs in the nearly 200 factories, warehouses, gas terminals and industrial sheds that surround them. Doctors waiting rooms were often full. At the cemetery, tombstones recorded the deaths of young men cut down in their prime. In addition to the cancer rate, the asthma rate is also considerably higher than the national average, according to a publicly funded health study. But enough got to be enough. Citizens in this otherwise sun-dappled corner of the Mediterranean, just west of Marseille, decided not long ago that they would take action, whatever their misgivings about losing their jobs. The oldest bullfighting arena in Latin America has been converted to a refuge centre for homeless people, as Peru is under lockdown to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The arena in Peru's capital will serve as a place where homeless people can observe quarantine measures. Lima's mayor Jorge Munoz said over the weekend that the arena, which was founded in 1766, will have 150 beds and provide some healthcare and food to homeless people. The area where thousands of bullfights have been held was kitted out with beds and mattresses, previously used during the Pan American games in 2019 in Lima. Meanwhile Peruvian authorities approved the departure of a flight from Lima to Madrid with a group of Spanish citizens who were stranded in Peruvian territory after the national emergency on declaration on March 16th due to coronavirus outbreak. In the last few days, the Spanish Embassies in Latin America have coordinated with different governments and airlines to return more than 4,000 Spanish travellers to their country. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death New research from University of California, Davis, suggests that parents should delay introducing their children to any screen media, as well as limit preschool-age children's use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics this week. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, researchers assessed 56 children aged 32 to 47 months and surveyed their parents. The research team assessed children's self-regulation skills, or those skills needed to plan, control, and monitor their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Young children's self-regulation skills predict later academic success, social functioning, physical and mental health, income, and criminality. Self-regulation skills were lower among children who began using any screen media devices (including television, computers, smartphones, and/or tablets) earlier in life, or who currently used mobile devices (smartphones and/or tablets) more often than others in the sample. Young children are often exposed to substantial amounts of screen media. Even though consumption of moderate amounts of high-quality children's media has been established to have a positive influence on development, the current findings support limiting children's use of mobile devices." Amanda C. Lawrence, study's primary author, doctoral candidate in the Human Development Graduate Group at UC Davis Co-authors are Daniel Ewon Choe, assistant professor of human development and family studies, and Madhuri S. Narayan, who was an undergraduate student when working on the research. Devices also limit interaction time Researchers voiced other reasons for cautious use of mobile devices by young children. "The portable nature of mobile devices allows them to be used in any location, such as while waiting for appointments, or in line at a grocery store. The screen use, then, could interfere with sensitive and responsive interactions with parents or practicing self-soothing behaviors that support optimal development," said Lawrence. The research team recruited participants by handing out flyers at preschools and community events. Data were collected between July 1, 2016, and Jan. 11, 2019. During individual 90-minute visits to an on-campus research laboratory, children were asked to complete 10 tasks to evaluate their ability to self-regulate. Tasks were as varied as walking a line slowly, taking turns with the researcher in building a tower out of blocks, and delaying gratification -- for example, being asked to hold off unwrapping a gift while the researcher briefly left the room. Parents were asked about screen use using a novel survey designed by Lawrence, and researchers calculated the children's reported age at first use of screen media and average time spent per week on each device. Other findings include: There was substantial variation in the amount of time children spent with screen media devices in the average week in this community sample. Screen time for traditional devices (television, computers) ranged from 0 to 68 hours per week, and 0 to 14 hours per week for mobile devices (tablets, smartphones). Children's screen time in the average week was not related to their family's income in this sample, but children growing up in higher-income households started using mobile devices at a younger age than lower-income households. Screen time also did not differ by racial/ethnic minority status in this sample. Additionally, children's exposure to what the researchers consider traditional screen devices (televisions, computers) in the average week was not related to their self-regulation, in contrast to most previous research. Lawrence speculates that messaging about providing child-directed, educational content and cautioning parents to monitor children's viewing has reached parents and has been effective, at least among some groups. This is a small study, but the beginning of a long-term longitudinal study of children's development of self-regulation and looking at all screen media devices over multiple years with more children and parents, researchers said. APRIL 1, 2020 UTSA is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with a commitment to supporting the safety of the university community while enabling the academic progress of students. Here is your digest of university news and tips. ONLINE LEARNING & TELECOMMUTING HONE VIRTUAL SKILLS: Faculty members, UTSA has created a Teaching Virtually resource page with an array of tools and guidance that you can use to learn more about remote teaching or further enhance your skills. MORE WAYS TO LEARN: Weve also added sections on the Trainings & Town Halls page for upcoming tech Q&A sessions, town hall meetings and faculty webinarsin addition to the Tech Cafe training sessions for Jabber, Webex and Microsoft Teams. ACTUALIZACIONES EN ESPANOL: Did you know that the student versions of these Coronavirus Update email digests are available in Spanish too? Learn more in this video from Veronica Salazar Mendez, chief financial officer and senior vice president for business affairs. PREPPING FOR FINALS: Faculty, please be advised that any final examinations originally planned to be conducted in person and on campus will now need to be reexamined and reformatted as part of the move to online instruction. Your colleges will work with you to provide ideas, guidance and advice regarding various choices for final exams conducted remotely. COMMUNITY NEWS PASS/FAIL OPTION ADOPTED: UTSA is adopting an optional credit/no credit (pass/fail) grading system for undergraduate and graduate courses for the spring 2020 semester at the recommendation of the Faculty Senate and Academic Council and in accordance with the UT System Board of Regents Rules and Regulations. Other UT System institutions also are adopting similar temporary grading adjustments. Students have been advised to wait until next weekonce eligible courses have been determinedbefore contacting their academic advisers or other areas for guidance. HOW RUNNERS HELP: One of the best things about Roadrunner Nation is how we all come together to help each other out. In response to many inquiries about how to offer support to current students, UTSA has created a Coronavirus Relief site with ways to help students who may be struggling. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is now providing eligible employees with paid leave either for an employees own health needs or to care for family members. The act is part of the federal governments response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Amidst one of Oregons biggest news stories in decades, many of the states news organizations are shutting down the presses and laying off staff. Rarely has the appetite for Oregon news been higher. Outlets report their online traffic has doubled or tripled, but the states sudden economic catastrophe has devastated the advertising revenue many publications depend on. In Portland, Salem, Bend and Baker City, newspapers have cut jobs in the past few weeks even as they raced to cover the perilous coronavirus outbreak and its wrenching effect on Oregon communities. Information is valuable. These news organizations are essential, lamented Todd Milbourn, co-director of the journalism masters program at the University of Oregon. So its heartbreaking to see these pullbacks at this moment when we need this information the most. Gannett, a national chain that publishes the Statesman-Journal in Salem, said Monday employees must take a week unpaid each month through June. That follows 47 layoffs last week at EO Media, which publishes The Bulletin newspaper in Bend, The Daily Astorian and the East Oregonian, among other papers. And many other publications, including the Portland Mercury, the Portland Observer, Portland Monthly and Street Roots, have suspended or delayed their next issues. Willamette Week halved its print run, to 25,000 copies, last week. The Portland Tribune and other papers in the Pamplin Media chain reduced its reporters hours to the equivalent of three days a week, according to staffers, and merged some its local papers while warning of further layoffs ahead. The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver reduced the number of pages it prints as ads fell away. We were already hurting in good times so I dont see these jobs coming back, said Rachel Alexander, a writer with the Salem Reporter and board president of the Society of Professional Journalists Oregon chapter. She said the journalism society has fielded heartbreaking requests for aid from laid-off writers and offered them $100 checks to help carry them through until unemployment benefits kick in. I wish I had some sort of magic bullet because this is exactly when you most need journalists, Alexander said, and unfortunately were suffering along with everybody else. Oregons news media is just the latest casualty in a series of closures and cutbacks as the state hunkers down to ride out the coronavirus pandemic and contain the virus spread. In the first week after mass closures began, 76,500 Oregonians filed new unemployment claims nearly four times higher than the prior record for a single week. The news industry faces special challenges, owing primarily to the decline of print subscriptions and the shift of advertising into online formats controlled by Google and Facebook. Those factors, and others, have produced a staggering decline in the number of working journalists. Nationwide, 455,000 people worked for newspapers in 1990, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total had fallen by two-thirds by 2018, below 153,000. The decline hit every level of the industry, from big dailies to small-town weeklies. The latest cuts, though, and the economic uncertainty delivered by the coronavirus pandemic may be especially hard on smaller publications that serve communities with few alternatives for local news. The Dalles Chronicle and Hood River News, which share common ownership, were planning to cease publication after this Wednesdays edition, according to sources inside the organization. At the last minute, publisher Chelsea Marr stepped in to buy the papers from Denny Smith, a former Oregon congressman. Newspapers around the country have been struggling for years, the recent pandemic has been the tipping point for some of them, Marr wrote to readers in the papers midweek edition. She indicated the company will part with some of its 24 employees as it works to regain its footing. We will continue our newspaper and publications for our community. We will be transitioning and will certainly have some bumps along the way, Marr wrote. Please give us a brief break, as we re-organize. The University of Oregons Milbourn said its a tragic irony that the states news outlets are struggling at a moment when Oregonians are most appreciative of their work. This is a global pandemic but its also a really local story, he said. Youve got communities that are impacted in very specific and fast-changing ways. Local journalists and news organizations, they are the first responders when it comes to information. Steve Bass, CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting, said the general public may not fully recognize the depth of the issues local news outlets face. He said many people assume theyll keep getting news from Google and Facebook if local news organizations falter. But Bass said people dont stop to reflect on where those online aggregators get their information. They dont really understand the fragility of the ecosystem, he said. OPB has added news staff in recent years, even as many other outlets have cut back, buoyed by strong membership revenue from viewers and listeners. Bass said that while his outlet has lost more than $200,000 in sponsorships during the outbreak, such sponsorships amount to just a fifth of what OPB brings in from individual supporters. We are fortunate to have a pretty resilient business model thats not overly reliant on the sponsorship aspect, Bass said. I think weve got enough financial strength that we can take some time to find out what the shape of this is. We dont have to make any immediate decisions. John Maher, president of the Oregonian Media Group, said the downturn has affected his organization the same way its affecting others. And he said the uncertain course of the pandemic makes it difficult to evaluate what comes next. Weve never seen anything like this, Maher said. And thats really the challenge. Online readership is up sharply and Maher said the coronavirus outbreak is making it clear to readers why its important for the state to have an active, independent news media. Last week, for example, The Oregonians editorial board and reporter Rob Davis pressed Gov. Kate Brown about the level of data the state was making public about the coronavirus outbreak. He questioned why Oregon was withholding even general data about patients age ranges and coronavirus hospitalization totals. Two days later, Brown ordered the Oregon Health Authority to publish more detailed patient information as well as the number of available hospital beds, ventilators and protective equipment for health care workers. The decision followed mounting questions from across media outlets. I was glad to see that the governor responded so quickly, Maher said. You think about a world where that doesnt happen, and its not as good. The Oregonian/OregonLive is one of few news large news organizations in the country that does not require any kind of subscription to read news online. That makes it especially reliant on advertising and particularly vulnerable to the ad markets current nosedive. Still, Maher said the news organizations corporate ownership is committed to the industry. The organization has made a succession of job cuts over the past decade and reduced its home delivery schedule to four days a week. Maher said the company will be deliberative about its next steps during the coronavirus outbreak. The Oregonian/OregonLive has not cut hours, pay or staff. There are any number of ways to solve the problem, Maher said, and youve got to solve the problem in the way thats the best for your business for the long term. Stephen Forrester and his family own EO Media Group, which has papers across the state from Astoria to Bend to Baker City. The chain laid off nearly 50 employees last week but Forrester said he remains confident in his business and the industry. You dont have to go away or fade away, said Forrester, the chains CEO. Surviving is a matter of, at bottom, having talent. EO Media purchased the Bend paper just last summer, taking on additional local investors for the transaction. Forrester insisted he wouldnt unwind the deal now even if he could. Despite the plunge in advertising revenue and resulting layoffs, Forrester said hes convinced his chains local communities appreciate the news his papers provide and is convinced advertisers will come back when the economy does. Papers in his group have endured for well over a century and Forrester said theyve weathered all manner of catastrophes during this time. He said theres nothing about this crisis that makes him doubt the papers ability to persevere. You can scare yourself to death any day of the week, Forrester said. But if its your job as an owner to serve a community you dont succumb to that fear. You learn how to compete. And you can. Note: This article has been updated with addition information on the Portland Tribune and other papers in the Pamplin chain. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Medical Supplies Donated by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation of China Reached Sierra Leone 2020/04/01 On April 1, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of the Republic of Sierra Leone held a ceremony of receiving the donation of medical supplies by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation of China. The ceremony was graced by H.E. Chinese Ambassador HU Zhangliang, Hon. Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Alpha T. Wurie, Hon. Minister of Information and Communications Mr. Mohamed Swaray, World Food Programme Country Director Dr. Housainou Taal, World Health Organization Country Director Dr. Evans Liyosi, United Nations Population Fund Country Director Dr. Kim Eva Dickson, Deputy Ministers of the MoHS Dr. Anthony Sandi and Dr. Amara Jambai as well as newsmen and newswomen from the fourth estate. The donated items include 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 facial masks and 1,000 PPEs together with face shields. Ambassador Hu commended the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation for their generosity and warm-heartedness. The Ambassador said that this donation vividly reflected the Chinese business communitys positive attitude in building a community with a shared future for mankind as advocated by H.E. President Xi Jinping and the friendly sentiments of the Chinese people towards their African brothers and sisters. He said, under the staunch leadership of H.E. President Xi Jinping, the pandemic had been basically kept under control and the situation kept turning for better in China. Chinas resolute measures and huge sacrifice had bought the world time and accumulated experience for other countries to get prepared for the spread of the virus. Chinas experiences showed that strong leadership, social mobilization, concerted national efforts and rigorous measures were the key to success in combating COVID-19. Ambassador HU said, just as H.E. President Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the recent Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit, Major infectious disease is the enemy of all. The community of nations must move swiftly to stem the spread of the virus. The Ambassador commended H.E. President Julius Maada Bio and his government for exerting strong leadership to combat COVID-19. The Ambassador emphasized that what the world needs now is solidarity and cooperation rather than accusation or stigma. He stressed that the acts of certain people distorting facts, calling black white and viciously attacking China were repugnant and despicable. He believed that through hard work and concerted efforts, the pandemic will be defeated. On behalf of H.E. President Julius Maada Bio and the Sierra Leonean government, Hon. Minister Wurie thanked Jack Ma Foundation, Alibaba Foundation and the Chinese people for the prompt support. He highlighted that China is always one of the most reliable partners of Sierra Leone. He said, on March 31, the first positive COVID-19 case was registered in this country. At this crucial moment, these items, which would significantly enhance the capacity and confidence of the Sierra Leonean government in facing the challenges, would be cherished and put to good use to combat the virus. Dr. Liyosi, the Country Director of WHO and Dr. Taal, the Country Director of WFP also spoke highly of the donation and appealed to the international community to work together. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard has directed cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered indefinitely" offshore during the coronavirus pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Cruise ships are docked at PortMiami, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard has directed cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered indefinitely" offshore during the coronavirus pandemic. The new rules outlined in a memo are required for ships in the district that covers Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. They also come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas" should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead. Many South Florida cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas, where hospital capacity is limited and people are still recovering from last year's devastating Hurricane Dorian. The rules, which apply to vessels carrying more than 50 people, were issued in a March 29 safety bulletin signed by Coast Guard Rear Admiral E.C. Jones, head of the seventh district. All ships destined for U.S. ports were already required to provide daily updates on their coronavirus caseload or face civil penalties or criminal prosecution. Dozens of cruise ships are either lined up at Port Miami and Port Everglades or waiting offshore due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most have only crew aboard, but Carnival Corp., which owns nine cruise lines with a total of 105 ships, notified the SEC on Tuesday that it has more than 6,000 passengers still at sea. Two cruise ships are anchored offshore past a lifeguard tower, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Federal, state and local officials have been negotiating over whether Carnival's Holland America cruise ships, the Zaandam and Rotterdam, would be allowed to dock at Port Everglades this week. But the company's Coral Princess is coming, too, with what that ship's medical centre called a higher-than-normal number of people with flu-like symptoms. Carnival said three of the 40 ships that were at sea when it paused its cruises last month are expected to arrive at port by week's end. In addition to the ships arriving in Fort Lauderdale, other ships are approaching Civitavecchia, Italy, and Southampton, England, spokesman Roger Frizzell said. Two of four deaths on the Zaandam were blamed on COVID-19 and nine people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Carnival's maritime chief officer William Burke told Broward County commissioners at a Tuesday meeting. The company said more than 200 have reported symptoms. More than 300 Americans, with about 50 Floridians, are on Zaandam and Rotterdam. Four children under 12 are on board. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected a resolution Wednesday after speaking with President Donald Trump, but port authorities later said discussions between the company and officials over the terms of docking were ongoing and they did not expect to update Broward County commissioners on Wednesday as foreseen at the Tuesday meeting. DeSantis maintained Florida's health care system is stretched too thin to take on the ships' coronavirus caseload, but he said he would accept the Florida residents on board. My concern is simply that we have worked so hard to make sure we have adequate hospital beds, he said. Cruise ships are docked at PortMiami, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Miami. The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that it's working with Holland America on a detailed docking plan that would require two ships carrying passengers and crew from an ill-fated cruise to handle all medical issues without impacting South Florida's already-stressed hospitals. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Trump had expressed sympathy toward the passengers on Tuesday. They're dying on the ship, Trump said. I'm going to do what's right. Not only for us, but for humanity. Passengers expressed their frustrations to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Andrea Anderson and her husband Rob coughed their way through a video chat from the Zandaam. Asked what she would say to Florida's governor, Anderson said, How would he feel if his mother was on this ship? Would he still be saying, 'No they can't dock?' Mary Beth Van Horn said she's terrified for her brother Tom Brazier, 77, of Ocean Park, Washington, who went on the South American cruise with his wife before he was supposed to begin a new bone cancer treatment in April. They weren't allowed to transfer to the Rotterdam with other apparently healthy people because they have portable CPAP machines and other mobility problems. He is afraid. Last time, he told me 'I just don't see how this could end well,'" she said. For most people, the virus causes a fever and cough that can clear up in two to three weeks without hospitalization. Older adults and people with existing health problems are more likely to suffer severe illness and require oxygen to stay alive. 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. Under normal conditions, a ship can call on the Coast Guard to medically evacuate people too sick to be cared for on board. Now a Coast Guard flight surgeon in the seventh district will decide if a transfer is absolutely necessary, but the cruise companies then would be responsible for arranging on-shore transportation and hospital beds. This is necessary as shore-side medical facilities may reach full capacity and lose the ability to accept and effectively treat additional critically-ill patients," the memo said. ___ Associated Press contributors include Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale and Julie Walker in New York City; Gomez Licon reported from Miami. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. The National Hospitality Association of Ghana (NHAG) has appealed to government to reduce electricity and water tariffs by at least 65% to keep businesses alive. It has also called for the suspension of the Tourism Levy of 1% and use current reserve to aid in hotel bailout. According to NHAG in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Theodore Dzeble, the demands are in response to severe challenges facing the hospitality sector in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. There is currently restrictions on movements in Ghana and ban on travel to the country due to the coronavirus outbreak, a development the Association says was adversely affecting its members. It has equally called on government to reduce property rates by 50%. It revealed that there are mass layoffs in the hospitality sector due to the pandemic. Government has announced plans to inject Ghc 3 billion facility into the pharmaceutical, manufacturing and hospitality sectors, in addition to a 6-month moratorium of principal repayments to Banks. The Association has commended government for the above decision but says more is needed to be done to assuage the challenges of the sector. Ghana has recorded 195 cases of coronavirus as at April 1. ---Daily Guide MELBOURNE, Fla., March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- S7 LLC, a developer and manufacturer of diagnostic tests, has announced patent-pending status for its new 2019-nCoV IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette, or novel Coronavirus test. The test, which is expected to be available in the United States in mid-April, uses a small finger-stick sample of blood and delivers important results in 10 minutes: The 2019-nCov IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette is a lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of IgG and IgM antibodies of 2019-nCoV in human whole blood, serum or plasma. IgG: This result shows the presence of antibodies, allowing providers to know if the patient has been infected in the past with COVID-19 and has manufactured this specific antibody to fight the virus. IgM: The test also shows if the patient has an active infection and is contagious, and thus a danger in terms of spreading COVID-19 to others. "Emergency rooms are flooded with people who think they may have been exposed, or believe they have COVID-19," says William Miller, president of S7. "This test lets healthcare providers know in only 10 minutes whether that individual is currently ill, so they can be quarantined and treated, or if they have already been exposed. What that means, he adds, is that "then those medical professionals can quickly separate out and triage the cases of everyone who is coming into their facilities appropriately." The tests are being manufactured in S7's ISO-certified laboratory and production facility in South Africa and are due to arrive in the United States in mid-April. This is the same site that produces S7's Schistosomiasis test, which was FDA approved and has been in wide use since late 2019. And it was the ramp-up for that test's production that allowed for the rapid deployment of the COVID test, Miller says. "We have experience in producing rapid cassette testing, and so we were able to quickly get moving on this problem," he says. "We were able to spool our factory up to produce this test and are really happy about getting it out to the dedicated healthcare professionals who are on the front lines of this pandemic. We believe it is going to help them reduce risk, save lives and overall make their jobs a little easier." This test is for hospital and authorized medical center use only. It is NOT for home use and is sold only to qualified Medical Centers, Hospitals, Clinics or Dr. Offices. S7's mission is to bring answers to people suffering from unexplained health issues when conventional tests fail to produce the answer. Contact: William Miller, President 321.368.6401 https://www.s7llc.net [email protected] Related Files S7 logo.jpg Related Images rapid-whole-blood-covid-19-test.jpg Rapid Whole Blood COVID-19 test The 2019-nCov IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette is a lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of IgG and IgM antibodies of 2019-nCoV in human whole blood, serum or plasma. Related Links S7 LLC SOURCE S7 LLC Related Links https://www.s7llc.net Thanks to President Trump for his attempts to cut funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for emergency medical supplies. America now has the most coronavirus-infected population in the world. When medical experts were explaining the dangers posed by the virus and how to protect ourselves, Trump was contradicting trained physicians as if he knew better. Trump listens to no one. He acts like he knows all there is to know about subjects when in reality he is totally ignorant about them. He has no conscience. He makes up lies that put the American peoples lives at risk in order to save his economic one-trick pony from dissolving. All so he can bolster his chances of re-election. Until recently he was pushing an agenda to send everyone back to work by Easter, to save the economy. Even more disturbing are polls showing Trumps approval rating has risen, based on his handling of the pandemic, among a clueless, fear-based majority of Americans. This in spite of the rapid spread of the virus and the strain it has put on all of our lives. The lieutenant governor of Texas recently had the audacity to suggest that he and other senior citizens should be willing to take a chance on their survival to preserve a strong economy for our children. There are no words to describe the absurd cruelty behind that crazy message. The most dangerous element in this country is not the virus. Its Donald Trump. Bruce J. Walters Bethlehem Clovis proximity remains a destination to visit for both international and domestic travelers and we are excited to bring our modern extended stay accommodations to Clovis Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's All Suites portfolio, opened on Friday March 27th, its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 111 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno is situated conveniently located 90 minutes away from 3 National Parks; Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. In the Central Valley, visitors spend $4.5 billion on tourism and hospitality which supports 46,600 jobs generating $258 million in State and local tax revenues in 2018.* Clovis proximity remains a destination to visit for both international and domestic travelers and we are excited to bring our modern extended stay accommodations to Clovis, said Stephanie Rodriguez, General Manager, Home2 Suites by Hilton. Guests enjoying the area will love our convenient location and customizable suites that fit the needs of every unique traveler. Owned by CA Clovis St, LLC and managed by Baywood Hotels, Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport offers all-suite accommodations with fully accessorized kitchens and modular furniture, providing guests the flexibility to customize their suite to their style and preference. The hotel also features complimentary Internet, inviting communal spaces, and trademark Home2 Suites by Hilton amenities such as Spin2 Cycle, a combined laundry and fitness area, Home2 MKT for grab-and-go items, and the Inspired Table, a complimentary daily breakfast that includes more than 400 potential combinations. Guests can also enjoy a fire pit and grill area. Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport is pet friendly. Located at 810 Santa Ava Avenue, just 4 miles north of the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport offers guests convenient access to California State University, Lamonica Stadium and variety of eateries and wineries. Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hiltons 17 distinct hotel brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that cant be found anywhere else and free standard Wi-Fi. Members also enjoy popular digital tools available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors mobile app, where Hilton Honors members can check-in, choose their room and access their room using a Digital Key. For more information or to make a reservation, visit Home2 Suites by Hilton Clovis Fresno Airport or call +1 559 940 6001. Read more about Home2 Suites by Hilton at http://www.home2suites.com and newsroom.hilton.com/home2suites. *Source: Fresno State ### About Home2 Suites by Hilton Home2 Suites by Hilton, one of the fastest-growing brands in Hiltons history, is a mid-tier, all-suite, award-winning extended-stay hotel concept designed to offer stylish accommodations with flexible guest room configurations and inspired amenities for the cost-conscious guest. With a commitment to environmentally friendly products and hotel operations, Home2 Suites offers complimentary breakfast selections with hundreds of combinations; innovative and customizable guest room designs; laundry and fitness areas; complimentary WiFi; multiple outdoor spaces; 24-hour business centers; expansive community spaces; and pet-friendly environments. Home2 Suites by Hilton has 350 hotels with 445 in the pipeline. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that cant be found anywhere else, free standard WiFi, and digital amenities like digital check-in with room selection and Digital Key (select locations), available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors mobile app. Visit http://www.home2suites.com or newsroom.hilton.com/home2suites for additional information, or here for franchising opportunities. Connect with Home2 Suites on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. About Baywood Hotels Established in 1975, Baywood Hotels, Inc. is a fast-growing hospitality management and development company, operating $1 billion in assets and employing over 3,000 associates nationwide. The company is headquartered in Columbia, MD and has regional offices in Denver, CO; Miami, FL; Rochester, NY, San Antonio, TX and Northern VA. In each of its regions, the private hotel ownership company is consistently recognized as an innovative leader in the hotel industry, focusing on product concept and development and the outstanding management of its assets. The focused vision, strong values and aggressive long-range strategy of Baywood Hotels has helped the company develop reputable and well-branded hotels in areas where Baywood has competitive expertise and partnerships. Baywood Hotels portfolio includes well-known brands, such as Marriott, Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group, as well as several independent brands. Contact us through Facebook or our website or connect with us on LinkedIn. [March 31, 2020] Bunnyshell, a European Startup Who Raised $1 Million, Wants to Migrate Companies Affected by COVID-19 to Cloud for Free BUCHAREST, Romania, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "Bunnyshell wants to change the world by making the cloud accessible. Installing and launching servers, monitoring and scaling them, as well as security in the cloud, you can all solve them in minutes. The automation developed by Bunnyshell democratize access to cloud infrastructure these are some of the arguments that made us invest in the Bunnyshell team," says Dan Calugareanu, Partner of Early Game Ventures, startup.ro reported. Founded in March 2018, Bunnyshell is a SaaS (software as a service) platform to simplify the usage of a cloud platform, from the very beginning the coding; to the last operation production. Or put it more simply, Bunnyshell will put your cloud on auto-pilot to maximize applications performance, speed and uptime. "When it comes to installing applications on cloud infrastructure, things get complicated. It requires a system administator to choose the best solution or architecture to make the settings and installations. This is where Bunnyshell comes in, so that, with just two to three clicks, anyone can install and launch cloud applications," says Alin Dobra, CEO of Bunnyshell. For all the SME that have been economically affected by the virus and for the Medical, NGOs and Educational companies that are active in finding a solution to the COVID-19 virus bunnyshell aid their recovery and evolution with free cloud migration. Read here for more details: https://www.bunnyshell.com/en-covid-19 Media Contact: Alex Golub Chief Marketing Officer Phone: 0040734625423 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg Related Links Free Cloud Migration How Cloud Rises Above COVID-19 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bunnyshell-a-european-startup-who-raised-1-million-wants-to-migrate-companies-affected-by-covid-19-to-cloud-for-free-301033017.html SOURCE Bunnyshell [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A New South Wales Police officer has been charged with possessing child abuse material. Officers raided the 38-year-old senior constable's home at Horsley in Wollongong, 90km south of Sydney, on Tuesday morning. An investigation conducted by the Professional Standards Command led the officers to the house. Officers raided the 38-year-old senior constable's home at Horsley in Wollongong, 90km south of Sydney, on Tuesday morning (stock image) Detectives seized computers and electronic storage devices which will undergo forensic testing, NSW Police said. The senior constable was arrested and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station. He was then charged with accessing and possessing child abuse material. He was granted strict conditional bail and is due to face Wollongong Local Court on June 16. NSW Police refused to comment as the matter is before the court. While most of Adam Gainers family works in the medical field, the career path never interested him. Instead, the 35-year-old pursued engineering and design; hes now working on a masters degree in product design and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University. But the global pandemic has thrust him, and thousands of other engineers, designers, and self-styled makers, into the healthcare world, producing gear for medical workers on the front lines like modern-day Rosie the Riveters. I cant make N95 masks, I cant make ventilators, but I sure as hell can make face shields, says Gainer, whos also making 3D-printed door openers with the organization Shield Healthcare Workers. Elastic, foam, glue, I did that ever since I was in kindergarten. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, many American health care workers say theyre facing critical shortages in everything from personal protective equipment (PPE) to ventilators. While major companies like Ford and General Motors are retooling their factories to produce medical equipment, makers like Gainer are also stepping up to help, firing up their CNC routers, 3D printers, and even sewing machines. The maker community prides itself on self-sufficiency, sharing data, and being nimble all qualities that stand to help in this time of crisis. Adam Gainer Thousands of makers are turning to one Facebook group in particular, Open Sourced Medical Designs, to share instructions, offer tips and encourage one another. The group, which has 52,000 members, is dedicated to collecting, vetting and disseminating open-source designs for everything from hand sanitizer to non-contact thermometers. It was founded by Gui Cavalcanti, the founder and CEO of Bay Area robotics firm Breeze Automation, and Jadan Johnson, founder of educational nonprofit Next Gen Creators. The pair are working with a team of 30 doctors and other experts to review and approve submitted designs. Because the designs are open-source, anyone can see the instructions and suggest changes, like a Wikipedia page. Story continues Cavalcanti hopes the groups efforts will help mitigate any potential disruptions in the medical equipment supply chain due to the coronavirus. We will have supply chain failures across the board, argues Cavalcanti. There will be no Amazon to send you a face shield or an N95 [mask]. And so we must prepare for a time when local manufacturers, whether thats some guy in a garage, a set of people in a maker space or a professional injection molding fabrication house, all of those people will need to retool. And in order to retool, they will need plans. Jonhson says the projects goal is to help everyone from well-resourced manufacturers to total amateurs learn how they can help provide needed supplies in a time of crisis. [I]f youre a manufacturer, youre a hospital, or even a mom with a sewing machine and you want to figure out how to help your local hospital, then you can learn how to get involved, he says. Open Source Medical Supplies Indeed, plenty of people with just a sewing machine are getting involved. In mid-March, Kirsten Hawkins began a Facebook group dedicated to sewing masks for Atlanta-area health care workers. The effort exploded, quickly gaining more than 6,000 members and expanding nationwide. While experts say homemade masks dont offer the same level of protection as professionally-made equipment, some argue that something is better than nothing. Hawkins says that more than 50 medical facilities have reached out to her for masks; the group has already made and distributed over 10,000 masks across Georgia. We wanted to be the central way that we could disseminate information to our community so they didnt feel overwhelmed and they had the resources and support they needed to dust off their sewing machine at home and be a part of this movement, says Hawkins. The group is everyone from moms who have kids at home to people who are unemployed right now because of the crisis Weve got grandmas, weve got aunts, its just literally anyone who has ever wanted to sew a mask and not feel helpless and feel like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. Other makers are focused on life-saving hospital equipment like ventilators, which help patients who have difficulty breathing on their own. Because COVID-19 often causes respiratory symptoms, ventilators have become a key part of treatment, but theyre in short supply across the country. While some makers are hesitant to tackle complex hospital equipment like ventilators and hospitals are even more hesitant to use unapproved ventilators that hasnt stopped inventive people from finding ways to expand the usage and capacity of the life-saving machines. In New York, actor and model Angel Pai teamed up with Timothy Phillips and designer Philip Sweeting to form Keep Breathing NYC, a group established to 3D print a splitter for ventilators that can possibly allow for more than one patient to use a single machine by dividing oxygen and pressure through a split valve. Its a very risky way to use a ventilator, as the machines are designed for only one patient, but the technique has been reportedly used in emergencies like the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. This works, but there are many, many complications and were aware of them, says Pai. This is truly a last resort. Were very aware this just buys you time until the new machines show up. This buys you time. Courtesy Angel Pai Pai says that while hospital administrators arent reaching out, doctors and others on the front lines are. Im hearing it from the doctors on the front line: ICU teams, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, says Pai. Instead of doctors trying to finagle it in the last resort, Im trying to say, we printed some. Its here. Use it if you need to. But I really hope you dont need to use it. This is a last freaking resort. Still others are helping people find ways to minimize their risk of contracting COVID-19 in the first place. Materialise, a Belgian design company, has published instructions for 3-D printing a device that lets people open doors with their forearms, reducing the chance of contracting the disease from a doorknob or handle. Door handles are a hotspot for viruses, everyone is touching them with their hands and then touching their face, says Materialise public policy officer Bram Smits. A local supermarket manager called our solution a blessing, retirement homes in Belgium started printing the door handles on their home, and Mayo Clinic started printing these in their in-house printing center. Open Source Medical Supplies While some medical experts were skeptical of maker-produced gear at first, some are embracing the help as the situation becomes more dire. Dr. Guillermo Tearney, a chair pathologist at Bostons Massachusetts General Hospital, is part of a team looking into alternative supplies. He says the trick is to separate the wheat from the chaff, identifying the potentially useful ideas while skipping the less promising ones. Having visibility into the construction process is key as well, he says. Control over a process is very important for a medical device, says Tearney. And if we dont have some level of control over the process, youre probably asking for some problems to crop up in the safety profile of the products that people are using. Tearney remains hopeful that he wont need maker-produced gear at all. All of this is a last resort, he says. Nobody is going to be using 3D-printed ventilators if there are ventilators in the hospital ready to use. Were preparing for a doomsday, last-case scenario where there is no other option. This isnt normal times. Open Source Medical Supplies For many in the maker community, the secondary goal is to give people some sense that theyre able to help fight an invisible, deadly enemy. This isnt an engineers, 3-D printer only movement, says Johnson, of Open Sourced Medical Designs. We want the everyday person to understand how is it they are able to help with addressing some of the needs that are coming from this problem. Those in the medical field agree thats useful in and of itself. In the end, whether these devices are used or not, its going to be a very positive thing, says Tearney. Even if nobody uses a single 3D-printed PPE device. Theres been a tremendous amount of creativity, of people working together and a lot of things that we can grow from as we emerge from this crisis. And for Gainer, the work has grown deeply personal. If any single one of my face shields were to help a single person, then I feel like all my energy and time has been worth it, he says. People need to know that there are people out there working nonstop so that we can get through this and we can get back to our families. Sunday was my moms birthday, and shes an at-risk individual and shes been a nurse for forever. Honestly at this point, all I want to do is hug my mom. Last week saw the newest yearly earnings release from China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (HKG:144), an important milestone in the company's journey to build a stronger business. Results look mixed - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at HK$8.9b, statutory earnings were in line with expectations, at HK$2.48 per share. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year. See our latest analysis for China Merchants Port Holdings SEHK:144 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 Following the recent earnings report, the consensus from seven analysts covering China Merchants Port Holdings is for revenues of HK$8.60b in 2020, implying a discernible 3.4% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to nosedive 55% to HK$1.11 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of HK$9.82b and earnings per share (EPS) of HK$1.37 in 2020. It looks like sentiment has declined substantially in the aftermath of these results, with a real cut to revenue estimates and a substantial drop in earnings per share numbers as well. It'll come as no surprise then, to learn thatthe analysts have cut their price target 9.4% to HK$14.74. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic China Merchants Port Holdings analyst has a price target of HK$19.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at HK$10.08. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business. One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 3.4% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 3.8% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 6.5% next year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - China Merchants Port Holdings is expected to lag the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for China Merchants Port Holdings. Unfortunately, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and our data indicates revenues are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. Even so, earnings per share are more important to the intrinsic value of the business. The consensus price target fell measurably, with the analysts seemingly not reassured by the latest results, leading to a lower estimate of China Merchants Port Holdings' future valuation. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple China Merchants Port Holdings analysts - going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. However, before you get too enthused, we've discovered 6 warning signs for China Merchants Port Holdings (2 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Police in Wisconsin and Indiana had to step in and close multiple Hobby Lobby arts-and-crafts stores this week after they reopened in violation of restrictions on non-essential businesses that have been imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It also has emerged that all 19 Hobby Lobby locations in Ohio were back in business after only a brief hiatus, despite a stay-at-home order that was issued by Gov Mike DeWine on March 23. The company reopened nearly all of its stores in Wisconsin, where Gov Tony Evers signed a 'safer at home' order on March 24 mandating, among other things, the closure of all non-essential businesses. A Hobby Lobby store in Jeffersonville, Indiana, was closed by police on Monday, just hours after it reopened after a brief hiatus amid the coronavirus crisis The Indiana store is one of several locations in the Midwest that were shuttered by police for flouting stay-at-home orders A sign on the door reads: 'To our customers, Based on guidance from public health officials, we are closed effective 03/24/2020 due to the Covid 19 coronavirus. We will reopen when the situation improves, and look forward to returning to normalcy' These latest developments come a week after DailyMail.com obtained a letter sent to Hobby Lobby stores by CEO David Green, who wrote that his wife Barbara had had a heavenly vision from God telling the chain to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic. Between Monday and Tuesday, police in suburban Milwaukee shuttered five Hobby Lobby locations in the area, some of which had signs on their doors claiming they were open because they were essential businesses. 'We made contact with the business around 11am and found that it was open,' West Allis Deputy Police Chief Christopher Botsch told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, referring to a local Hobby Lobby store that was shuttered on Monday. 'We took this as an opportunity to educate the business on the specifics of the governors order. The business was cooperative and closed without incident.' The following day, police arrived at the arts-and-crafts store in Menomonee, Wisconsin, and shut it down after explaining to staff that it did not fall into the category of essential businesses in the governor's order. Signs outside Hobby Lobby locations in Brookfield and Waukesha early Tuesday stated that the stores were 'operating as an essential business' by offering supplies needed to make face masks, school and office supplies, 'and various components for home small businesses.' Employees at other Hobby Lobby stores around the county, which have been making the same claim to justify staying open through the pandemic, pushed back against the company's narrative, stressing that the craft emporiums do not carry food, toiletries, or cleaning products, reported Business Insider. Officials in Jeffersonville, Indiana, agreed and shut down the local Hobby Lobby on Monday morning, just an hour after it reopened after less than a week. WLKY reported that the store closed last Tuesday, but some employees were contacted by management over the weekend and asked to return to work on Monday. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued at stay-at-home order on March 23 to try and curb the spread of the coronavirus. Hobby Lobby leadership reportedly sent a letter to its employees last week saying it planned to keep its stores open amid the coronavirus pandemic and 'continue to make every effort to work the employees.' In a separate memo dated March 28 that was obtained by Business Insider, the company provided managers with talking points for 'how to respond and communicate if visited by a local authority that asks why we are open.' All Hobby Lobby stores in Ohio were said to be open and there were no reports of police attempting to close them. Out west in Colorado, most Hobby Lobby locations continued selling arts and crafts supplies, despite Gov Jared Polis' Public Health Order for non-essential businesses. A sign on the door of Hobby Lobby on Route 22 on March 22, 2020 in Springfield Township, NJ Some Hobby Lobby employees have slammed the company for failing to protect its staff by keeping the stores open. 'I used to love working for this company, but since this pandemic, Ive seen how callous and irresponsible it has been,' one staffer told Business Insider on condition of anonymity. ' Many Twitter users reacted with fury to the news of Hobby Lobby stores reopening amid the national crisis, with at least one critic suggesting that the CEO should be jailed for flouting stay-at-home orders. 'The owners of Hobby Lobby do not care about the lives that will be lost,' another tweeted. 'They only care about the bottom line and they have been using Christianity to sell their warped business plan for DECADES. They need to be shut down.' Evangelical couple running Hobby Lobby's $6billion arts-and-crafts empire claim they got a message from God to keep stores open amid coronavirus outbreak following string of controversies Forbes rates CEO David Green and wife Barbara as the 70th richest family in the United States, with a net worth of $6 billion. David Green, 78, a devout Christian, started the business making picture frames in his garage with the help of a $600 loan before opening his first store in Oklahoma City in 1972. He funded the $500 million Bible Museum in Washington, D.C. in 2017. Forbes rates Greens family as the 70th richest in the United States, with a net worth of $6billion. The son of an impoverished preacher, Green gives half of the company pretax profits to a portfolio of evangelical ministries, according to his page on Wikipedia. Like fellow Christian-run giant Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby does not open on Sundays. Last week, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis sweeping the globe, Green sent a letter to employees saying that his deeply religious wife had had a vision from God about the epidemic. In her quiet prayer time this past week, the Lord put on Barbaras heart three profound words to remind us that Hes in control. Guide, Guard and Groom, wrote Green. We serve a God who will Guide us through this storm, who will Guard us as we travel to places never seen before, and who, as a result of this experience, will Groom us to be better than we could have ever thought possible before now. In her quiet prayer time this past week, the Lord put on Barbaras heart three profound words to remind us that Hes in control. Guide, Guard and Groom, wrote CEO David Green to employees two weeks ago Green called his 76-year-old wife his familys prayer warrior in the letter. While we do not know for certain what the future holds, or how long this disruption will last, we can all rest in knowing that God is in control, Green wrote. The Companys leaders are doing all they can to balance the need to keep the Company strong and the needs of employees. To help ensure our Company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes we may all have to tighten our belts over the near future, he added. He said: God has blessed this company with so much. His blessings and the fruits of all of your hard work, have made it possible for the company to not only operate without significant amounts of debt, but for the past decade to maintain wages that have far exceeded most retailers. Many retailers are not as fortunate and are instead saddled with what may be overwhelming debt. Greens decision to trust in God for deliverance from coronavirus drew ridicule online. One employee, who did not reveal where he or she worked, wrote on Reddit: Im scared and coworkers are also scared. Some people have outright walked out. Considering doing the same soon. Why do I have to put up with this. This is not the first time that Greens Christian beliefs have caused controversy. In 2014 Hobby Lobbys decision to refuse to give contraceptive coverage in its Obamacare health insurance package went all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of the company. Hobby Lobby argued it should not have to cover morning-after pills arguing their effect amounts to abortion. The previous year a shopper reported that an employee at a Hobby Lobby in Marlboro, New Jersey, had told them the company did not carry goods celebrating Jewish holidays, even though some of its bestsellers are Christmas, Easter and other Christian holiday merchandise. The company later changed its rules and started selling bar mitzvah, Hannukah and Passover items. And Green came under fire for allegedly looting archaeological sites in the Middle East to stock his Bible Museum. One in five Britons think it is likely they have already caught the coronavirus despite only 29,474 testing positive during the outbreak. As much as 20 per cent of 18 to 75-year-olds feel they have probably had the deadly bug which has killed 2,352 across the country. One in 20 believe it is very likely they have contracted the illness as it keeps the UK in lockdown. As much as 20 per cent of 18 to 75-year-olds feel they have probably had the deadly bug which has killed 2,352 across the country The Ipsos MORI poll comes on Britain's darkest day in the crisis as another 563 people died and 4,324 cases were recorded in 24 hours. The surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. It means 2,352 have died since the start of the outbreak, while 29,474 have tested positive. The Ipsos MORI poll comes on Britain's darkest day in the crisis as another 563 people died and 4,324 cases were recorded in 24 hours The survey, which was based on perceptions rather than clinical assessment, suggests up to three million people fear they have had Covid-19. This figure falls shy of predictions in coronavirus-stricken Spain, where it is thought 7.5million people - one in seven - have had the bug. The majority of Britons - 57 per cent - do not think they have contracted the illness, while 21 per cent said they do not know. But 22 per cent said they did not feel very confident they would be able to tell if they have had it. A paramedic is seen on the back of an ambulance at St Thomas' Hospital in London today Managing Director Public Affairs at Ipsos MORI Kelly Beaver said: 'We are now half way through the three-week lock down period and it will be interesting to see whether the public can maintain the apparent discipline in following government guidance when one in five believe they could have had the virus already. 'The results also suggest not everyone is confident they can tell whether or not they have coronavirus, which may make some worry they have been infected even if they are not certain.' Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,072 18 to 75-year-olds online and the study was weighted to match the profile of the population. Earlier today researchers at Imperial College London, led by government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson, said the UK could already have had 1.8million coronavirus patients with one in every 37 people having caught the disease. Estimates from Imperial College London show 15 per cent of Spain's population may already have been infected with the coronavirus. Graph shows Imperial College's estimated infection rates (yellow bar) contrasted with each nations' current death rates - how many of those officially diagnosed can be expected to die (red bar) Professor Ferguson has been one of the foremost British experts since the outbreak began and it was his work that persuaded the Government to order a lockdown. He and colleagues now suggest an average of four per cent of people in 11 of the Europe's wealthiest countries have been infected - some 19million people. They made the predictions as an alternative to 'highly unrepresentative' official figures, which are based largely on tests done in hospitals. The Imperial College London team based their predictions on how many people have died in each country with COVID-19, and also the lockdown measures each place has put in and when they started them Many millions of people are believed to have caught the virus and recovered at home, putting the infection tolls in the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway considerably higher than the World Health Organisation total of 366,000. Professor Ferguson and his colleagues wrote in their report: 'The ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] provides information on confirmed cases and deaths attributable to COVID-19. 'However, the case data are highly unrepresentative of the incidence of infections due to underreporting as well as systematic and country-specific changes in testing. 'We, therefore, use only deaths attributable to COVID-19 in our model; we do not use the ECDC case estimates at all.' MySolation Day One I wont lie, the first day set off with structure and obedience. I woke up at 8 am like I would any other school day, and after having some breakfast and a cup of caffeine, I sat down and got to work. I ploughed through assigned work from teachers for a solid two hour block, and by 11:00 a.m., I figured I deserved a snack. It was also around this time that the rest of my family awoke. Now, to be frank my family is chaotic. Being in the middle of an eight person family will of course have its benefits as well as its downfalls. Were a loud bunch, full of life; but full of life spells full of distractions. Within minutes of my brothers waking up, the TV was blaring and Alexa was playing baby shark upon request. It was due to this I decided I had enough study done for one day, and could probably take a well earned break. Much to the dismay of my mother. Day Three After finally getting over my wandering mind and settling down into a rhythm of systematic study, I was content in my own pattern. The pandemic still appeared to be a far away, distant issue that didnt affect me. It seemed like a movie, and felt very surreal. I dont think I had yet climatized to my new reality; it felt like I was simply on Easter break early. I started getting restless. I missed seeing familiar faces passing by in the hallway, yet I still felt like Id be going into school the next day. After I was satisfied with the amount of study I crammed in, I packed it up for the day. My sister had been sent home from Abu Dhabi, and since I hadnt seen her for a long time, we decided to go on a stroll to catch up. Usually I would describe my area as peripheral, boring, far away, and abandoned. However on that walk I saw it in a whole new light. The once bleak and foreboding woods were now a hotspot of squirrels and chirping of birds, the winding roads were no longer endless, but rather different paths to explore. I finally understood the joys of country living. Day Six As the cases increased, and so the news reports, I began to understand the seriousness of Covid-19. I stopped seeing the school closure as a personal vendetta that only affected me, and began to see the true, tragic effects this would have on the lifes of millions. It seemed pointless to study for a future that was so uncertain. The leaving certificate exams, which were once a certain destination I would eventually reach, seemed to fade away. Oral exams were cancelled in Irish and french, who was to say that that the written ones would definitely go ahead? I had fallen in love with going on mid day adventures with no one but my dog, Bengie, in the woods. It was an outlet, an escape from my pestering family. A way to clear my mind. . We would explore a new path in the woods everyday. The only company I had on these walks was bouncing Bengie and the sound of Harry Styles serenading me through my earphones. Day Nine Tensions began to grow in my house. It was inevitable. A house of 8 people, ages ranging from 52 11, there was bound to be a misunderstandings and arguments. No matter what, siblings fight. Its just a fact of life. The novelty of my sister returning quickly lost its charm, and sharing a room with her began to become increasingly infuriating. Every morning I wake up to the sight of piles and piles of dirty socks and laundry sprawled across the floor. When you live with someone, little things can tip you over the edge. Yet, as my entire family sat on the couch glued to the TV as Leo addressed the nation that night, I felt more connected to my family than I ever did before. As we sat together we watched history unfold before us. Little things quickly become irrelevant when the Taoiseach is calling on us to come together as a nation. Fights with my sisters seem selfish, prudent, and just unnecessary. Day Twelve In times of nationwide peril, we have to remember that we are still people. And as people, we are allowed have emotions and feelings. Although in the long run, 12 days of isolation may seem irrelevant. Right now however, we have to remember that we are allowed worry about problems that dont affect the entire world. With this mindset, I let myself mourn for the Harry Styles concert that would have been on. Throughout the past few days, I ignored what I deemed selfish and irrelevant problems, but with one Instagram post from Harry Styles, they all came bubbling back to the surface. Im not going to lie, I did feel like a blubbering toddler crying over spilt milk- but it did give me an outlet. As though someone had turned on a tap, everything I pushed away came out. You do always feel better after letting it all out. That is my experience so far in isolation- or mysolation. Although there are bigger things to worry about, or bigger fish to fry, as my dad would say, we are still people at the end of the day. We are allowed feel and worry about things that affect us. Although we may worry about petty and materialistic things, we can come together as a nation for the greater good. This isolation requires sacrifice from everybody, and will affect everybody. DENVER Gary Sloane Jr. was counting down the days until his planned surgery: April 22, 2020. But with just over a month to go before his surgeons were set to repair a massive hernia caused by his liver transplant, the coronavirus outbreak prompted them to delay the surgery they deemed elective. "If you could see a picture of this hernia, it goes from my where my ribs are and hangs completely down. You can touch my belly and feel my intestines on the inside. It's horrible," said Sloane, 45, who lives near Buffalo, New York. Margie Thompson, 64, was supposed to be having her hip replaced April 6. Bad knees and an active lifestyle left the Denver-based associate professor in chronic pain and anxiously awaiting her surgery. Like Sloane, Thompson saw her procedure delayed indefinitely. "It's just hard to live everyday life. It's hard to teach, I often have to sit down," she said. "This has really limited my physical activity." US coronavirus map: Tracking the outbreak As the coronavirus outbreak began spreading last month, doctors across the country cancelled tens of thousands of non-urgent surgeries so that hospitals and medical professionals could begin clearing bed space and freeing up staff to prepare for the now-growing number of coronavirus patients. In this Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018 file photo, a surgeon directs a special camera to be able to view his patient's cancer tumor on monitors while performing surgery at a hospital in Philadelphia. As the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads, many cancer surgeries are being delayed, stent procedures for clogged arteries have been pushed back and infertility specialists were asked to postpone helping patients get pregnant. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams on March 22 called on hospitals to cancel or delay nonessential elective procedures, including dental procedures. He said deferring procedures would also preserve much-needed masks, gloves and gowns for emergency use. "Deferring elective procedures does not mean they cannot or will not be done in the future once we see our COVID-19 response needs decrease," Adams wrote in USA TODAY. "We are at a critical point in our global and national response to an unprecedented pandemic, and it will take sacrifice and an all-of-America effort." White House predictions say as many as 240,000 people may die from the virus, with hundreds of thousands more predicted to get sick and require lengthy hospitalizations. Story continues Surgeries covered by the cancellations run from knee replacements to cancer biopsies, reconstructions following mastectomies and tummy tucks and face lifts. Surgeon General Jerome Adams at the White House on March 20, 2020. While the surgery cancellations might have seemed overly aggressive at first, what we're seeing today as coronavirus caseloads skyrocket proves it was the right move, said Dr. David Battinelli, chief medical officer of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York. Right now, the system has about 2,500 COVID-19 patients, with 600 in intensive care, Battinelli said, and workers there are reeling from the recent coronavirus death of one of their own senior physicians. That doctor's death has brought home to the Northwell community just how serious this fight is. "It was all hands on deck redeploying all of our providers," Battinelli said. "We knew that we were going to have to build capacity within our hospitals to handle COVID patients." Battinelli said managers at Northwell, which has 23 hospitals and nearly 800 outpatient facilities, have begun assessing which of the delayed procedures need to be rescheduled, and how quickly. "When you say elective, a person on the street might think, well, maybe they didn't need it at all," he said. "Some of these planned procedures can't be put off that long." A sign at the Vail Health Hospital in Vail, Colorado, for the emergency department's coronavirus isolation trailer. Battinelli said Northwell is now using more specific language to describe surgeries: Emergent, urgent (which can be delayed for up to a month), planned (which can be delayed for three to six months), and cosmetic, which can be indefinitely postponed. Battinelli said urgent could include things like cancer biopsies, while knee replacements might fall into the planned category. Like many health care systems, Northwell used the delay between cancelling surgeries and the increase in coronavirus patients to assess which rooms could be used for critical care, which ones could be doubled-up with patients, and which ones could be equipped with ventilators to create makeshift ICU beds. He said doctors and administrators at Northwell hope the quarantine measures put in place by public health officials can bring the number of coronavirus cases down over the next several months, allowing non-emergency surgeries to resume perhaps late this summer. While delaying such surgeries impacts patients who must wait for pain relief or to confirm a cancer diagnosis, the delays also financially hurt the surgical teams and hospitals that would otherwise be conducting them. "This is going to be a big story as places are peaking and then trying to take care of the backlog," Battinelli said. "We really do believe we're going to be dealing with the tail end of this for many months." Sloane and Thompson both said they're not sure when they will get their much-needed surgeries. But both said they understand the reason for the delay. Sloane said he doesn't want to be near a hospital right now, given the outbreak, but still frets about how he can't work until his stomach gets repaired. "To have that taken away from you, it's kind of devastating," Sloane said. "I just want it done. But I know it's going to be a long time before I can have this surgery. I just know it. I've been waiting for over a year. I mean, I'm alive, and that's the best thing I can say about all of this. But how long am I going to have to go like this?" Hands of doctors performing surgery in hospital operating room. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus surgery cancellations leave thousands in pain over delays The captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier would not have written a formal letter to his chain of command pleading for his sailors to be quarantined unless he felt he had exhausted all other options, according to a retired Navy officer who knows the captain well. In an extraordinary letter that was first reported Tuesday by the San Francisco Chronicle, Capt. Brett Crozier said that while his ship, the Theodore Roosevelt, remains ready to fight and beat any adversary that dares challenge the US or our allies, doing so would involve taking certain risks that are not acceptable in peacetime. The letter amounts to a desperate appeal to his chain of command to get most of his sailors off the ship, where the virus is spreading out of control, and into individual quarantine lodgings that are based on federal guidelines. But retired Cmdr. Guy Bus Snodgrass said the captain would not have written his letter unless he had first tried other avenues of less formal communication with his chain of command, such as email. You only write a formal four-page memorandum like he did, compelling action, if those informal processes have broken down, said Snodgrass. He must have felt like that was the only recourse left to him to get the desired response to take care of his crew. Snodgrass said he got to know Crozier when the latter was the executive officer of another carrier, the Ronald Reagan, and Snodgrass commanded an F/A-18 squadron in Japan that deployed to the carrier. He is a leader of utmost character, said Snodgrass. Hes just a very calm, cool and collected kind of guy. Hes not prone to hyperbole, hes not prone to getting overexcited over small things or big things. But Croziers bosses said theyre doing all they can to help the carrier, which is in port in Guam. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. John Aquilino told reporters Tuesday that while he was on the same sheet of music as Crozier, numerous constraints were preventing him from moving most of the carriers roughly 5,000 sailors off the ship as quickly as Crozier desired. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, meanwhile, told CBS Evening News that he had not had a chance to read Croziers letter in detail, but that were not at that point where the carrier needed to be evacuated. Story continues Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alexander Williams/U.S. Navy) Were moving a lot of supplies and medical assistance out to the carrier in Guam, said Esper, adding that he was going to rely on the Navy chain of command to solve the problem. None of the crew was seriously ill, he said. However, Esper said, he did agree with Crozier on one point. Nobody of course needs to die at this point in time, the defense secretary said. Were not at war. Priority No. 1 is taking care of our service members and their families. The Navy first announced three confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on the Theodore Roosevelt on March 24. In the week since, that number has risen to as many as 200, according to Navy Times, and the ship has been put into port at Guam, where it remains. The Theodore Roosevelts public affairs office did not respond to an emailed request for more information. In his letter, Crozier said that as long as his crew members remain on the ship, the cramped conditions make it impossible to guarantee their safety by individually quarantining each sailor in his or her own room with a separate bathroom. He repeatedly noted that that sort of individual quarantine, which he said is the only effective method to preserve an individuals health, is the type called for in guidelines issued by both the Navy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the absence of individual quarantine facilities, the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating aboard the carrier, Crozier wrote. Decisive action is required now in order to prevent tragic outcomes. The captain acknowledged that there are challenges in finding individual housing for his sailors. This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do, he wrote. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our Sailors. Aquilino said the Navy is trying to rotate the sailors off the ship in large groups, isolating and testing them for the coronavirus, before returning them when its confirmed that they are full up COVID-free, all while ensuring the vessel undergoes a thorough cleaning. The Navy is working with Guam Gov. Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero to identify hotel rooms into which the sailors can move as soon as possible, Aquilino said. The urgency has been highlighted. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently in port in Guam. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) In a statement, the Navy made no firm promises that it would grant Croziers request. The commanding officer of the Theodore Roosevelt alerted leadership in the Pacific Fleet on Sunday evening of continuing challenges in isolating the virus, the statement said. The ships commanding officer advocated for housing more members of the crew in facilities that allow for better isolation. Navy leadership is moving quickly to take all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of the crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt, and is pursuing options to address the concerns raised by the commanding officer. The Navy has not confirmed how the virus got onboard the Theodore Roosevelt, but the decision to permit the carriers most recent port call before the first cases were confirmed is bound to be re-examined in light of the outbreak on the carrier. That port call was a five-day visit to Da Nang, Vietnam, which concluded on March 9. The Navy announced the first confirmed COVID-19 cases on the ship 15 days later. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday told reporters during a Pentagon press briefing on March 24 that in late February, early March, Adm. Philip Davidson, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, decided to allow the port visit because Vietnam had few confirmed cases. But a spokesperson for Indo-Pacific Command told Yahoo News that in giving the go-ahead for the port visit, Davidson was following Aquilinos recommendation. In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Aquilino said that at the time of the visit, World Health Organization (WHO) data showed only 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Vietnam, all of which were in the capital, Hanoi, about 375 miles north of Da Nang. In addition, Vietnam had not had a new confirmed case in 20 days, he said. But Aquilino acknowledged that although every sailor was screened prior to reboarding the carrier in Da Nang, the possibility still exists that the virus came aboard at that time. An Indo-Pacific Command March 12 press release about the port visit said that Aquilino himself visited Da Nang for a ceremony to mark the conclusion of the port visit. The release makes clear that the command and Pacific Fleet considered the port call an important diplomatic opportunity, a point that Aquilino also made in his conference call with reporters on Tuesday, saying that the visit was to recognize the 25th anniversary of the normalizing of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, center, Adm. John C. Aquilino, right, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, center-left, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, and Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, in Da Nang, Vietnam, on March 5. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas V. Huynh/U.S. Navy) The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Daniel Kritenbrink, attended the ceremony, as did numerous Vietnamese officials, including representatives from the ministries of national defense and foreign affairs. The press release included a photograph of a group of Vietnamese and U.S. officials, including several Navy officers, standing close together and making no obvious attempt at social distancing. World Health Organization daily COVID-19 updates confirm Gildays and Aquilinos assertion that when the decision to green-light the port call was taken, Vietnam had only 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19. That number held steady from Feb. 13 through March 6. But Vietnam is a developing country, so its not clear how much testing was actually occurring there nor whether the nations communist regime was being completely open about the number of cases. On Feb. 28, five days before the Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Danang, the WHO stated that at least some of Vietnams cases were the result of local transmission. The number of confirmed cases in Vietnam began to rise again in the middle of the Theodore Roosevelts port call, with the 17th being registered on March 7. That figure had increased to 30 by the time the carrier left Da Nang, meaning Vietnams total number of confirmed cases had almost doubled in the space of the port visit. Because it typically takes someone with COVID-19 between two and 14 days to exhibit symptoms, the number of people with the disease in Vietnam at the time was likely much higher. According to the World Health Organization, the number of confirmed cases in Vietnam as of March 30 stood at 188, which is less than the reported number aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. This story has augmented reality! Tap the video above to see how it looks and download the Yahoo News app to launch the full experience. Augmented reality is currently available to iPhone users (iPhone 8 and later) with the latest version of iOS. _____ Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides. Read more: A Meath GAA player had a close shave during his first day in lockdown when his gaming skills went a bit hairy. The Royal full-back Conor McGill got just that - a full back and sides from his brother who scalped him after beating him in a challenge match on Fifa 2020. The 26 year old Ratoath club member now has a few weeks to grow his barnet back before he returns to work from the Covid-19 lockdown. McGill with better hair in Meath colours "I was after getting word to work from home so my brother Darragh (31) challenged me to a game of Fifa 2020," he said. "I thought we'd make it interesting so I suggested whoever won got to cut the other's hair. I lost and he shaved my head with all kinds of designs. Conor McGill and his losing lockdown haircut. "I work in the insurance industry and had to go into work the next day to get set up so I could work from home. I was supposed to keep the haircut until the lockdown was lifted but my brother let me shave my head completely because of work and wear a hat. "It was a bit longer than usual anyway when he cut it and it'll grow back quickly. It was a bit of craic and we're still talking anyway," he laughed. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tencent (00700.HK) and the United Nations (UN) today announced a new and innovative global partnership for the UN's 75th anniversary, which will host thousands of online conversations through VooV Meeting (international version of Tencent Meeting), WeChat Work and Tencent Artificial Intelligence Simultaneous Interpretation (Tencent AI SI). This partnership means that amid the coronavirus pandemic, the largest global dialogue to date will be conducted with the technical support from one of the world's largest Internet services and technology companies. In celebration of the UN's 75th anniversary (#UN75 campaign), Tencent and the United Nations are partnering to reach out to millions of people across the globe, aiming to listen to their thoughts on what the world should look like in 25 years and what role international cooperation should play in solving global challenges like climate change and pandemics such as the coronavirus. The United Nations is calling on people all around the world to engage in a global dialogue and empowering partners to organize and participate in online discussions of any scale with the help of Tencent's VooV Meeting platform, WeChat Work, as well as Tencent AI SI. "Global collaboration not only plays a vital role in human well-being and our future, but is also the key to fighting the current global pandemic. Tencent is honored to participate and facilitate UN75 global conversations. We will spare no effort in providing technical solutions to support online meetings and idea exchanges for the UN, with the aim of bringing the global village even closer together and overcoming global threats through extensive dialogue and cooperation." said Martin Lau, President of Tencent. As the entire world combats the Coronavirus pandemic, international cooperation and solidarity are more critical than ever. Tencent will provide the #UN75 campaign with videoconferencing and digital dialogue tools to boost the initiative's online outreach and promotion among the public. "As we are strengthening the UN75 initiative in the digital space and adapting to the current constraints, this partnership could not have been more timely and valuable. We are grateful to Tencent for their generous support to the UN75 initiative. Their dialogue tools and videoconferencing services will greatly enhance our capacity to reach out to more people across the globe. Tencent's technology and global outreach is particularly important to reach young people. As one of the world's largest tech companies, Tencent's support for the UN75 campaign sets an important example," said Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Preparations for the Commemoration of the United Nations' 75th Anniversary. Meanwhile, the #UN75 campaign is gathering solutions, opinions and concerns in solving critical global challenges, through online dialogues and its one-minute survey at www.un75.online. The survey will be disseminated and promoted through Tencent's social networking, gaming, media, video and advertising platforms. The views and ideas generated will be presented to world leaders at a high-profile event during the 75th Session of the General Assembly in September 2020. Tencent Meeting, the online platform supporting the #UN75 campaign, has over 10 million daily active users, becoming one of the most widely used video conferencing applications in China. Since its launch last December, Tencent Meeting has launched 14 updates within 40 days. Tencent Meeting also expanded its computing resources daily and used the added resources to scale up capacity by adding over 1 million CPU cores to the network with a total addition of more than 100,000 CVM within eight days, setting a new record in China's cloud computing sector. VooV Meeting, the international version of Tencent Meeting, was made available online in over 100 countries and regions around the world. SOURCE Tencent RTHK: Man found dead on Thai train tests positive A man found dead on a passenger train in Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday, as the country's death toll from the contagion more than tripled from a week ago. The 57-year-old, who had just returned from Pakistan and was travelling from Bangkok to the southern province of Narathiwat, was seen "coughing and vomiting" before boarding the train on Monday, State Railway of Thailand said. His body was found in front of a bathroom during the journey. Other passengers were evacuated from the carriage which was then disconnected from the rest of the train and disinfected by workers wearing protective suits. A post-humous test showed he had Covid-19. The names of the 15 passengers who were seated in his carriage were passed to health authorities to track down. It is not clear when the man arrived back in Thailand. He was carrying a health certificate issued by a doctor in Pakistan on March 26 stating he did not have the virus and was fit to fly. A state of emergency that took effect last Wednesday barred entry into the kingdom except for diplomats and Thais. Anyone arriving in the country must have a health certificate and spend 14 days in self-quarantine. The number of infections in Thailand has soared past 1,700 - up more than 60 percent from a week ago - and the death toll has more than tripled to 13. The government has come under criticism for not acting quickly enough to curb the spread of the virus. Bangkok authorities announced on Wednesday all city parks will be off-limits, while convenience stores and food stalls will have to be closed between midnight and 5:00 am. But unlike neighbouring Laos, there are still no orders for residents to stay at home. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office called on residents Wednesday to report information about the potential homicide of a woman found dead in her home a day earlier. Around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an unconscious woman in a home along the 800 block of Graham Hill Road. Deputies found the body of 55-year-old Santa Cruz resident Kimberley Smith in the residence, according to the sheriff's office. Small Western Massachusetts towns are getting creative as they strive to help those struggling to get groceries and supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. New Salem has started a shopper aid program to provide groceries and other needed items for the elderly and other residents who are unable to shop for themselves. The towns Board of Health, which oversees the new program, compiled a list of residents willing to shop for those in need. Then it contacted every resident in town, age 72 and older, to let them know that they are not alone and that groceries and other staples are just a phone call away. Jenny Potee, chairwoman of the Board of Health, said most of the approximately 80 to 100 elderly residents they reached out to said they already had the support of relatives and neighbors. Some, however, have taken the board up on its offer. I anticipate as things change it will be used more, said Potee, a registered nurse. The shopper aid program, Potee stressed, is available to all town residents who need it, regardless of age. So far about a half-dozen residents have volunteered to shop for their neighbors. The town website, which contains updates on the outbreak by different town departments, lays out the details of the program. Please rely on your neighbors to assist you if you are not able to shop for yourself, it states. If you are in need and hesitant, do not take the chance. Those seeking help are asked to leave their name and telephone number with the Board of Health office at 978-544-9673. Those willing to shop for their neighbors are asked to email the board at nsboardofhealth@gmail.com. New Salems ability to communicate with its residents is hampered by its limited internet access, Potee said. Although the town is in the midst of a major upgrade, that work has halted because of the outbreak. To get around that, New Salem is sending a letter to all its residents that provides basic information on the importance of social distancing, hand-washing and staying at home particularly if one is feeling sick. Wendell residents will receive a copy of the letter as well, Potee said. Joe Cuneo serves as fire chief and emergency management director to both communities. Meanwhile, New Salem one of the states smallest communities, with a population of less than a thousand has also reached beyond its borders to help the largest hospital in the region, Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, with a substantial donation of personal protective equipment. Included in that donation was 3,000 procedure masks. Potee said New Salem received an emergency supply of personal protective equipment from the state some time ago and decided to donate much of it to Baystate. We had it stored for an emergency, she said. For something like this. Along with the 3,000 procedural masks, New Salem donated 50 gowns and 150 N95 respirators. We at this point dont see we are going to need (personal protective equipment) on that scale, Potee said, adding that the town made sure to retain ample supplies for its own use. Board of Health member Cameron Dunbar delivered the equipment to Baystate last week. It just made sense. It was the right thing to do at this time, Potee said. Related Content Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-30 20:17:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Residence violators wait to register for deportation in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, April 1, 2020. Kuwait will allow residence violators to leave the country without fines, the Kuwait's Ministry of Interior announced on Monday. Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh issued an amnesty decision allowing residence violators to leave Kuwait during the period of April 1 to 30 without paying fines, the Security Media Department with the ministry said. The decision comes in light of the circumstances in the Kuwait and as a measure to combat the spread of coronavirus. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) KUWAIT CITY, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait will allow residence violators to leave the country without fines, the Kuwait's Ministry of Interior announced on Monday. Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh issued an amnesty decision allowing residence violators to leave Kuwait during the period of April 1 to 30 without paying fines, the Security Media Department with the ministry said. According to the decision, the violators will also be allowed to depart without paying travel costs where the Kuwaiti government will provide tickets for them with the possibility to return, the department noted. In addition, a free shelter will be provided with free meals and drinks to the violators until they leave the country, it said. The decision comes in light of the circumstances in the Kuwait and as a measure to combat the spread of coronavirus, it noted. The violators who do not leave the country during April will be subjected to the penalties and deported, it said. Whoever wants to pay the fine and remain in the country will not be subjected to investigations and would be allowed to pay the fines and legalize their statuses if they match the set conditions, it added. Kuwait reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 266, the Health Ministry announced on Monday. Note: This story has been updated with comments from the U.S. Navy and other developments. The captain of a nuclear aircraft carrier with more than 100 sailors infected with the coronavirus pleaded Monday with U.S. Navy officials for resources to allow isolation of his entire crew and avoid possible deaths in a situation he described as quickly deteriorating. The unusual plea from Capt. Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, came in a letter obtained exclusively by The Chronicle and confirmed by a senior officer on board the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, which has been docked in Guam following a COVID-19 outbreak among the crew of more than 4,000 less than a week ago. This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do, Crozier wrote. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our Sailors. In the four-page letter to senior military officials, Crozier said only a small contingent of infected sailors have been off-boarded. Most of the crew remain aboard the ship, where following official guidelines for 14-day quarantines and social distancing is impossible. Due to a warships inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this, Crozier wrote. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating. He asked for compliant quarantine rooms on shore in Guam for his entire crew as soon as possible. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. ... This is a necessary risk, Crozier wrote. Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care. The Navy did not respond to The Chronicles requests for comment Monday, but on Tuesday morning as the news spread, the Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly spoke to CNN. I heard about the letter from Capt. Crozier (Tuesday) morning, I know that our command organization has been aware of this for about 24 hours and we have been working actually the last seven days to move those sailors off the ship and get them into accommodations in Guam. The problem is that Guam doesnt have enough beds right now and were having to talk to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space, create tent-type facilities, Modly said. We dont disagree with the (captain) on that ship and were doing it in a very methodical way because its not the same as a cruise ship, that ship has armaments on it, it has aircraft on it, we have to be able to fight fires if there are fires on board the ship, we have to run a nuclear power plant, so theres a lot of things that we have to do on that ship that make it a little bit different and unique but were managing it and were working through it, he said. Were very engaged in this, were very concerned about it and were taking all the appropriate steps, Modly said. So far, none of the infected sailors has shown serious symptoms, but the number of those who have tested positive has jumped exponentially since the Navy reported infections in three crew members on March 24, the first time COVID-19 infections had been detected on a naval vessel at sea. Asked Tuesday what should be done about the Roosevelt, President Trump said he would let the military make that decision. Retired Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Chronicle Tuesday in an e-mail that we should expect more such incidents because warships are a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus. Unfortunately, naval vessels are ideal breeding grounds for the spread of viruses because it is impossible to do social distancing on one because of the tight quarters on board, Stavridis said. The ships problems will compound, Stavridis said, because you cant tie the vessel up and send everyone ashore. It is full of weapons, billions of dollars of equipment, fire hazards, and nuclear reactors. Inside the Newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse Mark Cancian, a Marine colonel who served for 37 years before retiring, said that the Navy has got to figure out how to do this right or else they cant deploy the rest of the fleet. This is like the test case, said Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C. Stavridis advised the entire U.S. Navy to test, test, test, and immediately isolate those infected off of ships. Scrubbing the Theodore Roosevelt of the virus will not be complicated, but time-consuming, he said. He estimated cleaning would take five to 10 days with a crew of 350 people. Senior military officials said last week that the entire crew of more than 4,000 will be tested. The carriers home port is San Diego. At the time, Modly expressed confidence that they identified all the sailors who had been in contact with the trio of infected sailors and they had been quarantined. This is an example of how we are able to keep our ships deployed at seas and underway, even with active COVID-19 cases, Modly said. But by the time the ship reached port in Guam on Friday, the number of cases had grown to 25, and soon after to 36, according to reports. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday responded to the increasing numbers late last week by saying the Navy was taking this threat very seriously and working to isolate positive cases to halt the spread. He promised to increase the rate of testing and to isolate infected sailors. He stressed that the top two priorities were caring for their sailors and maintaining mission readiness. We are confident that our aggressive response will keep U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt able to respond to any crisis in the region, Gilday said. But by Monday, a senior officer on board the massive aircraft carrier, who wished to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak to the media, said between 150 and 200 sailors had tested positive. None had been hospitalized yet, the source said. The Chronicle agreed to withhold the officers name based on its anonymous sources policy. In his letter to top Navy command, Crozier said if it was operating in wartime, the ship would cope and continue operations and battle the illness as best it could. However, we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily, Crozier wrote. Decisive action is required now in order to comply with CDC and (Navy) guidance and prevent tragic outcomes. Lawrence Korb, a former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan Administration, said that it is very unusual for a ship captain someone who is typically on a career track to become an admiral to write such a letter. It shows that this is a person who is putting the welfare of his sailors ahead of his career, said Korb, a retired Navy captain who is now a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress think tank. Gilday told reporters last week it was unclear if sailors became infected following the ships previous port of call in early March to Da Nang, Vietnam. Gilday said they debated whether to go on with the Vietnam visit, but at the time there were only 16 coronavirus cases in northern Vietnam and the port was in the central part of the country. Sailors were screened prior to returning on board. The first three sailors tested positive 15 days after leaving Vietnam, officials said. The virus has been hard to contain on board ever since. Federal and military guidelines recommend individual quarantine, including no use of common areas. Due to the close quarters required on a warship and the current number of positive cases, every single Sailor, regardless of rank, on board the TR must be considered close contact, Crozier wrote. The tight quarters on the carrier are most conducive to spread, he wrote, including large amounts of sailors in a confined space, shared sleeping quarters, restrooms, workspaces and computers, a common mess hall, meals cooked by exposed personnel, and movement constraints requiring communal contact with ladders and hatches. He called the current strategy followed so far of moving a small infected group onto the pier, increasing cleaning and attempts at social distancing ineffective. The current strategy will only slow the spread, he wrote. The current plan in execution on TR will not achieve virus eradication on any timeline. The captain compared the situation to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, citing a study that focused on what could have happened to that cruise ship had no isolation been done. A total of 712 passengers eventually tested positive for COVID-19 from that cruise departing from Japan; however, the study found if there had been no early isolation close to 80% of passengers and crew would have been infected. And had the cruise line immediately evacuated the ship after the first positive tests, the study found only 76 people would have tested positive. Crozier said the Theodore Roosevelt could fare even worse, as a warship is not designed to provide such individual isolation like guest cabins. TRs best-case results, given the current environment, are likely to be much worse, he wrote. As for the senior military officials promising tests for all crew aboard the carrier last week, Crozier said it is not a solution. Testing has no direct influence on the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It merely confirms the presence of the virus, he wrote. Of the first 33 Roosevelt sailors testing positive, seven, or 21%, originally tested negative. After testing negative, those seven sailors presented symptoms within 1 to 3 days after their initial negative test, Crozier said. The testing should be utilized, the captain wrote, after a proper 14-day quarantine to ensure no infected sailors return on board a clean ship. Only one of the pier-side accommodations meet Navy guidelines, he wrote, adding that two sailors tested positive after sleeping in a gym with cots. If the Navy focuses on being battle ready, it will lead to losses to the virus, Crozier said. The second option, the captain recommended: Achieve a COVID-free TR. Methodically clean the ship, while isolating the crew in port with a massive amount of individualized lodging equipment. As part of his plan, 10% of the crew would stay on board to run the reactor plant, sanitize the ship, ensure security and provide contingency response for emergencies. As war is not imminent, Crozier wrote, we recommend pursuing the peace time end state. Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said 40 out of 300 people from the state, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi's Nizamuddin area, have been identified. "We got a report that 300 people participated in the event at Markaz Nizamuddin. We have identified 40 people out of the 300. Saliva tests of 12 people have come negative. Request all those who attended the event at Delhi's Nizamuddin to come forward," Sriramulu said. "Sixty-two Indonesian nationals participated in Markaz Nizamuddin event. Later, all of them visited Karnataka. We have quarantined 14 people in them," he added. Other state government are also identifying people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, which has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. Six people from Telangana who attended the gathering have died due to coronavirus. An FIR has been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 04:42:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday reported 138 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 3,036. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Turkey surpassed 15,000. A total of 2,987 new cases were confirmed, bringing the tally of COVID-19 cases in Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, to 47,593. So far, 15,473 patients in Iran have recovered from the virial respiratory disease. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the coronavirus pandemic has taken a "downward trend" in the country. "All the provinces of Iran have witnessed a downward trend in the coronavirus infection cases recently," he was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying. Iran will double the number of daily COVID-19 tests from the current 10,000 tests to 20,000, said Alireza Biglari, head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran. Turkey, the second worst-hit country in the region, on Wednesday registered 63 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 277. Meanwhile, the tally of coronavirus cases surged to 15,679, after 2,148 more COVID-19 cases were confirmed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the COVID-19 outbreak becomes more widespread in the country, tighter measures will be taken. Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the ways of closer cooperation in the fight against the outbreak of COVID-19, the Turkish presidency said in a statement. Israel recorded its biggest single-day rise in the new cases of infection as 734 more people were tested positive for the virus, raising the tally of infections in the country to 6,092. Six more deaths were reported, leading to 26 Israel's death toll from the coronavirus. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and spend the upcoming holidays only with immediate family. Saudi Arabia announced 157 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,720. Six more patients died from the virus, bringing the kingdom's death toll from the disease to 16. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 150 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 814. Two more coronavirus deaths were reported, raising the death toll to eight. Algeria reported 131 new cases and 14 more deaths from the coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 847 and the death toll to 58. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune issued a presidential decree to pardon 5,037 prisoners as part of the efforts to stem the virus spread. The government also decided to extend the partial lockdown to four more provinces of Bejaia, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Mostaganem and Oum El Bouaghi. In a live TV speech on Tuesday night, Tebboune praised China for providing medical aid for Algeria's fight against COVID-19, calling China a "true friend." The mutual help between Algeria and China in fighting the coronavirus "fully reflects the solid strategic partnership between the two countries," the president said. In Cairo, Egypt's Health Ministry announced 69 new cases of COVID-19 and six new deaths, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 779, including 52 deaths. Qatar reported 54 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed cases to 835, of whom 71 have recovered. In Morocco, 40 new COVID-19 cases and one more death were confirmed, bringing the tally of infections to 642 and the death toll to 37. Iraq reported 34 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 728, of whom 52 have died and 182 have recovered. Tunisia reported 30 new cases, as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed to 423. Kuwait reported 28 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 317, Kuwait's Health Ministry said. The Omani Ministry of Health announced 18 new cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 210. Lebanon's COVID-19 cases increased to 479 after 16 new cases were detected, while the death toll remained unchanged at 12. Palestine declared 15 new cases in the West Bank, raising the total confirmed COVID-19 cases to 134. The new cases are Palestinians working at a poultry factory in the Israeli Atarot industrial area in East Jerusalem. China will stand firm together with Palestine in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, said Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine , during meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. Guo added that China is ready to provide assistance within its capacity and share anti-coronavirus experience with Palestine. (Photo : REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson) Laura Ng, who has lupus and had to recently call at least five pharmacies before she could find a place to fill her hydroxychloroquine prescription, is photographed in Seattle, Washington, U.S. March 31, 2020. Ng said she is worried about the supply due to interest in the drug as a treatment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Specialists warned facilities might face a scarcity of trained health care people in using ventilators as the United States waits for a fleet of medical equipment to treat COVID-19 patients. "If you have a thousand more ventilators magically appear, do you have the 20 Intensive Care Unit doctors, 300 ICU nurses, 150 respiratory therapists, and all personal protective equipment needed to support 1,000 new ventilators?" Dr. Doug White, an intensive care physician with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told ABC News. Ventilators, according to White, don't run themselves. ALSO READ: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Could Shoot Up to 1 Million; Shortage of Ventilators Looms With Only About 100,000 on Hand More healthcare workers needed Personnel particularly trained to treat patients with ventilators is just one of the latest possible shortages that officials are facing as they struggle in coronavirus fight. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on Monday, Mar. 30, asked help to other states for shipping as many healthcare people as they can to assist the strained system in the region. There are about 6,800 licensed respiration therapists in New York, according to the state's Education Department, which handles professional licensing. They are professionals who intently display patients and adjust treatments using the lifesaving ventilators to breathe. Health officers remain worried about employee shortages despite the number of respiratory therapists, anesthesiologists, physicians, and tens of hundreds of volunteer health care employees. New York counts more than 75,000 cases of coronavirus infections so far, according to Cuomo. Over 186,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the United States, and at least 4,000 have died in the country, Johns Hopkins University said. The standard care for a ventilated patient, according to ABC News, include round-the-clock care from a team of nurses and respiratory therapists, under the supervision of an intensive care doctor. Due to the influx of patients needing intensive care service, one ICU doctor handles four times the number of ventilated patients they typically do. The practitioner also handles a group of non-ICU specialists working under them. ALSO READ: COVID-19 Update: NHS Might Consider Allowing Doctors to Let Two Coronavirus Patients Use the Same Ventilator Due to Lack of Machines It's a strained machine that could buckle even similarly if large numbers of front-line nurses and medical doctors contract the coronavirus due to shortages of the private protective system. White said the situation would likely end up in a lower quality of care, which is why the standard of care changes in an emergency. "Critical care physicians are trained in respiratory and multi-organ failure in a way that no other specialty is," he added. He explained the treatment of ICU patients would change when ICU physicians are transitioned to manage a group of non-ICU doctors. ALSO READ: Coronavirus: An Irish Hospital Hires Robots to Help Mater Nurses in Fighting COVID-19 Doctors worry about drug shortages At Elmhurst Hospital in Queens in New York City, said to be the "ground zero" of infections inside the U.S., the struggle isn't always a scarcity of ventilators or even healthcare workers. The experts expressed their concern over medications used to sedate patients when being intubated, alongside the equipment used to deliver the one's pills. An intensive care physician told ABC News their hospital is facing drug shortages, including the ones used to sedate patients. "If you aren't sedating [the patient] enough, you always [place] someone [at risk of] self-excavating," the physician explained. Which means one may rip the tube out of themselves because they're too awake. Patients maintain to take sedatives and ache relievers to hold them asleep while having the tube to save themselves from fighting against both the breathing tube and the ventilator. 'Tsunami of patients' are seen With many COVID-19 patients requiring ventilators for weeks, some health officials are worried that the nation's delivery of drugs won't be enough to help the country sustain the outbreak. Dr. Erin Fox, who investigates drug shortages from hospitals, told ABC News that medicines are running in brief supply to support the incoming tsunami of patients. "We see a tsunami of patients coming our way, and we don't see a tsunami of drug availability coming our way. It's frightening to think, you might not have enough remedy," she said. Experts worry that a prolonged international outbreak could extend the global pharmaceutical supply chain. The situation would force countries to fight among each other for resources as numerous states have been forced to do for protective gadgets in the country. Dr. Michael Ganio, one of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, told ABC News the pharmaceutical companies "don't have the drug supply to match all this surge capacity that's being built." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A day after the detection of the fourth COVID-19 patient in the state, who returned from Dubai and did not show symptoms of the disease, the Odisha government on Wednesday urged people "with travel history but no symptoms" to strictly observe the 14-day home quarantine norms. As a precautionary measure, people, who had retuned from abroad or other states in the country, were advised to monitor their health conditions for another two weeks after following the 14-day home quarantine procedure, a senior health department official said. "The fourth COVID patient did not have any symptom. Hence people with travel history but no symptoms should not be complacent. They must follow home quarantine for two weeks and then self monitor their health condition for another two weeks," state health and family welfare department said in its Twitter handle. A 29-year-old man from Bhadrak district, with a travel history to Dubai, tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. "What is significant is that the man had no symptom of coronavirus infection," the official said, adding that people coming from outside the state "should not adopt any casual approach". The three earlier cases were reported from Bhubaneswar. Of them, two had returned from abroad while the third had recently visited Delhi and Haryana. Of the three, two are undergoing treatment in the government-run Capital Hospital and one in the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Odisha's health and family welfare secretary N B Dhal has asked the Bhadrak district collector to take the fourth patient to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. The immediate steps have already been taken by putting the family members of the man in isolation centre and conducting the required tests, the official said. The efforts are also on to trace all those who had come in contact with the fourth patient, he said, adding that the mission director of the National Health Mission is monitoring the follow-up action. The government has been focusing on detecting cases to contain the spread of the coronavirus, he said. The state government has already expressed its concern over violation of the lockdown order and the quarantine norms set for the foreign returnees, the official said. "More than 2,800 persons, who had recently returned to the state from abroad, skipped the mandatory registration, and necessary steps have been taken to identify them, he said. These people had neither registered themselves on the official portal, nor contacted the helpline phone number, he said. Around 80,000 people have also come from other states recently, and it is essential for them to observe the 14-day home quarantine, the official said. According to state governments chief spokesman on COVID-19 Subroto Bagchi, altogether 11,575 people have registered themselves on the online portal while another 104 listed their names through the health helpline number till Tuesday. Of them, 4,304 had come from abroad, Bagchi said. Though the number of COVID-19 patients detected in Odisha so far remains low as compared to the figures in other states, people should not be complacent, the official said. The government urged people to observe the ongoing nationwide lockdown, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday assured doctors and nurses to provide them necessary protective equipment to ensure their safety in the battle against coronavirus, as the number of the COVID-19 patients rose to 2,112 in the country. The assurance came amid reports about shortages of protective gear for the medical staff and some doctors and nurses getting infected by the novel coronavirus that has killed over 43,000 people worldwide. "Doctors, nurses and other medical staff are in the frontline of battle against coronavirus and they will be provided with the necessary protective equipment to ensure their safety and health," Khan said while inaugurating the upgradation of the Cantonment General Hospital in Rawalpindi. Khan said that the trend of the pandemic in Pakistan would become clear in about a week. He said he was satisfied that the country was not seeing the sort of escalation of cases as seen in the Western countries. He also said that China was providing protective equipment and ventilators to Pakistan on priority basis after controlling the virus in its own worst-affected Hubei province. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 2,112 on Wednesday, indicating an upward trend despite efforts by the government to contain the pandemic. According to reports, Punjab province had 748 cases, Sindh 709, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 253, Balochistan 158, Gilgit-Baltistan 184, Islamabad 54 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 6. So far, 26 people have died due to the virus and 82 have recovered, while another 10 are in critical condition. The increase in the number of cases showed that there was little impact of the measures, including partial lockdown, taken so far to reduce the spread of the disease. Officials in Pakistan are scrambling to contain the disease by appealing to the public to remain inside homes and go out only in cases of emergencies. But there was little impact on the masses and in several cities, people were seen roaming out while security officials were trying to convince them to go back to their places. Prime Minister Khan has already announced Rs 1,200 billion package to deal with the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis. Addressing the media after the meeting of the National Core Committee, Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that it was decided to continue the current level of lockdown and restriction for another two weeks. We decided to keep the restrictions until April 15, as we have seen it is helping to contain the virus, he said. The Prime Minister's Adviser on National Security, Moeed Yusuf, said that the ban on international flights will be partially lifted from April 3 but domestic flights will remain suspended. "It is decided that 17 flights will fly from April 3-11 from Pakistan to different countries and bring stranded Pakistanis, he said, adding that maximum 2,000 passengers would be brought to Pakistan. The Prime Minister's Adviser on Heath, Dr Zafar Mirza, said that the implementation of the current restrictions will be improved as it was helping. He said the number of suspected cases were 17,325 and 1,436 were added in the last 24 hours. Mirza said 8,893 people were in quarantine and out of them 5,190 were tested, and 19 per cent were positive. Separately, Prime Minister Khan attended a live telethon to collect donations for his Corona Relief Fund that he launched this week. "People should generously donate funds and I assure you that your money will be used honestly, he said. As Pakistan struggled to finance its efforts against the virus, Japan announced to give USD 2.16 million assistance to Islamabad. A sum of USD 1,620,000 will be provided to Pakistan through the United Nations Children's Fund and USD 540,000 through the International Organization for Migration. Also, Sindh province has decided to impose a curfew-like' lockdown on Friday from 12 noon to 3pm in a bid to maintain social distancing at the time of weekly Friday prayers. "Ulema (clerics) have been asked not to allow common people other than mosque staff to offer the prayer in their mosques, according to an official of the provincial government. Separately, registration for a volunteer force announced by Prime Minister Khan started on Wednesday. "I want our youth to play their role in helping our fight against the COVID-19 by joining our Corona Tiger Force which will be organised to do jihad against the suffering caused by this pandemic, Khan said in a tweet. Meanwhile, opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz criticized the government for failing to take timely action to contain the virus. This government has yet to decide if it wants to properly shut down the country or not. We demand that lockdown should be imposed without any further delay, PML-N leader and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) These were among reports received by the Calvert County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 410-535-2800 or 301-855-1194, the Crime Solvers line at 410-535-2880 or the state police Prince Frederick Barrack at 410-535-1400. ANTIOCH (BCN) The Antioch Police Department on Wednesday announced the arrest of an Arizona man who allegedly collided head-on with an officer's vehicle on purpose. A multi-department pursuit of Andy Monticello, 54, began around 1:35 p.m. Tuesday when the Oakley Police Department attempted to stop his white Nissan Altima from driving erratically. Monticello allegedly attempted to flee and officers pursued him, but eventually called off the chase out of concern for public safety, police said. Soon afterward, the Brentwood Police Department began receiving reports of Monticello's vehicle driving on the city's walking trails and nearly colliding with pedestrians. Brentwood police also received reports of Monticello's vehicle driving recklessly, including allegedly running red lights and attempting to force other vehicles off the road, on a state Highway 4 bypass near Sand Creek Road as well as Balfour Road. Antioch police intercepted Monticello's vehicle on Deer Valley Road and he allegedly pulled into oncoming traffic in front of an Antioch police sergeant traveling south along the road. The sergeant attempted to evade Monticello's vehicle by moving to another lane, but the vehicle mirrored his movement and the two vehicles collided, police said. The sergeant was able to immobilize Monticello's vehicle on the shoulder of Deer Valley Road and Antioch police officers arrested him without further incident. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and officers discovered he also had an outstanding felony warrant from Arizona. The Brentwood and Antioch police departments are still investigating the case and are seeking information from potential witnesses. People who may have information can contact the Antioch Police Department's non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. Tips can also be texted to the department at 274637, using the keyword "Antioch." 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. By Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland GENEVA (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization voiced deep concern on Wednesday about the rapid escalation and global spread of COVID-19 cases from the new coronavirus, which has now reached 205 countries and territories. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that his agency, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund backed debt relief to help developing countries cope with the pandemic's social and economic consequences. "In the past five weeks there has been a near-exponential growth in the number of new cases and the number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week," Tedros told a virtual news conference at the organisation's Geneva headquarters. "In the next few days we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths worldwide," he said. China, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged in December, reported dwindling new infections on Wednesday and disclosed for the first time the number of asymptomatic cases, which could complicate how trends in the outbreak are read. Asked about the distinction, Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist who was part of an international team that went to China in February, said the WHO's definition included laboratory-confirmed cases "regardless of the development of symptoms". "From data that we have seen from China in particular, we know that individuals who are identified, who are listed as asymptomatic, about 75 percent of those actually go on to develop symptoms," she said, describing them as having been in a "pre-symptomatic phase". The new coronavirus causes the respiratory disease COVID-19. The outbreak continues to be driven by people who show signs of disease including fever and cough, but it is important for the WHO to capture that "full spectrum of illness", she added. Tedros praised India's $22.6 billion economic stimulus plan - announced after a 21-day lockdown imposed last week - to provide free food rations for 800 million disadvantaged people, cash transfers to 204 million poor women and free cooking gas for 80 million households for the next 3 months. Story continues "Many developing countries will struggle to implement social welfare programmes of this nature," he said. "For those countries, debt relief is essential to enable them to take care of their people and avoid economic collapse. This is a call from the WHO, the World Bank and IMF - debt relief for developing countries," he said. But debt relief processes are lengthy, Tedros said. "What we are proposing together with the World Bank and IMF is an expedited process to support countries so their economies will not be getting into crisis and their communities will not be really getting into crisis," he said. (Story corrects spelling of WHO official's name in 6th para to van Kerkhove not ver Kerkhove) (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland; Writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney) Details added (first version posted on 14:25) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 31 Trend: The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh has disseminated an appeal in connection with the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis, Trend reports referring to the community on March 31. "The ethnic cleansing, genocide and predatory policy, purposefully carried out by Armenian nationalists against the Azerbaijani people for the past 200 years, are the difficult stages of Azerbaijani history full of tragedies and bloody events, the appeal said. The main goal of this chauvinist policy was the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands and the creation of "great Armenia" fabricated by the Armenians on Azerbaijani territories, the appeal said. At the beginning of the 20th century, Armenian nationalists expanded their activity to implement the idea of great Armenia, put forward in the program of the 'Dashnaktsutyun' party, having begun ethnic cleansing and the policy of genocide, systematically expelling Azerbaijanis living in their historical lands, the appeal said. Armenians committed massacres against Azerbaijani civilians in Baku, Ganja, Karabakh, Iravan, Nakhchivan, Ordubad, Sharur-Daralyaz, Zangezur, Gazakh and other areas in 1905-1906, people were brutally killed, the cities and villages were burned and destroyed. After the February and October events in Russia in 1917, the Dashnaktsutyun party and the Armenian National Congress began to expand their activity. In December 1917, Stepan Shaumian, appointed temporary emergency commissioner for the Caucasus affairs, became the organizer and leader of the mass extermination of Azerbaijanis. At the beginning of 1918, i.e., on the eve of the March bloodshed, there were about 20,000 Armenian armed people directly obeying Shaumian. The Bolshevik-Armenian formations opened fire on Baku from ships on March 30, 1918. On March 31 and in the first days of April, thousands of peaceful Azerbaijanis were exterminated only because of their nationality. During those days, Bolshevik-Armenian formations killed 12,000 Azerbaijani civilians in Baku. During these bloody events, people were burned alive in their houses, as well as tortured. More than 16,000 people were killed with special cruelty in Guba district, 167 villages were destroyed, 35 of which do not exist today as a result of the armed attack of the Armenians during the first five months of 1918. In 2007, a mass grave was discovered in Guba city. During the exploration of the burial, it was revealed that during the attack of the Armenian armed forces on Guba, people were killed, subjected to all kinds of violence. The Armenian military units, also exterminated the Jews along with the Turkic-Muslim population. As a result of the research, it became known that Armenians killed more than 3,000 Jews from 1918 through 1919 in Guba. Moreover, the Armenians destroyed and burned hundreds of Azerbaijani settlements, including 157 villages in Karabakh, committed massacre against Azerbaijanis in Shusha city. During this period, 167 settlements were burned, destroyed and looted in Guba district, 110 settlements in Shamakhi district, 115 settlements in Zangezur district, 211 settlements in Iravan province. Armenian Dashnaks tortured and killed about 50,000 people in Baku and other territories of Azerbaijan from March through April 1918. More than 10,000 were mercilessly killed in Zangezur district, 10,270 Azerbaijanis were killed in Shamakhi district. From 1918 through 1920, as a result of the massacre committed by the Armenians in Baku, Guba, Shamakhi, Kurdamir, Lankaran, Shusha, Iravan province, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Sharur, Ordubad and other regions, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis were killed with special cruelty, more than 1 million people were expelled from their native lands. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More than eight years after the murder of Joshua Rubin, a Brooklyn cafe owner, authorities arrested and charged three men including one Staten Islander in the longstanding cold case. Gary Robles, 37, a resident of the 300 block of Union Avenue in Mariners Harbor, has been charged with murder through the use of a firearm, according to a release from the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. He was reportedly identified as the man who pulled the trigger almost a decade ago. Kevin Taylor, 27, and Michael Mazur, 26 both residents of the 300 block of East 3rd Street in Brooklyn also face the same charge, an unsealed indictment said on Tuesday. Over eight years ago, Joshua Rubins life was taken,'' said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. As alleged in the Indictment, these defendants were responsible for that terrible crime. Now, thanks to the determination of our law enforcement partners and the special agents of our office, the defendants are charged in federal court with murder." Rubin was killed on Oct. 31, 2011, when the trio allegedly attempted to rob him of marijuana in a Brooklyn apartment, before shooting Rubin in the chest, authorities said. After shooting the victim, the three men allegedly transported his body to a rural area in Pennsylvania, where it was burned beyond recognition, according to the LehighValleyLive, the Advance/SiLive.coms sister site. Authorities in Pennsylvania released forensic sketches in an attempt to identify the body, LehighValleyLive reported, but the body was not determined to be Rubins until over a month later, when DNA testing concluded. After years of wondering what led to Mr. Rubin disappearing from his Brooklyn neighborhood, and his body being found in rural Pennsylvania, his family and the community may finally get some answers," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. The passage of time makes cold cases difficult, but the people who committed the crimes are still out there, and they will be held accountable, Sweeney added, thanking the persistence of the FBI New York Joint Violent Crimes Task Force and the NYPD Cold Case Homicide Unit on the case. Berman also praised the outstanding work of the special agents of the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, and thanked the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office, the Pennsylvania State Police and the South Whitehall Township Police Department for their assistance in the investigation. The NYPD could not provide information regarding where the three men were arrested; however, Robles was processed in the NYPDs 121st Precinct in Graniteville, a department spokesman said. When a life is violently taken, law enforcement is there to speak for the voiceless," said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea. "From the moment of Joshua Rubins disappearance and murder, in 2011, our NYPD investigators and federal and local law enforcement partners never stopped working to bring justice for him and all who knew him. It was not immediately clear if Robles, Taylor or Mazur retained attorneys. CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MI A Michigan man who fired a pistol several times to encourage vehicles to move along was arrested after finding out they belonged to DNR officers. According to an official DNR report, the incident occurred in mid-March near the Cheboygan- Charlevoix county border when Tim Rosochacki, a conservation officer in DNR District 3, was assisting a group of three snowmobilers who had become stuck in deep snow while riding off-trail. After unloading his snowmobile and gathering equipment, CO Rosochacki was waiting for CO Matt Theunick to arrive when a subject at a residence nearby exited the home and discharged a pistol several times before heading back inside. CO Theunick and Cheboygan County Sheriffs deputies arrived and contacted the intoxicated male subject. During the investigation, it was determined that the subject had discharged the pistol to encourage the vehicle parked near the residence to move along and. The man was later arrested on numerous firearm-related charges and lodged in the Charlevoix County Jail. COs Rosochacki and Theunick later found the snowmobilers in good spirits and helped them out of the situation. DNR District 3 is in Northern Michigan and includes Alpena, Antrim, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego and Presque Isle counties. Earlier last month, the GST Council in its 39th meeting increased GST rates for several products including mobile phones from 12% to 18% applicable from April 1st, 2020. As announced, mobile brands have increased the prices of their smartphones and earlier today, Apple increased prices of the iPhone lineup. Following that, POCO has also announced that a Rs. 1000 price hike across all variants of the POCO X2 smartphone. After the price hike, POCO X2 6GB + 64GB variant costs Rs. 16,999, against its previous price of Rs. 15,999. The 6GB + 128GB variant now costs Rs. 17,999, against its previous price of Rs. 16,999, and lastly the top-end 8GB + 256GB variant now costs Rs. 20,999, against its previous price of Rs. 19,999. The revised prices are already live on Flipkart but due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it is temporarily unavailable. Model Old MRP (INR) New MRP (INR) % increase POCO X2 (6+64GB) Rs. 15,999 Rs. 16,999 6.25 POCO X2 (6+128GB) Rs. 16,999 Rs. 17,999 5.88 POCO X2 (8+256GB) Rs. 19,999 Rs. 20,999 5 To recall, POCO X2 packs a 6.67-inch Full HD+ Reality Flow 120Hz LCD screen with 4.38mm, a dual-punch-hole screen with 91% screen-to-body ratio, thanks to 4.25mm ultra-narrow bottom frame, is powered by Snapdragon 730G with up to 8GB of RAM, has liquid cooling, and runs Android 10 with MIUI 11 on top. It packs Sony IMX686 64-megapixel 1/1.7 sensor, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, 2-megapixel 2cm super macro and a 2-megapixel camera for portrait shots. On the front, there is a 20-megapixel camera along with a secondary 2-megapixel camera for portrait shots. It has RAW support, 960 fps slow-mo capture, and vlog mode. The phone has a 3D curved frosted glass body with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, side-mounted fingerprint scanner and packs a 4500mAh battery with 27W fast charging with the fast charger in the box. POCO India in a statement said: For us here at POCO, delivering what we stand for is of utmost importance. Its been an uphill, but enjoyable task for us given the limited resources we have since turning independent this January. However, weve been fortunate to have the support of our community during and after the launch of POCO X2. These are unprecedented times. Business has been impacted by multiple factors, and while we did as much as we could to bear the brunt, its now come to a point where we will have to readjust pricing to continue making business sense. The falling rupee (against the US dollar) put pressure on our balance sheet, while the COVID-19 outbreak put pressure on the supply chain. Most importantly, the recent hike in GST on smartphones from 12% to 18% is a significant jump, and as a consequence, we have no choice but to increase prices. Source Kerala reported 24 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus affected people under treatment in the state to 237, even as over 1.64 lakh people are under observation. Kasaragod continues to be the Coronavirus hotspot in Kerala with 12 new cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of people under treatment in the district to 110. "Ernakulam has got three new cases today and Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur reported two cases each. One case was reported from Palakkad," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after a COVID-19 review meeting this evening. So far, 265 positive cases have been reported from Kerala and 26 people, including seven foreigners, have been cured. Two patients have died. "A total of 1,64,130 people are under observation in the state, of which 622 are in isolation wards of various hospitals. So far the state has sent 7,965 samples for testing. Two persons-one from Thiruvananthapuram and another from Kozhikode- were cured today," the Chief Minister said. He also said that steps are being initiated for rapid tests in the state. Out the total number of those affected, 191 people are foreign returnees and seven are foreigners, Vijayan said. He also said that 67 affected people are contacts of foreign returnees. The Chief Minister said the Kasaragod medical college hospital would be completely operational as a Covid treatment centre within four days. He said at least 60 people, who returned after attending the religious congregation at Delhi, were under observation. Coming down on those trying to communalise the Nizamuddin Tablighi jamaat congregation at Delhi during the pandemic period, he said some "unwanted campaigns" were seen in social media against those who attended the meeting. "Do not try to exploit the lockdown period and come out with your communal agendas. Coronavirus does not know any religion. This is the time to stand together and move forward," Vijayan said. He thanked the Tamil Nadu government for agreeing to procure 50,000 litres of milk per day from Kerala in order to produce milk powder from a factory at Erode. "As of now, we have 1,80,000 litres of excess milk each day. The Tamil Nadu government has agreed to purchase 50,000 litres from Kerala. We urge people to purchase more milk. The rest of the milk will be given to the guest workers from other states through anganwadis," Vijayan said. Some dairy farmers in Palakkad had drained off excess milk procured by them in protest on Wednesday. The Chief Minister the strict measures initiated by the government had ensured a decrease in the number of those venturing out during the lockdown period. However, government planned to register cases against the violators under the newly promulgated Epidemic Act, which envisages, among others, a two year imprisonment, he said. "A total of 22,332 cases have been registered across the state for violating the lockdown protocol and 2,155 arrests have been made.At least 12,783 vehicles were seized," he said. Vijayan said 2,153 trucks with essential materials reached Kerala on Wednesday, but the standoff between the state and Karnataka over the closure of border roads by that state following the lockdown was still continuing. The Chief Minister also said the state government would approach the centre to bring back the bodies of Keralites who have died abroad during the global lockdown. "We will request the Centre to provide cargo planes to bring back the bodies The state will also request Indian embassies in various countries to provide quarantine facilities to the families or bachelors staying abroad," Vijayan said. As actor Prithviraj and Malayalam director Blessy have been stranded at Jordan along with their over 50 member film crew, the state government has intervened and written to the External Affairs minister and the Indian embassy there, which had agreed to help, Vijayan said. Asked about the 'indifference' of doctors over prescribing liquor for addicts who are showing withdrawal symptoms after closure of liquor shops, Vijayan said the government has not forced anyone to do so "If the doctors are not ready to prescribe liquor, it's fine. We are not forcing anyone to do so. We were just following the protocol prevalent at many places. It's been over a week. The family and friends of the addicts can gently persuade them to approach the de-addiction centres," Vijayan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 14:57 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee0bb1 1 Business Indonesia,recession,GDP,economic-growth,economy,COVID-19,coronavirus Free The government has outlined a worst-case scenario where the domestic economy contracts by 0.4 percent as the COVID-19 pandemic arrests swaths of economic activity and poses recessionary risks to Southeast Asias largest economy. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the baseline scenario was for economic growth to sit at 2.3 percent this year as trade contracted and consumption and investment growth slowed. We are forward-looking, so the steps were taking are preventive measures, Sri Mulyani said at a media briefing on Wednesday. COVID-19 had disrupted household activities, hampered firms sales and revenue and had hit micro, small and medium businesses, she added. President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced Rp 405.1 trillion (US$24.8 billion) in extra spending on Tuesday to finance Indonesias fight against COVID-19. Rp 150 trillion will be set aside for economic recovery programs, Rp 75 trillion for healthcare spending, Rp 110 trillion for social protection and Rp 70.1 trillion for tax incentives and credits for enterprises. A new Government Regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) will be issued to enable Bank Indonesia (BI) to finance the budget by buying government bonds directly at auction. BI was previously only allowed to buy government debt in the secondary market. Read also: Explainer: BI to throw lifeline to Indonesias economy to fight COVID-19 Extraordinary times require extraordinary policy and action, Sri Mulyani said, adding that the measures were expected to protect the national economy. Indonesias economy grew by 5.02 percent last year, already the slowest in four years. The governments latest economic growth projection marks the weakest position for the economy since the aftermath of the 1998 Asian financial crisis. The World Bank has estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic will significantly slow Indonesias economic growth this year 2.1 percent in 2020, down from the initially projected 5.1 percent if the situation starts to normalize by June. The Washington-based bank has warned that the economy may contract this year if the pandemic continues into the third quarter. World Bank East Asia Pacific chief economist Aaditya Mattoo said the pandemic required drastic action, such as strong social distancing and travel restrictions, adding that the government had to provide compensation for informal-sector workers and credit liquidity transfers to firms. These are complementary economic measures that, in the short run, when people can neither work nor consume as freely as they would have, are absolutely essential to minimize the economic pain and prevent short-term economic shocks, Mattoo said. As of Monday afternoon 1,528 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Indonesia with 136 deaths. The government has decided to impose stricter rules on social distancing, coupled with civil emergency measures. In a rare interview, Harry Potter star Emma Watson spoke to Texas A&M professor and author Valerie Hudson for Teen Vogue. The Little Women actress received a copy of Hudson's book Sex and World Peace from feminist icon Gloria Steinem and has been a fan ever since, admitting she was "starstruck" to speak to her. In the interview, Watson discusses capitalism, therapy, the #MeToo movement and relationships. Survey: the poll of 3,700 girls found Emma Watson was one of the most inspiring / Getty Images Watson, 29, discusses being self-partnered, a term that she coined in a Vogue interview in November. Watson says, "In the run-up to my 30s, [I felt] this incredible, sudden anxiety and pressure that I had to be married or have a baby or [be] moving into a house. And there was no word for this kind of subliminal messaging and anxiety and pressure that I felt building up but couldnt really name, so I used the word self-partnered." Getty Images She goes on to say, "For me it wasnt so much about coining a word; it was more that I needed to create a definition for something that I didnt feel there was language for. And it was interesting because it really riled some people up! It was less for me about the word but more about what it meant just this idea that we need to reclaim language and space in order to express ourselves, because sometimes its really not there." She also talks about how she thinks relationships should evolve. She previously dated Glee actor Chord Overstreet and Silicon Valley techie William "Mack" Knight. Watson says, "I feel that relationships that dont necessarily follow traditional models do require more communication and consent. It requires an actual conversation and agreement about the delegation of tasks and labor and responsibilities that maybe you dont feel you need to have or should have if you follow those traditional stereotypes. The idea that relationships are supposed to be easy and its all supposed to be implicitly understood, and youre just meant to get each other, its bulls**t! Its impossible!" Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Apollo Hospitals, India's largest healthcare provider, said it had 1,000 ventilators across its network hospitals. The hospital chain - without specifying the number - said it had dedicated a portion of those ventilators for treating COVID-19 patients. Hospitals are now earmarking isolation wards to treat COVID-19 patients so that other patients and staff are protected from the novel coronavirus infection. A ventilator is a mechanical breathing device that can blow air and oxygen into the lungs. Ventilators are critical for the care of people with lung failure, which can be one of the complications suffered by patients with severe COVID-19. While on paper 1,000 ventilators sounds a big number, what will be available for COVID-19 patients in reality is much lower as hospitals have to reserve ventilators to treat non-COVID-19 cases such as heart attacks, strokes and other emergency cases. There is a huge cost element, too, in using ventilators. A ventilator costs anywhere between Rs 5-15 lakh. 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 "Generally, we keep three ventilators for 10 beds ICU. These machines are expensive, so hospitals typically bill them as part of ICU charges, some bill them separately as well," said Dr. Rajendra Patankar, Chief Executive Officer of Pune-based Jupiter Hospital. The average ICU charges per day in Mumbai is Rs 4,000. In some high-end tertiary hospitals, the charges will go upwards of Rs 20,000 per day. These are conservative estimates taken from publicly available information. More than two-thirds of the ICU billing constitutes ventilator charges. Catch COVID-19 outbreak LIVE updates here As per a Brookings report, the country might need anywhere between 110,000 - 220,000 ventilators by May 15 in the worst-case scenario. The number of ventilators today available in the country is a maximum of 57,000. Most of those available ventilators cannot be put to use. But, experts say we may struggle if COVID-19 cases surge in days ahead as nearly 3 percent of COVID-19 patients would require ventilators. Experts across the spectrum ranging from doctors to engineers and entrepreneurs are trying to solve the ventilator puzzle. India has reported a total of 1,251 positive coronavirus cases as of March 31 morning. Addressing ventilator shortage The government has declared essential technical features for COVID-19 ventilators. As per the government specification, a ventilator should be turbine, compressor based because the installation sites might not have central oxygen lines. Among other features, the machine should have invasive, non-invasive and CPAP features to make them versatile. They also need to have 200-600 ML tidal volume, Lung Mechanics Display and continuous working capability for 4-5 days. But, to get ventilators of those specifications will take time. Moneycontrol earlier reported that companies were running low on inventories. Getting components from China has become difficult due to the disruption of the supply chain. Sources have told Moneycontrol that China, too, has started clamping down on exports of ventilators and related components to shore up its own requirement. To tackle the shortage of ventilators India should go in for two-three models, one an low-cost respirator model for epidemic and a high-end technology ICU model," said Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator - Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMed), the domestic medical devices trade lobby. AiMeD said it contacted seven of its ten major manufacturers, which had confirmed that the current production capacity of ventilators was 5,500-5,750 pieces per month. This is where defense labs, big automotive and capital goods companies are coming to rescue. Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Forge, Tata Motors, Hyundai and public sector BHEL, BEL and DRDO are coming up offering their expertise to rapidly scale up production of ventilators. For instance - SkanRay, Mysuru-based ventilator manufacturer has created a consortium with BEL, BHEL and Mahindra to ramp up production from standard 2,000 units per month to 30,000 units per month by May. Similarly, Delhi-NCR-based Agva has tied up with Maruti to scale up production from 400 units per month to 10,000 pcs per month by May. Others are similarly gearing up to address the challenge. "The aim is to produce 50,000 ventilators per month by May," Nath said. SkanRay, the leading ventilator manufacturer, has created a consortium with BEL, BHEL and Mahindra to ramp up production from standard 2,000 pieces per month to currently 5,000 pieces per month and 30,000 pieces per month by May. Similarly, Agva has tied up with Maruti to scale up production from 400 pieces per month to 4,000 pieces per month in April to 10,000 pieces per month by May. Others are similarly gearing up to address the challenge. No frill 'Ambu Bag' While the conventional ventilators are expensive, hard to produce and not portable, experts say we may have to find other ways to tide over the ventilator shortage if we begin to see a surge of cases. One of the solutions put forward was the bag-valve mask, often called by the proprietary name of Ambu Bag, used for resuscitation in emergency situations. "The bag valve mask is currently hand-powered and, therefore, not suitable for continuous use as a ventilator. It would be easy to design a similar device powered by an electrical source, which could be a car battery, apart from the conventional power supply. It could be made portable, and therefore adopted in villages and other areas without a power supply and be inexpensive enough to manufacture in bulk," said Prof BS Murty, Director - IIT Hyderabad and Prof. V. Eswaran of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, IIT Hyderabad. Mahindra & Mahindra is working on an automated version of the Bag Valve Mask ventilator (commonly known as Ambu bag). Once proven, Mahindra says this design will be made available to all for manufacturing. Bag Valve Mask can be used and thrown away, removing the possibility of cross-contamination. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group announced it will cost below Rs 7,500. CPAP - an interim solution Another interim solution that companies have started working on is converting Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP machines as breath support devices for COVID-19 patients. CPAP machines help people with sleep apnea breathe more easily. It is also widely used in premature babies whose lungs are not fully developed and require respiratory support. A CPAP machine increases the air pressure in a person's throat to prevent airway from collapsing when inhaled. Bengaluru-based InnAccel is working to develop a CPAP that can be used for COVID-19 patients needing breathing support. InnAccel develops and markets a portable CPAP machine called 'Saans' that runs on a battery where there is no power source. It can also be hand-pumped if the battery fails. "A bag valve mask is the simplest level of ventilation. We should use it but I don't think that is anyway adequate for COVID-19 patients. But, there are intermediate modes between absolutely high-end ventilators and a rudimentary bag in mask. CPAP is one mode," said Siraj Dhanani, co-founder and CEO of InnAccel. Dhanani said they were working on a prototype based on their CPAP platform to develop devices for COVID-19 patients. The government specified ventilators should have basic modes such as pressure control, volume control and pressure support ventilation, along with CPAP. Splitting ventilators Doctors and engineers are also scrambling to figure out how to modify their ventilators to serve a large number of patients with limited resources. A team at Delhi-NCR based hospital chain Max Healthcare was able to split their ventilator, which can be used for upto four patients if necessary. The critical care experts at Max Healthcare extensively tested the device and determined that it worked very well on all functional and patient safety parameters. The device is to be used only in case of dire shortage of ventilators and when we have a large number of patients needing ventilator support. It is not simple as it sounds though. "My team and I then designed a simple but ingenious device, which can be safely attached to the ventilators, splitting the airflow into four distinct streams for 4 patients. We even produced this device in-house using the 3D printing facilities at Max Healthcare, said Yudhvir Singh, Head - BioMedical Engineering, Max Healthcare. Currently, Max Healthcare has 254 adult ventilators across its network. It is not Max alone; other hospitals have also started work on splitting ventilators. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here Getty Images Several highway rail safety projects in west-central Illinois are being funded under the Illinois Commerce Commissions five-year plan. The commission will spend more than $315 million from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund through 2025. The funds will help communities and railroads pay for safety improvements at over 1,400 crossing locations. Thirty-four Gautam Buddh Nagar residents, who have shown no symptoms of coronavirus yet, have been home quarantined as a precautionary measure after it was found that they had attended Tablighi Jamaat twice in Delhi's Nizamuddin, police said on Tuesday. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz (centre) in Nizamuddin West has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot as 24 people who attended a religious congregation there from March 1-15 have tested positive for COVID-19. "We received information about the Tablighi Jamaat but found that no one from the district had participated in it. However, with a view to ensure precaution, we searched and found that some people from Gautam Buddh Nagar went there earlier in March (this year) and in December last year," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Ashutosh Dwivedi said in a statement issued late on Tuesday night. "Eleven people from Dadri police station area had been there on December 7, while 10 from Phase 2, six from Ecotech 3 and 17 from Dankaur went there on March 12," he said. Dwivedi said all these people have been examined for COVID-19 by the health department here but none of them have showed any symptoms so far. "The health department has asked them to stay home quarantined for some time. It has already been more than 14 days since they attended the congregation and none of them has shown any sign of coronavirus. However, the health department is alert and monitoring them," the officer said. Gautam Buddh Nagar in western Uttar Pradesh, adjoining Delhi, has already become a hotspot for coronavirus with 38 cases so far, according to official figures. The markaz in south Delhi's Nizamuddin had organised a Tabligh-e-Jamaat from March 1-15 and at least 2,000 people, including foreigners and Indians from across the country, attended it. On Sunday night, many residents of the centre started showing symptoms for coronavirus infection and police and paramilitary officials locked down the area. However, authorities fear a spread of the virus. Meanwhile, five FIRs were registered across Noida and Greater Noida and 30 people arrested for defying the ongoing lockdown, the police said. A total of 709 vehicles were checked at 132 barriers in the district and challans issued to 98 drivers for various violations. Three vehicles were impounded, they added. Police Commissioner Alok Singh said his force has so far helped 41,635 people in the district by distributing food, medicines, masks and other items since the lockdown, ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the spread of coronavirus, came into force. He also appealed to people to strictly adhere to the lockdown. Also read: Coronavirus in Delhi: 10 deaths, 300 hospitalisations linked to Nizamuddin congregation Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Residents from 19 states, 16 countries attended Nizamuddin event Using tourist visas in violation of the norms nothing new for Tablighi Jamaat members India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: The Tablighi Jamaat congregation held this month at Nizamuddin has emerged as one of the top hot spots for the coronavirus. The government has now learnt that most of those who attended the congregation from abroad had done so while violating visa norms. The government has now said that it would blacklist all those who attended the congregation in violation of the visa norms. 800 such persons have been identified and over 200 had violated the visa norms, a source told OneIndia. What is the Tablighi Jamaat and how does it function The members of the Tablighi Jamaat have in the past too violated visa norms and have been blacklisted, the official cited above said. These persons need to have religious missionary visas to attend such congregations. However the members of the Tablighi have in the past and this time as well violated the norms by using tourist visas. The official explained that a religious missionary visa is given after through scrutiny and after several rounds of vetting. In order to avoid this process, these persons often use tourist visas and attend such congregations, the official also explained. The first time the connection between the Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus emerged was on March 17 2020. It was at this time that a case was detected in Telangana and by March 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs had drawn up a list of 800 foreigners associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. It was learnt that an Indonesian, who attended the conference at Nizamuddin and travelled to Telangana had tested positive on March 17. Home Ministry sources tell OneIndia that nearly 1,000 Tablighi workers from abroad were in India. Of this around 200 were staying in Nizamuddin, the source also said. Tablighi Jamaat: The core of the Islamic ecosystem and the danger it poses The source also said that once they had identified the 800 foreign nationals, an advisory was sent to all the states to track them and medically screen them. The MHA says that nationals of Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan had come for proselytising activities. The MHA says that so far 1,203 Tablighi Jamaat workers had been screened of which 303 had symptoms of COVID-19. The MHA in a statement said that the Bureau of Immigration has been sharing since February 1 with State authorities, details of all international arrivals from affected countries based on Self Declaration Form filled in by them. In addition, since March 6, Bureau of Immigration had also been sharing details of all the international arrivals (both Indians and foreigners) at all the international airports in the country. Meanwhile the government has decided to blacklist all the foreigners who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin for violation of visa rules. Nearly 800 will be blacklisted, government sources have confirmed. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that all those who travelled to India on tourist visas recently and violated visa conditions will be proceeded against legally. This would include being blacklisted as well, he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:14 [IST] New Delhi, April 1 : India has been receiving medical supplies from China even as efforts to manufacture some of it domestically are on during the countrywide lockdown imposed last week to combat the covid-19 pandemic. Official sources said in the last five days, more than 60 cargo air services transported over 15 tonnes of essential medical supplies between India and China. The supplies include reagents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, gloves and other accessories required for fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic, sources said. The Indian pharma industry heavily relies on imports of bulk drugs (APIs and intermediates), with more than 50 per cent of API coming from China. Imports from China have been on a steady rise over the years due to the low-cost advantage Chinese manufacturers have. The value addition in India is mainly through formulation, packaging and distribution. However, the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan city of Hubei province, disrupted supplies of pharmaceutical ingredients from China, resulting in shortages. The government in order to ramp up domestic production, completed a molecule-by-molecule mapping of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) imported from China, in February. "Ever since, local manufacturers are being encouraged to produce APIs and we are ensuring that we don't face shortages," an official source said. Incidentally, China's API production which had declined hugely due to the coronavirus outbreak, is now quickly recovering. The bottleneck in the global supply chain for APIs is now shipping, particularly ocean freight. China is focusing its production efforts on APIs that are in highest demand including chloroquine phosphate, which the FDA this week approved for use against COVID-19 based on anecdotal reports of its effectiveness, Xin Guobin, deputy minister of industry and information technology, told Chinese media on Tuesday. One of those producers, Chongqing Kangle Pharmaceuticals, was able to export 4.9 tons of the API within five days, Xin said. South Africa: SA rolls out mobile COVID-19 testing units In light of the increasing incidence of COVID-19 local transmissions, it has become necessary to scale up the countrys capacity to test citizens. For this reason, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, officially launched 67 mobile sampling and testing units to be deployed nationwide to all districts and metropolitan municipalities. Mkhize unveiled the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Mobile Laboratory and inspected the inside of the sampling and testing mobile units at the NHLS head office in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. The Minister was shown the Portable class lll glove kit - a field deployable unit, where samples can be prepared. Accompanied by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku and CEO of NHLS Dr Kamy Chetty, Mkhize said the vehicles must go to all the areas that have been identified as hotspots and those who are symptomatic must be tested first. The department was procuring rapid test kits to allow for faster results. Mkhize said many people needed to get tested to get a true picture of the spread of the virus in the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the roll out of the large-scale screening, testing, tracing and a medical management programme on Monday. Around 10 000 field workers will be visiting homes in villages, towns and cities to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms. People with symptoms will be referred to local clinics or mobile clinics for testing. People who are infected with Coronavirus, but who have no or moderate symptoms will remain in isolation at home or at a facility provided by government and those with severe symptoms will be transferred to hospitals. Using mobile technology, an extensive tracing system will be rapidly deployed to trace those who have been in contact with confirmed Coronavirus cases and to monitor the geographical location of new cases in real time. Mkhize said those people who might have mild symptoms in poorer areas may not seek assistance immediately and this posed a risk. Now officials will seek people to test rather than wait for them to present themselves at a clinic for testing. Our testing criteria is reactive and restrictive. This means we dont have a true picture. Although we are talking about 45 000 tests, this is too low, given the size of the population. We need to engage all community leaders. Spread the message of stay at home and the importance of hygiene must be made more emphatically, the Minister said. He said that next month the flu season will start which meant more people will flood the hospitals and clinics. Number of COVID-19 cases increase Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 1380, an increase of 27 cases from Tuesdays announcement. The Minister said 44 202 people have been tested, largely in private laboratories and just over 6000 have been performed in at public facilities. He ascribed this reduction in the rate of increase to the closing of borders, enforcing a quarantine on inbound travellers and the lockdown has slowed internal transmission by reducing the spread during large gatherings and overcrowded transport routes, eg trains, buses and taxis. Stay at home The Minister said the message by President Cyril Ramaphosa for people to stay at home was still very important, as was the message of washing hands and ensuring good hygiene. Also, those who are on chronic medication must ensure they take their medicine. This disease affects us all, black, white, rich or poor. We need to be united as a nation and focused when addressing this issue. Not that we should panic, but we must not be complacent. Look at China and South Korea, and the US. It is the conduct of the community that matters. Take this seriously. Dont panic. Go out for essentials only. Mkhize said the actions of each person counted. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Italy's health authorities are saying it is too early to be lowering one's guard and are advising the government to maintain the national lockdown in place. Before restrictions can be lifted, doctors say the number of new infections must significantly come down. The total number of infections in the country since the outbreak began 40 days ago has exceeded 105,000 and the death toll, as provided by the civil defence department, stands at more than 12,000. 837 of those deaths occured in the last 24 hours As Italy enters its fourth week in lock down mode, with strict rules to stay indoors except for buying food or medicines, the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to announce that the 3 April deadline to lift the lockdown will be extended until at least after Easter. Easter celebrated via a screen For Italians it will be the first time in their life that they will not see the huge crowds at the Vatican for what is normally one of the busiest times of the year. This year for Pope Francis will be celebrating his Holy Week and Easter services with a television and internet audience. And another tradition Italians will not be able to maintain this year is going in large groups of friends and families to have their picnics outside their homes on Easter Monday. The atmosphere will be very different with everybody at home, praying and hoping that these limitations to their freedom will come to an end soon. Flags at half mast On Tuesday, flags flew at half-mast across the country and a minute's silence was observed to mourn the many victims of Covid-19, to express solidarity with the suffering families and show support to the heroes in this war: the doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers. Italy is the worst hit country in terms of number of dead from the coronavirus and the death toll of doctors has also continued to rise, and has reached 66. Many Italian relief volunteers are facing reprisals when they return from red zones; neighbours are scared to have anything to do with them because they could be carrying the virus. The head of the Italian Red Cross Francesco Rocca called this stigma intolerable and absurd on people who are on the frontlines helping those in need. Hotels used for quarantined patients Italians are also increasingly worried about the economy and an inevitable recession. Many sectors will suffer not least Italy's important tourism industry. Many hotels have had to close due to lack of guests and business. But a number of them, not just in Rome, but also in the north, have made themselves available to house coronavirus patients whom the national health service has placed under observation or who must quarantine because of their symptoms but are unable to do so at home for fear of infecting relatives. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 31 Trend: The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) expresses solidarity with Azerbaijan in honoring the memory of the victims of the March 31 genocide, said GUAM's statement published on the organization's Twitter page, Trend reports. GUAM Secretariat condemns any act of genocide and stands in solidarity with Azerbaijan on commemorating the victims of the bloody massacre perpetrated by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in March 1918. As a result of bloody acts, which started from mass shooting of Muslims by Dashnak groups gathered near the Armenian church in Baku on March 30, 1918, and the attacks on the Kerpichkhana (Brick houses), Mammadli and other dwelling neighborhoods of Azerbaijanis, the Armenian vandals committed crimes against humanity. The Armenians committed the acts of genocide in Guba, Shamakhi, Kurdamir, Salyan and Lenkaran districts, along with Baku. Overall, on March 31 and April 1-2, 1918, massacres in Baku, as well as other cities and provinces included into the Baku governorate, occurred on a large scale, during which Armenian groups killed more than 50,000 civilians. Meghan Markle's life after Megxit will not be as easy as she thought it would be, and the problems they will face soon can shatter her Hollywood dreams. The monarchy gave the Sussexes a list of requirements before they can leave and fully live the lives they always wanted. It included refraining themselves from using a number of state funding they enjoyed before and returning the massive funds from the Sovereign Grant that they spent to renovate their home at Frogmore Cottage. As part of their deal with Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex agreed to all the monarch's condition, most especially paying back the multimillion expenses which they spent on their home. However, a royal insider claimed that they are already running out of funds right after they paid it all back. It also did not help that Meghan did not get paid and donated her pay for her latest Disney documentary "Elephant." "This debt is a blow to their ambitious plan to become freewheeling billionaires in the world," the said source told U.S. tabloid National Enquirer. "Meghan is terrified that her dreams of being a Hollywood queen will be destroyed by this financial nightmare, and she is insisting that Harry make a move and resolve the crisis." Because of this financial pressure, the anonymous source also confirmed that it pushes Meghan to look for a job immediately. However, it will never be easy for the Duke to find one. Harry Impossible To Find a Job? Despite receiving the suggestion directly from his wife, Harry will surely find a hard time in searching for a new job. This is because the royal prince never had a working experience in the past, and he never even had a "real job." The same source revealed the sad truth and said, "The big problem is that Harry has no marketable skills, has never had a real job. He does not have a university degree, nor does he know a second language. He only has military training." To recall, Harry went to Eton College before he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2005. Since then, his military career continued to bloom. He then served the British Army for over 10 years and took up active duty in Afghanistan before returning to the U.K. after the public found out his location. In the following years, he worked in the charity sector with his brother Prince William under The Royal Foundation. But since he has nothing but his military background, Harry just gave up his royal life and privileges for his "ambitious and rebellious" American wife. However, he just found out that his sacrifices would only be translated into challenges that could shake his marriage with Meghan. Because of this, the source believed that their relationship now is tense, which could reach its "breaking point." Currently, they moved to Los Angeles from their temporary home on Vancouver Island. They are expected to face another financial problem after President Donald Trump publicly refused to help them in terms of their security expenses. That was a bad day to be blind, Finke told me. Every days a bad day to be blind, but that day was the worst ever. I heard this crash in the hallway and I said, Mike, are you all right? No answer. Mike, did you fall? Mike? Finally he kind of came to and he moaned, Im all right. But I couldnt go and touch him. I couldnt help him up. That was awful. The military man is now in medical institution under supervision of doctors Open source One military was wounded in the Joint Forces Operation area on April 1. The head staff of the JFO reports that. "Today, on April 1, the Russian-occupying forces once again fired on the positions of Ukrainian defenders from weapons, which should be withdrawn according to the Minsk agreements. For two hours, Russian armed forces fired from 120 mm mortar shells from positions near the settlement of Holubivske. One soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine received a shrapnel wound. He is now in a medical institution under medical supervision. The soldiers health condition is satisfactory," the message stated. As we reported before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the dead Ukrainian military and thanked the fighters for their service. According to the President, Ukrainians should not forget that in addition to fighting an invisible enemy, there is a war in Donbas. Earlier, Ukrainian soldier Volodymyr Movchaniuk was killed whilst performing a combat mission. Movchaniuk was born in 1983 and lived in Andrushkivka village, Pohrebyshchenskyi district. In 2015, he began serving under contract. The government of Taiwan has announced that it would spend a whopping $35 billion to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to reports, the Taiwanese government is also planning to donate 10 million face masks to the neediest countries. President Tsai Ing-wen announced the stimulus package for the country on April 1 and said that the relief fund will in total reach 1 trillion Taiwanese dollars. Read: Bernie Sanders, Other US Lawmakers Write To Trump To Lift Iran Sanctions Amid COVID-19 Taiwan had launched a campaign 'Taiwan Can Help' to share its knowledge and experience with the world and it is under this campaign the government said it will donate masks. President Tsai also praised the act of bravery being displayed by medical workers around the world and offered to give them full support. Donating face masks is one such goodwill gesture that Taiwan said it would do. Read: COVID-19: Donald Trump Asked To Suspend H-1B Visa Programme Amid Crisis Taiwan has so far recorded 329 coronavirus cases, of which seven infections were reported in the last 24 hours. According to data. Taiwan has successfully treated 45 patients, while five people have lost their lives in the country due to COVID-19. There are currently 279 active cases in Taiwan. Read: Chinese Man Builds Pod With Air Purification System To Protect Infant From COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 has claimed more than 43,500 lives across the world and has infected more than 8,76,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The United States and France are on the verge of overtaking China in terms of the number of deaths recorded in these countries. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Read: COVID-19: Delhi Police Share Harry Potter Meme To Fight Fake News On April Fools' Day (Image Credit: AP) Afghanistan on Sunday reported its first fatality due to the novel coronavirus, after a man died in the north of the impoverished and war-torn country. Officials said the 40-year-old victim died in Balkh province, which borders Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, from complications stemming from the COVID-19 disease. Khaliullah Hekmati, the health director for Balkh province, told AFP that the man had suffered other health problems including with his liver and kidney. He was brought to a hospital on Wednesday, but was not quarantined there. "He died on Friday, his tests results came back positive today," Hekmati said. "When we went to quarantine the family, they had already moved to an area under Taliban control." The Taliban, who in the past have been repeatedly accused of murdering health workers, last week said they would not obstruct health organisations battling the coronavirus crisis. Afghan health officials have so far reported 34 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 10 new cases Sunday that saw the first two confirmed infections in the densely populated capital Kabul. Two foreign diplomats were also among the 10 new cases. Most of Afghanistan's COVID-19 cases have been linked to neighbouring Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the disease, and where millions of Afghans live as refugees. The victim who died Friday had not returned from Iran recently, according to Hekmati. Since the outbreak began around a month ago, tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have returned home from Iran, but only a few hundred have been tested -- raising fears the actual infection rate might be much higher than reported. Afghanistan's porous borders, creaking hospitals, culture of hand-shaking and hugging, and large illiterate populations in crowded urban centres mean containing the crisis could be a huge challenge. The Dry Dock, a 12-step meetinghouse on the edge of the Bermuda Triangle of Fillmore Street bars in Cow Hollow, hosts 109 meetings a week and fills 5,000 seats a month with people looking to commune about addiction. Now there are none. Another effect of the social-distancing guidelines and shelter-in-place mandate ordered by six Bay Area counties through May 3 is that organized meetings for people working through the 12-step process are on hold. But some of the people who depend on these meetings to maintain their sobriety or abstinence from any other form of addiction might need it now more than ever. So there is a sign in a window of the Dry Dock with a name and number handwritten at the bottom: Sandy 973-592-9156. Answering the phone is the executive director, Sandy Blazis, to direct the caller to any number of audio meetings, or just to chat. Whatever it takes. Like much of life during these unprecedented times of social distancing, 12-step meetings have gone online in an effort to comfort those in recovery, made worse for some by the upheaval of the coronavirus. On a normal weekday, there are 100 or more Alcoholics Anonymous meetings from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. at some 50 locations in San Francisco and Marin, according to its online meeting locator guide. The Dry Dock, by comparison, hosted 15 meetings a day at one location, 2118 Greenwich St. At AA, all meeting groups are autonomous and run by their attendees. Some have put them on the internet through Zoom video conferencing, Facebook Live, Skype and Google Hangout. One day last week, a 7 a.m. meeting conducted via Zoom from Marin County was attended by a person in Scotland, laying that indecipherable brogue onto a testimonial. The High Noon meeting, which normally draws 50 or 60 people to a church in the Mission District, had 120 people represented by little video boxes on the screen. Though anonymity is the foundation of all 12-step programs, Blazis and Maury Polk, executive director of the Intercounty Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, were willing to speak on the record about how the meetings are changing. Q: What has been the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on people in recovery? Blazis: With people in recovery, you are talking about life and death every day of the year. This is life and death on so many more levels. Polk: Some people have moved seamlessly to online meetings. Others are still meeting in person because that personal connection is vital to recovery. A meeting can be as small as two people talking. There are very few rules, just a lot of suggestions. Some people have gotten sober with only a pen pal. Q: How has shelter in place affected the meeting phenomenon? Blazis: The worst thing an alcoholic can face is being sheltered in place because that is where we all came from. You isolate. You just want to be away from people and drink. So the Dry Dock board went to a company that handles conference calling, and we have spread the word that if you are used to going to an 8:30 a.m. meeting, call in and we are there. Its a real family we have here. We can reach anybody who has a phone and doesnt have a computer or isnt savvy enough to use it. We reach the aged and the young and everybody in between. Polk: More people are being confronted by their problems now that they are home and there are fewer distractions. Our website activity has increased from 1,000 sessions per day to 7,000 sessions per day. Today is my 23rd day of work in a row, and most days are 12 to 16 hours. We definitely have seen an increase in newcomers, which is more than likely due to the global pandemic. Q: Why is the daily meeting so crucial to the recovery process? Blazis: What is going on in every meeting is heart-to-heart sharing of your experience to convey hope to the others in the group. It can be anywhere from five people to 62 at the Dock. We run 15 to 17 meetings a day from 6 in the morning until 10 at night, seven days a week. We dont have holidays. Polk: Not taking a drink is the part that is crucial. The meeting reminds them that they are not alone. They have tools. One of the things about AA is that you give back, and the meeting is the primary avenue for giving back. It could be putting out the chairs for the meeting. It could be chairing a committee at the service level. There are no dues or fees in AA, but some people support it financially or offer professional expertise. It is pretty beautiful. 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. Q: Hugging and hand-holding and clapping is common at the end of meetings in San Francisco and Marin. How do you substitute for that in virtual meetings? Blazis: At the end of a meeting, we normally gather in a circle and hold hands and close the meeting with a prayer of someones choice. But with the coronavirus, we started touching elbows in the circle. It was awkward. There are some people who just normally say, Do you mind if I give you a hug? and the answer on both sides was suddenly, Oh my God, we cannot do that any more. Now we just close the meeting. We acknowledge that we care about each other. We are just grateful to hear each others voices. Q: What has been the economic strain of the coronavirus on the organization? Blazis: Every meeting at the Dock has a tradition, which is to pass the basket. We cant pass the basket, so we are asking people to make a donation through PayPal, Square or check or online donation through our website, www.drydocksf.org. Polk: Time will tell. Weve seen a definite increase in individual member contributions and a decrease in group contributions. Q: What recommendations can you make for anyone who is struggling? Blazis: Get a phone number and call in to the meeting. You will hear people speak, and when it comes time to share, they can share, or just stay anonymously on the line. It will be no different than walking into a 12-step meeting room. Polk: Keep coming back to the meetings. No one has to do it alone. And dont drink, no matter what. There is nothing that a drink will fix. If you need support, we are here 24/7 at 415-674-1821 from San Francisco and 415-499-0400. Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com A panic-stricken Indian student, who was studying in Paris, returned to Delhi just days before the city started inching towards a complete lockdown. She chose to come back because it was getting difficult for her to survive in Paris where the lockdown was already underway. My university was going to shut down in a weeks time. The lockdown of the city I lived in was had begun, and people had started panic stocking toilet rolls, sanitizers and food from the supermarkets. I felt that there is soon going to be a scarcity of food; I didnt know French, the public transport was avoidable in these times and I didnt own any form of a conveyance. If something wouldve happened to me, I would have been completely stranded, says the 34-old-student who has now returned to her home in Noida. Upon landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, this student says that she was had to not just undergo tests but was also escorted to a quarantine facility in Chhattarpur, before she was released a few days later, and asked to home quarantine further. We were taken to a bus, escorted with plenty of policemen after hours of screening at the airport. While we sat in the bus, the public from outside started making our videos and taking photos as if we werent international returns but zoo animals! It was really unnerving, she recalls, adding that the treatment of her neighbours and those living in her society hasnt been much different with her parents having to face scorn every now and then. She asks, Now Im thinking, did I make a mistake by returning home in between the coronavirus outbreak? READ | 2 million NRIs residing in 10 countries hit by coronavirus Association of those societies that house residents with family members who have recently returned from abroad, are having a tough time tackling the situation of ostracization of these foreign returns. Take for instance Shweta Gupta, joint secretary of the society Mahagun Moderne in Noida. Gupta had to deal with multiple cases of foreign return nationals in her society. Concerned residents kept messaging her. Gupta says, Our tower people were concerned because the foreign return individual would be using the same common place areas, like the lift, to go home. Furthermore, people were afraid that the maid who would be working at that individuals place would be working at other places in the society as well. I asked the individual to write in our societys WhatsApp group assuring other residents that all the necessary precautions are being undertaken by her. We even sent a mailer to all residents that the society has been thoroughly cleaned, and that the individual is practising self isolation properly. Did this help in comforting the society residents and their fear around the foreign return resident? Absolutely! Overnight, because of proper communication and pro-active attitude of the international resident in taking precautions, she became the hero of the society. Other residents also reached out to her, and offered to deliver groceries to her doorstep. Once the society residents were assured that they are safe, the panic subsided, adds Gupta. READ | Facing the virus of hate The cold-shouldering of people who recently travelled abroad is quite an issue in some cases. A Gurugram resident, who runs a pre-school, says on condition of anonymity, I had just returned from my travel at a time when the coronavirus epidemic hadnt reached India. So a parent asked me, Mere bachche ka khaasi zukaam theek nahin ho raha bahut din se. Mujhe pata chala aap bahar se ho kar aaye ho. Toh yeh poochna tha ki aap theek ho ya nahin. I immediately clarified that I was fine! But experts say that ostracization isnt the right way to deal with the present situation. Dr Jivitesh Satija, who currently working as a resident in cardiology, addresses how to tackle this problem, and says, Please follow the guidelines that the government has issued. Sanitize often, maintain social distancing and adhere to the lockdown. All foreign return individuals must also practice self quarantine. Help the foreign return individuals by encouraging them to maintain isolation, but do not shun them or stop talking to them through messages because the need of the hour is that people who are travelling from abroad must feel encouraged to report their travel history and voluntarily self isolate. If we make a big deal out of this issue, the fear is that the foreign returns might try to hide their travel details, because of feeling unwelcome. Do not panic, just be well informed, and lets work together to tackle this pandemic. According to DPWH's Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, the government agency has ceased all construction of non-essential projects in Luzon. The reason for the stoppage, however, was not entirely due to the COVID-19 threat. She stated that the DPWH is now faced with the task of converting public buildings into health facilities in order to address the rising number of cases in the country. It looks like several major infrastructure projects will be delayed in their completion this year as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has suspended all major construction works on the island. Just yesterday, the government agency announced that they will begin converting several large buildings into field hospitals. These include the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Halls, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum (RMC) in Manila, as well as the World Trade Center in Pasay City, the venue for the annual Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) and the biennial Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS). DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said that the conversion process has already begun and they are looking to complete all three in a period of 10 days. Apart from these facilities in Metro Manila, other regional offices of the DPWH are also busy preparing and converting public buildings into field hospitals. These include the 110 evacuation centers that the DPWH has constructed. Villar mentioned that should all of the 110 evacuation centers be converted into health facilities, they can accommodate an estimated number of 4,260 patients. With the number of infected cases in the Philippines now at 2,084, the DPWH is kicking things into high gear to meet the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases. Despite the temporary cease of infrastructure construction, the DPWH did mention that road maintenance operations will continue. An army veteran who was shot dead by police after a tense 10-hour siege in a crocodile-infested swamp was battling with PTSD. Queensland man Khrys Alan Vignes, 30, was killed on Sunday afternoon when officers opened fire after he raised his rifle at officers while standing in waist-deep water. At 4.30am that day, Vignes had gone on the run after being confronted while trying to break into a telecommunications substation in Palm Cove, Cairns. The troubled past of army veteran Khrys Alan Vignes (pictured) is coming to light just days after he was shot and killed by police After leaving the army Vignes (pictured) battled PTSD but was still an avid outdoors-man and loving friend before his March 29 shooting death in a crocodile infested swamp Police gave chase and allege Vignes intentionally crashed into a squad car, breaking the wrist of an officer who was taken to hospital. After the collision, police came upon Vignes' vehicle in flames and realised he had fled the scene into nearby bushland and mangroves at Thomatis Creek. At 3.15pm, after hours of searching and police efforts to coax the army veteran out, Vignes allegedly came towards officers before being gunned down. In the days since Vignes' death, his troubled past has started to come to light, including his ongoing battle with PTSD. The army veteran's brother Liam Vignes told The Cairns Post his brother rarely spoke about his army deployments but he did open up about one incident. 'I only know how he was injured while intercepting a pirate vessel. He was attacked as soon as he set foot on the pirate ship and had to fight,' he said. After fleeing police Vignes allegedly set fire to his car (pictured) and fled into nearby bushland with crocodile infested swamp land A tense standoff lasted the entire day (police pictured in the standoff) until Vignes allegedly came at police through waist-deep water after almost ten hours, forcing them to shoot him Liam said he felt his brother's ongoing PTSD from his time in the armed forces had an adverse impact on his mental health, forcing Vignes to return home . Vignes was described as an unassuming man who loved the outdoors and would always offer support to to others. Friends said the real Vignes was nothing like the man who was shot down by police. Close friend Shayla Kaimuko told the publication Vignes' retreated into himself instead of seeking help when his condition worsened . 'He was a very sheltered person and for the last 12 months we actually did not see him,' Ms Kaimuko said. The incident is under investigation by Ethical Standards Command on behalf of the State Coroner. That investigation is subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission. Google employees taking care of children or family members are being offered two weeks off without dipping into their paid leave. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) California public schools are likely to be closed for the rest of the school year. Daycare centers and childcare providers are scrambling to keep up under fears of coronavirus contagion and the difficulties of operating during lockdown. Millions of parents are stuck juggling the twin demands of working a full schedule from home while keeping stir-crazy kids occupied, day after day. But for the ones who work at Facebook and Google, a measure of relief has arrived. Long known for leading corporate America in employee benefits, the two Silicon Valley giants are offering large blocks of emergency leave to parents struggling to deal with disruptions to their family schedules. At Google, employees taking care of children or family members are being offered two weeks off without dipping into their paid leave following the closure of any school or care facility. After using that, those who still need to work fewer hours or days have the option to take an additional four weeks of paid leave. Facebook is similarly offering four weeks to employees who are facing unexpected caregiving needs, and an additional six weeks of emergency care leave for employees who need to take time to take care of any family members who fall ill or are dealing with other medical conditions. Facebook and Google have some of the largest cash reserves of any companies in the world, which allows them to offer generous benefits even as their revenues suffer from decreased advertising spending. But the perks at the biggest tech companies have a tendency to ripple out across the entire industry thanks to the stiff competition for talent, according to Michael DeAngelo, who has served as a regional head of people (head of human resources) at Google, and chief people officer at Pinterest and Mozilla. "Its an arms race in tech to hire people, which leads to this constant competition of companies one-upping each other," DeAngelo said. "A lot of smaller companies try to compete there, and to a large extent they can, but its harder without unlimited money in the bank." Story continues Facebook is also disbursing a $1,000 bonus to all 45,000 employees and declaring that all will automatically get an "exceeds expectations" rating on their biannual performance reviews, a distinction that confers additional bonus pay under the company's standard compensation plan. DeAngelo noted that many smaller companies across the tech industry are doing what they can for their staff, offering more flexible schedules and guaranteeing bonuses when possible. The new Facebook and Google benefits do not apply to contractors, who make up a large percentage of their workforces: At Google, the roughly 102,000 full-time employees are outnumbered by approximately 121,000 temps and contractors, according to reporting by the New York Times. But tech companies have taken other measures to support those workers. After a delay, both Facebook and Google began allowing contractors to work remotely, and they along with Microsoft, Twitter and Amazon have committed to pay hourly support staff their regular wages even if their working hours decrease as offices close. Google has also said that it is establishing a fund to cover paid sick leave for all of its temp and contract workers. Eleven U.S. states, including California, have paid sick or family leave laws on the books, and the federal government passed a law on March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, that extended paid leave even further starting April 1. The federal measure mandates that employees under quarantine or with COVID-19 symptoms must receive two weeks or up to 80 hours of paid sick leave at their full wage, and allows employees with children at home to take an additional 10 weeks of paid family leave at two-thirds of their normal wage. But the new rules don't apply to everyone. The requirements only apply to public sector workers and private employers with fewer than 500 employees. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees can also apply for an exemption. According to federal labor statistics, more than 47% of U.S. workers more than 60 million people work for large employers that are exempt, and another 27% of working Americans are employed by small businesses. State Sen. Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) introduced a bill in Sacramento Monday that would go beyond the federal measures and give paid leave to all parents affected by coronavirus-related school closures, but for now large California companies are free to devise individual responses. For the record: 10:33 PM, Mar. 31, 2020: This story was updated to correctly describe Michael DeAngelos past position at Google, where he served as a regional head of people, not chief people officer, and to clarify the nature of Facebooks performance rating system. Currently, the entire world is fighting the deadly novel Coronavirus pandemic which has spread across many countries including India. While everyone is strictly practicing social distancing in our country, noted filmmaker Puri Jagannadh is making the most of this 21-day lockdown. The Pokiri director has started penning down a new script and its shaping up quite well. Apart from channeling his creative side, the 53-year-old is also spending his time watching shows and working out on a regular basis. According to a report in Telugu360, though Jagannadh is writing a new story, he is not planning to make any film on the novel Coronavirus outbreak. As soon as the situation improves, the filmmaker will only focus on wrapping up his current project which is titled Fighter. While talking about his lockdown experience, Puri Jagannadh said to the online newspaper, "I am really not missing the Bangkok beaches. Home isolation is really a new experience. I feel like getting a chance to lead a new life. I am eating as per the time and the work pressure is less. A new script is shaping up currently and I am watching a lot of new shows. I am hitting my gym on a regular basis. And monitoring the work of Vijay Devarakonda's Fighter." Fighter, which will have a Pan-India release, is being produced by Karan Johar. The movie will mark Vijay's grand debut in Bollywood and fans will get to see him romance Bollywood beauty Ananya Panday on the big screen for the very first time. The makers were eyeing to finish the movie by July but now that seems pretty impossible as film shootings have been halted and it will a month or two before everything goes back to normal. Puri Jagannadh Taking Extra Time To Wrap Up Vijay Deverakonda Film? Here's Why In theory it makes sense to try to separate people in virus hot spots and those with fewer infections, but the key word there is try. As the oversight on travel from Louisiana into Texas this week shows, enforcing a strict ban is virtually impossible. Our two states are connected by too many highways, including Interstate 10, one of the most heavily traveled roadways in America. Louisiana residents can also enter Texas via Toledo Bend Lake, which has shores in both states, and anywhere along the Sabine River. So the east-west traffic is continuing, even though Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order requiring travelers from Louisiana to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entry. Travelers entering the state by road are supposed to fill out a form with their quarantine location and contact information, although it is unclear how they are supposed to submit those forms. Louisiana has become a hot spot for the coronavirus, with more than 3,500 cases and more than 150 deaths. But the Texas Department of Public Safety acknowledged that it has no plans to set up checkpoints for these drivers, even though a few DPS cruisers were parked outside the Texas Travel Information Center on the first exit west of Louisiana. No DPS presence was seen by Enterprise staffers on U.S. 82 at the Sabine Lake Causeway Bridge, which connects Port Arthur to Louisiana, or on the U.S. 12 border crossing in Deweyville. Clearly, almost no one from Louisiana is being discouraged from going into Texas. The best that Texans can hope for is that these Louisiana visitors will self-quarantine, but compliance no that front is uncertain, too. Also, business as usual is OK with many merchants in East Texas who depend on customers coming from Louisiana, even during a pandemic. Most retail businesses that are allowed to remain open have done so. At least many of them have tried to limit exposure by letting smaller numbers of customers into the store or erecting Plexiglas shields between cashiers and patrons. Abbott may have felt motivated to issue his executive order because he didnt want to ignore the surge in cases in Louisiana and because our two states share such a long border. But residents in both states understand that this order is more symbolic than practical. Americans are too mobile for a hard ban, and truckers have to keep moving goods from state to state to keep groceries and pharmacies stocked. The best takeaway from this for Southeast Texans is that social distancing is not just a trendy term. Its the best way to limit the transmission of this virus among people who have to venture out of their homes, at least occasionally. Scientists say that if social distancing and self-isolation are practiced well enough, the number of new cases will start to decline within a few weeks. Were still in that period now and will be for a while. Keep your distance from others, whether they are from a viral hot spot or not though of course youll usually never know. This is something all of us can do, and its not symbolic. It could keep the virus from you or someone you love, and that should be all the motivation you need. Migrant advocates and critics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency requested for the release of detained migrants from detention facilities a few weeks ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is vital to prevent the spread of the virus among staff and detainees. However, a mass release of detainees will only be a mistake and may do more harm than good. The release of the detainees may endanger public safety, especially if it involves those with criminal records. Furthermore, it may also increase the risk of the health of the detainees. The coronavirus has alarmed federal, state and local governments prompting them to take actions immediately. These actions include closure of many business establishments, staying at home and practicing social distancing. However, the fear of the virus should not prevent the government from pursuing the law. If people are allowed to break the law without any consequences, then it will pose a great danger to the public, more so, the government. About 90% of migrants captured by ICE are either convicted criminals or have pending criminal cases on top of illegal entry. It is irresponsible for us to release them. The immigration laws have been enacted and revised by Congress and Presidents back to 1822. ICE did not create these laws which mean they do not have the means to change it. The coronavirus pandemic should not be an excuse to attack the law enforcements that are simply fulfilling their duties. The only way that ICE detained migrants can be released is if a court order is released; due to significant humanitarian concerns or if they win their cases. Migrants will be removed from the United States if their asylum request is denied. However, there is no legal mechanism to throw open the doors of detention and let the migrants go where they want to. Check these out: -Detained Migrants Requested Release as the Pandemic Intensifies -Organizations Call for the Closure of Immigration Courts -US-Mexico Border Situation Exposes Crowd to COVID-19 The President is serious about his immigration policies President Donald Trump has ordered the closure of the United States border to many non-Americans entering the country as means to help prevent the spread of the virus. He is still firm about keeping the migrants under custody and waiting for their court hearings. The president is aware that if we do not detain those who enter the country illegally until they finish their court hearings, the country will not be able to properly address immigration issues on the border. The critics of ICE have already made false claims about the condition in different detention centers to convince the American people that illegal migrants should be released. They even compared ICE detention facilities to Nazi concentration camps where the detainees are tortured. These, and other claims, are nothing but lies. ICE makes sure facilities are habitable Specialized sanitation teams are in place to ensure that detention facilities are safe for everyone's health. They continue to limit visitation, and have developed emergency plans for managing the pandemic. Wherever you are, you are prone to the virus. But the truth is, detainees are more likely to be infected outside the facilities where the population is kept controlled. NEW HAVEN Five teenagers were arrested and charged after an alleged assault at a downtown synagogue, according to police. Officers responded to investigate a reported robbery at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday, Capt. Anthony Duff said in a release. The victim told arriving officers he was in the driveway when two young males yelled expletives at him, punched him multiple times knocking him to the ground, and stole his car, Duff said in the release. Officers and detectives canvassed the area, spoke with a witness, and reviewed security video footage which confirmed the incident. Officer Robert Ferraro saw the vehicle later in the evening, Duff said. Officers attempted to stop the car on Long Wharf Drive, then chased it on Interstate 95 north into East Haven. The pursuit ended when the car was involved in a crash near Frontage Road in East Haven, Duff said. No one was hurt in the collision, he said. Five teenage males, all New Haven residents, were found in the car and arrested, Duff said. One allegedly was carrying a handgun and ammunition, he said. All five youths have been charged with first-degree robbery, weapon in a motor vehicle, first-degree larceny, and conspiracy charges, Duff said. Four of the five were charged with criminal possession of a firearm and associated conspiracy charges, as well. Two, both 16, were identified as the primary assailants in the robbery and charged with hate crimes, third-degree assault, and conspiracy charges, Duff said. Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson thanked the East Haven Police Department for aiding in the pursuit. The East Haven officers risked their own safety and we appreciate the great assistance they provided, Jacobson said in the release. According to the release, three of the teens, 17, 16 and 15, have been charged with alleged car thefts on multiple occasions in recent months. Duff said this is the third such arrest in nine months for the 17-year-old; the fourth in five months for the 16-year-old; and the third in six months for the 15-year-old. The teenagers were brought to a holding facility for Juvenile Court in New Haven, Duff said. william.lambert@ hearstmediact.com China to donate medical supplies to IAEA to help fight coronavirus VIENNA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China will donate medical supplies worth 2 million U.S. dollars to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help combat the coronavirus, the Chinese mission here announced on Tuesday. The supplies will include detection equipment, testing kits, reagents and other medical materials, according to the twitter account of the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna. The materials will support IAEA member states, especially those from the developing world, in their fight against the pandemic, it said. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi thanked China for the "generous donation" on twitter, adding that China will also share with the IAEA specialists its experience and techniques in the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Foundation Principles: is a comprehensive tool meant to help clarify and paint a vivid picture for the student seeking the face and heart of Christ. Foundation Principles is the creation of published author Dr Liz Sharp, an individual with a heart toward God and a determination to walk in the will of God. Raised in a military family, Sharp places emphasis on the responsibility of the believer to hear the voice of God and the responsibility to respond appropriately, especially as it effects the rest of the world. Dr. Sharp shares, When growing up, my mother would often take tools away from me in an attempt to discourage me from making any simple repairs around the house. Leave it to your father or brothers, she would say, Men are better at these things than women. There are many things our parents taught us that were truths to them. Its what they had been taught, and they were faithful to pass them on to us. Most of what they taught has caused us to grow up healthy, wise and productive citizens. But in the case above, what was truth for them was not necessarily a truth for me. I grew up as a woman, a better repairman than either of my brothers or my father. So many things we have been taught as truth and tradition, yet proved to be untrue or not useful when we left home on our own? How many things do we believe about God that are just as erroneous? How many things is God blamed for, accused of, and generally misunderstood about because of what those who mentored us believed? This workbook brings together the foundational scriptures of the Christian faith and encourages the student to examine for themselves their meaning. With emphasis on the responsibility of the Christian believer walking in the footsteps of Christ, it serves to give insight to the heart of God and His never failing love toward us. Mark 4:11, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Dr. Liz Sharps new book is a brilliant source meant for a classroom or individual type study where faith needs to be heard. This could be used by students to study or instructors to teach. View a synopsis of Foundation Principles on YouTube. Consumers can purchaseFoundation Principles at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Foundation Principles, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. The Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday issued an alert on its social media channels, warning stranded Indians in the UK against falling prey to "unscrupulous elements" who have been using the coronavirus pandemic as a means for scams and data theft. The warning comes days after the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ruchi Ghanashyam, on March 29 issued a warning against fake being circulated via WhatsApp messages claiming Air India airlift operations planned for stranded Indians. "Be careful! People are misusing COVID-19 crisis to register others in the name of High Commission. This poses risk of data theft. Do not register except on the links given by our twitter handle or website," the Indian mission said in a Twitter statement on Wednesday. "Please share this message on each group you are member of and on each social media platform. Let us together kill such efforts of unscrupulous elements," it added. The warning follows a fake message last week, which was shared and forwarded several times, claiming that flights were planned this week from London Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai to evacuate Indians grounded in the UK due to India's ban on international flights till April 14 as part of its lockdown to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. The latest alert comes as UK government agencies have also issued a series of warnings over frauds and scams related to the coronavirus pandemic duping unsuspecting victims. UK Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "Fraudsters are callous criminals who ruin victims' lives while lining their own pockets. To take advantage of vulnerable people at this difficult time is particularly reprehensible. "The government is committed to working with the NCA (National Crime Agency) and all law enforcement partners to tackle this and protect the public." The NCA found that criminals are targeting people looking to buy medical supplies online, sending emails offering fake medical support and scamming people who may be vulnerable or increasingly isolated at home. These frauds try to lure people in with offers that look too good to be true, such as high return investments and "healthcare opportunities", or make appeals for you to support bogus charities or those who are ill. Reports from the public have already included online shopping scams where people have ordered protective face masks, hand sanitiser, and other products, which have never arrived and a number of cases have been identified where fake coronavirus testing kits have been offered for sale. "Criminals are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to scam people in a variety of ways and this is only likely to increase. We need individuals and businesses to be fully aware and prepared," said Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Economic Crime Centre. "There is a wealth of advice available from dedicated counter fraud professionals, but in general you should always think very carefully before you hand over your money or your personal details," he said. Criminals are also using government branding to try to trick people, including reports of using the UK tax department HMRC branding to make spurious offers of financial support through unsolicited emails, phone calls and text messages. The government has warned that the situation is likely to continue, with criminals looking to exploit further consequences of the pandemic, such as exploiting financial concerns to ask for upfront fees for bogus loans, offering high-return investment scams, or targeting pensions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmar & COVID-19 Latest COVID-19 Developments in Myanmar: April 1, 2020 A screenshot of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Facebook. Myanmars Suu Kyi takes to Facebook to connect with people effectively in the time of coronavirus. By Nyein Nyein To connect with the Myanmar public effectively amid the fight against coronavirus, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she would start using Facebook, the dominant social media platform in Myanmar. Her first post in Burmese on Wednesday said she did not intend to use Facebook but now [I] will use this to be able to communicate quickly and effectively with the people regarding COVID-19 challenges. Its not yet clear whether she will personally manage the page or not. As there was a misspelled CORVID-19 in the post, which was later corrected, management of the page may be someone elses responsibility. On Wednesday, State Counselor Office Director General U Zaw Htay shared Aung San Suu Kyis page on his Facebook, saying This is the State Counsellors official Facebook Account, created in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Aung San Suu Kyi page, it was created in April 2016 and she posted her first profile picture on Tuesday evening. Myanmar so far has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one patient who was suffering from nasal cancer and died on Tuesday. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has addressed the public three times since March 16, days before Myanmar confirmed its first cases of coronavirus, to discuss her governments efforts in the fight against the pandemic. Myanmar President Office dispels rumor that president and State Counsellor are in self-quarantine. By Htet Naing Zaw Myanmar President Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay dismissed rumors on social media that the president and State Counsellor have been self-quarantining, as they have not been seen in public for a while. U Zaw Htay said on Tuesday that both President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are in good health and serving their duties to the state amid the COVID-19 crisis. They are in good health and they are in neither self-quarantine nor home quarantine, he said. But he added, as COVID-19 is spreading in Myanmar, the countrys leaders are cautious about receiving guests and meeting with diplomats. U Zaw Htay said the State Counsellor did not meet with the UN staff member who tested positive for COVID-19, now receiving treatment at Naypyitaws 1,000-bed hospital. The State Counsellor did meet with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ola Almgren on March 23. Since Myanmar confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 23, the State Counsellor has addressed the nation three times, most recently on Tuesday evening. The president has not appeared in public since early last month. A couple in Myanmars Mandalay Region have been charged for refusing to have their temperature checked. By Zaw Zaw Htwe Yangon A couple from Mogoke Township, Mandalay Region, have been sued after they refused a temperature check for COVID-19 at a checkpoint when returning from Mandalay. Mogoks parliamentarian, U Saw Thaung Tin, told The Irrawaddy the couple were driving back from Mandalay on Monday when they failed to cooperate with the health team. A video on social media showed the woman trying to punch and kick a member of the health team and the man behaving in a threatening manner. On Tuesday, the Kyatpyin village head filed lawsuits against them under Section 294 of the Penal Code for obscenity towards the team and under Section 353 for assaulting public servants performing their duty. They were both granted bail. They could both face around two years in prison if convicted. Mogok Township is carrying out coronavirus medical checks at four entrances to the town and sending returnees from overseas to quarantine centers for 14 days. Around 200 returnees have been quarantined at makeshift centers, according to U Saw Thaung Tin. Yangons Inya Lake Hotel placed under quarantine after an employee from an international clinic there tests postive. By Aung Thiha The Inya Lake Hotel compound, which houses the International SOS Clinic in Yangons Mayangone Township, has been placed under quarantine since Tuesday evening after a woman who works at the clinic tested positive for COVID-19. The 45-year-old woman lives in Bahan Township and works at the clinic, which provides healthcare services, mostly to the citys expatriate community and embassy circles. As the SOS Clinic is inside the Inya Lake Hotel compound, a lockdown is being implemented, according to U Yan Shin, a regional parliamentarian representing the Mayangone Township constituency. The woman was admitted to West Yangon General Hospital on March 30 after suffering a sore throat, fever and cough for three days. She was transferred to Weibagi Specialist Hospital on Tuesday. The International SOS Clinic in Yangon announced on Tuesday night that a person connected to the clinic had tested postive for COVID-19 and that the clinic will be closed for an undetermined period at the request of Myanmar authorities. It said it would fully cooperate with the Ministry of Health and Sports. According to its website, SOS operates in more than 1,000 locations in 90 countries, catering to multinationals, governments and NGO staff. During the shutdown, the clinic said it will continue to provide services through tele-consultations. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Military Warns KIA: Drive Out AA or Face Attack COVID-19-Positive Cancer Patient Dies in Myanmar Hospital Myanmar Reports Four New COVID-19 Cases; Total Climbs to 14 While China offers help and support to countries affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some have attempted to politicize Chinas assistance, following concerns over the quality of some Chinese-made equipment. For instance, testing kits made in China have faced claims that they are inaccurate, in countries such as the Czech Republic and Spain. In the case of the Czech Republic, some media reports claimed that the inaccuracy rates of rapid testing kits from China were 80 percent. This claim was quickly refuted by the Czech Minister of Interior, who said the problem may have been due to "improper use" by some Czech officials. The issue of inaccuracy was also hyped up in Spain, where reports claimed the accuracy rate of some of the 55,000 testing kits purchased from China was only 30 percent, and that the Spanish government had rejected this equipment. The Spanish government had purchased the testing kits in question from a company called Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology. However, the Chinese Embassy in Spain said that the company had not been approved by Chinese authorities and was not included on a list of suppliers the Chinese Ministry of Commerce provided to Spain. On March 29, a plane landed in New York carrying medical supplies from Shanghai. With the U.S. currently being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, these badly needed materials had come just in time. Surprisingly, certain people in the U.S. took to Twitter to say that China, where COVID-19 first broke out, was attempting to portray itself as a savior, and that it was seeking to profit from the global shortage of medical supplies. On March 29, the first batch of 100 tons of medical supplies arrived in France, with more similar shipments to follow as China continues to help the country with its fight against COVID-19. However, one French media outlet said that Beijing, eager to showcase its strength after claiming victory in the COVID-19 crisis, was targeting Europe in its bid to save the world. In a recent blog, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell even labeled Chinas foreign assistance as the politics of generosity. Its unreasonable to call foreign assistance political generosity. When the EU assisted China in its fight against COVID-19, no one said the medical supplies were intended to expand EU influence in China. To be honest, the accusations and attacks from Western media against China are not unusual. Certain people will always find fault with whatever China does. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the unhealthy mindset of certain people in the West, who just cant accept the fact that China has prevailed over the virus while their own country has become a virus battlefield. Others want to pass the buck to China while turning a blind eye to the inability of their own country to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistance from China is the basic responsibility of a major country and is nothing more than a humanitarian response. Actions speak louder than words, especially at this critical moment. Smearing China only weakens the global efforts against COVID-19, and taking concrete actions to solve the very real problems facing the world is the only right choice. Note: BLM = Black Lives Matter; IRA = Internet Research Agency. Fig. 2a (top) and 2b (bottom): Nodes (circles) represent the various Internet Research Agency accounts. Edges (lines) represent topical similarity between accounts. Size of nodes indicates accounts' reach, in terms of retweets. Color in Figure 2a indicates the different personas (the topical type of account). Color in Figure 2b indicates discussion of vaccines by the account (red indicates that the account mentioned vaccines at least once between 2015 and 2017; black indicates no vaccine mentions). Credit: D. Walter, , "Russian Twitter Accounts and the Partisan Polarization of Vaccine Discourse, 2015-2017," American Journal of Public Health. Published online ahead of print, March 19, 2020: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2019.305564 Activity from phony Twitter accounts established by the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA) between 2015 and 2017 may have contributed to politicizing Americans' position on the nature and efficacy of vaccines, a health care topic which has not historically fallen along party lines, according to new research published in the American Journal of Public Health. The findings, based on machine learning analysis of nearly 3 million tweets from fake accounts, expose a general threat made startlingly more relevant in the face of the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, according to Yotam Ophir, an assistant professor of communication in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, who co-authored the study. "There is a real danger of health topics being politicized and used as propaganda tools. If that happens for topics such as coronavirus, people would be inclined to evaluate the importance and veracity of health messagesfrom either health experts, politicians, or trusted media outletsbased on how it reflects their political leanings," says Ophir, an expert in computational modeling, media effects and persuasion. "If people perceive health topics as being aligned with a political agenda, whether it's left or right, then they will consequently begin to lose trust in health organizations and question their objectivity." To understand why this might only be the beginning of more intense polarization is to understand that the threat posed by polarizing health care topics may be an unintended side effect of Russian attempts to influence other political discussions, including topics tied closely to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "I don't believe the Russians wanted to sow discord around vaccines specifically, but rather chose to harness social tensions around vaccines in order to make the Republican characters they created appear more Republican and the Democratic characters they created to appear more Democratic. This intensifies a recently emerging divide where one previously did not exist." The Russians' intentions in this particular case, however, don't matter when considering the implications for public health, according to Ophir. What is pertinent is that the IRA used a public health topic to serve its own strategic and political needs that targeted Republicans and Democrats with different messages. If that proves effective, the Russians will ramp up their misinformation campaign, moving from what might be an unplanned outcome to a more persistent and focused effort. "In recent years, we see the change already with Republicans starting to lose trust in vaccines while Democrats seem unmoved," Ophir says. "Again, I don't think the Russians care about vaccines, but along the way they created and intensified this emerging divide. "Now they can target each party with different messages, spreading misinformation unequally, targeting susceptible groups with lower trust in government and science." Ophir's paper with Dror Walter, an assistant professor of communication at Georgia State University, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, began as a conversation at a 2018 conference, after it was first discovered that Twitter troll accounts were discussing non-political topics such as vaccines. At around the same time, Jamieson published "Cyber-War," a book about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that identified thematic personas among Twitter trolls. These personas are designated topical and linguistic roles played by each fake account. Inspired by Jamieson's work, previous research and Ophir's focus on connecting health misinformation and politics, the team used computational methods to identify nine personas among nearly 2,700 accounts. The pro-Trump personas were more likely to express anti-vaccine sentiment, while anti-Trump personas expressed support for vaccines. Accounts falling under the persona type mimicking African Americans and Black Lives Matter activists also expressed more anti-vaccine messages. The researchers used their own method, the Analysis of Topic Model Networks, to identify patterns among the nearly 3 million tweets and network analysis that treats each topic as a node in a semantic network. This form of unsupervised machine learning finds associations and clusters that are beyond human reach. "I have reason to strongly believe, though we don't have the data, that Russia and other countries who try to interfere in our political discourse will use coronavirus to spread misinformation and rumors to solidify the relationships they're building with new troll accounts that replace the ones removed by Twitter," says Ophir. "The virus is not political, but when any health topic becomes a political matter at the expense of fact, the result is to base conclusions and make decisions, such as whether to social distance or not, on party loyalty, not science. "That's extremely dangerous," Ophir says. Explore further Innovative tool analyzes all 22,000 tweets from 2016 Republican presidential candidates More information: Dror Walter et al, Russian Twitter Accounts and the Partisan Polarization of Vaccine Discourse, 20152017, American Journal of Public Health (2020). Journal information: American Journal of Public Health Dror Walter et al, Russian Twitter Accounts and the Partisan Polarization of Vaccine Discourse, 20152017,(2020). DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305564 Peope wait to have quick testing at the COVID-19 quick testing station located at the Dong Da Secondary School in Hanoi on March 31 (Photo: VNA) Case 208, a 38-year-old woman, is an employee of the Truong Sinh Co. Ltd, which provides services for the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital. Case 209 is a 55-year-old woman living in Duc Giang ward of Hanois Long Bien district. She is a cook at the Petrolimex Hanoi. From March 18 to 24, she had close contact with Case 163 at the kitchen of this company. Case 210, a 26-year-old woman, returned from Thailand on March 20. Earlier, she had close contact with Case 146. Case 211, 23 years old, is a female student returning from the US. She departed the US on March 19 and transited Abu Dhabi (the United Arab Emirates) and Bangkok (Thailand) before arriving in Hanoi on March 20. Another patient, Case 212, is a 35-year-old woman returning from Russia on March 27. The 210th, 211th and 212th patients have been in quarantine since their arrival in Vietnam. Workers are losing jobs or facing reduced work hours after business shutdowns because of coronavirus in New Jersey. Its scary time to see your income dry up during this time of uncertainty. Workers will see some relief from the giant stimulus package that was passed last week to help with coronavirus business closures, including one-time stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits. And Congress is expected to take more action with another stimulus bill in the weeks to come. (You can calculate your payment using our stimulus calculator.) But what is the difference between a furlough and a layoff? Heres what you need to know. What is a layoff? A layoff may be a permanent separation from service, or it could be temporary. Either way, you wont be paid while youre laid off. Some employers during this coronavirus crisis are using layoffs because they cant afford to pay workers or there isnt enough work to do. In more normal economic times, layoffs happen when a company restructures or downsizes. Many employers who are laying people off because of coronavirus say they expect to hire workers back when conditions improve. Some lucky employees may get to keep their benefits in the short-term, but thats not typical. If a layoff is permanent, youd lose your benefits. Laid off employees can collect unemployment benefits, and in the case of those who were laid off because of coronavirus, benefits have been expanded. What is a furlough? A furlough is an unpaid leave of absence. The individuals affected remain `employees and it suggests they will be recalled, said Steven Adler, co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Practice Group with Mandelbaum Salsburg in Roseland. Companies may furlough employees for different time periods during tight economic times. It could be for weeks in a row or on a different kind of schedule. For example, a worker could be furloughed for one week per month over the course of several months. Workers typically keep their employer benefits while they are furloughed, and they can also apply for N.J. unemployment benefits for the time theyre not working. Why do companies choose furloughs instead of a layoffs? It depends on why the company is under financial pressure. During the coronavirus crisis, many companies believe business will eventually get back to normal so they dont want to permanently lose their employees, who have already been trained and know whats needed to perform their jobs. Laying everyone off and hiring from scratch in the future can be more expensive and time-consuming for a company. How long can I be furloughed? It depends. We dont know how long New Jersey will maintain its stay at home order and keep non-essential businesses closed. The good news for furloughed workers is that usually, employers would lay off staff rather than have them on an open-ended furlough if they dont believe business will come back. Unionized employees would face different rules depending on the unions collecting bargaining agreement. Adler said he thinks it will take a long time before things get back to normal as companies move forward cautiously. Its an especially uncertain time for many retail and blue collar workers. White collar employees have fared far better because most can work remotely, which isnt possible for lower paid, blue collar workers, Adler said. "We will get through this, but it will create a new `normal.' Can furloughed workers get the extra $600 per week unemployment payment? Absolutely. The stimulus package expanded unemployment benefits so more people are eligible. The $600 payment, which would come for 13 weeks, would be paid on top of whatever your regular unemployment benefit would be. (Note that this is for New Jersey. Other states may handle their base unemployment benefits differently.) Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. The identification of cluster infections can act as a speed breaker in the rising curve of COVID-19 cases if vigorous tracing and isolation of people in these hotspots is carried out, according to some experts, while others see it as indicative of start of community transmission in the country. Professor KSrinath Reddy, president of thePublic HealthFoundation of India, said that emergence of clusters can act like smoke detectors and a very important signal for strongly focused efforts for case and contact tracing and effective measures to quickly isolate them to prevent further spread. "These alerts are like smoke detectors which help us to prevent a major fire. Very energetic pursuit of the cases and contacts of the recently detected Delhi cluster and its outflow is being undertaken with speed and efficiency. "This will act as a speed breaker on the rising curve of infected persons and help our overall response to contain COVID 19," Reddy said. As many as 386 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in last 24 hours, taking total number of cases to 1,637 in the country on Wednesday. While 146 new coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday, the figure was 227 a day earlier. The latest spurt has been attributed to a religious congregation, Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz, in Nizamuddin West in Delhi where thousands of people had gathered last month from the country and abroad, and later visited many states. Authorities are now frantically looking for these people and all those who came in contact with them so that they can be quarantined. Aggressive measures have to be initiated for the containment of the spread of the disease in the community, said Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, former president of Indian Public Health Association and Indian Association of Preventive and social medicine, also the former HOD of the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS New Delhi. "It is necessary to stamp out the spark in the initial phases or it will spread like a wild fire," he said. Othe experts sounded a word of caution. They said the rise in clusters could be indicative that the virus may have transmitted within the community. Professor Puneet Mishra, Professor of Community Medicine at AIIMS, blamed irresponsible behaviour on the part of some citizens for the appearance of these clusters where several people together have been found to have contracted the respiratory ailment. "Because of the irresponsible behaviour of some citizens, now government has to move more resources towards tracing individuals who had come in contact with them," Dr Mishra said, adding people have to understand it is not just the responsibility of the government, but also of each and every citizen to follow the advisories and guidelines issued by the government. "Emergence of such clusters are indicative that the disease may have spread within the community and now it is just a matter of how rapidly it will transmit. "Widespread transmission will make thetracking and isolation more difficult and eventually overwhelm the entire healthcare system," said Pandav. Echoing him, former AIIMS Director Dr M C Mishra said intensive efforts in terms of rigorous contact tracing and testing have to bedone. Citing the example of the Nizamuddin episode, Mishra said that such rise in clusters are clear indication of the country progressing towards community transmission. "It will be very difficult now for authorities to track down the people they have met as these people have travelled to various cities in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, UP and Jammu and Kashmir. "It was a time bomb which has exploded and we have to now trace where all the splinters have fallen," he stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) California may be under a 'safer at home' order due to the coronavirus pandemic. But clearly former state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finds it hard to remain indoors during these difficult times even as he practices social distancing. The Hollywood star, 72, has been seen out on bicycle rides and taking his motorbike for a spin several times in recent days and on Wednesday, he took a trip in his vintage army truck with girlfriend Heather Milligan. Trip: Arnold Schwarzenegger took girlfriend Heather Milligan out for a ride in his vintage Army truck in Santa Monica on Wednesday during the 'safer at home' order in place in the state Schwarzenegger took the wheel wearing round sunglasses and with a cigar to hand. The bearded Terminator star was dressed in an Arnold Classic logo'd zipper jacket with the US flag on one sleeve over a blue t-shirt advertising a gym in Columbus, Ohio. He added baggy black sweatpants and black slip-on shoes for his outing. Schwarzenegger and Milligan, who is 27 years his junior, have been dating since the summer of 2015. Casual: The bearded Terminator star, 72, was dressed in an Arnold Classic logo'd zipper jacket and baggy black sweatpants. He sported round sunglasses and chomped on a cigar Likes his truck: On Tuesday, the former bodybuilder showed off his Army truck in a video posted to Twitter in which he encouraged people to 'stay fit' during the COVID-19 crisis On Tuesday, the former bodybuilder showed off his Army truck in a video posted to Twitter in which he encouraged people to 'stay fit' during the COVID-19 crisis. He drove the vehicle to a scenic overlook and unloaded a large dumbbell from the back and started lifting weights. 'We cannot really control the virus but we can control the kind of shape we stay in,' he said in the clip. 'Just as long as you do something every day, that is the important thing,' he added. 'Let's stay strong, let's stay fit, let's train at home.' Fresh air and exercise: In the video, he's seen driving the truck to a scenic overlook for a workout Staying fit: Schwarzenegger unloaded a large dumbbell from the back and after some stretches, he started lifting weights 'We cannot really control the virus but we can control the kind of shape we stay in,' he said in the clip. 'Just as long as you do something every day, that is the important thing,' he added Last week, Schwarzenegger announced via social media that he has donated $1 million to a GoFundMe campaign raising money for a Frontline Responders Fund and urged his fans to contribute too. The fund was created by global freight and trade technology company Flexport to get critical protective supplies to medical workers in hospitals around the world who are on the frontlines dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. As of Wednesday, the fund had received contributions totaling more than $5 million. In a statement, the actor said: 'Our doctors, nurses and hospital staff are the real action heroes of this crisis. I just play one in the movies. 'We have an opportunity and a responsibility to provide them with personal protective equipment right now to keep them safe as they fight this virus, so when I heard about Flexport.orgs plan, this was a no-brainer to me, 'With all of the courageous work they are doing on the frontlines to keep us safe, buying a few hundred thousand masks with a million dollars is the least I can do. Please take a moment to join me in supporting our heroes,' he concluded. India and Kuwait on Wednesday decided that officials of the two countries would maintain regular contact during the health crisis arising out of coronavirus spread to exchange information and explore avenues of cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Kuwait counterpartSheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah held a telephonic conversation where the decision was taken. The Kuwaiti prime minister stressed that the State of Kuwait greatly values the contribution of the large Indian community there and would continue to ensure their safety and welfare in the present situation, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said. Modi expressed his thanks and appreciation for the reassurance. Both leaders discussed the domestic and international aspects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said. "They agreed that their officials would maintain regular contact during the health crisis, in order to exchange information and explore avenues of cooperation and mutual support," it said. The prime minister also conveyed his greetings and best wishes for the good health of the Amir of Kuwait, the Royal Family, and the people of Kuwait. He underlined the importance that India attaches to its relations with Kuwait, a valued member of India's extended neighbourhood. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FLINT, MI -- A lawsuit filed by the estate of a Flint woman who died of Legionnaires disease during the citys water crisis can go forward against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Judith E, Levy dismissed some, but not all those sued on behalf of the late Odie Brown, who died at age 65 on Jan. 9, 2015, but allowed the case to continue against Snyder, certain employees of the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy, former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley and others. As for facts showing Governor Snyders callous disregard, it may be enough that he authorized the switch to the Flint River, knowing that there was no agreed upon plan in place to implement the necessary remediation at the (Flint water treatment plant) in order to use Flint River water as Flints sole source of water, Levy wrote in her decision Friday, March 27. But certainly the governors continued inaction following the switch reinforces this deliberate indifference. The fact that the governor authorized the switch to the Flint River knowing it was dangerous, and then did nothing for months despite ample notice of the harm Flint residents were experiencing states a claim of deliberate indifference. MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach Donald H. Dawson, Jr., an attorney for Brown. A representative of the Michigan Department of Attorney General, which represents state defendants, declined to comment on Tuesday, March 31. Browns claim is different than many lawsuits related to the Flint water crisis because she alleges she suffered not from lead poisoning, but Legionnaires', a serious type of pneumonia, because of the water she drank before her death. The number of Legionnaires cases in Flint exploded after the citys water source was changed to the Flint River while the city was being run by emergency managers appointed by Snyder. There were 86 confirmed Legionnaires cases -- at least 12 of which resulted in death -- in Genesee County during 2014 and 2015, the two years the city used river water. A Netherlands-based company hired by the state said in December the outbreaks in the Flint area at the time appear to have been fueled by three sources with strong evidence that a hospitals water system was tied to dozens of cases in 2014 and 2015. The company also said its study showed an increased risk of Legionnaires in 2014 for people living in a home that received Flint water or was located in proximity to several Flint cooling towers. Like other civil cases tied to the water crisis, Browns lawsuit claims Snyder, emergency managers and departments of state government violated Flint residents bodily integrity by exposing them to contaminated water and hiding what they knew about it. In a separate federal lawsuit, a federal court judge has already ruled that a bodily integrity claim can move forward under the U.S. Constitution because the conduct of many of the individual governmental defendants was so egregious as to shock the conscience and violate plaintiffs clearly established fundamental right to bodily integrity." In March, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments about bodily integrity claims in state courts. A decision by the state Supreme Court is pending. Michigan Supreme Court to decide if Flint residents get day in court against Snyder and state Study points to Flint water, hospital as sources of Legionnaires outbreaks Amaravati, April 1 : Stating that there is no stigma attached to people affected by COVID-19 as it is similar to any other infection that can be easily cured if timely treatment is obtained, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy urged all those who travelled to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, their family members and their contacts to come forward for medical tests. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Reddy said that of the 87 cases that tested positive in the state, 70 have a Delhi-connect. Disclosing that 1,085 people had attended the Delhi event, between March 15-17, Reddy said 585 people have been tested so far. While 70 positive cases have been identified from the tests, results of 500 cases are awaited. Stating that 21 persons who had visited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi, are yet to be traced, Reddy requested these people or their family members or people who came in contact with them, to voluntarily come forward for medical tests. Bringing attention to the impact of the coronavirus on the state's finances, Reddy thanked all the people's representatives and government officials, and employees for offering to defer their salaries. On Tuesday, the government had issued orders deferring the disbursal of salaries and pensions for people's representatives, government officers, employees, and other categories. As per the order, there will be 100 per cent deferment for the chief minister, cabinet members, MLAs, MLCs, and elected representatives of all local bodies. In the case of All India Services Officers, the deferment is to the tune of 60 per cent . The salary deferment is 50 per cent in respect of all other government employees. However, the state government has softened the blow somewhat for class 4 employees who will receive 90 per cent of their salaries on time. The order copy states that the 'orders shall come into force in respect of the salary/wages/ remuneration/pensions for the month of March 2020, payable in the month of April 2020 and will continue to be in force till further orders. ALBANY - Staff from New York Oncology Hematology located at Patroon Creek Boulevard in Albany teamed up with the Albany Police Department and other first responders on Wednesday to show their support for medical staff and chemotherapy patients. They signified their salutes by waiving signs and blaring music and patrol car sirens outside the chemotherapy room on Wednesday. Staff at other NYOG locations around the Capital Region showed similar support for patients and medical staff. Certain cancer patients, including those getting chemotherapy, have compromised immune systems, making them more likely to experience complications from Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the corona virus. The NYOH office in Albany has had to absorb patients from Albany Medical Center and the Troy office amid the corona virus outbreak, putting even more pressure on the medical staff to rearrange their work days. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:59:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Min Yuting (1st L), a member of the national emergency medical rescue team from Shaanxi Province, weeps as she returns to Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 1, 2020. As one of the 43 members of the national emergency medical rescue team from Shaanxi Province, Min and her colleagues finished a 14-day concentrated quarantine on Wednesday after their return from virus-hit Hubei. The team, dispatched by Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, has worked in two temporary hospitals together with colleagues from Wuhan City and Henan Province, managed 988 beds and treated 1,235 patients, since their arrival in Wuhan on Feb. 4. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Munich Re is withdrawing its profit guidance of 2.8 billion (3.1 billion) for 2020 as a result of the great uncertainty caused by the macroeconomic and financial impacts of COVID-19 in combination with the reinsurers expected man-made and natural-catastrophe losses during the year. Munich Re said its property-casualty reinsurance segment saw a considerable claims burden from losses in connection with the effects of the significantly worsened COVID-19 crisis during the first quarter. The claims expenditure is due mainly to the cancellation and postponement of large events, said Munich Re in a statement. The reinsurer anticipates profits in the low three-digit million euro range for the first three months of 2020, compared to 633 million (US$696.3 million) in the first quarter of 2019. Even after the impacts of capital-market and loss developments, Munich Re said its solvency ratio is still comfortably within the communicated optimal range of 175%220%. The company plans for an increase in its dividend to 9.80 per share (US$10.80), which will be proposed at the annual general meeting on April 29. However, implementation of the 2020/2021 share buy-back program announced on Feb. 26, 2020 will be discontinued until further notice and until there is greater clarity both on the actual burdens arising from COVID-19 and on capital requirements for potential organic or inorganic business opportunities, added Munich Re. Source: Munich Re Related: Topics COVID-19 Profit Loss BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Orkhan Juvarli - Trend: Its already the sixth day that I have been receiving treatment, which should last ten days, Mirvari Fataliyeva, Secretary General of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France, Head of Paris-Azerbaijan House, who tested coronavirus-positive in France, told Trend on April 1. Symptoms of the disease have already begun to fade. Now I am concerned about shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue. I hope that this will gradually pass. Psychologically, I am very strong, and I believe that I will overcome this disease, Fataliyeva said. I did not panic, and I believe in my inner strength. The attention and care that relatives and friends show support to me, she added. French health authorities reported a record 499 new deaths from coronavirus on March 31, taking the total to 3,523, an increase of 17 percent in the past 24 hours. It was the third consecutive day that the rate of deaths accelerated in France, which is now in its third week of lockdown to try to slow the spread of the virus. The daily government tally only accounts for those dying in hospital but authorities say they will very soon be able to compile data on deaths in retirement homes, which is likely to result in a big increase in registered fatalities. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Indigram Labs Foundation, a leading agri-tech focused incubator, has announced the winners of its smart village program - 'Adhunik Gram', an initiative to empower agribusiness in rural India. The winner was IndusTill FarmeTech Pvt. Ltd. which won a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh. The 1st runner up was Urdhvam Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd. which won a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and the 2nd runner up was Impagro farming solutions Pvt. Ltd. which won Rs. 30,000. The program which was launched in September 2019, received over 120 applications of which 14 start-ups were shortlisted and 11 start-ups presented on demo day. "Rural India has been getting an insignificant chunk of the pie in the economic plans of the country. The majority of the schemes for rural India are just to help earn a very basic livelihood for the people and not for the upliftment of the rural economy as a whole," said Dr Manisha Acharya, CEO, Indigram Labs Foundation. "Therefore, a balanced approach should be adopted to maintain a balance between rural and urban quality of life. Future course of actions, policies, tools, and instruments should deliver valuable building blocks for 'Smart Villages'. With a mission for "A Better Life in Rural Areas" we have initiated the Smart Village Program-Adhunik Gram," she added. IndusTill founded by Shrilesh Rajendra Mande is committed to developing an affordable smart agricultural vehicle for small and marginal farmers of India. This multipurpose vehicle has the ability to decrease the labor cost by half which constitutes a major part of input cost and double farmer's income with yields and Crop prices remaining constant. Urdhvam Environmental Technology's water-recharge technology provides innovative nature-based solutions to a vexing problem affecting humanity worldwide. It was founded by Vinit Phadnis. Impagro Farming Solution's Co-founded by Akbar Sher Khan is developing energy-efficient village-level cold chain infrastructure for farmers with a facility to pre-cool and store their crops at the farm-gate before dispatch to market which greatly reduces post-harvest loss and improves profitability. The Adhunik Gram (Smart Village) program was launched with support from NABARD and start-up India with the objective of identifying the problems of rural areas and exploring solutions with the help of science and technology-based start-ups. The focus of the program is to contribute to the promotion of innovation and technology-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem with an objective of rural development through wealth and job creation. The innovative ideas of these tech-based start-ups will further help in promoting economic development that improves the quality of life and attracts human capital to villages. The program achieved significant outcomes for the selected start-ups who explored, developed and executed innovative solutions to address agricultural and rural development issues in rural India in collaboration with farmers/Cooperatives/Govt./Pvt. Institutions. From customized capacity building programs to make them investment ready, identification and access to funding opportunities, market linkages and networking opportunities with relevant industry ecosystems, the Adhunik Gram program equipped the budding start-ups with necessary knowledge and skills. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DRAPER, UT / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (OTC PINK:FLXT) today announced the company's financial results for the Full Year 2019 ending December 31, 2019. Financial Highlights: Full Year Financial Results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019: - Revenue Increased 211.1% to $833,036 compared to $267,766 during 2018. The majority of this revenue increase came from a $550,000 in licensing agreements that will include royalties once those products are released to market during the current quarter. Additionally, the company will receive $400,000 in deferred licensing fees over the next few years. - Operating Expenses decreased 13.4% from $1,028,154 in 2018 to $890,108 during 2019. This is a result of greater efficiencies and cost reductions. Primarily, administrative and marketing expenses decreased. - Operating Losses decreased 92.5% from $760,388 (.01 EPS) during 2018 to $57,072 (.00 EPS) in 2019. - Total assets increased 3.2% to $5,130,149 versus $4,972,498 at the end of the prior year. The increase was primarily a result of an increased cash position. - Total liabilities decreased to 10.9% to $2,945,308 from $3,306,614 on December 31, 2018. - Net cash generated by operating activities was $52,206 for the year ended December 30, 2019 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $290,034 during 2018. - Cash increased from $17,798 at the end of 2018 to $170,004 on 12/31/19, an increase of $152,206. 2019 highlights and significant developments: - Flexpoint signs exclusive development and licensing agreement with Audio Technology company subVo. Combining KlaraT technology with Flexpoint's bend sensor will change the way people not only hear but also feel music. Multiple revenue streams are expected beginning in Q2 2020 as a result. - Flexpoint Sensor Systems, entered into a five-year, half-million-dollar Licensing Agreement with Neptune Controls, LLC, an environmentally conscience, Utah-based company dedicated to the conservation of water. The agreement included the first payment of $100,000 with the execution of the agreement and the balance to be paid in four additional installments over the course of next four year. Neptune Controls licenses the use of Flexpoint's Bend Sensor technology to detect the presence of moisture in soil, effectively shutting down a sprinkler system when a precise and optimum level of moisture is reached. - Flexpoint entered into Development and Collaboration Partnerships with three Fortune 100 Companies involving its battery expansion sensor. - Flexpoint announced it had signed a five-year manufacturing and supply agreement to provide crucial technology to help confront the deadly opioid crisis. The Company expects that commercial production to begin in the late 2020, increasing throughout 2021 and beyond. - The company continues to receive substantial purchase orders as it expands its global medical and medical IoT wearables. - The company is now cash flow positive and continues to negotiate additional significant orders with major revenue potential as the bend sensor gains global awareness. Clark Mower, Flexpoint President stated, "We are pleased, but not satisfied with the results. We anticipate even larger growth in the current year as some of additional products come to market and new customers and partnerships are finalized. We expect the momentum continuing during 2020." Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. will host a conference call at 4:15 PM ET on April 2, 2020 to discuss 2019 full year results. To attend the call, please use the information below for dial-in access. Participant conference numbers: (530) 881-1212, Conference ID 615-253-385# Please dial in at least 5 minutes prior to the call to ensure timely participation. For the full earnings report please view our entire filing at www.sec.gov. Please visit http://www.flexpoint.com/ for more information. About Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (FLXT) is an innovative technology firm specializing in developing, producing, manufacturing and licensing products that feature the Company's patented Bend Sensor and related technology. The Bend Sensor is a groundbreaking sensing solution that is revolutionizing applications in the automotive, safety, medical and industrial industries. The Bend Sensor single-layer, thin film construction cuts costs and mechanical bulk while introducing a range of functions and stylistic design possibilities that have never before been available in sensing technology. Flexpoint's technology and expertise have been recognized by the world's elite business and academic innovators for over 17 years. The company is setting a new standard for sensing solutions in the "smart" age of technology. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" and involve both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such uncertainties include, among others, certain risks associated with the operation of the company described above. The Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. CONTACT: Flexpoint Sensor Systems Clark Mower, President 801-568-5111 Brokers and Analysts Chesapeake Group 410-825-3930 SOURCE: Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583385/Flexpoint-Sensor-Systems-Full-Year-2019-Revenue-Increases-211-and-Transitions-to-Cash-Flow-Positive-Company-Anticipates-Finalizing-Several-Significant-Orders-During-Current-Quarter New Delhi, April 1 : Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, feels the Coronavirus is, "almost like a big earthquake that has shaken the entire world." "All the musicians and artists of the world are like a close-knit family. The past always continues contributing to world peace and harmony. But unfortunately, in the 21st century, we are killing in the name of religion." "Today, the so-called human beings have indeed become the most ferocious animals! I request each and every person to re-discover themselves during this quarantine period. Why can't we respect all the religions of the world? India was known for truth, sincerity and for the ability to be able to surrender. 'Praan jai par vachan na jai,' (my word is my honour) they used to say! The very reason for our present-day sufferings is that we have deteriorated as human beings. But, now I feel the time has come to create a world full of compassion, kindness, peace and harmony, and particularly so for our younger and future generations to come," the Ustad told IANSlife. He expressed his thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "concern, help, guidance and for the much-needed nationwide lockdown", and hopes that, "we shall all be Corona free very soon." The musician is mentoring young artistic talent in the country in association with Young Artiste 2020, an ongoing nationwide talent hunt competition. Excerpts from an IANSlife interview with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. You have always called yourself your father's student. What are your earliest memories of learning to play Sarod under him? Khan: The meaning of education in our family was Indian classical music connected with deep routed traditional values, spirituality, commitment, dedication and total surrender to the God Almighty and the Guru, who was my father too, legendary Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb. I cannot remember a day that I was initiated into the world of music. It was a part of me from as early as I can remember. Indeed, I cannot think of a moment when music has been separated from my life. It is a way of life. My father, the legendary Sarod maestro, Haafiz Ali Khan lived for music. For my father, though, there was no question of a life outside music. Life itself was Music and Music was Life. And so, I came to inherit from him the legacy of five generations of musicians as naturally as a bird taking to the air. The music, I know is the music given to me by my father. This is the music I know. Everything I have played in my entire life can only be a result of the legacy that has been bequeathed to me by my father. The 'guru-shishya parampara' (mentor-student) is a very appealing and is a sacred title. What's the role of an able guru in a student's life and career? Khan: 'Shishya' in Hindi and 'Shagird' in Urdu have the same meaning which is student. This age-old relationship is diluting and also dying fast. The role of Guru was challenging and equally challenging was the role of the student. Most of the established musicians today belong to this era and time. There used to be test of a Shishya's patience and dedication. Eventually very few Shishyas or followers could survive those vigorous and emotional tests. India is the only country where we had various kinds of Gurus in every field. Unfortunately, some Gurus have taken advantage of their innocent followers. To achieve anything, you need determination and hard work. The greatest example is the Guru Dronachrya and Eklavya relationship. Though the Guru was helping his favourite Shishya Arjuna but with determination, devotion and love for the Guru Eklavya also achieved what he wanted. Please tell us of your association with Young Artiste. Khan: Young Artiste is a great opportunity for students to showcase and nurture their talents and is the need of the hour. To continue our tradition and convention of music whether classical, folk, music or film music, we need younger, committed and dedicated musicians. According to the medical world, music is a therapy today. Children should be connected to appealing music. Through appealing music plants grow faster, cattle give more milk. Even for ten minutes children should listen to music with full concentration to receive its positive benefits. It is the duty of every parent and school teachers to find out creative instincts in every child because it is very healthy for the mind and body of the child to express his creative instincts. Every human being is born with sound and rhythm. Some realize this and some don't. The heartbeat is an indication of rhythm and what we speak; conversation, recitation, chanting and singing is all part of music. These days are cultural organizations are taking responsibilities to provide musicians and dancers to the schools and colleges. In the name of promoting Indian classical music and dance in the schools and colleges these organizations are getting huge grants from the government and private corporate houses. Classical music is not a shampoo or a toothpaste which you can promote. You don't need to promote music. It grows on you like a beautiful perfume. You cannot prevent it from growing on you. My request to these organizations is that please don't humiliate Classical music by imposing it on people who have no respect for it. Every college or school should take the opinion of the students as to which classical musician they would like to invite in their institution. I think it's the duty of every Principal or Director to take the opinion of the students regarding what kind of cultural activity or even what musician should be invited to their institution. Cultural organizations tend to have their own favourite musicians and dancers and they are all imposed on the students of schools or colleges. In a concert in Delhi's Kamani Auditorium last year, you were overwhelmed to perform. What makes you connect so deeply with music and the Sarod? Khan: At a concert, listeners come to listen to music. They can always google the artist! An award or a decoration doesn't make you a greater artist. To be a musician is in itself a blessing as you are really not answerable to anyone but yourself. For those few hours when you are onstage, you are in a creative frenzy, sometimes supernaturally unreal. There are times when you get off stage only to realise that something special happened up there on stage that day. It's a blessing to be in a profession of what you love doing. It is also a non-debatable factor that music is indeed the best way to connect to that supreme power that we have never seen. Be it any religion, music has always been the pathway to spirituality. Like cosmic divinity, music knows few barriers or boundaries.n Indian classical music is making a mark globally. Your thoughts on its presence worldwide? Khan: Musical vibrations can convey moods and emotions and have the ability to mould and shape our consciousness. Different types of music can have different effects on the mind-both positive and negative. Our mind is like any living organism. It must be nurtured and needs stimulation to develop and grow. Music is one of the most important 'food' for the intellect. Each musical note is connected to this most important part of our minds. Music has many faces. Conversation, recitation, chanting and singing are all part of music. Music can be either vocal or instrumental. Vocal music appeals to most of us because of its poetical or lyrical content. Instrumental music on the other hand, such as what I play on the Sarod, is pure sound. It needs to experience and felt. Since there are no lyrics, there is no language barrier between the performer and the listener, and that is why instrumental music transcends all barriers. What are your thoughts about the young musicians of India, who juggle a lot alongside learning music? Do you find enough young talent in music? Khan: I very strongly feel that today there is an audience for all kinds of music. The main reason for the people to attend a concert is that they love their favourite artist. Age does not matter, because our music and the relationship are timeless and ageless. I am so happy to say that there are so many young talented musicians all over South and North especially in the generation of (my sons) Amaan and Ayaan. (This article is website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife.) (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Most Americans are now subject to stay-home orders of one kind or another, issued by state and local authorities, and countless nonessential businesses have been shut down. Millions have been thrown out of work, and thousands of businesses that have been shuttered will never reopen. The stock market has crashed, destroying the lifes savings of millions. Many millions of lives, in short, have been devastated by governments responses to the COVID-19 virus. The justification for stay-home orders, closing of non-essential businesses, and so on, as we have often been told, is flattening the curve. Sheltering in place wont prevent the COVID-19 virus from working its way through the population, it will just do so more slowly. The idea is that if we all get sick at once, it will overstrain medical resources, especially ICU beds and ventilators, while if we stretch out the timing of the epidemic, a similar number of people may ultimately get sick, but a higher percentage of seriously ill persons will have access to those medical resources. We have all seen this graph, which illustrates the point, many times: One can estimate the number of lives saved through stay-home orders and other curve-flattening measures in this way: Create two graphs, in the manner illustrated in the above chart. Case A represents the natural course of the disease with no flattening measures. (Or, perhaps, with certain baseline measures, e.g., restricting travel from China. I have never seen this made clear.) Case A estimates the number of infected people for whom hospitalization will be indicated, and for whom a ventilator will be indicated, over the course of the epidemic, and compares those estimates to the quantity of ICU rooms and ventilators available in a given location (e.g., a state). This yields a number of patients who ought to receive such treatments, but dont. Next we apply mortality statistics: we assume, for example, that patients for whom a ventilator is indicated have a 75% chance of survival if they get a ventilator, but only 25% if they dont. The numbers might look like this: Start with a state with a population of 1 million; assume that one-half of them contract the virus. Of those 500,000, assume that 5 percent, or 25,000, will need a ventilator at some point. Calculate further that due to a spike in demand from the epidemic, only 15,000 will have timely access to a ventilator, while 10,000 will not. The number who die among those who needed a ventilator, on these assumptions, is .25 x 15,000 = 3,750, plus .75 x 10,000 = 7,500, or 11,250. We then compare that to Case B, where the curve is flattened. Lets assume that the flattening is entirely successful, so that every one of the 25,000 who need a ventilator gets access to one. The death toll on Case B is then .25 x 25,000 = 6,250. So on these assumptions, flattening the curve can be expected to save 5,000 lives. (I am not, of course, suggesting that these numbers are correct or reasonable, but simply using them to illustrate how curve-flattening is supposed to work.) One could perform a similar analysis for ICU beds and add those numbers to the ventilator analysis, although that probably wouldnt add much, if anything, since for the present purpose an ICU room is basically a room with a ventilator. As usual with models, the math is relatively simple. It is the assumptions that are critical. In the U.K., Imperial College scientist Neil Ferguson notoriously revised his U.K. fatality projection from 500,000 to fewer than 20,000, with most of those being people who would have died this year, anyway. Ferguson said this drastic reassessment was due to the draconian stay-home order promulgated by the British government. I am not calling Ferguson a liar, but I would love to see the assumptions and calculations underlying his about-face. Are there really numbers for Case A (500,000 fatalities) and Case B (fewer than 20,000) attributable to curve-flattening that 1) are plausible on their face, and 2) have substantial empirical support? Consider me skeptical. The University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has a set of coronavirus mortality projections that have been getting a lot of attention. I wrote about them here. I characterized the IHME numbers as relatively optimistic, because they forecast a total of a little over 81,000 deaths in the U.S. I am particularly interested in the IHME project because it includes state-by-state forecasts. For Minnesota, it currently projects 1,039 deaths. This is in marked contrast with the model on which Minnesotas governor claims to have relied when he issued the states shutdown order. That model, according to the governor, projected more than 70,000 deaths in the state unless people were ordered to stay home and businesses were closed. He hasnt said, to my knowledge, how much good his stay-home order will do, according to the same model. In commenting on my post, Paul suggested that the difference between the two projections1,039 vs. more than 70,000is that the University of Washington analysis takes into account the impact of the stay-home order, business closings, restrictions on meetings, and so on, so that the difference represents the benefit of our governors order. That was a plausible assumption, but I dont think it is correct. Did IHME project 70,000 deaths in Minnesota, and revise that prediction dramatically downward when Governor Walz issued his order? I cant be certain as I didnt see the IHME site until after the fact, and I cant find versions of the model predating March 30 on the IHME site. But, even apart from the fact that 70,000 could never have been a reasonable mortality projection for Minnesota when the entire nation is only a little over 80,000, I dont think that is what happened. IHMEs state-by-state projections do not appear to vary depending on the prophylactic actions taken (or not taken) by each states government. Thus, here is the projection for Minnesota, which has a harsh shutdown order in place. Currently it projects 1,039 deaths. Click to enlarge: IHME notes that Minnesota has a stay at home order as of March 27. But now lets compare Iowa, which, as IHME says, does not have a stay-home order and has not closed nonessential businesses: Minnesotas current projection of 1,039 fatalities works out to 0.00019 of the states population. Iowas projected 777 deaths equal 0.00025 of its population, slightly higher. But this isnt due to any apparent curve flattening in Minnesota, as both states show a peak resource use on April 18. Similarly, Floridas fatality projection of 5,568 works out to 0.00026 of the states population. Florida has no stay-home order and hasnt closed nonessential businesses. Missouri has no shutdown order and has not closed nonessential businesses, and its predicted death total of 1,219 represents 0.00019 of its population, the same as Minnesotas. Further, I cant see from studying the IHMEs charts that the infection curves, or resource usage curves, are any flatter for the states that have shutdown orders than for the states that dont. You can look at them for yourself and see if you think I am missing something. All indications are that this model is drastically different from those that have been used to justify radical prophylactic measures in Minnesota and other states. For one thing, the model relied on by the State of Minnesota assumes that 2.4 million Minnesotans will catch COVID-19, and 3 percent of them will die. That 3 percent mortality rate is regarded by most observers as ridiculous. It is double the mortality rate for confirmed cases in South Korea, for example. Moreover, with a population of 51 million and the epidemic now dying out there, South Korea has recorded only 162 deaths0.000003 of its population. Why do some modelers assume the U.S. will do so poorly? Lets see the assumptions and the calculations. The University of Washington is to be commended because its model is relatively transparent, although, for the reasons stated, it leaves lots of questions unanswered. But all models that are used to drive public policy decisions should be fully transparent. We should be able to see, in detail, the assumptions and calculations on which each model depends, so we can critique them. For example, what do the models assume about the manufacture and supply of more ventilators? Many efforts to build and procure ventilators are being made. To cite just one instance, President Trump has ordered General Motors to produce tens of thousands of ventilators under the Defense Production Act. Have the modelers taken that into account? The IHME model projects that at the epidemics peak on April 15, the nation as a whole will need 26,381 ventilators. Will there actually be a shortage in two weeks time, given the massive efforts to produce new ventilators that are now underway? Some common-sense observers would say, if the purpose of shutting down our economy is to assure an adequate supply of ventilators over the coming months, maybe we should forget about destroying the economy and build more ventilators instead. Further, many more masks are now being produced and made available. It appears that widespread mask usage has helped to limit the spread of the virus in Asia, and experts are now backing off their earlier statements that wearing masks would not be useful here. Has the wider utilization of masks been factored into mortality models? Has any modeler tried to figure out whether governors would do more good, at infinitely less cost, by encouraging the wearing of masks rather than by shutting down businesses? How about promising therapies for COVID-19, like the hydroxychloroquine / azithromycin combination? What do the models assume about the effectiveness of such treatments, and about how soon and how widely they will be deployed? My guess is that they ignore these promising medical developments entirely. It is also curious that certain policy issues of interest to the public seem never to be addressed by modelers. For instance, President Trump toyed with the idea of quarantining New York City, but backed off after vigorous objections from New Yorks Governor Andy Cuomo. But wouldnt quarantining New York (or just banning flights out of New York, as Scott and Paul have advocated) have flattened the curve elsewhere? And isnt it an article of faith among modelers that flattening the curve saves lives? Why has no one, as far as I know, attempted this analysis? After all, to quote Governor Cuomo, if quarantining New York saved just one life, it would be worth it. Why, in this case, are our modelers so discreet? Is curve flattening, via stay-home orders and business closures, really as valuable as certain modelers and many politicians allege? It may be that if the models now being used to generate newspaper headlines were made fully transparent and subjected to rigorous analysis, the value of stretching out the COVID-19 epidemic to flatten the demand curve for medical services would prove to be minimal. And yet, this is the theory on which millions of American lives are now being ruined. PAUL ADDS: In my response to an earlier post by John, to which he refers above, I didnt purport to explain differences between two models a model by the University of Washington (the IHME model) and some model relied on the by governor of Minnesota. I said nothing about Minnesotas governor, his model, or his order. I did not say or suggest that the difference between the number of deaths in Minnesota predicted by the University of Washington model and the Minnesota governors model 1,039 vs. more than 70,000 is explained by the efficacy of stay-home order, business closings, restrictions on meetings, etc. Nor did I attempt to quantify the benefit of the Minnesota governors stay-home order. My post did not address that order or the governors model, whatever it might have been. What I said was that the number of deaths projected in the University of Washington model John was citing, 81,000, assumes the strong measures that have been taken to limit the spread of this virus in the U.S. and that without these measures, the University of Washington would very likely be projecting a great many more than 81,000 deaths. I certainly did not suggest that the University of Washington would be projecting anything remotely like 70 times that number of deaths in the absence of strong measures. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The state Supreme Court wants to hear arguments on the legality of New Mexico legislators convening electronically rather than in person for a special session amid the coronavirus outbreak. The justices requested the information as they consider an emergency petition filed by 27 county clerks who want to shift the June 2 primary to an election by mail. The Supreme Court set an April 14 hearing on the issue. The court orders come after the state Republican Party and 29 legislators asked the justices Tuesday to reject the emergency petition, describing it as an improper push by state election officials to bypass the Legislature and craft a new election scheme, even with reasonable alternatives available to safeguard public health. The Republicans said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham could call a special session if changing the election code is necessary to protect public health. And without a session, the GOP argued, New Mexico could simply encourage voters to cast absentee ballots a well-trusted system, they said, that provides better safeguards against fraudulent voting. This is not a partisan issue, but an election law issue, Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said in a written statement. We cannot have the integrity of New Mexicos elections tainted or stolen because of lack of security in the mail ballot process. In an Albuquerque school election held by mail last year, the Republicans said, more than 50,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable. The legal dispute centers on a petition filed Monday by 27 county clerks with agreement from Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat seeking permission from the Supreme Court to conduct the June 2 primary by mail. There would still be limited sites for people to drop off ballots or vote in person if absolutely necessary. The 27 clerks say the change would save lives by helping limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Election workers are scared to work, the clerks said, and traditional polling sites in schools and other locations are closed. A special session isnt an option, the clerks argue, because state health officials fear that calling lawmakers to the Capitol would accelerate the spread of the virus. Legislative staff and Attorney General Hector Balderas office, meanwhile, have been examining the legality of convening an online special session, but they havent released any findings yet. The Supreme Court asked the parties in the election case to address whether the state Constitution, laws and legislative rules would permit the Legislature to meet remotely. The justices also asked the Governors Office and others to weigh in on the case. Two justices Shannon Bacon and David Thomson, both of whom are on the ballot this year recused themselves from the litigation. The Supreme Court designated retired justices Richard Bosson and Edward Chavez as replacements. Backing the motion against the mail election are the Republican Party of New Mexico, 29 legislators and the clerks of Chaves, Curry, Lea, Lincoln, Roosevelt and San Juan counties, all Republicans. On the other side are the remaining 27 clerks, most Democrats but also five Republicans. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:45:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Destroyed boats are seen on the beach in Midi District of Hajjah province, Yemen, April 1, 2020. A large number of fishermen in northwest of Yemen suffer from harsh economic conditions as a result of the ongoing conflict and destruction of their boats and fishing equipment by the war. (Photo by Mohammed Alwafi/Xinhua) People sitting in close groups outside their houses, multiple two-wheelers moving in a narrow street and crowds gathering outside every shop to buy essentials even amid curfew remains the order of the day in various villages and colonies in Chandigarh. Despite various appeals by the UT administration to maintain social distancing and constant vigil by the police, colony dwellers in the periphery stay out and about. Ramlal Yadav, father of three, was sitting outside his house in a densely-populated Maloya colony along with seven other men and children. When asked why all of them were ignoring social distancing, he said, What will we do while sitting at home all day? We dont have any work these days, we were just chit-chatting sitting outside. Spread over around 60 acres across the city, the Colony No 4, Janta Colony, Guru Sagar Colony in Maloya, Sanjay Colony, and Rajiv Colony in Sector 38 and 10 such other colonies and slums are home to over three lakh people, mainly migrant labourers, household maids and garbage collectors, out of Chandigarhs total population of 14 lakh (an estimate). 10-year-old Sumitra Kumari along with her seven friends went to seven houses for kanya poojan in Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, on Wednesday. While Sumitra was not aware that people were not allowed to go out due to curfew, her 17-year-old brother, Shailesh Kumar, said, My friends and I go for a bike ride in the evening because sitting home all day gets boring. WHERE IS THE ENFORCEMENT? Dalip Sharma, councillor from Bapu Dham Colony, said, We have appealed to the residents multiple times to stay at homes, yet they are unaware of the intensity of the disease. Police officials are stationed at the spot, but they have to be more strict with people. Anil Kumar Dubey, councillor from Mauli Jagran, said, I am aware of the issue. I have talked to the SHO concerned and requested them to deploy more force here. As per the curfew norms, people are allowed to visit the nearest shops on foot and use of vehicles is not permitted. In fact, various marks for social distancing were also made by UT administration outside shops. However, residents continue to disregard them. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale said, We are taking strict action against violators. There are instances where people are taking out their vehicles deliberately thinking that they will evade police action. We will ensure there is strict compliance of the prohibitory orders. LOCKDOWN NO DETERRENT IN MOHALI VILLAGES Despite Mohali district seeing 10 positive cases of Covid-19 in the past two weeks, including the death of a 65-year-old man in Nayagaon, residents in several villages are seen defying the curfew imposed to check the spread of the disease with impunity. While residents of sectors and phases in Mohali town have maintained discipline by staying indoors, residents in Shahimajra, Mataur, Kumbra, Sohana, Mauli and Mohali villages are mostly seen out and about, chatting in groups. Small grocery shops in villages, stay open morning and evening, with several customers standing outside without adhering to social distancing norms. Parminder Sohana, area councillor of Sohana village, said, 50% of the people are tenants. We have directed them to stay indoors, but to no avail. I have even requested the police to conduct patrolling regularly. Jafar Ali, a resident of Mauli, said we come out in the evening hours sometimes as staying indoors the entire day gets difficult. We also know that the virus is dangerous, but we are adopting all precautions, he says. NO ENTRY Fed up with people venturing out, residents of Phase 11, Mohali, a densely-populated area, barricaded the entry point and even pasted the posters of No Entry there. Ravi Kumar, who runs a sweet shop in Phase 11, said, These are mostly youngsters who do not understand the gravity of the issue and flee when the police comes to the area. When contacted, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Aashika Jain said, We are trying to enforce the curfew. Our officials visited various places and have also asked the sarpanches of the villages to direct the residents to stay indoors. The police have been told to register cases against the violators. GURDWARAS ROPED IN TO SPREAD THE WORD Meanwhile, the district authorities have roped in the gurdwaras in villages in Zirakpur, Dera Bassi and Kharar to regularly make announcements asking to stay indoors. Apane ghar ch hi raho, khet jan liye vi bahar na aona. Sabun nal haath dhone ne, goes the announcement made regularly by a gurdwara in Chhat village reminding them to stay indoors and wash their hands regularly, besides inform the authorities if anyone has travelled abroad. Meanwhile, police control room (PCR) vehicles were blowing horns passing through Kharar and Dera Bassi at regular intervals, keeping people indoors. On Wednesday, though, people came out but in small numbers, especially in colonies and villages, but were asked to go back home after strict warning. Residents of slums, colonies and villages are coming out to collect the food packets being distributed by different organisations, said a policeman posted at a naka in Balongi. We have directed all the people distributing dry ration to ensure that the packets are delivered at the doorsteps so that the residents do not move out of their homes, said Kharar DSP Pal Singh. Anyone distributing cooked food has to ensure that social distancing is maintained. People have started following it, said Dera Bassi DSP Gurbakshish Singh Mann. PANCHKULA STAYS INDOORS Ludhiana Implementation of lockdown was in large with most markets wearing a deserted look on Wednesday. Shops, including departmental and grocery stores, barring chemists, remained closed in several markets. Even those that were open, did not witness high footfall, as people have already stocked up on essentials, shopkeepers said. The situation in inner sectors was slightly different where some people were seen moving out. Some were seen stocking up on essential commodities or doing bank work. Shopkeepers have cordoned off corridors to maintain safe distance from customers. Vendors with milk and bread are turning up in sectors by around 7am. Sanjay Goyal, a chemist in Sector 4 market said, For the last two days, few people are turning up for medicines or other essentials as most have stocked up their monthly quota. Meanwhile, Swiggy and other e-commerce companies have started delivering ration, dairy and grocery items. As per police data, 10 FIRs have been registered for violation of lockdown and quarantine, 506 challans have been issued and 65 vehicles have been seized, at a total fine of 23.14 lakh, till Wednesday. 1. Yes. The downtown area needs a good draw. Some quality taverns would be a plus. 2. Yes. Too many storefronts are vacant. Bars could help to bring in needed revenue. 3. No. Putting a number of bars downtown is just asking for trouble. Dont change things. 4.No. Several churches have located downtown. Putting bars close by would be a bad fit. 5. Unsure. It would depend on how the law is written and what standards are enacted. Vote View Results REDDING, Calif. - One Northern California law enforcement agency has been hearing a number of rumors regarding enforcement practices during this pandemic. CHP Redding officers posted on Facebook, Tuesday night hoping to clear rumors up in regards to if people can travel during the coronavirus pandemic. Officers say they are not pulling people over and asking why they're doing so. They're also not giving people citations if it's not an essential reason. The second rumor pertains to if the California Highway Patrol is going to close the state borders near Oregon and Nevada, that is also false. Officers say people are free to travel if they have to. CHP Redding also mentions they have not been given specific guidelines of how to enforce the stay at home order. Officers are hoping people will follow the order, self-isolate and practice social distancing. Early sex-disaggregated reports on coronavirus fatality, whether from China, Italy or South Korea, all tell the same story: men are more susceptible to COVID-19 than women. Data from China shows a death rate of 2.8% for men and 1.7% for women. In Italy, where hospitals were likened to trench warfare last week, the numbers were larger, but the gender discrepancy remained a 10.6% fatality rate for men, 6% for women. In South Korea, men claim 62% of all cases, and are 89% more likely to die, based on early reporting. As Wired UK reported, medical professionals have struggled to figure out exactly why there is such a stark, consistent difference in immune response to COVID-19. It seems to transcend age, too. Of the 171 children and adolescents treated at Wuhan Childrens Hospital, 61% were male. Both habitual and biological theories are being considered at the moment. For the former, many scientists have pointed out that each of these countries has far more male smokers (in China, over 50% of the male population smokes, as opposed to just 3% of the female population), who are battling coronavirus with compromised lungs. Drinking is also more prevalent amongst men throughout the world, and could affect the strength of their immune systems. But a series of experiments conducted in 2016 and 2017, assessing the susceptibility of male and female mice to SARS-CoV infection, introduces a hormonal explanation. Female mice exhibited a stronger ability to fight pathogenic human coronaviruses, and that ability was directly weakened when their supply of estrogen was suppressed. Estrogen could be a key to understanding the gender difference in immune system defenses, but its going to take time and data released in a sex-disaggregated manner, which the United States has so far failed to do to investigate the hypothesis. With time, though, scientists might be able to create a drug that reduces the risk of infection and fatality down to that of females. Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter. The post Men Are Dying From Coronavirus at Higher Rates Than Women appeared first on InsideHook. US president Donald Trump has urged Florida officials to let Dutch cruise ship, Holland America's MS Zaandam and its sister ship to dock. The Dutch cruise ship has been stuck at sea with a coronavirus outbreak onboard. Four have already died from the virus. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has declared the vessel is unwelcome and wanted to prevent its sick passengers from being "dumped" on his state. But Trump said he would be speaking to the governor. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "There are people that are sick on the ship. And we don't want to be like, they're going to be ghost ships. You know, people turn those ships away. There was a ship, as you know, in a certain part of Asia and from port to port, nobody would take it. But in the meantime, we have people that are dying on the ship or at least very sick." His remarks are in stark contrast to his previous response in February, to a different cruise ship, the Grand Princess. The Zaandam, idled off the Pacific coast of Central America, was allowed to sail through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean on Sunday (March 29). Nearly two-thirds of the passengers - those who passed a medical screening - were moved onto the Zaandam's sister ship, the Rotterdam, before the canal transit. Over 70 passengers and 100 crew members were showing influenza-like symptoms, including eight testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday (March 30). Both vessels -The Zaandam carrying nearly 1,000 passengers and crew, and the Rotterdam almost 1,500 are now headed to Port Everglades in Florida. Russia is not raising its crude oil production because it doesnt make sense for Russian firms to boost output while the market is oversupplied, a Russian government official told Bloomberg on Wednesday, the day on which the OPEC+ pact expired and Saudi Arabia is gearing up to flood the market with oil. While the Saudis have been pledging record oil exports over the next few months after the OPEC+ deal with Russia collapsed in early March, Russia has hinted that the current market situation with oil prices so low and the surplus so high wouldnt make economic sense for its firms to boost oil production now. Early in March, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia could 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. But as oil prices continued to slide and demand continued to plunge, Russian companies signaled last week that boosting production might not be the wisest thing to do right now. Tatnefts CEO, Nail Maganov, who boasted weeks ago that even $8 oil is not critical for the company, told reporters last week that it might not be economically feasible for Russian firms to boost production from April, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The report of Russia putting the production boost on hold comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Monday to have energy officials from both countries discuss the dire state of the global oil market. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Russian minister Novak had a productive discussion on the current volatility in global oil markets, the U.S. Department of Energy said. Secretary Brouillette and Minister Novak discussed energy market developments and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, to address this unprecedented period of disruption in the world economy, DOE said. President Trump, meanwhile, said at a news conference on Tuesday that he had phone conversations with Putin and with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Were all going to get together and see what we can do because youre going to lose an industry over it, thousands and thousands of jobs, President Trump said. The two countries are discussing it, and I am joining at the appropriate time if need be, President Trump added. The Russian government official who spoke to Bloomberg on Wednesday said that Russia hasnt held talks with the Saudis on the situation on the oil market yet. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Last week, you might have seen that Belvoir Group PLC (LON:BLV) released its full-year result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 5.4% to UK0.96 in the past week. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of UK19m were in line with what the analysts predicted, Belvoir Group surprised by delivering a statutory profit of UK0.13 per share, a notable 14% above expectations. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year. See our latest analysis for Belvoir Group AIM:BLV Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the two analysts covering Belvoir Group provided consensus estimates of UK13.7m revenue in 2020, which would reflect a disturbing 29% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to nosedive 65% to UK0.047 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK22.5m and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.14 in 2020. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Belvoir Group's prospects following the latest results, administering a large cut to revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot. The consensus price target fell 16% to UK1.87, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading valuation estimates. Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 29% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 23% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue decline 1.8% annually for the foreseeable future. The forecasts do look bearish for Belvoir Group, since they're expecting it to shrink faster than the industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Unfortunately they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and our analysts estimates suggest that Belvoir Group is still expected to perform worse than the wider industry. Furthermore, the analysts also cut their price targets, suggesting that the latest news has led to greater pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business. Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have analyst estimates for Belvoir Group going out as far as 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 4 warning signs for Belvoir Group you should be aware of. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. A city of Philadelphia public service advertisement lights up the side of a bus stop shelter on the 1000 block of Market Street as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues. Read more Should we punish people who defy stay-at-home orders and the mandates of social distancing? And if so, how? Now that human interaction has become potentially fatal, states have responded with various levels of lockdowns and prohibitions on gatherings, and yet some are ignoring these mandates and gathering, or operating businesses anyway. Depending on where you are, that could be especially fatal. For example, with New Jerseys more than 18,000 cases among the highest in the nation Bergen County alone has nearly 3,000 Gov. Phil Murphy and top law enforcement officials have taken aggressive steps. Statewide, police had responded to more than 70 incidents that led to individuals being warned, cited, or in a few cases, arrested for violating limits on private and public gatherings or offenses related to the epidemic. Last Saturday, police reported finding more than 40 people crammed into a tiny Ewing Township, Mercer County, apartment for a corona party featuring a DJ. The person responsible was charged with five counts of child endangerment. Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would be imposing fines of up to $500 to those defying social distancing rules. We dont believe this virus should create a new class of criminal. On the other hand, enforcement lets people know how serious it is to minimize exposure. Elected and law enforcement officials should think creatively about how to best enforce the coronavirus prohibitions, such as creating steps of violations, with fines increasing according to the level of risk gatherings might create. At the same time, local governments are often offering confusing, unclear directives on how people should be living their lives. Shelter-in-place, stay-at-home, and lockdowns are all relatively new terms in our civic vocabularies, and leaders need to make sure people understand the differences and send consistent messages. For example, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is strongly encouraging people to stay home; at the same time, the city announced it has closed MLK Drive to vehicular traffic so people can use it to exercise. Most New Jersey parks remain open, although playgrounds and active recreational spaces are locked down. Some restrictions have been tailored to local conditions. Hoboken, N.J., with 42,502 people per square mile, has imposed a curfew and closed its parks. Local parks also have been shut down in Bergen County. Far more drastic measures have been imposed in authoritarian China and even in democratic Spain, where surveillance drones have been deployed. France now requires citizens to carry a form to justify why they are leaving the house. Draconian measures wont be necessary if we accept that the current limits on some ordinary activities is a way to end the crisis. The orders issued by the city and by the state of Pennsylvania, as well as the state of New Jersey, could best be summarized as: Please stay at home unless absolutely necessary. Those insisting that normal life must go on need to remember that the people they could be infecting with a potentially fatal disease also deserve to have life go on literally. EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Golden Age of Hollywood is known for its glitz, glamour and classic movies. Northwestern University researchers have peeled back the gilded sheen to reveal an industry tarnished by severe gender inequity. By analyzing a century of data (1910 to 2010) in the American Film Institute Archive and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the researchers found that female representation in the film industry hit an all-time low during the so-called Golden Age. Women representation in the industry still is struggling to recover today. "A lot of people view this era through rose-colored glasses because Hollywood was producing so many great movies," said Northwestern's Luis Amaral, who led the study. "They argue that types of movies being made -- such as Westerns, action and crime -- caused the decrease in female representation. But we found the decrease occurred across all genres, including musicals, comedy, fantasy and romance." The study will be published on April 1 in the journal PLOS ONE. Amaral is the Erastus Otis Haven Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering in Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering. Consistent findings across all genres and jobs To conduct the study, Amaral and his team analyzed 26,000 movies produced between 1910 and 2010. The team looked across all genres -- action, adventure, biography, comedy, crime, drama, documentary family, fantasy, film-noir, history, horror, music, musical, mystery, romance, sci-fi, sport, thriller, war, Western and short -- to measure how many women worked as actors, screenwriters, directors and producers. Across all genres and all four job types, the resulting graphs form the exact same "U-shape" pattern. Roles for women increased from 1910 to 1920 and then sharply dropped. Around 1950, the roles steadily increase until 2010. "In general, we found that the percentage of women compared to men in any role was consistently below 50% for all years from 1912 until now," said study coauthor Murielle Dunand, a former intern in Amaral's laboratory and current student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 'Men hire men' Amaral said his findings reflect what was happening in the film industry. Before Hollywood's Golden Age, the industry was fueled by independent filmmakers, and women participation was steadily increasing. From 1910 to 1920, according to Amaral's data, women actors comprised roughly 40% of casts. Women wrote 20% of movies, produced 12% and directed 5%. By 1930, acting roles for women were cut in half; producing and directing roles hit close to zero. Amaral and Dunand said the data suggest that the studio system, which emerged between 1915 and 1920, is most likely responsible for the shift. The industry condensed from a somewhat diverse collection of independent filmmakers scattered across the country to just five studios (Warner Bros., Paramount, MGM, Fox and RKO Pictures), which controlled everything. "As the studio system falls under the control of a small group of men, women are receiving fewer and fewer jobs," Amaral said. "It looks like male producers hire male directors and male writers. This is association, not causation, but the data is very suggestive." Women improve conditions for other women Then, two groundbreaking lawsuits caused the studio system to break apart. First, Oscar-nominated actor Olivia de Havilland, who had an exclusive contract with Warner Bros., sued the studio in 1943 to be freed from her contract and won. In 1948, the U.S. federal government sued Paramount Pictures in an antitrust case. At the time, movie studios owned their own theaters and distributed their own movies. When Paramount lost, studios could no longer exclusively produce, distribute and exhibit their films. "These legal changes took the power away from a handful of men and gave more people the power to start changing the industry," Amaral said. "There is a connection between increased concentration of power and decreased participation of women." Among the insights hidden in the data, Amaral found that women producers tend to hire greater proportions of women to work in their films. "Producers affect the gender of the director," he said. "Women with power in Hollywood are making conditions better for other women." ### The study, "Long-term patterns of gender imbalance in an industry without ability or level of interest differences," was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (grant number SFRH-BD-76115-2011), the U.S. Army Research Office (grant number W911NF-14-1-0259), a John Templeton Foundation Award (number FP053369-A//39147) and a gift from John and Leslie McQuown. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:26:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Xue Bing (R) talks to PNG Foreign Minister Patrick Pruaitch in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on March 31, 2020. China donated 300,000 U.S. dollars to the government of Papua New Guinea to help the south Pacific island country to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Chinese Embassy to PNG/Handout via Xinhua) PORT MORESBY, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China donated 300,000 U.S. dollars to the government of Papua New Guinea to help the south Pacific island country to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a return for the assistance from PNG to China's fight against the virus, which China would never forget, Chinese Ambassador to PNG Xue Bing at the donation ceremony held in Port Moresby on Tuesday. China would work jointly with PNG to cope with the pandemic, he said. Xue said the first batch of materials will arrive soon and local governments, private businesses and Chinese companies in PNG are also donating money and materials to help PNG. The Chinese side will also share the experience in COVID-19 prevention and control with PNG. PNG Foreign Minister Patrick Pruaitch expressed gratitude and said the donation from the Chinese government will be put into the Port Moresby General Hospital for COVID-19 response. Asked on Tuesday whether impeachment diverted his attention from the COVID-19 crisis brewing early in the year, President Donald Trump at first said, I guess it probably did. I got impeached, the president said. I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about" impeachment. Trump told reporters the partisan impeachment was a hoax by Democratic lawmakers hellbent on getting him out of office any way they can. It was a total hoax." Trump, who in late January said the coronavirus outbreak was totally under control in the U.S., added that he didnt think he would have handled the pandemic any differently had I not been impeached. Did it divert my attention? I think Im getting A-pluses for how I handled it, he said. I dont think I would have acted any differently or any faster. On March 9, just over a month after the Senate acquitted him on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, Trump compared coronavirus to the flu. 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! With the U.S. now reporting more cases than anywhere in the world, at more than 180,000 and approaching 4,000 deaths, Trump painted a different picture Tuesday. This isnt the flu, he acknowledged. Pressed by CNNs Jim Acosta and other reporters on whether he downplayed the deadly disease months ago and could have helped prevent more deaths by advising social distancing, travel restrictions and ramping up medical equipment production earlier, Trump argued that he took life-saving actions by quickly preventing travelers from bringing the virus from China and Europe. Trump, who acknowledged it was a fair question, also said that he wanted to provide Americans hope in the face of dire data presented by health experts, which showed that the virus could kill more than 2 million Americans if the government took no action whatsoever. Trump described himself as a cheerleader for the country," but noted that he acknowledged early on in Tuesdays news briefing that were going through maybe the worst thing the country has ever seen. Were going to lose thousands of people." I think ... our professionals, our military, our governors, our politicians have done an incredible job, he said of the coronavirus response. But I dont want to be a negative person." The president and the White House coronavirus task force on Tuesday repeated warnings for residents to stay home, avoid gatherings of 10 people, homeschool their children and follow state guidelines as governors tighten travel restrictions to avoid spreading the disease. This is going to be a very, very painful two weeks," Trump said. Were at war with a deadly virus. Success in this fight will require the full, absolute measure of our strength, love and devotion. Each of us has the power ... to save the most vulnerable among us. Trump on Sunday extended a federal advisory through April 30, based on models that the virus, without mitigation, could kill millions of Americans. Even if every American community follows local, state and federal guidelines to stay at home and practice social distancing, health experts still project between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths. The guidelines issued by the Trump administration include: Listen and follow directions of state and local authorities If you feel sick, stay home; do not go to work and contact your medical provider If your children are sick, keep them at home and contact your medical provider If someone in your household has tested positive, keep the entire household at home If you are an older person with a serious underlying health condition, stay home and away from other people Even if you are young or otherwise healthy, it is critical that you work from home; avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people; avoid eating or drinking in public eateries and use drive-thru or delivery options instead; avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips and social visits; do not visit nursing homes or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance; practice good hygiene by washing hands and avoid touching your face. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Officials of Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government arrive at the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, Monday, to file a compensation suit against a student and her mother who traveled to the resort island despite showing symptoms and later tested positive. Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Things are going from bad to worse on the southern resort island of Jeju following news that a student and her mother, who traveled to the island despite having coronavirus symptoms, later tested positive for COVID-19. Jeju has already been suffering from plunging tourism due to the pandemic. The number of domestic visitors between Feb. 3 to March 30 has already decreased 52.8 percent, while the number of overseas tourists fell precipitously by 95.7 percent. Korea reported its first coronavirus patient Jan. 20, and raised the country's alert level for COVID-19 to its highest Feb. 23. The situation on Jeju has become worse after a student at a university in the United States traveled to the resort island with her mother for five days starting March 20, after coming back to Korea March 15. The daughter suffered from muscle pains and a sore throat on the first day of the trip, but the two pushed ahead with their visit. They tested positive shortly after returning to their home in Seoul. According to data from the Jeju Tourism Association, the number of daily visitors to the island, which stood at 17,570, March 20, fell to 15,071, March 28, and 13,454, March 29, down 57.5 percent and 64.6 percent for the latter dates, respectively, from the previous year. The number fell to 11,640 this year's lowest figure March 30, raising concerns that the number of monthly visitors to Jeju could drop to below 10,000 soon. "News about the daughter and mother's trip to Jeju Island has become a nationwide issue, and coincidentally or not, there has been a rapid decrease in the number of visitors in recent days," an official from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government said. On March 30, the Jeju provincial government filed a compensation suit against the student and her mother for a total of 132 million won ($108,000). It claimed their trip has forced stores to shut down and people to be quarantined as a result of coming into contact with the pair, while the provincial government had to spend money to disinfect specific sites. [April 01, 2020] Graphite GTC announces Joe Grover as Chief Operating Officer BRYN MAWR, Pa. and NEW DELHI, India, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphite GTC, the privately held, market leading enterprise-class No-Code software development platform provider, has named Joe Grover as its Chief Operating Officer. Joe comes to Graphite GTC from his previous role as Vice President of Operations for CapGemini Invent North America, where he led the operations team globally in support of nearly 3000 employees. Mr. Grover has an impressive background and impeccable track record in leading global operations with over 25 years of professional experience in the Information Technology Industry. During that time, he focused on consulting in the Financial Services, Insurance, and Automotive industries. With a distinguished career in overseeing delivery operations, development and infrastructure teams, and strategic relationships with C-level leaders in varying industries, Joe's well-rounded experience will prove a valuable asset to Graphite as it experiences explosive growth. He will focus on creating operating efficiencies while enabling growth opportunities coupled with channel partners to enhance a strong customer-focused operating model. This will solidify Graphite GTC's place as the industry leader in the No-Code Platform space. Joe will build-out the firm's technological capability globally while driving new business across emerging markets. "I am delighted to welcome Joe to our team," said Christopher Gali, Graphite GTC's Founder & CEO. "His passion and focus towards running large-scale operations and proven record of driving growth will be instrumental as we continue to expand." At CapGemini, Mr. Grover led the delivery f services in custom development, infrastructure, collaboration to include Salesforce and Sharepoint, and architecture. Prior to CapGemini, he spent the majority of his career at LiquidHub where he helped build the organization from 30 employees to over 3000. Grover acted as Vice President of Operations globally, supporting both US and India based delivery centers. Joe comments, "I am very excited to start this new journey with Graphite GTC and look forward to working with the team. I truly believe we are, by necessity, at an inflection point in the technology industry. Tools like Graphite GTC's Graphite Studio will enable organizations to leverage the full intellectual capability of their entire team in the creation of valuable solutions for their customers in a faster, better, less expensive delivery model. We are driving hard towards the era of the Citizen Developer, and Graphite GTC is poised to lead that revolution." Mr. Grover earned his BS in Computer Information Systems from Excelsior College after retiring from the United States Air Force in 1995 where he managed data and metrics reporting for extremely large vehicle fleets at the command level. "The Board is excited to have Joe join Graphite GTC's Senior Executive team as we accelerate our global expansion into the India and Asian markets. His deep experience in managing off-shore teams in India will bolster the increased momentum we've built internationally", said Bryan Rishforth, Graphite GTC's Chairman of the Board. About Graphite GTC: Graphite GTC is the leading global no-code software development platform company based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania USA. With global operations spanning North America and India, Graphite GTC continues to disrupt the high-productivity application development sector with the only true enterprise class no-code development platform (NCDP) - Graphite Studio. Graphite Studio's graphical development technology enables efficient production of enterprise-class software for any organization or industry with reduced time (3-5x faster) and complications associated with traditional software projects. For more information, visit www.graphitegtc.com. Graphite GTC offers the industry's only output code quality guarantee - Perfect Code. Guaranteed. Media Contact: Bryn Everson (215) 395-6311 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/graphite-gtc-announces-joe-grover-as-chief-operating-officer-301033163.html SOURCE Graphite GTC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Kolkata, April 1 : The West Bengal government has quarantined 54 persons, including 40 foreigners, who attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday. As many as 71 people from the state attended the congregation, Banerjee told the media here. Gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, we now wash our hands obsessively; hand sanitizer has been out of stock for weeks. We are grateful for the hospitals in our communities that take care of us if were struck down, and for telemedicine approaches that try to keep us healthy and out of harms way. Were hopeful drug companies will come up with something to fight this terrible virus and that data scientists will be able to warn us where the disease will strike next. But, to paraphrase the Shirelles, will we still feel this way tomorrow? Will the health behaviors and attitudes we developed during the pandemic persist after the danger has passed and should they? Lets start with hospitals. Pre-COVID-19, there was a big push to reduce the total number of hospital beds in the country, especially in community hospitals. In 2014, for example, Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove said the country had too many hospital beds, noting an occupancy rate of about two-thirds. That remained steady over the next several years. Hospitals pushed back, of course, arguing that they provided critical value to the community. But the megatrends were clear. As Dr. Penny Dash, a McKinsey senior partner, put it in 2019: We probably need fewer hospitals. The reason, Dash continued, was an evolution in need from acute to chronic care, and the opportunity to provide more of this care outside of hospitals, in settings more convenient for patients. Dash explained, [W]e are having a different burden of disease than the burden of disease that we wouldve seen 20 years ago and certainly 50 years ago and 100 years ago. What we are now seeing is that people dont tend to die as children of infectious diseases. They dont tend to die during their adult years of infectious diseases, they dont tend to have accidents as much. If they have a heart attack, we can usually treat it and cure it and people survive. As a result, the diseases that were seeing are chronic diseases associated with aging populations, but also with poor lifestyle behaviors. Story continues Now we are in the middle of a pandemic, watching with dread as our hospitals fill up with patients acutely ill with an infectious disease. We cry for more beds, not fewer. While this singular, searing experience may be enough, in the short term, to offset the powerful broader trend toward fewer hospitals and more care closer to the patient, the reprieve may prove short-lived. Next: How will this crisis affect telehealth, or the provision of medical care remotely by technology? The urgent need for telehealth has sent related stocks soaring. Privately held Aledade, a startup led by Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the former assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Public Health and the nations health-IT coordinator under President Obama, has shared data reporting that the use of telemedicine in primary-care practices shot up in mid-March. Yet the increased use of telemedicine now is at least partly due to the temporary lifting of a slew of barriers concerning its regulation and reimbursement. Jonathan Bush, a health-technology entrepreneur, reminded me that in 2014, the Texas Medical Society actually voted to make telemedicine illegal, despite having many rural patients to serve. While the specific effort was overturned, Bush says, it was difficult to make a business out of delivering this type of care before the COVID-induced change in reimbursement and regulation. Yet these policy changes are only temporary; if the original cumbersome restrictions are reinstated, it will impair the growth of telehealth once more. The pandemic has also put pharmaceuticals in the limelight. Some (but not all) critics have suspended their reflexive hostility while waiting to see if the industry can develop and deliver something that will cure, or at least reduce the severity of, this illness in a way that will help everyone. A number of pharma companies are driving hard to advance potential therapeutics or vaccines toward the clinic. The entire industry seems to be participating in the multiple large, high-profile consortia that have developed. Perhaps they will prove catalytic. Still, Id bet more on individual company efforts than the industry mega-consortia. Ultimately, well likely get the therapeutics and vaccines we need. But it might take longer than wed like. Drug development is intrinsically difficult because biology is complex and domesticating it is hard; the urgent need for an effective medicine doesnt alter this uncomfortable reality. An interesting wild card in drug development involves approaches that may not have been developed specifically for infectious diseases, but which could be quickly adapted to the task. The ability of Regeneron to rapidly develop suitable, targeted antibodies (a technique first used in 1892 against diphtheria and tetanus) holds considerable promise, for example. As does the extensive analytical work of seeking to identify and repurpose already approved medicines that might work against the virus. But proof will require data, not just good intentions. If effective treatments arent both forthcoming and accessible, expect frustration with pharma to return forcefully. But Im confident medical science and the industry will deliver. Whether the pandemic will change the way biopharma thinks about infectious diseases is an open question. This is an area that (with a few exceptions) has seen a profound retreat within the industry, due largely to a refocusing on areas perceived as more profitable. In 2018, Novartis shut down its infectious-disease unit in Californias East Bay, part of a larger trend thats included Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and others. Not surprisingly, theres been a lot of effort including by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, when he was leading the FDA to contemplate incentive structures that could more effectively catalyze drug development in this area, which may now assume greater urgency. Now lets consider AI and digital transformation. While some champions are eager, if not desperate, to invoke the pandemic as the transformative event that brings digital to medicine, many are less convinced. One senior pharma leader who specializes in digital health bravely wrote a post on LinkedIn titled COVID-19: The Big Failure of AI and Big Data, which described how these technologies fell short of their often-extravagant expectations. Others, though, still hope that despite the rough start, this will prove to be technologys finest hour. A remarkable number of hackathons and more formal consortia (always the consortia!) have sprung up as engineers and data scientists hope to use their skills against the pandemic. Tech billionaire and founder of C3.ai Tom Siebel who has championed the concept of digital transformation thats become inescapable in business just announced the launch of a long-planned Digital Transformation Institute. It will first address the pandemic, in what board member and Microsoft Chief Scientist Dr. Eric Hovitz described as a compressed moon shot. Optimism about the potential of data and AI to benefit medicine in the long run is warranted. But figuring this out will not be as easy as some techno-optimists hope. The need for a high volume of relevant, high-quality data will complicate matters. This brings up another set of important policy issues: how to balance potential public-health benefits with intrusions on privacy by emerging surveillance-data collection technologies associated with digital transformation. Some digital-health leaders emphasize that health vs. privacy is a false choice and that we must ensure that the digital tools we use have robust data-governance provisions from the beginning. If not, rights we surrender during this crisis might prove impossible to regain after its over. Finally, Im curious about the future of hygiene, which has been a cornerstone anti-coronavirus effort. On a recent Politico podcast, Gottlieb identified hygiene as one area likely to be profoundly changed by this crisis: This has altered the course of history in the world, this has changed American life and global life. Were going to have more cleaning of shared surfaces, were going to have restrictions on how many people can crowd into an elevator, Ubers and airplanes are going to be averaging the deep cleanings that they do, were going to be seeing more ultraviolet light [to kill germs] in indoor settings, were going to see copper [also to kill germs] used on shared surfaces. Who knows how many of these predictions come to pass; Im especially skeptical that our handwashing habits will durably change. It has always been a tough sell. Before COVID-19, the CDC reported that on average, healthcare providers clean their hands less than half the times they should, despite persistent quality-focused efforts to improve this number. Outside of hospitals, research suggests that hand hygiene is also surprisingly poor. Ten percent of people dont wash their hands at all after using the bathroom. Another quarter fail to use soap. Yet if our post-COVID-19 world becomes more hygienic, even this might carry some unintended consequences. For instance, the hygiene hypothesis suggests that without sufficient exposure to environmental stimuli, our immune system fails to get properly trained, leading to overreaction via allergies and auto-immune conditions later in life. When I asked Dr. Kari Nadeau, a Stanford physician-scientist and food-allergy expert, about the potential long-term impact of the pandemic, she told me that some allergists think those exposed to the virus will be less likely to develop allergies in the future because of the effect on the immune system. Others worry that the renewed societal emphasis on hygiene could make us see more allergies. We still dont know the answers yet, Nadeau told me, but were getting there hopefully. More from National Review Technavio has been monitoring the squid market and it is poised to grow by USD 2.98 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 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 latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005643/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Squid Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. GRUPO NUEVA PESCANOVA, Maruha Nichiro, NISSUI, OCEANA GROUP, and Thai Union Group are some of the major market participants. The nutritional benefits of squid will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Nutritional benefits of squid have been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Squid Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Squid Market is segmented as below: Product Processed Squids Fresh Squids Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30420 Squid Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our squid market report covers the following areas: Squid Market Size Squid Market Trends Squid Market Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing M&A activities are anticipated as one of the prime reasons driving the squid market growth during the next few years. Squid Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Squid Market, including some of the vendors such as GRUPO NUEVA PESCANOVA, Maruha Nichiro, NISSUI, OCEANA GROUP, and Thai Union Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Squid 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 Squid Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist squid market growth during the next five years Estimation of the squid market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the squid market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of squid market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 Processed Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Fresh Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by product PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Rising sustainable fishing practices Increasing M&A activities Growing popularity of e-commerce channels for sales PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors GRUPO NUEVA PESCANOVA Maruha Nichiro NISSUI OCEANA GROUP Thai Union Group PART 14: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200331005643/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/ Vice President Mike Pence defended President Trumps handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic Wednesday, claiming that I dont believe the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus in an interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer. Despite banning Chinese nationals from entering the country and declaring a public health emergency at the end of January, Trump and his administration have sent mixed signals on the virus. The president has implied that the outbreak was similar in potency to the common flu and telling CNBC in January that we have it totally under control. In February, he claimed that, within a couple of days, the U.S. number of cases is going to be down to close to zero. Thats a pretty good job weve done, Trump stated. Then-acting White House chief-of-staff Mick Mulvaney also dismissed the possibility that the coronavirus was a serious threat while addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February. This is not Ebola. Its not SARS. Its not MERS, he said, adding that the medias hyper-attention was because they think this is going to be the thing that brings down the president. The back-and-forth messaging has drawn criticism from fellow Republicans. He at times just says whatever comes to mind or tweets, then someone on TV is saying the opposite, Maryland governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, the Washington Post. Its critically important that the message is straightforward and fact-based for the public. Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson said on his March 9 show that coronavirus is definitely not just the flu. People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem, Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson stated. 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. We get it. But theyre wrong. While the mainstream media has also heavily scrutinized Trumps response, numerous media outlets also explicitly downplayed the threat from the coronavirus throughout January and February. Story continues Pence, who Trump appointed as head of the White Houses coronavirus task force in February, also suggested Wednesday that the outbreak could be contained by June if the White Houses new guidelines are followed. If all of us continue to do our part, and that is by some time in early June, we could well have the coronavirus largely behind us as a nation, reopen our country, put America back to work, Pence stated. More from National Review Portugals government cleared the way on Wednesday for extending the state of emergency by 15 days to combat the spread of the coronavirus as the number of deaths from the disease nears 200, Trend reports citing Reuters. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declared a 15-day nationwide state of emergency on March 18, which restricted non-essential travel and led thousands of businesses to close their doors. Lawmakers are due to put the 15-day extension to a vote on Thursday, and a majority have indicated they are in favour. This month is decisive for us to be able to control the pandemic, Prime Minister Antonio Costa told a news conference. The effort by the Portuguese to self-discipline is very important and should be reinforced. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Portugal has risen to 8,251, with 187 deaths, far fewer than in neighbouring Spain. Costa said the country may be facing one, two, three months of restrictions on movement of people. We cannot be overly optimistic because we know that when restrictions are lifted they have to be lifted slowly, Costa said. It is not yet time to be in a hurry. Health authorities predict the number of cases and deaths will plateau at the end of May. A total of 3,600 companies have applied for government support to pay a proportion of salaries for 76,000 workers whose jobs have been temporarily suspended as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the prime minister said. We dont know whether this will last one, two, or three months and this is obviously scary for everyone, Costa told SIC television channel earlier on Wednesday. With Easter weekend approaching, he reminded the Portuguese that families cannot go home to visit their families. .. this year, we must tell emigrants not to come - and if they do, not to leave their homes. Tens of thousands of Portuguese living in countries such as France, Luxembourg and Switzerland come to spend Easter and summer holidays in Portugal every year. ZURICH, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) will hold its first quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The company expects to issue its first quarter earnings release and financial supplement after the market closes on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. These documents will be available on the company's investor website at investors.chubb.com. The earnings conference call will be available via live webcast at investors.chubb.com or by dialing 888-254-3590 (within the United States) or 323-794-2551 (international), passcode 2196291. Please refer to the Chubb website under Events and Presentations for details. A replay of the call will be available until Wednesday, May 6, 2020, and the archived webcast will be available on our website for approximately one month. To listen to the replay, please click here to register and receive dial-in numbers. About Chubb Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com . SOURCE Chubb Limited Related Links http://new.chubb.com Colombian Rebels to Observe Ceasefire Amid Coronavirus Outbreak By VOA News March 31, 2020 Colombia's left-wing National Liberation Army rebel group says it will observe a month-long unilateral cease-fire beginning Wednesday. In a statement released Monday, the (ELN) rebels described the cease-fire as a "humanitarian gesture" while the country is in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the rebels' gesture following his appeal for worldwide cease-fires. The UN leader called on other armed groups in Colombia to take similar action so authorities can focus on fighting the pandemic. So far, more than 700 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Colombia. At least 14 have died, so far. In addition to the cease-fire the National Liberation Army rebel group said it is receptive to resuming suspended peace negotiations with the government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram At a public hearing on Nigerias social media bill held in Abuja last month, the voice of Chris Isiguzo, president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), rang clearly across the room: This billseeks to pigeonhole Nigerians from freely expressing themselves. The NUJ is totally opposed to it, he said. This strong opposition was echoed by multiple other civil society groups, according to local media reports and a recording of the hearing posted on Twitter with the hashtag #SayNoToSocialMediaBill by Paradigm Initiative, a local digital rights organization. By contrast, a Nigerian army representative welcomed the bill for reasons of national security, telling the hearing it would supplement an existing cyber warfare command. The local Guardian newspaper reported in 2018 that the command was established to combat fake news. At the time of publication, it was not clear whether the COVID-19 crisis would impact the timeline for consideration of the bill, which was scheduled to be sent for a third reading by the senate in April. On March 24, Nigerias National Assembly began a two week shutdown with possible extension based on the public health response, Mohammed Sani Musa, a senator from Niger State who is sponsoring the bill, told CPJ. False information related to the coronavirus was an example of the need for the legislation, he said. Nigerias Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill 2019 says that individuals who transmit statements that authorities determine to be false, likely to influence the outcome of an election, or prejudicial to the security of Nigeria, may be imprisoned for up to three years or fined up to 300,000 naira (US$844) or both, according to CPJs review of the text. Offenders who are not individuals face fines up to 10 million naira ($27,247 USD). Another section of the bill introduces fines for companies who fail to comply with orders to disable Nigerians access to content. Musa told CPJ that the bill was intended to mitigate the propaganda of fake news that travels at the speed of light. He said it was important in addition to existing cybercrime legislation, though he did not provide specifics. Nigerias 2015 cybercrime act has been used to arrest journalists who criticize officials on social media, as CPJ has documented. Musa told CPJ the bill was guided by online controls in other jurisdictions, including Singapore, the U.K., the EU, and the United Arab Emirateswhere a cybercrime law was passed to suppress criticism on social media, observers have told CPJ. CPJ found strikingly similar language between Singapores 2019 Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Actwhich CPJ has condemnedand Nigerias social media bill, notably in sections denoting prison time for individuals who post false statements of fact. If theres a society like Nigeria, we feel imprisonment is necessary, Musa said, arguing for deterrence as a tool to manage speech online. He was, however, open to the bill being amended or even dropped. Any bill that is going to infringe on the fundamental freedom of every NigerianI would be against it, he concluded. CPJ asked four Nigerian journalists what they thought about the bill. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Ajibola Amzat (Credit: Busola Ajibola) Ajibola Amzat, editor with the privately owned International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR), based in Abuja You say we should not share information or transmit information that is false, and then we begin to ask, well, what is falsehood? When you say people should not transmit false informationfalse information according to who? Now [the government] realizes that the Nigerian media is getting more critical and having a better sense of awareness of what is going on, and Nigerian people are getting to know a little more about the hypocrisy of the government, and they are talking more freely about it. That is what [the government] does not want to happen, and that is the purpose of bringing up this kind of bill. The parts that say you cant transmit information that may affect national security, you cant transmit information that you know is false, you cant transmit information that you know will influence the outcome of elections. Its something that can actually put journalists into easy problems, because you dont know what the government will consider as national security. How can you jail somebody for saying something? If you think what somebody is saying is false, then bring out the truth, so that the falsehood and the truth can stand together and then people will decide for themselves. But you cannot go ahead and criminalize people, that is like trying to kill peoples spirit to talk. And dont forget, apart from journalists, the organization who carries such information is also going to be sanctioned. So the media organization will also pay if you are found to be the one who published such information or misinformation. Its an attempt to gag the media. This kind of boldness is coming from places like China and Singapore, and other places where the freedom of expression is being repressed. Nigerian democracy is already broken, but it is going to be more shattered if this kind of bill would be allowed to pass. The laws that even enable journalists to do their jobs are often disregarded. I mean the laws, like the FOI [freedom of information] law, should enable journalists. Most of them [government agencies] dont have regard for that lawmany agencies of the government are not disclosing information vital for public interest. Those are the laws that are supposed to enable the work of journalists. But those laws are just laws on paper. And now [they] bring some other laws to criminalize what journalists do. Yecenu Sasetu. (Credit: Toby Martins) Yecenu Sasetu, health reporter for the privately owned Kiss FM radio station, based in Abuja As a media person, if this is passed into law its going to stifle my voice because the government is going to be in control. They are going to be in control of our online presence. Now if, as a journalist, I put out content online and the government decides this is fake news, of course it wont fly. Yes, Ill be penalized. A whole lot of things that we need to put out we may not be able to put out, because it is going to put fear in a whole lot of media people. They will feel they do not want to anger the government. So you cannot criticize, you cannot give opinions. Its going to really stifle the voice of traditional media. Forget about the regular, everyday person that just wants to put out contentit will stifle the voice of every media person. There has been a lot of criticism of the present administration. People are not getting what they expected, especially in terms of the economy. There is insecurity, there are just a whole lot of issues. People come online to vent. People do not really have access to their representatives, their lawmakers, their elected government officials, so the only way they really get to vent is on social media. I would say its just a bid to get people not to say so much, not to be as critical of the government as they are right now. I would say its just a bid to control everything and everyone. Chris Kehinde Nwandu. (Credit: CKN NEWS MEDIA GROUP) Chris Kehinde Nwandu, publisher of the privately owned CKN News site and president of the Guild of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria, based in Lagos Some of us have been arrested in the past. I personally was arrested about five years ago, and I stayed about two weeks in jail for some of the information I published [on social media]. For me and my organization, we believe there is no need for another law, the social media bill or whatever. We already have enough laws. In 2015 there was the cybercrime law, but they are trying to come up with another law. We sense there are some political motives behind it. This may be a law to give more ammunition to some people, to put some level of fear into the minds of journalists. Some people are just trying to wither down the voice of the media, to shut them up. Democracy is about free speech. I am not totally against a law that regulates what people do. Across the globe there are certain standards that are expected of professionals. [But] this is not China. This is not North Korea. This is not Cuba or one of these countries. This is a democracy. Amrah Aliyu. (Credit: Imona Rage) Amrah Aliou, reporter with the federal government-funded Search FM radio station, based in Minna, Niger State In Nigeria, the only way people get to talk [and] express their views is on social media. They get to hold politicians and policy makers accountable the only way they can reach them, which is on social media. And so far its been working well, because the government feels out of place and tries to right their wrongs. For example, in Niger State we are battling with potholes, terrible roads jam-packed with trailers and heavy duty cars, to the extent that sometimes these vehicles get stuck or fall off and there are oil spills. People feel fear for their dear lives, so most times they snap [photographs of] these incidences and try to question the government on social media, tagging some notable handles. This has, in a way, put the government to order. They try to right their wrongs [and] in turn post it [their actions] on the same social media through their aides. So social media to some extent has impacted positively on the changes the people get to enjoy. [Editors Note: This article has been changed to correct the spelling of Amrah Alious name.] Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:38:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BARCELONA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Spain's popular tourist destination Barcelona and its famous landmarks are now completely deserted as the country has been under total lockdown starting this week, aerial footage released by Catalonia's regional police force showed. There is close to zero traffic on national highways and coastal roads. The border with France is also deserted, with no vehicles allowed to cross after Spain has closed its borders. Aerial images show only a few police cars stationed near the checkpoint. Barcelona's popular beaches, usually filled with tourists and children, are completely empty, and so are the main thoroughfares in the heart of the city. The famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona's main tourist attraction, is also deserted. The city's main square, Placa Catalunya, usually filled with commuters, remains void. Spain has reported 102,136 coronavirus cases and 9,053 deaths as of Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced. The country has been under strict lockdown since Monday, forcing all non-essential workers to stay at home for the next two weeks. [April 01, 2020] TEGNA Comments on Standard General Filing TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today issued the following statement on Standard General's filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: "Today's Schedule 13-D amendment filing by Standard General should be troubling for all TEGNA shareholders. Just one day after describing itself in a letter to shareholders as 'the largest active shareholder of TEGNA' with a 9.7% ownership position, Standard General today disclosed that it sold approximately 25% of its shares shortly after the record date and instead took derivative positions. This reduced its stock ownership position while likely retaining its ability to vote all of the shares it held prior to those recent sales at TEGNA's upcoming annual meeting. None of this information was communicated in yesterday's letter, and we urge shareholders to look at the Schedule 13-D amendment for themselves." "At a time when Standard General is seeking dramatic change to TEGNA's highly qualified, engaged and diverse Board, long-term shareholders should ask themselves why it would be in their interest to disrupt TEGNA's solid track record of delivering successful operational and financial results and prudent stewardship, especially during a time of national economic distress." Shareholders are encouraged to visit www.TEGNAvalue.com to view more information about TEGNA's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on April 30, 2020. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the statements regarding the receipt and consideration by the Board of Directors of TEGNA (the "Board") of the unsolicited acquisition proposals or the actions of third parties with respect thereto. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to a number of risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results or company actions to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these statements, including risks relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) andemic and its effect on U.S. and world financial markets, potential regulatory actions, changes in consumer behaviors and impacts on and modifications to TEGNA's operations and business relating thereto, TEGNA's ability to execute on its standalone plan and potential developments involving one or more of the unsolicited acquisition proposals. Other economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors and risks that may affect TEGNA's operations or financial results are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and in subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)"). We disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements other than as required by law. Important Additional Information TEGNA has filed a definitive proxy statement and form of GOLD proxy card with the SEC in connection with the solicitation of proxies for TEGNA's 2020 Annual Meeting of shareholders (the "Proxy Statement" and such meeting the "2020 Annual Meeting"). TEGNA, its directors and certain of its executive officers will be participants in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders in respect of the 2020 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the names of TEGNA's directors and executive officers and their respective interests in TEGNA by security holdings or otherwise is set forth in the Proxy Statement. To the extent holdings of such participants in TEGNA's securities have changed since the amounts described in the Proxy Statement, such changes have been reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Additional information can also be found in TEGNA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020. Details concerning the nominees of TEGNA's Board of Directors for election at the 2020 Annual Meeting are included in the Proxy Statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF TEGNA ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive Proxy Statement and other documents filed by TEGNA free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. TEGNA's shareholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive Proxy Statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to TEGNA, 8350 Broad Street, Suite 2000, Tysons, VA 22102, or from TEGNA's website, https://www.tegna.com. About TEGNA TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 62 television stations in 51 markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks Justice Network and Quest. TEGNA Marketing Solutions (TMS) offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, email, social and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA's OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005773/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Coronavirus (COVID-19) hit the international community with high degree of trepidation and fear. Most countries including the most powerful ones are desperately formulating appropriate responses in the fields of finance, law, medicine, technology, administrative and all manner of approaches to deal with this deadly virus. The virus has caused disruption in businesses, economy, politics and social lives in all countries. No country is immune against this virus. As deadly as it is, we are all seeking spiritual cover under the banner of Christ the Jesus. Prayers are being said fervently seeking the divine intervention from the Overlord of the universe. Strange as it, people begin to attribute the outbreak of the virus to the sinful world in which we are living. People begin to acknowledge their sinful nature and are asking God for mercy. Intercessional prayers are being said on the behalf of the nation by our revered religious leaders. Various interventions and financial packages to mitigate the negative socio-economic impact are announced as means to give hope and sustain the social lives of the people. These are measures aim at putting life back into businesses and keeping jobs to make life bearable for the people. Not all countries have the same financial strength so therefore the less endowed are falling on other countries whose fortunes are much better for support. It is in this direction that Ghana has decided to go in go for the one hundred million dollars ($100m) support to supplement its domestic resources to be able to adequately fight this deadly virus. What is important now is for everybody to join hands to fight this deadly cancer which is moving very fast to decimate our population. We do not need to do politics as usual with this matter of death. We cannot play politics with our lives otherwise our actions will be regarded as insensitivity to this deadly situation. We cannot watch ourselves die without taking any step to avert this looming disaster and catastrophe. Let us appreciate the magnitude of the situation and respond appropriately to demonstrate our humanity. I do not believe any Ghanaian can see death engulfing the country and refuses to join hands to ward off that threat. Our loving spirit for each other will compel us to come together to fight the threat. This virus is a serious threat to the survival of human race. We must fight it with all our might. Every possible means must be found to contain it; financial, legal, administrative, technological and what have you. It is in this regard that His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has been personally involved in the fight against this virus. He has been addressing the nation as a way of giving update on how government is and intends handling the situation. The approach of the President in handling this situation is highly commendable. We would not have been where we are today without his proactive policy direction concerning the containment of this deadly virus. We must all support the President in this hard times to deliver the elimination of this virus from Ghana. It is this spirit to fight this deadly virus that the government decides to fall on the Heritage Fund as a supplement to the one hundred million dollars ($100) support. This will make it possible to launch attack on this menacing virus. Very unfortunately, the Minority in Parliament is kicking against the proposal to use this fund at this critical moment of our time. We are not in the normal times. All manner of resources must be marshalled and applied to fight this virus to restore normal lives. The Minority argues that it is not yet time for the government to utilize this Fund and that the Fund is set out for a purpose and we are not yet there. According to the Act that set up this Fund the purpose is to provide an endowment Fund to support the development of the future generation when the petroleum reserves have been depleted. The letter and spirit of this enactment is clear and laudable. However, we must produce the future generation now. When this productive population becomes extinct because of this deadly virus who will produce the future generation to benefit from this fund. Therefore the use of this fund at this time will produce two results namely saving the lives of the present generation and production of the next generation who will be the beneficiary of this Fund. Our inability to use this fund is as deadly as the virus. If the social protection safety net for the future generation is this Fund then it must be used now for positive impact on them in the future. We cannot allow this generation to go down the pit, otherwise the next generation cannot be produced. It is my humble appeal to the Minority to reconsider their decision in the interest of the next generation which the Act seeks to protect. In this regard, let us do away with politics in this matter. The majority is also equally concerned with the next generation and how to bequeath an everlasting legacy to them hence the introduction of the Free Senior School which will transform the lives of the next generation better. Let our focus be on how to deal decisively with this virus and ensure a healthy nation for our future generation. By Leo-Nelson Adzidogah, District Chief Executive and Parliamentary Candidate for Akatsi South Powering Industry Digitization with Robust Developments in 5G, AI and Cloud SHENZHEN, China, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei released its 2019 Annual Report yesterday, detailing a solid business performance. The company's global sales revenue in 2019 rounded off at CNY858.8 billion, up 19.1% year-on-year. Huawei has maintained steady growth in the enterprise market and achieved a global sales revenue of CNY89.7 billion, up 8.6% year-on-year. Huawei's enterprise business has become one of the key drivers of the company's overall growth. As of 2019, more than 700 cities and 228 Fortune Global 500 companies have chosen Huawei as their digital transformation partner. In addition, Huawei's enterprise business has a network of more than 28,000 partners worldwide, which contribute up to 86% of the global revenue of the business group. Through this global partner network, Huawei has enabled the building of a prosperous inter-dependent ecosystem that creates value for customers and the whole industry. In 2019, Huawei saw rapid expansion in enterprise business. With its non-stop efforts in R&D and investment in new ICT technologies such as 5G, AI, and cloud, Huawei fully leverages the collaborative advantages of new technologies to accelerate product innovation, industry digitization, and intelligent development. Moreover, the principle of "Being Integrated" has been well adopted in enterprise business, so that success is shared with partners through fair, just, transparent, and simple partner policies. Innovating products and solutions for the enterprise market with leading 5G, cloud, and AI technologies During the year, Huawei leveraged the synergy among cloud, AI, and 5G to provide public cloud services and hybrid cloud solutions that are stable, reliable and sustainable. HUAWEI CLOUD has launched more than 200 cloud services and 190 solutions, while more than 3 million enterprise users and developers currently use HUAWEI CLOUD to develop products and solutions. Using Cloud as the base, Huawei has launched Huawei Horizon Digital Platform by integrating new ICT technologies including IoT, AI, big data, video, converged communications, and GIS to build a foundation for the future digital world. According to leading independent market research firm Dell'Oro Group, Huawei ranked No. 1 in the share of the global Wi-Fi 6 indoor AP market, excluding North America between the third quarters of 2018 and 2019, through its provision of quality services for customers from various sectors such as education, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. In addition, in 2019, Huawei launched CloudEngine 16800, the industry's first data center switch built for the AI era, which has been commercially deployed in more than 150 enterprise data centers around the world. The three OptiXs, namely OptiXtrans, OptiXaccess, and OptiXstar, have been adopted by over 3,800 companies across 158 countries and regions. According to a Gartner's report released in September 2019, Huawei's storage products took up the Leaders' zone of the Magic Quadrant. Huawei also released two flagship solutions for the enterprise market - HiCampus and HiDC- by relying on its cutting edge technologies in 5G, optical transmission, Internet Protocol (IP) networking, and AI technologies and making collaborative innovation across technological domains. Helping governments and enterprises achieve digital transformation and accelerating development in different sectors Huawei has a wealth of experience in helping governments and enterprises go digital. In areas such as smart city, campus, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and education, Huawei works with global partners to roll out innovative solutions and business models to create new value. As of 2019, Huawei has partnered with more than 4,200 service providers serving over 50,000 customers around the world. The company has participated in smart city projects in more than 200 cities across over 40 countries and regions, as well as assisting more than 1,000 financial institutions with digital transformation in terms of inclusive finance, data-driven service innovation, and open banking. Huawei serves more than 170 urban rail lines in over 70 cities worldwide, striving to build integrated transportation systems for global cities. Building on the experience gained from its own digital transformation, Huawei has successfully built intelligent campuses for more than 300 customers. Through innovative ICT technologies, Huawei helps various sectors including manufacturing and energy reshape their manufacturing and value chains while boosting upgrade of their intelligent systems. Powering enterprise partners and building a prosperous ecosystem Huawei has established 13 OpenLabs worldwide to focus on the enterprise market. At these OpenLabs, partners receive support on the joint innovation of solutions, marketing, talent cultivation, finance, supply chains, and IT systems to continuously improve their capabilities and drive their transformation for shared success. Committed to sharing its experience, technology, and talent cultivation standards, Huawei has worked with a huge number of educational authorities, universities, and other ecosystem players from around the world to build an open and favorable ecosystem to cultivate ICT talents and drive industry digitization. In the future, the integrated application of 5G, cloud, and AI will usher in a new world in which all things sense, stay connected, and act intelligent. Huawei will develop innovative products based on these technologies and provide solutions to fulfil customers' needs. These solutions will support different industries with intelligence and help customers go digital for more potential development. All financial statements in the 2019 Annual Report were independently audited by KPMG, an international Big Four accounting firm. To download the 2019 Annual Report, visit www.huawei.com/en/press-events/annual-report/2019 [April 01, 2020] Beacon Healthcare Systems Names Bevann Moreland Senior Vice President of Payer Product Innovation Beacon Healthcare Systems announced today the appointment of Bevann Moreland as its new senior vice president of payer product innovation, effective immediately. Beacon is home to the healthcare industry's leading compliance and risk management technologies. In her new role Moreland will be responsible for developing and launching new products for Beacon. She brings to the task more than two decades of executive experience focused on payer business operations and system implementations. Most recently, Moreland served as senior vice president of business operations and consumer services at Alignment Healthcare in Orange (News - Alert), California. Previously, Moreland served as corporate vice president of business operations at both SCAN Health Plan and HealthCare Partners overseeing member services, eligibility and claims as well as core system implementations at both of those companies. "I am excited to bring my years of healthcare experience into the world of software development in ways that help Beacon epand its existing, impressive suite of healthcare solutions," said Moreland. "Beacon has repeatedly brought to market much-needed technologies and services that add accuracy and efficiencies to health plan operations, and that will remain our core mission as we continue to innovate and strive to be best in class." According to Ken Stockman, CEO of Beacon, the hiring of Moreland reflects the company's commitment to launching new products in 2020 and of how the marketplace is embracing Beacon's technologies as a "must-have trusted solution for health plans wanting to stay ahead of the competition and enhance their performance." Beacon Healthcare Systems is home to the healthcare industry's leading compliance and risk management technologies, providing health plans of all sizes and sponsorships with customizable and scalable SaaS (News - Alert) (Service as a Software) solutions that ensure accountability, accuracy and operational efficiency. With a focus on appeals, grievances, compliance and analytics, Beacon HCS is the first place health plans turn to when they are looking for a trusted, experienced partner who can help them reduce costs, grow revenue and achieve their strategic goals. Founded in 2011, Beacon HCS is a privately held California-based company with a technology center located in Austin, Texas. beaconhcs.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005620/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Home Expeditions Bioprospecting in an Ancient Submarine Forest Bioprospecting for Industrial Enzymes and Drug Compounds in an Ancient Submarine Forest August-December 2020 Nearly 60,000 years ago, a bald cypress forest flourished on the banks of a prehistoric river near the Gulf of Mexico. Over time, the massive trees grew and died, their enormous trunks falling and becoming entombed in a protective covering of peat and sediment. As sea level rose and the coastline receded, these ancient forest remains were buried beneath the sea surface off the coast of Alabama, where they remained undisturbed for millennia. Intensifying storms along the coast, however, have scoured the seafloor, beginning to expose this ancient submarine forest. Loading the player... Now, a team of scientists from Northeastern University and the University of Utah, funded by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), are working to unlock the forests secrets, including its potential to harbor new compounds for medicine and biotechnology. Project Overview As demand grows for discovery of novel industrial enzymes and new medicines, researchers are increasingly looking towards the ocean. Marine animals and their symbiotic microorganisms that live on and in wood have recently been shown to be a potentially rich source for biomolecules of high biopharmaceutical and biotechnological value. To this end, this research team is exploring the biodiversity and economic potential of the submerged forest off the Alabama coast, which provides an unusually large, biodiverse, and temporally stable wood-associated marine habitat for them to study. The teams focus is on bacteria found in wood-eating shipworms, a type of clam (teredinid bivalve). These termites of the sea convert wood into animal tissue, forming the base of a food chain that can support a rich diversity of fish, invertebrates, and microorganisms in communities that resemble thriving coral reefs. Loading the player... Previous work by the research team on bacteria in shipworms has resulted in at least one antibiotic being under investigation as a drug to treat parasitic infections, and the overall biopharmaceutical potential for these bacteria is high. Drug compounds produced by symbiotic microbes are less likely to display toxicity toward animals than free-living bacteria, as these molecules have essentially been pre-screened by their animal hosts. They can be reproduced under lower temperatures and less harsh conditions than current industrial processes, meaning a potential cost savings for industrial applications. Additionally, the wood at the site off the Alabama coast has lain submerged and buried in a deep layer of sand and sediment for thousands of years, creating an isolated and unique habitat for discovery of unusual microbes and molecules. Recent Work In early December, the research team headed offshore of Alabama on Research Vessel E.O. Wilson to conduct the first round of field work for the project. During two days of diving, the team collected several pieces of ancient wood which they took back to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. More than 300 animals were removed from the wood, photographed, and identified. Some were preserved as voucher specimens for future DNA analyses while others were used to create culture plates to sample for microbes. Within 100-200 prepared culture plates, the team identified approximately 100 strains of bacteria, many of which are novel and 12 of which are already undergoing DNA sequencing for further study of their identity and their biosynthetic potential to make new drugs. Additionally, future analyses on the collected samples will allow researchers to identify any analgesic and antimicrobial compounds and hydrolytic enzymes capable of degrading the components of wood. Such enzymes have broad application in production of pulp, paper, textiles, food, animal feeds, fine chemicals, and renewable fuels. Whats Next The scientists have so far sampled only a tiny fraction of the ancient forest site, but are already gaining important insights into the ways terrestrial plant material can support unusual but highly productive marine communities. With rising sea level and increasing storm intensity, input of wood will have an ever-increasing influence on marine communities. The work being done here provides a window into the profound changes we may expect to see. Funded through OERs competitive grants program, this exploration project is directly connected to NOAAs efforts strengthen the Blue Economy, which includes also maritime commerce, domestic seafood production, healthy and sustainable fisheries, coastal resilience, energy production, tourism and recreation, environmental protection, and national security. The project will lay the groundwork for understanding and exploiting similar communities as sources of new compounds for medicine and biotechnology. To enhance the value of their exploratory efforts, the researchers are aiming to create effective tools and resources to support future discovery and education. A government advocate has written a letter to the Delhi High Court seeking that action be initiated against officials for their alleged negligence in preventing the religious congregation in Nizamuddin area here which led to further spread of coronavirus across the country. Central government standing counsel Gaurang Kanth, a resident of Nizamuddin East, also sought that the high court take action against the organisers and participants of the religious congregation at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid at Nizamuddin West for compromising the safety of people and contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Kanth said that being a Central government standing counsel he requires requisite permission from the Centre for filing an appropriate writ petition before the high court on the issue. However, in view of the emergent situation and being an officer of the court, "it is my duty to bring this to the attention of your Lordships so that your Lordships can take suo moto cognisance of the situation and pass appropriate orders," he said in the letter. He also sought immediate action and remedial measures for curtailing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Nizamuddin area. The advocate said he was disturbed by the alarming that a religious congregation was organised last month at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid located at Nizamuddin West in south Delhi. "What makes this more distressing is the fact that this religious congregation was attended by more than 2,000 people (which included foreign nationals from various countries including China, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia)," the letter said. It cited media reports that at least six persons who attended the congregation have died in Telangana due to coronavirus and that some people who had attended it travelled across the country before returning to their respective states. The advocate said the religious gathering was organised in violation of the March 16 order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Delhi Government in accordance with the Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. "These gatherings were also in violation of another order issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Police, New Delhi which was effective from March 18, 2020 wherein assembly of five or more individuals was prohibited. "However, despite the said orders being in place, the congregation could still be conducted shows carelessness and gross negligence of the State government and other officials including the District Magistrate South East in handling this emergent situation at the Nizamuddin area. It cannot be denied that officials were not aware of the presence of such a large gathering at the Markaz in Nizamuddin West," the letter said. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said out of 2,361 people evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz, 617 have been admitted to hospitals and the rest quarantined. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A college student in China has gone incommunicado after he publicly called for the countrys ruling Communist Party to relinquish power. Down with the Communist Party, Zhang Wenbin, a college senior and programmer from Chinas northeastern Shandong Province, said in a March 30 video on Twitter, a platform blocked in China. The student used a VPN, a tool used by Chinese citizens to access overseas websites censored by the regimes internet firewall. Days earlier, Zhang had also posted the same message in text on WeChat Moments, an Instagram-like Chinese platform. The student wrote in another tweet on March 30 that the police had already summoned him for the Wechat post, and he would soon be detained for five days. He hasnt made any more posts since then. On March 31, he was no longer accessible. Zhangs disappearance comes as the regime has escalated its clampdown on dissenting voices amid its attempts to stifle domestic criticism of its mishandling of the CCP virus outbreak. Recently, Chinese tycoon Ren Zhiqiang went missing after he criticized the regimes response to the outbreak and called for freedom of speech. Earlier this month, a Chinese primary school teacher also spent 10 days in detention and lost his teaching license for questioning the death figures officials released. Chinese censors have permanently blocked Zhangs WeChat account on suspicion of spreading malicious rumors, according to a screenshot Zhang posted. He said that Weibo and Qzone, two other social networks created by Chinese tech firm Tencent, were also not functioning properly for him. I was also once a Little Pink [a term to describe youths indoctrinated by the regime] and only after getting through the [Great Firewall] did I come to recognize the Partys sinister face, Zhang said in the March 30 video. He said that seeing people of Hong Kong and Taiwan courageously resist the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the recent months had inspired him to be more vocal in the hopes of helping the Chinese people see the ruling regime for its true colors, and push down the wall lying in front of us. Maybe I wont live to see the day the CCP falls, nor do I know if anyone will see this video, but regardless, I have been to this world, he said. The video has been viewed over 175,200 times and received 2,200 likes so far. Yang Jianli, founder of the Washington-based advocacy group Citizen Power Initiatives for China, said that Zhang was merely exercising his freedom of speecha right granted by the Chinese constitution. But this right has remained only on paper, Yang said. He called the CCP a barbarian regime that views maintaining its power as the top priority. The CCPs party-state does not tolerate challenge from anyone, nor do the Party leaders, Yang told The Epoch Times. Any challenging remarks would seem like an act of rebellion to their eyes. Awakening, and a Desire to Speak Out Shortly before his disappearance, Zhang described to The Epoch Times in an interview on March 30 how he came to openly criticize the Chinese regime. It began about four years ago with Zhang circumventing Chinas internet firewall to read unfiltered information, and learning about the 1989 student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, which the regime crushed the protesters with tanks and troops. The incident has since become a taboo topic in the country, with words referencing the incident swiftly removed from the internet, while those who speak out about it are punished. From there, Zhang began to uncover the regimes sprawling network of lies piece-by-piece, from the devastation wrought by its stringent one-child policya drastic state birth control law that the government said averted 400 million birthsto its persecution of faith groups such as Falun Gong, and repression in the regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. He visited Hong Kong and Tibet to meet the locals, and came back comparing what he saw on the ground with how the government portrayed them. I realized that they have been lying throughout, he said. Its no longer just what I learned from the internet, a lot are facts I saw first hand. Zhang had largely kept these reflections to himself. But last October, Zhang took action to express support for the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. He shared a Hong Kong protester-initiated campaign on WeChat, calling for people to support the movement by posting selfies with one hand covering their right eye. However, soon after he heard that police summoned his schoolmate for posting pro-Hong Kong remarks on social media. He immediately deleted his account. I was rather cowardly at the time, he said. Still, the censors didnt let him off the hook. Recently, he searched for a few sensitive keywords on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform, including we cant, we dont understand, a hashtag that began trending in the wake of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliangs death. Li was initially silenced for speaking out about the burgeoning outbreak in Wuhan, then died of the virus he warned others about. Not long after this, he began having trouble commenting, sharing, or messaging on the platform. He ended up deleting the app in frustration. What repulses me the most is how the CCP blindfolded the public by indoctrinating them with lies. They have jailed them behind the high walls, he said. Zhang has several good friends from high school who he said have bought into the states propaganda and would not accept any differing views. They, along with many of his other classmates will eventually become teachers, instilling the same mindset into the next generation, he said. Brainwashing is probably what the CCP has been most successful at, Zhang said. His parents have warned Zhang that he had made a mistake by speaking out. But still, the student remained defiant. I didnt do anything wrong, why cant I be allowed to speak? Nova Scotia has signed an agreement to further support Indigenous housing with the renovation of dozens of urban housing units in the province. The pact, which was cemented in early March, will set aside $3.7 million as funding for the repair and revitalization of 36 rental units owned and operated by the Tawaak Housing Association. Under the National Housing Strategy, the sum will also help with the maintenance of existing affordable housing programs and rental rates with 51 rent supplements, CTV News reported. The NSW Education Minister has urged parents struggling to balance jobs and their children's lessons not to expect too much from themselves, saying younger students don't have to complete all the lessons every day. Sarah Mitchell's comments come as education experts said trying to replicate a full school day at home could be counterproductive for younger students, and a few hours worth of maths and literacy was sufficient. Experts say parents of younger students do not need to replicate the full school day at home Credit: Supplied Working parents of primary school-aged children say they are feeling overwhelmed by the need to supervise six hours' worth of remote schooling while trying to hold down increasingly vulnerable jobs. Ms Mitchell, who has a student in year 1, said she understood the pressure of balancing remote lessons with work. "I want to say to parents and carers, please dont expect too much from yourself," she said. Theres hand sanitiser at the door. Disinfectant wipes too. And inside at the counter Callan shopkeeper Joe Lyons is busier than ever. Its the strange paradox of the even more strange times we are living in. As people spend more time at home, with schools closed and working from home a necessity for many, the shops in Kilkennys smaller towns are experiencing a revival. Joe Lyons, who is also a local Fine Gael councillor, has been seeing a lot of new faces through his shop door in recent days. Its actually more busy now because a lot of people are around, he explained. People who used to travel from Callan every day to work in Kilkenny city, Clonmel, Waterford and Wexford are at home in Callan every day. People have said they are supporting small shops. We are getting a bit of a rejuvenation. Read also: Kilkenny bakery a model for all in this time of need In the last 10 years a lot of new estates have sprung up around the town and its only now that this is starting to boost the town in many ways, Joe says. The numbers attending local primary schools are growing and the numbers of people joining local clubs are also boosting their numbers. Its the many people living in Callan but who may have done their shopping while on breaks from work in these other towns that are now turning to the smaller shops in Callan. Joe is very happy to welcome all the new faces he sees coming through his door on West Street in Callan. Another boost for local shops is the increase in people cooking at home. The shop is both a vegetable shop and a florist. Customer have been observing best social distancing practice, with people waiting outside if there is a customer inside. The good weather has helped with that. Joe thinks people got a shock when they started to see the local figures for people diagnosed with coronavirus, and the increasing national number. The next two weeks will tell a lot, he said. There is a great community spirit in Callan. Thank God old Irelands not dead, Joe said as he paid tribute to the community groups in the town who are doing the running around for vulnerable people who are isolating in their homes. John Lockes GAA club and Callan Support Group are great for people who cant get out. Everyone is taking precautions, he said. Its hard for families that cant visit but we are learning from Italy. They had no warning. With families looking for things to do its easy to park in Callan and go for a walk while maintaining social distancing, he also points out. Its with this in mind Joe had an idea - could the popular Callan bypass walking route be made one-way? Hes spoken to the local county council staff about a sign and arrows and says that while you couldnt force people to comply, it would help if everyone walked in the same direction so they are not passing and bumping into each other. In another time it would be a crazy idea, but in our new reality it make sense to do it for a couple of weeks. Jaipur, March 31 (IANS) Recording a steep hike, Jaipur on Monday recorded 10 new positive coronavirus cases, leaving officials worried if the state capital, where the number has gone up to 20, is turning into another epicentre after Bhilwara which has the highest number of patients in the state at 26. Overall, 13 new cases were reported on Monday including the 10 in Jaipur, one case each in Alwar and Jodhpur and another in Bhilwara taking the state's total to 72. However, with seven evacuees from Iran, who landed at Jodhpur, testing positive, the total count in state is 79, said health officials here. After seven evacuees from Iran tested positive, eight more positive cases were reported from Ramganj Bazaar are here. These are all family member of the person who had tested positive recently after his return from Oman, said Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, adding that on Monday morning, his 70-year-old mother and 21-year-old son had also tested positive. The administration had already clamped curfew in seven police station areas after this Oman returned man's friend had also tested positive two days back. People must remain indoors otherwise situation may deteriorate further, Singh said. He said that one more person from Alwar, who travelled from the Philippines along with another person who was found positive on Sunday, was also diagnosed to have coronavirus. The other patient to test positive on Monday was a 40-year-old man from Bhilwara who was the OPD patient of Bangar hospital in Bhilwara, said Singh. Meanwhile, in the midst of gloom, he also shared some positive news that three more positive patients turned negative in Bhilwara. --IANS arc/vd By Trend The Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy has disclosed a basic document containing the main directions of the programs prepared in connection with the state support of various sectors of the economy, including entrepreneurship, their coverage, basic tools of supporting the economic growth and entrepreneurship, Trend reports on April 1 referring to the ministry. Among these directions are a financial support program for the payment of salaries to 304,600 hired employees in the spheres affected as a result of coronavirus (to preserve jobs) and a financial support program for 292,000 individual (micro) entrepreneurs working in the sectors affected as a result of coronavirus (to preserve jobs); A program of tax incentives, benefits and vacations for business entities working in the spheres affected as a result of coronavirus, and a program of credit and guarantee support for business entities operating in the sectors affected as a result of coronavirus to get the newly issued bank loans worth 1 billion manat ($588.2 million) are also among these measures. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Carrols Restaurant Group, the Syracuse-based company that is the nations largest owner of Burger King restaurants, has dropped plans to slash wages 10% at its restaurants after catching flak from workers. Carrols originally told employees that it would cut pay at its more than 1,000 Burger Kings around the country by 10% on Monday because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its business, Business Insider reported. The cuts were also to apply to the companys executives. according to the report. The announcement angered many workers at the companys restaurants. Id rather that we just closed for a little while until things get figured out, an employee at a Carrols-owned Burger King told Business Insider. Never have I felt a company has committed more injustice than today. But days after the report, Carrols Chairman, CEO and President Dan Accordino said the company heard the outcry and rescinded its decision to cut wages for restaurant-level workers, according to a memo to employees emailed to Restaurant Dive. I have been here for 48 years and I respect your feedback; both positive and negative," he said in the memo, according to Restaurant Dive. "I heard you and I made a mistake that we will now rectify before any action has taken place. He also said he will forgo his salary for three months. Accordinos salary totaled $837,624 in 2018, according to the companys latest proxy statement. But with stock awards, incentive pay and other compensation, he was paid $3.7 million that year. Accordino did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post-Standard | syracuse.com on Tuesday. Many of the companys restaurants, including all of those in New York, are shut down, except for their drive-thru windows, as the result of government orders to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes. Carrols operates 1,035 Burger Kings, making it by far the largest Burger King franchisee in the country. Burger King Corp., the quick-service restaurant chains franchisor, owns 20% of the company. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, Carrols was experiencing headwinds. It reported in February that it lost $31.9 million in 2019 and would cut spending on remodeling, and building and buying new restaurants this year. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Coronavirus unemployment: Cant reach New York labor department? Youre not alone New York state cancels April break for schools due to coronavirus pandemic; lessons must continue NASA SunRISE Mission To Study Giant Solar Particle Storms News oi-Sharmishte Datti NASA is gearing up for another mission and this about studying the Sun. The new Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment or simple the NASA SunRISE mission is set to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms. The mission also aims to give a better insight for other missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA SunRISE Mission Approved Technically, the NASA SunRISE mission was picked out back in 2017 as part of the Mission of Opportunity program as apart of the Explorers Program, to conduct an 11-month concept study. Now, NASA has awarded $62.6 million to design, build, and launch the SunRISE mission with a launch date scheduled for July 2023. "We are so pleased to add a new mission to our fleet of spacecraft that help us better understand the Sun, as well as how our star influences the space environment between planets," said Nicky Fox, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "The more we know about how the Sun erupts with space weather events, the more we can mitigate their effects on spacecraft and astronauts." Hello, SunRISE. This new @NASASun mission will study the causes of solar particle storms giant surges of solar particles that erupt off the Sun. Understanding such storms can help protect astronauts traveling to the Moon & Mars. About the mission: https://t.co/zWT8ZDbGj1 pic.twitter.com/loW2GSaxy9 NASA (@NASA) March 30, 2020 Purpose Of NASA SunRISE Mission Going into the details, the NASA SunRISE mission comprises of six CubeSats using the 6U configuration. At the same time, the SunRISE mission is only possible with the success of the Mars Cube One (MarCO) and the DARPA High-Frequency Research (DHFR) as these will demonstrate technologies that will be used in SunRISE. For instance, the NASA SunRISE mission will use the software-defined radios, as well as GPS on CubeSats.The CubeSats will be used as one very large radio telescope and will use radio images of low-frequency emission from solar activity. They will then send down the information via the Deep Space Network to create a 3D map to pinpoint the location of the giant particle burst. Additionally, SunRISE will also study a part of the Sun's spectrum that can't be seen on earth due to the ionosphere. It will also help provide information that Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and the ground-based Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope can't get. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne says shots fired at church, hes now getting death threats after arrest Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Hours after he was arrested for holding worship services during the coronavirus pandemic in violation of a "safer-at-home" order Monday, leader of River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, said he's now getting death threats and shots were fired at the church's sign. Howard-Browne made the claims during a Facebook Live broadcast where he said the threats were stirred by religious bigotry and hatred in the media which forced him to make his Twitter and Instagram accounts private, and he called police to report the shots fired at the church. The media are stirring up every kind of religious bigotry and hatred right now. People firing shots last night at the church sign from the highway. We went this morning there was no bullet holes. We did report it but the police say unless you can show where the bullet landed, but I mean the guys, security were there. They could hear the gun going off and then the death threats, to the ministry and to the staff. Its beyond the pale. So people have basically, literally lost their ever-loving minds, Howard-Browne said. It was not immediately clear which sheriffs office was called to report the attack on his church but an official at the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, which announced his arrest Monday, told The Christian Post that they have no record of the alleged gunfire incident at River at Tampa Bay Church. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said Howard-Browne was arrested at his home in Hernando County around 1:30 p.m. Monday for intentionally and repeatedly hosting church services with hundreds of members in attendance, despite knowing he was in violation of orders set in place by President Trump, the Gov. of Florida, the CDC and the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group. The specific second degree misdemeanors Howard-Browne was arrested for are unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules. His actions were a direct violation of Executive Order 20-05, which went into effect on March 20, limiting gatherings, including faith-based gatherings, to less than 10 people. He was also violating the Safer-At-Home Order, which went into effect on March 27, advising Hillsborough County residents to remain in their homes as much as possible to create greater social distancing and reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, the sheriffs office said. Officials explained that on Friday, and again on Sunday, personnel and legal staff from the Sherriffs Office spoke with attorneys representing the church in an attempt to educate them on the orders in place and the dangerous environment they were creating for their members and the community, but Howard-Browne and his church leaders chose not to comply. His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger, said Sheriff Chad Chronister. The River at Tampa Bay has an advantage over most places of worship, because they have access to technology that allows them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast television for the more than 4,000 members to watch from the safety of their homes. Howard-Browne, who is now being represented by Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family, said his decision to keep his church open is in defense of the First Amendment. My story doesnt change. I understand what the media said. I understand what the sheriff said. Theres another whole side about that which Im not gonna go into that. The sheriffs doing the best job that he can. I understand I got thrown under the bus which, thats fine. Im a big boy, I can take it. I understood. I knew this was coming. I thought it was gonna happen yesterday (Sunday) it didnt, it happened today. But we have forced a national debate on the First Amendment. And its not about a virus. Its about the church being a[n] essential service to the community where the church can meet and take care of the people. Thats the whole thing, he said. Howard-Browne said people have been asking him what he plans to do regarding the situation and he noted that he will make another announcement this week concerning that while noting that there are people in his church who carry guns. Our people pack. Its just because thats our church, but were not violent people. Were just there to protect our people. And were certainly not gonna have a shootout with the sheriffs. I mean, you have to be crazy to even want to do that. All of that stuff is just nonsense. Were not looking at having a showdown at the O.K. Corral. A warrant was served for my arrest which I surrendered myself. Was taken in and was booked, he said, showing his mugshot. He argued that people need to open their eyes and pay attention to what is happening in the world and insisted that the measures being taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus aren't what they seem. A lot of people, they dont understand whats going on. You see, I understand because Ive preached on this for years, he said, pointing to his first book, The Killing of Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America. Theres a thousand footnotes in here, the bibliography is 15 pages long. I explain everything thats going on in this nation at this time, he said. In summary of the book on Amazon explains that the book captures details of the last 200 years of American history that mainstream media does not want you to know. It dissects the legalized system of the private central banks that has gone unchecked, and delivers gut-wrenching truths about the real domestic and foreign enemies of the United States. Howard-Browne also touted his other books, Killing the Planet: How a Financial Cartel Doomed Mankind discussing vaccines and Socialism Under The Microscope. Thats why I want to tell everybody, pray for the president that he does the right thing. And pray for every elected official. Even pray for the sheriff of Hillsborough County because they are under tremendous pressure, he said. I think, basically, to shut down now, which is being extended to the end of April, I think its gonna get even crazier. Im not ashamed to be arrested for the First Amendment of the United States, he continued, noting thats what the charges against him amount to. I know the sheriff said we cant hide behind the First Amendment, but we can because I was sworn in as a citizen of the Constitutional Republic of the United States and I raised my hand to pledge to defend the Constitution of America against enemies foreign and domestic, he said. The nation is under attack and whatever you give up this side youll never get it back. He argued that it makes no sense that churches are being closed yet Walmart, Costco and other stores like Lowes Home Improvement were being allowed to operate and restaurants were being allowed to serve takeout despite a clear risk of spreading the virus. As long as you can keep Lowes open and Walmart open and Costco and every other place and you go in there, talk about social distancing. I mean its insane. Theres so many holes in this thing. Even the people who deliver the food how do you know where the foods been cooked? Whos making it? How do you know that they dont have the virus? he asked. Somebody said, 'Well, theyre gonna catch it at the church.' I beg to differ, theyre at church one Sunday morning and six-and-a-half days a week theyre everywhere else. How do you know it wasnt the last trolley where you put your groceries in that wasnt infected? How do you know it wasnt the last restroom you went into? You dont actually know. I know America is fighting with each other right now, which its the whole narrative man. Divide and conquer, he said. Just get everybody fighting each other and everybody has an idea of why somebody is doing what theyre doing, but they dont know. They can only suspect or surmise, he added. He said hes not insisting on gathering because hes worried about losing money. Money is not the issue when it comes to the Constitution of the United States, he said. You think the founding fathers didnt know what viruses were? he said, urging people to stop and think and not accept what is being fed to them on television. He said he plans to follow the Holy Ghost on how to proceed and maybe by the weekend people will know his next move. God is on the side of the Church, he said. And the body of Christ we pray. We have a God who answers by fire and He hears from Heaven. The Delhi-government run Delhi State Cancer Institute has been shut for sanitization for a day after a doctor there tested positive for COVID-19. According to reports, the doctor who was working at the State Cancer Institute in East Delhi tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. Though the source of the virus is still unclear it is believed that it could be from some family members who had recently returned from UK. However, they have not shown any signs of the infection. The doctor is now undergoing treatment at the Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini while dis wife and child have also been admitted to Lok Nayak hospital near Delhi Gate. Following this, the Delhi Cancer Institute has been shut for a day to sanitize the premises. This is a scary development as people with underlying health conditions and those who are immunocompromised, including cancer patients are at higher risk from the infection. BCCL This is also the fourth case in Delhi where a doctor has tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier on Tuesday, a doctor posted at a Mohalla Clinic in Delhis Babarpur area was reported to have tested positive for Coronavirus, prompting authorities to ask patients who had visited the clinic between March 12 and March 20 to go into home quarantine for the next 15 days. Last week, a northeast Delhi Mohalla Clinic doctor, his wife, and daughter had tested positive for novel Coronavirus after he came in contact with a woman who had recently returned from Saudi and had gone to the clinic with fever. A total of 800 people who came in contact with the doctor have been quarantined for 14 days. A private doctor from Hari Nagar has contracted the disease and is under treatment. BCCL Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the government will ensure the safety of all doctors and their tests will be done regularly. Delhi government has also said that a compensation of Rs 1 crore will be given to the family of doctors or nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from private or government sector and sanitation workers if anyone loses their life while serving any COVID-19 patient as our mark of respect for their service. If anyone loses their life while serving any #COVID19 patient, be it sanitation workers, doctors or nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from private or government sector, their family will be given Rs 1 crore as our mark of respect for their service. Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 1, 2020 Delhi has 120 positive cases of Coronavirus with two deaths. Twenty-four cases reported on Tuesday were from the Markaz Nizamuddin where a religious congregation was held last month. The number of cases are likely to go up further are more attendees are showing signs of the infection. A New York woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing a box of face masks from an upstate medical center. Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin, Jr said in a statement that Josie Wright, 33, was taken into custody for stealing the masks and other medical supplies from Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. Authorities said Wright, who works as a contracted employee at the center, had taken the masks and alcohol prep pads and shipped the items to other people. Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin, Jr said in a statement that Josie Wright, 33, was taken into custody for stealing a box of masks (file image) and other medical supplies from Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown Authorities said Wright, who works as a contracted employee at the center (pictured), had taken the masks and alcohol prep pads and shipped the items to other people Wright was arrested after the sheriff's office had been contacted by Bassett Security to assist in an investigation into the thefts of personal protective equipment from the hospital. The sheriff said the investigation is ongoing after they discovered that there may be other employees who have taken critical medical supplies from the center and shipped the items to people. Police said that it's unknown if Wright and the other employees profited from their actions. 'The theft of critical medical resources is unacceptable and those identified will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' the sheriff said. Wright was charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor. She was issued an appearance ticket for May 20 in Otsego court. Her alleged theft comes at a time when hospital supplies like masks are hard to come by, particularly in US hotspots like New York City. There are nationwide shortages of masks, gowns and respirators as hospitals try to protect their medical personnel. Lt Cmdr Nevin Yazici demonstrating how to properly fit an N95 respiratory protective device aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort in New York Nurses have described apocalyptic scenes there with dead bodies (pictured being loaded into a truck in Brooklyn on Tuesday) being put in freezer trucks outside hospitals and up to five patients dying every ER shift There are nationwide shortages of masks, gowns and respirators as hospitals try to protect their medical personnel. Nurses have described apocalyptic scenes there with dead bodies being put in freezer trucks outside hospitals and up to five patients dying every ER shift. US Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, said in an interview on Good Morning America, that the public should not use the N-95 surgical masks in light of an update by the CDC that it is considering advising that everyone should wear a face covering when they go out. The CDC had originally said that only people who have symptoms should wear the masks when they go out. Now, the government is considering advising everyone to wear a mask, even if they don't have symptoms, to avoid spreading the deadly virus which has already infected more than 200,000 people in the US and killed more than 4,300. New York state has more than 83,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with the majority being in New York City which has 47,349 cases In the state of New York, there are more than 1,900 deaths, with the majority being in New York City with just over 1,000 deaths There are more than 200,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US with 4,391 deaths But Adams says it does not mean the public should rush to buy the coveted N-95 surgical grade masks that are in short supply around the nation's hospitals. 'Those must be reserved for the healthcare workers and the public can use other items to cover their faces. 'We've learned about this disease. We've learned there's a fair amount of asymptomatic spread and whether or not people wear masks will prevent transmission to other people. 'But it can't be at the expense of social distancing. The most important thing for people to do is to stay at home,' Adams added. New Delhi, April 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the city has fewer coronavirus cases when compared to the suspected and quarantine cases, urging doctors and hospitals to be prepared for the hike in numbers. Kejriwal, while speaking to Delhi doctors dealing with the COVID-19 patients in the city, also said that in India, stage three has not arrived. "We are at stage two. The local transmission has not yet started in the country." In Delhi, he said, most are travel cases. "Local transmission cases are not much. Our aim is to control the local transmission." The Chief Minister added that the number of positive cases in Delhi is fewer. "But the suspected and quarantine cases are more in Delhi. We have to be prepared to deal with the increasing number, if more turned positive. Our hospitals, doctors and nurses should be prepared for the hike in numbers." As of Wednesday morning, the total cases of coronavirus patients in Delhi reached 120. According to the Delhi Health Department, over 42,000 people were under home quarantine in the city with close to 24,000 are yet to complete their 14-day period. The remaining have completed their 14-day quarantine. Of the 120 positive cases, 49 have foreign travel history while 29 have contact history, 18 were under investigation and 24 are from Nizamuddin area. The Health Department said 266 reports of coronavirus test are pending. Kejriwal thanked the doctors and said their role is very crucial. "I want to thank all the doctors, nurses, medical and paramedical staff for their efforts. Your role is very critical." He said the government and the country is with the medical staff. "We will ensure all the money and resources for you." The Chief Minister acknowledged that there is a lack of Personal protective Equipment and testing kits and promised to arrange them as soon as possible. "There is a lack of PPE, we are doing all we can to ensure security to you. I am ensuring there is no dearth of PPEs or testing kits." The Chief Minister said 768 people are admitted to hospitals in the city due to the infection, including 112 positive patients, the rest are under observation. "Only one among the 112 is on the ventilator and two on oxygen and 109 are stable. Five have been discharged and two deaths have been reported so far in Delhi." From the Nizamuddin Markaz, he said 536 were taken to the hospitals while 1,810 are in quarantine. "Community transfer has not yet happened. The situation under control," he later said in a media briefing. He also informed that the government has decided to give Rs 1 crore to health care professionals' family, if any working staff died while dealing with Coronavirus patients. The Chief Minister the Cabinet has given the approval for the same. He said that every precaution will be taken to protect the medical staff dealing with COVID-19 patients, "but despite that if anything untoward happens to them, we will take care of their families". So far, four doctors in the city have been tested positive for coronavirus -- the deadly infection which has killed thousands across the globe. NORWALK A part-time employee at Stew Leonards has tested positive for COVID-19 and others are staying home due to potential exposure. The employee of the Norwalk store stayed home after not feeling well more than a week ago, according to a post the store made on Facebook that was shared Wednesday in a Norwalk community group. Store managers were notified this week about the employee testing positive, the post read. Co-workers who were in contact with the employee were sent home to quarantine, according to the post. The store has adjusted its hours, but has no plans to close. A spokeswoman for the store declined to provide the role of the employee who tested positive, citing privacy concerns. Stew Leonard Jr. said employees of some of his other stores have also tested positive for the coronavirus, but he did not specify the locations. Leonard said a handful of employees across the grocery chains seven locations in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have also been quarantined. Were no different than America right now, Leonard said Wednesday. Were not any different than whats happening out there. Unfortunately, all businesses that are open today...theyre all having the same issues. The people that work at Stew Leonards are part of the community. Leonard said employees who come into contact with someone with coronavirus for more than 10 minutes are asked to quarantine and not come to work for two weeks. The employees are given full benefits and pay during that period, he said. Leonard said many of these employees are not exhibiting symptoms, but the policy is used as a precaution. The company is now hiring more people to fill the gaps. The grocery store chain is closing early for the first time in its 50 years to deep clean each of its locations nightly, Leonard said. The stores are closing at 8 p.m. each night so shopping carts and registers can be scrubbed, and buttons, door knobs and work surfaces are wiped. The company has also allowed employees to adjust their hours and work stations to limit exposure. The stores have also installed plexiglass at the registers and in other areas to help protect customers and employees, as well as doing cleaning blitzes every two hours where all surfaces are cleaned. Were doing everything in the store we can to keep distancing, Leonard said, adding the cleaning goes above CDC standards. Meghan Bell, a spokeswoman for Stew Leonards, declined to say whether the cleaning and protective measures are in response to employees testing positive for the coronavirus. Weve been monitoring the pandemic closely and have been making changes almost daily in response since the beginning of March, she said. Stew Leonards and all stores that remain open in Norwalk were ordered this week by Mayor Harry Rilling to reduce the number of people allowed inside. Rillings latest orders came after a 60 percent increase in confirmed cases over the weekend. Norwalk now has more than 300 cases and 15 city residents have died. Rillings order also recommends only one member of each family to go shopping at once. Lamont has recommended the same practice for everyone going to stores in Connecticut. I thought (the customers) were going to get sort of angry with us, but instead its no problem, Leonard said. Everybody understands the situation right now. Everybody is trying to do their part to help prevent this epidemic we have. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com Actress Urvashi Rautela is quite worried about her close friend, Kanika Kapoor, who is the first positive case for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from Bollywood industry. Kanika returned to India from London on March 9 and later, stayed at a luxurious hotel in Lucknow and got indulged into a social gathering. She was tested positive on March 20. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Urvashi said, "Kanika is someone who stays very clean, she maintains her hygiene really well. So, you need to be extra careful if you do not want to contract the virus." Many netizens have been constantly slamming Kanika Kapoor and calling her highly irresponsible for not keeping herself in quarantine after returning from London. When Urvashi was asked, what she has to say to these reports, she said, "I don't know how much of these media reports I can believe. I am just hoping that all the people who have tested positive get well soon." Kanika Kapoor Tests Positive For COVID-19 Again; Hospital Is Miffed With Her Behaviour Urvashi further added, "I am just hoping she comes out of it fast. This virus is not targeting any class, it can happen to anybody. If it can happen to the Prime Minister of the UK, it can happen to anyone. So the people who think that nothing will happen to them are wrong." Meanwhile, Kanika's condition is stable and she is being treated in Lucknow. Earlier, the hospital had reprimanded Kanika for throwing starry tantrums inside the hospital during her treatment. Kanika, on the other side, had also expressed her disappointment over the carelessness of the hospital and had said that she feels like she is inside a jail. Kanika Kapoor Gets REPRIMANDED By The Hospital For Throwing Starry Tantrums! New Delhi: Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Hrithik Roshans ex-wife Sussanne Khan graciously volunteered to move in temporarily with him to co-parents their sons Hrehaan and Hredhaan. Moved by Sussannes gesture, Hrithik posted a heartwarming note for her on social media and thanked her for being supportive and understanding. His filmmaker father Rakesh Roshan is equally happy with Sussannes decision and said people need to support each other in this difficult time. In an interview to SpotboyE, Rakesh Roshan said, "The world has to be together and supportive in difficult times." Hrithik and Sussanne divorced in 2014 but continue to share a cordial relationship. They are always together when it comes to their sons and families. Both of them have been often spotted with each other on lunch, dinner dates and family holidays and recently they celebrated Hrehaans 14th birthday together with the family (but virtually). Sussanne decided to move in with Hrithik last week when the 21-day lockdown was announced. In the post dedicated to her, Hrithik said, This is a picture of dear Sussanne (my ex-wife), who has graciously volunteered to temporarily move out of her home so that our children are not disconnected indefinitely from either one of us. Thank you, Sussanne, for being so supportive and understanding in our journey of co-parenting. Our children will tell the story we create for them, Hrithik added. Take a look: Sweet, na? Meanwhile, heres how they celebrated Hrehaans birthday: India is under complete lockdown till April 14 to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has brought the entire world to a standstill. On the work front, Hrithik Roshan was last seen in War. He hasnt announced his next film yet. Nguyen Hong Son, 90, of the northern province of Bac Ninh has been caring for his wife, who also has had kidney failure for the last 10 years. Dinh Thi Le has dialysis three times a week at night on the same days as Oanh. While his wife is at the hospital, Son cooks and cleans at home. The couple do not want to go back to Bac Ninh. They say: "If we get the virus and give it to other people, that would be bad. We stay here, we dont know where else to go." Sons only hobby these days is to read books and wait for his wife to return from the hospital to have dinner together. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Coronavirus: 'MahaKavach' app to help in contact tracing India pti-PTI Mumbai, Apr 01: With a view to effectively combat the coronavirus pandemic, adigital application named 'MahaKavach' has been designed, which will help the health authorities in contact tracing and tracking of quarantined COVID-19 patients. This platform has been developed after extensive inputs from on-ground officials and by studying the existing methodologies deployed in other countries and other states in India, an official release issued here said on Wednesday. It is a joint initiative by the National Health Authority, the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Nashik District Innovation Council, Nashik Municipal Corporation, Digital Impact Square (A TCS foundation initiative), and the Kumbathom Foundation. The app is currently being used by the Nashik civic body, and will come into use across the state soon, the release added. The platform allows improvement in two major processes essential for combating the virus - contact tracing and quarantine tracking. Contact tracing involves investigating and tracking the citizens who might have come in contact with a COVID-19 patient. MahaKavach allows the administration to track the location history of the citizen, it said. It allows checking if he/she has visited other public places such as shops, restaurants, markets, transport hubs so as to identify the mass infection hotspots, the release added. Currently, the process is carried out manually and health officials visit each place and investigate indirect contacts themselves. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors and misdirections, it said. MahaKavach uses location mapping technologies to streamline the entire process, thereby saving both time and valuable resources. The administration thus has a real-time dashboard showing possibly infected places, areas, and people, the release said. The second important aspect of the platform is the ability to supervise and track quarantined patients. As per the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), citizens who have been advised by the medical officers must quarantine themselves for at least 14 days. However, as it has been observed that people are reluctant to do so or often unknowingly fail to quarantine themselves effectively. This endangers the people around them and highly increases the risk of community transmission. According to the release, MahaKavach allows the administration to effectively supervise and digitally track such cases by installing this platform on their smartphones. The platform has features such as geo-fencing and selfie-attendance, which allows the home quarantines to be restricted in a digitally-mapped area and in case of breach an alert is given to the local health officials. The patient will also be required to provide regular updates to the authorities via selfie-attendances. Advanced technologies such as image processing and ML have been used to prevent the patients from faking their attendance. Only citizens advised by the health officials will be allowed to use the MahaKavach app, the release said. Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026 Rising prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, COPD, fibrosis, chronic respiratory and pulmonary disorders, will drive homecare oxygen concentrators market over forecast period. Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market is valued at USD 1710.70 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 2775.90 Million by 2025 with the CAGR of 7.16% over the forecast period. Scope of Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Reports The homecare oxygen concentrator is a device with the intention to concentrates the oxygen as of a gas supply and air surrounding to large prediction in particular evacuating nitrogen to provide the oxygen-enhanced item gas stream. The homecare oxygen concentrator take in air as well as expel nitrogen oxygen enhanced gas for use by those requiring healing oxygen because of low oxygen levels in their blood. the oxygen concentrators are utilized by patients requiring supplemental oxygen for aspiratory issue. For example, bronchitis, emphysema, lung malignancy, and intense pneumonia. The oxygen concentrator works by drawing in the air. Therefore, it separates the oxygen from the other gases using a filter system that allows only the oxygen to pass through the patient. Additionally, the people in the room will still be breathing normal amounts of oxygen. The homecare oxygen concentrator the high prevalence of asthma and several & respiratory disorders the growing concentration of carbon dioxide, pollution, and harmful gases in the result from the atmospheres. Hence, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is generally diagnosed in middle-aged and older people. In severe cases, doctors recommend oxygen therapies with home oxygen concentrators that help with shortness of breath. The home care medical oxygen concentrators include portable and stationary oxygen concentrators, mostly used in home oxygen therapies. The facilitate preserve patients quality of life and reduce healthcare costs related to this chronic disease, clinicians need to accurately diagnose the condition and appropriately manage patients through the long course of their illness. Examples of these devices are AirSeps lifestyle Portable oxygen concentrator, inogen one G3, VBOX Trooper, EverGo, Invacare XPO2 and iGo. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12747&RequestType=Sample Global homecare oxygen concentrators market report is segmented on the basis of product type, application, and by regional & country level. Based on product type, global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market is classified as the Portable oxygen concentrators and Stationary oxygen concentrators. Based upon application, global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market is classified into Direct Marketing, Distribution Marketing and Rental Marketing. The regions covered in this homecare oxygen concentrators market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of clinical decision support system is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Report- Some major key players for Global homecare oxygen concentrators market are Inogen, Invacare, Philips Respironics, Chart (Airsep), Inova Labs, Teijin, GCE Group, Drive Medical, Precision Medical, AVIC Jianghang,Foshan Kaiya, Beijing North Starand others. EverFlo Oxygen Concentrator from Philips. Nov 19, 2018: -The homecare oxygen concentrator has been very analogous as heavy, bulky, noisy, or require frequent protection. TheEverFlo beginning of respironics is a single stationary concentrator that delivers the features homecare providers want and patients deserve. Hence, the EverFlo is element of the freedom series of oxygen therapy products from respironics designed to deliver clinically superior treatment and more freedom starting of worry, freedom from deliveries and liberty from complicated maintenance. The most highly in the freedom series frees patients of a quantity of the more challenging gas pet of oxygen therapy. Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Dynamics The rising government initiatives and motivations influence the homecare oxygen concentrators market positively. The scheme such as organizing awareness programs to educate masses regarding respiratory disorders have led to increased patient awareness levels. Additionally, the national heart, lung, and Blood institute develops educational programs, and launched COPD Learn More Breathe Better (LMBB) campaign to raise awareness and educate the public about COPD that will boost the industry growth considerably. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global burden of disease Study has estimated the worldwide prevalence of COPD as 834 per 100,000 people, which yields approximately 44 million cases of COPD worldwide. In countries with established market economies the prevalence rate was estimated to be as low as 535 per 100,000. One of the major challenges faced by this market is high product costs and stringent FDA regulations pertaining to medical devices are some of the factors likely to restrain growth of the global portable oxygen concentrators market during the forecast period. However, the demand for lighter technology by consumers and need for better mobility support for the aged rises. Furthermore, the most preferred technology for portable home oxygen concentrators as it is more reliable and safe compared to other technologies. n addition, the adoption of these concentrators is growing rapidly in homecare settings due to high patient base coupled with rapidly aging population worldwide. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12747&RequestType=Methodology Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Drug Market Regional Analysis North America is dominating the homecare oxygen concentrators market due to the highest market share in terms of profits in overall market of homecare oxygen concentrators market across the globe. Increasing spending of people, various government initiatives to spread awareness about disease and increasing geriatric population will stimulate industry growth. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) to U.S. in 2017, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey found that approximately 22.5 million 9.1% of adults residing in the United States and 7.9 percent of children from about 16.3 million adults (6.6 percent) reported being diagnosed with COPD. About 33.2 million adults reported being diagnosed with chronic lung disease. In addition to this rise in population, the prevalence of chronic lung disease associated with them is responsible for the growth of Homecare Oxygen Concentrators market. The Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth in this market owing to the expanding pervasiveness of COPDs and other respiratory diseases. Moreover, expanding medicinal services use, mindfulness with respect to the mechanical headways utilized in determination, and interest for versatile concentrators are projected to drive the market growth. Key Benefits for Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Report Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/12747/Buy/SingleUser Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market Segmentation Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market: By Product Type Portable oxygen concentrators Stationary oxygen concentrators Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market: By Application Direct Marketing Distribution Marketing Rental Marketing Global Homecare Oxygen Concentrators Market: By Regional & Country Analysis North America U.S. Mexico Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held out the possibility on Tuesday that the United States may consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus epidemic but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. The comments reflected a shift in tone by the U.S. State Department, which has come under withering criticism for its hard line toward sanctions relief even in the face of a call by the U.N. By Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held out the possibility on Tuesday that the United States may consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus epidemic but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. The comments reflected a shift in tone by the U.S. State Department, which has come under withering criticism for its hard line toward sanctions relief even in the face of a call by the U.N. secretary-general to ease U.S. economic penalties. Pompeo stressed that humanitarian supplies are exempt from sanctions Washington reimposed on Tehran after President Donald Trump abandoned Iran's 2015 multilateral deal to limit its nuclear program. However, broader U.S. sanctions deter many firms from humanitarian trade with Iran, one of the nations hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic. Asked if there might come a point at which Washington might reevaluate its stance on easing sanctions, Pompeo told reporters: "We evaluate all of our policies constantly, so the answer is - would we ever rethink? - Of course." Asked about such relief on March 20, Pompeo simply said U.S. sanctions do not apply to medical and other humanitarian goods. Washington is pursuing a "maximum pressure" policy to try to force Tehran to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities. Iran has accused the United States of "medical terror," prompting Pompeo's spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, on Monday to tweet: "Stop lying. ... It's not the sanctions. It's the regime." France, Germany and Britain have exported medical goods to Iran in the first transaction under a trade mechanism set up to barter humanitarian goods and food, Germany said. Jon Alterman, a Middle East analyst at Washington's CSIS think tank, said Pompeo's shift in tone might be a response to the European move. "There is an Iranian effort to peel off Europe ... Holding open the possibility of reconsidering is an effort to keep Europe on side," he added, though he saw little chance of a U.S. policy shift. "In the current environment, the chances are very low, but the environment keeps changing." Pompeo has been sharply criticized for the administration's stance on Iran sanctions. In recent weeks, the United States has repeatedly tightened sanctions on Iran, notably seeking to make it harder for it to export oil. "Pompeo appears to view the epidemic as a handy means to compound 'maximum pressure,'" Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl wrote on Sunday. "To what end?" (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Paul Simao and Cynthia Osterman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Americans were told Tuesday to brace for "very painful" weeks ahead in a worsening coronavirus pandemic projected to claim up to a quarter million US lives, as fatalities spiked in European hotspots Spain, France and Britain. With more than 42,000 already killed by the disease barrelling around the globe, the United States, home to the largest number of confirmed infections, hit a bleak milestone as its national death toll surpassed China's. As field hospitals sprouted in the US outbreak's epicenter New York City, Trump said he was extending social distancing and stay-at-home orders for another 30 days. "This is going to be a very painful -- a very, very painful -- two weeks," the president said at the White House as he described the pandemic as "a plague." "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead." In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 850,000 people in a crisis hammering the global economy and transforming the daily existence of some 3.6 billion people told to stay home under lockdowns. Deaths shot up again across Europe. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 died overnight in both countries. France recorded a one-day record of 499 dead while Britain reported 381 coronavirus deaths. But members of Trump's coronavirus task force offered a grim forecast of between 100,000 and 240,000 US deaths in coming months, taking into account current mitigation efforts. "As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it," Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said with Trump at his side when asked about the lower figure of 100,000. But Fauci said mitigation was "actually working" and that authorities are doing everything they can to get the death toll "significantly below that." Volunteers set up an emergency field hospital in New York's Central Park. By Bryan R. Smith (AFP) With hospitals direly overstretched, lockdowns have been extended despite their crushing economic impact. In Belgium a 12-year-old girl died in another worrying case of a youth succumbing to the disease. Meanwhile the United States saw its death toll top 3,800, roaring past China's official tally of 3,309, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. France joined it with a surge to 3,525 deaths, an official toll that includes only those who died in hospital and not those who perished at home or in seniors' homes. 'We need help now' The inundation of patients has sent health facilities worldwide into overdrive. Field hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. While the crisis deepens in much of the world, some in China are returning to a normalcy of sorts. By STR (AFP) In scenes previously unimaginable in peacetime, around a dozen white tents were erected to serve as a field hospital in New York's Central Park. While many companies and schools around the globe have shifted to teleworking and teaching over video platforms, huge swaths of the world's workforce cannot perform their jobs online and are now lacking pay and face a deeply uncertain future. Food banks in New York City have seen a surge of newcomers struggling to feed their families. Epidemic treatment and protection through the ages. By Alain BOMMENEL (AFP) "It is my first time," Lina Alba, a cleaner at a Manhattan hotel that closed two weeks ago, said from a food distribution center. "We need the help now. This is crazy," said Alba, a 40-year-old single mother of five. Three quarters of Americans are now under some form of lockdown, while off the Florida coast a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship and its sister vessel are pleading for somewhere to dock after four passengers died on board. Virus breeds divisions The extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus is opening new fronts for cooperation and conflict. In virtual talks Tuesday, finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 major economies pledged to address the debt burden of low-income countries and deliver aid to emerging markets. Last week G20 leaders said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. The virus has claimed more than 40,000 lives worldwide. By ANTHONY WALLACE (AFP) In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds." But talk of shared debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries, threatening to divide the bloc. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also warned against using emergency measures as a pretext for power grabs -- after a new law gave Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban authority to rule by decree until his government deems the crisis over. The global spread of the novel coronavirus. By (AFP) 'Nothing to eat' The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately impacted the poor. "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos entered its first full day of a two-week shutdown -- containment will be especially tough in the megacity's packed slums, where many rely on daily wages to survive. "There is no money for the citizens," engineer Ogun Nubi Victor, 60. "People are just sitting at home, with nothing to eat." While much of the world shuts down, the ground-zero Chinese city of Wuhan has begun reawakening in recent days, giving the bereaved the first chance in months to bury their dead. burs-mlm/ec Apart from during a short period in 1917, Taronga Zoo has not closed its gates in its 103 years of operation - but the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to do so. But instead of going quiet, the zoo has taken everything online, launching its virtual zoo, named Taronga TV, on Wednesday. Hayden Turner, Taronga Zoo's manager of guest experiences, right, interviews elephant keeper Darryl Lewry, left, while Guy Dixon films an episode for Taronga TV on Wednesday. Credit:Wolter Peeters "This is really unusual," Taronga chief executive Cameron Kerr said. "One of the key roles of a modern zoo like ours is to inspire the public to have a love for wildlife. Now that people can't come to us any more, we want to go into their homes." The Delhi government on Wednesday evacuated 205 people from a gurdwara in Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila and shifted them to a school in Nehru Vihar area in the national capital, amid the ongoing lockdown to fight the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. These people are passersby who had left their homes from different areas of Delhi and NCR to go to Punjab but could not leave after the complete lockdown. They were provided shelter and food in the Gurdwara Majnu Ka Tila Sahib for the past few days. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa asserted that arrangements were also made for their safety as doctors conducted a check-up on the people twice a day. The gurdwara administration had already informed the Punjab government as well as the Delhi government about the development. They also clarified that these people are not part of any organisation but passersby people who had to stay in the gurdwara after they couldn't leave for Punjab due to the lockdown. On Wednesday morning the administration took responsibility for them and their stay was arranged inside the Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya. The gurdwara has been asked to arrange for their food, which they agreed to. It is being told that none of these people have any symptoms of coronavirus yet. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Sirsa posted a video saying, "Of the people of Punjab who gathered from different places in Delhi at Gurdwara Majnu Ka Tila Sahib, 205 have been shifted by the Delhi government to Nehru Vihar School. We had pleaded with the Delhi and Punjab government to take these people to their homes so that this gathering does not spread the threat of Covid19." The development comes a day after 24 people were tested positive who had attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat held at Markaz Nizamuddin its headquarter in the national capital. Over 1700 people, Indians and also foreigners, had attended the event. It seems English is not the only language Congress MP Shashi Tharoor excels at. In a recent video on Twitter, the MP can be heard speaking fluent Bengali to address migrant workers from West Bengal living in Kerala. A week since the imposition of a 21-day national lockdown to counter the spread of coronavirus in India, migrant workers across the country have been plunged into a severe crisis. With jobs drying up and food running out, the past week saw a mass exodus of workers from across India who took to their foot to make long and arduous journeys home, even in the absence of public transport. While the exodus raised grave questions regarding the government's lack of preparedness for accomodating marginalised sections of the country during the lockdown, it also posed and continues to pose a severe threat to public safety by exacerbating the spread of the virus. With the government amping up efforts to contain the migrant worker crisis many politicians and members of civil society have come forward to help migrants and offer support. And on Wednesday, Tharoor took to Twitter to talk to migrant workers from Bengal living in Kerala in their own tongue - Bengali. My appeal in Bangla to Bengali migrant workers in Kerala not to leave the state under #Lockdown : pic.twitter.com/Wvgg78WiTR Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 1, 2020 Addressing the workers, the Kerala MP said, "I understand the conditions are tough. But you need to understand that at present, it is impossible to cross any state borders as all of them are closed". He added that the Kerala government has assured food, water and other supplies to migrant workers at this time of crisis. "It is my request to each one of you, wherever you are, just stay there," he added. The entire speech was read in Bangla. Though it seemed clear that the veteran Congress leader was reading from a script, the message won him a fair share of applause on social media. Many Bengali Twitter users complemented Tharoor's fluency in the language. Phod Diya. Wah. Daroon bangla sir. Rui maach er kalia khawabo aapna ke. Kaushik Burman (@kaushikburman) April 1, 2020 Such fluent Bangla.... impressed. Your English is legendary (without dictionary impossible to understand). Hindi is quite fantastic. And now Bangla.... just amazing. Terminator (@Termina54303923) April 1, 2020 His early years were in Bengal. More of a Bengali than a Malayali, at least till recently Jay Ambadi (@jay_ambadi) April 1, 2020 Some, however, chose to criticise the message, claiming not many migrant workers were following Tharoor on Twitter. However, Tharoor was quick to clarify that the message had actually been recorded at the behest of a media house which would be broadcasting the message on their platforms. Done at the request of @MalayalaManorma who will screen the message to the migrant workers in Kerala. #LockdownIndia21days Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 1, 2020 Tharoor is not the first politician to appeal to Bengali migrant workers in Kerala, many of whom took to streets in the past week to demand safe transport back to their home state. In wake of rising discontent, Trinamool's Member of Rajya Sabha Mahuna Moitra also appealed to the migrants to stay put. On March 26, Bengal Chief Minister wrote to the 18 state governments including Kerala under CM Pinarayi Vijayan, asking them to take care of migrant workers from Bengal. Meanwhile, several human rights violations have come to light in the wake of the mass migrant exodus. From being sprayed disinfectant to being punished, even death, migrants and daily wage workers are facing the worst of the coronavirus pandemic which has already claimed 38 lives. As the number of deaths from coronavirus passed the grim milestone of the toll of 9/11, the US stared at questions about its preparedness and the stark prospects of more than 100,000 people dying in the pandemic. After the top doctors dealing with the crisis displayed their statistical model for the pandemic's trajectory, President Donald Trump said at his briefing on Tuesday, "This is going to be a very painful, a very, very painful two weeks" when the coronavirus toll reaches its peak. The number of deaths reached 3,899 on Tuesday night, exceeding the 2,977 toll of ... The UK could already have had 1.8million coronavirus patients with one in every 37 people having caught the disease, according to scientists. In Spain a staggering one in every seven people - 7.5million citizens - are predicted to have had the COVID-19 illness already, along with 10 per cent of Italians. Researchers at Imperial College London, led by government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson, have studied coronavirus outbreaks across Europe to predict their true scales. Professor Ferguson has been one of the foremost British experts since the outbreak began and it was his work that persuaded the Government to order a lockdown. He and colleagues now suggest that an average of four per cent of people in 11 of the Europe's wealthiest countries have been infected - some 19million people. They made the predictions as an alternative to 'highly unrepresentative' official figures, which are based largely on tests done in hospitals. Many millions of people are believed to have caught the virus and recovered at home, putting the infection tolls in the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway considerably higher than the World Health Organization total of 366,000. Estimates from Imperial College London show 15 per cent of Spain's population may already have been infected with the coronavirus. Graph shows Imperial College's estimated infection rates (yellow bar) contrasted with each nations' current death rates - how many of those officially diagnosed can be expected to die (red bar) The Imperial College London team based their predictions on how many people have died in each country with COVID-19, and also the lockdown measures each place has put in and when they started them Professor Ferguson and his colleagues wrote in their report: 'The ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] provides information on confirmed cases and deaths attributable to COVID-19. 'However, the case data are highly unrepresentative of the incidence of infections due to underreporting as well as systematic and country-specific changes in testing. 'We, therefore, use only deaths attributable to COVID-19 in our model; we do not use the ECDC case estimates at all.' UK'S CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL 24% HIGHER WHEN NON-HOSPITAL VICTIMS INCLUDED The true death toll of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK could be 24 per cent higher than NHS figures show, according to statistics released today. Patients who had COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificates numbered 210 in England and Wales up to March 20, the Office for National Statistics revealed. This was 24 per cent higher than the 170 deaths recorded by NHS England and Public Health Wales during the same time frame. If the ratio has stayed true since that time, the true current number of fatalities could be around 1,739 instead of the official 1,408. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has launched a new data series adding in the numbers of people who have died with or after having COVID-19 in the community, including those who died in care homes or their own houses. Coronavirus was not necessarily the cause of death for every one of the patients, but was believed to have been a factor. The data does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland - up to March 20, eight people had died in the those countries (six in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland), suggesting the true figure could have been 10. Advertisement As well as considering how many people have died with the coronavirus in each country, the Imperial team also looked at what types of lockdown measures each country has brought in and when they started them. The stricter and the sooner they began, the smaller proportion of people are likely to have become infected. The country with the lowest estimated infections was Norway, where only 0.41 per cent of its 5.5million people are thought to have caught the coronavirus (approximately 22,400 people). In Germany the rate of infection was thought to be 0.72 per cent (577,000 people), according to the data which was estimated for March 28. Besides Spain and Italy, which had a combined estimate of around 13.6million people infected, no other country's toll was higher than four per cent. In Belgium it was thought to be 3.7 per cent (433,600 people); in Switzerland 3.2 per cent (269,000); Sweden 3.1 per cent (316,200); France 3 per cent (2.035million); UK 2.7 per cent (1.775m); Austria 1.1 per cent (97,400) and Denmark 1.1 per cent (64,500). The official number of cases recorded in all 11 countries in the research is just 365,734, by comparison. Writing in the paper, the team said: 'We estimate that there have been many more infections than are currently reported. 'The high level of under-ascertainment of infections that we estimate here is likely due to the focus on testing in hospital settings rather than in the community. 'Despite this, only a small minority of individuals in each country have been infected... 'Our estimates imply that the populations in Europe are not close to herd immunity (50-75%).' The paper by Imperial College intended to work out how effective lockdowns and social distancing measures would be at protecting people. It predicts that the lockdown in Italy - which has the highest death toll of any country in the world - may have saved 38,000 lives. The study has not been reviewed by other scientists or published in a journal. Huawei has warned that 2020 would be its most difficult year yet due to American trade restrictions which dealt a blow to its overseas sales in 2019, and predicted the Chinese government would retaliate against the United States. The world's largest maker of telecoms equipment issued the warning as it reported its weakest annual profit growth in three years. It said Beijing could hit back against US measures to restrict chip sales to Huawei, by restricting sales of American products in China and by shifting to alternative suppliers in China and South Korea. 'The Chinese government will not just stand by and watch Huawei be slaughtered on the chopping board,' Chairman Eric Xu told reporters at the launch of Huawei's annual report. Washington placed Huawei on a blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns, restricting sales of US-made goods to the company 'Why wouldn't the Chinese government ban the use of 5G chips or 5G chip-powered base stations, smartphones and other smart devices provided by American companies, for cybersecurity reasons?' The United States alleges the Chinese government could use Huawei's equipment to spy, an accusation rejected by the company. Washington placed Huawei on a blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns, restricting sales of US-made goods to the company. US President Donald Trump's administration is also preparing further measures that will seek to restrict the supply of chips to the company, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters this month. One of the sources said the rule-change is aimed at curbing sales of chips to Huawei by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest contract chip maker and a major producer of chips for Huawei's HiSilicon division. The Huawei logo emblazoned on the side of a corporate building at the headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China 'Even if this situation you mentioned happened, Huawei and also other Chinese companies can choose to buy chipsets from Samsung from Korea, MTK from Taiwan, and in China, and use those companies to develop chips,' Huawei's Xu said. Xu, however, predicted 2020 would be the most difficult year yet for the company because of the US measures and warned that further export restrictions could destroy global tech supply chains. Huawei Technologies said net profit for 2019 came in at 62.7 billion yuan ($8.9 billion), up 5.6% - its weakest growth in three years, and down from 25% jump a year earlier. Its carrier business, which includes 5G mobile network equipment, saw sales rise just 3.8%. Liang Hua, chairman of the board, said the company would have to adapt to the US restrictions as well as the coronavirus pandemic. Overall revenue rose 19% to 858.8 billion yuan, helped by a 34% jump in sales for its consumer business unit, which includes smartphones. That was mainly driven by China, where sales surged 36.2% to 506.7 billion yuan. In contrast, revenue from the Asia-Pacific region excluding China fell 13.9%, while in Europe and the Middle East sales grew just 0.7%. Huawei dominated smartphone sales in China, taking a 38.5% share of the market in 2019 compared with 27% a year earlier, according to research firm Canalys. This was in part due to a boost in nationalist sentiment after the company came under increasing pressure from the United States. It spent 15.3% of its revenue, or 131.7 billion yuan, in research and development last year. Cash flow from operating activities jumped by more than one fifth to 91.4 billion yuan, thanks to a strong performance in its home market. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram On March 19, 2020, government authorities at the Digital Economy Complex in Abuja, Nigeria, expelled journalists from the privately owned broadcaster Africa Independent Television who were preparing to cover an event attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, according to a statement by Daar Communications PLC, the broadcasters parent company. An official from the National Communications Commission, the countrys communications regulator, told several journalists comprising a reporting team for Africa Independent Television to leave the event, and the journalists complied, according to two reporters familiar with the situation, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. The official did not elaborate on why they were required to leave, and said the decision had come from above, despite the team being accredited to cover the event, the reporters said. The team was at the complex to cover the unveiling of Nigerias broadband plan, which Buhari attended, according to the statement. Africa Independent Television has previously faced opposition from government authorities; in June 2019, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, the countrys media regulator, suspended Daar Communications operating license over programming that allegedly constituted incitement, according to news reports. That suspension was revoked by court order soon afterwards, according to reports. Henry Nkemadu, spokesperson for the National Communications Commission, told CPJ via messaging app on March 23 that he would investigate the expulsion to determine what happened. On March 27, he told CPJ that he had not been able to identify the reason for the expulsion, as the officials he intended to question were inaccessible amid Nigerias COVID-19 lockdown. On March 24, authorities barred Africa Independent Television and other broadcasters from accessing Buharis presidential villa, citing fears of spreading the coronavirus, as CPJ documented at the time. Reached by phone on March 24, Garba Shehu, senior special adviser to the president on media and publicity, told CPJ that the president was not responsible for the expulsion. Shortly after President Trump touted chloroquine as a potential cure for COVID-19, the media triumphantly reported that a man had died from taking homemade chloroquine due to Trump's recommendation. It turned out that the man's wife fed him some fish tank cleaner. She even partook of it with him, except that he died while she didn't. As a dedicated murder mystery reader, I didn't blame Trump. My suspicions were focused elsewhere. It turns out that my instincts may have been right on the money. Here's the story the drive-by media didn't tell you: On March 20, President Trump expressed his hope that chloroquine (also prescribed as hydroxychloroquine) might be an effective way to treat COVID-19, especially when used in conjunction with Azithromycin, an antibiotic. The next day, he reiterated that hope in a tweet. Two days later, Axios reported, "Man dies after self-medicating with chloroquine phosphate." Axios articles have bullet points to guide readers. In the case of what was a brief, and seemingly bizarre, news squiblet, the bullet points said "Why it matters," "Worth noting," and "Go deeper." That last bullet point led readers to an article entitled "Trump touts drugs not yet approved by FDA for treating coronavirus." The reader could almost hear the Axios editors adding, "hint, hint." Sure enough, by March 24, the narrative was in place. President Trump was responsible for killing a man and almost killing a woman. Indeed, these narratives were not subtle. This NPR tweet is a stand-in for what all the media outlets were doing: Even as that lie was racing around the world, the truth was struggling to get out. In this case, the truth was that the couple hadn't taken chloroquine at all. Instead, they'd ingested a fish tank cleaner that had "chloroquine phosphate," a deadly chemical. Even though a fish tank cleaner has nothing to do with a long recognized and legal anti-malarial drug, the media and the woman herself pushed the anti-Trump narrative. Indeed, the woman explicitly condemned Trump: "Don't believe anything that the President says and his people." On March 28, I wrote a post for publication on March 29 about the fact that Trump was probably right about chloroquine's efficacy and that the media were almost certainly wrong when they rushed out to condemn it solely because he praised it. By the time I wrote that post, I'd been saying to friends for a couple of days that I didn't believe that anyone could be stupid enough to think eating fish tank cleaner with chloroquine phosphate is the same as getting a prescription for chloroquine from a doctor. Instead, I told my friends, look to Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers for answers. Both of those women wrote mysteries in which the killer also ingested small amounts of the poison to deflect attention. When I wrote the post, I included the same point I'd made to my friends, although I did it parenthetically. On the evidence available, I had a niggling gut feeling that stupidity didn't explain events: "In an Agatha Christie mystery, the truth would have been that the woman cleverly figured out how to kill her husband." By March 30, thanks to some excellent reporting from the Washington Free Beacon, there was more information about the woman who survived. Most people noted the fact that she was a fanatic anti-Trumper and "pro-science" person. In the post I wrote for publication on March 31, I obsessed about something different, which was the fact that the story didn't ring true: Either this couple was staggeringly stupid (which is, admittedly, a possibility) or, as he said, something doesn't compute. The whole thing reads like something out of a mystery novel, with the narrative being too pat: Trump is hopeful about a drug, a Trump-hating woman "spontaneously" decides that Trump explicitly recommended eating fish tank cleaner, her husband dies, and the media have a ready-made headline. No matter how you spin it, it's a fishy story, at best. Had I been keeping up with Techno Fog on Twitter, I wouldn't have been so delicate in my hints. It turns out that "Court records show the wife who fed her husband fish cleaner (poison?) has a history of mental illness (paranoia, depression) and had considered divorcing her husband as far back as 2012": Here's an excellent rule of thumb when navigating stories that are hostile to President Trump: assume that everything you hear is a lie, whether it's from the media or from the anti-Trump source about which the media is reporting. Also, you can learn a lot about human nature and sneaky crimes by reading murder mysteries. Incidentally, I'm with Techno Fog in that I'm not saying the woman committed a crime. I'm only saying the police should look closely at her actions. It's equally possible that her husband was simply a victim of a woman who is malignantly stupid. (Newser) Homeless people in Las Vegas have been directed to sleep in rectangles painted on the pavement in a makeshift parking lot camp as a way to limit the spread of the coronavirus, a move that is stirring outrage by some on social media. Former Obama administration housing chief Julian Castro suggested in a post on Twitter that the city's homeless should be temporarily placed in empty hotel rooms. Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted: "In Las Vegas, homeless people are sleeping on concrete floor of a parking lotsix feet apartwhile all the hotel rooms are empty." The white-lined patches of pavement were created by officials after a homeless shelter closed when a man staying there tested positive for the coronavirus, the AP reports. story continues below City officials said they decided to temporarily place the homeless in a parking lot of a multi-use facility rather than inside city buildings because officials planned to reserve them for potential hospital overflow space if needed. City spokesman Jace Radke said Tuesday that the open-air shelter was an "emergency situation" and the lot was chosen because the city already owned the property. Radke said 208 people slept at the parking lot shelter Monday night. In California, which has the nation's largest homeless population, Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged thousands of hotel rooms to help homeless people during the pandemic. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority did not immediately respond to an inquiry about current hotel room occupancy rates. (Read more Las Vegas stories.) Australian Medical Association Victorian president Julian Rait said the increased funding would make an enormous difference to the health sector's ability to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. "These measures are unprecedented but really very welcome," he said. The Premier said the $1.3 billion was in addition to the $500 million he announced last month to ensure Victoria had the capacity to treat "many thousands of patients". He said the spending was necessary to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which he hoped to avoid by people staying at home and "doing the right thing" to contain the spread of the coronavirus. "There will be nowhere near enough intensive care beds if this gets away from us. "No country in the world can have enough intensive care beds if this virus really takes hold and people have not done the right thing. "Weve got a long way to go and I know Im asking a lot of sacrifices across the community but it is a price worth paying because it is going to save lives nurses and doctors, the whole team, theyre making big sacrifices too so weve all got to play our part." The Health Department will look at converting acute beds into intensive care beds, while operating theatres will be turned into intensive care units. Mr Andrews said the government was not ruling out converting big spaces like the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre into a temporary intensive care unit. The time for leniency was over and anyone caught breaking stage-three restrictions could be fined, he said. Police have issued nine fines in 24 hours for breaches of Victorias coronavirus gathering and social-distancing rules. "That number may change overnight but that's my latest advice. The fines are steep. They are a very significant cost if you get caught and you will get caught if you are doing the wrong thing," Mr Andrews said. "But ultimately no gathering, no party, no choice that you make is worth someone else's life. It just isn't. Sadiq Khan has pleaded with Londoners to stay at home after alarming new pictures emerged of crowded Tube platforms. The mayor of London said there were still too many people refusing to abide by the coronavirus lockdown rules after he was shown footage of central line passengers cramming onto the platform at North Acton station on Tuesday. Mr Khan reiterated his call for people to travel only if absolutely necessary and to do so outside of the rush hour. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: There is a concern that still too many people who really, really should not be going to work are using public transport during the rush hour and the key message is unless you really have to get to work, work from home, and if you do have to go into work, please avoid the rush hour. Mr Khan said a large number of Transport for London staff are self-isolating or sick with Covid-19. But, he added, London has about 90 per cent of buses more than 8,000 on more than 600 routes still running to take critical workers to work. And 55 per cent of trains on lines run by TfL are running during rush hour. Mr Khan said there had been a 94 per cent reduction in Tube use on Tuesday compared to the same day in 2019 and an 85 per cent reduction in bus use. Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan branded the scenes at North Acton a death trap as he showed the ITV footage to Mr Khan on Wednesday morning. The clip shows a crowd of passengers emerging from the carriages of one train, before crossing to the other side of the platform to wait for another. A row erupted between the government and Mr Khan over Tube service levels last week after pictures emerged of crowded train carriages despite prime minister Boris Johnson imposing a UK lockdown. Communities secretary Robert Jenrick insisted more Tube trains should be running to prevent NHS workers travelling cheek by jowl with others during the coronavirus outbreak. His comments came following health secretary Matt Hancocks claim there was no good reason why timetables had been cut. But Mr Khan said growing numbers of TfL staff off sick or self-isolating meant more services could not be run. The Delhi-based headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin, south Delhi, has suddenly become the latest Covid-19 hotspot in the country. The alarm bells started ringing when a 65-year-old man from Kashmir died on March 26. He had attended a religious gathering at Nizamuddin sometime in mid-March, which saw a congregation of over 1,800 people, including many from foreign nations. Officially, 1,033 people have been evacuated from the seminary, 334 hospitalised and 700 quarantined; 24 who attended the meeting have tested positive for the virus and at least 10 have died. The authorities have sealed the seminarys premises and contact tracing efforts are underway. Many are questioning why so many people were allowed to gather at one place even after the PM ordered a nationwide lockdown from the midnight of March 24 and banned mass gatherings. The Jamaat has issued a detailed statement where it has underlined that it had got in touch with the authorities and sought their help in evacuating the stranded followers. It has said the country observed the janata curfew on March 22. The same day, the Centre suspended all passenger and suburban trains. This was followed by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ordering a citywide lockdown from March 23. Then on March 24, the PM announced a total lockdown. All these measures, the Jamaat has claimed, impeded attempts to clear out the seminary, prompting them to seek help. If this is true, then the Delhi government needs to answer many questions. Why did it not take immediate steps to address the situation? The Kejriwal government has written to the police, seeking an FIR against the religious outfit, but it needs to explain its own lapses. The Jamaat is also equally culpable. From early March itself, the MEA had started issuing guidelines and advisories, among them the mandatory home quarantine for those coming from abroad. Then on March 16, the Delhi government banned all congregations, religious or otherwise, of over 50 people. Why didnt the Jamaat heed these orders? It certainly cant escape blame. GREENWICH, Conn., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate (CounterpointeSRE), announced today the closing of four Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) transactions for a total of $15 million in financing through the California Statewide Communities Development Authority's (CSCDA) Open PACE program. The largest of the financings at $14.5 million will support energy efficiency, seismic strengthening and water conservation measures at a new multifamily property, which is being developed by LiveWorkCreate, a local development firm. Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate Located at 2870 West Olympic Blvd in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, the seven-story multifamily development will feature 126 units, ground floor retail, and a parking garage. Upgraded sustainability features are projected to reduce electricity consumption by 211.93 MWhs and reduce water consumption by 3,771,949 gallons with a greenhouse gas emission reduction estimated at 90.64 MTCO2e per year. The more-sustainable multifamily property is targeted for completion in 2022. The $14.5 million in C-PACE funding for 2870 West Olympic is being used to directly support energy-efficient infrastructure investments throughout the building, including building envelope, interior lighting (LEDs), HVAC, low flow fixtures and high-efficiency DHW. "To deliver this funding amidst the current public health crisis and resulting economic disruption is a testament to our commitment to clients and the fundamental ability for C-PACE financing to help strengthen a capital stack," stated Eric Alini, Managing Partner of Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate. "We thank James Hamill at the CSCDA and all those involved in this transaction for helping with logistics coordinating the recording and bond issuance turned out to be quite challenging and we are grateful for all those who mobilized during this period of business closures and social distancing," he remarked. Alini additionally affirmed that CounterpointeSRE would continue to fund energy-saving projects during the current period of economic disruption. In fact, the firm funded three additional PACE projects on the same day to provide financing for City of Los Angeles mandated retrofits. Beyond closing these multifamily deals, CounterpointeSRE is actively exploring how the firm can help provide financing to help office and other commercial properties prevent COVID-19 transmission, as well as add to the more than $56 million in capital it has provided to the healthcare sector in the last 9 months. About Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate (CounterpointeSRE) is a leading commercial real estate finance provider specializing in sustainable infrastructure improvements through PACE financing. Counterpointe Energy Partners LLC together with its subsidiaries including CounterpointeSRE is engaged in implementing, funding, managing and administering PACE programs and is a program administrator in Chicago, California and Florida. For more information, visit counterpointesre.com. Media Contact: Adam Moskowitz Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate 855 431 4400 Related Images 2870-w-olympic-blvd-rendering.jpg 2870 W. Olympic Blvd. (Rendering) SOURCE Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate Related Links https://www.counterpointesre.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Silvia Ognibene (Reuters) Florence, Italy Wed, April 1, 2020 12:30 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ed4230 2 World Chinese-communities,Chinese-citizens,Italy,coronavirus,novel-coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,infection Free In the storm of infection and death sweeping Italy, one big community stands out to health officials as remarkably unscathed -- the 50,000 ethnic Chinese who live in the town of Prato. Two months ago, the country's Chinese residents were the target of what Amnesty International described as shameful discrimination, the butt of insults and violent attack by people who feared they would spread the coronavirus through Italy. But in the Tuscan town of Prato, home to Italy's biggest single Chinese community, the opposite has been true. Once scapegoats, they are now held up by authorities as a model for early, strict adoption of infection-control measures. "We Italians feared that the Chinese of Prato were to be the problem. Instead, they did much better than us," said Renzo Berti, top state health official for the area, which includes Florence. "Among Chinese resident in Prato there isn't even one case of COVID contagion," he said, referring to COVID-19, which has killed almost 12,000 people in Italy, more than in any other country. Ethnic Chinese make up about a quarter of Prato's population, but Berti credits them with bringing down the entire town's infection rate to almost half the Italian average -- 62 cases per 100,000 inhabitants versus 115 for the country. Prato's Chinese community, built originally around the textile industry, went into lockdown from the end of January, three weeks before Italy's first recorded infection. Many were returning from new year holidays in China, the then epicenter. They knew what was coming and spread the word: stay home. So as Italians headed to the ski slopes and crowded into cafes and bars as normal, the Chinese inhabitants of Prato had seemingly disappeared. Its streets, still festooned with Chinese New Year decorations, were semi-deserted, shops shuttered. There is some anecdotal evidence that Chinese people elsewhere in Italy took similar precautions, though national data on infection rates among the community is unavailable. The health ministry did not respond to an email seeking comment. Milan restaurateur Francesco Wu, a representative of Italian business lobby Confcommercio, said he urged Italian counterparts in February to shut down their businesses, as he had done. "Most of them looked at me like a Cassandra," he said. "No one could believe it was happening here ... Now Troy is burning and we are all locked inside." 'Italian friends looked at me oddly' When Chinese-born businessman Luca Zhou flew home from China on Feb. 4 to rejoin his wife and 28-year-old son in Prato, he put himself straight into quarantine in his bedroom for 14 days, separated from his wife and son. "We had seen what was happening in China and we were afraid for ourselves, our families and our friends," said the 56-year-old, who has a business exporting Italian wine to China. After emerging from his self-quarantine, he ventured outside in mask and gloves. He said the few other Chinese on the streets also wore them, anxious not to spread the virus to others. "My Italian friends looked at me oddly. I tried many times to explain to them that they should wear them ... but they didn't understand," Luca said. "When I came back to Prato, no Italian authority told me anything. We did it all by ourselves. If we had not done it, we would all be infected, Chinese and Italians." Italy was one of the first nations to cut air links with China, on Jan. 31, though many of its Chinese residents found their way home via third countries. On Feb. 8, almost a month before closing all schools, it offered students returning from holidays in China the right to stop attending classes. "In Prato, there was a boom in take-up," said local health director Berti, saying families had been obliged to contact his authority if they wanted to pursue this option. It was then that he began to realize how differently the Chinese were behaving. More than 360 families, or around 1,300 people, registered as having put themselves into self-isolation and also signed up to his authority's health surveillance scheme, which monitored symptoms remotely and communicated with them in Chinese. As Italian infections began to take off in late February and early March, some families, many of whom retain Chinese citizenship, even began sending children to relatives in China, alarmed at the attitude and behavior of Italians around them. Another who went into self-isolation after returning home from China was 23-year-old university student Chiara Zheng. "I was conscious of the gravity of the situation. I felt a duty to do it for other people and those close to me." TDT | Manama The House of Representatives unanimously approved yesterday an urgent draft-law to withdraw BD215million from the unemployment fund to pay for the salaries of Bahrainis in the private sector for three months (April to June). The move is part of measures accompanying the BD4.3billion stimulus package approved in accordance with the Royal directives to unify national efforts to confront the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the local level, and to protect the health and safety of the citizens and residents. During the discussion of the draft-law, members of the council called for the inclusion of self-employed citizens, professionals and craftsmen. The draft law now goes to the Shura Council Chamber for Services Committee to discuss with government officials to draft out a report. This will then be added to the agenda of the weekly Shura Council session for all members to debate and pass their votes. Once approved, it goes to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for ratification. The draft law follows constitutional procedures in line with the Social Insurance Law. The governments BD4.3billion stimulus package will maintain the continuity of the governments programmes and work to achieve sustainable development. It is in line with the decisions of the government, led by His Majesty the King, HRH the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier. The package will provide the necessary liquidity for the private sector to address the effects of the current situation, combat COVID-19, and maintain sustainable development. Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos provides the keynote address at the Air Force Association's Annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Oxen Hill, MD, on September 19, 2018. A group of New York legislators, top unions and Amazon employees wrote a letter to CEO Jeff Bezos Wednesday calling on him to enact greater protections for warehouse employees who continue to work during the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to Bezos, the 45 New York lawmakers, advocacy group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and several unions, including AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, called on Bezos to better protect warehouse workers. "You claim to have adopted a number of practices to sanitize worksites and protect workers," the letter says. "But a compelling number of workers have come forward -- and even run the incredible personal risk of walking off the job -- to report that the actual situation in warehouses does not match Amazon's public relations statements. Your workers deserve to have full protections and to be confident that they are not carrying COVID-19 home to their families." An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the group's accusations are "unfounded." The spokesperson added that the company has implemented a "broad suite" of new benefits changes for employees since the pandemic unfolded and put in place a number of new safety measures at its facilities to protect employees. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our teams," the spokesperson said. "Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with health authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve customers while taking care of our associates and teams." As Vietnamese are asked to embrace social distancing to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City has come up with an ingenious idea to keep their business running while ensuring safety for employees and customers. On Tuesday last week, the Ho Chi Minh City administration issued a directive asking all catering businesses with a capacity of 30 customers or more to temporarily cease operation through the end of March. Four days later, the citys Food Safety Management Board continued to request local catering businesses to temporarily offer takeaways only. An employee looks at an announcement for takeaway service only posted on the door of a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre In addition, the Vietnamese prime minister on Tuesday ordered nationwide social distancing to be in place from April 1 to 15, effectively banning all public gatherings of more than two people in public spaces. Residents are asked to keep a minimum distance of two meters from others in social interaction. To maintain its operation while complying with the social distancing order, a coffee shop on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City has used a fishing rod to hand drinks to customers. Consumers are requested to stand at designated spots, marked by stickers on the ground, to make sure takeaway buyers are generously spaced from others while making or waiting to collect their orders. A fishing rod is utilized to hand finished orders to customers, making sure a safe distance is maintained between them and the staff at all times. A staff member hooks a cup of drinks to a fishing rod before delivering it to customers at a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre Hoang Tien, 28, owner of the coffee shop, said the fishing rod does not only make customers feel safer but also brings them some much needed comic relief during these stressful times. Two customers are seen standing away from each other at designated spots while waiting to pick up their drinks at a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre Meanwhile, a vegan storefront on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in District 11 has also put up a sign asking for customers understanding and cooperation by standing away from the food counter while placing orders. The place promises to give face masks for free to customers who do not have one. Please cooperate with us for a great meal. We are sorry for all the inconvenience, reads the announcement written with chalk on the blackboard sign. A chalkboard sign reminding customers to practice social distancing is seen outside a vegan storefront in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in this supplied photo. A com tam (broken rice with grilled pork) restaurant on Ung Van Khiem Street in Binh Thanh District is also spotted with chairs designated for customers to sit while waiting to pick up their orders. Each chair is set up around 1.5-2 meters away from others. The place has also prepared free hand sanitizer for its customers. Customers and food delivery bikers are seen seated at a distance from each other on designated chairs at a restaurant on Ung Van Khiem Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre Customers and food delivery bikers are seen seated at a distance from each other on designated chairs at a restaurant on Ung Van Khiem Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre A bottle of hand sanitizer is available for public use at a restaurant on Ung Van Khiem Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre A food delivery biker cleans his hands with alcohol-based hand rub at a restaurant on Ung Van Khiem Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 29, 2020. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The condition set by the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia to stop politicizing the COVID-19 has been met as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his 98 staff have tested negative for the novel Coronavirus. They have undergone test for the novel Coronavirus and results indicate that they are all negative. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on Tuesday, strongly asserted that the NDC will forever politicize the deadly pandemic, since they believe the Nana Addo-led government is being untruthful to Ghanaians. According to him, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and some of his appointees were all exposed to the virus after their recent visit to Norway, and could be infected. I really don't understand this call not to politicize . . . governance itself is politics; so there is no way to delink politics from governance matters . . . and COVID-19 . . . " . . We [NDC] will not stop politicizing the issues until Nana Addo and his appointees are tested and make public their result just as other leaders in the world are doing. They are all exposed to the virus . . . the government cannot say our first case was recorded on March 12th. It is a palpable falsehood if government claims so . . . because evidence abounds that it was way back before that (in February) . . . , he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. But on Wednesday, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah briefing the media on the Coronavirus noted that as part of protocols, government officials who are leading the crusade against the COVID-19 have all undergone the testing. He mentioned that the Minister of Health, Hon. Kweku Agyeman-Manu, the Local Government Minister, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and other frontline officials like Dr. Nsiah-Asare, Dr. Badu Sarkodie and Dr. Patrick Aboagye. Confirming that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his 98 staff have tested negative to the COVID-19, Dr. Patrina Takyi-Ankrah, the President's Personal Physician on the same platform hinted that the "President on his birthday was tested including his 98 staff and the results came out negative". The Information Minister, however, indicated that the "testing will be extended to other ministers to ascertain their status" in terms of the novel Coronavirus to help in the combat of the global pandemic. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/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 Chinese Ambassador to India said that both sides should adhere to the basic judgment that Beijing and New Delhi pose no threat but offer development opportunity to each other. He shared an address to mark the 70 years of diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Beijing. Chinas Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said that both countries shoulder the historical mission of national rejuvenation. India and China play a leading role in the collective rise of developing countries and inject important and strong momentum into the profound changes of the world unseen in the century, said Weidong in the address posted on social media. Today marks #70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties b/t #China & #India. At this moment, it's imperative to recall original aspiration, carry forward spirit of good-neighborly friendship, explore on how to coexist with each other between major neighboring countries. pic.twitter.com/1YX3ge3m43 Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) April 1, 2020 The Chinese Ambassador said that it is particularly imperative to recall the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations 70 years ago. He pressed on the need to carry forward the spirit of good-neighbourly friendship and explore the way of co-existence. The 54-year-old diplomat the bilateral relations with India stand at a new starting point and usher in new opportunities as both countries fight the common threat of a pandemic. We should seek wisdom from the thousand of years of our two civilisations to explore a way for major neighbouring countries to get along with each other, said Weidong. Read: COVID-19: Manoj Muntashir Compares India's Cases To Pak, Says 'Doing Great Job As Nation' The Chinese envoy emphasised on enhancing mutual trust and cooperation, managing differences and seeking common development. He said that mutual trust is the foundation and only through mutual respect, consultation on equal footing, and openness can the two sides correctly view each others development intentions. Weidong highlighted the necessity to deepen the basic judgment that China and India are partners rather than rivals, representing opportunities rather than threats to each other. Read: WWE Confirms India As No.1 Market In The World For Official YouTube And Facebook Pages 'Dragon-elephant tango' China's diplomat called upon both countries to take the dragon-elephant tango on a glorious journey in the next 70 years and said that asserted that the ongoing battle against the coronavirus can be handled and won with solidarity. He said that the two sides actively seek the convergence of interest, seize all opportunities for cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results by making the pie of cooperation even bigger. Read: Chinese Donation With Coronavirus PPEs & Ventilators Arrives As 'China Stands With India' Read: Snapdeal Boss Kunal Bahl Frustrated As China's Wet Markets Reopen While World Fights COVID Efforts were on to trace around 160 people among the over 1,000 from Telangana who attended the Tablighi jamat congregation in Delhi last month, the state government said on Wednesday. All but 160 people have been identified and all of them would be tested for coronavirus, state Health Minister E Rajender said. He also said community transmission of the virus has not taken place in the state, which has 77 active cases as of Tuesday. The Telangana government has been working proactively to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Minister said in a release. It was the state which gave information to the Centre about the Markaz (religious congregation) in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital, which has turned out to be a hotspot for the spread of the infection, he added. So far, six people who attended the Delhi event have died due to the coronavirus in Telangana. The Minister said two persons, who tested positive for the virus, would be discharged from a state-run hospital soon. He also said 10 people, who have been undergoing treatment for COVID-19, tested negative for the virus in the initial test. They would be tested again before being discharged, he said adding all those returning home should be in self- quarantine for 14 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The indiatimes.com privacy policy has been updated to align with the new data regulations in European Union. Please review and accept these changes below to continue using the website. We use cookies to ensure the best experience for you on our website. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Blue Thunder Mining Inc. (TSXV: BLUE) ("Blue Thunder" or "the Company") is pleased to announce several key management and Board of Director changes to strengthen the company's expertise to accelerate growth in gold mineral assets in 2020 and beyond. Robert Cinits has been appointed as President, Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Director of the Company, effective April 1, 2020. Chad Williams, formerly CEO and Chairman of the Company, has been appointed Executive Chairman and will remain a Director of Blue Thunder. Drew Anwyll has voluntarily stepped down as President to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Cinits, who has served as a Technical Advisor to the Company since November 2019, brings a wealth of technical experience to the role with over three decades of mining and exploration experience. Robert is a professional economic geologist and business development executive, who has spent the past 12 years in senior management roles. He has been involved in the exploration, development and M&A reviews of precious and base metal projects in approximately 20 countries and has a strong background in project management and evaluation, exploration program design and evaluation and execution of M&A opportunities. Mr. Cinits was previously with Entree Resources in several roles, most recently as Vice President of Corporate Development and with Mason Resources as COO, prior to their takeover by HudBay Minerals. Prior to this, Mr. Cinits was the COO for Mincore Inc., a private exploration company advancing a base metal project in Mexico. In addition, he also headed the mining and geology team in Lima, Peru for AMEC Americas, a large UK-based consulting company and started and ran a South American (Chile) office for A.C.A. Howe International Consultants. Mr. Cinits holds a B.Sc. in geology from the University of Toronto and is a Professional Geologist ("P.Geo") registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Orin Baranowsky as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and Corporate Secretary, effective April 1, 2020. Mr. Baranowsky replaces Ryan Webster, who has voluntarily stepped down to pursue other opportunities effective March 31, 2020. Mr. Baranowsky is a mining executive with more than 20 years of finance and capital markets experience. Most recently, he was the Chief Financial Officer for Stornoway Diamond Corporation, where he led the finance, accounting, corporate development, investor relations and IT functions for the company. He previously served as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development and Director, Investor Relations for Stornoway; as Vice President of Investor Relations for CB Gold Inc.; and spent more than 10 years as an Equities Analyst for BMO Capital Markets. Mr. Baranowsky is a CFA Charterholder and holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. Blue Thunder CEO and Chairman Chad Williams commented, "Having Robert and Orin come on board as the new CEO and CFO respectively, is part of an exciting transition for Blue Thunder, as we formalize plans to grow the Company and accelerate exploration at our Muus gold project near Chibougamau, Quebec. Robert's strong technical background and experience in corporate development combined with Orin's strong background in finance and capital markets will be a tremendous asset for us during the next stages of the Company's growth. On behalf of the Board, I am extremely pleased to welcome both Rob and Orin to our executive team." Arv Gupta has submitted his resignation as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Williams goes on to comment, "On behalf of the entire Blue Thunder team, I would like to thank Ryan, Drew and Arv for their incredibly valuable contributions to Blue Thunder as the Company made the transition from a private company to its current status as a publicly traded company on the TSXV. I personally want to sincerely thank each of them for their hard work, dedication and professionalism over the period that they were involved with the Company and we wish them all the best with their future endeavours." Corporate Update in Relation to the Coronavirus Outbreak ("COVID-19") In a response to the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the Quebec Government recently issued a directive that all non-essential businesses, including mineral exploration, must temporarily suspend operations from March 25, 2020 until at least April 13, 2020. Blue Thunder had yet to initiate the field portion of our exploration program and therefore the Company's programs are not immediately affected. However, if the directive's end is extended significantly the Company may need to re-evaluate the timing of field programs and other activities and will update our shareholders at that time. Importantly, and helping to offset some of the aspects of this directive, the Quebec government is considering providing certain incentives such as deferring claim costs for a period of time. We are watching developments in Quebec closely as they relate to mineral exploration and will report on any further announcements at the appropriate time. The health and safety of our staff, contractors and our community are of utmost importance to the Company and we are adhering to a work from home policy for our employees, contractors and partners until further notice. Conference Call Blue Thunder Management will host a webcast on April 2, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. to discuss the recent management changes. This webcast may be accessed at: http://www.gowebcasting.com/10590 A recording of the webcast will be made available on Blue Thunder's website https://www.bluethundermining.com/ About Blue Thunder Blue Thunder (TSXV: BLUE) is a gold exploration company that controls 100% of a large land position near Chibougamau, Quebec. The Muus Project covers approximately 48,500 hectares in three separate blocks of prospective ground in the eastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The Project is considered particularly prospective for gold mineralization, as a series of prominent ductile and brittle fault-sets transect the Property, including the Guercheville Deformation Zone, which is associated with numerous past and currently producing precious- and base-metal mines in the District.] ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Chad Williams Executive Chairman Blue Thunder Mining Inc. 105 King Street East, 2nd Floor Toronto, Ontario M5C 1G6 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release about the transaction; and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward-looking information". Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company, at the time it was made, involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the companies to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to the completion of the transactions described herein. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the parties cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither party nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. Neither party undertakes, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54042 Horizon Bank is contributing $250,000 toward financial relief for people whose lives have been disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Michigan City-based bank, which is the third largest in Northwest Indiana by market share, previously announced it is donating $10,000 to the United Way of LaPorte County's COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide assistance to those affected by the rapidly escalating public health crisis. Horizon Bank now said it will give a quarter million dollars to help people in Indiana and Michigan, the two states its serves, who are suffering financial hardship caused by the widespread shutdowns meant to slow the deadly virus. More than 5% of working Hoosiers lost their jobs or were furloughed in March, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The bank will help by giving money to area United Ways, food banks, and nonprofits that provide rental assistance. ROME, April 1 (Reuters) - Italy's Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said on Wednesday that the business lobby's forecast of a 6% fall in gross domestic product due to the coronavirus emergency this year is realistic. "Unfortunately the estimates are realistic... at the same time we can say that (the Italian economy) can aim at a vigorous rebound," Gualtieri told daily Il Fatto Quotidiano in an interview. The minister also said the use of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to combat the crisis linked to the infectious disease, under current conditions, was not an option but that Europe needed a shared fiscal policy as well as "new solutions to define an adequate, shared response". (Reporting by Giulia Segreti Editing by Shri Navaratnam) Click here to read the full article. On a recent winter day, Jane Fonda pops out of a side room, looking every bit the Hollywood celebrity-activist that Trumpistas hate. The blond hair someone once described as needing its own agent is perfect, and her white blouse is stylish. She cradles her lapdog Tulea in her arms. We are at the Wing, a womens workplace in West Hollywood, for a talk on the climate crisis. It doesnt seem like Tulea has a speaking role. More from Rolling Stone Instead, Fonda hands her to a friend and sits on a stool near a microphone with climate activist Lauren Davis. The 500 or so women and four men give her an ovation. Fonda smiles and then does something contrary to the movie-star stereotype: She drops serious knowledge. Im more scared because, on a granular level, things are starting to unravel, says Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner. She then makes a persuasive argument for cutting emissions by 50 percent in the next 10 years because, well, we really have no choice. And if we dont? There will be 200 million climate refugees. She pauses for a moment. And we now have a migration program that says nobody can come in. When you go home tonight, just lie in bed and imagine what this means. Fonda has been an activist for 50 years, starting with the anti-war movement. Along the way she has advocated for female reproductive rights, opposed the Iraq War, and stood in solidarity with Native Americans at Standing Rock. Her journey began while she was living in Paris in the 1960s, dissatisfied with her life as wife to libertine French director Roger Vadim. She knew next to nothing about the Vietnam War, but what she saw horrified her. So she read Jonathan Schells The Village of Ben Suc, an account of the erasing of a Vietnamese village by American troops. That led to full-time activism involving Fonda being smuggled into American bases to meet with anti-war soldiers and then traveling to North Vietnam, where two weeks of productive work was reduced to her being labeled Hanoi Jane when she was photographed smiling while sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. Fonda was labeled a traitor, with conservatives calling for her to be charged with treason. Story continues Her path to environmentalism has been similar. She says she was rejuvenated by her friend Naomi Kleins On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal and was, once again, horrified. There arent two sides to this story anymore, says Fonda as the women sit silent. Ninety-seven percent of the climate scientists agree that we are facing a potential catastrophe. But theres hope that we can do something about it. Fonda is fond of the grand gesture e.g., her Hanoi trip so she called her friend Annie Leonard, the director of Greenpeace. Now 82, Fonda offered to camp for a year in front of the White House. Leonard politely declined, but worked with Fonda on a different direction. Inspired by Greta Thunbergs School Strike for Climate Fridays, Fonda came up with the idea of Fire Drill Fridays, where activists would protest against a different climate calamity whether it be new fossil-fuel licenses or the proliferation of plastics in our oceans that would end with civil disobedience. Fonda went out and bought a stylish red coat so she could serve as the beacon of the fire drills. Its the last new item of clothing Im ever going to buy, Fonda tells me. Well, except for maybe underwear. What started as a small protest transformed into a minor phenomenon in a few months. She told newbies to eat a good meal before arrest because there was no telling how long they might be held. Fonda was arrested five times The plastic handcuffs are much less comfortable than the old kind and found herself in holding cells with Americans a third her age, from every background. Soon, Fonda had stars like Joaquin Phoenix asking to join. It also broke Fonda out of a psychological funk. The minute that I got to D.C. and started meeting with all of these activists, and some of them were 13 years old, the depression and the anxiety went away, Fonda says. I never really realized so directly how much that affects me. After the talk, Fonda strokes Tulea and sits in a plush white chair with a view of Santa Monica Boulevard. I want to give her a moment to catch her breath, but she jumps right in. I cant tell if Fonda is joking when she mentions asking Netflix exec Ted Sarandos if they could delay shooting the last season of Grace and Frankie, her comedy with Lily Tomlin, for more activism. He said the contracts had already been signed, Fonda deadpans. Then she smiles. Im back here now in L.A., and its business as usual, and Im going to work. But Im still doing marches, so I havent sunk back into depression. Fondas activism isnt generic; she is working for specific changes. She was scheduled later in the week to meet with California Gov. Gavin Newsom to push for the banning of fracking and closing oil wells that are within 2,500 feet of residences. She is also advocating for California to stop issuing new fossil-fuel exploration permits, reasoning that if California weans itself off gasoline, its not much of a victory if the state just starts exporting oil to developing countries or converting petroleum into more soda bottles. Exxon recently said publicly, Our future is in plastic, says Fonda. If you could read what Ive been reading about what plastic is doing to the ocean, you would not sleep anymore. Despite her legendary career, Fonda has often talked about her need for male approval, ranging from her father, Henry Fonda, to her three husbands, including the tycoon Ted Turner and the late activist Tom Hayden. I feel that Im liberated from the men in my life, says Fonda, although she still finds herself wondering, What would Tom say? about Fire Drill Fridays. Regarding her age and gender, Fonda has a sharp rejoinder. I realized during these four months, two-thirds of the people were women. And the women tended to be older women, because what the fuck do we have to lose? She insists that after Grace and Frankie wraps she is going to take two years off to just fight the climate crisis. Ill be almost 84. I dont know what kind of parts I could get at that age, so I may never work again. I dont know. I remind Fonda that she has described 1968, with the Tet Offensive and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, as apocalyptic. Does she feel that same way now? Fonda answers simply, which is not her nature. Way worse, she says. Were living at a time thats never happened before. Humankind has never been faced with global catastrophe. A few days later, on a sunny L.A. day that could delude you into thinking all is fine with the world, Fonda is outside City Hall in her red coat and red hat. She gives 97-year-old Norman Lear a hug and waves to Joaquin Phoenix, who is here for the first California Fire Drill Friday. She speaks against a backdrop of anti-fracking and fossil-fuel posters, and one guy waving a Hanoi Jane Lock Her Up sign. Fonda doesnt see or doesnt care. Her voice quavers with emotion. Oh, my God, I keep looking around and seeing faces of people I love so much, she says. She doesnt remain sentimental for long. She hits her point on California being the front line for climate change. We can have all the solar panels in the world, but if we allow fossil-fuel companies to continue to drill, were going to cancel out all the gains we make with renewable energy. She then leads the crowd on a march to Maverick Natural Resources, which operates a large number of California oil-and-gas wells. They take over the lobby, and Fonda proclaims, We are here at Maverick to send a message to California leadership that we need to choose our communities over fossil-fuel companies. Between marches and speeches, I ask her what keeps her protesting in the face of Trump, advancing years, and the billions that corporations spend to thwart progress. You just have to go on. Its funny, because I look back at all the people that wanted to kill me, says Fonda with a sly grin. People who tried to pass resolutions to keep me from going into their state, Nixon who wanted to get me on treason. Where are they now? She points straight forward with her hand as if issuing a command. Youve got to take a leap of faith. Fire Drill Fridays, along with Greenpeace USA, is now holding virtual rallies. The first one is scheduled for Friday, April 3. Fonda will be joined by friends, activists, indigenous leaders, and climate experts. Text Jane to 877877 to find out more information. Best of Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The brands, including Kim Kardashian's brand Skims, who are donating proceeds to help the fight against the coronavirus. (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. In the wake of the current coronavirus pandemic, numerous brands have found inventive, generous ways of giving back. Huge fashion houses such as Burberry and Dior have started production of protective gowns and masks, meanwhile, beauty brands including L'Occitane, Boots and 111SKIN have sent much-needed toiletries, hand cream and sanitiser to NHS staff. Numerous other fashion and beauty brands have also given customers a way to help the coronavirus cause from home by donating part of their profits from each sale to a charity currently supporting front-line staff and those negatively impacted by the crisis - such as food banks. From Kim Kardashians shapewear brand, Skims, donating 20% of the net profits from its Cotton Collection to Baby2Babys, to pre-loved website Vestiaire Collective partnering with celebrities including Kate Moss to auction items from their wardrobes for local charities. Heres a round-up of brands that are using their platforms and profits, to give to those in need during the coronavirus outbreak. Brands donating proceeds to support the fight against COVID-19 Crocs | Shop here Crocs is known for its signature Classic Clogs, which are worn by people of all ages, in the garden, in hospitals as well as in the home and shopping. The footwear brand is urging shoppers to get on board and show their support to healthcare workers by donating 10 with every purchase, or contributing 10 to give a pair of Crocs to key workers during this difficult time. For every contribution made, Crocs will send a pair of supportive shoes directly to frontline workers who need them the most. ASOS | Shop here ASOS has launched a limited edition collection of unisex t-shirts and hoodies with Heroes emblazoned on the front, all of which come in sizes small to extra large. Story continues All of the profits made from the sales of this range will be matched by ASOS and donated to ASOS local UK hospitals to help key workers. Casetify | Shop here Casetify's UV Sanitiser kills 99.9% of germs on your phone. Other than supplying a truly helpful product at a time like this, the brand is donating 100% of proceeds from this sanitizer to GlobalGiving's Coronavirus Relief Fund, sending medical responders, essential supplies and food to communities in need. Everlane | Shop here The sustainable fashion brand is donating all profits from its 100% Human collection to Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund, which provides supplies to food banks across the country. Plus, theyre offering 25% off across the site right now to encourage you to buy while it helps. Missoma | Shop here Missoma recently launched an initiative to support those working on the frontline by gifting 50 NHS workers in the UK an engraved gold pendant. This received such a positive response the British jewellery brand has launched the 18 carat gold necklace, which has hands clapping engraved on the disc, as a limited edition piece, and 100% of profits from the accessory will be donated to NHS Charities Together. Skims | Shop here Kim Kardashian Wests popular shapewear brand is donating 20% of the net profits from its Cotton Collection to Baby2Babys COVID19 emergency response programme. Vestiaire Collective | Shop here This preloved, high-end fashion website are partnering with some of their most fashionable friends - including Kate Moss - to sell pieces from their wardrobes, with all of the proceeds being donated to local charities. Vestiaire Collectives founders are supporting charities across France (where they are based), but are also working with other organisations across the world, such as the World Health Organisation. Share The Light | Shop here The #sharethelight candle concept was created by London based interior designer Jenny Allan and her team to raise vital funds for the National Emergencies Trust and NHS Charities Together as well as offer a mental health boost to anyone who receives one. Each candle costs 9.99 with profits to be split between the two charities. Sandro | Shop here The high-end fashion brand will be launching both and womens and menswear t-shirts in the coming weeks, with 100% of the benefits going to the Red Cross to support them during this crisis. Linda Farrow | Shop here The luxury sunglasses and glasses designer will be donating 10% of their global online sales from a seasonal edit to the NHS to support them during this difficult period. Pai Skincare | Shop here Pai Skincares designed their hand sanitiser formula in just two days in order to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent anti-bacterial gel shortage. For every sale of their 9 Acton Hand Sanitiser, an NHS frontline worker, care home, homeless charity or beauty bank will receive a donation of Acton Spirit too. Naturae Sacra | Shop here They say charity starts at home and this handbag brand have taken that to heart. With each order, customers will receive a Package of Hope which includes items to help with anxiety from water paint, brushes, white canvas, a USV drive with curated music accordingly to Naturaes tone of voice and DNA, soap and a portrait of the person that is going to receive this package. Lisou | Shop here The bright and bold womenswear brand will be making a donation to the Royal College of Nursing Foundation to provide hardship grants for nurses who may be unable to work themselves due to infection or whose families may fall ill. In addition to this they will be donating 20% of profits of all sales for three months from 23rd March to the RCN Foundation COVID-19 Support Fund. Not Just Clothing | Shop here Given that this brands ethos is all about creating ethical and sustainable products that drive positive social impact, its unsurprising that they are doing what they can to help during the pandemic. 5 from every sale will be donated to the Trussell Trust, a nationwide network of food banks providing emergency food and support to societys most vulnerable. DAME | Shop here This period product brand designed the worlds first reusable tampon applicator and specialises in organic tampons that are better for your body and the planet. Its latest campaign stays true to these credentials, as it announced this week it will be donating free tampons to NHS healthcare workers. All you have to do is email hello@wearedame.co from your NHS email to receive a tampon delivery order - make sure to pass along the details to your medical friends and family. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Wed, April 1, 2020 15:06 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee1250 1 Art & Culture Bali-Arts-Festival,arts-and-culture,art-festival,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free Bali has decided to cancel a month-long festival, the 42nd Bali Arts Festival, as a result of COVID-19. This is the first cancellation of the event, Balis biggest annual arts festival, since it was first held 42 years ago. The decision was made after Bali declared a state of emergency on Monday. I Wayan Adnyana, head of the Bali Cultural Agency, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the decision was made after discussions and meetings were held with many stakeholders, including regents and mayors across the island. After hearing input and carrying out discussions, Bali Governor [Wayan Koster] decided to cancel the Bali Arts Festival this year. The festival would take place next year, he said. The Bali Arts Festival was initially scheduled to run from June 13 to July 11, featuring Balinese arts and culture. Tens of thousands of Balinese artists were to take part in the festival. The festival was first held in 1979 when then-governor Ida Bagus Mantra approved funding dedicated to promoting local culture. Along with art performances, the festival also typically features an art and handicraft exhibition, workshops, seminars, competitions and culinary events featuring authentic Balinese cuisine. Read also: Bali's The Nusa Dua improves safety measures amid pandemic It would be impossible to hold the festival, Adnyana said, as Bali's state of emergency ends May 29. During the emergency status, we would not be able to prepare. Moreover, we never know when the pandemic will end. The emergency status may be extended, he said. Adnyana said that slowing the spread of COVID-19 was more important than holding the festival. It is too risky to hold the festival now. It's also impossible to implement social distancing at the festival, he said. Bali Arts Festival was slated to begin with art events across several regencies and cities in Bali. As participants would have had to practice for the festival, Adnyana feared that gatherings of people would pose a great risk. Bali declared a state of emergency by imposing stricter measures on visitors in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to climb locally. The famous resort island is tightening checks at entrance gates and enforcing a 14-day self-quarantine for all who enter. Nine new cases eight Indonesians and one foreign national were recorded in Bali on Monday, bringing the tally to 19. (wng) Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Today, the illegal armed formations have carried out two attacks at Ukrainian positions The activity of Donbas militants indicates that they perceive the global threat of the coronavirus as a favorable time for escalation. This was stated by Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine shares the concerns of our French and German partners about the lack of progress in the peace settlement process in Donbas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which were expressed in a joint statement that was made the foreign ministers of these countries on March 30," the message reads. On that day, one Ukrainian soldier was killed by a sniper in Donbas, and three soldiers were wounded. "Ukraine's Foreign Ministry together with Germany and France urge the Russian Federation as a party to the international armed conflict to immediately fulfill its security obligations under the Minsk agreements, in particular, to ensure a permanent ceasefire in Donbas," the statement said. As we reported earlier, the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic (DNR) suggested holding an exchange of prisoners with Ukraine via "10 for 8" formula. "The Donetsk Peoples Republic insists on the swiftest exchange due to the complicated epidemiological situation in the world. For this reason, on March 26, during the meeting of Tripartite Contact Group, we put forward a proposal to exchange according to the 10 for 8 formula. The Ukrainian side flatly rejected our offer," DNR's Ombudsman Darina Morozova said. In Britain, researchers said the disease had advanced so fast that it was already pointless to use survey results to steer tests for the virus; rather, the results are helping pinpoint where ventilators and mobile intensive-care units should be positioned, according to Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College, London. I liken this to a radar, he said. Two weeks before the bombs get dropped, you can actually work out whats going to happen not based on what happened in China, but actually seeing whats happening on the ground here. Thats whats going to save lives: the fact that you can plan where to put your mobile I.C.U.s. Dr. Spector, the director of the TwinsUK Registry, a nationwide research cohort of 15,000 twins, rolled out the British survey to that group on March 24, and it spread by word of mouth. Within five days, he said, the tally of unique participants had surpassed two million, with the Covid Symptom Tracker app jumping to the No. 1 health-related download in Britain's Apple Store and the No. 4 app of any kind. The survey is popular, but not as evenly distributed as health experts might like. People over 70 years old are underrepresented, which is not a surprise, given the app-based distribution. And women are participating at roughly twice the rate of men. They are more altruistic, in the U.K., Dr. Spector said, laughing. Over all, he said, the respondents in Britain are acting out of concern for the National Health Service and a feeling that theyre doing something for the community. But he also said that people who reported already having tested positive for the virus seemed to grasp at the survey as a way to express their symptoms. If they dont go to hospital, nobody seems to care about them, Dr. Spector said. Surveys are not the only unconventional way that scientists are trying to detect the spread of the virus: A maker of smart thermometers says it is tracking the contagion in real time by mapping fevers in American households. The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the ensuing stay-at-home order placed on the state of Illinois make these frightening times for many Illinois residents, but there also have been many examples of people and businesses going above and beyond to show kindness to others. Acts of kindness have been as simple as children writing encouraging messages in chalk on sidewalks to businesses and organizations handing out food to people in need. Before closing March 19 because of restrictions placed on items that could be sold, SafeCo bakery spent its last weeks leaving out boxes of doughnuts for community members to take with them. During its last two weeks, from 30 to 40 dozen-doughnut boxes were left out for the taking. Around 500 boxes were left out during the last three days. Saif Mouilish, owner of SafeCo Bakery, said the doughnuts usually were gone within 15 to 20 minutes of them being set out. On the last day, the supply lasted around 45 minutes. Mouilish said community involvement has always been part of the bakerys business model and good will a key to its success. The bakery staff wanted to give residents a treat in rough times to thank them for all of their support for the business, he said. For the last two weeks that we were open, we wanted to provide a smile, Moulish said. Beardstown Savings bank has been handing out snack packs to Beardstown residents on weekends to cover days when schools are not providing food, with volunteers handling curbside pickups from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rich Eckert, the banks president and CEO, said the snack pack drop-offs start Saturday and volunteers on Sunday hand out whatever is leftover from the previous day. Items that make up the snack packs, including granola bars and sweets, are purchased from Dot Foods and Dorothys Market in Mount Sterling. There were around 500 packs the first week and around 300 the second week. The bank plans to continue the drop-offs for as long as possible, Eckert said, noting the bank raised $3,000 to fund the endeavor. Eckert said he recognized the need for children to have food, especially during a time when they may feel displaced by the school closings. Ive been there as a child where Ive struggled to have food on the table, Eckert said. Jacksonville residents also have been reporting acts of kindness, offering their assistance and posting photos of encouraging messages left throughout the city on the neighborhood-focused social networking website Nextdoor. Marla Buskirk, 59, posted March 23 on the Mound Avenue Nextdoor page that she would be willing to do a grocery run and porch drop-off for her neighbors. No one in Jacksonville has taken her up on her offer, she said, though she did buy special cat food for someones pet during a trip to Springfield, where Buskirk works at Prairie Cardiovascular. Buskirk said she feels a duty to assist others, especially because her job requires her to leave her house. She said she wishes more people in Jacksonville would lend a helping hand to their neighbors. At this time when people are separated I think its important to let people know that they arent alone, Buskirk said. Chief Executives from at least seven energy companies are set to meet with President Donald Trump on Friday at the White House to discuss energy policy, according to sources familiar with the matter. The meeting comes as U.S. oil producers struggle to breakeven on the back of tumbling crude prices. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude lost more than half of its value in March its worst month on record and currently trades around $20.94 per barrel. At the beginning of the year, prices topped $60. The meeting will include CEOs from Exxon, Chevron, Occidental Petroleum, Devon Energy, Phillips 66, Energy Transfer Partners and former Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm. The companies are not looking for a bailout but rather want market forces to preside, according to one source. As oil prices have tumbled driven by soft demand and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia the United States has sought to intervene. On Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette discussed the market with Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak. "Secretary Brouillette and Minister Novak discussed energy market developments and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, to address this unprecedented period of disruption in the world economy," the Energy Department said in a statement. The call followed a conversation on Monday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Friday's meeting at the White House was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Many cardiac arrhythmias are episodic and only detectable after continuously monitoring the hearts rhythm for several days or weeks. In particular, atrial arrhythmias can be a diagnostic challenge due to the difficulty in clearly visualizing the P wave on an ECG. The two main monitoring options are either Holter monitors, which capture high-quality signals but are highly uncomfortable, or patch monitors, which can be worn more comfortably but that provide a lower-quality signal. Bardy Diagnostics hopes to bridge the gap. The companys Carnation Ambulatory Monitor (CAM) Patch is a non-invasive, ambulatory cardiac monitor and arrhythmia detection device that can record every heart beat for up to 14 days. The device is worn over the sternum, creating an aVF-like lead optimized to capture the P-wave and the QRS complex. The devices accuracy has been demonstrated in multiple clinical studies published in the American Heart Journal. We asked Ken Nelson, Chief Commercial Officer, more about BardyDx and what significance it has for arrhythmia detection. Cici Zhou, Medgadget: Tell me about the founding of BardyDx. What was the inspiration behind the idea and the focus on P-wave specificity? Ken Nelson: Lorene Faye Bardy was the beloved late wife of founder Dr. Gust Bardy; she had a rare heart rhythm disorder lasting for about 27 years. She wore ten external and two implantable cardiac monitors but none of them could specifically identify her rhythm disorder. The technology that was available at the time simply wasnt sensitive enough. She was seen by world-renowned electrophysiologists, and none of them were able to record and visualize her P wave (the part of the ECG that relates to the electrical activity of the atrium) so doctors couldnt identify what type of specific arrhythmia she had. Unfortunately, Lorene passed away at the age of 52. One year to the day of her death, Bardy Diagnostics was founded with the single vision of enabling the highest fidelity rhythm strips with the most diagnostically-accurate and patient-friendly cardiac monitors in the industry. Medgadget: Is CAM covered by most insurances? Are there any current barriers to patient use? Nelson: Cardiac monitoring is already done routinely in patient care and, as a result, there is already established reimbursement for this type of diagnostics. The CAM Patch is covered by a majority of commercial payors, with the exception of Medicaid, which only covers the 48-Hour CAM Patch. Medgadget: At what stage is the company today? Nelson: We are a commercial stage company with over 150+ employees, and proud to be the fastest growing company in the cardiac monitoring space. Our corporate headquarters is located in Seattle, WA, with monitoring centers in Houston, TX and New Providence, NJ. In addition to having FDA 510K clearance for our 48-Hour, 7-Day and 14-Day CAM products here in the US, we also have Health Canada clearance for the 7- and 14-Day patches, and CE Mark for the 48-Hour and 7-Day patches for Europe. Medgadget: What are some of the biggest challenges facing the team? Nelson: BardyDxs biggest challenge is continuing to scale the company to meet the increasing demand of cardiac monitoring using the CAM Patch. The industry-leading technology, coupled with the drastic improvements to patient compliance, has greatly accelerated the adoption of the product. Medgadget: Looking to the next five years, what are the biggest goals for BardyDx? Nelson: Become the standard of care in cardiac monitoring and expand our portfolio of the most diagnostically-accurate cardiac and vital signs monitors on the market. Product page: Carnation Ambulatory Monitor But Jordan is waiting to move into a new home and doesnt have Internet access. So Tuesday, she drove a half-hour from her friends house in Southeast Washington to the University of the District of Columbia in Van Ness, so she could go to one of the few places on campus that was open: the library. Its farther than Jordans usual study spot, UDCs community college on North Capitol Street, but with most of the college shuttered, it was her only option. Over past week, two soldiers were killed in the Joint Forces Operation area, eight more were injured Open source President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of the dead Ukrainian military and thanked the fighters for their service. The President of Ukraine stated this during an appeal to Ukrainians, as the 112 Ukraine TV channel reports. According to the president, Ukrainians should not forget that in addition to fighting an invisible enemy, there is a war in Ukraine in the Donbas. "Over the past week, in the area of the Joint Forces Operation, unfortunately, two of our soldiers died and eight were injured. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to all the wounded. Thanks to the Ukrainian soldiers for their service," Zelensky said. As we reported, in Donbas, Ukrainian soldier Volodymyr Movchaniuk was killed whilst performing a combat mission Movchaniuk was born in 1983 and lived in Andrushkivka village, Pohrebyshchenskyi district. In 2015, he began serving under contract He was shot by a sniper while carrying out a combat mission in the Pervomaisk, Donetsk region. He died on March 30. 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: 1 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 77,557 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,462 pence 18.12 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,420 pence 17.60 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,428 pence 17.70 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 1 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 72,835 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 17.92 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 17.62 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 17.66 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 1 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 125,674 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 18.08 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 17.54 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 17.83 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 27.72 USD 22.32 GBP which was calculated as of 31 March 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 201,038,541 Public Shares outstanding, or 206,747,792 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 9,918,209 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. PSH also announces that it has published to its website, in accordance with the EU Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052, details of transactions in its own shares for the past week. Information is available at https://pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/other-materials/. 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/20200401005809/en/ Contacts: Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk ALBANY Albany Medical Center has begun accepting COVID-19 patients from the hard-hit New York City area, as hospitals there struggle to keep up with a surge of infected patients. Fourteen patients from Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital in Queens were transported via ground and air to Albany late Tuesday night, and taken to the hospitals medical/surgical and intensive care units, multiple sources confirmed. Albany Med president and CEO Dennis McKenna and hospital general director Fred Venditti said they were at the hospital when the first transfers started coming in around 9 to 10 p.m. They agreed to take them after receiving a call from the CEO of the Queens hospital system, Venditti said. He described for us a situation down there where they needed some help in terms of care of some of the patients they had in their emergency department, he said. So we agreed, as we would agree to any transfer of patients into our system, we agreed to take those patients. The hospital will take more from any overburdened hospital in the state if asked and if beds are available, McKenna said. The reason we take those transfers is, No. 1, that is our mission, he said. That has always been our mission, and were always happy to do that and we know that we can provide the care thats needed. Asked about the transfers Thursday morning, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said he wasn't receiving updates from the hospital but that "last he heard" the number of New York City transfers had surpassed 40. As the only level one trauma center, tertiary care center and academic medical center in northeastern New York and western New England, Albany Med has a long history of accepting transfers, McKenna said, and takes in roughly 16,000 a year. In 2015, one in every four patients at Albany Med was a transfer patient, he said. The hospital is also required under federal law, McKenna said, to accept patients when it gets a call from an emergency department and has capacity. Bed shortages The prospect of downstate patients making their way upstate has been on the regions radar for weeks. On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed that hospitals across the state were working together to formulate plans for when to make transfers, in order to prevent any one hospital from becoming too overloaded. On Wednesday, he said the state Health Department would coordinate those transfers, and that the strategy in general will be to transfer patients first within a local health system, then among health systems in the same area, and then "worst-case scenario transfer upstate. Asked about the Albany Med transfers at his daily news briefing Wednesday, Cuomo described the move as a one-off situation based on a pre-existing agreement with the transferring hospitals. Albany Med seemed to rebut this claim Wednesday when it said that prior to Tuesday it had not had any established relationship with the Queens hospitals. "We were acting with the support of hospital associations and when they called, we did what we always do accept the transfer patients," spokesman Matt Markham said. "The act of accepting transfers aligns with our mission to care for any patient, regardless of their condition." Hospitals in New York City, which is now the epicenter of cases nationwide, are quickly becoming overwhelmed. Medical volunteers from across the country are racing to the area to help, and temporary medical facilities have been erected or in the case of the 1,000-bed USNS Comfort sailed in to handle overflow. Still, that may not be enough. Cuomo has said the state will need up to 140,000 hospital beds for the outbreaks peak, which is expected at the end of the month. The state normally has 53,000 beds, and is expected to hit 93,000 once hospital surge plans are in place and temporary facilities are brought online. Albany Med said Wednesday that receiving transfers from outside the region will not impact its ability to care for patients locally. Venditti said the hospital has a great analytics team that has been working up various surge scenarios to assist the hospital in making future transfer decisions as cases grow locally. We can determine, frankly, when its safe for us to take patients from outside the region and when perhaps we need to slow that down or even stop it so we maintain capacity for the growth of patients coming out of the region, he said. The patients who arrived from New York City Tuesday night are largely assigned to the hospitals C-2 unit. Other areas of the hospital are being cleared and converted into negative pressure rooms for a surge of COVID-19 patients, said one nurse who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. The hospitals South Clinical Campus on Hackett Boulevard is also being cleared, and will at least initially be used for non-infected patients, she said. Additionally, nurses who dont normally work bedside are being told they soon will, she said. The extended use and re-use of personal protective equipment continues to frighten staff, she said, and the arrival of patients from New York City has only compounded that fear. The truth is we arent just nurses, she said. Im a mom, my parents are immunodeficient. There are people in our communities which we are trying to protect. We need to protect ourselves so we can do our job and help others. On Monday, the hospital announced that 45 health care workers across the Albany Med system had tested positive for COVID-19, and another 141 who had been exposed to known cases were being monitored for symptoms. Other hospitals prepare Two other large hospital systems in the Capital Region told the Times Union on Wednesday that they intend to take transfers out of New York City if asked. St. Peter's Health Partners, which operates four hospitals in Albany and Troy, and Ellis Medicine in Schenectady said they have not received any transfers from downstate yet, but that they stand "ready and willing" to accept those patients should the need arise. "We feel it is our moral duty to help those who are suffering, including our fellow health care workers," said Courtney Weisberg, a spokeswoman for St. Peter's. "If and when that time comes, we would continue to make our community cases our priority and work to take all necessary precautions, following CDC and public health guidelines to ensure the safety of our patients and colleagues," she added. Ellis Medicine president and CEO Paul Milton, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Leslyn Williamson, and Chief Medical Officer David Liebers issued a joint statement on the issue in response to questions from the Times Union. "Physicians, nurses and staff throughout the Ellis family share a sense of duty and moral obligation to care for all patients who need us, and assist our fellow healthcare workers outside the region, they wrote. We cannot respond to this virus facility-by-facility, but must do so as a broad community, they said. This virus does not recognize geographic borders, and as caregivers, we recognize that supporting fellow New Yorkers and Americans fits squarely with our mission." Hospitals across the Capital Region have been coordinating daily on pandemic response and providing updates on the number of confirmed and suspected cases they are treating each day, as well as how many are in intensive care units and on ventilator support. As of Tuesday, the number of COVID-19 patients being cared for at about a dozen hospitals across the region had grown to 97, according to Albany Med. On Wednesday, Albany Med reported 39 COVID-19 patients, including 13 in intensive care units and five on ventilators. Steve Hughes and Brendan Lyons contributed. Are you working the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 in the Capital Region? The Times Union wants to hear from you. Contact reporter Bethany Bump at bbump@timesunion.com with comments or concerns. Agartala, April 1 : The BJP-led Tripura government to give a lump-sum financial aid of Rs 35,000 to 8,882 government school teachers, who lost their jobs from Wednesday following court verdicts, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced. These 8,882 school teachers are part of the 10,323 government teachers, lost their jobs due to the Supreme Court and High Court orders citing 'discrepancies in recruitment'. In a locally televised address to the people, the Chief Minister said despite the state government's financial constrain and government's hectic activity to deal with various aspects of novel coronavirus and ongoing lockdown, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to give a lump-sum one-time financial assistance of Rs 35,000 to 8,882 government school teachers. He said that till March 31, these 8,882 teachers are getting Rs 14,078 Rs 28,995 and Rs 35,594 per month considering their ranks and position. Later, Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath told IANS that to give the Rs 35,000 to 8,882 government school teachers the state government had to incur Rs 32 crore from its exchequer. Amidst massive agitations by these government teachers to keep their jobs, the state government recently announced to absorb the teachers in various state government departments. Education Minister Nath said that the residual numbers of teaching personnel of 8,882 among the 10,323 Tripura government teachers would be absorbed in various departments against the vacant posts of 10,618. "Before appointing the 8,882 teachers in non-teaching jobs of other departments, the state government has sought the permission of the Supreme Court as the apex court earlier cancelled their jobs," he said. Nath said the issue of the government teachers' jobs was discussed in the cabinet on humanitarian grounds and considered the livelihood of 50,000 people, including the family members of these teachers facing termination of jobs. "The previous Left Front government did not follow the first ordersof the High Court in 2011 causing the termination of thousands of government teachers," the minister claimed. Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told the media that after the Tripura High Court and Supreme Court had terminated the jobs of the 10,323 government teachers in 2011, 2014 and 2017 respectively, the then Left Front government had created 13,000 posts to accommodate these teachers. "The BJP leaders before the 2018 Assembly polls on one hand conspired against these 10,323 government teachers and filed petition before the Supreme Court and finally on the other hand promised to regularise their jobs if they come to power. But nothing fruitful has done so far for these teachers," said Sarkar, who was Chief Minister till 2018. After some teachers died and many other already got regular jobs through Teachers' Eligibility Tests (TET) the number of the teachers reduced to 8,882 from the original of 10,323. The teachers holding graduate, postgraduate and under-graduate qualifications were inducted into the state government schools in different phases from 2010 when the CPI-M-led Left Front government was in power. The Tripura High Court in 2011 and 2014 ordered for termination of services of all 10,323 teachers, saying the selection criteria had "discrepancies". Thereafter, acting on a Special Leave Petitions by the then Left Front government and a section of teachers, the apex court upheld the High Court verdict on March 29, 2017. Following an appeal, the apex court extended their services up to June last year. After coming to power in March 2018, the BJP-led government filed another appeal in the Supreme Court in June 2019, with the court granting a one-time final extension in services till March 2020. The U.S. Air Force has identified 23 organizations and units with space-specific missions that will transition to the U.S. Space Force over the next six months, the service announced Tuesday. The transfer applies to roughly 1,840 Air Force billets, which will not physically relocate -- nor will any of the people assigned to those units, officials said in a release. "Building the U.S. Space Force represents a top priority for the Department of the Air Force," said Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett. "These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests." As the service implements the change, individuals will remain in the Air Force to preserve continuity, such as centralizing benefits. Officials in recent months have said those moving into the Space Force will retain their rank or grade and their pay under already-established promotion, pay and benefits systems in the Air Force. Related: United States Space Force | Military.com "In the coming months, and when appropriate provisions are in place as part of a separate process, military members who meet applicable criteria will be given the opportunity to volunteer to transfer to the Space Force," the release states. "If they choose not to transfer, they will remain in the Air Force and assigned to the Space Force unit until their normal assignment rotation is complete, at which time they will be moved to an assignment within the Air Force." Here are the units moving into the Space Force (* indicates a partial mission transfer regarding the size of a flight, branch or division or above): At Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado: 17th Test Squadron; National Security Space Institute; Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4; 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group Staff & Detachment 5 At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio: 18th Intel Squadron; Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Sensors Directorate*; AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution*; Counter-Space Analysis Squadron; Space Analysis Squadron. At Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado: 25th Space Range Squadron; 527th Space Aggressor Squadron; 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A; 16th AF/Advanced Programs*; Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center. At Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico: AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate*; the AFRL Electro-Optical Division* (partially based at the base, but also in Maui, Hawaii); the Space Safety Division of the Air Force Safety Center. Remaining units include: the 328th Weapons Squadron, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; 7th Intel Squadron* and 32nd Intel Squadron*, both at Fort Meade, Maryland; the 566th Intel Squadron* at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado; the 533rd Training Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; and the AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division* at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Here's a look at other developments occurring throughout the Space Force and the military's space portfolio: Space Fence Becomes Operational On March 27, the USSF officially said its Space Fence radar system, located on Kwajalein Island, Republic of the Marshall Islands, is ready for use. The service declared initial operating capability, or IOC, for the system, which can "detect and track orbiting objects such as commercial and military satellites, depleted rocket boosters and space debris in low, medium, and geosynchronous Earth orbit" that will boost overall space awareness within the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). As reported by Space News, the $1.5 billion radar can track very small objects, even some the size of a marble. Members of the 20th Space Control Squadron (SPCS), Detachment 4, at the Space Fence Operations Center in Huntsville, Alabama, can operate that system, which then feeds the data to the 18 SPCS at Vandenberg. SSN tracking information can be found on www.space-track.org. Disruptive Anti-Satellite Actions on the Rise Disguising information and communications through GPS spoofing, jamming connections, and even dazzling -- or blinding satellites with lasers -- are all on the rise as more countries launch technologies into the space domain, according to a new Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis. Countries, including big players like the U.S., Russia and China, which are already running interference on one another in space, are gradually normalizing these non-kinetic ways to disrupt operations, according to the March 30 report, "Space Threat Assessment 2020." Actions like dazzling "are an interesting form of attack [because] it could be used as part of a gray zone strategy for a country to try to stay below the threshold of ... conflict" without causing collateral damage, said Todd Harrison, director of both the Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis at CSIS. "Those are some of the areas that I feel that we're vulnerable to right now. They're also difficult to defend against," he told reporters during a briefing on the report. "Those are really concerning forms of attack, and we are seeing countries like Russia and China really double down their investments in those areas." The report warned of increased co-orbital adversary activity, such as close inspection of satellites in geostationary orbit, and that "the rate of satellite jamming and spoofing incidents will only increase as these capabilities continue to proliferate and become more sophisticated in the coming years." It follows another study released this week by the Secure World Foundation, which stated countries around the world should not discount that some bad actors may be stepping up both offensive and defensive measures in space. "The evidence shows significant research and development of a broad range of kinetic (destructive) and non-kinetic counter-space capabilities in multiple countries," according to the annual Global Counterspace Capabilities study, as reported by Space News. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: The Naval War College Ran a Pandemic War Game in 2019. The Conclusions Were Eerie KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University will offer its first session of summer courses online after President Donald Trump extended the federal social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Courses in the universitys first summer 2020 session, which runs from May 4 to June 24, will be offered through distance education, President Edward Montgomery said in a news release. The university made the decision after the president extended federal social distancing guidelines until the end of April. The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff are our primary concerns in this fluid situation, Montgomery said. We are announcing this decision now so that students and faculty have time to plan accordingly. We remain committed to ensuring students have every opportunity to make meaningful progress toward their degrees, even during this challenging time. Michigan now has more than 7,500 coronavirus cases and more than 250 deaths. Those taking courses during the summer will pay the universitys online rate. WMU also decided to extend through May 15, the credit/no credit grading options for students currently enrolled in spring courses. This measure is intended to provide peace of mind and increased choice to students as they adapt to the rigors of distance delivery and the stress of this public health crisis, the president said. Montgomery said the decision will also help faculty members prepare and plan for additional online teaching and thanked professors for their quick efforts to transition to distance education in March. Your work was commendable and your commitment to our students is appreciated, he said. A decision on how the university will handle its second summer session, scheduled to begin June 25, has not yet been announced. When operations on campus will resume is based on the timing of the governors executive order to shelter in place. The order went into effect March 24 and is currently scheduled to end April 14. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to say Thursday whether K-12 schools that have been closed since March 16 will reopen before the end of the school year. These are truly exceptional times and we appreciate your flexibility and understanding as the COVID-19 public health crisis evolves, Montgomery said. We will remain vigilant in protecting the community while advancing our educational mission during these unprecedented circumstances. Stay safe. WMU also recently announced room and board refunds for students forced to leave the residence halls after they closed. The university will also reimburse students for parking passes already purchased. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read all MLive coronavirus coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus. Also on MLive: Western Michigan University employees face uncertain future during coronavirus closure Whitmer says those who dont follow Michigan stay home order are incredibly selfish,' risk coronavirus spread Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is at the forefront in India's fight against COVID-19 of which more than 1500 cases have been detected in the country. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Indian envoys across the globe to make arrangements to procure ventilators, PPE kits, and N 95 masks. India is in touch with many countries including Vietnam, Korea, and China. MEA has already evacuated 2,500 Indians from various countries. While 1,600 were brought from transit points by third-country flights, 100 foreign nationals were also evacuated from third countries. Local missions are taking care of Indians who are still stuck. Special ICMR team has been sent to Iran for testing Indians stranded there. Those with negative report are being sent back home while others are getting treatment. According to sources, the MEA 24x7 COVID center is playing a key role in combating COVID. Seventy-five young IFS officers, working under additional secretary-rank officer, "are working enthusiastically round-the-clock at the center and they are being supplemented by Indian missions abroad," the sources said. They said the center has dedicated helplines and region-specific lines are also there to reach out to Indians. COVID center also collects data from other countries on how they are tackling the disease and it is shared with other ministries to understand the trend and best practices. The center is also helping foreign nationals to go to their respective countries and is in constant touch with resident envoys here. Sources said that at the diplomatic level also, India is engaging with the world and is leading from the front. PM Modi initiated the SAARC conference and also played a role in initialising the G-20 conference along with Saudi and Australian counterparts. According to sources, in the last 10 days, the Prime Minister had a conversation with 10 heads of states including France, Qatar, UAE, and Israel. PM Modi also held video conferencing with India's heads of missions. To supplement PM's efforts, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is also holding talks at the bilateral level. He has engaged with the European Union, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the United States. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also recently engaged with several of his counterparts and also attended the pacific conference. Sources said it is a very unprecedented situation and there needs to be a concerted effort from across the world and "India is leading the fight. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) David Yonggi Cho, right, and Lee Young-hoon, two of the most influential Christian leaders in Korea and senior pastors of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, smile during a recent interview at the church office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Jung Min-ho The challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic is not only medical but also profoundly spiritual. With many people around the world suffering from the disease, some may wonder: where is God's love in this? David Yonggi Cho and Lee Young-hoon, two of the most influential Christian leaders in Korea and senior pastors of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, do not know the answer. However, they say, what they know for sure is that "God will bring good out of this difficult time." For the first time in its 62-year history, the church the country's largest with more than half a million members has closed buildings over the past month to help contain the virus and suspended plans for all international events this year. But Cho and Lee remain hopeful for the future and their visions during and after this plight. They encourage their members and other Christians to stay positive and take it as an opportunity to find and help people in need "as we all go through this together." "Christianity is the religion of love and hope," Lee said. "I believe we should talk about hope and dreams even and especially in most difficult times. The dark night of the coronavirus will end and the sun will certainly rise." The following are the questions and answers from a recent interview with Cho and Lee. Question: What made you decide to close church buildings? Lee: First and foremost, we thought it was important to protect our members and everyone else who may contact them outside our church. It was a very difficult but necessary decision. Giving sermons in the empty hall (for online services) have made me realize how important and precious it is to worship together in one place. Many church members have also told me they could not wait for the next worship together. Q: How have the church members reacted to the shift to online services? Lee: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of visitors to our website (for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday services) has soared. The shift to online has been accelerated by the crisis and will likely remain so even after it is all over. Is this a good thing? We do not know. But for now, we are grateful that we have the system. The situation would have been even worse if the pandemic had occurred 10 years ago. Our immediate concern is missionaries who are now in dire situations as countries around the world restrict their borders. We are trying to find ways to help them. Q: What has your church done for the community so far? Lee: On March 3, we donated 1 billion won ($820,000) to support virus containment efforts and medical services in Daegu, the country's worst-hit city. We have also allocated 1.2 billion won to help 2,000 small churches that are struggling to pay their rents. Cho: There were many struggling churches even before the pandemic, which has aggravated the situation. I admire Lee's leadership and compassion for those in need. Church officials wearing face masks attend an online worship service in the main hall of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul on March 15. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the church has shifted to online services to help curb the spread of the disease. Korea Times file Q: Korea's economy has taken a massive hit. Given that the crisis is affecting the whole world, it may take a long time to recover. How should we respond? Cho: Since the end of the Korean War (1950-53), the generation of baby boomers, including myself, have gone through many crises and overcame them all. Even then, I was grateful for what I had and believed there would be a better future. That was the spirit we shared in the tent church where I worked as a young pastor 60 years ago. We should give thanks to all circumstances. If we all play our parts as leaders and followers, I believe we will overcome this crisis like we did many times before. Lee: If you think about Korea's development after the war, it is truly amazing how we, as a country with GDP per capita of $67, have come this far (to more than $30,000). We do not need to be afraid. The economic situation may get worse, but we have seen worse and have the experience of building our country from scratch. We know we can pull it off again if we have to. In fact, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean detection kit firms have received the global spotlight. The idea of drive-through testing, which was started in Korea, has also been adopted by many other countries. I'm glad that Korea played such an important role and hope it does more for the world. Q: Throughout history, mankind has gone through devastating pandemics. From the biblical perspective, how do you view such events? Cho: When the Black Death emerged and killed one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, many people asked where God was. But Europe became stronger after overcoming the plague. God allows such events for the reasons we cannot see. In times like this, it is critical for us to keep our faith that He has good intentions and that He would give us what may seem bad at the moment but will turn out to be good eventually. Q: Are there any particular Bible verses that you meditate on these days? Cho: 3 John 2 says: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." Fundamentally, God wants us to be healthy, spiritually and physically. He also wants to give us hope. Sometimes God wants us to change, which often comes with pain. Lee: Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." In all things, including this crisis, I believe God works for the good. Q: What do you think of Korea's response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Lee: All in all, Korea is doing well in terms of working together to battle the virus. I think two groups of people have particularly shone through the crisis: doctors and deliverymen. While doctors try their best to save lives and prevent the spread of the virus, deliverymen risk their health to bring daily necessities to the doorsteps of the people, which has prevented panic buying a serious issue that has occurred in almost all infected countries but Korea. Q: Some churches have been criticized for refusing to follow COVID-19 guidelines. Lee: I think it is critical to comply with government guidelines to curb the spread of the virus and to protect the public. That's why our church made an early decision to suspend services within the buildings and I believe all churches should be keen to protect the public safety. Nevertheless, I'd like to point out that the government made a mistake by focusing too much on preventing church gatherings while ignoring other crowded places such as pubs and clubs during the initial phase of its response. It was also an error to call the Shincheonji group "a church," a term that confused many with real churches that tried to comply with the government. As a result, many churches unfairly became a target for criticism, which was disheartening and unhelpful for fighting the disease. The main building of the Yoido Full Gospel Church / Korea Times file Q: What are the visions of Yoido Full Gospel Church during and after the COVID-19 crisis? Lee: One of our visions is to build a general hospital in North Korea. We mapped out the plan in 2007 and top North Korean officials approved it. But it has been halted as tensions started to rise between two sides later. We have not given it up. More recently, North Korea invited us to build hospitals in its 240 administrative districts, including Pyongyang. As soon as the sanctions are lifted, we'd like to start working on it. We also have a long-term vision of being more attentive to people's needs, especially as we go through the COVID-19 crisis together. This is how the Yoido Full Gospel Church once looked. This photo, taken in 1959, shows the expanded version of the "tent church" that Cho set up in 1958. In 20 years, the church grew into the largest congregation in Korea with more than 200,000 members. Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:52:23|Editor: ZD Video Player Close A vendor wearing a face mask is seen at a market in Erfurt, central Germany, on April 1, 2020. Germany will extend the restrictions on social contacts to April 19 at the earliest, in a bid to contain the COVID-19 spreading, Chancellor Angela Merkel said following a video conference with minister-presidents of all 16 federal states. (Photo by Kevin Voigt/Xinhua) BERLIN, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Germany will extend the restrictions on social contacts to April 19 at the earliest, in a bid to contain the spreading coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel said following a video conference with minister-presidents of all 16 federal states. "A pandemic doesn't take a vacation. That is why it has been made clear that the decisions made also apply beyond Easter," said Merkel in an audio statement after the conference. Citizens are asked to "refrain from private trips and visits from relatives too," according to Merkel. The restrictions, which have been introduced on March 22, were initially due to end on April 5. German citizens are advised to reduce social contacts with other people outside their own households to the least, and a minimum distance of 1.5 meters must be kept, preferably two meters. Celebration gatherings in public places, at home and in private institutions are unacceptable, considering the current serious situation, Merkel said, adding that violations of the contact restriction will be sanctioned. "The situation is such that we see slight effects of the measures, but are far from being able to say that we can change anything about these contact restrictions," said the Chancellor. Merkel also said that now nothing could be decided as to what will happen after Easter. The current restrictions in Germany will be reviewed again on April 14. Tuesday on MSNBC's "Deadline," network political commentator former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said President Donald Trump attacked women like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) because he was "threatened by women who are strong and smart." She added that it was "obvious to most women in the country." Some 33 people who returned from COVID-19 affected countries and currently based in the Eastern Region are being monitored by health authorities. Two of them have had their samples taken and subsequently tested negative for the virus. The Eastern Regional Health Directorate in a statement on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, said the remaining 31 who are being monitored, will be tested soon. The number of returnees' from affected countries in the region stands at 33. Samples have been taken from 2, which all tested negative. The rest are under observation and monitoring by the District Health Directorates in their respective districts of residence across the region and shall be tested soon, the directorate said. As at 1200GMT on Monday, March 30, 2020, 28 suspected case of COVID-19 were reported to various health facilities in the region, however, all 27 of them have proven negative. The regional health directorate said it is awaiting the result of one suspect case. The directorate added that four people within the region have been identified as people who have come into contact with some people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in other parts of the country and they have since been put under self-isolation. So far, there are 4 contacts of confirmed cases being traced. These are contacts of confirmed cases in Accra and they are doing very well under self-isolation. Three (3) of them have so far tested negative and the other one returned to Accra, the directorate noted. The Regional Health Directorate further called for strict adherence of the public to the state precautionary measures including regular handwashing under running water and social distancing. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to prevent the importation of COVID-19 into the region, some local assemblies have mounted roadblocks to check the influx of people from other regions such as Greater Accra and Ashanti where COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. The assemblies are the Juaben South, Akuapem North, Akuapem South and Okere Municipal Assemblies. In a joint statement, the four Assemblies said there would be 15 checkpoints for that exercise. We wish to assure all our stakeholders that these measures are taken in the interest of the people and citizens would only last for two weeks subject to review and that all the steps taken would help mitigate the impact of influx of people from other parts of the country that could possibly lead to the spread of the virus in the municipalities and district. It is therefore expected that as law-abiding citizens, we should cooperate with the assemblies to ensure that lives are protected and together, we shall overcome this too, the Assemblies said. ---citinewsroom Vice President Mike Pence speaks in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March, 10, 2020, about the coronavirus outbreak. Carolyn Kaster/AP Vice President Mike Pence conceded on Wednesday that the US' coronavirus outbreak may be "most comparable" to Italy, the hardest-hit country in the world. "We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point," Pence told CNN on Wednesday. The White House announced on Tuesday that it predicts between 100,000 to 240,000 people could die in the US from the coronavirus even with strict social distancing measures in place. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Vice President Mike Pence conceded on Wednesday that the US' coronavirus outbreak may be "most comparable" to Italy, the hardest-hit country in the world. "We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point," Pence told CNN on Wednesday. More than 12,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Italy, where the healthcare system has been massively overwhelmed. For weeks, the president and other top US officials downplayed the threat the virus posed and insisted it had been or would be contained. The White House announced on Tuesday that it predicts between 100,000 to 240,000 people could die in the US from the coronavirus even with strict social distancing measures in place. Trump on Tuesday said he knew from the start that the US's coronavirus outbreak "could be horrible," but repeatedly downplayed the threat because he wanted to stay positive and be a "cheerleader" for the country. At Tuesday's White House press briefing, Trump was asked whether he lulled Americans into a false sense of security by telling the public that the virus would go away quickly, even as it was clear the number of cases and death toll were on the rise. "I knew everything. I knew it could be horrible, I knew it could be maybe good," Trump said. "I don't want to be a negative person." John Haltiwanger contributed to this report. Read the original article on Business Insider As another Air France flight heads for Delhi to rescue French nationals from India, anger is growing about the slow pace of the British repatriation effort. While Air France has flown more than 200 rescue missions since the coronavirus crisis began, the UK has yet to reach double figures in government-sponsored repatriation flights. Four British Airways jets have brought UK citizens back from Lima in Peru; three flights were operated by Wamos in the early days of the crisis, from China and Japan; and single flights have operated from both Accra and Tunis in Africa. On Monday the foreign secretary announced a 75m airlift for stranded British travellers. The Foreign Office said: Special charter flights will operate in some countries to help British tourists and short-term visitors and their families to return to the UK. Yet two days on, plans for charter flights appear sketchy. UK citizens in India are particularly concerned because of the ban on international flights, harsh lockdown and restrictions on internal travel. One British traveller, Sundeep Patel, tweeted: We are desperate to get back to the UK. We were due to fly back on 20 February but my elderly father fell seriously ill and sadly passed away. Really worried about my elderly mum who is at risk. Taran Kaur tweeted: The majority of Brits are stuck in Punjab and cant travel to Delhi. Please arrange flights from Amritsar to UK. Ravi Rehal tweeted: Still dont understand how British nationals were evacuated from Peru so quickly. The UK government is seeking to bring travellers back on normal scheduled flights where possible and has overseen the repatriation of more than 150,000 British travellers from Spain as well as 12,000 from Egypt, 9,000 from Morocco and 4,000 from Jamaica. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world often with very little or no notice. The government has partnered with a number of airlines who have committed to work together to get Brits back to the UK and up to 75m has been made available for charter flights where commercial options are no longer available. 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 Well continue working around the clock to bring people home. While anxious travellers and their families wait for news, scammers have started to capitalise on the information vacuum by seeking money for non-existent flights. The British high commission in Delhi has warned: We are aware of false rumours of flights circulating. Dont get taken in by scams. The Independent is aware of clusters of stranded British travellers in Laos, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Bolivia and islands in the Pacific. The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said: The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has left tens of thousands of British citizens stranded and in need of urgent consular support. In some cases these individuals are key workers: police officers, nurses and doctors, who are desperate to return to their lives in the UK and to aid in our effort to combat the spread of coronavirus. Sometimes they are people who are running out of essential medication. At moments of acute crisis like this, the FCOs role representing and protecting Britons abroad becomes more important than ever. The committee is seeking views on accessing and using consular services during the crisis. The chilling reality of the coronavirus pandemic has been dramatically illustrated by images of a major grave-digging operation at a cemetery in Co Antrim. Mechanical diggers have been drafted in to the Sixmile Cemetery in Antrim town as the coronavirus pandemic death toll in Northern Ireland continues to rise. There have been 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Antrim and Newtownabbey where the Sixmile cemetery is situated. The council which owns the cemetery said it was carrying out preparatory work in the event of its own cemetery staff taking ill in the weeks ahead. In response to a query about the work at the Sixmile Cemetery, a spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said yesterday: As a council we have to fulfil our statutory duties, one of which is the provision of burials. Expand Close Freshly dug graves at Sixmile Cemetery in Antrim town / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Freshly dug graves at Sixmile Cemetery in Antrim town We have undertaken a programme of preparatory works to ensure we can meet this requirement, particularly in the context where we might experience any reduction in cemeteries staff due to illness. The council spokesperson did not confirm how many graves were being dug. Drone footage of the grave-digging work was posted on social media. It showed a fleet of lorries and mechanical diggers and what appear to be at least 40 graves being dug. Comments below the post included: I wonder after seeing this will people stay at home. In another video taken from the roadside and shared on social media a man can be heard to express his shock at what he is seeing. Family members are no longer able to visit the graves of loved ones at the Sixmile Cemetery and the adjacent Belmont Cemetery. Only two people and a member of the clergy are allowed to attend funerals. Other than for burials, cemeteries will be closed. The erection of headstones has also been suspended until further notice. The council said on its website that it understands that these restrictions will be very difficult for people who have lost loved ones, but we all must play our part in stopping the spread of this virus. The first thing you notice about Emily Tinsman is her smile. Its a beauty-queen smile for sure. And when you see her out of the corner of your eye, shes a blur of crystal zirconium and hairspray. Standing at just over five feet, shes a small woman. Yet, sitting in front of a group of local kids in the reading room at Drake Public Library, she is a young Queen Elizabeth but with curly blonde hair and knee-high riding boots. Or, as we call her in the States, Miss Iowa 2019. Hi there! said Tinsman, kneeling down on the floor to be eye-level with two-and-a-half-year-old Owen. Im so happy you are here! Can you show me how many fingers you are old? Owen, a little boy in a gray Henley and navy-and-white striped sweatpants, just smiled and tucked his head back between his mothers knees. Every boy and girl that attended Tinsmans read-aloud at Drake Community Library last Saturday received the same welcome. Tinsman would ask them their name, their grade, and then bend down to let them touch her tiara. Its just barrettes! Tinsman laughed when I later asked her how she could have possibly worn it for the whole event. It will just balance up here with the help of my barrettes. Tinsman did admit that the Miss Iowa tiara was a bit heavy though. But with great power comes great responsibility. Whats that old saying again? Oh, right, of course: Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And Tinsman sure wears a big crown. All right! shouted Tinsman after finishing the first read-aloud, Lets get our wiggles out! As if they were one autonomous unit, the whole room suddenly stood up, reached towards the ceiling, and danced in an extremely wiggly way. The event, which took place over the course of about an hour, involved Tinsman reading three vaguely theatre-related picture books, most of which required audience participation and all of which, in the words of Tinsman and her rapt audience members, were silly. As someone who often worked with children, Tinsman knew that after long stretches of sitting and listening, even the most diligent of fans would need a brain break. I hoped you liked these silly stories!, said Tinsman, closing the cover of the last picture book. Did you guys learn anything about instruments? After some nonsensical babbling and quite a bit of squirreling around, the librarian in charge announced that it was time to begin the activity that we had all been waiting for: crafts. The baby that had fallen asleep face-down on the floor about half-way through the reading stirred. The tension in the air was palpable. To the surprise of everyone in the room, there were not one, but two crafts penciled in for the day. Along with the jingle-y musical sticks provided by Drake Public Library, Tinsman also brought a supply of plastic Easter eggs and Rice Krispies treats so her new friends would be able to make little instruments of their own. The end of read-aloud triggered an explosion of little arms, legs and tiny Velcro sneakers, and Tinsman braced herself behind the Easter Egg craft table. One upside of the free-for-all, however, was the ability it gave me to ask Tinsman some hard-hitting questions. While a sunny biography courtesy of the Miss Iowa Foundation can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection and a burning desire to learn more about the Hawkeye State, I wanted to dig deeper and really get to know this recently-graduated music teacher turned beauty queen. I was always involved in music, art, dance, all of it, Tinsman said. I actually didnt start competing [in pageants] till I was in college as a way to get scholarship money to pay for my education, I graduated from Drake University last May. I was able to combine my career ambition with service to create my personal initiative for arts education, and thats kind of what Ive been doing the past three years. A long-time participant in the arts, Tinsman has been involved in dance, piano, theatre, voice and clarinet. It was her inextricable connection to these disciplines that led to her current initiative: making sure arts programs are accessible and ensuring all students receive what she calls a well-rounded education. I always wanted to teach, said Tinsman, I love kids. I love being an advocate for kids, and especially nowadays when there are so many obstacles that kids are going through. I think that education is the best way we can change the next generation, uplift them and give them the education they need to be successful later in life. Using the Miss Iowa title as a platform for positive change, Tinsman has had the opportunity to have conversations with the governor and sing before the House and the Senate, advocating for a cause that she cares about deeply. However, Tinsman acknowledges the fact that beauty pageants have not always had a positive voice within social justice movements. Miss Iowa and Miss America has really shifted in the past couple of years, noted Tinsman. Its normally been seen as a beauty pageant, but two years ago we eliminated the swimsuit competition, and this year we eliminated the evening gown [portion]. So, this year, its predominately [about] your talent, interview and your initiative or platform. It really is about being a well-rounded woman and what you are passionate about and the service that you are doing for your community. I really do think that it is a positive program in the sense of empowering women to find what they love, showing them how to be involved and using the organization as a jumping off point for further work. Rebranded as Miss America 2.0, Tinsman claimed that the Miss America foundation was working towards a future where there is more representation. While she admits there are still a lot of flaws within the pageant world, Tinsman says the work she is doing now relates to her future ambitions. I am planning on getting my masters degree in school administration eventually. So, Im starting off in music, but I think the best way that I can be an advocate for the arts is in an administrative position. For the next couple of months though, Tinsman will be driving around the state in a red car with Miss Iowa written on the side. And although she wears the crown, Tinsman refuses to let preconceived misconceptions of beauty pageant queens defy her work. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Wednesday inaugurated three new COVID-19 Isolation and treatment centres in the state. The isolation centres are located at the Ultra-Modern Diagnostic centre in GRA, Enugu, the Colliery Hospital near New Market, Enugu and Nsukka Isolation and Treatment centre. The state government had earlier designated an isolation centre at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane. Speaking during the inauguration, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health, Ifeanyi Agujiobi, said the centres had been fully equipped to handle COVID-19 infection and treatment effectively. Mr Agujiobi thanked Mr Ugwuanyi for providing enough isolation and treatment centres well equipped in the state in case of more cases in which the state did not pray for. We do not pray for more cases in the state but I am happy that the government has provided enough centres to handle more cases if the need arises, he said. He urged residents of the state to continue to wash their hands regularly, maintain self-distance as well as obey all approved medical recommendations to control the spread of Coronavirus. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that face masks and hand sanitizers were shared to people present during the inauguration. NAN reports that Enugu State has so far recorded two cases of coronavirus in the state. (NAN) The Luxembourgish national was sentenced to a three year prison sentence in Saabrucken, but must sit out his sentence in Luxembourg. The federal police of Trier extradited a 23-year-old Luxembourgish national to the Grand Ducal Police on Monday at the Wasserbillig border. The man was sentenced by the district court to three years and six months in prison for multiple drug offenses and possession of a weapon. He sat out the first part of his sentence in the JVA Saarbrucken, but the remainder must be completed in Luxembourg's prison. The United States Army doesnt just defend America from foreign invasion; its also joining the fight against the worst pandemic in recent history. In a Pentagon press briefing on March 26, 2020, Army Chief of Staff General James McConville announced that the Army was calling on retired officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers who have the skills and expertise to assist with our COVID-19 response efforts. Gen. McConville said, This is a tough fight, but together well do our part to help the nation win. The chief of staff noted that the call-out is a voluntary opportunity for our medical soldiers for life to return to the fight if they so chooseespecially if they are not currently assisting their local communities. McConville told the press that so far, the initial response has been very, very positive. Out of the 800,000 former personnel contacted by the Army, over 17,000 answered the call within just a few days, CBS reported. Army National Guard at the Jacob Javits Center as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces plans to convert the convention center on Manhattans West Side into a field hospital. (Getty Images | BRYAN R. SMITH) The emergency message was issued by Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands, the Armys deputy chief of staff responsible for manpower, who called on retired soldiers in no uncertain terms. We need to hear from you STAT! the general wrote. Seamands specifically targeted critical care officers and nurses, as well as respiratory specialists and anesthetists. At a briefing, Lt. Gen R. Scott Dingle, Army surgeon general, added that the Army will walk through the process of certification, making sure that all certifications and credentials [of returning personnel] are straight. Then once we do that, well plug them into all of our medical treatment facilities as required in support of the mission. A U.S. National Guard soldier informs patients at a coronavirus testing center at Lehman College on March 28, 2020, in the Bronx, New York City. (Getty Images | John Moore) The Army has responded vigorously amidst the coronavirus crisis, deploying three field hospital units in New York and Seattle, both of which have been hard hit by the virus. National Guard troops have helped transform Manhattans huge Jacob Javits Center into a field hospital that will be able to treat nearly 3,000 overflow, non-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus patients from other hospitals. CenturyLink Field, the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks, will also be converted into a field hospital by the Army. According to the NFL, Three hundred soldiers from the 627th Army Hospital at Fort Carson, Colorado, have deployed to Seattle to staff the hospital, which is expected to create at least 150 hospital beds for non-COVID-19 cases. In addition to creating these massive field hospitals in two of Americas most-affected cities, the U.S. Navy has sent its medical ships the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy to New York and Los Angeles, respectively. These floating hospitals will serve as referral centers for non-COVID-19 patients during the global pandemic, according to the Department of Defense. The ships specifications allow them to accommodate up to 1,200 medical staff and 1,000 patient beds. The Comfort has served in previous times of national crisis, including in New York after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The ships will also accommodate non-CCP virus patients to reduce the strain on healthcare infrastructure. The California Army National Guards Pfc. Michael Daggi of the California National Guard Medical Detachment instructs California Emergency Medical Service Authority staff members on properly applying personal protective equipment. (DVIDSHUB | Sgt. Edward Siguenza) As the militarys medical corps goes into emergency operations, the Army is also calling medical students to join the fight. The Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, has graduated 200 final-year doctors and advanced practice nurses ahead of schedule. President of the university Richard Thomas underscored that these personnel have been preparing for just such a situation. Our curriculum has a specific focus on threats like emerging infectious diseases and disasters that our military and Public Health Service forces are likely to encounter in the course of their careers, he explained, per the Department of Defense. Soldiers stationed on U.S. Army Garrison Casey conduct pre-screening processes on individuals awaiting entry to the base, USAG-Casey, Dongducheon, Republic of Korea, Feb. 26, 2020. (DVIDSHUB | Sgt. Amber Smith) Last but not least, the Army National Guard, which is often deployed during crises, such as natural disasters, has been called upon heavily during the present pandemic. In his Pentagon briefing, General McConville enumerated the myriad ways that [o]ver 10,000 National Guard soldiers are supporting CCP virus response in communities across every state in the nation. This includes everything from delivering food to communities, supporting local emergency management agencies, provide personal protective equipment to first responders and hospital personnel, providing support to testing facilities, providing transportation for healthcare workers, the general said. CLEVELAND, Ohio The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is investigating a cluster of confirmed COVID-19 cases at ManorCare Health Services in Parma. Patients and staff at the facility are being screened and tested, according to a news release from the county board of health. The cases at ManorCare include both patients and employees. The board of health said it was unable to disclose a specific number because it was still investigating. Among patients and those employed, we are testing in order to understand the situation and better manage risk for transmission when testing is not available for everyone," said Dr. Heidi Gullett, medical director at the county board of health. Julie Beckert, a spokeswoman for ManorCare, said the facility has been in close contact with the county health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She said the individuals are not currently in the center, but she did not provide additional details on them. Beckert said the care center has isolated residents who may be at high risk and has stopped group activities. It is monitoring residents and staff, restricting visitation and lowering our temperature threshold to 99 degrees so we can address any change in condition rapidly, Beckert said. It also is increasing the cleaning and sanitizing processes, holding off on new admissions and reviewing its inventory for personal protective equipment. We are doing everything we can to minimize risks associated with COVID-19 in our facility, Beckert said in a statement. We are in very close communication with our medical director, clinical support team, local and state health officials about the appropriate steps to serve the best interests of our patients, employees and visitors. The board of health has been deploying doctors to do targeted COVID-19 testing as it investigates clusters. That has included skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. Health workers are providing special instructions on how to isolate those patients and look for symptoms among other patients or staff members. Officials want to prevent the widespread transmission of the virus among patients and staff members that has occurred in nursing homes in other states, including Washington and Illinois. Already in Dayton, the coronavirus has spread among multiple nursing homes. ManorCare previously was rated as one of the top nursing homes in Northeast Ohio and but now has a three-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The government investigated the facility three times in the past year, including once for a lack of staffing. Transmission of coronavirus is community-wide, Gullett said earlier this week. The board of health is investigating many clusters of COVID-19 cases across the county, Gullett said. As they have investigated those clusters of positive cases, and learned about the contacts people have had, it has also led them to schools, homes and business that are now closed and ones that are still open and considered essential. Paula Mueller, the director of Elderly Advocates, a Parma group that seeks to help residents in nursing homes and assisted living, said she fears the virus path is toward skilled-nursing facilities. Every time I hear that there is a person who became ill in a nursing home, it tears me apart, Mueller said. But this hits close to home. I have friends who work there. It worries me that it wont stop. It just keeps growing. HCR ManorCare, the parent company of ManorCare Health Services in Parma, operates facilities in 27 states. This story was updated to include newer information about ManorCare. More coronavirus coverage: How the Cleveland Clinic is using modeling to respond to the coronavirus pandemic: Q&A Ohios limited coronavirus testing for the living and the dead means pandemic toll likely never known Delivering without doulas: Coronavirus hospital restrictions remove key support for black women Expectant moms, hospitals grapple with coronavirus uncertainties Cuyahoga County received 312 complaints about nonessential business operations Health care workers balance protecting family, serving community during coronavirus pandemic Cuyahoga Countys public health warriors try to get ahead of the local coronavirus curve Love Island's Amber Gill has been slammed by fans after complaining she was missing her fifth holiday of the year amid the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown. The reality star hit back by telling her detractors to 'shut up' after being branded out of touch for her Instagram post shared on Tuesday. The star posted a throwback photo of her with a pal doing handstands on the beach in bikinis in Tobago, captioned: 'I thought I'd be on holiday number 5 by now' followed by a crying face emoji as she took to social media from lockdown. Scroll down for video Oh dear: Love Island's Amber Gill has been slammed by fans after complaining she was missing her fifth holiday of the year amid the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown The photo garnered a negative reaction from shocked followers of the star, with one writing: 'Well ain't that a shame when thousands of people around the world are dying!' A second wrote: 'Omg how sad you can't go on holiday no5 omg you are so out of touch.' A third irate follower wrote: 'What a ridiculous thing to write and post under the circumstances the fame has clearly gone to someone's head.' While another typed: 'I mean people are only losing their jobs and lively hoods but your caption just hits home.' Barbed: The reality star hit back by telling her detractors to 'shut up' after being branded out of touch for her Instagram post shared on Tuesday Some fans came out in support of the beauty, writing: 'Omg leave the girl alone. It's a global pandemic and ur tryna troll under someone's picture.' Another wrote: 'See some of these people soon forgot the #bekind movement you reminisce girl it's good for the soul.' Amber later took to her Instagram story to defend her post and hit back at those who had criticised her. She said: 'The same people that hashtag Be Kind are the ones commenting on my post saying "there's people that are dying"'. Oh no: The photo garnered a negative reaction from shocked followers of the star, with one writing: 'Well ain't that a shame when thousands of people around the world are dying!' 'Who said it was sad? I literally said I thought I would be on holiday number five because I go on work trips and like to go on holiday. 'Am I not entitled to have a thought anymore? I didn't say if it were sad or happy, so why is everyone jumping the gun while there's a pandemic? 'I'm having a thought that I would be on holiday.' 'Some of you aren't using your free time wisely clearly. I personally said I think it's a good pause and reset for everyone so SHUT UP!' The star then went on to claim the people who criticised her were the ones 'stockpiling all the toilet paper and food'. Comment: Some fans came out in support of the beauty, writing: 'Omg leave the girl alone. It's a global pandemic and ur tryna troll under someone's picture.' Peace: She finished her post by sharing a photo of herself flashing the peace sign, with the caption:'I try every day on here to make people happy, laugh, and be lighthearted in a s**t situation' She finished her post by sharing a photo of herself flashing the peace sign, with the caption:'I try every day on here to make people happy, laugh, and be lighthearted in a s**t situation.' 'I'm glad I receive the same energy back', followed by a facepalm emoji. On Twitter she also wrote: 'People really didn't need that extra time on their hands. 'The way people are sending hate tor my post you'd think I was Ms Rona herself.' A total of 1,789 patients have now died overall in UK hospitals as of 5pm on Monday, the Department of Health said, up by 381 from 1,408 the day before. The jump is by far the biggest day-on-day rise in the number of deaths since the outbreak began. US automaker Ford has said it will make 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days, starting April 2, at its Rawsonville plant in Michigan in the US to meet the critical demand. Ford has partnered with GE Healthcare to produce a simplified type of ventilator titled "GE/Airon Model A-E". "The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers," Jim Hackett, Ford's president and CEO said in a statement on Tuesday. "By producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW, we can help health care workers save lives, and that's our No. 1 priority," Hackett added. Ford looks to produce 1,500 ventilators by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4. In a statement, White House Defense Production Act Coordinator Peter Navarro said Ford and GE are moving to speed urgently needed ventilators to the front lines of the Trump Administration's full-scale war against the coronavirus. The number of deaths reached 3,899 on Tuesday night in the US, exceeding the 2,977 toll of the terrorist attack on the US on 9/11. The number of confirmed cases in the US was 188,547. Netsafe has launched a new education campaign, aiming to help people have better online experiences during lockdown. Stay Connected, Stay Safe encourages people to use and engage with all the different types of technology on offer to help them stay connected and provides tips and advice about how to do it safely. The internet and devices will play an important part in keeping everyone connected, and this campaign aims to promote the opportunities while helping people manage the risks, says Netsafe chief executive officer Martin Cocker. Most people will be relying on internet connected devices to stay informed, entertained and connected in ways theyve never had to do before. Now is a great time to explore the different technological options available that makes life more convenient and enjoyable, but it would be naive to ignore the risks that will bring. The rapid adoption of technology, increased stress and physical separation from communities are combining to create a perfect storm for trouble online. We are already seeing that cyber criminals are using this opportunity to groom, defraud and exploit people. Netsafe is encouraging people to be especially vigilant, and support whanau and friends who might need a little bit of help connecting online. Were asking people to spread the #stayconnectedstaysafe message as some apps and platforms will present risks first-time users dont necessarily understand. Talk to your loved ones and equip them with the skills required to use these tools safely so they can have a positive experience and become a part of your digital bubble, says Martin. Netsafe are asking people to use the #stayconnectedstaysafe on social media to share how they have made a difference to someone else. The resources on netsafe.org.nz including the 10 best online safety tips for lockdown will also help people navigate these uncharted waters. We understand the growing thirst for more information and the need to provide access to credible advice, links to websites and useful guides. Netsafes website eliminates time searching for answers on how to control the risks so you can get on with connecting safely. As New Zealands main online safety organisation, Netsafes team of experts are available seven days a week to assist people and provide free support with whatever trouble they encounter. Netsafes tips to help you #stayconnectedstaysafe 1. Do a stocktake: Assess how many devices in your house connect to the internet to understand where the risks are and start to mitigate them. 2. Assess new technology: Investigate new apps or platforms by checking out terms and conditions, reviews and minimum age requirements before using them. 3. Secure your virtual house: Use strong passwords, update your software and use two-factor authentication where possible. 4. Share your experience: Talk to your friends and family about the technologies you use and let them know your tips and tricks to eliminate risk. 5. Combat misinformation: Guide people to official information sources like covid19.govt.nz for the latest advice. 6. See something, say something: If you see suspicious or criminal activity online, report it. If you dont know where to report, visit netsafe.org.nz for help. 7. Practice safe clicking: COVID-19 is being used as a lure so be careful clicking on links, attachments or ads from unknown sources as they might be hiding malware. 8. Protect your info: Criminals are harvesting personal information. Stop and think carefully about the details you disclose or whether they need to be entered online. 9. Have fun: Explore the technologies available to help you connect, learn, stay informed and participate in Aotearoas new virtual society. 10. Help others: Share your online safety tips and experiences using the #stayconnectedstaysafe hashtag to help others. NEC Technologies India on Wednesday said it has appointed Aalok Kumar as its President and Chief Executive Officer. With this appointment, Takayuki Inaba (former Chairman and Managing Director) has been appointed as Executive Chairman of NEC Technologies India, a statement said. This change reflects NEC Corporation's strong commitment to the country and India's growing importance to the company's global business, it added. "This management restructuring exercise is aimed at accelerating our evolution in India. Capacity building in India will not only bolster our business in this country but also support our global businesses," NEC Corporation President (Global Business Unit) Akihiko Kumagai said. Kumar brings a good mix of strategic thinking and operational excellence, and his rich experience in business transformation and performance improvement will help accelerate growth, he added. "With him onboard, we are confident that he will take NEC Technologies India to even greater heights and help India achieve its goals," he said. Kumar said India is a key market in NEC's global growth strategy. "With our huge pool of engineering and technology talent across various verticals, including public safety, communications infrastructure, aviation, logistics and transportation solutions, NEC is contributing significantly to the digital transformation of India," he said. Kumar said the R&D efforts at NEC Laboratories India have enabled its 'In India- For India' strategy to develop innovative solutions that create social value and are globally scalable. With a workforce of over 6,000 local employees, NEC has deployed a number of cross-industry solutions for the infrastructure, aviation, logistics and transportation sectors. Some key NEC projects in India include Chennai-Andaman submarine cable project, biometric-based paperless boarding solution and container tracking and optimisation solutions deployed by DMICDC Logistics Data Services. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, is demanding the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu to appear before Parliament to brief members on recent happenings regarding the fight against the COVID-19. The Finance Minister on Monday delivered a statement to the House on the economic impact assessment of the pandemic. Speaking in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu said there is the need for the Health Minister to appear before the House to explain how his outfit is managing the situation relative to the donation of monies and items donated by various bodies. I also understand that the Chinese government gave some assistance to the Republic, the Minister of Health will have to come to this House to apprise us on how he is dealing with matters relating to that and how the distribution relative to the need for PPEs to support them [Health Workers] is going. On the presentation of the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Ghana's economy by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Monday, the Tamale South legislator demanded some level of urgency from the Finance Committee of the House. But, more importantly, Mr speaker the Finance Committee of this House must meet immediately and consider those matters and report same. ---citinewsroom Most Arizonans have likely never heard of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, let alone understand the hidden role it plays in defining their states politics. Likewise, most Missourians probably couldnt explain Citizen Voting-Age Population, let alone the way its use to draw state legislative districts could transform the very nature of representation there for decades. The politicians like it that way. Partisans eager to manipulate elections in these states and others, however, fully grasp CACA, CVAP and other convoluted and wonky ways to tilt district lines to their advantage for the next decade. These tactics might make even the aggressive gerrymanders of this decade look tame. While most Americans focus on the race for the White House, and Democrats battle to select the partys 2020 nominee, a quieter, behind-the-scenes game is afoot in state capitals nationwide. The stakes may be more consequential: Every state legislative and congressional district will be redrawn in 2021, after the U.S. census. When these lines were last drawn, in 2011, the GOP executed a savvy strategy called REDMAP short for the Redistricting Majority Project centered on flipping legislatures red during the 2010 midterms, and gaining complete control of the map-making process in key states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Then they created new maps with the help of sophisticated new software and terabytes of voter data; theyve controlled both legislative branches in all five states ever since, and havent lost a congressional seat this decade in Wisconsin, North Carolina or Ohio. More than 59 million Americans live in a state where one or both chambers of the state legislature is controlled by the party that won fewer votes in 2018. Voters of all political stripes, outraged by this blatant attempt to rig elections, have tried to constrain their own representatives. But even when citizens win landslide initiatives that mandate nonpartisan redistricting, the politicians refuse to listen and simply invent new tricks. In Arizona, where voters created a bipartisan commission to draw maps, led by an independent unaffiliated with any party, Republicans are now gaming the system so that they can influence the boards makeup and select its chair. Meanwhile, CACA will begin its work reviewing applicants this year, while the census count is underway. The Democratic members of the commission, in essence, along with the boards chair, could well be chosen by Republicans. In Missouri, more than 62% of voters backed a 2018 citizen-driven reform package that ended the ability of lawmakers to draw their own legislative districts. Missouri Republicans decided to rewrite the entire amendment, scrapping the voters decision to put a nonpartisan state demographer in charge of drawing political districts, and instead putting the politicians back in charge. It isnt just Republicans. Virginia Democrats have pumped the brakes on ratifying a constitutional amendment that would create independent redistricting there. The plan passed both houses in Virginia in 2019, but any constitutional revisions must pass a second consecutive year and after Democrats flipped both chambers in 2019, they hold complete control of the process, and, apparently, feel much less urgency about reforming it. When Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a 5-4 decision last year that closed the federal courts to partisan gerrymandering claims, ruling them a nonjusticiable political issue, he pointed to the success citizens had in winning reform at the ballot box. That legislators in all of these states are so brazenly willing not only to ignore the public will, but reverse it entirely, or find new and clever ways around it, shows the weakness of Roberts argument. Legislatures often wont surrender this important power even after voters take it away from them. District lines are the building blocks of our democracy. When theyre warped, intentionally, for partisan gain, it distorts our politics. When citizens fight to reinstate fairness, and theyre blocked by their own legislatures or the courts, it calls into question the very legitimacy of representative democracy itself. Gerrymandering, CACA, CVAP none of it starts the blood pumping quite like fighting about the presidency. But a president wins a four-year term. The maps these legislatures draw will last for a decade. Both parties will get another shot at the White House in 2024. These maps? Theyll define our politics in 2031. David Daley is the author of Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. A third of Ukrainian migrant workers in Poland have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, they are complaining about restrictions and income cuts, according to Wirtualne Media, with reference to a poll conducted by IRCenter. The survey shows that 60% of Ukrainians complain about the influence of restrictions imposed by the Polish government. About 30% of respondents said they had lost their jobs or had been obliged to substantially limit their jobs. At the same time, 27% have problems with employment. Some 3% of Ukrainians lost housing in Poland. Most migrant workers say they are not afraid of the coronavirus epidemic and are worried about their job difficulties. According to the survey, 22% of Ukrainians said they would stay in the country illegally if their stay in Poland was over. However, 7% of respondents do not rule out that if the quarantine is delayed, they will have to return to Ukraine to have their documents reissued. Sociologists also found that one in five Ukrainians came to Poland with a biometric passport and found a job there without a work visa. op The first day of the month means housing and utility payments are due for thousands of Oregon renters. Small business owners likely face the same deadline for commercial rent payments. The economic fallout from coronavirus closures will leave many unable to pay. State and local officials have taken some actions to help renters, but the relief varies by county. Portland restaurant owners, for instance, have been left to negotiate rent freezes on their own. And if they cant pay up, the risk of eviction looms as soon as five days later. Here are more of the latest developments to know Wednesday: RELIEF: The Oregon Legislature wont hold a special session this week to address coronavirus concerns, including pressure from businesses for commercial rent protections. Some lawmakers indicated last week that they expected to convene, but the outlook for a special session in the coming weeks is now unclear. CASES: The number of Oregonians with coronavirus ticked up again, as expected, and nearly 700 people statewide now have COVID-19. Eighteen people have now died from the disease in Oregon. At least three of those Oregonians lived in nursing homes. The virus has reached at least 29 senior care facilities across the state. SCHOOLS: State education officials say coronavirus closures of K-12 schools will likely last until the summer. Portland Public Schools has already started planning how instructors will soon start teaching online. JOBS: The latest wave of layoffs came with news that Goodwill would cut more than 2,600 jobs in Oregon. The nonprofit retailer said it hopes to bring back everybody that we can once social distancing restrictions are lifted. POLITICS: Portlanders will choose their top pick for may in six weeks. Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler, debated their views for the city. Challengers Ozzie Gonzalez, Sarah Iannarone and Teressa Raiford contend that city officials should offer more relief to Portlanders amid coronavirus outbreak. LIFE TODAY: How do you stay fit while you stay home? Virtual fitness classes are one option, and following some simple healthy-living tips is another. When you do go outdoor, wearing masks in public could be the next big step in the fight against coronavirus. -- The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Sign up for free text updates about coronavirus MI AG Nessel Gives Shout-outs to Local Law Enforcement Agencies MI AG Nessel Gives Shout-outs to Local Law Enforcement Agencies April 1, 2020 LANSING Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and her team gave several shout-outs today to members of local law enforcement for their assistance in helping make sure Michigan businesses and residents comply with Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order. Hundreds of complaints and questions have been filed with the Attorney Generals office since the Executive Order became effective. We are continuing to work with businesses and our partners in law enforcement through some of the uncertainty surrounding this unprecedented public emergency, Nessel said. We must all work together and do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. The volume of calls in the Attorney Generals office was so overwhelming that the department called upon local law enforcement agencies across the state to help encourage compliance with the order. Bob Stevenson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as Blaine Koops and Matt Saxton from the Michigan Sheriffs Association were instrumental in getting the word out to their members. The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan assisted as well, providing constant input and recommendations as issues were raised. These organizations were phenomenal in terms of their commitment to helping Michigan residents understand, adapt to and ultimately adopt the Governors Stay Home, Sate Safe Order, said Nessel. We are grateful for their assistance and partnership. Nessels team gave specific kudos to the following departments, just a few of the many agencies with whom the Michigan Department of Attorney General has dealt with directly to try to maximize public safety for Michigan residents: Auburn Hills Police Department Branch County Sheriffs Office Gladstone Michigan State Police Post Hamtramck Police Department Iron Mountain Police & Fire Services Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Novi Police Department Roscommon County Sheriffs Department St. Clair Shores Police Department Troy Police Department Utica Police Department Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office The Attorney Generals office recently added a new section to its website, Know Your Employment Rights, to provide Michigan residents with more information on the legal rights of employees and employers under the executive order. Additional information for employers can be found on the Guidance for Business page on the states website devoted to COVID-19. The states COVID-19 website also has information on the Governors executive orders, directives and FAQs which allows for review of each order and its own questions and answers. ### Ryan Jarvi 517-335-7666 Attorney General Volunteers deliver meals to the homes of quarantined students who attend a school for children with significant disabilities on Chicago's north side. A trip to the grocery store is one of the few essential errands that is still allowed at a time when millions of Americans have been ordered to stay inside to slow the spread of COVID-19. But whether due to age, illness, or nervousness about contracting the virus, plenty of folks would rather not go. Services like Door Dash are continuing to drop off meals at customers' front doors. And grocery delivery platform Instacart is hiring 300,000 more workers to meet the increased demand for its service. But there are other options available to those who most need, or want, to stay hunkered down at home. Local farms and sellers are delivering fresh vegetables and fruits. Some restaurants, closed to dine-in business, are offering mega-sized portions that can feed the whole family. And meal kit providers, a convenience to subscribers before the pandemic, are now a potential lifeline. Here's a sampling of what you can do to fill your refrigerator and pantry without leaving home. Misfits could fit the bill Misfits Market sells misshapen veggies and fruits that are typically rejected by supermarket shoppers drawn to the prettiest produce. The company will deliver the organic items to your front door for up to 40% less than what it would cost you at the store. Its largest box, weighing roughly 18 to 22 pounds, should be able to serve a family of five for a week, according to its website. It costs $35 for vegetables and fruits that would set you back $65 at the supermarket. Someone's hiring?: Here are the companies mass hiring during the coronavirus pandemic Take out only: Restaurants transition to take-out only service during coronavirus If you're a new customer, however, you'll need to be patient. As of Monday, the Misfits site said shipments are delayed up to three weeks. Even some long-time customers are getting their boxes one to two days later than normal. "Were doing our best to meet the needs of people in our delivery area who lack access to fresh food in these uncertain times,'' the site says. "To even out production and protect the well being of our staff, were limiting the number of new boxes we can ship each week.'' Story continues Meal kit services are open for business Meal kit service Sun Basket has seen a spike in orders since the coronavirus outbreak began, says its CEO Don Barnett. "Our business has doubled within the past few weeks,'' he says. "Not only are we adding new customers, but many of our current customers have increased both their order frequency and the number of meals and add-on items to their usual orders. With fewer people leaving their homes and avoiding grocery stores, we are doing everything we can ... to accommodate.'' To make sure meals get to customers on time, the company has pared back its menu and shifted some delivery days. Orders are not currently experiencing any delays, Barnett says. The meals, which include organic fruits and vegetables, wild-caught seafood, and meats without antibiotics and hormones, start at $11.99 per serving, for two servings each of 3 recipes per week. Meal kit company Blue Apron is also continuing to accept customers despite increased demand during the pandemic. "We are doing our best to avoid any delivery delays,'' the company said in an emailed statement. "If we expect a delivery delay for any subset of customers, we are proactively notifying them.'' Options include a choice of two dishes that can serve a family of four for a week for the cost of roughly $72. Restaurants offer deals as well as delivery Some restaurants are offering budget-friendly discounts as well as larger sized options to feed families clustered at home. Mighty Quinn's Barbeque is offering 15% off all orders, whether they deliver it or customers pick up from one of the chain's locations. It also has a promotion for a meal that can feed a family of four. "Lets say you select brisket and chicken,'' says Micha Magid, Mighty Quinn's co-founder and co-CEO. "You'll get 1 pound of slow-smoked brisket and a whole chicken served with two quarts of sides, pickles, slaw, rolls and sauce. Its a great deal for under $16 (per) person.'' A new kind of farm to table Local farms and eateries are starting up services that enable customers to reserve boxes of food, then come pick them up. While you need to leave the house to get your items, some customers might still prefer that option over trying to maintain a safe distance from other shoppers in a crowded grocery store. McClendon's Select, a 93-acre organic farm in Arizona was serving dozens of restaurants before the outbreak of COVID-19. But "that business just evaporated,'' says CEO Bob McClendon. "So now we're doing this grab and go program to try to survive through this.'' The program has pick-up locations in the Phoenix area, as well as Peoria and Scottsdale. And it can barely keep up with the demand. "We're maxed out right now,'' he says, "which is a wonderful thing for us.'' Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: How to shop for fresh food if you coronavirus is keeping you away from Home bound can order fresh produce, meal kits amid pandemic While some au pairs, mainly from Europe, have chosen to return home due to concerns from their nuclear families or just wanting to be in their home countries during the pandemic, this is not the norm, Ms. Sterling said in an email. With the average pay for most au pairs falling between $4 to $5 an hour, the program has been the subject of complaints about low wages and mistreatment, as reported in recent years by Politico and The Washington Post. Still, thousands of host families and international au pairs participate in the program each year through a handful of approved organizations in the United States. Au Pair in America, for example, has approximately 6,000 host families each year. Lauren Allen and her wife from Maryland have also found themselves scrambling for child care after their 23-year-old au pair decided to head back home to Northern Italy this week because of the coronavirus outbreak. She had been helping to take care of the familys 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. We work in the finance and public health fields so work is particularly crazy for us both right now, even though we are working from home, Ms. Allen, 37, said in an email interview. So without a child care option, we will need to coordinate and flex hours. Ms. Allen is now searching for a new au pair who is already in the United States via agencies and online groups. She said the hunt has been especially difficult because they do not want their new au pair to have to travel by airplane or train because of the health risks, and would much prefer the person to be within driving distance. Finding an au pair to begin with is an intense and stressful process. Its like online speed dating where no one speaks the same language, Ms. Allen said. In a rematch situation, its even more heightened because there are time limits on au pairs who are rematching and there are far fewer in-country au pairs who are available to choose from. For American au pairs who are scheduled to work abroad or are already overseas, the current pandemic has also affected their experience. A professors initial modeling of coronavirus trends showed that New Jersey could reach 50,000 cases by this weekend. But faced with the latest numbers from Gov. Phil Murphys press conference Tuesday, he updated his projections. New Jersey had a very good day today, if we can believe the numbers, said Anthony Breitzman, a computer science professor at Rowan University who charted out the numbers of cases of the virus, which as of Tuesday are up to nearly 19,000 in New Jersey, with 267 deaths. But while the number of cases, unfortunately, continues to grow, the good news is the rate of growth is less, Breitzman said. The day-over-day growth rate Monday was 24%. Were that rate sustained, the number of cases would double every three days. Projecting based on that rate, he estimated the number of confirmed cases in the state would reach 50,000 by this weekend. But the number of cases actually stated Tuesday - 18,696 - showed only a 12% growth rate in one day. Were that rate sustained, cases would double every six days. As far as a timetable to reach 50,000 cases in New Jersey, "its between Sunday worst case (20% growth) and the following Friday [April 10] at a 10-12% growth rate, he said in a follow-up email. Murphy said earlier this month that some of the large increases can be attributed to aggressive testing. Breitzman also spoke of some potentially encouraging trends in New York, which has been the epicenter of the disease in the United States. There, the time it takes for the number of cases to double seems to be going down, he said. Last week, the doubling time was 1.6 days. Now its 4.4 days. Its still a startling rate, but it does appear to be slowing, he said. So, are we flattening the curve? While he saw the good news in Murphys Tuesday press briefing, Breitzman cautioned that everyone should wait and see what this weeks numbers hold. California and Washington state had dips in their growth rates before they creeped back up in recent days. We havent reached the apex. ... I dont want people to get complacent and start going out, he said. This thing could take a bad turn tomorrow ... or maybe this is finally flattening the curve. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Gardai are dealing with a significant upsurge in fraud offences, which have increased by 26pc as crime gangs target people online. The number of drug-related crimes has also risen by 17pc compared to the previous year. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show an increase in most crime categories last year - apart from burglary, robbery and kidnapping offences - while homicide offences dropped significantly from 80 in 2018 to 50. This decrease was mainly due to a 66pc drop in the number of dangerous driving leading to death cases - from 33 to 11 - while murders decreased from 40 to 35. While the Hutch/Kinahan feud was linked to up to 18 murders here and abroad, there has not been a killing linked to the dispute in two years. However, disputes in Drogheda and Dublin between criminal gangs have led to a number of murders. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan welcomed the decrease in homicides and praised efforts from gardai in preventing gang violence. "However, every murder is one too many and the increase in attempts and threats to murder starkly remind us of the ongoing challenge faced by An Garda Siochana in tackling serious criminality," he said. The number of murder attempts almost doubled from 14 to 25, while sexual offences are continuing to reach record levels, with more than 3,300 reported to gardai last year. The most significant crime increase was for offences related to fraud, which have risen by 26pc as crime gangs move to online platforms to scam Irish consumers. Susceptible Deirdre Carwood, head of forensic at Deloitte, said the increase came as no surprise to fraud investigators and that they are now also seeing a rapid increase in pandemic profiteering, "We are more susceptible to this risk, now more than ever as we work from home and log on remotely to our workplace VPNs," she said. "Businesses should keep reminding their employees that it is important to take care when clicking on links within emails or opening suspicious attachments on both your business and personal email accounts," she added. Controlled drugs offences have also increased by 17pc, with almost 21,000 reported last year. Of those, 30 were for drug trafficking offences, which doubled during the 12-month period. Both local and national garda units have continued investigations into a number of different crime gangs both in Dublin and across the country in the past year. They have also made a number of significant seizures. In 2018, gardai investigated 2,686 offences involving weapons or explosives, which was a 10.2pc increase in that particular crime. Recorded crime statistics have remained under scrutiny since the CSO expressed concern in 2018 about the quality of the information collated by gardai on the Pulse system. Gemini Financial Holdings Corporation (GFHC), the parent company of Florida-based Olympus Insurance Company (OIC), has announced the appointment of Steve Bitar as CEO. Bitar will join Olympus on April 20 and will succeed interim CEO James McDermott. Bitar has more than 20 years of Florida-specific insurance experience. Prior to joining Olympus, he served as chief of underwriting and agency services for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Authorities are tracking mobile phones of people under quarantine to check if they are violating orders in augmented efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, the chief minister warned that strict action would be taken against those not adhering to the government's order on home quarantine. The government gave 14,345 phone numbers to the Delhi Police on Wednesday to track the people put under home quarantine, in addition to 11,084 numbers it had shared on Tuesday, he said. He said some countries have been using such technology to check the movement of those put under quarantine. "Police will track the phones of those who were directed home quarantine to see if they complied or not. Action will be taken against those who violated. In such cases, their contacts will also have to be quarantined," Kejriwal tweeted later. Reiterating that there has not been any community transmission of COVID-19 in Delhi yet, the chief minister said that out of the total 120 positive cases in the national capital, 49 contracted the disease during foreign tours and 29 through local transmission from family members already infected with the virus. The positive cases in Delhi included 24 people evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz. By Wednesday morning, a total of 2,346 persons were evacuated from the Islamic centre, out of which 536 were hospitalised, he said. During the online press conference, the chief minister said a total of 766 people with COVID-19 symptoms were admitted at various hospitals across Delhi and that the situation was now under control. "There are total 112 active COVID-19 cases in Delhi and we have requested the Centre to provide us testing kits, other medical equipment," Kejriwal said. He also said the Delhi government will provide ration to those who do not have ration cards but have applied for it. Kejriwal said that around 71 lakh people are being provided seven-and-a-half kg of ration each at outlets of the public distribution system. "I want to request all those people to apply for a ration card on the Delhi government e-district website. You can take the help of MLAs and SDMs. You will not get a ration card but will get ration every month till the COVID-19 situation persists," he said. "35,000 construction workers have already got Rs 5,000 each from the Delhi government. We have credited the amount into their bank accounts," he said. The chief minister said salaries of many people may be delayed due to the ongoing lockdown. "The Delhi government is issuing two passes each to the employers for the next two days so that they can release the payments online to their employees. Please do not deduct salaries, since it is a lockdown and a time of distress," he appealed to the employers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi has pleaded with employers to comply with the labour laws and the Covid-19 regulations. Addressing reporters during a social cluster press briefing on Tuesday, 31 March, the minister revealed that some employers were still not adhering to the relevant laws. Essential workers Health and safety These ranged from some employers forcing employees to take leave, to employers providing non-essential services obtaining fraudulent operating and trading certificates. Inevitably, there will be challenges and the need to take remedial action. This is the case in relation to leave arrangements, said the minister.He said the department has in recent days been inundated by concerns from workers and unions about employers who shift the burden of the lockdown onto the workers, making workers use their annual leave as the first line of response to the lockdown. Nxesi said complaints also included those of employers instructing workers to take unpaid leave during this lockdown.We do understand that in terms of the leave determination, employers can compel employees to take leave at any time as they deem fit. However, this is a unique situation that requires all of us to act in a manner that promotes social solidarity, Nxesi said.The department, he said, has issued a directive explaining the process to be followed, and the kind of benefits employees will be entitled to under the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).The department has also announced a National Disaster Covid-19 benefit that the UIF has put in place as an instrument to mitigate the effects of lay-offs of workers during the lockdown.It is important though that all parties understand that the UIF cannot deal with millions of individual claims. This would lead to delays in the processing of such claims. Instead, we have put in place systems to pay out UIF benefits through companies, sectoral associations and bargaining councils.We are in the process of concluding such an agreement with the Textile Bargaining Council. We would also like to mention that discussions with the travel and tourism sector are underway, he said.The department has also engaged the Banking Council to facilitate UIF payments.We are moving away from the traditional model of individual claims through Labour Centres, which would be simply overwhelmed. It would also turn Labour Centres into virus hubs, as they would attract huge crowds, Nxesi said.He said it was important to stress that such arrangements for group/collective payments require that a Memorandum of Understanding be entered into with employer bodies and bargaining councils, and that their use of the monies will be subject to audit.He urged parties to get together and engage in order to expedite the payment of these monies to the workers that need them.The UIF staff is available to assist on +27(0)123371997 from 8am - 8pm. The call centre operates from Monday to Friday.Nxesi thanked employers, who have already demonstrated social responsibility and solidarity by not only paying workers in full during this lockdown, but also by making themselves available to assist by acting as disbursing agents during this period.Firstly, it appears that some employers who are not delivering essential services and goods are forcing their employees to work. Employers are either unaware or choose to ignore the provisions of the National Disaster legislation and regulations, which only provide for essential services and production to continue at this time, Nxesi said.In terms of Regulation 11G, this is a criminal offence and puts at risk not only those employees, but all who they are in contact with and goes against the call for as many of us as possible to stay at home.Any employee who is not involved in a business delivering essential services and goods and who is forced to work is entitled to contact the SAPS [South African Police Service] and report their employer.Any worker who does this and is subsequently victimised will be protected by the Labour Relations Act, since this is an unfair labour practice, the minister said.The minister further urged employer organisations to intensify their communication to individual employers informing them of their responsibilities during this critical period.The minister said employers are required to ensure that the Occupational Health and Safety Act is adhered to in respect of occupational hygiene and the provision of personal protective equipment.He said the department has received numerous complaints from workers that some employers are forcing them to work without the necessary personal protective equipment.Our labour inspectors are following up, particularly at the moment in Gauteng, Western Cape and KZN. Indeed, a number of retail and manufacturing enterprises have been temporarily closed exactly for these reasons: lack of PPE and failure to ensure social distancing, he said.He urged non-compliant employers to do the right thing.If the situation persists, we will start to name and shame individual companies and branches, warned Nxesi. : Dairy farmers in Kerala are bearing the brunt of the 21-day-lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of pandemic COVID-19, as the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, better known as MILMA, stopped milk procurement on Wednesday due to excess stock with them. The decision was following the neighbouring Tamil Nadu deciding to halt the procurement of milk from Kerala as they have enough and extra stock following the lockdown. Kerala Minister of Animal husbandry and Dairy Development K Raju tol reporters that talks have been held with dairy units in Tamil Nadu to send the excess milk from Kerala to manufacture milk powder. "We are holding discussions with many companies in Tamil Nadu. The discussion is to convert excess milk in the state to manufacture milk powder in the factories there. If they agree to it, we will send milk there," Raju said. K S Mani, chairman of Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers Union (MRCMPU), the north Kerala arm of MILMA, said they were forced to stop milk procurement on Wednesday due to excess of stock with them. "We have been procuring the maximum and sharing the excess with our Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapruam MILMA dairies. But the lockdown had witnessed a sharp fall in sales across the state to as low as 45-50 per cent. This led to surplus milk remaining with us as other dairies were not in need of our excess milk, he said. He also said Tamil Nadu decided not to accept milk from Kerala as they themselves have enough and extra stock. "Hence we were forced to stop procuring today (Wednesday). And we have decided to procure milk in the morning only, which is about 65 per cent, henceforth. Usual procurement of milk in the evenings has been temporarily stopped," Mani said. The MRCMPU procures about six lakh litres of milk everyday and with procurement limited to morning only, the milk they collected would be about four lakh litres from Thursday. "I have been talking to the Minister and the Chief Ministers office about a possible solution in utilising the excess stock we will have...This milk, about two lakh litres every day, could well be distributed among the destitute and the homeless in relief camps and the guest workers through community kitchens," he added. The dairy farmers in Palakkad were seen dumping milk into pits as they lacked facility to store the excess produce. Sources said around 80,000 litres of milk was disposed of as the business came down following the lockdown. (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 Andrea Dudik and Radoslav Tomek (Bloomberg) Prague, Czech Republic/Bratislava, Slovakia Wed, April 1, 2020 14:37 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206edf8fb 2 World test-kits,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,Europe,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus Free As the coronavirus landed in Italy and began to sweep across the continent, European leaders turned to China for testing kits to quickly identify infection hot spots. Some are already regretting it. The 1.2 million Chinese antibody tests that the Slovak government bought from local middlemen for 15 million euros ($16 million) are inaccurate and unable to detect COVID-19 in its early stages, according to Prime Minister Igor Matovic, who only took office last month. We have a ton and no use for them, he said. They should just be thrown straight into the Danube. Matovic may have an ax to grind as the testing kits were purchased by the previous government, of which he has been a fierce critic for many things, including its record on fighting corruption. Still, similar difficulties have cropped up from Madrid to Istanbul -- complicating countries efforts to get a handle on the virus and re-open their economies, which are headed for recessions that could eclipse the fallout from the 2008 financial meltdown. The issues arent just a problem for Europe. They risk derailing Chinas own efforts to fill the void left as President Donald Trump steers the US away from its traditional leadership role in times of global crisis. Beijing hopes to win favor through mass deliveries of medical aid to European nations -- part of wider geopolitical ambitions in the region that go back years. Regarding the virus-testing kits, China said Slovakia used them incorrectly, and cautioned against politicizing instances where equipment isnt up to scratch -- issues it said it experienced when receiving help from abroad during the initial emergence of the virus months ago in Wuhan. Problems should be properly solved based on facts, not political interpretations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. In fact, when we first began fighting COVID-19 at home, some of the assistance China received was defective, but we chose to believe and respect the kind intentions of these countries. Whatever the intention, complaints in Spanish media increased as it transpired last week that 50,000 quick-testing kits from China were faulty and had to be returned. Deaths in Spain have begun to match those in nearby Italy -- currently the viruss epicenter in Europe. In fact, the sort of rapid coronavirus tests the countries bought are still unproven. If they can be shown to work, they offer the potential to vastly accelerate testing and get a better picture of how widely the disease has spread in society. But companies have only recently developed them and some experts warn governments to hold off on buying big supplies until its clearer which, if any, of the diagnostic tools work best. Criticism of China from other countries has been muted, likely reflecting its growing economic and strategic heft. Under the banner of a trade and infrastructure initiative known as Belt and Road, Beijing has moved to increasingly knit the fortunes of other countries to itself. Indeed President Xi Jinping has described Chinas mass deployment of medical assistance to countries including Italy, Greece and France as an effort to further a Health Silk Road. In the Czech Republic, health-care authorities and some government members said the 300,000 quick tests purchased by the state only worked if patients had been infected for at least five days, while about a third were defective. President Milos Zeman, however, avoided mentioning the problems. Id like to thank the Chinese Peoples Republic for being the only country that helped us in supplying the material, he said March 19. In doing so, he failed to acknowledge aid also being provided by the European Union. In Turkey, which imported its first batch of several thousand kits in early March, officials determined an accuracy rate of less than 35%, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter. Their use was immediately suspended and new tests sourced from a different Chinese supplier. They arrived last week and had an accuracy rate of about 90%, according to the Turkish official. China is trumpeting a victory over the virus to mount a major diplomatic offensive with Western nations to varying degrees immobilized and distracted, according to Tim Huxley, executive director for Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Still, their dissimulation over COVID-19 numbers at home, the fact that much of the world continues to see China as the source of COVID-19, and tactical errors like providing shoddy test kits to some European countries means that their net diplomatic benefits may be limited, he said. China said its working to rectify the problems. From Wednesday, exporters of coronavirus test kits, medical masks, protective clothing, ventilators and infrared thermometers must show theyre certified in China and promise their products also meet the quality standards of the importing nation or region, according to a Ministry of Commerce statement. The customs administration will only allow these goods to be exported if theyre approved by Chinas regulators, the ministry said. The agency pledged Monday to improve supervision and crackdown on fake and poor quality medical exports. China isnt the only country to see some of its virus assistance backfire in Europe. President Vladimir Putin dispatched protective masks, ventilators, testing equipment and even doctors to Italy this month, with deliveries carrying stickers saying From Russia with Love. A few days later, however, Italys La Stampa newspaper cited senior political sources as saying that about four-fifths of supplies were useless for the country. Many interpreted Russias actions as an opportunist bid to win friends in Italy as the EUs own virus response foundered. Similar accusations have been leveled against China. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei last week halted donations of face masks to countries including Italy, Ireland, Poland and the Netherlands following comments from EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell, who referred to a global battle of narratives. China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, its a responsible and reliable partner, he wrote in a blog post. That, he said, meant a politics of generosity battle was unfolding. Police in Ho Chi Minh City have broken up an illegal drug ring caught with more than 14 kilograms of narcotics and over 4,300 pills of ecstasy smuggled from Cambodia. The municipal police bureau affirmed on Tuesday it had cooperated with the anti-drug unit under the Ministry of Public Security in breaking up the illicit racket. The ring is allegedly led by Huynh Tri Thuc, 47, who resides in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. Thuc is suspected of colluding with a group of Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia to smuggle narcotics from the country into Ho Chi Minh City. At around 8:30 am on March 24, officers raided a venue on Lu Gia Street in District 11 and caught Pham Di Chuan, 48, in the act of receiving drugs from Nguyen Quoc Duy, another suspect. More than 9.9 kilograms of meth, 4.57 kilograms of ketamine, and 4,322 pills of ecstasy (MDMA) were confiscated. At the police station, Chuan claimed he was taking orders from Thuc. Police later searched Thucs residence and found two plastic bottles and three glass bottles containing an orange powder, suspected to be a kind of narcotics, and a pill of ecstasy. Officers are conducting further investigation into the case. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Leader of the Free Homeland Party, presidential candidate of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) Arayik Harutyunyan today told reporters that he is ready to collaborate with all political forces. Ill cooperate with the forces that will accept my agenda, that is, social-economic development and Artsakhs development and security, and the forces must also cooperate with Armenias authorities, he said. Asked if he will offer a position to presidential candidate Masis Mayilyan of if he is ready to cooperate with Samvel Babayan, Harutyunyan said he hasnt met with anyone and has no opponents or enemies in Artsakh. Touching upon the second stage of elections and his plans, Harutyunyan said he wont be having meetings with the people and that there isnt a lot of work to do. A short while ago, the Central Electoral Commission of Artsakh released the preliminary results of the presidential elections held on March 31. Based on the results, none of the candidates received more than 50% of the votes, and therefore, the elections will be held in a second stage on April 14. The top three candidates are Arayik Harutyunyan (36,076 votes or 49.26%), Masis Mayilyan (19,360 votes or 26.4%) and Vitaly Balasanyan (10,755 votes or 14.7%). T op bosses at Taylor Wimpey will not get their financial rewards this year after the company closed all of its construction sites due to the coronavirus pandemic. The housebuilder said that annual bonuses will be scrapped as it tries to deal with the Covid-19 fallout. The board will take a 30 per cent pay cut, it added. The company also has plans to cancel a 2 per cent annual salary increase for its executive directors which was set to come into force on April 1. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via 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 Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 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 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images "The objective of these changes is to conserve cash, with a particular focus on protecting the long-term financial security of the business as a whole, for the benefit of all of the company's stakeholders," Taylor Wimpey said in a statement to shareholders on Wednesday morning. The housebuilder last month shut all its construction sites, show homes and sales centres. It was later joined by fellow builders Bellway, Persimmon and Barratt Developments. It comes as businesses up and down the UK try to conserve cash in every way they can to allow them to weather the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. On Tuesday evening, the UK's biggest banks said they were scrapping dividend payouts and share buybacks after a request from the Bank of England. Estate agent Savills joined those companies withdrawing their dividends as it cancelled the 27.05p per share that investors were expecting, and delayed its annual shareholder meeting. Gov. Tom Wolf speaking by video feed while Secretary of Health Rachel Levine stands at the podium during the virtual press conference on March 20, 2020, in Harrisburg. Read more Recently, the U.S. reached a grim milestone: We now have more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other nation, even without widespread testing. The number of confirmed cases continues to grow exponentially. We applaud the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for planning to enact a statewide stay-at-home order to promote social distancing and limit the spread of COVID-19. However, more needs to be done immediately to combat this severe and extremely contagious disease which can cause irreparable lung damage and, per current estimates, kills those it afflicts at 15-20 times the rate of influenza. Enforcement of nonessential business closures must be enhanced to make sure that the sacrifices made by our citizens who do stay at home are not in vain because a few either ignore or do not understand social distancing. Discordance between state and city guidelines has created confusion, demonstrating a lack of coordination and understanding of the rapid disease transmission. Likewise, a lack of information presented by the state to emphasize the necessity of social distancing to slow the spread of the disease has led to a widespread misunderstanding of why we are doing this. The Why me? I am healthy. question still needs to be answered for many Pennsylvanians. Since COVID-19 reached the United States, there has also been a woeful lack of testing. Pennsylvania is no exception. Without testing, Pennsylvania cannot adequately characterize the burden, breadth, and severity of COVID-19 among our 12.8 million citizens. To protect everyone, and especially our health-care providers, test results must become available more quickly. Potentially exposed health-care providers wait as long as a week before receiving their results, during which time many continue contact with patients and their families. No one needs quick testing results more than health-care providers, both to maintain their own health and because, if positive, they pose a significant threat to the health of others. Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties have been forthcoming in providing data on neighborhoods where cases occur. Montgomery County also provides age, gender, hospitalization vs. home quarantine, and presumed point of infection. However, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has refused to provide this information on the basis of the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955. This law, intended to protect people stricken with venereal disease from public stigma, is being inappropriately applied to COVID-19, a respiratory disease. Release of descriptive data, including positive and negative results, and the location of likely clusters of infection will help guide the deployment of critical resources, alert clinicians and public health professionals in those areas, and give the public an understanding of the risk of spread. The commonwealth must become proactive rather than reactive. Decide on metrics in advance for how long we will require social distancing and the closures of schools, businesses, and events. Provide realistic, sustainable guidance to Pennsylvanians about how to protect themselves from COVID-19, and how long we anticipate needing these practices, and give real consideration to how we eventually reopen everything without incurring a new outbreak. We call upon the commonwealth to make available data and resources so that the academic research community can help in this fight. We stand ready to work with you to address COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, including helping to increase transparency in characterizing cases and deaths attributable to COVID-19. Together, we can expand testing resources by providing more drive-thru and walk-up clinics and mobile testing. Our faculty and students at Temple Universitys College of Public Health are willing and able to assist with contact tracing and informing contacts of exposures so that they can self-quarantine and seek testing when necessary. There is no time left to delay. Laura A. Siminoff is the dean of Temple Universitys College of Public Health. Krys Johnson is an assistant professor in the colleges department of epidemiology and biostatistics. Queensland's Premier has issued a call to arms for healthy residents to help out elderly and vulnerable neighbours during the coronavirus pandemic. Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday mobilised the "care army" by calling on Queenslanders to step up and help out neighbours aged 65 and older. "We did it in the 2011 floods with the mud army, and now I want you to be part of our care army," she said. "We know there's an army of people out there that are willing to step up to the plate and help our most vulnerable. Patients line up as employees enter a St. John's Well Child and Family Center clinic in South L.A. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Community clinics and health centers continue to face a shortage of test kits and medical equipment they need to protect staff against the novel coronavirus. At St. John's Well Child and Family Center, a nonprofit that operates 18 health centers and school-based clinics in Los Angeles and Compton, the situation has become so dire that patients have offered to sew surgical masks for the staff. In a news teleconference Tuesday, St. Johns Chief Executive Jim Mangia said it wouldn't be enough and called on the federal government to mandate the production of protective gear and masks for healthcare workers. "The president invoked the Defense Production Act, he's used it to force [General Motors] to create ventilators," he said. "But he's not using it for the production of protective gear and masks for front-line healthcare workers." His plea came a day after Los Angeles County health officials reported that a healthcare worker had died from COVID-19 and on the same day that an elected official in the San Francisco Bay Area said a hospital leased by the state of California to care for coronavirus patients was facing a shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns and gloves. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, community clinics and health centers in Los Angeles County have helped mitigate the spread of the virus and prevented sick patients from overwhelming hospitals. Community clinics that typically handle primary care including checkups and prescribe patients insulin for diabetes or medicine for their high blood pressure have been canceling their regular appointments and seeing more patients with symptoms that match those of the coronavirus. Mangia said last week that the nonprofit saw about 879 patients who were required to be placed in triage tents to isolate them from other patients. He said 39 tests were performed and seven returned positive for COVID-19. He said at least three patients have been hospitalized. Story continues Every year, about 420,000 patients visit one of the 18 community health clinics in Los Angeles and Compton that are run by St. John's Child Well and Family Center. He said about 8,000 of those patients are homeless and 32,000 lack legal status in the United States. He said with the number of patients growing as the virus continues to spread, the centers are barely getting by. He said the situation will worsen if they don't get more help. "By the end of this week, we will have run out of protective gear," Mangia said. "We still don't have the tests that we need in order to contain the spread and isolate our patients. "We're essentially doing makeshift front-line work," he added. In Los Angeles County, more than 350 community clinics and health centers provide primary care and preventive services to 1.7 million patients a year, many of whom live in poverty or are uninsured, said Louise McCarthy, president of Community Clinic Assn. of Los Angeles County, a coalition of private and non-private health facilities. The clinics and centers are also facing massive financial losses as they have had to scale back nonemergency services and switch to telemedicince, which they say they aren't able to be reimbursed for yet. In southeast Los Angeles County, a region dotted with small, working-class cities, more than a dozen elected officials came together in order to amplify their plea to help with the region's medical and financial needs. The coalition of council members and mayors signed a letter asking county and state officials to provide the region with three drive-up testing sites, respirators and other medical equipment in Downey, South Gate and Lynwood. "Our region of the county is extremely dense, with approximately 8,485 people per square mile, an average well above the rest of the county and the state," the letter read in part. "With these density levels, which in some cities exceed that of New York City, we know that the COVID-19 pandemic will have major impacts to our communities." The letter continues: "Our cities rely heavily on clinics. Hospitals have limited access and are already overwhelmed serving our 19 cities that combine for over a million people." The officials also requested economic relief for many of the region's small businesses and to provide compensation to hotels that are used for COVID-19 quarantines. Two banks with its roots in South Canara region became just names to remember from Wednesday with the merger of city-based Corporation Bank with Union Bank of India and Manipal-based Syndicate Bank with Canara Bank. The Union governments decision to merge them with the two other banks came into effect Wednesday. Corporation bank was the oldest banking institution in the erstwhile South Canara district of Madras Presidency, founded in March 12, 1906 in the temple town of Udupi. It was set up by a small group of philanthropists led by Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur. The bank started functioning as Canara Banking Corporation (Udipi) Limited with just Rs 5,000 as its capital. The first branch of the bank was opened at Kundapur in 1923, followed by the second in Mangalore in 1926. After years of phenomenal growth and eventual nationalisation in 1980, the bank was christened Corporation Bank. The bank celebrated its 114th foundation day on March 12 this year. Corporation bank and Andhra Bank merged with the Union Bank of India on Wednesday. The last day of the bank on Tuesday also saw Corporation Banks managing director and chief executive officer P V Bharathi retiring from her 37-year-long banking career. Bharathi had joined Corporation Bank as its CEO in February 2019. Syndicate Bank, which also was born in South Canara initially as Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited at Manipal, had opened its first branch at Udupi in 1925. Businessman Upendra Ananth Pai, Vaman Kuduva, an engineer and Tonse Madhav Anant Pai, a physician and educationist, were the three visionaries who founded the institution. The bank, named Syndicate Bank Limited in 1954 with its head office at Manipal, was nationalised on July 19, 1969, along with 13 other major commercial banks in the country. Vijaya Bank, also with origins in the coastal belt, known as the cradle of banking, had merged with Bank of Baroda on April 1 last year. The bank was established by a group of farmers led by A B Shetty on October 23, 1931. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German sportsgear maker Adidas on Wednesday said it had made "a mistake" when it decided not to pay rent on its shuttered shops in April, after the move sparked a widespread outcry. Adidas was one of a string of retailers in Germany that said they wouldn't be paying their landlords while their stores are closed as part of efforts to stem the coronavirus spread. "We made a mistake and we lost a lot of trust," the firm said in a letter on its German website. "We would like to wholeheartedly apologise. We have paid our landlords the rent for April." Adidas, which made a net profit of nearly two billion euros ($2.2 billion) in 2019, has been hard hit by a slump in Chinese sales and store closures around the world. But it faced massive criticism when it emerged last week that the group was planning to suspend rent payments as it grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis. Similar announcements have also come from Swedish retailer H&M, Adidas rival Puma, shoe chain Deichmann and electronics retailers Saturn and Media Markt. The move comes after the German government unveiled a major rescue package to protect companies and jobs from the brutal economic impact of the pandemic. It includes a provision that temporarily shields tenants from being kicked out of their homes or business premises if they experience financial hardship over the coronavirus measures. But Germany's leading politicians urged financially sound companies not to take advantage of the situation, saying it showed a lack of solidarity at a time of crisis. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz called the planned rent freezes by large retailers "irritating" while Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said it was "indecent and unacceptable". German MEP Katarina Barley tweeted that she had bought her last pair of Adidas trainers, in a post that received over 9,000 likes. CEO Kasper Rorsted on Sunday sought to calm the waters by saying that the bulk of Adidas's German landlords were "large real estate companies and insurance firms". He had insisted that Adidas's small, private landlords would continue to receive their rent. But the ongoing furore eventually prompted the company to ditch the rent freeze altogether. In its letter, Adidas said it had taken several steps to stop the bleeding, including scrapping a share buy-back programme and slashing executive pay. In Germany, it has put some 1,200 workers on reduced hours whose pay will be topped up by the government's aid package. The company added that it was also seeking to contribute to the fight against the pandemic by supporting aid organisations and producing face masks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manitobans are the least satisfied with their provincial and municipal governments handling of the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent poll tracking the nations response to the pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobans are the least satisfied with their provincial and municipal governments handling of the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent poll tracking the nations response to the pandemic. Only 64 per cent of Manitobans are satisfied with the provincial governments response to COVID-19, while the average satisfaction across all provinces rang in at 79 per cent, buoyed in part by a 92 per cent approval in Quebec, according to the recent survey from Leger360 and the Association for Canadian Studies. "I would say that our premier, compared to many of these other premiers, was not particularly popular going into this thing," said Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns about Manitoba's relatively low satisfaction rate. "At 64 per cent, that's actually fairly high compared to his general satisfaction performance rating." The poll which surveyed 1,590 adult Canadians randomly recruited from Legers online panel between last Friday and Sunday is the second weekly report from Leger, intended to track public sentiment regarding the crisis on an ongoing basis. The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet surveys are not considered random samples. Manitobas government satisfaction dipped from 71 per cent from the previous week. "I would say that there's still some work to do for the premier, just in general, to communicate a bit stronger," Enns said. Manitoba and Saskatchewan (grouped together in the surveys regional data) also indicated lower satisfaction with federal and municipal governments, compared to the rest of the country. Two-thirds of Prairie respondents said they were satisfied with the federal response compared to a 70 per cent national average, while 63 per cent reported being satisfied with their municipal government compared to a 67 per cent national average. The poll noted that fears of the virus intensified across the country, with 73 per cent of Canadians responding that they were afraid an immediate family member will contract COVID-19, compared to 69 per cent the week before. Similarly, the percentage of the population who believe the issue is being "blown out of proportion" decreased from 20 per cent to 17 per cent. 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. "Week over week, we're seeing more deaths, and this is bringing home some of the harsh reality of this situation," said Enns, noting that the rise in emergency measures across the country have likely also encouraged Canadians to take the virus seriously. "These sorts of things, even if people don't know exactly what all is entailed, when these measures are introduced they sound pretty serious, so I think that's having an impact on people and starting to hit home a little closer." Manitoba and Saskatchewan are on par with national numbers with respect to the severity of the crisis, though respondents in the Prairie provinces tended to be less concerned about contracting the virus themselves, with 35 per cent citing the virus as a major threat to personal health compared to 45 per cent of the national population. As concerns about the potential impacts of the virus rise, most Canadians are adjusting their behaviour based on government recommendations, the poll suggests, but while the two Prairie provinces were on par with the nation with respect to social distancing, hand-washing and cough etiquette, they trail behind the rest of the country when it comes to staying in their own homes and encouraging others to follow the social-distancing rules. As most Manitobans follow guidelines and continue to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, 70 per cent of Prairie respondents acknowledged that the worst of this situation is still yet to come. julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca Olive, a Columbus, Ohio-based company creating an AI workforce for healthcare, closed its $51m funding round. The round was led by General Catalyst with participation from existing investors include Drive Capital, Oak HC/FT, Ascension Ventures and others. In conjunction with the funding, Ron Paulus, former president and CEO of Mission Health, a $2 billion integrated health system, will join Olives Board of Directors. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its growth. Led by Sean Lane, CEO, Olive provides an AI workforce that automates healthcares most repetitive, high-volume administrative processes, across departments such as Revenue Cycle, Information Technology, Supply Chain, Clinical Administration, Human Resources and more, to deliver improved efficiency, reduced costs, and increased employee capacity. In 2019, the companys presence grew to over 500 U.S. hospitals across 41 states, including 25 of the nations largest health systems. FinSMEs 01/04/2020 [April 01, 2020] OmniSci Announces Expansion to Address Growing Demand in Asia, Adds Joseph Lee as Vice President, Global Sales SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OmniSci , the pioneer in accelerated analytics, today announced its expansion to Asia, the next step in meeting the intensifying global demand for the company's analytics capabilities. Based in Singapore, OmniSci's new sales and field engineering team will provide complete local support for current and prospective enterprise, governmental and academic customers. Initially focused on Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and India, OmniSci's Asia initiatives will be led by Joseph (Joe) Lee as Vice President of Global Sales. Lee, an accomplished enterprise software sales executive with strong experience serving APAC markets, will be joined by Herfini Haryono as Vice President, Industry Verticals, along with a Singapore-based field support team. "OmniSci continues to enjoy a strong growth trajectory in markets around the world. It's natural for us to look to Asia as the next region for us to establish a local presence," noted Todd Mostak, CEO and co-founder of OmniSci. "Joe Lee nd Herfini Haryono have the knowledge and expertise necessary for us to serve our Western Pacific customers well." Joseph Lee has nearly 20 years of experience building high-achieving sales organizations within public and private data science and software companies. He previously held executive-level APAC sales positions at Snow Software and Kinetica in Singapore; he also was senior sales director for enterprise data cloud leader Cloudera, where he was the company's global sales leader in 2017 and grew that firm's Asia revenues from zero to $25 million. "OmniSci is a leader and innovator with a well-differentiated platform, and I'm thrilled to join the team," said Lee. "I'm looking forward to helping the company gain increased traction in Asia and drive an ambitious global sales plan." Herfini Haryono has served as a CIO, CTO and board member of multiple technology companies throughout Indonesia. She most recently was managing director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia; previously she served as chief business officer and CIO of Indosat Ooredoo, a B2B enterprise and wholesale telecom carrier. In addition to serving its existing customers in the region, OmniSci welcomes inquiries regarding new analytics applications. Interested parties are encouraged to email [email protected] . About OmniSci: OmniSci is the pioneer in accelerated analytics. The OmniSci platform is used in business and government to find insights in data beyond the limits of mainstream analytics tools. Harnessing the massive parallelism of modern CPU and GPU hardware, the platform is available in the cloud and on-premise. OmniSci originated from research at Harvard and MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). OmniSci is funded by GV, In-Q-Tel, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), NVIDIA, Tiger Global Management, Vanedge Capital and Verizon Ventures. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. Learn more about OmniSci at www.omnisci.com . MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Dardinger SSPR 802/762-3094 (office) 574/286-5629 (mobile) [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omnisci-announces-expansion-to-address-growing-demand-in-asia-adds-joseph-lee-as-vice-president-global-sales-301033483.html SOURCE OmniSci [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] SINGAPORE, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 320,000 local jobs across the Asia Pacific region and a $36bn industry are at risk of being overlooked by politicians as they devise financial rescue measures to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is calling on governments in over 45 countries across the region to support 320,000 local and front-line employees in the region by including the duty free and travel retail industry in the same financial support packages as airlines, airports and maritime industries. 'The Economic Impact of Duty Free and Travel Retail in Asia Pacific' (October 2019), details a US$36bn industry providing 320,000 jobs, contributing almost US$15bn to GDP across Asia Pacific. Airport Retail and commercial services, including food and beverage, constitute a crucial business sector providing up to 60% vital commercial income for airport owners, outpacing aeronautical revenue streams. It is the most significant direct contributor to the investment in Asia-Pacific's aviation infrastructure and ongoing development of world-class national gateways, the region's hubs to the world. Grant Fleming, President of APTRA, comments. "The dynamics of duty free and travel retailing are intrinsically linked to the aviation and maritime industries and its viability is entirely dependent on the return in passenger traffic. This means 320,000 jobs are at risk that could be safeguarded if governments extend financial support packages to the industry. "The travel ecosystem is multifaceted and, beyond airports, the duty free and travel retail industry integrates deeply with the region's vital tourism market directly with operators such as airport retailers, airlines, cruise-lines and downtown shopping malls and also indirectly with everything from hotels to travel agents and tour guides. We are calling on over 45 governments across the region to recognize the unique economic contribution of the entire Travel Retail industry and to prioritize support packages to our channel and the many that are, and will be, affected financially by COVID-19." https://www.aptra.asia/ Notes: The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is a not for profit membership organisation whose mission is to strengthen, nurture and protect the duty free and travel retail industry In over 45 countries in APAC, across airports, maritime, retailers, food & beverage operators and consumer brands. PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1139893/ASIA_PACIFIC_TRAVELS_RETAIL_ASSOCIATION.pdf SOURCE ASIA PACIFIC TRAVEL RETAIL ASSOCIATION (APTRA) BOSTON, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- April is Autism Awareness month and Dr. Stephen Shore, a key figure in the autism community, is speaking out on how elevating awareness for autism is more important than ever. As an autistic person, he knows better than anyone that getting consistent support can make all the difference to an autistic person's development. Dr. Stephen Shore Due to COVID-19, the world as we know it has been turned upside down. Children and families have been significantly impacted worldwide and millions of parents are suddenly scrambling to keep up with homeschooling. For the autism community, this crisis has caused significant disruption to children's therapy routines, which are a vital part of their development, and this can result in severe anxiety and behavioral issues. Support for parents and caregivers of autistic children is critical in this time of need. Dr. Stephen Shore is focused on responding to this global crisis with valuable resources for the autism community. He is a professor of special education at Adelphi University where he primarily teaches and researches issues related to the autism spectrum. "Parents, caregivers, and others supporting autistic individuals can be most helpful by maintaining routines as closely as possible, clearly communicating changes in the way the person best understands, and by taking care of yourselves," says Dr. Shore. Since 1996, Dr. Shore has been an advocate for improving the lives and potential of those on the autism spectrum. He has delivered over 1,000 presentations in over 50 countries, supporting his mission "to make fulfilling and productive lives the rule rather than the exception for people on the autism spectrum. Autism is a culture that deserves to be celebrated." Dr. Shore provides information and resources, such as videos and presentations, on his website: www.drstephenshore.com. He is also a primary contributor to Learn Autism, an app-based autism resource platform that is launching at the end of April. About Dr. Stephen Shore Stephen Shore is an autistic person, a professor of special education at Adelphi University in Boston, Massachusetts, and serves on the board of Autism Speaks - as one of the first two autistic board members in its history. He has written and co-authored books and articles related to the autism spectrum, including Understanding Autism for Dummies, part of the critically acclaimed "for Dummies" series, Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome and Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum. For further information on Stephen Shore and his latest ventures into autism advocacy, please visit www.drstephenshore.com. Dr. Stephen Shore is available for press interviews via Skype. Media Contact: Britni Weston Phone: 403.909.4009 Email: [email protected] Related Images dr-stephen-shore.jpg Dr. Stephen Shore Related Links Dr. Stephen Shore Website Learn Autism Website SOURCE Dr. Stephen Shore Related Links http://www.drstephenshore.com Ontario and Quebec, Canadas two most populous provinces, have officially been under government-ordered shutdowns of all but essential services and businesses since midnight Tuesday, March 24, to prevent the spread of the highly contagious and potentially lethal coronavirus. But the reality is very different. The two right-wing governments, led respectively by Ontarios Doug Ford and Quebecs Francois Legault, have promulgated an expansive, almost catch-all definition of what constitutes an essential business. This is so they can continue to force hundreds of thousands of workers to stay on the job, putting their health and well-being and those of their families at risk, in order to churn out profits for big business. Ontario has banned all gatherings of more than five people, and Quebec all gatherings of more than two, yet they continue to insist workers should congregate in large numbers to perform tasks that have nothing to do with providing healthcare, food, power, telecommunications, or other life necessities. Making a mockery of its official proclamation of a lockdown, the Ford government released a list of essential services March 24 that included 74 types of business. The list included businesses providing staffing services, including temporary help, and businesses that extract, manufacture, process and distribute goods, products, equipment and materials, including businesses that manufacture inputs to other manufacturers (e.g. primary metal/steel, blow molding, component manufacturers, chemicals, etc. that feed the end-product manufacturer). Even the liberal Toronto Star felt compelled, in unusually sharp language, to describe the governments policy as window dressing. The provinces construction sector is also continuing to operate, even though workers have repeatedly complained about the absence of measures to ensure basic hygiene and workplace safety. The Carpenters District Council of Ontario, which represents 30,000 construction workers, was forced by the anger boiling among its members to issue an appeal to the government to shut down work sites. Although Quebecs regulations are somewhat tighter, the government has allowed the mining sector and heavy industry, including aluminum smelters, to continue operating with reduced staff levels. A similar development is taking place in Alberta, where the hard-right United Conservative Party government of Jason Kenney is preparing to declare the huge oil and gas sector an essential service. Making this policy all the more criminal, many of the sectors major operations are in remote areas, with regularly rotating groups of workers living at close quarters in work-campsan ideal environment for the virus to spread like wildfire. While Kenney is at pains to ensure the profits of Big Oil, his government has announced the layoff of more than 20,000 public school teaching assistants, janitors, and other support staff. This will result in teachers, who are still obliged to go to work to prepare lesson plans and packages for students to use at home, having to work in schools that are not being cleaned and without the necessary administrative support. Governments and big business criminal indifference towards workers lives is provoking ever stronger opposition among the working class. Last month, autoworkers at the Fiat Chrysler assembly plant in Windsor, which employs 6,000 people, stopped work for 24 hours due to safety concerns. Similar protests swept across auto plants in the United States, forcing the Big Three Detroit automakers to partially shut down their operations. In Quebec, where the government initially sought to keep construction workers on the job, the Legault government was forced to retreat in the face of widespread protests and has now ordered most building sites shut down. In Ontario, hundreds of thousands of construction workers are being forced to continue to work under unsafe conditions even as a growing number of construction workers test positive for COVID-19. Seeking to contain the mounting anger, a business rep for LiUNA Local 183 produced a videosince widely circulated on social mediain which he says, My wife is crying every time I go home because she doesnt know (if) Im going to kill her (82 year-old) father, with whom they live. Subsequently, he addresses a group of workers in the video: When youre in the work site there, you guys dont have six feet around you. Were all breathing on each other. Wheres your eating facilities? Are they sanitized? Do you have water to wash your hands when you eat your sandwiches? In an interview with CBC, construction worker Antonio Cruz emphasized his support for continuing work on urgently needed projects, but criticized the governments insistence that industrial, commercial, and residential projects of all kinds proceed. If its a hospital, you know, and medical facilities that we desperately needed, fine. Im all for it. But residential, especially residential, it makes no sense. In response to mounting criticism and fears workers would take matters into their own hands, the Ford government issued new toothless guidelines to construction companies on Monday that urged them to reduce the number of workers on site, including through staggered shifts, to improve on-site sanitation, and better communicate the need for social-distancing and other good health practices. The way governments are treating frontline workers in the healthcare system is, if anything, even more scandalous. The Ford government has lifted the training requirements for personal support workers in long-term care facilities, clearing the way for for-profit facilities to hire untrained workers at the minimum wage, and even use volunteers in facilities where dozens of COVID-19 deaths have already been reported. Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare staff across the country are already working with insufficient protective equipment and other medical supplies in hospitals that are hopelessly overcrowded. This is the direct product of government inaction in the three months since the coronavirus first emerged, and decades of austerity policies that have gutted funding for healthcare and social services. Nurses speaking to the Toronto Star angrily denounced the authorities. You want to help your fellow nurse and you want to do your job, commented one. But at the same time, when you walk in and you see your entire worth as a human being is two masks in a brown paper baglike, thats all youre worth to the hospital, thats all your health is worth, is two masks for a whole shiftyoure like, what am I doing here? As the coronavirus pandemic has surged across Canada, the preoccupation of the federal Liberal and provincial governments of all stripes has been securing the profits and wealth of the corporate elite, not mobilizing societys resources to fight the pandemic. The Trudeau government has funnelled hundreds of billions of dollars into the coffers of the big banks and corporations, while offering a pittance for the overstretched healthcare system and the millions of workers who have lost jobs and income due to the pandemic. Yesterday, with the Quebec government warning that it is three to seven days away from running out of N95 masks and other crucial supplies, Trudeau announced the federal government will spend $2 billion on securing made in Canada personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, bringing to just $3 billion Ottawas additional heath care spending. While allowing wide swathes of industry, like manufacturing and construction, to operate as normal, the Ford government has passed a $17 billion package of emergency measures to counter the pandemic and its economic fallout that is focused on providing billions in tax relief and credits to businesses. The measures, which were unanimously supported by the New Democratic Party, Green and Liberal opposition, include cuts to employer healthcare contributions, and a pitiful one-time $200 payment to parents for each child aged 12 or under. Underscoring the fact that the ruling elite has already accepted that tens if not hundreds of thousands will die, it was reported Sunday that health authorities in Ontario have drafted a last resort set of guidelines for hospitals. The policy will determine how healthcare is to be rationed when medical facilities find themselves forced into triagethat is when the lack of ICU beds and utterly inadequate stocks of ventilators compels doctors to decide who will live and who will be left to die. This follows announcements in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec that so-called ethics committees are drafting guidelines to determine who will be denied life-saving care and who will get it under conditions where the health care system is overwhelmed by the influx of COVID-19 patients. With media reports warning of a catastrophic situation emerging like that currently taking place in northern Italy and New York, Dr. Robert Fowler, a critical care physician at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, said the public needs to prepare for a worst case scenario by having difficult conversations with loved ones about whether they would even want ventilation or other invasive interventions if they end up in an ICU ward. [April 01, 2020] Arizona Businesswoman Launches Giveaway to Support Students During School Closure SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kathy Kolbe, global leader in brain research on human behavior and educational expert, announces product giveaway for students totaling over $1.5 million. 100,000 students will be able to discover their natural abilities FREE using her Student Aptitude Quiz. Kolbe says, "The current global crisis is affecting school-aged kids all over the world. Now more than ever, it's my mission to help make sure they're able to learn and grow by understanding their Natural Abilities." Student Aptitude Quiz allows students (13+) to discover how they learn best. Each student also receives tips and tricks for overcoming obstacles to learning and reducing stress. Students and parents can take advantage of this free offer using the steps below: Visit https://studentaptitude.com/?s=FREEDOM Click Create Profile Sign up with Email or Phone number Access Code FREEDOM will be automatically applied About the company: Located in Old Town Scottsdale, Dynamynd, Inc. formed over thirty years ago - at the same time Kolbe founded Kolbe Corp. Dynamynd, Inc. operates as a software development and applications company scientifically measuring individuals' instinctual abilities. For more information about Student Aptitude Quiz and other programs, visit https://dynamynd.com/. Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12816949 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-businesswoman-launches-giveaway-to-support-students-during-school-closure-301033677.html SOURCE Dynamynd, Inc. Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Austral Gold Limited ("Austral") (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) and New Dimension Resources Ltd. (TSXV: NDR) ("New Dimension") are pleased to announce that they have entered into an agreement for Austral to purchase an 80% interest in New Dimension's Sierra Blanca gold-silver project (the "Project") in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina for US$800,000 in cash and work commitments, with a 'follow-on' option to purchase the remaining 20% interest for an additional US$2,300,000 in cash and work commitments as detailed below (the "Transaction"). The Transaction is subject to the successful completion of due diligence, execution of a definitive agreement and certain undertakings from New Dimension, and is expected to close on, or before, 30 April 2020. With this transaction, Austral will expand the area of its Pinguino project by securing an additional 7,000 hectares, resulting in a new exploration cluster in the Province of Santa Cruz. Figure 1: Sierra Blanca/Pinguino map To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/690/54011_4bb27ccc34137b1d_004full.jpg Highlights of the transaction: Austral has agreed to purchase the first 80% interest in the New Dimension Argentine subsidiary that owns the Sierra Blanca project in two tranches through a combination of cash payments and project-level work commitments as follows: Tranche 1: Austral will acquire a 51% interest for US$100,000 in cash payments to New Dimension plus the expenditure of US$100,000 in work commitments at the project over the 12-month period following closing. Tranche 2: Austral will acquire an additional 29% interest for US$600,000 in work commitments on the project over the second and third years following closing (US$200,000 during the second year and US$400,000 during the third year). Austral has also agreed to pay up to US$10,000 per year towards the cost of maintaining the Sierra Blanca mining properties in good standing over the three-year term. Austral plans to fund the cost of the transaction from cash flow generated from operations. After it has acquired its 80% interest in the project, Austral will have the option to acquire the remaining 20% as follows: 10% in Year 4 for the expenditure of an additional US$400,000 in work commitments on the project over the 12-month period following payment to New Dimension of US$500,000. 10% in Year 5 for the expenditure of an additional US$400,000 in work commitments on the project over the 12-month period following payment of $US1,000,000 to New Dimension. Austral has the option to accelerate these earn-in commitments at their discretion. The parties expect to close the Transaction on or before 30 April 2020, subject to both the successful completion of due diligence by Austral and the finalisation of options to purchase one-half of the existing net smelter royalties at Sierra Blanca. Austral Gold's Chief Executive Officer, Stabro Kasaneva said: "We are pleased to have this opportunity to acquire the Sierra Blanca gold-silver project. We see strong synergies between the Sierra Blanca project and our Pinguino project. Both projects are located in the geological zone of Deseado Massif in the Santa Cruz Province , one of the most prominent precious metal regions in the world, including world-class deposits, such as Cerro Vanguardia and Cerro Negro1. We expect that the acquisition of Sierra Blanca will enable us to increase the value of our Pinguino project by drilling additional targets that can potentially increase our mineral resource base in this region." Eric Roth, New Dimension's CEO, commented today: "We are pleased to be announcing today the sale of our Sierra Blanca gold-silver project to Austral. Austral has significant mine operating and exploration experience in both Chile and Argentina and are natural acquirers of Sierra Blanca given their ownership of the adjacent, resource-stage Pinguino project. Indeed, many of the known gold-silver veins at Sierra Blanca extend in to the adjacent Pinguino concessions so combining ownership of the two projects makes strategic sense for both parties. The sale of Sierra Blanca to Austral will also allow the Company to continue its evaluation of new project opportunities both within the Americas and favourable jurisdictions elsewhere". 1 Mineralisation hosted on nearby and/or adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company's properties Link to figures: https://www.newdimensionresources.com/site/assets/news/2020_03_figures.pdf About the Sierra Blanca project: New Dimension acquired a 100% interest in the Sierra Blanca gold-silver project from Sandstorm Gold Limited ("Sandstorm") in May, 2018, as part of the acquisition of a larger portfolio of three gold-silver projects - Las Calandrias, Los Cisnes, and Sierra Blanca - all located in the highly-prospective and mining-friendly Santa Cruz Province. The Sierra Blanca project was previously controlled by Mariana Resources Limited ("Mariana') and consists of approximately 7,000 Ha (70 square kilometres) of mining claims. Previous work at Sierra Blanca had mostly been focused on the E-W-trending Chala-Achen and Lucila vein systems, where high-grade silver values had been derived from surface channel sampling (including 9.4m @ 2,362 g/t Ag at Chala-Achen; see New Dimension News Release dated 4 March 2019 (Figures 2 and 3). During 2019, exploration activities at Sierra Blanca were focused on trenching and sampling on the NW-trenching Ana (and Ana Splay), Tranquilo, and Laguna "vein fields" with targets for follow-up drilling having been defined. A total of 10 target areas have been identified for further work at Sierra Blanca (typically dilation zones associated with the intersection of mineralized NE- and NW-trending vein/fault systems), and only 4 of these have been partially tested by historical drilling (a total of 122 holes for 15,924 m, completed mostly in the Chala-Achen-Lucila corridor). All of the major vein systems known in the eastern portion of the Sierra Blanca are interpreted by New Dimension to extend into the adjacent Pinguino property. About the Pinguino project The Silver-Gold-Zinc-Lead-Indium Pinguino Project is an advanced stage development project located in the south-central part of Argentina; 300km southwest of the city of Comodoro Rivadavia and 220km northwest of Puerto San Julian. In the last 15 years, six mines were constructed in the Santa Cruz Province, making it one of the most prominent precious metal regions in the world, including world class deposits such as Cerro Vanguardia and Cerro Negro1. The Pinguino Project is embedded in a vein field similar, but smaller to Cerro Vanguardia, some 35km north-west along the same controlling structure as the Pinguino deposit (225km strike length of veins vs 115 km strike length of veins). The project has year-round access, is close to major infrastructure, has no nearby communities and more than 70% of surface land is owned by the Austral. The 2014 updated Resource Estimate Highlights include: To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/690/54011_4bb27ccc34137b1d_005full.jpg Ag Eq. = Ag+ 50* Au Zn, Pb and In are not included in the resource for Ag equivalent The Technical report was prepared by Mine Development Associates ("MDA") of Reno Nevada and dated 19 September 2014 AGD is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the data above All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates continue to apply and have not materially changed. The form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified. Link to the Pinguino project technical report: https://www.australgold.com/technical-reports/ Qualified Persons and Disclosure Statement The technical information in this news release relating to the Sierra Blanca project has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101, and approved by Eric Roth, New Dimension's President & CEO, a director and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Roth holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geology from the University of Western Australia, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), and is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr. Roth has more than 25 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation. The technical information in this news release relating to the Pinguino project has been approved by Dr Robert Trzebski, a Competent Person and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AUSIMM) and an Independent Director of Austral Gold. About Austral Gold Austral Gold Limited is a growing precious metals mining, development and exploration company building a portfolio of quality assets in Chile and in Argentina. Austral's flagship Guanaco/Amancaya project in Chile is a gold and silver producing mine with further exploration upside. Austral also holds the Casposo Mine (San Juan, Argentina), a ~23.62% interest in the Rawhide Mine (Nevada, USA) and an attractive portfolio of exploration projects including the Pinguino project in Santa Cruz, Argentina (100% interest) and the San Guillermo and Reprado projects near Amancaya, Chile (100% interest). With an experienced local technical team and highly regarded major shareholder, Austral's goal is to continue to strengthen its asset base through acquisition and discovery. Austral is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD), and the Australian Securities Exchange. (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website www.australgold.com. About New Dimension Resources New Dimension is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of quality mineral resource properties throughout the Americas and in other favourable jurisdictions, with a focus on high-grade precious and base metals deposits. New Dimension's current focus is on the discovery of high-grade gold resources at the drill-ready and 100%-owned Savant Lake project in Ontario, in addition to working with Project Operator Yamana Gold on advancing the Domain Joint Venture in Manitoba (NDR 29.6% interest). New Dimension also continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for its 100%-owned Las Calandrias and Los Cisnes projects in the highly prospective Deseado Massif of Santa Cruz Province, southern Argentina. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. On behalf of Austral Gold Limited: "Stabro Kasaneva" CEO On Behalf of New Dimension Resources Ltd. "Eric Roth" CEO Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva For Further Information please contact: Jose Bordogna Chief Financial Officer Austral Gold Limited jose.bordogna@australgold.com +54 (11) 4323-7558 David Hwang Company Secretary Austral Gold Limited info@australgold.com +61 (2) 9698-5414 New Dimension Resources Email: info@newdimensionresources.com Karen Davies, +1 604-314-2662 Forward Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, and consist primarily of projections - statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include the parties' expectation that they will be able to conclude the Transaction, and the expectation that they will be able to do so by the end of April, 2020 and that Austral plans to fund the cost of the transaction from cash flow generated from operations. All of these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, business integration risks; uncertainty of production, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets especially in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus" uncertainty in the measurement of mineral reserves and resource estimates, Austral's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and management, potential labour unrest, reclamation and closure requirements for mineral properties; unpredictable risks and hazards related to the development and operation of a mine or mineral property that are beyond the Company's control, the availability of capital to fund all of the Company's projects and other risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on the ASX and on SEDAR. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54011 UFC star Jon 'Bones' Jones has been sentenced to house arrest in connection with last week's DWI charge, which, as he told police, resulted from him driving drunk after becoming 'stir crazy' at home during the ongoing pandemic. Jones, 32, was arrested Thursday on charges of driving under the influence, negligent use of a firearm and possession of an open container in Albuquerque, N.M. The UFC light heavyweight champion pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a second-offense driving while intoxicated charge, and he was sentenced to probation but no jail time. The Bernalillo County, New Mexico, district attorney's office accepted a plea deal that will see Jones given a year of probation, 96 consecutive hours in a program akin to house arrest, 48 hours of community service, a $500 fine and a requirement to complete 90 days of outpatient treatment. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO UFC star Jon 'Bones' Jones has been sentenced to house arrest in connection with last week's DWI charge, which, as he told police, resulted from him driving drunk after becoming 'stir crazy' at home during the ongoing pandemic The treatment program may be done online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Jones also must put a Breathalyzer device on his car, with the ignition to remain locked if his breath tests positive for alcohol. The plea agreement must be approved by a judge before it becomes official. Jones will be allowed to use marijuana during his probation if he receives a legal medical marijuana card. In a statement Tuesday, Jones said, 'While we all work to understand and cope with stress and uncertainties surrounding the current state of our world, I want to express how truly disappointed I am that I have become the source of a negative headline again, especially during these trying times. I am disappointed for letting down the people I care about the most, my family, friends and my fans. 'This morning I entered into a plea deal with the Albuquerque DA's office. I accept full responsibility for my actions and I know that I have some personal work to do to which involves the unhealthy relationship I have with alcohol.' 'I have dedicated so much time and energy to improve my community, and I will not allow this personal setback to hinder my work within the community when we need it most. I truly appreciate the support I have received from the community of Albuquerque and all my fans around the world. I very much look forward to putting this behind me.' As seen in video distributed by the Bernalillo County District Attorney, Jones tried to explain that he was engaging with homeless people when the police arrived Last Thursday, per KOAT Action News, police officers responded to a criminal complaint just after 1am after hearing a gunshot, and they arrived at the scene with Jones in a vehicle with the engine on. Jones denied firing the weapon but allegedly failed a breathalyzer test twice. Per officers, Jones consented to a sobriety test and registered a blood-alcohol content that was over twice the legal limit. After Jones was arrested, police discovered a black handgun under the driver's seat and a half-empty bottle of Recuerdo 750ml behind the passenger seat. As seen in video distributed by the Bernalillo County District Attorney, Jones tried to explain that he was engaging with homeless people when the police arrived. Police body cam footage also shows Jones telling cops that he was going 'stir crazy' at home amid the ongoing pandemic, which prompted him to drive after he admittedly drank vodka. 'I got stir crazy,' he said. 'I got pulled over just being nice, being nice to the homeless people. I literally just got stir crazy. I just wanted to have a drive. This is my first drive in two weeks. And I saw these homeless guys, I was being nice to them, having conversation with them, treating them like humans.' After following the officer's finger with his eyes, Jones was asked to step out of the car for field sobriety tests, which proved difficult for the UFC light heavyweight champion. At one point while struggling to walk a straight line, Jones told the officer that he suffers from short-term memory loss and attention deficit disorder (ADD) After following the officer's finger with his eyes, Jones was asked to step out of the car for field sobriety tests, which proved difficult for the UFC light heavyweight champion. At one point while struggling to walk a straight line, Jones told the officer that he suffers from short-term memory loss and attention deficit disorder (ADD). 'I have to start over,' Jones told the officer after revealing his ADD. The officer allows him to start over and Jones completes the test. He's also asked to count backwards from 47 to 32. 'Forty-four, fourth-three my daughter's dyslexic,' Jones said mid-test before struggling to complete the test. Jones was told he's being arrested after another test, this one involving the alphabet, and was then placed into the back of a police cruiser. While in the cop car, Jones can be heard asking: 'Sir, if it's not too much, could you roll down the window?' He previously pleaded guilty to a DWI charge in New York in 2012. He was convicted on a felony hit-and-run charge in 2015. Jones (26-1, 1 no contest) is the UFC's longtime light heavyweight champion after winning the title in 2011. Pennsylvania has reported 962 new coronavirus cases, raising the statewide total to 5,805. At least 74 have died, including 11 new fatalities reported today, according to the state Department of Health. Cases have been reported in 60 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. The health department released new numbers today. The number of new cases represents a one-day high, although other days have seen more rapid growth in terms of percentage. Statewide, most of those who have been screened for the virus have tested negative. So far, the state said 42,427 patients who have tested negative. The state health department no longer reports the numbers of pending test results since most testing is done in commercial laboratories. More than half of the states cases have been reported in the Philadelphia area. The city of Philadelphia alone has nearly 1,500 cases and 10 fatalities. Neighboring Montgomery County has 649 cases, the second highest number in the state. But cases continue to rise across the commonwealth. Allegheny County now has 356 cases and other western Pennsylvania counties are seeing more cases. The Lehigh Valley has been particularly hard hit as well. Lancaster County leads the midstate with 157 cases. York County has 79 cases and Dauphin County has 59 cases, followed by Cumberland (38), Lebanon (36), Franklin (21) and Adams (12). Perry County has had only one case to date. Gov. Tom Wolf has repeatedly said an expected surge of patients with the virus threatens to overwhelm the capacity of the states health care system. He has urged the public to stay at home except for essential trips so the state can buy time for hospitals to prepare for an influx of new patients. The governor has taken aggressive steps to curb the spread of the virus. Wolf has issued stay-at-home orders for 33 counties, including the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas. Several counties in the Harrisburg area are now under the order, including Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, York, Lebanon and Franklin counties. On Wednesday, Spotlight PA reported that Wolf is expected to expand his stay-at-home order statewide. Schools have been closed indefinitely. School districts have been moving to online instruction. School leaders are increasingly bracing for the prospect that schools wont reopen this spring. The governor has ordered businesses that arent considered life sustaining to temporarily shut down. Some businesses have said the order is too broad and is preventing companies that provide essential services from operating. Thousands of companies have applied for waivers to remain open. The health department doesnt offer statistics on how many people recover from the coronavirus. The department has said hospitals inform the state about positive cases but dont report when patients are discharged. Most patients who contract the virus do recover. Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine continues to stress the importance of residents staying home and practicing social distancing. She said Tuesday that state officials have been working on forecast models to predict when the peak would hit in Pennsylvania but its difficult to project. But she said, If we do not all stay home and stay safe, then we will see the worst-case scenario in all of these models, including the potential overwhelming of our health care systems. More from PennLive Pa. lawmakers press Gov. Wolf to let construction industry get back to work A Harrisburg woman, 36, battles coronavirus in hospital: A lot of younger people are catching it Pennsylvanias stay at home order: Where can I go during the coronavirus pandemic? What is allowed? West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her government has identified 71 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin. Banerjee said 54 people from that group have been sent into quarantine. "We are monitoring this situation," she told a press conference here. Home Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay had on Tuesday said the West Bengal government was trying to identify those who had attended the religious congregation earlier this month in Nizamuddin, the new coronavirus hotspot in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jamey Butcher has become the fifth president and CEO of Chemonics International. As the lead executive for the international development consulting firm, Mr. Butcher will lead Chemonics' workforce of more than 5,000 specialists in achieving its mission to promote meaningful change around the world and help people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives. Mr. Butcher has served more than 20 years with Chemonics, gaining experience in enterprise development, international trade and competitiveness, and supply chain solutions. He has held multiple leadership positions in the company, including chief of party in Armenia. As senior vice president of Chemonics' Europe and Eurasia and Africa regional divisions, he diversified and expanded the company's portfolio and developed a quality assurance approach to business development practices. After being named executive vice president in 2013, Mr. Butcher helped create the Global Health and the Strategic Solutions and Communications divisions. In the latter, he championed the development of Chemonics' knowledge sharing and learning hub, which provides continual learning opportunities for Chemonics' global network of employees. Later, Mr. Butcher spent two years leading Chemonics' Global Health and Supply Chain Office, created in 2017. "Jamey's strong leadership and management capabilities have been integral to the success of Chemonics. His innovative ideas, results orientation, and ability to lead diverse groups to achieve common goals will serve him well in this role," said former president and CEO Susanna Mudge. "His innate ability to think outside the box makes him an ideal president and CEO, and I am confident that he will lead Chemonics with ingenuity, integrity, and unwavering dedication to our mission, vision, and values." Mr. Butcher moves into the CEO and president position as Ms. Mudge comes to the end of her seven-year term in the role. Chemonics' governance structure limits CEO and presidency terms to seven years. Chemonics has a tradition of remaining engaged with those who have served as the company's president and CEO, and Ms. Mudge will continue to chair Chemonics' board. She is the first woman to serve in this role. As Chemonics' fifth president and CEO, Mr. Butcher plans to continue to expand opportunities for staff, ensure an interconnected global workforce, and bring innovation to the forefront of global development. "I'm honored and excited to become Chemonics' fifth president and CEO. I strongly believe in our talented and dedicated professionals around the world and am humbled to have the opportunity to lead the company forward. Drawing on our values of caring, opportunity, excellence, innovation, and integrity, I look forward to working with Chemonics' Board, leadership team, and all of our global teams to continue to make a positive difference and serve others around the world together." Mr. Butcher holds an M.A. from American University in international political economy and his B.A. in political science from Colorado State University. Interviews and comments with Mr. Butcher can be arranged upon request. Please use the contact information below. About Chemonics Founded in 1975, Chemonics is an international development consulting firm. In more than 70 countries around the globe, our network of 5,000 specialists share a simple belief: that the challenges we face today are best solved through the right partnerships - sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience to deliver results. Where Chemonics works, development works. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit us at www.chemonics.com. Contact Jane Gotiangco, Director of Strategic Communications Email: media@chemonics.com Telephone: +1-202-955-7400 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1040652/Chemonics_International_Logo.jpg Press Release April 1, 2020 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE FOR MANAGEMENT OF EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE FOR THE SYSTEMATIC MASS RELEASE OF QUALIFIED PDLs Dear IATF Members, Greetings! We thank you for your continuous service and sacrifice. It goes without saying that spearheading the fight against COVID-19 is a monumental, and often thankless, undertaking. In these trying times, all our efforts are never enough. Yet this humble representation is here to ask a little bit more of you. I write in behalf of our persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). The current crisis situation gave rise to quarantine and social or physical distancing protocols to minimize, if not totally avoid, the transmission of COVID-19: maintain a distance of one meter to other people, regularly wash hands with soap and running water, wear face masks, disinfect living areas, and consult doctors if one experiences any of the known symptoms. These are simple enough measures that many people take for granted. However, these are practically luxuries that our PDLs cannot afford. The Senate hearings on the state of our jails and prisons have opened the eyes of many of us on the sorry conditions under which our PDLs are incarcerated. The food is barely enough that our PDLs cannot worry about nutrition as they have to prioritize basic nourishment. There is hardly any water to drink, even less for keeping good hygiene. There is not enough space in our detention center for our PDLs to sleep in; and it is virtually impossible for them to observe social or physical distancing guidelines. Even more worrisome is the capacity of the health facilities that cater to our jails and prisons. According to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), we only have 13 doctors nationwide, four of which are stationed in the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), along with 40 nurses. According to inmates, the NBP Hospital does not even have working showers, and that inmates in the hospital are only given one hour in the morning and afternoon to clean themselves using water collected in drums. The sorry state of healthcare in our jails and prisons has led to an average of a staggering 5,200 deaths per year in NBP, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) estimates the annual deaths to be around 500 to 800. With the number of arrests and detentions piling up, even during the Enhanced Community Quarantine, and persons, including BuCor and BJMP officials and personnel, presumably still going in and out of our jails and prisons on a regular basis, it is only a matter of time before COVID-19 infects our PDLs. Given the state of our jails and prisons, the infection rate will be catastrophic. It might even lead to prison riots and similar violent incidents. We thus offer a solution: decongest our jails and prisons through a systematic release of qualified PDLs on humanitarian grounds. As of January 2020, there are 49,114 prisoners under the care of BuCor. Of the total, 28,885 or 58.8% are at NBP, beyond its capacity of 6,435 prisoners. As a result, NBP has a capacity rate of 449 percent and congestion rate of 349%, according to BuCor data. On the other hand, as of March 2019, the BJMP accommodates 136,881 PDLs, even as the 476 jail facilities managed by the bureau nationwide can only cater to almost 31,000 PDLs. The percentage of congestion in jail facilities in the country for early 2019 is at 441.74% according to BJMP. The most congested are the city jails within the National Capital Region (NCR). According to World Prison Brief database, the Philippines was ranked highest in the world in jail occupancy rate in their latest report. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged governments "not to forget those behind bars" and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic. "In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded, in some cases dangerously so. People are often held in unhygienic conditions and health services are inadequate or even non-existent. Physical distancing and self-isolation in such conditions are practically impossible," she added. In a statement released last 25 March 2020, the UN High Commissioner stressed the need for governments and relevant authorities "to work quickly to reduce the number of people in detention, noting several countries have already undertaken some positive actions. Authorities should examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, among them older detainees and those who are sick, as well as low-risk offenders. They should also continue to provide for the specific health-care requirements of women prisoners, including those who are pregnant, as well as those of inmates with disabilities and of juvenile detainees." Earlier this year, the Iranian government has temporarily released 85,000 prisoners in an emergency move to stop the spread of COVID-19. We recommend that similar efforts be made in order to decongest our prisons and jails by releasing persons based on certain standards that would have minimal impact on the level of criminality in our communities. We recommend that we release our PDLs in the following order of priority: 1. Elder PDLs - 70 years old and above 2. PDLs with serious illness or disability 3. PDLs detained, pre-conviction, for minor non-violent offenses 4. PDLs convicted for minor non-violent crimes The IATF is urged to enter into an agreement with the Supreme Court to waive the requirement of posting bail for identified PDLs who are still detained pre-conviction, and release them on their own recognizance. Convicted elder PDLs, as well as those with serious illness or disability, may be granted medical parole or have their sentences commuted based on humanitarian grounds. They are wards of the State and are most at risk for COVID-19-related death. It would be best if they can be released to their families who will be able to provide for them the best possible care. The final group, comprised of PDLs convicted for minor non-violent crimes, should comprise the next wave of releases that demands closer scrutiny and greater efforts from our public officials in the BuCor and BJMP. While this tranche of release would be made for humanitarian reasons, this is likewise intended to drastically decongest our detention centers. The release may be done by parole or commutation of sentence. Those detained for or convicted of heinous crimes shall NOT be included for consideration for early release. If done properly, we would be able to free up additional resources to improve the nutrition and sanitation in the jails and prisons for the remaining PDLs. This will also ease some pressure on the jail and prison health care facilities. Art. 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides that "[a]ll persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person." Our PDLs deserve to be treated with humanity and equal worth as human beings. They, too, deserve our regards in times of crises and calamities. While our government prepares our country for the worst effects of COVID-19, we should also consider giving the PDLs even the bare minimum of fighting chance against the said contagion. The Supreme Court stated in the case of Enrile v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 213847, August 18, 2015) that the "national commitment to uphold the fundamental human rights as well as value the worth and dignity of every person has authorized the grant of bail not only to those charged in criminal proceedings but also to extraditees upon a clear and convincing showing: (1) that the detainee will not be a flight risk or a danger to the community; and (2) that there exist special, humanitarian and compelling circumstances." Following this ruling, we must be mindful in upholding the rights of our PDLs under special, humanitarian and compelling circumstances. If our country is willing to spend almost half-trillion pesos in funds in order to address the current pandemic, we should also be willing to offer some concession for our PDLs, even if it is only to protect them from the possibly fatal effects of COVID-19 by giving those deserving the opportunity to be freed from the harsh conditions in our jails and prisons. In the words of our Lord in Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Our Lord's gratitude is extended to those who provide kindness to the least of us. May our IATF spare a thought for our PDLs in these trying times. Dios Mabalos! LEILA M. DE LIMA The tunnel connected warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego, extending about 2,000 feet with an average depth of 31 feet and width of three feet, according to the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, an investigative team made up of several federal agencies. Investigators believe the tunnel existed for several months due to the advanced construction observed in several portions. FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday announced completion of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd's merger (GSKCH) with itself. The company has received all the necessary regulator approvals along with the National Company Law Tribunal for the merger of GSKCH into the company, HUL said in a statement. In addition, the board of HUL also approved acquisition of popular health drink brand Horlicks from GSK for a consideration of Euro 375.6 million (Rs 3,045 crore), exercising the option available in the original agreement between its parent firm Unilever and GSK. "This will enable HUL to utilise cash on its balance sheet and create value for shareholders. In addition, it will enable HUL to drive better salience in a local context. The other brands which were under the ownership of GSKCH like Boost, Maltova and Viva come to HUL's brand portfolio by virtue of the merger," the statement said. On December 3, 2018 HUL had announced merger of GSKCH, which was subject to obtaining necessary approvals. "This is one of the largest deals in the FMCG sector in recent times and will lead to significant value creation for all stakeholders," HUL said. The deal would unlock opportunity for HUL in Health Food Drinks (HFD) market as GSKCH was the market leader in the segment, with brands as Horlicks and Boost in its portfolio. "Brands such as Horlicks and Boost are iconic, and we are excited to have them in the Hindustan Unilever fold. The merger gives us a unique opportunity to live our purpose and serve India where Nutrition related challenges form the largest causes of disease Malnutrition and Micronutrient deficiency - and aligns well with the Government's ambitious Swasth Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan programs. I am delighted to welcome the 3,500 strong Nutrition Team to the HUL family. "Both organizations have common values coming from a lineage of respected parent companies and a shared heritage of building iconic trusted brands," HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta said. Horlicks has a volume share of close to 50 per cent in the HFD market. "This merger will bolster HUL's focus to build a profitable and sustainable Nutrition business in India," the FMCG firm said adding "the nutrition and health drinks category remains under-penetrated in India and HUL is well positioned to further develop the market given the extent of its reach and capabilities". HUL will be partnering with GSK through consignment selling arrangement to distribute brands of the GSK Consumer Healthcare family in India. "This partnership, with world class brands from GSK like Eno, Crocin, Sensodyne etc and HUL's distribution strength can unlock value for GSK and build further Hindustan Unilever's go-to-market capabilities," it added. On December 3, 2018, Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant Unilever announced the acquisition of health food portfolio, including popular brands Horlicks and Boost, from GSKCH India and over 20 other markets for 3.1 billion pounds (about Rs 27,750 crore). According to the deal, Unilever's Indian arm HUL acquired GSKCH India via an all-equity merger, valuing the total business of the latter at Rs 31,700 crore. Shares of Hindustan Unilever Limited were trading at Rs 2,188 on the BSE, down 4.79 per cent from its previous close. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. ARLP announced that it has taken certain initiatives to counter the challenges created by the breakout of novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has been spreading like wildfire in the United States and its impact is being felt across the globe. Per Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, this virus has already infected 189,633 people in United States and claimed 4,081 lives. To control further spread of this virus, the guidelines for social distancing will stay in place through Apr 30. The extended period of lockdown will mean lower demand for electricity from the manufacturing and commercial space. Markedly, coal as an energy source is gradually being replaced by other cleaner sources of fuel to lower emissions. Alliance Resource Partners has decided to withdraw its operational and financial guidance. At present, it anticipates 2020 sales to be at least 25% lower than the prior expectation. Initiatives Taken Amid the above scenario, the firm is temporarily ceasing coal production from its Illinois Basin mines through Apr 15, 2020. Future coal production from these mines will be decided depending upon the demand from customers. In addition, the firm will take steps to lower costs, expenses, working capital and capital expenditures to preserve liquidity and withstand the challenges created by depressed commodity prices. The board of directors has also suspended cash distribution to its unitholders for the quarter ended Mar 31, 2020. Coal Projections Per U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), coals share in U.S. electricity generation will fall from 24% in 2019 to 21% in 2020 and 2021. EIA forecasts that U.S. coal production will total 573 million short tons (MMst) in 2020, indicating a 17% decline from 2019. Coal production can further decline due to coronavirus-induced lockdown in major countries across the globe, which has lowered the demand for coal domestically and internationally. In addition to lower demand, risks of coronavirus infection among workers could result in forced shutdown of coal mining operation. CONSOL Energy Inc. CEIX has idled its thermal coal mine in Pennsylvania after two workers tested positive for coronavirus. Per EIA, U.S. coal exports are expected to drop 15.9% to 78.1 MMst in 2020 from the 2019 level. Since the spread of the virus has not yet stopped, lockdowns across the globe are expected to continue lowering the demand for coal, and adversely impacting the prospects of coal producers like Arch Coal ARCH and Peabody Energy BTU, among others. Zacks Rank Alliance Resource currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Price Performance Units of Alliance Resource have underperformed the industry in the past 12 months. Story continues Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> 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 Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (ARLP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arch Coal Inc. (ARCH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Consol Energy Inc. (CEIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research WASHINGTON - U.S. health regulators are telling drugmakers to immediately pull their popular heartburn drugs off the market after determining that a contamination issue with the medications poses a greater risk than previously thought. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - This Sept. 30, 2019 file photo shows a box of Zantac tablets at a pharmacy in Miami Beach, Fla. On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, U.S. health regulators are telling drugmakers to immediately pull their popular heartburn drugs off the market after determining that a contamination issue with the medications poses a greater risk than previously thought. The warning applies to all prescription and over-the-counter versions of ranitidine, best known by the brand name Zantac. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) WASHINGTON - U.S. health regulators are telling drugmakers to immediately pull their popular heartburn drugs off the market after determining that a contamination issue with the medications poses a greater risk than previously thought. The move from the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday applies to all prescription and over-the-counter versions of ranitidine, best known by the brand name Zantac. The drugs are widely used to treat stomach acid and ulcers. Many makers of ranitidine drugs already removed their products from the market in the U.S. and Canada, including Zantac-manufacturer Sanofi. Additionally several drug store chains pulled the drugs from their shelves last year. Health Canada said last year it was investigating the possible presence of a carcinogen in some ranitidine drugs available by prescription and over-the-counter. The agency issued a precautionary request in September 2019 for companies to stop distributing the medication. Patients should stop taking any of the medications they currently have and throw them away, the FDA said. The agency last year said patients could continue taking the medications and did not face health risks from low levels of a "probable" cancer-causing contaminant found in multiple brands. But officials reversed that decision, saying they've now determined that levels of the chemical increase over time, especially if tablets and capsules are stored at higher temperatures. That poses an unacceptable risk to patients, they said. 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. "Since we don't know how or for how long the product might have been stored, we decided that it should not be available to consumers and patients," said Dr. Janet Woodcock in a statement. Woodcock said there are multiple alternative medications to treat heartburn, including Prilosec, Nexium and Tagament. Dozens of recalls have been linked to the same probable carcinogen since last year. The FDA is still investigating the issue and has sanctioned at least one manufacturing plant in India that makes ingredients used in the medications. The FDA has suspended nearly all U.S. and foreign inspections due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. "Democratic leaders have to avoid any statement criticizing the actions of other leaders that might downplay the significance of the pandemic," says Nic Cheeseman, professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham. "But their silence now risks handing authoritarians a blank check to cash at a future date." Worse, during a pandemic, strongman leaders can impose extraordinary measures in lockstep with nations like the United Kingdom and Italy, making them appear altogether more ordinary. "The worrying thing during a crisis is that leaders with authoritarian instincts can claim to only be doing what some established democracies are doing," says Cheeseman. But while robust democracies are expected to eventually roll back such measures, citizens in weak democracies might get saddled with them at the behest of the leader. Of course, this "new normal" problem doesn't apply only to nations with weakened democratic institutions. Historically, even the US has this century seen the executive hand itself extraordinary power during a crisis, the most obvious example of this being the Patriot Act, following the September 11 attacks in 2001. Kansas City Economy Sputters Amid Coronavirus COVID-19 sends economic ripples throughout Kansas City as employees get laid off KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A lot of industries are hurting right now and workers are still getting laid off all over the metro. First it was airlines laying off, then Kansas City ordered bars and restaurants to stop dine-in service. KCK COVID-19 Revival 'Multiple people' test positive for COVID-19 after KCK church conference Wyandotte County announced Tuesday that some people who attended the Kansas East Jurisdiction's 2020 Ministers and Workers Conference from March 16-22 at the Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ have tested positive for COVID-19 and others may have been exposed to the virus. Counting Local Cash & Peeps Census Day means big bucks for region but comes in the midst of global pandemic KANSAS CITY, Mo. - April 1, 2020 is Census Day. It's the one day every decade you're asked to let the U.S. Census Bureau know where you live. It comes at an unusual time for our nation amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Sometimes people are reluctant in responding to the survey because they don't want the [...] Local Worker Claims Spike Amid Worsening Pandemic KS Dept. of Labor overwhelmed by calls from people filing for unemployment Thousands of Kansans are filing for unemployment, overwhelming the Kansas Department of Labor.The unprecedented volume is clogging computer networks and call centers."It's busy. The whole time it's busy," said Jennifer Lasiter, who is unemployed.Some residents said they have called the Department of labor hundreds of times over several days. Tragic Numbers Considered Trump says the coronavirus surge is coming: It's going to be a 'very, very painful two weeks' President Donald Trump prepared Americans for a coming surge in coronavirus cases, calling COVID-19 a plague and saying the U.S. is facing a "very, very painful two weeks." "This is going to be a rough two-week period," Trump said at a White House press conference Tuesday. Prez Trump Talks American Infrastructure Trump's Right: Bring Back Infrastructure Week Which Bookstores Will Survive This? Why Some Americans Entitled to a Coronavirus Relief Check Won't Get One Why Congress' Plan to Save Your Favorite Restaurant From the Coronavirus Might Fail 3.3 Million People Filed for Unemployment Last Week Donald Trump would like to bring back Infrastructure Week. Profit Vs. Pandemic Ignore the bankers - the Trump economy is not worth more coronavirus deaths | Robert Reich Dick Kovacevich, former CEO of Wells Fargo bank, thinks most Americans should return to work in April, urging that we "gradually bring those people back and see what happens". ER doctor who criticized lack of protective gear says he was fired Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, whose net worth is $1.1bn, recommends "those with a lower risk of the diseases return to work" within a "very few weeks". Pastor Confronts Conseuqences Of Shelter In Place Penalty A second pastor has been charged with violating public orders against large gatherings For the second time in two days, police have charged a pastor with defying public orders against large gatherings by holding church services with hundreds of members. Kansas Fair Warning Kansas AG warns scammers ready to pounce on your relief checks The Kansas attorney general warned Tuesday that scammers are ready to pounce on the $1,200 checks many of us will get from the federal government.Federal relief checks are not coming out for a couple of weeks, at least. But already, the con men are playing their game. Local Giveaway 'Faith in action': Hundreds line up at local church for drive-thru food giveaway BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- Unemployment numbers are expected to keep climbing this week, as more people are now out of work from businesses closing during the coronavirus pandemic. But local organizations are stepping up to help meet the growing need for services. Shawnee Playtime Over Shawnee Mission School District closing playgrounds, says people won't follow rules KANSAS CITY, Mo. - People enjoying school playgrounds in the Shawnee Mission School District get a failing grade when it comes to following the rules. The district announced Tuesday that it will close and lock all school playgrounds. According to the district, people ignored signs to stay off playground equipment as one way to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. Local Supply Chain Endures Made in KC, Sandlot Goods team up to make masks for nearby hospitals KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Local businesses are working together to provide more masks for area hospitals in need of them. Although Made in KC stores are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is staying busy. They're partnering with Sandlot Goods to make cotton face masks and plastic face shields for doctors in nurses. Tonight we conclude the news day with another collection of resources and news for this critical moment in American history . . . Checkit:Developing . . . Currently, Dopamine has up to 20 projects in development and co-production, including Amarres (produced for TNT), and Coyotl (for Space) for Warner Media. The new collaboration will see the two companies co-finance, develop and produce English-language scripted content, allowing DRG to increase its support for UK producers in bringing their shows to the screen.A part of Grupo Salinas, Dopamine launched in 2017 and focuses on the curation, creation, development and production of original content for global platforms, under any type of management, business model, and partnership. Dopamine was behind the successful TV series Hernan (pictured), an epic drama of the conquest of continental America and the meeting of two civilisations led by Captain Hernan Cortes.Commenting on the partnership with DRG, CEO Fidela Navarro said: From day one, Dopamine has been an ambitious business, keen to create content that works on a global level. This new alliance with DRG pairs us with experienced hands in the international market and helps strengthen our strategy. We share DRGs passion for storytelling and look forward to a long and successful relationship, creating truly standout new English-language scripted content for broadcasters and streaming platforms worldwide.Added DRG CEO and NENT Studios UK managing director Richard Halliwell: Dopamine is a truly exciting business within the rapidly developing scripted landscape in Latin America and we are thrilled to be working together to co-finance and co-create a new slate of English-language dramas. Dopamine is already producing high-quality Spanish-language content, and our collaboration will extend its global reach while providing DRG with access to its talented team, unique storytelling capabilities, and a greater understanding of the Latin American market. This partnership will further increase our investment in the UK production industry, and we look forward to announcing our first production together very soon. Despite the failure of most e-commerce players to meet orders through the first week of the lockdown, there has been no serious crisis, thanks to supplies from 11 million small kirana and mom-and-pop stores across the country with the support of over 300,000 distributors and wholesalers. Is the role of e-commerce in distribution during a crisis, especially that of the food and grocery business, exaggerated? That was clearly reflected in the fact that despite the failure of most e-commerce players to meet orders through the first week of the lockdown, there has been no serious crisis, thanks to supplies from 11 million small kirana and mom-and-pop stores across the country with the support of over 300,000 distributors and wholesalers. The reason for it is simple. According to KSA Technopak, a global consultancy firm, e-commerce players sell gross merchandise value (GMV) of only $2.5 billion. Thats minuscule in the $550-billion annual sales of food and groceries in 2019-20. However, they have a larger play in urban markets, but even that is a bit of a stretch. According to the firm, 80 per cent of e-commerce sales of grocery and food is in the six metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad - and is $2 billion. Yet the share of these six cities - around $192 billion - in the consumption of food and grocery is 35 per cent of the GMV of food and groceries ($550 billion). KSA Technopak chairman Arvind Singhal said: The size of the e-commerce business is exaggerated and very small in the overall merchandise business. And in the grocery and foods segment it is even smaller. "So while e-commerce has a role, it is the small kirana and mom and pop shops who are playing a key role in keeping the supply going. According to KSA, the size of the e-commerce business is $20 billion in 2019-20. Their contribution to the essentials consumers require in a lockdown following a caronavirus spread is a mere $2.5 billion in food and grocery and around $100 million in pharma. Where e-commerce plays a substantial role is in consumer electronics and consumer durables and mobile phones ($12-13 billion) and clothing ($2-2.5 billion), which are not on the priority list of people now. Singhal said the pressure in some highly affluent urban pockets like Gurugram was because town planners had not even planned for neighbourhood kirana shops and replaced them with malls with large anchor food and grocery stores. With all malls being forced to remain shut, even these large organised-format food and grocery stores were caught unawares and had to down shutters, adding to the pressure. So how does KSA see the retail space after the lockdown? For one, it does not see a major impact on sales of food and grocery retailers. Two, with garment exporters seeing cancellations of orders, they expect them to dump surplus clothing in the market at discounted rates. So clothing retailers, which sell at reasonable prices, will see volumes go up. But big brands and stores would see a substantial impact on their business in the first quarter. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhury/Reuters Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 : The Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet that met here on Wednesday has given the in-principle clearance to have a salary challenge from all state government employees to collect funds to handle the various activities of Covid-19 of the Kerala government. All state government employees have to contribute one month's salary to the CM Distress Relief Fund and it could be done in instalments also. Kerala has at present 215 positive coronavirus positive cases, with over 1.60 lakh people under observation at homes and hospitals. As a first step the entire cabinet decided that each one of them will contribute Rs one lakh each and it has already been done by Vijayan. On Tuesday, Vijayan held talks with a section of the employee's representatives and it has been more or less agreed upon, even as talks have to take place with a few other organisations. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala reacting to the salary challenge told the media that they have no issues with this. "We have the same stand that we took when such a challenge was announced in 2018, when floods ravaged the state. We strongly demanded then that, it should not be put into the CMDRF, instead it should be in a separate account. It was not done and now what we hear is that at Kochi a CPI-M worker got Rs one million and the report of another fraud of Rs five million also has surfaced. Such things should not happen," said Chennithala. A Liberal councillor - who is the wife of a former Liverpool mayor and real estate agent - has called for members of her husband's former profession to be banned from running for council amid her party's internal war over the issue. In a bid that would have also excluded the occupations of numerous of her Liberal colleagues, Liverpool councillor Tina Ayyad, whose husband is former mayor and property industry figure Ned Mannoun, said people who were prohibited donors should be barred from council elections. Liverpool councillor Tina Ayyad and her husband, former Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun. Credit:Facebook "If you cannot donate, then why can you run for office?" Cr Ayyad asked in her notice of motion put before a council meeting last week, which sought to prohibit real estate agents, developers, other members of the building trade, and staff of state and federal MPs, from running. The call seemingly also targeted Labor councillor Nathan Hegarty, the chief of staff to federal MP Anne Stanley, who also put forward a notice of motion to disqualify property developers and real estate agents. The latest: Hawaii has first coronavirus death, leaving Wyoming as sole state with no deaths Hawaii has reported its first death from the coronavirus, leaving Wyoming as the only U.S. state without a fatality from COVID-19. The Hawaii victim was an older adult resident of Oahu with preexisting health problems, according to Dr. Bruce Anderson with the state Department of Health. This is a difficult time for everyone in Hawaii, Governor David Ige said in a news conference Tuesday evening. President Trump discusses the potential need for Americans to wear masks President Trump discussed the need for Americans to wear masks to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Trump said that Americans can wear scarves in lieu of masks. You know, you can use a scarf. A lot of people have scarfs, and you can use a scarf. A scarf would be very good. My feeling is if people want to do it, theres certainly no harm to it. I would say do it, but use a scarf if you want, rather than going out and getting a mask or whatever, we're making millions and millions of masks," Trump said when asked if he would recommend all Americans wear masks. Trump said he wants the masks being produced to go to hospitals that need them. We want them to go to the hospitals. But one of the things that Dr. Fauci told me today is we dont want everybody competing with the hospitals where you really need them, Trump added. Trump did say that it might not be a bad idea for Americans to use some sort of face cover, for at least a period of time. So you can use scarves if you want, it can be something else, it does not have to be a mask, but its not a bad idea at least for a period of time. I mean eventually youre not going to want to do that, youre not going to have to do that. Its going to be gone. It's going to be gone, hopefully gone for a long time," Trump said. White House projects 100,000 to 240,000 US deaths The White House on Tuesday projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. President Donald Trump called American efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus a matter of life and death and urged the public to heed his administrations social distancing guidelines. Trump called on Americans to brace themselves for a rough two-week period but predicted the country would soon see a light at the end of the tunnel of the global catastrophe. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said. We're going to go through a very tough two weeks." Infectious disease expert Dr. Tony Fauci said Americans should be prepared for 100,000 people to die. He said the country is striving to reduce it. Fauci said now is the time to step up on prevention efforts to help address that possibility. The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has climbed past 4,000. US seeing 'glimmers' that social distancing is helping to curb spread Early clues in places like New York, California and Seattle indicate social distancing may be slowing the rate at which coronavirus cases otherwise would have increased in the United States. But health officials warn it's too early to know how well it's working and even if mitigation measures continue, the number of U.S. deaths still could be hard to take. "We're starting to see glimmers ... just the inklings" that the daily increases in U.S. cases aren't as steep as they would have been without social distancing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Tuesday morning. "We're not seeing (a turnaround) yet," he said. More than 500 US deaths reported Monday At least 574 deaths from coronavirus in the U.S. were reported Monday and officials say the battle to defeat the virus will take cooperation from every American. "This is the whole of America approach, the cooperation we're seeing all the way from the public, private to the interagency, to the state, local and federal part of it," said Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, who led the effort to convert a New York convention center into a hospital to respond to a rapid increase in patients. "We have to come together as a team and that's what we're seeing, it's the only way we're going to get through this," he said. The totals include cases from every state, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories, as well as repatriated cases. Wyoming has not reported a death from coronavirus. As the number of cases and deaths increase, many people on the front lines of the national health care fight are feeling frustrated and ill amid the coronavirus outbreak. On Monday, Trump said the country was facing a "vital 30 days" ahead, during which the results of his efforts to contain the virus would become known. "Our future is in our own hands, and the choices and sacrifices we make will determine the fate of this virus and really the fate of our victory," Trump said. Hundreds of medical workers across the country have fallen sick and hospitals face dire shortages of protective gear. "We are slowly descending into chaos," a trauma physician at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital said. The doctor's colleagues who normally rely on literature, research and training are "flying blind" without instruments and building guidelines from the ground up, the physician said. And when they're done treating coronavirus patients in trauma, they head back to the ICU to treat more. PGlmcmFtZSBpZD0iaHR2LWNvdmlkLW1hcCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2NvdmlkLTE5LWFzc2V0cy5odHZ0b29scy51cy9pbmRleC5odG1sIiBzY3JvbGw9Im5vIiBzdHlsZT0iYm9yZGVyOm5vbmU7Ij48L2lmcmFtZT4= Staying in place can save millions, top doctor says The latest projections on coronavirus in the U.S. were so alarming, there was virtually no choice but to extend social distancing guidelines, two of the nation's top infectious disease experts said. Federal guidelines originally scheduled to end this week have now been extended to April 30. That means all Americans should avoid groups of 10 or more people, avoid discretionary travel, and consider canceling all social visits in homes. Older residents should stay home. But even with continued social distancing, "I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 100,000 deaths," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "It was patently obvious, looking at the data ... if we try to push back (on social distancing) prematurely, not only do we lose lives, but it probably would even hurt the economy," he said. "So you would lose on double accounts. So to us, it was no question what the right choice was." How well Americans obey social distancing could make the difference between 100,000 and millions of deaths, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator. "If we do things together well, almost perfectly, we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities," Birx told NBC's "Today" show Monday. "We don't even want to see that." Birx said the worst-case projections show "between 1.6 million and 2.2 million deaths if you do nothing" and disregard social distancing guidelines. First U.S. service member dies from coronavirus The U.S. military announced Monday the first U.S. service member died from the coronavirus. Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok, an Army National Guardsman from New Jersey, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Department of Defense. Hickok was hospitalized since March 21, CNN reports. "Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member active, reserve or Guard to coronavirus," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in the statement. 'Stay at home, buy us time' In Washington state's King County the country's first epicenter two new reports from an institute that specializes in studying disease transmission dynamics showed social distancing measures appeared to be making a difference. "We are looking at reductions in person to person contact that have progressively improved and have led us to a point where we are making a very positive impact," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, the public health officer for Seattle and King County. But that's no indication to roll back any of those measures, Duchin said. "We really need to double down on the measures that appear to be working," he said. King County wasn't alone in its announcement. Two weeks after San Francisco issued the country's first shelter in place order, hospital emergency rooms throughout the region may be seeing the order's effect. "The surge we have been anticipating has not yet come," Dr. Jahan Fahimi, an emergency physician and medical director at the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN. "We're all kind of together holding our breaths." In other parts of the country, walking into work feels like walking into a war zone for many medical care workers. "There is not enough of anything," one trauma physician at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital said. "There are just so many patients who are so sick, it seems impossible to keep up with the demand." Inside New York City's Elmhurst hospital, one doctor told CNN "we are at the brink of not being able to care for patients." It may seem simple, another doctor says, but staying at home could also be saving those working to save patients. "It feels like coronavirus is everywhere and it feels like we have very little to protect ourselves from getting very sick ourselves as healthcare workers" Dr. Cornelia Griggs, a Pediatric Surgery Fellow at Columbia University said Monday. "I want everyone at home to know that even though it seems like staying at home is futile, it's not." "We need everyone at home to hold the line, stay at home. Buy us time, flatten the curve." W2lmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZDJjbXZicTdzeHgzM2ouY2xvdWRmcm9udC5uZXQvZW1haWwvcHJvZF9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1c19pZnJhbWVfYXJ0aWNsZS5odG1sIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQxNCIgc3R5bGU9IndpZHRoOjEwMCU7Ym9yZGVyOm5vbmU7b3ZlcmZsb3c6aGlkZGVuIiBzY3JvbGxpbmc9Im5vIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3dUcmFuc3BhcmVuY3k9InRydWUiXVsvaWZyYW1lXQ== The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report. Actress Sophia Myles has called on the public to take Covid-19 seriously after losing her selfless father to the illness. Peter Myles, a vicar with underlying health issues, died earlier this month aged 76, with his daughter saying it was the coronavirus that finally took him. Ms Myles, 40, told Good Morning Britain that her father was a very loving soul who adored caring for people. The Doctor Who and Transformers actress said she was lucky to be able to see her father for five minutes before he died. Under strict medical supervision and clinical advice I was allowed into his ward, wearing a visor and full protective uniform, she told GMB hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan via video link. But I was only given five minutes to be in the room with him and had to stand at a two-metre distance initially. She added: You cant have that flesh-to-flesh moment... to kiss your loved ones brow and hold their hand and it was very obvious that his breathing was starting to slow down massively. And this is the horrible thing about this virus... People are just dying because ultimately they are not able to breathe. Its such an unnatural death. Myles said she was outraged to hear that some people were treating the lockdown like a holiday and called on the public to follow government guidance on self-isolation. She added: If you see an elderly person, dont just go two metres away from them, cross over, walk on the other side of the street and listen to the medical advice. Listen to the government advice. We have to take this seriously. A number of British celebrities have taken to the media to explain how the novel virus has affected them and their families. On Sunday night, Linda Lusardi was released from hospital after beating the illness, with her husband Sam Kane praising NHS workers for their hard work. Former GMTV host Fiona Phillips revealed how the virus brought her a body-sized cloak of sweat and kept her up all night. And Earlier this month, Idris Elba posted a video to social media describing his symptoms after testing positive for Covid-19. Additional reporting by agencies : With a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in a Delhi locality becoming an epicentre for COVID-19 spread across India, southern states are hurrying to identify and possibly isolate those who attended the meeting, with Tamil Nadu and Telangana alone accounting for over 2,000 people. While Telangana saw six fatalities, all of whom attended the congregation in Nizamuddin West in Delhi last month, Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest increase in the daily number of COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday at 110, taking the aggregate to 234. A total of 190 people from Tamil Nadu who had attended the Delhi congregation have been found COVID-19 positive so far, state Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said. Other states are also keeping an eye on those having returned home after their Delhi visit, even as Tamil Nadu appealed to the untraceable people to voluntarily turn up before the authorities concerned for further medical action. Nizamuddin West, a south Delhi locality,has emerged as an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus in different parts of the country after thousands of people took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation from March 1-15. In Delhi alone, 24 participants tested positive for the disease while 441 others were hospitalised after they showed symptoms. Incidentally, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have received telling blows as a fallout, with the former recording six COVID-19 deaths on a single day on Monday. The Telangana administration has estimated that over 1,000 people from the state might have attended the Nizamuddin congregation in the national capital. The government has identified all but 160 of the over 1,000 who attended the congregation, state Health Minister E Rajender said. Earlier, two of the six victims had died at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, one each in two private hospitals, and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns. Special teams under District Collectors have identified those who came in contact with the deceased and they have been shifted to hospitals, according to the government. Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest single-day spike in the number of positive coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the number being 110. All of them had attended the Nizamuddin event. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said 1,131 men have returned of the about 1,500 people who went for the event. "About 515 people have been identified...others who took part in the meet should voluntarily get in touch with the authorities...we have not got the addresses of others fully," he said, apparently indicating that their whereabouts could not be ascertained so far. He said while a section could not be contacted yet, others have been quarantined in Delhi. Considering the severity of COVID-19 and its potential to adversely impact society at large, returnees should approach the authorities so that they could be tested and treated if needed, he said. Meanwhile, Rajesh said nearly 1100 people heeded the government's "fervent appeal" and came forward to be admitted in isolation wards and the required tests were conducted on 658 of them while the rest will be covered in the next 24 hours. The government had earlier said that several district administrations could not establish contact with many returnees, even as the police department was also working to trace them. The National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, had also appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers' to contact health authorities immediately at specific phone numbers as the participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. Andhra Pradesh reported 43 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, most of which relate to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, officials said. While the Karnataka government has so far identified 78 people "associated" with the Nizmauddin event,Kerala has also zeroed in on all those who travelled to Delhi for the event. According to Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department, Jawaid Akhtar, anybody who has attended the event should contact the authorities. He said 78 people from the state associated with Tablighi Jamaat have been identified and quarantined. "We are not sure whether all of them attended the congregation held earlier this month, but as they would have come in contact with those attended in one or the other, they have been put under government quarantine," he said. With many of them claiming to have already completed 14 days of quarantine, the government has decided to put them for COVID-19 test, he said, adding the 78 included some foreign nationals. Meanwhike, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government has collected the details of those who took part from the state in the recent religious congregations in Nizamuddin and Malaysia and it needs to be examined if they have any health issues. "Police have already made detailed examination in this regard. The list of participants has been given through respective District Collectors. Necessary precautions will be made in the concerned districts in this regard," he said. The government has the exact number of participants and the details of the districts they are hailing from, he added. Puducherry, a union territory near Tamil Nadu,also reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with both persons having attended the congregation in Nizamuddin in March. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sydney, April 1 : Ricky Ponting is among Australia's greatest ever batsmen across formats. Additionally, he also came to be known for being the face of Australia's uncompromising attitude of winning at all costs in the years that he led a team that lost only a handful of matches across formats. Signs of this aspect of Ponting's character could be seen before he took over the captaincy from Steve Waugh and an example of that was Australia's 2002 Test against South Africa. Ponting on Wednesday gave his followers a recap of the moment of when he won the match and reached a second innings hundred with a six off South African spinner Paul Adams. Ponting retweeted a post which showed the last ball of the Test and said: "I think this was as excited as I'd been on the field ... and I couldn't have asked for a better ball to hit for six. Thanks Paul." Australia needed 331 to win and looked to be in good stead while the top three of Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Ponting added 201 runs. However, Australia suffered a middle-order collapse as Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn all fell within the space of 10 overs. First innings centurion Adam Gilchrist played a typically aggressive cameo to counter the South Africans before Shane Warne stuck on with Ponting as the latter finished the job. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since 2018 when President Donald Trump pulled the US out of Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal DUBAI: Irans president said on Wednesday the United States had missed a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country during the coronavirus outbreak, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehrans fight against the infection. It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions, crippling its economy. On Tuesday, U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility that the United States might consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus, but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. A new study has suggested that coronavirus COVID-19 has the ability to spread through the air and can remain contagious for hours. The study claimed that scientists in the US found high levels of the deadly virus lingering in rooms hours after patients had left from the room. The University of Nebraska researchers also said that traces of the coronavirus were also discovered in hospital corridors outside the rooms of positive patients. According to researchers, the findings of the study shows that protective clothing are very important for healthcare workers dealing with coronavirus patients. It is to be noted that the study has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists yet and it is ye to be published in a scientific journal. For the study, the researchers took samples from rooms of 11 patients after these patients were kept in isolation following a diagnosis. The study suggests that people may be able to get infected with coronavirus without ever coming in contact with an infected person, reported Daily Mail. Lead author James Lawler, an infectious diseases expert at the Nebraska University, said in a statement: "Our team was already taking airborne precautions with the initial patients we cared for. This report reinforces our suspicions. It's why we have maintained COVID patients in rooms equipped with negative airflow and will continue to make efforts to do so - even with an increase in the number of patients." "Our health care workers providing care will be equipped with the appropriate level of personal protective equipment. Obviously, more research is required to be able to characterize environmental risk," he added. The researchers also claimed that traces of coronavirus was also found on commonly used items such as toilets, lending credence to the theory that the virus can spread on surfaces. Notably, England's chief medical officer had earlier said that people can get infected by touching their faces after touching any contaminated surfaces. Professor Chris Whitty told Daily Mail that the COVID-19 can stay contagious on hard metal or plastic surfaces like door handles or handrails for around 72 hours. The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates. Whats happening In nations around the world, everyday life has come to a grinding halt as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus. City streets sit empty. Factories are shuttered. Planes sit idly on runways. Traffic on major freeways has disappeared. An unintended side effect of the lockdowns to curb coronavirus has been a significant decrease in emissions. Air pollutants from Chinese factories dropped dramatically when manufacturing in parts of the country shut down. Europes greenhouse gas emissions could drop by as much as 24 percent this year, one analyst found. The notoriously smoggy skies over Los Angeles have been clear for weeks. The global shutdown caused by the virus has inadvertently become the largest scale experiment ever in the reduction of greenhouse gases, said an expert with the European Space Agency. Why theres debate Not even the most zealous environmentalist would downplay the enormous health impacts of the coronavirus, but some see opportunity within the crisis to make major progress in preventing drastic outcomes from climate change. The dramatic changes in daily life that people have taken in recent weeks show that the world is capable of making adjustments needed to limit climate change, some argue. Its possible that many people will continue parts of the energy-friendly lifestyle theyve become used to during social distancing, such as teleworking or limiting food waste. Some green energy advocates see an opportunity to create a more sustainable global economy after the pandemic has ended. Governments will likely need to spend enormous amounts of money to recover from the downturn caused by the virus. Focusing that spending on renewable energy infrastructure could help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and provide high-quality jobs for millions of workers who are unemployed, some argue. Others say that the crisis could be a major impediment to meaningful action on climate change. Emissions levels arent expected to stay low once the outbreak subsides and they may even increase afterward, especially if oil prices stay low. Its possible that governments will abandon environmental concerns as they put all their efforts into staving off the pandemic and reviving the economy. Leaders in China and Europe are reportedly reconsidering carbon reduction initiatives in response to the virus. On Tuesday, the Trump administration followed through on a previously planned move to rollback auto emission standards. Story continues Some experts fear an extended economic downturn could cause funding for green energy projects and scientific research to evaporate. Perspectives Optimists The virus has shown were capable of the bold changes needed to stop climate change A bold, world-wide climate policy would not be like the coronavirus response in the details or objectives, but the scale is about right. If we can completely overhaul whole countries in a matter of days to fight off a pandemic, we could do the same thing to forestall disastrous climate change. Ryan Cooper, The Week Economic recovery creates opportunity for a Green New Deal With politicians newly willing to spend, [economic recovery] could build a carbon-neutral, significantly stronger and fairer society and put millions to work doing it. Kate Aronoff, New Republic The crisis shows the flaws in our current economic system One may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change and therefore, our response to it should not be limited to containing the spread of the virus. What we thought was normal before the pandemic was already a crisis and so returning to it cannot be an option. Vijay Kolinjivadi, Al Jazeera The virus is a teachable moment for the threat of climate change If theres any silver lining in this mess, its that the coronavirus pandemic is teaching us a valuable lesson about the perils of ignoring destructive processes and perhaps even larger, longer-term disasters that increase exponentially. Even if growth looks mild in the moment it will soon enough be severe. In other words, delay is the enemy. Howard Kunreuther and Paul Slovic, Politico Workers may choose to continue working from home after the pandemic ends Were all learning how remote meetings, panels and other events work. To the extent that companies stick with these habits once were all able to work and travel like normal again, these changes could have a more lasting impact on our energy use, particularly in transportation. Amy Harder, Axios Coronavirus has shown how fragile our society is and how capable we are of solving big problems The pandemic has awakened us from our slumber. It is letting us see the real consequences of denial. That may be its most important lesson allowing us the insight, strength and compassion to build a resilient and robust future. Adam Frank for NBC News Skeptics The money needed to fund green energy projects may dry up A global recession as a result of coronavirus shutdowns could also slow or stall the shift to clean energy. If capital markets lock up, it will become difficult for companies to secure financing for planned solar, wind and electric grid projects, and it could tank proposals for new projects. Meehan Crist, New York Times Lawmakers late response to coronavirus is a bad sign for climate change Perhaps this pandemic will teach lawmakers about the perils of waiting to act until it is too late. Or maybe it will simply give them a glimpse into a future where everyone and everything is endangered by a threat we will not take seriously until it is already killing us. Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Stimulus money may go to heavy-polluting industries Its possible that a lot of that money could easily be poured into high-carbon industries, which will mean that we could actually end up compounding the climate crisis through how we address the COVID-19 outbreak. Clean energy advocate Mohamed Adow to Reuters Stopping climate change requires action, not inaction The truth is that fixing global warming will not be easy, but it will not look like this. It will look like cleaner technologies, different sources of power wind, not coal cleaner, denser, more-walkable cities. It will look like plant-based diets, more trees, electric planes, and so on. It looks like carbon taxes and regulating (and prosecuting) of still-powerful fossil fuel interests. It looks like action, not inaction; taking to the streets, not staying home. John Sutter, CNN The environment will take a back seat to economic concerns If the global economy crashes, emissions will drop short term as we produce fewer goods, but climate action will slow. Employment trumps environment in politics. If companies are hurting, they may delay or even cancel climate-friendly policies that require investments up front. Earth system scientist Rob Jackson to CNBC Lower emissions are only temporary If other global crises, like financial bubbles, are any indication, this is but a temporary dip in emissions. In fact, to make up for lost money, nations like China will roar back with capitalistic mania. Modern economies halt for no disease at least not in the long term. Matt Simon, Wired The public was moved by the imminent threat of the virus. Climate change is too gradual. Our brains simply are not wired to engage with a danger that is not acutely present. We are activated by threats that could come for us tomorrow or next week, like this virus, much more than we are moved by an inestimably greater danger that moves toward us, inexorably, but at a slower pace. Thom Krystofiak, Des Moines Register Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com. Read more 360s Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Paul Souders/Getty Images Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 01:04:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 3,800 firefighters are battling the forest fire in southwest China's Sichuan Province, as winds stoked the flames on Wednesday evening, local authorities said. The burning area in one frontline zone increased from 1.5 km long at 3 p.m. Wednesday to 5 km long at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday due to strong winds. The nearest fire was some 10 km from downtown area of the city of Xichang. As of Wednesday noon, open flames in three major areas affected by the fire in the mountains in Xichang had been put out, before firefighters turned to search for smoke points and clear embers. The fire started on a local farm Monday afternoon and quickly spread to nearby mountains due to strong winds, according to the government of Xichang. On Tuesday, 19 people, including 18 firefighters and a local forest farmworker who led the way for the firefighters, died while battling the fire. By 9 a.m. Wednesday, a total of 24,467 people in Xichang had been evacuated. On Tuesday, authorities in Broward County, Florida - where the cruise ship with four dead and two in dire need of medical attention hopes to dock this week - said a plan presented by owner Carnival Corp. does not yet address all their concerns. A representative for the U.S. Coast Guard said the Zaandam and an accompanying ship would not be allowed to enter U.S. waters without submitting "a complete plan for self-support of the medical issues occurring on board the vessels." At a meeting Tuesday, Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian said a "unified command" - a group of local, state and federal agencies - was looking to get concerns addressed and reach unanimous consent for the ships to dock. "If not, I think that's a question for a broader audience at the national government level," she said. President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening that he will be speaking soon with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, about how to handle the Zaandam. "There are people that are sick on the ship," Trump said, adding: "I'm going to do what's right. Not just for us, but for humanity." DeSantis has said that he does not want passengers from the ship to disembark in Florida, telling Fox News, "We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources." DeSantis's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but during a news conference earlier Tuesday, he said he had asked the Trump administration to get supplies to the ship instead of bringing people into the state. "Just to drop people off at the place where we're having the highest number of cases right now just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," he said. Behind the scenes, the Florida governor has been lobbying the White House to keep the ship from disembarking in his state, according to White House aides. The situation has been discussed inside the National Security Council, which has discussed keeping all cruise ships with infected passengers three miles off the coast, officials said. Trump has said in the past that he did not want to see cruise ships with sick passengers evacuated, even as his administration went forward with such plans. But county commissioners in Broward said they hoped to see and take action on an updated plan soon - and several said they wanted to allow the ships to offload its passengers at Port Everglades so they could be sent home. In an online update, the port said that if approved, Zaandam is expected to arrive late Wednesday or Thursday. Some of that ship's passengers who were not experiencing symptoms were transferred to another ship, Rotterdam, to allow more people to have rooms with outside access and to relieve the burden on the crew. As of Tuesday, according to Carnival's chief maritime officer William Burke, there were "a couple" passengers on Rotterdam with flu-like symptoms. Including crew, there are 1,048 people on Zaandam and 1,442 on Rotterdam. "These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other; we are their last hope," said Nan Rich, one of the nine county commissioners. "What are we going to do? Let the ship go back out to sea and let it float around and let people die?" Four people have died on the Holland America Line vessel; two of those people had confirmed cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Burke said at the meeting. The cruise line had previously only confirmed that two people tested positive, but Burke told county officials that 11 people had been tested and nine were positive. The company has tried to medically evacuate two passengers whose illness is beyond the ship's capability to handle, but no country has agreed. "We are coming to a place of last resort," said Burke, a former Navy vice admiral. "I hope the two people we would like to medevac to Mexico will survive the couple-day transit." So far, the plan calls for arranging charter or charter-like flights out of Fort Lauderdale for passengers who need to be flown out of South Florida to international destinations and the West Coast, as well as transportation to the airport and passage through the airport so passengers don't have contact with other travelers. Those who have cars at Port Everglades would be allowed to drive home, and the cruise line would drive anyone who lives in South Florida but doesn't have a car at the port back to their residence. Burke said the company was trying to work out how to get passengers who live elsewhere in the United States and Florida home. Passengers who are well - those who have not experienced any symptoms - will be asked to fill out a health questionnaire and have a temperature check before they are allowed to leave the ship. They will be told to wear a mask on their trip home and self-isolate for 14 days once they get there. Burke acknowledged that some could have been recently infected and still asymptomatic. Those who were sick but recovered - meaning seven days had passed since the onset of symptoms and more than three days since symptoms disappeared without the help of medication - could also be released under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Burke said. The cruise line would keep people with symptoms on board until they recovered, unless those passengers needed more help than they could get on the ships. In that case, Burke said, the company would request a medical evacuation. Between them, the two ships have several ventilators, doctors, nurses and a supply of oxygen and personal protective equipment on board. A CDC representative who participated in the meeting by phone, Cindy Friedman, said anyone who needed to be evacuated was considered a "humanitarian medical concern." And she said federal quarantines on cruise ships are no longer being considered. "I think the overarching goal here is to get well people to their homes as quickly as possible," she said. Commissioners expressed frustration at what they called shifting numbers. Burke said only 14 people on the Zaandam were currently sick, half of whom were either in the ship's hospital facility or being treated. But a blog post by Holland America Line President Orland Ashford posted Monday said that 76 guests and 117 crew had influenza-like symptoms, including eight who were positive for the coronavirus. Burke said the higher numbers were an accumulation of everyone who felt symptoms and recovered; he noted that there had been no new illnesses on Monday. The ship left Buenos Aires on March 7 and was not allowed to let passengers off in Chile on March 16, three days after Holland America and most other cruise lines around the world suspended operations. Ashford has continued to plead with authorities to allow the ships to dock, most recently in the blog post and an editorial in a local South Florida newspaper. "The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity," he wrote. "To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values." - - - The Washington Post's Rosalind Helderman contributed to this report. The police warned no social distancing is possible at these places and there was a grave public health risk Health workers sanitise their collegues after disinfecting an area near Nizammuddin mosque, in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI photo The Delhi police on Tuesday registered a case against Maulana Saad and others under various sections of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act for violation of government directives given to the management of the Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin. The government said so far 1,582 Tabligh Jamaat workers were shifted to the Narela, Sultanpuri and Bakkarwala quarantine facilities that included 441 admitted in hospitals. The police said an FIR was filed against Maulana Saad and others of Tablighi Jamaat for violation of the directives issued after the coronavirus outbreak. Over 3,000 people had gathered March 1-18 at the Nizamuddin Markaz mosque for a Tablighi Jamaat meet. A senior police official said the FIR was filed under Section 269, 270, 271 and 120B IPC at the Nizamuddin police station. The organisers violated government directions on restrictions on social/political/religious gatherings and taking safety measures, including social distancing, the official said. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to religious leaders, irrespective of faith, to not organise any event during the lockdown. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said 24 people had tested positive and 700 people at the congregation were quarantined. The Delhi police special branch on Tuesday asked the Delhi government to take immediate action on at least 157 persons, mostly foreign nationals, linked to the Talbigh Jamaat now staying at various masjids and other places in and around Delhi. These include 94 from Indonesia, 13 from Kyrgyzstan, nine from Bangladesh, eight from Malaysia, and some Indian nationals. The police warned no social distancing is possible at these places and there was a grave public health risk. Sandra McDonough McDonough is president and chief executive officer of Oregon Business & Industry On April 30, businesses across Oregon will be expected to send in their first quarterly payment of the states new corporate activity tax. For many, preparing to write that check will mean more layoffs, sooner rather than later. In the midst of this global pandemic and its economic fall-out, they simply dont have the cash to pay the tax and meet payroll. Its an extraordinary moment in history, and it calls for an extraordinary response: Oregons elected leaders must hit a temporary pause button on this new tax, so business owners can use what little cash they have to pay their workers and help keep families whole. Across Oregon, employers, especially small businesses, have been devastated by the coronavirus crisis. Some, particularly those in the restaurant, retail and personal services industries, as well as dentists and other medical providers, have been forced to close their doors, either by order or because they could not safely implement social distancing practices to protect employees and customers. Other businesses have seen sharp drops in revenue, as supply chains were disrupted or customers stayed away, heeding Gov. Kate Browns directive to stay home, save lives." Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500-700 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. As business revenues have declined, workers have been laid off, creating an unprecedented rush on Oregons Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Last week, claims were up 1,500%, with 76,500 new claims compared to 4,900 filed in the previous week. Almost 11,000 of those claims came from the hospitality sector, a large part of which has simply shut down. Clearly, our top concern must be the health of all Oregonians. That is why Oregons business community has supported Gov. Browns bold steps to contain the spread of coronavirus in our state. But we must begin immediately to address the deep impact this crisis has had on Oregons economy, our businesses and the families who rely on the paychecks and benefits those businesses generate. We must do what we can to keep people working during the crisis, to the extent that they can do so safely, and we need to make plans now to bring back the businesses and the jobs , that have been so hard hit. For employers across Oregon, the big issue is cash. When sales stop, cash disappears. And that makes it hard to pay employees and maintain benefits. On Thursday, more than 40 business organizations representing a large share of Oregons employer community went to legislative leaders and asked no, we begged them to temporarily suspend implementation of the new CAT tax or, at least reduce the amount. It just makes sense. The tax is new, and the education programs it will support are also mostly new with some still in the development stage. We are not asking for a permanent change, just a pause, to give employers some respite, let them hold onto more of the scarce cash they have and then use it to pay their workers, provide benefits , and hopefully save their business and their employees jobs for the long term. When we are through this, we can work together to get those education programs on track. David Chown, whose family has operated Chown Hardware in Portland since 1879, said it best. He estimates his first quarter tax payment will be $30,000 enough to pay eight to 10 employees for a month. Chown has already laid off a quarter of his workforce, after orders dropped by a third in just two weeks. The tax is making me choose between paying the government and supporting families, he said. Thats a trade off we dont want to make. At the end of the day, Oregon will be stronger if more businesses survive this crisis and maintain the jobs that generate the tax revenue that supports schools, social safety nets and other critical programs. This is an extraordinary time, and it calls for extraordinary measures. Lets make it happen. As critical care units fill with COVID-19 patients, doctors, nurses and staff from other hospital departments will be called upon to help treat them, says a healthcare leader who is helping to organize the provincial pandemic response. Its a war and we have to take wartime measures, said Dr. Kevin Smith, who is co-chairing the provinces critical care COVID-19 table. Wartime measures mean doing the best we can for everyone involved. If that means using some people when normally we wouldnt, but we feel it is safe and effective for this period of time, then we will, but with an abundance of caution, he said, noting they would be working alongside experienced critical care health professionals. Health regulatory bodies such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario are relaxing rules to allow healthcare workers to work outside their scopes of practice, or areas of specialty, during the pandemic. While physicians are typically required to only practice within their scope of practice, the CPSOs public health emergencies policy enables physicians to depart from this expectation during times like this, a statement on the regulators website says. The regulator is also allowing some residents to get fast-tracked medical licences. Smith, who is also president of the University Health Network, said he would like to see students close to graduating in other health professions be given special permission to do frontline work. Most of the schools have said we will give you extended licences or limited licences (to some students) in order to do that, which is exactly what we should do. Talks are underway to allow volunteers to help out during the crisis too, he said. Its possible that a one- or two-week course could be created to teach personal support worker skills, he said. We are not going to ask people to do things that we dont think they are safe or competent to do, he said. But there is a component of having a lot of lonely people feeling isolated during this time, he said, referring to seniors in long-term care homes. If a nurse cant round as frequently, but there are people who can have eyes on residents, and alert a nurse if someone isnt doing well, then I dont think its a bad thing at all, he said. Volunteers could also help in hospitals and home care settings, Smith said. In home care, volunteers would not help with intimate care such as bathing or toileting, but they could prep food, housekeep or help people get to bed, Smith said. There is a ton of discussion happening, he said. Obviously we would do this with families involved. Smith said he expects the province will decide this week on whether it is safe and effective to use one ventilator on two patients: That would make a big difference if that is possible. The University Health Network has begun to publish on its website how many COVID-19 patents have been admitted. Currently there are eight in intensive care and nine in an inpatient unit. We are willing to do that as long as we can ensure maximum protection of privacy. We are erring on the side of transparency, he said, referring to making such data publicly available. There are increasing calls from health professionals, academics and media for more transparency of data on the number of COVID-19 patients in the province, including the number of those in critical care. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Nairobi, April 1, 2020 Authorities in Ethiopia should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Yayesew Shimelis and cease detaining journalists without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 27, federal police arrested Yayesew at a relatives home in the town of Legetafo, according to media reports and two of the journalists friends, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear that they may face retaliation affecting their employment. Yayesew contributes a column to the privately owned Feteh magazine and hosts a weekly political program on Tigray TV, a broadcaster owned by the Tigray regional government, according to those friends. He also posts original reporting on his Facebook account and on the Ethio Forum YouTube channel, which he administers, they said. The friends told CPJ that Yayesew was brought to court on March 28, and that police were granted six days to hold him in custody without charge. One of the friends, who was able to speak with Yayesew in detention, said that the journalist had not yet been interrogated and police had not said why he was being detained. The arrest came after Yayesew published a report on the COVID-19 virus on Facebook and YouTube on March 26 that was condemned by Ethiopias national Ministry of Health, according to the friends and a series of tweets from the local privately owned outlet Addis Maleda. Imprisoning a journalist at this time, when the public needs information rather than censorship, is likely to discourage critical reporting and dissenting opinions, said CPJs sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. Ethiopian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Yayesew Shimelis and guarantee that they will not censor reporting on the coronavirus. In its tweets, Addis Maleda cited an official who said that Yayesew would be tried under the criminal code, but the official did not indicate the specific sections of the law under which the journalist would be charged. In his report, Yayesew alleged that the Ethiopian government had told religious leaders to prepare 200,000 graves to accommodate deaths from the virus, according to the journalists friends and Addis Maleda. In a Facebook post on March 26, Ethiopias Ministry of Health said that the report was false, and condemned it as a deliberate attempt to confuse the public. One of the friends who spoke to Yayesew on the night of March 26 said that the journalist had expressed fear that the national government would take action against him in connection to the report. The report is no longer available on his YouTube channel, and Yayesew wrote in a tweet on March 27 that his Facebook page had been suspended. In that tweet, he apologized, saying he had not realized that it would cause the alarm that it had. Yayesews friends told CPJ that his journalism has been sharply critical of the national government, and that his association with Tigray TV, which is supported by the opposition Tigray Peoples Liberation Front party, has not endeared him to national authorities. In January, Yayesew told CPJ that he had been detained for several hours at the Bole International Airport by federal security personnel, who verbally harassed him and questioned him about his journalism. In the week prior to his March 27 arrest, Yayesew received calls from federal security personnel questioning him about an interview he conducted with a former Ethiopian foreign minister, according to a report by the Tigray Mass Media Agency, an outlet also owned by regional authorities. In a statement published on Facebook on March 29, the Ethiopian prime ministers office reminded law enforcement officers that they have been mandated to take action against individuals and groups unleashing terror upon peoples health and sense of safety. Federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi referred CPJ to the attorney generals office for comment, saying he could not speak on cases that were pending in court. CPJ called, texted, and emailed Zinabu Tunu, that offices spokesperson, but did not receive any responses. One of Yayesews friends said that the journalist has not been allowed visitors since March 29, which authorities said was because of fears of spreading the virus. Media Should Think Twice Before Parroting Beijings Line Lauding Beijings pandemic response reveals journalistic naivety and stunning lack of due diligence Commentary Within the last week or so, news outlets such as the New York Times and CBC have declared that the United States has now taken Chinas place as the epicentre of the pandemic. The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases, blared the headline of one NYT article published on March 26, which outlined the missteps that supposedly hastened the spread of the virus throughout America. It also describes Chinas response as a belated start that quickly turned into a ferocious intensity to fight the virus that has now been contained through draconian measures. A CBC headline reads, Canadas next-door neighbour is now the epicentre of global pandemic. Heres what that U.S. surge means, for an article that lists the possible implications of Canadas contiguous cousin having by far the most reported cases of any country. Other CBC coverage regurgitates Beijings highly dubious claim that there havent been any new cases confirmed in Wuhan for the past week and that the majority of new cases have been imported by travellers. These specimens of contemporary journalism reveal a troubling lack of critical thinking by reiterating easily questionable claims made by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propagandists. The New York Times article attributed Chinas belated start to the suppression of information, but fails to delve into the details of such suppression and instead compliments the regimes containment efforts. The lead story on the CBC News homepage, cbc.ca/news, on March 31, 2020. (Screenshot) One might expect the reporter to seek out sources to interrogate these claims, given the nature of the CCP and its initial response to the outbreakcovering it upthat enabled the virus to spread across the world. It is not an arduous task to find information suggesting something different is happening in China than the return to stability that some Western journalists are describing. According to the British press, scientists have told Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Chinas confirmed number of cases (around 81,000) may have been downplayed by a whopping factor of 15 to 40 times. Buttressing this is the estimation by Radio Free Asia that seven large funeral homes in Wuhan have been handing out a total of around 3,500 urns per day to families, which implies that the Chinese regime lied when it set the number of deaths in the city at 2,500-3,000. In addition to the stifled, now-deceased whistleblower Li Wenliang, there is also Wuhans Ai Fen, who gave an interview to a Chinese magazine in which she provided further insight into the regimes laborious attempts to cover up the outbreak and discipline those who tried to inform others about it. The interview was soon removed by the magazine and from social media sites, but not before netizens copied it and posted screenshots of it. This easy-to-find collection of damning details notwithstanding, some Western journalists have heaped praised on Chinas model as something to learn from, uncritically accepting claims by the regime and a compromised World Health Organization. All the while conveniently neglecting actual success stories such as that taking place in isolated Taiwan, which is an example for what an open society anchored by a robust civic culture can accomplish. The coverage of the outbreak in many cases shows a curiosity deficit permeating the media, and the tendency to focus myopically on the American president and the mania surrounding him has contributed to this. Long before the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, took hold of our lives, there was already a sense in the West that the vital institutions of society were becoming enfeebled. The media is one such institution that has been a central object of the peoples ire, mainly because of its perceived incompetence. Data paints a miserable picture. According to a Gallup poll from last year, Americans remain largely mistrustful of the mass media, with only 41 percent claiming they trust outlets to report the news in a fair and accurate way. In Canada, just as COVID-19 was beginning to engulf China, this years Edelman Trust Barometer found that trust in institutions had declined by 3 percent, with around 57 percent claiming that the media they used contained untrustworthy information. Much of the harm done to public trust in mass media has been self-inflicted, and coverage of the CCP virus demonstrates, yet again, a chattering class comprised of some the most credulous and incurious among us. Shane Miller is a political writer based in London, Ontario. Follow him at @Miller_Shane94. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. As the long days of people locked down at home stretch on, with the COVID-19 crisis nearing its third week, Ridgefield is holding on, working and planning for the days when the coronavirus threat will recede and life will bloom again into precious normalcy. First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Wednesday afternoon there are 84 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ridgefield, and a total of seven known deaths in town from the disease. Marconi recited the numbers in his 4 p.m. streamcast Wednesday, April 1, and said those numbers were from the towns noon update that day. Health Director Ed Briggs wasnt participating in the streamcast, to provide more recent figures, due to a family commitment. Town Emergency Director Dick Aarons also wasnt in the Wednesday afternoon livestream. Both are feeling fine and continue to work every day and very hard by the way, Marconi said. Marconi was joined by fire Chief Jerry Myers and Police Chief Jeff Kreitz. If you feel you have symptoms, please call your primary care provider, Marconi said. The disease is signaled by symptoms fever, cough, shortness of breath appearing 2 to 14 days after exposure. If you test positive for COVID-19, please stay at home, Marconi said. Self quarantine that means stay away from your family, as well. If one person in a household has it, others are likely to get infected, said Fire Chief Jerry Myers. We have to work pretty hard at self-isolating. Disposable gloves Marconi brought up a concern he had not previous discussed. Diposable gloves, he said. People have been coming out of a store wearing plastic gloves and then taking them off, perhaps not wanting to bring them into their cars, and sometimes just dropping them, he said. Dont just thrown them in the parking lot on the ground, Marconi said. Its not right that your gloves should be someone elses (problem) that they have to take care of. Marconi also expressed some gratitude. I want to thank Ridgefielders, those who are self-isolating and social distancing. Wednesday morning Marconi also spoke to The Press early Wednesday, April 1 about 8 in the morning, when the number of COVID-19 cases was still officiailly listed at 80. The figures on deaths and the number of confirmed cases residents whove tested positive come from the state, and often come near midday. Also, the state numbers of cases reflect only people known to have tested positive there are sure to be many more people out there who havent been tested. Some of them may be carrying the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and not be showing symptoms. The known cases of COVID-19 in Ridgefield arent limited to the assisted living facility on Route 7, Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings, where the first case and the states was reported in mid-March on the memory care unit. Statewide, Governor Ned Lamont reported Wednesday that Connecticut was up 3,557 COVID-19 cases, and 85 deaths. People should be aware that the coronavirus which cases COVID-19 is a townwide problem, Marconi said, and let caution guide their behavior. If you figure were at 80, and 16 are at the Crossings, youve got 64 that are spread out around town, ages anywhere from 2 to 101, Marconi said. Even if numbers plateau for a while, Marconi expects the situation will get worse soon. It doesnt negate the reality that the next two weeks are going to be rough weeks. Like the president said, like weve been saying for a while: middle of April is going to be a tough time, Marconi said. Hopefully not longer. Efforts to keep people in their homes continue, in Ridgefield and around the region and beyond the state, the northeast, the nation. Marconi tracks these efforts daily from his town hall office on conference calls with state officials, the governor, the 43 town Region 5 homeland security district that Ridefiled belongs to. Its a massive issue, he said. And social distancing is the only tool in our tool box, as I said for several weeks now, Marconi said. Probably within a week were going to see everybody with a mask on, and itll probably be 2 weeks too late. Fire department Fire Chief Jerry Myers told The Press Friday that the Ridgefield Fire Department had about a two months supply of protective equipment, if the rate of use remains stable and he reiterated that in Wednesdays streamcast. As it stands right now, if we had an interrupted chain supply, we have about two months supply, based on the kind of activity we see right now, Myers said Friday. We have about a two months supply, but we have a good, not great, reliable supply chain thats bringing in stuff slowly. Were trying to build up to a six month reserve level. Wednesday, Chief Myers said: If we had to go it on our own we could eek it out for a couple of months. Selectmens meeting The selectmen plan to meet Wednesday night, April 1, and the news from that meeting will be reported on the Presss website. The meetings are livestreamed on the towns website, www.ridgefieldct.org, and people can also go there to view archived meetings. Marconi also expecting to make the meeting available through Zoom technology. Marconi expected much of the discussion would focus on the budget problems the town will face. With the budget, it's not going to be easy, he said. I think were all in agreement, at least the Board of Selectmen is, that we need to bring a zero increase in taxes. Thats for sure, It's just a matter of how we get there. Weve got a couple of different scenarios: one where the Board of Finance uses a little bit of fund balance, like this past year; or do you play it conservative, not knowing what the future holds? Or do you keep your powder dry, so to speak, and reduce everyone to zero thats pretty heavy. Economics This, to me when I look at the economics of it, it seems to predict a much more difficult future than what the recession did, although it took awhile to come back from the recession, Marconi said. The negative consequences of this could be long lasting and deep. Whenever a business shuts down, loses cash flow, lays people off, and youre out three months, you dont know how many are coming back. Im sure therell be some. But I dont know. The commercial tax base is based not only on the built real estate stores, offices, buildings but what the rents that come in from it are. People need to know the value of all our square footage is based on what you can rent it for, Marconi said. If theres massive adjustments, if it falls, the Grand List falls, we have less money. The town and the state will need to work with business owners and landlords. So there are are massive adjustments we have got to look at. We have to do what we can do to help preserve these people, what we can do to keep them at the table. Its got to be incentives, and we've got to work together, Marconi said. Were all in this together, not only the virus and trying to do your social distancing, but also the economics of it. Contact information The town emergency management office has been putting out the following contact information: Center for Disease Control: (CDC): www.cdc.gov Connecticuts Official State Site: www.ct.gov Town of Ridgefield Official Site: www.ridgefieldct.org Town of Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management Social Media: Facebook: ridgefield oem Danbury Hospital COVID-19 Help Line: 888-667-9262 Former president Barack Obama has publicly dismissed his successors actions on the coronavirus pandemic, comparing the crisis to Donald Trumps climate denialism as the Republican rolled back Obama-era fuel standards. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it would weaken tough fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks introduced by Mr Obama and designed to combat the climate crisis. In a rare rebuttal of Mr Trump, who has repeatedly blamed the previous administration for his coronavirus response failings, the Democrat alluded to the presidents denialist attitude of the pandemic being comparable to his actions on the climate. Mr Obama said on Twitter: Weve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We cant afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. Under the Trump administrations changes to the 2012 regulations, US automakers would be able to produce vehicles with lower fuel efficiency. That will see the fuel economy and emission efficiency standards increase by 1.5 per cent annually, rather than the approximately 5 per cent increases in the 2012 rule. According to New York Times analysis, the amendments will see each car add a billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over its lifetime, when compared to the Obama-era regulations. The deregulation is set to create a legal battle, as California and 22 other states prepare to challenge the move. Democrats aired concerns about the timing of the announcement, which could be implemented as soon as late spring. Senator Tom Carper said the rule will lead to dirtier air at a time when our country is working around the clock to respond to a respiratory pandemic whose effects may be exacerbated by air pollution. The Delaware senator was not the only person to join Mr Obama in comparing the coronavirus crisis to the climate crisis. Earlier this week, University of Cumbria professor Jem Bendell told Bloomberg that The fallout from COVID-19 feels like a dress rehearsal for the kind of collapse that climate change threatens . . . this crisis reveals how fragile our current way of life has become. Whilst Mr Trumps deregulations are expected to provide a boost for oil producers, the president claimed that his deregulations would save lives, reduce costs for consumers, and protect the environment. He said on Twitter: Engines would run smoother. Positive impact on the environment! Foolish executives! You can leave your umbrella at home for today, but light rainfall is in the forecast for San Antonio starting on Thursday, according to the seven-day forecast from drone-powered weather service Saildrone. The best chance of rain is expected on Friday at 70 percent, with the possibility of light rainfall of 0.46 inches. The coming days will also bring warm temperatures, due to stick around through Tuesday. The weather will bring a high temperature of 86 degrees on Tuesday. Skies will be cloudy today. Winds are expected to reach a modest high of 17 mph on Saturday, while today will be quieter. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. By Associated Press NEW YORK: A bleary-eyed Chris Cuomo, saying he wanted to be a cautionary tale for his audience, anchored his CNN show from his basement Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Via remote link, he interviewed Illinois Gov.J.B. Pritzker, an emergency room nurse and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who expressed worry about one of Cuomo's symptoms. "Brace yourself," Cuomo told viewers, "not for a hoax. But for the next few weeks of scary and painful realities. This is a fight. It's going to get worse. We're going to suffer." Cuomo looked pale, his eyes watery and red-rimmed. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself. He repeated himself. Even Gupta said he didn't look good, and said he'd call later to talk about a tightness Cuomo was feeling in his chest. The 49-year-old newsman, whose brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has logged just as much television airtime lately with daily briefings on how the disease is affecting his state, said earlier that he knew it was a matter of time because of how often he was exposed to people. ALSO READ | CNN reporter Chris Cuomo, brother of New York governor, has coronavirus He said he's staying in the basement of his Long Island home to protect himself from his wife and children. The New York governor, who appeared with his brother on CNN by remote link the night before, also used the personal story to warn others during his press briefing Tuesday. He noted that he had scolded Chris for having their 88-year-old mother, Matilda, visiting Chris' home two weeks ago. "It's my family, it's your family, it's all of our families," he said. "This virus is so insidious, and we have to keep that in mind." Chris Cuomo said he thought his mom would be safer at his house than in her New York City apartment, but his brother persuaded him to have her stay at his sister's place in Westchester County. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS UPDATES Some competitors, including Sean Hannity and Geraldo Rivera of Fox News Channel, and Joy Reid and Ali Velshi of MSNBC, sent best wishes to Cuomo through social media Tuesday. He said he appreciated the sympathy from well-wishers but tried to deflect it. "Hopefully, I'll be able to keep doing the show," he said. "But who knows?" One of the most unsettling things about the disease, he said, is hearing from doctors that there really isn't much he can do now except "suck it up". "The best medicine is not to get it, prevention," he said in a pre-show discussion with colleague Anderson Cooper. Most people who get the virus have mild to moderate symptoms and recover. But for older people, and those with underlying medical conditions, the disease can be dangerous. More than 3,000 people have died in the US alone. Andrew Cuomo, 62, and the CNN anchor are sons of the late New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, and that teasing big brother-little brother dynamic often enlivens their appearances together. The governor called him his best friend. "He is going to be fine," he said. "He's young, in good shape, strong, not as strong as he thinks he is, but he will be fine." Chris got a measure of revenge Tuesday night, referring to his brother as "Captain Banana Hands." Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed as an excuse claims from Donald Trump and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, that impeachment proceedings distracted the president from appropriately responding to the coronavirus pandemic during its initial outbreak. We have a life-and-death situation in our country, and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they do not take action, the California Democrat said. Thats an admission that perhaps the president and the majority leader cannot handle the job, she said. House Democratic leaders have targeted 20 April as the earliest they are likely to call members back to Washington to continue legislating the governments response to the health crisis. Senate Republicans, who control that chambers majority, have adopted a wait-and-see approach for calling senators back before considering new relief proposals. House Democrats have promised to conduct aggressive oversight of the administrations response to the health crisis once the viruss impact abates. For now, Ms Pelosi is seeking to strike a more bipartisan tone to continue bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on the governments response. Lets put an after action review down the road, Ms Pelosi told CNN Wednesday. But Republicans have already sought to direct some of the blame for the presidents lagging coronavirus response towards Democrats, linking it to Democrats impeachment case against him. The impeachment trial diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day was all about impeachment, McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday. Impeachment proceedings wrapped up when the Senate voted to acquit Trump on 5 February. Mr Trump announced restricted travel from China, where the virus originated, on 31 January, but the first death from Covid-19 in the western world wasnt announced until 14 February. Mr Trump initially admitted at his daily coronavirus press briefing Tuesday that impeachment probably did distract him from responding to the coronavirus. But he quickly backtracked. I dont think I would have done any better had I not been impeached, OK? the president said. another round of funding for state and local governments, another round of cash payments to American taxpayers, expanded definitions of family and medical leave, and an expansion of free coronavirus health coverage to include treatment and hospital visits. Right now, only testing is free in the US The president and speaker have both prioritised proposals to revamp US infrastructure, efforts that have failed repeatedly throughout Trumps first term but, ironically, have been resuscitated in recent weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Pelosi has highlighted modernizing water systems and enhancing broadband Internet access for rural swaths of the country that suffer from poor web connection as key initiatives she wants to see in the next coronavirus relief package. Ms Pelosi admitted Wednesday it would be a number of weeks before Congress can pass any new legislation because lawmakers arent physically present in Washington at the moment and there isnt a remote voting mechanism in either the House or Senate. But she stressed she wants to negotiate the next package with party leaders from both chambers at the table alongside the presidents advisers. The roughly $2.4tn (1.9tn) phase three relief bill was first negotiated between Senate Republicans and the White House before McConnell began negotiating with Democrats. After weeks of downplaying the coronavirus as no more dangerous than the common flu and seeking ways to keep the economy afloat during the pandemic Trump appeared on Tuesday to accept the harsh facts that the crisis will inflict a steep death toll and economic damage on the US. The administrations initial focus on the health of the economy was apparent in previous negotiations, Ms Pelosi said. The speaker kicked off one negotiating meeting with treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, last month with the prayer of Pope Francis. When she finished the prayer, Mr Mnuchin had a follow-up. Youve quoted the pope, Mr Mnuchin said, according to Ms Pelosi. Ill quote the markets. Idaho governor signs bill banning most abortions if Roe is overturned Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Idaho will ban most abortion procedures if the United States Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, according to a newly signed law. Idaho Governor Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1385 last week, which will be triggered if the Supreme Court decides to allow states to decide whether or not to allow for abortions. Earlier this month, SB 1385 received strong support in the state legislature, being passed by a vote of 27-7 in the Senate and 49-18 in the House of Representatives. Every person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion as defined in this chapter commits the crime of criminal abortion, read SB 1385 in part. Criminal abortion shall be a felony punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of no less than two (2) years and no more than (5) years in prison. The ban exempts abortions performed due to rape, incest, or if a woman is facing a medical emergency in which the baby cannot be saved. It also prohibits criminally punishing the woman seeking an abortion. Republican state Senator Todd Lakey, the sponsor of the bill, championed the legislation as a measure that will eventually save lives. We dont know when the Supreme Court will change. But it may happen in the nine months when were not in session. The ability to take action is a question of time, stated Lakey, as reported by Life News. If this bill can save the life of one unborn child, then it is worth it. It becomes effective without a need for future legislative action. The pro-life group Idaho Chooses Life supported the legislation, arguing that it will eventually begin instructing a new generation of Idahoans that the taking of innocent life is wrong. In fact, it is a crime. It says to all Idahoans that the State of Idaho rejects the contention that preborn children do not matter, stated the group. Critics of SB 1385 included the Idaho chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued the legislation would damage access to womens health. This legislation would prevent Idaho women from accessing safe and long-held legally protected abortion care, which is a critical component of their health and dignity, as well as independence, freedom, and social and economic equality, stated the ACLU of Idaho. Lucknow, April 1 : Thousands of migrant labourers are now locked up in over 3,000 quarantine centers in various districts. However, according to reports, arrangements for food and social distancing are inadequate in these centres. In Banda district alone, more than 2,500 migrant workers have been quarantined in 12 of these shelters in the district. Though Chief Secretary R.K. Tiwari claims that all arrangements have been made for medical screenings, food and stay of these quarantined workers, the truth is far removed. In Muzaffarnagar, where over 1,000 workers have been quarantined in a shelter in BIT, one worker uploaded a video clip on the social media exposing the real state of affairs. In the video, the man is saying that they were brought to the quarantine centre on Monday night and they were provided only about four food packets. "The rest of us went without food. We were promised that food would be given but till late evening on Tuesday, no food was provided. "Tea is selling outside the center at Rs 10 per cup and most of us do not have enough money. We are being treated like criminals when we are just workers displaced by our fate," he said. The worker also claimed that they did not have toilet facilities and were made to sit on the grass. The district magistrate of Muzaffarnagar remained unavailable on phone and a junior district official said that arrangements were being made for those quarantined by them. He feigned complete ignorance about the workers at BIT. The lockdown was firmed up from Monday evening when the Centre asked the state governments to stop intercity and inter-district movement. A government spokesman, when contacted, said: "We are doing our best but we also face limitations due to lockdown. Our first concern is to screen the workers for coronavirus and ensure that they stay where they are." (Natural News) Two cruise ships with people exhibiting influenza-like symptoms are being held off the Florida coast. Both vessels, the Costa Favolosa and Costa Magica, have been permitted by port and health officials to anchor and have sent boats to shore. Roger Frizzell, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line, which owns Costa Cruises, stated that some crew members aboard the two ships had developed flu-like symptoms, which are similar to those of the coronavirus. Seven crew members from the Favolosa and six from the Magica are now scheduled to leave the ships. All of them will be taken to a local hospital for testing, observation and treatment. Despite the crew members being disembarked, the ships are still technically not in port. The vessels have been ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Sector Miami, to remain at least three miles offshore. At this point, the ships do not have official clearance for entry into the Port of Miami, Frizzell said. Around 30 people with flu-like symptoms are on the ships According to Frizzell, around 30 people who reported flu-like symptoms were on the ships as of Thursday night. The PortMiami Unified Command is now working to evacuate these people off the boats to be able to test them and give them critical care if necessary. This organization is made up of representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami-Dade Police Department, Port of Miami (PortMiami), the Florida Department of Health and Costa Cruises. The U.S. Coast Guard is facilitating medical evacuations Thursday after requests were made by Costa Magica and Costa Favolosa for life-critical care ashore for multiple crew members presenting with respiratory symptoms consistent with pneumonia and bronchitis, the PortMiami Unified Command stated in a press release posted to the Miami Dade County website. (Related: Miami cruise ship turned away over coronavirus fears, crew member unwell.) Personnel from Miami Dade Fire Rescue will be facilitating the transport of the crew members who need to be medically disembarked to local hospitals once they arrive at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach. Frizzell stated that, before the efforts in Miami, both ships had been unable to find a Caribbean port that would allow them to dock and safely send it crew members to disembark. However, despite the efforts to disembark the sick crew, PortMiami spokesperson Andria Muniz-Amador stated that both ships were not scheduled to dock there. At this time I can confirm Costa Magica and Favolosa are not scheduled to dock at PortMiami and currently offshore, confirmed Muniz Amador. The city of Miami itself is enforcing measures to slow the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who has tested positive for the coronavirus himself, issued a shelter in place order. Effective today, all non-essential travel within the City will be prohibited to fight the spread of COVID-19. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can return to normalcy, Suarez wrote in a tweet. The @CityofMiami has officially issued a shelter in place order. Effective today, all non-essential travel within the City will be prohibited to fight the spread of COVID-19. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can return to normalcy. More details below. #InThisTogether pic.twitter.com/pp30e06lTo Mayor Francis Suarez (@MiamiMayor) March 25, 2020 As of Thursday morning, the state of Florida has already seen nearly 2,000 cases of the coronavirus, resulting in the deaths of 23 people. Costa Cruises extends suspension of operations With two of its ships on quarantine off the coast of Florida, Costa Cruises has now extended its suspension of operations until April 30. Other cruise lines, however, have suspended their operations until May 11. Due to the protracted emergency situation for the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the further introduction of containment measures such as port closures and restrictions on the movement of people which do not actually allow us to operate, Costa Cruises has decided to extend the voluntary suspension of its cruises until April 30, 2020, the cruise line said in a statement provided by spokesperson Buck Banks. As part of this, the company stated that all cruises that are still underway are in the process of ending their voyages and disembarking passengers. Costa Cruises North America is also informing all passengers and travel agents in the region that they will be receiving a future credit voucher for 150 percent of the fare paid. Pandemic.news the latest on the coronavirus outbreak. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com USAToday.com Chennai: With a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in a Delhi locality becoming an epicentre for COVID-19 spread across India, southern states are hurrying to identify and possibly isolate those who attended the meeting, with Tamil Nadu and Telangana alone accounting for over 2,000 people. While Telangana saw six fatalities, all of whom attended the congregation in Nizamuddin West in Delhi last month, Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest increase in the daily number of COVID-19 positive cases on Tuesday at 57, taking the aggregate to 124. Of the 57 positive cases, 50 had attended the event. Other states are also keeping an eye on those having returned home after their Delhi visit, even as Tamil Nadu appealed to the untraceable persons to voluntarily turn up before the authorities concerned for further medical action. Nizamuddin West, a south Delhi locality,has emerged as an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus in different parts of the country after thousands of people took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation from March 1-15. In Delhi alone, 24 participants tested positive for the disease while 441 others were hospitalised after they showed symptoms. Incidentally, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have received telling blows as a fallout, with the former recording six COVID-19 deaths on a single day on Monday. The Telangana administration has estimated that over 1,000 people from the state might have attended the Nizamuddin congregation in the national capital. Two of the six had died at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, one each in two private hospitals, and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns. Special teams under district collectors have identified those who came in contact with the deceased and they have been shifted to hospitals, according to the government. Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest single-day spike in the number of positive coronavirus cases in the state on Tuesday. As many as 50 of the 57 positive cases had attended the Nizamuddin congregation, even as the government scampered to identify the rest, some of whom are untraceable so far. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said 1,131 men have returned of the about 1,500 people who went for the event. "About 515 people have been identified...others who took part in the meet should voluntarily get in touch with the authorities...we have not got the addresses of others fully," he said, apparently indicating that their whereabouts could not be ascertained so far. He said while a section could not be contacted yet, others have been quarantined in Delhi. Considering the severity of COVID-19 and its potential to adversely impact society at large, returnees should approach the authorities so that they could be tested and treated if needed, he said. The government has already said that several district administrations could not establish contact with many returnees, even as the police department was also working to trace them. The National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, has appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers' to contact health authorities immediately at specific phone numbers as the participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. Andhra Pradesh reported 43 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, most of which relate to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, officials said. While the Karnataka government has so far identified 78 people "associated" with the Nizmauddin event, Kerala has also zeroed in on all those who travelled to Delhi for the event. According to Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare department, Jawaid Akhtar, anybody who has attended the event should contact the authorities. He said 78 people from the state associated with Tablighi Jamaat have been identified and quarantined. "We are not sure whether all of them attended the congregation held earlier this month, but as they would have come in contact with those attended in one or the other, they have been put under government quarantine," he said. With many of them claiming to have already completed 14 days of quarantine, the government has decided to put them for COVID-19 test, he said, adding the 78 included some foreign nationals. Meanwhike, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government has collected the details of those who took part from the state in the recent religious congregations in Nizamuddin and Malaysia and it needs to be examined if they have any health issues. "Police have already made detailed examination in this regard. The list of participants has been given through respective District Collectors. Necessary precautions will be made in the concerned districts in this regard," he said. The government has the exact number of participants and the details of the districts they are hailing from, he added. Puducherry, a union territory near Tamil Nadu,also reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with both persons having attended the congregation in Nizamuddin in March. SYRACUSE, N.Y. The economic downturn caused by coronavirus is starting to hit local governments, even those busy fighting the pandemic. Onondaga County will furlough about 225 hourly workers to save some money as the county faces both lost revenue and increased public health expenses. We are no different from any other business, County Executive Ryan McMahon said Tuesday. We have no clue what our revenue is going to look like in three or four weeks. The affected workers are temporary, hourly workers, many of whom work for the county part-time, McMahon said. The county will keep their positions open but reduce their hours to zero beginning with the next pay period, he said. County officials could not immediately say how much money the reduction will save. McMahon said the county will likely spend millions fighting the spread of COVID-19, which takes priority over balancing the budget. At the same time, the county has begun to cut where it can because the financial future looks rocky, he said. Were going to do everything we can to keep our work force at full staff levels, McMahon said. But, were just like everybody else. If theres no money, how do you do it? New York counties outside of New York City could lose up to $2 billion from lower sales tax revenues because of the economic downturn, according an analysis from the New York State Association of Counties. The association estimated that losses could range from 4% to 12% depending on the severity of the downturn. That could mean a loss of $11.5 million to $34 million for Onondaga County, which budgeted this year for $286 million in sales tax revenue. McMahon said Onondaga County, which has more COVID-19 cases than several states, should get more federal aid than it has thus far to fight the disease. PORTLAND, Oregon, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Mineral wool Market by Type (Glass Wool, Rock Wool, and Others), By End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, Transportation, Industrial & Appliances, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026". According to the report, the global mineral wool industry accounted for $9.9 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $16.0 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2019 to 2026. Major driving factors Preference for energy-efficient buildings and increased adoption in vehicle systems have boosted the growth of the global mineral wool market. However, lack of awareness regarding insulation products hampers the market growth. On the contrary, the emergence of concepts such as zero energy building is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6469 The rock wool segment to portray the fastest CAGR through 2026 Based on type, the rock wool segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period, owing to increase in demand from the residential and commercial sector and its characteristics such as excellent mechanical strength, which makes it ideal for insulation roofs, color steel sandwich panels, and other applications. However, the glass wool segment held the largest share in 2018, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global mineral wool market, owing to its properties such as lightweight and ease of application. The building & construction segment held the largest share Based on end-user industry, the building & construction segment dominated the global mineral wool market in 2018, contributing to more than half of the market, owing to rise in demand from the construction industry, majorly from LAMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. However, the transportation segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period, due to an increase in the need for insulation in the transport applications. For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6469 Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, dominated the market in terms of revenue Based on geography, the market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2018, accounting for more than one-third of the total revenue. In addition, the region is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 7.4% during the study period, due to rise in demand from the construction industry and noteworthy growth of the automobile sector. The global mineral wool market across North America held the second-largest share in 2018, contributing to nearly one-third of the market. Major market players Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. John Manville IZOCAM Korff Isolmatic GmbH Knauf Insulation Poly Glass Fibre Insulation Owens Corning TechnoNICOL Rockwool International A/S URSA Insulation S.A. Interested in Procuring this Report? visit: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/mineral-wool-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: Carbon Black Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026 Surfactants Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20182025 Technical Ceramics Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026 Aluminum Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 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 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research SOURCE Allied Market Research We have nothing. We dont have that kind of money they are asking for. Those were the words of one of the nephews of couple Narine Maraj, 62, and Mattie Maraj, 52, who were kidnapped on Saturday evening after leaving their Madras, St Helena, home to tend to their animals at a family-owned farm in Piarco. 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! The authorities were in a hurry to adopt the most important reform and turned a blind eye to the most important nuances and consequences since they acted in favor of the IMF land market Open source In terms of the most severe restrictions due to the coronavirus in Ukraine, at an extraordinary meeting at night, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill that opened the agricultural land market in Ukraine. Over the past six months, this document has repeatedly become the cause of heated battles, skirmishes and even skirmishes in the Rada. Because of him, they blocked the rostrum of the parliament, blocked roads in the regions, and held thousands of protest rallies. About 4,000 amendments were submitted for voting in the second reading. The bill on opening agricultural land market No. 2178-10 was adopted at an extraordinary meeting of the Parliament on the night of Monday to Tuesday. It was adopted in the second reading and in general, this document was the reason for such heated battles and discussions. MPs voted for the decision according to which from July 1, 2021, citizens of Ukraine (up to 100 hectares for one owner) were allowed to acquire ownership of agricultural land, and from 2024 - to legal entities that were created and registered in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, by participants (shareholders, members) of which are only citizens of Ukraine or the state, or territorial communities. Ownership of land for agricultural land can also be acquired by banks (in the order of withdrawal as a pledge). In this case, banks must sell the land within two years after receiving them in the property. Foreigners, stateless persons, and foreign legal entities are prohibited from becoming owners of agricultural land in Ukraine unless otherwise decided by a referendum. So far, there is not even a referendum law. Therefore, the big question is when a referendum can be held and whether it will be held at all. The authorities were in a hurry to adopt the most important reform and turned a blind eye to the most important nuances and consequences, since they acted in favor of the IMF. On the eve of the vote for the land bill, President Zelensky personally arrived in Rada. Earlier, he called on the MPs to vote for the land market, openly saying that this is one of the conditions of the Fund for the allocation of financial assistance to Ukraine. "It is very important for us that the signing of the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund really takes place, and you are well aware that the two main conditions are the land law and banking law," he said at an extraordinary parliamentary meeting on March 30. President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation Leonid Kozachenko assumes that: "The law was finally adopted was largely due to the fact that a significant number of amendments was adopted. These amendments were elaborated by thee professional public associations, in particular, they have made fundamental changes regarding the allotment size per owner, the priority of the purchase right." According to experts, the land reform would not allow the owners of land shares (about 7 million inhabitants) who want to sell their shares to get a fair price for it. Accordingly, rural budgets will not receive tax revenues, which under fair conditions could be much higher. "The model that was introduced yesterday by the bill creates the market in a fairly truncated form," Oleh Nivevsky, associate professor at the Kyiv School of Economics, concluded. It is difficult to ignore the malicious intent of those who have launched the reform in its current imperfect form. Its creators would become the beneficiaries by buying their lands from impoverished people. Although its not easy to do this. First they have to break the resistance. In particular, the Parliament has already registered two draft resolutions on the abolition of voting for the "land law." One of them was submitted by MP from far-right Svoboda party Oksana Savchuk and by independent MP Anton Polyakov, who had previously been a member of the Servant of the People faction. Prior to the consideration of these decisions in the parliament hall, a voted law cannot be signed by the head of the Verkhovna Rada and be passed on to the president for signature. They also promise to appeal the land law to the Constitutional Court. The head of the political council of the Opposition Platform - For Life, Viktor Medvedchuk, has already announced his intention to appeal to Constitutional Court. A similar statement was made by leader of the Fatherland faction Yulia Tymoshenko. Therefore, the issue of land reform is not yet closed. Novalead Pharma on Tuesday said it has found that 42 existing drugs can be helpful in treating patients at different stages of coronavirus infection. The conclusions of the startup, which is backed by Tata Capital Healthcare Fund, are based on a study of 2,100 approved drugs and 30 potential viral and human targets. "The major advantage with this approach is that the drugs being approved are already proved to be safe for humans, are being actively manufactured and therefore can be immediately put to use in a very short time," the company's chief executive Supreet Deshpande said in a statement. The Pune-based company, which is into the field of drug repurposing, deployed its computational technology for identifying existing drugs which may be potentially effective against the SARS-Cov2 virus (coronavirus) as well as for minimising the impact on the human body, as per the statement. Till now, there is no drug or vaccine that has been developed against the coronavirus infection, a major reason for high number of fatalities across the world. "The fight against COVID-19 is a race against time and we are deploying whole of our computational infrastructure and technology platform armed with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and uses Machine Learning (ML) techniques, along with intensive statistical modeling and simulations," Deshpande said. The company said that in the past, it has helped in developing drugs for diabetes and psoriasis. "We have completed three phases of rational computational screenings and our discoveries so far include drugs that show promise as effective treatment either by directly attacking the virus proteins or by empowering the human proteins to minimise its spread," the company's head of research Sudhir Kulkarni said. He also said the company would continue with its research efforts and shortlist candidates who are at different stages of coronavirus infection, including those suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) stage. Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Gujarat reports 82 fresh COVID-19 cases; India's tally at 1,466 Also read: Coronavirus: India to buy masks, ventilators from China to meet shortage Another returnee from Markaz congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin has been identifed by the Odisha government and put under isolation, the fourth from the state coming back from the coronavirus hotspot, official sources said on Wednesday. The man was picked up from his house on Tuesday night and put in hospital isolation as he comes under high risk category for COVID-19 while his family members have been kept under home quarantine, said Kendrapara District Collector Samarth Verma. We will send his blood sample for COVID-19 test. If there is any positive signal, those who came in contact with him will be traced, " Verma said, adding the police is on the job to ascertain whether any other person from the district had joined the Tablighi Jammat function in Nizamuddin. With the detection and isolation of Kendrapara man, the state has so far quarantined four Nizamuddin returnees as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus. The state government on Tuesday had said that three persons who attended the gathering in the national capital have been quarantined. The state governments COVID-19 Chief Spokesman Subroto Bagchi said the administration is also trying to identify others who attended the programme early March. The state government will send the blood sample of all the Nizamuddin returnees for COVID-19 test, an official said. At least six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the religious congregation in Delhi,have died due to coronavirus. Besides, over 20 others who had been to the religious meet have tested positive. Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Delhi CM announces Rs 1 crore for medical staff if they die in COVID-19 fight Also read: Tablighi Jamaat: Unaware about whereabouts of many returnees, says Tamil Nadu CM Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura clashed with Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna over the number of ICU beds in the country. During a facetime interview with Citizen TV, Mwaura disputed the governments figure of about 600 beds saying they are only a little over 100 beds. If we are to end up in a crisis like the one that has been in America, we would actually not be able to handle and why am I saying so? Currently, we are talking about increasing the bed capacity to 1000 in terms of the ICU but the current figures as we speak is 115 and that is a combination of both the public and the private sector, said Mwaura. Adding: We have about 10 in Aga Khan, another 20 at Nairobi Hospital, about 40 at KNH (Kenyatta National Hospital) and the others are spread far and in between so to increase that 10 fold is a herculean task. But Oguna, who was also part of the video conference call, corrected the Senator, saying: For corrections in terms of even ICU alone is more than what Mheshimiwa is saying, our current ICU capacity is well over 500 heading to 600 or thereabout. Our isolation capacity as of now, Mbagathi alone stands at about 120, Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral hospital is about 600, I have not gone to the county even the private hospitals I have not counted. If you look at those figures alone we are standing close to 800 beds that are ready and can take patients at any time. There are counties that have also been able to prepare isolation facilities perhaps not at the same level as the national government but they are nonetheless ready. So what the senator is saying may require to be looked at afresh, said Oguna. Later on in the interview, Mwaura reiterated that: The good things about this issue is that facts dont lie, we have had Cyrus Oguna talking about a capacity of 500 beds. Actually ICU is 115 and its good to actually keep the facts clear so that then you know how to respond because facts dont lie. Independent contractors, self-employed individuals, gig workers and others who are out of a job because of the coronavirus are being encouraged by the Alabama Department of Labor to file unemployment claims even as the state has yet to receive clear instructions on how to process those claims. Workers who normally are not entitled to unemployment benefits will receive them under the $2 trillion CARES Act signed into law Friday by President Trump. The Alabama Department of Labor urged these workers to file their unemployment claims immediately even though the benefits are not currently available and ADOL is awaiting further guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor," the agency tweeted Tuesday night: Revised: NEW INFORMATION. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. CORRECTED TO SAY WEEKS FILED INSTEAD OF CLAIMS FILED. We will be posting more instructions as we are able, but hopefully this will help in the meantime. @GovernorKayIvey @ADOLSecretary @ALWorksSystem pic.twitter.com/Ic8nMWKu17 ADOL (@al_labor) March 31, 2020 Along with coverage of self-employed and other workers who typically dont receive unemployment, the CARES Act also includes $600 extra per week in unemployment benefits on top of what workers receive from the state. The Alabama Department of Labor said that $600 benefit will only apply to weeks of unemployment filed on or after March 29. The agency further told AL.com that it would be able to pay those out of work from the date they stopped working. Richard Fain Stephane Mahe/Reuters Royal Caribbean said Wednesday that its CEO would forego his salary until September in the wake of the coronavirus. Other executives are taking a 25% pay cut as the pandemic brings the industry to its knees. Richard Fain, who has been the company's CEO for decades, will likely still see hefty compensation in the form of stock options. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Royal Caribbean's CEO has volunteered to not take a salary through the end of September, the company said Wednesday, with three other executives taking a 25% pay cut as the coronavirus pandemic causes a major headache for the cruise industry. Richard Fain, who has helmed the company since 1988, has a salary of $1.1 million, according to regulatory filings. However, his compensation also included a $3.5 million bonus and $5.8 million in non-cash pay. Coupled with his shares in the company, Fain took home almost $25 million in 2018. The other executives seeing a 25% pay cut include CFO Jason Liberty, Michael Bayley, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises. "These reductions were made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative financial and operational impacts resulting therefrom," Royal Caribbean said. Wednesday's announcement comes after Royal Caribbean, alongside many of its major competitors, was forced to cease all sailings for the time being. "Cruise lines, as evidenced by the stocks, are in a world of hurt right now without a clear light at the end of the tunnel," Patrick Scholes, a SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst, told Business Insider's Meghan Morris in March. Scholes said that with ships halted, the public companies could pay their financial obligations for the next six to nine months. "Under normal circumstances, that's not the end of the world; here the multitrillion question is when do ships start sailing again?" he said. Story continues To make matters worse, it's possible that cruise lines won't see a single cent of the massive financial aid package passed by the US government in response to the pandemic, thanks to their so-called flags of convenience. Under that practice, many cruise lines register their ships in foreign countries to skirt US regulations, like labor laws. "It would be very tough for politicians to defend the cruise industry getting a potential bailout when they don't pay US corporate taxes," Steve Wieczynski, an analyst at Stifel Financial, said in recent notes to clients. Shares of Royal Caribbean are down 80% since the beginning of the year Markets Insider Read the original article on Business Insider The Director of Operations at the office of the Vice President, Alhaji Ismaela Ibrahim, has donated a number of items to frontline workers in the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic in the Birim Central Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region. At a short ceremony at Akim Oda on Wednesday 1st April, 2020 Alhaji Ismaela handed over 10 PPEs, Theatre aprons and 100 Veronica Buckets to the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs. Victoria Adu. In a Facebook post afterwards, Alhaji Ismaela Ibrahim called on all who are able to support Frontline workers in their communities to help complement government efforts to provide such essential logistics. See Facebook post below: SUPPORTING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS 19 IN OUR COMMUNITIES I am privileged to contribute in my small way to the fight against the COVID 19 by donating 10 PPEs , Theatre Aprons and 100 Veronica Buckets for our Front Liners ( Doctors, Nurses and Security Agencies) to the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive at a short ceremony in Akyem Oda. It is my hope that all of us on whom God has bestowed some wealth will also do same to our various communities in one way or the other, that I believe is Statesmanship. God Bless our Homeland Ghana ! God Bless our Leadership ! God Bless us all and make our Nation Great and Strong . Source: Peacefmonline 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 For the past several years, every Saturday, Janie Kasse has gone to the assisted living facility where her mom lives and has taken her mom out for a day of eating and shopping. Kasse, 44, of New Albany, Indiana, also visits her mom Carol Chesser, 65, several times during the week at Windsor Ridge Assisted Living in nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana. So when the assisted living facility had to close its doors to visitors earlier this month due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kasse feared how her mom would handle the change. "She definitely knows who I am and knows my name for sure, but everyone else there, she could not tell them their name," Kasse told "Good Morning America." "She does not know people she sees every day." MORE: Moms raise over $10K to give restaurant meals to hospital workers on the front lines of coronavirus pandemic Chesser suffered a traumatic brain injury in a near-deadly car accident on New Year's Eve in 1976, when Kasse was just 16-months-old. Chesser learned how to speak and walk again after the injury, but she does not know how to read or write and lacks memory skills, according to Kasse. PHOTO: Janie Kasse is held by her mom Carol Chesser as an infant. (Courtesy Janie Kasse ) When Windsor Ridge placed further restrictions on its residents to protect them -- requiring them to stay in their rooms unless accompanied by a staff member -- Kasse heard from her mom's nurses that she was having a hard time with the changes. "She's incredibly social," Kasse said of Chesser. "She was getting really moody and angry and depressed, but the staff would tell me that if my mom talked to me on the phone she was happier and she would listen to me." Kasse asked a Windsor Ridge official if she could join the assisted living facility as a volunteer so that she could see her mom. With volunteers also blocked from the facility, the official gave Kasse another option. PHOTO: Janie Kasse visits her mom at an Indiana assisted living facility during the coronavirus pandemic. (Courtesy Janie Kasse ) "She said she had a job opening for a hospitality aide and would that be something I was interested in," recalled Kasse. "I said yes. There really wasnt an option." Story continues Kasse, who already works two jobs as an office manager at a financial services firm and as an events coordinator for a local nonprofit organization, now also works 15 to 30 hours a week at Windsor Ridge. MORE: Your top coronavirus questions answered "I deliver meals and I play games with the residents," she said. "One of the residents asked me what I do there and I said, I bring dinner and joy.' Basically anything they ask me to do, I do." Three days a week, Kasse works her day job until 4 p.m. and then heads to Windsor Ridge, where she works until 8:30 or 9 p.m., then visits with her mom in her room. She also works at least one shift over the weekend. "To see her energy deplete right before your eyes is heartbreaking," she said. "I keep telling mom that we just want her to be alive at the end of this thing and then we can go shopping and can go and eat wherever she wants." "I try really hard to make sure she knows Im there and knows that Im not going anywhere and knows that when all of this is said and done, well do our shopping trips again," Kasse said. Because Kasse was such a frequent visitor to Windsor Ridge for so many years, she has been a welcome sight in uncertain times for the other residents as well, according to Melissa Prenatt, Windsor Ridge's administrator-in-training. "Shes got such a bubbly personality, and thats very comforting to other residents, to see her and be around her," Prenatt told "GMA." "It's made a world of difference to have Janie here." PHOTO:Janie Kasse, right, poses with her mom Carol Chesser in this undated file photo. (Courtesy Janie Kasse ) "Shes doing a lot of one-on-one games with the residents that are keeping them active," she added. "If shes delivering a tray or something for dinner and she sees one is kind of down, shell go back after dinner and ask if they want to take a walk." Kasse said she has witnessed the time and energy employees like Prenatt put into their jobs as they try to protect residents from contracting coronavirus. All staff members, including Kasse, have their temperatures checked before each shift. Kasse is also working from home for her other jobs and limiting her exposure to only her home and Windsor Ridge in order to protect herself and the residents. "The staff there are working so hard," Kasse said. "Im just amazed by the amount of love and care and concern and how many hours theyre working to keep everybody alive." Woman takes on 3rd job to work at mom's nursing home during coronavirus pandemic originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com As of Wednesday morning, there are 2,039 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan. Like elsewhere in the world, authorities are attempting several measures to contain the spread of the virus, including a partial lockdown and deployment of armed forces on the streets and in public places. Because the countrys health care facilities would not be able to keep up with the outbreak, the government is asking citizens to maintain social distancing and is running awareness campaigns on social media to emphasize the need to adopt precautions. The streets that were always swarmed with crowds, no matter the time of the day, are now empty. Advertisement But those who live in the former Federally Administered Tribal Area are largely unaware of the gravity of the situation. Thats because the internet was suspended there in June 2016 in the wake of an armed clash between security forces at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FATA is a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan and had semi-autonomous status until May 2018, when it was merged with the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Though it is now technically part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two things havent changed: Its still popularly known as FATA, and its people still do not receive the equal treatment they are entitled to under the Constitution of Pakistan. The internet that was shut down almost four years ago has not been restored, restricting peoples access to information even as the world deals with a pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement As the coronavirus spreads across the world, the internet is a primary platform to share news and communicate precautions. Governments are using it to connect with their citizens, and people are using it to access (and demand) health care services for their communities. But the reality is very different for the 3.7 million residents of FATA. In mid-March, a journalist from the Khyber region of FATA, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told me that most of the people in tribal regions have not heard of the term coronavirus, let alone know what it is about. Most of the information that is being shared around the virus is online, and since the whole tribal area doesnt have access to the internet, people are unaware, he says, adding, Its not like we will not have cases of coronavirus, because Im sure we have people roaming around the streets carrying it. They just wouldnt know it. As more people in Pakistan, including FATA, develop COVID-19, there will be a big chunk of the population that might not realize what is happening to their bodies and where to turn to for medical help. Advertisement Advertisement When I wrote for Slate about the internet shutdown in FATA in 2017, locals told me that the unavailability of the internet had affected their lives in a way they had never imagined was possible. The situation hasnt improved since then. The internet, both broadband and mobile based, is still unavailable for the residents, though political agents and military officials have access to it. Advertisement Advertisement Farzana Ali, a journalist who originally hails from FATA and is based in Peshawar, told me that authorities will have to adopt a mass awareness campaign strategy to convince people to take the coronavirus seriously. As she points out, Pakistan hasnt even been able to eradicate polio because of myths and taboos about vaccines. She says, Suspected patients of coronavirus are running away from quarantine facilities because they arent being educated about the severity of the situation. Those who have access to the internet elsewhere in the country are able to see what is happening around the world. What will a person with no connection with the world understand when they are not told whats happening? Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the streets and bazaars of FATA are bustling with people as if nothing has changed. Farzana says, Social distancing is a privilege which most people of FATA cant afford. And even if someone would attempt to impart information to them, they might not listen, because they have to earn a living. [T]hey work on daily wages, and if they stop going to work, their economic situation will deteriorate. Still, she says that isnt a reason to deny them access to basic information about the pandemic. The anonymous journalist echoes Farzanas comments and says, FATA doesnt have satellite TV, it doesnt have electricity for more than three hours a day. People, especially women, do listen to the radio, but Im not aware of any radio campaigns that highlight coronavirus. Something needs to be done soon. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Scenic City Women's Network announces their Praise Breakfast has been moved to Thursday, Oct. 1. Doors open at 6:30 a.m. and the event begins at 7 a.m.The keynote speaker will be Megan Alexander, national correspondent for Inside Edition. Music will be by the Olivet Baptist Praise Team.The Lydia Award honoree will be international speaker and author Jan Silvious.Early bird tickets are $30 for individual and $240 to host a table of eight. After Sept. 4, tickets will be $35 for individual and $280 to host a table of eight. Purchase tickets online at scwn.org or click here Call 423-698-6262 for sponsorship opportunities. Learn more about the event here Bob Tamasy: Treating Time As An Ally, Not As An Adversary "The First Obstacle To Overcome Is Satan" Is Sermon Topic Sunday At Middle Valley Church Of God The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints To Host Young Adult Devotional On Jan. 9 For much of my life Ive tended to regard time as an adversary. It either moves too fast or too slowly. When I was young, time seemed to move at snails pace. Now that Im older, it advances ... (click for more) Middle Valley Church of God at 1703 Thrasher Pike, Hixson, announced that Pastor Mitch McClure will be preaching on the theme "More of God in 2022" on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Pastor McClure's sermon ... (click for more) Advertisement There are increasing fears over how rural people will get access to care for coronavirus as more and more remote hospitals near them that were struggling before the crisis hit are forced to close their doors. Before the pandemic swept through America, overwhelming city hospitals and threatening to wipe out as many as 200,00 people, hospitals in rural areas across the country were already closing due to a lack of funds. They were not making enough money through ER visits or treatments due to the small populations they served, and some had to make excruciating cuts which limited staffing to just one doctor per hospital. Now, with payments for all coronavirus treatments waived and with the entire healthcare system in imbalance, their future is less certain than ever. It is leaving residents in the counties they served nervous about how far they will have to travel for care if they start suffering symptoms of the virus. Scroll down for video Carol Talkington helps Terri Bonasso tape a notice on the emergency room door following a vigil at the closing of the Fairmont Regional Medical Center in Fairmont, West Virginia. It is one of the many rural hospitals that has been forced to close The recently closed Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton, Alabama. Now, the nearest hospital for many residents is 30 miles away The pandemic erupted at an awful time for communities trying to fill health care gaps following the closure of 170 rural hospitals across the nation in the last 15 years. 2019 was the worst year yet, with 19 closures, and eight more have shut down since January. 1, according to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. While the nation's coronavirus hot spots so far have been big cities like New York and New Orleans, officials fear inadequate testing and the lack of medical resources linked to hospital failures will catch up with smaller population centers. Joe Cunningham from Alabama is more worried than ever about getting care for his wife, Polly, a dialysis patient whose health is fragile. The nearest hospital is about 30 miles away, he said, and thats too far since COVID-19 already has been confirmed in sparsely populated Pickens County, on the Mississippi state line. Cunningham is trusting God, but hes also worried the virus will worsen in his community, endangering his wife without a hospital nearby. 'It can still find its way here,' said Cunningham, 73. The reasons for the closures vary, but experts and administrators cite factors including declining rural populations, rising medical costs, insufficient Medicare reimbursements, large numbers of uninsured patients, state decisions against Medicaid expansion and mismanagement. About 60 percent of the counties and towns that have lost hospitals are in the South, an analysis by the Sheps Center showed. Other communities are trying to keep hundreds of endangered hospitals afloat as resources are stretched thinner than ever and moneymaking services like elective surgeries are curtailed during the outbreak. 'Its a scary time to be thinking about losing a hospital when youve got a pandemic going on,' said Scott Graham, chief executive officer of Three Rivers and North Valley Hospitals in central Washington. The hospitals serve about 26,000 people in a wide-open area that Graham describes as so remote it's more frontier than rural. The virus has spread to every state in America but it is particularly concentrated in large cities. That is expected to change over the coming weeks and months Around 265 million Americans have now been ordered to stay at home to combat the spread of coronavirus but some states are still refusing to order lockdowns. Most of the cases are in large cities but the virus will spread In North Conway, New Hampshire, a physician at the 25-bed Memorial Hospital already is among the county's seven confirmed cases of coronavirus, said CEO Art Mathisen. The hospital is preparing for the worst as it tries to triple the number of beds and spends upward of $100,000 on rooms with air flow aimed at limiting the spread of contagions, he said. Alabama and Massachusetts are giving the addresses of people diagnosed with coronavirus to POLICE The states of Alabama and Massachusetts are now giving the details of people who are known to have been diagnosed with coronavirus to the police. Alabama has been providing the addresses but not names to law enforcement and other emergency responders for more than a week. The information is supposed to be given to officers when they go out on calls. 'It's only on an as-known, as-needed basis,' said Leah Missildine, executive director of Alabama's 911 Board to Vice. 'The impetus behind this is to protect first responders because 911 receives the information and coordinates the response of first responders. That was deemed the most efficient way to share this information.' 'The Alabama Department of Public Health was requested to provide addresses of patients home quarantined for COVID 19 to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board for the protection of first responders,' said Arrol Sheehan, director of public information at the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state of Alabama could also release information to third parties including doctors or anyone else who could be deemed to be exposed. The state say the rule came into force to help protect first responders. In Massachusetts, the exact same system has also been operating for almost two weeks. Each day, daily lists are sent over to police forces and ambulance crews across the state. The state say that no information will be kept about who was known to be sick once the crisis is over. Advertisement About 15% of the U.S. population, or more than 46 million people, lives in rural areas, according to the Census Bureau. They are more likely than urban dwellers to die from chronic respiratory illnesses, heart disease and other problems that put people more at risk for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. In West Virginia, where no city has a population of more than 50,000 and 20 percent of residents are senior citizens, frustration has mounted over two recent hospital closings that forced patients to seek help farther away, and a third hospital that filed for bankruptcy in October announced Monday it was shutting down in April. There has been talk but no immediate action to open new facilities to deal with coronavirus cases in one of the unhealthiest states. 'We certainly need our local hospital. We need the beds. We need the equipment, and we need it locally,' said Michael Angelucci, a state lawmaker who operates an ambulance service in rural Fairmont, West Virginia, where a hospital closed this month. The pandemic could actually hasten more rural hospital closures, said Michael Topchik of the Maine-based Charter Center for Rural Health. He co-authored a study released in February that found about 450 rural hospitals were vulnerable to shutting down. Most rural hospitals make money on emergency room care and elective procedures, which are on hold as health care workers try to ration masks and other protective gear in anticipation of COVID-19 infections, he said. 'Our study predicts the worse is yet to come if somethings not done to stabilize the safety net,' he said. In northern Missouri, Sullivan County Memorial Hospital's chief executive, Tony Keene, said that on top of the recent drop in revenue linked to reduced services, he has been pumping money into preparation for a possible outbreak in the rural area by the Iowa border where the hospital is. 'We need an infusion of cash, like now,' Keene said. 'If we go a couple more weeks, we are going to have to make very serious decisions on whether we pay our vendors or pay our people.' The $2.2 trillion coronavirus package approved by Congress last week includes $100 billion for hospitals, but it's unclear how much of that will go toward rural health care centers. As Pickens County Medical Center prepared to close on March 6, Mayor Mickey Walker organized a protest outside the public hospital that drew around 70 people - a big crowd in a town of only 950 people. The facility shut down anyway. A building beside the shuttered, tan-brick hospital houses medical offices, including the dialysis clinic that treats Joe Cunningham's wife, but Walker said that's not enough. The old folks Walker talks to through church are getting more worried by the day about the new virus. 'Everybody's just real panicky,' Walker said. 'We have all this virus stuff going on, and we don't have a hospital to go to.' Surgeon General says 30 days of lockdown will be long enough to stop coronavirus in some states but not everywhere as he warns the public to leave precious N-95 masks for healthcare workers Surgeon General Jerome Adams appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to give advice on how long the guidelines would last; it will vary throughout the country The US Surgeon General said on Wednesday that 30 days of social distancing would be long enough to slow the spread of coronavirus in some places but not everywhere. In an interview on Good Morning America, Surgeon General Jerome Adams also warned the public not to use precious N-95 surgical masks in light of an update by the CDC that it is considering advising that everyone should wear a face covering when they go out. 'The original 15 days was designed to slow the spread and for us to have some time to reassess. 'We learned good and bad things. No state has been spared, but when you look at places like Washington and California that aggressively mitigated with social distancing, they were able to flatten their curve. 'We're looking at it as an opportunity for the entire country to say, if we do these things, we can flatten the curve.' Asked if 30 days would be long enough, he replied: 'It will be for some places. It won't be for others, depending on where they are on their curve.' In a different interview with Today, he said: 'What we've always said is that everyone is on a different place in their curve. 'Some places that leaned in early may relax their guidelines.' 'In my opinion, in 30 days, we will still be telling the country in general that you still have to practice these measures but they may not have a shelter-in-place order. 'We'll go on the data,' he said. Wyoming is the ONLY state in the U.S. without a coronavirus death after Hawaii records its first fatality Hawaii has recorded its first death from Coronavirus, making Wyoming the only state in the country without a death from the virus. Following the news, state officials urged residents on Tuesday to follow the stay-at-home orders more seriously to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 'I cannot stress enough ... stay at home and self-isolate,' said Governor David Ige during a news conference. 'You need to remain vigilant. We cannot afford to let our guards down.' 'I would like to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victim,' Ige said. State Health Department Director Bruce Anderson said that the man who died was an older man from the Hawaiian island of Oahu which is home to the state capital Honolulu. According to Anderson, the man had underlying heath conditions and had previously been hospitalized with a number of other medical issues. While in hospital, he had tested positive for Covid-19 which likely contributed to his death. Speaking during the same press conference given by Governor Ige, Anderson also offered his sincerest condolences to the family of the man. He added that the state's random Covid-19 testing program had found its first positive result, suggesting that the virus could be spreading through the community. Advertisement The CDC had originally said that only people who have symptoms should wear the masks when they go out. Now, the government is weighing advising that everyone wears one, even if they don't have symptoms, to avoid spreading the deadly virus which has already infected more than 189,000 people in the US and killed 4,000. But Dr. Adams says it does not mean the public should rush to buy the coveted N-95 surgical grade masks that are in short supply around the nation's hospitals. 'Those must be reserved for the healthcare workers and the public can use other items to cover their faces. 'We've learned about this disease. We've learned there's a fair amount of asymptomatic spread and whether or not people wear masks will prevent transmission to other people. 'But it can't be at the expense of social distancing. The most important thing for people to do is to stay at home. 'The final point I'd make is if you're going to wear a face covering, you still don't need an N-95 mask and if you take one, you may be taking it out of the hands of a healthcare worker who desperately needs it to treat patients,' he said. President Trump has suggested people should wear scarves to cover their faces when they go out. 'You could get a mask, but most people have scarves and scarves are very good and they can use a scarf and we're only talking about a limited period of time,' he said on Tuesday night at a briefing. Other doctors have explained the shift in advice; initially, they said only the sick needed the masks and that a healthy person did not. Now, they are saying healthy people should wear them to stop them from spreading it to anyone more susceptible. Dr. Adams said he encouraged local governors and mayors to take specific action to address the needs of their residents and to particularly encourage them to stay home. 'What we want everyone to do is to look at these 30 days. 'We trust the governors and mayors to understand their people and whether or not they can trust the people in their states to make the right decisions. 'The most important thing, regardless of how you so it, you should encourage and enable as many people as possible to stay home. 'We don't want people to feel like they're going to lose their job or miss out on an opportunity to support their family because they're doing the right thing,' he said. Dr. Adams finished by reassuring the country 'we are going to get through this', adding: 'The good news is that in Washington, Italy and even in New York, we're seeing the acceleration slow down. 'I feel confident we can get through to the other side if we all cooperate and do our part together.' There are calls by some experts for a nationwide lockdown, with some saying it is the only way to stamp out the virus for good. Dr. Joseph Fair, of Cure Finder, said on Today on Wednesday social distancing was 'absolutely not' being done properly. 'Until all 50 states do it and do it at the same time, it's kind of a moot point. 'That's only going to happen if all 50 states are all saying the same thing,' he said. 'Prepare for 100,000 to die': Tony Fauci warns of astonishing death toll and tells areas not on lockdown to take action NOW - as Donald Trump says next two weeks will be 'VERY painful' and White House reveals even worse projections Dr Tony Fauci, the country's leading virus expert, painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday when he warned that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. 'As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,' he said. 'Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less likely to be that number but, being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that is a possibility that that's what we'll see.' President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Trump called it 'a matter of life and death' for Americans to heed his administration's guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a 'light at the end of the tunnel' in a pandemic that in the United States has infected about 190,000 people and killed more than 4,000. President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,' Trump said. 'This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country... We're going to lose thousands of people.' The jaw-dropping projections were laid out as officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. The model's high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World War II. 'There's no magic bullet,' said Dr Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. 'There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors. Each of our behaviors, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic.' Dr Fauci called the numbers 'sobering' and urged Americans to 'step on the accelerator' with their collective mitigation efforts. 'We are continuing to see things go up,' Dr Fauci said. 'We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work.' Trump's comments came after he announced on Sunday that he was extending to April 30 the social distancing guidelines that advise Americans to cease large gatherings, work from home, suspend onsite learning at schools and more in a nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus. It was an abrupt reversal for Trump who spent much of last week targeting April 12 as the day he wanted to see Americans 'pack the pews' for Easter Sunday services. Around 28 students from the University of Texas, US who returned from Mexico a few days ago have tested positive for coronavirus. According to reports, a group of 70 students were visiting Mexico's Cabo San Lucas for a spring break and returned to Austin in Texas 10 days ago via chartered and commercial flights. According to Austin Public Health, UT Health Austin and University Health Services, all 28 students have put themselves under self-isolation while the rest of the students were either being monitored or were being contacted. Read: Amazon Fires Employee Who Accused Company Of Making Them Work In Unsafe Conditions According to local health officials, Mexico was not in the list of countries under federal travel advisory at the time of students' travel. The health officials urged Austin and Travis Country residents to avoid all non-essential travelling in order to prevent themselves from contracting coronavirus. Media reports suggest that the company that sent the students to Mexico had emailed them multiple times in the last week leading to spring break saying that there was no immediate threat from COVID-19 and the refund policy on the trip remained nonrefundable. As per reports, the company called JusCollege charged students approximately $2,000 for the trip. Read: Amid COVID-19 Crisis, UK PM Boris Johnson Faces Pressure To Push Brexit Transition Period Coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 has claimed more than 42,300 lives across the world and has infected more than 8,59,400 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The United States and France are on the verge of overtaking China in terms of the number of deaths recorded in these countries. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Read: Sweden Takes Different Approach In Handling Coronavirus, No Lockdown In Place Read: Canadian PM: We Have Had More Success In Getting People To Self-isolate (Image Credit: AP) A medical researcher says he has developed a test for COVID-19 that can produce results within five minutes and could cost as little as 2 per kit. Currently, suspected patients have to wait 48 hours for results, with some reporting wait times much longer than that. But with scientists around the world clamouring to produce a reliable, quick and cost-effective test for the coronavirus, Professor Maneesh Singh from Hull believes his company, Biocel Analytics, has come up with a unique method. It involves the field of infrared microspectroscopy, which is used to identify and study the contents of chemical substances. Professor Singh's claim comes as US firm Abbott Laboratories today starts shipping its five-minute antigen coronavirus test to medics all over America after getting emergency FDA approval last week. The UK still does not have a widely available kit for members of the public to be tested with - but has promised for antibody tests to be ready for mid-April. Professor Maneesh Singh, a scientist at Biocel Analytics in Hull, Yorkshire, says his coronavirus test costs only 2 and returns results in just minutes Professor Singh's test works by shining infrared light onto a swab sample from someone's mouth to try and trigger a reaction which will signal a positive result In Professor Singh's test, a sample taken from the inside of a patient's mouth is applied to a swab testing device in the lab. Inside the device, infrared light is passed through a laboratory diamond, which reflects the infrared light internally and creates a wave that interacts with the sample, creating a unique 'fingerprint' spectrum which represents either a positive or negative result. To obtain that result, the data from the fingerprint has to be put through an algorithm that was developed by Professor Singh and his team within the space of just a week to identify which samples are infected and which are not. 'It's a robust emerging technique,' Professor Singh said. US PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM ROLLS OUT FIVE-MINUTE TESTS AFTER FAST-TRACK OFFICIAL APPROVAL Abbott Laboratories' newly-approved five-minute coronavirus test will begin shipping today, April 1. The medical device company, based in Illinois, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration on two weeks ago under Emergency Use Authorization. Abbott said it is ramping up production to 50,000 nasal swab tests - known as ID NOW COVID-19 - per day. Officials at the company say the test can be used anywhere, including hospitals, urgent care clinics and even doctors' offices. The US has more cases of the virus than other country, but healthcare workers are still struggling to keep up with the demand and test the thousands of people that are needed to contain the novel coronavirus. 'This is a significant leap forward,' John Frels, vice president of research and development at Abbott, said in an interview with Reuters. 'You can get a positive result in five minutes and a negative result in 13 minutes. You can walk into a clinic and literally get results while you are there.' President Donald Trump explained that the FDA approved Abbott's new test in just four weeks as opposed to the usual months-long timeline. It is the second test to be approved by the FDA that can be used directly in physicians' offices and other community healthcare settings and promptly provide results to patients. Last week, the FDA approved a test made by Cepheid that can be used at the point of care. Advertisement 'We're not after any profits, it's about making a scientific breakthrough. We're in a major crisis. 'This has been likened to war and war is when tech comes to the forefront and people have to work more rapidly. 'The government don't have to take it, but we just want to be in a position to offer a potential solution for their consideration.' He said the plan is to be able to send the fingerprint spectrum data via Bluetooth to an app for any mobile device which has the algorithm embedded in it, so the result can be given almost instantly. Professor Singh, a former obstetrician who was born and raised in Hull, said that as well as being fast, the method is relatively cheap, with the costs for the swabbing devices and other technological infrastructure needed for the test equating to around 2 per test. With a number of family and friends being former and current NHS employees, including his anaesthetist brother and his father who was a GP in Hull for over 35 years, Professor Singh said any money made from the tests will be reinvested into further research and development. 'We're here to help our colleagues really so we want to develop this as rapidly as possible,' he said. 'The sudden emergence of COVID-19 meant we believed we could do something to make a difference, so we've just gone for it whole-heartedly. 'We felt we had to give it a shot. 'I'm not the type to sit back in a crisis, I like to take control, so it's quite tough to not be as involved as I was in the NHS, but I wanted to try to do something in a different way.' The field of infrared spectroscopy has been used for a number of years in other areas of medicine, with previous studies showing the method can also be used in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and Alzheimer's. Pictured: The testing centre at one of Chessington World of Adventures' car parks which was largely deserted yesterday morning despite the rise in death rates from the novel coronavirus HOW IS THE TEST DIFFERENT TO OTHER TYPES? Professor Singh's test uses a sample taken from the inside of a patient's mouth and applies it to a swab testing device in the lab. Inside the device, infrared light is passed through a laboratory diamond, which reflects the infrared light internally and creates a wave that interacts with the sample, creating a unique 'fingerprint' spectrum which is put into a computer algorithm and translated into a positive or negative result. For a positive result to show, the coronavirus must be present in fluid taken from someone's mouth. He said the plan is to be able to send the fingerprint spectrum data via Bluetooth to an app for any mobile device which has the algorithm embedded in it, so the result can be given almost instantly. There are two other main types of tests that can be used to detect COVID-19: SWAB TEST Swab tests, known as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, aim to pick up on active viruses currently in the bloodstream. These are the tests being used on hospital patients. A PCR test works by a sample of someone's genetic material - their RNA - being taken to lab and worked up into a full map of their DNA at the time of the test. This DNA can then be scanned to find evidence of the virus's genetic material (RNA), which will be embroiled with the patient's own if they are infected at the time. The PCR test is extremely accurate but can take more than a day to return its results. It does not look for evidence of past infection. ANTIBODY/ANTIGEN TESTS Antibody An antibody test is one which tests whether someone's immune system is equipped to fight a specific disease or infection. When someone gets infected with a virus their immune system must work out how to fight it off and produce substances called antibodies. These are extremely specific and are usually only able to tackle one strain of one virus.For example, if someone catches COVID-19, they will develop COVID-19 antibodies for their body to use to fight it off. The body then stores versions of these antibodies in the immune system so that if it comes into contact with that same virus again it will be able to fight it off straight away and probably avoid someone feeling any symptoms at all. To test for these antibodies, medics or scientists can take a fluid sample from someone - usually blood - and mix it with part of the virus to see if there is a reaction between the two. If there is a reaction, it means someone has the antibodies and their body knows how to fight off the infection - they are immune. If there is no reaction it means they have not had it yet. Antigen Antigens are parts of a virus that trigger the immune system's response to fight the infection, and can show up in blood before antibodies are made. The key advantage of antigen tests is that it can take several days for the immune system to develop enough antibodies to be picked up by a test, whereas antigens can be seen almost immediately after infection. Antigen tests are used to diagnose patients with flu, as well as malaria, strep A and HIV. Advertisement 'That means the infrastructure put in place at a time of war will still be used in a time of peace,' Professor Singh said. Though medical tests normally have to undergo years of rigorous testing and meet strict regulations, the Government has loosened some requirements to allow potential tests and other research into the virus to progress more quickly to meet the speed of the pandemic. Professor Singh said that, with another study to be imminently published in the science journal 'Nature' and partnership with at least one NHS trust expected to help develop the technology, it could be just days before they have tested enough samples to attest to the accuracy of their method. He said they hope to run the test alongside the typical method currently used to confirm their results. 'In a study of a thousand samples, we'll run it alongside the current methods to make sure it's accurate,' he said. 'With the regulatory process being sped up, if you can prove you have a test that is reliable, which we will be able to do within three or four weeks, within a couple weeks we can be testing patients alongside regular tests.' Professor Francis Martin, Professor Singh's supervisor during his PhD at the University of Lancaster 13 years ago and his long-term mentor, said there had been a great interest in developing the interdisciplinary approach for a number of years. 'It's using physics to solve a biological problem, and it's been used for a number of biological problems before in oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, and in this case virology in the diagnosis of Covid-19,' Professor Martin said. 'The good thing about this 'fingerprint' measurement is that it is numerical data, an objective measurement which can be put into an algorithm. 'This allows in real time for the sample to be categorised and classified, so if you have developed an algorithm to distinguish between healthy versus infected, then you can say if a sample is infected or uninfected. 'So it's a very powerful tool.' After discussing the new test, Professor Martin noted that a similar test - using a sample of blood rather than saliva - could be used to test if someone is immune to the disease by seeing if they have developed the antibodies specifically produced by the body to fight Covid-19. The tests would therefore allow NHS staff who may be self-isolating after experiencing relevant symptoms or being exposed to the disease to see if they are infected or even immune and, where possible, get back to work as quickly as possible. Explaining the method further, Professor Martin said: 'Uninfected samples will be made of saliva and cells and cell linings from inside the mouth. 'But the reason Covid-19 is so infectious is because it concentrates in the upper respiratory tracts, so when someone coughs or sneezes it gets sprayed everywhere. 'So if you take a swab from an infected person, those particles have their own chemical constituents which will modify the fingerprint signature. 'So once you set a range to account for age, gender, medication people are taking, even pregnancy, anything outside that normal range can be categorised as positive for the virus. 'There has been a lot of interest in the technology in a clinical testing setting and the bureaucracy associated with that in the UK is laborious and takes time to navigate through, but in these unfortunate times I think the Government and regulatory bodies are being more flexible to allow them to fast track into the care settings where they are needed.' Government accused of complacency and control-freakery as coronavirus testing shambles spirals: Swab stations and labs lie idle after PHE snub offers of help and insists on centralised facility Ministers were accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs today as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the UK's coronavirus testing shambles. The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of checks carried out, with experts warning that is the only way to end the lockdown threatening to dismantle the economy. But the PM faces mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany - which is carrying out more than 70,000 a day, while the UK is still well below 10,000. Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a global shortage of chemicals at a press conference last night, saying Mr Johnson was taking personal control of trying to source the material. But within hours he was extraordinarily contradicted by firms, with a statement from the Chemical Industry Association saying despite an 'escalating demand' the 'reagents' for tests 'are being manufactured and delivered to the NHS'. One of the government's own scientific advisers, Peter Openshaw of Imperial college, said in an interview last night that he 'wasn't aware' of the problem. 'As far as I know there isn't a great shortage of supply,' he said. Meanwhile, there are complaints that logistical blunders are hampering efforts to increase capacity. The 'centralised' approach by Public Health England (PHE) meant that labs have been left 'sitting on their hands', while Germany has authorised any institution with the right capability to get on with checks. The consequences of the lack of testing for who currently has the virus was laid bare last night when it emerged that in initial trials 85 per cent of NHS staff who were isolating did not in fact have the virus - meaning they could have been working. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick today admitted that the level of screening had only been rising slowly, but suggested it would 'accelerate'. However, he confirmed it will be weeks before the UK hits 25,000 tests a day, by which time the outbreak might be peaking. In an increasingly frantic bid to quell the backlash, hospitals have today been ordered to use any spare lab space to test self-isolating NHS staff for coronavirus as ministers. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has intervened to end the embarrassing situation where thousands of tests have been unused and a vast NHS swabbing station also stood deserted yesterday. A source said the Mr Hancock had now scrapped a rule that 85 per cent of tests were reserved for patients, regardless of how many needed testing. The developments came after the UK was rocked by the announcement of a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths, taking the total to 1,789 fatalities. There was little activity at the Chessington coronavirus testing site which was set up as a drive-thru for NHS workers who need to get tested Workers were seen sitting, standing around and stretching at the testing centre in Chessington, south-west London yesterday as the Government was blasted for a lack of testing, especially for NHS staff Pictured: Stewards organise traffic at a Covid-19 test centre for NHS workers which has opened at Ikea's store in Wembley, north-west London What chemicals are needed for coronavirus tests? Most tests for whether people currently have coronavirus are based on a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) process. That aims to pick up on active viruses currently in the bloodstream. A PCR test works by a sample of someone's genetic material - their RNA - being taken to lab and worked up in a full map of their DNA at the time of the test. But this requires the generation of a chemical reaction to amplify the signal, and 'reagents' are used to make this happen. Reagents known as 'primers' and 'DNA polymerase' are especially important. They are produced by specialist biotechnology companies - many of which are based in Germany. Advertisement Despite ministers insisting at the weekend that 10,000 tests were being carried out a day, it emerged last night that only 8,240 patients had been screened over the past 24 hours. Pictures of a huge NHS coronavirus swabbing site showed it standing deserted yesterday despite the urgent need for more patients and medics to be examined. Pictures surfaced showing a testing site for NHS staff in Chessington, south-west London, as the UK's coronavirus death rate doubled - while one at Ikea in Wembley was also quiet. No tests appeared to be underway for the virus as the Chessington car park sat empty apart from workers' cars and staff stretched outside the centre. And it has also emerged that a British firm producing millions of pounds worth of coronavirus tests is selling most of them abroad as the UK doesn't have enough laboratories to use them. Novacyt has made 17.8million selling its testing equipment to more than 80 countries via its Southampton-based subsidiary Primerdesign. But only 1million worth has been sold to the UK. Mr Johnson is taking control of ensuring chemicals vital to test kits arrive in the UK amid the criticism. Mr Gove said at yesterday's Downing Street press conference: 'The prime minister and the health secretary are working with companies worldwide to ensure that we get the material we need to increase tests of all kinds.' However, the claims of a shortage seemed to take the industry by surprise. The Chemical Industries Association said: 'While there is of course an escalating demand, there are reagents being manufactured and delivered to the NHS. 'Every business here in the UK and globally is looking at what they can do to help meet the demand as a matter of urgency.' Trying to explain the discrepancy this morning, Mr Jenrick told BBC Breakfast: 'The chemicals industry have rightly said that in the UK we produce a number of the ingredients to produce the tests that we need. 'But to produce a reliable test you need to have a range of ingredients and not all of them, as I understand it, have always been available in the UK in the quantities that we need. 'But we are working with British manufacturers, as much as we possibly can and they have been extremely helpful and supportive in trying to ramp up production.' Asked if the lack of chemicals was the reason for the delay, Mr Jenrick said: 'That is one of the reasons - that we have some of the ingredients, but not all of them. But the good news is that production is now increasing.' He said other reasons for the delay in ramping up testing are 'the availability of the right infrastructure' and 'a very high degree of demand' for tests making importing from overseas difficult. Tory MP Tobias Ellwood pointed out that Germany had firms like Roche based in the country, which is a leader in biotech. 'They are able to these things on site. We have a supply chain to deal with there is a global competition for these products,' he told BBC Newsnight. Scientists have accused health chiefs of snubbing their help, as experts at the Francis Crick Institute and Oxford University told the Daily Telegraph that Public Health England had left them 'sitting on their hands'. Oxford University has 119 machines that can be used to identify tell-tale genetic signs of the virus, but Government officials have only so far accepted one. Professor Matthew Freeman of Oxford University's Dunn School of Pathology, said: 'We have another 118 machines that can broadly do the same job, but they don't appear to be part of PHE's plans. They could be adapted easily.' The Francis Crick Institute has supplied five machines to the NHS, but has dozens more that aren't being utilised in the fight against the pandemic. How the UK's testing shambles developed January 31: First confirmed cases in the UK are two Chinese nationals staying in York. March 12: The UK shelved efforts to test and 'contact trace' everyone with symptoms on March 12, when the government's response moved from 'containment' into a 'delay' phase. Instead people who thought they had the illness were urged to self-isolate unless their conditions became so severe they needed medical help. March 18: Amid criticism, Boris Johnson declared that there would be a big expansion of tests from under 5,000 a day to 25,000. March 21: Downing Street sends an email to research institutions begging for machines needed to process testing samples. No10 denied this was the first time it had raised the idea. March 28: Cabinet ministers Matt Hancock and Michael Gove hail news that the UK is now carrying out 10,000 tests a day. April 1: The UK has still not carried out 10,000 tests in a day, despite apparently having the capacity to do so. Ministers admit the target of 25,000 tests a day might not be reached for weeks. Advertisement Meanwhile, there are accusations that the government never planned for a situation where they would need to carry out mass testing. 'The UK was complacent and didn't think it could happen here,' said Tim Colbourn, associate professor of global health epidemiology at University College London. 'We didn't see the signs quickly.' The Mail revealed today that a British firm is selling kits to 80 countries, including India. Novacyt said a shortage of NHS testing facilities had prevented further UK sales. Separately, a former World Health Organisation chief said yesterday the Government's health protection agency had been 'slow' over testing and that 44 labs were underused. Science Committee chair Greg Clark, a former Cabinet minister, told MailOnline the reasons for the difficulty ramping up testing was still 'unexplained'. 'There are NHS workers now who are having to be self-isoated and not working because they have symptoms, but don't know whether they are infected or not 'If you stretch the NHS that is a big problem. 'It would be much better in information terms to know more accurately how many people in the population have it at the moment. 'We simply don't know. We know sadly who has died of it, but not who has it. Mr Clark said there had been a clear shift from focusing on testing at the start of the crisis, to merely slowing the outbreak the 'delay' phase. 'I think it is an operation thing, that they didn't mobilise enough capacity in testing to be able to supply the needs of the country,' he said. 'Other countries such as Japan and South Korea have had a decentralised model of testing, 'Any lab that can test has been requisitioned for testing. What the PHE approach has been is to use their own labs. They started off at a single lab... then they moved to 122 labs and then more. 'My question on that is why do it in stages, why wasn't every lab even in the public sector used initially? And why unlike in Germany and SOuth Korea why have we not made extensive use of labs in universities for example and the private sector.' In a chink of optimism for the government, Mr Clark said while the antigen testing for who currently has the disease was 'important' the antibody test was what would be 'crucial for the relief of the lockdown'. 'That would be the big gamechanger. It is very unfortunate that we haven't had the degree of antigen testing that other countries have had but if we deploy this at the scale of millions they are talking about that would allow us to catch up and be ahead of other countries.' A drive-thru test centre was established at Chessington World of Adventures and was seen up and operational from Friday to Monday. The latest order by the Punjab director of public instructions (DPI, elementary) Inderjit Singh asking the district education officers (DEOs, elementary and secondary) to get the food grain packets delivered at students homes amid lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak has put the authorities in a fix. Moreover, the letter does not specify who is going to deliver the packets. However, the school heads and teachers said they will be assigned the duty. But they are clueless about who will prepare the packets as per the quantity set by the authorities. The letter also mentions that the authorities must e-transfer the cooking cost in the bank accounts of students as per the funds allotted. But most students in the district do not have bank accounts. As a result, authorities are looking for other options to provide the funds to students. A school head of a government school, requesting anonymity, said, While the police are lodging FIRs against the violators amid lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak, the authorities want teachers to make arrangements for delivering food grain packets to children at their homes. Will the government take responsibility if a teacher gets affected while distributing grains? As per the orders, a sealed packet of 1.2kg wheat and 1.2kg rice will be delivered to the house of each primary student. Further, a packet containing 1.8kg wheat and 1.8kg rice will be delivered to each upper primary student at his/her doorstep. The food grains for 24 days will be delivered to the students of Classes 1 to 8 and the funds of 107.52 for primary students and 161.04 for the upper primary students will be e-transferred in their bank accounts. 1.2 LAKH STUDENTS ARE COVERED UNDER SCHEME In Ludhiana, 1.2 lakh students are covered under the mid-day meal scheme. These students are studying in 1,536 government schools including primary, middle, high and senior secondary schools. DEO (elementary) Rajinder Kaur said, We have received the letter from the higher authorities and will abide by the order. Many teachers in the district are voluntarily providing ration and funds to the underprivileged students. We will make all efforts so that no government school student may sleep with an empty stomach. Though many students in the district do not have bank accounts, we will look for other ways so that funds and food grains are provided to the students, she added. Inderjit Singh said, The order has been issued so that students can survive in these tough times. Many teachers are on duty as a sector officer and they will make arrangements to deliver food grains to the students. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The human resource development (HRD) ministry has framed new reservation rules for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) run by it to provide quotas to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Its the first time that seats are being reserved for OBC students at the school level. KVs will create additional seats for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and OBCs incase their numbers fall short after the regular admission procedure. For JNVs, it has been decided that the proportion of reservation for SCs and STs will be equal to their population of the district where the school is located but subject to minimum of the national average and a maximum of 50% for both these categories. Above this 27% reservation will be provided to the OBCs. This would help in imparting quality education to rural students in districts with large SC, ST populations while also providing opportunities to the OBCs, said a senior official who didnt want to be named. The HRD ministry has also finalised the norms for implementing reservation for OBCs in KVs from the upcoming academic session itself. According to the modalities decided by the ministry, in the KVs, it has been decided that in the first phase, there will be a draw of lots for the seats reserved under the Right to Education Act from among the SCs,STs and OBCs. Following this, the seats for students belonging to employees in transferable jobs under the central government would be taken up and following that seats for those in public sector undertakings would be filled. Priority will also be given to the wards of state government employees. According to an HRD ministry official, once these seats are filled, a significant number of students would belong to the SC, ST and the OBC sections. In case it is found that the number of such students is below the reservation proposed, additional seats can be created, the official said. The Modi government has a strong commitment for the welfare of the backward sections and HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has felt that the constitutional mandate should be fulfilled without delay, said the official. He added that despite the lockdown for the coronavirus disease, the ministry did not want to delay the important decision, which was taken when a majority of HRD ministry officials are working from home. The KVs are a chain of schools under the Union HRD ministry for the children of transferable central government employees. Currently, they provide 15% reservation in admissions to SC and 7.5% to ST students, apart from setting aside 25% seats under provisions of the Right to Education Act (RTE). The latter includes horizontal reservation of 3% for disabled students. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan was established in November 1962 to provide uninterrupted education to wards of transferable central government employees. It has 1,228 schools, including three abroad in Kathmandu, Tehran and Moscow. Around 1.3 million students study at these schools. There are 661 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, which are geared towards rural areas. At present, 27% positions for OBCs are reserved in government jobs and higher education, but none at the school level. This is the first time reservations for OBC students are being provided in the school education sector, said the second official. For new or long-standing fans of the British car and adventure series Top Gear, it can be hard to know which of many episodes is worth watching. Stacker used IMDB to narrow down fan favorites, highlighting the absolute best. This article was first published on theStacker.com As the number of deaths in the United States from coronavirus touched 3,416 on Tuesday (March 31), President Donald Trump warned Americans of a "very, very painful two weeks", saying a surge in coornavirus positive cases is set to hit the US. President Trump once again urged Americans to follow strict social distancing measures ahead of a "tough two weeks" that may lead to the death of around 100,000 people from the coronavirus. "It`s absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days. It`s a matter of life and death," Trump said during a news conference at the White House. "We want Americans to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said. For his part, US Vice President Mike Pence said the mitigation efforts taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus were having an impact. "We have reason to believe that it`s working," Pence said of the guidelines. "Do not be discouraged." The global death toll due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic reached 40,708 till 11.45 pm (IST) on Tuesday. The number of deaths in the United States from coronavirus surpassed those reported by China, where the pandemic began in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are 174,467 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and a total of 3,416 deaths while China death toll is 3,309. Italy continues to remain the worst affected in terms of the death toll that reached 12,428 on Tuesday night and a total of 105,792 cases. Spain, which has the world's second-highest coronavirus death toll after Italy, declared a state of emergency over the pandemic on March 14, barring people from leaving home for all but essential reasons. Till Tuesday night the country recorded 94,417 cases and 8,269 deaths. The government tightened the lockdown over the weekend, banning all non-essential work for two weeks. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:23:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait Wednesday reported 28 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases in the country to 317, Kuwait's Health Ministry announced in a statement. Three of the new cases include a Kuwaiti citizen who returned from Britain and two Indian residents who returned from India, the statement said. And 22 cases have history of contact with infected patients, and three cases are under investigation, it said. So far, 237 patients are still receiving treatment, including 14 in ICU, the statement noted. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah announced on Wednesday the recovery of seven more patients from the coronavirus, raising the country's cured cases to 80. The Kuwaiti government has decided to impose a nationwide curfew to contain the spread of the coronavirus. On March 13, Kuwait suspended all commercial flights. The government also decided to close stores, malls and barbershops. ELKHART, Ind., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mennonite Church USA -- During widespread closures and physical distancing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States, has responded by educating and equipping its congregations, ministry partners, and constituents via the Internet. "Our priority is to extend love to one another in these difficult times by offering programming that best serves our church while also preparing for the future," said Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA. MC USA has launched the following initiatives: "Staying Healthy and Hopeful," a web page that provides news updates, tips and free resources. A blog series on social justice issues impacting vulnerable groups during the pandemic. A webinar series to equip pastors and leaders to address pandemic-related faith formation topics, such as rituals around death and dying, youth ministry, and compassion fatigue, on Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. EDT . . Monthly Facebook Live messages from Guyton on the first Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EDT . MC USA's five faith-based agencies have responded: Everence has launched several financial initiatives to assist congregations and constituents. MennoMedia is offering a weekly resource email featuring free Bible studies, Sunday school curriculum and devotionals. Mennonite Education Agency is providing professional webinars and prayer support to school administrators. Mennonite Mission Network launched The Hope Series, including a daily prayer time and weekly Bible study on Facebook Live and has made emergency funds available. MHS is connecting with health and human services providers through its COVID-19 resource page and monthly resource newsletter. "Now is the time for us to live into our identity as a peace church," said Guyton. "Call your neighbors and reach out to those who are vulnerable. Together, we can get through this by demonstrating love and compassion for people in our community." Ongoing support of MC USA and its agencies enables the denomination to continue to help people in need. Additional updates and information can be found in MC USA's various e-publications. With offices in Elkhart, Indiana and Newton, Kansas, MC USA is comprised of 530 congregations and 62,000 members. An Anabaptist Christian denomination, MC USA is part of Mennonite World Conference, a global faith family that includes churches in 86 countries. Editorial Contact: Camille Dager, News Editor, Mennonite Church USA, 574-523-3068 or [email protected] SOURCE Mennonite Church USA Related Links http://www.mennoniteusa.org The new Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere is bringing us back to the '90s, and we are loving it. The show takes place in 1997 in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Ohio, and is about two drastically different families who are brought together through their kids. Even though the plot itself (and its A-list cast) seems like it's set up to be the next Big Little Lies, there's a big difference in the beauty moments, which are decidedly more retro and will take you back in time. From Elena Richardson's french manicure to Mia Warren's nude lip color, we are ready to welcome some nostalgia. Ahead, scroll through for some of the most iconic beauty moments from the show, which acts like a time capsule for much of the 1990s. Jon Shapley, Staff photographer / Staff photographer Motiva Enterprises confirmed Tuesday that an employee at one of its Port Arthur operations tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The company said the employee worked at the Port Arthur Chemicals (PAC) plant, but as since self-quarantined. Motiva has also notified employees of possible exposure and sanitized work spaces, according to the company. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva In January 2020, Azerbaijan exported 945.18 million cubic meters of gas from the Shah Deniz field to Turkey, which is 16.9 percent higher than the same period last year, local media reported citing Energy Market Regulatory Authority of Turkey on April 1. Azerbaijan also accounted for 15.78 percent of total gas supplies to Turkey in January 2020. Overall, gas exports to Turkey amounted to 5.9bn cubic meters (an increase of 3.07 percent compared with January 2019) in January. Of this, pipeline gas accounted for 3 billion 859.44 million cubic meters (64.4 percent of all supplies), LNG (Liquefied natural gas) - 2 billion 129.34 million cubic meters (35.6 percent). In addition to Azerbaijan, gas deliveries to Turkey by the pipeline in the reporting period were from Iran and Russia. As it was reported earlier, in 2019, Azerbaijani gas supplies to Turkey amounted to 9 billion 584.78 million cubic meters of gas from the Shah Deniz field (an increase of 27.3 percent). Note that Azerbaijani gas is exported to Turkey only as part of Stage1 and Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz field development. The Agreement on the Exploration, Development, and Production Sharing (PSA) for Shah Deniz field was signed between SOCAR and some oil companies of foreign countries in 1996. Shah Deniz gas and condensate field was discovered in 1999. The Shah Deniz field is operated by BP, which has a share of 28.8 percent. Other partners include TPAO (19 percent), SOCAR (16.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), LUKOIL (10 percent) and NIOC (10%). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Gov. Greg Abbott shut down schools until at least May 4 and issued a statewide order Tuesday that restricts operations of some businesses as the state continues to battle the growing pandemic. The order marks Abbotts most far-reaching restrictions yet to guard against the novel coronavirus. Its not officially a stay-at-home order, and Abbott resisted use of that term, but it has many of the features of such orders and delineates which types of businesses can remain open including churches, offering the possibility of limited Easter services. In short, what this provides is that Texans are expected to limit personal interactions that can lead to the spread of COVID-19 while also still having the freedom to conduct daily activities, such as going to the grocery store, so long as you are following the presidential standard of good distancing practices, Abbott said at a news conference at the Texas Capitol. Abbotts order largely defines essential businesses in line with what President Donald Trump announced Sunday. The federal guidelines recommend that people stay 6 feet away from each other and do not gather in groups of more than 10. They also call for older people and those with pre-existing health issues to remain isolated. Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday Texas is one of at least 18 states that have not issued a stay-at-home order, according to the National Governors Association. Of those, Texas is the largest state yet without one. Abbott classifies religious services at churches and other houses of worship as essential in conflict with several counties orders, such those in Bexar and Harris. The one in Harris County prompted a GOP activist and pastors to file suit Monday. Abbott said the order overrides any put in place by local governments that are inconsistent with it, though cities and counties are free to issue stricter provisions in areas not mentioned in the statewide order, if they choose. To the extent, for example, that religious services are permitted, as specified in this executive order, they cannot be denied by a local ordinance or local order, Abbott said. However, to the extent that there are things that are not mentioned in this order, it still gives local jurisdictions the latitude to establish their own rules. If religious services cant be conducted from home or remotely, the order states they can be held in person if congregants use social distancing and other cleanliness guidelines recommended by Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abbott added Tuesday that drive-up services, where congregants would remain in their cars, which some churches plan to use this Easter, would satisfy the criteria that were talking about. Churches, synagogues and mosques in San Antonio and Bexar County technically can resume in-person religious services under Abbotts order. But local officials said they believe local religious leaders still will try to hold services remotely and not endanger their congregants. I really believe our pastors and religious leaders are not going to put their parishioners in jeopardy, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said. I really believe that they will be very careful. Mayor Ron Nirenberg noted that Abbotts order calls for in-person gatherings with social distancing only if its impossible to hold remote services. I would expect what has been implemented over the last week or so will continue, Nirenberg said during Tuesdays daily media briefing. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases Jared Woodfill, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the case challenging Harris Countys order, extolled Abbotts new order as protecting the sanctity of the First Amendment. Its ridiculous, he said. I come into contact with more people at H-E-B than I do at these small churches. Some Democratic groups said Tuesday that Abbotts order didnt go far enough, while others expressed support. His press conference today was confusing at times, but we believe it amounts to a step in the right direction, said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, adding this essentially was the stay-at-home order the group had requested last week. This can serve as a good baseline for counties that had none in place, even if it its less than what other counties have already done, Turner said. Health experts have said cohesive stay-at-home orders are most effective in stopping the spread of an infectious disease like COVID-19. Hours before Abbott spoke, the Texas Hospital Association and Texas Nurses Association had urged him to impose an official statewide policy, saying it would send a clear message about the seriousness of the threat and ultimately save lives. The governors order pertaining to schools is more clear. In Bexar County, all traditional public schools already had delayed their return to in-person classes, most until April 27, and have cautioned they might not return this school year. Charter networks IDEA and KIPP have said they would remain closed indefinitely. San Antonio and Houston students continue to receive instruction through online lessons and paper packets, while teachers and other school employees still are working from home. Staff Writers Josh Fechter and Krista Torralva contributed to this report. Photo credit: Netflix From Digital Spy Tiger King spoilers follow. For those that did not already know about Joe Exotic, Netflix's utterly bonkers Tiger King documentary has thrust him into the spotlight. The seven-part true-crime series introduced audiences to the phenomenon of big cat owners in the United States, giving insight and access into the lives of the people that have lions and tigers in their homes. Tiger King packs a lot into its runtime, veering off into all sorts of weird and uncomfortable places as the filmmakers (also behind the Fyre Festival documentary) tried to keep up with everything unfolding before their cameras. One aspect that seems to have sparked a conversation on the world wide web is that of Joe Exotic's love life. He's had a number of husbands, some of whom were included in the documentary and some that were not touched on at all. It's hard to pin down exactly who Joe's husbands were, as apparently he didn't legally marry each of them. But his first is believed to have been a man named Brian Rhyne, who was not mentioned in the Netflix series. Photo credit: Sue Ogrocki/AP/Shutterstock Related: Tiger King is even more bonkers than Don't F**k With Cats Described as being "a slender, sassy 19-year-old" when he first met Joe (via a 2019 feature in New York's Intelligencer) at a gay cowboy bar called the Round-up Saloon before the zoo came to be. The pair moved in with each other and were unofficially married in the very same bar in the late '80s (before same-sex marriage was legal). After Joe's brother died in a car crash, his parents helped him buy an old horse ranch in Oklahoma. It was here that he set up his zoo, named the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park after his late sibling (who had a love for wild animals). As seen in Tiger King, it became known as the GW Zoo. A deer and a buffalo, two of his brother's pets, were the first inhabitants of the park. Joe and his first husband Brian started collecting and raising big cats; the first two tigers were named Tess and Tickles, and had been abandoned in a backyard before Joe took them in. The couple took the baby cubs into their home to look after, and built cages and fences on their land to expand along with their animal collection. Story continues Sadly, Brian passed away in 2001 of complications related to HIV. According to those around him at the zoo, it was at about this time that Joe started to morph into more of an outlandish character bleaching his mullet, getting face lifts and piercing his penis (complete with the padlock he was proud to show off in the series). It was said in the New York Magazine article that Joe had been loading Brian into a pickup to take him home in the hope that he would be able to die peacefully. "When he breathed his last breath," it says, "Joe screamed loud enough to make your ears ring." Photo credit: Kansas Bureau of Investigation Jeffrey Charles 'JC' Hartpence was Joe's second husband. Also not discussed in the documentary, according to Texas Monthly, Hartpence had a background as an event producer and had helped Joe to develop his shows, including his magic routines as well as the tiger cub petting. It sounded to be a volatile relationship though JC reportedly once held a gun to Joe's head while in a "drunk rage" before he left the zoo for good. Their partnership ended and years later Hartpence was convicted for crimes against a child under the age of 14 and was put on the sex offenders register. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison for first-degree felony murder. It is important to note that JC Hartpence identified as straight, as did a number of Joe's other partners, including his next husband John Finlay. John had just graduated from high school when he started dating Joe, and there was also another man on the scene known only by the first name of Paul (not in the Tiger King series, and also not gay). After Paul, Joe met Travis Maldonado (who was also straight). He had started working in the zoo in 2013 having been struggling with an addiction to meth. As with some of Joe's other relationships, there seemed to be an unbalanced power dynamic whereby they needed something that Joe was able to provide (whether security, a home, or something else). Photo credit: Netflix As shown in the documentary, Joe married Travis and John at the same time in one big ceremony. Later that year, John started to grow tired of Joe and his life at the zoo and, Texas Monthly reported, their breakup was quite bitter. John ended up leaving with the secretary of the zoo, Stormey Sanders. They had a child together and are now married. John also has a new set of teeth viewers of Tiger King will know that he was missing quite a few of them during his on-screen interviews. As seen in the series, during their relationship Joe had paid for a tattoo for John which read: "PRIVATELY OWNED BY JOE EXOTIC" but he has now had that removed. Photo credit: Netflix Related: Tiger King's Jeff Lowe the story only gets more disturbing According to Robert Moor, author of the aforementioned New York article and Joe Exotic-themed podcast host, John has now left the big cat industry. In a tweet, he revealed: "I see a lot of people asking about John, Joe's ex-husband. He texted me a few months back to let me know he got a new job as a welder." Travis tragically died in October 2017 after he accidentally shot himself a terrible incident that, rather uncomfortably, was documented in the series and happened in front of another zoo employee. He was just 23 years old at the time, and it was made clear in Tiger King how hard Joe took it and how much it affected his behaviour. Two months after Travis' death, Joe married Dillon Passage. An early date of theirs was featured in the series, and he started living with Joe a few days later. Prior to that, Dillon had apparently been sleeping on an air mattress at a relative's house. When Joe left his zoo behind, following a major disagreement with Jeff Lowe, Dillon went into hiding with him. As viewers of Tiger King will know, Joe was arrested and eventually convicted for involvement in a murder-for-hire plot against rival and Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin. The documentary closed with Dillon standing by Joe, who is currently serving 22 years in prison, and it looks as though they are still married. Since the documentary aired, Passage has updated viewers on his and Joe's relationship while also clarifying a few details too. During a call to Sirius XM 's Andy Cohen Live, Dillon said (Via EW): "I met him a few months after [Exotic's third husband] Travis [Maldonado] passed away. So we first started chatting on Grindr in Oklahoma." "The first time we actually met on [Tiger King], it was like it was our first date, but we had actually met the night before. Me and my cousin went down to the safari bar, which was a little restaurant bar he had about half a mile away from the zoo, and he sang to me he did karaoke that night." "He was just super sweet to me and he came off as genuine and a good, down-to-Earth guy. He's very charismatic." Passage told listeners that he remains faithful, and touched on how his husband is coping with the coronavirus pandemic in jail: "We speak three to five times every day. But since he's been moved to this new facility, they're putting him in COVID-19 isolation because of the previous jail that he was in there were cases. So I have yet to speak to him since he's been moved." When asked for his thoughts on the documentary's controversy, Passage said: "The producers, they put the story together very, very well, I think. They stayed true to the entire storyline. And I even learned a lot of things I didn't know about Carole and Joe's feud, cuz I try to stay out of his business. It wasn't my place, you know, I wasn't necessarily involved." After the documentary's release on the streaming platform, Carole has condemned her portrayal and the film's contents as "salacious" (a criticism that the filmmakers have responded to and denied). Joe, meanwhile, has filed a $94 million lawsuit against a number of US government departments and individuals including series stars James Garretson and Jeff Lowe in a federal court in Oklahoma. He is also demanding a presidential pardon. Joe Exotic pleaded not guilty to all charges, and has insisted he had been charged "illegally", while the US Department of Justice has not yet commented on the suit. While Tiger King does not appear to take a clear stance, or present one 'right' or one 'wrong' side, many true-crime fans and armchair detectives have taken away a certain viewpoint from the information presented in the documentary. It is worth keeping in mind that there is only so much that could have been included in the hours given, and a lot was left out of the series. Former reptile dealer Jeff Johnson, who was interviewed in the series, had been friends with Joe until they had a falling out. Johnson started his own online campaign, claiming Joe and Jeff Lowe were frauds, and they, in turn, retaliated online. Apparently Johnson's house burned down under mysterious circumstances (according to the aforementioned Robert Moor). What's more, journalist Moor shared a taped conversation that was heard at the trial, which he argues paints an incriminating picture of Joe: 17. To anyone who came away from #TigerKingNetflix thinking Joe was framed, please take a look at this secretly taped conversation between Joe and James, which was played at the trial. These are not the words of an innocent man! pic.twitter.com/78LpflJRIE (@robertmoor_) March 26, 2020 While investigating the story for his own work, Moor revealed that he had received a message from Joe's phone which included a number saved under "Mike Hit". "I called up the number. It turned out to be a guy named 'Psycho Mike'," he said as part of a detailed Twitter thread. "He was a former hitman (or "bone collector") for a Mexican gang in Dallas," Moor claimed. "He'd since given that life up. Recently he'd been helping Joe try to get a zoo opened in Dallas. I asked whether Joe ever approached him about killing Carole. He said no." To anyone currently bingeing #tigerking on Netflix: I spent four years working on a podcast and a long magazine story about Joe and Carole. I spent a week living at the zoo. Ive spoken with almost everyone youre seeing in the doc, and I attended the trial. Ask me anything! (@robertmoor_) March 21, 2020 Moor also shared a disturbing allegation of a time when "Joe told everyone he was dying from prostate & bone marrow cancer" and had been able to raise "$$$ from his Facebook fans for his expenses". "He showed me this horrifying photo as proof," he tweeted, along with a picture of Joe in hospital. "I later learned he just had an infected prostate, dehydration, & a bad outbreak of herpes." Hopefully, viewers will learn more if a rumoured extra episode does indeed arrive soon on Netflix assuming of course that Jeff Lowe is to be believed. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is available to stream on Netflix. Digital Spy now has a newsletter sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox. Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now. You Might Also Like George Washington prepares for the final battle of the Revolutionary War in a portrait by Rembrandt Peale. To fight the British, Washington also had to fight smallpox and made the tough decision to inoculate his troops. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty) Donald Trump isnt the first U.S. president to face a deadly new pathogen that wreaks havoc on American life and the wider world. But he may be the least suited for the challenge, a judgment based on how a handful of his predecessors confronted these invisible and terrifying foes. George Washingtons epidemic hit before he was president. In early 1777, he was trying to keep the American Revolution alive against the all-conquering British. Smallpox posed an even bigger problem. The ancient scourge had just broken out in Boston and would eventually spread to the Pacific, killing tens of thousands of people. The only way to stop it was inoculation, the forerunner to vaccination in which a doctor inserted live smallpox into a patients shoulder, usually inducing a mild case and then immunity. Washington had his doubts. He knew that inoculation could spread the full-blown disease, and he didnt want to force people to undergo the procedure. Yet he kept reading about how smallpox ravaged whole regions, scaring away potential recruits to his army. After much thought, he ordered every soldier to undergo inoculation. As president in the 1790s, Washington retained a keen interest in promoting the interests of humanity through medical progress. The next military hero in the White House, Andrew Jackson, was allied with a new generation of pro-slavery southerners who opposed all kinds of federal projects, including vaccination efforts. Jackson also despised some of his predecessors, including Washington, for allowing savage Indians to keep some of their territory. When he became president in 1829, Jackson was a bitter man, determined to remove Native Americans from the Southeastern U.S. so that white cotton planters like him could take over more tribal lands. The mass deportations sometimes, called the Trail of Tears, began in 1831, just as the deadly cholera bacterium spread from the Ganges River in India around the globe. Choctaw and Cherokee refugees as well as poor city-dwellers from New York to New Orleans were especially vulnerable to this water-borne pathogen. In the summer of 1832 they died in heaps, their bodies drained and destroyed by extreme vomiting and diarrhea. Story continues Jackson showed little interest in combating the pandemic, other than recommending temperance and submission to Gods will. The hard times, he said, would produce good in the end by sweeping away the lazy and immoral. If Jackson neglected his medical crisis, Woodrow Wilson made his worse. Shortly before the so-called Spanish flu began to spread in 1918, he had rammed through new laws that criminalized dissent against Americas effort in World War I. As more people fell sick that year, Wilsons Committee on Public Information fed cheerful lies to the public, insisting that it was just the normal flu and that everyone should keep buying war bonds. To encourage this, massive parades and other star-spangled events continued helping the virus to march around the globe. Ironically, Wilsons ultimate goals for the war may have failed in part because he, too, fell victim to the pandemic. At the Paris Peace Talks in 1919, he suddenly turned lethargic and paranoid, likely due to neurological damage from a recent bout with the virus. The treaty that emerged was flawed and vindictive. Wilson couldnt even persuade his own country to join the League of Nations. In 1921, Franklin Delano Roosevelt lost his ability to walk because of polio. He was a rare adult victim of this viral infection, which paralyzed millions of children around the world during the early 20th century. As president, he was determined to fight this new plague. In 1938, FDR established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which asked all Americans to help even if they could only spare a dime. The term stuck, and the March of Dimes went on to help Jonas Salk develop his wondrous vaccine. By 1944, the president described healthcare as a self-evident right for all Americans regardless of station, race or creed. By contrast, President Ronald Reagan saw society as soft and decadent, fallen from the rugged individualism he had once portrayed in B-grade cowboy movies. Behind his sunny demeanor boiled a reactionary disgust with big government. Although he wasnt especially homophobic, Reagan wanted no part of the gay plague that emerged as he entered the White House in 1981. He didnt even mention AIDS publicly until 1985, after some 12,000 Americans had died of the disease. Like Jackson, he couldnt shake the sense that this pestilence only targeted people who deserved it. What can we learn from these presidential encounters with deadly pathogens? Some presidents simply care more about public health than others. They make it a priority and keep it a priority. Some presidents also are truly comfortable in charge able to listen to dissenting views, to take in new information and to speak honestly with the public. Others are too resentful, bullying or self-righteous to do so. Most important, a few of our leaders have opened their moral compasses to embrace all people as equally human, and all Americans as equally American. During an outbreak, this matters not just morally but also medically. Our current president displays none of the qualities of Washington or FDR and all of the worst aspects of Jackson, Wilson and Reagan. He shows no interest in any kind of public good. He blames everyone but himself when things go wrong. And he incites bigotry if not violence against whole categories of our fellow citizens, making it impossible to draw each and every person into a grand alliance against our new enemy. As the shadow of COVID-19 falls upon us, thats simply not good enough. J.M. Opal, who is American, is an associate professor and chair of History and Classical Studies at McGill University in Montreal. Steven M. Opal is a research scientist and clinical professor of medicine at Brown Universitys medical school. Biden had come to South Carolina offering words of comfort at Emilys funeral last fall a mark of the deep friendship shared between the two men. Clyburn later watched as his old friend lost in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. He privately advised Biden to deliver his often-meandering message more clearly; boil it down, as preachers do. Clyburn wasnt planning to endorse until an elderly constituent asked him who he was voting for. At that point, he publicly lent his political capital to Biden, saying: We know Joe. But more importantly, Joe knows us. Fewer cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the country than predicted but the Deputy Chief Medical Officer has warned there is no room for complacency. Fourteen more people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in the Republic bringing the death toll to 85. A further 212 cases of the virus have also been confirmed today bringing the total to 3,447. Ten of the deaths happened in the east of the country and four in the south. The patients included seven females and seven males, while eight patients were reported as having underlying health conditions. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said it is too early to draw any firm conclusions as the latest figures show a slight decrease in cases of Covid-19. Whether there is two or three hundred cases or more, we are always conscious that every case is a person. 212 is better than three hundred or four hundred and is better than where we thought we would be. However, we are only going to win this battle if we get the number right down and ultimately we have to stop each individual who has this, transmitting it to someone else. The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Shop for essential food and household goods; Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products; Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits; Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing There are a number of positive indicators that we as a country can take heart from in terms of the total number of cases today compared to what was predicted a few weeks ago and terms of what we know from the population survey and adherence to the new measures and peoples willingness to comply. We are hopeful that as a whole we are going in the right direction. The number of cases day on day has decreased significantly in percentage terms versus a couple of weeks ago. Again, I think it is too early to draw any firm conclusion and it is too early to become complacent in relation to any of this. I dont think anything has changed the magnitude of this or the necessity of us as a population to treat this as seriously as we can. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar arriving at the Citywest Hotel today which will have the use of the 750-bedroom for self isolation. Prof. Glynn said the health service is not carrying out as many tests for Covid-19 as it would have planned. At present, we are not carrying out as many tests as we would like to be or as we had intended to carry out. If we were carrying out more tests we would obviously would be picking up more people. Equally that does not mean the picture in terms of hospitalisations or intensive care would be any different. As we ramp up testing as we intend to do over a very short timeframe, i.e the next 10 days to two weeks, we will get a picture of the burden of this disease on the population as a whole. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] Covid isolation takes a toll on fishermen's community in Pakistan by Shakir Sultan April 01,2020 | Source: The Express Tribune As the Sindh government imposed a 15-day lockdown across the province to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, life has come to a standstill for the dwellers of Manora, Baba and Bhit Islands. Already impoverished and largely deprived of facilities, these fishing villages situated near Karachi are now struggling with an acute dearth of basic commodities after authorities suspended boat services to and from the islands. Whats more, with a ban on fishing imposed by the Pakistan Coast Guard amid the outbreak, poor fishermen have been unable to earn their daily wages necessary for buying rations. Fishing is the only source of income for the residents of all three islands of Karachi. Every morning, islanders sail out to the deep sea in their small boats for fishing, take the catch to Karachi and sell them on the streets to make a living. The sea is the only route through which we are connected to Karachi. With the suspension of boat services, we are facing a lot of difficulties, said Amir, a resident of Baba Bhit Shah Island. I dont know how long this situation will continue. On the one hand, there is extreme poverty, and on the other hand, there is the looming fear of the virus. How do we make a choice? Muhammad Ali, a fisherman, said that with the ban on fishing, people in his village are starving. The government should either supply provisions to the villagers or allow us to resume our fishing activities. So far, no one has taken any steps for us. We dont even know if anyone in the village has coronavirus because there are no doctors here, he lamented. Muhammad Nawaz, a resident of Salehabad, pointed out that his village had no healthcare facilities and, therefore, patients have to be transported to the city in a boat for treatment. Since the boat service has been suspended because of the lockdown, what will happen if someone falls sick or has an emergency? How will we take the patient to the hospital? And if someone has this disease [COVID-19], it will quickly spread to the whole village and endanger everyones life. The authorities should do something about it, he said, expressing his concern. When approached, private boat owners said that they had also decided to suspend their services because there were not enough passengers to carry to the city. We have anchored our boats at the Keamari Port and are waiting for things to normalise. Until then, we wont risk taking the boats and ferries to Keamari, said one of the boat owners, who preferred not to be named. When asked about the transportation of goods to and from the islands, he said that it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that the villagers are supplied with essential commodities. Grocery shop owners from all the three islands revealed that they were running short of basic commodities because of the suspension of boat services. Meanwhile, others said that since many fishermen were unable to make any earnings due to the ban on fishing, very few customers were visiting the shops to buy essentials. There is a shortage of pulses, rice, flour, sugar, and even salt and spices. The fishermen community is one of the poorest populations in Pakistan. The government should send help before people start dying here of starvation, one shopkeeper said. Shopkeepers also revealed that unlike in the cities, the people living on the islands could not afford to buy ration in bulk because of their meagre earnings, which only allows them to purchase essential items for a day or two at a time. The ban on fishing has broken the backbone of the already poverty-stricken community. In fact, the residents of the islands have become economically devastated, he said. When approached for comment, an official of the Pakistan Coast Guard, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that on Monday, rations were given to around 100 families on Manora and several other islands in Balochistan. He, however, did not mention anything about the distribution of rations to those living on other islands in Sindh. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) adviser Abdul Sattar said that families of the fishermen were gradually being starved but the government had neither provided any aid nor initiated contact with the islanders. We have approached several welfare institutions who distribute free rations to the poor, but no one has reached out to us yet, Sattar said. Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Abdul Qadir Patel admitted that with the ongoing situation, poor fishermen belonging to the constituency would die of hunger if the governments help did not arrive on time. We are waiting for aid to arrive and I also urge people to financially support the people of the islands, he said. In the meanwhile, I have directed my subordinate staff to compile a list of deserving island dwellers and provide them with some cash to purchase essential items. 2020 The Express Tribune Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. A Chinese beautician who tested negative twice during her coronavirus quarantine has been diagnosed with the disease 15 days into her isolation after returning from the US. The 51-year-old woman, known by her surname Bi, tested positive for the deadly disease yesterday, despite passing two consecutive tests in seclusion. It comes as medical experts have raised questions about if nucleic acid tests are reliable in detecting traces of the virus in coronavirus patients. A passenger has been diagnosed with the coronavirus 13 days after testing negative twice in a row when arriving in China from the US. A worker wearing a protective suit collects a sample from an inbound passenger for a nucleic acid test at a temporary checkpoint in Shanghai Ms Bi, a beautician, showed a normal temperature when arriving in Beijing from New York on March 16, according to the local press. She then took a connecting flight to the north-eastern Chinese city Shenyang. The passenger had her temperature taken again, which came back normal, after arriving in Shenyang on the same day. She was then transferred to a designated hotel for isolation due to Chinas quarantine requirements for inbound travellers. Ms Bi told the press that she was wearing a face mask at all times throughout her journey. On March 17, the beautician took her first nucleic acid test, which came back negative. She had a fever on the next morning and was admitted to the Tieling Central Hospital in Liaoning Province for further observation. The patient tested negative again at the hospital, despite her CT scan suggested the inflammation in her lungs had worsened, Ms Bi, a beautician, showed normal temperature when arriving in Beijing from New York on March 16, according to the local press. Workers wearing protective suits check information of an inbound passenger at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on March 27 Ms Bi had her temperature taken again, which came back normal, after arriving in Shenyang on the same day. A worker wearing a protective suit checks the body temperature of a passenger at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on March 27 On March 31, Ms Bi tested positive for the coronavirus. She was diagnosed by the doctors as an imported case from abroad. The seriously ill patient has been receiving treatment at the Tieling hospital. Local health authorities also tracked down all the people who had close contact with Ms Bi to avoid further spread of the virus. Experts fear that China is facing a second outbreak due to the increasing number of imported cases as well as the 'silent carriers' who show no symptoms. Beijing's health officials have started providing day-to-day updates of the nation's 'silent carriers', who can potentially spread the contagion unaware. Experts fear that China is facing a second outbreak due to the increasing number of imported cases as well as the 'silent carriers' who show no symptoms. People wearing face masks line up outside a community health centre for nucleic acid tests in the former epicentre Hubei The news comes after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (centre) urged officials to ramp up testing suspected asymptomatic cases and intensify the monitoring, tracking, quarantine and treatment efforts imposed on them The news comes after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged officials to ramp up testing suspected asymptomatic cases and intensify the monitoring, tracking, quarantine and treatment efforts imposed on them. Researchers also wonder if nucleic acid tests are reliable enough to detect traces of the killer virus. The accuracy a nucleic acid test is 30 to 50 per cent, Dr Wang Wei, director of the city's Tongji Hospital, told the state broadcaster CCTV. Dr Wang and his colleagues found in a recent study that five of the 147 patients tested positive again after recovery. He explained it could be a result of unreliable test results. The former epicentre, Wuhan, reported today its first imported case. A 16-year-old oversea student, who studied in the UK, flew back to China from Newcastle. Over 853,000 people have been infected with the deadly disease globally and at least 42,310 have died. There are more than 25,000 confirmed cases in the UK and the death toll has risen to 1,789. 'This Ram Navami -- the birth anniversary of Lord Ram -- presents the majority community an opportunity to shed its minority complex and offer an olive branch and discrimination- free society to the minority,' suggests Colonel Anil A Athale (retd). IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi interacts with leaders of religious and social organisations about the coronavirus pandemic. Photograph: ANI Photo India is indeed lucky in this hour of great crisis to have a leader like Narendra Damodardas Modi, who is decisive and enjoys huge popular support. Yet, a concerted campaign against him carried out for decades still paints him as a 'Hindu' leader. The tragedy of the 2002 riots is invoked to malign him while it is never acknowledged that the same Mr Modi ensured peace when multiple bomb blasts on July 26, 2008 killed over 50 people and injured 200! The sad part is that a large portion of minority Muslim citizens have been brainwashed to hate him. A divided country cannot effectively fight the looming existential challenge to us and the mankind. While the attention of the whole country is focussed on fighting the imminent danger posed by the coronavirus, we cannot afford to ignore the other virus -- the communal divide between Hindus and Muslims, particularly in the northern part of our country. Unless we can come to terms with this problem, our dream of becoming a 5 trillion dollar economy and a developed country will remain just that -- a dream. Hindutva, as perceived in parts of north India, fits the famous description of Stanley Tambiah, a Harvard anthropologist, who had described the Sinhalese as a 'majority with a minority complex' -- fearing domination by Sri Lanka's minority Tamils. As someone who studied the whole gamut of the Sri Lanka/Tamil issue for the Government of India from 1993 to 1995, one sees a great similarity in the tragedy that put back Sri Lanka by 20 years with the current happenings in India. The cardinal mistake made by the Sinhalas was to rig up the system in such a way as to deny the Tamils higher education and jobs under the garb of Sinhala language only policy. The Tamils on the other hand were not merely satisfied with 'equal' rights, but also wanted equal status to the Tamil language and culture at par with the majority. This brings me to the current flashpoint between the two major communities of India, the Citizenship Amendment Act. I recall an incident 20 years ago, in April 2000 to be precise. I was on a lecture tour of the US and Canada sponsored by the Government of India to put across our point of view on Kashmir and the nuclear issue. In Chicago, I met a former Pakistan army officer who had migrated to the US. On being asked why this Christian officer had quit a cushy job, he answered that as a father of two daughters and a Christian, he feared for their future and had no choice but to leave. This was 20 years ago and the situation has deteriorated much more since then. The fact is that non-Muslims in Pakistan and in Bangladesh under military regimes suffered persecution. But where the CAA erred was that it excluded other minorities like Hazara Shias, Ahmediyyas and Ismailis. Statistically, the Shias and Ahmediyyas are at even greater risk of persecution than other minorities. But the opponents of the CAA have never raised this issue. Instead, they see it as an insult to Islam. In reality, the anti-CAA agitation is not about the CAA at all. The motivation for it goes back to the Ayodhya verdict, the triple talaq law and even the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. A vast majority of Hindus see the Ayodhya verdict as rectifying a historical wrong. As to the ban on triple talaq, the measure is at par with the stringent Anti-Dowry Act, nobody calls that anti-Hindu. Doing away with Article 370 is more symbolic than substantive since Kashmir's 'special status' was hollowed out much earlier. The abolition of Article 370 is more psychological in effect as it shuts out forever the possibility of Kashmir ever seceding or joining Pakistan, a sort of 'closure'. The real issues that confront Indian Muslims have to do with the social discrimination that the community suffers. As 20% of the population, its representation in the political and administrative structure is woeful. As a majority of Muslims are in business or self-employed, they also bore the disproportionate brunt of demonetisation. These are the real issues that confront the community and not the imagined insult to their faith. But by taking a confrontationist attitude on emotional issues, the community has lost the sympathy of the vast majority who are not Islamphobes. By taking up s confrontational attitude over emotional issues the Muslim community has lost out on real issues. Many of us are aware that during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's rule, an attempt was made to affect a grand Hindu Muslim reconciliation. Closed door talks between community leaders took place in Bengaluru. Unfortunately, these efforts failed as some political parties saw a confrontation to their advantage. After the judicial verdict, Hindus have got possession of Lord Ram's birthplace. It is time that the majority community offers a hand of friendship to Muslims in the spirit of Lord Ram. Colonial historiography since the 1920s have painted a picture of perennial Hindu-Muslim conflict. This is a false picture as my study of Maratha history revealed. It is well known that Ibrahim Khan nearly won the Third battle of Panipat for the Marathas. The heroic resistance of Muslim soldiers of the Maratha army at Malegaon in 1818 is well recorded. According to the British general staff publication, the famous battle of the Bhima Koregaon of 1818 was a fight mainly between the 'Arab' musket wielding soldiers of the Marathas and the British. In a lesser known episode, the garrison of Muslim soldiers of the Peshwa's wife Varanasibai at Raigad fort defended her to the last. Even the Rani of Jhansi was defended to the last by her Muslim bodyguards. In the 19th century, before the British divide and rule policy came into effect, the Indian political scene had evolved on a regional basis where faith did not divide the country. That 'credit' goes to modern leaders who conjured up the religion-based tate of Pakistan. The Indian reality is that every sixth citizen is a Muslim. The country can neither fight the coronavirus effectively nor become a superpower unless it resolves the majority-minority issue. This Ram Navami -- the birth anniversary of Lord Ram -- presents the majority community an opportunity to shed its minority complex and offer an olive branch and discrimination- free society to the minority. Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian. The bureau has also produced a real-time online map that can tell, down to the census tract, what percentage of a city, county, state or the nation has responded. So far, about 35 percent of the nation has responded, which is on track with where the bureau had estimated the country would be at this point, said Stephen Buckner, the bureaus assistant director of communications. The bureau has redirected advertising from public arenas to digital, radio and television, and it plans to swap out some of its original advertising with new content commensurate with the pandemic. Samuel L. Jackson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night. The MCU star streamed in from the comfort of his screening room at home. During his conversation with the chat show host, he shared a new poem titled, Stay the F*** at Home. The poem was written by Adam Mansbach, who also wrote best-selling childrens book, Go the F*** to Sleep. Mansbach wanted to encourage social distancing so he wrote the new poem. Jackson narrated the original childrens book, so it was only logical that Mansbach would ask him to read this poem as well. The poem opens with the coupling, The rona is spreading, this s*** is no joke. It's no time to work or roam. The way to fight it is simple my friends, just stay the f*** at home. While the poem contains quite a bit of profanity, the message comes from a good place. Thank you for doing your part to flatten the curve, because that s*** is steep, read Jackson, And now that you're home, please feel free to go the f*** to sleep. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 20: Samuel L. Jackson attends "The Last Full Measure" Atlanta red carpet screening at SCADshow on January 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Roadside Attractions ) Jacksons advice echoes the current guidelines set out by the UK government that asks people to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Jacksons Split co-star James McAvoy recently donated 275,000 to a NHS fundraiser dedicated to funding protective equipment for front-line staff. McAvoy had made the donation to the Masks For NHS Heroes crowdfund, set up by four doctors to raise money for much-needed personal protective equipment, or PPE. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area Explained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the flu Speaking to Good Morning Britain, the X-Men actor said: Yeah, people have asked me why I chose to donate some money and I think we all feel the same. Theres an invisible enemy that theyre fighting every day on our behalf, not in some foreign country, but right here, right round the corner from all our houses. LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 09: Samuel L Jackson and James McAvoy attend the UK Premiere of "Glass" at The Curzon Mayfair on January 09, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/ Mike Marsland/WireImage) Its an absolute war zone in there and were asking them to go and fight that war with no weaponry, with no armour and Im sure its going to get fixed in the coming weeks and months, but what is happening right now in the interim, what is happening right now - the threats that they face and the threat of them passing it on to their patients and their patients family is huge, so every day that goes by without the correct personal protective equipment is an opportunity lost to save someones life. FILE PHOTO: European Commissioner for the Internal Market Breton gestures as he communicates on the EU's 5G plan in Brussels By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU industry chief Thierry Breton says he does not see any ulterior motive behind Huawei [HWT.UL] and other Chinese companies' donations of face masks to the bloc and that solidarity is the best way to tackle the global coronavirus outbreak. Chinese network equipment maker Huawei, the world's No. 1, has drawn criticism from some quarters in recent days after giving millions of protective masks and gloves to Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Greece and Switzerland. Dubbed by some as mask diplomacy, critics say the move could be a ploy to win lucrative 5G contracts following EU guidelines announced in January which block the company from core infrastructure networks. Chinese online retailer Alibaba and other Chinese companies have also given face masks and medical supplies to coronavirus-hit EU countries while the Chinese government has provided protective gear. Asked whether the donations suggested that the companies were looking for a quid pro quo, Breton said: "Absolutely not. I have been a CEO myself and I know it doesn't work this way." In a telephone interview with Reuters, he said CEOs had a duty to help countries where their businesses operate if governments seek their help. "I don't know one single CEO ...thinking that this is because...you will get something in return. No one," said Breton, a former CEO at French telecoms provider Orange and French IT giant Atos. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell kicked off a debate a week ago with comments on the politics of generosity. Breton, who wanted to visit China in January to offer help but was constrained by security and safety issues, said it was better to join hands to fight the crisis rather than squabble about who is doing more. "We will overcome this situation only if we are all together, only if solidarity will apply everywhere, solidarity first between people themselves, solidarity within a country, solidarity within a continent, solidarity between continents," Breton said. Story continues He said China was now reciprocating after Europe sent the country 56 tonnes of supplies at the peak of its virus crisis, and noted that European companies with Chinese subsidiaries also did their bit at the peak of the outbreak in China. "Now the epicentre of the pandemic is in Europe...of course we welcome the fact that the Chinese government is saying 'how can we return the help'," Breton said. He said the virus crisis, which has slowed the European Commission's work as officials work from home, had not hampered his plan to build technology powerhouses to catch up with Silicon Valley and state-backed Chinese heavyweights. "So far no, we don't see any delay yet," Breton said. Legislation scheduled for this year includes rules which could force Google, Facebook and Amazon to take on more responsibilities for content hosted on their platforms, and others making better use of industrial data held by companies such as Siemens and Alstom. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says though he made a joke about COVID-19, the disease is real. At a Peoples Democratic Party... Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says though he made a joke about COVID-19, the disease is real. At a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally held in Ibadan on March 18, the governor had said the disease is not in his party. They said we should not do this rally because of coronavirus. It was their leader that said coronavirus is in their party, yes or no? Have you used your hand sanitiser? There is no coronavirus in our own party, the governor had said. In a telephone interview with Fresh FM, a radio station based in Ibadan, on Tuesday, Makinde said he had never doubted the existence of COVID-19. The transcript of the interview was released by the governors media office. Okay, first, you know we had a rally, I believe two weeks ago and then I have seen the video that has been circulating on social media which is being misinterpreted to mean that, I doubted at any time, the existence of COVID-19. The reality is no, I actually never did, he said. I had used COVID-19 in the same metaphorical way that their APC leader did when they were fighting about their chairmanship and he said, well, the virus has gotten into the party. So, I made a joke out of it and the video has been circulating that I said there is no coronavirus, that it only exists in the APC. Well, it was a metaphor. But to the good people of Oyo State, I want to say again: COVID-19 is real. So, they must follow all the measures government has put in place to prevent, contain and control this virus. The governor said his administration would continue to assess the situation and take measures where necessary. Oyo is not going to be locked down because every other state is doing that. Yes, Lagos can be on lockdown, Ogun can be on lockdown, Oyo state, yes, people have been saying have a total lockdown and then I have been asking them questions, he said. What will be the benefits here? Are there alternative courses of action for us to take? If you ask people not to come out, you lock down the market places, there are people who what they sell today the profit from todays activities is what they will eat tomorrow. There are many people like that within our environment. So, are there alternatives available to us? Can we do selective lockdowns? Thats why I imposed the curfew, to say look irin ti o ba ye ka rin. Makinde, who said he is yet to show symptoms of the disease after testing positive for it, added that he is still in charge of the state. Oyo has so far recorded eight cases of the disease. What is it about big cats that makes some people feel magnetically drawn to them? Theres a fascination, overall, with exotic animals. Something thats dangerous and beautiful, all at the same time. That also has a lot do with ego and status: Look at me, I have a tiger is similar to Look at me, I have a big boat. Or Look at me, I have a Ferrari. Theres a lot of machismo embedded in that. In America, there are also definitely parallels between I have a right to have a machine gun or a semiautomatic and I have a right to have a tiger. And they are definitely used as sexual bait in Joes case, young men, and in Docs case, young women. Do you think the operations run by some of the people in Tiger King were essentially cults? Theres a lot of brainwashing that goes on, whether its intentional or unintentional. People fantasize about working with animals, and then they start doing it, and then they start to believe that theyre indispensable and the animal loves them just as much they love the animal. Most of these people that landed in these places were very young when they got there, usually their teens or early 20s. They work seven days a week and get paid virtually nothing, and are never able to visit their families. These places have a lot of power over the people that became indoctrinated. How long did you spend filming the series? Its been five years focused on filming people in the United States, and it ramped up over the last two years, where it really felt like I was on a plane every week because this story was unfolding contemporaneously [when Joe Exotic was arrested, indicted and put on trial]. Theres some data that suggests that viewers get tired after a certain amount of episodes, and the sweet spot is probably between four and six. We just felt it deserved seven episodes in the end. Have you had any recent contact with Joe, and does he know about his latest flush of notoriety? Joe is ecstatic. Hed call from time to time, from jail. Hes been transferred to a federal penitentiary in Fort Worth. I lost communication I think he had to go into quarantine because of the virus but up until about three days ago, he was communicating with us. And thoroughly enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. Some viewers of Tiger King have criticized the series, saying that it exploits its subjects and holds them up as freaks to be mocked and pointed at. How do you respond to that? We tried very hard to be honest and fair with all of the subjects in the story. Some of them are bigger than life, for sure. They told me what they told me and some of that landed in the series. Of course we wanted to bring out each characters unique qualities. Mario Tabraue [the convicted drug trafficker] was genuinely pleased with the outcome. He knew that he had a past that people would want to hear about. New Delhi, April 2 : The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gautam Budh Nagar Anurag Bhargava has been removed from the crucial post and will be replaced by A.P. Chaturvedi. This is the second high profile sacking from the Noida administration after Noida District Magistrate B.N. Singh was removed a couple of days following Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath's visit to the city. The Chief Minister was visibly angry with the Noida hierarchy and in a video that surfaced was seen to be lashing out at the District Magistrate. The orders for the removal of Bhargava were issued late wednesday night. In place of Bhargava, Joint Director, Directorate General of Family Welfare A.P. Chaturvedi has been given the duty of CMO Gautam Budh Nagar. Noida has the single largest number of corona positive cases in Uttar Pradesh. With the number of positive cases showing a spike, Noida is one of the hot spots in the country with 48 cases, as 10 cases surfaced on Wednesday. While in Uttar Pradesh also the corona positive patients have crossed the figure of 115, out of which the maximum 48 cases are from Gautam Buddha Nagar i.e. Noida and Greater Noida. In an order, Principal Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Amit Mohan Prasad said that A.P. Chaturvedi, a Medical Director of the Joint Director Grade of the Medical and Health Services cadre, is appointed as the CMO of Gautam Buddha Nagar with immediate effect. He will replace Anurag Bhargava who will now be attached with the designated Nodal Officer of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Narendra Bhushan (Chief Executive Officer, Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar) to support his work. Also, it has been said in the letter that Bhargava should immediately hand over his charge to A.P. Chaturvedi. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has given reasons why it decided to suspend the implementation of a new electricity tariff regime in the country earlier scheduled for April 1. In its latest Order No: NERC/198/2020 issued on Tuesday on the transition to cost reflective tariffs in the Nigerian electricity supply industry (NESI), NERC said it would delay the tariff review for three months till June 30, 2020. The commission said the decision was in compliance with President Muhammadu Buharis decision to grant moratorium for certain federal government funded facilities throughout the period of the global economic crisis as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. In his nationwide broadcast on Sunday, March 29, on the impact of the deadly coronavirus, the president listed power generation, transmission and distribution companies among those granted exemptions from certain policy decisions until after the lockdown period declared by the federal government. The lockdown period, which is for an initial 14 days, was declared to curb the continued spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. More details Prior to the breakout of the pandemic, the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) had submitted Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) to NERC for consideration in accordance with the requirements of the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) approved by the federal government. The PIPs outlined each DisCos plan for improvement of service to electricity customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). In addition, all DisCos filed applications with NERC for a review of their respective end-user tariffs to guarantee their financial sustainability, except tariff support for the less privileged lifeline end-users. Between March 25 and April 9, 2020, NERC organised public hearings at different locations within the franchise areas of the respective DisCos to consider the PIP applications. On March 11, 2020, a similar public hearing was held for the consideration of the application by the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc (TCN) on the review of rates payable to generation companies. Part of the resolutions at the end of the public hearing was that customers of the 11 DisCos were willing to pay appropriate tariffs on the condition of guaranteed hours of service, quality of electricity supply and adequate metering. The hearings also noted the wide metering gap in NESI, currently at about 60 per cent, as a major impediment to both an immediate tariff review and revenue protection. Impact of COVID-19 However, NERC noted that the current global COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on the availability of imported components for local assembly of meters for supply to customers under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Regulations and the roll out plan for the existing stock. Considering the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economy and the consequential impact on the average Nigerian, NERC resolved to delay the implementation of the December 2019 minor review of multi-year tariff order (MYTO) 2015 and minimum remittance order for the year 2020 until June 30, 2020 when a new Minor Review Order shall be issued. Consequently, NERC resolved that there shall be no increase in tariffs to customers on April 1, 2020. Rather, all DisCos were directed to submit a detailed plan for the attainment of full costs recovery and allowed return on capital (Revenue Requirement) by June 30, 2021. In addition, the DisCos would ensure the revenue recovery and financial sustainability plans are submitted to NERC by April 21, 2020, including timelines, for transiting customers to higher quality of service. Ministrys interventions The Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, said on Tuesday the decision by NERC to delay the implementation of the new tariff order was one of several decisions by the government to ensure Nigerians continue to have power supply throughout the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. He, however, said even after the three months postponement, the tariff increase will not be implemented unless there is improvement of service by the DisCos. The minister also said the government was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to expedite action on payments to the power generation companies (GenCos) and gas suppliers through the Payment Assurance Facility (PAF) to ensure power supply. Advertisements He said the ministry was handling a number of initiatives to support electricity access to the rural and underserved communities through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) focusing on Solar Home Systems and Solar Mini-Grids. Apart from the support from the World Bank, African Development Bank, U.S. agency for international development (USAID), DFID and other key development partners to help accelerate power access, he said discussions are also ongoing with the CBN on how to accelerate access to Solar Home Systems and Solar Mini-Grids. On metering, he said the ministry is working with NERC to review the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) regulation to meet global standards. He said the ministry is also working with the Ministry of Finance and Nigeria Customs Service (NIS) to guarantee a regime for duties to help accelerate the deployment of electricity components and tools. Review process On December 31, 2019, NERC had announced its plans to immediately review electricity tariffs in the country from January 1. The order, titled December 2019 MYTO Minor Review Order for the 11 electricity distribution companies (DISCos) was jointly signed by the Chairman of the Commission, Joseph Momoh, and the Commissioner for Legal, License & Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye. However, the commission clarified later that the new tariff regime would not take effect until April 1, 2020 to allow it sufficient time to consult all the interest groups following misgivings by many Nigerians. The federal government then offered to continue to subsidise the gap in electricity cost to consumers pending the adjustment in tariffs. The review order involved the increase of the electricity tariffs chargeable by the 11 DisCos for all categories of consumers in the country, except the residential category (R1). A review of the new tariffs by PREMIUM TIMES showed price increases would have ranged between 60 per cent in places like Ikeja, Lagos to about 73 per cent in Abuja, and about 78 per cent in Enugu. (Alliance News) - Gold miner Caledonian Mining Corp on Wednesday said the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted it to defer the dividend for the second quarter. Caledonia said the decision has been made due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic for businesses. The dividend will be constantly reviewed. The company, which has paid quarterly dividends since 2014, said production at the Blanket gold mine in Zimbabwe is continuing but at a lower rate than targeted due to measures brought in to reduce the risk of infections among the workforce. Chair Leigh Wilson commented: "The Covid-19 pandemic has elevated global levels of uncertainty. I have full confidence our business will emerge from this situation substantially unchanged, but, out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to defer the dividend decision until we have greater clarity on the wider implications of this highly fluid situation. "The resumption of dividends will depend on, inter alia, Blanket maintaining a reasonable level of production; receiving payment in full and on-time for all gold sales; being able to make the necessary local and international payments and being able to replenish its supplies of consumables and other items." "Our balance sheet remains in an enviable position and the dividend remains comfortably affordable. Today's announcement is a continuation of the prudent approach to capital allocation that we have followed for several years, a path that we expect to continue," Wilson continued. Shares were 1.7% lower on Wednesday at midday in London at 708.00 pence each. By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. With the coronavirus lockdown in place, liquor would be delivered home by state-run retail outlets in Kerala after the left government has decided to issue special passes to tipplers, who exhibit withdrawal symptoms and have doctors prescription. Protesting the government decision, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) wore black badges on Wednesday, but attended duty and seeking immediate withdrawal of the order, saying it was "anti-people". As per guidelines issued by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation Managing Director G Sparjan Kumar, for the supply of liquor, a service charge of Rs 100 would be collected from each pass holder for meeting the delivery expenses. Each person would be entitled to 3 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and sale of wine and beer was not envisaged, the order stated. Those not willing to undertake the home delivery, the name and details of the employee should be reported to the Head office for submission to the government, it said. A civil police officer will have to accompany the distribution vehicle. The sale of liquor should be only to the pass holders, limiting it to the quantity mentioned in the pass. Any excess sale to pass holders or sales to non-pass holders is strictly prohibited, the order said. In the order issued on Monday, the government said, following the lockdown and the closure of liquor outlets in the state, there were many instances of social issues, including suicidal tendencies shown by those who consumed liquor regularly and the state government has decided to initiate steps to resolve the matter. Speaking to reporters here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government has not forced anyone to prescribe liquor to addicts. He was responding to a query on the indifference of doctors towards the matter of prescribing liquor to addicts. "If the doctors are not ready to prescribe liquor, it's fine. We are not forcing anyone to do so. We were just following the protocol which are prevalent at many places. It's been over a week. The family and friends of the addicts can gently persuade them to approach the de-addiction centres," he said. Sparjan Kumar said the order on home delivery was just a modality, as part of the earlier order issued by the government to provide liquor under prescription. "We have worked out a modality. We have a meeting tomorrow. Some new order has been issued by the Centre today. The meeting will discuss the implementation of the orders," Kumar told PTI. A person showing withdrawal symptoms has to get a doctor's prescription on his condition so that he could be provided liquor in a "controlled manner", the order added. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also come out against the government's move. Meanwhile, Vimukthi, an anti-narcotics campaign launched by the state government, has till now admitted 64 patients since March 24. "Since March 24, the day lockdown started, we have 64 patients admitted due to withdrawal symptoms. We have also registered at least 200 out patients at various de-addiction centres across Kerala," K Mohammed Resheed, Joint Excise Commissioner in charge of awareness told PTI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With India entering its eighth day of lockdown, the Union Health Ministry on April 1 said that India currently has 1,637 reported active cases of COVID-19 and 38 virus-related deaths. Reports have suggested that the government is focusing its attention on 10 hotspots across the country in its effort to control the spread of COVID-19. There are two hotspots each in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and Maharashtra and one each in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Here are the top developments of the day: >> Tamil Nadu saw a sharp spike in cases, with 110 positive cases being reported today alone. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state stand at 234. >> A COVID-19 positive case was reported from Dharavi in Mumbai. 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 >> Wimbledon 2020, which was to be held in June this year, has been cancelled in the wake of the pandemic. >> HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to promote all the students from classes 1 to 8. >> Two resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi tested positive for COVID-19. >> The Supreme Court sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking directions for providing WHO graded protective gear to doctors, nurses and medical staff. >> The Indian Armed Forces said that they would provide over 8,500 doctors and support staff for the treatment of COVID-19 cases. Track this blog for all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic >> Britain recorded over 500 deaths due to coronavirus on April 1, the country's highest single-day total. >> After pay cut, GoAir staff told that portion of March salary has been deferred to April. >> COVID-19 death toll crossed 1,000 in New York City. >> COVID19 pandemic is the most challenging crisis since World War II, UN chief Antonio Guterres said. US President Donald Trump urged Florida officials to let the passengers of a cruise ship, hit by the novel coronavirus, disembark by opening an Atlantic Coast port. During a White House briefing, Trump said that people are dying on the ship and he is going to do the right thing for humanity. The fate of the passengers and crew of Holland America Lines MS Zaandam is hanging by a thread since it is heading towards Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis has opposed the docking of the cruise ship. Last week, four passengers on a cruise ship off the pacific coast of the Panama coast died and over 130 people on board were displaying influenza-like symptoms. Healthy passengers transferred The cruise line transferred nearly two-thirds of guests onboard MS Zaandam to Rotterdam, a sister ship, after health screening with strict protocols developed in conjunction with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The transfer was completed after the vessel operator received approval from Panamanian authorities to conduct ship-to-ship operations at anchor between the two vessels. Read: Bernie Sanders, Other US Lawmakers Write To Trump To Lift Iran Sanctions Amid COVID-19 On March 22, a number of guests and crew members reported to the ships medical centre with influenza-like symptoms after which they were asked to remain in their staterooms. There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew onboard Zaandam with four doctors and four nurses. Since then, 53 guests and 85 crew members have reported influenza-like illness symptoms. Read: Donald Trump's Administration Has Increased Frequency Of Airstrikes In Somalia: Reports The cruise sailed on March 7 from Buenos Aires and was originally scheduled to end at San Antonio, Chile, on March 21. However, the cruise decided to suspend its operations for 30 days amid the global health crisis and now it has decided to extend its pause of global cruise operations for an additional 30 days, As the world addresses global health concerns, travel has come to a temporary standstill as communities take necessary precautions to protect themselves, said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. Read: 153 Indian Crew On-board Costa Victoria Cruise Request Help As Passengers Test COVID +ve Read: 41 Passengers Tested Positive For COVID-19 On German Cruise Ship Admitted In Australia Annual General Meeting of MCH Group Ltd. The Board of Directors of MCH Group Ltd. - working on the basis of Article 6a, letter b, of the Federal Council Ordinance 2 on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19) of 16 March 2020 - has taken the decision that the voting rights of shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of 24 April 2020 can only be exercised by granting a proxy to the independent voting representative. It is not possible to attend the Annual General Meeting in person. The agenda does not contain any extraordinary items. The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the Annual and Financial Report published on 26 March 2020 be approved and that the payment of a divided be waived. The members of the Board of Directors elected by the shareholders are standing for election for a further year, and the Board of Directors proposes that they be re-elected. Changes in the Board of Directors Thomas Weber, a member of the government of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft and Head of the cantonal Economic and Health Department, will be stepping down from the Board of Directors on 24 April 2020, having being appointed to the Board as a delegate of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft in 2013. The government of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft is waiving its right to appoint a member of the Board of Directors and delegate a successor to Thomas Weber. Dr. Eva Herzog, a member of the government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and Head of the its Finance Department until 31 January 2020, will be stepping down as a member of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting of 24 April 2020, having been a member since 2005 as a delegate of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. The government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt is delegating government member Dr. Tanja Soland, Head of the Finance Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, to the Board of Directors. Links Agenda items / Motions / Explanations (https://www.mch-group.com/en-US/mch-group/investor-relations.aspx) (in German) 2019 Reports online (https://reports.mch-group.com/19/ar/en/) Media releases (https://www.mch-group.com/en-US/news/medienmitteilungen.aspx) Media contact MCH Group Ltd. Corporate Communications Christian Jecker +41 58 206 22 52 christian.jecker@mch-group.com The MCH Group is a leading international live-marketing company group. It provides physical and digital platforms for a range of industries. And it offers customised solutions in all areas of live marketing throughout the world - from the strategy through to implementation. www.mch-group.com Irelands chief medical officer is in hospital, undergoing tests unrelated to Covid-19. Dr Tony Holohan told RTE news that he had been feeling unwell at the start of the daily coronavirus press briefing on Tuesday night. He was seen clutching his chest by social media users during the briefing, which is streamed online. He went to St Jamess Hospital in Dublin for tests and is expected to be released on Thursday. Dr Holohan has been giving daily updates to the media on the situation regarding the outbreak since it began last month. His deputy, Professor Ronan Glynn, will take over in his absence. Englands chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, is on a leave of absence after he contracted Covid-19. He had been working alongside UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who also have the virus. Tonight on The Connection, host Mike Hove speaks to Zimbabweans in different parts of the world about the Coronavirus. The Zimbabwean government reports that so far 8 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and 1 has lost his life as a result of the virus. 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. Casino operator Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) is paying out in a much different way during the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus emergency. On Tuesday, the company pledged that it is donating just over 2 million items of personal protective equipment to healthcare professionals in order to help them cope with the situation. Specifically, Las Vegas Sands will provide 2 million medical masks and 20,000 protective suits. The former are to be distributed in Nevada and New York, while the latter will go to Nevada hospitals and first-responder medical personnel. This represents a step up for the company, which previously supplied 100,000 face masks to Las Vegas healthcare workers, an additional 5,000 to the city's Metro Police Department, and 1,900 coronavirus testing kits to to the state of Nevada. Las Vegas Sands also mentioned that it is donating $250,000 to several Nevada food charities. Like its rival casino operators in Las Vegas, the company has temporarily shuttered its properties in the gambling mecca. These will remain closed until April 1, although given the present situation with the coronavirus -- specifically the need to practice social distancing measures -- it's likely the shutdown will last longer. Las Vegas Sands is currently continuing to pay its employees in the city. This workforce numbers almost 10,000, according to the company. "Hopefully our donations will help protect people on the front lines so they can continue their invaluable work, and we can start to see the numbers of people affected begin to diminish," Las Vegas Sands wrote in its announcement. On Tuesday, Las Vegas Sands shares fell by nearly 2.4% on the day. This was slightly worse than the declines posted by numerous top stocks and equity market indexes. Medical schools across the UK are to fast-track qualifications for final-year students to enable them to work for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. The University of Bristol will be one of the first medical schools in the country to do so, qualifying more than 220 final-year medical students on Friday. A virtual qualification ceremony for the students, attended by the University's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Hugh Brady, will take place on Zoom. Bristol medical students Ben Turner, left, and John Gilbert, right, are part of the group of 220 trainee doctors who will graduate early on Friday allowing them to apply for jobs in NHS hospitals to help treat patients with Covid-19 The University of Bristol is the first college in the country to bring forward the qualification date for final year medical students so they can start working in NHS hospitals earlier than normal. Once qualified, the medics will require provisional registrations with the General Medical Council to allow them to work in hospital Once provisionally registered by the General Medical Council (GMC), the new doctors will be invited to apply for jobs by the Foundation Programme, which will oversee the national implementation. It is anticipated that the majority of them will work in local hospitals in Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Taunton, Gloucester, Yeovil, Cheltenham and Weston-super-Mare. Depending on GMC registration, it is likely they will be working in hospitals before the end of April. Professor Jane Norman, Dean of Health Sciences, said: 'Medical schools across the nation are working hard to ensure that their final-year students are fully trained and ready for qualification. 'We will be one of, if not the first medical school to qualify our students, but over the next few months many medical schools will do the same. 'With this additional workforce and all the dedicated retired staff who have recently returned to service, the NHS will be in a much stronger position to look after the nation.' The new doctors will predominantly be working on the wards in the hospitals, clerking new patients, checking on admitted patients, assisting more senior doctors, ordering tests and checking results, as well as prescribing drugs and undertaking procedures such as fitting drips. Bristol Medical School is providing advice about starting as a doctor to the newly qualified cohort, who will be supervised and mentored by more experienced colleagues. Ben Turner, one of those due to qualify on Friday, said: 'After a minimum of five years of study, final-year medical students possess fundamental skills to support our NHS colleagues at this time of national crisis. 'The cohort feels an overwhelming desire to help and graduating us early is vital to support hospitals already feeling the strain, allow the re-allocation of more senior doctors to the front line, and create capacity in the system as medical staff increasingly need to self-isolate.' John Gilbert, another final-year medical student, said: 'During this time of international crisis, a health crisis, we want to start work a few months early so that we can help our colleagues, help our NHS, and help our country to overcome Covid-19. 'We are ready to work, we want to help out, and we are entering a well-supported and caring community of NHS professionals who will supervise us.' Dr Andrew Blythe, programme director of Bristol Medical School, said he was 'immensely proud' of the final-year class. 'They are well-trained, capable, and their positive response to the crisis has been overwhelming,' he said. 'The staff and students have worked extremely hard to ensure that the students have completed all aspects of their training and are ready to work as junior doctors.' TCT Now in Savannah NEWS PROVIDED BYApril 1, 2020MARION, Ill., April 1, 2020 / Standard Newswire / -- TCT Television Network is pleased to announce the newest addition to its network of affiliated broadcast television stations, WSCG-TV, Savannah, Georgia.TCT's Founder and President, Dr. Garth Coonce, relates "This station addition couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The need to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ, during this critical time in our nation's history, has never been greater and we are looking forward to being able to providing that encouragement to South Carolina's low country and Georgia's eastern coastal TV audiences through WSCG's broadcast signal."TCT airs commercial-free, inspirational programming designed to appeal to a wide variety of denominational and cultural backgrounds. Programming formats include magazine, talk, interview, variety, music, and music videos. Viewers enjoy teaching, preaching, evangelism, health and fitness, youth and children's programs. Some of the nation's most prominent pastors and broadcast ministries air their programs on TCT; and loyal viewing audiences continue to grow as they receive the encouragement and inspiration they are searching for in a world with little hope or answers to life's most challenging questions.The Emmy Award winning TCT Network is recognized as a leader in Christian television with many awards including the Christian Network of the year. TCT remains on the cutting edge by utilizing the latest in high definition and virtual studio productions; as well as mobile, live and on-demand video streaming technologies such as ROKU; Apple TV; Kindle Fire; Android TV; Amazon Fire and YouTube to make the most of every audience opportunity.Join us and enjoy the programming of South Carolina and Georgia's newest Christian television station WSCG-TV34!For more information, press only:Judy Church, Vice President of Media RelationsTCT Television NetworkMarion, Illinois 62959618.997.4700 ext. 1162SOURCE TCTCONTACT: Judy Church, 618-997-4700 ext 1162, Judy@tct.tv Related Links Robots play an important role in fighting the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 around the globe. Disinfection robot UVD for example has been in high demand since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese hospitals have ordered more than 2,000 UVD robots by Danish manufacturer Blue Ocean Robotics. They started to destroy viruses in Wuhan, where the global pandemic began. The units operate in more than 40 countries in Asia, Europe and the United States. UVD uses ultraviolet light (UV-C) to kill harmful microorganisms. The robot is the current holder of the IERA innovation award by IEEE and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). "We are now helping solve one of the biggest problems of our time, preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria with a robot that saves lives," says Claus Risager, CEO of Blue Ocean Robotics. "The immediate demand has increased a lot with the outbreak of COVID-19. Existing customers buy many more units than before, and many new customers are ordering the UVD robots to fight coronavirus and other harmful microorganisms." Robot helps at hospitals, airports, schools or office spaces The Danish robot moves autonomously around patient rooms and operating theatres covering all critical surfaces with the right amount of UV-C light in order to kill specific viruses and bacteria. The more light the robot exposes to a surface, the more harmful microorganisms are destroyed. In a typical patient room, 99.99 of all viruses and bacteria are killed within 10 minutes. The technology also works in environments such as office spaces, shopping malls, schools, airports and production facilities. "Robots have a great potential of supporting us in the current severe corona pandemic," said Dr Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the International Federation of Robotics. "They can support us in healthcare environments, but also in the development, testing and production of medicine, vaccines and other medical devices and auxiliaries. Disinfection tasks performed e.g. by UVD units or safe distribution of hospital material in quarantine zones without personal contact provided e.g. by Photoneo's mobile robot Phollower, are just two of many examples." Please find the full text version here: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/ About IFR The International Federation of Robotics: www.ifr.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005316/en/ Contacts: Carsten Heer phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284 E-Mail: press@ifr.org A frontline Civil Rights Advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has accused the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari of sustaining the 'apartheid policy' of exclusion of the South East of Nigeria from enjoying strategic national assets by his recent order suspending renovation works at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport which is the only international gateway for over 65 million Nigerians of Igbo extraction. HURIWA dismissed as infantile, sinister and irresponsible, the explanation of the Aviation minister Senator Hadi Sirika the Cousin of President Muhammadu Buhari for the suspension of works at the Enugu International Airport based on the current health emergency of CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA. HURIWA; One of the few credible CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONs following up on the progress of works at that only International gateway to Igboland, faulted the Aviation minister's half-baked excuses for the suspension of renovation works because according to it, the global health situation has not stopped operations of key and indeed essential sectors of the economies of most nations of the world including the services of the Aviation industry, the security services, the telecommunications services and even environmental protection and sanitation agencies and wondered why the Aviation minister is being clever by half by hiding under CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC that got to Nigeria around mid March of 2020 to suspend a major national task like the renovation of the only International Airport serving the entire South East of Nigeria which CONTRACTUALLY should have been completed by today. HURIWA affirmed that given that the works that commenced since Months ago has a timeline of April and then the Rights group wondered why Buhari's regime could suspend the work on the eve of the expected completion? This is state sponsored fraud by other means and must never be accepted by the good people of the South East of Nigeria, HURIWA asserted. "HURIWA is aware since October last year that the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu would be completed by April 2020. We are aware that he the minister of aviation said this while speaking with news men in Abuja after the defence of the ministrys budget before the Senate Committee on Aviation." "And then HURIWA vividly recalled that His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari had on October 17, approved the release of N10 billion Special Intervention Fund for immediate repairs and upgrade of the airport. President Buhari it was who told the World then that he was aware of the central nature of the airport, which was closed for repairs since August 24, to the socio-economic development of the Southeast. Nigerians must be awoken from their collective slumber to recall that Nigeria's current smooth talking Aviation ministry's boss the Katsina state born Senator Hadi Sirika, who noted that money had been approved by Buhari said, we are waiting for the release and I am sure it will be released very soon and stated that his office was meeting with the contractor. He will give us his programme of work; we will look at that programme of work diligently and ensure it is procured within the time and within the budget". "And subsequently, we were never told that this N10 billion was never released because when the Political leadership of the South East of Nigeria met the President around October the Presidency said the N10 billion intervention fund has been released and the Aviation minister continuously briefed Nigerians on the progress of work there and had at a time stated that the job has been done up to 90%. The decision of this same Federal Government, on Tuesday, announcing the suspension of ongoing reconstruction work at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu is irresponsible politics and is a reminder that the administration is finding it difficult to give to the South East of Nigeria her due right as equal citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria". HURIWA reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that Under section 42(1) of the Nigerian constitution President Muhammadu Buhari is absolutely prohibited from carrying out this sort of discriminatory policy affecting the South East of Nigeria based on the Ethno-religious or political persuasions. HURIWA continued thus: "The Aviation minister Senator Sirika had said the project, which had gone beyond 90 percent, would have been delivered before Easter and then decided to be economical with the truth by stating that considering that the construction workers have downed tools owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government hereby officially announce suspension of procurement.. it beggars belief that the Federal Minister of Aviation is now playing the ostrich by stating comically that at the only international Airport for Ndigbo, the work would have been completed in 6-7 days, but the workers left to be with their families in view of the social distancing, the minister declared". "This is a POLITICAL PRANK TAKEN TOO FAR. The Minister should recall these workers to go back to site and safely deliver the project observing social distancing and deploying the services of technology and protection gears to deliver the contract that they ought to have delivered today being April. We will not accept this COCK-AND-BULL STORY of Hadi Sirika. Is Hadi Sirika unaware that cleaners and other essential service providers are at work now? Is the minister not working and we are aware that his office operates 24/7 virtually because there are still emergency flights that are still being allowed to operate with special permission. How is the minister and his key staff going about their duties but believes that the critically acclaimed Enugu international airport should be abandoned because of the so-called social distancing even when policemen, private security and street sweepers are working?" Across the world education must be transformed to meet 21st-century needs and ensure that education puts young adults on a path to prosperity. The key connections are education to employability to economic independence. We are excited to collaborate with Minister Trotta and help bring his transforma Argentinas ministry of education has partnered with Encyclopaedia Britannica to enable remote learning throughout the country during the coronavirus school shutdown and beyond, Britannica announced today. The partnership aims to transform schools and other learning environments over the long term to ensure student success in the rapidly evolving employment market and in response to the changing educational requirements of the 21st century. The agreement was finalized in a virtual meeting on Friday, March 27, attended by Argentine Minister of Education Nicolas Trotta; Director of the National Library of Teachers Fernando Lopez; Global CEO of the Britannica Group, Karthik Krishnan; Julian Shocron, group consultant; Diego Sueiras, president of the New Generation Argentina Foundation (FNGA); and executive director of the FNGA, Maria Cantore. Mr. Sueiras at FNGA and Mr. Shocron brought the group together to chart the course for better access and quality education in Argentina. Education Minister Nicolas Trotta and his team are focused on ensuring that learning continues while schools are closed. They are leveraging multiple channels -- TV, radio, print and digital to bring education into the living rooms throughout the country. We want to ensure that everyone irrespective of socio-economic status has access to learning opportunities even in these challenging times, said Minister Trotta. We will leverage Britannicas digital-learning solutions and its teacher-development programs to inspire and engage students and empower teachers and parents. Krishnan said, Across the world education must be transformed to meet 21st-century needs and ensure that education puts young adults on a path to prosperity. The key connections are education to employability to economic independence. We are excited to collaborate with Minister Trotta and help bring his transformative vision to life. It is refreshing to work with a minister who, from his experiences as a university professor, understands the realities on the ground and what is needed to enable Argentinian students to be successful and effective in a global world. The first phase of the joint initiative will involve setting up a digital library and training teachers on how best to use Britannica resources to engage students and shape learning. About the Britannica Group The Britannica Group is a global knowledge leader. A pioneer in digital learning since the 1980s, the company today serves the needs of students, lifelong learners, and professionals by providing curriculum products, language-study courses, digital encyclopedias, and professional readiness training through its extensive products. The company has continued to pioneer and redefine information discovery within the technology and education fields, serving 83 countries and 150 million students worldwide in 16 languages. The companys mission to inspire curiosity and the joy of learning has earned it the ranking of the #1 company to watch in the EdTech Digests State of the EdTech report for 2019-2020. It is headquartered in Chicago. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 09:31:43|Editor: ZD Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya's UN-backed government on Tuesday announced two new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10. The center said in a statement that it tested 11 suspected cases of the novel coronavirus, nine of which tested negative and two positive. UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj recently declared a state of emergency and mobilization against the virus. His government has taken a series of measures against the coronavirus, such as closing airports, border crossings, educational institutions and mosques; banning large gatherings and movements among cities; and imposing a curfew. The government also stipulated daily working hours from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. On March 24, Libya announced its first COVID-19 case, a 73-year-old man who returned from Saudi Arabia. As Europe deals with the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled healthcare services on an unprecedented scale, countries in the Middle East already demolished by war are bracing themselves for disaster. Doctors and health officials tell The Independent in over a dozen interviews across Syria, Yemen and Libya that they cannot halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus, and that healthcare systems are completely open and vulnerable to the impending crisis. They fear millions of vulnerable people are at risk of death in places where years of conflict have destroyed healthcare systems, severed supply lines and allowed famine and diseases like cholera to sweep through the populations. Preventative measures like social distancing and lockdowns are impossible for many who fled the frontlines and are now living in crammed displacement camps or temporary housing with little access to water or sanitation products to wash hands. SYRIA: Latest deaths just the tip of the iceberg As Syria enters its tenth year of war, the country is no closer to finding a peaceful solution. At least 11 million people in the country already need humanitarian assistance to survive, while almost eight million people do not have reliable access to food. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) say that since the start of the 2011 civil war, there have been at least 595 documented attacks on over 300 hospitals across the country, mostly perpetrated by the Syrian government and its allies Russia and Iran. Much of that destruction has not been repaired, particularly in former opposition strongholds: only half the countrys medical facilities are working, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Syria recorded its second Covid-19 death on Monday, a number that has been described by the United Nations as the tip of the iceberg as it may be much lower than the true figure. Medics across the country have also told The Independent there are many more sick that have not been reported. While Damascus has rolled out nightly curfews, partial lockdowns and testing to combat the disease in regime-held areas, it has been harder to enforce these measures in the rest of the country. Northwest Syria: Primed for the health disaster that is about to unfold An area of critical concern is the countrys opposition-held northwest. Idlib and northern Aleppo are home to four million people, a million of whom were displaced last year alone in the regimes latest offensive on the rebels final holdout. Many civilians live in overcrowded, unhygienic camps. PHRs Rayan Koteiche said there had been at least 40 confirmed attacks on hospitals since April 2019. The area is open, vulnerable and completely primed for the health disaster that is about to unfold, he told The Independent. As the WHO began Covid-19 tests in rebel-held areas only at the end of last week, medics do not have a clear sense of the spread. Refugees International told The Independent at least three people in Idlib have died showing symptoms of Covid-19, and several other patients had been quarantined. Maram al-Sheikh, minister of health for the Syrian interim government anchored in northern Aleppo, said they have only one ventilator for every 26,500 people and no capacity at all to treat anyone with coronavirus. We have more than two million IDPs [internally displaced people] living in camps, he told The Independent. We only have 65 hospitals, with just over 200 ICU beds and only 150 ventilators, for 4 million people. All hospitals are already full to capacity with patients. Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Show all 24 1 /24 Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Aftermath of an airstrike in a chicken farm in the town of Maarat Misrin, Idlib, Syria, March 2020. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Six displaced families were living in the farm, at least 16 people died in the late night attack. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Maarat Misrin attack in Idlib. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Maarat Misrin attack in Idlib. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Maarat Misrin attack in Idlib. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Yusuf Sayman Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs are seen in a central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Hundreds of families live in the basement and car park of the stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire IDPs in central Idlib stadium. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire A scene from the Idlib market. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire A scene from the Idlib market. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire A scene from the Idlib market. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Suleyman Suleyman, a 24-year-old Arabic teacher, is seen in the al-Barayeem primary school, which was hit by an air strike on 25 February. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire The strike killed 3 adults, forcing the school to close. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Assadollah, a fighter just returned from the battle to recapture Saraqeb, poses for a photograph in the town of Binnish. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire A building hit by an airstrike few days ago in the town of Binnish. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Building in Binnish town. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Yousef Ramadan and his son are seen in the rubble of their apartment complex that was hit by an airstrike in the town of al-Fua, north of Idlib four days ago. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) Inside Idlib: Syrians caught in the crossfire Nine were killed in the attack. (Photo: Yusuf Sayman) He said the authorities have imposed some measures including restrictions on movement to neighbouring Turkey, where over 200 people have died from Covid-19 and more than 13,500 have been infected. But Mr al-Sheikh said Syrian schools, universities and markets still needed to be sterilised. We badly need an awareness campaign. People do not realise what is coming to them, he added. In Idlib, a de facto governing body backed by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has banned open markets and bazaars over coronavirus fears, but medics there say they still deeply concerned. Dr Hassan Hamdy, an Idlib medic, said his hospital had no ICU beds free. All we have is oxygen tanks and painkillers, you cant fight the disease with that, he said. Northeast Syria: If we have a small outbreak, we will run out of supplies immediately In the Kurdish held northeast of the country, health officials there said they have no Covid-19 tests and therefore no way of mapping the spread. The only functioning testing machines were lost in October 2019, during Turkeys cross-border incursion aimed at repelling the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF, together with the US-led coalition, declared a geographical victory over the so-called Islamic State last year. The SDF is holding at least 10,000 Isis fighters in overcrowded jails, as well as tens of thousands of Isis family members and supporters in camps, which again pose a major Covid-19 risk. The Rojava Information Centre (RIC), a media organisation based in northeast Syria, told The Independent that Kurdish medics were relying on stop-gap solutions like repurposed malaria tests and temperature checks, to piece together an inaccurate picture of patients conditions. Dwindling supplies have also hampered coronavirus response efforts: in January, under pressure from Russia, the UN Security Council closed the only UN aid crossing into north and east Syria. Medics warn they now have only enough protective equipment for doctors to treat a maximum of 100 coronavirus patients. We cant get supplies from anywhere and the WHO is not cooperating with us, the borders are shut, said Raperin Hassan, a health official for the Kurdish-held region. We have tried for over a month to get a supply of latex gloves from regime areas. A US armoured vehicle drives past a billboard for the Syrian Kurdish Womens Protection Units (YPJ) (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty Images) She added: We have about enough gloves, masks and protective gowns for medics to look after about 100 patients with Covid-19. If we have a small outbreak, we will run out of supplies immediately. She said that they have 12 ventilators for millions of people. The WHO could not be reached for comment by The Independent by the time of publication. Dr Nima Saeed, the WHOs representative for Syria, has previously said it was working on assigning a testing laboratory in northeast Syria. Dr Saeed told the RIC in a recent interview that while closure of the sole crossing had complicated supply chains, they have not had any problems delivering supplies by liaising with Damascus. There are also growing fears around the security of overcrowded prisons if there is an outbreak of coronavirus. The largest camp, al-Hol, is home to more than 70,000 Isis supporters and family members who regularly stage protests, and there is no way to effectively isolate or quarantine anyone within the camp. The countrys northeast is also under continued threat from Turkey. Although the fighting between Kurdish and Turkish forces has largely stopped, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday that Ankara had weaponised water during the pandemic, after seizing control of the Allouk water pumping station, which serves nearly half a million people in Hassakah. The New-York based watchdog said that Turkish authorities had interrupted water pumping several times during the start of the year, impacting peoples ability to take basic precautions like hand washing a vital preventative measure to stop the spread of coronavirus. In regime-held areas of Deir Ezzor, there are unconfirmed reports about an outbreak of Covid-19 among forces from Iran, which is currently struggling to battle the worst outbreak in the region. Mohammad Hassan, a Syrian journalist in the north, told The Independent he had unconfirmed reports of 60 cases with several members of Iran-affiliated forces in quarantine in Al Shifaa hospital along the Syrian-Iraqi border. Activists on the ground said that with no official testing, the situation is impossible to gauge, but is critical because of the continued movement of pilgrims into the area from virus hotspots like Iraq and Iran. There is a Shia holy site in a town close to the border with Iraq, and many Syrians and Iranians are still visiting the place even during these days, potentially spreading the virus, said Ahed, a local journalist, asking for only his first name to be used. LIBYA: We are a divided country at war, with effectively two health ministries The Libyan authorities are scrabbling to import medical supplies in the battle-ravaged Tripoli. Fighting in the country still rages between the recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) alongside Turkey-back Syrian fighters, and forces belonging to Khalifa Haftar a military commander who is loyal to a rival government in the east. At least eight cases of the virus have been identified and no deaths, however, the government again lacks testing kits. GNA officials told The Independent that their medical staff are not trained to deal with a pandemic and are already overwhelmed with battle injuries from daily shelling and airstrikes. The other problem is, we are divided countries, we effectively have two health ministries the one in Tripoli and in the east, said one GNA official, who asked not to be named. It will make it much harder to defeat the coronavirus if we cannot have a coordinated response, if we are still fighting against each other. The Libyan Red Crescent said they have donated all their protective equipment like latex gloves and masks to Tripolis hospitals in expectation of a rise in Covid-19 cases. We should be responding to battle injuries with protection, given anyone could be infected, but we have given most of our supplies away for the Covid-19 emergency, said Red Crescent paramedic Asad Jafar. Another major concern is a massive population of vulnerable migrants and refugees. For years Libya has been one of the main gateways to Europe with, at its peak, as many as 180,000 migrants paying smugglers to cross the Mediterranean. With a renewed crackdown on the smuggling trade within Libya, and restrictive measures in place in Italy, the flow has all but stopped but the country still hosts a large migrant population. Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said at least 1,500 migrants are being held in official detention centres, which are squalid and cramped. Our biggest concern is the unofficial detention centres run by militias and smugglers we cannot reach those people, she added. YEMEN: If we get a single case it will become an epidemic immediately Fighting in Yemen between Iran-backed rebels the Houthis and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has flared since the weekend. No coronavirus cases have yet been recorded because the country has been all but sealed off due to a Saudi-enforced land, air and sea blockade. But doctors and medical charities told The Independent it is just a matter of time, with the country having no capacity to respond. The five-year war has spawned the largest humanitarian crisis in terms of numbers. An estimated 80 per cent of the population or 24 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance to survive. Two-thirds of the country are one step away from famine. Adding to the woes is the worst outbreak of cholera in modern history, which has left the population incredibly vulnerable to a coronavirus outbreak. Oxfam reported last week that there are 50 suspected cholera cases emerging every hour, compounded by the fact that around 17 million people more than half the population have no access to clean water. In those conditions, coronavirus could rage through the country, where only half the medical facilities are still functioning. A recent report by the Yemen Data Project found that over the last five years, Saudi-led coalition aircraft have bombed medical facilities including hospitals and clinics 83 times, killing 95 civilians and injuring a further 116. The prospects are very bleak Yemenis are far more vulnerable than any other population in the region, said PHRs Koteiche. PHR together with the group Mwatana for Human Rights put out a report detailing the destruction to Yemens healthcare system. Medics on the ground told The Independent they did not have the medical supplies to treat those with malnutrition, cholera or war wounds let alone Covid-19. We have no additional equipment like protective gear, no available items like ventilators, said Ashwaq Muharram, a doctor who has been fighting famine for the last few years in besieged Hodeidah. We have no place for isolation, quarantine. People can barely afford to eat as it stands. Whole swathes of areas do not have access to clean water. If we get a single case of Covid-19 here, it will become an epidemic immediately. Additional reporting by Rajaa Bourhan Iranian gas export to Turkey stops due to pipeline explosion IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 31, IRNA -- Iranian gas export to Turkey stopped on Tuesday due to pipeline explosion on Turkish soil, according to Director of National Iranian Gas Company in charge of dispatching Mehdi Jamshidi Dana. Mehdi Jamshidi Dana told IRNA that Iranian gas pipeline has exploded several times on Turkish soil, adding that in most cases, the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) did so, it is also likely that the group has carried out the blast. He added that the explosion occurred near the Iranian border and stopped gas exports to Turkey from 06:50 Tuesday morning and the Turkish side has not been responsive to it so far. Jamshidi Dana noted that due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Turkish border guards at Bazargan post have left, but we have informed them of the explosion and are waiting for their response. He said that it usually takes three to four days to repair and resume gas exports. The pipeline, which carries around 10 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas to Turkey annually, frequently came under attack by Kurdish militants since 1990s and up until 2013, when a ceasefire was established. 6125**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syracuse, NY -- On a daily basis, major employers -- including schools, hospitals and nursing homes -- are announcing that someone has tested positive for coronavirus. The post office and airport have had cases. On Tuesday, the biggest grocery store in Central New York announced one: the DeWitt Wegmans. With infected employees now connected to some of the areas busiest institutions, why hasnt the government done more to alert the public about these cases? That question dominated several minutes of County Executive Ryan McMahons Tuesday coronavirus news conference. He also addressed the increasing number of young people getting the disease and how cell phone data shows we need to do more to social distance. Why no details on COVID-19 cases in most public places? Onondaga Countys way of dealing with coronavirus cases in public places is to keep that information private, unless the health department believes there was a gap in finding people who were exposed to the infected person. Officials say they have to balance public safety with protecting the privacy of infected individuals, who have done nothing wrong. In cases involving the Wegmans employee and most of the others, the health department is confident that it has found everyone who needs to be concerned, officials said. That means no information will be released to the wider public. Wegmans has said only that the employees last day of work was March 23. McMahon acknowledged that silence by the county can be frustrating to the public. This is where it gets uncomfortable, and we get it, he said. But he said investigations are going on behind the scenes, and that county health officials are erring on the side of caution in determining who needs to be contacted -- reaching out to more people than is probably needed. Local employers are often releasing limited information publicly after conferring with the health department first, he said. McMahon said the virus spreads much like the flu -- through sneezing or coughing or other direct contact. That helps the health departments investigators decide who is at risk. You would really need to be in direct contact with that person, if you were shopping, for (spread) to happen, he said. If theres not a press release, the public can rest assured that we have the individuals who should be in a quarantine in a quarantine. In the Wegmans case, McMahon said the biggest concern would likely be the other employees. The health department would look at which co-workers had direct contact with the infected worker. If there was a concern, via video, that that this individual may have had direct contact with someone in aisle so on or so on, you then would probably get to the point where you would need to ask the public for help, McMahon said. We know its uncomfortable, we know that a lot of people work at these employers who are now putting things out, but at the same time -- theres no 100 percent risk mitigation -- our health departments investigation is as complete as it can be, he continued. Dr. Indu Gupta, the countys health commissioner, added that coronavirus doesnt spread the same way as measles or tuberculosis, which can become airborne. Coronavirus is considered spread through direct contact. She encouraged employers to keep putting out information about the viruss spread, but urged the public not to worry too much about each specific case. Its fantastic, because it raises awareness, Gupta said, but it should not raise alarm. Both McMahon and Gupta declined several times to divulge more information about the Wegmans case. There have only been a handful of cases so far in which theres been public outreach regarding possible community spread: a Solvay meat market, a Syracuse church and an Erie Boulevard eye wear center. Here are the three cases of concern released by the health department: Bethany Baptist Church: Infected person attended on Sunday, March 15. Asciotis Market, located at 3249 Milton Ave. in Solvay: Infected employee worked from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. Americas Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, located at 3401 Erie Blvd East, DeWitt: Infected employee worked: Monday 3/9 8:30 am-5:30 pm Tuesday 3/10 9:30 am-6:30 pm Wednesday 3/11 10:30 am-7:30 pm Thursday 3/12 9:30 am-3:30 pm Biggest age group of COVID-19 cases? The highest number of coronavirus infections are being reported among people in their 20s, according to county data. As of Tuesday, there were 53 infections among people in their 20s. There were seven cases involving people younger than 19. That means 24 percent of cases are people younger than 30. The next biggest group are people in their 50s, with 46 infections. There are 28 infections among people 70 years and older. McMahon noted the trend in younger infections Tuesday, but didnt conclude why that was the case. Infections have been spread over every demographic since the early days of the local pandemic. In fact, at least one person in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s has been hospitalized at some point. A total of 249 people have tested positive for the virus so far. Our social distancing? Give it a "B" Cell phone companies are tracking our social distancing patterns by monitoring the location of our phones. A similar technology, which used location data from social apps, graded New York State with an "A" for limiting movements during the pandemic. New York State residents have reduced movements by 49 percent, according to that measurement. But McMahon said Tuesday that a report he saw graded Onondaga County with a B. Were reducing movements by around 33 percent. Thats not good enough, he said. We need to work on getting better at staying home and not moving around. We gotta get better than a B, he said. We need to get a B+, then go for an A. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in the cashflows of the businesses and even the salaried working in certain sectors such as hospitality, aviation and tourism. Many face a bleak future with the possibility of losing their jobs. As a temporary relief measure, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently announced that banks can offer a three-month moratorium on all the outstanding term loans falling due from March 1 to May 31 and the extend repayment period by three months. These include home, personal, education and auto loans. Some banks have started implementing the moratorium and have specified the procedure to opt for the same. Heres how you can avail the loan moratorium offered by banks. How do you apply? Customers servicing a loan with the State Bank of India can opt for the loan moratorium scheme by submitting an application form on email in the prescribed format that is available in the banks website. Along with this, the customer also needs to submit the National Automated Clearing House (NACH) extension mandate form. Its important to note that the total repayment period will be extended by three months over the original repayment period. Also, interest will continue to accrue on your loan account during the period of the moratorium. As Moneycontrol had pointed out earlier, this is not a loan holiday. Its a mere postponement of your loan; you get a relief for three months but youve got to pay your loan eventually. HDFC Bank customers seeking a moratorium need to apply on the banks website or call 022-50042333, 022-50042211, and follow the instructions. In case you are a Canara Bank customer, you might have received an SMS with instructions to avail of the loan moratorium. According to the SMS, customers have to respond with a no to a given number so that the electronic clearing system (ECS) payment mandate, post-dated cheques, standing instructions given to bank will be cancelled and loan repayment can be stopped for three months. If you are an IDFC First Bank customers, you need to send an email application with the loan details to the bank for taking the moratorium. What if I want to continue paying my EMIs? For the above-mentioned banks, in case you dont contact your bank for a moratorium then its assumed you will continue to pay your EMI as per schedule. For IDBI Bank customers, relief is granted automatically to all accounts. However, if your cashflow is not impacted on account of Covid-19 and you want to continue paying your EMIs as per schedule, you have to write an email to moratorium@idbi.co.in by April 3, 2020. In this email, mention your loan account number, borrower details and state that you wish to opt out of the instalment moratorium facility offered by the bank. Other banks are expected to offer moratorium on EMIs using similar methods. What about the EMI already paid in March? Banks are initiating steps to defer the installments and EMIs on term loans falling due between March 1 and May 31. However, there are several instances of customers accounts being debited in the month of March for their EMIs. In such a situation, some of the banks are refunding the March instalment. For instance, SBI will refund the EMI amount after submitting the Deferment of recovery of instalment for moratorium scheme application form. However, not all banks are going to refund the March instalment if its already paid by the customer. For instance, IDBI bank customers will get the relief only for the EMI payable in April and May 2020 if the amount is already debited for March 2020. Should you opt for this moratorium? The moratorium has been announced primarily for providing relief to those who cannot repay their term loans due to the adverse impact of the lockdown. As per the RBI guidelines regarding the moratorium, interest will continue to accrue on the outstanding amount of term loan even during the moratorium period. Naveen Kukreja, CEO and Co-founder of Paisabazaar.com says, This scheme will increase the total interest cost for those rescheduling their loan repayments with the moratorium. So, existing borrowers should continue with their original loan repayment schedule if their cash flows allow them to do so. It will save you from incurring higher interest cost on your loan. Harsh Roongta, SEBI registered Investment Adviser says, This scheme is not much of a concession for anyone whose cash flows are not likely to be immediately impacted on account of the lockdown. The interest for the three-month period may need to be paid as a lump-sum in June 2020. For a home loan of Rs 30 lakh with SBI with a remaining maturity of 15 years, the net additional interest would be Rs 2.34 lakh (approximately) if you opt for the loan moratorium. The silver lining here is that your credit score wont get impacted even if you opt for the moratorium. And RBIs massive rate cut will also provide relief to home loan customers. Conversion Brewings business model is the opposite of social distancing. That makes the current environment difficult for the downtown Lebanon craft brewery and restaurant. On March 16, Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order closing dining rooms at all restaurants and bars. Along with many other restaurant owners in Lebanon, Matt and Rachelle Cowart have been working hard to keep their business afloat until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Our motto is passionate people crafting community, said owner Matt Cowart. The thing that is hurting us and our customers the most is our business model is based around community and gathering people. And that has been taken away from us. Were trying to figure out ways to make people feel connected. Weve been doing some live-feed videos so people can chime in and ask questions and see whats going on. Conversion Brewing has reduced its hours at this time and is closed on Sunday and Monday. From Tuesday through Saturday, Conversion is open from noon to 8 p.m. offering takeout and delivery. Delivery is starting to pick up. Takeout is still good. Our regular customers are still coming in and grabbing stuff. Wed like them to call ahead if they can, but theyre welcome to wait here, but you have to have the social distancing stripes, Matt Cowart said, pointing to the lines of blue tape on the floor indicating where customers should stand as they wait for their orders. We can deliver all our food. Were doing a full menu and we can deliver beer, wine and cider same day. Delivery and takeout are crucial to keeping the business afloat, but they dont allow the downtown location to fully serve its customers. There is typically a full slate of events which often spill over into Strawberry Plaza next door. Those events help drive business and grow revenue, but right now they are impossible to host. Its not just us, its all of downtown. Everything is on pause, said Rachelle Cowart. Cassie Cruze, the Main Street Manager for the Lebanon Downtown Association, surveyed restaurants in the area and found a mix of results so far. There are definitely restaurants that are doing really well in the sense that people are supporting them and they are doing takeout, doing delivery. And there are other ones that have had to close their doors, Cruze said. Barsideous Brewing downtown is not serving food at this time but is continuing to operate its craft brewery. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to fill growler to-go orders. At Conversion Brewing, the staff is trying to fill the void with online events. Rachelle Cowart had the idea for a mock telethon which they hosted last week. We figured people would get a kick out of it and I think right now people need a laugh, Matt Cowart said. Since opening in October 2015, Conversion Brewing has become an anchor business downtown and before the current restrictions were put in place the business had 16 employees. The loss of business has forced the Cowarts to make some difficult decisions. At first my plan was to keep everybody on staff and after one week of this I realized really quickly there was no way to do that, Matt Cowart said. We laid off 50% of our staff. The plan is to bring them back on when this nightmare is all over. With reduced hours were down sales, obviously. Ive owned businesses since I was 16 and thats the first time Ive ever had to lay off staff, ever. They are optimistic about the future and look forward to when they can resume their regular operations. I think were going to see floods of people when things go back to normal, Rachelle Cowart said. There has been a great deal of confusion about some of the restrictions that are in place, especially for craft brewers and other establishments which fill growlers. Some businesses are choosing not to fill customer growlers at this time because of possible exposure to the new coronavirus. At Conversion Brewing, customers can still fill growlers. They can either choose a container which has already been washed and sanitized by the staff, or they can bring in their own and wait for it to be sanitized before it is re-filled. Were not filling anything thats not sanitized, Matt Cowart said, noting that any container of two-gallons or less with a tightly sealed lid can serve as a growler. A pint jar, a quart jar, a used container. A gallon pickle jar can be filled. Conversion has always operated a growler share program. Customers can have a growler filled and then bring it back to the location when its empty. Were promoting it more than usual. Its a program we do all the time, but right now its getting more use, Rachelle Cowart said. Cruze encouraged people to think about their community when they place food orders during this community quarantine Hopefully our community continues to support our restaurants. They truly are an anchor for our downtown, Cruze said. When you buy local, youre supporting your neighbor. If we dont want to see the socio-economic decline that was once seen here in Lebanon in the 80s, then we have to support one another. DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS The Lebanon Downtown Association surveyed restaurants to learn what they are currently offering. Here is a summary of their findings. Barsideous carry out, 541-570-1789, Saturdays only to-go growler fills from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Big Town Hero delivery/curbside/carry out, 541-258-2054, call ahead to place orders. Bigfoot Grille carry out, 541-570-1092, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Conversion Brewing delivery/curbside/carry out, 541-259-2337, noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dos Arbolitos delivery/carry out, 541-258-5798, 11 a.m to 9 p.m. daily. Growler Cafe delivery/curbside/carry out, 541-570-1380 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. J & C BBQ & Catering delivery/curbside/carry out, 541-258-7510, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Kento Hibachi & Sushi delivery/curbside/carry out, 541-405-4281, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Serendipity Cafe and Tea curbside/carry out, 541-570-1716, orders can also be placed at the window. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sugar Vibes curbside/carry out, 541-405-4069, call ahead, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. or sold out. Munchys delivery, (888) 356-8624 Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Getting active and exploring the outdoors is an exhilarating activity that is perfect for adventurous souls. Outdoor activities like mountain climbing give you a chance to immerse yourself in nature and get your blood pumping. One of the most popular hiking destinations in the country is Mt. Pulag. Image: instagram.com, @discovermnl Source: Instagram Mount Pulag is the third highest mountain to climb in the Philippines, and it also boasts the highest peak in Luzon. Although its location is in the Kabayan province of Benguet, its peak borders between three provinces, Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya. Mt. Pulag climb for beginners Whether you are a seasoned climber or newbie at exploring these kinds of terrains, Mt. Pulag offers a truly rewarding experience that you can not afford to miss. Here are important details to note: Mt. Pulag MASL: 2,926 meters above sea level 2,926 meters above sea level Mt. Pulag location: Kabayan, Benguet Kabayan, Benguet Mt. Pulag difficulty: Intermediate Weather Mt. Pulag's elevation is a close rival to the Philippines' highest peak, Mt. Apo, which is at 2,954 meters above sea level. As this Benguet mountain is a cold-weather hiking destination that a majority of tourists flock to, its chilling breeze is sure to be an experience of a lifetime. If you want to experience the coldest Mt. Pulag temperature, plan your trip between December and February. Meanwhile, the best season for climbing is from November until March. Although it is also temperate, Mt. Pulag's weather is with predominant rain throughout the year. Avoid hiking in August as it is the month with the most rainfall at 1,135 mm. In a year, rain averages 4,489 mm on this mountain. Mt. Pulag exact location When it comes to the Mt. Pulag address, the Mt. Pulag National Park Protected Area Office is at Ambangeg, Daclan, Bokod, Benguet, and all tourists are required to pass through this area to secure a permit for their visit. READ ALSO: Staycation in Tagaytay: 15 budget-friendly ideas In addition to acquiring a permit, visitors are oriented for both their safety and the preservation of the National Park. Mt. Pulag preparation: What to bring Hiking is not an activity you can do on an impulse, especially if you are new to hiking. Depending on your experience and trail, it can take around six or more hours, or one or two days to reach the summit. There are camping grounds and homestays available for hikers as well as rules and regulations to follow. Image: twitter.com, @narodski Source: Twitter Before you embark on your Mt. Pulag itinerary, it is best to come prepared. Pack light and make sure to only take what is needed. Here are some hiking essentials for your trip: 1. Hiking gear Dri-fit long sleeve Thermal jackets Fleece jackets Leggings or trek pants Lightweight or waterproof jackets Hiking shoes Headwear, bonnet, scarf Gloves Protective eyewear, cap, visor What you wear will directly affect how comfortable you are during your hike. Remember to wear clothing that protects you from rain and the cold. 2. Personal necessities Backpack Umbrella First aid kit Sunblock Lip balm Tissue Flashlight or headlamp Extra batteries 3. Food Water Trail food (fat, sugar, and salty food) 4. Camping equipment Cooking utensils Camping stove Food load Tent Sleeping bags If you are planning on camping, building a fire is strictly prohibited. Instead, hikers can bring along a camping stove and other cooking essentials. If it is too much hassle, sleeping at a homestay in the area is another option. It is important to stay vigilant when handling fire onsite to avoid another Mt. Pulag fire incident like the one in 2018. In this case, seven hikers were to blame for the destruction of six hectares of the national park. 5. Mt. Pulag Medical certificate All hikers are to secure a medical certificate as proof of their health. It should state that the individual is in their best shape and that they are fit enough to engage in the activity. READ ALSO: LRT stations: A quick guide in knowing where to ride Sea of clouds, nature, and sunrise There are several key reasons why the Mt. Pulag hike is a fulfilling and rewarding activity. Here are the top three: 1. Mt. Pulag sunrise Witnessing the crack of dawn at this National Park is ten folds more stunning than your usual sunrise. Seeing the daybreak paint the vast sky among a sea of clouds is a breathtaking experience at this location. 2. Mt. Pulag Sea of Clouds The hours of trekking leads hikers to a gorgeous and seemingly endless ocean of clouds that slowly drift under the vibrant colors of the sky. 3. Plants and wildlife Aside from the gorgeous views at the summit, the trail towards the peak is filled with a variety of around 530 plant species. This is inclusive of the Benguet Pine, dwarf bamboo, and lots of ferns, moss, and lichens. Aside from the different flora and fauna, it is also home to mammals, such as the Luzon Pygmy Fruit bat, Philippine brown deer, and Northern Luzon giant cloud rat. Four trails To get to the peak, there are four trails to choose from. Hike hours and difficulty of the exploration depends on which of the four trails you choose. Mt. Pulag Ambangeg trail The Ambangeg path is the most common trail as it is the 'easiest' to take. There are more open spaces and rolling trails when trekking in this path which makes it perfect for beginners. Hikers who take on the Akiki, Ambaguio, and Tawangan trails usually use the Ambangeg path as their exit. Mt. Pulag Akiki trail The Akiki trail is better suited for more experienced hikers because of its level of difficulty. It is sometimes called 'The Killer trail' as it takes three days to finish. Additionally, it has more uphill treks. Despite the physically demanding exploration, it is in this path where hikers can see the Eddet River and Marlboro country. Image: instagram.com, @outdoorwarriorph Source: Instagram Mt. Pulag Tawangan trail For those who take the Tawangan trail, it is a path of rich forests and moss, river streams, and leeches. However, it is also the trail to take if you want to have a look at Luzon's second-highest peak, Mt. Tabayoc. This includes the four lakes Ambulalakao, Iculus, Tabeo, and Detanapco. The Tawangan village welcomes hikers for their camping and overnight stays. Mt. Pulag Ambaguio trail Among the four, the Ambaguio path is rarely walked on because of its cemented trail. However, this is the path that starts from Nueva Vizcaya and is the longest one to take. Mt. Pulag expenses The Mt. Pulag tour budget usually depends on the different kinds of arrangements and accommodations of the hiker or group. When it comes to hiking packages and itineraries, it is much cheaper to go by groups as well as safer to inquire from trusted travel agencies and guides. Image: instagram.com, @outdoorwarriorph Source: Instagram In regards to this, travel expenses depend on what is inclusive during the trip such as transportation, food, tour guides, and homestays. Additionally, it also varies depending on which trail you are taking. As of 2019, other fees included are the following: DENR registration: 175 pesos per head 175 pesos per head Tour guide fee: 120 pesos per head 120 pesos per head Environment and Cultural Heritage Fee: 150 pesos per head Instead of the usual beach and road trips, try going on an outdoor adventure with your friends and family at Mt. Pulag. Not only is it a one-of-a-kind experience, but it is also a great getaway from the Philippine heat. READ ALSO: 12 most expensive wedding venues in the world Source: KAMI.com.gh Bhopal, April 1 : Madhya Pradesh government claimed to have identified 82 out of 107 persons who attended a religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. Following Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's directive, the police and civil authorities have located the Jamaat members through their addresses and quarantined them, senior official said on Tuesday night. "We have the addresses of 82 persons out of 107 who have attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. Some of them have been taken for quarantine. The rest of the persons would soon be tracked down," he said. The official, however, refused to divulge the number of persons quarantined for confidentiality to prevent virus scare. They are scattered at different places including Delhi, Bhopal, Sehore, Vidisha and Raisen and efforts are on track them soon, said the official. Chouhan had on Tuesday directed officials to quarantine the 107 persons form the state who had participated in Delhi congregation causing an alarm for nationwide spread of coronavirus. Chouhan asked district collectors and superintendents of police to track down these people and keep a tab on all pilgrims visiting places of worship. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Several area eateries and farmers have put together locally-grown offerings, from quarts of mixed mushrooms and fresh beef and pork to tarts and brownies. Box meal prices work out to about $8 to $12 per person. One gourmet dish box, for example, includes Acme's smoked salmon hand pies for four, and asparagus and red pepper strata with goat cheese and mozzarella. We want to have an affordable option, said Tom Raynor, the former retail CEO who helped launch the hub. He added that the public is increasingly worried about whether fresh foods at big retailers could be compromised. People dont want to go to the grocery store anymore, he said. The food-hub proceeds go to the restaurants, eateries and workers like Platt, one of 20 people hired at living wages to run the hub's logistics last weekend. Using a walkie-talkie, Platt manages the line of vehicles arriving to ensure they get their orders in a timely and safe way. Raynor said the hub also allowed more than 35 workers to return to their previous jobs, and has put almost $800,000 back into the Carrboro-area economy. Technavio has been monitoring the automotive transmission housing market and it is poised to grow by 21.14 million units during 2019-2023. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005217/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive Transmission Housing Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will decelerate during the forecast period. AISIN SEIKI, American Axle Manufacturing, CIE Automotive, Eaton, Magna International, and ZF Friedrichshafen are some of the major market participants. The need for transmission housing designs will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Need for transmission housing designs has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Automotive Transmission Housing Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Automotive Transmission Housing Market is segmented as below: Application Passenger Vehicles Commercial Vehicles Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30344 Automotive Transmission Housing Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our automotive transmission housing market report covers the following areas: Automotive Transmission Housing Market Size Automotive Transmission Housing Market Trends Automotive Transmission Housing Market Industry Analysis This study identifies growing use of magnesium alloy to manufacture transmission housing as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive transmission housing market growth during the next few years. Automotive Transmission Housing Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Automotive Transmission Housing Market, including some of the vendors such as AISIN SEIKI, American Axle Manufacturing, CIE Automotive, Eaton, Magna International, and ZF Friedrichshafen. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Automotive Transmission Housing 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 Transmission Housing Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive transmission housing market growth during the next five years Estimation of the automotive transmission housing market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the automotive transmission housing market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive transmission housing market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 vehicles Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Commercial vehicles Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Magnesium alloy transmission housings Developments in the field of automotive transmission systems Development of advanced algorithms for rapid gear shifts using digital circuitry PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors AISIN SEIKI American Axle Manufacturing CIE Automotive Eaton Magna International ZF Friedrichshafen PART 13: APPENDIX List of abbreviations 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/20200401005217/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/ Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $369,000 payout to freelance journalist Bryan Carmody, whose home and office were illegally raided by San Francisco police last year. The unanimous vote came nearly a month after the city of San Francisco agreed to settle Carmodys claim. The suit stemmed from a May 10, 2019, incident in which police sledgehammered the front gate of his Outer Richmond home, held him in handcuffs for hours and seized his phone, computers and other equipment. Officers were looking for the source of a leaked police report that contained details on the February 2019 death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi. As schools, universities, and offices move into virtual spaces, people are coming to grips with this new fashion of communicating with their peers primarily through computer screens. This form of professional participation has its benefits, such as attending meetings without any trousers on. But it also has the ever-present annoyance of can you hear/see me?. This particular Twitter user decided to make things a little more spicy at these online offices. An account, by the name Shell (bee emoji), posted a tweet saying iconic Zoom backgrounds: a thread. Keep it going. The post currently has almost 21,500 retweets, 134,000 likes, and 600 comments. iconic zoom backgrounds: a thread keep it going pic.twitter.com/GU54B97tiR Shell (@BeeShellll) March 31, 2020 Given the funny and relevant nature of the tweet, netizens happily complied. Here are some of the most amusing Zoom backgrounds that you can change to today to give your peers a good chuckle. You are bound to invite some envy from your coworkers when they realize that youre working from the most renowned burger joint under the sea aka The Krusty Krab. And lets not forget Monicas famous New York apartment. All F.R.I.E.N.D.S characters have lived here at one point or another. Your colleagues are bound to ask you: how did you get there? Maybe youre treading into deep space with these iconic Star Wars characters while attending a confusing Maths class. Might I offer a small thread of Star Wars themed backgrounds as well? pic.twitter.com/MDLa1xYNvW norrin radd (@realdealnorrin) March 31, 2020 Some teachers may not be surprised to see their students at this location given their disruptive behaviour in class. Here are a few pic.twitter.com/fg22lQmXy2 RedEye Security (@RedEye_Sec) March 31, 2020 Yet they may be surprised to see that some of their students made it to the Oval Office. Any place can be the good place as long as youre with your loved ones, right? This background collection is for any animation enthusiasts out there! The thread has all these and many more such background options for anyone trying to get creative with their Zoom interactions. Some tweeple also posted pictures of themselves using suggested backdrops. This was, unsurprisingly, hilarious to watch. So if youre planning to add a little zest into your everyday Zoom meetings, be sure to check out this thread. Also, let us know what some of your favourite backgrounds are. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The coronavirus outbreak and lockdown has severely affected the print media in Madhya Pradesh as over 300 newspapers have been forced to suspend publications due to issues like lack of transport facilities and rumours that newspapers could be carriers of the virus. Some of the affected media organisations have started putting out online editions to keep their readership intact. "More than 300 medium and small newspapers from various districts have stopped printing their editions in the absence of transport facilities and drastic decline in advertisements," an official said. "Misgivings" that newspapers could carry the deadly virus to people's homes also led to suspension of printing after the lockdown, he said on condition of anonymity. Nearly 670 newspapers are registered with the state government and out of these, 287 are published from Bhopal, the official said. "Things have come to such a pass that no newspapers are being printed in 95 per cent of the districts in Madhya Pradesh," he said. The hawkers association in Dewas district has stopped distributing newspapers since March 25, contending that they do not want to put their lives to risk in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. Rajendra Chourasia, an office-bearer of the Dewas hawkers association, said they have decided not to distribute newspapers till April 14. After stopping their print editions, some media houses are bringing out e-papers to stay alive in the market. Newspapers are putting out editorials to assure readers that they are safe, in a bid to hold on to the sales that have nosedived. Some newspapers are also mentioning on their mastheads in bold letters that 'NEWSPAPERS ARE SAFE', to dispel the fear among readers. "I am bringing out the e-paper with a skeleton staff after suspending printing of my newspaper from Bhopal and Indore a few days back," Vijay Das, the owner and editor-in- chief of Rashtriya Hindi Mail, a morning daily, told PTI. A lot of poor people, including hawkers, are involved in the production and delivery of newspapers. Their gatherings need to be avoided in view of the coronavirus crisis, said Das, who is founder and convener of Central Press Club, Bhopal. "I dont buy the argument of some Hindi newspapers in the state which are quoting the World Health Organisation to claim that newspapers are safe," argued Das, who is in the publication business for last 25 years. K G Vyas, a Bhopal resident who is an expert on river revival, said he stopped buying newspapers since March 25 after his daughter, who is a doctor, advised that many people lay their hands on it before it is delivered. "Six the last six decades, I was in the habit of reading newspapers. Now I have no other way but to rely on television to get information," he said. A leading newspaper's circulation in-charge said they have not been bringing their Dak edition (published earlier than other editions to be distributed to non-urban areas) from Bhopal after the passenger trains services were suspended on March 25. "Our circulation has come down to about 50 per cent since the lockdown. Some housing societies have banned newspapers in their vicinity. We are holding talks with these societies to dispel the wrong notion that newspapers might cause the viral infection," he said. The number of advertisements has also gone down. The cost of production has doubled or tripled in the absence of advertisements, he rued. "Right now, our priority is to keep our circulation, through reduced, intact and this is also turning out to be a daunting task. We are not the only ones at the receiving end. The circulation of one of the largest Hindi newspapers in the state has dropped by 60 per cent," he claimed. Hindustan Times former regional editor Chandrakant Naidu said print media still enjoys a lot more credibility than electronic and digital media. "The printed word still has a lot of sanctity. Successive governments have throttled the print medium. The changing revenue model of media has also affected the reach of the print. The ability of print media to survive such crisis, as we confront now, has been tested, he added. A senior journalist working in a print media since last five decades said governments are no longer keen on sustaining the "freedom of press". "In fact, they want freedom from press, he said. Senior journalist and Observer Research Foundation (ORF) fellow Rasheed Kidwai said the newspaper industry, like other manufacturers, has to live with this situation. "Shutting down or suspending publication is no solution. Is receiving newspapers more hazardous than daily supply of milk, vegetables and other stuff? It is absolutely absurd to even think that the newspapers could be virus carriers, he said. People are making payments using currency notes which pass through change hands. "Can't the currency note be a carrier of the virus? Why the newspapers are being targeted by misinformation?" Kidwai asked. Newspaper owners, editors and media professional need to learn to live with the virus onslaught rather than pressing the panic button, he said. "The absence of newspapers at district levels will pave way for more rumours, misinformation and panic. And the 'WhatsApp University' will go berserk" he said. The central and the state governments should provide economic stimulus, support and sustain media houses till the lockdown period gets over. People treat print media as the prime and credible source of information, Kidwai contended. Journalists Union leader Radhavallabh Sharda said he has requested Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for quick release government advertisements' due so that journalists of small newspapers get their salaries during these testing times. "The medium and small newspapers survive maily on the state governments advertisements," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trump urges Florida to welcome cruise ship with deadly coronavirus outbreak FILE PHOTO: Cruise ship MS Zaandam is pictured as coronavirus disease outbreak continues in Panama City (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Florida officials to open an Atlantic Coast port to a Dutch cruise ship stuck at sea with a deadly coronavirus outbreak onboard, urging the governor to drop his opposition. Weighing in on the fate of Holland America Line's MS Zaandam during a White House briefing, Trump said he would call Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has declared the vessel unwelcome to prevent its sick passengers from being "dumped" on his state. "They're dying on the ship," Trump said, adding, "I'm going to do what's right, not only for us but for humanity." The remarks contrast with his response in February to a different cruise ship, the Grand Princess, which he said should remain at sea instead of coming into port in California. The Zaandam, idled off the Pacific coast of Central America after the cruise line announced that some passengers were infected with coronavirus and that four had died, was allowed to sail through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean on Sunday. Nearly two-thirds of the passengers - those who passed a medical screening - were moved onto the Zaandam's sister ship, the Rotterdam, before the canal transit, and both vessels are now headed to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, officials said. The Zaandam was carrying nearly 1,050 passengers and crew, and the Rotterdam almost 1,450. But it remained uncertain who would be permitted to disembark in Florida, where concerns about the spread of coronavirus were mounting. "We cannot afford to have people who aren't even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources," DeSantis told Fox News on Monday, referring to the state's medical facilities. He told a news conference on Monday he preferred to send medical help to the Zaandam. But in a blog posted on the website of Holland America, a unit of world cruise leader Carnival Corp, company president Orlando Ashford urged authorities to show compassion. Story continues "We are dealing with a 'not my problem' syndrome," he said. "The international community, consistently generous and helpful in the face of human suffering, shut itself off to Zaandam." As of Monday, 76 passengers and 117 crew members on the Zaandam were showing influenza-like symptoms, including eight people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Ashford said. UNIFIED COMMAND DECISION Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine said plans for the Zaandam were being formulated by a "unified command" consisting of officials from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Broward County sheriff, port authorities, the Florida Health Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He suggested the governor ultimately may not have the final word on the matter. "He might have an opinion. I don't know if it's up to him," Udine told Reuters by telephone. "The unified command is going to give us a briefing in the next 24 to 48 hours." The Zaandam and Rotterdam were still about two days away from Port Everglades, and could arrive no earlier than Thursday night, Udine said. Florida lawmakers on Tuesday were deadlocked over whether to welcome the Zaandam, with some seeking more information. Before the passenger transfers, guests aboard the Zaandam said the vessel was carrying more than 200 British nationals, as well as Americans, Canadians, Australians, Germans, Italians, French, Spanish, Dutch and New Zealanders. On Tuesday afternoon, the two ships were off the Caribbean coast of Central America, headed for the Straits of Yucatan. The Zaandam departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end its journey in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21. Nobody has disembarked from the vessel since it stopped in Punta Arenas, Chile, about two weeks ago. (Reporting by Dave Graham in Mexico City, Zachary Fagenson in Miami, Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Bill Tarrant and Gerry Doyle) Workers produce masks at a factory in Handan, China, on Feb. 28, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images) Beijings Mask Diplomacy Draws Growing Backlash Beijings efforts to promote itself as a global leader in combating the COVID-19 pandemic have recently encountered blowback. Eager to burnish its image amid the crisis, the Chinese regime has sent medical experts and much-needed supplies, such as masks and respirators, to countries ranging from Italy to Peru. While many recipient countries initially welcomed the assistance, there are signs of a growing backlash after the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey last week reported faulty equipment from China. After an initial burst of positive publicity, the narrative about Chinese aid to Europe has soured, Peter Rough, an expert on U.S. foreign policy and senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank the Hudson Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email. The Netherlands on March 28 announced it had recalled around 600,000 masks that had arrived in a shipment of 1.3 million purchased from a Chinese manufacturer a week earlier. Some of the masks had already been distributed to frontline health workers. Dutch health officials said the masks didnt fit properly or had defective filters. A second test also revealed that the masks did not meet the quality norms. Now it has been decided not to use any of this shipment, the health ministry said in a statement to AFP. Spain had similar problems with rapid test kits ordered from a Chinese company. Spains health ministry on March 26 said it had withdrawn around 58,000 Chinese-made test kits after discovering they had a detection accuracy of just 30 percent. The normal accuracy rate is more than 80 percent, local media reported. The Chinese embassy in Spain responded on Twitter that the company selling the kits, Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology, hadnt been licensed to sell the tests. Meanwhile, Turkish health officials raised similar issues on March 27, saying that rapid testing kit samples purchased from a Chinese company didnt meet local effectiveness standards. Another Chinese firm has since been chosen to supply the kits. These developments, Rough said, have burst Chinas carefully cultivated aura of competency. Deflecting Blame The regimes mask diplomacy forms part of a broader campaign to change the global narrativewith the ultimate aim of deflecting blame away from Beijings initial mishandling of the outbreak that eventually metastasized into a global pandemic. Chinas humanitarian gestures are meant to cover up its own complicity in the spread of the virus, peel away European countries desperate for an economic and medical lifeline, and win over gullible Westerners inclined to proclaim a Chinese century, Rough said. Alongside its humanitarian endeavors, the regime has deployed a sweeping disinformation campaign peddling claims that the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, didnt originate in China, and may have been brought into Wuhan by U.S. Army personnel. That is how authoritarian regimes deal with crises, Helle Dale, senior fellow for public diplomacy at Washington-based think tank The Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times. They tend to deflect anger and criticism outward. Dale said the regime has stepped in to fill a vacuum in the international space, while traditional leaders such as the United States are busy handling the outbreak domestically. Such assistance, however, is accompanied by a massive propaganda drive for the recipients to show their gratitude to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] as the savior, Katerina Prochazkova, an analyst at the Czech-based, China-focused think tank Sinopsis told The Epoch Times. She also noted that unlike much of the aid Beijing received from other countries during the early stages of Chinas outbreak, much of the goods supplied by the regime have been sales through export agreements. Countries in Europe and elsewhere have begun pushing back against the propaganda campaign. The European Unions chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, recently warned of a global battle of narratives. China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the U.S., it is a responsible and reliable partner, Borrell said in a March 23 statement. There is a geopolitical component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the politics of generosity, he said. Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors. Capitalizing on Global Shortage Prochazkova noted that the global shortage of masks and protective equipment is partly due to the regime having imported stockpiles of supplies during the height of the outbreak in China. This very shortage from which China is saving us was caused by much of the medical material being sent to China in the first place, she said. As China heavily ramped up domestic production of masks and protective gear for internal use in late January, it also launched a campaign to source medical supplies from abroadthrough its vast network of state-run and state-affiliated enterprises, and overseas Chinese associations. Chinas customs agency announced on March 7 that from Jan. 24 to Feb. 29, it had inspected around 2 billion masks and 25 million protective suits imported into the country. Chinese state media also touted the efforts of several state-run companies in mobilizing international resources to ship millions of medical supplies to China. Greenland Group, a global property giant whose largest shareholder is the Shanghai government, is one of those state-backed firms involved in the worldwide drive. State-run media Xinhua reported on Jan. 31 that the company had shipped to China 3 million masks, 700,000 medical protective suits, and 500,000 pairs of medical gloves. A whistleblower employee from Greenland Groups Sydney office in Australia told local media that workers were instructed to put normal work on hold to source bulk medical supplies for shipping back to China. Basically all employees, the majority of whom are Chinese, were asked to source whatever medical supplies they could, the employee recently told The Sydney Morning Herald, adding that the work went on for weeks, from January to February. The Australian government banned exports of medical supplies on March 29. Overseas Chinese associations were also enlisted. For instance, the largest overseas Chinese association in the Czech Republic, the Czech Qingtian Hometown Association, collected 780,000 masks and more than 30,000 single-use surgical coats and N95 respirators for shipping to China, according to a Feb. 17 report by Chinese state-run news website China Internet Information Center. The head of the association is Czech-Chinese businessman Zhou Lingjian. The countrys counter-intelligence agency warned the Czech government in early March about the Chinese embassy coordinating an operation to make bulk purchases of medical material for shipment to China, according to local media. The health ministry then banned the export of masks and respirators on March 4. On March 16, Czech police raided a warehouse of a private company in the northwestern town of Lovosice, where they confiscated 680,000 masks and 28,000 ventilators. About 100,000 masks were labeled as Chinese Red Cross aid to Italy. The seizure was part of an anti-trafficking operation. In a turn of events, Zhou recently made headlines when an investigative report by Aktualne.cz found that he was the importer of the goods seized by police. The outlet reported that Zhou sold some of the masks found in the warehouse to a local reseller, who then attempted to sell the supplies to the Czech government at twice the normal cost. Zhous associate, however, denied any wrongdoing, claiming the matter was a misunderstanding. Meanwhile, the Italian embassy said that Czech authorities confirmed the humanitarian aid slated for Italy found in the warehouse was stolen, local media reported. Filip Jirous, another researcher at Sinopsis, suggested that the supplies from Zhous collection efforts earlier this year may have been part of the goods seized at the warehouse. This created suspicion that the material [seized at the warehouse] is actually from the local Chinese collection, Jirous said in a March 26 tweet. Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project at Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Epoch Times that to counter the regimes attempts to elevate its international standing amid the crisis, media should highlight that Beijing is trying to profit from the global shortage. Outlets should explain that China ramped up its supply of masks and other medical supplies as the epidemic raged in China, and now China has a lot of surplus that it wants to make money on, Glaser said in an email. Global demand for other products is likely to remain suppressed, so the best way to earn money through exports is to sell medical supplies. Milan Kajinek contributed to this report. Once again, Barack Obama has opened the door to reviewing his 2009 response to what the CDC then called the "first global flu pandemic in 40 years." In a tweet accusing President Trump of being in denial about the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the former president cited an L.A. Times article on the administration's new policy to roll back Obama's 2012 environmentally friendly fuel efficiency standards. We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. This is rich coming from a president whose denial of the H1N1 pandemic early on may have led to tens of millions more infections and thousands more deaths than otherwise would have happened. During his two terms as president, Obama left our borders wide open to all kinds of infectious diseases the United States had rid itself of almost a century ago. So looking back to April 29, 2009, a day after the CDC issued Interim Guidance on Closing Schools and Childcare Facilities, recommending a seven-day dismissal in affected schools and childcare facilities with laboratory-confirmed cases of the swine flu, it's no surprise Obama told a White House reporter, on the advice of his hourly discussions with his public health officials, that closing our southern border would be "akin to closing the barn door after the horses were out." From whitehousearchives.gov: President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference in the White House on April 29, 2009. Q Thank you, Mr. President. With the flu outbreak spreading and worsening, can you talk about whether you think it's time to close the border with Mexico, and whether -- under what conditions you might consider quarantining, when that might be appropriate? THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, as I said, this is a cause for deep concern, but not panic... I've consulted with our public health officials extensively on a day-to-day basis, in some cases, an hour-to-hour basis. At this point they have not recommended a border closing. From their perspective it would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States. We have ramped up screening efforts, as well as made sure that additional supplies are there on the border so that we can prepare in the eventuality that we have to do more than we're doing currently. But the most important thing right now that public health officials have indicated is that we treat this the same way that we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that because this is a new strain we don't yet know how it will respond. By late June, nearly two months after Barack Obama refused to close the border with Mexico, more than 30 summer camps in the U.S. had reported outbreaks of 2009 H1N1 influenza illness. The virus typically affected children and young people more than adults, and with children heading back to school in late August, the CDC activated its school dismissal monitoring system on August 3, 2009. Still, President Obama, along with his public health advisers, which included Dr. Fauci, did not feel inclined to issue an order closing the U.S.- Mexico border. President Obama callously allowed infected individuals to enter the country after the CDC reported cases in California and Texas in early April. According to a September 2009 NPR article researchers concluded that the new flu strain had probably been circulating in Mexico for months before the rash of outbreaks occurred in the U.S. The same person accusing President Trump of being in denial regarding the coronavirus continued his open border policy with Mexico throughout the year-long swine flu pandemic. The virus ended up claiming nearly 13,000 lives, including 317 children, and infecting over 60 million. In contrast to President Trump's early travel bans to contain the virus, Barack Obama, by his own admission, refused to "close the barn door." Chuck Todd and Nancy Pelosi have their presidents mixed up. It is 44 who has "blood on his hands" and who "fiddled" as people died. Caricature by Donkey Hotey. Two women doctors were injured on Wednesday in Indore when a team of health officials was pelted with stones while they were trying to trace a person who had come into contact with a COVID-19 patient earlier, police said. The incident occurred in Taat Patti Bakhal area when the team of five was trying to find out the whereabouts of the person. A woman doctor said they were rescued by police personnel. "The moment we started enquiring about that particular person' health, people started protesting and later some of them hurled stones. We were saved by police personnel," she said. Meanwhile, terming the incident as very unfortunate, Indore chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Pravin Jadia srued that the medical personnel were working to protect people from the corona virus infection but they were pelted with stones. "Two women doctors suffered injuries on their legs in the incident. They somehow protected themselves by hiding inside the vehicle of tehsildar,"the CMHO said. A case has been registered at Chhatripura police station. A police official said that protesters also broke barricades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Padma Shri and former 'Hazoori Raagi' at the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh has tested positive for coronavirus, a health official said on Wednesday. The report of the samples of the 62-year-old 'Gurbani' exponent came positive, Civil Surgeon Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said. Singh, who recently returned from abroad, was admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital after he complained of breathlessness and dizziness on March 30, she said. Meanwhile, police have sealed the area around Singh's residence to check the spread of the infection. According to the officials, Singh held a large 'sammelan' (religious gathering) in Delhi and some other places after he returned from abroad. His family members and others who came into his contact would be quarantined, said the health department officials. Singh has the knowledge of all the 31 'Raags' in the Gurbani of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book). He was awarded Padma Shri in 2009. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former prime minister and JDS Supremo H D Deve Gowda has flagged concerns over the plight of people of Kasaragod in Kerala, which shares its border with Karnataka, and said people requiring medical aid were denied entry into Mangaluru. In his letter to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday, Deve Gowda referred to reports emerging from border regions of Karnataka and Kerala, where people with critical illness were not allowed to enter Mangaluru. Claiming that some deaths were reported due to the 'apathy,' he asked the government to be sympathetic with the people of Kasaragod, which has a substantial Kannada population. He also raised concerns of fishermen in Mangaluru being unable to fish, sell and transport their catch due to the lockdown and demanded that measures be taken to protect their interest. Gowda's letter to the CM comes after Kerala Minister for Water Resources K Krishnankutty wrote to the JDS leader highlighting the plight of people in the region bordering with Karnataka, especially Kasaragod. Since Karnataka has blocked border roads with Kerala following the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, patients depending on Mangaluru for their treatment are finding it extremely difficult to go there. Seven seriously ill patients from Kasaragod have lost their lives since March 27 after the border roads were shut by Karnataka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fascinating thing about this time in history is how its challenging many of our long-held beliefs and practices. Take the conversation my sister relayed to me the other day. While out for a walk, she stopped to talk with a neighborfrom an appropriate distance, of courseand asked how she was handling time at home with her young children. The woman explained that she and her husband were balancing child-watching duties with their work schedules, saying things were working out. The indicator of her true feelings was apparent on her face. The woman was beaming over the fact that she was getting to spend so much time at home with her children. Things werent just fine. They were wonderful! This got me thinking. Could this little stay-at-home experimentfor all its drawbackshave some benefits? Might all those working mothers discover great beauty in becominggaspa stay-at-home mom? Wall Street Journal columnist Erica Komisar is wondering the same thing. In fact, she implies that both kids and moms are enjoying their forced staycation: Mommy, I like coronavirus because I get to spend time with you, a patient of mine, a lawyer, quoted her son as saying. With schools closed, social events postponed and workplaces empty, usually busy professionals find themselves at home baking cookies, playing games, watching movies and doing arts and crafts to keep their children occupied. Some are surprised to find they enjoy it. The last several generations of women grew up constantly being told to strive to achieve and succeed in the working world. Many have done so, breaking glass ceilings in the corporate world and managing to marry, have children, and command a household. The stress and busyness that result are a part of normal life. But now women are learning that theres a difference. Instead of slaving away to meet the demands of the working world, theyre learning that they can take a breath and enjoy the little moments with their children that will pass all too quickly. Komisar ponders: Americas productivity comes at a pricethe emotional well-being of families and children. Maybe it takes a crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic to make us slow down and ask why were so intense about work. Do we need to go into the office every day? Is it so critical to be there by 9 a.m. when we could walk the kids to school and arrive by 9:30? Is an extra car or a trip to Disney World worth giving up precious time with our families, friends, and loved ones? We can ask ourselves these questions now that society has a breather from our usual frenetic pace of life and has a chance to experience something different. Perhaps families will recognize that the extra income a second job brings is not worth the extra stress it causes mothers. This little experiment may also help mothers realize that staying at home and raising children is not unfulfilling drudgery, but can instead be pure joy. As Louisa May Alcott explains in her famous book, Little Women, the shelf of motherhood is not the grievous place many make it out to be. Instead, it is safe from the restless fret and fever of the world, filled with loyal lovers in the little sons and daughters who cling to them, undaunted by sorrow, poverty, or age. In the upcoming weeks, perhaps more mothers will discover this sweet spot and realize they never want to leave. Annie Holmquist is the editor of Intellectual Takeout. This article was originally published on Intellectual Takeout. Trader Joe's has temporarily closed its Metairie store after two employees tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to the retailer's website. Update: Trader Joe's reopens after cleaning The store, at 2949 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, is closed for "precautionary cleaning and sanitization," Trader Joe's said Tuesday night. The company did not give a timeline for when the store would reopen. It did say all employees will be paid for their scheduled shifts while the store is closed. At least one of the employees was in the store on Monday, March 23. Neither of them have been in the store since then. The company did not release any additional information about the employees who were diagnosed, including how they are doing. Want more information about coronavirus in Louisiana? Follow our coverage. A total of 22 people from Mallapuram district have attended the Tablighi Jamaat at capital's Nizamuddin area, which has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after cases all across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. "22 people from Mallapuram district had attended the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi's Nizamuddin. They have been placed under home quarantine on their return," said Abdul Kareem, Superintendent of Police while speaking to ANI Thiruvananthapuram. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction CFO Choi Hyoung-hee speaks during the firm's annual general meeting in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-gull / Yonhap Liquidity-stricken Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction is under pressure to separate its subsidiaries, Doosan Infracore and Doosan Bobcat, in an effort to save the entire business group from a complete collapse, sources said, Wednesday. They said Doosan Group, a mid-tier business conglomerate, is currently in the process of fine-tuning its self-salvage plan and plans to submit it to its creditors the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) once all necessary paperwork is done. "We are working on a self-salvaging plan to meet creditors' demands quite faithfully," a Doosan Heavy official said. "However, we have yet to fix the coverage of the plan, and we need to have further conversation with the creditors." Doosan Heavy, the flagship unit of Doosan Group, is facing a serious liquidity crunch as weak orders and financial losses continue despite some project wins. Specifically, with its debt at three times the value of its investors' shares and operations losing money last year, the big risk is Doosan Heavy's unstable capital structure. The company is heavily loaded with debt and has shown weak cash flow. In particular, this year the company will be required to repay 709 billion won ($597.8 million) in bond debt. President Moon Jae-in's drive to gradually phase out nuclear power plants has also been cited as one of the core factors hurting the firm's coal- and nuclear-centric portfolio. To help Doosan Heavy, the KDB and the Eximbank last week decided to extend a 1 trillion won ($820 billion) credit line 500 billion won by each bank to the ailing power equipment firm. In return, KDB chairman Lee Dong-gull demanded Doosan Heavy demonstrate its "thorough self-salvaging plan" clearly, in terms of improving its financial structure. Doosan has been forced to rely on high-cost asset-backed funding strategies including the securitization of project receivables. Analysts said this is a risky trade that may solve current cash flow problems while making long-term financial problems worse. Meanwhile, the seriousness of near-term liquidity risks is also raising the possibility of the need to sell assets. Regarding the specifics of the "self-salvaging plan" that Doosan is working on, a KDB official said it has nothing to confirm, adding it will need more time; however, the creditors have already dropped hints on the self-salvage plan they want Doosan to implement. KDB rarely mentioned the financial prudence of Bobcat and Infracore with industry officials expecting Doosan Group to present detailed plans including various types of structural reforms. "The first step in a corporate restructuring is separating the target from solid companies," a source familiar with corporate restructuring said. "Since Infracore and Bobcat remain solid, separating them from Doosan Heavy could be included in the self-salvaging plan." Doosan Heavy is the largest stakeholder of Infracore with 36.28 percent. Infracore has a 51.05 percent stake in Bobcat, thus creating a vertical shareholding structure starting from Doosan Heavy. Due to this structure, Doosan Heavy's credit risks are feared to spread to the subsidiaries. Korea Investors Service said in its March 24 report that "There is a necessity to monitor a group-wise self-restructuring plan because Doosan Heavy's heightened financial risks may spread to Infracore and Bobcat, and downgrade their credit ratings." Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won Five more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab on Wednesday, taking the total count of confirmed cases in the state to 46, said officials. Three persons from Mohali district and one each from Ludhiana and Amritsar contracted the infection, a media bulletin issued by the state government said. Among fresh cases in Mohali, two persons were infected after they came in contact with a Chandigarh couple from Canada who had tested positive earlier, the bulletin said. A 45-year-old man, a resident of Jagatpura in Mohali, was infected with the virus after he came in contact with another coronavirus patient. In Ludhiana, a 72-year-old woman, residing in the neighbourhood of a 42-year-old coronavirus positive patient who died in a Patiala hospital on Mondayn, tested positive. Another person from Amritsar also contracted the infection, as per the bulletin. With the addition of five patients, the total number of coronavirus cases jumped to 46 in the state. Of the 46 cases, 19 are from Nawanshahr, 10 from Mohali, six from Hoshiarpur, five from Jalandhar, three from Ludhiana, two from Amritsar and one from Patiala. Of them, four died while onepatient had been discharged from the hospital after his second test results came. According to the bulletin, 1,260 samples have been tested so far and out of which, the reports of 1,149 samples came negative and the result of 65 samples is still awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MEDFORD, Ore. Public health officials in Jackson County say that one more positive case of the COVID-19 coronavirus has been found in the county as of Wednesday morning, bringing the total to 22. Along with the new case, the local health agency issued some guidance for people who still occasionally have to go out in public. Federal authorities have recently been debating whether to recommend that people wear masks while in public. Though the original recommendations from the CDC and WHO advised against wearing masks unless you are already infected, that appears to be changing. "The assumption was that people didnt spread the disease without symptoms, and that droplet spread occurred with coughing and sneezing," Jackson County Public Health said. "If sick people wore masks, the rest of us didnt need to. Also, with a shortage of masks for healthcare workers, 'wasting' that resource wasnt a good idea." Now Jackson County's health officer Dr. Jim Shames says that it would be a good idea for families to get one or two cloth facemasks for use when going out in public. They can be washed after use, allowing them to be used repeatedly. "Jackson County Public Health is NOT recommending that you purchase manufactured surgical masks, please save them for the healthcare workers that rely on them for protection," the agency said. "According to Dr. Jim Shames, 'when we both wear a face mask, I protect you and you protect me.'" Regardless, the health agency says that social distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding others if you are sick remain the best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 no one should assume that wearing a mask is a proper substitute. Over the past week, Jackson County Public Health has said that the area is now in the phase of "rapid community spread" of coronavirus. In a statement on Tuesday, officials said that these cases did not indicate any hot spots in the county rather they are equally distributed throughout, demonstrating "spread that is widespread." It is best that everyone be cautious and not assume that one location is safer than another, said Jackson Baures, Jackson County Public Health Division Manager. COVID-19 is spreading in our community, and this is why practicing social distancing, that includes staying home and minimizing outings, is so critical right now. In some cases, the County has released demographic information about the diagnosed individuals. While cases have skewed toward people age 50 or above, there have been several cases of people in their 30s. Officials in southern Oregon have preferred to use back-tracking investigations to quietly contact any people who have been in close quarters with the individual, followed by quarantine and monitoring for symptoms. RELATED: Fifth person tests positive for COVID-19 in Josephine County With the latest test results in Oregon and across the United States, there is more evidence of active community spread of COVID-19, and Jackson County said that this is something they have expected to see in Oregon and in Jackson County. Governor Kate Brown issued executive orders that take additional steps to ensure that Oregonians stay home in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 on March 23. Under the new executive orders are directives for individuals to maintain social distancing. These directives state during the ongoing state of emergency that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals are to stay home or at their place of residence. We have to come together as a community, as one team, and actively practice social distancing and staying home, this is how we are going to protect our community, our healthcare system and healthcare workers, said Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Health Officer. This whole community approach is the only way we are going to get through this, and we will get through this. According to Jackson County Public Health, there are a number of reasons to reconsider wearing a cloth mask: We now know that some people are contagious before they ever get symptoms and some never feel sick. They might spread the disease before they would ever consider masking up. Droplets do indeed transmit the disease, but they can be generated from talking as well as coughing. Just standing next to someone talking could spread the disease if neither of you are masked. Wearing a mask while sick is stigmatizing for those who wear them. Universal use wouldnt identify who was sick and who wasnt. You are less likely to touch your mouth and nose while wearing a mask DIY masks can possibly provide protection to the public without impacting the supply of manufactured masks currently prioritized for healthcare workers. If the medical community accepts the use of these masks in the healthcare setting, then these masks will be available and ready to go. There is data that suggests that in countries where masking is encouraged for all citizens, the rate of disease transmission may be reduced by their actions. Volunteers are making these masks locally using various patterns. The principle is the same regardless of design. Having a physical barrier to prevent droplets from landing on others, discouraging the wearers from touching their faces, and possibly reducing large droplets from landing on mucous membranes are the goals for wearing masks in public. And they look good. If you choose to wear a mask, be careful when adjusting the mask and avoid reaching under it (they itch) to touch your nose or mouth because the virus can spread by unwashed hands. Also, masks do not work well if they are soiled or damaged. There are a variety of reusable masks available online at websites like Amazon.com. Search keywords reusable masks Here is one example of a simple no-sew homemade mask: https://youtu.be/lOe_8z8k01U Thousands of people have applied to be new Nasa astronauts and be in with a shot of heading to the Moon. The space agency said that more than 12,000 people had answered the call to be part of the new generation of astronauts that will explore the Moon and look to head to Mars. The applicants answered a call from Nasa which asked members of the public to send in applications if they thought they could be a part of its next set of astronauts. Those applicants have to meet the most stringent applications process ever for an astronaut, with the space agency increasing the education requirement for applicants from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree in a science, technology, maths or engineering field. The most qualified of the candidates will be invited to Nasa's Johnson Space Center where they will undergo interviews and medical tests before the successful candidates are announced next summer. Recommended Astronaut gives advice on getting through isolation If they are successful, the astronauts will go through two years of initial training that will see them learn skills including spacewalking and spacecraft systems, as well as how to work together. That will get them ready for future Nasa missions which will carry astronauts to the International Space Station, where they will work to prepare humanity for trips to the Moon and Mars. They even be able to head on those trips to the Moon. Nasa plans to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024, and establish a Moon base by 2028. That work will lay the foundations for sending humans to Mars in the 2030s. Weve entered a bold new era of space exploration with the Artemis program, and we are thrilled to see so many incredible Americans apply to join us, said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement. The next class of Artemis Generation astronauts will help us explore more of the Moon than ever before and lead us to the Red Planet. The call had seen applicants from every US state as well as the District of Columbia and four US territories. 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 The number of applications is the second largest-field ever seen by Nasa, it said. It is surpassed only by the record of 18,000 applicants set for the recent class of astronauts, who graduated at the beginning of this year. The agency said that the large application fields allowed it to choose the best astronauts it could. Were able to build such a strong astronaut corps at NASA because we have such a strong pool of applicants to choose from, said Anne Roemer, manager of the Astronaut Selection Board and director of human resources at Johnson. Its always amazing to see the diversity of education, experience and skills that are represented in our applicants. We are excited to start reviewing astronaut applications to identify the next class of astronaut candidates. Since the 1960s, some 350 people have been chosen to train as astronaut candidates. There are 48 people in the active astronaut corps, but Nasa says that it will need more as it works to head to multiple destinations at once, including the Moon and beyond. ALJAZEERA, February 26, 2020 By Ali M Latifi Kabul, Afghanistan - For the residents of Qalai Muslim, a small mountainside community on the edges of the capital city of Kabul, the evening of February 15 began like any other. As the sun set and the cold winter air filled the mud and brick homes that line the neighbourhood's unpaved roads, the residents closed their shops and prepared for dinner. But, within hours of sunset, the silence was broken by the sound of police cars speeding towards a small field near the top of the mountains. Residents rushed out of their homes to see what had transpired in their little corner of Kabul. It turned out that nine people - all men, ranging from 20-somethings to middle-age - had been shot by unknown gunmen. The killings quickly made headlines in Afghanistan and abroad, based on reports that the victims were among the millions of Afghans suffering from addiction. Residents, however, vehemently deny media reports that the victims were "homeless" addicts. "Their pictures were broadcast on TV, look at them, they didn't even look like addicts," said Jamal, an area resident who said four of the victims were from Qalai Muslim. The 26-year-old vehemently denies the media reports that he said made their neighbourhood look like one of the many areas in the city where hundreds of addicts at a time gather to get high on heroin. "They weren't even podaris [heroin addicts], they were just some guys who would gather from time-to-time to smoke weed," he said. Other residents in the area were just as adamant in their denial of the men being heroin addicts without homes or families. "Only one of them was single, the rest all had wives and children. They all had jobs," said Hamid, a local store owner. Rather than faceless addicts, who are often depicted as thieves and grifters, area residents described the victims as family men, students and even a government worker. Drug-smuggling charges The media reports of the slayings of drug addicts by unknown gunmen led to a litany of rumours and conspiracies across the city. Some Kabulis feared that the men may have been connected to five police officials who were arrested on charges of drug smuggling earlier this month. "Maybe they were in on it and knew too much, so they had to be disposed of," said Hasan, a university student who had heard about the killings on the radio. Though the Kabul government and its foreign backers often tie the Afghan drug trade to the Taliban armed group, which taxes the transportation of drugs from one area to another, Afghan officials have repeatedly been accused of involvement in the nations drug trade. In 2018, Wais Ahmad Barmak, who at the time served as the Minister of Interior, confirmed that government officials were among 1,906 people arrested on charges of drug smuggling. A year earlier, the airport police chief of the western province of Herat was also detained on charges of drug smuggling. Despite the reports and rumours, the Qalai Muslim residents say the men were victims of an increasing crime rate in the Afghan capital. Criminal records show that at least 523 people were killed as a result of violent crime in Kabul last year. The January killing of Ali Sina Zafari, a 22-year-old student at the American University of Afghanistan, by armed robbers led to the creation of a city-wide campaign called "Kabul is not safe/peaceful". Soon after Zafari's killing, the hashtag #KabulIsNotSafe began trending on Afghan social media. The two weeks leading to Zafari's death had seen at least 70 reports of criminal activity, including armed robbery and assassinations, in the Afghan capital. The rising crime rates even caught the attention of the current Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, who in January said: "Kabul residents are increasingly concerned about the gravity of the security situation because of the criminal incidents." Few days ago, I was in my car crossing Silo road. A biker shot a young man and ride away. Some people were fearfully watching the scene & some were running... dusk, darkness and the cold evening was approaching. This is how we live! #KabulIsNotSafe https://t.co/sEc3855C7X Shafiqa Khpalwak (@ShafiqaKhplwak) January 19, 2020 In complete loss of words for the loss of this young dynamic man who was robbed and then stabbed to death the previous day in Kabul. #KabulIsNotSafe pic.twitter.com/Eh63wMZvHG Ali Wanderlust (@ASDoosti) January 5, 2020 Investigation ongoing Police officials speaking to Al Jazeera said the deaths of the nine men were still under investigation. "We are still awaiting the autopsy results to see if they were addicts or high at the time of their deaths," said Ferdous Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul Police Department. Faramarz said that the reports of the victims being addicts probably spread because the area where the men were killed, near a series of mountainside caves, was known to be home to illicit activities and suspicious figures. Though the reports of the men's addiction have yet to be verified, the scourge of drug addiction is quickly growing across Afghanistan as newer drugs enter local markets from Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Washington alone has so far spent more than $8.62bn on counter-narcotics efforts but there are currently at least 3.6 million people addicted to drugs in the South Asian nation. Over the decade, the problem of drug addiction has spread far beyond heroin. In the cities of Kabul, Kunduz and Jalalabad, mysterious multicoloured pills, adorned with the logos of international brands like Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Coca-Cola and Red Bull, have enjoyed massive popularity among the nations urban youth population. These pills, known locally as Tablet-K, are believed to be smuggled in from across the Durand Line and the border with Tajikistan. In the southern and western provinces near the Iranian border, the past decade has seen a spike in the production, smuggling and use of crystal meth. Back in Qalai Muslim, 26-year-old Jabar does not want his community to become the new face of drug use in Kabul. "We are good people, we study, we work. We don't deserve to be associated with such things." Just three weeks ago although it seems like a lifetime ago now - 250,000 people amassed over four days at the famous Cheltenham racing festival in Gloucestershire. They spent that time huddled together in large groups, drinking, eating and gambling. In fact, it was the biggest party in Britain this year. And everyone there was also breathing, spitting, coughing and drooling over each other, despite the world being engulfed by a deadly and highly virulent new type of flu called Coronavirus and numerous cases had begun to be recorded in this country. I was astonished the festival was allowed to go ahead and said so forcefully at the time on Good Morning Britain. 'How can anybody tell me, as this outbreak is beginning to erupt, that kind of gathering of people in close proximity is a good idea?' I asked on March 11, the same day the World Health Organisation officially labelled Coronavirus a global pandemic. 'What are the chances that some of the 60,000-odd people each day has the virus? I'd say reasonably high. The health of our elderly and those with underlying health problems should be more important than people going about having jollies.' Today, those words look horribly prescient as the virus has begun to explode in Britain in a way that may end making Italy look not so bad by comparison. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured in a still from the video he posted online to reveal he tested positive for coronavirus I don't repeat them to make myself look smart, because anybody with a tiny ounce of common sense should have reached the same conclusion as I did that day. What's staggering is that Boris Johnson didn't understand how mad it seemed. Johnson is big on common sense. Through his entire adult life, the British Prime Minister has repeatedly urged us all to display it, particularly during the interminable Brexit saga. It's been inextricably fused into his DNA, both as a journalist and then as a politician. So, it's incomprehensible to me that when faced with the biggest challenge of his life, Johnson seems to have abandoned any semblance of it. Let's not mince words here: his Government's strategy to combat Coronavirus has been a complete fiasco from start to finish. The stands at Cheltenham Race Course are pictured full of people on March 13, before the UK was put on coronavirus lockdown And now I fear the appalling complacency, abject failures to properly prepare, and horrendous mixed messaging have dragged Britain sleep-walking into a potential catastrophe. Johnson, who is currently self-isolating at No10 Downing Street having tested positive for the virus, can't say he wasn't warned. The WHO first declared Coronavirus as 'global emergency' on January 30 as the infection and death toll in China where it began began to explode. The first UK case of Coronavirus was confirmed the next day, January 31. By March 3, it was raging across the globe with terrifying speed and ferocity, with over 100,000 cases reported, and over 3000 deaths. Yet that day, Boris Johnson appeared in front of the British public and announced all we had to do to fight the virus was wash our hands. In a jarringly jovial press conference, he smirked as he boasted of spending a recent night 'shaking hands with everybody' at a hospital containing Coronavirus patients, and saying he intended to carry on shaking hands. Testing by medics in full hazmat protective suits is pictured being carried out today in Seoul, South Korea, where testing is much higher than the UK At the time, I expressed serious concern about this absurdly flippant attitude, but Johnson insisted he was 'following the scientific evidence and advice.' He was supported by Health Secretary Matt Hancock who said: 'The impact of shaking hands is negligible.' Hancock also now has the virus. It's little wonder, given how casual these two men were then about the threat of coronavirus, that they were equally laid back about the Cheltenham Festival. The Government, it was confirmed by the Chief Scientific Officer Sir Patrick Vallance, was pursuing a policy of 'herd immunity' designed to deliberately allow the virus to infect tens of millions British people. Extraordinarily, the Government also announced on March 13 that we would no longer be testing anyone but those already seriously ill in hospital, in direct contravention of WHO guidance that the best way to get on top of coronavirus is to 'Test, test, test.' Yet our entire strategy was dramatically reversed on March 16 after a report by infectious disease scientists at Imperial College who had promoted the herd immunity tactic - concluded it would in fact be a total disaster which might cost 500,000 lives. It's hard to imagine a more shuddering U-turn, particularly given most other countries in the world were already operating a policy of suppression via lockdowns. And it's also crystal clear now that those weeks we spent on such a dangerously ill-conceived 'sit back and let them all get it' strategy cost us incredibly valuable time to adequately prepare. As a direct consequence of this shameful strategic failure, Britain has been left fighting a war with our hands tied behind our backs, with nowhere near enough coronavirus tests, Personal Protective Equipment for health workers, or ventilators which are the determining factor as to whether many coronavirus patients live or die. Secretary of State for Housing Robert Jenrick is pictured on videolink to Good Morning Britain on Wednesday Today, my GMB co-presenter Susanna Reid and I interviewed Government Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and asked him basic questions about the state of Britain's current resources to fight the virus, and our strategy. To call his responses a train-wreck would be the understatement of the year. He confirmed we're currently testing with the anti-gen virus tests just one tenth (8,000 or so per day) of the number Germany (80,000) is testing though couldn't explain why. I can: we were too late to order it, and now we're back of the queue as most other countries got in first. But worse than that, there is plenty of evidence that we COULD still be testing many more NHS workers if it wasn't for the fact that Public Health England have rejected offers of help and are insisting that all testing is done centrally through a unit that isn't even up and running yet. Meanwhile they have still not approved quick, cheap and easy antibody test kits that could be given to hundreds of thousands more people to tell if they've already had the disease and final determine how widespread the infection is, despite there being British manufacturers ready and willing to sell them. Again, Germany is starting a scheme to test hundreds of thousands of its people. In the meantime the British manufacturers are being inundated with orders from private companies who tend to have a greater sense of urgency than do our health service bureaucrats. This chronic lack of testing means we have no idea how many people have the virus, or have had it, and without that information it's impossible to let people go back to work and restart the economy which will be crucial to our ability to recover when this is all over. More worryingly in the immediate moment, it also means most health workers can't be tested and many are therefore forced to self-isolate for two weeks if they or a household member shows a symptom, without even knowing for sure they have it. One paramedic this week revealed he and his three fellow paramedic flatmates have all been forced to do this taking them off the frontline for 14 days at the most intense, vital time. NHS workers have been up in arms about the shocking shortage of PPE, their fears for their safety compounded by the knowledge that 52 doctors have already died from coronavirus in Italy, and three have now died in the UK. Yet all they hear from the Government is endless mealy-mouthed promises that the kit is coming, knowing for many of them it will come too late. As for ventilators, numerous hospitals, especially in London which is the UK virus epicentre, have already run out meaning doctors are having to make agonising decisions as to who lives and who dies. And that's before the coronavirus bomb has even really gone off. I fear the worst, by far, is still to come. Britain is lagging two weeks behind Italy but tracking at the same death rate, and we have a significantly less highly rated health system. I don't scare easily but I am genuinely afraid about what is coming and our ability to handle it. And that fear has been massively compounded by the Government's shocking handling of the crisis. Even now, ministers continue to send terrible mixed messages urging us all to 'stay at home to save lives' but then telling non-essential workers to go to work. This has led to ridiculous scenes on public transport with thousands of people cramming into trains like lambs to the virus infection slaughter. How can this possibly make any sense? And we're not even checking or quarantining people at our airports who continue to fly in from the worst virus-ravaged places like Italy or New York. This too is insane. All of this nonsensical decision-making is being driven by our supposed experts. The Times today revealed the government's top scientists, the ones Boris Johnson has been so heavily relying on including top Imperial 'data modeller' Neil Ferguson, judged Coronavirus to be only of 'moderate risk' at a teleconference on February 21, and didn't even raise the country's level to high risk. By that day, 2,236 people had died from the virus in China, myriad other countries were experiencing outbreaks, and cruises ships like Diamond Princess were being swarmed by it. This, we now know, was a disastrously wrong analysis, as was the 'herd immunity' strategy, refusal to order social-distancing, and the decision to stop mass testing. To use the vernacular of Cheltenham Festival race-goers, Boris Johnson's been backing the wrong scientific horse and it's time he stopped trusting his dreadful 'expert' tipsters and trusted his own common sense. Britain needs to lock down properly right now. I would immediately stop all non-essential workers going to work, strictly enforce strict 2-metre social distancing on public transport, and close our airports. Then I would quadruple our efforts to get tests, PPE equipment and ventilators, so we arm our NHS with the tools they need to fight this hideous war. It's beyond belief that online supermarket Ocado can buy 100,00 private tests for its staff, as it did this week, when health workers can't get them. Right now, Britain is a country of heroic NHS lions led by dangerously incompetent donkeys and many thousands of people are going to die as a result, including many of those trying to save them. We havent been here before and the situation demands bold action. The COVID-19 pandemic is truly novel: adjectives like unprecedented, unpredictable and unforeseeable are barely adequate to describe it. The top priority is the political response as governments scramble to address the pandemic. It is vital that the Canadian government rise to the occasion and take a revolutionary step: The Liberals should give opposition leaders a seat at the decision-making table until the emergency is over, signalling that it is serious enough to put partisan politics aside for the duration. Parliament was called back to pass a financial aid package for Canadian workers and businesses caught up in the vortex of closures and layoffs. The need to get money out the door urgently is self-evident but opposition parties objected to some of the bills provisions. Although conscious of the need for speed, they were rightly concerned about the lack of parliamentary oversight for the next 21 months. The government capitulated and reduced the time frame to six months welcome evidence that opposition parties have some input, but they need more. Partisan posturing has no place in the current crisis because the battle will not be won without concerted action. Canadian parties have generally reacted in a measured way to the pandemic. The only jarring note comes from statements made by MP Pierre Poilievre (in isolation awaiting test results), who crowed that the Liberals would not be able to raise one cent in new taxes without parliamentary approval. Parliamentary oversight is certainly necessary but he also raised the possibility of a vote of non-confidence and warned of consequences if the government tries to rob Canadians of their treasured freedoms. This is not helpful. Arguably, the liberal democratic order is temporarily suspended during national emergencies and there are examples of abuse of emergency powers in the past. While we need to be vigilant about government overreach, there is no question that the current crisis will require some painful adjustments. The immediate goal is to focus on flattening the curve of infections and keeping people healthy. Economic health is also a concern. No one can predict how things will unfold, but Justin Trudeau and probably Bill Morneau will be at the forefront. In the coming weeks, they will be announcing additional help for Canadian businesses and perhaps unpopular measures like curfews, rationing and other sanctions if the infection rate progresses exponentially. Citizens need reassurance that politicians of all stripes are unified in their desire to solve the difficult problems we face. The best way to achieve this goal is to have opposition leaders standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the prime minister and cabinet members when updates are given daily and when new measures are announced. Presumably, opposition parties are being kept in the loop. However, given that the Liberals hold a minority of seats in the House, it would be prudent for them to acknowledge this and share the stage with opposition representatives. It is almost a cliche to point out that we are facing a colossal and uncertain threat on many levels. It requires strong, courageous and unified leadership. Canadians and many companies across the country, have demonstrated through numerous heartwarming and inspiring actions that the social fabric is strong. We must hope that politicians respond in kind. Canadian politicians arent as divided as they seem during Question Period. Despite ideological differences, I am sure they will model the innate Canadian sense of decency and set an example that will make us proud. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday that he will be implementing a "shelter-in-place" order for the entire state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, also issued statewide orders Wednesday mandating all residents stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania join the majority of states including the hardest-hit, New York, New Jersey, California and Washington in implementing restrictions on people's movements in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading further. The U.S. has the most COVID-19 cases of any country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with more than 190,000 confirmed cases of the virus and at least 4,100 deaths. More restrictions are expected to be implemented this week. Here are the states that announced restrictions Wednesday. This list will be updated throughout the day: Georgia to enact 'shelter-in-place' order Secretary of State Brian Kemp addresses the audience and declares victory during an election watch party on July 24, 2018 in Athens, Georgia. Kemp defeated opponent Casey Cagle in a runoff election for the Republican nomination for the Georgia Governor's race. Jessica McGowan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday that he will sign a statewide shelter-in-place order on Thursday. The order will go into effect Friday and extend through April 13. Kemp said that the recent CDC announcement that people can become infected with the coronavirus and spread it while asymptomatic earlier than what was previously thought influenced his decision to enact a shelter-in-place order. He also said that Georgia needs more time to prepare its hospital capacity for a surge of patients. "All of us know that this fight is won at the community level," Kemp said at a press briefing Wednesday. Kemp said that those who don't follow state and local directives regarding the coronavirus will face stiff penalties. He also announced that schools will remain closed until the end of the academic year. Georgia currently has 4,638 cases of the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Pennsylvania extends stay-at-home order to entire state GP: Gov. Tom Wolf speaks in front of Bellefonte Area High School on July 13, 2015 in Bellefonte, Pa. Nabil K. Mark | Centre Daily Times | Tribune News Service via Getty Images Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statewide stay-at-home order Wednesday that will last until at least April 30. Previously, only select counties in Pennsylvania were under stay-at-home orders from the governor. The new order goes into effect Wednesday at 8:00 pm. "We appreciate the shared sacrifice of all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians; we are in this together," Wolf said in a statement. Residents can leave their homes for essential reasons such as getting food or medicine, or caring for a sick relative. Pennsylvania currently has 4,994 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Florida residents told to remain at home Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks during a news conference at the Broward County mobile testing site at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on March 19, 2020. David Santiago | Miami Herald | Getty Images With every restaurant and bar and most hotels in Spain closed, the demand for fish has fallen so much that some fishermen have decided to stay in port. Since Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared the state of emergency more than two weeks ago many things have changed for some Spanish industries. Fish and seafood prices have plummeted since the start of the Coronavirus crisis. Most of the fish and seafood in Spain is 50% cheaper. Hake used to cost at 6 to 7 Euros per kilo, while now it is 3.5 Euros. The Almerian red shrimp used to be sold above 65 Euros per kilo, while now it cost less than 35 Euros. Fishing is included in the primary sector and is excluded from Spanish government aid or financial help. Javier Garat, General Secretary of Spain National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds and the Spanish Confederation of Fisheries (Cepesca), said there were already cases of fishermen infected with COVID-19 which hah forced shipowners to moor their boats in port to avoid infection and to respect quarantine. "Secondly, those (shipowners and fishermen) who want to continue their activity encounter difficulties, because there are not enough masks or enough protective gear, or they have found problems with free movement of people and goods, especially when ships have to unload in third countries." he said, adding that some crews did not want to go fishing simly because it was not profitable. According to Cepesca, about 70% of the fleet in the Mediterranean sea is in port. The Spanish fishing sector employs more than 30,000 fishermen and shipowners in 8,900 fishing vessels. Spain has been on lockdown since March 14th, and Spanish Government has decided to extend the state of emergency until 11 April. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. The Montana Army and Air National Guard will deploy 73 Guardsmen activated by the governor to locations around the state to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, it announced in a press release Wednesday afternoon. Theyll deploy to a total of 17 locations in the state, spread throughout 11 cities. Their duties will begin Friday. In this time of need, the National Guard team will conduct screening with professionalism and will always treat Montana citizens and visitors with the dignity and respect they are entitled to, said Major General Matthew Quinn, in a written statement. "We are preparing our Soldiers and Airmen to respond to all future requests for assistance to support communities across the state. Quinn is the adjutant general and a leader on the Montana COVID-19 Task Force. The soldiers and airmen will be sent to airports in Bozeman, Billings, Kalispell, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls and Butte. Theyll screen passengers arriving at airport terminals and at most privately owned fixed base operations located at the major airports. Theyll also screen passengers arriving at train stations in Whitefish, Havre, Shelby and Wolf Point. A truck from the Dagupan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in the northern Philippines transports sacks of relief goods, April 1, 2020. Dozens of poor people marched in Metro Manila on Wednesday to demand food and relief supplies during the COVID-19 lockdown, but riot police broke up the protest and arrested at least 20 people. Late Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered police to shoot them dead if rioters launched violent protests against his government. The protest in Quezon City reflected the urban poors frustration with the governments handling of the crisis, local groups said, with one organization that represents government employees criticizing the police action as provoking the anger of hungry masses. Instead of listening to the complaints of the poor whose plight has not been addressed by the government, the government had them arrested, said Gloria Arellano, the head of Kadamay, an organization advocating for the urban poor. This spontaneous explosion of anger by the people could not be helped. Police said the march led by Jocy Lopez, 47, could be considered an illegal mass action in violation of regulations at a time of national emergency. The protesters were advised to disperse and return home peacefully, but when they kept refusing to do so, police, armed with batons and shields intervened, according to a video broadcast by Philippine television networks. Lopez was among those arrested, local media reported. Hours later, President Duterte spoke to the nation in a late-night address. My orders to the police and the military [are] that if a commotion breaks out and they fight, putting your lives in danger, shoot them dead, Duterte said. I am not used to being challenged. Not me, said the Philippine leader who last week was granted emergency powers by Congress to deal with the national crisis over the coronavirus outbreak. Let this be a warning to all. Follow the government at this time. It is critical that we have order. However, a group of government workers expressed sympathy for the protesters. I cant say anything other than that I am appalled, G. Manuel Baclagon, leader of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition, Advancement of Government Employees (Courage), said in a statement. The people are hungry and the answer to their plight is simple. Not violent dispersal. All the more, you just angered the hungry masses, he said. Baclagon said the government needed to fast track its program for the poor and identify those who could benefit from the disbursement. He also demanded a systemic program of mass testing for COVID-19, noting that many people in the Philippines had died of the disease, including at least 15 doctors. The death toll from the virus has reached 96 and 2,311 have been infected, the health department said Wednesday in its latest advisory. The numbers increased by eight and 227, respectively, from Tuesday. Globally, more than 44,200 people have died and at least 885,000 have been infected with COVID-19, according to the latest data compiled by disease experts at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Luzon locked down This week, Duterte announced an economic stimulus package of 200 billion pesos (U.S. $3.9 billion) that would primarily go to the poor to help them through the crisis. But questions about how the government would disperse the funds along with who would qualify for the assistance have yet to be answered fully. Duterte empowered village captains to act on the governments behalf, but relief goods and supplies in parts of Manila and nearby provinces have been slow in coming. The president has ordered a lockdown of the entire northern island of Luzon, home to Manila, until mid-April. The stated aim was to cut COVID-19 transmission by limiting crowds, but rights groups have warned that Duterte was using the lockdown to impose autocratic rule. Several of Dutertes cabinet secretaries as well as members of the Senate have tested positive for COVID-19 and the World Health Organization has warned governments in the Asia-Pacific to prepare for a long-term fight against the virus. Teacher arrested in south Also on Wednesday, the national police said that a teacher who allegedly made a post on the internet to provoke people to ransack a gym where relief goods were stored was arrested in southern General Santos City last weekend. City officials complained and a case of inciting sedition was filed against the suspect, who could be jailed for six years if found guilty, authorities said. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Manila police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas appealed to the public to stay home and follow the enhanced community quarantine protocols until the lockdown is lifted. I understand the challenges that go with the implementation of our enhanced community quarantine, he said. However, we have our own sacrifices to make to win this battle with the unseen. The safest place right now is home. So please, stay at home. Channel Seven has made a strategic scheduling change for the upcoming premiere date of House Rules: High Stakes, switching the air date to this coming Monday. The change comes after Channel Nine announced Married At First Sight's grand final reunion episode will air on Sunday at 7pm. According to TV Blackbox, the scheduling shake-up is an attempt for Seven to avoid losing numbers to MAFS. Game on! Channel Seven has made a strategic scheduling change for the upcoming premiere date of House Rules : High Stakes, switching the air date to this coming Monday (L-R: Judges Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Saul Meyers and Kyly Clarke with new hosts Abbey Gelmi and Jamie Durie) The House Rules reboot, hosted by Jamie Durie and Abbey Gelmi, will see eight teams transform a 32-storey Gold Coast penthouse. The series was previously hosted by Johanna Griggs, who unexpectedly quit the series last year. Aside from returning judge Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the show will see viewers critiquing the teams who will also be fresh faces. Changes: The change comes after Channel Nine announced Married At First Sight's grand final reunion episode will air on Sunday at 7pm Channel Nine was on track to air its final episode of MAFS on Wednesday at 7.30pm until Tuesday, but moved it to Sunday at 7pm, the same time as House Rules. Nine's ruthless move could've put a dampener on Channel Seven's hope of a ratings winner, as participants of the social experiment are expected to drop explosive bombshells about each other since filming ended early this year. After Monday, Seven's House Rules: High Stakes will continue airing during the week at 7pm, taking over The Latest's COVID-19 coverage, which will be pushed back to 9.30pm. Competition: According to TV Blackbox , the scheduling shake-up is an attempt for Seven to avoid losing numbers to MAFS The show will go head-to-head in the 7pm time slot with Nine's A Current Affair, hosted by Tracey Grimshaw. It comes after Seven's reboot of My Kitchen Rules failed to win audiences just a few episodes after it debuted on February 2. MAFS quickly won audiences over after its premiere on February 3 and reached more than a million viewers almost every episode - while MKR's finale only brought a metro viewership of 553,000. UBS Group AG UBS plans to distribute a dividend for 2019, amounting to more than 50% of the annual profits. The bank has proposed to pay a dividend of 73 cents per share, up 9.2% from the prior-year annual dividend. The news was reported by Reuters. Amid the continued coronavirus spread in Switzerland, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) noted that the financial institutions are well-poised to deal with extreme stress scenarios. However, it suggested firms to be more prudent with their distribution policies, especially related to share buyback programs. Per the article, the bank remains confident of its capital position and is strategically well-positioned to deal with the crucial conditions at present. Further, the article quoted a representative of the company, UBS Group, as the largest Swiss bank, is in a position to support the economy while maintaining an appropriate dividend policy. Notably, the company paid its CEO 11% lower compensation for 2019. Further, the banks employee bonus pool slumped 14%. The payoffs took into account the relatively weak performance of the company in 2019. The company reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of $4.3 billion, down 4.7% year over year. Its peer, Credit Suisse CS, is also planning to distribute the 2019 dividend but has suspended its CHF 1.5-billion share buyback plan for 2020 as the pandemic continues to hamper economic conditions. Also, the companys board would decide upon the dividend to propose for 2020 later this year. Barclays BCS and HSBC Holding HSBC are scheduled to pay dividends on Apr 3 and Apr 14, respectively. UBS Group has lost 14.6% over the past six months compared with 33.9% decline of the industry it belongs to. Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 UBS Group AG (UBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Credit Suisse Group (CS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Barclays PLC (BCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research When Eunice Foster goes to the hospital to give birth to her second child sometime this month, she and her husband will bring an odd addition to their overnight bag: masks. Thats because theyll be walking into Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, one of the hospitals hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak. For mothers, we have no choice but to put ourselves in this situation," said Foster, whose due date is April 15. We cant stop the clock. We have to show up healthy and risk ourselves. Im hoping that its sooner than later, because its not seeming like its going to get too much better in the next few weeks. The onslaught of coronavirus cases hit Bergen County hard over the past three weeks, giving women in their third trimester, like Foster, little time to arrange for home births or to transfer to hospitals that may have less patients with COVID-19. Now she has questions, the answers to which might change from one day to the next: How long can she stay before the hospital discharges her? Will they test her for coronavirus, or just screen her for a fever? Does she need to wipe down the wheelchair, or does the virus circulate through the air? And if she gets the virus, will she have to isolate herself from her newborn baby? These are the unknowns plaguing pregnant women and their families as they prepare for what should be joyous occasions. Where they once would have passed the bundled newborn between glowing grandparents, aunts and uncles at the hospital, they now must shield the babies and bring them back to much emptier homes as they continue to practice social distancing without a clear end date in sight. And all the while, theyll worry they may have brought the virus back from the hospital. Its all been so fast and tumultuous, obviously for everybody, but for pregnant women who already tend to run high on anxiety, said Jayne Freeman, a Jersey City-based birth educator and postpartum doula. Losing the ability to plan and think ahead is very unnerving. For now, Foster, 36, takes comfort in the fact that her husband, Judon, can come into the delivery room. Hospitals around the state have limited visitors, making exceptions for one person per patient in places like hospice or the maternity ward. Some hospitals in New York had barred visitors, even in the delivery room, but the city mandated they must allow a partner to come to the hospital with pregnant women, despite the added risk of spreading coronavirus. As of Sunday, the New Jersey Department of Health mandated hospitals must allow one support person to accompany a pregnant woman in the delivery room. The person must not have coronavirus symptoms, and must be checked for a fever every 12 hours. They cannot be substituted for another person during the patients stay. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick announced March 22 that temporarily, no visitors including birthing partners and support persons would be permitted for patients in its labor and delivery, postpartum and neonatal intensive care units. But the hospital changed that policy days later, saying women could bring a partner with them. But allowing just one person in the room means the women must choose between a partner and doula. Freeman said doulas have pivoted quickly to provide virtual services for expectant mothers and new ones. She fields questions that come via texts, FaceTime and Zoom calls. And as more new mothers return home without the help of their mothers or in-laws, doulas like her are providing more vital support than ever. What I do as a postpartum doula is really being looked at in a much more essential way, Freeman said. Maybe before, it was like, This will be helpful. Now its like, We really need this, because were not going to have support. She said she can address many basic questions, and that may stop mothers from taking babies to doctors offices or the hospital unnecessarily, where they would face increased risk of contracting the virus. News of partners barred from hospitals and fear of germs made some women seek home births, but Freeman said doulas and midwives who offer those services are largely booked through April and May. Foster said a home birth is out of the question for her. At 36, doctors consider her pregnancy riskier, and she said she would rather be in the hospital should a complication arise. She also worries that a midwife could bring the virus into her Teaneck home, and she has no way to test or screen them. She would rather take any precautions she can and go to Holy Name, where she has the familiarity of her doctor. I dont know that I can actually give birth with a mask on," Foster said. "Im pretty sure I will rip it off. Lauren Bonus, a 30-year-old expectant mom from Delran, is due to give birth in May at Cooper University Health Care in Camden. I dont know whats scarier: Going to the hospital and giving birth, or giving birth in my living room, she said. I like the idea of having a doctor and every educated person around me. Ill have a doctor, but I also have potentially, all of this COVID-19 around me. Lauren Bonus, 30, of Delran, poses with her family. She worries how the coronavirus outbreak impact her plans to give birth at a hospital in early May. (Photo courtesy Lauren Bonus) Bonus, who works for the Camden County Health Department, also has a 9-year-old son. When she goes into labor, she plans to call her parents to come watch him. Even though that goes against social distancing recommendations, she doesnt have another option. At this point, it changes by the day, she said. I dont know what the best thing to do is. While there wont be bouquets of flowers and balloon arrangements to welcome mom and baby at the hospital, nurses and doctors are doing everything they can to ensure expectant moms have a safe experience, said Beth Battaglino, the chief executive of HealthyWomen, a nonprofit womens health resource, and a maternal-fetal nurse. For healthy moms and babies, the hospital may recommend discharging them in 24 hours, as she said shes seen from working at Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center. Its safer to go home sooner than it is to stay longer, Battaglino said, although the early discharge is optional for now. She also recommended the parents-to-be pack belongings they wont mind throwing out, like flip flops or T-shirts, while leaving favorite robes and pajamas at home. When they get back, she said, they should wipe down bags and wash clothes. But she emphasized the parents should not see this as a time for doom and gloom. Its going to be different. Its not that warm, kind of cuddly feeling where you have all the relatives and stuff come to the hospital, she said. Its our new norm for right now, and it can still be very special. Its a special time between you and your partner. Youre never going to get that time back again. Editors note: A previous version said the state Department of Health said pregnant women can have one partner in the delivery room as of Saturday, March 28. It has been updated to show that order came on Sunday. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The month of March could be worst in many years, with imports estimated only around 18 tonnes amid the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown, said an industry player. The import in March 2019 was 72.5 tonnes, according to the GFMS data. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters Gold imports took a sharp hit in FY20 following a series of developments -- the latest being the coronavirus pandemic -- which, on the other hand, pushed the price of the precious metal to record highs. The import is estimated at 559.6 tonnes for the financial year, which ended on Monday. It is believed to the lowest in at least a decade. In FY19, the gold import stood at 775.4 tonnes. In terms of return from investment in gold, FY20 was fantastic -- it gave a 36 per cent return to Indian investors. Except for the June quarter, demand remained usually muted. Since July 5, when the Modi-2 government presented its first Budget and imposed a 12.5 per cent import duty on gold, demand took a plunge, even as the price of the metal continued to jump over geopolitical uncertainties and the trade war. September was one of the worst quarters in terms of gold demand in India when demand fell to only 83.6 tonnes. The March quarter is expected to be no different, with an estimated demand of only 120 tonnes. The month of March could be worst in many years, with imports estimated only around 18 tonnes amid the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown, said an industry player. The import in March 2019 was 72.5 tonnes, according to the GFMS data. Despite the markets remaining closed following the nationwide lockdown, some demand was witnessed last week when the gold price corrected suddenly, but traders were not able to provide delivery. Some promised to deliver at a fixed price when the markets reopen. In weeks following the end of the lockdown, too, demand for gold is likely to be muted as life will only slowly return to normalcy and consumers will cut their discretionary expenses. The India head of a global metals research firm said that demand for gold will likely start reviving from July but won't be enough to compensate for the fall in FY20. Even on the price front, he sees consolidation continuing for some time, and any major improvement only in the second half. Akshaya Tritiya, which is considered the most auspicious occasion for gold and jewellery buying, will be a key indicator of gold demand in the current times of crisis. It falls on April 26. BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, to hand over 2000kgs of rice for the needy in his bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "Vi Image Source: IANS News BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, to hand over 2000kgs of rice for the needy in his bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "Vi Image Source: IANS News BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, to hand over 2000kgs of rice for the needy in his bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "Vi Image Source: IANS News BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, to hand over 2000kgs of rice for the needy in his bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "Vi Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, April 1 : BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday visited Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, to hand over 2000kgs of rice for the needy in his bid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "Visited belur math after 25 years... handed over 2000kgs of rice for the needy," Ganguly said in a tweet. The Belur Math had earlier stopped all spiritual initiation to be held at the Math and distribution of noon-prasad, besides banning gatherings in large number inside the main temple till further notice to stop any spread of the coronavirus. All enquiries regarding spiritual initiation will be entertained after April 14. The order has also closed the museum christened Ramakrishna Sangraha Mandir until further notice. Ganguly had earlier pledged to provide free rice worth Rs 50 lakh to the needy people who have been put in government schools for safety and security amid the coronavirus pandemic. He had also urged people of the country to stay at home and follow the directives of the government during the 21-day lockdown which started from March 25. Over 1,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported till now in the country and 38 people have already lost their lives. Several searches were conducted in Mumbai on Wednesday in a bid to locate the people who had participated in a Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month, police sources said. According to sources in the Mumbai Police, searches were conducted at various locations here today. A total of 2,361 people have been brought out from Markaz in Nizamuddin in a joint operation by authorities, out of which, 617 have been sent to hospitals while the rest have been sent to different quarantine facilities. This comes as several people who participated in the event have tested positive for coronavirus. Notably, six people from Telangana who attended the gathering have died due to COVID-19. An FIR has also been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897 and several other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare earlier today informed that there are 1,637 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 1,466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amazon workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse strike in demand that the facility be shut down and cleaned after one staffer tested positive for the coronavirus on March 30, 2020 in New York. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Michigan staged a walkout on Wednesday to call for greater protections against the coronavirus. Organizers said about 40 employees walked out of the Romulus, Michigan, facility, known as DTW1. The workers are demanding that Amazon close DTW1 for two weeks in order to clean the facility, after two workers tested positive last week. News of the strike was first reported by The Verge. "We're just hoping that we were heard enough for [Amazon] to realize, OK, something needs to be done," said Tonya Ramsay, a leader of the walkout and a worker at DTW1. "We're hoping we don't get too much retaliation or pushback from them." An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that it did not and will not take any disciplinary action against employees who participated in Wednesday's strike. Following the strike, Ramsay said she received support from warehouse workers at other facilities in the country, with many of them indicating interest in staging similar protests at their facilities. A spokesperson from Amazon told CNBC that fewer than 15 of the facility's 4,000 employees participated in the strike. The spokesperson said Amazon has been implementing policy changes on a daily, and sometimes hourly, basis to support teams and customers, including providing disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer in its facilities. "Like all businesses grappling with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we are working hard to keep employees safe while serving communities and the most vulnerable," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We have taken extreme measures to keep people safe, tripling down on deep cleaning, procuring safety supplies that are available and changing processes to ensure those in our buildings are keeping safe distances. The truth is the vast majority of employees continue to show up and do the heroic work of delivering for customers every day." CLEVELAND, Ohio Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said his office sent a cease-and-desist letter to Hobby Lobby after reports that the craft supplies chain had re-opened its stores across the U.S., including Ohio. Yost tweeted Wednesday afternoon about his offices action and referenced the stay-at- home order Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Action issued last week that required businesses not deemed essential to close for the time being because of the coronavirus pandemic. (You can read the letter here or at the bottom of this story.) Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohios stay-home order, the attorney general tweeted. Now theyre open again whats changed? Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure. I sent a cease & desist letter to their general counsel. Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohios stay-home order. Now theyre open again whats changed? Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure. I sent a cease & desist letter to their general counsel. https://t.co/HVqDhFfhqo Dave Yost (@Yost4Ohio) April 1, 2020 Business Insider reported Tuesday that Hobby Lobby on Monday reopened all 19 locations in Ohio. The company has several locations in Northeast Ohio, including Mentor, Solon, Macedonia, Stow, Fairlawn and Medina. Nobody picked up at any of the six stores when cleveland.com called on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health said in an email that officials on Monday spoke with employees at the Solon store and said the store had voluntarily closed. Hobby Lobby did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter, written by Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Fulkerson to Hobby Lobby General Counsel Peter Dobelbower, notes that the health department directors order provides guidance on what businesses are essential and can remain open. Those include grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies, among others. It does not appear that Hobby Lobby meets the criteria outlined in the Directors order, Fulkerson wrote. On behalf of the Department of Health, you are ordered to immediately cease and desist operations. The letter states that the attorney generals office may take measures if the company does not comply, which could include a second-degree misdemeanor or seeking a civil injunction. It also asks the company, if it feels that the business is essential under Actons order, to outline why it thinks that is the case. The company has 900 stores nationwide and has tried to remain open in other states. Police and authorities have intervened. Business Insiders story said the company sent a memo to its store managers that instructs them on how to talk with local authorities if theyre questioned about why the stores are open. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The frozen bakery market is projected to grow at an very healthy CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period (2019-2029). A significant increase in consumer demand for convenience foods, resulting from hectic lifestyles is a predominant factor driving the sales of frozen bakery products. Emerging players are targeting millennial consumers, who prefer the low-cost frozen bakery items to increase their market share. The rising demand from hotel and catering industries will continue to boost growth of frozen bakery market, reveals Future Market Insights (FMI). "The recent surge in catering and tourism has been a key driver to growth across Europe, trends which are not likely to change in the coming years," says the FMI analyst. Frozen Bakery Market - Key Takeaways Frozen bread will remain a leading product in the market, driven by the demand for convenience foods during the forecast period. Online channels of sales will gain significant CAGR through the forecast period, owing to high penetration of smartphones and the internet. Hypermarkets and supermarkets will account for majority market share, in terms of distribution channels. Europe will hold a leading position in the global market share, while Asia Pacific will display high growth. Frozen Bakery Market - Key Driving Factors The prevalence of hectic lifestyles and the resultant consumer preference for convenience foods is a major growth driver. Rising demand from small- and large-scale coffee shops and food chains remains a key influencer. The expansion of the hotel and catering industries in recent years supports overall market growth. Easy year-round availability of frozen bakery goods is also a driver for global market growth. Frozen Bakery Market - Key Constraints Volatility in the prices of raw materials will remain a challenge for market players. Higher preference among consumers for freshly baked products will also remain a major restraint for market players. Competition Landscape Key players in the frozen bakery market are Arytza AG, Dawn Food Products Inc., Grupo Bimbo, General Mills, Cargill, Lantmannen, Conagra brands, Cole's Quality Food Inc., Bridgford Foods Corporation, and Europastry. Majority of these players are investing in expanding their product portfolios and optimizing their sourcing processes. Moreover, mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations with small-scale, local players is a major strategy being adopted by market leaders. Request for covid19 Impact Analysis: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/covid19/rep-gb-11162 More About the Report The FMI's market research report of 300 pages offers comprehensive insights on frozen bakery market. The market is analyzed on the basis of product type (frozen cake and muffins, frozen pastry, frozen bread and biscuits, and frozen pizza crust), distribution channels (hypermarkets and supermarkets, catering and industrial, and online retailing), end user (artisanal bakers, hotels and restaurants, bakery chains, and food processing industries) across seven key regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and MEA). Source link: https://www.accesswire.com/583294/Frozen-Bakery-Sales-to-Ride-on-Convenience-Quotient-Online-Retail-Remains-Preferred-Sales-Channel Explore Extensive Coverage of FMI's Food & Beverages Landscape About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Contact: Mr. Abhishek Budholiya Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights Provincial health officials alerted the public Tuesday a staff member at the Selkirk hospital has tested positive for COVID-19. They refused to say how many other Manitoba health-care workers have contracted the virus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Provincial health officials alerted the public Tuesday a staff member at the Selkirk hospital has tested positive for COVID-19. They refused to say how many other Manitoba health-care workers have contracted the virus. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the employee worked in the Selkirk Regional Health Centre emergency department and medicine ward March 19-23 despite having symptoms of the novel coronavirus. "How a symptomatic person was working for three days, I can't answer that," Roussin told a media briefing. "Health-care workers are closely monitoring their symptoms and should report any symptoms immediately to occupational health and safety." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Provincial health officials alerted the public Tuesday that a staff member at the Selkirk hospital has tested positive for COVID-19. The Manitoba Nurses Union said several nurses who came into contact with the staff member at the hospital are now self-isolating at home. Roussin said public health, occupational health and infection prevention and control staff are investigating the case and following up with all close contacts, including staff and patients. He said the health worker contracted the coronavirus through travel within Canada. The person did not self-isolate because, at that time, the directive on self-isolation pertained only to international travel. Public health officials are contacting anyone who had close or prolonged contact with the staffer when the individual was symptomatic, Roussin said. "People with concerns can contact Health Links to speak to a nurse about the situation." Because of the large number of potential contacts, Roussin said he decided to release details of the case "for public health reasons." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Manitoba Nurses Union said several nurses who came into contact with the staff member at the hospital are now self-isolating at home. Roussin refused Tuesday to provide details about other Manitoba health-care workers who have contracted COVID-19 or to say how many have become infected. The MNU revealed a Winnipeg ER nurse had tested positive for the coronavirus, something the chief public health officer would not confirm. The nurses union said it believes the nurse contracted the virus while tending to patients sick with the disease. She is currently recovering in self-isolation at home. Asked Tuesday whether there had been any evidence of a Manitoba health-care worker becoming infected with COVID-19 in the workplace, Roussin said the province has been "investigating some cases where that type of transmission is considered." Other jurisdictions, including Alberta and Ontario, have updated the public on the numbers of health workers testing positive. Roussin didn't rule out providing such information in the future. On Tuesday, the province announced seven additional coronavirus cases, bringing the Manitoba total 103. Three individuals were in hospital, two of them in intensive care. Four individuals have recovered from the virus. The total number of COVID-19 deaths in the province remains at one. Roussin said the total number of cases to date is within the range Manitoba health professionals had predicted by this stage. 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. "The severity (of cases) tends to be at the lower end of what our predictions are, but it's quite early right now," he said. "How a symptomatic person was working for three days, I can't answer that." Dr. Brent Roussin Meanwhile, the province is putting out a call for nurses with critical care experience to step forward as it plans to ramp up for COVID-19 cases in hospital. Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer at Shared Health, said the province is looking for registered nurses with previous adult or pediatric critical care experience who may be willing to pick up additional shifts or to be redeployed to another hospital if need be. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Carol Sanders Legislature reporter After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020. Read full biography This year's season of Married At First Sight has featured more cheating allegations than ever before. Between the 24 participants, there have been 10 rumoured couple swaps - but frustratingly almost every 'affair' happened off camera. Here, Daily Mail Australia separates fact from fiction and reveals which of the flings are real, and which are totally fake. This year's season of Married At First Sight has featured more cheating allegations than ever before. Here, Daily Mail Australia separates fact from fiction and reveals which of the flings are real, and which are totally fake CONFIRMED: Natasha Spencer and Tash Herz Natasha Spencer and Tash Herz took their friendship to the next level in November. After Natasha split from Mikey Pembroke, and Tash split from Amanda Micallef, the pair were pictured kissing on holiday in Bali, Indonesia. However, they have since said it was just a fun fling and they're better off as friends. CONFIRMED | Natasha Spencer and Tash Herz: The two women took their friendship to the next level in November when they hooked up in Bali CONFIRMED: KC Osborne and Jonethen Musulin, Connie Crayden and Drew Brauer Producers tried to arrange a couple swap between KC Osborne and Drew Brauer, and Connie Crayden and Jonethen Musulin during filming. The two women have confirmed they briefly switched partners and even filmed dates, but nothing materialised and the footage was scrapped. 'None of it got shown because nothing happened,' KC said on Tuesday. CONFIRMED | Producers tried to arrange a couple swap between KC Osborne and Drew Brauer (left), and Connie Crayden and Jonethen Musulin (right), but nothing materialised and the footage was scrapped TO BE CONFIRMED: Stacey Hampton and Mikey Pembroke Multiple cast members have claimed Stacey Hampton and Mikey Pembroke had a one-night stand during filming in October. Their hook-up is said to have occurred when Stacey and her 'husband', Michael Goonan, were on a break after he was accused of kissing Hayley Vernon. At the time, Mikey and Natasha Spencer had agreed their relationship was over. There is overwhelming evidence they did have sex - Mikey passed a lie detector test and has text messages as proof - but Stacey still denies anything happened. TO BE CONFIRMED | Stacey Hampton and Mikey Pembroke: There is overwhelming evidence they slept together in October, but Stacey continues to deny anything happened LIKELY TRUE: Hayley Vernon and Michael Goonan The majority of this season was based around Hayley and Michael's drunken kiss. She insisted it happened during an 11-day production break in early October, but he said he was too drunk to remember anything. LIKELY TRUE | Hayley Vernon and Michael Goonan: She insisted they kissed during an 11-day production break in early October, but he said he was too drunk to remember anything CONFIRMED: Michael Goonan and KC Osborne Michael and KC have been spotted together on several occasions since filming the reunion in mid-January. They have denied having an affair, but Daily Mail Australia understands they began dating after breaking up with their respective partners. In recent interviews, they have both hinted they are now a couple. CONFIRMED | Michael Goonan and KC Osborne: These two have been spotted together on several occasions since filming the reunion in mid-January RUMOURED: Hayley Vernon and Chris Nicholls It was widely reported in February that Hayley had 'hooked up' with Chris Nicholls during filming. Although the alleged 'affair' made headlines, the rumour appears to stem solely from the fact they partied together in January. There is no evidence to suggest they are anything more than friends. RUMOURED | Hayley Vernon and Chris Nicholls: A magazine claimed they 'hooked up' in February, but the only evidence appears to be this photo of them partying on January 14 RUMOURED: Natasha Spencer and Chris Nicholls Some fans believe there may have been something between Natasha and Chris. They've been leaving flirty comments on each other's Instagram posts recently, and were also pictured partying together on January 14. But beyond this, there is no evidence they are more than friends. RUMOURED | Natasha Spencer and Chris Nicholls: Some fans believe they're more than friends due to their flirty Instagram comments. Pictured: January 14 FAKE: Elizabeth Sobinoff and Amanda Micallef Viewers were convinced Elizabeth and Amanda were a couple throughout February. The theory started after fans discovered an old Instagram photo of Amanda holding Elizabeth's hand. At the time, neither of them denied being in a relationship. However, once Elizabeth's wedding to Seb Guilhaus aired in early March, the 'theory' quickly fell apart. FAKE | Elizabeth Sobinoff and Amanda Micallef: Fans were convinced they were more than just friends after a picture emerged of them holding hands. However, it turns out they were joking FAKE: Connie Crayden and Steve Burley During filming in October, Connie and Steve hugged outside of the cafe next to the cast members' apartment complex in Sydney. A paparazzi picture of the friendly moment was published by a magazine in March alongside the headline: 'Connie dumped her husband for Steve!' This didn't happen. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has accused hospital chiefs of a disgraceful attempt to use the coronavirus crisis to shut down his local accident and emergency unit. He reacted with fury after health bosses announced they were closing the A&E in his Chorley constituency as part of wider plans to prepare for the virus pandemic. The Speaker branded the decision completely unjustified and angrily accused his local hospital trust of using the current crisis as an excuse to fulfil its alleged ambitions to get rid of the emergency unit. He said: I can only believe that this was a sad day to get bad news out on a plan that they have always envisaged. Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust denied the claim and insisted the closure at Chorley and South Ribble hospital was only temporary as part of wider plans to focus coronavirus treatment on its hospital in Preston instead. But Sir Lindsay, who was seen talking to Boris Johnson in the Commons last week and is now self-isolating after the Prime Minister tested positive for the virus, added: How does it make sense to concentrate all virus cases in Preston and also expect all other emergency cases to go there too? Sir Lindsay Hoyle has hit out at a decision to shut his local A&E, accusing health chiefs of using the coronavirus as cover for the move He was backed by Tory MPs Nigel Evans and Katherine Fletcher whose constituents use the hospital. The A&E department at Chorley has been downgraded to an urgent care centre. Ribble Valley MP Mr Evans said to hide behind coronavirus is just despicable and called on trust chief executive Karen Partington to resign. South Ribble MP Ms Fletcher, who has appealed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to intervene, said: This is a vital local service and I find the approach to this disingenuous at best. Surely maintaining A&E support at Chorley and South Ribble while Preston becomes a key treatment centre for coronavirus cases is absolutely vital. However, a report last year concluded the threatened unit, which operates on a part-time basis, was not clinically viable. Trust chief executive Ms Partington promised that we will make decisions based on recommendations from leading clinicians and heath care. The current measures were temporary' and 'all services will be reinstated as soon as possible. She also said the move would allow us to harness all our available resources on a single site with the largest intensive care units, in order to better care for our patients'. In addition, it will reduce the risks associated with transporting infectious patients between locations. Diluting our approach would unnecessarily put lives at risk.' Local campaigners fear the temporary closure now is a backdoor plan to shut it down completely. There are dozens of apps that can help you keep connected during the current lockdown Online daters are turning to video calls, movie watching and even preparing meals together rather than quick hookups, according to a new survey. The Bumble poll in Ireland and Britain also claims that people are dressing down for online dates, not feeling the need to spend as much time physically preparing to meet a potential lover. However, chatting has replaced hookups, according to Bumble rival, Tinder, with users now spending 30pc more time in conversations through the app now that quick hookups are out of the question. Welcome back to courtship, Brad, wrote the writer and comedian Kaitlyn McQuin. Welcome back to talking to a gal for weeks prior to meeting. Now, write me a poem. Tinder also says that the lockdown is putting older people off from trying their service, with new subscribers down at least 5pc across Europe, and more in the worst-hit countries of Italy and Spain. Other dating apps are warning their users that it isnt a good time to be swapping spit, as Open messaged its 50,000 users last week. Meanwhile, gay dating app Grindr has responded to the lockdown by making some of its premium features free, such as being able to see up to 300 local profiles without charge. The veteran dating app Plenty Of Fish has begun rolling out video chat on their platforms, with usage exceeding expectations, according to a Plenty Of Fish spokesman. Other than video calls, messaging is the most popular way of communicating on dating apps during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to the Bumble Ireland survey. Voice calls are next at 16pc, with video calls the preference for 12pc. Sending voice notes is also somewhat popular, with 11pc of Bumble users doing it as part of their dating process. As asked here yesterday, what normal person eats a fish-tank cleaner to avoid coronavirus? Hmmm, perhaps a loving husband whose oh, so solicitous wife suggests it because President Donald J. Trump (R) highly recommends it. At least that's what the grieving widow says, whose husband died from dining on the stuff while she daintily ingested a mere taste. While the lefty media i.e., 90% or so of the media gleefully agreed with her that Trump was at fault, the remaining 10% of the media, plus the hundreds of thousands of silent deplorables, thought this explanation was fishy. The fishiness began to stink to high Hillary hell upon the discovery that the couple was surprise! Democratic donors. Now the true rot sets in to this fishy story with a long, edifying series of tweets from Techno Fog informing us that grieving widow another not surprise! had previously sought a divorce from said husband. Wait...there's more! Grieving widow also has mental problems! (Cue defense lawyers. For the wife, not Trump.) And...doctors and medications and blah, blah, blah to deal with this had left the loving couple with...financial problems. Oh. Hmmm. One last thing. Listen to the audio interview. What do you hear? What don't you hear?https://t.co/uunyFipXzQ Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 Finances, marital problems, anger issues, depression. These raise SIGNIFICANT questions when a spouse kills the other (taking this stuff was her idea). A curious media would get the 911 call and see if there was an autopsy. Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 And she certainly wasn't shy to seek input from doctors. Transcripts (civil case) show she sought out an occupational health doctor and "wanted his advice" pic.twitter.com/2159KX0WHT Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 Her familiarity with medication doesn't exactly fit the profile of someone who would mix fish cleaner with soda. (If you know the regimented type you understand.) Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 The wife had significant health issues. She testified that she had "adrenal gland failure, and steroids and heart medicine are keeping me functioning" While this shows that she (and maybe her husband) were high risk for COVID-19.. pic.twitter.com/cOCPexKckp Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 NEW: Court records show the wife who fed her husband fish cleaner (poison?) has a history of mental illness (paranoia, depression) and had considered divorcing her husband as far back as 2012. [short thread] pic.twitter.com/5eHF5Z52ah Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 31, 2020 Busy blaming Trump for not acting earlier on containing the Wuhan COVID-19 when they called him racist for stopping flights from China and not celebrating Chinese New Year in New York like that city's mayor, Bill de Blasio (D), the 90% of liberal media could not be reached for comment. Hat tip. Over 6.75 lakh migrant workers have received shelter in 21,486 homes set up by states and union territories to contain their movement during the countrywide lockdown announced to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Home Ministry said Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said over 25 lakh migrant workers who were rushing home were provided with food at the relief camps. She said the cabinet secretary on Wednesday told the chief secretaries of states and union territories to ensure "hassle free" transportation of cargo and directed that these instructions should be transmitted to the ground level. The cabinet secretary also directed the chief secretaries that disbursement of benefits under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna should be quick and effective, the officer said. Since the disbursement of benefits is done through banks, planning should be "meticulous" and social distancing norms should be strictly adhered to, she said. The officer said the supply of essential items during 21-day lockdown announced by the prime minister was satisfactory. On the issue of migrant workers who left cities in droves after announcement of the lockdown, Srivastava said the states and union territories were making arrangements for them with 21,486 shelters set up in which 6.75 lakh workers are living and 25 lakh were provided food. She said that in conformity with the Supreme Court order on migrant workers, states and union territories have been asked to rope in trained counsellors and community group leaders to counsel migrant workers stranded in shelter camps. "We will ensure that the lockdown is successful and essential services are maintained," she said. A nationwide 21-day lockdown was enforced on March 24 to check the spread of coronavirus as social distancing is possibly the only way to prevent people from infecting the deadly virus. The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,637 in the country on Wednesday while the death toll rose to 38, according to the Union Health Ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maruti Suzuki India said on Wednesday it sold 83,792 units in March as automakers in the country were forced to suspend operations amid a nationwide lockdown aimed to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The carmaker sold 158,076 units last year but said the numbers were not comparable as the company had to suspend operations from March 22, in line with the government's order. Last week, the government sent India into a 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, forcing automakers such as Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai, Ford and Toyota to suspend car manufacturing. India's auto industry, which is already under pressure from a slowing economy and lean demand, has been further hit by the suspension of operations. Ahead of this, the auto giant had announced that it will begin the production of ventilators at its plant to help with the rising cases of COVID-19 in India. An arrangement was made with AgVa Healthcare, an existing approved manufacturer of ventilators. MSIL would work with AgVa Healthcare to rapidly scale up production of ventilators. The intention is to reach a volume of 10,000 units per month. AgVa Healthcare would be responsible for the technology, performance and related matters for all the ventilators produced and sold by them. MSIL would use its suppliers to produce the required volume of components and use its experience and knowledge to upgrade systems for the production and quality control of the higher volumes. Any other assistance required would also be provided. MSIL would also help, to the required extent to arrange to finance and obtain all permissions and approvals required to enable the higher production. MSIL would provide these services free of cost to AgVa Healthcare. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, announced on Wednesday that he would issue a stay-at-home order beginning at midnight on Thursday, amid a sharp uptick in Wuhan coronavirus cases in the state. The order, to be enforced for the entire month of April, will ban all non-essential outside activities. It is not clear yet what the state will consider essential, however both New York and California have implemented similar measures allowing residents to leave home for groceries and medical supplies. Florida has a very large epidemic underway, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Wednesday on CNBC. Theres multiple hot spots, they were probably seeded in early February. Now they have large clusters. There are currently 6,741 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Florida with 85 deaths, according to the New York Times. DeSantis has faced rising pressure to issue the order as the coronavirus has spread through the state. Florida could see anywhere between 2,281 to 15,333 deaths from the illness even with social-distancing efforts, according to projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. New actions just announced by Floridas Governor to implement tougher mitigation will hopefully reduce spread of COVID19 in state, Gottlieb wrote on Twitter. Florida is also testing much less than other states and needs more screening capacity to keep up with its expanding epidemic. More from National Review As Houston residents shelter-at-home amid the coronavirus pandemic, a colorful movement of positivity has begun popping up in area neighborhoods. Part of the chalk your walk movement that's sprung up organically across the nation, people are reaching out to others with cheerful works of art made using sidewalk chalk. 'HERO' PAY: Here's how Kroger is giving back to its employees Etched onto sidewalks and driveways, the creations are only temporary at the mercy of footsteps and weather elements but that is not a deterrent for adults cooped up in home offices and children stuck at home with no school. It provides them with a way to keep busy while also spreading joy. Disease expert: You can go outside, but still practice social distancing Drawings by Robert Shafer of League City, 31, and his family, were inspired by some of their favorite places. "We've been using colors that remind us of the beach and river. We didn't start with a plan but it all came together," said Shafer. "It's fun for my wife, kids and me. We've ordered more chalk." With gyms classes canceled, the number of exercisers who have taken to walking the sidewalks in their neighborhoods has increased; thus, more eyes are seeing the uplifting artwork. Many of the drawings include words of encouragement. Houston together, reads one. This shall pass, reads another. See above for messages created using sidewalk chalk. @marcydeluna Delhi: They were hungry. Some had not eaten for days. Others survived on water and biscuits. But they walked anyway for hundreds of miles, in groups of families that included men and women, young and old - all trudging along deserted highways. An Indian couple carrying an infant walk along an expressway hoping to reach their home, hundreds of kilometres away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi. Credit:AP Some had nothing but flip-flops on their feet, and others lugged bags on their heads. Young parents balanced children on their shoulders. Over the past week, India's migrant workers - the mainstay of the country's labor force - spilled out of big cities that have been shuttered due to the coronavirus and returned to their villages, sparking fears that the virus could spread to the countryside. At the end of March, Urals spot prices in northwestern Europe fell below $15 per barrel, a huge drop from the end of February when Urals spot prices had exceeded $50. Many observers attributed such a strong price collapse to the breakdown of the OPEC+ deal, and they blamed Russia for the suspension of the agreement. The breakdown of the agreement, however, was inevitable from the moment the OPEC+ deal was first signed in 2016. Russia agreed to cooperate with a very weak OPEC in order to salvage the balance of the market as well as to better its own economic status by raising revenues and achieving price stability for all members of the deal. In the end, Russia accomplished these goals. A decrease in production led to an increase in oil prices. From 2016 to 2018, the average annual price of a barrel of Brent rose from $44.1 to $71.1, according to the World Bank, and the Russian budget deficit (3.7 percent Of GDP in 2016, according to IHS) was replaced by a surplus (2.8 percent of GDP in 2018). But history has taught us that the breakdown of a cartel is never pretty. As well as affecting consumers, cartels normally harm their members and leaders, hence why almost all governments worldwide forbid cartels by law. Yet this is precisely why the collapse of the OPEC+ deal was inevitable. The Deal-Ending Process The fact that the breakdown of OPEC+ was inevitable does not explain why the March talks on the extension of the OPEC+ deal ended in failure. Regarding what happened on the ground, one can assume that Saudi Arabia had prepared a plan A and a contingency plan before entering the talks. Plan A was to surprise Russia in Vienna by pressing for a 1.5 bpd cut, including an unplanned prolongment of the deal until end of 2020. The contingency if that didnt work was to pump as much oil as possible. Related: Oil Hits $20 For The First Time In 18 Years Understanding that Russia was neither technically nor contractually able to match the surprise cut, Saudi Arabia went ahead with its contingency plan and presented Russia as the antagonist in what is today referred to as a price war. However, Russia had no intention nor any desire to disrupt any supplies or vital revenues, especially during the harsh and unpredictable times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, in my view, stating that Russia is responsible for this crude dumping process is misleading and not at all logical. A Price War versus the Dumping Strategy Today, everybody seems to consider the current situation to be a price war. Well, I dont see it that way at all. I see it as a price shock and a dumping strategy by only one participant: Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia chose to play hardball and present Russia with an ultimatum just as the COVID-19 pandemic was majorly disrupting the global economy. The impact of this action on the other OPEC members will be horrific and even fatal for some. We know very well how European consumers and end-users react to dumpers. No long-term contracts will be signed, and usually dumpers are set on a blacklist. Sooner or later, this is exactly what will happen. Consequences for Russia A drastic drop in oil prices will become a stress test for the Russian budget, which will have to adapt via its many monetary alternatives. However, Russia is much less dependent on oil than many observers think. For example, extraction accounts for 43 percent of the Russian industrial structure, a bit less than manufacturing (47 percent, as per Rosstat data). At the same time, revenues from oil exports contribute to 21 percent of Russias GDP, according to the estimates from CREON Energy, while in Norway this figure is 32 percent. Moreover, in terms of oil production per capita, Russia is far behind Norway (4,128 VS 18,002 liters per year, according to CIA), Saudi Arabia (18,502 liters per year) and Kuwait (35,536 liters per year). Therefore, the consequences of oil price collapse will be no more dramatic for Russia than it will be for other major oil-producing countries. Consequences for the US Shale Industry The free fall of oil prices is now affecting the vulnerable U.S. shale industry. In the last four years, shale has come under the control of the financial sector, which heavily invested in companies without any sustainable competitive advantage in the global oil market. For example, they invested in companies producing light grades of oil that are not required in the US local market nor are they required for exports as massive volumes of these grades are available on the market already. Several OPEC and non-OPEC countries produce these grades and are highly reliant on them. Therefore, most of the new oil-producing companies in the US are highly over-valued, while proving low covering assets. The claim of US energy independence appears to have pushed authorities, Wall Street investors, banks and funds into chasing uneconomical investments. They then demand additional investments and further expansion, which in turn required even more capital to cover the deep ongoing losses. These companies sold billions of dollars in notes, bonds, and shares in order to fund semi-viable or even questionable acquisitions and, naturally, the value of those bonds have crashed instantly due to their real balance sheets. These papers turned into junk. Related: An Oilmans Plea To President Trump This picture was more than clear for policymakers around the globe and it is now time for the US to clarify this rapidly growing cash-burning phenomenon and to ask the question Was this the correct way to conduct business? More than 6000 local drillers, for what? Maybe, we could consider a new rational approach or a logical consolidation eyeing the real national interest in oil? Consequences for Environment Finally, COVID-19 will bring awareness to the environmental issues within the industry. Im confident that the green approach will be stronger than ever on the other side of this crash. Investors will understand that all green energies, such as wind, solar and hydrogen are much safer and much more sustainable to invest in. All gambling, non-viable, unsafe investments in hydrocarbons will simply disappear forever. It is true but sad that the COVID-19 symptoms, syndromes, signs and its outcomes for mankind are very similar to the occurrences that are taking place in the world economy. The virus fatally harms branches that are old and chronically sick, leaving the young and healthy ones to live long and prosper. Unfortunately, there is always collateral damage, but it will certainly not be the vision of a green economy. The remaining post-COVID-19 oil operating countries will definitely continue to actively fund this new green era. But this can only happen under one condition: no more oil nations dumping crude onto markets. Ironically, as I am finalizing this article, a plane with medical equipment is on its way from Russia to the United States, and the OPEC+ output cut deal is officially coming to an end today on April 1st. By Dr. Fares Kilzie More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Zaandam cruise ship (L) carrying some guests with flu-like symptoms, is anchored shortly after it arrives in the bay of Panama City, on March 27, 2020. (Arnulfo Franco/AP) Trump Urges Florida to Let Cruise Ship With Infected Passengers Dock President Donald Trump said he would ask Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow the docking of a cruise ship with passengers who have had contact with patients suffering from COVID-19. As of Tuesday evening, four people on Holland Americas Zaandam cruise ship had died, according to a statement by company officials, with eight people testing positive for the CCP virus. Theyre dying on the ship, Trump said at a briefing Tuesday, addressing DeSantiss opposition to letting the Zaandam dock. Im going to do whats right, not only for us but for humanity, the president added. After leaving Argentina in early March, the Zaandam has been stuck at sea, with passengers anxious to disembark once they reach Florida. DeSantis said the states health care resources are already stretched too thin to absorb the ships CCP virus caseload. We cannot afford to have people who arent even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources, DeSantis told Fox News. We think its a mistake to be putting people into southern Florida right now, given what were dealing with, so we would like to have medical personnel simply be dispatched to that ship, and the cruise lines can hopefully arrange for that, tend to folks who may need medical attention, DeSantis said, according to Fox. A second Holland America ship, the Rotterdam, took on about two-thirds of the Zaandams passengers who passed a medical check. It is expected to arrive at Fort Lauderdale by the end of the week. Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America, urged authorities to show compassion. We are dealing with a not my problem syndrome, Ashford said in a statement. The international community, consistently generous and helpful in the face of human suffering, shut itself off to Zaandam. Nations are justifiably focused on the COVID-19 crisis unfolding before them. But theyve turned their backs on thousands of people left floating at sea. Are these reactions based on facts from experts like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or fueled by irrational fear? What happened to compassion and help thy neighbor? he said in the statement. Already four guests have passed away and I fear other lives are at risk. As of March 30, 76 guests and 117 crew on Zaandam have influenza-like illness, including eight people who have tested positive for COVID-19, he wrote. The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity. To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values, Ashford wrote. To date, more than 4,000 people have died from the CCP virus in the United States while over 189,633 cases have been confirmed, according to the latest data collated by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global pandemic. President Donald Trump said at a White House briefing Tuesday that it is a matter of life and death for Americans to heed his administrations guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against the pandemic. I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead, Trump said. This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks weve ever had in our country, Trump added. Were going to lose thousands of people. As of April 1, a reported 4,081 have died from COVID-19, with 1,096 of those deaths occurring in New York City, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. To date, 7,136 people in the United States have recovered from the respiratory disease. For most people, the CCP virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Even as the pandemic forces Niantic to shift the way its outdoor-friendly titles are played, the gaming company is charging ahead with its efforts to build out an augmented reality platform which allows users to interact with the real world. Today, the studio behind Pokemon Go announced that it has acquired 6D.ai, a promising SF-based augmented reality startup focused on building software that allowed smartphone cameras to rapidly detect the 3D layouts of spaces around them. The companies didn't share terms of the deal. Read a deep dive of Niantic on Extra Crunch Niantic's bread-and-butter is mobile games, specifically Pokemon Go, but the company has raised nearly a half-billion dollars to do something more, building out a developer platform for augmented reality meant to rival what has been created by Facebook and Apple. Acquiring 6D.ai is an interesting step further there. Niantic is a consumer games company and 6D.ai was primarily working with enterprise clients. While Niantic will be shutting down 6D.ai's existing developer tools over the next month, a spokesperson tells TechCrunch that the tech will soon be integrated with the company's Niantic Real World Platform to help developers "build AR experiences for all types of consumer and business applications, including enterprise." We profiled 6D.ai back in 2018 when they were fresh out of Oxford Universitys Active Vision Lab. CEO Matt Miesnieks told us at the time how he hoped his startup could one day crowdsource 3D models of cities. One of the big things holding back engaging AR is for content to feel like its actually physically part of the world, Miesnieks told TechCrunch. To really make that effect possible, you need to have a 3D model of at least your room, if not the whole world. Both Apple and Facebook have made considerable investments in their augmented reality platforms, hoping to bring developers aboard and mount an early lead. Even cursory adoption of the technology has been slower than many in the tech industry have expected, and has, if anything, further isolated Apple and Facebook's early advantages. Story continues Niantic does host AR's most popular consumer success story with Pokemon Go, a title which Niantic is still reportedly raking in cash from. Analytics firm SensorTower estimated that the 2016 title had its best year ever in 2019, pulling in some $900 million in revenue. The breakout success of "Go" has not been mirrored as dramatically in the early reception of the studio's major launch of 2019, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The ultimate question for Niantic is whether it's in their best interest to aggressively compete on the tech platform side with acquisitions like these when the timeline of returns is so uncertain and their competitors can likely afford much longer bouts of uncertainty. Following the acquisition, 6D.ai co-founder Victor Prisacariu will be joining Niantic's London office with Miesnieks opting for an advisory role going forward. The startup had not fully disclosed its funding. Its seed round was led by Niko Bonatsos at General Catalyst and the startup also received funding from Oxford. Angel investors in 6D included Amitt Mahajan, Jacob Mullins and Greg Castle, among others. The Verkhovna Rada has registered another draft resolution on the abolition of the decision of the Parliament of March 31 on the adoption of the law on the introduction of the land market. According to the parliament's website, corresponding draft resolution No. 2178-10-P4 was registered by MPs from the Batkivschyna faction, Ivan Kyrylenko and Vadym Ivchenko. Thus, at the moment, five draft resolutions have already been registered in the Rada on canceling the decision to adopt a law on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on the turnover of agricultural land, three of which were initiated by members of the Batkivschyna faction. According to the established procedure, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada cannot sign the adopted bill until the deputies consider the draft resolutions on the abolition of the vote and decide on them. As reported, on the night of March 31, the Verkhovna Rada at an extraordinary meeting adopted a law on opening the land market from July 1, 2021 with the restriction of its work in the first three years only to land plots owned by individuals with a maximum ownership of 100 hectares per capita. The federal government is now months into its once-a-decade effort to count where each U.S. resident resides, and it has months to go. But Wednesday marks Census Day, the effective date of the 2020 census. It comes in the middle of a pandemic, with most Americans isolating themselves in their homes. The effect of the coronavirus outbreak on census participation remains unclear. But one thing is clear: responses arent coming in as fast as they did during the last census, in 2010. About 4 in 10 Oregon households have responded to the census so far, even after several rounds of mailings. Its not clear what Oregons response rate looked like at this time last decade. But the nations response rate has so far lagged behind 2010. By April 1 a decade ago, just over half of all households had responded. So far this year, its about 38%. Jeffrey Enos, the deputy director for the Los Angeles-based regional office that includes Oregon, said responses are where the bureau projected before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Once this thing has passed and is over, I feel completely confident well be able to meet the goals, meet the deadlines, and provide a complete and accurate count of our seven-state region, Enos said. The Census Bureau already has delayed its door-to-door field work until at least April 15, shaving a full month off its already compact timeline. The Census Bureaus data collection was expected to be finished in mid-August in order to deliver results by its constitutional deadline of Dec. 31. Among other things, that has delayed its count of Oregonians experiencing homelessness. Census-takers were supposed to fan out across shelters and encampments around the state over the next couple of days. Thats now scheduled for the end of April. There might be factors other than the coronavirus slowing participation, said Steven Romalewski, director of the CUNY Mapping Service at the City University of New York, which is mapping census participation and providing week-by-week analysis of response rates. For one, the Census Bureau sent out its mailings in waves, rather than all at once. For another, most households havent received a paper questionnaire, and they wont unless they still havent responded later this month. The Census Bureau first asks for an online or phone response. And then theres the pandemic, which has forced outreach workers to dramatically change their approach. Its entirely possible the response rates will begin to jump up later than they did in 2010, Romalewski said. Maybe itll have a different pattern this time. Well see. Even for what was considered the first online census, where most households are expected to respond through a website rather than a mailed form, government and nonprofits planned to lean heavily on in-person contact to drive participation. Multnomah County, and many others across the state, had planned to turn its libraries in to hubs for filling out the questionnaire. Its clinics and shelters would also provide information about the census. Now, the libraries are closed, and the clinics have bigger concerns. Nonprofits, meanwhile, had planned door-to-door outreach, and trained volunteers would promote census participation at community centers, religious gatherings and cultural events. One group had planned a hip-hop concert tour organized around Census Day, with stops in southern and central Oregon. The statewide We Count Oregon campaign was going to hold a Census Day party with music and food trucks at the Portland Mercado. Gov. Kate Browns statewide ban on gatherings has put a hold on those efforts and might yet cancel them altogether. The We Count Oregon campaign held a Census Day livestream party online instead of the food cart party. We knew that just wasnt safe, said campaign manager Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett. But we didnt want to give up the opportunity to connect with people. The online event featured a DJ and appearances from officials including Brown, who urged Oregonians to complete the census. The 2020 census is also the first in an era when the vast majority of American adults use smartphones and social media. Groups were already leveraging both to juice census participation, and theyve leaned even further into online outreach in light of the outbreak. The groups from what Ive seen have been able to pivot pretty quickly to now focus instead on social media and texting and phone banking, Romalewski said. Thats a huge difference. Whether that will be able to get the word out in the way they had been planning to get the word out, that remains to be seen. The Oregon campaign was already highly focused on virtual outreach, Tervalon-Garrett said, but its still increasing its social media efforts and planning more livestreamed events. For Oregon, the census determines the fate of billions of dollars in federal funding, as well as representation in Congress. Oregon is poised to receive a sixth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, one the state only narrowly missed when population growth slowed in the lead-up to the 2010 census. Oregons estimated number of constituents per Congress member is now among the highest in the nation. Dozens of federal programs are funded based at least in part by data gleaned from the census. They include safety-net programs like food stamps and housing vouchers as well transit construction funds, homeland security grants and Medicare. In Oregon that all added up to $13.5 billion in 2016, according to the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy. -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Los Angeles, April 1 : Hollywood star Jack Black made his debut on TikTok with a gleeful shirtless 'quarantine dance'. Jack Black makes hilarious debut on TikTok Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS) Hollywood star Jack Black made his debut on TikTok with a gleeful shirtless 'quarantine dance'. The actor and Tenacious D frontman, was shirtless in the clip, which has already got nearly 2 million views and 272 thousand likes since being uploaded, reports dailymail.co.uk. Black was wearing a beige cowboy hat, black and red gym shorts, black cowboy boots as he showed off his epic dance moves, which included spinning, pirouetting, kicking, flapping arms and rushing the camera. At one point, the actor dropped his hat while spinning around like a top. He recovered gracefully, and moved into the Russian-style kicking portion of his choreography. "Quarantine Dance #reallifeathome #distancedance #happyathome #boredathome," wrote the father of two along with the video. Having entered Hollywood back in 1984, Black has made a place for himself with projects like "School Of Rock", the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, "Shallow Hal", "King Kong", "The Holiday", "Tropic Thunder" and "Gulliver's Travels". He is known for his powerful personality, acting calibre, comedic timings and broad scope of his talent -- some might think of him as the funnyman of Hollywood, some might consider him as a charming leading man of the West and some might remember him for his music from his rock band Tenacious D. He most recently appeared in a big budget sequel to the "Jumanji" remake, "Jumanji: The Next Level". Medical Nutrition Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2018-2024: Rising in the prevalence of home Parenteral nutrition therapy by the geriatric population with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and AIDS is anticipated to boost the growth of market over forecast period. Global Medical Nutrition Market is valued at USD 878.53Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 1269.52Million by 2025 with the CAGR of 5.40% over the forecast period. Scope of Global Medical Nutrition Market Report Nutritional medicine is a holistic approach to the interactions of both nutrition and environment on human health. When the body is supplied with the correct balance of foods, vitamins and minerals we remain healthy. All humans are unique in terms of biochemistry, metabolism, anatomy and genetics. The Medical nutrition is a therapeutic configuration which is developed to fulfill the nutritional requirement of the pharmacologically active to the past drugs. The progressing on these medical nutrition terms as the new treatment pattern entails on the fact that nutrients can have an intense effect on metabolic, immunological and other path physiological processes of unhealthy patients. The Medical nutrition is used during diseases like cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), gastrointestinal disorders, immune system disorders, and others. The Medical nutrition therapy can slow the progression of the chronic disease and may even reverse or stop some of the symptoms are experiencing. An example of this can be seen when a person with type 2 diabetes is able to maintain their blood glucose levels in target ranges, they may experience fewer symptoms associated with unmanaged diabetes such as frequent urination or weight gain. Furthermore, the Medical nutrition therapy may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. in addition, effective MNT may help reduce onset or progression of painful diabetic neuropathy. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=374&RequestType=Sample Global Medical Nutrition market report is segmented on the basis of Product type, medical condition, distribution channel and by regional & country level. Based on Product type, global medical nutrition market is classified as the Padiatric Nutrition, Parenteral Nutrition, and Enteral Nutrition. Based upon the medical condition, the market is classified as cancers, HIV/AIDS, alzheimer disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, eating disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, immune system disorders, involuntary weight loss, kidney disease, and others. Based upon the Distribution Channel, the market is classified as hospitals pharmacies, retail pharmacies, drug stores, online stores and others. The regions covered in this Global Medical Nutrition market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of clinical decision support system is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Medical Nutrition Market Report- Global medical nutrition market report covers prominent players like Grifols S.A., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Abbott Nutrition, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Danone Nutricia, Mead Johnson Nutrition Company, Nestle, Danisco, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi Baxter Healthcare Corporation Fresenius Kabi AG and others. ADM Expands Health & Wellness Capabilities with Agreement to Acquire Probiotics International Limited Archer Daniels Midland had acquired Probiotics International Limited valued at Euro 185 million with the supply of Probiotics supplements for human, pet, and production animal purpose. The acquisition took place for the expansion and supply of wide range of animal and human nutrition product lines together into a single Nutrition business unit, with the goal of providing better nutrition and improving the quality of life for consumers around the globe. ADM a nutrition platform provider for Health & Wellness business, which includes bioactive, botanical extracts and specialty nutritional oils, including innovative products such as Novatol Vitamin E 1490PH, Onavita, and algal DHA oil. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=374&RequestType=Methodology Global Medical Nutrition Market Dynamics The rapidly increasing age population is now recognized as a global issue of importance as the aging population is increasing in almost all the countries across the world. Furthermore, the geriatric population is more prone to age-related diseases such as nervous disorders, Parkinsons disease, diabetes, cancer and organ system failure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that prevalence of cancer has been increased annually in 2017, about 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million people are died due to various forms of cancer- related deaths worldwide. One of the major challenges faced by this market is its high cost and lack of awareness for clinical nutrition and stringent regulations are hampering the market growth for Medical nutrition. The advances in biotechnology have culminated in the upset of the medical nutrition market as manufacturers are increasingly concentrating on the research and development of better and customized medical nutrition items in the market. The growing effect of aging population will increase the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in nursing homes, schools, prisons, community health programmers, and home health care agency. The Camborne officials ENU provides them the opportunity to enter into new areas of therapeutic and medical nutrition and provide a foundation for a strong stream of nutrition innovation to support in the growth of ENU customers Global Medical Nutrition Market Regional Analysis Geographically, the medical nutrition market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The market in North America is dominating with largest share in medical nutrition due to advancement in science and technology, the government initiatives and relatively more number of health conscious populations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)geriatric population in 2018, the number of Americans ages more than 65 will rise from an estimated 52 million by 95 Million 2060 in U.S. Asia pacific Medical nutrition market held the largest market share in the industry. Presence of large geriatric population, high and increasing Cancer rates and improving lifestyle and income will drive industry growth in this region. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East accounts for the 65% of global death due to cancer as well as because of surge in population in this area. Key Benefits for Global Medical Nutrition Market Reports Global Medical Nutrition Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global Medical Nutrition Market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global Medical Nutrition Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global Medical Nutrition Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/374/Buy/SingleUser Global Medical Nutrition Market Segmentation Global Medical Nutrition: By Product Type Pediatric Nutrition Parenteral Nutrition Enteral Nutrition Global Medical Nutrition Market: ByMedical Condition Cancers HIV/AIDS Alzheimer Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Diabetes Mellitus Eating Disorders Gastrointestinal Disorders Immune System Disorders Involuntary Weight Loss Kidney Disease Others Global Medical Nutrition Market: By Distribution Channel Hospitals Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Drug Stores Online Stores Others Global Medical Nutrition Market: By Regional & Country Analysis North America U.S. Mexico Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz A MAN who is accused of stealing more than 10,000 from a number of vulnerable pensioners has been refused bail by the High Court. Denis Igoe, 26, who has an address at Station Road, Ennis, County Clare was previously refused bail in the district court after he was charged in relation to 30 offences which are alleged to have occurred at locations in Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Cork. The offences are alleged to have occurred on various dates between February 18, and March 2. At a court hearing last month, Judge Mary Larkin was told it will be alleged the defendant called to the homes of a number elderly men and woman posing as a salesman for a well-known security company for which he previously worked. Detective Garda Aine McWilliams said some of the victims knew Mr Igoe as they had dealt with him previously when security systems were installed in their homes by the security company. Judge Larkin was told it will be alleged that Mr Igoe fraudulently offered to upgrade the security systems and that when the homeowners agreed, he obtained their PIN codes and stole their bank cards. The defendant, who told gardai he has a cocaine addiction, is accused of then using the stolen cards to withdraw thousands of euro in cash at ATMs in Limerick and elsewhere. He is also accused of using one of the stolen cards to buy jewellery worth 1,750 at a store in Cork city. Judge Larkin was told Mr Igoe made some admissions following his arrest and concerns were expressed that he represents a flight risk as he has connections in both Romania and Spain. A number of stolen ATM cards were also recovered when gardai searched his home. During a procedural hearing last week, solicitor Con Barry told Limerick District Court that his client had been refused bail in the High Court and remains in custody. Sergeant Sean Murray said directions are still awaited from the DPP and he requested an adjournment to allow gardai to complete their investigation file. Mr Barry said there was no objection and the matter was adjourned to April 21, next. The decision for the Dail to sit on Thursday to discuss health and social protection related to Covid-19, has proved controversial. The session, which will sit from 2pm to 5pm, has caused considerable consternation from political parties as well as civil servants who work in the Oireachtas. A letter from the government's top civil servant Martin Fraser was forwarded to TDs today, which was described as "critical" of the decision for the Dail to sit. "Everyone in the country has been asked to stay at home, subject to the limited exceptions which have been published by the Government. To do otherwise is to risk the spread of the Covid-19 disease and to put fellow citizens, including those working on the front-line in our health service, at risk," the letter from the secretary general reads. Sinn Fein have continually said that the sitting of the Dail is "absolutely vital", with Pearse Doherty stating: "It is incomprehensible that political accountability and scrutiny would take a back seat at this time. It is absolutely vital that the Dail continues to sit throughout this crisis and show leadership." The Labour Party disagrees with the decision of the Business Committee that the debate would go ahead, saying this was reversed a decision it had made previously not to sit. "The Labour Parliamentary Party has agreed that our TDs would not attend the sitting of the Dail for statements on Thursday as it is non-essential business and not legislation that was being proposed," a statement said. "They will instead support the national effort to stay at home, and not place an unnecessary burden on the Oireachtas staff." Health spokesperson Alan Kelly, and Employment Affairs and Social Protection spokesperson Ged Nash will both submit statements to the Dail instead. The larger parties will all challenge the government on a number of issues on which they agree, including the deal with private hospitals to operate publicly, and issues around testing. Both the Green Party and People Before Profit will raise the availabilty of PPE for frontline workers, as well as a need for a universal payment of 350 for all so that everyone that is out of work or has lost income including those in the gig economy and outside the 18-66 age bracket. Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly, representatives from People Before Profit and Sinn Fein all plan to raise the issue of clusters in nursing homes. Fianna Fail will also raise issues surrounding pay for private consultants now entering the public health sector, whom they are making more money than their public health colleagues. Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail have both raised the issue of the eligibility of employees in the South who reside in the North in regards to the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment payment, and will likely call for more clarification tomorrow. There have been further calls from Fianna Fail for payments for the childcare sector, farmers, and pensioners living alone. Clinton Kanu spent 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, but life on the outside feels far from free. Enugu, Nigeria Each morning, 56-year-old Clinton Kanu wakes up on a thin mattress laid on the tiled floor of his tiny flat. He lives on the third floor of a modest apartment building in the southeastern Nigerian city of Enugu, in a flat not much bigger than a walk-in closet. He takes a moment to look around the room. There is not much to see. A battered, rust-coloured armchair sags in the corner beside a barred window that overlooks the neighbourhoods red dirt roads. Sunlight filters through a lace curtain, exposing the dirt caked into the textured pattern painted on the pale yellow and grey walls. Kanu is not quite six feet (1.83 metres) tall, but when he stands, his head almost scrapes the ceiling. He goes through his plans for the day, trying to figure out where he will get something to eat. On this particular Saturday, he decides to go down the road to the home of his sister, Victoria Okoroji. There, she dishes out scrambled eggs and shares a loaf of bread. Kanu, his sister and her husband eat together at the dining table. After that, she brings out a family photo album. Kanu smiles at the old pictures of his nieces and nephews. Pictures taken of them when Kanu was not around. Pictures taken during the 27 years Kanu spent in prison for a murder he did not commit. He has been trying to make up for lost time since he was released last April and trying to get his life back but neither are easy to do. Kanu, left, looks at family photos with his sister and her husband [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] Back at his apartment, Kanu brings out a Bible and flips through the pages to one of his favourite passages. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,' he recites in a gentle voice, eyes moving over the words. In the rooms stuffy heat, beads of sweat settle in the dip above his lip. I have heard their cry.' A mild, easy-going man, Kanu says his faith saved him in prison and continues to inspire him, despite his present struggles. Look at me, just look at me, he says. I have nothing. Kanu was an ambitious, charismatic 27-year-old who owned two residential buildings and had a good job and government connections when he was arrested. Today, he has no job, no car, not even a refrigerator. He has no wife, no children. He does not have many friends. There is no land, no valuable jewellery, no retirement account, no stocks or bonds in his name. Although he is no longer behind the bars of a maximum-security prison, he is without a job in a country where poverty is rapidly rising and finding employment often depends on who you know. His frustrations are mounting. Clinton Kanus faith got him through his long years in prison [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] The height of wickedness Born in the Nigerian oil hub of Port Harcourt, Kanu was raised in a middle-class family with a high regard for education. His father grew up poor but educated; he built himself up professionally and managed to earn a good income from a stable government job as a director at the national postal service. He made sure his children got the best schooling his money could buy. Kanus mother, a teacher, also pushed her children to focus on academics. Kanu worked hard in school. He was studious and liked to read. He collected young-adult crime novels and went on to study law and criminology at a nearby university. He became a consultant criminologist and an aide to government officials. His problems began when he tried to help solve a case involving theft and a dispute over family land. When a man connected to the dispute died, someone accused Kanu of murdering him, even though he was more than 100km from the scene of the crime. In 1992, he was arrested. He maintains that his arrest was politically motivated; that he was framed by people who were envious of his connections to government officials. He was detained in a small prison in the southeastern city of Owerri to await trial. He waited for several years. Looking back at it all, he believes he was a victim of the corruption in Nigerias criminal justice system. The height of wickedness, he says, his face twisted into a scowl. The height of crudeness, the height of treachery, the height of judicial murder. Sentenced to death Nigerias criminal justice system is rife with corruption. In the past, judges have been suspended for misconduct and caught accepting bribes. Excessive delays compound the problems, with enormous backlogs of stagnant legal cases. Nearly 70 percent of the countrys approximately 74,000 prison inmates are awaiting trial. The long waits contribute to overcrowded prisons. The maximum-security prison in Port Harcourt where Kanu was transferred after he was sentenced in 2005, held more than 4,000 inmates last year, although it was built for 804, according to figures from the federal government. Certainly overcrowding is the biggest problem caused by over-arrest, indiscriminate and unlawful arrest of citizens, some of whom are innocent, explains Sylvester Uhaa, director of International Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE), a Nigerian prison reform organisation. This has caused a lot of congestion in the courts and results in congestion in the prison system. That is the biggest problem the visible problem that we see. The invisible ones are the corruption, abuse of power, disregard for the rule of law and human rights. Kanu looks out of the window of his small flat in Enugu [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] Kanu was sentenced to death by hanging or by firing squad, a common sentence in the country. Nigeria has the highest death row population 2,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Amnesty International. The 621 death sentences the country imposed in 2017 accounted for 71 percent of all confirmed death sentences ordered in sub-Saharan Africa that year. In 2016, Nigerian courts carried out three executions and handed out 527 death sentences three times more than in 2015. Death sentences are typically given for armed robbery, murder and involvement with militia groups. Like a thorn in my flesh The confinement and death sentence took a heavy toll on Kanu. He suffered physically, as well as emotionally, having to receive treatment in the prisons health ward for high blood pressure, insomnia, complications arising from diabetes, depression and stress. I was frustrated, and I was tired, he recalls. In 2008, he tried to commit suicide, swallowing 10 tablets of diazepam he had managed to get smuggled into the prison to help with his insomnia. But it did not kill him. Kanu missed his relatives and spent hours thinking about his siblings Kingsley, Uzoamaka, Chikezie, Ginika and Victoria. Although they would visit him in prison, seeing them leave was hard. His family suffered, too. It was like a thorn in my flesh, Victoria explains. Anytime I woke up, I remembered my brother is in the prison. That would be a sad day to me. She waves her hand in the air, as though pushing the memories from her mind. She avoids talking and even thinking about those years now, she says. While he was incarcerated, Kanus father, his brother Kingsley, his uncle and several of his cousins died. But it was his mothers death in 2014 that hurt most deeply. Its painful, he says. People told him his mother died of a broken heart. I loved my mother so much. Im the first [child]. My mother loved me so; its painful. I dont know how to express it a lot of times we [sons] live for our mothers. Kanu looks out across the streets of his neighbourhood in Enugu [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] His mothers death pushed him over the edge. He tried, again, to end his life, this time overdosing on dialine a medication used to treat diabetes. But a prison nurse rushed him to the medical unit where he was stabilised. He was closely monitored but, the following year, managed to get hold of a sharp tool from the prison workshop. He used it to stab himself but stopped when another inmate pleaded with him. I realised God wanted me alive, Kanu explains. He decided to try to make something of his time in prison. He turned to counselling other inmates, helping them to cope with the woes of confinement and, having persuaded the African College of Christian Education and Seminary to run classes in the prison, he enrolled to study theology along with 50 other inmates. Each week, he looked forward to his classes in philosophy, religion, interfaith studies, world conflict and psychology. His studies gave him solace, and he earned a bachelors degree in guidance counselling in 2009 and went on to get a masters in education management and another in guidance counselling. But Kanu did not stop there. After seven years of studying in the prisons college, he was awarded, in 2014, two doctorate degrees in missions ministry and counselling. That same year, he was ordained as a nondenominational reverend. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me, he reflects. Ive always wanted to be a reverend. Ten other inmates were also ordained as reverends, but they all referred to him, affectionately, as The Bishop. He would hold prayer sessions with the inmates, encouraging them to stay calm and manage their anger. He spoke passionately about religious tolerance. As the years passed, he waited for word on his appeal a process he began shortly after the 2005 pronouncement of his death sentence. 2005 was when the battle was set, he says. He ended up selling his four cars, the two residential buildings he owned, his stereo system, air conditioners, beds, and his refrigerator to pay the legal fees. He had nothing left. Then, in 2015, his case went to Nigerias supreme court, which reviewed the scant details of the original trial. It had been a skeletal case: only one witness the brother of the complainant claimed he saw Kanu at the scene of the crime, whereas two witnesses were called to testify that Kanu had not been there. In April 2019, the supreme court ruled that there was no evidence against Kanu. He was discharged and acquitted. About two weeks later, he walked out of prison carrying his educational certificates in a bag packed with clothes donated by Christian organisations. I didnt know I was going to walk into unemployment and hunger, he recalls. I was thrown into the cold wind. Praying for a miracle On a Saturday evening in November, the sound of people singing and clapping drifts from a church on the upper level of an industrial-looking commercial building along a bustling thoroughfare in Enugu. Inside, a young woman grasps a microphone and leads about 40 people mostly women and some restless children in devotional songs as they sway with their eyes closed. Their voices fill the small space. As Kanu walks in, she says: Hello, weve missed you. He takes a seat in the front row. The church is makeshift, the room packed with plastic lawn chairs. Ceiling fans circulate stale air while purple, green and pink lights flash from tiny bulbs hung high on the walls. The back wall is covered in a colourful banner with the churchs name printed on it: Days of His Awesome Power Ministries. Tonight, Kanu is a guest speaker. He has led services here in the past, but cannot attend as often as he would like because the church is nearly 30 minutes from his home and he has to beg to put together the bus fare. Still, the head pastor at the church, Mike Okey Agu, refers to him as Pastor Clinton. The church is the only place, Kanu says, where he actually feels wanted. People there value and respect him. Pastor Agu is an energetic man, shouting into the microphone as he paces up and down the aisle, laying his hands on peoples heads while repeating, take it, take it, take the anointing, and blood of Jesus. When he sees Kanu, he smiles. He believes Kanus spirituality helped him gain his freedom. Up at the podium, Agu leads the church in prayer. Kanu bows his head. Like everyone else in the dimly lit space, he believes he has a lot to pray for. The yearly rent on his apartment is due in January N200,000 ($550) and he has no idea how he is going to find the money. He is leaning on his faith to take care of it. Pastor Agu wants to see Kanu make a positive impact on society [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] Dreaming of prison reform Kanu knows exactly what he wants to do with his life now that he is out of prison: He wants to advocate for prison reform and be what he calls a voice for the people. The nearly three decades he spent behind bars gave him insights into the countrys prison system, where he says he witnessed corruption, torture and extortion. Money allocated to prisons and detention centres is sometimes siphoned off elsewhere. Prison officials routinely stole money provided for prisoners food, a 2015 United States government report read. Many facilities lack basic amenities like clean toilets and a constant supply of drinking water. Prisoners are dying from treatable illnesses like malaria and tuberculosis. Cells, sometimes rat-infested, are cramped, with little to no ventilation. I was boxed up in a cell that could have killed me, Kanu says. He would like to see inmates have opportunities to study and learn trades that could help them when they are released. Kanu was ordained a reverend in 2014, while incarcerated [Chika Oduah/Al Jazeera] Back in his apartment, he sits in his armchair, thinking aloud. The more he thinks, the more frustrated he grows. Nothing is happening in the prisons, he says, slamming his hand down and leaning forward in his chair. You dump people there and [they] develop ideas about how to come back and get revenge. Kanu wants to change that. He has big dreams. He wants to sit down with Nigerian officials to devise policies that would improve life for inmates, to establish a nonprofit organisation that will help people to transition to life on the outside after incarceration and to visit correctional facilities in other countries to see how they are run there. He is full of ideas, but with no money, no connections and no job, he does not know how to get started. He has knocked on doors, visited government agency offices and filled out job applications. He has made phone calls and pleaded for help. But he has been away for so long and cannot trace any of his old contacts and friends. Everyone has moved on with their lives, as they should. Its been 27 years, he says, looking pensively up at the ceiling. He believes he has marketable skills and a solid education, but he has become a beggar, living off handouts and free food. It has been about four months since the church service. March is coming to an end, and he still has not paid the rent. It is a quiet Wednesday night in Enugu and in his apartment, Kanu is holding in his hand a notice from the landlord. It reads: Your rent has expired since the end of January and you have been instructed to evacuate the premises. Kanu sighs and sets the paper aside. Then, he closes his eyes. As he does several times a day, he bows his head in prayer, hoping his faith will lead the way. A sign indicating the pedestrian entrance for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing at the Jefferson Health mobile testing site on 10th and Sansom is photographed. Testing can be a struggle for people who do not have cars and do not live walking distance from a testing site. Read more For nearly three weeks, he suffered alone in his Fishtown condo. Perpetually winded, he struggled to walk across the room or even empty the dishwasher. Ive never had anything go after my lungs like this, said David, a man in his 30s who asked The Inquirer not to use his last name so as not to frighten his neighborhood. David had symptoms of the coronavirus, and a weakened immune system due to medication for arthritis, but struggled to get tested because he didnt have a car to get to any of the regions testing sites. READ MORE: When no ones leaving the house, whats an Uber, Lyft, or taxi driver to do? To make matters worse, he said, no health officials or doctors seemed to know exactly what he should do. One suggested he take an Uber as long as he wore a mask. He didnt own a mask, and said he wouldnt feel comfortable putting a driver at risk, even with one. In South Philadelphia, Karissa Justice, 28, also doesnt have a car. Last month, when cough and flulike symptoms turned into severe shortness of breath, her doctor told her to call an ambulance. At Jefferson Hospital, she learned she hadnt developed pneumonia, she said, so she was tested for the coronavirus and discharged. No one there seemed to know how she should get home without a car, she said, but they urged her to avoid close contact with people. So Justice walked 2 miles. She is used to walking seven to 10 miles a day to commute to work, she said, but her trek took hours with frequent stops to catch her breath. For our city, we know we have a lot of people without cars here, she said. At this point, I feel like we should have a better answer." Philadelphia is known as one of the nations most walkable cities. While the number of cars and the percentage of households with cars have grown recently, about 30% of residences do not have a vehicle. Thats much higher than other metro areas such as Houston, where about 8% of households are carless, and Los Angeles, where that number is around 12%. For people without cars in Philadelphia, it can be an anxiety-ridden ordeal to figure out how to get tested, particularly at sites that primarily do drive-through testing by appointment. Should I get on the subway or bus and risk infecting others? Would an Uber or Lyft driver even take me to a testing site? How can I call a friend or relative or neighbor and ask to borrow their car, possibly exposing them to the virus? City officials and medical professionals dont have a clear answer. Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said a number of walk-in test sites are available at medical facilities and a new city-run site at an undisclosed location in Center City (health-care workers and people over age 50 with symptoms can make appointments by calling 267-491-5870). Across the river in Camden, people walked up to a new testing site at Coopers Poynt Park on Wednesday. Farley suggested that people call their primary care doctors to learn how to be tested. The vast majority of those ... you dont need to drive in, he said. But that doesnt answer the question of how you should get there. READ MORE: Protesting in the time of social distancing: Philly demands action by car, bike, text, and tweet Spokespeople for Jefferson Health, Tower Health, and Penn Medicine were either unable to answer questions about transportation or did not return requests for comment. Dr. Esther Chernak, the director of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Drexel University, said that generally people who are sick should wear a mask if they must leave their homes, but deferred to officials regarding transportation concerns, as did a Main Line Health spokesperson. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people who believe they have the coronavirus to stay home except to get medical care and also to avoid public transportation, including ride-sharing services and taxis. Like Philadelphia, cities that have a sizable carless population reiterate the CDCs guidelines as their own best practices. SEPTA, however, said it is still here to be of service and that includes helping people get to coronavirus testing sites when they dont have another option. READ MORE: Theyre not taking our safety seriously: SEPTA employees call for greater protections One of the main reasons SEPTA is working to preserve core services is to ensure residents have access to essential services such as medical care," spokesperson Andrew Busch said in a statement. If someone is traveling to a test site, we ask that they make sure to practice social distancing, and cover up coughs and sneezes. SEPTA has also taken its own measures. The transit service implemented rear-door boarding, suspended onboard fare payment, and adjusted rider limits to increase social distancing. These changes came after the union representing thousands of SEPTA workers raised safety concerns, and after SEPTA had already reduced service of buses, subways, trolleys, Regional Rail, and the Norristown High Speed Line. People who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus or suspect they have it should not call a ride-sharing service, a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement, and instead work with a medical professional to discuss transportation options. But given the mixed and sometimes unclear messaging from officials, some sick patients are still calling Ubers and Lyfts. Angela Vogel, 39, an Uber driver and a member of the Philadelphia Drivers Union, said shes been fielding constant calls from concerned drivers. The vast majority of customers right now are medical professionals or sick patients. As a union, we are encouraging any and all drivers who can stop driving to do so, she said. But many cant afford to take a break, especially since gig workers are likely ineligible for unemployment benefits. For people still driving, Uber and Lyft have offered little guidance on safety, Vogel said. I pray about it, and thats about all I can do," one driver told The Inquirer last week. An Uber spokesperson could not be reached for comment, but like Lyft the company has said it is providing hand sanitizer, discontinuing the shared ride or pool options, and suspending the accounts of any riders or drivers who test positive for the virus. After her long walk home from the hospital, Justice found out she tested negative for the coronavirus. She was diagnosed with acute bronchitis and lung inflammation from a respiratory infection. In Fishtown, David said he was finally able to get tested Friday. A neighbor who also had symptoms offered to drive him to a Penn testing site. On Wednesday, 22 days after he got sick, he received his results. He tested positive. Staff writer Laura McCrystal contributed to this article. Editors Note: The Treasury Department has reversed the order and will no longer require a simple tax form. Read more here. While millions of Americans wont have to do anything in order to receive their economic impact checks, some specified groups will need to file a 2019 tax return in order to receive their money. In particular, those who do not typically have to file a tax return will need to do so this year in order to make sure the government has basic filing data on each person receiving checks. According to the Associated Press, among the groups of people who may need to file this year are: Low-income tax payers Some senior citizens Social Security recipients Some veterans People with disabilities While not everyone who falls into those categories will have to file a return, many will. However, the form needing to be filed will be very basic, according to the IRS and the U.S. Treasury. The simplified return will require the persons filing status, number of dependents and direct-deposit bank information. The IRS and Treasury say this website will soon provide all the information necessary about the checks and how to file a simplified return. Checks are scheduled to begin going out in three weeks. The checks are available as part of a $2.2 trillion rescue package approved last week by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump. Anyone who earned less than $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive $1,200 as part of the package. Couples who file together and dont exceed $150,000 in adjusted gross income will receive $2,400. Families will also receive $500 for each child. The amount on your check decreases as you earn more in your adjusted gross income. However, households earning more than $99,000, or $198,000 for joint filers, are not eligible to receive any of the funds. Most Americans wont have to do anything extra to receive their check as the money will arrive via direct deposit to their bank account if the government has their correct banking information from 2018 tax returns. If they dont have that information, physical checks will be sent. If you have not filed your 2018 or 2019 taxes, you will need to do so in order to receive your portion of the stimulus checks. The federal deadline for 2019 taxes to be filed has been pushed back until July 15, 2020. That date is also the deadline to file state taxes in Michigan. The stimulus checks will be available for all of 2020, so you will not miss out on your check if you dont file a return before they begin being sent out, according to the AP. The stimulus package was approved as a way to help Americans struggling economically through the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. PREVENTION TIPS Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips: What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases: Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve. Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces(computers, keyboards, desks, etc.). Its not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season. READ MORE Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus Wednesday, April 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan YEREVAN. Zhoghovurd daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Gazprom Armenia company has issued a statement on petitioning to the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission to review the [natural gas] tariffs [in the country]. According to the petition which Zhoghovurd daily has obtained, the company plans to raise the price of natural gas by 36 percent for the population. Ireland contributes 10 million to UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID 19 Press release As part of the ongoing Irish contribution to global efforts to address the COVID 19 pandemic, today Ireland provided 10 million in funding to the UNs Global Humanitarian Response Plan. This Plan will help particularly vulnerable countries in their responses to the virus. Announcing the contribution, the Tanaiste, Simon Coveney T.D., said: Humanity has a common enemy, which we can only defeat if we work together as the WHOs Mike Ryan says, none of us are safe until everyone is safe. We are doing everything possible to ease the impact of the crisis here in Ireland and are making a difference. But as we stay at home to protect our most vulnerable, there are millions of vulnerable people around the world who lack access to such basics as clean water and soap and who need our help if they are to stay safe and well. Helping them is not only the right thing, an expression of our values of solidarity, generosity and compassion, it is also the sensible thing for Ireland to do. That is why today I have allocated 10 million from the Irish Aid programme to the UNs global humanitarian appeal, which help meet the most basic and urgent needs of the worlds most vulnerable communities as they resist Covid 19. The Minister of State for International Development, Ciaran Cannon T.D., added: The bravery and humanity of all of those working on the front line in the fight against the virus is remarkable. I have always been amazed by the Irish people and NGOs I have seen working to address humanitarian crises, but never more than now. Todays allocation to the UN appeal is part of Ireland's support for the work of all those across the world who are saving lives in these most challenging of circumstances. ENDS Press Office 1 April 2020 Notes for Editors The UN has launched a Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID 19. This appeal, for US$2 billion, seeks to channel resources to the most vulnerable countries those which were already experiencing humanitarian crises, refugee flows, or have weak health systems. Ireland was the first country to contribute to the WHOs COVID 19 response plan, with a contribution of 1 million. The WHO response plan aims to control the spread of the virus, mitigate its impact, and support countries in coping with the virus, particularly those with weaker health systems. The additional 10 million will be allocated to the WHOs COVID appeal (3.5 million); UNHCRs COVID appeal (3.0 million); the World Food Programme in Uganda (1 million); WHO in Uganda (830,000); WHO in Tanzania (0.5 million); UNICEF in Tanzania (500,000); and UNICEF in Malawi (0.5 million) and 315,000 funding under Irelands Emergency Response Fund mechanism to NGOs for projects aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID 19 in Zimbabwe, Gaza and Malawi. Ireland is also contributing 10 million to the UNs Central Emergency Response Fund a global fund used to respond to humanitarian crises, including COVID 19. The CERF has allocated 75 million to date in response to the COVID pandemic. Previous Item | A 19-year-old COVID-19 patient who was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here was discharged on Wednesday after he recovered, officials said. The man, a resident of Bhubaneswar, was diagnosed with the deadly disease after he returned from London. He was the second person in the state to test positive for coronavirus on March 19. The second COVID-19 positive case in Odisha, belonging to Bhubaneswar, has completely recovered and tested negative, the state Health and Family Welfare department said. He became the first COVID-19 patient in the state to recover and get discharged from hospital, while three others are undergoing treatment in different medical facilities. A 33-year-old Italy-returned man, who was the first in the state to test positive for coronavirus infection, is undergoing treatment at the government-run Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar. The third patient, who was diagnosed with the disease on March 26, is also being treated at the same hospital. The fourth COVID-19 case, a 29-year-old Dubai-returned man from Bhadrak who was detected with the disease on Tuesday, is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. A senior official said the first COVID-19 patient is doing fine and there is no need to panic about his health. As per protocol, discharge is considered only after two consecutive samples taken within 24 hours test negative, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has donated to front line medical staff helping to contain the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country. The sector minister, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah donated two thousand (2,000) packs of G-Water bottled drinking water, a product of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) Today Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Beneficiary Health Institutions include Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), 37 Military Hospital, Tema General Hospital, and other facilities in the Ashanti Region. She indicated that the donation is part of the initiative of President Akufo-Addo to support frontline Medical Staff of the various health facilities towards combating the spread of the virus. Hon Cecilia Abena Dapaah is hoping that the donation will ease the burden of having to leave the precincts of the workplace in search of water to quench their thirst even when they are busy working around the clock to save lives. At the short presentations at selected health facilities, the sector minister also used the opportunity to urge the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to use the period of lockdown to intensify their sanitation activities as well as emptying the litter bins to keep the cities clean. She further reminded the general public to continue to be responsive to the personal hygiene protocols directed by the Government through the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. Tamil Nadu on Wednesday recorded a spike of over 110 fresh cases of Covid-19 all of whom had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious conference held in the densely populated area of Nizamuddin in New Delhi in the middle of March. This is the highest number of new cases recorded in Tamil Nadu in a single day so far. The state now has 234 positive Covid-19 cases, of which 190 are related to the religious conference, which is now being treated as the largest cluster in the country as several states scramble to contain, identify and treat the attendees. Wednesdays fresh cases are spread out across 19 districts including Chennai, Coimbatore and Dindigul, among others. Till Wednesday, the state had traced 1103 conference attendees and all of them are in isolation wards in their respective districts, Tamil Nadu health secretary Dr Beela Rajesh said. Close to 1500 persons from Tamil Nadu are believed to have attended the religious conference, of whom over 1130 people are believed to have returned to the state. Till Tuesday, the state had traced and tested 515 persons. In the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, over 580 persons came forward following the governments appeal asking attendees to get themselves tested, raising the total number of those traced to 1103. Through the night we have also been testing and admitting people who are coming in, Rajesh said. In all, the state had tested 658 persons till Wednesday evening. Officials said that all 1103 persons would be tested by Thursday. We have seen a spike of cases over the last two days to prepare ourselves, the state is building capacity accordingly, Rajesh said on Wednesday. The state has rolled out a containment plan which involves contact tracing the attendees of the conference, their family members, and their primary contacts, all of whom will be investigated and tested. Health workers have been instructed to conduct door-to-door surveillance of the attendees families across several districts in the state. The district authorities have also been instructed to cordon off a 7-8 km radius area around the attendees homes, where movement will be restricted. This plan will come into effect not just for those who tested positive, but whoever participated in this conference. It is already under process by district administration, Rajesh said adding, The good thing is today is the eighth day of the lockdown so several of these people were already at home. At least 300 persons from the state, who attended the conference are believed to be in quarantine in New Delhi. The Hindustan Times spoke to a Jamaat attendee who is under quarantine in the national Capital, and who did not wish to give out his name. He said that the result for his Covid-19 test had come out negative. I reached Delhi around March 20 and even then several people were coming to the gathering (in Nizammudin). That weekend at an event, we heard that transport was going to be restricted so those who had money left immediately, he said. We followed all instructions in quarantine and made sure that the senior citizens or those who had ailments like diabetes among us got help first. FOOD and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7.6 per cent between October 2020 and October 2021, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reported yesterday. In a memorandum on the Index of Retail Prices (RPI) published for general information yesterday, attributed to the acting director of statistics, Andre Blanchard, the CSO noted that the All Items Index of Retail Prices increased by 3.9 per cent between October 2020 and last October. Second, while many of the proposed additional rights included in Marsys Law are indisputably beneficial such as treating victims with dignity, respect, courtesy, sensitivity, and fairness the fact is that section 9m, article I of the Wisconsin Constitution already provides victims with many of the same constitutional rights. Because Marsys Law is a national proposal, it was not written with careful consideration about how to improve existing victims rights in the Wisconsin Constitution, but to advance a national agenda. Third, states that have rejected Marsys Law have raised concerns it would create undefined and potentially far-reaching constitutional mandates that are likely to directly undermine the constitutional rights of the accused. Marsys Law would allow victims, who accuse someone of a crime (whether or not that individual is innocent or guilty), to refuse to provide evidence that may be essential to the determination of the accuseds innocence. This mandate undermines fundamental constitutional protections that our Founding Fathers guaranteed to protect our citizens who are presumed to be innocent from being wrongfully convicted by allowing them to discover and present evidence in support of their innocence. NEW HAVEN A teen suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in a shooting Tuesday night, according to police. The shooting happened at 6:11 p.m., sending officers to Eastern Street between Jackson Lane and Hemingway Street, Capt. Anthony Duff said. He said a 16-year-old was transported to the hospital with a non-life-threatening leg wound. Motorists were asked to avoid the area. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304. Callers can remain anonymous. The oil-bears continue their romp across the energy markets with various grades of crude reaching lows not seen in almost twenty years. There will come a point where I can sit down and pen the following words, "We've reached bottom, and this is as bad as it gets." There is a ways to go before it will be possible to make that statement. We are writing off the notion of any recovery in the broad oil and gas market for the next couple of quarters, and probably the rest of 2020. The situation will likely get worse before it gets better, very rapidly. 2021...who knows things might begin to improve. We will discuss the mechanics of a possible recovery early next year. The world is awash in cheap oil right now. Goldman Sachs is calling for a final demand decline in March (now) of ~10.5 mm bod, and a projected demand decline of 18.5 million bpd for April. Folks that's ~20% of total EIA projected global demand. As discussed in prior OilPrice articles, OPEC and the Russians have drawn a bead on U.S. shale production as the worlds marginal producer. We are beginning to see how rapidly this status may be stripped away as these low cost producers strive to regain their market share lost to American shale production. In this article we will run down the early indicators the market is sending on where the tipping point will be for shale production. Finally we will include an early estimate for the decline in U.S. shale production by years end. Quick status check for shale In an OilPrice article last week, I argued that a few things would need to happen before we saw any potential improvement in the market for the oil price. One of them was a reduction in capex across the board for shale. This metric is starting to manifest itself in a couple of ways. Source: Baker Hughes The dotted line is a conservative estimate for the slope of the continued decline as operators tighten their belts. I've pointed out that while the rig count has been declining for the past couple of years, Drilled but Uncompleted- DUC, wells withdrawal has helped production to continue its almost inexorable climb. That's coming to an end as noted by Primary Vision, publishing a drop in Frac Spreads to 255 as of Friday. Source: Primary Vision I think the rate of decline in Frac Spreads-equipment used to fracture the reservoir, will accelerate in the month of April reaching ~200 by months end. My analysis of the upward trend in the Frac Spread line to February was that prices...in the mid-$40s through Feb, were still attractive for DUC withdrawal to March 6th. I've been thinking for some time that the next logical step would be for uneconomic producers to....BEGIN SHUTTING IN WELLS ALREADY ON PRODUCTION. Related: An Oilmans Plea To President Trump I actually put forward this notion in an Oilprice article on the Marcellus gas play. That article focused on the gas glut that led Chevron, (NYSE:CVX) to write down its assets in the Marcellus to focus on the Permian. The Permian is more oil-prone, and is part of the reason operators have focused on it so intensively. Now this idea is becoming mainstream with analysts putting out estimates for how much shale oil might have to be shut in. Here's a quote from one of these analysts from a recent article in JPT. Uday Turaga, the chief executive officer of oil and gas consultancy ADI Analytics, offered two reasons. The first is that many shale players have hedged large volumes of oil sales in the $50-range through 2020. The other is that shale producers remain too optimistic on the chances of a price recovery coming by years end We dont see prices and demand rising before 2021, shared Turaga. So this approach of cutting just drilling and not completion of wells in inventory is insufficientthey need to go beyond and have a material impact on production volumes. ADI Analytics is running several forward-looking models, including one that suggests US shale players need to cut as deep as 2 million B/D from year-over-year production. Such a dramatic reduction would be needed to keep oil prices from remaining locked at marginal cash costs. We could potentially get there just with capex declines, said Uday, but not all operators will cut capex, so a little bit of shut in will be necessary. Journal of Petroleum Technology Hopefully you caught the line I bolded about shale producer's optimism. To close this section out here is another graphic from Baker Hughes and Westwood Energent regarding the outlook for the rig count at year end. Baker Hughes/Westwood Energent Lets do some ciphering Heres the number you read this article to get. According to the EIA the incremental new oil per rig is 856 BOPD (the relationship between drilling rigs and daily production is purely statistical, I am just using the EIA's number to make a guess.) With 728 rigs turning to the right as of March, that works out to...623K BOPD. Reduce the rigs to the high 380's by late 2020, early 2021 as in the graphic above and you only get...~325K BOPD new incremental production from shale. Now take the natural decline rate of (again using simple arithmetic here), ~6% per month for shale wells on the average and you get (~9mm Bpd x 540K Bpd. In other words we will be producing about 215 K Bpd below the shale replacement rate as the year closes out. Extending those daily declines to a 30 day period, shale production will be 6 million Bpd LOWER. Related: The Inevitable Collapse Of Global Oil Production Thats an extreme decline I will admit, and you should be reminded I havent used any sophisticated analysis to reach this number. A number of factors can and will influence the final amount of the decline. Among them actual new well productivity, and the length of the interval as examples. A higher oil price, responding ironically to the decline in shale production, could actually spur a pickup in new drilling. We will monitor this in future articles and make adjustments to this estimate as production waypoints are passed. Your takeaway Game, set, and match to OPEC and the Russians if the scenario Ive outlined in this article even comes close to playing out. If U.S. production declines to that level, and we return to 2012 in terms of our production. OPEC+ should be happy. Capturing breaking news in this article it should be noted that President Trump and President Putin have had a chat on the emerging energy depression. I honestly dont put much store in this having any effect on oil prices in the short-run, even if you assume Putin would have any actual sympathy for the plight of U.S. shale producers. Rememberthis debacle started only last month when they ruined the OPEC+ party in Vienna by not agreeing to more cuts to shore up prices. Whats changed since? Nothing really in terms of their original objective. The Russians have the cash reserves to see this collapse of American shale for at least another couple of quarters, and the collapse in demand due to the Corona virus is going to play out no matter what they do. Basically Putin has no incentive to change course, save as a bargaining chip for sanctions relief. Something that is politically unacceptable in this country as elections draw nearer. This leaves with the status quo firmly in place. Bottom-line, U.S. shale appears to be on an unavoidable rapid decline. That is bad news for a lot of companies that depend on this activity for their daily bread. The good news is this will inevitably drive higher prices and the growth cycle for energy will begin again. By David Messler for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The upcoming Apple iPhone 9, the successor to the iPhone SE from 2016, has been rumored for a long time now, and it looks like we're finally getting very close to its official introduction. A few weeks ago a report talked about the phone being delayed indefinitely because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but apparently Apple may have had a change of heart. According to a new report, the company held an internal meeting to discuss how to proceed, and the conclusion of said meeting is that the iPhone 9 will get official on April 15. It will then become available on April 22. It's unclear if the company plans to hold an online event for the launch, or will simply issue a press release and be done with it. The iPhone 9 will allegedly start at $349 or $399, thus being an intriguing new entry into the mid-range price wars. Design-wise, expect a blast from the past, with huge screen bezels and a physical, capacitive Touch ID sensor on the front, below the display (but not under it, mind you). As far as the release timeframe goes, since we're still globally dealing with a pandemic, it pretty much goes without saying that Apple's plans might change yet again. Hopefully they don't, and then perhaps Google will also choose to announce the Pixel 4a soon so it can battle it out with the iPhone 9 for the hearts and minds of consumers who aren't willing to pay twice or thrice as much for a smartphone, especially given the situation right now. Source Ivanka Trump has revealed that she is rereading The Odyssey and learning to play guitar in her free time while describing her self-quarantine experience as similar to "pretty much every parent around the country" amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, President Trumps eldest daughter appeared on Yahoo Finance to take part in a remote interview, where she discussed her fathers plans for the country as well as the steps shes taken to help curb the spread of the virus. Describing herself as a pretty strong advocate of social distancing from a personal practise perspective, Ms Trump said she has been working from home and doing as much telephonically as possible. However, according to the mother-of-three, who shares children Arabella, Theodore and Joseph with husband Jared Kushner, it hasnt necessarily been easy for the entire family to stay home, as the children are growing more restless by the day - an experience Ms Trump believes pretty much every parent around the country is going through. It's unique times but Im trying to reframe all of it through the lens of the joy of having this family connectivity, even if it is sometimes taxing, the 38-year-old said. The social distancing practises havent kept Ms Trump, who works as senior advisor to the president, from finding opportunities to expand her mind, however, as she told Yahoos Sibile Marcellus that shes been using newly free time during her evenings and weekends that would normally have been spent at a work-related commitment or school function to explore things I normally wouldn't have prioritised. So I've got a Coursera free course going in Greek and Roman mythology so I'm rereading The Odyssey, and Ive started to learn to play the guitar, Ms Trump said. And now I'm really working on it, as I sit with my kids when they are sleeping or napping. That's what I'm doing. Ms Trump's quarantine experience prompted people on social media to accuse the White House advisor of being "tone-deaf". "Ivanka (she's just like us!!) plans on rereading The Odyssey and learning about mythology during the quarantine," one person tweeted. "I actually had to watch the interview to make sure someone could could be so absolutely tone-deaf." Earlier in the interview, the first daughter also revealed the ways in which she is doing her part to help small businesses in the country that are struggling economically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Explaining that she has heard from so many people that have helped businesses by prepaying for a service that they know theyre going to avail themselves of sometime in the next six to 12 months, Ms Trump said shes done the same for her local dry cleaner and local florist. I did it on a personal level with my local dry cleaner and my local florist just to sort of assist in a small way during this time, she said. The description of Ms Trumps experience amid the health crisis comes after she was criticised for advising other families about activities they can do during quarantine. Staying home today with kids? Plan living room camp out! Ms Trump tweeted on 17 March. Throw a bed sheet over some taped together brooms. Plan a menu and pack sandwiches, salads (Smores optional [] ). A fun activity that also brings family together for a meal! Share your ideas and use the hashtag #TogetherApart. At the time, critics accused Ms Trump of not taking into consideration her familys financial advantages and privileges. Congratulations on being rich and being married to a guy actually profiting off this catastrophe, one person tweeted in response. There are actually people suffering. Without enough food. Without nannies or cooks or cleaning people to help with the kids. Who are forced to work or risk losing their job/business. According to the latest figures, there have been 189,661 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, with more than 4,000 deaths attributed to the virus. The federal government is required to provide the Rosebud Sioux Tribe with competent physician-led health care, a federal judge in South Dakota has ruled. That requirement is a component of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, of which the Rosebud Sioux was a signatory, Judge Roberto Lange ruled on Monday. The treaty, in exchange for mutual peace and vast forfeiture of land by the Sioux Nation, Lange wrote, guaranteed that the federal government would provide some level of health care to the tribes. The tribe sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Indian Health Service in 2016 after the Rosebud IHS Hospital emergency room was shut down following a host of problems at the hospital. Tribal members were being diverted to hospitals in Winner or Valentine, Nebraska, both about 50 miles away. In addition to diverting patients because the Rosebud hospital didnt have enough doctors and nurses, IHS reduced the hours of operation at its urgent care. While problems at Rosebud were ongoing, the troubles that IHS had in providing adequate health care across its system were well documented in congressional testimony and government watchdog audits. Some of the claims in the original lawsuit had already been dismissed by Lange in a previous ruling. The government sought judgment on the remaining portion of the lawsuit, arguing that it was not required to provide health care, despite the treaty and federal legislation. It also suggested that Lange should take the literal meaning of the words contained in the treaty, which said the government would furnish annually to the Indians the physician, and also make appropriations as will be sufficient to employ such persons. Lange noted that the language in treaties is supposed to be construed in favor of Native Americans, and he said the meaning at the time of its signing to Native Americans and the government was that the United States would provide physician-led health care. If this court were to adopt a truly literal interpretation as the government suggests, the government could satisfy its duty by employing and furnishing a physician and housing him on the reservation without the physician providing any sort of services, Lange wrote. This interpretation could not have been the intended result of the negotiating parties. Ace Crawford, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in South Dakota, declined to comment. Brendan Johnson, a lawyer representing the tribe, said he was pleased that Lange ruled the government has a treaty duty to provide medical care to the tribe. This is a significant victory, Johnson wrote in an email. The finding that there is a judicially enforceable treaty duty is a win for the tribe. The ruling didnt go as far as the tribe had hoped. The tribe had argued that federal legislation used a standard of health care to the highest level. Lange called that language use by Congress aspirational. This court, he wrote, cannot accept the tribes conclusion because it overstates the governments duty. 6 Shares Share I am writing this a bit selfishly as part of personal catharsis, and it has been helpful serving that purpose and helping me better understand what I am experiencing. If, however, some of it strikes a meaningful chord or you have some critique or suggestions, then, of course, I am delighted to hear from you. While we all are under stress, I have been feeling angst I could not pinpoint until today. Finally, it came to me: I have a certain guilt from working at home on top of the loss of human contact both with colleagues and patients, and the lessening of the sense that I am making a difference. As an old clinician, I am going to be the last put into face to face patient contact due to the increase in my risk due to age. The increased risk still doesnt lessen the irrationality of the guilt. Or is it irrational? Dr. Spock of Star Trek fame often said, Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. While I am more at risk, I am, in many ways, more expendable. My family is grown and independent. When compared to a younger physician, I will have much less to offer patients, society, the practice, and the University over time since I will retire soon. So while younger clinicians face less risk, there is more potential loss with them than me. What is the balance? Our young residents are asking themselves questions about the balance between risks to themselves and their families as opposed to their need to care for patients. We have all asked this question at times over our career. Some now, however, have asked this in a way that I and some others of our colleagues who also have young families found quite upsetting, calling it a moral question. Have we gone too far in trying to correct work-life/family imbalance? Is this just an excuse for the appropriate fear we all have? Or am I the one who is wrong in his sense of duty? While in the face of the unknown (at the time) epidemics of HIV and Legionnaires, we were often terrified, but we never questioned that we, like earlier physicians over the ages of the much worse and much more dangerous epidemics of Spanish Flu, smallpox, and plague, had our duty as part of our job, part of our calling. Physicians, nurses, first responders are courageous people with a strong sense of duty in the sense FDR described, Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. But then again, what right do I sitting on the sidelines, have to criticize others? I rationalize that it is not my decision to not be there physically, that I put in my time and faced my risks, that I am at higher risk, and that my family is not running away from risk given that my daughter is practicing general internal medicine on the front lines at Bellevue with young children and a husband who is immunosuppressed with treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. Were I able, I would take her place, not that she would let me or any of her colleagues. Nevertheless, this critique of some of our residents is another source of guilt, perhaps analogous to that which leaders feel, or at least should feel, when they send the young off to war rather than fighting themselves. Not that I want to, but I find myself unafraid of dying and really am primarily afraid of suffering, loss of function, and being unimportant and irrelevant. I came to grips with what I am really afraid of or not when I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago, and my feelings are only even more crystalized in the present crisis. I am fighting most hard to overcome the sense of being helpless, being worthless, and making less of a difference than I should. Consequently, more than even I at my obnoxiously best typically do, I am now constantly interposing myself into processes to correct errors I discover and to suggest improvements. I have been gratified when I have improved and corrected things during this crisis. But I also realize that my personal need to be useful has, at times, resulted in what can be a bit too overzealous of an attempt at constructive critique. At times I know I come across as an insensitive pain in the ass. If you got this far, I thank you for being there and listening. I appreciate your patience with my self-indulgence, my unpolitic critiques, my outspokenness. I value your friendship, honesty, and wisdom. Eliot Nierman is an internal medicine physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The $2 trillion fiscal stimulus package recently signed into law by President Trump includes over $350 billion in loans to small businesses currently facing financially devastating losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ivanka Trump, President Trumps daughter and senior advisor, has played a key role in advocating for small businesses during this pandemic. She joined Yahoo Finance from her office at the White House via Skype for an exclusive interview to talk about how the administration is working to keep small businesses afloat. Small businesses employ close to 50% of the American workforce, and obviously are the most vulnerable from a cash flow situation, she said. The $2 trillion fiscal stimulus sets aside over $350 billion in loans for small businesses. We want to just bridge people until the world reopens, she said. The president had a mandate, which was to think big and swing for the fences, Trump told Yahoo Finance. And with these unprecedented times and with a forced closure of what was the healthiest economy ever, we thought big and this is $2.2 trillion of relief that's going directly to workers, frontline responders and small businesses. Ivanka Trump, the daughter and assistant to President Donald Trump, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Friday, March 20, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., the economy was on a strong footing. Wages were growing fast for low-income workers, and the unemployment rate was near record lows. We want to get people through this horrible health crisis that was no fault of their own, said Trump. The loans will work as grants as long as small businesses retain their workers as they deal with keeping up with their rent payments, utility and other bills. Every state's a little bit different in terms of what they're deciding to do in terms of mandatory shutdown, but [were] making sure that they can keep their workforce employed, and don't create vulnerabilities on the other end. Helping small businesses While the federal government is stepping up its support for small businesses, individuals and the private sector also have a key role to play, Ivanka Trump says. She encourages people who have the means to think of creative ways of supporting local businesses: for example, pre-paying for services they know theyll use in 6 to 12 months. I did it on a personal level with my local dry cleaner and my local florist, just to sort of assist in a small way during this time. So it's really heartening to see...people, you know, buying local produce ...to support farms...and then freezing it, Trump said. Story continues Graphic by David Foster/Yahoo Finance The Trump administration has been trying to get money into the hands of small businesses as quickly as possible. Trump said that as soon as April 3, business owners will be able to go to their banks and apply for the loans made available by the stimulus. (The Small Business Administration's website includes a link to the application form for borrowers and information about the program for both lenders and borrowers.) Go to your local bank directly, the SBA is there to backstop it, but that's the quickest way that this transaction will happen and starting Friday, we'll be ready to roll, Trump said. Extending paid sick leave benefits to employees at small businesses is a cornerstone of the $2 trillion fiscal stimulus package. Businesses that have fewer than 500 employees will be offered tax breaks or waivers for extending sick leave to their workers. We recognize that the people most likely not to have access oftentimes work for smaller businesses. And it's not because the smaller businesses don't want to provide it they simply can't afford it, said Trump. Social distancing at the White House Trump said she is currently working from home as often as possible and adhering to the federal social distancing guidelines. I'm doing as much telephonically as possible, she said. Ive got three young kids who are growing more restless by the day, which I'm sure...pretty much every parent around the country is going through. Juggling working from home and caring for kids who are out of school is a tough balancing act for millions of parents during this era of social distancing. It's a unique time but I'm trying to reframe all of it through the lens of the joy of having this family connectivity even if it's sometimes toxic, she said. More from Sibile: Majority of Americans cut back on spending because of coronavirus concerns Coronavirus stimulus package: What Congress unleashing fiscal firehose means for U.S. economy ER doc on coronavirus: Im on the front lines and I can tell you that were not at our peak yet Best thing was to lay off workers, says restaurant owner on coronavirus impact Coronavirus causing labor market meltdown on a scale never seen before Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with all chief ministers on Wednesday to discuss Indias status in the battle against coronavirus disease and the way ahead, according to news agency ANI. PM Modis decision to hold the meeting via video conference comes at a time the central government is trying to contain the Nizamuddin setback to its efforts to restrict the spread of the highly contagious Sars-Cov-2 pathogen that has, according to the World Health Organisation, killed over 36,000 people across the world. At a status-check meeting with chief secretaries earlier on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba had also told states to scrupulously trace every Tablighi Jamaat and then their contacts to stop the disease from spreading any faster than it already is. According to the health ministry, there were 1,600 confirmed Covid-19 cases that had led to the death of 38 people in India. Gauba told chief secretaries that they should carry out intensive contact tracing of the Tablighi Jamaat participants as this has increased the risk of containment efforts of Covid-19, a government statement said. Gauba said this exercise should be carried out on a war footing. According to the World Health Organisation database, the disease is in the local transmission stage in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ordered a 21-day national lockdown on March 24 in his televised address to the nation to stop the disease from spreading. Cabinet Secretary Gauba noted that the lockdown was now being implemented effectively all over the country, a reference to the flagrant violations in Delhi last week when tens of thousands of migrants reached the national capitals borders with Uttar Pradesh. When Maulana Saad refused to budge, MHA ordered a mid-night clean up action at Nizamuddin India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: The head of the Nizamuddin Markaz, Maulana Saad had refused to budge despite pleas by the Delhi police. The Delhi police had urged the Maulana to vacate the Banglewali Masjid. The situation was critical and with the Maulana refusing to budge, the Union Home Ministry had to step in. National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval visited the markaz on March 29 at 2 am and convinced the Maulana to get the occupants tested. Finally the markaz allowed 167 Tablighi workers to be hospitalised after the intervention of the NSA. The first time the connection between the Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus emerged was on March 17 2020. It was at this time that a case was detected in Telangana and by March 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs had drawn up a list of 800 foreigners associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. 57 new COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu; 50 linked to Nizamuddin congregation It was learnt that an Indonesian, who attended the conference at Nizamuddin and travelled to Telangana had tested positive on March 17. Home Ministry sources tell OneIndia that nearly 1,000 Tablighi workers from abroad were in India. Of this around 200 were staying in Nizamuddin, the source also said. The source also said that once they had identified the 800 foreign nationals, an advisory was sent to all the states to track them and medically screen them. The MHA says that nationals of Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan had come for proselytising activities. The MHA says that so far 1,203 Tablighi Jamaat workers had been screened of which 303 had symptoms of COVID-19. The MHA in a statement said that the Bureau of Immigration has been sharing since February 1 with State authorities, details of all international arrivals from affected countries based on Self Declaration Form filled in by them. In addition, since March 6, Bureau of Immigration had also been sharing details of all the international arrivals (both Indians and foreigners) at all the international airports in the country. Meanwhile the government has decided to blacklist all the foreigners who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin for violation of visa rules. Nearly 800 will be blacklisted, government sources have confirmed. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that all those who travelled to India on tourist visas recently and violated visa conditions will be proceeded against legally. This would include being blacklisted as well, he said. First link between Tablighi Jamaat congregation and COVID-19 was spotted on March 17 A strict lockdown has been imposed in parts of southeast Nizamuddin after 24 persons tested positive for COVID-19. These are also being linked to cases in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman Islands, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and also the five deaths in Telangana. All these persons are said to have attended the congregation at the Nizamuddin Mosque in mid-March. Over 1,000 people continued to stay at the Markaz even as a 21 day nation-wide lockdown was announced. The organisation has been accused of gross negligence and an FIR has been lodged against the Maulana of the Mosque. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 11:58 [IST] Authorities in Kashmir Wednesday cautioned government doctors and paramedics of strict action for publicly criticising the efforts of the administration to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. An order issued by Health Services Director Samir Mattoo said it has been observed that some of the government servants are publicly criticising the efforts of the administration to combat the pandemic, which is against the service conduct rules. "There can be a difference of opinion or some minor issues, which the government employees can bring to the notice of concerned authorities so that the issue is redressed instead of putting that issue in social media, print and electronic media, which is causing more harm than good to the public and administration in combating pandemic of COVID-19," the order read. The order said strict action will be initiated against such elements who resort to such uncalled for reporting to media. "Any person disobeying any regulation or order made under the Epidemic Diseases, Act, 1897, shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), Mattoo said in the order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan is building negative pressure rooms to isolate coronavirus patients and prevent cross-contamination, DailyMail.com can reveal. The rooms, which use vents to create lower air pressure inside than in the corridors of the hospital, ensure that when the door is opened, no air escapes and lowers the risk of spreading the virus. 'It's hell in there,' one nurse at Mount Sinai told DailyMail.com of her work with coronavirus patients, who have flooded the city's hospitals and stretched the healthcare system to the brink. The city is already taking extraordinary measures to try to relieve the pressure on hospitals. Negative pressure rooms can be seen from outside The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise A medical worker taking a break in Central Park from working with COVID-19 patients said the hospital had created extra rooms to try to stop cross-contamination The rooms, which use vents to create lower air pressure inside than in the corridors of the hospital, ensure that when the door is opened, no air escapes and lowers the risk of spreading the virus A medical worker wears full face protection outside of Mount Sinai hospital on Wednesday A man is loaded into an ambulance outside of Mount Sinai hospital, New York, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise on Wednesday Workers wearing full protective gear take a break outside New York's Mount Sinai Hospital A medical advisory council is telling paramedics in New York City they shouldn't take fatal heart victims to hospitals to have them pronounced dead. The temporary protocol issued this week by the Regional Emergency Medical Service is meant to ease the burden on city hospitals, some of which have begun transferring patients more than 100 miles north to the Albany area. Albany Med said it accepted 14 transfer patients late Tuesday who have either confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. The hospital said it accepted patients from hospitals in Jamaica and Flushing in Queens. Data released by the city shows that the disease is having a disproportionate effect in certain neighborhoods, mainly in Brooklyn and Queens. 'I'm terrified to go outside and also to walk along this strip, because everyone that's headed to the hospital, which we can see from here, is going through here,' said Nicholas Corsini, near Elmhurst Hospital. A view outside Mount Sinai hospital during the Coronavirus Pandemic on Tuesday A temporary hospital is built in Central Park on the East Meadow lawn during the Coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday in New York City. The facility is a partnership between Mt. Sinai Hospital and Christian humanitarian aid organization Samaritans Purse, equipped with 68 beds Medical workers bring a patient to the International Christian relief organization Samaritans Purse Emergency Field Hospital in Central Park across from Mt. Sinai Hospital on Tuesday An emergency field hospital with 68 beds opened Wednesday in Central Park near The Mount Sinai Hospital, days after a temporary hospital in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center began taking patients and a Navy hospital ship docked off Manhattan. Officials are scrambling to add more beds around the city as hospitals become overrun. 'I have never seen so many human beings in an ER at one time in my entire life,' Mount Sinai nurse Liz Schaffer told the AP. 'Shoulder to shoulder. It is a sight I never thought I would see. Patients are dying every day. Every single day.' Schaffer, who is from from St. Paul, Minnesota, had her first shift on Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital after joining an army of volunteers who are racing to New York City to assist in the crisis. 'I took an oath as a nurse to do no harm and just go where I was needed,' Schafer said. 'I told my students, you step up to the plate when you're needed as a nurse, all the time, no matter what. And so right now, you either go to the West Coast or the East Coast as a nurse. And so here I am.' Registered Nurse Elizabeth Schafer, 36, of South St. Paul, Minnesota, is seen Wednesday before entering Beth Israel Mount Sinai Hospital for her second day volunteering Health care workers who have hit the ground already, many brought in by staffing agencies, discovered a hospital system in danger of being overwhelmed. The virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has spread rapidly across the globe. It causes mild symptoms in many of those infected, but it can cause severe symptoms or death for some, including older adults and those with underlying medical conditions such as respiratory ailments. On Wednesday, New York state's COVID-19 death count more than doubled in 72 hours to 1,941. One month after New York discovered its first infection - a health care worker returning from Iran - the state tallied more than 83,000 positive cases. The 1,941 deaths were up from 965 Sunday morning. New York logged its first virus-related death March 13, an 82-year-old woman with emphysema. With more than 12,000 people hospitalized, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the latest outbreak projections show no respite this month. 'What were looking at now is the apex - the top of the curve - roughly at the end of April, which means another month of this,' Cuomo told a state Capitol news briefing. One model cited by Cuomo projected 16,000 deaths in New York once the outbreak runs its course in the coming months. Though the governor stressed it's unclear how the pandemic will end. 'Nobody knows what's going to happen. And I understand the need for closure, the need for control,' he said. 'We're at a place we've never been before.' Argonne's Paul Dickman honored with nuclear waste management achievement award Paul Dickman, a senior policy fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, has been named a Waste Management Symposium Fellow for 2020, one of the highest achievement awards given out at the Waste Management Symposium (WMS). Dickman received this honor for his "distinguished contributions to the advancement of radioactive waste and radioactive material management." The award recognizes Dickman's extensive work in nuclear waste management and nuclear materials disposition in the U.S. and around the world. For over 35 years, Dickman has been in the forefront of nuclear energy and security programs, promoting U.S. civil nuclear technology and safety and international nonproliferation goals and regimes. "Paul's work is helping to enhance U.S. leadership in the nuclear industry," said Temitope Taiwo, interim director of Argonne's Nuclear Science and Engineering division. "I'm proud of the work he is doing on nuclear policy here at Argonne and am confident he will continue to advance the field of nuclear materials management." Over the course of his career at Argonne, Dickman has focused on nuclear energy, nonproliferation, and national security policy. He has also held senior leadership positions at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, is a member of the National Academy of Science's Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board, and recently participated in the Academy's study committee on Science and Technology for the Department of Energy's Defense Environmental Cleanup Program. "I have spent most of my career in strengthening the nuclear fuel cycle by improving the ways in which we manage, store, reprocesses, and dispose of nuclear waste. It is truly an honor to be recognized by WMS for my work in this area," Dickman said. Dickman recently served as the Study Director for the American Nuclear Society's special report on the nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor complex, and currently advises the Japanese government on the decommissioning of the Fukushima site. Mr. Dickman was officially honored as a Waste Management Symposium Fellow during the Honors & Awards Luncheon on March 10 at the Waste Management Symposium. Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. This story has been published on: 2020-03-31. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SALEM, Ore. Much like a previous order that applied to individual renters, Governor Kate Brown has issued a new executive order banning commercial evictions in Oregon while the state of emergency for coronavirus continues. "During this unprecedented public health crisis, too many Oregonians have found themselves with no way to pay the monthly rent for their homes and businesses," said Governor Brown. "These are difficult times. This order will help Oregon small businesses stay in their locations without the threat of eviction." The new order bans business owners from being evicted for non-payment in addition to residential renters. It also expands on both prohibiting landlords from charging late fees for non-payment while the orders are active. Executive Order 20-13 also provides some much-needed clarity on the previous, residential eviction moratorium. Though it does bar late fees, it says that tenants are still obligated to pay rent as soon as they have the ability to do so. These are difficult times. This order will help Oregon's restaurants and businesses stay in their locations without threat of eviction.https://t.co/67LnXT6Ko2 Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) April 1, 2020 "Nothing . . . relieves a residential tenant's obligation to pay rent, utility charges, or any other service charges or fees, except for late charges or other penalties arising from nonpayment which are specifically waived by and during this moratorium," the order reads. Also in the fine print is a higher bar for businesses while nothing obligates a residential renter to do so, commercial renters have to supply their landlords with documentation that the non-payment was caused by COVID-19, either directly or indirectly, within 30 days of unpaid rent being due. "During this moratorium, any residential or non-residential tenant who is or will be unable to pay the full rent when due under a rental agreement or lease, shall notify the landlord as soon as reasonably possible; and shall make partial rent payments to the extent the tenant is financially able to do so," the order adds. The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect for 90 or until Governor Brown decides to extend or terminate it. About 500 coal miners were told not to report to Consol Energys Bailey Mine on Monday after two workers tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The Bailey Mine is one-third of a massive underground complex, several times larger than the island of Manhattan, the companys website boasts. It mostly sits beneath Greene County and Marshall County in West Virginia. The other two mines, Harvey and Enlow Fork, are unaffected and still producing. They are accessed through separate portals. The shutdown at Bailey is scheduled to last two weeks the amount of time that the virus is believed to be contagious. If youve spent any time on social media recently, you have likely come across posts urging shoppers to wait until April 4 to purchase groceries. These seemingly well-intentioned posts claim that food assistance and other governmental benefits are deposited on the first of every month, and implore shoppers to hold off on going to the grocery store from April 1-3 to give low-income residents an opportunity to use their benefits, while shelves remain stocked. Its a nice sentiment, but it isnt accurate. Recipients who participate in the federal food stamp program can receive their benefits on a range of different days during the month, depending on state regulations. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregonians who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, receive their benefits between the 1st and 9th of every month, depending on the last digit of the head of households Social Security Number. Unlike SNAP recipients, low-income women and children who receive support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC, do receive their benefits on the first of every month, according to the Oregon Health Authority. WIC recipients can only use their benefits to purchase certain food items. If Oregonians who arent receiving government assistance hold off on going to the grocery store for the first three days of the month, that may help to ensure that items are available for WIC recipients. But it wont do anything to help residents who rely on different government assistance programs. Like SNAP benefits, Social Security benefits are not necessarily deposited on the first of the month. They are paid out on the second, third or fourth Wednesday of each month, depending on birthdate. People receiving both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits generally see their benefits on the third of each month. Instead, it may be a lot more helpful for shoppers to stop hoarding essential food items during the coronavirus crisis and space out their trips to the grocery store, rather than avoid shopping on any specific dates. WIC recipients, in particular, have limited options when it comes to what groceries they are allowed to purchase with benefits. Shoppers can help ensure that those recipients are able to buy the items that they need by avoiding WIC-labeled foods and being conscientious about the amount of pantry staples, such as milk and eggs, that they are purchasing. Food items available to WIC recipients are not always labeled at grocery stores. A list of items that Oregon WIC recipients can purchase with their benefits and a list of stores that accept WIC benefits are available on the Oregon Health Authority website. We are not sending out an official message requesting people not shop on the 1-3rd, wrote Jonathan Modie, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority, in an email. We feel this will set WIC participants apart and may create negative feelings toward this already vulnerable population. We are in frequent communication with stores and local agencies to monitor supply issues and are providing advice to WIC participants who are having issues purchasing their benefits. Nearly 600,000 Oregonians and 38 million Americans nationwide received SNAP benefits in 2019, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There were 77,530 active WIC recipients in Oregon in February. For the first five months of 2019, states reported that over 6.4 million people participated in WIC per month, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. -- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Samsung Display will stop producing liquid crystal display (LCD) panels in China and South Korea at the end of the year in order to concentrate on the new generation of "quantum dot" (QD) screens, Reuters reports. Any LCD orders made before the end of the year will still be fulfilled. Samsung made its plans for QD tech known last year, when it announced its $11 billion investment into a plant capable of manufacturing true QLED TV screens that self-illuminate. Traditionally, Samsung's quantum dot LCD tech puts LED backlights behind a filter (so the display doesn't match up to the likes of say, LG's OLED TVs), but research at the end of 2019 helped mitigate some development problems, such as burn-in. Samsung's forthcoming QD tech instead relies on indium phosphide instead of toxic cadmium, and has a lifetime of up to a million hours. The multi-billion dollar investment will take place over five years and will see Samsung convert one of its existing South Korean LCD lines into a facility to mass produce these screens. Falling demand for LCD products and a manufacturing supply glut means Samsung is obviously looking for new avenues, so for the company to essentially do away with a tried-and-tested technology and go all-in on another suggests that QD screens are very likely to feature in our viewing futures. Doctors in Haryana contributed 1,000 rupees, to an informal COVID-19 fund, to buy masks and other protective gear. Shortages of protective health gear in India are forcing some doctors to use raincoats and motorbike helmets while fighting the coronavirus, exposing the weak state of the public health system ahead of an anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government said India was trying to get personal protective equipment in bulk domestically and from South Korea and China to meet the shortages. More than a dozen doctors battling the outbreak, which has so far infected 1,251 people and killed 32, told Reuters they were concerned that without this proper gear, they could become carriers of the disease. In Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state, drivers of around 4,700 ambulances that mainly serve government hospitals went on strike on Tuesday, demanding proper safety gear and health insurance. We wont risk our lives unless our demand is met, Hanuman Pandey, president of the Ambulance Workers Association, told Reuters. According to one projection, more than 100,000 people could be infected by mid-May, putting Indias underfunded health system and scarce doctors under severe strain. In the eastern city of Kolkata, junior doctors at the major coronavirus treatment facility - Beliaghata Infectious Disease Hospital - were given plastic raincoats to examine patients last week, according to two doctors there and photographs reviewed by Reuters. We wont work at the cost of our lives, said one of the doctors, who declined to be named because he feared retaliation from the authorities. The hospitals medical superintendent in-charge, Dr Asis Manna, declined to comment. In northern Haryana state near New Delhi, Dr Sandeep Garg of ESI Hospital said he had been using a motorbike helmet because he didnt have any N95 masks, which offer significant protection against virus particles. I put on a helmet - it has a visor in front so it covers my face, adding another layer over the surgical mask, Garg said. Indias health ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters queries. The plight of doctors in the pandemic has cast a light on a dilapidated and overburdened public health system that has for years been starved of funds and an overhaul. India spends about 1.3 percent of its GDP on public health, among the lowest in the world. We are living on a prayer, its not that we can save ourselves by relying on the health system, said a senior federal government official in New Delhi, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation. In a state-run hospital in the city of Rohtak in Haryana, several junior doctors have been declining to treat patients unless they have adequate safety equipment. They also established an informal COVID-19 fund, to which each doctor contributed 1,000 rupees ($13.27) to buy masks and other face coverings, one of the doctors said. Everybody is scared, the doctor said. Nobody wants to work without protection. Time and again Tuesday night, the White House briefing room lectern was eerily empty. Donald Trump and his coronavirus task force leaders were nearby, but no one wanted to occupy the most powerful two feet of real estate in the world. The country and world saw a much different Mr Trump deliver perhaps his most honest and bleak assessment yet of the coronavirus outbreak. Though the two-hour evening briefing ended with him jousting with a few reporters, the president who once dismissed the disease as "like the flu" was noticeably somber as the weight of his office and duty clearly rested on his shoulders. A clearly shaken George W Bush addressed the country from the White House on 11 September 2001, knowing thousands of Americans had been killed in that day's al-Qaeda airliner attacks. An emotional Barack Obama, speaking as the country's father in chief, wiped tears from the corners of his eyes in the White House briefing room in January 2016 when he spoke in December 2012 about 20 elementary school children who were gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut. Asked Tuesday evening about government models that project between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths on US soil, the usually bombastic president who tries to cast all things related to his presidency in the most positive light possible acknowledged: "They are very sobering, yes, when you see 100,000 people and that is at a minimum number." The president spoke slowly for the first hour-plus of the briefing, looking down often, appearing to search for the right words. He has been compared to a carnival-barker and a narcissist who craves attention by his critics. But he shed that persona at the James S Brady Briefing Room door as he talked of widespread death and pleaded with his countrymen and countrywomen to abide by federal guidelines that he and his team can now only hope keep the death toll within the range of those grim models. The combative Trump did return once the questions turned political, but the former reality television star and flamboyant New York real estate executive went to the briefing room to warn his country of something his immediate predecessors never dealt with -- and how he handles what he predicted will be a "very tough two weeks." "Now we are looking at, and as many people as we are talking about, whatever we can do under that number and substantially under that number we have done that through really great mitigation," he said. "We have done that through a lot of very dedicated American people that, you know, 100,000 is, according to modeling, a very low number." Mr Trump has focused on the death toll for weeks, signalling a revised, by necessity, re-election strategy arguing he kept it low through actions like banning travellers from China, where Covid-19 originated, and ordering "social distancing." But now that strategy must be revised yet again, as reality confronts a president who has not always appeared rooted in it. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," a rattled Mr Trump said. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we are going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful, very very, very painful two weeks." Not long after those words, Mr Trump did something remarkable. He exited the spotlight, yielding the lectern to his public health experts for almost an hour, instead mostly occupying a spot a few feet away from the lectern. As federal infectious disease experts Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, members of his coronavirus task force, fielded question after question, Mr Trump was somewhere he has rarely, if ever, been during his presidency: He was out the television frame. The lectern had been fitted with the seal of the Office of the President. A dark blue flag representing the same office had been placed behind that lectern. Yet, in a remarkable scene that brought Mr Trump's newfound worries about the expected Covid-19 death toll, the man who occupies that very office and has so altered what many Americans think of it was not visible to those watching on television. In a twist of irony, that is the very the medium with which The Donald is so enamoured. If was as if another virus had spread among those senior officials assembled on the podium Vice President Mike Pence also was there as time and again they left the lectern unoccupied. They looked at one another for answers to technical policy and medical questions, and they sidestepped many. But, like their boss, the officials did not hide what they believe is coming during one of the darkest and gloomiest White House briefings in most Americans' lifetimes. "It's a projection based on using very much what happened in Italy and then looking at all the models," Ms Birx said. "And so, as you saw on that slide, that was our real number, that 100,000 to 200,000. And we think that that is the range." One reporter asked Fauci about those very projections, saying succinctly: "Dr Fauci, should Americans be prepared for the likelihood that there will be 100,000 Americans who die from this virus?" "The answer is yes. We need as sobering a number as that is we should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much? I hope not, and I think the more we push on the mitigation, the less likelihood it would be that number," he said bluntly. "But as being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that that is a possibility, that that's what we will see." Mr Trump had met privately with his coronavirus team just minutes before entering the briefing room. Once he took his position, he notably turned to the kind of unifying rhetoric his predecessors, whom he has shunned since taking office, in a rare presidential moment. "Our strength will be tested and our endurance will be tried, but America will answer with love and courage and ironclad resolve," the president told the nation. "This is the time for all Americans to come together and do our part. Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's decision to pardon the solider is not only deeply disappointing but also sends wrong signal to UN Sri Lanka refuses to be accountable to the world for the war crimes committed in the course of winning the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The decision of its president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to pardon the solider R.M. Sunil Ratnayake is not only deeply disappointing but also sends quite the wrong signal to the UN and the world that the island nation will not bow to international opinion on respecting the law against war crimes. The hand of the Rajapaksas, who returned to power last year, is behind this decision to exonerate the only soldier of five who had been sentenced to death for a war crime in the village of Mirusuvil in December 2000 where the Sri Lankan Army had killed Tamil civilians who had returned home to the Jaffna Peninsula to see the state of their village. The decision is seen to be linked to the parliamentary polls that were to be held on April 25, but which were postponed due to the global pandemic. How exceedingly political the brothers President Gotabaya and Prime Minister and former President Mahinda can be is signified in their chauvinistic support for Sinhalese soldiers and their disregard of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations that has been fighting for accountability in war crimes. The islands history was punctuated with extreme violence in the three decade war against the Tamil rebels of the equally brutal guerrilla force of the Velupillai Prabhkaran-led LTTE. His own death, as well as that of his elderly father and his minor son, are thought to have been engineered in possible war crimes generally attributed to the command of Lt General Shavendra Silva, who was the Army Commander at the time of the final battle. If the soldier had not been pardoned, he would simply have stayed in jail as the nation has suspended executions, making it clear that the Rajapaksas are using him to make a statement of political intent in this selective exoneration. Amid the mass transition to remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers are likely focused on operational issues in order to get their employees up and running in their new home offices. However, in addition to IT issues, experts say employers would be well advised to equip and train their staff to be vigilant against data breaches during this time, as periods of upheaval present a golden opportunity for cybercriminals looking for a way into a companys network. In most jurisdictions, a business is typically legally responsible for breaches caused by employees, contractors and service providers. Even if they screw up even if they did something they werent supposed to do by accident the employer is on the hook, says Brent Arnold, a partner with Gowlings WLG. Security experts warn that criminals can take advantage of the chaotic COVID-19 situation to trick people into downloading software that can be dangerous or disruptive. For instance, ransomware can block access to information systems until a fee is paid, potentially shutting down the organization. Other malware may steal customer information or employee passwords. Many organizations werent prepared to have so many employees suddenly work from home as part of government and corporate efforts to deal with the highly contagious COVID-19 coronavirus. Under employment law, Arnold says, an employer is usually liable for their workers unless theres actual fraud or the employee is doing something they're not supposed to be doing on purpose. Youll see situations where somebody also sues the employee, but its generally recognized that its the company thats ultimately liable for this. But Arnold says theres an important distinction between being at fault for something going wrong and being legally liable for the consequences of the mess that follows. The fact that a company gets breached doesnt mean they are liable, he says. Theyll be liable if they didnt take reasonable measures to stop that from happening. Arnold says most courts dont expect the precautions to be perfect because medium and small businesses cant afford to take all of the possible precautions. But he says organizations should be able to prove to a court or regulator that theyve taken at least the basic steps such as setting up security technology, procedures and training. Similarly, Arnold acknowledges that an organization may be under pressure to compensate employees affected by such as breach the loss of a computer, for instance, or leak of family information. If Im the employee, I suppose the position that I take is: you put me at risk by requiring me to do this on my own computer, on my own equipment, in my own home, using my own WiFi and you didnt give me adequate training to spot this sort of a thing. Its not likely that employees would sue, Arnold says, but its more possible if theres a written employment agreement. And, interestingly, its not the rank-and-file employees that we see getting caught by these (scams) all the time. Its often executives, people who are in a hurry ... Theyre the ones, often, who are more likely to click on an email that theyre not supposed to. Chandra Majumdar, who leads the national cyber threat management practice for EY Canada, says theres been exponential growth in phishing emails that tempt the reader to click on an attachment or web link that appears to be about COVID-19 or the coronavirus. What were noticing is that the majority of the attacks more than 90 per cent of the attacks that were seeing (try to) steal your credentials, your personal information, using well-known botnets. Proofpoint executive vice-president Ryan Kalember says there are two known criminal groups which he calls threat actors dubbed TA564 AND TA542, that have been targeting Canada with emails that may look like information updates from their executive teams. A Canadian example provided by Proofpoint shows a fairly clumsy attempt to make an email look as if its Update #49984 from the Public Health Agency of Canada a legitimate government organization although the senders email address doesnt belong to the government. Were not necessarily as attuned as we ought to be to social engineering attempts (like this), Kalember says. Everyone is looking for information and updates ... to be communicated from the executives of their own company. Majumdar says that many companies werent prepared for the extent of the COVID-19 crisis but advises organizations to stick with the technology they already know if possible. Its not a good idea to introduce critical changes at this point because people are not trained on this and this is how (organizations) open themselves up to being exploited by attackers, Majumdar says. As a lawyer, and leader of the Gowlings technology sub-group, Arnold says there may be ways for companies to protect themselves from fines and penalties by having good security practices in place for itself but still get caught up with a breach at a smaller suppliers with less preparation in place. Nevertheless, he says, both companies would be held accountable to privacy regulations and possibly litigation. The big company doesnt get out of it by allocating the risk to the small company, Arnold says. If Im a customer whos been affected by this, Im probably going to sue both of them. To the annoyance of some shareholders, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) shares are down a considerable 33% in the last month. Even longer term holders have taken a real hit with the stock declining 19% in the last year. 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. 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 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings How Does Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? We can tell from its P/E ratio of 15.02 that sentiment around Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings isn't particularly high. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (20.9) for companies in the healthcare industry is higher than Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings's P/E. NYSE:LH Price Estimation Relative to Market April 1st 2020 Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. 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 Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. 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 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings saw earnings per share decrease by 3.4% last year. But it has grown its earnings per share by 6.9% per year over the last five years. A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank One drawback of using a P/E ratio is that it considers market capitalization, but not the balance sheet. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. 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. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings's Balance Sheet Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings has net debt equal to 48% of its market cap. You'd want to be aware of this fact, but it doesn't bother us. The Bottom Line On Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings's P/E Ratio Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings has a P/E of 15.0. That's higher than the average in its market, which is 13.1. With some debt but no EPS growth last year, the market has high expectations of future profits. Given Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings's P/E ratio has declined from 22.3 to 15.0 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal opportunity. Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. People often underestimate remarkable growth -- so investors can make money when fast growth is not fully appreciated. 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 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings. 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. Free accommodation has been offered to London NHS workers by Claridges hotel to help staff unable to live at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The five-star hotel said it will open its doors to 40 doctors, nurses and other key staff based in London from Friday 3 April. Claridge's said it plans to put the guests in rooms that usually start from 650 a night. It will also provide dinner and breakfast. It comes just days after the hotel, based in Mayfair, shut its doors for the first time in its 200-year history. Announcing the move, Paddy McKillen, co-owner of the Maybourne Group, which runs the hotel, said: Just as it has in the past world wars, Claridges has a duty to step up and support the people of London. Teams from all our hotels have volunteered to help and support the dedicated NHS workers at this critical time. We are forever in their debt. Claridges staff were sent home following last weeks closure but started returning to the hotel on Wednesday to prepare for the influx of guests from St Marys Hospital in Paddington. Many NHS workers have been forced to find alternative accommodation during the pandemic because they live with relatives in high-risk groups. Meanwhile, other NHS staff have found themselves with nowhere to stay in the capital after being drafted in from other areas of the country. London is currently the epicentre of the UKs battle against Covid-19. There have been more than 500 deaths in the capital, with almost 4,000 people receiving hospital treatment for the illness, according to government figures released during Tuesday's daily press conference. While this weeks World Backup Day is typically celebrated most by hard-drive makers and data-storage services, its supposed to make people remember to back up their computers. But even if youre already backing up your digital files, do you have a backup plan for your one-of-a-kind documents and photos that you have only on paper like birth certificates, marriage licenses and military-discharge papers? Scanning copies of your personal papers creates a digital archive that can also be used as a backup, especially if you have the files password-protected and stored in a secure location. And even if you dont have a document scanner, you can create your personal archive with a smartphone, a few apps and a bit of time. Heres a guide to getting started. Step 1: Get Organized Gather all the documents you want to digitize. In addition to vital records, consider other papers youve saved over the years and might want to share, like old letters, certificates, diplomas, newspaper clippings, heirloom family photographs and other sentimental souvenirs tucked away in albums or boxes. (Keep in mind that while the electronic copies of some documents may not be suitable for official use, you can use them yourself for quick reference.) Image Digitizing documents is not an inherently exciting task, but it can go faster if you have your papers stacked and ready to scan. Credit... J.D. Biersdorfer Scanning a big pile of documents is repetitive, but it goes faster when you have the stack organized and are working in a clean, well-lit area. Spin up your favorite playlist or podcast while you scan, but avoid open beverages nearby that may spill on your papers. Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Amjad Basha has denied rumours that he attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in south Delhis Nizamuddin, which has emerged as a hotspot for coronavirus after cases all over the country were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. I went to Delhi on 2nd for a Muslim reservation issue but I didn't attend any religious meetings. This is baseless propaganda by Telugu Desam Party to trouble the government at this juncture, Basha told News18. Giving details of his itinerary, Basha said: I'm a deputy CM of the state and have a protocol to follow. Every activity of mine is recorded. I stayed at AP Bhavan in Delhi on March 3. The next day, I met Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and we had a little discussion over the case which is on the table of high court. I then returned to my constituency of Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. He added that he would act against those spreading fake news in a sensitive situation. Andhra Pradesh witnessed a spike in the coronavirus cases on Tuesday. Of the 44 cases registered in the state, 19 attended Delhis religious event. The state suspects over 700 more people had attended the event. "Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it" is an appropriate way to describe Joe Biden's candidacy for the Democrat nomination. From the beginning, the Democrat establishment, both inside and outside the media, tagged Joe as their guy. Sure, the Democrats flirted with Kamala, Cory, Elizabeth, Pete, Julian, and even Bernie, but at the end of the day, they returned to good old Joe. They were pretty sure they could keep the lid on stories about plagiarism, corruption, and sexual assault. What mattered was that Joe was a familiar face who had managed to maintain a good reputation over the decades, primarily because of his association with Barack Obama. Whatever else Joe was, he was "electable." What the Democrats hadn't banked on was the March of Time. While Joe was never the brightest bulb in the box, he was competent and could be counted upon to hold his own on television and in debates. Indeed, Democrats still get a smile when they remember him eating Paul Ryan alive during the vice presidential debate in 2012. Now, though, Joe Biden is a shadow of himself. With every passing day, his mental decline is becoming more apparent. His verbal missteps can no longer be blamed on fatigue, stuttering, or Joe's gaffe-o-matic history. Joe is a man showing all the signs of incipient dementia. To speak of dementia doesn't mean that Joe has full-blown Alzheimer's or some other serious cognitive disease. It just means that age has finally caught up with his brain. His handlers can give him lots rest and, for special occasions, prop him up with exciting drugs, but over the long haul, he's not capable of running a campaign, let alone being a president. The Democrats are now in a quandary. If Joe cannot complete the campaign, whom else do they have? Bernie Sanders would say, "Hey, guys! You've got me. After all, I'm second only to Joe in the number of delegates in the primaries, and I've got a fanatic following." The Democrats know, however, that Bernie's following won't matter in the national elections. There are enough sane Americans to keep from the White House an open socialist who insists on praising totalitarian dictators. So it is that the nation's Democrat eyes are turned to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is giving solid press conferences as his state deals with a COVID-19 crisis that rivals Italy's. Katrina vanden Heuvel, the heiress-turned-communist, gives voice to the Democrats' hopes for a Cuomo moment: Andrew M. Cuomo is having quite a moment. Using the bully pulpit that the first Gov. Roosevelt, Theodore, made famous, the current governor of the Empire State hopes to emerge as our era's equivalent to the second Gov. Roosevelt, Franklin. It's an astounding, complex transformation brought on by the coronavirus crucible, and the nation is transfixed. The pandemic is Cuomo's Great Depression. Unlike our juvenile president, Cuomo has been clear, compassionate and inspiring these past weeks. He has taken the words of Franklin Roosevelt to heart (and to Twitter): "The news is going to get worse and worse before it gets better and better, and the American people deserve to have it straight from the shoulder." [snip] Cuomo has captured the nation's attention. Millions of Democrats, and no doubt many independents, are asking why he is not the Democratic nominee for president. The answer lies in the contradictions that this remarkable politician has never been able to resolve. [snip] If Cuomo can find it within himself to embrace that fundamental belief, in word and deed, he will be the leader that the Democratic Party, and the nation, need. That's quite a love letter. The Democrat Party's serpentine rules even provide a way to get Cuomo on the ticket. Apparently, this would involve nominating Biden and then having him bow out, with the party elders replacing Joe with Cuomo. The problem is that this won't fly with women. After all, Joe promised them that a woman would be second on the ticket. (Funnily enough, no one seemed bothered either by the tokenism of that promise or by Biden's antiquated assumptions about sex.) Bernie, Pete, Elizabeth, Cory, Kamala, Amy, et al., might also have an objection to this approach. Additionally, putting Cuomo on the ticket would mean his abandoning New York in its hour of need and it's this hour of need that is the only thing that's giving Cuomo the shiny quality that's currently attracting desperate Democrats. Take away the virus, and you end up with a governor who wasn't very popular before the coronavirus and will eventually have to explain how he allowed his state to get so explosively out of control. Most importantly, though, it appears that Andrew Cuomo really, really, really does not want to run for president. In a bizarre and uncomfortable interview with his brother Chris, Cuomo had only one word when Chris repeatedly pressed him about running for president: no! Moreover, the governor played the good party soldier by heaping praise on Biden, even though he must know that Biden is sidelined, irrelevant, and senile: A wise man, and we can only hope that he sticks to this resolve. Trump would destroy Cuomo, who would be an underfunded, unvetted, and unprepared candidate. If you are still risking your health and of those around you this April Fools Day for a petty internet challenge, think again who the real fool is. Amidst the global Coronavirus pandemic, now more than ever, we need to stay indoors, swap pranks for compassion and learn a thing or two about how we can turn into #CoronaWarriors even form the confines of our homes. Joining hands with us this April, is Razorpay, avid pranksters who are breaking their April Fools Day tradition in 2020 to announce that there wont be any pranks this year. Yes, April Fools Day has been officially cancelled and to help us not be a fool, Razorpay is giving us a quick insight into what staying at home can do for us and others. Teaching us social distancing 101, Razorpay has created a simulator that tells us how our one step outside the house can put multiple people at the risk of getting infected by COVID-19. We tried the simulator to understand the magnitude of the spread and the numbers were shocking. Razorpay If I refuse to practice social distancing, I not only put myself at risk but also put others in the line of the infection to be precise one wrong move can put 82 at the risk of infection. Razorpay The results of the simulator are proof that social distancing is the need of the hour. So, lets take a collective pledge this April to #StayAtHome because now, #DistancingSavesLives. Apart from self-distancing, there is a lot you can do to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. And that includes sitting in the confines of your respective homes and offering monetary help to the real warriors of this virus the healthcare workers and medical professionals who are fighting this virus every day. Lets get together and ensure they have adequate masks and sanitation items. Razorpay is doing its bit by raising funds and donations. Besides focusing on individual contributions, it has also created a page for companies looking to donate. For every company that contributes, Razorpay will match those business contributions to ensure that the collected funds are procured in time. Razorpay aims to raise Rs 10 crore and reach 10 lakh Indians for this cause. The company pledges to add Rs 100 from its side to match every contribution made on their page. The funds will be used to distribute masks and sanitation items to all our medical warriors on the front line. Unsplash To help businesses from the Essentials and Donations category to improve their cash flow and manage operational expenses better, Razorpay has also launched Same Day Settlements as part of its COVID-19 relief initiative. Until the lockdown period, these businesses will receive funds in just a few hours instead of the usual 3-5 working days settlement period. To all those of you who said 2020 will be our year worry not, this year can still be the one if you simply stay at home. Just remember, #DistancingSavesLives! K ey international climate talks due to take place in the UK in November have been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Cop26 meeting was set to take place at Glasgow's Scottish Events Campus - which is being turned into a temporary Covid-19 field hospital - from November 9 to 20. But an announcement from the UN's climate body, the UNFCCC, and the UK Government said the summit would be pushed back to 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to postpone was taken by the UNFCCC with the UK and its Italian partners in hosting Cop26, with dates in 2021 set out after further discussion. Greta Thunberg arrives at the COP25 Climate Conference 1 /30 Greta Thunberg arrives at the COP25 Climate Conference Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is escorted by police on her arrived at Atocha train station in Madrid Getty Images REUTERS AP REUTERS AFP via Getty Images REUTERS REUTERS AP REUTERS REUTERS Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS AP AP AP Getty Images Announcing the postponement, Cop26 president-designate and UK Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said they had taken the decision due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The world is currently facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and fighting Covid-19", he said. That is why we have decided to reschedule Cop26. We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted in response to the Cop26 postponement that it was the right decision A disappointing decision, but absolutely the right one as we all focus on the fight against #coronavirus", she said. We look forward to welcoming the world to Glasgow in 2021 #COP26. Nicola Sturgeon called the decision 'disappointing but the right one' / POOL/AFP via Getty Images Responding to the COP26 postponement, Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB chief executive said he hoped the momentum behind the climate summit would remain. This pause is understandable in light of efforts to stop the pandemic we all now face", he said. But this should not mean pausing our vital efforts to respond to a climate crisis that is already threatening lives and pushing millions of people deeper into hunger and poverty. Oppo could be working on the next-generation smartphones under its Reno series. Since the number '4' is considered unlucky in China, the Chinese company is skipping it and working on the Reno 5 series if a new report is to be believed. The Reno 5 series will succeed over the Reno 3 smartphones that are available in various options. While the name of the new series is not confirmed yet, it is highly likely it will be Reno 5. The Reno 5 series will be launched a few months after the Reno 3 Pro was unveiled in India, which itself was originally launched in China last year with variations in its specifications. The information comes via Droidholic, which cites a 'very reliable source' on Weibo, the Reno 5 series will launch sometimes in May. It is not clear whether this will be an online launch, considering the on-ground activities have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is, however, certain that Oppo will go ahead with the launch despite the difficulties the industry is facing currently. Even though the logistics and supply of smartphones is restricted, smartphone companies are aggressively defying the uncertainties. Oppo Reno series is important since it bridges the gap between the mid-range and premium-range phones. Its Reno 3 series had been a hit so far. Apart from the information that Oppo might be looking at a May timeline for Reno 5 series launch, nothing else is known. The design, specifications, and price of the Reno 5 series phones are not available at this point and we might have to wait for more leaks and tips to arrive. In any case, it will be more advanced than the Reno 3 series in nearly all aspects, especially the cameras being the USP of Oppo phones. Similarly, the design is also important to the Reno series and we might see some new pattern on the upcoming phones. Reno 3 Pro, which was recently launched in India, gathered many praises, including ours, for its design. The Chinese company recently launched the Find X2 series in China, comprising the marquee Find X2 and a superior Find X2 Pro. The Find X2 Pro is the most ambitious to have come out of Oppo's kitty by far. It has received recognition from DisplayMate and YouTube for the 3K AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Oppo may now be looking to expand the series with two new handsets. According to reports, Oppo Find X2 Neo and Find X2 Lite are in the works but they technically will not bring anything new. Reportedly, the Find X2 Neo and Find X2 Lite are rebadged versions of Reno 3 Pro 5G and Reno 3 Youth, which are available in China. A Judiciary official of Kurdistan Province in Iran on Saturday said seven of the 70 inmates who had broken out of a prison in Saqqez on March 27 have been arrested and two more have surrendered. On Friday evening Iranian media reported that around 80 inmates who were serving terms for common crimes had broken out of the prison in Saqqez, presumably to avoid the coronavirus epidemic in prison conditions. Mohammad Jabbari, the Prosecutor of Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Province, said the sentences these prisoners were serving would be commuted and their escape would not bar them from being included in the pardon Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued on the occasion of the Iranian New Year. However, if they do not voluntarily go back, a prison term for their new crime will be added to their previous sentence, he said. According to official figures in July 2019 there were more than 189,000 inmates in Iranian prisons. The Iranian Judiciary says it has so far allowed 80,000 prisoners to go on furlough because of the coronavirus, but many of the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience have been excluded from the temporary release from prison. Video shows prisoners escaping the prison of Saqqez. Iran's human rights activists say all non-violent prisoners should be allowed to go on furlough. Iranian prisons are overcrowded and sanitary and healthcare facilities are not adequate even at ordinary times. In a letter addressed to Iran's Chief Justice Ebrahim Raeesi on March 26 Amnesty International said Iranian authorities must "immediately and unconditionally" release hundreds of prisoners of conscience amid grave concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Irans prisons. The Judiciary has not published a list of those who have benefited from Khamenei's pardon. On Thursday there were also reports of unrest and shooting in the prison of Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province. Prison authorities, however, denied the reports. Iran Human Rights Watch, however, has reported that prisoners first refused food in protest to not being allowed to go on furlough and then set their blankets on fire which the guards stopped by firing weapons. There have been reports of similar incidents in the prisons of Aligudarz and Fashafouyeh since the outbreak of coronavirus. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir, has called on the Ukrainian government not to cut the funding of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC). The relevant statement has been posted on the OSCE website on March 31. I call on the Ukrainian authorities to urgently explore and find effective solutions to preserve the budget of UA:PBC and the mission of the public service broadcaster, Desir said. He noted that in the current Covid-19 crisis, the public service broadcaster has an indispensable role to play in providing reliable information to the population, reporting on the pandemic and combating false information. This is not the time to risk the economic sustainability of public service media, concluded the Representative, he said. As reported, the National Public Broadcasting Company called on the Cabinet of Ministers not to cut its budget by UAH 480 million as foreseen in amendments to the state budget. In particular, the funding of the National Public Broadcasting Company was projected at UAH 1.712 billion in 2020. The reduction of the UA:PBC funding by almost UAH 480 million, as well the repayment by the broadcasting company of the state debt to Euronews in the amount of almost 350 million would cut the funding by UAH 830 million. iy Shimla, April 1 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said 17 people belonging to the state attended a religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and they were under 14 days of surveillance in Delhi. So far they have no symptoms of Covid-19, he said. Official sources told IANS that a majority of those attended the religious congregation belonged to Chamba district, located adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. Thakur said an Active Case Finding Campaign was launched across the state on Wednesday under which health workers would provide information regarding symptoms of coronavirus to the people at their doorsteps. Under this campaign, every ASHA (honorary volunteer) worker along with two people will do house-to-house survey of every individual and share the health information with the department through Google form. He said this campaign would be conducted daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the campaign, the suspected people would be investigated accordingly. The Chief Minister said 3,396 people have been kept under surveillance for coronavirus in the state, out of which 1,168 have completed 28 days of surveillance. He said investigations of 17 people were carried out on Tuesday and all samples had been found negative. According to him, 229 people have been investigated and 226 have been found negative. The state saw one death. Angelina Jolie has lent her support to the new BBC My World: Coronavirus content designed to educate young people about the pandemic. The Oscar-winning actress, 44, who is an executive producer on the programme, gave a statement on the new content which is set to be released on the BBC My World YouTube channel in the coming weeks. The new content will include vlogs and experiences from young people in lockdown around the world, tips and coping strategies for home education and young people's questions put to BBC experts, particularly on health. Good cause: Angelina Jolie has lent her support to the new BBC My World: Coronavirus content designed to educate young people about the pandemic The Maleficent star said: 'Children have not been out of school on this scale since the Second World War. 'This is something that throughout their lifetimes, they will remember. It is something that older generations, for all their other reference points, have not experienced. 'The way children go through this time - from the tools and information they can access to the ways they can communicate to and help each other - will be unique to their generation. 'We want to help kids to have access to trusted content and tools that will be useful to them during the pandemic: including helping them to seek out fact-based and reliable news, question the information they receive, and learn from each other's experiences.' Support: The Oscar-winning actress, 44, who is an executive producer on the programme, gave a statement on the new content which is set to be released on the BBC My World YouTube channel in the coming weeks The new content will also be distributed across the BBC's global platforms including 42 language services. BBC My World is a global show for young audiences produced by the BBC World Service which launched in January 2020. The Maleficent star said: 'Children have not been out of school on this scale since the Second World War. 'This is something that throughout their lifetimes, they will remember' It provide facts and information for young people to make up their own minds about international issues and is presented by Radzi Chinyanganya and Nomia Iqbal. This follows on from a coronavirus special episode which aired at the weekend. BBC World Service Group director Jamie Angus said: 'This is an unprecedented situation; so many school age children and young people are now out of schools, but the need has never been greater for them to have access to trusted and accessible information about coronavirus, and for educators to use that content in remote learning. 'The BBC World Service will bring its ability to report the truly global scale of this challenge, into creating meaningful and relevant content for our young audiences. 'We will be reaching out to young people from across the globe, hearing about their experiences, and sharing the information they need to live healthy and productive lives during this difficult time. 'Continuing production of this successful programme feels like the right thing to do in the circumstances.' Stepping up: Angelina recently did her bit to feed underprivileged whose access to school lunches was cut off by school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic - by donating $1m to charity No Kid Hungry The BBC will also be sharing this content with UNESCO'S Global Education Coalition, a new website providing remote educational content to kids in lockdown around the world. Angelina recently did her bit to feed underprivileged children whose access to school lunches was cut off by school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic. She has given $1 million to the charity No Kid Hungry, which says it has so far spread $2 million across 30 states to feed low-income children and their families. 'As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,' said Angelina in a statement for No Kid Hungry. 'Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support.' Angelina, who is famous for her philanthropy, added: 'Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible.' She has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay published Wednesday promoting UNESCO's new Global Education Coalition, which seeks to facilitate remote education as schools close around the world. In 2006 the film star and her ex-husband Brad Pitt started their own charity named after their eldest son Maddox, 18, and focused on his native Cambodia. This organization keeps 10 schools up and running in Cambodia, and Angelina separately funds girls' schools in Afghanistan and Kenya, People reports. She has jetted around the world in service of various causes and in 2012 got special envoy status from the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees. Angelina is not the only celebrity to throw her support behind No Kid Hungry as Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams started a fundraiser for them last week. UK, Spain, see highest daily deaths as Irans total toll passes 3,000 in whats seen as worst crisis since WWII. The coronavirus death toll in the UK rose by 563 in 24 hours, according to the health ministy, a record jump that brought the number of patients who died in hospital to 2,352. The announcement on Wednesday came as Spain recorded its highest daily death toll another 864 people while infections jumped to 102,136, up from 94,417. In the United States, the death toll has exceeded 4,000 and the number of confirmed cases surpassed 200,000. Meanwhile, Irans death toll exceeded 3,000 with 138 new fatalities as the the United Nations chief warned the pandemic is the worst crisis to face the world since World War II. Globally, more than 44,000 people have died, about 900,000 have been diagnosed with the virus, and some 190,000 have recovered, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. Here are the latest updates: Wednesday, April 1 20:58 GMT UK Prime Minister: Sad, sad day Prime Minister Boris Johnson lamented the latest coronavirus data that showed a record increase of deaths in Britain, saying it was a sad, sad day as fatalities rose by 563. Lets be in no doubt this has been a sad, sad day, Johnson said in a video message posted on Twitter. But lets be in no doubt that if we can follow the programme that we are currently set upon, if we can comply with the measures that weve embarked on together, then I have absolutely no doubt that we will begin to start to push those numbers down. Here's an update to bring you up to speed on some of the things that we are doing to protect our NHS. We will beat coronavirus together by staying at home, protecting our NHS and saving lives. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/FOYfvzlQPC Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 1, 2020 20:52 GMT Climate summit postponed A climate summit that had been due to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak, Finland said. Glasgows COP26 climate conference will move from November to next year due to the global coronavirus situation, said a statement from Finlands environment ministry, which quoted UN climate officials. 20:21 GMT Eritrea announces 21-day lockdown to fight coronavirus Eritrea has ordered citizens to remain in their homes for three weeks, starting from Thursday. Officials in the country have reported 18 cases of COVID-19 so far, including one person who contracted the disease in Eritrea without any history of foreign travel, a statement by a national COVID-19 taskforce said. Since announcing its first case on March 21, the government has already banned commercial flights, closed schools and halted public transport. But these steps have been vexingly inadequate, the taskforce said, urging much more stringent measures. 20:18 GMT Sierra Leone declares three-day lockdown Sierra Leones government has announced a three-day lockdown, which will come into effect on Sunday. The announcement came after health authorities announced a second coronavirus case, in a doctor working in a hospital in the capital, Freetown. Health workers will be provided with face masks, said Defence Minister Kellie Conteh, the coronavirus coordinator, who added that citizens should strive to wear masks too. 20:11 GMT US surpasses 200,000 cases The US exceeded 200,000 novel coronavirus cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The pandemic has claimed the lives of at least 4,361 people in the country, which leads the world in the number of confirmed infections with 203,608. Read more here. 19:45 GMT Turkish lira at crisis levels Turkeys lira slid one percent to levels last touched during the worst of the 2018 currency crisis as the coronavirus pandemic began weighing on manufacturing and trade. Read more here. We go through the measures some countries in the Middle East and North Africa are taking to prevent the spread of #coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/EdJjdAWf1o Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 1, 2020 19:43 GMT Qatar reports 54 new cases The State of Qatar reported 54 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf country to 835. Latest update on Coronavirus in Qatar#__ #YourSafetyIsMySafety pic.twitter.com/8akLzyxywo (@MOPHQatar) April 1, 2020 19:27 GMT Duterte warns against violating lockdown Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned he would order the countrys police and military to shoot dead anyone who creates trouble during a month-long lockdown of the island of Luzon enforced to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Read more here. 19:11 GMT France reports new deaths France has reported 509 more deaths from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 4,032. 18:44 GMT WHOs Tedros deeply concerned Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of the coronavirus infection. There has been a near exponential growth in the number of number of new cases, he said, adding that in the next few days the global number of infections will reach one million and 50,000 deaths. 18:02 GMT Turkey reports new deaths, cases Turkeys health minister reported 63 new deaths because of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 277. The health official said that there are 2,148 new cases of the virus, adding that the disease has reached to each of the countrys 81 provinces. A woman wearing a protective face mask waits for a train as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Istanbul, Turkey [Umit Bektas/Reuters] 17:45 GMT Kenyan president apologises for police violence Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta has apologised for violence by the police following the enforcement of a nationwide curfew last week. The police have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics to enforce the dusk-to-dawn curfew. Read more here. 17:42 GMT Albania extends lockdown until end of outbreak Albanian schools, cafes, restaurants and other public venues will remain shut and restrictions on social and economic activity will stay in place till the end of the coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu said. The order effectively extends a lockdown, in force since mid-March, that had been due to end on April 3. The Health Ministry reported 16 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total in the small Balkan nation of 2.8 million people to 259. 17:34 GMT Putin grants government emergency powers Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation to allow the government to declare a state of national emergency in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus. Only the president can declare a state of emergency after he has formally received the support of the upper house of parliament, but lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation granting the cabinet of ministers the same emergency powers. Specialists wearing protective gear cross the road while they sanitize public facilities to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Stavropol, Russia [Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters] 17:17 GMT Italy reports new cases, fatalities The death toll from the coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 727 to 13,155, the Civil Protection Agency said, a significantly smaller increase than seen on Tuesday and the lowest daily tally since March 26. However, the number of new cases rose more sharply than a day earlier, growing by 4,782 against a previous 4,053, bringing total infections since the outbreak came to light on February 21 to 110,574. A health worker wearing a protective gear swabs the mouth of a woman as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Rome, Italy [Yara Nardi/Reuters] 17:13 GMT Brazil reports first indigenous coronavirus case An indigenous woman in a village deep in the Amazon rainforest has contracted the coronavirus, the first case reported among Brazils more than 300 tribes, the Health Ministrys indigenous health service Sesai said. The 19-year-old woman from the Kokama tribe tested positive for the virus in the district of Santo Antonio do Ica, located near the border with Colombia some 880 km (550 miles) up the Amazon river from the state capital Manaus. Unfortunately, we have an indigenous person with the virus, said a Sesait spokeswoman by telephone. 17:08 GMT Lebanese currency weakens further amid lockdown The Lebanese pound is now worth 47 percent less on parallel markets than it is on the official exchange rate. Read more here. Islamic health unit personnel wearing protective gear stand near ambulances as part of preparation to help tackling the coronavirus outbreak in Beiruts southern suburbs [Aziz Taher/Reuters] 16:54 GMT Palestinian man freed from Israeli jail tests positive A Palestinian man tested positive for coronavirus one day after being released from an Israeli prison, state-run Wafa news agency reported. Nour Eddin Sarsour, 19, had spent two weeks in custody at a military detention facility near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Wafa said. 16:29 GMT US postpones immigration asylum hearings again The US government said it had postponed for a second time hearings for asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it and the Justice Department had decided to postpone Migrant Protection Protocol hearings through May 1. They had previously announced a postponement through April 22. 16:21 GMT Wimbledon tennis championship cancelled in 2020 The Wimbledon Championships scheduled to take place from June 29-July 12 have been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said. It is with great regret that the main board of the All England Club and the committee of management of the championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic, the AELTC said in a statement. The 134th Championships will instead be staged from June 28 to July 11, 2021. It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.https://t.co/c0QV2ymGAt Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 1, 2020 16:10 GMT Swedish airline BRA cancels all flights Swedish airline BRA said it was pausing all traffic between April 6 and May 31 as demand had ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. With the governments and the Public Health Authoritys strong call for the Swedish population not to travel within the country, we have no customers left that fly with us and we therefore need to further adapt our traffic to the new conditions, it said. 16:06 GMT Second prisoner dies at Louisianas Oakdale prison A second inmate at the federal prison in Oakdale, Louisiana has died from COVID-19, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Reuters News Agency. 15:59 GMT Serbian government official dies from coronavirus A Serbian government official, Branislav Blazic, was among the five people who died of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the national coronavirus crisis task force confirmed. Blazic, a state secretary in the Environment Protection ministry and a prominent member of President Aleksandar Vucics conservative Progressive Party SNS, had contracted the virus during a visit to his hometown Kikinda, one of the epidemic hotspots. Serbian military and volunteers set up beds inside the Novi Sad Fair to accommodate people who suffer mild symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Novi Sad, Serbia [Marko Djurica/Reuters] 15:41 GMT Germany extends virus restrictions until April 19 Germany will extend its current restrictions on public life to limit the spread of the coronavirus by two weeks until April 19, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. We assessed the situation today and confirmed that the restrictions will be valid up to and including April 19. We will reassess the situation on the Tuesday after Easter, Merkel said in a telephone conference following a video meeting with regional state premiers. A medical staffer wearing a protective mask and clothing cleans at the intensive care unit at the St. Josef Hospital in Bochum, Germany [Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images] 15:30 GMT Five podcasts to take your mind off coronavirus From the end of Ebola in the DRC to a family suing Khalifa Haftar in the US here are five podcast episodes to listen to while under lockdown. 15:23 GMT War-torn Libya reports new cases Officials in Libya reported two new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections in the war-torn country to 10. The testing of 11 samples found two positive for COVID-19, the National Anti-Disease Center said on Facebook. The UN has urged a suspension of hostilities in Libya to help efforts to stem the coronavirus outbreak. A volunteer sprays disinfectant to sanitise rooms of a clinic testing for coronavirus in Misrata, Libya [Ayman Al-Sahili/Reuters] 15:18 GMT Soccer-UEFA suspends Champions League UEFA has suspended all Champions League and Europa League matches until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic, European footballs governing body said. All national team games scheduled for June have also been postponed, including play-off matches for Euro 2020, which has been moved to 2021. Read more here about sporting events affected by the pandemic. 15:14 GMT World risks food crisis, officials warn The world risks facing a food shortage if authorities fail to manage the continuing coronavirus outbreak properly, the heads of three global agencies WTO, WHO, and the UN have warned. In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, specially to avoid food shortages from developing, they said in a statement. Read more here. Almost-empty shelves where pasta would normally be stocked are pictured inside a supermarket store in north London [Isabel Infantes/AFP] 15:10 GMT Singapore reports 74 new cases Singapore reported 74 new coronavirus cases in its biggest intraday jump, bringing the total tally to 1,000. Twenty of the new cases were imported while 54 were locally transmitted, the health ministry said in a statement. Ten of the locally transmitted cases are linked to a previous case in an old peoples home. Five more cases were discharged on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recoveries in the city-state to 245, the health ministry said. 15:00 GMT Americas FDA says malaria drugs in shortage The US Food and Drug Administration said malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and related chloroquine are in shortage due to a surge in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic. The drugs, which have been tried with some success to treat the disease caused by the virus, were added to the agencys website that lists drug shortages on Tuesday. 14:57 GMT Switzerland past bottleneck in coronavirus testing Switzerland no longer faces shortages in coronavirus testing, its top health official dealing with the pandemic said. There are no bottlenecks any more, Daniel Koch, head of the Federal Office of Healths communicable diseases division, told a news conference in Bern. We did 16,000 tests since yesterday. 14:54 GMT Tracking Africas coronavirus cases More than 200 people have died from COVID-19 including former heads of state since first case was confirmed in February. Of Africas 54 countries, only five have yet to report a case of the virus. Read more here. 14:39 GMT Portugal PM says restrictions could last months Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that the country may be facing one, two, three months of restrictions on movement of people, as the number those who have died from the virus nears 200. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to decide later on Wednesday whether to extend a state of emergency, declared on March 18, which restricted non-essential travel and led thousands of businesses to close their doors. We dont know whether this will last one, two, or three months and this is obviously scary for everyone, Costa told SIC television channel. With Easter weekend approaching, he reminded the Portuguese that families cannot go home to visit their families. .. this year, we must tell emigrants not to come and if they do, not to leave their homes. 14:19 GMT UK death toll rises by 563 The number of people with coronavirus who have died in hospital in the United Kingdom rose by 563 to a total 2,352, the government said. It added there were 29,474 confirmed cases of the virus, up from 25,150 on Tuesday. UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK: As of 9am 1 April, a total of 152,979 people have been tested of which 29,474 tested positive. As of 5pm on 31 March, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 2,352 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/IUqkO6W3Dx Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 1, 2020 Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Umut Uras. 12:55 GMT Erdogan: Turkey may need more measures if voluntary quarantine is ignored Turkey will have to take additional measures if the coronavirus outbreak widens and citizens do not abide by a voluntary quarantine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan has stopped short of announcing a full lockdown across Turkey, mainly for economic reasons. He reiterated that Ankara was determined to continue production and exports. 12:39 GMT Qatar says it will pay worker salaries in full Qatar has announced that workers under quarantine and treatment in the country will receive full salaries without deductions. In a press conference on Tuesday, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) also said it was mandatory for employers and companies to follow the necessary government policy, adding that a hotline service has been launched to receive workers grievances. 12:32 GMT New digital show: The Beginning of the Pandemic When COVID-19 first broke in China, it was hard to imagine what would follow. Our correspondent Scott Heidler was there and he shares what it was like to cover the beginning of a pandemic that now spread throughout the world. You can watch our new digital show here. 12:00 GMT Turkey sends supplies to Spain and Italy Turkish officials said that health supplies for Spain and Italy departed from Etimesgut airport in the captial Ankara. Domestically produced protective masks, face gears, eye gears, overalls and anti-bacterial fluids were transported by an A400 military aircraft in the morning, they told Al Jazeera. The supplies include protective masks and face gears, according to authorities [Handout/Turkish authorities] 11:10 Putin holds meeting by video-conference in coronavirus fears Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a government meeting by video conference, the Kremlin said, a day after a doctor who met Putin last week said he had been diagnosed with the virus. Denis Protsenko last week gave Putin a tour of Moscows main coronavirus hospital and shook hands with the Russian leader. Protsenko is now self-isolating in his office. The Kremlin, which has said everything is fine with Putins health, said he was keeping his distance from other people and preferred to work remotely. Denis Protsenko gave Putin a tour of Moscows main coronavirus hospital and shook hands with the Russian leader [AP] 10:50 GMT New Zealand police urge virus-testing tent thieves to get tested Hapless thieves who stole a coronavirus testing tent in New Zealand have put themselves at risk of contracting the virus and should get tested, police warned. The tent was stolen from outside an Auckland hospital where it had been set up to test Kiwis for COVID-19, police said in a video posted on Facebook. East Health Trust chief Loretta Hansen said staff discovered the tent was missing when they arrived early Tuesday morning to begin a day of testing. Some fool, idiot, come and stole our tent our COVID-19 testing tent, she said. They chopped it off at the ground level. It was bolted in by concrete, and they just chopped it off. 10:30 GMT Former Somali PM dies after contracting coronavirus Somalias former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein has died in a London hospital after contracting coronavirus, his family told BBCs Somali service. He was 83 and held office between November 2007 and February 2009. Nur Hassan Hussein held office between November 2007 and February 2009 [Antony Njuguna/Reuters] 10:15 GMT US death toll exceeds 4,000 The total US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 4,000, more than double the number from three days earlier, according to a tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 4,076, more than twice the 2,010 recorded late on Saturday, while Chinas death toll stood at 3,310. More than 40 percent of recorded deaths nationally were in New York state, the Johns Hopkins data showed. The number of confirmed US cases has reached 189,510, the most in the world, though Italy and Spain have recorded more fatalities. 09:58 GMT Spain reports more than 100,000 coronavirus cases The number of cases of coronavirus in Spain surpassed 100,000, while the number of fatalities reported overnight reached a new record at 864. The number of cases rose to 102,136 up from 94,417 on Tuesday, the health ministry said. Overall fatalities caused by the disease rose to 9,053 from 8,189 the previous day. The daily death toll was the nations highest yet at 864, though the increase was lower in percentage terms than previous days. 09:56 Irans coronavirus death toll rises to 3,036: official Irans death toll from the new coronavirus reached 3,036, with 138 deaths in the past 24 hours, health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding the country had 47,593 infections. We had 2,987 new cases of infected people in the past 24 hours and 15,473 people have recovered from the disease, Jahanpur said. 09:20 GMT White House projects up to 240,000 deaths in US The White House has projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. The projections were presented during a White House briefing on Tuesday. They suggest if no social distancing measures had been put in place across the country, between 1.5 million to 2.2 million people would have died. Read more here. 09:05 GMT Indonesia confirms 149 new coronavirus infections Indonesia confirmed 149 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 1,677, a health ministry official said. Achmad Yurianto reported 21 new deaths from the virus, taking the total to 157, while 103 had recovered. 08:56 GMT Philippines reports 227 new coronavirus cases, eight more deaths The Philippines recorded 227 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths, the health ministry said. The latest figures brought the total number of infections and deaths in the country to 2,311 and 96, respectively. 08:42 GMT British boy, 13, dies of coronavirus without any family close by Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, a 13-year-old boy from London who tested positive for COVID-19, has died. He is believed to be the United Kingdoms youngest coronavirus victim. Ismail was only 13 years old without any pre-existing health conditions and sadly he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of Covid 19, the family said in a statement on Tuesday. Read more here. Approximately 1,800 people have died after testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK [EPA] 07:31 GMT Tokyos Nikkei drops more than 4 percent on growing virus concern Tokyos benchmark Nikkei index dropped more than 4 percent amid a broader market rout, with fears growing of a possible lockdown in the capital. Market sentiment in Tokyo also suffered from a key survey showing confidence among Japans biggest manufacturers plunging into negative territory for the first time in seven years, as the coronavirus pandemic hits demand and disrupts production. The market faced additional selling pressure in late trade after US stock index futures dropped while investors remained nervous about a possible Tokyo lockdown, brokers said. Nikkei has been suffering from growing fears of a possible lockdown in the capital [AFP] 07:15 GMT Survivors of coronavirus share their experiences As COVID-19 spreads around the world, infected and recovered patients are sharing their experiences on social media. One pieve of advice most of them agree on is that the virus and illness it causes should not be taken lightly. Dont think this wont touch you, one survivor says. "Don't think this won't touch you." Survivors of #coronavirus share their experiences. pic.twitter.com/Hc8BYRzPZX Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 1, 2020 06:50 GMT Russian plane takes off for US with help on board: State television A Russian military transport plane is headed for the US with medical equipment and masks to help Washington fight coronavirus, Russian state television reported. President Vladimir Putin offered Russian help in a phone conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday, in which the two leaders discussed how best to respond to the virus. The flight, organised by the Russian defence ministry, is likely to be unpopular with some critics of Trump who have urged him to keep his distance from Putin and argue that Moscow uses such aid as a geopolitical and propaganda tool to advance its influence, something the Kremlin denies. Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency. 06:34 GMT UK aims to test 25,000 a day for coronavirus by mid-April: Minister Britain is aiming to increase the number of tests for coronavirus to 25,000 a day by the middle of the month from its present capacity of 12,750 a day, housing minister Robert Jenrick told national Sky News. The UK has so far reported more than 25,000 cases and over 1,800 deaths because of coronavirus. Minister Jenrick says the UKs test capacity for coronavirus currently stands at 12,750 a day [AP] 06:11 GMT Russian manufacturing activity shrinks in March: Survey Russian manufacturing activity shrank in March for the 11th straight month and at its sharpest pace since November as the coronavirus outbreak and falling client demand affected production, a survey of businesses showed. The Markit Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for factory activity fell to 47.5 in March from 48.2 in February, remaining below the 50.0 mark dividing expansion from contraction. With uncertainty clouding the global economic outlook, business confidence fell to its lowest since the measure of future output was first included in the survey eight years ago. 05:30 GMT Brief summary of the mornings developments I will shortly be handing over the live blog to my colleagues in Doha. Here is a brief summary of this mornings developments: Nearly 860,000 people around the world have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus; the number of cases in the US exceeds that in any other country. China is due to release data showing the number of asymptomatic cases data not previously released publicly. Japan appears to be edging closer towards the kind of strict movement controls seen elsewhere in the world. Taiwan is donating 10 million masks and other medical equipment to countries hit hard by the virus. 05:15 GMT Internet restored in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh Reports are coming in that the internet has been restored to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, amid concerns that an earlier blackout was preventing people from getting crucial information. Those living in Myanmars Rakhine state, where conflict continues, still have no access to the internet. #Bangladesh has restored internet in the Rohingya camps. Many said the blackout was contributing to rumors & panic about Covid-19. Across the border in #Myanmar's Rakhine state, 100,000s remain under an internet blackout even as a civil war rages in place since last summer. https://t.co/jztjZc49S8 Poppy McPherson (@poppymcp) April 1, 2020 05:00 GMT No deliveries: Japan Post suspends service to more than 150 countries Japan Post will stop delivering letters and parcels to more than 150 countries from Thursday as flights are cancelled because of the coronavirus. Mail will continue to the US, France, Australia and Hong Kong among a handful of places. Other national postal services in Asia, including Hong Kong and Malaysia, have also reduced services because of the lack of flights. 04:55 GMT South Korea reports 101 new cases, most linked to overseas arrivals South Korea has confirmed 101 new cases of coronavirus, most of them in and around Seoul, the capital. Many are linked to people arriving from overseas, and the country on Wednesday began to enforce mandatory quarantine on all those coming from abroad, including South Korean students. Those who break the rules risk a fine of as much as $8,200 or jail, while foreigners can be expelled. The Korea Centers for Disease Control says the country has recorded 9,887 cases so far with more than 5,560 people recovered. The death toll stands at 165 people. 04:35 GMT Cluster of infections among medics at hospital in northern Mexico Some 29 doctors and nurses at a hospital in northern Mexico have been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a report from Reuters, citing the regional health department. The outbreak at the government-owned IMSS General Hospital in Monclova in the northern border state of Coahuila is thought to have started when a doctor picked up the virus from a patient at his private practice. 04:30 GMT Germany reports 5,453 additional cases Germanys Robert Koch Institute says the country confirmed an additional 5,453 cases of coronavirus with a further 149 deaths. The country now has recorded a total of 67,366 cases, approximately 16,100 people recovered, and 732 deaths. 04:20 GMT Taiwan to donate 10 million masks to countries most in need, share expertise Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen says the country will donate masks and other vital medical supplies to its allies and countries hardest-hit by the coronavirus, and collaborate on developing treatments and vaccines. The masks will go to the US, the hardest-hit European countries and Taiwans formal diplomatic allies, according to Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is helping, she said. Tsai also said Taiwan is spending the equivalent of $35bn on measures to support its export-led economy through the crisis. 04:00 GMT Japan to do whatever is needed to control coronavirus Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the government would do whatever is needed to control the coronavirus, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepared to chair a meeting of his coronavirus task force on Wednesday evening. Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers a question in Parliament in Tokyo [Kyodo via Reuters] Japan has reported some 2,200 cases and 66 deaths. New infections in Tokyo rose to a daily record of 78 on Tuesday, for a total of more than 500. Schools have been closed since March 2 and expectations are growing the shutdown will be extended. 03:45 GMT Reporters Without Borders tracking impact of virus on journalism Reporters without Borders (RSF) has launched its Tracker 19 tool to document state censorship, deliberate disinformation and their effect on peoples right to reliable news and information during a global pandemic. Among its most recent entries are Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaros attacks on the media, restrictions on the right to inform in Thailand and Turkmenistans decision to ban the word coronavirus. 03:35 GMT Malaysia tightens lockdown in second phase Malaysia is tightening its lockdown, as the so-called Movement Control Order that was originally to have come to an end on March 31 enters its second phase. The Home Ministry says that, for the next two weeks, public transport will operate only during limited hours in the morning and evening, while private vehicles (including e-hailing services) will be banned from the roads between 10pm (14:00 GMT) and 6am (22:00 GMT). Malaysia has deployed the military to help enforce a nationwide stay-at-home order lasting till April 14 [Fazry Ismail/EPA] 02:40 GMT Taiwan asks people to wear masks when using public transport Everyone using public transport in Taiwan will need to wear masks from today, while people with fevers will not be allowed into stations or airports. Taiwan starts asking all citizens to wear masks when they take public transportation today, as the country remains on high alert about the #COVID19 outbreak. Those who are feverish will not be allowed to go to trains stations or airports. https://t.co/qORmvOqoDU William Yang (@WilliamYang120) April 1, 2020 Taiwan has been widely praised for its efforts to curb the virus spread on the island. Al Jazeeras Erin Hale wrote earlier on Taiwans approach as well as the difficulties it faces because of its exclusion from the WHO. 02:20 GMT US medical stockpile nearly out of protective gear The US governments emergency stockpile of medical equipment has nearly run out of protective gear. Masks, respirators, gloves, gowns and face shields are all in short supply, two officials at the Department of Homeland Security told Reuters. 02:15 GMT China data delayed; asymptomatic cases to be reported Chinas National Health Commission has yet to release its daily update on coronavirus cases, with asymptomatic cases expected to be added to the tally. We will bring you the numbers once theyre announced. People queue to enter a supermarket in Wuhan as life slowly returns to normal [Aly Song/Reuters] 02:00 GMT Two overseas mission staff die in US State Depts first coronavirus deaths Two locally-employed staff at US foreign missions one in Indonesia and one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have died of the coronavirus, the State Department said on Tuesday, its first pandemic-related losses among staff. 01:35 GMT Hong Kong says pet cat tests positive for coronavirus Hong Kongs Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has revealed that a cat has tested positive for the coronavirus the third pet to do so in the territory. The short-haired cat was sent for quarantine when its owner tested positive for COVID-19. The animal does not have any symptoms, the department said in a statement on Tuesday. Earlier two dogs tested weak positive or positive during repeated tests for the virus. Hong Kong is urging that pet cats, dogs and other mammals should be quarantined if anyone in the household is confirmed with COVID-19. 00:30 GMT Trumps Coronavirus Guidelines for America US President Trump has just shared on Twitter his Coronavirus Guidelines for America after warning the country faced a very painful two weeks as it confronts the virus. The recommendations advise the elderly and those with underlying health conditions to stay at home and urge those feeling sick to stay at home and seek medical attention. 20:50 GMT Tuesday UN chief: COVID-19 worst crisis since WWII UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the coronavirus pandemic is the most serious crisis facing the world since World War II, threatening people in every country and carrying the risk of enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict. The UN chief was speaking at the launch of a report on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19. Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Read all the updates from yesterday (March 31) here. On Miller Creek Road on the financed-out farm of my fine former friend, Dan Maloney, my far-flung freedom has fearfully faltered. Theres seriously sizable subdivisions and on the summit of the South Hills at a site sanctified with the sobriquet The Airplane Hill, where Stockman Maloney, an affable elder, allowed aficionados of the model airplane club access for archetypical, alluring aviation, its rife with revolting recent residence. It hurts my heart, perceiving progress defiling our domain. Kindred spirits are many on the matter of the maniacal march of the we justs crowds consuming country corner, candidly commenting, We just love it out here. Hordes of humans hypothesize that needless land development, for the lack of a better term, as a core component of the Christian crusade, is the cause. This is that the earths bounty belongs to us, belittling the bylaw that were a bit of the biosphere, as some faiths feel. As a comrade in Christ, I conclude that a correct Christian couldnt concede to corruption of the creators construction. An authentic anchorite would avoid such annoying affectation, with admirable altruism. What would manifold members of the masses of mankind make of it? Mail your matured maunderings and mouth a Hail Mary! Lee Onishuk, Missoula You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 LOEWEN (dpa-AFX) - Australia's competition regulator said that it will not oppose Asahi Group Holdings Ltd's proposed acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries from Anheuser-Busch InBev. Because, Asahi agreed to divest two of its beer brands and three of its cider brands. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that the brands to be sold are the Strongbow, Bonamy's and Little Green cider brands and the Stella Artois and Beck's beer brands. The future buyer or buyers of the assets will need to be approved by the ACCC. 'The ACCC was concerned that without the divestments, the proposed acquisition would substantially lessen competition in the cider market and remove a vigorous and effective competitor in the beer market,' ACCC Chair Rod Sims said. In December 2019, the regulator raised concerns over Asahi's proposed $11 billion acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries from Anheuser-Busch InBev. 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. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With Staten Island Ferry service slashed due to declining ridership and lack of staffing during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the boroughs top elected official is calling on the city to enhance the remaining service, but ferry officials say they are doing the very best we can. On Tuesday, Borough President James Oddo, joined by other members of the Staten Island delegation, participated in a conference call with Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Polly Trottenberg to address a number of issues that have arisen since hourly service was enacted earlier this week. Youre looking at 90% drop in ridership, but youre also getting upward of 50 people out sick a day. The service [reduction] is as much about what theyre able to put on line [as it is about ridership], said Oddo. They were concerned at some point that they werent going to be able to do hourly service. Commissioner Trottenberg was quick to point out that theyre not entirely in control of the situation because its predicated on staffing, the borough president added. Trottenberg later told the Advance that dwindling ridership coupled with six Staten Island Ferry workers testing positive for the virus and upward of 35% of staff calling out on a given day, made it necessary for the department to reduce service. It was not an easy decision for us to make, but we decided to reduce the frequency of the boats to hourly in hopes that, number one, we can provide our workforce an opportunity to recharge, and it gives us more opportunity to clean and sanitize and rotate the boats and we think will very much enable us to meet the current ridership, which continues to go down, Trottenberg said. Weve been working very closely with the union leadership for our ferry crews and theyve been really good partners in helping us think through the operational side of the house and what we do with the workforce, she continued. Since service has shifted to hourly, there has been some concern among commuters that the remaining boats are more densely crowded, making it difficult to practice social distancing, particularly during the boarding and unboarding process. Workers at the Staten Island Ferry have also expressed some concerns regarding their own health and safety, with Oddo saying that the department is scrambling to get PPEs (personal protective equipment) for staff. To help alleviate these issues, the borough president has asked the DOT to consider the following measures. EXTRA BOAT DURING RUSH HOUR While understanding that service reductions were necessary given the declining ridership and lack of staffing, Oddo asked that an extra boat be put in service during morning and evening rush hour. We asked specifically, understanding all of this, is there an ability just to add one additional boat during that a.m. rush and that p.m. rush. Captain DeSimone indicated that they would consider that and look at that, he said, referring to Capt. Jim DeSimone, chief operations officer of the Staten Island Ferry, Currently, two boats are in service at a time. After a boat does two trips, it is taken out of service for cleaning and replaced by another vessel. Between the limited crew and the need to regularly disinfect the boats, DeSimone told the Advance it would be incredibly difficult to run any additional service at this time. We could never promise it. We are patching the boats with crewing as its available. We also have to clean the boats and we want to do a very good job in cleaning them, he explained. When we look at that [low ridership], and then we look at our crewing needs and the things were going through, its very, very difficult to contemplate going into half hour service, he continued. Were doing the very best we can." Trottenberg reiterated DeSimones sentiment, noting that while the DOT will look for ways to add service, it appears unlikely the department will be able to at this time. We told the borough president that wed keep it in mind, but I think what youre hearing is that... we tried to pick a service level that we thought we could maintain, Trottenberg added. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** CREATIVE BOARDING PROCESS The borough presidents second request is for the city to figure out a way to tweak the boarding process in a way that encourages social distancing. The biggest challenge in terms of social distancing is the boarding process and, frankly, were not particularly thrilled that there hasnt been a better process put in place, but its limited, Oddo said. We asked about the ability to open and have boarding on more ramps, but didnt get an answer that was satisfactory." I need the mayor to impress upon the agency that there needs to be as creative a boarding process as soon as possible so that we are not fueling the spread of this virus and adding to the surge that is coming, he continued. The department said there is little that can be done to physically change the boarding process, but announcements are being made regularly and NYPD presence has been increased, both on boats and within the terminals, to enforce social distancing. Were making announcements in the terminals, were probably going to have someone out there with a bullhorn tomorrow, said DeSimone. We have the NYPD helping us and theyre making announcements on the ferry. Having said that, I saw pictures yesterday when that hospital ship pulled in to Manhattan and there were crowds of people as if it was some kind of tourist event. You know, theres a point in time where we can only do so much, DeSimone continued, imploring ferry riders to do their part in maintaining social distance. MASKS FOR ALL STAFF Finally, the borough president asked the DOT to find a way to provide masks for all Staten Island Ferry staff. We asked that DOT staff -- its not a huge number of staff, its not a huge number of protective gear -- respecting the fact that hospitals are the number one priority by far, we should be able to provide masks to all of our ferry staff, Oddo said. Trottenberg said that the department was successful in acquiring some masks for ferry workers, but is working, like everyone else, to secure more. Weve gotten masks. Theres no secret that theres a big scramble for masks all over the city, but weve gotten some of those in place and are continuing to source more, she said. BY THE NUMBERS With all New Yorkers mandated to work from home, with the exception of essential workers, ridership on the Staten Island Ferry has dropped precipitously. On Monday, the ferry transported just 8,665 total passengers, down a staggering 88% from the typical 75,000 weekday passengers. The highest number of passengers on a single boat was 528 on the 7 a.m. Manhattan-bound ferry. That boat was operating at just 12% of its 4,400-passenger capacity. Ridership continued to sink on Tuesday, with nearly 10% fewer riders through 10 a.m. as there were during the same time span on Monday. Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Latest on NYC school closures: Child care to be available for first responders With restaurant dine-in option halted, Uber Eats waives delivery fees MTA continuing to monitor service levels as coronavirus spreads Amazon warns of slower deliveries, depleted stock amid coronavirus Rumor of a mandated national quarantine is untrue and unfounded, White House says S.I. to be first borough with drive-thru testing for coronavirus Fact vs. rumor: America is not quarantined for coronavirus, National Security Council says Coronavirus: NYC bars, restaurants limited to takeout and delivery Lees Tavern to temporarily shut its doors amid coronavirus outbreak Photos: Bare shelves inside Staten Island stores during coronavirus outbreak Coronavirus court scale-down: No new jury trials starting Monday; other appearances to be limited With NYC schools closing, parents and teachers prepare for new normal How fast is coronavirus growing in New York? Chart shows dramatic rise in cases Coronavirus on Staten Island: Non-essential court proceedings postponed Coronavirus: Executive order will postpone all elective surgeries Some pregnant women fear giving birth with no loved ones by their side. Others worry about getting sick with COVID-19 and not being able to hold their newborns. The coronavirus pandemic has injected anxiety and uncertainty to an already stressful time and while science about risks is mostly reassuring, doctors want clearer answers too. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Some pregnant women fear giving birth with no loved ones by their side. Others worry about getting sick with COVID-19 and not being able to hold their newborns. The coronavirus pandemic has injected anxiety and uncertainty to an already stressful time and while science about risks is mostly reassuring, doctors want clearer answers too. "There is very limited information available," said Dr. Leana Wen, a George Washington University public health specialist. She wants answers as a physician and as a patient Wen is pregnant and due to give birth to her second child any day. CORRECTS TO GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, NOT GEORGETOWN - In this March 30, 2020 photo, Dr. Leana Wen poses for a photo in her Baltimore home. Wen, a George Washington University public health specialist, who is pregnant and due to give birth soon, says she wants answers as a physician and as a patient to her concerns over the coronavirus. Her greatest fear is developing a COVID-19 infection or symptoms that would force her to be separated from her newborn for days or weeks. AuI would only be able to see my baby through a glass window. ... ThatAos the one that gives me nightmares.Au (Courtesy Dr. Leana Wen via AP) Her greatest fear is developing a COVID-19 infection or symptoms that would force her to be separated from her newborn for days or weeks. "I would only be able to see my baby through a glass window," said Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner. "Thats the one that gives me nightmares." To help provide answers, the University of California, San Francisco last week started the first U.S. registry of COVID-19 infected or exposed pregnant women. At least 60 women have enrolled so far. CORRECTS TO GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, NOT GEORGETOWN - This March 11, 2020 photo provided by Dr. Leana Wen shows her with her son in Baltimore. Wen, a George Washington University public health specialist, who is pregnant and due to give birth soon, says she wants answers as a physician and as a patient to her concerns over the coronavirus. AuThere is very limited information available,Au she said. Her greatest fear is developing a COVID-19 infection or symptoms that would force her to be separated from her newborn for days or weeks. (Dr. Leana Wen via AP) Not all have confirmed cases. Women who turn out not to be infected will remain in the registry as a comparison group. The more women in the registry "the more quickly we can provide the answers," said Dr. Vanessa Jacoby, who heads the effort. The big questions include: Are pregnant women more likely than others to become infected and to develop complications? Preliminary evidence suggests no. There is also no definitive evidence that the virus can be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy, although three small and preliminary studies from China published last week raised that possibility. One paper in JAMA Pediatrics included 33 infants born to infected women; only three babies tested positive, two days after birth, and developed symptoms including pneumonia. All three recovered. Its likely their mothers transmitted the disease during or after birth, not during pregnancy, said Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "The numbers are too small to make any conclusions" about how often infants become infected or how sick they become, Kimberlin said. This Feb 1, 2020 photo provided Maureen Nicol shows her in Harlem, N.Y. Nicol, a single Columbia University PhD student pregnant with her first child, will be giving birth out of state, not as planned. She spent months planning to give birth in April at a Manhattan hospital with the assistance of a doula. But during a visit this month to her family's Maryland home, New York became the nation's coronavirus epicenter and she canceled plans to return. (Courtesy of Maureen Nicol via AP) Guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine says pregnant women with COVID-19 should be considered high-risk patients. Thats because pregnant women who develop flu or other respiratory infections caused by related viruses face increased risks for complications from those illnesses, including premature births and certain birth defects. There a few reports of babies born prematurely but there is no evidence that the coronavirus was the cause. To limit the risk of infection, some doctors are doing prenatal checkups by phone or video conference. Some are implementing or considering limits on visitors in the delivery room. At some New York City hospitals, that meant no spouses or partners either, until the state said one person was allowed. Federal recommendations say hospitals should consider separating infected mothers from newborns until the mother tests negative for the virus, but that is not a mandate, said Dr. Brenna Hughes, a Duke University specialist who helped write the obstetric groups' guidance. Some pregnant women are seeking to have labour induced early to avoid hospitals during a possible surge of COVID-19 cases, and others are suddenly deciding to give birth at home. Mainstream medical groups advise against both. "We believe that planned hospital birth is the safest option for pregnant women," Hughes said. She added that for women who are planning to become pregnant, theres no specific advice against it during the pandemic. Some hospitals are seeing pregnant women from out-of-state virus hotspots, who are seeking to give birth in a safer environment. These include Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, 35 miles from New York City, and Tufts Medical Center, 200 miles away, in Boston. Tufts is not accepting any routine OB/GYN transfers from any COVID-19 surge areas that advise against travel, said spokesman Jeremy Lechan. "If a pregnant patient from one of these areas shows up in the clinic, they will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days before receiving care." Women in labour will accepted but without anyone else. Maureen Nicol, a single Columbia University doctoral student in early childhood education, will be giving birth to her first child out of state, not as planned. She expected to give birth in April at a Manhattan hospital with the assistance of a doula. But during a visit in March to her family's Maryland home, New York became the nations coronavirus epicenter. She cancelled plans to return. 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. Now she's racing to find a new doctor and hospital, buy new baby supplies, and considering the possibility of giving birth with her doula on the phone. "Im just wishing for a healthy and safe delivery," Nicol said. "And feeling I have some control in a time and situation where I feel like no one feels like they have control." ___ Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. All 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin West, which has turned out as one of the major COVID-19 hotspots in the country, have been identified and quarantined, a senior official said on Wednesday. The gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Delhi headquarters of the Tabligh-e-Jamaat, was held earlier this month. "We have identified all the 107 people from Madhya Pradesh who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat's event in Delhi. They have been put under quarantine and are being examined thoroughly," Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode told PTI. "We are keeping a close watch on them. There is no reason to worry or panic," he added. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday directed the officials concerned to quarantine over 100 people from the state who attended the congregation in the national capital. The Delhi government on Tuesday said 24 people, who took part in the congregation, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. People from across the country had taken part in the mega meet. After the matter came to light, the Centre and the Delhi government swung into action to trace people who attended the congregation. Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, earlier died of coronavirus infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three people were arrested for pelting stones on Tuesday at police who were in Andharatharhi area of Madhubani to check if anybody had attended the religious gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in New Delhi earlier last month, a senior official said on Wednesday. "Three people have been arrested for pelting stones at police when they went to check if any attendee of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event was staying at a mosque in Girdarjung village," Amit Sharan, Jhanjharpur DSP said. Earlier today, Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey had said that all Bihar residents and foreign nationals who attended the Markaz event will be traced and most of them are already being monitored. The gatherings organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin came into the spotlight after multiple coronavirus cases were confirmed amongst those who attended the event held in March. COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from those who attended the event in Delhi, with 24 cases being reported from the capital alone, apart from Telangana, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands amongst others. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FILE PHOTO: An oil storage tank and crude oil pipeline equipment is seen during a tour by the Department of Energy at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport By Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to lease out space for energy companies to store oil in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after a previous effort to buy millions of barrels for the emergency stockpile was cancelled over a lack of funding, according to two people briefed on the matter. The new plan could help the United States deal with a growing glut of crude oil that risks overwhelming commercial storage tanks and sending world energy prices deeper into a tailspin as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand for fuel. It could be announced as soon as Wednesday, the sources said. The plan is a change of tack from the initial scheme, which would have had the Department of Energy (DOE) purchase crude from domestic drillers using federal funds. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the DOE on March 13 to fill the reserve "to the top" to help oil producers suffering from the global oil price drop, and the initial solicitation asked for supply only from U.S. companies with fewer than 5,000 employees. But Congress did not approve funds for the buys, forcing the Energy Department last week to cancel the proposal. The revised plan would help traders and others as they try to ride out a precipitous drop in the price of oil by storing crude for sale later once the crisis is over. The country's main commercial storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma is quickly filling up. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve has 77 million barrels of free capacity, a little less than the country uses in four days. It currently holds about 635 million barrels of oil in salt caverns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts. It was not clear if the DOE has ever before leased space in the caverns to private companies. "We appreciate any actions the administration is taking to alleviate the oversupply flooding the market and allow U.S. independent producers to continue to operate," said Anne Bradbury, the CEO of AXPC, an industry group representing independent oil and gas companies. Story continues "We encourage Congress to work with DOE to ensure they have the resources needed for SPR flexibilities, to address the oversupply issues we are facing," Bradbury said. The DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The coronavirus pandemic has crushed global fuel demand as governments keen to slow the spread of the respiratory disease seek to restrict the movement of roughly 3 billion people across the world. A price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that erupted earlier this month has exacerbated the crisis by flooding the market with crude. U.S. oil futures lost 54% in March, the biggest monthly percentage decline in the benchmark's history. The country's flagship physical crude oil grade traded at about $10 a barrel, the lowest in more than two decades, earlier this week. In response, traders in the United States and elsewhere have scrambled to find to space to hold the devalued barrels while waiting out the storm. (Reporting by Laila Kearney and Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar; Editing by Richard Pullin) At least 16 mosques, which were earlier identified by Delhi Police for having housed around 150 foreign nationals and over 20 Indians who were a part of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin earlier this month, were sanitised on Wednesday. The Tablighi Jamaat headquarters has emerged as the biggest Covid-19 hot spot in India so far, with at least 53 people from there testing positive for Covid-19 in the Capital alone, and more than 500 in hospital for showing Covid-like symptoms. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic More than 1,800 people who attended the congregation have been placed in quarantine in the city. The 16 mosques are located in areas such as Pul Prahladpur, Malviya Nagar, Shastri Park, Chandni Mahal and Turkman Gate in Old Delhi. Several foreign nationals -- from countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan who visisted the Jammats headquarters this month were staying in these mosques. At one of the mosques in Old Delhis Chandni Mahal, 15 pilgrims from the Jamaats Markaz building five couples from Indonesia, four men from Algeria, and an Indian national from Hyderabad have been quarantined on the third floor of the masjid. They have been here since the lockdown was announced. They are in complete isolation. They cook their own food on the third floor and even offer namaz there. None of them have shown any symptoms. The health officials had come to visit them on Wednesday and gave them a form that was to be filled, if anyone fell sick, said Shakeel Ahmed, president of the masjid committee. On Wednesday evening, the local police held a meeting with the heads (Imams) of all mosques in the Walled City area at the Jama Masjid police station to discuss measures that needed to be taken. The police have asked us to not let anyone come inside the mosque premises and maintain hygiene. We had already shut the masjid and nobody is allowed to come in, even for namaz. The police have also collected the passports of the pilgrims and a letter has been sent to the respective embassies, said Mohammad Ali, imam of the Chandni Mahal mosque. Hafiz Mohammad Javed, a social worker and a representative of the masjid committee, said that he had earlier advised the Markaz authorities of taking precautions as well. We had told them to take all precautionary measures. However, it was only later that they realised that some people were feeling unwell, said Javed. At least 12 Indonesia nationals arrived in south Delhis Hauz Rani and Malviya Nagar areas on March 30, said Haji Kallu, the president of the masjid committee. These people, Kallu added, have been quarantined at the mosque. They came to the mosque on March 30; we dont know where they stayed before that. We immediately informed the area sub-divisional magistrate and the police about them. They came and checked their visa and passport details/ Less than a kilometre away, 13 Kyrgyzstan nationals and one Indian, all members of the Tablighi Jammat, moved to another mosque in the area on March 22. Mohd Aslam, a member of Tablighi Jammat associated with the mosque, said, Their details were shared with the local authorities. The medical team visited the mosque on March 30. We have kept these people on two separate floors of the mosque as per directions of the medical team. We are not entering the mosque and providing them food and other stuff from outside. In the Shastri Park area, at least 35 people were shifted to a quarantine facility from two mosques.In Wazirabad, 15 people, including 12 Indonesian nationals, were quarantined inside the areas Jama Masjid mosque, said an official. Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhis Jama Masjid said: I have informed people in the community, especially in mosques, that wherever members of the Jamaat are staying, they should inform the district administration and local police and get those people tested. If someone is staying in their house, even then you should get the person tested. The measures taken by the government are for the welfare of the people. We had closed Jama Masjid for prayers for the general public due to the disease on March 23, after which all other mosques in the city had followed suit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A security guard wears a protective mask at the almost empty Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, China, on March 24, 2020. Affected by COVID-19, the Badaling Great Wall was closed on Jan. 25. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) Chinese Regime Concealing True Number of COVID-19 Cases, Evidence Shows The Chinese Communist Party has deliberately masked the total number of COVID-19 cases in China in a bid to safeguard its image both nationally and internationally, according to China experts as well as evidence documented by The Epoch Times. As more countries express anger and frustration over Beijings botched handling of the virusfueled by a wide-reaching coveruphalf a dozen experts told The Epoch Times the regime is undeniably underreporting cases of the virus, but to what extent is up for debate. Beijing itself publicly admitted to hiding the number of people with the disease when it announced it would start reporting cases of asymptomatic carriers on April 1, revealing that it hadnt been doing so. Chinas National Health Commission also acknowledged that asymptomatic carriers can infect others and cause outbreaks, which it had previously dismissed. John R. Mills, former director of Cybersecurity Policy, Strategy, and International Affairs at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said the communist regime is all about legitimacy, stability, and no one questioning their preeminence. The CCP virus changes everything All of this chaos shakes the Chinese peoples confidence in the system and they are hopping mad, he told The Epoch Times. Mills said recent claims pushed by the regime of zero new cases in China are patently absurd adding that in totalitarian bureaucracies everyone learns real quickly to stop reporting. The regime is expelling U.S. journalists based in China who work for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, highlighting the countrys dismal track record on press freedom. China ranks 177 out of 180 in the 2019 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. Bad things happen to people that report bad numbers, Mills said about China. In these systems and forms of government, everyone learns that to survive, lying is the norm. Everyone lies to everyone about everythingthere is no truth. A store worker wearing a protective mask as a preventive measure waits for customers behind a barrier in Wuhan, in Chinas central Hubei province on April 1, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images) In the past three months, the number of Chinese cellphone users dropped by 21 million, suggesting that deaths due to the CCP virus may have been a factor. Since Sept. 1, 2010, China has required all cellphone users to register phones with their real identification. A series of internal government documents obtained by The Epoch Times paint a damning picture of Beijings coverup. In Chinas Shandong province alone, daily new infection numbers were up to 52 times higher than officially published data by the Shandong health commission and Chinas National Health Commission. Information provided by residents in Wuhan also indicates the death toll there could be more than 32,00012.7 times the official figure. Mills said that while no government or leader can act perfectly in a fast-moving, complex situation like the current pandemic, which has forced more than 1.5 billion people across the world to stay in their homes, the CCP is willfully consistent in its obfuscation and lying. There has been little if any good faith, cooperation, or diligence in pursuit of truth by the CCP, he added. Before President Donald Trump took office, the CCP took advantage of the United States open society, and for years, they got away with it, Mills said, adding that many have come to the conclusion that the CCP is pushing a false narrative for craven political purposes. Truth: The Greatest Obstacle Yang Jianli, a Chinese dissident and son of a former Communist Party leader who now heads the Citizen Power Initiatives for China, a pro-democracy NGO in the United States, said the downplaying of cases is crucial to Beijings broader goal of global leadership and domination. The truth about COVID-19 inside China is the greatest obstacle to [Chinese leader Xi Jinpings] ambition, Yang told The Epoch Times. As long as Xi is seen as being successful, there is little room to challenge his rule. Should that assessment change, however, it is not hard to imagine grudge-holding Party members and angry peopleindependent intellectuals, dissidents, and ordinary peopleattempting to coalesce in an effort to challenge him. Yang agrees with U.K. advisers who state that Chinas cases are likely downplayed by a factor of 15 to 40 and urged the international community to hold the CCP accountable. Scientific advisers warned the United Kingdoms prime minister that the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) official statistics on the virus could be downplayed by a factor of 15 to 40 times and that Downing Street believes Beijing is attempting to exploit the pandemic for economic gain, reported by The Mail on March 28. The Epoch Times reached out to the No. 10 press office; a spokesperson declined to comment. Movie theaters across China had slowly started to reopen under permission from the CCP, until last weekwhen officials suddenly reversed course and ordered all theaters to revert back to shutdown mode. Medical professionals in Spain and the Czech Republic, meanwhile, reported that CCP virus rapid tests imported from China failed 70 to 80 percent of the time. The CCP, which for years has claimed to be a responsible member of the global community, showed once again its true colors when this crisis hit, Yang said. If the CCP gets away with this, or worse yet, if it actually earns global plaudits for its actions, then no country will feel the need to be honest with the world if it deems being honest politically unfavored. Chinese officials and state-run media have attempted to shift the blame for the regimes failure to contain the virus by pushing conspiracy theories targeting the United States as part of an aggressive global disinformation campaign. CCP bots have been swarming Twitter to defend the communist regime, attack the United States, and parrot propaganda narratives in concert with Chinese officials. Chinese overt influence accounts have published over 32,000 posts related to COVID-19 on several Western social media platforms, according to a recent report by cybersecurity company Insikt Group. People wait to be tested for the CCP virus in Wuhan, Chinas central Hubei province on March 30, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) Yang cautioned that if left unchecked, an emboldened CCP will grow only more aggressive externally and repressive internally, having learned that it can fool and bully the world into submission. The Epoch Times has documented stories of some Chinese citizensincluding whistleblower doctors, citizen journalists, scholars, and business peoplewho have been silenced by the regime for exposing the truth. Joseph Bosco, a former China country desk officer at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, told The Epoch Times that the regime is evading and suppressing the truth about the virus, like it does most other things, to preserve the myth of the competence and infallibility of the CCP. In recent days, thousands of ash urns were delivered to a funeral home in Wuhan, further prompting questions of the true scale of the outbreak and its severity. Photos of the long lines circulated on Chinese social media before they were promptly deleted by the regimes censors, The Epoch Times previously reported. It is clear that for Xi, political self-preservation is more important than lives that can be saved, in China and around the world, by accurate media coverage, Yang added. A Totalitarian Regime Frank Gaffney, vice chairman of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, told The Epoch Times that Beijing has done a masterful job at concealing the truth and deflecting blame. These are the sorts of things that totalitarians do and I think that [China] will be regarded as a pariah when the public more generallynot just in China, but beyondproperly understands the role that the Chinese government has been playing and the magnitude of the damage thats been done worldwide as a result, he said. Gaffney, who was assistant secretary of defense for international security policy during the Reagan administration, said anyone who believes claims from the CCP on any basis is making a terrible mistake. It would be the height of folly to trust the Chinese on anything, particularly when lying about their statistics, whether its the effects of the disease or in other cases, the impact on their gross domestic product, he said. Anything that they tell you, I think, has to be treated with intense skepticism, if not downright disbelief. A China insider told The Epoch Times in January that public health authorities were attempting to cover up the severity of the virus by limiting the number of diagnosis kits sent to Wuhan hospitals. The Epoch Times has also spoken to Chinese residents who complained about being turned away from hospitals and werent diagnosed. Many of these people later died as a result. The United States and China The global pandemic has raised broader concerns surrounding the United States relationship with China. It certainly seems to me that a wholesale reconsideration of the kind of engagement that weve had with China to this point is not only overdue but absolutely mandatory, Gaffney said. I think that more and more Americans are feeling that way. Author and China expert Gordon Chang said the CCP is trying to give the impression that China has recovered as part of a deeper battle with the West. He believes China is either being hit with a second wave of infections, or it never recovered from the first. They are relentlessly promoting the line that Chinas system is superior to Americas, Chang told The Epoch Times. Moreover, Beijing has gone on the attack by pushing the notion that the U.S. is in decline. Just about everyone in China knows the coronavirus still ravages the country. And soon the rest of the world will know, too, Chang said. Regime fibs, lies, and untruths will not last long. The virus gets the last word. Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, suggested at a March 31 briefing that the United States response was slow because of flawed data from China. When you looked at the China data originally you start thinking of this more like SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] than you do a global pandemic, she said. The medical community interpreted the Chinese data as, this was serious, but smaller than anyone expected, Birx said. Because, probably we were missing a significant amount of the data. China-Cambodia "Dragon Golden 2020" military training wraps up PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Yang Tao 2020-03-31 17:30:55 By Mao Pengfei and Zhou Guoqiang KAMPOT, Cambodia, Mar. 31 -- The counter-terrorism drill in mountainous area and the closing ceremony of China-Cambodia joint military training exercise " Dragon Golden 2020" were held on March 30, 2020, local time, in Kampot Province of Cambodia. General Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, together with Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, attended and addressed at the ceremony, and military attaches from many countries observed the drill. The counter-terrorism drill, conducted in the form of mixed grouping and joint operations of multi-arms, was carried out in four phases including reconnaissance and blockade, raid and rescue, seizure, control and clearance as well as force concentration and transfer. Throughout the drill, both militaries demonstrated the tactics of reconnaissance, blockade, strike, control and suppression in mountainous counter-terrorism operations. After the comprehensive counter-terrorism drill, China and Cambodia held a closing ceremony for the joint military training exercise. Amb. Wang Wentian said in his speech that in the face of the interference of COVID-19, the Chinese and Cambodian militaries worked together to overcome difficulties and arranged training subjects scientifically and reasonably. They have balanced combat readiness training and pandemic prevention and control. This joint training will definitely leave a strong mark in the history of friendly cooperation between the two countries and the two militaries, said Amb. Wang. Gen. Tea Banh stated that the success of the joint training exercise fully demonstrated the importance the two countries attach to the development of long-standing bilateral friendship. It implemented the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, strengthened mutual exchanges, deepened the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, and jointly lifted the bilateral relationship to a higher level and achieved new results. The joint training made new contribution to building a community of shared destiny between the two countries, promoting the integration of China's Belt and Road Initiative with the Rectangular Strategy of the Cambodian government, and maintaining regional peace and stability. According to Senior Colonel Zhang Tiren, head of the Chinese commanding group, during the joint training, Chinese and Cambodian troops focused on the new features of the terrorist forces and organized training on 10 subjects including raid and rescue, assault and deter, etc. They have improved the capability of jointly coping with international security threats such as terrorism, further consolidated the long-standing friendship between the two countries and the two militaries, and enhanced strategic mutual trust. It is leant that the China-Cambodia joint military training kicked off on March 15. In the context of counter-terrorism in unison, the training focused on simulating real combats against terrorism. The Chinese participating force is mainly from the 75th Group Army of the PLA. A total of 800 military personnel from both sides participated in the joint training. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [April 01, 2020] Draganfly to Webcast Live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com April 2nd Draganfly invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend real-time, interactive presentations on VirtualInvestorConferences.com Vancouver, British Columbia, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Draganfly Inc. (CSE: DFLY) (OTCQB: DFLYF) (FSE: 3U8) based in Los Angeles, an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), and unmanned vehicle sector today announced that Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly, will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on April 2nd. DATE: Thursday, April 2nd TIME: 12:30-1:00PM ET LINK: https://tinyurl.com/April2TechVIC This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com. Recent Company Highlights About Draganfly Draganfly Inc. (CSE: DFLY; OTCQB: DFLYF; FSE: 3U8) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge, UVS and software that revolutionizes the way people do business. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 21 years, Draganfly is an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial UAV and UVS space, serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections and mapping and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money and lives. For more information on Draganfly, please visit us at www.draganfly.com . For additional investor information, visit https://www.thecse.com/en/listings/technology/draganfly-inc , https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/DFLYF/overview or https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/aktie/draganfly-inc . Media Contact Arian Hopkins email: [email protected] About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly-traded companies to meet and present directly with investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences is part of OTC Market Group's suite of investor relations services specifically designed for more efficient Investor Access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences combine leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network. Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 [email protected] Assets worth Rs 10.5 crore of the promoters of a Kolkata-based lifestyle stores chain have been attached in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged bank fraud case, the ED said on Wednesday. A provisional order for attachment of bank deposits, shares and 15 flats in Kolkata of the father-son duo of Madan Chand Jain and Gaurav Jain, directors of Bhagwati Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Enforcement Directorate said in a statement that it took over investigation in the case on the basis of a CBI charge sheet. It is alleged that the directors of the company took loan of Rs 35 crore from SBI commercial branch in Kolkata in 2012 "on the basis of fake deeds". "They opened 13-15 showrooms in eastern India under the brand name Bhagwati Lifestyle. After running the showrooms for around two years, the funds were siphoned off by diverting them to fake accounts and withdrawing them in cash," the ED charged. Probe found, the ED claimed, that the Jains through various fake identities like Madan Chand Surana, Gaurav Kumar Surana, Vishal Kothari, Shiveik Jain and Hemant Kochar "conducted frauds" in different banks across Kolkata and Howrah. "The frauds were conducted in an organised and well-planned manner with the help of their friends and employees," it said. GauravJain along with his father created "multiple fake identities and obtained number of PAN cards, driving licence and voter ID cards to open more than 100 fake and fictitious bank accounts either in individual name or in the name of fake firms". On the basis of fake identities, multiple copies of property deeds were created by the accused for the purpose of mortgaging them with the banks and taking loan, the ED said. "Investigation revealed that frauds have been conducted in more than 15 banks across Kolkata and Howrah region by mortgaging the same properties multiple times by forging the property deeds," it alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Click here to read the full article. MGM premium TV service Epix announced Tuesday that it will exclusively premiere in the U.S. in summer 2020 the six-part docuseries Enslaved, executive produced by and featuring Samuel L. Jackson. Presented by Jackson and author (Brit(ish) and journalist Afua Hirsch, Enslaved will be aired on Canadas CBC and the Documentary Channel from this fall first broadcasts after Epix for a series which, says Hirsch, comes in at the magnitude and impact of the slave trade from a novel and needed double perspective which closes the gap between big picture statistics and the personal narrative of Roots. More from Variety Visiting firmer slavery hubs, such as slave dungeons at Elmina in Ghana, where one of Hirschs ancestors lived, and, introducing a sense of adventure to painstaking research, capturing six dives to locate and examine sunken slave ships, Enslaved documents the enormity and mortality of the slave trade. As many as 12 million Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery, Enslaved suggests. Of these, at least 2 million were murdered or died en route from Western Africa to Brazil and the Caribbean. Combining scientific detective work, reportage and dramatic reconstruction, Enslaved has multiple moments of pure horror, such as slaves being thrown overboard from the Spanish ship Guerrero to help it outdistance a British schooner and still deliver its illicit slave cargo to Cuba; or rusted iron ankle cuffs used to shackle slaves in pairs to encumber their movements and ensure no possibilities or swimming or escape. The slave trade was conducted by all major European nations and Africans as well. At one point in the 18th century, it accounted for a highly significant part of Britains GDP, Hirsch says in an interview with Variety. Story continues If the industrial revolution lifted off in Britain from the 1780s, profits from slavery cannot but have supplied much of its rocket fuel. Yet Enslaved has moments of charm, such as scenes of Samuel L. Jackson, after DNA tests suggest his ancestors were transported as slaves from Gabon, visiting the country to retrace his roots. Jacksons face, as he is greeted by Gabons minister of culture, local Benga dancers and a hugely enthusiastic crowd emotion, surprise, overwhelming are a picture, and an upbeat moment in a docu series which comes in from multiple angles on the slave trade, a huge entry in historys annals of human infamy. Sold by Fremantle outside the U.S., Canada and Israel, featuring dives by Diving with a Purpose, an expert team of international deep-sea divers, part of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, Enslaved is directed by Simcha Jacobovici and produced by Toronto-based Associated Producers and Londons Cornelia Street Productions. It is executive produced by Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Jackson, Eli Selden, Rob Lee, Jacobovici and Ric Esther Bienstock, and produced by Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Felix Golubev. Variety talked to Afua Hirsch during this weeks virtual marketplace. What interested you about this production that brings to life the inhuman horror of the slave trade? One of the things that really appealed to me is that we talk about the history on two radically different levels. It was this global trade and there are statistics about how many millions of Africans were killed and how many were trafficked and how many were stolen, but I think it often comes across as quite an abstract history to people. Or we talk about it on a very personal level. Many beautiful novels and films and TV series have been made recounting individual experiences, like Toni Morrisons Beloved or the Roots series. I have always felt that there was this gulf in the middle that makes it difficult for people to personally connect with the scale of the history and thats because there is not really anything that you can see up close. Even if you go to plantations, they have often been sanitized and are often more about celebrating the hospitality of the Deep South, or Jamaica its not like going to Auschwitz, where your really get to connect with the scale of the atrocity that happened there. The Atlantic Ocean is literally littered with the wreckages of slave ships. I didnt know and many people dont know that. It really did bring it home to me in a new way that this is all around us. Its profoundly omnipresent but at the same time invisible. Its such paradox, so any creative way of closing that gap instantly appeals to me. How would you describe the impact this project had on you, particularly visiting historical slave trading sites like Elmina in Ghana? It was a really emotional one for me because when I was writing my book, which is about identity and British ethnicity, and partly about history, I did some research on my own family and even found a drawing of my fifth great grandfathers house in Elmina, in the 1830s I think it was, which was just incredible. So I have a long family history that has always fascinated me. I think its an emotional place for everyone, because of what happened there, but I get to talk about the sense of my own family having been involved, so its always quite intense to go there. The series mixes multiple elements and parallel stories without continuously presenting a history lesson, although it is in its totality I think thats very deliberate. The idea of the series is to get beyond the self-selected groups that would engaged with the traditional documentary about the subject. I write for the Guardian, I make documentaries, Im always conscious of not preaching to the choir and Im always trying to be creative in ways of reaching audiences that maybe wouldnt engage with this subject or maybe not realize that its relevant to them. I think this is a really innovative way to do that. By involving Samuel L. Jackson that instantly appeals to a completely new demographic, younger audiences familiar with his incredibly vast catalogue of movies. But also the archaeological element, the adventure of it, the dives and the mystery solving as well as the the storytelling and the travelling, I think its so many things. Thats really important because this is everybodys shared history. Our world as we know it would not exist without this history. There is no British or American or South American or African person who was not touched by this history. There would seem to be an inevitable connection between the industrial revolution and the slave trade At one point, at the turn of the eighteenth century, sugar from enslaved Africans working for British-owned plantations in the Caribbean was the single most valuable import to the British Isles. Those profits were invested in the industrial revolution, in infrastructure, in banking, in education, so the slave trade wasnt a side hustle, it was the main event in British economic growth. The fact that if you go to Oxford to read history now, you can study the Trans-Atlantic slave trade as one subject or you can study the Industrial Revolution as a separate subject, which to me has no intellectual integrity. These things were inextricably linked, and because we still artificially separate them it makes it really hard for people to understand how essential a part of European and British history this is. What was it like working with Samuel L. Jackson? A total joy, I loved working with him. He just threw himself into this project with so much energy. He was genuinely intellectually curious about the history and also felt this emotional attachment to his own heritage and his own story. It was a real privilege to be with him in parts of that journey because he traced his ancestry to Gabon and went specifically to where his ancestors were trafficked into slavery. He was very generous with his emotions and his experience, so it was a really special thing. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Crimean Tatar returned home after five years in prison Ferat Sayfullaev, one of the defendants in the Hizb ut-Tahrich case in the Crimea, left the Russian prison after five years in prison, Crimean Solidarity wrote on Facebook. As the public organization notes, today, April 1, political prisoner Ferat Sayfullaev was met at the airport in Simferopol. "Today, April 1, 2020, Ferat Sayfullaev returned to Crimea after five years in prison in a Russian prison," the statement said. Lawyers, activists and cousins met the political prisoner. Hizb ut-Tahrir is a religious organization that seeks to unite all Muslim countries in an Islamic caliphate. But this organization, unlike some others, denies terrorism. In 2003, Russia imposed a ban on this organization because of the poor reputation of other similar organizations. In Ukraine, however, the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir are not considered prohibited until now. As we reported before, the "march towards Crimea" is not going to take place on the original date, May 3. "The new date of holding the international non-violent action "World against violence and occupation. March of Dignity" will be defined with the account of epidemiological situation in Ukraine" Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby, 29, has confirmed she's no longer in contact with her ex-boyfriend Ryan Gallagher, 31. The pair had promised to remain friends after their shock breakup in February, but Charlotte claims things quickly turned sour. Speaking to Studio 10 via video link on Wednesday, the British star confessed: 'I don't think Ryan really likes us as a person anymore'. 'I did try quite a lot to speak with him the last time I was in Australia but he kind of just, ignored us,' she added. Shocked at the news, host Joe Hildebrand interjected: 'I thought you guys were still friends?' 'Well so did I,' Charlotte ruefully responded, adding: 'But it turns out that didn't happen.' 'He's ignoring me!' Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, 29, revealed she's had a nasty falling out with ex-boyfriend Ryan Gallagher during an interview with Studio 10 on Wednesday 'I think we both had mutual feelings for each other, and I did try so much. I tried to text him - I think I texted him about eight times,' she alleged. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ryan for comment. Ryan and Charlotte split just weeks after they started dating on this year's season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia. 'I don't think Ryan really likes us as a person anymore': The British star claimed Ryan (pictured) hasn't returned her text messages in recent weeks Failed romance: Charlotte said she believes both she and Ryan did have mutual feelings for each other, and that she'd desperately tried to make things work Confirming the split to 10 Daily in February, Charlotte explained that Ryan was looking for 'something serious', while she was still recovering from a breakup with her ex. 'I still wasn't looking for something serious, he's at a stage in his life where he is, so we came to a mutual decision that we'd just cool it off,' the Geordie Shore star said. However, she insisted that she and Ryan were still on good terms, and would continue to catch up socially. 'We are still friends. I love that boy to bits, he's amazing. Like, my time in there [the jungle] would not have been the same without him. We had an amazing connection,' she added. Jungle romance: Charlotte and Ryan sparked romance in the South African jungle while competing in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! In her debut as a big city politician, Lightfoot has exhibited an unwavering sense of authority during the coronavirus pandemic, while refusing to take herself too seriously. In the process, she has shown that she is as imperfect as we are, which actually makes her seem more human. New Delhi, April 1 : An audio clip which is going viral on social media has stunned the authorities, as someone can be heard saying that "there is no need of social distancing also it is not written anywhere in our religion". There are claims that this voice is of Mohammad Saad Kandhawali, the head of Markaz Tablighi Jamaat. In the audio clip, some other people can also be heard. However, IANS is not authenticating the audio but some people near to Saad believe that it is Kandhawali's voice. In the clip which has apparently reached the crime branch of Delhi Police, sneezing and coughing by other people can also be heard. On Wednesday, when IANS contacted Jamaat Headquarter's spokesman Mohd. Ashraf regarding this clip, he said: "Those who have been booked by the police include the people who went to meet Nizamuddin SHO on March 23-24 along with Saad". On the query that if the Maulana is not guilty of anything then why is he absconding he replied: "I met him a week ago. Since then I have neither met him nor contacted him in any way. It is possible that he may be staying with a relative or has returned to Kandhla." According to a Delhi Police crime branch source, a search is on for Maulana Saad and his companions. Police teams are conducting raids at many places but have not found them so far. The police source said they can also take the help of the Muzaffarnagar (UP) police or send their own team to Kandhal. Nothing concrete can be said before the authenticity of the clip is established. The person whose voice is in the clip can be Maulana Saad also, the source said. The sources in the Delhi Police crime branch and Nizamuddin police station have said that five people who have been booked, plus Maulana Saad, are the same who were handed over the notice on March 23-24 by Nizamuddin SHO Mukesh Walia. They were advised to vacate the Markaz headquarters. The video of this meeting was accessed by IANS on March 31. The FIR lodged by the crime branch on the basis of the facts unearthed so far also includes a section under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Also the people who have been made accused or suspects in the FIR include Maulana Saad. His companions, Mufti Shahzaad, Mohd. Saifi, Dr. Jishaan, Mohd. Salman have also been named. According to the internal sources of Markaz, the FIR lodged by the Delhi Police has cooled down the Markaz management. The sources said that the evacuation process at the Markaz was started at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Around 2,000 people were inside, who have been taken to different places and have been quarantined. The police have also taken over the Markaz headquarters. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be reached at sanjeev.c@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text By Associated Press TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the US, Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. That brings the total number of countries banned from entering Japan to 73. Shinzo Abe says the government has tightened visa restrictions and will require a two-week quarantine to visitors and returnees from places Japan has designated as eligible for non-essential trips. Abe cited views presented by a panel of experts at a meeting earlier Wednesday that new cases are rapidly on the rise in Japan and that its medical system is increasingly under pressure. He has faced calls for a declaration of a state of emergency, but his government is assessing the situation due to concerns of an economic impact. Tokyo reported 65 new cases Wednesday, after reporting a record 78 daily new cases Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has about 3,000 cases including 712 from a cruise ship, with 78 deaths. WASHINGTON - Latease Jordan's college, like most colleges, is basically closed. Classrooms have shuttered, offices are locked shut, courses have shifted online. But Jordan is waiting to move into a new home and doesn't have internet access. So Tuesday, she drove a half-hour from her friend's house to the University of the District of Columbia in Van Ness, so she could go to one of the few places on campus that was open: the library. It's farther than Jordan's usual study spot, another U-D.C. location, but with most of the college shuttered, it was her only option. Cleaning crews had sanitized the keyboards, computer monitors, door handles and light switches. Signs on the chairs reminded students about social distancing. But it was open. It has to be so students like Jordan, who at 31 is pursuing an associate degree in respiratory therapy, can attend virtual lectures and complete their assignments, , said Erik Thompson, the school's vice president of real estate and facilities management. Sometimes Jordan brings her 3-year-old daughter, Lareaia, so she can play educational video games recommended by her pre-K teacher. "I need the library's resources," said Jordan, a mother of two. Jordan's 16-year-old daughter, Amoni, lives with her grandmother. "I come here every day." Colleges and universities across the country have closed facilities in recent weeks, in hopes of slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. But regional community colleges are leaving certain spaces open for students who don't have reliable technology access or WiFi at home, an accommodation leaders say is necessary to ensure students earn credits and graduate on time. They're also tending to students' more basic needs by donating food and cutting checks for rent. Those same college leaders are looking ahead to future semesters. Uniquely suited to respond quickly to a changing economic landscape, community colleges could serve an important role for students, families and communities hit hardest by the coronavirus. "Students who are the most vulnerable, right now, are made even more vulnerable," said DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College in suburban Rockville, Maryland. Leaders are also bracing for a potential enrollment surge if the economy, floored by the coronavirus, continues deteriorating. Community colleges are "uniquely poised to help fill the workforce pipeline," said Martha Parham, spokeswoman for the American Association of Community Colleges. The schools are designed to respond quickly to the demands of the regional job market, and leaders work closely with local businesses to create relevant curriculum. The virus could affect enrollment at four-year colleges and universities, sending more students to community colleges. Between 2007 and 2010, as the American economy collapsed, the share of full-time community college students increased from about 41 percent to 43 percent nationwide, according to data from the American Association of Community Colleges. By 2017, that number had fallen to about 37 percent. Like four-year schools, community colleges have moved quickly to end face-to-face classes and migrate instruction online. But the shift has exposed a wide gap between those who can access the internet and those who cannot. That has forced officials to find creative ways to make sure students stay engaged - and stay safe. Northern Virginia Community College left computer labs open at first, but officials found it hard to regulate the number of students using them, said spokeswoman Hoang Nguyen. So campuses instead expanded WiFi networks to parking lots, allowing students to stay socially distanced while connecting to the internet on laptops and smartphones. Montgomery College has responded to technology-access issues on its campus by donating hundreds of laptops to students and faculty so they can continue to learn and teach from home. "We occupy a special place in this whole situation," Pollard said. Charlene Dukes, president of Maryland's Prince George's Community College, said faculty and staff have spent spring break making sure students can access course content on any device, not just laptops. "If students have any kind of electronic device, and a cellphone particularly, they should be able to connect," Dukes said. The school has joined others in offering remote academic advising and mental health services. Enrollment went up "somewhere between 10 and 15 percent" after the Great Recession, Dukes said. "We were prepared then," she said. "And we would be prepared if something like that happened." Still, much is subject to change. "We're going to take this one step at a time," said Ronald Mason, Jr., president of U-D.C, where 1,800 community college students account for more than 40 percent of the school's enrollment. "We know our student population and we can maintain healthy practices, especially things like social distancing." College leaders are also taking steps to help students survive the economic fallout. Regular users of Prince George's County Community College's on-campus emergency food pantry are getting grocery store gift cards. Northern Virginia Community College recently launched an emergency aid fund for students facing furloughs and layoffs. The school is trying to raise $750,000; the college's fundraising arm has committed $250,000. Students can use the money however they want, from buying groceries to purchasing a laptop for class, Nguyen said. A similar effort has taken off at Montgomery College, where leaders are working to bolster an existing emergency fund to meet increased student demand, Pollard said. The school has reallocated funds from canceled events, including graduation, to a scholarship and grants account, allowing it to disburse about $137,000 to students in need of laptops, software and food. More than 730 students have requested assistance. New York The midst of a global pandemic might seem like an odd time to launch a radio channel devoted to female comedians, but executives at SiriusXM believe that it's precisely the right time. Listenership at the satellite radio company's eight current comedy channels has been up, and the company feels that it is filling a need with people stuck at home. The channel, dubbed She's So Funny, debuts Wednesday at 7 a.m. Eastern the morning of April Fool's Day, naturally. "We have a lot of people who are very scared," said Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer at SiriusXM. "You have a lot of people who want to feel OK in a difficult time, to have a little humor and try to laugh." The number of people listening to SiriusXM's comedy channels online this year is up 80 percent over last year, said the company, which doesn't have ratings for the satellite portion of its distribution. That's through March 22, which includes a little bit of the shut-in period. Greenstein said Sirius has suffered no service interruptions due to the virus outbreak that has forced many employees to work at home. "We've been lucky," he said. "We did a fair amount of planning through the years." SiriusXM also announced that starting Tuesday, it is opening up streams of all of its programming for free online, through May 15, as a gesture to people at home because of the virus. Among the current Sirius comedy channels are ones featuring the works of Kevin Hart, George Carlin, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. There's a "raw" channel for comics who work blue and a clean one for those who don't. The She's So Funny channel is an outgrowth of a listener survey revealing people wanted to hear more from women, said Jack Vaughn, senior vice president of comedy at Sirius. Much of the material will be culled from recorded routines by the likes of Moms Mabley, Joan Rivers, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Tig Notaro and Whoopi Goldberg. The channel will also showcase emerging talent like Rachel Feinstein and Jo Firestone. Interviews or specially made messages will come from Aidy Bryant, Schumer, Pamela Adlon, the Original Queens of Comedy and others in the first week. There's a real renaissance now in comedy done by women, Vaughn said. "The talent is going to speak for itself," he said. "There's just a lot of good stand-up out there today. More so, I'd say, than at any point in human history." Comic Kathleen Madigan said the new channel could give important exposure to many comedians. What she doesn't want is for SiriusXM to use the channel to essentially put female comics in a box and reduce their exposure on other channels. "I don't think they'd do that because they still need us for the other channels," Madigan said. "They still need Wanda Sykes and Margaret Cho." She hopes that She's So Funny will give exposure to comedians from outside of the United States. Madigan is also encouraging young comics to not wait until they have an hour's worth of material to record something; instead, they should submit a 15-minute tape of their best material to the channel. SiriusXM considered naming the channel Women Aren't Funny, a sly commentary on the sexist slur hurled at some female comics. It was decided that irony wouldn't work well in that environment. Wise move, Madigan said. Her worst encounter with sexism in the business came when she took part in a television special featuring female comedians. It was taped in a club named Bimbo's, she said. Most of the time, she said, "you just roll your eyes." Dad Allegedly Lied About CCP Virus Symptoms to Visit Maternity Ward A father lied about feeling symptoms of the CCP virus to visit his wife and newborn child in the maternity ward, a New York hospital said. The unnamed man reportedly said he was healthy when he arrived at the maternity ward at Strong Memorial Hospital last week, before admitting he was feeling symptoms after the baby was born. The mother became symptomatic shortly after delivering. Thats when the significant other admitted his potential exposure and that he was feeling symptomatic, Chip Partner, a spokesman with UR Medicine, told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. The hospital was relying on an honor system but is now checking the body temperatures of visitors upon arrival and every 12 hours afterward that the visitor remains there. The mother and her partner were in a private maternity room throughout their stay in the hospital, isolated from other patients, Strong said in a statement. After the mother began showing symptoms, medical staff learned that her partner was exposed to COVID-19 and was symptomatic. All staff members who were in contact with the couple were informed of the possible exposure. Those not showing symptoms continued to work while masked, monitoring for symptoms, and having their temperature checked daily, per hospital protocols. A man wearing a mask to protect against CCP virus in New York City on March 9, 2020. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) No staff members involved have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. One staffer developed symptoms and was quarantined at home. That staffer tested negative for the new disease. The couple and the baby were asked to quarantine pending test results and were discharged from the hospital. The families and patients of the upstate NY region should be assured that the safety of our patients and their families, as well as our staff, are our top priority during this crisis. Our healthcare team understands how important it is to pregnant patients to have a support person with them during labor, and therefore, additional safeguards have been added allow this to continue safely. We will continue to weigh all the medical evidence available to continue to make the best possible decision for all our patients, visitors, and staff, the statement said. Only one support person for pregnant women is allowed to be present in one of the few exceptions to a policy preventing visitors at the hospital. Everyone at the hospital, including visitors, will have to wear masks, the hospital announced the day prior. Some hospitals announced in recent days they would prevent any visitors for pregnant women, but the state late last week announced hospitals would have to allow partners in delivery rooms. In no hospital in New York will a woman be forced to be alone when she gives birth, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement before an executive order was issued. Not now, not ever. The state Department of Health recommended hospitals on March 18 suspend all visitors except when medically necessary. Several days later, officials clarified the advisory didnt include maternity wards or pediatric wards. Hospitals should allow one support person in labor and delivery settings if the patient so desires, and two designated support persons in pediatric settings, providing that only one person is present at a time, according to the updated advisory. Washington, March 31 (IANS) American Airlines has confirmed that it will seek $12 billion of financial support from the US government because of the impact due to the cooronavirus pandemic, the media reported on Tuesday. Employees were told in an email on Monday this "would allow us to fly through even the worst of potential future scenarios", the BBC reported. It said it would mean "no involuntary furloughs or cuts in pay rates or benefits for the next six months". Staff will also be offered "enhanced voluntary leave and early retirement options". Last year the company made a $2.9 billion profit and returned $1.3bn to shareholders via dividends and buybacks, the BBC quoted Bloomberg as saying. Under the massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by the US Congress last week, $50 billion was set aside for airlines with half given as grants. The other half will be offered as loans in exchange for not furloughing employees until at least September 30. American Airlines, the world's biggest by passenger numbers, said it hoped to be back to flying a full schedule by then. "These funds are being distributed to ensure continuation of essential airline service and protect jobs. We intend to apply for these funds and are confident that, along with our relatively high available cash position, they will allow us to fly through even the worst of potential future scenarios," the BBC quoted the email to staff from Chief Executive Doug Parker and President Robert Isom, as saying. Global airlines have struggled as countries worldwide have grounded the majority of passenger flights since February as part of efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Another US airline, Delta, has also offered voluntary leave of absence, and carriers outside the COUNTRY such as Singapore Airlines have unveiled plans to raise funds by tapping share and debt markets with the backing of sovereign investment fund Temasek Holdings. --IANS ksk/ Nationwide, people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Old Delhi from March 10-13, such as these people from Nalgonda and Miryalaguda in Telangana, have come forward to be tested for the Covid-19 virus after reports emerged that the coronavirus spread that meeting. (PTI) Chennai: Following the nationwide alarm over the spread of the Covid-19 infection from the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Old Delhi last week, 18 men who took part in that meeting voluntarily went to the medical authorities in Chennai on Tuesday to have themselves tested. It was reported in the media later that they all tested positive. The tests never took place. The 18 men from Medavakkam and Pallikaranai, according to a video clip posted in Facebook by one of them on Wednesday, were taken to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital and made to wait the whole day. They were given no food until evening and were never subjected to any medical test. Yet some media houses declared that they had tested positive for Covid-19. In the video, the men are seen idling in the ward with no social distancing and no signs of any treatment given to them. Following an appeal by the government, the men contacted the authorities on their own. They were reportedly asked to go the government hospital at Medavakkam at around 10.00 am Tuesday. At around 3 pm they were taken to Chengalpattu in an ambulance. Though not even blood samples were taken from them, some media organisations reported that 18 persons from Pallikaranai had tested positive for the coronavirus Covid-19, the man speaking in the video said, adding that such reporting would create panic among their relatives and neighbours. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and health secretary Beela Rajesh have been asking people who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat conclave in Nizamuddin Markaz to voluntarily come forward to be tested for the virus. It is said that more than 500 persons from Tamil Nadu attended the meet. There were some 300 foreigners as well. Tablighi Jamaat is a non-political global Sunni Islamic missionary movement that was born at Mewat in India in 1927. It has followers all over India. But the novel coronavirus is transforming life for people worldwide after dozens of nations have tightened or closed their borders. Travel bans are commonplace in this age of pandemic: A growing list of places including Ghana, Kenya, Italy and Chile have closed their doors without much notice to nearly all foreigners. Some of the residents of Assam, who were present in and around the Tablighi Jamat gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi and returned to the state, have been tested for the coronavirus and their results will be available on Wednesday, officials have said. The Assam government has said 455 people were present at Delhis Nizamuddin, which has become a coronavirus hotspot after a religious congregation was held there earlier this month. On Wednesday evening, we are likely to receive the test results of those persons who had returned from Nizamuddin. We will be able to know the status of Covid-19 spread in Assam only after the results arrive, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the states health minister, had said on Tuesday. Sarma had said he has instructed district authorities to find and quarantine them. Held an urgent Video Conference with all DCs & SPs advised them to take swift & strict measures for all those who returned from hotstpot at #NizamuddinMarkaz of #TablighiJamaat. All of them shall be quarantined by evening, Sarma tweeted late on Tuesday. The minster had also urged people who have returned to the state to voluntarily go to the nearest hospital or make a call on the states coronavirus helpline number. Urgent Request. If there is anyone from Assam who attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi, please IMMEDIATELY report voluntarily to the nearest government hospital or by calling Helpline no # 104. Please treat this as very important, he had tweeted. Also read: Markaz leadership resisted, then NSA Ajit Doval dropped by at 2am Assam had on Tuesday also reported its first Covid-19 patient after a 52-year-old man tested positive and Sarma said he is now at Silchar Medical College Hospital in Cachar district of Barak Valley. The man, Sarma told a local news channel, had first shown symptoms of Covid-18 on March 18. There are unconfirmed reports that he had gone for treatment of another disease to Delhi and had returned to Assam on March 11. The patient was under our notice since Monday and we sent his samples to NIV, Pune to confirm. We have taken his travel history and done contact-tracing. The persons who were in contact with him have already been either quarantined or kept in isolation. So there is no need to panic, he said. Sarma said that the details of the patient, his travel history and list of persons he may have come in contact will be made available officially on Wednesday. Officials of the Delhi government have said they have identified 1,830 people from 19 states and Union territories who visited the congregation in Nizamuddin, which was held between March 15 and 17. However, state governments said they suspected many more people, who were not registered with the sect, had visited the event. They are trying to identify at least 3200 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. Hundreds of people have been put under quarantine and tested them for the dreaded infection in at least 11 states and Union territories. Officials have confirmed these congregation members had tested positive in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, and Jammu & Kashmir and that many test results were awaited. Six in Telangana and one in Kashmir, who attended the event, have died of Covid-19. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: daliaresearch.com The rate is the highest among the 45 countries and territories worldwide involved in the research that focus on peoples perception of their governments reaction to the epidemic. Vietnam is followed by Argentina (61 percent), Austria (58 percent), Singapore (57 percent) and South Africa (56 percent) in this category. Almost half of the world (43 percent) say their governments are doing too little in response to the outbreak. However, citizens in eight out of the 45 countries surveyed believe on average that their governments are overreacting and doing too much in response. As the US overtakes China in the number of the confirmed cases, 19 percent of the USpopulation believe the government is doing too much in response. France and Spain are above the global average for considering their governments' response to be too little (64 percent and 66 percent respectively)./. Kids podcasts are a shared listening experience for kids and parents. Podcasts become part of the family routine, with the car the most popular place to listen. All you need is a fresh playlist of shows that both you and your little one enjoy. I put together this list of great shows for kids ages 2 through 6 and their caretakers. They are all available free on nearly any podcast app. Circle Round Folk tales from around the world, told with the help of celebrity readers. Stories Podcast A combination of classic childrens stories and original tales. Molly of Denali An eight-episode serialized narrative, based on the PBS Kids series. What If World The improvisational storyteller Mr. Eric tells fantastic tales based on What if? questions submitted by listeners. Educational But Why? The public radio host Jane Lindholm helps answer kids most burning questions. Earth Rangers A sound-rich dive into nature and animal science, guided by Ranger Emma. Smash Boom Best This debate show pits two awesome things against each other, encouraging listeners to choose their own winner. Animal Sound Safari This Australian podcast travels in a Magic School Busstyle safari mobile to discover animals around the world. Pants on Fire Kids are challenged to spot the liar on this game show, co-hosted by a robot. Music Ear Snacks The childrens musicians Andrew & Polly explore different themes through songs and interviews. Noodle Loaf A clever interactive music podcast that features echo songs, musical challenges and a kids choir that anyone can join. The Music Box Each episode is a lesson about a musical concept featuring interactive activities. Classical Kids Storytime A sneaky way to introduce your kids to classical music, with the help of childrens stories like Hansel and Gretel. A sign reading "Help stop the spread" is seen at an empty Bondi Beach, as the beach remains closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sydney, Australia, on April 1, 2020. (Loren Elliott/Reuters) Australia Cruise Ship Evictions Tread CCP Virus Diplomacy Tightrope Australia is pushing foreign-flagged cruise ships to leave its territorial waters amid the CCP virus pandemic, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it also tries to bring home citizens trapped on ships abroad. Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan on April 1 called on the federal government to kick out the German-owned MV Artania after the crew was reported to have asked the Australian Border Force (ABF) for permission to stay until April 14. If whats required is to clean the ship as a condition of getting it underway, well then do that but get the ship away from Western Australia as soon as possible, WA Premier Mark McGowan told reporters, adding there were six to nine other ships off Sydney. Cruise ships are responsible for at least 20 percent of Australias 4,800 CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases nationally, and the source of public anger after passengers from Carnival Corps Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark in Sydney and several later tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. In the wake of that incident and amid fears cruise ships were essentially super carriers of the CCP virus, the federal government barred them from docking at Australian port, except in emergencies. The Artania was permitted to dock last week to allow for the evacuation of nine people suspected to have the virus. Several hundred passengers were offloaded and flown back to Germany over the weekend, leaving around 450 crew members and a couple of dozen passengers on board. Healthcare professionals direct a woman at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Bondi Beach, after several outbreaks were recorded in the area, in Sydney, Australia, on April 1, 2020. (Loren Elliot/Reuters) The Commonwealth is continuing to work with the W.A. state government to ensure that Artania has the ability to depart Australian waters as soon as reasonably practicable, the Department of Home Affairs said in an emailed statement. Germanys Phoenix Reisen, owner of the Artania, was not immediately available for comment. Foreign Minister Marise Payne acknowledged that asking ships to leave Australian waters while at the same time trying to bring citizens home from ships docked in foreign waters was a very difficult balancing process. Payne said there were 600 Australians trapped on 10 cruise ships around the world. We have to protect Australians, Payne told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. We have to protect and support Australians overseas as well and get them home in a way that is safe for them and safe for Australians here. Bondi Clinic The rate of growth in new infections across Australia has slowed to just under 10 percent in recent days, from 2530 percent a week ago. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said on Wednesday the curve is flattening but it was not time to take the foot off the brake. The countrys death toll stands at 20 after a steady creep upward in recent days. A healthcare professional talks to a man at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Bondi Beach, after several outbreaks were recorded in the area, in Sydney, Australia, on April 1, 2020. (Loren Elliot/ Reuters) Authorities opened up clinics in CCP virus hotspots around the country, including at Bondi Beach, on Wednesday as they zeroed in on specific areas that have reported clusters of infections. Bondi made headlines in March when thousands of people were seen ignoring social distancing rules at its world-famous beach. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stressed the need for continuing strict social distancing measures despite the slowdown, including restricting the number of people meeting in public to just two and the closure of parks, beaches and gyms. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Wednesday said the countrys A$2 trillion ($1.23 trillion) economy would likely experience a very material contraction in economic activity that could spread beyond the June quarter. The RBA held an out-of-cycle meeting on March 18 when it reduced its cash rate to a record low 0.2 percent and embarked on a bond buying programme to try and shield the economy from the devastation caused by the CCP virus pandemic. The government and RBA have announced stimulus packages worth up to A$320 billion, excluding quantitative easing. By Colin Packham and Sonali Paul Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:08:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of kiwifruit imported from New Zealand arrived at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai Wednesday. The batch consisted of over 1 million boxes of kiwifruit weighing about 4,500 tonnes, according to the Shanghai Customs. To help the fruit reach Chinese customers as soon as possible, the customs launched green channels for inspection and lab detection. China has become the largest single export market of New Zealand kiwifruit, of which over 65 percent is expected to be exported to China through Shanghai this year. According to the Shanghai Customs, the overall scale of the city's fruit imports has been gradually rebounding to its usual level since March, as the COVID-19 outbreak has been subdued. A 25-year-old Birmingham has been identified as the victim fatally shot in Ensley Tuesday. Corey Rahmon Cook Jr. was found unresponsive outside his vehicle shortly after 5 p.m. West Precinct officers responded the 1500 block of Avenue H after the citys gunfire detection system Shot Spotter indicated shots fired in the area. Once in the area, police found Cook lying in the roadway next to a vehicle in the 1100 block of 16th Street. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service medics pronounced him dead on the scene. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the investigation suggests that while Cook was at the location, a small black sedan drove past him and someone inside the car fired shots. Detectives have not established a clear motive, he said, and no arrests have been made. Cook is Birminghams 26th homicide this year. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 40 confirmed homicides, including the 26 in Birmingham. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham police homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Some scientists even wonder whether the recent decline in city noise could have unintended effects on bird behavior. To compete with human-caused noise in urban areas, many birds have had to alter their songs as they struggle to be heard by potential mates, and some have even fled city life altogether. As cities get quieter, it would be reasonable to imagine that we might see effects on birds willingness to sing or even on population densities, said John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Understand the Lastest News on Climate Change Card 1 of 3 Global temperatures. 2021 was Earths fifth hottest year on record, European scientists announced. The finding fits a clear warming trend: The seven hottest years on record have been the past seven. U.S. emissions bounce back. After a record 10 percent decline in 2020, Americas greenhouse gas emissions rose 6.2 percent in 2021 as the economy began recovering from the pandemic. The uptick underscored the challenges President Biden faces to fulfill his climate agenda. Sounding the alarm. A report on the state of the Arctic highlights troubling and consistent trends in the region that are linked to global warming. Researchers are also growing increasingly concerned about Antarctica, where ice shelves are melting and wilder winds are altering crucial currents. But, Dr. Fitzpatrick cautions, researchers still need hard data. Cornells scientists often look at data from eBird, an app for people to log bird sightings, which could help track any changes. In Europe, scientists recently launched a project called Silent Cities, asking volunteers to record urban landscapes, to study how wildlife sounds might shift during the pandemic. If you go out looking for birds, remember that social distancing remains critically important during the coronavirus outbreak. That means its best to avoid parks when theyre crowded with other people. Fortunately, theres still plenty to see and hear from an apartment window, backyard, or on a walk to the store. David Lindo, a British birding expert known as the Urban Birder, has been staying inside in Merida, Spain, for the past few weeks. But from his terrace, hes already been able to spot 31 species, including a gorgeous flock of Eurasian spoonbills overhead and a family of house martins nesting on his balcony. You dont need to be an expert to get started, Mr. Lindo says. Smartphone apps like Merlin can help pick out birds in your area. Cornells researchers also developed an app, BirdNET, that identifies bird songs, but its available only on Android for now. The best times to watch are early morning, when migratory birds land to stock up on food after traveling all night, as well as in the afternoon, when birds of prey hitch a ride on updrafts of warm air rising from the city. Commentary By Peter Stockland The Quebec government recently ordered the provinces cathedrals of commerce also known as shopping malls to close. The edict followed another imperative obliging all places of religious worship to lock their doors. Yet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau subsequently suggested Canadians might not have seen anything yet when it comes to draconian measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject to a conference call with the premiers and territorial leaders, Trudeau said, the federal government could temporarily upend Canadas constitutional order by invoking the federal Emergencies Act in short order. One of the key elements of the Emergencies Act is that it is an override on the provinces. It takes powers that are normally only in the hands of provinces or even municipalities and puts them at the federal level, he said. It must be said the prime minister looked like a man reluctant to go there. This was no just watch me moment. There was no imitating the bravado of his father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, during the 1970 October Crisis. The PM did give a peeved-papa get to your room tongue-lashing to miscreants whove been photographed defying the clear intention of voluntary social distancing measures. Enough is enough. Go home and stay home, he said. But his scolding tone quickly gave way to a note of eagerness at the positive measures his government has taken to roll out an $82-billion anti-COVID-19 economic package. That was topped up with a $5-billion aid fund for Canadian farmers. None of which should leave us in any doubt about his willingness to use federal law to force Canadian compliance with Ottawas best guess on how to corral and control COVID-19. As he put it bluntly: Nothing that could help is off the table. Both the speed of the spread and the rise of the body count prove something real and menacing has us at its mercy. The risk from hapless half-measures far outstrips the immediate danger of full-on attack. Its the point where the attack begins to pay off, however, that we need to already be thinking about. We must start working now to prevent coronavirus from mutating into a political disease that exhausts our capacity to sustain the traditional freedoms of a liberal democratic society. The great weakness of power is its incapacity to limit itself. When power marches forward, its last step invariably justifies the next step. A key requirement of consolidating those steps is forgetfulness. What? That Trudeau will forget to revoke the Emergencies Act? Of course not. That Quebec Premier Francois Legault will forget to allow churches, mall, parks and so on to re-open? Obviously, no. Rather, that we will forget, over time, what full liberty felt like on the other side of those measures. That we will be conditioned by them to accept theyre a normal part of our condition. What happens when the reset button fails or, far worse, when we forget its even available to be used? An answer can be found at the airport. When you last took a flight, you might have been moderately miffed at the security lineups or embarrassed when your undies popped out of your bag during a random search. But did it occur to you that the degree of search and seizure to which you were subjected would have been confined within living memory to prisons and other high-security institutions? Almost certainly not. Why? Because we collectively made our peace years ago with being undressed, scanned, searched and possibly interrogated as the trade-off for travel in the era of the war against terror. Those security measures arent going anywhere no matter how much they infringe on our basic freedom of movement. Weve resigned ourselves to them. Far worse, weve forgotten how we lived when liberty was fully alive among us. Such an outcome in the face of COVID-19 would be the worst collective effect of the sophomoric acts of rebellion against calls for responsible social distancing and self-isolation. So scofflaws need to be brought to their senses sooner, not later. But we mustnt stop with convincing them to avoid pushing the powers that be into taking a fateful next step. We must begin thinking about how we protect our traditional freedoms as well as our transient physicality. Peter Stockland is the publisher of convivium.ca and senior writer at the think-tank Cardus. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) hopes for the final adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of a law on banks next week, which will allow receiving both the EFF program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and related financing from the World Bank and other official lenders, NBU Governor Yakiv Smolii has said. "We hope that next week the Verkhovna Rada at second reading will vote bill No. 2571-d, and this will open the door for the IMF program," he said during an online conference of the NBU board with the European Business Association. Smolii said that in addition to the World Bank, the matter concerns macro-financial assistance from the European Union, which can be expanded, and assistance from the governments of Canada and Japan. The banker also recalled that Ukraine counts on IMF funding on the programs to combat coronavirus in the amount of $1.4 billion or even more. "I think if we get this funding, we will be able to calmly go through the crisis that has swept the whole world today," Smolii emphasized. He noted that most of the funds from the IMF should be sent to the national budget, which bears the main financial burden of overcoming the epidemic in Ukraine, to cover the budget deficit and create the stabilization fund to fight coronavirus in Ukraine. According to the head of the National Bank, Ukraine's international reserves today amount to about $25 billion and are sufficient so that the NBU could maintain financial stability by carrying out currency interventions if necessary. Ara Harutiunian, a businessman and former prime minister, won the first round of a presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh and will face another candidate, Masis Mayilian, in a runoff two weeks later, according to preliminary vote results released on Wednesday. The official results also show Harutiunians party winning the largest number of seats in Karabakhs next parliament also elected on Tuesday. The Central Election Commission (CEC) said more than 73 percent of Karabakhs 104,300 eligible cast ballots in the polls strongly condemned by Azerbaijan. The turnout was high despite concerns about the spread of coronavirus in the Armenian-populated territory that broke away from Azerbaijani rule in 1991. The authorities in Stepanakert have registered no coronavirus cases so far. According to the CEC, Harutiunian garnered 49.3 percent of the vote, narrowly missing the threshold for winning the presidential ballot outright. Mayilian came in second with 26.4 percent of the vote, followed by retired General Vitaly Balasanian, who got 14.7 percent. The 11 other presidential candidates fared far more poorly. Also, Harutiunians Free Fatherland party won over 40 percent of the vote and will therefore have the largest group in the new local legislature. The United Homeland party of Samvel Babayan, another retired general, finished second with 23.6 percent of the vote. Babayan had led Karabakhs Armenian-backed army during and after the 1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan. Also winning parliament seats were three other Karabakh parties: Balasanians Justice (7.9 percent), the Karabakh branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (6.4 percent) and the Democratic Party (5.8 percent). The latter is led by Ashot Ghulian, the outgoing parliament speaker. None of the presidential candidates was openly backed during the election campaign by Bako Sahakian, the outgoing Karabakh president, or Armenias political leadership. Both frontrunners as well as Balasanian used to hold major positions in Sahakians administration. Balasanian has been a bitter critic of the current Armenian government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in particular ever since he resigned as Karabakhs top security official last year. Pashinians political allies have accused the general of maintaining close ties with Armenias former leadership overthrown in the 2018 Velvet Revolution. Harutiunian has a much more cordial relationship with the Pashinian government. The 46-year-old served as Karabakhs prime minister from 2007-2017. He has extensive business interests in the territory. For his part, Mayilian was appointed as foreign minister in 2017. He went on leave late last year to concentrate on the elections. Azerbaijan has always condemned elections held in Karabakh as illegitimate. The Foreign Ministry in Baku said on Tuesday that the latest polls also run counter to Azerbaijani and international law and that Karabakh is governed by an illegal regime installed by Armenia. U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group said that Karabakh is not recognized as an independent state by the international community and the so-called general elections cannot predetermine the outcome of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by them. By contrast, Armenia defended the holding of the elections. It cited a 1992 OSCE document saying that elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh should also participate in the peace process. MENAFN, March 21, 2020 (MENAFN - Pajhwok Afghan News) NEILI (Pajhwok): A number of drug-addicted women, who have been living with addicted men in ruined places of Neili, the capital of central Daikunid, province, say the government should facilitate their treatment so they return to normal life. According to statistics with the Public Health Department, 25,000 men and 10,000 women and children are addicted to different types of drugs in the province. A Pajhwok reporter visited an under construction building in Nelli two days back where tens of drug addicts are living. Under construction buildings, bridges, culverts, parks and cemeteries are places where drug addicts spend their days and nights. The addicts move everywhere in the city during day and mostly beg to earn money buy drugs. After 5:00pm in the evening, they return to their places of gathering to spend their nights. The reporter saw Reza Gul, one of the addicted women, in the building filling a cigarette from drugs. The woman, a resident of Neilli, said she lost her spouse to the conflict and was currently living the half-constructed building with male and female addicts. Reza Gul said: 'What report will you make of my bad situation. Go and do your work. I have no life except drug.' But few minutes later she agreed to talk but outside the building. Reza Gul was in hurry to fill her cigarette from drug. Wearing old cloths, she said she could not speak for more than 10 minutes otherwise one should massage her body. She got married six years ago and after one year of her marriage her husband joined police due to unemployment. She said after her husband was killed in a clash with Taliban info-icon , her in laws expelled her from home and separated her from her two daughters. 'When they expelled me from home, my own family also refused to get me in. This place became my destiny,' she said with deep sorrow and disappointment. She asked government authorities concerned to facilitate her treatment so she could return to normal life. Fatima, not a real name, is another addicted woman. She said her husband was addicted to drug and encouraged her to consume opium. 'Every time my husband used to take drugs, I would fight with him. He also encouraged me to drug to end my opposition.' After three years, her husband died and she had to leave their house and now she is unaware of her three children. Fatema did not want to speak more about her personal life and asked the government to provide opportunity for her treatment so she live a normal life. AIHRC, civil society info-icon organizations concerned over female drug addicts' conditionMubarak Rezaee, head of the Afghanistan info-icon Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), said: 'Living together of women addicts with men drug addicts is a matter of concern for us and it is government responsibility to rehabilitate drug addicts and create special hospital for them.' He said AIHRC for Daikundi had often contacted relevant authorities for construction of special hospital for women drug addicts. Laila Hussaini, a civil society activist, said 'It is very unfortunate that the number of drug addicts is on the rise. The government should take stern action to control this.' Response from officials Qurban Elham, acting head of the Public Health Department, said 25,000 men and 10,000 women and children were addicted to different types of drugs in Daikundi. 'This statistic is alarming, keeping in view the total population of Daikundi and it is on the increase every year,' he said. Elham said a 10-bed hospital for treatment of female drug addicts had been built and would be officially launched soon. He said a 20-bed hospital for men drug addict was operational in the province from past few years. 'In case a welfare organization, the governor or his deputy take responsibility for accommodation, food and other expenses, the health department is ready to collect all women addicts and start their treatment until a special hospital for them is official opened.' Women Affairs Department Director Masuma Hussaini said they could only refer women drug addicts to hospitals and could not provide them more support in this regard. The government has a Four-Stage Plan for dealing with the fact that it has no answer to the question about why it is carrying out hundreds of thousands fewer coronavirus tests than comparable countries. Obfuscate. Sidestep. Ignore. All came and went in the space of barely a week and now, already, here we are at Stage Four: Alok Sharma. As the governments advisors have stressed on many occasions, this is a fluid process. The end of one stage will already feel like the beginning of the next, and it is certainly true that Ignore and Alok Sharma are very difficult to distinguish. Unfortunately for the government, the 5pm 10 Downing Street press conference has become something of a focal point in the daily life of the nation. Unfortunate in the sense that all the nation can see is the government being asked the same question about coronavirus testing over and over again, and the government failing to provide an answer, every single time, day after day. Clearly, it doesnt have an answer. It cant make the question go away, so what it hopes it can do is make the people go away, and what better way to convince them that, really, theres nothing to see here, than to send for a man that could quite easily remain unseen if you got in a lift with him. If youve never heard of Alok Sharma then dont worry, neither has he. According to Wikipedia, he is the Secretary of State for Business, and therefore one of the most senior members of the government but dont forget, anyone can edit that, and there are a lot of very bored people stuck at home right now. Just like yesterday and just like tomorrow, the kitchen based talking heads came and went (special mention to ITVs Robert Peston, who had stuck a large sign above the door to his kitchen with his own name stencilled across it. Sadly, its final letter was obscured throughout by the top of his right ear, prompting those who with only a passing interest in television news to wonder whether this really was the time for a human interest story about the man with the worlds largest pesto cupboard). Again they asked: why cant we manage to carry out even a seventh of the number of coronavirus tests as Germany. Again there came no answer. Again we are ramping up the testing. Again things are going to improve in the coming days, even though the days that were coming three days ago have now come, theyre right here, were living in them, and nothing has changed. For now, the unseasonably freezing April weather has confined the nations journalists to their kitchens as they ask this question. No one knows how long this will go on for, but it surely will not be long before the guy from Channel 4 News or the Guardian or wherever is just glancing up from the barbecue, taking a sip of lager and saying, Same as yesterday mate. Why no testing? Still, having been deployed for his instant forgettability, Mr Sharma made the rookie mistake of saying something actually memorable. You made reference to Germany, Mr Sharma told the ninth questioner to make reference to Germany. We of course look to see what we can learn throughout this process. That, to be fair, is at least new. Once upon a time, the learning opportunity line was the sole preserve of England managers, trying to justify why they had picked a fourth string side for some meaningless international friendly. It has evolved more recently, and can now be used, for example, by online self-parody act Jameela Jamil, to express gratitude to all of those people who recently told her that the reason she hadnt learnt about the 2003 Iraq War in history class at school was because it hadnt happened yet. And of course, the opportunity to learn was what drew Prince Andrew to spend those long six days, personally breaking up with Jeffrey Epstein in his New York apartment. Do any of these come close to the new reality, that a mushrooming epidemic and its exponential death toll is in fact a chance for the government to learn from other countries? Probably not. But then, we must take our learning opportunities where we find them, even if, for most of us, it is limited to learning who Alok Sharma is, even if youve forgotten again after an hour. Still, thats the point, isnt it? Same time tomorrow, after all. Governor Gavin Newsom View Photo Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the Stay Home. Save Lives. Check In. campaign urging Californians to help combat social isolation and food insecurity among Californians who are over the age of 65 a community that is uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19. Newsom was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. During Californias stay at home order, older Californians may need friends and neighbors to help them obtain basic necessities like groceries and prescriptions. The most important way for older Californians to stay safe is to stay at home, said Governor Newsom. No older Californian should be forced to go outside to get groceries or their medication. Its on all of us across the state to check in on the older adults in our lives our friends, family and neighbors to help them during this outbreak. Each and every one of us must reach out in a safe way to make sure our older neighbors have someone to talk to and have enough food to eat during these difficult times. The campaign urges all Californians to check in on their older neighbors with a call, text or physically-distanced door knock to make sure theyre ok. In addition, the state is urging local non-profits and faith-based organizations to call to check in on all of the older Californians in their networks. The Governor also announced the creation of a statewide hotline 833-544-2374 so that Californians have a one-stop shop to answer their questions and get assistance during this crisis. The state, in partnership with AARP, will also send a mailer to older residents, 65 and older, with useful resources and information to help adapt to the stay at home order. Social isolation can be difficult for older Californians even in the best of times, said Kim McCoy Wade, director of the California Department of Aging. We have to help aging Californians feel connected and we must ensure we all have access to any needed services right now. This work will save lives. The campaign builds on existing efforts by California Volunteers and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to help older Californians and those who need food assistance. California Volunteers has launched their Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign, which calls on neighbors to be the first line of support for Californias most vulnerable residents who have been advised to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign is focused on older adults and promotes ways to safely check on your neighbors, family and friends. To make the most vulnerable Californians more resilient to disasters, Listos California has pivoted to helping these communities stay safe during the pandemic. Leading the charge statewide are Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) comprised of volunteers with at least 20 hours of FEMA preparedness training. These teams are conducting welfare checks on seniors, as well as distributing essential food and supplies in Sacramento, San Diego, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Napa counties to help them through the pandemic. Listos California has also partnered with trusted community-based organizations across the state and programs like Meals on Wheels and other local senior-serving non-profits to deliver services and preparedness resources. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that no stigma should be attached Coronavirus as 80 % of the cases proved negative after home quarantine while only a small 4 % needed ICU. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that no stigma should be attached Coronavirus as 80 % of the cases proved negative after home quarantine while only a small 4 % needed ICU. Speaking to media here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said 87 persons tested positive in the State of which 70 are those who returned from Delhi. On the whole 1085 persons attended Delhi prayer meeting and we have tracked and taken samples of 585. While 70 were tested positive and 500 results are yet to come and 21 people are yet to be traced. He appealed to the people to volunteer and dial 104 if there are any symptoms and said that no stigma should be attached to it. Medical help will come home test and give advise accordingly, he said. Chief Ministers asked people to report problems with the ANMs, Asha workers, volunteers who are continuously surveying every household across the state. He assured that they would be provided with treatment immediately and if necessary they will be taken to the hospital to provide treatment. He requested the people in the state to strictly follow government guidelines and maintains social distancing. He urged people to come out voluntarily in case of any symptoms and the government will shift them to quarantine centers and provide necessary treatment until it cures. COVID-19 is like any other fever and can be cured if taken proper medication and be in isolation for 14 days after treatment. I salute the indomitable spirit of our healthcare workers, army personnel, police & everyone out there working around the clock so that we are safe at our homes. We are indebted to them for their service during these tough times . #JanataCurfew #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/AvXAQ9S2xM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) March 22, 2020 The Chief Minister said that the state expenditure has highly increased whereas, the income was drastically reduced. Amidst such a situation, he thanked the employees for giving their consent on the postponement of payments. Moreover, he asked the private hospital and medical college staff to engage in coronavirus prevention work. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Dairygold delivered an annual turnover of 1.02 billion last year with the co-operative's 2,750 milk suppliers expanding milk production by 50 million litres. The operating profit for the year was 35.8 million, an increase of 6.8 million (24%) on the 2018 operating profit of 29 million. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Around 15,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) recently purchased by the Department of Health have arrived in the country, a health official said Wednesday. The delivery serves as the first shipment of the one million sets of PPE worth 1.8 billion bought by the department for medical frontliners in the fight against the coronavirus disease. Health Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire said the first batch of PPEs is currently at the warehouse of the Office of Civil Defense. Kasulukuyang iniinspek ang ating mga PPEs bago ipadala sa mga nangangailangang ospital, she said in an online briefing. [Translation: We are currently inspecting the PPEs before we can send them to hospitals in need.] The PPEs will then be distributed to the East Avenue Medical Center, the San Lazaro Hospital, the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine General Hospital, the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center. Vergeire assured the public that the sets are complete, with N95 masks, surgical masks, shoe covers, overalls, head covers, goggles and surgical gowns. The remaining 985,000 sets will arrive starting on April 6 until April 24, the DOH said in a later statement. "The complete PPE set ensures that our health workers are duly protected while providing care for our COVID-19 patients, said the agency. The lack of protective gear for health workers has been blamed for the detrimental losses in the country's battle against COVID-19. The Philippine Medical Association said 17 doctors have died manning the frontlines, asserting that the deaths could have been prevented had there been enough PPEs. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte saluted health workers who have lost their lives in fighting the pandemic. He said they were lucky to have died serving the country. Netflix dropped the trailer for its upcoming drama Outer Banks Tuesday, introducing you to the world of some North Carolina teens who would give the high schoolers in Dawsons Creek and Friday Night Lights a run for their money in the angst department. Except on top of the usual romantic problems plaguing every TV teen character, these boys and girls are dealing with a missing person and a deadly treasure hunt. In the trailer, which you can view above, youll meet John B and his crew, the working-class Pogues of the Outer Banks. John Bs (Chase Stokes) dad mysteriously disappears at the beginning of the summer and as the gang searches for him, they stumble upon clues that point them in the direction of a bounty of gold. But searching for that treasure while falling in and out of love could prove to be a fatal expedition. Also Read: 'Locke and Key' Renewed for Season 2 by Netflix According to Netflixs description, Outer Banks is a coming of age story that follows a tight-knit group of local teens (the Pogues) in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When a hurricane kills the power for the summer season, it sets off a chain of illicit events that force the friends to make life-altering decisions. The search for their ringleaders missing father, forbidden romances, a high-stakes treasure hunt, and the escalating conflict between the Pogues and their rivals turn their summer into one filled with mystery and adventure theyll never forget. Along with Stokes, Outer Banks stars Rudy Pankow as JJ, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Austin North as Topper, Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron, and Charles Esten as Ward Cameron. The series is created and executive produced by Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burke. Outer Banks launches April 15 on Netflix. Read original story Outer Banks Trailer: Carolina Teens With Dawsons Creek-Level Angst Go on a Deadly Treasure Hunt (Video) At TheWrap PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 16:26:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 612 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Money Metals Exchange is Launching its New Vault Metals ProgramEAGLE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / While other precious metals dealers are sold out of most inventory, Money Metals Exchange, the national online dealer voted "Best in the USA," today introduced its new Vault Metals program. This unique initiative would make precious metals available to investors at very low premiums (silver at $1 or less over spot, for example).For more information about Money Metals Exchange and the services that they offer, please visit https://www.moneymetals.com/ Here's what's happening... Recent days' intense market demand has quickly soaked up virtually all available worldwide supplies of "hold-in-your-hand" silver - rounds, coins, and bars. Gold coins, rounds, and bars have become scarce, too, especially for less-prepared or under-capitalized dealers. These shortages mean that even though spot prices may be lower, most precious-metals dealers are asking for significantly higher premiums on all products because their cost of sourcing has also risen sharply.As a result, many precious-metals investors have been forced to endure delays and disappointment, with most popular products on backorder, shipping delay, or simply sold out.Although Money Metals Exchange still has ample supply of most popular gold and silver coins, the national online dealer announced a new solution -physical gold (.9999 pure) and physical silver (.999 pure) in the absolute lowest-premium form that exists anywhere in the retail market.Money Metals' new Vault Gold and Vault Silver offerings - allocated fractional interests in exchange-size bars of 400 troy oz. gold and 1,000 troy oz. silver. The bars are held in Money Metals' vault and allocated in each customer's name, in a separate Money Metals Depository account.Under current market conditions, large commercial bars are the only way in America to get physical gold and silver near the spot price. No other major precious-metals dealer in America offers this option.Though difficult, it's actually possible to hold a commercial silver bar. A single 15 x 6 x 4 bar weighs roughly 65 pounds. They are hard to move and are best kept inside a secure depository to prevent the need to re-assay. For these reasons, individual investors generally do not take personal possession.A 400 oz. gold vault bar is smaller and a bit easier to handle at only 25 pounds. But it makes sense to have an armed guard nearby as a single bar is worth almost $700,000.The substantial size - and per-unit price - of these bars both work to investors' advantage in this market, assuming they have an efficient way to hold and store them.Instead of taking possession of these large and expensive bars, investors now can obtain titled, allocated, fractional interests through Money Metals Depository.Some investors will hold their allocated interest long-term. Others will liquidate it for small bars, coins, or rounds later, when premiums finally come down."We're proud to offer vault gold and silver to our customers at a time where most dealers have no low-premium option for their customers, assuming they have any inventory to sell at all," said Stefan Gleason, president of Money Metals Exchange."By offering an easy and transparent way for investors to own commercials bars secured in our state-of-the-art vault, they can take steps to buy this vital financial insurance without paying huge markups." About Money Metals Exchange:Money Metals Exchange was founded to safeguard customers' precious metal holdings from financial turmoil and dollar devaluation. As a trusted source for gold and silver bullion, Money Metals Exchange has been named precious metals "Best in the USA" by industry ratings group Bullion.Directory . For more information, please visit https://g.co/kgs/MeqqC5.Contact:Stefan Gleason|inquiry@ moneymetals.com 18008001865SOURCE: Money Metals Exchange A British man has been named the world's oldest living man. He is currently in quarantine from the coronavirus in his assisted living home. Bob Weighton, who turned 112 on March 29, was recognized by Guinness World Records after residents sang "Happy Birthday" to him from a safe distance to adhere to the United Kingdom's social distancing guidelines. Weighton was born in Kingston-Upon-Hull in Yorkshire. After a marine engineering apprenticeship as a teen, he moved to Taiwan and learned Mandarin while teaching at a missionary school. He married his wife Agnes in 1937. The couple had their first child in Taiwan and then two more while living in Toronto during World War II, before returning to the United Kingdom following the war. He then worked as a teacher at City University in London. Weighton has three children, 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He stays busy making miniature wooden windmills that he sells to raise money for charity, Today.com reported. Bob Weighton became the latest man to earn the Guinness World Records designation after Japanese man Chitetsu Watanabe died on Feb. 23 at 112 years and 355 days old. Japanese woman Kane Tanaka is currently the world's oldest living person after turning 117 in January. Defense and trade pacts are moving forward without the participation of the United States amid the ever-present efforts around the world to circumvent the United States financial system. The world is responding to Mr. Trump, the United States is losing, and Russia and China are on the rise. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 Trend: Georgia doesnt recognize the so-called elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh, Trend reports citing Georgian Foreign Ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia reaffirms its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and does not recognize the so called presidential and parliamentarian elections held on March 31, 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh, reads the message. Georgia supports exclusively peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with the norms and principles of international law, said the ministry. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan 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. (Bloomberg) -- A Southern California venture capitalist who contributed $900,000 to President Donald Trumps inaugural committee agreed to plead guilty to making almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions from 2012 to 2016. Imaad Shah Zuberi, 49, also admitted he hid his work for foreign nationals while he lobbied U.S. government officials and evaded paying taxes, according to the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. The charges dont appear linked to contributions made to the Trump campaign, but Zuberi has been linked to people in Trumps orbit who have come under the scrutiny of federal prosecutors, including the presidents former lawyer Michael Cohen. Zuberi, who ran the venture capital firm Avenue Ventures, solicited foreign nationals and representatives of foreign governments for money, which he used to hire lobbyists and public relations people and to make campaign contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, according to prosecutors. He also pocketed money from foreign sources for his personal use, prosecutors said. Mr. Zuberis multi-faceted scheme allowed him to line his pockets by concealing the fact that he was representing foreign clients, obtaining access for clients by making a long series of illegal contributions, and skimming money paid by his clients, U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in the statement. Mr. Zuberi circumvented laws designed to insulate U.S. policy and our election process from foreign intervention. Zuberis plea agreement with prosecutors doesnt include a cooperation clause. Zuberis lawyer, Thomas OBrien, declined to comment. Read more on Trump inaugural committee here Zuberi made campaign contributions that gave him access to high-level U.S. officials, some of whom took action to help his clients, according to prosecutors. The $900,000 to the Trump inaugural committee came through Avenue Ventures, according to a person familiar with the case. For that, Zuberi got a table at the presidents candlelit dinner, slated to be near seats for Vice President Mike Pence and Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy. Story continues In February, prosecutors in New York served a subpoena on the inaugural committee, demanding records of its finances, according to a person familiar with the matter. Zuberi and Avenue Ventures were the only donors named in the subpoena, the New York Times reported at the time. Prosecutors asked Cohen about his dealings with Zuberi after the presidents former lawyer pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes, the newspaper reported. Zuberi took about $6.5 million from the government of Sri Lanka as part of a 2014 contract to help to rehabilitate that countrys image in the U.S., prosecutors said. Of that money, less than $850,000 went to lobbyists and public relations firms, while more than $5.65 million went to Zuberi and his wife, they said. He also pocketed the bulk of the money investors put in U.S. Cares, a company created to export humanitarian goods to Iran, according to the Justice Department. Of the $7 million invested in 2013 and 2014, Zuberi allegedly used more than 90% to buy real estate, pay down credit cards, remodel properties and make charitable donations. He faces as long as 15 years in prison. (Corrects reference to Zuberi seating arrangement and spelling of Broidys name in 8th paragraph, and removes reference to Broidy in third paragraph, in story that appeared on Oct. 22, 2019) 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. Mhamed Khadad, a senior official in the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the disputed Western Sahara, died Wednesday in Madrid aged 65, Sahrawi authorities said. The "key diplomatic figure" passed away at dawn after a long illness, a statement said. He was the Polisario's coordinator for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, or MINURSO, created in 1991. "The Sahrawi people have undisputably lost one of their most valiant and loyal men," the statement said. A week of "national mourning" was declared in the North African territory. Western Sahara, a vast swathe of desert on Africa's Atlantic coast, is a disputed former Spanish colony mostly under Morocco's control. The Algerian-backed Polisario, which fought a war for independence from 1975 to 1991, demands a referendum on self-determination. Morocco, which maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom, has offered autonomy but insists it will retain sovereignty. Khadad "had a crucial role in negotiations, in legal battles over safeguarding the Sahara's resources and in questions of human rights," Sahrawi ambassador to Algeria Abdelkader Etaleb told AFP. "His death is a loss that is hard to make up for." MADISON The Newcomer household near Monroe is fairly typical for rural Wisconsin. It is surrounded by cornfields. The nearest neighbor is a quarter-mile down the road. And the internet is terrible. Now, the coronavirus shutdown has put serious stress on the family. The teenagers struggle with the drip of internet service to do their homework while school is closed. Their mother, Traci Newcomer, 41, teaches nursing at the nearby Blackhawk Technical College campus in Janesville, and classes have now moved online. Because their internet service is so poor, she cannot teleconference at home. Newcomer must drive 10 minutes to the parking lot of the colleges Monroe Campus to use the Wi-Fi there. Today I put the computer on my passenger side seat and turned sideways and conducted my class that way, she said, prompting chuckles from her students before she got down to business. Back at home, Newcomer and her two children have to alternate who can connect to the Wi-Fi. And that is when they are getting any reception at all. Right now, three of us are very dependent on the internet and cant get accomplished what we want to accomplish in a big chunk of our day, she said. School and work are just a couple of the areas in which reliable, fast internet is needed as Wisconsin hunkers down to keep the coronavirus pandemic at bay. Increasingly, health care professionals see patients online to contain the spread of the virus. And everyone is hungry for the latest news as this worldwide emergency continues. The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare many of the ways in which poor internet service can make rural residents less productive and more isolated than their urban counterparts. Already, Wisconsin lags behind the national average in broadband coverage. An estimated 43% of Wisconsins rural residents lack access to high-speed internet, compared to about 31% of rural residents nationwide, according to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. We have such a long ways to go, said state Sen. Jeff Smith, a Democrat who has tried unsuccessfully to increase the states investment in broadband. And now this is going to be one of the things that comes out of this (crisis) when were all done: I guess we shouldnt have dragged our feet for so long, and now wed better get serious about it. Many people in urban areas likely take for granted how much they use fast internet. Video chatting. Online banking. Amazon Prime. Now imagine life if your internet trudged along and frequently conked out. That is what rural businesses and the communities where they operate often face in Wisconsin. And during the coronavirus pandemic, many of those country-living people, children and adults alike, now have to conduct their daily lives from home. Smith lives about five minutes outside of Eau Claire in the town of Brunswick, where he and his wife Sue live on a farm with horses, chickens, dogs, cats and a llama. Smith said his internet speeds are so bad he can hardly stream anything, and websites take a long time to load. This is the new public utility, Smith said, and everyone has to have it. Through programs like the FCCs Connect America Fund, the federal government has granted about $1 billion since 2015 to help service providers build and maintain voice and internet infrastructure in Wisconsin. Somc of that service is not yet online; providers have up to six years to offer broadband. And the program only requires an outdated speed of 10 megabits per second for downloading, although an FCC spokesman said nearly all of the funded projects will offer the federal definition of broadband, 25 megabits per second to download, and 3 mbps to upload. Between 2013 and 2019, the state of Wisconsin provided $20 million in grants to private and public entities and cooperatives to provide high-speed internet in unserved and underserved areas. In 2020, funding greatly expanded to $24 million in broadband expansion grants. But critics say even the new budgeted amounts are rain drops in an empty pool compared to what is needed to achieve significant coverage across the state. And the state grant rules do not set speed requirements in a rapidly accelerating digital landscape. Thats pretty meager, said Anita T. Gallucci, a Madison-based attorney who advises municipalities on telecommunications issues. The needed speed, not to mention what will be required in the future, is way beyond that, she said. In 2011, the administration of then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, actually returned $23 million in federal stimulus money intended for broadband expansion to schools, libraries and government agencies. Administration officials said the grant requirements were too stringent. Walker declined to comment through a spokesman. Last year, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, proposed adding nearly $75 million to the Broadband Expansion Grant Program in his 2019-20 budget. The powerful Joint Committee on Finance, which writes the budget and is controlled by Republicans who have majorities in the Legislature, scaled that back to $44 million. Theres never enough money to do what you need to do, said state Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, a joint finance vice chairman who has worked on the rural broadband issue. Olsen said he has good internet coverage at his home in Ripon, but his cabin in Wautoma uses less reliable satellite internet, at slower speeds. Its one of those things where were not going to get the problem solved as fast as everybody would like, but at least were working towards that outcome, Olsen said. Peter Cameron is managing editor of The Badger Project, a nonpartisan journalism nonprofit based in Madison. He reported this story under the direction of Wisconsin Watch Managing Editor Dee J. Hall. Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative reporting organization that focuses on government integrity and quality of life issues in Wisconsin. Credit rating agency, Moodys, highlighted Moroccos resilience to domestic and external shocks despite coronavirus propelling fewer tourists and exports which it said will be offset by lower energy imports. It maintained Moroccos credit profile at Ba1 stable reflecting demonstrated resilience to domestic and external shocks, and buoyed by access to relatively deep domestic capital markets. In view of the coronavirus shock impact, in addition to continued dry weather conditions, Moodys adjusted its growth forecast for Morocco downward to 2% for 2020, followed by 2.8% in 2021. Moroccos economy grew by 2.1% in 2019 according to the high commission for planning. Moroccos early and comprehensive response to limit the spread of the virus is indicative of effectiveness and will contribute to limit the economic impact over the medium term, it said in a report. Morocco remains vulnerable to the confidence-sensitive tourism sector and through trade channels with the EU where the cyclical automotive industry has been particularly hard hit. French carmakers Peugeot and Renault halted temporarily production at their Moroccan plants. The automotive sector has topped Moroccos exports in recent years. However, Moroccos resilience builds on the countrys economic shift towards higher value-added export sectors. Continued reforms to the fiscal and business environment that improve the non-agricultural sectors growth prospects could support this shift, it said. It noted that a credit rating upgrade could be prompted by policy action that ensures that the public debt ratio-including external debt guarantees for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is firmly positioned on a downward trajectory. The two sides met on Tuesday and are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday for further talks. Afghanistan government representatives and the Taliban have met in Kabul for the first time to discuss a prisoner swap aimed at jump-starting a floundering peace process, officials said on Wednesday. The two sides met on Tuesday and are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday for further talks, Afghanistans Office of the National Security Council said on Twitter. The two sides held face-to-face negotiations about the release of Afghan National Defense and Security Force personnel as well as Taliban prisoners, the Security Council said. It was the first time the Taliban have been invited to Afghanistans capital to meet directly with government officials since they were toppled in the US-led invasion of 2001. The two sides had spoken previously in a video conference to discuss the prisoner issue. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AFP news agency that a technical team was in Kabul purely to facilitate the prisoner swap, and not for additional negotiations. The prisoners to be released should be those whose names are on the list that is why our technical team is there it is not a negotiation, and there will be no political talks there, Mujahid said. The United States signed a deal with the Taliban in February that promised the withdrawal of US and foreign troops from Afghanistan by July next year, provided the Taliban start talks with Kabul and adhere to other guarantees. The deal required the Afghan government which was not a signatory to the accord to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners and for the group to release 1,000 pro-government captives in return. The swap was supposed to have taken place by March 10, at which point peace talks between the Taliban and the government were meant to begin. But Kabul has been gripped by fresh political bickering and infighting and the prisoner release issue was delayed. The security situation has also deteriorated with a series of Taliban attacks killing at least 20 members of Afghan security forces on Sunday. On Wednesday, a roadside bomb killed at least seven civilians including six children in southern Helmand province, which authorities blamed on the Taliban. Hundreds of inmates may see the light of day after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Wednesday ordered the sheriff to release low-risk inmates to curb a mass outbreak of COVID-19 at the second largest lockup in the country. Hidalgo, who called the jail a ticking time bomb, says local authorities are compelled to take extraordinary measures to reduce the jail population in order to protect inmates, staff and the public. She instructed Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to prepare a list of inmates accused of certain nonviolent offenses with no violent prior convictions. Officials have 32 hours from the time of the sheriff hands over the list to complete releases. Public health experts have made clear its a dangerous situation, Hidalgo said. The cramped conditions make it virtually impossible to enforce social distancing (and) proper quarantining of sick people. The order, weeks in the making, excludes anyone with three or more drunk-driving convictions, a conviction for burglary of a habitation or temporary restraining orders. A wide variety of charges fit the bill for possible release, including illegal drug sales, health care fraud, retail theft, forgery, bigamy and tampering with a corpse. The sheriff had called for compassionate releases of sick, immuno-compromised and elderly inmates facing nonviolent charges. Hidalgos order does not address inmates health conditions, but it adheres to prohibited releases outlined earlier by the governor and district attorney. She sidestepped bond for inmates charged with or convicted of violent crime. Corrections and public health experts cheered the move, saying it was vital for public health. But state officials and some local public safety leaders decried the move, saying it endangered public safety. If the threat of the virus isnt stopped in the jail, it is going to prolong the outbreak in the community because of the constant churn of people inside going outside, said Michele Deitch, nationally recognized expert on jails and a senior lecturer at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, President of Harris Health, said even a small percentage of inmates sickened by coronavirus and taking up bedspace in Harris County hospitals could overwhelm the regions resources. But some have furiously criticized the decision, saying it endangers public safety at the regions most vulnerable moment. In anticipation of Harris Countys move, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a broad order Sunday sounding the alarm about the release of dangerous criminals convicted or charged with violent crime though local officials had never suggested such a release. Furthermore, people charged with violent crimes are regularly released on bond, those who support the release point out. About 5,700 of the jails nearly 8,000 inmates are only there because they cant afford bond. Local police leaders have also raised concerns. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said any releases of inmates should come with safeguards and be done in a clear, transparent, and careful manner. Houston Police Officers Union President Joe Gamaldi criticized Hidalgo for not consulting with the Houston Police Department before issuing her order. This idiotic release has little to do with protecting defendants in the jail or protecting jail employees, he wrote, and everything to do with accomplishing her grand goal of emptying the jail. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg opposes the release of large categories of pretrial inmates facing charges involving violence, threats, burglaries or drunk driving or anyone potentially subject to restraining orders. Others argue Hidalgos approach is too conservative. There are people in the jail who can leave if they have $175, said Neal Manne, a lawyer on the team that challenged Harris Countys bail practices, referencing defendants who could pay a percentage of their bond. People exactly like them same charges, same history arent in jail, because they had $175. A handful of people in the jail, some 160 inmates, have been convicted and are awaiting transfer to a prison facility. However, the vast majority are awaiting trial on felony charges, and presumed innocent unless convicted. All these people could get out anyway if they had money, said Deitch, the LBJ lecturer. They dont present any further public safety risk because of their poverty. About 1,000 people are facing bond of $10,000 or less on a range of changes. They have asked a federal judge to release them in wake of the pandemic, though she indicated she was loathe to do so without first hearing their pending civil rights case on the merits. Another 1,800 have no bond conditions. More than 500 inmates are over 55 and 700 have underlying health conditions. About 90 percent of inmates are men. Thirty-one percent are on psychotropic medication and 22 percent self-reported as homeless. They live in cramped cells, share bathrooms, eating areas and common spaces, and use the same telephones and other equipment, allowing the virus to swiftly move from person to person. Jails and prisons around the country, as well as the federal prison system, have begun releasing inmates in recent weeks to avert or mitigate widespread contagion. Data from the Legal Aid Society show that in New York city jails, including Rikers, the infection rate was 3.91 percent, meaning 39.1 infections per 1,000 people. By comparison, the infection rate for New York City was 0.5 percent, or five infections per 1,000 people. In face of the growing coronavirus epidemic, state district judges have been combing through their dockets piecemeal, evaluating cases. An order last week allowed a few dozen to releases but those were slow in coming. The countys misdemeanor judges, who are under a federal consent decree in their bail lawsuit that allows many such bonds, have signaled to the district attorney that they intend to continue their protocol, which results in about 75 percent of defendants being released on personal bonds. Hidalgos Wednesday order sought to speed up and expand the release process. The sheriffs lawyer estimated this initial list could include 1,000 to 1,200, but after various agencies vet it and whittle it down significantly fewer people may actually be released. Everyone who qualifies under Hidalgos order will be offered non-financial conditions of release, for example, if a person cannot afford the cost of an ankle monitor or a urine test, it will be covered. The pretrial services officers will instruct everyone released to report back to court or appear in court within seven days from the time the countys emergency declaration is lifted. At present, that order expires April 30, but that could change. LETTER FROM JAIL: Harris County inmates pen emotional letter from jail on coronavirus: Nobody wants to die During the time they are free on bond, the inmates will be told to adhere to any conditions of personal bond, not commit new offenses, and follow the countys overall stay-at-home orders like everyone else. The county may coordinate with a shelter or offer hotel rooms to homeless inmates for a set period of time. Inmates will be asked at discharge if they need transportation to get home. The jail will provide either a Metrocard or taxi. Exit status will also depend on whether the inmate tapped for release has been tested or exposed to COVID-19. The order also specifies that the sheriff can refuse to accept release into custody people infected with the coronavirus. We have a limited and narrow window to act now to prevent a true crisis, Gonzalez said, noting that jail complexes in California, New York and New Jersey have all released hundreds on inmates to reduce their jail populations. If we do not take this action, we will have a public health disaster not only for the jail, but for all of Harris County on our hands. Inmates presumed innocent in the eyes of the law have been calling family members in tears saying theyre desperate and fear they wont get out alive if the virus begins to spread at the facility. A letter sent by a group of 15 inmates in the general population last week put it starkly. Under this situation it is impossible to stay calm, people are panicking and nobody wants to die in jail. gabrielle.banks@chron.com New Delhi: The fourth flight with Russian nationals on board departed from Delhi`s Indira Gandhi International Airport to their country on the intervening night of March 31 and April 1, the country`s embassy said on Wednesday. At least 28 Russian nationals who arrived in India for different purposes were stranded here due to curbs placed on travel by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus. The Indian government curtailed all international flights and later extended that suspension on domestic flights as well. Seeing the situation turning adverse, the Russian Embassy decided to extend an immediate helping hand to the 28 stranded nationals who were in New Delhi and sought help to return to their country. An official from Russian Embassy told ANI, last month, that the nationals had come to Delhi to take "a dedicated flight to Russia however it was full. We took care of these people by providing them shelter and basic food products. Now we expect them to go by next dedicated flight. Hopefully, there will be several because we have thousands of stranded tourists here. We have got almost one thousand people signed up saying they would want to go back to Russia." The Russian embassy has to date facilitated transportation by a special Aeroflot flight of about 388 Russian citizens who were stranded in India due to the lockdown.A charter flight was also arranged for a large Russian tour operator to bring back its 126 stranded clients from Goa. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to date, 1,637 cases have been reported, including 132 cured/discharged persons and 38 deaths from India. Souvenir is the French word for a remembrance or memory. A treasured keepsake from your travels is one of the best ways to relive precious travel memories. Keychains, mugs, and magnets are fine for last-minute airport purchases, but for a truly authentic travel token, check out our list of top souvenirs from some of the worlds most well-known travel destinations. 10. Peru - Chulucanas Pottery Image credit: http://whtours.com Chulucanas is a region in northwest Peru known for its pottery making artisans. Chulucanas Pottery is one of the most widely recognizable earthenwares in the world thats made through a unique creative process. Potters dip each nearly completed piece into a liquid clay. Once dried, a process of chipping away layers begins until the desired design is revealed. 9. China - Calligraphy Image credit: David Stanley/Flickr.com Chinese calligraphy is an art form deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Its a tradition dating back 1000s of years. For a unique souvenir of your travels, pass the gift shops and pre-made artwork to find a local artisan to create a custom-made calligraphy piece depicting your family name in a traditional Chinese fashion. 8. Greece - Thyme Honey Image credit: Mark Hillary/Flickr.com Greece is known for producing a variety of flavored honey with Thyme Honey being the most sought after flavor. In the mountain ranges of western Crete, the Saviolakis family of honey producers gather whats considered the most flavorful variety of Thyme and use in their honey. 7. Belgium - Lace Image credit: Magda Ehlers from Pexels Since the 12th century, lacemaking has been a time-honored tradition in Belgium. Though lace shops can be found throughout the country, Bruges is best known for the craft. The famous canal city was once home to a lacemaking school. Today, Bruges is home to the majority of the countrys lacemakers. From Doilies and tablecloths to lace hemmed handkerchiefs, there are plenty of shops to browse for the perfect souvenir and even a lace museum to find out more about the history of this ancient art form. 6. England - Tea Image credit: Jugemu/Wikimedia.org Its no surprise tea is a top souvenir for travelers to the UK. Whether choosing the Queens preferred teas, Earl Grey, or one of the many flavored tea, England is sure to satisfy your tea needs. With tea shops dotted throughout the country, the best place to shop is Fortnum and Mason. Its the flagship store, located in London, has stood at the same location for over 300 years. 5. Paris - Maracons The French have been creating this decadent treats for centuries, and today are one of the most sought after souvenirs of the city. The sweet treat is often confused with the coconut favored treat, Macaroons. The French Macaron is a crispy meringue-based cookie with a creamy center. Laduree Paris Champs Elysees is known worldwide for its fresh and flavorful macarons. The biggest challenge is trying not to eat them all before getting home. 4. Italy - Venetian Mask Image credit: Gnuckx/Flickr.com Carnevale di Venezia is one of the most well-known carnivals in the world. Each year thousands of tourists flock to Venice to celebrate the last days before lent in a ceremony documented as far back as 1094. The Venice streets and canals are decorated with party-goers in costumes and masks parading the streets of St. Marks Square. Shop at Venices Ca Macana for the best in authentic handmade and decorated masks to bring home as a memento of the celebration. 3. Germany - Beer Stein Decorated German Beer Steins. Image credit: Maksym Kozlenko/Wikimedia.org The German beer stein is a symbol of the nations Bavarian culture with a history dating back to the 14th century. During the time of the Bubonic plague, a law was instituted requiring all food and drink containers to be covered in an effort to limit the spread of the disease. Today, not only are these treasures still found on tavern tables but are collected by locals and tourists alike. Though beer steins are found in most shops, the preferred spot to find Germany symbol is the most famous beer hall known, Munich Hofbrahaus. 2. Ireland - Aran Sweater Aran Sweater, green, made by "Carraig Donn", Ireland. Image credit: User:Smee/Public domain Named for the island cluster located off the west coast of Ireland, Aran Sweaters are the pride of Irish heritage with a history dating back for centuries. The sweaters were originally made by fisherman families knit in a design specific to their Irish clan. In the event of an unfortunate accident at sea, the pattern on the sweater would help identify the body as it washed up onshore. Today, the sweaters are a popular souvenir of a trip to the Emerald Isle. Available in shops and boutiques around the country, the garment is preferred in the traditional colors of white and off-white though today available in many colors. 1. The Netherlands - Delft Pottery Image credit: Pxfuel.com Easily recognizable by its blue and white painted earthenware, Delft porcelain pieces are a popular souvenir of a trip to the Dutch country. Pottery pieces can be found in just about every gift shop around, but the best place to purchase one of theses treasure is at the Royal Delft. The Royal Delft is the original Delft factory dating back to the 17th century, where visitors can learn the history of the pottery-making process. Visitors can witness master painters at work while they delicately hand-painting each piece according to centuries-old tradition. At the end of the tour, visit the showroom and choose a Delft treasure of your very own. BUFFALO - Darius Pridgen is the pastor of three churches and heads the city council here in the second-most populated city in New York, two jobs that assured he would come face-to-face with hundreds of people each day. Initially, as coronavirus cases started appearing in New York City and its suburbs, Pridgen wasn't particularly worried. New York City is a six-hour drive and a climate away from Buffalo, he thought. But Pridgen nevertheless decided about three weeks ago to shutter his Baptist churches, even though many parishioners thought his reaction was overblown. The Buffalo council members stopped in-person meetings. And Pridgen began limiting glad-handing his constituents, who include those living in the city's revitalized waterfront as well as some of Buffalo's poorest neighborhoods. In Buffalo, however, there is one thing you don't give up easily. Sunday family dinner went on as scheduled March 15. Two days later, Pridgen's son, also a pastor, came down with flu-like symptoms and needed to be hospitalized for the novel coronavirus. Then, over the past two weeks, Pridgen, another of his sons and his daughter also got sick. His daughter is being kept alive on ventilator, he said. "I thought if anyone wasn't going to get coronavirus, it was going to be me," Pridgen said. "But it's just swept through this community so quickly, like a tsunami. . . . It's just flattened my family, and now I want everyone to know, 'You just don't know who has it.' " Pridgen, who received his diagnosis over the weekend, represents a wake-up call for western New York as the area braces to become the state's next battleground in its ongoing public health crisis, even as Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, struggles to contain the virus in the New York City region. On Tuesday, as Cuomo announced the deaths of an additional 332 New York residents, the governor said the state was urging some health-care providers from upstate communities such as Buffalo to send staffers and resources to New York City. Cuomo has hoped caseloads in New York peak before those resources are needed elsewhere. "We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful. It's more dangerous than we expected," Cuomo said during a news conference in Albany. "You're no longer just the western New York hospitals, or the central New York hospitals; it's one coordinated system." But even as they stress they are willing to help New York City, local leaders in Buffalo are already realizing that they may need help here sooner than they could have imagined. "We have to take this seriously, and we have to assume nearly everyone we come in contact with either has it, or has been in contact with someone who has it," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, a Democrat. In Buffalo and its suburbs, the number of coronavirus cases has been doubling every three days. There are now 499 cases in Erie County, which have resulted in eight deaths. With local hospitals bracing for an influx of sick patients, the situation serves as a reminder that worst of the crisis could soon shift away from coastal cities and deeper into the Midwest and here in the Great Lakes. "I think we are at least two to three weeks behind New York," said Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. "We are kind of at a tipping point right now, and over the next few weeks, we are going to find out just how many cases we have and whether we can handle it." On Tuesday, for example, the union that represents Buffalo firefighters announced that 16 of its members have tested positive, while another 50 are sick with flu-like symptoms. Seventeen Buffalo police officers have also been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to city officials. Neighboring Niagara County has reported 56 cases, including two 1-year-olds. The increasing number of cases comes as hospitals in the region have been battered by waves of downsizing and consolidation in recent years. Before the coronavirus crisis, there were only about 275 permanent intensive care beds, with about half of them located at three major hospitals in Erie County, according to New York Department of Health data. About one-fourth of those beds are occupied by coronavirus patients, according to Gale Burstein, Erie County's health commissioner. "We still have some room," said Russo, who also practices at the Buffalo VA Medical Center. "But we are just going to have see where we end up. The good news is, we've had more time to gather ourselves and prepare." Despite daily warnings from Cuomo and local leaders that residents needed to take the threat seriously and stay at home, Buffalo's case is a reminder that it's been difficult to drive home that point to some segments of the population. Over St. Patrick's Day weekend, a well-celebrated holiday that usually sees tens of thousands of revelers crowd city streets and pack bars, huge throngs of people congregated despite both of the city's parades being canceled. Last weekend, police shutdown two bars in western New York that defied a statewide ban, including Swannie House, a legendary shot-and-beer joint that has served factory workers at the nearby General Mills plant for decades. "I don't think anybody took it seriously around here," said Leah Washburn, a physician assistant at St. Joseph's Hospital, which was recently converted into the state's first devoted to treating patients of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. "I know when you work in the medical field, you take it seriously." Washburn has been working 13-hour shifts. She and her husband, also a physician assistant, have been doing their best to balance their schedules, staggering shifts so they can share child care duties. They had been using family for child care before, but suspended that arrangement indefinitely. Both fear that they are likely to be carriers at some point. Washburn has not seen shortages of personal protective equipment or ventilators. But she's not sure how long that will last. Seeing news stories out of New York City has driven up her level of stress, she said. "Our anxiety is that that's what's going to start to happen here," she said of New York City's dramatic spike in cases and deaths. "We're going to start to run out of places and supplies for these people as well." Based on his family's experience, Pridgen believes the trauma now unfolding in New York City is already in Buffalo, even if many people don't realize it. Pridgen, who has served on the Buffalo council for a decade, said he's particularly worried because Buffalo's large African American community appeared until recently to think the coronavirus wasn't a threat. "I had heard so many people in the African American community say, 'This would not hit the African American community,' " said Pridgen. "And boy, were they wrong. . . . All the people I know now with coronavirus are African Americans." Pridgen still isn't sure whether he exposed his adult children - or whether one of them infected him. But a few days after his son was diagnosed, Pridgen developed a fever and then a bad cough. His daughter's symptoms developed a few days after that, requiring her to be hospitalized and, on Monday night, intubated. Now secluded in his house, Pridgen is angered that Erie County lags behind much of the rest of the state in testing. According to the Buffalo News, Erie County ranks last in terms of testing for New York's large urban counties, and Pridgen said he knows "many people who have symptoms but they cannot be tested" due to a limited supply of tests. Russo, the infectious-disease specialist, said that based on reports from overseas, Erie County likely has 10 times more cases than the 499 that have been reported. But Russo still isn't sure whether Buffalo - or other similarly sized cities including Cleveland and Pittsburgh - will see a "worst-case scenario." Those three cities, Russo said, have less density and mass transportation use when compared to New York. But he worries residents in those cities have also been less compliant with stay-at-home orders. "This is not just a public health experiment, this is also a social experiment," Russo said. Based on what Pridgen saw when he left the house briefly last week to get his coronavirus test, Buffalo is still struggling to pass that test. "There were still a lot of activity in the local delicatessen, there were still a lot of people gathering and talking in close quarters," Pridgen recalled. "All I could I do was drive. . . . But I kept thinking, 'I don't want you to suffer like I am suffering.' " - - - Craig reported from Washington. Police patrol Castle Street in Belfast on lockdown day 7 as the coronavirus pandemic in Northern Ireland continues on March 30th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) The PSNI should carry out coronavirus control compliance at workplaces after the Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) said it couldn't, a Foyle MLA has said. In a statement, HSENI said it had received "more than a 1,800% increase in complaints and requests for information and advice" due to the coronavirus outbreak. It said the majority of the allegations concerned Covid-19 and social distancing measures in the workplace. However, it revealed that inspectors were not visiting workplaces. "Inspectors require employers to provide evidence of the measures being taken. Visits to premises provide only a snapshot in time and are therefore not the most effective use of resources when dealing with issues such as social distancing which is often dependent on human behaviour," it said in a statement. "In addition it should be noted that HSENI does not have the power to close down a business." SDLP health spokesman Mark H Durkan MLA said he was concerned about the lack of inspections to make sure staff are being kept safe. Expand Close Concerned: Mark H Durkan PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Concerned: Mark H Durkan The Foyle MLA said: "I have been inundated with calls from people who work in various manufacturing premises across the constituency and beyond who question the necessity of the items they are manufacturing. They are concerned about their own health and the impact on the health of their loved ones when they go home from work who are often vulnerable - people who are living with older parents or people with underlying health conditions. "If the Health and Safety Executive are saying they won't carry out inspections of workplaces, well then you have to wonder if there is a role there for law enforcement - because if there is a law saying a workplace has to be compliant, it is a breach of the law if employers are not. "In these circumstances, there is a role for the police to ensure the safety of workers." Mr Durkan said business owners who insist on staying open must be able to show how they are providing an essential service. He continued: "Businesses should have to be able to demonstrate that what they are dragging people to do day after day, at this crucial time, is indeed essential -if it isn't, then it is pure and simple greed. "There is no second chance at getting this right. "People are anxious and rightfully so; they want their livelihood guaranteed but not at the expense of their own and their family's health and wellbeing. We cannot allow companies to put their wealth before our health." His call comes after a number of factory workers in the North West expressed fears that their lives and those of their families are at risk. Among them is a father-of-two, working for a large manufacturing company, who feels under extreme pressure to turn up for his shifts. He said: "I know there are men who work in the same place as I do that are off with suspected coronavirus and the managers here know that too, but there has been no deep clean. "We haven't been sent home so a lot of us feel we are risking our lives turning up for work. "We have been threatened that if we go to the media we will be sacked and that is a big fear for so many of us because we have mortgages and bills. "If the Government forced this place to close at least we would be safe and we would have enough money to cover all the essentials until this passes. "My wife suffers from really bad asthma and one of my children has it as well only not as bad so I am terrified that I will bring coronavirus into the house to them." HSENI told BBC NI's Stephen Nolan Show it will not be visiting businesses to see what measures have been put in place and if social distancing is taking place. It said should allegations be made they will instead ask employers to prove compliance by email, verbal assurance, or sending in a picture. It said this was the most efficient way to handle the matter. Trade union Unite said the approach was "not good enough". "This can't go on... as a body it is failing workers in Northern Ireland," regional organiser Susan Fitzgerald said. Over the past week workers have staged walkouts over safety concerns during the crisis. The statement added: "HSENI's approach to this unprecedented situation has the support of Economy Minister, Manufacturing NI and Unite. Companies who are still working must operate in compliance with the UK Government and Public Health Agency guidelines. We will continue to provide help and assistance to companies to ensure this is the case." The PSNI did not respond to a request for comment. DETROIT The TCF Centers transformation into an alternate medical care space for coronavirus patients is underway. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District announced Sunday that it is adapting more than 250,000 square feet of the former Cobo Center to treat patients. The makeshift facility will be used for at least six months, as health officials continue to battle the ongoing spread of COVID-19. Photos shared by the Army Corps on Wednesday show a large section of the TCF Center covered with temporary dividing walls for privacy. There will be space for 1,000 beds and medical stations when work is complete The conversion will include two separate floors, which will be segregated based on severity of illness. The 2020 North American International Auto Show, scheduled for June at the facility, has been canceled. The Army Corps District Detroit performed 15 site visits on locations nominated by the state as alternate care facilities, including TCF Center, the Detroit Pistons Performance Center and two dormitories at Wayne State University before landing on the expo center in Detroit. As of March 31, Michigan has 7,615 reported cases of COVID-19 with 259 deaths. About 81% of the COVID-19 cases are in Metro Detroit areas like Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, creating the need for an alterative care facility. By PTI NEW DELHI: The NIA on Wednesday registered its first overseas case and will probe the terror strike on a gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul last month that left 27 people including an Indian citizen dead. An amendment of the NIA Act which came into effect in August last year has vested the agency with the power to probe terrorist activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad. The NIA registered the case under various sections of IPC including 125 (waging war against a friendly country). Provisions of the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were also invoked in the FIR registered by the NIA, an official spokesman said. According to the FIR, unknown gunmen stormed into the gurdwara in Shor Bazar area of Kabul on March 25 and fired indiscriminately killing 27 devotees and injuring several others. Nearly 150 people were inside the gurdwara when the attack took place. Tian Singh, a resident of Greater Kailash Part-1 in New Delhi, was also killed in the attack whose responsibility was claimed by banned Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an offshoot of ISIS. The spokesman said that according to the preliminary investigation, Mohammed Muhsin (28), a resident of Thrikaripur town in Kerala's Kasargod district, and others who had joined ISKP, are suspected to have been involved in the attack. Muhsin went to the UAE in 2018 from where he is believed to have joined the ranks with the global terror organisation in Afghanistan, officials said. His identity was established after an Islamic state publication posted his picture identifying him with his Arabic name, Abu Khalid al-Hindi, the officials said. They said he, along with his family, had returned to Kerala from Malaysia in 2017 and later left for Saudi Arabia in search of work. The same year, he returned to Kerala and stayed with his family before leaving for the UAE in 2018, the officials said. The central agencies with the help of local police reached out to the accused's family, who identified him to be Muhsin from the published picture which had ISIS flag in the background, they said. His parents had claimed that they received a message from the ISIS confirming his death during the attack, the officials said. A school dropout, Muhsin is believed to have landed in Afghanistan as a member of ISIS in the Khorasan Province, they said. With one of the victims in the gurdwara attack being an Indian, the amended NIA Act was applicable, they added. The Aspiring Member of Parliament for Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti Region Lawyer Kwasi Amofa-Agyemang, popularly known as "Amansie Broni, in his effort to aid the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 disease, has shared disinfectants, hand sanitizers, paper towels, hand washing bucket, (popularly known as Veroonica buckets), etc. to his constituents. Lawyer Amofa donated 100 pieces of large Veronica Buckets, 200 pieces of hand washing liquid soap, 3,000 pieces of hand sanitizers 50 pieces washing bowls and 100 pieces of paper towels to the Bekwai constituency. Speaking to the Constituents, Lawyer Amofa-Agyemang emphasized on the measures put in place by His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service to help curb the spread of the highly contagious disease. Lawyer Amofa-Agyemang who is the founder and Managjng Partner of Messrs KAA LAW, an Accra based law firm stressed the need for the people to only rely on information from the World Health Organization (WHO), Ghana Health Service (GHS) website for Coronavirus and the Ministry of Information for updates on Ghana's situation on the virus pandemic and ignore speculations and misinformation about the COVID 19 on the social media to avoid fear and panic. Mr. Amofas team also demonstrated to the people how to properly wash their hands and apply the hand sanitizers. He also advised them to follow the directives put in place by His Excellency the President and the Government as a whole to avoid spread of the deadly COVID-19. Lawyer Amofa-Agyemang pledged his continuous support for the constituents and stated that he would never turn his back to the people whenever his help and support is needed. Some key beneficiaries of Lawyer Amofa's donation were markets, police stations, hospitals, health centres and Transport Unions within the Constituency. Mr Amofa-Agyemang used the occasion to appeal to other well meaning natives and the general public to also support the constituents. 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 Gold prices jumped Rs 301 to Rs 43,474 per 10 gram in Mumbai bullion market on safe-haven demand. Major gold trading centres in the country have been shut due to the 21-day lockdown announced by state governments to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic. Bullion metal prices fell on March 31 after the Central Bank of Russia confirmed that it would stop buying gold from domestic producer from April 1 to boost its reserve and prevent Russian Ruble from further depreciation. Chinese factory data held out hope for an economic revival, putting pressure on gold prices. Market participants will keep an eye on the PMI numbers expected from major economies. The rate of 10 gram 18, 22 and 24-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs 32,606, Rs 39,822, Rs 43,474 plus 3 percent GST, respectively. Navneet Damani, Vice President, Motilal Oswal, said, domestic gold prices could hover in the range of Rs 42,500-43,150 per 10 gm. The gold/silver ratio currently stands at 110.90 to 1, which means the amount of silver required to buy one ounce of gold. Silver declined Rs 350 to Rs 39,200 per kg from its closing on March 31. In the futures market, gold touched an intraday high of Rs 43,350 and an intraday low of Rs 42,622 on the MCX. For the June series, the yellow metal touched a low of Rs 36,572 and a high of Rs 45,361. Gold futures for June delivery rose Rs 175, or 0.41 percent, to Rs 43,131 per 10 gram in evening trade. The same for August delivery increased by Rs 325, or 0.76 percent, to Rs 43,300/10 gm. The value of the June and August contract traded so far is Rs 1,744.95 crore and Rs 121.93 crore, respectively. Similarly, Gold Mini contract for May jumped Rs 139, or 0.32 percent, at Rs 43,110. At 12:29 pm (GMT), spot gold was up $8.26 at $1,585.79 an ounce in London trading. Australia's $2.35 billion industry that had taught English to 180,000 overseas students a year faces collapse because of the coronavirus pandemic despite getting a government funding reprieve this week to help pay staff. The industry feeds international students into universities and vocational training colleges. David Scott, the managing director of the English Language Company, thinks a lot of schools will face extinction very quickly unless something is done. Credit:Rhett Wyman David Scott, managing director of the English Language Company in Sydney has 280 overseas students working from home online and whose visas will expire within six months. "Our business is about people coming into the country so, with the borders closed, there is no ongoing revenue for six months," he said. "We still have the expense of paying teachers and staff to manage these students. Former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi has lauded Oyo Governor, Seyi Makinde for revealing that he tested positive to Coronavirus. Recall that Makinde tested positive to the dreaded virus on Monday, making him the third Governor alongside his Kaduna and Bauchi counterparts to test positive for the virus. Also Read: Coronavirus Patient In Oyo State Discharged After Testing Negative Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, expressed that the decision of Makinde to make public his health status shows exemplary leadership. Obi went on to wish the Oyo State Governor a speedy recovery. See his tweet below: Firefighters spray water on an ancient temple to protect the cultural heritage on a mountain in Xichang county, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Mar. 31, 2020. Fire at a local scenic spot flared again on Tuesday night, posing threat to nearby residential community, school and the temple with a history of over 1000 years. A total of 18 firefighters and one local guide were confirmed dead on Tuesday from a forest fire that spread more than 1,000 hectares of land in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo: China News Service/ Liu Zhongjun) President Donald Trump said he might join a discussion about oil production and prices with Saudi Arabia and Russia that, according to him, is ongoing. The two countries are discussing it and I am joining at the appropriate time if need be, Trump told reporters as quoted by Reuters. He also said he had talked separately with Russias President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed and that these talks had been great. Oil has plummeted to $25 for Brent and $20 for West Texas Intermediate, but some U.S. grades are trading a lot lower than this: Louisiana Light, for instance, fell to as little as $5.85 a barrel over the last week of March, and Wyoming crude traded as low as $1.25 a barrel. But even WTI at $20 is quite problematic for most producers in the United States, so it is no surprise there have been calls for production cuts. One member of the Texas Railroad Commission, Ryan Sitton, said he had discussed the matter with OPECs chairman, Mohammed Barkindo. Earlier this week, executives from two large shale oil producers, Parsley Energy and Pioneer Natural Resources, wrote to the commission to request the imposition of obligatory production cuts. These cuts would be an unprecedented move that highlights the devastating effects of the oil price war that coincided with the Covid-19 outbreak, which has wiped out about a fifth of global demand, according to estimates from experts. Meanwhile, however, Saudi Arabia said it was going to flood Europe with deeply discounted Arab Light, a move seen as an attack on Russia in one of its key markets, which doesnt bode well for any negotiations. Demand in Europe is floundering because of the coronavirus outbreak, and refiners are cutting their orders of Saudi crude by 25 percent, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. The Russians are not blinking. Moscow has promised up to a 500,000 bpd production increase and has assured the market that the country has enough resources to cover budget shortfalls at $25-30 oil for six to ten years. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Eight new coronavirus cases have been found in Gujarat, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 82, a health official said on Wednesday. All the new cases have been were reported from Ahmedabad,which has been declared as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in India. Of the eight new patients, four have history of inter-state travel, three are cases of local transmission while one person has foreign travel history, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said. With this, the number of local transmission cases in the state has gone up to 41, those having foreign travel history has risen to 33, and eight patients have inter-state travel history, she said. Six people have died in Gujarat due to the deadly virus, the official said. She also said that six patients have so far been discharged, and the condition of 66 is stable, while three are on ventilator support. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ritika Arun Vaishali By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Id rather die in my home state than live here, says 25-year-old Amar Kailash Shinde, as he and two of his relatives ride camels on their 1,200 km journey to Rajasthan amid the nationwide lockdown. We left Guntur at 4 am today (Tuesday), and hope to reach Bhilwara in 15-20 days. Incidentally, 26 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bhilwara, accounting for 30 per cent of the cases in Rajasthan. Its a life-and-death situation across the country, Shinde argues, adding that he hopes to cover about 80 km every day. The first part of the journey, he says, will be the toughest. We are only worried about crossing Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan, I know several officials willing to help. As for how they managed to cross the Krishna-Guntur border, he explains, No one stopped us. We lied to a policeman, saying we were going to the market. "To another, we told the truth, and to our surprise, he offered us food! Shinde, his brother Manoj (24) and cousin Ranjeet (14) came to AP about eight years ago, and used their camels to make a living. The early months of a year are when exhibitions and melas are held, and we eke out a living by offering camel rides. But sadly, theres no work here anymore and we have to return, Shinde says. Rajasthani family will not be allowed to travel further: CP Many people from my State who work in Hyderabad have already reached or are about to reach Rajasthan. My family has stayed back in Hyderabad, and we will pick them up on the way, he explains. But the trio may not be so lucky. Commenting on their journey, Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Tuesday said, I will check with my men and ensure they are not allowed to travel further. As for how they managed to enter the city, he said it must have been through Durga Varadhi, as the Prakasam Barrage has been barricaded. As per the 2011 Census, nearly 10.5 lakh migrants live in Andhra Pradesh. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is partnering with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund over $1 billion in COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral treatment research and development, the company said on Monday. The partnership is an expansion of an existing agreement between BARDA and J&J's Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies division. With the agreement, the company is setting a goal of providing a global supply of more than one billion doses of the vaccine, which J&J expects to have in clinical trials by September 2020 at the latest. The first batches of the vaccine may be available for emergency use by early 2021, the company said. BARDA's partnership with J&J encompasses research and development of potential antiviral treatments in addition to the work that's being done to develop a vaccine for the disease. Those efforts include development work J&J and BARDA are conducting with the Rega Institute for Medical Research in Belgium. J&J said it had also committed to expanding its global manufacturing capacity, both in the U.S. and overseas. That additional production ability will help the company bring an affordable vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use, the company said. Working with teams at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a part of the Harvard Medical School, Janssen Pharmaceuticals began its research into potential vaccine candidates back in January. Those candidates were tested at several academic institutions, the company said, which led to the identification of a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate -- and two potential back-ups. Last week, Moderna Health, another pharmaceutical company working on a vaccine, said that it could have an experimental treatment available to healthcare workers as soon as the fall. Story continues The Moderna vaccine uses messenger RNA, rather than doses of the COVID-19 virus itself, to inoculate against the disease. The use of mRNA means that the inoculation doesn't expose recipients to the disease itself, so they're not at risk of contracting the disease. Last Monday, Moderna made the vaccine available to volunteer participants as part of the company's Phase 1 clinical trials conducted in Washington state. SPRINGFIELD Anthony Diaz, 21, has been identified by police sources as the citys fourth homicide victim of the year after a double shooting on Whiting Street Monday afternoon. Diaz died Monday night, less than three years after being sentenced for the accidental shooting death of his girlfriend, 15-year-old Daneyshkalis Daney Davila. Greenfield attorney Jeffrey Brown, Diazs lawyer in the 2016 criminal case, said this week that Diaz had a rough childhood and was failed by the system. On the surface, Anthony was a quiet and unassuming child. Despite some efforts by extended family members, Anthony is an example of a child for whom every safety net provided by society has failed, Brown said. Anthony was abandoned at a young age and fell through the cracks thereafter. Anthonys death is a tragic end to an extremely sad life. Police said Diaz and another unidentified man were ambushed Monday by gunmen as they congregated in and around two cars idling near the intersection of Whiting and Sanderson streets. The second man suffered only minor injuries, Springfield Police Department spokesman Ryan Walsh said previously. Both men were being taken to Baystate Medical Center in separate, private cars. Police intercepted one car in which the unidentified victim was riding when it crashed a few blocks away from the shooting scene. No arrests have been made. Detectives with the homicide unit continue to investigate the shooting, Walsh said. Diaz pleaded guilty as a youthful offender to involuntary manslaughter and illegal possession of a gun in 2017; he admitted to playing with a revolver a year before while at his girlfriends Plainfield Street home. The cylinder slammed shut and the gun went off, he told investigators. Davila died after being shot once in the stomach. Diaz was sentenced to a Department of Youth Services facility until the age of 21. At the time of his sentencing he had just turned 19, according to stories in The Republicans. He was 17 when the shooting occurred. SHANGHAI, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (the "Company," or "JinkoSolar") (NYSE: JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that Jinko Solar Australia Holdings Co. Pty Ltd ("JinkoSolar Australia"), a subsidiary of the Company, has signed a one-year AUD37 million line of credit agreement with the National Australia Bank ("NAB"). According to the agreement, the line of credit will be reviewed annually and includes AUD12 million of invoice financing and AUD25 million of bank guarantees. The financing will be used to expand JinkoSolar Australia's business and supplement the working capital of JinkoSolar Australia. "Our brand's strong reputation for reliability and the long-term sustainable growth we are able to generate has consistently been recognized by leading financial institutions worldwide." Mr. Charlie Cao, Chief Financial Officer of JinkoSolar, commented, "As one of the largest banks in Australia, NAB provides strong financial support for us in very exciting times. We will continue to strengthen our business in Australia to support the enormous growth potential clean energy has in Australia." About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 11.5 GW for mono wafers, 10.6 GW for solar cells, and 16 GW for solar modules, as of December 31, 2019. JinkoSolar has over 15,000 employees across its 7 productions facilities globally, 14 overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Australia, and global sales teams in China, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Poland and Argentina. To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: Ms. Ripple Zhang JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. Tel: +86 21-5183-3105 Email: [email protected] SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. Related Links www.jinkosolar.com China-India relations are standing at a new starting point and facing new opportunities, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, exchanging congratulatory messages with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind on the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. On April 1, 1950, India became the first non-socialist country in Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In his message to Kovind, Xi said China-India relations have experienced extraordinary development during the past 70 years. With joint efforts of both sides, the two countries have established a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, and are endeavouring to build an even closer partnership of development, he said. The two sides enjoy increasingly deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and constantly improving coordination on important regional and international affairs, Xi, who held two informal summits with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan and later in Mamallapuram in 2018 and 2019 which stabilised the bilateral ties, said. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations with India and is willing to work with President Kovind to elevate China-India ties to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and contribute more positive energy to Asia as well as the world, state-run Xinhua agency reported. President Kovind, in his letter to his Chinese counterpart Xi, conveyed warm greetings, felicitations and good wishes to the government and the people of China. He noted that the two sides have made considerable progress, especially in the last few years, in enhancing their bilateral engagement in a number of areas, including political, economic and people-to-people ties. Messages of felicitations were exchanged between the presidents, prime ministers and external affairs ministers of India and China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In his message to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said friendly cooperation and mutual benefit serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and will benefit Asia and the world. China is ready to work with India to take the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to push for new achievements in China-India strategic cooperative partnership, a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Prime Minister Modi, in his message to Premier Li, said the coravirus pandemic is a reminder of the interconnected nature of the world and the need for adopting a global response to it. Modi also said good bilateral relations are conducive not only for the two countries, but also important from the perspective of peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world. China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also exchanged messages of felicitations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he noted that in the 1950s, China and India jointly initiated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which is a historic contribution to the promotion of a new type of international relations. "In recent years, under the guidance of our leaders, China-India relations have kept moving forward, playing a constructive role in regional and international affairs," Wang said. "China is committed to work with India to deepen strategic trust, enhance practical cooperation, promote closer people-to-people ties, and take our strategic and cooperative partnership to a higher level in the new era," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Plexiglass partitions at Smiths check lanes Smiths Food & Drug, a division of the Kroger Co., announced that it will provide all hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates with a Hero Bonus a $2 premium above their standard base rate of pay, applied to hours worked March 29 through April 18. The premium will be disbursed weekly to ensure associates have access to additional cash. Todays announcement follows and is in addition to Krogers previous commitment shared on March 21, which provided a one-time bonus to frontline associates, which pays out on April 3. Our associates have displayed the true actions of a hero, working tirelessly on the frontlines to ensure everyone has access to affordable, fresh food and essentials during this national emergency, said Kenny Kimball, President of Smiths. The Hero Bonus is just one more way we continue to convey our thanks and gratitude not only to our existing associates but also to the more than 1,700 new hires who have joined in the past two weeks and those who will soon join the Smiths team. Associate and Customer Well-being and Safety During this unprecedented time, Smiths most urgent priority is to provide a safe environment for associates and customers, with open stores and an efficiently operating supply chain, continued Kimball. To protect associates and customers and flatten the curve, The Kroger Family of Companies has taken several preventive steps, including: Enhancing daily sanitation practices, including cleaning commonly used areas more often like cashier stations, self-checkouts, credit card terminals, food service counters and shelves. Permitting and working hard to procure protective masks and gloves for associates. Installing plexiglass partitions at check lanes, and pharmacy and Starbucks registers across the enterprise. Adding floor decals to promote physical distancing at check lanes and other counters. Adjusting store operating hours to allow more time for associates to rest, clean and replenish inventory. Continuing to expand pickup and delivery services and contactless payment solutions like Kroger Pay. Additional Associate Support and Resources In addition to the Hero Bonus and appreciation bonus, The Kroger Family of Companies is taking several additional actions to support associates during this extraordinary time, including: Ensuring associates who are affected by COVID-19 whether experiencing symptoms and self-isolating, diagnosed or placed in quarantine can recover with the support of emergency paid leave. Beginning next week, the Kroger Family of Companies is adding ExpressPay a new benefit that allows most hourly associates to access some of their pay faster, putting money in their pockets sooner than usual. Making $5 million available for those facing hardship, including lack of access to childcare and for those considered higher-risk, due to COVID-19 through the Kroger Family of Companies Helping Hands fund. Offering an associate hotline to answer benefit questions quickly. Providing access to mental health services and other benefits to support associates mental and physical well-being during this stressful time. Supporting associates by onboarding more than 30,600 new hires to the Kroger Family of Companies in the last two weeks, including workers from the hardest-hit sectors like restaurants, hotels and food service distributors. Community Support and Uplift The Kroger Family of Companies is also uplifting communities in a variety of ways during this unprecedented time, including: The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation is rapidly deploying more than $3 million in hunger-relief resources to communities disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic through its nonprofit partners, Feeding America and No Kid Hungry. The funding will not only support local food banks nationwide, but also fund initiatives that ensure children, whose schools may be closed, still have access to nutritious meals. Making it easy for customers to support The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundations mission to create communities free of hunger and waste by choosing to roundup their purchases to the nearest dollar at every self-checkout lane or donate at ZeroHungerZeroWasteFoundation.org. Donating food and funds to local food banks and hunger-relief efforts. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 17:47:05 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 513 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 For the savvy investor, making a decent return on an investment is not only a heady task, but it's also one best left up to the experts. When it comes to achieving the returns that most people want and having the ability to live the life they desire, the general public needs to get the help of the experts. That is why TES Capital (TES) is excited to offer its clients a low-risk investment opportunity with traded endowment and life policies.SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / Being a leader in traded endowment and life policies, TES supports investors with a low-risk opportunity for immediate portfolio diversification that is an alternative to stocks, bonds, and fixed deposits. Gaining increasing popularity every year in Singapore, traded endowments (also known as resale endowments) are some of the safest financial instruments around. During its selection process, TES makes sure that the traded endowment purchased are of the highest quality and free of any and all encumbrances.One of the primary reasons that a traded endowment is sought after by investors is that they are often purchased to preserve wealth and are much more effective than buying a brand new insurance policy. These investments are underpinned by premier insurance companies that are governed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Best of all, TES makes it extremely easy for everyone to participate in the burgeoning market. With a comprehensive listing, there is always a suitable plan catered to the budget and time horizon of the investor.TES not only cares but Shawn is sure to put a personal touch on each and every client that conducts business with him. Always on the frontlines of customer service for TES, Shawn's combined positive demeanor and market expertise gives clients the confidence that their money is in good hands. Given its current growth trajectory, TES is well geared to be the largest provider of traded endowment in Singapore.As the founder himself explains, "In my many years of entrepreneurship, I've personally experienced desperate financial situations where I needed cash urgently, as well as multiple occasions when I felt very lost searching for low-risk investment opportunities to save for my children's education and my retirement. I started TES to help those facing these challenges because I believe that in situations like these, encountering an openly honest, genuinely friendly and sincerely helpful person can bring hope and transform someone's life." Professionals have given TES their vote of confidence, and their clients include bankers, teachers, medical doctors, accountants, university professors, and even insurance financial consultants. TES is excited to offer investors the opportunity to join them now in their growth course. The projected popularity of traded endowments is set to deliver real gains to the thousands who are able to utilize their benefits and TES, using its skills and vast resources, will surely lead the way towards that brighter tomorrow.More details about TES can be found at: https://tesinvest.com.sg Media Contact Information:Company: The Express WireContact Name: Viii DaveEmail: support@ expresswire.co Website: https://expresswire.co SOURCE: The Express Wire There is still little evidence of community transmission in the state, although Mr Cook announced the Health Department would roll out an expanded testing regime later this week. As of Thursday, testing will be extended to anyone showing signs of a fever and an acute respiratory infection such as shortness of breath, a cough or a sore throat. The new criteria departs from previous restrictions on COVID-19 tests, which would only be given if a person was a priority worker, had been overseas, or had been around a confirmed case. Mr Cook said while the low number of confirmed cases each day were encouraging, there was "much more work to do". "The expanded testing regime in Western Australia will really help us to find new cases, protect our vulnerable populations and ensure we are tracking the movement of this virus as it develops," he said. | Image: Alex Wong / Getty Images Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby and chairman of the Museum of the Bible, is returning 11,500 antiquities to the Iraqi and Egyptian governments. The ancient clay seals and fragments of papyrus do not have complete documentation and may have been looted or stolen. Green said he acquired the antiquities before the Washington, DC, museum opened in November 2017, when he didnt understand the importance of proper provenance and trusted the word of unscrupulous dealers. These early mistakes resulted in Museum of the Bible receiving a great deal of criticism over the years, Green said last week in an official statement. The criticism resulting from my mistakes was justified. The announcement comes on the heels of a museum-funded investigation that found the 16 fragments of the Dead Sea Scroll on display at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries, the latest in a string of controversies that cast a shadow on its collection. A year ago, the museum agreed to return 13 Egyptian papyrus fragments that were stolen from the University of Oxford. And in 2017, the federal government fined Hobby Lobby and ordered it to return thousands of cuneiform tablets and other objects, which were illegally taken from war-torn Iraq and brought into the US by a United Arab Emirates-based dealer who falsely labeled the shipments as ceramic tiles. Museum officials hope this closes the book on its collections controversial beginnings. We understand that theres been questions all along, said chief curatorial officer Jeffrey Kloha. Wed like to make the point that weve been involved in these conversations for two and a half years, three years. It simply takes time to work through all of the questions, talk to the right people, to look at different options. According to Kloha, the museum board ordered its staff to verify the provenance of all items in the museums collection in 2017, as well as all the items Green acquired that that never made it to the museums collection. Twenty curators and registrars worked for more than two years, checking documentation on the roughly 60,000 objects held in Washington, DC, and in a climate-controlled warehouse owned by Hobby Lobby in Oklahoma City. Most of the objects are Bibles and printed materials, with a history that is easily traceable. The items that will be repatriated, mostly tiny clay seal impressions and fragments of papyrus, are thousands of years old, and harder to trace. Only one of the items being returned, a clay tablet recounting the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, was ever exhibited in the museum. Very few of the papyrus have any kind of literary text at all, Kloha said. If there's any writing it's typically a documentary item, a receipt, or a letter. The vast majority are small, heavily damaged pieces. Officials in various Middle Eastern governments have been receptive to the museums repatriation efforts, Kloha said. The museum hopes good relations might open the way for future partnerships. We would be very interested in loans that bring some of their items here to the US, to help people here in the US understand the important history in these countries, the contributions that they have made and continue to make, to culture and to society, Kloha said. Critics of the museum and Green may not be so quick to forgive. For many, the entire Bible museum project is under a cloud of suspicion. However, some scholars of biblical antiquities have lauded the museums efforts to make things right. Christopher Rollston, professor of Semitic languages at George Washington University, said he would take family and friends to the museum. The serious blunders of the museum, these breeches of ethics and law, are part of the past, he said. Lawrence Schiffman, professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, agreed. The museum deserves to be praised, Schiffman said. From the day it opened, the museum told the truth. They have been completely kosher about this. Japan's Prime Minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the US, Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. That brings the total number of countries banned from entering Japan to 73. Shinzo Abe says the government has tightened visa restrictions and will require a two-week quarantine to visitors and returnees from places Japan has designated as eligible for non-essential trips. Abe cited views presented by a panel of experts at a meeting earlier Wednesday that new cases are rapidly on the rise in Japan and that its medical system is increasingly under pressure. He has faced calls for a declaration of a state of emergency, but his government is assessing the situation due to concerns of an economic impact. Tokyo reported 65 new cases Wednesday, after reporting a record 78 daily new cases Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has about 3,000 cases including 712 from a cruise ship, with 78 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "If you've got crepe paper, if you've got masking tape, rope off or tape off an area. Put up a sign, she says. Get creative about visual cues: When Daddy is wearing this hat, Daddy is working.' Keep regular hours In times of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty, Dinnocenzo notes, no one wants to be the one that's [seen as] not pulling their weight. That can be compounded by employers that consider people working from home to, in effect, always be at work. It's important to resist the pressure to work longer days, whether it comes from employers or yourself. Every office and job will be different, but you should fight to retain a similar amount of work while home as you had the office, Fleishman writes. That could mean your old 9-to-5 (or 8-to-4, or 10-to-6), or revising your shift to meet the needs of homebound kids or elderly parents. Whatever your circumstances, arrange a schedule that makes sense for you and your employer and stick to it. Take breaks No one works eight hours uninterrupted at the office, nor should you at home. Do what you would do at your regular workplace: Regularly get up and stretch your legs, grab a tea or coffee, take a lunch break. If your typical day at the office included the occasional gab with coworkers, keep doing that too, Dinnocenzo says. "You can schedule things like that, or just pick up the phone and call people, like you would walk by their office or bump into them when you're getting coffee, and say, Hey, how's it going? It's as simple as that." Don't fill up commute time with work Like taking regular breaks, much of what Dinnocenzo advises new teleworkers comes under what she terms replicate and simulate": re-creating at home the habits and situations that help you be satisfied and productive at work. But you don't need to replicate and simulate your two-hour drive, she says. If you had to get up at 6 a.m. for your commute, that doesn't mean [now] you have to get up at 6 a.m. and work from 6 a.m., she says. Consider using that time to do something you never had time to do before, like reading, exercising or meditating. When you're done, stay done "[You] really have to be able to shut it down. Turn Skype off, turn the computer off, let people know, Dinnocenzo says. Set your status to away on office chat platforms, and make it clear to colleagues that, barring emergencies, you won't be responding to work emails until the next day. In lieu of leaving your desk and commuting home, she adds, do something concrete to mark the shift out of work time, especially if it's something you typically did when you got home. "We don't have that transition time anymore, and some people need that, Dinnocenzo says. A lot of people decompress with their [commute], and it is symbolic in ways that they were never conscious of. That might be a short walk, a cold beer or making dinner with the family: Whatever you would normally do to just say, I'm done.'" Four weeks after officials announced New Jerseys first coronavirus case, Gov. Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli will provide an update on the burgeoning pandemic that has since infected more than 18,000 and killed 267 across the state. The 1 p.m. press conference can seen on the governors YouTube channel. NJ Advance Media will add the live stream to this post when it becomes available. State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan, and State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan and Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Jared Maples have been regulars at the press conferences over the past several weeks. On Tuesday, Callahan revealed that Newark police shut down 15 non-essential businesses that were operating in violation of the governors orders. Cops in the states largest city also cited 161 people who had illegally gathered. Hours later, Lakewood police broke up an engagement party and cited 10 people. Officers in the Ocean County towns have also halted a gathering at a private school, a bat mitzvah and multiple weddings in recent days. Murphy has ordered New Jersey residents to stay at home except for necessary travel, banned social gatherings, and mandated non-essential businesses in the state to close until further notice. He has repeatedly promised that violators whom he often refers to as knuckleheads would be prosecuted. After the governor and Persichilli give an update on coronavirus cases in the state, the officials answer questions from the media. Murphy generally ends the press conferences at around the 90-minute mark. 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. Haiti - FLASH : The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has doubled The number of cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) doubled in one week passing from 8 on March 25 for a total amounting to 16 confirmed cases as of March 31, following the last results of the national laboratory test for people suspicious. The MSPP recommends to: - Stay home - Always wash your hands - Avoid putting your hands in your mouth, nose and eyes - Always keep a distance of 5 steps from other people if you have to travel for an emergency. Jovenel Moise, the President of the Republic yesterday Tuesday March 31 in an address to the Nation asked the population to respect all the principles of hygiene. "Do not take the streets if it is not necessary. The longer we stay at home, the more we protect ourselves and our family," in addition he asks the whole country to come together to get rid of Covid-19 from the whole territory of Haiti. The Head of State thanked all the technical and financial partners who are always present in good times as bad. HL/ HaitiLibre Give Them Their Own Space Pulling a stool up to the kitchen island, which might have worked for casual homework, isnt going to cut it when your child will be studying all day, every day, for weeks or months. Adding a small desk, if you have the space, is one easy option for creating a dedicated space. But it is not the only solution. One end of a dining table can work just as well, Ms. Frish said, as long as the space is clearly demarcated and reserved for the childs use. You could block it off with masking tape, she said. Or get a cardboard divider. In the classroom, Ms. Frish has privacy partitions from Lakeshore Learning Materials available for students who need help focusing, but you could just as easily make one from a cardboard box, she said. Especially now that youre having so many purchases delivered. If your child already has a desk, it is probably covered with everything but tools for learning, said Ghislaine Vinas, a New York-based interior designer in which case it needs a refresh. 1. The Blue Lagoon (1980) 2 Cast Away (2000) 3. The Snow Walker (2003) 4. Life Of Pi (2012) 5. The Red Turtle (2016) Loneliness is a bummer alright. Especially when youre cut off from the world. It helps to have a companion during this hour of need. Someone you can talk to, someone you can share your anxieties, your fears. Someone who calms you by their mere presence. Name a subject and Hollywood seems to have a movie ready for it. Presenting awhich bring to light the importance of having a lockdown companion.Its a romantic survival drama film directed by Randal Kleiser and stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. Two children get stranded on a deserted island when the ship they were sailing in meets with an accident. The ships cook escapes with them and teaches them the rudiments of survival before passing away on a drunken stupor some months later. As they reach puberty, the teenagers undergo sexual awakening. The girl gets pregnant and later gives birth to a boy. The duo decides to make the island their home and dont signal to ships that pass. The family is in a rowboat when a shark attacks them and they survive by throwing oars at it. They pass out after eating some poisonous berries but fortunately, the boys father, who was searching for them all along, finds them.Tom Hanks plays a systems analyst who travels all over the world solving systems problems for FedEx. The small plane hes travelling in gets caught in a storm and crashes into the Pacific Ocean. He somehow escapes and makes it to a small deserted island. Several items that were part of the planes cargo also drift to the island. In need of a companion, he draws a face with his blood on a volleyball, calls it Wilson and starts talking to it. The ball becomes his companion during the next four years and he actually cries when he loses it when hes trying to sail away from the island. Thankfully, he is found by a cargo ship and is brought back to civilization.The Snow Walker is a Canadian film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring Barry Pepper and Annabella Piugattuk, who is of Inuit origin. A pilot is asked by a group of Inuit people to carry a young woman to the nearest hospital. They bribe him with valuable Walrus tusks to do the job. However, their aircraft develops engine trouble and he has to make a crash landing. They are stranded in the middle of nowhere with winter approaching. However, the sick young woman helps the young man learn survival skills practised by her people since aeons and slowly the two companions bond, even killing a couple of caribous to tide over winter. Its a story about grit and determination and of two people from different backgrounds finding solace in each other.Based on a novel written by Yann Martel carrying the same name and directed by Ang Lee, the film, starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu, Adil Hussain, and Gerard Depardieu, the film narrates the story of an Indian man named Pi Patel. He tells a novelist about how at 16 he survived a shipwreck and is adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for company. The tiger and the boy become uneasy companions at best and the boy learns that caring for the big cat is helping him keep sane. The duo have many adventures before he drifts off the coast of Mexico and is eventually rescued, while the tiger escapes into the jungle. The real question is, was the animal real or was it a figment of the boys imagination?This is one of the most beautiful animation films that youll ever see. Directed by Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit and produced by Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli, this poignant film tells the story of a man shipwrecked on a deserted island meeting a giant red female turtle who later turns into a woman. They become companions and later lovers and in due course of time have a son. The boy becomes friendly with some green turtles and eventually swims away. The couple becomes old together on the island and one night the man dies. After mourning his passing for a while in the morning, the woman transforms herself back into a red turtle and swims away. The wonder is that the film doesnt have any dialogue and yet the message of peace, love and harmony does reach out. By Trend Turkish President Tayyip Erdogans ruling party said on Tuesday it proposed a bill that would temporarily release roughly 45,000 prisoners in response to the risk that the coronavirus could spread in jails, Trend reports citing Reuters. A separate reform included in the legislation, which the AK Party (AKP) and its allies sent to parliament, would release another roughly 45,000 inmates permanently. There are about 300,000 prisoners in Turkeys crowded jails. The government has been working on reforms to ease pressure on the system, while human rights groups have said infections could easily grow there. The move comes after the number of confirmed virus cases in Turkey rose to 10,827 on Monday, less than three weeks since it registered its first case. The national death toll is 168. Inmates who have completed half of their sentences will be eligible for release under the plan, senior AKP deputy Cahit Ozkan told reporters. It would exclude those convicted of terror or drugs related crimes, offences of a sexual nature and murder and violence against women. Washington: In late January, as China locked down some provinces to contain the spread of the coronavirus, average internet speeds in the country slowed as people who were stuck inside went online more and clogged the networks. Much of the world is struggling with slower internet connection speeds because of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:Bloomberg In Hubei province, the epicentre of infections, mobile broadband speeds fell by more than half. In mid-February, when the virus hit Italy, Germany and Spain, internet speeds in those countries also began to deteriorate. And in late March, as a wave of stay-at-home orders rolled out across the United States, the average time it took to download videos, emails and documents increased as broadband speeds declined 4.9 per cent from the previous week, according to Ookla, a broadband speed testing service. The Karnataka Police Department has decided to seize all two/four-wheelers if they ignore the lockdown regulation and roam around in the city or any parts of the state. The state police chief Praveen Sood told DH that the Bengaluru city police have already seized nearly 5,000 vehicles as all the two and four-wheelers are banned from use till April 14. "We will seize their vehicle if they cease to ignore this lockdown regulation. People will be booked under the National Disaster Management Act and their vehicles will not be released till the lock-down period," he said. Follow live updates of coronavirus cases in India here This is not an April Fool's prank. Two/ four wheelers are banned from use till the 14th of April. We will SEIZE your vehicle if you CEASE to ignore this lockdown regulation. Praveen Sood (@Copsview) April 1, 2020 "All the groceries and essentials are available in their own area, only entry and exits of layouts have been blocked and if anybody wants to purchase these essentials, they can go by walk and buy them. We will not tolerate people roam around the city unnecessary. What is the job of a person staying in Koramangala and wanting to buy groceries from Yeshwantpur? Police are helping those who want to go to the hospital. Only vehicles and persons who are providing essential services are allowed to travel and others have to stay at home," Sood added. People have to understand that this is a medical emergency and their lives are at risk, he said. Track state-wise confirmed COVID-19 cases here Regarding around 350 people from Tablighi Jamaat who participated in the congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi amidst the lockdown, Sood said till yesterday they traced 50 foreign nationals who participated in the congregation and they are all under quarantine. Efforts are on to trace others and number is changing every hour, he added. On the detention of migrant workers, Sood said, the civic authorities are taking care of the 200 migrant workers from north-Karnataka, who were trying to leave Bengaluru through Tumakuru Road. All of them are accommodated at the State Labour Training Institute near Peenya, Sood said. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has contributed Rs 105 crore to the PM CARES Fund amid the coronavirus outbreak. Of the total amount, Rs 5 crore has been donated from the LIC's Golden Jubilee Fund, the country's largest insurer said in a statement released Tuesday. "We will take every step to ensure safety and security of the people and relief for the affected," LIC Chairman M R Kumar said. India is facing a huge challenge owing to the global pandemic, which is unprecedented in its severity, he added. LIC serves over 29 crore policies with an asset base of more than Rs 31 lakh crore and over 70 per cent of the market share. Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Narayana Murthy, family donate Rs 10 crore for relief work On Tuesday, over two lakh employees of State Bank of India (SBI) announced a contribution of two days' salary to the PM's National Relief Fund to fight against the pandemic. The largest public sector lender of the country, last week, committed 0.25 per cent of its FY20 annual profit as CSR initiative. "It is a matter of pride for State Bank of India that all our employees voluntarily came forward to pledge their two days' salary to the PM-CARES Fund. We at SBI would keep continuing our support to the government in all its endeavours to address the challenges of this pandemic," SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar said. The other companies that have also donated include Reliance Industries (Rs 500 crore), PFC (Rs 200 crore), L&T (Rs 150 crore), Infosys Foundation (Rs 100 crore), Bharti Enterprises (Rs 100 crore), NMDC (Rs 150 crore) and JSPL (Rs 25 crore), among others. It was on March 28, 2020, that the PM-CARES Fund was established to raise money to fight against COVID-19 and provide relief to the affected. Meanwhile, the total number of active cases stands at 1,238 in India. The death toll has risen to 35 from 32 recorded Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data showed. Also read: Wipro, Azim Premji Foundation contribute Rs 1,125 cr to tackle coronavirus crisis (Cat O'Neil / For The Times) When I began my United We Read project last fall, my hope was to find community and common ground as I read my way alphabetically, state-by-state across a fractured nation. The idea was to read over the course of the year leading up to the 2020 election at least 52 books, one from each state, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico. The first installment, which ran in January, took us from Alabama to Connecticut. Never did the thought cross my mind that in a matter of months, reading might be the only way to inhabit other states and countries. As we find ourselves increasingly physically isolated, were finding new ways to connect from the confines of our homes. Ive embraced teaching my USC journalism class remotely, connecting via Zoom with students from L.A. to Jackson Hole, Wyo., to Dehradun, India. Ive joined the L.A. Times Book Club remotely. For now, Im buying books online. Normally, I go to local bookstores such as Chevaliers and Skylight not just to purchase physical books but for personal recommendations and to be inspired by whats on the shelves. Until they reopen, Im ordering from their websites for home delivery. And Im reading differently in these strange times. Im grateful for the structure this project provides to keep me reading because Ive been having a hard time concentrating. More than one friend has remarked that were living in a Don DeLillo novel, which means Im leaning away from existential dread on the page. More than ever Im looking for stories that offer a sense of community, whether thats at a school for Muslim girls in Chicago or an acquaponic farm in Hawaii. As of this writing, Ive gotten as far as Maine. I would love to hear your favorite recent fiction and memoir suggestions from upcoming states, so we can read along from the confines of home, but together as a community. Heres phase two of my journey: Delaware Cristina Henriquez published her excellent novel, The Book of Unknown Americans, six years ago. The story is set in a rundown apartment in Newark, Del., and much has changed with the nations immigration policy. What remains is longing for unity. The novel centers on members of the Rivera family, who acquire visas and leave a comfortable life in Mexico to rehabilitate their daughter recovering from a brain injury. The story is heartbreaking and hopeful, as a wide range of characters from the Americas navigate alienating circumstances from language to physical surroundings in search of making human connections. Story continues Florida Its been a while since I laughed out loud reading a novel, but Kristen Arnett is deadly funny. In her debut novel, Mostly Dead Things, Arnett ponders grief, love and loss as experienced by a family operating a taxidermy business in Central Florida. After Jessa-Lynn Morton discovers her fathers suicide, she must take control of the family business, while her mother copes with grief by creating art using taxidermied pieces engaged in lewd acts. At the center of Jessas grief lies her love for her brother and his absent wife. The book is heartbreaking, eccentric and often a little too heavy on bodily fluids for my comfort, but ultimately, its a story about the relationship of death and lives lived in the sticky, humid and often harsh realities of the Sunshine State. I also want to share a second Florida book, especially worth reading in these divisive times. Romance, science-fiction and politics are genres I generally avoid, so I missed Rising Out of Hatred, a nonfiction page-turner by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow until a reader recommended the book for this project. (Thank you!) Raised in West Palm Beach, not far from the Mar-a-Lago resort, Derek Black, heir to the alternative-right movement and godson of David Duke, goes to college in Sarasota and undergoes a years-long transformation. He publicly renounces white supremacy. This is a must-read, so I will only say that the book challenged my thinking about whether its productive to engage with those whose values and belief systems so starkly differ from ones own. Spoiler alert: Yes, it is! Georgia An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones traces a dissolving marriage of an Atlanta couple, Roy and Celestial, following Roys wrongful incarceration. The marriage unravels before our eyes, told largely through exchanged letters. The novel is as much about race and the failings of the criminal justice system as it is about love and vulnerability. At the beginning of Roys 12-year prison sentence, Celestial writes, Im writing this letter sitting at the kitchen table. Im alone in a way thats more than the fact that I am the only living person within these walls. Up until now, I thought I knew what was and wasnt possible. Maybe thats what innocence is, having no way to predict the pain of the future. Hawaii Part Hawaiian mythology, part modern day reality, Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn traces members of a Native Hawaiian family as they come up against culture, class and poverty on the Big Island and Mainland. I was wholly unprepared for the sheer magic of this debut novel, the fierce loyalty characters have for one another and their reverence for the land. Present are the ancestors and the spirits of the island, but also the harsh realities of a changing economy and a family in crisis. Washburns compassion for his characters and for his native Hawaiian landscape make for a compelling story about heritage and the bonds of family. Idaho Theres a reason why Tara Westovers astonishing memoir Educated has spent more than 100 weeks on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. If you havent already read the book, which revisits Westovers harrowing childhood raised off the grid by fundamentalist parents in rural Idaho, I suspect todays headlines about science denialism in the face of a pandemic will offer an even more chilling reading. Deeply distrustful of mainstream medicine and a government they feared was always about to invade, Westovers parents isolated their seven children and kept them from attending school or going to the doctor. The book is a testament to the power of storytelling. Westover takes us back to her mountain and shows us her world with vivid humanity. Illinois The Beauty of Your Face, a debut novel by Sahar Mustafah, tells the rich and complicated story of Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and principal of a Chicago school for Muslim girls. In the opening pages, an active shooter walks the schools hallways while Afaf retraces memories about a fractured family and finding hope in religion, before coming face-to-face with the gunman. Indiana The dreamhouse in the title of Carmen Maria Machados brilliant experimental memoir In the Dream House, is the stuff made of nightmares. Told in both first and second person, Machados memoir reveals a haunting consideration of being trapped in an abusive and destructive relationship with an unnamed woman, whose cabin in Bloomington, Indiana, becomes a visceral metaphor for domestic abuse. Machado writes, the Dream House is real. It is as real as the book you are holding in your hands, though significantly less terrifying. If I cared to, I could give you its address, and you could drive there in your own car and sit in front of that Dream House and try to imagine the things that have happened inside. Iowa Full of humor and heart, especially for chickens, Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth is a comic-political novel that takes on Big Ag and the ethics of the American egg industry. Unferth weaves in philosophical questions about our relationship to animals and the environment. I confess, I even considered veganism for a few pages. Her message is urgent. She writes, The world is failing, but we can fight back. Kansas The Topeka School, by National Book Award finalist Ben Lerner who won a MacArthur "genius" award, Guggenheim Fellowship and Fulbright Scholarship, all before the age of 40 circles a family of two psychotherapists and their son, Adam, against a backdrop of '90s Midwestern tract housing. The book is obviously brilliant in its examination of toxic masculinity and rage a topic for which I have an increasingly low bandwidth and how we have arrived at our current political reality. Kentucky I was casting around for a Kentucky story when a review of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by native Kim Michele Richardson, caught my eye. Its a historical novel about the real-life Pack Horse librarians, who promoted literacy by delivering books to folks in the Appalachian mountains in the 1930s. And who doesnt love a story championing beloved librarians? Richardsons, however, tackles another piece of Kentucky history and one I had never encountered despite having a brother-in-law living in Louisville. The protagonist is a woman who is a Kentucky Blue Fugate with the rare, real-life genetic condition methemoglobinemia, which turns white skin blue. The book examines the anguish of living in skin that is rejected by much of her community. Louisiana For a good two weeks last month, I couldnt concentrate on reading anything beyond a paragraph. But I had committed to this project and I didnt want to fall behind. I picked up The Yellow House, the National Book Award winning memoir by Sarah M. Broom, and then that thing happened where I became utterly lost in the pages of story beautifully told. Brooms personal history of growing up in New Orleans East and returning home explores the notions of what makes a home. Is it ones hometown, a physical structure, family? Broom excavates the history of her familys house, which survives Hurricane Katrina but not the citys bureaucracy, asking how to resurrect a home with words? Maine Im currently reading Olive, Again, by Elizabeth Strout. The opening pages take place on the coastline of Maine, and I cant help thinking about the last time I was there. My friends Zinzi and Jesse were getting married on a stretch of rocky coastline at what seemed like the very edge of the world in Small Point, Maine. Zinzi was wearing an A-line shift minidress that her mother had sewed using vintage 1970s Balenciaga cotton lace deadstock theyd found in the stacks of International Silks & Woolens on Beverly Boulevard. About 100 of us gathered, huddled together against the wind, waiting for the couple and wondering about rain. And then the light broke, just long enough for our friends to exchange vows before it began drizzling again, and we retreated to the barn. When I look back at the photos its hard to imagine the sheer beauty of that day, and I wonder when we will be able to come together again. A former editor at the Times, Heather John Fogarty teaches writing and journalism at USC Annenberg. Share your book suggestions with her on Twitter @heatherjohnfog and on Instagram @heatherjohnfogarty. Srinagar, April 1 : As many as 236 more persons who were shifted to administrative quarantine upon their return to Srinagar two weeks ago were discharged on Wednesday after completing their 14-day quarantine period. All the persons shifted into well-equipped hotels and government accommodations had returned from abroad, most of them from Bangladesh. These persons belonging to various districts of Kashmir were entrusted to their district headquarters in SRTC busses the Srinagar administration had arranged. Srinagar residents in the group were ferried home or handed to their families. Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar M. Haneef Balkhi, who has been designated as overall in-charge of quarantine facilities established in the district, oversaw their discharge and their transportation. Other supervising officers including SDMs East and West Sandeep Singh Bali and Hamida Akhter were also present on the occasion. The group was under thorough medical supervision throughout their quarantine period and were discharged after clearance from doctors. There are around 1,900 persons who have been put under administrative quarantine in Srinagar after their return mostly from overseas countries. While another group of around 370 persons will complete their quarantine and will be released tomorrow all the overseas-return persons in administrative quarantine in the district will complete their quarantine period by the end of this week and will be sent home as they complete it. Shifting of overseas returnees to quarantine facilities was part of Srinagar administration's elaborate preventive measures put in place to contain spread of the COVID-19 disease after March 18 when the first positive case was reported in the district. US-India to partner on developing vaccine for coronavirus India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 01: In a bid to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo called his called his counterpart India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar. Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the coronavirus including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains, Pompeo told Jaishankar. Senior State Department official, Alice Wells hoped that India and the US would collaborate in developing a vaccine to end the epidemic just like they had partnered for 25 years to develop the rotavirus vaccine that is expected to save the lives of 80,000 children in the country every year. During the call, the two also discussed the need to keep open supply chains, especially for COVID-19 related medicine equipment and medicines. It may be recalled that the trade chiefs of the G-20 countries halon Monday discussed the issue of countries wanting to preserve stocks of medicines for their citizens versus catering to the humanitarian needs of people in other countries. Johnson & Johnson expects to start human testing of COVID-19 vaccine by September The call between Pompeo and Jaishankar is part of the worldwide effort by leaders to keep in touch through video-conferencing and phone conversations to solve problems relating to health issued and global finance. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 11:37 [IST] JAYANTHI PAWA R By Express News Service CHENNAI: PRIYA* (9) wonders why everybody stays at home to stay safe from COVID-19 while her mom has to turn up for work. Not just that, shes no more allowed to hug her mother when she gets back from work, until she has had a bath. Priyas mother is a policewoman. With COVID- 19 spreading rapidly, theres fear among family members of police personnel about their safety. While rest of the city is working from home, policemen are working overtime on the field -- running to markets to clear crowds, checking vehicles on roads, spreading awareness in public places -- to contain the spread of the virus. While they have been preaching social distancing to everyone else, their job doesnt allow them to practice it for themselves. We need to go into crowds to clear it out. We have to interact with community members. So distancing is impossible, says the 32-year-old constable mother of Priya. For instance, I went to market yesterday. A destitute woman had fainted there, and I had to help her out. I couldnt go searching for gloves or masks at that moment. The policewoman says she depends on a regimen of sanitising her hands and not touching her face unnecessarily after such episodes. However, its easier said than done. Her husband Raja* says he is concerned about his wifes safety. She calls us half hour before getting home, and I ensure the kids do not go near her as soon as she enters the house, says Raja. Everything she brings on her way back from office, including her phone and bag are sanitised before being brought inside the home. Our elder daughter is 15, and understands the process but Priya gets confused. Ambika, sister of a police inspector in the city echoes the same feelings. We are proud of the service she does, but its also worrisome. The little we can do for her is wake up early and lunch for her. With all hotels and restaurants closed, lunch is a struggle. She does not find the time to come home for lunch, says Ambika. Sekar*, brother of a police constable at the commissioners office gets worried every time he sees the news. My sisters work is to issue travel passes to public. I see on TV how many people are crowding to avail passes and that scares me. None of them follow social distancing. A few of them do not even wear masks. I am worried for all police personnel on duty there, says Sekar. Traffic policemen, who have masks and gloves, are struggling to use them standing under the scorching sun. Overtime and all over the city While rest of the city is working from home, policemen are working overtime on the field -- running to markets to clear crowds, checking vehicles on roads, spreading awareness in public places -- to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has slammed her ex-'husband', Michael Goonan, for not defending her at Tuesday night's reunion dinner party. The 26-year-old law graduate told 9Now Michael already knew about rumours she'd cheated with Mikey Pembroke but didn't stand by her when they were aired publicly. 'He still sat there and didn't stick up for me and he decided, "You know what, I don't believe you." It is what it is,' Stacey said. 'He didn't stick up for me': Married At First Sight 's Stacey Hampton (pictured) has slammed her ex-'husband', Michael Goonan, for not defending her at Tuesday night's reunion dinner party Stacey said she was 'very, very surprised' by how Michael reacted to the allegations because she'd already warned him they might come up. 'We were so close. I introduced him to my children. I have been nothing but loyal,' she added. Meanwhile, Michael said he'd chosen not to 'bury' Stacey in front of the other couples because he was being considerate of her children's feelings. Gossip: Stacey told 9Now that Michael (pictured) already knew about rumours she'd cheated with Mikey Pembroke but didn't stand by her when they were aired publicly Stacey has two sons from a previous relationship, Kosta and Kruz. 'Even when you are wronged in life, you weigh up the damage you can cause someone and their children,' he told his Instagram followers. 'No child needs to view their mum in a bad light. I had a split decision to bury her or let her hold her grace.' Warned: Stacey said she was 'very, very surprised' by how Michael reacted to the allegations because she'd already warned him they might come up Stacey's one-night stand with Mikey was exposed at Tuesday's reunion dinner party. The aspiring lawyer repeatedly denied the allegations, even after Mikey produced corroborative text messages that proved they'd spent the night together. Aleks Markovic and Ivan Sarakula also claimed Mikey's clothes had been dropped off at their apartment in a Mecca Cosmetics bag after the alleged incident. Allegations: Stacey's one-night stand with Mikey Pembroke (pictured) was exposed at Tuesday's reunion dinner party A shell-shocked Michael said afterwards: 'I'll forgive Stacey if it happened. However, I won't forgive her if she's lying about it. That's definitely crossing the line with me.' The reunion was filmed in mid-January and, more than two months later, Stacey continues to deny she ever slept with Mikey. Married At First Sight concludes Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday discussed the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra -- which has the highest number of cases in the country -- with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on phone. Maharashtra has recorded 335 cases of coronavirus so far. State officials said the prime minister urged Thackerayto step up "tracing, testing and treatment" of the persons who arrived in Mumbai and rest of the state after attending Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi last month. The congregation in Nizamuddin area of the national capital was later found to have been a hotspot of coronavirus. The PM will hold a video conference with all the chief ministers on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Press Release 1 April 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic is dealing a crippling blow to the hospitality and aviation industry. International borders are being closed, nationwide curfews have been implemented, flights have been grounded and some hotels are forced by law to close temporarily. The number of reservations is rapidly going down and revenue losses for the entire Indian hospitality industry are currently estimated between USD 5.5 billion to USD 6.2 billion. It is anticipated that the hospitality industry could take years to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation will likely get worse before it gets better. Advertisements Companies that have already adopted flexible productivity, virtual collaboration tools and processes will adapt to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak with a much higher degree of speed and efficiency compared to companies that have resisted remote working and collaboration. Interaction among teams has shifted from physical to virtual platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack and Cisco WebEx Teams. As companies adapt to their remote work structures, the pandemic is having a lasting impact on how work is conducted. Remote working is an example of a business transformation that serves the needs of individual employees, provides companies with robust and flexible ways to engage with their ecosystem and deliver economic value. Digital transformation does not merely refer to using an online tool you stumbled upon recently, it is more about people, culture and company mindset where technology acts as a facilitator. Different industries and businesses have unique challenges and so are their solutions. Understanding your unique business challenge and opportunity is as important as choosing which technology solution you must implement. Digital transformation is here to stay and is having profound impacts across industries and sectors. The hospitality industry has been historically reluctant at implementing technological advancements owing to capital investments and organisational restructuring. Whereas, the leaders and early adopters within this industry set the standards by embracing digital transformation to offer unique and effortless experiences to their guests. As luxuries become necessities, companies that fail to take advantage of further advancements through digital transformation may become companies transformed out of the industry. Do you understand your digital landscape and are you adapting accordingly? How do you benefit from digital disruptions and turn them to your company's competitive advantage? How do you incorporate technological advancements to boost productivity, engagement and efficiency across all levels within your company? 1. The theory of digital disruption The idea of digital disruption aims to determine the degree of additional change businesses will experience in the coming years: how to leverage digital opportunities by organising the business process and use digital technology to unlock its potential. Online travel agents, smartphones, customer review sites, connected devices and social media have revolutionised customer interactions and engagements in hospitality. Large hotel chains such as the Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor now seek to connect with their guests on a personal level. Artificial intelligence, connected devices, robotics and big data are shaping the hospitality industry as we speak. Millennials are becoming a significant customer segment and driving hotels to change the way they operate. Extensive use of social media, smart devices and sharing economy has driven companies in the hospitality sector to revisit their business models. 2. Digital disruptions shaping the future of hospitality Success in the hospitality industry today is dependent on the continuously connected population (Gen C). They are married to their devices, accustomed to virtual rather than face-to-face interactions, have the desire to base their choices on pre-stay experiences and are empowered to share experiences, and hence, influence sales. The Internet of Things (IoT) has swiftly moved into the hospitality industry. It has facilitated smart automation, thereby improving the convenience and comfort standards for guests and reduced costs for the business itself. citizenM hotels embraced technological advancements through smart rooms and hotel services that guests access seamlessly through an iPad or their smartphones. Community-focused digital platforms such as Airbnb and Uber have also changed the hospitality and travel industry. While Marriott took 63 years to build 697,000 rooms, Airbnb reached virtually the same level in 4 years. What made Airbnb successful is excellent imagery on its website, being hyperlocal and having concierges who write great content about the locality of where you are going to stay. That is how digital disruptors and start-ups like Airbnb built a community. 3. Emerging opportunities and threats The next generation of robots (handling a range of services from food preparation and delivery to housekeeping), cloud storage and predictive analytics have all ensured widespread automation in this industry. However, the question about a post-digital era where digitisation becomes an essential part of all facets of life is still unanswered. Will the hospitality industry also suffer from a job losses as a result of digitisation and automation? Will the replacement of widely accepted human/interactive service offerings by Digi-gadgets act as a boon for the hospitality industry or a bane? This remains to be seen. Many cities will expand to the magnitude of countries by 2030, Shanghai's population is due to surpass Australia, London will be more populated than Greece, while Tokyo may become more dense than Malaysia. Cities will have to become 'smart,' and their infrastructure will have to be digitized, distributed, efficient and adaptive to support the needs of the growing populace while acknowledging the sustainability aspect of resources. To keep up with the brand offering of the destination and meet the growing needs of the 'smart' customer targeting 'smart' destinations, hotels will have to keep transforming digitally. Digitization is an entirely new way of offering services and experiences to customers. It requires a substantial capital investment in technologically-advanced features and an omnichannel strategy, amongst other things. As a result, smaller (already existing) hotel chains are struggling to cope with the pace of disruption. While COVID-19 has brought the hospitality industry to a standstill, it is providing companies with an opportunity to step back, evaluate their position within the market and charter the course ahead. Whether you choose to operate in a reactive environment or take this opportunity to embrace disruptions, staying ahead of the curve, will determine your future in the industry. BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil will extend its border closure with Venezuela for health reasons, but has ruled out closing the border to citizens returning from abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic, Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday. Moro also said he will discuss with Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta what the country's security forces can do in the fight against coronavirus. Mandetta again said that maximum social distancing must be maintained right now to limit the spread of the virus. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Jamie McGeever) Turkmenistan Bans Word Coronavirus, Watchdog Says Reporters Without Borders says secretive dictatorship is suppressing information about pandemic, endangering its citizens Officials in Turkmenistan, an oppressive and secretive former Soviet republic, are endangering its citizens by suppressing information about COVID-19, while claiming to have zero infections despite sharing a border with Iran, a major hotspot of the disease, a watchdog group says. Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for limiting all information about the coronavirus, said Jeanne Cavelier of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), on the organizations website. RSF claims Turkmen authorities are avoiding use of the word coronavirus as much as possible in order to deter the spread of information about the pandemic. Citing independent media outlet Turkmenistan Chronicles, which is banned in the country, RSF alleges authorities have quietly begun to censor the word coronavirus, with the countrys Ministry of Health reportedly recently changing the term to acute respiratory viral infections in health brochures. RSF also claims that people wearing protective masks or openly discussing the COVID-19 pandemic face arrest, according to Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen language version of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. According to RFE/RL, journalists from Radio Azatlyk reported on March 26 that people talking about COVID-19 in public were detained by undercover security agents. This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, said Cavelier, who heads RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations. According to Turkmen authorities, the country has no CCP virus (commonly known as novel coronavirus) infections, despite cases in nearby Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Iran. As of April 1, there are 47,593 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran, according to the latest data collated by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global pandemic. The number of deaths in the country due to the disease stands at 3,036, according to the tally. A March 5 report by RFE/RL cited a hospital employee as saying that two Turkmen tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital near the capital of Ashgabat. Officials contacted by the outlet denied there had been any infections. Still, the word coronavirus does appear in some recent official Turkmen communications, including a March 25 press release issued by the state news agency Turkmenistan Today announcing that the country was continuing to work on bringing Turkmen citizens back home from abroad, first of all, from the countries, where pandemic coronavirus is detected. The release also said Turkmenistan had taken serious measures in order to prevent the importation of infection into the country, including enhanced surveillance. Earlier, rather than opting for lockdowns as many countries have done, Turkmenistans president in mid-March ordered government officials to fumigate the country with an aromatic herb, according to The Times of London. He said the smoke would destroy viruses that are invisible to the naked eye, but reportedly didnt mention coronavirus by name. Alexander A. Cooley, director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University and an expert on Central Asian politics, told NPR that Turkmenistans leaders are prone to heavy-handed tactics to suppress or manipulate information. Banning the term coronavirus might seem to us obscene and extreme, Cooley told the outlet. But in reality, when the state controls all of the media and all of the digital nodes coming in and out, its not that outrageous. My sense is that theyll try and keep [the pandemic] under wraps as long as they can. Berdymukhamedov, a former dentist-turned-dictator, has ruled Turkmenistan since 2007. Amy Breslow wasnt allowed into Cooper University Hospital in Camden when she drove her 50-year-old husband there more than a week ago when his fever, cough and shortness of breath didnt improve for days. The hospital was on lockdown to help alleviate the spread of the coronavirus, so she had to watch as they carted Brett Breslow inside on a wheelchair on the night of March 20. "I really wish I could've been there with him," she said as her voice began to shake. Amy Breslow, 51, hasnt seen her husband of almost 25 years since that night. The Cherry Hill couple has two children, and its been a rollercoaster for the family since he developed pneumonia in both lungs due to complications from COVID-19 The last communication she had with her husband was when she texted him from her car while she waited outside the emergency room. Brett Breslow texted that he loved her. She said her husband, an engineer, didnt have any underlying health conditions. But his health quickly deteriorated hours after he was admitted to the hospital. It's not just the elderly, his wife told NJ Advance Media. It's not just people who have medical issues that are at risk for having a serious crisis due to COVID. It can really happen to anybody. Take the symptoms seriously." Hes now on kidney dialysis and hooked up to a ventilator, Amy Breslow said. As of Tuesday, hes still in critical condition. Brett Breslow, left, with his family. He was admitted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden on March 20 and is now on a ventilator and kidney dialysis due to complications from COVID-19, his wife says. All of this started around March 15, when Brett Breslow told his wife he felt achy. He developed a fever the next day, so they went to urgent care. He tested negative for the flu, but staff at the facility told him they didnt have any tests for COVID-19. On March 18, he woke up without a fever and thought he was better. But the fever returned later that night. Then came the cough and shortness of breath. A testing center opened in Cherry Hill and they were able to secure a spot on March 20. But the same day, he got worse and decided to go to the hospital. And about two hours after he was admitted, staff told her over the phone that her husband had pneumonia in both lungs and was admitted into the intensive care unit. "I was just floored when that happened, said the wife. "They never even had the chance to call me and say, hes really really sick. They just did what they had to do. Brett Breslows positive test result didnt come until the following week, his wife said. At that point, hospital staff was already treating him for COVID-19. Cooper University Health Care is trying to get Brett Breslow a new, investigational treatment method that uses plasma from people who have recovered from the virus. In theory, plasma that has antibodies against the virus could have an antiviral effect in those suffering from the illness. The therapy hasnt been approved for routine use yet, but physicians can request approval for the plasma if a patient meets specific criteria. The plasma from those who have convalesced, or recovered, has not been shown to be effective in every disease studied, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. Cooper has been in contact with the FDA to request that Breslow receive the COVID-19 convalescent plasma. "As with all investigational therapies, there are three possibilities: benefit, no effect, or harm. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific evidence about the effects or safety of this therapy, said Stephen Trzeciak, an intensive care specialist at Cooper. "While this is not a standard treatment approach at Cooper, we are sympathetic to the patient and his family and recognize that the FDA is considering authorizations of its investigational use. Amy Breslow, however, has been having a difficult time getting access to the plasma. There werent many donor sites for this particular plasma in South Jersey and some potential donors were turned away, she said. She, her friends and family began rallying to spread the word about the need for donations. And on Saturday night she learned the American Red Cross is setting up an application system to screen potential plasma donors who have recovered from the coronavirus. Though this treatment is still experimental, preliminary data are promising, the Red Cross said. The American Red Cross is supportive of FDAs effort and is committed to assisting with plasma collections from carefully-screened recovered COVID-19 patients to enable rapid access to treatment for the most seriously ill patients. Potential donors must have tested positive for COVID-19 through a lab. They must be symptom-free for 14 days, and have a follow-up test that was negative for COVID-19. The FDAs authorization for Brett Breslow to use the method is pending based on the availability of convalescent plasma from a blood bank, Cooper Hospital said. In the meantime, his wife is trying to find hope in the tiniest of improvements. He was finally able to lie on his back, rather than his stomach for the first time today. Doctors flipped him on his stomach so air could more easily flow to his lungs, she said. His wife also made a plea to those who were still going out in groups and not taking social distancing measures seriously enough. "Dont do it because my husband is someones father. Someones brother. Someones friend, she said as her words began to tremble again. And it could be yours and you could be endangering someone else. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico. Although it's not considered an all-time military movie classic like "Full Metal Jacket" or "Stripes," the 1995 military comedy "Major Payne" is an entertaining family film (with some salty language). The film stars comedian Damon Wayans as U.S. Marine Corps Major Benson Winifred Payne. Payne is a rough and tough Marine who becomes a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructor after being discharged from active duty for not making lieutenant colonel. Payne's job is to impart confidence and discipline in the rambunctious junior cadets and train them to win a military cadet competition. The film has some funny and memorable lines quoted in military training to this day such as "What we have here is a failure to communicate" and "I'm gonna put my foot so far up your ass, the water on my knee will quench your thirst." In between laughs, Major Payne bestows some surprising life lessons that apply to current service members, veterans, and society at large. 1. Career transitions are tough expect setbacks Major Payne is served his separation papers from the Marines in the beginning of the film. Just a week out of the service, Payne finds himself in jail after a failed attempt to become a police officer by slapping a man senseless during a training scenario."It's civilian life, sir. I had a minor setback," Payne tells his former commander Gen. Decker, played by Albert Hall. Thanks to the help of his former commander, he lands the job as the JROTC instructor. Lesson: Many people face a career change at some point in their lives. Setbacks are inevitable but it's important to be patient. It is also important to use your network when looking for a new career. 2. Not everyone is sympathetic; mental toughness goes a long way The meme above is Major Payne's most famous quote. He gives his young cadets this verbal tirade as they struggle to complete an obstacle course in the pouring rain. Eventually, the persistence and will of the cadets lead them to overcome the obstacle course and achieve success. Lesson: Not everyone will be sympathetic to your plight, no matter how difficult things are in your personal or professional life. When faced with challenges, being mentally strong and determined can help overcome any challenge, no matter the level of difficulty. 3. Keep trying to improve In a classic drill instructor tone, Major Payne tells the young men, "You're still a s**t sandwich, you're just not a soggy one" following a drill and ceremony routine. In his own unique way, the rough and tough character is acknowledging the effort put in by the boys to improve. Lesson: Never stop trying to improve. You can always get better. 4. Don't give up For Major Payne, failure is not an option. He wants victory at all costs! In order to win the military games, he puts the cadets through hell. He shaves their heads, PTs them all day and makes them run in dresses in front of the whole school. Despite their disdain for the man and his tough training methods, the kids don't quit. Lesson: Life will bring challenges. Don't let that prevent you from achieving your goals. 5. Teamwork is important The cadets are a ragtag group from the beginning. Despite their differences, they build cohesion, delegate responsibilities and establish a common goal to win the military games. Lesson: The value of camaraderie is vital in bringing a group of people to work well together no matter their differences. Working effectively as a team will bring success to any project whether you are in the civilian or military sector. 6. Loyalty is crucial Major Payne is given the chance to return to active duty at the rank of lieutenant colonel. Initially, he chooses to take the job offer and leaves the boys high and dry before the competition. Eventually, his love and loyalty to the cadets brings him back to see his boys in the final event of the competition. He stays on as a JROTC instructor. Lesson: It seems the thought of loyalty as a core tenet is slipping away to self-interest these days. Being loyal to friends, family or co-workers takes time and sacrifice. Believing in and devoting yourself to someone or something you care about is a great value to have for the rest of your life. 7. Self-confidence is essential Major Payne instills confidence in all of his cadets, especially the smallest one in the group "Tiger." He tells him a frightening version of "The Little Engine that Could," and makes him the drill team leader. This gives Tiger the confidence he needs to trust his abilities. Tiger's self-confidence shines through as the boys do a drill routine with a classic 90's hip-hop beat and old-school rhymes. Tiger even breaks it down with the "Cabbage Patch" dance and some vintage Michael Jackson moves. His self-confidence helps him lead the team to victory. Lesson: Trusting in your abilities will help you accomplish your goals. Believe in yourself. 8. Lighten up Major Payne is a military badass. He takes his life and his work seriously but he begins to lighten up a bit during the movie. He even has a little fun on the dance floor with some sweet robot moves. Lesson: There are times in life to be serious, but it's ok to lighten up. Being able to enjoy life, relax, and not be so uptight can make life more enjoyable. YOLO. MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY: 6 best video apps for staying connected during quarantine Intimidation: Army crew names their howitzer Coronavirus Why we need to check on our veterans during social distancing We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty. No crowds. No flying fish. Coronavirus empties Pike Place Market, Seattle, US by Ruth Fremson April 01,2020 | Source: The New York Times Once you take in that there are hardly any people around, the quiet hits you. The street musicians are gone. Jonny Hahn, who rolled his piano around various parts of the Pike Place Market for over 30 years, is nowhere in sight. The boisterous hollers of fishmongers tossing whole salmon to one another and the squeals of delighted tourists watching them work no longer echo through the arcade. Nonessential businesses were ordered to close soon after Washington States Stay home, stay healthy mandate went into effect on March 23, an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus after the region saw the first explosive outbreak in the United States. The four owners of the Pike Place Fish Company and their employees now work quietly behind a chain-link curtain that keeps them appropriately distanced from the few customers who still venture out. Its a huge family down here, Jaison Scott, 48, one of the owners, said of the market. It was really heartbreaking, watching people in tears, saying I have to close, one by one by one. His mother worked at the company before he was born. Pike Place Market, opened in 1907, is one of the oldest continuously operated public markets in the United States. The community of more than 500 vendors, and about 500 low-income residents, has weathered tumultuous times before, from the internment of many Japanese-American farmers during World War II through financial difficulties and a threat of demolition. It is a community with a tradition of watching out for its own. Mike Osborn, 60, owner of Sosios Fruit and Produce, said that although business had decreased by about 40 percent, he would not lay anybody off. Ive been here for 47 years Im going to be here another 30, he said. So why worry about one year? Im in it for the long haul. The dozens of local flower farmers whose riotously colorful blooms normally line table after table during the markets peak season have been deemed nonessential. So Mr. Osborn has been buying $10 bouquets from the growers and reselling them at his place with a $15 surcharge that he is donating to a program called the Safety Net, set up years ago to help market community members in need. To ease some of the burden for commercial tenants, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority provided rent relief for the month of April. A 550-pound bronze piggy bank named Rachel that has been at the market entrance since 1986 collects thousands of dollars annually to help finance the markets social services. Mr. Scott of the fish company said he was grateful for the customers who have kept coming: I think they feel safe coming down here. They say, Oh, Id rather come here than a grocery store because its open air. Thank god Federal Express is still going, because theyre picking up our packages every day and shipping them all over the country. Lit by the glow from one of the produce stands that remain open, Merrill Maguda, 35, was buying a variety of vegetables. She said she did not like seeing the market so quiet, with so many businesses closed, but its what we need to do at this moment. This is my one outdoor adventure every week, she added, so I relish it. Mr. Osborn said these difficult days are an opportunity to support a community that has supported you for 110 years. Frank Genzale, 72, the owner of Franks Quality Produce, whose grandparents sold spinach from their truck at the market in 1929, has been accused of being born right behind Table 47. Its my life, he said of the market. Youve got to love the interaction with the entire world walking by, three feet away from you. A few of us are still here, hanging in there, waiting on our steady customers who stand on the sidewalk and shout out what they want. Were survivors. The market has seen so many things happen, he added. Its not going to be fun for a while, but yeah, well wake up and say, Im going to get through today, and then well see what tomorrow brings. 2020 The New York Times Company Theme(s): Others. By Lee Gyu-lee Three more shows from CJ ENM have stopped producing new episodes due to the temporary shutdown of the company's building after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. CJ ENM said Tuesday that disinfection of the building has affected more shows on its networks. TvN's talk show "You Quiz on the Block" will skip two weeks of its 9 p.m. Wednesday timeslot. The comedy-action film "Extreme Job" will be aired this Wednesday as an alternative. TvN's music-themed show "DoReMi Market" and Olive's food show "For the Lazy but Hungry" will air re-runs this week. A junior producer for Olive's reality show "Food Bless You 2" was confirmed with the infection Saturday, which led the company to close its center in Sangam-dong, Seoul. The center houses several networks owned by CJ ENM and includes the studios for filming. The food-themed show stopped production after the staff and hosts were tested for the virus. Although no more confirmed cases have been reported, the production team decided to go into self-quarantine for two weeks before resuming filming. With the United States, Moscows calculus is based on the expectation that covid-19, like any other major adverse development in world affairs, has the potential to radically change the global agenda, he said. On 9/11, you would recall, Putin called Bush to offer support and help. The idea then and now is that a common cause would help make a clean slate and put the more contentious issues to one side, to be dealt with later and in an improved atmosphere. A heartbroken sister has sent out a desperate plea far and wide after her 'strong' older brother lost his life to coronavirus (Covid-19) in abrupt circumstances. Devastated Sally Brokenshaw bravely moved to put her pain to one side and took to social media in order to educate others on how serious, and terrifying, the rapidly spreading virus can be. With cases still being seen of people defying Government orders to remain inside and only venture out for essential travel, Mrs Brokenshaw chose to give a detailed account of her brother David Harris' final days in order to deter the breaking of self-isolation rules. Mr Harris, who lived and worked in Wells, Somerset, passed away a week ago on Wednesday, March 25, aged 65, after his condition swiftly deteriorated after showing only 'mild symptoms' from the outset. Writing on Facebook, Mrs Brokenshaw admitted she needed to get the message out as soon as possible and issued a statement on the same day as life support was turned off, despite the pain of losing her brother being so raw. 'I was going to wait until tomorrow but I dont feel that I can. Please share this post far and wide. People need to understand just how serious the Coronavirus/Covid-19 is,' she wrote on Facebook. David Harris, 65, was described as 'big and strong' by his family, but lost his life to Covid-19 despite entering hospital unaided and showing only 'mild symptoms' 'My brother David went to hospital by ambulance on Sunday afternoon displaying the symptoms of Covid-19. 'He walked into the ambulance unaided. At the hospital they immediately put him into a deep coma on life support. The test came back positive. 'On Tuesday his kidneys failed, then his lungs became under attack and although he really didnt stand a chance, we as a family were hopeful. 'He was a big, strong man and my big brother. We all knew that he would fight and fight to stay with us. Covid-19 decided differently.' 'This afternoon the decision was made by his consultant that they could do no more and that he couldnt come back from this. His life support was switched off and he passed peacefully at 2pm. We are all devastated and cant really believe that this has happened to him. Sally Brokenshaw took to social media to thank everybody who shared who post about David 'He was a loving partner, dad, brother, grandad, uncle, great uncle and a friend to so many people. The next few days will be so difficult.' She then went on to outline how the pain and grieving process was made all the more difficult by the cruel nature of the contagious virus, which meant David had to remain alone in his final hours without visitors at his bedside. 'What people may not know is that because of Covid-19 he could not have anybody with him except the ICU nurses who were absolutely wonderful. No visitors,' Mrs Brokenshaw continued. 'Nobody from his family to sit with him. No family could travel to be with him as we wouldnt be allowed in. His partner, isolated, not allowed to say goodbye. 'We are all being asked to follow the rules. Just do it. 'My brother is not just a statistic in the news. 'Save yourselves from the pain and heartache that we are going through.' On Wednesday, April 1, the post had been shared over 250,000 times, and rising. The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with coronavirus has soared in the past 10 days, particularly in London, which is still at the heart of the country's outbreak Following an outpouring of support for her and her family during their time of need, Mrs Brokenshaw issued a follow up statement in which she thanked the world of social media for getting the message out far and wide. 'Word is getting out there to follow the rules, stay indoors, social distance and if you are a key worker, like my friends working in schools, take all the precautions you can,' she wrote. 'Thank you for all your kind words to us as a family as we try to come to terms with losing a lovely, gentle, kind and loving man.' Mr Harris' partner, Tracy Weisner, also paid an emotional and heartfelt tribute by writing on Facebook: 'My darling David, I miss you with every breath I take. Life can be so very cruel.' As of Wednesday, April 1, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the UK reached 29,474, with 2,352 people having tragically lost their lives to the virus. In the four weeks since COVID-19 hit Texas, the virus has changed our lives, along with the world we live in. Every morning, I wake up and cant get past the first page of this newspaper without reading another sobering reality of this indiscriminate pandemic. It transcends boundaries, ZIP codes, gender, age and yes even partisan politics. The effects of this virus are undeniable, and it is only a matter of time before all corners of the state are heavily impacted. I respected Gov. Greg Abbotts decentralized approach early in this crisis, and while I disagree with his reluctance to implement statewide policies, I know he and his team truly care about getting our state through these difficult times. That said, we have an unprecedented challenge ahead of us, and we must respond in kind. Hospitals around the country are increasingly burdened by surges in COVID-19 cases, and the situation in Texas is particularly precarious. How are we to confront this pandemic when our uninsured rate is the highest in the nation and our child uninsured rate doubles the national average? How many more previously insured individuals lost their coverage when they lost their jobs? And how can we maintain our health care delivery systems when Texas is set to lose around $6 billion a year in federal safety-net funding that helps local hospitals care for the uninsured? We need a statewide response, with an emphasis on expanding access to care and shoring up our health care system for the short- and long-term challenges that lie ahead. When our health care system lacks the resources it needs, our community suffers, regardless of whether you and yours are insured. If COVID-19 has proven anything, its that we are all in this together. Texas has the tools to address some of these concerns before our hospitals are overburdened. So far, Abbott has yet to use them. State health officials should be requesting every possible waiver, state plan amendment or other permission from the federal government to improve access to care. In times of crisis, a waiver allows you to think outside the box and solve problems creatively. Last week, I wrote to the governor asking him to exercise his authority and seek available waivers from the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. Requesting an 1135 waiver, as he did last week, is a good first step, but it shouldnt be the only step. For example, another waiver request might allow our state to finally change Medicaid eligibility standards, providing coverage and more peace of mind for low-income Texans who do not qualify under the states restrictive standards, or for those who were laid off and lost their coverage. Texas could also attempt to delay the phaseout of federally funded safety net programs or urge CMS to rescind rules that would cost Texas hospitals billions of dollars if implemented. Is the peak of a public health crisis really the best time to take resources away from our county hospitals? Finally, Texas should take advantage of the additional Medicaid dollars included in the federal Families First Act to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing for the uninsured. This is the bare minimum of coverage for the uninsured, and the states reticence to accept the funding defies logic. Despite the many options at his disposal, the governor has been noticeably hesitant to confront COVID-19 with a statewide approach. Until his recent orders, he often deferred decision-making to mayors and county judges. While our local partners have done an incredible job responding to this crisis, they should not bear this burden alone. Id rather Texas lead on this issue, but if the governor continues to shift responsibility to local leaders, then they will need a seat at the table to negotiate directly with federal officials. All Abbottt has to do is make the request it is that simple. Given the stakes, inaction is simply not an option. Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat, is serving his ninth term in the Texas House of Representatives, where he serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Business and Industry. New Delhi, April 1 : Days after two Mohalla Clinic doctors got coronavirus infection, another doctor in the city has tested positive to COVID-19, resulting in shutting down of the Delhi State Cancer Institute for sanitisation. According to the hospital administration, the doctor got the infection from relatives who returned from abroad. "The hospital, including the OPD, has been closed for sanitisation," an official said. The hospital is also contacting the patients who came in contact of the doctor and asking them to get quarantined. This is the third case of a doctor getting the infection. Before this, two doctors of the Mohalla Clinic -- in Babarpur and in Maujpur -- were tested positive for coronavirus. The authorities had asked their patients for self-quarantine at home. Delhi's coronavirus patient count has reached 120, with 49 people having travel history to foreign countries. Donald Trump says that his impeachment diverted his administrations attention away from coronavirus, despite being acquitted by the US Senate at the beginning of the outbreak. During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Mr Trump admitted that the impeachment process could have impaired his response to the virus. He told reporters: I think I handled it [impeachment] very well, but I guess it probably did. I mean, I got impeached. I think, you know, I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it, right. The comments came after Mitch McConnell told radio host Hugh Hewitt that the Trump administration could only concentrate on impeachment as the coronavirus spread in China in January. The Senate Majority Leader said the crisis came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day was all about impeachment. On February 5, President Trump was acquitted of impeachment charges brought by the House of Representatives in the Senate for abuse of power and the obstruction of justice. Three weeks later, on February 27, Mr Trump announced that coronavirus was going to disappear. One day its like a miracle, it will disappear. It followed a claim days earlier that a vaccine was very close. Democrats have widely criticised the president for contradicting his own statements on the virus, and for the slow response to rolling-out testing and PPE. As early as February 11, the president had proposed cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), now central to the White House response to the pandemic. Whilst the first US death from the coronavirus was reported at the end of February in Washington State, coincided with Mr Trump telling supporters at a campaign rally that Democrat criticism of his handling of the virus was a hoax. He added on Tuesday that the impeachment process was also a total hoax. He said: When you think that I got impeached only because they had a majority in the House. They didnt get one Republican vote. Referring to a memo released on Friday about problems in the FBIs Russia investigation, Mr Trump commented that Democrats probably illegally impeached me in the sense that if you look at the FBI today with what happened, the horrible thing, nobody cares about that now because all theyre thinking about is the virus and thats ok with me. ANN ARBOR, MI On a mild and gray winter afternoon, students passing through the Denison Archway toward the University of Michigan Diag mostly ignored the masked performer who was serenading them. Some stared at their smartphones as Zachary Storey warmed them up with a rendition of Amazing Grace on his Otto Ernst Fischer violin. One student took a moment to film him on Snapchat. Another paused a phone conversation midstream to note that he was having a really weird day after Storey let out his signature awooo! It wasnt until he encountered an old friend from the streets, Jesse Kostelic, that Storey broke character as Ann Arbors famed Violin Monster to celebrate Kostelics news that he had been clean and sober for eight months. Months earlier, it was Storey who escorted Kostelic to some of the citys social service agencies when he was homeless and fighting an addiction to heroin. Still donning his gray werewolf mask, Storey told his friend he looked a lot better, as Kostelic informed him hed secured transitional housing at Ann Arbors Dawn Farm addiction treatment center. In the moment, Storeys Violin Monster persona and the man behind the mask whom hes started to reveal to the world merged into one. You cant see my smile right now, Storey told Kostelic through the snarling fangs of his mask as the two embraced. MORE: Images of Ann Arbors Violin Monster over the years A challenging winter For nearly a decade, Storey has made connections with people of all ages and fortunes as Ann Arbors most noticeable street performer. And while he scrapes together his income with the pocket change of his admirers, interactions like the one with Kostelic serve as the currency that keeps him going. Zachary Storey, Ann Arbor's Violin Monster, greets a young fan, who asked him to play "happy birthday" for her mother, on Main Street in Ann Arbor on March 5, 2020.Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com Its my job as an entertainer to bring happiness to people if I can, or to disrupt peoples internal monologues for a second and bring them into their surroundings, Storey said while digging through a plate of French fries at Arbor Brewing Company. (The exchange with Kostelic) is strong feedback that Im doing my job. After years of migrating from Ann Arbor to warmer locales like New Orleans, San Francisco and Austin, Texas during the winter months, Storeys perspective of Ann Arbor has evolved. Despite wanting to settle down and stay in the city year-round, its become increasingly difficult for him to secure housing through subleases or by crashing on couches. He laments Ann Arbors changing landscape, with more luxury apartment high-rises being built downtown. This past winter was particularly challenging for Storey. Unable to find a place to stay, he was homeless, spending sleep-deprived nights living in a crowded Delonis Center, as well as transforming his 2002 Honda CR-V into a living space for about seven weeks. From spending so much time on the streets, I probably had a better idea than most of how many people in our community are in great need, Storey said. The more that I learned about it, we are in a much graver crisis than most people even know. Ann Arbors lack of affordable housing has caused Storey to remove his mask and speak out at City Council meetings to advocate for the citys homeless and working poor. His evolution from street performer to affordable housing advocate has come out of necessity, he said, to push for keeping the place he now calls home unique. Ann Arbor has had the reputation for being really welcoming and for embracing the weird, or different or strange, he said. Ive felt the most comfortable here because of that. While Storeys ability to entertain and earn money in Ann Arbors downtown has been thwarted by the spread of COVID-19, he has been able to maintain housing, streaming his violin performances online to try to earn some cash. In the meantime, Storey has reached out to city council members to advocate for emergency funds to the Delonis Center and other organizations working with vulnerable populations to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Creating a monster For those who walk Ann Arbors downtown streets, the Violin Monsters presence has become embedded in the citys culture, like many of the festivals at which he performs, continuing a tradition popularized by the late Shakey Jake Woods. Storey has appeared on Americas Got Talent, and was highlighted in a short feature at the beginning of the late Anthony Bourdains No Reservations. Arbor Brewing Company has brewed a special seasonal beer in his name. Zachary Storey talks about life as the iconic Violin Monster of downtown Ann Arbor His elegant attire and carefully sculpted character story of a werewolf that will turn 500 years old this year make him a hit with young children. One woman was so moved by her young daughters interaction with Storey that she turned it into a childrens book, A Monster on Main Street. As this character, and especially being known around town, I found that for a lot of people, I am more approachable than a stranger, Storey said. Zachary Storey, Ann Arbor's Violin Monster, flips through "Notes from a Public Typewriter," a book by Literati Bookstore co-owner Mike Gustafson, at Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. in Ann Arbor on March 5, 2020. Storey LEFT the message Violin Monster was here, awwwwwoooooo, on the famed typewriter in the stores basement. Gustafson taped the message on the wall, where it was noticed by a 7-year-old who wanted to write back to the Violin Monster.Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com Literati Bookstore co-owner Mike Gustafson recalled Storey leaving the message Violin Monster was here, awwwwwoooooo, on the famed typewriter in the stores basement. Gustafson taped the message on the wall, where it was noticed by a 7-year-old who wanted to write back to the Violin Monster. We connected them on social media, and thus began what I believe to be the worlds first pen pal relationship between a 7-year-old and a werewolf, said Gustafson, who turned the interaction between the pair into one of the stories in the book Notes from a Public Typewriter. Storey insists those interactions are what have made Ann Arbor a desirable place to live over the past decade. A native of Connecticut, Storey began learning to play the violin when he was 6, before moving to Livonia at the age of 10. His talent allowed him to spend summers during middle school at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, later touring the Midwest, Germany and Belgium with the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra. Storey eventually put the violin down for a few years to attend college at Western Connecticut State University, planning to go into a career in elementary education. He ultimately realized being a teacher wasnt for him, leading him to move back to Michigan and pick up his violin once again. Storey began performing on the streets of downtown Ann Arbor, and soon discovered his new identity when he found the perfect costume and werewolf mask at the Fantasy Attic in Ypsilanti. When he moved to Ann Arbor in October 2010, Storey earned a modest living working in a factory, but quickly realized that the typical 9-5 job would never work for him. Howling into action A few weeks removed from being homeless, Storey was happy to share the news to a barista behind the counter inside RoosRoast in downtown Ann Arbor that hed found a room to rent on a balmy late January afternoon. The barista shared in his excitement, staring up at the lanky, 6-foot-5 Storey while expressing her love for his new knitted hat he surmises is either a squirrel or wolf a gift he received around Christmas. Zachary Storey speaks about Ann Arbor's homelessness and affordability challenges, sharing his own recent experience with homelessness. Dozens of residents packed into the Ann Arbor SPARK office, 330 E. Liberty St., for the latest Center of the City community open house to help plan a downtown central park/commons on the block Jan. 15, 2020.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Storey, whose face was clean-shaven when he began performing in Ann Arbor years ago, now wears a long, thick beard. Hes glad to have put behind him sleep-deprived nights, sleeping shoulder to shoulder in the Delonis Centers warming shelter with up to 70 other people. He no longer needs to lay out a mattress across his car and sleep in parking garages when temperatures drop into single digits at night. Storeys experience with homelessness has forced him to look at Ann Arbors lack of affordable housing more closely, speaking out at several City Council meetings in recent months. His passion and honesty are striking, on display most recently when he called out City Council for its decision to fire the city administrator. Images from his moment chastising the council became an internet meme. Ive discovered some hard realities at the Delonis Center, Storey told City Council on Dec. 2, 2019. I didnt even know the amount of the invisible (homeless) community thats out there, and Ive spent hundreds and hundreds of hours out on the street. Storeys struggle to find affordable housing is quite common, Ann Arbor Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall said. Around 1,000 people contact the commission every year in fear of losing their housing due to an illness, death of a spouse, loss of a job or the simple inability to make enough from the job they have to pay for housing in Ann Arbor. The need is magnitudes greater than the resources available, especially in an area with an expensive housing market like Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, Hall said. Ann Arbors affordable housing waitlist currently has 402 people on it, Hall said, including Storey. An additional 82 households needing a two-bedroom residence on the public housing waitlist are given priority, with some people on the waitlist that applied as far back as 2010. City Council member Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, said the Violin Monsters story is unique, but resonates with a lot of people who are finding Ann Arbor to be a less and less affordable place to live. For a lot of people who grew up here or spent their lives working here, it's been tough to find stable and affordable housing, Ackerman said. Ann Arbor has great parks, great schools, great neighborhoods, but so do a lot of places. What makes Ann Arbor so special is the people. But, that mix of people needs access to different types of housing at different prices. What freedom feels like to me Becoming a mainstay at events like Fool Moon and Hash Bash has brought Storey fulfillment and joy, he said, even if it is at times difficult to scrape together enough money to get by. The core of it is freedom, and what freedom feels like to me, Storey said of the character. Zachary Storey poses at RoosRoast Liberty, 117 E Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com Its also been therapeutic for Storey in dealing with what he describes as trauma from his childhood. From the ages of 11 to 18, he says he was repeatedly placed in mental hospitals, living in constant fear he would end up being sent back. Storey said he felt doctors misdiagnosed him as bipolar about 25 years ago, placing him on medications that didnt help his well being. Over time, hes found performing as the Violin Monster character helps him establish a sense of safety, presenting himself as the monster that he believes society, friends and some family members have viewed him to be. Showing people the lovable, mysterious street performer that lives inside the monster, he said, has helped reveal him in a new light as a strange, but compassionate person. Everybody has their personal issues that they don't talk to anybody about, Storey said, But there's always a way to deal with what you're experiencing. How I see it, I might look at things a little bit differently than an engineer, but I still think it's valuable to bring different perspectives. Beyond advocating for more affordable housing in the city, Storey said he wants to continue to be more involved in local politics, announcing on the Violin Monster Facebook page a potential desire to run for City Council as early as 2022. He still loves Ann Arbor, and said he hopes it doesnt turn into another San Francisco that is no longer affordable while losing the character that made it a desirable place to live in the first place. Ive never felt more at home anywhere else and Im not going to move away from a place (where) I know so many people by name, Storey said. ... I just want to do what I can to make it more accessible for everyone and make it an even better place to live and work. READ MORE: Zachary Storey talks about life as the iconic Violin Monster of downtown Ann Arbor Ann Arbors Violin Monster featured in latest episode of 60 Second Docs Howl at the moon with the Violin Monster at Buschs beer release party Friday Ann Arbors Violin Monster to appear on Americas Got Talent tonight Wednesday, April 1, 2020 The Herman Trend Alert April 1, 2020 Disinfecting with Light With our current justifiable preoccupation with the COVID-19 virus, when I saw information about this breakthrough, I had to write about it. Though I was tempted to create an April Fool's Herman Trend Alert, this is not one. Not only does this technology exist, but it is in use. Hotels for Hospitals Once the current crisis has passed, those hotels that were used as hospital rooms will require deep disinfectant cleaning. For most properties, this extreme cleaning regimen will take weeks of work and lots of trained staff. Imagine if a germ-zapping robot could do the job in five minutes using light as opposed to chemicals? One hotel is already using this breakthrough technology and it is in Houston, Texas. Westin Houston Medical Center Hotel: on the Leading Edge Located in my home state of Texas, The Westin Houston Medical Center holds the honor of being the first and currently only hotel in the United States to use this high-tech solution employing virus-killing robots. What are LightStrikeTM Germ-Zapping RobotsTM? The robots use Xenon-gas-generated Ultraviolet (UV) light to kill germs wherever they are placed. The light treatment even disinfects bath amenities and coffee, offered to guests in sealed bags. Pearl Hospitality, the hotel's owner and operator uses the light to add another layer to their normal cleansing process. The Hotel's Normal Regime Though the 273-room hotel currently uses two of the germ-killing robots on the property to disinfect, all public areas and guest rooms are also cleansed using Ecolab's TB Disinfectant Cleaner. This effective product is a hospital-grade disinfectant. The robots are used to clean every guest room between stays. Moreover, the common spaces including the lobby, restaurant, cafe, bar, and meeting rooms are cleaned daily. These same enhanced disinfectant protocols have been used in over 500 hospitals across the globe, as well as the Mayo Clinic. Developed by Researchers Near the hotel, two scientists at the Houston Medical Center developed these cool germ-zapping robots. Since the hotel is on the property of the medical center, it only takes about eight minutes to walk from the hotel to the healthcare facility. An Indication of Things to Come Though Westin has no upcoming plans to expand use of the robots to other properties, their introduction is clearly part of a larger trend to make hotel rooms cleaner and safer for travelers. A Reminder for All of Us Disinfecting with Ultraviolet light reminds us the importance of protecting ourselves from the COVID-19 by washing our hands and if you have to go to the store, use hand sanitizer and if you can, wear gloves. Finally, wipe clean any potentially contaminated surfaces. After you take a delivery and put it away, be sure to wash your hands yet again. Special thanks to ThePointsGuy.com for bringing this breakthrough to our attention. To see the video of the Lightstrike Germ Zapping Robot, use FireFox to visit ThePointsGuy.com. There, you will also find the full text of their article about this fascinating new technology ********* Read this Herman Trend Alert on the web: http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive 4-1-2020.h tml ********* When youre down on your luck, you bet on the horse you know. And with Alberta facing its steepest economic downturn since the 1930s, as the government has been wont to say, Premier Jason Kenney is again putting his money well, taxpayers money on oil. Albertans woke up Tuesday to an announcement that Kenneys government was injecting $1.5 billion into the controversial Keystone XL project, in the hopes of using it to shuttle oil to the southern United States by 2023. But with oil prices dropping, a global price war and questions about future demand has some asking, is it a losing bet? Its hard to overstate the challenges facing the Alberta government. Like jurisdictions around the world, the Alberta economy is being walloped by coronavirus. Unlike most other governments, the province rolled out a budget just a month ago that was highly dependent on oil. Now, sinking prices are taking the governments dreams of a balanced budget with them. On Tuesday, Kenney lashed out at Russia and Saudi Arabia, blaming what he called the worlds worst regimes, for the ongoing spat thats driven oil prices into the gutter. In a pandemic, you find out who your true friends are, he told reporters in Calgary. After COVID, Canadians and Americans will remember that the Saudis and Russians tried to exploit our pain for their gain. The province is gambling on oil amid calls for the federal government to bail out the beleaguered industry: The world needs a reliable, democratic major source of energy, Kenney said. The reappearance of Keystone will feel like deja vu for many Canadians. Its been 15 years since the project was first proposed by TransCanada Corp. as a way of connecting Alberta with refineries as far away as Texas. The almost-2,000-kilometre pipeline was the subject of debate and protest for years because of its perceived environmental impact. Then U.S. president Barack Obama nixed the project in 2015, and it faded from the spotlight. But it got a second go around when President Donald Trump gave the project his stamp of approval in January, though state level governments could still prove hostile to its completion. While the pipeline was once at the centre of a heated North American debate over climate change and carbon emissions, in Alberta its revival is a last-ditch attempt at a reprieve for an industry currently grappling with the lowest oil prices in years. We also believe that this is our last chance to get a major pipeline project done, and without it, the future of our largest industry will be compromised. Kenney said Tuesday. Its not a huge surprise that Alberta sees oil, long the provinces biggest industry, as a safe harbour in a time of trouble, experts say. Its really hard to transition to have a different mindset in the middle of a crisis, notes Glen Hodgson, a senior fellow with the C.D. Howe institute, a Toronto-based policy-research organization. Diversification is a great theory, but its very hard to do in practice, you have to do it piece by piece. Given the short-term crisis, trying to figure out what the future might look like, and then to build a diversification strategy on top of that? Thats a lot of moving parts. Which is not to say that oil is a safe bet. He points to the International Energy Agency, which last November released two scenarios for oils long term outlook, the most optimistic of which sees global demand slowing after 2025. And then were gonna have to fight for market share, against the Saudis and against the Russians and against the Americans and everybody else, he said. Its going to be a much tougher world in which to compete. Complicating things is Albertas evergreen problem: a lack of pipeline capacity. Along with the Trans Mountain expansion and Line 3, Keystone was one of three projects that Alberta has been betting on to buoy its budget over the past year. But not all pipelines are created equal. Keystone would mean more access to the U.S., Hodgson says, but the province would still be in the unfortunate position of having only one customer to whom it can peddle its wares. Unlike the Trans Mountain Expansion which remains mired in challenges of its own completing Keystone doesnt allow for selling Alberta oil on the world market, hopefully for better prices. But Kenney is still willing to pay for access to the American market. He has pledged a total of $7.5 billion to TC Energy with the expectation that once the pipeline is complete, it will pump 830,000 barrels of oil per day down to refineries on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. by 2023. Some of that money should be paid back though. The province is putting $1.5 billion into the project this year, and the remaining $6 billion is committed as a loan guarantee in 2021. The province said it expects to make a profit after selling its shares and also said the project would generate 15,000 direct and indirect jobs. The province also says government coffers will get $30 billion over the years from tax revenue and oil royalties. The Star reached out to the Energy Ministry to ask what oil prices were used to back up that estimate, but didnt receive a response. If anything is certain at this point, its that the situation is far from certain. In last months provincial budget, the United Conservatives hoped for $58 barrels of oil, and said that analysts believed that, like SARS, the impacts of coronavirus werent likely to last long. But this week, the price of West Texas Intermediate, a commonly used benchmark, plunged to near $20, and the ripple effects of coronavirus are proving to be anything but short term. In its attempt to get government finances under control, Alberta has begun cutting education funding prompting thousands of layoffs and going ahead with changes to doctor pay that have left many fuming, especially in the middle of a pandemic. While an investment in the Alberta energy industry is central to boosting the Canadian economy, and would help Alberta pump money into alternative energy sources in the future, Lori Williams, a policy studies professor at Mount Royal University, says the big money for pipelines has been tough to justify as people lose their jobs. RELATED STORIES Business TC Energy says it is going ahead with $11B Keystone XL project It comes across as a contradiction, Williams said, to see an investment in oil-industry jobs on one hand, and the cutting of jobs and resources in the public sector on the other. Many people are keenly aware of medical staff on the front lines risking their health and indeed their lives to try to manage this pandemic, she said, adding that the governments refusal to concede on pay has been particularly confusing to some. Ian Hussey, the research manager at the University of Albertas Parkland Institute, also wonders how many workers will actually benefit long term from the investment. After the last oil crash, the big players in Albertas energy industry also took stock and started making moves to be leaner and more efficient, he said. The Canadian oil and gas industry shed more than 50,000 jobs between 2014 and 2019, he said, adding the industry has actually become more efficient, and the average worker last year produced 72 per cent more than they did in 2011. The reason, Hussey said, is that more things are automated, companies are leaner and the industry is also entering a mature phase, which means fewer people are needed to build new facilities. As a result, he questions why the province is investing in big companies when that money is trickling down to fewer Albertans. Premier Kenney said they are securing Albertas future with this investment. I think theyre investing in the past. Hodgson, of the C.D. Howe Institute, says that while oil demand will continue, a shock like this might inspire the industry, and the province, to think a little differently about energy and diversification in future. If you keep betting on the same horse and that horse doesnt win, then this challenge will just come back. Read more about: A NASA astronaut works outside the International Space Station. NASA received more than 12,000 applications in March 2020 from people wanting to become astronauts. The results are in and, no surprise, a lot of people want to be a NASA astronaut. More than 12,000 people have applied to join what NASA is calling the "Artemis Generation," a new class of astronauts to help the agency return humans to the moon and reach outward to Mars. It's the second highest number of applications the agency's astronaut corps has ever received, NASA officials said. "We've entered a bold new era of space exploration with the Artemis program, and we are thrilled to see so many incredible Americans apply to join us," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement today (April 1). "The next class of Artemis Generation astronauts will help us explore more of the moon than ever before and lead us to the Red Planet." Related: What it's like to become a NASA astronaut: 10 surprising facts When NASA put out the call for a new astronaut class in February, anticipation was already high. After decades flying in low Earth orbit, NASA is again shooting for the moon with its Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024. The agency hopes to continue on to Mars in the 2030s. NASA began taking applications on March 2 and stopped on Tuesday (March 31). The space agency received applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. The sheer number of applications is second only to the record 18,300 applications NASA received in 2016 for its most recent astronaut class (which graduated in January). "For this round of applications, NASA increased the education requirement for applicants from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree in a science, technology, math, or engineering field," NASA officials said in the statement. "In addition, the application period was shortened from two months to one." Now comes the hard part: winnowing down the massive applicant pool to just a handful of candidates with the "Right Stuff" to fly in space. "We're able to build such a strong astronaut corps at NASA because we have such a strong pool of applicants to choose from," said Anne Roemer, NASA's manager of the Astronaut Selection Board and director of human resources at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It's always amazing to see the diversity of education, experience and skills that are represented in our applicants." NASA is expected to announce its final selections for the new astronaut class in mid-2021. Once selected, the astronaut candidates will spend the next 2.5 years training for spaceflight and will then have to wait to be selected for a space crew. That timeline would likely mean they may not fly until after 2024, NASA's current target for a moon return. But the new astronauts are sure to train to fly on NASA's new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System megarocket (the centerpiece for NASA's Artemis missions), as well as for missions to the International Space Station on private spacecraft like SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsule. NASA currently has 48 active astronauts and has trained 350 astronauts since the agency began training space travelers in the 1960s. Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram. Using flag-draped memes and military terminology, the Trump administration and its Chinese counterparts have cast coronavirus research as national imperatives, sparking talk of a biotech arms race. The worlds scientists, for the most part, have responded with a collective eye roll. Absolutely ridiculous, said Jonathan Heeney, a Cambridge University researcher working on a coronavirus vaccine. That isnt how things happen, said Adrian Hill, the head of the Jenner Institute at Oxford, one of the largest vaccine research centers at an academic institution. While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Never before, researchers say, have so many experts in so many countries focused simultaneously on a single topic and with such urgency. Nearly all other research has ground to a halt. Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme launches The Manx Government has announced the launch of the Isle of Man Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme. The Scheme has been introduced in response to the financial challenges facing businesses as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and will see the Islands commercial banks supporting up to 60 million of new lending, 80% of which will be underwritten by the Isle of Man Government. Similar schemes have also been introduced across Jersey and Guernsey. The scheme, which will initially be implemented by HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays, Isle of Man Bank and Conister Bank, will support overdraft and term-lending facilities as well as asset financing facilities. To find out more about the Isle of Man Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme, please contact your Bank directly to discuss. (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday he would close down the playgrounds in New York City in an effort to bolster social distancing and limit the number of coronavirus-related deaths, which are approaching 2,000 in the state. The move expands on an announcement a day earlier by Mayor Bill de Blasio that he would close 10 of the city's playgrounds where there had been people crowding in close proximity, threatening to further spread the virus that has hit the nation's most populous city particularly hard. 'Young people must get this message, and they still have not gotten the message, you still see too many situations with too much density by young people,' Cuomo said. (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday he would close down the playgrounds in New York City in an effort to bolster social distancing and limit the number of coronavirus-related deaths, which are approaching 2,000 in the state. The move expands on an announcement a day earlier by Mayor Bill de Blasio that he would close 10 of the city's playgrounds where there had been people crowding in close proximity, threatening to further spread the virus that has hit the nation's most populous city particularly hard. "Young people must get this message, and they still have not gotten the message, you still see too many situations with too much density by young people," Cuomo said. "So we're going to take more dramatic action. We're going to close down the New York City playgrounds." Cuomo added that open spaces in parks would remain available for people to "walk around, get some sun." The governor said that the number of coronavirus cases in his state had increased to 83,712, up from 75,795 from a day earlier, with deaths rising to 1,941, up from 1,550, by far the most in the United States. (reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Maria Caspani in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. When Maulana Saad, head of Nizamuddin Markaz, refused to yield to pleas from Delhi Police and security agencies to vacate the Banglewali Masjid, Home Minister Amit Shah requested National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval to get the job done. According to top home ministry officials, Doval reached around 2.00 am on March 28-29 night at the markaz and convinced Maulana Saad to get the occupants to be tested for the Covid-19 infection and be quarantined. Shah and Doval knew about the situation building up since the security agencies had tracked down the nine test positive Indonesians at Karimnagar, in Telangana, to the markaz on March 18 itself. The security agencies had sent an alert on the markaz infection the very next day to all state police and subsidiary offices. Also Watch | How Ajit Doval cleared Nizamuddin Markaz. Now for contact tracing While the markaz allowed 167 Tablighi workers to be hospitalised on March 27, 28 and 29, it was only after the intervention of Doval that the Jamaat leadership yielded to cleaning up of the masjid. Doval, for the past decades, has built very close connections with the various Muslim movements in India and abroad. He is on a first name basis with virtually all the Muslim ulemas and spends time with them to form a national strategy for India. The operation has now moved into Phase 2. In this, security officials say the effort is to trace all the foreigners who are in India, get them medically screened and then take a hard look at violation of the visa norms. There were 216 foreign nationals in the markaz in Delhi but there are over 800 more in different parts of the country. Most of them are nationals of Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Since January, the home ministry has said, about 2,000 foreigners have attended the markaz congregation. Initial reports indicate almost all of them violated their visa conditions by entering India on visas for tourists, not missionaries. This, officials said, had happened despite the governments repeated reminders to file visa requests under the missionary category. They will be blacklisted from entering the country again. Apart from the foreigners, a massive effort is also afoot to identify all Indians who attended the congregations in Delhi or came in close contact with people who did. They are also being screened for Covid-19 and placed in quarantine. The Tablighi Jamaat was founded by Maulana Ilyas Kandhlawi, great grandfather of Maulana Saad, in the Mewati region. The Tablighis, then comprised of Muslim converts of Mewati rural population, fought with Rana Sangha of Mewar against Babur in Battle of Khanwa near Bharatpur against Mughal ruler Babur in 1527 after the first Battle of Panipat. The Jamaat purely focuses on Quran to preach on how to be a good Muslim with the objective of proselytisation. The movement has now been split into many factions with Pakistan using the Tablighis to take control of the group in South Asia and use it for spreading radical preaching. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lessons From Great Recession Wall Street Buying Spree In an earlier article, (before more pressing issues shelved the topic) we summarized highlights from a recent New York Times Magazine article about the ownership of a large share of the nation's single-family rental stock by institutional investors. Part 1 recapped how private equity funds moved to purchase distressed single-family homes during the housing crises, turning it into rental stock. Their property management has been uneven, and tenants are suffering from significant financial abuses. The author, Francesca Mari, who tells much of the story through the eyes of Chad who is now renting the home he used to own, says the extent of the financial repercussions from Wall Street's investment are not limited to the rapid rent increases and unfettered fees we pointed to in the first article. The institutional owners are not always maintaining property, failing to make needed repairs, or making them as cheaply as possible. Some of the neglect has begun to manifest itself in health issues such as black mold induced allergies. Chad's problems with the series of Wall Street investors that bought and sold the company that had originally acquired his home were not unique. In 2017 he found a Facebook group of disaffected tenants, many of them residing in homes owned by Chad's landlord, The Blackstone Group's Invitation Homes. When he asked to join a year later its membership had grown to 1,200 people with complaints much like his. The founder of that group, Dana Chisholm, has become somewhat of an expert on the big owners, and a thorn in their side. After founding the group in February 2017, Chisholm found she was fielding messages and phone calls from tenants around the country - particularly in Chicago; Phoenix; Atlanta; Florida; Los Angeles; Riverside, and Las Vegas, all places where Wall Street had invested heavily. She started to notice patterns of abuse. In addition to the burdensome fees already mentioned, was false advertising. One tenant, rushing to relocate to Los Angeles started searching for housing online. She spotted an Invitation Homes listing in Van Nuys with central air-conditioning and a yard suitable for her dogs. The agent cautioned that houses were going fast and that, without a lease and deposits of $6,000 she might miss out. When she arrived at the blazing hot house, she found the air conditioning didn't exist, her lease was on an as-is basis, and getting out of it would cost most of her deposit. It was the habitability issues that most alarmed Chisholm. One Georgia tenant rented a home with defective plumbing and his house flooded six time. The landlord (again Invitation Homes) wouldn't pay to remove the mildewed carpeting nor for a hotel while repairs were being made. After one of his children developed a mold related rash, he moved out, sued, and won. Chisholm began intervening on behalf of her group members and was persistent enough to finally be invited to a meeting with the chief counsel and the COO of Invitation Homes. She tried to convince them to set up a fund to resolve tenant complaints, they tried to hire her as a consultant "to change the narrative" about their company. She refused and now consults for other institutional investors. Chisholm told Mari that the worst thing about Invitation Homes is the way they create fear in their tenants. "You either pay these fees and settle with us or we'll make you homeless, or we'll ruin your credit with an eviction. That is the threat renters live under!" Another feature of this investor ownership model is how they are funding their operations. Initially they created special real estate investment trusts (REITS) to fund their purchases. REITS are usually used to purchase multifamily or commercial real estate but the clusters of distressed and thus cheap properties within a neighborhood made mass management feasible and millions of dollars flooded into the fund. Mari quotes one economist who says there is no way to completely understand who owns them. "They've got multiple layers of corporations within corporations within holding companies." Credit tightened after the financial crisis so the hedge funds created a new financial instrument, a single-family rental securitization which Mari calls "a mix of residential mortgage-backed securities, collateralized by home values, and commercial real estate-backed securities, collateralized by expected rental income." Invitation Homes issued its first security in 2013, collateralized by 3,200 homes at 75 percent of their estimated value: $479 million. Buyers received 3 to 5 percent in monthly interest until their principal was returned (generally in five years). Some of the proceeds were used to repay the short-term credit lines taken out to buy the houses, but home price appreciation gave them the cash to buy more homes. Other firms soon followed Blackstone's lead. Securitization meant rents had to cover both the mortgages and interest payments to bondholders and as home prices rose, companies looked away from acquisitions, growing income from tenants. They raised rents, cut operating costs, and raised fees. In 2016, one company made $14 million in fees and an additional $12 million from tenant claw backs such as retaining security deposits. Now the latest funding mechanisms are through the GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae guaranteed a $1 billion 10-year fixed-rate loan to Invitation Homes in 2017, which was securitized by Wells Fargo. The loan is collateralized by 7,204 Invitation Homes rentals. Freddie Mac soon followed suit. Stung by a firestorm of criticism from consumer groups, Fannie Mae announced it would not do another loan but one critic, Eileen Appelbaum, co-director for the Center for Economic and Policy Research told Mari said, "They won't have to do it again! This is now an established industry." If something goes wrong, Invitation Homes is on the hook for 5 percent of losses; the government is on the hook for the remaining 95 percent. So far, more than 10 S.F.R. companies have securitized rental debt, generating 70 securitizations totaling some $35.6 billion." Mari's article also details some of the damage done to neighborhoods, and points out that, having bought the bulk of foreclosed homes in certain desirable neighborhoods - many of which didn't have rental inventory before the crisis now have "oligopolistic" power over some local markets. Institutional investors own 11.3 percent of single-family-rental homes in Charlotte, 9.6 percent in Tampa and 8.4 percent in Atlanta. As we appear to be quickly sliding into perhaps even a greater recession than the one in 2008, Mari's research should be a cautionary tale for those who will have to manage the housing fallout from the pandemic. Will these big investors be allowed to purchase more homes from any new inventory of REO or distressed loans in bulk without some safeguards for consumers? Mari quotes Daniel Immergluck, a professor of urban studies at Georgia State University; "During one of the greatest recoveries of land value in the history of the country, from 2010 and 2011 at the bottom of the crisis to now, we've seen huge gains in property values, especially in suburbs, and instead of that accruing to many moderate-income and middle-income homeowners, many of whom were pushed out of the homeownership market during the crisis, that land value has accrued to these big companies and their shareholders." So I have had conversations with various members of the General Assembly and leaders about the budget, the governor told reporters a short time ago. We are obviously working on our end to figure out What is the revenue shortfall? What are the challenges that were going to go through? When do we think that well see revenue return? And trying to make estimates of that, as you can imagine, at this moment are very difficult, when I cant even tell you you know I couldnt even tell you two days ago that we were going to extend the stay at home rule that we put in place. So were still working on it and it will be a vastly different budget, theres no doubt about that. The University of Manitoba has created a $500,000-and-counting emergency fund to support students in financial distress due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The University of Manitoba has created a $500,000-and-counting emergency fund to support students in financial distress due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Students who require such backing to continue studies at the Winnipeg-based school because of unforeseen costs associated with the pandemic can apply for a one-time bursary. Full-time undergraduate students can apply for as much as $800, while graduate students are eligible for up to $1,000. Part-time students in need could receive a total of half the sum their full-time counterparts are entitled to. "The needs are real and high and, so far, we have had 1,200 applicants since this went live (Tuesday) night," said John Kearsey, vice-president external relations, less than 24 hours after the fund was announced. Kearsey said Wednesday the university recognizes many students rely on part-time income made in the hospitality sector to pay their bills, and such work has been hit due to forced business closures. "Wed like to be able to support everyone whos in need at this time, because our commitment through all of this is not only to keep everyone safe but to help our students successfully complete their year particularly those who are in their graduating years," he said. The university has both collected all existing emergency bursary funds and new donations from community members including a $100,000 donation from chancellor Anne Mahon and her husband, as well as other staff members to create the emergency fund. The school continues to accept donations. Kearsey said administration is sorting through the applications on a first-come, first-serve basis. Successful applicants must have paid all owed tuition and outstanding aid, have achieved a minimum passing grade on all courses taken in the previous academic session, and be able to demonstrate their current financial situation is related to COVID-19 disruptions. Students union president Jakob Sanderson called the fund "phenomenal" news. The loss of part-time work and the travel costs associated with having to move out of residence or return home earlier than expected are both challenges students currently face as a result of COVID-19, Sanderson said Wednesday. "There are a lot of students who are going to be affected by this quite negatively, and they want to know their university is taking care of them," he said, adding student politicians have been advocating for some sort of financial support since the pandemic was declared. 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 learning about the emergency fund, final-year economics student Ikenna Ndubisi immediately shared the announcement with fellow Nigerian students. Ndubisi considers himself lucky, since he just landed a full-time job at an insurance company which has been deemed an "essential service" by the province of Manitoba so he doesnt expect hell need to access the fund. "Being an international student and being very active within my community, its something that will be very useful to many students," he said. The 26-year-old said the only thing that may hinder the help available is the fact students must have already paid off their tuition to be eligible. The price tag on international student tuition is expensive, he said, adding there have been times in the past where hes been behind on paying fees. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in the Nile Delta city of Al-Mahalla resumed operations on Wednesday with reduced workforce, after a 10-day hiatus over coronavirus fears, a circular by the company said. The company, Egypts largest textile factory, had put its staff on furlough from March 23 and asked them to go on self-isolation at home after the detection of some coronavirus cases in the city. In a circular dated Tuesday, the state company said work will resume with morning shifts only until mid-April. Workers with chronic diseases, those residing in other govenorates and pregnant women are also furloughed. All cafeterias at the company were ordered to close and all offices and restrooms are to be sanitized. Established in 1927, the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company, is the largest in Africa and the Middle East with over 16,500 workers, the companys website said. It is affiliated to the Holding Company for Spinning and Weaving, which belongs to the Ministry of Public Business Sector. While resuming work, the company is granting exceptional paid leave to workers from the Al-Hayatem village, where several coronavirus cases have been detected and hundreds have been isolated. The company's Chairman Ashraf Ezzat called on the workers to exercise caution in all their daily dealings in order to avoid infection with the coronavirus, the circular said. Egypt has registerd a total of 710 coronavirus cases and 46 deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: H ousing Secretary Robert Jenrick is one of the senior politicians chosen to lead some of the Government's daily press briefings on the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson or another member of the Government addresses the nation every day with the latest measures and developments in the UK's fight against Covid-19. Mr Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, delivered the press conference on Sunday, March 29, alongside deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries. He also joined Mr Johnson and Dr Harries during a briefing the week before. 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 Here, we take a look at Mr Jenrick's political career so far. Who is Robert Jenrick? Born in Wolverhampton, Mr Jenrick, 38, grew up in Shropshire and Herefordshire. He went to Wolverhampton Grammar School before going to study history at St John's College, Cambridge. While he was there, he was news editor of the student newspaper Varsity in 2001, before graduating in 2003. He went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, before gaining a graduate diploma in law from The College of Law in the UK in 2005 and completing a legal practice course at BPP Law School in 2006. He qualified as a solicitor in 2008, before pursuing a career in business a few years later. Before he was elected to Parliament to represent Newark in 2014, he was a director at London art auction house Christie's. Political career highlights Robert Jenrick in Downing Street / PA Wire/PA Images Mr Jenrick first ran for election for the Conservatives in 2010 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, but lost out to the Labour candidate by 1,582 votes. He was elected to the Conservative seat of Newark in 2013 after the resignation of Patrick Mercer. At a by-election in 2014, he retained the seat with a majority of 7,403 - the strongest peacetime by-election result for the Conservative Party in Government for more than 40 years. Mr Jenrick was elected to the House of Commons Health Committee shortly after winning his seat in 2014. In 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to employment minister Esther McVey. He was re-elected in the 2015 general election with 57 per cent of the vote. He was then appointed PPS to Michael Gove and then his successor Liz Truss in 2016. Mr Jenrick was against the UK leaving the EU during the 2016 referendum, according to the Spectator. In 2018, he was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury by then Prime Minister Theresa May, becoming the youngest minister in the Government. Then, in July 2019, Mr Jenrick was appointed Housing Secretary by Mr Johnson, becoming the youngest member of the Cabinet. What has he announced in relation to coronavirus? On Sunday, March 29, Mr Jenrick announced that all parts of the UK have been put on "emergency footing", which he said was "unprecedented in peacetime". "We havent done anything like this since the Second World War," he said. "This means that were establishing strategic co-ordination centres across the whole country." The co-ordination centres will involve senior members of the all the emergency services and also the armed forces. He also said 50,000 emergency packages including cereal, fruit, tinned goods, teabags, biscuits, toiletries and other essentials will have been sent out to vulnerable people in self-isolation by the end of this week. While Alabamas 722,000 students wont return to k-12 classrooms this spring, some teachers will be returning to school as early as April 6. As officials form their plans for distance learning, due to the state department of education by Friday, teachers are learning whether they're required to return to school buildings to do their work. School officials can legally require their teachers to return to work, but some are asking whether it's safe for them to do so. "What we're faced with, I don't think we should be putting anybody in harm's way," said Birmingham American Federation of Teachers President Richard Franklin, whose members include teachers, custodians, bus drivers and lunchroom workers. Franklin said as the number of positive tests for COVID-19 have increased in recent days, he's been bombarded with calls from members asking questions about the safety of their work-related duties. State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey warned school officials to be mindful of the public health concern caused by COVID-19 during a phone conference on Friday morning. If officials are planning to require employees return to the school buildings, he said, "Be thinking about latex gloves, hand sanitizer. Be very focused on health and keeping employees safe." Mackey reiterated those warnings in a memo to superintendents on Monday. Officials must have all schools cleaned and sanitized before April 6. "Please use common sense and limit both the number and time that teachers and staff will spend together," Mackey wrote. But teachers "are very afraid," said Franklin. Many have children and are caregivers for elderly family members. "They're going to do what they need to do for the kids, but they also want people to be fair to them." Mackey's memo included a letter from State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris addressed to superintendents, laying out guidelines for conditions that must be met to stay within guidance already issued. In short, school officials must adhere to Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines, which currently ask for school employees to work from home wherever possible but "if working from home is not feasible, the employee should practice social distancing (by maintaining consistent six-foot distance between persons) and follow public health guidelines." Harris addressed special considerations for high-risk populations, which include people age 65 years of age and older, those with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, or who are immunocompromised including cancer treatment, those who are severely obese and those with certain underlying medical conditions. Related: Alabama K-12 schools are closed. Now what? In Hoover City Schools, teachers already have been working on their distance learning plans. "We realize that many of the resources teachers need are at the school," Hoover City Schools Superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy said. "They need to be able to get to those materials to prepare for online learning or the packages that need to be put together for students." Principals are making schools accessible to teachers as needed, she added. As soon as Hoover officials knew schools would not reopen, the deep-cleaning started. On Monday, Murphy sent an email to teachers and faculty outlining the employee rights under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which goes into effect April 2, that could come into play as teachers consider returning to school buildings. Under the FFCRA, an employee qualifies for paid sick time if the employee is unable to work due to a need for leave because the employee: is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19; has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19; is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis; is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2); is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury. Up to two weeks of paid sick leave is available, but the rate and amount paid depends on which of the six reasons the employee requests leave. For employees who are caring for a child whose school or childcare provider is closed or unavailable (reason number five in the list above), an additional 10 weeks of partially paid expanded family and medical leave is available. Franklin recommended any teacher or other school employee who has concerns about returning to work to call and email their principal. If the principal is not receptive, reach out to the local school board and then superintendent. Related: Coronavirus in Alabama: Cases, maps, charts and resources Related: Mother and a teacher: Birmingham parents balance coronavirus schools shutdown, work A father-of-eight who was allegedly beaten to death with a guitar in his own home potentially saved three lives by donating his organs. Shannon Weller, 36, was asleep with his wife in bed on March 23 when a man allegedly climbed through their apartment window in Gladesville in Sydney's north and beat him with the musical instrument. He died from horrific head injuries at Royal North Shore hospital on Sunday. Shannon Weller, 36, was asleep with his wife in bed on March 23 when a man allegedly climbed through their apartment window and beat him with a guitar Michele Noel Risi, 35, was arrested in Byron Bay on Sunday following a six-day manhunt, according to the Northern District Times. He has been charged with murder. Mr Weller's family have set up a Go Fund Me to help pay for the funeral. His mother-in-law, Johann Thornton, described him as a 'hardworking' roof plumber. She said he left behind a 'wife and eight beautiful children'. Ms Thornton also revealed Mr Weller's last incredible selfless act. Michele Noel Risi, 35, was arrested in Byron Bay on Sunday following a six-day manhunt 'His organs were donated and will save three lives,' she said. 'My daughter is unable to pay for a funeral. 'Please help to give them a way to say goodbye to him.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:40:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors have approved 500 million U.S. dollars credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank's fund for the poorest countries, to improve secondary education in Tanzania. A statement issued by the World Bank on Tuesday night said the new financing will enable millions of young Tanzanians to access and complete secondary education in safer and better learning environments. The statement said the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQUIP) will directly benefit about 6.5 million secondary school students by strengthening government-run schools and establishing stronger educational pathways for students who leave the formal school system. "SEQUIP uses a disbursement mechanism that is phased and releases funds in tranches only when previously agreed results have been achieved," said the statement, adding that these included increasing access to schools, improving education quality for all public secondary education options, and supporting more children to re-enter the formal public system if they drop out. "Every child in Tanzania deserves a good education, but thousands are denied this life-changing opportunity each year," said Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania. "This is an important step in addressing the challenges that Tanzania's children face throughout their education. The World Bank will continue our dialogue with the government on broader issues concerning equal treatment of schoolchildren," she said. Tanzania's free basic education policy has led to more children entering school, with primary enrollment rising from 8.3 million to 10.1 million between 2015 and 2018, while secondary enrollment increased from 1.8 million to 2.2 million, said the statement. The statement said despite better access, the secondary education system suffers from low quality and high dropout rates. Nearly 60,000 students fail to complete their schooling each year and children are not learning enough, particularly in mathematics and science, due to a lack of skilled and motivated teachers, large class sizes, and a poor learning environment, it said. The Pennsylvania State Police issued 16 more warnings Tuesday to non-life-sustaining businesses in the commonewalth which have disobeyed Gov. Tom Wolfs order to close last month to help stop the widespread novel coronavirus outbreak. Tuesdays data brings the total number of warnings issued up to 123. No citations have been handed out to violators. The largest number of warnings Tuesday were reported out of the state polices Harrisburg barracks. The agencys Greensburg station has 19 violations thus far, the most of any across the state. Citizens who believe a business could be violating the states order can call their local police departments non-emergency number. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and local police are assisting the state police with enforcement efforts. Two weeks after confirming that he is a part of the growing list of patients who tested positive for coronavirus, Idris Elba gave his fans a major update regarding the status of his and his wife's health. On Tuesday, the 47-year-old actor once again took to Twitter to share a video update about his battle with COVID-19. In the short clip, Idris could be seen wearing a plain off-white shirt and a beanie. According to the "Cats" actor, he and his wife Sabrina are now in good condition after passing the required two weeks quarantine period. Idris said that while they both feel good, they still have that feeling of being "stuck in limbo." "What's up people, just wanted to send you a little update on how we're doing," Idris began. "We're both doing OK, still asymptomatic; we've passed the quarantine period, but we're a little bit stuck in limbo. We can't get a flight back home, so we just have to sit still for a little bit." While the actor did not mention where exactly they are staying at the moment, Oprah Magazine reported that the couple is in New Mexico as he caught the virus while in the middle of the production of an upcoming film that he is working on. "Other than that, we're OK, and we're so thankful for that," Idris said, adding that he believes that they are already over with the "worst part" of being infected with the coronavirus. However, the "Fast and Furious" star said that he and Sabrina are having a hard time dealing with the fact that they should stay still as they are used to be on-the-move. "We're both good, mentally, just trying to stay optimistic. I hope you guys are, too, keeping yourselves sane and not getting too worried and too panicked," the actor said. Speaking on behalf of his fellow asthmatic, Idris said that he has already experienced the worst part of the effects of the infection and said he is thankful that he had overcome it. The actor also took the opportunity to give a shoutout to the health workers who are risking their lives to help the people with COVID-19 feel better. Idris also said a few encouraging words to the people who are not infected by the virus but are facing a financial crisis because of the global pandemic. "Just bare up. This is going to be a tough time for everyone, but keep your head up, basically, alright?" he said. It was on March 16 when Idris announced that he tested positive for coronavirus, and a week later, he learned that his wife Sabrina also acquired the virus after being beside him since day one of isolation. In a followup video, the "Luther" star suggested that he may have caught the infection after meeting Sophie Trudeau -- the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who also tested positive for coronavirus. It turns out that Idris met the 44-year-old First Lady shortly before they tested positive for COVID-19. The actor believes that he got exposed to the virus on March 4, when he and Sophie met at the "We Day UK" charity event in Wembley. READ MORE: Coronavirus Survivor! Tom Hanks' Wife, Rita Wilson, Celebrates Big Win vs COVID-19 Andhra Pradesh witnessed a massive rise in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the last 12 hours. A health bulletin issued by the state government said as many as 43 positive cases were reported between 9 pm on Tuesday and 9 am on Wednesday, taking the overall number of positive cases in the state to 89. Of these 89, two people - one in Nellore and another in Visakhapatnam - recovered from the disease and were discharged from the hospitals last week. In all, 373 samples were tested in the last 12 hours, of which 330 samples tested negative and the remaining 43 proved positive, the bulletin said. Most of the positive cases (15) are from Kadapa, followed by 13 in West Godavari, five in Chittoor, four in Prakasam, two each in East Godavari and Nellore and one each in Krishna and Visakhapatnam. It is not yet clear whether the sudden rise in the number of cases is because of the returnees from Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin area. The state government had on Tuesday announced that around 800 people from the state had been identified as having attended the Jamaat conference. Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the police had identified all those who had returned from New Delhi meeting and all of them had been sent to isolation centres. On Tuesday, state government advisor (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy declared that Andhra Pradesh was better placed compared to many other states in containing the spread of coronavirus because of the stringent measures being taken by the government in implementing the lockdown. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Carrot joined the Merryn family as a kitten, with good references from the woman who cared for her and her siblings. But Erin and her husband, David, werent expecting that their new cat would be anything like Carrots Instagram-famous predecessor, Bailey, who had died six months earlier. Bailey, also an outgoing orange tabby, let the girls put him in dresses and sit him in high chairs. Hed even join the girls in the bathtub, Merryn said. Investors look at price boards at a stock brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa. The VN-Index surged 17.7 points, or 2.67 percent, to 680.23 Wednesday, with nearly all of Vietnams 30 biggest market caps in the green. 287 stocks gained on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), Vietnams main bourse, while 86 lost. Trading volume rose slightly over the previous session, to VND3.83 trillion ($161.93million), with order-matched transactions accounting for 55.3 percent. The VN-Index had surged in the morning to nearly 685 points, before plateauing and falling slightly in the afternoon session. The VN30-Index for the markets 30 largest caps rose 2.95 percent, with 27 gainers and only two losers. Four stocks hit their price ceilings, the highest they can go in a single session. Topping gains were STB of private Sacombank, up 7 percent, followed by BVH of insurance giant Bao Viet Group, SSI of brokerage Saigon Securities Inc., and ROS of real estate developer FLC Faros, all of which rose 6.9 percent. ROS had closed at VND3,260 ($0.14) in the previous session, its lowest point since the real estate developer listed in September 2019. The stock had peaked in late 2017 at VND180,000 ($7.63), but is now worth around 50 times less, and is the lowest capped VN30 stock. Banking stocks were the highlight of this session, with Vietnams three biggest lenders by assets, CTG of VietinBank, VCB of Vietcombank and BID of BDIV adding 6.4 percent, 4.8 percent, and 4.1 percent respectively. Private banks were also some of the biggest gainers, with HDB of HDBank rising 6.5 percent, EIB of Eximbank 3.8 percent and TCB of Techcombank, 3.3 percent. Despite global crude prices continuing to fall, oil and gas stocks continued to perform well with PLX of petroleum distributor Petrolimex adding 6.6 percent, POW of electricity generator PetroVietnam Power 3.8 percent, and GAS of energy giant PetroVietnam Gas 2.4 percent. As of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent Crude were trading at $20.21 and $24.98 a barrel respectively, their lowest prices in 18 years. In a recent report, securities firm VNDIRECT explained that falling crude prices, a result of Covid-19 slashing demand, tend to have more of a negative impact on companies upstream in the oil supply chain, while companies downstream may actually benefit. However, VNDIRECT warned that investors should remain cautious when given the unpredictability of the market during the Covid-19 pandemic, anticipating that Saudi Arabia will ramp up oil exports in April, as the country had announced last month. Other major gainers this session included VIC of Vietnams biggest private conglomerate Vingroup, up 3.1 percent, MWG of electronics retailer Mobile World, up 3.9 percent, VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk, 3.3 percent, and PNJ of PhuNhuan Jewelry, 5.9 percent. In the opposite direction, VHM of Vinhomes and NVL of Novaland, both real estate developers, shed 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent respectively. Meanwhile, the HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, Vietnams second main bourse for small and midcap stocks, increased 3.21 percent, while the UPCoM-Index for unlisted public companies added 1.86 percent. Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND130 billion ($5.5 million) on all three bourses, with selling pressure mostly on MSN of Masan Group, which rose 0.4 percent, HVN of national carrier Vietnam Airlines, up 3.93 percent, and VIC of Vingroup, down 3.1 percent. Another returnee from Markaz congregation in Delhi' Nizamuddin has been identifed by the Odisha government and put under isolation, the fourth from the state coming back from the coronavirus hotspot, official sources said on Wednesday. The man was picked up from his house on Tuesday night and put in hospital isolation as he comes under high risk category for COVID-19 while his family members have been kept under home quarantine, said Kendrapara District Collector Samarth Verma. We will send his blood sample for COVID-19 test. If there is any positive signal, those who came in contact with him will be traced, " Verma said, adding the police is on the job to ascertain whether any other person from the district had joined the Tablighi Jammat function in Nizamuddin. With the detection and isolation of Kendrapara man, the state has so far quarantined four Nizamuddin returnees as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus. The state government on Tuesday had said that three persons who attended the gathering in the national capital have been quarantined. The state governments COVID-19 Chief Spokesman Subroto Bagchi said the administration is also trying to identify others who attended the programme early March. The state government will send the blood sample of all the Nizamuddin returnees for COVID-19 test, an official said. At least six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the religious congregation in Delhi,have died due to coronavirus. Besides, over 20 others who had been to the religious meet have tested positive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today's attempts by Syrians fleeing the war to get into Greek territory reminded many of the events of the Second World War, when Greeks themselves followed the same route, only in the opposite direction. At that time, German and Italian troops occupied the Greek islands, and tens of thousands of local residents fled to camps set up for them in the Middle East. This is a photo from the Arab newspaper "This is Jerusalem" ("Hun El Jerusalem") dated January 11, 1942: photographer captured how Syrian women distribute clothes among Greek children. This greatly contrasts with today's reality, when Greek police build barricades at borders, surround them with barbed wire, use tear gas and burn tires to prevent Middle East refugees from getting into Greece. Rumor has it that the Greek border guards are using firearms against refugees: there are already reports about two casualities. Following a surge in calls to a state-funded phone line by people in crisis and needing emotional support, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services said it's expanding mental health services. We continue to monitor and make adjustments as necessary to meet the needs of Montanans during this challenging time, said department director Sheila Hogan in a press release Wednesday. While we are focused on limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our state, we must also not forget the mental health needs of our friends and neighbors. Please help us connect people to resources that are available. The Montana Warmline will now operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and noon to 9 p.m. on weekends. The service, which is free and confidential, can be reached by calling 1-877-688-3377 or going to http://montanawarmline.org. The service is operated by Mental Health America of Montana, and those who reach out are connected to people who have lived through navigating behavioral health challenges. The line is not a crisis line but will connect people to appropriate services. The health department has also boosted its funding by $20,000 to increase staffing. This has been a valuable service over the years, and now Montanans are finding it very helpful as they work through their mental health needs, Hogan said in the release. Zoe Barnard, the administrator of the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division of the state health department, said Wednesday the Warmline normally sees between 250-320 calls in a month, but has had about that many since March 24. There are other services for people who need them. The Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is also available. This line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is also free and confidential. The health department is adding $75,000 to increase capacity there. The line had already seen a 43% increase in calls between 2018-2019. We know the Lifeline has been used more and more by Montanans, and its important that people are aware of it, Hogan said. Barnard said in 2019 the suicide hotline got about 18 calls a day, but from March 13-31 averaged about 39 daily. "It is a normal thing during a crisis like this for people to feel anxious, uncertain, scared, sad, angry, and if someone needs help we want to make sure that they have a way to get it," Barnard said. People can also text the Montana Crisis Text Line, by texting MT to 741741. Counselors respond to these texts and can help in a behavioral health crisis. Use of this program has also gone up 105% over the last two years. Additionally, the department is directing $25,000 to Thrive, which is online cognitive behavioral therapy operated by Waypoint Health. The program is meant to help people navigate anxiety and stress. The cognitive behavioral skills can be an incredibly effective tool to reduce long-term anxiety and depression, said Matt Kuntz, of the Center for Mental Health Research and Recovery at Montana State University, in a press release. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The novel coronavirus could spread faster in overcrowded refugee and displaced persons camps than it has anywhere else so far, including on cruise ships, an aid group warned Wednesday. The International Rescue Committee said its analysis showed that COVID-19 transmission rates in some of the worst camps on the globes could outpace that witnessed during the dramatic quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan. "Refugees and displaced people in camps in Syria, Greece and Bangladesh face a heightened risk of COVID-19 due to living conditions that are even more cramped and densely populated than the Diamond Princess," IRC said. It said transmission of the virus on the cruise ship, where 712 passengers contracted the virus during a two-month quarantine in Yokohama, was four times faster than at the peak of the outbreak in China's Wuhan province, where the virus originated. "The rapid spread of COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess showed how the virus thrives in confined spaces but for millions of displaced people their conditions are far more cramped and poorly serviced and the risks are far deadlier," IRC's Marcus Skinner said. The NGO, which was founded in the US in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein, cited three camps in three countries where population density is higher than the ratio of 24,400 people per square kilometre on the Diamond Princess: - Cox's Bazar, a Bangladesh port with a large population of Rohingya refugees (a ratio of 40,000 people / square kilometre) - Al-Hol, a camp in northeastern Syria housing families of Islamic State jihadists (ratio of 37,570 people / square kilometre) - Moria, a camp for some 20,000 people on the Greek island of Lesbos (ratio of 203,800 people / square kilometre) Marcus Skinner said that, provided adequate funding came forward, some measures could be taken to mitigate the risk in those overcrowded camps. He cited increasing access to running water, identifying isolation areas, redesigning and building new shelters to support social distancing. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 40,000 people worldwide since the virus first appeared in China late last year. A migrant family wearing handmade protective face masks in the camp of Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos The Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined off Japan and more than 700 people of the 3,700 passengers and crew on board tested positive for COVID-19 During Mondays press conference, President Trump brought out Mike Lindell (better known as the MyPillow guy) to announce that his company would be making masks to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. The response to Lindells potentially lifesaving efforts? Mockery, mostly. Now, I can understand how seeing the dude youd only ever seen hawking pillows suddenly take the stage at a presidential press conference could be a little jarring. Whats more, I can actually also understand some level of mockery, too. Im a nonreligious Gary Johnson voter, and even if I werent either of those things, I probably still wouldnt have been able to stop myself from rolling my eyes at Lindells claim that God Himself had brought President Trump to us in 2016. At the same time, though, I think that, amid all the eye-rolling no matter how warranted it may be we missed the chance to talk about something else thats quite warranted, too: the way that private companies have been making a difference in our fight against this pandemic. Make no mistake: Efforts such as Lindells are not just commendable, they are actually crucial in our fight against the coronavirus. Im not saying that the government has no role to play in fighting this pandemic. It certainly does, but the truth is, far too much of the conversation on this issue is completely centered on debates about the government response, when reality shows us that the government is only one part of the equation. It is not, after all, just Lindell and his pillow factory aiming to do this sort of thing. In fact, the examples of private companies aiming to make a difference are far too many for me to list. To name a few: Cascade Lacrosse, a company that specializes in making helmets and other protective gear for athletes, is now making face shields for hospital employees and first responders. Clothing brands including Hanes and Gap are preparing to start making masks and other protective equipment, and Neiman Marcus has people sewing scrubs using donated materials from Joann Fabrics & Crafts. A Maine-based startup, Tissue Plus, has been working around the clock to help combat the toilet paper shortage. Both GM and Ford have offered to use their factories to produce ventilators. Story continues Then, theres this, from a piece in yesterdays Boston Herald by Veronique de Rugy: Singapores Veredus Laboratories, for example, said it will soon release Lab-on-Chip kits to test patients for three kinds of coronavirus within two hours. Four American startups had also launched at-home tests for COVID-19, until the Food and Drug Administration unwisely demanded they stop issuing or testing kits. (By the way: The government making this crisis worse by getting in the way of private companies attempts to help with testing is, unfortunately, not new. It goes back months; you can read my March 18 column on that here.) Yes the MyPillow Guy seems like a dork. Its fine to say that; I just did. The thing is, though, hes also a dork whos an American success story. Mike Lindell is a former crack addict who started his own company, which grew to be worth an estimated $300 million as of 2018, and now hes using his wealth and resources to help us get through this. The whole thing is, truly, a microcosm for the beauty of capitalism a guy who came from the bottom, worked his way to the top, and is now using what hes earned to aid the country in a time of crisis. Private efforts and solutions in times like these are wonderful to see. They are, after all, not only helping us to mitigate the public-health crisis that were facing, but theyre also helping us at least reduce our economic one. We should all be celebrating this and, most importantly, cheering for it to continue. More from National Review Click here to read the full article. Its usually not a good sign for humanity when the World Health Organization is in the news. There may not be a better indicator of how 2020 is shaping up than the weeks-long flurry of headlines featuring the U.N. agency tasked with coordinating the global response to infectious disease outbreaks. Since originating in China in December, the COVID-19 virus has infected more than 820,000 and killed over 40,000 around the world, as of Tuesday, while crippling the global economy. WHO has held regular briefings to share information about the outbreak and the best practices for how to respond to it. Though Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been criticized for his praise of China, hes at times shown a willingness to call out bad behavior from other global superpowers, such as when he lamented the level of stigma we are observing in a not-so-subtle slight at the racist language President Trump has used to describe the virus. There is a common enemy on this planet, Tedros said in March. We need to fight in unison. More from Rolling Stone Considering its tepid response to the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014, an across-the-board failure that many public health experts feel marked a low point of the organizations 70-year history, WHOs proactive approach to the coronavirus outbreak has been encouraging. The World Health Organization has done exactly what weve designed it to do no more, no less, Kelley Lee, the director of global health studies at Canadas Simon Fraser University, who has been studying WHO since the 1990s, tells Rolling Stone. It has kept us informed. It has mobilized scientists and coordinated data and research. It has collected the best evidence and tried to put forward very clear guidance about what should be done. The big question is whether weve given it enough authority and resources to act the way we want it to act. Story continues Standing in the way of WHO receiving those resources are its more powerful member nations, particularly the United States. Despite the outbreak, the Trump administration proposed cutting funding to the organization and refused to adopt WHOs COVID-19 testing kits for use in the U.S. (Trump falsely claimed the effective tests are bad.) The president isnt likely to come around to the idea of investing in a more robust global public health apparatus, regardless of how much havoc the coronavirus is yet to wreak. But the next president might. So might the rest of the world. This is why its so imperative for WHO to demonstrate its competency in the coming months. COVID-19 wont be the last pandemic to befall the developed world, and a well-funded, well-run WHO may be the best defense against future catastrophes. Unfortunately, its been a long time since well-funded and well-run were used to describe the agency managing global public health, which is more crucial than ever in an increasingly globalized world. Founded in 1948, the World Health Organization was one of several special agencies established by the United Nations in the years following World War II to coordinate global policy on a variety of issues (others include the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group). Throughout its history, WHO has been at the forefront of the global fight against infectious diseases, its signature accomplishment coming in 1980 when it announced smallpox had been eradicated from the planet. It has also been instrumental in the near-eradication of polio, and has received plaudits for its work to combat outbreaks like SARS and the Zika virus. But the bulk of WHOs work consists of data gathering, defining terminology, creating protocols, and other vital but largely thankless coordinating functions. When you go to receive health care, you want to know everyone is talking about the same thing when they are diagnosing a particular illness, Lee explains. That happens because WHO coordinated all of the different countries to agree that were going to call this disease this, and this is what its going to look like, and these are the diagnostics. Theres a lot of important technical work happening behind the scenes that enables health systems to work. Though its work may seem uncontroversial, WHO has been under near-constant scrutiny for most of its existence. Critics say it has long been mired in if not paralyzed by structural and staffing issues, and it has a reputation as a cloistered institution filled with technicians who lack the political chops necessary to manage its standing among governments. There was always this attitude of, Were the World Health Organization. We know best. Well take care of it and let you know at the end, says Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. I personally think thats a terrible way to run an organization when youre trying to build confidence. WHOs issues rest in the conflict between its broad mission to serve the worlds public health needs and the political realities attached to how the organization is funded: by its 194 member states and other outside actors who control how the vast majority of WHOs resources are allocated. WHOs budget is made up of two types of contributions: assessed and voluntary. Assessed contributions come in the form of dues from its member states. WHO is free to use this money however it chooses. Voluntary contributions come from a mix of additional money kicked in by some of the more powerful member states, NGOs, private interests, and philanthropic organizations like the Carter Center, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, traditionally one of WHOs largest donors. But voluntary contributions are typically earmarked for specific purposes dictated by the donors and which may or may not align with the worlds most pressing public health needs. For example, the Gates Foundations primary concern is polio eradication. In 2018, it volunteered just under $100 million to WHO, nearly double the amount offered up by any nation except the U.S., which gave just over $132 million in specified voluntary funding. This means that a large portion of WHOs budget is funneled toward polio eradication, an issue some argue receives an undue amount of the organizations attention. Theres a question of, for all of the resources that are being put into polio, given how few cases are actually out there, is this a disproportionate response? says Jeremy Youde, an expert on global health governance and dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Could we be putting this money toward something else that affects more people, like measles or malaria? It gets to the question about prioritization. Its a lot of money for what seems to some like a relatively minor payoff. Voluntary contributions like the tens of millions it receives from the Gates Foundation make up the vast majority of WHOs relatively sparse resources. WHOs proposed two-year budget for 2020-2021 is just over $4.8 billion (for perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Controls proposed budget for 2021 alone is just over $7 billion). Around 80 percent of that comes from voluntary donations, meaning the organization has control over about only 20 percent of its resources. WHO has fought to little avail to persuade its member states to ramp up their assessed contributions, or give it more discretion over how it allocates voluntary contributions. The organization has been hamstrung by this inflexibility for years. (WHO did not respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.) Its an organization with 194 masters, and those 194 masters dont necessarily have the same agenda, Youde says. Its trying to balance all these competing interests, and unless those member states are willing to give the World Health Organization more autonomy to flex its muscles, its kind of trapped, even though its expected to have all this power. One of the reasons WHOs funders arent willing to give it more flexibility is because they dont trust it. Bureaucratic red tape has hampered its ability to respond nimbly to public health crises, and it has long been criticized for favoring the agendas of its more powerful donors. Following the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, WHO was accused of tailoring its response to align with pharmaceutical interests. Though the public health experts interviewed by Rolling Stone tamped down the idea that its motives may have been corrupt, the appearance of impropriety is inevitable given the degree to which donors have their heels on the organizations neck. Its a circular thing, Lee explains. You underfund an organization like the World Health Organization and then it struggles to do the things you want it to do. So it doesnt perform well and you say, Oh, Im not going to give money to this organization.' Considering its byzantine structure and limited resourcing, WHO has essentially been set up to fail, as Lee puts it. It operates within a rats nest of bureaucracy, competing interests, and an overlarge mandate to rid the world of disease. On one hand its expected to be a world-class public health agency, but at the same time its expected to manage the complicated global politics that emerge on health issues, says Steven Hoffman, director of the Global Strategy Lab and a professor of Global Health, Law, and Political Science at York University in Canada. The organization struggled with that duality. WHOs weaknesses proved disastrous during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which ultimately claimed more than 10,000 lives across West Africa. As Jha notes, the organization made a series of critical mistakes in responding to the outbreak, most notably waiting five months after initial cases were confirmed to declare it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO was savaged for the delay, which critics say was caused by a mix of bureaucratic paralysis, lack of emergency response preparedness, and a desire not to upset the affected nations, which stood to suffer economically from the designation. Even though they were poor West African countries, [WHO] was afraid to interfere too much or declare a public health emergency because it thought those governments wouldnt want it, says Charles Clift, a senior consulting fellow at the Chatham Houses Global Health Programme who worked for WHO from 2004 to 2006. It was a weak-kneed approach. The failure marked a low-point for WHOs standing worldwide. It was a crisis, and almost an existential threat, Jha says. The World Health Organization does a lot of different things, but if you cant coordinate and be effective in response to a multinational infectious disease outbreak in low-income countries, then what do you exist for? Its the core of your mission. Committees were assembled to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. A Health Emergencies Programme was established, but the organizations priorities going forward remained unclear. The question Ive always asked about the World Health Organization is about its identity crisis, Jha says. Is it a membership organization or is it the worlds leading public health agency? Eighty percent of the time they require the same actions, but in the most important moments, the 20 percent, WHO has to sometimes choose if its going to serve its members or be a representative of the worlds public health needs. The fallout from the botched Ebola response paved the way for the election of Tedros in 2017. Unlike Margaret Chan, who led WHO from 2006 to 2017, Tedros who is both the first African-born director-general and the first director-general to not be a medical doctor came from a political background, having served as the foreign minister of Ethiopia. The World Health Organization only has so many levers available to it to influence state behavior, Youde says. It cant force a state to implement policies. But having someone who has that sort of understanding of the politics is really important, because we cant ever really separate politics and economics from public health. Tedros has used his political acumen to reach out to governments and cast public health within the framework of their economic needs. Hes made mistakes like naming the late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador, an appointment he was forced to rescind but hes worked to revamp some of WHOs structural and staffing issues while increasing the organizations transparency. Crucially, hes promoted sharing the burden of some of WHOs responsibilities with other global public health organizations and encouraged governments to invest in their own health systems. The World Health Organization used to be competing for resources against other actors in the global health system, but now its trying to be a steward of the system as a whole, says Hoffman, who describes Tedros as a global-health political megaphone about what governments need to do and the type of investments they need to make. Though Tedros has received high marks for his leadership during the coronavirus outbreak, hes drawn criticism for how hes handled its central political challenge: dealing with China. Unlike the Ebola outbreak, which originated in West Africa, the original epicenter of COVID-19 was in a global superpower notorious for lacking transparency and abusing human rights. Almost immediately, Tedros traveled to Beijing, and he has since heaped effusive praise on Chinas response to the outbreak despite its initial reticence to turn over data, as well as the fact that some of the extreme measures the nation later took to contain the virus resulted in human rights abuses. WHOs deference to China has also renewed criticism that Taiwan one of the few nations to effectively combat the coronavirus is not a U.N. member state, and thus not a WHO member state. Its a balancing act, Jha says. I dont know anybody in the world who knows how to take on China. WHO has to work within a certain set of confines. Its easy to say he should have been a little bit tougher, but its an incredibly tight rope that hes walking. If he had been aggressive with China and criticized them for not being more open in December, China could have just said buzz off and well give you nothing. Would the world be better off it that happened? I dont think so. Though praising China in order to get it to cooperate may have helped WHO better understand how to tackle the coronavirus around the world, failing to call it out for its human rights abuses could have long-term consequences. I worry that this could set new norms about what countries are allowed to do both in this outbreak and in future emergency situations, says Hoffman, who also directs the WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance. In some respects, with China taking these extraordinary measures and WHO praising them, we now live in a new world when it comes to human rights in health emergencies. The question of how to deal with China is a prime example of WHOs larger dilemma of reconciling the gap between the individual interests of 194 nations and the worlds public health needs, human rights standards, and everything else WHO is mandated to uphold. Though many feel Tedros has honed WHOs focus and made strides in rehabilitating its reputation, the organizations ability to carry out its mission will always be dependent on how long a leash its member states allow it, both in terms of raw funding and the freedom to use that funding as it sees fit. The unprecedented scale of the coronavirus outbreak could lead to some flexibility, or at least thats the hope. I hope these kinds of events show why we need to make investments in public health, Hoffman says. Not just during pandemics but between them and in advance of the next inevitable one. But theres really only one country thats been a roadblock to increasing WHOs mandatory contributions, and thats the United States. Hoffman points to the Trump administrations widespread cuts to public health, including its funding of WHO. On February 10th, as COVID-19 was spreading throughout the U.S., the administration released a 2021 budget proposal that included a 53 percent cut to WHOs funding. Not seeing the value of the World Health Organization highlights how unprepared the United States was for a pandemic, he says. Americans are only as safe as others around the world given how connected Americans are with the global economy and how many people travel to the U.S. every day. Any government talking about reducing WHOs budget in a time of globalization and unprecedented global-health security threats is just not recognizing the importance of having a public health infrastructure generally, nor the specific value that WHO brings to the table. Whether Trump likes it or not, the world is becoming more and more globalized, which means it makes less and less sense to abstain from investing in global alliances or organizations, from NATO to WHO. This is especially true regarding public health. The spread of COVID-19 has made it clear that its in Americas best interests to ensure less-developed nations have the infrastructure necessary to prevent and combat the spread of infectious diseases, which will inevitably find their way into the U.S. if theyre not contained. Trumps America First rejection of globalism is quite literally putting American lives at risk. Globalization is part of what has made modern political and economic systems possible, but its also increased the risk that we face, Youde explains. Its easier for people and goods to cross borders, but it also increases the chances these infectious diseases are going to spread and that were going to see these outbreaks. At the same time, globalization gives us the tools we need to try to combat this. If we have an organization that has those resources, its going to be really well equipped to identify these outbreaks early and to try to make sure information is being shared among governments, so were less likely to be surprised or if something does pop up, well be able to respond quickly. Superpowers like the U.S., China, and Russia arent exactly tripping over themselves to volunteer some of their sovereignty in service of fostering a coordinated global effort to combat infectious diseases, but if anything is going to spur more investment in organizations like WHO, its the devastation caused by COVID-19, especially considering its economic impact. Im hoping that when all is said and done with the coronavirus, there will be a broader international conversation about WHOs performance and mission, and how global public health needs a lot of resources when something like this happens, Jha says. The effect on the worlds economy is going to end up being worth trillions of dollars. Whether its the economic impact, the death toll, or the fundamental disruption of life as we know it, something has to inspire consideration of what Lee calls these profound questions about how were governing the world. Next time the virus could easily be more deadly, and given the scale at which the world has been globalized there will almost certainly be a next time. Whats it going to take for people to wake up? she says. I used to say it would take a really big outbreak or catastrophe. Now its here. Weve got it. If we can learn from this one well be so much better equipped for the next one. But people just dont want to face those questions. This post has been updated to reflect that Taiwans WHO member status is contingent upon its U.N. member status. Best of Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The daughter-in-law of Chaudhary Udaybhan Singh, UP minister of state for Khadi and Gramodyog, was on Wednesday booked for abetment to suicide committed by a 22-year-old man from Shillong at the rooftop of her restaurant at Sikandara in Agra. The youth from the Northeast was found hanging on the terrace of the restaurant where he used to work. The food joint is owned by Seem Chaudhury, daughter- in-law of Singh. The youth had allegedly held Seema Chaudhury responsible for his extreme step. The body of Aldrin Lyngdoh was spotted by Agra Police and saw a purported suicide note posted by the youth on WhatsApp a day earlier. The note said the owner of the restaurant was not allowing Lyngdoh to stay there during the lockdown and he was asked to leave the place. However, Seema Chaudhury claimed that Aldrin was an alcoholic and was diagnosed with tuberculosis a few months ago. I did not let him work in the restaurant but extended all help logistically, she told media persons. Meanwhile, the minister and BJP MLA from Fatehpur Sikri wondered how Aldrin reached the rooftop of the restaurant which was locked since March 25 due to lockdown. It needed to be probed thoroughly, said the minister. As per UP Police sources, Lyngdoh sent the WhatsApp post on Monday evening to IPS officer and special commissioner of police, Delhi, Robin Hibu, who is from the Northeast. Hibu shared it with Idashisha Nongrang, additional director-general of police in Meghalaya. Nongrang then forwarded it to Ajay Anand, additional director-general of police, Agra zone, who asked Agra additional superintendent of police Saurabh Dixit to visit the restaurant. Dixit said Lyngdoh was found hanging from the ceiling of a tin shed on the terrace. As per the details of the purported suicide note posted by the deceased on facebook, it was written in broken English. I am Aldrin Lyngdoh. I was born in a poor family. My mother-father had dead. I had left home to do something. I wanted to change my life. I was working at Shanti Food Court restaurant near Kargil Petrol Pump crossing in Agra. It was closed and I couldnt go anywhere. The owner of the restaurant told me to leave the place. I requested her for help but she refused me. I couldnt go anywhere. I had no other way but committing suicide. The note also appeared to address the restaurant owner. I want only one help from you. If you have any humanity, please send my body to my town. I will be at peace there, the note said, according to the police. Do this much in the name of god because I wouldnt be alive today. I am not kidding. She thinks she can do anything because her father-in-law is a minister, the note added. Dixit said the ministers family had told the police that the youth was arrested in the past by Sikandara police in a theft case and sent to jail. According to the probe officer, the victim was suffering from tuberculosis when he was released on bail six months ago. Then he went to Delhi. He returned to Agra the day nationwide lockdown was announced. He had met other employees of the restaurant but didnt get any job here because the restaurant was closed. He climbed the terrace somehow and committed suicide there, Dixit said, adding, Lyngdohs acquaintance shared the post with Nongrang but didnt clarify when Anand received the forwarded message or when the youth hanged himself. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a sum of 1 crore for families of those health workers who die while handling patients of the coronavirus disease. He said it will be a mark of respect to their service. If anyone loses their life while serving Covid-19 patients, whether sanitation workers, doctors or nurses, their family will be provided 1 crore as respect to their service, Arvind Kejriwal said, according to news agency ANI. Also read: Inspired by Singapore, Delhi to track mobile phones to enforce quarantine Whether they are from private or government sector doesnt matter, Kejriwal said. Also Watch | Covid-19 | 1 crore compensation...: Delhi CMs promise to medical staff Arvind Kejriwals announcement came days after Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, and other health care professionals involved in the care of Covid-19 patients will get a special insurance cover of 50 lakh. Uttarakhand has also announced life insurance for thousands of state government employees, who are on the frontline in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the state. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said 4 lakh insurance will be given to 68,457 employees, including health, sanitation, police and media personnel, recognised as COVID Warriors by the government for their role in the fight against the deadly virus. The national capital has reported 120 Covid-19 patients and that two people have died because of the disease till date. Tinsley Mortimer has documented her rollercoaster relationship with millionaire fiance Scott Von Kluth over the last few seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City. But despite the ups and downs, Tinsley's RHONY co-star Sonja Morgan tells Daily Mail Australia that the socialite has found her fairy tale ending. Sonya, 56, also addressed Tinsley's future on the series after reports emerged in December that the blonde had stopped filming the show to be with Scott in Chicago. EXCLUSIVE: The Real Housewives of New York City's Sonja Morgan (pictured) has revealed the truth about co-star Tinsley Mortimer's relationship with millionaire fiance Scott Von Kluth 'Well it's very obvious by the [season 12] trailer that she's in the show and you're gonna see her this year,' she said. 'Tinsley always dreamed of being together with Scott and I've gotta give her kudos because she was very mature about being in a long distance relationship,' Sonja continued. 'She stayed on it, it wasn't easy, and now she's in Chicago with Scott, so I'm very happy for her because it's what she wanted. 'They're gonna give it their best shot right now. They got engaged and they're getting married, it's so good.' 'It wasn't easy, and now she's in Chicago with Scott, so I'm very happy for her because it's what she wanted,' Sonja told Daily Mail Australia Tinsley, 44, and Scott, 42, were due to have a destination wedding this year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic their plans have been called off for the time being. 'We were thinking about doing something in Japan. And clearly, anything in Asia was then all of a sudden, completely off limits,' the reality star told E! News on Tuesday. 'We're at a time in our lives right now that we really just don't know what's going on and where we can travel and what we can do. And so it's definitely difficult in this time to plan something and really nail it down. Tune in! Tinsley and Scott's engagement is set to play out on the upcoming 12th season of The Real Housewives of New York City 'So we're kind of just waiting to see what's going to happen with the world. But we have some really good ideas that we can sort of put [in place] once we know really officially when we're going to be able to travel again and be out.' The Coupon Cabin CEO proposed to Tinsley in front of the Chicago Water Tower four months ago, and they're planning a small ceremony with only 'one or two' of her RHONY co-stars. Their engagement is set to play out on the upcoming 12th season of The Real Housewives of New York City, which will be available to stream and download on hayu from Friday, April 3. Hyderabad, April 1 : Over 1,000 from Telangana attended Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi and barring 160 all of them were traced, State Health Minister Eatala Rajender said on Wednesday. The minister said around 750 participants in the meeting were traced and sent for screening at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. He said the death toll remained at six. All of them had attended the meeting held at the Tablighi headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin. The minister said identifying such a large number of people and sending them for quarantine proved the efficiency of the government machinery. Rajender said the community transmission had not happened in Telangana and exuded confidence that the situation would soon be under control. He said 14 of the patients were already discharged while two more were likely to be discharged later in the day. Ten more out of those undergoing treatment tested negative and if they again test negative they would be discharged. He claimed that the state government had taken firm measures to contain the spread. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was the first to demand suspension of international flights. He also claimed that Telangana was the first state to declare a total lockdown and it was again Telangana which alerted the Centre about the spread at the Tablighi meet. LONDON (Reuters) - It would be unacceptable for banks to unfairly refuse funds to good businesses that are in difficulty because of the coronavirus pandemic, Britain's business minister Alok Sharma said on Wednesday. The British government has committed hundreds of billions of pounds to help businesses through the almost total shutdown of the economy because of the pandemic - most notably through a 330 billion pound loan guarantee scheme. "It would be completely unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty," Sharma told a news conference. Last week, anxious business-owners flooded social media with complaints about restrictions on access to the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the pace at which some mainstream banks are supplying emergency credit. "Just as the taxpayer stepped in to help the banks back in 2008, we will work with the banks to do everything they can to repay that favour and support the businesses and people of the United Kingdom in their time of need," Sharma said. The government and the Bank of England have already written to bank chiefs to tell them to keep lending and support the economy through the crisis. Britain's finance ministry is in daily contact with banks and was being very clear that the existence of government loan guarantees means they should help their customers, an official at the ministry said. "The Chancellor and the Governor (of the Bank of England) ... wrote to banks last week and there will be further contact in the coming days," the official added. Sharma also said the government had listened to businesses' concerns about the scheme and that an announcement on this would be made in the next few days. "This is a brand new scheme, and, as with all new schemes, it will not be perfect from the outset," Sharma said. (Reporting by Costas Pitas, Elizabeth Howcroft and William James, additional reporting by William Schomberg, editing by Estelle Shirbon) China on Wednesday said it is ready to help India procure the much-needed ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, but underlined that Chinese firms are finding difficult to scale-up production as they needed imported parts. A number of countries including the US and India, are trying to procure ventilators needed for hospitals to deal with the demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Chinese ventilator producers say it is not easy for them to ramp up production as they also needed imported components. Official media here reported about India approaching suppliers in several countries, including China, for sourcing more ventilators and other medical protective equipment. While in the early days, India relaxed ban and permitted some limited exports of medical equipment to China when the virus broke out in January, New Delhi later sent 15 tonnes medical aid to China in February. Whether China help India with the production of ventilators, as we know, the Indian people are also defeating the pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We stand ready to share our experiences and provide our utmost help, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told media here on Wednesday. Indeed, the ventilators are in great demand worldwide. China is also facing the pressure of rebound in pandemicm, she said, amid reports of rise of imported coronavirus cases. However, for a single ventilator, it involves over 1000 parts produced in different regions and countries including Europe and other parts of the world, she said. So it's not easy for us to scale up the production at this particular time. It's very difficult to do so. But Chinese companies are working non-stop in this regards so as to expand their productionIn a word, we will do our best to help India, she said. State-run Global Times quoted Xu Kemin, an official from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as saying that China has provided over 1,700 invasive ventilators to aid foreign countries since March 19. Currently, China has 21 enterprises producing invasive ventilators with weekly production capacity is 2,200 units, accounting for about 20 percent of the global production capacity, Xu said. The Chinese ventilator producers have received orders for 20,000 units and there are plenty of overseas orders being discussed every day, Xu said. Besides demand for its medical products, China is grappling with complaints about its substandard products. On Tuesday, China said it launched probe against a Chinese firm which allegedly sold faulty coronavirus test kits to Spain amid similar complaints from the Netherlands and Turkey over defective COVID-19 equipment. China has launched a probe into a Chinese Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology, which sold a batch of coronavirus test kits to Spain which authorities said were faulty. Last week, Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said that the first batch of 50,000 testing kits failed to pass quality control checks after several microbiology laboratories in the country's major hospitals found that they were not working well. As China mounted a nationwide effort to produce desperately needed medical supplies after its own coronavirus cases abated, concerns over the quality of some Chinese-made equipment were on the raise. On Monday, the Financial Times reported countries are "rejecting" Chinese-made pandemic-fighting supplies, citing issues raised by the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey over certain products exported by China, including face masks and testing kits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Steven Soderbergh, after shooting his 2018 feature Unsane with an iPhone, declared smartphone cinema to be the future. Yet the technology is also a window on the recent past, as shown in the largely unknown masterpiece, The Uprising, a 2014 film by the British journalist and documentarian Peter Snowdon. Snowdon shot no footage to make The Uprising. The movie is entirely composed of material found on YouTube. It is an anthology of vernacular videos (to use Snowdons phrase) made nine years ago in Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Egypt during the Arab Spring. The Uprising isnt the first such anthology. Huang Weikais 2009 documentary Disorder is a lurid compilation of amateur video recordings of traffic accidents and other instances of urban chaos shot in Guangzhou, a focal point of the Chinese economic miracle. The Uprising, which Snowdon has said chronicles popular self-documentation on an unprecedented scale is more violent and political. It is also more ethical. Snowdon credits all the footage and has maintained that each clip was edited to respect its integrity without the feeling of betraying or falsifying or misrepresenting. Working with the French documentary filmmaker Bruno Tracq, as well as a small army of translators, Snowdon has taken about 100 videos and distilled the Arab Spring into a weeklong imagined revolution. The Uprising jumps from country to country, tracking a revolt from the initial rallies through violent confrontations with the police, the euphoria inspired by the fall of an autocratic regime, to the armys attempt to restore order and the seizure of power. From innovating new products out of unsold export items to reconnecting with domestic suppliers, Vietnamese businesses are finding silver linings amid the coronavirus cloud. A demand slump caused by the novel coronavirus was the catalyst for HCMC-based ABC Bakerys newest invention, the dragon fruit bread, Kao Sieu Luc, its owner, said at a recent business conference held by VnExpress. "We wanted to create an exciting new product, or even a new culinary tradition, after schools, airports and eateries cut orders for our goods. The dragon fruit bread also solved a major problem: tons of dragon fruit usually exported to China could not go there any more after the country stopped taking deliveries because of Covid-19." The pink bread, in which 60 percent of the water in the dough is replaced with a dragon fruit smoothie, was an instant hit in HCMC when it was released late February, and the chain quickly ramped up production to 20,000 loaves a day, even having to initially limit customer purchases. Luc added: "We are looking into making bread from durian and dragon fruit burgers to sell to fast food outlets. In a crisis like this, other businesses should also look to create new markets or enrich existing products to stimulate demand." Phan Van Dung, deputy director of groceries chain Vissan, said the pandemic has made customers reluctant to shop at the companys 50 outlets, and so it has begun a two-hour delivery service for shoppers who order on a hotline. Though Vissan has not sold goods online, the pandemic has caused it to rethink strategies it is likely to transition towards online delivery, he said. "Because we produce and distribute foods, which are essential goods, our business was not too adversely affected. Customers have shifted en masse from fresh to processed foods with expiry periods of 6-12 months, and so we have shifted our production to accommodate these changes. Vo Minh Nhut, CEO of NS BlueScope Vietnam, a steel company, said, "There are a lot of things businesses could do when dealing with a crisis like Covid-19. The most important factor for businesses, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is cash flow, and businesses need to reconsider how they manage inventory, receivables and payment periods with suppliers, he said. They should also cut inessential costs that have minimal effect on workers and customers by delaying marketing campaigns and canceling promotional events, which NS BlueScope has done, he said. "Businesses should always plan ahead for bad scenarios and push for sustainable development, and not just wait for a crisis to happen before doing so. Pham Phu Truong, board member of the Ho Chi Minh City Young Business Association (YBA), said while it is easy for large businesses to plan ahead and minimize risk, it is not for SMEs that account for 90 percent of all businesses in Vietnam. "Some SMEs have cash cycles that only allow them to survive for three months. This means some of them will inevitably be shaken out of the market. Nevertheless, from a macro standpoint, this is the price the economy needs to pay for businesses to improve, become more sustainable, and develop buffers against crises." Interdependence The Covid-19 pandemic has allowed Vietnamese producers to turn inward and build new working relationships with domestic suppliers, whereas earlier they had a plethora of foreign suppliers to choose from, Truong said. "Because the pandemic has disrupted global supply, businesses have no choice but to turn to their compatriots for immediate relief. This helps firms better understand the strengths and opportunities offered by domestic suppliers, as well as stimulate growth of the domestic sector in general." YBA has set up many forums for businesses in various industries to connect, share solutions, pool resources, and enhance cooperation with the government, he said. Nhut said this would help expand business collaboration on a large scale unlike in the past when most SMEs only cooperated on an individual basis. A recent survey by YBA of businesses in HCMC found 90 percent saying they were willing to help other businesses survive the economic effects of Covid-19. "It seems businesses have realized they need each other to survive, and if each link in the supply chain is willing to lower their price a little, the whole chain will be able to coexist," Truong pointed out. "But 90 percent is a surprisingly encouraging statistic, which shows the positive mentality of Vietnamese enterprises in the face of the pandemic." Though hurting less than other Asian economies, the epidemic could drag down Vietnam's GDP growth by 0.41 percent to a seven-year low of 5.96 percent, the ADB has said. Last year growth was 7.02 percent, the second highest in a decade. Member of the German Bundestag, co-chair of the Germany-South Caucasus parliamentary friendship group, Helin Evrim Sommer, commented on the position of the German Foreign Ministry, which doesn't acknowledge elections held by the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists. An amazingly clear statement! she said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent in Berlin. She stressed that "holding the so-called" elections "during the coronavirus pandemic by the secessionist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh also shows political irresponsibility due to public health concerns." 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). Northern Ireland Bishops express their sadness and dismay at the British Governments decision to introduce abortion legislation in Northern Ireland. By Vatican News The Bishops of Northern Ireland issued on Tuesday a statement saying they are dismayed at the British Governments decision to introduce extreme regulations for the delivery of abortion services in Northern Ireland. They note that, at a time when medical staff are doing all they can to save lives during the Coronavirus outbreak, these regulations (on abortion) do not reflect the overwhelming will of most people in Northern Ireland to protect the life of every human being. The Bishops point out that the legislation goes far beyond what is legally required by the Northern Ireland Act (2019), (the Act), and utterly ignores the views of many citizens women and men - who responded to the consultation exercise last December. They also underline that the implementation of these regulations, will facilitate one of the most liberal abortion regimes anywhere in the world. From this week onwards, the Bishops say, some unborn children will be left completely defenceless. No-one will be able to do anything for them once the decision to abort has finally been made. The life of every mother and her unborn baby matters. These new regulations are predicated on the legal assumption that the unborn child has no rights, unless the child is wanted, they add. In the statement, the Bishops point out that there is still time to act, and that members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are not left entirely devoid of influence. The Regulations themselves, they note, can be debated by the Assembly and insofar as they exceed the strict requirements of the 2019 Act, new Regulations can be enacted by the Assembly. The Bishops conclude by saying that they intend to write to their Assembly Members in the coming days and encourage others to do likewise. They also express their commitment to working with all sectors of society, so that this culture of life becomes a reality for everyone. What's in a Number? How Russia's Fighter Su-57 Got Its Name Sputnik News 12:22 GMT 31.03.2020(updated 12:49 GMT 31.03.2020) The fighter jet is a single-seat twin engine aircraft that has superb manoeuvrability, supersonic fighting capabilities, as well as an advanced radar and electronics. Reports say that China, Turkey, and India are interested in purchasing the jet, which reportedly costs $50 million. The United Aircraft Corporation(UAC) has revealed the story behind the name of Russia's stealth fighter Su-57. Su is obviously a reduction of Sukhoi, the surname of a famous Russian aerospace engineer. Number 5 stands for the fifth-generation of Russia's fighter jets, while seven, according to the UAC, is a lucky number for the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The jet is capable of destroying all kinds of ground, naval, and air targets. The Defence Ministry is continuing to test the fighter, although it noted that the Su-57 has performed admirably in Syria, where Moscow has been helping government troops in their fight against Daesh and other terrorist organisations. Last week, the Defence Ministry posted a video of the Russian Aerospace Forces conducting flight missions with the Su-57. The pilots practiced various flight modes, working at an extreme altitude, speed, and G-force. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Florida inmates at the Hernando County Detention Center are to the rescue by helping local hospitals and healthcare workers amid COVID-19 pandemic according to a recently published article. There is one thing that makes rich and poor countries the same as of now, and that's the lack of surgical masks and other protective gear to combat the deadly and infectious disease. As days go by, many reports are circulating about the lack of these basic medical supplies. FLORIDA INMATES TO THE RESCUE! To address this problem, a group of women inmates in Florida crafted face masks that will be donated to local hospitals. This will help the medical healthcare workers who combat the COVID-19 pandemic as we are experiencing a shortage of masks. According to the Sheriff's office, Lt. Teresa Stevens researched and devised a plan on how the inmates can help amid the growing problem of the local hospitals. She learned that there is a high demand for face masks and she then tasked the inmates to craft surgical masks. Four women inmates at the Hernando County Detention Center started crafting the face masks on March 23 and they were able to produce around 130 face masks on their first day. It is also important to take note that before these women crafted the face masks, they were given sewing class where they learned how to iron, measure, and cut fabric to make the face masks according to the sheriff's office. Lt. Stevens said: "To see the inmates smile as they developed extreme pride and ownership of the project from a deputy's perspective while giving back to the community is a great gift." OTHER GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PRODUCING MASKS Today, there is a high demand for face masks and other basic medical equipment. Everyone should step up and do their share to protect the healthcare workers who work night and day to take care of COVID-19 patients. To deal with the shortage of face masks and other medical equipment, some companies turned their typical production site to produce face masks. Some of the are as follows: MyPillow Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, announced that he will convert his 200,000 square foot factory to produce face masks. The company is capable of producing around 10,000 face masks every single day. He also added that he is now planning to convert his other factories in the other four states in the country. Eclipse International According to a recently published article, Eclipse International and Denver Mattress will be creating face masks using the same material that they used in the mattress. This is as part of their response to the high demand for face masks in the country amid COVID-19. The motivation to convert their businesses by producing face masks is just few of the ways on how they can help the country. This is after the number of confirmed cases who are positive for the virus continue to mount. At present, there are more than 115,000 cases in the United States and in Florida alone, there are more than 3,500 cases recorded. Meanwhile, due to the increasing number of cases, there is also a need for more face masks to protect the healthcare workers and those who are not yet infected. People are now scrambling for the sold-out and up cost surgical face masks. The Sheriff's office is also planning to make donations to other local hospitals nearby. They are now in close contact with the Million Mask Challenge administrators to help the need of the community to produce more face masks. The project of the Hernando County Detention Center will not only benefit the community but this will also let inmates learn and experience a positive environment by helping the healthcare workers and local hospitals even if they are behind bars. In this time where there are limited face masks due to its demand, inmates are now becoming the modern heroes. This is the time where people can appreciate the helping hands of the inmates. After all, they are humans and they have a heart too that listens to the need of the people around them. Read a related article: Credit: Tedward Quinn/Unsplash A team of applied science researchers at the University of British Columbia have joined the fight against COVID-19. They've developed a systematic feedback strategy they say can help public health authorities in their efforts to contain the virus over the next several months. Their proposed methodologyinspired by work of epidemiologists at Imperial College and othersdoes not need to rely on accurate predictive models. It uses hospital ICU capacity as a barometer for determining when physical distancing should be tightened up, and when it should be relaxed. In this Q&A, the team that performed the analysis, Guy Dumont, Greg Stewart and Klaske van Heusden, from the electrical and computer engineering department at UBC, explain the rationale behind the method. You're proposing a feedback-based strategy for fighting COVID-19. Why is this important? There are signs that Canada is making progress on flattening the curve of new COVID-19 infections, but public health authorities stress that it's critical to keep the momentum going. Canadians need to continue physical distancingthe primary non-pharmaceutical weapon in this fightover the next several months while awaiting a vaccine. However, people need to know what our exit strategy is. When can distancing be safely relaxed for our society to continue functioning? Our methodology can enable decision makers to fine-tune the timing, duration and scope of intervention measures like isolation and quarantining. This can help public health officials bring the outbreak under control and manage hospital caseloads as we wait for herd immunity to take effect or for a vaccine to be developedwhile at the same time permitting safe relaxing of physical distancing. What does your feedback-based method look like? We used the standard SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered) epidemic model that public health researchers typically use to predict the spread and impact of an outbreak. We use the number of available hospital ICU beds as the primary measure of health care capacity. The goal is always to bring infectivity rates to manageable levels. As an example, if hospitals in jurisdiction X are approaching overcapacity, the feedback-designed policy will suggest an increase to the physical distancing in the region. When the healthcare capacity increases, the policy can suggest an optimal time for policymakers to relax or lift these intervention strategies. It's key that many or most interventions have intermediate options that can be leveraged and thus avoid oscillations and repeated outbreaks. Our approach emphasizes the important role that feedback can play to stabilize the system. Left on its own the epidemic is unstable, i.e. it grows exponentially. If we apply a basic control principle known as feedback stabilization, we can bring and maintain the propagation rate to a level manageable by our healthcare system. We've thus drawn on engineering principles to provide policy suggestions that take into account economic considerations and medical constraints. How does this add to our current knowledge of the novel coronavirus? Current epidemiological models of COVID-19 do not have an accurate way of estimating when to relax and when to tighten distancing interventions. An overly aggressive on-off approach may lead to unmanageable swings in health care capacity and the number of new cases. This is for instance what happened in St. Louis during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. We believe that by bringing computer feedback to bear on the policymaking process we can have much better health outcomes for everyone concerned. We'd like nothing more than to work with other researchers in Canada or elsewhere to further develop this methodology, and possibly make it more interactive to help educate the public. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Coronavirus: policy design for stable population recovery: Coronavirus: policy design for stable population recovery: blog.ifac-control.org/control/ population-recovery/ Three residents of a Corvallis nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19, and one has died from the disease. Corvallis Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a long-term care facility at 160 NE Conifer Blvd., posted a statement on its website Monday that said three of its residents had tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Two of the residents were being treated at Corvallis Manor, the statement said, while the third resident had been transferred to a local hospital several days earlier. That resident died on Monday, the statement said. Corvallis Manor is very saddened by this news and extends its deepest condolences to the residents family, the online statement said. Decisions as to whether a resident remains on-site or is transported to a hospital are made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with physicians and health care officials. We are working diligently to limit the spread of the virus to other residents of the facility and are communicating this news to all of our residents, staff and their loved ones. State and local public health officials stated separately that an 88-year-old woman died from the disease at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis on Monday, becoming Benton Countys first COVID-19 fatality. Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Corvallis Manor administrator Barbara Lower declined to answer any questions about the situation but said the facility would periodically provide updated information on its website. Corvallis Manor was one of 29 long-term care facilities around the state identified in a story published Tuesday by The Oregonian/Oregon Live as having at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. The story also named a second Corvallis facility, Timberhill Place at 989 NW Spruce Avenue, but that information could not be confirmed on Tuesday. When contacted by the Gazette-Times, two employees of Timberhill Place said they could not speak on the record, and messages requesting comment from an administrator were not returned by press time. The Oregonian article also named a third mid-valley facility, the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home in Lebanon, which has previously acknowledged having 15 residents with COVID-19. Two of the residents have died from the disease. Corvallis Manor is owned by Utah-based Avalon Health Care Group. According to the companys website, Avalon owns or manages nursing homes, assisted living centers and similar facilities serving more than 6,700 patients in six Western states. In general, people diagnosed with COVID-19 are treated in isolation to prevent the spread of infection, and Corvallis Manors website states that the facility is following federal guidelines by sharply limiting visitors to the facility, screening visitors and employees for symptoms of the disease and taking other measures to protect the health of resident and staff. A total of 12 Benton County residents and 37 Linn County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Public health officials are not releasing the names of infected individuals because of privacy restrictions and out of concern that disclosing names could discourage people who may be infected from getting tested or seeking medical assistance. Reporter Bennett Hall can be contacted at bennett.hall@lee.net or 541-812-6111. Follow him on Twitter at @bennetthallgt. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Despite increasing pleas from health officials, both locally and globally, to stay home save for absolutely essential trips, spring weather continues to draw people into the great outdoors. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended his stay-at-home executive order until April 30 in an effort to continue flattening the curve of the coronavirus spread. Boeing gets $1.5 billion US Navy contract Boeing has been awarded a $1.5 billion US Navy production contract for the 18 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The deal includes eight aircraft for the US Navy, six aircraft for the Republic of Korea Navy and four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Republic of Korea Navy are expected to begin receiving aircraft from 2022 and 2023 respectively. The P-8 variants are militarised with maritime weapons and patrol the globe performing anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare as well as search and rescue missions. The Pentagon on Wednesday released the name of a 1st Cavalry Division soldier who died March 30 in Iraq. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty died in a "non-combat-related incident," while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Erbil, Iraq, according to a Pentagon statement released Wednesday. The 44-year-old Bowie, Maryland, native's death remains under investigation but is not related to the novel coronavirus, according to a March 31 announcement from Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Hilty was assigned to the 1st Cav's 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, at Fort Hood, Texas. Military.com reached out to Fort Hood officials for more information on Hilty but did not receive a response by press time. Related: 1st US Service Member Dies of Coronavirus As of March 30, 93 U.S. service members have died in Operation Inherent Resolve -- 21 killed in action and 72 in non-hostile actions, according to Defense Department casualty figures. Two soldiers from the 1st Cav's 1-227 died Nov. 20, 2019, in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan's Logar Province. Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr. were both identified as AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Read More: Army IDs Warrant Officers Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough extended a stay-at-home order for residents after the number of novel coronavirus cases increased by 12 Tuesday, bringing the total for the county to 93 cases. Keoughs amended order is now in place through April 30. The countys new cases include a child younger than 9 but health officials say she is at home and doing well. In conjunction with the presidential decree issued by President Donald J. Trump and the executive order GA 14 issued by Governor Greg Abbott I have extended the current Stay at Home Stop the Spread order to April 30, Keough told The Courier Tuesday. All three orders are designed to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The case counts for Montgomery County communities are: The Woodlands, 22; Montgomery, 18; Conroe, 15; Spring, 15; Oak Ridge North, 8; Porter, 7; Shenandoah, 4; Hockley, one; Pinehurst, one; Splendora, one; and Willis, one. Senior facility has 13 COVID-19 cases Keep clean Wash hands often for 20 seconds and encourage others to do the same. If no soap and water are available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue away. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Disinfect surfaces, buttons, handles, knobs, and other places touched often. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. For more information, please see www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus. See More Collapse The extended order comes on the heels of a shelter-in-place order for a senior living facility in The Woodlands where 13 of the countys cases are residents. The Conservatory at Alden Bridge, at 6203 Alden Bridge Drive, offers apartment homes and services such as chauffeured transportation for scheduled trips to shopping, dining and medical appointments. The facility can house up to 237 residents and now has a capacity of about 200. According to the order, residents must shelter-in-place for the duration of the order. Those who leave the facility cannot return to the property until the order expires on April 13. Additionally, the order prohibits anyone from entering the property unless it is to provide food service, caregivers, medical professionals, law enforcement or someone assisting a resident in leaving under the order. Jason Millsaps, executive director of the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said while officials with The Conservatory had put some measures in place to help stop the spread of the virus, they were pleased with the shelter-in-place order since some residents were resistant to comply with the county stay-at-home order set in place March 12. Millsaps said there are still tests pending for residents of The Conservatory so the number of cases could rise. Its a hot spot, he said. No one should be coming in or out. Its warrants a shelter in place. Montgomery County Sheriffs Office Lt. Scott Spencer said deputies were providing security at the facility ensuring residents do not leave and no one is allowed in except those allowed by the order. He added deputies have been instructed not to enter the facility but said if it was necessary, they have been provided personal protection equipment. Officials with The Conservatory could not be reached for comment. For a complete list of all confirmed new coronavirus cases in Montgomery County, visit mcphd-tx.org/coronavirus-covid-19/confirmed-cases. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has been violating the state constitution since March 23. On that date, he refused to appoint two justices to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court of Florida by the constitutionally mandated deadline. Now the governor appears to be mulling another unconstitutional move: He may appoint a nominee who cannot legally take office. After Justice Peggy Quinces retirement from the court in January 2019, the court was left without a black justice for the first time in 36 years. The Florida appellate bench is in desperate need of diversity. During eight years in office, former Gov. Rick Scott appointed 36 judges to the appellate courtsmore than half the benchand one to the Supreme Court. Scott appointed only one black judgein mid-December 2018, less than 30 days before he left office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis is different. He seems to have a genuine desire to increase diversity on the bench. He has appointed several black trial judges since taking office. Now that his first two state Supreme Court appointees resigned to take seats on a federal appellate court, DeSantis has the opportunity to appoint a black justice. And he is under pressure to do so by Democratic state lawmakers and editorial boards. Thirty-two people applied for the two vacancies. Six of the applicants were black. Of those six, the courts judicial nominating commission, which vets applicants and sends the governor nominees, nominated one, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis. (The JNC failed to nominate any black applicant in the last round of appointments for three vacancies.) The problem is that the JNC has nominated someone who is constitutionally ineligible to sit on the Florida Supreme Court at the time the vacancies must be filled. Advertisement Advertisement Under Article V, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution, No person is eligible for the office of justice of the supreme court unless the person is, and has been for the preceding ten years, a member of the bar of Florida. Francis was admitted to the Florida Bar on Sept. 24, 2010. She will not meet the constitutional requirement until Sept. 24, 2020. DeSantis was obligated to appoint justices by March 23, but he declined to and said he would probably make the appointments on May 1. Even then, Francis would not be eligible. Advertisement Her ineligibility has been briefly noted by news articles, an editorial board, and Democratic state Rep. Geraldine Thompson, who criticized the nomination in an op-ed. Nova Southeastern University professor Robert Jarvis, the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, former president of the Florida Bar Eugene K. Pettis, and even Francis herself acknowledge the issue but paper over it. They argue there is a difference between appointment and commission. A commission, as defined by Blacks Law Dictionary, is [a] warrant or authority, from the government or a court, that empowers the person named to execute official acts. It is a formal document signed by the governor. According to those who support Francis appointment, she need not be eligible at the time of appointment so long as she is eligible at some time in the future. At that point, the governor can issue her the commission and she can take office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the text of the Florida Constitution does not support that view. There are two other constitutional provisions that are relevant. First, Article V, Subsection 11(c) states that [t]he governor shall make the appointment within sixty days after the nominations have been certified to the governor. Next, Article V, Subsection 11(a) provides that [w]henever a vacancy occurs in a judicial office to which election for retention applies, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointing for a term. (Emphasis added.) Advertisement Advertisement The plain language of the Florida Constitution does not distinguish between appointment and commission. The constitutionally significant event is the appointment, which is what fills the vacancy. How can a vacancy be filled if the appointee does not take office for a few months? It cant. Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis appears to reject constitutional limitations on his authority. Florida Supreme Court precedent confirms that, when an appointment to office depends solely on the governors authoritywhich is the case with appellate judgeships in Floridathe appointment is not complete until the governor issues a commission. In 1971s State ex rel. Lawson v. Page, the court considered rival claims to a seat on the South Broward Transit Authority District. Gov. Claude Kirk had sent a letter to the secretary of state declaring his intent to appoint William R. Page. But Kirk failed to sign Pages commission before he left office. The new governor, Reubin Askew, canceled the appointment and commissioned William Lawson to the seat instead. The Florida Supreme Court determined that Lawson was the lawful holder of the office. By failing to execute a commission in favor of [Page], the court said, Governor Kirk failed to appoint him. It concluded that, because the act of appointment was not completed by the execution of a commission, Page was never actually appointed. Advertisement Advertisement In 1966s In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, the court held a governor cant issue a commission to a person who is ineligible for judicial office. There, voters elected a judge who would not have been legally eligible to take office at the start of his term, or during a grace period created by statute. The Supreme Court told the governor that you are not authorized to sign his commission at all because the judge-elect would not now nor will he within the time allowed by law possess the qualifications now required by the Constitution of this State to hold the office of a Judge of a Circuit Court. Advertisement DeSantis is not authorized to issue Francis a commissionto make the appointmentuntil she is eligible on Sept. 24. The governor cant simply announce his intent to appoint her and satisfy the constitutional appointment requirement. Nor can he leave the vacancy open until Sept. 24. Yet DeSantis appears to reject these constitutional limitations on his authority. His top aide said in March that the governor is open to waiting until September to name Francis to the court. The Florida Supreme Court needs to be diverse. It needs different perspectives; it should be representative of our state. But the words of the state constitution are paramount, and those words are unequivocal. The Florida Constitution forbids DeSantis from appointing Francis to the court by issuing her a commission while she is ineligible, and he cannot lawfully hold the seat open until she becomes eligible. If the governor ignores these rules, he will demonstrate that he feels unbound by the fundamental law of the state. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to The Gist. Feckless businesses are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis in the NHS by ramping up the prices of gloves, masks and aprons by up to 1,000 per cent, it was revealed today. Care homes say they could go to the wall because they are being 'ripped off' in order to properly protect their workers. Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, the largest representative body for independent social care services in the UK, warned today: 'The consequences will be closures of services because we won't be able to pay staff'. More than 10,000 front line NHS staff have written to the Prime Minister to demand proper protective equipment amid growing anger that a lack of supplies is putting lives at risk. Katrina Green, who runs a care home in Paignton, Devon, revealed today that most protective items are now ten times more expensive, and hand sanitiser usually 19 for 5litres is up to 179. She said: 'They are ripping us off. Its daylight robbery. They are robbing us blind', adding: 'We have got confirmed cases in staff, patients and family members. We had people symptomatic and we just couldnt go in. So we had to cancel care. These people were left at home without any care'. But in more positive news Loch Lomond whisky group has produced more than 15,000 bottles of hand sanitiser for free, sending them out on lorries last night. Mark Adams, CEO of Community Integrated Care, the biggest care company in the country has revealed that basic PPE prices are rocketing Mark Adams, CEO of Community Integrated Care, the biggest care company in the country told the BBC: 'Gloves they're up by 30 per cent in price, aprons up by 166 per cent and masks going up by over 1,000 per cent'. Leader of Somerset Council, David Fothergill, said that care homes and care provider will need financial support. He said: 'Its really important that we work with care providers to make sure their costs are being reimbursed either now or in the future'. Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, last night admitted there had been 'distribution issues' but insisted the UK had enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to cope with the pandemic. Millions of masks, gloves, aprons and other items were delivered to hospitals on Monday, the Government said, with the Army helping to get them out nationwide. Import taxes on such clothing, ventilators and virus testing kits have also been waived to ease supply, the Chancellor said. But, despite this, unions representing healthcare workers say their members are complaining in droves about shortages of safety equipment. The GMB said some social care staff were being expected to make visits with just a plastic apron and a pair of gloves 'the same protection that they use to make a sandwich.' The letter to Boris Johnson has been co-ordinated by EveryDoctor, a membership organisation of UK doctors which campaigns on safety in the NHS. It says NHS guidelines on what medics should wear to treat Covid-19 patients are not stringent enough and should be brought into line with World Health Organisation recommendations. The statement has been signed by more than 20,000 medics, including 10,000 who work in the NHS, in less than two days. A senior nurse yesterday told the Daily Mail community hospital staff had been left as 'sitting ducks' for coronavirus because of a lack of specialist masks and goggles. A man wearing PPE is seen inside St Thomas' Hospital in London as NHS staff insist they are not getting the protection The healthcare worker, who has more than 20 years' experience, said she was forced to take blood from a suspected Covid-19 patient, who later tested positive, at the community hospital in North Wales where she works, with just a 'flimsy' paper mask and gloves. Only after managers complained and two more cases were confirmed were more staff measured up for the PPE, she added. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'The full weight of the Government is behind the PPE effort with PPE being sent out 24 hours a day and the Army helping with deliveries.' Millions of items of personal protective equipment were delivered to NHS trusts on Monday, Downing Street has said, with the army helping to ensure supplies reach frontline workers. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing on Tuesday: 'Yesterday's deliveries of PPE included more than 2.5 million aprons, 870,000 eye protectors, 218,000 respiratory masks - they are FFP2 and FFP3 masks - one million surgical masks and 11 million gloves. 'The full weight of Government is behind the PPE efforts, with PPE being sent out 24 hours a day and the army helping with deliveries. 'There have been occasional issues with deliveries being received out of hours by NHS trusts but this is what we are working on to address and resolve.' Care home staff say they are at 'breaking point' and fear being overwhelmed by coronavirus as UK's largest charitable provider warns of cases in more than half of its facilities Care homes up and down the country are at risk of buckling under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, with staff warning they're at 'breaking point'. Homes are facing major staff shortages, with Methodist Homes (MHA) saying 750 of its staff, more than one in ten from its 220 facilities, are unable to work. In Barking, East London, Labour MP Margaret Hodge's survey found eight out of ten care homes were struggling with shortages of essential items, including goggles. While the country scrambles to get enough PPE like the kit pictured above, Unison have urged the government to make sure carers are also protected. Dave Prentis said on Tuesday: 'Every public service worker without adequate PPE is a potential spreader of this deadly virus' It comes as charities, including St John's Ambulance, say they risk folding due to a sudden drop in income as charity shops close and events such as the London Marathon are cancelled. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a new support package for charities facing imminent closure. Charity bosses say the cost of losing such vital funding has left them predicting 4bn losses. St John Ambulance Chief Executive Martin Houghton-Brown said the country's leading first aid charity has funds to last until August. While children's charity Barnado's has put 2,500 staff on furlough. Sam Monaghan is chief executive of care home charity MHA, which has seen nine of its residents die from coronavirus. He told The Guardian: 'The adult social care sector must not be treated as the poor relation of the NHS. 'Our people are also working day and night with those who are most vulnerable to coronavirus and we are yet to be included in the testing that is being rolled out for the NHS. 'We are anxious that we may see an increase in staff expressing concern about coming into work without being supplied with adequate equipment.' First aid charity St John Ambulance - which is helping the NHS manage the crisis - is on track to go bust in August without help from the government On Tuesday, National Council for Voluntary Organisation's chief, Karl Wilding, told a Government select committee: 'Charities are facing a real crunch, with more pressure on the services they offer at the same time as losing out on fundraising income. 'This is something that's affecting all charities, large and small, and they urgently need answers.' According to the Office of National Statistics, a fifth of all confirmed and suspected deaths happened in care homes, dospices, domestic homes and other locations aside from hospitals, up to March 20. On Tuesday Unison leader Dave Prentis penned a letter to PM Boris Johnson, stressing the importance of protecting care workers. Unison boss Dave Prentis penned a letter to Boris Johnson on Tuesday, warning him many public service employees 'feel like they've been forgotten' amid concerns about safety Mr Prentis wrote: 'Public service employees are still in their workplaces because they need and want to be. But their selfless acts must not place them at risk. Too many feel like theyve been forgotten their safety a mere afterthought, despite the critical work they continue to do. Many promises have been made by your government, but promises dont protect people. Every public service worker without adequate PPE is a potential spreader of this deadly virus, or even a future patient. Every public service worker who catches the virus is another vital cog removed from the machinery of a society already struggling to cope.' Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said health authorities are scaling up their emergency bed capacity in hospitals as frontline staff prepare for a surge in Covid-19 infections. Mr Varadkar, Health Minister Simon Harris and HSE CEO Paul Reid today visited Citywest hotel where another 2,000 beds for patients with the virus and suspect cases are being made available. The giant hotel complex in Dublin is seeing its main hall, bedrooms and conference areas turned into a makeshift hospital. But the aim will be to ease pressure on acute hospitals caring for serious cases where people have the virus. Mr Varadkar admitted there were problems getting virus tests done, but this was a global dilemma. Ireland is trying to ramp up its lab testing and also attempting to secure more reagents, a lab liquid used during virus testing. Speaking in Citywest, he the plan now was to expand de-fact ICU bed capacity. This could be done with extra beds through private health groups, among areas: The last numbers I saw where that we've about 120 people in intensive care units. We have capacity in our intensive care units. And we also have the ability to turn other parts of the hospital into intensive care units, for example, theatres, other wards, recovery areas. As long as we have the ventilators, there's a lot that have arrived already and some more that are coming, we can expand our ICU capacity. So I think it's important that even when our ICUs are full and they are not full yet, we will be able to use the ICU and HDUs in the private hospitals, but also be able to turn wards, theatres, into de-facto ICUs with ventilators. But it is going to be a struggle. And we're asking a lot of our healthcare staff. I know they're working really hard, and I know they're absolutely up to it. He also outlined the shortage of lab facilities and reagents which have led to delays in testing: In Ireland we've decided as a country to do a lot of tests and we're in the top tier of countries in the world when it comes to the number of tests are doing. And that's the right thing to do in terms of containing virus. But we are running into difficulties, we need to be honest with people and frank about that. "There is a global shortage of testing kits, there's a shortage of reagents, and we also need laboratory capacity. So we are going to hit bumps in the road where there are delays at particular points in time, but we'll do everything we can working with international partners and companies to make sure that we continue to maximise the number of tests that we do, and that we prioritize people working in health care facilities, in particular, as well as those who are sickest. But it is important to bear in mind, getting your test results in itself doesn't actually determine whether or not you get any better. And this is a virus that has no treatment. So the fact that somebody is delayed in getting their test results does actually determine in a any way when they get better or not. But it does help us to identify more cases due for tracing. One of the things we decided to do, and that was acted yesterday, was actually to step up contact tracing considerably because we have 1400 people now working on contact tracing. "And that's going to help to make up in some way for the fact that there are delays in getting those test results. HSE CEO Paul Reid said health authorities were now furthering their own plan to equip and staff emergency facilities for patients infected with the virus: He said the HSE were training up staff to work in ICUs as part of a surge plan. There is no particular hospital that has full ICU capacity at this point and time, he added. He said that health services were scaling up high dependency units and other beds that were regarded as equivalent to ICU beds. Health Minister Simon Harris explained that, on top of the Dublin hotel facilities, other locations around the country would be used as makeshift hospitals. The first people who arrive here today [in Citywest], this afternoon, will have been referred from hospitals and are no longer in need of hospital care but are in need of isolation. All across the country, you will have a number of these centers in the major urban centers, in Limerick, Galway, Sligo, Waterford. They will have a further 1,200 bed capacity." Mr Harris said it was known that with the virus that the vast majority of people didn't need acute or hospital care but needed supports. That's primarily what these facilities are for. Keeping people out of the hospital system. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] A sign directing people to the area where donated medical supplies are accepted at Doylestown hospital, in Doylestown, PA, March 30, 2020. Due to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States hospitals are in need of protective wear, and accepting donations. Read more With medical workers facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), some health organizations are accepting donations of the materials they need to keep staff safe and treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic. That list of equipment includes items like eye protection, gowns, and face masks and N95 respirators, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These items are scarce. Health-care workers have begun taking emergency steps to protect themselves, including New Jersey first responders, who were told to purchase painters masks as a protective measure, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which has reached out to the mining industry for masks. Even the CDC last month issued an advisory that health-care workers could use items like bandannas and scarves in place of more appropriate gear as crisis response options. And now, the Washington Post reported, the governments emergency stockpile of medical equipment is running low amid the COVID-19 outbreak. But you can help. You may have some of these items in your home or business. We have rounded up a list of Philadelphia-area hospitals that are accepting equipment donations and how you can donate to them. Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia says online that it has sufficient medical supplies available for staff, but is ramping up our conservation efforts to ensure a future supply. It cannot accept open bottles of hand sanitizer or household cleaning products. Accepting donations of: Dry, disposable wipes, preferably on a roll. Eye protection including face shields and safety goggles. Gloves, non-latex, all sizes in original carton. Gowns. Head and shoe covers. Homemade masks (adult and child sizes). Masks, face protection, paper ear loop or tie in original carton (adult and child sizes). Unopened bottles of household cleaning products. Unopened bottles of hand sanitizer. Unopened wipes, bleach, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. How you can donate: Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (Main Lobby) , 3401 Civic Center Blvd. Or you can mail donations to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Attn: Robert Silverstein, PPE Donations, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104. City of Philadelphia The citys Office of Emergency Management last month issued a statement that it is accepting PPE donations to aid area health-care providers. Items, the city said, should be unopened and in their original packaging, and homemade items will not be accepted. Accepting donations of: N95 respirators/face masks. Disposable and washable gowns. Eye protection. Gloves. Swabs. How you can donate: Individuals able to donate the requested items should fill out a form found at www.phila.gov/ppe-donation. Cooper University Health Care Cooper University Health Care indicates online that it is seeking assistance from companies that have an excess supply for donations of equipment. Accepting donations of: N95 respirator masks. Disposable surgical masks. Surgical gowns. Gloves. Eye shields. How you can donate: To arrange a pickup of supplies for donation, contact Jocelyn ONeill at oneill-jocelyn@CooperHealth.edu. Donations can also be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Those donating, however, should contact Dwayne Wharton, manager of shipping and receiving, at 856-342-2000, Ext. 100-6071, or wharton-dwayne@cooperhealth.edu to arrange weekday donations, or Pat Amatrudi, distribution supervisor, at 856-342-2000, Ext. 100-9777 or amatrudi-pat@cooperhealth.edu, for weekend donations. Donations can be made at Cooper University Health Care, 1 Cooper Plaza, Camden. Loading dock is near the One Cooper Plaza parking garage on Benson Street. Einstein Healthcare Network Einstein Healthcare Network anticipates the need will "overwhelm existing supplies of personal protective equipment, and is accepting donations of certain items, according to its website. Accepting donations of: N95 respirator masks. Face masks (with ties or elastic). Disposable gowns. Protective glasses /goggles. Gloves. Hand sanitizer. Regular face shields. Bleach or disinfecting wipes. Non-contact thermometers. How you can donate: Pickups of items for donation can be arranged with the Office of Development by calling 215-456-7200, or materials can be dropped off at Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park/MossRehab (Main Entrance), 60 Township Line Rd. Elkins Park, or Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia (Main Entrance), 5501 Old York Rd. Additionally, if you want to donate PPE to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, Einstein asks that you call 484-622-7013 to arrange a pickup or dropoff. Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania is partnering with Life Sciences Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to generate volunteers and donations of needed supplies to hospitals and health systems throughout the commonwealth. Those with supplies to donate can contact the organization at opportunities@HAPevolve.com, or contact HAPevolve president Joe Tibbs at jtibbs@hapevolve.com for more information. Accepting donations of: HAP has provided an extensive list of necessary PPE, hospital supplies, diagnostic supplies, and lab supplies online. The materials listed below are described as the organizations most acutely needed items: Surgical/procedure masks. N95/N99 masks (respirators). Face masks with integrated shield. PAPRs (powered air-purifying respirators). Alcohol-based hand rub. Ventilators, PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure). Ventilator circuits. Hospital gowns. Endotracheal tubes. Roche MagNA Pure 96 DNA and Viral NA Small Volume Kits. Roche MagNa Pure 96 System Fluid and Tips. Roche MagNa Pure 96 External Lysis Buffer. Biomerieux NuciSENS EasyMAG extraction system and supplies. UVT 3ML with flocked flex minitip. Nasopharyngeal (NP) flocked swabs plus viral transport medium tubes (1 to 3 mL). How you can donate: Individuals or organizations who are able to give supplies should contact opportunities@HAPevolve.com to arrange a donation. Jefferson Health Donations made to Jefferson Health should be in their original packaging unopened and unexpired, the company says online. If you would like to request acknowledgement for your items, email giftquestions@jefferson.edu with your name, address, phone number, and a description of the materials you donated. Accepting donations of: N95 respirator masks (medical grade preferred) or industrial, NIOSH- and FDA-approved. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Surgical grade ear loop face masks (preferred) or tieback face masks. Masks with face shields. Goggles (no openings on sides). How you can donate: Jefferson Health has several sites where you can donate requested items, all of which are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Blumele Life Sciences Building (loading dock), 233 S. 10th St. Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, Main Lobby, 10800 Knights Rd. Abington Hospital Jefferson Health, Levy Medical Plaza, 1235 Old York Rd. (white tent off of Woodland Road), Abington Jefferson Health New Jersey, The Church, 367 Hurffville-Crosskeys Rd., Sewell Main Line Health Main Line Health is seeking donations of a variety of equipment, and notes that it has already received a tremendous outpouring of support from our community. Accepting donations of: Gowns. Masks. N95 masks. Goggles. Face shields. Tyvek coveralls. Surgical gowns. Isolation gowns. Gloves. How you can donate: Main Line Health asks that those interested in donating supplies contact the company at covidsupplydonations@mlhs.org to arrange donations. Penn Medicine Penn Medicine is accepting donations of a number of items, but indicates online that it prefers bulk donations of one case or more. It also notes that it will not accept donations of homemade or cloth masks. Accepting donations of: Masks, face protection, paper ear loop or tie in original carton. Gloves, non-latex, all sizes in original carton. Wipes, bleach, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Bottles of bleach (not splashless). Hand sanitizers. Head covers, disposable bouffant type with elastic band. Shoe covers, disposable. Eye protection including face shields. Safety goggles. Gowns, disposable water resistant cover gowns in original carton. PAPRs (powered air-purifying respirators) and PAPR hoods. How you can donate: Several Penn Medicine locations are accepting donations through the mail or in-person. Mail-in donations can be sent to: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Attn: Receiving Department, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104; Pennsylvania Hospital, Attn: Donations, 800 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107; or Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Attn: Donations, 51 N. 39th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 And drop-offs of materials can be made at: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., security booth outside of the Gates Building entrance on 36th and Spruce Streets. Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Loading Dock, 51 N. 39th St. Pennsylvania Hospital, Main Entrance Welcome Desk, 800 Spruce St. Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, Hospital Parking Garage, 701 E. Marshall St., West Chester. Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Clipper Magazine Stadium, 650 N. Prince St., Lancaster. The Lancaster location has further specialized instructions for donations. Donations can also be made to Penn Medicine Princeton Health, though Penn asks that individuals interested in donating at that location call 609-252-8710 or email PMPH-Foundation@pennmedicine.upenn.edu to make arrangements. Temple Health Temple University Hospital, like other area hospitals, is facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment, according to a statement, and Temple Health asks that those interested in donating items contact it at covid19@tuhs.temple.edu for more information. Accepting donations of: Masks. N95 masks. Gowns, including surgical and isolation. Gloves, all sizes. Goggles. Face shields. Tyvek coveralls. Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Thermometers. How you can donate: In addition to contacting Temple at covid19@tuhs.temple.edu, those interested in donating items can drop materials off at the front desk at the entrance of Temple University Hospital at Broad and Ontario Streets. Tower Health Tower Health is asking for donations of equipment from community members and businesses who have extra of the requested items, and notes online that it is not asking that those interested in donating purchase new items just to make a contribution. Accepting donations of: Procedural masks. Surgical masks. N95 masks. Goggles. Latex-free gloves. Hand sanitizer. Disinfectant wipes. Isolation gowns. How you can donate: Tower Health has several locations where donations can be dropped off. However, it asks that if you are making a donation, you practice safe social distancing, remain in your vehicle, and pack items in your cars trunk so that staff can unload it for you. Donation hours at participating locations vary, so be sure to check the website before you go. Donations can be dropped off at: Brandywine Hospital, warehouse, 201 Reeceville Rd., Coatesville. Chestnut Hill Hospital, front entrance, 8835 Germantown Ave. Jennersville Hospital, loading dock, 1015 W. Baltimore Pike, West Grove. Phoenixville Hospital, curbside front entrance, 140 Nutt Rd., Phoenixville. Pottstown Hospital, Outpatient Pavilion Circle, 1600 E. High St., Pottstown. Reading Hospital, Knitting Mills parking lot (across from the Wawa), Penn Avenue and Park Road, Wyomissing, Pa. Additionally, those interested in donating at St. Christophers Hospital for Children (160 E. Erie Ave.) are asked to contact Linda McDonough at 215-427-5340 to coordinate. Virtua Health System Virtua Health is pursuing multiple tactics to ensure we maintain an ample supply of PPE, including the acceptance of donations of certain supplies. Virtua asks that any donated items be unopened and unused. Accepting donations of: Surgical masks. Isolation masks. N95 respirator masks. Nitrile gloves (powder-free, latex-free). Disposable isolation gowns. Goggles (OTG). Face shields. How you can donate: Donations can be dropped off at Virtua Healths Support Services Center, 20 W. Stow Rd., Suite 3, Marlton, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 856-355-0955 to coordinate a dropoff first. Virtua Healths corporate office will also accept donations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. No call ahead of donating is necessary. The office is at 303 Lippincott Dr., Marlton. Dropoff bins are in the lobby. By Kang Seok-ryul Facing the spread of the new coronavirus in South Korea, the ROK-U.S. militaries decided to postpone their springtime joint military exercise. This decision came out of concerns about the safety of South Korean and U.S. troops. Park Han-ki, chairman of the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, proposed putting off the annual exercise. Robert Abrams, commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), accepted the proposal given the seriousness of the virus outbreak. The decision should be interpreted as a preventive way to maintain the combat capability of the ROK-U.S. combined forces. It can be also characterized as the allies' decision to flexibly carry out their joint military exercises. In line with this policy posture, South Korean and U.S. militaries have suspended or scaled down a series of scheduled annual military drills. This alliance trajectory began with the ROK-U.S. agreement to carry out the springtime exercises, code-named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Then ahead of an inter-Korean summit in April, Seoul and Washington scaled down the two exercises. This was followed by the decision of both sides to cancel the summertime Ulchi-Freedom Guardian 2018 exercise, and to call off the Vigilant Ace aerial drill. The South Korean and U.S. militaries also decided to rename their scheduled 2019 annual exercises as "Dong Maeng," which means alliance in Korean. Thus Key Resolve was renamed "19-1 Dong Maeng." Ulchi-Freedom Guardian was supposed to be renamed "19-2 Dong Maeng." But both sides came to the decision to drop the name Dong Maeng. Since then, the springtime and summertime annual exercises have been renamed "Combined Command Post Training." The alliance trajectory should be interpreted as ROK-U.S. efforts to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula, and to militarily support diplomatic negotiations for North Korea's denuclearization. This suggests the willingness of the alliance to denuclearize North Korea in a peaceful way. However, the alliance trajectory has also sparked criticism in South Korea and the United States. Below are three main points of criticism. First, a group of watchers have criticized the ROK-U.S. militaries for not conducting large-scale combined military exercises. This criticism characterizes a large-scale exercise as the only way to keep the deterrence capability of the alliance. With respect to the conditions-based wartime operational control (OPCON) transition, this criticism suggests that large-scale combined exercises be introduced to certify the capabilities of the South Korean military to lead the ROK-US combined defense. Secondly, there has been concern about the cost-based approach of the Trump administration toward the combined military exercises. U.S. President Donald J. Trump himself has championed this approach. For example, he pledged to cancel Ulchi-Freedom Guardian 2018, focusing on the potential cost savings of ending major exercises of the ROK-U.S. combined forces. He also tweeted that "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed." This obsession with the cost of the combined exercises may lead to the suspicion that the Trump administration will weaken the U.S. commitment to maintaining the ROK-U.S. combined defense. Thirdly, one may argue that the security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula has substantially changed. Denuclearization negotiations have stalled. This may pose challenge to the allied decision to militarily support the negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea. North Korea has also resumed military provocations. This may challenge ROK-U.S. efforts to ease tension on the peninsula through a flexible conduct of combined exercises. Facing these critical perspectives, what should be the direction of the ROK-US combined military exercises. Below are three suggestions. First, South Korea and United States should confirm the importance of their current combined military exercises as a cornerstone to sustain the deterrence capability of the alliance. Based upon this confirmation, the allies should think of how to best maintain combat capability and military readiness of the ROK-U.S. combined forces. By doing so, the bilateral alliance will sustain the deterrence capability even without conducting a large-scale combined exercise. This confirmation also helps to overcome the cost-based approach, preventing the U.S. from weakening its commitment to the ROK-U.S. combined defense. Secondly, the ROK-U.S. militaries should think of how to finalize the OPCON transition. Given the absence of large-scale combined military exercises, the ROK-U.S. militaries, through alternative combined exercises, have been working on establishing the capabilities of the South Korean military to lead the combined defense. Both sides should continue finalizing the conditions-based OPCON transition through such flexible combined exercises. Lastly, both sides should consider how to reconcile the conduct of combined military exercises with the allied efforts to ease tension on the peninsula. The combined exercises are defensive in nature but North Korea has harshly criticized them as provocative and preparation for an invasion. Given this situation, South Korea and the United States should think of how their combined exercises will help establish a peaceful status quo on the peninsula. Kang Seok-ryul is an associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA). The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republics reserves are not so much that we can withstand; decisive steps are needed, disaster is expected. Presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan said this at a press conference Wednesday. "Having been appointed prime minister since 2007, I was screaming and call out from morning to evening, 'We have an important security issue: food, energy and military,'' he said. We shall not split apart. If we break up, we will lose a lot; the flood is still coming. If this [coronavirus] epidemic continues until August, Armenia, including Artsakh, will have a dire problem in terms of Armenia's balance of payments. Already today we have no transfers, no tourism. Fortunately, the external reserves have increased by about 550 million in 2019. It is an extreme situation now; we will have a food problem. The Eastern Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jeff Konadu Addo has described the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah as a chronic liar. He is urging Ghanaians not to take him serious anymore whenever he speaks. On Accra based radio station, Asiedu Nketiah is reported to have stated emphatically that, upon the return of the president, His Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo from Norway, he should have been tested for coronavirus. Mr. Konadu Addo who was on the same platform with Asiedu Nketia launched a counter-attack. He said, "according to health practitioners, it takes up to 14 days for one to show symptoms of the virus." Asiedu Nketiah doesnt have anything to say thats why he is still holding up to this dead issue. Its been over a month since the president returned from Norway and he hasnt shown any sign of Covid-19, making what Asiedu Nketiah is saying groundless, he said. Jeff Konadu added that what Asiedu Nketiah needs to do is to pray so that the deadly pandemic can be eradicated from the country since many activities have been grounded than "throwing dust into peoples eye." If you cant praise the government for his enormous effort contributed towards the growth of the country, you dont have to cause fear and panic in the country for it isnt healthy. Also, Ghanaians shouldnt pay attention to Asiedu Nketiah for he is a pathological liar. Recounting on why he joined the presidents entourage to Norway, the Regional Secretary revealed that, having spent a couple of years in the country, having his wife and children and knowing the Ghanaian community in Norway he was compelled to follow the entourage to assist the president to perform national duty. As of the time we went to Norway, they hadnt recorded a single coronavirus case. It was a few weeks after our visit when the disease started spreading in the country. We arrived in Ghana on February 27, 2020. It was on March 3, 2020, that Norway started recording their first coronavirus case after a Norwegian doctor returned from Italy after a holiday trip, he stressed. Jeff Konadu urges Ghanaians to support the government as the nation fight to eliminate coronavirus. Albany, NY -- Bail reform, perhaps the states biggest controversy before coronavirus overshadowed everything, has returned as a major sticking point in the states budget -- which is due today. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shot down marijuana legalization this year, leaving criminal justice reform as perhaps the biggest debate not related to the states looming financial crisis caused by COVID-19. Cuomo has vowed to tackle bail reform again -- really, reforming last years reforms -- amid the coronavirus emergency. This time, hes proposed eliminating bail altogether. But criminal justice reform advocates say his new proposal is far worse: it would undo nearly 50 years of successful advocacy by state civil rights groups. Theyre now accusing the governor, in news releases and virtual rallies, of using cover from the coronavirus pandemic to rollback hard-fought victories from a year ago. Those reforms led to a three-figure drop in Syracuses jail inmate population. Instead of giving someone in jail the chance to post cash bail, Cuomos proposal would take away that option all together for qualifying offenses, advocates note. In its place, judges alone would decide who goes free and who remains jailed. The governors plan is believed to have support in the state Senate, but the Assembly -- traditionally the more liberal state body -- has not considered it. The plan is in response to widespread criticism in law enforcement and among some centrist Democrats that the newly enacted bail reform went too far, forcing the release of certain killers and others who posed a danger to society. Advocates say the fears are overblown and have suggested that nearly everyone who needs to be jailed remained so under the new law. Cuomos proposal -- released as part of the bigger budget -- tries to fix perceived loopholes in the current law, while promising to eliminate cash bail completely. In its place, individual judges would have total discretion over who is released and who is jailed pending trial. Its called the dangerousness standard, and its something state criminal justice reform advocates have fought against for decades. Related: A history of the dangerousness debate in NY Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that he generally supported Cuomos efforts to increase judicial discretion over future dangerousness and eliminate cash bail. Fitzpatrick believes that people accused of crimes should be handled in one of four ways: released on their own recognizance (for vast majority of crimes, including misdemeanors and non-violent felonies), conditionally released with pretrial supervision (for drug addicts and other people with chronic issues), ordered to wear ankle bracelets (for moderately serious crimes) and jailing (for the worst cases). Thats generally what Cuomos proposed budget reforms would accomplish, the DA noted. Any decision over which category someone belongs in would be up to a judge. If theres debate, the judge could use the dangerousness standard -- whether the person accused of a crime is a future danger if released before trial. Its what New Jersey, California and other states have used to replace cash bail. But Californias bail elimination law has received so much resistance that it will be put to a general vote this fall. Both red and blue states across the country are trying to get rid of cash bail, which is widely recognized to benefit the rich while leaving people accused of lesser crimes stuck in jail, unable to afford bail. But New York is almost alone in forbidding judges to consider someones perceived dangerousness in determining whether jail is appropriate before trial. Onondaga County Judge Stephen Dougherty has opened blasted the current bail reform law from the bench, calling it dangerous for taking discretion out of judges hands. He joined a chorus of others who said that legislators were usurping the power of the judiciary -- a co-equal branch of government. But advocates note that judges swear to uphold the laws. And Dougherty, despite his misgivings, vowed to do just that when the current reforms went into effect Jan. 1, 2020. The proposed changes would keep one major reform in place: the mandatory release of those accused of virtually all misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. Before this year, those people could legally be jailed on nominal bail, if ordered by a judge. But Cuomos proposal -- as made public in the past 10 days -- would also expand the rules for who can be sent to jail (with no bail): anyone accused of taking another life and of certain white-collar crimes, among others. The current reform requires release of those accused of unintentional homicides and drunken-driving homicides, as well as any white-collar crime, despite the severity. Its unclear how the current bail reform stalemate with resolve itself. But everyone is hoping for a timely" budget. That will require some further compromise on further reforms, or the decision to kick it down the road. More on bail reform Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. A top state public health official has resigned in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, citing alleged racial discrimination in the states Department of Public Health. Former Deputy Commissioner Susan Roman wrote in her resignation letter on March 5 for the past 4 months, I have been subjected to racial discrimination (referred to as the white deputy commissioner and the great white hope, accused of ingratiating myself to the white employees at DPH), subjected to abusive behavior, accused of lying, and placing the Office of the Commissioner at Risk, as well as, the Department of Public Health. Her responsibilities at the department, according to a DPH organizational chart from October, included the Community, Family, Health and Prevention Section, Environmental Health, Health Statistics and Surveillance and the Public Health Laboratory. In her letter to Gov. Ned Lamonts Chief of Staff Paul Mounds and Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe, Roman wrote that working for Commissioner Coleman-Mitchell has been an incredible disappointment for me. But I will say that it has been an absolute pleasure to work with the team members at DPH. According to a copy of the letter provided by DPH, Geballe forwarded the letter to Chief Human Resources Officer Nicholas Hermes, writing please ensure DPH HR is moving on the separation. Hermes then forwarded to the email to DPH Human Resources Associate Ewa Heppner. Romans attorney, Irene Bassock, said in a statement Wednesday that Ms. Roman is weighing her options at this time, including whether to purse claims of illegal discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She declined to comment further. Roman joined the department in October 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile. She previously worked at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, in roles including program director for the Center for Care Coordination and for the Special Kids Support Center. In my over 35 yrs. of employment, I have always had the respect of my leadership and my team members, she wrote in her letter. I have been seen as a leader that has brought value to the organization, and I have enjoyed many leadership and programmatic accolades. I am trusted and well liked in this public health community. We will not comment on anything related to these claims or any Personnel matters, DPH spokesman Av Harris said in a statement. He said the departments response to the coronavirus pandemic has been unaffected by her departure. At the time that she resigned, the department had tested 12 people for the virus, all of which came back negative. The same day, the governor requested additional test kits to allow for broader testing to comply with federal guidelines, and in anticipation of increasing demands for responding to the virus. Liz.teitz@hearstmediact.com Credit: Joseph CulticeGuitar virtuoso Joe Satriani's new studio album, Shapeshifting, will be released on April 10, but unfortunately, the first leg of his European tour in support of the record has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Satriani tells ABC Audio that having to pull the plug on the start of his trek has left him with an "uncomfortable feeling." "I'd been practicing four to six hours a day," he points out. "I bought all the supplies. Everyone was just about to jump on a plane to fly up here to San Francisco to rehearse. And all of us have had to suddenly pull up the parking brakereally hard. And it feels really funny inside that, suddenly, all that energy that I built up has got nowhere to go." The trek was to have kicked off April 15 in Mainz, Germany, but it's now scheduled to get underway May 5 in Warsaw, Poland, while 20 shows have been moved to 2021. Of course, with the health crisis still not under control, more concerts may get postponed. While the pandemic is affecting Satriani's promotional plans for Shapeshifting, he says he feels fortunate that he finished the album before the health crisis put everything on lockdown. "[T]his album was mastered right around January 1st," Joe explains. "And it was delivered to the record company, so it's available to be distributed electronicallythroughout the world. I'm lucky thatthe making of it didn't get interrupted, [and] no one got sick." Meanwhile, Satriani says having to shelter at home will give him time to work on an exhibit of his art he's preparing for 2021. "I've got to photograph, sign, name over a hundred pieces of artworkthat I've done over the last year," he says. "I was kind of putting that off." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. KAMPALA State Minister for Mineral Development Sarah Opendi Achieng has threatened to resign her ministerial position over alleged witchhunt by some people in government. This website has established that Achieng is among the ministers locked out of Cabinet meetings over allegations that her husband, Hon. Atkins Katushabe, dodged quarantine after returning from high risk country. Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, the minister dared anyone to present evidence indicating that she helped her husband skip institutional quarantine after he returned to the country. If anyone brings evidence, showing that I appeared at the airport to forcefully pick my husband, I will tender in my resignation, Minister Opendi said. Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga ordered the committee on Discipline to investigate the matter. The government put all passengers, who arrived in Uganda from countries with high cases of Coronavirus into institutional quarantine for at least 14 days. But many of the quarantined people escaped with the help of high profile persons or by paying bribes to security agents or other government officials protecting the hotel in Entebbe. Some people under quarantine alleged that they witnessed indicated of bribery of officials by their colleagues to allow them leave the quarantine. On March 24, Kadaga ordered three MPs and two members of staff who were in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, recently to stay away from the precincts of the House. The MPs are Kafeero Ssekitoleko (Nakifuma County), Cissy Namujju (Lwengo Woman) and Sempala Kigozi (Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality). They have been advised to undergo mandatory quarantine. The matter was raised by Jalia Bintu (Masindi Woman) who demanded that all MPs present for plenary be tested for COVID19 to re-assure the nation. She added that the above mentioned three MPs were in Parliament on Monday that Kigozi is alleged to have had a high temperature. The Ministry of Health last night confirmed 11 more cases of coronavirus disease-COVID-19, bringing the total number of patients in the country to 44. Related Nearly half of Keralas total coronavirus cases--241-- are from Kasaragod, which is one of the ten hotspots of Covid-19 pandemic in the country. The north Kerala district has a high number of expatriates from the middle-east and its poor medical infrastructure combined with slack surveillance is feared to have pushed the coastal district to infamy. Out of 128 coronavirus cases in Kasaragod, 90 are Gulf-returnees and their contacts, but some others have no travel or contact history, which is adding to the district administrations concerns. The district is in complete lockdown and two senior IPS and IAS officials are camping there to check the possibility of community spread of the virus. Kasaragods high population density (13 lakh people for a small district) and a poor doctor to population ratio of 1: 1500 as compared to 1: 300 for the rest of the state, might have aided in the spread of the virus, say officials. We literally pleaded foreign-returnees to remain in their homes for at least 3-4 weeks. Many followed our advice but some flouted it, making the district pay a heavy price. We are fighting with all our might to contain the spread, said State Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan, who himself hails from the district. The district had reported some glaring cases of violations including that of an alleged smuggler who jumped quarantine and transmitted the disease to many. After his case came to light, customs officials found out that he had made 14 trips to the middle east in last three months. Later, district collector Sajith Babu impounded his passport and registered a case against him. According to the district administration, at least 8000 people came to the district from the Gulf since February 15 and they were put into home quarantine before many of them slipped out. At least 60 per cent of Dubai returned Kasaragod residents were living or working in Naif, a crowded commercial and residential area in Dubai, which is one of the Covid-19 hotspots in the middle-east. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Supporters of missing journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol form a human chain in Dhaka to call on the government to find him, March 18, 2020. Global rights watchdog Amnesty International called on Bangladeshi police Wednesday to locate a newspaper editor who reportedly went missing weeks ago, just hours before authorities filed a second case in which they accused him of violating the Digital Security Act (DSA). Shafiqul Islam Kajol was seen on a closed-circuit camera shortly before 7 p.m. on March 10 as he rode a motorbike from his office at the Daily Pokkhokal newspaper. One day earlier, ruling Awami League lawmaker Saifuzzaman Shikhor had filed a case under the act against Kajol and 31 others. About three hours after Kajol was last seen, police registered a new case against him under the DSA, filed by Awami party member Usmin Ara Bailey. It accused Kajol of committing extortion by obtaining information illegally and publishing false, intimidating and defamatory information on Facebook and Messenger, Amnesty said in a model letter for supporters to send to government officials. Police [have] denied having him in custody, but his family fears he could be a victim of enforced disappearance. Bangladesh authorities have an obligation under the Constitution that no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with the law, Amnesty International said. The DSA, which went into effect in September 2018, includes harsh prison sentences for online defamation, insulting a persons religion and other offenses. Critics have complained that it is an impediment to free speech. Family: We even fear to walk alone Kajols son, Monorom Polok, told BenarNews that his family learned about the second charge from an Amnesty statement. There has been no progress in finding my father even after many days have passed. We dont see any sign that (police) are trying at all, he said. Shafiqul Islam Kajol. [Courtesy Shafiqul Islam Kajols family] Polok, a public university student, said his entire family felt insecure. We even fear to walk alone. My father is a journalist by profession, many people know him. If this is a consequence for my father, can you imagine what will happen in our case, he said. The officer in charge at the Hazaribagh police station acknowledged that the second charge had been filed against Kajol, but it was transferred to the Dhaka Metro Police cybercrimes unit. Now they are investigating the case, Ikram Ali Miah told BenarNews. The original case was filed in Chawkbazar, another district of Dhaka. Chawkbazar station officer in charge Moudud Hawlader said officers had been in touch with Kajols family. Our contact numbers are available to them. They can communicate with us if they feel any kind of insecurity or discomfort, he told BenarNews. In addition, investigators have tried to locate the missing journalist. We have video footage on his last location. There have been efforts to find more videos, Hawlader said, adding that efforts were hampered by the shutdown stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch joined Amnesty in expressing concern that Kajol could be a victim of enforced disappearance involving security forces. Bangladeshis should not live in fear of abduction if they share something on Facebook, Brad Adams, the Asia director for HRW, said in a March 13 news release. The government needs to seriously investigate the many cases in which family members allege that the victim was picked up by security forces but whose whereabouts remain unknown. Hawlader, the police officer, responded to the human rights groups concerns. We are not sure what happened. Our efforts to locate him will continue, he said. A man who told police coronavirus is 'not that bad' has been hit with a fine after he refused to stop washing cars in Sydney. NSW Police issued three penalty infringement notices on Tuesday, after members of the community failed to comply with social distancing measures introduced to combat the spread of COVID-19. A 39-year-old was stopped while washing car windscreens at the intersection of Woodville Road and Hume Highway in Chester Hill, on Sydney's western suburbs, about 10.30am on Tuesday. The man allegedly had no intention of following the Public Health Order and told police: 'It's just a virus, it's not that bad'. NSW Police issued three penalty infringement notices on Tuesday, after members of the community failed to comply with social distancing measures introduced to combat the spread of COVID-19. Pictured: NSW Police officers at Balmoral, Sydney, on Tuesday A 39-year-old was stopped while washing car windscreens at the intersection of Woodville Road and Hume Highway (pictured) in Chester Hill, Sydney's western suburbs, about 10.30am on Tuesday He was told to move along and was handed an infringement notice for 'Pedestrians not to cause a traffic hazard or obstruction/Pedestrian stand on road to wash or offer to wash windscreen'. Later that day, police saw four people drinking outside a closed hotel on Bankstown City Plaza, in Sydney's south-west suburbs. Police said three people left after speaking to police about 2.30pm but a 57-year-old man allegedly became abusive and ignored their directions to leave. The man was searched, given an infringement notice for offensive language and moved on. At about 6.30pm, police saw numerous people gathering outside a home in Parkes, in the Central West region of NSW. A 26-year-old man was not a family member and allegedly failed to comply with several requests from police to leave the area. Pictured: Police conduct Public Health Order checks at homes and businesses in Sydney on Wednesday NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller (pictured) said: 'I'd encourage people to continue to do the right thing without the need for police involvement and the use of these new powers' He eventually left the residence after police issued a move along direction. The three penalty infringement notices are in relation to new restrictions under the Public Health Order, which was issued at midnight on Monday. NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said: 'I have said time and time again that one of the most important powers police have is the power of discretion. 'Additional powers have been introduced with good reason and I encourage my officers to use them in the spirit in which they were intended to keep the people of NSW safe throughout this crisis. 'I'd encourage people to continue to do the right thing without the need for police involvement and the use of these new powers. The three penalty infringement notices are in relation to new restrictions under the Public Health Order, which was issued at midnight on Monday. Pictured: Police patrol Cronulla 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 good rule of thumb is that if you are questioning whether you should be doing something, it is best to give it a miss.' The number of confirmed cases in NSW on Wednesday grew to 2182. About 42 people in NSW are currently in intensive care while 275 have no known source of transmission. The latter figure is the key statistic by which authorities are gauging the success of shutdown measures aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus. Gatherings of more than two people, apart from immediate family, are banned in NSW as are all non-essential activities. When Susan Taylor opened her social media Sunday a post took the wind out of my sails. It was then Taylor learned that good friend, talented artist and Kawartha Art Gallery board member Jean Pollock had died the day prior, after contracting COVID-19. Pollock likely acquired the illness while visiting her husband Ted, a resident of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon. As of Tuesday, 12 residents of the long-term care facility have died, and more than two dozen staff members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Taylor said Pollock had been ill in February and the couples daughter Tracey Cainer had helped care for her. Pollock began experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 around March 15. Her symptoms significantly worsened and she was taken to the Ross Memorial Hospital and placed in isolation. The Pollocks other daughter, Pam Smith, was on her way from British Columbia, but didnt arrive in time. What tears me apart the most is she was all alone, Taylor said. A nurse did stay with Pollock during her final hours to provide comfort and care. Although Pollock pursued a career as a flight attendant with Trans-Canada Airlines, now Air Canada, she never lost sight of her passion for art. As a graduate of the Commercial Arts Course at Danforth Technical School in Toronto, Pollock pursued her creative side, becoming a talented artist and passionate advocator for the arts. Taylor said Pollock, who served as the gallery boards recording secretary since 2012, was extremely generous with her time and willing to help out worthy causes in the community. If there was a need at the gallery, Jean was always there to help out. She loved her community and her family, said Taylor, noting Pollocks passion transmitted brightly through her watercolour paintings. She did everything with her heart. There was always a story behind each piece. Gallery president Doug Currie agrees. We lost a light in our community last week, stated Currie, who recently joined the board in making a donation to the Bobcaygeon and Area COVID-19 Relief Fund in Pollocks honour. It was not only Jeans passion for the arts, but her love for her community of Bobcaygeon that motivates this donation in her memory. Jean was spunky, stylish and passionate. Quick with a smile, a laugh and a wink. She will be sorely missed. Made possible by an estate gift to the gallery last year from Bobcaygeon artist and community leader Lois Smith Brennan, the $2,500 donation honours both women. The Bobcaygeon and Area COVID-19 Relief Fund is being managed by the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes. To donate, contact Foundation Coordinator Margaret Cunningham at 705-731-9775 or email info@kawarthafoundation.ca. [April 01, 2020] Points Technology Raised Multi-million Dollar Series A from K2VC BEIJING, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Points Technology, a blockchain and AI startup announced multi-million US dollar worth Series A financing. The investment was made by K2 Venture Partners, a leading venture capital firm in China. Points technology will use the newly injected capital for continuous product research and development and further commercialization. Founded in 2017, Points Technology is a Series A startup backed by top VCs including K2VC, Cherubic Venture, Ceyuan & NestBio. The company also received strategic investment from China's leading credit tech company, China ChengXin Credit, which has decades of experience in serving China's major banks and insurance companies. Points Technology provides a high performance and configurable blockchain-based confidential computing framework. The platform enables governments, financial service firms and Internet companies to jointly develop machine learning model and perform analysis without exposing the original data to each other. Meanwhile, the platform leverages blockchain for data traceability and audits. Points Technology is a leader in the field of DLT & private AI with product deployment with a number of major financial institutions. The company also serves as a core member in global and national technical standard committees. In July 2019, Points Technology won the "Technology Pioneer Award" from the World Economic Forum, which was previously awarded to Google, Wikipedia, Palantir and Ripple back in their startup days. Sarah Zhang, Founder and CEO of Points Technology, received a Master degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Before starting Points Technology, she previously worked as senior product manager at Amazon and COO of Segway Robotics, leading teams to build and launch multiple AI & robotics products. The core team members of Points Technology graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, Tsinghua University, Peking Universiy and other top universities. They have worked in Microsoft, Google, Amazon, CITIC Bank, China Merchants Bank and other world-renowned technology companies and financial institutions. The team has rich experiences in developing and commercializing cutting-edge technology. With the rapid development of digital transformation, IoT, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing at a global scale, the amount of data generated is also growing at exponential rate. According to IDC, the total volume of global data will increase from 16.1zb in 2016 to 163zb (about 180 trillion GB) in 2025, with a compound growth rate of 26%. At the same time, with the digital infrastructure upgrades in different industries, the computing environment of data is becoming increasingly complex. In order to ensure that data can be obtained and used in a standard and secured way, many countries are accelerating the development of data security-related laws and regulations. For instance, the EU introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018; China officially released regulations on the protection of network security level 2.0 this May, and Draft for Comment on the Data Security Management Measures and the Provisions for the Protection of Children's Personal Information Network were released in the same period. In June, the Draft for Comment of the Measures for the Evaluation of Outbound Security of Personal Information in China was also issued to public. At the same time, on the enterprise side, due to the factors such as data security, trade secret protection and lack of unified data standards, various data owners cannot form an effective work flow, resulting in data silos that hinder data aggregation for greater value. Sarah Zhang, founder and CEO of Points Technology, believes that digital economy is the new driver for economic growth and data is becoming a new asset class. How to break the data silos and help data owners to reach full potential of data under the premise of protecting data privacy? This has become a new problem to solve. Currently, Points Technology assists different data owners to share data and models without exposing raw data to each other. This new generation of core technology and data collaboration paradigm has received great attention from the global industries. Points Confidential Computing is based on Trusted Execution Environment and other encryption technologies. By running joint computing in the chip-based trusted execution environment, the framework makes data usable but not visible to any party involved. This greatly improves data privacy, security and compliance. At the same time, the history and records of data sharing are documented by blockchain. In terms of use cases, large financial institutions can maximize data value without exposing original data. This framework can manage multiple data sources both inside and outside the bank in an open banking scenario. Points Technology helps large financial institutions build data collaboration alliance and integrate multiple data sources such as tax, logistics, and more. The data usage log can be traced and audited, while the data and model resources are protected by encryption algorithm and secure computing environment in the whole process. Points Technology has operations in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen while it is also looking to work with international clients and partners. Upon closing of this round of financing, Points Technology will continue invest into R&D while opening up its offerings to more clients in financial service sectors and beyond. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/points-technology-raised-multi-million-dollar-series-a-from-k2vc-301033256.html SOURCE Points [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSXV: CDB) (OTCQB: CDBMF) ("Cordoba" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Cairns as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Cairns will be replacing outgoing CFO, Greg Shenton, who has announced his retirement. Mr. Cairns, a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), served as the Corporate Controller for Cordoba since April 2019 and has been the Corporate Controller for Kaizen Discovery Inc. for the past four years. He brings nearly 10 years of experience in both financial reporting and the mining sector. Prior to joining Cordoba and Kaizen, Mr. Cairns obtained his CPA, CA while working in PwC's audit and assurance practice, with a primary focus on publicly-listed international mining and exploration companies. "I want to congratulate Chris on his promotion to his new and expanded role at Cordoba and thank Greg for his outstanding service to our Company," said Eric Finlayson, President and CEO of Cordoba. The appointment of Mr. Cairns will be effective as of today. In addition, Lori Price will join the Cordoba team and support Mr. Cairns as Corporate Controller. About Cordoba Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the exploration, development and acquisition of copper and gold projects. Cordoba is developing the San Matias Copper-Gold-Silver Project, which includes the Alacran Deposit and satellite deposits at Montiel East, Montiel West and Costa Azul, located in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia. Cordoba also holds a 25% interest in the Perseverance Copper Project in Arizona, USA, which it is exploring through a Joint Venture and Earn-In Agreement. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com. Information Contact Evan Young +1-416-545-5371 info@cordobamineralscorp.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53991 Getting 60,000 laptops into the hands of needy high school students around the state was likened Wednesday to filling Yankee Stadium with students and making each one of them walked out with a computer. Only the students arent in the stands, but scattered across 33 school districts and it is a middle of a coronavirus pandemic where a safe distribution trumps connectivity, East Hartford Schools Superintendent Nate Quesnell said on Wednesday This would be a logistical challenge in a perfect environment, added Guilford Schools Superintendent Paul Freeman, Quesnells co-chair on a Learn from Home Task Force put together by Gov. Ned Lamont. The last few weeks and the weeks that lie ahead are the opposite of a perfect environment, Freeman said. Freeman and Quesnell, during a conference call with education reporters, said their goal is to bridge the digital divide for students who live in homes without computer access at a time when all students have become distance learners. With schools closed, many districts are now using computers to deliver course material. Some have lent students computers that normally remain in school. That is not universally possible in some districts, such as Bridgeport where there is not currently a computer for every student. Some 42 percent of the states 500,000 public school students live in alliance districts that will get first crack at the free computers. Its estimated about 50,000 are in high school. How many do not have computers or the Internet at home is unknown. The task force and state Department of Education hope to learn that information by Friday, when school superintendents complete an application for the free computers. The governing board of the Partnership for Connecticut, a public-private partnership, agreed on March 23 to allocate money for the laptops. The estimated $40 million cost is to be split between the state and the Greenwich-based Dalio Philanthropies led by Barbara and Ray Dalio. Even working at warp speed, the co-chairs say computers wont hit school districts until late April or early May. Some may not get the hardware until June. There arent 60,000 computers sitting in a warehouse, Quesnell said. It will take time. Distribution will likely come in waves. The task force, which also includes schools superintendents from New Haven, Waterbury, Middletown and Winchester, has been meeting virtually since March 23, shortly after the Partnership for Connecticut announced they would fund the purchase of 60,000 laptops. They are looking to Dell and HP, and hope to get a good deal given the bulk purchase perhaps $350 a unit. It promises to give some districts a one computer per student ratio theyve never before enjoyed. For now, charter schools, most of which exist in alliance districts, are not eligible for the program, officials said. In addition to the laptops, districts are getting packets of books for elementary and middle school students from Scholastic a gift from Indra and Raj Nooyi, of the Pepsi Corporation. The 185,000 books and activity guides will be bundled by grade level and distributed to schools based on the number that alliance districts tell them are needed. Families can keep the books. The computers will be owned by school districts. It will be up to districts to decided whether students can keep the equipment over the summer. A lot may depend on how long schools remain closed this spring. This is the first step, Freeman said. Nick Simmons, Lamonts coordinator of strategic initiatives, said the governors office is working on phase two of the initiative which is making sure the computers can be connected to the internet. It is estimated that as many as 12 percent of households dont have the internet. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck CardioQuip, a firm based in College Station, Texas, won European regulatory approval (CE Mark) for its MCH-1000 cooler-heaters that are used to control patient body temperature, typically during lung or heart procedures. This could be particularly useful during the current COVID-19 pandemic, since the MCH-1000 can be used alongside extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to address acute respiratory distress. Landing the CE Mark is a tremendous milestone for CardioQuip, said Doug Platt, CEO of the company. The approval allows us to offer our technology to major hospitals all over the European Union (EU) at a time when it is greatly needed. We are excited to be in the final stages of agreements with European distribution partners to aide our commercialization efforts and get the MCH-1000 to the EU as quickly as possible. The MCH systems feature touchscreen controls, adjustments down to 0.1C increments, and a modular design. Importantly, the systems rely on an open water path that makes cleaning of the internals easy, and because the plumbing is always totally filled with water, there are no air pockets that can provide safe harbor for microbes to reside in. Additionally, clear plastic tubing is used in critical locations to help make sure that theres no bacterial biofilm building up on the inside. The system can keep temperature steady with little leeway, thanks to constant monitoring and detection of the rate of change of the water temperature. This helps the device to be more efficient and require less ice to be added. MCH systems come with a number of optional add-ons, including an automatic ice maker, a thermo-electric cooling module, and a cardioplegia shared channel module to help cardioplegia delivery systems do their job. Product page: MCH Series Related study in JAMA: Preparing for the Most Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: The Potential Role of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Via: CardioQuip The small business loan program has already become the subject of heavy lobbying, as some private equity firms have worried they may be disqualified from the program because of "affiliate rules" in the bill. The legislation mandates that only companies with fewer than 500 employees may qualify. It also stipulates that if a company with outside investors has a portfolio of companies that exceed 500 employees ("affiliates"), that company may be excluded from the funds. The CARES Act, which was signed into law last week, is aimed at offering economic relief as the coronavirus pandemic grinds business to a halt. It offers a number of relief mechanisms for small businesses that serve as the backbone of U.S. employment. One is $350 billion in loans aimed at small businesses. Another is a payroll tax holiday to allow companies to defer their share of Social Security payroll taxes in 2020. But they have already taken note that they qualify for another key provision in the legislation: the "payroll tax holiday." Private equity firms are fretting that they may be excluded from a small business loan program established as part of the $2 trillion stimulus bill. The rule has exceptions, but could effectively shut out a number of private equity portfolio companies. The lobbying group for the industry, the American Investment Council, has pushed for clarity around those rules that would ensure private equity firms can tap the funds. Democrats, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Jovita Carranza, administrator of the Small Business Administration, on Tuesday warning of the impact the rule could have on start-ups that have taken on outside investment. Still, even as lobbying for small business loans continues, private equity investors have taken note that they do qualify for another tool for relief: the payroll tax holiday. According to the bill, employers can defer their share of Social Security payroll taxes in 2020. Companies have until the end of 2021 to pay the first half of the deferred levies. The remaining tax liability will be due by Dec. 31, 2022. The tool is essentially another form of debt, that may simply kick a can farther down the road. But it could prove useful as a number of private equity-backed companies, like Neiman Marcus, are grappling with heavy debt loads and in industries like retail in which revenue has taken a massive hit. "It's a valuable lever," said one person in private equity, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivities around the discussions. "Not game-changing, but some of these companies are liquidity squeezed and every dollar helps." Still, the American Investment Council wants all forms of government relief available to private equity firms. "It shouldn't matter if these companies are backed by investments from corporations, pension funds, or others. We'll continue to work with the Administration and Congress to request that federal programs support all businesses, regardless of ownership structure, and their workers," the group's CEO, Drew Maloney, said in a statement. A spokesperson for the Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment. YPSILANTI, MI - The gang linked to the murder of a former Eastern Michigan University wrestler two years ago has another suspected member facing felony charges. Marquez Williams, 20, is charged with 11 felony counts, including second-degree murder, armed robbery and conducting a criminal enterprise, according to Washtenaw County court records. Hes due in court a probable cause conference at 9 a.m., April 30 in front of 14A-1 District Judge Cedric Simpson. He joins five other defendants in the in the shooting death of Christopher Marsh Jr., 19, of Ypsilanti Township, who was found wounded about 9:30 p.m., April 28, 2018, outside Glencoe Hills Apartments in the 2100 block of Glencoe Hills Drive, according to police. Pittsfield Township police say all six defendants worked together as part of a gang, identified in court as OTF900, to set up a meeting to buy two ounces of marijuana from Marsh and rob him that day. The sixth defendant, Marquez Williams, was identified as a member of the gang and suspect along with the other defendants as the investigation proceeded, wrote Det. Sgt. Jason Hohner in an email to The Ann Arbor News/MLive. Ultimately, the investigation led to further evidence connecting Mr. Williams to the incident and him being charged in the same fashion. Four of five men charged in murder, gang robbery of ex-EMU wrestler plead guilty Williams, who was arraigned Jan. 15, also faces five felony weapons charges and three assault counts, according to court records. Charles Robertson, 20; Karon Hadden, 20; Deandre Hinton, 19; and Garvin Crout, 20, have each pleaded guilty to the same 11 felony counts, including second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conducting a criminal enterprise. The four men are scheduled for sentencing on June 6 before Washtenaw County Trial Judge Darlene OBrien. The fifth defendant, Camron Williams-Evans, 20, has not pleaded guilty and is due back in Washtenaw County Trial Court on April 30, court records show. During the preliminary examination in the case of the five initial defendants, prosecutors introduced numerous text and Snapchat messages showing Robertson identifying easy robbery targets, including Marsh, indicating he was organizing the crimes for the group. Using cell tower data, phone GPS coordinates and various location trackers from social media apps on the suspects phones, investigators drew a path following four of the men from Haddens home in Ypsilanti to the scene of the shooting and back home again. Marsh was a member of EMUs now-defunct wrestling team, which was disbanded in 2018 as part of an overall restructuring of the universitys budget. Ex-Eastern Michigan wrestler identified as victim in fatal shooting Read more from The Ann Arbor News: Police investigate fake $20 printed on copier paper and used at Chelsea business Attorney General investigating Ann Arbor-area business for price gouging on hand sanitizer Man points handgun at Ypsilanti Township resident before fleeing, police say Sadly, all governors are not created equal. Ron DeSantis of Florida was still dithering about a shelter-in-place order when the state was hovering around 7,000 coronavirus cases. DeSantis said hed make the call if the White House told him to, and Trump, even on Tuesday, was saying that it was up to DeSantis. On Wednesday DeSantis finally gave the order, but history is going to remember him as the guy who didnt see any point in banning partygoers from the beach during spring break. A lot of corporate leaders have risen to the moment, throwing their companies into the race to produce masks, hospital gowns and other critically needed equipment. Thats been a plus although were still waiting for all those testing sites Walmart and CVS were going to be welcoming to their parking lots. But the president has filled up his press conferences with so many titans of business and industry most of them lining up for an introduction that were on titan overload. One high point in the we-love-business Trumpathon came when the president brought up Mike Lindell, the head of MyPillow. (Boy do you sell those pillows.) Lindell then launched into a short infomercial for his company, followed by a eulogy to Trump as the man who had rescued a nation that had turned its back on God. It wasnt inspiring, but it was definitely a break in the routine. Lindell is a Fox celebrity, a big Trump donor, and the president would like to see him run for governor of Minnesota. No way right now of knowing whether his political future will be affected by a 2017 Better Business Bureau decision to revoke MyPillows accreditation. We should be grateful that the president at least realizes that he has to spend some airtime with medical experts. (How long will it take before hes driven crazy by the great press Dr. Anthony Fauci is getting? Feel free to place your bets.) But you know he always was, and always will be, a guy who likes pretending everybody in the Fortune 500 is just a comrade in commerce. Theyre big people. I know their names very well, from watching business and studying business all my life, said Trump. Uber has pledged to provide 10 million free rides and deliveries to workers and vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The company plans to roll this out globally, after first offering 100,000 free meals and 200,000 free Uber rides to National Health Service (NHS) workers in the UK. Uber said the services will be available to health care workers, the elderly, and others who require assistance. It stated any organisation, healthcare provider, or governmental entity is eligible and it was currently engaging various interested parties over the offer. It will be covering the costs associated with delivering food, meals, and rides, including the provision of free Eats meals, the cost of the ride or delivery of food from a food bank, as well as payments to the drivers and couriers. Were ready to work with more cities, food banks, hospitals, and others around the world to move whatever matters most to them, Uber stated. An Uber spokesperson said that the company is working to distribute these meals and rides at scale in the coming months and tailor the offering based on the most pressing, local needs. Organisations seeking support with rides or food deliveries can contact Uber at [email protected]. Uber in South Africa In South Africa, Uber services are operating on a limited basis due to the lockdown instituted by the South African government. Rides are currently only available from 05:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 20:00 for essential travel only. Uber Eats is currently not operational, as the coronavirus lockdown requires the closure of all restaurants and bars. The company indicated it was looking into the possibility of delivering essential goods through Uber Eats to enable businesses and couriers to continue to have an avenue to generate income. MyBroadband has reached out to Uber South Africa to determine whether it will also be providing free rides and deliveries. Now read: Uber to stay open during coronavirus lockdown President Donald Trump has declared a major disaster in North Dakota, paving the way for federal aid to help the state pay for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Wednesday. The governor during an afternoon briefing also announced changes aimed at helping people get unemployment benefits sooner and ensuring first responders stay safe, and he extended the time that certain businesses must remain closed. Burgum, who declared a state of emergency on March 13, in a letter dated Friday asked Trump for a major disaster declaration as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state began climbing. COVID-19 is the disease that results from the coronavirus. Most people who get it experience only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and most recover. But older adults and people with existing health problems can experience severe illness or death. Burgum's disaster request sought assistance for public infrastructure and facilities; mitigation grants for counties and tribal nations; assistance for people and households; and supplemental nutrition and transitional sheltering assistance, among other aid. He said in his request that federal aid would be "critical" to the state's response, and he included modeling indicating that 152,000 North Dakotans could become infected over an 18-month period, including 22,000 who would require 14-day hospitalizations. Trump's declaration makes federal funding available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, according to Burgum's office. We are deeply grateful to the President and his administration for making this assistance available to help us expand our response efforts and protect public health as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves, Burgum said in a statement. We also appreciate the support from our states congressional delegation and the many local, state, federal and tribal partners contributing to this unprecedented effort. U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong issued a joint statement thanking Trump for support in addition to the $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic rescue package recently approved by Congress and signed by the president. Burgum during the briefing said it's too soon to know what the disaster declaration might mean in terms of actual dollars. "We spend the money, we track the receipts, we submit the stuff to the feds, just like we would after a flood," he said. New COVID-19 cases The number of COVID-19 cases in North Dakota has taken another big jump, with 21 additional cases confirmed, according to the state Department of Health. The new cases identified Wednesday raise the state's total to 147. Gov. Doug Burgum has said that because testing data lags and not everyone is tested, the actual number of positive cases in the state could be 10 times higher. The new cases include two in Burleigh County, bringing the county's total to 32. Neighboring Morton County has 14 confirmed cases and one coronavirus-related death. Four of the new cases are in Stark County, home to Dickinson, raising that county's total to 16 -- third-most in the state behind Burleigh County and Cass County's 37. Other new cases are in Ward, Grand Forks, Burke, Mountrail, McKenzie and Cass counties. Statewide, three people have died, 26 have been hospitalized and 39 have recovered. State and private labs have tested 4,627 people, with 4,480 being negative. Unemployment change The state is waiving the mandatory one-week waiting period for people to receive unemployment benefits, after working through some information technology issues, Burgum said. The change is retroactive to when claims began skyrocketing in mid-March. Job Service North Dakota as of midafternoon Wednesday had received more than 28,600 claims since March 16 -- compared to 20,500 for all of 2019, according to the governor. The federal government through the aid package is paying the first week of unemployment benefits for states that waive the waiting period requirement. "This could amount to, over the course of this emergency, 10 to 20 million dollars that we would receive from the federal government by getting this thing done," Burgum said. Job Service North Dakota Executive Director Bryan Klipfel said unemployment claims "are coming in from a wide variety of different types of industries." "We probably started out with a little bit more of the oil industry because of the slowdown of oil prices and so forth, but weve been seeing a lot more claims with the hospitality and accommodations industry," he said. Business closures Burgum extended for another two weeks an executive order mandating the on-site shutdown of several types of businesses. The governor earlier directed eating and drinking establishments and recreation and entertainment businesses to close to on-site services until April 6, though they can continue drive-thru and carryout service. He also ordered the closure of "personal care service" businesses such as beauty salons, massage parlors, and tattoo and body art businesses. Violations can carry a fine up to $1,000. The shutdown has now been extended to April 20. Burgum said he will revisit the date again on or before April 15. "We want to give people lead time to talk to their vendors and their team members," he said. Emergency responders Burgum also announced that emergency responders such as law officers, paramedics and firefighters will now be told whether addresses to which they are responding are COVID-19-positive residences, so they can put on appropriate protective equipment. The information will be provided without disclosing people's personal health information, Burgum said. "This is important for us to make sure we're protecting those first responders," he said. Once a person is considered recovered, their address will be removed from the notification system. Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLAKE NICHOLSON News Editor Follow BLAKE NICHOLSON Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today In a push to help cities and towns, the state Department of Housing is looking to move 60 percent of the states homeless shelter population into hotels and permanent housing to help depopulate shelters and limit the spread of the coronavirus. More than a dozen hotels and motels around the state will be used to house people, said Steve DiLella, who directs support programs for the department. The state will negotiate rates and pay for the hotel rooms though some organizations around the state have raised concerns about the increased costs theyre incurring and will continue to face as people move into less centralized locations. The goal, backed by an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont, is to reduce the number of people staying in communal settings to decompress homeless shelters. That will allow for greater distance between people and prevent an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in a highly-populated setting. Shelters wont be completely empty, but space can be created in communal sleeping areas and the most vulnerable people will be in safer settings. Hotels in sparse use because of travel restrictions were deemed the most viable option, DiLella said. Were able to work with them in communities in which shelters are located, he said, and that minimizes disruption for clients and for shelter staff and service providers. The department was previously considering using empty college dormitories for temporary housing, including a plan that was nearly underway in Danbury last week to move shelter clients into Western Connecticut State University. That changed at the last minute when the state determined that colleges would be used to house patients and health professionals instead. Cities are also preparing places for patients who have tested positive or are showing symptoms of the virus who dont need hospitalization but cant return to a shelter or communal environment while they recover. In New London, fifteen beds have been readied at a vacant nursing home for homeless people who show signs of the virus. Seven isolation beds have also been set aside at the citys largest shelter, but we are concerned that that may not be enough, Jeanne Milstein, the citys human services director and a former state child advocate, said on a call with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Tuesday afternoon. At Columbus House in New Haven, more than two dozen residents have been moved to two hotels already, and plans are underway to move the remaining residents. About 65 people were staying in the shelter and overflow space on Tuesday, Chief Development Officer John Brooks said. Others have been discharged to stay with friends or family when possible, though some have since come back to the shelter. The greatest fear, Brooks said, is that an employee or visitor will transmit the virus to residents, which could then spread. If it gets in here, youre in trouble, he said. Separated from family Moving people into hotels, however, has not been a seamless process and creates logistical, staffing and financial challenges, several organizations around the state said. So far weve hotelled roughly 75 people, said Matt Morgan, executive director of Journey Home, in the Hartford area. Another 125 to 150 people still need to move, and he didnt know yet where they would go. For those who are still in close quarters in shelters, changes have been implemented to try to prevent an outbreak. Columbus House has mandated that people stay at the shelter throughout the day, instead of leaving and coming back at night, to reduce the likelihood of someone becoming contagious and infecting others. Were really on a lockdown, said Kimberly Kinell. Shes already been tested for the virus, after running a low-grade fever. It came back negative, and she returned to the shelter, where shes waiting to hear whether shell be able to move to a hotel. At the front door, staff and visitors have their temperatures checked and are asked about recent travel. In some locations, water fountains have been replaced with sinks for frequent handwashing, and meal times have been staggered to try to cut down on interactions. But were all so close together, Jennifer Palladino said. Residents sleep in the same rooms and still share communal spaces, fueling their fears that the virus could spread among them. The most frustrating part of mandatory isolation is being separated from their families, several women at the shelter said. They call or FaceTime their children, but under the new rules, they cant leave during the day to see them. Stretching limited staff New Haven has faced opposition from neighbors about using the Hill Regional Career High School for the same purpose, but is moving ahead with plans to house up to 40 people there, if necessary. An executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont, signed Saturday, authorized state departments to arrange non-congregant housing for people in shelters or similar situations. While that work was already underway, the order outlines the importance of promoting distancing in shelters, and allows us to request from FEMA for up to 75 percent of the funds used for this purpose to be reimbursed, DiLella said. Dispersing people to different hotels means shelters need to find ways to deliver food, programs and other services in multiple sites, which stretches limited staff and comes at a higher cost. Employees health is also a concern, especially with limited masks, gloves and other protective equipment. Shelters will be short-staffed if employees get sick or need to quarantine, while others are scared to come to work because they dont want to get sick and bring the virus home to their own families. Were expecting to lose staff, once we start seeing positive COVID cases within the system, said Morgan at Journey Home in Hartford. Some shelters and agencies are implementing higher hazard pay to encourage workers to stay, he said. He said Journey Home has received donations of gloves and hand sanitizer, but masks remain in high demand and short supply. Outreach staff, who are talking to people in encampments or on the street, worry about going into those interactions unprotected, said Hebe Kudisch, chief program officer at Columbus House. Thanks to an unexpected donation, they received some PPE for employees going to New Havens Union Station to talk to homeless people congregating there, Kudisch said. But when thats not available, theyve been trying to speak to people and hand them written information while maintaining social distancing. Seeking state money The efforts also come with a high price tag for additional staffing to keep the shelter open around the clock and for extra cleaning supplies, which could cost half a million dollars at some shelters. At the same time, many organizations have canceled some of their largest fundraising events due to the outbreak. Journey Home will apply for grants and external support, but Morgan said, I dont know if that is money thats available anywhere. More than $5 million will be needed to cover 863 emergency beds to reduce shelter crowding and create isolation space over the next three months, Partnership for Strong Communities Executive Director Kiley Gosselin said in a letter to Lamont on Tuesday. That estimate also includes costs for food and staffing. The Partnership, in Hartford, also requested the state allocate more than $1 million in shelter diversion resources, or financial assistance that keeps people in housing and out of shelters, and $400,000 to increase 2-1-1 staffing for housing-related demands. Gosselin also asked Lamont for more than $1.3 million in short-term rental assistance and to create and fund 900 new permanent affordable housing vouchers to move those with little to no income or access to unemployment into permanent housing during and after the crisis. Looking for long-term solutions The requests are part of an effort to move people into permanent housing, rather than back to shelters after they leave hotels. And theyre meant to address the higher need from people who have lost jobs or are facing financial crises due to the virus. That has become more difficult in recent weeks. Trying to get people housed has just slowed down, Morgan said. Some landlords arent showing apartments, and closures add small but significant barriers for people trying to move right now. Inspections have to happen, were trying to figure out if those can be done virtually, he said. Its little frustrating things, like making sure people have stamps and can get forms notarized, which have become more complicated. The partnership also called for a homelessness task force to meet at least weekly throughout the public health crisis. The effects of this pandemic will be transformative. In the coming weeks, we will decide the scope and shape of this transformation, Gosselin said. Sadly, one outcome will be the exposure of the fragility of our economic safety nets and the absurdity and dangers of warehousing people experiencing homelessness in shelters when we could be assisting them with stable, permanent housing often for a fraction of the cost while benefiting our economy at the same time. Liz.teitz@hearstmediact.com UPDATED: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it is too early to tell if the measures put in place to reduce transmission of Covid-19 are working. There could still be an increase in cases despite the lower numbers that have been reported in the past few days because of the 14 day incubation period the virus has, she says. If the virus is in the community - present but not yet seen - "then the worst thing we could do is be relaxed or too complacent and allow a silent spread," Jacinda says. The current Matamata and Marist College clusters could be a lot worse if the country is not at alert level four, she says. The country does not have a full picture of the extent of community transmission, she says. "That's why we've been so focused on testing capacity, which over a period of time we've seen a 91 percent increase in." She reiterates the need for people to continue to adhere to the level four measures. Our goal is to be confident that we have got this virus under control. The government has asked a lot of New Zealanders in a short space of time by raising the alert level to four, she says. The majority are doing an amazing job. This period of time is our chance to break community transmission. About 990 emails had been received on the first day of the Pricewatch service and the most common complaint was the high prices of cauliflower, bread, meat, facemasks and garlic. "We are taking these complaints seriously. We are investigating complaints that are being made." The process for dealing with complaints is being worked through and would allow supermarkets a chance to be involved. Shop as normal and be kind to the supermarket workers, she says. Jancinda also provided a few updates on the $56 million support package for Maori communities and the $27 milion one for non-governmental organisations and community groups. "The funding allocated to Whanau Ora commissioning agencies has been fully paid out which has helped the agencies to coordinate 100,000 care packages, with over 11,000 delivered to date and aiming for 130,000 by the end of the week. "The investment has also helped to facilitate priority access for testing to vulnerable whanau such as kaumatua." Additional reporting RNZ. EARLIER: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is updating the public on the government's response to the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand this afternoon. Today there are 47 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand and 14 new probable cases. This brings the total number of confirmed and probable cases to 708. Fourteen people are in hospital with the virus and two are in ICU and are stable, says Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay. She says about one per cent of the total cases is from community transmission. "We are continuing to focus on getting better information on community transmission." Caroline says a new case definition will be issued today as a guide for clinical practitioners. It says those with respiratory illness consistent with COVID-19 should be considered for testing, regardless of travel history or contact with a confirmed case. Labs for testing are increasing from eight to 10 and will be in place by the end of next week. Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday said about 300 people from the state had attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid in New Delhi last month, and 40 of them have been identified and quarantined. In a tweet, the Minister also said COVID-19 test reports of 12 of them have come out as negative. Stating that government has got information about 62 Malaysia and Indonesia nationals who had attended the congregation have come to Karnataka, in an another tweet Sriramulu said, 12 of them have been identified and quarantined. "The Home Department and the Health Department will identify and quarantine those who are staying here without going to their country," he added. Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had last night said about 300 people from the state had attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat and efforts were on to identify and quarantine them. Stating that those who attended the congregation, including few foreign nationals have traveled to various parts of the country after it was over, Bommai in a release issued on Tuesday night said it is found that several of them have been affected by COVID-19, and 6 people had died in Telangana, while one each in Andaman and Nicobar. "A 60-year old man from Sira in Tamukuru district of Karnataka who died last week and was positive for infection, had also attended the congregation," he said adding according to reports at least 62 foreign nationals have traveled to Karnataka. While 12 of them have traveled back, the remaining 50 of them still here have been quarantined and are undergoing tests, he added. According to information, at least 300 people from different parts the state had attended the congregation at Nizamuddin, Bommai said, orders have been issued to quarantine all of them. "This is a serious development, the Home Ministry was thoroughly investigating into it, a state level special team will be formed to keep a watch on them," he added. However, earlier on Tuesday, Additional Chief Secretary-Health and Family Welfare Department Jawaid Akhtar had said the government has so far identified 78 people from the state who were "associated" with Tablighi Jamaat and has quarantined them. "We are not sure whether all of them attended the congregation held earlier this month, but as they might have come in contact with those who attended in one way or the other, they have been put under government quarantine," Akhtar had told reporters. With many of them claiming that they have completed 14 days of quarantine already, we have also decided to put them for COVID-19 test, he had said adding that the 78 persons include some foreign nationals. The state health department has also appealed to any person who has attended Tablighi Jamaat Congregation to contact 080-29711171 Arogya Sayavaani (health helpline). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A petition was filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday praying testing facility for the coronavirus disease should be provided free of cost to all citizens at all private and government testing laboratories. At present, private laboratories are allowed to charge people to test for coronavirus though the same is capped at 4500. It is urgently required that the respondents have to provide free of cost testing for Covid-19 to all citizens, the petition stated. The petitioner, advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, submitted that government hospitals are packed to capacity and it has become difficult for the common man to get himself tested in the government labs. With no alternative in sight, they are forced to pay money to get the tests done at private labs. Saddling ordinary citizens with such financial burden effectively deprives them of their accessibility to medical facilities and is violative of right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, the petitioner submitted. Sudhi also pointed out there are only 114 identified testing centres for testing Covid-19 in an entire country with a population of 1.3 billion people. Also read: At 32 per million, India lags far behind on testing Due to this, he claimed, adequate testing was not happening to make the situation dangerous with each passing day. He, therefore, prayed that testing facilities should be ramped up so as to ensure that adequate tests are done and all tests relating to Covid-19 must be conducted by pathological laboratories accredited with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The impending danger of the Covid-19 is extremely serious given the deprived population of the country and testing is the only way to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic, the petition said. The private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in containing the scale of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis, it added. Government labs testing for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) seem to be already burdened by the sample load, with many hospitals saying that the lag in receiving test results has increased to three days. The 130 functional government laboratories across India have tested 42,788 samples so far, of which 4346 were tested on Monday alone. Of the 49 private labs approved for testing, 399 tests were conducted on Monday, and in total these chains have done about 14,00 tests since they were allowed to test, starting on March 21. All laboratories performing Covid-19 tests have a capacity of conducting 13,000 tests per day. The 49 private chains have around 16,000 collection centres. T eachers and parents face burn-out if they attempt to recreate the intensity of a school day at home during the lockdown, one of Londons top teachers has warned. Andria Zafirakou, named the worlds best teacher in 2018, said it is not sustainable to expect children to continue their normal timetable of lessons while they are being home-schooled. She warned that children are spending hours at a time in front of screens for lessons broadcast on the internet. Teachers are spending too much time online fielding questions from pupils and parents are feeling anxious about their children falling behind, while having to juggle their own work, she added. Children are now in their second week at home after schools were closed except for the children of key workers. Ms Zafirakou, associate deputy head of Alperton community school in Brent, said: We are trying very much to go on as normal, teaching online. Well, actually this is not sustainable. Its going to be impossible to keep to the strict timetable of lessons. If you have one computer in the household there is only so much online learning you can do. A lot of parents are not coping, and it is early days. If we carry on working like this being online all the time we will burn out and be miserable. She added that teachers are spending hours answering questions that pupils email them about the tasks they have been set. She said: Kids want to make sure the teachers are there so they email them the volume of work they are getting, they cant cope. They are not complaining but its not the right way of working. She suggested schools could move to setting a weekly schedule of work, rather than planning work lesson by lesson. Perhaps we should say here is the English and history work for the week, we leave it to you to manage the time. That is the way forward. School days are designed so every minute you know whats happening. We plan for every hour. But when I am at home I cant work like that. It is very hard to keep the kind of pace we have in school. Ms Zafirakou won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in 2018. She continues to work as an art teacher in Brent, and used her prize money to set up a charity bringing artists into deprived schools. She has two children aged 11 and nine who she is home-schooling while continuing to work. Warning about the amount of time children are expected to spend in front of a computer, she said doing it for five hours is very unnatural and could be harmful... vary it up by reading a book, running up and down the stairs, playing a maths board game. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 Trend: First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has made an Instagram post on the measures the state is taking to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The post on her official Instagram page says: Dear fellow countrymen! Trouble has come to our motherland, to our common home. Unfortunately, the epidemic of the insidious disease has not bypassed our country. It seems that there is not a single country left on the planet that this pandemic would spare. Entire states have been compelled to isolate themselves from the outside world. The number of people infected with the virus is rapidly approaching a million, the number of lost lives is already in tens of thousands! Every day, the pandemic changes the usual way of life and fills our daily routine with anxiety and apprehension right before our eyes. Many are tormented by the same questions: Is it really so serious?, What is in store for us, what will happen to us? And the most important question, When will this epidemic end? What should each of us do for this terrible story to end as soon as possible? I will be frank: the answers to these questions are difficult, but they are there. First of all, we should all unconditionally acknowledge that the situation is very serious, requires maximum cohesion and consolidation from all of us, from all generations of our citizens. COVID-19 does pose a real threat to the life and health of each of us. Together with you, I pray for the Almighty to protect our native land from misfortune, to divert misfortune from our homes and families! I live with the faith and hope that human genius will definitely stop the pandemic and return to all of us the happiness of a usual life! The current emergency requires nationwide mobilization. All possible material resources of our state have been mobilized for the fight against the epidemic and its consequences. The best minds of the country, the entire medical science and the whole state mechanism works to save peoples lives. Unprecedented and colossal measures are being taken to defeat the epidemic. Enterprises are quickly switching to production of much-needed medical equipment. Every day, our hospitals are building up their capacity and concentrating their resources to create new wards that would be capable of accommodating all those in need. Life-support services of cities and settlements work on a round-the-clock basis. Law enforcement bodies and rescue services responsible for public order and always ready to help perform their duty in a reliable manner. The countrys servicemen guarding its borders maintain the highest morale. As for our medical workers, doctors, nurses and sanitary workers, they, without any exaggeration, commit a professional and civil feat on a daily basis. All work in the Republic is carried out under close attention, confident leadership and round-the-clock supervision of the President of Azerbaijan! I believe that the titanic efforts being undertaken by governments and scientists, the billions of dollars, euros and manats that have been invested in the fight against coronavirus will certainly and inevitably lead to the desired result, to our common victory over the epidemic. However, we all must deeply realize that all the efforts and resources may not produce the expected results if these measures and these activities are not underpinned by all of us, literally by each of us, our civic and fundamental human responsibility and our readiness to strictly and unconditionally carry out clear instructions. Dear fellow countrymen, my dear ones! I am appealing to you as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a grandmother! I am appealing to you with the hope that you will hear and understand my words coming right from the heart and addressed to each one of you! I ask you to take this as an absolute necessity and duty of each of us IN THE NEXT 20 DAYS, WE NEED TO BE AT HOME WITH OUR FAMILIES. I ASK YOU NOT TO LEAVE YOUR HOMES UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO! These days, not all of our citizens can afford to comply with the quarantine regime. Thousands of our compatriots are at their posts and working to the limit of their capabilities so that most of our fellow citizens can protect themselves, stay at home and observe the quarantine regime. And our best gratitude to those who are at the forefront of the fight against the coronovirus epidemic today is compliance with the self-isolation regime. The more rigorously and effectively we will abide by it, the sooner our brothers and sisters fighting the epidemic will be able to return to ordinary life and to their families. I understand how difficult it is to give up the usual way of life, to sit at home without being able to see relatives and friends and sometimes not even be able to hug children and grandchildren. But if we are responsible citizens, if we really love our parents (and Im sure of that!), if we really value our children and grandchildren, we are obliged yes we are! to do this for them! For ourselves! For our homeland! The tragic experience of several countries has taught mankind lessons on how to formulate the basic principle of survival in the coronavirus pandemic. This principle is dramatically simple and unambiguous: either people strictly follow the rules and regulations of the special quarantine regime and survive together or they ignore the rules and suffer huge human losses. Just think about that the negligence of just one person can lead to the deaths of dozens of innocent people. I have already written that since COVID-19 is a new virus that is not known to science, the WHO recommendations are situational in nature and are updated as information from around the world is analyzed. In particular, the latest WHO statements unequivocally say that this infection affects people of all ages and poses a real threat to people of young age too. There are already cases of children dying of the coronavirus infection. This is exactly why each of us must fully understand the importance of the measures being taken by the state and show maximum civic responsibility. Exactly by carefully supporting each other, showing tolerance and understanding we will be able to pass this terrible test that fate has put us on and save each other for a full life after the victory over the coronavirus, which will definitely come! I believe in this victory! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! I LOVE YOU! I BELIEVE IN YOU! With prayers for everyone, Your MEHRIBAN. Admit it: At this point in the coronavirus pandemic, youre craving a fat, juicy hamburger, arent you? The folks at the New York Beef Council hear you. Theyve decided to go ahead with their annual contest to find the best restaurant burger in New York state. Thats despite the state order that has closed all restaurant dining rooms (while giving them the option to offer takeout or delivery). "We decided to go ahead with the contest this year precisely because of that crave factor,' " said Jean OToole, executive director of the council, which promotes the states beef and beef cattle industries. We want people to remember that last bite of a good burger they had at a restaurant -- and burgers always taste better in the restaurant, dont they? And keeping the contest going is a way to help the restaurant industry in a time when many have shut down, reduced hours for takeout and laid off workers. If you cant go out and enjoy these burgers now, at least this lets you think about them so youll be sure to go back when the restaurants reopen, OToole said. But the current situation means some of the logistics of the contest are a bit uncertain. It will start, as usual, with online voting by the public. Go to the contest form at nybeef.org and nominate your favorite restaurant and its burger. Voting began today (April 1) and ends April 11. After that, the list will be whittled down to finalists for further voting and judging. Were still figuring out how well deal with the final judging, OToole said. We will have a plan when the time comes. Last year, the finalists entered a cook-off at Onondaga Community College judged by an expert panel. (The 2019 winner was the Beef on Weck Burger from Syracuses Ale 'n' Angus Pub, which has won versions of this contests four times.) Randy Beach, owner of the Ale 'n' Angus at 238 Harrison St., is already lobbying for votes. RELATED Syracuse-area restaurant serving free Easter dinner to first responders Updated list: Which CNY restaurants are open for takeout or delivery Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka is holding an online public meeting, entitled The COVID-19 pandemic and capitalist barbarism, on Sunday, April 5, at 3 p.m. local time. The event will be live-streamed through the partys official Facebook page. The SEP meeting is being held as billions of people around the world attempt to deal with the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic and as the ruling classes demonstrate their callous indifference to human life and their inability to combat the highly contagious virus. Like their global counterparts, the Sri Lankan government has endangered the countrys population by failing to ensure adequate healthcare or introduce mass testing. Its response is mainly limited to an indefinite lockdown. President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government is exploiting the pandemic to push ahead with plans for dictatorial forms of rule to be used against the working class. Rajapakse has placed the military in the control of all anti-coronavirus operations and appointed his brother Basil Rajapaksean unelected individualto head the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force. The inability of the ruling classes to control the pandemic exposes the failure of capitalism to meet the basic social needs of all working people and the oppressed masses. The COVID-19 pandemic is a product of the capitalist profit system, which must be overthrown and replaced through a unified movement of the working class fighting for an international socialist program. This is the perspective of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its national sections, the Socialist Equality Parties, and the World Socialist Web Site. We invite workers, youths, intellectuals and WSWS readers everywhere to participate in this vital event and discuss our internationalist program. Every individual in Elgin needs to be provided with basic necessities, especially when public facilities are closed and regular shelters have been forced to adjust their services and availability, Mayor Dave Kaptain said in the release. I am so grateful for New Life Covenants ability and willingness to step in and take on this important role to provide services and refuge to our community during this trying time. Oakland City Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas and other Bay Area speakers joined a national digital rally on Wednesday calling for government entities to cancel rent, mortgage and utility payments in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Rally participants also called for a guarantee of homes for everyone under the banner of their "Beyond Recovery" campaign. "We all need relief to make it through this crisis for a new equitable future," Bas said. "We demand immediate debt relief and relief from rent and utility payments so people can stay safe together." She said, "Now is the time for us to unite across our differences and make policy choices that help everyday people, not the wealthiest 1 percent." Lenea Maibaum of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, who has been a renter for more than 20 years, said she's having a hard time making her rent payments because a large company bought the building where she lives and increased her rent dramatically. Maibaum said she also lost her job at a San Francisco hotel because it temporarily closed its doors since it doesn't have any guests in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Sunni Hutton, who moderated the digital rally, said, "We need immediate relief for the millions of workers across the country who won't be able to pay rent, mortgages or utilities on April 1 and the millions more workers who won't be able to pay them on May 1. We need legislators to step up and cancel rent." Hutton said assistance in the recent stimulus package approved by federal legislators and signed by President Donald Trump won't cover one month's rent for many people, much less the lost wages, health insurance, utility payments and groceries that millions of people will need. Among the others who participated in the rally were speakers from Southern California, Minnesota, Colorado, Massachusetts and Chile. Grammy-nominated musician Ana Tijoux of Chile sang a song from her home. Tijoux said fighting the coronavirus is important but added, "We need to fight the bigger enemy, which is the system. Capitalism is a disease and a sickness." 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. Kenya's president on Wednesday apologised for violence meted out by police following the declaration of a nationwide curfew last week to curb the spread of coronavirus. "I want to apologise to all Kenyans for... some excesses that were conducted," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a live broadcast from State House, during which he also introduced two young Kenyan coronavirus survivors. "But I want to assure you that if we work together, if we all understand that this problem needs all of us, and if we pull in the same direction, we will overcome," Kenyatta said. Police have used heavy-handed tactics to enforce the dusk to dawn curfew since its introduction on Friday, with tear gas, baton charges and the alleged firing of live rounds. A 13-year-old boy died in the capital Nairobi on Monday after being shot while standing on his balcony as police forced people into their homes on the street below. Sporadic clashes have also been reported in the western city of Kisumu and the port town of Mombasa where officers chased, beat and fired tear gas at evening commuters last week. "I want to thank all those who are ensuring that they maintain their work schedule by allowing our Kenyans to leave work on time in order for them to make the curfew," Kenyatta said. The curfew is among measures that Kenya has taken aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus. It has also closed borders and schools, and encouraged people to stay at home and avoid gatherings. A lockdown has yet to be imposed, but Kenyatta said Wednesday that tighter restrictions had not been ruled out. "We as a government are preparing for the worst, but together with the 47 million Kenyans are hoping and praying that we do not need to take further measures," he said. Kenya has so far recorded 59 cases of coronavirus and one death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW ORLEANS - One man was accused of stealing whiskey from a drugstore. A homeless man had allegedly refused to leave a hotel lobby. A woman had walked out of a grocery store without paying for a cart full of food worth $375, according to the police. These are among the people the New Orleans Police Department arrested and booked into the city jail in the past week and a half, as it became clear that the city was at the center of one of the nation's fastest-growing coronavirus hot spots. The cases were described by public defenders, and a Washington Post reporter viewed police summaries of their alleged offenses, with the defendants' names redacted. At a time when many law enforcement officials across the country have released inmates and curtailed arrests to prevent a deadly outbreak of the coronavirus-causing disease covid-19 in local jails, some are resisting pressure to take similar measures. Police in New Orleans and some other jurisdictions continue to lock people up for minor and nonviolent offenses, according to defense lawyers, union officials and court records. This business-as-usual approach endangers the police, the community and the inmates, public health experts say. Two inmates have tested positive at the Orleans Justice Center jail, as have six medical staffers and 11 employees of the sheriff's office, which runs the jail. "We need to treat this situation as if there is rising floodwater in the jail and there are only hours before people will drown," said Jason Williams, a member of the New Orleans City Council who has called on police to suspend arrests for nonviolent crimes. "Time is of the essence and right now the clock is running against us." Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a stay-home mandate on March 20 in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing, which is all but impossible in a jail setting. Cantrell did not respond to a request to explain the city's policing approach. Police declined to comment on the cases described by the public defenders but acknowledged that coronavirus had not changed their approach to arrests. "There is no change in arrest policy," the police department said in a recent statement to The Post. "We're issuing summons and citations where possible and appropriate." As of Tuesday, 1,834 people in Orleans Parish had tested positive for covid-19 and 101 had died. A federal prison about 200 miles west has exploded with infection, leading over the weekend to the death of one inmate, the admission of a guard into a hospital intensive care unit and positive test results for another 30 inmates and staff. Gavin Yamey, a global health expert at Duke University, said jails can help drive community spread as infected people - including inmates, law enforcement officials, lawyers and others - enter and exit. Reducing the number of low-risk detainees is a "sensible, no-nonsense step that will help keep all of us alive," he said. "Prison health is public health," he said. "Right now, in the midst of the worst pandemic since the 1918 influenza pandemic, your health is my health, and my health is your health. In other words, we're all in this together." Concern for public health has prompted police in a growing number of cities to let minor infractions slide, or to cite and release offenders who otherwise would be taken to jail. In Atlanta, a March 18 booking list for the city jail shows that police arrested and booked more than 60 people that day, jailing some for nonviolent crimes such as driving without a license, drinking in public and "urban camping." By Wednesday, the booking list had shrunk to 12. In Washington, the jail's lockup list dropped from as many as 100 a day, on average, to 22 Wednesday. New Orleans is not the only holdout against this trend. In New York City, attorney Elizabeth Fischer said two of her clients last week were arrested for minor offenses - trespassing on the rooftop of a housing project and possession of a synthetic-marijuana cigarette. They were booked and arraigned over a 48-hour period during which they were held with other inmates in a small cell in the basement of a courthouse. She declined to name her clients, saying she feared they would become targets for police retaliation. "They are putting our clients at risk," she said. "They are putting their lives at risk. And they are putting people in the court system at risk." In a statement, the New York Police Department said officers do not arrest for most low-level offenses and instead issue tickets, unless there are mitigating circumstances. In Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw declared at a March 20 news conference that he would not change his policing methods. He has maintained that stance even as three deputies tested positive for covid-19 and dozens more were quarantined. "I'm not going to give a blank check to the criminal element out there so they believe they can go do whatever they want," Bradshaw said in an interview. He said the jail screens all inmates for symptoms and has the space, sanitation and medical care it needs to keep them safe. "They probably got it better in there than they would if they were released," he said. Among those taken into custody in Palm Beach County in recent days was a man accused of stealing power tools and other equipment from Home Depot, who was being held on a $3,000 bond, records show. Another man, arrested by a Boynton Beach police officer for allegedly driving with a suspended license and allegedly possessing 0.1 gram of cocaine, who as of Tuesday morning was being held on bonds totaling $3,250. The inability of such defendants to pay puts their own health and the health of the broader community at risk, said Carey Haughwout, the county's chief public defender. "People with means bond out in a day, and other folks end up sitting because they don't have any money," she said. "The public is going to care when critically ill people from the jail take up all the hospital beds." Some prosecutors have agreed to lower bonds for nonviolent crimes, but others have refused, Haughwout said. Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for State Attorney Dave Aronberg, said the prosecutor's office is not issuing blanket policies, because people committing seemingly low-level offenses can be threats to public safety. A person arrested for trespassing might seem to be a good candidate for release on his own recognizance or low-bond release, he said. But in a recent trespass case, the defendant entered a hospital emergency room, made demands and, when denied, "proceeded to tear up equipment." In New Orleans, public defenders and groups such as the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition have persuaded the courts and sheriff to release nearly 200 people from the jail, which held 828 inmates as of Tuesday morning. In an interview and in a letter to the court, public defenders estimated that an additional 200 of those inmates are being held on nonviolent crimes and should be released. The goal of the coalition and the public defender is to reduce the population to the point where inmates can have more opportunity for social distancing. But it is difficult to make progress when police keep arresting low-level offenders, said public defender Lauren Anderson. Last week, officers evicted a person from a local hotel. When they asked for identification, a single white pill, later determined to be acetaminophen and oxycodone, fell out of the man's pocket. Then, they say, they found six more pills. Since he did not have a prescription, police arrested him. Meanwhile, conditions in the jail are deteriorating. Every day, defense attorneys receive phone calls from their clients saying someone who was "hacking up a lung" or "delirious with fever" had been moved into isolation or medical care, Anderson said. In addition to the two inmates who tested positive, five have exhibited symptoms and are awaiting test results, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. Jim Pasco, executive director at the National Fraternal Order of Police, argues that police should be able to use their discretion to jail even low-level offenders. That authority should not be taken from officers by government officials who are unfamiliar with residents' concerns and criminal behavior in their neighborhoods, he said. "There are all kinds of things that, on their face, sound ridiculous," he said. "But when you look more closely at it, the police could be addressing serious concerns." He said it may seem unreasonable to put someone in jail for stealing a bottle of liquor, but perhaps the store owner has been bombarded with recent thefts and robberies. A trespass onto the rooftop of a housing project may sound benign, but the residents may be dealing with a rash of break-ins. In many of these instances, Pasco said people are pleading with officers to make arrests. But in New Orleans, where police are putting their own health on the line every time they come into contact with someone on the street, local police union officials would like the police department to explicitly direct officers not to make arrests for petty crimes. Donovan Livaccari, spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police in New Orleans, said the department's approach is needlessly endangering lives. As of Friday, there were 63 members of the roughly 1,200-member police department either sick or in quarantine. The coronavirus has already impeded other city services, such as Emergency Medical Services, which last week reported that 1 in 6 workers were in quarantine. "You can avoid risky situations by writing summonses and limiting the number of interactions with other human beings," he said. "We have to think outside the box in these circumstances." - - - The Washington Post's Dalton Bennett and Julie Tate contributed to this story. A team of the state Health Ministry on Monday visited the pharmaceuticals company whose several employees were tested positive for COVID-19. The team asked the remaining employees to stay under quarantine in separate rooms. "The department is investigating whether this company has got any connection with China or received any object which might have brought coronavirus with it," said Jawaid Akhtar, principal secretary of the health department. Karnataka Health Minister on Wednesday confirmed that the current COVID-19 positive cases in the state stood at 101. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have reached 1,637 in India, including 1,466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sephora announced on Tuesday layoffs of 3,754 of its U.S. stores' part-time and seasonal employees. Stores in the U.S. and Canada will also remain temporarily closed beyond April 3. "We believe keeping stores closed is the right thing to do, but it means we have to make changes to our business, while keeping our employees informed of what the changes mean for them," said Jean-Andre Rougeot, president & CEO of Sephora Americas, in a news release. "Like many retailers with an extensive physical store business, there are tough decisions to be made to adapt to an unprecedented and uncertain environment." The company says terminated employees had only been with Sephora "for a short tenure and work limited hours." Sephora: Stores closed on March 17 and are expected to remain closed until April 3. "It is our sincerest hope that we are able to bring these employees back on staff in the near future," Sephora told USA TODAY. Terminated employees were provided severance packages and support resources including "coordination with companies that provide essential services and may be hiring at this time." Coronavirus: Retailers closing stores to protect from coronavirus spread Coronavirus layoffs: H&M considering tens of thousands of layoffs with stores closed due to coronavirus pandemic Sephora continues to employ over 9,000 employees throughout its U.S. locations. The beauty store chain says all of its U.S. workers including full-time store employees and licensed beauty advisers will continue to be paid "100 percent based on average hours worked and existing health benefits" through late May or until stores re-open. The company currently requires all of its U.S.-based store and corporate employees to take six days of paid time off. Follow Jazmin Goodwin on Twitter: @jazminkgoodwin. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mass layoffs sweep Sephora amid coronavirus pandemic Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 00:02:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China will stand firm together with Palestine in the fight against COVID-19, said a senior Chinese diplomat here on Wednesday. "As the coronavirus is hitting the Middle East region, Palestine faces an arduous task in fighting the pandemic," said Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, while meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. "China empathizes with Palestine for its losses," said Guo, adding that China is ready to provide assistance within its capacity and share anti-coronavirus experience with Palestine. He believed that after overcoming the pandemic, the Sino-Palestinian cooperation in various fields will reach a new level. The Chinese senior diplomat expressed his thanks for the Palestinian leadership's support and condolences to China during China's ongoing fight against the coronavirus, saying that this demonstrates the profound friendship of sharing weal and woe. For his part, al-Maliki said the remarkable achievements China has made in fighting the coronavirus deserve the respect and reference of the rest of the world. While thanking for China's strong support and help, the Palestinian foreign minister hopes to continue strengthening cooperation and exchanging experience so as to join hands to get rid of the pandemic. On Wednesday, 15 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the West Bank, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Palestine to 134, said Palestinian Spokesman Ibrahim Milhem. The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has said the current reported provision for self-isolation across Direct Provision (DP) centres is "wholly inadequate". It has also said it is extremely concerned about vulnerable groups, families, and health care workers and the threat of DP clusters amid the current pandemic. The IASW issued a strongly worded statement which welcomed moves by the Department of Justice to improve self-isolating conditions for those in DP centres, and querying whether those measures were sufficient. There have already been warnings that conditions in DP centres could hamper efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19. The IASW said it supported the Move the Vulnerable Out campaign. "Prior to the Department's statement last night, there were approximately 7,600 people, including asylum seekers and those with status, being housed between emergency accommodation, direct provision and reception centres," it said. "The majority of residents are living in congregated settings where it is impossible for them to maintain social distancing or to self- isolate to protect their own health and the health of other residents. "While 650 beds [as announced by the Department] will go some way towards alleviating this problem, much more action is clearly needed as a matter of urgency. It is important to note that it is 650 additional beds that are being provided, not 650 rooms. It is unclear whether these beds will be in an environment where self-isolation and social distancing will be possible. "The current reported provision for self-isolation across DP centres is wholly inadequate. Social workers on the ground are aware of residents who have been trying their best to observe the current guidelines on self-isolation and social-distancing but found it impossible to achieve this under the present regime, where rooms are shared, where dining takes place in communal areas and where toilets and showers are also often shared. The IASW said it was concerned about those in vulnerable groups, families, and healthcare workers within the DP system. "Despite the good news about the increase in beds being provided, we are still concerned that clusters of infection will emerge in DP centres in the same way that they have in nursing homes. It is evident that DP centres lack the space and medical facilities that are available to nursing homes." It asked that vulnerability assessments be introduced as a matter of urgency, in which social workers could help, and that Reception Officers be appointed to each centre as a matter of urgency. "Were not safe until were all safe," it said. Thailand warns food delivery apps for overcharging amid coronavirus outbreak FILE PHOTO: Staff of food delivery companies sit on social distancing chairs due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they wait for their costumers' orders at a department store in Bangkok By Chayut Setboonsarng BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's anti-monopoly watchdog warned food delivery platforms on Wednesday they could face fines for charging higher commissions as online food orders surge amid the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement comes after malls and restaurants were ordered to close except for take-out orders in late March. Food delivery platforms have seen a spike in orders, with operators like Foodpanda seeing orders rise 20 times from a year ago. Thailand has reported 1,771 confirmed cases and 12 deaths. There have been complaints that food delivery platforms have increased their service fees for restaurants from 20% to rates of up to 40%, the Office of Trade and Competition Commission (OTCC) secretary-general Somsak Kiatchailak said, without naming any companies. Platforms are also charging restaurants fees for marketing and advertising, he said. Unfair commercial activity that causes damage to consumers will face a penalty of 10% of the year's revenue, the OTCC said. Grab said on Wednesday it was cutting its maximum food delivery commission from 35% to 30% to reduce financial burden for its partners. "We are taking another step to provide greater support to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on our community," Head of Grab Thailand, Tarin Thaniyavarn, said in a statement. Rival food delivery app, LINE MAN, owned by Japanese chat app LINE Corp < 3938.T>, has always charged between 20% to 30% for restaurants who opted into the platform's promotional program with a discounted delivery fee, its head of business development and marketing, Waranan Chuangcham, told Reuters. Restaurants can also use LINE MAN without commission where customers pay the regular deliver fee, she said. Foodpanda, which has seen order increases of up to 30% each week in Bangkok, said it has kept commission at 30%. Foodpanda Thailand CEO Alexander Felde said it was rolling out a package worth 35 million baht to support riders and restaurants. Story continues The package includes insurance, masks, sanitizer kits for its riders and also free delivery and vouchers for restaurants, Felde said adding that the firm was recruiting 5,000 riders each week to keep up with demand. GET, the Thai unit of Indonesian ride-hailing startup, Go-Jek, did not respond a Reuters request for comment. ($1 = 33.0300 baht) (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) Conducted prior to the spread of the new coronavirus in the U.S., PWs annual comics retailer survey was published just as the virus began to disrupt the U.S. comics and book marketplace. At the time of our interviews in early March, the retailers interviewed were unaffected by the virus and generally optimistic about the coming year. However, since the feature was published, the pandemic has hit the country head on, forcing many closing comics and book retailers to close, at least temporarily. In a follow up discussion Steve Salardino, general manager of Skylight Books, a general bookstore in Los Angeles with a well-stocked graphic novel section, quipped that it seems like that interview was a year ago. Right now Its hard to not be in freakout mode. The Skylight Books staff, he said, have all been sent home although they are still receiving full salaries and, for now, no one is being laid off. We are operating with the safer at home policy as our guiding principle. We want to do what we can to help keep our community safe, Salardino said. In a related matter, after these interviews were conducted, Diamond announced it was temporarily halting payments scheduled to be made to publishers and other vendors this week. PW was able to speak with several retailers interviewed earlier for the comics retail survey. What is your stores situation? Jeff Ayers, general manager Forbidden Planet in New York City: 100% of the workforce in New York City must either work from home or not work. Currently we do not have a warehouse distribution facility to keep our mail order business going as we operate our separate mail order business out of a New York City retail location. The warehouse distribution model is a technicality that allows other businesses similar to us to continue. Neither starting one at this time nor having products shipped to my small New York City apartment for me to mail out are viable options. Carr DAngelo, owner Earth 2 Comics, Sherman Oaks, Calif.: We sent staff home once we got the closure order. I read the city and state orders in the strictest way possible, always favoring safety. I don't believe curbside service is approved by the order as it induces both staff and customers to leave their houses and interact. Patrick Godfrey, co-owner Velocity Comics, Richmond, Vir.: As of Thursday, March 26, We can't have more than 10 people in the same room, by state mandate. We're also allowing two shoppers in the store at a time, by appointment. That could change at any time. Liz Mason, general manager Quimby's Books, Chicago, Ill.: Illinois governor Pritzger put a stay-at-home order in effect, and Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has been urging citizens to stay at home. Chicago non-essential businesses are shut down. Ben Ray, co-owner Atomic Books, Baltimore, Md.: Everything in Maryland is closed except for essential businesses. Delivery, mail-order and curbside pickup is still allowed. The governor here hasn't issued a shelter in place order yet, but we're expecting it and trying to prepare. It seems like every time we adapt to the situation, the situation changes. Leef Smith, owner Mission Comics, San Francisco, Calif.: The California shelter in place order is pretty clear. We are being asked to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. Have you had to layoff staff? Smith: Yes, I've had to temporarily lay off two part time employees. Godfrey: No, it's just my partner and I. Ray: We haven't laid anyone off. But we don't have anyone coming in to work either, more so for health and safety reasons. Before this crisis started, we thought we were really understaffed. Looking at the situation now, I think we were fortunate. Salardino: All our staff of thirty booksellers, full time and part time combined, are currently still making their weekly salaries. We have not had to layoff anyone. But this can only last for so long. Mason: Weve laid off everybody, except for me and the owner. The idea was to help the staff get unemployment as soon as possible. Will your store be able to return to normal? Godfrey: Its hard to picture right now. I hope that comics publishers take an honest look at the glut of material coming out, pull back and put out a smaller, higher quality batch of books. Ayers: I can't even guess what the environment is going to be like a week from now. Right now we're planning on months. It sure as shit won't be Easter. Ray: I'm not sure how we get back to normal. Or if we even do. [Diamond has stopped shipping new comics]. I didn't think the publishers and distributors would leave me in a position where I didn't have new things to sell. I understand and respect the decision, but it hurts me economically. Mason: My realistic goal is for the store to make enough money to just be open. Were looking into zero % interest small business loans, possibly crowdfunding things, like Gofundme campaigns. Smith: I do believe things will bounce back. Last year was my best year of business and the first few months of 2020 were very strong. I think the shift of comics shops and fans into being more and more book-focused will accelerate. What can customers and supporters do to help you right now? Mason: Were taking orders via phone at 773-342-0910 and even video conferencing with people who want to shop via apps like Zoom (people can find me by email and initiate a chat), FaceTime, and Marco Polo. Ill walk around the store and show them things and well talk. Order from our website even if youre ordering gift certificates to use later. Ray: The best thing people can do right now is order stuff via our website. Even if there's nothing you want to read right now, order a gift card that you can use later. Smith: The best thing right now is to support our Patreon account or buy gift certificates/store credit that can be used when we are able to reopen DAngelo: We are asking pull list customers (comics held for the customer) to pay for their pulls so we can ship them out. Buy gift certificates to help with cash flow. Ask us to send books even if you are not pull list customers. We are also letting customers buy books for us to donate to local kids and school libraries. And be patient because mail order at this volume is not our normal practice. Godfrey: Buy more comics and trade books! Get in touch via phone (804-303-1783) or email and set up a shipment, delivery, or pick-up. Communicate to us often about your ability to pick up things that are on hold. Buy gift certificates to spend later. Salardrino: Ordering gift cards to be used in the future definitely helps. All orders through our website helps. Having patience with us is also worth so much. These are challenging and new circumstances and we are flying by the seat of our pants. Ayers: We're immensely humbled by how many of our customers and friends have been offering up ideas and financial assistance, but there's a lot to sort out. The best I can say to our unbelievably loyal and generous customers is thanks for your support and keep us in mind. We're going to need you soon. New Delhi, April 1 : The Union Health Ministry has issued guidelines to deal with the crisis of migrant labourers who are facing harsh treatment by law enforcement agencies in various parts of the country due to nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. The ministry said that the migrant workers, faced with the situation of spending a few days in temporary shelters, which may be quarantine centres, while trying to reach to their native places, are filled with "anxieties and fears", stemming from various concerns, and are in need of "psycho-social" support. The ministry said that they are prone to various social, psychological and emotional trauma in such situations, emanating from fear of neglect by the local community and concerns about the wellbeing and safety of their families back home. Migrants are forced to leave their native places in search of better opportunities and earnings, sometimes leaving behind their families. In many instances, the families in native places depend partially or entirely on the money sent by the migrant earning members. During outbreak of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, and the restrictions imposed on routine activities as part of social distancing norms to prevent the spread, scores of migrant workers tend to move back to their native places. During the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic also, many migrant workers used all possible means to reach their destinations. Many of them are however stuck at borders, including state, district and at national border areas. These are the most marginalized sections of the society who are dependent on daily wages for their living, and in times of such distress need sympathy and understanding of the society. "Sometimes, they also face harassment and negative reactions of the local community. All this calls for strong social protection," the ministry further said. "Treat every migrant worker with dignity, respect, empathy and compassion. Listen to their concerns patiently and understand their problems. Recognise specific and varied needs for each person/family. There is no generalisation. Help them to acknowledge that this is an unusual situation of uncertainty and reassure them that the situation is transient and not going to last long. Normal life is going to resume soon," said the guideline. The ministry said all the nformation about possible sources of help should be given. Inform them about the support being extended by Central Government, State Governments/NGOs/health care systems. Emphasise on the importance of their staying in their present location and how mass movement could greatly and adversely affect all efforts to contain the virus. Make them realise their importance in the community and appreciate their contributions for the society. Remind them that they have made their place with their own efforts, acquired the trust of their employer, sent remittances to their families and therefor deserve all respect. Reassure that even if their employer fails them, local administration and charitable institutions would extend all possible help. "Out of desperation, many may react in a manner which may appear insulting. Try to understand their issues and be patient. If somebody is afraid of getting affected, tell them that the condition is curable, and that most recover from it. Remind them that it is safer for their families if they themselves stay away from them. Instead of reflecting any mercy, seek their support in the spirit of winning over the situation together," said the statement. The Chinese Government Sends A Team of Medical Experts on COVID-19 to Pakistan 2020/03/28 Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang announces: To help Pakistan fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has decided to send a team of medical experts to Pakistan. The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consists of experts selected by the Health Commission of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The team left for Pakistan on the afternoon of March 28. Medical product companies, such as those that make pharmaceuticals and medical devices, make recall decisions quite differently as women are added to their board of directors, according to a new study by professors at four universities, including Indiana University. In life-threatening situations when defective medical products may kill a consumer, companies with female directors issue recalls much more quickly. For less severe instances in which there is greater discretion in the recall decision, recalls occur more frequently for companies that have women on their boards. Both of these findings point to a more socially conscious and responsive decision-making culture regarding product quality when women are on a company's board of directors. The study, published in the journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, is believed to be the first examining how female board representation relates to operations management, specifically in the context of product recall decision-making. Our study shows that there is a difference in real and important safety outcomes for consumers, between firms that have women on their boards and those who do not." George Ball, Assistant Professor of Operations and Decision Technologies, Indiana University Kelley School of Business Other authors on the study are Kaitlin Wowak, assistant professor in the Department of Information, Analytics and Operations at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business; Corinne Post, professor of management at Lehigh University; and Dave Ketchen, the Harbert Eminent Scholar at Auburn University. Firms with female directors announced recalls of products with the most serious, life-threatening defects 28 days earlier than at firms where the board was all-male. This equates to a 35 percent reduction in time between when such firms were first made aware of a defect and when the decision was made to recall the product. The researchers also found that companies with female directors initiated recalls of product defects that are less severe and easier to hide from regulators 120 percent more often. These situations often involved packaging and labeling issues. This is equal to 12 more of these type of recalls per firm. A year ago, California became the first state to require that all public companies headquartered in the state have at least one female director. The European Commission mandates that all companies based in Europe have at least 40 percent female representation on their boards. Previous research has suggested that women, compared to men, are more risk-averse, follow rules more closely and consider how their decisions influence a wider array of stakeholders. While the addition of just one female director changed how recall decisions were made compared to firms with an all-male board, recall decisions continue to change as each additional woman is added to the board. Severe recalls are recalled more quickly, and discretionary low-severity recalls occur more often, as each additional female director was added. The study relied on recall data obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request and recall timing data provided by the Food and Drug Administration. Researchers analyzed 4,271 medical product recalls from 2002 to 2013 across 92 publicly traded medical product firms regulated by the FDA. When Gov. Kate Brown announced that schools across the state would be closed until April 28, there was little time to say goodbye. Schools in Sweet Home, Lebanon and Corvallis had a handful of days to hurriedly allow students to collect their possessions and offer little in terms of answers to their questions. But in Greater Albany Public Schools, the doors shut immediately after the governor announced her executive officer. On Tuesday, students saw their teachers for the first time in weeks from afar, if not through glass. "Today was incredible and I do not have the words to describe the emotions it has brought to me and this community," said Kyla Smith, a teacher at Timber Ridge Elementary School. Smith and fellow GAPS teacher, Tabatha Cornelson, organized a parade through a neighborhood served by local schools on Tuesday to connect with students stuck at home under 'stay home, stay safe' orders from Gov. Kate Brown. "Kyla Smith and I have been talking about how much fun it would be to see our students," said Cornelson, a first grade teacher at Clover Ridge Elementary School." We saw similar parades done by teachers in other states and really wanted to connect with our community as well." The pair picked a day and invited students to come out and watch as staff drove through neighborhoods. More than 50 cars turned out, some with encouraging banners draped on them, reminding students they were missed. "We were shocked at the turnout," Cornelson said. Oregon schools will be closed until April 28 under the current executive order. On Monday, the Oregon Department of Education told district administrators that there is a strong possibility schools may close for the remainder of the year. That decision has not yet been made. "All of us miss our students so much," Cornelson said. "Their homemade signs and big smiling faces is exactly what we needed. I heard from many of our families that their kids were so excited that they couldn't sleep last night. We heard 'We miss you!' repeatedly throughout the parade." Miranda Halseth's boys, 5th grade Harlan and 1st grader Quintin, haven't seen their teachers since March 13. "They loved it," she said. "My boys are kind of shy but it was still fun for them to be able to watch and wave to their teachers." Tuesday's event brought pieces of the GAPS community back together for about an hour but was also a reminder of how uncertain the remainder of the school year still is. "It made me sad to see the cars because this is what we have to do," Halseth said. "But it was nice to see the teachers and everyone working together so it was kind of mixed emotions. I wanted to cry but it was also happy." A pet cat has tested positive for coronavirus in Hong Kong, in only the second such case in the world. The city's Agricultural and Fisheries department said the cat was tested after its owner was confirmed as having the virus. It is the second cat to test positive after another feline was found to have the virus in Belgium last week. Two dogs have also tested positive, also in Hong Kong, although experts say there is no evidence that pets can spread the virus to humans. A pet cat has tested positive for coronavirus in Hong Kong after its 25-year-old owner was infected with the pathogen (this is a file image) The cat in Hong Kong has not shown any signs of the disease, and the department has urged worried owners not to abandon their pets. According to the South China Morning Post, its owner is a 25-year-old woman who is in a serious condition after contracting the virus. She is believed to have visited a bar in central Hong Kong before developing a fever and then testing positive on Saturday. The case in Belgium was revealed last Friday by officials who said it was an 'isolated case' which had spread from human to animal. 'The cat had diarrhoea, kept vomiting and had breathing difficulties. The researchers found the virus in the cat's faeces,' the country's top virologist said. The first of the two dogs infected in Hong Kong was a pomeranian, belonging to a 60-year-old woman who had tested positive for the virus. The agriculture department said the case was 'likely to be a case of human-to-animal transmission'. The dog later died after being released from quarantine, officials said. The second infected dog was a German shepherd living in the Pok Fu Lam area on Hong Kong Island. The pet was sent into to quarantine along with another mixed-breed dog from the same residence. The mixed-breed dog did not test positive for the virus and neither dog was showing any symptoms, officials said. Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, pictured, was the owner of a dog who died after contracting coronavirus in Hong Kong Health experts say there have been no recorded cases of humans contracting the virus from their pets rather than the other way round. 'We do not have evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread Covid-19,' says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Animal rights groups from Belgium to Lebanon have been urging people not to abandon their pets over unfounded fears of catching the virus. 'Let's not go back to a dark medieval period when ignorant people hunt and kill cats for fear that they will pass on the plague,' said one group in Belgium, the National Council for Animal Protection. 'We have said it from the beginning of the crisis and we will go on to the end: there is no reason to abandon your animal. 'It is just necessary, for sick people, to respect the usual hygiene rules so as not to take any risks to your entourage and animals.' Stay at home! Today I received an email from my physician father offering the front half of his and my mothers house as a quarantine area for me and my brother. Let me say that again: Sandwiched between my typical emails, my dad sent my brother and me an email that basically said, Hey, why dont you guys come live in the front of our house (partitioned away from us), away from your families, for an unknown period of time while you go to work at your respective hospitals and take care of patients. This came with an attached New England Journal of Medicine article supporting this. My brother is a physician who, on Wednesday, will be working in a clinic designated for COVID-19 patients and those with concern for having it. I am also a physician who on Wednesday will start a call week at Temple Baylor Scott & White. My parents understand the gravity of this virus and are doing the only thing they know to do to help decrease the spread to their in-laws and grandchildren, as well as greater Waco. My husband, two boys and I have not seen anyone in our family, or any of our friends, since March 7. Yet I drive by parks with kids playing on the playground, see stores with full parking lots and see Instagram posts of non-essential businesses posting the hours theyre open. Restoring your full federal deduction for state and local taxes has become a priority of U.S. House Democrats drafting a new federal stimulus bill to combat the coronavirus. But Republicans, who capped the tax break at $10,000, arent agreeing to it, even though it would benefit states like New Jersey that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Henry Connelly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told NJ Advance Media that addressing the cap is a top priority for the governors of the most impacted states. The speaker, of course, intends to take their needs to the negotiation table. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he wont listen. "Im not going to allow this to be an opportunity for the Democrats to achieve unrelated policy items that they would not otherwise be able to pass, McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. The provision, part of the Republicans 2017 tax law, targeted high-tax states like New Jersey and New York, which send billions of dollars more to Washington than they receive in services. Those also are the states hardest hit by COVID-19. Kentucky gets $2.41 back from Washington for every $1 paid in federal taxes, according to the State University of New Yorks Rockefeller Institute of Government. New Jersey gets 90 cents back and New York 91 cents. Gov. Phil Murphy, who discussed removing the cap with Pelosi, D-Calif., on Tuesday, said such action would "help new Jerseys middle-class homeowners. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., said he had been told that House leadership is pushing for the cap repeal in the next bill. He called it a way to give a tax cut to the states that have been hardest hit by the virus. In New Jersey, 860,000 households earning from $75,000 to $200,000 reported an average state income and property tax deduction of more than $10,000, according to Internal Revenue Service statistics. The deduction limit has kept home values in the state below what they otherwise would be, according to Moodys Analytics. The House in December passed legislation to remove the cap and pay for it by raising taxes on those earning more than $510,301, but Senate Republicans refused to consider the bill, calling it a giveaway to the rich. The Republican tax law increased the federal deficit by an estimated $1.9 trillion over 10 years, while having little impact on economic growth, according to the Congressional Research Service. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. 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. To prepare for the significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 epidemic, hospitals and health systems must act quickly to develop a well-informed plan of action that considers both the immediate and long-term effects of the crisis. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, passed by Congress on March 25, has earmarked $100 billion in relief to hospitals responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a 20% bump in Medicare payments to hospitals for the treatment of patients admitted with COVID-19 at any time within duration of the designated emergency period for the virus. Will it be enough? Many would say its better than the proposed 15% increase in Medicare payment outlined in the proposed bill. But the relief may not be enough for hospitals already stretched to their financial limits, according to Steve Lefar, executive director of the data science division of Strata Decision Technology in Chicago. What are the actual costs of treating COVID-19? A recent study by Strata looked at actual costs to treat patients with coronavirus based on information gathered from both Italy and China, in addition to data from the U.S. health system. We took 32 health systems that had extraordinarily high-quality data, representing about 157 hospitals, 1.2 million discharges and about $48 billion in operating expense, Lefar said. The sample ranged from small regional/rural health systems to very large academic medical centers. And the goal was to figure out how these COVID patients would present from a reimbursement perspective.a The study also looked at the types of patients seen in Italy and China, who fall into about eight DRGs, Lefar said. We looked at those DRGs which include pneumonia, ARDS [acute respiratory distress syndromes], respiratory disorders and patients requiring ventilator support so we could then model reimbursement and cost. The findings were troubling. If you look at the actual cost, they're running anywhere from 25% to 50% more than the typical patients for those DRGs, Lefar said. These institutions need something more like a 35% increase in payment for those particular DRGs. In other words, the amount promised by the CARES Act simply wont be enough. At the time Lefar shared his findings, the not-yet-passed relief bill was proposing a 15% increase in Medicare. At that increase in payment, hospitals will still be losing around $1,800 per case median, but up to as much as $6,000 to $7,000 per case. Clearly, based on the research findings, a 20% increase also will be insufficient. So it's a pretty dire situation, particularly when there's no margin transfer because the electives and the higher-margin outpatient procedures arent being done, Lefar, said. "They've got to stay solvent on COVID patients, particularly in places like New York, where they're being told to be equipped for 150% capacity. So hospitals really need a much bigger increase in the DRG payment that's the nutshell of this study, Lefar said. Looking at the health system economics just for inpatient care, the results could be devastating over a 90-day period even if some areas like oncology and cardiology, which can only wait so long, start to come back. It's going to be difficult for all but the well-endowed institutions with strong cash positions to manage the cash flow. What should hospitals do? In this environment, Lefar said, hospital leaders should take the following steps. Self-advocate. Hospital leaders should push both their senators and their representatives to take steps to ensure these DRGs are to be paid at adequate levels, Lefar said. Because the cost shifting is no longer going to work, the high-volume, high-margin procedures are no longer going to be a way to subsidize these medical cases. Hospital leaders just need to explain it in very simple terms to Congress that it is not a viable strategy to kick this can down the road. Adhere to updated coding guidelines. Lefar stressed the need for hospitals to make sure they are following the coding guidelines for COVID-19 issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and take steps to ensure they receive the full DRG payments when coding. There are cases with complications and cases without complications, and there's big payment differences between those, he said. I also think its where the diagnosis is a secondary diagnosis that hospitals are going to miss out of the extra payments. So hospitals should have all hands on deck making sure every bill is very carefully reviewed and submitted very quickly with the proper coding. Understand the impact on staffing levels. Certainly, one of the things that we are hearing anecdotally is that nurse staffing ratios are dropping for these patients, Lefar said. Hospitals are seeing ratios go from four or five patients to one nurse down to two or three to one. And thats one reason the costs are going up so high. Then theres the need to have someone watching people putting on their protective equipment, he said. Never before has it been more important to get everybody who can, helping in the right way. What are other strategies to consider? Lefar pointed to various other strategies that some hospitals may consider for dealing with the challenges that lay ahead. Were seeing some hospitals working with their local banks, with their state, with their governors to make sure that they had lines of credit to keep cash flowing, he said. I have heard of a lot of folks doing that kind of work. Another concern he raised was what to do when patients who were on ventilators begin to recover. We will need rehab and long-term care because they were so damaged, Lefar said. Adequate facilities and capabilities need to be prepared so when these patients are ready, they can be moved out to free up capacity and to get them to a lower-cost environment. If FEMA or the National Guard are called on to play a role, Lefar suggested, it might also be possible to enlist FEMA or National Guard staff to augment hospital staffs to give them breaks and to help keep costs in check with overtime and staff burnout. What are the implications for the future? Lefar also suggested many of the strategies being employed today could end up reshaping healthcare in the future. Organizations like Rush University Medical Center in Chicago are using tents for outside triage to keep people out of the buildings, he said. The use of drive-throughs to prevent the spread and the huge uptick in telehealth are where the big health systems are piloting and opening it up to try and keep people out of the offices and out of the facilities, Lefar said. I think that this is going to be a tipping point as people start to get extremely comfortable interacting virtually with their providers. Some of this is not going to be a temporary change in how people want to interact with their providers. We may never go back to the same level of people going for office visits. Senior finance leaders will need to be ready for all the possible scenarios in the aftermath of COVID-19, Lefar suggested. Its also possible that when the COVID-19 outbreak is over, until people regain confidence, a large portion of the population in vulnerable categories also could put off procedures for a much longer time, in addition to being less willing to seek in-person care, he said. I think it's incumbent on CFOs and their teams to model their long-range plan and say, What if we see a big bump in telehealth? Or what if we see a three- or four-year decline in electives because we haven't gotten our arms around this, or people are scared? That may happen even if the worst of this is over in three months, which it may or may not be. Footnote a. Editors note: After Steve Lefar talked with HFMA, the studys sample size was increased to 38 health systems, and the findings were adjusted to account for the 20% Medicare boost. The additional data only confirmed the accuracy of the conclusions cited here. An Australian couple who were in Peru when it went into military lockdown have spoken out about their horror ordeal. Nick Gourlay and Nat Read, both 23, were in Cusco in the Andes when authorities imposed strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. Over the next two weeks, the couple received conflicting information from hostel staff regarding the rules and lived in fear of being arrested. While they were there forty other backpackers were arrested and forced to sign documents written in Spanish before being released after four hours. Nick Gourlay (left) and Nat Read (right), both 23, were holidaying in Cusco, Peru when the country suddenly went into military lockdown Over the next two weeks, the pair received conflicting information from hostel staff regarding the rules of the lockdown and were in constant fear of being arrested Mr Gourlay said their hostel was forced to shut down after the Peruvian president unexpectedly declared a state of emergency. He also heard rumours of police targeting backpackers. 'We started hearing hostels were being raided by police for drinking in the common areas. We were never sure of the rules. Our hostel would sell us beer and say it was fine, but if the police were to come then we were on our own,' Mr Gourlay told The Australian. Ms Read said the Australian embassy suddenly closed and they received no word from the government about what they should do. 'I had no one to call. There was no warning this was going to happen from the Australian government. There were no alerts at all. Nothing to tell us we should stop travelling,' Ms Read said. She claimed they were berated by locals for remaining in Peru even though the couple weren't warned about travel restrictions. The night before they arrived at a hostel, it was raided by police and 40 backpackers were arrested (pictured: Authorities carry out controls on a street of Lima, Peru) Ms Read said trying to get out of Peru was 'chaos' (pictured: the couple captured the moment they arrived at Sydney Airport) They received information from a Facebook group that a company was helping stranded Australians return home. Ms Read said a week after Peru went into lockdown, the Department of Foreign Affairs started working with the company to get Aussies home. Even though they received help Ms Read said trying to get out of Peru was 'chaos.' 'We went to the bus station to try and get a bus out to Lima but none of them were running. There was one flight available to Lima but tickets were around $800 each for an hour flight. There were hundreds of people trying to get out of the city,' she said. They managed to charter a flight that would take them from Cusco to Lima where they could catch a connecting flight to Sydney. The couple said they received no information from DFAT about when the flights would leave and had to rely on the information they received through the charter company. In total, the flights home cost the couple $5,640 each. Upon returning to Australia, the pair have been forced to spend 14 days in quarantine at the Sheraton hotel in Sydney's CBD. Britain's banking sector on Wednesday scrapped billions of pounds (dollars) in shareholder dividends and share buybacks after the Bank of England requested the move to boost liquidity and help cope with the coronavirus crisis. The British central bank said in a statement that its Prudential Regulation Authority division had asked lenders to stop the payments until the end of the year. It also said it expected them not to pay any cash bonuses to top staff. In response, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Standard Chartered all stated that they will scrap dividends and not pursue buybacks. "The PRA welcomes the decisions by the boards of the large UK banks to suspend dividends and buybacks on ordinary shares until the end of 2020, and to cancel payments of any outstanding 2019 dividends in response to a request from us," the regulator said in a statement. "The PRA also expects banks not to pay any cash bonuses to senior staff, including all material risk takers, and is confident that bank boards are already considering and will take any appropriate further actions with regard to the accrual, payment and vesting of variable remuneration over coming months." Britain's top banks have enough capital to weather severe recessions in both Britain and globally, as markets brace for a potentially huge downturn driven by the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the regulator. "Although the decisions taken today will result in shareholders not receiving dividends, they are a sensible precautionary step given the unique role that banks need to play in supporting the wider economy through a period of economic disruption, alongside the extraordinary measures being taken by the authorities," it said. The UK lenders have become the latest corporate giants to scrap dividends as big global businesses scramble to save cash and safeguard against worsening virus turmoil. The news, combined with the worsening COVID-19 crisis, sent banking shares tumbling on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index, which sank three percent overall in early morning deals. "UK banks, as many businesses across the world, are scrapping dividends due to an increased need of cash to survive the coronavirus crisis in the short run," said Swissquote Bank analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya. "Even if we may see a negative knee-jerk reaction from investors, the decision to hold onto the cash is the right one from a medium- and long-term perspective. "In this respect, we expect to see a certain level of tolerance for ditched dividends," Ozkardeskaya told AFP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JOLIET, IL At a time when most of downtown Joliet looks like a ghost town amid the coronavirus outbreak, there is now a hub of construction starting behind a newly erected chain link fence adjacent to the Will County Courthouse. For years, the city of Joliet has contemplated re-configuring Chicago Street to make it a through street, as used to be the case during the 1950s and 1960s when the downtown thrived. This week, Joliet's P.T. Ferro Construction Co. got started tearing apart two now-off-limits public parking lots next to the courthouse. The city's Chicago Street reconfiguration project will cost about $2.8 million, city of Joliet Public Works Director Jim Trizna told Joliet Patch. "We're reconnecting Chicago Street from Washington and Jefferson (Streets)," Trizna said. "Right now, it's estimated that the whole project will be done by October 30." When the work is done this fall, travelers heading into downtown Joliet from Route 53 and Interstate 80 will no longer be forced to loop around the main drag of downtown. Since the 1980s, Trizna said, Chicago Street motorists have been forced to turn at the three-way intersection that leads either to Washington Street or toward Scott Street. The new downtown construction project will include installation of new storm sewers, new decorative street lighting and installation of a new traffic light at Jefferson Street. The two existing public parking lots will be made into one main public parking lot that will end up with 150 to 180 stalls, Trizna said. Trizna said the city believes the reconfiguration of Chicago Street should be a huge economic benefit for existing downtown merchants as well as future developers. Those motorists, especially if they are from out of town, completely bypass several downtown restaurants, the Rialto Square Theatre, Chicken-N-Spice, Juliet's, The Forge, the six-story Joliet Junior College Culinary Arts Building, among other places. Story continues Also, come October, the current 1969-era courthouse will be closed and court officials will be moving into the new $215 million courthouse being built on the former First Midwest Bank property. If Will County government officials decide to demolish the current courthouse, Trizna said, that presents another opportunity for additional downtown redevelopment. As far as the Chicago Street realignment goes, the main corridor into downtown Joliet, South Chicago Street will still remain a one-way street for motorists coming from I-80 or Route 53, Trizna said. Also, semitrailers will still be forced to loop around the downtown along North Scott Street and stay on Route 53, he added. Joliet Patch previously reported on the Chicago Street realignment project in January 2018. Image via John Ferak/Patch This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch Chennai: Amid a spike in coronavirus cases in people returning to Tamil Nadu from the Nizamuddin religious gathering, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has asserted that the government machinery has been agile in dealing with the crisis. In an opinion piece in The Hindu, Palaniswami wrote about the measures his government had taken to contain the spread of virus. Realising the nature of this virus quite early on and even when this dreaded infection was confined to one country alone, in January 2020, I directed the State Health Department to screen all the international passengers who had arrived in the State. To curtail community spread, Ammas [Jayalalithaas] government wasted no time in closing down educational institutions and all high-risk areas such as big commercial complexes, malls, theatres, places of worship and so on, on March 15. When positive cases began showing up in the neighbouring States, I announced the closure of the States borders as well, again on March 15. The Tamil Nadu government made a life-saving decision on March 24, which was announced by me in the Legislative Assembly of a complete lockdown and the imposition of Section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure throughout the State till March 31...." The CM said as a result of screening more than two lakh passengers, around 43,537 people are under home quarantine and observation, adding that residences of this high-risk category have been identified and subsequently, the officials have pasted stickers in these places. Palaniswami also highlighted the 'containment plan' his government has come up with. Since Tamil Nadu is right now transiting to Stage II of COVID-19 transmission, the State government has in place a detailed Local Containment Plan of conducting door-to-door surveillance in the zones where positive cases have been identified. People who are identified through active surveillance will be facility quarantined. Passive surveillance to trace the contacts of positive persons outside the zone is also being undertaken in parallel," he wrote. The chief minister said to augment the current team of doctors, nurses and para-medical staff to combat the virus, his government decided to recruit 530 doctors, 1,000 nurses and 1,508 lab technicians. His government also directed the district collectors to get help from self-help groups to manufacture masks, hand sanitizers to cater to the demand of these commodities in the past few weeks. Palaniswami, in his column, also spoke about the sops his government had announced for the people of the state as well as the migrant workers who have been living in fear and anxiety over the last one week. "An immediate and comprehensive relief package of 3,280 crore has been announced. All rice card holders will receive rice, sugar, dhal and edible oil free for April along with 1,000 each. Besides, as a mark of addressing their undue hardship, workers in the unorganised sector including auto-rickshaw drivers will get 15 kg rice, 1 kg dhal, 1 kg oil free and 1,000 each. Pavement vendors will get an extra 1,000 each. Also, migrant workers from other States will receive the commodities in equal measure. For those migrant labourers who are without shelter, community halls/marriage halls are being utilised, where hot, nutritious cooked food is being provided, apart from medical facilities...," EPS said. He also added that his government has taken initiatives to help the needy and the senior citizens during this crucial lockdown phase. Apart from this, EPS government had also announced an additional two-day wages for those who come under MGNREGA. According to the CM, people should practice social distancing during the lockdown phase to tackle coronavirus EPS said: "For active enforcement of the lockdown and to address the important issues, we have constituted 11 co-ordination teams with senior-level IAS officers. I have also constituted a State-level task force headed by Chief Secretary to monitor the preventive measures. Using video-conferencing, we are frequently reviewing the District Collectors for effective and timely implementation of all the steps... " All essential services in the state will be available till 2:30pm till April 14. Only parcel services in hotels will be available post that. While the state's focus now is to take more preventive measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus, EPS says he is concerned about the economic impact of the lockdown. "However, the economic impact of this unprecedented lockdown is likely to be very severe and State governments will suffer substantial reductions in tax and revenue receipts. A lot of measures will have to be taken to revive economic growth and to stimulate consumption and investment demand. The Centre should help the States continuously in this regard. To overcome this crisis, I have therefore written to the Prime Minister, requesting the Centre to allocate a special grant of 1-lakh crore to all the States including 9,000 crore to Tamil Nadu; relax, as a one-time measure, the fiscal deficit norm of 3% of GSDP for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and permit, during 2020-21, additional borrowing of 33% above the previous years level...," he said. However, he ends his column saying that for now, his government's priority is to focus on eradicating the pandemic and once this is over, he hopes that the country as a whole will work together and provide the 'necessary thrust to the economy'. A new online service capturing British farmers' issues relating to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 has been launched by the NFU. The platform wants to build a 'dynamic and up-to-date' picture of the fast-moving impact of coronavirus on farmers and growers. The NFU said it wants to lead a 'national response' for government, representing all of UK agriculture and horticulture. The new service will enable information to be collated and used to inform ministers of the key issues arising from the outbreak and ensure farmers' voices are heard. The website will be signposted by government as part of its Covid-19 business support communications. NFU President Minette Batters said the coronavirus is having a 'huge impact' on the food and farming sector. It comes amid supply chain disruption, concerns over on-farm labour, significant price volatility and delays in payments. We are living and farming through unprecedented times," Mrs Batters said, "It is vitally important we all work together to build a clear picture of the issues arising in food production. "Im constantly and acutely aware that our industry cannot be mothballed like other sectors, whether its ornamentals or liquid milk, farmers and growers are producing perishable products, all of which have a finite shelf life." She encouraged farmers from across agriculture and horticulture to use the online form to log concerns over the virus's impact. "We will use this information to provide a daily overview to government of the business-critical issues farmers and growers are encountering, or expect to encounter, during the outbreak," the NFU president said. PARIS - Hospitals in Paris are on the verge of collapse due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Assistance publique-Hopitaux de Paris. It said there are currently 870 patients in intensive care in the capital's hospitals, occupying all available beds. Very strong pressure is also being felt by hospitals in the entire Ile-de-France region that includes Paris, with a total of 2,000 patients in intensive care. A source close to the health ministry, cited by French daily Les Echos, said the French coronavirus curve is following the Italian one with a 10-day difference and the Ile-de-France region could have the same death toll as Lombardy within about 10 days. To alleviate pressure on Paris hospitals, the first of two high-speed trains left Paris-Austerlitz station on Wednesday morning carrying coronavirus patients from the Ile-de-France region to hospitals in Saint-Brieuc and Brest, in Brittany. The operation, which was announced on Tuesday by the Directorate General for Health, includes 24 patients in the first convoy and 12 in the second. The Ile-de-France region has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections, following Grand-Est. The second high-speed train will leave at midday on Wednesday and travel to Rennes. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Several hundred members of the New Mexico National Guard remain on international deployments but are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a Guard spokesman. About 65 soldiers of the 1209th Medical Support Company are on a nine-month deployment in Poland and almost 400 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry deployed to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa late last year. Guard spokesman Joe Vigil told the Journal smaller groups are also serving at other points around the globe. Overall, they are doing great work and will continue to carry out their missions, he said. They are following the guidelines and protocols outlined by the Secretary of Defense and their commands to protect themselves against the virus. When they do return, they could face a 14-day quarantine. Fort Bliss, where state guardsmen trained before leaving for Africa, has quarantined several hundred soldiers who have returned from overseas deployment, according to the base Facebook site. The El Paso installation, which extends into southeastern New Mexico, is the largest demobilization base in the country and has seven people on base who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are in self-isolation, including four from a reserve unit in New York, two Department of Defense employees and another person, according to base officials. The coronavirus outbreak has also affected guardsmen within the state. Vigil said the Guard has postponed weekend drills in April and will evaluate when soldiers and airmen can return to such exercises. He said more than 150 guardsmen are assisting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, state agencies, health professionals and emergency responders in the response to the outbreak. Vigil said guardsmen are assisting with the delivering of thousands of meals to children in communities in the state while schools remained closed, and they are transporting medical supplies to health care facilities. The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Russia's hybrid military forces on March 31 mounted 14 attacks on Ukrainian Army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another three as wounded in action (WIA). "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 14 times on March 31. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another two were wounded as a result of enemy shelling. Another member of the Joint Forces was injured while stepping on a Russian-made landmine," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on April 1. Read alsoGerman, French foreign ministers claim Donbas terrorists make coronavirus pretext for hindering OSCE access The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the towns of Krasnohorivka and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Pisky, Shyrokyne, Hnutove, Kamianka, Starohnativka, Novotoshkivske, Luhanske, and Zaitseve. According to intelligence data, on March 31, thanks to the decisive response of the Joint Forces, three Russian occupiers were killed and another one was wounded. Ukrainian troops also destroyed an enemy infantry fighting vehicle. "Since Wednesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the town of Maryinka, using tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns," the update said. No casualties were reported in Ukrainian Army ranks on Wednesday morning. In recent weeks, as the coronavirus has tightened restrictions on public and private life, Americans have been hoarding toilet paper, their shopping carts piled high, as supplies were quickly depleted: the shelves, and sometimes whole aisles, bare. What we buy in times of crisis says a lot about who we are. The pasta shelves are empty! cried an older man stepping out of an Italian grocery store in a video from February. It makes sense that one of the first things to fly off the shelves in Italys version of coronavirus panic shopping was pasta not just because Italians love pasta, but because food is so tethered to the way of life there, its almost synonymous with living. (They werent as concerned about toilet paper; many Italians use bidets.) When the virus hit Iran, middle-class families bought rotting fruit at a discounted price from vendors who put out their bruised and unsaleable produce each evening, according to one Los Angeles Times report, reflecting the strain that U.S. sanctions, and now the pandemic, have placed on the countrys economy and its people. The food made sense to me. But as the new coronavirus has radically altered many of our needs and habits, I have found it hard to wrap my head around all the toilet paper. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 Trend: We do not recognize the legal framework of the so-called "presidential and parliamentary elections that took place yesterday in Nagorno Karabakh, Head of the department of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia Michael Seibert stated, Trend reports on Apr. 1. Both the so-called "elections" and their results are considered illegal, said the statement. The so-called "presidential and parliamentary elections" were held in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijan on March 31. 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. An application for an AVO was lodged with the court on behalf of Eden Dally against his girlfriend, Cyrell Paule, following a domestic dispute last week. But on Wednesday, Dally, 27, and Paule, 30, revealed they were still very much together despite the incident. Speaking to Confidential, Paule said: 'There is no AVO, he's (Eden) right here feeding the baby while I'm folding clothes. 'We are all good': Cyrell Paule and Eden Dally are still together after their domestic dispute 'I've become very domesticated. There is no domestic violence.' Meanwhile, Dally said: 'Cyrell and I are all good. I am with her now. Unfortunately couples fight and make up.' Officers from Ryde Police Station were called to the couple's Sydney home last week after neighbours overheard them having a heated argument. Dally, 27, and Paule, 30, told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday the incident was just a 'misunderstanding' and the AVO was unnecessary. Her side of the story: Paule said she has 'become very domesticated' and that 'there is no domestic violence' The pair, who welcomed a son named Boston in February, have since reconciled. Paule said: 'We had a fight like most couples do. The next day Eden asked why they're putting an AVO out against me.' Dally added: 'We had a little argument and it was a complete misunderstanding. I'd never get an AVO out against Cyrell. I'm with her right now.' 'There is no AVO, he's (Eden is) right here feeding the baby while I'm folding clothes,' Paule told the publication. Pictured: Eden Dally with his son Boston, who he shares with Cyrell Paule The AVO application was lodged by Constable Chantelle Gibson on behalf of Dally, and served on March 28. There are no conditions set on the AVO, indicating there is no interim order. The matter is set to be mentioned at Burwood Local Court on April 17. A NSW Police spokesperson said they were unable to comment because the matter is before the courts. 'Little argument': Dally and Paule (pictured with their son, Boston) told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday the incident was just a 'misunderstanding' and the AVO was unnecessary Dally, who rose to fame on Love Island in 2018, and Paule, who was a participant on Married At First Sight last year, began dating in March 2019. Paule moved into Dally's family home in Drummoyne months later and announced she was pregnant in August. The pair split in late October but had reconciled by the time Paule gave birth to their son on February 9. They have since moved into their own home. Sailors on a US nuclear warship where dozens of crew have been diagnosed with coronavirus are now being evacuated and put into quarantine, navy top brass have said. The USS Theodore Roosevelt - which has 5,000 people on board - docked in Guam earlier this week with the aircraft carrier's captain warning that the onboard infection could be fatal if he did not receive help. "We are not at war, Caprain Brett Crozier wrote in a four-page letter to bosses detailing how the ship did not have enough quarantine facilities. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our sailors. Now, his demand to get crew ashore appears to have been met with Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly confirming sailors were being taken off board in stages, with 1,000 people already evacuated and placed in isolation on land. It is thought around 100 people on the nuclear-powered vessel have tested positive for Covid-19, although this remains unconfirmed by the navy itself. Modly said the force had been working for several days to get the majority of crew off the ship but that, because Guam was dealing with its own outbreak of Covid-19, there were not currently enough isolated beds. He said he was in talks with officials there to use hotels and set up tents. Its not the same as a cruise ship, it has armaments on it, it has aircraft on it, we have to be able to fight fires if there is a fire on there, he said. There are a lot of things that we have to do on that ship that make it a little bit different and unique but were managing it and were working on it and were taking all the input and we appreciate all the input from the chief officer on the ship and the medical officer on the ship and were going to work on those issues immediately. And he added: The Navy and marine corp team, we all have one mission: to defend the nation. We have a responsibility to protect the seas, to protect our friends and allies around the world. It's key to make sure that we get a set of crew members who can man all the machines and make sure theyre clean and get them back on while we clean the ships and get the other crew members off. Were accelerating it as we go. I think there are things that are happening in the past 24 hours that come after the comments from the chief officer. Were in constant communication with that ship. Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Show all 12 1 /12 Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions NO2-concentrations-us-NEW-YORK-1.jpg Weighted mean NO2 concentrations in cities across US. They are weighted using quality information provided by the satellite data provider. Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions New York Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Denver Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Denver Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Chicago Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Chicago Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Detroit Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Detroit Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Houston Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Houston Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Los Angeles Descartes Labs Emission changes across US after Coronavirus restrictions Los Angeles Descartes Labs Admiral John Aquilino, head of the US Navys Pacific Fleet, told reporters separately that the plan was to take some sailors off the ship, test and quarantine them, clean the vessel and then rotate them with those on the carrier. Asked previously if he was following what Captain Crozier wanted to do, but was not able to do it at the pace the commanding officer would have liked, the admiral affirmed. That is absolutely the case, he said. BERLIN, March 31 (Reuters) - The German government is planning to expand its support for mid-sized companies with more than 10 employees hit by the coronavirus, government sources said on Tuesday. "Of course we still have to do something on this," one of the sources said, adding that details are being worked out. Germany has so far decided on aid for entrepreneurs and small companies with up to 10 employees worth 50 billion euros to cushion the financial blow of the pandemic. There is also a fund to help larger companies with more than 250 staff. Mid-sized companies have complained that while they could get loans, they would be left heavily indebted after the crisis. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; additional reporting by Hans Seidenstuecker in Frankfurt; writing by Thomas Seythal) Liverpool have left the door open for both Manchester United and Chelsea after bowing out of the race to sign Jadon Sancho, according to reports. Borussia Dortmund star Sancho is a man in hot demand from a host of Premier League giants after shining in the Bundesliga, and this summer is set to ignite a bidding war for his signature. But according to the Mirror, Liverpool are not monitoring the 20-year-old's situation as it stands, leaving just United and Chelsea in pursuit of Sancho. Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho could be set for a move to the Premier League However, both clubs are unwilling to stump up the eye-watering 100million price tag that Dortmund are currently asking for. United have reportedly been in touch with Sancho's agent but are reluctant to submit any formal approach, especially due to the uncertainty of the transfer window because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, reports also claim Chelsea have began their pursuit but have made clear they will not be able to fork out anywhere near the 100m asking price. The report also states that Liverpool have never actively been in the market for the winger - claiming they would only consider a move if one of their attacking trio left. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in hot pursuit of the England international Frank Lampard is desperate to reinforce his attacking options at Chelsea in the summer Dortmund recently admitted that it was out of their hands whether Sancho leaves during the summer transfer window but did warn clubs they will not be able to sign him on the cheap. 'Even before the coronavirus outbreak, we said that we prefer that Jadon stays with us,' Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild. 'At the end of the day, however, you always have to respect what the player wants. 'I can clearly say that even the very rich clubs, despite the existential crisis, do not have to believe that they can go on a bargain tour with us. We don't have to sell anyone below value.' As states sound the alarm over a lack of ventilators to help hospitalized novel coronavirus patients -- including a plea for 30,000 machines for New York state alone -- experts warned that even if the equipment arrives, facilities could face a shortage of health care workers trained to use them. "If you have a thousand more ventilators magically appear, do you have the 20 ICU [Intensive Care Unit] doctors, 300 ICU nurses, 150 respiratory therapists and all of the [personal protective equipment] needed to support those 1,000 new ventilators?" Dr. Doug White, an intensive care physician with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told ABC News. "Simply put, ventilators dont run themselves." MORE: Hospitals trying to figure out how they would ration ventilators as coronavirus cases rise in New York Personnel specially trained to treat patients with ventilators is just one of the latest possible second-order shortages that government and hospital officials are discovering as the battle against the coronavirus relentlessly drags on, a list that some doctors now say also includes critical drugs used to sedate patients who need to be intubated as part of their treatment. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday called on other states to send as many health care workers as they can to assist the strained system in his state. Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis. PHOTO: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) wearing protective gears wheel a sick patient to a waiting ambulance during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in, New York, March 28, 2020. (Stefan Jeremiah/Reuters, FILE) There are approximately 6,800 licensed respiratory therapists in New York state, according to the state's Education Department, which handles professional licensing. They are specialists who closely monitor patients and adjust treatments using the lifesaving -- and in some cases highly sophisticated -- ventilators to breathe. But even with the addition of hundreds of respiratory therapists expected to graduate from schools in New York this spring, the help of anesthesiologists and other physicians freed up by the postponement of elective procedures and tens of thousands of volunteer health care workers, health officials remain concerned about personnel shortages. They could limit hospitals abilities to treat patients at the peak of the outbreak in the state and nationwide that could be as many as two weeks away. Experts said those with specialty training are key. Story continues MORE: 'Well take them all': Demand for ventilators spikes as coronavirus looms New York state counts more than 75,000 cases of coronavirus infections so far, according to Cuomo. Nationwide, over 186,000 people have tested positive for the virus and more than 4,000 have died, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Cuomo said Tuesday that in New York state 2,710 patients were currently in the state's intensive care units and nearly 300 had to be intubated and put on ventilators. According to medical experts, the normal standard of care for a ventilated patient includes around-the-clock care from a team of nurses and respiratory therapists, under the supervision of an intensive care doctor. Now, due to the influx of patients needing ICU care, one ICU doctor may now manage four times the number of ventilated patients they normally do, with a team of non-ICU specialist doctors working underneath them. It's a strained system that could buckle even further if large numbers of front-line nurses and doctors contract the coronavirus due to shortages of personal protective equipment. "This will likely result in a lower quality of care, and [it's] why the standard of care changes in an emergency," said White. "Critical care physicians are trained in respiratory and multi-organ failure in a way that no other specialty is." When those physicians are transitioned from being directly involved to now managing a group of non-ICU doctors, it changes the care the patient gets, he said. MORE: How anesthesia machines can help hospitals with ventilator shortages fight coronavirus Dr. Greg Martin with the Society of Critical Care Medicine, a professional organization devoted to the care of the most critical patients, said its hard to project which workforce of the three -- doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists -- will be the first to become stretched. But he speculated it would be the 28,000 intensivist physicians or ICU doctors who work in the U.S.: "You will realize you cant rely on the intensivists to be available for every patient." Roughly 5,800 nurses in New York state are critical-care certified, according to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Some 120,000 are credentialed for acute and critical care nationwide, the group said. "You cant win a war with no troops," Dr. Peter Papadakos, the director of critical care medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told ABC News about the potential personnel shortage. "You can have fancy equipment, but if you dont have any troops and if you dont have any gasoline ... you lose the war." PHOTO: A volunteer patient poses wearing the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) breathing aid, developed in less than a week by mechanical engineers, doctors and the Mercedes Formula 1 team in conjunction with University College London (UCL). (James Tye/UCL via AFP/Getty Images) Doctors fear drug shortages after 'tsunami of patients' At Elmhurst Hospital in the borough of Queens in New York City, said to be the "ground zero" of infections in the U.S., the problem isn't a shortage of ventilators or even people -- it's drugs used to sedate patients when they're intubated, along with the equipment used to deliver those drugs, according to a doctor who works there. In another New York City ICU, a critical care physician told ABC News their hospital is also having to confront drug shortages, including those used to sedate patients. "If you arent sedating someone enough, you always run the risk of someone self-excavating, which is ripping the tube out of themselves because theyre too awake," the physician said. When a patient is intubated, they are usually given a combination of sedatives and anesthetics before a breathing tube is inserted down their throat. Patients sometimes also require paralytic drugs to loosen up their vocal cords and other muscles to prevent damage when the breathing tube is inserted. Patients continue to receive sedatives and pain relievers to keep them asleep while intubated, to prevent their bodies from fighting against both the breathing tube and the ventilator, which performs breathing functions for patients to allow their own lungs to heal. With many COVID-19 patients requiring ventilators for weeks, some health officials are worried that the nations supply of necessary drugs wont be enough to help the country weather a prolonged and sustained outbreak across multiple cities and states. MORE: Ventilators shipped from veterinarians to hospitals to combat COVID-19 shortage Dr. Erin Fox, who tracks and investigates drug shortages reported from hospitals around the country, told ABC News that some of the most commonly used drugs to intubate and maintain a patient on ventilator are running in short supply. "We see a tsunami of patients coming our way, and we dont see a tsunami of drug availability coming our way. Its scary to think, you might not have enough medicine," she said. Three of the drugs reportedly in short supply, according to Fox, are the sedative etomidate, an anesthetic ketamine and a muscle-relaxing medication called rocuronium. Several hospitals with whom ABC News spoke said they were running low on the critical medications. PHOTO: Medical supplies for COVID-19 testing are pictured at the Summit Community Care Clinic in Frisco, Colo., March 30, 2020. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP) While doctors and hospitals have the ability to use alternative drugs in some cases to help intubate and sedate patients, experts worry that a prolonged worldwide outbreak could severely stretch the global pharmaceutical supply chain, forcing countries to fight among one another for resources as several states have been forced to do for protective equipment in the U.S. The American Society of Health System Pharmacists runs the database that monitors drug shortages reported from their 55,000 members across the country who work in hospital pharmacies. The demand for drugs is not just in hot spots, but nationwide. "With all this surge capacity that's being built, do we have the drug supply to match it? Right now the answer appears to be 'no,'" said Dr. Michael Ganio, a senior director with the society. At one health system that runs over 40 hospitals in Ohio and Virginia, a pharmacy director told ABC News they are starting to see shortages in medications used to sedate patients who are ventilated. Their pharmacy team is already coming up with contingency plans for when the preferred drugs run out. "The problem is, were all using the same manufacturers and same wholesalers. Were all competing for the same resource," the director said. This report was featured in the Wednesday, April 1, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Doctors fear shortage of drug critical to ventilator treatment for coronavirus originally appeared on abcnews.go.com 01.04.2020 LISTEN A sub-chief in the Saka electoral area of Bawku West district in the Upper East Region has been shot dead by three unknown gunmen. The killers stormed his house at about 8:20pm on Sunday shot him and injured one of his sons who was with him during the incident. Speaking to ModernGhana's Atule, the Zebilla police command, said the gunmen stormed the palace around 8:20pm Sunday night and ordered the chief Salifu Mustapha and his three sons to lie on the bare floor. Supt. Adam Ahmed Mahama indicated that the gunmen reportedly shot Chief Salifu Mustapha twice killing him instantly. One of his sons who raised his head up upon hearing the gunshot was also shot on his belly. He was later rushed to the Zebilla government hospital where he is receiving treatment. He said, they received a distress telephone call about the incident and quickly, a team was dispatched to the scene but upon their arrival, the miscreants had left the scene. According to him, a random search was conducted around the area which led to them retrieving four empty cells and a necklace. Mr. Adam Ahmed Mahama added that the police command has started investigations into the matter. The motive for the sub-chief murder is unclear but Bukari Abugre, Nekeenab and a brother of the deceased however attribute it to ongoing land and chieftaincy disputes in the area. Mr. Bukari Abugre called on the police and the other security agencies in the Bawku West district to put urgent measures to fish out the killers in order to bring calm to the area. The killing of the sub-chief has brought uneasy calm in the area. Alou David Apiidam, an Assemblymember of the Saka electoral area also called on the police to mount strict surveillance and patrolling of the area to calm the situation. The body of the Subchief has been deposited at Bolgatanga mortuary and later released to the family for burial on 31st March, 2020 in accordance with the Muslim tradition. At least six people were assassinated Tuesday in central Mexico during a wave of attacks on local businesses allegedly carried out by the country's most powerful cartel. An elite assassin squadron with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are said to have targeted a scrap metal yard, where five people were executed at approximately 1pm in Celaya, a municipality in the state of Guanajuato. Mexican news outlet Al Instate Bajio reported that the gunmen forced each of the victims to kneel before they were shot in the head. Another person was seriously wounded and taken to a local hospital. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT Cartel gunmen allegedly set vehicles on fire across two highways in the Mexican state of Guanajuato Purported members of the cartel's Elite Group left behind a poster board claiming responsibility for the barbaric act and saying they did so because the victims backed a rival group that killed innocent people. A couple of minutes later, cartel gunmen descended upon a car dealership and killed one man. The cartel's hit squad wing reportedly left a poster board claiming responsibility for the murder next to the victim. In an attempt to evade capture, gunmen hijacked two vehicles on a highway and set them on fire on two roads connecting the municipalities of Celaya-Cortazar and Villagran-Juventino Rosas, at about 4.30pm. Police cordoned off a car dealership in Guanajuato, Mexico, where a man was reportedly gunned down minutes after by a cartel A truck was reportedly set on fire by cartel gunmen fleeing from the police in Guanajuato The Jalisco New Generation Cartel allegedly carjacked two vehicles during a wave of violence in the state of Guanajuato that left six people dead Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes (pictured), the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico's most powerful criminal group According to the outlet Milenio, March was the deadliest month in history, with 2,585 homicides, since the Mexican government started registering murder statistics in 2007. At least 311 people were murdered in the state of Guanajuato, a hotbed for turf wars between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, which has been backed by other drug cartels in a fight for fuel theft and drug trafficking. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is led by Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes, a former ally of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who is wanted by the United States. A reward of $10million is offered by the U.S. for information leading to his capture. Workers who believe their employers are not adhering to New Yorks coronavirus shutdown order can report complaints to the states attorney general. Gov. Andrew Cuomo almost two weeks ago ordered businesses across the state to temporarily close or have all employees work from home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The state released a list of essential businesses and services exempt from the order and has updated it since, adding and removing businesses as the state adapts and fights the spread of disease. The order has left many workers and business owners confused or uncertain. Syracuse.com has been tracking the list of essential businesses and answering questions from readers. In a Facebook Live Q&A Wednesday, Syracuse University business law professor Gregory Germain addressed readers questions and concerns. Some workers asked Germain about what to do if they felt they were being asked to go to work at businesses they dont believe are essential. Others asked what to do if they thought they should be doing their work from home instead of going into a workplace. Germain advised employees to, whenever possible, talk to their supervisors about the situation. If that doesnt happen -- or if you dont have that kind of relationship with your employer and youre worried theyre going to fire you and take retaliatory action against you for expressing your concerns -- the attorney general has set up a complaint line, Germain said. They want to encourage people to file complaints and the attorney general will follow up with the employer and take appropriate action. The AGs hotline for labor complaints is 212-416-8700. Employees also can email labor.bureau@ag.ny.gov and complaint form can be found online. Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement her office was there to ensure the publics safety. During this time, my office is closely monitoring the treatment of employees across the state, James said. We urge employers to allow workers to work from home where applicable in accordance with all New York State executive orders. Live Q&A: Answering your questions about essential work Were answering your questions about essential work with Gregory Germain, a business and corporate law professor at Syracuse Universitys School of Law. Submit your questions in the comments! Posted by syracuse.com on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 Have a question about your industry? Contact Reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Coronavirus: Its not just the elderly who are at risk of severe illness Parents make heart-wrenching decision to not visit newborn until coronavirus scare passes Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for WASHINGTON Republican lawmakers have so far blocked attempts to prepare for massive mail-in balloting in the presidential election. But Democrats think that resistance is likely to fade as they realize that the coronavirus will keep their own voters from the polls this fall. Their reticence will get diminished to some extent when they do realize that some of the people who may not be able to vote or afraid to vote are not necessarily all Democrats, said Joe Trippi, a veteran Democratic political consultant. Right now, they might see New York and not be all that worried about it: Let New York deal with its ballots. But there are a lot of their voters in Florida who might not vote, who might not be willing to go to the polls. A lot of Democrats too, Trippi told Yahoo News. I think both sides should find some common ground and figure this out. Forget about the politics. In a worst case scenario the people who might be afraid of voting or might be sick and cant vote is not a group of people with one party or another, he said. But so far, Republican lawmakers in Congress have shown no desire to partner with Democrats to mandate that all states be prepared for a fall election conducted mostly through mail-in ballots. Democrats proposed $4 billion to help states get ready for a mail-in election this fall, as part of the rescue package signed into law last week. But Republicans agreed to only $400 million of that. A voter drops ballots for the March 3 Super Tuesday primary into a mobile voting mail box in Laguna Woods, Calif., Feb. 24, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters) Meanwhile, a growing number of states that have yet to hold primary elections are quickly moving to increase their mail-in ballot capacity, or in some cases eliminating in-person voting altogether. The Kansas Democratic Party on Monday shifted its May 2 primary to an all-mail election, joining several other states in doing so, including Maryland, which is led by a Republican governor, Larry Hogan. The Democratic parties in Kansas, Hawaii and Wyoming, responding to encouragement by the Democratic National Committee, had already planned to mail ballots to all Democratic voters ahead of their party primaries and caucuses. Story continues Its that kind of advance planning that will be needed for the fall elections. No one really knows what life in America will be like months from now, and how the coronavirus pandemic will affect public life at that point. I think we need to be prepared because we dont know what the health situation will be in the fall, said Megan Lewis, co-founder and executive director of Voting Rights Lab, a group that looks to expand voting access. The Voting Rights Lab website states it even more bluntly: Our election system is unprepared for the current pandemic. The only way to ensure the continued functioning of our democracy and the safety of our citizens is for every state to provide every American with access to a mail ballot. Yet in order for large-scale absentee voting to be secure and effective by November, election officials must begin working to adapt state election systems now. And in some cases, state officials are moving this direction. Georgia is controlled by Republicans, but they have decided to send every registered voter a mail-in ballot. In Wisconsin, however, Republicans in the state legislature have resisted calls from Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, to send mail-in ballots to every voter. And on Tuesday, some members of the Wisconsin Board of Elections expressed deep misgivings about the states ability to carry out a safe and functional primary on April 7. The state is having to close multiple polling places due to a severe shortage of poll workers, and Democratic members of the board said election officials will not be able to count all the absentee ballots that are likely to be turned in. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers holds a press conference in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 6, 2020. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) Theres an avalanche coming at the clerks, said Elections Commissioner Mark Thomsen at a meeting of the commission that was conducted remotely and streamed online. States will need more than $400 million to conduct a robust mail-in ballot election this fall with many millions of voters, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group at New York University. Instead, it would be a massive undertaking that would cost at least $2 billion. Yet in Congress, Republicans have yet to show any interest in working with Democrats to allocate that kind of funding to help states prepare, according to congressional staff and campaign operatives who spoke to Yahoo News on the condition they not be identified. The conversation at the federal and national level is totally disconnected, Lewis told Yahoo News. Republicans have ideological concerns about the federal government dictating to states how to run their elections, and there is also suspicion among conservatives about abuse of the system in absentee and mail-in balloting. But, like Trippi, Lewis said she thinks that political self-interest may change that calculation for Republicans. If we are in a situation where there is some quarantine going in November that is not going to respect or regard any party or affiliation, she said. Lewiss group is also focused on making sure that even as states move to more mail-in voting, they dont implement rules that would make it harder for poor and marginalized people to vote, such as requiring a mail-in ballot to be notarized. And then there is the challenge of educating voters on how to cast mail-in ballots. Most voters are not going to know how to turn out, how to vote, Lewis said. We are going to really need to educate voters or youre going to find that many voters are going to be left out. This story has augmented reality! Tap the video above to see how it looks and download the Yahoo News app to launch the full experience. Augmented reality is currently available to iPhone users (iPhone 8 and later) with the latest version of iOS. _____ Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides. Read more: Within a span of 24 hours, Maharashtra police and administrative authorities have collected a list of over 180 persons who have attended the Tablighi Jamaat held last month in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. At least, 200 plus people who have attended the religious congregation have been found COVID-19 positive and 10 have died. The Maharashtra police used a mix of human and technical intelligence to gather the data and have started acting on it. From the Bureau of Immigration, the police have taken data of foreigners who have arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius and Philippines. It needs to be mentioned that a 10-member group from Philippines had arrived in Mumbai, stayed in a mosque in Vashi in Navi Mumbai. A 68-year of Philipino had died. He was a COVID-19 positive patient buy turned negative before he died of renal failure. Two other persons of Philippines, the mosque's secretary, his son, his grandson and their housemaid have been found positive but they are out of danger. The Special Branch attached to Mumbai police and State Intelligence Department are helping the local authorities. According to the list, the maximum number of people who had visited the meeting are form Pune, as much as 60 persons. From Aurangabad, there were 21 persons, Nashik 29, Mumbai-MMR 15, Nagpur 8, Bhandara 5, Wardha 8, Yavatmal 10, Akola 8, Buldhana 1, Washim 1, Oamanabad 4 and Ahmednagar 10. After the meeting, some foreigners stayed in an Ahmednagar mosque, of which two - one form France and another from Ivory Coast turned positive. Action is being taken against the hosts. Meanwhile, in a related development, 15 persons including 13 Bangladeshis linked to the global Islamic missionary movement were traced in a mosque in Kausa on Mumbra near Mumbai. They have been quarantined and samples sent for test. "We have activated out network, we have information from various departments, we are cross-checking. Besides, human intelligence network has been activated and also technical data," police sources said. While Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly said the overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans are following orders to slow the spread of coronavirus by staying home and not gathering in large numbers, police in Newark and Lakewood have issued multiple charges and citations for those not doing their part as the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the state increased to 267. Cops in Newark found violations in a citywide crackdown in closing more than a dozen non-essential businesses while Lakewood police put a stop to an engagement party, officials said. Police in Lakewood have broken up at least three gatherings in town already this week and previously stopped at least two weddings that violated Murphys ban. This is the second full week where all non-essential retail businesses are closed. People have also been told to stay home unless traveling to an essential job, shopping for food or picking up medicine. Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that more than 18,000 people in New Jersey have tested positive for coronavirus, thought it still remains unclear how many are exhibiting mild symptoms or those whove recovered. While some counties and towns have said how many people who tested positive were later cleared or are out of quarantine, state officials have not. Bergen County has nearly 3,000 coronavirus cases while seven other counties have eclipsed the 1,000 mark. A roundup of coronavirus news from New Jersey and the nation. 10 charged at Lakewood engagement party in violation of coronavirus lockdown, cops say: Lakewood police broke up an engagement party Tuesday afternoon and cited 10 people, including a 99-year-old man, for violating New Jerseys coronavirus ban on gatherings just hours after the governor vowed to get more aggressive in charging people who ignore the restrictions. The hosts of Tuesdays gathering, Yaakov Kaufman, 47, and Eti Kaufman, 45, were charged with six counts of child endangerment for each of the six children who were at the gathering, police said. The Kaufmans were also charged with violating the governors emergency order. Newark cops shut down 15 businesses, ticketed 161 people in 1 night for coronavirus lockdown violations: Newark police shut down 15 non-essential businesses in one night and issued 161 summonses for people in violation of the orders Murphys put in place earlier this month to slow the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. Col. Pat Callahan, the State Police superintendent, said the crackdown in the states largest city is the sign of more to come for those who ignore the stay-at-home order and non-essential businesses that continue to operate. N.J. town official recovered from coronavirus. Now, he hopes to donate his plasma to critically ill patients: Red Bank business administrator Ziad Shehady has recovered from a mild bout of COVID-19 and wants to help others. The 35-year-old is hoping to donate his plasma the yellowish fluid in blood that contains proteins called antibodies as part of a clinical trial headed by the Mount Sinai Health System. Her husband is critical with coronavirus. Shes fighting for experimental treatment to save his life: Amy Braslow to trying to get her husband Brett Braslow a new, investigational treatment method that uses plasma from people who have recovered from the virus. In theory, plasma that has antibodies against the virus could have an antiviral effect in those suffering from the illness. The therapy hasnt been approved for routine use yet, but physicians can request approval for the plasma if a patient meets specific criteria. Braslow, 50, has been hospitalized at Cooper University Medical Center since March 20. Can N.J.'s best teachers make virtual learning work? Heres how theyre trying. The closure of New Jersey schools during the coronavirus outbreak and the shift to remote learning thrust teachers into a monumental challenge. As educators dive head first into unprecedented distance learning programs, NJ Advance Media interviewed four distinguished teachers about their experiences. Their accounts illustrate the optimism and innovation surrounding remote learning while also laying bare the substantial barriers that accompany it. Coronavirus sidelines 32 employees at NJ Transit: Similar to other agencies with frontline, public workers, the coronavirus hasnt spared NJ Transit. As of Tuesday, 32 NJ Transit employees have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, and 22 of them are frontline workers, a spokeswoman said. The agency has a work force that totals 12,000 employees, she said. Professor estimated 50K coronavirus cases in N.J. by weekend but new numbers are more optimistic: A professors initial modeling of coronavirus trends showed that New Jersey could reach 50,000 cases by this weekend. But faced with the latest numbers from Gov. Phil Murphys press conference Tuesday, he updated his projections. The day-over-day growth rate Monday was 24%. Were that rate sustained, the number of cases would double every three days. Projecting based on that rate, he estimated the number of confirmed cases in the state would reach 50,000 by this weekend. But the number of cases actually stated Tuesday - 18,696 - showed a 12% growth rate in one day. Were that rate sustained, cases would double every six days. Trump says life and death at stake in following guidelines: President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a hell of a bad two weeks ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials stressed Tuesday that the number could be less if people across the country bear down on keeping their distance from one another. The jaw-dropping projections were laid out during a grim, two-hour White House briefing. Officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. And the models high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World War II. Rough month for stock market ends: Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Tuesday, ending the first three months of the year with a decline of 20%, the markets worst quarter since the dark days of the financial crisis. The loss for the S&P 500 in March alone was 12.5% as the surge of coronavirus cases sent investors fleeing from the market. Stocks did claw back some of those losses with a rally the past week. Massive aid for the economy and markets from the Federal Reserve and Capitol Hill have helped spur some buying, although the S&P 500 and the Dow fell more than 1.5% Tuesday. Another Jersey Shore town closes its boardwalk to stop spread of coronavirus: Long Branch has become the latest Jersey Shore town to close its boardwalk as a way of curbing the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. Worldwide coronavirus cases: The number of people who have tested positive worldwide is more than 873,000 as of Wednesday morning, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. More than 43,000 have died. Nearly 185,000 have recovered. U.S. coronavirus cases: The U.S count was closing in on 190,000 as of 7 a.m. Wednesday. More than 4,000 have died, including at least 1,096 in New York City. The Associated Press and NJ Advance Media staff writers Rebecca Panico, Avalon Zoppo, Tony Attrino Larry Higgs, Joe Brandt and Chris Sheldon, Brent Johnson contributed to this report. 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. ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean (ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 1 - These are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean for today: BRUSSELS - 11 AM press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg prior to a foreign ministers' video conference.(ANSAmed). Update 7:59 p.m.: Under pressure from both sides of the political aisle, the Treasury Department is now saying that Social Security beneficiaries and others who typically dont file tax returns wont have to file a simple tax return in order to get their stimulus check, the Washington Post reported. The IRS said earlier this week that these individuals would not receive checks unless they filed a simple tax return. Original story: Millions of Americans will have their financial burdens lessened with stimulus checks set to go out later this month. But millions more may either see no relief at all or have to jump through extra hoops to get their money, even if they qualify based on income alone. As part of the $2 trillion economic stimulus package known as the CARES Act, individuals making $75,000 or below will receive a $1,200 check from the Treasury Department while married couples earning up to $150,000 will get $2,400 and an additional $500 for each child. Single filers who earn more than $99,000 and married couples without children earning more than $198,000 will receive no payments, and anyone above the $75,000 and $150,000 thresholds will see their checks cut by $5 for each $100 above those limits. Even for Americans within those income limits, many may not see a payment. Legal immigrants A Social Security number is needed in order to get a check, and the only legal immigrants with one are green card holders and resident aliens, according to Vox. Those with temporary visas or others in the country legally who do not have a Social Security card will not be given checks. College students Some college students will not be receiving a stimulus payment if a parent claims them as a dependent on their tax returns, according to the New York Times. And those parents also wont be getting additional stimulus cash for claiming their college-age children on their taxes since the $500 extra benefit is only credited for children under 16. Parents delinquent in paying child support Having debt does not in itself disqualify Americans from receiving stimulus checks. Those who owe back taxes can still qualify for a payment, but those who owe child support could have their amount reduced or eliminated entirely, according to a Medium post by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. Social Security beneficiaries and others who dont typically file tax returns Americans collecting Social Security are typically not required to file tax returns, but the IRS is advising them to do so if they want to receive stimulus cash since the benefits are being doled out based on prior year tax returns -- either 2019 for those who have already filed or 2018 tax returns. The same holds true for other groups of people who dont normally file yearly tax returns. People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment, the IRS says. Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax. EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene School District 4J plans to hold a virtual board meeting Wednesday to discuss the interim superintendent hiring process. The board is slated to declare the superintendent position vacancy and approve a process for appointing a candidate this spring. Last month, Superintendent Gustavo Balderas announced his decision to leave 4J and take a superintendent position for the Edmonds School District in Washington. RELATED: BALDERAS LEAVING 4J FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENT JOB 4J leaders said they are in search of an interim superintendent for the 2020-2021 school year. Officials said finding a permanent replacement at this time could be difficult because the best time of the year to hire is over winter break. Wednesday's board meeting to discuss the hiring process begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public through on a livestream on the district's website. The public can send in comments via email to board@4j.lane.edu with the subject line "Public Comment." This is the first in a new series that looks at how childrens bookstores are responding to the needs of their communities at a time when many are closed to the public because of the pandemic. For indie booksellers its not exactly a case of go big or go home, where many of their customers are already self-isolating, but of showing their commitment to the community during the pandemic. This is our moment as indie businesses, said Cynthia Compton, PW blogger and owner of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Ind., outside of Indianapolis. We always talk about how we are part of the community we serve, and how we want customers to shop local. This is when the rubber hits the road. After Indiana governor Eric Holcomb asked non-essential businesses to close last week, Compton sent her staffers home with tablets so that they could access the stores POS system, answer emails and Facebook and Instagram messages, and respond to website queries and orders. Last week, Compton pulled orders in the morning and delivered them in the afternoon. This week, she added additional delivery services, which she finds less expensive and safer than shipping. With Amazon warehouses right here in town, she noted, we are very conscious of our competition. So we need to be both more personal and more prompt in our service. Many of Comptons customers are looking for workbooks and supplementary educational items. But shes also doing well with fiction, puzzles, games, and treats for kids who are home without their friends and activities. And many customers are requesting the same types of items that they purchased pre-Covid-19: birthday bags with wrapped gifts, balloons, glitter, birthday blowers, and a paper crown. The store is also starting to get orders for Easter baskets and gifts, enough that Compton has set up a basket station in the back room. But 4 Kids is only one of a number of bookstores and toy stores that have risen to the challenge of finding new ways to connect with customers: on social media and more old school by phone. At Books of Wonders two locations in New York City, owner Peter Glassman is working on maintaining the stores school book fairs that had been slated for the spring. Local school P.S. 187, which serves K8 students, is going digital with its April 1325 book fair. Since the stores book fairs often have an online component so that busy parents can make time to attend, Books of Wonder has found it relatively easy to transition them to online-only. But, Glassman warned, if you havent done an online book fair before, theres a lot of prep involved. And that prep is even more time-consuming as he tries to keep up with publishers like HMH shutting their warehouses because of the coronavirus. Even so, Glassman is hoping to convert more upcoming book fairs, both public and private, to online only. Glassman has also been transferring in-store events online, like upcoming virtual launches with Marisa Kanter (What I Like About You, Simon & Schuster) and Claribel Ortegas (Ghost Squad, Scholastic Press) on April 6 on Instagram and April 7 on YouTube, respectively. As the stores selling has moved to online-only (with a few phone calls, too), online sales have jumped 40% over the past two weeks. Although Glassman tries to ship as many orders out from his W. 84th St. store as possible, if he doesnt have the requested book or several titles in a multi-book order, he uses Ingrams Direct to Home service to fulfill the order rather than hold up the shipment. At Eagle Eye Books in Decatur, Ga., marketing and merchandise manager Jamille Christman said that currently most kids sales are for educational titles. Even the picture books, which dominate call-in requests, are educational, like Katie Daynes What Are Germs? (Usborne). Online childrens workbooks have proved popular, with some disappearing almost as fast as toilet paper from grocery store shelves. Last week, the store received a shipment from Workman and immediately sold out of the first grade Brain Quest workbook. Eagle Eye, which offers curbside pickup, has also tried discounting its gift cards to boost sales. But that hasnt been a successful tactic, largely, Christman explained, because customers are buying the cards regardless of the discount. In fact some people request that the store not give them a discount, since they want the full price to go back to Eagle Eye. We are truly humbled by the amount of love and support we have seen, she added. Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinneys bookstore, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass., has also seen an uptick in nonfiction for kids, which could be related to homeschooling, said general manager Deb Sundin. And like Books of Wonder, it has begun experimenting with virtual events, starting last Friday with Virtual Trivia, which drew nearly 1,600 registered participants for the free event. The store is in the midst of scheduling virtual events with authors and providing other types of content online. Our whole team, Sundin said, is working on ways we can help our community, from making protective masks to holding virtual storytimes and more events. Jeff is committed to having the store make a real difference during this unprecedented time. Were confident that we will come out of this stronger than before. The IRS and the Treasury Department say Americans will start receiving their economic impact checks in the next three weeks. The payments are part of the $2.2 trillion rescue package signed into law last week by President Donald Trump aimed at combating the economic ravages of the coronavirus outbreak. Most people dont need to do anything to get the money. But some including senior citizens and low-income people who might not traditionally file tax returns do need to take action. People behind on filing their taxes might also want to get caught up. The IRS and Treasury have provided more details on how to ensure you get paid. Here are the basics: WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE PAYMENTS? Anyone earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive a $1,200 payment. That means married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment $2,400 if their adjusted gross income, which is what you report on your taxes, is under $150,000. The payment steadily declines for those who make more. Those earning more than $99,000, or $198,000 for joint filers, are not eligible. The thresholds are slightly different for those who file as a head of household. Parents will also receive $500 for each qualifying child. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET THE CHECK? For most people, nothing. The money will be directly deposited in your bank account if the government has that information from your tax return. If you havent filed your 2019 taxes, the government will use information from your 2018 taxes to calculate your payment and determine where to send it. It can use your Social Security benefit statement as well. I DONT USUALLY HAVE TO FILE TAXES. DO I STILL GET A PAYMENT? Yes. People who are not required to file a tax return such as low-income tax payers, some senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and people with disabilities will need to file a very simplified tax return to receive the economic impact payment. It provides the government basic details including a persons filing status, number of dependents and direct-deposit bank information. I HAVENT FILED MY 2018 OR 2019 TAXES. WILL I STILL GET A PAYMENT? Yes, but the IRS urges anyone required to file a tax return and who has not yet done so for those years to file as soon as possible in order to receive an economic impact payment. Taxpayers should include their direct-deposit banking information on the return if they want it deposited in their account. I DIDNT USE DIRECT DEPOSIT ON MY TAXES, WHAT CAN I DO? The government will default to sending you the check by mail if you did not use direct deposit. However, IRS and Treasury say that they will develop an online portal in the coming weeks for individuals to provide their banking information so that they can receive the payments immediately instead of in the mail. It has not yet set a deadline for updating that information. WHERE DO I DO THIS? The IRS and Treasury say the website irs.gov/coronavirus will soon provide information about the check, including how people can file a simple 2019 tax return. I NEED MORE TIME TO FILE MY TAX RETURNS. HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO GET THE PAYMENT? The IRS says people concerned about visiting a tax professional or local community organization in person to get help with a tax return should not worry. The economic impact payments will be available throughout the rest of 2020. Since mid-January, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has joined the world-wide effort to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the COVID-19 disease. Acting as Genomic First Responders, TGen, an affiliate of City of Hope, is using advanced biomedical technologies to study this disease while also working to help establish a statewide tracking network for COVID-19. In early March -- after receiving Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its genomic-based test -- TGen began working with federal, state, county and tribal governments, private healthcare providers and others to expand testing for COVID-19 in Arizona; part of a concerted effort to get out in front of this global health threat. TGen's CLIA lab can now process up to 300 samples per day for its clinical testing. In addition, TGen is receiving patient respiratory samples daily in cases where other lung diseases have been ruled out to get some idea of the general population incidence of the virus. TGen is also conducting analysis of samples from suspected and symptomatic individuals for COVID-19 from select communities, including Native American communities; and special populations, such as long-term healthcare centers and even jail populations, to help provide support to these often-underserved groups who are most in need. Finally, through TGen, Arizona is moving to establish a comprehensive public health testing program for high-risk but asymptomatic individuals, such as healthcare workers on the first line of defense in combatting this pandemic, who could be a dangerous reservoir for the virus. In fact, high-risk asymptomatic individuals are more likely to contribute to the infection rates than symptomatic individuals, since symptomatic individuals are less likely to be out in public. This approach being pioneered at TGen has many advantages and could benefit the healthcare system by: Determining how widespread COVID-19 is within Arizona. Identifying emerging hotspots as they occur. Assisting in efforts to contain and prevent the disease. TGen has increased testing capacity Importantly, TGen tests were designed to not rely on the same "supply chain" as the federal government's COVID-19 test kits. While this is an advantage for conducting the actual tests, TGen and other centers still face sample-collection issues, such as not having enough sample swabs. Regardless, TGen has a robust capacity to conduct COVID-19 testing, which is being scaled up. And, performing tests in Arizona reduces the time to report back results, compared to having to send samples outside of the state for testing. Importantly, TGen is not administering tests to the general public, but is analyzing samples from public-health and healthcare entities. Individuals who are concerned they might have the COVID-19 coronavirus should work with their doctors and healthcare providers. "We are not only able to answer the call for the State of Arizona, but also for others, as well," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, President and Research Director of TGen. Following a decade as Scientific Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he founded non-profit TGen, headquartered in downtown Phoenix, in 2002 with the help of Arizona government agencies, the business community and private contributions. "TGen joins with the international scientific community and others in this battle to protect the health of people across Arizona and throughout the nation." TGen tests based on precision medicine We are constantly in pursuit of precision medicine, providing unparalleled capacity, accuracy and speed at a time when all of these qualities are essential in beating back the global health threat posed by emerging diseases like COVID-19." Dr. David Engelthaler, Co-Director of TGen's Pathogen and Microbiome Division (infectious diseases) in Flagstaff To cover the initial costs of its efforts, TGen has received support of $100,000 each from: the non-profit NARBHA Institute, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, and two private foundations -- the Flinn Foundation and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. Prosecutors said a man suspicious of the Navy hospital ship Mercy crashed a train near it on Tuesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) Federal prosecutors charged a locomotive driver at the Port of Los Angeles with intentionally derailing a train near the U.S. Navys hospital ship Mercy because he suspected it was not there to help with the coronavirus crisis. Eduardo Moreno, 44, of San Pedro, was charged with deliberately wrecking a train during the incident Tuesday, which lead to a derailment and fuel leak, according to charges. Prosecutors allege that Moreno derailed the train and deliberately crashed through barriers designed to stop engines before grinding to a halt 250 yards from the Mercy. Firefighters and a hazmat team took care of the incident without an explosion or injury. According to an affidavit, a California Highway Patrol officer saw the crash and took Moreno into custody at the scene. Moreno reportedly said, You only get this chance once. The whole world is watching. I had to. People dont know whats going on here. Now they will." Moreno used a locomotive used to move cargo to barrel through a steel barrier and chain-link fence before eventually ending up in a second chain-link fence, according to the court filing. Prosecutors allege that during an interview he admitted he ran the train beyond the track because he believed the Mercy was part of suspicious activities involving the coronavirus. Sometimes you just get a little snap and man, it was fricking exciting . . . I just had it and I was committed. I just went for it, I had one chance, Moreno said when interviewed by authorities. According to the affidavit, he said he thought his act would bring media attention and people could see for themselves, referring to the Mercy. He could not be reached for comment. Such a charge upon conviction can result in up to 20 years in prison. The Mercy arrived at the port of Los Angeles last week. The Mercy has roughly 800 medical staffers, 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms. The ship will house patients who do not have COVID-19 in an attempt to free up regional hospital beds for those who do. Some patients who are already hospitalized in Los Angeles County will be transferred to the ship for ongoing treatment, port officials said Thursday. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. With the coronary pandemic, many public places have already had to close their doors in several European countries, including circuits. Several races have been cancelled or postponed and the next step is to close more and more circuits, including the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Protect In order to protect visitors and employees, the Red Bull Ring has decided to close its doors. This means that it is no longer allowed to drive on the track as an 'experience', the fan shop will be closed and tours will be suspended. The result is no more visitors and so the hotel and restaurant also close their doors for some time. The driving experience can't take place by order of the government, so the circuit states. So it makes little sense to keep the doors open. The same goes for all other things and activities that apply around the circuit, however, the managements work will continue. They are currently looking at a new planning for the circuit. They are keeping a close eye on the current situation and are in contact with the government to implement all necessary measures, as the circuit announces in a press release. All events that will take place later in the year are not under pressure for the time being. The government regulations concerning the limited implementation of activities in Austria are in force until 13 April. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rina Chandran (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Bangkok, Thailand Wed, April 1, 2020 16:45 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206eef2de 2 SE Asia coronavirus,COVID-19,quarantine,stay-at-home,Hotel,camps,Asia,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2 Free As Asian countries look to slow coronavirus infection rates among citizens returning home from overseas, quarantine facilities - ranging from crowded camps to luxury hotels - have exposed inequalities in access to space across the region. Nearly 800,000 people have been infected across the world and more than 38,800 have died, according to a Reuters tally. While millions living in slums wait out lockdowns in cramped homes, Asian governments are also trying to accommodate tens of thousands of returnees who must be quarantined to limit infections, using military camps, hospital wards and hotels. "When the Singapore government asked Singaporeans and residents to return home, we thought that those returning residents would require alternative accommodation," said Tan Shin Hui, executive director of the Park Hotel Group, which is allowing some of their hotel rooms to be used for quarantine. "To minimize health risks for their loved ones, serving the 14-day stay at home notice period away from them is probably the best way," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Wednesday. Singapore, which has been praised by the World Health Organization for its handling of the pandemic, requires returnees from the United States and Britain to serve out the quarantine in designated facilities that are fully paid for. As guests cannot leave their rooms, meals are delivered to their door, and the hotels offer laundry and personal shopping services, Tan said. Guests are required to check in with the government once a day, and surveillance cameras are monitored to ensure guests remain in their rooms. Marcus Chua, who was checked into a luxury hotel on his return to Singapore from Washington last week, has posted pictures on social media of his meals and of his room that he said was very "Crazy Rich Asians", referring to the hit 2018 movie set in Singapore. "I would have had to keep away from people anyway in this period and may have put people at home at risk. This is a much more comfortable way to do it," he said. "It's also a brilliant idea to keep open hotels that may have otherwise had to close and lay off staff," he added. A few hotels in Thailand and Indonesia are offering 14-day quarantine packages so guests can "isolate in comfort", and a hotel in Sydney is offering a Home Away from Home package. Vietnam is sending tens of thousands of overseas citizens returning home to camps where they share a room with 10 to 20 others, while Hong Kong has designated three public housing blocks for quarantining high-risk cases. Meanwhile, some returnees in India who were forced to quarantine in hospital isolation wards and army facilities have posted pictures online of filthy toilets. Some have even fled their accommodations, saying they feared getting infected. "The government was simply not prepared" said Sanghita Bhattacharyya, a senior specialist at non-profit the Public Health Foundation of India. "The pandemic has shown the inadequacies of public health systems in countries that were not prepared to deal with such numbers, and have had to come up with solutions fast," she said. C ontroversial plans to conduct trials without juries during the coronavirus crisis have been dropped by the Scottish government. The proposals, which had been due for consideration today, faced a strong backlash across the legal sector with former Justice Secretary Michael Gove denouncing them as deeply concerning. In response, Constitution Secretary Mike Russell told Holyrood this morning the plans have been removed from the Coronavirus Scotland Bill at the last minute. He promised an intensive and wide-ranging discussion with all parties who use the courts, including victims groups, adding that the Scottish Government plans to bring more legislation later this month which will focus on how the justice system will function during the pandemic. A 55-year-old man committed suicide by allegedly shooting himself using a gun belonging to his son, who is a Village Defence Committee (VDC) member, in a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Wednesday, police said. Devinder Kumar (55), a resident of Himote village under Bhalra police post in Bhadarwah belt, committed suicide by shooting himself with his son's gun in the afternoon, they said. SDPO Bhadarwah Aadil Rishu said they got information around 3 pm that Devinder had shot himself using his son's gun and died on the spot. A police team reached the spot and sent the body to SDH Bhadarwah for post-mortem, the SDPO said. He added that an FIR has been registered and an investigation in the incident has been initiated at Bhadarwah police station. The Village Defence Committees (VDCs) act as self-defence forces in rural areas and supplement efforts of the armed forces to curb militancy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, April 1 : Christian Michel, lodged in Tihar jail, an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam on Wednesday sought interim bail from Supreme Court in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. He cited the apex courts recent order granting bail to undertrial prisoners to decongest the overcrowded prisons. A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, in a hearing through video conferencing, asked Michel to seek interim bail in the case from the Delhi High Court. Advocate Aljo K Joseph, representing Michel, said without going into the merits of the case, the court asked Michel to move Delhi High Court for bail. Michel moved the apex court stating that the High Court did not give him a hearing on the bail plea. Last week, he had moved the High Court seeking interim bail. Michel, who is 59 years old, said age and a pre-existing bad state of health will make the applicant more susceptible to infection than any other prisoner with a normal health condition. Further, the presence within prisons of subjects who have tested positive for COVID-19 poses a threat to the applicant considering his existing health condition and age. In view of the present situation and any contingencies that may arise as a result of the over-crowded prisons during the current pandemic, it is necessary that the court may consider the plight of Christian Michel and persons similarly placed. He said that he is in judicial custody since the date of his arrest and his further incarceration, it is submitted, would amount to violation of human rights, more particularly in view of the foregoing facts, when his presence can be ensured during the trial before this court by imposing other reasonable conditions. As such, it would be far-fetched to say that he is likely to jump bail. Michel was extradited from Dubai last year and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged irregularities in the chopper deal. While the CBI is probing his alleged role in the deal as a "middleman", the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money laundering charges against him. New Covid curbs in UP: Government and private employees to work at 50 per cent capacity Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Contacts of confirmed cases don't need to get tested unless identified as high risk: Govt Nizamuddin Markaz attendee attempts suicide, tries to jump from 6th floor of Delhi hospital India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Aprl 01: A man who had attended the religious gathering at Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin amid the coronavirus outbreak attempted suicide on Wednesday. The man tried to jump from the sixth floor of the hospital. "People from Markaz Nizamuddin were admitted on 6th floor. One of them tried to commit suicide today. We successfully saved him," said the administration of Delhi's Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. More than 5,000 of those identified to have attended the congregation have been quarantined, including in hospitals across states, while efforts are on to trace another 2,000 including in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Coronavirus: Asia's largest slum Dharavi reports first casuality The list includes foreigners as well, while some of those identified by the state authorities are yet to return from Delhi to their respective native places. Authorities attributed the big spike in the numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases largely to the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox Muslim society set up nearly 100 years ago by Deobandi Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalawi as a religious reform movement and to spread the faith. The Ministry officials said cases have increased largely due to Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which took place in mid-March, and therefore technically it does not show a national trend. They urged people to follow guidelines during lockdown period and avoid congregations, including religious gatherings. It may be the global day for pranks but with the world under assault from the deadly coronavirus pandemic many governments on Wednesday were warning against virus-themed April Fools' jokes -- some even threatening jail. The April 1 tradition sees families, web users and corporations embrace practical jokes. But few are in the mood as the global death toll mounts and billions remain under some form of lockdown. Google, a company renowned for its elaborate annual stunts, told its employees it would "take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic," according to an internal email obtained by Business Insider. The deadly outbreak has already been accompanied by a deluge of online misinformation, making it harder for governments to keep their citizens safe. Some are now threatening jail for virus pranks. Taiwan, which has been held up as a model for how to tackle an outbreak, warned people who spread false rumours that they faced up to three years in jail and a TW$3 million fine ($100,000). "On April Fools' Day we can exercise our sense of humour if we have to but we can't make jokes on the pandemic to avoid breaking the law," President Tsai Ing-wen posted on Facebook alongside a photo of one of her cats. "I wish everybody not only a humorous but also healthy and safe April Fools' Day." The island's health ministry has also been using an official "spokesdog" called Zongchai to make public statements. "Zongchai asks you not to make any pranks on the outbreak. Please be considerate to the frontline workers on epidemic prevention," one post on the ministry's Facebook page said on Wednesday next to a photo of the popular shiba inu. Thailand was taking a similarly hard line, threatening up to five years in jail. "It's against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools' Day," the government said on Twitter. "There may be people who do not have good intentions... who may use April 1 or April Fools' Day and assume they will not face legal action," Krissana Pattanacharoen, deputy national police spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday. In India, where disinformation -- especially on Whatsapp -- remains a pervasive problem, politicians made similar appeals. "The state govt won't allow anyone to spread rumours/panic on #Corona," tweeted Maharashtra state's home minister Anil Deshmukh. "We urge citizens to verify information and only share messages from trusted sources and not fall for fake news," Pranay Ashok, a spokesman for Mumbai Police, told AFP, adding that anyone found spreading fake news would be prosecuted. Many well-known brands with a prior track record of jumping on the annual bandwagon were steering clear of the tradition this year. James Herring, from London-based PR agency Taylor Herring, had the following warning. "Tip for any PR agencies planning an April Fools Day stunt," he wrote last week on Twitter. "Just. Don't."' April Fools' Day may be a tradition but this year few are in the mood as the global death toll mounts and billions remain under some form of lockdown A man has been charged following a seizure of suspected heroin in Cork. Gardai said the drugs were seized during a Covid-19 checkpoint on the M8 motorway in Fermoy on March 31. A spokesperson said: Shortly after midnight, gardai from the Fermoy District stopped a car while conducting a Covid-19 checkpoint on the M8 at Gortore. The passenger in the car, a man in his 30s, was searched and was found to be in possession of 70,000 of suspected heroin in his jacket, divided into four large bags. The drugs seized have been sent for technical analysis. Gardai said the man was arrested at the scene and brought to Fermoy Garda Station where he was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. They added he has since been charged and is due to appear before the courts at a later date. "During these Covid-19 checkpoints, An Garda Siochana continues in a phase of engaging, educating and encouraging the public to be compliant with Government and HSE public health measures, said Superintendent John Deasy. Whilst we are doing that, we are also preventing and detecting crime at this challenging time. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] TC Motor has said that it will halt vehicle production in the northern province of Ninh Binh from April 1 to 15 over concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. A production line of TC Motor This makes TC Motor the third automaker in Vietnam to suspend operations, following Ford Vietnam and Toyota Motor Vietnam on March 26 and 30, respectively. A TC Motor representative said the car maker is working with State management and health agencies in all localities to keep a close watch on the situations to devise safety measures. Previously, TC Motor had introduced measures to maintain production and supply for customers amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea, the main source of supply for many Huyndai models. The firm also asked most of its administrative employees to work from home and applied preventive measures for those who come to the workplace. TC Motor pledged to ensure rights and benefits of employees during the suspension, and is ready to resume operation when the pandemic is under control. In a document assessing the pandemics impacts on the Vietnamese automotive industry sent to the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Finance, and Transport, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) said many spare part and vehicle manufacturers will be directly affected by many countries decision to lock down one or more areas and even the entire nation to deal with COVID-19. This will mean many enterprises will have to adjust their production plans, and even consider closing their factories temporarily until the pandemic is repelled./. YPSILANTI, MI Health clinics across the state and country have been opening drive-through coronavirus testing stations for people who think they might be infected, and at one Ann Arbor site, Eastern Michigan Universitys IHA Health center is contributing to the effort. But, its not just IHA nurses and physicians that are helping. Nursing students at EMU are helping in any way they can, which includes taking phone calls, creating screening charts, managing testing tents and even swabbing those who are sick. An EMU spokesperson said 245 students, faculty and alumni have volunteered to help. Traci Hamilton, director of clinical services at IHA, said they have only had to use a couple of the volunteers, but that more could be called upon as the situation continues to intensify. I expect, day-to-day as we watch going through this pandemic, if we need to open more test sites in the community, then I would have to call on them even more, Hamilton said. Graduate students who are licensed registered nurses have the ability to swab patients who drive up to the tent, EMU said. If undergraduate students are needed, they would serve as traffic control directors and runners, taking samples from the tent to the lab, according to EMU. Sunmeet Chawla, a graduate student at EMU from Canton Township, said she knew a lot of hospitals were facing shortages and thought her assistance would be needed. I think nurses are the frontline workers and we deal with this kind of stuff at work, Chawla said. I think its a good thing that Im doing this to help people because not everybody wants to do this. Chawla said volunteers sign up for shifts and IHA calls them if theyre needed. Volunteers work in a five-hour block and perform duties depending on whether theyre licensed or not. The last time she was there, Chawla and another worker were swabbing patients who drove up to the tent while other staff members checked in the patients. Chawla said people who come to the tent are fearful they might be infected. They ask a lot of questions, but Chawla and the other employees might not have all the answers. Everything is changing by the hour, so it has opened my eyes in the sense that it is serious. It is a real thing, Chawla said. Every time I come in contact with people who say, Oh, its just like the flu, I try to educate them. Robert Marshall, a graduate student in EMUs nursing program from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said he simply wanted to help and learn the sampling procedure. He said hes been helping to organize specimens and coordinate them with paperwork. Marshall said his program has lost a lot of resources, but his instructors have shown they truly care about his learning. We get daily briefings and opportunities like IHAs test sites where we can learn and grow as practitioners. It gives me hope, Marshall said. Sherry Bumpus, director of nursing operations at EMU, said the nursing program has been working with the universitys Interprofessional Education program to hold pandemic planning events for a few years. In January and February, the nursing program began to have conversations about the new coronavirus in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak first started. I think all of us knew that it was coming here and we were kind of watching and being very concerned, Bumpus said. After a few meetings around spring break, a Google sign-up form was created and sent to faculty and graduate students who are registered nurses, as well as alumni and two-year degree nurses. Within 72 hours, Bumpus said she had over 400 responses. After screening all of the responses for who would qualify to help, Bumpus said they had 256 volunteers ready to go. The hope was that maybe we would have 20, Bumpus said. I just could not believe it. Bumpus said they have 77 graduate nurses at EMU and almost all have signed up to help, adding that because theyre already nurses, they have a better sense of who they are as health care workers and understand how to approach these situations. Once you become a nurse and you understand your skill set, theres a different level of comfort with attacking these types of situations, Bumpus said, and theres also the desire to know that youre the person who can make a difference here. Were the people who are needed. While EMU has called for volunteers to step up, Middleton said Chawla and Marshall have been hired by IHA. She said the pay rate is confidential, but they would also receive malpractice coverage. Michigans case count is still on the rise heading into the fourth week of the coronavirus crisis, with nearly 7,615 confirmed cases as of Tuesday and 259 related deaths. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. MORE: Eastern Michigan University instructor tests positive for coronavirus Eastern Michigan University student tests positive for coronavirus Eastern Michigan University postpones commencement, encourages students to go home University of Michigan ramping down research activities amid coronavirus outbreak Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone on Tuesday called for expanded U.S. military assistance to Armenia and the immediate suspension in military assistance to Azerbaijan, citing the Aliyev regimes ongoing attacks against Armenia and Artsakh, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported. The United States should immediately suspend military aid to Azerbaijan until its government ceases its attacks against Armenia and Artsakh, agrees to the peaceful resolution of regional conflicts, and proves it has halted all human rights abuses, Pallone stated in his testimony to the House Armed Services Committee. We must also strive to send a more supportive signal to our regional partners currently undergoing positive, democratic transitions like Armenia by increasing security assistance and bolstering strategic cooperation between our countries. Mondays cross-border sniper fire by Azerbaijan injured two Armenian servicemen and hospitalized a child who was shot in the chest while playing on his apartment balcony. Delhi Police official said that 'ISIS terrorists' are likely to target police personnel deployed during COVID-19 duty in the capital. "Police personnel deployed at various pickets, barricades in Delhi in connection with maintaining of law and order in Delhi during the COVID-19 duty may be targeted by suspected ISIS operatives. The field staff may be briefed accordingly," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) talking to ANI. The security has been heightened across Delhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 21-day lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19. Police is making sure that citizens do not break quarantine laws. It is also helping the distraught citizens to cope with the lockdown. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brown, 59, was with the Dallas Police Department for more than 30 years, retiring as its chief in 2016. That year, five police officers were killed, and several others wounded, in an ambush-style rifle attack in downtown Dallas. Brown also found himself in the national spotlight when officers under his direction killed the suspect by deploying near him a remote-controlled robot carrying an explosive and detonating it. Claiming more than $5 million in damage has been done, a Pennsylvania woman has filed what she hopes will become a class-action federal lawsuit against York-based Rutters Inc. over a data breach. That breach, reported by the convenience store chain in February, occurred as early as September 2018 and continued through May 2019, affecting an unknown number of customers of its 70 or so stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Kathleen Johnson claims in her U.S. Middle District Court suit, without giving specifics, that some of those customers have been experiencing fraudulent credit or debit card purchases. She is asking Senior Judge Yvette Kane to declare her suit a class action that would be open to all affected Rutters customers. In a statement issued in mid-February, Rutters officials said they began investigating on Jan. 14 after finding evidence an outsider may have accessed payment card data from point-of-sale devices at some fuel pumps and inside some convenience stores. The company said car washes, ATMs and Lottery machines at Rutters stores were not affected. Rutters said malware had been installed on the payment processing systems. It reported that the only data stolen from cards inserted into the chip reader was the card number and expiration date. Identifying information and the internal verification code were not transmitted, the company said. It also provided a list of stores, including 42 in the midstate, where breaches occurred Johnson claims in her suit that Rutters was negligent in managing and monitoring its card payment system. She accuses the company of not adequately advising or aiding affected customers to protect their personal financial information. Enough data was pirated during the Rutters breach to place customers at dire risk of identity theft, Johnson contends. Her suit, filed by law firms in Philadelphia and Charleston, W. VA., states that misuse of the hacked data has already begun. Customers will have to pay out-of-pocket to shield their information and change cards and security numbers, Johnson says, and will have do their own monitoring regarding illegal use of their accounts. Those problems could persist for months or even years, she contends. The suit doesnt specify how many customers Johnson believes might be eligible to join if Kane declares the case a class-action. It seeks unspecified financial damages on claims of breach of contract, negligence and unjust enrichment. An attempt to obtain comment on the suit from Rutters wasnt immediately successful. Lori Van Buren/Times Union RENSSELAER An injunction will keep Mohawk Ambulance Services as the citys first responder for emergency calls until a court case is resolved, the Common Council president said Tuesday night. Republican Mayor Michael Stammel signed a contract with Empire Ambulance Services to replace Mohawk beginning Wednesday. Stammel had vetoed a contract extension for Mohawk that the seven-member Democratic council had approved earlier in March. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and McDaniel's uncle, lost his home state of Michigan in 2012 after opposing federal efforts to rescue the automotive industry. And Trump, by unleashing a personal attack against the state's governor in the midst of a pandemic, has sparked new fears that he, too, may be hurting himself and his party on the eve of the next election. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has expressed support for the Michigan governor. Credit:AP Michigan Representative Paul Mitchell, a Republican, said he raised concerns about Trump's political attack with the administration directly. "I did relay to the administration that I didn't think it was helpful and why play that game," Mitchell said in an interview. "These are times when the American people look for leaders. Leaders don't whine. Leaders don't blame." He said he raised similar concerns with Whitmer's office, suggesting that her criticisms about the federal response have not necessarily been accurate. "This is not the time where we need more drama in this country," Mitchell said. While political fights are common for Trump, Whitmer's rise in Democratic politics has been defined by her decision usually not to attack the president. Whitmer, a 48-year-old longtime state legislator and attorney, ran for governor as a pragmatic liberal, emphasising her bipartisan work while pledging to fix Michigan's crumbling roads. She rarely talked about Trump before the election or after. When she gave Democrats' response to Trump's State of the Union speech in February, she pivoted from his impeachment to issues concerning working-class voters, including health care, and made only passing references to his behaviour. But as a frequent guest on national media in recent weeks, Whitmer has criticised the federal response while pleading for ventilators, personal protection equipment and test kits as Michigan has emerged as one of the hardest-hit states. Republicans were especially upset after she implied during a Friday radio interview that the Trump administration was intentionally withholding medical supplies from Michigan. In a weekend tweet storm as the coronavirus death toll surged, Trump called her "Gretchen 'Half' Whitmer," charging that she was in "way over her head" and "doesn't have a clue" about how to handle the health crisis. Two days earlier, Trump said publicly that he had instructed Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the White House's pandemic response, not to call "the woman in Michigan." Loading Trump has since deleted the tweet. And in a press briefing on Tuesday, he said he had a productive conversation with Whitmer earlier in the day. The governor, too, has backed away from the feud this week as the state grapples with the escalating crisis. Michigan reported more than 7600 cases of coronavirus and 259 deaths as of Tuesday. In a statement, Whitmer declared that her "No. 1 priority is protecting Michigan families from the spread of COVID-19." "I don't care about partisan fights or getting nicknames from the president," she said. Yet Trump's initial fiery response - and the scramble to contain it - is nothing if not consistent. The former New York real estate magnate has showed he cannot help but respond with force when criticised. As first lady Melania Trump noted four years ago, "When you attack him he will punch back 10 times harder." In this case, however, allies quietly note that he did not consider the likely political ramifications in a state he badly needs to win in November. "Anyone with half a brain can see that attacking an incredibly popular governor who's showing real leadership during a crisis is not a net plus," said John Anzalone, whose firm handles polling for Whitmer and former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign. Biden has stood up for Whitmer repeatedly in recent days. On Tuesday evening, Biden's senior adviser Anita Dunn reinforced Biden's support for the governor, who she said "is fighting hard for her state and setting an example for leaders across the nation." "Joe Biden prays that Donald Trump can find the strength to live up to her example," Dunn said. Meanwhile, it was difficult to find a Michigan Republican willing to defend Trump's behaviour. Counselled to be more cautious: President Donald Trump. Credit:AP A spokeswoman for Republican state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey had this to say when asked about Trump's declaration that Pence should not call Whitmer: "The Senate majority leader believes everyone is coping with an unusual amount of stress during this time." The clash was particularly sensitive because of the evolving nature of gender politics in the Trump era. Suburban women, including many Republicans, have increasingly fled Trump's GOP, enabling major Democratic victories across the country in 2018 and 2019. His decision to single out Whitmer came the same week he attacked another high- profile Michigan woman, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, whom he jabbed for not working fast enough to help the government produce ventilators. "Always a mess with Mary B," Trump tweeted. Trump's team hopes to repair the relationship with suburban women before Election Day, at least somewhat, in a state that matters more than most. Democrats will not make it easy. "It's sad but not shocking that President Trump has attacked Governor Whitmer for doing her job. He clearly has a problem with strong, competent women," said Stephanie Schriock, president of the group EMILY'S List, which helps elect women who support abortion rights. Meanwhile, Republican Bill Schuette, whom Whitmer defeated in 2018, praised Trump's leadership managing the pandemic but also said "we need to lay down the politics" in response to questions about the president's divisive comments and her performance during the crisis. "This is not a time for partisanship," Schuette said. "This is a time of working together in an open, honest fashion. That's what people expect and deserve, particularly in a time of crisis." In the heart of Gurugram, next to the HUDA City Centre metro station, currently not in operation because of the 21-day national lockdown, a couple of policemen walk up to Fortis Hospital because one of them has a fever. They are guided to the flu clinic on the ground floor through a separate passage marked with cones for suspected patients, who have to wear an orange wristband. Every person who enters the hospital undergoes a check for fever and is required to declare travel history. Those who are cleared are given a green band and those with fever, cough and cold wear the ... Manila (CNN Philippines Life) Tucked inside Ateneo de Manila Universitys sprawling campus, a quiet, simple building stands, radiating a serenity one might find in a monastery. At the Loyola School of Theology, you will find a different breed of students: mostly men, dressed in sandals and plain clothes, on their way to becoming Catholic priests; and a handful of religious sisters, often covered in habits and forming a small fraction of the student population. Once in a blue moon, you get someone like Johanne Arceo, standing out in the hushed, religious atmosphere a laywoman studying systematic theology who, during our interview, wore a white shift dress; painted red nails; and a warm, vibrant smile. Yet, the moment she began talking about the work she does, she quickly turned serious. A part-time theology lecturer at the ADMU and an assistant director at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, Arceo wants to be seen as someone who works not only for the Church, but with the Church. While she acknowledges that the Church functions because of women sisters teaching in private Catholic schools, nuns decorating churches and maintaining retreat houses, laywomen running the administrative tasks for priests in parishes she knows that the Philippine Catholic Church still has a long way to go until its members see her not only as a service provider, but as a decision-maker a leader. Johanne Arceo is a part-time theology lecturer at the Ateneo De Manila University and an assistant director at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute. Photo by NICOLE SORIANO In the 2000-year old history of the Catholic Church, formal theological education for women did not exist until 1943, when a sister decided to open the Graduate School of Sacred Theology at St. Marys College, Indiana. Roughly two decades later, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, which sought to break through the rigid walls of the Church and engage with the modern world. One of its constitutions, Gaudium et Spes, stressed the need to eradicate every type of discrimination, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language or religion. Among the almost 3,000 attendees of the council, only 23 women were allowed to participate. Still, it was a breakthrough for women in the Church. In the years succeeding Vatican II, popes addressed the dignity of women in their speeches and documents, acknowledging womens newfound power and influence in public life. By the 1980s, the feminist movement had made waves around the world, paving the way for different, distinct voices to be heard such as feminist theologians, fighting to resist the Churchs deep-rooted patriarchal traditions across all continents. In 1990, almost 50 years since the first graduate theology school for women opened in Indiana, the Philippines opened its doors to women seeking degree programs in theology at the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies. Today, though they still cannot preach homilies, and the Church is still largely dominated by the decisions of men, some women are working hard to influence Filipinos faiths where they can: inside classrooms and lecture halls. As religious educators, they hold the power to mold the minds of the youth and next generation of Church leaders, bonded by a common goal to build a more diverse, inclusive Church from within. Bringing inclusivity and experience to the classroom For several of the women, working for inclusivity means making their classrooms a safe, open space, where atheists, agnostics, and students who had long felt marginalized by the Church are encouraged to contribute to the discussions. Observing that many young Filipinos had grown up with an image of a legalistic God associated with guilt and fear, Arceo strives to counter this image by really listening to her students struggles, and introducing them to a God with a more compassionate face. Dr. Rachel Sanchez, an assistant theology professor at the ADMU, says listening to these diverse perspectives is what makes educating enriching for her. Because its not just preaching to the choir. We get more voices and more insights... My task as an educator of theology is not to convince people to have the same belief, but to create a venue and facilitate a process where transformation and growth can happen. Though they come from different backgrounds and generations, these women share another similar conviction in the classroom: to teach a theology grounded in lived experience, not detached from the realities of the world. Dr. Agnes Brazal, professor at the De La Salle University, and Sr. Helen Graham, an American Maryknoll sister and biblical scholar, were both activists during the Marcos era. Brazal says that her experience during this time heightened her sensitivity to the presence of unjust and repressive structures, both within society and the Church influencing her to promote interdisciplinary conversations in the academe that build bridges and connect peoples. Graham shared how the death of her friend Puri Pedro, a martial law victim, moved her to write an entire book on the persecution passage found in the Gospel of Mark. Dr. Agnes Brazal is a theology professor at the De La Salle University. Photo courtesy of DR. AGNES BRAZAL Wrestling with clericalism and patriarchy While these rich, dynamic engagements with their faith traditions bring invaluable meaning to their lived experiences, the women were upfront and honest about the difficulties they face rooted in the Churchs clericalism and patriarchal culture that have, alas, also crept into their lives. Arceo mentioned how she once reached out to a priest holding a high position in a school to express her desire to contribute to the formation of priests only to be told that she was at a great disadvantage, because she was lay and a woman. Brazal similarly mentioned how a male theologian once told her that she needed a PhD just for her voice to be heard. Such mindsets have subtly been ingrained in women as well. Dr. Maricel Ibita, a biblical scholar teaching theology at the ADMU, shared how, after being invited to substitute for a scriptures class, she overheard a woman in the ladies room expressing her doubts about having a laywoman take over the class. Absorbing the image of a docile and respectful Filipina growing up, Sanchez admitted that she still struggles with an instinct to defer to authority today causing her internal conflict when she feels the urge to speak out against what is wrong or unfair to people she ought to obey. But we all know that women in the Philippines were not always seen this way. In the pre-colonial era, women priestesses, or the babaylan, were respected leaders for their spiritual and healing powers. Even during the Spanish colonial period, folk religious processions such as the Santacruzan, which still continues today, featured strong women personalities from scripture and Christian history. According to Brazal, these liberating symbols of women are what feminist theologians in the Philippines strive to recover and reclaim. Dr. Maricel Ibita is a biblical scholar teaching theology at the Ateneo De Manila University. Photo courtesy of DR. MARICEL IBITA Because in truth, the Church has much to lose when it plays deaf to womens voices and perspectives. Graham says that there are crucial ways women read biblical texts that men would never see opening up another, necessary dimension to their meaning. Dr. Malou Ibita, a biblical scholar teaching theology at the DLSU (and Maricel's twin sister), mentions how Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus leading disciples, has long been known in popular culture as a prostitute, even if no biblical text exists to support that claim. She sees her story as a woman who was, in our contemporary language, slut-shamed. She believes it is crucial to debunk the myth of Mary Magdalene, because until today women are still reduced and shamed, particularly when people are threatened by their ability to lead in society. Arceo similarly mentions the story of Mary Magdalene, shedding light on her courage for being the first to approach Jesus dead body, when all the other apostles were too afraid. She thinks this is symbolic of what women bring to the faith: I feel like theres a reason why it was emphasized in the Bible, how the first people who witnessed the empty tomb were women... A lot of our faiths decrees come from that. If youre not a witness to the resurrection, if youre not a witness to the dead body on the cross, all of the other theologies are just ideologies. Why they stay Yet, despite the struggles they face, these women choose to stay. Arceo says she finds fulfillment in wrestling with difficult faith questions with herself and her students, even when there are no clear-cut answers. She credits her faith for molding her self-identity, and tries to look at the Church the way she believes God sees human beings with unconditional love. I know that there is goodness in the Church that is hidden underneath its flaws. There is a real goodness in the Church that Ive personally experienced, which has led me to discover my own goodness. Sr. Helen Graham with the Ibita twins Maricel and Malou. Photo courtesy of SR. HELEN GRAHAM And even within a restrictive culture, they still enjoy the freedom to speak out, be independent, and do their work. In this very strict kind of church, we have great leeway. Its kind of a paradox... We can get away with being different, says Graham, who is not willing to give up teaching the tradition she loves for anyone. Its my Church, my faith tradition, my community. Its bigger than any official person, any pope, whoever and I have as much right to belong in it as they do. Holding on to glimpses of hope for the future, several of the women pointed out the important work not only of women, but also of men who struggle alongside with them. Arceo observed how younger priests and seminarians are more open and progressive when it comes to gender equality. Maricel is grateful for the male scholars who support her and advance the causes of women, both in the academe and in society. Believing that much of the Churchs problems, such as clericalism and sexual abuse, are rooted in power, Graham turns the spotlight on the man leading the Church today. She admires him for stripping away the things that connect the Church back to the pomp and power of the Roman Empire radically giving the Church a humbler face. Francis, when he was first elected, came out to the crowd in Vatican Square, and he said, pray for me. Hes not a power figure hes a servant, says Graham. I think that should continue." *** ERRATUM: An earlier version of this article misstated the positions of Dr. Rachel Sanchez, who is an assistant professor at the ADMU, not an associate professor and Dr. Agnes Brazal, who is is full professor at the DLSU, not an associate professor. The article has been edited to reflect these corrections. Larry David has pleaded with people to stay at home and watch TV so they don't end up 'hurting old people like me' amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star, 72, appeared in a video from the Governor of California's office encouraging people to practice social distancing. Larry joked people were missing an opportunity to watch an abundance of TV if they did not remain indoors, with California under a stay at home order since March 19. Lockdown: Larry David, 72, has pleaded with people to stay at home and watch TV so they don't end up 'hurting old people like me' amid the coronavirus pandemic He said: 'I basically want to address the idiots out there and you know who you are. I don't know what you're doing. 'You're going out, you're socializing too close it's not good. You're hurting old people like me.' 'The problem is you're passing up a fantastic opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to stay in the house, sit on the couch and watch TV. I don't know how you're passing that up. The Seinfeld co-creator jokingly added that nothing ever good comes from leaving the house anyway. Stay at home: The Curb Your Enthusiasm star appeared in a video from the Governor of California's office encouraging people to practice social distancing He said: 'You know if you've seen my show nothing good ever happens going out of the house, you know that. 'It's just trouble. It's not a good place to be. Stay home and, you know, don't see anyone.' It comes after Larry and Seinfeld co-creator Jerry Seinfeld will reportedly make $100 million (80.7million) each from their Netflix deal. Message: Larry joked people were missing an opportunity to watch an abundance of TV if they did not remain indoors, with California under a stay at home order since March 19 The streaming giant revealed late last year it had acquired the global rights to the popular sitcom Seinfeld from 2021. Sources told The Wrap that Jerry and Larry were set to make $100 million to $125 million each from the deal. Netflix signed a reported $500 million deal with Sony Pictures Television, which controls the distribution of the show, to secure the online streaming rights to all 180 episodes of Seinfeld. He said: 'The problem is you're passing up a fantastic opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to stay in the house, sit on the couch and watch TV' Rival Hulu, a Disney subsidiary, has held the rights since 2015 but that deal will end in two years. Viacom Inc has bought the exclusive cable rights to Seinfeld. The terms of the Sony deal involving Netflix and Viacom have not been disclosed. Seinfeld, a show starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld playing a version of himself and often humorously described as a show about nothing, followed four self-absorbed friends in New York City. Japan's coronavirus numbers have been ticking up, sparking alarm that it could be the next major country to see an explosive jump in infections. It's also raising questions about whether Tokyo, where cases have tripled over the past 10 days, is about to go into a European-style lockdown -- speculation the government is trying to squash. Even if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares an emergency, due to civil liberties enshrined in Japan's postwar constitution the government cannot send police to clear people off the streets, as has happened in places including France, Italy and the U.K. The country's strongest enforcement measure could be public obedience -- and that may be enough. 1. Is Japan about to declare an emergency? Japan's ruling party politicians say: "No." As of Wednesday, Japan had the fewest confirmed infections among Group of Seven leading economies at about 2,000 - compared with about 188,000 in the U.S. -- despite being one of the first countries outside of original epicenter China to get confirmed cases. Abe's government has said what could tip the scales would be infection numbers shooting up and strains appearing in the medical system. While Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has called for the government to make a decision, Abe said Wednesday there was no need to declare an emergency at this point. 2. What would an emergency declaration mean? If Abe were to declare an emergency in a particular region, the main effect would be to increase the powers of the prefectural governor. The prevalence of the virus varies widely among the 47 prefectures. Under an emergency, a governor would be able to urge local people to avoid unnecessary outings, but residents would have the right to ignore the request, and there are no penalties for disobedience. Police wouldn't be involved in enforcement, according to lawyer Koju Nagai of Answer Law Office in Kobe. While Koike warned last week that a "lockdown" could be coming, she cannot in fact restrict individuals' movements. Businesses could be asked to shut down, and ordered to do so if they don't comply with the request, but again there are no penalties for non-compliance. Punishments are, however, specified for a small number of offenses, including hiding supplies that have been requisitioned by local authorities. 3. Will people obey the requests? The governors of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures asked people who didn't need to be out to stay home last weekend and many did just that. A poll published by the Nikkei newspaper Monday showed 83% of respondents said they were avoiding going out, compared with 43% a month ago. Streets were mostly empty in the capital. Movie theaters shut down and businesses that stayed open saw fewer customers. In what could be seen as a partial success, the number of passengers on the Yamanote line that runs around central Tokyo fell by 70% on year, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Of course, there were people who ignored the requests, underscoring the limits of the powers of persuasion in a public health crisis. 4. What could be the economic hit? The directive last weekend led companies including Starbucks Corp., retailing giant Aeon Co. and movie theater operator Toho Co. to temporarily shut some outlets. More businesses would likely follow suit if a request came again, but Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Tuesday warned that a lockdown of Tokyo or Osaka would deal a blow to the economy. The Tokyo metropolitan area alone accounts for about one-third of the country's gross domestic product, which would make it the world's 11th largest economy. Banks are expected to remain open under any emergency declaration, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange said it will continue to operate. 5. Could Japan eventually take a harder line? While England has just introduced a fine of about $75 for individuals breaching lockdown rules and Hong Kong warned residents of prosecution for violating quarantine measures, any attempt to add teeth to the Japanese law would raise hackles in the country, where painful memories of early 20th century authoritarianism linger. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations opposed the legislation under which an emergency can be declared, even though most of its stipulations cannot be enforced. "Emergency situations were misused a great deal in Japan before the war," said lawyer Nagai. "Japan was hurt by that in the past. Freedoms were limited, and once those freedoms are limited, it's hard to restore them." But demand for air travel has dropped so dramatically that some airline executives are now considering appealing to the U.S. Department of Transportation to allow the carriers to consolidate their flights so that they arent required to fly planes carrying only a handful of passengers, according to a report by CNBC. Former Pope Benedict XVI is doing well but is no longer accepting visits at the Vatican monastery, where he is spending his retirement, his secretary said on Wednesday. Thank goodness, we are all doing well at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, especially Pope Emeritus Benedict, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein told dpa in an emailed statement. Nobody is allowed to visit the pope as part of the precautions against the spread of the novel coronavirus, he said. A few cases have been reported inside the Vatican. Formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, the erstwhile pontiff has been living secluded since 2013, when he became the first pope in nearly 600 years to quit the post. He turns 93 on April 16, but Gaenswein ruled out any party. It will be a quiet day without any celebrations. We are hoping and praying that the oppressive pandemic will soon be overcome, the archbishop said. (dpa/NAN) Urvashi Rautela is back to being the trending term on Google and its obviously not for a good reason. This time around, she is facing the brunt of the public for plagiarism. Yes, you heard it right. Its not something new that she has done. So, Urvashi took to Twitter and blatantly copy-pasted New York-based writer John Paul Brammer's tweet on Parasite. I wonder why Urvashi keeps forgetting that we stay in the age of social media and people are quick to notice such big blunders. She obviously deleted the tweet after she was getting tagged for plagiarism, but thanks to her phooti kismat, a Twitter user took a screenshot and made a collage of both the tweets. oh my god pic.twitter.com/ZagReb3VTH Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) March 31, 2020 Well, John also noticed that screenshot and mocked her for not even correcting the grammatical mistake he committed. "why didn't she at least correct the grammar" um my bad grammar?? is part of the vibe??? wow JP (@jpbrammer) March 31, 2020 After Johns tweet, people started to tweet that its no surprise to them as its an ongoing thing with her and even went to say that she will do anything to be in the news. Well, people even called her brainless and said she wont ever be able to understand Parasite, which is actually rude. Daddy Mummy hai nahi gharpe , Twitter par karun copy paste sabka Dil aaya aaha V.Manjunath (@filterkapii) March 31, 2020 Not even surprised lol Priyank (@Priy__NK) April 1, 2020 She used fam instead of family. Give her credit for that at least ..... (@reckless_writer) April 1, 2020 She's from the parasite group of Bollywood She'll do anything for clout pic.twitter.com/deupQwvwu0 I just (@ArfatSheikh46) April 1, 2020 That's plagiarism. She copied your tweet word for word Anju (@anjshank) April 1, 2020 She is good for nothing .. just hungry for publicity .. She will never ever understand @ParasiteMovie because she is brainless .. DaipayaN @ ThE DeviL (@Daipayan1989) April 1, 2020 Forget John for a bit, Urvashi didnt even spare PM Narendra Modi for that matter. She had copied Modis tweet about veteran actress Shabana Azmi's speedy recovery after she met with an accident a while back. The list doesnt end here. In 2018, Urvashi was slammed for copying and pasting Gigi Hadids statement. So, she used Gigis statement on speculations about her and Ahaan. After being slammed for plagiarism, again and again, it takes some guts to repeat the mistake. Kudos to Urvashi for managing to do the same thing repeatedly. In one of the better scenarios, agencies hope friends or family members living in the United States can temporarily assume guardianship of the baby until the intended parents are granted entry into the country. As a backup, however, caseworkers are also preparing strangers health care professionals, child care providers and even surrogates themselves to care for the newborns until travel restrictions are eased. These babies will not be abandoned, said Dr. Kim Bergman, founder of Growing Generations, a surrogacy agency with dozens of international clients who may be impacted by travel bans in the coming months. We have an army of former surrogates who are ready and eager to act as helpers and guardians for as long as necessary. Foster Care The ongoing crisis has created an uncertain environment for foster care parents and children as well. Basically, everything is on pause until things are back to normal, said Trey Rabun, who works as a services supervisor at Amara, a foster care agency based in Seattle, Wash. one of a growing number of states ordering its citizens to work from home. Amara, whose staff members are included in the states proclamation, has been able to continue some aspects of the licensing process for foster parents online, such as initial interviews. But other critical components, like home inspections, need to be done in person, Rabun said. As a result, the number of foster homes, already all too scarce in Washington before the crisis hit, will remain static for the states over 10,000 foster care children until the pandemic subsides and business returns to normal, Rabun said. Of bigger concern to him, and other foster care professionals throughout the country, is the impact that stay at home orders may have on children not yet accounted for in the system. We know abuse and neglect happen more in high-stress situations, Rabun said. But the people who would normally notice and report these sorts of problem, like teachers and doctors, will be unable to do so in the days and weeks ahead. No one has eyes on them, he said. Adoptions With courts and other government offices closed in many states, parents who had hoped to finalize adoptions within the next couple of months are also now navigating a drastically changed landscape particularly for parents completing adoptions abroad. - Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said the new infections were part of 234 samples analysed in the last 24 hours -The government managed to monitor 1,668 close contacts out of which 508 were discharged from hospital - The ministry said it was in consultation with county governments to identify boarding schools which could be turned into isolation centres Kenya's coronavirus cases now stand at 59 after nine more patients tested positive. In announcing the figures, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi the new infections were part of 234 samples analysed in the last 24 hours. READ ALSO: Curfew in Kenya: DPP Noordin Haji directs police boss to investigate Nairobi boy's shooting Kenya's coronavirus statistics in the last 24 hours after nine patients tested positive for the virus. Photo: Ministry of Health. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: MCA awasilisha hoja ya kumtimua gavana Anne Waiguru afisini "We have received a confirmation of new people who have tested positive for coronvirus. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Kenya to 59. Tracing of the contacts of all the 59 cases are ongoing," she stated on Tuesday, March 31. Mwangangi further divulged the government has managed to monitor 1,668 close contacts out of which 508 have been discharged following completion of 14-day follow up period. An expert at a Kenyan coronavirus laboratory. The government records about 300 tests per day. Photo: Ministry of Health. Source: Facebook The government therefore zeroed in on the remaining 1,160 contacts. The CAS called on the public to continue observing various safety measures even as it emerged the ministry had its eyes on boarding schools as isolation centres depending on the virus gravity. We are exploring the usage of our boarding schools countrywide in the event the situation worsens. We have engaged county governments to identify specific boarding schools which will be able to assist in boosting our capacity," she said. Part of Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital which will soon manage COVID-19 patients. Photo: Ministry of Health. Source: Facebook Based on the ministry's projections of 10,000 by end of April 2020, the government was already in engagement with experts to see how best it could improve its testing capacity. "As per our modelling, we continue to increase our testing capacity. We are in engagement to see how we can continue opening more testing centres to ramp-up our capacity of testing per day," she added. Currently, only about 300 tests are carried out in 24 hours but there were plans to engage Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital. On Monday, March 31, Deputy Director of Medical Services Patrick Amoth projected that the number of cases would surpass 5,000 by mid-April and double by month end. "We postulate we could have 1,000 cases by the first week of April, 5,000 by mid-April, 10,000 by end of April," Amoth said. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Opinion : Uhuru has failed this country -Angry Kenyan rants / Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Captain of US aircraft carrier called for urgent help to halt coronavirus outbreak in his ship after dozens of people tested positive for the virus. The navy ship named Theodore Roosevelt, which is currently docked in Guam is reportedly carrying 4,000 crew. In a letter addressed to Pentagon, Captain Crozier highlighted that with a large number of sailors living in closed spaces, containing the spread of coronavirus was nearly impossible before warning that the spread was ongoing and accelerating, It is not yet clear how many are trapped inside. However, the letter urged the pentagon to take a decisive answer Speaking to an international news agency, a US Navy spokesman said the service was "moving quickly to take all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of the crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt". Read: Fraternity Suspended For Violating In-person Activities Ban Amid Coronavirus Crisis Read: 'I'm A Cheerleader For The Country': Trump On Situation In US Amid Coronavirus Outbreak US surpasses China's death toll More than 40,000 people have been killed in the coronavirus pandemic as the disease barrels across the globe, with the US bracing for its darkest hours after its death toll surpassed China's on Tuesday. In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 800,000 people in a crisis redrawing political powers, hammering the global economy and transforming the daily existence of some 3.6 billion people who have been asked to stay home under lockdowns. Death toll shot up again across Europe on Tuesday (March 31) as Spain, France and Britain reported their grimmest numbers. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 died overnight in both countries. With hospitals direly overstretched, lockdowns have been extended despite their crushing economic impact on the poorest. In Belgium, a 12-year-old girl infected with the virus passed away in another worrying case of a youth succumbing to the disease. Meanwhile, the US -- which has the highest number of confirmed infections -- reached a bleak milestone as deaths topped 3,400, ticking past China's official tally of 3,309, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. Image: AP Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: 32 From Bhopal Who Attended Jamaat Meet Quarantined In Delhi Read: Global Virus Deaths Mount As US Surpasses China's Official Toll Advertisement The US Surgeon General said on Wednesday that 30 days of social distancing would be long enough to slow the spread of coronavirus in some places but not everywhere. In an interview on Good Morning America, Surgeon General Jerome Adams also warned the public not to use precious N-95 surgical masks in light of an update by the CDC that it is considering advising that everyone should wear a face covering when they go out. 'The original 15 days was designed to slow the spread and for us to have some time to reassess. 'We learned good and bad things. No state has been spared, but when you look at places like Washington and California that aggressively mitigated with social distancing, they were able to flatten their curve. 'We're looking at it as an opportunity for the entire country to say, if we do these things, we can flatten the curve.' Scroll down for video Surgeon General Jerome Adams appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to give advice on how long the guidelines would last; it will vary throughout the country If you do wear a mask [in public], it cant be at the expense of social distancing you still dont need an N95 mask. @Surgeon_General Dr. Jerome Adams weighs in on the general public wearing masks if the CDC changes its stance. https://t.co/ssOZCI9qPU pic.twitter.com/lB2G1B3OiG Good Morning America (@GMA) April 1, 2020 Asked if 30 days would be long enough, he replied: 'It will be for some places. It won't be for others, depending on where they are on their curve.' In a different interview with Today, he said: 'What we've always said is that everyone is on a different place in their curve. 'Some places that leaned in early may relax their guidelines.' 'In my opinion, in 30 days, we will still be telling the country in general that you still have to practice these measures but they may not have a shelter-in-place order. 'We'll go on the data,' he said. The CDC had originally said that only people who have symptoms should wear the masks when they go out. Now, the government is weighing advising that everyone wears one, even if they don't have symptoms, to avoid spreading the deadly virus which has already infected more than 200,000 people in the US and killed 4,300. But Dr. Adams says it does not mean the public should rush to buy the coveted N-95 surgical grade masks that are in short supply around the nation's hospitals. 'Those must be reserved for the healthcare workers and the public can use other items to cover their faces. 'We've learned about this disease. We've learned there's a fair amount of asymptomatic spread and whether or not people wear masks will prevent transmission to other people. 'But it can't be at the expense of social distancing. The most important thing for people to do is to stay at home. 'The final point I'd make is if you're going to wear a face covering, you still don't need an N-95 mask and if you take one, you may be taking it out of the hands of a healthcare worker who desperately needs it to treat patients,' he said. President Trump has suggested people should wear scarves to cover their faces when they go out. 'You could get a mask, but most people have scarves and scarves are very good and they can use a scarf and we're only talking about a limited period of time,' he said on Tuesday night at a briefing. People line up wearing masks waiting to be tested for the coronavirus at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City Dr. Adams said it would vary where cities and states would be able to relax their guidelines depending on who experiences pandemic peak first. New York, where there are makeshift morgues in the street, is by far the worst hit in the country 'The good news is that in Washington, Italy and even in New York, we're seeing the acceleration slow down. Surgeon General Jerome Adams Other doctors have explained the shift in advice; initially, they said only the sick needed the masks and that a healthy person did not. Now, they are saying healthy people should wear them to stop them from spreading it to anyone more susceptible. Dr. Adams said he encouraged local governors and mayors to take specific action to address the needs of their residents and to particularly encourage them to stay home. Wyoming is the ONLY state in the U.S. without a coronavirus death after Hawaii records its first fatality Hawaii has recorded its first death from Coronavirus, making Wyoming the only state in the country without a death from the virus. Following the news, state officials urged residents on Tuesday to follow the stay-at-home orders more seriously to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 'I cannot stress enough ... stay at home and self-isolate,' said Governor David Ige during a news conference. 'You need to remain vigilant. We cannot afford to let our guards down.' 'I would like to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victim,' Ige said. State Health Department Director Bruce Anderson said that the man who died was an older man from the Hawaiian island of Oahu which is home to the state capital Honolulu. According to Anderson, the man had underlying heath conditions and had previously been hospitalized with a number of other medical issues. While in hospital, he had tested positive for Covid-19 which likely contributed to his death. Speaking during the same press conference given by Governor Ige, Anderson also offered his sincerest condolences to the family of the man. He added that the state's random Covid-19 testing program had found its first positive result, suggesting that the virus could be spreading through the community. Advertisement 'What we want everyone to do is to look at these 30 days. 'We trust the governors and mayors to understand their people and whether or not they can trust the people in their states to make the right decisions. 'The most important thing, regardless of how you so it, you should encourage and enable as many people as possible to stay home. 'We don't want people to feel like they're going to lose their job or miss out on an opportunity to support their family because they're doing the right thing,' he said. Dr. Adams finished by reassuring the country 'we are going to get through this', adding: 'The good news is that in Washington, Italy and even in New York, we're seeing the acceleration slow down. 'I feel confident we can get through to the other side if we all cooperate and do our part together.' There are calls by some experts for a nationwide lockdown, with some saying it is the only way to stamp out the virus for good. Dr. Joseph Fair, of Cure Finder, said on Today on Wednesday social distancing was 'absolutely not' being done properly. 'Until all 50 states do it and do it at the same time, it's kind of a moot point. 'That's only going to happen if all 50 states are all saying the same thing,' he said. He is urging governors across the country to discuss working together to ensure the entire country is following the same rules. 'I really urge the association of governors to get together; everybody get on the same page as far as what they're going to do,' he said. Virus expert says all 50 states need to be on lockdown at the same time otherwise the coronavirus curve won't flatten and predicts social distancing will continue for another 10 weeks - as Bill Gates warns failing to shut down is a 'recipe for disaster' All 50 states in the United States need to be on lockdown at the same time to help stop the spread of coronavirus, according to a virus expert who predicts social distancing will need to continue for another 10 weeks. Virologist Dr Joseph Fair said the entire country needs to better follow social distancing guidelines and implement lockdowns after the US government's stark projection that there could be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. Public health officials have stressed that the death toll number could be less if people across the country adhere to strict social distancing. Around 265 million Americans have now been ordered to stay at home to combat the spread of coronavirus but some states are still refusing to order lockdowns Virologist Dr Joseph Fair (left) said the entire country need to be on lockdown at the same time to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Microsoft's Bill Gates (right), who in 2015 predicted the world would soon face a pandemic, said failing to enforce a national lockdown was a 'recipe for disaster' In an interview with NBC's Today on Wednesday, Dr Fair said insisting on social distancing was a 'moot point' unless the entire country was on a lockdown. 'Until all 50 states do it, and they all do it at the same time, it's really kind of a moot point,' he said. Dr Fair said the government's latest projections were 'best case scenarios' if everyone was doing the same thing to help stop the spread of the virus. 'That's only going to happen if all 50 states are doing the same thing,' he said. 'That's why I'd really urge the Association of Governors to get together - everybody get on the same page as far as what they're going to do and everybody implement the same measures.' He said that if all states initiated a stay-at-home order, social distancing would need to continue for as many as 10 weeks. 'Realistically, I think it is going to have to go on for 6 to even 10 weeks. That's if everyone starts today,' Dr Fair said. 'If everyone is not doing it there are still going to be people spreading it. There are things we're going to have to do - we have to go to the grocery store, we have to go to the pharmacy. There are people working in hospitals. But we can all do our own part and everyone has to do it. I think the police need to get involved in it just as far as implementing strict distancing measures.' Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who in 2015 predicted the world would soon face a pandemic, said failing to enforce a country-wide lockdown was a 'recipe for disaster'. In a Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday, Gates said the US had already 'missed the opportunity to get ahead' but said it wasn't too late for people to start mitigating. Like Dr Fair, Gates said the US needs a 'consistent nationwide approach to shutting down' in order to stop the spread. 'Despite urging from public health experts, some states and counties haven't shut down completely. In some states, beaches are still open; in others, restaurants still serve sit-down meals. This is a recipe for disaster. Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The country's leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere,' Gates said. Alabama and Massachusetts are giving the addresses of people diagnosed with coronavirus to POLICE The states of Alabama and Massachusetts are now giving the details of people who are known to have been diagnosed with coronavirus to the police. Alabama has been providing the addresses but not names to law enforcement and other emergency responders for more than a week. The information is supposed to be given to officers when they go out on calls. 'It's only on an as-known, as-needed basis,' said Leah Missildine, executive director of Alabama's 911 Board to Vice. 'The impetus behind this is to protect first responders because 911 receives the information and coordinates the response of first responders. That was deemed the most efficient way to share this information.' 'The Alabama Department of Public Health was requested to provide addresses of patients home quarantined for COVID 19 to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board for the protection of first responders,' said Arrol Sheehan, director of public information at the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state of Alabama could also release information to third parties including doctors or anyone else who could be deemed to be exposed. The state say the rule came into force to help protect first responders. In Massachusetts, the exact same system has also been operating for almost two weeks. Each day, daily lists are sent over to police forces and ambulance crews across the state. The state say that no information will be kept about who was known to be sick once the crisis is over. Advertisement He said no one should be continuing as usual or relax during the shutdown, estimating it could take 10 weeks for infection and death rates to start decreasing. 'The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one,' he wrote. The US death toll increased to more than 4,000 on Wednesday with more than 189,000 confirmed cases. The US has now exceeded the number of deaths reported in China (3,309) where the virus emerged back in December. Currently, about 265 million Americans are now on stay at home orders to combat the spread of coronavirus. Some states, however, are still refusing to order lockdowns with the governor of Missouri insisting it is down to 'individual responsibility'. Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming also currently have no lockdown measures at a county or municipal level. More than 80 percent of the US population are in lockdown after governors from Arizona and Tennessee joined other states in issuing stay-at-home orders effective Tuesday - the same day that the US death toll eclipsed China. As of Tuesday, 32 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico were all in lockdown, with residents told to stay home except for essential workers or to go out for essential needs such as buying groceries or seeking medical attention. The states with stay-at-home orders are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina as well as the territory of Guam do not have stay-at-home orders but have shuttered all non-essential businesses. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey seemed to finally bow to pressure Monday and signed an executive order that all residents must remain in their homes from March 31 until at least April 30. But several states are yet to take such action, which experts have warned is crucial to slowing the spread of the pandemic. Missouri state Governor Mike Parson said Monday that he will not be issuing a state-wide stay-at-home order, saying a 'blanket policy' would be 'difficult' and that it is individual responsibility. 'It's difficult to make a blanket policy for the state of Missouri,' Parson said. 'It's going to come down to individual responsibilities.' Parson claimed a state-wide order isn't necessary because there are key differences between the number of cases in rural and urban areas. 'The one thing I focus on every day is real data,' Parson said. 'How many people do we have in the hospital. How many people have tested positive, and where do these things lead us to in the future. These decisions are not easy to make every day.' The state currently only has social distancing guidelines, saying 'every person in the State of Missouri shall avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people.' His refusal to join other states comes after medical experts sent him a letter last week urging him to consider rolling out a shelter-in-place order. The Missouri State Medical Association warned the governor that if he failed to take the measures, the state will rapidly run out of much-needed medical supplies including ventilators used to treat the sick. 'We now believe that a statewide 'shelter-in-place' order is the only way to curb the exponential spread of COVID-19 in Missouri,' the letter said. 'If things progress as is, COVID-19 patients will deplete the state's available hospital beds, ventilators, and precious personal protection equipment. Any additional time without a 'shelter-in-place' requirement wastes crucial healthcare resources, including manpower.' 'Prepare for 100,000 to die': Tony Fauci warns of astonishing death toll and tells areas not on lockdown to take action NOW - as Donald Trump says next two weeks will be 'VERY painful' and White House reveals even worse projections Dr Tony Fauci, the country's leading virus expert, painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday when he warned that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. 'As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,' he said. 'Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less likely to be that number but, being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that is a possibility that that's what we'll see.' President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Trump called it 'a matter of life and death' for Americans to heed his administration's guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a 'light at the end of the tunnel' in a pandemic that in the United States has infected about 190,000 people and killed more than 4,000. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,' Trump said. 'This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country... We're going to lose thousands of people.' President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained The jaw-dropping projections were laid out as officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. The model's high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World War II. 'There's no magic bullet,' said Dr Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. 'There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors. Each of our behaviors, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic.' Dr Fauci called the numbers 'sobering' and urged Americans to 'step on the accelerator' with their collective mitigation efforts. 'We are continuing to see things go up,' Dr Fauci said. 'We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work.' Trump's comments came after he announced on Sunday that he was extending to April 30 the social distancing guidelines that advise Americans to cease large gatherings, work from home, suspend onsite learning at schools and more in a nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus. It was an abrupt reversal for Trump who spent much of last week targeting April 12 as the day he wanted to see Americans 'pack the pews' for Easter Sunday services. Houston ISD will resume food distribution at its campuses next week, ending a brief suspension of the effort over concerns about worker safety, district officials announced Wednesday. HISD staff and volunteers will host five daily food pickup points on Monday and Tuesday, then four sites on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, district officials said. Families are expected to receive about 30 pounds of food supplied by the Houston Food Bank via curbside pickup. Each site will have 500 boxes available. The announcement comes a week after Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan suspended food distribution at the districts campuses, citing a volunteer at Welch Middle Schools pickup location who was in contact with an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19. There were some concerns because some of our staff members (at Welch) moved from site to site, Lathan said Wednesday. There were a lot of unknowns, a lot of questions, and we wanted to make sure we had a handle on it. Lathan said food now will be packaged at the districts nutrition services administration building, then sent to campuses for pickup by families. Staff and volunteers handling food also will be provided personal protection equipment, including face masks and gloves, she said. Districts across Greater Houston have been providing food and meals to families for the past three weeks amid the indefinite closure of schools due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. More Information Where to get food in HISD Houston ISD officials released to following dates, times and locations for food distribution next week. Each site will give out up to 500 boxes of food, each weighing about 30 pounds. For a map of locations, click here. Monday, April 6 Milby High School, 9 a.m. Wesley Elementary School, 9 a.m. Revere Middle School, 11 a.m. Madison High School, 11 a.m. Northside High School, 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 7 McReynolds Middle School, 9 a.m. Bastian Elementary School, 9 a.m. Wisdom High School, 11 a.m. Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, 3 p.m. Sterling High School, 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 Yates High School, 9 a.m. Mading Elementary School, 9 a.m. North Forest High School, 11 a.m. Sharpstown High School, 3 p.m. Thursday, April 9 Chavez High School, 9 a.m. Black Middle School, 9 a.m. Furr High School, 11 a.m. Benavidez Elementary School, 3 p.m. Friday, April 10 Kashmere High School, 9 a.m. Woodson PK-5, 9 a.m. Henry Middle School, 11 a.m. Westbury High School, 3 p.m. See More Collapse About 5,000 families were picking up food from HISD campuses each day prior to the suspension, double the number that will be served next week, district officials said. Unlike all other local districts, HISD provides about a weeks worth of food to families, as opposed to meals designed only for children. HISD administrators had directed families to pick up lunches from the citys Parks and Recreation Departments community centers during the suspension, though figures provided by the city suggests few families made the transition. District officials also recommended families seek out pantries and other providers of free food. Houston Food Bank President and CEO Brian Greene said schools have been among the best distribution points for families in need during the pandemic. The economic toll of widespread business shutdowns, furloughs and layoffs has led to unprecedented demand for food, he said. The beauty of HISD is they can handle large numbers of people at one time, Greene said. Were thrilled to have those sites open again. HISD enrolls about 210,000 students, roughly 80 percent of whom are considered economically disadvantaged by the state. Lathan also said Wednesday that administrators are evaluating how the district would re-open campuses in May if public health concerns subside. She said her recommendation likely would involve staff returning first, with students gradually returning based on their grade levels. For now, all Texas schools must remain closed through April under an order issued Tuesday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Lathan added that she plans to video conference with high school principals this week to discuss options for graduation ceremonies, including in-person gatherings later this summer or virtual events. jacob.carpenter@chron.com An earthquake that could be felt throughout the western interior of the United States hit just before 6 p.m. Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey said preliminary information indicated the earthquake measured 6.5 on the moment magnitude scale, which measures the size of the quake in terms of how much energy is released. The quake was centered 45 miles west of Challis, Idaho, and was about six miles deep, according to preliminary information from Geological Survey. The agency reported a second quake measuring 4.6 hit at about 6:30 p.m. in the same area and two more soon followed. This earthquake occurred within the Intermountain seismic belt, a prominent zone of recorded seismicity in the Intermountain West, the agency said in a website report Tuesday evening. The quake likely was the result of complex strike slip faulting within the shallow crust of the North America plate, according to the Geological Survey. Jana Pursley, a geologist with the United States Geological Survey, confirmed in an interview that the quake originated 75 miles northeast of Boise in the mountains. It was a shallow event. At this point that is all we know about it, said Pursley. Pursley said while faults in California are more tectonically active, fault lines exist throughout the continental United States but they dont move as much. California faults are moving at a fairly steady rate, said Pursley. Outside of California, said Pursley, in places such as Idaho earthquakes are not as common so when they do happen they tend to surprise us because we dont expect them. The quake hit about 150 miles northeast of Ontario. Around Malheur County, people reported shifting furniture, swinging light fixtures and shaken houses. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the local area. Ontario City Manager Adam Brown said city crews checked its computer system and inspected its water plant for damage but found none. Brown did ask that if residents find any pools of water in their house to let the city know in case the quake damaged pipes. Travis Johnson, Malheur County undersheriff, said he had not received any reports of damage or injuries. Claudia Weathermon Tester, marketing and communications director for Saint Alphonsus Medical Center Ontario, said the hospital suffered no damage from the quake. The hospital is one of the tallest buildings in Malheur County. The quake certainly grabbed the attention of area people, however. "Shook furniture fixtures in Ontario," messaged Claude Schultz. In Vale, Elynn Mizuta reported, "Lights and mirrors were shaking. Door was rattling. Same thing for friends in Ontario." Our dogs had been bugging us for several minutes and we couldnt figure out what they wanted, messaged Tammie Dockter. After awhile I could hear the water cooler jug rattling and looked over and could see the floor rippling. My hubby and I decided we would go out into the backyard. Last 15-20 seconds. Maria Heredia reported, Every object in my house moved. I feel like God is trying to send a message. Linda Taylor reported, No damage but house moved and coffee cups and wine glasses hanging on wall clanged. In Kuna, Idaho, Our cat jumped about three feet in the air and our cuckoo clock weights were banging against the wall. No damage thankfully, wrote Nancy DeLong. Others reported on social media posts that they felt it in Spokane, Washington, Butte, Montana; and Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1983, the Borah Peak Earthquake struck the Challis area on Friday, Oct. 28. It measured 6.9 on the Moment Magnitude Scale. It is the largest earthquake recorded in Idaho in terms of magnitude and property damage. Two people were killed. The Geological Survey said more earthquakes could be expected. According to our forecast, over the next one week there is a 4% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 6.5. It is likely that there will be smaller earthquakes over the next one week, the agency said in a forecast on its website. -- Les Zaitz and Pat Caldwell, The Enterprise Groveland Community Services District Public Online Meeting View Photo Groveland, CA Items related to the coronavirus response were approved by the Groveland Community Services District Board of Directors at a special meeting held late yesterday afternoon. As a precaution, and following the direction of the Governors Office to limit public exposure, the meeting was held online via the website Zoom. The open to the public meeting hosted 11 participants. There was also a 10-minute recess were public comments could be submitted via email. During the meeting, it was noted that non-essential customer service calls have been on the decline in recent weeks, which has successfully helped limit contact between staff and customers. The district reports that maintenance and treatment plant crews are doing their best to work within the recommended social distancing and following the pre-shift screening process. Chief Plant Operator, Greg Dunn, stated that they are keeping a close eye on supplies and maintaining a surplus to ensure they have enough in the event of supply chain issues. The team is working to keep common areas disinfected and maintaining safe social distance. There was also a discussion about the closure of the public restrooms and playground at Mary Laveroni Park. General Manager Pete Kampa stated that both are areas where the public gathers and the closure is to proactively reduce potential exposure. He noted that the district does not have enough staff to maintain and properly disinfect those areas continuously to the level needed at this time. The board took action to temporarily waive penalties and interest for those facing difficulty paying their utility accounts on time. The District does encourage those with the ability to make their payments to do so and will offer additional information on savings by utilizing water consumption conservation efforts. The board also voted to give General Manager Kampa additional temporary authority to make needed emergency decisions for the district related to the COVID-19 response. It includes the ability to divert and transfer up to $50,000 in funding resources from normal day-to-day operations and approve expenses over the approved budget without prior board approval. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:08:06|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close KUNMING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have caught four suspects in connection to two drug trafficking cases, with 22.9 kg of drugs seized. After receiving tip-offs, border police in the county of Yongping, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, sent task forces to investigate the cases. On March 16, the local police caught three suspects in Yongping County and seized 7.6 kg of heroin from their car. Five days later, another suspect was nabbed by police, with 15.3 kg of heroin seized. Yunnan is a major front in China's battle against drug crime, as it borders the Golden Triangle known for its rampant drug production and trafficking. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. San Francisco, 1 April 2020: The Report Parenteral Nutrition Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Nutrient Type (Carbohydrates, Lipid Emulsion, Single Dose Amino Acid Solution, Trace Elements), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026 The global parenteral nutrition market size is expected to reach USD 8.26 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. Increasing rate of natality and surging geriatric population is fueling the market growth. As of 2014, the natality rate reported by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is 12.5 births per 1,000 populations in U.S. Furthermore, the percentage of lower weight infants was 8.0%, thereby boosting the demand for parenteral nutrition products in the country. The realized natality is rising over the last decade and is anticipated to sustain growth over the forecast period. However, in 2011, a dip was witnessed in U.S. owing to alteration in fertility rate of the local female population. However, in the same year, hike in the number of births for foreign based immigrant citizens was also observed leading to an overall rise in birth rate. Moreover, a large number of premature babies suffer from low weight as well as undeveloped immunity thus putting them at risk. Parenteral nutrition reduces the risk of infection and underdevelopment, thereby promoting its application. As per the National Center for Healthcare Statistics, the premature birth rate of the U.S. is about 9.6% as of 2016, and the national authorities are working to reduce it to 8.1%. In very low birth weight (VLBW) newborns, demand for parenteral nutrition is higher owing to low prospect of enteral nutrition. Hence, use of parenteral nutrition in premature infants results in improved intrauterine nutrient deposition, faster neurological development, and minimized risk of complications thus improving their chances for survival. Access Research Report of Parenteral Nutrition Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/parenteral-nutrition-market Further key findings from the study suggest: Single dose amino acid solution segment dominated the market in 2018 owing to increasing use of amino acid solutions that possess fewer side effects thus enhancing patient benefits North America led the market in terms of revenue and accounted for 41.73% of the overall share in 2018. Presence of high research expenditure by private entities and government agencies in the healthcare sector and collaborations among medical device industry, regulatory authorities, and universities are responsible for the market growth Some of the companies present in the parenteral nutrition market are B. Braun Melsungen AG; Baxter International, Inc.; Fresenius Kabi AG; Hospira, Inc.; Actavis, Inc.; Grifols International S.A.; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Inc.; and Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/pharmaceuticals Grand View Research has segmented the global parenteral nutrition market based on nutrient type and region: Parenteral Nutrition Nutrient Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 - 2026) Carbohydrates Lipid Emulsion Single Dose Amino Acid Solution Trace Elements Vitamins & Minerals Parenteral Nutrition Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015 2026) North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa (MEA) Access Press Release of Parenteral Nutrition Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-parenteral-nutrition-market About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. For More Information:www.grandviewresearch.com Washington: The Pentagon will send roughly 500 troops to the US-Mexico border to assist federal border agents amid the coronavirus pandemic, three US officials told Reuters. The sources said the Pentagon approved a request by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The United States already maintains an average of 5,000 troops at the southwest border to support Border Patrol by performing non-law enforcement duties. The latest deployment will bolster those ranks as border agents grapple with possible exposure to COVID-19, the disease cause by the virus. Mexico declared a health emergency on Monday and issued stricter rules aimed at containing the fast-spreading coronavirus after its number of cases surged past 1,000 and the death toll rose sharply. One of the US officials - all of whom requested anonymity to discuss the decision - said the Trump administration worries the pandemic could further depress Mexicos already troubled economy and encourage illegal immigration from that country to the United States. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move came as the administration of US President Donald Trump shelved a plan to send troops to the border with Canada, US officials told Reuters. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland slammed the proposal last week, calling it "an entirely unnecessary step" that would damage bilateral relations between the two nations, which have long maintained an undefended border. The Trump administration has stepped up its response to the coronavirus outbreak this month as infections have spread across the country. For the first time on Tuesday, the United States recorded nearly 700 new deaths in a single day. The country now has a total of over 3,800 deaths and over 185,000 cases. The United States closed its northern and southern borders to tourist and recreational travel to limit the spread of the new coronavirus on March 20. At the same time, the Trump administration began to use a health-focused statute to swiftly return migrants caught trying to cross US borders illegally. The rapid removals also apply to unaccompanied minors from Central America with exceptions on a case-by-case, US Customs and Border Protection said on Monday. The minors previously had been transferred into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with a federal law to protect victims of human trafficking. Donald Trump has claimed Boris Johnson's early approach to the coronavirus outbreak would have been 'very catastrophic' for the UK if he had not changed tack. The US President suggested the Prime Minister had initially looked to 'ride out' the virus in an approach which would have caused 'a lot of death'. Mr Trump's press conference criticism appeared to be a reference to the claim that the UK had previously been following a plan for so-called 'herd immunity'. His comments could potentially sour relations between Downing Street and the White House given the British government has disputed that developing 'herd immunity' was ever its goal. Mr Trump's remarks came as the UK's coronavirus death toll hit 2,352 with 29,474 people now having tested positive. Donald Trump, pictured in the White House on March 2, said Boris Johnson's original approach to tackling coronavirus would have been 'very catastrophic' for the UK Mr Johnson has been conducting all government business using video conferencing software since his positive test last week Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK's chief scientific adviser, told the BBC on March 13 that the 'aim' was to 'not suppress (coronavirus) completely... to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease'. He suggested that could take place while also trying to reduce the peak number of infections to protect the NHS. The concept would likely have seen the elderly and vulnerable shielded from Covid-19 but those deemed fit would have been free to contract the illness in a bid to build up nationwide immunity. But a week after 'herd immunity' was mentioned by the adviser, Mr Johnson, who last week tested positive for coronavirus, opted to put the UK on lockdown after seeing expert modelling which forecast 250,000 deaths unless stringent social distancing restrictions were imposed. Speaking during a two-hour White House briefing, Mr Trump said: 'A lot of people were saying, "Let's just ride it out". 'This is not to be ridden out. Then you would have been looking at 2.2 million people (dying in the US) in a relatively short period of time. 'If you remember, they were looking at that concept - I guess it is a concept, if you don't mind death, a lot of death. 'But they were looking at that concept in the UK, remember? They were very much looking at it. 'All of a sudden they went hard the other way because they started seeing things that weren't good. They put themselves in a little bit of a problem. 'Now Boris has tested positive and I hear - I hope - he's going to be fine. 'But in the UK they were looking at that - they have a name for it but we won't even go by the name - (and) it would have been very catastrophic I think if that had happened.' The Republican president said 'doing nothing' to tackle coronavirus could cost as many as 2.2 million lives in the United States, rather than the estimated 100,000 to 200,000 currently predicted to die - even with social distancing measures in place until April 30. Mr Trump recently changed his own approach to the crisis. A chart shows how President Trump has drastically changed his tune in response to coronavirus, initially reassuring citizens he had everything under control before gravely announcing COVID-19 as a 'real pandemic' A little over a week ago, the President vowed 'never to turn the country off' as he suggested the Covid-19 death toll was unlikely to be worse than for flu. But he told reporters yesterday that coronavirus was 'probably the worst thing the country has ever seen' and predicted worse casualties than in the First World War for the US. Asked by reporters whether he planned to travel while the Stateside restrictions were in force, the 73-year-old said he would be remaining in Washington, highlighting Mr Johnson's development of the illness. The PM is self-isolating in Downing Street after testing positive on Friday. Mr Trump said: 'I'd love to go out but no, I'll be in the White House. 'I think it is important - you saw what happened with Boris Johnson, you've seen what happened with others. I think it is important that I remain healthy, I really do.' [April 01, 2020] Blackpoint Cyber Announces its Virtual Cyber Security Conference: Remote Reality LIVE Covering Cyber Security and Business Continuity for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) ELLICOTT CITY, Md., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Blackpoint Cyber announced its Remote Reality LIVE conference, which will occur online April 8th and April 9th 2020. The conference will focus on managed service providers (MSPs) and how they can stay secure, profitable, and resilient as the world increases remote operations during the COVID-19 pandemic - registration and attendance are free. The two-day conference will include sessions by former leaders of the United States' government cyber security and intelligence communities as well as cyber security experts and business veterans from the MSP services and technology industry. Jon Murchison, Blackpoint's CEO and founder, and former US government cyber operations expert, explains the conference's objective: "IT services and infrastructure have become mission critical for organizations to survive in this new economic landscape brought on by COVID-19. MSPs are the key to our success and, especially during these times, a collective national asset to their respective countries. That's why we are bringing together experienced government and industry leaders to help MSPs navigate the current economic and security environments. We're excited to provide one of the first online and socially-distanced conferences dedicated to MSPs and cyber security." Blackpoint has partnered with leading technology, service, and marketing firms for the conference, including: Michael Morell George W. Bush's Additional former US government cyber security and intelligence expert speakers include: Bill Priestap, former FBI Assistant Director of Counterintelligence, Chris Inglis, Former Deputy Director of NSA, Dave Sears, retired Commander and Navy SEAL, and Kevin Donegan, former United States Navy Vice Admiral and previous commander of the US Navy's 5th fleet out of Bahrain. Security and MSP industry leaders will also present informational sessions, such as lead generation in a virtual world, security in the MSP space, cyber security for commercial real estate, the threat landscape of remote workers, and more. Matt Solomon, VP of Business Development & IT at ID Agent, shares his sentiments on the conference: "ID Agent is very excited to participate in one of the first virtual MSP events since in-person events have been taken off the schedule. MSPs still need education during this period and we are honored to be part of such an esteemed group of vendors." In addition to learning how to stay secure and prosper, conference attendees will also be eligible for giveaways and prizes. Participants may register online: Remote Reality Live Free Registration About Blackpoint Blackpoint Cyber is a cyber security company headquartered in Maryland, USA and was established by former US Department of Defense and Intelligence cyber security experts. Leveraging its real-world cyber experience and knowledge of hacker tradecraft, Blackpoint provides a true 24/7 Managed Detection and Response service for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Smart Property owners to effectively secure their own networks as well as those of their clients. For more information, please contact: Nicole LaDue 410.203.1604 [email protected] https://blackpointcyber.com/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackpoint-cyber-announces-its-virtual-cyber-security-conference-remote-reality-live-covering-cyber-security-and-business-continuity-for-managed-service-providers-msps-301033107.html SOURCE Blackpoint Cyber Putin enacts punishment for violations at Constitution amendments voting RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:12 01/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI) President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a a bill on punishment for violations during the All-Russian voting on amendments to the Constitution into law, according to an official website of legal information. The law envisages amendments to the criminal articles on falsification of electing documents, results of the poll and hindering a citizen from exercising his/her electoral rights and the work of election commissions and administrative articles on breaching of the media voting participation order, violation of rights of election commissions members and journalists, willful destruction of propaganda materials, illegal issuance or receipt of a ballot, violation of the vote tabulation procedure, failure to provide information on the vote results, interference in the election commissions work. The document sets punishment from fines to up to 4 years in prison for the crimes. According to one of the authors of the initiative, Chairman of the State Duma Committee for State Building and Legislation Pavel Krasheninnikov, it is aimed to ensure free expression of the will during the voting. The amendments to the Code on Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Russia will come into force from the day of its official publication. The All-Russian vote on the Constitution has been initially scheduled for April 22. However, on March 25, President Vladimir Putin postponed the voting date because of the coronavirus pandemic claiming that the citizens health, life and safety are the state priority. Armed with a poster and flyers in his hand and a stethoscope around his neck, Venezuelan physician Samuel Suarez set out on foot to provide life-saving advice on how to prevent COVID-19 infection to some of the most vulnerable people in a remote corner of Ecuador. After fleeing insecurity, widespread violence, and shortages of food and medicines in Venezuela back in 2018, the medic started going door-to-door to explain the dangers of the spreading pandemic to elderly people in Ecuadors Esmeraldas province, hoping that his advice would be heeded and the spread of the virus avoided. During the house calls, Samuel patiently walks his small audiences of senior citizens the demographic most susceptible to the illness through the steps needed to protect themselves and others, from frequently washing their hands with soap and water to maintaining a safe distance of two meters between people. And because some of the patients cannot read, he often acts out the recommendations on his informative poster, miming the proper way of coughing into the crook of the elbow to prevent the spread of the virus. In these remote communities, when the powers out theres no water, and hand washing and basic hygiene become that much more difficult, said 27-year-old Samuel. That makes us more vulnerable. Soon after he heard about the coronavirus outbreak, Samuel began crisscrossing the area in and around the tiny town of San Francisco, where he has worked in the local clinic for the past year and a half. The area is home to a substantial community of refugees that includes Colombians who have fled the armed conflict in their country, as well as Venezuelans, nearly five million of whom are now living outside their country amidst the ongoing crisis at home. After fleeing his native Venezuela, Samuel made his way to Ecuador, where he validated his medical degree. Having passed the exam, he was able to secure a job in Ecuadors public health system and put his skills to use. I will continue to fight each and every day to share my knowledge. The COVID-19 pandemic has reached Ecuador, and although San Francisco has yet to see its first confirmed case of the virus, Samuel knows it is likely just a question of time before the area is affected. As a result, he redoubled his efforts to help give the local population including the refugee community the information they need to stay safe. Refugees tend to be particularly at risk, as their often-precarious living conditions make basic sanitation and social distancing difficult, and also because restrictions on movement compromise employment and food security. Facing the crisis, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has continued to serve refugees, asylum seekers, displaced people, and their host communities throughout Latin America and the world. In response to restrictions on movement and physical contact, UNHCR has set up hotlines in Ecuador and other countries to provide assistance and protection. The agency has ratcheted up outreach efforts to inform refugees and migrants about what to do if they present symptoms and handed out crucial hygiene products. It has also provided increased access to shelters for refugees living on the streets and installed additional sinks in shelters and reception facilities, among other initiatives. Working to give life-saving information about the virus, Samuel stressed his commitment to inform and care for his host community in the difficult weeks ahead. Throughout the coronavirus epidemic, I will continue to fight each and every day to share my knowledge with the people of San Francisco, he said. UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration today stressed that more inclusive measures and additional aid are urgently needed for refugees and migrants from Venezuela, and their hosts, as the current global health emergency compounds their already desperate situation. * Interviews and photos for this story were shot in early March, before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Nowadays, Samuel dons personal protective equipment and maintains a safe distance from his patients during his rounds. donate (Newser) Florida is joining the majority of states with stay-at-home orders. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued the directive Wednesday amid a sharp spike in cases and mounting pressure, reports the Washington Post. DeSantis told residents to stay home for 30 days except for "essential services or activities." The order takes effect at midnight Thursday, per NBC News. The move comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida jumped sharply this week and is now nearing 7,000. The state has seen roughly 900 new cases in each of the last three days, per WCTV. About 900 of the 7,000 are hospitalized, while nearly 90 have died. story continues below As recently as Tuesday, DeSantis defended his decision not to issue a statewide order, saying he was in close consultation with the White House. "If any of those task force folks tell me that we should do X, Y or Z, of course, we're going to consider it," he told reporters. Critics pointed to crowded beaches, among other things. The move on Wednesday came after he spoke by phone with President Trump in the morning, reports the New York Times. As of now, DeSantis is still allowing non-essential businesses to remain open, though only for delivery purposes. (Read more coronavirus stories.) There are some things about God that we will never understand about Him from a finite, human perspective. We are simply unable to separate ourselves from what makes sense to us logically. This is why obedience must first come as a response to faith, not understanding. This quote by Fred Malone of Founders Ministry perfectly sums up our dilemma: How can one explain the mystery of the absolute sovereignty of God over all things in His decree yet harmonize it with the biblical truth of the unforced will of spiritually dead men freely to respond to the gospel when they are regenerated? To harmonize the sovereignty of God and full human responsibility to repent and believe is like trying to explain the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. It is wholly inspired by God yet written through the minds of fallible men. Such mysteries humble us and call teachers to use prudence (wisdom applied) and care (careful teaching with care for the hearer) in their teaching of the high mystery of predestination. We must neither ignore nor speculate about Gods revelation to make it more palatable to ourselves or others. The fact that we wrestle with deep truths, however, does not mean that we should not pursue understanding. What we believe about salvation, grace, and free will directly impacts how we continue to live in obedience to God, and how we carry out the Great Commission of spreading the gospel to all the nations. For that reason alone, we should be willing to stretch our spiritual muscles, employ our God-given intellect, and dive into the pool of theology, all the while, of course, asking God for the wisdom He promises to give to those with a humble, believing heart (James 1:5-8). The primary place where believers tend to part ways on Gods sovereignty and mans free will is the area of how men are saved. One camp says, it is all God, and man has no choice in the matter. The other camp says, God desires all men, and man chooses whether or not to believe in God. (Those are characterizations of the extreme viewpoints.) Both camps quote a multitude of Scripture to support their viewpoint. How are we to respond? I once had a boss who taught me a great lesson. When called to decide between two seemingly opposite choices, we ought to consider if we should perhaps set aside the either and the or and instead embrace the beauty of the and. Our topic at hand fits this advice perfectly. The Two Viewpoints: Calvinism and Arminianism If someone calls you a Calvinist they are most likely referring to the five-point set of beliefs credited to John Calvin, a French theologian (1509-1564). The five points can be remembered by the acronym TULIP: Total Depravity of Man Unconditional Election Limited Atonement Irresistible Grace Perseverance of the Saints Arminianism, an opposing viewpoint, is credited to Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian (1560-1609), and its followers disagree with each of these points in varying degrees. The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry explains it this way: The system of Calvinism adheres to a very high view of scripture and seeks to derive its theological formulations based solely on God's word. It focuses on God's sovereignty - stating that God is able and willing by virtue of his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence to do whatever He desires with His creation. Arminianism, on the other hand, maintains that God predestined but not in an absolute sense. Rather, He looked into the future to see who would pick him, and then He chose them. Jesus died for all peoples' sins who have ever lived and ever will live not just the Christians. Each person is the one who decides if he wants to be saved or not. What Does Scripture Say? Is salvation completely dependent on Gods sovereign, predestined choosing of the elect? Is atonement limited to the elect or available for all? Can man resist Gods grace? There are many scriptures which clearly teach mans spiritual condition is broken from birth. Romans 1:18-32 gives a striking picture of what happens when God allows the human heart to pursue its natural course. Because of the fall (Genesis 3), Adam and Eve lost their innocence and their holy position before God, and their children inherited their fallen image and likeness (Genesis 5:3). Adams sin brought death to all men, and made all men sinners (Romans 5:12, 19). Men cannot understand spiritual things with their natural mind (1 Corinthians 2:14). We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5) and are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:5). This does not mean that all men are as depraved as they could be, or that we cannot do good things (according to mans definition of good). Many people who do not believe in Jesus still have compassion and mercy for others, live a moral life and understand the difference between right and wrong. God gives all men a moral conscience, and the environment and experiences of our lives directly impact how that conscience operates. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 6 describes the need for God to act on us before we can ever come to salvation. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us that salvation is a gift of grace by faith, and that faith is also a gift. Titus 2:25 teaches us to correct those opposed to the gospel, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus Himself taught that no one can come to God unless it has been granted him from the Father, and the Father draws him (John 6:44, 65). Clearly, Gods sovereignty is at work in salvation. God must act before we can respond to Him. What Is Mans Responsibility? Does He Have Free Will? A.W. Tozer gives us a good picture of mans free will in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, where he says: God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. Mans will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so. In John 5:40, Jesus said to the Pharisees, You are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. In Luke 7:30, we are told the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected Gods purpose [Greek word boule, meaning counsel or will] for themselves, not having been baptized by John. John preached a baptism of repentance. Gods purpose for the Pharisees (as it is for all of us) was that they would confess and repent of their sin. These verses indicate that man has a will that must be submitted when faced with the truth about God. Acts 17:26-31 is the perfect picture of Gods sovereignty acting, and mans free will responding. God determines when and where we live so that [we] would seek God, if perhaps [we] might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us, and He is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent. Jesus words in John 6:63-65 also give us a clue about the tension between Gods sovereignty and mans free will in coming to salvation. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." Jesus is speaking to a group of His disciples, giving further insight to the challenging words that those who have eternal life will eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:52-58). He tells them He is speaking on a spiritual level; He is not talking about eating His literal, physical flesh. I believe this illustrates a great truth, that unless God grants it, we will never understand Jesus. When He does open our eyes, we are given a choice in how we respond: believe or reject. Later in this same passage, many professing disciples walked away from Him, unwilling to accept His words. When asked if they, too, would leave, Peter declares, To whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. The eleven disciples exercised their free will, accepted what God had revealed to them, and were granted faith to believe. Judas, on the other hand, chose to reject what had been revealed to him, and perished (John 6:70-71). Gods sovereign actions in calling us and drawing us to salvation and our God-given free will (and responsibility) to respond by faith and believe, surrendering our will to His, are two sides of the same coin. Its not either God is sovereign, or man has free-will, but God is sovereign, and man has free will. I picture salvation as standing before a door, Gods convicting Spirit speaking to our heart, calling us to repent and believe. From our perspective on this side of the door, we must lift our hand, turn the knob, and step over the threshold of repentance into faith and eternal life. But as we turn back from the other side of salvation and look behind us, we see that without the sovereign actions of God, we would never have even found the door, and that any strength or power or knowledge to open the door was all a result of what God did in our heart and mind. God tells us to seek Him, but He allows Himself to be found (Isaiah 65:1; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 29:13). John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Photo credit: Getty Images/stevanovicigor Author Sheila Alewine is a pastors wife, mother, and grandmother of five. She and her husband lead Around The Corner Ministries, which serves to equip Christ-followers to share the gospel where they live, work and play. She has written several devotionals including Just Pray: Gods Not Done With You Yet, Grace & Glory: 50 Days in the Purpose & Plan of God, and her newest one, Open The Gift, as well as Going Around The Corner, a Bible study for small groups who desire to reach their communities for Christ. Their ministry also offers disciple-making resources like One-To-One Disciple-Making in partnership with Multiplication Ministries. Sheila has a passion for Gods Word and shares what God is teaching her on her blog, The Way of The Word. Connect with her on her blog, Facebook, and Instagram. Dental Cement Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2019-2025- Increasing advances in dental materials technology, significant growth in esthetic dentistry and rising burden of oral disorders are the key factors fuelling the growth of the dental cement Market Dental Cement Market is valued at USD 813.50 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 1361.98 Million by 2025 with the CAGR of 7.64% over the forecast period. Dental cement refers as a substance that hardens to act as a base, liner, filling material & prostheses to tooth structure. It possesses many desirable characteristics that they are used in 40 to 60% of all restorations. Dental Cement works by producing resistance and retention when compressed and also form a chemical bond. Dental cements contain combination of materials such as zinc phosphate, zinc oxide and eugenol, polycarboxylate and glass ionomer cements (GICs). Currently, glass ionomer and resin are the most used cements which are adhere to the dentin for full-coverage restorations. Dental cements are created to retain restorations, appliances and long-lasting position in the oral environment. Certain dental cements are used to restore dental work, while other are used to create original dental work. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12744&RequestType=Sample Dental cement market is segmented on the basis of product type, material type, application and by region. Based on product type the market is segmented into temporary cements and permanent cements. On the basis of material type the market is divided into glass ionomers, zinc oxide eugenol, zinc phosphate, polycarboxylate, composite resins and others. Based on application the market is segmented into hospitals, dental clinics, dental ambulatory surgical centers, dental academic and research institutes. The regions covered in this dental cement market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of Dental Cement market is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Dental Cement Market Reports Key players of the dental cement market are 3M, Danaher, Dentsply Sirona, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, SHOFU Dental GmbH, BISCO, Inc., SDI Limited, DMG Chemisch-Pharmazeutische GmbH, Medental International, Inc., FGM Produtos Odontologicos, Kerr Corporation, Dental Technology Group, Inc., GC India Dental, The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, Prime Dental Products Pvt. Ltd, Indigodental GmbH, DETAX Ettlingen, Hoffmann Dental Manufaktur and Shandong Huge Dental Material Corporation and others. 3M Announced New 3M Oral Care Organization On August 20, 2015; 3M announced the formation of new 3M Oral Care Organization to increase customer relevance combining the former 3M ESPE Dental and 3M Unitek Orthodontics into a single union. This newly created 3M Oral Care division build using advanced technologies to provide a continuum of oral care solutions for dentists and orthodontists. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12744&RequestType=Methodology Dental Cement Market Dynamics: Increasing advances in dental materials technology, significant growth in esthetic dentistry and rising burden of oral disorders are the key factors supporting the growth of dental cement market within the forecast period. According to world health organization, reported that oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people with over 530 million children suffer from dental caries of primary teeth. From the past years, newly formulated dental cement is increasingly developing to achieve better performance compared to the traditional cement. Furthermore, increasing demand for esthetic and bonding restorations is another driving factor of this market. Dental cement is an important key substance to achieve a successful restoration and helps in increasing the chances of long-term success of the restoration. However, oral treatment is relatively expensive and ideal dental cement must able to meet the basic mechanical and handling requisites such as compatibility to the tooth and tissue, compressive strength, low solubility in oral fluids and low cost may obstruct the growth of this market. North America is expected to dominate the Dental Cement Market North America is expected to dominate the dental cement market due to the rising expenditure on dental care, well established healthcare faculties and rising disposable income. Oral health is a general health issue in the United States. Annual spending on oral healthcare in the USA is approximately USD 110 billion. In 2017, people with aged 65 and over 29.2% had dental insurance and around 65.6% had a dental visit in the 12 months. Asia pacific is emerging as the fastest growing region due to rising improvements in clinical techniques and growing oral diseases. For example; Oral cancer is among the most common cancers and ranks as the 3rd most common in South Asia. Key Benefits for Dental Cement Market Reports Global market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/12744/Buy/SingleUser Dental Cement Market Segmentation By Product: Temporary Cements Permanent Cements By Material: Glass Ionomers Zinc Oxide Eugenol Zinc Phosphate Polycarboxylate Composite Resins Others By End Users: Hospitals Dental Clinics Dental Ambulatory Surgical Centers Dental Academic and Research Institutes By Regional & Country Analysis: North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz New Delhi, April 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a video conferencing with the Chief Ministers on Thursday morning and discuss the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The conference is scheduled at 11 a.m. tomorrow and comes in the backdrop of increasing number of cases of COVID-19 patients across the country which is under 21-day lockdown to break the chain of transmission of the disease. The meeting is significant in terms of measures that have so far been taken by all the states, Union Territories as well as the central government to meet various challenges triggered by the crisis. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are among those who will attend the conference. This is the second such meeting arranged via video conferencing between the Prime Minister and all the Chief Ministers. On March 20, the Prime Minister also held the similar interactions with the Chief Ministers via video conferencing. He had urged all states to work together in the fight against the deadly disease, saying "the threat of COVID-19 is a common for all states". At that time, the Prime Minister deliberated on ways to check the spread of COVID-19, issues such as capacity building of the states and extending training to local health officials. A lot of people in the United States are very proud of feeling self-sufficient and independent, Alice Fothergill, a professor of sociology at the University of Vermont who has studied the human effects of natural disasters. This is something that is definitely going to be very, very difficult. She said that people who feel ashamed about seeking help are often the ones who need it the most. In one study of women who had endured devastating floods in North Dakota, she found that working-class and middle-class women were the ones who despaired most about needing public assistance, because of a fear of a loss of status. They did not want to be seen as poor. They also engaged in techniques to make it clear to themselves and others that they were accepting charity reluctantly, such as offering to pay for donated items and refusing to refer to their government-supplied trailers as home. Mr. Greenfield, of New Yorks Met Council, said the scores of people approaching his charity for the first time are roundly apologetic: Theyre saying: Im sorry but can you help me? Im sorry but I need food, Im sorry but I need rent, Im sorry but I need help. For people of some means, deciding whether to file for benefits also involves second-guessing. Does the fact that others are in greater need mean that they should not apply, even if they are qualified? Kirk DeWindt, 36, a personal trainer from Brooklyn Park, Minn. and a three-time contestant on The Bachelor television franchise, saw his business come to a halt after all in-person sessions had to be canceled. He has some savings, so when his mother urged him to apply for unemployment benefits, Mr. DeWindt hesitated. Im in a more privileged situation than I would assume most that are filing, he said. So what do you do with that? He decided he would file. The anonymity of the internet has helped some charity-seekers get over any shame, with restaurant and other business owners setting up online fund-raising campaigns that keep their workers names private. On GoFundMe, some $120 million has been donated for campaigns related to the pandemic since the first week in March, a spokeswoman said. By comparison, that is more than four times as much as campaigns for the Australian wildfires raised in three months. French evangelical church conference blamed for surge in coronavirus infections Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A five-day French megachurch conference is being blamed for sparking the countrys largest cluster of coronavirus cases as over 17 members have reportedly died due to complications linked to COVID-19. Reuters reports that local government officials are saying that the annual prayer meeting at the Christian Open Door Church in the border city of Mulhouse on the German border in mid-February has been linked to as many as 2,500 coronavirus cases worldwide. The cluster of coronavirus cases linked to the evangelical charismatic church conference attended by people from around the world played a key factor in Germanys decision to partially close its border with France, people familiar with the decision told the news agency. Attendees of the conference traveling from different parts of the globe have taken the virus back to home countries like Burkina Faso in West Africa, Corsica in the Mediterranean, and Guyana in Latin America, according to Reuters. Although the world has a better idea today of the quickness in which the virus spreads, there were only 12 confirmed cases of the virus in France at the time that the conference occurred, with none in Mulhouse. Also at that time, France had not yet placed restrictions on large gatherings. Additionally, a church spokesperson said that no attendee reported flu-like symptoms by the time the gathering ended on Feb. 21. At the time, we viewed COVID as something that was far off, Jonathan Peterschmitt, son of the churchs lead pastor, Samuel, told Reuters. A church spokesperson told the outlet that Samuel Peterschmitt has also fallen ill to the coronavirus. At times, there were as many as 2,500 people in attendance at the conference, Peterschmitt said. But according to him, there were never times during the conference with fewer than 1,000 people in attendance. So we were in the same petri dish for a week, Peterschmitt was quoted as saying. The first case of the virus being linked to the church gathering was identified on Feb. 29 and health officials traced the people that carriers were in contact with. Public health officials told Reuters that the church cooperated fully and supplied a list of conference attendees. Officials said they first contacted people who worked in the nursery during the conference. Michel Vernay, an epidemiologist with Frances national public health agency in eastern France, told the news agency that health officials discovered that people who were staffing the nursery were already sick. We were overwhelmed, Vernay was quoted as saying. We realized that we had a time bomb in front of us. In France, there are over 45,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon. According to Vernay, about a quarter of Frances coronavirus cases as of March 20 were in the region of the country where Mulhouse lies. He stressed that a very great majority of the cases in the Grand Est region can be traced to the church gathering. On the French island of Corsica, a 70-year-old female attendee of the church conference who contracted COVID-19 says people are pointing the finger at her for bringing the virus to the island as over 200 people have been infected. People have pointed their finger at me, the female attendee identified only as Antoinette, told Reuters. They need a scapegoat. Meanwhile, Peterschmitt claims that others in the congregation have been verbally attacked by strangers and are now fearful. Christian Open Door church is not the first church to be linked to the spread of the coronavirus. In South Korea, members of a secretive religious cult known as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have faced criticism and harassment from the government and society after a surge of infections broke out among churchgoers. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a congressionally mandated body of independent commissioners, warned in March that South Korea provides a vivid example of how public health emergencies can increase the risk to marginalized religious groups. Although some government measures appeared to be driven by legitimate public health concerns, others appeared to exaggerate the churchs role in the outbreak, USCIRF stressed in a report. The government of Seoul locked down Shincheonji churches in the capital, and some mainline Protestant groups have accused the church of deliberately spreading the disease. While some argue that government orders banning large church gatherings could inhibit religious freedom rights, USCIRF Chairman Tony Perkins suggested in a tweet that holding church services during the ongoing pandemic is not what he considers to be an act of religious freedom. At this point, holding public church gatherings in the midst of a public health crisis is not a defense of religious freedom it is a defiance of common sense and the care of your congregation, Perkins tweeted. Spread the Good News, not the virus! In the U.S., some pastors and churches are continuing to hold church services while many have moved services online. Florida pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, who leads the Revival International Ministries and The River at Tampa Bay Church, was arrested on Monday after holding service Sunday in violation of public stay-at-home orders. He was charged with unlawful assembly and a violation of health emergency rules. Louisiana pastor Tony Spell held live services attended by hundreds this past Sunday at Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge in defiance of bans on large gatherings. A 46-year-old resident of Dharavi area of Mumbai who had contracted coronavirus died on Wednesday evening, prompting the civic authorities to seal the building where he lived. Densely-populated Dharavi is famous as one of the largest slums in Asia. The man, who lived in a building constructed under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority scheme, had no foreign travel history, said a health official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. After he died at nearby government-run Sion Hospital, some 300 tenements in the building and around 30 shops were cordoned off by police. Residents of the building have been quarantined at home. The deceased had a garment shop at AKG Nagar inDharavi, the official said. Mumbai has recorded over 180 coronavirus cases and about a dozen deaths of COVID-19 patients so far. The Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, said on Tuesday that none of the active cases of coronavirus infection in the state needs a ventilator, as none of the patients has severe symptoms of the infection. The Commissioner, during an update on COVID-19 in the state, said the patients being managed at the Bio-security facility and Infectious Disease Centre Yaba have mild to moderate symptoms. Mr Abayomi said out of the 66 patients that are being managed at the facility, none is showing symptoms of respiratory infections such as lung or kidney failure, neither is anyone showing any signs that they would die. Most of the patients are experiencing a mild to moderate degree of the illness, no patient requires ventilation at the moment. I will estimate that about 33 of the 66 are mild about 33 are showing moderate diseases characterised by severe fever, some -coughing, and general body pain, he said. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, had earlier said that Nigeria may not need ventilators for the treatment of coronavirus, and as such, shortage of ventilators in the country should not be of concern to Nigerians. Mr Ehanire added that if the need for ventilators arises, the available ones will be moved to the states that need them. Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory have remained the states with the highest figure of confirmed cases of coronavirus with 81 cases in Lagos and 25 cases in Abuja, out of the total 135 cases. Speaking on the availability of testing equipment in Lagos, the Commissioner said Lagos has excess testing capacity and does not require additional equipment at the moment. We still have an excess testing capacity, we have three reference laboratories in Lagos, each of those facilities is testing up to 50 per day, so we have about 150 tests per day. We are increasing that capacity by the day, hopefully we will be able to get to 200 and so on. The Commissioner also disclosed that Lagos State has not received any portion of Jack Mas donation to Nigeria because the state has enough capacity. Lagos State has capacity at the moment and not under any stress in terms of access to PPE or testing capacities, he said. Mr Abayomi added that the state has recorded only eight new cases over the last two days and this is a slow increase rate compared to what is obtainable in other climes. READ ALSO: He said eight patients have been discharged having fully recovered and about 66 patients are presently on admission at the Infectious Disease Centre, Yaba. I will estimate that about 33 of the 66 are mild about 33 are showing moderate diseases characterised by severe fever, some coughing, and general body pain, he said. The Commissioner said the state will not relent in its efforts to trace the contacts of the confirmed cases and curtail the spread of the infection. Other patients will be discharged in the coming weeks once they have two consecutive negative results, he said. Dunamis International Gospel Church has debunked reports of its founder, Paul Enenche, donating items worth N2 billion to the federal government to fight Coronavirus in Nigeria. The church described the documents that generated the reports as fake and false. The church said this in a disclaimer it issued on its official Twitter handle @DunamisGospel. Our attention has been drawn to a notice circulating the internet allegedly stating the donations made so far for the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria with the Name of the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre Worldwide, Dr Pastor Paul Enenche as the 8th on the list of Donors, allegedly contributing two billion naira worth of items, the church said. According to the church, the purported letter was written on March 28 which was a Saturday and it was stamped received on the 11th of March. The church said although Mr Enenche has made generous, free-will contributions towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Christian social responsibility, the alleged donation of items worth N 2 billion to the cause of fighting COVID-19 is an exaggeration of what was freely given, and God will never bless a lie. The church said types of equipment were given to a rural health care centre that was in desperate need of help, and the other materials were given for distribution to the masses. The church said a comprehensive list of the items donated was given to the representative of the Minister at the point of presentation; showing transparency and integrity. The general public is therefore advised to ignore that mischievous notice and desist from sharing it. God can never bless a lie, the church said. Dunamis church did not list the items or give the worth of the items in naira on its Twitter page. We will continue to work with the Government and Citizens as The Lord permits to alleviate the sufferings of the Masses as we have already carried out other well-meaning rescue to the people, the church said. Other donations Since the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria, there have been a lot of donations to help fight its spread. The donors include churches, entrepreneurs and National Assembly members. Premium Times also reported how the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board donated ventilators to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for the management of the coronavirus pandemic. According to data provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Nigeria currently has 139 coronavirus cases, with about 28 of the cases being managed in Abuja. Bengaluru, April 1 : City police arrested a man for selling counterfeit thermometers at an exorbitant price, used for thermal screening and seized 70 instruments, an official said on Wednesday. "We have arrested Keshav under IPC section 420 for selling the fake thermometers at Rs 16,000 each," Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain told IANS. Keshav was nabbed in Rajajinagar, within the limits of the Subramanyanagar police station. Jain said Keshav procured the thermometers from Chennai at Rs 2,000 each, purported to have been manufactured in China. "Because they were imported there is no MRP, people were just buying and preliminary investigation suggested that a few taluka health officers (THOs) also purchased them at 15,000 a piece with the government money," Jain said. Keshav was selling the fake thermal screeners from a first floor surgical shop to government agencies and any private individual. "These days everybody wants a thermometer, even you feel like you should have a thermometer to check," he said, explaining how some people are taking advantage of the COVID-19 fear in the masses. Similarly, the Central Crime Branch police arrested Shivkumar for making and selling fake hand sanitisers at an exorbitant price. "We have arrested Shivkumar and seized 5,000 fake sanitiser bottles. He was booked under IPC Section 420," Jain said. Shivkumar was operating from a two-bed room flat at Srirampura. Bank officers' union AIBOC on Wednesday said it is indeed insensitive on the government's part to go ahead with banks merger at a time when the country is reeling under Covid-19 pandemic and bank staff are busy providing essential banking services to the customers. Six public sector banks (PSBs) namely Oriental Bank of Commerce, United Bank of India, Syndicate Bank, Andhra Bank, Corporation Bank and Allahabad Bank lost their individual identity as they were merged into four bigger lenders with the objective to make them globally competitive. These six lenders were merged with four anchor banks-- Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank. "Despite our appeal to the Prime Minister to revisit the decision of the mega merger of the public sector banks (PSBs) in view of the pandemic and nationwide lockdown, RBI notified the PSB amalgamations on March 28," All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) general secretary Soumya Datta said in a statement. The AIBOC is of the firm opinion that implementation of the merger decision during this abnormal period will severely impair the normal activities of the PSBs and impose needless and avertable burdens on the bank officers and employees, it said. Training and integration of technology platforms following the merger cannot proceed smoothly till the time lockdown restrictions are in place, it said. "While priority should be accorded to the task of serving the distressed customers, particularly the farmers, daily wage earners, small creditors and PJDY account holders at a time of lockdown and economic shutdown, the merger related activities would come in the way of such forced prioritisation made by the government, thereby infringing its own precepts of Break the Chain' and Stay Home, Stay Safe' marked with widespread publicity in media and on social media platforms," it said. Employees, as the vanguard in nation building for the past several decades, are shocked and surprised to note that the government and the regulator RBI are unmindful of these legitimate concerns, it said. "We have also filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging this 'Mega Merger' decision of the Union government. But unfortunately due to the lockdown scenario, the matter did not come up for hearing. On this note, we express our sincere appreciation to all our affiliates who have been fighting relentlessly along with other stakeholders to save their esteemed organisation against the draconian decision of amalgamation," he said. Besides, it said, the less than desired level of provisioning coverage ratio (PCR) in some of the acquirer or acquiree banks coupled with ever increasing volume of stressed assets are certainly going to increase the provisioning requirement of the amalgamated entities for at least next 2-3 financial years, thereby diminishing their overall profitability, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an attempt to keep the quarantine blues away during the coronavirus pandemic, the American Film Institute (AFI) has collaborated with master director Steven Spielberg to start a film club. The 'AFI Movie Club' will kick off with "The Wizard of Oz", Spielberg, who is an AFI trustee, said in a video shared on the institute's official Twitter page on Tuesday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the club will be a daily virtual gathering "to leverage our collective love of film on behalf of optimism in this time of global uncertainty". In his introductory message, Spielberg said of the 1939 musical classic, "Now I know you think you've seen it but think again, because right now at this moment in history what better message is there then, 'there's no place like home'." The viewer can watch the film by going the link: AFI.com/MovieClub. Iconic movies will be selected by AFI every day to bring the world to together, "creating a communal viewing experience during these unprecedented times of social distancing". "AFI's goal is to live in a world of art above anxiety. We're honoured to have Steven Spielberg, the greatest storyteller of our day, lead the way," said Bob Gazzale, president and CEO. Special guests will announce select movies of the day in short videos which will be posted on AFI website and shared on social media platforms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Once more China is accused of hitting American aircraft with high powered lasers. The latest incident, the first time China did this against a U.S. Navy aircraft, involved a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft flying near a Chinese destroyer. The P-8 crew was alerted when one of its sensors detected the aircraft being hit with a laser. China denied any involvement but Chinese government controlled mass media are currently talking openly of using EW (electronic warfare) and laser devices against American aircraft the overfly parts of the South China Sea that China claims are now Chinese. International treaties and court rulings say otherwise but the Chinese openly ignore these treaties and court rulings. China increasingly talks of confronting trespassers with force. Lasers have become very common on military vehicles, aircraft and ships. Most military aircraft and armored vehicles have laser detection sensors as standard equipment. For armored vehicles, the laser detector alerts the crew that a range-finding or targeting laser has hit the vehicle, indicating that someone is about to fire on the tank either with laser-guided missiles or a tank main gun. Aircraft, ground units or ships can all use high-powered lasers to blind or disable some enemy sensors. This works both ways as some aircraft carry a laser-based missile protection system that uses high powered lasers to blind the heat-seeking sensor on some missiles that homes in on the heat an aircraft gives off. Since 2018 the U.S. military has been buying special laser eye protection visors (for helmets) or spectacles/goggles. These protect the pilot and other aircrew from eye injury and well as minimize the distracting effect of lasers. This was prompted by China aiming its military-grade lasers at American military aircraft flying over illegal Chinese South China Sea bases as well as near a legal Chinese base in Djibouti (northeast Africa). There is also an older Franco-American base near the new Chinese base. A more widespread threat is people using laser pointers aimed at aircraft landing. This sort of thing was first reported in the early 1990s when more powerful and longer-range laser pointers became available. There were only a few incidents a year of these lasers being pointed at landing aircraft. That changed in 2000 when the green light laser pointer became available. This was a new, more complex design capable of longer range. Because of the wide availability and low price (under $100) of these longer range (two kilometers) green light lasers, there were more incidents of people aiming the laser beam at aircraft landing, mainly at major airports. By 2009 there were 1,500 reported incidents a year. That grew to 2,800 in 2010 and 3,600 in 2011. Laws were passed with high fines and prison time for those caught doing this. The detection system made it easier to locate where the laser user was but these never became numerous or accurate enough to catch a lot of the offenders. News of the punishments and detectors scared off a lot of potential offenders but there are still several thousand incidents a year. In 2010 there were suspicions that Islamic terrorists had adopted the use of green lasers to cause crashes among aircraft landing at the Italian Aviano military airbase. This base was heavily used by other NATO countries. Local police made an effort to catch whoever was using a laser pointer to distract (usually) or blind (potentially) pilots landing and taking off at Aviano. There was never any proof of Islamic terrorist involvement and the perpetrators were apparently local civilians. There was some military use of commercial, eye-safe, green laser pointers in Iraq and Afghanistan. By this time these laser pointers had been redesigned to be eye-safe for brief exposure. Troops noted that these lasers had a range of about two kilometers and only cost about $70. Users are warned that these lasers are not completely harmless. If you get long enough exposure these lasers can cause temporary or permanent blindness. Taking that into account, eye-safe green lasers have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2005, to force drivers to stop at checkpoints. While no civilians had their eyes injured by these devices, at least two soldiers lost sight in one eye and over fifty others have suffered temporary blindness. These incidents took place when troops were horsing around with the devices, or simply being careless, and lased another soldier at close range. In Iraq and Afghanistan, some green lasers were mounted in weatherproof, articulated enclosures which enabled troops to operate the laser remotely, to flash the laser light at oncoming drivers, to get them to stop at checkpoints or other locations. Anyone getting hit in the eye with these lasers will be disoriented for up to 15 minutes. When the Marines began using the device they bought a model that lowered the power when the target was too close. A laser becomes less powerful the farther away you are from it. This is one reason why troop injuries were more severe, as the victims are a lot closer to the laser. Civilians usually get hit when they are a hundred meters or more away. The navy has issued these devices to ships, to keep suspicious boats away. International law prohibits the use of lasers to blind enemy troops but the more powerful lasers found on warships will blind it someone gets more than a brief exposure. Members of the Michigan National Guard are helping FEMA establish a federal medical station for COVID-19 patients at TCF Center in Detroit. The ad hoc medical station is a place to receive COVID-19 patients if hospitals become overwhelmed. It supports a 1,000-bed alternate care site also being established at the TCF Center in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan expressed their gratitude in a Wednesday release. Duggan said transitioning TFC Center into an emergency medical site is absolutely necessary to protect the health of the residents of Michigan. The city of Detroit alone accounts for 27% of statewide COVID-19 cases -- 2,080 total, as of Tuesday. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 7,615 Tuesday, with deaths rising to 259, and set a record for the most cases found in a single day since the outbreak was discovered on March 10. The State of Michigan is thankful for the sustaining presence of the men and women of the Michigan National Guard as we continue our work to slow the spread of COVID-19, Whitmer said. The National Guard is a team of dedicated Michigan citizens invested as partners in navigating challenges that face our communities like COVID-19. The Michigan Army National Guard is a reservist unit that is part of the Michigan National Guard and dedicated to state concerns. President Donald Trump authorized the use of National Guardsmen Monday, granting Whitmers request to allocate up to 3,000 members of the Michigan Army and Air National Guard to perform humanitarian missions for up to 90 days. Trump also authorized requests from governors in Connecticut, Illinois and Masachusetts. The president said Monday that 14,000 National Guardsmen have been activated across the country. Members of the Michigan National Guard, under Whitmers authority, will help run mobile screening facilities, distribute food and medical supplies, ensure the resiliency of supply lines, disinfect public spaces, and support public safety as needed, according to a release. FEMA will cover the full cost of emergency assistance activities. The Michigan National Guard is ready and eager to assist Governor Whitmer as she works to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state, said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Michigan National Guard stands ready to support Detroit in its fight against COVID-19." The Michigan National Guard has been involved in the states COVID-19 response since March 18, the same day Michigans first death was linked to the coronavirus. Guardsmen have already been providing logistics support to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services by assembling and loading critical personal protective gear like gowns and face shields. National Guardsmen are also assisting food banks in four communities across the state, including Ann Arbor, Comstock Park, Flint, and Pontiac. Support to the food banks is expected to continue through mid-April, according to the governors office. Members of the Michigan National Guard are also assisting the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: Michigan coronavirus cases now at 7,615; up 1,117 cases, 75 deaths in one day Michigan asking feds for more medical supplies as coronavirus cases grow Michigan closed non-essential businesses to stop the spread of coronavirus. Now, local police are left trying to enforce it Whitmer says Michigan schools very unlikely to reopen this year under coronavirus pandemic All Michigan schools to close as coronavirus spreads, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces How Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order compares to other states PLEASANT LAKE, MI Danielle Okley had heard stories of the old Bartletts Resort on Pleasant Lake from her mother. It had big name rock 'n' roll bands and a busy dance floor, set right on the northeast shores of Pleasant Lake in northern Jackson County. Danielle Okley's family had a house within walking distance. Peek Through Time: Bartletts Resort on Pleasant Lake featured nonstop excitement The resort closed and burned down before she came around, but she still has fond childhood memories of Poppys boat out on the lake and playing in the neighborhood. So when she and her husband Ryan Okley were looking to build a house of their own for them and their two daughters, Pleasant Lake was the natural choice. They bought the land, cleared the trees by hand and got the permits. In July 2018, they started digging. "When they started digging is when they uncovered everything," Ryan Okley said. They found prohibition-era liquor bottles, paint cans, silverware, broken plates, ketchup bottles, old glass Vicks VapoRub containers, turpentine bottles, bowls and more going 13 feet deep. All they could hear during excavating was breaking glass, Danielle Okley said. It looked to be an unregistered dumping site from the old Bartletts Resort. The project halted. "We were terrified," Danielle Okley said. "We had sold our house. We were, at this point, living with his parents. And we had already closed on the loan. We were all in on it." The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy came out to test the soil. It tested high for a number of metals, including lead, said Sara Nedrich, who was the EGLE district enforcement coordinator at the time. It exceeded drinking water limits and posed a public health concern, she said. With estimates in the thousands of dollars to remediate, Ryan Okley said they figured they were sitting on a useless piece of property. But with a few extra dollars in emergency funding available, EGLE stepped in. Because there was no liable party, the state agreed to do the work and clean up the site. "The cost to complete the project was relatively small," Nedrich said, noting it was about $100,000. "But to the Okley's, this cost put their initial investment in the property and dream home in jeopardy." The site was cleared of contaminants and the family started building their dream house in May 2019, Danielle Okley said. They moved in by November. "So many tears were cried and so many doubts were had," Danielle Okley said. "If (EGLE) wouldn't have done what they did, this would still be a hole with dirt in it." The Okleys didnt keep many artifacts from the site. Most pieces were broken and they were heartbroken, thinking their dream home would go unrealized. But Danielle Okleys aunt and uncle, from across the street, collected a few things. For the familys first Christmas in the home, her aunt brought over an intact whiskey bottle from the site. It had a flower in it encapsulating their journey of creating new life on a tainted, old property. With schools, libraries, and bookstores closed indefinitely and public gatherings under severe restrictions, childrens authors have had to cancel their travel plans and appearances during the Covid-19 outbreak. Many publishers are finding creative new ways to get the word out about new releases and connect authors with their readers through digital platforms while maintaining social distancing measures. PW is continuing to track some of the new and forthcoming books that have taken a hit, and will be featuring these roundups regularly. Picture Books Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring Matthew Burgess, illus. by Josh Cochran. Enchanted Lion, $18.95 May 19 ISBN 978-1-59270-267-1 The late artist and icon of the LBGTQ community Keith Haring once said, I would love to be a teacher because I love children. Author Burgess (Enormous Smallness: A Life of E.E. Cummings) and illustrator Cochran pay tribute to Harings life, work, and appreciation for children in this forthcoming picture book biography, which explores how his pop art transformed the New York City underground art scene in the 1980s. The book was slated to debut at the Tucson Festival of Books, and additional appearances in NYC were set for April and May, including LGBTQ events and a dance party launch. Burgess said, We were all but packed and ready to head to Tucson for our book tour when it was canceled. Its a shame to miss so many opportunities to share our book with kids, librarians, and the young people in detention centers we had planned to visit. But the life of a book can be longas can its making, which was about eight years for meand I remain hopeful that these gatherings will happen down the line. For me, the story of Keith Haring is even more resonant in this moment. He persisted in his creativity in the midst of the upheavals and tragedies of the AIDS crisis, and he faced his own life-threatening illness with extraordinary courage. Keith is a bright light in dark times. Cochran added, Because the journey of making Drawing on Walls was so personal and took four years to complete, I am more determined now to get the word out about our incredible book. The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath Susan Verde. Abrams, $16.99 May 5 ISBN 978-1-4197-4103-6 With schools closed nationwide, Susan Verde, author of the fractured fairy tale picture book The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath, has had all of her upcoming school visits canceled or postponed. But thats not stopping her from getting the word out. Verde, author of the I Am picture books illustrated by Peter Reynolds, has been reading from her books live on Instagram. She is also starting a channel for kid-friendly meditations and mantras every Tuesday and Thursday for all ages; her new book, according to her publisher, is a calming spin on a classic fairy tale. In the story, a wolf comes upon a peaceful little yogi doing sun salutations. The wolf wants to huff and puff and blooow her hut down, but the yogi suggests, Lets meditate on that! We Are Water Protectors Carole Lindstrom, illus. by Michaela Goade. Roaring Brook, $17.99 ISBN 978-1-250-20355-7 Garnering a starred review from PW and inclusion in the magazines list of Most Anticipated Childrens and YA Books of Spring, We Are Water Protectors is inspired by the many Indigenous-led efforts to safeguard the Earths resources. Against the backdrop of the encampment at Standing Rock in 2016, author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade depict the story of a girl rallying her people to fight a pipeline project. Macmillan was forced to cancel a robust roster of events for the picture book, including a trip to the Standing Rock Reservation on April 1 that was planned in partnership with teachers and librarians on the reservation. The publisher is also adjusting promotions around the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, to make it possible for young readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and more to pledge to be a water protector from wherever they are. During a recent Q & A with PW, Lindstrom, who is of Anishinaabe/Metis descent and is tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, said, The story is a call to do something, whatever it is. You can do something. Goade, who is of Tlingit descent, tribally enrolled with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, said, To have [the book] be received well by different communities, Native and non-Nativethat really means a lot. Standing Rock is not an isolated event. Were fighting the money and power. I hope it makes people proud. Fiction Brown Girl Ghosted Mintie Das. HMH/Versify, $17.99 Mar. 24 ISBN 978-0-358-12889-2 Finland resident Mintie Das had planned to relocate to the U.S. for two months, for the launch of her debut novel Brown Girl Ghosted. There was a launch event in Chicago with 57th Street Books and a celebratory party with local media and librarians, as well as school visits and in-store events across the Midwest (including her hometown of Macomb, Ill., which loosely inspired the books setting) and the West Coast. A trip to Vancouver was also planned, for a weekend filled with events. In addition, Das was scheduled to attend three YA festivalsNoVaTeen Book Festival, Houston TeenBookCon, and YALLWESTand was eager to connect with readers and meet fellow YA authors. Unfortunately, as the new coronavirus caused more festivals and events to be canceled, she made the difficult decision to cut her time in the U.S. short and head home, less than two weeks after she arrived. Camp Clique Eileen Moskowitz-Palma. Running Press, $16.99 Apr. 14 ISBN 978-0-7624-6745-7 Eileen Moskowitz-Palmas debut middle grade novel Camp Clique kicks off a two-book series, The Popularity Pact. The story centers on two ex-best friendsthe newly popular Mae and wallflower Beawho find themselves at the same summer camp, and strike up a bargain to help each other fit in. In response to her events being canceled, Moskowitz-Palma, a former elementary school teacher and current writing instructor at Sarah Lawrence College, is offering virtual creative writing camps for kids. Each course features four sessions, with options available for students in grades three to five, six to eight, and nine to 12. The camp is so popular that she has had to extend it to include more days and times. For free registration, parents and guardians are invited to pre-order a copy of Camp Clique and email proof of purchase to Moskowitz-Palma. The Extraordinaries TJ Klune. Tor Teen, $178.99 July 14 ISBN 978-1-250-20365-6 Rainbow Rowells Fangirl meets Marissa Meyers Renegades was the elevator pitch for TJ Klunes The Extraordinaries (Tor Teen), originally slated to pub on May 5 but now pushed back to July 14. Klune is the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of several other books for adults, and this is his YA debut. Its a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves: Nick is the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom, and after a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova Citys mightiest hero (and Nicks biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And hell do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, his best friend (and maybe the love of his life). The book was one of the imprints lead summer titles; Tor is revising its marketing and publicity plans, which included a pre-order campaign and national tour. Klunes tour for his adult novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, which pubbed on March 17, was also canceled, though some bookstores opted for virtual events. Hard Wired Len Vlahos. Bloomsbury, $17.99 July 7 ISBN 978-1-68119-037-2 Vlahoss first new book in three years is a science fiction YA adventure featuring an A.I. who initially believes hes a teenage boy. As the truth unravels, he questions what it means to truly live. Along with his wife and partner Kristen Gilligan, Vlahos is the co-owner of Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, which has currently closed its operations. He is down to his skeleton staff and working 16-hour days, while also launching a pre-order campaign for Hard Wired. The book was originally scheduled for April 28 but has been pushed back to July 7 amid concerns about the virus. For readers who order the book through a participating indie bookstore between now and July 7, $1 will be donated on their behalf to ACLU Colorado. Vlahos states on his website, The ACLU plays a big role in the book, and Im a big believer in civil libertiesespecially freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Kate the Chemist: Dragons vs. Unicorns Kate Biberdorf. Philomel, $12.99 Mar. 31 ISBN 978-1-68119-037-2 Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments Kate Biberdorf. Philomel, $17.99 Mar. 31 ISBN 978-0-593-11655-5 Dr. Kate Biberdorf, a science professor at University of Texas at Austin, is also known as Kate the Chemist by her many fans. Her Kate the Chemist middle grade series, starring 10-year-old Kate, the neighborhood science problem solver who uses critical thinking skills to find solutions to predicaments, was launched this week with two books: Kate the Chemist: Dragons vs. Unicorns and Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments. But an extensive tour that had her criss-crossing the country doing experiments with students in schools and guests at public events had to be canceled. The tour included visits to New York City; Princeton, N.J.; Houston; Seattle; Irvine, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Nashville; and her hometown of Austin. Instead, shell be recording a science video series twice a week with experiments kids can do at home; the videos will include information about how the experiments work and what chemical reactions are taking place. The Light in Hidden Places Sharon Cameron. Scholastic Press, $18.99 Mar. 3 ISBN 978-1-338-35593-2 Camerons historical YA novel, which PW called a story of extraordinary survival, is based on the childhood experiences of Stefania Fusia Podgorska, who, along with her younger sister Helena, was, in 1979, honored by the World Holocaust Remembrance Center for their heroism in saving Polish Jews during World War II. Author Sharon Cameron was able to complete the first leg of her tour for The Light in Hidden Places, but a number of festivals and conferences she was supposed to attend have been canceled, including the SE-YA Book Festival in Nashville, Tucson Festival of Books, SOKY Book Festival in Kentucky, TLA in Houston, and MPIBAs spring regional trade show. Cameron was also scheduled to appear in conversation with author Monica Hesse at Parnassus Books in Nashville and to appear on a second leg of touring with fellow author and friend Ruta Sepetys. The author has been keeping an active presence online and on social media with blog posts, interviews and podcasts, and more. Birdie and Me J.M.M. Nuanez. Penguin/Dawson, $16.99 Feb. 18 ISBN 978-0-399-18677-6 The Blackbird Girls Anne Blankman. Viking, $17.99 Mar. 10 ISBN 978-1-9848-3735-6 Stand Up, Yumi Chung! Jessica Kim. Kokila, $16.99 Mar. 17 ISBN 978-0-525-55497-4 Bookseller dinners can be one of the most fun ways for authors to spread word about their new books. Good food, good conversation, lots of laughter: its a time-tested way for key bookstores to build long-lasting relationships with authors and artists. Earlier this month, three debut middle grade authorsAnne Blankman (The Blackbird Girls, Viking), Jessica Kim (Stand Up, Yumi Chung!, Kokila), and J.M.M. Nuanez (Birdie and Me, Penguin/Dawson)were scheduled for a bookseller dinner tour the week of March 16, traveling to five cities (Boston, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Chicago, and Seattle) to introduce themselves and their novels to attendees. Additionally, each author was scheduled for three to four school visits throughout the week. Unfortunately, the entire plan had to be scrapped. For last weeks list of childrens books affected by the coronavirus, click here. And stay tuned for our next roundup. On Tuesday morning, Flagstaff Medical Center received a much needed delivery in the form of 2,200 face shields. The delivery was a donation from Prent Thermoforming, which manufactures supplies used in the medical industry in Flagstaff and across the country. Prent Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Mark Rothlisberger said they first heard of Flagstaff Medical Centers need for additional facemasks last week through the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce. At a Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, President of Northern Arizona Healthcare Flo Spyrow announced to the board that the hospital was at risk of running short of personal protective equipment, including face shields. Hearing that, chamber president Julie Pastrick put out the call for any businesses that might be able to assist. And just a day later, Pastrick received a response. Rothlisberger said from their perspective, the hospitals need for face shields was quite a coincidence. Just days prior, Prent had been contacted by a hospital near their headquarters in Janesville, Wisconsin about making similar equipment, he said. The workers at Prents Janesville facility jumped into action and within 48 hours had adapted one of their manufacturing lines to begin producing face shields, Rothlisberger said. Thus, they were ready to fill the shortage at FMC as soon as they heard there was one. It was us and our sister company GOEX, and you know, we sourced the material and got it in production in two days. And now were just adding another line producing in Wisconsin and were probably producing 50,000 [face shields] a day, Rothlisberger said. Thats what we want to do, you know, how we can contribute? We are humbled and grateful we can bring community partners together for such an impactful outcome like manufacturing and providing much needed masks to protect our local healthcare workers, Pastrick said of the delivery. It feels like a miracle. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Some 300 Argos concessions inside Sainsbury's stores remain open. (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images) Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) has been accused of exploiting a loophole to keep Argos outlets in its stores open during the UK coronavirus lockdown. As supermarkets are allowed to remain open as essential shops, Sainsbury's has kept Argos concessions within stores open. But workers are concerned about the health risks involved and customers said they should be closed. Sainsbury's said the in-store Argos outlets are only open on a click-and-collect basis, with customers only able to buy items they have already paid for online. The store claims it is selling essential products for the millions of people now living and working entirely from home. A Sainsbury's spokesperson told the BBC: This includes products for the home office, for educating and entertaining children and for adults to stay fit and entertained at home. We are then strongly advising customers to have these delivered to their homes. We also have an option to collect from Sainsbury's supermarkets while doing an essential food shop. Read more: WHSmith to sell groceries in hospitals to help NHS workers Under government restrictions, all non-essential shops have been closed for the past week in the battle to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Some 300 Argos concessions inside Sainsbury's stores remain open. One unnamed worker, quoted in evidence published by the House of Commons business select committee, said: Argos is currently using the loophole of having stores in a supermarket [Sainsbury's] to continue to trade as normal, despite virtually everything being sold being non-essential in the current crisis. Paddling pool, play sand, wardrobes, TVs, video games and console, all non-essential. As the standalone stores are closed, this is driving huge numbers of people to gather in their stores, to the point where people are queuing across the whole Sainsbury's. They are actively encouraging, on their website, people to go and buy these non-essential items in these stores. Story continues They are also forcing all Argos workers from their closed standalone stores, to go and work in the stores that are still trading, or a local Sainsbury's, rather than allowing them to stay at home (where the government says they should be). If they refuse, they are being sent home without pay and refused furlough. These actions are surely going to undermine the government's plans to contain this pandemic, leading to the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of vulnerable people. Read more: Record 10.8bn spent on groceries in 'March madness' Several employees took to Twitter to voice their concerns, with one worker tweeting: Argos is making us standalone store workers go to Argos in Sainsbury's stores which are still open or work in the delivery hub or we DON'T GET PAID. For me this means public transport, further increasing my risk. Argos is making us standalone store workers go to Argos in Sainsbury's stores which are still open or work in the delivery hub or we DON'T GET PAID. For me this means public transport, further increasing my risk Robyn (@rozzypainter) March 24, 2020 Another employee accused the company of enticing people out when they should be at home and said: Most people are not picking up ESSENTIALS in Sainsburys either just using Argos. Yeah fair enough of we were all feeding the nation but we are not, people are travelling all over to pick up Nintendo switch consoles and trampolines, most are not picking up ESSENTIALS in sainsburys either just using argos enticing people out when they should be at home. Basil brush (@Basilbrush1231) March 31, 2020 While our Argos stores in Sainsbury's supermarkets are still open, we've temporarily closed our in-store pay points, Argos said in a statement on its website. You can still arrange to pick up your order in person, but you'll need to have already paid for it online. Read more: Millions of 'minimum wage heroes' set for 6.2% pay rise Argos said: We would strongly encourage you to order items for home delivery and to only collect whilst doing your essential food shopping at Sainsbury's. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islanders are generous by nature and the urge to lend a hand is instinctive. As first responders do their jobs and food services are distributed over shifts, hospital reps (listed below) are designated as coordinating points. For the safety of restaurant owners and their employees, it is prudent to have direction going into coronavirus hot spots and to make prior arrangements with those contacts. Also keep in mind that food services are appreciated and complex, say hospital representatives, as hospitals aim to manage scheduled feedings over various departments. As restaurants also are taking a hit to sales with their to-go only formats, weve included a link to places that are open for business. Patronage is perhaps another way to chip in to the community with a benevolent spirit. Here are some outlets for those looking to help out. To assist Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC): Call 718-818-2106 or email Gina Ferreri gferreri@RUMCSI.org. The hospital has asked for monetary donations and community members can give here -- Rumcsi.org/support To aid Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health (SIUH): Call Evelyn Fonesca at 718-226-6331 although it recommended that resources go to donations at this point. Masks, gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) are appreciated more so than food right now. For monetary donations go to Support.Northwell.Edu/Covid-19-siuh. https://support.northwell.edu/covid-19-siuh. To help out food pantries and shelters on Staten Island: Text Terry Troia and she will pick up for Project Hospitality at 646-523-7274. Recommended pantry donations -- cereal, beans, canned fruit, canned tuna plus cases of oranges, apples and bananas -- can be brought to 514 Bay St., Stapleton during business hours. To pitch in with food donations from restaurants to City Harvest: Email fsmanagers@CityHarvest.org. Restaurants open for pickup and delivery purchases are listed here. Want to be added to the list? It will be a pleasure to add you! Send your restaurant name, address, phone, website or main social media page here. Keep us up to date by observing and reporting changes in the restaurant landscape. For all food, restaurant and market tips send your correspondence to silvestri@siadvance.com. For general tips to the Staten Island Advance reach out to tips@siadvance.com. Keep in touch. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked judges of the Supreme Court for contributing to the PM-CARES fund set up to tackle the threat arising out of coronavirus. All the 33 judges of the top court, including the Chief Justice of India, have decided to contribute Rs 50,000 each for the fund. "I thank the Honourable Judges of the Supreme Court for this exemplary and inspiring gesture. Their contribution to PM-CARES will strengthen the efforts to fight COVID-19," the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter. PM Modi had on Saturday announced the creation of the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund where people can contribute and help in the government's fight against coronavirus. "It is my appeal to my fellow Indians, kindly contribute to the PM-CARES Fund. This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Unless youre an essential service worker or medical professional, it can be hard to feel helpful during a crisis like COVID-19, but quilters in Montgomery County have found a way to give back from the safety of their homes. As the county continues to see an increase in new coronavirus cases, a concern that some medical facilities have is a shortage of masks for medical workers, an essential safety tool. In response, local quilters are helping to build up mask inventory by making reusable ones. Jane Carver is the president of the Golden Needles Quilt Guild. She was contacted by Catherine Prestigiovanni, the senior director for strategic development at Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare to help provide masks for medical personnel who work directly with patients throughout the county. She said One mask is better than no mask, Carver said. She put that call out to guild members to volunteer for the task and found about six takers. The guild works on several ongoing projects including quilts for veterans and comfort quilts that they donate to the Montgomery County Womens Center. Some of the members have already been contacted to make masks for family, friends, and other medical organizations. Looking ahead, Carver said she thinks the guild can continue to provide masks but the items necessary to make the masks, especially elastic, may not be in every quilters stash of supplies. We have plenty of fabric, plenty of thread, we have excellent sewing machines, she said, but elastic or bias tape are less likely to be readily available. Proud to serve Prestigiovanni pointed Carver toward a design they recommended which is what the quilters have been working with. Were proud to serve, Carver said. No matter how little, were proud to serve. To do what we can. Tri-County, which works in Montgomery, Walker, and Liberty counties, has a staff of around 300. Prestigiovanni said that the health care organization ran out of masks not long after the virus became local and are still struggling to get what they need. While some staff are no longer coming into the center, there are still patients and essential personnel that need them. The guild donated around 200 masks this week and Prestigiovanni hopes to receive more in the future to be able to equip her staff with at least two each. Weve had a difficult time just re-ordering, she said of the usual masks they order. We are slowly getting things in like gloves. Were making our own hand sanitizer. High demand The high demand for these items is making it harder to get them on a consistent basis. On March 7, Kimberly Baird re-opened the Montgomery Quilt Company, just in time for business to halt due to COVID-19. But she has the skills and the materials so after speaking with a friend who is a nursing instructor at Lone Star College about the need for masks she got to work. After donating some to her friend she branched out to other medical personnel she had connections to. Im just going to keep making them until people dont need them, Baird said. She and her husband have set up an assembly line system with her husband to produce them quickly. She has solicited volunteers willing to make more on her Facebook page, in case her customers want to make their own. I felt completely helpless and I would wake up every morning and just be stressed, and as soon as I started this a weight lifted, I just felt better, she said. Some small way to help. She knows that more face masks wont solve the crisis, but its what she can do to give back as the county is ordered to stay at home and socially isolate to stop the spread. Its all some nurses have. Id rather them have this than nothing, she said. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com Cross-border regions have great potential for cooperation, yet very few border regions are integrated, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Conducted by Dr Francesco Cappellano and Professor Teemu Makkonen at the University of Eastern Finland's Karelian Institute, the study sheds light on the fact that although there is plenty of talk about promoting integration in cross-border regions, the reality is very different. In the border region of Cascadia that connects Seattle in the US with Vancouver in Canada, economic cooperation has been modest despite local decision-makers' high regard of it. The region has a long history of initiatives geared towards supporting cross-border cooperation, but visible results remain few and far between. Published in Planning Practice & Research, the study was carried out within the Cross-Border Fellowship programme funded by the Western Washington University in the US and the University of Victoria in Canada. Cross-border cooperation has very little concrete evidence to show for The study analysed concrete outcomes of cross-border cooperation by using survey and statistical data. In particular, the researchers focused on innovation cooperation, i.e. cooperation in science, research and product development, as measured by the number of co-publications, co-patents and networking. The study shows that in Cascadia, the cross-border network of cooperation is very sparse, which can be seen in the scarcity of concrete collaborative scientific outcomes and patents. According to the researchers, this can be considered surprising. "The economic profiles of Seattle and Vancouver are very similar, and increasingly close collaboration between the two is encouraged. This should foster cross-border cooperation, but it is still very seldom that partners are sought from across the border," Dr Cappellano says. The situation is not unique nor specific to border regions in North America alone. Professor Makkonen has observed similar development also in European border regions. "Although cross-border cooperation in the European Union and in its adjacent areas is supported by, e.g., the Interreg and ENI programmes, the outcomes have remained modest in terms of cooperation in science, research and product development. For instance, patents filed as a result of cross-border cooperation are rare." Cross-border cooperation in the Oresund region connecting Sweden and Denmark is often regarded as a textbook example of well-functioning innovation cooperation. According to Professor Makkonen, however, this cooperation is not very impressive considering the resources, except in certain specific fields of medicine. The findings of the study highlight the fact that although there is plenty of talk about promoting integration in cross-border regions, concrete outcomes remain few and far between. "The current relations between the EU and Russia, and the coronavirus pandemic, put the sustainability of cross-border cooperation to test. How to maintain cooperation even at current levels is a cause of concern," Professor Makkonen says. ### For further information, please contact: Professor Teemu Makkonen, University of Eastern Finland, Spatia Centre for Regional Research, tel. +358 50 525 8942 Research article: Cappellano, F., & Makkonen, T. (2020). The Proximity Puzzle in Cross-Border Regions. Planning Practice & Research, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02697459.2020.1743921 State-owned KIOCL on Wednesday said it will contribute Rs 10 crore towards the PM CARES Fund to fight the coronavirus pandemic in India. The employees of the PSU have also offered one day's salary towards the fund, according to M V Subba Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of the company. "Our contribution to fight the pandemic is Rs 10.1 crore. The aid would be extended to the PM CARES Fund to contain COVID-19 virus outbreak in our country," he said. Most of the staff is working from home and only necessary operations are on at the unit, he said adding that those on duty including the Central Industrial Security Force staff have been provided with proper safety equipment and the premises are being sanitised on a regular basis. Besides, food packets, hygienic products such as masks, hand sanitisers and other medical facilities are being provided to the communities living near the KIOCL's unit in Karnataka. Mangalore-based KIOCL (formerly known as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited), under Ministry of Steel, is in the business of iron ore mining, its beneficiation and pelletisation in Karnataka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The postal department resumed its delivery services, which had been temporarily suspended a week ago in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, after Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recognised their services as essential during a meeting held via video conferencing on March 30. Asking the department to rise to the occasion, Prasad said, The postal department was at present responsible for delivering money orders, adhaar linked payments and medical kits. On March 22, the department of posts in Punjab had suspended the postal services after different branches had reported that people had stopped receiving registered mails from the postman and they were fearful of contracting Covid-19. Punjab Circle chief post master general Anil Kumar has instructed head post offices in the state to deliver packets and parcels of dry ration and other essential commodities at beneficiaries doorstep. Post offices have been asked to deliver LTD (local town delivery) articles on priority. Special efforts should be made to deliver money orders. Divisional heads should ensure that Intra Circle Mail Motor start plying with immediate effect by liaisoning with local authorities. All divisional heads should contact state government authorities and proactively offer their services for delivering goods, groceries, ventilators and other items, the instructions state. Post offices in Ludhiana become functional Ludhiana post offices senior superintendent of post offices Amanpreet Singh said, On Wednesday, all post offices were opened. We have also started mail services and started making bookings for Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. With buses and train services shut, the postal department has decided to continue its postal delivery services through available Mail Motor Services (MMS). Ludhiana divisional offices have five MMS to transport posts. There are 14 delivery offices in Ludhiana from where postmen collect mails. The Head Post Office at Ludhiana covers 45 post offices in urban areas and 11 branch offices (BO) that cater to 85 villages. An official, on condition of anonymity, said Ludhiana division receives 6,000 to 7,000 articles for delivery on a daily basis. Singh said amid the lockdown, the postal department had redistributed the MMS to compensate for the loss of other means of transport. Of the five MMS, one will be used to deliver mails bound for Patiala and Sangrur and others will deliver mails to rural areas of Ludhiana, he said. A big part of this is about what happens next," said Jackson, the CPS CEO. "There are some decisions that we are going to have to make in order to recover some of the loss of learning, to provide additional social-emotional support for our students. ... We wont know the full cost of this until this is over, and the cost will be far more than any dollar amount we could put out there. Srinagar, April 1 : The chequered travel history of the first COVID-19 victim of J&K reads like a roller coaster ride of the dreaded virus travelling to places the authorities are now falling short of breath to re-visit in order to trace the route of coronavirus spread. The 65-year old leader of J&K's Tabligi group is reported to have stayed in Nicobar islands for nearly a month with his wife in December 2019. After he returned to his home in Hyderpora locality of Srinagar city, he travelled to Delhi on March 7. He stayed at Nizamuddin mosque in Delhi till the evening of March 9. He then went to Deoband along with six fellow Tabligis and stayed in the seminary till March 11. In the evening he took a train and reached Jammu. On March 12 he travelled to Bari Brahmana area of Samba district where he attended a gathering of Tabligis where he was elected the Amir (chief) of the group's J&K wing for a period of three months. He remained there till March 16 and the same day he travelled in a flight to Srinagar. His co-passenger in this flight was Kashmir's first COVID-19 positive patient. During the next three days he presided at a Tabligi congregation in Sopore town attended by around 300 people. At this gathering, he is reported to have freely mingled with the people, shaking hands, hugging, eating food with them etc. The family of the Tabligi leader originally hails from Sopore town from where they migrated to Srinagar. He returned home and on March 18 when he started showing symptoms of coronavirus infection. He was taken to a nearby hospital on March 21 where doctors prescribed some antibiotics and sent him home. On March 22 he developed symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and was admitted to Srinagar's chest diseases hospital where he tested positive and doctors put him on the life support system. He died on March 25. He headed one group of Kashmiri Tabligis whose headquarters is in Bemina area of Srinagar. Doctors fear the deceased Tabligi could have passed on the virus to dozens who in turn could have passed it on to hundreds in Kashmir. Bad news is that the fears of doctors are proving right. Majority of 55 people who tested positive in J&K are local Tabligis or people who came into direct contact with them.A A British coronavirus survivor, 85, was wheeled out of a Colombian hospital to rapturous applause by medical staff. The Briton, who has not been named, arrived at the Medihelp Clinic in Cartagena, Colombia in critical condition after being taken off the stricken cruise liner MS Braemer last month. Yesterday, after her son John thanked hospital staff for saving her life, health workers lined up to cheer for the pensioner as she left their care after winning her battle against the bug. A British coronavirus survivor, 85, was wheeled out of a Colombian hospital to rapturous applause by medical staff Coronavirus has killed more than 42,000 people world-wide. The woman was filmed returning the applause before raising her hands to her head in disbelief at the sweet send-off. She gave one nurse a hug with her face mask still on as she was helped out of her wheelchair and into a waiting car. The Briton, who has not been named, arrived at the Medihelp Clinic in Cartagena, Colombia in critical condition after being taken off the stricken cruise liner MS Braemer last month John, who flew from his home in Oxford to be by his mother's side, watched on as she was assisted outside the clinic. The pair will likely have to remain in Colombia until it opens its borders unless a repatriation flight can be arranged. The Briton became Cartagena's first coronavirus case after falling ill on board MS Braemar and being taken to hospital on March 8. She gave one nurse a hug with her face mask still on as she was helped out of her wheelchair and into a waiting car Cuba later offered a safe haven to the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ship, allowing it to dock there so healthy passengers could return home. A spokesman for the Medihelp Clinic confirmed last night night: 'The patient has been discharged after her good recovery.' Two women and a man thought to have been involved in her care are believed to have also caught coronavirus and were quarantined. Her son John - speaking before she was allowed to leave hospital - said an emotional thank you outside the building The woman was filmed returning the applause before raising her hands to her head in disbelief at the sweet send-off Her son - speaking before she was allowed to leave hospital - said in an emotional thank you outside the building: 'I am the son of my mum who is a patient at the hospital here. 'On March 8 she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and brought to the hospital from a cruise ship. 'My experience of the clinic has been fantastic. I've been kept informed every time I've asked about my mum when I've not been in Colombia but also when I have been here. The Briton (pictured as medics bid her farewell) became Cartagena's first coronavirus case after falling ill on board MS Braemar and being taken to hospital on March 8 'I've been really impressed by the standards of medical care from the nurses and doctors. 'I've been impressed by their dedication and professionalism. Their level of knowledge and communication has put my mind at ease. 'They have saved my mum's life. She was critical when she reached the hospital and how she is much much better.' Colin Martin-Reynolds, British Ambassador to Colombia, said: 'We are very happy. Thank you to the medical team in Cartagena.' A nurse holds a completed test with patient samples at a drive-through testing site for the CCP virus in Washington state on March 9, 2020. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters) New Mexico to Start Testing People Who Arent Showing Symptoms New Mexico will start testing some people who arent showing symptoms for the new virus from China, including people who have come into close contact with people who have tested positive. The COVID-19 disease crippling states across the nation is caused by the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Although we have been urging the public to only get tested if you are symptomatic, we are changing that today, New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said at a press conference on Tuesday. State officials cited increased capacity to process tests as well as recent evidence showing early detection of asymptomatic people can help slow the spread of the CCP virus in the community. Household members of confirmed patients as well as any other contacts will be tested for the virus as of March 31, Kunkel said. Officials are also recommending the following groups get tested, even if theyre not showing symptoms: people who live in nursing homes and people in other settings where groups gather. As many as one in four patients with the CCP virus will never show symptoms, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently confirmed, agency director Robert Redfield said this week. Those individuals do contribute to transmission, he said. The new information has led top officials to mull advising all Americans to wear masks when leaving home. Anyone showing symptoms of the new disease, which include fever, cough, and fatigue, should get tested, Kunkel said at the press conference. Testing in the state is free so far. Thirty-five new patients were detected overnight, taking the total in the state to 315. Only two of those patients required hospitalization, bringing the total number of patients to 24. One more patient died, the fifth in the state. Scanning electron microscope image shows of CCP virus (round blue objects), the virus that causes COVID-19, emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. (NIAID-RML) Rate of Doubling Slowed David Scrase, human services secretary, said the doubling rate, or the rate at which cases double, has slowed from every two days to every 3.2 days as of March 25 and is moving toward every four days. The social distancing measures ordered by officials has contributed to the slowdown, Scrase said. The more we can separate ourselves, the less opportunities every New Mexican has to get the virus from everyone else, the longer the doubling time will get, Scrase said. Lengthening that doubling time continuously allows us to go over the peak and back down and not have new cases. Modeling currently indicates 250,000 to 1.25 million people will become infected, state officials said on Tuesday. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered state residents on March 23 to stay at home except for essential trips and all businesses labeled non-essential to close. Schools in the state were ordered closed earlier in the month. The order was extended through the end of April in the latest press briefing. Trucks get refueled at a rest stop providing essential food and hygiene services to truckers who continue to work amid the CCP virus outbreak, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on March 23, 2020. (Andrew Hay/Reuters) Virus Spread, Prevention The new virus is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most patients who contract the illness show no, mild, or moderate symptoms and dont require hospitalization. The overwhelming majority of patients recover through rest, supportive care, and symptom treatment. About one percent of patients die from the illness, according to current national figures. Preventative measures include staying at least 6 feet from other people, wearing a mask and gloves when leaving home, and frequently washing hands, especially before eating or after going out. Maternity care reorganised to protect women and babies Changes are to be made to the way expectant mums are cared for by midwives and the maternity service, to reduce the risk of infection from coronavirus. In line with measures to prevent people attending hospital wherever possible, its proposed that most antenatal appointments are conducted in the community, rather than at Nobles as at present. This would include a womans first appointment with the midwife, as well as subsequent routine check-ups and meetings during her pregnancy. Some appointments will continue on a face-to-face basis at a GP surgery or other suitable venue, while others will be conducted by telephone, including conversations with an obstetrician where appropriate. Ultrasound scans, when clinically indicated, will take place at Nobles Hospital and arrangements for women who need follow-up appointments and further scans will be made to suit individual circumstances. Details of the plan for maternity care are available online on the Governments dedicated coronavirus website at: https://covid19.gov.im/health-wellbeing/pregnancy/ Post-natal checks and baby clinics have also been reorganised, with home visits being replaced with regional clinics on a hub basis. INDIA, Apr 1, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation and NEC Technologies India today announced the appointment of Mr. Aalok Kumar as the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NEC Technologies India, effective from today.This change reflects NEC Corporation's strong commitment to the country and India's growing importance to the company's global business.With this appointment, Mr. Takayuki Inaba, former Chairman & Managing Director, has been appointed as Executive Chairman of NEC Technologies India.Mr. Akihiko Kumagai, President of the Global Business Unit, NEC Corporation, said, "This management restructuring exercise is aimed at accelerating our evolution in India. Capacity building in India will not only bolster our business in this country but also support our global businesses."Mr. Kumagai continued, "Aalok is an accomplished leader who brings a good mix of strategic thinking and operational excellence. His rich experience in business transformation and performance improvement, especially in Japan and other Asian markets, will help us accelerate our growth. With him onboard, we are confident that he will take NEC Technologies India to even greater heights and help India achieve its goals."Mr. Aalok Kumar, President & CEO, NEC Technologies India, said, "India is a key market in NEC's global growth strategy. With our huge pool of engineering and technology talent across various verticals, including public safety, communications infrastructure, aviation, logistics and transportation solutions, NEC is contributing significantly to the digital transformation of India.""Our R&D efforts at NEC Laboratories India have enabled our 'In India- For India' strategy to develop innovative solutions that create social value and are globally scalable," he added.Supported by a strong and talented workforce of over 6,000 local employees, NEC has successfully deployed a number of cross-industry solutions for the infrastructure, aviation, logistics and transportation sectors.Some key NEC projects in India include the Chennai-Andaman submarine cable project, which will bridge the digital gap between Andaman and Nicobar Islands by ensuring speedy internet access. In the aviation sector, NEC's biometric-based paperless boarding solution will enable a seamless airport experience for passengers.Container tracking and optimization solutions deployed by DMICDC Logistics Data Services - a joint venture between the Government of India and NEC - has allowed efficient management of 95% of the import-export container traffic at seaports throughout India, resulting in improved port operations across the country.In collaboration with local government authorities, NEC is working on a number of smart city projects as well by setting up digital command and control centers for traffic management and public safety.By collaborating with NEC Laboratories India in Bangalore, NEC Technologies India develops solutions across verticals such as Big Data, biometrics, mobile communications and retail that can be deployed both locally and internationally.NEC Technologies India currently operates offices in New Delhi (head office), Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Noida and Surat.About NEC Technologies IndiaNEC is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies and brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to provide solutions for empowering people, businesses and society. Headquartered in Japan, NEC started operations in India in the 1950s, accelerating its growth through the expansion of business to global markets. NEC in India expanded its business from telecommunications to public safety, logistics, transportation, retail, finance, unified communication and IT platforms, serving across governments, businesses as well as individuals. With its Centre of Excellence for analytics platform solutions, big data, biometrics, mobile and retail, NEC in India offers innovative new services and solutions for India and global markets.For further information please visit: https://in.nec.com/About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.Source: NEC CorporationCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. The latest forecast from Fastmarkets team of analysts is ready to view. Coronavirus continues to shape scrap markets but tighter supply mighty partly offset lower demand We have downwardly revised our ferrous scrap price forecasts for the following few months, and as a result for the full-year 2020, with the Covid-19 outbreak outside China stalling the markets. The Fastmarkets daily benchmark index for an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap (HMS) in Turkey declined by around $70 per tonne in the course of the month, including a $23.42-per-tonne drop to $201.13 per tonne cfr on Monday March 30 compared with the preceding Friday. The Turkish market is known to be capable of having a domino effect on ferrous scrap and iron metallics markets worldwide. With Turkish reinforcing bar struggling both domestically and on the export front, we will likely see price cuts in scrap markets across Europe and the United States. To add to the downward pressures coming from Turkey, steel demand is hampered across the European Union. In Italy, for example, the government ordered closures of all non-essential production operations in the country on March 21, with most steel operations closed, market sources said. The mill closures will further limit scrap consumption in the market, but we anticipate that tighter supply will likely partly offset weaker demand in the European scrap markets. While the collection of cut-grade scrap, such as HMS, might be obstructed by quarantine-related restrictions on the movement of people, we will also see lower availability of prime grades amid several temporary automotive production closures announced in both Italy and Germany. Similar challenges are faced by the US scrap market with limited domestic demand and unfavorable situation on the export side. Turkey aside, demand from Asian buyers has also waned since the second half of last year. In particular, Southeast Asian buyers who source volumes from the US West Coast have benefited from the availability of lower-priced Japanese scrap, which has displaced some of the US volumes. US scrap prices are likely to fall in the short term due to a multitude of uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions threatening the market outlook, which include oil price drops, financial market uncertainty and continued issues related to the spread of Covid-19. The Steel Scrap and Metallics Tracker can be viewed in full here. If you are not a subscriber but would like see a free sample report, please click here. How Will Cluster Concept System Work In South Sudan "...the clustering arrangements under R-ARCISS 2018 sent a wrong signal that these clusters are solely run, supervised, and fall within the mandate of each Vice President..."this gives impression that the government is divided into six mini cabinets". Dr Yoh. By Beny Gideon Mabor The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018 provide clustering of Governmental institutions into clusters on governance, economics, infrastructure, social services, gender and youth, each under leadership of the first Vice President and four five Vice Presidents. However, the R-ARCSS did not provide terms of reference for each cluster and how do they finally collaborate in the overall collective responsibility and accountability of the Government under the President. Instead, article 1.5 on the structure of executive of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) provides that the First Vice President and four Vice Presidents shall each chair their respective clusters, follow up and ensure the implementation of the Council of Ministers' decisions with relevant Ministries and Institutions within the respective cluster. Unfortunately, there's no clear role of the President, apart from chairing the overall Council of Ministers meeting. These clustering arrangement is never giving a coherent approach to a Government under one President. In agreement with Dr. John Gai Yoh, in his recent discourse on the development policy forum of the Ebony Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS), he said that "the clustering arrangements under R-ARCISS 2018 sent a wrong signal that these clusters are solely run, supervised, and fall within the mandate of each Vice President". Accordingly, Dr. Yoh concluded that "this gives impression that the government is divided into six mini cabinets". In my honest opinion, such confusion and misunderstanding may force the President to ignore some recommendations from these clusters due to lack of central information sharing. Remember, information is power! In other jurisdictions, it's true that Governance arrangements of clustering system have different approaches of coordination mechanisms, that's is aimed at improving Government planning, decision making and service delivery, but above all, the main functions of clusters are to ensure the alignment of Government priorities, facilitate and monitor the implementation of priority programmes and to provide a consultative platform on cross-cutting priorities being taken to the Council of Ministers. In accordance with existing best practices and standards, the clustering arrangements work well when there's a technical body vested with specialized knowledge on all matters that fall under each cluster. It's not a club of political leaders. In South Africa for example, they have similar clustering Governance arrangements. But to fully operationalize the clustering arrangements with central information sharing, there's established a Cluster of the Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD). The FOSAD serves as mirror and provide technical support to the Ministerial clusters. In light of these background, I had keen observation that clustering arrangements under R-TGONU may not produce good results as each cluster is disconnected with the other due to lack of programmatic contributions from Undersecretaries and other professional bodies and central information sharing. Therefore, I advise the Presidency to look into this matter and if the answer is in affirmative, then the President can establish technical/coordination forum of Undersecretaries to feed the clusters with substantive contributions that shall produce SMART inputs and outputs for the implementation of the R-ARCISS 2018. Beny Gideon Mabor This's my personal opinion and doesn't represent the position of any entity. Housing activists held a drive-by protest at Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's residence Wednesday morning, honking their horns and shouting from their windows to urge him to pass a blanket moratorium on residential evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. A parade of about 20 vehicles circled Getty House in Windsor Square for more than a half hour, snaking around the block until Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived and parked two large vehicles in a nearby intersection. LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein said traffic could still flow in the area. According to a supervisor on the scene, the patrol vehicles partially blocked the intersection to control the flow of traffic, ensuring safe travels on the street, Rubenstein said. Cars were not blocked. After police parked in the intersection, a crowd of more than 40 housing activists then took to the sidewalks in front of Getty House. "It's not a real moratorium," protesters yelled. "No wages, no rent," others shouted, while some held signs that read, "Freeze all rents." Albert Corado, 31, who came from Atwater Village to join the protest, said he was frustrated by the city's new eviction policy, arguing that what the mayor and L.A. City Council have done doesn't go far enough. "What the city has done is really ineffectual," Corado said. Its unclear if Garcetti was home during the 7 a.m. protest. His spokesman, Alex Comisar, said that the mayor and L.A. City Council have "taken quick, aggressive action" to freeze rents and prevent evictions during the crisis. "The mayor stands with all Angelenos and he will continue taking every possible step to support them through this emergency," Comisar said. The City Council last week approved a temporary ban on evictions for renters who are unable to pay rent because of the coronavirus. The council also waived late fees and gave renters up to a year to pay back rent after the city's emergency order for the pandemic expires. Story continues Council members, however, rejected a blanket ban on all evictions. Instead, to qualify, renters who are unable to pay rent must demonstrate how they have been harmed by the coronavirus, which critics say is too onerous a task given that many may be unable to get tested for the coronavirus or see a doctor. Renters may also have a hard time proving that their work hours were cut, for example, because of the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic. Garcetti went further this week, announcing that landlords would not be allowed to increase the rent for tenants who live in apartments that fall under the citys rent stabilization program. The announcement covers about 624,000 apartments and it's unclear how many of those units would have been subject to annual rent increases during the pandemic. Organizers said that Wednesday's protest was expected to attract members of L.A. Tenants Union, Chinatown Community for Equitable Development, NOlympics LA and other groups. The protesters said they want a moratorium on all evictions during the crisis, complete rent forgiveness and/or rent suspension, and the immediate use of hotel and motel rooms to provide permanent housing to unhoused residents. Protesters held a similar rally outside Garcetti's residence Sunday. Separately, tenant activist groups held "rent strike" protests in several cities Wednesday, vowing to skip payments because of the economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic. Times staff writer Liam Dillon contributed to this report. Send Hunger Packing Princeton was created in 2012 to address food insecurity experienced by children in the Princeton school system. During that time, the foundation typically provided weekend meals to students in Princetons elementary schools, nursery schools and charter school that were part of the free/reduced lunch program - as well as snacks for middle schoolers and high schoolers. As the coronavirus spread throughout New Jersey, the Princeton school district asked Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) to expend its weekend meals program to include all of the towns schools. In a matter of days, the independent non-profit went from providing meals to 150 children in need to over 500. You can imagine that it was a big ask, SHUPP board member Wendy Regina-Vasquez said. But we said, Absolutely well do it. LATEST CORONAVIRUS UPDATES FROM NJ.COM When schools began teaching remotely, Princeton Superintendent of Schools Steve Cochrane quickly mobilized bus drivers to deliver meals to students in need Monday through Friday. He also offered the bus service to help SHUPP deliver the weekend meals. The school district has worked hand-in-hand with Send Hunger Packing Princeton since it was created and is a partner with SHUPP along with Princeton University and Mercer Street Friends, which packages the meals. We all felt that there was a hole in the ability to provide, SHUPP Chairperson Ross Wishnick said. Kids were getting food Monday through Friday, but on the weekend it was almost like Oh well. We filled the Oh well component. Send Hunger Packing Princeton believes in helping any children that are in need - no questions asked. One thing that is important about the Send Hunger Packing Princeton program is that there are no requirements to sign up, Wishnick said. There is no income requirement. If somebody says that they need help, they get it. Wishnick and SHUPP know that children arent the only ones in need and encourage anyone that needs help to reach out and the non-profit will help get them in touch with the corresponding organization. Where we are focused only on the school-age children, there may be lots of other children in that home the need help. The parents may need food., Regina-Vasquez said. We need to connect them with other resources as well. We are all working hand-in-glove to make sure that the families, the children and our community are fed. Thats our main concern. As the number of meal receivers increases and Send Hunger Packing Princeton continues to provide for the foreseeable future, it is hoping to receive help from the Princeton community and is accepting monetary donations online. Princeton is a great community, Regina-Vasquez said. People step up and want to help. Were in a very strange time, but were all trying to pitch in and do what we can so that those in need can get help. We want to make sure that all of these children get fed. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Richard Greco covers Mercer County news for NJ.com and may be reached at rgreco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Richard_V_Greco. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 781 in Qatar, including two deaths. Migrant workers in Qatar who are in quarantine or undergoing treatment will receive full salaries, the government has announced. Qatar has announced 781 confirmed coronavirus cases the highest in the Arab Gulf region and two deaths. In a news conference on Tuesday, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) also said it was mandatory for employers and companies to follow the policy. He added that a hotline service (92727) was launched to receive workers grievances. The companies are responding fully because they know that the workers were put in quarantine as a precautionary measure to protect all of us, Muhammed Hassan al-Obaidly, assistant under-secretary for labour affairs at MADLSA, said. He also said three billion riyals ($824m) were set aside to support companies in paying their employees. We are working 24 hours through department concerned for wage protection system to monitor the companies on a daily basis, checking the transactions, sending messages directly to the companies who are found delaying the payments, said al-Obaidly. We will communicate with the workers in their language and will take the statement to address the issue. They do not need to come to the services centre of the ministry. 200330181649707 Those outside Qatar will be able to renew their Qatar identity cards (QID) without any penalties, he added. Those who are unable to return home after having their jobs terminated will remain in Qatar with proper lodging and food. Some countries have closed their airports and, in such cases, an appropriate mechanism will be set on how to repatriate these workers to ensure they do not remain stranded. Reiterating Qatars policy of providing free treatment to all individuals infected with coronavirus, al-Obaidly, said those who do not have valid working visas and are illegal in the country would also be treated free of charge. Amid growing fears over the spread of the virus, Qatar has banned the entry of foreigners after suspending all incoming flights for the next two weeks. Last week, Qatar announced the closure of all shops, except for food stores and pharmacies, and bank branches. Eighty percent of government employees were also ordered to work from home. Officials across the country began a frantic search for thousands of people who had been to the headquarters of a religious group in Delhis Nizamuddin area that has now emerged as the single-biggest source of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections in the country, leading to at least eight deaths and 117 confirmed cases. The discovery of the hot spot at the six-storey building of the Tablighi Jamaat - called a markaz - triggered alarm in several circles of the government. Heres a timeline of the event as reported by news agency ANI: March 13: Around 3,400 people came together to be part of the religious gathering at the Nizamuddin markaz March 13: The congregation began even after an order by the Delhi government on the same day, which said that no religious, social, political gatherings of more than 200 people will be allowed in Delhi till March 31 March 16: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced further tightening of measures, and a revised guideline that no gathering of more than 50 people will be allowed in view of coronavirus. However, people at the Markaz continue to stay there March 20: 10 Indonesians who attended the gathering tested positive in Telangana March 22: Janta curfew announced March 23: 1500 people vacate the markaz March 24: Nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi March 25: Around 1,000 people remain at the markaz. Jamaat officials go to the SDMs office to file an application for permission to transfer its workers. March 26: A preacher who attended the gathering tested positive and died in Srinagar March 26: SDM visits the markaz and called Jamaat officials for a meeting with the DM March 27: Six coronavirus suspects taken away from the markaz for a medical check-up and were later put in a quarantine facility in Haryanas Jhajjar March 28: SDM and the WHO team visit the markaz and 33 people who were taken for medical check-up were kept in the isolation ward at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital March 28: ACP (of Lajpat Nagar) sent a notice to the markaz to vacate March 29: In response to ACPs letter, Markaz officials said no new people were allowed to gather post nationwide lockdown announcement. The current gathering had started much before lockdown and that the PM in his lockdown speech said jo jahaan hai vahin rahe (stay put where ever you are) From the night of March 29: Delhi Police and health authorities start taking out people from markaz and sending them to hospitals and quarantine facilities March 31: 1,548 people evacuated from Nizamudddin markaz till the evening The Chinese government and public have selflessly extended a helping hand to other countries and regions around the world to help in their fight against COVID-19, a lethal virus that has been rampaging around the globe since December, despite the fact that China is still under pressure from imported cases and possible rebound in domestic cases. According to Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of March 31, China has provided 120 countries and four international organizations with surgical masks, N95 respirators, protective suits, nucleic acid test kits, ventilators and other assistance. Local governments have also donated medical items to their sister cities in more than 50 countries, while Chinese companies have made donations to over 100 countries and international organizations. In addition to providing much needed medical equipment, Chinese scientists have also offered intellectual support and data to help foreign nations tackle the lethal virus. A briefing outlining Chinas experience in tackling the virus, jointly held by the Chinese government and WHO, drew representatives from 77 nations and 7 organizations, with over 100,000 viewers watching the briefing online. Over 100 nations and regions have held online meetings with Chinese scientists, sharing their experience and data. The Chinese public has also demonstrated its warmhearted willingness to help other countries. Many people have donated masks and money to foreign embassies, such as Iran, while others have translated news, protection tips and COVID-19 data into foreign languages to help their foreign friends get up-to-date information. An online phrase, You me, I you has also been invented by Chinese netizens to show support to foreign nations in the fight against COVID-19. A mix of both English and Chinese words, the phrase is actually derived from a Chinese proverb A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of a spring. By using four onomatopoeias related to water, the Chinese phrase, using an albeit limited knowledge of English, seeks to convey the message to the world that the lethal virus is mankinds common enemy. Those who helped China will not be forgotten, and the favour will be doubly returned. The virus is our common enemy. At such a crucial stage, we should stand with all nations and provide the best help we can, said a netizen. There is still a serious problem for small business owners and self-employed business owners. The legislation which Congress just passed provides loan forgiveness if an employer rehires or keeps employed the businesss former employees. But what happens if the employees refuse to be rehired? Before I retired, I tried to hire a paralegal/secretary for my office. I surveyed other firms, determined the going rate, and offered the job to the two best qualified applicants. Both refused, saying that they were getting more money from unemployment and other governmental benefits than we were offering to pay them. Rowan Jordan The next coronavirus relief bill might resurrect the state and local tax deduction and overburdened accountants are less than thrilled. In an interview with The New York Times, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., raised the prospect of retroactively reinstating the so-called SALT itemized deduction in a fourth coronavirus relief bill to put more cash in the pockets of Americans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act capped the amount of state and local tax deductions itemizers could claim on their tax returns to $10,000 starting in 2018 a change that hit high earners in high-tax states in the wallet. SALT deductions include income and property taxes. New Yorkers who itemized deductions in 2017 and claimed a SALT write-off took an average deduction of $23,804, according to the Tax Policy Center. The White House isn't planning for another COVID-19 bill, so the prospect of such legislation is uncertain at the moment. However, if the SALT cap were rolled back retroactively, per Pelosi's suggestion, accountants would have to talk to clients about amending their 2018 and 2019 tax returns which would only add more work to the heap as they digest fresh COVID tax relief measures and a new July 15 deadline for federal returns. Worse yet, amended returns must be printed out, manually signed and mailed to the IRS an added pain when jurisdictions are ordering residents to stay home to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. "We'll have a tax season that runs through Dec. 31, and I can't complain because it's a lot of business for us," said Dan Herron, CPA and principal at Elemental Wealth Advisors in San Luis Obispo, California. If anything, a SALT deduction comeback would be a positive development for Herron's clients many of whom were unable to write off steep state income and property taxes in 2018. "But I wish they did it all at once, instead of going piecemeal," he said. "You don't want clients paying multiple times for multiple amendments." Herron's practice, which has three professionals preparing returns, is limiting the workday to 10 hours to keep workers from burning out. Tax overhauls About 16 million taxpayers claimed the SALT deduction for the 2018 tax year, according to the IRS' analysis of returns processed through Nov 21, 2019. That's down from 44.3 million households in the 2017 tax year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act turned the filing process upside down for filers in high-tax states in two major ways. First, the new law roughly doubled the standard deduction, bringing it to $12,000 for singles and $24,000 for married filers in the 2018 tax year. This resulted in fewer people taking itemized deductions like the SALT deduction. Second, the law instated a $10,000 cap on the extent you could write off those state and local income and property taxes. "Here in Texas, we have huge property tax bills, and many clients weren't able to get over the itemized deduction threshold," said Brian Streig, CPA and tax director at Calhoun Thomson and Matza in Austin, Texas. Even he switched to taking the standard deduction from claiming itemized deductions. With all of the last-minute changes to the filing deadline for this year, as well as new small business and retirement provisions in the COVID relief bill, Streig has had many clients go on extension for their tax returns. This gives them until Oct. 15 to submit their federal tax returns, but their taxes must be paid by July 15. Hassle of amended returns FreezeFrameStudio | E+ | Getty Images Technavio has been monitoring the truck mirror system market and it is poised to grow by USD 2.65 billion during 2019-2023. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005930/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will decelerate during the forecast period. Ficosa Internacional, Gentex, HondaLockMfg, Magna International, Murakami, and Samvardhana Motherson Group are some of the major market participants. The functionalities in rear-view mirrors will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Functionalities in rear-view mirrors has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Truck Mirror System Market is segmented as below: Application Light Duty Trucks Medium And Heavy-duty Trucks Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30418 Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our truck mirror system market report covers the following areas: Truck Mirror System Market Size Truck Mirror System Market Trends Truck Mirror System Market Industry Analysis This study identifies developments in interior rear-view mirror technologies as one of the prime reasons driving the truck mirror system market growth during the next few years. Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Truck Mirror System Market, including some of the vendors such as Ficosa Internacional, Gentex, HondaLockMfg, Magna International, Murakami, and Samvardhana Motherson Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Truck Mirror System 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 Truck Mirror System Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist truck mirror system market growth during the next five years Estimation of the truck mirror system market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the truck mirror system market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of truck mirror system market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 Light duty trucks Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Medium and heavy-duty trucks Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Developments in side rear-view mirror technologies Developments in interior rear-view mirror technologies Integration of biometric authentication system with mirror system PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Ficosa Internacional Gentex HondaLockMfg Magna International Murakami Samvardhana Motherson Group PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200331005930/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/ China-India relations are standing at a new starting point and facing new opportunities, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, exchanging congratulatory messages with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind on the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. On April 1, 1950, India became the first non-socialist country in Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In his message to Kovind, Xi said China-India relations have experienced extraordinary development during the past 70 years. With joint efforts of both sides, the two countries have established a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, and are endeavouring to build an even closer partnership of development, he said. The two sides enjoy increasingly deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and constantly improving coordination on important regional and international affairs, Xi, who held two informal summits with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan and later in Mamallapuram in 2018 and 2019 which stabilised the bilateral ties, said. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations with India and is willing to work with President Kovind to elevate China-India ties to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and contribute more positive energy to Asia as well as the world, state-run Xinhua agency reported. President Kovind, in his letter to his Chinese counterpart Xi, conveyed warm greetings, felicitations and good wishes to the government and the people of China. He noted that the two sides have made considerable progress, especially in the last few years, in enhancing their bilateral engagement in a number of areas, including political, economic and people-to-people ties. Messages of felicitations were exchanged between the presidents, prime ministers and external affairs ministers of India and China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In his message to Prime Minister Modi, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said friendly cooperation and mutual benefit serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and will benefit Asia and the world. China is ready to work with India to take the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to push for new achievements in China-India strategic cooperative partnership, a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Modi, in his message to Li, said coravirus pandemic is a reminder of the interconnected nature of the world and the need for adopting a global response to it. Modi also said good bilateral relations are conducive not only for the two countries, but also important from the perspective of peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Charlie Cooke poses the question. Its a good one. Cooke writes: At the moment, the greater New York area is at the center of the coronavirus crisis in the United States, and yet Kayak confirms that, even today, anyone from the city and its environs can get on a plane and travel almost anywhere within the United States. . . . Given the seriousness of the pandemic and the number of businesses that have been shuttered as a precaution this seems downright bizarre. When China was at the center of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, President Trump wisely banned entry into the U.S. from China. To be sure, banning travel within the U.S. is considerably more draconian than banning travel to the U.S. from a foreign country. Any sort of domestic ban should be imposed only in exigent circumstances. I believe the current circumstances in New York City are exigent. Thus, it would make sense to ban air travel from New York, the current center of the pandemic, to the rest of the U.S. As Cooke points out, Trump considered a federal quarantine of the New York City area last week, but decided against it. Such a quarantine would have been difficult to enforce. No such difficulty would attach to banning air travel out of the city, and such a ban, at least as it applied to travel outside of New York State, is within the federal governments power to impose. So why hasnt this happened? NATO must stop the coronavirus pandemic turning into a security threat, the alliance's chief said Wednesday, warning that Russia or terror groups could seek to take advantage of the crisis. Foreign ministers from the 30-strong North Atlantic Alliance will hold video talks on Thursday to discuss their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 30,000 people in Europe alone. They are expected to issue a joint statement as a show of unity and to send a signal to potential adversaries such as Russia that NATO is still capable and willing to respond to threats. "Our primary objective is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a conference. Measures to try to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus have forced NATO allies to trim military exercises, including the huge US-led "Defender 2020". But Stoltenberg insisted this did not mean NATO's ability to defend itself was weakened. "Our operational readiness is maintained, it is not undermined," he said. "We continue to patrol the skies and to defend our borders and we continue our missions and operations not least in the fight against terrorism, because these threats continue to exist." Stoltenberg pointed to what he warned was increased Russian military activity as proof that NATO needs to be on its guard more than ever during the coronavirus crisis. "We see significant military activities close to NATO borders with a new exercise in the western military districts of Russia... and we have seen significant Russian presence in the North Sea," he said. "Therefore NATO has to continue to patrol our skies with air policing, we need to be present on land, but also in the air and at sea." Jets from NATO air forces have intercepted Russian warplanes several times in recent weeks and alliance naval vessels shadowed seven Russian warships loitering unusually in the North Sea for several days. Because of coronavirus restrictions on travel and gatherings, Thursday's ministerial meeting will take place by video link -- a first in NATO's 70-year history. Diplomats say it was vital the meeting went ahead to show that NATO is still working and to send a message to potential hostile actors that they would not be allowed to exploit the coronavirus crisis. Stoltenberg also highlighted NATO efforts to help with the virus response. While the alliance does not have medical equipment of its own to deploy, it is acting as a forum for allies to exchange requests for help, as well as aiding in the transport of supplies. On Wednesday, a military cargo plane took off from Turkey with masks, protective equipment and other medical materials for Italy and Spain, Europe's two worst-affected countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prince William may be working double-time as a member of the royal family amid the coronavirus pandemic, but he still wants to give more. The Duke of Cambridge feels he has not done his share in the fight against the coronavirus. This time, he is thinking about going back to what he did before he became a senior working member of the royal family. Prince William May Be A Frontliner The 37-year-old prince has spent two years of his life as an air ambulance pilot. He has been flying medics to emergency situations before he stepped down in 2017. Now, he is contemplating on getting back as a frontliner to help fight this world health crisis. However, at his current state, things may be easier said than done. Prince William and his royal duties may prevent him from returning. William, in a private conversation, reportedly said that he wants to be back in the cockpit and help serve his country on the frontlines. Earlier this month, Prince William paid an NHS center a visit and that is where he revealed that he missed doing life-saving work. However, being one of the few senior royals currently active, it may be hard for him to do what his heart desires. "William has been seriously considering returning as an air ambulance pilot to help in the current pandemic," the source of a British newspaper revealed. The Duke of Cambridge recognizes the help that everyone is doing to help fight the spread of the virus, and he wants to give more. However, the source added that Prince William is also aware that his situation has become a bit more complicated. "He was originally grounded from the job so that he could become a senior working royal," the source furthered. Prince William is fully aware that his role as a senior member of the royal family is now more important than ever. Prince Charles has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently recuperating. Prince Andrew had to step down from his duties due to the scandal, while Prince Harry and Meghan have walked away. "Prince William is doing his best to help in any way he can," the source added. Heroism In The Time Of The Coronavirus Will's kind offer to work as a frontliner came as the death toll due to the coronavirus has significantly risen. From 180 victims, it has now gone up to 1,408 in the U.K. The government is currently tapping on all resources to be stretched for the coming weeks as the death rate is expected to rise even more. More than 20,000 former NHS staff members have already been called to be back in the frontlines to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. Prince William described his former job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance as a "privilege." This father of three is yearning to help out in the NHS again. For sure, Prince William is welcome to come back anytime he wishes to. For now, Prince William will have to be stronger for the royal family. Everyone is looking up to him as he beams with the hope that all will be well again. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco supervisors during their Tuesday meeting introduced several pieces of legislation to help support San Franciscans during the novel coronavirus pandemic, and also agreed to award freelance journalist Bryan Carmody $369,000 over unlawful raids by police last year. Supervisor Shamann Walton proposed creating an Emergency Family Relief Fund that would provide $500 to about 5,000 families, or residents with children 18 and younger, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, who don't qualify for federal benefits. "COVID-19 has created a threat to the economic stability of San Francisco residents and San Francisco families, especially our immigrant families who work in the service industry such as restaurants, retail, cleaning and janitorial services," Walton said. The proposal has three parts. The first involves an emergency ordinance to begin the program for as many as 60 days. A second complementary ordinance would extend the program for as long Mayor London Breed keeps in place the emergency shelter-in-place order and for two months longer. A third ordinance would allocate $10 million from the city's reserves to the program. Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who is a cosponsor of the legislation, and represents the Mission and Portola neighborhoods, said, "We believe that our immigrant communities in San Francisco are as deserving as the rest of us for help during this crisis. We will step in strong and loud as a local City and County where our federal leaders have failed to help our immigrant population." The fund will be administered by among others community-based organizations that work directly with impacted families. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman also introduced a resolution to urge California to enact a moratorium on foreclosures and residential and commercial evictions for the duration of the state of emergency. Mar hopes that through the resolution, San Francisco can help speed up the adoption of a moratorium. Supervisor Gordon Mar introduced a resolution to declare COVID-19 an extreme danger to the public so that owners of small businesses and restaurants can recover business interruption insurance from private insurers. "The insurance companies are denying coverage claiming COVID-19 does not cause property loss or damage, a requirement for a payout," he said. "As a local government we know it is necessary to require all businesses to close down except essential businesses, and we acknowledge that it was because of the virus's interaction with physical surfaces, contaminated hands and respiratory droplets." Mar is calling on California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to consider it a material misrepresentation for insurers to deny coverage because of claims the coronavirus doesn't cause property loss or damage. The settlement of Bryan Carmody's unmitigated claim was unanimously approved by supervisors. Carmody's home and office were raided by San Francisco police last year following the fallout from the investigation into the death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi. The claim, filed in August 2019, followed a police investigation into the alleged theft of leaked police documents related to Adachi's death. Free speech groups criticized the raid, and police later admitted to conducting unlawful searches, leading to an independent investigation into the leaked documents. "This was a shame to the city and county of San Francisco," Supervisor Aaron Peskin said. "I hope that we never in this town ever again suppress the rights of the free press." 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. Furthermore, lenders are not allowed to pay cash dividends to their shareholders to focus resources to slash lending rates on current and new loans. Banks are not allowed to pay cash dividends to maintain resources to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19. Photo: Le Toan Particularly, the SBV has issued Directive No.02/CT-NHHH on March 31, 2020 on relief measures of the banking sector to blunt and mitigate the economic fallout from the pandemic. Previously, SBVs Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu has asked commercial banks to promptly support customers affected by the COVID-19. The monetary and fiscal policy of Vietnam includes the following parts: (i) A credit package of VND250 trillion ($10.87 billion); (ii) a fiscal package of VND30 trillion ($1.3 billion); (iii) the lowering of the refinance rate from 6 to 5 per cent and of the discount rate from 4 to 3.5 per cent; as well as (iv) several measures of the Ministry of Finance regarding tax and fee reductions. The outbreak and subsequent sharp decline in business activity have, in fact, been factored into the SBVs recent decisions. By Trend The World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the measures taken by the Georgian authorities to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, Trend reports citing the press service of the Georgian president. As of April 1, 115 cases of coronavirus infection were registered in Georgia. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke on the phone with the WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The conversation was initiated by the Georgian side. The WHO Director General has confirmed that the organization will continue to provide technical and expert assistance to Georgia in the fight against coronavirus. In turn, Zourabichvili noted that Georgia follows all the recommendations of WHO and the situation in the country is under control. On March 21, Georgia declared a state of emergency until April 21 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz U.S. stocks tumbled Wednesday at the start of a new quarter, as rising numbers of coronavirus cases from the pandemic dampened the outlook for the global economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 973.65 points to close at 20,943.51, a day after the blue-chip index posted its worst first quarter ever. The Standard & Poors 500 sank 4.4% to finish at 2,470.50. All of the 11 sectors in the broad index ended lower, led by declines in financial, real estate and utility shares. The losses come as President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a hell of a bad two weeks ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. The U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed 4,500 Wednesday. Worldwide, there are more than 46,000 deaths and more than 921,000 confirmed cases. The U.S., which has now surpassed Chinas death toll, has surpassed 200,000 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. Rent: What happens if you can't pay rent on April 1 because coronavirus forced you out of work? Coronavirus: How quickly can the economy bounce back? Traders say lingering uncertainty over how long the shutdown may last has made forecasting U.S. growth difficult as a new quarter begins. On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs economists projected the U.S. economy would contract 34% in the second quarter, but they expect economic activity to rebound in the third quarter. It is now all but inevitable that we will see a deep contraction in economic activity in the U.S. as a result of the shutdown implemented to contain the virus, Anwiti Bahuguna, head of multi-asset strategy at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said in a note. What we are experiencing now is the equivalent of putting a patient in a medically-induced coma a calculated, temporary risk with the goal of establishing greater longer-term health. Trader Timothy Nick, left, and specialist Michael Pistillo work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 9. U.S. stocks collapsed after a free fall in oil prices and mounting coronavirus cases ratcheted up fear among investors and threatened to snuff out the longest bull market on the very day it was supposed to turn 11. Financial companies came under pressure after major banks in Europe like Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Barclays announced they were scrapping dividend payments, bringing their share prices sharply lower. JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs shed at least 6%. Story continues Investors are looking ahead to Fridays U.S. jobs report, which will likely show a sharp drop in payrolls. Companies soon will begin reporting their earnings results for the first quarter. Analysts are looking for the steepest drop in profits since early 2016, according to FactSet. Data released Wednesday showed that companies reduced payrolls by 27,000 in early March before the worst of the effects from the pandemic was seen in the labor market, according to payrolls processor ADP. Wall Street will also keep a close eye on initial jobless claims figures, due Thursday, after data last week showed claims for unemployment benefits surged to 3.3 million. The rise of coronavirus cases around the world has sent financial markets into a tailspin since mid-February, with the S&P 500 recording its worst quarter since the financial crisis in 2008. Stocks have cut their losses in recent weeks on hopes that massive aid from governments and central banks around the world can blunt the blow. In Europe, Frances CAC 40 fell 4.3% while Germanys DAX shed 3.9%. Britains FTSE 100 dropped 3.8%. In Asia, Japans benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 4.5%. Hong Kongs Hang Seng lost 2.2%, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.6%. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dow: Stocks falter as death toll from coronavirus tops 4,500 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Asip Hasani and Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya/Bandung Thu, April 2 2020 An 11-year-old girl who died at the Slamet Martodirdjo Hospital in Pamekasan on Madura Island, East Java, has been confirmed as the youngest COVID-19 fatality in the country. The girl died on March 20 and had been suspected of being COVID-19 positive. The positive result from her second test came back from a central government lab in Jakarta on Sunday. Pamekasan Regent Baddrut Tamam told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that samples from the patient had been sent to both the Health Ministrys laboratories in Surabaya, East Java, and Jakarta before she died. 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 President Trump on Tuesday said he wants "every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," as the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread across the United States. Trump's tone has shifted dramatically from earlier this month, when he said the United States would be back open for business by Easter on April 12. During the evening press conference, Trump said the next two weeks will be "painful" and "very tough," and called the pandemic a "great national trial unlike anything we have ever faced before." Health officials also presented slides showing epidemiological models and how social distancing measures can help slow the spread of coronavirus. In a worst case scenario, even if guidelines are followed, up to 240,000 Americans could still die. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that it's important to "brace ourselves," but noted that officials are "continuing to see things go up. We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work." Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, reminded Americans to follow government guidelines and not gather in groups of 10 or more, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay away from restaurants and bars. As of Tuesday night, there are 183,532 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, and at least 3,727 people have died from the virus. More stories from theweek.com Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like China is bracing for a second wave of coronavirus Netanyahu reportedly mistook a Hallmark series clip for proof of an Iranian coronavirus coverup She noted that the citys parks, recreational facilities, schools and City Hall were closed weeks ago, and most people are complying with Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order. But some are not, and the city expects to have police in the next day or two move from warnings to citations in the most troubling cases they encounter. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Peace keeping mission in Darfur has donated 10 off-road vehicles to the Sudanese Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to be used for combating desert locusts UNAMID said the joint Special Representative/Joint Chief Mediator (JSR/JCM), Jeremiah Mamabolo, handed the equipment to Mr As the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus has forced countries around the world to ramp-up their precautionary measures, Kenyan authorities fired tear gas on residents on March 30. In a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, the government has imposed a curfew to keep people off the streets of Kenya from 7pm to 5am since March 27. According to international media reports, measures that are in place against the COVID-19 outbreak took a violent turn even in other parts of Africa, and in Kenya, it resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy who was shot on his balcony. However, Kenyan police reportedly expressed sincere condolences after the boy died in Nairobi as authorities were trying to enforce the curfew regulations. The father of the deceased boy has said that the police authorities were beating people like cows instead of treating them as citizens who abide by the law. As the global death toll spike to 44,150, it has also raised concerns over the power police forces are being given to ensure the rules proposed by the government are being followed on the ground. While Kenya has reported 81 cases of coronavirus until April 1 and one fatality, police reportedly fired tear gas at a crowd of hundreds who were trying to reach the ferry in Mombasa before the curfew began. Furthermore, videos and photos have also emerged showing Kenyan police beating people with batons. Read - Economist: Virus Could Lead To Violence In Kenya Read - Designer Helps As Virus Masks Run Out In Kenya Community transmission phase Kenya urged the citizens to abide by the governments containment directives, and restrict all non-essential movements to control the further spread of the disease, as per the state media reports. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe told the press that Nairobi had entered into the community transmission phase in view of the onslaught of cases across the region. The government cautioned the travellers against migrating to the upcountry and warned its elderly population against coming out of homes. The coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 44,136 lives worldwide as of April 1. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 203 countries and has infected at least 882,068 people. Out of the total infections, 185,067 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries and the economy is struggling. Read - Kenya Receives Testing Kits, Face Masks From Jack Ma Read - Kenya Confirms 59 Coronavirus Cases, Plans To Hire 1000 Additional Medics Image source: AP Regulatory News: Mercialys' (Paris:MERY) Board of Directors met today. It decided to respond to the French Government's appeal with regard to moderating the dividend. It was also decided that the General Meeting on April 23, 2020 will be held as a closed session, without shareholders or their representatives attending in person. Dividend moderated to 0.95 per share for 2019 In response to the French authorities' appeal, Mercialys' Board of Directors decided today to reduce the proposed 2019 dividend to be submitted at the General Meeting on April 23, 2020 from 1.15 per share to 0.95 per share, with this amount corresponding strictly to its distribution requirements under the "SIIC" tax system for real estate investment trusts. Considering the interim dividend of 0.47 per share paid on October 23, 2019, the balance for the proposed dividend of 0.95 per share will therefore be 0.48 per share, subject to approval by the General Meeting on April 23 (3rd resolution). The ex-dividend and payment dates will remain unchanged, set respectively for April 27 and 29, 2020. This decision, taken in line with a civic-minded spirit to support the national solidarity effort, will further strengthen Mercialys' capacity to mobilize and support all its stakeholders. The Company's priorities remain focused on the health and safety of its customers and its teams, who are showing outstanding levels of dedication, whether they are working from home or on site. Mercialys is also listening to retailers and looking for solutions in order to ensure the sustainability of everyone's activities. Following the March 15, 2020 Decree ordering certain shops to close, the Company has therefore put in place the following measures for the very small businesses and SMEs operating in one of the sectors whose activities have been shut down: Rents and charges are being requested on a monthly basis and no longer quarterly; The collection of rent and charges is suspended from April 1, 2020 and for periods following the shutdowns ordered in connection with the health state of emergency. When their activities resume, the rent and charges for this period may be subject to deferred payments or staggered without any penalties or interest for late payment, adapted to the situation of the companies concerned. Lastly, in its press release on March 23, 2020, the Company announced that the 2020 guidance published on February 12 is no longer applicable, as the context does not allow the Company at this stage to quantify the impact of the covid-19 crisis on its performance, results and guidance for the year. This guidance will be updated once the outlook for the health context has become clearer. General Meeting to be held as a closed session In accordance with the current restricted movement and lockdown measures, which could potentially be extended beyond April 15, Mercialys' Board of Directors also decided today to hold the General Meeting on April 23, 2020 as a closed session, without shareholders or their representatives attending in person, ensuring compliance with the terms of Article 4 of Decree 2020-321 of March 25, 2020 relating to the holding of General Meetings. Shareholders are therefore expressly asked to not travel and to take part in this General Meeting by voting on the resolutions online or by post, using either the postal voting form or the VOTACCESS platform. They can also appoint the Chairman to represent them. Any requests for admission cards will be taken into account as votes against the proposed resolutions submitted at the General Meeting. Any shareholders who would like to submit questions to the Board of Directors are asked to do so prior to the General Meeting, under the conditions set by the regulations in force and indicated in the General Meeting Brochure, which is available on the Company's website. Moreover, considering the impact of the current health crisis on the postal services' operations, it is strongly recommended that shareholders should send their questions by email to the following address: finance@mercialys.com. Appropriate audio and video technical solutions will of course be made available in order to be able to follow the General Meeting remotely. However, they will only make it possible to listen to the event and no questions will be able to be submitted through these channels. All the documents and information relating to the 2020 General Meeting are available on www.mercialys.com, in the following section: Investors/Annual General Meetings/Annual General Meeting, April 23, 2020. We invite shareholders to regularly consult this section, where all further information concerning this General Meeting will be made available as quickly as possible. This press release is available on www.mercialys.com About Mercialys Mercialys is one of France's leading real estate companies, focused exclusively on shopping centers and high-street retail assets. At December 31, 2019, Mercialys had a portfolio of 2,144 leases, representing a rental value of Euro 180.6 million on an annualized basis. At December 31, 2019, it owned properties with an estimated value of Euro 3.6 billion (including transfer taxes). Mercialys has had "SIIC" real estate investment trust (REIT) tax status since November 1, 2005 and has been listed on Euronext Paris Compartment A (ticker: MERY) since its initial public offering on October 12, 2005. At December 31, 2019, there were 92,049,169 shares outstanding. IMPORTANT INFORMATION This press release contains certain forward-looking statements regarding future events, trends, projects or targets. These forward-looking statements are subject to identified and unidentified risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the Mercialys registration document available at www.mercialys.com for the year ended December 31, 2018 for more details regarding certain factors, risks and uncertainties that could affect Mercialys' business. Mercialys makes no undertaking in any form to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, nor to report new information, new future events or any other circumstances that might cause these statements to be revised. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005684/en/ Contacts: Analysts investors media contact: Alexandre Leroy Tel: +33(0)1 53 65 24 39 Email: aleroy@mercialys.com IF you are not on the list, stay in your house. The list of essential activities in which one can engage during the stay-at-home period of Monday March 30 to Wednesday April 15 was released by the Government yesterday. Boris Johnson has urged the people of this country to accept the arduous terms of a lockdown, and by and large, the people of this country have acquiesced. What virtually amounts to national house arrest will lead at the very least to feelings of frustration, and at worse to mental agonies. The economy will suffer terribly. All this most of us are prepared to accept as a heavy burden that must be borne. But it is time for Boris Johnson to act on a message from the people of this country which he claims to have taken on board yet demonstrably has not. The message is that only exhaustive testing will prevent economic and social catastrophe. Only testing can enable healthy, self-isolating NHS staff to return swiftly to work. Only testing can establish who has the disease, and so reduce the risk of one person infecting another. Only a new form of test can show who has had the contagion, and so can return to work. Boris Johnson knows this. So does Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove. The Government's medical and scientific advisers agree. All these people constantly reiterate the need for more testing. STEPHEN GLOVER: Boris Johnson has urged the people of this country to accept the arduous terms of a lockdown, and by and large, the people of this country have acquiesced And yet for weeks we have heard promises that haven't been fulfilled, and watched minister after flailing minister unable to tell us when, or how, rates of testing will be significantly increased. We have listened to lame excuses, the latest one from Mr Gove being that the right sort of chemical is in short supply. How can this be in what is supposed to be the world's fifth largest economy which is home to some of its leading pharmaceutical companies? So while the country is locked down, and we are enjoined not to visit those we love, the number of tests carried out in the UK remains about one-seventh that of Germany, whose population is only a quarter greater. Germany is testing about 70,000 people a day. As things stand, the German government may well be able to send growing numbers of people safely back to work long before our Government is able to do so. The danger is that our recession will be deeper and longer than it needs to be, and create more human misery than it should. Now is not the moment to apportion blame, or to waste time inquiring why, back in February when the threat of the coronavirus was plain, the authorities did not follow the example of Germany by ordering millions of testing kits. The time will come for such searching questions to be posed by an official investigation. One day the Government will have to explain why, only two-and-a-half weeks ago, it ditched its 'herd immunity' policy, which apparently accepted as inevitable many elderly people's deaths, in favour of the current suppression strategy. STEPHEN GLOVER: This paper has suggested former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has been evangelising the need for testing for weeks STEPHEN GLOVER: Michael Gove has analytical gifts, and a record for shaking up conventional thinking, which make him another superlative candidate Was the failure to order enough kits partly attributable to No 10's former belief that widespread mortality was a price that would have to be paid, if the disease was to be brought under control? Answers must lie in the future. Now is the moment for the Government to wake up to the magnitude of the task, and give us action not words. It must grasp the issue with a seriousness of intent and concentration of purpose that have so far been lacking. Now is the hour for Boris Johnson to understand that throughout his political career he will never face a greater challenge than this. History will judge him by his actions over the coming weeks. What, then, must he do? The first thing is to acknowledge that, although only he can energise and inspire the various branches of government, he is not the person who should take day-to-day control of the operation. He lacks the grasp of detail for such an undertaking. Most people do. Besides, as Prime Minister he has other duties which would prevent him from grappling with a problem that demands round-the- clock attention. Someone must be found who enjoys the Prime Minister's confidence, and exercises power on his behalf. Someone focused and determined, who understands how government, and the NHS, work. This paper has suggested former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has been evangelising the need for testing for weeks. Michael Gove has analytical gifts, and a record for shaking up conventional thinking, which make him another superlative candidate. Whoever is chosen should embrace targets - as Lord Beaverbrook, appointed by Churchill as Minister of Aircraft Production, did in May 1940. This time there are weeks - and very few of them - not months. A specific amount of testing must be achieved by a given date. No argument. Bang heads together. Just do it. It follows that the enormous resources of industry and top universities should be brought into play in a way they haven't yet been. This is partly because the NHS is inherently suspicious of the private sector, and therefore reluctant to tap into its expertise and capabilities. Let's also face the fact that, admirable though its doctors and nurses are, the NHS is a deeply conservative and imperfect institution. The bureaucratic structures of this vast behemoth do not respond nimbly to unforeseen challenges. I'm afraid Boris doesn't realise this. He is so fond of extolling 'our fantastic NHS' that he has forgotten its natural inertia and in-built inefficiencies. Either through innate goodwill or a tendency (odd in a journalist) not to dig too deeply, he defers too readily to senior medics and top managers. Of course, the NHS can rise to the occasion if presented with a challenge. The construction in a couple of weeks of the 4,000-bed Nightingale Hospital in East London - much assisted by the Army, it should be said - has been a triumph. That should give cause for optimism that, with the right direction from Government, and assistance from the private sector, the NHS can dramatically increase the number of tests. But a single guiding hand is needed rather than a collection of ministers running around in circles, some of whom appear not to be fully aware of what is going on. A single guiding hand would have registered the absurdity of a British company called Novacyt exporting millions of pounds of coronavirus tests to more than 80 countries, because the UK supposedly doesn't have enough laboratories to use them. Of course it does! And a single guiding hand would ensure that 17.5 million antibody tests sought by the Government, which establish whether a person has had coronavirus, work properly - and arrive soon in sufficient quantities. That hand shouldn't be Boris's. It is his job to make it happen. Somehow he must rise to the urgency of a situation as grave as wartime in a way neither he nor ministers have so far managed to do. When he fulfilled his dream of becoming Prime Minister, he can't have imagined that the biggest challenge of his political life would come in the form of a virus, or that posterity would judge him by his success in organising testing. Boris Johnson is at last walking with destiny. If he gets testing right, so that the economy is not laid waste for a generation, it will be his everlasting memorial. If wrong, his monument will be one of eternal shame. When the going gets tough, the tough get going at least as far as the wine rack. Wine shops are reporting their biggest sales ever. Majestic has sold more in recent weeks than in the run up to New Years Eve. Independent wine retailer, Yapp Brothers in Wiltshire, shifted more bottles in a single day last week than any other in its whole 51-year history. Wine might not be on everyones essentials list, but it is for me right now. After a long day working from home alongside my husband while trying to manage home schooling for my children aged 15, 12 and ten and rationing the bread to make sure theres enough for sandwiches, my evening glass is appreciated more than ever. Were trying to keep trips to the shops to a minimum. So to keep our wine stocks topped up, Ive switched to home deliveries from my local independent wine shop. No wonder off licences have been belatedly added to the list of essential quarantine suppliers by the Government. Here are a few ideas for every at-home occasion, to keep you stocked up... British drinks expert Helen McGinn, rounded up a selection of the best beverages for trying something new during lockdown. Pictured: Caixas Godello 2018, 8.49, Majestic.co.uk Helen suggests Primo Rosso Appassimento 2018 (pictured left) and Felicette Grenache Noir 2018, (pictured right), for a tipple after a day at the home office PERFECT AFTER A DAY AT THE HOME OFFICE Caixas Godello 2018, 8.49, Majestic.co.uk This gorgeous white is from the top left-hand corner of Spain, from the Monterrei region of Galicia. The grape is Godello and its crisp and fresh with citrus and ripe pear fruit flavours. Loves seafood but just as happy with a handful of salty snacks just right for relaxing after a long, tiring day spent working from home. Primo Rosso Appassimento 2018, 7.99, Majestic.co.uk From the heel of Italys boot, Puglia, this is a cuddle in a glass. Warm and moreish, its made of super-ripe Primitivo grapes, bursting with intense blackcurrant fruit flavours. And theres enough natural sugar to result in a wine with a generous whack of alcohol, 14.5 per cent to be precise. Felicette Grenache Noir 2018, 8.99, thesolentcellar.co.uk A joyous red from Southern France, a blissful mash-up of Grenache Noir with a splash of Syrah and Mourvedre thrown in to give it a bit of extra grip. Vibrant, juicy and moreish, its just whats called for when theres a plate of pasta and a whole evening of binge-worthy TV. Helen said Picpoul de Pinet 2018 (pictured left) and Eekhoring Rooi 2018 (pictured right), are best for those hoping to broaden their horizons BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS Picpoul de Pinet 2018, Grange des Rocs, 8.70, lescaves.co.uk The Guildford-based independent has closed its shop but the home-delivery service continues. A 15 per cent discount applies to NHS workers. Try this crisp, lively white made from the Picpoul grape in the Languedoc region in southern France. Eekhoring Rooi 2018, 17, redsquirrelwine.com This brilliant online wine specialist is one of my go-to places for something properly off the beaten track. Founder Nik Darlington has a nose for the good stuff, like this great red, not too heavy but full of juicy berry fruit flavours. Its a blend of Cinsault, Shiraz and Pinotage and comes from the trendy Swartland region in South Africa. Stash some in the wine rack now. Helen recommends stocking up on Domaine Les Filles de Septembre Rose 2019 (pictured), as the days get warmer Domaine Les Filles de Septembre Rose 2019, 11.25, Yapp.co.uk Warmer days are coming for sure, so make sure to get ahead and stock up on the rose. This salmon-pink Southern French example is a peach all red berry fruits with a citrus twist. It is made from a cocktail of local grapes including Cabernet Franc, Cinsault, Grenache Noir and Syrah. Helen suggests pairing comfort food with either Castellore Italian Pecorino 2018 (pictured left) or Terre di Faiano Organic Primitivo (pictured right) FOR PAIRING WITH COMFORT FOOD Castellore Italian Pecorino 2018, 4.99, Aldi.co.uk Aldi are still delivering online wine orders by the case, although you might have to wait a few extra days to get your hands on it. This juicy Italian white from the Abruzzo region, which is made from the Pecorino grape is incredible value. Theres a slight creaminess to it, making this a great match for a comforting helping of fish pie. Terre di Faiano Organic Primitivo, 7.49 (normally 9.99), waitrosecellar.com For now you can still get wine delivered via Waitroses online wine cellar. On offer, this one is the perfect accompaniment to hearty family meals like lasagne: an organic Primitivo from Puglia in southern Italy, made using dried grapes giving it extra oomph. Just what we need right now. Helen revealed wines such as Vacqueyras Les Christins 2015 (pictured left) and Finc a Calvestra, Merseguera, Bodega Mustiguillo 2017 (pictured right) can still be delivered for celebrations DONT FORGET TO CELEBRATE Vacqueyras Les Christins 2015, Famille Perrin, 15, marlo.wine You might not be able to see friends on their birthdays but online retailer Marlo delivers fine wine by the bottle, gift-wrapped and with personalised message. Can be pricy, but there are relative bargains, like this bramble-fruit red. Free delivery on orders over 150. Finca Calvestra, Merseguera, Bodega Mustiguillo 2017, 21.95, bbr.com Berry Bros & Rudd, one of Londons oldest wine merchants, may have closed the doors of its shop in historic St. Jamess but it is still delivering nationwide. This organic white from a family producer in Valencia in Spain is made from the local Merseguera grape, its all grapefruit and herbs. Stunning. Helen said Black Chalk Classic 2016 (pictured) is a particularly good sparkling wine, made from a blend of classic champagne grapes Black Chalk Classic 2016, 35, blackchalkwine.co.uk Dont forget we have a great vineyards on our doorstep . This particularly good sparkling wine is made from a blend of classic champagne grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier the wine spends a little time on lees and in oak barrels to add weight and complexity. Helen suggests Pinkster Gin 3l (pictured left) and Verdant Gin 70cl (pictured right), for those who want something strong WANT SOMETHING STRONGER? Pinkster Gin 3l, 100, pinkster gin.com Some still sniff at wine in a box but it might just be the best thing to happen to gin. Yes, its gin and a really lovely pink one infused with fresh raspberries no less available in a 3-litre bag in a box. Not exactly cheap but delivery is free and it contains 100 serves so itll keep you in good spirits for ages. Verdant Gin 70cl, 35, verdantspirits.co.uk Founded by ex-Formula 1 executive Andrew Mackenzie, this Dundee-based distillery has switched its production line over to making hand sanitiser to distribute, free of charge, to the local community. Aside from that the gin is excellent, unashamedly juniper-led with a serious whack of citrus. Serve with plenty of ice and a thick slice of lemon peel. Helen recommends pairing Chapel Down Chardonnay Vodka (pictured) with tonic Chapel Down Chardonnay Vodka, 32, chapeldown.com Vodka made from wine grapes? This beautifully packaged spirit is made by one of the leading English wine producers and is clean and pure without a hint of burn on the throat. Mix with tonic or make a vodka martini, your call. Helen advises those who aren't drinking to try Slange Var 50cl (pictured left) or Aecorn Bitter 50cl (pictured right) For when youre not drinking For the lunch break Slange Var 50cl, 3.75, slangevar.com This refreshingly good non-alcoholic tipple is made from water from The Trossachs in Scotland mixed with honey, limes and ginger. Its name means good cheer, and certainly kicks taste buds into action. Add sparkling water. Before dinner Aecorn Bitter 50cl, 19.99, aecordrinks.com From the people who brought us Seedlip, the worlds first non-alcoholic spirit, this is their take on a booze-free aperitif. Basically its a bit like Campari, so predominantly bitter but with lots of orange fruit flavours. Mix with soda or sparkling water like an alcohol-free Spritz, garnished with a slice of orange, or sip it over ice. Helens new book, The Knackered Mothers Wine Guide, is out now (8.99, Bluebird) The UK reported its biggest single-day coronavirus toll of 563 on Wednesday, taking the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country to 2,352. The Department of Health said 29,474 people have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 4,324 cases since Tuesday, as the country remains under lockdown with the government's advice for people to stay at home and observe strict social distancing when outside for exercising or buying essentials. The latest virus positive tests mark an increase of nearly 20,000 confirmed cases in the UK in just one week. The government has said its focus remains on ramping up testing for frontline National Health Service (NHS) staff, who are treating the rising number of patients coming through hospitals and clinics. Downing Street spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- who remains in self-isolation after his COVID-19 diagnosis last week -- confirmed more than 2,000 NHS frontline staff in England have been tested for coronavirus since the outbreak began in a push to get healthy self-isolating medics back to work. UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove had said on Tuesday that a shortage of chemicals needed for the tests meant the NHS, which employs 1.2 million in England, could not screen greater numbers of its staff for the virus. Meanwhile, several makeshift hospitals are becoming functional across the UK as the NHS aims to boost its bed capacity to cope with the growing number of COVID-19 cases. It follows the conversion of London's ExCel Centre into NHS Nightingale -- a 4,000-bed hospital facility. A push for more ventilators is also in place as a new set of manufacturers plan to deliver the first batch by early next week. "We are doing everything we can to support our NHS staff fighting this battle on the frontline, and it's crucial we get even more ventilators there as soon as possible," said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. "We have seen a fantastic response from businesses to our call for a national effort -- and I'm delighted these companies accepted the challenge to save lives across the country," he said. The government said it has provided a number of letters of intent to purchase potentially thousands more ventilators with companies who have credible designs, subject to them passing the regulator and strict safety tests. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By AFP PARIS: The new coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 45,719 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to a tally by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 1900 GMT. More than 905,580 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 187 countries and territories since the start of the epidemic. The number of detected cases, however, only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, with many countries now testing only those cases requiring hospital care. ALSO READ: 'Matter of life and death', says Trump as US coronavirus fatality count surpasses 4,000 Since a tally made on Tuesday, 4,708 new deaths and 77,241 new cases have been recorded worldwide. The countries that recorded the most new deaths in 24 hours were the United States with 1,036 fatalities, Spain with 864 deaths and Italy with 727. Italy, which recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus at the end of February, has so far reported 13,155 deaths and 110,574 cases. After Italy, the most affected countries are Spain with 9,053 deaths and 102,136 cases, the United States with 4,476 deaths and 203,608 cases, France with 4,032 deaths and 56,989 cases, and mainland China with 3,312 deaths and 81,554 cases. Since Tuesday at 1900 GMT, Congo, Oman, Slovakia, Botswana, Senegal and El Salvador have all announced their first deaths linked to the virus. Europe now has 33,245 deaths for 490,484 cases, the United States and Canada 4,587 deaths and 213,134 cases, Asia 3,942 deaths and 110,570 cases, the Middle East 3,160 deaths and 59,541 cases, Latin America and the Caribbean has 538 deaths and 20,083 cases, Africa 223 deaths and 6,198 cases, and Oceania has 24 deaths and 5,579 cases. FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE A leading Indian-origin scientist and public health expert has expressed fears that the UK's strategy to not focus on greater testing and containment in the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic may have been the wrong path to take in the country's efforts to control the outbreak. Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said planning for large-scale testing for the deadly virus was taken off the table early on as the government based its strategy on an Imperial College of London model, which seemed to rely on so-called herd immunity for a large enough section of the population to contract COVID-19 and build natural immunity over time. I fear that Imperial perspective (in Lancet) resulted in the UK giving up on containment too early and assuming everyone will get it, Prof. Sridhar said on Twitter. Planning and preparing for unprecedented testing and using big data/apps for tracing were taken off the table. In my view, we went down the wrong path, said Sridhar, who is supporting the World Health Organisation (WHO) on policy and governance through the pandemic. The expert, from Edinburgh University's Usher Institute College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, warned that the UK could be in for an endless cycle of lockdown and release if the assumption being worked on is that everyone at some stage is likely to be hit by the deadly virus, which has claimed 1,789 lives in the country. If assumption is everyone will get it, then UK will indeed be in an endless cycle of lockdown/release as the government turns on/off tap of spread to let virus filter through the population and attempt to keep ICU need within capacity. All while most vulnerable attempt to self-isolate, she said. The 35-year-old expert, who has been working alongside colleagues at her university to help people better understand the global challenge and the science behind the virus, has a research focus on the effectiveness of public health interventions. During a session alongside former US President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea at the UK's Hay Festival in 2018, she had made references to the interconnected aspect of global health challenges. I forgot I had said this but in 2018 I gave the example of someone being infected in China by an animal, getting on a plane to the UK and having it be a challenge here all to illustrate why health challenges are interconnected, she recalls. The coronavirus epicentre was in China's Wuhan city and has since spread around the world, with the US overtaking the Chinese death toll this week and the global figures crossing 40,000. What could we have done different or better in the public health community to prevent the spread? That will keep many of us awake for nights ahead, notes Sridhar, after a 13-year-old boy became the UK's youngest victim of COVID-19 this week. The UK government has admitted the urgent need to ramp up testing, with health minister Matt Hancock calling on hospitals to go further and test as many National Health Service (NHS) staff as they can. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Hancock who are both self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 are said to be working with companies worldwide to get the materials needed to build up testing capacity. "It's been well over two weeks since the government said it was going to roll out priority testing for healthcare staff. But many doctors still have no idea about where or how they can get tested," said Chaand Nagpaul, the Indian-origin chair of the British Medical Association (BMA). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As infections continue to rise globally, investors say more economic pain and market volatility may lie ahead. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Most Asian and European stocks and oil prices fell on Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause disruptions to economies the world over. On Tuesday, the United Statess two key stock gauges posted their worst first-quarter performance ever, and their worst month since 2008, as much of the world went into lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic. We cant say the market has bottomed out. Investors are just staying on the sidelines for now, digesting what has happened so far, Benny Lee, chief market strategist at EquitiesTracker Holdings, told Al Jazeera. The market will just be affected by volatility and what [US President Donald] Trump said, and what happened in Europe will affect our markets too, Lee said. Trump described his countrys efforts to slow the spread of the virus as a matter of life and death and warned Americans to brace for a rough two-week period. Globally, more than 860,000 people have been infected with the virus, and more than 42,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the US, which has overtaken China as the epicentre of the pandemic, more than 188,000 people have been infected, killing more than 3,800 people. The grounding of thousands of flights and closure of international borders and non-essential industries is causing trillions of dollars worth of damage to the global economy. Calm before another storm? Japans benchmark Nikkei 225 led losses in Asia on Wednesday with a 4.5 percent fall. South Koreas Kospi Index fell 3.9 percent, Chinas Shanghai Composite dropped 0.6 percent, while Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index lost 2.2 percent and Singapores Straits Times Index dropped 1.7 percent. Bucking the losses in the region, Australias benchmark ASX 200 Index rose 3.6 percent, while neighbouring New Zealands NZX 20 Index gained 1.3 percent. European shares also tumbled in early trade on Wednesday. Stocks in London, Germany and Paris were all down about 3 percent in early trade. Some sense of calm did return to the markets on Wednesday, but the worst may yet be ahead as businesses stay shut, analysts said. A key indicator of how nervous investors is the Chicago Board Options Exchange volatility index, also known as the VIX, or the fear gauge. The higher it trades, the more volatility in the US benchmark S&P 500 share index investors expect. Stock markets have calmed down noticeably, with the VIX having declined by 35 percent since its March 16 peak, though [it is] still more than three times the 5-year average, Han Tan, market analyst at currency trading firm FXTM, told Al Jazeera. Investors must, however, remain vigilant against another spike in volatility, should equity markets be triggered into another selloff on signs that the COVID-19 crisis is worsening. US stocks fell by more than 20 percent in the first three months of 2020, according to Refinitiv data, despite a rebound in the last two weeks of March, while most other major share indices in Asia and Europe also remain below their February highs by similar amounts. Data released by the Bank of Japans latest Tankan business confidence survey on Wednesday showed sentiment among the countrys large manufacturers plunged in the first three months of this year, tumbling to a reading of -8 from zero in December. While the [first quarter] Tankan survey held up slightly better than we were expecting, it still showed a marked deterioration in business conditions, Tom Learmouth, who covers the Japan economy at Capital Economics, wrote in a note. With sentiment set to deteriorate further as lockdowns across the globe continue, the survey wont provide too much comfort for the Bank of Japan, Learmouth said. In China, a private survey of factory activity that polls small and medium-sized firms, showed a modest improvement in March from a plunge the previous month, when most businesses were shut due to the governments coronavirus containment measures. But the recovery in the Caixin manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) will likely be slow, analysts said. Markets are struggling to justify recent gains, with investors treating the recent expansion in Chinas PMI readings with caution, FXTMs Tan said. With a global recession now being the overarching theme for the year, investors are expected to endure a bumpy ride before they can place firm hopes on the eventual recovery. The US Congress and White House are readying a fourth stimulus spending package to counter the economic fallout from the containment measures as a large part of the worlds biggest economy stays in lockdown. Trump this week called for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill to spur the economy and boost jobs. Oils journey south Oil prices slumped again even after Trump said he was ready to join discussions if need be between top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia about the plunge in energy prices. Brent crude dropped 3.53 percent to $25.42 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate lost 1.27 percent to $20.22 a barrel in late Asian trading. Key oil benchmarks have slumped nearly 70 percent ever since talks between the Saudi-led Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia broke down in early March, a trend that was exacerbated by a plunge in demand as much of the world shut down due to the pandemic. By Alexander Cornwell and Aziz El Yaakoubi DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai said on Tuesday it would help its state-run Emirates airline mitigate the financial blow from the coronavirus outbreak as authorities enforced a full lockdown on a district famous for gold and spice markets. The United Arab Emirates, the Gulf region's tourism and business hub which includes Dubai, has taken measures including temporarily halting passenger flights and launching a nationwide disinfection drive as the disease spreads. Total infections in the six Gulf Arab states surpassed 4,000 on Tuesday, with 22 deaths, after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar all recorded new transmissions. Saudi Arabia, which has the highest regional tally, reported two more fatalities among expatriates, taking its total to 10, and confirmed 110 new cases to reach 1,563. The kingdom asked Muslims to wait for more clarity about the pandemic before planning to attend the annual haj pilgrimage, which begins in late July and usually attracts some 2.5 million worshippers from around the world. The UAE announced one more death, a 67-year-old Asian man with pre-existing conditions, bringing its total to six, and recorded 53 more infections to raise the count to 664. It had already extended a nightly curfew to April 5 to deep- clean the country, but Dubai announced on Tuesday it was imposing a 24-hour curfew on the normally bustling tourist and trade district of Al Ras for two weeks. "I am glad they are doing this because it is for our protection," said a rice trader who works in Al Ras but resides in the UAE's Sharjah emirate. The trader, who declined to be named, told Reuters he was now conducting business online. Dubai closed the main road entrances and halted public transport to Al Ras, which abuts Dubai Creek where dhows have been banned from shipping goods between Dubai and Iran, a regional epicentre for the virus. Authorities will provide residents with essential needs, the Dubai Media Office said. Story continues The UAE plans to open more drive-thru testing centres after the first was opened last week in the capital, Abu Dhabi. "We will never hesitate to take any measures against any potential threat to people's life. At the same time, we won't let development grind to a halt," said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the country's de facto ruler. Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said the emirate's government would inject fresh equity into the Emirates airline, given its strategic importance to the Dubai and UAE economy, but gave no details. In Kuwait, the first Gulf state to halt passenger flights and impose a partial curfew due to the pandemic, the health minister said a clearer picture of the success of containment efforts would emerge by early June. "If infection numbers stabilise, there may be a gradual easing of current measures," Basil al-Sabah told Al Rai newspaper. "But if the average rate of transmission increases then...I do not rule out the cabinet enforcing a full curfew." Qatar reported its second death and 88 new cases. Gulf states continued repatriation flights from countries around the world. The UAE said it had evacuated more than 1,700 nationals and "those accompanying them". Kuwait said it has brought back more than 2,700 citizens. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Maha El Dahan, Ghaida Ghantous, Marwa Rashad and Alaa Swilam; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) The NIA on Wednesday registered its first overseas case and will probe the terror strike on a gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul last month that left 27 people including an Indian citizen dead. An amendment of the NIA Act which came into effect in August last year has vested the agency with the power to probe terrorist activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad. The NIA registered the case under various sections of IPC including 125 (waging war against a friendly country). Provisions of anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were also invoked in the FIR registered by the NIA, an official spokesman said. According to the FIR, unknown gunmen stormed into the gurdwara in Shor Bazar area of Kabul on March 25 and fired indiscriminately killing 27 devotees and injuring several others. Nearly 150 people were inside the gurdwara when the attack took place. Tian Singh, a resident of Greater Kailash Part-1 in New Delhi, was also killed in the attack whose responsibility was claimed by banned Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an offshoot of ISIS. The spokesman said that according to preliminary investigation, Mohammed Muhsin (28), a resident of Thrikaripur town in Kerala's Kasargod district, and others who had joined ISKP, are suspected to have been involved in the attack. Muhsin went to the UAE in 2018 from where he is believed to have joined the ranks with the global terror organisation in Afghanistan, officials said. His identity was established after an Islamic state publication posted his picture identifying him with his Arabic name, Abu Khalid al-Hindi, the officials said. They said he, along with his family, had returned to Kerala from Malaysia in 2017 and later left for Saudi Arabia in search of work. The same year, he returned to Kerala and stayed with his family before leaving for the UAE in 2018, the officials said. The central agencies with the help of local police reached out to the accused's family, who identified him to be Muhsin from the published picture which had ISIS flag in the background, they said. His parents had claimed that they received a message from the ISIS confirming his death during the attack, the officials said. A school dropout, Muhsin is believed to have landed in Afghanistan as a member of ISIS in the Khorasan Province, they said. With one of the victims in the gurdwara attack being an Indian, the amended NIA Act was applicable, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump said he was ready to help solve the rapidly growing war over oil prices between Russia and Saudi Arabia, AFP reported. Trump said he had a phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ibn Salman, to stop the decline in oil prices. "The two countries are discussing it. And I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be," Trump said. Earlier, Russian and US leaders discussed over the phone measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Kremlins press service, the conversation was initiated by the American side. As many as 18 nurses and medical staff from civic-run Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital in Jogeshwari on Wednesday staged a protest demanding protective gear to attend to COVID-19 patients admitted at the facility. The protesting medical staff from Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital signed a letter addressed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's medical officer. The hospital was converted into a COVID-19 facility, for treating positive patients and suspected cases, the letter stated. "Despite the guidelines, we have not been provided the required kits for our own safety while serving patients. If any one of us suffers from the infection, the BMC would be solely responsible for it," the nurses have stated in the letter. As many as 167 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai, of which 14 have recovered from the infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Huntsville man has been indicted in a deadly one-car crash that happened nearly a year ago. Cedric Marquis Warner, 20, is charged with manslaughter, a Class B felony thats punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Hes accused of recklessly causing the death of 20-year-old passenger LaShaundra Logan in an April 3, 2019 crash, according to the indictment. Warners attorney didnt return a call for comment. Warner was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed when he ran a stop sign on Blake Bottom Road and Alabama 53, according to Huntsville police. He lost control of his westbound 2006 Honda Civic, which left the road and rolled multiple times in a field. The crash was captured on video taken by a surveillance camera in the area. Warner was charged because he was speeding and failed to stop at the stop sign, said Shauna Barnett, a Madison County Assistant District Attorney. Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the crash, she said. Logan died at the scene that Wednesday afternoon. Warner and an 18-year-old passenger were taken to the hospital in serious condition. Warner was arrested after being released from the hospital. Warners case was presented to the most recent session of the Madison County grand jury, which was convened in March before the coronavirus pandemic prompted the closure of the courthouse. The grand jury determined prosecutors have enough evidence to formally charge Warner with manslaughter and take the case to trial. A trial has been scheduled for June 22. Warner is out of jail on $20,000 bail. Delivering Powered Air Purifying Respirators and High Efficiency Filters to Federal Government LANDOVER, Md., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AirBoss Defense Group (ADG) announced today that the U.S. Government has placed an initial order for 100,000 American-made FlexAir Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) and 600,000 High Efficiency Filters for urgent response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FlexAir PAPR is designed to enable medical providers and first responders unencumbered protection over extended periods of time while providing critical medical care. The value of the contract is expected to be $96.4M and deliveries will begin immediately and are expected to be completed over the next 13 weeks. The FlexAir PAPR System is a compact, lightweight respirator system powered by an onboard battery in a waist-mounted blower, designed and manufactured in the United States. The flexible design permits the use of 2 High Efficiency particulate filters, providing a high level of protection against biological viruses like COVID-19. "This is war, and President Trump is using the full force of the federal government and the full power of private enterprises like ADG to rapidly mobilize our industrial base to fight the hidden enemy of COVID-19," said Dr. Peter Navarro, White House Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. "ADG has stepped up with lightning speed, and their willingness to help meet the urgent need for powered respirators will save American lives. This crisis has shown that maintaining and supporting a strong U.S. manufacturing base is of critical importance to our nation's economic security and national defense." Patrick Callahan, CEO of AirBoss Defense Group said, "ADG is honored to apply our engineering and manufacturing capabilities towards protecting the lives of front-line medical professionals and first responders. FlexAir PAPR systems are designed to provide caregivers ultimate protection against biological threats, including COVID-19, enhancing the life-saving capabilities of our dedicated health care workers. The entire company is completely focused on delivering these products on an accelerated timeline, to Federal, state and local authorities as well directly to frontline health care professionals. As our products are manufactured in the United States, we are prepared to quickly provide lifesaving products as the need for protective equipment evolves." ADG is an umbrella survivability group that provides military, law enforcement, medical providers, industrial providers and first responders with a diverse portfolio of protective equipment that spans the entire survivability spectrum. AirBoss Defense, an ADG brand, is a recognized world leader in rapid deployment negative pressure isolation shelters, medical protection equipment, and personal respiratory protective products. AirBoss Defense's emergency response and protective equipment is utilized by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Strategic Medical Preparedness, FEMA and CDC infectious disease treatment centers. In addition, AirBoss Defense provides protective equipment to emergency medical response teams and hospitals in over 1,500 U.S. cities, as well as over 30 countries worldwide. The company successfully responded during the MERS and Ebola outbreaks, by providing critical protective equipment to government and civilian medical customers. The company will continue to engage in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak through the rapid delivery of domestically manufactured personal protection equipment and patient isolation systems to the medical community. For more information, please visit www.adg.com . FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION DISCLAIMER Certain statements contained or incorporated by reference herein, including those that express management's expectations or estimates of future developments or ADG's future performance, constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, and can generally be identified by words such as "will", "may", "could" "is expected to", "believes", "anticipates", "forecasts", "plans", "intends" or similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events and performance. Statements containing forward-looking information are necessarily based upon a number of opinions, estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at the time the statements are made, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies. ADG cautions that such forward-looking information involves known and unknown contingencies, uncertainties and other risks that may cause ADG's actual financial results, performance or achievements to be materially different from its estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information, including without limitation: impact of general economic conditions; dependence on key customers; sufficient availability of raw materials at economical costs; weather conditions affecting raw materials, production and sales; ADG's ability to maintain existing customers or develop new customers in light of increased competition; ADG's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions of other businesses and/or companies or to realize on the anticipated benefits thereof, changes in accounting policies and methods, including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates; changes in tax laws and potential litigation; ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms; environmental damage and non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations; potential product liability and warranty claims and equipment malfunction. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of ADG's forward-looking information. All of the forward-looking information in this press release is expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information attributable to ADG or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, ADG disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly this forward-looking information except as required by applicable laws. Risks and uncertainties about ADG' business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in AirBoss of America Corp.'s. AirBoss Defense Group 3341 75th Avenue, Suite GG Landover, Maryland Contact: David Costello Tel: 617.875.2492 Email: david@risingtidemhd.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c77ab8f1-fb3f-4fba-b8a0-0af5c8207413 Oil company executives reeling from a massive drop in prices were set to meet with President Donald Trump Friday as the administration seeks ways to help the beleaguered industry. The meeting, which was confirmed by the American Petroleum Institute comes just as Saudi Arabia unleashes a record volume of crude into the already-glutted global oil market, escalating a price war with Russia. Trump, who once hailed the unprecedented plunge in oil prices as a tax cut for American consumers, has stepped up efforts in recent days to intervene as the rout threatens to wipe out tens of thousands of jobs in Americas shale patch. Executives from companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. Chevron Corp., Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Continental Resources Inc. are expected to attend, according to people familiar with the meeting who asked not to be named to discuss non-public matters. Among the topics expected to be discussed are possible tariffs on oil imports into the U.S. from Saudi Arabia, and relief from the Jones Act that requires ships that transport goods between U.S. ports to be American flagged, according to one of the people familiar. Representatives of the White House did not immediately comment. ASKING FOR HELP: Trump talks oil prices with Putin as rout continues Attendees represent companies across the oil industry, including independent producers such as Continental and Devon Energy Corp., at least one midstream pipeline operator, Energy Transfer Partners, and one refiner, Phillips 66, according to another person familiar with the meeting. Representatives of the American Petroleum Institute are also attending the meeting. No independent offshore oil producers were invited to the summit. And no European oil majors, even those with substantial U.S. operations are invited, so Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, Equinor ASA and others are left out. The companies have advanced widely varying prescriptions for dealing with the glut of crude fed by the Russia-Saudi oil price war and collapsing demand from the coronavirus. Oil majors such as Exxon and Chevron for instance have typically opposed any kind of government intervention in crude markets including tariffs and mandated production cuts. With better access to capital and diversification of businesses, theyre more resilient than smaller operators to ride out the rout. HISTORICALLY BAD: Oil posts worst quarter ever while physical market craters But some U.S. independent explorers, whose tenacity and technological innovation began the shale oil revolution, argue that such low crude prices risk killing the Americas domestic industry, leaving the country dependent on foreign producers once again. Continental Resources Chairman Harold Hamm has urged the U.S. impose tariffs on Saudi and Russian crude, while several oil industry trade groups and refiners have warned against that step. The American Petroleum Institute has asked the White House to find a diplomatic solution. The American Exploration and Production Council previously floated the Jones Act waiver. Natural gas and oil will be critical to our nations economic recovery, and the industrys message to the administration is sharing actions it is taking during this challenging time and highlighting that history has proven that markets work, the American Petroleum Institute said in an emailed statement. We are not seeking any government subsidies or industry-specific intervention to address the recent market downturn at this time. Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, one of three regulators in the largest oil-producing state, says Trump should offer that the U.S. cut production at home for matching reductions from Saudi Arabia and Russia. LuxDecos chief creative officer Jon Sharpe sees Womens History Month out with his favourite iconic female designers. March was Womens History Month. And when it comes to the celebration of women and their contribution to the world, the interior design industry is rich with fantastic female designers. From icons of days past, like Dorothy Draper, or todays design mavericks such as Kelly Wearstler, theres no doubt that interior design has been shaped by some truly innovative female designers. Heres my round-up of the most iconic, forward-thinking and impactful female architects and designers who deserve to be celebrated all year round. Discover 9 iconic female designers and why theyve made their mark after the jump: 1. Zaha Hadid for her redefinition of 21st century architecture The world of design is still mourning Zaha Hadid, after her premature death in 2016. Arguably one of the most important and era-defining architects of the 21st century, Hadid broke the mould in more ways than one. She captured the imagination of the design world with her awe-inspiring spatial designs that can be seen all around the world. Iraqi-born, Hadids noteworthy projects include the mesmerising fluidity of the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan and the Dongdaemum Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, South Korea. Hadid was the first woman and Iraqi to win the much-coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize, which she was awarded in 2004. She also won the Stirling Prize (the UKs most prestigious architectural award) in 2010 and 2012. In February 2016, just one month before her untimely passing, Hadid became the first and only woman to receive the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. 2. India Mahdavi for transforming childhood inspiration into trend-forming interior designs French interior design maven India Mahdavi is all about colour. Best known for totally transforming the interior of Londons sketch with a shade of pink that quickly became the zeitgeist, Mahdavi can be said to be behind the Millennial Pink trend. Playfulness mixes with streaks of genius resulting in product collaborations that are highly in demand. Shes created wallpaper with De Gournay, a table and tray with Louis Vuitton and fabrics with Pierre Frey. Mahdavi has also worked with Valentino and Laduree for years; collaborations that produced the instantly recognisable pastel interiors that shes known for. These include her total reconstruction of an entire floor at Kadewe in Berlin. 3. Ilse Crawford for her cerebral approach to using design to enhance everyday life London-based Ilse Crawford MBE is an interior designer and an academic, and as such cuts a unique figure within interior design. Originally founding editor at Elle Decoration, Crawford moved on to develop a home collection in collaboration with Donna Karan. In 2001, Crawford launched Studioilse, and has produced endless human-centred, thoughtful and varied projects in the intervening years. Her academic career includes a role as head of Man and Wellbeing at the Design Academy, Eindhoven for 21 years, which underlines her massive impact on the industry as a whole. 4. Dorothy Draper for her modern spin on classical aesthetics with the invention of Modern Baroque Dorothy Draper is truly iconic. One of the very first female interior designers to professionalise her talents into a career, Draper was born in the US in 1889. She set the design bar extremely high for women designers, and although she died in 1969, there are few to touch her even now. Shes particularly known for her ground-breaking choices of colour, that deviated from the typical choices from her era. She was all about turquoise, chartreuse and coral red in a time of dark and austere colours. As well as copious product designs for everything from cosmetics to car interiors, Draper was commissioned to design some of the highest profile public spaces, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 5. Andree Putman for Ecart International, a platform she founded for designers in the early 20th century Andree Putman is an industry legend thanks to her design collaborations with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. Born in 1925, the French interior designer established a global reputation by working on a wide range of projects, all of which showcase her calling cards of light, space and elegant minimalism. Major projects designed by Putman include the Guggenheim Museum and for Air France Concorde. She then launched her own studio, which since her death in 2013 has been led by her daughter Olivia. Putman also worked on product design for all kinds of high-end brands, which has given many of us the opportunity to incorporate her restful, anti-excess aesthetic into our living spaces. 6. Kelly Hoppen for her timeless appeal and mastery over a colourless palette Kelly Hoppen MBE has managed to launch an entire aesthetic, which is now synonymous with her name. The Queen of Taupe has definitely changed the industry over her 40 years in the industry. The Kelly Hoppen look can be described as understated luxury, monochrome tranquillity and where East meets West. Hoppens business empire is vast, and now spans every area of interior design, a popular product range, nine design books and an appointment as a GREAT Ambassador for the UK by the Government. Having spent time as an investor on Dragons Den, Hoppen continues to champion the countrys young entrepreneurs as an ambassador for the Princes Trust. 7. Elsie de Wolfe for her timeless design advice in her book The House in Good Taste Credited as the mother of interior decoration, Elsie de Wolfe was born in the US in 1859. By the time she died in 1950, de Wolfe was a world-famous designer known for her deft rendering of light feminine spaces, interspersed with antiques, animal print and soft upholstery. Her big break came when she was asked to decorate the very first womens clubhouse in America The Colony Club in New York. From there, the writer and interior designer built up an impressive list of clients and contacts, including art collector and industrialist Henry Clay Frick. 8. Kelly Wearstler for her absolutely fearless interiors One of the worlds most in demand celebrity designers, Kelly Wearstler is known as the Queen of Maximalism. Her distinctive interiors are recognised everywhere, and shes also launched her own distinctive lifestyle brand that covers everything from jewellery to lighting and wallpaper to decor. Her iconic designs include a mix of unexpected shapes, brave textures and stimulating colour palettes. Examples of these can be seen at the Bergdorf Goodman restaurant in New York, the Four Seasons hotel in Anguilla and the Viceroy Hotels in Santa Monica. 9. Gae Aulenti for inspiring the next generation of architects Gae Auleni was one of very few women designers working in post-war Italy. Born in 1927, Auleni became known for her stage design, interiors, lighting, furniture, architecture and graphics as part of a career that ran until her death in 2012. One of the most beautiful and visible parts of her legacy can be seen at the stunning Musee dOrsay, which she transformed architecturally from the original Paris train station building. As part of the Neo Art Nouveau group of architects, Auleni took design inspiration from music, history, philosophy and art. RELATED: Jon Sharpe On 8 Leading Modern Interior Designers A team of medical researchers and bioethicists at Oxford University has published results today in Science that furthers our understanding of coronavirus transmission. This evidence is enabling several international partners, including NHSX, a joint unit comprised of teams from NHS England and the UK's Department of Health & Social Care, and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), to assess the feasibility of developing mobile apps for instant contact tracing in record time. If rapidly and widely developed, these mobile apps could help to significantly slow the rate of transmission, and support countries to emerge from lockdowns safely, as restrictions are gradually eased. Professor Christophe Fraser from Oxford University's Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, a lead author on the Science paper explains, "We need a mobile contact tracing app to urgently support health services to control coronavirus transmission, target interventions and keep people safe. Our analysis suggests that about half of transmissions occur in the early phase of the infection, before you show any symptoms of infection. Our mathematical models also highlight that traditional public health contact tracing approaches provide incomplete data and cannot keep up with the pace of this pandemic." The project is co-led by Dr David Bonsall, senior researcher at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Medicine and clinician at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, who explains "The mobile app concept we've mathematically modelled is simple and doesn't need to track your location; it uses a low-energy version of Bluetooth to log a memory of all the app users with whom you have come into close proximity over the last few days. If you then become infected, these people are alerted instantly and anonymously, and advised to go home and self-isolate. If app users decide to share additional data, they could support health services to identify trends and target interventions to reach those most in need." The authors argue that a mobile app can reduce transmission at any stage of the epidemic, in countries or regions where the epidemic is just emerging, at the peak of the epidemic, or to support a safe transition out of restricted movement or lockdown. It could also help to reduce the serious social, psychological and economic impacts caused by widespread lockdowns. Critically, the researchers suggest a mobile app can help slow the spread of infection until vaccines and antiviral treatments become widely available. Prof Fraser explains, "A contact tracing app can foster good citizenship by alerting people at risk, it can also help ease us out of confinement If we know we've not been in contact with anyone infected we can leave home safely, whilst still protecting our loved ones and avoiding a broader resurgence of coronavirus in our community." Given the level of infection across much of Europe, the team believe ongoing development of a mobile app partnership across the union would massively reduce transmission and avoid a resurgence in the number of cases, providing an opportunity for all citizens using mobile contact tracing apps to contribute towards ending the epidemic. An app strategy could also be used by low and middle income countries, earlier in the epidemic, to rapidly control transmission and get ahead of the epidemic now. The Oxford team highlight that the mobile contact tracing app should still be combined with isolation of cases, tracing and quarantine of contacts, physical distancing, scaled-up diagnostic testing, decontamination and hygiene measures. As Dr Bonsall explains "If the mobile app is widely adopted in any country, and combined with other critical interventions such as physical distancing and widespread testing, our models suggest the epidemic could be brought under control. This app is a tool for each and every person affected to contribute towards protecting their health services, supporting vulnerable people and simultaneously gradually releasing communities out of extended quarantine." Today's Science study highlights the importance of rigorous ethical standards underpinning the successful and appropriate use of mobile phone technology in addressing the coronavirus pandemic; including a number of ethical requirements needed to foster well-founded public trust and confidence. Professor Michael Parker, Director of the Wellcome Centre for Ethics & Humanities and one of the paper's authors, highlights: With transparent and inclusive ethical oversight to ensure genuine public trust, it is possible to both save lives and protect civil liberties. The app should be opt-in, provide secure data storage and privacy protection, and be informed by public and user engagement at every stage of implementation. With these guarantees and, if widely installed by users across a country or regional bloc, a mobile app could even help to end the epidemic." As mobile apps launch over the coming weeks and months, the Oxford research team urges people to support official apps, developed by trusted institutions, and their partners, such as the mobile contact tracing apps under advanced assessment in several European countries. Professor Fraser concludes, "Our hope is to support communities with life-saving information as the pandemic worsens, and help to release countries from large-scale isolation. The maths is clear: the more people that use a contract tracing app the better chance we have of getting ahead of this epidemic and eventually stopping it in its tracks. If a country reduces the epidemic growth rate to below zero, the epidemic will rapidly decline and eventually stop. Together we can make this possible." Google will offer 100,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots and will donate 4,000 Chromebooks to students across the state of California, governor Gavin Newsom said during a news conference Wednesday. The internet access points are supposed to help improve broadband internet in rural households across the state where internet access is either limited or very slow. Students will get access to the free Wi-Fi for a minimum of three months.There are still many parts of the state that do not have access to high-speed internet, however. "This was a substantial enhancement that came just at the right time," Newsom said. "We need more Googles," he added. "Proud to work with @GavinNewsom & partners to help bridge the digital divide in our home state," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said on Twitter. The latest move comes as Newsom announced that California schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year, with many classes switching to online learning. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Dec. 11, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Inspector General Audit Finds Widespread Problems With FBIs FISA Applications IG interrupts ongoing audit to inform FBI it does 'not have confidence' in the agencys compliance with Woods Procedures Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz has told FBI Director Christopher Wray that, as a result of a recent audit, he does not have confidence that the FBI has executed its Woods Procedures in compliance with FBI policy. Woods Procedures refer to supporting factual documentation underlying any application for a FISA warrant. The recent audit was spurred by the Inspector Generals (IG) investigation into the FBIs spying on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. That report identified at least 17 significant errors or omissions in the Page FISA applications, and many additional errors in the Woods Procedures. As a result of these many errors, two of the renewal FISAs have since been deemed invalid by the DOJ and the first two remain under review. In his March 30 memo, Horowitz notes that he believes that the errors in the Woods files represent a deficiency in the FBIs efforts to support the factual statements in FISA applications and, as a result, undermines the FBIs ability to achieve its scrupulously accurate standard for FISA applications. To obtain a FISA warrant, the FBI is required to show that a U.S. citizen is an agent of a foreign power. FISA warrants allow for some of the most intrusive spying on American citizens. As part of the IGs probe, eight FBI field offices of varying sizes were visited over the past two months. A sample of 29 out of 700 applications for FISA warrants on U.S. persons that had been submitted by these field offices over a five-year periodfrom October 2014 to September 2019were reviewed. The time period includes the FBI directorships of both James Comey and Wray, along with approximately four months in 2017 when Andrew McCabe was the acting FBI director. The IG investigation didnt attempt to verify the underlying validity of these FISAs, but instead focused only on whether the contents of the FBIs Woods File supported statements of fact in the associated FISA application. Four reviews were unable to be completed because the FBI couldnt locate the underlying Woods files, and each of the other 25 applications the IGs team reviewed contained material errors. In three out of the four cases where the Woods files couldnt be found, the FBI told the IG it didnt know if the Woods files had ever existed. FBI and NSD [DOJs National Security Division] officials we interviewed indicated to us that there were no efforts by the FBI to use existing FBI and NSD oversight mechanisms to perform comprehensive, strategic assessments of the efficacy of the Woods Procedures or FISA accuracy, the IG memo states. The IG noted that while his review of these issues and follow-up with case agents is still ongoing, the IG had identified an average of 20 issues per application, which ranged from a low of less than five issues to a high of 65 issues within a single application. Horowitz defined issues to mean that facts stated in the FISA application were: (a) not supported by any documentation in the Woods file, (b) not clearly corroborated by the supporting documentation in the Woods file, or (c) inconsistent with the supporting documentation in the Woods file. Despite the material number of issues found by Horowitz, it appears that the FISA court issued a surveillance warrant in each of the cases reviewed by the inspector general. Use of Confidential Human Sources Additionally, the IG noted that approximately 50 percent of the FISA applications audited by his office utilized Confidential Human Sources (CHS). As the IG notes, Woods Procedures require that when a FISA application contains reporting from an FBI CHS, the Woods File must include documentation from the handling agent or CHS coordinator (or either of their immediate supervisors) stating that: (1) this individual has reviewed the facts presented in the FISA application regarding the CHSs reliability and background; and (2) based on a review of the CHS file documentation, the facts presented in the FISA application are accurate. It appears that procedures were often not followed regarding proper documentation and fact-checking of these CHSs, with the IG noting that for many of the FISA applications, we found that the Woods File lacked documentation attesting to these two requirements. Of the 29 FISA applications reviewed, two of them required renewals. As Horowitz notes, prior to making a formal application request to the FISA Court for renewal, the case agent is required to re-verify that statements of fact repeated in a renewal application from an initial FISA application remain true and must obtain supporting documentation for any new statements of fact included in the renewal application that goes to the FISC for approval. However, the IG found that the FBI is not consistently re-verifying the original statements of fact within renewal applications. The IG noted that in one instance, he observed errors made in the initial application being carried over into the renewal and in other instances, was told by the preparing case agent that they only verified newly added statements of fact in renewal applications because they had already verified the original statements of fact when submitting the initial application. As the IG notes, this practice directly contradicts FBI policy. Review of Internal Audits of FISA Applications In addition to the 29 FISA applications from the eight FBI field offices, Horowitz also examined the annual accuracy reviews undertaken by the Chief Division Counsel (CDC) at each of the examined FBI field offices. As Horowitz notes, FBI policy requires that the CDC at each FBI field office select one FISA application each year for accuracy review. These reports are then sent to the FBIs Office of General Counsel at FBI headquarters. Separately, the NSD Office of Intelligence (OI) is required to conduct its own accuracy review of at least one FISA application from each of the FBIs 25 to 30 different field offices. The accuracy reviews by both the CDC and the OI are required to be performed on a FISA application that has been approved by the FISA court. The IG received a total of 34 FBI CDC and NSD OI reports addressing 42 separate U.S. Person FISA applications from the eight field offices visited by the IG. These reviews arent focused on assessing compliance with Woods Procedures and instead focus on whether support exists at the time of the FBI CDC or NSD OI review for each factual assertion in the FISA application under review. Each field office can decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to include the Woods file as part of the support for the review. Notably, the field offices are given advance notification of which FISA application(s) will be reviewed and are expected to compile documentary evidence to support the relevant FISA application(s). In other words, each field office knows in advance which FISA application will be audited and has ample time to reexamine and rereview the application in advance of the accuracy audit. The IG rightly noted that this method should identify fewer unsupported facts in the application than would result from only reviewing the Woods File because the responsible personnel are aware of the upcoming review and given time to gather any existing documentation to support the factual assertions in the FISA applications. The CDC and NSD OI accuracy review reports of the 42 U.S. person FISA applications routinely identified deficiencies in documentation. Only three of the 42 FISAs werent flagged for errors and the other 39 applications identified a total of about 390 issues, including unverified, inaccurate, or inadequately supported facts, as well as typographical errors. The 34 reports (covering the 42 FISAs) reviewed by the IG indicate that none of the 390 identified issues were deemed to be material. However, the IG also noted that the DOJs Office of Intelligence, which provides a determination of whether a misstatement or omission of fact identified during an accuracy review is material, hadnt been asked to make materiality determinations, nor had they received the FBI CDC accuracy reviewswhich accounted for approximately 250 of the issues in the reports reviewed by the IG. The IG memorandum notes that regarding both the FBI CDC and NSD OI accuracy reviews, no comprehensive, strategic analysis of the cumulative results is performed at the FBI headquarters level, meaning that the issues related to the FISA warrants arent systematically addressed. The accuracy reviews were not being used by the FBI as a tool to help assess the FBIs compliance with its Woods Procedures, the IG report states. Horowitz apparently found the levels of errors and omissions so great that he felt compelled to draft the memorandum to FBI Director Wray, even though his investigation hasnt been completed, and the IG himself referred to his results as preliminary. The importance of Horowitz feeling compelled to interrupt his audit in order to inform Wray was recognized by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who said in a statement: Based on the inspector generals audit, the flawed Page case appears to be the tip of the iceberg. Not a single application from the past five years reviewed by the inspector general was up to snuff. Thats alarming and unacceptable. The inspector generals decision to bring these failures to the directors attention before its audit is even completed underscores the seriousness of these findings. Expanding IG Probe Horowitz stated that his continuing audits were being expanded beyond the FBI and into the DOJs National Security Division. The IG made an immediate recommendation that the FBI, in coordination with the NSD systematically examine the results of past and future accuracy reviews to identify patterns or trends in identified errors. Horowitz also recommended that the FBI perform a wholescale physical audit to ensure that Woods Files exist for every FISA application submitted to the FISC in all pending investigations. Deflection for Problems With Page FISA The findings of systemic problems of the FBI in its FISA applications might be used as a defense for the many errors found within the Carter Page FISA applications. Michael Bromwich, the lawyer for fired Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, wrote on Twitter following the release of the IG memo: Further evidence that the problems with the Carter Page FISA applications had nothing to do with Trump, Carter Page, or political bias. Statements to the contrary from @LindseyGrahamSC and his GOP colleagues on Senate Judiciary were baseless. However, this approach ignores several significant issues specific to the Page FISAs. Kevin Clinesmith, a senior attorney in the FBIs Office of General Counsel, has reportedly been referred for criminal prosecution by Horowitz for allegedly altering an email connected to the renewal of a FISA warrant on Page. Clinesmiths email alteration deliberately removed the fact that Page had a prior relationship with another governmental agency and was used in a crucial part of the Page FISA renewals. Clinesmith allegedly took an email from an official at another federal agency that contained several factual assertions, then added material to the bottom that looked like another assertion from the emails author, when it was instead his own understanding. This altered email was then included in a package that was prepared for another FBI official to read in preparation for signing an affidavit to be submitted to the FISA court, attesting to the facts and analysis in the application. Its worth noting that despite some media portrayals of Clinesmith as a low-level attorney, he was actually the primary FBI attorney assigned to the FBIs counterintelligence investigation into alleged Russian election interference beginning in early 2017. A second issue specific to the Page FISA pertains to the unusual, and early, involvement of McCabe and then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Trisha Anderson, the principal deputy general counsel for the FBI and head of the bureaus National Security and Cyber Law Branch, approved the application for a warrant to spy on Page before it went to then-FBI Director James Comey. According to Anderson, pre-approvals for the Page FISA were provided by both McCabe and Yates, before the FISA application was ever presented to her for review. [M]y boss and my boss boss had already reviewed and approved this application. And, in fact, the Deputy Attorney General, who had the authority to sign the application, to be the substantive approver on the FISA application itself, had approved the application. And that typically would not have been the case before I did that, said Anderson. Anderson told investigators that the Page FISA was handled a little bit differently in that sense, in that it received very high-level review and approvals informal, oral approvals before it ever came to me for signature. The unusual preliminary review and approval from both McCabe and Yates appear to have had a substantial impact on the normal review process, leading other individuals such as Anderson to believe that the Page FISA was more vetted than, perhaps, it really was. It isnt known why McCabe and Yates both chose to insert themselves at an early stage into the Page FISA process. The FISA court has also discussed the FBIs mishandling of the Page FISA. A declassified Jan. 7 order, released by Presiding FISA Court Judge James Boasberg, revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has determined that two of the four FISA surveillance applications on Page were not valid. The court wrote that it had received notice of material misstatements and omissions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications made on Page, apparently with respect to the final two FISA renewals. The court also noted that the DOJ had made the assessment that with regard to the two applications, there was insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that [Carter] Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power. The order also noted that while the DOJ hasnt yet made a determination on the validity of the first two FISA applications, the department intends to have the FBI sequester information relating to those first two orders in the same manner as information acquired in the final two renewals that have now been determined to be invalid. On a day when he announced 33 deaths in Connecticut from COVID-19, Gov. Ned Lamont mused that the social distancing rules were working well but not well enough, and lamented the state isnt getting the supplies and materials it needs. It was disturbing today to find out that the national strategic stockpile is now empty. We did get 50 ventilators, for which I am very thankful, he said at his daily news briefing at the Capitol. For now, were on our own. For now, we are working our hearts out scouring the globe for PPEs as best we can, Lamont added, referring to personal protective equipment such as face masks and haz-mat suits. Less than two hours later a reporter asked President Donald Trump about Lamonts remarks. Well, its not empty, Trump shot back. Let me explain something. He continued, Where appropriate, other than certain things, like we have quite a few of the ventilators....Were trying to have supply sent directly to the states...We dont want medical supplies coming in to warehouses all over the place and then we take then from there and bring them to another warehouse. So were having them brought ideally from the manufacturer ideally to the hospital or the state where its going. Lamont said Connecticut is the No 4 hardest hit state in the coronavirus crisis, in illnesses per capita, after New York, New Jersey and Louisiana. When it comes to federal aid, he wants to position Connecticut as part of the hard-hit New York metro area, rather than as a state on its own. Trump also suggested that some governors such as Andrew Cuomo of New York believe they need more ventilators than they really need. He also suggested some states are hoarding supplies. Some people, no matter what you give its never enough, Trump said. Reporting by Dan Haar, Emilie Munson and Ken Dixon Poster for "The Phantom of the Opera" / Courtesy of S&CO By Kwon Mee-yoo The international touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera" halted performances Wednesday for two weeks after one of its ensemble actors was found to have contracted COVID-19. According to S&CO, the Korean production company, the ensemble actor was confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus Tuesday. The actor had a normal temperature, but showed other symptoms and was tested Tuesday morning. The infection was confirmed later that night. The actor, who took part in the Busan leg of the tour from December to February, left the country in early February and returned three weeks ago for the Seoul show, which opened March 14. After the coronavirus infection was confirmed, the 120 people in the touring production, including actors and crew, all went into self-quarantine. About 20 of them are considered to have had close contact with the actor. The theater, Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, was also shut down as of Wednesday for disinfection. "The theater is repeatedly disinfected, and we monitor temperatures and make mask wearing mandatory during the performance. Also, the stage was two meters from the audience and audience members were banned from meeting the actors in person," production company official said. "The nationality of the confirmed case and the country the infection took place in will be disclosed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." The company said it will temporarily suspend performances for a fortnight through April 14, but an exact notice of when performances will resume will be released later. Upon the temporary suspension of "The Phantom of the Opera," another large production "Dracula," staged at Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul, will close from Wednesday through April 12 to prevent any further spread of COVID-19. All big theaters in the country have now temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus. LUCKNOW, India - Rukmani Sharma fears the virus that has turned the world upside down. But as a devout Hindu, she also fears for her soul. COVID-19 restrictions mean that the 71-year-old woman wont be allowed to go to temple Thursday to celebrate the birthday of the Hindu god Ram, and she says shes feeling guilty. Hindus around the world are in the midst of a nine-day period called Chaitra Navaratri that began with what for many is considered the Hindu New Year and will culminate with the festival of Ramanavami. Normally there is fasting, masses worshipping together, offerings in temples and festivals. But this year, celebrations and prayers are home-bound events and if there is group worship, its livestreamed. India, where most of the worlds billion Hindus live, is in a government-ordered 21-day lockdown. People are allowed to leave their homes only for essentials. Religious gatherings are explicitly banned. The significance of that ban is especially striking in Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath, the top government official in the north Indian state, had planned a grand festival over five of the nine days leading up to Rams birthday. It was expected to draw more than 1 million people from across India, to celebrate a recent Supreme Court ruling that will allow a Hindu trust to build a temple on a long-disputed site where the religious believe Ram was born. Instead, Adityanath, a former monk, is urging the faithful to stay home. No one should come to temple. This is a time of crisis and people should realize that prayers from home are as acceptable as prayers offered in temple, Adityanath said. Sharma, a resident of Uttar Pradeshs capital, Lucknow, is distraught that she wouldnt be able to perform a customary food ritual at the temple. She consulted a temple priest, and was advised to instead feed stray cows, which Hindus revere and worship. The priest told me to cook food as usual and feed the same to the cow, she said. Cow is our mata (mother) and feeding mata is like feeding daughters. Some temple priests in Uttar Pradesh said they have declined requests to visit homes, suggesting instead that people should donate the money they would have spent cooking food to the chief ministers virus relief fund. It is our responsibility to follow social distancing, said Pandit Shubankar, a priest at Gomati Nagar Kali Bari temple in Lucknow. Hindus in the U.S. are also following social distancing protocols. Normally, Suhag Shukla would be scrubbing her Philadelphia home more intensely than usual, a sign of the renewal the holiday signifies. There would be guests and Temple worship. But the temples are closed, and the bells that worshippers ring when they enter are silent. Her familys prayers are confined to the altar in their home and worship and celebrations are happening in cyberspace. Normally, in the absence of a global pandemic India would have been seeing a lot of celebrations, said Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation. That would entail special foods and sweets, prayers and rituals and gatherings of guests and family. You would also be planning on joining your community at a local temple to celebrate as well. With temples closed, Facebook and Zoom have become the way to connect for a religion where connection to all things is imperative. Shukla said it is important during a time of unprecedented anxiety and uncertainty that people have a way to continue to commune with the Divine in kind of a sense of community. Shukla said her plan for Thursday, which is also her birthday, was to participate with the wider community through livestream and perform altar prayers at home. She planned to prepare special foods for her family, probably a fruit-based meal with some sweets. For everything and everyone life was on this fast forward, she said. Moving at that pace you dont have the time to stop and actually listen, which all contributes to kind of a polarized world that we had created. It just was going so fast. This is like, `Hey guys, you need to slow down. ___ AP editor Gary Fields reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. AP photographer Matt Rourke contributed to this story. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Derry Girls stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Louisa Harland have reprised their roles from the hit show for a spoof message from a bunker in 1996. The video sees cousins Erin Quinn, played by Saoirse-Monica, and Orla McCool, played by Louisa, having taken shelter in an airing cupboard to escape the riots on the streets of Derry, amid peace negotiations breaking down in Northern Ireland. The pair have set up a camcorder to document their lockdown experience for the benefit of future historians. "Weve been ordered to stay in our homes by the authorities, Erin says. You mean our mammies? Orla responds. Erin continues: Weve taken the brave decision to record our experiences for future historians. However, all Orla can think about is Coco Pops and missing her toes, leading to an argument that sees her decide to take up residence in her mammys wardrobe instead. Saoirse-Monica and Louisa recorded the sketch while in lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the video appearing on Channel 4s Twitter account alongside the hashtag #StayAtHome. The pair, who are close friends away from the sitcom, were able to film the skit without breaching government guidance on isolating and social distancing as they live together. Lisa McGee's nostalgic series, which depicts the lives of a group of teenagers growing up in the Maiden City in the 1990s amid the Troubles, became Channel 4's highest-rated comedy for over a decade and the most-watched show in Northern Ireland on record. The show has also been reaching a new global audience since its debut on Netflix. It was confirmed last year that a third series had been commissioned, and is set to air in 2020. Food, Wine, & Dining, Community, Charity & Cause By Ls Cohen Published: April 01 2020 Karvers Grille delivers trays of food to local hospitals and assisted living homes. John Kouminas, owner of Karvers Grille in Holbrook, knew that he had to lend a helping hand during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With frontline medical staff working in strenuous and dangerous conditions Kouminas decided that it was important that people stick together and lend a helping hand wherever they could. A statement sent to LongIsland.com by the restaurant about their charity work described the work that the staff at Karvers Grille has been doing to donate food to local medical facilities to keep their workers fed as they take the frontline through all of this. John Kouminas, owner of Karvers Grille. Photo: Courtesy of Karvers Grille. Kouminas has delivered food to The Arbors Assisted Living in Westbury, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, and Sunrise Living in Holbrook so their employees can enjoy a hot meal during their shifts. All of these drop offs have been donated by Karvers out of the kindness of their heart to give back to the community thats loved and supported them over the past six years, the statement said. Since the start of the stay at home order issued by New York State, the restaurant has offered a menu of special family meal deals for takeout and delivery for customers. Kouminas said that anyone who needs help during this time can reach out to Karvers so they can help in any way possible. Location: 480 Patchogue-Holbrook Road, Holbrook, (631) 868-7300. With nearly quarter of 39 deaths from COVID-19 in India being linked to a congregation of Islamic preachers at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, the organisers of the Tablighi Jamaat have come under scanner of the authorities for the alleged violation of various guidelines. What is Tablighi Jamaat? Set up nearly 100 years ago by Deobandi Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalawi as a religious reform movement, the Tablighi Jamaat translates into an outreach society or a society to spread faith. A completely non-political movement, the Jamaat aims at propagating basic tenets of Islam espoused by Prophet Mohammed - Kalimah (declaration of faith), Salat (five times prayers), Ilm-o-Zikr (knowledge), Ikraam-e-Muslim (Respect of Muslim), Ikhlas-e-Niyyat (Sincerity of intention) and Tafrigh-i-Waqt (sparing time). Considered as an influential spiritual movement in the world, the Jamaat is now understood to have been plagued with factionalism emanating from centres in Pakistan and Bangladesh. How does it function? Estimated to have 150 to 250 million members primarily in South Asia, the Jamaat members only work among Muslims teaching them ways of life practiced by Prophet Mohammed. At the congregation, various small groups of preachers are constituted with a senior among them as their leaders. These groups visit designated destinations through mosques to spread Islamic practices among Muslims. COVID-19 and Tablighi Jamaat The congregation of preachers took place in early March in Banglawali Masjid in Nizamuddin area where Markaz (headquarters) of the Jamaat is located. It is believed that over 800 foreign nationals from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan had attended the event. According to the government, over 2,000 foreigners from 70 countries arrived in India since January 1 to participate in Jamaat activities with over 1,000 got stuck at Nizamuddin due to the lockdown. Many of them had six-month tourist visa. Alarm bells started ringing with the death of an Indonesian citizen who had participated in the congregation and was travelling in Telangana. He was found COVID-19 positive on March 18. The Home Ministry alerted all state governments about preachers of Jamaat on March 21. The Jamaat claims that about 2,500 members were at Nizamuddin Markaz. After sudden announcement of 'Janta Curfew' on March 22 followed by a similar action by the Delhi Government and ultimately a 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister, a large number of the Jamaat members got stuck at the Markaz while about 1,500 had left. So far 10 participants of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation including a Filipino national have succumbed to coronavirus while 285 people staying at the Markaz were admitted to hospitals for suspected coronavirus cases. PTI ABS SKL We bring the World to you" Disclaimer : This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential or legally privileged information for the sole use of the person or entity to whom this message was originally addressed. Please delete this e-mail, if it is not meant for you. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The residents of Ohio are getting screwed. They have not been informed that voting day has been moved up from June 2 to April 28. No notice from the county to anyone and nothing in the media. The primary election in Ohio was set for March 10, 2020. Then someone in Columbus, without explanation, changed the date to March 17, St. Patrick's Day. The cynical among us believe that the hope was that fewer voters would turn out that day, with the Cleveland parade and all, which of course was canceled for the first time in 178 years. Except that lifelong politician and governor Mike DeWine canceled elections at 3:30 A.M. on the 17th itself. He had gone to court earlier that day to try to stop the primary. DeWine said he would go along with the judge's decision. The judge said "no," and all of a sudden, the judge's decision was unimportant. It took DeWine's cronies until 3:30 A.M. to get four Ohio Supreme Court judges to agree by phone to call off voting. (Was that even legal?) DeWine set the new date as June 2. Then on March 25, the General Assembly passed H.B. 197, resetting the date to April 28, 2020. If you have not voted early, residents are no longer allowed to go to the Geauga Board of Elections (BOE), where I live, but instead have to follow a complicated procedure, which I learned about by accident. The county has not informed the voters; the media have never mentioned it. You can vote only by mail now. But before you can vote, you first have to get an application (mailed or faxed to you) to apply for a ballot. You then fill out that application, and it must be mailed to the BOE. Then they will mail you a ballot. After you fill out your ballot, it then must be mailed back to the BOE. And all this has to be done in less than a month. What could possibly go wrong? And where are all the votes that were already cast being securely kept? STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 33-year-old firefighter has died of complications related to coronavirus (COVID-19) in Passaic, New Jersey, leaving behind a wife and two children. Israel Tolentino joined the Passaic Fire Department less than a year prior to his death, according to the fire chief, who said its being considered a line of duty death, according to an NJ.com report. The chief of the department, Patrick Trentacost, fought back tears as he announced Tolentinos death, according to NJ.com. By all accounts an incredible guy," said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. "And somebody who we mourn with his family friends. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** In New York City, the number of FDNY members infected with coronavirus reportedly jumped to 282, as nearly 16.5 percent of FDNY members were out sick on Tuesday. The NYPD said Tuesday that 1,048 uniformed members and 145 civilian members of the department have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) which accounts for 15.6% of its workforce. The latest number of positive tests showed an increase of 263 total members of the NYPD from a day prior, when 930 total individuals within the department tested positive RELATED COVERAGE: Photos: Bare shelves inside Staten Island stores during coronavirus outbreak Coronavirus court scale-down: No new jury trials starting Monday; other appearances to be limited How fast is coronavirus growing in New York? Chart shows dramatic rise in cases Coronavirus on Staten Island: Non-essential court proceedings postponed Coronavirus: Executive order will postpone all elective surgeries We are holding a conference call for DealBook readers tomorrow, April 2, at 11 a.m. Eastern. We will go behind the scenes of the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus and what policy actions may come next. Our special guest will be Maggie Haberman, one of the NYTs top White House correspondents. Youll be able to ask Maggie about her reporting during the call, or submit questions in advance to dealbook@nytimes.com. For details about how to join, visit the R.S.V.P. page. This is the first in a weekly series of calls were calling the DealBook Debrief, featuring a wide range of experts in conversation with the DealBook team about the business and policy implications of the pandemic. (Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here.) Its going to be bad For most stock markets around the world, the first quarter was one of the worst in history. The start of the second isnt looking any better, with Asian and European markets opening lower and U.S. futures implying that they will follow suit. The outlook for corporate earnings is bleak, with the average analyst forecast calling for a 10 percent year-over-year decline for S&P 500 companies in the second quarter, according to FactSet. This would be the first double-digit percentage fall in earnings since 2009. At the start of the year, analysts thought earnings would grow 6 percent this quarter. Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was doing her bit for the community as she delivered free food to NHS staff at Guys and Thomas Hospital in London on Wednesday. The Celebrity Big Brother star, 40, was pictured unloading dozens of boxes from her Range Rover and dropping them off at the hospital. Aisleyne has even offered to go one step further by inviting NHS staff to come and live with her at home amid the current COVID-19 crisis. Generous: Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was doing her bit for the community as she delivered free food to NHS staff at Guys and Thomas Hospital in London on Wednesday Aisleyne alongside Joey Essex delivered the food from Essex restaurant and celebrity hotspot Sheesh. The television personality ensured she wore a protective mask and latex gloves as she unloaded the boxes from her car. She described it as 'knackering' but for a good cause - calling the eatery 'amazing' for providing the free food. There they go: The Celebrity Big Brother star, 40, was pictured unloading dozens of boxes from her car and dropping them off at the hospital Turkish treats: Aisleyne alongside Joey Essex delivered the food from Essex restaurant and celebrity hotspot Sheesh Safety precautions: The television personality ensured she wore a protective mask and latex gloves as she unloaded the boxes from her car Working together: Aisleynne was joined by Sheesh owner Lady Roc The reality star said nurses who are isolating from their families while they work on the front line at nearby hospitals are welcome to live at her King's Cross apartment. And nurses from University College Hospital in Euston have taken her up on her offer. Speaking to The Sun, Aisleyne said: 'I have to do something to help. I can't thank all NHS doctors, nurses and staff in general enough for what they're doing. Kind: The reality star has said nurses who are isolating from their families while they work on the front line at nearby hospitals are welcome to live at her King's Cross apartment 'They're putting themselves at high risk daily!' Having made money off the back of her 2006 appearance on Channel 4's Big Brother, Aisleyne has since built up a property business and so has a base for the nurses in need. 'I'm so happy I'm able to give people a place to stay during this horrendous time,' she added. Helping hand: Aisleyne shared a snap of herself loading up the car with food It's reported that around 85 percent of the 1.2 million NHS workers in England are self-isolating from their families at home. This may be because they have tested positive for the virus, their family members have or they just don't want to cross-contaminate given their daily working environment around those with COVID-19. This follows an equally kind gesture from actress Helen Mirren who asked her fans to donate to the Supporting Intensive Care scheme amid the current health crisis - in return for a photo of her first thing in the morning. Aisleyne said: 'I have to do something to help. I can't thank all NHS doctors, nurses and staff in general enough for what they're doing' The veteran actress, 74, snapped the image on Tuesday morning as she sat up n her bed, silver mane in disarray, no make-up on, glasses at the end of her nose. Still looking typically fantastic, Helen vied to make a deal with her 812k followers. She captioned the snap: 'In return for this pic of me literally first thing in the morning, please donate to the intensive care support, thanks so much!' At the time of writing, the fund has reached 52,000 already since just Friday. Helen is one of a string of celebrities who have pledged to help raise funds for charities and the NHS amid the current pandemic including Lizzie Cundy, James McAvoy, Victoria Beckham and Joe Wicks. European States Send Medical Goods to Iran in First INSTEX Transaction Sputnik News 08:26 GMT 31.03.2020(updated 09:05 GMT 31.03.2020) The INSTEX trading mechanism was previously created by European countries to bypass unilateral restrictions, imposed against the Islamic Republic by Washington, as the US threatened to hit those trading with Tehran via secondary sanctions. Iran, however, has repeatedly criticised INSTEX for not functioning properly. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have officially confirmed concluding their first INSTEX transaction with Iran, exporting medical goods to the Middle Eastern country. According to the German Foreign Ministry, Berlin hopes to enhance the mechanism and carry out more transaction with Tehran. The news comes several months after Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands joined the mechanism, allowing the countries to circumvent US sanctions against Iran. The medical goods are being sent to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely affected Iran, making it the worst-hit Asian country outside China. According to official data, there are over 41,000 infected in the Islamic Republic, and the death toll currently stands at 2,757. At the same time, European countries are experiencing a similar situation; Germany has 67,000 infected and 650 fatalities, while France has confirmed over 44,500 cases and more than 3,000 deaths from the virus. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address GM Financial to Release First Quarter 2020 Operating Results GENERAL MOTORS FINANCIAL COMPANY, INC. ("GM Financial" or the "Company") will release its first quarter 2020 operating results on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Management will record remarks addressing the results. This recording, along with the presentation slides and press release, will be posted to the Company's website. Materials can be accessed via the Investor Relations section of the website at www.gmfinancial.com. Questions on the materials should be directed to GM Financial's Investor Relations Department. Future earnings dates The company's subsequent quarterly earnings announcement dates are: Q2 2020 - July 29, 2020 Q3 2020 - November 5, 2020 About GM Financial General Motors (News - Alert) Financial Company, Inc. is the wholly-owned captive finance subsidiary of General Motors Company and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit www.gmfinancial.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005707/en/ While practicing self-isolation, actor Preity Zinta on Wednesday took a trip down the memory lane and said "watching 'Soldier' after forever" as she shared a clip from the movie on social media. The 45-year-old actor took to Twitter to share a still from the romantic-action movie. Clad in a blue coloured outfit, the shared photograph had the 'Veer-Zaara; actor in her character along with the movie's co-star Bobby Deol. "Watching "Soldier" after forever with mom & hubby Cuz Tuesday night is Hindi movie night [?] and I cannot say no to mom and Gene Missya @iambobbydeol #Day21 #quarantine #stayhome #staysafe #ting," the 'Veer Zaara' actor wrote. Like many other Bollywood stars, Preity Zinta is making the best use of her social media platforms in raising awareness about the coronavirus. As misinformation that animals spread coronavirus is causing many pet owners to abandon their pets, the 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' actor also urged people not to abandon their pets. "Abandoning your pets is the most inhuman thing one can do right now, especially when it is confirmed that they are not carriers of the virus. Have a heart folks, stay safe, love your pets and pls follow social distancing," she wrote on her Instagram post. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1637 on Tuesday. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 38 while 133 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The spiraling drop in demand for oil because of the novel coronavirus - as airlines cancel flights, commuters work from home or lose their jobs, and ships ride at their moorings - has far outstripped this month's Saudi-Russian oil war as a factor in the price collapse, analysts now believe. And some are arguing that this opens the door to a major restructuring of the oil business, as wells shut down and marginal companies go under. With storage capacity fast filling up, oil firms will have to start imposing production cuts, and many probably will seek help from Washington. "This is a historic and unprecedented collapse," Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said in a tweet. "...The oil market is broken. There is simply nowhere physically to put all the oil when no one needs it. And prices will continue falling as we fill every nook, crevice and bathtub." The cost of a barrel went tumbling on March 7 when the Saudis announced they would be ramping up their production, and they were followed in turn by the Russians. Wednesday is the day those production increases are supposed to start, but by now, it's almost a sideshow. The two countries, joined by others, will be increasing their production by 2 million to 3 million barrels a day. However, global demand has dropped by 14 million barrels a day, and some forecasters believe that will drop by 26 million barrels in April. That would be a 25% decline in oil consumption. President Donald Trump, who at first welcomed lower oil prices as a means of boosting the economy, told Fox News on Monday, "I never thought I would be saying this: Maybe we have to have an oil [price] increase. Because we do. The price is so low now." He spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, and they discussed the price of oil as well as the covid-19 pandemic. "President Trump and President Putin agreed on the importance of stability in global energy markets," the White House said later. They agreed that oil policy discussions between the two countries would continue at the Cabinet level, the Kremlin said. The price for West Texas Intermediate briefly dipped to lower than $20 a barrel Monday, down nearly 67% from February. A big part of the shock is that this is all happening so fast. "The oil market supply chains are broken due to the unbelievably large losses in oil demand, forcing all available alternatives of supply chain adjustments to take place during April and May," wrote Bjornar Tonhaugen, the head of oil markets for Norway's Rystad Energy. That means less oil pumped and more oil stored, as long as storage capacity still exists, on land and on leased tankers at major oil terminals. "The worst is still ahead for oil prices," S&P Global Platts Analytics said. "This will be the worst demand contraction ever recorded." The company predicts a price of $12 a barrel for Brent crude in May, but "prices could easily dip into the single digits, whatever it takes to get significant supply off the market and quickly." "Not only is this the largest economic shock of our lifetimes," Goldman Sachs said in a note Monday, "but carbon-based industries like oil sit in the cross-hairs as they have historically served as the cornerstone of social interactions and globalization, the prevention of which are the main defense against the virus." The company said that the battering could provoke a sharp contraction in the number of producing wells and a consolidation of oil-field companies. Rigs in landlocked areas such as the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, the Permian Basin in Texas and Oklahoma, and the Canadian oil sands would be hit hardest, the company said, because they are a long way from saltwater ports and production costs are already higher than at offshore platforms. The Norwegian company Equinor, for instance, announced Monday that it would be stepping up production at a new North Sea field called Johan Sverdrup. The actual cost to pump a barrel of oil there, not counting the investment in drilling, is about $2, the company said - or about one-fifth the cost of a typical rig in North Dakota. The Goldman Sachs report does note that, given the expense of closing a well, some oil producers may continue to pump and sell their oil at a loss, if they can find anyone to take it. The $2 trillion stimulus bill enacted last week did not contain any special provisions for the oil industry because of Democrats' objections. But oil companies probably will continue to press for help from the government. "Small- to medium-size American energy companies and their employees should be provided the same relief being provided to other parts of our economy," Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement. Dan Doyle, who runs a Pennsylvania hydraulic fracturing company called Reliance Well Services, called on Trump to shield oil from market pressures and set a fixed price of, say, $62 a barrel, with commensurate tariffs on imports. "As a fellow free-market advocate, what I'm suggesting may sound treasonous," he wrote, addressing Trump in a post on Oilprice.com. "Collectively, though, we are in for a real stomping." A Houston firm, IHS Markit, predicts that the gap between production and demand will amount to 12.4 million barrels a day in the second quarter of this year, meaning all the world's storage spaces will be filled by the beginning of summer if production isn't cut. The company said it would take domestic crude oil production in Nigeria just two days to fill available storage sites there, as opposed to China, "which may have as much as 52 days of daily production storage available." Russia has space for about eight days' worth of production, it said, while Saudi Arabia has 18 days' worth, and the United States has storage for 30 days. "Production is going to have to be reduced or even shut in. It is now a matter of where and by how much," said Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of oil markets for the company. The pendulum may well swing too far, analysts said. When the demand for oil starts growing again, and surplus stocks have been depleted, there will be fewer wells because of the shutdowns, and that could easily lead to a squeeze and cause a sharp spike in prices. Two weeks ago, Igor Sechin, the head of Russia's Rosneft oil giant, told the RIA Novosti news agency that he expects low prices to drive shale producers - that is, American and Canadian companies, primarily - out of business, and following that, he said, oil should once more rise to about $60 a barrel. By Choe Chong-dae Ever since one of my colleagues presented me with tea and a tea bowl, the aroma of the delicious traditional beverage has been pervading my house, and a vision of a bright future comes to mind whenever I savor the unique flavor of the tea. It is assumed that tea arrived in Korea from the Yangtze River regions in China during the end of the Bronze Age. The ancient Korean natural environment induced a genetic change within the tea plants and thus created a variation that differed from southern China tea. Soon afterward, Koreans began to cultivate their own tea. With the introduction of Buddhism into Korea during the ancient Three Kingdoms period, tea ceremonies and culture became increasingly popular in the ancient Baekje, Shilla and Goguryeo, as well as Kaya kingdoms. Subsequently, the cultivation of tea has been widespread and wild tea leaves are still found in the surrounding areas of Mount Jiri. It is worthy of note that the "Ido Chawan" tea bowls, which became a national treasure in Japan, were actually produced during the 16th century in the Hadong region and other places in Korea. These most coveted and mysterious tea bowls in Japan, which Japanese connoisseurs called "sacred goods," were known as "maksabal" (a bowl for everything) coarse bowls used for rice and makgeolli (traditional Korean rice wine) amongst the Joseon Kingdom's humble commoners, who ignored the aesthetic value of the bowls. Thanks to an abundance of porcelain quality clays, since ancient times a variety of kilns have produced traditional pottery in Korean towns neighboring Hadong, such as Hamyang, Sangcheon, Jinju, Sooncheon and Sacheon. I have come to know the fact that these "Ido Chawan" or "maksabal" bowls were made with available iron-rich clay by anonymous potters mainly from the Hadong area. A substantial number of these "maksabal" bowls were transported to Japan in the 16th century from Korea. Subsequently, the "Ido Chawans" were reproduced in Japan by unknown Korean potters who were forcibly taken captive and sent to Japan during the Japanese invasion. Their descendants continued the craft. Sadly, these captives never returned to their homes in Korea. They were obliged to spend their days in sorrow at Kyushu pottery villages in Japan. Ironically, this is how Korean styles and techniques came to have a significant impact on Japanese pottery. It is safe to assume that the Japanese would not be able to boast a wide variety of tea sets and skillfully crafted ceramics without the skilled potters kidnapped from Korea. It was Koreans who enabled the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and pottery traditions. Exploring the kilns on my recent trip to the Hadong region, while looking at shards of pottery resembling a burnt tree, I was inspired and felt close to the old days of traditional glory. It all reminded me of the many anonymous potters who had labored there. May the artisan spirit of the numerous, greatly creative Korean potters pave the way for an improvement of cultural ties between Korea and Japan, setting aside pending historical issues and the current high level of tensions between the two countries. Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International, and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. Samsungs display business has decided to end all production of its LCD display panels by the end of the year, reports Reuters. This follows an announcement in October 2019 that the company was shutting down two LCD production lines due to decreasing demand and excessive supply. Samsung confirmed it will not suffer any issues in supplying LCD displays that have already been ordered. We will supply ordered LCDs to our customers by the end of this year without any issues, said Samsung. It is unclear at this point whether Samsung will purchase LCD panels from other suppliers for certain products following 2020, or if it will stop shipping products that use this technology altogether. Moving to new technologies In the same announcement, Samsung confirmed that it would invest about $11 billion into quantum dot technology. It explained that it would implement a five-year plan to transition its LCD production resources into quantum dot production lines. Technologies such as QLED and OLED have risen drastically in popularity in recent years as they offer better image quality than standard LCD displays. Following in LGs footsteps Samsungs announcement follows a similar decision by LG earlier this year where it said it would stop domestic production of all LCD TV panels by the end of 2020. We will be wrapping up our LCD TV production in South Korea by end of this year and focusing on our LCD TV production in China, said LG CEO Jeong Ho-young . The companys LCD TV businesses had accounted for 32% of the companys revenue over the July to September quarter down from 41% from the quarter prior. LG added that it was planning to prioritise OLED technology, and expected the technology to account for half of its revenue by 2021. However, the company does not plan on transitioning its LCD production lines to making OLED panels. Now read: DStv Now and Showmax mobile resolutions lowered A recovered COVID-19 patient, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, has shared how she successfully beat the virus and tested positive twice following treatment at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. In a series of tweets on her handle, she shared her survival story, revealing how the nurses and doctors at the frontline deserve all the praises and accolades. Today, I am proud to inform you that I murdered COVID-19 and have tested negative twice. I have been discharged. The nurses at IDH (Infectious Disease Hospital) Yaba were fab. They deserve accolades for their hard work. Thank you Governor @babajidesanwoolu for coming to see me. Governor Sanwo-Olu who was moved by Osowobis testimony retweeted her post and congratulated her. The governor also appreciated the feedback. We say Oluwa seun o to our creator and thanks to our hardworking health workers. We will continue to provide more resources and increase capacity, Sanwo-Olu tweeted. Osowobi in her tweets thanked the health team at the Mainland hospital and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi. The food was good, she said as she shared pictures of food served her during her time at the hospital. She also appreciated her friends and family for their support, advising young Nigerians to give their lungs a chance and live a healthy life. To every young person out there, please give your lungs a chance to beat this. Can I encourage you to stop smoking and live a healthy life at this time? A healthy lung is key, This is another phase of my life and I have won! I celebrate my resilience and strength. Call me SURVIVAYO. Osowobi is the Executive Director of a youth-led movement advancing gender equality, Stand To End Rape. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The St. Francois County Health Center reported on Wednesday night that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in county residents has risen to 11. There were five confirmed cases on Monday. We expect bigger jumps down the road, Health Center Director Elliott said. Its going to go up from here. We certainly have not peaked in Missouri, so we are going to continue to see more cases. Heres what we know about the 11 cases, according to the health centers reports: Nine of the confirmed cases are women; two are men. This includes, one person under 20, one in their 20s, two in their 30s, three in their 40s, two in their 50s, and two in their 70s. Four cases remain under investigation. Three cases have had no known contact with someone who is positive for the virus. We do think there are cases that are going undetected, Elliott said. Usually the product of that, when they are cases that are undetected, we end up with cases we dont know where the source came from, which points to community spread. So we are concerned about that at this time. The health department is continuing their epidemiological investigations into all the cases. Four are contacts to other confirmed cases. Three of the women are healthcare workers who work outside of St. Francois County. And one woman was in close contact with two out-of-state people at a March 14 wedding in Bonne Terre who later tested positive for the virus. Four people have required hospitalization at some point during their illness. And zero have fully recovered, which is defined as at least seven days past the onset of symptoms and recovered from the illness for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. When asked where they go from here, Elliott said part of the next step is the countywide stay-at-home order that will go into effect on Friday. This requires people to stay at home except for essential needs or where exempted in the order. According to Elliott, the intent of the order is to ensure the maximum number of people self-isolate in their places of residence to the maximum extent feasible to slow the spread of the virus, to preserve healthcare resources, and to protect the most vulnerable. We need the community to work together, Elliott said. We all play a part in this. This cannot be on any one agency or anyone person. Its on everyone. The other part of the next step, Elliott said, is a statewide order, which the health center is in favor of. In the absence of that, it has to be done county by county. Most of the professional medical organizations in the state have advocated for a statewide order, Elliott said. But that has not come into fruition at this time A statewide order would be helpful for us to all be moving and speaking with the same voice. Elliott said she does understand the economic concerns behind a statewide order. Most people get their health insurance through their employer, she said, so people do need to be able to go to work. An economic crises is a healthcare crises and inversely the same, Elliott said. There is a line and a balance here between public health and the business side of things. Its not an easy decision, believe me. I dont envy the governors position. Its a hard place to be. Ste. Genevieve County now has six confirmed cases, according to an update on the health department's Facebook page early Wednesday afternoon. "These test results were expected as they are close family members to the original two positive cases," the health department posted. "All have been quarantined since the first two cases were identified. All contacts have been notified by the health department." Neighboring Jefferson County has 39 cases as of Tuesday, according to its health department; Perry County has 18. Nikki Overfelt is a reporter for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at noverfelt@dailyjournalonline.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Data released Wednesday by the State Health Department was current as of noon Tuesday, officials said. Porter County health officials are releasing more up-to-date data each morning than numbers reported by the state. Lake County health officials have opted not to release data separately from the state, in part to avoid confusion about any discrepancies. Lake now has the second-highest number of cases with 180, though Hamilton County north of Indianapolis had 179 positive cases. Marion County has now surpassed 1,000 cases. The 1,117 cases reported Wednesday represented an increase of 15% from Tuesday's 964 cases. An additional 409 Hoosiers were diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing by the State Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private laboratories, officials said. That brought the total number of positive cases in Indiana to 2,565. A total of 14,375 Hoosiers have been tested for coronavirus, up from 13,373 on Tuesday, officials said. Local, state and federal officials warned this week that the number of cases is expected to continue to increase in the coming days and weeks. Turkey's mining industry aims to reach $5 billion in exports this year via digital marketing and other technical tools, according to Aydn Dincer, head of the Istanbul Mineral Exporters' Association (IMIB), Daily Sabah reports. The Turkish mining industry, with its strong, technologically based infrastructure, has the capacity to respond quickly on the production side to rising demand when the coronavirus pandemic is under control, Dincer told Anadolu Agency (AA) Wednesday. "We had a good start to 2020 with Turkey's 5% growth target, a promising new mining law, and some progress in the world economy, so our exports in January rose 8.6% compared to the same period of the previous year, hitting $330 million," he added. The industrys exports amounted to some $282.65 million, bringing the exports in the first two months up to nearly $612.53 million, according to the association, compared to around $598.1 in the same period of 2019. Dincer said the mining industry felt the impact of the coronavirus in February along with Chinese markets' flirting with a shrinkage, as China is the Turkish mining industry's biggest market, with a 31% export share. "Our exports to China reached $1.34 billion in 2019, including $695 million in natural stones. The fall in natural stone exports to China in March was 68.29% compared to the same period of the previous year," he explained. Dincer said they have been working closely with Turkish ministries and institutions right from the start to cushion the impact of the drop in exports. "The government announced in the March 25 Official Gazette that it prolonged the time for support payments for employers in the mining sector, and this is important for calculating costs for 2021," he said. "We appreciate contributions keeping the sector afloat because the mining industry supports the country's economy with $4.3 billion in exports and makes a huge contribution to the domestic market by providing raw materials," he added. Because of the coronavirus epidemic in France, protocols for prenatal care and childbirth have been changing daily. The uncertainty is weighing on future mothers, who wonder if they will have to give birth alone, without their partners by their side. I recently had the shortest doctors appointment of my life. On Monday I went for a sonogram, my third, and last, before Im due to give birth in May. The doctor had taken some extreme measures so that we would spend the least amount of time together as possible, to avoid any potential coronavirus transmission, even though we are both healthy (so far). I arrived in front of the doctors building, alone, as per the instructions sent to me by the online platform managing the appointments. I waited outside until the doctor called my mobile phone. The waiting room is small, and he wanted to make sure only one patient was inside at a time. Once upstairs, I left my coat and bag on a chair outside the examination room. The doctor, wearing a disposable, white medical gown, his face wrapped in a surgical mask, asked me to lie down. Normally chatty, he warned he would not talk to me until after he was done with the scan. He had me stand on the other side of the room as he wrote his report, and I then walked down the stairs, the resultseverything normalin my hand. The whole thing took ten minutes. I went home to show the images to my partner. Normally we would have gone together to this appointment to see our future child. Instead, the experience was isolating, antiseptic and transmitted through layers of medical gauze. Safety protocols The doctor said he had come up with the protocols for his office on his own, based on the distancing and hygiene measures encouraged for everyone, especially for those in the medical profession, during the coronavirus epidemic. He told me that he has thought about closing up his office and leaving Paris to spend the confinement by the beach, away from any risk of infection. Story continues But he is still working, as are doctors, midwives and nurses who continue to provide prenatal care for people getting ready to have babies in the days, weeks or months to come. The French public health system covers prenatal care, including three sonograms, seven monthly prenatal examinations with a doctor or a midwife, a consultation with an anesthesiologist during the eighth month, and eight birth preparation classes. Some of these consultations, for low-risk pregnancies, can be done via video conferencing, which is increasingly being used for medical appointments during the coronavirus crisis. But some, like sonograms, are not possible to do remotely, and some tests are time sensitive, and cannot be postponed to when the health crisis is lessened. Fears of giving birth alone Hygiene measures put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus have added layers to an already medicalsed process in France. The vast majority of women give birth in hospitals (fewer than two per cent at home), and France has one of the highest rates of epidurals during childbirth in Europe, with 77 per cent of women giving birth vaginally receiving one in 2010, according to the national institute of health and medical research. Added to this now are hygiene and distancing measures. Hospitals around the country, notably in the east and in the Paris region, are struggling to keep up with patients flowing into emergency rooms with respiratory and other problems linked to their infection with the Covid-19 virus. Medical staff in maternity wards are trying to reduce their own exposure, but it is difficult to know who has the virus because of its long incubation period. Mothers who are infected are isolated and are for the most part giving birth via Cesarean sections, partly to avoid the spread of the virus, but also because the disease affects the lungs, making a vaginal delivery difficult for someone with trouble breathing. But even those without symptoms are subject to extreme distancing measures when they give birth. Some hospitals have banned fathers and partners all together, a move that has worried a lot of new mothers. The French health ministry on Tuesday weighed in on the question of whether fathers should be allowed to be present during labour, and it follows the recommendations published by the French national college of gynecologists and obstetricians, which itself took inspiration from procedures put in place in hospitals in Alsace, the region in France most hit by the coronavirus epidemic. The ministry recognises that giving birth in "serene conditions benefits the well-being of the mother during the post-partum period", and supports the presence of a partner, "under certain conditions". The guidelines state that the father can be present during "active labour", and stay until two hours after the birth, after which time they must leave the hospital, leaving new mothers to recover in maternity wards alone, with no visitors. The college also recommends women be discharged as soon as possible. New mothers and their babies usually spend two or three days in hospital after birth. Today they are being sent home within 24 hours, if everything is going well. Anesthesiologists, who have been called to care for Covid patients on respirators, have said they will continue to try to provide epidurals for women in childbirth. One option to avoid the isolation of a hospital maternity ward appears to be a home birth, but that is being discouraged by the medical profession. Two gynecological organisations have warned against planning for home births during the epidemic because emergency services are already stretched thin, in case of problems. Emotions running high The ministry's weighing in could help to quell some of the fears brought about by uncertainty, which adds to what can already be a fraught emotional process. Expectant and new mothers are finding support in online forums, expressing fear and frustration. I cannot accept the idea of giving birth alone, and I cant stand people who tell me its normal, and that its for everyones security, writes one woman in a Facebook group. Another writes: This health crisis we are living through is profoundly dehumanising. One blogger wrote that though the government is treating this epidemic as a war, even during wartime women are not asked to give birth on the front. For now I am keeping my own emotions and fears in check, as I am not due to give birth until the end of May, and a lot can change between now and then, for the better or for worse. For those getting ready to give birth today, tomorrow and in the weeks to come, there remains uncertainty, combined with moments of joy, as the so-called coronavirus generation emerges, one birth at a time. NEW YORKIf you live in the United States and really want to be prepared for coronavirus, experts say you need a fully executed power of attorney, which designates a trusted person to take over your finances should you become incapacitated. This is not something most people want to consider right nowor ever, for that matter. It always felt expensive, and its not fun to think about your mortality, said Heidi Schoeneck, a 47-year-old divorced mom from Connecticut, who recently completed a will online and plans to heed the warning to get the rest of her paperwork done. A financial power of attorney is the most useful document because of the possibility that you could be put out of commission for weeks if you fall ill and are unable to take care of your financial affairs. It is followed closely by health care directives, which express your wishes about medical care and who gets to make decisions for you, and a will, which distributes your assets after you die. Estate lawyers have seen plenty of worst-case scenarios in normal times, when a person suddenly falls ill and their loved ones are left to scramble. Youd have to have the person declared incompetent, and that requires a judge. In the short-run, theres nothing you could do, said Michael Walsh, CEO of Cariloop, a service that helps families coordinate caregiving. However, it is not enough just to prepare documents using online forms, if you do not properly execute them. While many Americans are under stay-at-home orders, there are ways to execute all of these legal documents remotely, at least in states now authorizing electronic notarizations. Howard Krooks, past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, said new clients have been calling his Florida office during the last two weeks requesting help. Some lawyers are doing document signings in parking lots and in driveways, to maintain proper distance. The biggest challenge is trying to reach clients in senior facilities that are not allowing visitors, he said. Extreme times call for extreme measures, Krooks said. To find a lawyer, search online for a certified elder law attorney or someone with accreditation from the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Krooks said. A full set of documents, with a will, power of attorney and advanced directives could run from $1,500 to $3,000. A single power of attorney should cost less. You can also find free online help from services like FreeWill. Keep in mind that these are very generic forms and may not suit your specific needs, especially for complicated estates and guardianship issues. FreeWills system will alert you if your circumstances exceed the capabilities of their documents, the company said. For a simple power of attorney form, FreeWill co-founder Jenny Xia Spradling said it should take about 20 minutes. Depending on the rules of your state, you can execute the document with electronic notarization, or if you need two witnesses, you can ask neighbors with proper precautions. More than 8,000 wills were completed online via FreeWill in the last month, with an increase of about 5 percent to 10 percent per week, the company said. The average user age is 57. Scared Straight Krooks would like to see more younger people take estate planning seriously. In his family, as soon as anyone turns 18, he drags them to a notary and sets them up with power of attorney documents and health care directives. Most married people hold assets jointly, but single people need to be able to designate someone legally to help them. Ive been preaching this my entire career, Krooks said. With the virus, its a lot easier to advocate. Schoeneck, a business consultant, heard that message, but she said she was less motivated by fear than by love. For me it was generous thing to do for my kid, she said. By Beth Pinsker The White House coronavirus task force briefings have become a seven-day-a-week affair, often lasting hours with multiple officials, including President Donald Trump, speaking. We've pulled out the biggest takeaways from Tuesday's briefing. - - - They're expecting a lot of deaths in a short amount of time The White House re-shared data publicly on Tuesday that President Trump had used privately in recent days about how many Americans they expect to die of the coronavirus. And it's harrowing: They estimate 100,000 to 240,000 deaths over the next few months. And that's the best-case scenario, if Americans stay in their homes and avoid interactions as much as possible. "They're very sobering, when you see 100,000 people - and that's a minimum number," Trump said. Earlier, he warned ominously: "This could be a hell of a bad two weeks and maybe even three weeks. This is going to be three weeks like we haven't seen before." Fox News's John Roberts put that in perspective: So far, nearly 4,000 Americans have died. That means 90,000 people could die of the virus over the next few months or maybe even weeks. At least. Deborah Birx, the head of the White House coronavirus task force, said she expects the fatalities in the United States to be concentrated among the elderly, as they are in Italy. Italy's government has said the coronavirus is wiping out a generation. The data the White House is sharing indicate the U.S.'s older population could be hard hit as well. - - - Social distancing is the only way to keep that number from being even higher "There is no magic bullet," Birx emphasized. "There's no magic vaccine. It's behaviors." To that effect, on Sunday, after wavering, Trump extended social distancing guidelines (no groups bigger than 10; stay home if you can) through April 30. And they are not ruling out extending this into the summer, given other models show that stringent stay-at-home efforts are the only way to take the curve down. "We hope it's enough," Trump said. But the U.S. has begun social distancing late compared to other, similarly hard-hit countries like Italy, which locked the whole nation down before deaths skyrocketed. As of Monday, more than two-thirds of the American population is under stay-at-home orders in 30 states. But big states like Florida and Texas aren't part of that group, which could be especially concerning in Florida given the state's population leans older. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said Tuesday he would consider putting one in place if the White House told him to. On Tuesday, Trump declined that offer. "Unless we see something obviously wrong we will let the governors [make their own decisions]," Trump said. When asked by reporters if these deaths could have been prevented if America started its social distancing sooner, Trump talked about closing border to China on Jan. 31 - which has nothing to do with social distancing. As recently as last week, Trump was comparing coronavirus to the flu. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said "probably, yes" if people were spreading the virus back in January and February without knowing it. - - - Trump recommends people use scarves as masks in public The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering telling Americans to cover their faces in public (but to save actual masks for medical workers, some of whom are using bandannas for protection). On Tuesday, Trump was asked about this. He said, basically: Sure, why not? And he suggested people could pull scarves from their closet to do it. "My feeling is if people want to do it, there's certainly no harm to it," he said. Birx said this recommendation is "still under consideration." - - - Despite a shortage in hotspots, administration is holding back 10,000 ventilators Trump said they're keeping those in the national stockpile rather than shipping them out to states desperate for them for two reasons: 1. Some localities and states are requesting ventilators that he didn't think they needed. Trump in the past has obliquely accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, who has said his state needs 30,000 ventilators, of estimating a number that's too high. 2. They want to hold onto ventilators in case there's an unexpected flare up. Trump specifically mentioned Louisiana, which is a growing hot spot. This news is going to be very frustrating to governors who feel like they have had to beg and plead to get ventilators from the national stockpile, only to see some states get more than they asked for, while others get less, without any explanation. "It's like being on eBay with 50 other states bidding," Cuomo said Tuesday. "The problem is, with some people, whatever you give, it's never enough," Trump responded when a reporter read Cuomo's comments to him. - - - President Trump's friend in a coma He indicated as much several times: "And you also see where you have friends that go into the hospital and you say how, how is he doing it two days later and they say sir, he's unconscious or he's in a coma," he said. And later: "It's not the flu. It's vicious. When you send a friend to the hospital and you call up to find out how is he doing? It happened to me. Where goes to the hospital. He says goodbye. Sort of a tough guy. Little older, little heavier than he'd like to be, frankly. And you call up the next day. How's he doing? And he's in a coma. This is not the flu." - - - The Washington Post's William Wan contributed to this report. The amount of the settlement with Starbucks was not disclosed, but the chain said the men will be given the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degrees through a partnership with Arizona State University. For the past one week, Sukhbir Dagar, a farmer in southwest Delhis Dhansa village (Najafgarh area), has been trying to arrange labour and a machine to harvest mustard and wheat crops. But to no avail, as a large number of migrant labourers in the area have left for their hometowns after the 21-day national lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. We prefer to manually harvest the mustard crop, as there is a 15-20% loss of crop if harvested by a machine. But there is a shortage of labour, Dagar, who owns 10 acres of land in the village and has rented 80 acres for farming, said. Now, Im looking to hire a machine, as we have to harvest the mustard crop (spread over 30 acres) in the next 3-4 days. I also have to harvest wheat from the first week of April. But even the machines we usually get from Punjab are not available in adequate numbers due to the lockdown. This time just 2-3 machines are available till now due to the lockdown as against 10-12 which were available till last year, he added. Farmers in villages located in the Najafgarh area largely grow wheat, mustard and vegetables. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi 2019-20, the total cropped area in Delhi is 34,750 hectares. The production of wheat in the national capital in 2018-19 was 82,876 metric tonnes. Another major concern of the farmers is taking the crop to the mandis and getting the right price. There is no labour available. Small farmers dont have adequate space for storage and due to the lockdown, there is not much business in the mandi. I dont know how will we sell it, Pradeep Dagar, another farmer who owns four acres of land in Dhansa, said. Due to the fear of the spread of Covid-19, a majority of traders at Agriculture Produce Market Committee at Najafgarh have decided to close their businesses till March 31. Our families dont want us to go out. So, a majority of traders are not going to the mandi. We will take a call on whether to restart work in a day or two, Sushil Mittal, head of the traders association, said. But Naresh Sharma, chairman of APMC Najafgarh, said, The mandi is open. Though whoever wants to do business can come. There were problems in the initial days. Though the business is affected, we are hoping it will recover in the next few days. Now we are issuing passes to people. The area where food-grain crops are planted has decreased over some time, as more farmers are taking to vegetable farming. However, the shortage of labour has adversely affected all farmers, including those who grow vegetables. In Dichaon Kalan, a large number of farmers are involved in vegetable farming, mainly of cauliflower. But farmers say that taking their produce to the market has become a real challenge for them. Similar problems abound in Narela. Bhupinder Bazad, a farmer who owns 42 acres of land in Hiranki village in Narela, said that farming is a labour-intensive job and apart from harvesting, labour is needed to clean the produce, store it and take it to the food grain or vegetable markets. But the work is adversely affected due to shortage of labour. On 50% of the land, I grow vegetables. For this, we need labour. In the initial days of the lockdown, we were not even allowed to go to the farms. Even the temporary mandis in the village were not allowed to be held. The labour started leaving fearing job loss due to the lockdown. Im working with 50% of the labour staff, Bazad said. Iran's president Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday the US had lost an historic opportunity to apologise to Iranian people for listing its sanctions. "This was a human issue and no one would have reproached them for backing off, this was the best historic opportunity for the Americans to come back from the wrong path they have chosen," said Rouhani. Dealing with the largest number of coronavirus cases in the middle east, Iran had urged the U.S to lift its sanctions instead of offering aid. U.S president Donald Trump said the U.S was open for helping other countries, including Iran, to fight the epidemic. Rouhani also said western countries were running low on hospital beds, ventilators and food. "They have problems in their hospitals right now .... but they keep talking and lying and saying inappropriate things about Iran", he added. Iran's official death toll stands at 2,898, with a total of 44,606 confirmed cases. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death. Death At The Grass Huts: A Story of Gods Grace and Human Endeavor: an engrossing narrative that talks about the human endeavor in relying on Gods encompassing mercy and grace. Death At The Grass Huts: A Story of Gods Grace and Human Endeavor is the creation of published author Rudolf Duerksen, a person who spent his early years living the pioneer lifestyle in a Mennonite colony in the harsh climate of the Grand Chaco. Duerksen writes, Growing up in the vast Paraguayan wilderness of thorn trees, snakes, and unreached indigenous tribes that threaten his familys survival, Rudolf Duerksen takes the reader on a journey of the harsh realities faced by Mennonite settlers in South America. Told from the perspective of the first generation born to Russian Mennonite refugees that settled in the Gran Chaco in Paraguay, Death At The Grass Huts is a memoir about human endeavor and reliance on Gods grace in the face of adversity. There are stories about making the first contact with indigenous tribes to developing a thriving economy alongside themstories about misfortune and great personal sacrifice it took to turn Latin Americas green hell into a prosperous community, says Duerksen. Along the way, Duerksen finds himself cutting wheat fields in Kansas to delivering groceries on the narrow streets of old town Basel in Switzerlandfrom loading a plane in Texas headed to South America full of cows to starting a home for abandoned children on the gritty streets of Asuncion. In the end, these stories are all about revealing our shared humanity and whats possible when we follow Gods leading. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Rudolf Duerksens new book is an enthralling masterpiece that awakens the readers as the author takes them to a reality that the other side of the world is currently facingadversity. With this purpose, Duerksen urges the readers to rely on and have faith in God no matter what situation they are facing in life. View a synopsis of Death At The Grass Huts: A Story of Gods Grace and Human Endeavor on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Death At The Grass Huts: A Story of Gods Grace and Human Endeavor at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Death At The Grass Huts: A Story of Gods Grace and Human Endeavor, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe communist regimes ended the Cold War, but not conflict in Europe. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed the territory of Crimea. The armed invasion of Ukraine by Russias army, after months of covert aid to insurgent rebel forces, generated the most serious crisis in Europe since the Balkan wars of the 1990s and perhaps since World War II. Padma Shri recipient and former "Hazoori Raagi" at the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh, has tested positive for coronavirus, a health official said on Wednesday. The report of the samples of the 62-year-old "Gurbani" exponent came positive, Civil Surgeon Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said here. Singh, who recently returned from abroad, was admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital after he complained of breathlessness and dizziness on March 30, she said. Meanwhile, police sealed the area around Singh's residence to check the spread of the infection. According to officials, Singh had held a large ''sammelan'' (religious gathering) in Delhi and some other places after he returned from abroad. Singh, along with his family members and other relatives, had performed akirtan' at a house in Chandigarh on March 19. The civil surgeon said his two daughters, son, wife, a driver and six others who accompanied him have been isolated at a hospital here and their samples will be taken for testing. She further said the Chandigarh administration has been informed about the religious gathering organised by him at Sector 27 there. Singh has the knowledge of all 31 ''raags'' in the Gurbani of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here's what Roper told the BOG on Monday (and here's the audio so you can hear it for yourself starting at roughly the 1:24.00 mark): "In keeping with the students moving off of the campus we are well along in the process as you had asked us to do of coming up with a plan for refunds for housing and dining payments that have been made. We had hoped to have that done by late last week. It has gotten to be more complicated in that the very large $2.2 trillion federal CARES stimulus package has money in it for students and universities. We're trying to be careful in how we sort this out so as to get the maximum advantage for our students and their families. We should have that done very shortly ... "In general, it's a plan to give full prorata refunds for housing and dining that will vary across the university system because the amounts that have been paid vary across the system. They vary within a given university because different living arrangements cost different amounts for students. Hong Kong: Support measures coverage expands Support measures of the Anti-epidemic Fund will be extended to the construction industry, the Development Bureau announced today. Under the new arrangement, the support measures will cover construction workers with valid registration in a specified period under the Construction Workers Registration Ordinance. The workers are those who are engaged in small-scale works outside construction sites, such as those involved in renovation, repair and maintenance as well as small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) consultants which are company members of professional institutions and associations. Each eligible worker will receive a subsidy of $1,000 and each eligible consultant will get $20,000. The bureau expects that the new arrangement will further benefit about 240,000 construction workers and 400 SME consultants to help cover their extra expenses in enhancing anti-epidemic equipment amid the outbreak. The bureau and the Construction Industry Council will announce the implementation details shortly. This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SPRINGFIELD With the coronaviurs causing unemployment claims to soar, city councilors have urged Gov. Charlie Baker to expand the states call center hours on Saturdays to help expedite the applications. We believe that this would help resolve the backlog of cases as well as expedite processing time for those who are in desperate need of immediate assistance, councilors said in a letter submitted to Baker and state labor officials. Due to coronavirus pandemic, unemployment claims are being processed online and by phone contact, using remote staff. Last week, the state Department of Unemployment Assistance handled approximately 150,000 new unemployment claims, a nearly 2000% increase over the previous week, spurred by the closing of non-critical businesses under the coronavirus and the state of emergency, officials said. Councilors led by Ward 8 Councilor Orlando Ramos, praised Baker and his administration for their response to COVID-19, but said they have received complaints from some constituents regarding issues related to their unemployment claims. Councilors said that while they are aware that the state has taken steps to deal with the spike in unemployment claims, including expanded staff, it has become evident to us that the system still seems to be overwhelmed. The proposed calls for call-in hours to be added on Saturdays throughout the month of April as one new measure to help with the backlog, they said. Councilors listed on the letter, which was emailed to the Governor, included Ramos, Council President Justin Hurst, and Councilors Adam Gomez, Tracye Whitfield, Jesse Lederman and Marcus Williams. The state Department of Unemployment Assistance said it has expanded its staffing and taken other measures to confront the spike in unemployment claims. The DUA is focused on supporting workers through these challenging times and continues to process new claims as quickly as possible, a DUA spokesman said . The Department continues to prioritize efforts to process claims through the online system and by phone, and has deployed over 300 new employees to work remotely to keep pace with increased volume. In addition, the department in recent days has made more than 15,000 call-backs to individuals, and has conducted unemployment town halls in both English and Spanish which have been attended by more than 60,000 people, the spokesman said. Those who wish to be contacted by the Department of Unemployment Assistance are advised to fill out a brief online form: https://www.mass.gov/forms/covid-19-department-of-unemployment-assistance-contact-request For the week ending March 21, Massachusetts had 147,995 initial claims for unemployment, according to the states Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, councilors said. That compared to 7,408 claims the prior week a 1898% increase, councilors said. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. LYB announced that it will slow construction of its world-scale propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) facility. Considering the current concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, the company is limiting non-essential activities. Per the company, the PO/TBA site is under construction and it will be prudent to limit construction activities. It is committed to the completion of this strategic investment at low-cost and incorporating its next generation PO/TBA technology. The PO/TBA project is more than 30% complete with ongoing installation of key equipment and towers. It has a split-facility design that will optimize synergies between two existing LyondellBasell sites. LyondellBasell is building a 140-acre PO/TBA plant at its Channelview, TX facility and a related 34-acre ethers unit at its Bayport Complex in Pasadena, TX. Post completion, the PO/TBA facility will produce around 1 billion pounds (470,000 metric tons) of PO and 2.2 billion pounds (1 million metric tons) of TBA per year. Notably, LyondellBasell's decision to slow down construction is not expected to impact ongoing operations at Channelview or Bayport, which are categorized as part of the United States' critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security. Shares of the company have lost 43.2% in the past year compared with the industrys 52.1% decline. Zacks Rank & Key Picks LyondellBasell currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Newmont Corporation NEM, Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV and Novagold Resources Inc. NG, all currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Newmont has an expected earnings growth rate of 97% for 2020. The companys shares have gained 30.2% in the past year. Franco-Nevada has an expected earnings growth rate of 24.7% for 2020. Its shares have returned 31.3% in the past year. Novagold has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.1% for fiscal 2020. The companys shares have surged 89.7% in the past year. Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020? Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >> 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 Newmont Goldcorp Corporation (NEM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) : Free Stock Analysis Report LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novagold Resources Inc. (NG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A Georgia man suspected of kidnapping his 2-year-old son after killing the child's grandparents and aunt was in custody in Florida on Wednesday evening after a nearly six-hour standoff with law enforcement, authorities said. Image: Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr. (Bibb County Sheriff's Office) Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., 29, who is accused of having fatally shot three people in Georgia on Tuesday, barricaded himself in a car on an interstate ramp after leading police on a pursuit that began about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when Tampa officers who were looking for his car began following him. The pursuit reached speeds of 120 mph, officials said, and Crockett released the child just before 2 p.m. but remained in a standoff with state troopers and police. The child was taken to a hospital and is doing fine, the police chief said. Crockett surrendered at 7:40 p.m. A gun was alleged to have been found inside his car. "They just kept talking to him," Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said of police negotiators. "I don't know if he just got tired or what, but eventually he surrendered and we were able to take him into custody with no problems whatsoever." Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics The Bibb County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office said that around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, deputies arrived at a home in Macon, 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, where they found three people shot to death. Jamila French, the mother of Crockett's child, was injured in the incident, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported. Her mother, stepfather and sister were killed, the sheriff's office said. Crockett then fled with his 2-year-old son, police said. Image: Florida Highway patrol (Florida Highway Patrol) An unmarked Tampa police car had been trailing Crockett when he exited a freeway after passing a highway sign about an Amber alert for the boy, Dugan said. "The suspect at some point realized it was a Tampa police officer behind him and tried to flee the scene," which sparked a pursuit that "lasted for quite some time," Dugan said. It ended when Crockett crashed on an exit ramp to Interstate 75, police said. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said Crockett will be extradited to Georgia on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. Deputies and the child's mother were on the way to Florida to pick up the toddler Wednesday night. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Six more Uzbek citizens have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 173, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health. The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband and grandson also tested coronavirus-positive. 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 42,000. Over 859,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 178,000 people have reportedly recovered. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini (Photo : Image by Anastasia Gepp from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Anastasia Gepp from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Paula Caligiuri, Northeastern University and Helen De Cieri, Monash University The coronavirus pandemic has forced tens of millions of employees across the U.S. to work from home. While this will save lives by limiting the transmission of COVID-19, it also poses significant challenges for employees' well-being. How can companies support the health of their employees - many of whom have never before worked from home for a significant amount of time? As researchers in the area of human resource management, we have studied companies' ability to adopt and encourage practices to improve employees' well-being. Here are four research-backed ways we believe companies can promote employees' health and well-being during this crisis. 1. Provide more flexibility Before the pandemic, only about 5% of the U.S. workforce worked from home on a regular basis. But working from home affects every employee differently depending on their responsibilities and living situations. For example, with widespread school and childcare closures, workers with younger children need to balance keeping them occupied while trying to keep up with work tasks. And the same goes for those with elder-care responsibilities. That's why employer flexibility to match specific employee needs is crucial. A good step is for companies to require managers to have open conversations with their employees about how and when work can be accomplished - without intruding on employees' privacy - and offer a wider range of options for flexibility, such as more leeway when assignments need to be turned in or adjusting work hours per day to allow more time to care for children and others. It's also important for this order to come from the top because not all managers view flexibility positively. For workers in states where they can still head to the office, companies should also offer more flexibility, such as reduced hours, a compressed work week or even a leave of absence. And employees should not be passive. Let your managers know what kinds of flexibility you need to balance your work and home lives. 2. Encourage and host virtual social time For workers who have never worked from home, social isolation will be deeply felt. It's hard to replicate daily interactions with co-workers, casual encounters by the water cooler or after-work drinks. Research has found that having such reciprocal, supportive interactions with work colleagues is linked to worker well-being. But companies should not assume this will happen naturally, especially when people are feeling down. Employers should encourage their workers to find time to have virtual coffees, lunches or even happy hours with their colleagues. And managers could continue to mark birthdays or other milestones with video conference calls and other methods. Another idea is to sponsor group games - such as Quiz Breaker, Water Cooler Trivia or Wonder Polls - that employees can play together for some downtime. 3. Train for online collaboration It's easy to presume that employees will be effective working remotely as long as they have the right technological tools, such as video cameras and chatting software. But research has found it's not that simple, and conflicts can emerge as a result of the different ways people prefer to communicate and use technology. Some workers may prefer communicating over email, while others react most quickly to chat programs like Slack. For others, the best way to reach them is with an old-fashioned phone call. Some of our own work has found that remote work can exacerbate the problem, particularly in times of stress. To address this, companies can offer web-based sessions on the most effective ways to work online. During these sessions, leaders can establish ground rules for the use of collaborative technology and build awareness of individual and cultural differences in communication, including preferences for email, phone calls and conference calls. 4. Foster positive coping The pandemic is increasing people's fear and stress levels, which can have fatal consequences. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline has experienced an unprecedented jump in calls and even chatbot counseling apps have seen an uptick in recent weeks. Our research has shown that people use a wide variety of coping strategies when they are in a new and stressful situations. Some, such as increased alcohol consumption, are not very healthy. In normal times, companies can offer a variety of ways to support employee mental and physical health, from social activities to gym memberships. But with workers at home and the fitness centers closed, companies need to redirect their efforts to foster employee well-being. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps and websites that can act as temporary substitutions. Employers can help by directing their employees to the ones they've vetted - and offering to foot the bill. We've found that practicing mindfulness - focusing your attention to be fully present in the moment - can be especially beneficial to employees' mental health, even among highly stressed nurses and other health care workers. Companies can help - and some already are - by offering tutorials on mindfulness, webinars on resilience, reminding workers of their employee assistance programs or simply suggesting workers go for a walk. Consistent and clear communication about health risks, preventative measures and available resources is the best way for company leaders to keep their employees safe and foster well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. [You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read our newsletter.] Paula Caligiuri, Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy, Northeastern University and Helen De Cieri, Professor of Management, Monash University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Advertisement TagsAdvice, employee, COVID-19 Disaster (Getty Images) The federal government says Canadians effected by the coronavirus need to choose between The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. During an update on COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said you cant get both. He says businesses can apply for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy through the Canada Revenue Agencys (CRA) website. He repeated his call for businesses to top up wages not covered by the 75 per cent subsidy and threatened businesses that take undo advantage with stiff penalties. During a news conference Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy is launching in 3 to 6 weeks and funds will be available within 6 weeks after that. Businesses will need to show revenue fell 30 per cent in March, April, or May from the same time last year. Theyll also need to reapply each month. Get ready to rehire people, Morneau said. Businesses that do rehire now will be reimbursed through the program. He also says the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy will cost $71 billion and reduce the cost of CERB to $24 billion. Those receiving CERB or Employment Insurance (EI) need to show they are without work once a month. The Prime Minister also reiterated that if youre already getting EI, you dont need to apply for CERB. He says CERB is on track to be up and running for applications by April 6th, and you can apply through the government of Canadas website. By selecting direct deposit you should receive your payment within 3 to 5 days, said the Prime Minister. If you need assistance setting up direct deposit for CERB, you can call the CRA for help over the phone. If you opt for getting a cheque in the mail, the Prime Minister says youll get it within 10 days. The bottom line is that we're getting you the help you need, when you need it, said the Prime Minister. We have a plan to protect jobs to help those who've been laid off, and to support businesses that are having cashflow problems. And we're not done yet. Story continues During a news conference, President of the Treasury Board Jean-Yves Duclos said applications for CERB will be based on month of birth to avoid overburdening the system. People born on January, February, and March can apply on April 6. Those born April, May, and June apply on April 7. April the 8 is for those born in July, August, and September. April 9 is for those born in October, November and December. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough, also during the news conference, says people with reduced hours and reduced income arent the target for CERB and do not qualify. Income must have dropped to zero. If your hours are reduced were trying to figure out how that interplays with other provincial options, she said. 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 The police here have booked a member of Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz Committee a day after 14 people, including 11 Bangladeshi nationals, who had attended a religious congregation in Hazrat Nizamuddin area in Delhi, were admitted to the isolation ward of a hospital in the district. The Markaz Committee member, Kamaluddin Ansari, had not informed the police about the people living in the guest house in Bhadohi. According to District Magistrate Rajendra Prasad three Indians along with 11 Bangladeshi nationals, who were on tourist visa, came to Bhadohi on March 4 after attending the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi. No information was provided by them or by the organisers in this regard. The Bangladeshi nationals were openly flouting visa norms by roaming and propagating religion, he said. "A case has been registered against Kamaluddin Ansari, a member of Markaz Committee of the Tablighi Jamaat under various sections of the IPC, Foreigners Act and the Epidemic Act. The case was registered late on Tuesday night. Ansari did not inform the police about the people living in a guest house," Superintendent of Police Ram Badan Singh on said Wednesday. "Ansari said on the advice of office bearers of Markaz Committee, he was looking after those staying in the guest house," the police officer said, adding that Ansari has also been quarantined. On Tuesday evening, the SP had said that preliminarily no symptom of COVID-19 was found in the 14 persons, but as a precautionary measure they have been kept in isolation ward and their samples have been sent for testing. Over 2,000 delegates, including from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15. "The 11 Bangladeshi nationals started from Dhaka on February 27 and reached Delhi's Hazrat Nizammudin Markaj. From there, 14 persons arrived in Bhadohi and were staying at a guest house of markaj since March 4. In past 25 days, these persons met many people," the SP had said. "They also held religious gatherings at a mosque in Kajipur which were attended by hundreds of people," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 06:32:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Health Ministry on Tuesday released its latest figures on the COVID-19 epidemic, showing 2,738 people have tested positive and 12 have died of the disease. In the 24 hours since the last report, 289 new cases of infection were detected, and four patients, all "over 60 years of age and with preexisting ailments," passed away. Of the existing cases, 138 patients are in intensive care units, 108 of whom are on respirators and 13 in critical condition. The ministry has decided to extend a quarantine by two weeks in Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island, and by a week in six districts of the metropolitan area of the capital Santiago, where more than half of the infections have been registered. Chile closed its borders, suspended classes and called on the population to self-isolate at home in a bid to contain the epidemic. Crime in some of the Bay Areas largest cities fell sharply during the first week of the regions shelter-in-place orders as streets emptied, shops shuttered and tens of thousands of people were forced to work from home. The trend is a rare piece of good news amid the global coronavirus pandemic, and criminologists think it could hold as long as social restrictions remain in place. Just after San Francisco ordered most businesses closed and barred nonessential gatherings and outings on March 17, the number of reported thefts, assaults and robberies in the city plummeted, according to The Chronicles review of recently released police data. Violent crime was down 31% during the first week of the shelter-in-place order, compared with the same period in 2019. Property crime rates were nearly 50% lower during the same time frame. In San Jose, violent crimes were down 45% and property crimes dropped 36% during the first week of the stay-at-home order, compared with the same period in 2019. The city had an especially big decline in robberies and residential burglaries, which plummeted by 56%, according to police data. The total number of reported crimes in the South Bay city between March 15 and March 21 of this year was lower than any other week to date in the past two years, with a total of 373 incidents compared with an average of 548. In Oakland, in the first week of the shutdown total reported crimes fell only slightly, tallying 250 incidents between March 16 and March 22, compared with 259 for approximately the same period in 2019. Violent crime rates were much lower, but property crime rates rose. After an initial decline the week after social distancing was enforced, reported crimes started to climb back up in Oakland, fueled in large part by an uptick in burglaries and theft. Despite fears that the health crisis could lead to lawlessness, declines in crime have been reported in cities across the country, from Philadelphia to New York to Los Angeles. Now Playing: Several Bay Area counties have ordered residents to shelter in place through April 7 as health officials scramble to keep coronavirus from spreading. The order mandates that people stay indoors and isolate themselves except to attend to certain essential activities. Video: San Francisco Chronicle Commercial crime depends largely on opportunity, and with so many people at home, those opportunities are mostly gone, said Richard McCleary, a professor of criminology at UC Irvine. I think this will be normal as long as everyone is staying inside. While street crimes have dropped, experts fear that problems that typically occur inside the home such as child abuse, battery and domestic violence could increase as people remain stuck in close quarters amid stressful conditions. And without adequate measures to address the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus, some criminologists cautioned that the pandemic could fuel an uptick in certain crimes, particularly at empty businesses. The only thing that scares me a little is when the deprivation starts to hit, said James Lynch, a professor at the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. Some people are going to be left out, theyre going to be in pretty desperate shape, and you can see them trying to do something for money. The FBI has also warned about an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans, according to ABC News, and theres concern about a rise in cybercrimes and online scams. San Francisco police officers plucked from narcotics units and other investigative units were reassigned to street patrols during the first few weeks of the shelter-in-place orders, bracing for an influx in crimes of opportunity. But officers recently walking the beat near Sixth and Market streets reported mostly business as usual, if not a slow shift. The most action Officers Samuel Fung and James Puccinelli saw by Thursday afternoon were unlicensed street vendors and an overdose at Golden Gate Avenue and Market Street. People walking around and thats about it, Puccinelli said, motioning toward a few lone stragglers on Sixth Street. Its been a quiet day. 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. Officer Robert Rueca, a San Francisco police spokesman, said the department has noticed less traffic on the streets, both vehicle and pedestrian. We are seeing fewer incidents, he said. There are fewer people out, and that equates to fewer people being likely to be victims in any kind of criminal activity. Rueca speculated that residential burglaries have fallen because more people are staying home. Uniformed officers have also expanded their presence in commercial areas, where rows of empty storefronts are especially vulnerable to smash-and-grabs. Some storefronts have been boarded up to deter looters. There isnt one particular business corridor we are not looking out for, Rueca said. Employees like to feel like we are watching these businesses. Law enforcement officials said its still too early to draw solid conclusions from the short-term decline in crime, but it appears to be driven by the dearth of social interaction. Almost all types of crime in San Francisco assault, burglary, larceny, robbery and car theft fell during the first week of the shelter-in-place order, according to San Francisco police data, and every part of the city saw a notable decline in reported incidents compared with the same period last year. District Attorney Chesa Boudin said many crimes in San Francisco target visitors to the city a population that has mostly vanished. A significant percentage of auto burglaries and robberies were being committed against tourists and people visiting San Francisco, and sadly we dont have that tourism right now, but it also has resulted in a significant decrease in crime rates, Boudin said. Our challenge will be after the crisis is over, to keep the crime rates down. Joaquin Palomino and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joaquinpalomino, @meganrcassidy Australian pork sector on alert as Papua New Guinea confirms ASF Pork producers in Australia are on high alert after confirmation that the deadly virus African swine fever (ASF) is now present in neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG). PNG officials, who confirmed that samples from the affected Southern Highlands pigs were sent to Australia and returned positive for ASF, are now investigating how the virus spread to the region. These investigations include the possibility of transmission via imported canned food products. Hundreds of PNG pigs have understood to have died in the outbreak. The economic impact of an outbreak of ASF in Australia is calculated to be more than AUD2 billion. Australian Pork Ltd chief executive officer Margo Andrae said while ASF did not pose human health risks, millions of Australian pigs were at risk. "ASF would devastate pork producers and Australian fresh pork supplies and seriously jeopardise the well-being of the 36,000 Australians employed in our industry," Andrae said. ASF is considered potentially the biggest animal disease event the world has ever seen, having already killed hundreds of millions of pigs across Asia and Europe. "ASF is now confirmed in PNG, Indonesia and Timor Leste and we're concerned about its potential spread to the Pacific region," she said. "This battle is being fought across international borders and we welcome the Federal Government's offer this week to assist PNG to contain the virus. "Even with current travel restrictions, there's no room for complacency in terms of ASF, especially given international postal services remain operational." Andrae said the installation of two 3D x-ray machines at the Sydney and Melbourne mail centres, as part of the Federal Government's AUD66.6 million ASF-response package, were important parts of Australia's defence. She said biosecurity measures in the Torres Strait had been strengthened as a result of COVID-19 and the government was further reviewing those measures to reflect the risk ASF in PNG posed to Australia. Confirmation of ASF in PNG coincided with the Inspector-General of Biosecurity's release of the updated report on the adequacy of preventative border measures to mitigate the risk of ASF. "A timely recommendation in the report is the inclusion of additional criteria in risk assessment for flights from ASF-affected countries, including a focus on seasonal farm workers," Andrae said. "We can't afford any weak links in our defence against ASF. All aspects of monitoring at the border are critical, but so is the work by producers to strengthen on-farm biosecurity and the cross-agency collaboration being led by National Feral Pig Management coordinator Dr Heather Channon." Governor John Bel Edwards discusses the track of Louisiana as it compares to other countries hit hard by coronavirus during a press conference to discuss updated statistics on the presence of coronavirus in the state, Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at GOHSEP in Baton Rouge, La. Two more Jersey Shore towns banned short-term rentals Wednesday to slow the spread of COVID-19, the virus caused by coronavirus that has sickened over 22,000 people in the state and killed 355. Seaside Heights announced an emergency order prohibiting the rental of homes and any other type of rental units via AirBNB, VRBO and other online marketplaces in the popular summertime Ocean County borough. Asbury Park made a similar announcement and said all realtors and property owners were required to stop short-term/vacation rentals whether done online, or in-person. "We are doing everything in our power to protect our community and this is not a decision we take lightly, said Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said. Suspending short-term rentals is necessary given the circumstances. We can promise our Real Estate and Business Community we are working closely with county and state officials to monitor the situation and will resume business as usual as soon as possible. The Asbury Park suspension will be revisited at the end of April and city officials said they are hopeful short-term rentals will be reinstated before the summer season begins. The Seaside Heights ban will remain until New Jerseys state of emergency, issued by Gov. Phil Murphy in early March, is lifted or until the boroughs office of emergency management or council decides to lift it. The boroughs order also asked for the governors office to allow towns to temporarily suspend all new rentals. We believe communities, especially coastal communities, need this authority immediately, the order states. Seaside Heights has also taken the step of closing crossover gates at the ocean and the bay beaches in the popular tourist town, however, the boardwalk remains open. Asbury Parks boardwalk is closed but its beaches are still accessible to the public. In Cape May County, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian announced Sunday that the city and its real estate community have decided to suspend short-term rentals. The mayors of all 16 municipalities in the South Jersey county issued a joint statement Monday also endorsed by the county freeholder board urging the "elimination of all short-rentals to tourists until Murphy lifts his executive orders barring public gatherings. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: 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. I liked everything about him, Alice Matthews said. He was just kind and not one of these guys that you think you can date, and you can try and go figure out, is he playing you? If you was his girl, you was his girl. He didnt stray away from that. He treated me like a queen. A placard commemorating NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign was installed on the Perseverance Mars rover on March 16, 2020. Three silicon chips (upper left corner) contain 10,932,295 names and the essays from 155 finalists in NASA's "Name the Rover" contest. And the sunbeams in the diagram spell out Explore as One in Morse code. NASA's Perseverance rover will explore Mars for all of humanity, which a coded message aboard the robot makes clear. The car-size Perseverance, which is scheduled to launch to the Red Planet this July, carries a special commemorative plate that holds small silicon chips bearing the names of more than 10.9 million people who participated in NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign. That plate also features a diagram of Earth, Mars and the sun, whose rays are not nearly as random as they look. Indeed, the sunbeams on this plate actually spell out "Explore as One" in Morse code, mission team members revealed via Twitter on Monday (March 30). More: NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance in pictures Some of you spotted the special message Im carrying to Mars along with the 10.9+ million names you all sent in. Explore As One is written in Morse code in the Suns rays, which connect our home planet with the one I'll explore. Together, we persevere. https://t.co/Bsv1mqpxlA pic.twitter.com/GhcS1HgsINMarch 30, 2020 See more Perseverance will land next February inside Mars' 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and a river delta in the ancient past. The rover will scour Jezero for signs of long-dead Mars life , characterize the region's geology and test out next-gen exploration gear, including a small helicopter scout and an instrument that generates oxygen from the thin, carbon dioxide-dominated Martian atmosphere. Perseverance will have other duties as well. Chief among them will be to collect and cache samples for a future return to Earth, where scientists will be able to analyze them in detail in well-equipped labs. NASA and the European Space Agency will work together to bring these samples home, which could happen as early as 2031 . Perseverance is following in the footsteps of NASA's Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Mars' 96-mile-wide (154 km) Gale Crater since August 2012. Curiosity's main mission goal involves assessing Gale's past habitability, and the rover's work has shown that the crater hosted a potentially life-supporting lake-and-stream system for long stretches in the ancient past. The two big rovers share the same basic body design and the same landing system a rocket-powered sky crane that lowers the robots onto the Martian surface via cables. And we now know there's some code commonality as well: the Curiosity team designed the rover's wheels to spell out "JPL" in Morse code in the Martian dirt . JPL is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, NASA's go-to center for robotic planetary exploration. JPL manages the missions of both Curiosity and Perseverance, as well as many other exploration projects. Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook . C ommiserating with banks and bankers is a bit like expressing sympathy with the devil at the best of times, and these are very far from that. Long before the financial crisis they at least partly caused big banks were always a target too big to miss for politicians looking to score easy points. Presently they are getting it in the neck for a) not lending fast enough to troubled firms b) reining in credit card limits c) asking firms to show credit worthiness before they get a loan d) killing Roger Rabbit. Banks are unloved generally because they are so unlovable. As the joke goes, you might as well start off hating your bank, since this will save you time later. Allowing for all that, it is possible to see that they are in somewhat of a tricky spot just now. It is worth asking exactly what we want from them. Do we want them to spray loans around willy-nilly? To in effect leave money on street corners for passers-by to pick up, and forget the impact this has on their balance sheets? Perhaps the answer is yes. But if we dont want to bail the banks out again, then it has to be no. They have to be able to decide that firms which werent viable before the coronavirus crisis are hardly likely to be in better shape now. In the days when he was still considered a guru post the credit crunch, Neil Woodford said banks were simply uninvestable. It was impossible to know where their assets ended and their liabilities began. Unless we want to go back to that, banks should surely be allowed some discretion of where they chuck cash. Which might allow them to keep paying a dividend if they think that they can. Political pressure to pull all the circuit breakers in bank lending is understandable. But as one banker notes: You dont cure an economic crisis by creating a financial crisis. When we come through this, we will need banks to kick start the economy, something they will find harder to do if their balance sheets are crippled with bad loans. The assumption is that once the pandemic passes, the economy bounces back. But nobody has ever put the entire economy into a coma before, so nobody knows what happens when you wake it up. The idea that we go back to normal is a guess, wishful thinking perhaps. Banks have been given unprecedented backing from the authorities to release cash into the economy, but it isnt as straightforward as all that. The government has left the impression that banks merely have to turn the taps on to release a reservoir of money. One City banker says: The government is providing some of the water, and said thered be a tap. But it didnt have a tap. It asked us to set one up. It is only a few days since Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled his support package for individuals and businesses it just feels like it was ages ago. The same banker says: I am not exaggerating when I tell you we took calls from MPs within hours of Sunak sitting down asking why businesses in their constituencies were not already getting the loans Rishi said we would provide. The banks, they insist, had no forewarning that this announcement was coming. And the people they need to enact systems and push buttons have been sent home, particularly including those who work in an Indian call centre. Perhaps, in the new spirit of tolerance we are mostly embracing, we might show the City a bit of patience. It will get there. It is just going to take a minute. Lisa Wilkinson wished her former Channel Nine colleagues Sylvia Jeffreys and Peter Stefanovic a happy third wedding anniversary in an Instagram post on Wednesday. The Project host, 60, shared a photo of herself with the couple from the celebrations, held at the exclusive Ooralba Estate in Kangaroo Valley on April 1, 2017. 'Hard to believe it's been three years since these two beautiful souls tied the knot. Happy anniversary,' Lisa wrote in the post's caption. 'Socially distant hugs to you all!' Lisa Wilkinson (left), 60, wished her former colleagues Sylvia Jeffreys (centre), 33, and Peter Stefanovic (right), 38, a happy third wedding anniversary in an Instagram post on Wednesday 'So much has changed in so many wonderful ways since, and most joyous of all, you two are now three!' she continued, referencing their one-month-old son Oscar. 'Huge congrats and appropriately socially distant hugs to all three of you,' Lisa concluded, alongside several love heart emojis. Sylvia, 33, and Peter, 38, wed before 160 guests, including Lisa and Today Extra's Richard Wilkins, at Kangaroo Valley on the New South Wales south coast. Nuptials: Sylvia and Peter wed at the Ooralba Estate in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales on Saturday April 1, 2017. The bride stunned in a custom layered Rebecca Vallance gown Their pride and joy: The couple welcomed their adorable son Oscar (pictured) in early February this year The bride stunned in a custom Rebecca Vallance layered gown, while the groom cut a dapper figure in a crisp white dress shirt, a tailored suit, bow tie and dress shoes. The couple met while they were co-hosting Weekend Today, with Sylvia previously telling The Sydney Morning Herald that it was a case of love at first sight. Despite defecting from Channel Nine in 2017 and landing a role with rival network Ten the following year, Lisa has always remained close with Sylvia. Lisa told The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine last month that they are 'extremely close'. Firm friends: Despite defecting from Nine in 2017, Lisa has remained close with her former colleague Sylvia. Lisa told The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine last month that they are 'extremely close' Busy schedules: However, Lisa admitted to the publication that timing 'hasn't worked' for catching up with her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) And while she's also in touch with Nine's Ben Fordham, she admitted that timing 'hasn't worked' for catching up with Karl Stefanovic and Georgie Gardner. The former magazine editor sat alongside Karl, 45, on the Today show panel for 10 years, before leaving Nine in October 2017 over a reported gender pay gap dispute. Lisa was believed to have quit Today because Karl, as her male co-host, was reportedly earning $2million a year with a potential bonus that could take his salary to $3million if ratings were a hit, The Australian wrote in 2017. Lisa was said to be on a $1.1million a year contract, with Nine only willing to increase the amount to $1.8million, according to The Daily Telegraph. Twenty people were killed on Wednesday when a lightning strike damaged a high-voltage power line in a suburb of the Congolese capital Brazzaville, the local mayor and witnesses said. The mayor of Kintele, Stella Mensah Sassou Nguesso, told state radio that seven bodies had been sent to a nearby morgue and another 13 to a mortuary in the capital. An eyewitness said lightning "cut through two high-voltage cables," electrocuting people on the ground. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TikTok India on Wednesday announced to provide 4 lakh protective hazmat suits for doctors and medical health workers across the country in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak. "I would like to confirm that TikTok India will contribute 400,000 protective hazmat suits to keep our doctors and front line medical health workers safe across the country, during the catastrophic time of COVID-19. Under the Prime Minister and your leadership, we are certain that we will come out of this together," Nikhil Gandhi, Head TikTok, India, wrote in a letter to Textiles Minister Smriti Irani. "It is indeed an honour and a matter of pride that TikTok India team came together along with your good self and officials of the Ministry of Textiles by working 24x7, to overcome the barriers and logistical nightmares of delivering the suits in India. TikTok India is also humbled to bear the entire cost of Rs 100 crore for the protective suits in service and gratitude to the nation," the letter said. Gandhi informed that the first lot of 20,675 suits have arrived today and the second lot of 180,375 suits will arrive in India before April 4. "Subsequently, in the following weeks, the remaining 200,000 suits will be delivered. We are glad that our teams were able to source them in a dynamically changing market, and in accordance to meet the Ministry of Health and Family welfare standards and guidelines," the letter read. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As requested by the Austrian Federal Government and the WHO, a significant increase in the capacity for coronavirus testing is essential to combat the new coronavirus. The University of Innsbruck is now responding to this by immediately developing and evaluating a new high-throughput method for the genetic analysis of patient samples at its Faculty of Biology. At the Departments of Zoology and Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck, several successful feasibility tests for a high-throughput CE-PCR for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been carried out in recent days in cooperation with Sinsoma GmbH, a spin-off company of the University of Innsbruck. Finding the needle in the haystack This approach uses the coupling of highly sensitive endpoint PCR and capillary electrophoresis (CE) in contrast to conventional real-time PCR protocols to detect genetic traces of the virus in samples. This is achieved by using specific, very short DNA sequences so-called primers which dock to the virus' RNA. This makes it possible to find the needle in the haystack. Just a few corona virus RNA molecules are enough to be discovered with the help of the procedure of the Innsbruck team. What is new about the Innsbruck approach is that it enables high-throughput CE-PCR analysis. Not dependent on test kits used so far With this novel approach, we use different reagents than the conventional test methods, explains Michael Traugott, scientist at the University of Innsbruck and co-founder of Sinsoma GmbH. As a result, we are not affected by material shortages, which are already occurring due to the great global demand for conventional tests. The Innsbruck laboratory can carry out up to 1,000 tests per day if the evaluation by the authorities is successful and can then gradually expand this capacity. With this, we want to offer an alternative method that ensures the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in high throughput even if the supply situation becomes more difficult, says Rector Tilmann Mark. With this new method, we at the University of Innsbruck want to make a contribution to effectively support the massive expansion of the test capacity for combating the coronavirus. Novel application of an established analysis method The spin-off company Sinsoma GmbH is a specialist in DNA/RNA trace analysis. Highly sensitive methods enable the company to identify and quantify individual species as well as entire species communities by detecting DNA and RNA from different sample types. The spectrum ranges from microorganisms and plants to fish and mammals. The University of Innsbruck is a shareholder of Sinsoma GmbH via the university holding company. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKtUrN4_cwI assoz. Prof. Mag. Dr. Michael Traugott University of Innsbruck / Sinsoma GmbH phone: +43 512 507 51670 email: michael.traugott@uibk.ac.at web: https://sinsoma.com/ https://sinsoma.com/ Sinsoma GmbH https://www.uibk.ac.at/ University of Innsbruck By PTI NEW DELHI: The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court that 250 Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran, have tested positive for coronavirus and have not been evacuated, while over 500 have already been brought back. The top court observed that it is thinking of asking the Indian embassy to constantly monitor the situation and be in touch with the stranded Indians in Iran. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said it will pass the orders in favour of the petitioners and would ask the Indian embassy to take fresh tests and look into the possibility of bringing them back as and when possible. It observed that government is taking the matter seriously. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre said that many of the Indians stranded in Iran have been brought back. FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, said that not all of those stranded have been brought back and around 250 people, who have tested positive are still there and are at the mercy of Iranian authorities. He said the court ask the Solicitor General to take instruction about bringing back 250 people, who have tested positive, still stranded in Iran. Mehta countered the arguments and said that at present all International flights have been cancelled and authorities are waiting for a decision of Ministry of External Affairs. "Our embassy at Iran is in touch with the 250 people stranded there. They will be brought back, whenever there is possibility," he said, adding, that the petition has become infructuous. To this, the bench told Hegde that those people, who are stranded in Iran are being taken care of and the matter should be left on government now. "You (petitioner) can raise this issue again when need arises," the bench said. Hegde contended that many of Indian citizens who are still in Iran do not have symptoms and if they are asked to stay in hotels, where others with symptoms are being quarantined, they may develop it there. He said that 250 people in Iran don't have money, medicines and other amenities and why can't they be brought to a place like Leh? Mehta replied that many people who were earlier brought back and sent to Leh and other places have now developed symptoms. The bench said that it will issue an order in favour of their repatriation as and when the health situation of stranded Indians improves. Iran is one of the countries worst affected by the global pandemic, also called Covid-19, and has reported over 2,000 deaths so far due to coronavirus. Petitioner Mustafa MH, a resident of Union Territory of Ladakh, has said in his plea that some of his relatives had travelled to Iran along with a group of about 1,000 pilgrims in December last year. The lack of a unified, 50-state response also collides with evidence emerging that coronavirus infections are being spread by people who have no clear symptoms, complicating efforts to gain control of the pandemic. A study conducted by researchers in Singapore and published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday is the latest to estimate that around 10% of new coronavirus infections may be spread by people who were infected with the virus but not experiencing symptoms. A desperate search is underway for two teenage girls that have been missing for nearly a week. The girls aged 14 and 15 were last seen at Tangmere Street in Chapel Hill in Brisbane on Thursday around 6.30pm. The families of the young girls have not heard from the pair since their disappearance. A 14-year-old girl (pictured left) has been missing from Chapel Hill in Brisbane for nearly a week The 15-year-old is white and has brown hair and brown eyes. Police say she is around 165cm tall. The 14-year-old is also white, with a slim build and sandy, blonde hair. She has blue eyes and is around 170cm tall. Police are urging anybody with information on the pair to come forward immediately. A Briton tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week, becoming the latest patient linked to a major novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cluster at a bar in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Department of Health revealed on Wednesday. The new patient is 25 years old and he came to Buddha Bar & Grill at No. 7 Thao Dien Street, District 2 on March 14, Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the department, said during a teleconference. He was in contact with patient No. 91, a 43-year-old British pilot whose test returned positive twice on March 18 and March 20. The 25-year-old was isolated at a collective quarantine zone on March 25 and his sample came back negative one day later. On March 29, he was tested for the second time, with results returning positive for the virus. This is the 16th case related to the bar, considered the biggest cluster in southern Vietnam at the time. The health department proposed during the teleconference that authorities release people who have finished a 14-day isolation period, with their health being carefully checked before any discharge. Those isolated over links to the bar will be subject to closer monitoring before their release. City authorities will carry out an inspection of local hospitals in order to ensure safety for healthcare workers. Checkpoints will be established to monitor movement at entrances to the city and export processing zones. Vietnam has confirmed 212 infections, with 63 having fully recovered. The 25-year-old British patient is not included in this count, pending an official announcement from the Ministry of Health. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the countrys epicenters. The capital has discharged 27 of its 85 patients from the hospital while 15 of 49 cases in the southern city have fully recovered. The central government is trying its best to stall the virus spread and keep the patient count under 1,000 cases for as long as possible. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Sometimes a crisis brings out the best in us, and in Atlanta, Georgia, two institutions are working together to help healthcare professionals who need protective gear. Uniting to battle COVID-19 Georgia Tech engineers have been creating plastic surgical shields and other protective equipment using 3-D printers, and they've called on anyone who has one at home to join in their efforts. To help the cause, Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) helped contribute and transport 6,000 pounds of plastic sheeting material to make the shields. Students and faculty alike have connected in the effort to produce 50,000 plastic shields. The protective gear will be sent to hospitals across Atlanta where healthcare workers are in need of more personal protective equipment, known as PPE. Georgia now has over 4,100 coronavirus cases and like all over the U.S., doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are working diligently to treat them. Hospitals have said they're low on supplies and are calling on the public for help. Many individuals have dropped off supplies, and Sherwin-Williams donated 6,000 full-body coveralls. Helping out all over the U.S. Coke has responded in other states, too. It connected with one of its packaging partners in the Boston area to donate and deliver plastic sheeting to create masks there as well. The beverage maker is also producing hand sanitizer at its Iowa plant for donation to the University of Iowa healthcare system. It's hosting a drop-off location for supplies for PPE at that location and rewarding donors with free bottles of its new AHA sparkling water. Although people are still in the market for a cold can of Coke, the company's share price has fallen along with the rest of the stock market in recent weeks. PARMA, Ohio Parma Fire Chief Mike Lasky said at least eight people at a Parma nursing home tested positive for coronavirus. Lasky cautioned that his numbers at ManorCare nursing home are incomplete because hes only been told of positive tests from residents of the home who came into contact with his EMS employees. The citys medical director, Dr. Sheldon Rose of University Hospitals Parma Medical Center, said he told Lasky that there were at least 30 other cases that ManorCare was worried about, but that he has not been told if those patients have been tests. UPDATE: Parma nursing home says 14 patients and employees have tested positive for coronavirus ManorCare spokeswoman Julie Beckert declined to provide any information on how many patients or staff have tested positive. Cuyahoga County Board of Health Commissioner Terry Allen and Health Director Heidi Gullet on Wednesday also refused to release information on the cluster of cases theyre investigating citing privacy concerns. Kevin Brennan, the spokesman for the board of health, said he would not comment on the numbers Lasky provided to cleveland.com. Cuyahoga County Board of Health officials on Friday released information on positive cases by zipcode. ManorCares zipcode, 44133, tied for the highest in the county with between 10-16 cases. The board of health has not updated those numbers. Cuyahoga County as of Wednesday has 589 cases and nine deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The county board of health late Tuesday confirmed they are investigating a cluster of cases at Manor Care. ManorCare is a nursing home that also offers outpatient and short-term rehabilitation services. Its one of the largest nursing home chains in the country. The facility holds a maximum of 130 people and, as of March 10, had 108 live-in patients, according to Ohio Health Department inspection records. Parma Fire Union Local 639 President Anthony Hyatt said two EMS workers who transported a patient on March 22 from ManorCare were ordered to self-quarantine after the patient tested positive for Covid-19. Hyatt said the firefighters werent notified for 30 hours and that the firefighters worked 23 of those hours. The firefighters are not showing any signs or symptoms. Lasky said his department was asked to transport seven more residents from MannorCare over the weekend who already tested positive for COVID-19. Lasky said he declined to transport the patients at the direction of the county health board. He said he told the nursing home to find private transportation. Lasky said hes ordered his medics to wear N95 masks, gowns, goggles and other protective gear on every call. He also said that all hospitals and the county board of health are not telling his department if someone they transported to an area hospital later tested positive for COVID-19. University Hospitals relay that information but other hospitals MetroHealth and Cleveland Clinic do not. I wish they would, Lasky said. Thats what wakes me up at 3 in the morning. The guys, trying to keep everyone safe. Lasky said hes set up housing for firefighters and police officers to use if they believe theyve been exposed to the virus so they dont spread it to family members. Id rather have to deal with a fire because at least theres an end to this, Lasky said. Theres no end in sight to this right now. Read more from cleveland.com: Cuyahoga County investigating cluster of coronavirus cases at Parma nursing home Coronavirus got 900 inmates out of Cuyahoga Countys troubled jail when inmate deaths didnt. Some say the changes should stick Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sends cease-and-desist letter to Hobby Lobby, which re-opened stores amid coronavirus restrictions Sen. Sherrod Brown objects to making Social Security beneficiaries file tax returns to get federal stimulus payments Helicopter of Chinese Army's Hong Kong Garrison Crashed During Training Flight Sputnik News 16:45 GMT 31.03.2020 BEIJING (Sputnik) - A helicopter belonging to the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese armed forces crashed on Monday during a training flight in the special administrative region of China, the government of Hong Kong said on Tuesday. "A spokesman for the Security Bureau said today (31 March) that a notification was received from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison (the Garrison) today to inform the Security Bureau of an accident involving a helicopter of the Garrison which occurred in the afternoon of 30 March during the Garrison's flight training operation conducted in the area of the Tai Lam Country Park", the statement said. The incident did not result in any injuries among residents or damage, but the government has not disclosed the number of people who might have perished aboard the crashed helicopter. The command of the garrison has launched an investigation into the incident. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Prof. O.S.Kolomiychenko Institute of Otolaryngology by the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine has received personal protective equipment kits against the coronavirus from the President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine Boris Lozhkin. Together with his wife, Nadiia Shalomova, Boris Lozhkin handed over protective overalls, next generation respirators, goggles and disposable gloves to the doctors. Any doctor a therapist, pediatrician, dentist, ophthalmologist and even more so an otolaryngologist (ENT specialist) is at increased risk, even higher than the elderly and the people with chronic diseases. All doctors, regardless of their specialization, are unable to avoid contact with their patients. That is why, it is so important to provide doctors with the maximum means of protection, for them to have an opportunity to keep on providing assistance to everyone who needs it, wrote Lozhkin on his Facebook page. He emphasized that people from all over Ukraine apply to the doctors of the Institute. The best Ukrainian specialists in the field of nose, throat and hearing problems work at this Institute, that is, precisely those organs that are the first to meet the virus. And it is important that the doctors themselves are absolutely protected, Lozhkin added. Let us recall that Art for life charity auctions have been held in Ukraine by the Boris Lozhkin Charitable Foundation in the last five years. For the funds raised at the fifth auction, the state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment was purchased and installed at the Pediatric Hepatology Center. He has spent the past two weeks in isolation with his wife Sabrina after they tested positive for coronavirus while in New Mexico shooting a new Netflix film. And Idris Elba and his other half kept themselves entertained while housebound, as they got involved in the latest Tik Tok challenge, dubbed Bored in the House. The actor, 47, made the most of lockdown as he played guitar in his underpants during the cheeky video, while sat on his sofa on Wednesday. Bored! Idris Elba and his other half kept themselves entertained while housebound, as they got involved in the latest Tik Tok challenge dubbed Bored in the House Although Idris and Sabrina, 30, have now passed the quarantine period for the virus, they are currently stuck in America awaiting a flight back to the UK. The couple combatted boredom by trying out the latest social media challenge, which sees them complete tasks to rapper Curtis Roach's Bored In The House. At the start of the clip the duo are playing chess together, before it suddenly cuts to Sabrina sweeping the floors in a dressing gown and Idris stood outside with an umbrella. Cheeky: The whacky video continues as Sabrina browses the fridge for a snack before being caught out by Idris Keeping busy! At the start of the clip the duo are playing chess together, before it suddenly cuts to Sabrina sweeping the floors in a dressing gown Ha! Another part of the video showed Idris stood outside the property with an umbrella The whacky video continues as Sabrina browses the fridge for a snack before being caught out by Idris, as he relaxes in the sink with a book and cup of tea. The model then dons a pair of shoes on her feet and hands as she crawls around and Idris hits full relaxation mode as he plays guitar in a hoodie and his pants. It ends with Sabrina stroking a picture of a cow and the two of them lying down together after performing all of their activities. What on earth! Idris relaxes in the sink with a book and cup of tea Cute: It ends with Sabrina stroking a picture of a cow and the two of them lying down together after performing all of their activities Idris announced both he and his wife have passed the two-week quarantine period after being tested positive for coronavirus. He took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to share a health update where he told fans they were 'doing ok' and still asymptomatic. Idris said they are 'stuck in limbo' because they can't get a flight back to the U.K. 'We're doing ok': Idris announced both he and wife Sabrina have passed the two-week quarantine period after being tested positive for coronavirus Idris said: 'Whats up people. I just wanted to send you a little update on how were doing. Were both doing ok, still asymptomatic. 'Weve passed the quarantine period but were stuck in limbo. We cant get a flight back home so we just have to sit still for a little bit, but other than that were ok and were so thankful that the worst of this has probably passed.' Reflecting on being in self-isolation, the Luther star continued: 'Its weird because I never sit still, Sabrina never sits still either. I think shes finding it harder, shes getting cabin fever. Also positive: Posting on Twitter on Thursday, the British actor said he and his wife Sabrina, who has also tested positive are 'still feeling OK' Interaction: Idris appeared to confirm he had contracted the virus from Canadian Prime Minister's wife Justin Trudeau Sophie, 44, after the two met earlier this month 'Were both good, mentally just trying to stay optimistic. I hope you guys are too man. Keeping yourselves, you know, sane and not getting worried or too panicked. 'Take it from me man, I thought I was going to see the worst of it as an asthmatic but thankfully I came through and you can too.' Idris then went on to thank the NHS, as well as encouraging those who are struggling: 'Big shout out to everyone who is helping other people, especially the doctors, nurses and health carers who are doing their thing. You lot are amazing and should be fully appreciated. Feeling good: The actor took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to share a health update where he told fans they were 'doing ok' and still asymptomatic Homesick: Idris said they are 'stuck in limbo' because they can't get a flight back to the U.K 'To anyone who is going through hard times financially right now, this is going to be a tough time for everyone. Keep your head up. 'Just a note to say listen Im still here, I hope youre good, Were going to fight this thing.' Idris closed off the video: 'Thank you for everyone who has sent their love and thoughts, we really appreciate it. Alright, respect.' Last Thursday, the star admitted the couple couldn't wait to return home to London as they are quarantined near to where Idris was filming upcoming Netflix film The Harder They Fall in Sante Fe. Update: It comes days after Idris tweeted doctors have told him that he and Sabrina will become immune to COVID:19 after they tested positive to having the virus Sharing a selfie, Idris wrote: 'Hoping everyone is coping with this $@@!! Currently still quarantine.. Sab and I still feel ok so far with no changes. Dr told us that after quarantine we will be immune for a certain time since our antibodies fought this.' 'At some point we'd like to go home to London. Bsafe.' Idris also spent time replying to followers, telling one who asked if he had had any symptoms at all: 'No not really... the day I got tested I had body aches and a headache.' Idris appeared to confirm he had contracted the virus from Canadian Prime Minister's wife Justin Trudeau Sophie, 44, after the two met shortly before they both tested positive for COVID-19. Message: Idris confirmed he had tested positive for coronavirus in a social media video posted on March 16, with his wife choosing to remain by his side The actor revealed he was exposed to the deadly disease on 4 March, the same day he posed with Sophie at the We Day UK charity event, in Wembley. Idris said: 'It's hard to say when I got the disease or when I contracted COVID-19, it's hard to say when. I will say that I know I've been exposed to it from March 4. 'That's when the person that came up positive, that was the time I got in contact with that person. 'So essentially, I could have been positive from March 4, but it's hard to say when I contracted someone with corona, you can contract it at anytime but my known exposure was March 4.' Idris then addressed backlash as to why he was tested for COVID-19 after he had 'no symptoms' and 'felt ok'. 'I am on location about to start filming. The news breaks that this person, who is also in the public eye, has tested positive.' Idris previously explained he was on location and about to start filming when he got tested: 'It was definitely something I had to do as I was about to start filming and be around a lot of people,' he said. Updates: Idris has been reassuring fans in regular updates that he has been feeling well 'My job made me test immediately, I had to test anyway, as it meant I was putting a lot of people at risk if I had been exposed. We were lucky to get a test very quickly because of the shortages of the test. Following Idris' diagnosis, it was revealed Idris' wife Sabrina Dhowre-Elba had also tested positive after choosing to remain with her husband in self isolation when he was diagnosed. Defending their decision to isolate together following The Wire star's diagnosis, she told Oprah Winfrey 'I wanted to be with him' and claimed she felt 'the instinct of a wife' to take care of him. Two people, who attended the Tablighi Jamat event in Delhi, tested positive for coronavirus here on Wednesday while seven others were under observation in the union territory, officials said. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy appealed to all those who took part in the religious meet from the union territory to volunteer themselves for screening. A total of 21 people -- 17 from Puducherry and four from Karaikal -- had attended the congregation in Nizamuddin area last month, and only nine had returned to the Union Territory, he said adding two of them, tested positive for COVID-19. The Swarnam Nagar locality here where the two infected persons resided was cordoned by officials. Earlier, Puducherry's first positive case was reported from Mahe, an enclace of the union territory in Kerala. The woman had, however, has since recovered. Director of Health and Family Welfare Mohan Kumar said the two were admitted to the government hospital here and tests of their blood samples done in JIPMER, a premier health institute, returned positive for the virus. The four others were under observation in government and private hospitals here. Three people who returned to Karaikal had been admitted to the isolation ward in the government hospital there and their blood samples had been sent for testing in neighbouring Tiruvarur Government Medical college hospital, Narayanasamy said. He said the officials of the Departments of Health and Police had been collecting details about the people who had been in contact with those who returned after attending the religious event in the national capital. The Chief Minister said there could be more people who had returned to Puducherry. "I request all those who returned to Union Territory to voluntarily disclose the particulars and turn up for medical tests so that the spread of the virus could be arrested promptly," he said. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus as 24 people have tested positive for COVID-19 following which a major area has been sealed and an FIR lodged against its cleric for violating government order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) will be carrying out an online development programme for faculty members to equip them with online teaching tools during the 21-day lockdown. The varsity's vice-chancellor on Wednesday wrote to faculty members about organising aseven-session JMI-Online Faculty Development (JMI-OFDP) for all faculty members of the university. "In order to share experiences of faculty members for identifying the best practices for online teaching-learning process and capacity building of a large number of faculty members of the university, I have decided to organise a seven-session JMI-Online Faculty Development (JMI-OFDP) for the benefit of all faculty members of the university," the letter said. The novel coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic has necessitated the complete lockdown in the country, she said in the letter, adding that colleges and universities are compelled to discontinue face-to-face teaching-learning. Under these circumstances, the university may have to think, evolve and facilitate alternative ways of engaging with students through online teaching-learning, she said. While stressing such an engagement is desirable for academic continuity and for the social and emotional health of the students, she said a large number of teachers are already doing their bit to engage their students. She said teachers are already teaching in an online mode using a wide variety of tools and technologies available. "Some of you are using WhatsApp group/broadcast, Instagram and other social media platforms for lecturing and delivering the online content; many of you are emailing the links of the learning materials in the forms of videos/lectures/slides identified and selected from a wide variety of open source resources, learning portals, YouTube etc; quite a few of you are using Google Classroom for the purpose," she said. She also said some professors are also using interactive tools like Skype, Zoom, Cisco Webcast, Google Hangouts, Google Meets and Google Chat etc, to engage students. At the institutional level, Jamia Millia Islamia has activated online learning facilitation tools through Google Suite and it is now possible that faculty members can open accounts on Google Hangouts, Google Meets and Google Classroom, the letter said. The university library has enabled remote access to a wide variety of subscribed and Open Educational Resources (OERS), she said. The varsity had suspended classes on March 13 in view of the coronavirus threat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A serial sexual predator who carried out a horror attack on a stranger had been set free from prison despite posing a known risk to women and girls, a court heard. William Gordon, 34, was released just weeks before he stalked a series of women in south London late at night while scouting for a victim. When he struck, Gordon pinned a woman against an alleyway wall as he sexually assaulted her and, after she broke free, chased her down to continue the attack. The victim told the Old Bailey she was filled with revulsion and horror after the attack on August 5 last year. The court heard Gordon had been jailed in 2015 for drugs offences, and while in custody was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and grabbing a 12-year-old girls bottom. In 2017 he was also convicted of sexually assaulting a female prison guard, meaning his total prison sentence was due to run until September 2023. However, Gordon became eligible for early release halfway through his sentence and was automatically set free from jail in April last year. Released on licence, he was in approved accommodation when he committed the latest offences. Jailing Gordon on Monday for eight years, Judge Sarah Munro QC told him: No female is safe from you and nor will they be for the foreseeable future. She ordered that he spend five years on licence once released. Prosecutor Edward Lucas said police recovered CCTV of Gordon trailing and photographing women a week before the attack, and he had been seen stalking three other women on the night he struck. He was scouting the local area for people to sexually assault, he said. By Trend The working group, created to minimize the impact of coronavirus on Azerbaijani economy and the activity of entrepreneurs, is developing nine programs, Azerbaijani MP Vugar Bayramov told Trend. These programs are aimed at reducing the impact of coronavirus on the activity of entrepreneurs, as well as citizens working in enterprises, the MP said. "The working group assessed the impact of coronavirus on the economy, the MP said. In accordance with the estimates, four main sectors and 20 spheres of activity suffered damage as a result of coronavirus. A specific program is proposed to be carried out to reduce the spread of coronavirus, Bayramov added. The amount of funds which are allocated to entrepreneurs, as well as hired employees increased from one billion manat ($588.2 million) to 2.5 billion manat ($1.5 billion). The allocated funds account for three percent of GDP. This is considered the highest rate among the CIS countries. " The MP stressed that the policy being pursued by the Azerbaijani government envisages decreasing the damage caused to entrepreneurs and citizens. "In this regard, a sectoral approach was taken, Bayramov said. It envisages full compensation for damage caused to certain spheres of activity and 70 percent-compensation for the spheres less affected as a result of the pandemic. At the same time, micro-entrepreneurs will be provided with compensation and direct assistance will be rendered to them. Some 915,000 out of 1,555 million hired employees work in the state and oil sectors in Azerbaijan, the MP said. Despite they go on extra-long leave, salaries are paid out. A direct support mechanism will also be implemented for 640,000 hired employees working in the private and non-oil sectors. Some 290,000 citizens working as micro-entrepreneurs will also receive state support. One of the programs will cover compensation and credit obligations, Bayramov said. One billion manat ($588.2 million) is planned to be allocated in this sphere. The interest will be also subsidized. Taking into account that the subsidy mechanism to be introduced by the Azerbaijani Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund and that will be supported by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, this will strengthen the state support for consumer lending after the proposal has been developed by the business and financial groups, the MP said. In general, the goal of the current policy is to continue to take the measures to strengthen the social security of employees working in the private sector and minimize the impact of coronavirus on their social status, Bayramov said. At the same time, a mechanism for supporting unemployed citizens is planned to be strengthened. The Azerbaijani government will directly render support to citizens in such an economically difficult period for the world and our country." --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Virginia smoke shop worker Hamzeh Abushariah, 33, has been charged with malicious wounding, reckless handling of a firearm and violation of a protective order for opening fire on robbers Police in Virginia have arrested a store clerk who is accused of opening fire on three robbers and wounding one of them while staying inside the business overnight for security during the coronavirus lockdown. The incident took place early Sunday morning at Arlington Smoke Shop on Shirlington Road in the Green Valley neighborhood. Store employee Hamzeh Abushariah, 33, of Washington DC, was charged with malicious wounding, reckless handling of a firearm and violation of a protective order barring him from being in possession of a gun. He is being held without bond. According to a press release from the Arlington County Police Department, officers were dispatched to the store just before 5am on Sunday and came upon a teenage robbery suspect suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries. Abushariah was sleeping in a back room of the Arlington Smoke Shop in Arlington, Virginia, on Tuesday to protect the store during lockdown A subsequent investigation uncovered that the injured juvenile and two others broke into the Smoke Shop and began stealing merchandise and cash. Abushariah, who was sleeping in a secure back room, heard the break-in, grabbed a gun, opened the door to the sales floor and fired shots, wounding the teenage intruder. According to the police, Abushariah then 'retreated to the back room but reentered the sales floor and discharged his weapon again as the subjects were attempting to flee the business.' The other two robbers escaped unharmed and fled on foot. Police said breaking and entering charges were pending against all three suspects. Store owner Jowan Zuber told the station WJLA he is outraged that his employee has been criminally charged for using one of the two guns he had legally purchased and registered two weeks ago to defend his shuttered business during the lockdown. Zuber argued that Abushariah's actions should have been classified as self-defense. Arlington Commonwealths Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti declined to discuss the specifics of the case but noted that there is evidence that supports the charges. Store owner Jowan Zuber (right) went on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday and decried his employee's arrest as 'mind-boggling' 'The decision was not made lightly, and we ask the public not to rush to judgment on what is very much a live investigation,' she stated. Abushariah's employer said the 33-year-old has two children and was staying at the smoke shop both to provide security and to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus, which had struck his apartment complex in DC. Zuber was interviewed by Tucker Carlson on his nightly Fox News show on Tuesday and described the incident as 'mind-boggling.' 'It's very sad for America today as American citizens practice their Second Amendment to protect the store and their lives,' Zuber told Carlson. 'Do you know what the police officer told [Abushariah]? "Why didn't you run out the back door?"' MOSCOWA Russian military transport plane took off from an airfield outside Moscow early on Wednesday and headed for the United States with a load of medical equipment and masks to help Washington fight the CCP virus, Russian state TV reported. President Vladimir Putin offered Russian help in a phone conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday, when the two leaders discussed how best to respond to the virus. Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday night. Trump himself spoke enthusiastically about the Russian help after his call with Putin. Russias Rossiya 24 channel on Wednesday morning showed the plane taking off from a military air base outside Moscow in darkness. Its cargo hold was filled with cardboard boxes and other packages. Confirmed U.S. cases have surged to 187,000 and nearly 3,900 people have already died there from COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. In Russia, where some doctors have questioned the accuracy of official data, the official tally of confirmed cases is 2,337 cases with 17 deaths. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in recent years by everything from Syria to Ukraine to alleged election interference. Peskov, Putins spokesman, said Moscow hoped the United States might also be able to provide medical help to Russia if necessary when the time came. It is important to note that when offering assistance to U.S. colleagues, the president [Putin] assumes that when U.S. manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary, Peskov was cited as saying. Russia has also used its military to send planeloads of aid to Italy to combat the spread of the CCP virus, exposing the European Unions failure to provide swift help to a member in crisis and handing Putin a publicity coup at home and abroad. By Andrew Osborn and Polina Devitt NTD staff contributed to this article. Rev. Bah Pius Inobuh Facebook Rev. Bah Pius Inobuh, Associate Pastor of the Beach Limbe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, resigned April 1, 2020 shortly after he got a one-month suspension for violating his ordination vows. Today the 1st of April 2020, I announce to all those who have links with me that I have resigned from the PCC from this day forward, and I cease from being a pastor of the PCC, said Bah in response to a suspension letter dated Friday, March 27, 2020 signed by PCC Synod Clerk, Rev. Miki Hans Abia following a Friday, March 20, 2020 meeting of the Synod Committee Executive, Exco in Buea. The hierarchy of the PCC indicted Bah for running a Parallel Ministry within the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon which is contrary to the vows he made at his ordination. The one month suspension, the Synod Clerk says, comes after Rev. Bah failed to heed to an earlier caution from The Secretary Committee of the Ministry among others. The PCC Synod Clerk thus informed Rev. Bah as follows: That you Bah Pius Inobuh have not desisted from your online and offline Parallel Ministry activities, especially the collection of funds you cannot account for in the fashion of the PCC. Some of your activities and pronouncements intentionally and regrettably cast a slur on the PCC which we consider are aimed to deviate Christians to your self-styled ministry. You have remained defiant to hierarchys attempt to deter you from your own style of ministration. The Synod of 2019 that held in Buea (20/11/19) had warned you and sent some persons to counsel you on the merit of your ministry, but sadly you did not heed to the counsel, and this is unacceptable to a Church of Order and Discipline like ours. In the light of the aforementioned violations, the Rev. Bah was suspended from the Ministry of Word and Sacraments of the PCC for one month from Wednesday, April 1, 2020 to Thursday, April 30, 2020. Without responding to the charges brought against him, Bah chose to bang the door to a Church that trained him right up to his Masters Degree. Bah was authorised as a PCC Pastor in 2005 and ordained by then Moderator, the Very Rev. Dr. Nyansako-ni-Nku on December 12, 2007 at PC Azire in Bamenda. After about 15 years of service within various ranks of the PCC, Bah says he is now walking away from the Church along with his wife and children after due prayers, considerations and seeking the face of God. The PCC has a very strong organigram and good structure as laid down by the early Church Fathers but it has been tampered with everything and the Sacredness of the Holy Sanctuary for which I refuse to be a part, Bah said. He says he has chosen to continue preaching both on the online and offline. Rev. Bahs resignation follows that of Rev. Anye Mo Anye, Pastor of PC Souza who resigned following apparent misunderstands with the hierarchy of the PCC. In the last two weeks dozens of flights have been operating to return Egyptians from various parts of the globe stranded because of the coronavirus Two planes will soon head to Washington and New York to return Egyptians in the US stuck in the two cities due to the coronavirus. Two flights headed to the UK on Tuesday and another four flights operated Sunday to repatriate Egyptians from the UK, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs. Laila, a teacher who went with her husband to New York on holiday and to visit other family members, is anxiously waiting for that flight. We had a lovely holiday that ended badly. We need to return to our work and life in Egypt, she said. Another professional, who lives and works in California with her son, wants to be back with family in these difficult times. I am off from work and my son is out of school until September, most probably. There is no point in staying here. I want to reunite with my family. I hope this will be possible soon, she said. Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram said her ministry received various requests from Egyptian students in the US to return home especially following the closure of universities. The ministry called on all Egyptians stuck abroad and who wish to return to fill an application form available on the ministrys website or to contact their embassies by phone or in person. We give priority to those who were on business trips or went to visit family members abroad and their break ended, or their visas expired, and they have to leave. Given that most of them have no shelter and may not have enough cash, we had to run emergency flights to return them... The return of residents needs more time and different arrangements, Makram said. The number of Egyptians stranded in the US is nearly 1,000, according to Makram. Sources from the countrys carrier EgyptAir were quoted by the media confirming that the company will send a flight to return Egyptians stranded in the US before the end of this week. The ordeal faced by those waiting in the UK was not less difficult. Hundreds of students studying in UK universities need to return home after the suspension of universities until the next academic year. Seif, who was studying mechanical engineering in Huddersfield University, was lucky enough to catch a plane one day before the suspension of flights. My worst fear was that I wouldnt be able to go home. I am grateful that I returned at the right time, Seif said. Egypts suspension of international flights, which began on 19 March, was originally set to last until 31 March but was extended to 15 April. Another student, Abdel-Rahman, said he called the embassy who were very helpful and assuring. However, they could not tell me the time of the flight because they did not have any information at the time. They called me after three days to inform me about my travel details. I managed to return home last Thursday, thank God, he said. Several flights operated from London on Sunday, Tuesday and last week. The situation in the Gulf, where thousands of Egyptians work, is no better. EgyptAir declared last week that it would charter flights from Kuwait to Cairo from 26 March to 30 March. Another flight was added on 31 March. I was grateful to catch one of last weeks flights. I visited my daughter who lives with her family in Kuwait. But I had to return to reunite with the rest of the family in Egypt in this difficult time, a woman who identified herself only as Um Ahmed, said. But Dina, a teacher working in Kuwait for more than a decade, may need to wait for some time. Ive been staying at home for a month now. I may stay another month until I find a flight to take me home, she said. Talks are underway with Saudi Arabia to allow more emergency flights to return Egyptians stranded there, according to the Ministry of Immigration. Talks are also underway this week with the Tunisian Ministry of Aviation to return 37 stranded Egyptians via Tunis Air. A number of them were on business trips while others are working for UNICEF and UN organisations operating in Libya. They were forced to go to Tunisia to return home. On Saturday, an emergency flight arrived with 140 Egyptian passengers who were stranded in Oman. Egyptians in Sudan were allowed to return home by bus. Egyptians in other countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan and some African states may have to wait some more because the number of people who registered with the ministry are not enough to send special planes for them. Makram called on Egyptian expatriate communities to provide all the necessary help to those stranded until they return to Egypt. The minimum number of people who are stranded should be at least 140 to send an emergency plane for them, the minister added. Egypt is also working to bring back home dozens of Egyptian couples on their honeymoon in Southeast Asias holiday spots stranded by the coronavirus. Some 95 Egyptian honeymooners are stranded in the Maldives, 80 in Bali, Indonesia, and many others in Singapore, the minister said. All Egyptians brought from overseas undergo tests for the coronavirus and are asked to remain in self-isolation for 28 days, after the Health Ministry last week extended the period for those returning from abroad from 14 days. The return of stranded Egyptians was coordinated between the Ministry of Immigration, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Health and the Foreign Ministry. A task group was set up representing the four ministries to receive return requests and respond to all queries. It has received 12,121 requests by Monday, according to Makram. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri called on all Egyptian embassies and consulates abroad to assist Egyptians stranded in their countries of residence and notify the ministry of their phone numbers. *A version of this article appears in print in the 2 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: At the moment, Vietnam is a member of many international economic organizations, taking part in discussions about free trade agreements like Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), especially those regarding intellectual property. 2019, it joined Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of industrial design by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Nevertheless, the toughest challenge of scientific-technological organizations as well as businesses in Vietnam is to turn research results into practical products for the community. Many of these groups possess no clear policy about intellectual property, leading to difficulties in promoting creativity, right registration process, technology transfer, and research result commercialization procedures. In 2019, the number of invention orders in Vietnam reached over 1,000 for the first time, an increase of 42 percent compared to 2018. Several of these come from universities and research institutes, which have had articles published on International Scientific Indexing (ISI) journals. Yet unlike their international counterparts where intellectual property matters are dealt with continuously to both increase the reputation and improve research quality, domestic research institutes are quite unfamiliar with procedures as to intellectual property. Therefore, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) has decided to form a close connection among the 30 intellectual property centers nationwide in order to carry out technology transfer in universities and research institutes. Also 20 out of the above centers are now members of the project Creating an Intellectual Property Environment, held by WIPO. In the upcoming time, MST is going to focus on boosting the strength of research teams and universities in intellectual property right registration, rising the number of inventions in Vietnam, and promoting the commercialization of intellectual property. To fulfill that goal, it is necessary to instill professionalism and improve the management ability of related state units regarding intellectual property. In addition, the cooperation between research institutes and businesses is one key factor to decide the goal achievement. By Tran Luu Translated by Huong Vuong Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday afternoon talked with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad by phone on cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional China-Algeria friendship is profound, Li said, noting that Algeria donated urgently needed medical supplies to China at the early time of its fight against the disease, which highlighted a commitment to going together through thick and thin. The COVID-19 epidemic spreading in the Middle East region poses a huge challenge for Algeria, Li said, adding that China feels keenly for it and stands firmly with Algeria, and that China is willing to provide support within its capacity and share its anti-virus experience. Meanwhile, the Chinese premier expressed the hope for the Algerian side to provide guarantee for the safety and living convenience of the Chinese nationals in Algeria. China is willing to work with Algeria to continue advancing the implementation of their key cooperation projects, he said, expressing belief that bilateral cooperation in various fields will be lifted to a new level after the epidemic is defeated. In the phone conversation, Djerad said it is necessary for countries to help each other and strengthen multilateral collaboration amid the global spread of COVID-19, adding that Algeria appreciates the anti-virus efforts China has made, and that it is grateful for China's sincere help. The Algerian prime minister voiced the hope for continued support from China in medical supplies, equipment and treatment to its fight against the coronavirus. Algeria is satisfied with the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and is willing to work with China to push forward major bilateral cooperation projects, he said. Neolithic populations have long been credited with bringing about a revolution in farming practices across Europe. However, a new study suggests it was not until the Bronze Age several millennia later that human activity led to significant changes to the continent's landscape. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Plymouth led research tracing how the two major human migrations recorded in Holocene Europe - the northwestward movement of Anatolian farmer populations during the Neolithic and the westward movement of Yamnaya steppe peoples during the Bronze Age - unfolded. In particular, they analysed how they were associated with changes in vegetation - which led to Europe's forests being replaced with the agricultural landscape still much in evidence today. Their results, published in PNAS, show the two migrations differ markedly in both their spread and environmental implications, with the Yamnaya expansion moving quicker and resulting in greater vegetation changes than the earlier Neolithic farmer expansion. The study - also involving the University of Gothenburg and the University of Cambridge - used techniques commonly applied in environmental science to model climate and pollution, and applied them to instead analyse human population movements in the last 10 millennia of European history. It showed that a decline in broad-leaf forest and an increase in pasture and natural grassland vegetation was concurrent with a decline in hunter-gatherer ancestry, and may have been associated with the fast movement of steppe peoples during the Bronze Age. It also demonstrated that natural variations in climate patterns during this period are associated with these land cover changes. The research is the ?rst to model the spread of ancestry in ancient genomes through time and space, and provides the ?rst framework for comparing human migrations and land cover changes, while also accounting for changes in climate. Dr Fernando Racimo, Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen and the study's lead author, said: "The movement of steppe peoples that occurred in the Bronze Age had a particularly strong impact on European vegetation. As these peoples were moving westward, we see increases in the amount of pasture lands and decreases in broad leaf forests throughout the continent. We can now also compare movements of genes to the spread of cultural packages. In the case of the Neolithic farming revolution, for example, the two track each other particularly well, in both space and time." The research made use of land cover maps showing vegetation change over the past 11,000 years, which were produced through the University of Plymouth's Deforesting Europe project. Scientists working on that project have previously shown more than half of Europe's forests have disappeared over the past 6,000 years due to increasing demand for agricultural land and the use of wood as a source of fuel. Dr Jessie Woodbridge, Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth and co-author on the study, added: "European landscapes have been transformed drastically over thousands of years. Knowledge of how people interacted with their environment in the past has implications for understanding the way in which people use and impact upon the world today. Collaboration with palaeo-geneticists has allowed the migration of human populations in the past to be tracked using ancient DNA, and for the first time allowed us to assess the impact of different farming populations on land-cover change, which provides new insights into past human-environment interactions." ### New Delhi, April 1 : Chinese short video platform TikTok on Wednesday donated 400,000 hazmat medical protective suits and 200,000 masks worth Rs 100 crore in order to help doctors and other medical professionals tackle the spread of COVID-19 in India. "The Government of India has been making concerted efforts to contain the spread of the virus and through this donation we want to contribute towards this effort. With support from the Union Ministry of Textile, this essential gear, which meets the prescribed standards and guidelines, is being handed over to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India," the company said in a statement. The masks shall be provided to both local and state-level medical workers and have been handed to the Delhi and Maharashtra governments. Earlier, Xiaomi had announced to donate lakhs of N95 masks to the state governments. The company also pledged a Rs 15 crore contribution towards India's fight against Covid-19. Additionally, the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation have also pledged to donate essential medical supplies to India. Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India has climbed to 1,637, causing 38 deaths, according to the data furnished by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A total of 132 patients have been cured and discharged so far. PARMA, Ohio Shoplifting: West Ridgewood Drive On March 15, a Walmart employee observed a man stealing merchandise from the West Ridgewood Drive. An arriving officer located the shoplifter. After arresting the Kentucky man, the officer discovered that he had felony drug paraphernalia in his pocket. The man was arrested for theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Theft: Grovewood Avenue On March 17, police were dispatched to a Grovewood Avenue home after a resident discovered unauthorized transactions in her bank account. There are no suspects. Police are investigating. Drug overdose: Russell Avenue On March 17, police were dispatched to a Russell Avenue home regarding a man suspected of overdosing. An arriving officer administrated Narcan, which revived the man. The man was cited for disorderly conduct-intoxicated. Missing dealer plate: Brookpark Road On March 16, police were dispatched to a Brookpark Road car dealership after an employee discovered that a dealer license plate was lost or stolen. There are no suspects. Police are investigating. Overdose: Fortune Avenue On March 16, police were dispatched to a Fortune Avenue home regarding a Parma resident who was suspected of overdosing. An arriving officer revived the man by administering Narcan. The resident was cited for disorderly conduct-intoxicated. Breaking and entering: Brookpark Road On March 13, a car dealership employee called police after discovering that someone had entered a service door and removed property. There are no suspects. Police are investigating. Assault: Yorkshire Road On March 13, police were dispatched to a Yorkshire Road home regarding a disturbance. An arriving officer located the aggressor. A Parma man was arrested after assaulting a man at the residence. He was cited for assault. Fake cash: State Road On March 13, police were dispatched to a State Road gas station after an employee discovered that a customer had paid using a fake $50 bill. There are no suspects. Police are investigating. Drug abuse: State Road During a March 14 traffic stop, police discovered that a Fairview Park man was in possession of suspected felony drugs. He was arrested for drug abuse. Read more from the Parma Sun Post. (Newser) Federal prisons are officially under lockdown. In an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, 146,000 federal inmates in 122 facilities will be confined to their cells for the next two weeks beginning Wednesday, per Politico and USA Today. "Limited group gathering will be afforded to the extent practical to facilitate commissary, laundry, showers, telephone, and [computer] access," reads a Tuesday statement from the Bureau of Prisons, which notes the lockdown could be extended. "During this time, to the extent practicable, inmates should still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures, such as mental health treatment and education." Incoming movement will also be restricted. story continues below As of March 26, newly admitted inmates have undergone temperature checks, with the asymptomatic quarantined for 14 days and the symptomatic isolated until they recover or are otherwise cleared per CDC guidelines, the agency says. Some 30 inmates and just as many staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, per a federal prison system report, and one Louisiana inmate with preexisting medical conditions has died. But union groups believe those numbers to be higher. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York and California Rep. Karen Bass, both Democrats, have requested that "medically compromised, elderly, and pregnant prisoners" be released. Attorney General William Barr is said to be weighing the idea of home confinement. (Read more lockdown stories.) Tenants across California are organizing rent strikes for the month of April, arguing they will not be able to pay their landlords for the foreseeable future and that the minimal protections now in place fail to provide relief for vulnerable renters. As Covid-19 shelter-in-place orders have led to a surge in unemployment and slowed down the states economy, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, has passed a two-month delay on imposing evictions for people who cannot pay rent due to the crisis. His order prevents the enforcement of evictions until the end of May but requires tenants to repay the full amount later, forces renters to jump through numerous hoops and opens the door for evictions to resume in June. While several large municipalities have passed stronger protections, tenants groups say the governors order does not go far enough and could pave the way for an even more catastrophic housing crisis than the one plaguing California before coronavirus. Activists are now coordinating rent strikes, a practice that has gained traction in LA in recent years and involves tenants organizing as a group, withholding rents and making collective demands. We are all suffering, but we shouldnt have to suffer to this extent, said Melissa Reyes, a 25-year-old Los Angeles resident who plans to withhold her rent and is helping organize a strike in her Boyle Heights building. This is about survival and necessity. Newsoms order only temporarily restricts the enforcement of evictions, still allowing landlords to start the eviction process, file notices and move to kick tenants out when the moratorium ends. His policy further requires tenants declare in writing that they cant pay due to Covid-19, and that they have documentation, which could be a hurdle for undocumented workers, people with non-traditional employment and those dealing with medical crises. It also does not stop landlords from moving forward with evictions for reasons other than non-payment, such as remodeling or taking a rental off the market. Story continues It includes a lot of ways for tenants to trip up, said Michael Trujillo, staff attorney at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valleys housing program, adding, The governor has the power right now to just prohibit all evictions. In a state where many workers have to divert a significant portion of their paychecks to rent, activists have called for a complete moratorium on evictions and foreclosures and a statewide suspension of rent, meaning a rent freeze or forgiveness so that tenants do not wind up with insurmountable debts. For some, the decision is pay rent and starve, or dont pay rent and pay for food, said Chris Estrada, an organizer with the Los Angeles Center for Community Law and Action, which has fielded calls from dozens of tenants who dont have the cash to pay this week. For many others, he said, the reality is, If we pay April, will I starve in May? In a city such as San Francisco, where the median rent for a one-bedroom is $3,479, paying retroactively will be impossible for many. If six months later, I had a $20,000 debt waiting for me that I was expected to pay off right away, that would not be possible, especially after months of not having a stable paycheck, said Lupe Arreola, executive director of Tenants Together. The city of Oakland has passed what advocates said was the strongest protection in the state, with a moratorium that prohibits all evictions and prevents late fees and rent hikes in the next two months. While tenants will owe back rent when the emergency is over, the ordinance prohibits landlords from evicting them because of non-payment during that time, a move meant to encourage payment plans. This should be passed everywhere, said Leah Simon-Weisberg, an Oakland attorney, adding that she did not know a single tenant advocate in the state who supported Newsoms much weaker policy. LAs city council stopped short of passing a complete ban on evictions and requires tenants defend themselves against an eviction in court. The policy gives tenants a year to repay landlords. San Francisco also continues to allow limited evictions. The reality is corporate landlords are already negotiating with their banks to figure out their mortgage situation and how to not pay, said Kenia Alcocer, 34, who will not be paying rent in East LA and is helping other tenants strike. Why not us? Were the ones most impacted. Alcocer, an organizer with the group Union de Vecinos, gave birth in January to her second child, who suffered from numerous medical complications, which has already been a huge financial strain on her family and has escalated Covid-19 concerns. She estimated that more than 300 tenants who have worked with her group would not be paying rent this week, adding: They are talking to their neighbors and their family members, and the numbers are growing rapidly. Alcocer is encouraging others to strike in solidarity and said she heard from one tenant who panicked, paid Aprils rent and now regrets it: Now, he has no money for food, no money for anything else. He has no job. The LA Tenants Union is pushing a food not rent campaign and urging people not to pay this month even if they temporarily can afford it. Tracy Jeanne Rosenthal, a co-founder of the union, said that while there were clear risks to striking, There has never been a better time to use what little power we have, which is often your rent check, as a way of demanding that the city and state do right by a majority of its constituents. In LA county, she noted, an estimated 600,000 people spend 90% of their income on rent: Tenants were already in crisis. Some have noted that the $1,200-a-person check from the government as part of its Covid-19 stimulus package would barely make a dent in some peoples rent even as the emergency bill offers major benefits to large corporations. And activists have argued that although corporate landlords should not get bailouts, smaller property owners should also see a suspension of mortgage payments. Kyle Cunningham, a 32-year-old Boyle Heights resident, said he had lost all income as a freelance camera operator and that he had asthma and was uninsured. Withholding rent was the only feasible option for him and his fiance, who is also a freelancer, he said: Its a completely unprecedented situation for me. Ive always paid But I need to redirect the money I have to protect my family and buy groceries and the other necessities we need to stay inside. Related: Anger as Las Vegas turns parking lot into 'homeless shelter' Carolina Reid, faculty research adviser at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, said without drastic action, she feared the economy and housing market was heading toward another crash like the foreclosure crisis of 2008, which led to widening inequality and is still affecting California a decade later: Im worried about what happens when this crisis ends. Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for Newsom, did not respond to specific criticisms about the policy, saying in an email the order would provide significant relief to millions of Californians who worry about making rent next week and in the months to come especially in jurisdictions around the state that didnt act locally to implement their own moratoriums, adding, These protections provide a strong, statewide foundation that cities can build upon. Travel restrictions are being effected. Partial market lockdowns have been ordered, with many dreading the imminent economic fallout... Travel restrictions are being effected. Partial market lockdowns have been ordered, with many dreading the imminent economic fallout of such measures. From only one patient in Lagos, Nigerias coronavirus numbers have soared to a staggering 151 cases. Several countries dont seem to be faring any better, with the number of infected persons globally exceeding 500,000. The death toll from the zoonotic disease currently stands at over 25,000 across a total of 199 countries. Whats more troubling is that vaccines are still months away. But, while governments and law enforcement agencies globally are busy enforcing precautionary strategies, many would agree that the roles of some existing and former religious/political leaders cant be over-reiterated amid the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears, however, that there are those among them who hold unorthodox views as regards the outbreak. Some have attributed it to a deity attempting to separate the wheat from the chaff while others have held the opinion that the death toll signals some retribution for mens ungodly ways. Enoch Adeboye Enoch Adeboye, general overseer (GO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), had opened the floodgates of mixed reactions after he was captured on video clips reassuring Nigerians that COVID-19 wont come near them so long as they serve God wholeheartedly. I want to assure you that theres no virus thatll come near you at all because it is written that he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadows of the almighty, the clergyman said. It shall be well with you. Youll have peace and good health. I believe that this is a time for God to show you that theres a difference between those who serve him wholeheartedly and those who do not.It shall be well with you. Youll have peace and good health. The 78-year-old cleric had also stated that God long revealed to him that a compulsory holiday was imminent while describing the COVID-19 outbreak as Gods way of showing the world that he (God) is still in control. He told me loud and clear that the whole world will be on compulsory holiday. I knew the time the world got close to a compulsory holiday was when there was an attack on the World Trade Centre in America, Adeboye had said. So when he said the whole world is going to be on compulsory holiday, I thought something like that was going to happen as it happened during 9/11. If somebody had prophesied it, when it happens, the Interpol will come and pick up the person and say, you heard about the plot. Festus Keyamo For Keyamo, a lawyer who doubles as a senior advocate of Nigeria, the outbreak remains a plague God allowed to afflict humans so that they could retrace their steps back to him after a derailment in values. The minister of state, labour and employment also stated that humans must play their part in the fight against the disease. God has allowed COVID-19 to afflict the human race only to redirect our steps back to Him, he tweeted. We have so distorted Gods Word to suit our own human weaknesses and satisfy our greed, even in supposed Holy Places, the minister said. We should collectively ask for forgiveness and it will all end in praise. Aside from the spiritual angle of this scourge, we must all work and pray. God can only help those who help themselves. Those our recalcitrant pastors must realise this before it can quickly end in praise. Dino Melaye Just as both clergymen and politicians were weighing in their thoughts about the pandemic, Melaye, a former senator representing Kogi west, had joined the fray, arguing that the outbreak is a sign of end-time long foretold by the doctrine of Christianity. According to him, the battle against COVID-19 isnt about face masks or hand sanitisers. The Lord is laughing at us in His sour displeasure. I repeat we must apologize to God & repent of our sins. All leaders in Nigeria including me must restitute & reconcile with God. Judgment is neigh. These are signs of the end time, he had said while referencing biblical excerpts. Governments have become gods, individuals have become diabolically arrogant, leaders have become thieves & cabals, citizens have become complacent & greedy, truth has no home on earth again, men of God have become lovers of money, kings can no longer stand for their subjects. This corona period is a sober reflection time, reorganizing and discipline oneself. Most importantly staying attuned to God. We still remember the story in the bible about the tower of Babel. Hank Kunnenman Hank Kunnenman, an American pastor, had similarly described COVID-19 as the spirit of God which the United States would be protected from because Donald Trumps administration has lived in alignment with his will. In a video shared on social media, the clergyman, who is a senior pastor of the Lord of Hosts Church, proclaimed: Listen to the words that I speak to you this moment says the living God, the United States, for I have spoken to you before and I speak to you again. I have extended and opened a window of mercy to this nation at this time, Kunnenman had explained. The virus they speak of, the diagnosis, the fear, my mercy is the quarantine. That shall be greater than what they have spoken to you, United States. And because of the administration has aligned with Israel, and because they have sided on the right side of life, life in the womb and outside the womb, therefore I give life to this nation and I give mercy. Do not fear. This virus is the spirit of God. As at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, Nigeria has 151 confirmed cases of COVID19 with 2 death. For the last few days, the Spanish health system has been seeing scenes that doctors with three decades of experience are unable to describe without their voices trembling. Having to choose who they can save. Watching one patient after another die. Finding out that colleagues are getting infected non-stop. I never thought that I would live through something like this, honestly, explains a doctor from Madrids 12 de Octubre hospital. In the 10 days from March 16 to 25, according to internal data, more than 170 coronavirus patients died there. The impact has been terrible. And there are still fears as to what could happen in the next eight or nine days, when the conditions of patients with early symptoms of the Covid-19 disease worsen and they need to be admitted to already-full intensive care units (ICUs). But despite all of the adversity, there are hopes among healthcare professionals that the worst is nearly over and that there are some indications that optimism is due. We trust that we have seen the light of the end of the tunnel and that gives us that strength Chief of service at a major public hospital Fewer people are coming into the emergency room, explains a doctor at Madrids La Paz hospital. We have had more than 300 emergency cases in a day, and today we are under 200, adds a staff member at the Severo Ochoa in Leganes. The pressure has dropped slightly, explains a spokesperson from the 12 de Octubre. At the weekend we saw a fall, but well have to wait a few days to see if the trend is confirmed, they explain at the Vall dHebron hospital in Barcelona. The number of incoming patients has stabilized after days of daily rises, explains a chief of service at the Virgen del Rocio in Seville. On Monday [March] 23 we treated 79 new patients for the virus. Yesterday that was down to 55, explains the spokesperson from the Miguel Servet hospital in Zaragoza. The situation is not the same in all of Spain, where the epidemic is moving at different rates depending on the region. But Juan Armengol, the president of the Spanish Medical Society for Emergencies (SEMES) admits that there is a general impression that the number of patients is falling, despite a lack of data. It has fallen in the Madrid region at least, while in other regions such as Catalonia the rise has moderated or been halted, Armengol adds. A healthcare worker at the 12 de Octubre hospital in Madrid. SERGIO PEREZ (Reuters) The two dozen or so sources consulted for this article are cautious after many days of tension and of living with the feeling that we are on the limit, explains the chief of service at a major public hospital. There are very tough days coming, with a lot of deaths on their way, he adds. But we trust that we have seen the light of the end of the tunnel and that gives us that strength that we were starting to lack. The case of the hospital in Torrejon de Ardoz is particularly revealing, as its chief of intensive medicine, Maria Cruz Martin Delgado, explains. We were the first hospital to have Covid-19 patients in the ICU, so we are slightly ahead, she explains. In the last 48 hours we have seen that not only are emergency cases down, but that also admissions on the wards and to the ICU have fallen, from four or five a day to just two. Today we even received a patient from another hospital because we had a spare bed in the ICU. That would have been unthinkable a week ago. For Miquel Porta, a professor in Public Health at the Barcelona Autonomous University (UAB), this data indicates that the measures adopted by the government are starting to bear fruit. The Spanish Cabinet approved a state of alarm on March 21 that essentially confined residents to their homes apart from essential tasks such as shopping and getting to their place of work. After the number of infections and deaths continued to rise, however, stricter measures went into place on Monday of this week suspending activity in all but essential sectors. The measures adopted by the government are starting to bear fruit Miquel Porta, professor in Public Health at the Barcelona Autonomous University The immediate future, explains Armengol, should see a continued fall in the infection rate. If that trend is confirmed, which would indicate that the isolation measures are taking effect, the fall in contagions should be even greater. The problems related to testing in Spain faulty kits, changes in protocol have tainted the figures for new infections as a faithful reflection of the progress of the epidemic. Other indicators, such as the number of hospitalizations, ICU patients and deaths have become more objective. In this context, the falls in the number of emergency admissions and ICU patients are of particular relevance. If emergency cases fall, everything else can breathe, explains a chief at a Catalan hospital. There are just a few days left for this to be noticeable. We just have to hold on for the coming days. Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, said on Sunday that the ICUs would see their toughest moments at the end of this week or at the beginning of the next. The toughening of the confinement measures introduced on Monday are aimed at slowing the arrival of more patients in ICUs that are already at their limits. Reducing the pressure on ICUs allows for better treatment of patients and a reduction in deaths, explains Martin Delgado. When the pressure falls, it allows you to better deal with the more critical patients, she says. In better areas, with the more appropriate respirators for each case, with better personnel ratios, with more adequate professionals That is more like a normal process. We are at the beginning of the beginning of getting back to that. English version by Simon Hunter. Around 78 travellers who had returned from Leh and were put under 14-day quarantine in Srinagar were sent back home on Tuesday after completing the quarantine period, said officials of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday. As soon as the people came out of the hotels in Srinagar where the administration had put them in quarantine after arriving from Leh in an Air India flight on March 18, they were ferried to their respective districts of the valley in state transport buses. This was the first batch of people who were quarantined and were lodged in two hotels. No one among them developed flu-like symptoms. The police clapped for them to boost their morale, said Idrees, nodal officer of the quarantine centre on the banks of Dal Lake. Out of these 78 people, 52 were travellers including businessmen while 26 were students. They had arrived at Srinagar Airport on March 18 and most of them belonged to Kupwara, Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Ganderbal Kashmir had reported its first coronavirus positive case on March 18 and the authorities had imposed restrictions from the next day to prevent the spread of the disease. As soon as they landed at the airport, they were put in quarantine at the designated hotels, said additional deputy commissioner Srinagar, Hanif Balki. The Kashmir administration has quarantined hundreds of people in over 65 hotels and government buildings who returned from foreign countries as well as those from different parts of the country after March 18. Balki said that more people will be completing their quarantine on Wednesday. Over 100 people, many of which are students who had arrived from Bangladesh will be sent back homes, he said. The doctors have advised them to home quarantine themselves for another 14 days. We have issued necessary instructions to them, including the need to stay indoors and avoid any unnecessary travel, he said. Honda Siel Power Products on Wednesday said its two promoters -- Japan's Honda Motor Co and India's Usha International -- have terminated their over two-decades old joint venture. Subsequently, Siddharth Shriram has also resigned as an independent director and chairperson of Honda Siel Power Products with Takahiro Ueda being proposed to be appointed in his place. The joint venture agreement dated October 25, 1997, entered between Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Japan, and Usha International Limited to create and operate Honda Siel Power Products Ltd (HSSP) as a joint venture has been terminated pursuant to a termination agreement executed on March 31, 2020, HSSP said in a regulatory filing. The company said its board of directors at a meeting held on Wednesday "deliberated" termination of JV agreement although it is not a party to the agreement. The board also deliberated on approving re-classification request of Usha International Ltd from 'Promoter and Promoter Group' category to 'Public' category. As on quarter ended December 31, 2019, Honda Motor Co held 66.67 per cent in HSSP with the Indian partner Usha International Ltd having 1 per cent stake. HSSP further said its board also said the agreement between Honda and Usha International permitting the usage of the name 'Siel' as part of the name of Honda Siel Power Products Ltd stands terminated. HSSP is a leading player in power products industry, manufacturing and marketing a range of portable generators, water pumps, tillers and general purpose engine. It also markets lawn mower, brush cutter and long-tailed outboard motors. It has a manufacturing facility at Greater Noida. This is the second joint venture between the two parties which has been terminated. In August 2012, Usha International exited from its then joint venture -- Honda Siels Cars India -- with Honda Motor Company by selling its entire 3.16 per cent stake to the Japanese partner for Rs 180 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We're here to protect your website and social media while keeping you connected to your customers without interruption. When you're ready to resume business, your customers will be ready as well. Incite Response, a leading provider of digital marketing services, has launched several new programs to assist businesses that are temporarily closing or cutting back due to the new coronavirus pandemic. The programs were created to respond to the need many businesses now have to ensure their websites and other digital communication lines with customers remain secure and updated during this time. 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Refrigerated tractor trailers that can be used by hospitals for make shift morgues are seen, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Icahn Stadium parking lot on Randall's Island in New York (Reuters) - Lockdowns to halt the spread of the coronavirus have brought silence to some of the world's busiest places. Transport hubs that should be teeming with travellers such as New York's Grand Central Terminal or Istanbul's Eminonu ferry docks are all but deserted. DEATHS, INFECTIONS * More than 878,300 people have been infected across the world and over 43,400 have died, according to a Reuters tally. * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. EUROPE * Italy will extend lockdown restrictions to April 13, as data from this week suggests a slowdown of growth in total cases, though its national health institute says official death toll could be underestimated. * Cases in Spain topped 100,000 on Wednesday, and two planes with protective equipment arrived to restock an overloaded public health system. * France became the fourth country to pass the 4,000 coronavirus deaths threshold. * Britain said it would ramp up the number of tests amid widespread criticism that it was doing far too few. * Switzerland no longer faces shortages in coronavirus testing, its top health official dealing with the pandemic said on Wednesday. * Measures to limit the outbreak in the Netherlands appear to have halved the rate of infection but need to be continued to be really effective, a top health official said. * Germany will extend social distancing measures introduced last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus to April 19 and the government will re-evaluate the situation after the Easter holiday. * Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking precautions to protect himself, as Moscow launched a smartphone app designed to track people who have been ordered to stay home. * Russia sent the United States medical equipment on Wednesday to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, a public relations coup for Putin. Story continues * Turkey will step up measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak if it keeps spreading and people ignore "voluntary" quarantine rules, President Tayyip Erdogan said. * European scientists and engineers will launch an initiative to support the use of digital contact tracing applications. AMERICAS * U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wants to virus-proof the November election by including funding to boost voting by mail in the next pandemic response plan, as confirmed cases in the country climbed to 186,101 and while deaths rose to 3,603. * The governor of New York cracked down even harder on public gatherings, calling residents who disregarded stay-at-home rules "selfish" as California's governor warned his state will run out of hospital beds by next month. * Canada's death toll jumped by 35% in less than a day and Quebec said it was running low on key medical equipment. * An indigenous woman in a village deep in the Amazon rainforest has contracted the coronavirus. * Cuba suspended arriving international flights and asked all foreign boats to withdraw from its waters. * Nearly 30 medical workers at a hospital in northern Mexico have been infected, as the national tally climbed to 1,215. ASIA AND THE PACIFIC * Mainland China reported dwindling new infections on Wednesday and for the first time disclosed the number of asymptomatic cases, which could complicate how trends in the outbreak are read. * Singapore reported 74 new cases in its biggest intraday jump, bringing its total to 1,000. * Japan will ban entry to foreigners from 73 countries and ask everyone arriving from abroad to begin quarantine. * India scoured mosques to trace people who attended a Muslim gathering in New Delhi that later emerged as a hotspot. * The rate of new infections in Malaysia appears to be slowing amid month-long curbs on movement, a senior health official said. * A team of Chinese scientists has isolated several antibodies that it says are "extremely effective" at blocking the ability of the virus to enter cells. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Iran's president said the U.S. had missed an opportunity to lift sanctions on his country, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehran's fight against the virus, which has killed more than 3,000 people and infected close to 48,000. * Ugandan doctors accused the government of endangering the lives of those in medical emergencies by requiring that all seek permission to secure transportation to hospitals. * Egypt has ramped up efforts to fight the coronavirus, ordering manufacturers to channel medical protective equipment to public hospitals. ECONOMIC FALLOUT * World equity markets began the new quarter with steep losses on Wednesday. [MKTS/GLOB] * Factories fell quiet across much of the world in March as the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed economic activity, with evidence mounting that the world is sliding into deep recession. * China's ports and shipping firms are bracing for a second wave of supply chain disruptions that may be deeper and more prolonged than during the country's lockdown. * The European Commision proposed a short-time work scheme modelled on Germany's Kurzarbeit programme to help people keep their jobs. * Italy plans to spend another $11 billion to guarantee debt and liquidity for professionals and companies hit by the crisis. * Switzerland is preparing to expand an emergency liquidity programme for businesses, as banks have already lent out more than half of the $20.70 billion set aside for state-backed loans. * U.S. restaurants asked the White House and congressional leaders for at least $325 billion in aid. (Compiled by Sarah Morland, Milla Nissi, Aditya Soni and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, William Maclean, Sriraj Kalluvila) By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/01/2020 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Anfisa Arkhipchenko has apparently entered a new relationship while her husband Jorge Nava is in prison, and she just revealed her new man on social media.Anfisa went Instagram official with a new man named Leo Assaf on March 18, when she posted a photo of the pair embracing and captioned it, "Quarantine and chill?"Anfisa added a winking emoticon sticking its tongue out as well as a red-heart emoji to her post, and she seemingly had no shame revealing her new romance.In the photo, Anfisa and Leo rested their heads against each other while his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist. They were both outdoors in the sun, taking in a lovely beach view.Although Anfisa didn't confirm Leo is her boyfriend in the post, she and Leo further addressed their relationship in the comments section."I'm so happy for you. You have no idea," wrote one Instagram user with heart emojis."Thank you!!" replied Anfisa, who changed her name to Anfisa Nava after getting married.A second fan called Leo a "lucky guy," to which Anfisa responded with a side-smirking emoticon. Anfisa also wrote a heart emoji when a follower called them a "stunning couple."And a third person wrote, "I'm LIVING for this!! You deserve so much more [than] what Jorge gave you, girl. LOL. Im glad you have a genuine smile now. You have changed and been through too much. You deserve it all. Own it!"Anfisa wrote back, "Thank you so much. This means a lot to me."star Larissa Christina Dos Santos Lima also showed her support by commenting with a line of pink heart emojis.On March 11, Anfisa also uploaded a photo of her fit body and Leo commented, "Always proud of you, baby. I'll always be your biggest fan!"In reply, Anfisa wrote, "[Love] you," along with a heart-eyes emoji.When a fan gushed over Anfisa and Leo's public display of affection, Leo wrote, "She's definitely my queen."Jorge was a 27-year-old from Riverside, CA and Anfisa was a 20-year-old from Moscow, Russia when Anfisa arrived in America on a K-1 visa to be with her love.Anfisa didn't exactly deny she was in the relationship for Jorge's money, but she believed he, in turn, was dating her primarily for her looks. Regardless, the pair got married in a simple courthouse ceremony.But Jorge began serving a 22-month prison sentence in September 2018 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of marijuana transportation.Jorge is currently still behind bars, and for a while, his marriage to Anfisa remained strong and intact.In December 2018, Anfisa opened up about how she and her husband were having "a lot of phone sex" during Jorge's daily phone calls from prison, according to In Touch Weekly.And Anfisa clapped back at haters who questioned the status of their marriage."So done," Anfisa reportedly snapped at a follower who noticed she wasn't wearing a wedding ring in one of her photos. "Whoever asks it again is getting their car keyed."And in November 2019, Jorge told E! News his marriage to Anfisa was doing "really well" and he had lost a staggering 125 pounds of weight. Jorge gushed about his physical, mental and emotional transformation.Jorge was arrested at age 28 in February 2018 with nearly 300 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of his car.Jorge previously said he believes his prior criminal record -- which includes two previous convictions for cultivation of marijuana -- is why he didn't receive a lighter sentence to begin with."With the charges against me, I was looking at around 24 years or something like that. [It was] some ridiculous number," he told TMZ in 2018."But luckily, my lawyer was able to work out a plea agreement and I got the charges dropped and I ended up pleading to a class 4 felony in Arizona."Recreational marijuana (especially 300 pounds of it) is still not legal in Arizona.After originally appearing on Season 4 of , Jorge and Anfisa -- who met on Facebook -- were also part of the cast of Seasons 2 and 3 of : Happily Ever After?.Jorge and Anfisa, however, confirmed in October 2018 they wouldn't be returning to .Anfisa dedicated her time to fitness while Jorge spent his time in prison, and she has since become a competitive bodybuilder."To fill the void that I felt after Jorge was sentenced and I was left on my own I decided to try to stay busy and do what I enjoy the most and it was working out," Anfisa previously said on Instagram.Jorge is supposed to be released from jail in May 2020, but he's worried the coronavirus pandemic could delay the process, according to TMZ.The website added Jorge now weighs 190 pounds, down from his original weight of 318 pounds.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our webpage! Beginning Friday, Costco members will have to choose just one other person to tag along with them on shopping excursions. The company recently announced it will limit only two shoppers at a time to visit stores under the same membership card as part of ongoing efforts to decrease the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus. This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts, the company said on its website. Costco previously announced its stores will close at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, two hours ahead of its normal schedule. Gas stations will open at 7:30 a.m. each day and close at 7 p.m. during the week, and 6:30 p.m. on the weekends. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, physically disabled and elderly customers considered high-risk for serious illness from the coronavirus can exclusively shop from 8 to 9 a.m. Like many stores, the warehouse retailer has been limiting the number of select items customers can buy at a time, including toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Costco recently said it wont be accepting returns on in-demand items such as these. Operation of the some of the retailers departments have been cut out or reduced during the outbreak to avoid unnecessary personal contact, Costco said online. Affected services may include the hearing aid, optical, floral and jewelry departments. Costcos food courts remain open with limited selections and without seating. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite the dangers facing EMS workers amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Staten Islands volunteer ambulance groups are rising to meet the call of duty in New York City. Volunteer Heart Ambulance of Staten Island and the North Shore Rescue Squad, who are both included within the FDNY EMS Mutual Aid System, are responding to calls on the borough, and also in other spots around the city, during an unprecedented influx of EMS calls due to the coronavirus. Youre dealing with here people who have a choice, who are able to say, Yes, Im going to continue with serving the community and treating our patients and being able to help the community and work all together and weather this storm, said Neil Kelley, the CFO of Volunteer Heart Ambulance of Staten Island otherwise known as Volly Heart." That speaks volumes to the dedication of the people doing this, Kelley said. Volunteer Heart Ambulance, which has been on Staten Island since 1971, has three ambulances and 30-40 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65 many of whom are also EMS workers, working in their spare time to help supplement the FDNYs inundated backlog of EMS calls. Volunteer Heart ambulances are "doing everything that a 911 truck would do on a day-by-day basis, said Nicholas Portera, the president of the group. Basically, if the patient needs to be brought to a hospital, were bringing them to the hospital, Portera said. While Volunteer Heart Ambulance is normally centered on the South Shore of Staten Island, Kelley said the group has been sent all over recently, including Brooklyn as recently as Tuesday where EMS calls were especially heavy yesterday. The group is able to travel throughout the city and "supplement coverage where there is a backlog, he said. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The North Shore Rescue Squad, which has an ambulance of its own and about 30 volunteers who range from 18-year-olds to those in their 60s, also said the group has been recently aiding in the EMS efforts in Brooklyn, but is expecting the situation to be difficult for everybody everywhere. Captain Edward Santo, a volunteer at the North Shore Rescue Squad and also an EMS worker in Manhattan, said he has never seen a rise in 911 calls in his seven years of being on the job. Ive never seen anything like this, he said, noting that even busier days such as New Years Eve dont even reach the level of influx that he has seen recently. Weve been all over, he said. Because of that influx, Santo said he feels an obligation to volunteer on days he doesnt have an EMS shift. On my days off I kind of still feel like I could be helping out my brothers and sisters, Santo said, and help relieve some of the system. A North Shore Rescue Squad ambulance. (Photo courtesy of Edward Santo) LIMITED EQUIPMENT The risk regarding limited personal protective equipment (PPE) has also impacted volunteer ambulances on Staten Island, which work mostly on donations and have to try to gather equipment as other, larger agencies also vie for masks. Volunteer Heart Ambulance is still waiting for supplies just as much as everyone else, Portera said, adding that the group did recently buy more than 200 N95 masks, but acknowledged that more will surely be needed underscoring the risk volunteer EMS workers face during their everyday tours. Santo said the North Shore Rescue Squad ambulance is fitted with proper PPE, but echoed Volunteer Heart Ambulances sentiment that supplies are extremely limited, adding that it is difficult for volunteer ambulance groups to get more because of an overall shortage. Were kind of bartering with other agencies, Santo said. If we have an abundance of something, or they have an abundance, we are kind of trading back and forth." Like other EMS workers who are concerned about the health risks of constantly responding to calls, especially regarding the widespread lack of PPE, Volly Heart volunteers have exhibited caution after their shifts, said Portera changing right away when they return home. Thus far, the group has not had an issue with its volunteers calling out sick, Kelley said; however, As the people get mandated for overtime, or have their days-off canceled, thats going to impact their ability to volunteer." While understanding the risk he and other volunteer EMS workers take on a daily basis, Santo, a lifelong borough resident whose family has worked in the public sector, said the threat of the coronavirus looms large on Staten Island regardless of profession. Especially in Staten Island, where we have a lot of public servants and a lot of essential employees, I think were all at risk for a lot of this, he said. Volunteer Heart Ambulances. (Brianna Sison /Volunteer Heart Ambulance) A COUNTRY-WIDE EFFORT Mayor Bill de Blasio, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell and FEMA Region II Administrator Tom Van Essen announced a partnership on Tuesday that will bring more than 250 ambulances and approximately 500 more EMTs to the city further helping the EMS system Staten Islands volunteer ambulance services have been working to supplement. When I heard that this was actually a real thing, that people would come from around the country and help us out with ambulances, I almost didnt believe it but, seeing is believing said Nigro. All I can say is thank you so much for the people of the city of New York, said Nigro, at Fort Totten in Queens where EMTs from across the U.S. were gathered on Tuesday. Councilman Joe Borelli, who was at the Fort Totten site where EMTs were being put into the FDNYs EMS system, said ambulances from just about every state in the United States arrived via the partnership to help New York City. New Yorkers should not be alarmed if they see ambulances they dont recognize," Borelli said, and if you see somebody serving from out of state, make sure you at least buy them a sandwich or recommend one of our great restaurants and of course, dont forget to say, thank you. Loading MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: These companies are hiring in wake of coronavirus Coronavirus and the workplace: How Staten Islands largest employers are coping Cuomo: New York pause extended until at least April 15 Coronavirus: NY officially on pause; all non-essential businesses shuttered Dont you wish you were a dude? Skylar asks Autumn early on. Yeah, she says back. Like, all the time. The films title comes from questions listed on the Planned Parenthood questionnaire regarding Autumns sexual history, health and partners. The scene in the clinic is remarkable. We learn more about Autumn, more or less against the characters own will. But Hittman has no use for pat solutions, beyond the presence of the main characters resourceful and reliable cousin. Real-life social worker and onetime Planned Parenthood staffer Kelly Chapman plays Autumns empathetic questioner at the health clinic. Acting is new to her. Flanigan, the lead actress, has never made a feature before. You believe these two every second. The UK government announced how much the national minimum wage increased on 1 April. (PA) Almost 3 million of Britains lowest-paid workers are set for a pay rise, after the biggest ever hike in the legal minimum wage. The wage floor, now rebranded the national living wage, increased on Wednesday from 8.21 to 8.72 an hour for workers aged 25 and over. Union leaders welcomed the pay boost for minimum wage heroes, including many working in vital roles in healthcare and supermarkets during the coronavirus lockdown. But two leading think tanks had urged the government to delay the hike, warning against increasing costs for employers at a time of enormous economic upheaval. The new national minimum wage rates Workers should see an increase in their next pay packets, after the 6.2% hike for over-25s came into effect on 1 April. Those aged 21-24 will see a 6.5% rise to 8.20 per hour. Workers aged 18-20 will receive 6.45, and 16- and 17-year-olds will receive 4.55. The apprentice rate will rise to 4.15. The new rates are different to, and remain lower than, the voluntary living wage, a separate measure based on analysis of the income needed to meet basic needs. The current living wage is 10.75 an hour in London and 9.30 outside the capital. Boost for workers on coronavirus frontline Many of the nation's key workers in, for example, the care sector, agriculture, transport and retail are low-paid, are continuing to work in very difficult conditions and will benefit from todays increase, said Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, which advises the government on the minimum wage. Frances OGrady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said Britain was indebted to its army of minimum wage heroes." Read more: Entrepreneurs falling through the cracks of UK coronavirus wage schemes She said many were struggling to make ends meet, welcoming the rise but calling for the legal minimum to be hiked to the level of the voluntary living wage. It would be the best way to show our respect, she said. Story continues Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the Usdaw shopworkers union, said many low-paid workers in retail were finally being recognised as essential in the current crisis. He welcomed the pay rise, but also called for a swift hike to 10 an hour. Higher costs for firms risks job losses Experts had warned against raising business costs amid a growing economic crisis, however. With many firms crippled by plummeting demand and the government lockdown triggered by the coronavirus, think tanks had urged the government to delay the pay rise. Tom Waters, a senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), warned the hike could undercut the governments other policies to keep firms afloat and stop job losses. The government is offering 330bn of loans and guarantees, and grants to furlough and cover wage costs for workers who would otherwise face the axe. Prime minister Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak pushed on with a minimum wage rise despite the growing economic storm. (PA) Even a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, which focuses on improving living standards, said the current climate puts the latest rise in a new light. Nye Cominetti said the think tank had long supported minimum wage hikes, but warned higher costs risked pushing some hard-hit firms into cutting staff. He said firms in low-paying sectors such as hospitality, leisure, travel and retail were at the heart of the economic crisis, and argued delaying the rise could help them weather the storm. Read more: Coronavirus will wipe 15% off GDP in next quarter The Low Pay Commission said it would review whether an emergency brake was needed on future rises. A government spokesman told PA it was right workers were fairly rewarded and should not lose out during this time of disruption. He said the government recognised the increased employer costs, but highlighted its coronavirus job retention scheme to save jobs. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK The moratorium granted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), both on term and working capital loans, to provide a helping hand to corporates and customers struggling with inadequate liquidity, may become a cause for concern for them later. Under the RBI scheme, there is a three-month moratorium on the interest payment on working capital loans. So, after the end of three months, the deferred interest (of three months) will be collected immediately after the moratorium ends. Hence, corporates may end up paying four months interest on their loans together. This could come as a blow ... WASHINGTON (April 1, 2020) - The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved up to $50 million to fund a registry and randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in preventing COVID-19 infections in U.S. healthcare workers. The registry will create a community of healthcare workers (HCWs) interested in contributing to understanding the impact of COVID-19 on them and their colleagues, families and friends, and to determine their willingness to participate in clinical studies. The trial will evaluate the use of HCQ in addition to usual practice in both preventing COVID-19 infection in exposed healthcare workers and limiting the amount of virus HCWs without symptoms might spread and thus unintentionally disperse to others. The study, led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), will leverage the infrastructure of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, and its established research network of more than 850,000 clinicians and hundreds of health systems, to allow research to be conducted quickly and efficiently. Study results will be shared widely with the healthcare community, including participating healthcare workers and others most affected. "PCORI is very pleased to fund this critical study as part of the effort to marshal the nation's scientific and clinical expertise to address the unprecedented threat COVID-19 poses to the United States," said PCORI Interim Executive Director Josephine P. Briggs, MD. "This study's focus on high-risk healthcare workers is especially important given their vital role on the front lines of treating this novel infection." "For healthcare workers treating patients during this pandemic and beyond, prevention strategies are critical," Briggs said. "But we need more data and evidence about HCQ's safety and effectiveness. Using PCORnet to power this project will enable rapid data capture and analysis that will provide insights quickly to those who need it most." The newly funded initiative, known as the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) research program, will have two components. The first, the registry, will engage HCWs so researchers can understand their physical and emotional health status or gauge interest in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic or facilitate their enrollment into future studies. The second component is the HERO-HCQ trial, which will identify about 15,000 registry participants for inclusion in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that will examine whether taking HCQ for one month is effective in both preventing COVID-19 infection in exposed healthcare workers and holding down the amount of virus HCWs without symptoms might unintentionally spread to others. The registry is expected to launch in early April, with nationwide enrollment of healthcare workers. The randomized clinical trial will involve about 40 PCORnet sites across the United States and is expected to start later in April. Enrolled healthcare workers will receive either HCQ or a placebo for 30 days and then be followed for two months. Using PCORnet to conduct the study offers several major advantages over traditional trials. The network has a wealth of information to draw on in setting up the trial registry. It also has a well-established community of healthcare systems with experience collaborating on large clinical studies engaging patients and clinicians alike. This community will facilitate the oversight essential to ensure the study is carried out ethically and allow any interested healthcare or emergency worker to easily join the study. And once the registry is established, it can serve as a community to efficiently conduct future trials, including those involving participants beyond the healthcare community. "It is important to study how we might be able to prevent this infection in our healthcare workers," said Dawn Hawley, RN, MSN, an emergency department nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "By taking care of our healthcare teams, this allows us to better take care of our patients. Determining the best way to protect our staff shows compassion, which in turn we can show for our patients." ### About PCORI The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continually seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 31, 2020 | 02:56 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY He began teaching at Paducah Middle back in 2011 after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Social Studies from WKU. While at Paducah Middle, Snardon taught sixth grade geography and eighth grade history. He served on the School Based Decision Making Council for five years and acted as facilitator for the School Lighthouse Leadership Team for two years. He was a finalist for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award in 2015. In 2017, Snardon transitioned to Title One Counselor for Paducah Public Schools, where he was responsible for oversight of the federal Title One funding for the district, including budgeting, assisting schools with Title One programs, and assisting students who qualified for Title One services. "We are excited to add someone of Corbin's quality to our leadership team at the Paducah Innovation Hub," said Superintendent Dr. Donald Shively. "He's passionate about reaching students, and dedicated to making our community a better place to live and work. We look forward to seeing what he will accomplish on behalf of our students at the Innovation Hub." In addition to his Bachelor's degree, Snardon earned a MAE in School Counseling and a MAE in Education Administration from Murray State University. He currently serves as second vice-president and education chair for the Paducah McCracken County NAACP, and was named NAACP member of the year in 2018. Snardon will continue his work as interim assistant principal at Paducah Middle for the remainder of the school year, and will begin his work with the Paducah Innovation Hub this summer. On Tuesday, Paducah Middle School's Interim Assistant Principal Corbin Snardon was named assistant principal of the Paducah Innovation Hub. Many restaurants are adapting their businesses to offer takeaways and deliveries which are allowed under the latest Covid-19 restrictions announced by the Taoiseach. Judge Roy Beans in Newbridge is starting its Take-Out Menu from TODAY at 6pm. Customers are asked to check out the menu on the Judge Roy Beans Facebook page. Owner Vivian Carroll said: We will be offering a comprehensive menu for deliveries and takeaways." We will also be including alcohol such as wine with the orders. He added: We will be operating under the new public health restrictions and practising social distancing." Under the Covid-19 restrictions announced by the Taoiseach on Friday last, cafes and restaurants are permitted to offer takeaway and delivery services as long as social distancing is practised by both staff and customers. Householders are allowed to break the 'stay at home' rule in order to travel to collect a takeaway meal. Meanwhile Judge Roy Beans is delivering 100 free dinners to elderly people today to mark the 10th anniversary of the bar and restaurant. Mr Carroll said: Our staff have volunteered to work for free and QiQ (the delivery service) will deliver for free. We will deliver soup, roast beef and cheesecake. As more shoppers try to order groceries online to avoid going to the store during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, they are increasingly encountering the same problem: No delivery spots are available. Portland resident Ruththella White has tried to order groceries numerous times since Gov. Kate Brown issued a statewide stay-at-home order last week, and has been frustrated that she cant get on the delivery schedule. During the past two years I have never had a problem with scheduling a delivery, White said via email Tuesday. I have tried to schedule with Amazon, Instacart, Fred Meyer, and Albertsons. Nothing is available, including pick-up. Cheryl Lewman of Milwaukie has faced similar frustrations. She was able to get a load of groceries delivered from Safeway, but it took more than a week to get on the schedule. She tried ordering from Whole Foods via Amazon, and couldnt find any delivery times. And she tried to order groceries for curbside pickup from Fred Meyer, only to see the order canceled after a four-day wait. I am very nervous about grocery shopping, she said via email last week. No one can actually come through with delivering food. When shoppers try to order groceries from Whole Foods Market through Amazon Prime, they frequently are encountering messages like this when they try to checkout. Shoppers are having difficulty getting online groceries delivered, in part, because theres so much demand right now. And demand could intensify with the extension of the federal governments social distancing guidelines through at least until April 30. Many grocery stores have significantly cut back when they are open, eliminating early-morning and late-evening hours when stores would typically be less crowded. The reduced hours have made some stores even busier when they are open, making it difficult for shoppers to maintain social distancing recommendations to stay six feet apart. While some stores like New Seasons and WinCo Foods are limiting store access to keep the number of shoppers inside, thats resulted in long waits to get into stores. For shoppers nervous about crowded stores, ordering online seemed like the answer. While grocery stores are trying to hire new workers to keep up with demand, they dont have enough drivers and trucks to keep up. Our Grocery Delivery, Pharmacy Delivery, and Drive Up & Go services have been experiencing a higher than normal demand, said Jill McGinnis, director of communications and public affairs for Safeway and Albertsons. The stores are currently hiring employees, including delivery drivers, to meet increased demand. We are expanding our delivery slots soon and will be utilizing Door Dash to help deliver to customers, McGinnis said. As we add open slots for delivery and pickup, they are being reserved quickly by customers. Weve also reached out to the media teams at Whole Foods Market and Fred Meyer about how they are dealing with increased demand for home delivery, and will add their comments when we hear from them. Adding to the headache is an ongoing dispute between Instacart and its independent contractor shoppers, who deliver groceries from Portland-area stores like Albertsons, Costco, Food Front Coop, Fred Meyer, Natural Grocers, New Seasons, Safeway, Target and Uwajimaya. Thousands of Instacart shoppers walked off the job nationwide this week, demanding hazard pay of an additional $5 per order and increased tips for the duration of the health crisis. Theyre also asking for safety items like hand sanitizer and wipes. Shoppers who cant arrange home delivery still can arrange for curbside pickup at many stores. And more smaller stores are offering the service, such as Northeast Portlands Providore Fine Foods, World Foods, which has locations in the Pearl District and Southwest Portland, and Green Zebra Grocery, which has four Portland locations offering delivery and curbside pickup. For senior shoppers, not being able to get groceries delivered complicates a situation that was tough already. While many stores have set aside early-morning shopping hours for seniors and other vulnerable shoppers, seniors who dont drive are having difficulty getting to stores. And with the number of COVID-19 cases rising every day, some seniors wonder if they should avoid grocery stores entirely. White, who is 70 and faces several health challenges, including asthma, worries about possible exposure to COVID-19 if she has to go to the grocery store. I survived all of these life-threatening illnesses without treatment and diagnosis for two decades, she said. If I catch COVID-19, I will most likely have the worst outcome. White said she had reached out to Walmart and Safeway about the possibility of setting aside delivery times for housebound elderly and disabled customers, and didnt get a response. Shes also written to Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty about the problem, and hasnt heard back. The silence makes me wonder if anyone cares, she said. Do they believe we have outlived our usefulness? I know that my family still needs me for my knowledge, financial and emotional support. Stop the silence. Set aside grocery delivery times for the housebound shut-in elderly and disabled. Grey Lives Matter! -- Grant Butler gbutler@oregonian.com 503-221-8566; @grantbutler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Burma Myanmar Journalists Furious as Govt Blocks Over 200 Websites Including News Pages The website of Mandalay In-Depth News. / The Irrawaddy YANGONA number of registered online news agencies have filed complaints with the Myanmar Press Council after they found themselves among some 200 websites blocked by mobile network operators at the order of the Myanmar government. Among the news websites blocked by mobile network operators are Rakhine-based Narinjara News and Development Media Group (DMG), Mandalay-based Mandalay In-Depth News and Voice of Myanmar (VOM) and Tachileik-based Mekong News. All of them said they are officially registered with the Ministry of Information. This has caused serious damage to our reputation and profits. We are officially registered and they should scrutinize the situation carefully before blocking us, said Mandalay In-Depth News Chief Editor U Maung Tar, aka U Aung Hsan Oo. The Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD) of the Ministry of Communications and Transport ordered mobile internet service providers last week to block more than 200 websites and online pages. The websites include those featuring pornographyincluding child pornographyexplicit material and hate speech, as well as websites the department considers to be fake news. Mekong News Executive Editor Ko Nyan Lin Htet said the news website was blocked by some telecom operators last Thursday and later blocked by all operators on Monday. We were included on the list of fake news websites set for blocking. The fact that we are viewed as birds of a feather with fake news websites harms our reputation. We have reported this to the Press Council, Ko Nyan Lin Htet told The Irrawaddy. Some news websites were still accessible on Wednesday on the networks of state-owned operator MPT, Norwegian operator Telenor and internet service provider Ananda. Myanmar military-backed Mytel has blocked all the sites included in the order. PTD director-general U Myo Sowe said government departments monitored the websites for some time before preparing the lists of sites to be blocked and issuing the order to telecom operators and internet service operators. We have instructed them to block porn sites and fake news websites for a long time. If the Press Council confirms that those websites have never published fake news, [government] departments will have to conduct a review and if those websites really are not fake news, they [departments] will have to order operators to remove the block, U Myo Swe told The Irrawaddy. Journalist U Zeya Hlaing has criticized the move to block the news websites without first notifying the Information Ministry, which issued the licenses to those websites. At a time when people are in a state of panic, fake news websites must be blocked and the operators of such websites should also be arrested. But any blocking [of websites] should be in line with law, he said. Meanwhile, the government has opened cases against Nirinjara News Chief Editor U Khaing Myat Kyaw and VOM Chief Editor U Ne Myo Lin under the Counterterrorism Law for publishing interviews with Arakan Army (AA) officials. The two have been detained. Nirinjara News and Sittwe-based DMG have been reporting on the fighting between the Myanmar military and the AA in the region as well as alleged rights abuses against civilians committed by the Myanmar military. Both of news outlets are popular with Rakhine readers. The Home Affairs Ministrys Special Branch (SB) opened a lawsuit in May 2019 against DMG Chief Editor U Aung Min Oo under Article 17 (2) of the Unlawful Associations Act. Police have issued an arrest warrant for him. On March 23, the Myanmar government declared the AA to be a terrorist group and an unlawful association, saying the ethnic armed groups actions pose risks to the public and disrupt law and order, peace and the stability of the country. U Myo Swe said the PTD did not receive any specific orders to block the websites. I am not allowed to divulge the names of websites that were blocked, but most of them are culturally inappropriate websites like those with porn and child abuse, said U Zaw Min Oo, chief external relations officer of Mytel. Fake news websites and pages were also blocked. Porn sites should have been blocked a long time ago. It is even late [to block them] now. I think it is a good move. Telenor said in its statement that the PTD has ordered them to block 14 alleged fake news websites and 207 sites allegedly featuring child phonography and fake news. Telenor at first agreed to block only 154 porn sites, initially rejecting the order to block so-called fake news websites, as there was no strong legal precedent for the order. However, following discussions with the Communications and Transport Ministry, Telenor acknowledged the wider impacts of fake news and misinformation and blocked 67 more websites on Monday, though some news sites were still accessible on the network on Wednesday. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. You may also like these stories: Media Law Charges Dropped Against Voice Daily Editor and Columnist In Indonesia, Facebook and Twitter are Buzzer Battlegrounds as Election Looms MILFORD - The Milford courthouse is one of three Connecticut judicial buildings to close because of coronavirus concerns. Late Tuesday, Chief Court Administer Patrick L. Carroll III ordered the Stamford courthouse to ber closed because some employees at the may have been exposed to another employee who was exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms. Early Wednesday afternoon, Carroll said in a further effort to secure the highest possible level of protection to the public and to the staff who work in our courthouses, I am announcing today the temporary closure of two more courthouses - the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District Courthouse in Milford and the Middlesex Judicial District Courthouse in Middletown. These temporary closures are effective at the close of business today (April 1, 2020); cases from Ansonia-Milford will transfer to the Fairfield Judicial District courthouse located at 1061 Main St. in Bridgeport and cases from Middletown will transfer to the New Britain Judicial District courthouse located at 20 Franklin Square. He said a careful analysis of the business coming into these two courthouses indicates that they can be safely closed without compromising our ability to continue conducting our constitutionally mandated work at remaining, open, Judicial Branch locations. Our overarching goal remains the same: to protect our employees and members of the public from the further spread of the virus by keeping as few courthouses open as possible. Also key to this plan is the continued practice of social distancing and limiting the number of people in our courthouses. Our work continues daily to provide the highest possible protection to the public and staff. Coronavirus shutdowns could cause Australian house prices to plunge by 40 per cent within months to levels last seen in 2012 as unemployment triples overnight, an economist fears. Digital Finance Analytics principal Martin North said house prices in Australia's big cities were likely to plummet in coming months, as COVID-19 social distancing rules destroyed the economy. This could see house prices in Sydney fall to $600,000 for the first time since May 2012. 'My base case is a 40 per cent average fall over the next few months assuming a six-month hiatus regarding the virus,' Mr North told Daily Mail Australia. Westpac, Australia's second biggest bank, is now expecting the jobless rate to more than triple to 17 per cent by June, taking unemployment to levels unseen since 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. Its rival ANZ is so worried it is giving home borrowers the option of a six-month holiday on their loan repayments. Coronavirus shutdowns could cause Australian house prices to plunge by 40 per cent within months to levels last seen in 2012, an economist says. Pictured is a deserted Bondi Beach on April Fool's Day This could see house prices in Sydney fall to $600,000 for the first time since May 2012. Pictured is an aerial view of Maroubra in the city's south-east a decade ago Sydney's median house price stood at $1.021million last month, marking a rise of 1.1 per cent in March and 14.5 per cent over the year, despite new bans last week on open house inspections and public auctions, CoreLogic data showed. But under Mr North's prediction, the city's mid-point would crash below $620,000, to levels last seen in 2012 after the global financial crisis. He said the downturn would worsen the longer it took to develop a coronavirus vaccine. 'If shorter, less. If longer, deeper. Full impact not seen until 2021,' Mr North said. Under his worst case scenario, Australia's unemployment rate could almost triple from 5.1 per cent in February to 14 per cent over coming months, which would be the highest joblessness level since the Great Depression of the early 1930s. Westpac chief economist Bill Evans is forecasting an even more severe jobless rate of 17 per cent in the June quarter, the highest in 88 years, as 1.7million Australians lost their job because of coronavirus. That would leave 2.3million without work, when those who were unemployed before the COVID-19 pandemic were included in the statistics. Westpac is now expecting unemployment to fall back to 9 per cent by the end of 2020, with lots of help from the taxpayer. The federal government this week unveiled a third stimulus package, worth an unprecedented $130billion, to provide $1,500 fortnightly Jobkeeper wage subsidy payments to six million workers. Digital Finance Analytics principal Martin North said house prices in Australia's big cities were likely to plunge in coming months, as COVID-19 social distancing rules destroyed the economy. This could see house prices in Sydney fall to $600,000 for the first time since May 2012. Pictured is a main road approaching Sydney's city centre on March 31, 2020 CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said the prospect of Australia falling into recession in 2020 for the first time in 29 years was likely to affect real estate. 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 'The housing market won't be immune to a drop in sentiment and a weaker economy, however the extent of the impact on dwelling values remains highly uncertain,' he said. 'Arguably, the longer it takes to contain the virus and bring economic operations back to normal, the higher the downside risks to house values.' Mr Lawless said bans on open house inspections and on-site auctions were likely to keep buyers away, as the banks became more cautious about home lending. 'We are expecting the number of residential property sales to fall dramatically over the coming months,' he said. Mr North, who has worked with the UK's National Westminster Bank and with Citigroup and NAB in Australia, said the banks would be unlikely to devalue properties unless a loan was renewed. 'So impact masked for now,' he said. Sydney's median house price stood at $1.021million in March, marking a rise of 1.1 per cent in March and 14.5 per cent over the year, despite new bans last week on open house inspections and public auctions, CoreLogic data showed. But under Mr North's prediction, the city's mid-point would crash below $620,000, to levels last seen in 2012 after the global financial crisis Apart from Sydney, house prices also rose last month in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra. Nationally, apartment prices recorded the fastest growth in four years, even though Hobart unit price plunged by 3.3 per cent. ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has written to home borrowers advising them to consider deferring their mortgage repayments for six months and have the unpaid interest added to their loan to be serviced later. 'My focus now is COVID-19 and ensuring we are doing everything possible to support our customers through this,' he said. 'I want to reassure you that we're here to help.' CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said the prospect of Australia falling into recession in 2020 for the first time in 29 years was likely to affect real estate. Pictured is Bronte in Sydney's east ANZ is offering its borrowers who aren't ahead on their repayments that option of deferring their mortgage servicing obligations with their interest capitalised. Last month, Melbourne's median house price rose by a more modest 0.4 per cent to $819,611 but they were 12.5 year stronger compared with a year earlier. Brisbane's equivalent value rose 0.7 per cent to $557,714 as Adelaide's mid-point edged up 0.2 per cent to $474,425. Perth's house prices rose by 0.6 per cent last month to $461,845 but were 3.1 per cent weaker over the year. Hobart's detached home values also increased by 0.6 per cent to $513,325. Darwin had the sharpest price increase of 1.9 per cent in March to $473,479 but values had crashed 5.4 per cent over the year. S upermarket Morrisons is not liable for a huge data leak by an employee affecting 100,000 members of staff, the Supreme Court ruled today. Previous judgements had found Morrisons "vicariously liable" for the criminal actions of former auditor Andrew Skelton. Skelton, an auditor who had "an irrational grudge" against Morrisons after a reprimand, posted the payroll details of around 100,000 Morrisons employees on the internet in January 2014. Posing as a concerned member of the public, he then sent copies of the data to British newspapers, who alerted Morrisons. The case was heard at the Supreme Court / PA Skelton was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison. But more than 9,000 claimants sought compensation for the upset and distress caused to them by the leak. And their lawyers have previously described the action as a classic David and Goliath case. Overturning the 2017 and 2019 judgements in claimants' favour on Wednesday morning, Lord Reed said that employees could only be held accountable for employees' actions if they were closely connected with their work duties. Speaking via video link, Lord Reed said this was not true in Morrisons' case. He added: On the contrary, he was pursuing a personal vendetta, seeking revenge for the disciplinary proceedings a month earlier. In these circumstances, applying the established approach to cases of this kind, his employer is not vicariously liable. The employee information leaked by Skelton included names, addresses, bank account details and salaries. Kirsty Rogers of law firm DWF, which represented Morrisons in this case, said: "We are delighted to report that our client Morrisons has been successful in the landmark case in the Supreme Court concerning the criminal data breach committed by an employee which saw the personal data of employees put onto the internet. "The Court had already found that Morrisons had no fault-based liability and the Supreme Court has now ruled that Morrisons also has no no-fault vicarious liability for the malicious actions of its employee." A lawyer for the claimants said they were disappointed by the ruling but respected the decision. Nick McAleenan of JMW Solicitors said: My clients entrusted their personal information to their employer, Morrisons, in good faith. When their information was subsequently uploaded to the internet by a fellow employee, it caused an enormous amount of upset and distress to tens of thousands of people." Mr McAleenan added that the decision left the claimants with no further legal avenue to pursue their case. He said: "The Supreme Court effectively decided that where a wrongdoer leaks data with the specific intention to harm their employer, the employer may not be held vicariously responsible... the troubling part of this conclusion is that the wrongdoer in this case also wanted to damage his own colleagues, not just Morrisons, and he did so in dramatic fashion." But Mr McAleenan added that the Supreme Court's ruling was historic - it established that a firm can be liable for a data leak by one of its employees under "vicarious liability", although Morrisons does not qualify in this case. He added: "This is very significant because most data breaches are caused by human error. "This ruling enhances the protection of data for millions of people in this country who are obliged to hand over their own information to businesses every single day. It will raise standards. A data company released a video showing the spread of the coronavirus that originated from college students who descended onto a Ft. Lauderdale beach during Spring Break. Tectonix GEO analyzed secondary locations of several thousands of anonymized mobile device users to show where they went to across the country after Spring Break. Want to see the true potential impact of ignoring social distancing? Through a partnership with @xmodesocial, we analyzed secondary locations of anonymized mobile devices that were active at a single Ft. Lauderdale beach during spring break. This is where they went across the US: pic.twitter.com/3A3ePn9Vin Tectonix GEO (@TectonixGEO) March 25, 2020 When that data is tracked, it shows it spreading through the streets of Fort Lauderdale, to the airport, and then to much of the East Coast and midwest. Students were criticized for attending Spring Break, and the state of Florida was criticized for not closing the beaches at the very onset of the crisis. Presumably, untold numbers of them carried the COVID-19 virus with them to Florida, and an even greater number carried it back home with them once the break was over, Mass Live reports. READ MORE: 2 CMU students test positive for coronavirus COVID-19 after spring break trips Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus RELATED STORIES: Michigan Tech, Central Michigan moving to online classes because of coronavirus Gov. Whitmer to ensure Michigan seniors graduate despite coronavirus school closures A Chattanooga man has died after a police chase in Smyth County, Va. He was identified as David Charles Helsel, 59. The Sheriff's Office said Helsel led officers on a chase, including striking a patrol vehicle head-on. In the incident on Saturday night, deputies had a call that a green Ford Ranger pickup truck was driving on the wrong side of Nicks Creek Road. The pickup broke through the security gate at "Utility Trailer" in Atkins, Va. After the chase, the pickup was forced off the road. Deputies said he tried to set his vehicle on fire as he was being pulled from the pickup. Deputies said the medical emergency came after he was placed in custody. He was rushed to Smyth County Community Hospital, where he died. The body was sent to Richmond for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Three officers were checked out at a hospital emergency room for minor injuries. Helsel has a lengthy criminal record. He was arrested in Hamilton County on Jan. 29 for a crime in Dade County, Ga. Hong Kong: Flight set for HK people in Peru To assist Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru to leave the country smoothly, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it will charter a flight, the cost of which will be borne by the passengers. Peru has declared a state of emergency and imposed strict restrictions on all land and air traffic. At present, Hong Kong residents still in Peru cannot leave through normal flight arrangements. The Hong Kong SAR Government said after it received requests for assistance from stranded Hong Kong residents, the Security Bureau and the Immigration Department have been liaising with the Chinese Embassy in Peru and several airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for their return. It will arrange a chartered flight from Lima to London on April 3, followed by a connecting flight with secured flight bookings back to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong SAR Government is actively following up with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese Embassy in Peru, including assisting in arranging a chartered flight to take about 30 Hong Kong residents in Cusco to Lima. Those in other locations will be assisted by local travel agencies or transport companies to arrange for them to arrive at Lima Airport before noon on April 3 to catch the chartered flight out of Peru. Hong Kong residents in Peru who have yet to contact the departments Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit but wish to take the chartered flight out of Peru to London and then return to Hong Kong should call the department's 24-hour hotline (852) 1868 or email 1868@immd.gov.hk for assistance by March 31, Peru time (ie 1pm on April 1, Hong Kong time). According to legal requirements, all people who have been to an overseas country or territory within 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong must undergo 14 days of compulsory quarantine. According to the World Health Organization's guidelines, airlines will refuse to board passengers with symptoms of illness. As at noon today, the department has received a total of 91 assistance requests from Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru, including more than 30 group tour members. Nine of those who sought assistance have left Peru already through other arrangements. One of the Hong Kong residents had earlier passed away from COVID-19 infection. Three of the deceased's close contacts have to stay in Peru for quarantine and take the COVID-19 virus test. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong SAR Government continues to closely follow up on Hong Kong residents stranded in Morocco. The department received assistance requests from 152 Hong Kong residents concerning home passage from there. To assist Hong Kong residents to return home, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been taking action on multiple fronts, including actively liaising with several airlines to secure flight bookings for the affected Hong Kong residents to leave Morocco via other places. As at noon today, 113 people have either already returned to Hong Kong by different flights, or have secured return arrangements. For the 39 Hong Kong residents remaining in Morocco, they are mainly in the cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh. The Hong Kong SAR Government is actively following up with the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco and a number of airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for their return. It will notify the Hong Kong residents of the latest information as early as possible. This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hundreds of refugees may have become destitute during the coronavirus pandemic because the Home Office has failed to act quickly to a drop in support services caused by the outbreak, charities say. Many granted refugee status in recent weeks have been evicted from their asylum support accommodation and left to find housing, jobs or state benefit support at a time when the pandemic has made these processes considerably more difficult. Home Office policy states that asylum support which consists of a space in shared accommodation and 37.75 per week will cease after 28 days of it being granted. After which, claimants will have to obtain their own place to live and a means to support themselves. The Home Office announced on Friday that in response to the outbreak, people who have been granted the status would not be asked to leave their asylum accommodation for the next three months. Campaigners said that while the move was welcome, it came too late as hundreds of new refugees had already been deprived of support and fallen into homelessness and destitution since the first restrictions were announced in response to the pandemic more than two weeks ago. They also highlighted that their financial support had stopped, so even though they were able to remain in their accommodation, many had no money coming in due to difficulty applying for benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the charities that would have usually stepped in to support these individuals are no longer open or have had to considerably reduce their services due to the pandemic, leaving refugees trying to navigate complex processes alone. Rebaz Amwar, 26, was granted refugee status in February and subsequently his asylum support was stopped two weeks ago. He was told by the asylum housing provider Mears, a subcontractor of the Home Office, that he could remain in the accommodation given the current situation, but is no longer receiving financial support. The Iraqi national, who applied for asylum two and a half years ago, told The Independent it was impossible to find a job due to the pandemic, and that his attempts to access state benefits had so far failed due to difficulty in both getting an appointment at the Jobcentre and opening a bank account. Mr Amwar said he was currently surviving off a bag of dry food that he was able to pick up each week from local charity Action Foundation. Everything is difficult for me right now. I called the Jobcentre, I went to the building. Everywhere is closed. When I did speak to them they said I needed a bank account, but the banks are closed. This is very bad for me, he said. I am happy to be granted refugee status. I was waiting for so long. The Home Office has now given it to me, but I have no money. My plan was to find a job, but I cant find work now, and I cant get any money from the Jobcentre. I cant do anything. I have no internet, no TV, no news, nothing. I cant afford to pay for data on my phone. I would like to listen to BBC News because I would like to know what is going on with the coronavirus, but I cant. Recommended Quarter of homeless at key shelters in UK are refugees Hazel Williams, national director of Naccom, a network of members providing accommodation to refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants, told The Independent large numbers of refugees were in precarious situations after losing their asylum support. Even before the current pandemic, a lot of refugees were made homeless after 28 days. The problem is now compounded because where you did have night shelters or hosting arrangements to fall back on, these have either closed or arent taking new referrals, she said At the weekend the Home Office published a letter to stop evictions from asylum accommodation, which is hugely welcome. But for many it has come too late. For almost two weeks the government has been advising people to stay at home, yet during this period they have also been evicting people from asylum support accommodation. Its completely illogical. The Home Office has been slow to respond. There should have been an immediate halt on all evictions from Home Office accommodation. Its common sense, this is a public health emergency, not a time to turf people out onto the streets. Ms Williams said an already difficult situation has been made worse because charities that would have supported destitute refugees can no longer respond in the same way to new referrals, combined with added difficulties such as the five-week wait for universal credit and the additional pressures on food banks. People who were already struggling to access support have had essential support and guidance significantly reduced, making them even more vulnerable, meaning they are likely to be destitute for much longer periods and reliant on charities for food. Julian Prior, chief executive officer at the Action Foundation, said: The 28 day move-on period after gaining refugee status is extremely challenging at the best of times. However, the impact of the coronavirus has made it even more difficult to access accommodation and so many new refugees who have been evicted in the last week are likely to become homeless making it very difficult to self-isolate and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We welcome the governments move to halt evictions for three months but for many this decision may have come too late. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that people who have been granted asylum would now be able to remain where they are, but would no longer receive financial support from the Home Office. The spokesperson said: The safety and health of people in our accommodation and the communities in which they live is of the utmost importance. Asylum seekers who would normally no longer be eligible for free accommodation or financial payments because their claim has been resolved will continue to receive support for the next three months. We will continue to adjust our processes and procedures where necessary and appropriate, including reinstating support on a case-by-case basis." This illustration depicts a cosmic homicide in action. A wayward star is being shredded by the intense gravitational pull of a black hole that contains tens of thousands of solar masses. The stellar remains are forming an accretion disk around the black hole. Flares of X-ray light from the super-heated gas disk alerted astronomers to the black hole's location; otherwise it lurked unknown in the dark. The elusive object is classified as an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH), as it is much less massive than the monster black holes that dwell in the centers of galaxies. Therefore, IMBHs are mostly quiescent because they do not pull in as much material, and are hard to find. Hubble observations provide evidence that the IMBH dwells inside a dense star cluster. The cluster itself may be the stripped-down core of a dwarf galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA and D. Player (STScI) Astronomers have found the best evidence for the perpetrator of a cosmic homicide: a black hole of an elusive class known as "intermediate-mass," which betrayed its existence by tearing apart a wayward star that passed too close. Weighing in at about 50,000 times the mass of our Sun, the black hole is smaller than the supermassive black holes (at millions or billions of solar masses) that lie at the cores of large galaxies, but larger than stellar-mass black holes formed by the collapse of a massive star. These so-called intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are a long-sought "missing link" in black hole evolution. Though there have been a few other IMBH candidates, researchers consider these new observations the strongest evidence yet for mid-sized black holes in the universe. It took the combined power of two X-ray observatories and the keen vision of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to nail down the cosmic beast. "Intermediate-mass black holes are very elusive objects, and so it is critical to carefully consider and rule out alternative explanations for each candidate. That is what Hubble has allowed us to do for our candidate," said Dacheng Lin of the University of New Hampshire, principal investigator of the study. The results are published on March 31, 2020, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The story of the discovery reads like a Sherlock Holmes story, involving the meticulous step-by-step case-building necessary to catch the culprit. Lin and his team used Hubble to follow up on leads from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's (the European Space Agency) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton). In 2006 these satellites detected a powerful flare of X-rays, but they could not determine whether it originated from inside or outside of our galaxy. Researchers attributed it to a star being torn apart after coming too close to a gravitationally powerful compact object, like a black hole. Astronomers have found the best evidence for a black hole of an elusive class known as "intermediate-mass," which betrayed its existence by tearing apart a wayward star that passed too close. This exciting discovery opens the door to the possibility of many more lurking undetected in the dark, waiting to be given away by a star passing too close. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Surprisingly, the X-ray source, named 3XMM J215022.4055108, was not located in a galaxy's center, where massive black holes normally would reside. This raised hopes that an IMBH was the culprit, but first another possible source of the X-ray flare had to be ruled out: a neutron star in our own Milky Way galaxy, cooling off after being heated to a very high temperature. Neutron stars are the crushed remnants of an exploded star. Hubble was pointed at the X-ray source to resolve its precise location. Deep, high-resolution imaging provides strong evidence that the X-rays emanated not from an isolated source in our galaxy, but instead in a distant, dense star cluster on the outskirts of another galaxy -- just the type of place astronomers expected to find an IMBH. Previous Hubble research has shown that the mass of a black hole in the center of a galaxy is proportional to that host galaxy's central bulge. In other words, the more massive the galaxy, the more massive its black hole. Therefore, the star cluster that is home to 3XMM J215022.4055108 may be the stripped-down core of a lower-mass dwarf galaxy that has been gravitationally and tidally disrupted by its close interactions with its current larger galaxy host. IMBHs have been particularly difficult to find because they are smaller and less active than supermassive black holes; they do not have readily available sources of fuel, nor as strong a gravitational pull to draw stars and other cosmic material which would produce telltale X-ray glows. Astronomers essentially have to catch an IMBH red-handed in the act of gobbling up a star. Lin and his colleagues combed through the XMM-Newton data archive, searching hundreds of thousands of observations to find one IMBH candidate. The X-ray glow from the shredded star allowed astronomers to estimate the black hole's mass of 50,000 solar masses. The mass of the IMBH was estimated based on both X-ray luminosity and the spectral shape. "This is much more reliable than using X-ray luminosity alone as typically done before for previous IMBH candidates," said Lin. "The reason why we can use the spectral fits to estimate the IMBH mass for our object is that its spectral evolution showed that it has been in the thermal spectral state, a state commonly seen and well understood in accreting stellar-mass black holes." This object isn't the first to be considered a likely candidate for an intermediate-mass black hole. In 2009 Hubble teamed up with NASA's Swift observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton to identify what is interpreted as an IMBH, called HLX-1, located towards the edge of the galaxy ESO 243-49. It too is in the center of a young, massive cluster of blue stars that may be a stripped-down dwarf galaxy core. The X-rays come from a hot accretion disk around the black hole. "The main difference is that our object is tearing a star apart, providing strong evidence that it is a massive black hole, instead of a stellar-mass black hole as people often worry about for previous candidates including HLX-1," Lin said. Finding this IMBH opens the door to the possibility of many more lurking undetected in the dark, waiting to be given away by a star passing too close. Lin plans to continue his meticulous detective work, using the methods his team has proved successful. Many questions remain to be answered. Does a supermassive black hole grow from an IMBH? How do IMBHs themselves form? Are dense star clusters their favored home? The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. As the massive ship USNS Mercy neared the Port of Los Angeles late last week, its white superstructure gleaming in the California sunshine, Captain John Rotruck, the chief medical officer of the nearly 900-foot long floating hospital, reflected on his time at the University of Miami. Rotruck said his experience and training at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, while a medical student at the University, provided him with confidence and steeled him for deployments in Afghanistan, at Walter Reed National Medical Center, and now on the frontline of fighting a global pandemic. The supervised independence we received as medical students encouraged me to push my skills to their maximum possible extent, Rotruck said in a telephone interview shortly after the ship docked in Los Angeles. The Mercy, which will remain in Los Angeles indefinitely, will serve as a relief valve for Los Angeles hospitals, providing a full spectrum of medical care onboard that will let local hospitals better focus on COVID-19 patients. As commanding officer of the medical treatment facility that features 1,000 beds, including 80 intensive care units, Rotruck is charged with running the hospital services and overseeing the medical staff, which makes up roughly two-thirds of the nearly 1,000 personnel on board. Working in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State of California, and Los Angeles County, the Mercy began accepting its first patients Sunday. For the Navy and the military, a command tour is very different from anything youve ever doneyoure ultimately responsible for everything that happens, Rotruck said. Youre in a position to do good things, recognize hard work, and try to create conditions so that people who are under you can be successful. Rotruck grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His father retired from the Navy and moved the family to Orlando, Florida, where Rotruck attended junior high and high school. To pursue his childhood dream to become a doctor, Rotruck applied for and was accepted into the University of Miamis then extant Honors Program in Medical Educationtwo years of undergraduate study toward a biology or chemistry degree, followed by four years of medical school. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1995 and a medical degree from the Miller School of Medicine in 1996. While at the University, Rotruck was tapped into the Iron Arrow Honor Society. An honoring and humbling recognition, he recalled. He joined the Navy to take advantage of educational benefits that offset the cost of his degree, intending to fulfill the four-year military commitment and then return to civilian life. In the Navy, I was exposed to opportunities and experiences that I never would have had otherwiseand here I am, almost 24 years in and with a few to go, he said. On entering the Navy, Rotruck completed his internship in internal medicine, followed by an operational tour with the Marine Corps in Southeast Asia and two tours as a flight surgeon. He then completed his anesthesiology residency and fellowship, and following his training served as the chief of cardiothoracic anesthesiology at the National Naval Medical Center. His deployments later included various tours in Southeast Asia, where he served as general medical officer and senior flight surgeon. After a deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, his colleagues elected him to be the president of the medical staff at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the nations largest joint military medical center. Though he was getting plenty of on-the-job training in health care leadership at the medical center, Rotruck sensed he needed additional skills to support his increased responsibility. I needed something more foundational like an M.B.A.and the University of Miami was my first choice, he said. He completed the two-year online program and earned his degree in 2017. That decision paved the way for more advancements at Walter Reed and, ultimately, he was named chief of staff. That was the career milestone that enabled me to be selected for commands, he explained. The USNS Mercy was his top duty choice. I couldnt have been happier when I was selected, he said. He and his wife flew to Sri Lanka to meet the Navys hospital ship where it was on deployment, and Rotruck assumed command in a ceremony off the coast of Vietnam in May 2018. Theres no other job in the military that gives you that much ability to try to develop professional skills and improve people's lives than being the commanding officer, Rotruck said. HIV patients in remote areas of Odisha and Bihar who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs have not received their dosage of medicines for the month of March due to the national lockdown over the threat of the coronavirus. A 40-something HIV patient in a remote village of Odishas Khurda district was planning to get his ART drugs last week when the lockdown was announced, putting his plans of getting his medicine on hold. I was not prepared for the lockdown. Normally I take a bus or auto to get the medicine from the ART centre. But with no transport available, I dont know what to do, he said. In another village of the same district, a 45-year-old HIV man as well as his HIV-positive wife and son have been frantically calling the president of HIV Positive People Network, an NGO supporting the HIV positive persons, to help them get the drugs as far as possible. None in the family can move out and get the drugs from ART centre while it is difficult for outreach workers to deliver the drugs to all of them, said Prabasini Pradhan of the HIV Positive People Network in Khurda district. In Ganjam district, that has the maximum number of HIV positive patients in Odisha, 5,000 are on therapy. But least 2,500 are yet to get the drugs, said Nilambar, of the HIV Positive People Network in the district. The outreach workers who can help in carrying the medicines to the doorsteps of those who need, are scared of getting beaten up by police. A couple of days ago, one of our outreach workers was thrashed by police. Naturally we are scared, he said. Though the government could have distributed the medicines through NGOs working among HIV patients, there was a risk. In villages where everyone knows the other, sending the drugs through NGO worker would lead to identification and possible social ostracism of the HIV patient, said Ajay Patra, an NGO worker. Project director of Odisha State Aids Control Society, Sanjukta Sahu admitted that some of the HIV patients have not got their medicines due to the lockdown. Those who are in Bhubaneswar and nearby have managed to take their medicines from the ART centre, as police allows them to travel after seeing their green book. Those who are in remote areas are facing difficulties. By tomorrow we may reach all HIV positive persons, said Sahu. There are more than 2.4 million HIV patients in India, of whom more than 1.2 million are on ART drugs. Odisha has over 35,000 HIV positive people living of which around 21,000 are availing the ART. The rest though registered with the Odisha State Aid Control Society, have discontinued the therapy. Getting supplies of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drugs is proving difficult for patients in far-flung areas of Bihar too. With immunity levels already compromised, walking to ART centres to collect the drugs in the absence of public transport is not easy. There are only 20 ART dispensing centres to cater to Bihars 38 districts, with two in the state capital Patna, which must be accessed by patients on the periphery of the city too. For instance, patients in Barh, located 70 kilometers away, have to travel to Patna. Doing so on foot during the lockdown is proving hard for patients. My monthly stock of ART drugs was getting over today. I panicked because missing a single dose can have serious repercussions. I then came to know about the NGO, Patna Network for People Living With HIV Society, who arranged for the drugs to be sent to our local district hospital, a 35-year-old HIV-positive widow in Barh said. It was not easy for workers of the NGO to convince the state health authorities to part with the drugs either. After much persuasion, the Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS) provided us two ambulances and health staff yesterday to deliver ART drugs among people living with HIV in various districts, the NGOs president Gyan Ranjan said. BSACS additional project director Dr Abhay Prasad confirmed that there is no shortage of ART drugs and pointed to the difficulty in collection only due to the absence of public transport. We have instructed our civil surgeons in districts and superintendents in medical colleges to make available drugs at the doorstep of HIV patients. NGOs, who are part of our support system, are also helping us ensure delivery, Prasad said, adding that supplies for three months will be disbursed in one go and that even migrants with HIV infection who are in Bihar but not enrolled at the states ART centers, will be accounted for. Bihar has 60,033 people living with HIV enrolled at its ART centres. Earlier this month, an elderly Italian couple who underwent treatment for Covid-19 in Jaipur were administered a drug combination commonly used to control HIV infection. The drugs have been employed during clinical trials in China and Thailand. The Union Health Ministry has approved the use of the anti-HIV drugs in Covid-19 cases on a case to case basis and depending on the severity of the condition of a patient of Covid 19, giving rise to fears that patients may resort to stock-piling of the drugs. Visakhapatnam-based AIDS specialist Dr K Surya Rao said there was no cause for worry. The production of anti-HIV drugs like Lopinavir and Ritonavir is on a large scale in India. While there are more than 2.4 million HIV patients, victims of Covid-19 are still in the hundreds. So, for now, there is no scarcity, Rao said. Rao also pointed out that anti HIV drugs had not received FDI approval for Covid-19 treatment yet and that once they do, Indian drug companies would ramp up production immediately. After President Donald Trump announced the extension of social distancing guidelines until April 30 to prevent further spread of novel coronavirus in the United States, Governor Greg Abbott followed suit on March 31. Along with extending social distancing guidelines for Texas, Abbott closed all schools until May 4, further delaying in-person classes for students. Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent Mark Henry announced the cancellation of all in-person classes through Friday, May 1. Analysis banner Business Insider boris johnson Getty Boris Johnson's government is under growing pressure to explain why so few British people are being tested for the coronavirus. The UK is currently testing less than 10,000 a day, compared to 500,000 a week in Germany. Multiple reports suggest the slow rate of testing is due to the government's initial "herd immunity" strategy which allowed for widespread infection across the UK, in order to build up immunity within the population. UK advisers believed the threat of the virus was manageable and would not overwhelm the National Health Service. On Wednesday the Times of London newspaper reported that UK scientists deemed the virus a "moderate risk" to the UK as recently as five weeks ago. The UK government abandoned the herd immunity strategy last month and have now imposed a national lockdown. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Boris Johnson's government is under growing pressure to explain why it has failed to mirror other European countries in implementing widespread coronavirus testing, as reports suggest that it was operating until recent weeks under the false belief that the COVID-19 virus would only be a "moderate" risk to the UK. The World Health Organisation has advised all governments to implement mass testing regimes, in order to repeat the success of those countries, such as South Korea, who have used testing to "flatten the curve" of the virus' spread. However, the latest figures show that while Germany is currently testing around 500,000 people a week, the UK is testing less than 10,000 people a day. 8,630 were tested on Monday, March 30. The discrepancy comes as the Times of London newspaper reported on Wednesday that as recently as five weeks ago, the UK government's scientific advisers believed that the coronavirus was only a "moderate" risk to the UK. So why has the UK fallen so far behind other developed nations? Story continues The UK pursued a 'herd immunity' strategy until it was too late coronavirus uk Getty Both the Times of London newspaper and Buzzfeed News have reported that the slow response was due to a belief within the UK government that the coronavirus could be mitigated in the UK, rather than suppressed, through a so-called "herd immunity" strategy. Official minutes reveal that at a meeting on Friday, February 21, when restrictions were being imposed on towns in badly-affected northern Italy, a UK government advisory committee of scientists found "no objections" to keeping the risk level to the country at "moderate." Records from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group show that the committee judged that there was no need to change Public Health England's risk assessment of the disease's impact on the UK as moderate. The UK has since gone into national lockdown, with several senior members of the UK government, including the prime minister himself, in quarantine after contracting COVID-19. On Tuesday President Trump described the UK's initial "herd immunity" strategy as "catastrophic." "If you remember, they were looking at that concept - I guess it's a concept if you don't mind death, a lot of death - but they were looking at that in the UK, remember," the President said at a White House press briefing. "All of sudden they went hard the other way because they started seeing things that weren't good. They put themselves in a little bit of a problem." He added: "They have a name for it, but we won't even go by the name - it would have been very catastrophic I think if that would have happened." The UK was too slow to spot the need for tests coronavirus test Getty As a result of their initial strategy, the UK only started to ramp up testing when it was too late to secure the supplies it needed. "Everyone in the world wants those same reagents and the suppliers can only supply a certain amount," Alex Blakemore, head of life sciences at Brunel University London told the Times. "We are now in competition with the rest of the world . . . and other people have already bought up a lot of stock." Despite the shortage, the UK government only acted late to attempt to find alternative supplies. As the Politico Playbook email reported last month, Downing Street only sent out emergency requests to research institutions for testing equipment on March 22, some two months after the first confirmed coronavirus case in the UK. The UK government's failure has led to heavy criticism from normally supportive quarters. The Daily Mail, a right-leaning newspaper that is supportive of Johnson's Conservative party, on Wednesday morning dubbing the shortfall an "unforgivable shambles." A spokesperson for Prime Minister Johnson on Wednesday morning said that the UK's testing capacity was 12,750 well short of Johnson's target of 25,000. Even if the UK does hit the prime minister's target in the next few weeks, it'll still be testing less than half of the number Germany is currently testing per week: 500,000. The UK government claims that the gulf between the UK and Germany is largely due to the fact that the latter has a much stronger manufacturing base, meaning it is able to produce its own testing equipment rapidly. "Germany has the entire biotech diagnostic sector in its borders. So when people say why can't we do what Germany is doing, the answer is 70 years of industrial policy," one UK government source told The Times. It is true that virtually every country in the western world is trying to secure millions of kits. However, the UK government's decision to alter its strategy weeks after the coronavirus' arrival in Britain meant it was a late entrant to the race. 'Are these people in their right mind?' Boris Johnson Getty A leading South Korea official last week described the UK's initial herd immunity strategy as "nonsense." "We in Korea were thinking, 'Are these people in their right mind?'" Doctor Min Pok-kee told Wired. South Korea's policy of mass-testing is lauded as the coronavirus model which other countries should follow. Since the virus hit the country in mid-February, its government has focused on testing lots of people, even introducing drive-thru testing stations, helping it "flatten the curve" and avoid an acceleration in cases as seen in Italy, Spain, and elsewhere. By contrast, the UK government's plan is to first provide testing for NHS staff, in order to make sure whoever is fit to treat coronavirus patients is able to, before only then rolling out it out to the general public. Chris Hopson of NHS Providers said on Tuesday's edition of BBC Newsnight that tests conducted over the weekend showed that a small percentage of health workers in isolation had actually caught the coronavirus, meaning potentially thousands of NHS staff who are able to work are currently at home. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who is self-isolating after catching the coronavirus, is trying to get on top of this by urging hospitals to use all spare testing capacity they have on testing their staff. However, the UK government expects the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the UK to continue to grow over the next fortnight. If the number of tests carried out doesn't also significantly rise, Johnson's government will come under immense pressure to explain exactly why not. Read the original article on Business Insider A scare gripped Andhra Pradesh as coronavirus cases in the state climbed to 111 with 67 testing positive on Wednesday, at a time when things appeared to be well under control with only a handful of cases reported, mostly of foreign returnees, in the first fortnight. While 43 cases were reported from 9 pm on Tuesday to 9 am on Wednesday, another 24 were added after 7 pm, all the fresh ones only related to the Jamaat congregation in New Delhi. The quantum jump in the number of cases was solely on account of those who returned to various parts of the state from the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said as many as 1,085 people from the state attended the Jamaat congregation in the national capital and returned. The unexpected spurt in Corona positive cases pushed the state administration into an overdrive to place all the suspects under quarantine while simultaneously treating the afflicted people, as fear lurked over the untraced possible carriers. Barring the two north coastal districts of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, all others registered Corona cases in the state, with Guntur reporting the highest 20, followed by Prakasam, Krishna and Kadapa with 15 cases each. Incidentally, the first Jamaat-related Coronavirus case was reported from Guntur on March 25 and ever since almost all new cases, barring two or three, were on account of the same religious gathering. Of the total 109 active Coronavirus cases in the state, 94 related to the Jamaat persons and their close contacts. Ten were foreign returnees and six others their contacts, according to state Nodal Officer Arja Srikanth. All those who tested positive have been sent for quarantine, he said in a release. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a televised address, asked people not to attach any stigma to Corona patients but treat them with compassion, saying the virus was just like any common fever or flu. "Staying in isolation is the only key to check the spread of coronavirus as it gets transmitted only through human-to- human contact. It easily gets cured through medication," the Chief Minister sought to assure the people. Jagan pointed out that even Prime Ministers of some countries and their kin too got afflicted with coronavirus but got successfully cured. "Of the 585 of them tested so far, 70 turned positive while test results of another 500 persons is awaited. We are yet to trace 21 other persons related to the Jamaat," Reddy said. West Godavari district, which did not have a single Covid-19 case till Tuesday, recorded 13 positive cases. Five new cases were added in Chittoor district, two each in East Godavari, SPS Nellore and one in Visakhapatnam district, a bulletin of the Medical and Health Department said. A total of 1,313 samples were tested so far, including 218 of foreign returnees and 543 Jamaat returnees. Of them, 87 turned positive and the rest negative, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four neighboring municipalities are using their police forces to jointly patrol borders to enforce Gov. Phil Murphys stay at home order put into place to stop the spread of coronavirus. Police in Newark, Orange, East Orange and Irvington will stop drivers to ask where theyre going. Drivers will face summonses if they are violating the governors order, which bans travel for all New Jersey residents except for necessary purposes like grocery shopping, doctor visits or for essential work. The new initiative, announced last night by each municipalitys mayor, will be re-evaluated April 7 to see if it should continue. "Obviously, were going to move from informing and telling people from the governors executive order to now engaging and finding people that we find in violation of that executive order, said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka a video announcement. Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said 1,018 vehicles were stopped at the citys Irvington border Tuesday night. He said about 200 motorists were out for non-essential reasons and ordered back to their municipalities, which were identified by checking their IDs. None of the almost 200 drivers were issued summonses, but Ambrose said going forward, they will. Police departments in all four locations, meanwhile, will continue to make sure people are social distancing. Violators will also be ticketed, the mayors announced in a release sent by Newark. The virus doesnt know the difference between Irvington, Newark, East Orange and Orange, said Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss. Its affecting all of our people, all of our relatives, friends and families. Newark police on Monday night shut down 15 businesses and issued 161 summonses to those who were not in compliance with Murphys order. On Tuesday, another 125 summonses were issued and five businesses were shut down. As of Wednesday afternoon, 115 summonses were given, Newarks public safety director said. Mayors from the four Essex County municipalities will also send inspectors to senior citizen buildings and essential businesses to make sure owners are cleaning their facilities multiple times a day to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Inspectors will be sent to collect signed compliance statements from owners of senior citizen buildings confirming they sanitized three times a day. The inspectors will cite owners if they are not in compliance, the cities announced. If theyre not in compliance, well take necessary action, said Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren. This is something that we cant vary against. This is something we cant skip around. Owners of senior citizen centers must sanitize public areas, including mailboxes, elevators, doorknobs and countertops with a disinfectant. A spokesman for Orange said inspectors could issue citations for health and property maintenance violations that carry up to $1,000 fines each day. did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment about what legal action building owners could face if they did not comply. Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open, like grocery stores and pharmacies, must also clean their premises twice a day, the mayors announced. Doors and counters must be cleaned and customers must stay at least 6 feet apart from each other. Health inspectors from each municipality will oversee compliance, the mayors said. After you close down at night, don't just leave the store, said East Orange Mayor Ted Green. We need you to take time out to sanitize that store so that when you open up in the morning, that you're not transferring germs when people come back in the morning. The new local mandates about sanitizing go beyond what Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered for all New Jersey residents. Murphys executive orders have thus far only banned social gatherings and travel, except for necessary purposes. Murphy has asked that all municipal orders comply with his statewide ones for uniformity across New Jersey. Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco last month rescinded one of his executive orders at the request of the governor. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were at least 2,262 positive coronavirus cases in Essex County and 69 deaths. Only Bergen County has more cases. There were 22,255 cases statewide and 355 deaths, according to the state health department. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico. Immunology expertise has combined with beautifully evocative illustrations to create an engaging book for children and their parents. A new children's book 'Battle Robots of the Blood' launches today on Amazon. The book's story was developed by Professor Adrian Liston, a senior group leader at the Babraham Institute, and visually brought to life by scientist and illustrator Dr Sonia Aguera-Gonzalez (Tenmei). Speaking about his motivation for developing the book, Prof. Liston said: I have been working on understanding primary immune deficiencies for more than 10 years now. I have such tremendous respect for these kids - they are tough and unphased by situations that would have adults in tears. Vaccines are such an easy way that we can help. The science is clear: vaccines are the almost perfect medicine. And yet the anti-vax movement keeps on spreading lies. As an immunologist I want to fight back not only with science, but also with stories, to engage children and parents on the benefits of vaccination. Creating the book was a huge amount of fun. I drew inspiration from my own son's matter-of-fact approach to life. Sonia brought in her own experience as an immunologist and her illustrations beautifully bring the emotion of the story to life." The book tells the story of Tim, a seven year old who lives a slightly different life to the majority of us. After being introduced to different aspects of Tim's life, we find out that he has a primary immune deficiency disorder, which means that his immune system can't protect him against attack from the bacteria and viruses that cause disease. This puts him in in grave danger, especially when exposed to diseases that people could be protected against by vaccination. The story is told in an engaging and light-hearted manner, but still carries the message that vaccination is important for everyone and protects the most vulnerable. Professor Liston has drawn upon the linguistic skills of his international laboratory and the Institute's diverse community to translate the book into nine additional languages, to be released soon. Speaking about the translations, Prof. Liston explained: "The coronavirus pandemic teaches us that viruses don't respect borders or linguistic barriers. For vaccination to be truly effective at protecting vulnerable people like Tim, we need to have almost everyone else in the community vaccinated. As scientists we have been historically poor at reaching out to the immigrant component of our communities, and this is reflected by lower vaccination rates. The Babraham Institute works to engage all people in our community, and publishing translations in languages from Hindu and Urdu to Polish and French is a way of engaging us all in the fight against infectious diseases". At the end of the book, there are educational materials. For Dr. Aguera-Gonzalez it was important to include science activities. "Most of the science educational books out there cover experiments and concepts for older children, usually for ten-year-olds and above. Last year I found a father unsuccessfully searching for activity books in a bookstore with his five year old daughter, and I thought then I wanted to fill that gap. I wanted to provide parents and teachers with not only a book, but an experience to learn about immune deficiencies and vaccination at home or in the classroom." The book is available to read from the kindle store on Amazon [Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com] as an e-book for free during the coronavirus lock-down and is also available to order in hard copy. Proceeds from the book will be used to fund immunology research at the Babraham Institute and to support public engagement activities around immunology and vaccination. Read the book in Dutch, German, French and Spanish: Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak is a six-part documentary concentrating on medical professionals and scientists around the world fighting to contain the spread of viruses. Launched on Netflix during the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China in late January, the series, directed by Doug Shultz and Isabel Castro, has now been widely viewed around the world. As the US became an epicenter of the current pandemic last week, the series jumped into the top ten most-viewed on Netflix. Hundreds of millions of people are currently sheltering in their homesaside from the millions homeless on the streetsas a result of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease, which is devastating the health, jobs and lives of vast numbers. Pandemic-How to Prevent an Outbreak The interest in Pandemic indicates the widespread desire to understand how a virus can have such a tremendous impact on human life. The events of the past few weeks have shown how a trigger event, such as a new virus, exposes a host of intractable problems and the irrationality of the entire social and economic system. The Netflix series sheds light on some of these issues and reveals that while there are still many unknowns about pandemics, the ability also exists to understand, predict and fight against their spread, if society were organized along rational, consciously planned lines. The first episode begins on an appropriately ominous note. A team of scientists and researchers scans the ground with tools to locate bodies in a mass grave in Pennsylvania resulting from the 1918 flu pandemic. In a voiceover, Dr. Dennis Carroll, formerly the Director of the US Agency for International Developments (USAIDs) Pandemic Influenza and other Emerging Threats Unit, as well as senior infectious diseases advisor for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explains: We could be standing in any number of towns across the US, Kenya, Vietnam. This grave site is a reminder of the devastation a flu pandemic can wreak. Its not a matter of if, but when. This dire warning is the overarching message repeated numerous times in Pandemic by scientists, doctors and others. While most of the worlds population hardly needs to hear this in late March 2020, the specialists message clearly demonstrates there was advance awareness that a pandemic was a predictable risk for the human population. The various ruling elites have vast quantities of blood on their hands. Pandemic-How to Prevent an Outbreak Carroll explains his role is to prevent, detect, control, and respond to emerging viral threats. Although the opening scene of a mass grave was shot in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Carrolls position at the time takes him around the world, to Asia to study birds, and to Italy to discuss with researchers from the Food and Agriculture Organization. By the end of the film, he retires from his job at USAID after 30 years to head the Global Virome Project, a global cooperative scientific effort to reduce the risk of viral outbreaks. One is left with the definite impression he is frustrated with government inaction. You need to move from being reactive to proactive, Carroll explains about a virus. Reports should come out two to three weeks earlier in livestock; it bothers me when it is first picked up in humans. Carroll refers to the 1918 flu pandemic, which emerged near the end of World War I, pointing out that even at a time when population movements were a fraction of what they are today, the disease spread rapidly and led to 50 to 100 million deaths. In 1918, he goes on, there were 1.8 billion people, now there are 7.8 billion people. Not 50-100 million would die [in a similar circumstance], but hundreds of millions. The continuity of health services will be threatened, he goes on. Also, youll have severe issues with normal infrastructure operating. If the workforce becomes ill, youll have vulnerabilities. All of this, of course, is coming horribly true before our very eyes. The series also introduces the viewer to Dr. Syra Madad, Senior Director of the Special Pathogens Program for New York City Health and Hospitals. Speaking last year, Madad issues a grim warning. Three thousand flights pass through New York City every day. If a person arrives with a novel virus it could very quickly spread. With no prior immunity, the outbreak would spread very aggressively. Hospitals now operate at 110 percent capacity. In a matter of weeks it would incapacitate the city. The demand for burials will become overwhelming. Within one month it could spread throughout the country, a month after that throughout the world. Pandemic Changing what needs to be changed, these words are only too relevant to the present disaster, especially in New York City, the current epicenter of the coronavirus. MERS [Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome], SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome], Ebola are always on my mind, thats exactly why I do what I do, Madad explains, They dont respect boundaries. Its not just for my children, but the greater good of humanity. The series also follows scientists Jake Glanville and Sarah Ives at a startup vaccine company in San Francisco, Distributed Bio. With limited funding, the company is attempting to create a universal flu vaccine. Glanville, a co-founder of the company who grew up in impoverished Guatemala, explains that he and his colleagues want the world to have access to our vaccines, all the world, including people who cant afford it. Thats obviously low on the list for investors. When you take venture capital, you lose control of your company or business. Right now we are funding this out of our own pockets ... Eventually we are going to need to get this vaccine into human trials, and we are not going to be able to fund that ourselves. The scientists have no choice except to make continual appeals to investors for funding. The climax of this thread of the story is an eagerly awaited email from the Gates Foundation regarding funding to continue the project. Society, again, at the mercy of a billionaire! Pandemic on Netflix Some of the most compelling scenes treat doctors and nurses on the front lines of health care. Dr. Holly Goracke, at the time of filming, is the only physician at Jefferson County Hospital in rural Oklahoma. She works 72-hour shifts. I wake up in this building, I eat, I put my pajamas on in this building, and I sleep in this building, Goracke begins. I honestly have no idea what I would do in a situation like a pandemic. We dont get all the resources a large hospital would. We would be overwhelmed should a flu pandemic occur in our little county. As the series is being filmed in 2019, one of the worst flu seasons does occur, leading to many deaths in Oklahoma and throughout the US. Goracke explains that the next closest hospital to hers is 35 or 40 minutes away. During the filming, Jefferson County Hospital almost closes and is saved only due to the overwhelming majority of the population voting to put their county sales tax toward funding the hospital. The local sheriff is filmed telling an inmate in tears there is no money for his medication. The filmmakers point out the statistic that over 100 rural hospitals (the number is now 168) across the US have closed since 2010 and nearly 700 more are at risk of closing. Pandemic s coverage of the 2014 Ebola outbreak centers on Dr. Michel Yao of the World Health Organization (WHO), a native of Cote dIvoire and a Canadian citizen, as a team of aid workers desperately fight to contain the outbreak from reaching the city of Goma, population two million, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yao briefs a WHO panel: We dont have enough vaccine for a mass campaign, our strategy is to vaccinate frontline workers. He explains that, Ebola is not the only danger they face [over footage of armed groups targeting Ebola workers]. One worker was thrown into a river and beaten. Its like facing two armiesthe virus itself and the groups that would fight Ebola teams. The series largely relegates a whole series of terrible problemsthe poverty of the African countries affected by Ebola, the various warring groups backed by Western corporations, the lack of funding for aid workersto the background. Yaos presence is moving. At the conclusion of the series, we learn in a title that he has been fighting to contain Ebola for 19 months nonstop and remains in the DRC. Brought almost to tears at one point by the fact that there are too many patients and too few doctors, Yao describes how one can easily become demoralized. Then he sees a patients health improve and explains that a small success gives you the strength to continue. Another compelling episode involves a group of volunteer nurses working in Arizona on the US-Mexico border, donating their time and resources to provide flu vaccinations to immigrants from Central America fleeing violence and poverty. Susan Flis describes her experience, I volunteered on 9/11 and went down there the day after; I went to [Hurricane] Katrina. If youre able to help you have to go. We dont need any man-made catastrophes and thats exactly what this is. Most of the patients are from Guatemala and Honduras, primarily children and unaccompanied women. The filmmakers show news footage of the recent deaths of immigrant children from the flu in ICE detention centers and leave the viewer with the title, August 2019, US Customs and Border Protection stated it will not provide vaccines to migrant families held in detention facilities after crossing the US-Mexico border. These are some of the more valuable and hard-hitting portions of Pandemic. In later episodes, unfortunately, the documentary makers choose to focus heavily on prayer and faith, and leave many stones unturned. Where is the analysis of the pharmaceutical industry and its abandonment of vaccine treatments? What about the policies of Democratic and Republican politicians who have cut health care funding over the last two decades in the interests of Wall Street? What about the disastrous effects, in the broadest sense, of health care and medicine for profit? A genuinely oppositional understanding and perspective is missing for the most part. At the end of Pandemic, Dr. Madad asserts, I want my children to grow up in a world where they dont have to think about this as constantly as I do. Failure to take this as a global crisis will have dire consequences. Were all in it together, and the greater our complacency, the greater the crisis will be. Similarly, Dr. Carroll leaves us with the all-too clear warning, When were talking about the well-being of seven-plus billion people, policy makers and planners, global health leaders, they should be thinking about this in serious terms. We have to be prepared. We have to be vigilant. Even with its limitations, Pandemic deserves a wide audience. The issues raised are critically important to the worlds population. Capitalist governments around the world, on a daily basis, reveal their inability and callous unwillingness to address them. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have led calls for the US to ease harsh sanctions imposed on Iran, as the nation reels from coronavirus, which has killed at least 2,600 Iranians. In a public letter signed by around three-dozen politicians, including congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Mr Sanders and Ms Ocasio-Cortez, called on the Trump administration to step in with humanitarian aid, rather than making a very bad situation worse. The call comes less than a week after Washington imposed new sanctions on Tehran, targeting individuals and companies allegedly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Rather than continue to invoke new sanctions in the Iranian peoples hour of need, we urge you to substantially suspend sanctions on Iran during this global public health emergency in a humanitarian gesture to the Iranian people to better enable them to fight the virus, said the letter. We encourage the US to find a way to deliver aid directly to the Iranian people to support the Iranian peoples fight against Coronavirus, as many other nations have done. There is precedent for both of these steps, as the George W Bush administration eased sanctions and delivered aid to Iran following a deadly earthquake near Bam in 2003. Iran has been one of the countries worst hit by the virus and one of those least able to respond. The number of infections there has hit 41,000, with at least 2,700 deaths. The Iranian leadership says its ability to tackle the crisis has been hampered by economic damage caused by sanctions reimposed by the US in 2018 after Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the multi-party Iran Nuclear Deal. In early March, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the US had offered to help Iran, with a message sent through the Swiss authorities, given there is no direct diplomatic contact between the countries. On Tuesday, Mr Pompeo appeared to suggest an easing of sanctions was possible. Speaking to reporters from the state department, he said humanitarian and medical supplies were exempt from sanctions. Asked if there might come a point at which the United States might reevaluate its stance on easing sanctions that may deter firms from humanitarian trade with Iran, he said: We evaluate all of our policies constantly, so the answer is would we ever rethink? Of course. He added: The United States understands this is a humanitarian challenge, a humanitarian crisis, and we are deeply committed to ensuring that humanitarian assistance gets to the people of those countries. We care more often about the people in those countries than their own leaders do. Additional reporting by Reuters Mumbai Police are trying to track down at least 150 persons who participated in the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month and returned to the city, an official said on Wednesday. The congregation, attended by people from across India as well as other countries, was later found to have been a coronavirus hotspot. Search is on now for the participants who left Delhi so that they can be tested for infection and quarantined if necessary. The city police had recently received a list of at least150 people who attended the event and returned to Mumbai, said an official. The police are trying to trace them and also find out their travel history after the congregation and the people they came in contact with, he said. Once they are traced, their samples would be sent for testing, he said. As many as 32 persons including 12 Indonesian nationals who attended the Nizamuddin event and later traveled to Mumbai have been quarantined. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of Congress Urge Attorney General to Release as Many Prisoners as Possible Democratic Representatives urged Attorney General William Barr to release vulnerable prisoners who are serving time in Louisiana federal prisons. The measure aims to stop the spread of the CCP virus and prevent more deaths. In a letter sent Monday, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) urged the U.S. Attorney General William Barr to use the authority granted to him under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to protect elderly, sick, and pregnant prisoners. The Congress members referred to the low-security facility in Oakdale, Louisiana, where an inmate recently died from the CCP virus, a guard is reported in a serious condition, and another 30 prisoners tested positive for the virus. They encouraged Attorney General Barr to do more to protect prisoners from the virus and release as many prisoners as possible. The Representatives said they were glad that the Attorney General had taken steps to mitigate the spread of the CCP virus in prisons when he issued a memorandum to the Bureau of Prisoners (BOP) to release some inmates to their homes. Although we were encouraged to see that you have already issued a directive to the Director of the BOP prioritizing home confinement as appropriate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the memorandum raised several concerns for the Representatives. The Democrats stated that under the CARES Act, the Attorney General needs to deem the situation an emergency before the BOP can release inmates. As you know, before BOP can exercise its authority under the CARES Act, the Attorney General must make a finding that emergency conditions will materially affect the functioning of the Bureau [of Prisons]. We urge you to make this finding immediately, the representatives continued. They made arguments against the memorandum, in which Barr wrote that prison is a safer place for most prisoners, and they have access to health care. The lawmakers adamantly disagreed and wrote that there is no way to apply the social distancing principle within prison confines appropriately and that the BOPs healthcare staff is understaffed. For all these reasons, the best way to ensure that our prisons do not become epicenters of this incredibly virulent, contagious, and deadly disease is to release as many people as possible. The letter went on to state that the criterion used to decide which prisoners should be released for home incarceration was faulty and left out high-risk and elderly prisoners. Lawmakers wanted Barr to exercise your authority to release as many people as possible into home confinement, under the elderly home confinement pilot program established under the Second Chance Act. The Democrats insisted that under the CARES Act, Barr should release to home confinement every person who is currently finishing out his or her sentence in a residential reentry center. They argued for COVID 19 testing of prisoners that are being moved from one prison facility to another. They asked Barr to have the department gather data pertaining to every inmate in BOP and whether they were considered for release, and if not, why not. This latest push in Louisiana fits a trend by authorities in other states to release prisoners to stop the mounting death toll caused by the CCP virus. Last week, New Jersey authorities announced that hundreds of inmates would be released temporarily, as cases rose in neighboring New York. Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein had tested positive after spending time at the notorious Rikers Island jail. According to Reuters, at least 132 inmates and 104 staff at jails across New York City on Saturday had tested positive for the virus. Last week, authorities announced they would be releasing 300 nonviolent inmates. In California, another hotspot for the virus, Los Angeles County, has released 1,700 inmates, or about one out of every 10 inmates, in response to the CCP virus. All of the inmates had fewer than 30 days left on their sentences and were in jail because of nonviolent misdemeanors. The majority of Americas prison population of over 2 million is housed in state prisons. There are currently just over 175,000 inmates held in federal prisons. Barr said on Thursday that he had directed the Bureau of Prisons to assess whether it was possible to expand home confinement particularly for those older prisoners who have served substantial parts of their sentence and no longer pose a threat and may have underlying conditions that make them particularly vulnerable. We have authorities under the First Step Act and under other general authorities will permit us to release to home confinement for certain designated circumstances, Barr said during an unrelated press conference. And Ive asked and issued a memorandum just today to the Bureau of Prisons to increase the use of home confinement based on a number of factors. Simon Veazey Contributed to this report. By Express News Service Anne Hathaway will star in an adaptation of French Children Dont Throw Food, based on the autobiography from Pamela Druckerman. The project will be bankrolled by StudioCanal, with Blueprint Picture set to produce, say reports.The story follows an American journalist who moves to Paris for her husbands job and raises a family there. As she tries to figure out how to balance her family and career, and battle the feelings that she is failing at both, she observes her French neighbours and friends to uncover the secrets behind parenting well-behaved French children. She discovers that everyone, no matter how perfect they might appear, has their own problems. Jamie Minoprio and Jonathan Stern wrote the most recent draft of the adaptation.Hathaways recent release is the Joan Didion adaptation The Last Thing He Wanted from Dee Rees for Netflix. She next will be seen in Robert Zemeckis The Witches remake, playing the Grand High Witch. Saudi Arabia boosted crude oil supply to record levels Wednesday, with state giant Aramco offering 18.8 million barrels on a single day despite a global supply glut as a price war rages with Russia. Aramco's announcement comes after a deal to limit crude output between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers, including Russia, expired on Tuesday. The move comes despite pressure from Washington, with US President Donald Trump offering on Tuesday to help resolve the price war between Moscow and Riyadh that has sent crude prices plummeting to 18-year lows. "As the world demands economic stability, Aramco remains committed to supplying the world with energy," the oil giant said in a statement. "The company is breaking records to supply 15 tankers loading more than 18.8 million barrels of oil," it added. Aramco also released aerial footage of multiple oil tankers being loaded at sea. The threat of a global recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic had already hammered prices when Riyadh pledged last month to raise exports after a production-cut agreement among top producers flopped. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it would increase exports further to a record 10.6 million barrels per day from May, deepening a glut on world markets. The kingdom, the world's top oil exporter, had already announced a sharp production increase for April. Saudi Arabia had been exporting around 7.0 million barrels per day under an output reduction agreement among a 24-member producer alliance known as OPEC+, which included Russia. OPEC+ failed to reach an agreement on further production cuts to shore up sagging prices as the coronavirus battered the global economy last month. Trump on Tuesday said he had spoken with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman by phone with the aim of halting the slide. Analysts say Riyadh is engaged in a deliberate long-term strategy to capture greater market share by pressuring its high-cost rivals. The price war has hit shale oil producers in the US, with Trump saying the production dispute threatened "thousands and thousands" of jobs. In a letter last week to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a group of US senators accused Saudi Arabia and Russia of waging "economic warfare against the United States". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctor Sacha Stelzer-Braid (pictured) from the University of New South Wales told FEMAIL the virus can remain on jewellery even after you've washed your hands Medical experts are urging people to wash their hands in warm soapy water for 20 seconds to slow the spread of coronavirus in every country. The chemicals within hand soap 'loosen' the proteins and lipids connection that exist within the virus, breaking them down and 'killing' the virus. But Doctor Sacha Stelzer-Braid from the University of New South Wales told FEMAIL the virus can still remain on your jewellery even after you've washed your hands, particularly if you're not being thorough enough. The Australian virologist, who specialises in respiratory viruses, said that if you're wearing a ring or a collection of them, you need to move them up and down your finger each time you wash your hands with soap The Australian virologist, who specialises in respiratory viruses, said that if you're wearing a ring or a collection of them, you need to move them up and down your finger each time you wash your hands with soap. 'It's not enough to do a quick rinse. There needs to be lots of soap and lots of water. Get the soap between and under your rings. Rub the back of your hands and nails as well,' she said. 'You need to do it properly to avoid the virus carrying further.' How does soap destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus? Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: ribonucleic acid (RNA), proteins and lipids. The fat-like substances in soap 'loosens' the connections between these three building blocks, breaking them down and 'killing' the virus - or rendering it inactive. Just washing with water isn't strong enough to loosen the connections, which is why soap is such a useful protector. Advertisement While the easiest method to avoid transmitting COVID-19 through your jewellery is to take it off for the time being, Doctor Stelzer-Braid said you can leave them on as long as you're diligent. 'We've known that viruses can exist on jewellery before the coronavirus and we know it now. Proper hand washing technique will be enough to disinfect your rings.' She said watches and bracelets were less of an issue because they tend to be higher up your arm and come into contact with surfaces less. If you do decide to remove your rings for a day ensure they are well washed with soap and disinfected before putting them away, because you'll only re-infect your hands if you put them on a day later. And be careful with organic gems and hand sanitiser - the alcohol in the sanitiser can dry out the gems, leading to cracking. Death of 563 patients in a day brings total number of COVID-19 deaths to 2,352. The United Kingdom has reported 563 deaths in a day, bringing the total number of patients in the country who died in hospitals to 2,352. The announcement on Wednesday marked the first time the country has reported more than 500 deaths over 24 hours from COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. As of 5pm (16:00 GMT) on 31 March, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 2,352 have sadly died, the health ministry said on Twitter. Some 29,474 people have now tested positive, a jump of 4,324 over the previous day, it added. Figures published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics suggested the coronavirus death toll may be higher compared with the governments daily updates due to patients dying outside of hospitals. There will be a number of people who have died outside of Britains hospitals, in care homes or their own houses, said Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from London, adding that the government has warned that the crisis is nowhere near its peak. On Tuesday, the announced death toll was 381, the day before that it was 180 you can see how fast it is increasing at the moment, Challands said. The UK locked down last week in an attempt to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself has tested positive and is self-isolating, has however warned that it would get worse before it gets better. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also announced he has the virus and will be in self-isolation, working from home. On Tuesday, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, a 13yearold boy from London who tested positive for COVID-19, died. He is believed to be the UKs youngest coronavirus victim. The COVID-19 outbreak is expected to have a toll on the global economy. In order to ease the financial burden, Apple and Goldman Sachs are allowing Apple Card users to defer April payments. Apple Card users can skip April payment without having to incur interest. Thats not all, the deferred payments will not end up affecting your credit score. Last month, Goldman Sachs had offered a similar program that was accessible via the Wallet App. The company says that Apple Card users who have deferred their payment in March can once again opt to defer payment without having to pay the interest. That being said, the users need to once again enroll themselves in the Customer Assistance Program by heading over to Support Portal. Apples email to customers says We understand that the COVID-19 situation poses unique challenges for everyone and some customers may have difficulty making their monthly payments. If you previously enrolled in the Customer Assistance Program in March, you will need to enroll again. Please note that Apple is not waiving off the payment on your Apple Card. The balance needs to be paid eventually. However, the moratorium will give you some breather and help get finances in place. This is especially true for business owners and professionals who have seen a drop in their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many in tech industries and financial institutions have come up with a program to help those impacted by a coronavirus. In the U.S. Trump administration has announced that they will be waiving off student loan waiver due to coronavirus. Meanwhile, banks in the UK are deferring mortgage and loan payment by as many as three months. [via Bloomberg By Express News Service BENGALURU: To tackle the shortage of ventilators in case the country sees a sudden spike in COVID-19 patients, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are designing an indigenous electro-mechanical device. This overcomes the limitations of having to procure certain components from other countries that many ventilator producers face. Researchers are finalising the prototype and are looking to use the nanofabrication facility at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, IISc, to scale up production of oxygen and pressure sensors required in the ventilator, as they build it from scratch. The ventilator uses only components found or made in India and is based on guidelines issued by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, as per a communication from the institution. It is also collaborating with "potential manufacturers" to see what critical components are available with them, before incorporating these in the final design. The prototype is likely to come out by mid-April. TV Prabhakar, Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE), who is a founder of the project, said the aim is to allow its use free of cost. While the project kicked off ten days ago, the team is hoping for manufacturers to scale this up with prototypes at their disposal by the end of April. The institute said the team built some components and co-opted others, for instance, to store and mix air and oxygen, they reused sedimentation tanks found in household RO water purifiers. To check pressure levels, the team used sensors similar to those used to detect air pressure in car tyres. The team is also developing from scratch a flow rate sensor (which shows exactly how much air is flowing into the patients lungs) and is getting inputs from doctors to simplify the interface of the ventilator to allow even untrained technicians or nurses to use it in case of an emergency. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has expressed interest in supporting mass production, said the institute. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staffers working in state's private hospitals engaged in anti-corona fight too will be given the enhanced ex-gratia payments fixed for their counterparts in government hospitals. The chief minister also announced an extension of due date for payment of crop loans by farmers from April 15 to June 30. Khattar made these announcements in a televised address, aimed at updating people on the Covid-19 situation in the state and steps being taken to combat it. He said doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff working in private hospitals too would also get the ex gratia benefits of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 30 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively if they were not covered under the new insurance cover announced by the Centre. On farmers issue, he said farmers in the state can now repay their crop loan till June 30. He said they would also get the benefit of interest subvention for this period. He said that an amount of Rs 24 crore has so far been received in the Corona Relief Fund set up by the state government. he state government had also made an appeal to the government employees to generously contribute a portion of their basic salaries towards this fund and so far 46,000 employees have come forward. The chief minister also urged people to constructively utilize their time during the 21-day lockdown while staying indoor. He said people should spend maximum time with their elders and also pursue hobbies like reading books, storytelling, cooking etc. Urging people to exercise daily to stay fit, he said during these lockdown days, he has doubled his exercise time from 45 minutes earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A western Pennslyvania woman was court-ordered to be tested for COVID-19 after she coughed in a state troopers face, claiming she had the virus, according to police. Jessica Lee Harvey, 37, of Houston, Washington County, is charged with misdemeanor terroristic threats, harassment and simple assault, and was cited for public drunkenness, according to online court dockets. Police said an off-duty officer first encountered Harvey on Sunday in the first block of Pike Street in Houston Borough. When she was found, she appeared to be disheveled and bleeding. The off-duty officer stopped and called for help. Investigators later learned someone had called police about Harvey being involved in an argument in the area about an hour earlier. One of the responding officers determined Harvey was intoxicated, and Harvey said her injuries were from a fall she had earlier that day, police said. She refused treatment for her injuries. While police were with her, they learned she had multiple warrants out for her arrest, police said. Because of this, she was taken into custody and put into a patrol car. While an officer was helping her with her seatbelt, Harvey coughed in the troopers face and said, I have the coronavirus and I hope that you have it now, according to police. Harvey continued to cough on the trooper while she was being transported to Washington County Jail and repeatedly claimed she had coronavirus, police said. Police said Harvey also urinated in the police vehicle during the transport. On Tuesday, the Washington County District Attorney assisted state police in getting a warrant to get her to take a COVID-19 test, police said. The test was administered at a Washington County Hospital. The Pennslyvania State Police will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and seek restitution from people who intentionally spread COVID-19, police said in a statement. Harvey is being held at Washington County Jail on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 21. Read more on PennLive: 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 17:56 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ef76ee 1 City COVID-19,anies-baswedan,community,RT-RW,COVID-19-Jakarta Free The Jakarta administration has enlisted the help of local authorities as part of wider efforts to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the capital, which is the national epicenter of the epidemic that has infected more than 1600 people nationwide and killed 157. The rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Jakarta has prompted extra efforts to contain the disease, as the city boasted a record 10.9 percent death rate threefold the global average of 3.9 percent. As of Wednesday morning, the citys website corona.jakarta.go.id reported 794 confirmed infections and 798 patients under surveillance in Jakarta. Jakarta Governance Bureau head Premi Lasari has said leaders of the citys many neighborhood units (RT) and community units (RW) had initiated efforts to protect vulnerable groups from COVID-19 transmission, as mandated in a city circular dated March 26. Each RT and RW in the capital will collect and collate data on the most vulnerable groups in their respective neighborhoods, particularly people aged 60 and above as well as people suffering from hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, lung diseases and cancer, according to the document. According to the Jakarta office of Statistics Indonesia, there are about 800,000 residents recorded in the vulnerable age group. The RT and RW unit heads have been carrying out the governors directive, Premi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The grassroots efforts come as Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan instructed city officials to protect the clean areas defined as neighborhoods with zero infections during a virtual meeting with Jakarta mayors last week. They have to find ways so that the residents in areas declared safe are not infected, Anies said in footage of the meeting posted on the administrations YouTube channel. So far, some RW leaders had acted on their own initiative to limit the movement of people in their respective communities, Premi said, including by closing off neighborhood entryways and monitoring traffic in and out of their areas. The chairman of the Jakarta RT/RW Forum, Muhammad Irsyad, said many communities at the neighborhood level had taken preventive measures even before the governors directive was rolled out, after they had learned about the spread of the disease from media reports. Irsyad said that each neighborhood had come up with a different approach to curbing the spread of the virus, based on the social makeup and characteristics of its population. For instance, a neighborhood consisting of several urban kampungs would not be able to prohibit low-income residents from leaving their homes. But at least they can monitor nonresidents who enter their area, besides promoting good personal hygiene, Irsyad said. Restricting access, he argued, was only feasible in smaller areas, such as the more well-off gated communities, in which residents had the resources to fulfill their needs during a quarantine. But even in more modest community units, residents have not stopped lending a helping hand. Irsyad, who heads a community unit of his own in the clean district of Rawa Badak Selatan in North Jakarta, said he recently had to ask a resident to get himself and his family checked up and to self-isolate themselves after showing what was deemed mild virus symptoms. As the managers of the [RW], we continue monitoring the needs of [that person and the family]. Weve provided them with disinfectant spray and antiseptic handwash. Other neighbors could give them food if it is deemed necessary I believe other RWs are doing the same thing, he said. For other places with more footfall or a lack of physical boundaries, things may be a bit more complicated. Nurul Huda, head of the Gelora subdistrict in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said that community units under his authority were unable to block access to their areas because a number of offices and a traditional market were located in the area. It is more complicated for our area because of the offices and Palmerah Market. Anyone who can will come through here, he told the Post, noting that only some RWs were able to implement a one-gate policy, where residents take turns to guard access to the neighborhood. The Gelora subdistrict has two confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, Huda claims, and both are apartment dwellers in the area. Only 42 out of Jakarta's 261 subdistricts have not reported any COVID-19 positive cases. While most RTs and RWs rely on their own residents to protect the neighborhood, Premi said they could still ask for assistance from the local police to enforce public order or help them promote physical distancing measures in the surrounding community. In Gelora, Huda said, one police officer was assigned to each RW to patrol at night and raise public awareness on COVID-19 during the day. Outside of the capital, a number of regions have also taken the initiative to impose containment measures of their own. The Tegal city administration in Central Java has moved to close its borders for four months from March 30 to July 31, imposing something akin to a full lockdown. In Yogyakarta, residents of Sleman regency have limited access to several hamlets, such as the neighborhood units in Randu in Hargobinangun village, Pakem district, where only two roads are left open for access. Read also: COVID-19: Regions start locking down as govt works on regulation Kochi: A Malayalam film crew of 58 persons comprising actor Prithviraj and director Blessy are stuck at a shooting venue of their new film in Jordan after measures taken by that country to prevent novel coronavirus outbreak, film industry sources said here on Wednesday. The crew of the film 'Aadujeevitham' (Goat Days), who are held up at Wadi Rum in Jordan, have sought assistance from the Indian authorities for their safe return to India, they said. "They are not in a distress condition. They are absolutely safe at their hotel. The crew sought assistance from our External Affairs Ministry and Kerala government authorities after they were not allowed to shoot the film due to curfew imposed by Jordan government authorities to prevent outbreak of COVID-19," sources told. Since bringing them back to country at present is very difficult due to cancellation of flights, steps are being taken to get validity of their visas (which would get over on April 5) extended, the sources added. The shooting of the film directed by Blessy was stalled in Arabian desert of Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon) in south of Jordan due to the outbreak of the deadly virus. Authorities have so far identified at least 25 people from Mumbra in Maharashtra's Thane district who had attended a religious event in Nizamuddin area of Delhi last month, an official said on Wednesday. The area has emerged as one of the hotspots for coronavirus outbreak since the 'markaz' or gathering of Tabligh-e-Jamaat was held there, prompting many states to launch a massive search for the attendees. "On the directions from the Centre, a team ofseven to eight medical officials has been deployed along with the police to carry out inspection and for identifying those who had attended the event. So far they have identified at least 25 persons from two madarsas(seminaries) in Mumbra and the search is still on," said Dr RT Kendre, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) incharge for coronavirus cases for Thane. He said none of the identified persons had any health issues. He said further course of action will be decided after identifying the attendees. The Delhi government on Tuesday said 24 people, who took part in the congregation, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. People from across the country had taken part in the mega meet. After the matter came to light, the Centre and the Delhi government swung into action to trace people who attended the congregation. Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, earlier died of coronavirus infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Stunning photographs of surfers battling waves across Australia have been shared for the 2020 Nikon Surf Photo of the Year awards. The photographers captured the intensity of the sport as fearless surfers rode through the barrels of waves more than three metres high while whitewater crashed around them. From Bronte Beach, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, to swells on the Gold Coast and in Western Australia, the imagery showcases the nation's stunning ocean landscape. Ren McGann was awarded photo of the year for this image, 'The Right'. 'No matter how many trips you do some waves always stand out amongst the rest,' he said Pictured: Jack in a Box taken by Tom Pearsall. 'Jack Robinson gritting his teeth and holding his line through a deadly section in remote Western Australia,' Mr Pearsall said Pictured: An unusual relationship taken by Tom Pearsall. Mr Pearsall said surfer Matahi Drollet's face shows 'no sign of fear or apprehension, just pure joy,' despite riding a deadly wave Simon Punch took this picture, 'Breathing', of surfer Scott Whip Dennis. 'A perspective from deep behind the surfer riding the barrel as the wave breathes back before spitting' Pictured: 'Danny sunset stern' taken by Stu Gibson at Shippies, on the south eastern coast of Tasmania Pictured: Gergo Rugli's 'Warrior'. The motion blur photo was taken at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs Pictured: Jamie Scott's 'I can't hear you'. 'Mick blew his eardrum on the wave before this one, but in true Aussie spirit he climbed back on the horse and slid into this behemoth' Ren McGann was awarded photo of the year for his image 'The Right', which focused on a crouching surfer glide through a tube. Speaking to the image, Mr McGann said: 'No matter how many trips you do some waves always stand out amongst the rest.' 'I would like to thank Nikon and Surfing Australia for making these awards possible. 'It is a great honour to have won amongst such talented artists for whom I have the greatest respect. 'I'm absolutely stoked to have taken out the title for 2020.' Nikon Brand Ambassador and seven-time World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore and 10 high-profile judges were tasked with selecting the winner. Pictured: 'Froth Monster' captured by Travis Johnson. Harry, a young surfer or 'grom' in surf slang, is pictured on the Gold Coast Pictured: 'Solo Sessions' taken by Trent Slatter Pictured: 'Empty by Trent Slatter. He described the shot as 'Epic' Ms Gilmore said she really enjoyed judging the photographs. 'As a photographer myself, I was inspired by the calibre of entries which really demonstrated the unique, creative approach to capturing our beautiful ocean,' she said. 'Congratulations to everyone that entered. I hope the viewers agree with our final choice.' Mr McGann will be awarded a Nikon Z 6 kit for taking the top prize. Some entries were also captured overseas, with surfers riding waves in Portugal and Tahiti. Pictured: Peter 'JOLI' Wilson called this shot 'Portugal Sunset'. He said it was a 'post surf catch up' following a late session near Peniche, Portugal Pictured: Peter Jovic's 'No Looking Back'. 'Some heavy water during a solid Indian Ocean swell and an un-named local charger racing the gauntlet as the sun begins to set in the west,' he said Ray Collins called this shot "The Big Bang" describing it as a violent ignition of hydrogen and oxygen Jamie Scott took this picture - In the thick of it on April 17 2019 Japan will bar visitors from the United States, China and most of Europe, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to stem a recent rise in coronavirus cases. The entry ban, which will also apply to Australia, Britain, South Korea and many Southeast Asia countries, will take effect on Friday, Shinzo Abe's government said. Japan had already barred arrivals from parts of several European nations, China and South Korea. A total of 73 countries were now subject to the measure, Abe told a government meeting. Japan has also requested all travellers to the country, including its own citizens, to self-isolate and avoid public transport for two weeks from Friday. The measures come as Abe weighs a state of emergency in Japan that would hand regional authorities greater power to request people to stay indoors. Japan has not yet had the sort of explosion of infections seen in the United States and parts of Europe. But a recent spike in cases in Tokyo has raised concerns as dozens of new cases emerge daily. The city's governor Yuriko Koike has asked residents to work from home where possible, avoid going out at night and urged the city's vast population to stay indoors over the weekend. Her advice appeared to be widely heeded over the weekend, helped by unseasonable snow on Sunday, as normally teeming streets fell quiet. On Wednesday, authorities announced that high schools in the capital would remain closed until after the Golden Week holiday in early May, extending a shutdown that began in February. To cushion the impact on the world's third-largest economy, Abe has vowed to unveil in the coming days a stimulus package bigger than the one introduced during the 2008 financial crisis. As of Wednesday, Japan had registered 2,178 cases of the new coronavirus, with 57 deaths. Among the fatalities was one of Japan's most popular comedians, Ken Shimura, whose death announced Monday shocked the country. The tally does not include the virus-stricken Diamond Princess, a cruise ship off Yokohama that had more than 700 infections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the government has collected the details of those who took part from the state in recent religious congregations in Nizamuddin and Malaysia and it needs to be examined if they have any health issues. "Police have already made detailed examination in this regard. The list of participants have been given through respective district collectors. Necessary precautions will be made in the concerned districts in this regard," Vijayan told reporters. The government has the exact number of participants and the details of the districts they are hailing from, he said. Meanwhile, Pathananthitta police said they have identified 6 persons in the district in connection with the Nizamuddin congregation. "Three persons had taken part in the congregation, of them one had already died. One person is in quarantine in the district while the other is located now in Thiruvananthapuram," a senior police official told PTI. The others are not participants but had travelled to Delhi along with them, he said. In the nearby Alappuzha district, three persons have been identified in connection with the congregation, police said. "They have been in quarantine and under the surveillance of thehealth department since they have reached back the state from Delhi," another official said. Several people, who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin in the national capital are suspected to be having symptoms of Covid19, even as at least 24 have tested positive. In 2015 Carmen Hung was appointed CEO of Get Nice Financial Group Limited (HKG:1469). This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. Check out our latest analysis for Get Nice Financial Group How Does Carmen Hung's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? According to our data, Get Nice Financial Group Limited has a market capitalization of HK$1.7b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth HK$1.3m over the year to March 2019. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at HK$670k. We examined companies with market caps from HK$775m to HK$3.1b, and discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was HK$2.3m. Pay mix tells us a lot about how a company functions versus the wider industry, and it's no different in the case of Get Nice Financial Group. Speaking on an industry level, we can see that nearly 74% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 26% is other remuneration. Readers will want to know that Get Nice Financial Group pays a modest slice of remuneration through salary, as compared to the wider sector. Most shareholders would consider it a positive that Carmen Hung takes less total compensation than the CEOs of most similar size companies, leaving more for shareholders. Though positive, it's important we delve into the performance of the actual business. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Get Nice Financial Group has changed over time. SEHK:1469 CEO Compensation March 31st 2020 Is Get Nice Financial Group Limited Growing? Get Nice Financial Group Limited has reduced its earnings per share by an average of 45% a year, over the last three years (measured with a line of best fit). It saw its revenue drop 5.7% over the last year. Story continues Few shareholders would be pleased to read that earnings per share are lower over three years. And the impression is worse when you consider revenue is down year-on-year. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Has Get Nice Financial Group Limited Been A Good Investment? With a three year total loss of 14%, Get Nice Financial Group Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldn't be too generous with CEO compensation. In Summary... It appears that Get Nice Financial Group Limited remunerates its CEO below most similar sized companies. The compensation paid to Carmen Hung is lower than is usual at similar sized companies, but the eps growth is lacking, just like the returns (over three years). We would not call the pay too generous, but nor would we claim the CEO is underpaid, given lacklustre business performance. CEO compensation is an important area to keep your eyes on, but we've also identified 3 warning signs for Get Nice Financial Group (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. (NKW.V) (the Company or NaiKun) wishes to provide additional details regarding the proposed sale of the NaiKun Offshore Wind Farm (the Project) located in the Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia, Canada to Northland Power Inc. (NPI.TO) (Northland) (the Transaction), as previously announced on March 30, 2020 (the Initial News Release). The Transaction constitutes the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. Unless otherwise defined herein, all capitalized terms used in this press release have the meaning given to them in Initial News Release. In connection with the Transaction, management of the Company wish to provide the following details: upon successful completion of the Transaction, Northland will be solely responsible for all aspects of the Projects development, subject only to the Option granted to NaiKun pursuant to the terms of the Agreement; NaiKun is unable to provide a dollar value to the Cash Consideration and Cash Distribution at this time, as such consideration is contingent on (i) Northland successfully entering into a power purchase agreement (a Power Purchase Agreement ) with the relevant authorities in British Columbia, (ii) the size and term of such a Power Purchase Agreement, and (iii) such future Power Purchase Agreements as may be awarded to Northland in the Project area; and there is no assurance that a Power Purchase Agreement can be attained in the foreseeable future, however it is the Companys opinion that the Project is more likely to proceed under Northlands management given their status and experience as a large Canadian developer, owner, and operator of like projects. About NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. NaiKun is a British Columbia-based renewable energy company. Located on B.C.s northwest coast, where the wind resource is one of the strongest and most consistent in the world. Story continues NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. Contact: Michael OConnor, President and Chief Executive Officer 604-631-4483, moconnor@naikun.ca Website: www.naikun.ca Neither TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to the future events or future performance. The use of any of the words will and similar expressions and statements are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on NaiKuns current beliefs or assumptions as to the outcome of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this press release contains forward looking-information concerning: the sale of all or substantially all of NaiKuns assets, the anticipated closing of the Transaction, the successful completion of the Project, and the Cash Consideration and Cash Distribution to be paid under the Agreement. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The material facts and assumptions include, but are not limited to: the Transaction being completed; the process resulting in the completion and development of the Project, and Northland successfully entering into a Power Purchasing Agreement. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from the results that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information contained in this press release. Such factors include, without limitation, the following risks: there may be undue delays in the completion of the Transaction; there may be undue delays or abandonment of the Project, and Northland may be unable to secure a Power Purchasing Agreement. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressed qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. [April 01, 2020] HPE Announced as Winner of IT Certification Council 2020 Innovation Award The IT Certification Council announced the winner of their 2020 Innovation Award, Hewett Packard Enterprise (HPE). HPE is a multinational enterprise information technology company based in San Jose, California. HPE submitted its proposal titled "HPE Scalable PBT with SmartItems and Configurable Hardware Environment." This annual award serves to recognize leadership initiatives that have positively impacted a company or the IT certification industry. HPE's innovative approach is directly aligned with certification testing and is a scalable, secure, remotely proctored, fully automated (consistent) scoring, practical exam on live hardware. The IT industry currently builds software-based practical exams using virtual machines and this allows the test sponsor to easily deliver to numerous candidates simultaneously with scoring of directly configurable commands issued on consistent, standard platforms. This innovation addressed the business need for scalable, globally delivered, practical exams, on live hardware to best ensure that our partners and customers have the skills to design and deploy complex HPE solutions and elevate the value of their top-level certifications. "It is with great pleasure that we recognize the wonderful and innovative improvements that HPE made for ts certification program and most importantly for their candidates. It is truly a paradigm shift for IT certification, not only with the technology but with the partnership across multiple vendors that was created. Congratulations to HPE for bringing partners together to solve a comprehensive problem and for being our 2020 Innovation Award recipient," said Kristin Wall, ITCC Board of Directors Chairperson. Submission Qualifications include: Implementation of an innovative test, process, or service within the past two years The product, service, or initiative must produce value for one or more stakeholders within the IT certification industry, such as, but not limited to: Increased security of a test Resulted in a new method for evaluating competencies Improved convenience or market access to your certification program Enhanced the respect and demand for certified professionals Open to companies and individuals in the IT certification industry (ITCC membership is not required) The runner-up was Lineup, a SAAS-based platform that allows exam development organizations to create and curate their subject matter expert workshops or panels. The awards for the winner and runner-up were presented at the Spring Member Meeting, held virtually, on April 1, 2020. For information on the ITCC Innovation Award and past award winners like SAP (News - Alert) and IBM, please visit the Innovation Award page found on the ITCC website here. About Hewett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the global edge-to-cloud Platform-as-a-Service company that helps organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data, everywhere. We're built on decades of reimagining the future through innovation. About ITCC The ITCC is a council of IT industry leaders focused on promoting IT certifications and committed to growing professional certifications, while recognizing the need for a qualified workforce to support the world's technology needs. The ITCC is a resource for employers, government officials, academia, and individuals seeking information about the many benefits of IT certification. The council establishes industry best practices, markets the value of certification, enhances exam security, and works on other certification issues the council identifies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005621/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Beauty retailer Sephora has become the latest company to shut its doors over the coronavirus pandemic. The cosmetics giant announced on Wednesday it will temporary close all stores in Australia beginning April 2, until further notice - but will still operate online. 'The health, safety and well-being of our staff members, our clients and the greater Australian public are of the utmost importance to us, and so today, we have chosen to take our social distancing and 'no-touch' policies even further with the temporary closure of our retail stores,' the company said in a statement. Sephora will close all of its stores in Australia as it battles the coronavirus pandemic 'To you, our Sephora Beauty Community, we want to thank you for your incredible support during this uncertain time. 'We look forward to hanging out with you online - and back in stores - soon.' The company last month had taken steps to minimise the spread of COVID-19 at its stores by suspending its on-site makeup services and beauty lessons. It is the latest victim of the coronavirus retail fallout, which is leaving tens of thousands of Australians unemployed as stores shut their doors. General Pants is closing all stores until at least April 22 due to the coronavirus fallout Peter Alexander is among the stores that is having to close down due to the coronavirus Last week, General Pants, Smiggle, and Peter Alexander announced it would temporarily close its stores as the country battles the economic effects of the pandemic. 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 The brands are owned by tycoon Solomon Lew's Premier Investments which announced a shutdown of Australian stores last Thursday. Around 9,000 of the company's staff around the world will be stood down without pay until at least April 22. The company said it does not intend to pay rent on any of its stores. Around 70 per cent of its leases in Australia and New Zealand run out this year or are already expired. The group's bosses will be working from home without pay. RAG Group, which owns Tarocash, YD and Connor, closed 500 stores and stood down 3,000 workers last Friday. Meanwhile, Accent Group - which owns Athlete's Foot, Platypus and Hype - has announced it is closing 522 stores and standing down around 5,000 staff. The company will close all stores from 5pm on Friday for four weeks. While the historic Tivoli Theatre is temporarily closed, The Bobby Stone Film Series presented by West Village will bring the cinema to their friends and community with their new Virtual Cinema. The Tivoli Theatre's Virtual Cinema is a collection of new, first-run movies released via a streaming platform by film distribution partners exclusively for art-house audiences. The Tivoli Theatre officials said it is excited to be part of this unique initiative and will keep fans updated on the latest movie releases it will offer as part of this new series. More to come soon. Weve always felt that nothing can rival the magic of coming to the Jewel of the South, the Tivoli Theatre, to enjoy great cinema," said Tivoli Theatre Foundation Executive Director Nick Wilkinson. "Since the launch of the Bobby Stone film series presented by the West Village in 2018, our community has once again found joy in coming to the Tivoli and having unique experiences seeing some of the best independent and classic movies. And while we know nothing can replace the ambiance of a 1920s picture palace, we hope this innovative programming gives folks a new way to experience new films and support the Tivoli while we're navigating these uncharted waters and continue to look for ways to provide unique cinematic experiences for our patrons. The following titles are only available to stream through https://www.tivolichattanooga.com/events/bobby-stone-film-series/virtual-cinema Review for the films: Saint Frances Flailing 34-year-old Bridget (Kelly OSullivan) finally catches a break when she meets a nice guy and lands a much-needed job nannying six-year-old Frances (played by a scene-stealing Ramona Edith-Williams). But an unwanted pregnancy introduces an unexpected complication. To make matters worse, she clashes with the obstinate Frances and struggles to navigate a growing tension between Frances moms. Tickets: $12 This film is provided by distributor friends at Film Movement. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band This film is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertsons young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertsons personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, together making their mark on music history. ONCE WERE BROTHERS blends rare archival footage, photography, iconic songs and interviews with Robertsons friends and collaborators including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and more. Tickets: $12 100 percent of proceeds go to the Tivoli Theatre until midnight on Thursday. This film is provided by distributor friends at Magnolia Pictures. The Whistlers In THE WHISTLERS, not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off. Tickets: $12 100 eprcent of proceeds go to the Tivoli Theatre until midnight Thursday. This film is provided by distributor friends at Magnolia Pictures. Corpus Christi After spending years in a Warsaw prison for a violent crime, 20-year-old Daniel is released and sent to a remote village to work as a manual laborer. The job is designed to keep the ex-con busy, but Daniel has a higher calling. Over the course of his incarceration he has found Christ, and aspires to join the clergy - but his criminal record means no seminary will accept him. When Daniel arrives in town, one quick lie allows him to be mistaken for the towns new priest, and he sets about leading his newfound flock. Though he has no training, his passion and charisma inspire the community. At the same time, his unconventional sermons and unpriestly behavior raise suspicions among some of the townsfolk - even more so as he edges towards a dark secret that the community hasn't revealed in the confessional booth. Tickets: $12 This film is provided by distributor friends at Film Movement. 58.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Kellyanne Conway has called on Joe Biden to call the White House and offer support to President Donald Trump. The Counselor to the President told Fox News on Wednesday that his criticism was unhelpful. The former Vice President suggested that Trump contact President Barack Obama for help. Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade asked Conway about it. I think its really disappointing to have President Obamas number two, who apparently doesnt talk much to him, out there criticizing instead of saying hey, heres what we did that we thought was effective, she said. Watch the video: Kellyanne Conway claims that "we're not taking about politics here at the White House at all." pic.twitter.com/2UdTRsl6h3 Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 1, 2020 Why doesnt Vice President Biden call the White House today and offer some support? Hes in his bunker in Wilmington, Conway said. And I have to tell you, were not talking about politics here at the White House at all, she claimed. Were talking about ventilators and vaccines, not Biden and Bernie. Theres really no time for that. But its very disappointing when you see the criticism. I think the critics and the naysayers seem so much more small and so much shrill and unhelpful and petty than they ever have, Conway said. Biden has been recording videos from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He has also just launched a new podcast. Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter There are now at least 22 local residents hospitalized due to coronavirus, and a second health care worker at Glens Falls Hospital has tested positive for the virus. The patients are spread out at multiple hospitals, but at least one is in critical condition at Glens Falls Hospital. Although only hospitalized patients and health care workers are generally being tested, the number of positive cases continues to rise. Washington County reported three more cases, for a total of 12. But also three more people have gotten well, so only eight are ill. Two are hospitalized. In Saratoga County, there are 14 more cases, for a total of 131, and 18 hospitalized, up from 16. Essex County reported no change, at seven cases. Warren County also reported no change in the number of cases, at 19, with nine people recovered and at least two hospitalized. However, at least two more individuals in the county were diagnosed at Glens Falls Hospital on their symptoms alone. Many medical providers are now diagnosing on symptoms because there are so few testing kits available. Often, providers use a rapid flu test to eliminate that illness as a possibility. If the person has symptoms and a negative flu test, they are likely to diagnose coronavirus. Public Health officials are now asking doctors to tell them about those diagnoses. They want to check on each person, make sure they are quarantining, and track close contacts to try to stop the spread of the virus. If Public Health is involved, the person can get paid leave or unemployment payments due to the illness. Public Health will also help people who need groceries or other support. But if we dont know youre out there, none of that will happen, said Washington County Attorney Roger Wickes. It is very important for the doctors to communicate with Public Health, and for you to call Public Health (if diagnosed). Counties are beginning to get that message to both patients and primary care physicians. Saratoga County is now aware of at least 18 presumptive cases in the county. Essex and Washington counties plan to release their number of presumed-positive cases Thursday. In Warren County, Administrator Ryan Moore said he would not release that because the low number of presumptive cases could persuade people that there is no real problem here. The number of health care workers testing positive is also increasing. Albany Medical Center Hospital announced Wednesday that 45 health care workers in its network have coronavirus. Two-thirds of them acquired the virus from the community; the other third caught it at work. On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Regeneron is making 500,000 tests for the state, at no charge. By comparison, 220,880 people have been tested in total in the state since the pandemic began. He also announced that the rate of hospitalizations has slowed, suggesting that the apex of any potential surge would hit at the end of April. Thats good news, because it gives hospitals more time to prepare. However, the number of patients continues to grow. In total, New York state has 83,712 residents who have tested positive. About half of them are in New York City. You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. With 26 new COVID-19 positive cases, including 4 from Tonk, 1 from Alwar and 7 from Churu districts who had visited the Markaz in New Delhi's Nizamuddin last month, the tally of infected persons in Rajasthan on Wednesday went up to 120. According to the update by the Rajasthan Health Department at 9:45 pm, the total positive cases in the state so far is 102 including 2 Italian nationals. "Till 3 pm on Wednesday, 15 new corona positive patients were reported in the state. 13 of them were relatives of the first positive in Ramganj in Jaipur, while one is a female positive brought by evacuation from Iran," said Medical and Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma said. Sharma said that 6557 samples have been taken so far in the state, out of which 6289 have come negative, while the investigation of 178 samples is still under process. He said that the department has an adequate amount of ventilators. An order has been placed to purchase 250 ventilators. The medical minister said that 27 thousand people are engaged in active surveillance and are carrying out a door-to-door survey and screen work. He added that more than 3.86 crore people screened in the state. Sharma informed that more than 2000 people who came in contact with 108 Corona positive people are being traced and screened. He said that the situation in the state is worrisome but under control. The event at Markaz Nizamuddin, headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat in the month of March, has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1,637 on Wednesday, including 38 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [April 01, 2020] Chime Accelerates Delivery of New Live Streaming Functionality to Support Real Estate Agents Amid COVID-19 Pandemic PHOENIX, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chime Technologies, an award winning operating system for the real estate industry, today announced it has accelerated the delivery of new Live Streaming functionality to best support customers during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Available for download now, Chime unveiled new capabilities including Facebook Live Block, YouTube Live Block and new landing page templates, designed to feature virtual house tours and open houses and allow agents to engage with clients safely from a distance. Once set up via Facebook or YouTube, live streams can be seamlessly delivered via email or text to prospects using the Chime platform. To learn more about these updates, please visit HERE . Check out Chimes library of resources to help real estate community address pandemic HERE As the world is tasked with adapting to a new way of conducting business, the rel estate industry is no exception given its heavy reliance on engaging face to face with prospects. Chimes new functionality was specifically designed to help agents continue to best serve their clients while respecting the mandate for social distancing. With these updates, agents can schedule and conduct house tours and open houses virtually via their website and/or social media channels, ensuring the health and safety of both agents and prospects alike. The new live streaming features seamlessly integrate with the Chime platform and complement existing Chime tools including automated email, text, Smart Plans and website content, delivering the essential details prospects need to make a sound home buying or selling decision. As an essential business, we must be able to provide our services during these unprecedented times, said Steven Wener, Broker Associate, exp Realty. Video is king and now more than ever, the ability to use Facebook or YouTube through Chime offers us an ideal opportunity to elevate visibility and branding and allow possible purchasers to get a feel for a home without having to leave the safety of their own. We are grateful for this additional functionality, critical to success amid this global pandemic. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, our development team recognized a significant gap in how the real estate industry could engage with prospects and quickly delivered new live streaming functionality to help hard-working agents harness the power of innovative technology to continue to deliver excellent customer service. We are grateful to our team for their swift execution and will continue to support our customers as we navigate this uncertain time together, said Mike McGowan, vice president, sales, Chime. About Chime Technologies Chime is an all-in-one Sales Acceleration Platform for the real estate industry headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Its award-winning productivity suite offers a robust set of features that help real estate professionals and teams of all sizes run and grow their business. Chime Technologies operates as a US subsidiary of Renren, Inc. (RENN). For more information, contact [email protected] or 888-682-4463, or visit www.chime.me/. Media Contact: Sarah Murray Attune Communications 781-378-2674 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] While a dedicated cure or a vaccine for the COVID 19 pandemic that has engulfed the world being at least a year away, scientists have turned to existing vaccines to see their effects on the Coronavirus. In Melbourne, a similar experiment being carried out will see shots of tuberculosis vaccine being administered to the health care workers in the region. Called bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, the immunity shot has been used widely for about a century now. Interestingly, apart from its core purpose, the vaccine also has many off-target benefits including. It works as a common immunotherapy for early-stage bladder cancer and trains the bodys first line of immune defense to fight infections. (Representative Image: Reuters) In a hope that the vaccine would have a similar effect on the Coronavirus, the World Health Organisation is now encouraging international groups to try out BCG and note its effects. The attempt at the vaccine shot comes through a study led by Nigel Curtis, head of infectious diseases research, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne. "It can boost the immune system so that it defends better against a whole range of different infections, a whole range of different viruses and bacteria in a lot more generalized way," said Curtis. The trial period With the ongoing pandemic, healthcare workers are the priority for this trial. The entire experiment is aimed to prepare them with a better immunity against the Coronavirus and help reduce the risk posed to them through patients to minimal. "We need to think of every possible way that we can protect health-care workers," Curtis said. "And theres going to be a particular need to reduce the amount of time that our health-care workers are absent." The trial will be conducted over a period of six months in Australia and a total of 4000 health workers have already volunteered for it. The BCG vaccine will be randomly tested on the enrolled healthcare workers starting Monday. It can be ensured who got the shot as a BCG vaccine typically leaves a localised scar, so just a placebo effect is out of the question. (Representative Image: Reuters) More such trials The research is not limited to Melbourne as Curtis confirmed that similar trials are being conducted in Netherlands and that potential sites for the same are actively being looked at in other Australian cities as well as Boston, a city in the United States. In fact, other than the attempts at a vaccine, some are even working towards developing a remedy for the disease, like this team of doctors in Bengaluru. The crux is, many believe this would work. "We wouldnt be doing this if we didnt think that this might work," Curtis said. "We cannot guarantee that this will work. And of course, the only way to find out is with our trial." So till the time we are not close to a COVID-19 dedicated vaccine, a BCG shot should be a great boon if found to be helpful against the Coronavirus.A Possible Vaccine Against Coronavirus - A 100-Yr Old Vaccine For TB The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is reportedly planning to return a number of sacred artefacts that belonged to an indigenous Canadian chief more than 100 years ago. Chief Crowfoot of the Blackfoot Nation was 6ft tall, had 10 wives and many children, although only one of his sons survived to adulthood. Sir Cecil Denny, an Englishman, who belonged to the North Western Mounted Police, acquired some of Chief Crowfoots most prized belongings when both men were signatories to Treaty Number 7 in 1877, at Bow River in Alberta. Sir Cecil's sister later sold the collection to the RAMM in 1904 for 10. The items include a buckskin shirt and leggings, a deer hide necklace strung with grizzly bear claws, and a hardwood bow and arrow. The Exeter-based museum has been refusing to help repatriate the artefacts for years, despite pleas from a Blackfoot-run cultural and educational centre close to where Chief Crowfoot was buried. The RAMM reportedly claimed the centre was not adequately equipped to look after the items. However, at a meeting to be held next week by Exeter City Council, which owns the museum, councillors have been recommended to return the items. Camilla Hampshire ], Museums Manager & Cultural Lead, in her report, described the items as sacred and argued their return would allow his spirit to rest in peace. If Exeter council agrees, the rights to the artefacts would be relinquished and transferred to the Siksika Tribal Council the living descendants of Chief Crowfoot and the legally recognised representatives of the Siksika nation. Additional reporting by SWNS COVID-19: Chinese doctor in Czech Republic promotes TCM By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-04-01 12:57 Wenceslas Square in Prague is always flooded with tourists. However, things have changed since the night of March 15, when the Czech Republic approved a nationwide quarantine prohibiting much free movement across the country. People began to put on masks or other shields to protect themselves, and the whole country has fallen into a state of emergency due to COVID-19. (This shopping mall was closed on March 13, one day after the state of emergency was announced by the Czech government. Photo by Xinhua News) As 2020 began, COVID-19 was discovered in China, resulting in wide concern across the globe and among people, especially medics. Dr. Guan Xin, a TCM doctor working at the Sino-Czech TCM Center in Prague, has been keeping an eye on the happenings back in China. He was especially professionally interested after learning that TCM doctors from Shanghai were being dispatched to Wuhan. Each time he is asked by his patients about the situation in China, Dr. Guan usually replies with confidence, Facing the epidemic, the Chinese government and people have shown impressive togetherness and execution capability. Besides, they have both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. With the two-pronged approach, I believe that China can handle the epidemic. Guan also said he is ready to help the Czech people fight against COVID-19, as the disease has begun to strike the country. Guan Xin is an associate chief physician of Shuguang Hospital (affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine). Since 2018, he has been working at the Sino-Czech TCM Center. Using his expertise, he and his coworkers have recently been promoting TCMs role in preventing the epidemic. (Guan Xin. Photo from World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies) As TCM physicians in the Czech Republic havent been recruited to fight against COVID-19 on the frontline, Guan and his colleagues in the TCM center decided to offer a helping hand in preventing local people from getting infected. Immunity, as Guan said, is the best medication against epidemic, while TCM has many methods to improve peoples immunity. In TCM, when there is sufficient health qi inside the body, the pathogenic qi have no way to invade the health body. The positive qi or energy is very important in TCM treatment. According to Guan, even with no epidemic outbreak, the TCM center teaches people moxibustion and daoyin exercises. Not only do TCM physicians do moxibustion on patients, but patients also learn to do it for themselves and family members. (A couple does moxibustion at Zusanli point) As the disease emerged in the Czech Republic, leveraging the precious experience of TCM doctors in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, Guan began to offer preventive prescriptions to highly susceptible patients, like Chinese patent medicine and TCM formula granules. The most widely used medicine to prevent COVID-19 infection is the No. 1 Formula. Thanks to its stable therapeutic effects, so far, over 100 doses of No. 1 Formula have been prescribed at the TCM center. (TCM formula granules at the TCM center) While providing online counseling services for people in the Czech Republic, Guan has also been busy sorting out relevant literature and information to educate the local people on how to prevent COVID-19 infections, including utilizing social media platforms like Facebook to promote daoyin. Daoyin, a method of health keeping and disease prevention, can be easily practiced at home, making it especially useful at this time. Many of the netizens do the exercises every day, and many of them are Guans patients. (A netizen forwards Guan Xins daoyin video on Facebook, naming it exercise for the year 2020) Guans workmate at the TCM center is Daniela Blahova. As vice president of the Acupuncture Committee of the Czech Western Physician Association, she is an advocate of Traditional Chinese Medicine, especially acupuncture and moxibustion. She agrees with Guan that the best way of treating COVID-19 is through integration of TCM and Western medicine. These days, she is also helping Guan sort out relevant materials about TCMs role in epidemic prevention. (Daniela Blahova. Photo from World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies) In the Czech Republic, there are around 5,000 overseas Chinese. They are staying in the country, fighting against the coronavirus with the Czech people. Overseas Chinese have shown solidarity during this difficult time, setting up three chat groups on WeChat, where Guan and other TCM physicians teach people how to take good care of themselves and avoid infection. Guan also teaches them acupuncture and moxibustion, body massage, food therapy and Ba Duan Jin (which means Eight Steps to Healthy Living, a form of qigong). People with mild symptoms (like coughs, a sore throat, gastrointestinal upset and swollen lymph nodes) also resort to Guan for advice. Fortunately, so far, no case among Chinese people in the country has been confirmed. The Chinese community has shown strong solidarity over this time, added Guan. They have set up in a volunteers alliance, promoting epidemic prevention and control knowledge in supermarkets, pharmacies, and clinics. They also provide convenient life services for the local people, such as emergency food delivery, translation, medical, legal and psychological counseling, quarantine, and distribution of supplies. Once they gave away surgical masks to staff in a daily necessities store. Touched by their deeds, the manager of the store sent them some skin care products and body lotions in return. A manager of a daily necessities store received the masks presented by the volunteers to the employees in the store, and was very moved. In return he gave daily skin care products and body lotions in the store to the warmhearted Chinese friends. As of March 28, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic has surpassed 2,000, with a daily increase of over 100. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of face masks, protective gear, and other anti-epidemic supplies. Ready to join the frontline in treating the patients, Guan is also learning from the best practices of Chinese doctors back home. As he believes, TCM has many weapons, be it decoction, herbs, grain moxibustion or daoyin, with which to make contributions in global anti-epidemic efforts. These are explained in one of Guans articles titled Drawing on the wisdom of The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, TCMs role in fighting COVID-19. President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (third from right) receives Shinhan Bank's funding (Source: VNA) President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man thanked the diplomat and the bank's representatives for the support, and said that the money will contribute to Vietnams efforts to fight the pandemic. Speaking of the RoK Governments efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, Man stated that many RoK enterprises operating in Vietnam have donated to support the fight in Vietnam, in response to the VFF Central Committees appeal. He affirmed that the fundings will be allocated to buy essential equipment to serve treatment and to concentrated quarantine areas and hospitals nationwide. Ambassador Park said that over the past days, the two Governments and the two countries enterprises have taken measures to sovle difficulties caused by the pandemic. He expressed his hope that with the support of the Shinhan Bank, Vietnam will have additional resources to win over the pandemic, and bilateral trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges will resume as normal. To ensure adequate supply of cooking oil in the country, industry body SEA on Wednesday suggested various measures such as fast customs clearances for imported crude edible oil by exempting mandatory testing in food regulator FSS's approved lab at Baroda, Gujarat. It has sought electronic passes for transportation of crude and refined edible oils across the country without any hurdles at state borders. Ban on sale of loose edible oil, permission to buy oilseeds directly from farmers at factory gate and smooth movement of packaging and other raw materials required by processing units were also recommended by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA). The association's President Atul Chaturvedi has written a letter to Consumer Affairs Secretary Pawan Kumar Agarwal, suggesting ways to boost supply of edible oils. India's total consumption of edible oils is about 230 lakh tonnes, out of which domestic production is about 75 lakh tonnes and imports about 150 lakh tonnes. "Any dislocation in smooth flow of imported oils can have serious repercussions in the country," Chaturvedi said. He mentioned that a large quantity of crude edible oil is being imported at Kandla and Mundra ports on west coast. "The issue is that FSSAI designated customs officers draw samples from ship tanks and send for testing at FSSAI approved laboratory at Baroda where the FSSAI designated laboratory tests the samples and provides reports. "Only after the reports are received the imported oil is cleared by customs.With complete lockdown and restrictions on movement this situation results in inordinate delay disturbing supply chain big time," the letter said. To overcome this problem, Chaturvedi suggested that all crude edible oil vessels should be cleared immediately on a simple undertaking from importers that it would be sold only after refining. Alternately, he said there are certain NABL accredited laboratories at Kandla/Mundra whose services can be utilised to expedite things. The SEA said Kandla and Mundra ports handle 30-40 per cent imported crude edible oils and refined at processing units around these ports. Chaturvedi demanded national permit for multi-state transport of cooking oil, by issuing the electronic pass which should be respected by all state authorities. "As a matter of fact we would suggest e-pass should be issued to all port based refineries likeKakinada, Krishnapatnam, Mumbai, Hazira, Haldia, Mangalore, Haldia, Kolkata, Tuticorin, Chennai and Paradeep etc," he said. Talking about domestic supplies, the SEA said currently edible oil units are partially functioning with 40-50 per cent capacity with all due precautions. "Demand has shifted to household )consumption ( small packs) hence supply of raw material/packing material to these units should be resolved," he said. The SEA President said that it was important that state border check posts should be adequately sensitised to allow passage of edible oil lorries /tankers without harassment. Empty returning lorries should also be allowed to pass unhindered. "We would also suggest banning sales of loose edible oils to consumers to ensure safety in these difficult times," Chaturvedi said. "Currently, all marketing yards ( mandies ) are closed leading to shortage of raw material. We suggest, exempt oilseeds crushing /processing units (oil millers and solvent extraction units) from APMC to enable them to purchase oilseeds at their factory gate directly from farmers. This help the farmer to market his produce," the letter said. The SEA President opposed decisions by local authorities in some states to fix prices of cooking oils. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. is staring at a Netflix-type apocalypse. You know, with feral animals eating human corpses, mutant plants reoccupying streets and buildings, empty restaurants and malls across the landscape. Well, that last part is true, anyway. Not because of the disease but rather hysteria. Youve heard the apocalyptic claims. Imperial College in London in a claim that would later get walked way back to far less fanfare* estimated as many as 2.2 million U.S. deaths, depending on how drastically the population is locked down, locked out, and locked in. To reduce that figure to a mere 1.1 million, we would need to live a gulag life until a vaccine becomes available (potentially 18 months or more), they said. The CDC has issued an estimate of as many as 1.7 million American deaths. Yet with lesser measures in place now and for a very short period the market has crashed, we are experiencing more unemployment claims than at the height of the Great Recession, and there looms a real possibility of a worldwide depression. And there are those who say those measures arent nearly draconian enough. Do we really need to destroy the country to save it? Consider that China has had fewer than 3,300 deaths even though the virus struck a country with a lousy healthcare system wholly unaware. Their epidemic peaked over five weeks ago, with almost no new cases now. So with a vastly better health care system, the U.S. can expect a per capita death rate about 666 times higher than the Middle Kingdom? Seriously, Imperial College? You can quit reading right there. But please dont. The utter insanity here is worth documenting, as well as knowing why even the lower bound U.S. estimates are nonsense. EPIDEMICS ALWAYS FLATTEN AND DECLINE ON THEIR OWN Fact is, the epidemic worldwide, far from growing exponentially, is slowing. And that was to be expected per whats called Farrs Law, which dictates that all epidemics tend to rise and fall in a roughly symmetrical pattern or bell-shaped curve. AIDS, SARS, Ebola, Zika all followed that pattern. So does seasonal flu each year. COVID-19 peaks have already been reported in China, South Korea, and Singapore. Importantly, Farrs Law has nothing to do with human interventions such as social distancing to flatten the curve, and indeed predates public health organizations. It occurs because communicable diseases nab the low-hanging fruit first (in this case the elderly with comorbid conditions), but then find subsequent fruit harder and harder to reach. Until more or less now, COVID-19 has been finding that fresh fruit in new countries, but its close to running out. So while many people assume that China contained its epidemic with draconian regulations, we actually have no evidence of that. Even the New York Times admitted South Korea recovered far more quickly with measures nowhere on the scale of China, although of course the Times still attributes that to human intervention, which assigning no role to Mother Nature. When the coronavirus epidemic ends and the public health zealots inevitably slap themselves on the back for having prevented their own ridiculous scenarios, dont buy it. This isnt to say that thorough hand-washing several times a day and not sneezing and coughing in others faces wont help: It will. But without the authoritarian and economically-devastating measures the U.S. and other countries are taking that are wrecking the world economy, there will be no Apocalypse Now or in the future. The streets are empty not because of direct effects of the disease, but from fear and from government dictates; as in a cognate of dictatorship. Mind, right now were seeing a spike in cases because only now is testing becoming readily available in the U.S. due to a delay in the CDC developing its own assay. This availability is almost universally hailed as only good, but has at least two bad aspects. First, were now picking up a lot more asymptomatic people who will be counted as cases just as much as people on deaths door. This will further contribute to hysteria. Second, many who test positive will suddenly develop nocebo symptoms; the opposite of placebo. As I observed long ago, nocebo symptoms come from the mind but can be very real. They definitely can mimic COVID-19 symptoms. Its a good guess that hospitals are seeing their share of the worried well, people who were feeling pretty well before they tested positive and suddenly truly feel deathly ill. And theyre not the only ones suffering as a result. This adds to the burden on severely stressed hospital workers already overwhelmed with patients whose symptoms do result from COVID-19or from the many other ailments and injuries that havent stopped afflicting people while our attention is focused on this particular virus. On the positive side (no pun intended), the more you test, the lower the death rate becomes because the denominator grows faster than the numerator. Rather than the 3.4% rate the WHO put out, the current crude U.S. death rate is ABOUT 1.6% and will probably drop to less than half that as weve seen so far in South Korea at 0.6%. Then as testing continues, the rate will drop even further. For the Imperial College figure to be correct, U.S. deaths would have to be 0.66 percent and every American would need to be infected. THE ITALIAN JOB So how many deaths can the U.S. reasonably expect? If its not the Chinese model, it appears to be the Italian one. At the least, the media tell us, Italys Coronavirus Crisis Could Be Americas. Really? That country so far has had over 7,500 deaths out of a population of 50 million, but it appears cases peaked on March 21. Still, at this point thats a stunning 9.5% crude death rate, by far the highest death percentage in the world. Which of course is why the media choose to focus on it, rather than other countries such as Germany with only about 240 deaths out of a much larger population. But why is this happening in Italy? Partly its because Italy just doesnt have a particularly good health care system. Even more specifically, last year the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ranked the U.S.the best-prepared country in the world to handle a pandemic in late 2019, whereas Italy came in at only 31 below Mexico. As Forbes recently noted, U.S. hospitals have vastly more critical care beds than Italy, which in turn has more than South Korea. And you dont even want to hear about China. Not because they eat bats, but because bed pretty much equals floor. Beyond that, Italy has the fifth oldest population in the world (whereas the U.S. ranks 61). We already knew from Chinese data that COVID-19 is overwhelmingly a killer of the old and infirm. An analysis by Chinas Center for Disease Control & Prevention found that most deaths occurred in those aged 80 and over. Further, almost all those elderly dead had comorbid conditions of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension. Similarly, almost everyone who has died in Italy has been over age 70, and virtually all had comorbid conditions: In fact, half of those who died had three or more. Almost nobody under 50 has succumbed and almost all who have also had serious existing medical conditions. This is a condemnation of the nations health care system; not a portent of Americas future. And it appears a major factor may be how cases are recorded, which makes the assumption that dying from COVID-19 is the same as dying with it. Given the strong overlap between the population susceptible to flu and COVID-19, its certain that many who actually succumbed to flu are marked as coronavirus cases. We can expect that in the U.S. as well. IF ITS NOT THE HEAT, ITS THE HUMIDITY Yet another U.S. advantage is that the epidemic hit it later than Italy (and Asia, of course) and spring is in the air. Respiratory viruses usually hate warm, moist, sunny weather. Hence flu arrives in the U.S. in the fall and disappears by April or May. We know the common cold is rare in summer and many colds are caused by four different coronaviruses. SARS was a coronavirus and simply died out between April and July, 2003. The media and public health officials desperately want you to think this coronavirus is different, but the evidence so far is that it follows the usual pattern with scientific publications such as High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19. The media and public health alarmists also cite MERS-CoV as an exception, but theres evidence that it is also complains: If its not the damned heat, its the humidity! This year, the flu peaked in February. So its possible that even now weather is affecting U.S. coronavirus spread. Will it come back in autumn? Probably. But by then many in the population will have had exposure immunity, hospitals will be better prepared, the worried well problem will be reduced because it will no longer be a new virus, and well have time to see if anything in our arsenal of antivirals and other medicines is truly effective. (No, there will be no vaccine available.) Meanwhile, we apparently have a new definition for American exceptionalism. Ignore whats happening in the entire rest of the world; ignore epidemiology; ignore virology; ignore common sense; ignore history. America, as Johnny Cash sang: Gods Gonna Cut You Down. Just as SARS was supposed to (it killed zero Americans) and just as forecasters (seriously) predicted more American AIDS deaths than there were Americans. Meanwhile, the harsh measures encompassing much of the country are simply unproven beyond knowing that hermits dont get contagious diseases. South Korea didnt need them and Sweden hasnt used them even as its neighbor Norway has been praised for early implementation. For its efforts, Norway has reported over twice as many cases per capita and suddenly suffers its highest unemployment rate in 80 years. But as always we follow the dictates of the public health zealots, the media and power-hungry pols. Shame on us that after all these years we are once again ignoring reality for the dubious benefits of hysteria. *Note: As this article was being written, Neil Ferguson, the head of the Imperial College study, simply threw his model away. Along with the U.S. one of 2.2 million deaths, he predicted the U.K. would have as many as 510,000 deaths. In an oral presentation he reduced the U.K figure slightly to 20,000. So the model that launched a thousand articles wasnt worth anything more than the pixels it appeared with. Holland America's MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam cruise ships one with ill people on board have crossed the Panama Canal and are headed to Florida. But several government officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, are concerned about the ships' plans to head to Fort Lauderdale. The cruise line said late Sunday night the Panama Canal Authority granted permission for the ships to transit the canal. Panama's Ministry of Health gave its permission Saturday. According to cruise ship-tracking site CruiseMapper.com, both the Zaandam and Rotterdam ships have passed through the canal and are nearing Jamaica, as of Tuesday morning. Four elderly passengers on the Zaandam died, though the causes of death have not been disclosed; 73 guests and 116 crew members reported flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of the flu and coronavirus are similar. The COVID-19 coronavirus has sickened more than 787,000 people and killed more than 37,800 worldwide as of Tuesday morning. Of the symptomatic passengers who were tested, two tested positive for COVID-19. Panama Canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said the country is not allowing any vessels with positive coronavirus cases through but made an exception for the ships. That case (the Zaandam) was simply for humanitarian reasons, Vasquez said. The Zaandams plans to dock as early as Wednesday in Florida are still up in the air but have already been rebuked by local officials and DeSantis, who says health care resources are stretched too thin. The governor said he has been in contact with the Coast Guard and the White House about diverting the ship. Broward County officials will meet Tuesday to decide whether to let the ship dock at its Port Everglades cruise ship terminal, where workers who greet passengers were among Floridas first confirmed coronavirus cases. DeSantis said it would be a mistake to bring the cruise ship passengers into South Florida for treatment because the state already has a high number of coronavirus infections and that number is growing. He said the areas hospital beds need to be saved for residents and not foreign nationals. Story continues We would like to have medical personnel dispatched to the ship, he said. He wants the cruise line to arrange that. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis expressed his frustration about the ships' impending arrival in Florida in several social media posts. "No assurances have been given that they will be escorted from the ship to either a treatment facility or placed in quarantine. This is completely unacceptable!!" Trantalis wrote in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon. USA TODAY reached out to Trantalis' office and Port Everglades for further comment. Trantalis suggested the ships could dock at a Navy base elsewhere on the Eastern Seaboard, explaining that Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades "sits in the very middle of a vast urban area." He said the city would accept the ship only under, "at a minimum, the same protocols as were followed several weeks ago when a cruise ship of sick people docked at the Port of Oakland in California." The Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland on March 9 after the ship reported 21 coronavirus cases. Of the passengers on the Grand Princess who tested for coronavirus, 103 tested positive and 699 tested negative, and other results are pending. Two passengers died. "There needs to be stringent separation procedures," Trantalis continued in the post about Holland America. "Foreign nationals must be triaged and as soon as possible put on planes destined for their own country. Sick Americans must be taken to hospitals that are not already facing the possibility of being overwhelmed by local COVID-19 carriers. And, healthy, non-symptomatic American passengers must be taken to close by military bases or similar destinations for quarantine." Holland America thanked the Panamanian authorities for letting the ships through the canal in a statement issued by spokeswoman Sally Andrews late Sunday night. "We are still finalizing the details for where and when our guests will disembark, and are asking for the same compassion and humanity to be extended for our arrival," the statement said. The Panama Canal posted a photo of the ship passing through Sunday night. "Holland Americas MS Zaandam transiting the Panama Canal," the tweet reads. Holland Americas MS Zaandam transiting the Panama Canal. pic.twitter.com/ifmc5ZL14A The Panama Canal (@thepanamacanal) March 30, 2020 Holland America transferred passengers to the Rotterdam and said that process was completed Sunday. It said the two ships are expected to remain together for the rest of the journey. Holland America Line deployed the Rotterdam, without guests, last week to meet up with the Zaandam to provide extra supplies, staff members, COVID-19 test kits and additional support. The Zaandam began its South American voyage from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and was originally scheduled to end the sailing in San Antonio, Chile, March 21. Holland America Line, along with major cruise lines worldwide, announced March 13 it would suspend cruise operations for at least 30 days and end its cruises in progress. All ports along the ship's route were closed to cruise ships as they seek to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Two Costa Cruises ships, the Costa Magica and the Costa Favolosa, were anchored off the coast of Florida, near the port of Miami on Thursday with ill crew members on board. Both vessels received permission from port and health officials to anchor and sent boats to shore, Roger Frizzell, spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line, parent company for Costa Cruises, told USA TODAY. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Holland America ships headed to Florida amid questions In the 1980s I was the 30-something manager of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, arguably the greatest concert pianist in history. Mr. Horowitz was bored by practicing, but lived for his public performances, when the various demons with which he was plagued permitted him to leave the confines of his Upper East Side townhouse. Mr. Horowitz took juvenile pleasure in referring to intermissions as interpissions and would command me to surreptitiously surveil the audience in the lobby during the interval to hear what they were saying about him and report back. He needed to know, since his performances were fueled by the audiences frenzied response to his virtuosity, as well as by the natural acoustics of the concert halls that provided him with instant audio feedback. (Although he once, cynically, told me, Check good, acoustics good.) He was fond of quoting from Mozarts letters, ripped pages that he would stuff into the inside of his elegant smoking jacket and pluck out over his nightly dinners of Dover sole the only main course he would eat, for fear of indigestion. It turns out that Mozart was obsessed with audience reaction to his performances, too. In one of Mozarts letters to his father, he wrote: In the midst of the first allegro came a passage I had known would please. The audience was quite carried away. There was a great outburst of applause. He went on, I knew when I wrote it that it would make a sensation. Mr. Horowitz found a soul mate in Mozart, whom he decreed would not have been a composer without a public to win over. I think he may have been right. On March 16, a few days after I had to announce the premature ending of the Metropolitan Opera season, the 135th in its illustrious history, instead of performing we began streaming a different, prerecorded opera every night free. The initiative has been an undeniable success. After 12 days, we racked up an astounding 100 million viewing minutes as opera lovers on lockdown around the world reveled in the soprano Deborah Voigts heroic exploits as Brunnhilde to redeem the world in Wagners Ring cycle and enjoyed the rest of the operatic pantheon from Puccini to Strauss. Other opera and theater companies have since joined us in opening up their libraries; homebound performers like the mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato are resourcefully offering their own live solo streams. This migration to online isnt restricted to opera and theater; its also happening in the realms of pop, world music and hip-hop. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 03:25:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia reported on Tuesday 110 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the kingdom's total confirmed cases to 1,563. The kingdom's death toll hit 10 after two deaths were added, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Al-Abdulaali told a press conference. Among the 110 new case, two patients got infected during their travels and the rest 108 cases were due to contact with previously confirmed cases, he said. All the patients are receiving necessary medical care, said al-Abdulaali. So far the kingdom has reported 50 cured cases, bringing the number of recoveries to 165. Outpatients can lose out two ways. In the hospital, they are subject to Medicare Part B rules for outpatients and so are responsible for 20 percent of the bills for their hospital care. That 20 percent can be more than they would pay if they were admitted as a regular patient and classified under Medicare Part A, which covers inpatient hospital services. And when they move from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility, they don't qualify for Medicare coverage and so have to pay out of pocket. The difference in charges can amount to thousands of dollars. And though Medicare allows enrollees to appeal if they are denied many services or charged for things they don't believe they should be, Medicare has not allowed patients to appeal their status in a hospital, saying such decisions are for doctors to make based on their medical judgment. Nearly a decade ago, a group of Medicare beneficiaries sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in what became a nationwide class action. Last week, in a ruling in that suit, U.S. District Judge Michael Shea of Connecticut said patients can appeal their hospital status if their doctor admitted them as a regular inpatient but the hospital later classified them as under observation. The U.S. Justice Department has until May 25 to appeal the decision. Shea's decision applies to all traditional Medicare beneficiaries whose status was switched since Jan. 1, 2009, who spent at least three days in the hospital and who were enrolled in Medicare's Part A hospital benefit. If they win their appeal, most hospital expenses and any nursing home bills they paid will be reimbursed, as long as they satisfied any deductibles and copays. "The ruling acknowledges that Medicare patients are in a very vulnerable position when they are hospitalized and particularly when they require care at a skilled nursing facility after hospitalization, said Alice Bers, litigation director for the Center for Medicare Advocacy, which serves as lead counsel for the class. Congress passed a law in 2019 that requires hospitals to tell patients what status they are being treated under, but advocates say more is needed. Bills introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would allow the time patients spend in the hospital under observation status to be counted toward the three-day hospital stay Medicare requires before it will pay for care in a skilled nursing facility. Those bills have languished in Congress so far. AARP has strongly supported the measures. Unfortunately, the financial impact for Medicare beneficiaries who spend time in observation can be burdensome and significant, David Certner, AARP's legislative counsel and legislative policy director, said in letters of support to the authors of the measures. Adorable footage shows the moment a one-year-old boy with Down syndrome met his baby sister for the first time at home and started to cry whenever she was taken away. Mother-of-seven Ashlyn Williams, 33, from Richland Township, Arkansas, welcomed baby Collyns to their home, but was concerned that brother Brooks might be jealous of the new arrival. However, when Ashlyn handed the week-old baby to her husband Logan, 33, Brooks's face lit up and he couldn't stop smiling while meeting his baby sister for the first time on March 17. The heartwarming video shows Ashlyn giggle in excitement as his little sister wriggles in her father's arms. Ashlyn Williams, 33, from Richland Township, Arkansas, has shared adorable footage of the moment Brooks, one, who has Down syndrome, met his baby sister for the first time at home and started to cry whenever she was taken away. Pictured, Brooks looks at his newborn sister Collyns in hospital When Ashlyn takes Collyns away, Brooks bursts into tears before his mother asks: 'You want her back? Okay, okay, okay, okay.' Pictured, in father Logan's arms Siblings from left to right: Sutton, 11, Asher, six, Collyns, newborn, Ava, five, Marlee, 11, Brooks, one However when Ashlyn takes Collyns away, Brooks bursts into tears before his mother asks: 'You want her back? Okay, okay, okay, okay.' Once his sister reappears, Brooks's smile returns and he is even seen climbing higher up onto his father's chest to stare lovingly into his sibling's face. Ashlyn said: 'I can just tell they are going to be best friends. 'We weren't sure how Brooks would react to having a baby around and whether he'd get jealous of having to share attention.' Father Logan, 33, with one-year-old Brooks, who can be staring lovingly at his week-old sister Collyns. Brooks cries as he wants to be close to his newborn sister (left). Mother Ashlyn puts Collyns near to Brooks again and his face lights up (right) She continued: 'But it was really sweet, he already loves her so much.' 'He is such a loving young boy and we were just so tickled by his reaction. 'When he first met her in the hospital, he reacted exactly the same way so we just had to capture it on video.' The video has been shared almost 3,000 times on Facebook with many people commenting on how precious Brooks's reaction is and how he will be Collyns' best friend. Young children and the elderly are more susceptible to the coronavirus because they have weaker immune systems than mature adults. If you have an infant at home, what should you do? How are Infants Diagnosed and Treated According to associate professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins Medicine, Dr. Rachel Thornton, parents should continue going to their infant's scheduled checkups, especially with their vaccinations. She added that as pediatricians, they are helping the newborn babies grow up and develop properly and have immunization to prevent being infected with other illnesses. For her, it is essential to make sure the babies are safe from other diseases too. Professor and co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Dr. David Kimberlin, said parents must call their pediatrician when babies show symptoms like fever. The pediatrician will help determine if the baby needs to be tested with COVID. In mild cases, babies will be treated to lower their fever. Only severe cases would require hospitalization. What are the Symptoms to Watch Out For According to Thornton, here are the symptoms to watch out for: Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher How well the baby is feeding Alertness level of the baby The baby's hydration level (are there tears when they cry? Do they wet their diapers?) Difficult breathing How to Protect Your Baby From the Coronavirus Both Thornton and Kimberlin reiterate that parents should practice social distancing, sanitize surfaces, and wash their hands. Doing so will protect not only their infants but also the other members of the family. Here are tips to prevent the spread of the virus, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on their website: Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds. In case water and soap are not available, use hand sanitizers with 60 percent or more alcohol content. Protect your kids from the sick. Practice social distancing. Avoid crowded places. Clean and disinfect home. Teach kids to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough, preferably into their arm or elbow. Wash your kids' toys and stuffed animals. Avoid traveling. Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth. Follow local and state guidelines. Infant in Illinois Died An infant in Illinois tested positive with the coronavirus and died last Saturday. The director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, said that this is the first time they had an infant death caused by COVID. He added that a full investigation is underway to confirm the cause of death. With news that reports infants being infected with the coronavirus, parents of young children and babies are worried and are finding ways on how to protect their young ones from the virus causing this pandemic. Elders Have Higher Risk Elders who have been infected with the virus have a higher risk. Most of them get hospitalized, however, the oldest has fewer chances of surviving the severe respiratory illness brought about by the virus. As of writing, there are already more than 850,000 cases reported all around the world. This means that more people have chances of getting it, including infants. Kimberlin told the "Good Morning America" that this is a new virus in the human population which is why everyone is susceptible except for those who have already been infected by it. He added that when numbers get that big, very rare and unusual situations always come with it. Kimberlin also said that since not many infants are being tested as positive with the virus, this means that they are less susceptible compared to the elderly. He added that if they [babies] were, then there would have been a lot of reports. He is not saying that it is impossible to happen, but the chance is slim. According to Kimberlin, it is still too early to say why the young ones have fewer chances of contracting the virus compared to the older ones because normally, children suffer more severe diseases but it does not appear that they are now. Thornton agrees with Kimberlin, reminding parents that there are still late winter and spring viruses circulating. Pediatricians are all aware of these circumstances. And parents need to be informed of how to care for their infants as well. A total of 94 prisoners were released from the Shillong District Jail in Meghalaya as per the Supreme Court order to decongest prisons to check the spread of novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday. The decision was taken by a high-powered committee headed by Meghalaya High Court judge and Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) executive chairman, Justice HS Thangkhiew at a meeting held here on Tuesday, they said. The panel was constituted by the state government in compliance with the apex court's directive to discuss the release of prisoners on bail, interim bail and parole, the officials said. The committee deliberated on the preparedness of the Prison Department to deal with congestion in the district jails, a statement issued by MSLSA said. It said 174 prisoners were identified in Shillong District Jail, which constitutes 37.9 per cent of the total prison population in the state. "On March 31, 2020, 94 prisoners were released from the District Jail, Shillong. They are from East Khasi Hills District," the statement said. Eight minors were also released from a boys' observation home in Mawkasiang area in Shillong, it said. A total of 459 prisoners are lodged in five district prisons in Meghalaya in Shillong, Williamnagar, Jowai, Tura and Nongpoh as against a capacity of 170, the statement said. Release of prisoners lodged in other district prisons will also commence soon under the supervision of the District Legal Services, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 10:25:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Treasurer has called for his counterparts from around the world to put the global economy into a "controlled hibernation" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday night joined a virtual meeting of Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bank governors. The leaders addressed the economic challenges posed by the unfolding coronavirus crisis, especially to low-income countries. In a statement Frydenberg said that world leaders must take decisive and coordinated action to "minimize the permanent human and economic damage." "First, our priority should be putting the global economy into controlled hibernation while quarantine measures are in place," he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "That is -- finance the global health response, maintain financial stability, minimise job losses, keep businesses going, and ensure the basic needs of the global population are met," he added. "This includes committing to a G20 fiscal support target, to encourage all economies to act urgently, and send a clear signal to citizens that the G20 is doing whatever it takes." Frydenberg and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced their plan for economic hibernation via a 130-billion-Australian-dollar (79.7-billion-U.S.-dollar) wage subsidy package to keep as many Australians in jobs as possible. As of Tuesday night more than 190,000 businesses had signed up for the scheme, under which employees who have had their work status affected will receive 1500 Australian dollar (920.5 U.S. dollar) per fortnight, through the Australian Taxation Office. The European members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea's latest missile tests, describing the launches as "provocative actions." Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom "are deeply concerned by the repeated testing of missiles, using ballistic missile technology," by North Korea on March 2, 9, 21 and 29, read a statement issued after an informal high-level UN videoconference. The Europeans noted that Pyongyang has conducted 17 sets of such launches since May 2019. The launches illustrate North Korea's "continued efforts to develop its ballistic missile programs and expand its arsenal, including of short-range ballistic missiles," adding that Pyongyang "has also continued to operate its nuclear weapon program." North Korea is under multiple sets of sanctions from the United Nations, United States and others over its banned weapons programs. "It is vital that the Security Council ensures full implementation of its resolutions and that sanctions remain in place," the statement read. Pyongyang said on Monday that it had successfully tested "super-large multiple rocket launchers" the day before. South Korea said two projectiles -- presumed to be ballistic missiles -- were fired on Sunday from the North Korean port city of Wonsan into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. Analysts say the North continues to refine its weapons capabilities more than a year after a summit between the North's leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump broke down in Vietnam. Negotiations have since been deadlocked over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return. The Security Council meeting requested by the Europeans, as well as the publication of their statement, took place on the last day that North Korea's ally China presided over the council. Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) The general health confinement decreed in Tunisia to combat the spread of the Coronavirus was extended by two weeks, official sources said in Tunis The National Health Commission reports over 1500 cases on 30 March. Domestic and foreign pressure changes the regime's approach. WHO calls for all positive patients to be counted. Between 18% and 31% of infected patients in China are healthy carriers of the virus; 60% in Wuhan. Sino-American study: asymptomatic cases could increase the calculation of coronavirus-positive cases by 59%. Beijing (AsiaNews) - The new asymptomatic cases of coronavirus registered in China today are 130, bringing the total to 1367. On March 30 there were 1541, according to the first ever communication of this nature by the National Health Commission. In the past two days, 302 infected people have been removed from the list because they are no longer under medical observation. In February, the Chinese health authorities had established that asymptomatic positive cases should not be calculated in the number of infected, and therefore not reported. On the contrary, the World Health Organization demands that all positive patients be counted. This is the model followed by South Korea. However, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom - among the most affected countries - do not carry out diagnostic tests for people without symptoms, unless they are medical personnel exposed for a long time to Covid-19. Internal and international public pressure has pushed Beijing to change its approach. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has asked several times to monitor positive patients who show no symptoms of infection, and can be dangerous carriers of the disease. At present, the number of people infected in China is 83189; there are 3312 deaths. According to a Sino-American study released in early March, asymptomatic cases could increase the calculation of coronavirus-positive cases by 59%. Last month, a team of researchers from Tongji Medical College, Fudan University and Harvard calculated that 60% of Covid-19 patients in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic crisis, were asymptomatic. Zhang Wenhong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Huashan Hospital in Shanghai, estimates that between 18% and 31% of infected patients in China are healthy carriers of the virus. However, he argues that the greatest danger comes from asymptomatic cases imported from abroad. Nursing homes in Jefferson County got a surprise this week when they were told via letter that residents recovering from COVID-19, maybe still testing positive, should be allowed back in. Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh spoke to reporters and is expecting bare bones budgets, both for the education budget and the General Fund. After deciding they were going to shut it down, the folks at Alabama Peanut Company changed course and became peanut deliverers. Listen to Down in Alabama, above. Get this post and more in your weekday Down in Alabama newsletter by subscribing here. You can also hear Ike each weekday by looking for Down in Alabama on the device of your choosing. Click here for the Spotify podcast page Click here for the Alexa skill page on Amazon Click here for the iTunes podcast page Click here for the Stitcher podcast page Turtles hatch at Thai Muang, more hatchlings expected in Phuket within days PHUKET: A total of 84 baby leatherback turtles have hatched and successfully made their way into the sea from a nest taken into care by officers at the Khao Lampi in Hat Thai Mueang National Park in Phang Nga. environmentmarineanimals By Khunanya Wanchanwet Wednesday 1 April 2020, 07:05PM A total of 84 hatchlings from the nest made their way to the sea. Photo: DMCR A total of 84 hatchlings from the nest made their way to the sea. Photo: DMCR A total of 84 hatchlings from the nest made their way to the sea. Photo: DMCR One of the leatherback turtle hatchings makes its way to the sea. Photo: DMCR The nest, containing 105 eggs. was laid on in front of Thai Muang Vocational College on Jan 31, explained Prarop Plangngarn, Chief of Phuket Marine National Park Operations Center 2. The officials transferred the eggs to a site inside the Khao Lampi in Hat Thai Mueang National Park so that officers would watch over them, he added. The first hatchling emerged last Thursday (Mar 26), with 83 more hatchlings following suit in the fours days through Sunday, Mr Prarop explained. Of the remaining 21 eggs that did not hatch, 11 were improperly formed or not fertilised, another seven saw the turtle development stop inside the egg, and three eggs formed baby turtles that did not survive, he added. The eggs that did produce offspring hatched after 55 to 58 days of incubation, Mr Prarop noted. Mr Praop said that three more nests in the area were expected to hatch in the coming week, with the nest laid on Mai Khao Beach in Phuket expected to hatch first, followed by the nest laid on Bor Dan Beach in Phang Nga and then the nest laid on Ko Kho Khao Beach, also in Phang Nga. Officers are watching over these nests continuously and we expect these nests to hatch before the end of the first week of April, he said. Elections Under Way In Karabakh Despite International Criticism And Virus Concerns By RFE/RL's Armenian Service March 31, 2020 De-facto authorities in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh are holding presidential and parliamentary elections amid international criticism and despite a coronavirus pandemic. Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that was seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Following a Russia-brokered fragile truce in 1994, the region has been under the control of ethnic-Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country. Periodic skirmishes have been taking place in the region. On March 30, Armenia accused Baku of violating the fragile cease-fire, saying that two Armenian soldiers and one civilian were wounded near the northeastern border with Azerbaijan. Russia, the United States, and France are the co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which acts as a mediator in resolving the crisis. The group has been struggling for years to mediate a solution to the situation. Fourteen candidates are vying for the job of incumbent leader Bako Sahakian, who is not allowed to seek reelection under local law. Twelve political parties and alliances are seeking mandates in Nagorno-Karabakh's 33-seat National Assembly. In a sternly worded statement, the European Union reminded Karabakh leaders on March 31 that it does not recognized their entity and warned that the move could hamper the progress of international negotiations on resolving the conflict. "In view of the so-called 'presidential and parliamentary elections' in Nagorno-Karabakh on 31 March 2020, the European Union reiterates that it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they are being held," EU spokesperson Peter Stano said. "This event cannot prejudice the determination of the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiation process." Stano also reiterated the EU's "firm support to the OSCE Minsk Group and, in particular, to its Co-Chairs' efforts to bring about progress beyond the status quo and substantive negotiations towards comprehensive and sustainable peace." Azerbaijan and its closest regional ally, Turkey, have both condemned the poll. The election went ahead despite concerns over the coronavirus outbreak that prompted even some of the candidates to call for their postponement. As of March 30, the region reported no coronavirus cases, saying that three people who had been isolated on suspicion of having the virus have tested negative for it. The polls opened at 8 a.m. local time on March 31 and are due to close at 8 p.m. As voters went to the polls in the region's de facto capital, Stepanakert, and other towns and villages across Nagorno-Karabakh, the authorities said all polling stations had been disinfected. The region's top election representative, Srbuhi Arzumanian, said medical protection gear would be distributed to all participants. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/elections-under-way-in- karabakh-despite-international-criticism -and-virus-concerns/30519867.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 FHA Jobs; Broker, Marketing, Training Products; Servicing Trends; Processing and UW Changes I hadnt planned on giving up quite this much for lent. So true. It is a different world than only a month ago. Of course rates are going to stay at these levels for a long time. But rate sheet prices are disconnected from MBS prices, which are disconnected from Treasury prices. Those of you who have subscribed to my commentary for more than a year know that I truly relish producing my April 1 edition. The April Fools Day Commentary has fooled many a senior executive and regulator, and the stories have brought many chuckles to readers. And although I inject some humor into my daily commentary, and will continue to do so, I didnt have the heart to produce a totally farcical commentary this year, especially after spending 34 minutes of my work at home time watching this common sense video, Im a surgeon, this is how Covid-19 kills, and why we cant save you. (It is a little unorthodox, but the example of how your lungs are like sponges is excellent.) Please be so careful out there it isnt going away soon. Lender Services and Products Crisis or no, $8 million is not chump change. Thats how Vice Capital Markets clients collectively netted on its advice in a single day. Vice clients say thats par for the course. Recently, we were considering whether to make an adjustment to our model, given market concerns at that time. After hearing Vices thoughts, we decided to make the adjustment that same day, and the timing could not have been better! (Patrick Sylvester, SVP of Secondary Markets & Investor Relations, Leader Bank.) The support and daily advice we have received from Vice has helped our organization navigate through these unprecedented times. Just last Friday (3/20), Vice gave us the advice we needed to realize a large gain when there surely would have been significant losses. (Dave Weber, Secondary Marketing Manager, Flanagan State Bank.) Get real hedging advice when you really need it. Contact Scott Colclough today. As our working environments change and individuals adapt to remote settings, their resource lifelines should change quickly as well. Many are reporting emails are spiking because of our new working constraints, which is a result of less face to face interaction. Training is an essential tool when used at the correct time and with the appropriate learner. During times such as these, utilizing our staff strategically by providing employees with resources to get the job done correctly is critical. Romans Publishing and Training, Pro Partner with Ellie Mae, provides quick reference material and job aids for circumstances like these. When working environments resume regular operations, Romans also provides skills-based training and training guides for both self-guided and classroom traditional training. Contact us today for more information. Lenders and servicers are actively seeking the help of third-party vendorssuch as e-closing firms, outsourcing service providers, digital mortgage firms and QC automation companiesto help them deal with the current crisis, says Rosalie Berg, president of Strategic Vantage, a highly acclaimed marketing and public relations agency that focuses exclusively on the mortgage industry. Thats why so many of those vendors are significantly boosting their investments in marketing, public relations and social media right now. Ensuring that lenders and servicers are thinking of them takes proactive and hands-on marketing, publicity and social media, especially when in-person networking opportunities have ground to a halt. The surge in demand for help from vendors wont last, though, and once lenders and servicers choose their partners, they may stick with them well after the crisis is over, adds Berg. Companies seeking guidance or assistance marketing their services can contact Rosalie Berg or visit www.strategicvantage.com. In light of the current market conditions, Stearns Wholesale knows the importance of a fast, secure and customized experience to serve more borrowers effectively and keep referral partners euphoric. In a recent release, the Accelerator program was enhanced by 25bps, in addition to the already incorporated 25 bps totaling 50bps price improvement. Streamlining the process and improving the price on popular scenarios with the same best-in-class fulfillment was the driving force behind this development. There is no minimum credit score, just requiring the borrower is a W2 wage earner that owns no other REOs and has no recent major derogatory marks. Better value, faster, sustainable. Click HERE to learn more about this program or connect with a Stearns Account Executive. Servicing has Become a Hot Topic I received this note from a CEO on the East Coast: Rob, with forbearance plans, early pay off penalties, drastic changes in valuation, GSE/FHA announcements and distressed loan call center volume surging, my 2020 servicing strategy and plan are a mess. I desperately want to avoid the pitfalls of 2009 (too many manual fixes, too many people). Is there any help out there? Also, I have received several calls and notes from large servicers who are trying to figure out how to survive the changes that are coming. These are great questions, and my answer is typically that large changes required in a very short period often require assistance to make the change happen. I know the STRATMOR Group has taken a leadership position in servicing operations, subservicer setup, and in implementing production/compliance centric process fixes. The STRATMOR team of servicing experts are providing guidance to lenders to reduce further risk and minimize impairment of this material asset, and they are armed with battle tested tools, templates and methodologies to guide the changes arriving at your doorsteps. STRATMOR also has been involved with some of the largest servicers, and assisted in rapid setup of default management and customer service initiatives. What servicers often fail to realize is that a lot of the rescue initiatives look more like an origination activity, with the need for digital tools, customer centric outreach and a compliant modification waterfall approval process. Servicers, if you need guidance with surviving the challenges of this industry disruption, contact STRATMOR Group for assistance. U.S. banks are offering deferment on mortgage payments during this crisis. An update has been made to the Lakeview Loan Servicing Disaster File. Corona Changes The FHFA authorized loan processing flexibilities for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac customers through allowing desktop appraisals on new construction loans, allowing flexibility on demonstrating construction has been completed (alternative to the Completion Report), allowing flexibility for borrowers to provide documentation (rather than requiring an inspection) to allow renovation disbursements (draws), and expanding the use of power of attorney and remote online notarizations. Thank you to an executive within the Office of the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, who sent a note about the USDA requiring, or not, tax transcripts from the IRS. While they are required when available, they are not required under these circumstances. All thats required is that the lender documents their attempt to obtain the transcripts. Having done so, they can proceed to close the loan without them: Chapter 9, section 9(E), of the online program handbook HB-1-3555 Guaranteed Loan Program Technical Handbook. Flagstar Lending let clients know about some overlays that are being implemented or revised. FHA, VA and USDA loans not meeting the credit score, ratio and/or reserve requirements listed below must be locked by Friday, March 27, 2020. FHA, effective 3/30, loans will be subject to the new minimum credit scores listed below: Purchase 1-2 Units 640, Purchases 3-4 Units 660, Rate/Term & Simple Refi 1-2 Units 640, Rate/Term & Simple Refi 3-4 Units 660, Cash-Out Refinance 1-2 Units 660, Cash-Out Refinance 3-4 Units 660, Streamline Refinance 1-2 Units 660, Streamline Refinance 3-4 Units 660. Flagstar went on. In addition to the credit score changes, all FHA loans will be subject to the new total debt-to-income ratio and reserve requirements listed below effective March 30, 2020: DU Approve / LPA Accept responses: two months PITI required if the credit score is below 660 and the total debt-to-income ratio exceeds 50%. Gift funds or down payment assistance programs with credit scores below 660: the total debt-to-income ratio cannot exceed 43%. Flagstar also adjusted its VA product effective 3/30. VA loans will be subject to the new total debt-to-income ratio and reserve requirements listed here: Purchase 1-4 Unit - Up to $1MM 640 and >$1MM 660, Cash-Out Refinance 1-2 Units with (cash back) 660, Cash-Out Refinance 3-4 Units with (cash back) 660, Cash-Out Refinance 1-2 Units with (no cash back) 660, Cash-Out Refinance 3-4 Units with (no cash back) 660, IRRRL 1-2 Units 660, IRRRL 3-4 Units 660, DU Approve / LPA Accept responses: Maximum ratios cannot exceed 50%, and for manually underwritten loans: The total debt-to-income ratio cannot exceed 45%. Maximum loan amounts: $2MM with 660 or higher credit score, $1MM with 640-659 credit score. (Flag also tweaked its USDA program Monday: USDA loans will be subject to the new minimum credit scores: Purchase 1 Unit 640, Refinance 1 Unit 660.) AXIS Appraisal Management Solutions issued a statement this it will be unable to complete full appraisals in Vermont based on the stay home, stay safe decree. Real estate sales and brokerage firms must suspend in-person operations under the Governors Executive Order. Real estate functions that can be conducted online, by phone or email can continue. And as previously directed by the Governor, employees should be working remotely. Property appraisals, inspections, title services and other activities that require in-person business are not permitted during the term of the Executive Order. Axis will reach out individually to those with orders currently in process to determine options for a desktop solution. Recent events have prompted Plaza Home Mortgage to expand the programs that are eligible for Hybrid eClosing. If your borrowers loan program qualifies, they are automatically offered the option of a Hybrid eClose, giving them the ability to review and eSign most closing docs ahead of time, online. Of course, traditional wet signature closings are still offered as an option if they prefer. Franklin American Mortgage issued clarification on its Bulletin #2020-06, published on Friday, 3/27. The bulletin referenced a requirement for a YTD P&L for Self-Employed borrowers. However, FAMC is not currently requiring the P&L but reminded Lenders that potential guideline changes remain fluid as the impacts of the COVID virus continue to unfold and the industry receives further guidance from the agencies. A requirement for a P&L statement or any other documentation regarding the borrowers employment and/or income will be based on the underwriters discretion for Non-Delegated. Stearns Wholesale Lending is temporarily instituting an overlay matrix applicable for credit decisions on or after March 28th. Due to recent volatility across secondary investors and capital markets, and in order to protect our Business Partners reputational risk as product and price offerings are changing daily, FCM Wholesale suspended all Non-QM and Nonconforming Jumbo programs for a period of 30 days. Once the market settles down and FCM can once again offer a reliable and competitive product in this space, we will notify our business partners. First Community Mortgage Wholesale posted an IRS Transcripts Notice and Government Loan Guideline updates. Lakeview Correspondent issued an announcement regarding the temporary suspension of tax transcript requirements. The current economic climate associated with COVID-19 and its impact on employment and income, AmeriHome recommends that lenders practice additional due diligence to ensure the most recent employment information is obtained, as close as possible to the time of loan closing. For full details and requirements visit SellerWeb. PRMG issued a Product Profiles update. Changes include: the Chenoa FHA Edge High Balance product for wholesale transactions is no longer available. Effective for locks/reservations on or after 3/30/2020. (Chenoa FHA Edge Standard Balance is still available) There is no change to the Chenoa FHA Rate Advantage program, this update only impacts the Chenoa FHA Edge High Balance product. Capital Markets MIAC is pleased to offer two residential whole loan portfolios, MIAC #601157 non-QM #601159, London-based loans. The first portfolio totals $12mm of non-QM, residential whole loans. These loans were underwritten to securitization standards by a large lender and are currently 95% performing. The pool is comprised of $9mm of short-term bridge loan with a 7.8% GWAC, personal guarantee with business-purpose underwriting. The remaining $3mm are 30 year fixed, investment property loans with a 5.8% GWAC. The second whole loan portfolio is 9mm of rehab/bridge loans secured by London real estate, the GWAC is 9.50% with a <12-month life. These loans were underwritten with a personal guarantee and being offered on a servicing retained basis. Seller is willing to provide full reps and warrants. Please contact your MIAC salesperson at 212-233-1250 or Steve Harris. Recent market volatility has presented challenges to execution and profitability that all lenders are experiencing, particularly with the divergence of aggregator and agency pricing. These challenges will be memorialized in yesterdays quarter-end pipeline Mark-to-Market reports. Key strategies related to valuation, pull-through, and indicative pricing can make a significant difference in this profitability outlook. Yesterday MCT hosted a client webinar covering these strategies along with market analysis, in case you missed it you can view the recording and slide deck. AmeriHome Mortgage issued a Secondary Mortgage update. Effective for new Bulk Trade and Bulk Assignment of Trade (Bulk AOT) commitments issued on and after Monday, March 30, the maximum commitment period will be 15 calendar days. For all Bulk Trade and Bulk AOT commitments, irrespective of issuance date, all requests for extensions (rolls) must be reviewed and approved by the Commitment Desk. The U.S. Treasury yield curve experienced some steepening yesterday to close the month as the Federal Reserve let some air out of the balloon, reducing its footprint by purchasing $19.5 billion of MBS out of a maximum of $30 billion after buying well over $1 trillion MBS and treasuries since commencing QE. The Feds effort still did little to lower mortgage rates, with lower coupon spreads blowing out. Separately, the Federal Reserve established a temporary repurchase facility for foreign central banks and other international authorities. The 10-year yield closed the day yielding .70 percent. As far as economic releases went, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for March beat expectations, though it posted the lowest reading since July 2017. Consumer confidence is expected to get much worse due to the impact of the coronavirus and its effect on consumer attitudes about job security and income growth prospects from here. The S&P Case-Shiller 20-city Home Price Index increased 3.1 percent in January, beating expectations after increasing 2.8 percent in December. On another positive note, the Chicago PMI beat expectations in March. Todays economic calendar is already underway with a duo of releases. The Weekly MBA Mortgage Index for the week ending March 27 continued its extreme volatility, increasing 15 percent from one week earlier (it had decreased -29.4 percent in the prior reading). The March ADP Employment change (27,000 jobs cut). Later this morning brings February Construction Spending and the March ISM Manufacturing Index. Fed speak returns with Boston Fed President Rosengren speaking this afternoon on "Addressing the Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Additionally, the Desk is scheduled to conduct a repeat of yesterday, purchasing up to $30 billion MBS across lower coupons. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices unchanged to +.125 and the 10-year yielding .6 percent. Employment and Transitions Citi is continuing to grow its mortgage business and is seeking top talent to join our best in class Mortgage Sales and Operations teams! We are seeking exceptional individuals for opportunities as Mortgage Sales Representatives in our St. Louis, Missouri and Irving, TX offices, as well as Home Lending Officers nationwide. Additionally, we are looking to hire in our Mortgage Operations team as Loan Processors, Underwriters, and Closers. Take your career to the next level and join our Citi team!! Nationwide opportunities: Distributed Retail Sales Home Lending Officer, Underwriter (Level 3), Underwriter (Level 4)St. Louis opportunities: Direct to Consumer Sales Mortgage Representative, Loan Processor Irving opportunities: Direct to Consumer Sales Mortgage Representative and Tucson opportunities: Loan Processor, Loan Closer. Non-QM is NOT dead. ACC Mortgage, the oldest Non-QM lender in the industry, continues to hire and to offer an array of Non-QM products: ITIN, Bank Statement, P&L programs for the markets. Brokers have options for their borrowers and displaced AEs have a potential home. #experiencematters. Want to talk about a potential deal? Call 877-349-0501 or e-mail scenario to prequalsubmissions@accmortgage.com. If interested in joining our team, please send your resume to the president, Robert Senko, for consideration. National MI is pleased to announce the addition of Pam Balk as Managing Director of Southeast region- overseeing Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Pam is a graduate of University of Georgia with a Masters in Business Administration, and has over 24 years experience in Mortgage Lending. Her experience in origination, processing, underwriting, and the last 7 years in Mortgage Insurance, make her ideal for her new position with National MI. Pam has been extremely active with the local, State of Georgia, and National MBA throughout her career including holding various leadership positions with the MBAG. Please reach out and welcome Pam (work: 510-858-0583, mobile 404-606-6719). FHA has multiple job vacancies within its office of single-family housing including: Director, Office of Single Family Asset Management, Deputy Director, Home Valuation Policy Division (HVPD), Housing Program Policy Specialist and Underwriter. Two people have been reported killed and one other injured in an attack at Jagindi Tasha, Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the attackers were said to have stormed the compound of a former District Head of Jagindi, Mr Danlami Barde, at about 8pm on Monday and killed him and his brother. It was also gathered that the deceased were trying to settle a family dispute when the attackers struck. The Chairman of Jemaa Local Government, Mr Peter Averik, who confirmed the incident to NAN, noted that security operatives had since been mobilized to the area. Averik appealed to people in the area to remain calm as investigations were ongoing to track the perpetrators. The State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige did not respond to inquiry on the incident when contacted by NAN. Families and patients remember the four doctors who contracted coronavirus while fighting for others with the disease. London, United Kingdom The United Kingdom is paying tribute to the first doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic who have died after contracting COVID-19. All four men Alfa Saadu; Amged el-Hawrani; Adil El Tayar and Habib Zaidi were Muslim and had ancestry in regions including Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Dr Salman Waqar, the general secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association, said the contribution of these doctors was immeasurable. They were devoted family men, committed senior doctors, and dedicated decades of service to their communities and patients, he said. They gave the ultimate sacrifice while fighting this disease. We urge everyone to do their part and stop further deaths from happening stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives. As the country fears a shortage of medical staff amid the pandemic, which has so far killed 2,352 people and infected 29,474 according to government figures, the loss of the doctors has highlighted the vital contribution of medics from minority backgrounds to the UKs National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is the largest employer of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff in the UK with 40.1 percent of medical workers from BME backgrounds. Priti Patel, the home secretary, announced on Tuesday that about 2,800 medical staff whose visas expire before October 1, will have their visas extended for a year free of charge. Here, we profile the four doctors who have sadly passed away: Amged el-Hawrani A father figure who fought for people Born in Sudan, the second of six brothers, Amged el-Hawrani was an ear, nose, and throat consultant at university hospitals in the north of England. Despite having no underlying health issues, el-Hawrani died in hospital on Saturday aged 55. His youngest brother Amal paid tribute to his sibling who selflessly took on the burdens of others and became a father figure following the deaths of their eldest brother and father. Amged was someone who was very strong in character, both mentally and physically, but in a calm and gentle way, he said. His strength was one that was always used as a force for good. He was a protector, a shielder, fighting for people, fighting for his brothers. Weeks before his death, el-Hawrani was concerned for his elderly mother who was ill again after having recovered from pneumonia. El-Hawrani finished his night shift and drove a long distance to see her in Bristol, in southwest England. At the time, he had mild flu symptoms which he put down to being overworked. His funeral went ahead on Tuesday, with only immediate family in attendance. He was buried in Bristol. El-Hawranis colleagues held a minutes silence for the doctor at Queens Hospital in Burton on Monday. Habib Zaidi A kind, caring GP whose dedication cost him his life A general practitioner with Pakistani origins, Habib Zaidi moved to the UK almost 50 years ago and worked in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, southeast England. On Wednesday, at 76 years old, he died of COVID-19. He had been self-isolating for a week when he was taken to hospital and died 24 hours later in the intensive care unit. His family said they were heartbroken by his death, in a statement. Christine Playle, 73, one of Zaidis former patients on whom he performed minor surgery less than three weeks before his death, said she was shocked and saddened. Dr Zaidi was a very well-liked and respected doctor and was the embodiment of what everyone looks for in their GP kind, caring, friendly and jolly, she told Al Jazeera. He was a dedicated GP, and that dedication cost him his life. In accordance with distancing restrictions, only his immediate family attended his funeral. His widow has now gone into self-isolation. Adil El Tayar A consultant who gave his life volunteering in emergency Adil El Tayar, an NHS surgeon, died on March 25, aged 64. An organ transplant consultant, he graduated from the University of Khartoum in 1982. El Tayar had been working at Hereford County Hospital in the west of England as a volunteer in the emergency department amid the pandemic, where his family believes he caught the virus. He began to self-isolate when he displayed symptoms but was eventually hospitalised and placed on a ventilator. The British ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, paid tribute to the father of four on Twitter and thanked healthcare workers everywhere for showing extraordinary courage. Saddened to hear of #Sudan-ese doctor Adel Altayar's death in the UK from Covid-19. Health workers around the world have shown extraordinary courage. We cannot thank them enough. In this fight we must listen to their advice. #coronavirus #StayAtHome https://t.co/MGzehDylZX Irfan Siddiq (@IrfanUKAmb) March 26, 2020 BBC journalist Zeinab Badawi, his cousin, said: He wanted to be deployed where he would be most useful in the crisis. It had taken just 12 days for Adil to go from a seemingly fit and capable doctor working in a busy hospital to lying in a hospital morgue. His funeral is being arranged this week. Alfa Saadu A veteran doctor whose face lit up talking about medicine Alfa Saadu, who was born in Nigeria, worked with the NHS for nearly 40 years. He died on Tuesday aged 68 after a two-week battle with the virus. Having retired, he was volunteering at the time of his passing. Born in Nigeria, Saadu began his medical career as a consultant physician in geriatric medicine when he came to London and graduated from the University College Hospital Medical School in 1976. Late Dr. Sa'adu provided leadership for our people in the diaspora as he served for many years as Chiarman, Kwara State Association of Nigeria (Kwasang UK). Back at home, he was a community leader and traditional office holder as Galadima of Pategi. He will be sorely missed. Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) March 31, 2020 He went on to become a medical director. Saadus son Dani told Al Jazeera: He was a very passionate man, who cared about saving people. As soon you spoke to him about medicine his face would light up. He worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years in different hospitals across London. He loved to lecture people in the world of medicine, he did so in the UK and Africa. My dad retired and was working part time at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire until his passing. He was a massive family man and we did everything together, family came first. He left two sons and a wife, who is a retired doctor herself. The former president of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, paid tribute to Saadu on Twitter, saying he provided leadership for our people in the diaspora. India's oldest coronavirus survivor a teetotaller, non-smoker who loves his rice gruel with tapioca India oi-Madhuri Adnal Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Apr 01: At 93 years of age, Thomas Abraham has simple wants - Pazhankanji, Kerala's own super food made of rice gruel, and tapioca or jackfruit snacks. And that's what e insisted on eating while confined in the isolation ward after becoming India's oldest COVID-19 survivor in what is being dubbed by the medical community as a "miracle cure". Thomas and his wife Mariyamma, 88, both have been fully cured after days of life-and-death battle against the deadly virus which they contracted from their son, daughter-in-law and grandson who returned from Italy last month. All three have also recovered fully and are now waiting for the return of the miracle couple home. Doctors say the couple will probably be discharged on Wednesday from the Kotayam Medical College Hospital where they were in critical condition for days. Coronavirus is known to be especially deadly for elderly people. #Stayathome and send us your selfie The secret behind their recovery seems to be the healthy lifestyle they have been leading, said Rijo Moncy, their grandson half-jokingly. He said Thomas, a farmer in Ranni sub-division of Pathanamthitta district, is a very healthy person being a teetotaller and non-smoker. Even without going to the gym, he had a six-pack body. "It's a miracle that they survived the pandemic and the doctors and the health officials have put in their all efforts to save them," said Rijo who works in Italy in the radiology field. He and his parents, who also have been living in Italy for many years, praised the state government, which also has the distinction of having cured India's first three coronavirus cases earlier. "We were planning to come to Kerala in August but advanced the journey as my grandfather insisted that we should visit him soon. However, now we feel that it was a blessing or else we would have been in Italy right now," Rijo told PTI. Italy is the hardest hit country in the world with more than 11,500 fatalities and over 1,01,700 infections, as per the latest reports. "I used to live with my grandfather during my higher studies and we are really close. He insisted that we should visit him as soon as possible. He also said that they had a better chance of survival in Kerala rather than in Italy. "The government there passed off the initial signs of coronavirus as seasonal common flu. But later it got out of their hands. The area where we are staying in Italy is not that affected," he added. "We are sure that the good and efficient medical team in Kerala helped us to get cured from the pandemic. If we were in Italy, we might not have survived," he said. Coronavirus death toll in India rises to 49, total positive cases cross 1,500 Asked about their favourite food, he said while his grandfather loves "Pazhankanji" made of rice gruel, "Kappa" (tapioca) and "chakka" (jackfruit) snacks, his grandmother loved fish. Even while at the isolation ward, grandpa asked for his "Pazhankanji" and coconut chutney and "kappa" etc and these were provided to him, he said. "They were waiting for us to come (from Italy) and fill the home with fun and laughter. But... Now, we are eagerly waiting for their homecoming. We were told they are likely to be discharged by Wednesday", he said. The family has already prepared fish curry, fish fry and rice and hoping the elderly couple would soon reach home. The couple have three children, seven grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Besides his parents and grandparents, Rijo's sister and brother-in-law and his father's elder brother were among those infected by the virus in the family. "Grandparents had age related complications. But the nurses and the doctors of Kottayam Medical College considered them as their own family and took care of them. We are really thankful to the government, health minister and the chief minister for the care we got," Rijo said. Rijo's sister and brother-in-law, both nurses, had arrived from Italy eight months ago. Along with the seven-member team of doctors who led the treatment, 40 medical staff including 25 nurses actively took part in various stages of treatment. The central district of Pathnamthitta has 7,486 people under observation, 19 in isolation wards and five positive cases in hospitals. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:26 [IST] In times of coronavirus, spitting on a police officer is considered an "attack with dangerous substances" in Belgium, and can lead to a direct prison sentence, as has been the case in Antwerp seven times in a single week. Belgium has decided to crack down on this type of behavior, several judicial sources told AFP on Monday. "The act of intentionally spitting or coughing at someone by an individual claiming to be carrying the virus could result in up to two years of imprisonment," explained Christian De Valkeneer, prosecutor of Liege. This can be considered as rebellion against the police and is now even categorised as "a threat or attack with dangerous substances". On Monday, a 19-year-old young man was placed in pre-trial detention by an Antwerp judge. He vigorously opposed his arrest Sunday evening in a park in Mortsel, near Antwerp, when he was suspected of not respecting the ban on assembling in groups. As soon as he was handcuffed he spat in the direction of the officers. We have become so used to seeing the wheels of Government spinning in mid-air, the pace of decision-making recently has been dizzying. Who would not have laughed a few weeks ago had they been told schools would be closed, hundreds of millions of jobs around the world would be lost and we would all have to stay inside for weeks? Still, there are encouraging signs all the limitations are having an impact. Indeed, according to Professor Philip Nolan, president of Maynooth University, they are having an "enormous effect" in reducing the number of new cases of coronavirus. Prof Nolan has been tasked with predicting the further growth of the epidemic. The early indicators point to a "huge" fall in the growth rate of the outbreak. It has fallen from 33pc to 15pc, but according to Prof Nolan, it will take seven to 14 days before the full impact of the stringent new curbs can be assessed. But the professor - who chairs the Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group - cautioned there was "no room for complacency". The growth rate must be reduced to "close to zero" in order for it to be suppressed. So time, patience and resolve matter. Globally, the pandemic is producing worrying responses. In the US, it has now claimed more lives than the September 11 attacks. President Donald Trump has framed the new coronavirus emergency as inherently "Chinese". He has seized on it as justification for tightening borders and accepting fewer asylum seekers. In Europe, too, the pandemic is being dangerously exploited. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has used it to seize near dictatorial powers. He has claimed: "We are fighting a two-front war: one front is called migration, and the other one belongs to the coronavirus." His ruling by decree allows him to bypass both the courts and parliament. For a leader of an EU member to assume such autocratic status is alarming. As the outbreak reaches its peak, pressures on all countries will intensify. There is already tension between member states at the issuing of "corona bonds". Italian governors paid for a page in 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung' newspaper to ask Germany for solidarity, saying that other states agreed to cut its debt after World War II. Europe has survived a litany of crises over the past decade: a financial crisis, a security crisis emanating from Russia, a migration crisis and then there's Brexit. But fighting the pandemic will test levels of commitment and resources as never before. In other emergencies, we may have been tempted to hope for outside assistance. But this time there is no immediate 'saviour'. We empower ourselves and assume a sense of agency by keeping pressure off hospitals. The most potent way to contain the disaster is to fully embrace what has been asked of us, regardless of complications or restrictions. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are still campaigning for president - sporadically, virtually and badly. Oh yes. They have been impressively awful. But they must press on with their low-budget online backslapping and live-streamed speechifying if they want to connect with voters over the coming weeks and, perhaps, months. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee and Sanders, the long-shot candidate who will not stand down, must rely on long-distance campaigning to squeak out their message in a news cycle consumed with updates on the covid-19 outbreak and a terrifying economy. They must get good at being authentic and engaging from their sofa, which is not as easy as all those Instagram influencers and YouTube stars make it seem. Live-streaming from your house is not the same thing as settling into a prime block on cable news where the professionals make sure your microphone is working, the lighting is flattering and you don't look like you just wandered in from a crypt. And while the TV time constraints may be frustrating, they also have the benefit of forcing guests to stay out of the weeds and get to their point. Live-streaming from home is more intimate, informal and revealing. It's also more perilous. Sanders and Biden are not the same kind of terrible. Each has his own unique hurdles to overcome. In the beginning, Biden struggled with the technology itself, his natural desire to emote and connect has been stymied by audio foul-ups and general confusion about who can hear him and who can't. But he also seemed to want to get better by learning from his missteps. He has. Some might recall his first attempt at a virtual town hall in mid-March. It was, as countless critics noted, a mess. Indeed, a subgenre of YouTube programming dedicated itself to parsing the many ways in which his Facebook-Live-meets-Zoom gathering went awry. The audio stalled. Questioners gave up and dropped out. Biden went all mush-mouthed as his eyes darted from the camera to the social-distancing human directing the glitch-fest. Biden was suited up for the event and standing behind a makeshift lectern with a campaign placard attached to it - in what appeared to be his living room or den. For a candidate who prides himself on making intimate connections with voters, the presentation was one long conflicting message. Was this a formal presidential-ish address or a regular Joe sit-down? Last week, however, Biden received a gift. CNN hosted him in a virtual town hall. Technically, it went off without a hitch. He was still at home, still wearing a suit, but the set had improved. There was no lectern. He had good posture. He was reasonably well-lit. Allowed to speak for an extended period, without a debate buzzer going off after 30 seconds, Biden was focused and amiable. Anyone frustrated by politicians' refusal to give a simple yes or no answer would have been heartened. When host Anderson Cooper asked Biden whether he'd support some of the recommendations made by Bill Gates in fighting this and future pandemics, Biden simply said, "Yes." He didn't quite realize that the folks asking questions had submitted them earlier and weren't hanging around on the line - as if they'd called into their local radio station. Long time listener. First time caller. I'll take my answer off-air. But he made eye contact. He got personal talking about his grandchildren. Biden's getting better. He's learning how to make this newfangled form of campaigning work. Perhaps Sanders knows just how unpleasant his live coronavirus roundtables are. He probably does. He just doesn't care because Sanders has never been concerned with making hard medicine go down easier. He is here to bring you the facts. He's broadcasting from home in Vermont. But he's still yelling. His roundtables are wholly on brand. His campaign regularly streamed his public appearances on Facebook and elsewhere. He prided himself on hijacking the media for his own purposes. But in this devastating moment, his brand has never been more glaringly lacking in warmth. He hosted a Friday evening roundtable in which he was slouched over a desk in a blood-red room with horror movie lighting from a glowing table lamp with its shade askew. He shuffled papers on his desk. He got into the footnotes of the $2 trillion federal stimulus bill. He looked down and around but rarely held eye contact with the viewer. He wore his at-home uniform: an open-collared shirt and blazer. He looked like neither a statesman nor a consoler. Sanders introduced musicians and medical professionals like an irascible professor moderating a cable access show (which, indeed, Sanders once did). He was broadcasting facts but not actionable information, reassurance or enlightening news. Sanders sat in front of a dark wooden chest of drawers lined with photographs. Were they personal pictures? Who could tell? Does the average voter know what anyone in his family looks like aside from his wife, Jane? Instead of adding an air of familiarity, the photos came across as mere decorative objects. He tangled with a few audio glitches. One of his guests, Zenei Cortez, president of National Nurses United, which supports Medicare-for-all, was so dramatically backlit that she looked as though she was dialing in from a witness protection program. Sanders peppered his comments with "furthermore," which is a word that shouldn't be used in formal writing let alone casual conversation. Another roundtable on Monday was more like a conference call when multiple panelists appeared solely via audio. This new form of campaigning is hard. But it's even more challenging and frustrating for voters. They can't buttonhole a politician at an event and demand answers to their specific concerns; they can't protest at a rally. They can't look these men - ah, yes, only men - in the eye and see how they bear up. But if the candidates fully embrace live-streamed conversations, they can potentially reveal the best of themselves. In a room without moderators or time keepers, without commercial interruptions, what can they communicate at a time when there's an urgent need for leaders who speak in a way that is informed, decisive, honest and empathetic? The candidates are at home. Every virtual event is an invitation to stop in and stay for a bit. Make folks glad they came. A man accused of killing three family members and kidnapping his young son in Georgia surrendered to the police on Wednesday night after an armed standoff that snarled traffic for several hours on a Florida highway, the authorities said. The man, Caesar Zamien Lamar Crockett Jr., had put a gun to his head inside his car after it crashed following a high-speed chase with the police, the authorities said. Mr. Crockett had quickly handed over his 2-year-old son to officers but then barricaded himself inside and refused to leave. Chief Brian Dugan of the Tampa Police Department credited the peaceful resolution of the standoff to the many officers who responded and to the negotiators who persuaded Mr. Crockett to surrender. They just kept talking to him, Chief Dugan said at a news conference on the exit ramp off Interstate 4, where Mr. Crockett had holed up inside his car. I dont know if he got tired or what, but he eventually surrendered and we were able to take him into custody with no problems whatsoever. Tiger King subject Joe Exotic made his TV debut in a Louis Theroux documentary nine years ago. Exotic is the eccentric tiger trader at the centre of the bonkers Netflix series. In a Twitter post, Theroux highlighted his encounter with the man himself in Americas Most Dangerous Pets, which was originally broadcast in October 2011. The synopsis reads: Travelling to Americas heartlands, Louis Theroux spends time with an Oklahoma man who has bred and collected over 150 tigers, visits the woman who privately owns one of Americas largest collections of chimpanzees, and finds himself in uncomfortably close contact with a number of big cats and dangerous primates. Therouxs special sees him follow Exotic as he goes about his daily routine as part of GW Exotic Animal Foundation in Oklahoma. One moment sees him tell Theroux that if he were to get into the cage with his tigers, he would shoot him to spare him a grisly fate. If he was to get you and not kill you and eat you right away, hes going to torment you, Exotic said. So, if you were to get in there and I was out here trying to get you out he would be on top of you covering you up. Id just shoot you, it would be more humane. Incredulous, Theroux replies: You would shoot me? In the head? Exotic is also seen expressing excitement over an oncoming tornado, which is immediately followed by Theroux narrating: The day before in neighbouring Missouri, a tornado had killed more than 150 people. The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer here. Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence for a number of charges, including two counts of murder-for-hire. Theroux promised to share his full thoughts on Netflixs seven-part documentary, which was one of the streaming services most-watched original titles in March. Exotic real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage was jailed last year for 22 years, for crimes including trying to hire someone to murder Baskin, and for various crimes related to endangered species and conservation. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Wednesday reported a 47.21 per cent decline in total sales at 32 279 units in March. The company had sold 61,150 units in the same month last year, HMIL said in a statement. Domestic sales were down 40.69 per cent to 26,300 units as against 44,350 units in March 2019, the company added. Similarly, exports last month were down 64.41 per cent to 5,979 units as compared with 16,800 units in March 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday lamented that "some people" are taking the battle against the coronavirus lightly by not following the lockdown guidelines and thereby weakening the nation's fight against the pandemic. He made these remarks while interacting with senior party leaders from several states through video conference as part of his daily review of the BJP's efforts to help the poor during the 21-day nationwide lockdown. "Entire country is displaying courage, resolve and patience in taking on the challenge of the coronavirus. But some people are taking this battle lightly and not following the lockdown guidelines. This is weakening our fight against the coronavirus," a BJP statement quoted Nadda as saying. Though Nadda did not specify, his remarks appeared to be aimed at the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary body accused by officials of holding its meeting in Delhi defying restrictions. They said it has led to a big spurt in coronavirus cases due to presence of infected people in the gathering. Nadda was speaking to party leaders from Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Chhattisgarh. The BJP is determined to ensure that nobody goes hungry in this crisis and asked party leaders to take every measure to help people, the statement said quoting Nadda. The BJP president asserted that there is no dearth of essential items like food and medicine in any part of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 23:26:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LUSAKA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government said on Wednesday that it will recruit more health workers starting this week in order to scale up response against the COVID-19. And the country has not recorded any new cases in the last 24 hours and only has 36 positive cases. Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said President Edgar Lungu has immediately authorized the recruitment of 400 doctors and 3,000 paramedics to speed up response to the fight. He said the Zambian leader has also ordered that good incentives should be provided to the health workers as a way to motivate them. He said the 36 positive patients were currently stable except one who was still in a critical condition worsened by his acute respiratory problem. Meanwhile the Zambian leader has reiterated that the fight against the coronavirus was not government's fight alone but everyone has a crucial role to play. BALLSTON SPA Elected supervisors in Saratoga County said that time-and-a-half pay previously earned by county employees will be removed from their upcoming paychecks to, in their words, make it look like the controversial pay bump in response to the pandemic never happened. A group of Saratoga County supervisors are calling the latest in the pandemic pay debacle a political Aprils Fool Day prank. The big 10 elected officials, a caucus from the countys largest communities, have written a fourth letter to Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Preston Allen to say they were pleased with the countys decision to withdraw time-and-a-half for well-paid salaried workers, but were unsettled to learn that . the previously promised time-and-a-half compensation to the rank and file employees will now be completely withdrawn, back to March 20 on a retroactive basis so as to not appear in an employees next payroll check. The letter signed by elected officials from Clifton Park, Saratoga Springs, Ballston, Halfmoon, Malta, Milton, Moreau and Wilton said although they do not agree with the compensation plan, they also dont agree with withdrawing the promise made to hourly, union workers. Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said the administration and top county officials are making the move to make it look like the pandemic pay bump never happened. To go back on a compensation promise made in order to force the facts to fit a new narrative for political gain does a disservice to all county employees, shows bad faith in labor negotiations and does not foster a healthy employer/employee relationship, the letter stated. Non-management rank and file should be paid their time-and-a-half as promised by the administration and compensation committee for this pay period. The Police Benevolent Association, which represents sheriff's deputies, said they were told Tuesday that their pay rate was denied. "Employees altered their work responsibilities, priorities, schedules and personal lives in order to address the needs of the citizens," a statement from the PBA read. "To say that our membership felt misled and disappointed would be a vast understatement." Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Allen did not respond to the Times Union's request for comment on the latest in the salary saga that began on March 17 when the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to give an ad-hoc committee the authority to set wages and employee levels during the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the committee, comprised of Allen, county Administrator Spencer Hellwig, county Director of Human Resources Marcy McNamara, Greenfield Supervisor Daniel Pemrick and Saratoga Supervisor Tom Wood, planned to pay everyone - including Hellwig and McNamara who make six figures - time-in-a-half for every hour they worked. At that point, the total was 380 employees. That was revised the following week, reducing the number getting overtime wages to 32 salaried positions with 308 hourly workers. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. On Tuesday, Allen announced on the countys website now only 40 people - those working in the countys command center - are getting time-and-a-half. There was no mention that the promised pay was being retroactively withdrawn. Region 4 of CSEA, the union that represents 600 of the countys 1,232 employees, has not been told of this development. However, CSEA spokeswoman Theresa Assalian said there is a meeting tomorrow and at that time, she expects the union leadership will know more. The 10 supervisors are also disturbed that McNamara previously said that county workers would fake sick during the pandemic if they did not pay them time-and-a-half for every hour. The publicly expressed reasoning by members of county administration for paying time-and-a-half for every hour worked was that county employees would otherwise not come to work, the letter stated. This is patently untrue and recent discussions conducted with county employees has confirmed that fact. Retroactively taking away back pay promised and negotiated with county employees is a terrible practice that likely will expose the county to a legal challenge and can severely affect morale amongst the employees that serve our residents day-to-day. The PBA said it also appreciated that the 10 supervisors made a statement of support for them. "The balanced approach of maintaining the commitment made to employees two weeks ago while simultaneously asking to readdress, which, if any, employes may continue in this manner is greatly appreciated." Throughout, the 10 supervisors have condemned the pandemic pay bump for six-figure earners. Their only outlet, however, has been their letter writing campaign as Allen has not given into their demands for a meeting to revoke his compensation powers. As a minority group in the 23 member board, they cannot force a full board meeting to discuss the matter. Still, their votes are weighted and if they did get a meeting, the 1o could revoke the plan. Thus, the supervisors asked again. While we have not received a response to our multiple requests for a full meeting of the Board of Supervisors to discuss this issue and resolve it, we once again ask for a reset by the county's compensation committee and once again call for that meeting of the Board of Supervisors to take place so we may discuss the serious inequities that the county is asking our union membership to accept, the letter read. Mainland Chinese Endorse the Idea of Renaming COVID-19 to the CCP Virus Shanghai resident Mr. Hu attempts to break through Chinas Internet firewall on a regular basis. He is constantly looking for true information that the Chinese regime conceals from its citizens. Hu shares a software that can bypass the firewall with his friends and relatives. He thinks the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) control of the Internet, its blocking of information, its duping and intimidation of the people have fooled many Chinese citizens. As a consequence, those deceived by the CCP do not bother judging right from wrong. Hu believes that if the firewall was removed, the CCP would meet its demise within three months. A group of overseas Chinese launched a petition to the White House, proposing that the coronavirus be renamed the CCP virus. Hu applauded the idea. He tried to log onto the petition website four times, but all attempts failed. Audio recording: Journalist: There are still many Chinese who support the CCP. Is that a true statement? Mr. Hu: This is basically true, but lets take a closer look. Why do I say its true? Because many people, including some ordinary citizens, are uninformed when they support the CCP. People who are under duress [may pretend to support it]. What is the main reason? Its the CCP education system. Its the red propaganda, including intimidation of the people, that leads some to avoid looking at moral issues. They violate their own human nature and morality when making judgements or handling certain things. Thats the main cause. Ultimately, the biggest culprit is the Chinese Communist Party. Journalist: Another question. Do you think there is any essential difference between this group of Chinese people and the CCP? Mr. Hu: The CCP refers to the Party, its system, and an evil cult organization. The people refers to ordinary people, including some who are undiscerning. That is to say, those who listen to its propaganda, fail to distinguish right from wrong. As a result, some have joined the organization, some do support it. Journalist: The White House petition asks the government to rename COVID-19 to the CCP virus. In less than a day, nearly 10,000 people signed it online. What do you think of the overseas peoples initiative to call the virus the CCP virus? Mr. Hu: I think its very correct, because the virus was indeed caused by it [the CCP]. The concealment of the facts, and the manipulations that went on behind the scenes caused a great deal of damage to the world, and so much harm to us Chinese people. At the end of the day, its all caused by this Party. It cant shirk this responsibility. In the future, history will give it a fair trial. Mr. Hu: This is because of the Internet blockade. The CCP wants to control the Internet so it built the firewall. That is the main reason. It can keep the Chinese people ignorant of the facts because they cant hear the real voice, right? They dont know the truth. Thats the main issue. The day before yesterday, when I went to the hospital to see a doctor, I met an old man who was still saying that the Americans made this virus. He was a victim because he had to wear a mask every day. I scolded him, and he ended up not saying a word. I said you should thank the Americans, because without the Americans you wouldnt have enough food or warm clothing today. A lot of them dont know the true situation. Thats the main thing. If the Internet Firewall comes down in China, I tell you, it wont take three months for the CCP to collapse. Many people in the regime, including some communists, including some of the police, are dissatisfied with the CCP and they revealed this when they talked with me. Some even proactively asked me for the facts. Someone said, Mr. Hu, we need to hear different voices. These are the wise men within the system. They still have a little bit of conscience left. A police officer from the Tiananmen police station in Beijing told me that he didnt want to be a policeman anymore. You probably know why he would say that. Journalist: So just now, you also said that there are a lot of people who are awakening. So far there are several thousand signatures on this petition that supports renaming the virus to the CCP virus. What does that mean? Does it show that although the CCP is constantly hiding, blocking, and suppressing facts, that the truth cannot be concealed forever? Mr. Hu: Right. Right. Not only do we know the truth, we also tell the truth to the people around us. Yesterday, a friend asked me about this proxy software. I told him how to use it, and how to get the best information from overseas sources. For instance, I said you should read the articles by certain commentators, not just the news. I told my friends that we should support this petition. I tried three or four times to get onto the website, but I was blocked. During the Hong Kong protests, I tried to go online to support the protesters petitions to the White House, but I did not succeed as the [Internet] blockade is difficult to break through. Its been days in Nigeria, weeks in some countries and months in another since there has been a coronavirus lockdown, in most parts of the world. Pyjamas are naturally becoming the national uniform and nobody has a clue what day it will end. Experts have now warned women that enjoying the freedom of ditching your bra for the duration of time indoors could have long term effects on your breasts. Going braless has been one of the small victories that have been celebrated since we were told to stay at home, with some one writing on social media: Ive been braless for weeks now I cannot contain my joy. Thats probably the only liberating thing about this lockdown. Victoria Shelton, a garment technologist at Figleaves, has told the Daily Mail that leaving breasts unsupported could damage the connective tissue which helps to maintain structural integrity, known as the Coopers ligaments. She said: Our wardrobe needs have changed as we find ourselves at home. But we all still need to wear a bra as our breasts need to be supported due to their weight you may damage your posture or have back pain if your breasts arent fully supported. If breasts are left unsupported damage can occur to the Coopers ligament in the breast, causing them to sag. It was echoed by Dr Riccardo Frati, of Frati Cosmetic surgery, who argued bras were important to give support to breasts due to potential damage to Coopers ligaments, and because breasts tend to sag over time due to gravity and age. Victoria explained how to compromise at home by switching to something super comfortable so we can enjoy that no bra feeling without the risk. Her advice was to look out for flexi wires, often found in maternity ranges. She added: If you have a larger bust, look for non-wired styles that have seam cups as these have often been designed and fitted to support a larger bust. Padded hook and eyes, and soft brushed straps are also key for comfort. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Education authorities in Tokyo have decided to keep metropolitan senior high schools closed through early May due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Tokyo's board of education decided on Wednesday that the closure will continue through May 6, when the annual extended holiday period ends. The schools are now in the spring break after they closed in March in line with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's request. The board says schools will hold enrollment and opening ceremonies on dates set by each school. But it adds the ceremonies will take place with precautions against infection in place and their scale reduced. The board took into account a proposal from the central government's panel of experts. The panel said authorities should consider suspending schools in areas where the number of infections is on the rise. Elementary and junior high schools are administered by municipal education boards. Tokyo's education authorities say they will call on municipal education boards to pay heed to the decision regarding metropolitan high schools and take utmost measures to prevent the spread of the virus. 71 people from the state attended the congregation, Banerjee told the media here. Kolkata: The West Bengal government has quarantined 54 persons including 40 foreigners who attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday. "Yesterday (Tuesday) we quarantined 54 of the participants at the quarantine centre. The central government earlier informed us that 71 persons had attended the religious programme from our state," the chief minister said. Banerjee said 40 of those quarantined were foreigners who came from Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. "We identified and picked them up." The state government has received information of more participants from Bankura, North Dinajpur districts. "We have got two names form Magrahat in 24 Parganas (South) district also". "We will enquire. If any of them had gone to Nizamuddin, I hope they will report to police on their own. No need to panic over this congregation," she said. Banerjee hoped that 30 more people who attended the congregation would be quarantined on Wednesday. The chief minister said the information about foreigners are maintained by the external affairs and home ministries at the centre. "We came to know of it very late. But those who came here are cooperating," she said. Banerjee appealed to all those who attended the congregation or came in contact with those who had participated to come forward and report to the government. "Then we can put you in quarantine either at home or at a quarantine centre. You don't have to worry about the quarantine centre. It is just like another home for you," she added. Universities across Australia are giving a reprieve for students who fail their classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Campuses across the country have transitioned to online learning using applications such as Zoom to hold lectures. Others have cancelled exams and replaced them with at-home assessments. La Trobe University, University of New South Wales and Swinburne University will exclude any failed units from academic transcripts this semester, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. La Trobe University, University of New South Wales (pictured) and Swinburne University will exclude any failed units from academic transcripts this semester However the higher education institutions would still be charging fees from their students. UNSW will now grade on a 'pass or fail' system. The university wanted 'to acknowledge the situation and reduce the stress of assessment on students, some or many of whom may still be adapting to remote learning or experiencing disruptions', the university's deputy vice-chancellor, Merlin Crossley, said. UNSW's student council president Manu Risoldi said many at-risk students would benefit. But some students looking to boost their grades to be considered for honours programs were angered by the move. A spokeswoman for La Trobe said the university understood students were dealing with hardships including the loss of employment. 'This is one way to encourage our students to continue their studies,' she said. Campuses across the country have transitioned into online learning using applications such as Zoom to hold lectures (stock) Students at universities including Monash University, University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney have called for similar measures. Vice-chancellor Michael Spence of the University of Sydney said in an email to students it had carefully considered the pass or fail system, but wouldn't introduce it. The school's student council body said they were unimpressed with how the university has responded to concerns. One UTS student, Joanna Qiao, said she learns best in person-to-person workshops, and found her quality of work has plummeted following the transition. E-governance services provider CSC SPV has sought permission to allow all common service centres to offer banking and essential services electronically during the lockdown to contain coronavirus spread, a top official said on Wednesday. Around 22,000 common service centres registered as banking correspondent are delivering their services and rest of the centres are operating in accordance to the permission given by state and local authorities, CSC e-Governance Services India Limited CEO Dinesh Tyagi told PTI. "We have written to the minister (Ravi Shankar Prasad) for allowing all our CSCs to provide essential services that can be provided electronically," Tyagi said. There are over 2.7 lakh CSCs operational across the country. CSCs provide financial, telemedicine, education, e-commerce, gas booking services etc. "Jharkhand government has allowed the operation of all CSCs. Haryana government has given partial permission," Tyagi said. The Haryana government has also roped in CSC for delivering telemedicine services for livestock treatment. "CSCs provide Aadhaar enabled payment services (AEPS) that can be used by people in the rural area for withdrawing cash. We have also written to banks to help village level entrepreneurs by providing them with some cash for AEPS," Tyagi said. He said that allowing this service can be instrumental in supporting government's recent announcement transfer direct cash benefit transfer through to farmers, Jan Dhan account holders and other labourers. All these people can withdraw amount without overcrowding the bank branches at their nearest CSCs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An evil father 'cuddled' his two children in his caravan as he detonated explosives to kill them and himself to punish his wife for their marriage breakdown, a coroner has ruled. Nyobi, seven, and her brother River, four, were killed along with their father Charlie Hinder, 39, when he set off a homemade bomb inside the family caravan in Mount Isa in July 2015. Coroner Nerida Wilson's report found that Hinder also intended to kill his wife Katherine, as an act of spousal revenge, the ABC reported. Hinder posted on Facebook just hours before the murder-suicide and told people to feel sorry for them - but not him or his estranged wife. Charlie Hinder, 39, pictured with his daughter Nyobi, 7 (right) , and son River, 4, (left) before the three died in a caravan explosion in 2015 Hinder took to Facebook hours before he murdered his children and urged people to feel sorry for them - but not him or his estranged wife 'I guess this world was just not for us. I love my kids more than anything in this world, they would have been great,' the social media post read, according to The Courier Mail. 'We all went instantly cuddling each other. Goodbye everybody.' The father-of-two had been living in a caravan in the front yard of the family property since the couple's separation two months before the tragedy. On the morning of the blast, Ms Hinder arrived home from her night shift and was preparing school lunches for the children before collecting them from their father, where they had spent the night. She was on her way over, but turned back towards the house, deciding it would be better to send a text message rather than disturb the neighbours by knocking on the caravan door. The explosion went off as she entered the kitchen to get her phone. The coroner found the four-to-five kilograms of explosives Hinder used were stolen from underground mines where he worked between 2005 and 2008. She said he was 'in immediate proximity to the children perhaps holding or cuddling them' as he set of the device, which he had assembled himself. Hinder lived in the caravan parked outside the family home since the separation. Pictured is the caravan explosion which claimed the lives of he and his two children The coroner's report noted Hinder previously used and stored explosives. On one occasion, Hinder dropped Katherine off at the side of the road on a late-night drive shortly after the pair started dating in 2005. Hinder gave her a camera and told her to film in the direction they had just driven after he used a power-gel explosive to detonate a road sign. The mining company he worked for reviewed and overhauled its procedures regarding explosives and security in the wake of the fatal caravan explosion. The coroner said Hinder was 'in immediate proximity to the children perhaps holding or cuddling them' as he set of the device, which he had assembled himself The company updated its explosive storage facilities and security measures, including an electronic access entry system and video surveillance. In her report, Ms Wilson said Ms Hinder showed 'courage' and 'kindness' following her children's deaths. 'It is inescapable that Katherine has lost her precious children in the most shocking of circumstances and that her life is irrevocably changed,' Ms Wilson said. She said that Nyobi and River's deaths were an example of 'retaliatory filicides' to punish Katherine after their marriage ended. Ms Hinder had told police she wanted to leave Hinder for some time but he had threatened her and her family, as well as self-harm, according to Brisbane Times. Hinder (pictured) also intended to murder his estranged wife, a coroner has ruled For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 or Mensline 1300 789 978. Sam Neill looks grizzled, even a bit dishevelled as he speaks and sings to camera, accompanying himself on ukulele. He reads New Zealand kids' stories and poems by Seamus Heaney. He sings songs by Cole Porter or Randy Newman or Radiohead. What a sign of the times: one of our best screen actors, streaming bits and pieces, broadcasting a miscellany out of his isolation. Sam Neill imitates a kookaburra for social media followers. I dont really know what Im doing, he says, I just pluck things out of the air. And its coming really from me just being shut away for a while - and thats going to go on. [I'm] thinking of possible things to do myself and finding things that Ive put aside for a rainy day. Well, its a rainy day. Neill's manner is, as usual, a study in self-deprecation. He's clowning against the gloom. He's the light relief. - A one-year-old girl has been confined in the hospital because of the novel coronavirus disease - She is considered as the youngest Filipino to have contracted the fatal virus - According to her physician, the little girl can already be brought home on Thursday or Friday - The patient has been recovering already and she has a better appetite now PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed The attending physician of a one-year-old girl who tested positive for the novel coronavirus revealed that the baby will be discharged from the hospital already. KAMI learned that the youngest Filipino to get infected with the dreadful virus has been recovering well that is why she can already go home on Thursday or Friday morning. It was Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito A. Dolor who first knew about the said development and he excitedly disclosed the information to the public. He stated that the baby, who is tagged by netizens as Baby COVID-19, already has a better appetite and does not experience flu for almost a week now. The pneumonia and other respiratory ailments of the COVID-infected child have also been treated already and her family is now awaiting the result of her second swab test. The child is playful, has good appetite, and, for almost a week, had had no fever, Dolor quipped. We fervently hope that the re-test will be negative, he added. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Despite the positive development, the said Governor urged his people to still strictly follow quarantine protocols because the fatal pandemic has not ended yet. In a previous article by , a biotech firm in the United States said that they developed antibodies to fight COVID-19. As of April 1, the Philippines already has more than 2,300 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease. Ninety-six of them have already succumbed to the disease. 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! TikTok dance challenges are taking over social media. We are always on point in asking passers-by to dance to famous songs together with our host Andre! Dont forget to subscribe to HumanMeter! Source: KAMI.com.gh GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip In an unprecedented development that further strained relations between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Yemens internationally recognized government, Hamas welcomed the initiative of Yemens Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, to release Saudi captives in exchange for Hamas prisoners detained in Saudi Arabia. In a televised speech March 26 on the television channel Al-Masirah, marking the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the Yemeni war, Houthi said his group is ready to release five Saudi captives, including a pilot, if Saudi Arabia frees Hamas members detained since April 2019. We declare our complete readiness to free a Saudi pilot and four government officers and soldiers in exchange for the release of unjustly detained Hamas members in the kingdom, he said Hamas repeated calls demanding the Saudi government release its detainees from the kingdoms prisons fell on deaf ears. Hamas politburo chief, Ismail Haniyeh, addressed King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud in an urgent note March 22 and asked him to take a decision to release the Palestinian detainees to avoid becoming infected with the novel coronavirus that has become a pandemic. Hamas welcomed the Houthi initiative in a statement March 26, saying, We highly appreciate the sympathy and brotherly spirit with Palestinians and the support for their resilience and resistance. Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told the television channel Al-Mayadeen directly after the initiative was launched, The initiative of the Houthi leader warmed the hearts of all Palestinian fighters and resistance members. Hamas asked one of the parties that has good ties with Sanaa to follow up on the initiative. Member of Hamas international relations bureau Bassem Naim told Turkey's Anadolu Agency March 25 that Saudi authorities began the trial of 62 Palestinians who live on its territories March 8; some have Jordanian passports. Naim noted that they were mainly accused of supporting terrorist entities, and he stressed that they did not commit any activities threatening the kingdoms affairs or higher interests. In the same vein, Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza welcomed the Houthi initiative, and the Islamic Jihad released a press statement, a copy of which was obtained by Al-Monitor, stating, We appreciate Houthis announcement regarding the prisoner swap of Palestinians in Saudi Arabia in exchange for Saudi captives in Yemen. These Palestinians were held captive because of their stances and support for the resistance. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) expressed its appreciation for the Houthi initiative and asserted in a statement March 26 that the initiative is noble and courageous and reaffirms the authentic Yemeni stance that continues to support Palestinians and their struggle. The PFLP said the initiative shows solidarity with the [Palestinian] national struggle, at the center of which is the Palestinian cause, despite the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni [people] due to the aggression against it and threats to the unity of its territories. Yet the Houthi initiative angered the Yemeni government. Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani tweeted March 28 that the Houthis initiative to exchange Saudi prisoners with Hamas detainees held by the kingdom is a cheap trade and bid. He dismissed Hamas welcoming of the initiative as part of its loyalty to Iran. He tweeted, Hamas acceptance of the Houthi initiative provokes Yemenis feelings and underlines the movements involvement as a tool for the Iranian project that is using the Palestinian cause as a slogan to achieve its expansion plans in the region. He added, [Abdel Malek] Houthis swap deal is refuted by all the terrorist practices of his militia on the ground, from killing thousands of Yemenis to abducting and torturing others, destroying houses and mosques. Despite the Saudi silence on the deal and the official Yemeni anger, Lebanons Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah reiterated March 28 Houthis calls to Saudi Arabia. Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a political analyst close to Hamas, believes that Hamas was surprised with such an initiative. I dont think there was previous coordination between Hamas and Houthis," he told Al-Monitor. He added, Hamas is under huge pressure [to release] the detainees in Saudi Arabia, and it saw the initiative as a personal one that might remind the public opinion of the detainees case. Amman-based political analyst and expert on Islamic affairs Hassan Abu Haniyeh told Al-Monitor that relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia have reached their worst level yet for no clear reason. He said, Hamas is being pragmatic, and it did not jeopardize the Saudi interests in the region. Hamas has to benefit from the resistance axis, given the abandonment of Gulf and Arab countries for it in favor of US interests, mainly the deal of the century (the US peace plan) that it was opposed to. Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia have been tense because of Hamas loyalty to Iran. Besides, Hamas enjoys the support of Qatar, which has faced restrictions from Saudi Arabia and strong Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain that severed ties with it because of its support for Islamist groups and Iran. Abu Haniyeh believes the absence of an official response from Saudi parties to the initiative points to the kingdoms disinterest in the matter. He noted, Houthis initiative is a pressure card on Saudi Arabia in front of the public supporting the Palestinian cause, especially in the kingdom. But Saudi Arabia does not want to appear weak or pressured into releasing detainees. Yet Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber announced March 30 that Riyadh had invited Houthi representatives to peace talks in Saudi Arabia with the internationally recognized Yemeni government. According to Jaber, the Houthis have yet to respond to the offer. Iowa appears to be in line for $1.25 billion as its share of the federal $2 trillion coronavirus recovery package. The allocations are based on population, and Iowas share of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund for state, local and tribal governments is the minimum allotment for states. The funds are expected to begin arriving within 30 days, according to information provided to states. The funding is in addition to the recovery checks of up to $1,200 that will be mailed to single taxpayers making an adjusted income of no more than $75,000 or up to $2,400 for married couples with incomes of less than $150,000. Those amounts will increase by $500 for each child. Of Iowas $1.25 billion, $688 million is earmarked for state government, which has a general fund budget approaching $8 billion a year. The money may be used for expenditures incurred related to COVID-19 from March 1 to the end of the year. Another $563 million is designated for what is called the local cap for local governments with populations of 500,000 or more. Iowa doesnt have any local governments that would qualify for those funds, so money will revert to the state to be used at its discretion, according to the information supplied to Iowas Legislative Services Agency. We have reached out to the governors office and heard back that it will be set up as block grants, said Lucas Beenken, a public policy analyst and lobbyist for the Iowa State Association of Counties. How distribution and use will look is yet to be determined. The Iowa League of Cities is encouraging member cities to begin making projections for loss of revenues and documenting actual expenses incurred for possible reimbursements. David Roederer, Iowa Department of Management director, said he and department staff are going section by section through the 800-plus pages of the recovery legislation while waiting for Treasury Department guidance on interpreting various parts of the bill. The full financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic is not yet known, but Moodys Analytics warned that state budgets could face a reduction of 15 to 25 percent as a result of lower revenues. On average, most states will experience a 10 percent loss in general fund revenue and increased expenses of 2 to 5 percent for programs such as Medicaid. Fortunately, Iowas reserves will provide needed cash flow for the state to pay its bills for a while, said Dave Reynolds, the legislative agencys fiscal editor and supervisor. Iowa has about $782 million in its reserve funds. Members of Congress are considering a fourth relief bill. It may address concerns that states will need additional assistance to deal with declining revenues and rising costs. However, it could be awhile before a fourth bill comes to fruition because the U.S. Senate has adjourned until April 20. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Bloomberg photo by Mike Wilkinson. The Edinburgh Fringe, which bills itself as the world's largest arts festival, became the latest event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers said in a statement on their website that the gala, due to be held on Aug. 7-31, would not be held. They earlier had postponed the publication of the schedule until July in the hope the situation would improve. Refunds will be offered to participants who had registered. MUSKEGON, MI During a statewide stay-home order, many Michiganders may be feeling more alone than ever before especially for those who struggle with mental health or substance use problems. But a new online service in Muskegon is attempting to combat those feelings of isolation by bringing people together on the computer screen. HealthWest, a mental health service provider in Muskegon, is now offering a virtual group therapy program to promote mental well-being and support those who may be struggling with substance use or mental health issues. The daily virtual sessions, which will begin Wednesday, April 1, are free and open to the general public. Social isolation can impact your mental health and lead some individuals to cope through use of drugs and alcohol, HealthWest Executive Director Julia Rupp said in a released statement. These groups will help people stay connected and encourage healthy habits during this crisis. The mental health center, located at 376 E. Apple Ave., has also increased its use of telemedicine and virtual meetings to continue serving patients during the stay-home order. Mental health services to continue in Muskegon during coronavirus stay home order The daily virtual sessions are not only meant to help those struggling with mental health or substance use issues, but also residents who are simply looking for an outlet to stay connected and healthy. The sessions include daily Talk Time where individuals can connect with mental health professionals, substance use recovery meetings, daily talk sessions discussions sharing mindfulness techniques and Fun Friday activities. The groups will be hosted virtually on Zoom through the HealthWest website. The sessions can also be found via Facebook Live on the HealthWest Muskegon Facebook page. Many people in our community live by themselves, including some of those we serve at HealthWest, Rupp said. We want to make sure they know that they are not alone even when they are physically isolated. MLive has complete coverage on coronavirus COVID-19, including maps of known cases, at mlive.com/coronavirus. PREVENTION TIPS Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips: What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases: Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve. Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces (computers, keyboards, desks, etc.). Its not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season. For statewide and national information on the virus, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus. More on MLive: Tuesday, March 31: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Muskegon area superintendent advises parents to tell kids schools closed for rest of the year West Michigans largest hospital system could exceed capacity in early May, CEO says The country's leading car makers Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) and Hyundai Motor reported steep drop in sales in March as the transition to BS-VI emission norms and the COVID-19 lockdown impacted the dispatches. Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) also reported a double-digit decline in domestic sales last month. The country's largest car maker MSI saw its domestic wholesales dip 46.4 per cent at 79,080 units last month as against 1,47,613 units in March 2019. Sales of mini-cars comprising Alto and WagonR in March 2020 stood at 15,988 units as compared to 16,826 units in the same month last year, down 5 per cent. Similarly, sales of compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, fell 50.9 per cent to 40,519 units, against 82,532 cars in March 2019. Sales of utility vehicles, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, also declined 53.4 per cent to 11,904 units in March. Hyundai Motor India reported 40.69 per cent decline in domestic sales last month at 26,300 units, compared with 44,350 units in March 2019. Similarly, M&M reported 90 per cent sales drop in the domestic market in March to 6,130 units. It had sold 59,012 units in March 2019. "Our performance in March has been muted on account of the impact of the current lockdown related to Covid-19 and the disruption in our BS-VI ramp-up plan," M&M Chief Executive Officer (Automotive Division) Veejay Ram Nakra said. The latter was planned between February and March but was affected due to the challenges of parts' supply from global and local suppliers, he added. Tata Motors said its total domestic sales were down 84 per cent at 11,012 units as compared to 68,727 units in March last year. Passenger vehicles' sales were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Business Unit President Mayank Pareek said. Similarly, TKM said its domestic sales declined 45 per cent to 7,023 units last month as compared to 12,818 units in March 2019. "Even though the company has been long successful in liquidating all BS-IV stock and transitioning to a 100 per cent BS-VI manufacturing facility, last month has been very challenging for us, both in terms of sales as well as production," TKM Senior Vice-President Naveen Soni said. With the spread of COVID-19 threat in various parts of the country followed by the 21 days national lockdown, the company's priority was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its stakeholders and most importantly the dealers and their staff who are at the frontline, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) File image Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the IMF can develop innovative and ingenious methods to meet COVID-19 related financing requirements given that policy space is severely constrained in most countries in these unprecedented circumstances. She was speaking at the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting, held in a virtual manner. During her intervention, Sitharaman also shared with her G20 counterparts the efforts being made by Government of India to deal with COVID-19 crisis, including the recently announced relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore for the poor, the emergency health fund of Rs 15,000 crore along with several other monetary, fiscal and regulatory measures taken to address the economic and social concerns of those most impacted by the crisis. On the issue of swap arrangements, the finance minister encouraged IMF to use its existing resources to create a non-stigmatised short-term liquidity swap facility which could be rapidly deployed as and when needed by the countries. She also emphasised upon the need to allow flexibility for countries to engage in new lines of bilateral swap arrangements as per requirements. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors during the first Extraordinary Virtual G20 FMCBG Meeting held on March 23, 2020 had decided to meet virtually on a regular basis to continue discussions on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on markets and economic conditions and take further actions to support the economy during and after this phase. 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 This meeting was held to follow up on discussion of the first virtual meeting as well as to discuss the follow-up in line with the statement made by G20 Leaders during the G20 Virtual Leaders Summit held on March 26, 2020. During the summit, the Leaders had tasked G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to deliver a G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19, in close cooperation with relevant international organizations (IOs). Sitharaman participated in the second meeting to discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and coordinate efforts in response to this global challenge. She appreciated the Saudi Presidency for organizing these meetings which provide opportunity to all G20 members to not only share their individual experiences but also to work in better coordination. One of my childhood favorites, Mister Rogers, used to tell a story about how when he was a child and he saw something disturbing on the news, his mother would comfort him by telling him to look for the helpers. They were always there, she assured him, in the background, looking out for their neighbors. Those words have always brought me comfort, but in these difficult and uncertain times, it is not enough to simply look for the helpers, we all must become the helpers ourselves. The world will look very different after this pandemic passes, and we will have the opportunity to build a brighter future. That work has to begin today with simple acts of kindness and care. Gisele Barreto Fetterman I worry about the most vulnerable among us as we navigate this unprecedented situation, and I fear that they will be left behind. I worry about those who have lost their jobs and are wondering how they will feed their families. I worry about small business owners, restaurant workers and all others who suddenly find their worlds upside down. I worry about those experiencing homelessness, and how they will manage under circumstances even more difficult than those they already face. I especially worry about our frontline healthcare workers, our first responders, those keeping our grocery stores stocked and running, and all the other workers out there risking their lives to keep all of us safe. I stay up most nights worrying about Pennsylvanians making it through this. If you are up nights worrying, too, there is a number you can call for help. It is for all of these brave souls that we must rise to the occasion of being the helpers in our own ways. The most important thing we can do for them is staying home and maintaining proper social distance until our healthcare system can fully prepare to care for the patients who will fall ill in the coming weeks or months. Social distancing isnt easy. Trust me, I get it. I am a hugger, and it would be impossible to exaggerate how difficult it is for me to stay six feet apart. Even though it goes against my very nature, I know how important it is, and how staying away now means the day when I can once again hug my friends and neighbors will come more quickly. I also worry about the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country, because I know exactly how they must be feeling. My mother fled violence in Brazil and brought my brother and myself here with nothing when we were only children. Unlike the soothing advice that Mr. Rogers mother offered him, my mother warned us every day to be invisible, because the future we were fighting to build for ourselves in America could be snatched away at any moment if we werent careful. This virus doesnt care who you are, and it doesnt care where you came from. It affects all of us the same, and that is why we all need to come together to make it to the other side. It scares me to see people reacting to their fears by lashing out at immigrants. It scares me when I see the president insist on calling COVID-19 the Chinese virus. It scares me when I see immigrant families crammed into detention centers that were already unsafe, being exposed to additional danger during this pandemic, and it scares me when I see ICE conducting raids using personal protective equipment that our healthcare workers so desperately need to keep them safe. These things scare me because I know all too well that they will all make the pandemic worse for all of us. If we scare our immigrant neighbors into taking my mothers advice and trying to be invisible, they wont seek out the medical care that they need, and the virus will spread even further throughout our communities. We are all in this together, and that means every single one of us. It is time for all Pennsylvanians to come together and become the helpers. There are plenty of things you can do to help make our community stronger while social distancing. Blood banks are in need of donations. You can donate to organizations working to ensure that everyone has enough to eat. You can make sure that your voice is heard by registering to vote, and signing up to vote by mail, and you can make sure that you are counted by completing the 2020 Census. If we all come together but stay physically apart, we can save lives, and we can ensure that we will get back to normal as quickly as possible. Until that day comes, stay safe, be extra kind, look out for one another, stay home and please wash your hands. Gisele Barreto Fetterman, second lady of Pennsylvania, is an access and equity advocate. She is the founder of Freestore 15104, where surplus and donated goods are redistributed to those in need; co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, which aims to end hunger and reduce food waste; and co-founder of For Good PGH, which works to advocate inclusion and inspire kindness. "That was too long," Erminger said. "They gave me directions to get it done." He went to Miss Print in Munster, which used computer-aided design to design the sneeze guards, then to Konrady Plastics in Portage, which manufactured them. "With the virus going crazy, the big thing was to create a barrier during cashier and customer interactions that would protect both from sneezes and coughs," Erminger said. "You want to do whatever you can within reason to protect your people. Working at the supermarket is pretty close to being a first responder now, and we need to keep our people from getting sick." The new normal? Leah Konrady, of Konrady Plastics, said the company, which specializes in machined plastic parts and distribution of plastic sheet, rod and tube, already had been approached by Lakeshore Foods, which operates Al's Supermarkets in LaPorte County, to make the customized shields. They, like Strack & Van Til, wanted the guards as soon as possible. "This is exactly what we do," Konrady said. "It's really been such a sense of urgency to us. COVID is our priority right now, and we're glad that we can be part of preventing the spread of it." A 97-year-old war veteran has shared a heartwarming rendition of 'You Are My Sunshine' to cheer people up who are in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. George Lee, from Leicestershire, hoped to spread a little happiness with his performance of the famous Johnny Cash song. Mr Lee decided to start playing music at the age of 83 and he has been learning the ukulele for 14 years now with local musician Dan Britton from the band Govannen. The video, posted on the Facebook page of music management company DG Music, has now been view more than 12,000 times. George Lee took up playing music when he was 83 / @DG_Music DG Music had reached out to its artists to see if they could send videos of performances to cheer people up during the coronavirus lockdown, which led Mr Britton to get in touch with a video from his 97-year-old pupil Mr Lee. Introducing himself at the start of the video, filmed by his daughters, Mr Lee says: "I'm George. I'm 97. Oh dear! A Burma war veteran. Lived through a very sad time. "Now we're going through another bad time, which is the coronavirus. "But at least there's no bullets flying around. "I've got a little song that you might like to hear, which most of you know anyway." Mr Lee then starts playing the song on his ukulele and singing along, before signing off the video with "bye for now!" He adds: "Be happy. Stay safe." David Graham, director at DG Music, told the Evening Standard that Mr Lee was "chuffed to bits" to hear the video had gone viral. "He just wanted to share his song and he's chuffed to bits and over the moon that it's having the effect he wanted - to cheer everyone up," he said. He added: "We hope that the video makes you happy because that's the whole point - to spread some love. "We would like to pass on our huge thanks to George's daughters who recorded and provided the video and to Dan Britton for making this all possible. We love you all." Maasstad Ziekenhuis Hospital staff sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" Elsewhere, a team of intensive care nurses shared a dance video to spread "positive vibes" during the coronavirus crisis. In the clip, which was posted on TikTok, the team of seven nurses from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust can be seen dancing energetically in their scrubs to The Weeknd's Blinding Lights. Facing intense surges in the need for hospital ICU beds, European nations are on a building and hiring spree, throwing together makeshift hospitals and shipping coronavirus patients out of overwhelmed cities via high-speed trains and military jets. The key question is whether they will be able to find enough healthy medical staff to make it all work. Even as the virus has slowed its growth in overwhelmed Italy and in China, where it first emerged, hospitals in Spain and France are reaching their breaking points, and Britain is bracing for incoming waves of desperately ill people. It feels like we are in a Third World country. We dont have enough masks, enough protective equipment, and by the end of the week we might be in need of more medication too, said Paris emergency worker Christophe Prudhomme. Spain, which hit a record Wednesday of 864 deaths in one day, has boosted its hospital beds by 20%. Hot spots in Madrid and northeast Catalonia have almost tripled their ICU capacity. London is just days from unveiling a 4,000-bed temporary hospital built in a massive convention center. Worldwide, more than 900,000 people have been confirmed infected and over 45,000 have died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. CUBA May Day parade is shut down Cuban authorities say they are canceling the islands trademark May Day parade because of the new coronavirus. Cuba is also tightening air and sea travel restrictions that already bar the arrival of tourists. Exceptions in travel restrictions that allow residents of Cuba to return to the island could be eliminated, although officials did not provide details. The May Day parade often draws hundreds of thousands of mostly state workers to the Plaza of the Revolution in Havana. Cuba has also barred travel in and out of Pinar del Rio province in western Cuba. Seven people have tested positive for COVID-19 there and officials believe the outbreak began by the return of a local couple from Mexico. Cuba has 186 confirmed COVID-19 cases and six deaths. GERMANY Infections rise, but deaths kept low Germany has seen a steady rise in the number of new coronavirus infections, but so far deaths have been low compared to many of its European neighbors. Labs were quick to ramp up their testing capacity. That quick work, coupled with the countrys large number of ICU beds and its early implementation of social distancing measures, could be behind Germanys relatively low death toll of 775 people of 71,000 confirmed cases. JAPAN Entry ban for U.S., 72 other nations Japans prime minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the U.S., Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. That brings the total number of countries banned from entering Japan to 73. Shinzo Abe says the government has tightened visa restrictions and will require a two-week quarantine to visitors and returnees from places Japan has designated as eligible for nonessential trips. Tokyo reported 65 new cases Wednesday, after reporting a record 78 daily new cases Tuesday. Nationwide, Japan has about 2,300 domestically confirmed cases and 67 deaths, according to public broadcaster NHK. SAUDI ARABIA Pilgrimage to Mecca on hold Saudi Arabia asked Muslims to put on hold plans to perform the obligatory annual hajj pilgrimage this year as the kingdom grapples with the coronavirus. We have asked our Muslim brothers around the world to wait on making hajj plans until there is clarity, Mohammad Benten, the minister of hajj and Umrah, told state-run Al Ekhbariya TV. Saudi Arabia reported 110 cases of the virus this week, bringing the total to 1,563, including 10 deaths. Halting the hajj, which attracts millions of pilgrims to Islams birthplace, would be unprecedented in recent history. CANADA No U.S. troops will patrol border Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Trump administration has dropped the idea of militarizing the Canada-U.S. border amid the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has said there is no public health justification for troops. Very few people cross the border into the U.S. from Canada illegally, and Canada has universal health care and widespread testing for the virus. And COVID-19 cases are surging more in the U.S. than in Canada. Canada and the United States have the longest unmilitarized border in the world. Chronicle News Services G | 2h 12min | Action, Drama, History | 24 October 1969 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once addressed members of the House of Commons back in June of 1940: The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. The following month, Nazi Germany fulfilled Churchills prophetic statement and began unleashing its aerial onslaught upon Great Britain in earnest. What better material to draw on from the annals of World War II than one of the most valiant defenses in the history of warfarethe Battle of Britain? The titular film, Battle of Britain, was helmed by Guy Hamilton in 1969, who along with the films star-studded cast, told the famous tale with the utmost skill and talent. It was a massive effort that wont soon be repeated. Great Britain was still licking its wounds from the debacle at Dunkirk, where its forces (along with other Allies) had to evacuate from France in the face of the superior German military that was steamrolling through Western Europe. Germany had plowed through not only France but also Norway, and now Hitler turned his attention to the next logical Allied target: Great Britain. The island nation had its back against the wall. The German war machine was actually planning a grand-scale amphibious invasion of the islands shores, but the Royal Air Force (RAF) clung stubbornly to its air superiority over the North Sea and other regions between the UK and Germany. The film is mainly about the RAFs defense of its territory against the seemingly overwhelming might of the German air forcethe Luftwaffe. In a scene that illustrates this David and Goliath factor, an unnamed senior civil servant (Harry Andrews) apprises Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier) of the odds they face, saying: Weve got 650 planes! To which Sir Dowding replies: And they have 2,500 aircraft, havent they? No wonder the Germans viewed (albeit mistakenly) the weakened British as relatively easy prey. Sir Laurence Olivier in Battle of Britain. (MGM) Gambling on Guts The Luftwaffe went to work by first attempting to level Great Britains infrastructure, both military and civilian. The film shows how the Germans concentrated many of the bombing runs on the southern portion of the countryhitting factories and airstrips in order to grind the islands industry to a halt. But the British had an ace up their sleeve; theyd developed a very-long-range radar system that tipped them off to the German air raids far in advance. This allowed them to prepare and even counter the raids in some cases, sending German aircraft spiraling down to their fiery doom. From the outset of the film, you can see the German militarys leaders brimming with confidence, including their overall commander Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring (German actor Hein Riess). But they didnt quite count on the resourcefulness and, in many cases, gutsy determination of the British, who fight for every square inch of airspace around their island with indefatigable grit. In one scene, we see freshly recruited RAF airmen scrambling to their training sessions, along with their commanders, the likes of whom include Squadron Leader Canfield (Michael Caine). Michael Caine in Battle of Britain. (MGM) Goring soon turns his attention to London, and a major bombing of both the British capital and other metropolitan centers soon follows. The RAF responds by conducting its own daring air raid over Berlin. Much of the film is dedicated to re-creating aerial dogfights as the two powers vie for supremacy. Like other epic-scale war films that were popular during the immediate post-war eras of the 1950s and 60s, so many stars are cast in the film that none get an overabundance of screen-time, just enough so that audiences relate to the characters and their individual causes. Robert Shaw as Squadron Leader Skipper in Battle of Britain. (MGM) With a punchy, well-paced screenplay written by James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex and some phenomenal aerial photography that shows the Allied air forces locked in mortal combat with the Luftwaffe, Hamilton manages to effectively convey a period that marked a pivotal change in the war. The battle itself was the first military campaign in wartime history to be almost completely fought by air forces. The only drawback to be found in the film is a half-baked, melodramatic romantic subplot involving one of the RAFs commanders, Squadron Leader Colin Harvey (Christopher Plummer), and Section Officer Maggie Harvey (Susannah York). The romantic scenes feel forced and unnecessary. An unnecessary romance: Squadron Leader Colin Harvey (Christopher Plummer) and Section Officer Maggie Harvey (Susannah York). (MGM) Overall, Battle of Britain is a super-patriotic piece of cinema that should appeal to both war-film junkies as well as those who appreciate high drama and high stakes. The production values hold up well by todays standards, and the cast seems genuinely respectful of the historical significance that the movie portrays, as well as their individual characters. It is truly a fantastic drama that is both immersive and inspiring for the entire family. Battle of Britain Director: Guy Hamilton Starring: Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Michael Caine, Susannah York, Robert Shaw Rated: G Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes Release Date: Oct. 24, 1969 Rated: 4 stars out of 5 Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author based out of Los Angeles. To see more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com or contact him at Twitter.com/ImIanKane A man found dead on a passenger train in Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, as the country's death toll from the contagion more than triples from a week ago. The 57 year old, who had just returned from Pakistan and was travelling from Bangkok to the southern province of Narathiwat, was seen "coughing and vomiting" before boarding the train on Monday, State Railway of Thailand said. His body was found in front of a bathroom during the journey. Other passengers were evacuated from the carriage which was then disconnected from the rest of the train and disinfected by workers wearing protective suits. A post-humous test showed he had COVID-19. The names of the 15 passengers who were seated in his carriage were passed to health authorities to track down. It is not clear when the man arrived back in Thailand. He was carrying a health certificate issued by a doctor in Pakistan on March 26 stating he did not have the virus and was fit to fly. A state of emergency that took effect last Wednesday barred entry into the kingdom except for diplomats and Thais. Anyone arriving in the country must have a health certificate and spend 14 days in self-quarantine. The number of infections in Thailand has soared past 1,700 -- up more than 60 percent from a week ago -- and the death toll has more than tripled to 13. The government has come under criticism for not acting quickly enough to curb the spread of the virus. Bangkok authorities announced Wednesday all city parks will be off limits, while convenience stores and food stalls will have to be closed between midnight and 5:00 am. But unlike neighbouring Laos, there are still no orders for residents to stay at home. An American tourist was arrested after causing a coronavirus scare by wiping saliva on a banknote and leaving it on an ATM in Cambodia. CCTV caught the man rummaging in his pocket, licking his finger then pulling out the $10 note and leaving it on top of the cash machine. Staff who found the banknote later alerted police and medics after watching the surveillance footage in Phnom Penh. Cambodian police identified the man as 64-year-old US national Lewis Jeffrey Cook. Cook was arrested, and his banknote - defaced with a message about Jesus - proved to be a fake, although he later tested negative for Covid-19. An American visitor in Cambodia licks his finger while searching in his pocket for a banknote, which he then left on the ATM in front of him in Phnom Penh The tourist was searching in his pocket for the money, which proved to be fake and was later discovered by staff in Phnom Penh This picture released by Cambodian police showed the banknote in question, defaced with the words 'I am alive via Jesus Christ' The CCTV footage showed the American licking his finger while he searched in his trouser pocket for the money. He then placed the cash behind a sign on top of the ATM, checked his surroundings and walked out. Why he did any of this is unclear. The counterfeit $10 note had been defaced with the words: 'I am alive via Jesus Christ'. The cash was later found by staff, who subsequently checked the CCTV to see how the money had got there. In the climate of the current pandemic, the footage of him wiping saliva sparked a panic, and medics were summoned to disinfect the area over virus fears. Cook was later arrested and detained by police. He tested negative for Covid-19. Cook put his money behind a sign on top of the ATM. It was defaced with the words: 'I am alive via Jesus Christ' The American then checked his surroundings and walked out. He was later arrested after the footage sparked coronavirus fears The 64-year-old, identified as Lewis Jeffrey Cook, was arrested by Cambodian police who checked him for coronavirus and drugs. The tests came back negative Cook - wearing his face mask down - poses for a picture with uniformed Cambodian police officers after he was arrested The Commissariat of Phnom Penh said: 'A foreigner who spat on counterfeit money and left it on an ATM near the National University of Management was arrested. 'He was taken to hospital to be tested for the Covid-19 virus and for drug testing. He tested negative and was detained for legal processing.' Police said Cook had no passport with him, but had come to the country 'many times in January 2020' via Phnom Penh International Airport. A translated statement appeared to indicate that he had gone to multiple ATMs in Phnom Penh. Cambodia has discovered at least 107 cases of the virus and reported four deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. The country's prime minister has ordered all casinos to shut down, after a man who worked in one near the border with Thailand was found to be infected. Last week his government ordered restaurants and bars to close and limited entry visas for foreigners in a bid to stop the contagion. The World Health Organization said Wednesday it was concerned about the recent "rapid escalation" and global spread of the new coronavirus pandemic. "The number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week... in the next few days we will reach one million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual conference. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has provided temporary shelter for some 76 head porters (Kayayei), who were blocked at Ejisu by the Ashanti Regional Police, when they tried to smuggle their way to northern Ghana in an attempt to escape the partial lockdown being enforced in Accra. The Kayayei who were directed to return to Accra by the Ashanti Regional Police were discovered by the Metro Security Task Force during their early morning patrol of the metropolis. They were screened in accordance with the COVID-19 medical protocols, given food, water and soft drinks by the AMA and the BN Michael Ministries. Addressing the Head porters, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison, who was part of a high-powered delegation from the National COVID-19 Safety Taskforce assured them of governments support during the lockdown and appealed to them to remain calm. Do not cry, nobody will arrest you. We will provide you with food, water to bathe and a place to sleep and teach all of you how to properly wash your hands and give you sanitizers. Nobody should run away because if you do you will be arrested. The President had directed that no one should move out but stay home so we will transport all of you back home after two weeks, she said. Deputy National Security Minister, Henry Quartey informed them that President Akufo Addo had directed them to assist them with food, security among others and ensure that they are safe, especially during the lockdown. He appealed to them to observe the directives on social distancing, and stay in the shelter to be provided them. The head porters include 20 girls between the ages of 6 to 15 years, 21 babies and 35 women between the ages of 18 to 45 years. ---citinewsroom The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is working closely with the Home Ministry to handle the situation after foreign nationals from various countries violated laws and attended a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin area here, which has become the hotspot of COVID-19 after many positive cases were found. "Envoys have taken up the matter with the respective governments of visa violations committed by their nationals. Law of land will take its own course. Multiple agencies and Ministry of Home Affairs is also taking the required action and more details are awaited," sources told ANI. According to the government, more than 2,000 foreign nationals arrived here early this year to take part in the activities of Tablighi Jamaat headquartered at Nizamuddin. Foreigners from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan come for Tablighi activities. The Home Ministry said that while approximately 824 of them, as on March 21, dispersed to different parts of the country, 216 of them were staying at Nizamuddin Markaz, where several tested positive for COVID-19. A 21-day nationwide lockdown has been enforced across the country on midnight of March 24 as a preventive measure to contain the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A drone dispersed clouds of disinfectant in the sky above Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya on Tuesday, a response to the coronavirus outbreak which is spreading fast around the world in spite of the countless warnings from health experts. From Turkey's Grand Bazaar to bridges in Mexico and migrant workers in India, mass disinfections were regularly held by laborers in protective gear resembling characters from the comedy movie Ghostbusters. Drone disinfection: Is it effective? Impressive measures taken to contain the quick-spreading virus which has killed more than 37,000 people globally have been criticized by disease specialists as a health hazard as well as a waste of time and assets. Dale Fisher, an infectious diseases expert in Singapore who chairs the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network coordinated by the World Health Organization said, "It's a ridiculous image seen in many countries." "I don't believe it adds anything to the response and could be toxic on people. The virus does not survive for long in the environment and people do not generally touch the ground," he also added. Using drones for disinfection was necessary in areas with confirmed cases of the coronavirus because the virus can be anywhere, said by the spokesman for Surabaya's mayor. Febriadhitya Prajatara also talked about the benzalkonium chloride disinfectant, which can cause skin irritations in high concentrations. Although this would help debilitate the virus so it won't enter our body, it can be toxic. Coronavirus is an infectious respiratory illness that spreads through droplets from the nose or mouth by means of sneezing or coughing. Individuals can likewise get infected by contacting something contaminated before touching their own nose, mouth or eyes. To prevent this, WHO advises washing hands regularly. Experts advised against mass disinfections Paul Tambyah, the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection said that handwashing and cleaning of frequently touched surfaces like elevator buttons and escalator and mall door handle offered better protection than mass disinfecting. Tambyah said, "Spraying is probably a cheap and visible way of doing it, but careful attention to personal and environmental hygiene is probably more effective." Indian health workers in the northern state of Utter Pradesh used hosepipes to douse migrant workers, fearing that the movement of people from cities to the countryside risks spreading the virus. In Malaysia, authorities have gone on a disinfection spree under nationwide lockdown due to the virus in areas with high case numbers to reduce the risk of further contamination. Images of plumes of disinfectant spray discharged from trucks into the air or from spray guns on to roads have riled health experts. Read also: North Korea Reports Zero Coronavirus Cases, Sparks Talks of Secret Epidemic Christopher Lee, former deputy director-general in Malaysia's health ministry and an infectious disease specialist said, "Disinfecting roads is clearly not going to be impactful, waste of resources and man-hours." Noor Hisham Abdullah, Malaysia's director-general of health said on Tuesday that the government would issue guidelines to the local authorities to make sure disinfection operations are carried out accordingly. How mass disinfection makes people feel 'safe' In Indonesia, box-shaped disinfection chambers are being set up over the capital of Jakarta, offering passers-by a quick blast to rid their clothes and skin of potential germs. After exiting one of the chambers outside a bus stop in central Jakarta, Fany Anisa, a resident from Jakarta said "I think it's good...I feel sanitized after touching a lot of things from the bus...I feel well-protected.". The private activity being turned out with the help of local authorities has been condemned by an expert who is advising the administration's infection battling taskforce. Wiku Adisasmito said, "It is not good for skin, mouth, and eyes, it will cause irritation." Wiku is a public health professor at the University of Indonesia. Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth hospital, said that mass sanitizations are attractive and may help boost morale, however, they are not viable infection controls. He said that it would have a better effect if they used water cannon to disperse people and make them go home. Related article: LOOK: Controversial Photo Shows Indian Migrant Workers Drenched in Disinfectant @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- At least 400 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Washtenaw County residents as of Wednesday, April 1. Health officials on Wednesday announced the largest increase in positive test results since the first patients were identified in mid-March -- though the significant rise was attributed in part to a newly cleared backlog of test samples. The Washtenaw County Health Department reported 91 additional confirmed cases and one additional death as of noon Wednesday. The woman who died was in her 60s and had underlying health conditions, health department spokeswoman Susan Ringler-Cerniglia said. Eight people have died and 100 have been hospitalized, up from seven deaths and 88 hospitalizations reported Tuesday. Two more people have recovered, according to the county, bringing the total recoveries to 17 cases. Ringler-Cerniglia said while the case increase looks like a rise in local infections, more than half of the confirmed cases were part of a backlog of specimens gathered a week to ten days prior. The average number of daily new cases is between 35 to 50, Ringler-Cerniglia estimated. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Hospitalizations remain most common in adults over 50 years old, according to data from the health department. So far this week, four people between the ages of 18 and 49 have been hospitalized. Eleven of the most recent hospital admission have been between the ages of 50 and 64, six have been between the ages of 65 and 79 and six have been at least 80 years old. Washtenaw County has one of the largest reported community caseloads in the state, behind only Detroit, the rest of Wayne County, and Oakland and Macomb counties. Ringler-Cerniglia said it could be the countys population or proximity to an airport, but data is still being gathered to determine trends in the cases. Michigan closes in on 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with largest single-day jump The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Michigan climbed by 1,719 cases Wednesday, bringing the states total confirmed cases to 9,334. With 78 new deaths reported since Tuesday, Michigan saw a 30% increase in fatalities in 24 hours. The number of deaths has reached 337. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS AND MLIVE: Violin Monster unmasked: A changing city through the eyes of Ann Arbors most famous street performer Ypsilanti community porch pantry urges residents to take freely, give cheerfully during coronavirus crisis Wednesday, April 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Gov. Whitmer to announce Thursday whether shell re-open Michigan schools closed for coronavirus Three weeks into Michigans coronavirus crisis, the numbers are rising exponentially A new report says New York City is offering prison inmates $6 an hour to dig mass graves amid the coronavirus pandemic. New York has a worst-case scenario contingency plan for a plague, such as COVID-19, that would require Rikers Island inmates to dig mass graves for burying up to 51,000 bodies. The plan was drawn up in 2008 by the citys Office of Chief Medical Examiner while Michael Bloomberg was mayor of NYC. The Intercept reports the city is already offering Rikers Island prisoners $6 per hour and personal protective equipment (PPE) if they agree to help dig mass graves on nearby Hart Island, according to sources with knowledge of the offer. PPE, such as face masks, suggest theyd be dealing with bodies of COVID-19 victims. A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly confirmed the general arrangement to the publication, but said that it was not COVID-specific." Prisoners have been used to dig graves on Hart Island for years; its the largest public burial ground in the U.S. with more than 1 million people laid to rest over 131 acres. New York has become the U.S. epicenter for coronavirus, with more than 76,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide and over 1,000 deaths in the New York City metro area alone. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. could see 100,000 to 240,000 deaths. NYCs 2008 report on preparations for a pandemic was drawn up in the event of large numbers of deaths in hospitals or assisted living centers, overwhelming morgues. The city would then deploy death professionals like morticians, forensic photographers, and medical students to remove between 50 and 5,000 cadavers a day, such as to mobile refrigerated storage units that can hold up to 44 bodies each. Medical workers in NYC have already begun moving bodies to container trucks at Brooklyn Hospital Center, creating temporary morgues this week. A body wrapped in plastic is loaded onto a refrigerated container truck used as a temporary morgue by medical workers wearing personal protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at Brooklyn Hospital Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)AP Disposing of larger numbers of bodies may require cremation or, as a last resort, sending corpses to Hart Island in the Long Island Sound. Inmates from nearby Rikers Island would then be required to dig mass graves and bury them. Shortly after declaring a state of emergency last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to use prison inmates to make hand sanitizer. CorCraft, a company that uses NYS prison labor paid between 16 cents and $1.14 an hour, will produce 100,000 gallons a week of New York-branded hand sanitizer, and distribute it to government offices and schools free of charge. Schools and non-essential businesses have since been forced to close, while prisons have had to take drastic action to slow the spread of coronavirus. The New York Times reports at least 167 inmates and 137 prisoners have tested positive at New York Citys jails, including the crowded Rikers Island prison complex. De Blasio said last week that NYC would release more than 1,000 prisoners, who are serving less than a year in prison for misdemeanors or non-violent felonies, such as technical parole violations. Individuals with violent crimes like domestic assault or sexual charges will not be released; only those convicted on misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies will be eligible for release. The mayor said hes especially focused on prisoners who are older or have health issues that make them vulnerable to coronavirus: I am saying across the entire population it is imperative to me that anyone over 70 and anyone who has one of those five pre-existing conditions should be released as well." Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Coronavirus in NY: Hospitals overflowing with bodies in US epicenter Trump claims NY got off to a very late start fighting coronavirus New York state cancels April break for schools due to coronavirus pandemic; lessons must continue On April 1, 2020, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release. The possibility of presymptomatic transmission increases the challenges of containment measures. Public health officials conducting contact tracing should strongly consider including a period before symptom onset to account for the possibility of presymptomatic transmission. The potential for presymptomatic transmission underscores the importance of social distancing, including the avoidance of congregate settings, to reduce COVID-19 spread. Investigation of all 243 cases of COVID-19 reported in Singapore during January 23March 16 identified seven clusters of cases in which presymptomatic transmission is the most likely explanation for the occurrence of secondary cases. Presymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), might pose challenges for disease control. The first case of COVID-19 in Singapore was detected on January 23, 2020, and by March 16, a total of 243 cases had been confirmed, including 157 locally acquired cases. Clinical and epidemiologic findings of all COVID-19 cases in Singapore through March 16 were reviewed to determine whether presymptomatic transmission might have occurred. Presymptomatic transmission was defined as the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from an infected person (source patient) to a secondary patient before the source patient developed symptoms, as ascertained by exposure and symptom onset dates, with no evidence that the secondary patient had been exposed to anyone else with COVID-19. Seven COVID-19 epidemiologic clusters in which presymptomatic transmission likely occurred were identified, and 10 such cases within these clusters accounted for 6.4% of the 157 locally acquired cases. In the four clusters for which the date of exposure could be determined, presymptomatic transmission occurred 13 days before symptom onset in the presymptomatic source patient. To account for the possibility of presymptomatic transmission, officials developing contact tracing protocols should strongly consider including a period before symptom onset. Evidence of presymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 underscores the critical role social distancing, including avoidance of congregate settings, plays in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Early detection and isolation of symptomatic COVID-19 patients and tracing of close contacts is an important disease containment strategy; however, the existence of presymptomatic or asymptomatic transmission would present difficult challenges to contact tracing. Such transmission modes have not been definitively documented for COVID-19, although cases of presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmissions have been reported in China (1,2) and possibly occurred in a nursing facility in King County, Washington (3). Examination of serial intervals (i.e., the number of days between symptom onsets in a primary case and a secondary case) in China suggested that 12.6% of transmission was presymptomatic (2). COVID-19 cases in Singapore were reviewed to determine whether presymptomatic transmission occurred among COVID-19 clusters. The surveillance and case detection methods employed in Singapore have been described (4). Briefly, all medical practitioners were required by law to notify Singapores Ministry of Health of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19. The definition of a suspected case was based on the presence of respiratory symptoms and an exposure history. Suspected cases were tested, and a confirmed case was defined as a positive test for SARS-CoV-2, using laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction or serologic assays (5). All cases in this report were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction only. Asymptomatic persons were not routinely tested, but such testing was performed for persons in groups considered to be at especially high risk for infection, such as evacuees on flights from Wuhan, China (6), or families that experienced high attack rates. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 were interviewed to obtain information about their clinical symptoms and activity history during the 2 weeks preceding symptom onset to ascertain possible sources of infection. Contact tracing examined the time from symptom onset until the time the patient was successfully isolated to identify contacts who had interactions with the patient. All contacts were monitored daily for their health status, and those who developed symptoms were tested as part of active case finding. Clinical and epidemiologic data for all 243 reported COVID-19 cases in Singapore during January 23March 16 were reviewed. Clinical histories were examined to identify symptoms before, during, and after the first positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Records of cases that were epidemiologically linked (clusters) were reviewed to identify instances of likely presymptomatic transmission. Such clusters had clear contact between a source patient and a patient infected by the source (a secondary patient), had no other likely explanations for infection, and had the source patients date of symptom onset occurring after the date of exposure to the secondary patient who was subsequently infected. Symptoms considered in the review included respiratory, gastrointestinal (e.g., diarrhea), and constitutional symptoms. In addition, the source patients exposure had to be strongly attributed epidemiologically to transmission from another source. This reduced the likelihood that an unknown source was involved in the cases in the cluster. Rawalpindi, April 1 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that the number of coronavirus cases will rise in the country, where 27 people have so far died and 2,071 have tested positive for the deadly pandemic. According to media reports while inaugurating the Rawalpindi Cantonment General Hospital, Khan said he was unsure about the scale of corona crisis in the country, though he said a rough picture would emerge next week. Saying that the pandemic is not as widespread as in western countries, the Pakistan PM said the country had started preparing itself since January 15. He said a special fund has been created to aid the country in its fight against the virus. He appealed to people to donate in the fund. Khan expressed his gratitude for China for treating Pakistan on a priority in helping Islamabad to fight the pandemic. China has dispatched medicines and medical equipment along with medical experts to Pakistan in helping its "all weather friend" to fight coronavirus. 'Sailors Do Not Need to Die': US Navy Captain Pleads for Help as COVID-19 Consumes Carrier Sputnik News 19:19 GMT 31.03.2020 As the COVID-19 outbreak onboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt gets worse, its captain has penned a pleading letter to the Navy for enough resources to isolate his entire crew. "Request all available resources to find NAVADMIN [Navy Personnel Command] and CDC [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] compliant quarantine rooms for my entire crew as soon as possible," Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the Roosevelt, wrote in a four-page letter on Monday addressed to the Department of the Navy. "This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do," Crozier said in the letter, which was obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle and printed on Tuesday. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our sailors." Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think tank and former Pentagon official, told the Chronicle that "it is very unusual" for a captain to pen such a letter, as "it shows that this is a person who is putting the welfare of his sailors ahead of his career." The huge warship pulled into Guam last week after several cases of COVID-19 were identified among the 5,000-member crew. Two weeks earlier - about the time the virus incubates in an infected person's body before they show symptoms - the vessel spent several days docked at the Vietnamese port of Da Nang, during which the crew went ashore and interacted with the local population. Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said at the time that every crew member would be tested for the novel coronavirus by a special Navy Forward-Deployed Preventive Medicine Unit. However, he gave no indication about what would happen after that. The first sailors in which the virus was detected were transported ashore to the US Naval Hospital on Guam, an island in the Philippine Sea that is a US territory and which houses several large US military bases. However, with nearly 200 cases now identified on the ship, according to an anonymous source for the Chronicle, social distancing is both necessary and impossible in the cramped conditions in which sailors live and sleep, Crozier noted. "Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this," Crozier said. "The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating." Crozier noted the example set by the cruise liner Diamond Princess, in which early intervention and isolation slowed the spread of the virus to just 17% of the ship's crew and passengers, while one study estimated that without isolation, it would have been 79%. "Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. ... This is a necessary risk," Crozier wrote. "Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the [USS Theodore Roosevelt] is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care." "In order to achieve these goals, a clean ship is required. Every sailor onboard must be guaranteed virus-free and the ship environment must be disinfected. One infected sailor introduced to the ship will spread the virus. Off ship lodging in compliance with CDC and NAVADMIN guidance is required for over 4,000 sailors to achieve a clean ship and crew." However, Crozier noted that roughly 10% of the crew will have to stay behind to tend to the Roosevelt's nuclear reactors as well as handle the sanitization duties. The USS Theodore Roosevelt, also called "TR" and "The Big Stick," was commissioned in 1986 and is based out of San Diego, California. Several of the city's naval bases have also identified COVID-19 cases, including among the crew of warships docked in the city, but the cases on the Roosevelt are the first in the Navy to be found at sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Advertisement Shocking footage has revealed the chaos inside New York hospitals, with desperate doctors begging for more ventilators and medical equipment to help them tackle the growing crisis as the city's death toll surged past 1,000 on Tuesday and the total US coronavirus death toll hit 4,000. New York state recorded 76,049 confirmed coronavirus cases by the end of Tuesday and 1,550 people have died from the killer disease. In New York City alone, there have been 1,096 deaths and 43,119 cases - with 182 more deaths in the last day. Among its overwhelmed hospitals is the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn where patients line the hallways in their beds and doctors are struggling to keep up with their needs. The 370-bed hospital has already reached full capacity. One desperate doctor told CBS2 that the hospital had become a 'medical warzone'. 'Well, this is a warzone, a medical warzone,' said Dr. Arabia Mollette, who works in the emergency room. Every day I come, what I see on a daily basis is pain, despair, suffering and healthcare disparities.' Shocking footage has revealed the chaos inside New York hospitals, with desperate doctors begging for more ventilators and medical equipment to help them tackle the growing crisis Harrowing footage taken from inside Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York City, shows healthcare workers and medical resources buckling under the strain of the pandemic New Yorkers struck down by the deadly virus were seen lying on beds in the hospital corridors Mollette said that the hospital had faced an influx of more than 100 confirmed coronavirus patients and 70 other possible cases. They are struggling to cope with the demand, she said, pleading for more ventilators and protective equipment. 'We need prayer, we need support, we need gowns, we need gloves, we need masks, we need more vents, we need more medical space,' she said. Mollette also warned of the toll that working on the frontline is taking on medical staff. 'We need psycho-social support as well. It's not easy coming in here when you know that's what you're getting ready to face,' she said. The morgue at Brookdale Hospital has also reached capacity, meaning the pandemic's victims are now being placed into a refrigerated trailer outside the facility. Mollette said she had seen many people die from the virus and warned Americans that no one is safe. 'This virus sees no difference,' she said. 'It has nothing to do with age, has nothing to do with access to healthcare, has nothing to do with socio-economics, race or ethnicity. This virus is killing a lot of people.' The plea from doctors for more equipment comes as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly urged Trump to send more ventilators to the state, where the coronavirus numbers now dwarf other US states. The 370-bed hospital has already reached full capacity and has been described as a 'medical warzone' Doctors wearing masks and protective equipment are pictured amid warnings that hospitals are running out of supplies Dr. Arabia Mollette (above), who works in the emergency room, pleaded for more ventilators and protective equipment: 'We need prayer, we need support, we need gowns, we need gloves, we need masks, we need more vents, we need more medical space,' she said In a press conference Tuesday, Cuomo blasted the federal government for creating a 'bidding war' for ventilators that is 'like being on eBay'. He said that he had bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million, but that he was having to compete against every other state for them and the government. 'Look at the bizarre situation we wound up in; every state does its own purchasing, trying to buy the same commodity. 'The same exact item. So you have 50 states competing to buy the same item, bidding up each other, and competing against each other - it's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator,' he said. In a Twitter post, Cuomo also said: 'We are one nation. We need to purchase and distribute supplies working together as one nation. 50 states can't be competing with each other for the same supplies. It makes no sense.' Trump retaliated Tuesday evening, taking aim at Cuomo in the latest war of words between the two. When asked about the supply of ventilators to New York, Trump said he had already been very generous. 'I don't know what he said. I think he's been reasonably generous considering he's a Democrat and I think he'd like to run for president so I think he's been pretty generous under the circumstances,' he said. 'I got him ships, I got him hospitals, I got him a lot of things that he never thought he had paydirt okay and I've been very generous on ventilators.' He also said that New York hadn't tapped into it's own supply of ventilators first. 'If you look, they had 2,000 and 4,000 in his warehouse, in their warehouse waiting to be picked up. They never picked them up so I'd have to hear it from him face to face.' He said FEMA had 'sent additional ventilators to New York and New Jersey' and had supplied '250 ambulances and 500 EMTs' to New York. Trump also said the government is 'holding on' to a stockpile of 10,000 ventilators because 'the surge is coming.' 'We also are holding back quite a bit. We have almost 10,000 ventilators that we have ready to go. We have to hold them back, because the surge is coming and it's coming pretty strong and we want to be able to immediately move it into place without going and taking it, so we're ready to go,' he said. He went on to say that if state governors wanted more ventilators, they just need to ask. Taking aim at Cuomo, the president said he should stop complaining. He 'shouldn't be complaining because we gave him a lot of ventilators,' he said. 'No matter what you give, it's never enough.' Trump also hit out at the state response to the crisis, saying the state had a 'late start' in fighting the pandemic. 'For whatever reason, New York got off to a late start and you see what happens when you get off to a late start,' said Trump, adding that New Jersey was similarly slow. 'New Jersey got off to - and I think both governors are doing an excellent job but they got off to a very late start.' He went on to praise Washington and California for their response to the pandemic. 'If you look at Washington state, if you remember that all started in a very confined nursing home,' said Trump. 'And you had 20-odd people dying in that one home but it didn't mean it escaped that home, which means they have a very different statistic to other states.' Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, reinforced the president's views, saying that she recommended other affected cities and states look to California and Washington for inspiration on how to respond to the pandemic and not New York. 'California and Washington state reacted very early to all this. Washington state had some of the earliest infections. They have kept it low and steady,' said Birx. Other areas should 'work more like California than the New York metro area,' she added. 'Washington state, about two weeks before New York or New Jersey, California a week before New York or New Jersey, really talked to their communities and decided to mitigate before they started seeing this number,' Birx said. Birx said it is up to communities 'to not have the experience of New York and New Jersey'. Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, reinforced the president's views, saying that she recommended other affected cities and states look to California and Washington for inspiration on how to respond and not New York state now has 76,049 cases of coronavirus and 1,550 have died. The death toll rose by 332 between Monday and Tuesday and is not yet showing signs of slowing down. The US death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 3,600 Tuesday, eclipsing China's official count. At least 3,906 people in the US have died from the deadly virus as of Tuesday night, according to data collected by the John Hopkins University. The global benchmark reports that 3,309 people have died from the virus in China, where the global pandemic originated. Fears that the US is on track to become the new Italy, whose healthcare system has buckled under the weight of the pandemic, are fast becoming a reality. Italy has recorded more deaths, with 12,428 as of Tuesday afternoon. However, the US has far surpassed its number of confirmed cases, with the US reaching 181,099 to Italy's 105,792. 'Prepare for 100,000 to die.' Tony Fauci warns of astonishing death toll and tells areas not on lockdown to take action NOW Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's leading coronavirus expert Dr. Tony Fauci painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday, warning that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. 'The answer is yes - as sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,' he said when asked about the six-figure mark during the daily White House press briefing. 'Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less likely to be that number but, being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that is a possibility that that's what we'll see.' The White House projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Fauci used the figures to urge people to stick to social distancing guidelines of six feet of separation. 'Whenever you're having an effect, it's not time to take your foot off the accelerator, and on the brake, but to just press it down on the accelerator,' Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said of mitigation efforts. 'The 15 days that we've had of mitigation clearly are having an effect,' he noted. He said such efforts could also help damage any potential second wave of illness. 'We hope that doesn't happen and that is why we are really pushing and why I was so emphatic about making sure we abide by those mitigation strategies,' he said. Trump said the prediction was 'sobering' and called efforts to spread the slow of the coronavirus 'a matter of life and death.' 'It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days, it's a matter of life and death, frankly,' the president said. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going through a very tough few weeks. And, hopefully, as the experts have predicted is a lot of us are predicting having studied it so hard, going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel and this is going to be a very painful, a very very painful two weeks,' he noted. It was a stark change in tone for President Trump, who last week sounded a note of hope the crisis would be over in the next few weeks. Now his administration is preparing Americans for tougher times to come. But through all the tough talk of days to come, there were some glimmers of hope. 'If all of the other states and all the other metro areas are able to hold that case number down, then it's a very different picture,' said Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the administration's day-to-day response to the disease. 'We're going to do everything we can to get it significantly below that,' she said. Fauci agreed: 'We don't accept that number, that that's what it's going to be. We're going to do everything we can to get that number even below that.' Gov. Cuomo admits 'no one knows' when the crisis will be over after his brother tests positive for the virus New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that 'no one knows' when the crisis will be over, as it emerged his brother had tested positive for the virus. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Cuomo said he was unifying the state's private and public healthcare systems to operate as one before the pandemic 'apex' in the state hits. He admitted he does not know when it will come and that data projections he looks at suggest it could happen anytime between seven and 21 days from now. Gov. Cuomo told people to settle in for a longer period of crisis than they were anticipating and said 'we still have to come back down the other side of the mountain' even after the peak happens. Trumps' comments came hours after Cuomo said the federal government has created a 'bidding war' for ventilators that is like 'like being on eBay' Chris Cuomo is quarantining in his basement after testing positive for the virus on Tuesday morning Cuomo said the data is uneven and 'bouncing' so where it appears the death rates may be slowing, they are not yet. 'It's an imperfect reporting mechanism but the basic line is still up. We're still going up,' he said, adding that he was speaking to every expert he could find to rely on their projections and not 'opine' over what may happen. He said he was 'tired' of being 'behind' the virus, adding: 'We've been behind this virus from day one. The virus was in China. Unless we assume some immune system variation with Asian people, it was coming here. You don't win playing catch up. We have to get ahead of it.' He also said it was foolish to 'underestimate your opponent', continuing: 'We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful and dangerous than we anticipated.' Cuomo said the 'next battle' will be the apex of cases and deaths but he does not know when it will hit. 'When is the apex? That is the $65,000 question. We have literally 5 models that we look at. It's true to say almost no two are the same. The range on the apex is somewhere between seven to 21 days,' he said. Cuomo's strategy to tackle the virus includes: Centralizing the hospital system to force public and private hospitals to share resources including staff First, staff from upstate hospitals that are not hard hit will be sent to New York City New York City hospitals, both public and private, will redistribute patients to spread them evenly across the city until each hospital reaches its capacity (all have increased their capacities by at least 50 percent Then, patients will be distributed from New York City to quieter hospitals upstate or further afield in the state Field hospitals will be used to alleviate the strain on them Healthcare workers from out of state will also be used to provide relief for 'exhausted' and 'overwhelmed' doctors and nurses He has bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million Central to Cuomo's plan is to centralize the hospital systems to do away with the notion of public and private healthcare and make everyone share everything. He said he had a tense meeting on Monday with the leaders of private hospitals which ordinarily profit from a surge in patients and that he nearly 'didn't make it out' of it because they were so angry at what he was instructing. 'I don't care which link breaks in the chain - the chain is still broken. It doesn't matter which hospital, which link - any link breaks, the chain breaks. 'The healthcare system is a chain. It breaks anywhere, it breaks everywhere. That has to be our mentality,' he said. Since issuing a call to action for retired nurses and doctors to come back to work, 78,000 people have volunteered. 'We have now, a few days ago we put out to ask retirees, we have now 78,000 people who said they would help; God bless the state of NY and god bless humanity,' he said. He is urging other states to help him now so that he can help them later. 'It's unity. Let's help each other. New York needs help now. This is going to be a rolling wave across the country; New York then Detroit then New Orleans then California 'If we were smart as a nation - come help us in New York, get the experience and the training here, then let's all go help the next place then the next place then the next place. 'That would be a smart national way of doing this.' Several states complain of a shortage of tests with the Republican governor of Maryland slamming Trump's denial of the problem The governor of Maryland has slammed President Donald Trump's denial that there is any shortage of coronavirus test kits. In a leaked recording of a conference call with several governors, Trump claimed that he hasn't had a complaint about testing shortages in 'weeks'. Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, responded to Trump's remarks in an interview with NPR on Tuesday, saying: 'Yeah, that's just not true.' 'I know that they've taken some steps to create new tests, but they're not actually produced and distributed out to the states. So it's an aspirational thing,' Hogan continued. Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, responded to Trump's remarks on Tuesday, saying: 'Yeah, that's just not true' He added that the Trump administration has some new testing measures 'in the works,' but for now 'no state has enough testing.' Hogan said he believes others in the administration are 'talking about the facts.' 'We're listening to the smart team,' said Hogan, mentioning Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the White House coronavirus task force, including doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci. Trump's controversial remarks came during an hour-long phone meeting where he was joined by Birx, Pence, Fauci, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor. In a leaked he pushed back when asked by rural state governors for help. 'I could give four or five examples over the last week where we have supply orders, and they've subsequently been cancelled, and they're canceled in part because what our suppliers are saying is that federal resources are requesting it and trumping that,' Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, a Democrat, said in the leaked call. 'So we're trying to shift the supplies to really isolate that and do contact tracing, but we don't even have enough supplies to do the testing.' Trump replied boasting about how the US has done more testing than any other country. He then bragged about a new four-minute test being released. 'I haven't heard about testing in weeks,' Trump responded. 'We've tested more now than any nation in the world. We've got these great tests and we'll come out with another one tomorrow that's, you know, almost instantaneous testing. But I haven't heard anything about testing being a problem.' Speaking about the new kits, Admiral Brett Giroir, head of the Public Health Service, chimed in that each state would soon be getting at least 15 of them. 'We're going to get that to your state lab as soon as possible,' Giroir added. New Mexico Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also communicated the need for more tests after 'incredible spikes' in infection rates that she warned could 'wipe out tribal nations'. 'The rate of infection, at least on the New Mexico side although we've got several Arizona residents in our hospitals we're seeing a much higher hospital rate, a much younger hospital rate, a much quicker go-right-to-the-vent rate for this population,' Grisham told Trump. 'And we're seeing doubling in every day-and-a-half.' Trump simply replied: Wow, that's something.' Several governors complained that if their state did not get the testing and personal protective equipment needed soon, their areas could be the next epicenters of the outbreak that has ravaged the US. In an online meeting on Monday, March 30, the Katy Independent School District board voted to push back the districts May election until Nov. 3, 2020. The decision was an effort to curtail the advancement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The November ballot will have Trustee Positions 3, 4 and 5, and each position should serve a term of three years. Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox Katy ISD General Counsel Justin Graham said due to the COVID-19 concerns, Gov. Greg Abbott had allowed for the postponement of the school board elections. All this does is put a pause button on the timeline. There will not be any changes to the ballot or additional candidates allowed to enter the election, said Graham in a district statement. The Board of Trustees vote falls in line with Abbotts proclamation to suspend particular provisions of the Texas Election Code, allowing for the postponement of elections due to the pandemic. According to the statement, even though the election is being pushed back, all candidate filings and ballot order actions have already been decided and will stay as before the pandemic. So, new candidates may not enter the race. SCHOOL PUSHED BACK: Katy ISDs closure extended through May 4 Voters can use applications for a ballot by mail (ABBMs) that were filed for the May 2 election in the November election, and ABBMs requested for age or disability will also be valid. There are some important dates to remember: You need to register to vote by Oct. 5, 2020. The ABBM deadline is Oct. 23, 2020. Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, 2020, is the early voting period. Visit the Katy ISD School Board Election webpage to take a look at the list of the running candidates. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Nine Australian smart city projects have been shortlisted for the sixth edition of IDC's Asia Pacific Smart Cities Awards, which recognises in this edition the progress Asia Pacific municipalities have made and provides a forum for sharing the best practices to help accelerate smart city development in the region. The award covers 14 categories being: administration; civic engagement; digital equity and accessibility, economic development, tourism, arts, libraries, culture and open spaces; education; public health and social services; public safety for disaster response and emergency management; public safety smart policing; smart buildings and tech parks; smart water; sustainable infrastructure; transportation covering connected and autonomous vehicles, public transit and ride sharing; transportation for transport infrastructure and urban plannings and land use. There are 63 finalists, with 14 from China, nine from Australia, eight from Taiwan, six from Singapore, five from Malaysia, five from South Korea, four from New Zealand, four from Hong Kong, three from Indonesia, three from India, one from Vietnam and one from the Philippines. Switching Darwin project focuses on smart policing In Australia, the City of Darwins $10 million project Switching on Darwin includes the installation of CCTV cameras at entrances to the city, street lighting upgraded to LED lighting and on smart columns with the capacity to adjust lighting to reduce street crime. In Bicentennial Park, smart lighting includes sound monitoring to detect people in distress and potentially notify policy and emergency services. Free Wi-Fi has been expanded in key tourist and shopping areas and smart parking sensors indicate available parking and reduce congestion and emissions. There are 24 environmental sensors in Darwin's CBD measuring humidity, rainfall, CO2 levels and it also measures temperature and noise levels among other things. The project was first announced in November 2017, with a $5 million grant given by the Australian Government, which was matched with $2.5 million contributions from the City of Darwin and the Northern Territory Government each. The project started in February 2018 and was completed in May 2019. City of Palmerston improves safety with CCTV and smart LED lighting The smart cities project at City of Palmerston focuses on the use of technologies for community safety. The $2 million project composed of $1 million funding from the Australian Government Smart Cities and Suburbs Program, $500,000 from the Northern Territory Government and $500,000 from City of Palmerston began in August 2019 and it is scheduled for completion by June 2020. The program aims to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour through CCTV and smart LED technologies, to address better lighting in crime hotspots, to provide a deterrent for criminal behaviour and to provide better visibility to police. Contribute to sustainability and environmental resources by monitoring, optimising and enhancing service delivery for water resources. It also plans to provide better community engagement, improve waste management with monitoring and collection and other benefits. The City of Palmerston wants to be recognised as the territory's e-city and also expects to facilitate regional collaboration and deliver a scalable project allowing for further improvements. City of Perth collaborates with local partners to improve engagement Another project initiated in November 2017 is the Perth Smart Cities Collaboration, which was able to deliver several projects in less than two years, with the project being completed in May 2019 with a $3.6 million investment. The project provided a marketplace platform, enabling the city and its partners to collaborate and exchange ideas which resulted in smart irrigation; video analytics through CCTV camera analytics to support decisions; a smart lighting trial; a sustainability dashboard with solutions and technologies that include an Open Data Portal, Public LoRa WAN and Citizen Science, which promotes the participation of schools and universities. The partners for the project are Aquinas College, University of Western Australia, Fremantle College, John Curtin College, Lesmurdie High School, North Metro TAFE, Iona College, St George's Anglican Grammar, Kent St High School, Wesley College and Woodlands Primary School. Logan City is a runner-up for disaster response and emergency management The Flooded Roads Smart Warning System (FRSWS) project in Logan City installed 20 FRSWS signs with sensor technology to provide real-time information on the status of roads across Logan City. The project was developed to minimise the risk of drivers inadvertently driving into flooded roads by using signs that only activate in flood conditions. SunSpot helps users calculate the solar power potential of areas of interest The Australian Photovoltaics Institute and the University of New South Wales have partnered with Solar Analytics and Enosi in the Energy Data for Smart Decision Making project to develop an open modelling platform that uses spatial data and data on solar exposure, energy generation and consumption to help end users calculate the solar power potential of areas of interest. SunSpot uses geographical information systems data to estimate the technical potential of rooftop solar, accounting for the tilt of roof surfaces and shading at the site, UNSW associate professor and chair of the Australian Photovoltaics Institute Renate Egan said when the project was announced in April 2018. As solar PV continues to be deployed at record rates on Australian rooftops, such analysis can help councils and the electricity industry plan for the solar future. Byron Shire Council helps the community with complex urban planning Byron Shire Council has developed the Smart Strategic Planning project, a 3D-mapping tool with virtual reality technologies to engage communities in complex urban planning. The benefits of this project are the ability to visualise planned decisions so there is a greater support in better informed management for development decisions. It also supports urban growth and regional and rural informed settings. Randwick City Council monitors parking and environment conditions at Coogee beach The Coogee Smart New Technologies at the Beachs $800,000 project applies smart technologies to help improve visitor experience at Coogee Beach with smart parking sensors, free Wi-Fi, more CCTV cameras, smart weather signs, real-time transport information and sensors on BBQs, amenity blocks and bins to improve service response time. CCTV surveillance of the water from different angles at the beach and sensors that monitor environmental conditions are directly connected to the NSW Police Force. The investment in the aquatic safety cameras is already being scaled out across Clovelly, Maroubra, Little Bay and Malabar beaches; and the weather station network will also scale out to Maroubra beach. Cairns Regional Council monitors flood and stormwater quality entering the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park The Reducing Urban Impacts on the Great Barrier Reef project installed a network of environmental sensors in urban waterways to collect real-time water quality data and to identify high nutrient, sediment and chemical loads in water. The study, in partnership with James Cook University, Wet Tropics Healthy Waterways Partnership and Itron Australasia, will deliver functional tools, and data in real-time, that will monitor urban run-off that includes high nutrient, sediment and chemical loads. The censor network will collect ongoing information on the loads of nitrogen and suspended solids that enter the Great Barrier Reef and the community will have access to this data, engaging schools and students with environmental education. Sydney delivers 22 fully automated driverless metro trains The multi-billion-dollar Sydney metro project has delivered 22 fully automated, driverless, six-carriage metro trains and eight new railway stations that cover underground and elevated cut-in stations. As part of the project, five New South Wales stations were upgraded, there are 23km of new track, with 13km of existing tracks being converted, upgrades to the facilities for maintenance and operation centres, service facilities and a new power supply for metro operations between Willoughby and Chatswood ensuring services every four minutes during peak hour. Voting is open to the public and will close on 3 April. Xiaomi smartphones are set to get more expensive. The new prices will start taking effect from April 1, 2020 and will reflect first on mi.com. Xiaomi smartphones are set to get more expensive, and the company is putting the blame on the Indian government for it. Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi MD announced on Twitter that because of the hike in GST in smartphones, the company has no choice but to hike the prices, keeping its 5% profit philosophy in mind. GST on mobile phones saw a 50 per cent hike from 12 per cent in the last financial year to 18 per cent from April 1, 2020, onward. With Xiaomis philosophy of only making a 5 per cent margin on its hardware, the company has had to increase the prices of Mi and Redmi smartphones, as explained by Manu Kumar Jain on Twitter. Mi fans, #GST on mobile phones has increased by 50% from 12% to 18%. After much deliberation & in keeping with #Xiaomi policy of maintaining <5% margin on our hardware products,we will be increasing prices of our products. New prices will be effective immediately. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/mdTqKdXm3r Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) March 31, 2020 The new prices will start taking effect from April 1, 2020, and will reflect first on mi.com. Its not clear just how much of a hike we will see on the prices. Yet, considering the nature of competition in the budget and mid-range segment, even a Rs 500 hike may make a rival brand look cheaper, thereby increasing its value for money, relatively speaking. Xiaomi execs have indeed rallied against the hike in GST right from the time it was announced, claiming it will lead to an increase in prices when OEMs are already facing issues sourcing raw materials at affordable rates because of the higher Rupee-Dollar conversion rate. The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) had also claimed the 6 per cent hike in GST on mobile phones will be detrimental to the Digital India policy and will lead to a fall in demand. The industry body also wrote to the Finance Minister arguing that the smartphone industry in India is already under a lot of stress, with supply-chain disruption because of the coronavirus outbreak. The hike in the GST rate will only make it worse. As companies get to grips with a wider (and, lately, more enforced) model of remote working, a startup that provides a platform to help track and manage all the devices that are accessing networked services -- an essential component of cybersecurity policy -- has raised a large round of growth funding. Axonius, a New York-based company that lets organizations manage and track the range of computing-based assets that are connecting to their networks -- and then plug that data into some 100 different cybersecurity tools to analyse it -- has picked up a Series C of $58 million, money it will use to continue investing in its technology (its R&D offices are in Tel Aviv, Israel) and expanding its business overall. The round is being led by prolific enterprise investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, with previous backers OpenView, Bessemer Venture Partners, YL Ventures, Vertex, and WTI also participating in the round. Dean Sysman, CEO and Co-Founder at Axonius, said in an interview that the company is not disclosing its valuation, but for some context, the company has now raised $95 million, and PitchBook noted that in its last round, a $20 million Series B in August 2019, it had a post-money valuation of $110 million. The company has had a huge boost in business in the last year, however -- especially right now, not a surprise for a company that helps enable secure remote working, at a time when many businesses have gone remote in an effort to follow government policies encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As of this month, Axonius has seen customer growth increase 910% compared to a year ago. Sysman said that this round had been in progress for some time ahead of the announcement being made, but the final stages of closing it were all done remotely last week, which has become something of a new normal in venture deals at the moment. "Weve all been staying at home for the last few weeks," he said in an interview. "The crisis is not helping with deals. Its making everything more complex for sure. But specifically for us there wasnt a major difference in the process." Story continues Sysman said that he first thought of the idea for Axonius when at a previous organization -- his experience includes several years with the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as time at a startup called Integrity Project, acquired by Mellanox -- where he realised the organization itself, and all of its customers, never actually knew how many devices accessed their network, which is a crucial first step in being able to secure any network. "Every CIO I met I would ask, do you know how many devices you have on your network? And the answer was either 'I don't know,' or big range, which is just another way of saying, 'I don't know,'" Sysman said. "Its not because theyre not doing their jobs but because it's just a tough problem." Part of the reason, he added, is because IP addresses are not precise enough, and de-duplicating and correlating numbers is a gargantuan task, especially in the current climate of people using not just a multitude of work-provided devices, but a number of their own. That was what prompted Sysman and his cofounders Ofri Shur and Avidor Bartov to build the algorithms that formed the basis of what Axonius is today. It's not based on behavioural data as some cybersecurity systems are, but something that Sysman describes as "a deterministic algorithm that knows and builds a unique set of identifiers that can be based on anything, including timestamp, or cloud information. We try to use every piece of data we can." The resulting information becomes a very valuable asset in itself that can then be used across a number of other pieces of security software to search for inconsistencies in use (bringing in the behavioural aspect of cybersecurity) or other indicators of malicious activity -- specifically following the company's motto, "Know Your Assets, Identify Gaps, and Automate Security Policy Enforcement" -- even as data itself may seem a little pedestrian on its own. "We like to call ourselves the Toyota Camry of cybersecurity," Sysman said. "Its nothing exotic in a world of cutting-edge AI and advanced tech. However it's a fundamental thing that people are struggling with, and it is what everyone needs. Just like the Camry." For now, Axonius is following the route of providing a platform that can interconnect with a number of other security products -- currently numbering around 100 -- rather than building those tools itself, or acquiring them to bring them in house. That could be one option for how potentially it might evolve over time, however. For now, the idea of being agnostic to those specific tools and providing a platform just to identify and manage assets is a formula that has already seen a lot of traction with customers -- which include companies like Schneider Electric, the New York Times, and Landmark Medical, among others -- as well as investors. "Any enterprise CISO's top priority, with unwavering consistency, is asset discovery and management. You can't protect a device if you don't know it exists." said Arsham Menarzadeh, general partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, in a statement. "Axonius integrates into any security and management product to show customers their full asset landscape and automate policy enforcement. Their integrated approach and remediation capabilities position them to become the operating system and single source of truth for security and IT teams. We're excited to play a part in helping them scale." The pageant, the mud volleyball, the carnival and worlds largest strawberry shortcake will have to wait. The 2020 Pasadena Strawberry Festival, which had been set for May 15-17, has been postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. We are hoping it will take place in July, said Murline Staley, who became executive director for the event last June. We literally just sat down with the city and talked about this. We discussed fully what our options are. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Positive test prompts closure of Houston Federal Courthouse Very disappointed We are very disappointed; I am very disappointed, Staley said. Our No. 1 priority is our guests: safety first. We were very excited about a lot of new that we were bringing to the festival, and we will hold on to that thought. Hopefully, it will be an unbelievable festival. We are all about making family memories. The three-day Pasadena tradition of live music, games, food and fun was expected to build upon its success last year, signaling a rebound from effects of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, which left many residents preoccupied with recovery from devastating flooding. CORONAVIRUS CLOSURES: Event cancellations around Houston due to the coronavirus outbreak A promising sign had been a membership drive conducted Feb. 22 that added 100 new members for a total of more than 400 volunteers. Running with the theme of Berry Wild, organizers anticipated that the annual event would attract about 60,000 attendees and continue its mission of providing scholarships to local students. More than 300 vendors had committed to participate, Staley said. Following last years festival, Staley estimated that 45,000 people had attended, compared to 25,000 in 2018. We lowered prices to be more family affordable, said Staley. We had new attractions such as the car show and brought back the beauty pageant, which had been held offsite in April for a number of years. Last years pageant attracted a whopping 63 contestants in eight categories, from babies to young women. In an online announcement, festival president, Dean Ferriegel noted that the 2020 festival is facing headwinds due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Acknowledging Harris Countys stay-at-home mandate, he wrote that the organization had concerns about how long this will go and how much it will impact us and our community. Ferriegel added that the festival is determined to remain part of the Pasadena annual experience. The Strawberry Festival has been a part of our spring for 47 years, Ferriegel wrote. With it, we get to spend quality time with our families or perhaps have a first date. Cook-off teams come together to enjoy friendly competition and camaraderie. The festival is part of Pasadena life. Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net The Rev. Jacqueline Clark challenged members of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Hingham to film their families dancing to The Fitness Marshalls Meghan Trainors Me Too dance workout. She thought, 'You know what, this has really been a pretty dark time. Lets lets put a little light into this. Lets add some joy to this time said The Rev. Tim Schenck. The twist, if 10 families participated, Schenck would produce his own video. Of course, Ive never heard of this, nor have I ever heard of this Meghan Trainor song, Schenck said. And within a matter of a few days we had 10 videos. The pastor lived up to his word, busting out the moves in clerical clothing and socks. This is just one example of more families getting involved in dance and TikTok trends. Its not unusual to see moms and dads get involved in their kids TikTok videos. But as more families are looking for different ways to stay entertained while staying at home due to coronavirus concerns, some parents who never imagined dancing for a social media platform are getting involved. Laurie Greenes kids in Woburn started asking her and her husband to do a dance commonly found on TikTok with them. My husbands not a dancer at all, she said. But he agreed to do it anyway. And the kids just thought that was the best thing, she said. Getting a good laugh out of the whole thing, Greenes daughter posted it to TikTok and Greene posted it to Facebook and Instagram. She said her friends thought it was fantastic, adding that the family that TikToks together, stays together. For Jody Jones, it was about being part of the church community, and released some of the tension felt during this time. It was just a way to laugh together, she said. Because we knew that if were all dancing, we would likely be laughing. Her family was one of the 10 videos that pushed Schenck to make his own video. Jones daughter learned the dance first and taught it to the rest of the family. We wouldnt normally have thought to do something like that, she said. Fitness Marshalls new Meghan Trainor routine? Sure why not?! Covid curiosity is a thing! Thanks Jack Clark for inspiring us. Tim Schenck, look forward to seeing your moves soon! Posted by Jody Jones on Sunday, March 22, 2020 But shes glad her church community pushed her family to try something new. Plus, she said, its help build up the entire community even those who didnt make a video. People were commenting and it became a source of discussion for several days after it, she said. It was a way to connect. And sometimes when the unknown gets to be too much, you just need to dance. At least thats the case for Christy Fritz and her family. Instead of going into sort of a lets just panic about the unknown again, I said, Can you just choreograph a dance, have it ready for daddy when he gets home?" Fritz said. And they did. She said her family has weekly check-ins to talk about the week, their needs and how theyre feeling. But in this case, Fritz felt they needed to do something that was the exact opposite of what I feel like, she said. We just sort of celebrated that at least our state is taking this seriously. We have a lot of good people who are really trying their best to keep us safe, and were just going to celebrate that," she said. Then last week her kids put on another dance performance for Fritz and her husbands 20-year wedding anniversary. And while dancing might not become a regular part of their lives after the need to social distance is over, parts of it will stick with them. I hope that we prioritize some of the fun," she said. I also hope that maybe we can slow down because this extreme slow down has shown me how much of the peripheral things that I prioritized as essential really arent. Of course this fun isnt just for families with pre-teens or teens either. Mikey Sweet, 21, has been using it as a way to gain self-confidence. He dowloaded the app the summer but always just watched other peoples videos rather than posting himself. Teachers are doing it, college kids, little kids, he said. Everyones joining in on the fun. Since posting a few dance videos, he started to see how positive the community can be. He even recently got his boyfriend to join in on one video. People really try to build each other up on TikTok, he said. People will comment on it to try to get your video boosted just to help each other. That community has been extremely important during this time, Sweet said. When were doing all of these dances or doing these TikToks when were separate, but then putting them together to become this whole community, he said. I think it can really help you feel not alone during these times. And for people or families that might be on the fence about it, Greene suggests just going for it. What do you have to lose? Have fun because these are the days youll never get back with them, she said. Just stay in the moment and give it a whirl because thats their favorite thing. They still talk about it. Related Content: Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday had food at a state-run Amma Canteen in Chennai and asserted that directions have been issued to authorities to cook meals for any number of people. Palaniswami inspected Amma Canteens at Foreshore Estate and Kamaraj Salai in the downtown area as part of his checks, had hot 'idlis' and interacted with people who came there to have food. As part of the lockdown measures to tackle coronavirus, restaurants in the state are permitted to offer only takeaways and dine-in amenities are open only at government run Amma Canteens. The chief minister, later speaking to reporters said "we have told authorities to give as much food as needed to the people...the government has given orders to cook food for any number of people." While as many as 4.5 lakh people had food every day at Amma Canteens here, Palaniswami said all steps have been taken to ensure full availability at eateries across the state and serve to the public. Asked about a plea for free food at the state run canteens, he said the delicacies were already being provided at a very low cost. Launched by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa years ago to cater to the working classes and needy people, Amma Canteen or 'Amma Unavagam' in Tamil is run by local bodies across Tamil Nadu. As part of his inspection, Palaniswami, along with Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and top officials, also checked the availability of stocks. Here, each idli costs Rs 1, two pieces of roti Rs 3, Pongal Rs 5 and rice varities including sambar, lemon and curd Rs 5. Boris Johnsons Conservative government is engaged in a massive public relations exercise to obscure the impact of weeks of inaction over the COVID-19 pandemic and austerity measures that have devastated the UKs National Health Service (NHS). This political fraud is made necessary because of growing anger among millions of workers at the baleful indifference to their dire circumstances displayed by a government that has just handed 350 billion in loan guarantees to the corporations and banks. It was epitomised by Johnsons recent declaration, One thing I think the coronavirus crisis has already proved is that there really is such a thing as society. Even as he cynically contradicted Margaret Thatchers infamous dictum that There is no such thing as society, Johnson continues her policies of funnelling social wealth to the super-rich. If anyone wishes to know what the Tory Party is really thinking and planning, there is no better place to look that the editorial and op-ed pages of the Daily Telegraphfor which Johnson was, until becoming prime minister, an exceedingly well-paid columnist. Like the rest of the media, the Telegraph welcomed Johnsons bailout of big businessso that columnist Tom Harris wrote, There is no alternative: we are all socialists now in the fight against coronavirus. He compared the response to the 2008 crash, when Extraordinary amounts of public money were handed over to institutions whose bosses were too incompetent and too greedy to have managed them properly. To which he responded, Given the unprecedented damage about to be wrought on our economy today, the self-imposed restrictions of party-political ideology hardly matter. Former Tory Party leader William Hague commented March 24, As in war, the need to defend the whole of society justifies state interventions that would otherwise be indefensible. But he made sure to warn, For radical socialists, the proof that the state can take over paying wages, direct vital businesses and create money without restraint will be a justification for decades to come of ideas in which they have always believed. His answer was to end state intervention as soon as possible. Drawing on his less than stellar grasp of history, he tried to comfort his readers with an analogy: In the late 1940s, after the trauma of war, ideas of state planning and the continuation of wartime controls were predominant in Britain and much of Europe. By 1951, the winning slogan of a returning Churchill was Set the People Free. In these dark days, that is an objective that must always remain our inspiration. To many within the Telegraphs editorial office, Hagues timetable for a reversion to naked plunder, courtesy of the free market, is too complacent by far. The socialism hailed by Harris, a former Labour MP turned Tory Brexiteer, is nothing of the sort. The only thing being socialised are the accumulated losses of the capitalists. The only thing being expropriated are the savings, jobs and wages of the working class. But that does not mean the ruling elite are not worried by such a manifest failure of capitalism as that revealed by the coronavirus crisis. Economist Julian Jessop wrote on March 22 that state intervention was essential. Even cleverly designed wage subsidies are bearable and not actually a huge amount in the grander scheme of the public finances. But his concern was that this not signal a socialist state. The worry is how this will all end. Given how popular it is to blame capitalism for the worlds ills, from wars to climate change, it is no surprise that some have pinned the current crisis on the failures of free markets. Many have used the need for unprecedented intervention as evidence that the state should play a much bigger part in normal times. Jeremy Warner, on March 27, urges his well-heeled readers to recognise the opportunities for capital provided by the crisis: Dig down, and you find plenty of reasons to think that putting the economy into a medically induced coma, provided it doesnt go on for too longwhich it cant, because public toleration is bound to be time limitedwas not just unavoidable, but could ultimately prove powerfully beneficial. A decade of economic torpor, in which productivity and wages have gone nowhere demonstrates that The economy was already falling off a cliff from well before the lockdown came into force. Therefore, The costs to the public purse may look staggeringly high, but in truth they are of no great significance in the long term. Moreover, A short, sharp recession might also achieve its natural Darwinian purpose of clearing out zombified dead wood from the economy But he too had warned earlier, March 18, that whereas the early stages of the crisis had given rise to a more caring, sharing, all-in-it-together mentality we are also likely to see a decisive shift Leftward and a more intolerant attitude to excess and inequality in all its various forms. Egregious levels of executive pay will be widely challenged as the new collectivism takes hold The measures now being adopted to underwrite firms and livelihoods will come at a price Tim Stanley was more incensed, writing March 23 that last week, classical liberalism walked into the library with a loaded revolver. It hasnt been seen since. Boris Johnson, who we all thought was a libertarian, has signed off on something akin to war communism. He warned that following the end of the Second World War, It took us 40-odd years to roll back the state (an effort for which we have to thank classical liberals like Margaret Thatcher). Having created these mechanisms for fighting the virusand having admitted that, yes, if a society wants to do something badly enough, the money is there to do itwont people say that the next task is to fight inequality or global warming? Camilla Tominey wrote March 27, This crisis has barely started, but the new political battle lines for a post-coronavirus world are already being drawn Whatever condition the NHS is left in at the end of this nightmare, the Left is going to try to make it impossible to argue for anything other than ever increasing spending The old slogan Tory cuts cost lives will return in a new context, used to attack everything from proposals to reduce taxation to plans to reform public services. She concludes with the prescient warning, The age-old struggle between socialism and capitalism is back with a vengeance coronavirus politics have taken root, possibly sowing the seeds for the biggest shift in our political system since the financial crisis. The only argument within the Tory government and the ruling class more generally is not if, but when a massive social, political and economic offensive must be mounted against the working class. The op-ed columns of the Telegraph are filled with those who rail against every concession made to popular sentiment and concerns over COVID-19. For them, the only imperative is that workers are driven back to work as soon as possible so that the process of profit accumulation can be restored, and their bank-balances preserved. For them the hero of the hour is none other than US President Donald Trump, who tells it like it is. Philip Johnston writes a pathetically stylised letter to my baby grandson, asking are we jeopardising your future? The threat to this four-month-old child, we are informed, is that Public policymakers embrace a pernicious doctrine called the precautionary principle. This holds that all risk must be removed from our lives by regulation and that failure to do so is just about the worst thing any government can do. The answer? Donald Trump turned to his favoured means of communication to tweet in bold capitals: WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF What sensible government would think otherwise? Indeed, is this really the national emergency that Boris Johnson said warrants the authoritarian powers taken by the Government? Elsewhere, Sherelle Jacobs complains, Boris Johnson was panicked into a catastrophic U-turn when abandoning his herd immunity strategy. Championed by [Johnsons adviser] Dominic Cummings, the approach was creepy, clinical and completely correct. He should pay heed to Trump, who is raring to get America up and running by Easter lest the cure be worse than the disease. The voices of caution are presently dominant within the government due to the elites fear of the explosive consequences of such a frontal assault on the working class. But this is only playing for time. The forces of the state are being strengthened, the arguments assembled for insisting on a return to worknot on the previous basis but coupled with demands for wage cuts, job losses and speed ups, as well as slashing non-essential public spending to meet the challenges of the heightened national emergency. What is required now is an independent strategy for the political mobilisation of workers and young people for genuine socialism. Not the appropriation of social wealth by the capitalist state to further enrich the corporate elite, but the seizure of state power by the working class to create a socialist system guaranteeing decent jobs, health care, education, housing and pensions for all. This begins by opposing all calls for national unity and sacrifice. It means rejecting the claim that there is no money to safeguard workers health and their livelihoods and taking up the demand for the seizure of the wealth of the banks and major corporationsto provide the necessary social protections for the present crisis, to pour billions into the NHS and retool industry and construction to produce ventilators and hospitals, not tanks, fighter-jets, warships and luxury flats. Schools are not likely to reopen before the end of the academic year. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) With coronavirus cases and deaths spreading across California, officials were moving urgently Tuesday to slow the spread by releasing 3,500 inmates from prisons, extending stay-at-home orders and confirming schools are not likely to reopen before the end of the academic year. The number of confirmed cases in the state topped 8,000, with more than 170 deaths. Los Angeles County officials Tuesday confirmed 10 new coronavirus-linked deaths and reported the first such fatality of a healthcare worker. The number of deaths in the county is at least 54. In Santa Rosa, police announced a well-respected detective had died from the virus. While there are some early signs that the extreme social distancing rules across the state might be helping, officials said they will probably have to be in place for weeks to come, which will continue to take a devastating toll on the economy. Across California, there were signs of how COVID-19 was upending life. California is granting early release to 3,500 inmates in an effort to reduce crowding as coronavirus infections begin spreading through the state prison system. Lawyers for Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday told a panel of federal judges the state is taking extraordinary and unprecedented protective measures to slow the spread of the virus and protect those who live and work within Californias 35 prisons. The accelerated prison discharges come in the face of pressure to do much more. In court filings, state lawyers said California intends to accelerate release and parole dates for 3,500 inmates serving terms for nonviolent crimes and already due to be released within 60 days. The releases are to be conducted within the next several weeks. Documents provided to The Times show state prisons have been locking down cell blocks where inmates exhibit flu-like symptoms. That has heightened fears among family members, especially of those inmates who are older or at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Story continues As cases continue to rise, six Bay Area jurisdictions announced Tuesday that they would extend their stay-at-home orders through the beginning of May and put new restrictions on such things as residential construction projects and the number of people who can attend funerals . The counties extending the order are San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin. Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County public health officer, said the Bay Areas strict stay-at-home order was working, but it needs more time. I want to say that: The incredible sacrifice that everyone has made, I believe it is starting to bend the curve. But its not enough and it hasnt been in place long enough, so we need to keep at it, we just need to keep at it, Cody said at a briefing. I believe its beginning to make a difference, and its giving our hospitals more time." Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said Los Angeles may also extend its stay-at-home order. Still, experts warn the epidemic could get dramatically worse. Several nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities across the state, including one San Francisco facility with more than 700 beds, are being monitored as potential hot spots of the virus. In San Bernardino County, nearly 60 patients and staff members at a Yucaipa nursing home have tested positive for the coronavirus and two residents have died in what may be the state's largest outbreak at a single facility, authorities said Tuesday. While testing continues, Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation has been told to assume that all of its patients have the COVID-19 virus, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health Director Trudy Raymundo said at a briefing. The nursing home, which has about 90 beds, isn't accepting new residents or discharging any, and the facility has been closed to visitors under Newsom's 2-week-old stay-at-home order, Raymundo said. An elected official in the Bay Area pleaded for help Tuesday , appalled by the shortage of personal protective equipment at a hospital leased by the state of California to care for coronavirus patients. Heres what I see: I see a disaster on the brink of happening, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday about the shortage of personal protective equipment, a category that includes masks, gowns and gloves, at Seton Medical Center in Daly City. Theres also a shortage of staffing at hospitals in San Mateo County, and there were just five empty intensive care unit beds as of Tuesday, out of a total of 66 available across the county, said Louise Rogers, chief of San Mateo County Health. On the schools front, Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Tuesday in a letter to school district officials that campuses would probably not reopen before summer. Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing, it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year, Thurmond wrote. This is in no way to suggest that school is over for the year, but rather we should put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning. Los Angeles Unified, the states largest school system, shut down its schools on March 16 . L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner recently extended that campus closure to May 1. In a new recommendation, Riverside County health officials urged residents to cover their noses and mouths when out in public for such essential tasks as grocery shopping and medical visits. Up to now, federal officials have urged the healthy not wear masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions official advice, at least so far: Healthy people who do not work in the healthcare sector and are not taking care of an infected person at home do not need to wear masks . St. John and Lin reported from Northern California, Winton and Blume from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Susanne Rust, Colleen Shalby, Luke Money, Hannah Fry, Sonali Kohli, Phil Willon and Cindy Chang contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed. Real Moms, Real Money - Kayla Giovinazzo Kayla Giovinazzo met her husband, Jamie, shortly after he started the meal delivery service, Eat Clean Bro. The project quickly grew into a shared venture and Kayla credits motherhood to advancing her leadership skills. Kayla Giovinazzo never intended to be the owner of a multimillion-dollar meal-delivery service. In fact, when she was introduced to her husband by a mutual friend in 2015, Giovinazzo worked as a department manager for a large national retailer. As she and now-husband, Jamie, became more serious, she started to help him organize and streamline the workflow for his small meal-prep business. Eventually, she left her corporate job to work with him full time. With their combined efforts, the company grew from a team of three employeesusing rented kitchen spaceto an enterprise touting more than 100 employees and two bustling distribution centers based in New Jersey and Georgia. In 2016, their company, Eat Clean Bro, earned its first $1 million in revenue, shipping out a couple of thousand meals a week. Fast forward to 2020, the company now sends out tens of thousands of meals weekly and is pacing to hit $15 million in sales. After starting the company, the Giovinazzos waited four years before they decided to have their first child. Now a mom of two, Kayla has credited remaining conservative with business decisions and finances to remain successful. "Something that's really important to remember, especially when you become a mom, is that being conservative is really important. Teaching your children that just because you have it doesn't mean you have to spend it is super important," she says. "They don't need a new outfit for every single day of the week. Being grateful for what you have and realizing the differences between a need and a want is something that I've really wanted to make sure my children understand." Story continues Although Kayla's parents aren't entrepreneurs, she credits much of her success and her work ethic to them. Her dad, formerly a conservation scientist, is now a member of the Eat Clean Bro team. "It's the most exciting thing that we've ever been able to do. I love spending every day with him. My mom was a teacher and is now helping me raise my children, which is incredible." Despite the risks involved with self-employment and funding their entire operation, Giovinazzo enjoys the benefits and flexibility of being her own boss. "Owning your own business definitely gives you more financial freedom because you can take what you have, and if you're creative enough, and smart enough, and work hard enough, you can continue to multiply that." Three Tips for Moms Who Aspire to Be Entrepreneurs Five years into her self-employment journey, Giovinazzo has learned quite a few lessons and has some tips for aspiring mom entrepreneurs. Make Sure Your Partner is on Board Starting a new business requires a joint effort from your partner as there's definitely a ton of work involved. According to Giovinazzo, it "requires a lot of cooperation." For both Kayla and Jaime, though, it's worth it. "Our mindset is to work really, really hard now so we don't have to work as hard when we'd like to retire. And we areas a company and as individuals focused on things like our 401K, IRA accounts, and just making sure that everyone is thinking about the future." Be Ready For Some Guilt Giovinazzo advises moms to prepare for some feelings of guilt when working as an entrepreneur. "After having my first child, I realized that I needed to split my time. I had to get done all the things that I always had to get done, but now I just had to work more quickly in a more limited amount of time so I could get back home to him faster. If you can figure out how to manage your time, it's almost like you're managing your money as well." In order to effectively keep the mom guilt at bay, she suggests implementing major time management and structure to feel like all the boxesfor home and workget checked for the day. "When it comes to splitting the time between your business and your children, it requires you to do a lot of mental juggling and time management. Setting specific times for work and time for your family duties and doing your best to adhere to your schedule can help ease the guilt." Any feelings of guilt now, though, Giovinazzo says, will hopefully pay dividends for the future. "Saving for my children has become a priority for me for sure. Just saving for their future and making sure you're living a modest life so that they can have the benefits later." Slow and Steady Wins the Race Earning $15 million in sales doesn't happen right away. Giovinazzo advises people to "start with a small investment of your own and grow it slowly a little bit at a time." "Remember that slow and steady wins the race. [Success] is not something that happens overnight. You're going to work hard for years, and if you're not investing back into your business and focusing on growth, you're never going to come out on top at the end of the day." A man in his 30s has been stabbed to death in east London. The victim was found seriously injured in Alexandra Road, Walthamstow, at around 10.55pm on Tuesday. An ambulance was called but he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later, the Metropolitan Police said. Officers are working to identify him and contact his family. They have arrested a man in his 20s on suspicion of murder. Beijing's chief medical advisor has claimed that the coronavirus pandemic will likely reach a turning point at the end of the month. The prediction comes from Dr Zhong Nanshan, the leader of a team of experts appointed by Beijing to tackle the health crisis. The epidemiologist, 83, also forecast that China would not see a second wave of infections 'due to our powerful monitoring system'. 'As more countries have imposed strong measures, I estimate that it should be around the end of April when [the number of new confirmed cases] would decline,' Dr Zhong said to a reporter Dr Zhong made the comments during an interview with Shenzhen Television Station today. He said: 'To deal with [the novel coronavirus pneumonia], which is highly infectious and has, we should say, a high mortality rate there are two methods. 'One is to suppress [the transmission rate] to the lowest level and stop it from spreading, and then buy more time. 'The other is to delay [the transmissions] and reduce the number of patients through some methods. 'As more countries have imposed strong measures, I estimate that it should be around the end of April when [the number of new confirmed cases] would decline.' Dr Zhong also dismissed claims that the country is facing a looming new outbreak due to the so-called 'silent carrier', who are infected with the virus but show no symptoms. He said no evidence showed that asymptomatic cases have a high transmission rate. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has spread across the globe, claiming over 43,000 lives and infecting more than 860,000 people People in China have also feared that those who test positive again after being declared recovered could bring risks to their communities. Commenting on that, Dr Zhong said the chances of recovered patients being infected again were small due to the antibodies in their bodies. And even they do test positive once more in rare cases, the transmission rate of these people would be low because 'no live viruses have been cultivated from test samples of such cases'. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed on Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Firemen remove protective gear from medical staff after they load a COVID-19 patient onto a French Air Force plane at the Bale-Mulhouse airport HOW BADLY AFFECTED HAS EUROPE REALLY BEEN? THE IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON PREDICTIONS IN NUMBERS COUNTRY ESTIMATED % OF POPULATION INFECTED POPULATION (CIA World Factbook) ESTIMATED # OF CASES OFFICIAL # OF CASES (World Health Organization) DEATH RATE Spain 15% 50,015,792 7,502,368 85,195 8.6% Italy 9.80% 62,402,659 6,115,460 101,739 11.4% Belgium 3.70% 11,720,716 433,666 11,899 4.3% Switzerland 3.20% 8,403,994 268,927 15,412 1.9% Sweden 3.10% 10,202,491 316,277 4,028 3.6% France 3% 67,848,156 2,035,444 43,977 6.9% United Kingdom 2.70% 65,761,117 1,775,550 25,150 7.1% Austria 1.10% 8,859,446 97,453 9,618 1.1% Denmark 1.10% 5,869,410 64,563 2,577 3% Germany 0.72% 80,159,662 577,149 61,913 0.9% Norway 0.41% 5,467,439 22,416 4,226 0.6% TOTAL/AVERAGE 4% 376,710,882 19,209,279 365,734 4.49% Italy and Spain bore the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three in every four deaths on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is already under some form of lockdown in a battle to halt contagion. Spain reported a record 864 deaths in 24 hours, pushing the country's number of fatalities past 9,000. The toll is only dwarfed by Italy's, where the virus has killed nearly 12,500 people. Countries around the world are setting up extra medical facilities to cope with the pandemic, such as this Nightingale hospital in Britain The US coronavirus death toll soared to more than 4,000 last night, doubling within three days, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths went up by 889 on Tuesday to 4,076 - more than twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday - and more than 40 per cent of the fatalities were in the state of New York. Yesterday, the US exceeded the number of deaths reported in China (3,309) where the virus is believed to have emerged from a wet market in Wuhan in December. Seven more persons have tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV 2) in Gautam Budh Nagar on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the district to 48, health officials said on Wednesday. The districts chief medical officer (CMO), Dr Anurag Bhargava, said that six out of the 48 patients who have been detected positive for the SARS CoV 2 have already been discharged. This means that the number of active cases stands at 42. Apart from three cases detected Tuesday night, we have found seven new cases on Wednesday. Overall, 317 people are currently admitted in different isolation wards in the district, including 183 in Sector 39 district hospital, 97 in Dr BR Ambedkar SC/ST hostel in Gautam Budh University, 19 in Super-specialty Paediatric Hospital and Postgraduate Teaching Institute (SSPHPGTI or child PGI), and 18 at Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), he said. Dr Bhargava further said that the district health department has put 2,046 persons on surveillance. We have, so far, notified 1,353 persons having overseas travel record, out of which 1,235 have already been tracked. At least 460 of them belong to cases older than 28 days, he said. The CMO also said that samples of 696 people have been collected and sent to different laboratories. While 48 of them have tested Covid-19 positive, the reports of 445 have been found to be negative. Results are still awaited in 203 samples, he said. On the other hand, GB Nagar district magistrate(DM) Suhas LY said the administration is leaving no stone unturned to trace the contacts of the positive patients. We have formed well-equipped additional teams in this connection. The primary and secondary contacts of the infected persons will have to undergo isolation or home quarantine, depending on the situation, he said. Claiming that the situation in the district is under control, he said that people will have to follow all precautions and safety measures to avoid the spread of the virus. Those who are not maintaining social distancing will put the whole society at risk. The administration is making all efforts to minimise the difficulties of citizens during this 21-day lockdown, he said. The DM further said that for lodging the doctors and paramedical staff, who are involved in tackling the pandemic in different hospitals of the district, the administration has also taken over three hotels, including Radisson Blu, Savoy Suites and Stellar Gymkhana in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Noida MP Dr Mahesh Sharma, on Wednesday, has handed over 100-bed isolation ward at Kailash Institute of Naturopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga, which is being run by Kailash Group of Hospitals. While handing over the isolation ward to Narendra Bhooshan, CEO, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), Dr Sharma said that the group of hospitals will bear all the costs to run this isolation centre. Nigerias tally of Coronavirus (Covid-19) infections on Wednesday morning shot up to 151 from 139 announced on Tuesday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). According to the new data released by NCDC, nine new cases have been recorded in Osun State, which until then had only five cases. The three other new cases were found in Ekiti and Edo states. Confirming the development to our reporter, the states Commissioner for Health, Rafiu Isamotu, and Ismail Omipidan, the chief press secretary to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, said the states figure of confirmed cases suddenly rose to 14 between Monday and Wednesday. According to Mr Omipidan, apart from the index case, who had earlier surrendered himself for test and another contact, who screened positive, the additional 12 cases are among 127 indigenes of the state who returned from Cote dIvoire last week. As a result of the development, Osun has now overtaken neighbouring Oyo to rank third on the ladder of states with high numbers of recorded cases in Nigeria. Story of the returnees On Friday, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, reached out to Mr Oyetola, informing him of six buses conveying indigenes of the state, who were stranded at the states boundary with Benin Republic. The development, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, was a result of the closure of all international entry points to the state by the state government. According to a statement issued on Saturday by Osun States commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode, Mr Oyetola was appreciative of the support granted the returnees, who were not only allowed access to pass through the state but were also escorted by security operatives from the state. Titled, Covid-19: Oyetola thanks Governor Abiodun for Assisting Osun Returnees, the statement reads in part; Governor Oyetola said that beyond the information, the Ogun State Government also graciously provided security escort that accompanied the returnees to Osun. Governor Oyetola thanked the Ogun State governor and the entirety of the state, for approaching the situation with a brotherly understanding. The returnees, mostly from Abidjan, Cote dIvoires densely populated economic capital, had returned home to avoid the planned lockdown of the city by the Ivorian government. Following the record of the first death out of 165 cases in the country as of Saturday, the government locked down the city on Monday, barring movement except of people on essential duties. Mr Omipidan told our reporter on the telephone that on their arrival in the state, the returnees were led to their hometown, Ejigbo, but restricted from mingling with the people as they were camped separately. The 127 of them were camped within the dormitory of a high school in the town and they were barred from moving out of the camp. The government has since been responsible for their welfare while their samples were taken for screening for the Coronavirus disease. However, on Monday evening, results of 24 out of the 127 samples taken indicated that three were already positive. So as at Tuesday, we were still awaiting the results for the remaining 103. How nine tested positive Findings by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that late on Tuesday when the results of additional 47 of the 103 returnees were released by the accredited testing centre at the Redeemed University, Ede, nine more tested positive, increasing the number of confirmed cases in the state to 14. PREMIUM TIMES learnt the result was immediately forwarded to the NCDC for proper recording and announcement. A memberof the states Covid-19 task force, who does not want to be named, told our reporter that it was shocking that additional nine had tested positive on Tuesday evening. It is a sad development that additional nine tested positive again. It has put the state in dire straits. We are still awaiting the result for 56 others, so there is no doubt the tally may increase, the official said. Governor boosts combat efforts Apparently due to the rising number of confirmed cases in the state, the state government has set aside partisan considerations and intensified efforts to boost the fight against the rampaging disease. Apart from the task force involving medical experts and other stakeholders, the Governor Oyetola on Tuesday announced a 21-member welfare committee for the indigent. READ ALSO: The list, which comprises politicians, businessmen and women, and traditional rulers, include opponents of the governor in 2018. Chaired by Tunde Badmus of Tuns Farms Limited, the list also contains the name of Mr Oyetolas political arch-rival and elder brother of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke, Deji Adeleke; and the former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives who lost to Mr Oyetola at the ruling All Progressive Congress party primaries, Lasun Yusuff, among others. Others on the list include the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye; Matthew Asimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre; the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi; Folorunsho Alakija of Famfal Oil Limited, and three of the governors predecessors in office- Bisi Akande, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Rauf Aregbesola. Advertisements According to a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Wole Oyebamiji, the decision was necessary to take care of the less-privileged and cushion the effects of the restrictive actions already taken to combat the pandemic. As the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 continues with intense devotion, it has become inevitable to put in place Relief and Humanitarian Banks across the state. The state appreciates its supportive friends, donors and partners, who have contributed to the project, including those who have pleaded to remain anonymous, Mr Oyebamiji wrote. He added, Osun has limited means but unlimited needs to fulfil during this period. RICHMOND, Va., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) today issued an update with respect to its pending transaction with China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co., Ltd. (Oceanwide). Genworth has been informed by Oceanwide that the previously disclosed financing arrangement between Oceanwide and Hony Capital for $1.8 billion has been successfully extended to June 30, 2020. As previously disclosed, Oceanwide had a financing arrangement for debt funding of up to $1.8 billion through Hony Capital to partially finance the acquisition of Genworth. Oceanwide will continue to work on finalizing its financing plan and will then discuss currency conversion and transfer of funds with China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). Oceanwide will also seek confirmation from the Delaware Department of Insurance that the acquisition of Genworth's Delaware domiciled insurer may proceed under the existing approval. Genworth and Oceanwide remain committed to the transaction and are still targeting closing towards the end of May, if feasible. However, given the unprecedented market disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oceanwide and Genworth previously extended the deadline to no later than June 30, 2020 to provide the parties with additional time if needed to close the transaction. About Genworth Financial Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is a Fortune 500 insurance holding company committed to helping families achieve the dream of homeownership and address the financial challenges of aging through its leadership positions in mortgage insurance and long term care insurance. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Genworth traces its roots back to 1871 and became a public company in 2004. For more information, visit genworth.com. From time to time, Genworth releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found under the "Investors" section of genworth.com. From time to time, Genworth's publicly traded subsidiary, Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Limited, separately releases financial and other information about its operations. This information can be found at http://www.genworth.com.au. About Oceanwide Oceanwide is a privately held, family owned international financial holding group founded by LU Zhiqiang. Headquartered in Beijing, China, Oceanwide's well-established and diversified businesses include operations in financial services, energy, technology information services, culture and media, and real estate assets globally, including in the United States. Oceanwide is the controlling shareholder of the Shenzhen-listed Oceanwide Holdings Co., Ltd. and Minsheng Holdings Co. Ltd.; the Hong Kong-listed China Oceanwide Holdings Limited and China Tonghai International Financial Limited (formerly known as Quam Limited); the privately-held International Data Group, Minsheng Securities, Minsheng Trust, and Asia Pacific Property & Casualty Insurance; and it is the single largest shareholder of Australia-listed CuDECO Ltd. China Oceanwide also is a minority investor in Shanghai-listed China Minsheng Bank and Hong Kong-listed Legend Holdings. In the United States, Oceanwide has real estate investments in New York, California, and Hawaii. Businesses controlled by Oceanwide have more than 10,000 employees globally. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication includes certain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "will" or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the closing of the transaction with Oceanwide, the receipt of required approvals relating thereto and any capital contribution resulting therefrom. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: (i) the risk that the transaction with Oceanwide may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect Genworth's business and the price of Genworth's common stock; (ii) the parties' inability to obtain regulatory approvals, clearances or extensions, or the possibility that such regulatory approvals or clearances may further delay the transaction with Oceanwide or will not be received prior to June 30, 2020 (and either or both of the parties may not be willing to further waive their end date termination rights beyond June 30, 2020) or that materially burdensome or adverse regulatory conditions may be imposed or undesirable measures may be required in connection with any such regulatory approvals, clearances or extensions (including those conditions or measures that either or both of the parties may be unwilling to accept or undertake, as applicable) or that with continuing delays, circumstances may arise that make one or both parties unwilling to proceed with the transaction with Oceanwide or unable to comply with the conditions to existing regulatory approvals or one or both of the parties may be unwilling to accept any new condition under a regulatory approval; (iii) the risk that the parties will not be able to obtain other regulatory approvals, approvals, clearances or extensions, including in connection with a potential alternative funding structure or the current geo-political environment, or that one or more regulators may rescind or fail to extend existing approvals, or that the revocation by one regulator of approvals will lead to the revocation of approvals by other regulators; (iv) the parties' inability to obtain any necessary regulatory approvals, clearances or extensions for the post-closing capital plan, and/or the risk that a condition to the closing of the transaction with Oceanwide may not be satisfied or that a condition to closing that is currently satisfied may not remain satisfied due to the delay in closing the transaction with Oceanwide or that the parties are unable to agree upon a closing date following receipt of all regulatory approvals and clearances; (v) potential legal proceedings that may be instituted against Genworth related to the transactions with Oceanwide; (vi) the risk that the proposed transaction disrupts Genworth's current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the transaction; (vii) potential adverse reactions or changes to Genworth's business relationships with clients, employees, suppliers or other parties or other business uncertainties resulting from the announcement of the transaction or during the pendency of the transaction, including but not limited to such changes that could affect Genworth's financial performance; (viii) certain restrictions during the pendency of the transaction that may impact Genworth's ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; (ix) continued availability of capital and financing to Genworth before the consummation of the transaction; (x) further rating agency actions and downgrades in Genworth's financial strength ratings; (xi) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (xii) Genworth's ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the transaction; (xiii) the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and other charges related to the transaction; (xiv) the risks related to diverting management's attention from Genworth's ongoing business operations; (xv) the impact of changes in interest rates and political instability; and (xvi) other risks and uncertainties described in the Definitive Proxy Statement, filed with the SEC on January 25, 2017, and Genworth's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Genworth's consolidated financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. Accordingly, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements. Further, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Genworth's views as of any subsequent date, and Genworth does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. SOURCE Genworth Financial, Inc. Flash China is willing to provide Ireland with necessary assistance within its capacity to combat COVID-19, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday in a phone conversation with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Li said that COVID-19 is spreading in many countries, and Ireland is also affected by the epidemic. China firmly supports Ireland's efforts in the fight against the disease, and is willing to provide Ireland with necessary assistance within its capacity, Li said. He said China is also ready to facilitate Ireland's procurement and transportation of medical supplies from China, enhance exchanges of experience on epidemic prevention and treatment, and carry out cooperation in medical research and development. There are quite a number of Chinese nationals living or studying in Ireland, and the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting their health as well as legitimate rights and interests, Li stressed, expressing his hope that the Irish side will take practical and effective measures to guarantee the safety and living convenience of these Chinese nationals, including Chinese students. For his part, Varadkar said that China has made remarkable achievement and progress in fighting the epidemic, and shared information with the World Health Organization and the international community in a timely manner, which deserves the respect of all countries in the world. The epidemic is currently spreading in Ireland, said the prime minister, who thanked China for providing support and assistance. Ireland hopes to receive China's support in purchasing anti-epidemic supplies, and strengthen cooperation in medical research and development between the two countries, Varadkar said, adding that his country will effectively guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals, including Chinese students, in Ireland. As many as 25 percent of people infected with the coronavirus may not show symptoms, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns a startlingly high number that complicates efforts to predict the pandemics course and strategies to mitigate its spread As many as 25 percent of people infected with the coronavirus may not show symptoms, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns a startlingly high number that complicates efforts to predict the pandemics course and strategies to mitigate its spread. In particular, the high level of symptom-free cases is leading the CDC to consider broadening its guidelines on who should wear masks. This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country, the director, Dr Robert Redfield, said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday. The agency has repeatedly said that ordinary citizens do not need to wear masks unless they are feeling sick. But with the new data on people who may be infected without ever feeling sick, or who are transmitting the virus for a couple of days before feeling ill, Redfield said that such guidance was being critically re-reviewed. Researchers do not know precisely how many people are infected without feeling ill or if some of them are simply presymptomatic. But since the coronavirus surfaced in December, they have spotted unsettling anecdotes of apparently healthy people who were unwitting spreaders. Patient Z, for example, a 26-year-old man in Guangdong, China, was a close contact of a Wuhan traveller infected with the coronavirus in February. But he felt no signs of anything amiss, not on Day 7 after the contact nor on Day 10 or 11. Already by Day 7, though, the virus had bloomed in his nose and throat, just as copiously as in those who did become ill. Patient Z might have felt fine, but he was infected just the same. Researchers now say that people like Patient Z are not merely anecdotes. For example, as many as 18 percent of people infected with the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship never developed symptoms, according to one analysis. A team in Hong Kong suggests that 20 to 40 percent of transmissions in China occurred before symptoms appeared. The high level of covert spread may help explain why the novel coronavirus is the first virus that is not an influenza virus to set off a pandemic. The new virus spreads about as easily as flu, and whens the last time anyone thought anything about stopping influenza transmission, short of the vaccine? said Dr Michael T Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota. With any vaccine still in early development, the best way to mitigate the pandemic is social distancing, he and other experts said. Because people may be passing the virus on to others even when they feel fine, asking only unwell people to stay home is unlikely to be enough. This is why many experts, going against recommendations by the CDC and the World Health Organisation, are now urging everyone to wear masks to prevent those who are unaware they have the virus from spreading it. Like influenza, some experts now say, this virus appears to spread both through large droplets and droplets smaller than 5 micrometers termed aerosols containing the virus that infected people might release especially while coughing but also while merely exhaling. They emphasised that the level of virus in both types of particles is low, so simply jogging or walking by an infected person does not put people at risk. If you have a passing contact with an infectious person, you would have a very, very low chance of transmission occurring, said Dr Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. The risk goes up with sustained contact during face-to-face conversation, for example, or by sharing the same air space for a prolonged time. In addition to its confusing stance on masks, the WHO has been saying aerosol transmission doesnt occur, which is also perplexing, Cowling said, adding, I think both are actually wrong. Experts agreed that infections were being passed along by people who do not report symptoms what they call asymptomatic transmissions but they also noted some confusion around the term. Theres no standard definition for it, and you could say to yourself, well, thats kind of ridiculous: You either have symptoms or you dont, said Dr Jeffrey Shaman, an infectious diseases expert at Columbia University. But studies by his team have shown, he said, that some people never notice their symptoms, others are unable to distinguish the infection from their smokers cough or allergies or other conditions, and still others may feel every pain acutely. There is also a largely semantic debate about the proportion of people who appear to be perfectly fine but then become ill as in the report in The New England Journal of Medicine of an apparently asymptomatic spreader who later acknowledged having felt mild symptoms. Ultimately, Shaman said, these definitions are unimportant. The bottom line is that there are people out there shedding the virus who dont know that theyre infected, he said. Where the definitions may matter is in being able to understand the true scope of the pandemic. Cowlings team has analysed data from China at various stages in the pandemic. The WHOs mission to China concluded that most people who were infected with the virus had significant symptoms. But in the early weeks of the epidemic, his analysis shows, China set a high bar for what constituted a confirmed case of infection requiring respiratory symptoms, fever and a chest X-ray for pneumonia. Their definition left out mild and asymptomatic cases and, as a result, the team vastly underestimated the scale and nature of the outbreak there. Weve estimated in China that between 20 percent and 40 percent of transmission events occurred before symptoms appeared, Cowling said. A separate analysis of the hundreds of people cloistered aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship bears out this scale. Once the ship docked in Japan on 5 February, researchers tested all of the passengers and reviewed those who tested positive for the virus on multiple occasions over a two-week period. They found that 18% of the infected passengers remained symptom-free throughout. The substantial asymptomatic proportion for COVID-19 is quite alarming, said Dr Gerardo Chowell, an epidemiologist at Georgia State University who worked on the analysis. Chowell noted that the passengers on the ship tended to be older and therefore more likely to develop symptoms. He estimated that around 40 percent in the general population might be able to be infected without showing signs of it. There have also been many hints, subtle and not, that the virus can be transmitted via aerosols. Sixty members of a choir in Seattle gathered on 10 March for a practice session for more than two-and-a-half hours. None of them felt ill, and they made no contact with one another. But by this weekend, dozens of the members had fallen ill, and two had died. Their experience points toward airborne transmission via aerosols, which can travel farther than the large droplets the WHO and the CDC have emphasised. The virus is still most likely to be expelled with a cough or a sneeze, as far as eight metres (about 26 feet), according to one study. But studies on influenza and other respiratory viruses, including other coronaviruses, have shown that people can release aerosols containing the virus simply by breathing or talking or, presumably, by singing. I think increasing evidence suggests the virus is spread not just through droplets but through aerosols, Chowell said. It would make a lot of sense to encourage at the very least face mask use in enclosed spaces including supermarkets. Several studies have shown now that people infected with the new coronavirus are most contagious about one to three days before they begin to show symptoms. This presymptomatic transmission was not true of the coronaviruses that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). This is where we got very lucky with SARS, was that it really didnt transmit until after people were showing symptoms, and that made it much easier to detect it and shut it down with aggressive public health measures, said Dr Carl Bergstrom, an expert in emerging infectious diseases at the University of Washington in Seattle. With the new coronavirus, there is transmission by healthy-seeming people, and often severe symptoms and a high fatality rate. That whole combination makes it very, very tough to fight using standard public health measures, he said. Rapid tests for infection might help detect people, especially health care workers, who are infected yet feel normal. Masks may help. But experts kept returning to social distancing as the single best tool for stopping the chain of transmission in the long term not lockdowns, necessarily, but canceling mass events, working from home when possible and closing schools. We cant assume that any of us are not potential vectors at any time, Bergstrom said. This is why even though Im feeling great, and have felt great and havent been exposed to anybody with any symptoms of anything, thats why it would be irresponsible of me to go out and about today. Apoorva Mandavilli c.2020 The New York Times Company Preference for energy-efficient buildings and increased adoption in vehicle systems have boosted the growth of the global mineral wool market PORTLAND, Oregon, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Mineral wool Market by Type (Glass Wool, Rock Wool, and Others), By End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, Transportation, Industrial & Appliances, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026". According to the report, the global mineral wool industry accounted for $9.9 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $16.0 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2019 to 2026. Major driving factors Preference for energy-efficient buildings and increased adoption in vehicle systems have boosted the growth of the global mineral wool market. However, lack of awareness regarding insulation products hampers the market growth. On the contrary, the emergence of concepts such as zero energy building is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future. Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6469 The rock wool segment to portray the fastest CAGR through 2026 Based on type, the rock wool segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period, owing to increase in demand from the residential and commercial sector and its characteristics such as excellent mechanical strength, which makes it ideal for insulation roofs, color steel sandwich panels, and other applications. However, the glass wool segment held the largest share in 2018, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global mineral wool market, owing to its properties such as lightweight and ease of application. The building & construction segment held the largest share Based on end-user industry, the building & construction segment dominated the global mineral wool market in 2018, contributing to more than half of the market, owing to rise in demand from the construction industry, majorly from LAMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. However, the transportation segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period, due to an increase in the need for insulation in the transport applications. For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6469 Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, dominated the market in terms of revenue Based on geography, the market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2018, accounting for more than one-third of the total revenue. In addition, the region is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 7.4% during the study period, due to rise in demand from the construction industry and noteworthy growth of the automobile sector. The global mineral wool market across North America held the second-largest share in 2018, contributing to nearly one-third of the market. Major market players Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. John Manville IZOCAM Korff Isolmatic GmbH Knauf Insulation Poly Glass Fibre Insulation Owens Corning TechnoNICOL Rockwool International A/S URSA Insulation S.A. Interested in Procuring this Report? visit: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/mineral-wool-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: Carbon Black Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 Surfactants Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025 Technical Ceramics Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 Aluminum Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 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 Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg STORY LINK Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Rallies as Oil Prices Near 18-Year Low Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate as Crude Oil Suffers Largest Quarterly Loss April will be one of the toughest months in history for oil and this is no April fools joke. The market is oversupplied in April to the tune of 25 million barrels per day. Theres nowhere to hide from this tsunami of oversupply. Sterling (GBP) Rises despite Business Optimism Plummeting to Series Low The manufacturing sector was knocked sideways by the impact of Covid-19 and into contraction territory, experiencing some of the most challenging trading conditions since PMI records began. With supply chains crumbling around the world, we can only expect a worsening outlook next month as increasingly necessary lockdown measures squeeze manufacturing production. Only creative and agile thinking, new products and approaches will see the sector through the turbulence ahead. Pound Canadian Dollar Outlook: Will the Oil-Sensitive Loonie Sink Further? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate rallied this morning, rising by around 1%. This left the pairing trading at around CA$1.7636.The oil-sensitive Loonie suffered losses today after oil slumped to $25 a barrel, and was within sight of its lowest in 18 years.The slump in prices followed a US report showing a large rise in US inventories, and prices were also weighed down as the rift within OPEC widened.The oil market has been hammered by pledges of increased output from Russia and Saudi Arabia weighed on prices following the collapse of a supply pact.Data also revealed that global benchmark Brent crude plummeted 66% in the first three months of 2020, making this the largest ever quarterly loss.Commenting on this, Bjornar Tonhaugen of Rystad Energy noted:Loonie sentiment remained under pressure as reports revealed that Saudi Arabia and Russia are not holding talks about the oil market.Added to this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin has no immediate plans to have a phone call with Saudi leadership.Meanwhile, Sterling was able to make gains against the Canadian Dollar despite weak manufacturing PMI data.Markits PMI survey showed that business optimism within the manufacturing sector plummeted to a record low, while supply chain disruption intensified.Marchs PMI slumped to 47.8, down from earlier flash estimates of 48 as the survey showed manufacturing output and new orders fell at the fastest rate since mid-2012.Commenting on this mornings data, Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply stated:Looking ahead to this afternoon, the Canadian Dollar (CAD) could suffer further losses against the Pound (GBP) following the release of Canadas manufacturing PMI data.If Marchs manufacturing PMI plummets further into contraction than expected, the Loonie will suffer a further blow.Meanwhile, if oil prices continue to slide, this could send the oil-sensitive Canadian Dollar even lower.If tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia heighten and investors fret over global oil demand, the Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate will extend todays gains. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Canadian Dollar Forecasts The ongoing coronavirus crisis could lead to global depression as countries across are world are resorting to lockdowns to combat the deadly viral infection, according to an expert. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 43,000 lives worldwide, 30,000 in Europe alone, since it emerged in China's Wuhan city in December last. The virus has infected over 870,000 people globally, prompting the United Nations to describe it as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. To halt the spread of COVID-19, countries across the world have implemented lockdowns, forcing people stay indoors. As industries shut down for undetermined periods and entire workforces are forced to stay home, scenes of economic desperation and unrest are emerging across the globe. "If the quarantine lasts more than six months then we are looking at economic depression," said David Meyer, Associate Professor of Security and Global Studies at the American University in the Emirates (AUE). He said following the coronavirus crisis, the advantages of China's low-cost labour will now have to be looked into in the context of security. Meyer, who is also the Programme Director of Master of Arts in Diplomacy at AUE's College of Security and Global Studies, was addressing an online symposium organised by Abu Dhabi-based think tank TRENDS Research and Advisory on Wednesday. Experts at the symposium, 'Confronting the Challenges of COVID-19: A New Global Outlook', highlighted the ongoing struggle between forces of globalisation and protectionism, while emphasising on the need for a collective response to the COVID-19 challenge. They discussed the lessons learned from the pandemic and the growing need for a concerted and a collective approach to tackle the challenge. Besides looking into the adequacy of the medical response, they also underlined the geostrategic and economic fallout of this public health crisis which threatens to derail the global economy. Gulfaraz Khan, Professor of Viral Pathology and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, said the scientific community is united against COVID-19 at one end of the spectrum but a lack of preparedness has also been exposed. Khan pointed out that the world failed to identify the threat early. "We had approximately a month to look at the outbreak even though the disease was spreading. The majority of the world's cases happened after February so we need to learn lessons as a global community. It is absolutely essential to do our best in research and development to prevent another global pandemic from killing so many people," he said. Khan ruled out the possibility of a vaccine coming out soon. "It could take 12-18 months if you add the time needed in mass production and in making it available around the world," he said. Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said it is not yet clear whether parochialism will triumph over populism in the aftermath of this crisis. "There is a discourse emerging from Europe that may not reflect the ground reality. There seems to be an adrenaline rush for insularity and parochialism promoted by populism which is not helping," he said. Ibish said, "It is very remarkable that China is using the pandemic to promote its system and its international brand and leadership." Sharing China's experience of the coronavirus, Yong Wang, Director of the Centre for International Political Economy at Peking University, said China did the right thing by taking very tough measures such as locking down Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. "Chinese scientists shared genetic sequencing, which helped in data compilation and intelligence gathering to tackle the virus. The pandemic is under control in China and factories and companies are opening now. However, the government is still applying a very cautious approach," he said. Maurizio Barbeschi, Adviser to the Executive Director, World Health Emergencies (WHE) Programme at the World Health Organisation said it is not just the peak of the pandemic, but also the bumps and re-entry to normalcy will have to be managed. "Even vaccines may have to be handled with extreme care for not creating groups of haves and have-nots," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Wednesday took a dig at Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and his deputy Dushyant Chautala accusing them of indulging in "cheap politics", hours after photos of a hand sanitiser manufactured by a distillery with pictures of the leaders went viral on social media. Posting a picture of the hand sanitiser on his Twitter handle, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Respected Khattarji & Dushyantji, during the crisis created by coronavirus, can't you look beyond cheap & self-promotion." To meet the surging demand of hand sanitisers in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, the government had asked some distilleries to manufacture these. Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda also took a dig at the ruling BJP-JJP over the issue. "The BJP-JJP feel that it is their poll rally which is going on in the country and not diseaseTo use disease for own promotion is the ugly face of politics," the Rajya Sabha member said. He wondered whether the leaders' photos will now appear on face masks. "After sanitisers, will the leaders photos appear on masks. This sanitiser bottle will for years remind the people of the insensitivity of the BJP-JJP," tweeted Deepender. "It is no time for politics, but service," he added. Hours later, Chief Minister Khattar also tweeted on the matter. "The matter of my photo on a hand sanitiser has come to my notice. At a time when the entire nation is together in this fight against coronavirus, there is no use in discussing such things..," tweeted Khattar. Asked to comment on it, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij said, "Neither I have seen it, nor I have any information who has manufactured it. I have no knowledge of it," he said, adding that he will get the matter looked into. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry shares the concerns of Paris and Berlin, which were expressed in a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of France and Germany on March 30, about the absence of progress in the process of peaceful settlement in Donbas during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Together with our partners in the Normandy format, Germany and France, we are calling on Russia as a party to the international military conflict to immediately fulfill its defense obligations under the Minsk Agreements, in particular, to ensure a lasting ceasefire in Donbas," the press service for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. In the meantime, Moscow has said more than once that Russia is not a party to the conflict in Donbas. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also said that Ukraine has previously drawn the attention of the international community to the inability to prevent the spread of coronavirus on the territories in the eastern party of the country uncontrolled by Kyiv. "In a situation of continuing military action and de facto closure of the occupied part of Donbas to the OSCE SMM [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission], establishments of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other international humanitarian non-governmental organizations [NGOs], local residents have found themselves in the position of hostages, defenseless in the face of the pandemic threat," the Foreign Ministry said. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry insists that Russia is obligated to ensure unimpeded access to the "occupied territories," including the section of the Ukrainian-Russian state border, in accordance with obligations assumed under the Minsk Agreements. "We are calling on Russia to ensure the full rights of illegally imprisoned Ukrainians to life and access to healthcare, to ensure the unimpeded and safe access of members of monitoring missions and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as Ukrainian doctors, to the population of the temporarily occupied territories for the purposes of conducting qualified medical examinations and treatment," the ministry said. According to earlier reports, on March 30, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a joint statement in which they expressed their concerns about the restrictions imposed on the OSCE SMM in Ukraine by the self-proclaimed Donbas republics on March 21, 2020. At 1:30am on Tuesday 24 March, an Italian air force plane landed at Leipzig airport in eastern Germany. Onboard were two men in their fifites from Bergamo in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which has suffered the deadliest form of coronavirus in the world. Both unconscious and breathing through ventilators, they were quickly transferred to Leipzigs University Hospital. Over the past week Germany has begun transferring around 50 Italian patients in critical condition to hospitals all over the country. It has also taken in 63 patients from Alsace, one of the worst-hit regions in France. The country has some of the highest numbers of intensive care beds in Europe according to 2011 data, Germany had 29.2 critical care beds per 100,000 people while Italy had 12.5. As Germany has so far escaped the levels of infection seen in some countries there have been 993 deaths compared to Italys 12,428 its healthcare system still has plenty of capacity. Weve been preparing for the pandemic now for a number of weeks and we currently have 45 intensive care beds free, Professor Sebastian Stehr, chair of the critical care department, tells The Independent. The situation in this region is still quite tranquil. The patients were selected by doctors in Bergamo and were judged to be in critical condition, yet still well enough to be transported. Prof Stehr admits that some on the original list of possible transfers may have died before the journey could start. All are unconscious and therefore unaware they have left the country. We have a physician here who worked in Italy for many years and is fluent, and she is speaking to their families daily, says Prof Stehr. It will take several days to weeks of treatment to see if they survive. At the moment I expect them to be in our intensive care unit for at least another 14 days. After Prof Stehr spoke to The Independent, he confirmed one of the patients had died from complications relating to Covid-19. As the border between France and Italy is closed, patients are being transported by each countrys air force. The Italian plane only had space for two ventilated patients, but Germany has now provided an airbus that can transport six a day. Inside of a Airbus A-310 Medivac before its departure to Germany from Italys Bergamo (EPA) They are the first critically ill Covid-19 patients most doctors in Leipzig have treated, but the hospitals are confident they will not contribute to spread of the disease. We have strict rules and regulations in regard to hygiene, says Professor Gerhard Hindricks, medical director of Leipzig Heart Centre which has also taken in two Italian patients. As long as everyone sticks to them meticulously, contamination is very unlikely. In the west of the country, patients from eastern France have been transported by train to neighbouring border regions after the head of the Haut-Rhin administrative district Brigitte Klinkert requested help from contacts in Switzerland and Germanys Baden-Wurttemberg district. I was very touched to receive positive responses with a few hours, she says. This shows that friendship and solidarity knows no borders. [The Rhine basin is] a real cross-border territory, in good times but also in times of crisis. There was a lot of emotion in the phone calls I had with German and Swiss politicians and doctors. Klinkert says she has already heard from one family whose father was transferred to Germany and is now out of intensive care. The neighbouring regions are planning to cooperate further, with a professor from the University Clinic of Freiburg offering to visit hospitals to exchange best practices. Politicians in this particular region know each other well and are used to cooperating, which has made the process run smoothly. We need better coordination [on healthcare between EU states]. But it would mean giving sovereignty to Brussels Marian Wendt, Germanys Christian Democrats Professor Hindricks also adds that there are already multiple communication channels between doctors in Italy, France, Germany and the UK exchanging best practices and advising each other on the purchase of equipment. In Germany, the scheme to take in Italian patients was headed by Marian Wendt, a politician with Angela Merkels Christian Democrats. Its a matter of humanity but also solidarity within the EU, he says. I come from Torgau, where the allied forces linked up in 1945. We have had two major floods and received aid from other European countries. Wendt, who was previously working on delivering supplies of facemasks to Italy, believes the EU needs a united response to Chinas massive PR efforts. Beijing has sent masks, ventilators and teams of doctors around the world some of which has proved faulty and won praise from Italys foreign minister Luigi Di Maio. It was a real propaganda show, said Wendt. That was one reason why I said, We have to do more. Healthcare is decided by individual nation states rather than at EU level, but this has not stopped criticism of European countries responses to Italys crisis. Earlier in the outbreak Italys ambassador the to EU, Maurizio Massari, expressed frustration over countries failure to heed a European Commission call to send equipment and supplies. We need better coordination [on healthcare between states], admits Wendt. But it would mean giving sovereignty to Brussels. But with divides between northern and southern Europe growing over what best policy to take as a union, particularly on the issue of EU coronabonds the impact of this display of cross-border solidarity remains to be seen. Florida has joined 33 other U.S. states in issuing a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday. WEAR-TV reports DeSantis mandated all Florida residents to stay at home except for essential services or activities. Restaurants, for example, will remain open for takeout or drive-thru. The order takes effect Thursday at midnight and lasts 30 days. Florida has nearly 7,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused of coronavirus; only four other states, including New York, have more cases. The Sunshine State has seen 87 deaths as of Wednesday. DeSantis has been repeatedly criticized for hesitating to issue quarantine orders, even as thousands of young adults visited Florida to party for spring break last month. He advised all residents ages 65 and older to stay at home beginning March 24 and allowed local governments to make further decisions, such as closing beaches. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told NBC on Wednesday that he was advising Americans to treat President Donald Trumps social distancing guidelines to be like national stay-at-home order. WBBH reports DeSantis said he wasnt planning to enact a statewide stay-at-home order unless the federal government recommends it. The Miami Herald reports DeSantis said previous suggestions from the White House for returning to normal life by Easter isnt going to happen." According to Business Insider, more than 80 percent of the U.S. has been told to stay at home, including over 270 million people in 33 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In most stay-at-home orders, residents are told shelter in place and only go out for essential work or essential services, such as food and medicine. Nearly 200,000 Americans have tested positive for coronavirus and over 4,000 have died from COVID-19 or complications related to the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University. Trump said Tuesday that the White House coronavirus task force is currently projecting 100,000 to 240,000 in the U.S. to die from the virus. Florida college students test positive for coronavirus after spring break Florida mega-church pastor arrested after holding services, defying large gathering ban New Yorkers fleeing to Florida to avoid coronavirus lockdown, DeSantis says Man, 34, dies of coronavirus after trip to Disney World, Universal in Florida Coronavirus sunk their dream wedding cruise; CNY couple says I do in Florida instead In an ongoing quest to provide the community with the most accurate and update information related to the coronavirus, the Huron Daily Tribune created an area for people to submit questions for our staff to find the answers to. The response has been excellent and we hope the answers provide some much needed clarity during an uncertain time. Here is the list of topics addressed thus far: A US body representing American technology workers has urged President Donald Trump to suspend for this year the H-1B visa programme, the most sought-after among the Indian IT professionals, to protect their interests amidst the massive layoffs in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Also read: Donald Trump warns US headed for very, very painful two weeks Companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. US Tech Workers, a nonprofit organisation which describes itself as representing the voices of American workers harmed by the H-1B visa programme, in its letter to Trump also urged him to suspend the H-2B visa programmes for the foreign guest workers too. We have written a letter asking that the H-1B & H-2B visa programme be suspended for this year due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Letters have been sent to the office of the President, to his Chief of Staff, & to all members of congress, the organisation said. H-2B visas are mostly for foreign farm workers. US businesses hire people from Latin American countries. With the historical displacement of workers, compounded by the current crisis, it is very concerning that the Department of Homeland Security is working to accelerate the delivery of H-1B and H2-B workers to the United States. We ask that you stand up for the productive class of this country and protect the interest of American workers, the letter said. Also read: H-1B workers seek 180 instead of 60-day stay in US amid layoffs According to some reports, the Department of Labour would be looking at 50-70 million unemployed Americans by the end of April. Last Thursday, unemployment claims ramped to three millions, shattering the record high of 695,000 in October 1982, the letter pointed out. We urge you to pause the H-1B visa programme that would bring in 85,000 workers this year and suspend the recently approved addition of 35,000 workers for the H-2B visa. Overall the importation of workers should be undertaken with great caution during this period of tremendous uncertainty, the letter said. Battling both a pandemic and the resulting fallout to our economy from the coronavirus is no time to approve employment visas for more foreign workers, wrote US Tech Workers in the letter to Trump. Economic experts fear massive layoffs in various sectors of the American economy due to the current economic distress that is only going to deteriorate in the coming months. A record 3.3 million Americans have filed initial jobless claims for the week ending March 21. Even as the peak of coronavirus in the US is two weeks away, millions of people in the country have lost their jobs. According to an estimate, some 47 million people could be rendered unemployed. Meanwhile, a report released by the CATO Institute think-tank, said that more than 200,000 petitions filed for Indians could die of old age before they receive green cards. This is mainly because of the projections according to which Indian technology workers would have to wait for decades to receive permanent legal residency or a Green Card. Based on the statistics obtained from the US government under the Freedom of Information Act, which is similar to Indias Right to Information, the institute said that for the first time, the US government has approved more than 1 million petitions for workers, investors, and their families who cannot receive legal permanent residence solely as a result of the low green card caps. The government is approving nearly two petitions for the employment-based immigrants for every Green Card it is issuing to them. At the current rate of increase, the backlog will exceed 2.4 million by 2030, it said. Skilled Indian workers make up 75 per cent of the employment-based backlog, and recently backlogged Indian workers face an impossible wait of nine decades if they all could remain in the line, the CATO Institute said. A Green Card allows a non-US citizen to live and work permanently in America. According to the estimates by the Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 850,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, and over 41,000 deaths. The US now has the highest number of cases in the world at 184,183 and more than 4,000 deaths. Kagiso Media Radio name new Jacaranda FM MD Kagiso Media Radio has named Deirdre King as the new managing director of Jacaranda FM. King joins the radio station from Nando's South Africa where she was employed as general manager of brand experience IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa), and prior to that, she served as head of marketing and communications (Africa) at The Walt Disney Company where she was responsible for, among others, the marketing of the company's motion picture business. Kagiso Media Radio chief executive Nick Grubb said King's media and marketing experience will help inject the business with new perspectives and they are excited to have her on board. King expressed her excitement about joining Jacaranda FM and is looking forward to bringing in a new level of freshness and innovation to the station's team. YEREVAN, 1 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 1 April, USD exchange rate is up by 0.49 drams to 504.96 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 1.38 drams to 552.07 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is down by 0.06 drams to 6.40 drams. GBP exchange rate is up by 1.72 drams to 624.08 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price is down by 126.31 drams to 26121.04 drams. Silver price is down by 1.81 drams to 226.15 drams. Platinum price is up by 27.67 drams to 11802.73 drams. Photo: Dan Perry/Flickr Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Chicago. More than 800 police officers, employees out sick in one day Read the full story on CBS47 Fresno. Illinois uses emergency alert to call for volunteers to fight COVID-19 Read the full story on www.wcsjnews.com. Area police departments adjust to serving during coronavirus pandemic Read the full story on Chicago Tribune. 3 finalists named for consideration as police superintendent Read the full story on Chicago Tribune. Housing advocates demand rent freeze Read the full story on Curbed Chicago. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the Chicago Police Department. The CPD had more than 800 officers and employees out sick Monday. That's about 6% of the entire force. At 10:20 Tuesday morning, many Illinois residents received an emergency alert for a Severe Threat Alert on their cellphones. This wasn't for a thunderstorm or tornado, but a call for licensed health care workers to join the fight against COVID-19. Emergency responders, including police and paramedics, are handling calls and other operations differently during the pandemic. Read the bios of the three finalists. As many as 173 persons who attended congregational prayers in the mosques in Uttarakhand over the last month have been quarantined, state Director General of Police Ashok Kumar said on Tuesday. He further said that 26 men from the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at the Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin have not returned from Delhi and they are still staying there. "Twenty six people of Uttarakhand participated in Tablighi Jamaat event at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz. They are still in Delhi. 173 out of 713 people who participated in regular prayers in mosques in the last 28 days have been quarantined," Ashok Kumar said. A huge religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin, Delhi last month. The gathering came into the spotlight after over 24 people who attended the event tested positive for coronavirus. Earlier today Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that a total of 2,361 people have been brought out from Markaz Nizamuddin in a joint operation by authorities which lasted 36 hours till 4 am today. Out of these, 617 have been sent to hospitals while the rest have been sent to different quarantine facilities, he said. An FIR has been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. The total number of coronavirus patients in India stood at 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new cases were reported. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prince Charles finally took the royal watchers' worries away after he sent a heartwarming message right after he recovered from COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales posted his first set of messages since he came out of the isolation. He made the statements through Clarence House's Twitter account. "Last week, the Prince of Wales spoke on the phone to the Chairman and Chief Executive of British Red Cross to hear the remarkable work the charity is doing in response to the COVID-19 crisis, both in the UK and overseas," the Clarence House tweeted. Another update narrated how the Prince wanted to send his thanks and best wishes to everyone at the British Red Cross, who are currently in charge of controlling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The team is reportedly supporting the country's medical centers and responding to the vulnerable people and elderlies right now. His Royal Highness, as the president of the British Red Cross, acknowledged the volunteers' efforts, most especially during the past few weeks. They have been successfully sending help to hospitals by ensuring that their patients can get home safely. Prince Charles On Surviving Deadly Virus The said good news came after the Clarence House confirmed that Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus. The heir to the throne reportedly displayed mild symptoms after he attended multiple events prior to his diagnosis. The royal residence went on and said that Queen Elizabeth II, who became the last one to meet Prince Charles after his dinner in relation to the Australian Bushfire Appeal, "followed all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare." "The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire, where they met the criteria required for testing," the Clarence House said that time. "It is not possible to ascertain from whom the prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks." A few days later, they announced that the Prince of Wales was already in good health and no longer in self-isolation. Good News According To Tarot Cards! In an exclusive interview with Dr. Rittu Mehta from PowerFortunes.com, she drew a tarot spread for the heir to the throne's present condition. "Most of the cards in this spread, directly relate to the condition of his health. Prince Charles' sun and moon signs are both, Scorpio and his name derived zodiac sign is Pisces," the tarot expert explained. "Two cards that are relevant to his life are 'Death' and 'The Moon'. However, neither of these cards appeared in his reading." She went on and claimed that the cards suggested that HRH will not face any disruptions anytime soon. While the origin where or from whom Prince Charles might have contracted the disease remains unknown, Mehta said that she can assume now that he caught the coronavirus "during the course of discharging his duties." In addition, she also randomly picked "The Wheel of Fortune" card which indicated that Prince Charles will become better and will have good health in the future. In a relief to foreign doctors, including from India, whose visas were set to expire in October this year, the UK government has extended the deadline by one year amid the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic London: In a relief to foreign doctors, including from India, whose visas were set to expire in October this year, the UK government has extended the deadline by one year amid the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The UK government on Tuesday confirmed that foreign doctors, including from India, whose visas are set to expire before October this year will get an automatic extension for one year as they battle the coronavirus pandemic for the countrys National Health Service (NHS). The extension, announced by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, will apply to around 2,800 migrant doctors, nurses and paramedics employed by the NHS whose visa is due to expire before 1 October. "Doctors, nurses and paramedics from all over the world are playing a leading role in the NHS'' efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives. We owe them a great deal of gratitude for all that they do," said Patel. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak "I don't want them distracted by the visa process. That is why I have automatically extended their visas free of charge for a further year, the Indian-origin minister said. The free of charge extension will also apply to their family members, demonstrating how valued overseas NHS staff are to the UK, the Home Office said. To get more doctors and nurses on the frontline, the restriction on the amount of hours student nurses and doctors can work in the NHS has also been lifted. On top of these changes, pre-registered overseas nurses who are currently required to sit their first skills test within three months and to pass the test within eight months, will now have this deadline extended to the end of the year. This will give overseas nurses more time to pass their exams, whilst they spend the immediate term working on the frontline. Trainee doctors and nurses will also not be limited by the number of hours they can work in the NHS during term time, the Home Office said. The extension to NHS visas will not only be fee-free and automatic but also exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The annual IHS, which was recently further hiked, has been branded as "unfair" by Indian doctors because they already pay their taxes. "We believe that this surcharge is discriminatory and unfair, as the overseas workers are already paying their due share of National Insurance contributions, superannuation and income tax," the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) said in its letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson just last week. "We request you to remove the health surcharge with immediate effect. The NHS has been in a workforce crisis for several years, but now with the COVID-19 epidemic, there has never been a worse time for an overstrained service, and we require all the help we can get to meet the challenges, read the letter, signed by BAPIO President Ramesh Mehta, chair Dr J.S. Bamrah and Secretary Professor Parag Singhal. The latest move could be seen as a sign that the UK government may be having a rethink on the surcharge, hiked from 400 pounds to 624 pounds per year and aimed at boosting NHS funds, being imposed on medics working for the health service. Insurers, which had been arguing in favor of the enrollment period, had been hopeful just a few days ago that the White House might announce such a step. But the situation suddenly became fluid, in the description of one executive. Another described the administration as divided about whether to proceed, especially given the presidents support for the lawsuit that would overturn the law. Numerous other health care provider and consumer groups, including the American Diabetes Association, Families USA and the New Hampshire Nurses Association, wrote a joint letter to the administration last month asking it to establish a special enrollment period. The groups argued that forcing people to verify eligibility would not only delay care receipt, it would deter enrollment by healthy customers, endangering the individual-market risk pool, the grouping of customers that determines what the insurers charge for a policy. Governors of several states also asked the administration to grant a special enrollment period, including Republican governors in Arizona and New Hampshire, and Democratic ones in Oregon, Michigan and New Jersey. Many Democratic politicians criticized the decision Wednesday as insensitive to the needs of the public in a crisis, including Joe Biden, who leads the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also released a statement, suggesting it may become a campaign issue. Democrats made health care a centerpiece of many House races in the 2018 midterm elections. In the midst of a global pandemic, Washington Republicans continue their crusade against the health and safety of the American public, said Fabiola Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the group, in the statement. By blocking uninsured Covid-19 patients from getting health care, Trump and his allies have decided to bankrupt American families. The American people deserve to know if House Republicans will stand up for the millions of Americans who face the challenge of being jobless and uninsured during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both Democratic and Republican members of Congress had also urged the administration to consider a special enrollment period. But Congress declined to require such an enrollment period in its last round of coronavirus legislation, instead leaving the decision to federal officials. In a statement Wednesday, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey recommended that Congress include a special enrollment provision in its next round of coronavirus legislation. He had also proposed such language be included in the last bill. At a time when our health care system is already under enormous strain, it makes no sense to willingly allow even more individuals to go without coverage, he said. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, eight hand sanitizing units were handed over to the district administration of Ernakulam by Southern Naval Command, here on Tuesday. The civil administration had requested the Navy for 30 units. Naval Ship Repair Yard, Kochi has prepared these units indigenously and has incorporated features for the prevention of Coronavirus. The unit consists of a stand with an integral foot-operated mechanism to dispense the soap. The modifications have been incorporated to ensure that usage of hand is avoided. In the period of lockdown where material availability has been scarce, the fabrication has been undertaken by the ingenious use of available scrap material, springs, empty containers of fire fighting foam, etc. While eight units were handed over to the district collector, more would be delivered as soon as the fabrication of the rest gets completed. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Marine Corps has suspended new recruit training at its main boot camp base on the East Coast after more than 20 people there tested positive for coronavirus. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina will not be accepting any new trainees until at least mid-April, base spokesman Capt Bryan McDonnell told Military.com. McDonnell declined to disclose the total number of COVID-19 infections reported at the entry-level training site but said there were more than 20, affecting both recruits and drill instructors. 'Just like everywhere, we're seeing an increase in cases because this is a pandemic,' McDonnell said. 'We're still combating it.' Meanwhile, recruits are still being shipped to the Marine Corps' other boot camp base in San Diego, which hasn't seen as many coronavirus cases as Parris Island, an official said. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina has stopped accepting new trainees after more than 20 people there tested positive for coronavirus (file photo) The decision to stop accepting new trainees at Parris Island came days after recruiters warned that continuing to send young people to boot camp was risking lives. 'Decision-makers are absolutely in denial if they believe high rates of infection and hospitalization will not happen on the depot under close proximity and enclosed spaces,' one Marine told Military.com. Marine Commandant Gen David Berger said the service's highest priority is protecting the health of Marines, recruits and their families during the global pandemic. 'With that in mind, we've paused this week's shipping of new recruits to Parris Island and will revise our overall shipping plan to ensure we are able to meet the nation's needs while protecting its next generation of Marines.' McDonnell said training for recruits already at Parris Island will continue as scheduled but with several new social distancing measures in place, adhering to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those measures include spreading recruits out at meal time and in their sleeping quarters. Services at the base chapel have also been canceled, with sermons now being streamed remotely. The last shipment of recruits arrived at the base - which is located roughly halfway between Charleston and Savannah on the South Carolina coast - about two weeks ago. It's unclear when the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported within its gates. Training for recruits already at Parris Island will continue as scheduled but with several new social distancing measures in place, according to a base spokesman (file photo) When the next crop of new recruits is brought in, McDonnell said they will be monitored by medical personnel for 14 days before they begin training. The base is also expanding its facilities for screening new recruits and isolating infected persons, according to a letter to staff signed by Parris Island's commander, Brig Gen James Glynn, and its top-enlisted officer, Sgt Maj William Carter. 'This aggressive posture is necessary to protect all of us,' Glynn and Carter wrote. 'This is a concern to us, just as it is to you, and it is being constantly addressed at every level to minimize the threat and mitigate this impact.' As of Tuesday morning, 1,259 military service members have tested positive and four have died. Last week, the Pentagon instructed bases and installations not to reveal the specific number of coronavirus cases affecting soldiers so as not to give potential enemies an advantage. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said that figures indicating the number of soldiers infected with the virus will be released to the media, but those figures will not be broken down specifically to each base. The new protocol came as COVID-19 outbreaks were reported on three aircraft carriers - the USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson. The commander of the Roosevelt, Capt Brett Crozier, penned an unprecedented letter to Navy top brass on Sunday calling to immediately remove 90 percent of its 5,00-person crew so they could be isolated. More than 100 sailors on that ship - which is currently docked in Guam - have reportedly contracted coronavirus as of Wednesday. Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd. (HKG:1877) investors will be delighted, with the company turning in some strong numbers with its latest results. Revenues were better than expected, with CN775m in sales some 14% ahead of forecasts. The company still lost CN0.96 per share, although the losses were marginally smaller than the analysts expected. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year. Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai Junshi Biosciences SEHK:1877 Past and Future Earnings March 31st 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Shanghai Junshi Biosciences from five analysts is for revenues of CN1.05b in 2020 which, if met, would be a huge 36% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. The loss per share is expected to ameliorate slightly, reducing to CN0.90. Before this earnings announcement, the analysts had been modelling revenues of CN1.05b and losses of CN0.88 per share in 2020. The consensus price target was unchanged at CN34.49, suggesting that the business - losses and all - is executing in line with estimates. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. The most optimistic Shanghai Junshi Biosciences analyst has a price target of CN36.62 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at CN32.54. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth. One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Shanghai Junshi Biosciences' revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 36%, compared to a historical growth rate of 90% over the past five years. Juxtapose this against the other companies in the industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenues (in aggregate) 36% next year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it looks like Shanghai Junshi Biosciences is forecast to grow at about the same rate as the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analysts reconfirmed their loss per share estimates for next year. Happily, there were no real changes to sales forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Shanghai Junshi Biosciences going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Shanghai Junshi Biosciences that you need to be mindful of. 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. Kerry Logistics Network Limited (HKG:636), which is in the logistics 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$13.62 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$8.82. 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 Kerry Logistics Network's current trading price of HK$9.61 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 Kerry Logistics Networks 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 Kerry Logistics Network What's the opportunity in Kerry Logistics Network? Good news, investors! Kerry Logistics Network is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is HK$18.45, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Kerry Logistics Networks share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. If you believe the share price should eventually reach its true value, a low beta could suggest it is unlikely to rapidly do so anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range. What does the future of Kerry Logistics Network look like? SEHK:636 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 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 over the next couple of years, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Kerry Logistics Network, at least in the near future. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Although 636 is currently undervalued, the negative outlook does bring on some uncertainty, which equates to higher risk. Consider whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to 636, 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 636 for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you research further into the stock. Given its current undervaluation, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Kerry Logistics Network. You can find everything you need to know about Kerry Logistics Network in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Kerry Logistics Network, 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. Launching a scathing attack on Iran, United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday, April 1, accused the Islamic Republic of planning an attack on US troops and assets in Iraq. Taking to Twitter, the American leader warned Iran that they would pay a "heavy price" in case of an attack. Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020 Read: Fact Check: Did Donald Trump Send 18 Tonnes Of PPE To China? Read: COVID-19: Donald Trump Asked To Suspend H-1B Visa Programme Amid Crisis Recent US-Iran Tensions This comes after a short period of calm in long-standing US-Iran tensions. In the latest series of attacks, the United Stated in January had launched an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, killing popular Iranian General Qasem Soleimani along with nine others. In retaliation, Iran was quick to launch military operations against the US and fired numerous ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops. However, one of the missiles also hit a Ukrainian jetliner and killed all 176 onboard, for which the Islamic nation faced global condemnation. Read: Despite Grim Projections, Trump Resists National Quarantine Pompeo hints at easing sanctions Trump's word of war against Iran comes as a complete turnabout to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's earlier statement. Pompeo on Tuesday, March 31, mentioned possibilities of the United States considering easing down its sanctions on Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic. Iran has reported 47,593 cases of the deadly virus with 3,036 cases of death. Previously, the US had imposed sanctions on Iran after President Trump abandoned Tehrans 2015 multilateral deal in a bid to limit the Islamic nation's nuclear program. Read: Trump: Early UK Virus Plan Would Be 'catastrophic' Image Credits: AP Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 16:10:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China will make preventing imported cases the top priority in the country's COVID-19 response at present and even for a "prolonged" period of time, President Xi Jinping said Wednesday. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection in east China's Zhejiang Province. The Ministry of Transport has asked airlines to stop carrying passengers to Vietnam as from 00:00 of April 1 until the end of April 15 as part of measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Aircraft of Vietnamese carriers (Photo: cafef.vn) In an urgent dispatch to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the ministry stated that the suspension will not be applied to those entering Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes, for participation in major diplomatic events, as well as to experts, business managers, highly skilled workers, and those receiving entry approval of the national committee on COVID-19 prevention and control. On March 29, the Transport Ministry also asked the CAAV and carriers to limit domestic flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to other cities and provinces to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 during the time from March 30 to April 15. Domestic airlines are allowed to transport passengers with a frequency of one flight a day on certain routes, including Hanoi-HCM City-Hanoi, Hanoi-Da Nang/Phu Quoc-Hanoi; HCM City-Da Nang/Phu Quoc-HCM City. In special cases when there is a need to transport passengers from local airports to Hanoi and HCM City and vice versa, airlines may ask the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnams permission in each specific case, the ministry said. Airlines are also asked to strictly adhere to the Ministry of Healths regulations on the isolation of foreign flight crews and mandatory electronic health declarations by passengers before boarding, as well as other preventive measures. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a range of stringent social distancing measures, including asking people to stay at home and banning gatherings of more than two people in public. The order will apply nationwide for 15 days, starting April 1 in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. The principle is that each family isolates itself from other families, one village from other villages, one commune from other communes, one province from other provinces," the directive said. The Vietnamese Government has decided to suspend cross-border activities of individuals at main and secondary border gates, and trails in border areas sharing with Cambodia and Laos from April 1 as part of measures to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19./. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 05:08:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Julia Pierrepont III LOS ANGELES, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Trying to get out ahead of the spreading COVID-19 epidemic in the United States, the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) reached out to key medical leaders in China to learn exactly what public health protocols and treatments they had instituted that enabled them to successfully and effectively stop the coronavirus outbreak in China. On a multi-continent conference call hosted on Monday by Stephanie Levine, president of the CHEST and professor of medicine in pulmonary and critical diseases at the University of Texas, San Antonio, medical practitioners across the United States got a detailed rundown of the successful procedures that turned the tide on COVID-19 in China. The two-day event was jointly sponsored by the CHEST, the Chinese Thoracic Society (CTS), the Chinese Association of Chest Physicians (CACP), and supported by the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles. "These protocols proved to be a crucial step in bringing the disastrous epidemic in Wuhan under control and can be just as effective anywhere," said Levine. The two keynote speakers, Chen Wang and Jieming Qu, are both frontline heroes at home and heavyweights in China's successful battle to curb the coronavirus. Chen Wang, a senior physician, is the president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, president of the Chinese Association of Chest Physicians (CACP), and former director of the Collaborating Center for Tobacco or Health of the World Health Organization. Right out of the gate, he stressed that "Herd Immunity" -- leaving patients to fend for themselves until enough became immune to the virus -- was unethical and never an option. Wang was posted to Wuhan at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak and is still there mopping up operations. He maintained the importance of strictly enforced isolation protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. China curbed the COVID-19 outbreak by using the following successful steps as he suggested: Mandating citywide isolation; designating specific hospitals for the critically ill; setting up temporary sub-medical facilities and "Fangcang Shelter Hospitals" or mobile cabin hospitals, that can admit asymptomatic and mild-to-moderately symptomatic patients to achieve strict control and isolation of all infectious sources. They also established quarantine sites such as empty hotels for people exposed to the virus and not yet symptomatic; strict and detailed protocols for each step in the management of COVID-19 patients and the protection of medical personnel; and implemented coordinated leadership groups that were given temporary administrative power to bypass the usual bureaucracies to coordinate and carry out comprehensive and intelligent public health mandates at different levels. One of Wang's own highly-effective innovations was creating the "Fangcang Shelter Hospital." This model hospital is designed as a large-scale health facility that can be rapidly built -- literally overnight -- by repurposing existing public structures that are already empty due to the coronavirus outbreak, such as stadiums, convention centers, gymnasiums, offices, airports and factories, into temporary housing and treatment facilities for thousands of patients. These facilities provide isolation, triage, medical care, monitoring and referral, shelter and social engagement mild-to-moderately infected patients in order to free up the intensive care hospitals for the severely and critically ill and help prevent the spread of the virus. Rounding out the seminar was Jieming Qu, president of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai and the president-elect of the Chinese Thoracic Society. Qu, a specialist in pulmonary infections, is the head of the Shanghai Coronavirus Action Plan. This plan kept Shanghai, a densely-packed city with a population in excess of 25 million, four times the size of New York city and six times the size of Los Angeles, from spiraling out of control following in the footsteps of Wuhan. Instead of becoming China's second disaster area, under Qu's guidance, it suffered only 400 cases and 4 fatalities. He stressed the need to implement the anti-viral effort using the following key steps: Immediately close all public venues; stop crowds and gatherings of any kind; restrict traffic flow in and out of the city; wear masks at all time when in public; frequently wash hands and disinfect; set up public temperature monitoring stations to identify transmission sources; provide COVID-19 testing for symptomatic individuals and healthcare professionals; deliver food and essential supplies by non-contact means; and strictly isolate the sick. It is worthy of note that, after implementing Qu's strict protocols, Shanghai has had no new cases in the last 28 days. The doctors also advocated for Rapid Medical Response Teams with experienced doctors and nurses, immediate intensive training for medical personnel on COVID-19 specifics, the reasonable and fair distribution of medical resources wherever needed nationwide, and sufficient protective equipment for medical personnel and first responders serving on the frontlines in the war against COVID-19. Chris Carol, professor of pediatric critical care at University of Connecticut at Harford, and head of the CHEST Critical Care Network, pointed out that the personal protection equipment (PPE) worn by healthcare workers in China were better and provided significantly more protection than the ones used by U.S. healthcare workers. He also noted that Chinese citizens appeared to be much more willing to wear masks while in public than Americans were. "Is that a cultural thing?" he queried. China has bought time for the rest of the world to prepare for the outbreak in their country, but sadly, few, if any, seemed to have taken advantage of those precious three months to get better prepared or work together toward a common goal. Wang made an impassioned plea, "We should act together to stop the spread of the virus. We should help each other and look after each other. Solidarity is needed and conflict should be set aside." He expressed the strong belief that this is the time for solidarity, compassion, and, above all, collaboration. "Countries have a responsibility to show up, step up and gear up. We can slow down transmission, prevent infection, and save lives through our personal, national and international efforts," he said. "People of all countries should join forces to strengthen our global response against COVID-19 and work together to build a shared future for mankind." The embassy at Iran is in touch with the 250 people stranded there. They will be brought back, whenever there is possibility Medics screen passengers, who were airlifted from Iran, before being sent for a mandatory isolation period to an Indian Army Wellness Facility in Jodhpur. PTI photo New Delhi: The Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court that 250 Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran, have tested positive for coronavirus and have not been evacuated, while over 500 have already been brought back. The top court observed that it is thinking of asking the Indian embassy to constantly monitor the situation and be in touch with the stranded Indians in Iran. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said it will pass the orders in favour of the petitioners and would ask the Indian embassy to take fresh tests and look into the possibility of bringing them back as and when possible. It observed that government is taking the matter seriously. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre said that many of the Indians stranded in Iran have been brought back. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, said that not all of those stranded have been brought back and around 250 people, who have tested positive are still there and are at the mercy of Iranian authorities. He said the court ask the Solicitor General to take instruction about bringing back 250 people, who have tested positive, still stranded in Iran. Mehta countered the arguments and said that at present all International flights have been cancelled and authorities are waiting for a decision of Ministry of External Affairs. Our embassy at Iran is in touch with the 250 people stranded there. They will be brought back, whenever there is possibility, he said, adding, that the petition has become infructuous. To this, the bench told Hegde that that those people, who are stranded in Iran are being taken care of and the matter should be left on government now. You (petitioner) can raise this issue again when need arises, the bench said. Hegde contended that many of Indian citizens who are still in Iran do not have symptoms and if they are asked to stay in hotels, where others with symptoms are being quarantined, they may develop it there. He said that 250 people in Iran don't have money, medicines and other amenities and why can't they be brought to a place like Leh? Mehta replied that many people who were earlier brought back and sent to Leh and other places have now developed symptoms. The bench said that it will issue an order in favour of their repatriation as and when the health situation of stranded Indians improves. Iran is one of the countries worst affected by the global pandemic, also called Covid-19, and has reported over 2,000 deaths so far due to coronavirus. Petitioner Mustafa MH, a resident of Union Territory of Ladakh, has said in his plea that some of his relatives had travelled to Iran along with a group of about 1,000 pilgrims in December last year. 'The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak', Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting Dubai: Irans president said on Wednesday the United States had missed a historical opportunity to lift sanctions on his country during the coronavirus outbreak, though he said the penalties had not hampered Tehrans fight against the infection. It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise ... and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak The sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The Punchestown Festival, due to start at the end of April, has been cancelled - it was confirmed this afternoon. Nearly a month ago, as the first cases of Coronavirus were confirmed in Ireland, the management team at Punchestown Racecourse had insisted they were pressing ahead with the event. The five-day event, which was due to run from April 28 to May 2, is County Kildares most valuable sporting occasion. According to some estimates it is worth over 60m to the local economy with many racegoers travelling to the races from the UK and mainland Europe. However a statement from Punchestown announced this afternoon: "Following consultation with Horse Racing Ireland and the relevant statutory bodies the Punchestown Festival has been cancelled in response to the ongoing threat to public health due to Covid-19. "Punchestown Racecourse would like to take this opportunity to reassure all of their clients that they will be operating a full refund policy as a result of the event not going ahead. "The Punchestown team will communicate directly with all clients in due course as they endeavour to manage this process as efficiently as possible. "The Punchestown team are adhering to government work place restriction guidelines and the commencement of the refund process will take place at the earliest opportunity." The 2021 Punchestown Festival is scheduled to take place from Tuesday 27th April to Saturday 1st May. Speaking on behalf of Punchestown Racecourse, CEO Conor ONeill said The cancellation of the 2020 Punchestown Festival is of course very disappointing although in these unprecedented times it is certainly the appropriate decision. Above all, the health and safety of our visitors, clients, staff and participants is of paramount importance and that has been the key focus in the decision making process. These are very difficult times for everyone both from a business and a personal point of view and I would like to reassure all of our clients that we will offer a full refund policy. ONeill continued On behalf of the directors, management and staff of Punchestown Racecourse, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those that have supported us from our sponsors and clients to the racing industry and the community of Kildare and beyond. In particular, thank you for your patience over the past number of weeks which has enabled us to work in conjunction with Horse Racing Ireland and the relevant government authorities as we have continuously monitored and assessed the feasibility of various scenarios before ultimately making the decision to cancel the event in its entirety. In these difficult and challenging times we send our support and best wishes to all and together we can look forward to better days ahead. The Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) said that it had met today and in response to the need to provide as much clarity as possible to the racing industry, in very uncertain times, the Board agreed it was prudent to bring the 2019/2020 National Hunt season to a close at this point. The Board also discussed a strategy that would allow Irish racing to return as quickly as possible once it is appropriate to do so and within Government guidelines. The Board recognised that, at least initially, racing would restart on the Flat and most likely behind closed doors, with adherence to strict social distancing protocols as were successfully operated at ten race fixtures in March. Nicky Hartery, Chairman of Horse Racing Ireland, said: We have stressed throughout that Government and HSE guidelines around fighting Covid-19 must come first and racing will only be able to resume when the Government guidelines permit and when there is adequate medical cover in place to ensure that race meetings can be staged safely. No-one can predict when this point will be reached. What the Board agreed today was a plan to get back racing once those guidelines allow. A number of fixture and race programme scenarios have been developed by the executive which will ensure a timely and agile response when a potential restart date becomes clearer. The plan for a staggered resumption strategy would initially see a programme of solely Flat racing fixtures for one month so as to prioritise the portion of the horse population which most require the resumption of racecourse action, whilst also minimising potential requirement for medical support. The decision was also taken by the Board to end the 2019/2020 National Hunt season immediately, with the spring festivals at Fairyhouse and Punchestown not to be rescheduled. Instead an enhanced National Hunt programme from October to December 2020 will be revealed later this year and it is intended to include in that programme the 2020 BoyleSports Irish Grand National. Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland said: Like many other sectors, the racing and breeding industry in Ireland will take a seismic economic blow from the fall-out of Covid-19. We will be working closely with Government to limit the long-term impact of this pandemic. We know that jobs will be lost in a key rural industry and that the viability of some industry institutions will come under serious threat. We are working on a range of industry supports which we hope to announce in the coming weeks. Once an achievable target resumption date can be identified, a new fixture list covering the rest of the year will be quickly published based on our on-going work, along with revised race programmes which will cater for the entire horse population. While the conclusion of the National Hunt season is a major blow for that sector and jump racing enthusiasts, in making an early decision we want to give as much certainty as possible to owners and trainers and this plan will allow winter National Hunt horses to take advantage of summer grass, reducing the costs for National Hunt owners, with the knowledge of an enhanced programme to come for them from the Autumn onwards, circumstances permitting. How do you keep the kids entertained when theyre trapped indoors if you dont want them in front of a screen all day? Encourage them to love reading with our guide to the best books for all ages. Weve chosen individual titles that stand the test of time, rather than long-running series such as Harry Potter and The Narnia Chronicles. So from Winnie The Pooh to The Gruffalo, theres a story to suit even the pickiest child... Rose Burn pictured in 2003 film I Capture The Castle, which is based on a book listed below PICTURE BOOKS WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak A surreal flight of imagination, this follows young Max who, banished to his room for bad behaviour, sails away to the land of the Wild Things. There, as their newly crowned king, he enjoys a rumpus. But the pull of home calls him back in this stunning, dreamlike adventure. NOT NOW, BERNARD by David Mckee All children love shouting out the refrain from this story of little Bernard, whose perpetually preoccupied parents fail to notice he has been eaten up by a monster who then takes his place. (The moral is even more relevant in an era of adults glued to mobile phones...) THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle From the moment the caterpillar hatches, he is ravenous. On each page, with perfectly sized holes for inquisitive small fingers, theres a daily growing feast of one delicious apple, two pears, three plums to nibble until he transforms into a beautiful butterfly. Carles wartime memories of hunger inspired this incredibly vivid bestseller. EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Judith Ahlberg This timeless book combines I Spy with favourite nursery rhymes and fairy tales (Cinderella, Mother Hubbard etc) as children are asked to spot the famous characters hidden in the busy, intricate pictures. Each reading reveals more in this family favourite. THE TIGER WHO CAME FOR TEA by Judith Kerr When Sophie and her mum open the door to an uninvited visitor, they soon learn that a huge, hungry tiger will gobble up all their food and drink. Kerrs signature bold pictures and simple repetition never wear thin. Wartime refugee Kerr always denied this had any Gestapo symbolism he was simply a hungry tiger... DOGGER by Shirley Hughes No one reassures the anxieties of children with more warmth and understanding than Shirley Hughes. When Dave loses his much-loved toy dog, Dogger, hes inconsolable. The drama intensifies when Dogger is found for sale at the school fair but all ends well before bedtime. HAT BOX SET by Jon Klassen I cheated by including three linked books in this fabulous box set: I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat and We Found A Hat. Klassens dark, dead-pan humour and powerfully expressive illustrations make these apparently simple stories worthy of endless re-readings. THE GRUFFALO by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler One of many classics by this pair, The Gruffalo celebrates using your wits to defeat your enemies. A little mouse wards off predators by warning them that a terrible monster is coming, one he has created in his imagination. Except theres a double twist in the tale... PUMPKIN SOUP by Helen Cooper This beautifully illustrated book is the ideal read for children cooped up and squabbling. Squirrel, Cat and Duck live in perfect harmony, making pumpkin soup every day. But when Duck demands to be Head Cook, theres a terrible row before they all realise that friendship trumps everything. OWL BABIES by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson The ultimate bedtime read to snuggle up with young children, this gentle, touching book looks at three baby owls who wake up to discover their mother has gone missing and theyre alone. Their worst fears dissolve into relief as she swoops back to the nest. YOUNG FICTION WINNIE THE POOH by A. A Milne, illustrated by E. H Shepherd Generations have warmed to the adventures of hunny- loving Pooh, eager Piglet and Christopher Robin because the perfectly pitched dry humour appeals to adults and children on different levels. What shines from every page is a loving appreciation of friendship and loyalty, charmingly depicted by E.H. Shepherds drawings. Tiddely Pom. Age 4+ CHARLOTTES WEB by E. B. White This deeply affecting story of Fern, who lives on a farm where she rescues Wilbur the piglet from the slaughterhouse, really revolves around Wilburs friendship with Charlotte, a wonderfully wise and kind spider. If you dont end up in tears at some point, you are made of stone. Age 6+ MATILDA by Roald Dahl How impossible to choose just one Dahl title but this has all his special ingredients. It has a magical child prodigy, crass, neglectful parents, a wicked, cruel headmistress in Miss Trunchbull and a kind supportive teacher, Miss Honey. Dahls excessive glee in portraying the awfulness of Miss Trunchbull never fails to entertain. Age 7+ THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame Theres something so quintessentially British about this tale from the riverbank where Mole, Ratty, Badger and the irrepressible Mr Toad have their adventures. Class war, modernisation (Toad in his motor car: Poop Poop!) and spiritual musings mingle with lyrical evocations of the ever-changing countryside. Age 7+ Dont miss our free Wind In The Willows audiobook featured on Page 32. THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER by Jacqueline Wilson Jacqueline Wilsons depiction of troubled ten-year-old Tracy, brought up in a childrens home she calls The Dumping Ground, introduced a fresh and realistic new voice that has stood the test of time. Angry, frustrated and temperamental, her spiky diary entries reveal her sadness and longing for a family as well as her wit and humour. Age 8+ JOURNEY TO THE RIVER SEA by Eva Ibbotson The lush, rich backdrop of the Amazonian rainforest in 1910 sets the tone for this hugely rewarding journey taken by orphaned Maia, sent with her governess on a boat down the Amazon to live with appalling relatives. The family insist on living an English lifestyle, immune to the natural world around them, so Maia teams up with two orphaned boys to change all their futures. Age 9+ GOODNIGHT MR TOM by Michelle Magorian Of all the excellent wartime stories for children, this moving account of Willie, evacuated to a tiny English village where he is billeted with gruff, grieving widower Tom, stands out. Willie, whose own mother is abusive, gradually makes friends but it is the healing, protective relationship between the old man and his young charge that brings a lump to the throat. SKELLIG by David Almond David Almond challenges his readers and never more so than in this poignant book in which ten-year-old Michael, consumed with anxiety about his premature baby sister, discovers an ailing, winged man in the garage of their new home, whom he nurtures. He shares his secret with new-found friend Mina, and forms a bond that changes both their lives. Extraordinary. Age 10+ THE EXPLORER by Katherine Rundell Rundell is an astonishing young talent and her books combine old-fashioned, edge-of-your-seat adventure with richly imagined characters. A trip she took down the Amazon inspired this story of four children who find themselves alone in the rainforest after a plane crash. They not only learn to survive but discover a lost city and an eccentric missing explorer. Read everything she writes. Age 10+ THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman This has one of the most chilling openings to a childrens book as the man Jack creeps into a house and murders a family, but cannot find the toddler son who has wandered into the night. The little boy ends up in a graveyard, where two ghosts adopt Nobody, as they call him, and vow to keep him safe. As the years go by we watch Bod grow, shielded by spectres, until he can take his revenge and rejoin the living world. A fantasy thriller like no other. Age 11+ TEEN AND YOUNG ADULT REVOLVER by Marcus Sedgwick DONT be misled by the slimness of this volume it crackles with more razor-sharp tension and tightly coiled plotting than books twice its length. Fifteen-year-old Sig finds his dad frozen to death on the icy Arctic lake outside their cabin just before a violent stranger arrives with the disturbing truth about Sigs fathers past. All the boy has to defend himself with is the old revolver his dad gave him but will using it destroy his own moral values? Bang on target. THE OWL SERVICE by Alan Garner This gripping fantasy set in an eerie Welsh valley in the 1960s is based on a folk legend about a woman made of flowers who is turned into an owl as a punishment for conspiring with her lover to kill her husband. Here, three teenagers, Gwyn, Alison and her stepbrother Roger, spend their summer in a big house where they find in the attic an old dinner service on which Alison sees not flower patterns but owls. Has the curse returned? Menacing and tense throughout. THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge The overall winner of the 2015 Costa Book of the Year Award, this superb Victorian melodrama traces teenage Faiths rebellion against the hypocrisy and female repression of the era. When Faiths beloved naturalist father is accused of faking his fossil research, he takes the family to a remote island where his body is soon found in suspicious circumstances. She then discovers his hidden precious plant, a trance-inducing Lie Tree that feeds off human falsehoods and reveals powerful secrets, and uses it to unravel the mystery of his death with tragic consequences. THE SKYLARKS WAR by Hilary McKay McKay is a superb writer for any age range but this is something special. Clarrys mother died just after she was born in 1902, and her father effectively abandoned her and her older brother, Peter, to be raised by relatives and servants the only bright spot being holidays in Cornwall with their charismatic older cousin, Rupert. We follow them through 16 years of social change, culminating in Ruperts enlistment in World War I. That the reader knows what the future holds makes the story all the more heartrending. Funny, moving and emotionally insightful, it should be read by everyone. A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay Ness made his name with his Chaos Walking trilogy, but its the intensity of this story, originally conceived by terminally ill author Siobhan Dowd, that continues to haunt. Thirteen-year-old Conor wakes from a nightmare and hears a voice calling him. It belongs to a towering human tree that says it will tell Conor three stories then the boy must confess one truth of his own. At its heart is Conors terror of his sick mother dying and his unspoken longing for her not to suffer. A raw and powerful exploration of grief and fear. Always choose the edition with Jim Kays breathtakingly atmospheric illustrations. HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff Rosoffs exce-ptional first novel has a timely grimness to it it looks at what happens when an unidentified enemy separates you from those you love most. Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from New York to live in a rural English idyll with her four cousins, one of whom, Edmond, she falls in love with. When war breaks out and England is invaded, she is forced to unleash survival skills and a resilience she didnt know she possessed. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith SEVENTEEN-year-old narrator Cassandra lives with her bohemian, impoverished family in a dilapidated castle, but their lives change when two wealthy American brothers become their new landlords. Older sister Rose holds the familys future in her hands when she attracts the brothers attentions but, as Cassandra records in her diaries, this is not a conventional romantic plot. It is her funny, spirited and relentlessly chipper voice that remains long after the last page. THIS DARK ENDEAVOUR by Kenneth Oppel A disturbing Gothic prequel to Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, this introduces 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein and his desperately ill twin, Konrad. Having discovered ancient alchemy books containing the forbidden Elixir Of Life in their fathers library, he persuades his beautiful cousin, Elizabeth, to help him find the alchemist who might save Konrad. At the same time, Victor recognises a deep jealousy of his brother, with whom Elizabeth is in love. Its this battle between good and evil that torments Victor who will go on to create the monster... A GATHERING LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly Based on the real murder of Grace Brown in upstate New York in 1906, this award-winning debut set the standard for Young Adult literature. Mattie Gokey lives with her widowed father on a struggling farm but loves books. Her closest schoolfriend is Weaver, a poor black boy who aspires to be a lawyer. When Grace, a guest at a local hotel, entrusts Mattie with a bundle of letters but is found drowned the next day, Mattie turns detective. Beautifully written. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee This classic of the American south broadens the mind and expands the heart. In Atticus Finch, a 1930s liberal, compassionate lawyer, Lee created a role model not just for his own sparky, endearing children Scout and Jem, but for a town living with segregation and a lack of basic human rights. When Finch defends a black man accused of raping a white girl, he exposes the ugly face of injustice. Read and re-read. WSUs College of Health Professions Provides Medical Facilities with Ventilators and Protective Supplies April 1, 2020 OGDEN, Utah Medical facilities are currently facing a severe shortage of vital supplies needed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Weber State Universitys Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions has helped fill that need by providing ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals and clinics. Every day it becomes more evident, we are in a place we have never been before, said Susan Thornock, Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing chair. Social isolation and staying at home may give us the false perception we are in this alone, but we are not. In fact, the opposite is true, we need to help each other get through this. How we help each other will need to be different but should still be part of our existence. Weber State is a great teaching institution, and this is just another lesson in how we can give back. The School of Nursing and the Department of Respiratory Therapy joined forces to provide McKay-Dee Hospital with 15 ventilators on March 15. The hospital will refurbish the ventilators and return them to WSU when they are no longer needed. In addition, the School of Nursing received word from the Midtown Community Health Center and the Ogden Clinic there was a need for other supplies, especially N95 masks. In response, a message was sent out to all departments within the College of Health Professions, and they immediately began working together to gather donations. As healthcare professionals we are always looking for opportunities to serve in our community, said Kristine Bouwhuis, simulation operations manager in the nursing school. We are dedicated to reaching out in times of need, especially now with this virus closing in on our community. It has affected many, and as we have been able to collaborate, we have identified areas that could benefit from some of our leftover supplies. Once supplies were collected, the College of Health Professions donated them to the Midtown and Ogden Clinics. As of March 31, the College of Health Professions has donated 200 N95 masks, 800 patient masks, 200 fluid-resistant gowns, 110 bottles of hand sanitizer, 200 head covers as well as boxes of gloves and eye goggles. We are so appreciative of the outpouring of support from the community, specifically Weber State University and their donation of necessary medical supplies to our frontline employees, said Ogden Clinics Chief Executive Officer Kevin Porter. It is great to see the positive impact of collaboration and support. Since WSU students and faculty have been working from home, all clinical and lab rotations were canceled for the remainder of the semester. The change of schedule meant the College of Health Professions had extra supplies on hand, which they used to distribute. It has been wonderful working with everyone across the various departments, Thornock said. They are caring people, willing to do whatever it takes to help our community during this time of a pandemic crisis. Their quick response and willingness to collect, pick up and deliver these supplies is part of what makes our college of health professionals such a great place to work and go to school. For photos, visit the following link: wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Marketing-Communications/Covid-19-Response/Medical-Donations Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. Lotte E&C is very strongly interested in the Yen Vien-Lao Cai railway route This report is a demonstration of Lotte E&C's determination to develop the Yen Vien-Lao Cai railway route. This is because the Ministry of Transport warned the investor in a document that the route is not on the list of public-private partnership (PPP) projects it calls for investment, thus the investors have to build the report on their own and there are expected to be many potential investors to compete for the project. Lotte E&C sees massive potential in this railway route, which is a part of the Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor connecting Kunming (China) and Haiphong (Vietnam). This area plays an important role in cross-border trade. In the pre-feasibility study, Lotte E&C proposed taking charge of the development of component project No.1, including building a new station and upgrading related infrastructure. The investor proposed the construction to be implemented under the PPP model with a build-lease-transfer (BLT) contract. In addition, state-owned railway giant Vietnam Railways would be responsible for the management and exploitation of railway infrastructure and the operation of the entire national railway network. Furthermore, in order to ensure feasibility, the investor required the ministry to develop component project No.2 simultaneously, which includes the Lao Cai-Ha Khau connecting railway route. Lotte E&C was a contractor taking part in the first phase of the project, which cost $166 million and was completed in late April 2015. In South Korea, the company was involved in several railway projects such as the Gyeongbu high-speed railway, the Cheongnyangni-Deokso double-decker train railroad, and the railroad linking Busan centre to the citys port. Along with this project, Lotte E&C is also interested in the North-South Expressway, the North-South High-Speed Railway, and Long Thanh International Airport. BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. -- Its been 14 days since Sarah and Matt Caldera have visited their 11-week-old son, Mateo. Mateo was born 15 weeks premature. He has spent his entire life to this point in the neonatal intensive care unit at Crouse Hospital. Two weeks ago, after spending every day and night by their babys side, the Calderas decided to stop visiting Mateo. They couldnt risk bringing a highly contagious virus into a ward full of vulnerable infants, including their own. Its still a hard decision, Sarah said Monday, fighting back tears. Probably the hardest decision of my life. Of our lives. The Calderas judgment call meant missing out on first moments with their baby in person. It meant two weeks of worry and wonder about how hes doing. Its a sacrifice they felt they needed to make to protect their infant son and the people watching over him 24 hours a day. Thanks to some creativity on behalf of the nurses and staff in the NICU, however, the Calderas have been able to video chat (sort of) with their infant son. For a few hours a day, they check in on Mateo from the screen of an iPhone -- the same way so many of us have been forced to keep in touch with those we love. *** Sarah gave birth to Mateo at home in Baldwinsville on Jan. 11. The baby weighed 1lb. 7oz. The labor came as a surprise. Sarah had gone to the doctor the previous day with stomach pains. Her doctor told her she was likely having Braxton Hicks contractions, commonly known as false labor. The doctor recommended she go home, stay off her feet and drink some water. The next day, she and Matt delivered Mateo at home, alone. We delivered him, just the two of us, Matt said. The first responders arrived about 10 minutes after he was born. They rushed us to the hospital. At first, the Calderas spent days and nights by Mateos side in shifts while also taking care of their two children at home. They sat beside his isolette, a clear incubator that imitates the conditions of the womb. They read to him or sang to him or told him stories about family members. On rare occasions, they got to hold him or touch their fingers to his. They split their time between home and the hospital for all of January and February. Then came coronavirus. As the Covid-19 pandemic intensified in New York, hospitals across the state adopted increasingly strict visitation policies. Parents with children in the NICU were limited to visiting during a four-hour window each day. Almost all other visitors were banned from the building. The emergence of more cases of the virus in Onondaga County forced the Calderas to weigh the risk and reward of going to the hospital. Two weeks ago, they made a heart-wrenching decision. They had to stop visiting Mateo. We just made the decision to self-quarantine ourselves for two weeks and try not to bring any germs up there for his own safety, Sarah said. Theres already babies fighting and people fighting to be healthy. And the nurses and all the other staff that needs to stay healthy, especially with everything saying stay home. The Calderas also didnt want to take a chance theyd catch the virus at the hospital and get themselves sick or bring it home to their children, who are nine and 12 years old. Their reasoning aligns with everything officials are telling people to do. But that didnt make it any easier. To make up for those lost hours and days, the hospital started experimenting with virtual visits. Nurses brainstormed ways to let the Calderas see Mateo using an iPad or iPhone. The process was tricky. There are Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) concerns to worry about. Mateo is in a room with seven other babies. If the Calderas were to hear doctors or nurses discussing treatment or medical issues for other infants, it could be a HIPAA violation. So the hospital found a compromise. They set a device up to stream video of Mateo but no sound. And they enabled the speakers on that device. The Calderas can talk to Mateo and he can hear their voices and see their faces, but the Calderas cant hear anything happening in the room. They video chat daily with their son, telling him stories about family members or reading to him. Theyve watched through a screen as he marks major milestones. Last Saturday he took his first bath. Then he had his first bottle. Mateo is up to almost 3 lbs. now. His parents call him Miracle Mateo and use the hashtag #MateoStrong. It will be several more months before Mateo can come home. And no one is sure when the coronavirus threat will subside, though the president recently extended social distancing policies through the end of April. In the meantime, the hospital is trying to expand the video chat program so more parents can see and talk to their babies more often. Mateo is one of about 60 babies in the NICU at Crouse Hospital. The hospital doesnt have enough devices to keep all of them equipped with videos for on-demand viewing from parents. For now, then, parents can arrange a time to see their baby. But only one parent can visit at a time, and only within a four-hour window. But the hospital is seeking donations of devices to expand the program, according to Chief Operating Officer Seth Kronenberg, M.D. And staff is working to adjust to the new rules. We had open visitation prior to this," Kronenberg said. "This has been a big change both for our staff as well as the patients. Sarah Caldera praised everyone from the doctors to the nurses to the paramedics who responded the night of her surprise birth. Shes been spreading the word through social media about the need for devices, asking people to donate so other parents can spend virtual time with their newborns. Words could never express our immense gratitude, she said. Crouse is seeking donations of devices like iPhones or iPads to help more parents see their newborns, and to help other patients stay connected while deprived of visitors. Email crousefoundation@crouse.org or call 315-470-7702 to arrange a way to donate devices or money. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS The EU does not recognize the decree. The European Union says that Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent order banning non-Russian citizens from owning land in Russia-occupied Crimea violates international humanitarian law. "Russia has recently added, by a presidential decree, most of Crimea and Sevastopol to the list of border territories of the Russian Federation in which non-Russian citizens are prevented from owning land," Peter Stano, the lead spokesperson of European Union External Action for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement on April 1. "The decree is [] a violation of international humanitarian law, as it is another step towards the imposition of Russian citizenship in the peninsula. This could also lead to the arbitrary deprivation of property." Read alsoUkraine to sue Russia in int'l courts after Ukrainians in Crimea banned from owning land plots The European Union says it does not recognize the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, which is a clear violation of international law. "Therefore, the European Union does not recognise this decree, which is yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia. Crimea is part of Ukraine," it said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Putin on March 20, 2020, expanded the list of territories where foreigners are not allowed to own land. The list includes most of the areas in Russia-occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Ukraine would appeal to international courts over Russia's ban on Ukrainians' ownership of land on the peninsula, which was seized by Russia from Ukraine in March 2014. Sylvester Stallone and family seem to be big Tiger King fans. The Rocky hero, 73, wife Jennifer Flavin and daughters Sistine, Sophia, and Scarlet decided to waste some quarantine time by playing dress up, each transforming into one of the unbelievable characters from the Netflix docuseries for their Instagrams. 'TIGER KING fever has taken over!' he wrote in the caption of the stir-crazy social media post shared Tuesday. Scroll down for video The cat's meow! Sylvester Stallone and family dressed up like the characters from the hit Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness While Sly played Vegas villain Jeff Lowe his wife Jennifer took the role of Carole Baskin, maybe-murderer and founder of Florida animal sanctuary Big Cat Rescue. Daughter Sophia took the role of Tiger King Joe Exotic, throwing on a fringed jacket and painting on some facial hair to achieve the perfect look. The actor's other girls Sistine and Scarlet played Joe's dentally-challenged ex-husband John Finlay and Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park employee Erik Cowie. The Stallone family gave followers a very, very abridged version of the seven part doc in a video clip. Purr-fect: Sly played Vegas villain Jeff Lowe while daughter Sophia was the Tiger King Joe Exotic The real deal: The real Joe is seen on the left while Jeff is seen to the right Hey cool cats and kittens! The Rocky actor's wife Jennifer took the role of Carole Baskin, maybe-murderer and founder of Florida animal sanctuary Big Cat Rescue Queen of the cats: Above is the real Carole with one of her beloved cats What a character: Sistine played Joe's dentally-challenged ex-husband John Finlay (left) while Scarlett was Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park employee Erik Cowie (right) Flavin simply nailed her Carole impression as she started the clip telling followers 'Hey all you big cats and kittens,' with the perfect drawl, all while carrying the family dog, who was dressed like a little lion. Then the camera panned to her hubby, who - in character - called her 'Cuckoo land.' Sophia popped in as Joe, telling everyone: 'Both of them are corrupt! I'm Joe Exotic. She killed her husband, she fed him to a tiger. He stole my entire sanctuary.' Jennifer/Carole chimed in, saying: 'So what? I got $2million.' Here, kitty kitty: Flavin simply nailed her Carole impression as she started the clip telling followers 'Hey all you big cats and kittens,' with the perfect drawl, all while carrying the family dog, who was dressed like a little lion Cray cray: Then the camera panned to her hubby, who - in character - called her 'Cuckoo land' Fans: The family was clearly enjoying their dress-up time Accusations: Sophia popped in as Joe, telling everyone: 'Both of them are corrupt! I'm Joe Exotic. She killed her husband, she fed him to a tiger. He stole my entire sanctuary' Then Sophia/Joe comes in with a fury, telling everyone: 'I shouldn't be in jail. Get me out. This is all fraud. He's a fraud, she's a fraud.' Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness tells the stranger-than-fiction story of some of America's most eccentric big cat enthusiasts. The series is streaming on Netflix now. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke over phone to discuss a coordinated effort by India and the US to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far infected more than 850,000 people and claimed over 42,000 lives globally. Jaishankar spoke to Pompeo over phone on Tuesday. This is the second call between the two leaders in recent weeks after the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier on March 14, the two top diplomats discussed ways in which India and the US could cooperate to address this global challenge. The issue also figured in the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump during the latter's trip to India in February. Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the coronavirus, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and health care manufacturing and supply chains, Pompeo said in a tweet after the phone call between the two leaders. The number of those infected by the deadly disease surged to 164,000 and fatalities crossed 3,100 in the US. In India, there are over 1,400 infections and at least 45 deaths due to the disease. According Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, over 850,000 people globally have contracted the disease, while over 42,000 people have died of it. According to State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, the Secretary of State highlighted the importance of continued close cooperation between the US, India and other close partners and allies to combat this international crisis. He also reiterated the US' unwavering commitment to work with India to advance peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, the spokesperson said in a readout of the call. Meanwhile, Trump on Tuesday said that the next 30 days are very vital for America in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic as he extended the "social distancing" guidelines until April 30. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For the first time in over a decade, a New England store has been named PW Bookstore of the Year. Founded in 2004 by four veteran booksellers, Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Mass., quickly became one of the preeminent bookstores in an area that has long been known for its vibrant literary community. In 2013, longtime Cantabrigians and loyal customers Dina Mardell and David Sandberg purchased the bookstore. Five years later they sold half to a group of nine senior employees, including one of the original founders. Mardell and Sandberg own the other half of the 4,480 sq. ft. store. As Maureen Karb, head of Como Sales noted in her nomination, Porter Squares Mardell and Sandberg have consistently been at the cutting-edge of bookselling: from the stores Writer in Residence program to their adult book fairs. They have taken a store that was honestly pretty amazing from the beginning, and somehow made it even better. [Its] just a great all around store. The 2020 PW Rep of the Year, Bob Barnett, is marking his 25th year as a sales representative. National sales manager for the University of Texas Press, Barnett was singled out as a good book man with a passion for independent and university press titles. Ive known Bob Barnett for all 25 years of his career as a rep, wrote Mitchell Kaplan, owner and founder of Books & Books in Coral Gables, Fla., in his nominating letter. Ive not met anyone more knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and committed to the books and bookstores he or she represents and services. He truly understands the power of indie and university presses and has turned me on to some of our bestselling titles that I wouldnt have come across but for Bob knowing me and my store so well. Bob embodies just what a rep ought to be. Look for in-depth interviews with the 2020 award-winners in the May 11 issue of Publishers Weekly. The awards will be presented later this year. The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, says school closings have affected the education of more than 80 percent of students worldwide. Robert Jenkins is the organizations Global Chief of Education. He said, Based on lessons learned with the school closures in response to Ebola, the longer children stay away from school, the less likely they are to ever return. Ebola is a highly infectious virus that has affected areas in Africa periodically over more than 40 years. The coronavirus crisis has spread to at least 175 countries affecting children around the world. UNICEF says it is aiding 145 low- and middle-income countries with tools and money to help children continue their learning. In the United States, most of the schools that closed their doors because of the COVID-19 outbreak said the closings would be temporary. But health officials warned that Americans may need to keep schools closed for many months. Jon Pederson is dean of the University of South Carolina College of Education. He answered some questions about how this might affect the education of millions of children on the website The Conversation. Will students learn anything while schools are closed? Educators will have to find ways to help students want to learn. If a lesson plan does not excite students at school, then the lesson plan really will not work at home. Teachers will have to be more creative and resourceful while classes are suspended. For example, in the U.S., they can take students on virtual classroom field trips to places like the National Aquarium in Baltimore. They can see everything from wild bears in Alaska to classical music concerts through the Virtual School Activities website. Students can learn how to carry out science experiments at Fun Learning for Kids. In addition, the New York Public Library has more than 300,000 books that students can download for free. Students with special needs can use Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Will students have to repeat a grade or not graduate as expected? We do not know how long this crisis will last. The federal government has permitted states to cancel required standardized tests for the school year. States and schools will have to decide if students should move on to the next grade or graduate. Not sending students to the next grade or not graduating seniors would affect all public schools, colleges and universities. It would also affect families and the workforce. When could lost time be made up? There are measures that states and schools could take. For example, some schools could move to year-round schooling, extend their current or upcoming academic year, or lengthen school days and cancel some holidays. In places like El Paso, Texas; Romeoville, Illinois; and Bardstown, Kentucky, some schools already operate all year or had longer school years after hurricanes, floods or other disasters. Whatever school leaders decide to do, it is going to cost more money. And it is not clear how officials will be able to pay for the new measures. What good news is there? Pederson believes that states, schools and teachers have to deal with problems quickly. Their action has reduced the possibility that extreme measures will be needed and that the education system will not fall behind. He noted the example of one of the teachers he works with. He said professor Gloria Boutte always starts meetings with a traditional Masai greeting: How are the children? Im Jonathan Evans. Hai Do adapted this article for VOA Learning English based on information from UNICEF and the Conversation under Creative Commons license. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Quiz - How Are the Children? Schooling During an Outbreak Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story response n. something done in reaction to something else outbreak n. the sudden start of the spread of disease or fighting virtual adj. taking place on the internet through computers standardized test n. a test that is given to all students in the same way and under the same conditions graduating adj. to receive a degree proving that a student has met all educational requirements to receive the honor academic adj. related to schooling, especially higher education Chinas online education platform Yuanfudao has secured US$1 billion in a new funding round led by Hillhouse Capital and its previous investor Tencent Holdings, as the coronavirus outbreak drives up demand for e-learning with many children still at home. The Series G funding round will push the Beijing-based start-ups valuation to US$7.8 billion, according to a company statement on Tuesday. With a focus on K-12 learning, Yuanfudaos products include artificial intelligence-enabled virtual classes, live tutoring and apps for arithmetic questions and other homework support. Hong Kong-based private equity firm Boyu Capital and IDG Capital are among other backers that took part in the investment. Founded in 2012, Yuanfudao counts Warburg Pincus, Matrix China, New Horizon Capital, CMC Capital Group and internet giant Tencent among its early investors. The company said it has over 400 million users on its platforms. As of March, the company also had 11 teaching and curriculum development centres across the country. The investment comes as students across the world are turning to online courses with schools closing their doors amid the Covid-19 outbreak, which has developed into a full-blown pandemic. Covid-19 has spurred digital disruption across a range of sectors, and become a catalyst for educational institutions worldwide to search for innovative solutions, according to Gloria Tam, an official in the Minerva Project, a San Francisco-based educational innovator. With 5G technology becoming more prevalent in countries such as China, the US and Japan, we will see learners and solution providers truly embracing the learning anywhere, anytime concept of digital education in a range of formats, she said. Traditional in-person classroom learning will be complemented with new learning modalities from live broadcasts to educational influencers to virtual reality experiences. Story continues In February, China launched a national online learning platform, with public TV broadcasting classes for primary school students and a cloud-based system to share learning materials with those in junior and senior high school. According to the Ministry of Education, the move aims to help 180 million students keep learning even with classes suspended. In Hong Kong, students have also been embracing online learning with around 900,000 children studying at home since February 3 with a resumption of face-to-face classes not expected until at least April 20. Globally, the risk control decisions taken amid the outbreak have led to millions of students learning from home, especially in some of the most heavily-impacted countries, such as China, South Korea, Italy and Iran. This article Online education start-up Yuanfudao raises US$1bn as sector heats up on coronavirus impact first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:48:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Workers produce KN95 face masks at a mask factory of 3M in Shanghai, east China, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Long) China said it is not aware of the reason behind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rejection of Chinese-made KN95 masks, a Chinese alternative to N95 masks. BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Certification standards of medical supplies could vary in different countries and regions, but this should not stem cooperation to fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a press briefing in response to reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected KN95 masks, a Chinese alternative to N95 masks, from entering the United States. "I'm not aware of the specifics," said Hua, adding that she did not know why the United States made the decision. As masks and respirators are in great demand by many countries including China, many Chinese companies are working around the clock to produce these medical supplies, said Hua, adding that while meeting domestic demands, these products will reinforce other countries' fight against COVID-19. The European Unions written response to Hungarys effective suspension of democracy omitted one important word: Hungary Brussels: The European Unions written response to Hungarys effective suspension of democracy omitted one important word: Hungary. A day after the Hungarian Parliament passed sweeping emergency measures allowing far-right populist leader Viktor Orban to rule by decree indefinitely, ostensibly as part of the countrys response to the coronavirus, the European Commission on Tuesday reminded its members to respect rights. But it was a muted first response from the one institution that can take on Orban, and it appeared aimed at balancing the political imperative of cooperation in the era of the coronavirus with the risk of emboldening him. Its of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement that made no mention of Orban or Hungary. The European Commission is the EUs executive branch, and it often describes itself as the guardian of the treaty that created the bloc of 27 democracies. But Orban has long been in an open struggle with parts of that treaty. He has said frankly that he does not believe in liberal democracy which the European Commission says is fundamental to the EUs values. The severe measures adopted Monday in Budapest may dramatically ratchet up the confrontation between the Orban government and EU institutions in Brussels. Hungarys new legislation suspends elections and also allows the prime minister to suspend existing laws and rule by decree. One vaguely worded section also says that people found to be spreading falsehoods or distorted truths that obstruct the authorities from protecting the public may be punished with prison sentences of up to five years. That new tool that may allow Orban to further curb the press freedoms long in his cross hairs. To be sure, in the face of the epidemic, European countries have all to lesser or greater extent adopted emergency measures curbing liberties, including measures that require citizens to register any movement and observe curfews. But Hungarys new rules are the most far reaching. And rights experts, political analysts and academics say that, given Orbans track record and espousal of illiberal democracy, the measures he says he is taking to fight the virus could become fixtures in Hungarian public life, used to crack down on Opposition well after the threat of the virus passes. EU officials believe that the statement issued Tuesday, which came from von der Leyen personally, sent a clear message to Orban even without naming him. European Commission lawyers are now closely watching how he enforces Hungarys new measures, the officials said. But they said that now as Europe battles to stem the spread of the virus and mitigate its catastrophic economic damage, and with many nations suspending some liberties was not the moment to pick a fight with just one member. That measured approach surprised some observers, despite the fact that the commission often takes a conciliatory stance toward wayward members in a bid to entice them to reform voluntarily. (That has never worked with Hungary) It is bizarre, Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament who belongs to the German Greens political party, said of von der Leyens statement. The decision that the Hungarian Parliament took yesterday is a watershed moment, Freund said. Now you have to do something, or we really lose democracies. Freund and other members of the European Parliament believe that even before the European Commission opens a formal investigation into Hungarys new law, which would take months, it should use existing rules to put pressure on Orban. If we end up after the crisis with a virus well fought but democracy lost in several member states, thats an unacceptable situation, Freund said. Daniel Kelemen, a professor of EU politics and law at Rutgers University, said the epidemic could prove an opportunity for the Hungarian leader. Throughout his consolidation of power, Orban has counted on the European Union to be distracted with other crises, he said. But now, Kelemen said, the scale of this crisis does call for consolidation of power for the executive, so it gives him more effective cover for this next stage of escalation. Orbans hold on power was unparalleled by EU standards well before Mondays vote authorising him to rule by decree. In practical terms, Orban and his allies already controlled the legislative and executive branches of government, and had stacked the Constitutional Court. With Orbans parliamentary opposition unable to slow his political machine, the European Union has shown itself to be the only entity capable of curbing his power, but the results have been mixed. Lengthy and cumbersome EU legal proceedings could not stop Orban and his allies from taking over the Hungarian media landscape, weakening the independence of the judiciary, levying a special tax on nongovernmental organisations receiving foreign funding or ejecting the Central European University from the country. In the end it may be Orbans love for European financial aid, not freedoms, that acts as a brake on his government. Aware that the European Union is watching, Orban is likely to tread modestly at first, said Mujtaba Rahman, the head of Europe at Eurasia Group consultancy. He will not wish to put at risk the 5.6 billion-euro windfall granted to Hungary by the European Parliament last week as its portion in the unions efforts to battle the coronavirus." President Donald Trump has warmly embraced Orban. Trumps ambassador in Hungary has spoken glowingly about Orbans grip on power and said that Trump would love to have the powers of his Hungarian counterpart. But Orbans autocratic tendencies have long alarmed others in Washington, particularly lawmakers who serve on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission. A congressional delegation visited Hungary last year to investigate democratic backsliding. Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Benjamin Novak c.2020 The New York Times Company By Leslie Omoruyi The COVID-19 pandemic is having an immense toll on health workers on the front lines of the crisis. Due to repeated exposure, an increasing number of physicians and nurses are testing positive and are being asked to self-quarantine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. now has at least 160,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection. The CDC has also warned that now that states have started performing their own tests, Americans should expect a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the weeks to come. Amid the outbreak, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the deficits in the U.S. health system transcend protective gear, equipment and the number of beds. There is also a shortage of doctors and nurses. As the coronavirus crisis puts intense pressure on the health care system, the Veterans Affairs medical system and some governors are asking doctors and nurses to come out of retirement to expand their states medical workforce. Some states will likely use advanced medical students to expand the pool of physicians. According to David Muller, dean for medical education at ICAHN School of Medicine, residency requirements may be waived for students to allow them to see patients by the end of this week. But there is another resource hospitals should examine: foreign-trained physicians. There are an estimated 65,000 physicians in the United States who have not done any residency training in the country and therefore cannot be licensed to practice. Many of these doctors have extensive medical schooling and post-graduate training and possess clinical competence in diagnosing and managing infectious diseases. Due to the highly competitive nature of the U.S. residency programs and restrictions from the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which limits the annual number of Medicare-funded residency slots, many U.S. medical graduates and foreign-trained doctors do not make it into residency programs. This contributes significantly to physician shortage in the U.S. Last year, in an effort to address this deficit, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey sponsored the bipartisan Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019. The bill, which has 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, increases the number of Medicare-funded residency positions by 15,000 over five years. However, it awaits passage in the Senate. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that over the next decade, the U.S. will see a shortage of more than 120,000 physicians. There also is a growing need for primary health care providers in many counties in New Jersey. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Phil Murphy has moved to expand the state healthcare workforce by calling on retired doctors and nurses, members of the Armed Services medical corps and medical students to join the fight. Dr. Felix Roque, a northern New Jersey surgeon and former mayor of West New York, who was in charge of recruiting foreign physicians for the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm, is going a step further. Roque is joining others to convince the Murphy Administration to add foreign-trained physicians to the list. Addressing the health care labor shortage by asking retired nurses and physicians to come back to work may temporarily boost the health workforce, but certainly doesnt address similar future outbreaks. Also, these retired professionals are mostly seniors with a higher mortality risk for COVID-19 in any clinical setting. Tapping into the massive pool of foreign-trained physicians would ameliorate gaps in health care quality resulting from a high patient-to-physician ratio, especially during health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. The system should decide how to utilize these doctors, perhaps by engaging them in emergency preparedness and community preventive medicine or offering easy paths to restricted licenses in infection prevention and control. Dr. Irwin Redlener, a former director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, on March 20, on MSNBCs The Last Word with host Ali Velshi, reiterated the need for the government to use the large pool of foreign-trained doctors and urged regulatory bodies to consider lessening restrictions on clinical roles for these physicians to reduce the shortage of health workers in desperate times. Given the nature of this emergency, should we ignore their expertise? Leslie Omoruyi lives in Newark and was trained as a doctor in Nigeria. He is currently a healthcare consultant for companies in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. 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. Russia's Rosneft Lowers Risks of US Sanctions by Selling Venezuelan Assets - Moody's Sputnik News 15:50 GMT 31.03.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - By selling its assets in Venezuela, Russia's Rosneft oil company considerably lowers the risk of further US sanctions, Moody's Investors Service rating company said on Tuesday. "The agreement is credit positive for Rosneft because it significantly reduces the risk of further sanctions without materially affecting the company's asset base and credit metrics ... Rosneft's continuing operations in Venezuela and trading the locally produced oil risked triggering more broad sanctions against the company, potentially undermining its own international sales", the company said in a statement. On 28 March, the company announced ceasing its activities in Venezuela and selling all of its assets in the country. The company's spokesman Mikhail Leontyev told Sputnik that it now has the right to expect the US regulators to lift sanctions on its subsidiaries. In February, the United States introduced sanctions against Rosneft subsidiary Rosneft Trading and accused it of supplying Venezuelan oil to foreign markets, thus supporting the country's current authorities, not recognised by the US as legitimate. On 12 March, Washington also sanctioned another subsidiary, TNK Trading, claiming it was moving oil instead of the previously sanctioned Rosneft Trading. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More than 40,000 people have been killed in the coronavirus pandemic as the disease barrels across the globe, with the US bracing for its darkest hours after its death toll surpassed China's on Tuesday. In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 800,000 people in a crisis redrawing political powers, hammering the global economy and transforming the daily existence of some 3.6 billion people who have been asked to stay home under lockdowns. Deaths shot up again across Europe Tuesday as Spain, France and Britain reported their deadliest days. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 died overnight in both countries. Beds are lined up in a tent as volunteers Samaritan's Purse set up an emergency field hospital in Central Park. By Bryan R. Smith (AFP) With hospitals direly overstretched, lockdowns have been extended despite their crushing economic impact on the poorest. In Belgium a 12-year-old girl infected with the virus passed away in another worrying case of a youth succumbing to the disease. Meanwhile the US -- which has the highest number of confirmed infections -- reached a bleak milestone as deaths topped 3,400, ticking past China's official tally of 3,309, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. France joined it with a surge to 3,525 deaths, an official toll that includes only those who died in hospital and not those who died at home or in old people's homes. 'We need help now' The inundation of patients has sent health facilities around the world into overdrive. Field hospitals are popping up in event spaces while distressed medical staff make grim decisions about how to distribute limited protective gear, beds and life-saving respirators. While the crisis deepens in much of the world, some in China are returning to some kind of normalcy. By STR (AFP) In scenes previously unimaginable in peacetime, around a dozen white tents were erected to serve as a field hospital in New York's Central Park. "You see movies like 'Contagion' and you think it's so far from the truth, it will never happen. So to see it actually happening here is very surreal," 57-year-old passerby Joanne Dunbar told AFP. While many companies and schools around the globe have shifted to teleworking and teaching over video platforms, huge swaths of the world's workforce cannot perform their jobs online and are now lacking pay and face a deeply uncertain future. Food banks in New York City, the epicentre of the US outbreak, have seen a surge of newcomers struggling to feed their families. "It is my first time," Lina Alba, who lost her job as a cleaner in a Manhattan hotel that closed two weeks ago, said from a food distribution centre in the city. "We need the help now. This is crazy. So we don't know what's going to happen in a few weeks," added the 40-year-old single mother of five. Protective equipment used during the bubonic plague, Spanish flu and COVID-19. By Alain BOMMENEL (AFP) With more than 175,000 infections in the United States, three-quarters of Americans are now under some form of lockdown. Off the coast of Florida, a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship and its sister vessel are pleading for somewhere to dock, possibly at Fort Lauderdale. "Already four guests have passed away and I fear other lives are at risk," Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, wrote in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Virus breeds divisions The staggering economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus is opening new fronts for both cooperation and conflict. In virtual talks Tuesday, finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 major economies pledged to address the debt burden of low-income countries and deliver aid to emerging markets. Last week G20 leaders said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan to finance the expected severe economic fallout. The virus has claimed nearly 38,000 lives worldwide. By ANTHONY WALLACE (AFP) Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a group pushing for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds". But talk of common debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries long opposed to such a measure, threatening to divide the bloc in the midst of a health catastrophe. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned governments not to use emergency measures as a pretext for power grabs. Her call followed concerns about a new law that gave Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban sweeping authority to rule by decree until his government deems the emergency is over. Activists around the world have voiced fears that autocrats will overreach and hold on to their new powers even after the crisis abates. The global spread of the novel coronavirus. By (AFP) Elsewhere Poland toughened restrictions on movement while Russia expanded lockdowns across its territory as infections ticked up, including that of the head of Moscow's main coronavirus hospital. Though the doctor recently met with President Vladmir Putin, the Kremlin insisted the Russian leader is fine. 'Nothing to eat' The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately impacted the poor. "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos has also been brought to a halt as it entered its first full day of a two-week shutdown. Containment will be especially tough in the megacity's packed slums, where many rely on daily wages to survive. "To reduce the number of people with coronavirus, we know they need to stop movement," said 60-year-old engineer Ogun Nubi Victor. "But there is no money for the citizens, people are just sitting at home, with nothing to eat." While much of the world shuts down, the ground-zero Chinese city of Wuhan has started to reawaken in recent days, giving the bereaved the first chance in months to bury their dead. burs-ssm/gd Holtec International, the energy technology company that built a new facility in Camden after it was awarded $260 million in state tax credits in 2014, has filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA). The suit, filed in Superior Court of Mercer County, accuses the state agency of violating its contract by failing to pay Holtec the $26 million in tax credits owed to the company in 2019. The tax credit award is disbursed over 10 years, and companies can either use the credits to offset their tax bills or sell them for cash. According to the suit, Holtec borrowed money, and is obligated to repay the loans by transferring its state tax credits to qualified purchasers. To avoid being in breach of its own contractual obligations, Holtec was thus forced to make cash payments of approximately $26 million to these purchasers, the suit says. Unless the EDA is forced to comply or reverses its position, Holtec will [continue] to be significantly harmed on an annual basis. In a statement Tuesday, Holtec suggested it had fallen victim to a political fight between Gov. Phil Murphy, who has criticized the tax incentive program, and South Jersey Democrats. The media have widely reported on the bitter infighting between the states politicians that seems to have degenerated to the point where personal feuds outweigh sensible public policy, the statement said. By failing to honor its uncontestable obligation to deliver the required tax certificate, New Jersey is broadcasting to the world that it is an untrustworthy partner. By politicizing its business commitments, the state appears bent on discouraging future investors in its economy while scaring away those who are already here. The EDA declined to comment Tuesday evening. Holtec came under scrutiny last year when a task force created by Murphy questioned whether the company had misled state officials on its tax credit application. The application asked whether the company had been prohibited from working as a contractor at a state or federal agency. Holtec answered no, even though a federal agency had temporarily debarred the company in 2010 in the aftermath of an inspector general investigation that raised questions about payments Holtec had allegedly made to a procurement manager in the early 2000s. When the discrepancy came to light, Holtec said the omission was an oversight. Holtec acknowledged in the suit that it was once prohibited from doing business with the federal government, but the company argues that under EDAs own regulations, the brief debarment would not have affected Holtecs eligibility to receive a Grow Program award. The EDA informed Holtec last year that the agency wanted to review matters further, through document demands, witness interviews, and the like, the suit says. Holtec alleges that state officials did not specify the issues they wanted to review, or what the legal basis was for the EDA [to] conduct such an open-ended inquiry. Holtec says it hasnt been able to get a meeting with EDA officials to discuss the matter either. Experts warn fragile healthcare systems in many nations could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe COVID-19 outbreak. The outbreak of the new coronavirus has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people. As of September 20, the confirmed coronavirus death toll on the continent stood at 33,818, with deaths including the former president of the Republic of the Congo, Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango, and Somalias former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. There are 1,399,186 confirmed infections and 1,148,578 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts warn fragile healthcare systems in many African countries could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe outbreak of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Below is an interactive map tracking all the coronavirus cases in Africa. Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh reported its first coronavirus-related death on Wednesday after test reports of a 25-year-old man from Basti in Uttar Pradesh who died two days ago, came COVID-19 positive. The man was admitted to the BRD Medical College here on Sunday and he was suffering from kidney and liver problems, the institute's principal Ganesh Kumar said. "The sample of the patient was found positive for the coronavirus," an official of the King George's Medical University (KGMU) said in Lucknow. "Here, six people, including doctors and paramedical staff, who came in contact with the man have been quarantined. The driver of the ambulance and the deceased's brother-in-law in Gorakhpur are also quarantined," District Magistrate Vijyendra Pandiyan told reporters. The deceased was suffering from liver and kidney ailments for the last three months, college principal Kumar said. "The man was admitted here (BRD Medical College) on Sunday at 3.15 pm and after his death, it was confirmed that he was coronavirus positive," Pandiyan told reporters. "He was being treated at the Basti district hospital and other places for the last three months. He had renal failure and he was immuno-compromised. He was having some breathing problems and as per protocol, his blood sample was taken and sent for test in Gorakhpur and he was found COVID-19 positive," he said. Later, his sample was sent to KGMU Lucknow for a second opinion and there too it was confirmed that he was COVID-19 positive, Pandiyan said. We have alerted the Basti administration and they are also tracking each person who came in contact or attended the funeral to be send to quarantine. We are trying to establish all links with CCTV camera footage and mobile phone call details to know who came in the contact with the man, he said. A 25-year-old man from eastern Uttar Pradeshs Basti district, who died at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur earlier this week, became the states first coronavirus disease (Covid-19) victim after his swab samples tested positive on Wednesday. The deceaseds samples proved positive at King Georges Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, a state government official said. His latest test results proved Covid-19 positive. The patient was suffering from liver and kidney ailments. His immunity was low because of multiple health complications. However, he had had no overseas travel history and might have been infected because of low immunity. The deceaseds contacts have been quarantined, BRD principal Dr Ganesh Kumar said. Initially, the deceased was admitted to the hospitals trauma centre on Sunday noon but later shifted to the isolation ward, where he died on Monday morning. Six people, including laboratory technicians who collected his swab samples without a preventive kit and family members who at his attended last rites, have been quarantined. Also, the neighbourhood, where he lived in Basti district, has been cordoned off as a precautionary measure, officials said. The BRD Medical College authorities alerted the Basti district administration after his death on Monday morning, as they suspected him of being Covid-19 positive while awaiting the test results from KGMC, Lucknow. UP reported 103 Covid-19 positive cases till Tuesday night. A migrant support group has welcomed the Governments allocation of 650 additional beds for people in direct provision in a bid to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said both he and minister with responsibility for immigration, David Stanton, arevery concerned at the vulnerability of people in direct provision and the ability of these centres to adhere with public health guidelines on social distancing and self-isolation. Minister Flanagan said the new accommodation will mainly be located in hotels in Dublin, Cork and Galway. This, he said, is in addition to new mainstream centres which opened recently in Caherciveen, Rosslare and Tullamore, allowing older centres to close. Responding to concerns from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland that it is deeply troubled with the new centres, saying people were still sharing bedrooms, bathrooms and dining centres, often in large numbers, the minister told RTE he is now satisfied centres are adhering to the regulations. Reacting to the Governments announcement, Fiona Finn, CEO of Nasc, a support body for migrants and refugees, told the Irish Examiner: Nasc welcomes the announcement that 650 additional beds will be made available for people in direct provision as a good first step. We now need clarity as to the supports that will be available at these new locations, who will be prioritised for transfers, and an assurance that people who are not in family units will not be required to share rooms. People in direct provision and emergency centres remain worried and want to know how this new policy will impact them. We look forward to hearing more details on the forthcoming measures to ensure that all 7,000 refugees and international protection applicants in direct provision & emergency accommodation centres are safe. Dr. Evan Graboyes served as the senior author of a study examining the effects of Medicaid expansion on head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment. Credit: MUSC Hollings Cancer Center A study published in the JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery examines the effect of Medicaid expansion on head and neck cancer patients, finding that the expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were associated with improved access to care for these patients and selective Medicaid expansion may worsen existing regional disparities in terms of access to care and outcomes. Medicaid expansion refers to a provision in the ACA that called for expansion of Medicaid eligibility to cover more low-income Americans. It was determined that each state would decide whether to participate in the expansionaccept federal fundsor not. As of 2020, 37 states including the District of Columbia accepted Medicaid expansion. South Carolina is one of 14 states that has not. As a result, there are gaps in coverage for adults who have incomes above Medicaid eligibility limits yet still below the poverty level, exacerbating challenges with access to care, which is vital in the early detection of cancer. "We performed the study because delivering timely head and neck cancer care is critical for optimal outcomes," said Evan Graboyes, M.D., a researcher at Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and senior author on the study. The surgeon at MUSC Health specializes in the treatment of head and neck cancers. The team analyzed data from a national sample of nearly 91,000 adults with newly diagnosed head and neck cancer who were identified from the National Cancer Database. In this observational study, researchers examined the effect that Medicaid expansion, as part of the ACA, had on the patients' stages of cancer at the time of diagnosis as well as treatment delays for these patients. Medicaid expansions are known to increase the percentage of patients getting treatment who have localized (stages I or II) cancer at diagnosis for cancers such as colon and breast cancer that have screening tests. Graboyes said the researchers wanted to know the effect of Medicaid expansions on head and neck cancer, which lacks a screening test, he said. The study showed in states that expanded Medicaid as part of the ACA, patients with head and neck cancer were more likely to be diagnosed with localized (stages I to II) cancer and initiate treatment in a timelier fashion than patients in nonexpansion states. Because of the strong association with a particular stage at diagnosis and the timely treatment that leads to survival for head and neck cancer, the study suggests that Medicaid expansion that offers insurance coverage may help to improve outcomes for these patients. "I hope that the data we produce gets referenced and is used by policy makers in the future," Graboyes said. Helmneh Sineshaw, M.D., lead author on the study and a principal scientist at the American Cancer Society, said the study found that Medicaid expansion provided a huge benefit to those who didn't have access to insurance, leading to earlier diagnosis and timely treatment. "What we find is that patients, in states that expanded Medicaid, had a greater chance of being diagnosed early, whereas patients living in nonexpansion states were likely to be diagnosed in a more advanced stage," Sineshaw said. Graboyes said delays in the delivery of head and neck cancers are a key driver of suboptimal survival for patients with head and neck cancers and contribute to racial disparities in mortality. Head and neck cancers are rising in number and carry a high mortality rate, with black patients even more likely to die from it. This study adds to a growing portfolio of other health disparity studies by Graboyes and colleagues, including: A 5-year $1.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute awarded in 2019 to decrease mortality and racial disparities in survival for head and neck cancer patients by developing innovative interventions to improve the timeliness, equity and quality of care delivery. A 2018 study in jamanetwork.com/journals/jamao /fullarticle/2705979">JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery that found that ensuring head and neck cancer patients receive postoperative radiotherapy within six weeks of their surgical procedure maximizes their chances of a cure. Graboyes said more research is needed to understand more fully how changes in insurance coverage affects patients with head and neck cancer. Although there is a strong relationship between the patient's stage at diagnosis and timely treatment, the current study does not address whether Medicaid expansion is associated with fewer recurrences or better survival since there has not been enough time since the implementation of Medicaid expansion to answer this question. Another limitation of the current study is that it did not analyze how Medicaid expansion was associated with changes in the cost of treatment for head and neck cancer patients. More research is needed to understand the relative costs of expansion of Medicaid provisions as compared to the assumed cost savings of catching and treating head and neck cancers in a more localized stage (I to II) versus advanced stages (III to IV), he said. "The study is an important first step in understanding how insurance coverage affects health care delivery for patients with head and neck cancer, particularly those who, due to lack of insurance coverage, are more likely to present with advanced disease and experience treatment delays." Explore further The Affordable Care Act's impact on insurance coverage and treatment in patients with HIV and cancer More information: Helmneh M. Sineshaw et al, Association of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act With Stage at Diagnosis and Time to Treatment Initiation for Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, JAMA OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery (2020). Helmneh M. Sineshaw et al, Association of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act With Stage at Diagnosis and Time to Treatment Initiation for Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma,(2020). DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2019.4310 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) beat the odds in 2018, winning a primary against a Democrat who'd been in office for decades. But since she's entered Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has largely declined to endorse progressives following her lead, Politico reports. Ocasio-Cortez entered Congress last year ready to shake things up. She quickly joined up with the progressive group Justice Democrats and called on its supporters to run against incumbents, and reportedly set her primarying sights on House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) even before she took office. But since starting to work with those longstanding Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez has publicly supported ousting just two of them in this year's elections. In terms of primary challengers, she only endorsed Marie Newman against Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Jessica Cisneros in her challenge of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas); both Lipinski and Cueller are among the most conservative House Democrats. Justice Democrats have meanwhile endorsed four other progressive challengers whom Ocasio-Cortez has so far declined to back, including one Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for in 2018. It all seems to put Ocasio-Cortez at odds with Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) philosophy of completely restructuring the Democratic party. To be clear, Ocasio-Cortez hasn't backed away from backing progressives in general. She endorsed seven progressive women challenging Republican congressmembers and senators just last month, even bucking the Democratic party's preferred candidate to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Read more at Politico. More stories from theweek.com Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like Relax about Biden Fox News reportedly fears its early downplaying of COVID-19 leaves it open to lawsuits LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Helical Plc. (HLCL.L) believes it is well positioned and remains confident in the long-term outlook for the business, as a result of measures taken by the group in recent years and the underlying strength of the markets. The company noted that it continues to closely monitor its forecast cash flow requirements. Once Annual Results to 31 March 2020 are available, it will consider whether a final dividend for the year to 31 March 2020 is appropriate, and if so, at what level. The company expects its earnings for the year to be relatively unaffected by the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it note that the RICS has issued guidance to valuers to include a Material Uncertainty clause in their independent valuations and it would expect sit to apply to year end investment property valuations. In its trading update for the period 1 October 2019 to 31 March 2020, the company said it has completed 14 new lettings in London, totalling 107,220 sq ft, delivering contracted rent of 8.6 million pounds. In the period, across both residential phases at Barts Square, London EC1, the company sold 12 units and completed on a further 22 units where contracts had previously exchanged. Legal completions of an additional 22 exchanged units are expected over the coming weeks. 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. Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has quashed claims by some people that all government appointees who agreed to donate 50% of their three months' salary to the Coronavirus Trust Fund were forced to do so. The Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, ministers of state, senior government officials, presidential staffers and aides at the Presidency all pledged 50 percent of their salaries for the next three months to the COVID-19 Fund. This gesture came about when President Akufo-Addo after setting up the fund donated his three months salary, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also followed suit. Mr Arhin says the appointees thought it wise to do same and support the fight against COVID-19 and were not forced to do it. "Nobody was forced to donate to this COVID-19 fund, we all did this for the best so we believe we just have to manage for the next 3 months". The Fund is to be managed by an eight-member independent Board of Trustees led by former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo. So far, the government has received significant offers of assistance from individuals and institutions, with many others expressing the eagerness to contribute to the Fund. The Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited and the Africa World Airlines Limited (AWA) Sunday, March 29, presented 200,000 dollars to support government's efforts. The Kwadaso branch of the Ghana Baptist Convention also, on Sunday, presented a cheque for 100,000 Ghana cedis to government. 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 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Washington, United States Wed, April 1, 2020 15:24 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee438b 2 National US,foreign-missions,death-toll,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus Free Two locally employed staff at US foreign missions, one in Indonesia and one in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have died of the coronavirus, the US State Department said on Tuesday, its first pandemic-related losses among staff. The employees were based in US embassies in Jakarta and Kinshasa, a representative for the State Department said. "We do not at this time have any reports of COVID-19-related deaths of American staff within the Department of State's domestic and global workforce," the representative added. The coronavirus outbreak has now killed more than 38,800 people across the world and infected nearly 800,000, according to a Reuters tally. It has upended normal life, closed schools, forced industries to a standstill and has already triggered layoffs worldwide. Last week, Congo's president closed the country's borders and imposed a state of emergency to contain the outbreak. Over 40 people have contracted the virus in Congo and three have died as of March 24. In Indonesia, the world's fourth-most-populous country, known cases of the disease have gone from none in early March to 1,528, with 136 deaths. On Monday, William Walters, deputy chief medical officer for operations at the State Department's Bureau of Medical Services told reporters in a briefing that the department had 75 cases overseas, and five locally employed staff hospitalized. Domestically, there were 30 cases across nine US cities. In the United States, the disease has killed more than 3,700 people and infected 184,000, up 21,000 from Monday. Watching the spread of coronavirus in Cote dIvoire by Maxwell Bone April 01,2020 | Source: Atlantic Council On March 11, the Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene of Cote dIvoire confirmed the countrys first case of COVID-19. The individual who tested positive for the virus was a forty-five-year-old Ivorian man who had returned from Italy the week prior and presented himself to public health authorities after developing symptoms. This made Cote dIvoire the eighth country in sub-Saharan Africa to have a confirmed case of COVID-19 and came after several suspected cases came back negative after testing between January and March. One of those was the first suspected case of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa, when an Ivorian student returned from China. Following the confirmed case of COVID-19, health authorities immediately began tracing the contacts that he had prior to testing positive. This led to the individuals wife testing positive for COVID-19 the following day, bringing the total number of cases to two. Days later, on March 14, authorities announced three additional confirmed cases. All were Ivorian citizens, and two had traveled abroad (to Italy and France) in recent weeks. But the third case was a health worker at a school who had not recently been outside of Cote dIvoire, raising fears that community transmissions were already occurring. Despite the fact that four of the cases at this time were directly linked to travel in Europe, no travel restrictions were put into place. In fact, around half a dozen direct flights from Europe continued to arrive at Abidjans Felix-Houphouet-Boigny International Airport daily, each carrying hundreds of passengers. Ivorian authorities also continued to allow passengers arriving from China unimpeded entry into the country (though there are no direct flights to or from Abidjan and China). However, health screening was put into place for all passengers arriving on international flights to the country. The screening checked for symptoms such as fever and a cough, and was similar to those put in place during the Ebola epidemic in 2014. I experienced those health screening measures when arriving on one of the three Air France flights that landed in Abidjan on March 15. Prior to landing, all passengers on the nearly full flight were given a disembarkation card to register themselves with the Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene, requiring them to describe the length of their intended stay in Cote dIvoire and to provide multiple ways that the government could contact them. Immediately after disembarking, all passengers had to apply hand sanitizer prior to going through multiple rounds of health screening that included a detailed examination of travel history, along with having temperatures recorded. Some of those who exhibited symptoms or had travel history to recent hotspots appeared to be taken aside for additional screening. But, after passing through screening, the passengers arriving from Francewhich at the time had the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Europe after Italywere able to disperse into the most populous city in Cote dIvoire. This occurred as the Ivorian public began to grapple with the impact that community transmissions of COVID-19 could have on the country. At the urging of the government, sanitation measures were taken including placing hand sanitizer at the entrance of many shops, while some restaurants attempted to have a bottle of it at each table. Consequentially, pharmacies began to run out of both hand sanitizer and soap, telling customers to come back the next morning. Some Ivorians began to express worry that there might already be cases of COVID-19 transmitting in-country, refusing to shake hands and attempting other measures of social distancing. Despite these measures, life went on as normal throughout the city. Public transport vehicles such as buses and shared taxis were full, schools and universities continued to operate, and few people wore masks and other forms of protective gear. Concern about COVID-19 was not felt by all Ivorians, some of whom believed that the pandemic did not pose a threat. A security guard working at a mosque in Abidjans Plateau commune insisted on shaking hands, saying, There is no corona here, look at the sun, it is warm here. He was referencing an unproven theory that in warm climates COVID-19 is not easily transmitted as it is killed by the heat. Others said that the only cases in Cote dIvoire were brought in by people from outside of the country, and therefore it was not of concern to Ivorians who do not travel regularly. Further, some demonstrated a lack of general knowledge about the pandemic. For instance, a taxi driver in Abidjan by the name of Simo was not familiar with the terms COVID-19 or coronavirus but was simply aware that there was a disease from China that was beginning to spread. On the evening of March 16, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara announced that he had convened a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the countrys response to the pandemic, indicating the seriousness of the governments approach. That meeting led to the announcement that entry would be denied to any foreigner attempting to enter Cote dIvoire from a country with over one hundred confirmed cases of COVID-19, along with the reinforcement of health screening at ports of entry. Most notable, however, were the social distancing measures imposed within Cote dIvoire, including the suspension of all schools for thirty days and the closure of all night clubs and cinemas for fifteen days, along with banning gatherings of more than fifty people for two weeks. The following day little appeared to change in Abidjan. Two of the citys largest mallsAbidjan Mall and Playce Shopping Mallwere full of customers, although a notable number of them wore face masks and gloves. In the Carrefour market at Playce Mall, people appeared to be partaking in panic-buying, purchasing large quantities of non-perishable goods such as beans, rice, and pasta. Yet, this behavior appeared to be limited to those of a middle or upper socioeconomic standing. At the main outdoor market in the relatively working-class commune of Koumassi, few exhibited any concerns about the pandemic. Children who were out of school assisted their parents in crowded market stalls, people gathered around in close quarters in drinking spots, and people ate communal dishes. Some night clubs also remained open but were shut down by the police and gendarmerie who were doing patrols. When asked about the potential of having to close down market stalls during a potential future lockdown, many said that would not be possible. A woman who sells dried fish in the market said, I cannot stay home from work. If I do not sell my fish, I do not have money to feed my children and then we will all die. Around 30 percent of Cote dIvoires population lives in extreme poverty and survives off of income made each day, and even more of the population works in the informal economy. For this segment of the countrys population, the notion of not being able to work every day is not just difficult to comprehendit would lead to unimaginable suffering. In some countries, governments have attempted to provide assistance to workers in the informal economy impacted by the pandemic, but few believe that the Ivorian government has such capacity. Others believe the political elite simply is not willing to make sacrifices for Ivorians outside of their patronage networks, an indicator of the polarization that still exists in the country after the civil war in 2011 that killed thousands. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to increase in Cote dIvoire, rising to nine on March 19. The government responded by announcing the cancellation of all international flights arriving at Abidjan Airport, along with the closure of land and maritime borders. Quarantines were also mandated for Ivorians returning to the country. As confirmed cases grew, so did the concern of Ivorian citizens. Serge, who makes a living driving a taxi between the resort town of Assinie-Mafia and Abidjan, wore a mask and was hesitant to shake hands. He would have preferred not to be working at the time, saying my wife told me not to leave our home, but I have no choice: if I do not do this we will not eat. He went on to express deep worry about the impact COVID-19 could have on the country, especially outside of major cities: In many towns, the hospitals have no more than five beds, and sometimes not even a single doctor. If this thing arrives here, we are finished. Even though Cote dIvoire was listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of eight countries in Africa prepared to respond to an outbreak of COVID-19, it is clear that confidence is not shared by all Ivorians. On March 20, just over a week after the countrys first confirmed case, Ivorian authorities announced five additional cases, bringing the total number of infections to fourteen. The following day it rose to seventeen. The government responded by limiting the quantity of people who can utilize public transport and urged all Ivorians to take sanitation measures seriously. Even with these measures, confirmed cases continued to rise, reaching eighty on the March 25. As cases climbed, the government put in place strict measures. All restaurants and bars were closed, a national curfew from nine in the evening until five the next morning was put into place, and unauthorized travel between cities was banned. However, life during the day largely remains normal with people commuting to work and markets being packed, allowing plenty of opportunities for community transmission. For the most part, the measures are being enforced with authorities arresting those who violate it. However, it appears that the measures do not equally apply to all. Even though a period of quarantine is required for all Ivorians entering the country, there are reports of individuals close to the government evading the measures. Similarly, public anger emerged about Chinese nationals being able to enter the country after the government banned foreigners from countries with over 100 confirmed cases. Should the elite of the country be exempted from the prevention measures, the consequences could be drastic. Other African states such as Cameroon and Burkina Faso have seen government officials become infected and transmit cases to others. Already, the Ivorian prime minister and ruling party presidential candidate in this years elections went into self-isolation after coming in contact with someone who had tested positive. Although he later tested negative, the potential consequences of COVID-19 impacting candidates in an election that many believe could lead to a return to conflict are drastic. It is clear that Cote dIvoire has taken measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within its borders, both by imposing travel restrictions and limiting domestic movement. Whether those actions came too late, and whether the Ivorian population will comply with the required lockdown, remains to be seen. If they do not, coronavirus is likely to overwhelm not only the countrys health systems, but the economics, politics, and stability of the country. 2020 Atlantic Council All rights reserved. Theme(s): Others. With families sequestered at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, domestic violence calls have risen, but so have the barriers to seeking court-ordered relief. While most sessions in Mecklenburg Countys district court have been postponed, domestic violence court which provides civil protective orders and hosts criminal proceedings is still operating, but with limited hours, fewer courtrooms and fewer resources to help families. The court is still granting protective orders, which give plaintiffs at least a week of court-ordered protection and in some cases, custody of children and possession of property. But domestic violence victims are having a harder time getting them. Some places that offer help have changed services and the countys largest domestic violence advocacy group has stopped in-person services just as stress at home ramps up. Clients at Safe Alliance, a Charlotte-based agency that helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, are also having to weigh whether going to the courthouse is worth the potential exposure to COVID-19, said Safe Alliances director of legal advocacy Ryan Stage. And now the nonprofits support and legal staff can no longer accompany victims in court. Its a double stressor and fear for them, said Stage. It takes the victim a long time to leave to begin with. Child care, remote hearings stopped Domestic violence victims already had a hard time filing for emergency protective orders before the COVID-19 restrictions took place, said Paige McThenia, lead domestic violence judge for Mecklenburg district court. Between going to work and finding transportation and childcare, plaintiffs often miss hearings that are scheduled on the same day that plaintiffs file. That results in an automatic dismissal, McThenia said. Before the coronavirus restrictions, Mecklenburgs courthouse had a daycare, McThenia said. Safe Alliance would provide an advocate for moral support and a lawyer for consultation or direct representation, Stage said. It also provided an electronic filing system, and victims could attend hearings with a judge through video conference in the privacy of a room at the Safe Alliance office, he said. Story continues That allowed for victims to avoid having to travel to the courthouse in public, where they can be followed and harassed. But now, Safe Alliances offices are closed and filing for a protective order through the clerks office is available only in the morning. The earliest a victim can meet with a judge for a hearing is the next morning. Often, that means another night of trying to find housing that will accept children or pets, Stage said. When they do decide to leave, it is the most dangerous time , he said. Because the defendant is either looking for them or they dont have anywhere to go. Safe Alliance is still providing support and legal advice to clients, though services are done nearly all over the phone, Stage said. To limit exposure to other people, advocates and attorneys are not allowed to meet their clients in person or accompany them in court. The organization is also no longer taking on new clients for direct representation. Last week, Mecklenburg district court officials said the courthouse will allow in only individuals required to appear in-person. Domestic violence court is still in session for the trials that extend a restraining order, which can extend protection for a victim for a year. A magistrate waits at a window to perform his duties at the criminal magistrate office at Mecklenburg County Arrest Processing Center on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Waiting in line for help Barriers to seeking emergency protective orders couldnt come at a worse time. With a stay-at-home order in North Carolina lasting at least through April 30, people have been forced together in the same home all day, elevating the possibility of violence and abuse, officials said. According to Observer news partner WBTV, the Safe Alliance shelter in Charlotte has seen a 40% increase in calls. With the people that we are seeing, they are cooped up and they are in that enclosed space so they need that protection now more than ever, Stage said. On Wednesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said there has been an 18% increase in domestic violence 911 calls compared to last March an increase of around 517 calls. CMPD Deputy Chief Gerald Smith said the department does not yet know whether the increase in calls is related to the stay-at-home order. Smith encouraged those needing help to reach out to Safe Alliance or other community resources. We are appropriately staffed to respond to domestic calls for service but right now it should be everyones goal to prevent these calls from coming in, he said. A victim who needs immediate help can wait in line to meet with a magistrate who can then confer with a judge and grant a restraining order, McThenia said. The criminal magistrates office is still open 24-hours a day, but the process is far less private and the office is overwhelmed with requests, she said. Its much less personal, McThenia said. The magistrate is behind glass and the victim is standing there trying to tell her story and (there are) other people in line behind her. And if the magistrate cant get in touch with a judge which can be the case in the dead of night the victim might have to come back the next day. Some criminal proceedings at domestic violence court have also been delayed. While the court is still in session for first appearances, bond hearings and probation violations, any criminal trials are delayed until further notice. That means victims, already terrified by the prospect of testifying, have to wait a bit longer, McThenia said. With an unstable economy, she said that more cases will likely get dismissed if a plaintiff has to change housing and never notifies the court of a new address. McThenia and Stage both said they arent sure when local services for domestic violence victims will improve. Honestly, nobody seems to know, McThenia said. Were just trying to provide services to people in emergency situations with the neediest people (and) the neediest cases. Listen to our daily briefing: Subscribe Here New guidelines for international passengers as COVID-19 cases spike in Maharashtra PM Modi likely to interact with Maharashtra CM today to discuss COVID-19 situation Why Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu became the first COVID-19 hotspots in India Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Check guidelines, rules; what is allowed, what is not allowed Coronavirus: Asia's largest slum Dharavi reports first casuality India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Apr 01: A 56-year-old man, who tested positive case of coronavirus in Shahu Nagar area of Dharavi in Mumbai died on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported. A team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is at the spot and the police are planning to seal the concerned building where the person has been found. "A 56-year-old male from Dharavi has been found Coronavirus positive. He has been shifted to Sion hospital. Other seven members have been home quarantined, they will be tested tomorrow," the BMC said in a statement. It added that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building has been sealed. A densely populated area, Dharavi is known to be Asia's largest slum. The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra increased by 33 to 335 on April 1. Thirty of these cases were found in Mumbai alone, two in Pune and one in Buldhana, a health official said. Health Minister Rajesh Tope had, earlier in the day, said that the number of cases would increase further because there were around 5,000 persons in the "high-risk" category. (Bloomberg) -- Spain suffered its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic, as European governments doubled down on efforts to maintain rigid lockdowns amid tentative signs that the infection rate is slowing. Italy and the Netherlands are discussing prolonging measures to limit personal contact, and German officials warned that its too soon to ease restrictions as things could still get worse. Alongside the battle for public health, wider implications of the crisis are starting to emerge. Concerns are growing about European unity as the financial cost of the shutdown risks deepening divisions between member nations. In a letter to euro-area finance ministers, Eurogroup President Mario Centeno warned that the bloc will emerge from the crisis with much higher debt levels, and government policy must take care to prevent this from fragmenting the currency union. Total Spanish virus deaths rose by 849 to 8,189 in the past 24 hours, according to the latest Health Ministry data. The number of new cases increased by 9,222 -- the most in a single day -- to bring total confirmed infections in the country to 94,417. The Spanish government is betting that severe restrictions on public life at least through the Easter weekend will help curtail the spread of the disease, which has killed more people in Spain than in China where the pandemic started. On Europes eastern fringe, Romania is suffering a surge in fatalities after tens of thousands of its citizens returned from Italy and Spain, making it the worst-hit nation in central and eastern Europe. The death toll surged to 69 in the past 24 hours, with more than 2,100 people infected. Thats almost the combined number of deaths in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. The grim figures come after the World Health Organization called on governments to maintain containment measures, saying Europes curbs on movement are starting to have an effect. Mike Ryan, head of health emergencies at the WHO, said Monday that our fervent hope is that Italy and Spain -- the epicenters of the pandemic in Europe -- are approaching a peak. He urged countries to step up efforts to find and isolate patients. Story continues Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Contes government may extend restrictions through the May 1 holiday weekend, with a gradual opening of the country from May 4, local media reported. New infections in Italy, which has the most cases after the U.S., totaled 4,050, compared with 5,217 the previous day, civil protection authorities said late Monday. This was the lowest increase since March 17. Fatalities from the disease rose by 812 compared with 756 on Sunday, bringing the total to 11,591. Even as Italy reported the smallest number of new coronavirus cases in almost two weeks, the country will extend current containment measures until at least Easter, Health Minister Roberto Speranza confirmed on Monday. Conte is also trying to stave off the risk of social unrest and his administration is preparing an emergency handout for workers trapped in Italys underground economy. The prime minister is expected to host a cabinet meeting on Wednesday or Thursday to approve a new request to parliament for a wider budget deficit, paving the way for a second stimulus package worth at least 30 billion euros ($33 billion), according to officials who asked not to be named discussing administration strategy. Italys initial package was worth 25 billion euros. Austria faces economic costs of 0.53% of annual output for every week of full lockdown measures, according to the countrys central bank. In a moderate scenario -- some measures will be relaxed as soon as mid-April and gradually expire by the end of May -- the crisis will lead to a contraction of 3.2% this year. In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government is expected to extend measures including school and restaurant closures beyond April 6, according to local media. On Monday, the rate of new confirmed cases rose by 8% to 11,750, the lowest daily increase since the first case was reported at the end of February. The premier of the southern German state of Bavaria said earlier Tuesday its too early to consider easing containment measures as the situation remains very, very serious. We are detecting a very, very slight flattening of this exponential curve, the infection numbers are declining somewhat, Markus Soeder, whose state has the most confirmed cases in the country, told ARD TV. But whether thats a lasting trend remains to be seen. The impact on Europes largest economy is becoming more evident. German companies filed almost half a million applications for financial aid under a government support program in March, the Federal Labor Agency said. The head of Germanys public health authority said he expects the pandemic to continue for several more months and the nations death rate -- a relatively low 0.8% -- to rise. Carmakers Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG and sports-apparel maker Puma SE are among those planning to idle tens of thousands of staff. (Updates with Romanian figures, German aid) 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. Hyderabad, April 1 : Another man under treatment for Covid-19 at Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital died on Wednesday, taking the death toll in Telangana to seven. Hospital authorities confirmed the latest fatality. They said the deceased's brother, undergoing treatment in the same ward, assaulted a doctor. Hospital Superintendent P. Sravan Kumar condemned the attack on a doctor performing his duty in this critical time. The incident triggered tension on the 8th floor of the building housing the isolation ward. The hospital staff demanded security. The police had to intervene to pacify the agitating staff. Health Minister Etala Rajender also condemned the attack on the doctor. He said such incidents would not be tolerated and assured the doctors and other hospital staff that action would be taken against the guilty. The 56-year-old man was admitted to hospital a few days ago in a critical condition. His brother had also tested positive and was under treatment in the same ward. It was not clear if like the six others who died, he too had attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi last month. The state had reported first death due to Covid-19 on March 28. The 74-year-old died at a private hospital in Hyderabad on March 26 and it was only after his death a test revealed he was Covid-19 positive. He had attended the Delhi meet at Tablighi Markaz in Nizamuddin. On March 30, authorities declared death of five more persons. All had attended the Delhi meet. Two of them died at Gandhi Hospital while another breathed his last at a private hospital. One death each was reported from Nizamabad and Gadwal. The authorities have not come out with details of the deceased. A man, who too had attended Delhi congregation, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital on Tuesday. However, there is no official word yet on the cause of his death. The global economic outlook may be bleak at the moment, with the coronavirus pandemic resulting in countless business closures and putting millions of people out of work. But billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban is confident that capitalism and Americans' entrepreneurial spirit will eventually fuel an economic rebound that he believes will bring with it the birth of several "world-changing companies," Cuban told Yahoo Finance in an interview on Tuesday. "The one thing about the United States of America that's different than every other country on the planet is that we're a country of entrepreneurs. We look to start businesses," Cuban said. "When we talk about the American Dream, when we talk about rags-to-riches stories, it starts with an entrepreneur coming up with an idea and executing on that idea." While the ongoing pandemic is currently having disastrous effects on businesses in America and abroad, Cuban is adamant that the economy will eventually rebound in a way that will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch the next wave of "world-changing" businesses. "We're going to get to the other side of this. I'm positive of that," Cuban said in the interview. Indeed, there are several past examples of companies that succeeded in the wake of a global downturn or catastrophe. Companies like Amazon and Google survived the dot-com bubble bursting in 2000 to become tech giants that have shaped the future of the internet, while China's Alibaba emerged from the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic to become one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies. And, while eventually pulling the economy out of a likely recession will offer businesses and entrepreneurs a "chance for a reset," Cuban added, the billionaire businessman and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" also feels it will be necessary to be "smarter capitalists" by giving employees more of a stake in their companies' success. "We can start to learn from our mistakes and say we need to have our employees participate more so that when we build back up or when we grow, then everybody can participate," Cuban said. "I'm a big believer that every company I've done this with my start-ups, every company I've started and every employee should have stock and ownership in their company." Here, Cuban is echoing a stance he's championed since well before the coronavirus pandemic reshaped the future of the global economy. In fact, Cuban has always been a believer that giving company equity to employees is the best way for avowed capitalists such as himself to address income inequality. "The biggest issue for entrepreneurs, for capitalists, for those of us who are successful is, if someone is only going to be paid by the hour...they're always going to fall behind," Cuban said in a 2019 podcast interview for Recode Decode with Kara Swisher. "We as entrepreneurs have got to make a point to give stock to everybody that works for us. Period. End of story." Cuban has also been adamant that any assistance from the U.S. government that goes to corporations should aim to reduce the income inequality between executives and their employees, including the potential for all workers to receive company equity or stock options. "If we are going to bail out companies, we need to make sure all employees benefit from a turnaround, not just execs," Cuban said on Twitter in March. TWEET As Cuban mentioned, the billionaire did offer company equity to the bulk of his employees at the companies he's founded in the past, including computer consulting business Microsolutions, which he sold to Compuserve for $6 million in 1990, as well as Broadcast.com, the internet radio company he sold to Yahoo in 1999 for nearly $6 billion in stock. "300 out of 330 [Broadcast.com] employees became millionaires" at the time of its sale, Cuban previously told CNBC Make It. Today, Cuban views the eventual rebuilding of the American economy as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to show "where capitalism really shines" by offering the employees who help them build the next "world-changing" companies a fair stake in those companies' success. "I think every entrepreneur going forward has got to show the good side of capitalism and let everybody participate, let every single employee, no matter what their job is, get equity in the company," he told Yahoo Finance. "So if you have astronomical success, all of those employees benefit as well." Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank." Check out: The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years Don't miss: Mark Cuban: Capitalism works better if 'we at the top make a little bit less' Mark Cuban: Workers paid by the hour are 'always going to fall behind,' making wealth inequality worse Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! As hospitals around America scramble for the supplies doctors and nurses need to treat coronavirus patients and protect themselves, Huntsville Hospital is already getting help from the citys two major Chinese communities. Soon after we learned that they are running out of masks, gowns and goggles, I started fundraising for the medical supplies, Stephen Lin said this week. Lin is the president of the Huntsville Chinese Association. In less than two weeks, we received $50,000 in donations from institutions and individuals, Lin said. We used the money to purchase much-needed supplies and give them to Huntsville Hospital, Decatur Morgan Hospital and the Madison police station. The group targeted masks, gloves, goggles and gowns for medical personnel. They knew those would be needed because they had heard about Chinas earlier experience with lack of supplies. They say they wanted to repay the generosity and concern of Americans to their native country then and now. When the coronavirus started in December, the Chinese community and the American community over there were very supported, said Yong Wang, director of the Confucius Institute at Alabama A&M University. The U.S. government and companies sent personnel and experts to China to help the Chinese fight the disease. When I walk on the street (in Huntsville), people always ask me, How are you doing? How is your family doing? Wang said. We all feel a very warm welcome, and the Chinese community really appreciates the support. Some supplies have been delivered, and some are on the way from China. My colleagues and I at the Emergency Department are very grateful for the donations, emergency room physician Dr. Jeannie Li said this week. They offered us a lot of comfort in knowing that we have what we needed to not only take care of our patients but also protect ourselves. There are about 5,000 Asian people living in Huntsville, according to the U.S. Census. Some are students or visiting professors. Some were born in China but moved to America as children. Others found their way to the city because of its growing economy. Lin worked at Huntsville Hospital as a chef during and after the 2011 tornadoes and said the feeling today is similar. I know firsthand that doctors are the front line of the health crisis, Lin said. I understand the hardship they face. The Chinese national community in north Alabama had a head start helping here because it had already made donations and connections to help China, Dr. Yi Jia said. Theyre prepared already. They planned ahead, he said. When we asked for help, we got help right away. I think we got lucky that they already had the channels, because they had sent a lot of support to China when China first started to get really bad, Li said. The connection was already there, and they were able to get on top of things and send us some supplies. Compared to other communities, we really got lucky on this one. A Sydney-based former Chinese military officer, who has worked with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), is planning to export tonnes of medical equipment to Australia after the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in China seems to have subsided. Kuang Yuanping, earlier, exported tonnes of Australian medical supplies to Wuhan at the height of the coronavirus epidemic there, people familiar with his plans told The Sydney Morning Herald. They added that Kuang, this time, wanted to help Australia in containing the virus and assist China's soft power and political influence goals in this country through charitable activity. The former PLA officer runs a number of Chinese Communist Party-backed organisations in Sydney and Melbourne. These organisations include some that are loosely backed by China's soft-power agency, the United Front Work Department, which is charged with building influence for the CCP overseas and countering its critics. As new coronavirus cases in China slowed down, according to official statistics, Beijing is increasingly offering assistance to other countries battling the pandemic. China has offered aid to more than 80 countries and the Health Organisation. The newspaper further published reports divulging that Kuang had earlier coordinated two airlifts of medical supplies from Australia to Wuhan. The consignments included 35,000 sets of protective medical suits, 200,000 pairs of gloves and 10 tonnes of disinfectant. The goods went to hospitals and medical centres in Wuhan and five other cities at the epicentre of the crisis. A memo, dated February 16, stated that Kuang, via a community platform, also called for overseas Chinese in Australia to take action to contribute money and supplies to the mainland. However, the involvement of Chinese government agencies in directing humanitarian or profit motivated activities in Australia has almost drawn Australian security agencies to scrutiny. (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 Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 18:59 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206efcfaa 1 National COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,medical-workers,Jakarta-COVID-19 Free The Jakarta administration has reported that 84 medical staff, who work in 30 hospitals and one clinic across the capital, tested positive for the coronavirus amid a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment. Among the health workers with COVID-19, two workers were pregnant women, said the Jakarta Health Agencys head of disease control and prevention division, Dwi Oktavia Handayani. A health worker and two doctors, who lived in Jakarta but worked at hospitals outside the capital, died of the contagious disease. Some health workers handling COVID-19 patients were at increased risk as they had to use raincoats instead of coveralls as a result of short supplies of protective equipment. Read also: Two hospital directors die of COVID-19 as Indonesian doctors call for transparency We still need some help in terms of, among other things, personal protective equipment, masks, gloves, disinfectant and daily needs, Dwi told reporters during a press briefing at City Hall on Wednesday. Both the private sector and the public are joining hands to support health workers needs in handling the outbreak. Clothing retailer and manufacturer Uniqlo Indonesia recently donated 350 pairs of underwear for female health workers and 160 pairs for male health workers, according to Dwi. Food equipment manufacturer TFI Foods donated 4,000 pairs of gloves and food and beverage conglomerate Nestle Indonesia donated 2,100 cartons of milk. The public offered their help by donating 120 liters of disinfectant, 200 alcohol swabs, 10 liters of hand sanitizer and 500 pairs of gloves. Read also: COVID-19: Inadequate medical supplies take toll on lives of Indonesian medical workers "The Jakarta administration appreciates and is grateful to all parties who have offered to help in handling COVID-19," said Dwi. Jakarta hospitals have been reporting short supplies of such goods as the recent wave of COVID-19 cases shows no signs of slowing down. As of Wednesday, Jakarta had recorded 808 confirmed cases, nearly half of the countrys number of confirmed cases. Of them, 85 people had died of the disease while only 50 people had recovered. To detect the spread of the coronavirus, the administration is holding rapid testing across the province. Of the total 18,077 people tested, there had been 299 positive results as of Wednesday. Electronics on missiles and military helicopters need to survive extreme conditions. Before any of that physical hardware can be deployed, defense contractor McCormick Stevenson Corp. simulates the real-world conditions it will endure, relying on finite element analysis software like Ansys, which requires significant computing power. Then one day a few years ago, it unexpectedly ran up against its computing limits. "We had some jobs that would have overwhelmed the computers that we had in office," says Mike Krawczyk, principal engineer at McCormick Stevenson. "It did not make economic or schedule sense to buy a machine and install software." Instead, the company contracted with Rescale, which could sell them cycles on a supercomputer-class system for a tiny fraction of what they would've spent on new hardware. McCormick Stevenson had become an early adopter in a market known as supercomputing as a service or high-performance computing (HPC) as a service two terms that are closely related. HPC is the application of supercomputers to computationally complex problems, while supercomputers are those computers at the cutting edge of processing capacity, according to the National Institute for Computational Sciences. Whatever it's called, these services are upending the traditional supercomputing market and bringing HPC power to customers who could never afford it before. But it's no panacea, and it's definitely not plug-and-play at least not yet. HPC services in practice From the end user's perspective, HPC as a service resembles the batch-processing model that dates back to the early mainframe era. "We create an Ansys batch file and send that up, and after it runs, we pull down the result files and import them locally here," Krawczyk says. Behind the scenes, cloud providers are running the supercomputing infrastructure in their own data centers though that doesn't necessarily imply the sort of cutting-edge hardware you might be visualizing when you hear "supercomputer." As Dave Turek, Vice President of Technical Computing at IBM OpenPOWER, explains it, HPC services at their core are "a collection of servers that are strung together with an interconnect. You have the ability to invoke this virtual computing infrastructure that allows you to bring a lot of different servers to work together in a parallel construct to solve the problem when you present it." Sounds simple in theory. But making it viable in practice required some chipping away at technical problems, according to Theo Lynn, Professor of Digital Business at Dublin City University. What differentiates ordinary computing from HPC is those interconnects high-speed, low-latency, and expensive so those needed to be brought to the world of cloud infrastructure. Storage performance and data transport also needed to be brought up to a level at least in the same ballpark as on-prem HPC before HPC services could be viable. But Lynn says that some of the innovations that have helped HPC services take off have been more institutional than technological. In particular, "we are now seeing more and more traditional HPC applications adopting cloud-friendly licensing models a barrier to adoption in the past." And the economics have also shifted the potential customer base, he says. "Cloud service providers have opened up the market more by targeting low-end HPC buyers who couldnt afford the capex associated with traditional HPC and opening up the market to new users. As the markets open up, the hyperscale economic model becomes more and more feasible, costs start coming down." Avoid on-premises CAPEX HPC services are attractive to private-sector customers in the same fields where traditional supercomputing has long held sway. These include sectors that rely heavily on complex mathematical modeling, including defense contractors like McCormick Stevenson, along with oil and gas companies, financial services firms, and biotech companies. Dublin City University's Lynn adds that loosely coupled workloads are a particularly good use case, which meant that many early adopters used it for 3D image rendering and related applications. But when does it make sense to consider HPC services over on-premises HPC? For hhpberlin, a German company that simulates smoke propagation in and fire damage to structural components of buildings, the move came as it outgrew its current resources. "For several years, we had run our own small cluster with up to 80 processor cores," says Susanne Kilian, hhpberlin's scientific head of numerical simulation. "With the rise in application complexity, however, this constellation has increasingly proven to be inadequate; the available capacity was not always sufficient to handle projects promptly." Susan Bartels, Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Public Health at Queens University, with her colleagues in the Democratic Republic of Congo during her earlier visit. Credit: Queen's University As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to impact countries worldwide, we've seen how nations around the world are working to mobilize populations, resources, and government assistance to mitigate spread of the virus and help those who have been affected. But how are developing nations impacted differently than developed nations in this crisis? Susan Bartels, professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Public Health at Queen's University, is an expert in global public health research that focuses on how people are affected by humanitarian crises, including armed conflict and natural disasters. Dr. Bartels was visiting South Africa for SSHRC-funded research investigating sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers as well as Universities Canada-funded research examining parenting in settings of adversity. The Gazette spoke to Dr. Bartels, who recently returned from field research in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), about how developing nations, such as DRC, are confronting unique challenges when it comes to COVID-19. COVID-19 is being called a "global crisis." In what ways do you think it impacts developing nations differently than developed nations? Susan Bartels: Lower- and middle-income countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at an enormous disadvantage, due to lack of public health infrastructure, profoundly underfunded health care systems, and poor access to care. For example, although supplies and essential medical equipment are lacking in Canada, the Panzi Hospital in South Kivu province of the DRC has only 20 ventilators for its catchment population of more than 5.7 million people. These countries are also significantly disadvantaged because government assistance programs will not be nearly as robust as they are in Canada (income support, tax deferrals, support for small business, etc.). Compounding that, in DRC, like in many other lower-income countries, chronic underlying illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and tuberculosis (TB), as well as high rates of malnutrition among children, have the potential to dramatically increase COVID-related morbidity and mortality. How are developing countries reacting to the pandemic? SB: Eastern DRC has been responding to an Ebola epidemic since August 2018, so when it comes to screening, they were far more prepared than we were in Canada. For instance, when arriving to the Congo by air or by car, visitors were already subject to temperature screening in addition to a health questionnaire that had to be completed. Additionally, social greetings had already been modified in the DRC. In response to the Ebola epidemic, hand shaking, hugging, and other forms of physical social greeting were no longer considered acceptable, and handwashing stations could be found outside all hospitals, clinics, shops, restaurants, hotels, and other public spaces. These screening and precautionary measures, which have already been in place for almost a year and a half, will now doubly serve to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Are they helped or hindered by their government structure when it comes to a medical crisis? SB: As I mentioned in my response to the first question, these nations will be very much hindered because of inability for governments to mobilize assistance in the same way as developed nations. For lower-income countries, the fact that COVID-19 is a global pandemic will likely distinguish its response from other humanitarian responses, like that of the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Because those crises were more limited in scale, other nations not directly affected were able to contribute supplies, personnel, and support, which will probably be lacking for the COVID-19 response. Additionally, the capacity and resources of international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, are spread very thin in the current pandemic, meaning they will be less able to support individual country responses. What are some of the other unique concerns/challenges do developing nations face? SB: With regards to challenges, in addition to existing epidemics, Eastern DRC continues to face sporadic armed conflict and insecurity and, as a result, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced. This adds a monumental challenge to the COVID-19 response as these individuals and families will be particularly vulnerable, but also difficult to reach because of their displacement. Who are the most vulnerable populations in these nations? SB: To some extent, I think the most vulnerable populations will be similar in many settings, including those with underlying medical illnesses, the vulnerably housed, those facing poverty, persons with disabilities, individuals who are geographically isolated, and those with limited access to medical care. One of the key differences that will likely make the COVID-19 epidemic harder hitting in lower- and middle-income countries, however, is the higher burden of untreated or under-treated chronic illness, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, hepatitis, and malnutrition. How is the COVID-19 crisis similar to the other humanitarian crises you have researched/worked on? SB: In several respects, the COVID-19 response is similar to other humanitarian crises I have experience with. For example, both COVID-19 and humanitarian responses have a shared focus on the health of an entire population, as opposed to individuals (ex. implementation of public health measures, such as quarantine to protect the greater good). It also comes down to the essentials that are needed to meet people's basic needs and to keep people alive (ex. cancellation of all non-essential medical appointments and procedures). Furthermore, outcomes for the population at risk are largely dependent on the policies, programs, and supports implemented by various levels of government. And finally, something that many people can probably relate tothe feeling of uncertainty that comes with a crisis of this magnitude and when things are evolving so rapidly. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Four more people in Assam tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive on Wednesday, a day after the first case was reported in the most populous North-eastern state, taking the total number of infected people to five. Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that all the five Covid-19 positive patients had taken part in the international congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi between March 13 and 15. The minister said that the number could reach double-digits after more tests results are available later on Wednesday evening. We have received a list of 456 people, who were present in and around Nizamuddin during the Tablighi Jamats congregation. The total number of people from Assam who were in Delhi stands at 547, as we have collected another 91 names locally, the minister said. We have gathered that 134 people were in the area but didnt attend the congregation, while another 68 took part but are yet to return to Assam. Our target is to locate those 347 people who have since returned home, he added. So far, the state government has identified and located 230 people who have come back to Assam and swab samples of 196 of them have been sent for tests. The authorities, however, are yet to locate 117 people and efforts are on to trace them. Most of the test results are expected by Wednesday evening, but as of now we have four new Covid-19 positive cases confirmed by the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. The total tally of Covid-19 patients in Assam is five and all of them had attended the Jamaat congregation, said Sarma. We have got reports that four other persons from Assam, who are among the 68 attendees of the congregation, are yet to return to the state but have tested Covid-19 positive in Delhi, he added. The minister appealed to the 117 others, who are yet to be traced, to voluntarily contact healthcare authorities or call the 104 helpline number and inform about their location. We have entered a critical stage as most of the 347 people who came back to Assam from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in March didnt quarantine themselves. We have no clue how many people they might have come in contact with since their return, he said. A 52-year-old man, who also attended the Jamaat meet and belongs to Karimganj district in the Barak valley, is Assams first Covid-19 positive case, as test results confirmed on Tuesday. He has been admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital after he returned to Guwahati from Delhi by train. Those who came in contact with him since his return have been quarantined and swab samples of five of them have been sent for tests. The authorities are keeping a close watch on Assams zero patients health, as he also suffers from cancer and diabetes. Of the 386 fresh Covid-19 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, 154 have been traced to the Jamaat meet in March. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nairobi-based socialite Huddah Monroe is having it rough since self-isolation and quarantine became part of the new world order. In a series of posts on her socials, the Huddah Cosmetics owner acknowledged that social distancing and isolation has humbled her. In fact, the famous sex symbol has been humbled to a point of having to beg for horizontal refreshments. I break up. 2 hours later Im bored and I want him back! Quarantine got me begging for D. They say Humble Yourselves! Quarantine has surely humbled me! wrote Monroe, adding: I feel a caged animal or an inmate. Huddah also took issue with the 10-hour curfew imposed in Kenya, suggesting it should be in effect during the day because she is as nocturnal as a lady of the night. This 8 pm to 6 am curfew is dead a**. I am more active at night! I wanna dress up and go disturb people. Can they change the curfew to 8 am to 6 pm? she posed. The outspoken Instagram personality also made an observation of how the coronavirus pandemic has affected marriages. I see why husbands have fallen in love with their wives. And breaking up with their sides. Humble Yourself coz theres nowhere else to go. Huddah posted. Among Volkswagen's 24 Chinese plants, 22 have resumed productions of vehicles and components, according to a release by the company on Tuesday. A photo shows a Volkswagen China's dealer store on May 3, 2019. [Photo/VCG] "Hope is returning on the Chinese market," said Stephan Wollenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, in the release. "There are more and more signs that business is recovering. By the middle of the year, we could be back to last year's planning. Only the vehicle plants in Changsha and Urumqi are still yet to open, according to the release. "We are cautiously optimistic that the worst effects of the crisis will be behind us in two to three months," said Wollenstein, adding that the interest of many customers in buying cars was still limited, as many plants were operating at a reduced capacity. Nevertheless, he said Volkswagen is prepared to increase production if demand picks up. Volkswagen Group China's sales figures have recently shown signs of improvement. Sales are expected to increase to 1 million vehicles in March, which would be a vast improvement on February when only about 250,000 cars were sold across the country. More than 95% of all Volkswagen Group dealers have reopened their showrooms. Customer frequency is around 60% compared with normal phases. "I expect the car business to reach last year's level in early summer," Wollenstein said. The Volkswagen brand alone is represented in China by more than 2,000 dealers. It remains uncertain to what extent an expected recovery could offset the slump in the first quarter. For the year as a whole, the company is therefore planning with different scenarios that assume a decline of between 3% and 15% in the Chinese car market. "The 'crystal ball' principle still applies," Wollenstein said. "Precise forecasts are hardly possible at present because developments in the second half of the year depend on many factors that are difficult to calculate." In the release, the Volkswagen China CEO cited as factors the purchasing behavior of customers when things return to normal, possible special economic stimulus programs for the Chinese auto industry, and the country's overall economic development in light of the global pandemic. Together with its Chinese partners, Volkswagen Group is sticking to the announced investments of more than 4 billion euros this year. "We assume that the recovery will continue and that we will be operating in a normal market environment again in 2021," Wollenstein emphasized. "And China will not lose its status as a powerhouse of the global automotive industry in the long term either. The trends of electromobility and digitalization will be shaped here." Around 40% of the planned investments alone will go into electric vehicles. This year, for example, production of new electric models based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) is due to start at plants in Anting (SAIC Volkswagen) and Foshan (FAW-Volkswagen). Both plants are specially designed for the production of purely electric cars. "It is good that we are entering the post-crisis period with strong new models," Wollenstein said, adding that Volkswagen Group plans to sell 1.5 million electric cars per year in China starting from 2025. The global economy is confronting one of its greatest crises, with forecasts showing it's likely to shrink for the first time in 11 years as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on businesses across the world. City-wide lockdowns and international travel restrictions have decimated demand and dealt a crushing blow to the service sector and most other industries. The shock has been particularly tough for Japan's tourism industry, which went from boom to bust virtually overnight. Visitor numbers for February were down from the same month last year by nearly 60 percent -- a record. In March, sales at one department store plummeted more than 40 percent year-on-year. It was a similar story at many businesses. For companies in Japan, the timing couldn't have been worse. Japan's fiscal year ends in March. So, too, does the business year for many firms. The impact of the pandemic on their end-of-year book-keeping has been profound. So dire is the situation that from February to mid-March, private and government-affiliated financial institutions received more than 400,000 inquiries from companies about applying for loans. In the weeks after the coronavirus emerged in China's Hubei Province, it was the manufacturing industry that suffered. Companies temporarily closed plants throughout China, causing major disruptions to the global supply chain. Soon, shock waves were sweeping through other industries, forcing financial institutions to put together massive stimulus packages to keep cash running through the real economy. Toyama Kazuhiko, a managing partner of Industrial Growth Platform, has extensive experience in rehabilitating failed businesses. He warns that big companies could now face "a second wave" of damage as sales of durable products dry up. The auto industry is one of many that could bear witness to Toyama's prediction in the months ahead. Automakers are expected to suspend work at factories in Japan and other parts of Asia and Europe as demand for vehicles plummets. Even Toyota Motor, one of the world's most successful car makers, is bracing for pain. The company has applied to Japanese banks for a new credit line totaling one trillion yen, or more than nine billion dollars. OK, so Filipinos arent big on toilet paper use in the crapperwere a bidet and tabo (water dipper) using nation. But this isnt why online art exhibit Paper Panic Project, which started a few days before the Luzon-wide lockdown, decided to use it as a centerpiece in its ongoing exhibit. Its an item thats both common-use and personal, the Quezon City-based artist, who founded and curates the page comprising works from hundreds of local artists, told Coconuts Manila via email chat. Though a fixture in the Philippine art scene, he told us he wishes to remain anonymous to emphasize the collective spirit of the project. Paper Panic now has over 200 entries as of posting and features a variety of works ranging from papier-mache and soft sculptures, still and animated illustrations, videos and multimedia pieces, even the occasional crochet and embroidery (yes, still using toilet paper). A general scan showing scrawled drawings of the president, calls for mass testing, cheeky boob-baring ladies practicing arms-length distancing, plus a fake receipt of hoarded grocery items printed on tissue paper show you that most art figured in the exhibit is politically charged, anxious, restless, and angry. Most of them. It is the expression of the times, its curator told us. Coconuts Manila spoke at length with the artist behind Paper Panic about the project, as he shared his thoughts on the me vs we attitude, his daily routine while the citys on lockdown, and the pandemic which has everyone on edge. Why toilet paper? Story continues Tissue is a common household item thats easy to find around the house, fragile and disposable, and at the same time utilitarian and personal. I thought of collecting works on tissue/toilet paper as a record of the time, a kind of diary of whats happening using visual languagedrawings, illustrations, and videos during this pandemic. I started the project on March 11, a few days before the announcement of the Metro Manila-wide lockdown on the 15th. During that time, I already saw many people started to panic, which is why I named the project Paper Panic. How many artists have contributed so far, and is it just one work per artist? So far there are 200 plus works from artists, designers, illustrators from the Philippines and abroad. Some of them sent several works and making it as a series or an instant reaction or meme to what was happening. Were you surprised by how varied the works are, given the medium was just tissue? What was your brief for the artists when you asked them to participate in the project? Yes, I am surprised that you can do so much with a single piece of toilet paper, or work around with the idea of tissue. A simple DM [direct message] was sent to some of my artist friends to make new works during the time of COVID-19 with no limitations. I told them it can be personal, social, humorous, and so on. Any personal favorites so far or a work you wished youd thought of yourself? Every work has its own energy and charm and using tissue as a base has its limits, but some artists go beyond [the medium] like this one video animation by Ramon Afable. [Another is] a last outbound bus ticket before the lockdown, attached to tissue paper using hand sanitizer by Karize Michella Uy; a mini-zine by Juno Vizcarra; a bar chart of number of infected people in Japan using embroidery on tissue paper by Taku Hisamura; paper mache from tissue paper that talks about guns and bullets as forced containment by Jett Ilagan; and the call for mass testing by Lena Cobangbang and Lee Paje, plus a work in honor of the medical front liners made by Jose Luis Singson. How do you pick the artists? Are submissions encouraged, or are you picking works from a pool of people whose work youre already familiar with? I initially sent direct messages to my artist friends if they wanted to contribute to the project. When the first few works were posted on Instagram, people started to share and follow the account. From there it became a platform where other artists can show their visual of text-based narrative during the pandemic, an automatic response to be part of the collective narrative during this social distancing time. So yes, submissions are welcome. Do you see the exhibit moving to a physical space in the future, or is an online exhibit intentional? The project is meant to be online, the presentation and the viewing in screens is the premise of the project as an act of connectedness even though we cannot be physically present together, and there is no intention of doing a physical exhibition. Its a depiction of the time were living inlockdown, isolation, social distancing but we can still have collectivity in our minds. Temporariness is also part of the concept. You wanted to be mentioned as an anonymous artist/curator. Why is it important for the focus to be on the collective? I want the platform to be about solidarity. Its important to have a voice and vision using art and creativity to archive the time. Although the works represent different ideas and expressions, the digital connectedness can be present in these trying times. The project tries to build engagements between the artists and its viewersfrom being an individual to a collective spirit. Do you think that somehow mirrors these crazy times, that we should adopt a we vs. me attitude? To a point yes, an individual is made up of how we are related to society. We became who we are because of our relationship with others. Its just in this time of crisis that we try to be more collective to support each other, especially the ones who need it most. On a side note, how are you holding up with the city on lockdown? How do you personally keep sane and fend off the fear? My family and I live in Quezon City, which has the most number of positive [recorded] cases in the Philippines. I constantly keep up with the developments of COVID-19 on the internet and check on my parents in the province who are seniors, and friends through messenger. Once in awhile I draw, read, cook, play with my son. I only go out to shop essentials in the nearby wet market and supermarket, and to catch the sun. On Paper Panics bio, the exhibit is described as paper in the time of COVID-19. What do you think arts meant to do for people in these crazy times? Is there such a thing as a social responsibilityfor artists to create something thats meant to address the pandemic? The project is building and changing its own direction, role, and language since inception because of the [varying] submissions. Art has the possibility to create something that cannot always be measured: change, discussions, and engagements. It is the expression of the timesfear, anger, anxiety, hope, grief, challenges, inspiration, frustrations, trust and so ona complex composition of our life. This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. This article, (Dont) Panic: This online art exhibit records COVID-19 feelings through toilet paper, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde says his state can not go on total lock down like other states because it will not be beneficiary despite the increasing numbers of cases of coronavirus in the state. Read Also: Vaccine For Treatment Of Coronavirus Ready Soon Iwu Speaking on Fresh FM on Tuesday, he added that only a curfew would work in the state so that people can go about their businesses. He said: when we spoke last Saturday, everything that can be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State, I said, were on the table. We will continue to assess the situation and take additional measures where necessary. But remember also that my own background is engineering and I kept saying to people that as an engineer, you take decisions that are based on logic and fact. Its an uncharted territory. We kept on interacting with the experts to find out what are the facts emerging. Yes, Lagos can be on lockdown, Ogun can be on lockdown, Oyo State, yes, people have been saying have a total lockdown and then I have been asking them questions. What will be the benefits here? Are there alternative courses of action for us to take? If you ask people not to come out, you lock down the market places, there are people who what they sell today the profit from todays activities is what they will eat tomorrow. There are plenty people like that within our environment. So, are there alternatives available to us? Can we do selective lockdowns? Thats why I imposed the curfew, to say limit interactions. I think, everything is on the table but it has to follow a logical pattern and it will need the input of experts. We are not just going to lockdown because everyone is locking down. I have been watching CNN and the most successful place right now in containing this is the Czech Republic. And one of the things they brought out is that they made a law that if you must leave your house, you must wear a mask. It may be that route for us to go. I have asked them to start evaluating that. If we must make that law and say everybody that must go out must wear a mask, then, how about those who cannot afford it. Can we make masks locally? Can we get our artisans and our tailors to commit to that with the government supporting? So, those are the type of solutions we are looking for. Wear Scriptures: Christian Clothing Company Encourages Christians to Prepare the Way for the Lord Wear Scriptures is a Christian clothing brand that is dedicated to spreading the gospel with clothing and accessories. Each design encourages Christians to be a voice for the gospel. Prepare the Way for the Lord John the Baptist was given the mandate to Prepare the way for the Lord. The Bible clearly shows us in Mark 1:2-4. It reads, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way -- a voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, (NIV). We are the John the Baptist generation. We have been called to prepare the way for the Lord, our Coming King. Jesus promised that He would return. In Matthew 25:31-32, Jesus referred to himself saying, When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, (NIV). Jesus will not return to earth as a baby in his second coming. He will return as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. John, the beloved disciple, was given a vision of Jesus return. In Revelation 19:11-16, John said, I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, (NIV). While we, the body of Christ, await Christs coming, we should be fulfilling the Great Commission. Revelation 22:17 says, The (Holy) Spirit and the bride (the church, the true Christians) say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! Whoever is thirsty (who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened); and whoever (earnestly) desires to do it, let him come; take, appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost, (AMPC). Prepare the way for the LORD. Be a voice for the gospel. Wear Scriptures! Wear Scriptures, LLC is a Kingdom business consecrated to God, to bring honor and glory to His name. The business is dedicated to spreading the gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ with Christian clothing and accessories. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | LYON COUNTY By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | 12:56 PM | LYON COUNTY Lyon County has its second confirmed case of COVID-19. Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White said in a Facebook post Tuesday night a 97-year-old woman has tested positive for the virus. She is a resident at River's Bend Nursing Home. White says the woman has been admitted to a Tennessee hospital for treatment. Authorities with the Kentucky State Health Department are reportedly working to trace everyone who has been in contact with the woman and notify them. "I ask you to, if you would, pray for the family of the person with the virus," White said. "Pray for our workers there, our residents there. I will keep you updated on everything that I can possibly update you on. Remember, keep social distancing. Just stay away from people. Just keep that six-foot distance. We've got to keep this virus down." White said he is working on getting the tests the county needs to determine who else may have been exposed to the virus. A man wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against Covid-19 walks past a Communist Party flag in Wuhan, China, on March 31, 2020. The Chinese government has deliberately underreported the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country, the U.S. intelligence community told the White House, a new report says. Bloomberg, citing three U.S. officials, reported Wednesday that the intelligence community said in a classified report that China's public tally of COVID-19 infections and deaths is purposefully incomplete. The secret report concludes that China's numbers are fake, two of the officials told Bloomberg. The White House received the report last week, according to the news outlet. At a White House press briefing Wednesday, Trump said that "we have not received" any intelligence reports showing that China underreported its coronavirus numbers. Still, Trump said that Beijing's tally appeared "to be a little bit on the light side, and I'm being nice when I say that, relative to what we witnessed and what was reported." China has reported 82,361 coronavirus cases, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. That number is about half of the total cases confirmed in the U.S., which has become the country with the highest number of reported infections in the world. Older people facing additional hardship as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic can apply for financial support from Age Action and the Irish Red Cross, and we can all support it. Age Action and the Irish Red Cross are launching the COVID-19 Hardship Fund in partnership to support people experiencing difficulties meeting costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Unexpected costs can put an added strain on older people and the Hardship Fund will assist with the costs of increased food bills and associated delivery costs, replacing or upgrading essential small appliances, additional transport, energy or communication costs and the costs of additional safety or security equipment to enable older people to remain safe and well in their homes. Official poverty statistics from the CSO indicate that 11.4% of people aged 65 years and over were at risk of poverty in 2018 meaning they are not able to withstand the immediate economic impact of COVID-19. People over the age of 65 depend on social protection for more than three-quarters of their income, for many older people the State Pension is often their only source of income. Paddy Connolly, CEO of Age Action, said: Older people are among the groups who are at high risk of the impacts of COVID-19 and we know some older people in vulnerable situations will need additional assistance and financial support, particularly as they cocoon over the coming weeks. We have designed this scheme to provide immediate practical relief to alleviate some of the day to day hardships they will experience due to COVID-19, such as increases in their living costs for additional shopping and deliveries, increased bills and transport costs for essential appointments. This fund will provide additional assistance to vulnerable older people around Ireland who are experiencing hardship as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic by making once-off grants, up to a maximum of 500, per person/household affected. Older people, family members supporting an older person and carers of older people can apply as well as Social Workers and Local Community Organisations providing direct assistance to vulnerable older people. You can apply for financial assistance with the costs of practical needs that are adding to hardship as a direct result of COVID-19 and increased social distancing restrictions over the coming weeks. Paddy Connolly added, This could be assistance for an older person with maintaining their ability to stay safe and well in their own home as they cocoon, such as the cost of handrails, additional security or safety equipment, providing assistance with the costs of food, basic provisions and their delivery, providing funds to buy or update small appliances such as a fridge, freezer, cooker, TV or washing machine, paying for additional transport and energy costs or the cost of additional phone bills. Liam ODwyer, Secretary General of The Irish Red Cross said: The focus of The Red Cross in Ireland is to ensure that people who find themselves in vulnerable situations have the capacity, with support, to be resilient and manage their own lives. Support like the Hardship Fund gives older people that additional capacity and our members are delighted to be of support in this very unusual time. We are really pleased to work with Age Action who are leaders in the area of independent living. The Covid19 Hardship Fund opened, today Wednesday April 1 and will run for the duration of the coronavirus health crisis in Ireland. More information, and how to donate to the Hardship Fund, is available online at www.ageaction.ie or www.redcross.ie or by calling Age Action at 01 475 6989 or the Irish Red Cross at 01 642 4600 or emailing Hardship2020@redcross.ie or info@ageaction.ie Initial funds have been raised with the generous assistance of a number of business leaders and corporates, including Tesco, Denis OBrien, Gas Networks Ireland, Deloitte, RSA Insurance, Prepay Power and Hibernian REIT. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 20:36:29|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday said the nation is not yet at a point where it is necessary to declare a state of emergency over the COVID-19, despite numbers of COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in Japan. Speaking at an upper house committee meeting on the matter, the Japanese leader said that if and when a decision would be made, it would be done so based on prioritizing people's lives and the health of the public. While Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has urged Abe to decide whether to declare a state of emergency as cases in the capital continued to rise, the Japanese leader said that for the time being prefectural governors would be allowed to make requests of their citizens and give orders. Koike previously said that Tokyo is "on the brink," and, as such, the central government needs to make up its mind about the declaration and the issuing of a potential citywide lockdown. Abe's latest remarks made in the upper house could still see Koike expand the restriction of people's movements in the capital, following her request last weekend for people to stay home and her ongoing call for people to work from home and refrain from going outside in the evenings. As with Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture has identified nightclubs and other night spots as potential COVID-19 hotspots, with Yoshimura Hirofumi, the governor of Osaka, saying the virus could spread rapidly in night spots that operate until early morning as customers stay in close quarters for relatively long periods of time. He said the situation, if left unchecked, could lead to an "explosive spread" of cases of the COVID-19. As of 6:30 p.m. local time Wednesday, official figures showed that 2,362 people have been infected with the COVID-19 virus in Japan, with 66 new cases recorded in Tokyo bringing the total in the capital to 587 cases. Osaka, meanwhile, has recorded 244 COVID-19 cases, the second-highest nationwide behind Tokyo. The total death toll nationwide stands at 78, according to the health ministry and local authorities as of Wednesday evening. Abe, in addition, told the upper house committee meeting that even if a state of emergency were to be declared, it would not necessarily mean that cities nationwide would face an immediate lockdown. The prime minister suggested that were a declaration to be made, a number of orders may be issued on a case-by-case basis as dictated by the needs of cities and prefectures and as requested by prefectural authorities. Abe said it would not be possible to implement sweeping lockdowns here as other countries such as France have done, but said that if a state of emergency is declared after parliamentary deliberations, then he stood ready to fulfill his obligations. He added that such a scenario would mean that the nation is in a state of crisis and citizens here would have to understand that their swift response would be paramount. Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising from the COVID-19 outbreak in the country New Delhi: Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising from the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society, as per a company statement released on Wednesday. Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd's is Rs 25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore, it added. These sums are in addition to the annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, the statement said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak "Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the COVID-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it," the statement said. These responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundationas 1,600-person team, in collaboration with many of its over 350-strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country, it added. These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro, the statement said. Corporate India has been rushing in to help the government and citizens fight the covid-19 pandemic in India. Tata Trusts and Tata group together have pledged Rs 1,500 crore - by far the highest by any corporate. Reliance Industries'' chief Mukesh Ambani has also committed a further Rs 500 crore to the Prime Minister's COVID-19 fund, topping up over the multi-crore initiative of India''s first coronavirus hospital, meals to the needy, and fuel to emergency vehicles. Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has committed Rs 100 crore, while a number of other companies are also extending support efforts towards fighting COVID-19 in India. South Korean consumer electronic giants Samsung and LG have said they will provide help to local authorities in India, offering preventive kits, infrared thermometers and consumer durables to hospitals, to help fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Digital payments companies like Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon Pay and others have urged users to donate to PM''s Fund through their platforms and they, in turn, will make contributions to the fund as well. Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Some of Indias top economists, civil servants and social scientists have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as to chief ministers of all states asking for a series of measures including a Rs 3.6 lakh crore cash support for families who are not in the tax net or who have a member working for the formal sector. The letter said that the central and state governments together should immediately think of ensuring a minimum transfer of at least Rs 6000 per month to each Jan Dhan Yojana woman account holder with a major part borne by the Central Government over the next three months. With 20 crore estimated beneficiary families for 3 months, the figure works out to Rs 3.6 lakh crore. Earlier, the government had announced some grants including Rs 2000 from the PM Kisan scheme to farmers and Rs 1000 grant to senior citizens, poor widows and poor disabled etc. But the group which includes Lord Meghnad Desai well-known economist, Dr. Rakesh Mohan, former Deputy Governor, RBI, Dr. Abhjit Sen, former Planning Commission Member, Prof. Deepak Nayyar, Former Chief Economic Advisor, Sujata Rao, former Union Health Secretary; Amitabh Pandey, former Secretary, Interstate Council and Dr. Ajit Ranade, Chief Economist, Aditya Birla Group, feel more needs to be done. "The direct benefit transfers announced was a step forward, but we need to do more. The Telangana example is a good one where the state is trying to reach out on a wider scale without excluding anyone," explained Ravi Srivastava, former Chairman of the Centre for Regional Studies, JNU. FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE Though the centre has promised 5 kg of free cereals to the poor, the group feels to ward off hunger "all state governments should ensure that at least 10 kg free rations per person per month, along with other necessary items, is available for all eligible households." The group also estimates that some 40-50 million migrant labourers are currently unemployed and want to head back to their villages. It suggests that centre and state use their facilities to house them without over-crowding and start community feeding programs. Among other things, the letter seeks a scheme to compensate the unorganized and MSME sector for payment of wages to contract and temporary employees during the lockdown. "No needy person or household remains outside the social protection net being created to cope with the current calamitous conditions," it said. "We are the frontline of the pandemic" Care Station Medical Group -- In light of the rise of novel coronavirus cases, Care Station Medical Group has implemented a number of changes to better care for our community. As New Jersey's leading urgent care and primary care providers, our four campuses have updated our office hours and crafted new ways to offer medical care to patients coping with COVID-19. "Our infectious disease clinic is up and running in the Springfield office. We are seeing in excess of 40 patients per day," said Dr. Richard Bezozo, CEO of Care Station Medical. Thanks to innovative drive-thru COVID-19 testing at our Springfield location, health practitioners have managed to test upwards of 20 people per day. These tests are performed by appointment only. This drive-thru testing offering will also be expanded to our Linden location starting on Monday, March 30. Our Linden location has also been recognized as a leader in telemedicine for the safety and convenience of our patients. Thanks to the hardworking team at our Linden branch, we communicate daily with more than 100 confirmed COVID-positive patients. Our team will also be contacting patients with missed appointments in order to update prescriptions and reschedule future visits. "All administrators have taken a 10% reduction in salary for the duration of this crisis. They did this to ensure the health of our practice and ensure that we can continue to service our communities," explains Dr. Bezozo in an email to his staff. Thanks to the hard work of Care Station Medical Staff, three new programs have been successfully initiated in the last two weeks. We are dedicated to helping our community overcome this battle as the frontline of defense. About Care Station Medical Group: Care Station is a medical facility with four locations in New Jersey. Our mission is to serve the healthcare needs of all our patients, assist our client companies with cost containment and lost time prevention, and to promote a healthy lifestyle for everyone. LOWELL, Mass. - A discovery by a team of researchers led by UMass Lowell nuclear physicists could change how atoms are understood by scientists and help explain extreme phenomena in outer space. The breakthrough by the researchers revealed that a symmetry that exists within the core of the atom is not as fundamental as scientists have believed. The discovery sheds light on the forces at work within the atoms' nucleus, opening the door to a greater understanding of the universe. The findings were published today in Nature, one of the world's premier scientific journals. The discovery was made when the UMass Lowell-led team was working to determine how atomic nuclei are created in X-ray bursts - explosions that happen on the surface of neutron stars, which are the remnants of massive stars at the end of their life. "We are studying what happens inside the nuclei of these atoms to better understand these cosmic phenomena and, ultimately, to answer one of the biggest questions in science - how the chemical elements are created in the universe," said Andrew Rogers, UMass Lowell assistant professor of physics, who heads the research team. The research is supported by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to UMass Lowell and was conducted at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University. At the lab, scientists create exotic atomic nuclei to measure their properties in order to understand their role as the building blocks of matter, the cosmos and of life itself. Atoms are some of the smallest units of matter. Each atom includes electrons orbiting around a tiny nucleus deep within its core, which contains almost all its mass and energy. Atomic nuclei are composed of two nearly identical particles: charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The number of protons in a nucleus determines which element the atom belongs to on the periodic table and thus its chemistry. Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. At the NSCL, nuclei were accelerated to near the speed of light and smashed apart into fragments creating strontium-73 - a rare isotope that is not found naturally on Earth but can exist for short periods of time during violent thermonuclear X-ray bursts on the surface of neutron stars. This isotope of strontium contains 38 protons and 35 neutrons and only lives for a fraction of a second. Working around the clock over eight days, the team created more than 400 strontium-73 nuclei and compared them to the known properties of bromine-73, an isotope that contains 35 protons and 38 neutrons. With interchanged number of protons and neutrons, bromine-73 nuclei are considered "mirror partners" to strontium-73 nuclei. Mirror symmetry in nuclei exists because of the similarities between protons and neutrons and underlies scientists' understanding of nuclear physics. Roughly every half-hour, the researchers created one strontium-73 nucleus, transported it through the NSCL's isotope separator and then brought the nucleus to a stop at the center of a complex detector array where they could observe its behavior. By studying the radioactive decay of these nuclei, the scientists found that strontium-73 behaved entirely differently from bromine-73. The discovery raises new questions about nuclear forces, according to Rogers. "Strontium-73 and bromine-73 should appear identical in structure, but surprisingly do not, we found. Probing symmetries that exist in nature is a very powerful tool for physicists. When symmetries break down, that tells us something's wrong in our understanding, and we need to take a closer look," Rogers said. What the scientists saw will challenge nuclear theory, according to Daniel Hoff, a UMass Lowell research associate who was the lead author of the article published in Nature. "Comparing strontium-73 and bromine-73 nuclei was like looking in a mirror and not recognizing yourself. Once we convinced ourselves that what we were seeing was real, we were very excited," Hoff said. Along with Rogers, a Somerville resident, and Hoff of Medford, the UMass Lowell team included Physics Department faculty members Assistant Prof. Peter Bender, Emeritus Prof. C.J. Lister and former UMass Lowell research associate Chris Morse. Physics graduate students Emery Doucet of Mason, N.H., and Sanjanee Waniganeththi of Lowell also contributed to the project. As part of the team's study, state-of-the-art theoretical calculations were carried out by Simin Wang, a research associate at Michigan State, and directed by Witold Nazarewicz, MSU's John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Physics and chief scientist at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), which will open next year. The researchers' work "offers unique insights into the structure of rare isotopes," Nazarewicz said. "But much still remains to be done. New facilities coming online, such as FRIB at MSU, will provide missing clues into a deeper understanding of the mirror symmetry puzzle. I am glad that the exotic beams delivered by our facility, unique instrumentation and theoretical calculations could contribute to this magnificent work." Plans for more experiments are already underway, as the researchers seek to refine and confirm their observations and study these isotopes further. ### UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. http://www.uml.edu Contact: Nancy Cicco, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Emma Batha (Thomson Reuters Foundation) London, United Kingdom Wed, April 1, 2020 06:36 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec222b 2 World April-Fools,coronavirus,prank,joke,rumors,misinformation,COVID-19,pandemic,health Free From Thailand to India, countries have told people not to make April Fools' Day pranks related to coronavirus, with some threatening jail time as they seek to prevent the spread of rumors which could put lives at risk. Tech giant Google, which is famous for its annual spoofs, has cancelled the tradition because of the pandemic, which has killed about 40,000 people worldwide. Thailand said on Tuesday that April Fool's Day jokes about the virus could be punished under a law carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison. "It's against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools' Day," the government said on Twitter. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen took to Facebook to tell people not to prank about the virus, adding that anyone spreading rumors or false information could face up to three years in jail and/or a fine of up to NT$3 million (US$99,200). In India, Maharashtra state's cyber security unit said it would take legal action against anyone spreading fake news on April Fools' Day. "The state govt won't allow anyone to spread rumors/panic on #Corona," Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted, adding that he had instructed the authorities to "act swiftly & strongly [against] such miscreants". Under the heading "Corona is no joke", Germany's health ministry also urged the public not to make up stories related to the virus. With people relying on the internet and media for vital information about coronavirus, there are fears that jokes could fan the spread of misinformation. From drinking cow urine to sleeping by chopped onions, myths about how people can catch and cure COVID-19 are already widely circulating. The World Health Organization has described it as an "infodemic", which could increase the spread of the virus among vulnerable people. Google said it had suspended its annual April Fools' tradition "out of respect for all those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic". "Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," it said in an internal email to staff. In previous years Google has advertised fictitious jobs at a new research center on the moon, turned Google Maps into a game of Where's Waldo - also known as Where's Wally - and claimed its search technology uses trained pigeons to rank pages. Taylor Herring, a British PR agency whose clients include TV channels and international brands, advised all companies to ditch the jokes this year. "Tip for any brands planning an April Fool's Day stunt. Just. Don't," it said on social media. Others commented on twitter that April Fools' Day had been cancelled because no one could make up anything more unbelievable than what is currently happening in the world. The anti-union group Freedom Foundation said Tuesday that it had filed five more lawsuits in West Coast states, including two in Oregon, alleging that unions had forged workers signatures to authorize the deduction of union dues from their paychecks. The foundation, funded by a network of conservative groups, has been pursuing an aggressive campaign to encourage workers to opt out of union membership to undermine unions financial and political clout. It has stepped up that effort in the wake of a 2018 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that ended a provision in Oregon and 21 other states requiring public employees to pay whats known as fair share or agency fees as a condition of their employment, even if they opted out of union membership. The foundation had previously filed seven similar forgery cases, including one in Oregon. The defendant in both Oregon lawsuits filed Monday is the Service Employees International Union 503. In the first case, Margo Cash Schiewe, an employee at the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, alleges that after the court ruling abolished agency fees, a representative told her the court ruling meant she was required to join the union. She alleges that she never consented to union membership, and when she wrote to the union to object, she was told she had signed an electronic membership form. The complaint says the form SEIU 503 produced didnt contain her signature or accurate data to establish a valid electronic signature, the complaint says. She is seeking the return of all dues and fees taken from her paycheck, plus interest, punitive damages and attorney fees. The second Oregon case was filed on behalf of Jodee Wright, who has worked for the Department of Human Services since 2005, but never joined the union. She contends that the union collected full dues from her paycheck without her authorization for years. But she formally decided to opt out of the union in October 2019, at which point she was allegedly told she had signed a membership form and would have to continue paying dues until August 2020. She says that she never signed the form, and is seeking restitution of all dues, compensatory and punitive damages for fraud, and attorneys fees. This isnt an accounting error or an honest mistake, Eric Stahlfeld, the Freedom Foundations chief litigation counsel, said of the 12 cases the group has filed. This looks like a pattern of criminal behavior. Unions evidently have learned to do business this way because for generations no one ever stood up to them. Ben Morris, a spokesman for the SEIU 503, said he couldnt comment on the pending lawsuits, but that the union processes around 18,000 membership applications every year and we have a stellar track record of accuracy. We take these allegations very seriously, and we will conduct a full investigation of the events that took place with these two individuals, he said. Morris went on to says that the Freedom Foundation is using the legal system as a weapon to advance the agenda of their corporate funders by attacking organizations like SEIU 503 who fight for workers on the frontlines. A trio of Texas pastors and a controversial anti-LGBTQ Republican activist have filed a lawsuit asking the State Supreme Court to strike down Harris County's stay-at-home order as unconstitutional for barring places of worship from holding in-person prayer services. The 83-page emergency petition for a writ of mandamus was filed on Monday by Dr Steven Hotze, a hardline Christian conservative, and pastors Juan Bustamante, George Garcia and David Valdez, arguing that Harris County Executive Judge Lina Hidalgos order violates the First Amendment by limiting religious and worship services to video or teleconference calls. A writ of mandamus, as defined by Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, is 'an order from a court to an inferior government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion.' Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on March 24 issued a 'stay home, work safe' order closing non-essential businesses and barring churches from holding in-person prayer services Three local pastors, including Juan Bustamante (left) and George Garcia (right) have filed a lawsuit asking the Texas Supreme Court to strike down order as unconstitutional The pastors were joined by Dr Steven Hotze, a controversial anti-LGBTQ Republican activist, who has said publicly that the coronavirus threat is overblown Hidalgo's stay-at-home order issued to help stop the spread of the coronavirus went into effect on March 24, mandating the closure of all non-essential businesses, prohibiting public or private gatherings and telling residents to stay indoors except for essential activities. Under the order, clerics are allowed to minister to worshipers 'in individual settings, so long as social distance protocols are followed. Religious and worship services may only be provided by video and teleconference.' The lawsuit filed by Bustamante, of the City on a Hill Church, Garcia, of the Power of Love Church, Valdez, of World of Faith Center of Houston, and Dr Hotze, who runs a wellness clinic, argues that Hidalgo's order infringes on the 'religious liberty' of pastors to bring their parishioners together for a service. According to the filing, on Sunday, Bustamante was cited by Houston police for violating social distancing requirements and threatened with a $1,000 fine. 'If the order is allowed to remain in place, the harm to individuals, businesses, the general public, people of faith, and the fundamental rights guaranteed to Harris County residents under the United States and Texas Constitutions would be impossible to undo,' the petition states. Pastor Bustamante, of the City on a Hill Church (pictured), was cited by police and threatened with a fine on Sunday for violating social distancing requirements The lawsuit accuses Judge Hidalgo of sacrificing the individual freedoms of Harris County residents. Elsewhere in the document, the quartet of plaintiffs try to make a case that the coronavirus pandemic, which as of Wednesday has claimed more than 4,300 lives nationwide, is less deadly that the annual flu epidemic, and therefore cannot be used to justify the trampling 'of individual liberties.' As of Wednesday afternoon, there were more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 3,346 in Texas. Hidalgos spokesman, Rafael Lemaitre, released a general statement saying, in part, 'if we fail to take adequate steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, people will die. We continue to urge folks to take this seriously.' It remains to be seen how the nine conservative Republican judges sitting on the Texas Supreme Court would rule in this matter, according to Vox. As of Wednesday, there were 200, 099 confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide and 4,391 deaths, 59 of them in Texas Harris Countys First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard defended Hidalgo, saying that she carefully crafted the order to protect religious liberty while taking the necessary steps to deal with the 'extraordinary crisis' of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, as the blog Friendly Atheist reported. Dr Hotze, a staunch opponent of LGBTQ rights and a champion of far-right causes who warned in 2015 that children would be 'encouraged to practice sodomy in kindergarten' as a result of same-sex marriage, has been arguing that the threat of the coronavirus has been blown out of proportion. The conservative firebrand appeared on a March 15 coronavirus pandemic special on Fox News in which he argued that 'you've got to take charge of your own health' and promoted his line of vitamins. The UK has allegedly bought two million coronavirus antibody tests from a Chinese manufacturer - as Number 10 continues to evaluate kits made by British firms. Half of the rapid fingerprick kits are being made by Guangzhou-based firm Wondfo and will arrive in Britain by the end of the week, ITV reports. The other million, which are reportedly being held-up, are being made by AllTest, a diagnostics firm based in Hangzhou. Both of the tests - which the Government has spent millions of pounds on - are said to have EU approval and can be used in hospitals in the UK immediately. Public Health England has yet to green-light any antibody test, with several different kits still being evaluated to ensure they are accurate. Professor Yvonne Doyle, PHE's medical director, was tonight forced to deny it was dragging its feet in approving any of the DIY kits. Countries have already had to send back defective coronavirus medical kits bought from China during the pandemic. Spain returned tens of thousands of testing kits, while the Netherlands recalled half a million defective face masks it brought from Beijing. Half of the rapid fingerprick kits are being made by Guangzhou-based firm Wondfo and will arrive in Britain by the end of the week The other million, which are reportedly being held-up, are being made by AllTest, a diagnostics firm based in Hangzhou COUNTRIES FORCED TO SEND BACK FAULTY CORONAVIRUS TESTS AND PROTECTIVE KIT The Dutch government last week recalled more than half a million faulty facemasks it purchased from Beijing. Around 600,000 masks, issued to frontline medics battling the crisis, were recalled after failing safety requirements. Many of the faulty masks did not fit properly or had membranes - fine filters that stop virus particles getting in that did not work as they should. The equipment would have put doctors and nurses at risk of catching the virus. Meanwhile Spain said it was returning 640,000 of rapid testing kits made in China after it emerged they only had a 30 per cent accuracy rate, rather than the 80 per cent expected. The Chinese embassy in Spain said the company that made the testing kits - Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology - had not been on Beijings list of certified providers. But Spain said the swabs were sourced via a domestic supplier and assumed they were of sufficient quality because they had a CE marking on them, indicating they met EU standards. Advertisement The so-called 'rapid lateral flow diagnostic tests', which the UK has purchased from China a fortnight ago, involve a pin prick in the thumb. Blood is then transferred onto a testing strip which produces results in minutes, like that of a pregnancy test. They scour the blood for antibodies and can tell if someone is has previously had the virus - even without knowing. Mass antibody testing will allow the UK to slowly ease its draconian lockdown, which senior officials have warned could last for months. The regime would paint a clear picture on who has already caught the killer infection and is immune to being struck down again. It would allow frontline NHS staff who are stuck at home - estimates suggest around a quarter of doctors are in lockdown - to get back to work. Robert Peston, ITVs political editor, claimed that 'in theory within the next few days a million testing kits could be distributed to the UKs hospitals'. However, it was alleged PHE had not assessed whether the tests are suitable for the UK, despite having had a fortnight to do so for reasons that are extremely unclear. Professor Doyle said: This is not a matter of dragging our feet, its important that the test is valid, that it does what it says it does. And as the chief medical officer (Professor Chris Whitty) said, theres something worse than no test - a wrong test or a bad test.' In tonight's Downing Street press conference she added: As soon as we can we want to be out there doing these tests.' MailOnline has approached Public Health England and the Department of Health for comment. Ministers claim to have ordered a total of 17.5million antibody kits 'in principle', with firms only securing deals if their tests pass medical checks by health chiefs. It is unclear which firms - other than Wondfo and AllTest - have been asked to make them. But several companies are thought to be in the running. Belfast-based manufacturer Biopanda Reagents today announced it had opted to restrict sales to just UK healthcare providers, effectively the NHS. Belfast-based Biopanda Reagents posted an alert on its website to say the ban on all international orders was 'effective immediately' WHAT IS AN ANTIBODY TEST, AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT TO AN ANTIGEN OR PCR TEST? ANTIBODY TEST An antibody test is one which tests whether someone's immune system is equipped to fight a specific disease or infection. When someone gets infected with a virus their immune system must work out how to fight it off and produce substances called antibodies. These are extremely specific and are usually only able to tackle one strain of one virus. They are produced in a way which makes them able to latch onto that specific virus and destroy it. For example, if someone catches COVID-19, they will develop COVID-19 antibodies for their body to use to fight it off. The body then stores versions of these antibodies in the immune system so that if it comes into contact with that same virus again it will be able to fight it off straight away and probably avoid someone feeling any symptoms at all. To test for these antibodies, medics or scientists can take a fluid sample from someone - usually blood - and mix it with part of the virus to see if there is a reaction between the two. If there is a reaction, it means someone has the antibodies and their body knows how to fight off the infection - they are immune. If there is no reaction it means they have not had it yet. PCR TEST Antibody tests differ to a swab test, known as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which aims to pick up on active viruses currently in the bloodstream. A PCR test works by a sample of someone's genetic material - their RNA - being taken to lab and worked up in a full map of their DNA at the time of the test. This DNA can then be scanned to find evidence of the virus's DNA, which will be embroiled with the patient's own if they are infected at the time. The PCR test is more reliable but takes longer, while the antibody test is faster but more likely to produce an inaccurate result. It does not look for evidence of past infection. ANTIGEN TEST Antigens are parts of a virus that trigger the immune system's response to fight the infection, and can show up in blood before antibodies are made. The key advantage of antigen tests is that it can take several days for the immune system to develop enough antibodies to be picked up by a test, whereas antigens can be seen almost immediately after infection. Antigen tests are used to diagnose patients with flu, as well as malaria, strep A and HIV. They can also be done using swabs. Advertisement Its kits, which work on just a finger-prick of blood, give results in 10 minutes and can tell if someone has ever had the life-threatening coronavirus. But officials have still yet to approve any type of coronavirus antibody test, despite promises the DIY kits would be ready for use by mid-April. Health Secretary Matt Hancock first said the UK had bought antibody tests last Tuesday. Other manufacturers of similar DIY kits have warned it could take up to six weeks for them to start supplying Britain because of the hold-up. It comes as ministers were today accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs to scale-up mass coronavirus viral testing. The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of PCR swabs carried out, amid claims it is the only way to end the draconian lockdown. All testing so far has involved centralised PCR tests, which involve transport to a lab, processing by staff and a wait of up to 48 hours for a result. But the Prime Minister is facing mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany. For reference, Germany carries out more than 90,000 coronavirus tests every day - nine times more than the UK's 10,000. Germany has also announced it will give 100,000 people coronavirus antibody tests in the next few weeks to get a firmer grip on its outbreak. Berlin has also announced it is planning to bring in 'immunity certificates' as part of preparations for the country to cease its lockdown. British health chiefs have said they could give out coronavirus 'immunity' certificates like Germany to allow millions of Britons out of isolation. Otherwise, there is no official way of keeping track of who has already battled the virus and has developed some form of immunity. Several manufacturers of coronavirus antibody tests are in discussions with Number 10 about scaling up production, if their kits pass stringent checks. Despite repeated requests from MailOnline, the Department of Health has refused to confirm which businesses are in the running. One of these firms includes Derby-based SureScreen, which has shipped its tests to be used in Germany and Spain, among other nations. The company has sent hundreds of the tests to a Public Health England laboratory in Oxfordshire earlier this week but has yet to hear back. Another of the firms is known to be BioSure, an Essex-based manufacturer which has been asked to get ready to ramp up production. The company's chief executive revealed earlier this week that it had chosen to hold off on scaling up production in case its tests fail. Brigette Bard warned the delay in approval could mean it won't have any kits ready for Britons to use in the comfort of their own home until mid-May. There was little activity at the Chessington coronavirus testing site which was set up as a drive-thru for NHS workers who need to get tested Workers were seen sitting, standing around and stretching at the testing centre in Chessington, south-west London yesterday as the Government was blasted for a lack of testing, especially for NHS staff Pictured: Stewards organise traffic at a Covid-19 test centre for NHS workers which has opened at Ikea's store in Wembley, north-west London MINISTERS TOLD TO GET A GRIP OF MASS TESTING IN BRITAIN Ministers have been told to get a grip of mass testing after Britain endured its darkest day so far in the coronavirus epidemic yesterday. The Government is under pressure for failing to ramp up its testing quickly enough - only 8,240 patients were tested in the last 24 hours. One British firm which claims it could be supplying more tests to the NHS is selling them to 80 countries abroad, including India and the Middle East. Novacyt - which has a subsidiary firm based in Southampton - suggested the reason it was unable to supply more kits was a shortage of lab space. Separately a former director of the World Health Organisation, Professor Anthony Costello, said the Governments health protection agency had been slow and controlled over testing, claiming that 44 labs in the UK were underused. Meanwhile, Number 10 admitted that the Government target of carrying out 25,000 tests a day may not now be hit until the end of next month. Ministers had previously implied they would have reached this rate already, while NHS officials said it would be achievable within the next three weeks. Last night, Michael Gove blamed the fiasco on a critical shortage of chemical reagents, crucial substances in test which enable them to detect the virus. However former health secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed disquiet at the Governments strategy and called for mass-testing, or so-called community testing, to help Britain through the outbreak. Advertisement BioSure already makes a home-testing kit for HIV, which looks for antibodies in the blood and gives a result in 15 minutes. Its test, which is also still being evaluated, has been recalibrated to look for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. MailOnline has asked Biopanda Reagents whether it is also in the running to provide antibody tests in Britain but has yet to hear back. MailOnline has also asked the Government for clarity on whether Biopanda was instructed to halt international orders, or if it chose to do so itself. On its website, the firm says its kits are 'easy to use' and that the results can be read visually - but also says they are only to be used by healthcare professionals. It is unclear which countries was buying its kits before the ban. It is also unknown as to when the message was posted on the firm's website. Professor Yvonne Doyle, PHE's medical director, revealed earlier this week the tests would be point-of-care, meaning they could be done 'in the home'. In a Downing Street press conference, she said: 'This needs to be evaluated to make sure it is valid. In other words, that it does what it says and at scale. 'This would be large numbers. We want to make sure we are doing something that is safe and is actually valid and correct when it is ready.' Her comments echoed concerns of England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, who warned that the only thing worse than no test was a bad test. Confusion has surrounded Britain's plan to buy millions of antibody kits, which last week it was revealed would have to be sent off in the post. Professor Doyle said samples would need to be sent to a laboratory and analysed by specialists - a process that could take as long as a day. It is unclear who makes the antibody kits that would need to be posted - Number 10 has been tight-lipped regarding the whole testing regime. But the Government is also in talks with firms that produce home-testing kits, which can give results in 10 minutes. Number 10 originally claimed to have ordered 3.5million kits in principle. It is unclear whether these relate strictly to just the postal kits. But ministers have now claimed to have ordered 17.5million kits. It is thought most of these will be home-tests, which will be available in batches. An antibody test is one which tests whether someone's immune system is equipped to fight a specific disease or infection. When someone gets infected with a virus their immune system must work out how to fight it off and produce substances called antibodies. The body then stores versions of these antibodies in the immune system so that if it comes into contact with that same virus again it will be able to fight it off. BioSure claims to have developed an at-home finger prick test that takes a quarter of an hour It works exactly like the firm's HIV self test, which requires the user to take a drop of blood using a safety lancet before using its pen device to scan the sample for COVID-19 antibodies Despite repeated requests from MailOnline, the Department of Health has refused to confirm which businesses are in the running. One of these firms includes Derby-based SureScreen, which has shipped its tests to be used in Germany and Spain, among other nations MANUFACTURER OF ANTIBODY KITS WARNS IT COULD TAKE SIX WEEKS TO GET ANY MADE FOR THE GOVERNMENT A manufacturer of an antibody test warned it could take six weeks for them to have any antibody tests ready for Britons to use at home. BioSure, one of the firms in talks with the Government to make 17.5million home-kits, has been asked to get ready to ramp up production. But no DIY antibody tests have been approved yet, meaning the company is holding off on mass-producing the kits in case stringent medical tests fail. Brigette Bard, BioSure's chief executive, warned the delay could mean it won't have any kits ready for Britons to use in the comfort of their own home until mid-May. BioSure already makes a home-testing kit for HIV, which looks for antibodies in the blood and gives a result in 15 minutes. Its test, which is also still being evaluated, has been recalibrated to look for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Advertisement Britain has repeatedly been criticised for its controversial testing policy to only swab patients in hospital for the killer coronavirus. It means the true size of the Britain's outbreak is a mystery because officials have no idea who is actually infected. Leading Government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson - whose predictions sent the UK into lockdown - suggested up to 2million people may already be infected. And University of Oxford scientists last week claimed that up to half of the UK could have already caught COVID-19. But official figures show 25,000 patients have tested positive. The death toll stands at around 1,800. The World Health Organization earlier this month warned the only way to get a grip on the escalating pandemic was to 'test, test, test'. It comes after it was revealed last night a British firm producing millions of pounds worth of PCR tests is selling most of them abroad. Novacyt has made 17.8million selling its equipment to more than 80 countries via its Southampton-based subsidiary Primerdesign. But only 1million worth has been sold to the UK, raising questions about why Britain is not buying more at a time when there are global shortages of tests. It came as a huge NHS coronavirus swabbing site stood deserted yesterday despite the urgent need for more patients and medics to be examined. Pictures surfaced that showed a deserted testing site for NHS staff in Chessington, London, while one at Ikea in Wembley was also quiet. Damning truth about the nation's testing scandal: After a strong start in coronavirus battle, the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world and the Government doesn't have the testing capacity to cope, writes BEN SPENCER As the world battles the deadly coronavirus outbreak, Britain's response has faced savage criticism, particularly the Government's handling of testing. Here, Medical Correspondent Ben Spencer investigates what has been going wrong for our testing programme and what steps can be taken now to fix it and save thousands of lives across the country. Medical Correspondent Ben Spencer investigates what has been going wrong for our testing programme (stock image) TESTING IS CRUCIAL Until scientists develop a vaccine, mass testing will be our most powerful weapon in the war against coronavirus. Testing tells experts who has the virus, how it is being transmitted and where the hotspots are. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has told every country to 'test, test, test' and said any nation which fails to will be fighting the virus 'blindfolded'. Countries such as South Korea and Singapore have already shown it is possible to curb national outbreaks with aggressive testing programmes. These countries, which were hit badly in the early days of the pandemic, made sure every suspected patient was properly diagnosed, their contacts tracked, and anyone who had been in touch with them put into isolation. AFTER STRONG START, UK IS FIGHTING BLIND The country started strongly in its fight against coronavirus. The initial 'contain' phase of the campaign identified suspected cases as travellers arrived from China, northern Italy and other countries affected early on. People were tested, isolated and all their contacts traced. A testing protocol one of the first outside China was set up in January at Public Health England's main lab at Colindale, north-west London, then expanded to 12 other public health laboratories. But on March 12, with 600 people diagnosed with the virus, the Government admitted the containment strategy had failed and that the virus was freely spreading throughout the population. At that stage ministers decided to change tack and said they would only test those in hospital and would stop contact tracing. In doing so, they gave up all knowledge of how the virus was spreading outside hospitals. The information is now based on death rates and hospital admissions. Pictured: A nurse adjusts her face mask before taking swabs at a COVID-19 Drive-Through testing station for NHS staff on Monday GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE TESTING CAPACITY Officials say they can only test so many people and must reserve this for the very ill. The testing programme was expanded to an additional 40 labs in NHS hospitals last month, but it has still not been enough. On March 18, the Department of Health said it would ramp up testing to 10,000 a day by the following week and hit 25,000 a day within four weeks. But, a fortnight later, it has yet to hit 10,000 once. Over the last week just 51,000 people have been tested an average of 7,300 a day. UK LAGGING GLOBALLY As of last night, the US which was slow to start its response to the crisis had tested more than one million people, equivalent to 3,058 per million Americans. The UK has done 143,186 tests or 2,169 for every million people. Two weeks ago Germany had tested 167,000, and has boosted that figure to 500,000 a week. But Italy had only carried out 47,000 tests as of Monday night just 783 per million people. LACK OF EQUIPMENT Every country in the world is trying to ramp up coronavirus testing, and there is a major race for equipment. Testing is done by taking a cheek swab, which is sent to a lab to seek evidence of the 'antigen' the virus causing the illness. The process, called a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, is nothing new the same machines are used to test for seasonal flu. But existing equipment is not sufficient for the scale of testing. British suppliers of testing swabs, such as Surrey-based Novacyt, are selling their kits abroad as there are not enough UK machines to process the results. Officials have requisitioned university equipment and struck a deal with Roche Diagnostics to supply two high-capacity machines to process tests, but it will only boost UK capacity by 5,000 a day by the end of April. TOO FEW CHEMICALS Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove last night claimed testing 'reagents' are in short supply. The testing process involves certain chemicals that are added to a cheek swab and then run in the testing machine. These reagents help spot strands of coronavirus DNA in samples. Officials are looking for alternative sources of these chemicals and investigating whether different substances could be used. NHS STAFF TESTS VITAL One in four NHS doctors is now off work self-isolating. Thousands of key workers could be allowed back to work if they were proven clear of the virus. But testing of staff is minimal. Last weekend, the NHS announced a new staff testing procedure involving the establishment of three new testing hubs. These hubs have been equipped by two private companies Thermo Fisher Scientific and Randox. Staff are being tested by Boots workers at drive-through centres around the UK. The NHS aimed to initially test 800 staff. Insiders last night said the numbers of tests completed are still 'in the hundreds'. USE PRIVATE FIRMS Use of private firms in the staff testing programme shows what can be achieved by looking outside the closed world of the NHS and other health agencies. But businesses are not being used nearly enough in the testing war. In Germany, anyone can be tested with even mild symptoms, because they have a network of private labs which anyone can use through their health insurance. There are not as many labs in Britain as the strength of the NHS means the private health market is smaller but there are enough to boost capacity if used. But officials have been reluctant to use these labs because they say they may not guarantee accuracy. Britain also has 44 unused molecular virology labs in research institutes, according to former WHO director Anthony Costello. RAPID TESTS ARE KEY All testing so far has involved centralised PCR tests, which involve transport to a lab, processing by staff and a wait of up to 48 hours for a result. The Government has appealed to companies to develop rapid 'point-of-care' antigen tests that could give a result in half an hour. An emergency summit was held at Downing Street to discuss the challenge on March 17, with Roche, Thermo Fisher, Boots and Amazon in attendance. US medical firms Abbott and Cepheid have since developed two such tests, and have already received approval from the FDA, the US medical watchdog. But these are likely to be swallowed up by the US so it is vital that UK companies make their own breakthroughs. ANTIBODY TESTING OFFERS A ROUTE OUT Every test so far has involved 'antigen' testing determining whether someone suffering symptoms has Covid-19. But ministers have pinned their hopes on an 'antibody' test, which shows whether someone has carried the virus in the past. The Government is planning to use these tests in a randomised testing programme across the population. Such a project which may start as early as mid-April would mean officials were not blind in their fight against the virus. If it showed a high percentage of people are immune it could mean an early lifting of the lockdown. Some 17.5million tests have been earmarked for the testing programme but still need to pass stringent quality-control checks. If they pass these hurdles, it would solve many problems and could pave the way to a return to normality for us all. The pros and cons of planting trees to address global warming Posted on 23 March 2020 by Guest Author This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bruce Lieberman It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees a lot of trees all over the world, and watch the planets temperature fall. Who doesnt love a tree or two, even far more the right tree in the right place? Along with the refreshing shade they provide on hot days, trees of course also store carbon, and theyll suck it right out of our fragile atmosphere as they grow. Who could argue with more trees, more forests more shade! in a warming world? Nary a soul, one suspects, whether of conventional tree hugger category or rabid climate science detractor. Earlier this year, the one-trillion tree campaign was big news at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Salesforce founder Businessman Marc Benioff announced at the meeting that his company will support and mobilize the conservation and restoration of 100 million trees over the next decade. Back in Washington, D.C., President Trump and Republican lawmakers said they too support the international campaign although Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman came under fire for proposing a Trillion Trees Act that would pair a commitment to planting trees with a plan to increase logging on public lands. Numerous other Republican representatives are endorsing the trees effort. Cautions against just randomly digging and planting Over the past few weeks, chatter has picked up that planting trees is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to combating climate change. Trees are a good thing, but: We also need to protect existing forests the Amazon, for example. We need to ramp up wind, solar, and geothermal energy. We need to burn less fossil fuel. We need to eat more of the right foods and less of the wrong ones and, above all else, eat sustainably. We need higher vehicle-mileage standards and more electric cars. We need to get our act together so we can better adapt to rising seas, more droughts and wildfires, and unpredictable swings in weather. Like other initiatives to tackle climate change, planting trees requires some forethought. Recent news coverage of the trillion tree campaign points to several things people should be thinking about before digging and planting. Authors of a 2019 study from the Swiss research university, ETH Zurich, estimated that the planet can support about 2.5 billion more acres of newly planted trees without tearing down cities and doing away with farms. And they say those trees could store about 200 gigatons of carbon (GtC) once they mature. Thats equal to one-third of all the carbon that humans have emitted into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide pollution, the authors claimed. The New York Times summarized the study last year. Researcher: Nations absolutely should plant and protect as many [trees] as possible. But its also a limited and unreliable way of addressing climate change. Scientist Zeke Hausfather, long a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections, suggested in a series of tweets at the time that the study was misleading on a few counts. For one thing, cumulative emissions from land use and burning fossil fuels were closer to 640 GtC, so removing 200 GtC would represent one-third of historic emissions. Hausfather also pointed to the practical and economic challenges of planting trees on every acre of available land. India is intimately familiar with this challenge. Last summer the country planted hundreds of millions of trees as part of an initiative to keep one-third of its land area covered in trees. But the nations high population and rapid industrialization pose challenges to sustained reforestation. Only about 60% of the saplings are expected to survive the rest succumbing to disease and a lack of water. A Skeptical Science article by Dana Nuccitelli, a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections and an environmental scientist, cites additional studies that have raised several other key points. Among them: Tundra and boreal regions unpopulated by trees play an important global role in reflecting energy from the sun back into space. Planting trees in these regions would darken landscapes at these high latitudes, causing them to absorb energy from the sun rather than reflect it ultimately contributing to higher global temperatures and offsetting cooling created by planting trees. The ETH Zurich researchers mistakenly considered natural savannas, grasslands, and shrublands as places where forests could be restored. And in their ETH Zurich study, they estimated a carbon sequestration rate of 0.22 GtC per million hectares (i.e., for every 2.47 million acres). But 0.22 GtC is twice the amount cited by previously published estimates. Trees deserve a moment of fame, but keep reality in mind So while the right kinds and numbers of tree species in the right places have lots of appeal, big questions remain over exactly what can be accomplished by planting one trillion trees and whether it may cause more harm than good. James Temple, senior editor for energy at MIT Technology Review, summed up the view of many experts in a January 28 piece when he wrote: Its great that trees are having a moment. Nations absolutely should plant and protect as many as possible. But its also a limited and unreliable way of addressing climate change. Temple raised a few more important points, some of which have been echoed elsewhere. Among them: trees take time to grow and reach maturity decades and even centuries for redwoods and other behemoths that can store massive amounts of carbon. If you think youre going to immediately offset your carbon footprint from flying across the country by planting a tree think again. Another point Temple made: You really have to work the numbers to get a true sense of the challenge. For example, he wrote, the U.S. produced 5.8 billion gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019. To offset that much CO2 pollution, youd have to plant a forest and wait for it to fully mature that is more than twice the size of Texas. The one-trillion tree campaign raises still more questions for forest ecologists one of them having to do with biodiversity. If the campaign results in what are essentially tree plantations lacking biodiversity and genetic variation, often referred to as monoculture, those artificial forests wont get very far. People are getting caught up in the wrong solution, Forrest Fleischman of the University of Minnesota told The Verge in late January. Instead of that guy from Salesforce saying, Im going to put money into planting a trillion trees, Id like him to go and say, Im going to put my money into helping indigenous people in the Amazon defend their lands. Thats going to have a bigger impact. A campaign to plant one trillion trees sounds ambitious, it sounds daring, and it sounds exciting. And in many ways it could be all of those. But keep in mind that since 2015 and just in the Sierra Nevada that sliver of mountain habitat that runs along the spine of California nearly 150 million trees have died, victims of drought, disease, and invasion by beetles. Warmer winters have contributed to a population explosion of these destructive insects, and its a story being played out across the American West where forest fires are growing in frequency and intensity. So maybe we can plant a trillion trees around the globe. But if we dont do much else about climate change, will we just be fueling the fire? So maybe we can and should plant a trillion trees around the globe. Go for it. But a wide array of experts insist that if we dont also take numerous other actions to address climate change specifically including major cuts in fossil fuel emissions and in particular carbon dioxide we may just be fueling the fire. In the end, it comes down to more trees and lots of other actions, not to more trees or. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:10:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has urged efforts to promote the smooth flow of products out of and into the country. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. On the first leg of his tour, Xi visited the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port, whose throughput has recovered to normal levels due to the timely measures it adopted to resume production. The Ningbo Zhoushan Port took the lead in resuming production, which was of great significance to promoting Chinese enterprises to resume work and production as well as restoring the logistics system and the global industrial chains, Xi said. He called for efforts to cope with and blunt the adverse impacts of the global restrictive measures on cargo shipping and facilitate the smooth flow of the country's exports and imports. While regarding the port as a hard-core power, Xi said Zhoushan port plays an important role in national strategies such as the building of the Belt and Road, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. Thanks for tuning in, all of us at WAtoday hope you are keeping safe, happy and well. Our live blog is closing now but will kick off again tomorrow morning, with rolling coverage of all the latest developments from Western Australia and across the nation. Do you have a story, a tip, comment, or maybe you want to share a photo or tale? Get us on email at news@watoday.com.au. United Memorial Medical Center opened a second free site for drive-thru testing of the novel coronavirus Tuesday in Sugar Land and plans to begin testing at a Houston ISD site as well as provide in-home testing for senior citizens, organizers said. Testing at the drive-thru site, at Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington Blvd., began about two weeks after the medical center offered free testing at its Acres Homes facility in Houston. About 2,400 people have been tested there, chief of staff Joseph Varon said Tuesday, adding that about 9.1 percent tested positive. Patients are given a standard nasal swab test, and organizers said that for several people, results will be available within 24-36 hours. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, whose district includes the Tidwell center location, also said that the center will begin testing at Forest Brook Middle School in East Houston on Thursday. She also continued to express her concerns that not enough senior citizens, who are among the groups whose health are considered compromised, are being tested. Varon said the center is developing a plan to send a van to those older residents, so testing can be done at their homes. He said a couple of tests have already been conducted. Surprisingly many of those patients are positive, he said, without providing specific numbers. The opening of the Smart Financial Centre site was organized via a partnership with Jackson Lee and State Rep. Ron Reynolds. Ive been working with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to open a free testing site offering free testing to anyone who believes they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, Rep. Reynolds said in an update posted to social media Monday. It is very important that you know your status so that if you need to quarantine, you can do that or if you need medical treatment, that you can receive that. We want everybody to be safe. So, my message is clear. Were doing everything that we can for our citizens to fight this pandemic. Were going to continue to press forward," he said. Related: Two test positive for COVID-19 at state-funded disability living center in Richmond The Sugar Land testing site requires no online pre-screening or code. On arrival, medical professionals ask a series of questions about symptoms and recent travel to determine if a test is needed. Officials say the tests are being prioritized for those who are showing symptoms and those who are high risk. On arrival, residents are screened at the first tent and are advanced to registration if symptoms warrant testing. Most results are available within 24 to 72 hours, representatives with the congresswoman's office said Tuesday. "This is not a time to panic but a time to be aware and proactive, Jackson Lee said in a press release. Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman and Congressman Pete Olson were among those who spoke to reporters and the sites first visitors. Testing will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. No health insurance is required. knix@hcnonline.com Brands spend a lot of their time and budget getting to know their customers, and rightly so. Unfortunately, they seldom put the same effort into the way they connect with their employees and get their buy-in through internal communication. In times of uncertainty, your employees will be the ones who keep the wheels rolling and if they already feel valued and believe in the vision of your company, they will stay in the trenches. Here, storytelling is an effective way of creating a culture where employees are true brand ambassadors. Yaw Dwomoh About Idea Hive An alarming Gallupstudy shows that 70% of US employees say they are not engaged in their jobs. Further research shows that one of the main reasons that employees engage with their job and their company is when they believe in its vision and purpose.In the nineties, before he was known as a marketing guru, Seth Godinjoined a small software company. He was given the task of turning a struggling company around by creating computer games based on science fiction novels. He had a budget that was much too low, too few programmers and a ridiculously short timeline.His solution? Storytelling. He created a weekly newsletter which he photocopied and delivered by hand across the company, highlighting the work of every person who worked on his projects. Before long, programmers were moving across to his team and other departments pitched in to make it work. Why? He made them care. The software sold for millions and his success speaks for itself.Stories elicit a powerful emotional response and studies show that your audience makes purchase decisions based on emotion rather than logic . Therefore, storytelling appeals to this emotion-driven type of decision-making.Storytelling in corporate communication is the way you tell your employees and customers stories and any initiatives you are supporting while in team meetings, through newsletters, on social media or even in the coffee room. These stories have proven to be effective in engaging employees on an emotional level, especially the most recent generations who want to know that they add value and that their work matters.Telling your companys story to your employees should be easy right? Yet somehow it is not. The hurdles to effectively engaging employees range from the archaic forms of communication, to using the wrong channels, to lack of sponsorship from executive teams and the effort needed to target hard-to-reach employees. Add to that the fact that it is extremely hard to measure the effectiveness of internal campaigns apart from tracking whether a document has been read, and internal communication teams are struggling. In fact, 73% of IC teams say they dont or cannot measure the effect of their internal comms.While measurement is a topic for another day, there are three things to keep in mind when creating internal communication that inspires and creates connection:Whether youre giving a budget presentation to executives or flipping through a PowerPoint deck with your team remember that you are just a human telling a story. The numbers matter but they will only matter to your team when they understand the story behind them.Why should they care? Because they get paid to? Wrong! Wouldnt it be rewarding if you could take them with you on a journey that ends in their unwavering belief in the vision of your team and or company?When you share the WHY behind the numbers; when the CEO explains that he wants teams to increase and meet their budget so that he will still be able to pay bonuses; or you show them how their toilet paper saving (since this is a hot topic) means that you can provide a week longer maternity leave for colleagues, theycare.Stories make leaders more human and vulnerable and employees trust them more as a person. Be honest with yourself and others about the good and the bad. You will be amazed at the difference in your company culture.Youve done all the work figuring out what your client needs. Have you done the same for your employees? In 1960 Theodore Levitt said, Customers dont want a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole. Finding out what your customer really needs, is one of the starting points of marketing. Are you selling them a drill, when you should be selling them a hole?Find out what your employees really need. They may care less about the ping-pong table in the break room and more about leaving early to fetch their child on a Friday.If you need help, get a specialist who collects this data for you through independent surveys, polls and discussion groups. The very fact that you are listening will already bring a shift in employee attitudes. And when you need to communicate big changes? You use storytelling to show them what is in it for them. It may seem selfish, but it is not a moral issue its a human trait.It doesnt need to be said that apart from not making promises you cant keep; you also need to take any criticism as a positive and keep communication open and consistent as you work through these with the managers involved.Be creative and visual in your approach. If posters at the lifts dont work, find new and exciting ways to say the same things. Companies who are still stuck on sending emails and hoping they will be read, are among those who will feel the worst pinch of negativity and staff turnover.Yaw Dwomoh, CEO for Idea Hive specialist brand storytellers says, Recently, the South African CEO of one of our global clients, wanted to highlight the good they were doing in the community. Its often hard for people in other countries to know the reality we face in African. My team helped them tell their story, and the story of one of their beneficiaries through a short video. This was then streamed during an online update by global executives to all employees. Because of this, local employees were motivated by how their work impacts others, while the SA businesses received an award in recognition from head office.We live in tough times for businesses. Find the wins and tell those stories. Happy employees will become your biggest ambassadors, one story at a time.At Idea Hive we create and execute pioneering Brand Storytelling Solutions to illuminate your brands power. We apply a strategic framework which extracts and aligns all the key components of your brands story.Our team of curious, creative, driven and critical thinkers mould all the elements into a cohesive Brand Storytelling Solution that will change how the market sees and experiences your brand.We craft and execute heartfelt and character-driven Brand Storytelling campaigns that position your brand/and or organisation to achieve its full market potential.We offer an array of tailormade solutions around our services which includes branding, design, influencer marketing, visual content and communications. All solutions are anchored in ensuring that each Brand Story is told exceptionally, uniquely and to the right audience.Imagine a world where brands defeat normal and ideas inspire change.When we change, we change the world around us.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdeaHiveBST/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idea-hive-brand-story-tellers-149335176/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdeaHiveBST Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideahivebrandstorytellers/ The State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) has called for a report from West Bengal Home secretary and the Kolkata Police Commissioner on an allegation of highhandedness by law enforcers with regard to imposition of lockdown over the coronavirus spread, an official said here on Wednesday. Calcutta High Court judge Justice Dipankar Dutta, in his capacity as the executive chairman of SLSA, has asked the authorities to submit the report by Thursday. A lawyer had written to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Justice T B N Radhakrishnan, in which allegations were made about police highhandedness over enforcing of social distancing and other guidelines during the lockdown that commenced in the state along with other parts of the country last week. The chief justice forwarded the letter to SLSA executive chairman Justice Dutta, the official said. Justice Dutta then directed the state Home secretary to submit a report on the overall state of affairs over the imposition of lockdown in the state, while asking the city police commissioner to give a report on Kolkata. Though people have been asked by the government to go out only for buying essentials and medicines and in some emergency, there have been reports of violation of these orders by some people, including that of maintaining social distancing norms. Police and other authorities in the state have been making appeals to the people to stay at home, unless there is any urgent need, to stop the spread of the contagious virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 01.04.2020 LISTEN The University Student Chamber Ghana, as an SDG advocacy and Student-centred organization, has written to the West African Examination Council calling on them to postpone the upcoming West African Secondary School Certificate Examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination due to the outbreak of the deadly fast-spreading pandemic, CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19). Copies of the said letter were sent to the President of the Republic, Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education. The reasons as stated in the letter are as follows; As you may recall, the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, issued an order for the closure of all basic, secondary and tertiary educational institutions both public and private. However, H.E. the President excluded final year students at the Basic and Secondary levels due to the external examinations they have to sit for, organized by WAEC. Considering the highly infectious nature of the COVID-19, we believe the purpose of the closure of schools by the President will not be fully served with the final year students still being in school. Over 450,000 students are expected to sit for this year's WASSCE, which begins in less than two weeks (30th March 2020). The BECE, which also commences in about three months with the expectation of over 510,000 students sitting for it. In effect, over 960,000 students will be going about their normal school activities. Researchers say any interaction between two people within 10 feet of each other has the potential to spread infections, such as influenza, common colds, whooping cough, via droplets transmitted by sneezing, coughing, or direct contact (Warner). With knowledge of the crowded nature of our classrooms especially in public schools, coupled with how students engage in thousands of social interactions, Ghana will be recording astronomical numbers of galloping confirmed cases of COVID-19 should just one final year student contract it. We are also of the view that the lives of the teachers who are preparing these final year students have been endangered with the current arrangement because of the upcoming WASSCE and BECE. Typical Ghanaian Staff Common Rooms for public Senior High Schools are usually crowded with teachers, which will facilitate the fast spread of COVID-19. These are teachers who made all of us who we are today, how then and for what reason, should we risk their lives? Photo: Twitter A string of lights spotted in the night sky is creating a stir on social media. People reported seeing a line of lights in the heavens above the North Okanagan early Tuesday morning. Anyone notice lights in sky moving one after the other early this morning? So far, we have counted over 15, and they keep coming. Seems like way too many planes or am I just in need of new glasses? said one person on the Armstrong Community Forum. When I was outside with my pup last evening, I saw this. It was weird, added another. A number of theories emerged, with one predictably being aliens from Planet X. But, the majority of the theories have a more earthly origin. Kinda spooky. I know, we saw them a couple weeks ago around 11 p.m. We Googled, and it turns out it's Elon Musk satellites. He plans to launch over 12,000 of them to increase worldwide cell coverage, one person posted on the forum. And a Google search indeed points to Musk and his now interstellar expansion. There are similar reports from Europe and South Africa. Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! The $400 million included by Congress in the massive relief package to help states prepare for the November elections is, according to election officials from both parties and other election experts, not nearly enough to make the changes needed to give resiliency to the election system. Indeed, even if the country were not confronted with the uncertainties and challenges of a deadly pandemic, the proposed reforms have merit that argues for their enactment. Voters in states that have implemented mail-in voting, for example, express satisfaction with the ease and convenience and their ability to make more considered choices. Officials say it has helped voter turnout without encouraging fraud or threats to security. Today, March 31, the armed formations of the Russian Federation have violated ceasefire three times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Maksym Prauta said this at a briefing on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. In the morning, three enemy attacks were recorded. In particular, the invaders used heavy machine guns to fire at the positions of the Joint Forces outside Opytne (12km north-west of Donetsk) and Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk). In addition, the enemy launched a provocative attack near Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk), using automatic mounted grenade launcher, the spokesman said. During combat missions in Luhansk region, one Ukrainian soldier was injured in an anti-personnel mine explosion. He was provided with primary medical care and was taken to a hospital in serious condition. According to preliminary information, it was a Russian-made mine, which relates to ammunition prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. Prauta added that, according to intelligence, on March 30, due to the accurate fire actions of the Ukrainian military, "one of the motorized rifle brigades of the Russian-occupation troops lost four people." ish By Miraya Baid baidmira@grinnell.edu Applications for the first round of student internship funding requests to the Center for Careers, Life and Services (CLS), as well as for the only round of Rosenfield Program funding, closed last Sunday. Current first-, second-, and third-year students are eligible to apply for summer internship funding to offset the costs of food, transportation and housing for an eight- to 10-week, full-time unpaid or underpaid internship. The CLS funds all types of internships, while funding from the Rosenfield Program is intended specifically for students pursuing internships in fields related to government and public policy. Professor Barbara Trish, political science, directs the Rosenfield Program. She said that the program began funding internships because it was a great way to get Grinnell students out into the real world to see how international relations, human rights and public affairs play out in the workplace to help students get a sense of the career opportunities they have in front of them. Apart from the early deadline, Trish believes that Rosenfield internships are different from CLS internships in terms of the network that Rosenfield grant recipients have access to. She said, Its not just about their careers its about how peoples lives can become intertwined with different missionaries of the program. This is the Rosenfield family, which is a network of people who over the decades have gotten internships. Some of these people are actually hosting interns, while there are others who have been involved with the program in all sorts of different ways. Additionally, we also look into the future, and how the student may take on different roles in that network. We also usually host a lunch session with the interns where they talk about their experiences and share with everybody whats out there. Trish said that the Rosenfield Program and other granting agencies on campus work with the CLS, who processes and distributes the applications. Once the Rosenfield Program gets the applications, three program committee members read the applications with a number of different things in mind: Does this look like a good experience for the student? Does it look like theres going to be good support at the internship site for the student? Most importantly, according to Trish, is the question of whether the internship fits in with the programs mission. Trish added, I think its really important to celebrate Joe Rosenfield, a Grinnell alumnus who is responsible for putting the college on really strong financial footing, and to remember what he gave to the community and the college, and support students going out there and paying back by making the world a better place. Saketan Anand 21 received funding for a summer internship through the CLS last summer. He said, My situation was kind of exceptional, because I applied for an internship that was through my Spanish major. I had the opportunity to apply for internship funding through the CLS along with the Spanish department. They have a fellowship amount set aside for Spanish majors who are trying to do internships in their related fields. Basically, I went through all the motions for how CLS does the usual processes for internship funding. I pretty much got my need met, which was really, really nice, because I was interning at a nonprofit that was helping undocumented immigrants with asylum applications and work authorization. On top of that, San Franciscos a really expensive city, and I had to fly out there too, so the money really mattered to me. The funding honestly made all the difference. However, Anand said, Some qualms I have about the process are that they dont really evaluate the motivation for the students need in the best way possible Ive heard anecdotally of students bypassing the system or asking for more funding that they didnt really need because they were flying back home, which meant that they were going to be spending that money regardless, or of students who have been granted internship money who didnt actually do an internship. I dont know how the department actually verifies whats going on with the internship if the students are writing the essays and reflections for an internship that they arent actually doing. He continued, Another one of my concerns with the process is that they host their form on the GrinnellShare page, which makes it really difficult to work with. Maybe the IT side of it needs to be updated, because its pretty cumbersome and hard to read not the most accessible fonts, etc., he added. The next round of CLS internship funding closes on April 1, 2020. A 56-year-old Dharavi resident with no travel history died of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) late on Wednesday, civic officials said, after he had tested positive for the infection (Sars-Cov-2) earlier in the day. The state health department, however, was yet to confirm the death as due to Covid-19 at the time of going to press. The man was the first such case in the area, one of Asias largest slums, even as eight of his family members have been quarantined and will undergo tests tomorrow. Local ward officials are tracing his contacts as it was found that the deceased visited a nearby Jama Masjid daily. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) colony, where the 56-year-old used to reside, has been sealed. The colony has eight buildings with 308 flats and 91 shops. The local ward office said no one will be allowed to go out of the colony as food and essentials will be provided by the civic body. A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official confirmed that two people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi were also from Dharavi and have been home quarantined for the past several days. We are now checking if those two were visiting the same Masjid. We are also contacting people who were regulars at the Masjid. The two suspected people are asymptomatic and will undergo tests tomorrow. The deceased used to run a garment shop at AKG Nagar in Dharavi. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage The 56-year-old had reported of a cough on March 23 and had visited the local clinic there. Following this, on March 28, the patient had complained of chest pain and underwent treatment at Sion Hospital. The test results of the patient arrived on Wednesday, after which, he was moved from Sion Hospital to Kasturba Hospital. All high-risk contacts of the patient have been stamped and quarantined. A senior civic official said, The close contacts of the patient are being tracked. This is a sensitive area considering the dense population here. Due to this, we have sealed the entire building. The person has a garment shop in AKG Nagar. We still dont know how he got infected. We have sealed 300 flats along with 90 shops in the area. All senior citizens samples will be tested for the virus. We will provide rations to the building. No one will be allowed to come out until the people test negative for the virus, said Kiran Dighavkar, ward officer. (with inputs from Eeshanpriya MS and Rupsa Chakraborty) Health Officials in Kitui are tracing at least 50 close contacts of Fr. Nicholas Maanzo, who tested positive for coronavirus Monday. The Catholic Priest, who hails from Kitui Central, had been on a year-long study tour in the Italian capital of Rome. He returned to Kenya from Ireland via Italy on Monday, March 23. However, on Tuesday night, the man of the cloth was spotted mingling freely, with concerned locals reporting to authorities. On Sunday, Maanzo was rushed to the isolation centre at Mbagathi Hospital after exhibiting coronavirus-like symptoms including breathing difficulties. Kitui County Chief Health Officer Dr. Richard Muthoka observed that if the contacts are not quarantined, Kitui might become another hot spot for the coronavirus virus after Nairobi. We have requested for CCTV footage from the places he visited including the ATM at Absa bank and supermarkets for review and possible tracing, he said. Among those being traced are boda boda operators, staff at Magunas Supermarket in Kitui where the priest shopped and an unknown number of people who visited the local Absa Bank (formerly Barclays Bank) ATM where the priest withdrew cash on Tuesda. Dr. Muthoka said the Priests two workers have since been quarantined and are helping trace other close contacts. Fr. Maanzos relatives, neighbors and Catholic nuns at the Kwa-Ngindu Sisters of Good Shepherd are also being sought for testing having interacted with the priest. Walmart Inc said on Tuesday it would start taking the temperature of employees and provide them with masks as it addresses growing safety concerns among retail workers laboring through the coronavirus crisis. The retailer, which is the largest employer in the United States, also said it was in the process of sending infrared thermometers to all its locations in the next one to two weeks and would send back workers who record a temperature of 100 degrees or more. Walmarts announcement comes a day after warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the United States went on strike to call attention to safety and wage concerns. Rival Amazon.com Inc has come under fire for its treatment of workers during the crisis. On Monday, 15 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, walked off the job following reports of coronavirus cases among the facilitys staff. Walmart, like its peers Target and Kroger, has undertaken a number of safety measures such as reducing hours for cleaning and restocking as demand for food supplies and essentials skyrockets on concerns that lockdowns to curb the virus might crimp supply. Many service industries across the globe have adopted similar safety measures. Casinos in Macau that reopened last month have been tasked by the government to enforce temperature checks, mask protection and health declarations for staff and guests. Restaurant Brands said on Monday it was deploying 15,000 infrared thermometers at Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeye outlets, while Starbucks said it regularly sterilizes containers and that its delivery staff have their temperature taken daily. Global fast-food chains, including McDonalds, have also started contact-less delivery in China, where the virus originated. Walmarts executive vice president of corporate affairs, Dan Bartlett, said the retailer would need more than 7 million masks per week to adequately supply its workforce across the country. The first shipment of thermometers and masks will be deployed at the companys warehouses and as further supply becomes available, it will be sent to stores, Bartlett told reporters on a conference call. He also said Walmart continues to see a lot of pressure for essential items, including household cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Its just an astonishing volume that we are going through. (Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Anil DSilva and Devika Syamnath) T he family of a British man who died on board a coronavirus-stricken cruiseliner have appealed to Donald Trump to allow the ship to dock in Florida. John Carter, reported to be 75 years old, died aboard the Zaandam on March 22 after falling unwell. He is among four people to have died on the vessel. The Zaandam, which is carrying more than 200 British nationals, is embroiled in a bitter dispute over plans to disembark passengers in the US. It passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports, and is seeking to dock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later this week. The cruise ship MS Zaandam pictured after four passengers died on board / REUTERS Mr Carters wife remains in self-isolation on her own following her husbands death, the family said in an appeal to the US President. A statement from his relatives said: As a family we send a plea to Donald Trump and the Florida Authorities to authorise the docking of the MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam cruise liners in Fort Lauderdale. It is imperative that the passengers and crew receive the urgent assistance that they so desperately need. His wife remains on the Zaandam currently. She has been isolated on her own since his death in the cabin that she shared with John. She has only minimal contact with her family as her mobile phone is no longer working. She is struggling to eat the limited meals and is feeling unwell. She is obviously distressed and extremely frightened. They were both in good health and did not foresee the terrible situation that has arisen. John became unwell aboard the ship and passed away on the 22nd March 2020. We do not know the cause of his death at present. Passengers, one wearing a protective face mask, look out from the Zaandam cruise ship, anchored in the bay of Panama City / AP Floridas governor has been reluctant to allow disembarkation for the more than 1,000 people aboard the Zaandam. Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference on Tuesday that Florida's health care resources were already stretched too thin by the coronavirus outbreak to take on the vessels caseload. The US Coast Guard said if local authorities cannot agree on a docking plan, the matter would go to the the federal government for decision. Mr DeSantis said he had been in contact with the White House about ferrying medical supplies to the ships. "Just to drop people off at the place where we're having the highest number of cases right now just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Mr DeSantis told a news conference. Mr Trump responded by saying he would speak to DeSantis about the ships. "They're dying on the ship," the president said. "I'm going to do what's right. Not only for us, but for humanity." Holland America said 73 guests and 116 crew members on the Zaandam had reported influenza-like illness symptoms. Covid-19 has been confirmed as causing two of the four deaths on the ship. Nine people on the ship had tested positive to the coronavirus, Holland America said. Company president Orlando Ashford wrote an opinion column in the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper to plead with officials and residents to let the passengers disembark. "The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our common humanity," he wrote. "To slam the door in the face of these people betrays our deepest human values." Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony called the situation a "humanitarian crisis" and asked country commissioners at a Tuesday meeting to avoid decisions based on emotion. "This ship has been turned away from several countries already," Mr Tony said. "We are in some very, very critical circumstances where we as a county are going to have to determine are we willing to take on this responsibility." However, Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich said: "These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other. We are their last hope. What are we going to do? Let this ship go back out to sea and float around and let people die? I don't think so." William Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival, which owns Holland America, told commissioners "we are coming to the place of last resort," and that his staff had worked through the night on a docking plan. Noting four people had already died, he said he hoped two others who were severely ill "will survive the transit". Chef Nicole Patel, owner of Delysia Chocolatier We're able to help alleviate the daily suffering of people in our community by donating 10% of the proceeds of our sales for the duration of this crisis. I feel so strongly that my family will personally match the 10% that Delysia Chocolatier gives to the Central Texas Food Bank. During this unprecedented time of need caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Delysia Chocolatier, a Top 3 Chocolatier in the Americas, is helping people in need by contributing 10 percent of the proceeds of its sales to the Central Texas Food Bank now through April 30, 2020. As a food handling organization, the Central Texas Food Bank provides vital relief for a 21-county service area. Nicole Patel, owner of Delysia Chocolatier is concerned that COVID-19 is creating new needs and is putting enormous financial pressure on all nonprofits. Delysia Chocolatier chose to support the community with a financial contribution to the Central Texas Food Bank, as the organization is experiencing a dramatic increase in need for its services as more people are impacted by shutdowns and work stoppages. A contribution to this organization can directly help it with its service to provide food to nearly 46,000 people each week. During times of crisis like this, it is natural for us to focus on self-survival, rather than helping others, says, Nicole Patel, owner of Delysia Chocolatier. The shelter in place order has closed our business, just as it has many businesses around the country. However, we are still able to sell our handmade confections online and ship them directly to our customers. This gives us a revenue stream to help alleviate the daily suffering of a vulnerable portion of our population by donating 10 percent of the proceeds of our sales for the duration of this crisis. I feel so strongly that my family will personally match the 10 percent that Delysia Chocolatier gives to the Central Texas Food Bank. Delysia Chocolatier follows stringent precautions to combat the spread of germs to ensure its staff is healthy and safe. The team is continuing the production of artisan confections made with sustainable chocolate and only the freshest ingredients including chocolates for Easter and Mothers Day. While the Culinary Center is closed, Delysia Chocolatier will offer a version of its SAVOR Chocolate Tastings in virtual tastings. Once the crisis is over, Delysia Chocolatier is eager to welcome its customers back into the Culinary Center to enjoy chocolates together. About Delysia Chocolatier Delysia Chocolatier is an award-winning artisan chocolate company based in Austin, Texas. Chef-Owner & Chocolatier Nicole Patel, named a Top 3 chocolatier in the Americas, handcrafts its creations with the care and attention people savor in every flavorful bite. Delysia Chocolatier uses only the finest quality chocolate from sustainable sources and freshest ingredients to create something unique, something memorable, something remarkable. Connect with Delysia Chocolatier on Facebook or Instagram. Thanking Madison County residents On behalf of the American Red Cross, I want to thank the residents of Madison County for your continued support. Our organization has been proudly serving the Oneida area for more than 100 years. A few weeks ago, I was proud to join Mayor Helen Acker, local Red Cross volunteers and community partners as the mayor presented a proclamation and raised the Red Cross flag in front of City Hall to commemorate March as Red Cross Month. Strong local support is demonstrated throughout the year, including those who make a financial contribution through the United Way of Greater Oneida. Your generosity allows us to assist families impacted by home fires and other disaster incidents; empower residents to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies; teach CPR/AED and other life-saving skills; provide case services to military members, veterans and their families; and collect blood donations from volunteer donors. More than 60 Red Cross volunteers in Madison County help us to ensure that we fill our mission. Our work would not be possible without them and the support of our community partners. We are proud of our tradition of service and look forward to serving our neighbors in the years ahead. My sincere appreciation to everyone who donate their time, talents and treasure to support and advance the mission of the Red Cross. In particular, I would like to thank local businesses and residents for supporting the United Way of Greater Oneida Campaign. Your contribution helps improves the lives of the people of the Oneida area. Yours in Service, Alan H Turner II Regional CEO, Western and Central New York Region American Red Cross Filling out the Census While we are navigating one of the most challenging moments in recent history, we must not forget that we are also in the midst of a major civic event that will have a significant impact on Central New Yorks next decade the 2020 Census. Ensuring an accurate and complete census is critical to our community. Why is it so important? The nationwide count of every person in the United States informs our federal funding to the tune of $800 billion. The census tells us where our attentions are needed in matters of education, housing, economic development and transportation, as well as our congressional representation in Washington. Recognizing how important it is to collect comprehensive and accurate data in this count, the Central New York Community Foundation embarked on a year-long funding effort, investing nearly $100,000 to ensure as many people as possible are counted in the regions hardest-to-count neighborhoods. How do we know that this is important? We are data driven. Weve witnessed first-hand the lack of resources allocated to communities based on inaccurate data. One notable case involves Dolly Partons Imagination Library program, which provides books to thousands of children in Onondaga and Madison counties each month from birth to age five. The number of children enrolled in Imagination Library came in higher than the number of children that had been reported to be actually living in particular neighborhoods. This may sound minor, but by not counting those children, Central New York did not receive the appropriate amount of government funding for libraries, schools, parks, hospitals and more. An undercount leads not only to bad data, but erroneous funding decisions by governments that make allocation determinations based on population. As a philanthropic institution that relies heavily on census data to make key funding decisions of our own, a full and accurate count is one of our most pressing concerns. By now, most of us should have received a census notification in the mail. We encourage residents to take the time to complete their surveys as accurately as possible for all of the people living in their households. Because every one of us counts. Central New Yorks future depends on it. Peter A. Dunn President & CEO Central New York Community Foundation A yoga teacher who went for a run to break up the boredom of the coronavirus lockdown slipped off a cliff and fell to her death. April Morel, 35, had been self-isolating with her boyfriend at her father and step-mother's home in Diamond Harbour, on Banks Peninsula, in New Zealand. On Monday, the yoga teacher left the house shortly after 1pm for a short jog through a familiar spot with the family dog, Mac. But her family started to worry when, two hours later, she had still not returned. Fearing his daughter may have had an accident, Ms Morel's father Don Martin phoned the police and then called a friend who had a boat. Mr Martin and his friend searched the coastline until they found Ms Morel's body on the rocks shortly after 7pm. April Morel (pictured), 35, was in self-isolation at her father and step-mother's home in Diamond Harbour on Banks Peninsula in New Zealand The yoga teacher left for a short jog through a familiar spot with the family dog, Mac, shortly after 1pm 'Being first on the site was quite a horrific thing. The tide was coming up quite rapidly, so I went to shore, and got her as high out of the water as I possibly could and we waited for Coastguard,' Mr Martin told stuff.nz. The coastguard arrived fifteen minutes after Mr Martin found his daughter's body and they transferred her to Naval Point, Lyttelton. The dog, Mac, was later found by a resident of Diamond Harbour and they looked after him until he was collected by family the following day. Ms Morel and her American boyfriend were staying with her family during the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Morel's body was found by her father after he started searching the coastline by boat Ms Morel had been staying with her family amid the coronavirus crisis Her stepmother, Caroline Martin, said her step-daughter loved to travel all over the world, which caused her family some concern, but they never thought something bad would happen while she was home. 'We worried when she was in India, we worried when she was in Thailand, we worried when she was in all sorts of places and for her to die on our own doorstep in a place that we've always felt really safe is just, you can't process it, we're all completely stunned.' Ms Morel's sister, Zoey Walker, 24, said she was their 'rock' and dancing under the stars was one of her favourite things to do. 'Her family and friends will always remember her when they look up to the sky, we know that she will be the brightest star in the galaxy. We will always carry her in our hearts as a beautiful soul like her will never be forgotten,' Ms Walker said. By Akbar Mammadov Major international organizations and leading world countries have criticized the illegal elections held by the regime set up in Azerbaijans occupied Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region on March 31. European Union "In view of the so-called 'presidential and parliamentary elections' in Nagorno-Karabakh on 31 March 2020, the European Union reiterates that it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they are being held. This event cannot prejudice the determination of the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiation process," European Unions diplomatic service European External Action Service (EEAS) Spokespersons for Foreign Affairs and Security Police Peter Stano and Adam Kaznowski said in a statement published on March 31. "The EU recalls its firm support to the OSCE Minsk Group and, in particular, to its Co-Chairs efforts to bring about progress beyond the status quo and substantive negotiations towards comprehensive and sustainable peace. The EU stands ready to further support efforts, aimed at early, peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the statement further reads. NATO NATO does not accept the results of these elections as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai wrote on his Facebook page on March 31. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), view the holding of elections in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on 31 March 2020 as contravention to the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a statement published in the organizations website reads. "The OIC General Secretariat further referred to the resolutions and decisions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe which supports a peaceful solution to the conflict on the basis of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the statement reads. United Kingdom The British Embassy in Azerbaijan issued a statement, saying that The UK does not recognise the elections which took place in Nagorno-Karabakh on 31 March." The UK reiterates its full support for the OSCE Minsk Groups role in the peace process and encourages Azerbaijan and Armenia to accelerate efforts to build confidence and achieve a negotiated settlement, the statement reads. Germany "We do not recognize the legal framework of the so called "presidential and parliamentary elections that took place yesterday in Nagorno-Karabakh. Both the "elections" and their results are considered illegal," Director of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia Michael Siebert wrote on his Twitter page. Turkey "Turkeys position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is absolutely clear and unambiguous", Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral told local media on April 1. Turkey will never recognize the so-called "elections" held in Nagorno Karabakh on March 31. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have made a similar statement. Turkey supports the speedy settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the restoration of justice, which is delayed for more than 30 years, Ozoral said. We urge the conflict sides to resolve the conflict through negotiations. This conflict must be quickly resolved within territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Azerbaijans internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law," the ambassador added. Ukraine "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the so-called 'presidential and parliamentary elections', held on March 31 in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Republic of Azerbaijan," Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said in a statement published in its official website. "The results of these pseudo-elections have no legal consequences whereas they are contrary to the rules and principles of international law", MFA of Ukraine stated. "Ukraine once again expresses its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan in its internationally recognized borders and stands for peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". Georgia Azerbaijans neighbor Georgian also voiced its support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity. "The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize the so called presidential and parliamentarian elections held on March 31, 2020 in N. Kharabkh". "Georgia supports exclusively peaceful settlement of N. Karabakh conflict in line with the norms and principles of international law," the statement reads. Italy Italian Foreign Ministry tweeted on March 31 that "Italy does not recognize the so-called "presidential and parliamentary elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh." Estonia "Estonia does not consider the so-called "elections" in Nagorno Karabakh as legitimate. We continue to support the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs," Estonian MFA stated on its Twitter page. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. -- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A quick scroll of the University of Alabamas official Instagram page looked like a collage of postcards -- a tribute to campus beauty and various accomplishments. A photo of Big Al was posted March 11 to promote an upcoming event before the world turned upside down. By March 13, the tone changed considerably on a page followed by 139,000-plus users. Instead of a spring view of students studying on the quad, the now-familiar microscope view of the coronavirus began the alerts. Its all part of a triaged communication effort made by UA to spread news to students, staff, faculty and the Tuscaloosa community. Social media is one of many important tools that were using, said Monica Watts, the associate vice president for communications at UA. It does help us meet the students where they are communicating. And Instagram is the online meeting place for college-aged adults. Pew Research found in 2019 that 90 percent of 18-to-29-year olds use social media, of which 67 percent are on Instagram. As news of cancellations, postponements and adjustments flowed, screenshots of emails and website announcements appeared on UAs various social media streams. Spring breaks extension and shift to online classes came March 12 in an Instagram post liked by more than 7,500 users. In all, UAs coronavirus posts on Instagram have north of 285,000 impressions as of Tuesday afternoon. That doesnt rival the eyeballs on Facebook and Twitter, but Instagram is designed primarily to distribute photos and video, not text. UA just wanted to take advantage of a platform so heavily trafficked by student-aged users. The Facebook page with 565,000 followers has 708,000 impressions on coronavirus content while the Twitter account had 619,000 impressions with its 168,300 followers. The social media, however, are a delivery method. All of the information links back to healthinfo.ua.edu, a centralized online landing page the school built on the fly to house all coronavirus-related updates. It started as a list of links to messages and announcements. But it quickly grew to the primary resource for all of the related information that we were communicating about, Watts said. Our team is constantly reviewing and identifying ways to improve the organization of that website but it still serves as our primary source for factual, detailed information. And every communication that we send out now points back to that website. It has a list of the latest headlines followed by tabs including one for frequently asked questions. Thats where the two-way nature of social media has informed the information distribution for UA. Direct messages, comments and mentions helped develop the separate FAQ sections for students, employees, faculty, education abroad, international and just general questions. RELATED: How Tuscaloosas responding to new crisis with lessons from 2011 tornado The communications office has three full-time employees on its social media team with help from those who run social media accounts for the various colleges and organizations. The goal is to address as many questions personally. The most asked questions, Watts said, dealt with online courses and the refund process for housing and meal plans. Since its launch, healthinfo.ua.edu has seen nearly 83,000 users who viewed more than 232,000 pages. Thats approximately 41 percent of the total web traffic that UAs main website handles, Watts said. The busiest day was March 12 when 22,608 users visited the site when the transition to online learning and the extended spring break was announced. A big challenge is we dont have all the answers right away, said Watts, who like many, is working from home. This situation were in is evolving, not just for the University of Alabama but for institutions around the world. But thats why accurate, honest, timely and useful information is critical for everybody. And we work hard to share that information that we have, when he have it available. After the wave of cancellations crested and immediate logistical questions were answered, Watts said the messaging has shifted to address more of the feels were all dealing with these days. A video message from UA president Stuart Bell was posted Monday on the social media pages. It was designed to lift spirits of those impacted by the crisis with campus beauty shots -- shot by faculty and staff -- interspersed. The #UA community has faced and overcome challenges throughout our history and this challenge will be no exception. As we welcome our students back virtually today, we have a message from President Bell for our #Bama family https://t.co/sJegXYmwlB #StillTideTogether pic.twitter.com/aHhDZdN667 The Univ. of Alabama (@UofAlabama) March 30, 2020 With it came comments that werent all positive. Cancellation of May graduation ceremonies isnt sitting well with all seniors who planned to walk that day. Responding to a Facebook comment reading just reschedule graduation, the UA account said it was actively exploring alternative means to celebrate but it was still too early to know how just yet. Its all a work in progress at this point as students on Monday began the online learning phase. Just a month remains of a spring semester unlike anyones experienced. Students who would normally be on a blooming campus are instead spread around a country largely on pause as a generational pandemics reality. The idealistic Instagram posts promoting campus life will be back one day. For now, the school needs it for the 21st century conversation in a patchwork communication plan in these strange times. Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cuyahoga County health officials are examining whether employees of a Parma nursing home, where a cluster of coronavirus cases has been reported, also worked at other care centers and inadvertently carried the virus to others. It is among several issues that authorities are examining at ManorCare Health Services, a 133-bed facility on Sprague Road. The nursing home said Wednesday that five residents have tested positive, with four being treated at hospitals and one being treated at ManorCare. Nine employees also tested positive and are self-quarantined away from the facility. The cluster at ManorCare comes just months after federal regulators investigated care issues at the nursing home. The issues included extremely low-staffing levels and a resident with dementia who left the facility without the staffs knowledge and fell to the bottom of a ravine, according to federal inspection reports. The resident was found less than an hour later, at 6:37 a.m., May 9. He had cuts to his face, arms and bare feet, and transported to a hospital, the reports said. In August 2019, a federal inspector found that ManorCare failed to provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident. On Aug. 24, the facility provided its residents with an estimated average of 2.2 hours of care, the federal reports show. Thats below Ohios regulations, which call for a minimum of 2.5 hours of care per day, per resident. And it is about half of what advocates for nursing home residents say is needed. The federal government does not have regulations as to the amount of daily care, in hours, that residents receive. The facilitys staff told investigators it had worked to correct the issues. Compounding the problem Advocates for those in nursing homes and assisted-living centers said low staffing has been common in facilities for years. But they stressed that the virus has compounded the problem for care centers. There is a strong correlation between low-staffing levels and poor infection control, said Charlene Harrington, one of the nations top experts on care at nursing homes and a professor of nursing at the University of California at San Francisco. There just isn't enough staffing in nursing homes. And now, a lot of people are calling off sick or they don't want to [risk harming] their families. Its a disaster. Genevieve Gipson, the director of the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants, said understaffing affects the spread of the virus. Nurses and aides are exhausted; theyre overwhelmed and overworked, Gipson said. Their immune systems are compromised. Their bodies cant take it, and they ultimately get sick themselves. Julie Beckert, the spokesperson for ManorCare, would not discuss staffing at the facility. She said only that the center is currently in compliance with all regulations and especially staffing. Asked for more details, she said simply, They meet federal and state regulations right now. As recently as 2017, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services labeled ManorCare in Parma one of the best nursing homes in Northeast Ohio, with five stars in the governments rating system. The agency has since identified the facility as average, with three stars. It is unclear whether incidents last year contributed to the rating change. Stopping the virus Less than after those incidents, Cuyahoga County officials are seeking to help the facility stop the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, Dr. Heidi Gullett, the medical director for the county board, said her office is seeking to identify ManorCare employees who traveled to or worked at other healthcare facilities. It is common for nursing homes and assisted-living centers to hire aides and nurses from staffing agencies to provide a backstop for facilities when a staff member becomes ill. Some of those staffers work at a number of facilities. In the case of ManorCare, a company spokesperson said, We did have [temporary] staff that worked at other locations. As soon as we received notice, we stopped. All employees are being monitored for symptoms. Disease investigators have worked with the facility to identify residents, staff members and others in the facility who had close contact with a person who tests positive for COVID-19. That information is gathered through interviews that can last as long as 2 hours and follow-up continues to monitor whether people have developed symptoms. Gullett praised ManorCare, saying its nurses who specialize in infection control have worked tirelessly to prevent additional exposures. Plain Dealer reporters Ginger Christ and Rachel Dissell contributed to this story. More coronavirus coverage: How the Cleveland Clinic is using modeling to respond to the coronavirus pandemic: Q&A Ohios limited coronavirus testing for the living and the dead means pandemic toll likely never known Delivering without doulas: Coronavirus hospital restrictions remove key support for black women Expectant moms, hospitals grapple with coronavirus uncertainties Cuyahoga County received 312 complaints about nonessential business operations Health care workers balance protecting family, serving community during coronavirus pandemic Cuyahoga Countys public health warriors try to get ahead of the local coronavirus curve Kathmandu: The outbreak of Corona, which is growing on one side here, has been taking the form of an epidemic for the whole world today. By the time this virus is caught, more than 40,000 deaths have taken place. But still, this death game has not stopped. This virus has rocked the whole world today. If there are no beds left in hospitals in many countries, then Dr. himself is becoming a victim of this virus. Keeping this in mind, the lockdown has been done in many countries. Corona: CM Yeddyurappa donated full year salary for corona victims According to the information received, thousands of people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are trapped on Raxaul-Birganj border on Indo-Nepal border. Lockdown is in force in both countries to prevent infection of Kovid-19, which has trapped tourists and workers on both sides. Three Nepalese nationals were arrested for trying to cross the Mahakali River, located on the border of the two countries, due to the traffic stop. 500 Nepali citizens are stranded in Uttarakhand's Dharchula and Pithoragarh districts for four days. On Friday night, Nepalese authorities opened the gate of the swinging bridge on the border and took out 225 Nepali citizens from Dharchula. It is also being said that as a preventive step due to the coronavirus threat, the Indian authorities did not allow anyone to enter their territory. Because of this many people are stranded on No Mans Land for 30 hours. On 16 March, India sealed its border and stopped the entry of foreign nationals into Bihar. Bus service suspended for fifteen days. New discovery of Japan, this thing will get rid of corona Health officials said that an infected patient has been found at one of the 49 transit sites on the border. Officials said that special attention is being paid to districts adjoining Nepal. Transit sites are being closely monitored there. Meanwhile, in the cabinet meeting, the government of Nepal has decided to extend its nationwide lockdown on Sunday and for a week. The lockdown will continue in Nepal till midnight of April 7. Due to this, Indian migrants are facing difficulties in gathering food etc. Britain did this work for Indian and foreign doctors Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for a rent freeze in New York to address preferential treatment for the wealthy in the states response to the coronavirus outbreak. New York governor Andrew Cuomo has issued a 90-day suspension of mortgage payments to alleviate the economic impact of the pandemic, but has not done the same for renters. Instead, evictions will be suspended for the same period but those rent payments will accumulate. If you called for a suspension or moratorium on mortgage payments, then we should also call for that same treatment on rent payments," congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, whose district represents 650,000 people in the Bronx and Queens, said on Tuesday. "Were kind of creating a class and race issue. We're essentially rewarding and offering preferential treatment to landowners and folks who are more wealthy, and we're not offering that same kind of relief to renters, she told The Brian Lehrer Show. Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Show all 26 1 /26 Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town An empty street in Manhattan borough following the outbreak of coronavirus disease in New York City Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A cab drives down at Seventh Avenue in Times Square Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University campus is seen almost empty as number of universities are moving all classes to e-learning, due to the coronavirus outbreak Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen near Lincoln tunnel Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty chairs are seen near Hudson yards Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A mobile souvenir shop sits in an empty parking lot at Allianz Field as a match between the New York Red Bulls at Minnesota United FC is postponed USA Today Sports/Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University A person sits in an empty eating hall Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Seventh Avenue Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty retail stores Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen outside the New York Times building Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters The median household income for homeowners is close to double that of renter households. The concern among many renters is that the measures introduced by Mr Cuomo will only delay the inevitable. Tenants are being told that just wait a couple months and then youre going to be evicted, Ellen Davidson, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, told CBS New York. Over 60 per cent of households in New York City are renters, and if they turn their back on renters, this city will fall apart." More than three million people in the US filed for unemployment the week of 16 March, around five times the previous high in 1982. Lower-income workers are significantly more likely to be employed in industries that are vulnerable to these losses, according to an analysis by New York University released this week. Restaurants, hotels and other service sector jobs have suffered since the outbreak began. Ms Ocasio-Cortez said that part-time and low-wage workers are in jobs that are still operating but who cant do their work from home, such as delivery drivers and grocery store workers "are overwhelmingly lower-income. They're black. They're brown ... and they still have to pay rent tomorrow. "There's absolutely racial and class inequities baked into the crisis," she told WNYC. "If you are able to stay home. You are a privileged person in this moment." People who have recently been laid off will be facing their first rent payment since becoming unemployed on 1 April. A recent survey found that around 40 percent of New Yorkers would be unable to pay their rent if they lost a paycheck due to the pandemic. Mr Cuomo has hinted that the policy over rent payments could be revisited later on. Well deal with that when we get to it. I hear you. There has to be some smoothing, he said. The Supreme Court, on March 31, asked the media to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic was not disseminated, in the wake of mass exodus of migrant labour from Delhi, sparking a humantarian crisis. "We expect the Media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated," the SC bench consisting of Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao said in the order. A daily bulletin by the Government of India would be made active within a period of 24 hours, as submitted by the Solicitor General of India, through all media avenues - including social media and forums - to clear the doubts of people, SC said. "We do not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media refer to and publish the official version about the developments," the apex court order said. A writ petition was filed in SC, seeking intervention to address the plight of thousands of migrant labourers who along with their families were walking hundreds of kilometres from their work place to their villages and towns in North India. 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 Responding to the writ petition, the government said the migration of large number of labourers working in the cities had been triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months. "Such panic-driven migration has caused untold suffering to those who believed and acted on such news. In fact, some have lost their lives in the process. It is, therefore, not possible for us to overlook this menace of fake news either by electronic, print or social media," the solicitor general appearing for the government told the court. The solicitor general has sought a direction from SC to prevent fake and inaccurate reporting, whether intended or not, either by electronic print or social media which would cause panic in the society. The government told the court that it would create a mechanism to help media outlets ascertain facts before publishing them. The Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 provides for punishment to a person who makes or circulates a false alarm or warning as to disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic, the government said. Such person shall be punished with imprisonment, which may extend to one year, or with fine. According to the Status Report submitted by the government, 666,291 persons have been provided shelters and 2,288,279 persons have been provided food. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched on Tuesday a grotesquely cynical initiative, dubbed a Democratic Transition Initiative, aimed at furthering Washingtons longstanding campaign to provoke a proimperialist coup in Venezuela. This so-called initiative is a blatant attempt to utilize the coronavirus pandemic as a weapon. It is seen by US officials as a means of intensifying the suffering of the Venezuelan people that has been inflicted by a succession of ever-tightening maximum pressure sanctions that have cut off the countrys oil exports, together with its access to food, medicine and other basic supplies on the world market. The result thus far, according to at least one estimate, has been the deaths of over 100,000 Venezuelans. With the spread of COVID-19, that toll can rise by hundreds of thousands more. Last month, the State Department announced that it had initiated a policy of Maximum-pressure March, designed to utilize the pandemic along with the plummeting price of oil on the world market to force Venezuela into submission. This policy found its most rabid expression in the US Justice Departments announcement last month of indictments of President Nicolas Maduro and other top Venezuelan officials on trumped-up charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. While Washington has produced no credible evidence to support these charges, there is ample proof of its closest partners in the hemisphere, including the right-wing governments in Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala engaging in precisely such activities. The rolling out of the transition plan in the wake of the indictments may be intended as some kind of carrot-and-stick strategy. US officials have suggested that it is telling Maduro to accept the scheme or else. A top US official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymityin all likelihood the convicted war criminal Elliott Abrams, who is the Trump administrations special envoy for Venezuelacalled attention to the fate of Manuel Noriega. The late president of Panama and former CIA asset was indicted on drug-trafficking charges and then overthrown and seized through a 1989 US invasion that claimed the lives of thousands of Panamanians. History shows that those who do not cooperate with US law enforcement agencies do not fare well, the official said. Maduro probably regrets not taking the offer six months ago. We urge Maduro not to regret not taking it now. This is the Mafia-style operation that underlies the so-called democratic transition. Its aim is to provoke a split within the Maduro government and, in particular, to convince Venezuelas military to side with Washington in ousting the Venezuelan president. This was also the central objective in the failed attempt to impose transitional president Juan Guaido, a right-wing politician unknown to the vast majority of the population, who swore himself in at the beginning of 2019 and was immediately recognized by Washington and its allies. Guaidos repeated attempts to foment a coup, including a direct appeal for a military uprising a year ago, came to nothing, and his attempts to organize opposition rallies have manifestly failed to draw any significant participation in recent months. The democratic transition is on one level a tacit admission that Washingtons strategy centered on bringing the US puppet Guaido to power has proven an abject failure. The mechanics of the transition are based upon Washingtons manipulation of various institutions in the Venezuelan state to produce the desired outcome of a regime subordinate to US imperialist interests. It calls for the National Assembly, which the Maduro government has stripped of its legislative powers, to create a five-member Council of State, which, together with a military advisor, would assume all executive powers, thereby overthrowing the Maduro administration. This body is then supposed to organize elections within six to 12 months, with Washington and its regional allies ensuring the desired results. The proposal makes an open appeal to the Venezuelan military, declaring, The military high command (Defense Minister, Vice Defense Minister, CEOFANB Commander, and Service Chiefs) remains in place for the duration of the transitional government. It also makes clear that the transition will entail the reorientation of Venezuela back into the orbit of Washingtons regional military and financial domination. It demands the removal of all foreign security forces, an apparent reference to Cuban and Russian advisors in the country. It also states that in the course of the transition, Negotiations begin with World Bank, IMF, and Inter-American Development Bank for major programs of support. In other words, the plan is to shift Venezuela from its financial reliance on China and place it back under the thumb of Washington and Wall Street. Trump held a telephone conversation Monday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin which, according to Moscow, touched on the crisis in Venezuela. The Russian-based oil conglomerate Rosneft announced last week that it had sold all its interests in Venezuela to an entity wholly owned by the Russian government. It said it had done so to protect the interests of its shareholders. Rosnefts subsidiaries had come under US sanctions because of the companys providing the main vehicle for trading in Venezuelan oil as well as its providing gasoline for the Venezuelan market. Among its principal shareholders are British Petroleum and a Qatari oil company. It is unclear what the significance of the trade-off will be. Russian officials insisted that it signaled no diminishing of Moscows support for the Maduro government, but rather an attempt to protect Rosneft from the US sanctions regime. In presenting the transition plan to a State Department press conference Tuesday, Pompeo declared, The United States has long been committed to finding a solution to the manmade crisis in Venezuela. The urgency for this has become all the more serious in light of the Maduro regimes failure to adequately prepare for and address the global COVID-19 pandemic. Who does the US Secretary of State think he is kidding? When it comes to failure to adequately prepare for and address the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is no government in the world that can compete with that of the United States. The Maduro government issued a swift rejection of Pompeos transition. Foreign Secretary Jorge Arreaza declared in an interview, They can say what they want, when they want and how they want, but the decisions on Venezuela will be made in Venezuela, with its institutions and its constitution. We arent the puppets of the US. He described the US plan as the product of Washingtons obsession with taking control of Venezuela and its petroleum. In part, the transition scheme was no doubt floated in an attempt to deflect calls by the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, China and other countries and multilateral agencies for the US to lift a US sanctions regime that is tantamount to a state of war in order to facilitate the struggle against the coronavirus. The Trump administration, it is clear, intends to do nothing of the kind. It is banking on the conditions that sanctions have created in Venezuela, shortages of medical supplies along with an increasing lack of access to clean water and electricity, to inflict a horrific death toll that can bring Venezuela to its knees. While the countrys threadbare public health system has thus far kept down the number of COVID-19 deaths, the United Nations has warned that Venezuela could be one the hardest-hit countries in the world. Commenting on the democratic transition scheme advanced by Pompeo Tuesday, Juan Guaidos security aide Ivan Simonovis made the frank comment, These are things that need to be done, so they cant say they werent offered an alternative. The implication is clear. A fraudulent proposal for a peaceful transition is being floated in Washington as part of the preparation for the use of military violence to achieve the predatory aims of US imperialism. The danger of war is amplified by the interest of the Trump administration and the US ruling class in diverting outward the overwhelming popular anger over the failure of the existing capitalist order to protect masses of people from the ravages of the pandemic or to organize any adequate response to it. WASHINGTON One of the hallmarks of the United States military is its ability to project power around the world, often under the banner of slogans intended to strike fear in its adversaries. Ready to fight tonight for U.S. troops in South Korea; Americas 911 for the Marine Corps expeditionary units at sea; the list goes on. But now the foe is a novel coronavirus, and it has struck deep. More than 1,200 military personnel and their family members are affected, disabling a talisman of American military might a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and leaving the Defense Department virtually at war with itself over two competing instincts: protecting troops from the virus and continuing its decades-old mission of patrolling the globe and engaging in combat, if ordered to do so. The Navy is thus far refusing to completely evacuate an aircraft carrier where 93 service members have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has put himself on the side of business as usual in maintaining readiness while also saying that force protection is a top priority. President Trump, for his part, threatened a familiar foe, tweeting on Wednesday that Iran would pay a very heavy price if its proxies attacked American troops or assets in Iraq. Other Defense Department officials continued to insist that the aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, remain ready to carry out its missions. The commander of the Roosevelt, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, pointed out in a strongly worded letter that we are not at war. That statement raised questions from the Pacific to the Pentagon of what was so important about the aircraft carriers presence off the coast of Guam that the Defense Department could not evacuate the ship and do a deep cleaning, as suggested by Captain Crozier. Universities across Australia will grant an academic amnesty to students who fail subjects during the coronavirus crisis, as students struggle with disruptions and the transition to online learning. The University of NSW, La Trobe University and Swinburne University will exclude failed units of study this term from students' academic transcripts and average score calculations, although they will still be charged fees. UNSW has also joined a number of esteemed international universities, including Harvard, Stanford and Columbia, in changing grading for many subjects to a "pass or fail" system. Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said she recognised "this is a particularly stressful time for students". Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 22:55:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RIGA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian parliament's budget committee during a remote meeting on Wednesday endorsed a proposal to allow banks unilaterally write off people's mortgage debts that have been accumulated since the 2008 financial crisis, the parliamentary press service informed. The Latvian central bank and Finance Latvia Association recently came up with the proposal to provide a legal solution that would allow writing off unrecoverable mortgage loans. MP Martins Bondars, who chairs the budget committee, said that lawmakers now expect the authors of the proposal to draft their version of the bill, which could then be debated in parliament. The idea is to include the provision in the personal income tax law, by setting out the basic principles for writing off mortgage debts that are considered unrecoverable. Banks will be able to unilaterally write off the mortgage loans their clients took out before the financial crisis broke out at the end of 2008, leaving many borrowers unable to pay off their debts. Latvia saw a huge lending boom before the 2008 crisis, but the precipitous income drop caused by the crisis left many people struggling and pushed them out of the legal economy. These debts are essentially unrecoverable and should therefore be written off, Bank of Latvia Governor Martins Kazaks told lawmakers. According to the central bank's data, there are currently around 13,000 people in Latvia who are still unable to pay off their old mortgage loans taken before the 2008 crisis, with their debts totaling an estimated 600 million euros. Some banks in Latvia are already offering settlement programs to their indebted clients, according to Finance Latvia Association. A month ago, media platforms broadly aligned with United States (US) President Donald Trump termed the coronavirus a hoax. Just a week ago, Mr Trump was tempted to ease restrictions and was arguing for restoring economic activity by Easter (April 12). But if the surge in cases, and the extent of the spread in cities such as New York, had not made the dangers of the pandemic clear to the administration, projections put forward by scientists appears to have finally done so this week. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the US, and Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the coronavirus response for the White House, told Mr Trump that the country could see anywhere between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths due to the virus. Mr Trump subsequently extended restrictions, and warned Americans that a painful two weeks lie ahead. The crisis in the US is illustrative. For one, the pandemic has brought forth the fragility of power as conventionally calculated. The US has resources, research capacity, infrastructure, talent and health care systems yet Covid-19 has crippled the country, just as it shook the foundations of China, and has now destabilised Europe. While there has been a growing inward turn in the US over the past decade, expect this crisis to see it retreat even more, as it focuses on domestic reconstruction. Two, the crisis also shows the importance of leadership. It is clear that the president, who seems to care little for science or expertise, was reckless in not taking the threat seriously. Delays in imposing restrictions, slow testing, and the failure to ramp up the health system have contributed to the spread of the infection. While it is not clear how this will play out in the election scheduled for later this year if the election takes place at all on time the impact of weak leadership in an emergency is obvious. Three, the US appears to be facing the same constraints as many other countries at the moment, which once again shows the global nature of the challenge from the shortages of personal protective equipment for health workers and ventilators for patients to a halt on economic activity and unprecedented unemployment. Hope for the US lies in the fact that it has the best science infrastructure in the world, which makes it likely that an eventual vaccine will emerge in the country; a resilient private sector and spirit of entrepreneurship, which will help in the recovery; and global economic and strategic dominance, which will allow it to leverage the international system. But the crisis has underlined that no one is, quite literally, immune. A US commission mandated to monitor international religious freedom has expressed concern over reports of a provincial government in Pakistan targeting and "scapegoating" the already vulnerable and marginalised Shiite Hazara ethnic minority community for the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus in the country. In Quetta, capital of Balochistan, the government has completely sealed off two areas of the Hazara community- Hazara Town and Marriabad- as part of lockdown in the city, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a press statement on Tuesday. The government also forbade government employees from travelling into Hazara neighborhoods, and reportedly forced Hazara policemen to go on leave under suspicion they are infected by relatives, the statement said. We are troubled that government officials in Balochistan are scapegoating the already vulnerable and marginalized Hazara Shi'a community for this public health crisis, said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. This virus does not recognise religion, ethnicity, or border and should not be used as an excuse to discriminate against a single community, Bhargava said. Social media users have made allusions to coronavirus as the Shi'a virus, given fears of its spread by pilgrims returning from Iran, it said. This isolation and further stigmatization of the Hazara minority could limit their ability to receive proper medical care as the coronavirus continues to spread within Pakistan and stretch its public health infrastructure, it said. We are gravely concerned about Pakistan's Hazara Shi'a community, said USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore. Noting that there are many challenges faced by the Pakistan government, and many other governments around the world to contain the virus, Moore said, "yet, we urge the Pakistani leadership to work to protect all its citizens, regardless of religion or belief, and ensure that everyone has equal access to the necessary medical treatment. "In fact, governments have a greater obligation to protect the most vulnerable in an emergency like this one, he said. The coronavirus cases in Pakistan crossed 2,000 on Wednesday. So far, 26 people have died of the disease. (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 Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java Wed, April 1, 2020 15:11 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee2ac6 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,outbreak-in-Indonesia,Central-Java,Ganjar-Pranowo Free The Central Java administration has launched an online map detailing the spread of the coronavirus in regions across the province as part of an effort to provide accurate information to the public regarding the scale of local contagion. The constantly updated map which can be accessed at corona.jatengprov.go.id provides information on the number of confirmed cases, as well as suspected patients under treatment (ODP) and surveillance (PDP) within a 500-meter to 3-kilometer radius, therefore allowing the public to keep track of the health emergency in their respective communities. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said the online map, which sources its data from every subdistrict across the province, was expected to increase public awareness of the gravity of the current situation and enable residents to take the necessary precautions. For example, [the map shows] which regions are green zones, indicating theyre still safe. It means those regions have to be protected. Meanwhile, those in red zones [] are obligated to stay home. Dont be stubborn, Ganjar said on Tuesday in provincial capital Semarang. Read also: Indonesia's latest COVID-19 figures He went on to say that the map was also expected to quell mass panic among the public as it was designed to provide an up-to-date visual representation of the situation. When a resident learns that a neighbor is infected with the virus, they need to stay at home. Theres no need to go outside to shop; just shop online, Ganjar said, adding the administration had seen increased public support as the province recorded more confirmed cases. Central Java has recorded 93 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven deaths as of Wednesday morning. Several other regions across Java have previously established official websites where the public can access online maps of the COVID-19 spread. Residents of Jakarta and West Java, for instance, may monitor the latest developments at corona.jakarta.go.id and pikobar.jabarprov.go.id, respectively. For East Java, the updates of the coronavirus disease can be accessed at infocovid19.jatimprov.go.id. (rfa) As a full-fledged coronavirus outbreak at the Harris County jail loomed, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Tuesday she would be putting in an order for the release of some inmates. A group of 15 inmates at the Harris County jail had said in a handwritten letter that theyre panicking and afraid of dying at the jail if officials dont intervene to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had been calling for compassionate releases for weeks, warning of a health disaster in the jail that would also spark a public health crisis for the Houston area. Local and state officials who recognized the threat have been struggling for more than a week to come up with a joint plan to release as many people from the countys third-largest lockup as possible, focusing on inmates accused of nonviolent offenses. On Tuesday, Hidalgo said she was going forward with a narrow order for some releases, noting that the jail was a ticking time bomb with two dozen inmates showing symptoms and more than 1,100 in observational quarantine. She said she was taking the action to stay ahead of a public health catastrophe. She stressed that shed been in touch with victims advocates, and would ensure no one was released into homelessness. She said only people with no violent history would be included, and that there would be electronic monitoring, breathalyzers and other measures taken to keep track of those released. Public health officials have said it was impossible to enforce social distancing and proper quarantines for staff and inmates, she said, adding, Every person, every one of those workers has a family they are putting at risk. The key players Hidalgo, state District Judge Herb Ritchie and Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, the top federal judge in the region have been hamstrung by restrictions issued Sunday by Gov. Greg Abbott. A representative from Abbotts Attorney Generals Office indicated at a federal court hearing on Sunday that AG Ken Paxton would appeal any blanket releases of inmates, including an order calling for the release of just inmates accused of nonviolent offenses. An hour after Hidalgos Tuesday announcement, Rosenthal indicated that she was minding the same parameters the governor set about violent crime during a hearing on the issue. She wasnt prepared at present to broaden the categories of inmates who could be released during this unprecedented health crisis, she said. Rosenthal said there was a logical timeline for releases built into Hidalgos plan, and she would check back on progress at a Friday morning hearing. Advocates for the thousands of people jailed because they cant afford cash bonds which in some cases meant coming up with $350 to $1,000 for bond were stunned and angry about the limited plan. A lot of people will become sick and die, inside the jail and out, because of the failure of local and state officials to act to prevent needless suffering, attorney Alec Karakatsanis said. We are the only country in the world where people will die in a cage from COVID because they dont have enough cash to pay for their release. A lawyer for the sheriffs office said about 1,000 to 1,200 people met the criteria outlined by Hidalgo, but Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and others would then have an opportunity to weigh in about whether those facing nonviolent charges also had zero prior nonviolent convictions. That could whittle the list down considerably, possibly by one-third or so, according to a lawyer for the sheriff. Gonzalez has been calling for compassionate releases of a limited set of people elderly and medically compromised people accused of nonviolent offenses. Hidalgo had said she would extend the list to include both compassionate releases and some people accused of nonviolent crimes, but on Tuesday she backtracked by narrowing the field of nonviolent offenses and excluding people with prior convictions for violent crime or pending restraining orders. She said the sheriff, pretrial services and a group of criminal justice stakeholders will craft the conditions of release and ensure the defendants do not have a violent criminal history. The inmate letter seeking help was written three days before the first person tested positive, and postmarked from the facility where 7,896 people are housed as of Tuesday. The author who is among a group of dorm mates in the honors dorm for people with access to special programming stated he was searching for a voice where there is not one. We are passing through a very difficult situation here including tremendous stress, anxiety, fear, (depression) and worried about our families and our cases, says the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Houston Chronicle. The letters recipient could not get permission to share it and asked that the names of the inmates who signed it be kept anonymous to protect them from the consequences of going public. Basic things like washing hands, staying home and social distancing are all impossible, according to the letter. Under this situation it is impossible to stay calm, people are panicking and nobody wants to die in jail, it said. At the Harris County jail, one inmate has tested positive for COVID-19; more than two dozen inmates are under quarantine and have symptoms consistent with coronavirus, and more than 1,100 others are under observational quarantine, officials said. At least a dozen deputies or other employees have tested positive for the virus, and dozens more are under quarantine after possible exposure. As employees have gotten sick or gone into quarantine, the department has shifted deputies from other areas to backfill critical positions, said Jason Spencer, a sheriffs spokesman. Spencer said there is no shortage of soap, but there was an issue with clothing. We experienced a laundry equipment problem that is being addressed, he said. In addition, he said, all incoming workers are screened for fever. Were doing our best to minimize exposure to inmates and the 2,200 employees working there, but weve also said for weeks now that the jail is a COVID-19 tinder box. The inmate letter lauds what Gonzalez has said publicly about expediting compassionate releases, shutting down visits, setting up quarantine areas and stepping up efforts to screen and clean the jail to prevent the spread of the virus. Referencing what is happening in other major cities amid the growing pandemic, the letter says it is too late for officials to consider options. They need to take the bold actions to prevent a catastrophic outbreak. Gonzalez said the issue goes far beyond the jail. There is a direct correlation between the health of the community and what were grappling with in the jail, he said. Experts been very clear we dont have the capacity, were there to be a large outbreak in the jail, and also whats going on in the community. Theres not enough ventilators, not enough ICUs. gabrielle.banks@chron.com st.john.smith@chron.com Representative of Ukraine to the European Union Mykola Tochytskyi believes that Russia will not be able to use the COVID-19 pandemic to its own advantage and ease the imposed international sanctions. "Blurring EUs sanctions policy on Russia now looks like Kremlins unfulfilled intention. The EU has recently extended personal sanctions for another six months. Work is underway to ensure that sectoral sanctions are fully extended in case of Russias further non-compliance with the Minsk agreements, the diplomat wrote in the article for the Yevropeiska Pravda Ukrainian online media outlet. In this context, he noted that the statement of the European External Action Service of March 27 clearly underscored Russia's responsibility for ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine. In particular, the EU expressed its expectation that "Russia will exert its considerable influence over the armed formations it backs in order to achieve a sustainable and peaceful political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Tochytskyi recalled. Ukraines Representative to the European Union also pointed out that someone would like to use the pandemic to destroy not only the unity of the European Union but also to postpone the issue of strategic cooperation of the EU with its partner countries. We already see how Russia tries to use the COVID-19 situation to its advantage. We hear the calls for easing the international sanctions. The Russian Federation does not conceal the desire for the erosion of basic principles and values. However, I want to disappoint such destructive strategists. There are no risks in the EU-Ukraine dialogue that could change the basic principles of our strategic cooperation, Tochytskyi assured. ol A MAN has been charged with a stabbing which left his son in a serious condition in a Cork hospital. Leon Frahill (48) of Harbour View, Cobh, Co Cork appeared before Macroom District Court charged in relation to an alleged incident which left his son, Gino (27), with serious injuries. Gino Frahill was discovered with serious injuries by a bus stop at Glasslyn Road in Bandon, Co Cork in the early hour of Tuesday, March 31. The young man was rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where he underwent emergency surgery. He remains in a serious but stable condition. Judge John King at Macroom Distrit Court was told Leon Frahill faces a total of three charges. He was charged with assault causing harm to his son, Gino, at Glasslynn Road, Bandon on March 31 contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Frahill was also charged with two further charges of producing a knife in the course of a fight and of producing a knife, thereby causing a breach of the peace, at the same location and date. Evidence of arrest, caution and charge was given to Judge King by Garda Ciaran Leahy. He told the court that, when the charges were formally put to the defendant, he replied: "I accept." Judge King heard that gardai were now preparing a file for the consideration of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and this would take some time. Sergeant Brian Harte said gardai did not have an objection to Leon Frahill being granted bail. However, gardai said they wanted specific conditions attached to any remand on bail. These included that the defendant resident at a nominated address in Ardmore, Co Waterford, that he signs on at Youghal Garda Station three times each week, that he agree to stay away from west Cork and that he give a firm undertaking not to have any contact with any potential witnesses in the case. The defendant must also be contactable by gardai at all times. As a further part of the bail conditions, the defendant must also surrender his passport and agree not to apply for any new travel documents. Defence solicitor, Don Ryan, said all the conditions were acceptable to his client. Mr Ryan also applied for free legal aid for the defendant. Judge King remanded Frahill on bail in his own bond of 300 to appear again at Bandon District Court on June 19. It is hoped the directions from the DPP will be available at this time. Leon Frahill was told he does not have to attend court on June 19 in person. Australia on Wednesday reported one more fatality from the deadly coronavirus, taking the death toll to 21, while the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed over 4,800 mark, health authorities said, underlining that a vaccine against the virus is the country's only hope of defeating the pandemic. According to the latest official data, over a quarter of a million tests have been performed for the COVID-19 across the country as the number of cases reach 4,860. The federal government released latest figures on Wednesday, which stated that 256,000 tests have now been conducted across the nation, with over 100,000 people tested alone in New South Wales. The death toll from the deadly COVID-19 has touched 21 after another person succumbed to the infection in NSW. The person died on April 1 in NSW's Orange Base Hospital following "complications" related to the COVID-19. "At the request of the family, no further details will be provided," the Western NSW Local Health District said in a statement. Meanwhile, following the new rules for mandatory quarantine for all overseas travellers entering the country, over 5,500 people were kept in hotel rooms and other accommodation around the country. The tough measure was adopted following the National Cabinet meeting on Sunday after health authorities warned people who had been overseas, accounted for about two thirds of Australia's known coronavirus cases. The largest number of people are being held in NSW, with more than 3,140 travellers arriving at Sydney International Airport since Sunday, according to the official records. Meanwhile, Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly believes a vaccine could be the panacea to the pandemic. The crisis gripping the world could linger for another 18 months as researchers work to come up with a vaccine. "I don't think we can eliminate this virus without a vaccine," Kelly said on Wednesday. Kelly said that scientists across the globe are working hard on a vaccine but that "vaccines for coronavirus were not easy" and it was difficult to predict a timeframe on a vaccine. According to the estimates by the Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 850,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, and over 41,000 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Cory Booker faces a Democratic primary challenge from a political activist and supporter of Bernie Sanders as New Jersey kicks off a campaign season that will be curtailed by the coronavirus crisis. The candidates for the primary filed by the Monday deadline. But, like everything, this will be a different scenario because orders to stay at home and socially distance do not mesh with holding campaign events. While there has been talk of expanding vote by mail, closing polling places, and even delaying the election, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that he was no closer to deciding how to proceed. The primary as of now is June 2. Booker abandoned his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination in January in favor of seeking a second full six-year term in the Senate. His opponent, Lawrence Hamm, founded the Peoples Organization For Progress, an activist group based in Newark that has fought police brutality and poverty. Five Republicans are on the ballot in the Senate race: Rik Mehta, a pharmacist and lawyer; Hirsh Singh, an engineer who lost primaries for governor in 2017 and U.S. House in 2018; Natalie Rivera and Tricia Flanagan, both of whom ran and lost as independent candidates against Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez in 2018; and teacher Eugene Anagnes. In New Jerseys hottest House race, South Jerseys 2nd Congressional District, party-switching Rep. Jeff Van Drew faces a primary challenge from Bob Patterson, who worked in the administrations of both George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Patterson was the only GOP candidate who did not withdraw after Van Drew switched parties and was feted by Trump at a Wildwood rally in January. The Democratic field features teacher Amy Kennedy, wife of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., and a scion of the famed Kennedy family, and Brigid Callahan Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University. Also running are former Booker aide Will Cunningham, who lost the 2018 Democratic primary to Van Drew, West Cape May Commissioner John Francis, and Robert Turkavage, a former FBI agent who ran for the seat as a Republican two years ago. There are Republican primaries to take on two rookie Democrats who ousted GOP incumbents in 2018. In the 3rd Congressional District, businessman David Richter, who originally sought the Van Drew seat, now is one of four Republicans trying to take on Rep. Andy Kim, who ousted Republican Tom MacArthur in 2018. Richter is running against union official Kate Gibbs, former law enforcement officer and lawyer John Novak, and David Schmidt. And in the 7th Congressional District, three Republicans are vying to oppose Rep. Tom Malinowski two years after he defeated incumbent Republican Leonard Lance. They are state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, son of the former governor, as well as Tom Phillips, who worked in finance and human resources, and Rafaat Barsoom, a physician. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the first Democrat to represent the 5th Congressional District in 84 years and one of the New Jersey lawmakers most likely to cross party lines, faces a primary challenge from the left in Glen Rock Councilwoman Arati Kreibich On the Republican side, the general counsel for the New Jersey Sheriffs Association, John McCann, who lost to Gottheimer in 2018, is running again for the GOP nod, along with former investment banker Frank Pallotta, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, educator James Baldini and Hector Castillo, a medical doctor. And in the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Chris Smith, who is the second-likeliest House Republican to break with his party and oppose Trump, faces a primary challenge from Lakewood Rabbi Alter Eliezer Richter. See the entire list of House candidates here. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. 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. By Peter Nurse Investing.com - European stock markets traded sharply lower Wednesday, as the latest round of purchasing manager surveys across Asia and Europe kept investors focused on the scale of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. At 4:30 AM ET (0830 GMT), the U.K.'s FTSE index traded 3.8% lower, France's CAC 40 was down 3.6%, while the DAX fell 3.1%. The broader based Stoxx 600 Europe index dropped 2.8%. IHS Markit's manufacturing purchasing managers' index for the euro zone fell to its lowest since 2012 in March, while the manufacturing PMI in Italy, which has been hit hardest by the Covid-19 epidemic, hit an 11-year low. Factory activity also dropped sharply across most of Asia in March, according to Markit's PMIs, with regional economic powerhouses Japan and South Korea, major exporters to Europe, posting their biggest contractions in about a decade. The Bank of Japan's "tankan" corporate survey showed Japanese manufacturers turned pessimistic for the first time in seven years. The surveys illustrate the economic damage caused by the pandemic that has infected more than 850,000 people, killed over 42,000, upended supply chains and led to city lockdowns worldwide. President Donald Trump warned Americans late Tuesday to brace for a rough two-week period ahead as the White House released new projections that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic. In corporate news, the European banking sector was sharply lower, with U.K. banks leading the way after a number of them said they would cancel their dividend payments at the U.K. financial regulators request. HSBC (LON:HSBA) shares slumped over 9%, Barclays (LON:BARC) shares fell 5.5%. The banks account for some 12% of all U.K. dividends. Dividend paid by companies listed on the pan-European STOXX 600 index for this year are expected to fall by about 40%, Emmanuel Cau, head of European equity strategy at Barclays said Wednesday. Story continues Auto Trader shares (LON:AUTOA) fell over 5% after the U.K.-based online car marketplace said Wednesday it would sell up to 46.5 million new shares, worth 5% of its share capital, to institutional investors in a bid to shore up cash during the coronavirus crisis. London-listed cruise line operator Carnival (LON:CCL) is later expected to price a multi-tranche $6 billion capital raising in what will be a closely-watched effort by a major leisure company to stay afloat without government support. The data barrage continues later in the U.S. Eyes are likely to be on the ADP payrolls report data, at 8:15 AM ET (1215 GMT), ahead of Fridays official payrolls release. Oil markets declined again after a call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin failed to produce any concrete support for the market. . At 4:30 AM ET, U.S. crude futures traded 1.5% lower at $20.18 a barrel. The international benchmark Brent contract fell 5.7% to $24.86. Elsewhere, gold futures rose 0.7% to $1,608.05/oz after ending the first quarter with a sharp sell-off, while EUR/USD traded at 1.0970, down 0.5% on the day. Related Articles Asian equities in March see biggest foreign outflows since 2008 Europe's 2020 dividends expected to fall by about 40%: Barclays Two-thirds of Lufthansa's staff to shorten work hours due to coronavirus By now, California should be, as predicted in so many models, ground zero of infection. The bluest states public officials have been warning for weeks that California will be overwhelmed, given federal-government unpreparedness and the purported inefficacy of the local, state, and federal governments. California governor Gavin Newsom has assured his state that over half of the population or, in his words, 56 percent will soon be infected. That is, more than 25 million coronavirus cases are on the horizon, which, at the viruss current fatality rate of 12 percent (the ratio of deaths to known positive cases), would mean that the state should anticipate 250,000500,000 dead Californians in the near future. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti predicted that this week Los Angeles would be short of all sorts of medical supplies as the epidemic killed many hundreds, as is the case in New York City. Its been well over two months since the first certified coronavirus case in the United States, so one might expect to see early symptoms of the apocalypse recently forecast by Governor Newsom. Yet a number of Californias top doctors, epidemiologists, statisticians, and biophysicists including Stanfords John Ioannides, Michael Levitt, Eran Bendavid, and Jay Bhattacharya have expressed some skepticism about the bleak models predicting that we are on the verge of a statewide or even national lethal pandemic of biblical proportions. The skeptics may be right. As of this moment, Californias cumulative fatalities attributed to coronavirus are somewhere over 140 deaths, in a state of 40 million. That toll is a relatively confirmable numerator (though coronavirus is not always the sole cause of death), as opposed to the widely unreliable denominator of caseloads (currently about 6,300 in the state) that are judged to be only a fraction of the population that has been tested. The Iceland study, for example, suggests that half of those who are infected show no symptoms. Currently, even with fluctuating statistics, California is suffering roughly about one death to the virus for every 250,000300,000 of its residents. The rate certainly will go up each hour, and no doubt in geometric fashion, as the virus spreads. Yet we should remember that California loses about 270,000 lives to all causes every year meaning, on any given day, around 740 Californians die. So far there is no published clear evidence that in January, February, and March more Americans have died from pneumonia-related diseases than in an average year. Note too that not all deaths attributed to coronavirus are the work of COVID-19 alone; they are often accompanied by advanced age and serious chronic conditions that may have soon led to death without any accompanying viral infection. California To Close All Gyms, Health Clubs And Restaurants In contrast, as of Monday morning, New York State, with about half of Californias population, has about eight to nine times the number of deaths, and 20 times the per capita rate, at 60 deaths per million residents. In fact, California has a much lower per capita death rate than many of the nations largest states; for that matter, its per capita death rate is similar to that of nations that so far have mysteriously escaped the viruss modeled wrath. Currently, California has lost fewer than 4 people per million, roughly between South Koreas 3 deaths per million and Germanys 5, which are both being studied as outliers. Of course, statistics change hourly, but for now Californias data remain mysteries. Even at this midpoint in the viruss ascendance, most believed that California would be faring far worse. And they have good reason for such pessimism. California in a normal year usually experiences the greatest number of deaths associated with the flu in the United States, and it ranks about midway among the states in flu deaths per capita. The state was hit hard by influenza unusually early in the first weeks of November, including a strain that at the time was characterized as probably not A but a rarer B and on occasion quite virulent. A typical news story related, in early 2020, California health officials have identified 16 outbreaks since the start of the flu season Sept. 29. Flu cases, hospitalizations and flu deaths are all higher than anticipated, according to the health department. Many Californians complained late in 2019 of getting the flu a bit early, with flu symptoms that were somewhat different from the norm, at times including severe muscle aches, some digestive cramping, an unproductive cough, and days or even weeks of post-fever fatigue. Forty-million-person California, in normal times that is, until around or shortly after February 1, 2020 hosts dozens of daily direct flights from China in general to San Diego, SFO, LAX, and San Jose, and in particular, since 2014, several weekly nonstop flights from Wuhan. Of the nearly 15,000 passengers who were estimated to be arriving every day in the U.S. on flights from China in 2019 and 2020, the majority flew into California. After the ban, there were thousands of Chinese tourists who remained in California and could get neither direct nor indirect flights home to China. Travel forecasts from China for 2020, even amid the trade war, had estimated more than 8,000 daily arrivals in California. Two years ago, Los Angeles mayor Garcetti bragged that 1.1 million Chinese tourists had visited L.A. more than 3,000 per day. The greatest number of foreign tourists to Los Angeles are Chinese, and the city is the favorite spot in America of all visitors from China. During the months of October, November, January, and February alone before the travel ban perhaps nearly 1 million Chinese citizens arrived in California on direct and indirect flights originating in China. Moreover, researchers in Italy believe that the Chinese were not telling the truth about the origins or birth dates of the virus; they argue that COVID-19 was first loose worldwide in the middle of Autumn 2019 rather than in Winter 2020. Reuters recently reported: Adriano Decarli, an epidemiologist and medical statistics professor at the University of Milan, said there had been a significant increase in the number of people hospitalized for pneumonia and flu in the areas of Milan and Lodi between October and December last year. . . . He told Reuters he could not give exact figures but hundreds more people than usual had been taken to hospital in the last three months of 2019 in those areas two of Lombardys worst hit cities with pneumonia and flu-like symptoms, and some of those had died. . . . Decarli is reviewing the hospital records and other clinical details of those cases, including people who later died at home, to try to understand whether the new coronavirus epidemic had already spread to Italy back then. . . . We want to know if the virus was already here in Italy at the end of 2019, and if yes why it remained undetected for a relatively long period so that we could have a clearer picture in case we have to face a second wave of the epidemic, he said. In a recent Oxford study, a heterodox hypothesis was offered questioning the widely circulated study of Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist with Imperial College London. He and his team had offered a worst-case projection of as many as 2.2 million American and 510,000 British deaths. Ferguson has now emphasized the low-end estimates of death rates in some of his modeling, for example, suggesting that maybe only 20,000 in Britain may die from the virus, given how Britain has taken actions to curb and treat it. In any case, other models from the Oxford authors offer far less pessimistic hypothetical scenarios. In one, they suggest that viral infections in the U.K. might have begun almost 40 days before March 5, which was the first confirmed death there. If that is true, they argue, then to square the current figures of transmission, perhaps 68 percent of the British population would have had to be already infected by at least March 19 reflecting a herd immunity that will radically curtail future transmission. Of course, without widespread antibody testing alongside testing for current infections, no one knows the number of past and present infections. Regardless, the Chinese notion that the world was not seriously infected until mid February increasingly seems mathematically unlikely. In the case of California, again, unfortunately, the state still should have had many things going against it, at least in terms of susceptibility to any pandemic infection that curbs its huge tourist and commercial travel with China. The state has the nations highest poverty rate (affecting over 20 percent of the population, or some 8 million people); the greatest number of homeless people, at somewhere over 150,000; and the most residents in the nation on some form of public assistance, one-third of the nations total. Over a quarter of the states population was not born in the U.S. Until recent bans, many frequently went to and from their countries of origin. It has the largest number of non-English speakers in the U.S., suggesting that public dissemination of key information might become far more problematic. The state is not especially healthy and rarely rates among the top ten states in terms of per capita health, by whichever metrics one uses. A decade ago, studies suggested that one in three admissions of those over 35 to California hospitals were suffering from either diabetes or pre-diabetes a known risk factor for coronavirus patients. California ranks near the bottom when we count the number of available hospital beds per 1,000 population, at about 1.8. Likewise, its number of active doctors per 100,000 is similarly unimpressive, about midway among state rankings, at 276 per 100,000 versus Massachusettss high of 450 and Mississippis low of 191. In most surveys of nurses per 100,000 population, California ranks near last (664). How, then, has California in the third month of known COVID-19 infections in the U.S. lost between 140 and 150 lives to it? Again, a number of experts have offered hypotheses. Is it a question of the statistical anomaly as some have suggested is the case for Germany, which similarly posts few total deaths from the virus given differences in how countries and perhaps even states record the chief causation of death (i.e., are some places listing COVID-19 as the cause of death, even when the decedent suffered from underlying chronic conditions)? Is California experiencing a brief lull, in the fashion of Japan, which likewise has suffered few deaths so far but may be poised to suffer far more? Is there a lag in ascertaining and determining deaths in a state thats geographically huge and linguistically diverse, a lapse that will shortly cease, correcting such misimpressions with a radical increase in corona-associated deaths as is now forecast for Japan and to a lesser extent Germany? Did Californias Draconian shelter-in-place policies that antedated many of those in other states simply arrest (so far) what should have been by now a lethal epidemic? Did Californias proverbial warmer weather slow down the virus? Did its suburban ranch-home lifestyle and the large open spaces in the Central Valley, Sierra Nevada, desert and northern counties make transmissions harder than it has been in, say, the high-density living of New York City? Maybe and maybe not. While testing tardiness might explain outliers in terms of Californias relatively small number of proven cases and lethality rates, it would not greatly affect accurate statistics of deaths attributed to the virus. If anything, as the number of known cases grows, the lower the lethality rate will likely appear. While California adopted shelter-in-place policies on March 19, other states did the same about the same time. And visiting a California Costco on any Saturday morning is a reminder of current mob frenzies. After a near-record dry and warm January and February, the state has been unseasonably cold and wet for most of March during the epidemics spike. True, California encompasses an enormous area, but it also is home to the countrys largest population and thus still ranks about eleventh in population density among the states. Some districts in San Francisco and Los Angeles are as densely populated as East Coast cities. One less-mentioned hypothesis is that California, as a front-line state, may have rather rapidly developed a greater level of herd immunity than other states, given that hints, anecdotes, and some official indications from both China and Italy that, again, the virus may well have been spreading abroad far earlier than the first recorded case in the U.S. and likely from the coasts inward. So given the states unprecedented direct air access to China, and given its large expatriate and tourist Chinese communities, especially in its huge denser metropolitan corridors in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, it could be that what thousands of Californians experienced as an unusually early and bad flu season might have also reflected an early coronavirus epidemic, suggesting that many more Californians per capita than in other states may have acquired immunity to the virus. Here in Fresno County (1.1 million people), we are warned daily that we are the next hot spot. But as of late March, weve had no recorded deaths and only 41 known cases. The figure will no doubt multiply rapidly and geometrically, but it still seems incomprehensible that not a single death was attributed to the virus in its first 60 days of visitation. I live near the Kings County line in rural Fresno County (which is not so rural anymore, given urban sprawl from greater Fresno). There have been two recorded cases and no deaths among the countys more than 150,000 residents. We wont know the answers until antibody testing becomes widespread enough to determine who has already been infected, and who carried the virus without symptoms, and who wrongly attributed symptoms to the flu or a bad cold. Or epidemiologists will have to go over average daily pre-coronavirus death rates in California to determine whether, in comparison with past years, the state had any per capita spikes in deaths in October, November, December, and January, or an increase in hospitalizations attributed to the flu. In the meantime, for a few days at least, we are left with the California paradox. As with the apparent outliers of Germany, South Korea, and Japan, it reminds us that there are endless known unknowns about the origins, lethality, infectiousness, and patterns of travel of the coronavirus and that todays latest frightening statistical model is often superseded tomorrow by more realistic appraisals and theories, and then again rendered naive by even more frightening new backlash models. Until now, without either widespread antibody or current-infection testing, the number of people who die from the virus in comparison to a given population base is about all we can rely on to determine the lethality of the disease. And in that regard, at least for a few days or weeks longer, California remains a mystery. NRO contributor VICTOR DAVIS HANSON is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author, most recently, of The Case for Trump. @vdhanson Honda India Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Honda group companies in India, on Wednesday pledged Rs 11 crore aid towards COVID-19 relief and prevention measures. As part of the initiative, Honda will immediately supply 2,000 units of high pressure backpack sprayers to various government agencies. These light-weight powerful sprayers will be used for disinfectant fumigation at hospitals, public transport, railway stations, public canteens and other common areas, the Japanese firm said in a statement. Besides, Honda will support local administration efforts at all its manufacturing locations, it added. The Honda group will make available its ambulances stationed at all its plants for medical emergencies and support with food packets to take care the poor and underprivileged in these difficult times, it said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The Honda India Foundation will also contribute financial aid to central and state governments' relief funds in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Rajasthan where manufacturing plants of Honda group companies are located. Furthermore, associates across all five Honda group companies in India have voluntarily pledged to donate one day's salary towards the total relief aid, it said. "We stand one with the Indian government in its spirited battle against the COVID-19 outbreak," Honda India Foundation Chairman Minoru Kato said. A walk down Auburn Universitys red-brick concourses usually rings with the sounds of organizations cheering about upcoming trips or student body elections. Today it still smells like freshly cut grass from Samford lawn. But now, because of COVID-19, its quiet, still. Students eat boxed meals in their individual rooms. Its eerie, said Bobby Woodard, senior vice president of student affairs at Auburn. Its not sad. We just miss our students and the campus livelihood. Auburn University, like other higher education institutions across the state and country, has moved their students learning online and their college experience, if possible, back home to stop the spread of coronavirus. The campuses are now mostly deserted, aside from a few essential employees. Yet, despite most students being gone, many universities are staying operationally open." The decision to have campus open is one out of necessity, according to multiple college administrators. Most campuses transitioned to their new normal in a week or less. Did we have hiccups?" Woodard asked, Yes, but we are getting and going now. While it may seem like students are getting an early summer vacation, they are still participating in online courses and video lectures. We are operational because we are still providing a service, Woodard said. And its important that some dining options, residence halls and other resources remain up and running because most campuses still have a few students living there. Coronavirus wiped out report cards, grading at Auburn For instance, the University of North Alabama is serving about 225 students, according to Kimberly Greenway, vice president of student engagement for UNA, and about 20 of those are student residence hall workers. Once the university realized there were students that needed somewhere to stay, it solidified the decision for administration to stay open, said Michelle Eubanks, university spokesperson for UNA. Students may not be able to go home because of sick relatives, older people living in the home, travel delays or other extenuating circumstances that caused them not to feel safe, Greenway said. Students were all moved into individual rooms in one resident hall where they could have private bathrooms. Greenway said the university moved the students into one hall to keep them from feeling isolated. The transition has been swift for faculty, as well, and it revolves around communication and planning, she said. Faculty and staff cannot interact with each other and in some buildings, there are as few as one or two people to a floor. The University of Alabama set up designations for staff members based on their jobs to entail whether they are to work from home, work on campus or a mixture of the two, according to the website. And even when employees are on campus, they are there at staggered times. Federal student loan payments suspended, borrowers can ask for 60 days The same goes for Auburn University. President Jay Gouge has advised faculty and staff to work from home if they can serve students just as well virtually. Those working on campus have been put on a rotation to be sure social distancing regulations are followed, Woodard said. Auburn, located in Alabamas newly declared virus hotspot," has taken the precautions it can for the safety of employees without leaving the 69 remaining students high and dry. The rising number of cases in the area is concerning, Woodard said, but East Alabama Medical Center is in the universitys backyard, and the administration has been keeping up with updates to ensure they are doing their part in flattening the curve. The campus clinic also donated supplies to assist in efforts, Woodard said. The outbreak has flipped most industries upside down, and higher education wasnt left untouched. Woodard has worked at four different universities in four different states. He said hes experienced a lot of short-term crises, but this is different. We are in this for a while, he said. We divided and conquered to figure out what students, parents and employees needed. I didnt have time to get stressed." More coronavirus news here. An Amazon worker at the company's warehouse in Fife is in quarantine after contracting Covid-19. The online shopping firm said it has been deep-cleaning areas of the building in Dunfermline and increased usual cleaning routines. The retailer added it has been 'supporting' the individual as well as introducing 'proactive' measures to protect employees. Amazon's warehouse in Dunfermline, Fife. The online shopping firm said it has been deep-cleaning areas of the building and increased usual cleaning routines An Amazon worker at the company's warehouse in Fife is in quarantine after contracting Covid-19. An Amazon spokeswoman said: 'We are supporting the individual, who is now in quarantine. 'Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with local authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve customers while taking care of our associates and we're following all guidelines from local officials about the operations of our buildings. 'We have implemented proactive measures at our facilities to protect employees including increased cleaning at all facilities, maintaining social distance in the fulfilment centre and adding distance between drivers and customers when making deliveries.' Amazon has faced strikes from workers in France and Italy, and has been hit by legal complaints over safety concerns in Spain. A Daily Mail investigation found that Amazon warehouses in the UK have become a potential 'hotbed of contamination', according to workers. Whistleblowers at two distribution plants said yesterday they feared the virus would thrive there amid a lack of hand sanitisers and non-enforcement of two-metre social distancing. Amazon has faced criticism for its protection measures during the crisis. Pictured above is a worker at its Tilbury centre in the UK Amazon's business is booming as shop closures and the lockdown has seen internet shopping surge. But a worker at a factory in Doncaster, where up to 90 night shift workers sort parcels for delivery, said the lack of space means they have been told to keep just one metre apart from each other not the two metres recommended by the Government and World Health Organisation (WHO) to stop the spread of the virus. Workers who raised concerns were told 'not now'. Amazon denied the claim. The worker, who wished to be anonymous, said: 'It's a potential hotbed of contamination. There's no separation, no social distancing. If it spreads around our warehouse it could spread around the whole country on these parcels.' Amazon workers have said that the company is not taking action to look after their health A worker at a separate Amazon warehouse in Doncaster also said the two-metre rule was not being enforced, especially in the canteen. They also said there was not enough hand sanitiser and staff were not given time to regularly to wash their hands. 'Staff are dropping like flies because of illness but anyone who has to go home is mocked by the managers. They are hiring staff from all over to try to plug the gaps but this only increases the chances of spreading it.' They added: 'When anyone complains to the managers they make out you are crazy and tell you to get back on with your work.' Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan is in hospital for tests unrelated to the coronavirus. He is expected to be released tomorrow and his place will be taken by his deputy Dr Ronan Glynn in the meantime. Dr Holohan has been leading the Department of Healths fight against the spread. He is in St James s Hospital in Dublin and expects to be released tomorrow. He appeared to feel slightly unwell at the media briefing on Tuesday evening while answering a question and was advised to go for tests. He hopes to be back to work tomorrow . Meanwhile, the Government has said that not all Covid-19 test centres are open today as the HSE has apologised to people still waiting for their results. The global shortage of some materials required for testing swabs is being blamed for the closure of some centres amid reports of delays for many people who have been tested in recent days. Read More It is not clear how many centres are closed, but the Government said the HSE has assured it that sufficient test centres are open to meet demand and current lab processing capacity. The HSE is beginning to carry out contact tracing for patients considered to be in high risk groups, such as those over 70 or with underlying conditions, in advance of their test results coming back. The HSE now has a plentiful supply of swabbing kits and patient swabs being referred for swabbing can be processed by the existing testing centres, senior Department of the Taoiseach official Liz Canavan said. As indicated previously, the HSE has been regularly briefing on procurement challenges in a range of areas, including materials required for testing, and they will continue to update the public on this. The procurement issue is a global problem. The HSE public analysis laboratory at Cherry Orchard in Dublin and the Department of Agriculture laboratory are now being brought online to analyse swabs, she said. Read More Ms Canavan said the HSE apologised to all those awaiting results and wanted to assure the public that they are making every endeavour to improve turnaround times with the current international constraints. She said that the advice for people awaiting test results remains unchanged with patients advised to self-isolate for 14 days. The HSE continues to prioritise testing of health care workers, and inpatients in acute hospitals. Acknowledging the delay in testing the HSE are beginning direct contact tracing of high risk groups in advance of test results, Ms Canavan said. Speaking at the Governments daily briefing on its response to Covid-19 Ms Canavan also confirmed that registration fees for nurses and midwives who have been working abroad and are now returning to work in the Irish health service have been waived. Around 432 nurses and midwives have been restored to the register. She said that 30,000 employers have now registered for the temporary wage subsidy scheme with some 34m paid out. Special Needs Assistants are also being temporarily reassigned to help with the Governments response to Covid-19. Ms Canavan warned that the Government is expecting an increase in the number of Covid-19 related frauds and scams. She asked consumers and businesses to be vigilant by taking their time to carry out relevant checks and report any suspicious activity to banks or An Garda Siochana. We have a range of financial supports now available for impacted customers and businesses, and we're anticipating that fraudsters may attempt by email or phone or text or social media pose as some of these genuine organisations, including the government, banks or health care providers in attempt to get victims to disclose personal or financial information, she said. Advertisement The UK recorded another 563 coronavirus deaths today, making it the worst day so far in the devastating COVID-19 crisis. The increase takes the country's total death toll to 2,352 - today's surge is 48 per cent larger than yesterday's increase of 381 fatalities and pushes the total up by 31 per cent in a day. And 29,474 people have now tested positive for COVID-19. The UK is the fifth hardest-hit nation in Europe and eighth in the world. Wales today recorded 29 new deaths caused by the coronavirus along with a further 16 fatalities in Scotland and two in Northern Ireland. 486 victims were declared in England and 11 remain unaccounted for. The youngest patient announced today was a 13-year-old, believed to be Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, London, whose tragic death came to light last night after he died at King's College Hospital on Monday. The oldest patient included in today's update was 99 years old. Today overtakes yesterday as Britain's darkest day so far in the escalating crisis. Tuesday saw a then-record of 381 deaths and 3,009 cases declared across the home nations. But the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital - and not the tens of thousands of Britons with milder symptoms who are recovering at at home. Business Secretary Alok Sharma faced a barrage of questions on the lack of tests for NHS staff today amid claims that 85 per cent of healthcare workers self-isolating may be clear of the virus and could be working. Just 2,000 medics have been tested and the UK capacity for all tests stands at 10,000 per day, while Germany is already carrying out 100,000 per day. But Mr Sharma appeared to have few answers, saying: 'Increasing testing capacity is absolutely the Government's top priority. 'We're now at 10,000 tests a day, we're rolling out additional networks of labs and testing sites.' Research by Imperial College London has suggested that as many as one in 37 Brits - around 1.8million people - may already have caught the coronavirus and be unrecorded. And separate statistics published yesterday suggested the true death toll is 24 per cent higher than believed when deaths outside of hospitals are included. But there are reasons to be hopeful - early research suggests the UK's lockdown is starting to work and may have cut the number of people each patient infects from 2.6 to 0.62, a number too low for the outbreak to sustain itself. In other UK coronavirus news today: Scientists say the average coronavirus patient in the UK may now only be infected 0.62 people instead of 2.6, meaning the virus is 'cornered' and won't be able to sustain itself; US President Donald Trump said Boris Johnson's original coronavirus control plan would have been 'very catastrophic' for the UK if he hadn't changed tack and started the lockdown; The Wimbledon 2020 tennis tournament, scheduled for late June, has been cancelled because of the pandemic - organisers say it will not be rescheduled or played without crowds; The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been called off, as well as the city's book festival, art festival and Military Tattoo; Banks threatened the future of up to one million firms who say they will go bust after being denied access to the Government's emergency loan scheme; Couriers begged people to stop going on spending sprees online during the crisis, claiming they are delivering more non-essential parcels than ever before; Prince Charles released a video marking the end of his coronavirus recovery and in which he called the pandemic 'strange, frustrating and often distressing'; Ministers were accused of 'complacency' and snubbing offers of help from labs as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the coronavirus testing shambles; Scientists claimed the UK could already have had 1.8million coronavirus patients with one in every 37 people having caught the disease; It was revealed nearly one million Britons have tried to claim Universal Credit in the last two weeks as the pandemic batters the UK economy; Hundreds of rural petrol stations might have to close because national demand for fuel has dropped 70 per cent, the industry says. A paramedic is seen on the back of an ambulance at St Thomas' Hospital in London today The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with coronavirus has soared in the past 10 days, particularly in London, which is still at the heart of the country's outbreak University of Buckingham medicine expert, Professor Karol Sikora, said today's death toll was 'tragic' but that the lockdown will work and people mustn't give up hope There have been 2,341 fatalities announced for which the locations are clear - 2,137 in England, 98 in Wales, 76 in Scotland and 30 in Northern Ireland. The remaining 11 have not been accounted for by any government. The Department of Health releases an official UK tally every afternoon that takes into account deaths recorded before 5pm the previous day. An exact breakdown of the numbers counted in the Department of Health's release will be published later this afternoon, including regional divisons. Speaking yesterday Professor Jim Naismith, from Oxford University, said: 'We can't forget that behind these numbers are awful personal losses.' He added: 'However, it does appear deaths from previous days are only now being reported, this will have artificially decreased the previous daily totals and have increased today's totals. 'Scientists have consistently warned that we cannot judge our progress in curbing the epidemic by a single day's reported number of deaths.' Among today's confirmed deaths was a 13-year-old patient, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who became the youngest person to succumb to the virus in the UK when he died in London on Monday. In a touching statement released this afternoon, Ismail's family said: 'We would like to pay tribute to our young boy Ismail Mohamed, who has passed away at the tender age of 13. 'We are heartbroken... Ismail was a loving son, brother, nephew to our family and a friend to many people who knew him. His smile was heart-warming and he was always gentle and kind. 'Sadly, he passed away on Monday 30th of March at King's College Hospital due to COVID-19 without his family present and this is very painful for us as family, particularly as a mother. 'However, we are comforted by our belief that every life shall taste death and the fact that we have no say when or how this will come about. 'As Muslims, we believe that this life is short and temporary and we have to remain patient when facing hardship. We would also like to thank all the medics and professionals who did all that they could to save our son's life.' International comparisons show that the UK is on track to suffer more coronavirus deaths than China, which has now recorded 3,312 deaths. At its current rate, Britain could hit that before the end of the week The number of people travelling around Britain has plummeted since the country's epidemic began in earnest in early March and even more since the Government told everyone to stay at home. In London, public transport use has dropped by up to 90 per cent The number of new daily cases of the coronavirus remained relatively stable through the last five days of March. Not pictured on this graph, however, are the 4,324 new cases declared today - a record high A patient is wheeled out of an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask at St Thomas' Hospital, London Coronavirus has now become a factor in at least one in every 100 deaths in the UK, according to data from the Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics yesterday released data breaking down the types of people who were among the first 108 to die with the coronavirus in the UK, finding that most of them were elderly men The 2020 Wimbledon Championships have today been cancelled because of the pandemic. They were due to take place in late June UK LOCKDOWN 'IS BACKING VIRUS INTO A CORNER' The UK's lockdown appears to be blocking the spread of the coronavirus so well that it could drive the outbreak to an early end, scientists say. Researchers say each infected patient may now only be passing COVID-19 on to 0.62 others, on average, down from 2.6 each before people were forced to stay at home. A virus must have a reproduction number - known to scientists as an R0 (R-nought) - of more than one for an outbreak to be able to carry on. If it's prevented from spreading on at least a one-to-one ratio it will quickly run out of new victims and the epidemic will come to an end if the R0 can be kept down. Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the virus may now be struggling to spread because people have around 73 per cent fewer daily contacts than they did before the lockdown started. One medicine professor and cancer doctor said this meant 'the virus is cornered - it has nowhere to go and will burn out'. The R0 is simply the number of other people that the average coronavirus patient infects. A higher number means a faster spreading outbreak, and a number lower than one means the outbreak will run out of steam and be forced to an end. The London School of Hygiene (LSHTM) researchers made their estimate using an online survey of 1,300 people who were all asked to list what human contact they had had in the past 24 hours. This was compared to a similar survey done in 2005-2006 to give an idea of how social contact now compared to normality. They found people now have 73 per cent fewer daily encounters and adjusted the coronavirus's R0 accordingly using a computer algorithm. Dr Jennifer Cole, from the Royal Holloway university in London, was not involved in the study but said: 'Once the R0 is below 1, the disease will eventually peter out. 'How quickly depends on how far below 1 the rate can be pushed. 'It is important to remember that cases will still rise in the short-term as people who were already infected before the lockdowns were implemented may not yet have developed symptoms.' Advertisement Scientists have agreed that a sudden spike in the number of people dying or being diagnosed with the coronavirus does not signal that the country's lockdown isn't working. Professor Keith Neal, an infectious diseases researcher at the University of Nottingham, said: 'It is usual for the number of new cases to increase whilst on the epidemic curve and the rate of increase is slowing when looked at over the past week. 'We might expect to see an effect like this given the measures adopted one week ago (lockdown) and two weeks ago (work from home and isolate if you are ill or household contact is ill). 'It will take another one to two weeks before social distancing is having any effect on reducing the number of deaths as it reflects infections acquired two to four weeks ago.' Today's increase in fatalities means the UK now has almost three times as many patients dead as Germany does (800). This is despite Britain having less than half as many confirmed cases (72,000). But the true number of patients in any country in Europe is unknown because testing isn't widespread enough, according to scientists. A paper published earlier this week by Imperial College London - by the same scientists who urged the Government to take push Britain into lockdown to save people's lives - estimated that there could be 19million hidden cases across Europe. In Spain a staggering one in every seven people - 7.5million citizens - are predicted to have had the COVID-19 illness already, along with 10 per cent of Italians. Researchers at Imperial College, led by government adviser Professor Neil Ferguson, studied coronavirus outbreaks across Europe to predict their true sizes. Professor Ferguson has been one of the foremost British experts since the outbreak began and it was his work that persuaded the Government to order a lockdown. He and colleagues now suggest that an average of four per cent of people in 11 of the Europe's wealthiest countries have been infected - some 19million people. They made the predictions as an alternative to 'highly unrepresentative' official figures, which are based largely on tests done in hospitals. Many millions of people are believed to have caught the virus and recovered at home, putting the infection tolls in the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway considerably higher than the World Health Organization total of 366,000. Estimates from Imperial College London show 15 per cent of Spain's population may already have been infected with the coronavirus. Graph shows Imperial College's estimated infection rates (yellow bar) contrasted with each nations' current death rates - how many of those officially diagnosed can be expected to die (red bar) PRINCE CHARLES RELEASES VIDEO AFTER RECOVERING FROM CORONAVIRUS Prince Charles today described the coronavirus pandemic as a 'strange, frustrating and often distressing experience' after recovering from the infection. The 71-year-old Prince of Wales paid tribute to emergency services workers and shop staff in a three-minute video and stressed the importance of living with hope. Prince Charles today released a video following his own diagnosis of and recovery from coronavirus He also said it was 'essential' that key workers including NHS staff were 'treated with special consideration' when finishing their shifts and trying to go shopping. The message, recorded this morning by staff at Birkhall, the Prince's home in Scotland, marked his first appearance since coming out of self-isolation on Monday. Today, Charles said: 'Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus, luckily with relatively mild symptoms, I now find myself on the other side of the illness, but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation. 'As we are all learning this is a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience when the presence of family and friends is no longer possible and the normal structures of life are suddenly removed. 'At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all of those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances, and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness.' ln addition, Charles also praised those on the front line in the National Health Service, saying they needed the country's support. Advertisement Professor Ferguson and his colleagues wrote in their report: 'The ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] provides information on confirmed cases and deaths attributable to COVID-19. 'However, the case data are highly unrepresentative of the incidence of infections due to underreporting as well as systematic and country-specific changes in testing. 'We, therefore, use only deaths attributable to COVID-19 in our model; we do not use the ECDC case estimates at all.' As well as considering how many people have died with the coronavirus in each country, the Imperial team also looked at what types of lockdown measures each country has brought in and when they started them. The stricter and the sooner they began, the smaller proportion of people are likely to have become infected. The country with the lowest estimated infections was Norway, where only 0.41 per cent of its 5.5million people are thought to have caught the coronavirus (approximately 22,400 people). In Germany the rate of infection was thought to be 0.72 per cent (577,000 people), according to the data which was estimated for March 28. Besides Spain and Italy, which had a combined estimate of around 13.6million people infected, no other country's toll was higher than four per cent. In Belgium it was thought to be 3.7 per cent (433,600 people); in Switzerland 3.2 per cent (269,000); Sweden 3.1 per cent (316,200); France 3 per cent (2.035million); UK 2.7 per cent (1.775m); Austria 1.1 per cent (97,400) and Denmark 1.1 per cent (64,500). The official number of cases recorded in all 11 countries in the research is just 365,734, by comparison. Writing in the paper, the team said: 'We estimate that there have been many more infections than are currently reported. 'The high level of under-ascertainment of infections that we estimate here is likely due to the focus on testing in hospital settings rather than in the community. 'Despite this, only a small minority of individuals in each country have been infected... 'Our estimates imply that the populations in Europe are not close to herd immunity (50-75%).' The paper by Imperial College intended to work out how effective lockdowns and social distancing measures would be at protecting people. It predicts that the lockdown in Italy - which has the highest death toll of any country in the world - may have saved 38,000 lives. The study has not been reviewed by other scientists or published in a journal. At the daily No10 media briefing this evening, Business Secretary Alok Sharma denied a 'political' decision had been taken not to increase testing. He said getting numbers up was the 'top priority' for the government. PHE medical director Yvonne Doyle said there was a goal to test 'hundreds of thousands' of NHS staff. But neither Mr Sharma nor Prof Doyle committed to any firm dates for hitting the numbers. True number of UK coronavirus deaths could be 24% MORE than official figures: Government reveals 40 more people died outside hospitals up to March 20th compared with official death toll of 170 - and 93% were aged over 65 The true death toll of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK could be 24 per cent higher than NHS figures show, according to statistics released today. Patients who had COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificates numbered 210 in England and Wales up to March 20, the Office for National Statistics revealed. This was 24 per cent higher than the 170 deaths recorded by NHS England and Public Health Wales during the same time frame. If the ratio has stayed true since that time, the true current number of fatalities could be around 1,739 instead of the official 1,408. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has launched a new data series adding in the numbers of people who have died with or after having COVID-19 in the community, including those who died in care homes or their own houses. Coronavirus was not necessarily the cause of death for every one of the patients, but was believed to have been a factor. The statistics show that only one of the UK's first 108 coronavirus victims was under the age of 44. 60 per cent of them were men and 93 per cent were aged over 65. The data does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland - up to March 20, eight people had died in the those countries (six in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland), suggesting the true figure could have been 10. Anyone who has the virus - for which at least 22,141 people have tested positive in the UK - mentioned on their death certificate will be included in the weekly statistics. This adds to the daily updates coming from NHS hospitals around the country where adults of all ages are dying in intensive care units. It comes after it was revealed that King's College Hospital in London has had three times as many deaths as official figures show and there are concerns the true figure is days or even weeks behind because of how long it takes to confirm cases and get families' consent to release details. In France, senior officials have admitted they expect their national count is wrong because of delays and unreported deaths happening outside of hospitals. The ONS's data is showing a moving death count significantly higher than the one used in the daily Government updates, because it includes all people who have COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate, whether or not they have been officially diagnosed or hospitalised Medical staff wearing protective equipment are pictured removing a patient from the back of an ambulance at St Thomas' Hospital in London, which is at the centre of the UK's coronavirus crisis All ages of adults have died with coronavirus since the UK's epidemic began earlier this year. No children have been killed by the illness and over-85s are the most frequent victims The ONS showed that a total 210 deaths in England and Wales that occurred up to and including March 20 (and which were registered up to March 25) had COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate. This compares with 170 coronavirus-related deaths reported by NHS England and Public Health Wales up to and including March 20. The majority of the deaths reported by health authorities around the UK have taken place in the 10 days since March 20. During that period the fatality total has risen almost 10-fold from 177 to 1,408. While statistics have until now only counted people dying in NHS hospitals, new counts will show any death that medics link to the virus, wherever it happens. Death tolls around the UK are expected to soar in the coming days and weeks as people who caught the virus before the country was put into lockdown succumb to the disease. It can take up to three weeks before somebody is killed by COVID-19, suggesting there could be another fortnight before the effects of last Monday's travel restrictions start to show. It has been one week since Britons were told not to go outside unless it was necessary. As well as a delay between people catching the virus and dying, there can also be lags between someone's death and it being officially announced. NHS staff have to test critically ill patients more than once to confirm they have the disease, and must also notify the family and get consent to share details if they die. Death statistics being shared by NHS hospitals have already shown time lags of 10 days or more. Coronavirus has been linked to the largest proportion of deaths in London, but COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in all regions of England and Wales A refrigerated mortuary is pictured at the Nightingale Hospital in central London A makeshift hospital has been set up in London at the ExCel London, the Nightingale Hospital, to cope with a surge in coronavirus patients Paramedics wearing protective gear wheel a patient into an ambulance at St Thomas' Hospital in London A paramedic is pictured in the back of an ambulance at a hospital in London, which is at the heart of the UK's fast-growing coronavirus epidemic ENERGY FIRMS BATTLE STAFF SHORTAGES TO KEEP BRITAIN'S LIGHTS ON Britons have been warned of the potential for blackouts amid concerns that staff shortages could lead to issues with the country's power network. Fears are growing that high levels of staff sickness during the coronavirus outbreak, mixed with the Government's self-isolation rules, could lead to a shortage of engineers. The National Grid insists that the network is able to cope. But one electrical infrastructure firm has now written to some of its most vulnerable customers warning them to keep torches and warm clothes nearby in case of power cuts. UK Power Networks, which owns and maintains the electricity cables in the South East and East of England, as well as London, has written to priority customers, including pensioners and those with young children, telling them what to do if their homes are hit with a power cut. The advice, reported in The Daily Telegraph today, includes 'keeping a torch handy' and 'reducing heat loss by closing doors on unused rooms'. Customers are also advised to have a 'hat, gloves and a blanket to hand to keep warm' and, where possible, to keep a corded telephone in the house, as well as a power bank to recharge mobile phones. The advice comes as many electricity firms across the UK put non-essential infrastructure work on hold. Companies have also implemented emergency strategies to deal with the knock-on effects of Covid-19, which has infected more than 20,000 people in the UK. Advertisement The ONS stats come after the number of patients being treated in hospital for COVID-19 doubled in less than a week. Head of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, said that more than 9,000 people were in hospital with coronavirus on Monday, up from 4,300 on Thursday. Positive test numbers are still soaring - more than 10,000 people have been diagnosed in the past four days - but the death toll appears to be levelling off. Down from the daily maximum of 260 deaths announced on Saturday, March 28, only 180 fatalities were recorded yesterday, Monday, March 30. The ONS statistics about the nation's first 108 deaths revealed that 73 per cent of them were over the age of 75. They show that 59 per cent of the victims up to March 20 were male - a total of 64 out of 108 - while 44 women died. Only one person under the age of 44 was counted among the fatalities and 73 per cent (79 people) were over the age of 75. There were 45 deaths among over-85s; 34 deaths in the 75-84 age group; 21 deaths between 65 and 74; seven for 45 to 64-year-olds; and one between 15 and 44. There were none among children. The single hardest-hit age group was men over 85, among whom there were 27 fatalities. There were 20 among men aged 75-84, and 18 for female over-85s. London had the most deaths of any region, with 44 people succumbing to the disease - 41 per cent of the national total. Second worst hit was South East England, with 19 deaths - the first recorded hospital death was in a woman in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. And there were 16 deaths in the East of England. The North East and South West of England only recorded one death each, and just two happened in Wales. The ONS's statistics add an element of detail not provided in current figures from the NHS and Department of Health by keeping a running tally of people's ages, sexes and location. It also includes deaths which happen outside of hospitals, but does not clearly divide the data. Commenting on the release, Professor David Leon, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'What ONS has done is important as it starts to provide a more complete picture of the impact of COVID-19 on mortality. 'However, deaths which have COVID-19 as a cause on the death certificate that occur among people who were not tested for COVID-19 may misclassify them as such. 'On the other hand untested deaths that were precipitated by COVID-19 may still go unrecognised.' Professor Keith Neal, from the University of Nottingham, added: 'I support the reporting of new figures but there is now a danger of the death figures becoming increasingly difficult to interpret. 'We now have figures for the UK, England and Wales and the four separate administrations.' GREGG VIGLIOTTI, STR / NYT Theres a perception among hospital nurses that our employers are not doing enough to protect us during this pandemic and that this puts our patients and the public at risk. Multiple hospitals across the country have insisted that nurses not use protective equipment except for those patients who have been placed on isolation precautions, even for patients who show symptoms consistent with COVID-19 but have not been diagnosed with it. Only very recently have some hospitals started to reverse course to implement a universal masking policy. Frontline nurses have a reasonable concern that any patient who has not been tested could have the new coronavirus. This is why the public is asked to stay 6 feet away from everyone. But nurses cannot stay 6 feet from our patients, so any patient we attend to has the potential to pass the virus on to us. We can then transmit it to other patients, to our fellow staff members and back home to our families and into the community. New York City nurse Kious Kelly died of coronavirus, and the perception among the nurses is that he got it while working with COVID-19 patients without adequate protection. This is tragic in itself, but when health care workers get the new coronavirus, they get removed from the front line for 14 days, possibly longer if they need hospitalization, and permanently if they die as nurse Kelly did. And this is a time when we need everyone we can get on the front lines. (Natural News) ANP and other Independent Media websites, with the help of other websites such as SteveQuayle.com linking and promoting articles, were recommending and encouraging their readers to prepare for the possibility that the Wuhan Coronavirus would end up spreading globally, months before the media acknowledge the danger. (Article by Susan Duclos republished from AllNewsPipeline.com) Fact is if it didnt, the preparations would eventually get used anyway, but if it did spread throughout the world, we would be ready to deal with an extended self-quarantine if it became necessary. As many preppers will tell you, it is never, ever a losing proposition to be prepared for as many scenarios as possible. At some point, some type of disaster always strikes, whether it is a weather event, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, terror attacks, economic collapse, civil unrest, injury that puts one out of work.. whatever the catastrophe, being prepared can only be considered a good thing. ESTABLISHMENT MEDIA IS STILL BEHIND THE CURVE Months ago Independent Media outlets were the first to suggest getting some masks and gloves, just in case they would be needed. We also recommended getting some survival food so if someone decided to err on the side of caution and self-isolate if the COVID-19 coronavirus did jump the border out of China, they would be in a position to do so at will. When Independent Media saw China starting to lock down their country, we warned medical martial law and shelter-in-place orders could very well hit America. When they locked down Italy, it stopped being a possibility and became a probability. Here at ANP we spoke about getting ready for the worst case scenario and preparing to shelter-in-place back on February 2, 2020, and other Independent Media sites issued the same type of warnings. We saw online sales of masks and gloves skyrocket as they also flew off the shelves in physical stores, along with food and basic necessities, with images of empty grocery store shelves coming in from all over the country. When masks and hand sanitizer and other items became difficult to obtain and went on back-order, we put out how-to pieces, making your own mask or sanitizer, etc. months ago. The reason I have the words media fails America on coronavirus, in the headline is that they not only downplayed the entire thing, but treated those of us that saw the writing on the wall as conspiracy theorists, and to this very day, they are still behind the curve. In an article dated March 31, 2020, over at New York Times (archive.is link here), they are finally getting around to suggesting things that Independent Media were recommending months ago, like how to make a face mask, and even then they are focusing on making the masks without the chemicals that kills viruses, and telling readers that they are better than nothing. Seriously. Even the CDC is just now considering recommending the general public wear face masks when out in public. What the heck is wrong with these people? They will tell you, we didnt want to panic people, but that is a load of BS. They could have done exactly what many Independent Media outlets did. Make the recommendation, say it is just in case, and better to be prepared and have nothing happen than have disaster hit and not be prepared. They failed to do so. They could have recommended self-isolating if at all possible to help prevent the spread, so that state officials wouldnt force it and issue stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders. They failed to do so. They could have pointed out that those that are prepared wont be out there panic shopping at the last minute and in fact, when fully prepared for a scenario that we watched play out in multiple countries before America, then there is nothing to be panicked or scared about. They failed to do so. Had this COVID-19 not spread so fast and far in the U.S., we in the Independent Media would have been thrilled and our readers would have been prepared for the next possible crisis. Win/Win for everyone with the brains to not trust the MSM. WHY DID THE MSM NOT WARN THEIR READERS? Establishment media readers, you know the ones that could starve to death but will be surrounded in toilet paper when they do, can only blame themselves for trusting the MSM, and the MSM itself for refusing to prepare and warn their readers because they were too busy focusing on IMPEACHMENT!!!, which they knew the whole time was the wasted effort it proved to be in the end. That is the answer in a nutshell to the bullet point question. they didnt want to spend time on some deadly pandemic, because all they cared about was harming President Trump, because.wait for it.. ORANGE MAN BAD!!!!!!!! AMERICA NEEDS JOURNALISTS BECAUSE WE DONT HAVE ANY RIGHT NOW America Needs Journalists is a saying on a sweatshirt, shared by CNNs Chris Cillizza,in an apparent attempt to convince social media users that the establishment media is needed and necessary, while ignoring how badly they have failed, not only over the course of the past three years, but failing spectacularly during the pandemic Many social media users agreed with the shirt, but not for the reasons Cillizza wanted. Spot on, entertaining responses to his complete self-UNawareness, include but are not limited to; This shirt is accurate. America needs journalists. We dont have any right now. So when is CNN going to start hiring them???? So does @CNN , why dont you quit so one can take your place, Hack! We do need journalists, because the ones we have now are just worthless activists. Someone, send us some real journalists!! More at Twitchy and Cillizzas original Twitter thread. I dont think that thread went quite like he wanted it to go. Then again, when his colleague, Jim Acosta, gets owned on the same day by President Trump by asking a nasty, snarky question (video below), shows clearly why more and more people are awakening to just how incompetent the establishment media has become. BOTTOM LINE The establishment media cares more about their political agenda than they do American lives. That is the bottom line. Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com Before heading out with his crew of farmworkers, field lead Carlos Garcia donned a blue button-up shirt, a jacket, jeans and work boots. He washed his hands before slipping gloves over them. He washed his hands when he got to the orange grove near Visalia in the San Joaquin Valley, where pickers filled nearly 100 bins with Cara Cara oranges on a recent sunny morning. He washed his hands before and after using the restroom. He washed his hands before he left the ranch. When he got home, he walked in through the garage, stripped off his clothes and threw them into the wash before hopping in the shower. It was Garcia's new regimen as he and thousands of other California farm laborers, many of them immigrants, adjust to the age of the coronavirus. Despite being 73 with diabetes, Garcia couldn't afford to stop working. His employer hadn't said anything about the virus to workers, provided them with extra protective gear or supplied extra hand-washing stations, he said. He worried about catching it and passing it to his five children and 12 grandchildren, who constantly fill his home. Carlos Garcia, 73, is being extra cautious amid the coronavirus pandemic because of his age and the fact that he suffers from diabetes. He now wears long sleeves and gloves at all times. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) "There's never any attention paid to the campesino," he said to the field worker. "God blesses us. We can't do anything else. "No one wants to die." More than a third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts are grown in California. Stay-at-home orders in California exempt farmworkers as essential employees. But many are undocumented, lack health insurance and don't qualify for unemployment insurance or federal COVID-19 relief, placing the state's estimated workforce of 420,000 in a vulnerable position. The United Farm Workers union has called on agricultural employers to protect workers from the coronavirus by extending sick leave, eliminating wait periods for sick pay eligibility, increasing cleaning of frequently touched surfaces and offering assistance with child care amid school closures. Story continues Some employers have issued identification cards or letters for workers to show law enforcement if they are pulled over going to or from a job site. Some have taken further steps, including staggering lunch breaks to encourage social separation, assigning workers to every other row of crops, supplying extra hand-washing stations and expanding sick leave beyond the three days mandated by the state. Lucas Zucker, policy and communications director at the workers' advocacy group Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, said he worries that those directives might not trickle all the way down to each farmworker, especially at big companies with thousands of employees. Excelsior Farming in Hanford conducts a presentation for employees on safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) Carlos Garcia washes his hands at an orange orchard near Reedley in the San Joaquin Valley. More than himself, he said he worries about infecting one of his grandchildren if he were to contract the virus. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) "There are some inherent challenges in the agriculture industry that during these disasters become really magnified," he said. "The layers of contracting and subcontracting. Messages get lost along the way. Safety directives seem like they're coming strong from the top, but by the time they reach workers in the fields it's like a game of telephone." For workers on the Central Coast, Zucker said, this is the worst possible time to face a health crisis. As peak strawberry season ramps up next month, pay switches from hourly to piece rate, he said. Pickers are incentivized to work hard and fast, sometimes at the cost of their own health. Spending 20 seconds washing their hands could feel like an eternity. "You can't pick strawberries over Zoom," he said. Distancing requirements have made it particularly challenging to get information about the coronavirus to workers who speak indigenous languages. In mid-March, residents began asking advocates at the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project in Oxnard why supermarket shelves were suddenly empty and why smaller grocery stores were selling packs of bottled water that normally cost $3 for $13. Crescenciano Calleja picks oranges at an orchard near Reedley in the San Joaquin Valley. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) Associate Director Genevieve Flores-Haro said the nonprofit responded by pulling information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, translating it to Mixtec, Zapotec and Purepecha and recording public safety announcements, which have aired on the group's radio station: Radio Indigena 94.1 FM. The announcements, which are 15 minutes long and run several times a day, explain basics about the virus, instructions on proper hand washing, and how to look out for and report illegal price gouging of items like bottled water. Around 3,000 people listen to the station a day, Flores-Haro said. She said the translations were crucial because those languages rely heavily on context. Unlike in Spanish, for example, there is no word for virus in Mixtec, so the sickness must instead be described in detail. About half of farmworkers between Oxnard and Watsonville are indigenous, she said. The Calleja brothers leave work at an orange orchard near Reedley in the San Joaquin Valley. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) Farmworkers in California make $26,000 a year, on average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many families share a home with other families and drive to work in crowded vehicles, making physical distancing difficult. Health issues, including asthma and diabetes, are common among workers, Flores-Haro said. Her goal is to make sure they arent left exposed. These inequities that our families are living with, theyve always been there, she said. But when things like the wildfires happen, when things like a global pandemic happen, you really get to see those disparities laid bare. Lucy Cruz Lopez's biggest concern amid the pandemic is making ends meet. She has worked for the same strawberry farm in Oxnard for 13 years. While she's at work, her 16-year-old daughter watches over her three younger siblings. They live an hour's walk from school too far away to grab the free lunches that are offered there on weekdays. Pressured by the collective panic over the virus, Cruz Lopez spent the $200 she had in savings on extra food. Now she worries about paying her $1,500 rent. A farmworker washes her hands at an orange orchard in Visalia. (Tomas Ovalle / For the Times) When it comes to her health, Cruz Lopez said, she is doing what she can to protect herself. On her off time, she and the children don't leave their one-bedroom apartment except to buy groceries. She stays informed through advocates at the Central Coast Alliance and shares the news with friends and neighbors who speak her native Zapotec but aren't fluent in Spanish, as she is. But total social distancing isn't possible. She doesn't know how to drive, so she depends on her sister-in-law for rides to work. Cruz Lopez said her employer hasn't mentioned the virus. On an overcast day last week, she picked strawberries while a popular bachata song by Romeo Santos played from a loudspeaker. Some workers were separated by several rows. But one man in blue latex gloves labored in the row directly next to hers. "They say the virus comes from the air you breathe," she said. "But I have to work." Some growers have taken proactive and creative steps to support their employees. Since early March, Brokaw Ranch and Nursery co-owner Ellen Brokaw has participated in weekly videoconference meetings with other players in the Central Coast agricultural industry to strategize best practices during the pandemic. The group includes four farmers, two farmworker advocates, the local agricultural commissioner, the president of the local farm bureau, a lawyer on the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board and two employees with the Ventura County farmworker resource program. Brokaw said the most crucial point is for employers to communicate early and often to ensure that employees have up-to-date, credible information. The hardest thing maybe for everybody in this is that we have no idea how long its going to go on, she said. We have to prepare for a long haul and hope that its not. With cherry season still a month away, leaders at Warmerdam Packing in Hanford, which grows and packs plums, kiwis and cherries, are devising coronavirus safety plans before they go from overseeing 100 workers to 1,000. They started by hiring a temporary infectious disease risk-assessment specialist and rolling out extra training. Now they're analyzing how to reduce pack lines, which are usually staffed with 100 people per shift, said human resources manager Natalie Martinez. And at Reiter Affiliated Cos., the largest berry grower in the world and the leading supplier for Driscolls, Chief Executive Hector Lujan said hes been on daily calls with a crisis management team for a month. The company is developing take-home kits including toilet paper, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and soap so workers wont have to struggle to find those items in grocery stores, he said. Employees have received printed cards that identify them as essential workers, Lujan said. Managers have begun identifying people with serious health risks and recommending that they stay home. Theyve expanded paid sick leave from three days to 10 days. The company also dropped the $5 copay for workers to visit its healthcare clinic. Lujan said his priority is keeping workers healthy and maintaining industry stability. They're essential today to the food supply theyve always been, but now theres a new level of light shining on them, he said. If people are fighting over toilet paper, imagine if they had to fight for food. Jimmy White, a Point Breeze native and U.S. Navy retiree, hosted the first session of the Travis Manion Foundation's Facebook Live e-learning program. Read more Heres the scene, and if youre a parent trying to home-school your children in this age of coronavirus, it should be familiar: The kitchen table looks like London after the Blitz. Damage everywhere. Papers and household items strewn about. Hopes and dreams in shards and bits. Your laptop, if you have one, is open. It has been the site of daily, even hourly, skirmishes. Theres a yellow legal pad teetering off the tables edge, four lines of an 8-year-olds wobbly handwriting scribbled in black ink. The conversation, if it can be called that, with your son or daughter probably goes something like this: Did you finish your paragraph of narrative writing? Yes. (parent checks paragraph) You didnt finish it. I dont want to finish it! WHAT YOU WANT DOESNT MATTER AND NEVER DID WHY WOULD YOU SAY YOU FINISHED IT WHEN YOU DIDNT FINISH IT I TOLD YOU TO FINISH IT FINISH IT. Youre teetering, too, of course. You could use some help, a brief respite from the unrelenting pressure. Youre working from home, if youre able, or you arent working at all and youre stressed because theres less money coming in or maybe theres no money coming in at all and you just want your child to keep up, not to be set back when school, and everything else, returns to normal. Whenever that is. One expert says that planning is the key. Stick to a schedule: first math, then reading, then downtime, then repeat. Is this realistic? You hear in a recent conversation of a mother who drives her children to school every morning, even though the building is closed, then drives them home and has them recite the Pledge of Allegiance, just as they would on a regular school day, just to maintain the routine. You wonder: Maybe the forced isolation broke this woman, or maybe it merely freed her to become the crazy-obsessive Claire Dunphy clone she was always meant to be. Then you read an article from another expert, who says that theres no point in trying to home-school your children. Forget the teachers handouts and apps and suggested syllabus. Let them relax. Let them be free. Let them eat Cheetos and not read and not do math because theyre young and it will all be fine in the end. Yeah, right. Thats the ticket. So what is the ticket? Its the old cliche: You take it one day at a time. No, you break it down even further. You thin-slice those long days of social distancing. You take it by the hour, even by the half-hour, and if theres a way to fill one of those precious slots of time, just so you can pay some bills or send a work email or take a freaking nap, youll take that deal. Youll take it every time. Ryan Manion would. The president of the Travis Manion Foundation, headquartered in Doylestown, she has three children, all under the age of 13. And once the virus forced her employees to work remotely and closed schools around the Delaware Valley, the foundation couldnt carry out one of its primary services. In its Character Does Matter program, the foundation dispatches many of its nearly 2,000 mentors all of them retired veterans or relatives of fallen veterans to elementary and middle schools around the country to speak to students about the qualities that make up good character. Since so many schools arent open anymore, Janaia Harris, the foundations programming chief, suggested moving the content online: Have the mentors give their talks at their homes, then broadcast them online through Facebook Live. Manion whose brother Travis, a Marine who was killed in Iraq in 2007, is the foundations namesake loved the idea. And she knew the perfect mentor to start the program, because Jimmy White would take that same deal. Before he became a husband and father of three, White had grown up in Point Breeze, spending six years in the Navy as a nuclear electrician on submarines, including one that fired 20 Tomahawk missiles during Operation Enduring Freedom. Last Monday at 1 p.m., he handled the opening Facebook Live session, incorporating Martin Luther King Jr. and dad jokes into a 40-minute monologue. Forty. Minutes. Do you know how difficult it is to get a child to do anything productive for 40 minutes? Do you know how productive a parent can be in 40 minutes? Do you know how much peace of mind 40 minutes can bring? If I tell my kids about character and leadership and courage, theyre like, OK, whatever, youre my dad, White said. But if another mentor is live-streaming, those are the messages that my kids can cling on to. The next day, Ryan Manion spent 20 minutes on the value of humor. The program is scheduled to run weekdays at 1 p.m. for another month, which might be just long enough to maintain the sanity of any mom or dad who takes advantage of it. I saw this great quote: Dont force your kids, Manion said. Right now is not the time to say, You must do your phonics. If theyre not into it, spend these days teaching them something new. My 5-year-old sat down with me and listened to Jimmy White talk about what it means to have character, and if he got nothing else from that day, it was a success knowing he watched that. Yep. Ill take that deal, too. Sign me up. Nirupama Viswanathan By Express News Service CHENNAI: In an often seen internet image that surfaces whenever theres an economic crisis anywhere in the world, I do not need coins, I need change, reads a placard propped against the wall next to a homeless person who lives on a pavement. It was a hard-hitting scenario in Broadway, where the Chennai Corporation staff on Tuesday prescribed home quarantine for a group of homeless families. We can gauge the degree of that change achieved and the question of efforts made in assuring quality life to the last equal citizen flies across our faces. After a 50-year-old woman tested positive in Chennai on Monday, it was found that there was a group of around 30 homeless individuals staying in the same street as hers in Broadway (the name of the street is not published to protect the womans privacy). Having ruled out the idea of shifting them, Corporation staff have asked for both ends of the street to be closed with barricades, thus placing them under street quarantine. Entry and exit of vehicles have been stopped in the stretch. Since Tuesday was their first day of quarantine, the families said they had access to food. Corporation officials told Express that they would be provided with food for their quarantine period even if they run out of stock. Bradley Jackson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, announced Wednesday the launch of TN Creators Respond to help create a pipeline to manufacture much needed medical equipment and personal protective equipment for Tennessees hospitals and healthcare providers. This comes in response to calls from major manufacturers across the state, such as DENSO Manufacturing, who have made inquiries to the Tennessee Chamber to support healthcare professionals.TN Creators Respond is a program created by the Tennessee Chamber to help connect manufacturers with the capability of producing personal protective equipment and needed medical supplies with hospital systems and medical centers in need.Amid a nationwide shortage of testing, N95 masks and other tools healthcare providers need to protect themselves and their patients against the spread of COVID-19, TN Creators Respond provides a manufacturing pipeline that plugs the gap between producers and healthcare providers. This program builds on Governor Lees initiative for private sector businesses to donate excess PPE.The Volunteer spirit is alive and well in Tennessee. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 began in Tennessee, weve heard from members in our manufacturing community who had the capability to help, but didnt know who to turn to for guidance. TN Creators Respond is the Tennessee Chambers way of connecting businesses and healthcare to ensure we protect Tennesseans from this deadly disease and keep our economy moving, said Mr. Jackson.On Monday, Governor Bill Lee issued a Safer at Home order urging Tennesseans to practice safe social distancing and avoid leaving their homes for nonessential purposes. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, cases of COVID-19 has risen to 1,894 statewide as of Monday.In order to support the business community in Tennessee during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tennessee Chamber has set up an online resource page that includes regular updates of local, statewide, and national resources for businesses of all sizes. The Chamber has also provided updates to answer HR questions, legal questions, and reduce confusion for employers and manufacturers during this crisis. Those interested in receiving regular updates from the Tennessee Chamber may sign up here Damascus, April 1 : The Syrian air defences responded to an Israeli missile strike in the central province of Homs, state TV reported. The Israeli warplanes fired missiles from inside the Lebanese airspace, said the report on Tuesday, adding that a number of missiles were intercepted, Xinhua news agency reported. The missiles were targeting military positions, said the report, adding that the Syrian air defenses used big fire power to intercept the missiles. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli missiles targeted the Shayrat air base in the countryside of Homs with eight missiles. The strike is the latest in a series of Israeli missile attacks. On March 5, Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missile attacks in Homs and the southern Quneitra province. Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah group. On February 23, the Syrian air defences intercepted a number of Israeli missiles over the capital Damascus. On February 13, the Syrian air defences intercepted a number of missiles from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that targeted areas around Damascus. On February 6, Israel carried out a similar attack around the capital Damascus, killing a number of pro-government fighters, according to the Observatory. In January, Damascus accused the Israeli air force of carrying out an attack on the T4 military airport in central Syria. The strikes further highlighted the sprawling tensions between Israel and Iran in Syria. Clashes between the two countries have escalated over the past months. Israel accuses Iran of entrenching itself near the Israeli border. In 2019 alone, more than 17 Israeli attacks took place against targets in Syria. State officials are warning residents throughout Minnesota that outdoor warning sirens will sound as usual at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The emergency alert system test that appears on televisions statewide will also happen. Officials do not want citizens to become alarmed. The severe weather season is fast approaching and communities will be resuming the Wednesday tests to ensure the sirens are in working order. On April 1, 2020, it was about 50 degrees out. On the same day in 1997, an enormous blizzard battered Massachusetts - and it was no joke. Twenty-three years ago, an April Fools Day winter storm dumped 30 inches of snow on Massachusetts. Trees and power lines were knocked down, and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour were reported, according to the National Weather Service. Three deaths in New England were attributed to the noreaster. Though many cities and towns were hammered by the blizzard, some Western Massachusetts communities were not hit as hard. There were no major accidents, there were only a few limbs and wires down and the city did very well despite the heavy snow, former Chicopee Police Capt. Gerald P. Bousquet told the Springfield Republican shortly after the storm. Things could have been a lot worse. Two days before, on March 30, 1997, conditions were mild. A high temperature of 63 degrees was recorded in Boston. But a cold front then moved in on March 31, and temperatures dipped into the 40s. Light rainfall hit the state, and precipitation changed over to heavy snowfall by the afternoon. Snow began falling at a rate of two to three inches per hour and lasted through the morning of April 1. Near-zero visibility and winds gusts between 50 and 70 miles per hour were seen in Eastern Massachusetts, the Republican reported. Boston Logan International Airport was closed for more than 24 hours, the National Weather Service said. According to the Republican, 20 to 25 flights coming out of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut were also canceled. While many travelers returned home, hundreds were forced to spend the night in nearby hotels, and dozens slept in the airport, the Republican reported on April 2, 1997. In response to the storm, then-Governor William Weld declared a state of emergency, allowing state emergency personnel to deploy state plows, tree-cutting crews and other resources to aid towns and cities in their efforts to dig out of the snow. Three Pioneer Valley communities - Chester, Colrain and Westfield - were among the first communities to seek help, according to the newspaper. Worcester County was the hardest hit part of the state. In the town of Milford, 36 inches of snow fell, the newspaper reported. A little bit more than 25 inches of snowfall was seen in Boston, 23.3 in Taunton, 24 in Bedford, 27 in Reading, 29 in Natick and 30 in Milton, according to the National Weather Service. In 1997, the April Fools Day blizzard was considered the third-biggest snowstorm in Bostons history, the Republican reported. Related Content: Recalling the April Fools Day blizzard of 1997 (photos) FILE PHOTO: The euro sign is photographed in front of the former head quarter of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - With the euro zone economy in need of help from the coronavirus pandemic, officials have until April 9 to design a package that satisfies members with completely opposing views: those calling for joint debt issuance and those fiercely against it. Mutualising debt has always been a red line for Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Austria. But France, Italy, Spain and six other European Union countries have called for "a common debt instrument issued by a European institution" to fight the economic effects of the pandemic. EU leaders failed on March 26 to agree a course of action and gave ministers two more weeks to work it out. Deputy finance ministers were to debate options on Wednesday and again on Monday and the finance ministers themselves are to hold a teleconference on April 7. A compromise might emerge by early next week that is likely to include the following elements in a package: 1. BORROWING BY THE EURO ZONE BAILOUT FUND ESM One of the main options. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is owned by euro zone governments, which are jointly responsible for the debt it issues to finance a government. The ESM could extend standby credit lines, worth up to 2% of GDP, to any euro zone country that asks for it. The snag is that it would entail a debt sustainability assessment of the applicant - something highly-indebted Italy is loath to submit to - and carry some conditions, even if focused only on the pandemic. Italy and Spain want no conditions. 2. BORROWING BY THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK An option the EU is considering. The EIB, the investment bank of the EU, is owned by EU governments. It finances all kinds of projects supported by the 27-nation bloc and could support companies hit by the epidemic. The EIB raises money by borrowing cheaply on the market thanks to its triple-A rating. The bank has already offered to immediately deploy close to 40 billion euros of additional funding to soften the blow from the coronavirus. EIB head Werner Hoyer has also suggested that governments give the bank 25 billion euros in additional guarantees, which could then be used as leverage to mobilise 200 billion euros in additional financing to small and medium-sized companies. EU finance ministers - its owners - could also agree to increase the EIB's capital to further boost lending. Story continues 3. BORROWING BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION The European Commission, which also has a triple-A rating, can borrow on the market against the collateral of the EU budget. It did so to raise 60 billion euros for the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) - an emergency fund created in 2010 when the sovereign debt crisis started. The Commission could use its borrowing ability again to fund a short-time work scheme, modelled on the German "Kurzarbeit" (short-term work) plan, if it gets the go-ahead from EU governments. 4. SHORT-TERM WORK SCHEME The European Commission proposed on Wednesday a short-time working scheme to encourage employers to cut workers' hours rather than their jobs as coronavirus contagion takes its toll on the economy. This could be worth 100 billion euros in borrowing by the European Commission, guaranteed by all EU countries - a form of common debt instrument issued by an EU institution. The total sum of guarantees needed from governments would be 25 billion euros - a proposal to be discussed by EU finance ministers next week. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski Editing by Toby Chopra/Mark Heinrich) The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 13:42:14|Editor: Liu Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of California will release up to 3,500 inmates as part of a plan to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in state prisons, said a statement from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on Tuesday. According to the statement, eligible inmates are those "who have 60 days or less to serve on their sentences, and are not currently serving time for a violent crime as defined by law, a sex offense, or domestic violence." The measures will increase both capacity and physical space at the state's prisons, which will allow the increase of physical distancing, as well as implementation of isolation and quarantine efforts for suspected or positive COVID-19 cases. "Our first commitment at CDCR is ensuring safety -- of our staff, of the incarcerated population, of others inside our institutions, and of the community at large," said CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz. "However, in the face of a global pandemic, we must consider the risk of COVID-19 infection as a grave threat to safety, too." As of Tuesday, four inmates and 25 CDCR employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the latest tally from the CDCR. Chloe McCulloch, Principal Consultant at SAC Consulting, part of Scotlands Rural College which delivers the FAS programme, urged farmers to complete the document as soon as possible. The key to success this year, regardless of the type of farm, is to have a robust plan and to take some time now to think through what you would do and who you would phone in the event you or members of the team become unwell, she said. The template wont take long to complete and will ensure that if you become ill, your livestock can still be cared for. Farmers can download the template from the FAS website and are advised to keep it somewhere that is accessible to all staff, such as the farm office. More templates allowing farmers to record sector-specific information are also available on the website, together with additional guidance and information, including support for less experienced people who may find themselves helping on the farm. There are also links to other sources of support during the crisis and information about how they are able to help with this specific challenge, including the farmers charity RSABI which can be contacted on 0300 111 4166 for help preparing an emergency plan or putting farmers in touch with a labour exchange or consultant. Superintendent of schools for Tomball ISD Martha Salazar-Zamora announced via a March 31 message update that schools are to remain closed until further notice. The update was made following a new executive order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to extend the closure of all Texas schools. Tomball ISD will continue to provide instruction via its remote learning model. As a District, we plan to reevaluate this situation in the future and discuss what is best for our community moving forward, Salazar-Zamora said. We will continue to communicate updates and will clearly inform staff, students and parents of when/if we will return to normal operations. Tomball ISD has a page dedicated to coronavirus-related updates that can be accessed through the districts website, www.tomballisd.net. Another update regarding the grading process moving forward will be released this week. We will continue to do our part in supporting the nations call to help stop the spread of COVID-19 within our community, Salazar-Zamora said. Contract for Tomball ISD graduation canceled; new ceremonies TBD Salazar-Zamora announced via a video update, March 25, that the contract with Texas A&M for Tomball High School and Tomball Memorial Class of 2020 graduation has been canceled. The new date, time and location for graduation will be announced at a later date. We do plan to honor you and all of your 12 years of formal education in some way, Salazar-Zamora said. We do plan to honor you with a graduation in the future but unfortunately I cannot tell you when or where at this time. Tomball High School was originally scheduled to celebrate graduation on 10:00 a.m., May 30, at Reed Arena on the campus of Texas A&M, followed by Tomball Memorial High School at 1:30 p.m. I understand that this news comes with sadness, and I am so sorry for the fact that this pandemic event has changed your senior year in many ways, Salazar-Zamora said. The Tomball ISD staff is working to see that students have all the information for graduation and next chapter in life. Salazar-Zamora also advises seniors to look for the correspondent that will be titled senior correspondents which will come out shortly. I know there are opportunities still hopefully in the future where we can celebrate different things at different times, Salazar-Zamora said. alvaro.montano@chron.com The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct its Class X and XII exams for only 29 main subjects that are required for promotion and crucial for admission in higher education institutions. This is the advice that Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has given to the premier board as lakhs of students find themselves in a state of limbo with their annual exams disrupted due to the coronavirus crisis. Also Read: CBSE students of classes 1 to 8 to be promoted without exams, classes 9 and 11 on basis of previous tests In a tweet, Nishank said that due to the current situation, the CBSE will conduct board examinations for only 29 main subjects which are required for promotion and crucial for admissions to the next session. For rest of the subjects the board will not hold examinations, the instructions for marking or assessments in all such cases shall be separately issued, he added. As and when the board is in a position to hold examinations for the 29 subjects it will do so after giving adequate notice, he said. Also Read: CBSE introduces applied mathematics as academic elective for Class 11 students The decision was taken after Nishank had detailed meetings with Education secretary Amit Khare and other top officials. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools will also promote all students of classes I to VIII to the next grade in view of the present coronavirus inflicted lockdown. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has asked these schools that students of class IX and XI will also be promoted to the next grade based on the school-based assessments, projects, periodic tests, term exams conducted so far. In the view of the current situation due to COVID 19, I have advised CBSE to promote all students studying in classes I to VIII to the next class or grade, the minister announced in a tweet. He said students of class IX and XI will be promoted based on school-based assessments including project, periodic tests, term exams, etc. Also Read: No pending board exams to be conducted in foreign countries due to COVID-19 situation: CBSE Significantly, it has also been decided that students not promoted this time can appear in school-based tests online or offline. According to an official, the CBSE schools may also soon begin online classes. The HRD ministry and CBSE are also closely examining the possibilities for providing the best possible solution to the students of class X and XII, whose annual exams have been disrupted. Subjects of class 10 for which exams will be held: 1. To be conducted for North East Delhi: Hindi Course A, Hindi Course B, English Communication, English Language and Literature, Science, and Social Science. 2. To be conducted for whole of India: Nil Subjects of class 12 for which exams will be held: 1. To be conducted for whole of India: Business Studies, Geography, Hindi (Elective), Hindi (Core), Home Science, Sociology, Computer Science (Old), Computer Science (New), Information Practice (Old), Information Practice (new), Information Technology, and Bio-Technology. 2. To be conducted for North East Delhi: English Core, Mathematics, Economics, Biology, Political Science, History, English Elective - N, English Elective -C, Physics, Accountancy, and Chemistry. (Newser) This April Fools' Day, very few people are in the mood for being prankedor for reading news stories more surreal than what is already happening. Companies like Google have called off their annual corporate jokes and in some countries, authorities have warned that anybody spreading misinformation about the outbreak could face fines or jail time, reports Reuters. "It's against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools' Day," the government of Thailand told citizens. Authorities in India, Taiwan, and Germany have also warned people against spreading fake news on April Fools' Day, the Hill reports. story continues below At Google, long known for its April Fools' spoofs, the company is going to "take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic," according to an internal email seen by Business Insider. In the email, head of marketing Lorraine Twohill says "centralized" April Fools' gags have already been axed and warns team leaders to pause any smaller jokes they might have planned. "Tip for any brands planning an April Fools' Day stunt. Just. Don't," tweeted James Herring at the Taylor Herring PR agency. (Read more coronavirus stories.) The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday said salaries of its employees will neither be deferred nor cut amid the coronavirus lockdown and its impact on revenues. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has clearly said that the condition of the state's economy is strong and it would deal with the challenge posed by the pandemic, Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi told newspersons here. There would be no cut or deferment in the salaries of state government employees, Awasthi said, quoting the chief minister. The chief minister is of the view that when he has asked private agencies to pay full salary to their employees in this hour of crisis, it is the responsibility of the state government to pay its employees as well, Awasthi pointed out. Several states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana have announced deferment of payment of full salaries to the chief minister, officers and employees, saying their revenue streams have dried up due to the ongoing lockdown to combat coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyderabad, April 1 : Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali on Wednesday denied he was not allowed to meet Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao by the latter's security personnel. The minister's office issued a statement late Wednesday after reports in a section of media that he was stopped from entering Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the Chief Minister. The minister said when he reached the gate of Pragati Bhavan, he was informed that the Chief Minister is ready to leave for Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor. In the meantime, he left for his office on learning that some visitors were waiting for him to submit representations on issues of urgent importance. The Home Minister said he never faced any problem in meeting the Chief Minister. He claimed the security personnel never stopped him from entering Pragati Bhavan. Two weeks into social distancing and early data has indicated San Francisco's coronavirus curve could be flattening. Prior to the regulations, the Bay Area officials were concerned with how Covid-19 infections would impact the community. San Francisco Mayor London Breed and five mayors in the surrounding Bay Area issued a stay-at-home order on 16 March in response to concerns, an unprecedented move at the time. Then California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly followed his city mayors by ordering a statewide state-at-home order to the nearly 40m residents. In New York, by comparison, the current US epicentre for the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo waited to issue a stay-at-home order. It went into effect almost a week later on 22 March. This order was in partnership with Connecticut and New Jersey to help combat the spread of the virus. Now San Francisco has only 374 cases and six people have died from the novel virus. In the 10 Bay Area counties, there have been more than 2,200 confirmed cases and 57 deaths. Comparatively, New York City has 43,139 cases and 932 deaths, as of Tuesday. Authorities warn that this death toll will go up. So was it the early intervention of California officials that helped flatten the curve on the west coast? Potentially, but Dr George Rutherford, professor and epidemiology & biostatistics director at the University of California, San Francisco, tells The Independent it is too early for the Bay Area to determine if the curve is actually flattening. "Our official line is it is too soon to call. It could all go south tomorrow," he said. One factor that contributed to government officials closing down San Francisco early is it is the "densest and oldest county", with more people over the age of 65 compared to the rest of California. Dr Robyn Gershon, clinical professor of epidemiology at NYU School of Global Public Health, also said the county had early warning signs of how the virus could be spreading in the US. "San Francisco had a little bit of early warning because they are so close to the Asian countries," she said. Warning signs also came from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which sailed just outside San Francisco for days before it was able to dock on 10 March. Companies like Apple and Google, both based in Silicon Valley, allowed their employees to stay home starting as early as 5 March. While this was all happening, millions of people every day were still taking the New York City subway and bus systems, which Dr Gershon said potentially aided the exponential spread in Manhattan. "I think what really helped them is that (San Francisco) doesn't have mass transit," the epidemiologist said. "New York City has kept open the mass transit because so many depend on it." "It is very easy to spread," Dr Gershon added. "It seems to spread from one person to three." When comparing New York City and San Francisco, similarities include both having high rates of a vulnerable elderly population, homeless people, and people living below the poverty line. These variables can contribute to each city getting hit harder with the virus compared to other parts of the US. But San Francisco isn't seeing quite the same hit. "We are way outstripping them," Dr Gershon said about the number of cases and hospitalisations in New York City, adding: "When you think of San Francisco and the counties, yeah they have a lot of people but in San Francisco ... it is not dense. It's not the dense close living that we have here." Dr Jeremy Greene, professor and director of the Institute of the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, warned against comparing New York City and San Francisco based on how quickly regulations were put in place. "I think that it's a dangerous game to compare the differential epidemic in New York City in San Francisco," he said. "Yes, we know that California did put into place shelter-in-place orders earlier than New York ... but I don't believe that the difference that we are seeing between New York and San Francisco can be attributed to a political will-to-action." Covid-19 differs from that of influenza because people show little to no symptoms for weeks after first being infected. "While we have earlier evidence of community spread in California over New York, we have no reason to believe that is the truth of the epidemiology," Dr Greene added. "Coronavirus could've been spreading in the New York area for far longer and clearly spreading in a denser capacity." The number of cases in every city and state has not been the most reliable factor when determining how Covid-19 has impacted the area because of the lack of testing capabilities in different parts of the US. "Unlike influenza - where the disease manifests and it is clearly influenza - coronavirus is so silent that in the absence of a robust testing form, we're operating blind," Dr Greene said. "The United States had several opportunities to aggressively ramp up and employ proper screening mechanisms on a level that South Korea deployed, and we failed to do so. And at this point we have no capacity to do so." In New York City, 89,197 residents have received tests for Covid-19 and more than 200,000 people in the state. California, in comparison, has only tested 89,600, as of last week. But case numbers in each area could be exponentially higher given how silent Covid-19 symptoms are in carriers. Hospitalisations and death rates are stronger indicators on how the virus has impacted communities, but even that data can be flawed in understanding the true level of the pandemic. "The ICU hospitalisations are higher than we would've thought relative to the other ones," Rutherford said about the Bay Area. Of the total number of California cases, 1,432 hospitalisations and 597 people are the ICU, a number that tripled from the weekend. Santa Clara, which has been hit the hardest in the Bay Area, reported 125 hospitalisations. New York City has more than 7,741 people hospitalised, 1,700 of which are in the ICU. Stay-at-home orders impact on states like California and New York will not be seen for another few weeks as less and less people are coming in contact with each other. "It's going to take a couple of generations, 10 to 14 days, to see some peaking in the curve," Dr Rutherford said. "And that is assuming the effect (of the virus) happens instantly." The epidemiologist added even though signs are cautiously showing the curve could be flattening, this was not the time for the Bay Area to lift regulations. Instead, it was announced the stay-at-home order across California would extend until 1 May. "You have to be cautious about this stuff," he said. "This is the time to save those 10 to 20,000 (lives)." New York City has been clear that additional weeks are needed to determine where the curve is going, and Mr Cuomo said that apex could happen in seven to 21 days. New York state's stay-at-home order was extended through 15 April with the anticipation for it to get pushed back again. "Everyone who is infected by four weeks out is going to show up," Dr Gorshen added. "They will be identified. (New York City) can then flatten the curve of our hospital surge." Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. As the novel coronavirus outbreak has shut down businesses all over the country, Americans have been adapting to working from home, whether that means figuring out how to wrangle a class of eighth-graders using video conferencing software, or how to produce a broadcast-quality late night television show without cameras or a studio. The week of March 9, late night TV sputtered out chaotically in a way that added to the nations apocalyptic moodshows taped with no audience, Pete Buttigieg hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!and since then, late night has been slowly clawing its way back onto the air, with hosts taping from their homes, interviewing guests over Skype, and persuading musical acts to perform from their bathrooms. The transition from fully equipped television studios to whatever we had around the house has been a rocky one, but Full Frontal With Samantha Bee was back on the air after only a week with something that was a pretty close approximation of a before-times episode of the show. I spoke to executive producer Alison Camillo on Thursday about the challenges of producing TV under quarantine. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Dessem: Tell me about the last regular show you did. Alison Camillo: March 11 was our last show, and that morning, we had been sort of on the fence about whether or not we would have a live studio audience that night. I went into Sams office that morning, and we both decided, You know what? It just doesnt feel right. We want to keep the staff safe, we want to keep the audience safe. But well figure out a way to make the show still have a lot of oomph, even without the audiencewell just give it a go and see how it goes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then that day, right before we taped the show, we found out that there were two people who had been tested positive for coronavirus, one in our office building, and then one on our studio side. That happened right before we taped, so we sent home everybody we could at that point, and then taped the show, sent it out as quickly as possible, and grabbed all of our equipment that we possibly couldAvid laptops, giant graphics machines, drives, anything we could possibly get our hands onand brought it home with us. Because we knew that it would be a while before we could come back to the office. Thats the only reason weve been able to shoot remotely, because we grabbed all of that equipment, got it out, and got it to our houses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whoa, a real last moments on the Titanic kind of feeling. Did people take home production equipment, like cameras? Your usual camera crew wasnt actually filming what you ended up airing, so did Samantha Bee take home stuff to shoot, or was that not on your radar yet? It was not on our radar yet. But because we had all of that equipment, once we decided that we were going to do a show remotely, we packed it all up and sent it to where she is and literally dropped it on her lawn and then ran. So no contact. But then they had enough cameras and lighting equipment and things like that. All the other stuff we just figured out a way to make it work without having that extra equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So tell me about deciding to do it remotely. When was the decision made? We knew right away that we wanted to do it. We dont like being off the air, we love to be on the air. Were so lucky to have a platform to speak from. And we just feel super grateful to have that, and we wanted to do anything we could to try to keep it. We werent exactly sure how we were going to do it technically. So we first started with this series called Beeing at Home, which is, you know, Sam in her woodshed, just to see what it would look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Luckily, Sam is sort of a Swiss Army Knife of humans, she can do anything. Oh, that was the one thing she did grabshe grabbed a whole bunch of her wardrobe before she went home. She just had, like, a giant bag full of blazers that she took back to her house. She knows how to do her own hair and makeup, which is incredible. And then Jason [Jones], her husband, is a writer/producer/director, so that was a fantastically lucky break. What did the conversations with the network look like during this process? We did those digital videos because we wanted to sort of test it out, to see if we had the capability to actually shoot something broadcast quality. Those turned out really well, so they became our proof of concept. What we ended up building was almost like launching an entirely new show, because everything is so different. I was on the phone with TBS multiple times a day, every day. They were very supportivethey really wanted us to get the show back on the air, and so they were thrilled that we wanted to do it. We came to them with a very specific plan of how we would do the show technically. Tony Hernandez at Jax was also super supportive, I was on the phone with him a lot, as well, trying to figure out exactly, how we would make this work, and how wed be able to put something out thats good quality, but also shot in a totally safe manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What did the first post-coronavirus week look like, in terms of building the structure of the show? You already had that remote segment shot, I imagine. Was that something youd planned to air the week before? Advertisement Advertisement This is the funny thing about that piece. We went out a couple of weeks ago, we shot a Super Tuesday piece from multiple states with multiple correspondents. And Todd Bieber, who was directing his portion of the Super Tuesday field piece with Amy Hoggart, the hotel that they were staying in, just coincidentally, had a furry convention. And they were like, Hey, do you mind if we ask you guys some questions and shoot some stuff here? So they shot all of this footage that we knew didnt have anything to do with Super Tuesday. And then Todd cut it together, and he was like, Hey, we just shot an extra piece while we were there, what do you guys think of it? And we loved it. Its so sweet, especially at the end of it, that even after everything went crazy, it still felt relevant to what was going on. Advertisement Advertisement So you had something that you could sort of anchor the show around. When did you start doing the monologue? Advertisement I think we started the Friday before. We had our studio team come up with a research packet for what we wanted to cover in Act One, as far as the response to the coronavirusthey put a really great research packet together for the writers. And then they went ahead and split everything off and wrote over the weekend. Honestly, everybody has been working 50 percent harder than we ever have before. No one has had a day off. We worked all weekend long, the writers worked all weekend long, I know theyre exhausted. We sent out the first copy of the script on Sunday and revised it overnight. We kept revising it so that we could get it factually correct, and then taped the show on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement When did you deliver it to the network? You must have had a longer post-production process because of the remote work, right? Yeah, totally. We edited all the pieces via Zoom, which was great, because we can have four or five people sitting in there, and then whats on the screen is just whats on the editors screen, so it makes it relatively easy to edit pieces remotely that way. You can hear everybody talking at the same time, everybody can be part of the conversation, which is super important for making those pieces look right. Then we normally feed to the network, but because were all at home, we asked the network if we could do a file delivery system, and they were great about it. Figured out how to deliver the files and sent it to them yesterday at four oclock. Normally we feed it to them around eight or nine, and yesterday we sent them the files at four, just so they would have time to make sure everything met all of their standards before it could air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What went wrong that you didnt anticipate? What could bring us down is death by a thousand cuts. Its never one big thing, its teeny-tiny things, but its a million of them. even trying to figure out how to download a prompter program for Sam for a teleprompter and get it on her iPad in a way that it makes sense for her, and reading at the right read rate. Thats a thing that took much longer than we thought it was going to take. Even stuff like trying to get into the same Zoom meeting. Everything takes an extra 50 percent amount of time. We assumed that all that stuff would probably happen, and so we tried to pad in a lot of extra time to make sure that we werent bumping up against deadlines in a way that would make it so that our show couldnt get on the air. I think that was the biggest challenge. Advertisement Advertisement One thing I noticed watching it was that the timing on the monologue was really fast. On other shows that have been doing this, there are dead air moments, because theyre used to doing this stuff with an audience, and you guys didnt have that problem. That in particularI actually had that same note for Sam, too. Shes just a total pro. Shes the only person Ive seen who has figured out that timing issue, and when I went back and saw the footage, that was the first thing I texted her, that I couldnt believe how great she had compensated for not having an audience, timing-wise. And I thought it was incredible, but thats 100 percent hershes just an incredible performer. Advertisement How much editing goes into it? I noticed a few cuts in the middle. Did she tape it a few times and you cut it together? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Normally when we have an act, we just tape the whole thing straight through in our studio. But we knew it would be technically challenging to do that, so I cut the script into eight parts, and she taped it in eight chunks, and then we edit it together. When youre out in your backyard, you cant really do more than a minute or so at a time. Then we covered everything with full frame graphics, or did it at the end of a soundbite so that you wouldnt be able to see the edit point. Advertisement Tell me about the incredible image you used of an alligator driving a riding lawn mower the wrong way down the freeway. Is your graphics team just working normally from home? Advertisement That was a graphic by a wonderful graphic designer named Cassidy Routh. Shes incredible. Our graphics department is great, because theyre really good at graphics, but theyre also super funny people. And I agree, I thought that one was incredible. Advertisement Advertisement As far as choosing the location in the woods, was that Samantha Bee and Jason Jones? That was 100 percent them. They both have really great eyes for whats going to look good. Sam took a bunch of pictures of their property so we could see what the options were, but they picked the setup, Jason and Sam were the ones who put it together. I thought it was great. Is there anything that you tried to do that didnt work out? The only thing that didnt work outbut this was just me, I think everybody else was fine with itthey spray painted the sign that says Full Frontal, because they didnt have a cord long enough to actually plug it in and light it up. And we were going to fix it digitally, but Jason has an iPhone with a Movi rig, so because it was handheld, it was moving around, we couldnt digitally change out the sign because we had to track every single shot. That was the one thing that we wanted to do but couldnt do. When you move a tracking shot like that, like a graphic, it takes a lot of rendering time, and we didnt get the footage until Wednesday morning, and thats one of those things that would have been a several day project to get right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What have you learned doing this episode? Are you going to do this again in a weeks time? Were ready to go. I think we actually, we learned a lot from this. But honestly this show, from the very beginning, is a learning process. Every single week, we learn something that makes it easier, we figure out ways to tweak the process so its a little bit smoother. So this week we definitely learned a lot about time management. Luckily, were all pretty organized, but we figured out, oh, okay, we need to start this edit an hour earlier to give us a little bit of extra breathing room at the end of the day. There are also a couple of equipment upgrades that were going to send to Sam, just to make everything look as nice and polished as possible. Poland State Gas Distributor Says It Wins $1.5 Billion From Russia's Gazprom In Price Dispute By RFE/RL March 31, 2020 Poland's largest distributor of natural gas has announced it won a years-long energy-supply price dispute with Russia's state-run Gazprom worth $1.5 billion at an international arbitration court in Sweden. Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG), itself a Polish state-owned company, said in a statement on March 30 that the final award stems from a gas supply contract that was concluded in 1996. It had a "pay-or-take" clause, which obligated Poland to pay for gas supplies beyond what it had ordered for a particular year. "The Russian company [Gazprom] has for many years been overcharging and will now be required to refund nearly USD 1.5 billion to PGNiG," the Polish gas distributor said in a statement. The period covered in the award is for gas supplied from November 1, 2014 to February 29, 2020. PGNiG also said the court in Stockholm had ordered Gazprom to change the gas-pricing formula so that it takes into account market quotations, which would "improve the conditions of trading activity." A subsidiary of Gazprom said that it had received the Stockholm arbitration ruling and was analyzing it, Reuters reported. "It is still too early to provide any estimates of the size of the potential payments," Gazprom Export said in a statement. Poland receives more than half the gas it consumes from Russia and is reliant upon it based on Soviet-era energy-transit infrastructure routes. The arbitration ruling marks another blow to Gazprom, whose Nord Stream 2 underwater gas pipeline project to Germany is facing U.S. sanctions. The Russian company has also recently lost international rulings to Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz in a gas-transit and supply dispute for which it was also ordered to pay nearly $3 billion late last year. With reporting by Business PAP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-gazprom--1-5-billion -price-duspute-russia/30519330.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 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thu, April 2, 2020 05:01 648 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f08e60 2 SE Asia Malaysia,coronavirus,infection,COVID-19,pandemic,health,infectious-diseases,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus Free The rate of new coronavirus infections in Malaysia appears to be slowing amid month-long curbs on movement, a senior health official said on Wednesday, citing research by a government-backed think tank. Malaysia, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, with 2,908 reported infections and 45 deaths, has imposed restrictions on travel and non-essential business until April 14. The number of reported cases so far is 1,321 fewer than earlier projected, according to a graph released on Tuesday by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER). The graph also indicated that the number of cases was increasing at an average rate of 7.5% per day, far below MIER's estimate of 12.5%. "As you can see, the line is starting to flatten," the director-general of health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, told a news conference while holding up the MIER graph. "So we hope in the next two weeks, we can flatten the projected curve even more." The number of coronavirus infections has risen by generally 140-200 a day since the movement curbs were imposed two weeks ago. Noor Hisham had earlier said the government was preparing for a surge of about 1,000 cases daily. Malaysia on Wednesday tightened the restrictions further, limiting operating hours for essential businesses such as supermarkets, food delivery services and public transport. It has also imposed full lockdowns in three locations where spikes in coronavirus cases were detected. It is not cognitive dissonance the impossibility of holding two or more contradictory beliefs simultaneously to favor the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump while at the same time worrying about what the increasing national debt (nearing $24 trillion and counting) will do to the country. Are we mortgaging our future for the sake of temporary relief from the economic side effects of the coronavirus pandemic? If our elected representatives and unelected bureaucrats can effectively order the U.S. Treasury to print more money and borrow in continuing excess, what happens when the next crisis hits, or if the current one returns in the fall, as some medical experts believe it might? Where will it end? Is this a precedent that proponents of big government will use to justify even more spending on whatever future projects they choose? Historically, debt has been a major contributor to the decline of great nations. It is why James Madison warned: If Congress can employ money indefinitely, for the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county, and parish, and pay them out of the public treasury. ... Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America. We are ignoring the prophetic nature of Madisons statement at our peril. The philosophy of individual freedom is under assault. There are troops in the streets of some American cities and towns. Edicts are handed down by elected and unelected officials and experts on what is allowed and what is not permitted. Churches, as Madison feared, are closed. Most of us seem indifferent, having become intoxicated with the notion that anything government does must be good. If Madisons warning isnt warning enough, how about this one from 18th-century Scottish lawyer, writer and historian Alexander Fraser Tytler: A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. Government is growing ever bigger with no spending cuts, no doing away with any program or agency, no matter how useless or outmoded it has become. Republicans used to consider national debt their issue. They are now joined at the pocketbook with Democrats and can never again argue against debt with any credibility. While I have seen this quote attributed to Tytler associated with other names, whoever first said it correctly summarized the cycle of the worlds great civilizations: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage. America, you have been warned by the ghosts of the past, but how many are listening and heeding those warnings? If uncontrolled and unlimited spending continues, we might have to change the nations abbreviation from USA to ATM. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Google is now attempting to help scientists and researchers to find a cure for Coronavirus in a unique way. The tech giant is doing this by offering free datasets to researchers for building AI models. The effort comes as a part of Googles COVID-19 Public Dataset Program. For this, Google unveiled an open repository of coronavirus-related databases on Monday, in a step towards helping scientists and medical researchers find a faster cure for COVID-19 global pandemic. (Representative Image: Reuters) The repository includes Global Health Data from the World Bank, datasets from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (JHU CSSE) as well as OpenStreetMap data. To make access to the datasets easier, Google has marked them under the label COVID-19 and is allowing free access to these until September 15. This will no doubt ensure those working on a Coronavirus cure or vaccine to be able to have a better shot at making it happen sooner. In addition to the free datasets, Googles BigQuery Machine Learning can also be used by researchers and programmers to build advanced AI models for COVID-19 research through simple SQL queries in the companys cloud-based data warehouse. Google is not the only tech firm working on such a model, it's a growing trend among technology companies that are coming forward and opening their doors towards joining forces in the fight against COVID-19. Many AI researchers and companies, including majors such as Baidu and Alibaba are focusing on the idea. Such companies have also open-sourced models for AI researchers to speed up the process for coronavirus-related studies. IBM and NVIDIA, amongst Alibaba and Microsoft, have also pledged their resources towards the cause of accelerating medical efforts to find a COVID-19 cure faster than normal. In accordance with the agreement reached during phone talks with President of Israel Reuven Rivlin on March 22, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today held phone talks with Director of the International Relations Division at the Ministry of Health of Israel, Israels coordinator for COVID-19, Dr. Asher Shalmon. Dr. Shalmon provided details about the steps that Israel has taken to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. During the phone talks, the parties discussed Israels possible assistance to Armenia and specified Armenias needs. President Sarkissian and Dr. Shalmon agreed that Armenia and Israel will soon organize a video conference for specialists from both countries to specify concrete directions for future cooperation and take actions. During the phone talks, President Sarkissian also touched upon the steps that are being taken for development of medical engineering in Armenia and the possible cooperation with Israel in this sector. A bill with bipartisan support has been introduced into the U.S. House to stop the movement of federal inmates among prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Rep. Fred Keller introduced the Pandemic Act after his attempts to stop the inmate transfers failed. The Bureau of Prisons continues to move inmates among facilities across the nation despite 28 prisoners testing positive for the coronavirus, he said. During a virtual town hall Tuesday to answer questions from corrections officers, he said the intent of the bill is to require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to do what citizens are being asked to do: stay home to curb the spread of the virus. The only way to stop the virus is to stop the movements, said Shane Fausey, national president of the Council of Prison Locals, who fielded questions with Keller. The hospital capacity would be devastated if there were a coronavirus outbreak in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex and the Canaan penitentiary, all in his 12th District, Keller said. RELATED: Cough leads to gunfire at Sheetz; retailers furlough thousands; more: Latest on coronavirus in Pa. RELATED: U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses Chinas official numbers: Today in Pa. The quickest way to stop the transfers is for the BOP and Justice Department (U.S. Marshals Service) to do it on their own, the Snyder County Republican said. Although the marshals do the transporting, he said he is holding the BOP responsible for the continued transfers. Prisoner movements are down 80 percent from normal, Fausey said. Noting one of the 32 prisoners transferred to the Allenwood complex March 23 required hospital testing for COVID-19, Keller asked why sick inmates are moved. The test results were negative. Transferred inmates are isolated for 14 days. But Fausey pointed out prisons are not hospitals, so being quarantined is different. Co-sponsors of Kellera bill are Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa, Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., and Mike Bost, R-Ill. I am committed to leaving no stone unturned in the effort to protect our corrections officers and local communities from COVID-19, he said. He told those who participated in the town hall: I want you to know we have your back. Also Tuesday, BOP Director Michael Carvajal said his agency is coordinating with the Marshals Service to significantly decrease incoming prisoner movement during this time. He made the announcement in ordering implementation Wednesday of Phase 5 of the agencys COVID-19 action plan that includes keeping all inmates secured in their assigned quarters for 14 days due to health concerns. BOP spokesman Justin Long Monday explained inmates may be moved to better manage detention overcrowding, to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment, for related forensic studies or due to federal or state writs and detainers. Phase 5 takes significant steps to reduce inmate movement but it does not halt all of it, Keller commented. Until his legislation becomes law, he said he will do whatever it takes to stop them. Los Angeles, April 1 : Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson has revealed that a "Hobbs & Shaw" sequel is in development, and he is excited about it. During a recent Instagram Live Q&A, Johnson confirmed the news about the follow up to "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw", which minted $759 million worldwide, reports dailymail.co.uk. "We are developing now the next film, the next ('Hobbs & Shaw;) movie, and I'm pretty excited about it," said the 47-year-old star, who appeared in the successful "Fast & Furious" spin-off alongside Jason Statham last year. "Just gotta figure out the creative right now, and the direction we're going to go," added Johnson when asked where he and producers are at in the pre-production process on the sequel. "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw", also starring Helen Mirren, Eiza Gonzalez, Vanessa Kirby and Idris Elba, was well received by the audience and critics upon its release last August. It is unclear when the movie will hit cinemas, especially as the latest film in the "Fast And Furious" franchise, F9, has been pushed back to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Johnson plays the role of DSS agent Luke Hobbs in the film series. He had previously recalled how his mother, Ata Johnson, wept on the set of the first "Hobbs & Shaw" movie as she heard her son speak in Samoan, the language of their family. "She is incredibly proud of the movie. It's the very first time in the history of Hollywood that the Samoan culture has ever been showcased on this scale, so it's a big deal. Within the scene, she never heard me speak in Samoan to this degree. She hears me speaking in Samoan, calling on our ancestors to give us strength ... I look over and she is crying so hard," said the former WWE star, who spent part of his childhood in Hawaii. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed : CCP Virus Survivor, 39, Who Feared She Was Going to Die Shares Her Terrifying Ordeal The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (HKG:1114), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. This report focused on revenue estimates, and it looks as though the consensus view of the business has become substantially more conservative. Following the latest downgrade, the 22 analysts covering Brilliance China Automotive Holdings provided consensus estimates of CN3.7b revenue in 2020, which would reflect a discernible 4.7% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are anticipated to shrink 4.8% to CN1.28 in the same period. Previously, the analysts had been modelling revenues of CN4.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN1.39 in 2020. Indeed, we can see that analyst sentiment has declined measurably after the new consensus came out, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a small dip in EPS estimates to boot. Check out our latest analysis for Brilliance China Automotive Holdings SEHK:1114 Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 Analysts made no major changes to their price target of CN7.91, suggesting the downgrades are not expected to have a long-term impact on Brilliance China Automotive Holdings'valuation. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. There are some variant perceptions on Brilliance China Automotive Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at CN12.82 and the most bearish at CN5.08 per share. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business. Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would also point out that the forecast 4.7% revenue decline is roughly in line with the historical trend, which saw revenues shrink -5.4% annually over the past five years Compare this with our data on other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry, which in aggregate are forecast to see their revenue grow 6.6% next year. So it looks like Brilliance China Automotive Holdings' revenues are expected to decline at a slower rate than the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Brilliance China Automotive Holdings. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. Overall, given the drastic downgrade to this year's forecasts, we'd be feeling a little more wary of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings going forwards. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Brilliance China Automotive Holdings analysts - going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free 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. (Photo : Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay) Advertisement Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Chinese insurance firm Ping An Insurance has acquired 6.356 million shares of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi. The acquisition of shares from the Japanese firm best known for developing the statin medication Crestor is Ping An Insurance's latest move to expand into the lucrative healthcare sector. Ping An Insurance acquired the shares in a deal worth an estimated 2.18 billion yuan. The acquisition will effectively make Ping An the seventh-largest shareholder of one of Japan's largest and oldest pharmaceutical companies. As part of the deal, Ping An Insurance will obtain an exclusive agency for two new drugs developed by Shionogi for markets outside Japan. Apart from the share sale, Ping An Insurance and Shionogi are reportedly in talks to establish a joint venture company that will be based in Hong Kong. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, the new joint venture firm will primarily be focused on developing new drug therapies for central nervous system-related diseases. Once it develops viable products, the joint venture company will reportedly be transitioned into the manufacturing and sales of its new drugs. Both companies plan to utilize the latest technologies to ensure the success of the joint venture. This will include the implementation of AI-based manufacturing processes and quality management systems to develop better products and provide enhanced medical services. In a published statement, Ping An Insurance stated that health concerns and the importance of medical supplies have taken center stage amid the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus. The company stated that innovation and development of new drug therapies and treatments have become increasingly important given the current state of affairs. Through the partnership it has formed with Shionogi, Ping An Insurance hopes that the two sides can maximize their respective advantages to tackle different healthcare issues. Ping An stated that Shionogi's treatments and innovative drugs can take full advantage of its solid health service platform and its continually growing user base. Shionogi mirrored Ping An's sentiments and added that both companies do share the same vision of a better future in the medical and healthcare sector. With their combined abilities, Shionogi hopes that their strengths will result in the development of better solutions to meet the needs of the society while at the same time enhance corporate value for both parties. The Japanese firm, which was founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1919, develops, manufactures, and distributes a variety of treatments that include antimicrobial and antibiotics. The company is currently listed in two Japanese exchanges and is a constituent of the Nikkei 255 stock index. Advertisement TagsPing An Insurance, japanese, Shionogi Richard E Grant has been delighting fans of his most famous role, in cult 1987 film Withnail and I, by quoting famous lines from it on a daily basis to help relieve the boredom of lock-down. It's been 33 years since Grant starred as the title character, aspiring actor Withnail, in Bruce Robinson's hit black comedy, but the love for it remains strong. Introducing his pick of his favourite lines as the 'Withnail and I isolation quote for today', Grant, 62, is seen in the short videos on Twitter uttering lines such as 'We're not from London, you know' and 'Are you the farmer?'. Scroll down for video Richard E Grant has been getting behind the wheel to reenact quotes from his most famous role, as struggling actor Withnail, in the 1987 film Withnail and I. The star, 62, is offering up popular lines to cheer up people while in isolation Bruce Robinson's hit black comedy first hit cinemas over three decades ago but the love for the classic film is still strong (Richard E Grant as Withnail and right, Paul McCann as Marwood) Seen at his UK home, and appearing leaning out of his car window, in a much posher vehicle than he used during filming, the leather-jacketed star has received huge praise from fans for the daily quotes - and plenty of requests for more. @katebushluvr91 wrote: '@RichardEGrant your Withnail quotes are the best quarantine present I could have ever asked for.' Referencing another popular line, @Anita57179030 wrote: 'Loving these! Please please tell us you want soup!' @Sparkle51345640 wrote: 'These quotes bring me such joy. Thank you for sharing.' @dave_hedley penned: 'I shout this at my friend every time I pass him in the car. He responds with 'Up yours grandad'. We are both 47.' The star has had almost a million views so far for his quotes, which have been posted on his Twitter account The plot of the film sees two struggling actors sharing a squalid London flat at the fag end of the Sixties. Richard E. Grant's virtuoso comic performance is at the heart of its success, his hysterical over-acting offset by a deadpan turn from Paul McGann as a fellow thespian. His career has soared since, with roles in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and an 2019 Oscar nomination for his role in the film Can you ever Forgive me. Earlier this year, the star revealed he'd almost had therapy to help him with his life-long obsession with Barbara Streisand. The celebrated actor fell in love with Streisand after seeing her in 1968 biographical drama Funny Girl, prompting him to write her letter requesting she stay at his family home in Swaziland. Grant, 62, has since taken his adoration for the 77-year old stage and screen icon to new heights by commissioning a two-foot tall sculpture of her instantly recognisable face. But he admits he once questioned whether it was normal to obsess over Streisand after consulting a therapist in his forties. He told Page Six: 'I was in psychoanalysis when I was 42 and I asked the shrink is this unusual to be a middle-aged person as I was then still having this mad obsession. The actor revealed he was moved to tears after posting his teenage letter to Streisand on Twitter in 2019, only for the performer - a regular presence on the social media platform - to reply. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Now that one victim has died, the Rockland County prosecutor said he will seek murder charges against an upstate man who allegedly slashed five Jewish men with a machete in Monsey, N.Y., according to a published report in the Journal News. Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, allegedly burst into a Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 28, two weeks after searching Zionist temples of Staten Island on the Internet, federal prosecutors allege. Josef Neumann, 72, died Sunday night, the report said. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh did not immediately know when a grand jury could be convened to consider upgraded charges as courts have drastically reduced operations due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Thomas is already facing attempted murder, assault and burglary charges in state court. In addition, hes accused of hate crimes and other charges in Manhattan federal court. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Thomas family has said he has a history of mental illness, the Associated Press reported. Michael Sussman, Thomas lawyer, offered condolences on behalf of himself and Thomas kin to the victims family, the Journal News report said. Tip offs have been flying in to a Florida sheriff's office regarding a 1997 cold case after Netflix's Tiger King Joe Exotic accused his nemesis of being responsible for her husband's disappearance. The seven-part documentary series, which has been widely praised by critics since its release on 20 March, explores big-cat breeding and the eccentric, but sometimes sinister, behavior of the characters involved . One of the main subjects for the series was the relationship between Joe Exotic, owner and operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, and his nemesis, Carole Baskin, the CEO of Big Cats Rescue, a tiger and lion sanctuary in Tampa, Florida. Theories surrounding the disappearance of Baskin's second husband Jack 'Don' King in 1997 were explored in the series, with Exotic suggesting she may have murdered him. Now, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said it is receiving around six calls a day from people seeking to share what happened to him. This notice posted on the Twitter account of Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister yesterday, seeks the public's help for new leads in the disappearance of Jack 'Don' Lewis, the former husband of a big cat sanctuary owner featured in the new Netflix series 'Tiger King' Pictured: A still from the Tiger King documentary showing Carole Baskin, the arch nemesis of Joe Exotic, the owner and operator of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma Pictured: Hillsborough County Sheriff Brad Chronister in an undated photograph, who said he'd be willing to invest resources in finding who was responsible for Jack 'Don' King's disappearance if he was given credible leads 'If you have seen the series ... there was a lot of questions and theories of who was loyal and was someone really there as a spy,' Hillsborough County Sheriff Brad Chronister told the Tampa Bay Times. 'So what we're hoping is maybe someone has had a change of heart, maybe a relationship status has changed. Anything that will prompt someone to call with a legitimate lead, a piece of evidence.' Chronister added that the sheriff's office have tried to solve the case over the years but technology available during the 90s has meant they were unable to solve the case in the same speed they would handle a similar case now. Despite the barrage of leads, Chronister added that none have been deemed substantial, but he hopes that people will continue to offer their help. 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic is pictured in an undated photograph with one of the tigers at his park in Oklahoma. A primary focus of the seven-part documentary series was the relationship between Exotic and animal rights campaigner Carole Baskin The last action taken on the cold case was in 2011. The sheriff's office requested that Baskin answer questions while hooked up to a polygraph machine but she refused, citing her lawyer's advice. The beef between Exotic and Baskin began with the activist's campaign against the zookeeper. Pictured: Carole Baskin with her second husband Jack 'Don' King, who mysteriously vanished in 1997 She alleged that hundreds of lions and tigers in Oklahoma were mistreated at his hands. Exotic, who is now serving a 22-year sentence after being found guilty of hiring an assassin to kill Baskin, accused his enemy of having killed her own husband. Chronister said he would 'dedicate the entire homicide section and beyond' should they receive credible leads. sheriff's department said they are prepared to use resources should credible leads be sent in. A contact tracing app that alerts people if they have been close to someone who has tested positive for coronavirus has been suggested by scientists. It is hoped such technology could significantly slow the rate of transmission and help countries to emerge from lockdowns safely. A study by the University of Oxfords Big Data Institute and Nuffield Department of Population Health published in the journal Science proposes an app that uses Bluetooth to keep a log of all other app users a person has been in close proximity with over a few days. When an individual tests positive for Covid-19, the app can then be used to notify anyone who has been near them anonymously and advise them to go home and self-isolate as a precaution against further spread. A contact tracing app can foster good citizenship by alerting people at risk, it can also help ease us out of confinementProfessor Christophe Fraser, Oxford University NHSX, the national unit tasked with driving forward a digital transformation of the UKs health and social care, said it is looking at whether app-based solutions might be helpful in tracking and managing coronavirus and has assembled expertise from inside and outside the organisation to do this as rapidly as possible. Professor Christophe Fraser, from Oxford Universitys Big Data Institute, said: We need a mobile contact tracing app to urgently support health services to control coronavirus transmission, target interventions and keep people safe. Our analysis suggests that about half of transmissions occur in the early phase of the infection, before you show any symptoms of infection. Our mathematical models also highlight that traditional public health contact tracing approaches provide incomplete data and cannot keep up with the pace of this pandemic. However, scientists behind the project say any such app should be opt-in and provide secure data storage and privacy protection. Development would follow the lead set by Singapore, which has used TraceTogether in its bid to stop the spread of the virus there. The Irish Government is also reportedly looking into similar technology. A contact tracing app can foster good citizenship by alerting people at risk, it can also help ease us out of confinement, Prof Fraser added. If we know weve not been in contact with anyone infected we can leave home safely, whilst still protecting our loved ones and avoiding a broader resurgence of coronavirus in our community. Professor Keith Neal of the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Nottingham, said: This is a theoretical modelling paper. It does not provide any direct evidence as such that mobile apps could control epidemics without the need for quarantines. But it is important in getting the UK to debate what has already been done elsewhere. Apps are already in use globally and are probably contributing to management of the epidemic. One concern is that geotracking is a key part in the methodology. If too few people sign up it can only have minimal benefit. Uptake would need to be high and too many people may complain about the big brother aspect of the methods and opt out. If used it could always be deleted afterwards from the phone when the epidemic is over. It is well worth trying and apps are already available. UPP Group Holdings Limited (UPP), the UK's leading provider of on-campus residential and academic accommodation infrastructure, and its Parent Company UPP REIT Holdings Limited, today announces that Elaine Hewitt has joined the Business as its new Chief Executive Officer, following the announcement of her appointment in January. A Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Elaine joins UPP from NHS Property Services, where she has been Chief Executive Officer since 2015 and was responsible for overseeing a 3bn asset portfolio, some 4,000 properties, 5,000 employees and an annual income of more than 700m. She was previously Group Property Director at BT Group PLC. As well as having considerable private sector experience, Elaine has held public sector roles, notably Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office for Property and Facilities Management across Government. She is also a Senior Board Advisor to Dorrington Plc, a property investment and development company. The previous CEO, Richard Bienfait, left the Business at the end of January 2020. Robert McClatchey, Chairman of UPP Group Holdings Limited, said: "I am delighted to welcome Elaine to UPP, albeit at a very challenging time as we work hard to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on our stakeholders and own Business. Her considerable experience and expertise in the property services industry will reinforce UPP's position as the leading on-campus accommodation provider and she will immediately assume leadership of our response to COVID-19. In the longer-term, I look forward to working with Elaine to continue to drive UPP's long-standing and successful strategic focus on the delivery of controlled, value-accretive growth." Elaine Hewitt said: "I am excited to be joining UPP. My immediate priority is to support our people, partners and resident students through the COVID-19 outbreak. The Business has a strong and long-standing reputation for delivering the very best student experiences in partnership with great universities. I am confident that by working together and focusing upon UPP's strategic commitments of long-term partnership and operational excellence, we can continue to enhance our services to students and strengthen our position for the future." UPP has over 36,000 rooms in operation or under construction through long-term, bespoke partnerships with 15 world-leading universities. In 2019, UPP successfully reached financial close on a 139.7m deal with existing long-term partner the University of Exeter to design, build, fund and operate 1,182 high-quality bedrooms on the University's East Park campus. The year also saw UPP reaching financial close on a deal worth 43m with St Modwen Developments, Swansea University and Swan Global LLP for the acquisition of the freehold of 411 rooms at Bay Campus in Swansea. UPP is majority owned by PGGM VERMOGENSBEHEER B.V. (PGGM). PGGM provides services in the field of pension management, integral asset management and executive advice to pension funds and has a long-term hold position with respect to UPP. The Company currently manages pension assets worth 215bn for different pension funds and is administrating pensions of 4.2m participants in the health and social sector of the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005232/en/ Contacts: Harry Padfield 0789614092 BOISE, Idaho, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VisitPay, the leader in patient financial engagement, today announced the addition of two senior executives to its leadership team: David P. Smith has joined as chief technology officer (CTO) and Tom Ryden has joined as chief financial officer (CFO). Both bring extensive experience and success in growth stage companies which will support VisitPay's consistent year-over-year expansion. David P. Smith, CTO Smith focuses on aligning VisitPay's business and technology needs and leads the software development and infrastructure teams. He has more than 25 years of experience creating, implementing and managing world-class legal, financial, healthcare, payment processing and registration SaaS systems. Previously, he worked at Zapproved, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting US, ServiceU Corporation and ACTIVE Network where he managed and ran large registration and payment systems with some of the highest scale requirements in the world, including instantaneous concurrent usage by more than 500,000 users. For a photo of David P. Smith, click here. Tom Ryden, CFO Ryden is responsible for strategic direction and leadership of VisitPay's financial operations and performance. He has more than 30 years of financial leadership experience, starting his career at PwC as an associate in its Assurance division. Most recently, Ryden was chief operating officer of AppDetex, a global leader in online brand protection. Before AppDetex, Ryden held CFO and similar positions at Mapp Digital, Clarivate Analytics, Thomson Reuters, MarkMonitor and SCP Global Technologies. For a photo of Tom Ryden, click here. VisitPay CEO and co-founder, Kent Ivanoff said, "VisitPay is expanding rapidly and we need to continue to scale people, process and technology in order to deliver the high level of service that our customers expect while ensuring we maintain optimal financial performance. David's and Tom's decades of leadership experience and expertise in organizational and technological transformation are a great fit for VisitPay's corporate trajectory." VisitPay's cloud-based platform drives higher payment rates by transforming bad debt into incremental payments. It empowers health systems with a simplified patient financial experience and tailored payment options that can be accessed within a single, intuitive digital interface. VisitPay's automated segmentation capabilities and advanced analytics allow health systems to actively test, configure and personalize consumer financing strategies based on the organization's business rules and patient preferences, monitor results and quickly adjust and evolve strategies. VisitPay clients typically report Net Promoter Scores that at least double the healthcare industry average and payment rate improvements of 50% or more. These results are validated by VisitPay's ability to provide ongoing measurements of financial performance, trended over time. About VisitPay Founded in 2010, VisitPay is the leader in patient financial engagement. The company's third-generation cloud-based platform is used by the nation's largest and most innovative health systems to deliver transparency, choice and control to patients managing healthcare payments and transactions. Through VisitPay, patients can access a comprehensive accounting of their financial obligations, as well as critical health plan and healthcare information, via a health system-branded portal. VisitPay's proprietary analytics tailor consistent and fully compliant financing options that meet the unique needs of patients and their families, creating a simplified billing experience that drives both higher payment rates and improved patient satisfaction scores. VisitPay's investors include Norwest Venture Partners, Flare Capital Partners and Ascension Ventures. For more information about VisitPay, visit www.visitpay.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit our Company Blog to access case studies, thought leadership and news. Media Contact Marcia Rhodes Amendola Communications for VisitPay (480) 664-8412 ext. 15 [email protected] SOURCE VisitPay Related Links http://www.visitpay.com Taliban Team in Kabul for Afghan Prisoner Swap By Ayaz Gul March 31, 2020 A Taliban delegation arrived in Kabul Tuesday to monitor the long-delayed release of their 5,000 detainees under a prisoner swap with the Afghan government brokered by the United States. This is the first time representatives of the Islamist insurgency have visited the Afghan capital since a U.S.-led military invasion of the country ousted the Taliban from power nearly 19 years ago. "They will pursue the issue of prisoner release and help in necessary technical steps," said a brief Taliban announcement. Taliban delegates reportedly traveled from southern Kandahar province to a central Afghan city before being airlifted to Kabul by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The prisoner exchange, which requires the insurgent group to free about 1,000 government detainees, is supposed to lay the ground for peace negotiations between Afghan parties to the conflict. The crucial peace-building steps are outlined in the February 29 agreement that Washington signed with the Taliban in Qatar, which aims to promote a negotiated end to years of a deadly Afghan war. The pact commits the U.S. and allied nations to a 14-month phased withdrawal of military forces in exchange for Taliban assurances to prevent terrorists from using Afghanistan soil as a safe haven. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government, which is not part of the agreement, was initially reluctant to free captured Taliban fighters, citing concerns they may return to the battlefield. His refusal delayed the intra-Afghan talks that originally were scheduled for March 10 under the U.S.-Taliban accord. Under pressure from Washington, Ghani last week announced a 21-member "inclusive" team of negotiators for the much-awaited intra-Afghan talks, a move that received praise from U.S. and other foreign partners of the war-ravaged country. "We have seen a team identified and it looks like it's pretty inclusive, pretty broad. We're happy about that. We have begun to see some work done on prisoner releases as well," Pompeo told reporters in Washington. He emphasized that "all elements" will have to come together to move toward intra-Afghan negotiations, saying they are the only "mechanism" to deliver peace and reconciliation to the people of Afghanistan. In a significant development Tuesday, Ghani's main rival and self-proclaimed president, Abdullah Abdullah, also endorsed the negotiating team as representatives of "the Islamic State of Afghanistan." His announcement comes amid a lingering political dispute stemming from the September 28 controversy-marred Afghan presidential election, which Abdullah alleges was manipulated in favor of incumbent Ghani. Both leaders sought competing inaugurations earlier this month, fueling political tensions and strengthening concerns their rivalry would prevent the formation of a united Afghan team to negotiate peace with the Taliban. The insurgent group, however, has announced it would not negotiate with the government-appointed delegation, saying it does not represent all Afghans and contradicts provisions of the agreement with the U.S. Speaking to VOA Tuesday, chief Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stressed again that intra-Afghan talks would begin only after all insurgent prisoners are freed. He went on to blame the Ghani government for "obstructing" and "delaying" the prisoner swap and the next steps in the peace process. "The Kabul administration has also created, and continues to create, obstacles in the way to intra-Afghan talks. It has announced an unsuitable team and even declared it as a representative of the government," Mujahid said. The Taliban has from the outset rejected the government in Kabul as illegitimate, denouncing it as an American puppet and a product of foreign occupation of Afghanistan. The insurgent group maintains its negotiators want to negotiate peace with all Afghan sides in their individual capacity, and not as representatives of the government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensem, has ordered the suspension of all cases before its Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states divisions. In a statement she personally signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday, she said the order is in compliance with the lockdown directive of President Muhammadu Buhari. President Buhari had in his first address to Nigerians on the coronavirus crisis, on Sunday, ordered residents in the three locations to stay at home for 14 days from Monday. Justice Dongban-Mensem said, Following the 14 day lockdown directive of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, with effect from 11:00Pm 30/03/2020, I hereby issue an interim practice directive that all matters pending before the Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun State shall cease in compliance thereof. The official said court proceedings in states not mentioned in Mr Buharis lockdown directive shall continue with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Mohammeds order suspending all court sittings except in matters that are urgent. Meanwhile, all Court proceedings for States not mentioned in the Presidential lockdown Directive of 30/03/2020 shall continue in line with the Directives issued by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Dr. Tanko Muhammad CFR on 23/03/2020. The Bench and the Bar are enjoined to strictly observe the guidelines on Social Distancing as directed by the National Centre for Disease Control. Counsel and Litigants present in court should be limited to 20 Persons maximum at all times. She urged lawyers and litigants to make use of online communication. The use of ICT via online communication is hereby encouraged as much as practicable to ameliorate the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. All Hon. Justices and Staff members of the Court are enjoined to support the efforts of the Federal Government by observing all guidelines. Eight Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials announced Wednesday. The archdiocese is monitoring the conditions of six senior priests and two parish priests who have been infected with COVID-19, according to a statement from Terry Donilon, a spokesperson for the archdiocese. The two parish priests have already recovered from the viral respiratory infection and completed their quarantine. A team at the archdiocese is tracking and reporting all suspected cases, according to the statement. Donilon did not specify when the priests were diagnosed nor which parishes they serve at. They are receiving excellent care at home and in the hospital, Donilon said about all eight priests. "In addition, people who have recently been in the company of these men have been notified. Regarding retired priests, they have been, are now and will continue to be, tested as needed and, in every case, the prescribed quarantines are strictly observed for the protection of all, including their caregivers. The Archdiocese of Boston is the fourth largest archdiocese in the U.S. It is the spiritual home for more than 1.8 million Catholics, according to the archdioceses website To date, 6,620 cases of the disease and 89 deaths due to illness have been reported in Massachusetts. We pray for these priests that they are returned to health as quickly as possible. And we pray for all of our people who are suffering from this disease," Donilon said. "Every day our priests, women and men religious and lay staff serve an essential mission in our parishes, schools, ministries and the wider community. As is widely understood, COVID-19 does not discriminate in who or how it attacks. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Dividend paying stocks like AMAG Austria Metall AG (VIE:AMAG) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. In this case, AMAG Austria Metall likely looks attractive to dividend investors, given its 4.9% dividend yield and eight-year payment history. It sure looks interesting on these metrics - but there's always more to the story . Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on AMAG Austria Metall! WBAG:AMAG Historical Dividend Yield April 1st 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. Comparing dividend payments to a company's net profit after tax is a simple way of reality-checking whether a dividend is sustainable. AMAG Austria Metall paid out 110% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, from the perspective of an investor who hopes to own the company for many years, a payout ratio of above 100% is definitely a concern. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. AMAG Austria Metall paid out 70% of its cash flow as dividends last year, which is within a reasonable range for the average corporation. It's disappointing to see that the dividend was not covered by profits, but cash is more important from a dividend sustainability perspective, and AMAG Austria Metall fortunately did generate enough cash to fund its dividend. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Very few companies are able to sustainably pay dividends larger than their reported earnings. Story continues Is AMAG Austria Metall's Balance Sheet Risky? As AMAG Austria Metall's dividend was not well covered by earnings, we need to check its balance sheet for signs of financial distress. A quick check of its financial situation can be done with two ratios: net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA measures total debt load relative to company earnings (lower = less debt), while net interest cover measures the ability to pay interest on the debt (higher = greater ability to pay interest costs). With net debt of 2.29 times its EBITDA, AMAG Austria Metall's debt burden is within a normal range for most listed companies. We calculated its interest cover by measuring its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), and dividing this by the company's net interest expense. Net interest cover of 5.36 times its interest expense appears reasonable for AMAG Austria Metall, although we're conscious that even high interest cover doesn't make a company bulletproof. Consider getting our latest analysis on AMAG Austria Metall's financial position here. Dividend Volatility Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Looking at the last decade of data, we can see that AMAG Austria Metall paid its first dividend at least eight years ago. Although it has been paying a dividend for several years now, the dividend has been cut at least once, and we're cautious about the consistency of its dividend across a full economic cycle. During the past eight-year period, the first annual payment was 0.75 in 2012, compared to 1.20 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.1% a year over that time. The growth in dividends has not been linear, but the CAGR is a decent approximation of the rate of change over this time frame. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once. 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. It's not great to see that AMAG Austria Metall's have fallen at approximately 8.2% over the past five years. Declining earnings per share over a number of years is not a great sign for the dividend investor. Without some improvement, this does not bode well for the long term value of a company's dividend. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that AMAG Austria Metall's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're not keen on the fact that AMAG Austria Metall paid out such a high percentage of its income, although its cashflow is in better shape. Earnings per share are down, and AMAG Austria Metall's dividend has been cut at least once in the past, which is disappointing. Using these criteria, AMAG Austria Metall looks quite suboptimal from a dividend investment perspective. It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 3 warning signs for AMAG Austria Metall that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Akiva Eldar is an Israeli author and was formerly an editorial writer and columnist for Haaretz. Former Israeli army chief Benny Gantz formed the Blue and White party just over a year ago to provide a viable alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party. Through three inconclusive elections, Gantz pledged to unseat Netanyahu, suggesting he poses a threat to democracy and ruling out partnership in a government led by a prime minister under indictment. Disgust with Netanyahu and the slogan anyone but Bibi were the adhesive that joined Blue and Whites three constituent parties. The promise to topple Netanyahu led hundreds of thousands of traditional left-wing voters to abandon the Labor and Meretz parties, handing Gantz a centre-left bloc of 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset in the March 2 elections. West Bank settler Avigdor Liberman, chair of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party who dubbed Arab Knesset members a fifth column recommended to President Reuven Rivlin that he task Gantz with forming Israels next government even if it entailed support by the Arab Joint List. Anything to get rid of Netanyahu. The chair of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid, Gantzs partner in forming Blue and White, also supported a government backed by the 15 members of the Joint List, including the nationalist Balad and Islamist Raam parties. But when the time came for Gantz to translate the majority garnered by his anyone but Bibi bloc into a majority, albeit slim, coalition, his camp began to disintegrate. The first domino to fall was Knesset member Orly Levy-Abekasis, who deserted from the Labor-Meretz ticket on which she ran on March 2. She was followed by the two right-wing ideologues of Blue and White, Knesset members Tzvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel, who refused to vote for any government not backed by a Zionist majority. Former Israeli army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, whom Gantz replaced in 2011, also joined the dissenters, arguing that a government of 47 Knesset members 33 from Blue and White, seven from Labor-Meretz and seven from Yisrael Beiteinu with the external support of 15 Arab legislators, would not be viable. Gantz, nonetheless, started taking advantage of his parliamentary majority to push through legislation banning a politician under criminal indictment from forming a government a law that could have ended Netanyahus career. Then the coronavirus intervened, and Netanyahu did what he does best. He started fear-mongering, appearing every evening before the cameras, warning of the dire consequences of the pandemic, dredging up the plagues of the Middle Ages and the Spanish flu. And each evening, he ended his performance with a call to Gantz to mobilise for the effort. The subtext was clear: The state is in a state of emergency. Anyone who prefers to engage in petty politics is at best indifferent to the peoples suffering and at worst a coward fleeing the battlefront. Netanyahu has always harnessed public fear to keep his political career: first, it was the fear of terrorism. Then, Irans threat to bomb and destroy the Israeli state. And now, the relentless plague. When Blue and White still declined to surrender, Netanyahu injected the Israeli public with another dose of fear. Last week, a terrifying scenario presented to the health ministry was leaked to some media outlets warning that COVID-19 could kill 20,000 people. To illustrate the threat, Netanyahu announced that Israeli doctors could find themselves in the chilling situation of their Italian counterparts, having to choose who will live and who will die given the mass casualties. Unlike his friends on the conservative right, such as President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who dismissed the plague as nothing but an upgraded flu and drew angry domestic criticism, Netanyahu skillfully rode the virus into every Israeli living room. Already in February, he took the reins and ordered important and justified measures, such as cutting back on incoming flights, ordering isolation of those flying into the country, instructing people to keep their distance, and imposing a near-total lockdown on the country. Despite persistent reports about a shortage of respirators and flaws in the testing process, trust in Netanyahu soared. A newly released report by the government watchdog agency showing the state was not properly prepared to deal with epidemics, did not dent Netanyahus popularity. In a recent poll, 60 percent of respondents said Netanyahu was performing well in the coronavirus crisis, whereas only 34 percent were pleased with Gantz. The Blue and White leader was left with two options, both bad. One was to respond to the will of the majority, dismantle the political package he had put together, provide sanctuary to a corrupt politician and abandon some of his voters a Channel 12 poll found 56 percent of Blue and White voters favoring his decision. The other option was to swim against the current and head for a fourth round of elections, tainted by the image of a general who had abandoned the battlefront and his troops. He opted for the first and Netanyahu will go down in history as the first leader who owes his seat to a virus. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Even as automobile manufacturers were slowly shifting to stricter transmission norms amid the economic slowdown, the COVID-19 outbreak worsened the troubles. Leading manufacturers including Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota and Hyundai recorded a sharp decline in sales, owing to production shutdown amid coronavirus outbreak. "Majority of the automobile companies reported disappointing volume performance for March 2020, way below estimates. Tractor segment performed better with a lower decline to the tune of approximately 40 per cent while CVs are the worst performer with a sharp fall of more than 75 per cent among all the segments of automobile. Sales were impacted by nationwide lockdown and BS6 transition. We expect similar deterioration in volumes over next 1-2 months due to ongoing lock down amid COVID-19 issue," Mitul Shah, Vice President (Research), Reliance Securities, said. Maruti Suzuki The largest passenger vehicle make in the country posted a 47 per cent year-on-year fall in sales in March 2020 on account of countrywide lockdown. Maruti Suzuki sold 83,792 units in March 2020. This includes 76,976 units in the domestic market, 2,104 units of domestic OEM sales and 4,712 units of exports. In FY20, Maruti Suzuki sold 1,563,297 units, down 16.1 per cent from 1,862,449 units in FY19. Mahindra & Mahindra Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) reported an 88 per cent decline in total sales at 7,401 units in March. In the same month last year, the company had sold 62,952 units. In the passenger vehicles segment, it sold 3,384 vehicles in March this year, against 27,646 vehicles in the same month last year, down 88 per cent. In the commercial vehicles segment, M&M sold 2,325 vehicles as against 24,423 units earlier, a fall of 90 per cent. Tata Motors The sales of Tata Motors fell 84 per cent year-on-year to 11,012 units in March. In the year-ago period, 68,727 units were sold by the company. The domestic sales fell down 84 per cent at 11,012 units as against 68,727 units. Similarly, commercial vehicle (CV) sales went down 87 per cent at 7,123 units as against 56,536 units. The passenger vehicle (PV) sales slipped to 68 per cent at 5,676 units as against 17,810 units. Hyundai Hyundai Motor posted a 47.21 per cent decline in total sales at 32 279 units in March. In the same month last year, the company had sold 61,150 units, HMIL said in a statement. The domestic sales were down 40.69 per cent to 26,300 units as against 44,350 units in March 2019. Escorts The sales of tractor maker Escorts fell 54.3 percent on-year to 5,228 units in March. In the year-ago period, the company sold 11,905 tractors. The domestic tractor sales were recorded at 5,228 in March 2020 against 11,431 a year ago. The exports dipped to 216 from 474 last year. Also read: Coronavirus impact: Maruti Suzuki's sales crash 47% in March, others may perform worse Also read: Coronavirus impact: Supply chain disruption to cost auto industry Rs 6,080 crore French parliamentarian and politician Valerie Boyer, who is the author of the bill on the criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial, has been cured of the coronavirus. She had not wanted to be transferred to the hospital because she had decided that a patient with a more severe condition could be hospitalized in her stead. French-Armenian lawyer Sevag Torossian told 168.am from Paris that Boyer had been cured of the coronavirus using Professor Didier Raoults experimental method of using the drug hydroxychloroquine. Valerie Boyer on Tuesday announced on her Facebook page that she has overcome the coronavirus. Both tests after the treatment have come negative. Hotels in San Francisco, many of which have temporarily closed or are limping along with less than 10 percent occupancy, may soon start filling up again. At a press conference on Wednesday, City of San Francisco officials stated that they have signed contracts with at least six hotels, providing 479 rooms where health care workers and some of the city's homeless can bed down during the pandemic. Trent Rhorer, the executive director of the city's Human Services Agency, said that by the end of this week the city will likely sign on three more hotels, bringing the total number of available rooms up to 2,555. Rhorer said these rooms should act as a "release valve" for area hospitals unable to provide space to quarantine or isolate those who test positive or are showing symptoms for COVID-19 but are not sick enough to be hospitalized. As of Wednesday, 123 of those hotel rooms are occupied, according to Rhorer, who added that the city has made the decision not to name the participating hotels for privacy reasons. "The contract terms and duration vary by hotel," Rhorer told SFGATE, "Each of the contracts are negotiated individually between the City and hotel ownership. The City will not disclose the agreed upon rates as we are in active negotiations with dozens of additional hotels." The rooms are available for health care workers who are concerned about potentially infecting family or household members as well as those who have tested positive for the virus and require isolation. Among the city's homeless population, the most vulnerable (aged 60+ with underlying medical conditions) and those who are able to self-care are provided the rooms but are not required to accept them. "We don't have the ability to force anyone to stay anywhere," said Mayor London Breed at the press conference. "The Department of Public Health has set up a protocol for medical/health providers to refer people to the quarantine rooms. We need medical documentation for each person in order to receive FEMA reimbursement," said Rhorer. 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 weekly email updates! The whereabouts of a section of people from Tamil Nadu who took part in the recent conference held by the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi is not known yet and in view of several attendees testing positive they should voluntarily get in touch with authorities, Chief Minister K Palaniswami appealed here on Wednesday. Several people who took part in the meet from Tamil Nadu at the national capital recently have tested positive, Palaniswami said adding 1,131 men have returned of the about 1,500 people who went for the event. "About 515 people have been identified...others who took part in the meet should voluntarily get in touch with the authorities... we have not got the addresses of others fully," he said apparently indicating that their whereabouts could not be ascertained so far. Palaniswami told reporters that while a section could not be contacted yet, others have been quarantined in Delhi. Of the attendees from Tamil Nadu, 50 tested positive on Tuesday and totally there are 124 cases in the state. Considering the severity of coronavirus and its potential to adversely impact the larger society, returnees should approach the authorities so that they could be tested and treated if needed, he said. The government has already said that several district administrations could not establish contact with many returnees and senior officials have said that police department was also working to trace them. The National Health Mission Tamil Nadu separately has appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers,' to contact health authorities immediately at specific phone numbers (7824849263/044 46274411) as participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. Asked if participants at an event held by Isha Yoga last month in Tamil Nadu will be tested, he said it will be done if they had symptoms. The government ordered closure of all places of worship irrespective of religion, he added. On the chances of lockdown getting extended beyond April 14, he said only the Central government will take a decision. To a question of perceived slackness by people in sticking to lockdown, he said "every life is important, everybody should play a role and come together and only then the spread of coronavirus could be stopped." Without understanding the ramifications of the infection some people were going about in public places and this must be avoided, he appealed. In a separate audio, he urged the people to stay back at home and reassured that the government was taking all steps to halt the spread of the contagion. There is no bar either on agricultural activities or in taking the produce to markets, he said. Palaniswami earlier inspected the functioning of Amma Canteens along with Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and hailed the role of the eateries in providing quality and low cost food to people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, and Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the White Houses response, encouraged people to adhere to distancing guidelines, noting that more than 2.2 million Americans could have died if nothing had been done. As of this morning, there have been at least 3,900 virus-related deaths in the U.S. Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic. We also have a daily tracker showing the viruss trajectory by country and U.S. state as well as a look at where Americans have been urged to stay home. In other developments: As many as 25 percent of people infected with the virus may not show symptoms, a number that is leading the C.D.C. to consider broadening its guidelines on who should wear masks. (We have a guide to making your own.) Governors from across the political spectrum are challenging the Trump administrations assertion that the U.S. is well-prepared to test people and care for the sickest patients. Asked on Tuesday whether President Trumps suggestion that a lack of diagnostic kits was no longer a problem, Gov. Larry Hogan, Republican of Maryland, said, Thats just not true. Mayor Bill de Blasio said medical personnel from around the country were arriving to help shore up New Yorks health care system. He warned that the city expected a huge increase in cases next week. Here are the latest updates from our Metro desk. Places in Asia that seemed to have brought the epidemic under control are tightening restrictions, fearing a wave of new infections imported from elsewhere. Mr. Trump has been reluctant to use the full force of a wartime production law to respond to the pandemic. It has already been invoked hundreds of thousands of times during his presidency. Support from independents and some Democrats has driven Mr. Trumps approval rating to 49 percent, equal to the best of his presidency. News analysis: A crisis that Mr. Trump had repeatedly asserted was under control and hoped would miraculously disappear has come to consume his presidency, our chief White House correspondent writes. The details: Weve updated the expert guidance weve compiled on several subjects, including health, money and travel. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 11:02 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ecda66 1 Entertainment Netflix,13-Reasons-Why,hannah-al-rashid,kingdom,Sheila-Timothy,when-they-see-us,Lukman-Sardi,Ugly-Delicious,Adinia-Wirasti,Money-Heist,Adipati-Dolken Free To honor National Film Day, which fell on Monday, Netflix Indonesia has shared a zine on Instagram. It contains articles by film critics and filmmakers alike, such as Hikmat Darmawan and Paul Agusta, while actors, directors and producers share their recommendations for movies and series available on Netflix. Below is the list of recommendations. Hannah Al Rashid: When They See Us Based on the real-life case of the Central Park Five, the drama series tells the story of five young African-American and Hispanic teenagers who were wrongfully convicted for the rape of a female jogger in New York. When They See Us is an incredibly important series, writes Hannah. Ava DuVernay brings us one of the most painful and heartbreaking journeys that humanizes five boys who were dehumanized by society and a racist judicial system. Never have I ever watched a series which moved me in the way that it does. Watch immediately! Soon after it was released in June last year, the series was watched on more than 23 million Netflix accounts worldwide. Dennis Adhiswara: The Naked Director At first, maybe viewers would be intrigued by its naughty and brave premise. But underneath it all, what theyre seeing is an entrepreneurship lecture in an intense and dramatic manner, and whats even crazier: [it is] based on [a] true story! writes Dennis. The Naked Director chronicles the life of Japanese adult filmmaker Toru Muranishi who was known for rejecting the old norms on sexuality. Read also: Four Lifelike Pictures films coming to Netflix this month Adinia Wirasti: 13 Reasons Why Popular young adult drama 13 Reasons Why is based on Jay Ashers bestseller about a high school student who kills herself and leaves behind 13 audiotapes detailing the events that led to her death. Film or TV series such as this one can be a medium to reach out to those living with mental health issues, who need our utmost support, writes Adinia. This is more than content, its a public service announcement for mental health. Adipati Dolken: Money Heist In August 2019, Money Heist became the most-watched non-English language series in Netflix history. Created by Alex Pina, the series takes place over 11 days inside the Royal Mint of Spain as a team of crooks try to pull off the biggest robbery in history. I find that life is more or less like a heist, to cleverly choose strategies and how to face various points of view of humans, writes Adipati. Salman Aristo: Kingdom Taking place in the Joseon era, zombie-thriller Kingdom tells the story of how Prince Chang struggles to save his kingdom from a fast-spreading mystery disease. It was made beautifully and the series is hardly one-dimensional, writes Salman. Although the main focus is its people facing a pandemic, the series gains its weight by speaking about political intrigues with a side of humanity. Lukman Sardi: Rise of Empires: Ottoman A Turkish historical docudrama, it narrates how Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages a campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and in turn shapes the course of history for centuries. I love the themes here, especially since Im a history aficionado, writes Lukman. It has a unique way of storytelling. Sheila Timothy: Ugly Delicious The food show takes popular American chef David Chang around the world as he brings along writers, activists, artists and chefs to delve deep into popular dishes. "The show talks about food along with its crucial elements: people and culture, writes Sheila. Films or series about food always have a special place in my heart. This is why producing Tabula Rasa was so special and I plan to produce another food film this year. (wng) Mitchell is reconfiguring his design to give Roberts a bathtub, at least. Theyll have to give up a little living space to accommodate one instead of the standard shower stall, but Roberts said that shell need the comfort of a hot bath more than ever. It will be one of only two rooms with a real door. I think about it every day. Every. Day, she said. Even in the span of a 40-minute phone conversation she was interrupted three times, once by each of her children she excused herself to listen to a poem, answered a query and went to find a Band-Aid. But Roberts has her eyes on the prize financial independence and family bonding. Right now we have so much room that we have to call out forced family time, she said. But in a tiny home, for better or for worse, it will be family time, all the time. Roberts, a stay-at-home mom about to launch a bridal event planning business called St. Louis Popup Weddings and Rentals, isnt delusional about what could go wrong. Hillary Sanford, 32, lives in Davenport, Fla., with her mom and three dogs in one of Mitchells tiny homes and offered some advice to Roberts and her family. Thousands of travellers flocked to catch trains leaving Wuhan early on Wednesday as authorities lifted a more than two-month ban on outbound travel from the hard-hit Chinese city where the global coronavirus pandemic first emerged. The removal of the ban at midnight (4pm GMT on Tuesday) ends an isolation that began when the government imposed an unprecedented lockdown in late January in an ultimately failed bid to contain the contagion.People wearing face masks walk on a bridge in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of China's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. (Image: Reuters) 3 1 of 3 Courtesy of Carolyn Hyde Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy of Carolyn Hyde Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Three siblings and members of Girl Scout Troop 40324 and Brownie Troop 40067 in New Milford recently paid a visit to Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center in town to deliver a message of cheer. The skilled care facility joins others throughout the state in restricting visitors, but the Scouts carried a poster with well wishes and cheery pictures and delivered Girl Scout cookies to the staff. Tunisian security forces arrested an Islamic State group (ISIS) sympathizer who was planning terror attacks against vital state institutions in the holy month of Ramadan scheduled to start late this month, the Tunisian interior ministry said in a statement Tuesday. The terrorist, according to the statement, has developed a plan targeting security establishments and vital state institutions. The alleged terrorist had bought items in view of making explosives and confessed that he had pledged allegiance to ISIS and was in touch with two experts in subside belt and explosives making. The North African country has been on the alert after subside bomb attack outside the US embassy in capital Tunis. Two Tunisians on a motorbike blew themselves up, killing a policeman and injuring six other people, early last month. The attack according to the interior ministry was targeting a police patrol, in the street leading to the US embassy. It was the latest major attempt that rocked the country in a series of attacks that began in 2015. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered setting up of an expert medical panel to examine if there was any risk to the life of a girl, who wishes to donate part of her liver to her ailing father, if she undergoes the procedure. The girl wants to donate part of her liver to her father as he is suffering from a severe case of liver cirrhosis and urgently requires a transplant to survive. However, her representation to the Delhi government for approval to donate part of her liver to her father was rejected as she was a minor -- just over 17 years and 10 months old. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, who heard the matter via video-conferencing, said the government decision was not based on any medical opinion that there was potential risk to her life and was "not sustainable". "Further, there is no complete prohibition in a minor donating an organ or tissue prior to attaining majority. Donation is permissible but in exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the rules. "The decision of the committee (of the government) of rejecting the representation of the petitioner (minor girl) solely on the ground that the petitioner is a minor is not sustainable," the court said. It directed the hospital, where the man is admitted since Monday (March 30), to set up the panel to examine if there was any potential risk to the girl's life. The court said the panel's decision would be communicated to the government which shall then "forthwith" take a decision on the girl's representation for approval to donate part of her liver to her father. With the direction, the court listed the matter for hearing on April 3. The direction came after the Delhi government's health department, represented by additional standing counsel Naushad Ahmed Khan, told the court that it declined to grant approval to the girl to donate part of her liver as she is under 18 years of age. The girl, in her plea, has said that she will turn 18 by the last week of May, but her father cannot wait till then as he urgently requires a transplant and due to the coronavirus outbreak it would be difficult to find compatible donors. The girl, who is a suitable match for donating part of her liver, needed to get prior approval for the procedure as she is a minor. Under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act of 1994, hospitals/doctors can allow a transplant from a minor relative in exceptional medical grounds but only after prior approval of the appropriate authority, which in the instant case is the Health Secretary of Delhi government, the petition has said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alabama coronavirus deaths remained at 17 on Thursday. Cases went up to 1,261. The coronavirus cases were at 830 on Sunday. It is now in all of the state's 67 counties. Jackson County, the Alabama county closest to Chattanooga, has nine cases. The state's first coronavirus death was an employee of the Jackson County Courthouse at Scottsboro. There are 323 cases at Jefferson County (Birmingham) with five deaths. Shelby County, which is near Birmingham, now has 101 cases and three deaths. Madison County (Huntsville) has 116 cases and one death. Tony Perkins slams churches still gathering during pandemic, calls action defiance of common sense Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Family Research Council President Tony Perkins slammed churches that have continued to gather as the coronavirus pandemic explodes across the county, calling their action a defiance of common sense. Reacting to a recent report by The Christian Post about 43 members of The Life Church of Glenview in Illinois falling ill and at least 10 of them later testing positive for the coronavirus after a revival service earlier this month, Perkins said it was irresponsible and should not be treated as an example of defending religious freedom. At this point, holding public church gatherings in the midst of a public health crisis is not a defense of religious freedom it is a defiance of common sense and the care of your congregation. Spread the Good News, not the virus! tweeted Perkins, whose organization works "to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview." Perkins' tweet came a day after Katherine Stewart, author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, argued in an op-ed in The New York Times that it is the religious rights hostility to science that has crippled the United States response to the new coronavirus. Donald Trump rose to power with the determined assistance of a movement that denies science, bashes government and prioritized loyalty over professional expertise. In the current crisis, we are all reaping what that movement has sown, Stewart wrote. This denial of science and critical thinking among religious ultraconservatives now haunts the American response to the coronavirus crisis, she said before pointing to a number of high-profile Trump supporting pastors who have defied the wisdom of scientific experts on the virus. She pointed to Guillermo Maldonado, a self-described apostle who hosted President Trump earlier this year at a campaign event at his Miami megachurch, who urged his congregants to show up for worship services in person. Do you believe God would bring His people to His house to be contagious with the virus? Of course not, Maldonado said. Rodney Howard-Browne of The River at Tampa Bay Church in Florida also mocked people concerned about the disease as pansies, she noted. In a sermon that was livestreamed on Facebook, Tony Spell, a pastor in Louisiana, noted, Were also going to pass out anointed handkerchiefs to people who may have a fear, who may have a sickness and we believe that when those anointed handkerchiefs go, that healing virtue is going to go on them as well. In an appearance on Fox News, Perkins called Stewarts op-ed hate-filled and bigoted while suggesting it was politically motivated. Its reprehensible that The New York Times would allow this hate-filled, bigoted rant in their paper at a time of national crisis when people are dying. It appears that they cannot put politics aside to work for the well-being of the nation. They are more interested in criticizing President Trump and his supporters than they are containing the coronavirus, he said. He also argued that it is liberals who have trouble with science and not Christians. They are the ones that have a problem with the design of a defined male and female. Christians dont have a problem with science. In fact, while theyre attacking Christians, its the Christians that are out there serving the first responders. In fact, many of the first responders are Christians. Like my daughter whos an evangelical whos working in the hot zone in the ER who volunteered to work with the coronavirus patients, he said. Preliminary research on the response of churches to the coronavirus viewed by The Christian Post Monday shows that a majority of churches have responded to the coronavirus by closing. A minority of churches and other religious organizations across the country have continued to defy warnings to limit gatherings or shut them down altogether to help in stemming the spread of the new coronavirus. In places like New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio says defiant religious organizations will now be shut down if they fail to obey the order to temporarily stop gathering. "If you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice but to shut down those services," de Blasio warned. "I don't say that with any joy, it's the last thing I'd like to do because I understand how important people's faiths are. We need our faiths in this time of crisis but we don't need people to endanger others. A fresh case of coronavirus has been confirmed by the Ekiti State Government, bringing to two the number of cases so far confirmed in the state. The Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua, confirmed the latest development on Wednesday during a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Mr Olumilua, however, said the state Ministry of Health would in due course give full details This second case is confirmed. It was confirmed today (Wednesday) and the victim has been put in isolation centre. We are assuring our people that there is still no cause for alarm. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the disease does not fester in our dear state. You can now see why part of the measures put in place is the total lockdown of the state where movements are restricted to curb the spread. We salute the security agencies for ensuring that the lockdown order issued by Governor Kayode Fayemi is obeyed. We appeal to our people to complement the governments efforts by staying indoors till April 12. We appeal to maintain personal hygiene of hand washing, use of sanitisers and maintenance of social distancing to curb the spread, he said. (NAN) Watch for the Warning Signs Stock Market Prices Trends 3d Illustration The market roller coaster weve witnessed the past few weeks has left investors scrambling for defensive stocks to weather this storm. Rather than opting for just defensive holdings that will survive, there are great businesses that hold massive long-term potential. Here are some of those great stocks to buy, and why they still are great investments for nearly any portfolio. A great opportunity awaits at your convenience Despite most of us remaining in isolation, there are some great businesses that remain open. Gas stations and convenience stores such as those operated by Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX:ATD.B) are one such example. Couche-Tard operates a global network of gas and convenience stores that traverses North America and parts of Europe. Through licensing agreements, the company has operations in Asia. Couche-Tard is also actively pursuing a presence in Australia, having made multiple bids for Caltex as recently as last month. In total, the company has just shy of 15,000 locations in its global network. In terms of results, Couche-Tard reported earnings of US$659.9 million, or US$0.59 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2020. Those numbers represented a noted improvement over the US$612.1 million, or US$0.54 per diluted share, reported in the same period last year. But does that alone make Couche-Tard a great investment? Hardly. Lets take a moment to acknowledge the defensive nature of its business. The defensive nature of Couche-Tards business coupled with its insatiable appetite for growth should excite investors. Convenience stores and gas stations were deemed essential services. People need to gas up, and convenience stores serve communities in isolation. That defensive advantage has left Couche-Tard far less scarred from the market crash than what weve seen elsewhere. So far, Couche-Tard is down 17% year to date, which is faring better than the more than 20% drop the market saw in the same period. Couche-Tard also offers investors a dividend, but the 0.85% yield will hardly be a determining factor. Still, Couche-Tard is committed to growing that dividend and announced a 12% hike last month. Story continues This energy stock is still a great stock to buy. While most of the news pertaining to the market crash stems from the global COVID-19 pandemic, theres another key factor to consider: oil prices. Oil prices have dropped considerably in the past few weeks. In fact, oil prices have now dropped the most since the 1991 Gulf War started to liberate Kuwait. This time, the root of the drop can be traced back to a conflict between Russia and Saudi Arabia. While this adds uncertainty to an already fragile market, it does expose some great investment opportunities. So, how exactly can investors navigate this volatility? Enter Enbridge (TSX:ENB)(NYSE:ENB), which is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies on the planet. Enbridge maintains a massive network of pipelines that traverses the continent, hauling crude and natural gas to refineries and storage facilities. In terms of volume, Enbridge transports more than one-fifth of Canadian crude exports to the U.S. as well as 25% of all the natural gas consumed by the United States. So, how exactly is Enbridge a great investment considering the current price weakness? Enbridge prices use of its extensive pipeline network based on the volume transported, not the price of the commodity. In other words, for as long as demand for oil remains, Enbridge will continue to generate revenue. That revenue, which has been compared to a toll-road network, enables Enbridge to provide investors with a handsome quarterly dividend, making it a great stock to buy. Enbridges dividend currently works out to an appetizing 8.11% yield, and the stock is down just shy of 8% this year. Final thoughts Selecting the right stocks to balance your portfolio in this unprecedented environment remains the key to maintaining long-term growth. An investment in Enbridge and Couche-Tard will not only provide that growth but will help keep your portfolio well diversified. Most important of all, dont panic! There are still plenty of great stocks to buy at greatly discounted prices. The post 2 Great Stocks to Buy in a Crash appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Demetris Afxentiou owns shares of Enbridge. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends ALIMENTATION COUCHE-TARD INC. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 By David Kirton SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - Huawei warned on Tuesday that 2020 would be its most difficult year yet due to American trade restrictions which dealt a blow to its overseas sales in 2019, and predicted the Chinese government would retaliate against the United States. The world's largest maker of telecoms equipment issued the warning as it reported its weakest annual profit growth in three years. It said Beijing could hit back against U.S. measures to restrict chip sales to Huawei, by restricting sales of American products in China and by shifting to alternative suppliers in China and South Korea. "The Chinese government will not just stand by and watch Huawei be slaughtered on the chopping board," Chairman Eric Xu told reporters at the launch of Huawei's annual report. "Why wouldn't the Chinese government ban the use of 5G chips or 5G chip-powered base stations, smartphones and other smart devices provided by American companies, for cybersecurity reasons?" The United States alleges the Chinese government could use Huawei's equipment to spy, an accusation rejected by the company. Washington placed Huawei on a blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns, restricting sales of U.S.-made goods to the company. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is also preparing further measures that will seek to restrict the supply of chips to the company, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters this month. One of the sources said the rule-change is aimed at curbing sales of chips to Huawei by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co <2330.TW>, the world's largest contract chip maker and a major producer of chips for Huawei's HiSilicon division. "Even if this situation you mentioned happened, Huawei and also other Chinese companies can choose to buy chipsets from Samsung from Korea, MTK from Taiwan, and [Unisoc] in China, and use those companies to develop chips," Huawei's Xu said. Story continues Xu, however, predicted 2020 would be the most difficult year yet for the company because of the U.S. measures and warned that further export restrictions could destroy global tech supply chains. SMARTPHONES STRONG Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] said net profit for 2019 came in at 62.7 billion yuan ($8.9 billion), up 5.6% - its weakest growth in three years, and down from 25% jump a year earlier. Its carrier business, which includes 5G mobile network equipment, saw sales rise just 3.8%. Liang Hua, chairman of the board, said the company would have to adapt to the U.S. restrictions as well as the coronavirus pandemic. Overall revenue rose 19% to 858.8 billion yuan, helped by a 34% jump in sales for its consumer business unit, which includes smartphones. That was mainly driven by China, where sales surged 36.2% to 506.7 billion yuan. In contrast, revenue from the Asia-Pacific region excluding China fell 13.9%, while in Europe and the Middle East sales grew just 0.7%. Huawei dominated smartphone sales in China, taking a 38.5% share of the market in 2019 compared with 27% a year earlier, according to research firm Canalys. This was in part due to a boost in nationalist sentiment after the company came under increasing pressure from the United States. It spent 15.3% of its revenue, or 131.7 billion yuan, in research and development last year. Cash flow from operating activities jumped by more than one fifth to 91.4 billion yuan, thanks to a strong performance in its home market. ($1 = 7.0874 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by David Kirton; Editing by Miyoung Kim, Edwina Gibbs and Pravin Char) Two Democratic senators are leading the effort to have American seniors receive their bailout funds automatically. Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are trying to get the IRS to change its guidelines related to the coronavirus relief package that was signed into law by President Trump on Friday, which said Americans 'will need to file a simple tax return to recieve an economic impact payment.' Among those who would need to file a tax return are Social Security recipients, which account for approximately 64 million Americans - many of whom don't file taxes annually. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, is leading the effort to get an IRS rule changed to that seniors on Social Security wouldn't have to file a tax return in order to get their stimulus dollars Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio co-signed a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Andrew Saul arguing the filing requirement would 'place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities' 'This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs during the COVID-19 crisis,' said the letter, addressed to Treasury Secretary and Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul and obtained by NBC News. Other Democrats that signed on to the letter include the party's Senate leadership and present and former 2020 presidential candidates. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat in the Finance Committee, backed the rule clarification. As did Sen. Bernie Sanders, who remains in the 2020 presidential race, though has fallen behind in delegates significantly to Joe Biden, the former vice president. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, who previously dropped out of the Democratic primary race, signed on to the letter too. Hassan's office told NBC that the IRS could use Social Security forms like SSA-1099 or RBR-1099 to track down seniors who would be eligible for the stimulus bucks - and then make payments that way. It wasn't clear whether not filing a tax return would make a Social Security recipient ineligible for payment. The IRS didn't comment to NBC News. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Drugstore chain Walgreens and courier services provider Postmates said they have expanded on-demand delivery to more than 7,000 Walgreens stores nationwide. The companies expect the service will help capitalize on the rising need for home delivery amid the coronavirus pandemic. The two companies noted that the expansion will enable consumers in cities across the country to get home delivery of health and wellness items, including select over-the-counter medications, and other household essentials as well as convenience products. 'Because of Postmates' non-contact delivery options for certain items, Postmates drivers will leave deliveries on doorsteps, keeping these transactions completely contact-less, with no personal interaction required,' said Walgreens President Richard Ashworth. To order the available items, customers can visit Postmates.com or download the Postmates mobile app. They will get access to unlimited free delivery when they subscribe to Postmates membership service, Postmates Unlimited, for $9.99 per month. However, the two companies cautioned that retail inventory remained fluid during the COVID-19 pandemic and some currently high-demand items may not be available in the Postmates inventory. Walgreens is a drugstore chain that operates 9,277 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states in the U.S. Nearly 8 million customers interact with Walgreens in stores and online each day. Postmates delivers products from more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers, many of which are exclusive to Postmates. The company covers 80 percent of U.S. households, across all 50 states. In early March, Walgreens said it expanded its partnership with Postmates to provide consumers on-demand delivery service to 13 cities. The cities include Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Houston. Last October, the companies had rolled-out the Postmates on-demand delivery service of items available at select Walgreens stores in New York City and Brooklyn. 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. President Donald Trump said he felt the drug could help treat Covid-19 (Alex Brandon/AP) A drug hailed by US president Donald Trump as a potential treatment for coronavirus appears to be safe but its effectiveness is still unknown, according to an Oxford-led research team. Hydroxychloroquine is one of the medicines undergoing clinical trials to assess its safety and efficacy. It is used as a treatment against malaria and certain autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. More than 300 researchers from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) international community, including a team from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, have been investigating whether there are serious side effects from the drug. Randomised controlled trials are under way that will define the anti-viral efficacy of this treatment.Dani Prieto-Alhambra The team analysed the medical history of 130,000 patients in Germany, the UK, and the United States who have previously taken the drug, in what researchers said was the largest investigation to date of its safety. Dani Prieto-Alhambra, professor of pharmaco- and device epidemiology at the centre for statistics in medicine at Oxford who led the research, said it is too early to know how effective it is in treating Covid-19 and that further investigations are under way. He said: When administered at the doses used for current indications like rheumatoid arthritis, we have not detected any worrying side effects. We therefore think that its quite a safe medication in general. However, we lack data on its safety when used at higher doses, and it is too early to be able to understand its clinical effectiveness to treat Covid-19. Randomised controlled trials are under way that will define the anti-viral efficacy of this treatment, including research at Oxford using hydroxychloroquine on 3,000 high-risk patients to see if it can alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Well conduct a new study amongst Covid-19 patients when data starts accumulating. The European Medicines Agency has cautioned that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which is also being investigated for its treatment potential, can have serious side effects, especially at high doses or when combined with other medicines. The organisation on Wednesday issued a reminder that patients and healthcare professionals should only use the drugs as prescribed and in clinical trials or emergency use programmes. Hydroxychloroquine was the subject of public sparring between Mr Trump and his governments top infectious disease expert last month over whether it would work in coronavirus treatment. Mr Trump said he disagreed with the notion that there is no magic drug for the coronavirus disease, despite Dr Anthony Fauci saying he could not make any definitive statement about it. While Mr Trump said he agreed that it it may work and it may not work, he added: I feel good about it. Meanwhile, preliminary results from a small study at a hospital in Bergamo provide vital information on an antibody which could be used on Covid-19 patients who have developed serious respiratory complications, an Italian professor said. A third of the first 21 patients treated with siltuximab at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital experienced a clinical improvement with a reduced need for oxygen support and 43% of patients saw their condition stabilise, the study involving UK-based Eusa Pharma concluded. Professor Alessandro Rambaldi, study sponsor-investigator, said: These initial data in siltuximab-treated patients provide vital information to guide decisions regarding appropriate use of siltuximab in both the real-world and new Covid-19 studies. Chennai, April 1 : Manithaneya Makkal Katchi on Tuesday urged Muslims who had returned to Tamil Nadu from Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Delhi to self-report to the Health Department, even as 50 such persons from the southern state have so far tested positive for coronavirus infection. "We and the leaders of the community have appealed to the people who have returned from Delhi to report and get themselves screened," MMK leader M.H. Jawahirullah told IANS. He said that a majority of those who had already reported themselves to the health officials for tests had tested negative. Jawahirullah said those who tested coronavirus positive have been admitted in isolation wards in hospitals. He said about 1,100 persons from Tamil Nadu had attended the Tablighi conference in Delhi, of which about 600 returned. "About 500 persons stayed back in Delhi and are now under the Delhi government care," Jawahirullah said. On Tuesday, Revenue Commissioner J. Radhakrishan appealed to Nizamuddin Markaz attendees to self-declare for tests and other necessary steps. Similarly, officials in several districts have appealed to the attendees to report themselves to health officials for screening. Man, 51, dies of coronavirus in Maharashtra; state death toll at 13 15 tested positive for Covid-19 in Odisha, all had attended Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi Most challenging crisis since World War II, says UN chief on virus Ministry of AYUSH has give guidelines for better health, immunity: PM Modi WHO concerned as death rate doubled in a week India sees huge spike in number of Covid-19 cases, 437 new cases reported The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 800,000 people all over the world, with the global death toll crossing 40,000. The total number of deaths in the US with the 3,400 deaths from Covid-19 has surpassed Chinas official toll of 3,305. Close to 175,000 have been infected across the United States. The US, Italy, Spain, China and Germany are now the five most affected countries in terms of number of confirmed cases. In India, too, the number of novel coronavirus cases continue to climb. According to the Union health ministry, there are 1,834 Covid-19 patients in the country which 41 deaths. Here are the highlights on novel coronavirus from around the world: Research by the University of Washington, released Thursday, predicted the peak will hit Illinois around April 16. Another team of scientists, who advocate for social distancing under the name CovidActNow, have forecast that a wave may not hit until at least May 14, and as late as May 26, depending on how well people avoid spreading the virus. The better residents are at social distancing, the longer it will take for the wave to hit and the milder the wave will be, according to the forecast. The construction of the first pair of the upgraded Project 11711 large amphibious assault ships at the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast is lagging behind the schedule, a source in the shipbuilding industry told TASS on Tuesday. The construction of the first pair of the upgraded Project 11711 large amphibious assault ships at the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast is lagging behind the schedule, a source in the shipbuilding industry told TASS on Tuesday. New Kaliningrad (Picture source: Vitaly Nevar/TASS) The Yantar Shipyard (part of Russias United Shipbuilding Corporation) has initially built two Project 11711 warships: the Ivan Gren has already been delivered to the Russian Navy. The Pyotr Morgunov is the Projects second ship. It is expected to be delivered to the Navy in late May. On April 23, 2019, the Yantar Shipyard laid down two upgraded Project 11711 warships. Yantar officials and also Head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov said earlier that the new warships would considerably differ from their Project 11711 predecessors by larger displacement. They will also have one superstructure instead of two and feature a possibility to carry combat helicopters, they said. Yantar Shipyard CEO Eduard Yefimov said on March 24 that Russias Defense Ministry might order more upgraded Project 11711 large amphibious assault ships in addition to the two vessels already laid down. The Project 11711 lead ship Ivan Gren built at the Yantar Shipyard was delivered to the Russian Navy in June 2018. The shipbuilders are preparing to deliver the second warship of this Project, the Pyotr Morgunov. The Ivan Gren-class warships can carry 13 main battle tanks or 36 armored personnel carriers (infantry fighting vehicles) and up to 300 marines. The amphibious assault ship can also transport a reinforced marine infantry company with organic military hardware and land it with the use of pontoons. The amphibious assault ship Ivan Gren is armed with 30mm six-barrel artillery systems and two Kamov Ka-29 transport/attack helicopters in its deck hangars. Copyright 2020 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Paradigm Initiative has urged the government of Ghana and Nigeria not to block the telephone lines or access of citizens to emergency services in this critical time. A statement released by Ghana's Ministry of Communications alleged that over 99% of calls made to the emergency line provided for COVID-19 response were prank calls and that the government will henceforth block prank callers. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government may be considering the same measures and more, having alleged that it is facing similar challenges. In a time as this, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecommunication companies (Telcos) have a huge responsibility to make their services available to aid information flow from and to the authorities, especially as there is a natural tendency for citizens to panic and seek answers to many questions they will have. The worst response to imagine in the middle of this global pandemic, however, is denying access to users as a measure against irrelevant calls to COVID-19 emergency call centers. At this critical time, access might just be the thin line between life and death for many citizens. The government should expand its capacity to receive multiple calls and come up with innovative strategies instead of clamping down on citizens. This is not the best of times and it is not just important that rights are respected but the government must not introduce measures that complicate an already complicated situation. Nigeria and Ghana like many other countries in the world have acknowledged the challenges with the capacity to test broadly. Therefore if the two countries must compare notes, it should be about increasing the capacity to test, isolate and treat confirmed cases, encourage social distancing, introduce welfare measures and ensure citizens are protected. It is statistically impossible that 99% of calls to the emergency line are prank calls as alleged by Ghana's Ministry of Communication. It is very easy to infer that panic calls, curious calls and calls from those who may not be symptomatic but have genuine fears are being categorized as prank calls. A prank call by definition is made to make a joke or play a trick. We do not agree with Ghana's Ministry of Education that up to 99% of callers to the emergency centers are doing so just to play a trick or make a joke and even if it is so, it is a reflection of the panic and fear that makes people want to know if the number that is supposed to save their lives is working. It is important not to use the excuse of fake news around COVID-19 to clamp down on loud dissenting voices as that will be a major mistake at a time when we all need to work together on combatting misinformation, including encouraging those working to get life-saving information to citizens who need them. We endorse interventions and support being offered by the private sector and volunteers to ensure that the government is not overwhelmed. We, however, strongly advise the government to avoid emotional reactions that may deny citizens, access to health care and essential services at a time when movements are being restricted. We also call on citizens not to panic but follow guidelines provided by the official Disease Control institutions in their respective countries and the World Health Organisation as we all seek to protect ourselves and our loved ones from being victims in this trying time. New York state is re-evaluating guidance that lets most landscapers and horticulture businesses continue operating during a statewide shutdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Landscapers, greenhouse operators and other groundskeepers, who last week got what they saw as permission to stay open from New Yorks Department of Agriculture and Markets, might now be forced to close down. Others are left in limbo to interpret how the states rules apply to them. Many of these businesses do agriculture or maintenance-adjacent work. Farming and maintenance were two services marked as exempt in Gov. Andrew Cuomos directive ordering the statewide shutdown. But the initial order didnt address landscaping specifically, leaving individual business owners and workers confused and frustrated. They called or wrote to syracuse.com with their questions. On March 24, the states Department of Agriculture and Markets appeared to shed some light on the situation, releasing a guidance document specifically for horticulture businesses. Throughout the last two weeks, the states orders have changed as officials work to find the best strategies for fighting the coronavirus. Some businesses have been added to the states essential list, and others removed. Ag & Markets spokesman Dave Bullard said his department was working to update the guidance for horticulture businesses. New York State is currently re-evaluating its March 24, 2020 guidance for horticultural operations and is working to provide clarity for these businesses, Bullard said. In the meantime, these businesses are subject to the workforce reductions requirements outlined in the [the governors order.]" Now landscapers find themselves back at square one. If a business such as a nursery or greenhouse sells fruits or vegetables, it would appear to be exempt under the agriculture exception. Other exceptions, like essential construction or maintenance, might also apply. Bullard said in a statement Ag & Markets would do its best to update individuals and industry groups. We remain in close communication with the horticulture industry across the State to keep them informed, he said. Have a question about your industry? Contact Reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Coronavirus: Its not just the elderly who are at risk of severe illness Parents make heart-wrenching decision to not visit newborn until coronavirus scare passes Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Photo: The Canadian Press Peace Arch Canada/USA border crossing in Surrey, B.C. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the United States appears to have backed off on its plan to send soldiers to the Canada-U.S. border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had been floating the idea to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials keep migrants from crossing the border between official entry points. The prospect of U.S. soldiers along the world's longest unmilitarized border prompted strong opposition from the Prime Minister's Office and diplomatically pointed language from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Freeland had said such a move would be damaging to Canada's relationship with the United States. But Trudeau's language suggests the idea may not be completely off the table. He says that while Canada has "heard" that the U.S. is standing down, officials will continue to engage in discussions as new circumstances develop. Some Korean nationals overseas will start casting their ballots from Wednesday ahead of the April 15 general election, but nearly half are deprived of their franchise by the coronavirus epidemic. Forty-one diplomatic missions in 25 countries will not allow overseas voting, affecting over 80,000 potential voters. Korea does not allow citizens who live abroad to vote by mail. The National Election Commission has refused to consider postal voting, laying itself wide open to civil-rights lawsuits down the line. Registered voters in relatively unaffected countries will be able to cast their ballots from Wednesday until next Monday at Korean consulates and embassies. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is under mounting pressure over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, with critics warning he has not done enough to stop the spread of the virus in the country. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has risen rapidly to a total of 1528 on Tuesday, prompting growing calls from governors for strict provincial lockdowns to stop the annual mudik (return home), when up to 20 million people leave major cities to go back to their villages for religious holidays. A truck sprays disinfectant to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Credit:AP In a sign of the growing tensions between Joko's central government and provincial governors, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, said that between March 6 and 29, his city buried 283 people in line with coronavirus protocols, though not all the dead had confirmed cases of the disease. Given the national government has stated the country-wide death toll is 136, Anies' comments suggest what is already widely suspected the number of dead and infections could already be much higher than official figures. They also highlight the inadequate testing rates in Indonesia, which may be significantly under-counting the cases. The Trump administration said Tuesday it would not reopen Obamacare enrollment to allow uninsured Americans to buy health coverage during the coronavirus pandemic. The decision comes after the White House told lawmakers and insurers it was considering a special enrollment period in addition to the usual Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 window for the federally run exchange that covers roughly two-thirds of states. Eleven largely Democratic-leaning states and D.C. have temporarily reopened their health insurance exchanges, CNN reports, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The type of person that might need additional coverage at the moment would be many of the workers thrust to the front lines of the pandemic response: from cooks to cleaners, delivery people, and grocery store workers. Advertisement Democratic lawmakers had called on the White House to open the federally run exchanges for some 30 million Americans who remain uninsured and, after initial hesitation from the health insurance industry over the prospect of being hit with a deluge of coronavirus-related claims, the main insurance lobby, Americas Health Insurance Plans, endorsed the special enrollment period roughly two weeks ago while also urging lawmakers to expand premium subsidies to make coverage more affordable for middle-income people, Politico reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the risk posed by Covid-19, it is more important than ever for people to have health coverage, the CEOs of Americas Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association wrote in a letter to Congress in mid-March. Insurers told Politico they had expected the Trump White House to announce a special enrollment period last week after receiving private assurances from the administration that the exchanges would be reopened. The coronavirus has already put intense pressure on the job market, and with the economic toll of the pandemic expected to worsen over the coming weeks, millions of newly unemployed workers who previously had insurance through their employer will likely be in need of health insurance options. Workers who lose their health insurance through their employer are eligible to buy a plan on a federal or state exchange for up to 60 days after becoming unemployed. The Trump administration did not give any reason for refusing to reopen the health insurance marketplace during the pandemic, but President Donald Trump has publicly supported the umpteenth GOP legal effort, this one led by Republican governors, to destroy the Affordable Care Act once and for all. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, which could put the 10-year-old law, and the 20 million Americans who get health coverage from it, in jeopardy. One should not be risking the safety of millions of citizens to solve probems of several thousands, Arsen Avakov said Open source The further evacuation of Ukrainians from abroad - those who could not return to motherland before the border was shut down on March 27 - would be inappropriate. Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's Interior Minister, made the respective statement on Facebook. "The Interior Ministry will not provide any consent on any aviation charter [flight] anymore. The passenger air traffic is closed. The exceptions will be rare and only due to a separate decision, with 100-percent obligatory observation under control of sanitary doctors with the following PCR tests", reads his message. He claimed that one should not be risking the safety of millions of citizens to solve problems of several thousands. The Minister was outraged with the fact that many citizens ignored President Zelensky's call to return to Ukraine due to the approaching epidemic; the original address appeared on March 13. "Every third one who returned with that scandalous arranged flight yesterday... left the country to Bali... on March 13, 14 and 15 (!!!)", Avakov wrote. He considered such actions of compatriots unacceptable, referring to the statistics of the coronavirus morbidity rate. "People who returned by planes make more than 75 percent of cases of morbidity with coronavirus in Kyiv. Another 25 percent is the secondary infection from the same people - already in Kyiv..." the Minister wrote. OSTERSUND, Sweden, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed a contract with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) for preconstruction services and site demolition related to the New York City Public Health Lab in New York City, USA. The contract is worth USD 34 M, about SEK 330 M, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter of 2020. Skanska will provide design and constructability reviews, estimating and the demolition of three buildings at the Harlem Hospital complex. Demolition began in February 2020 and is scheduled for completion in July 2021. Skanska is one of the leading construction and development companies in USA, specializing in building construction, civil infrastructure and developing commercial properties in select U.S. markets. Skanska USA had sales of SEK 74 billion and about 7,900 employees in its operations in 2019. For further information please contact: Pamela Monastra, Senior Vice President, Skanska USA, +1 770 639 4505 Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94 Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99 This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-provides-preconstruction-services-and-site-demolition-in-new-york-city---usa-for-usd-34-m--a,c3078381 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3078381/1222035.pdf 20200401 US preconstruction services SOURCE Skanska UTICA, N.Y. Oneida County has announced Tuesday its first death from the coronavirus pandemic. County Executive Anthony Picente announced during an afternoon briefing that the victim, who was not identified, died on Monday. No other details were released about the person. I am very saddened and sorry to report today that the first Oneida County resident to succumb to COVID-19 ... it occurred yesterday, Picente told reporters. In the Central New York region, Oneida County joins Onondaga and Madison counties as having a single resident who has died from the coronavirus. Herkimer County has reported two deaths from COVID-19. Picente said there were eight new cases reported in the county as of this afternoon, bringing the total number of cases to 46. The county executive said there currently are eight county residents hospitalized with COVID-19, and two other residents are hospitalized elsewhere. In New York state, 1,550 people have died of coronavirus as of Tuesday, according to state officials. The number of people testing positive is now at 76,007 as of Tuesday. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources 7 workers at St. Josephs Hospital test positive for coronavirus Cuomo: Need for budget cuts in state is ugly and painful truth Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Coronavirus unemployment: Cant reach New York labor department? Youre not alone New York state cancels April break for schools due to coronavirus pandemic; lessons must continue Nolan Weidner is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached by call or text at 315.247.7419 or via email at nweidner@syracuse.com. GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Edges Higher as Eurozones Manufacturing Sector Suffers The Pound to Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate rose by over 0.7% today after Marchs final Eurozone Markit Manufacturing PMI fell to a worse-than-expected 44.5, dragging the blocs strongest sector deeper into contraction territory. The pairing is currently trading around 1.131. Chris Williamson, the Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, commented: Even the slide in the PMI to a seven-and-a-half year low masks the severity of the slump in manufacturing as it includes a measure of supply chain delays, which boosted the index. Supply delays are normally seen as a sign of rising demand, but at the moment near-record delays are an indication of global supply chains being decimated by factory closures around the world. The Euro (EUR) is also being challenged by the Eurozones approach to fiscal measures, with Northern European countries Germany, Netherlands and Australia rejecting the coronabonds measure forwarded by countries such as Italy and Spain to help aid their respective economies through the coronavirus crisis. Spains Foreign Minister, Arancha Gonzalez, describes the situation: We are in this EU boat together. We hit an unexpected iceberg. We all share the same risk. No time for discussions about first- and second-class tickets History will hold us responsible for what we do now. The EUR/GBP exchange suffers from increasing concerns over the solidarity in the Euro-area, with tensions now rising over how the EU will manage finances as the Covid-19 crisis continues to escalate. GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Increases on Hopes of UK-EU Brexit Talk Delay The Pound (GBP) rose against the Euro (EUR) despite todays release of the UK Markit Manufacturing PMI for March sinking deeper into contraction territory at 47.8. Rob Dobson, the Director at IHS Markit, commented: The latest survey numbers underscore how the global outbreak of COVID-19 is causing huge disruptions to production, demand and supply chains at UK manufacturers. Output and new orders fell at the fastest rates since mid- 2012, while supplier delivery times lengthened to the greatest extent in the 28-year survey history as shortages grew more widespread. Sterling received a boost from increasing hopes of an extension to the UK-EU Brexit negotiation period. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now expected to delay talks due to the coronavirus crisis. As a result, the Pound (GBP) has edged higher on increasing odds of the UK and the EU securing an agreed-upon trade deal sometime next year or beyond. Looking Ahead: Could the UK Lockdown Weaken Sterling This Week? The Pound (GBP) will continue to be driven by coronavirus developments this week. Any further signs of the British economy coming under strain due to the nationwide lockdown, however, would prove GBP-negative. Meanwhile, the Euro (EUR) will likely remain subdued as the EU continues to tackle the blocks coronavirus outbreak. If Italy or Spain show signs of improvement with the number of coronavirus cases beginning to decrease the single currency could claw back some of its losses against its peers. Authorities in Delhi and Punjab have stepped in to evacuate around 210 people who have been stranded at a gurdwara in Majnu Ka Tilla in North Delhi since 28 March; the people are being shifted to a school in Nehru Vihar where they will be quarantined Around 210 people have been stranded at a gurdwara in Majnu Ka Tilla in North Delhi since 28 March after the government announced a 21-day lockdown to restrict the spread of the novel coronavirus. Authorities in Delhi and Punjab have stepped in to evacuate the people and are shifting them to a school in Nehru Vihar where they will be quarantined. Along with pilgrims, other people were also taking shelter in the gurdwara after the lockdown came into effect on 25 March. The area has been cordoned off and the gurdwara and the area in its vicinity are being sanitised. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted an appeal to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to provide help and take immediate action to rescue the people. It would be a disaster if any one of them is COVID-19 positive, Sirsa said. https://twitter.com/mssirsa/status/1244950683213647872?s=20 Sirsa, a BJP legislator, said that people from Noida, Faridabad, Gurugram walked near the gurdwara in anticipation that they would get buses to Punjab. Click here for LIVE updates on coronavirus None of the 205 people stranded are gurdwara employees or related to them. They are the ones who have come here to seek shelter, he added. There had been no cases of infected people and the doctors are completely monitoring and checking them, he said. https://twitter.com/mssirsa/status/1245273203393441794?s=20 The incident comes within a few hours after several people linked to a religious congregation at a Nizamuddin markaz were tested positive for coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic raging across the world has affected over 1,600 people in India, killing 38. The national capital so far reported 120 confirmed cases. Globally, the virus has affected over 8 lakh people. You are here: World Flash The Chinese Embassy in Sudan on Tuesday handed over 400,000 surgical masks to the Sudanese government to help the country fight against the novel coronavirus. A ceremony for the donation was held at the headquarters of Sudan's Council of Ministers in Khartoum, which was attended by senior Sudanese officials and Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin. Ma voiced China's willingness to support Sudan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "The Chinese government and people will firmly stand side by side with the Sudanese people and do as much as we can to help with Sudan's fight," said Ma. Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs Omer Manis expressed Sudan's readiness to learn from China's experience in facing the coronavirus. "We are very pleased to learn from the experience of the friends in China in facing this epidemic," said Manis. Expressing Sudan's deep appreciation for China's help, Manis said the solidarity will "strengthen our relations in the different fields of cooperation." MBABANE - Was he assaulted or the police were doing their job? That was the question that arose when a local well-known artist, Liyanda Popzin Mkhonta , narrated to the publication how he was allegedly assaulted by police this past weekend. He said they came to his homestead situated in Manzini, Fairview, where they allegedly searched his refrigerators looking for alcohol. Yes they did come to my home, they searched all refrigerators. I think they thought we were selling alcohol at home as we have more than one refrigerator, he alleged. Searching While they were searching the main house he was allegedly taken by the police because he questioned them on why they were searching his homestead. I only asked why they were searching the main house. They asked me where I was from and I told them. They said I was disrespecting them, batsi ngiyabhodla and they manhandled me, he alleged. While they were allegedly manhandling him, his mother was said to have pleaded for mercy as they were dragging him out of the homestead. They told me that they wanted to make an example out of me of what they did to people who disrespect police officers as they put me into back of a van calling me a mamas boy, he alleged. Popzin shared that he was pleading for mercy during the encounter. He alleged that they drove around with him searching different homesteads. I thought they were taking me to the nearest police station but they were driving around New Village knocking at different homesteads. When we arrived at one of the known bottle stores at Moyamunye, they dropped me off and assaulted me for alleged disrespect, he said. He alleged that when he asked the officers to call his lawyer, they said, Sifuna kukukhombisa kutsi kute ummeli la loosely translated to we want to show you that there is no lawyer. He was allegedly dropped off and left stranded in the middle of the night. I did not have any airtime, but thanks to one owner of a bottle store who came to my rescue and took me home, said Popzin. He said he reported the matter at the police station and was thereafter rushed to hospital. Birmingham police are conducting a homicide investigation after a man was found dead from a gunshot wound Tuesday afternoon in Ensley. West Precinct officers responded to the 1100 block of 16th Street Ensley just after 5 p.m. following a ShotSpotter call of multiple rounds, said Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Rod Mauldin. The male victim, who was not identified, was found outside his car with a gunshot wound by officers. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene and pronounced the man dead. Mauldin said the investigation into the deadly shooting is in its early stages and that police do not yet have a suspect. Anyone with information on the incident was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777 or the Birmingham Police Departments Homicide Unit at 205-254-1765. One thing we could say about the analysts on Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) - they aren't optimistic, having just made a major negative revision to their near-term (statutory) forecasts for the organization. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as the analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously. Following the latest downgrade, the current consensus, from the 16 analysts covering Royal Caribbean Cruises, is for revenues of US$7.5b in 2020, which would reflect a sizeable 32% reduction in Royal Caribbean Cruises' sales over the past 12 months. After this downgrade, the company is anticipated to report a loss of US$1.69 in 2020, a sharp decline from a profit over the last year. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$11b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$8.57 in 2020. There looks to have been a major change in sentiment regarding Royal Caribbean Cruises' prospects, with a sizeable cut to revenues and the analysts now forecasting a loss instead of a profit. View our latest analysis for Royal Caribbean Cruises NYSE:RCL Past and Future Earnings April 1st 2020 The consensus price target fell 10% to US$87.44, implicitly signalling that lower earnings per share are a leading indicator for Royal Caribbean Cruises' valuation. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Royal Caribbean Cruises at US$165 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$19.00. So we wouldn't be assigning too much credibility to analyst price targets in this case, because there are clearly some widely differing views on what kind of performance this business can generate. With this in mind, we wouldn't rely too heavily on the consensus price target, as it is just an average and analysts clearly have some deeply divergent views on the business. Story continues Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 32%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 5.7% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 8.6% next year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Royal Caribbean Cruises is expected to lag the wider industry. The Bottom Line The biggest low-light for us was that the forecasts for Royal Caribbean Cruises dropped from profits to a loss this year. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. Given the scope of the downgrades, it would not be a surprise to see the market become more wary of the business. Worse, Royal Caribbean Cruises is labouring under a substantial debt burden, which - if today's forecasts prove accurate - the forecast downgrade could potentially exacerbate. To see more of our financial analysis, you can click through to our free platform to learn more about its balance sheet and specific concerns we've identified. Another thing to consider is whether management and directors have been buying or selling stock recently. We provide an overview of all open market stock trades for the last twelve months on our platform, here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Grocery giant Costco has enacted a new rule to limit crowding in its stores across the country as the company faces a surge in business and sees items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer fly off the shelves. Costco announced Wednesday that starting Friday April 3 only two people per membership card will be allowed into stores at a time. 'Costco will allow no more than two people to enter the warehouse with each membership card. This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding,' the store said in a statement. Costco members had been allowed to bring two guests per membership card as well as their children. Now they will only be allowed to bring one guest per card. Costco announced Wednesday that starting Friday April 3 only two people per membership card will be allowed into stores at a time. Costco members were previously allowed to bring two guests per membership card as well as their children. Now they will only be allowed to bring one guest per card. A Costco customer in Aurora, Colorado pictured on Wednesday March 25 Its not clear if this new rule would allow exceptions for parents or caregivers shopping with children. The store has already implemented limits on certain in-demand items that the public can buy, including toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wipes and disinfectant. It has also increased its sanitization of frequently touched surfaces like shopping cart handles and merchandise shelves. For the vulnerable elderly, the store is opening warehouses from 8am to 9am on Tuesday through Thursday for members over the age of 60 or those with physical impairments. Costco shared this open letter to employees alerting them about changes in light of the COVID-19 epidemic People wearing masks line up to enter a Costco store amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 28 in San Francisco, California So far Costco locations across the country have cut back hours, set special shopping times for the elderly and set limits on high-demand items like toilet paper. A Florida Costco store pictured March 26 The store has also reduced hours at its national locations in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. It has also banned the returns of toilet paper, paper towels, and sanitizing wipes. Costco CEO Craig Jelinek shared an open letter to customers saying the effort was to avoid spreading COVID-19 in the midst of a giant surge in business as most businesses are shuttered in state-wide lockdowns. 'As many of you have noticed, we've experienced a surge of business during this time,' Jelinek said. 'As a result, we've taken steps to control the number of members in our warehouses and asked that members and employees practice social distancing.' 'While the circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary, we thank you for your patience and cooperation.' Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday that 503 people, including 72 foreigners, who attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area earlier this month have been traced in the state. He said that health teams are at their job after Haryana police traced the congregation attendees in various districts including Gurgaon and Ambala. On the purpose of this group entering Haryana, the minister said that after attending the congregation they are assigned duties and sent to different places across India to preach. "They stay in mosques, go to people's homes and hold meetings." Vij, who also holds the Health Department portfolio, said, "503 of them came to Haryana and those include 72 foreigners. Among those, who are to be quarantined or isolated is being decided by the health teams." He said in Ambala Cantonment, the seat he represents in the Assembly, samples of four members of this group, who are being treated as symptomatic, have been sent for testing while 40 others in Ambala have been quarantined. "Most of the 503 people came from Tamil Nadu. Among foreigners, some are from Nepal," Vij said. "Medical examination of all the 503 Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation attendees traced in the state will be conducted. Those who show symptoms will be admitted to hospitals, kept in isolation wards and their samples tested. All those who could have come into contact with them will be quarantined," the minister said. He, however, said that it has not been established yet how many have come in their contact. About reports that the group could have entered Haryana after the lockdown was imposed, Vij replied, "Then action will be taken according to law." The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus, following which a major area has been sealed and an FIR lodged against its cleric for violating government orders. The Telangana government said on Monday that six people who attended the religious congregation between March 13 and 15 died due to coronavirus. Subsequently, authorities across the country swung into action to trace the contacts of those who went to the gathering, attended by hundreds of people, including from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. The Delhi police registered an FIR against Maulana Saad of the Nizamuddin centre under sections of Epidemic Disease Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code for violating government orders on management of the markaz in relation to social, political or religious gathering. The Delhi government had earlier said 24 people, who took part in the congregation earlier this month, have tested positive for coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Noted Indian-origin virologist dies of COVID-19 in South Africa Indian-origin virologist died in South Africa after contracting COVID-19. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Gita Ramjee Indian-origin virologist Gita Ramjee died in South Africa after contracting the novel coronavirus. The country has seen 5 deaths because of COVID-19 so far. Ramjee, a vaccine scientist and an HIV prevention research leader, reportedly returned from London a week ago but was asymptomatic. "We are deeply saddened to inform you of the tragic passing of Prof Gita Ramjee in hospital today," said a statement issued by South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) President and CEO Glenda Gray. "Prof Ramjee died of COVID-19 related complications." 64-year-old Ramjee was the Clinical Trials Unit Principal Investigator and Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit of the SAMRC offices in Durban. Aurum is deeply saddened by the death of its Chief Scientific Officer Prof Gita Ramjee, world renowned for her tireless work to find HIV prevention solutions for women. Group CEO Gavin Churchyard, described her as; "a bold & compassionate leader in the response to HIV." pic.twitter.com/9DvcjfInlh The Aurum Institute (@Auruminstitute) March 31, 2020 In 2018, Ramjee was presented the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in Lisbon by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP) for her commitment to finding new HIV prevention methods, which are conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women are faced with. By now, every frontline healthcare worker is aware of the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) across Ontario. This has been clear for weeks as physicians, nurses and other medical staff have been forced to ration existing supplies. This means limiting the numbers of masks worn and cleaning face shields between patients. Dwindling numbers of gowns and gloves will also soon require similar conservation efforts. Our experience is beginning to mirror the timeline and severity of other COVID-19 epicentres, where doctors and nurses have been begging governments for enough PPE to do their jobs safely. These pleas have largely fallen on deaf ears at all levels of government across the globe. This is no different here in Ontario, where federal and provincial obfuscation has been the hallmark of the PPE shortage response by government. Incredibly, late last week, both the Prime Minister and Ontarios health minister made deceptively dangerous claims that there was adequate supply of protective equipment. Not only is this patently false, it is an insult to frontline healthcare workers who are risking their lives to serve the country during its time of need. The statements by our elected officials are contradicted by the various activities of civil society, including PPE drives by various hospitals and private industrys attempt to bolster domestic production. How can we possibly have adequate supply if our healthcare system is depending on charitable donations to ensure the safety of our frontlines? Shamefully, these governments in charge have not even acknowledged the shortages we face. As they hide behind carefully selected legal language, healthcare workers will continue to be subjected to unsafe working conditions while patients succumb to the illness. Months into this crisis, it is unconscionable that our officials still refuse to tell us the exact number of gowns, gloves, masks, shields and ventilators that are on hand in stockpiles, how many are expected to be needed, and when the orders they have placed will be delivered. The lack of transparency echoes the way President Trump has handled the crisis in the United States. In similar ways, our leaders have also failed to take responsibility. Crucially, if the protection of our healthcare workers cannot be guaranteed, it is conceivable that the government risks a class-action lawsuit like in France. What needs to happen now is for our governments to come clean with Canadians. The federal government needs to invoke the Emergencies Act so it can coordinate a national response. Realtime data on PPE numbers and ICU capacity should be transparently shared with the public and frontline healthcare providers so we can all continue keeping our collective foot on the gas. This is so important because, in truth, were in early innings of this ballgame. If we have any hope of succeeding, we have to quickly realize that were on the same team. This starts with trusting each other. It starts with being open and honest, regardless of how frightening our reality is right now. An eastern Missouri sheriffs department has reached a $2 million settlement with a man who spent more than three years in prison for his wifes killing before the conviction was overturned, his lawyers said. An insurance company has agreed pay the money to Russell Faria, of Lincoln County, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Hes thrilled, said one of Farias attorneys, Joel Schwartz. Lawyers for the three current and former Lincoln County Sheriffs Department officers named in the suit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Elizabeth Betsy Faria was killed in 2011. Russell Faria was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though he insisted that the crime was committed by his wifes friend, Pamela Hupp, who has never been charged in Betsy Farias killing and has denied that she did it. Farias conviction was overturned in 2013 and he was found not guilty at a retrial. Meanwhile, Hupp was convicted of killing a mentally disabled man in 2016 and is now serving life in prison without parole. Faria alleged in the lawsuit that he was arrested without probable cause, that police fabricated evidence and failed to investigate Hupp. Lawyers for police are not admitting wrongdoing in the settlement, Farias lawyers said. Faria found his wife dead in December 2011. She had been stabbed an estimated 55 times. She was dying of cancer at the time. Hupp was the last known person to see Betsy Faria alive and had been named the new beneficiary of a $150,000 life insurance policy days before the killing. Hupp is now imprisoned for fatally shooting 33-year-old Louis Gumpenberger in August 2016 at Hupps home in OFallon. She entered a 2019 plea that didnt admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction. In that bizarre case, Hupp staged a fake kidnapping to divert attention from herself in a re-investigation of the Faria killing, prosecutors said. They claim she cruised St. Charles County, claiming to be a producer for NBCs Dateline in need of help reenacting a 911 call, and recruited Gumpenberger, who had mental and physical disabilities from an accident. Hupp shot Gumpenberger while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, claiming that Gumpenberger had kidnapped her at knife-point. St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said her claims unraveled quickly upon investigation. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Missouri The $2.2 trillion federal stimulus and stability package partially authored by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal includes more than $375 billion in small business relief. That includes $349 billion for forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and keep them on the payroll; $17 billion for debt relief for current and new SBA borrowers; and $10 billion in immediate disaster grants. But on Tuesday, business and nonprofit leaders told the Springfield Democrat about the limitations of the program and their fear that small businesses wont survive long enough during the coronavirus lockdown to take even get the loan. What happens in the interim, asked Greylock Federal Credit Union President and CEO John L. Bissell Tuesday during a telephone town hall with Neal. Again, we are concerned. We may lose some of these small businesses that would have preferred to keep going. It was the second telephone town hall for Neal, whose district includes Greylocks Pittsfield headquarters. Neal is chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee charged with writing tax law and overseeing the Internal Revenue Service. He and Dr. James Lederer of Berkshire Health System answered questions about the spread of the virus and supplies. Neal also discussed the unfolding situation at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Neal said he and his congressional colleagues worked with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchen on the plan so it puts the loans out into the economy through the U.S. Small Business Administration and its lending partners: community banks and credit unions, across the country. "We think you know your customer best," Neal said. Neal said the concern is legitimate. "That was one of the challenges that we had," Neal said. "The challenge is to get the money into the pipeline." Benjamin Quick , executive director of the nonprofit Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club said payroll is his most pressing worry with club training and competitions over for the time being. He said his bank had no information for him on ways to take advantage of the programs. Later Wednesday, the SBA and Treasury Department announced what they called a "robust mobilization effort" of banks and other lending institutions to provide small businesses with the capital. Neal also spoke about his desire to get individual payments -- $1,200 for most single tax filers-- out to people and into the economy. He said its a problem that the IRS is asking low income folks who dont normally file a tax return file one just to get the check. Folks had to do that in order to get stimulus checks during the Great Recession. Tuesday, Neal called for using Medicaid records to get checks to people who are on the lower income scale. He also predicted another round of stimulus that would include an infrastructure building plan: roads, bridges, rail, harbors, airports and broadband. It's a theme President Donald Trump also hit Tuesday One caller Tuesday asked about broadband internet connectivity , saying it's an especially important issue now with kids home from school trying to do homework. Neal said hes already helped with federal funding for broadband expansion but more needs to be done. Related Content: China clamps down on coronavirus test kit exports after accuracy questioned FILE PHOTO: Reuters reporter Brenda Goh receives a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 in Wuhan By Roxanne Liu and Alexandra Harney BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Beijing is stepping up its oversight of exports of coronavirus test kits after several European countries complained about the accuracy of some Chinese-made tests. Chinese exporters of coronavirus tests must now obtain a registration certificate from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in order to be cleared by Chinas customs, the NMPA said in a statement late on Tuesday. Beijing had been encouraging Chinese firms to export test kits and other supplies to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a surge of companies offering kits to countries desperate to get a handle on the fast-moving and highly contagious disease. Some Chinese test kit makers had been taking advantage of easier European Union regulations to get their products into the market before they were approved at home. In March, Lei Chaozi, an official with the Ministry of Education, said China-made testing kits had already been supplied to 11 countries, including the UK, Italy and the Netherlands. But the accuracy of some Chinese tests marketed overseas without Chinese approval have been questioned by European health authorities. Spain withdrew a batch of rapid tests manufactured by Chinese diagnostics firm Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology after the product was found to have low sensitivity, which means they were unable to detect infection sufficiently. Bioeasy said in a statement last week the inaccurate readings could be because samples were not collected and processed correctly. Bioeasy said it failed to adequately communicate with clients on how to use the test. Separately, a spokeswoman from Chinas foreign ministry said last week that Slovak government officials had questioned the reliability of rapid tests purchased from China. The preliminary conclusion from the Chinese consulate in Slovakia was that the inaccuracies were the result of medical workers using the kit incorrectly, the spokeswoman said. Story continues The Slovak government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ANTIGEN TESTS Bioeasy's rapid tests, as well as the tests questioned by Slovak officials, are antigen tests, a method that targets the virus' protein to detect infection and can deliver results more quickly than the alternative nucleic acid method. But antigen tests require higher level of virus load and therefore could fail to diagnose people correctly when the samples only contain small amount of virus, Dr. Chen Guangjie, an immunology professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University, told Reuters. New coronavirus test makers in China are entering the European market during a transition between two regulatory systems. A stricter rule will come into force in 2022 that will require many infectious disease diagnostic product manufacturers to follow procedures that can take up to a year or more to get a CE mark that indicates approval to be legally sold in European countries. Current regulations used by several Chinese companies allow manufacturers to obtain CE Mark after submitting a dossier of documents without compulsory verification by authorized third-parties. Now, China's tightened scrutiny is interrupting test manufacturers' overseas expansion plans. Xi'an Tianlong Science and Technology, a Chinese firm which received the CE Mark in March and has been in the process of churning out testing reagents that can supply tests for over one million people, told Reuters it now can't meet its export orders. "Our reagents don't have (NMPA) certificate and cannot be exported," the company's marketing director Feng Zhenzhen said, adding the firm is "actively" applying for Chinese regulator's approval. Jam Chan, marketing general manager at Osmunda, a service firm that advises Chinese medical product firms on getting overseas approvals, said many recently developed tests in China haven't gone through strict clinical trials, which means the self-declared accuracy rate printed on the products is not properly validated. "Better not exporting products than offering inaccurate products that can lead to fake results," said Chan. "The quality of products that have been through domestic review before being exported is at least guaranteed to some extent." (This story has been refiled to remove extraneous word "spokeswoman" in paragraph 9) (Reporting by Roxanne Liu in Beijing and Alexandra Harney in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom, Tomas Mrva in Bratislava, Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Belen Carreno in Madrid; Editing by Lincoln Feast) The Adani Foundation has contributed Rs 50 lakhs towards ISKCON, Dwarka to feed the underprivileged population in Delhi. "ISKCON is providing meals to more than one lakh people on a daily basis. The foundation's financial aid will boost their efforts as it plans to reach out to more than four lakh people daily in the near future," read a statement. It said that Adani Foundation is feeding this section of the society through community kitchens and canteens being run in various sites across the country where it is operational. More than 11,000 packets of food and ration are being distributed each day at Mundra (Gujarat), Godda (Jharkhand), Kawai (Rajasthan), Dhamra (Odisha) and Vizhinjam (Kerala) everyday. A total of 20,883 labourers and people in the rural communities are given meals each day. It is also providing ration supplies to community kitchens that are running in full force to feed the communities. Amidst all the widespread measures being taken to contain COVID-19, Adani Foundation has stepped up to guard the health and well-being of the rural population at various locations. It has provided personal protection kits for the health workers and doctors at the SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad, to ensure the safety of medical professionals who are working tirelessly, the statement said. Also, more than 1,000 masks were distributed to police personnel and health workers in Ahmedabad, while more than 400 packets of food, mineral water and sanitary kits are being provided at various locations in the city. Moreover, GK General Hospital in Bhuj is the only coronavirus treatment centre in entire Kutch district. "It is the first ever hospital in India that is being run as a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) endeavour between Government of Gujarat and Adani Foundation. The hospital is now equipped with additional ventilators and other necessary equipment. Facilities are being amped up on a regular basis to deal with the urgency of the situation," the statement added. Adani Foundation is also sanitising public spaces in villages near Kawai (Rajasthan), Godda (Jharakhand) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh). With support from the district administration of Godda, 100 women from the foundation's Phoolo Jhano Saksham Ajivika Sakhi Mandal (PJSASM) are engaged in making masks. This Self-Help Group (SHG) of women, who were imparted training at Adani Skill Development Centres, are now working day and night to ensure the production of one lakh masks which are to be handed over to the district administration. Adani Foundation is also helping the district administration to sanitise public places in the district. "Masks are also being produced by the women's co-operative group Mahila Udyami Bahudeshiy Sahakari Samiti, in Surguja, Chattisgarh. A total of 15,000 such masks are being distributed in 10 villages along with hand washing liquid. The Adani Foundation team had also met the Village Panchayat members to create awareness amongst the community about the measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19," the statement read. The foundation is ensuring that all the volunteers and staff are provided with sanitised premises and social distancing measures are being implemented while helping the communities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are looking to help address a shortage of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating designs to turn inexpensive bag valve mask resuscitators into automated ventilators. Some patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, need to be placed on a ventilator while hospitalized. But hospitals have struggled with a lack of medical supplies and a growing demand as more patients are diagnosed with the respiratory illness. Cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts could peak in mid-April, Gov. Charlie Baker has said. I just wanted to do something to help, said Gregory Fischer, a professor of robotics engineering and mechanical engineering and the director of the PracticePoint Medical Cyber-Physical Systems R&D Center. A lot of people are trying to contribute, and this is an area where we can make an impact," continued Fischer, who spearheaded the idea. "Were taking things that are used every day in emergency medicine and finding a way to turn them into safe, reliable, and readily replicable ventilators that can save patients lives. And were sharing those designs with the world. The WPI researchers are making designs of multiple devices publicly available so that anyone with a 3D printer and a background in electronics and mechanical engineering could produce ventilators. A manufacturing company also could use the designs to produce ventilators quickly and at scale, WPI wrote in a news release. The ventilators from researchers designs will not be able to replicate the full functionality of a commercial system, WPI said, but could be used for more stable patients, leaving commercial ventilators with more advanced sensing and control for patients in critical condition. Fischer, who worked as an EMT in his hometown, got advice from clinicians about what hospitals need. He put a plan together to coordinate with different groups of WPI researchers to create designs, the statement said. I like the idea of taking these cheap, readily available manual devices and converting them into something that can be run autonomously, said Fischer. Normally an EMT would be squeezing the bag to keep the flow of air going. We can automate that squeezing, and were adding pressure and CO2 sensors so it can maintain minimum and maximum pressures, and ensure appropriate air exchange. It will provide a consistent respiratory cycle. The group plans to post multiple designs, some for individual components of the system, like valve and sensor modules, one for a simple and readily replicable actuated ventilator, and one for a more automated and complex system. This will allow people or companies to use a full design or a design for a component they did not have or had trouble making, WPI said. A commercial ventilator costs anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. A complete ventilator converted from a manual resuscitator with the WPI designs is expected to cost less than $500 and be made with readily available components, the statement said. The team, which worked remotely to develop their designs, includes Marko Popovic, an assistant research professor in physics and robotics engineering; Cagdas Onal, an associate professor of mechanical engineering; Dirk Albrecht, an associate professor of biomedical engineering; Chris Nycz, a research scientist working with WPIs PracticePoint; Paulo Carvalho, a robotics engineering doctoral candidate; and Hamilton White, a PhD student in biomedical engineering. Popovic is working on a design for an oxygen concentrator, a device that removes nitrogen to supply an oxygen-enriched gas stream to a patient. The concentrator can be used on its own or can be part of the overall ventilator design. Normally, each valve would cost about $100. By 3D printing them, the cost drops to between $10 to $15 a piece, WPI said. This is what we do at WPI, said Popovic. Given the current situation with COVID-19, the need for oxygen concentrators and ventilators is growing exponentially. This is a very unusual situation for our health care system. We can help, so were helping. In Massachusetts as of Tuesday afternoon, 89 residents have died from illness related to COVID-19. At least 6,620 residents have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state Department of Public Health. Related Content: (Newser) With at least 100 sailors having tested positive for the coronavirus, the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt is pleading with his Navy bosses to let him evacuate the crew onto land. The ship has a crew of more than 4,000. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Capt. Brett Crozier wrote to senior military officials. "If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted assetour Sailors." The nuclear aircraft carrier has been docked in Guam since the outbreak began less than a week ago, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Navy has said it plans to administer coronavirus tests to the entire crew, per the Washington Post, but Crozier said that won't do much good because there isn't room to isolate or even separate infected people on the ship. story continues below The captain wants to take 90% of his crew off the Roosevelt. "The problem is that Guam doesn't have enough beds right now," the acting Navy secretary said, "and so were having to talk to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space or create some tent-like facilities there." An admiral said, "We want to make sure we understand exactly what the leader on the ground needs," per CNN. Crew members' families have been upset that the Navy hasn't provided more information about the Roosevelt's situation, and were relieved to learn of Crozier's letter, per the Wall Street Journal. "When you are home on land, you can check in and see your child," said a relative of a sailor on the carrier. "But we have no way to get to them, so the only way we know anything is when we hear from them." (Read more coronavirus stories.) The Footsie started the new quarter in the red, closing 217 points lower at 5,454.57, after experiencing its worst quarter since 1987. The UK bluechip index was dragged lower by banks, which saw shares dive after they announced the suspension of dividend payments worth billions of pounds. Plunging factory activity in the UK, Europe, the US and other parts of the world also weighed on markets as final purchasing managers' index data released today underlined the severe economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump warned last night that the US would face a 'very very painful two weeks' due to the coronavirus, which also hit markets. In company news, UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey said it was cancelling a planned pay rise and bonus payments for management this year, while directors were taking a 30 per cent pay cut for the duration of the coronavirus lockdown. In other news, nearly a fifth of small British businesses could be forced to close in the next four weeks after running out of cash amid complaints the government-backed loan scheme was 'not accessible', according to research. WASHINGTON At least 15 million Americans are at risk of not receiving their $1,200 coronavirus relief check because they do not file tax returns, according to estimates from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. These people are not flouting the law. Theyre low-income earners, senior citizens, disabled individuals and some veterans who are not required to file taxes. In order to get their relief checks, they must now complete a simple tax return online, according to guidance released by the IRS Monday . But many lawmakers worry that these vulnerable populations will not get their aid either because theyll be unaware they must complete the return or they wont know how to do it on their own. Lawmakers of both parties have called upon the IRS to ensure that these individuals get their checks. Many Democrats say there is an easy solution - talk to the Social Security Administration, which already sends benefits to millions of these Americans each month. These people havent filled out taxes in forever and the very organizations that would normally assist with something like this are prevented from doing so because they are shut down due to the covid-19 virus, said Rep. John Larson, D-1, who leads a House subcommittee on Social Security, on Wednesday. The SSA has all this information. RELATED: Is the U.S. National Stockpile empty? Lamont and Trump spar. Thirty-nine Democratic senators including Connecticuts Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and two Independents wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Social Security Administration Andrew Commissioner on Wednesday urging them to resolve the situation. We strongly urge you to ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return, the senators wrote. Larson and 32 other House Democrats sent a similar letter to Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig sent a similar letter Wednesday. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who represents a district with one of the highest populations of seniors in the country, also called on the IRS to remove this added burden from seniors immediately. During this unprecedented time of need, requiring seniors to go through the confusing and laborious tax return filing process before receiving desperately needed stimulus checks is unacceptable, Stefanik said. Thousands of seniors across my district do not file tax returns because their main source of income is Social Security. A UK court has refused to issue a worldwide freezing order against the parent company of Essar Steel Ltd and members of promoter family - Ravi and Prashant Ruia. The order came as steelmaker ArcelorMittal looked to enforce a USD 1.5 billion arbitral award stemming from a soured supply agreement. In an 81-page judgment, High Court Judge Andrew Henshaw on Monday found no merit in the case being brought by ArcelorMittal to enforce a worldwide freeze on Essar's assets to protect them from "dissipation" while the former pursues parallel legal remedies. Reached for comments, ArcelorMittal hinted it may appeal against the judgment while an Essar spokesperson welcomed the decision saying the firm has "consistently argued that the underlying claims of wrongdoing and therefore the applications for the freezing orders were (and continue to be) ill-conceived and without any factual support." "We feel vindicated that the English Court has determined in this regard that ArcelorMittal USA LLC (AMUSA) has no good arguable case to bring before the Court. This Judgement has also vindicated Essar and its founders from any wrongdoing with regard to historic legitimate business transactions that AMUSA had previously sought to mischaracterize to its advantage in both the English and Cayman Courts," the spokesperson said. ArcelorMittal in a statement said: "This is a complex dispute relating to alleged conspiracies to harm ArcelorMittal USA. The recent judgment is subject to appeal and is in any event ancillary to the main conspiracy claim against members of the Ruia family and Essar Group's parent company, amongst others." "That conspiracy claim is going to be pursued vigorously to final judgment against them. This action is connected to a USD 1.5 billion judgment, which remains unsatisfied, and World Wide Freezing Order granted by the Commercial Court in England against Essar Steel Limited. The World Wide Freezing Order and related search orders were upheld by the English Court of Appeal," it said. In the order, the London High Court said there was no grounds to order a global freeze on the Ruia and Essar assets because the petitioners (Arcelor Mittal USA) had failed to prove the Essar Group engaged in any transactions to defeat an earlier arbitration order. Arcelor Mittal USA (AMUSA) had petitioned the court that the Essar Group which owed the former USD 1.5 billion in an earlier arbitration award had moved assets around in such a way as to take them out of the hands of the judgment creditors. AMUSA's key argument that the Ruia family reclassified assets of Essar Steel in India so as to take them out of the balance sheet of the judgment debtor's books did not find favour with the court. Justice Henshaw of the Royal Courts of Justice noted that the corporate arrangements at the "Essar group involve a complex chain of companies and offshore trusts, with Ravi Ruia and Prashant Ruia holding their interests in Essar Global Fund (EGFL) through a series of offshore companies and trusts. That is not, however, an uncommon situation, and I do not consider the evidence suggests that the structure is likely to have been created to obscure the manner in which assets are held". Basis this finding, the judge ordered that "I do not, however, consider the evidence before me indicates that the Essar group, and the individuals who control it, transfer assets and funds between group companies deliberately in order to evade the claims of certain creditors." Essar Group's defence was that legitimate business transactions in India and elsewhere were continuously being "mischaracterised" by ArcelorMittal. Over the last three years, ArcelorMittal has continuously pursued a failed legal strategy that involved treaty shopping to pursue a claim outside the jurisdiction of the company which owes the funds. ArcelorMittal has filed cases in London, Cayman and again now in London. An Essar spokesperson said: "Given the judgment, it is clear that AMUSA will need to reconsider carefully if it has any basis to continue its spurious claims in England. We intend to vigorously defend any pursuit of these claims by AMUSA, as well as to defeat claims and actions that AMUSA wrongly continues to pursue in other jurisdictions, based on similarly baseless accusations and inferences." ESSAR spokesperson further said: "Essar remains fully focused on our business strategy, that has seen Essar reduce its debt by USD 22 billion over recent years, the largest by any corporate to date, and Essar is now looking to reinvest in exciting business and ventures in India and elsewhere." Judge Henshaw in judgment said: "I have reached the conclusion that it would not be just and convenient to grant worldwide freezing order against any of the respondents. In summary, that is because in my judgment AMUSA has not shown a good arguable case on the merits of its substantive claim (and) AMUSA has, moreover, not shown a good arguable case that it has a claim in or approximating to the amount claimed, or any other specific amount. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wits School of Molecular and Cell Biology lends a hand with glove donation The Wits School of Molecular and Cell Biology has donated medical gloves for frontline healthcare workers at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients urgently require medical gloves for their own protection and to avoid contamination. However, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply. Protective equipment saves lives The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted in his media briefing on 27 March 2020 that the chronic global shortage of PPE is one of the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives. Prof. Yasien Sayed in the Protein Structure Function Research Unit (PSFRU) in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology coordinated the donation effort. Sayed was alerted to the critical need after Wits Medical School graduate, Dr Naeem Vallee, a first-year intern doctor at the hospital, relayed the shortage via a colleague whose wife is a Wits PhD candidate whom Sayed supervises. Through the collective efforts of Sayed, Dr Pieter De Maayer, Dr Angela Botes and Dr Vanessa Meyer, a total of 56 boxes each containing 50 pairs of gloves were donated. At the moment, the Department of Internal Medicine at Chris Hani Baragwanath are full in the swing of preparing to deal with the impending COVID onslaught. Three wards have been specifically isolated to host and rehabilitate and treat the patients that will come back as COVID positive. Its an extremely tense time. The lack of personal protective equipment is huge challenge we as healthcare practitioners face in dealing with this pandemic, said Vallee, who took delivery of the donated gloves. Vallee graduated MBBCh from Wits in 2019. Im extremely grateful to Prof. Sayed and his colleagues for recognising that we on the frontline need help, and for his generosity. This is a time where we all need to work together to prevent the spread and flatten the exponential growth curve of the COVID pandemic. Sayed, who personally delivered the boxes to the hospital, says: The donation of gloves represents a small token of our appreciation of our healthcare workers selfless and admirable efforts, and we hope that these gloves will afford them some measure of protection against the virus. Fingering coronavirus spike protein The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the novel type of a coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has several glycoproteins on its surface. One of these proteins is referred to as the spike protein, which is responsible for binding to receptors on the host cell prior to infecting the cell and hijacking the hosts cellular machinery for replication and reproduction of new viral particles. The PSFRU investigates the structures, dynamics and energetics of a variety of proteins using a multidisciplinary approach that relies on the principles and methodologies of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular, and structural biology and bioinformatics. Keeping Witsies safe Prior to announcement of the lockdown on 26 March 2020, the School had manufactured and dispensed 70% EtOH (ethanol) surface disinfectant freely to Wits staff to minimise contamination by the coronavirus. The disinfectant comprises 95% industrial ethanol (also called alcohol) diluted with distilled water to a ratio of 70%. Alcohol kills germs effectively, as long as alcohol comprises 60% to 95% of the solution. This is a ratio shown to be effective against germs. Alcohol attacks and destroys the envelope protein that surrounds some viruses, including coronaviruses. This protein is vital for a viruss survival and multiplication. We use 70% ethanol to sterilize surface areas when we are required to work under sterile conditions in our laboratories, for example, when we do tissue cell culture work. The ethanol is effective in killing a number of germs, including viruses. Cleaning all objects and surfaces that we come into daily contact with is a sensible practice to protect against coronavirus, says Prof. Marianne Cronje, Head of the School of Molecular and Cell Biology. In one of the stranger plot twists to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) issued a news release today stating it is helping to develop a COVID-19 vaccine through a process using tobacco plants. Kentucky BioProcessing, a subsidiary of British American, is performing the actual research and development on the project. This isn't Kentucky BioProcessing's first foray into medicine. The company produced Ebola treatment ZMapp in tobacco plants in 2014. While the effectiveness of ZMapp eventually proved lower than several other treatments, it still apparently increased survival rates. ZMapp was originally developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, but Kentucky BioProcessing was able to ramp up its production by rapidly producing the chimeric antibody treatment in tobacco plants. Now, British American asserts, its subsidiary has developed an antigen that triggers an immune response in the human body, which responds with antibodies. The antigen comes from cloned COVID-19 genes and should theoretically vaccinate against the coronavirus. The company says it successfully grew the antigen inside tobacco plants and is now using a purified extract in pre-clinical tests. Tobacco plants make good biochemical factories, according to British American, producing usable quantities of antigen in approximately six weeks rather than the months needed for standard methods. The antigens are also allegedly room temperature stable, so doses wouldn't require refrigeration to stay effective. British American Tobacco hopes governments will assist with the process and posits that production of the vaccine could start in June of this year. It also claims that once fully operational, its tobacco-based production could crank out 1 million to 3 million vaccine doses weekly. The company says it will provide these doses on a not-for-profit basis, though it will otherwise continue to operate as a for-profit enterprise. VANCOUVER, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Oroco Resource Corp. (TSX-V: OCO) ("Oroco" or "the Company") announces that as a result of a disclosure review by the British Columbia Securities Commission ("the BCSC"), the Company wishes to clarify and amend its disclosures with respect to its Santo Tomas porphyry copper project ("the Project") in northwest Mexico, specifically as those disclosures relate to the treatment of an historical resource as reflected in a Technical Report filed in September, 2019 and technical information distributed since that time. The BCSC reviewed the Company's October, 2019 and March, 2020 corporate presentations (the "Presentations") and its current technical report dated August 22, 2019 and titled "Technical Report Geology, Mineralization, and Exploration of the Santo Tomas Cu-(Mo-Au-Ag) Porphyry Deposit Sinaloa, Mexico" authored by D. A. Bridge, P. Geol." (the "Report"). Both the current Presentation and the Report have been removed from the Company's website pending revision. The disclosure issues in the Presentations and the Report with respect to National Instrument 43-101 (the "Instrument") and Form 43-101F1 are summarized in the following discussion. With regard to the Presentations, they do not include all information required by the Instrument with regard to the Historical Resource Estimate each time it is disclosed. The Presentations also include mineral equivalent grades contrary to the Instrument and do not identify and disclose the relationship to the Company of the qualified person who prepared, supervised or approved the technical information disclosed in the Presentation. With regard to the Report, it does not, in all places where the Historical Resource Estimate is disclosed, include all information and cautionary language required by the Instrument with regard to the Historic Resource Estimates; includes historical economic analysis contrary to the Instrument; and it uses the word "ore", which with the disclosure of an Historical Resource Estimate, implies technical and economic viability not supported in the Report. The Company advises that, as a consequence, the Report is not compliant with the Instrument and Form 43-101F1 and should not be relied upon until a revised technical report is filed. The Company wishes to clearly reiterate that it does not classify the Historic Resource Estimate referred to in the Report as a current mineral resource and that it is not treating the Historical Resource Estimate as a current mineral resource. The historical work is being used by the Company solely to plan and guide the location of future exploration geophysics and drilling. The Company is working with counsel and technical Qualified Persons to correct the disclosures as required. TECHNICAL REVIEW: The technical information in this News Release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and has been reviewed and approved on behalf of the Company by Mr. Paul McGuigan, P. Geo., of Cambria Geosciences Inc., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. ABOUT OROCO: The Company holds a net 61.4% interest in the collective 1,172.9 ha core concessions of the Santo Tomas Project in NW Mexico, and may increase that majority interest up to an 81.0% interest with a project investment of up to CAD$30 million. The Company also holds a 77.5% interest in 7,807.9 ha of mineral concessions surrounding and adjacent to the core concessions (a total project size of 22,192 acres). The Project is situated within the Santo Tomas District, which extends from Santo Tomas up to the Jinchuan Group's Bahuerachi project, approximately 14 km to the north-east. Santo Tomas hosts a significant copper porphyry deposit defined by prior exploration spanning the period from 1968 to 1994. During that time, the property was tested by over 100 diamond drill and reverse circulation drill holes, totaling approximately 30,000 meters. Based on data generated by these drill programs, a Prefeasibility Study was completed by Bateman Engineering Inc. in 1994. The Santo Tomas Project is located within 160km of the Pacific deep-water port at Topolobampo, and is serviced via highway and proximal rail (and parallel corridors of trunk grid power lines and natural gas) through the city of Los Mochis to the northern city of Choix. The property is reached by a 32 km access road originally built to service the El Sauzal Mine of Goldcorp in Chihuahua State. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements relating to future events or achievements of the Company, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in such statements. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these matters. Oroco does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements should they change, except as required by law. SOURCE Oroco Resource Corp. Related Links www.orocoresourcecorp.com Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) received a tremendous amount of backlash following his visit to the mother of Mexico's most notorious drug lord despite the lockdown measures in the country. AMLO visited "El Chapo's" 92-year-old mother in Badiraguato, Sinaloa less than a day after health authorities pleaded Mexico's citizens to stay inside their homes amid the COVID-19 threat. The visit came after Loera Perez wrote a letter to the Mexican president. The letter allegedly contained the 92-year-old woman's plea where she asked AMLO for help in getting the United States to allow her to visit her son who is currently serving a life sentence in a Colorado prison. A video showing the leftist president shaking hands with Maria Consuelo Loera Perez has made rounds on social media, sparking anger from citizens. The 30-second video also caught talking to the drug lord's lawyer, Jose Luis Gonzalez Meza. Via pic.twitter.com/IOMhZfKBvs Maria Consuelo Loera Perez, madre "El Chapo" Guzman, acudio a saludar al presidente Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador en su visita a Badiraguato.Via @mileniotv Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) March 30, 2020 The Mexican president defended his action on Monday, calling Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's mother a "respectable lady." He claimed the "scandal" was the work of his critics and adversaries. Obrador further defended his actions during the news conference when he told reporters part of his job requires shaking the hands of "white-collar criminals." He also advocated for the Loera's request, saying she should be allowed to visit "for humanitarian reasons." Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as the notorious Mexican drug lord "El Chapo", previously served as the head of the Sinaloa Cartel until he was extradited to the United States in 2017. El Chapo entered the drug trade in his early teens and founded the infamous cartel in 1989 when he was 32. The cartel quickly grew an immensely profitable drug trade. Guzman grew up in the rural town of Badiraguato. His early childhood years were filled with poverty and abuse under the hands of his violent father who was also in the drug trade. El Chapo was kicked out of his home by his teens, leading him to walk the same path as his father after he started growing marijuana for cash. He worked under another dealer, Hector Luis Palma Salazar, in 1970. Guzman was tasked with overseeing the drug operation in Sinaloa where narcotics flowed to coastal cities and into the US. Joaquin started supervising logistics for the founder of the Guadalajara cartel in his late 20s. He became one of the most notorious drug dealers after his boss was arrested on murder charges. He quickly overtook many drug cartels, extending his reach into South America and the United States in a few years. He transported drugs through air-conditioned tunnels that ran under the Mexican-US border. He would also hide cocaine inside fire extinguishers and canned goods. The Sinaloa cartel eventually grew to be the biggest drug operation in the world, transporting cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine to five continents. Over the years, crimes linked to the cartel ballooned. Guzman's men allegedly committed more than a thousand murders throughout Mexico. El Chapo was first arrested in 1993. Guatemalan authorities extradited him to Mexico where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Despite being behind bars, he maintained his power. He was able to arrange conjugal visits and even run his operation. He escaped prison via a laundry cart in 2001 after bribing multiple prison guards. A federal investigation revealed 71 corrections personnel, including the warden, took part in the drug lord's escape plan. He was arrested for the second time in 2014 in a hotel at Mazatlan, Mexico. Then-President Enrique Pena Nieto denied the request of American officials to have El Chapo extradited to the United States. Guzman escaped prison, yet again, after 18 months behind bars. It was reported he had slipped through an opening in his cell's shower section and traveled through a tunnel network that led to a house a mile away from the corrections facility. Mexican authorities captured Guzman for the third time in 2016 after a shootout ensued in the city of Los Mochis. His captured came one day before a media site published his secret interview with Sean Penn. He was placed in a facility near the US border while awaiting trial. His trial was filled with controversy. At one point, his lawyer claimed Guzman was a scapegoat for a man named Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. The trial also shed light on an alleged exchange between former Mexican President Nieto and El Chapo where the defense team claimed the government official accepted a bribe from the drug lord. Another witness said the kingpin's 2015 prison escape was orchestrated by his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro. On February 12, 2019, El Chapo was eventually found guilty and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years after 200 hours of testimony. On February 22, 2020, BBC News released rare footage showing El Chapo's time in prison. Watch it below: Check out the latest news: WILMINGTON, Mass., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) (the Company) today reported results for its second quarter ended February 29, 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in the prior fiscal year: Q2 2020 Financial Highlights Consolidated revenues for the second quarter increased 6.2% to $464.6 million. Operating income was $44.1 million, a decrease of 29.3%. The effective tax rate for the quarter decreased to 24.2% from 24.9%. Net income in the quarter decreased to $34.7 million from $47.6 million, or 27.2%. Diluted earnings per share decreased to $1.82 from $2.48, or 26.6%. Operating income in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 benefited from a pre-tax gain of $21.1 million, which was recorded in selling and administrative expenses. This amount reflected a settlement with the lead contractor for the version of the customer relationship management system for which the Company had recorded a $55.8 million impairment charge in fiscal 2017 (the CRM Settlement). This settlement included the receipt of a one-time cash payment of $13.0 million, the forgiveness of amounts previously due the contractor as well as the receipt of certain hardware and related maintenance. Excluding the effect of the CRM Settlement: Operating income increased 6.8% compared to prior years adjusted operating income. Net income increased 8.2% from prior years adjusted net income of $32.0 million. Diluted earnings per share increased 9.0% from prior years adjusted amount of $1.67. See the Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures below. Steven Sintros, UniFirst President and Chief Executive Officer, said, We are pleased with the results of our second quarter which largely met our expectations and showed solid top and bottom-line growth. However, the Companys attention has now turned toward our pandemic response efforts. Our top priority is working to ensure the safety of our Team Partners while continuing to provide our value-added products and services to the many essential businesses that are keeping our communities safe and operating. I want to thank our Team Partners for their continued efforts as they demonstrate unwavering commitment and dedication. Segment Reporting Highlights Core Laundry Operations Revenues for the quarter increased 4.5% to $412.2 million. Organic growth, which excludes the effect of acquisitions and fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, was 3.6%. Operating margin decreased to 9.3% from 15.0%. Adjusted for the effect of the CRM Settlement in 2019, adjusted operating margin in prior year was 9.6%. The decrease from prior years adjusted operating margin was primarily due to higher production and service payroll costs as a percentage of revenues, which were partially offset by lower energy costs. See the Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures below. Specialty Garments Revenues for the quarter were $36.0 million, an increase of 21.0%. The increase in Specialty Garments revenue was primarily due to higher direct sale activity in the quarter as well as strong performance in the cleanroom and European nuclear operations. Operating margin increased to 12.9% from 7.5%. This increase was primarily due to the higher direct sale activity in the quarter. Specialty Garments consists of nuclear decontamination and cleanroom operations and its results can vary significantly due to seasonality and the timing of reactor outages and projects. Balance Sheet and Capital Allocation Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $395.3 million as of February 29, 2020. The Company had no long-term debt outstanding as of February 29, 2020. Under its previously announced stock repurchase program, the Company repurchased 20,500 common shares for a total of $4.2 million during its second fiscal quarter of 2020. As of February 29, 2020, the Company had repurchased a total of 268,250 common shares for a total of $44.7 million under the program. Weighted average shares outstanding Diluted for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 was 19.1 million and 19.2 million shares, respectively. Financial Outlook Mr. Sintros continued, Due to the evolving pandemic, our ability to assess the financial impact on our business remains limited. As a result, we are not providing guidance for the remainder of our fiscal 2020. Although we are not able to quantify, we expect the disruption related to this pandemic will clearly have a negative impact on our revenues and profitability. We also expect that if sustained for an extended period, the sharp decline in oil prices as well as the decline in the Canadian exchange rate will further challenge our performance. Our strong balance sheet positions us well to weather this disruption and maintain focus on the care of our Team Partners, our customers and our communities. Conference Call Information UniFirst will hold a conference call today at 9:00 a.m. (ET) to discuss its quarterly financial results, business highlights and outlook. A simultaneous live webcast of the call will be available over the Internet and can be accessed at www.unifirst.com. About UniFirst Corporation Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000-plus employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com. Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure This public announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Companys current views with respect to future events and financial performance, including projected revenues and earnings per share. Forward-looking statements contained in this public announcement are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may be identified by words such as estimates, anticipates, projects, plans, expects, intends, believes, seeks, could, should, may, will, strategy, objective, positions, assume, or the negative versions thereof, and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date made. Such statements are highly dependent upon a variety of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, uncertainties caused by adverse economic conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of extraordinary events or circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and their impact on our customers businesses and workforce levels, disruptions of our business and operations or the business and operations of our customers or suppliers in connection with extraordinary events or circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainties regarding our ability to consummate and successfully integrate acquired businesses, uncertainties regarding any existing or newly-discovered expenses and liabilities related to environmental compliance and remediation, any adverse outcome of pending or future contingencies or claims, our ability to compete successfully without any significant degradation in our margin rates, seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in business levels, our ability to preserve positive labor relationships and avoid becoming the target of corporate labor unionization campaigns that could disrupt our business, the effect of currency fluctuations on our results of operations and financial condition, our dependence on third parties to supply us with raw materials, which such supply could be severely disrupted as a result of extraordinary events or circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, any loss of key management or other personnel, increased costs as a result of any changes in federal or state laws, rules and regulations or governmental interpretation of such laws, rules and regulations, uncertainties regarding the price levels of natural gas, electricity, fuel and labor, the negative effect on our business from sharply depressed oil and natural gas prices, including, without limitation, as a result of extraordinary events or circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing increase in domestic healthcare costs, increased healthcare costs resulting from extraordinary events or circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to retain and grow our customer base, demand and prices for our products and services, fluctuations in our Specialty Garments business, instability in Mexico and Nicaragua where our principal garment manufacturing plants are located, our ability to properly and efficiently design, construct, implement and operate a new customer relationship management (CRM) computer system, interruptions or failures of our information technology systems, including as a result of cyber-attacks, additional professional and internal costs necessary for compliance with any changes in Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Stock Exchange and accounting rules, strikes and unemployment levels, our efforts to evaluate and potentially reduce internal costs, economic and other developments associated with the war on terrorism and its impact on the economy, the impact of foreign trade policies and tariffs or other impositions on imported goods on our business, results of operations and financial condition, general economic conditions, our ability to successfully implement our business strategies and processes, including our capital allocation strategies and other factors described under Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2019 and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they are made. Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data) Thirteen weeks ended February 29, 2020 Thirteen weeks ended February 23, 2019 Twenty-six weeks ended February 29, 2020 Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Revenues $ 464,600 $ 437,485 $ 929,998 $ 876,035 Operating expenses: Cost of revenues (1) 301,422 281,672 590,738 558,721 Selling and administrative expenses (1) 93,080 68,321 183,608 154,280 Depreciation and amortization 25,971 25,046 51,430 50,162 Total operating expenses 420,473 375,039 825,776 763,163 Operating income 44,127 62,446 104,222 112,872 Other (income) expense: Interest income, net (2,175 ) (2,009 ) (4,536 ) (3,714 ) Other expense, net 539 1,060 1,067 1,232 Total other income, net (1,636 ) (949 ) (3,469 ) (2,482 ) Income before income taxes 45,763 63,395 107,691 115,354 Provision for income taxes 11,083 15,789 24,769 29,428 Net income $ 34,680 $ 47,606 $ 82,922 $ 85,926 Income per share Basic: Common Stock $ 1.90 $ 2.59 $ 4.55 $ 4.67 Class B Common Stock $ 1.52 $ 2.07 $ 3.64 $ 3.74 Income per share Diluted: Common Stock $ 1.82 $ 2.48 $ 4.34 $ 4.46 Income allocated to Basic: Common Stock $ 29,129 $ 39,923 $ 69,654 $ 72,061 Class B Common Stock $ 5,551 $ 7,683 $ 13,268 $ 13,865 Income allocated to Diluted: Common Stock $ 34,680 $ 47,606 $ 82,922 $ 85,926 Weighted average shares outstanding Basic: Common Stock 15,293 15,428 15,300 15,430 Class B Common Stock 3,643 3,710 3,643 3,710 Weighted average shares outstanding Diluted: Common Stock 19,105 19,232 19,114 19,258 (1) Exclusive of depreciation on the Companys property, plant and equipment and amortization on its intangible assets. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (In thousands) February 29, 2020 August 31, 2019 Assets Current assets: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments $ 395,323 $ 385,341 Receivables, net 209,878 203,457 Inventories 94,875 100,916 Rental merchandise in service 179,291 184,318 Prepaid taxes 8,933 4,060 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 35,522 35,699 Total current assets 923,822 913,791 Property, plant and equipment, net 582,753 574,509 Goodwill 424,711 401,178 Customer contracts and other intangible assets, net 88,355 72,720 Deferred income taxes 475 448 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 46,426 Other assets 86,320 84,674 $ 2,152,862 $ 2,047,320 Liabilities and shareholders equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 71,172 $ 77,918 Accrued liabilities 117,968 111,721 Accrued taxes 205 Operating lease liabilities, current 12,255 Total current liabilities 201,395 189,844 Long-term liabilities: Accrued liabilities 118,114 117,074 Accrued and deferred income taxes 99,439 99,172 Operating lease liabilities 32,476 Total liabilities 451,424 406,090 Shareholders equity: Common Stock 1,529 1,533 Class B Common Stock 364 364 Capital surplus 84,577 84,946 Retained earnings 1,648,069 1,588,075 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (33,101 ) (33,688 ) Total shareholders equity 1,701,438 1,641,230 $ 2,152,862 $ 2,047,320 Detail of Operating Results (Unaudited) Revenues (In thousands, except percentages) Thirteen weeks ended February 29, 2020 Thirteen weeks ended February 23, 2019 Dollar Change Percent Change Core Laundry Operations $ 412,192 $ 394,408 $ 17,784 4.5 % Specialty Garments 35,980 29,745 6,235 21.0 % First Aid 16,428 13,332 3,096 23.2 % Consolidated total $ 464,600 $ 437,485 $ 27,115 6.2 % (In thousands, except percentages) Twenty-six weeks ended February 29, 2020 Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Dollar Change Percent Change Core Laundry Operations $ 828,490 $ 784,885 $ 43,605 5.6 % Specialty Garments 69,382 64,193 5,189 8.1 % First Aid 32,126 26,957 5,169 19.2 % Consolidated total $ 929,998 $ 876,035 $ 53,963 6.2 % Operating Income (In thousands, except percentages) Thirteen weeks ended February 29, 2020 Thirteen weeks ended February 23, 2019 Dollar Change Percent Change Core Laundry Operations $ 38,357 $ 59,113 $ (20,756 ) (35.1 )% Specialty Garments 4,627 2,235 2,392 107.0 % First Aid 1,143 1,098 45 4.1 % Consolidated total $ 44,127 $ 62,446 $ (18,319 ) (29.3 )% (In thousands, except percentages) Twenty-six weeks ended February 29, 2020 Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Dollar Change Percent Change Core Laundry Operations $ 92,165 $ 103,895 $ (11,730 ) (11.3 )% Specialty Garments 9,506 6,705 2,801 41.8 % First Aid 2,551 2,272 279 12.3 % Consolidated total $ 104,222 $ 112,872 $ (8,650 ) (7.7 )% Operating Margin Thirteen weeks ended February 29, 2020 Thirteen weeks ended February 23, 2019 Core Laundry Operations 9.3 % 15.0 % Specialty Garments 12.9 % 7.5 % First Aid 7.0 % 8.2 % Consolidated total 9.5 % 14.3 % Twenty-six weeks ended February 29, 2020 Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Core Laundry Operations 11.1 % 13.2 % Specialty Garments 13.7 % 10.4 % First Aid 7.9 % 8.4 % Consolidated total 11.2 % 12.9 % Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (In thousands) Twenty-six weeks ended February 29, 2020 Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 82,922 $ 85,926 Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 51,430 50,162 Amortization of deferred financing costs 56 56 Forgiveness of a liability (7,346 ) Share-based compensation 3,227 2,796 Accretion on environmental contingencies 269 377 Accretion on asset retirement obligations 463 441 Deferred income taxes 727 364 Other 16 (811 ) Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions: Receivables, less reserves (4,867 ) (2,502 ) Inventories 6,125 (5,589 ) Rental merchandise in service 6,839 (4,862 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets and Other assets 2,170 (3,616 ) Accounts payable (5,815 ) (5,268 ) Accrued liabilities (1,752 ) (7,711 ) Prepaid and accrued income taxes (4,941 ) 26,243 Net cash provided by operating activities 136,869 128,660 Cash flows from investing activities: Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired (41,021 ) (67 ) Capital expenditures, including capitalization of software costs (62,271 ) (52,152 ) Proceeds from sale of assets 236 178 Other 15 Net cash used in investing activities (103,056 ) (52,026 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from exercise of share-based awards 75 27 Taxes withheld and paid related to net share settlement of equity awards (3,281 ) (1,095 ) Repurchase of Common Stock (14,203 ) (6,280 ) Payment of cash dividends (6,609 ) (4,140 ) Net cash used in financing activities (24,018 ) (11,488 ) Effect of exchange rate changes 187 (336 ) Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments 9,982 64,810 Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at beginning of period 385,341 270,512 Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at end of period $ 395,323 $ 335,322 UniFirst Corporation and Subsidiaries Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company reports its consolidated financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). To supplement these consolidated financial results, management believes that certain non-GAAP operating results provide a more meaningful measure on which to compare the Companys results of operations for the periods presented. The Company believes these non-GAAP results provide useful supplemental information regarding the Companys performance to both management and investors by excluding certain non-recurring amounts that impact the comparability of the results. Supplemental reconciliations of consolidated operating income, net income and earnings per diluted share on a GAAP basis to adjusted operating income, net income and earnings per diluted share on a non-GAAP basis are presented in the following tables. In addition, Core Laundry Operations operating income and operating margin on a GAAP basis to adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin on a non-GAAP basis are presented in the following tables. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, which are provided below. Thirteen weeks ended February 23, 2019 Consolidated Core Laundry Operations (In thousands, except percentages) Revenue Operating Income Net Income Diluted EPS Revenue Operating Income Operating Margin As reported $ 437,485 $ 62,446 $ 47,606 $ 2.48 $ 394,408 $ 59,113 15.0 % CRM Settlement (21,127 ) (15,566 ) (0.81 ) (21,127 ) (5.4 )% As adjusted $ 437,485 $ 41,319 $ 32,040 $ 1.67 $ 394,408 $ 37,986 9.6 % Twenty-six weeks ended February 23, 2019 Consolidated Core Laundry Operations (In thousands, except percentages) Revenue Operating Income Net Income Diluted EPS Revenue Operating Income Operating Margin As reported $ 876,035 $ 112,872 $ 85,926 $ 4.46 $ 784,885 $ 103,895 13.2 % CRM Settlement (21,127 ) (15,566 ) (0.81 ) (21,127 ) (2.7 )% As adjusted $ 876,035 $ 91,745 $ 70,360 $ 3.65 $ 784,885 $ 82,768 10.5 % U.S. President Donald Trump, center, speaks during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. doesn't know whether the Chinese government has underreported the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country. "I'm not an accountant from China," Trump said when asked at a White House press briefing whether China's numbers are accurate. Still, Trump said that Beijing's tally appeared "to be a little bit on the light side, and I'm being nice when I say that, relative to what we witnessed and what was reported." The president's remarks came hours after a news report said the president received a secret intelligence brief concluding that China deliberately underreported the extent of its COVID-19 outbreak. Bloomberg, citing three U.S. officials, reported that the intelligence community made that assessment in a classified report that the White House received last week. But Trump said at the briefing that "we have not received" any intelligence reports showing that China underreported its coronavirus numbers. The president has previously cast doubt on China's numbers. But on Wednesday evening, he opted instead to talk up America's trade relationship with Beijing, boasting that China will be buying billions of dollars' worth of products from U.S. farmers. "We really don't know. How do we know whether they underreported or reported however they report," Trump said of China's reported coronavirus numbers. "But we had a great call the other night," Trump said referring to China's president Xi Jinping. "We are working together on a lot of different things including trade. They're buying a lot, they're spending a lot of money. They're giving it to our farmers." The coronavirus pandemic began around the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei province though Beijing's foreign ministry has claimed that it didn't necessarily originate there. China has reported 82,361 coronavirus cases, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. That number is less than half of the total cases confirmed in the U.S., which has become the country with the highest number of reported infections in the world. Trump repeated at the briefing that his relationship with Xi "is very good." "We have a great trade deal" with China, Trump continued. "We'd like to keep it. They'd like to keep it. And the relationship is good." "As to whether or not their numbers are accurate, I'm not an accountant from China," Trump said. VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / OXYLABS, a provider of premium proxies and data scraping solutions, has recently increased its resources to become the worldwide leader in data extraction services while extending funding support and data expertise to several University-led projects that conduct research and track data about the COVID-19 virus. With over 60M residential IPs located globally, Oxylabs now leads the world in proxy services with a broader and more precise spectrum of locations and increased access to data-rich website resources. Since expanding its network of proxy pools, the company has extended support to universities for their COVID-19 research projects, increasing their chances of obtaining high-quality information from data requests with the same level of success as their Fortune-500 clients. "As the largest proxy provider and data delivery leader in the world, we seek to empower universities and other institutions in their work through our continued partnerships," commented Oxylabs CEO Julius Cerniauskas. "We are here to provide funding, complimentary research support, free proxies and other data delivery solutions that could help kickstart, scale or maintain any COVID-19 projects." The Company recently partnered with undergraduate students from Stanford University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech to support TrackCorona - a COVID-19 tracking website that went from a blip on the radar screen to a prominent global resource with 1.4 million visits from 193 countries, averaging 40,000 users per day. Among other initiatives being supported by Oxylabs is CoronaMapper, a project led by digital finance student Paolo Montemurro and researcher Peter H. Gruber from the University of Lugano in Switzerland. Like TrackCorona, this interactive website provides information on the spread of COVID-19 with a detailed focus on local impacts spanning 4 days to keep the information current. Since these types of projects require substantial technological and financial resources, cooperation among businesses, governments and institutions is crucial. According to James Yun, one of the TrackCorona team members, "Developing TrackCorona has been rewarding but also resource-intensive. The financial support provided by this partnership with Oxylabs will be used toward scaling sustainably and providing better performance to our millions of users. This will allow us to continue our mission to inform as many people as possible about the spread of COVID-19." Story continues Support for projects like TrackCorona and Coronamapper are part of Oxylab's corporate culture, and the company is available to help develop and maintain similar projects all over the world. "Everyone must play a part in the effort against COVID-19," emphasized Oxylabs CEO Julius Cerniauskas. "With its increased resources, Oxylabs is ready to provide proxies, specialized industry knowledge, and any other supportive tools needed to obtain the highest-quality data required to drive these projects forward." About Oxylabs Oxylabs is the leading global provider of premium proxies and data scraping solutions for large-scale web data extraction. The company's mission is clear: To give every business - whether big or small - the right to access big data. With unmatched hands-on experience in web data harvesting, Oxylabs is in trusted partnerships with dozens of Fortune 500 companies and global businesses, helping them unearth hidden gems of business intelligence data through state-of-the-art products and technological expertise. Contacts: Name: Vytautas Kirjazovas Company: Oxylabs Website: oxylabs.io Phone: +37060054118 Email: press@oxylabs.io SOURCE: Oxylabs View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/583497/Oxylabs-Becomes-Global-Leader-in-Big-Data-Extraction-Services-Extends-Research-Support-and-Funding-for-COVID-19-Research-Projects Over 80 per cent of residential real estate agents around the world say the coronavirus pandemic has cut their 2020 earning expectations, according to the first international survey of real estate on the impact of the outbreak. More than 60 countries took part in the Juwai IQI Market Intelligence 2020 survey, with every country citing a loss of earnings. Real estate agents in Greece have the worst outlook. Some 95 per cent of Greek agents expect the coronavirus pandemic to cut their earnings in 2020, with two-thirds of those forecasting they will earn "significantly less." As well as Greece, more than four out of five agents in a further five countries expect to earn less in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Australia, 84% of agents expect to earn less in 2020, with 58% suggesting the impact on their earnings will be significant and only 27% expect it to be moderate. In Singapore, 88% of agents expect to make less. The share of Singapore agents who expect to earn "a little less" is, at 47%, larger than the 41% who believe they will make "significantly less." Malaysian and Philippine agents are the least pessimistic among those surveyed. In Malaysia, 74% of agents expect to earn less in 2020, with 38% expecting to earn significantly less and 33% expecting to earn a little less. In the Philippines, 68% of agents expect to earn less in 2020 due to the Coronavirus, with 38% expecting to earn significantly less and 30% expecting to earn a little less. One of the strategies agents will use to preserve their incomes, according to the report, is to invest more in marketing to foreign buyers. Worldwide, 18% of agents report foreign buyers are one of their strategies. Perhaps because of the relative significance of foreign buyers to their markets, agents in the Philippines and Portugal are the most likely to report plans to do so. In both the Philippines and Portugal, 26% of agents plan to increase their foreign buyer marketing. In Malaysia and Thailand, 22% of agents will increase their investment in marketing to foreign buyers. In Greece, 21% of agents will do so. The share is 18% in Singapore, 16% in both Canada and Australia, and 12% in the USA. Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (R) wears a hard hat and protective clothes as he speaks with Works Manager Carl Banfield during his visit to the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot, south Wales on February 4, 2020. (TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) UK manufacturing output and new orders have declined at the fastest rate in eight years due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey of business leaders. Data provider IHS Markit said on Wednesday its closely watched purchasing managerss index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector fell to 47.8 in March. The index is measured on a scale of 0 to 100, with anything above 50 signalling growth and anything below signalling contraction. It slipped into contraction from a reading of 51.7 in February. The latest survey numbers underscore how the global outbreak of COVID-19 is causing huge disruptions to production, demand and supply chains at UK manufacturers, said Rob Dobson, Director at IHS Markit. Dobson said factories were facing shortages of part as supply chains are disrupted. New orders are also diving as the global economy freezes over. Output and new orders fell at the fastest rates since mid-2012, while supplier delivery times lengthened to the greatest extent in the 28-year survey history as shortages grew more widespread, he said. The resulting job losses took the rate of decline in employment to its highest since July 2009. All major car manufacturers have closed factories across Europe in recent weeks in response to the spread of COVID-19. Read more: Carmakers shut plants in Europe as coronavirus hobbles supply chains and dents demand Dobson said all areas of UK manufacturing saw slumping demand in March, with the exception of food and pharmaceuticals. Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), which helps put together the survey, said: The manufacturing sector was knocked sideways by the impact of COVID-19 and into contraction territory. With supply chains crumbling around the world, we can only expect a worsening outlook next month as increasingly necessary lockdown measures squeeze manufacturing production. Seamus Nevin, Chief Economist at Make UK, the manufacturers organisation, said: Many firms have had to shut and lots of those that remain open have seen orders or output suffer. Others have switched to making products that are vital to the national attempt to stop the spread of the virus; a testament to why backing manufacturing is so important. Story continues At the start of this year manufacturing companies reported unprecedented optimism about investment and trade but that had all been swept away by current events. IHS Markits final manufacturing PMI for March was worse than an earlier estimate made mid-month, which came in at 48. However, economists had expected Wednesdays figure to drop to 47, meaning the final result was slightly better than expected. Data for the rest of Europe, which was also published by IHS Markit on Wednesday, pointed to an even sharper manufacturing slowdown on the continent. Eurozone manufacturing registered a PMI of 44.5 in March, with contractions in activity across Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Jonathan Ernst While leaders across the country are urging Americans to stay in their homes to stop the spread of the coronavirus, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is openly mocking former Vice President Joe Biden for setting that example. Why doesnt Vice President Biden call the White House today and offer some support? Hes in his bunker in Wilmington, Conway said Wednesday morning on Fox & Friends. In her next breath she added, I have to tell you, were not talking about politics here at the White House at all. Were talking about ventilators and vaccines, not Biden and Bernie. And yet Conway continued to attack Biden for criticizing President Donald Trumps response to the crisis from inside his home later in the day. During a press gaggle outside the White House, Conway called it completely unhelpful to have the former vice president in his bunker in Wilmington just lobbing criticisms at the current president. She called Bidens interviews painful to watch before adding, Hes got a lot of fans out there that cant get enough of Joe Biden in the bunker in Delaware. At that point, a reporter asked her, When you say hes in his bunker, are you suggesting Vice President Biden should be disregarding federal guidelines and be out there mixing with people? You know Im not, Conway shot back. Lets not be silly. Lets not be silly about it. When the reporter said she just wanted to know what Conway was implying with her repetition of the bunker line, she replied, Im not implying anything. In fact, Im not implying a single thing. I wonder what youre implying. Im not implying anything, she added again later. He can stay in the bunker all he wants. He can cough into or sneeze into his hand all he wants. He can read from prepared notes all he wants. Im yet to hear a single idea from Vice President Biden that would be helpful to the American people or is different from what were doing. In a statement responding to Conway, Biden deputy communications director Kate Bedingfield said, Vice President Biden has been extending his advice for months, and he did so again on the air last night. Story continues But as the presumptive 2020 nominee told MSNBC on Tuesday night, I dont get a sense that the president wants to hear from anybody. Its all about, like, asking governors to thank him for what hes doing as president. Biden has repeatedly stated that he does not believe the coronavirus pandemic is Trumps fault but has pointed out that his lack of speed in trying to contain it within the United States has made the situation far worse than it needed to be. One of his biggest suggestions has been to let the medical experts handle the daily briefings and take the microphone away from the president. 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. Barclays Bank has won a Supreme Court challenge over whether it should be held liable for any sexual assaults found to have been committed by a doctor who carried out medicals on its behalf. The bank brought an appeal at the UK's highest court against earlier rulings that it is 'vicariously liable' for any assault proven to have been carried out by the late Dr Gordon Bates. The proceedings arose out of a damages action brought by a group of 126 claimants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who allege that they were assaulted by the doctor. The Supreme Court was asked to rule on the issue of whether an employer is 'liable for sexual assaults committed by a medical practitioner in the course of medical examinations carried out at the employer's request either before or during the claimant's employment'. The Supreme Court (pictured in September) has ruled in favour of Barclays after the bank challenged sexual assaults liability case against them In a ruling on Wednesday, a panel of five justices unanimously allowed the bank's appeal saying that 'in short he (Dr Bates) was a classic independent contractor' and the person engaging him is 'not vicariously liable'. 'The bank's appeal is allowed', the Supreme Court ruled. Announcing the Supreme Court's decision via live stream, the court's president, Lord Reed said: 'It is of course most regrettable that these allegations did not come to light until after Dr Bates had died. 'Nothing in this judgment seeks to deny or downplay the very serious harm which sexual abuse of the sort alleged against Dr Bates can do. 'But the relationship between Dr Bates and the Bank was not such that the Bank should be made to pay for it.' A High Court judge, ruling on the preliminary issue of liability in 2017, decided that Barclays was 'vicariously liable' and the Court of Appeal upheld this decision. Barclays then appealed to the Supreme Court. Reading Wednesday's judgment on behalf of his predecessor Lady Hale, Lord Reed said the court held that other legal cases which have 'expanded the concept of employment' to include relationships that are 'akin or analogous to employment' have not eroded the distinction between 'an employee, or near-employee, and an independent contractor'. Lord Reed said: 'An employee, or near-employee, is working in and for the employer's business or enterprise. An independent contractor is working for his own business or enterprise. 'Dr Bates was not an employee or anything close to an employee of the Bank. 'He was in business on his own account as a medical practitioner, with a portfolio of patients and clients.' The doctor carried out work for the NHS, conducted medical examinations for a range of clients and wrote a weekly newspaper article. After being deemed liable in earlier rulings, Barclays made an appeal at the Supreme Court 'The work for the Bank was a very small proportion of his work,' Lord Reed said. 'The Bank made the appointments and sent him the form to fill in, but they paid him a fee for each report. They did not pay him a retainer. He could refuse to do a requested examination if he chose. 'He no doubt carried his own medical liability insurance (although this may not have covered deliberate wrongdoing of the sort alleged). 'In short, he was a classic independent contractor for whom the person engaging him is not vicariously liable.' The 126 claimants, mostly women, were examined without chaperones between 1968 and 1984 by Dr Bates at his Newcastle-upon-Tyne home. The majority were pre-employment checks of prospective employees and involved teenagers as young as 16. A posthumous police investigation begun in 2012, three years after Dr Bates's death at the age of 83, concluded there would have been sufficient evidence to pursue a prosecution if he had not died. Samsung is pushing a new software update to its Galaxy S20 series. The update, which is currently available to download over the air (OTA) in Hong Kong and Taiwan, packs some camera improvements. It also brings the latest April 2020 Android security patch. This is the second camera update Samsung has pushed to the Galaxy S20 series since its release early last month. The previous update brought much-needed improvements to the autofocus performance of the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera after users complained about wobbly focus from its 108-megapixel sensor. It also packed some general camera improvements for the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus. Although the Galaxy S20 Ultra leads the line with a giant 108-megapixel main camera, the other two S20 models arent any less either. Advertisement Theyve proven to be just as good with their 64-megapixel primary sensor. Check out our detailed spec comparison to see how the three Galaxy S20 phones stack up. Galaxy S20 already receiving the April 2020 security patch Samsung has recently been doing excellently when it comes to pushing out monthly Android security maintenance release. Were just entering the month of April and the South Korean giant has already released the April 2020 security patch to several Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy S10, Note 10, S8, and now, the Galaxy S20 have all received the latest Android security update. Neither Google nor Samsung has yet officially published the patch details. Advertisement The new update for the Galaxy S20 series comes with build number G98x0ZHU1ATCT in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The OTA download size for the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G weighs in at around 435MB. The build number and download size may vary according to the device mode, region, and carrier, though. Its also worth mentioning that Samsung devices sold in markets like China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan often get software updates different from what they get in the rest of the world. Advertisement So while the April security patch will certainly arrive at some point for the Galaxy S20 series all countries, this specific update may not. Nevertheless, Samsungs Galaxy S20 devices pack stellar camera hardware. The company will no doubt continue improving its performance with software updates. Those rocking a Galaxy S20 phone in Hong Kong and Taiwan can manually check for the update from the phones Settings Software update menu. People residing in other parts of the world will have to wait a little longer. You should get a notification once the OTA update becomes available for your unit. A group of former judges is urging Australia's parliament to set up a bipartisan committee to scrutinise the government's epidemic responses as it faces one of the longest shutdowns on record. The six judges, including former High Court justice Mary Gaudron, have proposed Canberra adopt New Zealand's approach of setting up an all-party select committee of parliament to scrutinise the government's epidemic responses. Parliament is heading for an unusually long recess of about 125 days. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The New Zealand committee, which had its second meeting on Wednesday, meets by video conference several times a week and will live-cast its proceedings publicly as long as the parliament is suspended. New Zealand's Epidemic Response Committee has the power to question government ministers and demand documents. Like Australia's, New Zealand's parliament was sent into unscheduled recess because of the risk that it would spread the new coronavirus. We're competing to play the best tricks on each other. (Getty Images) Whether youre tentatively sipping your tea or stealthily tiptoeing around every corner, you can be forgiven for feeling a bit cautious on April Fools Day. 1 April marks the day in which people from all over the world compete to play practical jokes on one another. Nobody knows exactly where April Fools Day originated from, but as far as the UK is concerned, it dates back to the 19th century. In those days, the practical jokes were aimed mainly at children but nowadays everybody gets in on the action. Read more: Men are funnier than women, research suggests What does April Fools Day mean? On April Fools Day people play pranks on each other with the aim of fooling the recipient of the prank. If the person youre pranking is fooled by your practical jokes then theyll be henceforth known (on 1 April at least) as an April Fool. Where can we trace the day back to? There are plenty of theories about the day, but perhaps the most believable traces April Fools Day back to the 16th century. When Pope Gregory XIII decided to change over to a new yearly calendar - the Gregorian calendar - people struggled to adjust to the new year. You see, before the Gregorian calendar, New Years Day was celebrated on 1 April, but the change saw people celebrating it on 1 January (as we now know it). During that transition period, those who celebrated on the wrong day were branded as fools which in turn encouraged the start of April Fools Day. Read more: Aprils best new book releases Another credible theory is that the day comes from Dutch origin. Its sometimes attributed to the Dutch victory at Brielle in 1572. When the Spanish were defeated in this battle on 1 April, a saying surfaced: Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril. The translation of this is: On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses. The saying is actually a pun because bril means both the battle of Brielle as well as bril which in dutch means glasses. How is April Fools Day celebrated around the world? Story continues Theres a prank element to every countrys celebrations, but each place puts their own twist on the tradition. In France, for example, children will prank each other by taping paper fish to each others backs. They do this because 1 April used to be seen as an easy day to catch fish in streams and lakes in France. France isnt the only country to trick people by taping something to peoples backs. In fact, many people believe the kick me signs taped to peoples backs originated in Scotland for the purpose of April Fools Day. Read more: Teachers give best advice on homeschooling children during coronavirus What are the rules? Anything goes as far as pranking is concerned, but one strict rule in the UK is that it only lasts until noon, any pranks after that time dont count. If youre in any other country, though (apart from Canada who follow the same rule as the UK) you can enjoy April Fools Day all day long. Royal Caribbean Group RCL is extending its Cruise with Confidence cancellation policy through September 1, 2020. The update provides guests flexibility with travel planning by allowing cancellations up to 48 hours before a sailing for any reason. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of choice in 2020 or 2021. The policy applies to both new and existing cruise bookings with sailing dates on or before September 1, 2020, and applies to the companys global brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara. Details are available on the respective brand websites. The coronavirus outbreak, which is spreading at an alarming rate, infected more than 800,000 people worldwide and the death toll has crossed 42,000. Notably, the companys decision is in sync with the unpredictable circumstances evolving from the global crisis. Notably, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean, Richard Fain stated, "Guests are reacting positively to our Cruise with Confidence policy, because it enables them to make informed decisions and to better manage complicated travel plans during this unprecedented time of uncertainty." Travel Restriction Hurts Cruise Industry President Trump has put restriction on passengers travelling from 26 European countries to the United States. Trump stated, We made a lifesaving move with early action on China. Now we must take the same action with Europe. Clearly, bookings for the broader business are going to be negatively impacted thanks to travel restrictions to contain the spread of the contagion. Other major cruise operators that have been affected are Carnival Corp. CCL and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH. So far this year, shares of Royal Caribbean have plummeted 75.9% compared with the industrys decline of 58.8%. Zacks Rank & a Key Pick Royal Caribbean currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues A better-ranked stock in the same space is Camping World Holdings Inc. CWH, sporting a Zacks Rank #1. Camping World Holdings 2020 earnings is expected to surge 163.6%. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> NOTE: This article is being republished to correct an error. The original version, published earlier today, April 1, 2020, should no longer be relied upon. 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 Carnival Corporation (CCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Camping World Holdings Inc. (CWH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed 1,125 crore towards tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising from the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society, as per a company statement released on Wednesday. Of the 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltds commitment is 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltds is 25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is 1,000 crore, it added. These sums are in addition to the annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, the statement said. Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the COVID-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it, the statement said. These responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundations 1,600-person team, in collaboration with many of its over 350-strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country, it added. These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro, the statement said. Corporate India has been rushing in to help the government and citizens fight the covid-19 pandemic in India. Tata Trusts and Tata group together have pledged 1,500 crore - by far the highest by any corporate. Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani has also committed a further 500 crore to the Prime Ministers COVID-19 fund, topping up over the multi-crore initiative of Indias first coronavirus hospital, meals to the needy, and fuel to emergency vehicles. Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has committed 100 crore, while a number of other companies are also extending support efforts towards fighting COVID-19 in India. South Korean consumer electronic giants Samsung and LG have said they will provide help to local authorities in India, offering preventive kits, infrared thermometers and consumer durables to hospitals, to help fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Digital payments companies like Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon Pay and others have urged users to donate to PMs Fund through their platforms and they, in turn, will make contributions to the fund as well. Officials in Hunterdon and Warren counties are seeking Gov. Phil Murphys support for a federally-supported coronavirus testing site closer to their residents. The freeholder board directors in both counties cited Murphys request for a test site in South Jersey in arguing for a location in the western New Jersey area," according to excerpts of a letter to the governor provided to NJ Advance Media. Currently, there are two state-run, mass testing sites in New Jersey, in Bergen and Monmouth counties, established in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, freeholder Shaun Van Doren of Hunterdon and Richard Gardner of Warren wrote that both locations are too far for residents of Hunterdon and Warren counties to access, particularly with the stay home order in effect. The letter did not specify possible locations. In response, a spokesperson for Murphy told NJ Advance Media additional testing is a priority. The Administration hopes to continue enhancing testing across the state through all means, including private, state and federal resources. We continue to work with FEMA as they assess their capacity for testing locations, said Murphys spokesperson, Alyana Alfaro Post. Van Doren, contacted Tuesday night, said Hunterdon Medical Center has been fielding phone calls from residents interested in being tested. A test site would lessen the burden on the hospital, he said. We have personnel that can assist and help manage the site. We would abide by whatever criteria FEMA wants, Van Doren said. The two FEMA-supported sites are being supplemented by more limited testing efforts elsewhere in New Jersey. In Warren County, Freeholder James Kern said a county-run testing site is scheduled to open by the end of next week. In Morris County, which borders Warren and Hunterdon counties, a drive-through coronavirus testing center opened Monday in Randolph at County College of Morris. However, it is open only to Morris County residents. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were at least 18,696 known coronavirus cases in New Jersey and 267 deaths. Of New Jerseys 21 counties, Hunterdon ranked 16th with 97 cases. Warren was 17th, with 76 cases. Four southern counties Atlantic, Cape May Cumberland and Salem have had the fewest cases in the state so far. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. As of March 30th, Indonesia reported 1,285 COVID-19 infections, including 112 deaths. Jakarta has the highest number of people infected and died of COVID-19. In particular, there are 61 health workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus and 10 of them died after caring for patients. Vietnamese breads presented to health workers in Jakarta (Photo: vov.vn) To encouraging health workers, who in the front line in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeu Saigon Group in Indonesias Jakarta owned by a Vietnamese person , has carried out the program "Our love for you, which donates Vietnamese breads to health workers at hospitals assigned to COVID-19 epidemic treatment in Jakarta. We want to express our appreciation and encouragement to doctors working at the hospitals. We want to join hands to make efforts to the host country, which is also our second homeland, to quickly overcome the pandemic. The reason why Yeu Saigon Group chooses Vietnamese bread to present to the doctors is that it is a world-famous food and is loved by Indonesian friends, shared Ms. Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Director of Yeu Saigon Group. For five years of doing business in the Muslim country of Indonesia, Ms. Le Thi Tuyet Mai understands the culinary tastes of Indonesian friends and their requirements for food. Accordingly, bread with grilled chicken fillet, grilled beef, beef spring rolls, chicken spring rolls, stir-fried beef and many other kinds of bread, focusing on Halal standard (food for Muslims) are prepared at the company's general kitchen. All of them have food safety certification before presenting to the doctors at hospitals in Jakarta. Receive hot breads with the message outside the bag "For you who stay work for us", the doctors working at hospitals in Jakarta feel warm. Dr. Ngabila Salama, Head of Epidemiological Surveillance Department under the Health Department in Jakarta, said that this is a very practical activity of concern for the city's health workers in the context of increasing cases of COVID-19 infection, especially in Jakarta. Breads with message "For you who stay work for us" (Photo: vov.vn) Although there are only 13 hospitals designated COVID-19 treatment in Jakarta, in fact, more than 70 hospitals in Jakarta have received and treated COVID-19 patients. The number of patients is increasing, the health force has to work at full capacity, so we really need help in any form. The food that Yeu Saigon Group makes is very simple, easy to eat, high nutrition, with enough protein and vegetables, suitable for busy people. We are very grateful for the help of Vietnamese friends, he said. Currently, the capital city of Jakarta is implementing a policy of "social distance", which closes trade centers, restaurants, agencies and schools to avoid the spread of COVID-19. As a result, most restaurants in the chain of 17 restaurants of Yeu Saigon Group in Jakarta have been closed. However, the groups general kitchen still mobilizes staff to maintain food production to present to the health workers. In the coming time, the group will continue to process meals for orphanages and poor people in Indonesia during the time the country is facing the global pandemic./. Ten Indonesia nationals, who had visited Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi for attending a religious gathering at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters and have been quarantined in a mosque here, have completed 14 days. Their samples have been collected and sent for tests to ascertain their COVID-19 status. Follow live updates of coronavirus cases in India here District Surveillance Officer Dr B N Tukkar told DH on Wednesday that since their arrival in the city, Indonesia nationals have been quarantined in a mosque here and have completed 14 days and do not have any health-related complaints. As some of them, who attended the religious gathering have tested positive in other parts, their swab samples have been sent for tests and results were awaited. Sources said that the Indonesia nationals had travelled to Bengaluru after the New Delhi gathering and after directions from the religious leaders had arrived in the city, but were housed in one mosque and had not moved outside. Track state-wise confirmed COVID-19 cases here Four people from the city who had been serving them too have been quarantined. The passports of the Indonesia nationals have been confiscated by the District Administration and they have been asked to remain in the place of quarantine. Already, the U.S. armed forces are providing important help here at home in the struggle against the novel coronavirus. Well over 10,000 members of the Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard have been mobilized to help with setting up more hospital capacity, transporting supplies and providing other services. Other personnel who have Individual Ready Reserve status are being activated to take advantage of their particular skills in medicine or other crucial fields. They are typically doing so under Title 32 of the U.S. code, whereby they are paid by the federal government but controlled by the governors of the states where they operate. Sally Shorr, a homemaker and popular Weight Watchers speaker who loved to draw, died Saturday, March 21, of coronary artery disease at the Abramson Center Residence in Horsham. She was 106 and had lived in Chestnut Hill for many years before her move to Horsham three years ago. She was a vibrant, strong force, a son, Saul Shorr, said. "She did not live to 106 by being gentle. She was a tough cookie. She was very opinionated, a very strong Democrat and a very strong liberal. Sally Wohl Shorr was born in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 7, 1913, the first of two children of Saul Wohl and Kate Altman Wohl. She was 3 when she and her mother joined her father in the United States, where he had worked in a hat factory after arriving a few years earlier. Mrs. Shorr grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Washington Irving High School in Manhattan. The family later moved to Lakewood, N.J., where her father operated a chicken farm in a community of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. In 1950, Mrs. Shorr married Louis Shorr. The couple moved from New Jersey to Levittown in 1956 after Louis began working as a chemical engineer for Domino Sugars research and development division in Philadelphia. A few years later, the sugar company moved its research and development division to New York, so in 1964, the family moved to Jamaica Queens, N.Y. It was there that Mrs. Shorr, determined to fit into a size 3 dress for her younger sons bar mitzvah, joined Weight Watchers. She lost 125 pounds in time for Saul Shorrs March 1967 celebration, he said. She wore a silver satin suit, size 3. Saul Shorr said his mother became a popular and engaging speaker for Weight Watchers and gave about three lectures a week. That was a job that required entertaining skills, he said. You are inspiring people, leading a whole class. Her sense of humor and her sense of humanity inspired a lot of people to lose weight." She had other jobs too. In New York, she once worked as an art therapist, teaching children to draw and also helped fill restaurant jobs for an employment agency. When her husband retired in 1972, the couple moved to Chula Vista, Calif., where Mrs. Shorr joined Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood, and organized trips and cooked for fund-raisers. In 1998, she and her husband returned to Philadelphia to be closer to family. They had been married for 51 years when Louis died in 2001, two days after 9/11. Mrs. Shorr lived in her Chestnut Hill home independently until 2017, when she moved to the Abramson Center at the age of 103. She loved to read The Inquirer, even after her eyesight became so poor, and she needed a magnifying glass to read it, said Peggy Shorr, a daughter-in-law: Then, in the later years, when she couldnt really see, she always had it delivered to her apartment door and brought it in herself every day. In addition to her son Saul, Mrs. Shorr is survived by another son, Neil Altman; a stepdaughter, Stephanie Rose; three grandchildren; and other relatives and friends. Her brother, Abe Wohl, died in 1991. A graveside funeral was Tuesday, March 24. The coronavirus has taken over the country at the moment. The pandemic has forced Prime Minster Narendra Modi to enforce a 21-day lockdown. Now, this has obviously had a severe affect on the lower sections of society, particularly the ones, who survive on a daily wage. Many Bollywood stars have come forward and pledged to financially support those in need. Ajay Devgn is the latest entrant in the list as the actor has decided to contribute a sum of Rs. 51 lakh. Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) chief, Ashoke Pandit, confirmed the same by thanking the actor with a video on social media. His caption for the video read, Dear @ajaydevgn, we thank U for your generous contribution of aA51 lakhs towards @fwice_mum, for the benefit of our 5 lakh #CineWorkers. U have proved time & again, especially in times of crisis, that U are a real life #Singham. God bless U. #FWICEFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona. Dear @ajaydevgn, we thank U for your generous contribution of aA51 lakhs towards @fwice_mum, for the benefit of our 5 lakh #CineWorkers. U have proved time & again, especially in times of crisis, that U are a real life #Singham. God bless U.#FWICEFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/e2NZ0V3q52 Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) April 1, 2020 Its really great to see Bollywood stars step up and give love back to their industry brethren A mother accused of neglecting her four-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter, who were described as being in a horrific condition, has had the case against her dismissed. Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said the mother of two had been prescribed Lyrica tablets prior to this and had complained only days earlier of experiencing dizziness. Gardai investigating the alleged child neglect testified that she appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident, but all of the witnesses agreed that there was no smell of alcohol from the accused on the night. Mr Kelleher argued that the prosecution case of wilful neglect was based on the accused being intoxicated but the defence was that she was actually ill at the time. The defence solicitor also emphasised the statement in writing from the social worker that, in his professional opinion, the accused was not criminally negligent. In his oral evidence, this witness said that criminal neglect was not a matter for him to decide. Mr Kelleher also said at the close of the prosecution case that there was evidence that in the days prior to this disputed neglect, the defendant had complained of dizziness from taking Lyrica. Judge Con OLeary said that there was a doubt in the case and that the defendant has to get the benefit of the doubt. He found her not guilty of the child neglect. The mother of the children was present for the resumption of her trial yesterday but she did not have to give any evidence in her own defence. The 33-year-old woman had been accused of wilfully ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning, or exposing the children to unnecessary suffering after 8pm on August 10, 2017. She denied the charge at Cork District Court. The mother in this case is not identified in media coverage as this would identify the children whose identity is protected. Three gardai and an ambulance paramedic testified about the condition of the children when they encountered them in the taxi. Garda Alan Hurson said: The condition of the children was the worst I have seen since joining the organisation. They had to be changed out of their clothes. The nappy of the child was so bad it came over the side walls of the nappy. Both children were dirty, not just from that day but [appeared] they had been in their clothes for a couple of days. They were tired, hungry, they were scared as well. They were both in pyjamas when I was dealing with them. Garda Eric Brannigan said of the mother: She appeared to be very incoherent, she was frothing or foaming at the mouth. Garda Mary Jane Somers went to the defendants house that night and said of the accused: She appeared to be out of it. Her eyes were rolling in her head. Her house was in poor condition. She said there was old food and dog food around the floor and very little fresh food. As of this week, the Australian government's strategy now includes an unprecedented $130 billion wage subsidy, paid directly to financially-distressed employers to pass onto employees they retain rather than sack. In both magnitude and design, its unlike anything weve ever seen before. So dont feel too bad if it all seems a bit novel to you. Indeed, the playbook on how best to respond to economic crises is being re-written by the hour, if not the minute. Every day of this COVID-19 crisis, it becomes necessary to rip out a new page and start again. Take your line graph predicting the future for the economy, and turn it on its head. Take the standard rules for good public policy-making and chuck them in the bin. Loading The basic idea is to effectively "staple" workers to their jobs. Without the scheme, more firms would simply retrench their workers, sending them off to the Centrelink queue, from where, conceivably, theyd be retrieved when normal economic conditions return whenever that might be. To avoid that dislocation, the government has decided to step in and give businesses suffering a big downturn in revenues the cash flow they need to keep paying their employees. In Britain, a similar scheme offers 80 per cent of your salary, up to a cap. Here, weve gone for a flat $1500 per fortnight payment to cover all employees of a distressed business. If all goes according to plan, after a period of six months, when all COVID-19 related restrictions have been lifted, our economy can emerge from effective hibernation with nearly 7 million workers in the same jobs as before, thanks to the scheme. By far the biggest disadvantage of the scheme is that it is enormously costly. It helps, in this regard, that the government has set a clear time limit of six months for the subsidy. But make no mistake: they will be under significant pressure to extend it if the social dislocation of COVID-19 is still with us after that. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had a telephone conversation with famous scientist, Professor Yousef Babikian, who conducts studies in genetics, the official website of the President informs. The interlocutor discussed Babikians studies on natural and organic materials aimed at enhancing and restoring the human immune system, as well as the joint actions being carried out with Armenian scientists at the laboratory founded by Babikian in Armenia. The President Sarkissian and the renowned scientist also discussed the global coronavirus pandemic and the opportunities for cooperation in fighting this disease in Armenia. Christina House / TNS The White House is putting the final touches on one of the biggest and most dangerous regulatory rollbacks ever. The Trump team wants to gut fuel efficiency goals for cars and trucks that would lead to ever-higher levels of tailpipe emissions, health dangers and gas use. The administrations anti-regulatory fervor is on full display despite the bad science and faulty economics. It wants, no surprise, to rewrite an Obama-era rule that put carmakers on a trajectory to increase mileage by 5% per year through 2026. The Trump policy would drop that figure to 1.5%, translating to a future vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon instead of 50. (Newser) The pediatric neurosurgeon who, in 2016, separated conjoined twins Anias and Jadon McDonald has been felled by the coronavirus. Dr. James T. Goodrich died Monday from COVID-19 complications, People reports. A pioneer in his field, Goodrich "dedicated his life to saving children with complex neurological conditions," according to a statement from the New York hospital where he was the director of the division of pediatric neurosurgery. "Jim was in many ways the heart and soul of our departmenta master surgeon, a world-class educator, and a beloved colleague for all," says the chair of the department of neurosurgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center; Goodrich worked at both. story continues below Goodrich developed a world-renowned method for separating conjoined twins, and had separated others before the McDonalds. The boys' mother mourned him on Facebook: "You will forever be our hero. Every single time my children wrap their arms around my neck, I think of you. Every milestone they reach is because you believed in them as much as I did. I'm not sure how to continue this journey without you," she wrote. "Please stay home. Please. This virus took him so quickly. Such a tragic loss. I would not want you to have to feel what we are feeling today." Her later post full of memories of McDonald, including how he paid the family's rent when the money donated for it got tied up in the hospital, is well worth a read. (Read more coronavirus stories.) DUBLIN, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "2020 North American Ground Protection Rental Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides an overview of the ground protection rental market in North America (United States and Canada). The report captures the growth drivers, restraints, market trends, market share by revenue, and the competitive supplier landscape. For purposes of this research, segments include construction site access, flooring & walkways, and turf protection. End user industries include energy, oil & gas, pipeline, construction, events, and others. The North American Ground Protection Rental Market is mature and competitive with both regional and national market participants trying to get a strong foothold in the market. The market is projected to experience moderate growth during the next seven years driven by pipeline construction projects, transmission and distribution line expansion, and environmental regulations to guard against soil damage and ecosystem protection. This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the North American Ground Protection Rental Market, along with competitive analysis for the base year of 2019. This study captures the following information on the North American ground protection rental market: Market Size, Growth Rate, Revenue Forecasts (2019-2026) Growth Drivers & Restraints Market Data Market Share Analysis End User Analysis Market Trends Quotes by Key Industry Participants Key Topics Covered: I. Research Scope II. Methodology III. Market Definitions and Segmentation IV. COVID-19 Pandemic V. Executive Summary VI. Market Drivers a) Pipeline Construction Projects b) Construction Spending c) Expanding Utility Infrastructure d) Environmental Regulations e) Demand from Events VII. Market Restraints a) Economic Downturn b) Lower Oil & Gas Prices c) High Competition d) Permanent Infrastructure e) Lack of Qualified Labor VIII. Industry Challenges IX. Competitive Factors X. Market Trends XI. North American Market Analysis a) Market Overview b) Revenues Forecast c) United States d) Canada e) Revenue by Segment f) Market Participants g) Market Share by Revenues h) Quotes from the Industry XII. Companies Profiles a) Yak Access LLC b) Sterling Lumber Company c) New Park Resources d) Quality Mat Company e) EPS America Companies Mentioned Checkers Safety Group EPS America Empire Group Herc Rentals Matrax Inc. Newpark Resources Quality Mat Company Ritter Forest Products Signature Systems Group LLC Spartan Mat LLC. Sterling Lumber Company Sunbelt Rentals Thomasson Company Viking Mat Company Yak Access LLC For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o5d08r 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 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Default is possible in Ukraine without external support from international financial institutions, but the government is doing its best to keep the country financially stable, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said. He said this live on the Freedom of Speech program on the ICTV channel when asked if Ukraine really faces default if the Verkhovna Rada did not vote on the bills needed for financial assistance from the IMF and if the IMF does not provide such support, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Of course, first of all, we have to spend money on protecting the life and health of our citizens, rather than repaying foreign debt. Therefore, without the support of international financial institutions, in order to repay foreign and domestic debt, we will probably just have to fall into an abyss of default. It is an extremely terrible scenario for our country. We do not want it, we do not foresee such a development, and we will do our best so that the country remains financially stable, has an economic strategy for emerging [from crisis] and overcoming the consequences of coronavirus infection," Shmyhal said. He added that in today's context, it is important to work with all donors, not just the IMF. "We are also working with the World Bank, the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other financial institutions that can support Ukraine financially. Today, for example, the European Union has allocated 80 million euros to support Ukraine in the fight against the coronavirus. It is also positive news," Shmyhal said. op Three days after a New Jersey Army National Guardsman died from COVID-19, and more than three weeks after they were activated to support their state's coronavirus response, members of the Maryland National Guard received guidance on the recommended steps they should take if they fall ill. Maryland National Guard officials issued instructions Tuesday on COVID-19 medical tests and quarantines for troops. By that point, one Maryland Guard member had already tested positive, and at least 20 members were in quarantine. A second member has since tested positive, according to a source with knowledge of the Maryland Guard's deployment to Baltimore. As a result, three more Guardsmen had to be placed in quarantine. The troops have been helping set up COVID-19 test facilities, distributing food, supporting medical assessments and training for a broader response, as needed. But while these Guard members have been close to the front lines of the disease response effort, their own support system has been thin at times, or unclear. Related: 1st US Service Member Dies of Coronavirus At the start of their deployment, they received "conflicting guidance" from state Guard officials, leaving those without personal health coverage concerned about the cost of testing and treatment and confused over worker's compensation, which they would have qualified for during the state-wide call-up. The mixed messages created confusion among troops and commanders, who weren't sure what to do with symptomatic members. "There was a good bit of chaos, as you can imagine, on the front end of mobilization in terms of how, if the states were going to respond, they were going to be supported," said retired Mississippi Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Roy Robinson, president of the National Guard Association of the United States. When National Guard members are serving at the request of their governors, they are considered state employees, entitled to benefits extended by the state. Under certain conditions, however, the Defense Department can provide federal funding for state operations, under U.S. Code Title 32, Section 502 (f). President Donald Trump granted Title 32 status on March 22 to National Guard operations in three states: California, New York and Washington. On Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the addition of five more states, including Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey, as well as U.S. territories Guam and Puerto Rico. The designation makes Guard members eligible for medical coverage at military treatment facilities and gives families the option of enrolling in the Tricare health program. While operating under Title 32, they accrue credits and time for GI Bill benefits and retirement and are eligible for a death gratuity from the DoD if they die on active duty. On Tuesday, however, Maryland National Guard members seemed unaware of their newly designated federal status: The health guidance they were issued instructed them to "keep all documentation to ensure" they would receive state workers' compensation. "I had a lot of concerns bringing up the Guard under state active-duty status, because they don't get federal benefits associated with their service. And in this particular case, it's even more severe, because some of these soldiers may not have personal health insurance," Robinson said. As of Sunday, nearly 15,000 Army and Air National Guard members supporting COVID-19 operations across the U.S. Guard components have been activated in all 50 states; the U.S. Virgin Islands; Washington, D.C.; Guam; and Puerto Rico. Just 10 locations are operating under Title 32 status. On Friday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued a letter to state governors saying he had approved modifications to accelerate the process by which they could receive federal support under Title 32. "This authorization enables your timely use of the National Guard to save lives and protect public health and safety," Esper wrote. "The men and women of the National Guard are citizen-soldiers who stand ready to serve their communities as we fight COVID-19." Robinson said that, with the letter signed by Esper, the National Guard Association of the United States will now work to increase the length of troops orders, to ease the burden on unit administrative sections, as well as service members. Currently, the mobilized troops are operating under 30-day orders. Robinson said he will work to have the orders written for a longer period since, historically, National Guard families have experienced lapses in medical care when their service members are activated or their deployments extended. "Making the transition can be cumbersome. At times, we've seen a break in their care, their pay -- everything associated with being on short-term orders can be very cumbersome for the units and administrative personnel. Frankly, we see a lot of issues," Robinson said. Still, he added, regardless of the length of time they are mobilized, Guard members will perform in this time of national crisis. "I stand in awe of the men and women of the National Guard and what they are doing right now. There are about 2,500 members on the border mission. ... We've got members deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. We have them in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and the Sinai. In every case, when the members of the National Guard are called upon, they bring calm to chaos." -- Patricia Kime can be reached at patriciankime@gmail.com. Read More: 'Sailors Do Not Need to Die': Carrier Captain Pleads for Help as Virus Cases Surge Company Closes its $2.2M Seed Round to Support Commercialization of The Heart Seat ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to monitor cardiovascular health in the home has become critical to reduce the burden on healthcare systems around the world. According to the American Heart Association, more than 80% of those over the age of 65 will have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 2035. Heart Failure, which is a chronic disease characterized by a weakened heart muscle, has a significant health and economic impact in the United States. It affects approximately 6.5 million adults and over 960,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Heart Health Intelligence (HHI) has designed and developed The Heart Seat, a unique cloud-connected toilet seat-based platform that effortlessly captures clinical-grade and relevant cardiac data from the patients home, without any change in the users habits. HHI has partnered with Bemis Manufacturing Company to produce The Heart SeatTM, which will transform how CVD is managed and monitored. HHI has closed its $2.2M Seed Round to support the commercialization of The Heart Seat and achieve FDA clearance. This round was led by Bemis Manufacturing Company, with additional investments from LaunchNY , RIT Venture Fund , Tech Coast Angels , Excell Partners , and Impact Capital of New York . The Heart Seat has tested its cardiac measures in over 300 subjects in partnership with University of Rochester Medical Center and the results have been published in two peer-reviewed journal articles ( 2018 and 2019 ). The Heart Seat has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients by allowing them to track health changes in the comfort of their own homes without the need to change their behavior. Khan Siddiqui, MD, HHIs Independent Board Member, and founder of higi, stated, Ultimately, this advancement for in-home technology will provide patients and their clinicians with information previously unavailable at an unprecedented scale. No other clinical grade technology so seamlessly integrates into everyday life. Story continues Bemis Manufacturing Company is the largest toilet seat manufacturer in the United States that is highly innovative and has significant experience with FDA regulated devices. We are thrilled to work with Heart Health Intelligence on this unique and impactful product that can positively impact cardiovascular health and leverages Bemis track record of innovation throughout its 119-year history, stated Nan Jiang, VP of Business Development for Bemis Manufacturing Company. Nicholas Conn, PhD, HHIs CEO, added we are going to make a tangible difference in the lives of patients and healthcare providers. The strong partnerships we are forming now continue to add to our momentum and Im incredibly excited for all the good that our technology has the potential do. About Heart Health Intelligence: Heart Health Intelligence (HHI) creates healthcare technologies that enable daily effortless heart health monitoring. HHI was founded July 2018 based on research from the Rochester Institute of Technology and in partnership with the University of Rochester Medical Center. The HHI solution is The Heart Seat, a cloud-connected self-contained toilet seat-based cardiovascular monitoring system that measures over 9 clinical-grade metrics. Visit www.hearthealthintelligence.com . Follow us on Twitter (@hearthealthinc) and LinkedIn. About Bemis: Headquartered in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, Bemis Manufacturing Company is a major North American molder of diverse plastic products, using engineering-grade thermoplastics and commodity resins. As a proprietary molder, Bemis is the world's largest manufacturer of toilet seats. As a custom molder, Bemis is among North America's top non-automotive producers of contract plastic injection-molded components. The company serves a host of Fortune 500 firms in consumer and industrial markets throughout North, Central and South America, and globally in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Bemis has more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Media Contact: Ken Rosenfeld Heart Health Intelligence P: 585-752-3448 E: ken@hearthealthintelligence.com www.hearthealthintelligence.com In late January, days before Chinese New Year, a group of British researchers who work for the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research outside of Shanghai returned home from a country that was on high alert due to coronavirus. By then, about 2,000 cases had been confirmed in China and travel restrictions were in place for numerous cities in the Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. As the researchers passed through airports in the U.K., though, there was one thing that stood out. They said there was absolutely no check at the airport whatsoever, says Zhanfeng Cui, an engineer who is the director of the Suzhou centre. Cui had been in Britain since the middle of December. Stuck there, and unable to return to the centre the only research facility that Oxford University has outside the U.K. Cui says his group tried to determine how they could help. We thought, what can we do? We need to do something. For them, the most pressing need was a test that could produce results fast enough that it could be used while a traveller waited. Based on the results, a person could either be allowed in the country or put into isolation. On March 18, Oxford announced that a team led by Cui and professor Wei Huang had created a test can detect viral RNA and RNA fragments which typically show up three or four days after exposure in swab samples within 30 minutes. The test equipment is portable and the results can be read with the naked eye. Early results from Oxford showed the test correctly identified 16 samples eight negative and eight positive for the virus, taken from real clinical samples at Shenzhen Luohu Peoples Hospital in China. The team is working on a larger trial to validate the results. Cui wants to make the technology available, for a small licensing fee, to manufactures in countries around the world, which could happen in weeks if the trial is successful. Basically, under the current global situation, I think money, making profit, is the last thing on peoples minds, says Cui. We want to make it as widely accessible as possible. Every country has different regulatory approvals. Every country needs this type of test. The focus is to get the test, if it works, to medical professionals. Many jurisdictions around the world are opting for some kind of test like Cuis that can produce fast results to check the spread of the virus. Cui has had interest from about 15 countries, including Canada. Australia is rolling out a pinprick test this week that looks for antibodies in blood, which typically appear about six days after exposure. The test was fast-tracked for regulatory approval there and will be administered by family doctors, nurses and emergency rooms. And the U.K. purchased 3.5 million home test kits that use a finger-prick blood test to determine in 15 minutes if antibodies are present. But health advisers there say they need to ensure the tests are reliable before they sell them on Amazon, according to news reports. The danger is that if the kits arent precise enough, they could show false negatives or false positives, says Cynthia Carr, an epidemiologist who founded EPI Research in Winnipeg. Carr has no knowledge of these specific tests and is speaking generally. The quicker you get the results, the faster people can make sure that they dont spread it, but fast is not more important than accurate, cautions Carr. You dont want to scare people and you dont want to tell people they dont have a disease when they do. Ontario announced this week that it was purchasing fast-test kits from Spartan, an Ottawa-based company. The kits will be used to detect COVID-19 in nasal and throat swabs using an analyzer, a small machine about the size of a coffee cup. The province has ordered 900,000 kits but it hasnt released how many analyzers it will purchase. The analyzers can only process one test at a time, but they are portable and can be used in clinics, airports, remote communities and at borders. The company is working closely with Health Canada so that the test kits can be fast-tracked for approval, which means they could be out in weeks, says Spartan CEO Paul Lem. Although some countries have scaled back on testing once there is community spread, many epidemiologists here believe testing is still key. It is now quite apparent that widespread testing is likely needed to control the virus, says Dr. Jeff Kwong, a family doctor at Toronto Western as well as a professor at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Social distancing is really a stopgap measure because we arent able to do widespread testing and contact tracing, says Kwong. Ontario has a huge backlog of lab results and on Monday processed fewer than 3,200 lab tests, short of its goal of 5,000 a day. Conventional testing can take up to five hours in a hospital lab such as Mount Sinais, where 94 samples can be processed during that time-period, says Tony Mazzulli, the hospitals Microbiologist-in-Chief. The province has been slow to expand testing to labs at private companies and universities. New York state was able to expand its capacity because it moved early to open testing to public and private labs, as soon as it received FDA approval March 13, says Jonah Bruno, director of public information for the New York State Department of health. More than 12,000 tests were processed one day last week in New York, which has a population of 19.5 million, about a third more than Ontario. Partnerships with private labs have also let South Korea do widespread testing, which has been credited with slowing down the spread of the virus there, although there are still thousands infected in the country. The country has drive-through testing and people are texted or emailed the lab results the next day. If we could have expanded testing and done comprehensive contact tracing at the outset, says Kwong, we may have been able to avert many of the cases that we are seeing today and will see in the next week. What role rapid testing will have on the pandemic will play out in the next few weeks. Cui is focused on getting his test out during that time frame so that it can be developed and improved in other countries. No single company could make enough test kits to meet global demand, he notes. Any test is good, says Cui. Right now were staying home, but the question you always ask yourself is, Did I get it? Did I get it? And this concern creates anxiety. If we have a test that you can do fairly quickly, then thats great. His test is also much cheaper than a conventional one about $35 Canadian covers the materials although Cui says he wasnt happy when he first heard the price. I thought this was too expensive. I wanted to make it even cheaper, he says, thinking that if he could ever develop it into a home test that it would be too much for a family of four or five. But I was told that at the moment the (conventional lab) test costs 300 pounds (roughly $500). So they tell me ours is much cheaper, he says, laughing. Im an engineer. I just want to make it as cheap as possible, more accessible. Social media-stoked theories that ibuprofens such as Advil and Motrin can worsen symptoms of the coronavirus have been essentially dispelled by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even though these agencies released statements debunking the false reports almost two weeks ago, misguided warnings continue to be circulated by people on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. The following announcement was issued by the FDA on March 19. "At this time, FDA is not aware of scientific evidence connecting the use of NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, with worsening COVID-19 symptoms. The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available. However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections. " NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, Motrin, Nurpin and aspirin and commonly used to fight mild headaches, join pain and cold symptoms which can be correlative ailments for those who have contracted COVID-19. Tylenol, on the other hand, is an acetaminophen. That also is used to relieve fever, headaches and such, but is processed through the liver, unlike ibuprofen. Many of the rumors stating the dangers of Advil and Motrin also have recommended a switch to acetaminophen. But medical experts say that could pose a danger to anyone instructed not to use acetaminophen because of a compromised liver. A CDC statement dispelling the myth is harder to find, but the agency issues no warnings at all against the use of ibuprofen on its web page detailing best remedies for the coronavirus. Perhaps this graphic tweeted by WHO on March 18 would offer reassurance for COVID-19 patients who want to reach for an Advil: Here's what the World Health Organization says about social media claims that ibuprofen could be harmful to coronavirus patients.World Health Organization It is difficult to track down where the theory originated, but it is believed to have been fanned by a tweet from France Minister of Health Olivier Veran that cautioned against taking anti-inflammatory drugs because they could be a factor in worsening the infection. Some health experts believe anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, could be a risk for those with infectious illnesses because they tend to diminish the response of the bodys immune system," a report in The Guardian says. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Mike Kinney may be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter @MikeKinneyHS. After three years at the helm of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI), Noriyuki Takakura's tenure in the country is complete. Takakura will now be heading to Honda Automobile Thailand, and the man succeeding in his position here in the Philippines will be Masahiko Nakamura. Nakamura's appointment as president of Honda Cars Philippines is effective today, April 1, 2020. He has been with Honda's automobile division for over 30 years and has held various deputy general manager positions since 2016. Nakamura will be assuming the lead of Honda Cars Philippines during a challenging time; the company announced in February that they were closing the factory in Santa Rosa, Laguna due largely to insufficient market volume to justify operations. As such, Nakamura will be president of a Honda automobile division that is transitioning to being purely an importer/distributor with no domestic manufacturing. Warm tributes have been paid to a woman who lost her husband and daughter in the Shankill bombing. Elsie Frizzell, who had been living at Ravenhill Nursing Home overlooking Belfast Lough for the past three years, died on Monday at the age of 89. She owned Frizzell's fish shop on the Shankill Road with husband Desmond when an IRA bomb exploded in October 1993, killing nine people. Her husband and daughter Sharon McBride were among those to lose their lives. Son-in-law Alan McBride remained in constant contact with Elsie and said his family had lost its matriarch. "Elsie was the strongest of all of us," he added. "An amazing woman in so many ways. In 1993 when the Troubles claimed the lives of her daughter Sharon and husband Desmond, it was Elsie who helped me see that life could be good again. "She worked with me for a number of years at the YMCA before following me to work at the Wave Trauma Centre. I used to joke that if you employed me you got Elsie for free. "Elsie was old-school, incredibly independent and doggedly determined to do what she could for other people. "She found a second home at Wave, where she worked in the front office up until a few years ago when old age and failing health limited her mobility. Even in poor health you couldn't keep Elsie away. She made her final trip to Wave in December 2019 at the seniors' Christmas get-together. "As a family we are grateful she remained in good spirits and though I'd love to speak about her at the funeral, it doesn't look it will be possible given the current restrictions." One of Elsie's closest companions through the last three decades, the Rev David Clements, was the man who sat with she and Alan as they were given the news that the bomb had claimed the lives of their loved ones. "That day will stay with me forever," said Rev Clements, who was at Woodvale Methodist at the time of the bombing. "I sat with them in the Methodist coffee shop on the Shankill then went with them to the Mater Hospital where they were told the news. "We remained in touch ever since and Elsie was such a wonderful woman of faith and courage. Her strong Christian character helped her to go on and support others who had suffered like her. We can take comfort in that Elsie has found her release and is again with her Desmond." Also paying tribute, Sandra Peake, chief executive of the Wave Trauma Centre, said Elsie was "a real character". "We've lost a dear friend," she added. "Elsie was a remarkable woman. She was caring and compassionate, took no nonsense and was a real character. "Elsie was well aware of why Wave was so important for many individuals and families as she had suffered too. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Elsie's children Beth and John and their families and with her son-in-law Alan and his daughter Zoe." After a constable posted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus police station here tested positive for coronavirus, his family members and 32 police personnel who came in contact with him have been asked to remain in home quarantine, an official said on Wednesday. This is the first case in Maharashtra of a police personnel contracting the viral infection, he said. The constable is being treated at the Kasturba Hospital, the official said, adding that samples of four police personnel who worked with him have been sent for test. The policeman, a resident of Kalyan township in neighbouring Thane district, complained of uneasiness in breathing following which he was rushed to hospital on Monday. His test later came out positive for coronavirus, the official said. The constable was posted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway police station in south Mumbai from March 15 to 22 and from March 24 to 27 along with other personnel, he said. After he tested positive for the coronavirus, a list was prepared of the police personnel who came in contact with him. Those police personnel and the constable's family members have been advised to remain under home quarantine, he said. "As the suburban train services are shut, we are trying to ascertain his travel route and the people with whom he came in close contact," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The distillery and liquor division of the Rajasthan State Ganganagar Sugar Mills (RSGSM) that normally produces 2.4 million bottles of country liquor every day is now producing sanitisers as part of the governments efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. RSGSM plants had been shut for three days following the 21-day lockdown. But from March 25, five out of its 19 plants began producing sanitisers. The plants have produced about 1.4 million bottles of sanitisers until March 31 and supplied free of cost to government departments in the front line of the Covid-19 fight. Follow coronavirus live updates here. The approximate cost producing these sanitisers is Rs 3.5 crore. We consider it as our contribution to the states efforts to fight the pandemic, said Kesar Lal Meena, RSGSM general manager. The government organization has also donated Rs 5 crore to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund Covid-19 Mitigation Fund. The plant in Jaipur operates in two shifts 6 am to 1.30 pm and 2 pm to 9 pm and the plants in Mandore (Jodhpur), Hanumangarh, Ranpur (Kota) and Udaipur operate in one shift from 8am to 5pm to produce sanitisers in plastic bottles of 180ml each. Meena said two chains are operating in Jaipur and one chain each in the other plants. Theres a shortage of labour so we cannot operate more chains. On a normal working day, we have 160 labourers in Jaipur plant alone. Currently, the plant is operating with 40, he said. Excise commissioner Bishnu Charan Mallick said the sanitisers have been given to district administrations for free distributions to frontline workers in police, medical and health and other departments. Meena said production of sanitisers began on March 25 on a small scale. Large-scale production began the next day when all five plants got operational, he said. The RSGSM GM said the sanitisers will be available across 40 depots of Rajasthan State Beverages Corporation Limited, which normally handle supply of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), from Wednesday for Rs 37.50 each bottle. We know there are restrictions on movement but people are exempted from the lockdown orders may also need to buy these sanitisers. The cost of our sanitiser is one third of the market rates, Meena said. So until the plants are closed for production of country liquor, the rectified spirit is being turned into sanitisers with lemon and pink essence to colour the liquid. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Zachary Storey, Ann Arbor's Violin Monster, performs on Main Street in Ann Arbor on March 5, 2020. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive) Don't Edit Ann Arbor's Violin Monster over the years Since 2011, Zach Storey has crafted the persona of the Violin Monster - a fiddle-playing, 500-year-old wolfman who busks on Ann Arbor sidewalks, in restaurants and at street festivals, letting out an occasional skyward howl. The character has become an Ann Arbor staple at public gatherings and on street corners, even earning the privilege of having an Arbor Brewing Company beer named after him. Check out a visual retrospective of Ann Arbor's very own Violin Monster below. More: Violin Monster unmasked: A changing city through the eyes of Ann Arbor's most famous street performer Don't Edit Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com Then-26-year-old Connecticut native Zachary Storey at the start of his career as the Violin Monster of downtown Ann Arbor, photographed Aug. 27, 2011. Don't Edit Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com The Violin Monster entertains passersby on Main Street on Aug. 27, 2011. Don't Edit Angela J. Cesere | MLive Violin Monster plays in the center of the room during Winefest, a fundraiser for the Ann Arbor Art Center at Warehouse 345 in Ann Arbor on May 7, 2011. Don't Edit Don't Edit Melanie Maxwell | MLive Violin Monster performs during the annual Taste of Ann Arbor along Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor on Sunday, June 6, 2011. Don't Edit Jeffrey M Smith Zachary Storey, also known as the Violin Monster, performs on the corner of State and North University streets on opening day of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival Friday, June 16, 2012. Don't Edit Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com Zachary Storey, A.K.A. the Violin Monster, performs at the corner of South Main and East Liberty streets in downtown Ann Arbor on May 8, 2012. Don't Edit Joseph Tobianski | MLive Violin Monster performs at The Last Word in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. He kicked off his Haunted Holidays Tour and released a new CD. Don't Edit Joseph Tobianski | MLive Violin Monster performs at The Last Word in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Don't Edit Don't Edit Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News Arbor Brewing Company's Violin Monster, an autumn ale beer named after the Ann Arbor street musician and personality, on Sept. 21, 2013. Don't Edit Tyler Stabile | The Ann Arbor News The Violin Monster stares at passing attendees while performing during the International Champions Celebration Street Party in Ann Arbor on Friday, August 1, 2014. Don't Edit Tyler Stabile | The Ann Arbor News The Violin Monster plays during a break at the Ann Arbor Barfight held at The Ravens Club, 207 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor on Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. Don't Edit Tyler Stabile | The Ann Arbor News The Violin Monster arrives to perform at Fraser's Pub on Packard Road in Ann Arbor on Monday, September 15, 2014. Don't Edit Tyler Stabile | The Ann Arbor News The Violin Monster plays at Fraser's Pub on Packard Road in Ann Arbor on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014. Don't Edit Don't Edit Katy Kildee | MLive The violin monster performs during Taste of Ann Arbor on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Don't Edit Dominic Valente | MLive The Violin Monster performs for some fans during AFC Ann Arbor's last game of the year against RWB Adria Chicago at Pioneer High School on Saturday, July 25, 2015. Don't Edit Katy Kildee | MLive The violin monster puts on sunscreen during Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair in downtown Ann Arbor on Friday, July 22, 2016. Don't Edit Matt Weigand | MLive The Violin Monster plays the violin near the University of Michigan for the 46th annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Don't Edit Ben Allan Smith | MLive The Violin Monster plays for passersby during the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair on Thursday, July 19, 2018. Don't Edit Don't Edit Jenna Kieser | jkieser@mlive.com Kids pose for a photo with the Violin Monster and Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor during a tree planting at Cobblestone Farms in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Don't Edit Jacob Hamilton Zachary Storey poses at RoosRoast Liberty, 117 E Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Don't Edit More: The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari did not consider Nigerians before ord... The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari did not consider Nigerians before ordering a lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States respectively. Buhar had on Sunday ordered a total lock down of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun State in a bid to contain the spread of Coronavirus. However, Afeniferes spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin in a chat said Buhari and those around him only care about making money from oil than the welfare of Nigerians. He said: You cant just shut down states like Lagos and Abuja as if you are shutting down a ministry. You must consider the people who are living there, he has been in town for several weeks when COVID-19 started without one word but he just woke up one night and said you are shutting some parts of the country in 24 hours. He didnt get in touch with the governor of Lagos who had shifted the shutdown till Friday; this shows he never got in touch with him. Buhari is just running Nigeria from Abuja without taking into consideration how others feel. You can see that even in New York the governor told Trump that hes the one that can shut down the state but that is not obtainable here because we run some kind of Federalism and thats why all these abnormalities are happening. Odumakin insisted that Buhari has not added any value to the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria. Even in the Presidents speech, he asked other states to emulate Lagos instead of asking them to copy from Federal Government. Looking at his speech, the federal government has not added any value to the fight against Coronavirus. They dont care about the economy so long as they have collected their oil receipts, if they are running a productive economy they wont behave like this. Its clear that the interest of the masses, economy and those who depend on daily economy were not put into consideration but for them oil receipts was more important. 01.04.2020 LISTEN Ghanas Coronavirus (COVID-19) private sector fund with Julie Essiam (Commissioner of GRA) has commissioned a FEED-A-KAYAYO project to feed 8,000 Kayayos in Accra and Kumasi per day during the Covid-19 lockdown. The project takes effect today Wednesday 1st April, 2020 to the 12th of April 2020 subject to extension. According to a press statement signed by Mr. Senyo Hosi, a trustee of the Fund indicated that the 8000 figure includes 6,000 head porters in Accra and 2,000 in Kumasi who will be fed per day. The Ghana COVID-19 private sector fund in response to governments call on the private sector to support the fight against COVID-19 has together with Julie Essiam (Commissioner of GRA) has commissioned the FEED-A-KAYAYO Project effective 1st April 2020 to the 12th of April 2020, the statement noted. The statement added, "the FEED-A-KAYAYO Project is seeking to feed up to 8,000 head-porters a day [6,000 head porters in the affected regions, [6,000 in the Greater Accra Region and 2,000 head porters in the Ashanti Region]." According to the statement, the project has been developed in conjunction with the government to help alleviate the challenges faced by the head porters, popularly known as Kayeyei, as a result of the recent imposition of restrictions that will not allow them to operate in the Greater Accra and the Ashanti Region. We hereby call on all citizens, corporate and public institutions to donate at least Ghc5 to FEED-A-KAYEYO-A-DAY. Primarily, donations can be sent via USSD mobile money using the shortcode *776*100# and the merchant code 355," the statement emphasised. Read the full statement below: Celis highlighted the response of the reserve staff, men and women who are being assigned to military units after the call-up of the Armed Forces. The period of service required of the 2020 reservists, who graduated in January, had already been extended to ensure security during the parliamentary elections. "They had completed an additional mission besides their two years of military service, and now they respond to the call-up to serve the homeland," he expressed. The call-up for reserve members responds to the Armed Forces' need to fulfill the task entrusted by the Government to tackle this national health emergency in response to COVID-19. "We have around 34,000 men right now, excluding the support staff, which is not accounted for, but the 10,500 troops who will join us this week will strengthen and give a breathing space to our people who have been working 24/7 on a permanent basis," he stated. It must be noted that more than 36,000 people have been arrested over the course of the first 16 days of the emergency response. Those who graduated in 2020 must reach the military units throughout the country today, 2019 graduates shall do so tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, while 2018 graduates on Saturday. (END) FHG/CVC/RMB/MVB Loading... Army Commander General Jorge Celis on Wednesday affirmed that the integration of 10,500 reservists will strengthen the work carried out by the Armed Forces against the coronavirus in Peru Publicado: 1/4/2020 Facebook page urging children to send rainbow drawings to cover the walls of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in London are fake, the NHS has warned. The accounts call for youngsters to post their designs to addresses across the country and said they would send them on to the ExCeL centre. One claimed: 'These will be put up on the walls in the Nightingale Hospital to brighten the place up.' But NHS Nightingale's official Twitter page revealed the requests are not legitimate and asked the public not to send any via post. The accounts call for youngsters to post their designs to nine addresses across the country and said they would send them on to the ExCeL centre (pictured) One claimed: 'These will be put up on the walls in the Nightingale Hospital to brighten the place up' It wrote: 'Unfortunately, a fake Facebook account has been set up for the Nightingale Hospital London asking people to share rainbow pictures. 'Please be aware of misinformation and only get your information from trusted sources.' It added: 'We love that so many of you have shared your amazing rainbow pictures, but please don't send them in the post. 'We're working on a way to receive them, but for now please share using #RainbowsForNightingale.' NHS Nightingale's official Twitter page revealed the request was not legitimate and asked the public not to send any via post Built in around ten days, NHS Nightingale will have 500 beds for Covid-19 patients when it opens this week. The number of beds will eventually increase to 4,000. Similar hospitals are being installed in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to ease pressure on existing sites. Soldiers helping to build the site at London's Docklands have compared the coronavirus crisis to the Battle of the Somme. Colonel Ashleigh Boreham, who has carried out two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan, said it was the biggest mission of his career. Members of the Queen's Gurkha Engineer Regiment, 36 Engineer Regiment as they help build Nightingale Hospital Up to 200 soldiers a day have been helping in the construction of the Docklands hospital. They are carrying out medical planning, logistics, engineering and tasks such as building beds, laying floors, and carrying out electrics and plumbing (pictured on Tuesday) Colonel Ashleigh Boreham (left), who has carried out two tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan, said transforming the conference centre into a hospital was the biggest mission of his career (right, medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London which is being made into a temporary hospital) The soldier, who has helped create field hospitals around the world, said: 'We are building a hospital for people in our nation. 'You are saving people's lives and they could be the lives of your families. It's the biggest job I've ever done. 'My grandfather was at the Somme, this is no different. I'm just at a different battle. I'm from London, I have friends and family in London. 'Many of the people working here, many of the soldiers working here, are from London. 'We are doing this to save the lives of Londoners. These are our comrades, there's no difference. It doesn't matter if they are civilian or military.' A spokesman for Facebook said: 'We have removed these accounts for violating our fake account policies and Facebook has partnered directly with the NHS to make sure people using our platforms are pointed to the latest official NHS guidance on coronavirus both straight from their news feed and when they search on the topic.' A Sonoma County emergency official broke the countys shelter-in-place order to have a beach day with his family, according to local reports. Photos of Chris Godley, the director of Emergency Management in Sonoma County, enjoying a day at an otherwise empty beach with his family were posted to Facebook and later shared with a local news outlet. The Press Democrat first reported on the photos. Road tripping up the coast. Beautiful drive and nice views. Family beach time together. Grateful for fresh air and the ocean, the photo caption stated. When confronted on the photos, Mr Godley noted there was no justifiable explanation for him defying the shelter-in-place order. I own this. It was a day off for my family. Any reasoning or justification is going to sound thin, he said. A Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said she was disappointed by Mr Godleys trip. In county government, we need to lead by example. We cant possibly expect the community to hold themselves accountable if we dont hold ourselves accountable as well, she said. The shelter-in-place in Sonoma County went into effect on 18 March and prohibits all business and travel except for essential needs. On 23 March, the county closed parks and beaches in response to large crowds gathering along the Sonoma coast. In recent days, law enforcement officials in the county have been increasing enforcement of the orders, which includes issuing warnings or citations to nonessential businesses that remain open or to individuals found breaking the order. Thus far, no one has been cited specifically and solely for defying the shelter-in-place order. Another Sonoma County Supervisor, David Rabbitt, handwaved Mr Godleys decision to defy the shelter-in-place order, arguing Mr Rabbitt should receive special consideration because he is a healthcare professional. If this was the doctor, in the midst of a battle for six days, and had one day off with family, would it be a sin? Would that be a story? Or is it only a story for Chris Godley who works for the county? he said. Responding to inquiry from the Press Democrat, Mr Rabbitt suggested that a county official violating an emergency order passed down by the county and expected to be followed by all residents was only a story because it makes for a splashy headline. Recommended Nuclear warship will evacuate after coronavirus spreads aboard Most officials who spoke with the Press Democrat praised Mr Godleys work and characterised him as a superb public servant. Mr Godley was remorseful for violating the orders. I seek the understanding and mercy of my community. The opportunity to grant just a moment of freedom to my family given that they rarely see me is not a justification, but its what was going through my mind at the time, he said. Sonoma County Administrator Sheryl Bratton who supervises Godley said that he was a consummate professional and public servant and that it was important that he and other officials who are working long hours and making difficult decisions get time off. She said that time off shouldnt include violating shelter-in-place orders. Children in a country town have erected signs urging visitors to keep out because they are woefully ill prepared for a coronavirus outbreak. Residents of Wilcannia in far west New South Wales have imposed their own community-wide lockdown after they claim the government has failed to provide equipment including self isolation tents and portable dialysis machines. The town is populated by 800 people, 61 per cent of which are Aboriginal. Children have created signs urging tourists to 'keep driving' in the hope it will stop a coronavirus outbreak. Residents of Wilcannia in far west NSW have imposed their own community-wide lockdown after they claim the government has failed to provide equipment including self isolation tents and portable dialysis machines (pictured: Wilcannia Hospital) Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that Aboriginal people may be more at risk during the coronavirus pandemic (pictured: the town of Wilcannia) One of the signs has a rainbow painted on it and says: 'Wilcannia is not dying for you.' 'Please don't stop in Wilcannia. Keep driving,' another sign says. One with a red tree painted in the middle read says: 'Keep driving, Please don't stop in our town. Stop under a tree to have a break.' Ann Currie, an elder who works at the Wings Drop In Centre in Wilcannia, said if the coronavirus hits their town they have nowhere to put sick children or elders. 'Maybe in the city they've got places where they put people when they catch this virus, but out here we haven't. We haven't even got a tent to put up,' she told news.com.au Many indigenous communities suffer from overcrowding, lack of sanitation and lack of resources for people to self-isolate. If coronavirus were to be introduced to communities such as Wilcannia, it could be devastating. Monica Whyman, chairperson of the Wilcannia Community Working Party, said her community is in desperate need of basic isolation equipment. 'We need tents. We need help around catering for our chronic disease. We need to get a portable dialysis machine out here. They can't seem to find any funding to get that put in, but (elsewhere) they are putting the rich up in 5 star hotels' she said. Children in Wilcannia are worried about a potential outbreak (pictured: healthcare worker at a coronavirus screening clinic in Melbourne) Ann Currie, an elder who works at the Wings Drop In Centre in Wilcannia, said if the coronavirus hits their town they have nowhere to put sick children or elders (pictured: The main street in Wilcannia) Many indigenous communities suffer from overcrowding, lack of sanitation and lack of resources for people to self-isolate. If coronavirus were to be introduced to communities such as Wilcannia, it could be devastating (pictured: A river located near Wilcannia) Ms Whyman said the lack of government support has forced the community to lockdown. 'People need to understand that when we're talking about a lockdown of our community, it's for our own safety. Aboriginal people are vulnerable,' she said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that Aboriginal people may be more at risk during the coronavirus pandemic. He urged Indigenous and Torress Strait Islander people aged over 50 to stay home as they suffer from higher rates of health problems which increases their chances of death from coronavirus. The account set up by the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) for the monetary contributions under the auspices of the private sector coalition to fight against the deadly COVID19 virus (CACOVID) has hit 15 billion naira. Isaac Okorafor who is the Director, Corporate Communications of the CBN on Wednesday April 1st listed 37 donors, inclusive of banks , individuals and other corporations. The breakdown of the list showed The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and Nigerian Popular billionaire Aliko Dangote topping the list with the sum of 2 billion naira each , while Bua sugar refinery, GT bank, UBA bank, First bank, Zenith bank,Access bank, and Amperion Power Distribution owned by Nigerian Billionaire, Femi Otedola donated 1 billion naira each to the relief fund. The Pacific Holdings Limited also contributed the sum of 500,000,000 Naira to fight this deadly disease. Other banks such as Union bank, Sterling, Standard Chartered, Stanbic IBTC, CITIBANK, FCMB, Fidelity and Ecobank donated the sum of 250 million naira each to the coalition against covid19. African Steel Mills donated 250 million naira and Multichoice Nigeria Limited also donated 200 millionaire respectively. FSDA merchant bank, FBN merchant bank, Rand, coronation, SunTrust, Providus , wema, Unity , Heritage , Nova , Polaris, Keystone, Globus, Titan, Takagro, Ahmadu Mamoud, Handy Capital Limited were also listed among banks and institutions that donated to fight against the Pandemic. Okorafor also stated that the coalition was full of gratitude to the individuals and corporate bodies for listening and being supportive to the CBN and other private sectors. The Director, encouraged Nigerians and other Corporate bodies to support the fight against this pandemic, stating that all hands need to be on deck in order to overcome the Pandemic. See image below Coronavirus Vaccine Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026 Rapid increase of corona virus all around the world is the driving factor for global coronavirus vaccine market GlobalCoronavirus Vaccine Market is valued at USD XX billion in 2019 and expected to reach USD XX Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of XX% over the forecast period. Scope of Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Reports The family of viruses that cause respiratory related diseases in mammals and birds. Coronavirus cause respiratory tract infections in humans that can only cause common cold and others that cause severe respiratory problem and ultimately death such as SARS, MERS and recent COVID-19. Some of the identified corona viruses are SARS-CoV, HCoV NL63, HKU1, MERS-CoV and recent SARS-CoV-2. Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12724&RequestType=Sample The recent 2019-nCoV which was originated in Wuhan region of China is highly contagious in nature and affects the lungs severely where patient find it hard to breath. From decemebr 2019 to till date of march 26, 2020 there have been 472,529 confirmed cases and at least 21,305 deaths worldwide. This strain has been identified as a new strain of Betacoronavirus from group 2B with about 70% genetic similarity with SARS-CoV. It is declared as pandemic worldwide by WHO recently. Due to its highly contagious nature, about 35 companies and academic institutions are working hard to create a vaccine, at least four of which are having some sort of result they have been testing in animals. The vaccine produced by Boston based biotech firm Moderna is entering human trial shortly. This unparalleled speed is due to early Chinese efforts to sequence the Sars-CoV-2s genetic materials that caused Covid-19. In case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in China in 2002-04, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), which started in Saudi Arabia in 2012, work started on vaccine and later put on the side as the outbreaks were contained. Maryland-based Novavax, have now restated those vaccines for Sars-CoV-2. Global Coronavirus Vaccine market report is segmented on the basis of infection type, vaccine type, end user and by regional & country level. Based on infection type, global Coronavirus Vaccine market is classified as HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, New Haven CoV, HKU1-CoV and MERS-CoV. Based on vaccine type the market is divided in to Inactivated coronavirus vaccine, Live attenuated coronavirus vaccine, S-Protein based coronavirus vaccine. Based on end user the market is divided in to hospitals, clinics, research institutes and others. The regions covered in this Coronavirus Vaccine market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of clinical decision support system is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc. Key Players for Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Reports- Some major key players for Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market are I-Mab Biopharma, Medicago, Airway Therapeutics, Tiziana Life Sciences, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Novavax, Inc, Moderna and others. Request for Methodology @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12724&RequestType=Methodology I-Mab Biopharma has developed TJM2, a neutralizing antibody, as a treatment for cytokine storm in patients suffering from a severe case of coronavirus infection. The drug aims the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which is responsible for severe and chronic inflammation. Medicago is developing drug candidates against COVID-19 after producing Virus-Like Particles (VLP) of the coronavirus. The company has signed a collaboration with Laval Universitys Infectious Disease Research Centre to develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The companys research activities are being partially funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Airway Therapeutics is researching its novel human recombinant protein named AT-100 (rhSP-D) as a possible treatment for coronavirus. The company has announced a filing with the Respiratory Diseases Branch of the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the drug. Tiziana Life Sciences is developing a monoclonal antibody named TZLS-501 for the treatment of COVID-19. TZLS-501 is a human anti-interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R), which helps in stopping lung damage and prominent levels of IL-6. The drug functions by binding to IL-6R and reducing the amount of IL-6 circulating in the body thereby decreasing chronic lung inflammation. Inovio Pharmaceuticals has collaborated with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology organization to advance the development of the formers vaccine, INO-4800, as a novel coronavirus vaccine. The company has begun pre-clinical testing for clinical product manufacturing. in partnership with GeneOne Life Science, Inovio has developed the investigational DNA immunotherapy, INO-4700 (GLS-5300) as the MERS CoV Vaccine. It is delivered as vaccine intramuscularly, using the Cellectra delivery device. The company has received a USD 5m grant from the Bill and Mellinda Gates foundation to quicken the development of the Cellectra delivery device. Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Dynamics The 2020 outbreak of corona virus worldwide along with death of thousands of people is endangering many lives from more than 100 countries which has forced research bodies and pharmaceutical companies in to activity to develop vaccine for this disease. Demand for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine/Plaquenil, Favilavir and other related products such as sanitizers and masks is rising exponentially across countries which is expected to drive the market of corona virus vaccine in future as there will be innovated vaccine for this disease which will required by countries of all around the world creating a steady market chain. The companies are using different approaches to fine vaccine for Covid-19 such as Novavax is using recombinant method to create vaccine which involves extraction of genetic code for protein spike on surface of Sars-CoV-2. Other newer approaches, is to bypass the protein and build vaccines from the genetic instruction. This is followed by Moderna and another Boston company, CureVac, both of which are trying to build Covid-19 vaccines out of messenger RNA. In case of Sars-CoV-2, it is a novel pathogen in humans and the technologies that are being used to build vaccines are relatively untested, for example, no vaccine created out of genetic material RNA or DNA are approved till now. The high cost in conducting experiment as well as the novelty of virus is restraining the market. Buy Now @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Buy/Create/12724/Buy/SingleUser Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Regional Analysis The North America is estimated to have high growth rate and revenue share in global coronavirus vaccine market due to presence major companies and research organizations who are conducting research such as Novavax, moderna etc. and growing number of cases in USA. Europe is estimated to be the second highest market due to serious health condition occurred due to corona virus pandemic and urgent need of vaccines in this region. In case of Asia-pacific the market is estimated to have highest growth rate due to it being as the origin place of corona virus, extensive research in China, rising demand as well as presence of dense human population. Key Benefits for Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Reports Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis. Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level. Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place. Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape. Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market Segmentation Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market: By Infection Type HCoV-229E HCoV-OC43 SARS-CoV New Haven CoV HKU1-CoV MERS-CoV Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market: By Vaccine type Inactivated coronavirus vaccine Live attenuated coronavirus vaccine S-Protein based coronavirus vaccine Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market: By End user Hospitals Clinics Research Institutes Others Global Coronavirus Vaccine Market: By Regional & Country Analysis North America U.S. Mexico Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Southeast Asia Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa GCC Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa About us: Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Pvt. ltd. Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London. Contact us at: +44-2038074155 or mail us at alan@brandessenceresearch.biz Website: https://brandessenceresearch.biz If the community doesnt come together, and if we all dont do our part, then whats gonna happen? Drivas said. It was within our power to be able to do this and it was kind of the only way that we knew how to give back and help the community and the kids that are not as fortunate. CLEVELAND, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A critical shortage of surgical masks has left healthcare workers, patients and volunteers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic at risk. The Ohio-based CD Global Solutions is determined to keep these individuals safe with the patent-pending DURA-MAX Protective Face Shield, a lightweight face covering that provides an effective barrier for patients and healthcare workers alike. The company has donated 500 Protective Face Shields to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Dura-Max Face Shield Dura-Max Protective Glasses Made in the U.S.A. with medical-grade plastic, the DURA-MAX Protective Face Shield features an extra-large face shield and wrap-around design that, worn with or without a face mask, protects the entire face, especially the vulnerable mucus membranes of the eyes. As healthcare workers, in particular, must wear their protective gear for hours at a time, the DURA-MAX Protective Face Shield is also made with comfort in mind. An adjustable headband offers a custom fit, even for those who wear glasses, and the clear, anti-fog plastic eliminates visibility issues. CD Global Solutions created the Protective Face Shield directly in response to the country's need for protective gear essential for minimizing the spread of COVID-19. While healthcare workers, patients and volunteers have temporarily relied on alternatives like fabric masks provided by charitable organizations and kind-hearted citizens, CD Global Solutions is stepping in with a more long-term solution. "It's been tough hearing about so many hospitals running out of protective gear and even turning to less effective options like snorkeling masks," said T.R. Mitchell, chief information officer for CD Global Solutions. "We knew we needed to create a durable and comfortable solution that would keep people safe, and that's what the DURA-MAX is already doing. So far, we've filled orders and received endorsements from Continuing Healthcare Solutions and University Hospitals' Southwest General." CD Global Solutions has already delivered 10,000 face shields to Southwest General and is prepared to provide 20,000 more in the coming weeks from its Fremont, Ohio-based factory. The company will be able to produce 5 million face shields as soon as late May and another 20 million each month beginning in June. About CD Global Solutions CD Global Solutions is an Ohio-based company, founded by a five-member team that produces Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers, volunteers and patients. The patent-pending DURA-MAX Protective Face Shield is made from high-quality, medical grade plastic and manufactured in the company's Fremont, Ohio facility. To learn more about CD Global Solutions or to place an order, visit cdglobalsolutions.com. For media inquiries, please contact: T.R. Mitchell, CRO CD Global Solutions [email protected] 216-956-9693 SOURCE CD Global Solutions Related Links https://www.cdglobalsolutions.com Razorpay will not be pranking its users this time. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic, the leading full-stack financial solutions company has decided to take a step back from pranking people to launch the #DistancingSavesLives campaign. To help India flatten the curve, the company has created a Simulator that demonstrates the possible impact that different conditions such as wearing masks, meeting people and washing hands over a period of time starting March 1st can have in subsequently reducing the spread of the coronavirus. This simulator helps one understand and share the impact they are making towards saving lives by choosing to stay indoors or by stepping outside. As part of the campaign, Razorpay aims to support medical professionals facing a shortage of the most critical protective equipment like masks and sanitation items by encouraging people to come forward and extend monetary support. In addition to the Rs. 10 crores which Razorpay hopes to raise, the company will match every contribution made towards this initiative. These funds will be used to procure and distribute masks and sanitisation items to our medical heroes and affected people. "This time of every year is when we are expecting people to laugh at our jokes and brighten up the environment. While we have set aside the April fool pranks this time, we want to build hope. And that's exactly what we wanted to show through these simple simulations, helping people understand that our actions can have a positive impact amid this coronavirus crisis and make them feel hopeful and not anxious," said Harshil Mathur, CEO, and Co-founder, Razorpay. "When we see the simulation on our mobile phones or computer screens, it's so clear to understand the overall impact, and when one is feeling scared and helpless, it's good to know that there's something we all can control, our own behaviors, and help save lives. So, before we think about stepping out of our doors, let's just take a step back and think again, not only for ourselves but also for our family and our community," he added. "Our only goal now is to be more useful than funny and through the COVID-19 relief fund we would like to raise monetary support for our real heroes of these testing times - the healthcare workers and medical professionals. If not for their selfless efforts, we would crumble," Mathur further said. To help online businesses who are struggling to keep up with demand and ensure continuity, Razorpay launched the Same Day Settlements earlier this week for all its partner businesses in the essentials category till April 15th. This feature will help businesses improve their cash flows and manage operational expenses better. Until the lockdown period, these businesses will receive funds in just a few hours instead of the usual 3-5 working days settlement period. While there is hope for a quick recovery and rapid eradication of the virus, Razorpay urges the world to not give up, and continue to take measures and precautions, and offer support in any way possible to ensure the well-being of one and all. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The grim figures from Oregon health officials trickle in each day as the state grapples with a growing coronavirus epidemic: the number of known cases, the death toll, how many people are hospitalized and how many are on ventilators. As for those who have made a full recovery? The state cant offer the metric that might offer a small consolation to many in the face of a deadly pandemic. Because it has no clue. The Oregon Health Authority isnt tracking recovery figures because hospitals and county health departments dont report them to the agency, said Susan Mills, a spokeswoman with the Oregon COVID-19 Joint Information Center. We recommend contacting those entities directly, Mills said. The Oregonian/OregonLive did. Several Portland-area hospital systems said they had no plans to publicly disclose data about their COVID-19 patients, including those operated by Kaiser Permanente, Providence Health & Services and Legacy Health. OHSU Hospital is the only local system regularly disclosing patient data. It had admitted 19 coronavirus patients and discharged nine of them through Tuesday morning, according to figures published on its website. Whether those who no longer need to be hospitalized are free of symptoms is unknown. Local health officials arent able to offer many answers either. Oregons three largest counties Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas each said they arent tallying recoveries at this time, citing a lack of personnel and resources to do so. We are currently focusing our attention on interviewing (current) cases and their multiple contacts, said Wendy Gordon, a spokeswoman for Washington County, with 186 known coronavirus cases the most of any county in the state. Hopefully in the future we will have the capacity to reinterview and complete follow-up medical record reviews on our cases, Gordon said. That also goes for Marion and Linn counties, which currently have 141 and 37 coronavirus patients respectively, officials in each county said. Jason Davis, a Lane County Public Health spokesman, said the countys relatively low number of confirmed cases has allowed health officials there to track recoveries. They define that as going 72 hours without displaying any coronavirus symptoms. Out of 18 current Lane County residents who have tested positive for the virus, only one so far has met the recovery criteria. We have fortunately been late to the epi curve, so to speak, Davis said, referencing statistical displays that chart an outbreaks trajectory. Our data collection remains manageable for now. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632 Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories The White House coronavirus task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence reportedly has frozen shipments of personal protective gear for medical workers destined for US allies as it tries to get more of the equipment in the hands of American doctors and nurses. The gag order on United States Agency for International Development shipments from American companies stems from confusion after Trump administration officials tried to obtain so-called "PPE" from Thailand. While doing so, Politico reported, they learned a shipment of the same gear was being sent from the US to Bangkok. The Pence-led task force then reportedly put a stop on all shipments to American allies as the administration tries to get all the PPE into American hospitals it can ahead of an expected "spike" in coronavirus cases and deaths over the next two weeks. The freeze on shipments has stopped aid meant for 13 countries, the publication reported. A spokeswoman for Mr Pence had not responded to a request for confirmation and an update on the situation. The moratorium comes as the administration continues taking heat over nearly 18 tons of protective equipment it sent China to deal with that country's outbreak, even though the first case had hit US soil and American intelligence agencies, it has since been reported, were warning the White House about the potential scope of an outbreak in America. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a California Democrat who chairs the influential Financial Services Committee, took to Twitter on Monday to blast the president over the matter. "Trump, you incompetent idiot! You sent 18 tons of PPE to China early but ignored warnings & called COVID19 concerns a hoax," she wrote. "You've endangered doctors, nurses, aids, orderlies, & janitors - all risking their lives to save ours." Mr Trump and Ms Waters have a years-old feud, and he frequently tried to paint Democratic House and Senate candidates in her mold during the 2018 midterm cycle. As Politico reported some officials are concerned the gag order could hurt American companies' ability to compete with Chinese firms in the global PPE market, Ms Waters offered the president this advice over the PPE situation in her tweet: "Pray 4 forgiveness for the harm that you're causing! The Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Nizamuddin was, as this newspaper has argued, gravely irresponsible and most likely criminal. It should not have been held when social distancing norms were in force, and the government had issued clear directives against large congregations. It has singularly led to a spike in cases, with efforts to trace everyone present in the complex continuing across states. Action must be taken against the Jamaat leadership. At the same time, it is important not to communalise the issue. There has been an unfortunate, disturbing trend of using this episode to blame the entire Muslim community, and perpetuate stereotypes about them. This must be resisted. Not only is it wrong, India cannot afford the deepening of the Hindu-Muslim divide at a time when every citizen irrespective of religion, caste, class, gender and age is confronting a common enemy. In fact, the Nizamuddin gathering, where the leader of the sect seems to have made light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and also advised against social distancing, is a reminder that every religious leader, every sect, every religious institution, must come together with a common message at this time. This message must focus on science, the need to obey government orders, help the poor and the more marginalised segments given the economic disruption to their livelihoods, and co-operate with frontline workers particularly the medical fraternity. Religions offer faith, solace and hope; they help people tide over difficult moments. This is one such moment. Use religion to unite, not divide. A team of more than 50 volunteers are ready and waiting to lend a helping hand to Taurangas vulnerable community amid the COVID-19 lockdown period. Dropping off groceries, providing transport to appointments and having a friendly chat over the phone are just some of the tasks carried out by Self Isolation Support volunteers. Group founders Courtney Bignell, Grant Harrison and Kelly Clerke are on a mission to spread the word about their service, saying its important they reach the elderly and immunocompromised at a time like this. The service operates over Facebook, and those needing support submit a confidential online form expressing their needs. Courtney says a supporter is then matched with a supportee based on needs and location. Self Isolation Support has more than 1500 members on Facebook. In these unprecedented times it is important to reach out, which can be difficult to do in a public setting, she says. We have a large number of volunteers ready and willing to help our community. Some people, particularly elderly, do not have access to Facebook, so please join on their behalf and reach out for them. Majority of those reaching out are in a high-risk category and cannot leave the house, says Courtney. We have seen elderly who cannot go out, ask for help in doing day to day tasks like transport to appointments, groceries or even just a friendly voice on the other end of a phone." Some families are self-isolating because they have immunocompromised family members in their house, she says. The group founders agree there has been an overwhelming level of support from the Tauranga volunteers. People are being supportive, positive and making light of such a difficult time. For more information, contact isolationtga@gmail.com or visit this page. Trump, without offering details, warns against possible sneak attack against US troops in Iraq. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran and groups linked to Tehran against attacking US troops or assets in Iraq, citing a possible sneak attack but giving no other details. Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! Trump said in a post on Twitter. It was not immediately clear what information Trump was referring to in his tweet, which was posted after he was scheduled to have a 12:00pm (16:00 GMT) intelligence briefing. A top Iranian military aide had earlier cautioned the US of consequences of provocative actions in Iraq, Iranian news agencies reported. We advise US politicians and military to take responsibility for the consequences of their provocative actions (in Iraq), General Yahya Rahim Safavi said, quoted by the semi-official news agency Tasnim. Any US action will mark an even larger strategic failure in the current presidents record. Rahim Safavi made the comments hours before Trumps tweet. At odds for decades, the US and Iran have seen relations deteriorate further in the nearly two years since Trump abandoned Irans 2015 multilateral nuclear deal and reimposed US economic sanctions on Tehran. Irans president said on Wednesday that, with the advent of the coronavirus, the US had missed a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country, though the penalties had not hampered its fight against the infection. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility that Washington might consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the epidemic, but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. The United States lost the best opportunity to lift sanctions, Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran. Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020 The coronavirus has killed more than 3,000 people in Iran with confirmed infections close to 48,000, making it the worst-hit country in the Middle East and prompting China and the United Nations to urge the US to ease sanctions. Americans could have used this opportunity and told the Iranian nation that they are not against them, Rouhani said. Their hostility (towards Iranians) is obvious. Trump has adopted a maximum pressure policy on Iran aimed at persuading Tehran to negotiate a broader deal that further constrains its nuclear programme, limits its missile programme and curbs its use of proxy forces in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Washington has offered humanitarian assistance to its longtime foe. But Irans top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the offer. The body of a coronavirus victim is taken to a cemetery just outside Tehran [Ebrahim Noroozi/AP] Although Iranian authorities have said US sanctions had hindered its efforts to curb the outbreak, Rouhani said, the sanctions have failed to hamper our efforts to fight against the coronavirus outbreak. We are almost self-sufficient in producing all necessary equipment to fight the coronavirus. We have been much more successful than many other countries in the fight against this disease. Several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, China, the UK, France, Qatar and Turkey, have sent shipments of medical supplies, including gloves and surgical masks, to Iran. In the first transaction conducted under a trade mechanism set up to barter humanitarian goods and food after Washingtons withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Germany said on Tuesday that France, Germany and the UK had exported medical goods to Iran. The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration to ensure that social distancing norms are strictly adhered to, amid the spurt in COVID-19 cases. The high court, while hearing a petition by a lawyer and a resident of the archipelago over Skype, directed the authorities at the Union Territory to continue facilitating home delivery services for essential goods and medicines. In areas where home delivery might not be an option, shops should allowed to operate for a few hours, a division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Dipankar Datta said. The court held that social distancing is non- negotiable during the lockdown period, scheduled to end on April 14. The division bench also ruled that helicopter and shipping services in the archipelago, situated 1,500 kilometres from the mainland, should be utilised only for essential services, and for transportation on medical grounds. Appearing for the Union Territory administration, additional solicitor general ANS Nadkarni submitted that the Home Ministry as well as the Prime Minister's Office had been keeping a close watch on the islands, and all efforts would be made to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand. He further submitted that instructions to suit the needs of the islanders were being issued regularly, and there had been no lag in supplying essentials, medicines and healthcare equipment. Because of the unprecedented situation, a number of restrictions have been put in place hindering individual interests to a certain extent, but such moves, he submitted, must ultimately yield to the larger public interest. A monitoring committee formed by the division bench on March 28 had submitted its initial report on the situation in the islands to the court on March 31. The court on Wednesday also directed formation of monitoring sub-committees for North and Middle Andamans, Little Andaman and the Nicobar group of islands. The division bench asked the monitoring sub-committees to file reports on the status of relief and services extended to the islanders by April 7. The matter will be taken up for hearing again on April 8, the court directed. The Union Territory has reported 10 COVID-19 cases so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI WASHINGTON: A US commission mandated to monitor international religious freedom has expressed concern over reports of a provincial government in Pakistan targeting and "scapegoating" the already vulnerable and marginalised Shiite Hazara ethnic minority community for the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus in the country. In Quetta, capital of Balochistan, the government has completely sealed off two areas of the Hazara community- Hazara Town and Marriabad- as part of lockdown in the city, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a press statement on Tuesday. The government also forbade government employees from travelling into Hazara neighborhoods, and reportedly forced Hazara policemen to go on leave under suspicion they are infected by relatives, the statement said. ALSO READ | Discrimination amid pandemic: Pakistan denies food supplies to Hindus, Christians as coronavirus rages "We are troubled that government officials in Balochistan are scapegoating the already vulnerable and marginalized Hazara Shi'a community for this public health crisis," said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. "This virus does not recognise religion, ethnicity, or border and should not be used as an excuse to discriminate against a single community," Bhargava said. This isolation and further stigmatization of the Hazara minority could limit their ability to receive proper medical care as the coronavirus continues to spread within Pakistan and stretch its public health infrastructure, it said. "We are gravely concerned about Pakistan's Hazara Shi'a community, 'said USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Pakistan coronavirus cases climb to 2039, Command Centre in place for response Noting that there are many challenges faced by the Pakistan government, and many other governments around the world to contain the virus, Moore said, "yet, we urge the Pakistani leadership to work to protect all its citizens, regardless of religion or belief, and ensure that everyone has equal access to the necessary medical treatment. "In fact, governments have a greater obligation to protect the most vulnerable in an emergency like this one," he said. The coronavirus cases in Pakistan crossed 2,000 on Wednesday. So far, 26 people have died of the disease. TOKYO, Apr 1, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. and Seikagaku announced today that the companies have entered into an agreement for the co-development and marketing alliance in China for SI-613 (diclofenac conjugated sodium hyaluronate), a therapeutic agent for osteoarthritis discovered by Seikagaku.On the basis of this agreement, the companies will jointly develop SI-613 in China for a treatment of knee osteoarthritis. After obtaining approval, Seikagaku will supply products to Eisai, and Eisai will be responsible for distribution. The companies will cover an equal share of the development cost, and Eisai will pay Seikagaku the upfront payment, and development as well as sales milestones.Osteoarthritis is a disease caused by the articular cartilage damage due to aging and other factors, leading to inflammation and pain, which result in impaired quality of life (QOL). Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent cases among thereof, and the number of symptomatic patients with knee osteoarthritis in China is estimated to be approximately 47 million(1), and it is anticipated that the number will continue to increase as the population ages.SI-613 is diclofenac conjugated sodium hyaluronate created by Seikagaku using their proprietary drug-binding technology to chemically bond hyaluronic acid and diclofenac (an anti-inflammatory drug).This material has the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of diclofenac, which is designed to be 23 sustained-released(2) by a drug delivery system(3), in addition to the joint function improving effect of sodium hyaluronate. Hence, it is expected that SI-613 rapidly and continuously reduces the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.Under this agreement, Eisai aims to contribute to patients with knee osteoarthritis that is unmet medical needs by utilizing the knowledge and networks that Eisai has cultivated through its China business. Seikagaku will seek to maximize the value of SI-613 in China by leveraging Eisai's business base in China.Through the development and commercialization of SI-613, the companies will provide new treatment options in China for knee osteoarthritis and contribute to improving the QOL of patients.(1) For the estimated data regarding the number of patients with knee osteoarthritisData of morbidity prevalence rate - The Prevalence of Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis in China, ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY(2016)Estimated data calculated from United Nations World Population Estimates - World Population Prospects, URL:http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/(2) Sustained release is a gradual release of the active pharmaceutical ingredients of a drug to achieve a sustained therapeutic effect.(3) Drug delivery system (DDS) is a technology for the controlled release, targeting, and absorption improvement of drugs.About EisaiEisai Co., Ltd. defines our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With approximately 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products to address unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through working with key stakeholders to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit https://www.eisai.comSource: EisaiCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. As of the morning of April 1, there are no queues at border checkpoints. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says about 4,900 Ukrainians have returned to their home country over the past day. "Officers of the State Border Guard Service carried out 10,400 border control operations. Almost half of them (about 4,900) were Ukrainian citizens crossing in. These figures remained at the level of the previous day," reads the report. As of the morning of April 1, there are no queues at border checkpoints. Read alsoThirty-two Ukrainians undergoing COVID-19 treatment abroad MFA Of all Ukrainians who returned from abroad in the past a day, 1,900 arrived without their own transport, with vehicles being provided by local authorities and the State Emergency Service. In addition, over 4,000 people crossed out of Ukraine during the day, including 1,500 foreigners. "Over the past day, border guards together with representatives of the sanitary-quarantine departments have conducted temperature screening and a medical condition survey of 6,300 persons. Following additional medical checkups, no signs of COVID-19 have been detected. All Ukrainians crossing in have signed self-isolation consent papers. Ever heard of a cannibalistic galaxy? Well, the Hubble Space Telescope has just recently captured an image of an absurd and wondrous sight in the universe which shows the spiral galaxy called the NGC 4651 but better known by people as the Umbrella Galaxy. What Hubble astronomers found According to the Hubble astronomers, the galaxy, "may look serene and peaceful as it swirls in the vast, silent emptiness of space," then continued to warn people that they should not be fooled because this specific galaxy holds a deep, dark, and violent secret! Hubble astronomers have reason to believe that this galaxy has already consumed another galaxy in order for it to become as large as it is today with a beautiful spiral as well. Not long ago, there was a smaller dwarf satellite galaxy orbited right around a larger galaxy but then the smaller dwarf galaxy got a bit too close to this larger neighbor and was then torn apart by the gravitational forces within and even absorbed into the bigger galaxy! Why the galaxy is called the Umbrella Galaxy? Today, this particular galaxy is known as the Umbrella Galaxy because of a faint umbrella-shaped structure which it hosts that spreads outwards from the core part of the galaxy. Although the structure cannot be seen in the image, it is still clearly visible in other older images of this same galaxy. This gigantic structure currently stretches about 100,000 light-years out from the very galactic disk, and is composed of different trails which are left behind by stripped stars. This is quite a massive stretch considering that a single light-year when converted to miles is 5.879 times 10 to the 12th power! Read Also: The Latest Internet of Things News and Trends The current umbrella structure was formed as a result of its cannibalistic actions as the galaxy devoured its neighbor. As the even smaller galaxy was being torn apart by the powerful gravitational forces in play called gravitational stripping, a long and thin structure known as the tidal stream was formed as the result. It is currently being believed that these specific streams, which compose of stars and gas, can eventually form what are known as extended disks just like the ones that can be spotted around the Andromeda galaxy. In the case of the Umbrella Galaxy, the stream was previously pulled away from the main galactic disk which resulted to it spreading out to form the iconic umbrella shape. Read Also: Quantum Sensor for Photons The Hubble telescope The Umbrella galaxy is massive enough to be seen by an amateur telescope with a confirmation from Hubble scientists by their explain that "Although only a telescope like the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which captured this image, could give us a picture this clear, NGC 4651 can also be observed with an amateur telescope." According to the scientists, if you have your own amateur telescope at home and plan to go star-gazing, you might even be able to spot out this carnivorous spiral which is a reminder of what the Umbrella Galaxy did! Thousands of families with loved ones in jail held their breath in front of their televisions on Tuesday, waiting to hear details of the Turkish governments draft of a highly anticipated parole law to be enacted before Covid-19 infiltrates overcrowded prisons. Rumours circulating for weeks suggested that sex offenders, drug-gang members, murderers and perpetrators of domestic violence would be released but not those convicted of terror offences, including dozens of journalists and politicians. Tuesdays statement aimed to clear the air over who would benefit from the imminent parole. Furniture giant IKEA is producing face masks and other protective gear for hospitals, joining a growing list of companies branching out of their regular business areas to help meet equipment shortages in the fight against the CCP virus. Having started with masks for staff in China in the early stages of the pandemic, the Swedish group is working with several suppliers to ramp up output of masks for health workers, as well as hand sanitizer, visors, and single-use aprons. The first batches for European healthcare facilities are in transit, Henrik Elm, global supply manager at brand owner Inter IKEA Group, which is in charge of supply, told Reuters. Several other companies are also working to help address an acute shortage of medical supplies, with vacuum cleaner company Dyson making ventilators, fashion group Armani producing medical overalls and spirits brand Ricard donating alcohol for sanitizers. Working From Home IKEA has reopened all but one store in China, where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus emerged, but across markets a majority of the 436 stores are temporarily closed. Demand for office furniture is holding up as many people are working from home in the health crisis, Elm said. The sales pattern is changing. One area where we are selling pretty well compared to others is office furniture. People are working from home, and they have identified needs in their homes for it, he said in an interview. So, it (demand) is distributed differentlyin some areas; we keep it up well; in some, we have a major impact. Well-Prepared Elm said supply chain disruptions had increased with the spread of the CCP virus to Europe and America, with closed borders or restricted movement a key bottleneck. IKEA has managed to cope, however, partly by spreading inventories to warehouses in several locations, he said. So far, we have seen a limited effect on the availability of our offer, he said. Elm said he expected no shortages of wood or other materials, such as plastics and textiles, as global demand for such materials was in decline. One area of concern, however, is finding room to store goods already in transit to markets where IKEA has temporarily closed many of its stores. There will be constraints in coming weeks in harboring these goods. Warehouses will be a bottleneck, Elm said. Things that were on their way we are either re-steering or storing. IKEA produces a tenth of products itself and sources the rest from suppliers, mostly in Asia and Europe. As IKEA and other retailers adapt to slowing consumer demand, many suppliers and service partners are struggling. Elm said IKEA was assisting them with loans, swift invoice payments, and help to access government support packages. By Anna Ringstrom NTD staff contributed to this report. China has called for the lifting of sanctions against Syria, in light of the spread of the coronavirus, and the countrys ability to stop its spread writes Al-Masdar. On Monday, a Chinese envoy called for the complete and immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures against Syria, noting that the sanctions will harm the vulnerable countrys efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We call for the complete and immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures, Zhang Jun, Chinas permanent representative to the United Nations, and also President of the Security Council for the month of March, told the councils video-teleconferencing meeting on the situation in Syria. We are seriously concerned about the negative impact of unilateral sanctions on countries capacity to respond to the pandemic, especially for vulnerable countries like Syria, he said. Civilians and innocent people are suffering severely from those sanctions. Zhang said that China supports the call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in this regard. Our position is explained in detail in the recent joint letter to the Secretary-General, together with Russia, among others. We hope the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs joins the voice of the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights in this regard, said Zhang. Speaking about the situation in Syria, Zhang said that ever since Russia and Turkey agreed on a ceasefire early this month, the security situation in northwestern Syria has significantly improved. We appreciate their diplomatic efforts and encourage relevant parties to continue implementing the ceasefire, he said. It is our consistent position to support the political solution to the conflict in Syria. We appreciate the painstaking efforts of the special envoy (Geir Pedersen) and encourage him to continue facilitating dialogue between the Syrian parties, towards an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process in line with Resolution 2254, said Zhang. We reiterate that the future of the country must be decided by the Syrian people, without foreign interference, he said. 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. The Karnataka government was on tenterhooks on Wednesday, mounting efforts to track nearly 150 people who are among the more than 340 from the state who attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi while the others have been identified and quarantined. According to the government, it had information as of now that 342 people from the state had attended the event last month in Nizamuddin in Delhi, which has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country, and 200 of them have been quarantined. "Efforts are on to trace out people who attended from the state and their contacts, it is a huge task...we are at it," Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, adding he has also appealed for help from the community leaders in this mission. Besides, as many as 62 foreign nationals who attended the event have also returned to Karnataka and 50 of them had been quarantined while 12 others had left for their nations earlier, he said. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa appealed to those who attended the congregation to voluntarily report to the authorities and take medical treatment. Health Minister B Sriramulu in a tweet said that out of 342 people from Karnataka who attended the congregation 200 people, including four from Bengaluru and five from Belagavi, have been quarantined, and efforts we on to quickly identify others. In a series of tweets, Sriramulu said 12 of those quarantined have tested negative for COVID-19. Bommai said: "These numbers may go up as things are volatile and we are still getting update (on the number of people from the state who attended the Delhi event)." He said around 62 people from Malaysia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and other countries who attended the congregation had come to Karnataka. Twelve of them have gone back and the remaining 50 have been quarantined here. The government intensified the search after it emerged that several attendees of the religion event have been affected by COVID-19 and six people had died in Telangana, while one each in Andaman and Nicobar and Karnataka. A 60-year old man who died last week in Sira in Tamukuru district had participated in the Delhi meet and tested positive for the infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) " " A protester holds a Black Lives Matter sign next to U.S. National Guard troops in L.A.'s Fairfax District, which was damaged during unrest on May 31, 2020 in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police office. Mario Tama/Getty Images On June 1, 2020, as unrest surged in cities across the nation after the killing of an African American named George Floyd by Minneapolis police, President Donald Trump went to the Rose Garden of the White House to make a startling announcement. As protesters thronged in the streets outside the compound's fence, Trump ordered governors and mayors to stop the disturbances. "I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the national guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets," Trump said. "If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," Trump proclaimed. He added that he already was dispatching "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers" and other personnel to stop violence in the nation's capital. Sources told NBC News that Trump was considering evoking the Insurrection Act, a law passed back in 1807 and expanded in 2006, which gives the president authority to use U.S. armed forces, including the National Guard, inside U.S. borders to restore order and enforce laws in limited circumstances (more on this later). Critical commentators quickly responded that Trump had overstepped his authority. "Any attempt to use the military against civilians in this fashion would almost certainly be illegal and unconstitutional," Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin, an attorney, responded. Nevertheless, the words "martial law" and the hashtag "#MartialLaw2020" began trending on Twitter, as critics of the president began claiming that it was the first step in a military takeover and suspension of democracy. Advertisement What Is Martial Law? So what is martial law, exactly that some are so worried about? Imposition of martial law, in which military forces take over the authority and functions of civilian government, is something that's happened in other countries, such as Thailand and Pakistan. But it has never been imposed in the United States on a nationwide basis. Though martial law is technically allowed by the U.S. Constitution, experts say that federal law bars the military from seizing authority over an area inside U.S. borders, except in extreme instances, such as a rebellion against federal rule or a situation in which local or state civilian rule breaks down and courts stop functioning. The U.S. military does sometimes go into action inside U.S. borders to deal with natural disasters, public health emergencies and civil disturbances such as rioting, but usually it's in a supporting role to help local and state government officials and agencies. Essentially, "it's against American law to have martial law," Dov Zakheim, a former under-secretary of defense in the George W. Bush administration who now is vice chairman of the board of trustees at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, explained in a phone interview in March. He cited the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 statute that in most instances bars military forces from being used in law enforcement activities. "The military can't act as a police force," Zakheim said. He maintains that "anybody who talks about martial law doesn't know what they're talking about." " " During a 10-day period in 1936, National Guard troops turned away penniless laborers who tried to come to Colorado from the New Mexico border. Library of Congress Advertisement What Role Does the National Guard Play? Though the U.S. president can call up the National Guard for non-police uses within U.S. borders, it's usually done in a particular state by the governor, who also functions as commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard forces. In some instances that deployment is authorized by the president under Title 32, which means that although the forces stay under state command, the federal government pays for the expense. In the U.S., the civilian-military relations might be strained at times, but "the military is totally committed to civilian control," Zakheim said. Generally that means that National Guard forces do things such as distribute food and medical supplies. For example, in Arkansas and several other states, guard members have been staffing the call centers for medical information lines and setting up local centers where sick people are being tested for COVID-19. But there is a legal exception under which the National Guard can be deployed to enforce laws or maintain order. In 1807, Congress passed the Insurrection Act, which gave the president the authority to use military forces to suppress a revolt against the government. In 2006, as part of a defense authorization bill, Congress expanded the president's powers, allowing him (or her) to send troops when he/she determines that "constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order." But it's not clear how far that power really extends, as this 2018 Congressional Research Service report explains. Just two years after the law was amended, the George W. Bush Administration's Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion, saying that invoking Insurrection Act powers "would require the presence of an actual obstruction of the execution of federal law or a breakdown in the ability of state authorities to protect federal rights." Legal scholars are similarly skeptical. "The Insurrection Act may be invoked only following an invasion, insurrection or widespread domestic violence," William C. Banks, a distinguished professor of law at Syracuse University and a widely regarded expert on national security law, explained via email in March. "Only if states attempt to leave the Union would state defiance enable Insurrection Act authority. Otherwise the states control their citizens' health, welfare and safety." Advertisement What Happens When Civil Law Falls Apart? "The basic idea is that when civil law can't function, the military has to come in as expedient, to maintain order," Geoffrey Corn, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston and a former Army officer, explained via email in March. If civil authorities can keep order, then the invocation of martial law would be invalid, and lots of constitutional rights would be violated, Corn said. "For example, if a military commander ordered confiscation of resources that would be a due process violation, because you would have been deprived of property without due process. An arrest similarly would violate the Fourth Amendment." It's hard to say what nationwide martial law would look like in the U.S. today, because it's not something that's happened in a long, long time. One instance was in 1941. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Gov. Joseph B. Poindexter, with the approval of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, ordered the imposition of martial law in Hawaii, which was still a territory, so that the military would have a free hand in fortifying island of Oahu against a feared Japanese invasion. Additionally, FDR may have feared a revolt by Hawaii's 150,000 Japanese Americans, who amounted to 35 percent of the population, according to this 2017 Stars and Stripes article. The military sent 2,000 of Hawaii's Japanese Americans off to internment camps, but they severely limited the rights of the others, and the rest of the population as well. A strict curfew barred anyone from being on the streets at night, and everyone over the age of 6 was fingerprinted, registered and required to carry identification cards issued by the troops. In addition, military intelligence compiled secret dossiers on many Hawaiians. The military also took over the phone company and the mail to control communications, and barred publication of any book, newspaper or magazine that wasn't in the English language. Military tribunals took the place of criminal courts. Advertisement Recent Uses of Federal Force in the U.S. This all continued until October 1944, when FDR terminated military rule. After the war, a 1946 Supreme Court decision found that the military's imposition of tribunals was unconstitutional. But use of military force inside the U.S. didn't end there. In 1954 after the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, federal forces were used five times in the South. First, in 1957 when President Dwight Eisenhower called out federal troops to integrate the Little Rock Nine at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1962, Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent federal troops to Oxford, Mississippi, when federal marshals couldn't control rioting after James Meredith was admitted as the first African American student to the University of Mississippi. And on June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy deployed federalized National Guard troops to the University of Alabama to force its desegregation. After Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndon Johnson sent troops back to Alabama in June and September 1964 to enforce court orders to integrate schools and again in 1965 to protect protestors during the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush utilized the Insurrection Act and sent several thousand federal troops into the city of Los Angeles to an effort to restore order after local authorities and the National Guard were unable to stop rioting prompted by a jury's acquittal of police officers who had beaten an African American suspect, Rodney King, after a car chase. Bush did so at the invitation of California then-governor, Pete Wilson, who issued a proclamation, as JustSecurity blogger Mark Nevitt details. Bush was criticized for the decision, and subsequently lost his reelection bid that fall. " " Minnijean Brown, 15, one of the Little Rock Nine, is seen here surrounded by members of the 101st Division of the Airborne Command as she arrives outside Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Sept. 25, 1957. A. Y. Owen/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images Advertisement Could History Repeat Now? But Robert M. Chesney, a professor and associate dean at the University of Texas School of Law and a co-founder of the Lawfare blog, warned in an email in March that if an emergency ever did occur across the U.S that required military intervention, there's also the danger that even a short-term military takeover might do permanent damage to democracy. "That would depend on what, exactly, were to happen, Chesney wrote. "If there is some tragic circumstance that genuinely warranted martial law (say there is an invasion, or a disaster so massive that all civil authority is just gone), then yes, there would be impacts but presumably they would be outweighed in the circumstances. On the other hand, if martial law was applied without sufficient justification, then it is by definition harmful to liberty and the rule of law." Now That's Interesting The classic 1964 movie "Seven Days in May" based upon a novel of the same name, depicted a plot by U.S. military leaders to overthrow an unpopular U.S. president because of his support for a nuclear disarmament treaty. It starred Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and was directed by John Frankenheimer. Advertisement Originally Published: Jun 2, 2020 FILE PHOTO: Iraqi women gather at the scene where Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport By John Davison and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In February, an Iraqi militia commander trained by Iran took over the empty office of his slain superior, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, killed weeks before alongside Iranian military mastermind Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike. Many pro-Iran militiamen hoped this was the answer to their problems: the experienced commander Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi might replace Muhandis as overall leader of Iraq's paramilitary groups, scattered after the killing of their two mentors. Instead, it has led to new splits. Factions refused to recognize Mohammedawi, known by his nom de guerre Abu Fadak, as commander of Iraq's militia umbrella grouping, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Even within his own group, Kataib Hezbollah, some oppose him taking on that mantle, according to militia insiders. The deaths of Soleimani and Muhandis in January challenged Iran-backed militias in Iraq, where the United States wants to reverse the influence of its regional foe Tehran. Now, sources in the Iran-backed factions of the PMF and commanders in groups less close to Tehran describe growing fractures over leadership and reduced Iranian funds, thwarting attempts to unite in the face of adversity. The rifts are accelerating a retreat from the political arena, where militia leaders who once controlled government jobs and parliament seats are in hiding for fear of assassination by the United States and confront anti-Iran dissent on the streets. They face the installing of a U.S.-aligned prime minister who signals he would check the dominance of Iran's proxy groups. Bruised, the militias have stepped up attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq. Western military and diplomatic officials say this raises the prospect of a U.S.-Iran escalation Baghdad will be powerless to stop. The focal point for the splits has been leadership of the PMF, which was formed to fight Islamic State after Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called all able bodied men to take up arms against the Sunni militants. The state-funded PMF comprises dozens of mostly Shi'ite militias with different loyalties but is dominated by powerful factions who take their orders from Iran, including Muhandis's Kataib Hezbollah, the Badr Organization, Nujaba and others. Story continues Soleimani held ultimate authority over Iraq's toughest Shi'ite militias. But for those groups, loss of PMF military chief Muhandis, a rare unifying figure, was more significant. GROWING DIVISIONS Kataib Hezbollah in February announced Mohammedawi would be PMF military chief. Mohammedawi now works in Muhandis's old office in Baghdad, according to a senior militia source. He requested anonymity to talk about splits among paramilitaries. "This created divisions, including within Kataib," the source said. He and two other militia officials described shifting alliances, including within two pro-Iran groups. They said the splits were over both Muhandis's succession and where Iranian funds should go into military action or political influence. "One camp in Kataib is led by Abu Fadak. Another opposes him taking over the PMF," the first source said. "In Badr, there's a wing that supports him and was closer to Muhandis and another that doesn't, the political wing." The sources did not provide details on reduced funding from Iran, which is being hit hard by coronavirus and U.S. sanctions. A PMF spokesman could not immediately be reached to comment. The divisions mean groups are beginning to stage attacks on their own, without consulting each other, the militia sources said. "Not everybody agreed Taji military base should be targeted," one official said, referring to an attack that killed two U.S. troops and a British soldier in March. "Some groups just operate without consulting the PMF chain of command." The militia sources report an additional PMF split. Several factions closer to Sistani, who oppose Iran's hegemony over the PMF, publicly rejected Mohammedawi taking over in February in a rare show of defiance of the pro-Iran camp. Their commanders said they have since agreed in principle with the defense ministry to integrate into the military, a move that would clearly separate them from Iran-backed factions. A source close to Sistani confirmed his office had blessed the move. POLITICAL WEAKNESS Pro-Iran militias worry. "If Sistani is backing this maybe 70 percent of lower-ranking fighters in all groups might follow - they joined up only because of his edict," the first militia source said. None of those moves can be official until a new government is in place. But lawmakers and government officials say it is likely the designated prime minister, Adnan al-Zurfi, will be approved this month - a result of pro-Iran militia weakness. "Before, the Iran-backed groups and politicians were able to get their choice of prime minister," one lawmaker from Iraq's biggest parliamentary bloc said, declining to be named. "Now, they can't even agree among themselves who they want for the post," he said, adding many favoured Zurfi for the job. President Barham Salih last month designated Zurfi, who is opposed by Iran-backed militia commanders. He has signaled he would come down hard on the factions, posting on Twitter in March that the PMF's "loyalty will be to Iraq, and Iraqis". Iran-backed militias will not go quietly. Kataib Hezbollah warned last week it would fight any force cooperating with Washington in attacking militias. (Additional reporting by Baghdad bureau; Writing by John Davison, Editing by William Maclean) More than 44.58 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses given so far: Health ministry Health ministry, ICMR have issued guidelines for 'official document' for Covid deaths: Centre to SC Recent rise in COVID-19 cases does not represent national trend: Health Ministry India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Apr 01: The Health Ministry on Wednesday said that the spike in cases in India is due to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering that took place in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and it doesn't represent the national trend however, it is a failure of the lockdown guidelines. Over 2,300 people have been evacuated from a building in south Delhi's Nizamuddin after 134 people tested positive for COVID-19. A police complaint or First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against seven people - Maulana Saad, Zeeshan, Mufti Shehzad, M Saifi, Younus, Mohammed Salman and Mohammed Ashraf. Saad has been missing since March 28, when he was served notice by the police. The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,637 in the country on Wednesday while the death toll rose to 38. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,466, while 132 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated to another country. OSTERSUND, Sweden, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed a contract with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. to construct the interior fit-out of their office space in Sleepy Hollow, New York, USA. The contract is worth USD 32 M, about SEK 310 M, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter 2020. The project includes the interior fit-out of an approximately 18,500-square-meter space. The scope of work includes upgrades to the existing building, new mechanical distribution, ceilings, LED lighting, flooring and glass front offices. Construction began in March of 2020 and is scheduled for completion in July 2021. Skanska is one of the leading construction and development companies in USA, specializing in building construction, civil infrastructure and developing commercial properties in select U.S. markets. Skanska USA had sales of SEK 74 billion and about 7,900 employees in its operations in 2019. For further information please contact: Pamela Monastra Senior Vice President Skanska USA Tel: +1-770-639-4504 Andreas Joons Press Officer Skanska AB Tel: +46(0)10-449-04-94 Direct line for media Tel: +46(0)10-448-88-99 This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-builds-office-space-in-sleepy-hollow--new-york--usa--for-usd-32-m--about-sek-310-m,c3078392 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3078392/1222041.pdf 20200401 US interior fit-out SOURCE Skanska COOS COUNTY, Ore. -- Although Coos County has not yet announced a positive coronavirus case in the area, some doctors and residents are concerned officials will soon. According to the countys public health website, they have tested 187 people as of Monday. So far, 164 of those tests have come back negative and 23 are still pending. Doctors at Coquille Valley Hospital said they are grateful the county has gone weeks without a positive test, especially since positive case numbers are growing in Oregon by the day. However, they said they expect to see a case any day now. Just because no one was tested positive here doesnt necessarily mean that its not here, said Quinn Myers, infection preventionist. Other doctors are concerned that Coos County isnt seeing positive cases because they havent administrated that many tests due to personal protective equipment shortages. Were doing testing thats very limited, said Megan Holland. Its based on people where were looking at whether or not they need to be hospitalized. Some Coos County residents told KEZI 9 News that they are confident that there are cases in Coos County, and its just a matter of time until theyre announced. I believe its out there, said Eva Kicklighter, a Coquille resident. And were coming in contact with people who are potentially carrying this. New Delhi: Ram Navami, an important festival in the Hindu calendar, will be celebrated across India on April 2. The festival falls on the ninth day in the month of Chaitra, which also marks the end of Navratri. Lord Rama was born on Navami Tithi in the Shukla Paksha of the Chaitra month according to the Hindu calendar to Queen Kaushalya, King Dasharathas first wife. The Prince of Ayodhya, who was married to Devi Sita, is worshipped by millions across the globe. Thus, Ram Navami is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Rama. On this day, devotees observe a day-long fast and break it only after offering puja to Lord Rama. People who fast during Navratri also break their fast after worshipping the god. Devotees also hold kanjak puja in parts of North India to mark the celebrations. As per traditions, nine young girls, who havent hit puberty, are invited and the devotees worship them and treat them to simple dishes like poori, chana and halwa or fruits. According to Drikpanchang, the time for puja during Rama Navami is between 11 am to 1.39 pm (2 hours 30 minutes). Devotees worship Lord Rama, listen or recite prayers and holy scriptures. At various places, artists perform the ceremonial wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita and procession is taken out. However, this year, the celebrations will be indoors due to the coronavirus outbreak. Wishing our readers a very Happy Ram Navami! Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially make the transition Tuesday from senior members of Britains royal family to well, its unclear. International celebrities, charity patrons, global influencers? The royal schism that the couple triggered in January by announcing that they would step down from official duties, give up public funding, seek financial independence and swap the U.K. for North America becomes official on March 31. The move has been made more complicated and poignant by the global coronavirus pandemic, which finds the couple and their 10-month-old son Archie in California, far from Harrys father Prince Charles who is recovering after testing positive for COVID-19 and Harrys 93-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile, the couple said in a final post Monday on their now-mothballed SussexRoyal Instagram account. Whats most important right now is the health and well-being of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic, they added. As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute. It is less than two years since ex-soldier Harry, who is sixth in line to the British throne, married American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in a lavish ceremony watched by millions around the world. Soon the couple began to bristle at intense scrutiny by the British media which they said tipped into harassment. They decided to break free, in what Harry called a leap of faith as he sought a more peaceful life, without the journalists who have filmed, photographed and written about him since the day he was born. Harry has long had an uncomfortable relationship with the media, which he blames for the death of his mother, Princess Diana. She died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi. Harrys unhappiness increased after he began dating Markle, then the star of TV legal drama Suits. In 2016 he accused the media of harassing his then-girlfriend, and criticized racial undertones in some coverage of the biracial Markle. Its clear that Meghans upbeat Californian style embodied in the glossy images and life-affirming messages of the couples Instagram account rankled with sections of Britains tabloid press, which is both insatiable for royal content and fiercely judgmental of the family members. The couple who are keeping their titles, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but will no longer be called Their Royal Highnesses had hoped to keep using the Sussex Royal brand in their new life. But last month they announced they wouldnt seek to trademark the term because of U.K. rules governing use of the word royal. The couple plans to launch a non-profit organization for their charitable activities in areas including youth empowerment, mental health, conservation, gender equality and education. Harry will also continue to oversee the Invictus Games, the Olympics-style competition he founded for wounded troops. Meghan has been announced as the narrator of Elephant, a Disney nature documentary. But for now, the couples office said they want the world to focus on the global response to COVID-19. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend the next few months focusing on their family and continuing to do what they can, safely and privately, to support and work with their pre-existing charitable commitments while developing their future non-profit organisation, the couples office said in a statement. The newly independent Harry and Meghan will also need to earn money to help pay for a multi-million dollar security bill. As senior royals, they have had bodyguards funded by British taxpayers. Since late last year, Harry and Meghan have since been based on Canadas Vancouver Island, where security was provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Canadian authorities warned last month that would end once the couple ceased to be working royals. The duke and duchess recently moved to the Los Angeles area, where Meghan grew up and where her mother still lives. The news led President Donald Trump to tweet on Sunday: the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay! Harry and Meghans office said security costs are being personally covered by the couple. Some royal historians warned that Harry and Meghan could struggle to find a fulfilling role. Comparisons have been drawn to King Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936 to marry divorced American Wallis Simpson. The couple lived the rest of their lives in luxurious but lonely self-imposed exile from Britain. Royal historian Penny Junor said U.K.-based royals were helping boost the nations morale during the coronavirus pandemic. The queen has issued a message to the nation, while Harrys brother Prince William and his children joined in a public round of applause for health care workers. All of this is absolutely what the family is about, and those members of the royal family that are on a limb now are pretty irrelevant, Junor said. [April 01, 2020] Stay the Course: Tennessee Virtual Academy Now Accepting Enrollment for the 2020-2021 School Year Tennessee Virtual Academy (TNVA) is now accepting enrollment applications for the 2020-2021 school year. The school-which is a program of Union County, TN Board of Education-offers students in kindergarten through eighth grade a high-quality, personalized learning experience in a dynamic online setting. Combining online instruction, a rigorous curriculum and the support of state-certified teachers, TNVA gives students the tools they need to succeed. "At TNVA, we want every student to feel empowered to seize the many opportunities that await them," said Jennifer Havens, TNVA's Head of School. "Every day, we help students refine their own learning style and encourage them to cultivate a lifelong passion for learning." TNVA students across all grade levels are offered a full course load in the core subjects of Eglish/language arts, math, science, history, art, music and physical education. TNVA teachers facilitate live, interactive online classes, which allow students to enjoy a safe learning environment anywhere with an internet connection. In addition to scheduled classes, teachers regularly communicate with students and families via phone and email to ensure they are supported and appropriately challenged. Resources are available to help TNVA students and families navigate the online learning experience. With online school, athletes, students with unique medical needs, advanced learners, and all types of students can balance a full academic load along with extracurricular pursuits or any other specialized needs. Virtual clubs and organizations allow students to further explore shared interests together in an online setting. Families are encouraged to attend an online information session hosted by the school. To learn more about enrollment and for a schedule of information sessions visit?k12.com/how-to-enroll, or download the?K12 enrollment app?for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices. About Tennessee Virtual Academy Tennessee Virtual Academy is a full-time tuition-free public school that gives parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), one of the nation's preeminent tech-enabled education companies and a premier provider of career readiness education services. For more information about TNVA, visit?TNVA.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005011/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Wed, April 1, 2020 07:53 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec271a 1 Business live-pigs,exports,Singapore,Malaysia-lockdown,Riau-Islands,pig-farms,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,virus-corona Free A company in Riau Islands has seen its live pig exports to Singapore double after Malaysia imposed a COVID-19 lockdown on March 18. The Tanjung Pinang Agricultural Quarantine Office said on Tuesday that Indonesian pig-farming company PT Indotirta Suaka had exported up to 1,600 live pigs to the city state every day. Previously, the company only exported 700 to 900 pigs daily. Prior to the lockdown, the demand for live pigs was fulfilled by companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. Now, the demand has shifted to Indonesia, the quarantine office head, Donni Muksidayan, said on Tuesday. Malaysia has enforced a partial lockdown, which has restricted peoples movement, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Despite the lockdown, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had previously reassured his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong that the flow of goods and cargo between Singapore and Malaysia, including food supplies, would continue, The Straits Times reported. Read also: Indonesia to relax restrictions to speed up imports, exports amid virus threat Donni said all live pigs exported to the neighboring country were healthy and met Singapores standards. The office granted on Sunday health certificates for 1,653 pigs worth Rp 5.17 billion (US$315,138) to be exported to Singapore. "We share this information to encourage farmers during the sluggish trade due to the COVID-19 pandemic," Donni said. Indotirta Suaka manager Tony Budiharjo did not respond to The Jakarta Posts request for comment. The company supplies around 30 percent of Singapores total demand for live pigs. The office recorded that 304,509 live pigs valued at around Rp 130.53 billion had been exported last year with an increase of 30 percent from 2018s figure of 233,699 pigs worth Rp 61.72 billion. (vny) While millions of New Jersey residents have been ordered to stay at home in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, there is more that can be done to fend off the disease beyond sitting behind closed doors. At the onset of the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offered a widely known set of tips for individuals to follow to protect themselves from COVID-19 causing hands to be washed more frequently than ever, faces to be itched less often, and 6 feet between people to become the new socializing standard. Health officials say these guidelines remain absolutely essential to flattening a curve that continues to rise, as New Jersey announced 3,649 new positive tests on Wednesday to increase the statewide total to 22,255 cases. Wednesday also marked the states largest single-day increase in deaths, with 91, creating a total of 355 New Jersey lives lost to COVID-19. Here are some other health and safety measures that you can exercise to further diminish your chances of spreading or testing positive for the coronavirus: 1. Take precautions when opening your mail Citing information provided by the CDC and the World Health Organization, the U.S. Postal Service has said there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail. Nonetheless, the national agency has instructed its employees to follow the CDC-recommended health guidelines, including disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces and remaining at home when ill. Regardless of these measures, people making their daily trip to the mailbox should remember letter carriers have likely touched and sorted through a countless number of envelopes prior to distributing their own, and anyone receiving mail should thus take precautions. Keeping in mind that COVID-19 remains active on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on plastic for two or three days at a time, anyone receiving mail should wear gloves and/or spray envelopes and packages with a disinfectant prior to opening them. Absent of these actions, all letter openers should at the very least wash their hands thoroughly upon opening and sorting through mail, and dispose of unwanted envelopes or packaging as soon as possible. 2. Take shoes off as soon as you return home Whether walking a few miles or a few yards upon leaving their homes, individuals should take off their shoes the moment they return. Despite the fact there is currently no definitive proof that coronavirus can be carried into the house via shoes, any object coming into contact with any surface outside of the home should be treated with caution. You must walk along the same paths traversed by countless others on trips to pharmacies or grocery stores, so it is certainly smart to limit what is touched by the soles of your shoes within your own residence. Keeping your shoes confined to an area near the door is a great practice to follow, as is consistently cleaning them or spraying them with a disinfectant upon returning home. A coffeehouse offers hand sanitizer and tissues to customers. 3. Do not share towels Dont forget that germs can still be spread in the safety of your home, especially if you use the same bathroom as a family member or a roommate. While you may have to share a bathroom, you do not have to share germs. Use your own hand or bath towel at all times, and encourage those you live with to do the same. Moreover, this mentality should be carried over to public restrooms. Experts recommend hand dryers in place of towels. If you use towels, choose disposable paper towels since germs can easily cling on cloth towels, says MedicalDaily.com. And some heath experts say its a good idea to use a clean paper towel when touching the bathroom door knob on your way out. 4. Ditch the inside of the elbow, and carry tissues While the CDC recommends all individuals use a tissue or the inside of your elbow to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, the problem with the latter is that germs can cling to your clothing or body. Instead of sneezing into a shirt that someone could accidentally come into contact with, individuals would be well advised to keep tissues handy and dispose of them immediately upon usage. Whether you sneeze into a tissue, your elbow, or none of the above, be sure to wash your hands directly afterward. 5. Request to pay over the phone or online When placing a food order to a be delivered or picked up perhaps at one of your local restaurants check if you can pay for the order online, or request to pay over the phone with a credit or debit card, including the addition of a tip. These methods eliminate the need to come into close contact with an employee through a cash exchange or the handling of a plastic card that can carry germs. Added plus: It shortens the amount of time between your first whiff of the food you ordered and sitting down to consume it. 6. Carry your own pen when leaving the house If you will be paying for something after you leave your home, bring your own writing utensil. It applies to picking up meals at restaurants or shopping at a liquor store, grocery store, pharmacy or any other essential business. Many will print out a paper receipt that you will be asked to sign, and you will greatly minimize your risk of exposure by carrying your own pen in place of using one that had been potentially already used by countless others. 7. Check if you can bring your own bags to the store People can decrease the risk of spreading germs to store clerks or cashiers and vice versa by bringing their own shopping bags. Shoppers should regularly wash the bags they bring to the store, as well as their hands as soon as they have returned home and finished putting away the purchased products. Not all local businesses allow people to utilize their own bags, so shoppers should definitely check that companys website or call ahead. 8. Be a cautious shopper If you are an older adult or have an underlying medical condition that makes you more vulnerable to the coronavirus, consider using a shopping service or asking a friend, family member or neighbor to go shopping in your place. Thats the recommendation of Donald W. Schaffner, an extension specialist in food science and distinguished professor in the Department of Food Science in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. If you do have to personally go to a supermarket or grocery store, make sure you pick a cart that has been sanitized by a worker, and bring sanitizer for yourself to use, Schaffner adds. Individuals can also shorten the amount of time spent in the store by bringing a list of items they need. Customers wait in line to shop at Trader Joe's.Jenna Kieser 9. Wash your hands, not your food Those concerned about purchasing food packages contaminated by the coronavirus should wash or sanitize their hands prior to eating the foods in the containers, Schaffner also recommends. He noted that foods should not be washed due to the fact that soap can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if ingested. Instead, run your fruits and produce under cold water. 10. When outside, keep to yourself A runner stays active while practicing social distancing.Jenna Kieser While Gov. Phil Murphy is still allowing New Jersey residents to leave their residences for outdoor exercise despite the virtual lockdown, those out and about should continue to remain 6 feet away from each other, as well as widely touched surfaces such as public benches or bleachers. People should also avoid leaning over fences, balconies and even sturdy-looking trees that seem ideal for resting your hand upon while stretching. An unidentifiable number of others could have touched that fence, that balcony, that bench, that tree, sometime earlier in the day or shortly after you have left your mark. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook. An emergency room doctor who worked at an Essex County hospital died Tuesday, a week after developing coronavirus symptoms, his husband told NJ Advance Media. Dr. Frank Gabrin, 60, who worked at East Orange General Hospital, woke up March 24 with chest pain and other symptoms, according to his husband, Arnold Vargas of New York. He had a lot of coughing and two days ago he was very sick, Vargas said through tears on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Gabrin woke up saying, Baby, I cant breathe, Vargas said. Though Gabrin had not been tested for COVID-19, the two were sure hed come down with the virus because he had treated the same symptoms in other patients. Gabrin, who lived in New York City, began working at the East Orange hospital nine months ago and divided his time between New Jersey and a hospital on Long Island, New York, Vargas said. A two-time cancer survivor, Gabrin thought he had the coronavirus under control and would recover at home, his husband said. He told me, I can handle this. I survived cancer and this is just the coronavirus, Vargas said. As Gabrins conditioned worsened on Tuesday, Vargas said he called the NYPD and was placed on hold. It took 30 minutes for help to arrive, he said. He died in my hands, Vargas said. Vargas said he also has mild symptoms of the virus and has seen a doctor who prescribed medication. Vargas said he expects to recover at home. Dr. Frank Gabrin, friend and emergency medicine colleague for many years and most importantly a good soul, posted this... Posted by J.d. Polk on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Vargas said Gabrin often used the same N-95 masks and gowns at the hospitals where he worked, but continued helping as long as he could because the emergency rooms are short-staffed. He never complained about anything, he just wanted to work and help people, Vargas said. William Jaquis, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians said the organization was deeply saddened to learn that a former ACEP member and our current colleague on the frontlinesan emergency physicianhas lost his fight against this virus." Emergency physicians understand that sometimes in our efforts to save your life, we may end up sacrificing our own. This is not a decision made lightly or a post abandoned in times of need. We know the risks of the job we signed up for, but we are on the frontlines in this historic war against COVID-19 with insufficient protection, Jaquis wrote. Jaquis made a grim prediction if more protective equipment is not available. America cant afford for more emergency physicians and other frontline health care providers to get sick or worse due to PPE shortages, he said. Dr. Alvaro Alban, the chairman of the Emergency Department at East Orange General Hospital, told NBC News Gabrin was delightful, caring and wonderful to work with. He had every intention to help. He was eager to keep working in the E.D. and was disappointed when he started to get symptoms, Alban said. His intention was that his fever would break. Dr. Gabrin was motivated, on a mission and wanted to keep working." In New Jersey as of Tuesday, there were 18,696 cases of coronavirus and 267 deaths. I lost my best friend to Covid19 a few hours ago. @DrFrankGabrin was an ER Doctor in NYC. He planned to go back to work when he recovered. It took only five days from the first sign of symptoms. He leaves a husband of less than one year behind. We are devastated. #PPENow pic.twitter.com/LVOSe9XXG6 Debra Vasalech Lyons (@DebVasalech) March 31, 2020 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. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially signed off from the royal family yesterday and are all set to shift their base from Canada to Los Angeles, closer to Hollywood. As a royal couple Prince Harry-Meghan Markle and their child Archie had a number of security officials around them. But now that they have decided to embark on their new independent journey, they have to look after their own security. Donald Trump tweeted about the same a wrote a couple of days back, I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay! According to fresh reports, Harry and Meghan will be hiring former SAS soldiers for their security. The royal couple apparently chose from two firms, whose staff has guarded stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Experts say their annual bill could be up to 4million as they will require the use of several bodyguards a day. A spokesman for the couple insisted, they would meet the bill personally, to which Prince Charles may also contribute. The oldest genetic material ever extracted from a human has revealed a 'sister group' of hominins related to Homo sapiens, Denisovans and Neanderthals. Ancient proteins in the teeth of a fossil were discovered, analysed and dated to reveal the secrets of its owner. It was found this primitive human, a member of the species Homo antecessor, lived 800,000 years ago Researchers in Denmark say they are confident their study shows that Homo antecessors were a 'sister group' of the last common relatives of modern humans. Scientists have long debated the place of Homo antecessor in human evolution and the genetic material, twice as old as any DNA ever previously found, helps clear up the mystery. Scroll down for video Pictured, a digital reconstruction of specimen ATD6-69 from the Homo antecessor collection that was analysed in the study Researchers in Denmark say they are confident their study shows that Homo antecessors (pictured, skeletal remains of the ancient species) were a 'sister group' to the last common relatives of modern humans Study author Dr Frido Welker, at Copenhagen University, said: 'Ancient protein analysis provides evidence for a close relationship between Homo antecessor, us - Homo sapiens - Neanderthals, and Denisovans. 'Our results support the idea that Homo antecessor was a sister group to the group containing Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.' The Homo antecessor specimen was first found in 1994 at Sierra de Atapuerca, an archaeological site in northern Spain. A new method to find tiny fragments of genetic material called palaeoproteomics was deployed to see if it could uncover anything in the remains. Inside the tooth enamel of the ancient individual were proteins dating back 800,000 years. This is far older than any human DNA ever found because the molecule degrades naturally after 400,000 years, scientists say. The molecular sequencing enables scientists to retrieve evidence to accurately reconstruct human evolution from further back in time than ever before. Study co-author Professor Jesper Velgaard Olsen, from Copenhagen University, said: 'This study is an exciting milestone in palaeoproteomics. 'Using state of the art mass spectrometry, we determine the sequence of amino acids within protein remains from Homo antecessor dental enamel. 'We can then compare the ancient protein sequences we 'read' to those of other hominins, for example Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, to determine how they are genetically related.' Pictured, a phylogenetic tree showing how the researchers believe Homo antecessor fits in to the complex evolutionary history of hominins and when human species branched off from the Great Apes A new method to find tiny fragments of genetic material called palaeoproteomics was deployed to see if it found anything in the remains. Inside the tooth enamel of the ancient individual (pictured) were ancient proteins dating back 800,000 years The human and the chimpanzee lineages split from each other about nine to seven million years ago, the researchers explained. Since this genetic branch was discovered scientists have been trying to iron out the timeline of hominid evolution. Lead study author Professor Enrico Cappellini, also from Copenhagen University, said: 'Much of what we know so far is based either on the results of ancient DNA analysis, or on observations of the shape and the physical structure of fossils. 'Because of the chemical degradation of DNA over time, the oldest human DNA retrieved so far is dated at no more than approximately 400,000 years.' Initially scientists thought that Homo antecessor was the last common ancestor to modern humans and Neanderthals, based on fossils' physical shape and appearance. But they began to intensely debate the exact relationship between Homo antecessors and other human groups, like ourselves and Neanderthals. New studies confirmed that Homo antecessor's facial features are very similar to those of Homo sapiens and very different from those of the Neanderthals and their more recent ancestors. Professor Cappellini added: 'I am happy that the protein study provides evidence that the Homo antecessor species may be closely related to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. 'The features shared by Homo antecessor with these hominins clearly appeared much earlier than previously thought. Homo antecessor would therefore be a basal species of the emerging humanity formed by Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans.' The research team is now looking forward to seeing what else can be learned about our evolutionary history thanks to their new DNA sequencing method. Seth Tom Davis shows his phone screen to his dog as they sit on the floor at LAX on March 23. (Los Angeles Times) To the editor: Your article about Seth Tom Davis being stuck at LAX since Christmas Eve and his incredible journey deeply touched me. It is unbelievable that neither the airport, the police nor the Social Security Administration could help him after almost everything he had was stolen. Davis is not a vagrant or a criminal. He is a man with Asperger's syndrome and epilepsy, with no family support. During his three-month stay at the airport, he was robbed of his wallet and his identity was stolen, which wiped out his bank account. What is wrong with our society when people and agencies do not assist a person in such a situation? Surely, some of the people with whom he had contact could have helped. Having two granddaughters with autism, I know the difficulties of people with special needs. We need to be more compassionate and offer help to people like Davis. Marlene Bronson, Los Angeles .. To the editor: I read in horror the article about Davis, the man from North Dakota with Asperger's syndrome and epilepsy who spent three months living on the floor at LAX. I was ready to get in my truck, drive over to the airport and take him back to North Dakota until I read at the end that he finally got enough money together to leave. All the tax-funded programs in the city and the county for the disadvantaged, and all the compassion in one of the most liberal areas of the country could not get this poor soul back home. Now, you could say he did it on his own, which is the American way. But how much does one have to endure before someone comes to the rescue? Earl Yessmann, Hermosa Beach A worker wearing a protective mask and gloves carries Amazon.com Inc. boxes during a delivery in the Bronx borough of New York Amazon warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the US went on strike this week to call attention to safety and wage concerns for people labouring through the coronavirus crisis. Fifteen workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, also walked off the job on Monday after reports of COVID-19 among the facility's staff. Amazon said later it fired an employee who helped organize the action for alleged violations of his employment. Workers have also protested in other countries. Dozens of Amazon workers at a facility near Florence, Italy, went on strike on Monday. Demand for Amazon delivery services has given its stock better protection than its tech peers. The shares are down 9.4pc since February 19, compared with the average 22pc decline of Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft and Facebook. Reuters A little less than a year ago, in April 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with the Chairman of the DPRK State Affairs Commission, Kim Jong Un, who arrived in Vladivostok at the invitation of the Russian President. This was the first meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un and his first foreign visit after being re-elected as the head of the State Affairs Commission. This first Putin-Kim Summit was seized upon by both sides as an opportune moment to assert their influence and connections during tense nuclear talks, The Diplomat writes in the article Did Kims Vladivostok Visit Reshape Russia-North Korea Relations? Despite this show of strength, however, did this landmark meeting lead to any real developments in the year since? This seems all the more relevant as de-escalation on the peninsula stalls, as the Kremlin could potentially act as a renewed lifeline to Pyongyang during the current diplomatic impasse. Of course, the potential for bilateral rapprochement appears more likely given both states compatibility on paper. Faced with the long-term effects of its own U.S.-led sanctions, Moscow appears an enticing prospect for a Kim regime eager for political and economic support. At the same time, North Koreas continued posturing opens opportunities for a resurgent Russia to flex its muscles in yet another geopolitical flashpoint. These prospective benefits would build on strong historical ties, with both leaders last year expressing desires to strengthen a fraternity forged during the Cold War. While such rhetoric may grab international headlines, reality has often proved unkind to these official ambitions. A quiet solidarity, therefore, continues to dominate Russias relations with the North, as everyday relations have remained mired in obscurity. These difficulties are exemplified by the Putin administrations limited enthusiasm for post-summit market cooperation, which appears more focused on indulging Kims equestrian pursuits than encouraging any real development. In the absence of any concrete plan, the continued dominance of symbolic pleasantries saw Russias official exports to Pyongyang only rise by a modest $10 million in 2019. Russian Ambassador Alexander Matsegora noted in December the continued unwillingness of businesses to run the risk of sanctions by openly working with North Korea. As such, what little trade persists between the two states remains motivated by sheer realpolitik, with Russias continued oil exports playing a small role in maintaining a generally friendly regime. February shipments of 1,500 coronavirus diagnosis kits to the North, as well as alleged plans to allow guest workers to return soon in spite of COVID-19, further display this bare-bones approach. This exposes the inescapable presence of geopolitics in Kremlin thinking regarding the peninsula at large. Diplomacy, as a result, will remain the key area of bilateral development for the foreseeable future. Such a strategy was summed up by last Aprils meeting, which appeared to place great emphasis on the symbolism of the states traditional friendship and understandings. A visit by the Norths Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to Moscow in November also embodied desires to maintain a line of communication regarding topics of mutual concern. This quiet consensus, however, has also recently produced tangible results, like a joint Sino-Russian proposal for mild sanctions relief at the United Nations in December. Such united demands were once again made in March, citing coronavirus concerns. The China factor, then, remains an essential reference point for Moscow, as it attempts to provide limited protections for Pyongyang against a mutually menacing Trump administration. Due to this, Russias continued relations with North Korea look set to walk a fine line between de jure adherence to international agreements on the one hand and a realist need to provide a level of diplomatic cover to the isolated regime on the other. This approach, of course, suggests that little material change has occurred between Pyongyang and Moscow over the past year, with Vladivostok merely reaffirming long-held governmental accords. Nevertheless, as uncertainty reigns over the future of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula, the Kremlins eyes are now trained on the region more than ever. In ordinary times, immediate attention would have soon turned to whether or not Kim attends Russias celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, a subject of much speculation in the lead-up to the 70th anniversary in 2015. But given coronavirus crippling effect on the movement of state officials around the globe, a check-up on relations may have to wait. Spread of COVID-19 has been contained in China: health director Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/31 17:58:41 China announced Tuesday it has basically blocked the spread of the novel coronavirus within the country, with the city Wuhan as the main battlefield, reaching a significant milestone in prevention and control of the epidemic. By March 31, more than 63,000 COVID-19 patients in Central China's Hubei Province recovered and been discharged from hospital, with a recovery rate of over 93 percent, said Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, at a State Council press conference in Hubei Province. Among the more than 42,600 medical workers from across the country who went to support Hubei, none has been infected with the coronavirus, Ma said. After the central steering group for the COVID-19 epidemic was stationed in Wuhan on January 27, it has been prioritizing saving the patients while promoting prevention and control among communities at the same time, said Ma. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia has been more conciliatory toward Trumps efforts to end oil-price war, while Saudis take to boasting on Twitter. Saudi Arabia showed no sign of bowing to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to dial back its oil-price war with Russia. Instead, the kingdom pushed crude supply to record levels. Trump said Tuesday night that hed spoken to both President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an effort to broker a truce between the worlds two largest oil exporters. While Russia made some conciliatory noises, Saudi Arabia showed nothing but defiance. The kingdom started the month by boosting supply to more than 12 million barrels a day, the most ever, according to an industry official familiar with the kingdoms operations. In an apparent show of force, Aramco was loading a record 15 tankers with 18.8 million barrels of oil on a single day earlier this week, according to another official and a tweet from the company. That social media post, boasting how the kingdom will rise to supply energy, appeared to be a riposte to U.S. Secretary State Michael Pompeo, who last week urged the Saudis to rise to the occasion by dialing back their plan to flood the market. Reliability goes beyond performance indicators. It is a culture that ensures a sustainable delivery of energy to the world. We are proud to have loaded 15 oil tankers with 18.8 million barrels. So far, Riyadh has insisted that it will only back away from a decision to flood the global market if all the worlds leading producers-including the U.S.-agree to cut output. Russia has struck a more conciliatory tone, saying it would hold back from a major production increase, but hasnt offered any concrete proposals to end hostilities with its former OPEC+ ally. Trumps decision to wade into oil diplomacy is driven by the catastrophic impact of the price crash on the American shale industry, largely based in Texas and other Republican-leaning states. But his mission to rein in global supply is overshadowed by the unprecedented loss of demand-possibly as much as 30%-caused by the fight against the coronavirus. Signs of policy discussions are multiplying and we believe such an outcome should no longer be dismissed, analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in a note. Even so, after such a huge drop in consumption its questionable whether policy coordination by OPEC+, the U.S., and oil producers more broadly can save this market. A senior Russian official said that while they hadnt spoken to Saudi Arabia yet, Moscow had no plans to increase production given the current market situation. He gave no indication that Russia was willing to consider output cuts, however. It was Russias refusal to join Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in deeper reductions that kicked off the price war in early March. The Russian side traditionally welcomes mutual dialog and cooperation in order to stabilize energy markets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on conference call on Tuesday. Putin has no immediate plans to speak with the Saudi king or crown prince, but such contacts can be easily arranged, he said. Demand Hit World oil demand, normally around 100 million barrels a day, will likely be down by 30 millions barrels a day in April and has yet to bottom out as lockdowns due to the virus continue, Chris Bake, an executive committee member at trader Vitol said on Tuesday. The Russian official said it made no sense for producers to boost output in the current situation. Energy Minister Alexander Novak said last month that the country can raise production by 200,000 to 300,000 barrels a day in the short term, and by as much as 500,000 barrels a day in the near future. Thats a fraction of the additional 2 million barrels a day that Saudi Arabia has pledged to pump. The sharp drop of oil prices has made the bulk of new Russian oil drilling uneconomic, the industry will need to look for ways to optimize output, said Darya Kozlova, head of oil and gas regulation services at Moscow-based Vygon Consulting. However, even if production is flat, Russia may hike its oil exports to offset falling domestic demand for crude as its own economy goes into shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Kozlova said. Trump Mediation On Tuesday evening in Washington, Trump said the U.S. would meet with Saudi Arabia and Russia with the goal of staunching the historic plunge in oil prices, and has raised the issue directly with the countries rulers. Theyre going to get together and were all going to get together and were going to see what we can do, he said. The two countries are discussing it. And I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be. U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette had a productive discussion with Novak on Tuesday and agreed to continue dialog among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, the Department of Energy said in a statement. The two men agreed that an oil oversupply hurts the global economy, the Russian Energy Ministry said separately. Neither side detailed any steps they are considering to stem the downturn. -With assistance from Olga Tanas, Dina Khrennikova, Justin Sink and Brian Eckhouse. Six weeks ago, Dr. Erin Bruce, an anesthesiologist, and her husband, Dr. Michael Szava-Kovats, had their first child, a daughter. He agonizes over the thought of exposing his young daughter and wife to infection. He accepts that he may get coronavirus. The risks to his family are outside his comfort zone, he says. This is the story, Dr. Szava-Kovats shared with The Guardian in a recent interview - words that must have echoed in the young ER specialists head as he shifted into an empty apartment owned by some friends. After five days of risky, back-to-back work at his resident hospital in Calgary, Canada, the loneliness begins to set in - worry about the future, the thought of not being able to hold his newborn child and support his wife during one of the most difficult medical crises the entire world has faced. He finds some comfort in routine - calling Dr. Bruce at the same time each day, meditating to calm himself before work and bolstering himself with the camaraderie of his team... but sometimes, things are just too much. Its hard because I want to be with my family. I am not doing this because I want to, he says. Dr. Szava-Kovats story is nothing short of heartbreaking - but it represents the daily reality for thousands of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals across the world, from New York City to rural clinics in sub-Saharan Africa. Here are a few stories from the lives of these selfless heroes, detailing the sacrifices theyve had to make for us - sometimes paying with their very lives. Dr. Li Wenliang, Wuhan Dr. Wenliang was an ophthalmologist from Wuhan Central Hospital. He posted his story on Chinese social network Weibo from a hospital bed a month after sending out his initial warning. The 34-year-old had noticed seven cases of a virus that he thought looked like Sars - the virus that led to a global epidemic in 2003 - which turned out to be an early discovery of the now infamous Coronavirus strain. Despite his desperate pleas for caution, the Chinese government accused him of spreading rumours and severely disturbing social order - a month later while in hospital, he shared the above video that went viral, and tragically passed away in early February. Several Chinese citizens stormed social media in fury - The truth will always be treated as a rumour, read one comment on Weibo. How long are you going to lie? Are you still lying? What else do you have to hide? Nurse Naser Ali Al-Shahrani, Riyadh #Watch: Saudi doctor weeps as he follows #socialdistancing advice as #COVID19 crisis continues and refuses to hug his child as he returns home from the hospital pic.twitter.com/KZvQtrOqAy Arab News (@arabnews) March 25, 2020 In a heartbreaking video coming in from Saudi Arabia where the number of coronavirus cases have soared past 1,500, Naser Ali Al-Shahrani, a nurse practicing at King Salman Hospital, came home from a day of duty to find his young son Mohamed ecstatic to see him. Heartbreakingly, the medical professional was moved to tears when he realised that touching his son would put him at risk to contract the virus, and the confused boy is seen backing away from his emotionally distressed father. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Dhoteja, Punjab Doctors all over the country have been pleading with the general population to stay at home, while simultaneously working round the clock to care for patients suffering from the virus - and Punjabs medical professionals are no exception. In a video shared by BBC News Punjab, Dr. Dhoteja along with his colleagues appealed to the public in an emotional outburst. I havent gone home for the last one month, he said. I got to go home for a couple days, 15 days ago but I have a two month old baby at home. Breaking down into tears, the doctor continued, please, stay at home, dont come outside. Please prevent this sickness from spreading. A very big problem has come into the country you arent able to see it, but we are. Dr. Chen, Wuhan Remember, every single doctor out there on the front lines is someones son or daughter - and watching them take on a disease with no discovered cure can be downright harrowing. In Dr. Chens case, the young medical professional from Wuhan had to quarantine himself after developing possible symptoms. Despite requesting his family to maintain a 2-metre distance at all times, his mother would show up each day at his apartment - carrying supplies and food to feed her son while breaking down emotionally. Dr. Chens sister who shot the viral video, says, We were so sad to see her crying like this. I cried too. Its a difficult time for doctors and for medical workers families - I hope all frontline medical workers can protect themselves. She now collects supplies for hospitals in need. Fortunately, her prayers were answered when her brother eventually emerged from his quarantine without any symptoms. Nurse Kious Kelly, New York City When news of Kellys status reached his only sibling Marya Patrice Sherron, it was already too late - the 48-year old nurse was already being intubated in the ICU at New York City's Mount Sinai West hospital. Kelly, who had asthma, told them it was mild and that he was doing fine. "Hes always been protective of me [and] my parents. I knew he didnt want them to worry," Sherron said. "I asked him a couple more questions, and he said he cant talk. 'I choke if I try. Cant breathe. I love you,'" Sherron recalled him saying. "And he said he was tired and he would lay down and wanted to go to sleep." Six days later, on Tuesday evening, the hospital informed her family that Kelly had tragically succumbed to the virus. Amidst a massive pouring in of support, condolences and financial assistance with Kellys funeral, his sister also received a scathing, hateful comment that targeted the heroic nurse for his sexuality - suggesting that [Kelly's death] didnt matter because he was a gay male. Despite these disgusting displays of inhumane behaviour, Sherron has been overwhelmed by the massive amount of positive support her family has received during this tough ordeal. "Its humbling. Its unreal, really, she said to Buzzfeed News. You feel like youre not alone going through this." If you know any medical workers caught up in the forefront of this pandemic - do reach out to them today with a kind word or two - every little bit helps. Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn in Mystic River. Photo: Warner Bros. Maybe it was the fourth Adam Devine Netflix movie you watched in a row, or that season of Bosch you inhaled on Amazon Prime without ever actually paying attention to the story. If youve decided to get more creative with your viewing choices, play along with this rough variation on Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. We asked some of our film brains to start with one Kevin Bacon movie for purposes of availability and ensemble friendliness, we picked Clint Eastwoods Oscar-winning 2003 thriller, Mystic River, now on Netflix then work their way through five more titles ending on another Kevin Bacon movie. Option 1 1. Start with Mystic River, then move to 2. Play Misty for Me Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Clint Eastwoods 1971 directorial debut is a solid entry in the disreputable but irresistible genre of lady-psycho horror-suspense, with Jessica Walter as an impeccably unhinged stalker and Clint as her quarry. 3. Norma Rae Rentable on Amazon Prime Misty villain Walters late husband Ron Leibman had his best big-screen role as a union organizer in Martin Ritts stirring 1979 ode to the power of activism and community. Sally Fields performance and the film itself have both aged superbly. 4. Hud Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Sixteen years earlier, Norma Raes screenwriters, Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., crafted this marvel (also directed by Ritt) about a Texas bad boy (Paul Newman, possibly never sexier, which is saying something) and the lives he wrecks. 5. Terms of Endearment Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Want a good cry about somebody elses troubles? Watch Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger in this affecting comedy-melodrama (based, like Hud, on a Larry McMurtry novel) about how mothers and daughters are essentially quarantined together for life. With generous supporting performances from Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, and John Lithgow. 6. Footloose Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Lithgow showed up just a year later as Kevin Bacons pulpit-pounding nemesis in this early-MTV-era sweet escape. Mark Harris Option 2 1. Start with Mystic River, then move to 2. Live by Night Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Eastwood directed Mystic River, but the vision is Dennis Lehanes: characters violated, sunk in grief, acting out in ways that make nothing better. So we travel with Lehane to this period gangster epic. Not a great adaptation but lots to muse on: What you put out in the world will always come back to you. 3. We Bought a Zoo Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube The best performance in Live by Night is by Elle Fanning, who also appears in Cameron Crowes underrated film about a family sunk in mourning that returns to life by saving a foundering menagerie. Crowe understands the grief-whimsy continuum that makes life so paradoxical (and movies with only one tone so boring). 4. Margaret Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube With Zoo star Matt Damon, we move to Kenneth Lonergans story of a teenage girl (played by Anna Paquin) learning to find her moral equilibrium in a post-9/11 New York. See the extended edition, which is a masterpiece. 5. The Irishman Netflix We follow the superb Paquin to Martin Scorseses old-mans movie steeped in shame and guilt and incomprehension over how we did what we did which put us where we are and always knew we would be, somehow. 6. Sleepers Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Follow Irishman star Robert De Niro to this drama, where once more were in a Catholic universe of sin and vengeance. And look, theres Kevin Bacon! David Edelstein Option 3 1. Start with Mystic River, then move to 2. The Hudsucker Proxy HBO Now; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Mystic River co-star Tim Robbins also stars in this satire from the Coen brothers. I admit this film popped into my head first because of Paul Newmans striking turn. 3. Harper Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube A forever beguiling Newman stars as detective Lew Harper, hired by a yearning wife (played by Lauren Bacall) in search of her husband. 4. Written on the Wind Available on DVD Bacall also stars in this emotionally extravagant and overheated Technicolor masterpiece by Douglas Sirk. 5. The Big Sleep Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Nestled in this 1946 noir starring the inimitable Humphrey Bogart and Bacall is a sexually charged and flirtatious scene between our detective and a bookstore clerk played with cunning wit by Dorothy Malone 6. Wild Things Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube That in turn led me to think about this very different sexually charged thriller. An utterly unrepentant, glorious piece of trash, this neo-noir sizzles with over-the-top sexual situations you can only take half-seriously. Starring Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon. Angelica Jade Bastien Option 4 1. Start with Mystic River, then move to 2. 976-EVIL Crackle; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube Mystic River screenwriter Brian Helgeland works on semi-reputable stuff like Spenser Confidential these days, but he got his start in horror movies like this one, Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englunds directorial debut about a premium-rate phone line to Satan. 3. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Sandy Dennis, who makes one of her last appearances in 976-EVIL, will forever be best known for playing the part of Honey in Mike Nicholss epic adaptation of Edward Albees legendary play. 4. Toy Story Disney+; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube The recent, Laurie Metcalfled Broadway revival of Virginia Woolf was shut down, but theres (sigh) no canceling Pixars talking-feeling-toy series and shes been voicing Andys mom since it began in 1995. 5. The Usual Suspects Hulu; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube That first Pixar feature nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but the prize ended up going to Christopher McQuarrie for this twisty heist-gone-wrong thriller. 6. A Few Good Men Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Comedian turned actor Kevin Pollak played a member of the criminal crew of The Usual Suspects, but he was a lot more straitlaced as a Navy lawyer in this Tom Cruisestarring hit, in which he acted alongside, yes, Kevin Bacon. Alison Willmore Option 5 1. Start with Mystic River, then move to 2. You Can Count On Me Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube One of the craziest performances in Mystic River belongs to Laura Linney, playing Sean Penns wife. For a more restrained and realistic Linney turn, check out this Kenneth Lonergan film, which should have won her an Oscar. 3. The Mend Vudu; rentable on Amazon Prime Josh Lucas gets a solid supporting sleazebag turn in You Can Count On Me, but his best work remains this remarkable no-budget indie drama about two very different brothers who are thrust together in a small New York apartment. 4. My Cousin Vinny Hulu; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube Both The Mend and this Joe PesciMarisa Tomei courtroom-comedy hit feature one of our most cherished character actors (and legendary drama teacher), Austin Pendleton. 5. The Final Days Rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube Vinny includes another great American character actor, Lane Smith, who got the role of a lifetime in this long-unavailable TV-movie adaptation of Woodward and Bernsteins book about the last days of the Nixon administration. Smith remains the best onscreen Tricky Dick ever. 6. Apollo 13 Hulu; rentable on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube And oh, look, theres young Gary Sinise in a supporting role in The Final Days. With him, we move on to Ron Howards historical space drama (and eternal Dad Classic) about resilience in times of crisis. Starring Americas Dad, Tom Hanks, and Americas Cool Older Brother, Kevin Bacon. Bilge Ebiri *This article appears in the March 30, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! 'Most of the measures the finance minister announced will take effect after the lockdown.' 'By that time, millions of people will be starving.' IMAGE: Standing in marked spots, physically challenged pavement dwellers wait to collect food in Kolkata. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo Jean Dreze, the renowned Belgian-born Indian economist, says migrant workers do not feel safe and that is why they are desperate to go back home. Dr Dreze tells Indivjal Dhasmana the Centre's new order that labour should stay where it is will be difficult to implement. Why do you say the decision to lock down the entire country was not taken with proper planning? The term 'lockdown' is misleading. It is more like a curfew, or an attempted curfew. The prime minister said so in so many words on March 22. Few countries, if any, have such a harsh lockdown. The lack of planning has made things worse. There was no mention of any relief measures in the lockdown announcement. The crisis of migrant workers also took the government by surprise. The lack of planning, followed by ad hoc damage control, brings up memories of demonetisation. But this situation is much worse. Have the governments mismanaged the issue of the movement of labour and other poor people? Will the Centre's new order that labour should stay where it is and the states must take steps to ensure their well-being there be effective? To be fair, few people anticipated the migration crisis. Migrant workers should have been given time to reach their homes, or support to stay in place. The Centre did neither, precipitating a humanitarian and health crisis. To make things worse, many migrant workers were dealt with in an authoritarian manner, making it hard to count on their cooperation from now. The new order will be hard to implement. Why do you say that the Rs 1.7 trillion package, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is inadequate? First, it is not Rs 1.7 trillion -- maybe Rs 1 trillion, after you discount the padding and creative accounting. Second, the transfers to poor households are too small. Households without a ration card will get just Rs 500 per month if they are lucky to be among the recipients of cash transfers to Jan Dhan Yojana accounts. It is impossible for a family to live on that. Third, there is no provision in the package for emergency relief, whether for migrant workers or for those who fall through the cracks of other measures. That is the biggest priority right now. Is there any issue with the package related to the public distribution system (PDS)? The big issue is whether the PDS is going to hold. With the economy at a standstill, state administrations under stress, and public employees scared of infection, it may be difficult for the PDS to function or rather to function well. Any gap in the chain could expose large numbers of people to hunger. Another serious problem is many poor people are still excluded from the PDS. What about issues with cash transfers? Cash transfers can help in this situation, but most people underestimate the challenge of disbursement. I have not seen any serious discussion on it so far. Poor people generally don't have access to fancy payment systems like Paytm or even ATM cards. To withdraw cash from their bank accounts, they depend primarily on bank counters and their outposts, called business correspondents. But the business-correspondent system is a health hazard at this time because it is based on fingerprint authentication. If business correspondents are out of work, there is going to be a big rush to the banks as soon as the lockdown is relaxed. The banks will be jammed, much as happened after demonetisation. If the people are unable to withdraw money from their accounts, what is the use of cash transfers? All this can probably be sorted out, but it requires careful planning, and it does not seem to be on the government's radar screen. What else should be done beyond the package? The biggest gap in the finance minister's relief package is support for emergency assistance to people at risk of hunger. Most of the measures she announced will take effect after the lockdown. By that time, millions of people will be starving unless they have access to emergency assistance. Even after the lockdown, many people will be excluded from the relief package because they don't have, say, a ration card or an Aadhaar-linked bank account. Emergency assistance could take different forms such as feeding centres, distributing take-home rations, and emergency funds with gram panchayats. Many state governments are working on this, but they need resources from the Centre. States are executing their own packages. However, they are limited in scope because of a slowing economy and hence less transfer from the Centre, including compensations for losses arising out of low goods and services tax (GST) collection. How would they incur such huge expenditures? This requires urgent initiatives from the Centre, for instance, paying GST dues, releasing food stocks, accelerating the relief package and special credit facilities, and relaxing the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act. There isn't much the states can do in a hurry, on their own, to mobilise additional resources. The supply is insufficient. What should the government do to not allow prices of essential commodities to rise? Once again, releasing food stocks will help. Restrictions on the production, harvesting, processing, transport and marketing of food should also be removed. It is startling to hear that in some places people have been prevented from working in the fields or going to the forest. Even from the narrow point of view of containing the virus, it is probably better for them to be out there than in their overcrowded homes.; Do we forego fiscal deficit targets for now and work on a new medium-term fiscal-consolidation road map? Yes, I think so. When people are about to die of hunger, you have no choice but to step in big time. In any case, the normal rules of fiscal prudence do not apply in a situation like this. When the lockdown ends, India will be in a situation of huge excess capacity and lack of effective demand. This is the sort of situation that calls for a large fiscal stimulus. Many countries have already launched much larger fiscal stimulus packages than India, some of them as large as 10 per cent of GDP. The Indian economy cannot dispense with a shot in the arm. Millie was born a short while after Boris Johnson announced the lockdown. (SWNS) Millie Eliza Best is one of the first babies to be born during the coronavirus lockdown. Her mum, Chelsea Best, 28, gave birth to her just a short while after Boris Johnson announced the nationwide coronavirus restrictions. Chelsea was informed the the country had gone into lockdown by her midwife. She was already having regular contractions at the time. Millie arrived into the world at 11.38pm on 23 March at Northampton General Hospital, weighing 7lbs 11oz. A shot of the newborn with her dad. (SWNS) Millie with her mum, Chelsea. (SWNS) Because of the restrictions, dad, Matt Best, 30, could only spend an hour with his newborn daughter. He then had to come back during reduced visiting times (between 6pm and 7pm) the following day. Read more: Pregnancy is changing during coronavirus outbreak The pair were able to take their daughter home on 25 March but because of social distancing rules, they havent been able to introduce her to any of their friends and family. Chelsea, from Corby, Northants, was in labour for a total of 25 hours and the couple said they were kept up to date on the latest coronavirus developments by midwives during this time. They even told her while she was pushing that Boris had announced a full lockdown. Read more: NCT starts virtual antenatal classes The midwives told us an hour before the birth we had gone into lockdown. At the time Id been having gas and air for pain relief but I can really remember them saying we are now in lockdown and thinking about the implications for my husband knowing that he would not be able to stay. We didnt know if he was going to be stopped by police on the way home. It was a surreal experience, but amazing nonetheless. After Millie was born he had about an hour with her, then it was just me on my own. Chelsea explained. Read more: Could coronavirus lead to a rise in home births? The pair explained that their birth experience has been very different given the fact that nobody has been able to meet their newborn daughter. It is an emotional and demanding time having a baby and not being able to show everyone what you have brought into the world and not knowing when you will be able to. Story continues But it has been amazing that we have had the chance to bond as just the three of us, getting to know Millies likes and dislikes. At the hospital with their newborn. (SWNS) Millie is now safe and sound at home. (SWNS) The couple praised the incredible NHS staff throughout their unique experience and joined the rest of the UK to clap for the staff on their doorsteps. The NHS staff were brilliant and I cant thank them enough, especially the midwives who were amazing. They were so supportive when I was on my own in the hospital and were constantly checking on me. Im so grateful to them for the risks they are taking just being in the hospitals with coronavirus around. It must be so scary for them. Chelsea said. U.S. Extends Sanctions Waivers On Iranian Nuclear Program By RFE/RL March 31, 2020 The U.S. government has extended for another 60 days sanction waivers that allow Russian, Chinese, and European countries to continue nonproliferation work at Iranian nuclear sites. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved the waiver extensions on March 30 but maintained that the decision restricts Iran's atomic work. "Iran's continued expansion of nuclear activities is unacceptable. The regime's nuclear extortion is among the greatest threats to international peace and security," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal with Iran that included signatories Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China, saw U.S. sanctions reimposed on Tehran, crippling its economy, which is mostly reliant on oil exports. The deal, brokered in 2015, envisioned sanctions relief if Iran curbed its nuclear ambitions. Since withdrawing from the deal, Washington has pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at reducing Iran's regional activities and limiting its nuclear missile program. The waivers allow nonproliferation work to continue at the Arak heavy-water research reactor, the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran Research Reactor, and other nuclear initiatives. The United States will continue to closely monitor all developments in Iran's nuclear program and can adjust the restrictions at any time, Ortagus said. "As President Trump said earlier this year, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon," she said. Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran had been blocking international nuclear inspectors from investigating possible nuclear activities at two sites. The Vienna-based agency also said Tehran had exceeded its uranium stockpiles beyond the limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal. Iranian authorities have blamed Washington's policies and sanctions for hampering its ability to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. More than 41,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been recorded, including over 2,700 attributable deaths, according to a tracking monitor by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Iran is one of the countries worst hit by the virus, and experts have been skeptical about the veracity of official figures released by the Islamic regime, which keeps a tight lid on local and foreign media. With additional reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-extends- sanctions-waivers-on-iranian-nuclear -program/30519196.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 The Wayne County Health Department reported Wednesday that 29 county residents have died since Tuesday due to COVID-19-related illnesses. Thats the highest death rate for a single day to date in the county. Among the deaths were three Wyandotte residents, two Lincoln Park residents and a single resident of Allen Park, Brownstown, Ecorse, Romulus, Taylor and Trenton. Citing confidentiality laws, health officials only released the community of residence. Ages and genders were not released. This brings the countys coronavirus-related death count to 74, including a Southgate man who was the first person to die in the state. Across Downriver, this brings the death toll to four Lincoln Park and Taylor residents; three Brownstown, Romulus and Wyandotte residents; two Allen Park residents; and a single resident of Ecorse, Gibraltar, Melvindale, Riverview and Trenton. Along with the deaths, Wayne County officials also announced Wednesday that 338 new people tested positive for COVID-19 since Tuesday, bringing the countys total to 2,045 cases. The county does not include statistics from Detroit as it has its own health department and reports its numbers separately. This comes on the same day that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of disaster in Michigan and asked the state Legislature to extend Michigans existing state of emergency and new state of disaster by 70 days. The disaster declaration does not automatically extend the governors Stay Home, Stay Safe order, which is set to expire April 13. It does, though, leave open the possibility and shows the governors belief that the health crisis remains. Michigan lawmakers are expected to meet to debate and vote on the measure next week. Since Michigan announced our first confirmed cases of COVID-19 three weeks ago, we have taken some of the most aggressive measures in the country to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect Michigan families, Whitmer said. Todays action will allow my administration to respond more effectively to every facet of this crisis. During this time, its crucial that Michiganders continue to stay home and keep their distance from others. We will get through this together. 1. Florida ordered its 21 million residents to stay home. After weeks of resistance, Gov. Ron DeSantis relented after a morning phone call with President Trump. Above, a drive-through testing site in West Palm Beach. The outbreak poses a unique risk for Florida, the third-largest state in the country, which has 7,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 87 deaths. A quarter of the population is older than 60, and the economy largely relies on tourism. At least 294 million people in at least 37 states, 79 counties, 28 cities, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are being urged to stay home. Thats nearly 90 percent of the population. Hyundai is going to build a research center in Singapore, the carmaker said Tuesday. The center is part of strategic investments to expand business into future technologies such as self-driving cars, personal aerial vehicles, robotics and artificial intelligence. The center will work on innovative technologies to generate new business opportunities before Hyundai expands its mobility services to the global market. The 28,000 sq.m facility will sit on a 44,000 sq.m lot in the Jurong Industrial Estate, with construction starting next month and slated for completion in 2022. The carmaker in a press release said the center will develop an "intelligent manufacturing platform" using technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It will also be equipped with a small-scale electric vehicle assembly line. Hyundai hopes to partner with local universities, start-ups and think tanks. It also wants to strengthen cooperation with Grab, the Singapore-based ride-hailing giant. The two already work together offering EV ride-hailing services in Singapore and Indonesia. As many as 105 people who had come to Ghaziabad after attending a religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi's Nizamuddin last month have been quarantined, said an official on Wednesday. Chief Medical Officer Dr N K Gupta said they have been kept in isolation at a private institute and the district hospital. Police and health department teams are trying to trace all those persons who came in their contact, the official said. Meanwhile, the district police constituted a surveillance cell which will work to identify the persons who arrived here after attending the congregation. SP (Crime) Prakash Kumar has been designated as the nodal officer of the cell. After identification, people will be isolated, SSP Kalanidhi Naithani said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Rochester man is being held on $100,000 conditional bail on charges that he sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl. David John Vigil, 53, is charged in Olmsted County District Court with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He made his first appearance in court on the charges Tuesday. Judge Lisa Hayne set conditional bail at $100,000 and unconditional bail at $200,000. Vigil's next court appearance is scheduled for April 14. Vigil was arrested on March 29 after a woman reported to police that her 10-year-old daughter said she had been sexually assaulted by Vigil. The girl said the alleged assaults took place once when she was 9 years old and once in the last month. On both occasion, the girl alleged that Johnson made the girl touch his genitals, told her not to tell anyone and said it wouldn't happen again. ADVERTISEMENT At the time of his arrest, Vigil denied the incidents and said he made it a point to never be alone with the girl. Another person told police that there were times that Vigil had been alone with the girl. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 14:00:32 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 430 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CYPRESS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX:KSHB) (''KushCo'' or the ''Company''), the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries, is scheduled to host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial and operational results for its fiscal second quarter ended February 29, 2020.The Company's financial results will be available on its investor relations website at ir.kushco.com and announced in a press release after the market close on the same day.KushCo management will host the conference call and presentation followed by a question and answer session. The call will be webcast with an accompanying slide deck, which can be accessed by visiting the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.All interested parties are invited to listen to the live conference call and presentation by dialing the number below or by clicking the webcast link available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2020Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time)Toll-free Number: 1-877-407-9039International Number: 1-201-689-8470Conference ID: 13700963Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call or webcast, please contact KushCo's investor relations at ir@ kushco.com or 714-539-7653.A replay of the call will be available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website approximately two hours after the conference call has ended.About KushCo HoldingsKushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: KSHB) ( www.kushco.com) is the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries. KushCo Holdings' subsidiaries and brands provide product quality, exceptional customer service, compliance knowledge and a local presence in serving its diverse customer base.Founded in 2010, KushCo Holdings has now sold more than 1 billion units to growers, processors and producers across North America, South America, and Europe.The Company has been featured in media nationwide, including CNBC, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, Los Angeles Times, TheStreet.com , and Entrepreneur, Inc Magazine. While KushCo Holdings provides products and solutions to customers in the cannabis and CBD industries, it has no direct involvement with the cannabis plant or any products that contain THC.For more information, visit www.kushco.com or call (888) 920-5874.KushCo Holdings ContactInvestor Contact:Najim Mostamand, CFADirector of Investor Relations714-539-7653ir@ kushco.com SOURCE: KushCo Holdings, Inc. GREENFIELD, Mass. and WESTFIELD, Mass., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The registered nurses of Baystate Franklin Medical Center and Baystate Noble Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, are calling on Baystate Health to commit to universal N95 masking for frontline nurses and healthcare workers and a halt to any hospital closures during the unprecedented COVID-19 public health crisis. Baystate Franklin and Baystate Noble nurses are calling for: Universal N95 Precautions. In recognition of the highly contagious nature of the virus and the likelihood of asymptomatic exposure, all frontline staff should be provided with N95 masks, eye protection, hospital issued scrubs and gowns. Baystate administration has not agreed to this safety standard. In recognition of the highly contagious nature of the virus and the likelihood of asymptomatic exposure, all frontline staff should be provided with N95 masks, eye protection, hospital issued scrubs and gowns. Baystate administration has not agreed to this safety standard. Moratorium on Closures. In recognition of the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, Baystate Health should implement an immediate moratorium on staff reductions and unit closures. MNA nurses were notified last week that Baystate administration has rejected this proposal. Robin Tibbetts and Dennise Colson are nurses at Baystate Franklin and Baystate Noble who have been quarantined for exposure to COVID-19. Neither nurse was working in a designated COVID-19 hospital area when they were exposed, supporting the nurses' call for universal N95 mask protections. "Every nurse and healthcare worker caring for patients needs the strongest COVID-19 protection," said Tibbets, a float nurse at BFMC. "I was exposed to the virus in a unit where the hospital had not positively identified or suspected that a patient had COVID-19. Now I cannot be at the bedside caring for patients during this pandemic. My experience shows that anyone can be infected without symptoms and we need to properly protect our frontline nurses so we can fight this outbreak." "The day I was exposed to COVID-19, I was floated around the hospital and within the emergency department, from areas that were virus hotspots to places where no patients were known to be infected," said Colson, a surgical nurse at Baystate Noble. "I am now quarantined and unable to care for patients because Baystate does not have a universal N95 mask protection policy. We must act now to protect our caregivers to limit the spread of this virus." In a March 31 letter to Baystate Health CEO Dr. Mark Keroack, the elected RN leaders at Baystate Franklin and Noble wrote, "We are painfully aware of the need to conserve PPE and work to find additional supplies. However, we cannot allow you to compromise the health and safety of our frontline caregivers. Too many of us are currently out of work, sick and/or quarantined due to inadequate PPE provided by Baystate Health. We cannot afford the loss of more frontline healthcare workers as we prepare for a possible 'surge' of patients. That is why we are urging you to immediately adopt universal precautions and other steps to protect our healthcare workforce and infrastructure." The letter continued regarding closures, "Our membership and our communities are currently feeling the effects of Baystate's 2019 layoffs, unit closures/reductions and threatened unit closures at Franklin, Noble and Wing. Our frontline nurses and other coworkers are doing everything to fill in the void, but the fact remains that Baystate's cutbacks have damaged our community hospitals' capacity to provide necessary care." For a copy of the March 31 letter to Dr. Keroack, please email [email protected]. Background on Asymptomatic Spread of COVID-19 Infectious disease experts studying COVID-19 have detailed how infected people can be asymptomatic for periods of time and be able to spread the virus to others, supporting the need for universal N95 precautions for frontline healthcare workers. Massachusetts Nurses Association PPE Recommendations Despite the CDC's weakening of its PPE guidelines during the outbreak, the MNA maintains that healthcare workers should be provided the PPE under previous CDC guidelines and World Health Organization standards. The MNA also calls for everyone frontline healthcare worker to be able to use an N95 mask to limit spread within their facility and flatten the curve in their communities. "We reiterate in the strongest possible way that we should assume all patients are COVID-19 positive," RN and MNA President Donna Kelly-Williams wrote in her March 31, 2020 letter to Gov. Charlie Baker. "The answer is not to save for the coming crises the crisis is here. We must utilize all available PPE to avoid making the crisis worse. Our efforts need to be focused on maintaining the best standard possible with what is available in order to avoid spread among patients and hospital staff." Read MNA letters to the governor, PPE explanation videos, position statements and more information at www.massnurses.org/COVID-19. MassNurses.org Facebook.com/MassNurses Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association Related Links http://www.massnurses.org Warbird Digest has just received the March, 2020 report from Chuck Cravens concerning the restoration of the Dakota Territory Air Museums P-47D Thunderbolt 42-27609 at AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota. We thought our readers would be very interested to see how the project has progressed since our last article on this important project. So without further ado, here it goes! Update Progress on fabricating and fitting wing skins for the P-47 was evident in February and March. Some of the more complex curved wing skins had to be stretch formed. The fuselage also continued to receive attention as Aaron worked on wiring and plumbing of hydraulic and brake systems. He also wired and plumbed the instrument panel. Wing Assembly The wings continue to get most of the attention this month. Making the leading edge skins was a big part of the effort. Randy works at fitting rib sections into the leading edge skin. (photo via AirCorps Aviation) Parts The Thunderbolt is a complex fighter, and parts continue to be fabricated as they are needed in the restoration process. As more hydraulic pressure is applied, the skin conforms to the REN form. (photo via AirCorps Aviation Fuselage More and more fuselage system installations happened this month. While it isnt always obvious visually, these installations comprise some of the most critical tasks in a restoration like this one. This tube carries pressurized air from the turbo supercharger forward to the carburetor. (photo via AirCorps Aviation Pappy Gunn, the 5th Air Forces Great Innovator No historical discussion of the 5th Air Force and its air war in New Guinea would be complete without mentioning Paul I. Gunn. In his early 40s during WWII, Lt. Col. Gunn was known as Pappy because of his advanced age. He had a profound influence on how the war was conducted by using his ingenuity to modify non-ideal equipment which had the virtue of being available. Gunn was responsible for adapting aircraft, particularly B-25s and A-20s, to the combat conditions they met in the New Guinea campaign. Lt. Col. Gunn took bombers and attack aircraft that were designed to bomb from medium to high altitudes, and converted them into low level strafers and skip-bombing planes. First were the A-20s. Pappy installed a field modification that mounted four fifty caliber guns in the nose so both skip bombing and strafing could be done by the same aircraft. The A-20s range was a limitation, so Pappy had extra fuel tanks installed in the bomb bays. While this addressed the issue of range, it also had the disadvantage of reducing the bomb load. Since B-25s had already been used for skip bombing, and had better range and bomb loads than the A-20s, they were the next to be modified with forward-firing guns. Since a bombardier wasnt needed for low level attacks, the space he would have occupied was freed up for gun installations. Several configurations were tried, including a forward firing 75mm cannon. The eventual setup used most frequently consisted of all fifty caliber guns. Four were installed in the nose, four more as side blisters on the forward fuselage and two firing forward from the top turret. Some later field conversions, like the B-25 Bettys Dream, had as many as fourteen .50 cals firing forward with eight nose guns, four in side blisters, and two more in the top turret. From the early part of 1943, the commerce raider B-25s and A-20s damaged and destroyed Japanese shipping vessels, and made too costly the resupply of Japanese airbases and ground forces in New Guinea. By the summer of 1944, when P-47 42-27609 was in combat, the Japanese were falling back toward the northern end of New Guinea; they were effectively driven out by the fall of 1944. In addition to attacks on shipping vessels, skip-bombing was soon employed in conjunction with parafrag bombs on enemy airfields. P-47s and other 5th Air Force fighters flew air cover for these raids. Space precludes a complete discussion of Pappy Gunns amazing accomplishments, so this is just a brief historical mention of Pappy Gunns better known innovations. His remarkable story is well worth further reading. Much more in-depth information on Pappy Gunns life and service can be found in General George Kenneys book The Saga of Pappy Gunn, and in John Brunings book Indestructible: One Mans Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII. And thats all for this month. We wish to thank AirCorps Aviation, Chuck Cravens (words and images) as well as John LaTourelle (images) for making this report possible! We look forwards to bringing more restoration reports on progress with this rare machine in the coming months, although it will likely be some time before we can do so given how the present pandemic has suspended almost all non-essential activities around the globe at the moment. Be safe, and be well! Is the P-47 Thunderbolt your favorite airplane? Make sure to purchase issue #73 of Warbird Digest featuring the beautiful Dottie Mae Its easy to feel like everything is a little bit apocalyptic at the moment maximum alert levels, self-isolation, quarantine camps, border closures, empty supermarket shelves, and government officials giving daily press conferences and announcing the new total of covid-19 cases as some sort of solemn scoreboard. Its natural to be scared by these things. The amount of rapid change that we have endured in the past weeks is unprecedented outside of wartime. But rather than being a sign that the end is nigh, the abrupt changes to our normal way of life are a sign of action in the face of need. Public health officials know that wherever people gather in numbers, highly-infectious diseases like Covid-19 spread like wildfire. To use simple public health math, our current best guess is that Covid-19 has an infection rate of around 2.5 to 1 meaning that every one person infected with the disease will spread it to two or three other people. Thats how exponential, uncontrollable growth happens. Its what has paralysed Italy and shutdown Spain, and its what we are trying to avoid here in New Zealand. Isolation prevents spread, while congregation promotes it. We are living in extraordinary times, and extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions. As our own Minister of Health has said, we are at war with Covid-19, and this war requires us to innovate and adapt. We must learn to accept change and to focus on the parts of that change that are empowering (like kindness and solidarity), rather than the parts that are disruptive and disappointing. The alternative is to blinker ourselves from the reality that nations around the world have been completely crippled by this crisis. We currently have less than 300 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in New Zealand capable of offering the supportive care required by the most serious Covid-19 cases. Slowing the tide of Covid-19 into and around New Zealand is our only hope of ensuring that this capacity is not stretched to breaking point. So yes, were in a national lockdown. Our schools have closed their doors, and no-one can truthfully say when they will re-open. And our beloved club rugby season will at best be postponed or, at worst, cancelled outright. But these are not signs of an impending apocalypse they are signs of good public health action. It is how we will break the chain of infection, and win the war against Covid-19. Our remote island status has bought us time. When the history of this crisis is written, the worst thing it could say the absolute worst is that we didnt use that time wisely to stem the tide. So please, stay at home. If you have to step outside, pretend you have Covid-19 and behave accordingly. By doing this you will keep yourself and your community safe. And rest assured, we will get through this alone and together. The authorities in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, have banned swimming at the popular Lido beach in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. Hotels and restaurants operating there have also been ordered to enforce hygiene measures to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. The Lido beach is normally abuzz with swimmers in the afternoons and on weekends. Somalia, which is slowly recovering from a civil war, has confirmed three cases of Covid-19, but there are fears that if the virus spreads it could quickly overwhelm the country's poor health system. 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 Digital transformation key driver for agriculture (photo Shutterstock) After six months of launching, Doveco Gia Lai Vegetable Fruit Processing Centre under Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC is operating at peak performance to complete orders from 30 countries around the world, including high demand markets such as Europe, Israel, Japan, and the United States. Doveco Gia Lai is a modern agricultural processing factory complex with three automated production lines, including concentrated and natural fruit juice production lines, a frozen fruit and vegetable production line, and a canned fruit and vegetable production line with a capacity of 20,000, 22,000, and 10,000 tonnes per year respectively. Currently, these lines are supporting each other in producing and processing a large volume of products with diversified lines such as concentrated passion fruit juice, concentrated pineapple juice, frozen and canned fruits, and lots of other fruits and vegetables. The Doveco factory is expected to be a centralised commodity production area under large-scale sustainable value chains, applying high technology in an area of 10,000-15,000 hectares in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. With two major material production areas and two processing complexes equipped with modern technologies imported from Sweden, German, Italy, and Japan, Dong Giao is Vietnams leading agricultural product processing enterprise, and the pioneer in applying and renewing technologies for agricultural sector. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Dong Giao is among many businesses in Vietnam with high-tech production and processing facilities, contributing to the countrys efforts to digitalise its agricultural sector. For example, Masan MEATLife is one of the frontrunners in Vietnam regarding comprehensive integration of meat value chain, including animal feed production, high-tech pig farms, and chilled meat using state-of-the-art European technology. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong told VIR about Masans impressive work, In 20 to 30 years, there was no modern meat processing factory in Vietnam, even though the country is famous for its quality of meat. However, within just 11 months, Masan completed a VND1 trillion ($43.47 million) processing complex, producing goods meeting international standards, said Cuong. One piece of technology that has helped Masan gain such success is oxy fresh, which helps prevent bacteria and retain the quality of meat. Another example of a company actively applying technology to agricultural production is Viet Uc Seafood Corporation. As one of the biggest companies in shrimp farming, Viet Uc identifies tech as a key element in modern agricultural production, particularly when the impact of climate change is being increasingly felt in the Mekong Delta, where the companys farms and factories are based. Normally, the ideal temperature and salt level for shrimp farming is from 28-32C and 15-25 grammes per litre, but salinisation has increased the salt rate to above 30g per litre, said Luong Van Thanh, group general director. The high temperature can be dangerous for shrimp. According to Thanh, to avoid the harmful effects of the environment, his group has used greenhouses surrounding farms along with sedimentation and ultrafiltration ponds, ensuring the cleanliness of the water. The ponds beds are also covered with plastic canvas and installed with a complete fan and oxygen system. All our farms are equipped with automatic feeding lines. Whenever the shrimp get hungry, censors will catch the signal and automatically start feeding lines, Thanh said. Moreover, our bio-handling process helps maintain water temperature and quality. These modern technologies help reduce feed waste and water consumption to the lowest level. He added that carefully monitoring every developmental stage of the shrimp helps the group control the farms operation and original traceability easily. These technologies are transferred to support enterprises and households farming shrimp. We also study solutions to improve the quality of shrimp seedling for shrimp farmers around the country, Thanh said. Along with Doveco, Masan, and Viet Uc, many other small- and medium-sized enterprises have been applying technologies in their farms. With vegetable farms covering over 1,000ha in the northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Vinh Phuc, and Hanois Me Linh district, Vietnam Agricultural Products Ltd., Co has also applied modern technology in its farming activities. Our farms use automated systems for watering and fertilising. Accordingly, the censors will kick off the systems to ensure humidity and nutrition for plants, Tran Thi Thu Hang, director of the company, told VIR. According to her, thanks to the system, her farms can save a lot of money this way. Before, without the technology, we needed dozens of workers, but now, just two or three people are enough. Water and fertiliser expenses have also reduced by half, Hang said. Meanwhile, Pham Tien Sinh, director of Hoa Binh Gap Ltd., Co melon-producing company told VIR about how technology has helped his firm. By using Israeli drip watering system and greenhouse we can create safe products without chemicals while saving a lot of expense. Besides this, with a Japanese technology, we can measure the sweetness and nutritional value of our melons, based on a variety of factors. Thanks to this tech, our product is popular with consumers, and we have plans to export in the near future. Stories of companies applying technologies in farming and processing have shown that Vietnams agriculture is strongly moving towards digitalisation. Minister Cuong highly spoke of their proactiveness: Its clear that businesses are the backbone of the countrys agriculture, and using this technology is an indispensable trend as Vietnam is quickly integrating into the world. Tuesdays election ballot asks Wisconsin voters whether they want to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to adopt Marsys Law, a national proposal created by a California billionaire. His stated purpose is to amend state constitutions to increase constitutional rights for victims of crime. Marsys Law defines a victim as any person, or in certain cases a family member or representative, who accuses another person of a criminal act. While Marsys Law has good intentions, it was not drafted with the existing protections for victims under the Wisconsin Constitution in mind. So it is likely to burden our state with unclear, unfunded mandates while presenting grave risks to the constitutional protections for citizens of Wisconsin accused of crimes. The referendum question for Marsys Law states: Additional rights of crime victims. Shall section 9m of article I of the constitution, which gives certain rights to crime victims, be amended to give crime victims additional rights, to require that the rights of crime victims be protected with equal force to the protections afforded the accused while leaving the federal constitutional rights of the accused intact, and to allow crime victims to enforce their rights in court? The first problem is that this question does not explain which additional rights it would provide to victims, leaving voters in the dark. The ballot question requires Wisconsin citizens to vote on a substantial constitutional change without providing them the text of the proposed amendment. Expressing similar concerns, the Montana Supreme Court struck down Marsys Law as unconstitutional, ruling that Marsys Law contains multiple constitutional amendments, each of which require a separate vote so that voters are able to make an informed and specific choice about which constitutional changes they are voting for. Second, while many of the proposed additional rights included in Marsys Law are indisputably beneficial such as treating victims with dignity, respect, courtesy, sensitivity, and fairness the fact is that section 9m, article I of the Wisconsin Constitution already provides victims with many of the same constitutional rights. Because Marsys Law is a national proposal, it was not written with careful consideration about how to improve existing victims rights in the Wisconsin Constitution, but to advance a national agenda. Third, states that have rejected Marsys Law have raised concerns it would create undefined and potentially far-reaching constitutional mandates that are likely to directly undermine the constitutional rights of the accused. Marsys Law would allow victims, who accuse someone of a crime (whether or not that individual is innocent or guilty), to refuse to provide evidence that may be essential to the determination of the accuseds innocence. This mandate undermines fundamental constitutional protections that our Founding Fathers guaranteed to protect our citizens who are presumed to be innocent from being wrongfully convicted by allowing them to discover and present evidence in support of their innocence. For these reasons, lawmakers in states such as Iowa, Idaho, Maine and New Hampshire have recently rejected Marsys Law. Lawmakers in Idaho specifically cited concerns about the vague and potentially far-reaching language guaranteeing a victim reasonable protections from the accused throughout the criminal justice process, which they were concerned would be used to confiscate firearms from the accused before trial, even if substantial evidence suggested he or she is innocent. Finally, states that have passed Marsys Law have raised significant concerns about paying for the costs of Marsys Law. In South Dakota, a sparsely populated state, the four largest counties reportedly spent a half-million dollars in the first year alone responding to the constitutional mandates created by Marsys Law. The far-ranging costs that Wisconsin would incur cannot be accurately calculated because the mandates are not defined. As a result, Wisconsin judges, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and victim rights coordinators would be left to interpret them, creating additional burdens on justice officials and taxpayers. McKeever, of Monona, is executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers: www.wacdl.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:32:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Shiqu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 8:23 p.m. Wednesday Beijing Time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Qin Liuxin, deputy head of the emergency management bureau of Shiqu, said no casualties were reported yet, and officials have been dispatched to evaluate the situations in villages and townships. A citizen living in Shiqu told Xinhua over the phone that mild tremors were felt and the ceiling lamps were gently shaking during the quake. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km. The local government said the epicenter is sparsely populated and has an average elevation of 4,661 meters in the surrounding areas. A total of 4,560 suspected coronavirus cases have been tested in Ghana following the outbreak of the viral infection. The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (MNIMR) has tested 4,225 while the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR) has tested 335 cases. Head of Public Health, Ghana Health Service, (GHS) Dr. Badu Sarkodie, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Accra, said the Korle Bu infectious disease lab will soon be rolled in to join the testing of cases. This, he said, will help reduce the burden on the two main centers and fast truck the release of test results. The number of confirmed coronavirus (Covid-19) cases has hit 195 cases as at 8:00am April 1, 2020. Out of the total confirmed cases, 106 were recorded from the general surveillance system, both in Accra and Kumasi, 79 from those on mandatory quarantine in Accra and 10 from those in mandatory quarantine in Tamale. So far, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Northern and Upper West Regions have recorded cases of covid-19. ---Daily Guide Two men have been arrested in Delhi in connection with an extortion case, police said on Wednesday. Mukesh Kumar (48) and Yogesh Kumar (38) were arrested on Tuesday following raids after thorough analysis of call records, CCTV footage of the hotel where they allegedly assaulted a man on the directions of a UP-based businessman name Himanshu Garg, they said. The complainant reported that on March 20, his friends Himanshu Garg asked him to come to a hotel at Aerocity for a business meeting. When he entered the room, two others tied him to a chair and assaulted him, said Rajeev Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport). They snatched his laptop, mobile phone and transferred an amount of USD 2,50,000 and six Bitcoin from his account. They kept him confined in the hotel room for three days, Ranjan said. "During interrogation, the accused revealed they had visited the hotel in Aerocity on the directions of Himanshu Garg who had lured them for a amount and a job in Dubai for Mukesh Kumar," the DCP said. The main accused Garg, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, hired the two men and told them he had a financial dispute with the victim and wanted to settle it by extortion money from him, he said. Garg was previously involved in two other cases of cheating, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of worshippers that was arrested in Nyandarua County while worshipping in a cave near the Aberdare forest on Sunday has been released. Kirima location chief Daniel Wainaina said the 12 members of the Akorino church appeared oblivious of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent directive by the government to ban church functions. The worshippers included nine adults and three children. The Chief said they educated them on how to protect themselves against contracting the disease before releasing them. They seemed to know nothing about what is going on in the world about the disease and instead of preferring them with charges, we chose to educate them. We taught them how to wash their hands, social distance and how to sneeze, said Mr Wainaina. The 12 were arrested by officers who were acting on a tip-off from members of the public that members of the church had been congregating in the cave to worship. We got a tip-off from members of the public that they had spotted them going towards the cave and that was when we took action. We found them deep in prayers and arrested them the administrator said. Wainana said the cave was well prepared with grass laid on the ground. It looked like this is somewhere they had been meeting. The government will immediately destroy it, he said. Let no other people who violate the law think that we will forgive them. The law will be followed to the dot, the chief warned. An area at the SSE Arena car park in Belfast city centre where it is believed a Covid-19 testing centre is being erected A virology expert has defended Northern Ireland's response to the coronavirus pandemic which could kill up to 3,000 people in its first wave. Dr Connor Bamford, a virologist from Queen's University in Belfast, said social distancing measures appear to be helping to slow the spread of the virus but said anyone showing signs of the disease should isolate for a fortnight instead of the recommended seven days. "I think there has been a lot of talk about the differences between the way Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are responding to the virus and I'm not sure the criticisms are fair, I think it is just inflaming things," he said. "Both the Republic and Northern Ireland are doing pretty good, no-one is doing perfectly, but I do think something they are doing in the Republic, where people with the virus are isolating for 14 days, is something we should be replicating here. "This is because there is evidence that the virus is still present in people's nostrils after 10 days. "However, in Northern Ireland, we are quite fortunate that the lockdown came in relatively early and I think the possibility of 3,000 people dying in the first wave is a good figure to aim for," he added. Read More Dr Bamford was speaking after Health Minister Robin Swann revealed the key findings of an expert modelling study looking at the virus in Northern Ireland, which is being used to inform preparations for the impending surge of coronavirus here. Mr Swann said experts now believe that up to 3,000 people may lose their lives after a drastic lockdown was put in place across Northern Ireland and that the health service has "a realistic prospect of coping in this initial period". I think we are looking at the possibility of a third and fourth wave and it will keep coming back, so social distancing measures will be an important tool until a vaccine is developed and everyone can be vaccinated Dr Connor Bamford However, he stressed that this will only be possible if people continue to follow the advice over staying at home and only leave when absolutely essential. "I would emphasise that it provides no grounds whatsoever for dropping our guard," he explained. "On the contrary, the projections underline that the continuation of rigorous social distancing will save many lives and protect our health service from collapse. "Even then, a reasonable worst case scenario would involve significant loss of life In Northern Ireland. "In addition, the absence of a vaccine means we will have to plan for a potential second wave of Covid-19 cases later in the year." Dr Bamford said officials will only be able to look at lifting restrictions on movement when the number of cases and deaths begin to drop considerably. Expand Close Forthill Cemetery in Cookstown, where additional graves are being dug Photopress Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Forthill Cemetery in Cookstown, where additional graves are being dug "It wouldn't really make sense for them to look at removing the measures until the figures drop below the levels when the lockdown was put in place," he added. "It would have to be done very carefully to make sure that the second wave, when it happens, is kept under control as much as possible. "I think we are looking at the possibility of a third and fourth wave and it will keep coming back, so social distancing measures will be an important tool until a vaccine is developed and everyone can be vaccinated." Mr Swann revealed the findings of the expert study on Wednesday, which sets out a reasonable worst case scenario, based on a number of assumptions, including social distancing measures producing a 66% reduction in contacts outside the home and workplace. In addition, 70% of symptomatic cases would adhere to case isolation. The modelling team's best judgment is that this would lead to a peak number of 180 Covid-19 patients requiring ventilation and critical care beds during the first wave of the epidemic. The peak number of Covid-19 hospital admissions would be 500 per week. Under this reasonable worst case scenario, the projected number of cumulative Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland over 20 weeks of the epidemic would be 3,000. The modelling indicates that the peak of the first wave of the epidemic will begin next Monday and run until April 20. The authors of the report said the work is not a prediction or forecast, rather a model for planning purposes. They continued: "It is assumed that current restrictions remain in place for the foreseeable future. When the current restrictions are relaxed, there will be a second wave. Future modelling will focus on the size and shape of this depending on how and when restrictions are relaxed or re-introduced. "This will remain the case until there is substantial population immunity either as a result of recovery from infection or successful vaccination," they said. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride has said there are already more than 150 ventilators in place and he is confident that additional ventilators will arrive soon. "It would be wrong to communicate a message that we will not be prepared or ready for this," he said. While Ben Affleck and his girlfriend Ana de Armas appear to be getting more serious by the minute, his ex-wife Jennifer Garner wants him to wait before introducing their three children. The 47-year-old Oscar winner, who shares Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and an eight-year-old son Samuel with Garner, is 'understanding' of her hesitation, according to Us Weekly. Despite embarking on a whirlwind romance with his Deep Water co-star turned lover just weeks ago, the Argo star has agreed to 'work with Jennifer to prepare the kids' for meeting the Blade Runner 2049 star. Not so fast: Jennifer Garner is not ready for her three children with Ben Affleck to meet their father's girlfriend of just a few weeks; pictured in March The Peppermint star, who has been quietly dating Cali Group chairman John Miller since May 2018, has an amiable relationship with Affleck, who she famously drove to a rehab center nearly two years ago. Since his third stint in treatment for alcohol addiction and a brief fling with Playboy model Shauna Sexton shortly thereafter, Affleck has worked on his sobriety and relationship with his kids. In February, when asked where he sees himself in the future on Good Morning America, he said, 'Five years from now, Ben Affleck is sober and happy, and sees his kids three and a half days a week, and has made three or four movies that are interesting to him.' Amiable exes: Despite their divorce, Affleck and Garner always put their children first and are often spotted at church together or spending the holidays as a family; pictured in February Ask for what you want: Before going public with his new woman, he said he wanted to be 'in a healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship' on Good Morning America Affleck also added, he hopes to be 'in a healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship.' His answer came after meeting the Bond beauty on set of their upcoming psychological thriller, expected to be released this November. After wrapping filming on Deep Water, the pair took two romantic getaways to Cuba and Costa Rica, before cozing up in quarantine together in Los Angeles. The Peppermint star, who has been quietly dating Cali Group chairman John Miller since May 2018, has an healthy relationship with Affleck, who she famously drove to a rehab center in 2018; seen in February Bond beauty: After starring in the Oscar-nominated movie Knives Out, she appeared in the James Bond movie No Time To Die After sharing some solo shots on their trip in mid March, without tagging Affleck, Ben fully confirmed he was the photographer, as he took to the comments section to jokingly ask for credit. The leading man, who met de Armas on the set of their sexy film, was first spotted taking her photo on a digital camera on their second romantic getaway to a tropical beach after visiting Ana's birthplace. Romance rumors gained traction after the lovebirds were seen enjoying Havana and posing with fans, who then shared the snaps on social media. Instagram official: After sharing some solo shots on their trip in mid March, without tagging Affleck, Ben fully confirmed he was the photographer, as he took to the comments section to jokingly ask for credit Garner and Affleck were married for 13 years, from 2005 to 2018. Two months ago, he called their divorce the 'biggest regret' of his life during a candid interview with the New York Times. He also called his relapses 'embarrassing' and wished his stumbling out of a Halloween party last year 'wasn't on the internet' for his kids to see. What are the nation's harness racing associations doing for their respective horsepeople amid the current COVID-19 pandemic? A number of Canada's provincial harness racing associations took part in a conference call facilitated by Standardbred Canada on Monday (March 23). The purpose of the call was to get a strong picture of what each association is doing to manage the current situation, understand the level of support the industry is getting in each region and across the country, share and identify best practices, and assist in developing an action plan for the short-term and long-term planning of this issue for the industry. Each of Canada's provinces had a representative invited to attend. Taking part in the call were representatives from Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Alberta: Fred Gillis, Executive Director, Alberta Standardbred Horse Association. Gillis noted that the ASHA office is closed for the next two weeks and all employees are working remotely from home. A task force has been created in Alberta; Horse Racing Alberta acts as the lead, with HRA, racetrack operators and all horse breeds participating in calls twice per week. "They have reached out to the Alberta government through the provincial treasury," said Gillis. "They're addressing some of the short- and long-term issues." One key difference Gillis pointed to during the call was the funding model for racing in Alberta, where racing gets a percentage of the slot revenue. "When we do get back, there will probably be a lag time from when slots open until we actually get the funds because you don't get them until the 10th of the following month. So depending on when they start, it could be anywhere from a three- to six-week lag." Gillis also noted the Thoroughbreds are stationed at Century Mile outside Edmonton, and the Standardbreds are being housed at Century Downs in Balzac. According to Gillis, Century is a very good business partner and is offering to keep the track suitable for training, and supply bedding for the horses but some of the stables will run out of money now that racing has stopped. Having said that, he noted that morale is holding, physical distancing is being exercised, and hand sanitizer is available. Since the call, ASHA President Bill Andrew issued a letter to the province's harness racing industry. British Columbia - Diane Pennington, Harness Racing B.C. Pennington reported that HRBC has been in dialog with all levels of organizations in the province including the BC Horse Racing Industry Management Committee, Horse Council BC and BC Thoroughbred Association, and Equestrian Canada. They worked with Horse Council BC to prepare a COVID-19 survey that went to all members in the agriculture sector. A board meeting was scheduled for last Thursday (March 26) to review and discuss stakes that were scheduled and postponed. Some stakes payments that were due in B.C. on May 1 have been pushed back to a June due date. There are still concerns regarding stabling, track availability and the question on everyone's mind, "when racing will resume." New Brunswick: Brock McEachern, Horse Racing New Brunswick The simulcast locations in the province closed on March 19, according to McEachern. There are still around 50 horses at the track in Saint John still training, with all participants abiding by the state of emergency and physical distancing requirements. Employees of HRNB have all filed for employment insurance, with some of the horsemen stabled at Exhibition Park maintaining the track on a volunteer basis. "We're just kind of waiting to see where this all goes in the next couple of weeks," said McEachern. When asked if he had heard anything regarding trainers not being able to qualify for employment insurance, McEachern noted that those training horses werent applying as they are mostly hobby horseman. However, maintenance people, ticket sellers and bar staff were applying and enduring long waiting telephone calls. Nova Scotia: Robyn Crowe, Nova Scotia Harness Racing Industry Association Crowe noted that the province is also under a state of emergency but with no live racing scheduled until the end of April nothing had been impacted to date. Contact has been made with both the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Finance to touch base on the financial impact that not having simulcasting will have and the losses those locations are incurring. "It's been a challenge for the three tracks, all of them are impacted," said Crowe. "We're trying our best to work with the province; we're going to put together a package for them to look at and see if they can provide any assistance on that end." Noting that two of the tracks will likely eligible for loan deferral programs announced by the province, the question still remains as to when things will get back to normal. Crowe also raised concerns of horse population as well as the opportunity to race during decent conditions as that window is smaller in the Maritimes. Ontario: Bill O'Donnell - President, Central Ontario Standardbred Association As part of the task force established by Ontario Racing, O'Donnell noted that a proposal was put together to get some funding to help the horsemen as the money is budgeted. As reported last week, financial support in the form of the COVID-19 aid package is being offered to those involved with Standardbred racehorses who were in-to-race at operational racetracks from March 19 to March 24. O'Donnell also said that there was a meeting scheduled for late last week with respect to the Ontario Sires Stakes and the HIP program. On Tuesday, the OSS announced that the payment deadline for yearlings was pushed from May 15 to June 15, 2020. Ontario: Katherine Curry - Executive Director, Ontario Racing "We've been talking with the OLG, we're trying to get a proposal for short-term, medium-term and long-term relief," said Curry in reference to the task force. She also made reference to the information OR has been communicating to the industry with respect to the government programs that might be available to participants come April 1. "There are a lot of balls in the air; I realize that's the case for everybody. We're all in the same boat." Ontario: Jim Whelan - President, Ontario Harness Horse Association Whelan noted that OHHA has an agreement with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), and that OHHA has the same questions of government in terms of funding. "We're in a unique situation as there's already money allotted for this period of time in horse racing," said Whelan, "and if we're not going to be racing for the next couple of months and that money was budgeted for already and it's available, get it to the horsepeople immediately." Ontario: Brian Tropea - General Manager, Ontario Harness Horse Association Tropea stated that the majority of concerns he's hearing involve the stakes payments that are imminently due. "People are struggling to pay their mortgages, and they're being asked to come up with stakes payments for racs that may not actually take place...or if they do take place, later on in the year," said Tropea. "So that's something I think, as an industry, we need to be considering. Since the call, a number of Canadian stakes administrators and jurisdictions announced plans to reschedule stakes payments. Tropea reinforced the need for funding, noting an equitable sharing of funds however that formula might be determined. He also pointed to the announcement of a $5 billion credit program for agriculture and farmers, wondered if the industry would be included in that sector and how that could help. Prince Edward Island: Kent Oakes, Prince Edward Island Harness Racing Industry Association Prince Edward Island placed restrictions to travel early on with respect to access to the Island by plane or boat. Red Shores was closed in mid-March, with restricted access to the barn area. Live harness racing was slated to start at Charlottetown on May 2, and while no official word has been delivered Oakes expected that opening date to be pushed back. "There's so much unknown, it certainly won't be May 2;" noted Oakes. "Anyone who tells you when life's going to return to normal in PEI or Canada, I haven't found that person yet." The right person to talk to regarding dealing with the province of PEI, Oakes stated that there's good communication with the industry and government at all times. In terms of impact on the breeding sector, Oakes said that in his discussions with farms in the province it's all systems go and business as usual. Oakes also noted that the province has announced a number of support programs that are being enhanced "almost on a daily basis" in the form of a business interruption fund, a working capital finance program and an emergency relief program that's targeted toward those that are self-employed. "We are actively following just how the impact will be here." Quebec: Marc Camirand - President, Quebec Trotting and Pacing Association (ATAQ) Camirand reported that he is meeting with the Quebec Jockey Club on a weekly basis, and that meetings continue. The province of Quebec wasn't supposed to start racing until the first of May so the situation there is slightly different than in other provinces but one fact remains: a lack of racing means a lack of revenues. With betting parlours closed and less racing available via simulcast, there will be less revenue. Like others, Camirand wondered what kind of funding the Canadian government would set aside for the Standardbred industry. Saskatchewan: Carole Dunbar Saskatchewan Standardbred Breeders & Owners Dunbar noted that while not hosting any live racing at the present time, Saskatchewan has owners that have horses in Alberta and BC right now and everyone there -- just like everyone else -- is in a holding pattern to see what's going to happen. As a full-fledged coronavirus outbreak at the Harris County jail becomes increasingly likely, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she would be putting in an order for the release of some inmates. Officials have been struggling for more than a week to come up with a joint plan to release as many people from the country's third largest lockup as possible, focusing on inmates accused of nonviolent offenses. "We are not releasing anybody with a violent history," Hidalgo said at an afternoon press conference announcing the planned order, which has not yet been signed. She said she was taking the action to stay ahead of a public health catastrophe. She stressed that only people with no violent history would be included, and that there would be electronic monitoring and other measures taken to keep track of those released. "The problem is we're still at a population of almost 8,000," she said. "Imagine them needing beds and ventilators." The key players--Hidalgo, state District Judge Herb Ritchie and Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal -- have been hamstrung by restrictions issued Sunday by Gov. Greg Abbott, who prohibited the release of anyone accused or convicted of a violent crime. A representative from Abbott's Attorney General's office indicated at a federal court hearing on Sunday that his office would appeal any blanket releases of inmates, including an order calling for the release of just inmates accused of nonviolent offenses. And Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told some of the parties that she doesn't want anyone facing a temporary restraining order released, even if the person is facing nonviolent charges. For weeks, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has been calling for compassionate releases of a limited set of people -- elderly and medically compromised people accused of nonviolent offenses. Hidalgo has said she would extend the list to include both compassionate releases and some people accused of non-violent offenses. It's not clear how many people the planned order would cover. Hidalgo said it could be 1,000 inmates, but previous estimates of people who would be eligible under terms she was suggesting were lower. Hidalgo was going to discuss a joint plan with Judge Ritchie on Tuesday, but Ritchie would need to run it by his 22 judges on the felony bench to delineate who would fit the criteria. At the press conference Hidalgo said, "We know the Harris County jail is a ticking time bomb." She said public health officials said it was impossible to enforce social distancing and proper quarantines for staff and inmates. "Every person, everyone of those workers has a family they are putting at risk," she said. At 4 p.m. Rosenthal, who presides over the civil rights cases challenging the county's bail practices, has a hearing at which she is expected to address yet another approach -- an order by the federal court allowing releases of people charged with certain nonviolent crimes. The state attorney general is now a party to that case. The judge said in introductory remarks that all parties had the same goal: "We do not want the jails to be sources of infection. No one including the governor does." The attorney representing Hidalgo said that the intent was not to violate the governor's order in the county order, which is to be signed later Tuesday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Steve Holland and Jeff Mason (Reuters) Washington, United States Wed, April 1, 2020 10:51 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ecd0c0 2 World Donald-Trump,US,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,infection,death-toll,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus Free President Donald Trump warned Americans on Tuesday of a "painful" two weeks ahead in fighting the coronavirus, with a mounting US death toll that could stretch into the hundreds of thousands even with strict social distancing measures. In perhaps his most somber news conference to date about the pandemic, Trump, who has faced criticism for playing down the threat of the outbreak in its initial phases, urged the population to heed guidance to limit groups to no more than 10 people, work from home and not dine in restaurants or bars. "It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days. It's a matter of life and death," Trump said. White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx displayed charts demonstrating data and modeling that showed an enormous jump in deaths to a range of 100,000 to 240,000 people from the virus in the coming months. That figure was predicated on Americans following mitigation efforts. One of Birx's charts showed as many as 2.2 million people were projected to die without such measures, a statistic that prompted Trump to ditch a plan he articulated last week to get the US economy moving again by Easter on April 12. The president said the next two weeks would be "very, very painful." The modeling showed the number of deaths across the nation would escalate and peak roughly around mid-April. "We want Americans to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said, predicting light at the end of the tunnel after that. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said previously that the pandemic could kill between 100,000 and 200,000 people in the United States, said all efforts were being made to make those numbers lower. "We're doing everything we can," he said. The federal guidelines, which now are in place through the end of April, include admonitions to avoid discretionary travel, not visit nursing homes, and practice good hygiene. "There's no magic bullet. There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors: Each of our behaviors translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic over the next 30 days," Birx said. Vice President Mike Pence said the mitigation efforts were having an impact. "We have reason to believe that it's working," Pence said of the guidelines. "Do not be discouraged." Trump said he planned to remain at the White House for the most part over the next 30 days. He added the White House was looking at a possible travel ban for Brazil. After the White House earlier discouraged Americans from wearing masks if they were not sick, the president encouraged the practice on Tuesday, but said people should use scarves so as not to divert supplies from healthcare professionals. The war in Syria killed 103 civilians in March, marking the lowest monthly non-combatant death toll since the start of the conflict in 2011, a war monitor said on Wednesday. Of the total deaths, some 51 people were killed in shelling and air strikes by the Syrian regime, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The bulk of the remaining casualties were caused either by explosive remnants or mysterious "assassinations", the Observatory added. The civilian death toll was more than double that of March in February, when a regime offensive on Syria's last major rebel bastion was still in full swing. According to the Observatory, the number of deaths that month stood at 275. The war in Syria has left more than 380,000 people dead since it started nine years ago. The highest civilian death toll recorded in a month since the start of the conflict was 1,590 in July 2016, when battles between rebels and the regime raged in the northern province of Aleppo. Damascus in early March paused a military offensive on rebels and jihadists in Syria's northwest, after a ceasefire brokered by regime ally Russia came into effect. The Moscow-backed campaign had displaced nearly a million people in the region since December, piling pressure on informal settlements already brimming with families forced to flee previous bouts of violence. The fate of the displaced has been a key concern of aid groups amid an outbreak in the country of the novel coronavirus, which has killed two and infected eight others. The United Nations has appealed for a nation-wide ceasefire to tackle the novel coronavirus threat, while aid groups have warned of a health catastrophe if the pandemic hits overcrowded displacement camps or crammed regime prisons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Labor MP with a history of sympathising with China's Communist regime has praised the nation's 'containment' of COVID-19 and the 'unswerving leadership' of authoritarian President Xi Jinping. Shaoquett Moselmane, a member of the New South Wales upper house, has also claimed China's response to the coronavirus outbreak was 'emphatic' and 'decisive' in a long statement on his personal website under the headline 'A Nation in Crisis Needs Leadership. One Nation's NSW leader Mark Latham, who was previously Labor's federal leader, has slammed the comments as 'disgusting and indefensible'. Moselmane, who made a speech to the NSW Parliament in 2018 calling on China to impose itself on the word, claimed also China had shown 'tough, unswerving leadership' in working to contain the virus. Shaoquett Moselmane (pictured) has claimed China's response to the coronavirus outbreak was 'emphatic' and 'decisive' Mr Moselmane commended China's President Xi Jinping for how he handled the outbreak, despite the nation coming under fire globally for being secretive in the early stages of the disease The combined phenomenal effort of the state and the people in the fight to contain the virus was breath taking.' Shaoquett Moselmane The Labor MP has made nine privately-funded trips to China since entering parliament in 2009, with his transport and hospitality costs usually paid for by government officials or agencies connected to the Communist regime. His political staffer, John Zhang, even completed a propaganda training course run by Beijing. On his website, under the Labor Party banner, Mr Moselmane claims President Xi has 'stepped up and provided leadership'. 'He mustered the resources of the nation and together with the great people of China fought it and contained it,' Mr Moselmane gushes of China's handling of the pandemic, which is believed to have originated from a seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei. 'Failure to contain the epidemic could mean thousands if not hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost. The combined phenomenal effort of the state and the people in the fight to contain the virus was breath taking.' Moselmane then claims the 'disastrous' impact the pandemic playing in Europe was because those nations were 'slow to learn from the Chinese or the Japanese or the South Korean experiences'. Shaoquett Moselmane (above) has made nine trips to mainland China since being elected to NSW Parliament However, he fails to address the widespread criticism of China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, including silencing and punishing the doctors who first spoke out about the new 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 Beijing also denied it could be spread person-to-person and delayed locking down affected regions, meaning early opportunities to control the spread were lost. The Communist Party began censoring public information about it and spread disinformation overseas - including suggesting that US troops could have been the initial carriers. There have been 81,518 cases of COVID-19 in China, with at least 3,305 deaths - although it's been widely claimed both inside China and by other nations that they are vastly under-reporting the number of cases. Mr Moselmane also warned Australia would soon become the next epicentre if its leader did not take 'tough and proper' measures. He slammed Australia's response to the crisis, in particular 'the slow, and at times baffling and confused messaging by the Morrison federal government'. Wuhan residents, that were once locked inside homes during the peak of the crisis, are seen standing in queue to enter a Walmart store on March 31, 2020, as the lockdown has become partly lifted He also pointed at instances of Australians breaching mass gatherings in NSW as an indicator of 'the government's inability to enforce its to enforce its weak and meaningless proscriptions of social distancing.' Mr Latham slammed Moselmane's stance. 'In person, Shaoquett Moselmane is not a bad fellow but with regard to China, he's living in a complete and utter fantasy world,' he told Sydney radio 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones on Wednesday. 'The evidence would show that China, with respect to this coronavirus, has acted like a rogue state. 'He's acting and talking about China in a way that defies reality in fact, it's disgusting to realise that in this global health emergency there's a politician in Australia who's defending the indefensible.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Moselmane's office for comment. Jeff Konadu Addo 01.04.2020 LISTEN The Eastern Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jeff Konadu Addo has descended heavily on the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. He says he tells a lot of lies. He has therefore advised Ghanaians not to give him a listening ear whenever he speaks. Mr. Asiedu Nketia without any evidence said on live radio programme In Accra yesterday that the President and his entourage that travelled to Norway about a month ago have since contracted the Covid-19 disease and said they should be tested. We [NDC] will not stop politicizing the issues until Nana Addo and his appointees are tested and make public their result just as other leaders in the world are doing. They are all exposed to the virusthe government cannot say our first case was recorded on March 12th. It is a palpable falsehood if government claims sobecause evidence abounds that it was way back before that (in February)., he said. Mr Konadu Addo who was on the same platform with Asiedu Nketia fought back and lambasted the NDC man for peddling falsehood about the President and his government. Asiedu Nketiah doesn't have anything to say that's why he is still holding up to this 'dead' issue. It's been over a month since the president returned from Norway and he hasn't shown any sign of contracting the disease, making what Asiedu Nketiah is saying baseless, he said. Jeff Konadu went on and asserted that what Asiedu Nketiah needs to do is to pray so this deadly pandemic can be eradicated from the country as it has halted many activities and not to be throwing dust in people's eye. If you can't praise the government for its enormous effort towards the growth of the country, you don't have to cause fear and panic for it isn't healthy. Also, Ghanaians shouldn't pay attention to Asiedu Nketiah for he is a pathological liar. The NPP secretary said he was part of the President's entourage that toured Norway because he lived there and his family is settled there. The time we went to Norway, they hadn't recorded a single coronavirus case. It was a weeks after our visit that the disease started spreading in that country. We arrived in Ghana on February 27, 2020. It was on March 3 2020, that Norway started recording their first coronavirus case after a Norwegian doctor returned from Italy after a holiday trip. Mr. Konadu Addo asked Ghanaians to disregard NDC propaganda and support the government to eliminate the coronavirus. He also urged them to follow the directive given by the president and the health authorities to stay at home to prevent the spread of the disease. ---Daily Guide An adorable penguin was caught on camera checking in on its neighbours at an empty aquarium during the coronavirus lockdown. The footage was recorded at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, which currently remains closed due to the outbreak. The inquisitive rockhopper penguin called Wellington, who is one of the oldest at the attraction, was allowed to roam around the other exhibits before stopping to greet a pod of beluga whales. In the footage, Wellington can be seen waddling in front of the pane of glass as his feet gently tap along the floor. One of the beluga whales swims straight past him before turning back around to get a closer look. The pair pause briefly and glance inquisitively at each other. The inquisitive rockhopper penguin called Wellington, who is one of the oldest at the attraction, was allowed to roam around the other exhibits at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois Wellington waddled in front of the pane of glass as one of the beluga whales turned toward him to get a closer look The beluga presses its head up against the window as Wellington lets out a small squawk before the other two whales in the exhibit pop into view to greet the visitor. One of the zookeepers behind the camera, who was supervising Wellington at all times, says 'who's that?' as she encourages the interaction. The penguin continues to jolt his head from side-to-side while he inspects his new friends. He shuffles back and forth once again and is closely followed by one of the curious belugas. He made friends with a pod of beluga whales called Kayavak, Mauyak and baby Annik but it is unlikely that beluga whales, from the northern hemisphere, and rockhopper penguins, found in the south pole, would ever meet in the wild The penguin continues to jolt his head from side-to-side while he inspects his new friends. He shuffles back and forth once again and is closely followed by one of the curious belugas Shedd Aquarium originally posted the video on Twitter alongside the caption: 'Wellington, meet the belugas! 'This weekend, Wellington visited Kayavak, Mauyak and baby Annik, who were very curious about this little rockhopper. 'Belugas are northern hemisphere animals, so they would likely never see a penguin [who live at the south pole]!' And Wellington is not the first penguin to be allowed to roam around with the attraction previously telling the Chicago Tribune: 'Without guests in the building, caretakers are getting creative in how they provide enrichment to animals. 'Introducing new experiences, activities, foods and more to keep them active, encourage them to explore, problem-solve and express natural behaviours.' Mindy Kaling is facing criticism from authors of online recipes after complaining about the background stories some chefs include before the cooking directions. On Sunday, Kaling, who seems to be cooking at home while quarantining like many others amid the coronavirus pandemic, tweeted: Why do all online recipes have endless pages of the chefs whole life story about the recipe and then on the 12th page is the actual recipe? I just want the recipe! the comedian continued. I dont need the Modern Love essay on how you came up with it! In a second tweet, Kaling mimicked some of the stories that are common to online recipes, writing: Back when Tim and I were living in Denver, we always wanted a heart healthy way to start our day before a brisk Colorado morning! This was before I was diagnosed with GERD, and just after we adopted Pepper our black lab. JUST GIVE ME THE FRITTATA RECIPE GODDAMNIT. The tweets prompted backlash on social media, where many chefs, recipe creators and food bloggers took offence to Kalings opinion. You are free to hit the jump to recipe button on my site and youll be taken directly to the recipe. I dont tell stories. All of the text you are skipping over is additional information for the recipe, one chef tweeted in response. Ill be sure to skip the credits and commercials for your shows from now on. Another food blogger said: Its very sad to see this. So much work goes into testing my recipes. I spend literally hundreds of dollars on groceries every week to test my recipes over and over and share them for free online. I write to make connections and be helpful and include a jump to recipe button. Others pointed out that many food bloggers and home chefs are producing content, including recipes, for free, and that they need to include blog-like posts for search engine optimisation (SEO) and brand-building purposes, while some suggested Kaling should be more understanding considering she is a writer herself. Aw, people are usually producing this content for free (or sometimes as a way to make a little extra money). The family stories are an important part of the equation for their brand-building, SEO, and otherwise. We gotta be patient and just scroll. Its the least we can do! one person said. Someone else tweeted: "Oh my god, youre a WRITER and youre begrudging people telling you a story??? So from now on I can just watch the last five minutes of your projects because the journey doesnt matter. Check it girl, this is a spectacularly bad take. Many of Kalings followers also suggested she could purchase a cookbook if she didnt want to read or scroll past the stories that many online recipes include. Then buy a cookbook or come up with your own recipes, one person tweeted at the comedian. In addition to helping the authors of online recipes build their brands, the stories that preface the cooking instructions can also help lure readers in, according to recipe writers. If the blogger can really describe the recipe in vivid detail, as to how it smelled coming out of the oven, or how the guests loved the recipe at the party, then I know the recipe was actually prepared, consumed, and loved enough to write about, Anne Byrn, author of Anne Byrn Saves the Day! Cookbook: 125 Guaranteed-to-Please, Go-To Recipes to Rescue Any Occasion, previously told The Kitchn. As of now, Kaling has not addressed the criticism. The quiet Arthaus condo construction site at the corner of Broad and Spruce. The site is closed per Gov. Tom Wolf's order last Friday to try to stop the spread of coronavirus. Read more The constant cacophony that has trumpeted Philadelphias remarkable construction boom has quieted. Towering cranes are still, jackhammers are silent, and construction vehicles have stopped their beeping back-up warnings. And thousands of people in construction-related jobs are out of work. As part of sweeping business closures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered construction sites across Pennsylvania to shut down by last Friday evening. Pennsylvania is one of only a handful of states to stop all active construction, except sites granted waivers for medical-related work, emergency repairs, and limited residential work. States such as New Jersey and Delaware that have similar stay-at-home orders have carved out construction as essential and allowed it to continue with safety precautions. Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) plans to introduce a bill Friday to require the state to grant a waiver to allow all public and private construction work that can be done following social distancing and other guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Turzai said that infrastructure jobs are vital and that stopping these open-air projects makes no sense. Halting home building sites and commercial construction sites has resulted in homes and other structures sitting half-finished and, as a result, poses risks to public health and safety that must be immediately addressed, Turzai wrote. Leaving partially built homes and other construction sites exposed to the elements will compromise the integrity of building materials and add additional financial loss. Partially completed job sites could invite illegal activities or squatters, damaging stormwater runoff, or mold, which could mean a half-finished house might have to be torn down, builders said. Philadelphia has up to 20,000 construction jobs, and for every one of those, at least two indirect support jobs involving suppliers, engineers, architects, surveyors and others, said Leo Addimando, president of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, an organization of mainly residential developers. Tens of thousands of jobs are in danger of furlough or elimination during the pandemic. READ MORE: Laid off workers battle outages, jammed phone lines as Pa. unemployment system buckles from coronavirus surge Owners of construction businesses are faced with a very personal and difficult set of decisions, including how long a company can carry which part of the workforce and whether to cut salaries, said Addimando, founder and managing partner of Alterra Property Group, a real estate investment, development, and management company based in Philadelphia. Some companies have taken a swift approach and laid everyone off, he said. "Theres been a tremendous amount of job loss already, he said. Building industry groups have been encouraging members to apply for waivers. The state Department of Community and Economic Development is accepting requests on a case-by-case basis and is encouraging any company that is unsure whether its work is considered life-sustaining to apply, a spokesperson said. Addimando said he thinks halting construction but granting waivers is a smart move for Wolf. It sends a strong message he believes very strongly in the health and welfare of the people of Pennsylvania, but that has to be balanced with the need for housing," Addimando said. My understanding is that the state is looking favorably on housing as something that is essential to life in every respect. The state had granted more than 4,900 waivers to businesses in various industries as of Monday evening and denied more than 7,700. It plans to continue to review and refine the waiver process, a spokesperson said. But confusion among construction companies abounds as to who qualifies, why, and for what work. If people are refused a waiver, many applicants are mystified, said Dan Durden, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Builders Association. The association is not arguing that all construction should continue, he said, but wants members "to carry out the work theyre allowed to do for as long as theyre allowed to do it. A department spokesperson said that while general construction is suspended, residential construction projects that are substantially completed, meaning they have final occupancy permits, can continue. Emergency repairs also are allowed, but builders would like clarity on what constitutes an emergency, Durden said. An association member wondered: If a house has cracked windows but theyre not yet leaking water into the house, does that mean theres no emergency? Even if a builder gets a waiver, it doesnt mean work can continue if a site needs permits or inspections that the pandemic has made difficult to get or if ancillary businesses are closed. Some businesses that got waivers have decided to halt work due to restrictions or safety concerns. In some cases, homeowners have asked contractors to stay away. Wolf gave companies a few days last week to secure work sites, but "more time would have been a huge amount of help, Durden said. James Gallagher, a construction industry consultant based in Marlton, predicted that there are going to be issues later on about whether there were ill effects to their projects that might have caused cost overruns. READ MORE: How to help your small business survive coronavirus Remodeling companies can do emergency repairs and projects that pose an imminent hazard, such as fixing a roof or stabilizing unfinished structures from weather, said Will Giesey, president of the Chester and Delaware County chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Some homeowners living in Airbnbs or other temporary housing during remodeling will have to extend their stay for months. "They are obviously the hardest hit, he said. Giesey, founder and general manager of Philadelphia-based Bellweather Construction, said his company develops projects for months before starting, so his designers can continue working with clients. But a third of the clients have put projects on hold. Giesey said he has furloughed some workers and hopes to hire them back after the pandemic ends. He has not applied for a waiver. Its a balance of managing the risk of infection vs. the benefits to all the suppliers, trade partners, homeowners, all the stakeholders that are affected by this, he said. "Everybody would like to stay in business, but it may not be appropriate to do so. READ MORE: Emergency coronavirus loan not approved yet? SBA will now advance $10,000 to small businesses Companies with just a few employees will be hardest hit, and owners who can borrow money will have to figure out how much debt they can take on to keep their businesses stable for an unknown period of time, Giesey said. For small businesses, its very difficult to determine how to survive," he said. He said "it seems a little unfair for the state to grant waivers to specific firms "just because theyre a little better at negotiating. Its so individual," he said. "And if you spin it in a way that makes it appear your case is urgent, then youre a great negotiator, youre probably a good salesperson, but I dont know that should be the reason you can continue working and others shouldnt. English French Montrouge, April 1st, 2020 Proposal to allocate Credit Agricole S.A.s 2019 results to reserves account In 2019, Credit Agricole S.A.s underlying net income reached a historical level, at 4,582 million. Underlying profitability amounted to 11.9%. In this context, the Board of Directors had set, on 13th February 2020, the dividend proposed at the General Meeting for the year 2019 at 0.70 euro, up +1.4% compared to 2018. Due to Credit Agricole Groups structure, 55.9% of the dividends distributed by Credit Agricole S.A. are paid to the Regional Banks, which retain a significant part of their earnings, in order to support the economies of their territories. The Group's overall payout ratio thus amounts to 17%. As a result of a very moderate overall payout ratio at Credit Agricole Group level, it has a high level of solvency (CET1 ratio at 31 December 2019 of 15.9% for Credit Agricole Group and at 12.1% for Credit Agricole S.A., well above the 2019 CET1 regulatory requirements of 623 and 345 basis points respectively). The intention to pay out dividends on 2019 results is no longer compatible with the recommendations of the European Central Bank expressed on 27th march, which asks banks under its supervision not to pay dividends as long as the coronavirus crisis persists and "at least until the beginning of October 2020". This deadline is however not compatible with commercial code, which prescribes an annual dividend payment no later than September 30. Under these conditions, Credit Agricole S.A.s Board of Directors, consulted in writing on 1 April 2020 pursuant to the legal provisions on the functioning of the decision-making bodies during the Covid-19 epidemic, has decided to propose to the General Assembly of 13 May 2020 the allocation of the entire profit of 20191 to the reserves account. This measure will improve the CET1 ratios by around 20 basis points for Credit Agricole Group and around 60 basis points for Credit Agricole S.A. During the second half of 2020, the Board will propose guidelines for distribution to shareholders. These could consist in the payment of an advance on dividends pertaining to 2020 results, or in an exceptional distribution from reserves, which would require the holding of an Exceptional General Shareholders' Meeting. These decisions have no impact on the payment of AT1 coupons. Credit Agricole Group moreover recalls that it is fully committed to support and accompany its customers in the context of the economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic, all the while protecting its employees. As early as March 6th, Credit Agricole announced the implementation of supporting measures for its customers, in particular to help them find solutions adapted to their short term cash requirements. Credit Agricole continues to work every day in the interests of its customers and society, by relying on its universal banking model, which draws its strength from the diversity of its business lines and its prudent risk management. credit agricole S.A. press contacts Charlotte de Chavagnac + 33 (0)1 57 72 11 17 charlotte.dechavagnac@credit-agricole-sa.fr Olivier Tassain + 33 (0)1 43 23 25 41 olivier.tassain@credit-agricole-sa.fr See all our press releases at: www.credit-agricole.com - www.creditagricole.info 1 This rule apply also to the other Credit Agricole S.A.s European listed entities. Attachment medical coronavirus virus flu sick cold hygiene hand sanitizer clorox hands wash cleaning bacteria delivery mask grocery store food groceries cox 88 Crystal Cox/Business Insider Scientific studies about the effectiveness of masks remain inconclusive. Some have found that they might help a bit in preventing illnesses from spreading, but others suggest they're not worth putting on. Because the novel coronavirus appears to be easily spread by asymptomatic people, it's possible that masks might help prevent people who don't yet know they're infected from spreading it to others. Some epidemiologists recommend wearing a mask or other face covering if you need to be in crowded spaces, like when you're going to the supermarket or using public transportation. "It's like a civic duty," said Elaine Shuo Feng, an Oxford epidemiologist and statistician, adding, "People wear the mask to protect themselves and also protect others." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. When reports emerged that a strange new illness was spreading in Wuhan, China, Elaine Shuo Feng, an epidemiologist and statistician, was in her hometown of Tianjin, more than 730 miles from the disease's epicenter. There, everyone sprang into action, she said, hearing the news about a novel coronavirus emerging, one that had never before infected humans. "Everyone was wearing the face masks at that time," Feng told Business Insider. But when Feng, a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford, returned to the UK, where the illness was just starting to take hold, the same wasn't true. "When the outbreak started here, I found no one or rarely someone wearing a face mask," she said. "Sometimes when Asian people wear a face mask [here] they have some problems, like being criticized or stigmatized." Global confusion and disagreement about when, where, how, and who should wear face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a heated question in recent weeks as the outbreak has multiplied at staggering rates across the US and Europe while transmission has slowed across Asia. Story continues People are now turning their bras into homemade masks, just as costume makers are repurposing their sewing machines into mask-manufacturing devices. The US Food and Drug Administration has described the supply chain for paper surgical masks as "stressed." The truth is that while masks are by no means a perfect tool for preventing the spread of an illness, in a world without a vaccine or any clinically proven treatment for COVID-19, they may be one more ounce of prevention that can help slow the spread across a community, especially when people who don't yet know they're infected wear them to protect others. Authoritative advice on face masks has been confusing and contradictory The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "does not currently recommend the use of face masks for the general public," the agency said, again and again, on nearly daily briefing calls with reporters in late January and early February, as the coronavirus spread rapidly through China. The US surgeon general, Jerome Adams, took a more aggressive approach. "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!" Adams tweeted on February 29. "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" Ben Cowling, a professor of epidemiology and a mask researcher at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, described it as "a confusing message." "Because at the same time, the suggestion is that they're really important for healthcare workers," he said. Cowling has done enough research on masks to know that they're not a perfect public-health tool, especially because people often don't wear them correctly. That's why he didn't describe masks as vitally important when he helped develop a list of World Health Organization recommendations for what countries should do to prevent the spread of the next influenza pandemic. "The argument ... about everybody wearing a mask is not that it will prevent everyone from getting infected it's that it will slow down transmission in the community a bit," Cowling told Business Insider. "That's already useful. Just to have even a small effect is useful." People work on producing respirator masks at Delta Plus plant in Brazil on March 3. REUTERS/Rahel Patrasso Recently, others have been more militant about suggesting that everyone use masks. The data scientist Jeremy Howard has called for "#masks4all" and said that "not a single paper" in 34 studies of masks he reviewed showed "clear evidence" that masks were not effective at reducing virus transmission in public. The truth is that gold-standard scientific studies about face masks randomized controlled trials are in short supply. Those that do exist suggest that masks may not be very effective at preventing viruses like influenza from spreading, which could be partly because the people in those trials often aren't great about wearing their masks the right way. "Randomized trials don't support a big effect of face masks, but there is the mechanistic plausibility for face masks to work, right? So why not consider it?" Cowling said. "If you don't wear the mask properly, and if there's a lot of chances for you to get infected, then the mask may not do a lot of good." WHO, meanwhile, has said that no one needs a mask unless they are either caring for someone sick or are themselves sick. "Where should these masks be, and where are the best benefits?" Mike Ryan, WHO's executive director of health emergencies, asked a reporter during a press briefing on Monday. "Because one can argue that there's a benefit of anything, but where does a given tool have its most benefit? And right now, the people most at risk from this virus are frontline health workers who are exposed to the virus every second of every day." He added that "the thought of them not having masks" was "horrific." Masks might help the most when people who don't yet know they are sick put them on A woman in a makeshift mask in Cape Town, South Africa. Mike Hutchings/Reuters But public-health researchers like Cowley and Feng think that another place where masks might be key with COVID-19 is if infected people put them on before they know they're sick, especially when they're out in crowded spaces. Feng doesn't wear a mask everywhere she goes at Oxford ("There are not a lot of people here," she said), but she does put one on when she goes into a grocery store or if she has to take a bus. Research on the new coronavirus is still in its infancy, but already scientists have estimated that roughly half of the people who get COVID-19 may transmit the virus to others before they ever show symptoms or know they're sick. "The thought, at this point, is that you actually have to have very long, sustained contact with someone, and I'm talking about over 15 to 30 minutes in an unprotected environment," Dr. David Price, a pulmonary specialist at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, said in a recent video. Just take the heart-wrenching example of a church choir in Mount Vernon, Washington, ravaged by COVID-19. On March 10, 60 choir members showed up for practice, pumped hand sanitizer on their palms, and avoided their usual hugs and handshakes as they belted out tunes for 2 1/2 hours. Now at least 45 of those singers have gotten a diagnosis of COVID-19 or have symptoms, three have been hospitalized, and two are dead. "The outbreak has stunned county health officials, who have concluded that the virus was almost certainly transmitted through the air from one or more people without symptoms," the Los Angeles Times reported. With more than three-quarters of Americans now under lockdown, it may be too late for the country to start wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "I think it's too late to do a lot for the current epidemic, because it's already spread such a lot, and then the cases that you're getting now are people infected two or three weeks ago. And the lockdowns that are in place will hopefully really slow down infections," Cowling said. "Adding masks now I don't think would make a lot of difference to that trajectory." But face coverings could still help essential workers and others who might need to leave home and use public transport. "Among people that still need to go to work, particularly people who need to go through crowded areas like underground trains and public-transport systems, wearing masks on those could be particularly useful," Cowling said. The CDC is considering recommending such a move, advocating that people cover their faces out in public, The Washington Post reported on Monday. This doesn't mean people need to buy up the fancy respirators or medical masks that are in such short supply, though. A recent review of six randomized controlled trials found no significant difference in the effectiveness of N95 respirators and paper surgical masks at preventing infections. Cowling suspects that homemade-mask makers might be able to develop something even more effective for the cause, from household materials. "I can imagine that we could find something even better than a surgical mask, because the surgical mask wasn't designed especially for this purpose," he said, suggesting that more research should be done to find out which fabrics best catch viruses. President Donald Trump has also suggested that when COVID-19 transmission slows, masks might play a role in daily life in the US, in line with a recommendation for "reopening" the country that former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb posted online. "We're not going to be wearing masks forever, but it could be for a short period of time, after we get back into gear," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. "I could see something like that happening for a period of time. But I would hope it would be a very limited period of time." In China, it's a 'civic duty' to wear a face mask A woman wearing a protective face mask in Bangkok on February 4. Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images Masks are not going to prevent an outbreak outright, and new studies of the strict lockdown ordered in Wuhan on January 23 suggested that the action played a key role much more so than masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19 across China. But Feng just wants masks to be considered as part of an overall public-health strategy during a pandemic. "It is time for governments and public health agencies to make rational recommendations on appropriate face mask use to complement their recommendations on other preventive measures, such as hand hygiene," she and her colleagues wrote in a Lancet comment on March 20. Part of the reason that people have been wearing more masks in China and Hong Kong during this outbreak has to do with their recent memories of some other deadly contagions. "People remember the impact of SARS," Cowling said of the coronavirus outbreak in 2002 and 2003 that killed 774 people, 299 of them in Hong Kong. "People remember the impact of SARS not only in terms of the health and the people that got infected and the [299] people that died, but also the economic consequences of having SARS in Hong Kong." A recent survey Cowling conducted in Hong Kong suggested that 99% of people Cowling included were now wearing face masks when they're outside. "In Hong Kong, there's a very clear recognition that people with coronavirus can spread infection before they have symptoms," Cowling said. "And there's a very common view that we're wearing masks not only to protect ourselves, but because if we have been infected, we're then protecting other people by wearing the mask." Feng agreed. "It's like a civic duty in Asian countries to wear the face mask," she said. "People wear the mask to protect themselves and also protect others." Read the original article on Business Insider WAVERLY Its time for every citizen to stand up and be counted. The 2020 US Census is underway, and taking part is important because the figures help the federal government determine how tax dollars are allocated for things like roads and how many free and reduced meals are allowed per school district. They also are used to determine the number of Congress members for each state and draw voting districts, and many other purposes. On the state level, census numbers are used by agencies like the Nebraska Extension to ensure staffing is in line with state demographics in the areas where services are focused, including livestock, crops and water, nutrition, youth and family and more, according to a press release from Nebraska Extension. We want to make sure that its a representation of who we are and what our population looks like, said Kathleen Lodl, associate dean of Nebraska Extension. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Twenty-one protesters demanding food and other assistance were arrested Wednesday in Quezon City for staging a rally without government permit, police said. The Quezon City Police District in a statement said the protesters, who are residents of Sitio San Roque, were arrested at a portion of EDSA in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa around 11 a.m. A video posted by DZRH on Twitter shows the violent dispersal of protesters conducted by the QCPD. One of them can be seen being dragged by authorities, while being berated for participating in the protest. Among those arrested was a 47-year-old woman who led the group Samahan Ng Magkakapitbahay ng Barangay San Roque. They were apparently part of dozens of protesters shown on videos that circulated on social media. Some of them held placards saying they have not gotten any help from the local government amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine to curb the spread of COVID-19. The local government of Quezon City denied these claims, saying there has been "continuous distribution of food packs throughout the city, both from the local government and the barangays to ensure that affected families are looked after during this crisis period." "Nevertheless, the mayor has instructed city personnel to review the list to make sure nobody has been inadvertently left out," it added. The city government said the residents crowded the area after being given false information that a TV crew was distributing relief goods there. The group Kadamay instigated individuals to hold the rally and claim they were not given aid, claimed Quezon City Task Force Action Officer Rannie Ludovica in a CNN Philippines News Night interview. "Upon further questioning however, some residents acknowledged that they did receive food packs," the Quezon City government stressed. As of March 31, the local government of Quezon City said it has distributed more than 952,000 food packs since the imposition of the quarantine, which has restricted people's movement. Quezon City has 151 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Of this number, 27 have died while 11 have recovered. Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte called on authorities to release the arrested protesters "in the interim for humanitarian reasons," and issue them a warning instead. PNP reiterates: No mass gatherings Police earlier said charges will be filed against the protesters for violations of the Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act, which was recently passed to address the COVID-19 crisis; and the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. They will also be charged for resistance and disobedience to authorities. Bago po sila hinuli, unang-una pinakiusapan natin sila para magsibalikan sa kanilang tahanan, subalit nagmatigas sila kaya wala tayo magawa kundi i-implement natin ang batas," said QCPD Director Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo. [Translation: Before they were arrested, authorities first requested them to return to their homes, but they refused to do so, and there's nothing we can do but implement the law.] Ludovica also said protesters are "targeting other barangays" in Quezon City, including Payatas, Batasan, Holy Spirit and Commonwealth. "After po nito, 'yun na po ang isusunod nila para lalabas talaga na 'yung mga tao ay di na makapaghintay at gutom na," Ludovica said. [Translation: After this, they also intend to stage protests in those areas to make it appear like the people are already starving and can no longer wait.] Philippine National Police Chief General Archie Gamboa warned of "firm and decisive police action" against those who will organize and join "illegal mass actions" amid the state of national health emergency due to the COVID-19 crisis. Under Luzon-wide quarantine, people are ordered to stay home, except those offering basic services, mass transportation is suspended and all mass gatherings are prohibited. Groups call for protesters' release Cause-oriented groups Bayan Muna and Gabriela condemned the "violent dispersal" of the protesters and demanded their immediate release. "We further call for immediate action on the people's request for food and financial assistance," Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said in a statement. "We demand the immediate release of the P8,000 cash assistance to the poor, the implementation of the P1,000 hike in SSS pension, and other social amelioration measures that were mandated by Republic Act 11469." Gabriela Women's Party in a separate statement said, "using excessive force and detention will not quell the empty stomachs of Filipinos who up to this day remain denied of the promised P200-billion cash aid for the poor." Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have risen to 2,311, with 96 deaths and 50 recoveries. Detention of ex-Mari El governor in bribery case extended for three months RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 19:19 01/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI) A court in Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday extended detention of ex-governor of Mari El Republic Leonid Markelov charged with corruption for three months, his lawyer Igor Trunov told RAPSI. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, his defense asked for the hearing adjournment because of the ARVI signs of one of the attorneys, but the motion was dismissed. Markelov is on trial on bribery allegations. Initially, the case against him was to be considered in the Republic of Mari El, but the Supreme Court of Russia changed its territorial jurisdiction and forwarded the case to Nizhny Novgorod. Investigators believe that Markelov acting as the republics governor received through Kozhanova 235 million rubles from the founder of Akashevskaya factory as a bribe for common protection and assistance in the property payment of funds provided by the state support for development of the agricultural complex. According to defense lawyer Sergey Sevruk, Markelov is also a defendant in another criminal case over illegal possession of ammunition. Media also reported that there is the third case against the former official over abuse of power. Markelov pleads not guilty to all accusations. Up Your Nose: Why Testing Is So Crucial For Curbing The Spread Of COVID-19 By Mike Eckel March 31, 2020 The key to curtailing the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the globe might well be a 15-centimeter-long stick, made of plastic or wood, with a small cotton bud on the end. Inserted in your nose until it brushes the back of your upper throat, the swab is used to gather cells whose DNA can then be analyzed and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the scientific name for what is widely called the coronavirus. It's not the most pleasant sensation. It is, however, one of most effective and efficient ways to test large numbers of people, experts say, and to figure out who should be quarantined, where the virus is hitting hardest, and who might be immune. While some countries, like South Korea, have drawn plaudits for rolling out wide-scale testing of their populations, and have gotten ahead of the curve for containing coronavirus, others have stumbled. That includes Italy and Spain, two of the hardest-hit countries, as well as the United States. Here's what you need to know about testing. How are the tests done? There are two tests currently in use. The lesser-known one involves drawing blood and then testing for antibodies to the coronavirus. Antibodies are the proteins in a person's body that are activated in response to a person acquiring a disease, be it bacterial -- pneumonia, for example -- or viral, such as influenza. Antibody-based tests, also known as serological tests, determine whether a person has had a certain disease. That typically only occurs several days after a person has been infected, whether or not they showed symptoms. That makes these tests less useful for identifying cases when time is of the essence -- when a disease is spreading rapidly through a population. For that reason, the most important test at present for the coronavirus is known as a "reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction" test -- that's the one with the swab in your nose. The test kits distributed by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both use this method, as do many of the tests that are rapidly being produced by private laboratories. The test is conducted by having a cotton-tipped swab inserted in your nose, until it reaches the back of your upper throat. For most people, it's a decidedly unpleasant sensation that often causes a person to gag. With microscopic cells attached to the cotton tip, the swab is then inserted into a vial for safekeeping and transported to a laboratory. At the lab, workers conduct a molecular test that looks for fragments of the genome of the coronavirus. If the virus is present in great quantities, it can quickly be detected. Why is testing for coronavirus quickly so important? One of the reasons the coronavirus can spread fast and far is that you can have the virus for several days without exhibiting any symptoms -- and during that time, you can unknowingly transmit the virus to multiple other people. The problem is that the coronavirus is so new, and spread so quickly, that there weren't enough tests, and not enough places to verify the tests. The explosion of cases -- in Italy, in Spain, in Britain, in the United States -- quickly dwarfed the ability of those countries' health-care systems to test for the virus. And that doesn't take into account countries whose public health systems were creaky to begin with: Iran, for example. "One of the issues that we have with this particular virus...is that we still don't have an observational way of knowing who is infected and who isn't," said Andrew Preston, a professor of biology and biochemistry at the University of Bath, in England. "So we can't rely on symptoms alone, because it takes a little while for those symptoms to start to show, even after someone's picked up the virus. "So if we want to do any kind of determination of who has the virus, who has the infection, then we need to test so that's why testing is so important," he said in an interview with RFE/RL. Epidemiologists and medical experts say the lack of rapid, widespread testing has hindered some countries' responses. As of March 29, the United States, whose population is 330 million, had performed tests on 1 in 366 people, roughly. By comparison, Italy, whose population is about 60 million and is one of the worst-hit countries, has tested 1 in 133 people, and much of that came after a surge in testing as Italians already with the disease overwhelmed the country's hospitals. Russia, meanwhile, had conducted 343,500 tests as of March 30. With a population of 144 million, that means only 1 in 419 people had been tested. Russia's efforts to ramp up testing were stymied by existing protocols: relying on a single Siberian laboratory to do second, confirmation tests of preliminary results. And some advocates have said the test that had been in wide use was flawed, producing false negatives. The government has since shifted tactics, and is doing wider and more rapid testing. Most affected countries are ramping up testing to get a wider segment of their populations, so those testing rates will improve. Why are some countries able to do it quickly, while others are struggling? Though considered highly accurate, the nasal-swab test does take some time to conduct: from the moment a person's nose is swabbed, to the time that a lab can do the test, and then notify the person of the test results. And that's under the best of circumstances. Some countries have pushed to quicken testing protocols: drive-through testing is now appearing in some places, where people can be tested while seated in their cars. South Korea has successfully utilized a telephone-booth type of system: People step into glass booths and are tested quickly and safely. This also minimizes the possibility of a medical worker being infected while conducting a test. South Korea, which has reportedly tested around 1 in 250 people, has also benefited from its previous experience with SARS, the respiratory illness that also emerged in China in the early 2000s, according to Preston. That disease infected fewer than 8,500 people worldwide, and killed an estimated 774 people, according to the WHO. "My feeling is that [South Korea] had better capacity for testing early on," he said. "And also they really, really triggered that tracing, you know, identification and contact tracing of those first cases very quickly." With a large, well-funded, modern health-care system, and some of the world's best medical universities, the United States should have been in a good position to test quickly and widely. That didn't happen for a variety of reasons, experts say, including regulatory delays and mixed messages about the scope of the problem from the White House and elsewhere. "Testing is the biggest problem that we're facing," said Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The idea that you can suddenly go from having a capacity where you can run hundreds of tests today, which is kind of all you would need to do for most diseases during normal situations, to doing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tests a week. I mean, that's difficult," Preston told RFE/RL. That's "because these tests have to be performed properly, particularly if you're going be making crucial decisions on who's OK to continue working in the hospital based on these." Several private companies around the world, meanwhile, are rushing to speed up the time it takes to get the actual lab result. The U.S. company Abbott Laboratories last week won regulatory approval for a coronavirus testing system that can tell if someone is infected in as little as five minutes. The system is also small and portable. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche also won U.S. approval last week for a test that provides results in three hours. Faulty testing has also been a problem. Spain, Georgia, and Turkey are among the countries that obtained a coronavirus test from a Chinese company, but later discovered the tests were defective, having a high rate of error. "There's huge questions arising as to what...level are we prepared to go to protect ourselves," Preston said. "So I think we need to rethink our global infrastructure for dealing with pandemics. "We've been predicting this for so many years, but it's remained sort of a theoretical exercise to a large degree, and clearly not anymore," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/why-testing -is-so-crucial-for-curbing-the- spread-of-covid-19/30520352.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 CLEVELAND, Ohio -- CNN host Chris Cuomo addressed his positive coronavirus test result at the top of his show Tuesday. I tested positive. Scary, yes, as you might imagine. But better me than you. My concern is what I may have put on my family, just like you would. That is hurting me way more than anything the virus can do, he said, hosting the show from his basement. We do not have the testing data to make real sense of our reality beyond what we know is the face of [coronavirus] for an overwhelming number who get sick, says @chriscuomo. That face is mine. I tested positive. pic.twitter.com/NmkAyAx9KW Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) April 1, 2020 Lets use this example of me having it as proof that you can get it too, God forbid. We have to do everything we can to avoid being sick. We have to do it for ourselves, our families, and for those on the front lines who are saving the lives of people like me and many of you. Together as ever as one. That is our remedy. After a commercial break, Cuomo continued, Now, look, I feel fine. Im able to do the show. You do not want this and I am not able to be there for my family right now in the way that I want to be. Yet, Im hesitant to talk about me because who cares? This is so small compared to what so many are facing. Were going to go all through this together, he said. "This is a fight. Its going to get worse, were going to suffer. And you have to accept that not with fear, but with almost a fanatical sense of passion to fight Because thats the only way youve ever made it through anything hard in your life, and this will be no different. Everyone gets it now. Trump has even forgotten ever questioning the hard reality. Theres no more hoax. Hes worried and he should be. So, lets move past this idea of fear to fact, he said. Cuomo revealed his diagnosis on Twitter earlier Tuesday, saying he tested positive after experiencing fever, chills and shortness of breath. He will continue to host Cuomo Prime Time from home. His interviews with his big brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have become must-see TV of late, with the two often mocking each other in a brotherly way. Hes young, in good shape, strong-- not as strong as he thinks, but he will be fine, the governor said of his brother at a press briefing, getting one shot in. Both masks play a role for hospital workers, both to protect our patients and to protect ourselves, said Freifeld, who trained with Fauci at the National Institutes of Health. So we need this (protective gear) in health care settings. The data regarding cloth masks is scant, and the masks come with a number of pros and cons. Theoretically, Freifeld said, they may provide a barrier to keep well people from picking up droplets and to keep ill people from spreading them. And, since the virus is a stealthy one that people can emit days before they show symptoms, it may make sense for people who are at risk to wear masks of some kind. But a loosely fitting mask will have gaps around the edges, and air containing infectious particles could flow through and get trapped around the nose and mouth. Also, people could contaminate the masks while putting them on, adjusting them or taking them off. If people are constantly adjusting such masks, she said, they could become contaminated by touch. On the plus side, Freifeld said, the masks could keep people from touching their noses and mouths, which allows the virus to enter the body. For the first time in more than a century, Vermont and neighboring states are losing forestland to development at a rate of almost 1,500 acres per year. As forest fragmentation gains ground across the New England landscape, where private ownerships and small land parcels are the norm, conserving land for future generations of people, wildlife, and plants becomes more necessary but more difficult. Vermont is a third of the way there. In a new study, forest conservation experts at the University of Vermont (UVM) confirmed that the state has already protected 33%, or 1.3 million acres, of highest priority targeted lands needed to protect and connect valuable wildlife habitats and corridors. Most of the currently conserved lands are forested, yet not nearly enough of the state's highest priority targeted surface water and riparian areas - ponds, rivers, shorelines, and wetlands - are protected. Many animals require zones along waterways in which to travel between habitats they need to survive. The researchers scrutinized Vermont's new state-level vision for conservation, Vermont Conservation Design, meant to create physical pathways for movement of animals and plants across the landscape, especially in a future of changing climate. They compiled a database of Vermont's conserved lands and overlaid them with the state's highest priority landscape targets. "The State of Vermont and a number of partners have laid out an impressive, thoughtful vision to ensure that Vermont remains a good place for all forms of life in the future," said Carolyn Loeb, a graduate student in the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Field Naturalist Program who led the study. "Our goal was to answer the questions: how far have we come, what successes and gaps do we see so far in fulfilling the design, and where do we go from here?" The study, "Large landscape conservation in a mixed ownership region: Opportunities and barriers for putting the pieces together," was published in the journal Biological Conservation in March 2020 with free online access until April 18, 2020. Of Vermont's protected land, the authors found that 87% of those acres, or 22% of the state's total land base, are also considered highest priority by Vermont Conservation Design targets. "Our research indicates that past conservation efforts in Vermont really matter, even though our reasons and perspectives around conservation have evolved," said Loeb. Historically, forest conservation targeted high elevation settings--think summit of Vermont's Camel's Hump. The study found that the state has adequately conserved higher elevation lands that are also design targets, but lower elevation targets remain a gap among protected areas. "Vermont is at a critical juncture in conserving the wild and working forest landscapes of the state, as we observe losses in forest cover to development and other land uses," said Tony D'Amato, a professor in the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. "This study provides a crucial benchmark of current levels of forest protection to help prioritize future conservation actions to achieve the impressive vision Vermont Conservation Design has outlined for sustaining the ecological, economic, and social benefits of Vermont's forests into the future." Across all 1.5 million acres of Vermont's currently conserved lands, three groups dominate in responsibility for the most protected lands: the national government, the state, and private nonprofit organizations, which can also conserve lands on behalf of other private landowners. The public sector of national and state government each hold responsibility for 30.5% of protected lands, which include the U.S. Forest Service's Green Mountain National Forest, other federal lands, and the Vermont state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas. The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation protects the most design-targeted lands of any state agency. Nonprofit organizations have responsibility for 35.4% of protected lands, while town and tribal entities hold responsibility for 3.6% and 0.01% of conserved lands, respectively. While public agencies are responsible for most of the highest priority forested area targets in Vermont, nonprofit organizations have protected the largest percentage of highest priority riparian and surface water targets. Nonprofits, such as the Vermont Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, through conservation easements, have played a unique role in protecting these wetlands and waterways. But the study underscores that there are still notable gaps in protecting low elevation and riparian lands identified in the design as very important. "Going forward, Vermont's nonprofits will play an increasingly important role in land conservation, especially in continuing to protect those areas that are rich with species diversity," said Elizabeth Thompson, Director of Conservation Science at Vermont Land Trust. "Nonprofits are engaging more and more deeply in restoring wetlands that were previously degraded, planting new forests along river shores to slow flood waters and provide wildlife habitat, and protecting unique natural communities while also protecting working forests and farmland." The authors recommend continued support for collaboration between public and private partners in land conservation, planning for quick response to large and potentially unexpected land sales that are important design targets, increased assistance for nonprofits in gaining protections for under-represented surface waters and connected riparian area targets, and a greater focus on protection of low-elevation targeted lands in Vermont by turning to strategies for better connecting the small ownership, patchworked landscapes that occur in much of the state. ### Vermont Conservation Design, developed in 2015 by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Vermont Land Trust, and other partners, identifies lands that form a connected landscape of large, intact forested habitat, healthy aquatic and riparian systems, and a range of physical features on which plant and animal natural communities depend. When conserved or managed appropriately to retain or enhance ecological function, these lands will sustain Vermont's natural legacy into the future. Virus Droplets Could Travel 27 Feet, Social Distancing Rules Outdated: MIT Professor Droplets from the CCP virus could travel up to 27 feet, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researcher stated in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on March 26. Lydia Bourouiba, an associate professor at MIT and expert in fluid dynamics, said a sneeze or cough, for example, results in a turbulent gas cloud that could contain virus droplets, and warned that the current guidelines on social distancing, while critical in the current time of pandemic, are based on outdated models from the 1930s. Recent work has demonstrated that exhalations, sneezes, and coughs not only consist of mucosalivary droplets following short-range semiballistic emission trajectories but, importantly, are primarily made of a multiphase turbulent gas (a puff) cloud that entrains ambient air and traps and carries within it clusters of droplets with a continuum of droplet sizes, she wrote. Owing to the forward momentum of the cloud, pathogen-bearing droplets are propelled much farther than if they were emitted in isolation without a turbulent puff cloud trapping and carrying them forward, Bourouiba wrote. Given various combinations of an individual patients physiology and environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature, the gas cloud and its payload of pathogen-bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet (78 meters). Bourouiba also noted that peak exhalation speeds can reach 33 to 100 feet per second, thus creating a cloud that can span approximately 23 to 27 feet, and that currently used surgical and N95 masks are not tested for these potential characteristics of respiratory emissions, adding that turbulent gas cloud dynamics should influence the design and recommended use of surgical and other masks. Speaking to USA Today, Bourouiba said there is an urgency in revising the guidelines currently being given by the [World Health Organization] and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] on the needs for protective equipment, particularly for the frontline health care workers. The professors research is at odds with the advice issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain social distancing of at least six feet to limit the risk of exposure, while the World Health Organization advises three feet of space between people. President Donald Trump this week also announced he will extend his administrations 15 days to slow the spread campaign, which maintains the same social distancing guidelines, through April 30. The White House guidelines also call on Americans to avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people, refrain from eating in bars, restaurants, and food courts, avoid non-essential travel, and to not visit nursing homes. They also include basic sanitary measures such as washing hands frequently and not touching ones face. Following the publication of Bourouibas MIT study, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged the public to be cautious, noting that the research could really be terribly misleading. Speaking at a White House briefing on March 31, Fauci said, What it was, was looking at the distance droplets fly by speaking, coughing, and sneezing, adding that it would only apply to people with extremely strong, vigorous and robust sneezes. I was disturbed by that report because thats misleading; that means that all of a sudden, the six-foot thing doesnt work. My childs day care in Portland recently sent out a sobering email: Everyone has been laid off, and they are unsure if theyll open up again even after the hopeful flattening of the COVID-19 curve. A day care and preschool serving nearly 40 families may vanish almost overnight. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, without immediate financial support, half of all childcare facilities in the U.S. will not reopen once this pandemic is behind us. That organization recently surveyed more than 6,000 providers across the country and found that 30% would not survive a closure of more than two weeks without significant public investment and 17% say they would not survive a closure for any amount of time. Another 16% would not survive longer than a month without these supports, and another 25% do not know how long they could close and still reopen. Oregon is working to ensure that essential personnel have childcare during the crisis, and a campaign is emerging to bring universal preschool to Multnomah County. But the state is already struggling to cover these costs and will be unable to support childcare providers for any length of time without substantial federal investment. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and the rest of Oregons congressional delegation must protect the child-care system with direct funding to ensure the supply of childcare is still here for parents in the future. The money is there. Is the will there, too? Bobby Hayden, Portland A woman who said her bank advised her to take a fixed-rate mortgage rather than a lower tracker rate received 52,000 in compensation after the discovery of a hand-written advice note. That case study is among dozens contained in todays published 2019 review of complaints handled by the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO). The report listed financial institutions in order of the number of FSPO-investigated complaints upheld against them. Ulster Bank topped the table with 21 complaints at least partially upheld, one ahead of Irish Life. Bank of Ireland had 16 at least partially upheld complaints, including five in its mortgages division. Permanent TSB had 13, EBS eight, AIB seven and KBC three. The ombudsmans office said it received 4,969 eligible complaints against financial services and pension providers in 2019 - its second year in operation - and closed 4,569 cases. These produced refunds and compensation payments to nearly 1,400 complainants. Most were resolved through informal mediation rather than formal investigation. It remains the case that the FSPO continues to receive a high volume of complaints, notably in relation to mortgages, said the ombudsman, Ger Deering. He said his office handled 1,509 complaints regarding mortgages, including more than 550 specific to trackers. The office closed 516 tracker-related complaints last year. In one case study cited, a woman identified only as Mary said when she applied for a mortgage in 2008, a bank official advised her to apply for a different product than a tracker. Mary recalled handwritten correspondence between her and the bank staff member advising her of which rate to choose. The bank was of the view that its staff never give advice about rates and that it could find no such written record, the report said. However during mediation, a note - handwritten by the banks staff member - was discovered by the bank on the file. This note recommended a particular rate, it said. The outcome was that Mary had her mortgage switched to a lower tracker rate of interest. The bank paid her 52,000 in interest overcharge refunds and compensation. First comprehensive estimates from mainland China of the proportion of people with COVID-19 who required hospitalisation, and latest death rate estimates, both show sharp increases with age. Authors warn that without intervention the number of people needing hospital treatment is likely to overwhelm even the most advanced healthcare systems worldwide, though caution that as the pandemic unfolds, it is possible that outcomes could improve and it will be important to revise estimates in this study. Key findings: The death rate from confirmed COVID-19 cases is estimated at 1.38%, while the overall death rate, which includes unconfirmed cases, is estimated at 0.66%; these rates are slightly lower than some estimates for COVID-19 to date, which had not adjusted for undiagnosed cases or for the number of people in each age group of a population Death rates vary substantially, ranging from 0.0016% in 0 to 9-year-olds to 7.8% for people aged 80 and above Differences in hospitalisation rates by age were reported, increasing with age - with 11.8% of people in their 60s, 16.6% of people in their 70s, and 18.4% of those in their 80s and above estimated to develop symptoms severe enough for hospitalisation These hospitalisation rates compare with 0.04% of 10 to 19-year-olds, 1.0% of people in their 20s, and 3.4% of people aged 30 to 39. Hospitalisation rates nearly double from 4.3% in 40-49-year-olds to 8.2% in 50-59-year olds Nearly one in five over-80s infected with COVID-19 are likely to require hospitalisation, compared with around 1% of people under 30, according to an analysis of 3,665 cases in mainland China, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The new analysis also finds that the estimated proportion of deaths from both diagnosed cases and from milder, unconfirmed cases is strongly influenced by age. The estimates are slightly lower than others that have been made for the virus, but are still much higher than for previous pandemics such as 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1, which was estimated to be fatal in around 0.02% of cases [1]. The new estimates are based on an analysis of 70,117 laboratory-confirmed and clinically-diagnosed cases in mainland China [2], combined with 689 positive cases among people evacuated from Wuhan on repatriation flights. "This study provides critical estimates on the proportion of people requiring hospitalisation which, when applied to the UK population, enabled us to get a handle on how many people might need to access NHS services," says Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London, UK. "As the UK epidemic unfolds, more data are becoming available, and at the moment the proportion of people in each age group most likely to require hospitalisation, and most likely to die from infection, are consistent with the estimates in this study." [3] The authors warn that as 50% to 80% of the global population could be infected with COVID-19 [4] the number of people needing hospital treatment is likely to overwhelm even the most advanced healthcare systems worldwide. However, they caution that it is possible that outcomes could improve, in which case it will be important to revise the estimates in this study. "Our estimates can be applied to any country to inform decisions around the best containment policies for COVID-19," says Professor Azra Ghani from Imperial College London, UK. "There might be outlying cases that get a lot of media attention, but our analysis very clearly shows that at aged 50 and over, hospitalisation is much more likely than in those under 50, and a greater proportion of cases are likely to be fatal." [3] Previous estimates of deaths from confirmed cases of COVID-19 have ranged from 2% to 8% [5], while deaths from overall infections have been estimated at 0.2% to 1.6%. Also, estimates for the proportion of deaths in the oldest age group, the over-80s, have been estimated to be between 8% to 36%. However, these past estimates had not adjusted for the fact that only people with more severe symptoms are likely to be tested, or people in quarantine following repatriation to other countries, so they did not reflect the true number of cases across populations. No previous studies have estimated the proportion of infections that will require hospitalisation. For the current analysis, a team of international researchers used 3,665 cases from mainland China to estimate the proportion of cases likely to be severe enough to require hospitalisation. To estimate the average time between a person displaying symptoms and dying, they analysed 24 deaths in Hubei Province. The average recovery time was estimated using data from 2,010 international cases, of whom 169 people recovered. Death rates from confirmed cases were estimated using data on 44,672 cases in mainland China [2]. To estimate death rates relevant to the wider population, data from 689 people repatriated from Wuhan to other countries and 3,711 people quarantined on board the cruise liner Diamond Princess were used. For all the estimates, the researchers assumed that people of all ages are equally likely to become infected, which is consistent with previous studies on respiratory infections. The analysis found the greatest number of severe cases, requiring hospitalisation, in people in their 50s (222 out of 790 cases), but once the researchers had adjusted for the fact that many milder cases will have gone undiagnosed, the hospitalisation rate is 8.2%, compared with an estimated 18.4% in the most at risk group, the over 80s (51 out of 76 cases before adjustment). 154 out of 743 people in their 40s had severe symptoms, whereas 133 out of 263 people in their 70s had severe symptoms, but the adjusted hospitalisation rates were again even wider apart than the bare numbers suggest: 4.3% for 40 to 49-year-olds compared with 16.6% for 70 to 79-year-olds. Of those in their 60s, 201 out of 560 cases were severe, whereas the adjusted hospitalisation rate was 11.8%. The hospitalisation rates were lower for younger age groups: 3.4% of people in their 30s are likely to be hospitalised (while the unadjusted number of severe cases was 124 out of 733 cases), whereas for people in their 20s the rate is likely to be 1.0% (49 out of 437 cases before adjustment). There was only one severe case out of 50 for those aged 10 to 19 and the hospitalisation rate is estimated at 0.04%, whereas none of the 13 cases analysed in the under-10s were severe. The average time between the first recorded symptoms and death from COVID-19 was estimated to be 17.8 days. The authors note that as the data are from early in the epidemic, more people might die following a longer time lag. Recovering from the disease is estimated to take slightly longer, with patients being discharged from hospital after an average of 22.6 days. Most people will recover, even from severe symptoms. Death rates from confirmed cases were estimated at 1.38% across all age groups (1,023 out of 44,672 cases in mainland China, with unreported severe cases likely to add to the total, requiring the ratio to be adjusted), but the estimates rise rapidly with age. For example, there were no deaths out of 416 confirmed cases in the under 10-year olds, whereas 13.4% of people aged 80 or above were estimated to die (208 out of 1,408 cases before adjustment). [5] The proportion of all people infected who die from the disease--most of whom will display only mild to moderate symptoms--is estimated to be slightly lower, at 0.66%. Again, the risk of death is much higher in older age groups. For example, 0.031% of people in their 20s are estimated to die, compared with 7.8% of the over-80s. The authors note that they are unable to adjust for the effect on prognosis of underlying health conditions until individual-level data become available. However, underlying conditions are likely to be correlated with age. Their existence will also vary geographically, particularly between low-income and high-income regions and countries. Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Shigui Ruan (who was not involved in the study) from the University of Miami, USA, says: "Estimates of case fatality ratios might vary slightly from country to country because of differences in prevention, control, and mitigation policies implemented, and because the case fatality ratio is substantially affected by the preparedness and availability of health care. Early studies have shown that delaying the detection of infected cases not only increases the probability of spreading the virus to others (most likely family members, colleagues, and friends) but also makes the infection worse in some cases, thereby increasing the case fatality ratio." ### NOTES TO EDITORS This study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council. It was conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, Queen Mary University London and the University of Oxford. The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com [1] https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001558 [2] Estimated proportions of confirmed cases that will die were based on 70,117 laboratory-confirmed and clinically-diagnosed cases in mainland China from 1 January to 11 February 2020, with values adjusted for demography and undetected symptomatic cases, while crude death rates were based on the 44,672 laboratory confirmed cases. [3] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article [4] https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-Global-Impact-26-03-2020v2.pdf [5] https://institutefordiseasemodeling.github.io/nCoV-public/analyses/first_adjusted_mortality_estimates_and_risk_assessment/2019-nCoV-preliminary_age_and_time_adjusted_mortality_rates_and_pandemic_risk_assessment.html and https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9020523 Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People (Photo : Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash) Zoom Isn't Safe?: Teleconferencing App Now Sued For Allegedly Selling Facebook Accounts of Users (Photo : Zoom ) Zoom Isn't Safe?: Teleconferencing App Now Sued For Allegedly Selling Facebook Accounts of Users Zoom, arguably the most popular teleconferencing app of the moment with millions of users across the globe is now under investigation. Multiple reports are saying that New York authorities are now investigating the app after reports that they allegedly sell their users' information to third parties. Not only that, but Zoom video calls were also accused of being used by trolls and uninvited guests. Here's the explanation: Zoom may not be the safest tool for your calls; Here's why: If you're one of the millions of people around the world working from home, you've probably already using Zoom or have at least heard of it. Technically, Zoom is just like Skype and other video conferencing application. It allows you to make calls, send messages, perform video teleconferencing, and invite friends. Since everyone is on lockdown, people have been using Zoom to reconnect with their friends and relatives around the world, as well as to keep up with work. However, all this might change now. Zoom might not be the safest tool for your home-based meetings and calls. According to CBS News, New York's top prosecutor Attorney General Letitia James, is currently looking on the popular app after complaints about its alleged third-party selling of user information. "The unique advertising identifier allows companies to target the user with advertisements," the lawsuit states. "This information is sent to Facebook by Zoom regardless of whether the user has an account with Facebook." Zoom officials already answered these allegations saying that they were aware of the said complaints. However, "Our customers' privacy is incredibly important to us, and therefore we decided to remove the Facebook SDK in our [Apple-based] client and have reconfigured the feature so that users will still be able to log in with Facebook via their browser," CEO Eric Yuan said in a blog post. What is 'Zoom-Bombing'? Facebook accounts, however, may not only be the one benefiting from Zoom users' information. Other reports have also explained complaints of users with so-called "Zoom-Bombing." Zoom-bombing is a tactic of internet trolls to get inside the chatbox or video calls of other people's calls. As reported in Business Insider, a group of recovery groups in the New York Inter-Group Association recently made a video call with their members on Zoom. Halfway through the meeting, the members heard an unusual drunken voice shouting misogynistic and anti-Semitic slurs on their calls. New York top Attorney James already asked Zoom to clarify these acts and investigate whether they can still protect all their users at the same time. Since Zoom now has more users compared before, the app may no longer have the capability to protect users from trolls. "While Zoom has remediated specific reported security vulnerabilities, we would like to understand whether Zoom has undertaken a broader review of its security practices," James' letter said. Zoom has not yet commented on the matter. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Flights loaded with medical equipment urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are set to depart China for Australia in the coming days, after a scramble to secure shipping and logistics. The business community rallied after it was revealed on Sunday that Australia was losing access to urgently needed medical supplies because of restrictions on shipping and foreign governments paying high prices upfront. Australia needs to shore up its medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE), to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit:Bloomberg Equinox Medical chief executive Philip Crealy said a number of companies - including logistics and freight specialists, airlines and management consultancies - had contacted him since Sunday to offer help. He needed to ship more than 30 tonnes of hospital gowns, face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators and COVID-19 diagnostic tests destined for Australian hospitals and aged care homes. Technavio has been monitoring the gel mattresses market and it is poised to grow by USD 138.51 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 2% 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 latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005615/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Gel Mattresses Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Corsicana Mattress, Kingsdown, Serta Simmons Bedding, Spring Air International, and Tempur Sealy International are some of the major market participants. The highly developed retail industry will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Highly developed retail industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Gel Mattresses Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Gel Mattresses Market is segmented as below: Distribution channel Offline Online Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30407 Gel Mattresses Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our gel mattresses market report covers the following areas: Gel Mattresses Market Size Gel Mattresses Market Trends Gel Mattresses Market Industry Analysis This study identifies growing demand for eco-friendly mattresses as one of the prime reasons driving the gel mattresses market growth during the next few years. Gel Mattresses Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Gel Mattresses Market, including some of the vendors such as Corsicana Mattress, Kingsdown, Serta Simmons Bedding, Spring Air International, and Tempur Sealy International. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Gel Mattresses 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 Gel Mattresses Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist gel mattresses market growth during the next five years Estimation of the gel mattresses market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the gel mattresses market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of gel mattresses market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL Market segmentation by distribution channel Comparison by distribution channel Offline Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Online Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by distribution channel PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Introduction of smart mattresses Growing demand for eco-friendly mattresses Need for multifunctional beds PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Corsicana Mattress Kingsdown Serta Simmons Bedding Spring Air International Tempur Sealy International PART 14: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200331005615/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/ Hinduja group flagship firm Ashok Leyland on Wednesday reported 90 per cent decline in total vehicles sales at 2,179 units in March. The company had sold 21,535 units in the same month last year, Ashok Leyland said in a regulatory filing. Total domestic vehicles sales stood at 1,787 units in March against 20,521 units in the year-ago period, registering a decline of 91 per cent. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV) sales in domestic market were down 90 per cent at 1,498 units last month, as compared to 15,235 units in the year-ago month, it added. Light commercial vehicle sales last month stood at 289 units as compared to 5,286 units in March 2019, down 95 per cent, the company said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We are thrilled to launch our YWIB Ambassador Program at a time when an increasing number of girls see a future for themselves as leaders in STEM Young Women In Bio (YWIB) is pleased to announce the launch of its YWIB Ambassador Program. YWIB developed this new initiative for high school girls who are interested in championing and supporting YWIBs efforts to create educational and leadership opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for young girls, both locally and nationally. YWIB invites high school girls to apply to become a Young Women In Bio (YWIB) Ambassador among its 13 chapters across the United States and in Canada. A YWIB Ambassador is a female student leader with a passion for STEM who demonstrates leadership among her peers by promoting STEM within her school, local community, and online and encouraging other girls in their quests to make a difference. YWIB is excited to select YWIB Ambassadors for its inaugural program to launch during the 2020-2021 school year. YWIB Ambassadors will attend events and programs hosted by their local YWIB chapter and be actively engaged with YWIB to develop educational and other opportunities to fuel the passion for pursuing careers in STEM among young girls in their community, across the country, and in Canada. At the end of the school year, YWIB Ambassadors will be invited to apply for a scholarship that YWIB will award to the YWIB Ambassador who best exemplifies YWIBs mission to empower todays girls to become tomorrows leaders, helping them affect positive change in the worlds of science, technology, engineering, and math. We are thrilled to launch our YWIB Ambassador Program at a time when an increasing number of girls see a future for themselves as leaders in STEM, said Lily Wound, National Chair of YWIB. We want to work directly with these high school girls to showcase their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity and to help them make a difference through their interest in STEM. Starting on May 1, 2020, YWIB will make YWIB Ambassador applications available on its webpage (womeninbio.org/YWIBAmbassadors) and provide guidelines for high school girls who are interested in applying to this program. Completed applications must be submitted to YWIB by June 15, 2020. Each of the 13 YWIB Chapters will then review applications from their local students and appoint one YWIB Ambassador for their region by August 15, 2020. Girls who are selected as YWIB Ambassadors will kick-off the program by Oct 15, 2020 and will continue their ambassadorship until the earlier of June 15, 2021, or through the end of their school year. YWIB will select a total of 13 Ambassadors (one for each chapter) for this inaugural year. YWIB was originally going to launch its YWIB Ambassador Program during its annual Spring Into STEM Festival, now in its fourth year, which takes place from the first day of spring in March through the beginning of May. During the Spring Into STEM Festival, YWIB chapters and participating organizations across the United States and Canada invite girls from elementary school through high schools to a wide range of free events and activities, including company tours, panel discussions, and participation at major STEM festivals and conferences. However, given the growing number of social distancing mandates and restrictions on large events and other gatherings across the United States and Canada due to concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus, YWIB has decided to postpone its fourth annual Spring Into Festival and hopes to reschedule it for Fall 2020. ABOUT YOUNG WOMEN IN BIO (YWIB) Young Women In Bio (YWIB) gives girls today the inspiration and support they need to become tomorrows leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We strive to provide education and hands-on experience in STEM, as well as share our passion for all scientific fields. Through 13 chapters across the United States and Canada, YWIB partners with leading companies, universities, hospitals, and other organizations to host highly engaging, educational, and motivational programs for young girls interested in STEM. To learn more, visit: http://www.womeninbio.org/ywib. ABOUT WOMEN IN BIO (WIB) Founded in 2002 to support women employed in the field of life sciences from the classroom to the boardroom, Women In Bio (WIB) is a multifaceted organization with 13 chapters in North America. It offers an array of professional educational programs, peer to peer learning, mentoring and networking opportunities, and is the only organization for women that integrates all career levels and life sciences fields. WIB is funded by sponsors and partners dedicated to supporting women of all ages in their lifelong journey; in the life sciences and beyond. Please visit http://www.womeninbio.org. For Immediate Release Contact: Marsha Morgenstern Women In Bio (WIB) Communication and Marketing Administrator mmorgenstern@womeninbio.org 412-223-7855 http://www.womeninbio.org She tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Chandler Powell at Australia Zoo last week before the venue was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. And now Bindi Irwin has confirmed to People magazine that her elegant wedding gown was a tribute to her mother Terri's wedding dress, when she married Crocodile Hunter Steve in 1992. 'I wanted something very similar because I've admired [my mum's] dress since I was tiny,' Bindi said. 'We all cried when I tried it on': Newlywed Bindi Irwin has confirmed her sunflower wedding gown was a heartwarming tribute to the dress her mother Terri wore when she married Crocodile Hunter Steve 18 years ago. On March 25, Bindi tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Chandler Powell at Australia Zoo Bindi recalled putting on her mother's wedding gown when she was 12 and falling in love with it. The blonde beauty wasn't able to wear the same dress or have it altered because it was already 50 years old. Luckily she found a 'perfect' gown, by Paddington Weddings, that resembled the family heirloom. Just like her parents: Bindi recalled putting on her mother's wedding gown when she was 12 and falling in love with it Terri married Steve in 1992 (pictured) 'It was just perfect, I said, "Oh my goodness, that's the dress," and we all started crying again,' she said. The dress also featured sunflower lace sleeves which Bindi said reminded her family and her late father Steve. Steve was 44 when he tragically died tragically died on September 4, 2006 after, a stingray attack at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Queensland. The one: Bindi and Chandler, 23, got married at the family zoo - just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced new restrictions on weddings due to the coronavirus pandemic, with only five people allowed to attend Bindi told the publication that the sunflower motif was a beautiful reminder of driving through sunflower fields. 'When we would go on projects and drives together, we'd often drive through these huge sunflower fields in the middle of nowhere and we always stopped to take them in,' she explained. Bindi and Chandler, 23, got married at the family zoo - just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced new restrictions on weddings due to the coronavirus pandemic, with only five people allowed to attend. The novel coronavirus has devastated economies all over the world, and Alabama is no different. Unemployment requests surged here by more than 500 percent, with 60,000 Alabamians filing for unemployment last week alone. And people are asking for help. According to data on the United Ways 2-1-1 program, requests for food pantries to 2-1-1 helplines in Alabama are up by more than sevenfold. Other types of calls to 2-1-1 lines have also dramatically increased since the onset of the virus. Washington University in St. Louis collects and analyzes data from the 2-1-1 program, which works to provide information and referrals so people can find services and resources available in a particular area. These include food, rental assistance, and many other programs. From March 12-30, Alabamas food pantry requests were up 720 percent over the same time last year. The 2-1-1 helpline received 2,057 calls related to food pantries over that time this year. In 2019, over the same time span, it got just 251. WUSTL had data for 23 states, including Alabama, over a shorter span - March 12-25. Over that timeframe, Alabamas increase in food pantry calls was more than 900 percent, and was the second highest among the 23 states where data was available. Every state tracked saw calls related to food pantries more than double, and 12 of the 23 states saw an increase of at least 500 percent. Alabamians have been calling 211 helplines a lot over the past few weeks to ask about food pantries. | graphic by Ramsey Archibald Alabama also saw a sharp increase in calls related to rent assistance. Those calls were up 423 percent, an increase from 210 requests from March 12-30 in 2019 to 1,099 over the same span in 2020. Over the same shorter span where data was available for more states, Alabamas rent assistance calls went up by 460 percent. That was by far the highest percent increase among the 17 states where data was available. Its increase of 423 percent from the 12th through the 30th would still have easily been the highest, ahead of Iowa, which saw calls increase by 265 percent. Alabama has seen a sharp increase in the number of 211 calls related to rent assistance. | Graphic by Ramsey Archibald Alabama also saw a jump in calls related to utility assistance, though not as drastic an increase. It has 813 such calls from the 12th to the 30th in 2019, and 2,250 over the same span in 2020, good for an increase of 177 percent. Thousands of Alabamians have called 211 helplines for assistance with utilities. | graphic by Ramsey Archibald Resources: Follow AL.coms live updates of coronavirus in Alabama. Find all of our coronavirus stories.Heres a continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download the AL.com mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications. Both economic and industry experts agree: the federal governments wage subsidy should prevent mass layoffs across Canada. But business organizations were left in shock Wednesday at the announcement by the federal finance minister that funds for the subsidy meant to help those laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic may not start flowing for another six weeks. It renders a great concept useless for so many of those most in need of it, said Rocco Rossi, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The long wait for getting access to the subsidy will also likely mean more people having to apply for EI in the meantime, the exact scenario a wage subsidy is designed to avoid, Rossi pointed out. The cash crunch is right now, said Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice-president of national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. That is a big concern for us. We like the wage subsidy ... Im not sure (businesses) can wait another three to six weeks. The subsidy, first announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last Friday, is one of the governments most important policies aimed at helping Canadians facing financial difficulties and out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its designed for businesses, regardless of size and including charities, sole proprietorships and partnerships, to keep employees on the payroll, as well as to rehire employees who may have already been laid off and are collecting EI. If the employer gets the subsidy they can rehire their laid off workers and put them back on the payroll. Those workers will then no longer receive EI. I think its certainly a strong measure that will help a lot of companies keep their workers on staff, said Sal Guatieri, senior economist and director at BMO Capital Markets. The subsidy will see the federal government cover 75 per cent of the first $58,700 of a persons wages, which works out to $847 a week. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Wednesday that a portal will be set up on the Canada Revenue Agency website, allowing businesses to apply within the next three to six weeks. The subsidy is expected to cost the government $71 billion, Morneau said. Companies will need to be able to demonstrate a 30 per cent loss of revenue compared to this time last year, Morneau said, though details are still being worked out on how a seasonal business or a relatively new business can be deemed eligible. Rossi at the chamber of commerce said the 30 per cent figure is a blunt instrument and said government will need to be open to different criteria so that more businesses can be considered eligible for the subsidy. Get ready to rehire people, Morneau said at Wednesdays press conference, strongly encouraging businesses to also cover the remaining 25 per cent of an employees salary. Mark Manger, associate professor of political economy at the Munk School at the University of Toronto, said a wage subsidy may be new to Canada, but its copying successful programs that have existed in several European countries for decades. This has been done before and it does work, Manger said. Employers have an incentive to do this. They dont want to lose their staff. Karl Littler, vice-president of public affairs at the Retail Council of Canada, said the wage subsidy is going to make a huge difference, highlighting that it will have an impact on staffing decisions at businesses across the country. It will be a very significant reduction in the number of layoffs and furloughs, he said. I think that people are going to make every attempt possible to keep their people on. Morneau urged businesses to try to bridge the gap and continue to pay their employees until they get the subsidy, but business groups say that will be impossible for many businesses which have already been shut down for nearly three weeks. Laid-off workers would also be entitled to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which provides $2,000 a month to people laid off due to COVID-19, until the subsidy kicks in. That plan is expected to cost the government $24 billion. The wage subsidy and emergency response benefit are part of the federal governments multi-billion-dollar economic package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another measure includes government-backed $40,000 interest-free loans to small businesses, to be paid back by the end of 2022 with the first $10,000 forgivable if certain conditions are met. Banks were expected to start issuing those loans next week. The funeral of Rabbi Tzvi Shenkar, head of the Beit David yeshiva, took place in Bnei Brak on the night of March 29. Hundreds of members of the ultra-Orthodox community accompanied the late rabbi on his final journey despite directives by the Ministry of Health that no more than 10 people attend funerals in light of efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. Even Bnei Brak Mayor Avraham Rubinstein attended the ceremony. A video documenting the gathering soon went viral on social media, sparking furious responses from people holed up in their homes for the past two weeks or longer. The funeral added to a litany of revelations concerning actions by the ultra-Orthodox, many of whom continue to attend public religious rituals and study sessions despite explicit instructions to the contrary. It was only a matter of time before the severity of the situation would be exposed. According to figures provided by the Ministry of Health, the rate of coronavirus infection is higher among ultra-Orthodox communities than the national average. In Bnei Brak, the countrys largest ultra-Orthodox enclave, one out of every three people tested was found to have the virus. The densely populated city is home to about 200,000 people, most of them large families of ten or more people living in tiny apartments. Such conditions make it almost impossible to prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, the situation is a ticking time bomb with the potential to collapse Israel's entire health care system. The blame for all this has fallen primarily on Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (Yahadut HaTorah), who has been accused of being exceptionally lenient toward the ultra-Orthodox community from the beginning of the crisis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also come under criticism for ignoring Litzmans behavior for political reasons, that is, so as not to harm his alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties. There were even calls for Netanyahu to fire Litzman and replace him with a professional. Litzman has rejected the criticism of course, asserting that he has no plans to depart the ministry even after a new government is formed. He has, however, come to realize that he is playing with fire, which is why on March 30 he announced his support for imposing a closure on Bnei Brak to prevent the spread of the virus elsewhere. In doing so, he closed ranks with the professional staff at his ministry, who had asked him to take drastic measures in Bnei Brak before the situation spirals out of control. A total closure is yet to be imposed on the city, but it has been cordoned off by police roadblocks and soldiers to prevent non-residents from entering. Furthermore, laws prohibiting prayers in synagogues and immersions in ritual baths have been strictly enforced. The same holds in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Jerusalem, where such laws have been enforced more severely. For instance in Meah Shearim, synagogue doors were welded shut after it was learned that hundreds of people had been violating the emergency regulations. The degree to which the coronavirus has spread among the ultra-Orthodox remains unclear as does the extent to which the community's lawlessness and insistence on ignoring clear instructions from the government will affect the health care system's ability to cope with the current crisis. What is clear, however, is that this episode represents a fresh line in the sand in the already contentious relationship between the ultra-Orthodox and secular populations. It is certainly raising tensions between them. Until now, the relationship could best be characterized by the tension surrounding the exemption from military service granted to yeshiva students. This had led to protest movements and the formation of political parties seeking to force the ultra-Orthodox to carry their share of the burden. It is an issue that brought down governments and caused political crises. In May 2019, Yisrael Beitenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman blocked Netanyahu from forming a government because he did not believe the enlistment law for the ultra-Orthodox that Netanyahu was proposing would lead to their equally sharing the burden. Libermans obstinance resulted in new elections being called for September. The reason for the second election was in due time forgotten, and the relationship between the ultra-Orthodox and secular societies reverted to its previous form, which is, in essence, a lack of equality between the two communities when it comes to sharing the burden of military service. Then the coronavirus arrived, exposing the exasperating, separatist tendencies of the ultra-Orthodox community. Even people who had previously maintained a degree of political correctness could no longer hold back. So, for example Mayor Carmel Shama of Ramat Gan, a town bordering Bnei Brak, demanded that the prime minister impose a closure on places with a significant coronavirus outbreak, such as Bnei Brak. The residents of Ramat Gan make a point of following all the instructions, so the rate of infection in the city was relatively low, until a few days ago. Unfortunately, there have been large gatherings in certain locations in the neighboring town of Bnei Brak that have led to a drastic rise of infection in Ramat Gan. According to reports, the situation in Bnei Brak is, in fact, serious. Terrified residents are confined to their homes, while a large police presence patrols the empty streets. Ultra-Orthodox journalists report a humanitarian crisis in the making, with many residents feeling like a flock without a shepherd, just days before the Passover holiday, which begins April 8. The public outrage directed at the ultra-Orthodox community can be felt across social networks. Very soon Bnei Brak will turn Israel into Italy! tweeted the journalist Doron Herman. All the responsible bodies are dragging their feet, unable to get the sick people out of the city. Other tweets were even more outspoken. It is becoming increasingly clear that the coronavirus could be a tipping point in ultra-Orthodox society's relationship with the secular community. Israeli society's willingness to tolerate the lack of equality when it comes to sharing the burden of military service could well shift as a result of the coronavirus crisis. One expression of this would be a growth in support for political parties with an anti-ultra-Orthodox agenda, such as Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beitenu. This is also a big test for the ultra-Orthodox. After all, they will one day have to account for what happens. One potential outcome is that the crisis gives rise to a different kind of leadership among the ultra-Orthodox, producing one that understands the importance of such situations and promotes greater involvement of the ultra-Orthodox in Israeli society at large, including in the workforce and the military. Even though schools have closed, businesses have shut and altered services and Virginia residents have been ordered to stay home as much as possible, the coronavirus is still expected to continue its spread. In the Danville-Pittsylvania Health District, there are three new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total up to eight, Scott Spillmann, director of the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District, said Wednesday. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. Im not going to sugarcoat it: there will be more cases, Spillmann said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Some people, unfortunately, will have to be in the hospitals. Some on ventilators. And some, Im sad to say, will not make it. Two of the new cases are Danville residents one a female in her 70s, and another a male in his 30s, said Robert Parker, spokesman for the western region of the Virginia Department of Health. The other case is a resident of New York who is in the area. Their case will ultimately be reported according to their address, not their current location in the Danville-Pittsylvania Health District. The lone fatality in the region was a Gretna man who was traveling through North Carolina, where he was hospitalized and died a few days later. Even though he was in North Carolina during his treatment, he was counted at his residence in Pittsylvania County. Two people who have the virus are currently being treated in Sovah-Health Danville. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference on Wednesday that cases in Virginia could surge between late April and late May. Even with current social distancing guidelines are followed and maintained, the White House projected that there could be between 100,000 and 240,000 coronavirus-related deaths across the United States. However, both the local district of the Virginia Department of Health and Sovah Health-Danville said they are prepared for increases and have the equipment they need. During the virtual conference, Alan Larson, Sovah Health president and Sovah Health-Danville CEO, said that both hospitals have sufficient personal protection equipment now commonly referred to as PPE and ventilators to deal with their current patient load, even as there is a national shortage. The hospital also has access to more ventilators if we need them, Larson said. The number of positive cases in Virginia has skyrocketed in recent days, often jumping by more than 200 daily statewide. The current total, according to the most recent update from the Virginia Department of Health, is 1,484. So far, the number in Danville and Pittsylvania County has remained somewhat small compared to other regions. Viruses like this often hit the more densely populated areas before making their way into the smaller communities, said Julie Swann, department head and professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. She has done extensive modeling for other diseases and worked with the Centers for Disease Control in their response to the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009. Danville may have a delay in experiencing what might be happening in New York City right now, she said. And not everyone who shows a symptom or thinks they may have the virus can be tested. Guidelines put forth by the Virginia Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do restrict who should be tested, which limits the amount of testing. We continue to test appropriate patients based on CDC and VDH guidance, Larson said. Dozens of patients have been tested across both clinics. Larson said Sovah does not have an awful lot of test kits at this time. The samples, some of which have been obtained at the Sovah hospitals, are not actually tested at Sovah, but sent to third-party labs or the state lab for analysis. People can also go to private labs, which tend to have more lenient requirements for testing. The results of those tests are then reported back to the main branch of the Virginia Department of Health, which then passes necessary information on to regional departments. Though there has yet to be a positive case in Martinsville and just two have been diagnosed in Henry County, the Martinsville Speedway is being converted into a temporary drive-thru testing center. In Danville, patients with referrals from their physicians can visit the Brosville Clinic, which has been temporarily reopened specifically for testing purposes. We dont want the public to come to this clinic thinking that they can get tested or screened. Larson said. They need to come with a referral. The local health department is also working with other community organizations to establish a drive-thru testing center in the Danville and Pittsylvania County area. It may not be right away, but were working on it, Spillmann said. Northam issued a stay-at-home order Monday that extends through June 10. As of Wednesday evening, the Virginia Department of Health only reports five cases of the coronavirus in the Danville-Pittsylvania Health District. Thats because the website is updated every morning at 9 a.m. based on information from 5 p.m. the previous day. The websites slower than our discussion of it, Parker said. Even with the grim picture of the next few months painted by officials and health experts on all levels, Spillmann remains optimistic that with effective social distancing there is an end in sight. This is something that is going to take months to pass, but I want to emphasize that it will pass, Spillmann said. Ayers reports for the Register & Bee. Reach him at (434) 791-7981. Ayers reports for the Register & Bee. Reach him at (434) 791-7981. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The United States health care system is mobilizing to triage a public health emergency that is rapidly taking members of its workforce out of the ranks. Grim projections from the country's leading health officials over the weekend emphasized the toll the novel coronavirus could have on the U.S. healthcare workforce, one that is buckling under a surge in demand and an inadequate supply of protective gear that is endangering the lives of front-line responders. At a White House coronavirus task force press briefing Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said it is possible that 100,000 to 200,000 people in the U.S. will die from the novel coronavirus. MORE: COVID-19 vaccine candidates: 6 front-runners Amid an alarming rise in cases in California where hospitalizations have doubled and ICU admissions have tripled in recent days, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched an initiative Monday aimed at increasing the ranks of the state's health care workforce in advance of an expected surge in coronavirus patients. "If you're a nursing school student, a medical school student, we need you," Gov. Newsom said at a press conference Monday. The newly created California Health Corps will recruit health care providers, including medical students nearing completion of their studies, to address what the governor called the "human capital surge" that the state will need to ensure an adequate workforce is available to assist in the state's pandemic response. Medical students nationwide, just months away from becoming resident doctors, are eager to alleviate the pressure on health care professionals by joining the fight. "Theres a large group of resilient people out there who are ready to go on the front lines and help," said Lizzie Andrews, a fourth-year medical student at Texas A&M who will start her residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in June. "Weve been preparing for this for all four years and thats what we want to do--we want to help people," Andrews said. "Thats why we got into medicine in the first place." Story continues Starting residency amid a global pandemic is something most medical students never imagined doing. Less than two weeks ago, fourth-year students were matched to the hospital residency programs where they will begin their careers as doctors. According to the National Resident Match Program, the 2020 match was the programs largest in its history with a record-high of 40,084 applications for 37,256 positions. Although some states require residents to have training licenses, New York law allows students who have graduated medical school to manage patients without a medical license, as long as it occurs under the supervision of a licensed physician and as a part of an accredited residency program. Some schools are offering early graduation In response to a similar directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo to add to New York's health care workforce, New York medical schools announced last week they would allow fourth-year medical students to graduate early, in an effort to ease the burden the coronavirus has placed on the state's health care system. Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has offered its fourth-year medical students temporary employment at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital until they depart for their respective residency programs, according to a letter sent to students and provided to ABC News. MORE: Coronavirus map: Tracking the spread in the US and around the world But efforts to fast-track medical students to the front lines of the U.S. pandemic response are complicated by several factors, including inflexible state licensing requirements and a severe lack of personal protective equipment that is crippling the ability of existing first responders to do their jobs safely. In Washington state, where the first U.S. coronavirus case was recorded in January, a spokesperson for the University of Washington School of Medicine told ABC News Monday the school has no plans to graduate its medical students early. The decision was in part due to the state medical board, which has not changed its licensing requirements to allow students to go into their residency training if they were to graduate early. The spokesperson also told ABC News the residency programs are currently overwhelmed and cannot handle the onboarding of new interns or residents and had also experienced issues related to a shortage of personal protective equipment. PHOTO: A University of Florida medical student prepares to test a resident of The Villages, Fla. at a drive-through site at The Villages Polo Club, Monday, March 23, 2020. (Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) In California, a spokesperson from Stanford University told ABC News Monday the school did not expect to adjust the date of graduation for medical students. The spokesperson also said Stanford Medicine did not have staffing shortages and was redeploying current staff to areas where they were most needed. Elsewhere in the country, state governments and health officials are preparing for the surge in their own communities and facilitating the changes needed to increase the workforce with medical school graduates. Amid an escalating situation in Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker has prepared for the surge in coronavirus patients with response plans that include options to deploy medical students. Last week top health experts, including the Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, warned Chicago was one of the major U.S. cities identified as future hotspots. "The governor and his administration are exploring every option at our disposal to ensure the safety and well-being of all Illinois residents during this crisis," Jose Sanchez Molina, the governors deputy press secretary, said in a statement to ABC News. "The administration is working closely with universities across the state and early graduation for medical students is an option we are looking into," Molina said. In Massachusetts, the state worked with the deans of medical schools on early graduations to expand the "cadre of physicians" who can join the state's fight against COVID-19, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said during one of Gov. Charlie Baker's daily press conferences last week. According to Sudders, the state's Board of Registration of Medicine is prepared to provide medical school graduates with provisional 90-day limited licenses to practice medicine. Top Boston institutions, including Harvard Medical School, responded by announcing early graduation options for medical students. In hard-hit southern California, at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Dr. Clarence Braddock, the vice dean for education at the David Geffen School of Medicine, told ABC News Monday UCLA would offer early graduation to its medical students if they have met the requirements and are matched to a residency program that wants to start and hire them early. "Were going to need them," Braddock said in an interview with ABC News last week. "Maybe some places sooner than others, but were definitely going to need them." He called the current situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic unprecedented. "I have been in medicine for close to 40 years and this is not like anything Ive seen in my career." Medical grad students face equipment shortages While health experts acknowledge the assistance medical students can offer in the pandemic response, they remain divided on the extent of the role these soon-to-be doctors can play. Despite the willingness of medical students to join responders on the front lines, the critical shortage of personal protective equipment to safeguard them from infection has frustrated that process. "In many ways, they are at their peak of medical knowledge," Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, the president of the Federation of State Medical Boards, told ABC News. "Many of them know the basic sort of physical diagnosis skills that they need, and they feel frustrated," Chaudhry said in the interview. "And I understand their frustration, but I think we have to look out for their health as well." Dr. Janis Orlowski, the chief health officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), said the organization was trying to respond to workforce and supply issues and make smart decisions about the involvement of medical students and resident physicians. MORE: New 3D printing techniques could ease medical supply shortages in coronavirus fight "Were trying to expand the workforce and were trying to make sure that we keep the workforce safe so that they can continue to work," Orlowski told ABC News in an interview last Thursday. She said younger doctors make more mistakes in using protective equipment and protective gowns, but that the AAMC would continue working on their involvement. Chaudry said he hoped the limited personal protective gear would be addressed. "It would not be ethical, to be honest, to have thousands of medical students helping out in hospitals or in clinics or in county health departments without that equipment," he said. Obstacles for foreign medical students Another factor complicating the health care system's pandemic response is the thousands of foreign doctors set to come to the U.S. for residency programs in American hospitals. According to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, international medical graduates account for a quarter of the active physician workforce and stand to play a critical role in combatting COVID-19. Their ability to contribute was in jeopardy after a March 18 announcement that the U.S. was suspending routine visa processing due to the coronavirus, which included the types of visas used for international medical graduates entering the U.S. for residency programs. However, a new communication from the U.S. Department of State last Friday signaled the U.S. would resume processing J and H visa applications for medical professionals seeking to enter the U.S. Despite the development, there are still significant obstacles for international medical graduates. Widespread international flight restrictions that may still be in place at the start of residency programs and embassy closures throughout the world are just some barriers they may encounter on the journey to the U.S. to begin residency programs. MORE: The battle to protect health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic In the event foreign doctors cannot travel to the U.S., hospitals will face real problems in meeting health care needs and combating the COVID-19 health care crisis, according to Dr. William W. Pinsky, the president and CEO of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. "I think theyre going to have to deploy people differently," Pinsky said in an interview with ABC News. "Itll be a real issue." Hospitals nationwide are preemptively addressing any potential complications, including those involving foreign doctors, which might delay adding physicians to their ranks. Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit is proactively addressing the issues facing international medical graduates by working to ensure that anybody who is on a visa is not assigned to a critical rotation for the first month to two months of the residency program, according to Dr. Kimberly Baker-Genaw, the director of medical education. Hospitals innovate to onboard residents Although Henry Ford Hospital intends to welcome first-year residents in person, Baker-Genaw told ABC News the hospital is trying to be proactive in its onboarding plans. "We have already implemented a plan to orient the group virtually and are working along a pretty rapid path to put that in place," Baker-Genaw said. A spokesperson for the Inova hospital system, which maintains a vast integrated network of hospitals, primary care and emergency centers in Virginia told ABC News that Inova was considering conducting resident orientation via Zoom remote conferencing services. Braddock also told ABC News the UCLA hospital system was reviewing the workflow of onboarding new residents and actively exploring whether some of that process and training could be pushed to remote methods. "We believe that the idea of accelerating the onboarding of residents is one of many effective strategies to supplement the workforce quickly and efficiently," Braddock said. For medical students on the cusp of becoming resident doctors, the unprecedented health emergency of the coronavirus pandemic has brought an expedited end to their education and unconventional start to their professional careers. "We are in uncharted territory," Emily Gonzalez, a fourth-year medical student who will begin her residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, told ABC News. "Its scary, but fourth-year medical students are ready to get involved. We are living history right now." ABC News' Matt Furhman contributed to this report. What to know about coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map As coronavirus patients surge, medical students rushed into practice to fight pandemic originally appeared on abcnews.go.com YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated the Assyrian community of Armenia on Kha b-Nisan the Assyrian New Year, the PMs Office told Armenpress. The congratulatory letter says: Dear representatives of the Assyrian community of Armenia, I warmly congratulate you on the Assyrian New Year - Kha b-Nisan. I wish our Assyrian brothers and sisters peace and welfare, as well as determination and consistency in preserving the Assyrian peoples national identity and culture heritage. During these days of the epidemic I also wish you all good health and patience to overcome these difficulties facing the humanity. Let the New Year bring success, achievements and progress. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan At least five rabbis from Lakewood, N.J., have died after contracting Should we wear masks to the grocery store? What coronavirus experts say, with Rabbi Michoel Tzvi Fettman, 39 and the father of nine, the most recent to succumb to the viral epidemic that has so far killed nearly 200 people in New Jersey. Fettman died on Monday, according to the Lakewood Scoop. The Jerusalem Post reported 44 rabbis outside of Israel have died so far as a result of coronavirus, most of them in the New York City metropolitan area. The majority came from the Orthodox community. They included Lakewood residents Avrohom Eliezer Gordon, a rabbi for nearly 50 years at Yeshiva Bais Dovid in Monsey, N.Y., before recently moving to Lakewood; Rabbi Avraham Levi Bressler, 58, a noted scholar and father of three; Rabbi Chaim Weill; and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Schmidt, one of the owners of Paskez Candy in Brooklyn. Coronavirus has hit particularly hard in Lakewood, the fastest growing and most populous town in Ocean County. The number of those testing positive for COVID-19 stands at 399, according to the latest figures released Monday afternoon by the county health department. With the increase of testing and a close-knit population of more than 110,000, it is no surprise to epidemiologists that the number of those testing positive for coronavirus in Lakewood has been increasing in recent days. The Ocean County town hosts both a large Orthodox Jewish community and a large number of seniors living in sprawling retirement communities. Jersey City leads the state in COVID-19 cases. Mayor Steven Fulop said there are now 820 confirmed cases and six fatalities. More: Pa. man distraught after losing job over coronavirus shoots girlfriend, himself: I talked to God and I have to do this Child welfare services worry about kids who have gone off the grid during coronavirus pandemic With 100K to 240K projected U.S. coronavirus deaths, Trump says to prepare for a hell of a bad two weeks When David Hanscom tested positive for COVID-19, he was devastated. I was shocked, said Hanscom, who lives in the Bay Area. He didnt think the test would come back positive, and he downplayed his disappointment for his wife, who ended up testing negative. I mean statistically, its just a few hundred people out of millions in California, and I was just shocked. I was pretty bummed out about it, but then I realized it actually turned out to be a gift, right? Because Hanscom is now part of the large percentage of people who contract the CCP virus, known as novel coronavirus, and have recovered. Its currently understood that people who have recovered should not be contagious again, and are immune. Extreme Fatigue Hanscom and his wife had been out on a ski trip in Utah from March 5 to March 8, and on the afternoon of March 10, he started feeling sick. It came on suddenly, and he was aching all over his body and felt like he had a very high fever. It turned out to be barely a fever, at 99.4 degrees, but compounded with the muscle aches and extreme fatigue he was feeling, he and his wife went to the doctor. No one at the ski lodge has since gotten sick that Hanscom knows of, and no one theyd been in touch with since returning has either. Hanscom and his wife did not go to a high-traffic area, so technically they were not required to test for COVID-19. But Hanscom and his wife wanted to know, and his wife specifically requested it. So I get tested with a nasal swab, it came back positive on the 16th, Hanscom said. Hanscom experienced aching that lasted two or three days, a mild dry cough with no other respiratory symptoms, and extreme fatigue that lasted about a week. And then since the 23rd on, I have been completely normal, Hanscom said. Since then, his wife is staying at home, while Hanscom runs essential errands like their weekly grocery run, being careful to do things like washing his hands once hes at home with her. Anxiety and Isolation In Alameda County, where Hanscom is, he was advised to stay home until he was asymptomatic for three consecutive days, which means he has since been cleared to be out and about despite messages to self-quarantine; he wishes more people were clearly aware of this. I was actually cleared to go into society on the 21st, he said. Look, were sequestering people, which Im in favor of, but were putting people into jail and were not telling them how to get out. Hanscom thinks its critical for people like him to get back to participating in society and the economy, and to be seen, which could bring other people hope. He thinks more testing should be done, so people who have gotten sick can be sure whether theyve recovered from COVID-19, rather than, say, a cold. Were locking people into their houses without much hope. And we know about three-fourths of the people are going to be exposed to the virus, thats just the way its going to be. And most people are not going to get sick but some people are, and a certain number of people are going to die, which is horrible. He says getting people back into circulation is vital, and he thinks the more testing we can do, the faster we can achieve that. Hanscom stresses the severity of the effects of isolation, as people are in voluntary self-quarantine all over the country and not without tradeoffs, both economically and in terms of our anxiety. Hanscom is a spine surgeon whose practice focused on patients with failed back surgeries, and has since quit his practice to focus on helping people take control of chronic pain. As an expert on chronic pain, he also knows plenty about anxiety, and has written many articles on decreasing it, which ties into this disease in several ways. Paradoxically, anxiety is not a psychological issue. Its just a sensation generated by elevated stress chemicals, its a stress response, he said. And what happens when the stress response is sustained, is it actually compromises your immune system. Humans have thoughts that create the same reaction as a physical threat, and we cant escape our thoughts, so every human has some level of anxiety based on threata perceived threat or real threat, Hanscom said. So Hanscoms concern is twofold: without knowing if there will be a way out of our state of emergency, the anxiety takes a toll on many peoples immune systems, and the physical social isolation itself adds an obstacle to lowering this stress response because we are not seeing other people. He said, When you socially isolate, youre dysregulating the autonomic nervous system, because we are not regularly seeing and processing other peoples facial reactions, which is one way we gauge threat level. So my wife right now is pretty terrified because she doesnt know if shes safe or not. I know Im safe, he said. Im free. I mean, I know I had it, and I healed, he said. And really its an incredible feeling to just be let out of this cage. A neighborhood in Spring is working to spread positivity amid the novel coronavirus pandemic with a grassroots project that encourages others to create uplifting and funny poster signs. Karen Garcia, 33, said on Sunday she spotted the line of posters along a fence located near the entrance to her Spring neighborhood, Memorial Northwest. Since her company is deemed essential, Garcia said she is currently still working as a speech therapist assistant. She admitted the never-ending cycle of bad news surrounding the pandemic has gotten her down lately. Then while out on a walk for fresh air in her neighborhood, she spotted the signs. GOOD NEWS: Houston-area neighborhood brings smiles with hilarious 'surviving pandemic' photo shoot "It gave me a sense of hope that everything is going to be okay and thats why I wanted to post it online, so everyone could see it," Garcia said. After word spread of the posters, a staple gun and antibacterial soap was left at the fence for others to add their own creations. "Then people around the neighborhood started adding to it," Garcia said. "Some were really positive, some were funny and just made you laugh." Spring resident RJ Hegedus said the project was his wife Summer's idea. "She wanted something for the kids to do to make this whole wild experience fun instead of stressful," Hegedus wrote to Chron.com. "People in the neighborhood posted about our signs on Nextdoor and some asked if they could hang their own signs. That's when I decided to put up a sign telling people to feel free to hang their own artwork on the fence and I put out a staple gun and duct tape. It just kind of took off from there." Other neighborhoods across Houston are trying to make the best of a horrible situation by placing stuffed animals in their windows and hosting creative neighborhood photo shoots. During such troubling times, it's positive actions like these that remind others just how strong Houston can be. Click through the photos above for a look at the Spring neighborhood's poster project... ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Houston could hit peak cases in May 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 After I was told I'd been exposed to the novel coronavirus, I tried to follow the best medical advice. I started working from home. I socially isolated. And I "self-monitored" for signs I'd been infected. Or, at least, I tried to. COVID-19 symptoms seem pretty clear. The dry cough and difficulty breathing. Fatigue. And the fever. To track all that, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who may have been exposed take their temperature twice daily. As someone who covers the outbreak, I understand the soundness of this advice. There's a nationwide shortage of coronavirus diagnostics, so health care providers are trying to reserve tests for people who have been exposed, are symptomatic or are at clear risk of dangerous complications. What the CDC's guidelines don't note: Taking your temperature is surprisingly difficult. Especially when, like most of my 20-something friends, you don't own a thermometer. (I do have a candy thermometer, but those aren't useful here. A meat thermometer wouldn't be, either.) I called my local CVS. They were sold out. Another friend told me he had checked four stores in our neighborhood and come up empty-handed. My twin brother was able to find one but he lives in Connecticut, almost 400 miles from me. When I checked online, I discovered I'd have to wait weeks to months for a thermometer, unless I was willing to shell out at least $50. I was not. Since I had no symptoms - I still felt comfortable going out for a run or doing yoga in my kitchen I decided to wait and watch. It's been two weeks, officially, and my only symptoms are cabin fever and existential anxiety. The coronavirus seemed a no-show. But was that the best course of action? And what should people in my situation do? I did what any health journalist would do. I researched and called the experts. Their advice was comforting. Splurging on a pricey thermometer isn't the right move, especially if you aren't showing symptoms. There are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of COVID-19 complications. And a few principles are worth considering. The number varies First of all, for people like my brother, who was able to find a thermometer in stock and buy it, or those who actually owned one long before this need arose, the number you're looking for varies. We're taught the average human temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But that isn't necessarily correct. Research published this year suggests the average human body temperature is a bit lower - maybe 97.9. It differs from person to person, based on factors like body weight, height, the weather, age or gender. "Some people are like, 'Oh, I run a low temperature.' 'Oh, I run high.' That's right! There is variation," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University. Generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 F or higher. But the timing matters, too. Some people running a fever might not register a high number in the morning but will by afternoon. That's because people run cooler in the morning, and their temperature peaks in the evening, usually from 4 to 9 p.m., he told me. If you are taking your temperature twice a day, at least one of those should be done during that evening window and ideally around the same time every day, to account for daily fluctuation. Another factor to consider when using oral thermometers, advised Dr. Leigh Vinocur, a Maryland-based physician and spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians: If you've just had hot coffee, or water or ice cream, wait a little bit before checking for fever. The equipment? That gets at another question. Are specific kinds of thermometers better than others? If you can't find a thermometer, everyone told me - again, don't worry. (There are lots of other things to worry about!) But if you have options, you don't need anything fancy. High-tech models, like the smart thermometer Kinsa, track and map where people register fevers. This has been touted as a way to help predict the spread of disease. But they're expensive. When in stock, they retail for between $35 and $69, per the manufacturer's website. There are other digital scanning thermometers that use infrared technology to scan someone's forehead from a distance! - and deliver an accurate temperature reading. These are the kinds used in high-traffic settings like the airport, or before journalists can enter White House press briefings scenarios in which you don't want to stick the same thermometer in multiple people's mouths, spreading germs. When in stock (and again, many are not), those can cost $60-$80. That doesn't include shipping, if you're ordering online. But those high-end devices aren't necessary, especially at home. "You don't have to have the most expensive one. You can get a cheap one," urged Dr. Brad Uren, an assistant professor and emergency doctor at the University of Michigan. Simple, under-the-tongue thermometers that (normally) retail for less than $10 are more than sufficient. Actually, scanning devices can be more vulnerable to user error, said Dr. Rob Davidson, an emergency physician in western Michigan. He has seen them misread temperatures as lower than what's accurate. In fact, when I was still trying to buy a thermometer, one friend warned me she has seen those lower readings occur at home a reason she refuses to buy scanning devices now. (She also doesn't currently have a thermometer.) Products marketed for children are fine for adults. The only real precaution, doctors told me, is to make sure you properly clean it between uses and among people - soapy water or sterilizing alcohol will usually do the trick. Mom had the right idea But for people like my friends, these are moot points. If we don't have thermometers and aren't ready to drop $50 on one, what else can we do? Don't sweat the number. A specific temperature is only one of many indications of a fever. People will also have alternating chills and sweats, and body aches. And doctors don't consider the precise number when deciding whether someone is ill. "Fever is a yes-no thing, and chills are a big thing," Davidson told me. The childhood forehead test may be less precise than a digital reading, but it's generally accurate in gauging sickness, he added. No wonder my mom relied on it to determine if her kids were well enough to go to school. Since talking to Davidson, my social isolation partner and I have designated each other as sole "forehead testers" for the duration of this period: an effective way to self-monitor and mitigate germ-spreading from either of us to the rest of the world. And if you are sick and seem to be registering a high body temperature? Call the doctor. If you're really worried (or if, like me, you don't have a primary care doctor), you may have to call the ER instead. That said, the severe shortage of coronavirus tests and medical supplies a shortage many worry will soon include hospital beds themselves - means running a temperature or having a fever won't get you into the hospital, even if you might have the coronavirus. It probably won't even qualify you for diagnostic testing. To register that level of concern, doctors said, you need to experience trouble breathing so bad that you feel winded walking to the mailbox or even to the refrigerator. If that doesn't happen, care for yourself at home. Self-isolate. Rest. Drink plenty of fluids, and take acetaminophen. (And my grain-of-salt advice: I swear by the healing powers or at least comfort capacity - of Cocoa Puffs and Ritz crackers.) Otherwise, follow basic infection-control guidelines (which don't necessarily involve rushing out to the drugstore as soon as a new stock of thermometers is delivered): Wash your hands frequently with soap. Avoid touching your face. Put on your favorite isolation playlist, or some early-season "Gilmore Girls," and practice your social distancing. New Delhi, April 1 : With 29 new positive cases reported on Wednesday from Nizamuddin Markaz, Delhi's tally of coronavirus patients cases reached 152. According to the Delhi Health Department, from Nizamuddin Markaz, 53 cases have been reported in two days, outnumbering the patients having foreign travel history. In Delhi, so far 51 positive cases have been reported from people having travel history abroad. No new deaths have been reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours. Two deaths have been reported in Delhi so far. A total of 170 coronavirus test reports are pending, the Delhi Health Department said. It says 2,943 persons are under observation at state quarantine facilities while 21,304 are under home quarantine. From the Nizamuddin Markaz, 536 people were shifted to hospitals, while 1,810 are at quarantine centers. Total 2,346 people were taken out of the building. The Health Department is expecting it to be the biggest contributor in the positive cases. By Katherine St. Martin stmartin@grinnell.edu This year Grinnell College had the highest number of international student applications in admissions history. Forbes also ranked the College as one of the top 50 colleges for international students for 2019. This month, VisitorGuide, a visitor insurance company, ranked the College the #1 institution for international students to visit. How does a small, rural college attract students from across the world? The recent rankings draw renewed attention to the Colleges strong history of international student outreach, dating back to 1974. Back when schools got letters from random international students asking to come, there was a woman from the College of Wooster and one from here who began to travel outside of the country to recruit. Those two were sort of pioneers from Grinnell, Jon Edwards, senior associate director and coordinator of international admissions, said of international recruitment. Since 2007, the international student population grew from being 12 percent of the student body to being 20 percent of it today. Grinnell admissions counselors typically travel around the world to different countries, doing the same things that they do at domestic high schools, but the stakes are much higher since distance restricts how often they can visit. A lot of the work we do is high school visits, college fairs, offering interviews, said Grace Lloyd, assistant director of admissions. Not only is it harder to recruit internationally due to the physical distance, but the competition makes it harder to distinguish the College from other U.S. schools, especially due to its midwestern location. Edwards noted that he often educates prospective international students about what a liberal arts college is and why they should consider coming to Iowa, a place not often represented in global media. When youre in these other countries, youre not just at a fair with a bunch of other American schools, theres British schools, theres Australian schools, European schools, so the competition is truly global, Edwards said. Despite outreach efforts by the office of admissions, some students discover Grinnell all on their own. Saule Keliauskaite 23 is from Lithuania and was looking for American schools that offer generous financial aid to international students. She discovered Grinnell after extensive online research. Back home we dont have a lot of counseling, so its basically you and a computer and doing research yourself, Keliauskaite said. Fellow first-year Derin Sivrioglu 23 from Turkey also found Grinnell using her own means. I had one friend who was studying here from my high school. He was very happy here and said its great and to come, Sivrioglu said. Both Keliauskaite and Sivrioglu did not visit the College before deciding to attend. Lloyd noted that international students rarely visit Grinnell due to travel distance. I did a lot of research, I went everywhere to get a feel for the school online, I even found a virtual tour of campus to get a sense of was searching for videos and going through blogs to get the vibe of the campus before I got here, Keliauskaite said. Sivrioglu was a little surprised when she arrived because the downtown of Grinnell was much different than she expected. It was very shocking because I didnt know how small the town was, and all the pictures of Grinnell are just showing the JRC, so I imagined all the buildings to look like that, Sivrioglu said. In the future, Edwards wants to make sure that the rising number of international students is met with adequate resources once they get to Grinnell. Edwards added that as the College continues to be ranked highly and attract more international students, finding the balance between outreach, acceptance and support for them will be key. The Office of International Student Affairs does a lot of work, because we want to bring students in that will be supported, he said. While Keliauskaite may have had to do her own research to end up as a student at Grinnell, she thinks that the Colleges outreach may result in more students from Lithuanian high schools in the future. This year, actually, Jon Edwards went to Lithuania and met with my dad and visited schools in Lithuania, she said. ABOUT 103 paralegals have been provided with refresher training on existing laws, regulations, guidelines and policies which are related to paralegal work in Zanzibar. The training also facilitated the paralegals with necessary skills for implementation of their work, which is to support marginalized community in need of legal aid services to access legal education and assistance at no cost across the country. Speaking on behalf of the other refreshers during the training held in Pemba yesterday, Mr Rashid Hasan Mshamata from Wete said the training has equipped them with skills and techniques in providing legal aid and education in the communities, particularly on how to deal with legal issues, ethics, their mandate in dispute resolution, understanding and interpretation of the law to mention a few. The training we received has been of vital importance, because it reflected our duties related to the provision of legal aid and education to the communities, he said. He further said that during the training, a strong call was made for the paralegals to make use of the acquired skills in executing their daily obligations. Paralegals were urged to adhere to provided guidelines as well as increase working relationship with the government, he said. On her part, Ms Zaina Omari Othman from Micheweni said the training has become an important empowerment tool for them in implementing their duties on legal aid to the community. We are happy to learn new things that have added value to our understanding on various legal issues that will bring positive impact in the society we serve, she said. She said the training has further enhanced their understanding of legal rights pertaining to people with special needs in the community. However, Capacity Development Officer from LSF, Victoria Mshana said the objective of the training was to update the existing paralegals as required by the legal aid act of Zanzibar. It meant to update paralegals on the existing laws, regulations, guidelines and policies related to paralegal work to ensure quality of service at all times. LSF works closely with the government on both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar to promote access to justice for the needy, especially women and other vulnerable groups, said Victoria. She added that with the training, it is expected that paralegals will abide by legal aid providers regulations, including registration of legal aid providers in the system. She further highlighted that the refresher training in Unguja has been postponed due to the Corona outbreak. Legal Services Facility LSF supports paralegal work in the country, where more than 3950 active paralegals are located in every district of Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar to offer legal education to the community so that they can know and use the law to access their rights, but they also offer legal aid services to the marginalised community at no cost. On average, paralegals attend to over 70,000 cases yearly, where 60 per cent of these cases are resolved while 22 per cent are ongoing cases and 16 per cent are referred to higher authority while two per cent are unresolved cases. Most cases attended by paralegals are related to land disputes, matrimonial and criminal cases, child maintenance and gender based violence case. Six people who returned to Shivamogga from Delhi, and are likely to have participated in the Nizamuddin congregation in the capital, have been quarantined at McGann District Hospital, an official said on Wednesday. "Six people came back from Delhi on March 28, they probably participated in the Nizamuddin event (Markaz) as per our information. All of them are quarantined at McGann District Hospital," Shivamogga District Health Officer (DHO) R Suragihalli said. Suragihalli said that these people don't have any symptoms of COVID-19 yet but precautionary measures are being taken. This comes after several people who participated in the Tablighi Markaz in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi have tested positive for coronavirus. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the number of people who participated in the event between March 13-16, but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. So far, as many as 76 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state. The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 1,397 after 146 new patients were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nursing students Jasmine Jones (left) and Genesis Sanchez (right) with Laura Gitlin, dean of the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions in a clinical simulation room at the school. The college has the largest bachelor program in the three-state region. Read more Want to make big bucks out of college or trade schools? Study nursing. It doesnt matter whether its an associates or bachelors degree. Pay has risen as health care has become a larger part of the U.S. economy, according to a trove of recently released federal data on graduate earnings and debt from which The Inquirer has built an extensive online search tool. At 10 of 11 Pennsylvania public colleges with nursing programs, nursing graduates had the highest median earnings right out of college. And among more than 70 nursing bachelor programs in the region, graduates of 17 of those programs took home median earnings of at least $70,000 a year, more than double the $34,700 median for all just-graduated bachelors. The 13 top-paying undergraduate certificate programs or associates degrees at community colleges were all nursing. For the analysis, The Inquirer looked at academic programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Kathryn Bowles got her bachelors degree in nursing from Edinboro University in 1978, one of the more affordable state schools, a masters from Villanova in 1990, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. Those set her on a course to become a successful entrepreneur and professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she holds the van Ameringen Chair in Nursing Excellence. A bachelor of science sets the foundation for a myriad of directions. she said. There are multiple opportunities in addition to hospital nursing. You can start a business, be an entrepreneur, you can do research or go into the pharmaceutical or insurance industry, or even health-care law. Her daughter-in-law is now a nurse-lawyer, earning a B.S. in nursing at Penn and a law degree from Pepperdine. Her son is a nurse anesthetist, a top-paying nursing specialty, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Grads earn a median of $174,790 a year. With the price of college soaring along with student debt, many students now find they must plan for what their earnings prospects will be after graduation. Health care now accounting for about 20% of the nations gross domestic product, or GDP is now an industrial-sized employer, like General Motors and other automakers in the mid-20th century. Drexel University popular for decades for its engineering and business co-op programs graduates more nursing bachelors than any other academic college on its campus. And thats been true since 2013, said Kymberlee Montgomery, Drexels senior associate dean of nursing and student affairs. Even inside Drexel, the nursing boom has gone largely unnoticed because nursing is not a self-promoter," she said. Whats true at Drexel is also true for the region. Nursing represents the largest bachelors program in the tri-state region, Department of Education data show. The other largest nursing programs include Wilmington University, Thomas Edison State University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and Thomas Jefferson University. And the growth has occurred so quickly that Drexels nursing programs main classrooms arent even based on its main campus in West Philadelphia, but are instead in Center City. Genesis Sanchez, 23, a senior Drexel nursing student from Mayfair, said that there were easily 200 nursing students in required courses as freshmen, such as anatomy or psychology. But the Drexel nursing classes in later years are much smaller as students drop out due to the difficult coursework. Sanchez, who is is graduating in June, has had co-ops at CHOP, Pennsylvania Hospital, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Jasmine Jones, also 23, a senior and fifth-year nursing major who was raised in Linden, N.J., said, "When I was talking to people in high school, they really didnt know about Drexel. Jones defrayed some of the Drexel costs with scholarships and contributions from her family and will graduate owing $40,000 to $50,000. "Going to Drexel, there was going to be debt, Jones said. The reason I chose nursing over communications was because I knew it was expensive and I knew I would have debt, and I needed a job that was going to pay so that I could pay my bills. Jones is considering new residency programs for nursing graduates to enter specialties such as the ICU a trend in the field, Jones said. Drexel nursing students shuttle between West Philadelphia and Center City not ideal, Drexel officials acknowledge. But that will change. Construction was to begin this year on a 13-floor building for classes, offices and labs on the Drexel campus for the nursing and health professions programs. The Drexel Academic Tower will be one of our taller buildings and it will anchor the western edge of the Drexel campus, said Donald Moore, the universitys vice president for real estate and facilities. Keep Down the Debt Heres an important point: Some high-paying degrees still confer more debt than others, according to a recent Georgetown University study that looked at college investment returns on investment. Its key to choose those that offer similar degrees and less borrowing. Seton Hall masters graduates in nursing leave the program with a median of more than $81,000 in debt, earning $90,000 upon graduation. Thats an extremely high ratio of debt-to-income that could be hard for graduates to pay back. A nursing masters graduate from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., earns more than $165,000, but leaves with a whopping $114,000 in median debt. For those earning advanced degrees, such as a masters in nursing, many times you graduate with a B.S. and you can work in a hospital and then the employer pays for your masters. "Thats how nurses can avoid debt, said Bowles. To be a nurse scientist, a doctorate is often covered by fellowships or the school through research or teaching assistant positions. Bowles went on to co-found RightCare Solutions in 2012 by leveraging her nursing and research to create a system to reduce the need for hospital readmission. RightCare was acquired by NaviHealth in 2015. Villanova and Penn have opportunities for student scholarships, but you dont know until you get in the door, said Melissa OConnor, associate professor of nursing at Villanova, and chair of the board of trustees of Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia. Pay attention to the schools state board/licensing exam pass rate, OConnor said. Dont go to a four-year college for nursing that doesnt have a high pass rate for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) test. Villanovas is 96.7%, she said. It should be in the 90s, at least. If you dont pass, whats the sense of getting the degree? UPDATE THURSDAY: Lakewood police break up funeral with 60-70 people, issue 15 summonses for coronavirus lockdown violations Last Thursday, dozens of people gathered in small groups in a Lakewood neighborhood and stood witness as a couple was to be married in a traditional Orthodox Jewish ceremony. In very unorthodox fashion, the guests watched from three adjacent backyards on Wayne Street in an attempt to limit the number of people in any one yard. But before it was over, police showed up and broke up the festivities, issuing a criminal complaint to the host, 39-year-old William Katzenstein, for failing to abide by the governors ban on such gatherings amid the growing coronavirus pandemic that continues to spread unabated across the state. On Sunday, Eliezer Silber, 37, and his wife Miriam Silber, 34, decided to go ahead with a planned Bat Mitzvah in Lakewood. Between 40 and 50 people showed up to celebrate before police again arrived to shut it down, Eliezer and Miriam Silber were both charged. On Monday morning, as the state was in the second week on lockdown, Lakewood police broke up a group of 35 men gathered at a yeshiva on Madison Avenue. Then Tuesday night, authorities in town ended an engagement party with at least 16 people in attendance and charged 10, including a 99-year-old man. From Newark to Penns Grove, police have been breaking up illegal gatherings across at least 10 New Jersey counties, involving those who continue to flout rules meant to serve as a firebreak in a viral epidemic that has so far killed 355 people in the state. But more than anywhere else, Lakewood one of the states hotspots with 438 residents testing positive for COVID-19 has found itself in an unwelcome spotlight, mostly over continued violations involving wedding ceremonies and other religious events. While authorities keep snuffing out events as they flare up and town leaders are taking an increasingly firm stances against any and all events, including small weddings, brides and grooms keep coming together in primarily Orthodox ceremonies that all but ignore the realities of a virus that has so far taken the lives of five rabbis who live here. Nobodys going to say its OK," Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coles said. Its wrong, it has to stop. Health officials on Wednesday reported 3,649 new cases of coronavirus in the state, bringing the total to at least 22,255. Wednesday was the fifth straight day that more than 2,000 new cases were reported. Lakewoods 450 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday are the most of any town in Ocean County, which has 1,256 total cases, according to the Ocean County Health Department. The situation in Lakewood, as around the state, is changing quickly as the virus continues to spread deep into communities, forcing the towns leaders to adopt a different tone. A little more than a week ago, as Lakewoods leaders were urging people to stay home and avoid synagogues and wedding halls to slow the spread of coronavirus, they remained hesitant to call for a complete ban on weddings. Betrothal, or kiddushin, is a commandment for Orthodox Jews that comes right out of Genesis, and remains a central part of day-to-day life in the Ocean County town. Aaron Kotler, the president of Beth Medrash Govoha yeshiva and one of the most powerful men in Lakewood, said then he thought weddings would probably continue in backyards with very limited guest lists. And Meir Lichtenstein, a town committeeman, then agreed. But now the Lakewood leaders say all weddings, even small ones, should be stopped. Even if theres a way within the guidelines to figure out how to have weddings, were asking people to recognize the spirit of the law, not just the letter, Lichtenstein said Sunday. Obviously, the purpose is not to look for ways around the rules. Public health experts agree that people remaining isolated for an extended period of time is the best way to slow the spread of coronavirus. Analyses from Rutgers University-Camden project that the social-distancing measures ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy could prevent N.J. hospitals from being completely overwhelmed and limit the total number of people sick from the virus. But thats only if people stay away from each other and avoid gatherings of any size. "No more knucklehead gatherings or parties. We have got to stay home, Murphy said Monday, noting that the violations have occurred around the state. Police broke up a large party in Ewing Township last week and Newark police shut down 15 non-essential businesses in one night and issued 161 summonses for people in violation of the orders. In Lakewood, police will continue responding to events and will keep charging the hosts with criminal complaints, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer. Lakewood is a town of 110,000 people and we have compliance from 99 percent, Billhimer said. But we keep having a few bumps in the road. Were going to keep going out there until we have compliance." Lichtenstein agreed that the vast majority of people in Lakewood are in compliance. He noted that without coronavirus the town would have five or six weddings a night at this time of year, and said dozens of weddings have been pushed back in town because of the restrictions. He said hes received numerous phone calls from people in the community asking about getting married and that hes started to advise them to postpone the weddings. Weddings are of particular importance in Jewish communities because Jewish law requires marriage before men and women can start a family and the first mitzvah or commandment in the Torah is to be fruitful and multiply, according to Deborah Lipstadt, a prominent Jewish scholar and current professor at Emory University. Lipstadt said that the Holocaust, during which six million of Europes 9.5 million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany, is another reason Jews take the responsibility to start families so seriously and are loath to delay weddings. They feel they are observing something tremendously important, Lipstadt said. They see, if anything theyre put on this earth to do, is to replenish. But Lipstadt added that by holding weddings now, theyre also violating other Jewish laws. They are bringing damage to themselves and bringing damage to the larger Jewish community," she said. Saving a life and protecting a life takes precedent over other tradition, she added. To try to put a stop to these events altogether in Lakewood, Coles, Lichtenstein and other town leaders are working harder to reach more people. They are working with prominent rabbis in town to get the word out about the dangers of coronavirus, recording robocalls, posting on The Lakewood Scoop and other well-read local publications, both men said. More local residents charged for maintaining nuisance. No gatherings allowed. Stay home, Stay safe. Wait until the crisis is over. The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) March 30, 2020 Coles said he has instructed Lakewoods police chief not only to charge the people who are hosting the events, but also to fine the companies that are renting tables and chairs, and to confiscate the furniture until the crisis is over. Lipstadt, the Jewish scholar, agrees with Lakewoods leaders that using the rabbis to get the message out is the most effective way to reach the towns sizable Orthodox community. There is a degree of, Wait a minute, you think I should listen to the mayor of my town or the governor of my state over the Torah? she said. Thats why the onus is on their leaders. Their leadership has to come down very hard on them. There is an anger in the Jewish community toward this," Lipstadt said about people violating orders against gatherings. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Payton Guion may be reached at PGuion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Research from MIT prof. suggests coronavirus could travel 27 feet; Fauci calls it misleading Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force led by Vice President Mike Pence, called recent research by an MIT professor suggesting the new coronavirus could travel up to 27 feet misleading. Im sorry, but I was disturbed by that report because thats misleading, Fauci said Tuesday, according to the New York Post. In the research paper, titled "Turbulent Gas Clouds and Respiratory Pathogen Emissions," which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on March 26, MIT associate professor Lydia Bourouiba suggested that social distancing recommendations of six feet might not be enough to prevent people from spreading the deadly new coronavirus because they were developed using an outdated understanding of diseases transmission. In 1897, Carl Flugge showed that pathogens were present in expiratory droplets large enough to settle around an infected individual. Droplet transmission by contact with the ejected and infected fluid phase of droplets was thought to be the primary route for respiratory transmission of diseases. This view prevailed until William F. Wells focused on tuberculosis transmission in the 1930s and dichotomized respiratory droplet emissions into large and small droplets, Bourouiba wrote. Infection control strategies were developed based on whether a respiratory infectious disease is primarily transmitted via the large or the small droplet route, she continued. The dichotomy of large vs small droplets remains at the core of the classification systems of routes of respiratory disease transmission adopted by the World Health Organization and other agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These classification systems employ various arbitrary droplet diameter cutoffs, from 5 to 10 m, to categorize host-to-host transmission as droplets or aerosol routes. Such dichotomies continue to underlie current risk management, major recommendations, and allocation of resources for response management associated with infection control, including for COVID-19, she said. As the world struggles to contain the new coronavirus, Bourouiba suggested that this could be because of new research that suggests that exhalations, sneezes and coughs consist of not just droplets but are primarily made of a multiphase turbulent gas (a puff) cloud that entrains ambient air and traps and carries within it clusters of droplets with a continuum of droplet sizes. She explained that in a turbulent gas cloud, droplets can live for much longer than when they are isolated. Under these conditions, the lifetime of a droplet could be considerably extended by a factor of up to 1000, from a fraction of a second to minutes. Owing to the forward momentum of the cloud, pathogen bearing droplets are propelled much farther than if they were emitted in isolation without a turbulent puff cloud trapping and carrying them forward, she said. How far these turbulent gas cloud droplets travel, Bourouiba explained, is impacted by a persons physiology as well as environmental conditions such as humidity. Given various combinations of an individual patients physiology and environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature, the gas cloud and its payload of pathogen bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet, she said. Fauci said at a White House press briefing, however, that it would take a very, very robust, vigorous, achoo sneeze for droplets to even come close to traveling such a distance. Bourouiba noted in her paper: A 2020 report from China demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus particles could be found in the ventilation systems in hospital rooms of patients with COVID-19. Finding virus particles in these systems is more consistent with the turbulent gas cloud hypothesis of disease transmission than the dichotomous model because it explains how viable virus particles can travel long distances from patients. Whether these data have clinical implications with respect to COVID-19 is unknown. As a result of this unknown, she suggested that it could generate an underappreciated potential exposure range for a health care worker and recommended that they wear appropriate personal protection equipment, which would also need to be improved beyond the current standard of PPEs like N95 masks. The protective efficacy of N95 masks depends on their ability to filter incoming air from aerosolized droplet nuclei. However, these masks are only designed for a certain range of environmental and local conditions and a limited duration of usage. Mask efficacy as source control depends on the ability of the mask to trap or alter the high-momentum gas cloud emission with its pathogenic payload, she said. Currently used surgical and N95 masks are not tested for these potential characteristics of respiratory emissions. She added: There is a need to understand the biophysics of host-to-host respiratory disease transmission accounting for in-host physiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiological spread of disease. The rapid spread of COVID-19 highlights the need to better understand the dynamics of respiratory disease transmission by better characterizing transmission routes, the role of patient physiology in shaping them, and best approaches for source control to potentially improve protection of front-line workers and prevent disease from spreading to the most vulnerable members of the population. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. The hot spots map shows the share of population with a new reported case over the last week. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (daily confirmed and suspected Covid-19 hospital admissions); Census Bureau (population data). Data prior to October 2020 was unreliable. Data reported in the most recent seven days may be incomplete. This chart shows for each age group the number of people per 100,000 that were newly admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). Tests, hospitalizations and deaths show seven-day averages. Hospitalization data may not yet be available for yesterday. Figures shown are the most recent data available. The New York Times is tracking mask policies at the state level, including current federal guidance by county and where leaders are rejecting such guidance or mandates. Read more here Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. About this data Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, U.S. Census Bureau. The C.D.C. reported on Nov. 30 that booster doses are sometimes misclassified as first doses, which may overestimate first dose coverage among adults. Information on cases linked to these places comes from official releases by governments, companies and institutions directly. The Times is publishing lists of groupings of 50 or more cases related to a specific site, workplace or event. In the first year of the pandemic, The Times tracked cases in the types of places with some of the worst outbreaks, like nursing homes , food processing plants and correctional facilities . Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (hospitalizations); Centers for Disease Control and state governments (vaccinations); Census Bureau (population and demographic data). The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Hospitalized for each county shows the average number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized per 100,000 residents within any hospital service areas that intersect with the county and is updated once a week. Vaccination data is not available for some counties. All-time charts show data from Jan. 21, 2020 to present. This table is sorted by places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days. Charts show change in daily averages and are each on their own scale. Select a table header to sort by another metric. About the data In data for West Virginia, The Times primarily relies on reports from the state. The state does not update its data on weekends. Prior to May 22, 2021, it released new data daily. The state reports cases and deaths based on a persons permanent or usual residence. The Times has identified reporting anomalies or methodology changes in the data. More about reporting anomalies or changes Dec. 31, 2021 to Jan. 2, 2022: West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the New Year's holiday. Dec. 24, 2021 to Dec. 26, 2021: West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the Christmas holiday. Nov. 25, 2021: West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. West Virginia did not announce new cases and deaths for the Thanksgiving holiday. June 30, 2021: West Virginia added 11 deaths that occurred in late 2020 and early 2021. West Virginia added 11 deaths that occurred in late 2020 and early 2021. June 21, 2021: West Virginia did not report new data for the West Virginia Day state holiday. West Virginia did not report new data for the West Virginia Day state holiday. June 9, 2021: West Virginia added 18 deaths from previous months after reviewing records. West Virginia added 18 deaths from previous months after reviewing records. April 27, 2021: West Virginia removed 162 deaths after reviewing death certificates. West Virginia removed 162 deaths after reviewing death certificates. March 12, 2021: West Virginia announced 165 deaths after reconciling death certificate records. The tallies on this page include probable and confirmed cases and deaths. Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments. Governments often revise data or report a single-day large increase in cases or deaths from unspecified days without historical revisions, which can cause an irregular pattern in the daily reported figures. The Times is excluding these anomalies from seven-day averages when possible. For agencies that do not report data every day, variation in the schedule on which cases or deaths are reported, such as around holidays, can also cause an irregular pattern in averages. The Times uses an adjustment method to vary the number of days included in an average to remove these irregularities. The Alliance pursues an open door policy. The United States is committed that Ukraine and Georgia to become the future members of NATO. "We are committed to all of those countries to become the future members of NATO. We want all of them," Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, said during a LiveAtState briefing on April 1, 2020, when asked what the enlargement of the Alliance after North Macedonia became its 30th member means for aspirant countries like Georgia, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read alsoNATO Allies take stock of response to COVID-19 outbreak "And we have been to Georgia, we have been to Ukraine. We want their reforms to come forward so that they can prevail over the Russian misinformation and actual border-enforcing of parts of their countries Georgia and Ukraine," she said. "Russia must let those countries have their sovereign rule, their sovereign territory, their boundaries, and we are very intent on helping Georgia and Ukraine continue to respond to the Russian aggression that has taken over parts of their countries. And we are not going to let down on those efforts," she added. She also reiterates the Alliance adheres to an open door policy, and North Macedonia's case proves the effectiveness of the policy. Hutchison stressed that assistance was being provided to Ukraine and Georgia, and a support package for Ukraine and Georgia would be discussed at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 2. "So we have an open door. I think that's what the accession of North Macedonia shows. And we are helping our partners, Georgia and Ukraine. We are giving them a package that will be discussed tomorrow at the foreign ministerial. I believe the foreign ministers will approve a package that continues to build on our support and help for Georgia and Ukraine," she said. Young women are contracting coronavirus in record numbers - and their social lives and travel habits are to blame. Data from the Federal Department of Health shows that almost 500 Australian women aged between 20 and 29 have been infected with the deadly virus, surpassing their male counterparts by almost 100 cases. The age group make up the majority of cases in Australia, followed by those aged 60 to 69. In all other age groups more men are contracting the virus. The high infection rate in young women is likely due to how socially active they are, Melbourne University professorial fellow John Mathews said. More than 452 Australian women aged between 20 and 29 have been infected with the deadly virus (pictured: A group doing yoga in Hunter Park near Bondi Beach, in Sydney, on Saturday. It is not suggested that people in the picture are infected) 'As you grow up the innate immunity gets lost and that helps explain why older people dont fight the virus off as easily,' he told The Australian. 'And why theyre more likely to get sick from it. 'And, of course, the other factor in the 20-to-29-year-old age group is its the age group where people are most socially active.' Young people have been pictured clustered together as they sunbathe at Sydney's Bondi Beach or picnicked in parks, ignoring social distancing restrictions that were introduced last month. The higher number of cases in young women can also be attributed to overseas travel, a NSW Health spokeswoman said. Data from the Federal Department of Health shows that almost 500 Australian women aged between 20 and 29 have been infected with the deadly virus, surpassing their male counterparts by almost 100 cases The higher number of cases in young women can also be attributed to overseas travel, a NSW Health spokeswoman said (Pictured: A woman at Sydney airport after returning from overseas. It is not suggested that people in the picture are infected) 'Overseas travel is the most significant COVID-19 risk factor to consider,' she 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 'We know that people in the 20-to-29-year age group are more likely to travel overseas than most other age groups, and so we would expect them to be over-represented in our case numbers. 'We do not have specific information to say that people in this age group are more or less likely to follow public health advice than other age groups, but they have been one of our key target groups in our social media messaging.' Australians returning from overseas are now forced to undergo 14 day quarantine in state-run quarantine centres in a bid to slow the spread of the disease. Travellers are being put up in five-star hotels upon their their return, which is paid for by the government. State governments have been battling to control the spread of the diease, which has now infected 4,711 people and killed 19. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to remain home unless it was essential to go out, while gatherings of more than two people - apart from immediate family - indoors and outdoors are banned. New restrictions on gatherings and movements which ban people from leaving home without a reasonable excuse, but this did not deter sunbakers at Mackenzies Bay (pictured) It is not suggested that people in the picture are infected The premier reiterated it was too soon to know if NSW had successfully 'flattened the curve' after a series of shutdown measures. 'What's of concern to all of us is the unknown, that level of community-to-community transmission. That's the real threat - people walking around without symptoms, not realising they have this disease,' Ms Berejiklian said. Commissioner Mick Fuller has warned police will no longer issue cautions for those flouting self-isolation rules and instead hand out $1000 on-the-spot fines. Police can also arrest and charge people who repeatedly ignore health orders, which could incur a maximum penalty of six months in prison. Its a struggle to find silver linings these days. Every small pleasure afforded by the surreality of staying at home all day every dayhey, Ive lost 5 pounds from eating fewer onion rings!is offset by the knowledge that people are dying and many more would too if we werent all staying at home. Though Ive tried to stay upbeat throughout this still-early pandemic, the forced positivity can feel like an insult to anyone suffering out on the front lines of this crisis. There is one unequivocal upside, however. Come Wednesday, we will almost certainly be spared from the unfunny annual horror show that is the corporate April Fools joke. Advertisement We cant forget our fishy friends, who need company just as much as our furrier pets! 'Audible for Fish' is designed to ensure these scaly sweethearts have a whale of a time in the tank when home alone. Learn more: https://t.co/Efzvc7ZbAt! pic.twitter.com/66XyvR4Czc Audible (@audible_com) April 1, 2019 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any other spring, this would be the scourge of our times. On April 1, countless companies pretend they are human beings with senses of humor and set their marketing teams loose to conceive and deploy a series of airless pranks for people who have been stupid enough to sign up for their email lists or follow them on Twitter. Fake product launches, risible new features, dumb references to famed science fiction books and moviesall of these are common gags that companies pull each April 1. This belabored tradition is a function of internet startups wanting to trick people into thinking that they are different from other businesses, and of other businesses wanting to fool people into thinking that they are internet startups. The jokes on you, corporate America: No one has ever been fooled by your bad jokes! Advertisement Advertisement Let's talk Caulk! Go behind the scenes for an intimate look at how our FreshDirect experts created the latest innovation in non-dairy milk: https://t.co/VB5ZKHdB1q pic.twitter.com/KhIdzuikvp FreshDirect (@FreshDirect) April 1, 2019 Advertisement Though I cant say for sure when this practice became an internet phenomenon, Google has long been one of the lamest participants. The inaugural Google April Fools prank, on April 1, 2000, involved a fake product called MentalPlex that professed to search the internet by reading the queriers mind. Search smarter and faster with Googles MentalPlexTM, the sites homepage read, instructing users to Remove hat and glasses and Project mental image of what you want to find. Credit where its due: The MentalPlex gag was sort of funny, if only for being so novel. Back then, it really was refreshing for a company to drop the veil of propriety and go all-out on an elaborate joke for no real reason at all. It humanized Google insofar as it conjured up images of a bunch of nerds sitting at their desks in Silicon Valley, pulling this prank just because it cracked them up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the years, however, Googles yearly joke became one of those traditions that no one actually enjoys, like sending holiday cards or attending a parade. The ever-metastasizing company had long stopped being just a search engine and set its sights on basically becoming the entire internet; meanwhile the April Fools jokes kept coming, generating cognitive dissonance as Googles world-devouring intentions rubbed up against April Fools gags that were somehow even more performatively twee than the Google Doodle was every other day of the year. On April 1, 2014, for examplenine months after Edward Snowden revealed that Google and other companies had cooperated with the National Security Agency in its PRISM domestic surveillance initiativeGoogle pretended to be launching a service called Google Apps for Business Dogs, which was a suite of business apps optimized to harness canine energy in the workplace. On April 1, 2018, months before the European Union would fine Google more than $5 billion for antitrust violations, the company unveiled its Bad Joke Detector, which would scan your smartphone and delete all the bad jokes that were stored there. Hilarious! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along the way, every other company joined in this obfuscatory quest, to the point where journalists were deluged each March with PR pitches promising exclusive, embargoed looks at how DiscountDogBeds.com plans to celebrate April Fools by accepting tail wags as payment. That is not a real corporate April Fools joke, by the way, but the actual ones were approximately that dumb. Take Amazon Publishings 2018 announcement that, having conquered the worlds book trade, it would soon be delivering all of your favorite human authors directly to your house. Or Farm Rich Snacks 2019 gag about its brand-new line of Gender Reveal Mozzarella Sticks. Most of the time, corporate April Fools jokes come across like the years worst Super Bowl commercials, but with cheaper production values. Advertisement Advertisement This year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemics decimation of our tolerance for corporate whimsy, we wont have to endure Googles latest prank, as the company has announced that its sitting out April Fools Day. If the dearth of relevant PR pitches in my inbox right now is any indication, most of the other serial April Fools offenders are planning to follow suit. There will certainly be a few companies that do proceed as if this were a normal April, and they will deserve all the scorn you can stand to send their way. With luck, the coronavirus will kill the corporate April Fools prank for good. Advertisement Its not that I am reflexively antiApril Fools Day. My sister and I have a long history of trying to fool each other each year with elaborate, straight-faced jokes that, over the years, have grown less and less jokey and more and more transgressive. Weve lied to each other about car crashes, medical accidents, and other horrible things, all to get the other person to suspend their disbelief and take it seriously for a split second, at which point the prankster can loudly yell April Fools! and hang up the phone in triumph. Its cruel, but its honest! Advertisement What Im against, specifically, is the spectacle of profit-seeking institutions trying to pretend they are also your friends. One of the more aggravating effects of the internet takeover of corporate life has been the anthropomorphizing of commerce. Every dumb brand wants to pretend its your funny and/or absurdist and/or weirdly aggro pal. But unlike most jokes, where the tellers goal is to make the listener laugh or think or feel some other noncommodifiable feeling, the point of these corporate April Fools pranks is to promote brand loyalty, period. The brands of the world, on April 1 and on every other day, are pretending to be your friend in order to sell you smart speakers and burgers. Theres nothing actually funny about that. The coronavirus outbreak is ravaging Europes economy by simultaneously bringing production, consumption, investment and trade to a near halt. But the pandemic is also helping freeze the Continent's political crises by forcing governments to unite against the escalating existential threat. Europe's political tumult, however, will return once the immediate contagion has abated. And several countries, in particular, will see a combination of financial and legislative fragility that will limit their ability to deal with the enduring economic repercussions. COVID-19: Political Stability's Unexpected Ally Several EU countries started the year with minority governments, caretaker administrations or unstable coalitions that the coronavirus crisis has since made much more resilient: Italy Before COVID-19 was detected in Italy, tensions between the country's coalition partners the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party were on the rise over issues such as the annual budget and reforms of the criminal justice system. Poor results in regional elections and the defection of several lawmakers to opposition parties had also further weakened the government. Prior to the outbreak, opinion polls had suggested the Euroskeptic League party could win if an early election was called, and would form a government with like-minded parties. A government led by the League would make investors nervous about Italys membership in the euro, adding political and economic uncertainty to Italys future. The escalation of coronavirus cases and the drastic measures that followed, however, have since temporarily suspended Italy's political crisis. The March 29 referendum on a constitutional reform to reduce the number of lawmakers in the Italian Parliament has also been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Italy will probably not hold an early general election before the referendum takes place because of the complications related to electing members of parliament before the reduction in the number of lawmakers is enforced. Germany Germany's coalition government between the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democratic Party was also on the verge of collapse at the start of 2020. The partners have different views on fiscal policy, and were also trying to differentiate themselves in the eyes of voters after governing together for the majority of the past 20 years. Their poor performance in regional elections in late 2019 and early 2020 led to internal debates over whether to put an end to the coalition and hold an early general election. But the arrival of COVID-19 has since put the coalition's crisis on pause. After months of virtual paralysis, the German government swiftly closed the countrys borders, announced tax benefits for companies and households, and offered government-backed loans to businesses. The outbreak also postponed the CDUs plans to appoint a new leader. A party congress that was scheduled for April 25 has been suspended, and the new date has yet to be announced. The new CDU leader stands a decent chance of winning a general election and becoming the new chancellor after Angela Merkel's term ends in 2021. He or she will also have to decide whether to continue with Angela Merkels centrist approach, or to move to more right-wing positions to stop the party's continued hemorrhage of voters to the far-right Alternative for Germany party. But without a leader, the CDU will not be interested in exiting the government coalition and holding an early general election. Belgium In mid-March, the COVID-19 crisis convinced nine political parties in Belgium's parliament to put their ideological differences aside and formally support Prime Minister Sophie Wilmess caretaker government, which had been operating with limited powers since October. This formal support for Wilmes has granted her government full powers to pass emergency measures to cope with the outbreak. But while the coronavirus gave Belgium its first fully-fledged government since the inconclusive general election of May of 2019, the parties have only given their support to Wilmes for six months, after which she will have to ask for the confidence of parliament again in mid-September. If the worst part of the health crisis is over by then, the prime minister may struggle to win that vote and her government may in turn collapse, leading to renewed political turbulence in Belgium. Romania When the coronavirus crisis hit Romania, the country was struggling to find a new prime minister. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban of the center-right National Liberal Party was in power only in a caretaker role after losing a no-confidence motion in early February. Parliament was unable to appoint a successor, opening the door for a potential early general election. But after the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in early March, the Romanian parliament formally re-appointed Orban as prime minister, with support from some of the opposition lawmakers that voted to oust him just a month before. Shortly after his reappointment, Orban announced a stimulus package including cheap loans to companies and state support for workers who were suspended because of the pandemic. A Fleeting Lifeline Having stable governments in Europe is beneficial at a time when the Continent is feeling the immediate economic blow of the coronavirus outbreak. When governments do not have to deal with internal disputes and are united toward a common goal, they are in a better position to make decisions to mitigate the economic effects of crises, such as the current health emergency. But this new phase of political stability may not survive long after the danger has passed, as the sense of urgency that brought political adversaries together will be gone. And as a result, the governments that were fragile before the outbreak will see their disagreements resurface. In addition, there will be a lag between the drop in contagion cases and the recovery of the economy. The eventual relaxation of quarantine measures will allow the services and industrial sectors to resume their activities as people are allowed to leave their homes and production and consumption gain traction again. The problem is that many businesses will not survive the crisis, and some of the workers that were suspended during the peak of contagion will not get their jobs back. Europes largest economies including Germany, France and Italy were already cooling down before the COVID-19 outbreak, meaning that the Continent's post-virus recovery will likely be slow and uneven. To make things more complicated, slow economic growth, higher unemployment and fragile governments will coincide with the financial problems created by the policy reaction to the outbreak. Countries such as Italy, France, Germany and Spain have announced large packages of stimulus measures (including cheap loans for companies, assistance for self-employed workers and delays in tax payments) that will partially be financed by taking on additional debt. In a context of low growth, this decision will deepen their deficits and widen their debt-to-GDP ratios, which could make financial markets once more worry about whether this is sustainable. Political instability will thus return to many European countries at a time when their economies are still reeling from the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. This will reduce the room for many governments to introduce structural reforms to deal with the growth problems that predated the pandemic. Meanwhile, the prospect of early general elections in large countries such as Italy and Germany will also result in households and investors postponing some of their spending and investment decisions amid the reemerging political uncertainty. This means that Europe will feel the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak long after the outbreak is put under control. Hidden within the coronavirus-devastated tourism market is a related impact: the loss of customers could be financially devastating for small investors who dominate short-term letting platforms such as Airbnb. After a decade of high returns, they may now wonder whether a return to the secure, if slightly less lucrative, long-term residential tenancy market is a safer bet. If investors shift from short-term letting to long-term rentals in search of greater security, this would benefit the growing numbers of Australians in rental housing. With the coronavirus pandemic there are signs this is already happening. In Dublin, for example, a 64% rise in long-term rental properties has been reported this month. Its thought landlords are withdrawing from short-term listing sites and offering properties on the rental market. Until now, rising property prices have forced more Australians into long-term renting even as short-term letting has eaten into the supply of properties. Young adults once dominated the rental market. Its fast becoming a more permanent solution for families and even for older Australians. One in three households now rent their homes. So, with almost 350,000 Australian properties having been listed on Airbnb, the impact on local communities can be significant. The increase in short-term lettings has been linked to increasing homelessness. Why landlords will look for security Beyond the immediate impact of coronavirus on tourism in Australia, its possible the increased risks in the holiday lettings market may provide the impetus to align the interests of landlords and tenants around longer-term tenure. Despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging vacationers not to ask for refunds from struggling operators, the tourism downturn has introduced a new level of risk for hosts. Airbnb has enacted a policy of full refunds for cancellations, which is reported to be completely obliterating smaller hosts. Other platforms are advising hosts to manage COVID-19 risk themselves. This leaves many investor-landlords navigating a complex, public health crisis largely on their own. With some of our most popular destinations facing an existential crisis, the impacts on small business, working families and low-income Australians may be both obscured but far-reaching, as the Airbnb example shows. Big players in the tourism industry can lobby federal government for support. Individual agents in the share economy are largely unprotected. To date, the home-share concept has been a winner for property investors. Holiday letting has largely moved on from the original Airbnb model of sharing ones primary residence. Letting through digital platforms with access to a global market of tourists has brought high-rent, low-risk dividends for people with investment properties. The coronavirus pandemic, however, is revealing cracks in the foundations of the holiday-letting model. What has happened to renters? Research suggests the digital disruption of the holiday accommodation sector has had significant impacts on local renters. There is little doubt tourist demand through online letting platforms has reduced the supply and increased prices of long-term rental housing in Australia, particularly in parts of our capital cities. Likewise in Europe, where one in four rental properties in some tourist destinations is now a holiday property. This has led some governments to introduce strict regulation. It includes licensing, fines and limits on the number of days a property can be let each year. Australia has been slower to respond, despite observations that Airbnb is impacting the rental market and bringing the cost of housing up. Even in Tasmania, which has the strongest market regulation, one in every 27 Hobart homes remains listed for short-term lease. Similarly, in Sydney and Melbourne, growth in the sector has driven up rental housing costs. In New South Wales, fines for unregistered holiday lets have increased by 500%. But councils struggle to enforce laws that landlords are either unaware of or actively avoid complying with. Home ownership has become a privilege in Australia, one driving disadvantage among those who are locked out. For a single age pensioner, for example less than 1% of rental housing is affordable. And long-term rental housing stock is often of poor quality. Time for a rethink Australias rental housing system undeniably needs a rethink. The sector presents a growing problem for state and territory governments, in terms of both the supply of affordable rental properties and finding the right balance between landlord and tenant rights. Government measures to increase the availability of rental housing through tax incentives, such as negative gearing, are unfortunately not restricted to landlords who offer longer-term tenure. To date there has been little financial incentive to eschew the higher returns of the Airbnb model for the relative stability of residential tenancies. In times of crisis, Australians pull together. During the summer bushfires, we saw Airbnb hosts offer emergency housing to displaced families. They recognised the critical importance of a safe and secure home a sanctuary. We need to recognise this critical function of home beyond times of crisis, to ensure every Australian has a home for good. Per Capitas Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing is launching its Home for Good project in collaboration with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation today. You can read their policy brief on Australias private rental housing market here. Myfan Jordan, Associate, Health Ageing Research Group (HARG), La Trobe University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. She was thrust into the national spotlight as she handled the aftermath of a deadly warehouse shooting in Aurora in February 2019. Since the shooting that killed five warehouse employees and injured another employee and five of Zimans police officers, she has embarked on several speaking engagements across the country to share her story. A person from Nizamuddin's markaz infected with coronavirus tried to commit suicide at a hospital here, a doctor said. During an interaction over a video link with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the doctor from Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital said people, who were brought from the markaz, were "not cooperating" with the medical staff of the hospital. "A person from markaz tried to commit suicide, but doctors foiled his suicide attempt, putting their lives in danger," the doctor said. The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Wednesday climbed to 152, with 32 fresh cases being reported in a day, according to Delhi government authorities. These total cases include 53 people who took part in a religious congregation in Nizamuddin area last month, the health department said in a statement. During the interaction, the doctor also said that there is a security issue at the hospital. Kejriwal in an online briefing said he has spoken to Home Secretary so that security can be stepped up for both patients and doctors. "Some patients are behaving very aggressively and as a result, no one wants to go near them. Yesterday, one patient tried to commit suicide at Rajiv Gandhi hospital, doctors pulled him back and saved him," Kejriwal said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:44:34|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MANILA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines on Wednesday recorded 227 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in the country to 2,311. In a virtual media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 96 have died from COVID-19 and 50 have recovered. The Philippine Medical Association said at least 17 doctors have succumbed to the disease. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, one of the top implementers of the Philippines' campaign to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the archipelago, was among the new cases. Ano is the first cabinet member to test positive for the virus. Ano is the latest high-ranking government official to catch the virus. A number of lawmakers, including three senators, have also contracted the virus. As part of the strategy to contain the disease, the Philippines is ramping up testing to detect and isolate those who are COVID-19 positive. Carlito Galvez, the chief implementer of the government measures to combat the disease, said COVID-19-positive persons will be isolated and given medical treatment while those persons under investigations (PUIs) will be isolated pending the results of the tests. The government is preparing for large-scale community transmission. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said a number of buildings or establishments in Metro Manila and in the provinces will be converted into quarantine facilities in case of a large-scale community outbreak. Early this week, Chinese auto company Geely Holding Group, through the foundation of its chairman, the Li Shufu Charity Foundation, donated 20,000 pieces of surgical masks to Philippines' health department. Established in 2006 by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Chairman Li Shufu, Li Shufu Charity Foundation said it is "committed to public welfare and charity and promoting the harmonious development of the society." Over a career in Japan spanning 21 years, Osaka-based English language teacher Steven Thompson has taken 10 days of paid sick leave across two occasions when he caught the flu. But from April that basic safety net will no longer be available to him, as Osaka Prefecture is set to abolish paid sick leave for nonregular teachers at local public schools, including English-language teachers. Many are concerned that if they become infected with a disease, such as COVID-19, or appear to have symptoms, they will be expected to stay at home without pay. According to the Osaka Prefectural Government, the move is aimed at balancing inequalities between different professions, as the special paid leave Thompson and other part-time foreign language teachers have been entitled to wasn't granted to all part-time workers. Teachers who benefited from the system needed a medical certificate with a sick note from the doctor to apply for it. The prefectural government explains that while the change will affect part-time teachers including foreign language teachers, it is not targeted directly at foreign nationals. The teachers will still be able to take sick leave as an unpaid "special leave," according to the prefecture. Workers can claim their right to compensation based on Article 26 of the Labor Standards Law, which stipulates that if a company tells its workers not to come to work due to reasons stemming from the employer, the company needs to pay at least 60 percent of the workeras average wage during the period of absence. Most employers guarantee in work regulations that employees working full time receive 100 percent of earnings. But according to Shinya Ouchi, a professor of law at Kobe University who specializes in labor issues faced by nonregular workers, such workers donat benefit from such clauses. The labor ministry even suggests that companies should offer compensation higher than 60 percent of the employeeas earnings aso that employees feel securea when they take time off. But that recommendation depends on whether or not the situation employers are dealing with during the pandemic is deemed an "act of God," a term used to describe unforeseen events such as natural disasters. If there is a natural disaster, companies wonat be obliged to pay the wages stipulated in the law, Ouchi explained, adding that whether workers will be compensated is likely to be determined on a case-by-case basis. It will also depend on what is stipulated in the regulations of individual companies, he said. Photo credit: Debra L Rothenberg From Town & Country I needed to get out of the house this week but the park was dangerously crowded. So I started walking south and ended up at Rockefeller Center, which is usually one of the busiest intersections in the country. Today it was so deserted that I could walk down the middle of Fifth Avenue; it was silent but for the rushing water coming from the manicured fountains. Ive lived in New York City for my entire life and have always wished that the crowds of tourists would go away and leave us in peace, but today I wished someone would stop me on a corner and ask for directions to the subway or for a restaurant recommendation. I wished that I could go to the Metropolitan Museum and visit my favorite paintings and the security guards who have worked there since I was a child. I wished I could go to Bemelmans to drink Manhattans with my friends and listen to the pianist sing Tea for Two. And I wished I could squeeze onto a bar stool at J.G. Melon, order a burger, and complain to the bartenders about my grievances with New York. But as I walked down Fifth Avenue, dodging the few buses that were driving South, I realized that our conversation would be different after this. Because after walking for miles and seeing nothing but wide avenues empty of cars and trucks, sidewalks bereft of crowds, dark stores cleared out of inventory, and shuttered restaurants, I felt entirely unnerved. I wasnt prepared to feel so disconcerted; ordinarily, I love cities the most when they are quiet. Whenever I travel I wake up early and get out with the sun, take a long walk and watch the city wake up. I have cherished memories of walking across the empty medieval bridges of Strasbourg; of the intoxicating smell of fresh baguettes and croissants as they were delivered to dark cafes in Paris; of visiting an empty church in Portofino at the height of the summer tourist, the only person there the priest who unlocked the doors because everyone else was still asleep. Story continues I love the romance of these morning walks in no small part because I can never experience that kind of solitude in New York City. No matter what time I wake up (or go to sleep, for that matter), the city is alive and buzzing. The city that never sleeps conjures up images of nightlife so vibrant it doesn't cease, but New York is full of morning people too. Even if I leave my house before sunrise, I am still surrounded by my neighbors walking their dogs or heading to yoga classes, I am blinded by the lights of pharmacies and diners that are open 24 hours a day, and the symphony of screeching taxis and lumbering buses. Photo credit: Cindy Ord - Getty Images I can count on one hand the number of times that New York City has slept in my lifetime: The days after September 11th, the blackout of 2003; the eerie quiet that followed Hurricane Sandy, and during a handful of blizzards that dumped feet of snow on our streets and forced everything to a standstill. But through all of those experiences we still had each other. I remember sledding in Central Park with friends after the blizzards; I remember visiting family after September 11th; I remember groups of people reading magazines on the stifling sidewalks and eating dinner together by candlelight during the blackout. I remember that no one was alone. Now, so many of us are alone. (Or worse, trapped with the same people inside a too-small space without the promise of escape.) And after seeing the door of St. Patricks Cathedral bolted shut and its steps empty of peoplelikely for the first time since it was built in 1879I realized that New York City is nothing without its people. We dont have the charming architecture of Paris, the ancient ruins and awe-inspiring monuments of Rome, or the palm trees and pools of Los Angeles, but we have personality in spades. I am entwined in this city like a fly caught in a web, unable to ever make a full escape. Whether I leave for a year, a month, or a week, I always make my way back. I know I am home as soon as I arrive at John F. Kennedy airport, where the customs officers are all from different countries themselves and speak as many languages as the passengers flying in. I am home when I settle into the lumpy backseat of a cab and give the driver my address; perhaps he's from from Senegal and let's me practice my French. I am home as we race across the Queensboro bridge and I see our metropolis sparkling from across the river. Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images And I feel most at home when I am reunited with my grandmothers who, like their mothers before them, were born in New York City and have spent their lives here too. They have taught me everything that is worth knowing about this city, from the Philharmonic and the Museum of Modern Art, to the flea markets and Peter Lugers. For me, not being able to see them is the hardest part of this quarantine. Without them, and without everyone else who makes this city so special, New York does not feel like itself. I dont know what we will do when this quarantine ends. Will we crowd onto subways and push past each other in lobbies? Will we go to museums and sit in crowded theaters? Will we go out for drinks and dinner with friends? Or will we find it hard to leave our apartments, still wary of the crowds after being sheltered for so long? We may have to ease ourselves back into life with each other. Photo credit: Victor J. Blue - Getty Images But I will be so grateful to have our city backbecause if Ive learned anything over the course of the past few weeks, it is that New York without its people is not New York. I will not doubt get aggravated with busy sidewalks, endless traffic, and packed subway cars, but I will remember that New York is no longer New York without those crowds and that noise. I will remember that the spirit of New York comes not from the skyscrapers and the department stores and the museums, but from everyone else. You Might Also Like As the N.W.T.s first COVID-19 patient approaches two weeks since their positive test result, the N.W.T.s chief public health officer set out what she expects to happen next for the territory. Dr. Kami Kandola said the territorys first resident to test positive for the disease continues to make a good recovery. Different people take different lengths of time to recover, she said. If hospital is needed it wasnt, in this case it can take weeks. In terms of this case, (patient one) is recovering well at home and we are in the process of testing (their) recovery through doing two swabs, Dr. Kandola told Cabin Radio on Tuesday. Once the person is showing no symptoms, we do a COVID-19 test. If thats negative, we do another COVID-19 test in 24 hours. If both come back negative, the person is deemed to be recovered. A public health order set out by Kandolas office on March 21 forces people entering the N.W.T. to complete a self-isolation plan (there are some exceptions). That self-isolation plan must include a full 14 days of isolation in one of the N.W.T.s four largest communities. Disobeying the order can result in a fine of up to $10,000 and six months in jail. If youre exposed to COVID-19 it can take up to 14 days before you develop symptoms, Kandola said. The 14 days reflects the incubation period of COVID-19. The travel restrictions are designed to limit the spread of the virus and, in particular, protect smaller communities with limited access to advanced medical facilities. Kandola told Cabin Radio the next few weeks may be key to determining how long restrictions must remain in place. The return to some form of normality is expected to take months. Global cases continue to rise, she said. We have about 826,000 cases (globally), probably more at this time, and 40,000 deaths. We know the U.S.A. is the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak; they sit at around 175,000 cases. The other data I am watching is what is happening in Canada, and Canada is still going up on this epidemic curve. Kandola says physical distancing measures staying well away from each other remain critical in terms of how fast we reach the peak. She said: We need to be practising these measures and we will be able to see in the next several weeks whether the curve is flattening. Health authorities in the Yukon, which has now reported five cases of COVID-19, believe four of them are related to one cluster. Thats a situation Kandola is working to avoid in the N.W.T. We know when there are mass gatherings together, if someone has COVID-19 ... thats when you can get a cluster-type outbreak, Kandola said. We are seeing cluster-type outbreaks across Canada. Seemingly innocuous events that weve all participated in going to a church gathering, going to a dentist, a conference, a funeral before you know it, you have a cluster of cases. Its more than a week since Kandola urged residents to cancel all gatherings of any size. The territorys chief public health officer reiterated her message sent out last weekend after a resident publicly disobeyed an order to isolate in Hay River on re-entering the N.W.T. We expect people to take this seriously and recognize that, by not doing so, they are hurting our communities, their friends, families, and especially their elders, Kandola said. Money has begun flowing from the federal government to help northerners get out onto the land if theyre comfortable doing so. Kandola has in the past recommended spending time on the land as a way to put distance between yourself and others. Everyone who chooses to find distance on the land, keep (a safe) physical distance, she said on Tuesday. If you are going on the land, this was not meant for large groups but for households. If you are on mandatory isolation, you are not to go out on the land you are to remain at home and not put others in danger. Kandola also cautioned the territorys young people, who might be having mass gatherings or parties at their homes, that COVID-19 can spread with remarkable ease. It just takes one party with one person who has COVID-19 and youll get a cluster outbreak, Kandola said. A lot of people think, Im young, its going to be mild for me, I dont have to worry, (but) we do know that 30 per cent of hospitalizations are under the age of 40. She added: There are measures we can take to slow down COVID-19 introduction. ts only for two weeks, but the impact you can make for our communities is incredible. Were asking everyone to step up and do their part. Read more about: In a workshop around 20 km from downtown Tianjin, 85-year-old Wang Xueqin takes out a woodblock and brushes ink on the board before he places rice paper onto it and rubs the surface with a special tool. The outline of a picture featuring a big fish in a lotus pond shows up. With various types of brushes and hundreds of pigments, Wang then paints the fish body with red, its fat head with black and pink, eyes and tail with yellow for three times. "In this way, colors become even brighter and not easy to fade," he said. Wang, an inheritor of the Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing in north China's Tianjin Municipality, was one of the few artists dedicated to fish paintings which were traditionally hung on people's walls beside the water vats to express good wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing was one of the most popular forms of New Year decorations in China, which flourished in Tianjin and the surrounding areas during a period between the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Central Asian leaders vowed at a historic meeting two years ago in the Kazakh capital, then called Astana, to boost their level of cooperation. It was the first summit of the region's presidents in nearly 20 years, and the leaders made the same pledge again in Tashkent in November 2019, though little collaboration among the Central Asian countries has been visible since. And then last month came the coronavirus pandemic -- an unprecedented problem that affects the Central Asian countries in multiple ways. To be honest, the region's five countries have no more of a common policy or response to the COVID-19 crisis than any other region on the planet. And it is ultimately up to each individual country to assess their capabilities and level of problems to decide which measures should be taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Since the first coronavirus cases were reported in Kazakhstan on March 12, Central Asia has a new way of dividing itself: those who are recording infections from the virus and taking measures to stop its spread -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan -- and those who officially say they have no registered cases -- Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and are doing little to nothing. And despite the pledges at the summits in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, there has not been much cooperation among the leaders, though that is slowly changing, as was seen at the end of March when Uzbekistan gave masks, protective clothing, and virus test kits to Kyrgyzstan. Mirziyoev Takes The Lead If there is one person responsible for actively trying to coordinate efforts within Central Asia, it is Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev. Uzbekistan registered its first case of coronavirus infection on March 14, two days after Kazakhstan. On March 18, Mirziyoev spoke by phone with Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev about measures the two countries were taking to contain the spread of the virus. And on March 20, Mirziyoev called Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, which reportedly also featured discussion about battling the coronavirus. Kazakhstan has registered the most infections thus far, with some 380 as of April 1, with three people succumbing to COVID-19. Uzbekistan -- Central Asia's most populous country with some 32 million people, follows with 173 coronavirus cases and two deaths. Kyrgyzstan has registered 111 infections and no deaths as of April 1. Mirziyoev has also spoken recently with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov at least twice -- once on March 18 and again on March 27 -- according to the Uzbek president's Twitter account, which said the two presidents talked about "effective interaction to combat pandemic" and "priority measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection." Berdymukhammedov apparently can use the word "coronavirus" in discussions with other leaders, just not in front of the people of Turkmenistan. And on March 27, Mirziyoev had a phone call with Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov about the "epidemiological situation." The day before that, Mirziyoev has a phone conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that included an exchange of "views on combating the current pandemic." Since Uzbekistan borders the other Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, it could simply have made good sense to be in contact with all the neighbors during this crisis. But one must give Mirziyoev some credit, as he has already done far more to coordinate with regional countries than one could imagine his predecessor, Islam Karimov, having ever done. There is, of course, one neighbor with whom Mirziyoev seems to have not spoken, but we'll get to that later. First, it must be noted that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are cooperating better on their long-running border problem that has left cargo trucks backed up for several kilometers on the Kyrgyz side of the border. Kyrgyzstan's ability to export and import through Kazakhstan has never been more important than now. Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin and Kyrgyz counterpart Muhammedkaly Abylgaziev spoke by phone on March 15, agreeing to ease congestion for large trucks crossing their borders and to work together to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At that time Kyrgyzstan still had not registered any COVID-19 cases. But when they did on March 18, Jeenbekov and Toqaev spoke the following day by phone to discuss "joint steps in combating the coronavirus." And the Kyrgyz and Kazakh prime ministers spoke again on March 25 to review their cooperation in stemming the virus's spread. Rahmon Left Out The one leader in Central Asia with whom Mirziyoev has not spoken since the outbreak of coronavirus in the region is Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. In fact, there is no record of any Central Asian leader speaking with Rahmon until March 28, when Kyrgyzstan's Jeenbekov called him. According to the Tajik state news agency Khovar, the two presidents discussed "containing the further cross-border spread of the infectious illness [coronavirus] and the importance of even greater coordination of joint efforts at the regional level" to lessen the impact and consequences of the pandemic. The part about the cross-border spread of the infectious illness is interesting since as of the last day of March, Tajikistan had not reported any cases of the coronavirus. Turkmenistan also had not, and both countries continue to allow mass gatherings and social meetings. Celebrations of Norouz, for example, went ahead as planned and mosques are still operating in both countries. Nothing To See Here That is in stark contrast to the situations in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, where lockdowns are in effect and people are, in most instances, confined to their homes. The authorities in Turkmenistan have been taking measures that included the rerouting of international flights to a secondary airport near the eastern city of Turkmenabat and establishing quarantine camps, as well as severely restricting internal movement in the country. Despite such measures, the government is extremely reluctant to utter the word "coronavirus" in public, and RFE/RL's Turkmen Service correspondents have reported people being detained in the capital, Ashgabat, for discussing the pandemic. Tajikistan has not yet taken such precautions and, in fact, officials have done very little to alter the regular activities of Tajiks, and they continue to travel freely between regions and shop in stores and bazaars as usual. Such a lack of action seems to be a perfect recipe for spreading the coronavirus and that probably makes Tajikistan's neighbors nervous. That may explain why only Jeenbekov has spoken with Rahmon thus far, and that was only recently. Such contact was likely prompted by the thought of the very active border in the Ferghana Valley that Kyrgyzstan shares with Tajikistan, the most densely populated area in Central Asia and one fertile for transferring not only produce and other goods, but also the coronavirus. Uzbekistan also shares a border with Tajikistan in the Ferghana Valley and the Uzbek president's failure thus far to contact Rahmon might be evidence of Tashkents displeasure with his seemingly cavalier attitude toward imposing measures to control the possible spread in Tajikistan. Local, state and national leaders have all urged residents to avoid public areas and avoid in-person interactions as the novel coronavirus continues to spread. Compound that social isolation with an the uncertainty brought about by a pandemic, and it could have a severe impact on a persons mental health. I think the biggest thing is a feeling of being isolated. That in and of itself can create anxiety, said Kevin Hazucha, CEO of the Central Wyoming Counseling Center. We all want to feel connected; its human nature. Without that connection, Hazucha said, anxiety and depression can easily invade someones life. Social isolation and social distancing help limit the transmission of the virus. As hospitals brace for an influx of cases, health experts say limiting those cases by reducing person-to-person interactions is one way to prevent a surge of hospitalizations and deaths. Many states have issued shelter-in-place orders requiring residents to distance from each other and only leave home for essentials. Wyoming has not issued such an order, but Gov. Mark Gordon has urged residents to socially distance and avoid public places. Hazucha recommends staying connected with friends and family through technology, keeping a routine, avoiding watching the news all day, eating right, getting some sleep and exercising. Easier said than done sometimes, he conceded. Still, he said its important to focus on what can be controlled. This is such a fluid environment, it shakes you out of your day-to-day reality, Hazucha said. You want to get people to take it a day at a time. He said its important to check up on your loved ones and maintain contact, even if its just for five seconds. The Counseling Center is trying to adapt to ensure its clients are still able to make that contact when they need to, either online via telehealth or over the phone. The center provides counseling, addiction treatment, and services for adults and children, among other programs. Hazuchas hope is soon all of their services will be accessible through telehealth. His worry is that in the meantime, somebody looking for help will have a harder time accessing it, which could mean they dont look for help at all. The biggest obstacle we have is that initial call for help, he said, adding that soon all of the centers counselors should be equipped for telehealth sessions. Anytime anybody feels they could use some assistance we want to encourage people to reach out any time, he said. Cori Cosner-Burton, executive director of Caspers Mercer Family Resource Center, is worried about this too, especially because the situation may compound existing disparities in the state. Wyoming has the second-highest suicide rate in the nation, and Cosner-Burton said cases tend to increase this time of year. So to have this social isolation happening on top of those two components she said, cutting her sentence off. Cosner-Burton offered similar recommendations to Hazuchas for improving ones mental health, saying to stay connected by phone or online, to get sunshine and to monitor news intake. You dont have to spend a lot of money to do those things, she said. She said focusing on the present is also important, particularly in a time of uncertainty. Cosner-Burton also suggested reaching out to a counseling service if anxiety or depression in the shadow of COVID-19 overwhelms a persons daily life. If theyre having trouble getting out of bed, eating meals typical daily activities she said they should seek help. Early on, its better to reach out, she said. It doesnt mean youre in therapy forever. She said some people may want ongoing counseling, while others might only need a session or two to realign themselves. Mercer is still offering counseling via telehealth and over the phone, and they are working to put other programs online. To contact Mercer Family Resource Center, call 307-265-7366. To contact Central Wyoming Counseling Center, call 307-237-9583. To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1-800-273-TALK. And to access Wyomings crisis text line, text WYO to 741-741. Follow local government reporter Morgan Hughes on Twitter @morganhwrites Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A map representing where a Chinese Coast Guard ship has been patrolling since early March near land features in the South China Sea disputed by the Philippines and China. The inset shows the Philippines exclusive economic zone and Chinas so-called nine-dash line. A Chinese Coast Guard ship that was deployed during recent pressure campaigns in the South China Sea in Malaysian and Indonesian waters is now patrolling near land features claimed by the Philippines, ship-tracking data shows. The deployment of the ship, which has the call-sign Chinacoastguard 5302, near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal and two other features claimed by Manila underscores Chinas willingness to press its expansive territorial claims, despite a diplomatic detente with the Southeast Asian nation. It also comes as China provides medical aid to the Philippines to help combat the coronavirus. Vessel-tracking software has allowed Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, to confirm the presence of the ship throughout March near Second Thomas Shoal, First Thomas Shoal, and Half Moon Shoal. Philippine military and defense officials were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. The 5302 is a Shucha II-class vessel, according to the Office of Naval Intelligences Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) recognition guide. Ships of this class are nearly 4,000 metric ton displacement and serve as patrol cutters, equipped with helicopter landing pads and space for 30 mm cannons. Ten are in service with the China Coast Guard. The 5302 has a track record of involvement in previous pressure campaigns in the South China Sea, where six governments including China have territorial claims. As countries look inward or are distracted [by the COVID-19 pandemic], like the U.S. and Japan, China has taken advantage of that by increasing its activities in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, Jose Antonio Custodio, a military historian and defense analyst at the Institute of Policy, Strategy and Developmental Studies in Manila, told BenarNews. However, since it is assured of the subservience of the Duterte administration to Beijing, it will not worry about any protest from Manila, Custodio said, referring to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte who has sought closer ties with Beijing. We may soon see more unilateral exploitation of our EEZ, by the Chinese, Custodio said. EEZ stands for exclusive economic zone the area of coastal water or seabed where a country claims exclusive rights for fishing, drilling, and other economic activities. The 5302 was tracked leaving the Chinese-occupied base at Mischief Reef and entering Malaysias exclusive economic zone in early December, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. It later showed up between Dec. 30 and Jan. 4 as part of a flotilla of ships engaged in a stand-off with Indonesia near the Natuna Islands. During its deployment near Philippine-claimed features, it was first spotted near Half Moon shore on March 6, but reappeared at Second Thomas Shoal on March 9. Where it was between those times is unclear as its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal which allows its movements to be tracked had disappeared. Second Thomas Shoal is the only feature of the three to actually be occupied by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, although the Philippines claims all of them. Notably, Second Thomas Shoal was the site of a stand-off between China and the Philippines in 2015, as the Philippines attempted to resupply the Marine attachment based on the BRP Sierra Madre, a ship purposely grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in the 1990s to reinforce Philippine claims. A Chinese Coast Guard ship was last spotted patrolling the area in mid-January, according to the Philippine newspaper, the Inquirer. From March 9 to March 30, the 5302 moved around Second Thomas Shoal, stopping to refuel at the artificial island built atop Mischief Reef on March 19. Satellite imagery shows a ship likely to be the 5302 docked at Mischief Reef on that day. A satellite image taken March 19, 2020, over the Chinese-occupied base at Mischief Reef, showing a large vessel at the quayside. Ship-tracking software shows that Chinese Coastguard ship 5302 stopped there that day. [Planet Labs Inc.] The 5302 also took detours to First Thomas Shoal on March 13, March 20, and March 27, before returning to Second Thomas. The current patrol is only one prong in Chinas push to assert sovereignty in the South China Sea. Simultaneously, a Chinese maritime militia fleet has been moving through the Union Banks, an area disputed between China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, as reported by RFA last week. Those ships are still in the Union Banks. In February, a combination of Chinese Coast Guard ships and maritime militia were monitoring and harassing energy exploration efforts by Malaysia in another area of these resource-rich waters. The sustained deployments by Chinese vessels in contested waters comes as Southeast Asia, like much of the global community, is getting to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China. Beijing is now stepping up its offers of aid to neighboring countries to combat the spread of the virus. That includes the Philippines. While the 5302 has been on the move, China has provided virus test kits although the Philippine Department of Health claimed the kits were only 40 percent accurate. The department apologized on March 29, after the Chinese Embassy rejected any insinuation the test kits were faulty. Duterte praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping on March 12 for his willingness to send aid to the Philippines to help with the pandemic, saying he had received a personal letter from Xi, Rappler reported. The 5302 was patrolling Second Thomas Shoal at that time. " " Dame Jean Macnamara worked tirelessly for the disabled, but it was her research that helped lead to the polio vaccine that she is most remembered for. HowStuffWorks Living through a global pandemic will have a wealth of unintended consequences positive and negative, but one will certainly be a greater appreciation for those in the medical professions from those on the front lines treating patients to those researchers laboring behind the scenes, seeking to isolate viruses and to discover vaccines both now and in the past. Dame Jean Macnamara was one such heroine. She witnessed and made remarkable contributions in her chosen profession medicine principally in the area of polio research, and her work with patients with partial or complete paralysis. Advertisement Macnamara was born in Victoria, Australia, April 1, 1899. She was born into a family that prized hard work and education, and she excelled at both. Macnamara attended Presbyterian Ladies College and became the editor of the school's magazine, winning the prize for general excellence. She distinguished herself at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1922 with degrees in both surgery and anatomy. She went on to become a resident medical officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Macnamara was just 23 when she was appointed resident at the Royal Children's Hospital in May 1923, where she worked until 1925. It was a critical time as a horrifying disease poliomyelitis, also known as polio was sweeping the globe. After leaving the hospital, Macnamara worked as a clinical assistant at the Children's outpatients' physician and entered private practice to focus on poliomyelitis patients. But it was in Macnamara's research where her light shone brightest. It was her conclusion that immune serum needed to be used in polio treatment during the pre-paralytic stage. She published and defended her results in both Australian and British journals, though it was a treatment that was never widely administered. However, it was her discovery in 1931, along with Australian virologist Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, of more than one strain of the polio virus that made her reputation. Their finding is credited as one of the first steps toward the eventual discovery of the Salk vaccine. She traveled to England and North America on a Rockefeller Fellowship from September 1931 to October 1933, even meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself a victim of polio. In addition to her keen interest in curing disease, Macnamara sought to alleviate the pain and suffering it left in its wake. She is credited with ordering the first artificial respirator (or ventilator) in Australia. She introduced novel approaches to rehabilitation and splinting damaged limbs, most developed in conjunction with conversation with patients and her own splint-maker. Macnamara proved to be a tireless advocate for people with disabilities long before it was in vogue. She married a fellow physician, dermatologist Joseph Connor in 1934, and in 1935, Macnamara was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to the welfare of children. She died in 1968 of heart disease. Now That's Interesting While visiting Princeton University, Macnamara also learned about the virus myxomatosis that infected and killed rabbits. It was at her urging that the Australian government held field trials using the virus to eradicate millions of Australia's rabbits considered to be pests that had overpopulated the country. Advertisement Originally Published: Apr 1, 2020 Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Omicron variant | Breakthrough infections | Symptoms guide | Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Impact of the pandemic: Supply chain | Education | Housing Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Some employees may not get their extra pay on the April holidays amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment said Wednesday. The Labor Department in an advisory allowed employers to defer holiday pays for April 9 to 11. These dates cover Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, which are billed as national holidays. Meanwhile, Black Saturday - a special non-working day - falls on April 11. Establishments that have totally closed or ceased operation during the enhanced community quarantine period are exempted from the payment of the holiday pay under Labor Advisory No. 13, Series of 2020, said the agency. The measure will stand until such time that the present emergency situation has been abated and the normal operations of the establishment is in place." Under the department's Labor Advisory no. 13, signed March 30, workers are expected to gain additional 200 percent of their daily wage on April 9 which is both Araw ng Kagitingan and Maundy Thursday, and an extra 100 percent on April 10 or Good Friday. On the other hand, those who work on the special non-working holiday on April 11 will receive added 30 percent of their daily wage, otherwise, the no work, no pay policy applies. The country is currently under a state of national public health emergency with over 2,000 cases of the coronavirus disease and 88 deaths. The entire Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine until April 13, restricting movement within, to and from the countrys northern island. The measure meant suspension of mass transportation and work with some exceptions. The quarantine prompted private companies to switch to telecommuting or a work-from-home setup while workers in vital services like the medical sector and establishments that provide food and other basic goods continue in their workplace. With a sentence that reads "your service is like a piece of gold" and with an ending that speaks volumes, a San Antonio 10-year-old girl thanked H-E-B with a heartfelt poem. Last week, Emily Lerma had an English assignment that challenged her to pen a letter to the employees of the grocery store chain. Lerma decided to write the letter in the form of a poem and wrote: "Thank you for your long hours without you we wouldn't have any flour. Even though people are shopping around the clock and leaving the shelves out of stock. We know we can count on you during this deadly virus that's like the flu. Your service is like a piece of gold our family is glad H-E-B is down the road. Make sure to stay positive day and night so people can happily get their sprite. And as I finish this letter, remember, at H-E-B, Here Everything's Better." The fourth grader's mother Michelle thought the letter was "sweet" and decided to share it with her friends on Facebook. After posting it, the letter received lots of attention, including from H-E-B, which shared the poem to its social media accounts. [The unsung heroes of coronavirus: Grocery workers] "I told her about how much the letter meant to others and how life has changed for a lot of people," her mother said. "I explained to her that her letter was like a small glimmer of light that people needed during this difficult time." Top stories Children left alone with dead mother inside northeast Harris County home Emily was at first excited about how much love her letter was getting, but was "over it" by the next day, her mother said. "Typical pre-teen," her mother said while laughing. "In the end, it was just a refreshing homework assignment from a little girl that may not know the whole aspect of what's going on, but still wants to say 'thank you.'" Priscilla Aguirre is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:16:00|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Container throughput at China's major ports continued to rise last week, adding to evidence that economic activity was recovering after being chilled by the novel coronavirus outbreak. During the week from March 23 to 29, container throughput at eight key ports rose 3.4 percent from the previous week, with that at Dalian and Guangzhou ports recording more than 25 percent growth, data from the China Ports and Harbours Association (CPHA) showed Wednesday. This came a day after official data showed the country's manufacturing sector rebounded in March, signaling a stabilization in the economy as supportive policies took hold. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index rebounded to 52 in March from 35.7 in February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. As of March 28, 98.6 percent of the country's major industrial firms had resumed production, CPHA said, citing data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Last week, crude oil throughput at China's major ports climbed 3.5 percent from the previous week, amid rising demand for refined oil and growing crude oil purchases by refineries and traders in view of tumbling global oil prices, the association said. Coal throughput at Qinhuangdao and Shenhua Huanghua ports, two major hubs for coal shipment, rose 3.9 percent from the previous week, thanks to rising downstream demand, while that of iron ore grew 6.3 percent, CPHA said. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to meet Maulana Saad, head of Nizamuddin Markaz, and convince him to vacate the Banglewali Masjid in New Delhi after repeated pleas by Delhi Police and other security agencies failed to impress Maulana Saad, who is also the head of Tablighi Jamaat. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials told Zee News that Doval reached Nizamuddin Markaz at around 2.00 am on March 28-29 night to meet Maulana Saad and convinced him to get the people present inside the building tested for coronavirus COVID-19 infection and be quarantined. Sources said that Maulana Saad agreed to vacate the mosque after meeting NSA Doval. The Union Home Minister swung into actoon after the security agencies found that nine Indonesians who tested positive at Karimnagar, in Telangana, on March 18 had visited Nizamuddin Markaz to attend a religious congregation. In a related development, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz has been cleared after the evacuation of 2,361 people in the past 36 hours. Sisodia tweeted that out of the 2,361 people, 617 have been admitted to hospitals while the rest have been placed in quarantine. On Tuesday (March 31), Crime Branch of Delhi Police lodged an FIR against Maulana Saad and others of Tablighi Jamaat for violation of government order issued in the wake of coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The case was filed under three sections of Epidemic Disease Act 1897- Section 269, 270, 271, and 120-B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of directions given to the management of Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin. The order was issued for restriction of social/political/religious gathering and for taking safety measures, including social distancing for prevention and treatment of coronavirus COVID-19 infection. Kerala has accused neighbouring Karnataka to have sealed its borders with Kasaragod town, where a large number of people are under home quarantine amid coronavirus spread. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, when World Health Organisation has urged all governments to act with compassion while taking the necessary action to curtail the pandemic, an ugly fight has unfolded between the states of Kerala and Karnataka. Kerala has accused neighbouring Karnataka of sealing its borders with Kasaragod town, where a large number of people are under home quarantine, amid coronavirus spread. However, this alleged move has created a fresh crisis for residents of the Kerala town as critically ill patients from Kasaragod have since long been thronging the multi-speciality and high-tech hospitals in Mangaluru in the neighbouring state as they are closer than the facilities in the neighbouring districts of Kerala. Kerala HC intervenes The matter has reached the Kerala High Court which on Wednesday questioned whether the state had the right to prioritise the lives of one section of people over another, just because they are residents of different states. "Is it an option available to any state to choose between people who are ill and to sacrifice one for another?" Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar, hearing the matter, asked. The judge said that the court cannot accept any submission which treats people of Kerala and people of Karnataka as distinct citizens. The court also asked the Kerala and Karnataka governments as to who will take the responsibility if people die due to illnesses other than coronavirus during this time. "If people die due to other illnesses, who'll take responsibility? Would the doctor tell you to only check on someone with COVID-19? Centre to take a decision and inform the court," the court said. Kerala government had taken the matter to the court. The state had filed an affidavit in this regard and also presented a letter that was given by hospitals in Mangalore stating that they are ready to give treatment to Kasaragod natives. "Karnataka closed the Pathore Road in Mangalore border... It was decided jointly by both states to close 12 of the 17 roads on the Kerala-Karnataka border," the affidavit said. "But five more roads were forcibly closed by Karnataka. This is a violation of the Central Government's directive. Five roads including the Thalappady National Highway were also closed by Karnataka. They are not even giving permission to ambulances. Six people have died so far due to this," it added. Kerala government, in the affidavit, also said that Karnataka's stand on the matter is inhumane. Karnataka's Advocate General, on the other hand, told the Kerala High Court that people from Kasaragod can't be admitted in state's hospitals. "Coorg-Mangalore can't accommodate more people. We are only differentiating between one infected area from another," Karnataka submitted. At this point, the Central Government's lawyer submitted that the matter was already under consideration of the Union Government and a decision will be taken within a day. The court, although acknowledged the Centre's plea, it said it will pass an order only to the effect of providing medical relief. The order is still awaited. Kerala High Court, had on Tuesday, asked Karnataka government not to block patients at the border and open the Kasaragod route to Mangalore for medical purposes. Since Karnataka has blocked border roads with Kerala following the COVID-19 outbreak and the nationwide lockdown announced on 24 March, patients depending on Mangaluru for their treatment are finding it extremely difficult to go there. Human rights crisis unfolds as Kerala, Karnataka bicker The issue came to the fore earlier this week when Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, complaining about Karnataka government's inhumane attitude and "partisan interests in the time of crisis". Vijayan said that Karnataka authorities have illegally blocked all roads between Kasaragod and Karnataka under the 'false' pretext that a large number of people were infected with coronavirus, and that by allowing ambulances and essential commodities to pass, they will 'endanger' the population of Karnataka. Karnataka is ruled by the BJP, with BS Yediyurappa as its chief minister. According to The Print, the trigger for Vijayans letter to Modi was the death of a 70-year-old woman after Karnataka authorities did not allow her ambulance to cross the border. However, Kasaragod Collector Sajith Babu told ThePrint that only essential services are being allowed through NH66. "We have 17 roads that connect Kerala and Karnataka, but only one is open for now and that too only essential services are being allowed," Babu said. Meanwhile, as the logjam continued, another life was endangered as a Keralite patient, who was reportedly forcibly discharged from a Mangaluru government hospital, walked nearly 50 kilometres and fainted near the Kasaragod border. Click here for LIVE updates on coroanvirus The patient, Balan, was admitted to the hospital in Mangaluru on 21 March after he fell from a coconut tree. He told police that he was forcibly discharged by the hospital authorities. On getting information, the Kerala Police arranged a vehicle for the patient and his relative and dropped them home at Kanhangad, Kasaragod Superintendent of Police PS Sabu said. In a similar incident, on Tuesday, a 49-year-old critically ill patient died after Karnataka Police allegedly denied permission to allow his ambulance to cross the border at Thalpadi on the Kasaragod-Mangaluru National Highway. He was being taken to Mangaluru for follow-up treatment. PTI reported that at least seven seriously ill patients from Kasaragod have lost their lives since 27 March after the border roads were shut by the Karnataka government. With inputs from agencies This is a moment like no other in our lifetimes. The Coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed our ability to work, attend school, worship, shop and socialize. As we adjust to the new normal, one thing has become very clear: we are in this together. We are now (by necessity) relying on each other in new ways as we practice social distancing and try to keep our community healthy. As organizations in Springfield which bring people together to work to transform the political and economic systems that work for a few but not for most, support grassroots leaders whose voices are often marginalized and stand with our most vulnerable residents, we are moved to act in this new, even more complex environment. We are already seeing some of the significant impacts of the pandemic on our families financial outlook, the increase in social isolation and food insecurity among our senior citizens and the struggles our students are facing as they try to continue learning from home. All of this is certainly enough to become overwhelmed and slide into a paralysis of sorts. There are simply too many things that need to be done and social distancing creates challenges that we havent really had to grapple with before. However, we dont need to be paralyzed. We can choose to be a community in ways we havent before. We can choose to come together to identify innovative ways to support all of the people in our community. Thats what our organizations are choosing to do as we participate in video conference calls together twice a week to keep each other updated on what were seeing and hearing from the community and discuss concrete ways that we can join efforts to support all of our people in Springfield through this difficult time. We can also look to how other cities in our area are taking action to care for those who are most vulnerable right now. We watch as Worcester has put emergency shelter in place in a city high school gym so the citys homeless have a safe place to be during social distancing. We see Boston Mayor Marty Walshs fundraising efforts to increase resources available to non-profit organizations who are engaged in helping to address the emerging needs in his city, increasing food security for seniors and the seriously ill. Now, more than ever, we will need to be creative. We will need to remain determined. We can lean on each other to get through this. Its really important that we all get through this. We are asking our elected officials to lead right now in the following ways: We implore our Mayor and Commissioner of Health and Human Services to respect the dignity of our homeless residents by changing its plan of erecting tents and instead identifying and using a safe, indoor location to allow for these residents to shelter in place and when necessary, self-quarantine; We ask our Mayor and Commissioner of Health and Human Services to communicate to the public right away with transparency about their plans to continue senior food distribution (the brown bag program) and to care for our seniors who are dealing with dramatically decreased access to transportation and food; We also ask our Mayor to publicly support existing proposed state legislation (HD4935) which would enact a state moratorium on evictions and foreclosures and to publicly express support for universal and free access to Coronavirus testing for all who request it; Be visible to residents throughout the week using technology and find ways to get accurate information to our residents whose first language isnt English; and Ensure that all assistance programs (such as the grants now available to local restaurants ) are accessible to all and distributed equitably using an open process. Please consider us as partners in the work to keep all of our residents safe, healthy and housed. Even as we are forced to spend more time apart than ever, we can and must find new ways to make sure all of our neighbors are OK. Now isnt a time to turn inward. Now isnt a time to marginalize, criminalize or dehumanize vulnerable people. This is a time that offers all of us a new opportunity to both reach out and have each others backs. We will get through this, together. If your organization would like to get involved in our efforts to support our community, please join us. Zulmalee Rivera-Delgado, Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Rose Webster-Smith, Springfield No One Leaves Mattie Lacewell, President, Greater Springfield Chapter of Mass Senior Action Council Tara Parrish, Pioneer Valley Project Bishop Talbert Swan, President, Greater Springfield NAACP Related Content: New Zealand-based The a2 Milk Company Ltd [ASX:A2M] shares are among a select few that have risen during the coronavirus pandemic. Since the beginning of the year shares in the milk producer are up nearly by 20%, while the ASX 200 has reversed 21% over the same period. Source: Trading View A2M has the luxury of selling what some investors consider essential consumer staples. Which is why, I suspect, the price has held up so well under the current economic conditions. There is an insatiable demand for baby formula from a Chinese market so much so there are now limits on how much you can purchase at a time. There is also appeal to defensive-minded investors, since their business is non-cyclical, A2M enjoys strong demand year-round. But that could be about to change The Coronavirus Portfolio: The two-pronged plan to help you deal with the financial implications of COVID-19. Download your free report. COVID-19 catching up with dairy demand, implications for the A2M share price Even before this pandemic gripped the world, Chinas economy was beginning to cool. The RBA warned that exports to China could be impacted by a negative shock to growth in China. Chinas consumption growth has also slowed down. And the RBA warns that if recent trends continue, it is possible that GDP growth could halve from current rates by 2030. Source: RBA We could be beginning to see come early signs of Chinas economic cooling. Today Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd [NZE:FCG], another NZ-based dairy producer, announced milk exports in February fell 6.1% compared to last year. FCG cited the decline was primarily driven by decreased demand for butter from Iran and for fluid milk products from China. Where does this leave a2 Milk? A2M recorded strong half-year financial results ending 31 December 2019. Revenue was up a big 32%, totalling NZ$806.7 million, while earnings was up a jumped by 21%, reaching NZ$263.2 million. By far the biggest contributor to sales revenue was infant nutrition with NZ$659.2 million, up 33%. The companys infant nutrition products in China saw sales double in 1H20, totalling NZ$146.7 million. In total, China and other Asia regions segment revenue accounted for NZ$317.2 million in 1H20, easily making it the companys largest segment. China is obviously critical for A2Ms revenue grow and the company is no doubt monitoring the current situation closely. The notable difference between Fonterras and a2 Milks segments in China is that Fonterras fluid milk is more of a luxury than a2s infant formula. Chinese consumers are more likely to give up milk than they are infant formula and risk the lives of their children. A2M seems to share this sentiment too, given the essential nature of our products for many Chinese families, demand is strong, particularly through online and reseller channels. So far, A2M has reported that revenue for the first two months of 2H20 was above expectations, but its difficult to tell if this is because of panic buying and stockpiling. If a2 Milk shares begin to feel the pinch of the downturn, consider The Coronavirus Portfolio to shield yourself from the fickle market. Its a free download, and well worth a read. You can get that here. Regards, Lachlann Tierney, For Money Morning Evers submitted the brief Tuesday as U.S. District Judge William Conley considered three lawsuits seeking to postpone the election. The Democratic National Committee, the state Democratic Party and other liberal-leaning groups argue in the lawsuits that in-person voting should be postponed until after Evers' stay-at-home order expires on April 24, voter ID requirements for absentee ballot applications be lifted and voters be given until June 2 to mail them in to clerks. The district administration here in Madhya Pradesh has declared three kilometres area around a village as 'containment zone after a coronavirus case was reported from there, an official said on Wednesday. Samples of a 65-year-old resident of Dhargaon village in Khargone, who died at a hospital in Indore on Sunday, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. In view of it, Khargone Collector Gopalchandra Daad ordered to declare three km area around the village as 'containment zone'. Besides, a buffer zone has been created in an area of five km around of the village. Transportation in this area will be totally banned, the order said, adding that residents under the containment area have been quarantined. The administration is identifying those who came in contact with the deceased, an official said, adding that medical teams have been deployed in the village, located about 45 km from the district headquarters. "As per the report received from government MGM Medical college laboratory, the 65-year-old man from Dhargaon village was suffering from coronavirus. He died three days back in Indores MY hospital during treatment," Daad said. The patient was initially admitted to Khargone district hospital after he complained of breathlessness, but as his condition deteriorated, he was referred to the MY Hospital in Indore on Sunday, he said. "This is the first case of coronavirus in Khargone, the collector said. With this case, the COVID-19 death toll in the state has gone up to six - three in Indore, two in Ujjain and one in Khargone. So far, 86 coronavirus cases have been reported from the state. Of these, 63 have been reported from Indore, eight from Jabalpur, six from Ujjain, four from Bhopal, two each from Shivpuri and Gwalior and one from Khargone, a health department official said. Indore, which is an industrial hub and has been no.1 in cleanliness, has reported the highest number of 63 COVID-19 cases in the state so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 5,000 people in Maharashtra have been quarantined so far as they were in close contact with 162 COVID-19 patients in the state, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said here on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Tope said that 5343 people have been identified as high risk contact, because they were in close contact with the 162 COVID-19 positive patients in the state "We have quarantined these 'high risk contact' people as they are likely to be infected or are carriers of the infection, he said. It is a clear indication that more people will test positive for in coming days, the minister said. Around 4,000 heath department staffers have been deputed for surveillance and follow up of these people, he said. The wife of jailed human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang says she is concerned he may not be allowed to live at home with his family after his scheduled release on Sunday. Li Wenzu said she fears the authorities will use current coronavirus travel restrictions as a pretext for not allowing Wang to join his family at their home in the capital. "Beijing ruled a few days ago that nobody from Hubei will be allowed into Beijing," said Li, who is a native of the central province of Hubei but who has lived in Beijing for many years. Li, who had planned to go and meet Wang on Sunday on his release from Linyi Prison, said she now fears that if she does, she won't be allowed back into Beijing, as the birthplace of mainland Chinese residents is indicated on their national ID card. "If I go to meet him, it's not just Wang who could be prevented from entering Beijing; I could too." She said the stress of the situation is being to take its toll on her mental health. "I am nervous, anxious and upset all the time these days," she said. "We have been looking forward to [Wang's release] as the date gets closer and closer, but I won't be able to go to greet him outside the prison gates." "I'm just wondering what to do, every day, watching the day draw nearer," she said. A form of persecution Chen Yue, director of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group in Hong Kong, said Wang should be allowed to return to the family home in Beijing after his release. "The issue is that Li Wenzu has lived in Beijing for many years, but her household registration [hukou] remains in Hubei," Chen told RFA. "By law, anyone who has lived somewhere for more than a year has that as their habitual place of residence, so she should be allowed to go to the prison to meet Wang Quanzhang, and go home with him." "If the authorities don't allow this, then it's a form of persecution of that family." Beijing-based rights activist Hu Jia said there should be no problem regarding quarantine, as Linyi Prison in the eastern province of Shandong has been relatively free of COVID-19 infection. "The only thing that should be necessary is to inform the neighborhood committee, register, and show his health clearance. Then it's basically home quarantine for 14 days," Hu said. But he said things may not go so smoothly. "[Wang] said in a recent letter to his wife that the prison authorities had told him he had to go back to [Shandong's] Jinan city after being released," Hu said, adding that that is where Wang's hukou is located. "He will likely be sent to Jinan and remain under surveillance for some time," he said. Rights abuses in prison Rights lawyer Xi Yanyi agreed. "These criminals are afraid that Wang Quanzhang will expose human rights abuses including torture and other crimes committed while he was in prison," Xie said. "[That's why] they won't let Wang Quanzhang go back to Beijing." Rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong has been under house arrest in Henan province since his release last year. Wang wrote in a recent letter to Li: "I hope that I won't be subject to further controls on my release, and that nobody will bother us at home." "I want to go back to the life we had before, and our child needs a fixed address." But he said he would likely have to go back to Jinan because of his hukou registration. Wang is serving a four-and-a-half year jail term handed down on Jan. 28, 2019 by the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, which found him guilty of "subversion of state power." The verdict and sentence followed repeated delays, resulting in Wang being held in pretrial detention for more than three years with no access to a lawyer or family visits. Concerns over torture Rights groups say there are concerns that Wang may have been subjected to torture or other mistreatment in detention, as he was detained incommunicado for such a long period of time, and that this may be the reason behind officials' insistence on secrecy. During that time, the authorities failed to provide a proper account of Wangs prolonged detention to the public, including Wangs family and family-appointed defense lawyers. A nationwide police operation under the administration of President Xi Jinping has targeted more than 300 lawyers, law firms, and related activists for questioning, detention, imprisonment, debarring, and travel bans since it launched in July 2015. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. TCT Now in Savannah Radiant Life Ministries, Inc. and the TCT Television Network, a Leader in Inspirational Television Programming, Announce the Purchase of WSCG-TV34, Savannah, Georgia WSCG-TV, the only full-power religious television station in the Savannah Market NEWS PROVIDED BY TCT April 1, 2020 MARION, Ill., April 1, 2020 / TCT's Founder and President, Dr. Garth Coonce, relates "This station addition couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The need to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ, during this critical time in our nation's history, has never been greater and we are looking forward to being able to providing that encouragement to South Carolina's low country and Georgia's eastern coastal TV audiences through WSCG's broadcast signal." TCT airs commercial-free, inspirational programming designed to appeal to a wide variety of denominational and cultural backgrounds. Programming formats include magazine, talk, interview, variety, music, and music videos. Viewers enjoy teaching, preaching, evangelism, health and fitness, youth and children's programs. Some of the nation's most prominent pastors and broadcast ministries air their programs on TCT; and loyal viewing audiences continue to grow as they receive the encouragement and inspiration they are searching for in a world with little hope or answers to life's most challenging questions. The Emmy Award winning TCT Network is recognized as a leader in Christian television with many awards including the Christian Network of the year. TCT remains on the cutting edge by utilizing the latest in high definition and virtual studio productions; as well as mobile, live and on-demand video streaming technologies such as ROKU; Apple TV; Kindle Fire; Android TV; Amazon Fire and YouTube to make the most of every audience opportunity. Join us and enjoy the programming of South Carolina and Georgia's newest Christian television station WSCG-TV34! For more information, press only: Judy Church, Vice President of Media Relations TCT Television Network Marion, Illinois 62959 618.997.4700 ext. 1162 Judy@tct.tv / WWW.TCT.TV SOURCE TCT CONTACT: Judy Church, 618-997-4700 ext 1162, Related Links WWW.TCT.TV Share Tweet NEWS PROVIDED BYApril 1, 2020MARION, Ill., April 1, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- TCT Television Network is pleased to announce the newest addition to its network of affiliated broadcast television stations, WSCG-TV, Savannah, Georgia.TCT's Founder and President, Dr. Garth Coonce, relates "This station addition couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The need to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ, during this critical time in our nation's history, has never been greater and we are looking forward to being able to providing that encouragement to South Carolina's low country and Georgia's eastern coastal TV audiences through WSCG's broadcast signal."TCT airs commercial-free, inspirational programming designed to appeal to a wide variety of denominational and cultural backgrounds. Programming formats include magazine, talk, interview, variety, music, and music videos. Viewers enjoy teaching, preaching, evangelism, health and fitness, youth and children's programs. Some of the nation's most prominent pastors and broadcast ministries air their programs on TCT; and loyal viewing audiences continue to grow as they receive the encouragement and inspiration they are searching for in a world with little hope or answers to life's most challenging questions.The Emmy Award winning TCT Network is recognized as a leader in Christian television with many awards including the Christian Network of the year. TCT remains on the cutting edge by utilizing the latest in high definition and virtual studio productions; as well as mobile, live and on-demand video streaming technologies such as ROKU; Apple TV; Kindle Fire; Android TV; Amazon Fire and YouTube to make the most of every audience opportunity.Join us and enjoy the programming of South Carolina and Georgia's newest Christian television station WSCG-TV34!For more information, press only:Judy Church, Vice President of Media RelationsTCT Television NetworkMarion, Illinois 62959618.997.4700 ext. 1162SOURCE TCTCONTACT: Judy Church, 618-997-4700 ext 1162, Judy@tct.tv Related Links An Ongoing Series on Coronavirus The kind of control youre attempting simply is not possible. If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us, its that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously life finds a way. -Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park * UPDATED: Months into the coronavirus pandemic, and weeks into lockdowns, things are not just getting worse. In many areas, they are spiraling out of control. If we dont quickly employ needed measures, COVID-19 (C19) will keep crashing through barriers, running free, and yes, expanding to new territories. Some have blasted this author for being critical of the Trump Administrations response, and/or for appearing too negative, with one reader even holding me responsible for suicides related to C-19 acts presumably committed because this column didnt paint a rosy picture of the pandemic. If suicide wasnt so tragic, one might consider such criticism an honor, since it allocates an extraordinary level of importance to this platform. If only that were true. The purpose of assigning blame is to learn from mistakes, so that when another virus (or C19, again) rears its head, we will be better prepared. But lets be clear: if we dont call out those mistakes, right here and right now, and instead wait until the pandemic passes, no one will care, and nothing will change. People may disagree with this columns opinions, but when facts are laid out also known as the truth they are indisputable. Thats the beauty of truth: It isnt partisan, doesnt have an agenda, and never takes sides. If people want to live in fantasy land, where they bury their heads to fit their own narrative, thats their prerogative. But it doesnt change the fact that two-plus-two always equals four. Truth matters, especially during a pandemic, so the more that we acknowledge truth, even when its painful to do so, the better off we are. Following is a look at what needs to be done immediately, if we are to gain a foothold. In that vein, lets remember that what not to do, is as critically important as what to do. Behavior: This is the easiest category in which to enact change, because stopping idiotic behavior takes little effort if enough voices condemn it. Call it crazy, but maybe people shouldnt be taking cruises during a global pandemic especially when an easily communicable virus becomes extremely contagious onboard a ship. Yet thats exactly what people have been doing. Now, a ship with dead and sick passengers is in limbo, since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis doesnt want it docking in the Sunshine State. His rationale: We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources we do not want to see people dumped in southern Florida right now. Yes, even though this column is posted on April Fools Day, thats really his statement. Except that A) numerous passengers are Floridians; B) when did governors get to decide who gets health care and who doesnt who lives and who dies; and C) this is the same guy who refused to close beaches, and allowed tens of thousands of spring breakers to dump into Florida the state with the most elderly because he prioritized their economic impact over the health of Floridians. Heres another one: Colleges should be banned from allowing students to return this semester. But Liberty University allowed students to return during the pandemic, which required travel throughout the nation. That decision led to consternation within the Lynchburg, Virginia, community. Should a student test positive, parents wanting to be with their children would also have to travel, thereby increasing risk factors. Because of that possibility, it is unfortunate that all parents did not keep their children home. And then we have packed mega-churches, with their misguided pastors encouraging congregants to come together. One minister in Florida called stay-at-home behavior crazy, and invoked the presidents message of being out-and-about by Easter. He was promptly arrested for unlawful assembly kudos to the sheriff for his bold action. This author is a staunch defender of religious freedom, and wary of ever-encroaching government. But really? Is this the hill on which the pastor wants to plant his flag? How hard is it to telecast services? And how difficult to solicit the almighty dollar online? Do those churchgoers collectively have a single brain cell? Dissenters will undoubtedly throw out biblical quotes to justify their madness, which can be countered tit-for-tat. But heres a thought: The Lord helps those who help themselves. Stay home to pray, so you can live to donate tomorrow. P.S.: The president should not be held responsible for the pastors actions, nor those of the congregation. They alone are accountable for their stupidity. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump should understand that words matter especially his and that he should speak more carefully during a pandemic. And on that note, perhaps the president should not be making this an all-about-me crisis by going to war with governors he doesnt like, such as those from Michigan, Illinois and Washington. Not the time, nor the place. Americans expect leadership, not petty politics, since lives hang in the balance. Drugs Made In USA: In February, before corona became a widespread sensation, this column stated: Over 80 percent of Americas antibiotics and generic drugs are manufactured in, or have their raw materials originate from, China. From massive national security liability to unthinkable health repercussions, its worth letting that sobering statistic sink in. In addition, 95 percent of ibuprofen comes from China. Indisputably, we are beholden to China on this front. But has Congress Republican Senate or Democrat House enacted legislation to reverse that catastrophe, so that a percentage of such medicines will be manufactured in America? Has that point been promoted by the president using the largest bully pulpit in the world? Nope. Nothing but silence. Prediction: When corona passes, nothing will change. And at that point, well have a new slogan: Making America Mediocre Again. Testing: By far, the single-most important tool in fighting C19 is widespread testing, using instant-result kits. That hasnt happened, and it is inexcusable. America lost an entire month to the virus first because the administration didnt take it seriously, and later because bumbling bureaucrats manufactured faulty tests and contaminated the CDC lab. So how is it possible that other nations battling C19 had working tests from the get-go, but we did not? Because the administration refused to use the functioning test from the World Health Organization. Additionally, for the first critical month, it did not allow hospitals, companies and private labs to develop their own tests instead mandating that those entities use the CDC kit. The disastrous result was a long period where almost no one was tested. Example: two weeks ago, Los Angeles Americas second-largest city had tested virtually no one. And of the thousands who have been tested since, its taking up to seven days for results. You dont have to be an infectious disease specialist to know that such a time span makes testing irrelevant, as hundreds of thousands more will become infected, by the infected. The only solution to stopping C19 is to mass-produce instant tests, and test every single American. The model is the Italian town of Vo, which mandated testing of every resident to discover (and quarantine) asymptomatic spreaders before they contaminated countless others. Another huge advantage to instant tests would be fast-tracking construction of urgently needed health care facilities. Before breaking ground, every worker would have to test negative to gain entry to the construction zone thereby eliminating coronavirus interruptions. The result would be erecting field hospitals in record time, and ensuring that health care workers are not infected. We are printing unlimited amounts of money to fund the economic stimuli, so cost is not a factor. But what will the cost be if we dont? This column has been updated to note Liberty Universitys statement that no campus residents have tested positive for COVID-19, or required testing because of symptoms. FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday announced the completion of the merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd with the company, almost 15 months after the announcement of the deal. Besides, the FMCG major is also acquiring popular health food drink brand Horlicks in a Rs 3,045 crore deal from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd (GSKCH) using the option available in the original agreement between HUL and GSK. Post the merger, GSKCH will now hold a 5.7 per cent stake in HUL, which is listed on bothBSE and NSE. Both the companies had received all necessary regulatory approvals, including from the National Company Law Tribunal, for the merger of GSKCH into the company, HUL and GSKCH said in separate statements. The Board of Directors of HUL today approved HUL acquiring the Horlicks Brand for India from GSK for a consideration of Euro 375.6 million (Rs 3,045 crore), exercising the option available in the original agreementmade between Unilever and GSK, HUL said. As part of that, around 3,500 people working with the nutrition team of GSKCH would move to HUL. Post acquisition, nutrition business would be a part of HUL's Foods & Refreshment division, which handles its tea, coffee, ice-cream, and packaged foods business. "This will enable HUL to utilise cash on its balance sheet and create value for shareholders. In addition, it will enable HUL to drive better salience in a local context. The other brands which were under the ownership of GSKCH like Boost, Maltova and Viva come to HUL's brand portfolio by virtue of the merger," it added. On December 3, 2018, HUL had announced the merger of GSKCH, which was subject to obtaining necessary approvals. "This is one of the largest deals in the FMCG sector in recent times and will lead to significant value creation for all stakeholders," HUL said. The deal would unlock opportunity for HUL in Health Food Drinks (HFD) market as GSKCH was the market leader in the segment, with brands as Horlicks and Boost in its portfolio. "Brands such as Horlicks and Boost are iconic, and we are excited to have them in the Hindustan Unilever fold. The merger gives us a unique opportunity to live our purpose and serve India where nutrition-related challenges form the largest causes of diseaseMalnutrition and Micronutrient deficiency - and aligns well with the Government''s ambitious Swasth Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan programs. I am delighted to welcome the 3,500 strong Nutrition Team to the HUL family. "Both organisations have common values coming from a lineage of respected parent companies and a shared heritage of building iconic trusted brands," HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta said. Horlicks has a volume share of close to 50 per cent in the HFD market. Commenting on the development, GSK Consumer Healthcare CEO Brian McNamara said: "The close of this transaction signals the beginning of an exciting new chapter for GSK in India, enabling us to focus and build on our portfolio of brilliant, science-based OTC and Oral Health brands and to make these products available to more consumers across the country. The appointed date of the schemeof merger was set on April 1, 2020, by the NCLT in its approval. All the assets and liabilities of Transferor Company (GSKCH)shall become assets and liabilities of the Transferee Company (HUL) with effect from the appointed Date, said GSKCH in a regulatory filing. In accordance with the Scheme, the shareholders of GSKCH as on the Record Date will be issued and allotted 4.39 equity shares of HUL having a face value Rs one each, as fully paid-up, for every on equity share of GSKCH having a face value Rs 10, it added. HUL will be partnering with GSK through consignment selling arrangement to distribute brands of GSK Consumer Healthcare family in India, which would allow a big play in the chemist channels. "This partnership, with world class brands from GSK like Eno, Crocin, Sensodyne etc and HUL's distribution strength can unlock value for GSK and build further Hindustan Unilever''s go-to-market capabilities," it added. Though HUL was preparing up for merger of GSKCH business for almost a year, it would take time to integrate and harmonise the systems with the company,said HUL CFO Srinivas Phatak in a conference call. We would have a separate and dedicated integration team, said Phatak adding that it expects in the next 12 to 18 months the work of process harmonisation and IT integration would be completed. On December 3, 2018, Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant Unilever announced the acquisition of health food portfolio, including popular brands Horlicks and Boost, from GSKCH India and over 20 other markets for 3.1 billion pounds (about Rs 27,750 crore). According to the deal, Unilever's Indian arm HUL acquired GSKCH India via an all-equity merger, valuing the total business of the latter at Rs 31,700 crore. Shares of Hindustan Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd on Wednesday fell by up to 5.2 per cent. Hindustan Unilever scrip declined 5.17 per cent to close the trade at Rs 2,179.25 on the BSE. During the day, it dropped 6 per cent to Rs 2,159.90. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare scrip also fell by 4.63 per cent to close at Rs 9,530.55 after tumbling 5.58 per cent to Rs 9,435.20 in intra-day trade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Salvation Army establishes hotline The Salvation Army has established a hotline for those affected by coronavirus to call for emotional and spiritual support. The Emotional and Spiritual Care Hotline will be manned 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CDT) daily by Salvation Army officers and trained employees. The number is (844) 458-HOPE (4673). The goal of the hotline is to offer assistance to people overcome with worry or undue stress caused by the pandemic, according to a press release from the nonprofit. Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Salvation Army may mail a check to the Midland Salvation Army, 600 E. Wall St., Midland, Texas 70701; go to salvationarmytexas.org or call 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769) For more information, call 683-3614. Walmart takes measures to protect employees Walmart is taking additional measures to ensure the health and safety of their employees, according to a press release. These measures include: --Temperature checks All stores, clubs and distribution centers will have infrared thermometers within the next three weeks. Employees temperatures will be taken when they arrive for work, according to the release. --Masks and gloves Walmart is sending masks and gloves to all its stores, clubs and distribution centers. These items are expected to arrive in about two weeks. Any employee who wants to wear them, may do so, according to the release. Grocery store hours during coronavirus --Albertsons Market 7 a.m.-9 p.m., 1002 Andrews Highway For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Monday and Thursday 3317 N. Midland Drive For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday --H-E-B 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Customers 60+ Orders can be called in 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at 833-397-0080. Groceries will be delivered by Favor Delivery. For more information, go to newsroom.heb.com --Market Street: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Monday and Thursday --Walmart: 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. MISD is serving meals Midland ISD Child Nutrition Services (CNS) will provide free breakfast and lunch to students who want them. Students do not have to be on free or reduced lunch to receive a meal. Meals are grab-and-go and may be picked up at any of the locations. Also, academic enrichment packets may be picked up at the meal sites. More information is available at www.midlandisd.net/covid19. Breakfast will be served 7:30-8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the following locations. Elementary schools Bonham - East Parking/Drive Bowie - West Parking Bunche - East Bus Drive Burnet - East Parking/Drive Bush - North Bus/Parent Drive De Zavala - East Parent Drive Fannin - West Parent Drive Franks - East Service Loop Drive Greathouse - West Service Loop Drive Henderson - West Parent Drive Lamar - East Service Loop Drive Long - East Street Parking Milam - East Street Parking Parker - West Bus Drive Pease - West Parking Drive Rusk - East Bus Drive Santa Rita - West Drive Scharbauer - South Parking Drive South - North Street Curb Travis - South Parent Drive Yarbrough - North Bus Drive Secondary schools San Jacinto - East Bush Drive Goddard - East Staff Parking Midland High - "A Street Band Hall Service Loop Other sites South Interstate 20 Mobile Sites (Yellow MISD Bus) Cotton Flat Baptist Church - 6409 Hwy 349 Valley View Baptist Church - 5500 FM 1213 Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park - 5200 S. County Road 1200 Airline Mobile Home Park - 7100 W. Highway 80 Bates Field Estates - West County Road 171 & South County Road 1315 (pick up breakfast and lunch from 7:30-8:30 a.m.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) A congressman from Metro Manila has proposed another 30-day extension of the enhanced community quarantine, noting that "science" and "common sense" would prove that the Philippines is still grappling with the COVID-19 crisis. "Science, the experience of other countries and common sense would dictate that the Philippine government should extend the enhanced community quarantine for another 30 days as we continue to grapple with hard facts on the real statistics of COVID-19 spread in our communities," said Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice. Erice, a senior vice chair of the House committee on Metro Manila Development, noted that the "gains" of the ongoing 30-day Luzon-wide quarantine will only be put to waste if there will be no extension. "The ECQ would most likely result [in] the resurgence of the dreaded virus and more likely would affect the blighted areas of urban centers," the congressman said in a statement. He also stressed the need for government to use all resources so that food supply goes to the low-income households affected by the crisis. Inter-Agency Task Force spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Thursday described the situation as "far from over." "Totoo po iyon. Hanggang wala pang vaccine, then ito nga ang sinasabi nating 'new normal' (That is true. As long as there's no vaccine, then this is what we call the 'new normal')," Nograles said. He earlier said that the task force has not yet made a decision whether the Luzon-wide lockdown will be lifted, extended, or expanded to other areas. It has been 16 days since President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Luzon under the enhanced community quarantine. It has also been a week since he signed into law the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act which gives him additional powers to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Both chambers of Congress have yet to convene for a joint congressional oversight committee to review the first weekly report submitted by Duterte last Monday. The Philippines currently has 2,084 COVID-19 cases to date, with 88 fatalities, and 49 recoveries. Advertisement British Airways' Spanish owners today axed a controversial 300million payout to shareholders as staff accused them of running the airline into the ground by furloughing 36,000 of its 45,000-strong workforce. Madrid-based International Airlines Group proposed a dividend of around 17p per share in February, when the ravages of the killer virus on society and the global economy were already apparent. But chief financial officer Stephen Gunning said today the cash would instead be used to keep the company going through the virus crisis. One former manager in BA's finance team told MailOnline today: 'Dont blame the virus. This company has been mismanaged for years. IAG have simply sucked the life out of it'. The whistleblower said IAG had been paying large dividends to shareholders despite falling profits in recent years when they have been rocked by repeated IT problems, a 183million fine for a data breach and their first ever strike by pilots last September. Tens of thousands of BA's workers are about to be furloughed and paid via the government's taxpayer-funded job retention scheme, which offers them 80 per cent of someone's average pay up to 2,500-a-month. But critics have suggested that with an annual turnover of 25billion and around 7billion in the bank, IAG should at the very least be paying the remaining 20 per cent of their salaries. Staff expected to be temporarily laid off have contacted MailOnline to express their anger after they found out about the job suspensions from the news. One cabin crew member said: 'I am disgusted. I have heard nothing from British Airways. They should be paying our wages'. Another worker told the BBC: 'We have no idea on who they're going to be keeping on or where they're going to be flying. And most importantly, how we're going to be treated when we come back'. IAG's boss Willie Walsh saw his pay jump 5.5% to 3.2 million last year and stands to retire in June with millions due in share bonuses over the next four years. He also sold 3.5million worth of shares last year, reportedly to fund his divorce. While Mr Walsh is said to be taking a 20 per cent pay cut for the rest of his IAG contract, it is not yet known if CEO of British Airways Alex Cruz or other bosses will forgo any of their long-term pay or bonuses as tens of thousands of staff face an uncertain future today. As BA edged towards a total shut down, it has also emerged: Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to show leadership over Britain's testing fiasco as Britain suffers 569 more fatalities taking total to 2,921 as death toll quadruples in a week Just 2,000 of the NHS' 500,000 staff have been tested as a fifth medic working on the frontline is killed by the virus; UK banks in the firing line as they 'unfairly refuse' rescue loans for coronavirus-hit firms; Six-week-old US baby dies after being rushed to hospital - as America's death toll rises above 5,000 - as White House is told China has covered up true scale of deaths there; Morgue the size of two football pitches is being built in east London to hold thousands of victims from NHS Nightingale, which opens this week; British Airways planes have been left parked at Bournemouth Airport after the airline suffered a massive fall in demand due to the coronavirus crisis and now plans to furlough 36,000 staff has emerged BA is owned by Madrid-based, International Airlines Group, whose boss Willie Walsh saw his pay jump 5.5% to 3.2 million last year despite tumbling profits and stands to retire in June with millions due in share bonuses over the next four years. It is not yet known if he, CEO of British Airways Alex Cruz or other bosses will forgo any of their pay or bonuses The British Airways check-in area is seen empty at Gatwick airport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, as BA shut down its operations away from Heathrow T5 The airline is today expected to suspend around 36,000 of its 45,000 staff as coronavirus left the airline on its knees. The airline has reached a broad deal with the Unite union that will include the suspension of 80 per cent of its cabin crew, ground staff, engineers and those working at head office in Harmondsworth, near Heathrow. BA refused to comment today, only to say 'talks are ongoing', but a Unite spokesman said: "Unite has been working around the clock to protect thousands of jobs and to ensure the UK comes out of this unprecedented crisis with a viable aviation sector', adding: 'Members are very anxious at this time'. The 36,000 job cuts came after BA axed all its flights to and from Gatwick Airport and London City - with BA only expected to keep flying from Heathrow Terminal 5 with a severely reduced schedule. British Airways' furloughed staff will get 80% of their monthly pay up to a maximum of 2,500. Most businesses have not chosen to pay the other 20 per cent. Chancellor will order banks to hand over loans to struggling firms as companies prepare to furlough half their staff Rishi Sunak is preparing to overhaul his bailout for business and order banks to give firms the financial support they need after it emerged almost half expect to furlough at least 50 per cent of workers in the next week. The Chancellor is widely expected to announce tomorrow a fresh wave of action to help companies hit by coronavirus after research published by the BBC suggested up to a million could be forced to shut. Mr Sunak is due to make it easier for companies to get hold of cash through the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. MailOnline has been contacted by numerous firms which have either been refused help by banks or have been offered money but with interest rates as high as 30 per cent. Meanwhile, a British Chambers of Commerce survey of 600 firms found 44 per cent of firms are likely to put more than half of their workers on furlough, with the government then paying their wages. A majority of firms - 62 per cent - only have up to three months' cash in reserve and almost one in five have less than a month in their rainy day funds as they struggle with plummeting revenues. Advertisement Almost half of businesses expect to furlough at least 50 per cent of their workforce in the next week, according to a new survey which shows the cost of Rishi Sunak's coronavirus bailout could soar. The British Chambers of Commerce asked 600 firms what the crisis will mean for them and 44 per cent said they were likely to put more than half of their workers on furlough, with the government then paying their wages. Meanwhile, a majority of firms - 62 per cent - only have up to three months' cash in reserve and almost one in five have less than a month in their rainy day funds as they struggle with plummeting revenues. The statistics come amid growing pressure on the government to improve its business bailout as concerns increase that many firms have been unable to access support. BA has cancelled thousands of flights and has been inundated with refund requests - but they are taking two weeks or more to process, sparking fury among customers. One tweeted today: 'Their customer service is non existent and are trying to hold onto the money that their customers work so hard for! This is a global pandemic that is affecting everyone. Its been 3 weeks. Thats 21 days. I am in need of a refund not a voucher for another flight'. Rebecca Eichler also took to social media and said: 'My flight was cancelled and you have offered a full refund, which is only available by calling, but you are not accepting calls'. BA is also among the airlines helping repatriate Britons stuck abroad following Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's pledge to set aside 75 million to help get people home. The decision by BA to shut its Gatwick operation came hours after easyJet grounded its entire fleet of 330 aircraft and became the first UK airline to stop all its operations. On Wednesday, Gatwick's North Terminal shut with the South Terminal operating from 2pm and 10pm to cut costs, meaning most of the airport's staff will be furloughed. Boeing to offer voluntary layoffs to thousands of employees as soon as today Boeing is set to offer buyout and early retirement packages to employees, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in a bid to mitigate the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Boeing was initiating a voluntary layoff plan that allows eligible employees who want to exit the company to do so with a pay and benefits package, one of the people said. Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun is expected to detail a voluntary layoff plan in a memo to employees as early as Thursday, the second person said. A representative for Boeing declined to comment. Advertisement Those not furloughed, such as call centre staff and those involved in live operations, will remain on full pay following the talks. A source told The Sun: 'Negotiations have been tough but there is an acknowledgement at BA and the union that these are unprecedented times.' The agreement has yet to be fully signed off but it is thought this will happen early on Thursday morning. A spokesman for the airline told MailOnline: 'Talks continue.' With future bookings cancelled for the time being, airlines such as British Airways have been losing vast sums of money. A British Airways spokesman declined to say how many of its workers' jobs are under threat when asked earlier this week, but said: 'Due to the considerable restrictions and challenging market environment, like many other airlines we will temporarily suspend our flying schedule at Gatwick. We are contacting affected customers to discuss their options.' Two weeks ago British Airways admitted coronavirus is threatening its very survival as staff were told there will be job cuts and aircrafts must be mothballed because of the 'worsening' worldwide pandemic. Chief Executive Alex Cruz wrote to all 45,000 workers saying the virus' relentless spread is a crisis 'of global proportions like no other we have known', more serious than the 2008 financial crash, SARS or 9/11. But chief executive of its parent company IAG, Willie Walsh, has also stressed that he had not requested a government bail-out and insisted IAG was 'resilient with a strong balance sheet', adding there is 'no guarantee that many European airlines would survive'. Customers whose flights have been cancelled say that they have been waiting for weeks for refunds There are concerns about BA's decision to furlough staff with such a healthy balance sheet British Airways planes are parked up in a row at Gatwick Airport. On Tuesday, the airline axed all its flights to and from Gatwick Airport as COVID-19 continues to strangle the aviation industry I've been furloughed: What does it mean, why are companies doing this and what happens next? Until a fortnight ago, it's unlikely many British workers had ever encountered the term 'furloughed', but now it is a concept that has been thrust into the spotlight by the coronavirus crisis. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a series of measures to cover the wages of millions of people suddenly left without work and prevent businesses going bankrupt due to the coronavirus crisis - and furloughing staff lays at the heart of it. Sunak said the Government will cover 80 per cent of salaries up to a ceiling of 2,500 a month - equivalent to the UK average wage of 30,000 a year. The scheme, open to all firms with employees, will be up and running by the end of April and backdated to March 1. But in order to access it, businesses will have to 'furlough' their employees who they can no longer afford to pay. This term, until now more or less unknown in the UK, is suddenly popping up everywhere, with easyJet just one among the many companies announcing a two-month furlough for its cabin crew who can't work after the company grounded all of its flights. Here we explain what furlough means and what it entails for workers and businesses. What does it mean to be 'furloughed'? Essentially, if you're being furloughed by your employer, it means you're being sent home, but will still receive 80 per cent of your salary by the Government, up to a maximum of 2,500 a month. This Government job retention scheme is only for employed people, it does not apply if you are self-employed. However, you first need to agree to be put on furlough by your employer, who can then apply for the money to the Government. You cannot apply for it yourself. Your employer can choose to pay the remaining 20 per cent of your wages, although it is not obliged to do so. If you earn more than 2,500 a month, your employer can choose to 'top up' your salary, but again it is not forced to do so. You will still continue to pay income tax and national insurance contributions while on furlough. Can I be furloughed if I'm on a zero-hour contract? Yes. Also if you're on a flexible contract or are employed by an agency. If you are on a zero-hour contract, which means you don't necessarily earn the same amount each month, your employer should give you the 80 per cent of your average monthly salary since you started working. That also applies to workers who have been employed for less than a year. If you've worked for your employer for a year or more, you should receive 80 per cent of your average monthly salary, or 80 per cent of what you earned in the same month during the previous year - whichever is highest. If you started work only in February, your employer will pro-rata your earnings from that month. But if you've started working on 28 February or after, you are not eligible. If you have been made redundant after February 28, or even if you left a job after that date, you could be reemployed under furlough if your employer is willing to do so. Otherwise you will have to claim unemployment. Can I be forloughed if I'm sick? If you're fallen ill and in the meantime your employer has had to shut down, you should first get statutory sick pay first, but can be furloughed after this. Those who are self-isolating because of coronavirus can also be placed on furlough. People who are 'shielding' and are vulnerable to potential severe illness caused by the coronavirus, can also be placed on furlough. At the moment, employees can be furloughed from a minimum of three weeks up to three months, although the Government may look to extend that if needed. Which businesses can apply? Any company with employees can apply, including charities, recruitment agencies and public authorities. However, the Government does not expect many public sector organisations to apply, as 'the majority of public sector employees are continuing to provide essential public services or contribute to the response to the coronavirus outbreak'. Organisations who are receiving public funding specifically to provide services necessary to respond to the coronavirus outbreak are not expected to furlough staff. Employers can furlough staff for a minimum of three weeks and are not allowed to rotate employees on furlough. In order to access the scheme, businesses need to change the status of their employees to furlough workers and submit the information to HMRC. HMRC are currently working to set up a system for reimbursing companies. Advertisement BA is one of many that are to stop serving the UK's second busiest airport due to the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airline will keep equipment for essential functions at the airport, such as maintenance, towing and cleaning, to enable it to restart operations quickly. Just 33 flights were due to take off or land at the West Sussex airport on Tuesday, according to aviation data provider FlightStats. From Wednesday, Gatwick's runway was only open for scheduled flights between 2pm and 10pm. The airport also closed one of its two terminals. The measures will be in place for a minimum of one month. Airports are responding to the decision by airlines to suspend the majority of their flights due to demand plummeting and countries around the world introducing travel restrictions in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. London City Airport closed its runway to all commercial and private flights last week while Southend Airport is only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays between 4.30pm and 9.30pm. IAG recently announced three-quarters of flights will be cut over the next two months also said it was 'taking actions to reduce operating expenses and improve cash flow'. These include temporarily suspending employment contracts, reducing working hours and offering staff unpaid leave. The group, which also owns Iberia and Vueling, employs 66,000 staff. Airlines are in the process of temporarily laying off tens of thousands of staff without pay. Amid warnings of an industry collapse within weeks, BA-owner IAG, EasyJet, Ryanair and Norwegian all revealed drastic plans to slash costs and ground flights. Virgin Atlantic said staff had agreed to take eight weeks of unpaid leave over the next three months, with the salary docked from workers' pay over six months so their income does not dry up. All 10,000 employees of the company, founded and controlled by Richard Branson, will also be offered voluntary redundancy. In a sign of the scale of the coronavirus crisis, the airlines have been backed by the union Unite and pilots association Balpa. The most extreme measures were taken by Norwegian, which is the third largest airline at Gatwick. It is temporarily laying off around 7,300 staff 90 per cent of its workforce. The airline which is saddled with debt, has lost more than 80 per cent of its market value since the start of the year. EasyJet's founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou yesterday justified the decision to pay a 174million dividend to shareholders including around 60million to his family just ten days before it grounded all its 330 planes. The Luton-based airline employs 9,000 staff and is the first in the UK to stop all flights and mothball all jets since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Britain. Sir Stelios said the now-controversial dividends were agreed in February when 'the world looked like a much happier place' and the cash was 'automatically' paid to shareholders on March 20 and were 'impossible to stop'. In an extraordinary statement the billionaire also said calls for him to give the money back were 'naive' and 'malicious', adding easyJet 'is not a charity'. The grounding of easyJet's gigantic fleet came just days after calling for a state loan to help them survive. Justifying the 170million payout Sir Stelios, who with his siblings are the largest single shareholders in the carrier with a 34 per cent stake, insisted that the dividends were 'legal' and 'rightful'. He said: 'The reality of the situation is the dividend was legally at the point of no return on the 6th of February, or at the very latest on the 27th of February 2020. The world looked like a much happier place on the 6th of February and the dividend was rightfully paid to all shareholders'. In a lengthy statement he said the payments could not have been stopped. He said: 'The dividends by the 20th of March we already paid automatically via a complex web of bank accounts where the shares are held and it is impossible to stop it for some shareholders but not for others'. Sir Stelios is threatening to seek the removal of board members unless the airline withdraws from a contract with Airbus to provide 107 aircraft which he said will cost 4.5 billion. In his statement earlier this week he said journalists who asked whether he would hand his dividend back were 'naive/malicious', adding: 'I am perplexed as to how that would work?', adding: 'To be used how? To pay that money straight over to Airbus? And what is the consideration for such a gift? Or is it meant as a selfless charitable donation? Charity towards which deserving cause exactly? easyJet is not a registered charity to receive donations and neither is Airbus. That's not how publically listed companies work'. How coronavirus has affected airlines in the UK over the past month Flybe: Europe's largest regional airline collapsed on March 5 after months on the brink, triggering 2,400 job losses and left around 15,000 passengers stranded across the UK and Europe. Flybe's owners, a consortium including Virgin Atlantic, the Stobart Group and hedge fund firm Cyrus Capital, blamed coronavirus for hastening the ailing airline's collapse. Flybe operated up to 50 UK routes, accounting for 40 per cent of all domestic flights, and was used by 9.5million passengers a year. British Airways: The International Airlines Group, which also includes Iberia and Aer Lingus, said on March 16 that there would be a 75 per cent reduction in passenger capacity for two months, with boss Willie Walsh admitting there was 'no guarantee that many European airlines would survive'. easyJet: The airline with 9,000 UK-based staff including 4,000 cabin crew grounds its entire fleet of 344 planes on March 30. The Luton-based carrier said parking all of its planes 'removes significant cost' as the aviation industry struggles to cope with a collapse in demand. Loganair: The Scottish regional airline said on March 30 that it expects to ask the Government for a bailout to cope with the impact of the pandemic. Loganair will go to the government despite being told by Finance Minister Rishi Sunak last week that airlines should exhaust all other options for funding, before asking for help. Jet2: The budget holiday airline has suspended all of its flights departing from Britain until April 30. A number of Jet2 flights turned around mid-air earlier this month while travelling to Spain when a lockdown was announced in the country. Virgin Atlantic: The airline said on March 16 that it would have reduced its lights by 80 per cent by March 26, and this will go up to 85 per cent by April. It has also urged the Government to offer carriers emergency credit facilities worth up to 7.5billion. Ryanair: More than 90 per cent of the Irish-based airline's planes are now grounded, with the rest of the aircraft providing repatriation and rescue flights. Advertisement EasyJet grounded its entire fleet of 330-plus planes as coronavirus continued to wound Britain's airlines. The airline serves 159 airports and 1,051 routes, has 9,000 UK-based staff including 4,000 cabin crew. The company has worked with union Unite to agree two-month furlough arrangements for cabin crew which means that crew will be paid 80 per cent of their average pay up to 2,500-a-month through the Government job retention scheme. Virgin Atlantic will ask the British government for a package of commercial loans and guarantees worth hundreds of millions of pounds, the Financial Times reported. Other carriers including airlines such as Loganair and Eastern Airways, and Norwegian Air Shuttle are also considering to ask for state aid, the newspaper added. But British ministers want bigger airlines with wealthy shareholders will weather the storm without the need for billions in taxpayer cash. The Luton-based carrier said the measure 'removes significant cost' as the aviation industry struggles to cope with a collapse in demand caused by the outbreak of the virus. British Airways and other airlines have been helping repatriate Britons from abroad. Relieved passengers burst into applause after a British Airways repatriation flight from Peru landed at Gatwick on Tuesday morning - but travellers claim they were 'left in the dark' by the Foreign Office over whether to self-isolate or not. The flight was one of two BA flights that took off from Lima on Monday evening and arrived safely in the UK on Tuesday morning. Footage posted on social media showed the appreciation of stranded Brits who started clapping as they landed back on UK soil. Tens of thousands of Britons are still stuck all over the world due to the coronavirus lockdown in countries such as India, Thailand, the Philippines and New Zealand. It prompted Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to announce yesterday that 75 million would be set aside to charter flights to bring stranded Britons home from areas where commercial routes were no longer running. Why are flights still landing in Britain from coronavirus hotspots including Italy, the US and Spain? Flights are still landing in Britain from coronavirus hotspots including Italy, the US and Spain. Passengers landed at London Heathrow this morning on planes from the likes of Rome on Alitalia, New York on United Airlines and Madrid on Iberia. Flights from America also brought passengers into London earlier this week from other US cities including Atlanta and Boston on British Airways, and Dallas on American Airlines. While passengers arriving on flights from affected countries are asked to self-isolate for 14 days, there are no means of enforcing this and no health checks are being carried out at UK airports. There is a split in the Cabinet other whether UK borders should be closed to stop people arriving from virus hotspots. Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to stop passengers being able to fly in to the UK from countries with high levels of infections such as Iran, the US and China. Mrs Patel believes flights from virus hotspots should not be allowed when the country is on lockdown to prevent its spread. The lack of a travel ban in the UK is in stark contrast to policies in the EU and the US which have closed their borders to travellers from many other countries. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab want to keep the borders open, in part to allow stranded Britons to return home. Advertisement 'It feels weird, I burst into tears when I walked through - we've been trying to get home for so long,' said Alice Nuttall, 21, from Nantwich. 'We're assuming, because we had to fill in our contact information on this form... that we'll get contacted regarding [coronavirus].' 'We've been told we need to pay 250 for the repatriation flight by the Government.' 'They haven't really advised us on anything else, we haven't been screened or anything,' added her friend Ellie Durrant, 22. Ms Nuttall's father John Nuttall, 56, said that the women and their families would be taking 'sensible' steps following guidance from Public Health England. 'They'll self-isolate for 14 days and obviously follow the rest of the Government advice,' he said. Relatives gathered at international arrivals in the terminal building, maintaining a two-metre distance, but many embraced their loved ones as they came through the gate. Other travellers expressed disappointment at being forced to come home early and said that they had not been given any clear instructions or extra precautions after arriving back in the UK. 'It's a bit strange to be home - I was expecting to be travelling for another two-and-a-half months,' said Anna-Lucia Strike, 18, from Chiswick in west London. 'I haven't been told anything about what I should do now. I know the rules that are here in the UK but apart from that we haven't been told anything extra.' 'We've been pretty left in the dark,' said Drew Jones, 27, from Essex. 'We're going straight into isolation I think, don't really have much to do at home or at work... totally mixed emotions.' Kate Harrisson, British Ambassador to Peru, said: 'With the departure of 2 more BA planes today (5 since Wednesday) we have enabled the evacuation of over 1000 British nationals, around 160 Irish nationals and a range of EU nationals in less than a week. 'I want to thank my team for making this possible. A more than stellar effort.' Passengers that travelled on a repatriation flight from Peru arrive at Gatwick Airport in Sussex as the government continues to help tens of thousands of Britons that remain stranded abroad by the coronavirus pandemic British Ambassador to Peru, Kate Harrisson, said they have enabled the evacuation of more than 1000 British nationals from the country. Passengers that travelled on a repatriation flight from Peru arrive at Gatwick Airport today A Twitter used called Mark posted a short video showing people clapping as they landed at Gatwick today Families slam travel firms as they battle to get their money back for Easter holidays cancelled due to coronavirus while tourism bosses urge government to axe refund rules or risk 'catastrophic damage' to industry By James Robinson for MailOnline Out-of-pocket holidaymakers have taken to social media in outrage after struggling to get refunds from two of Britain's biggest airlines. Passengers of BA and Easyjet say they have been frustrated in their attempts to recoup the costs of their flights after the two airlines made a raft of cancellations this week due to the impact of coronavirus. One passenger claims to have made more than 100 phone calls to Easyjet, who on Monday announced it was grounding its entire fleet. Another claims to have waited four hours on hold to the budget airline. Passengers of BA and Easyjet say they have been frustrated in their attempts to recoup the costs of their flights after the two airlines made a raft of cancellations this week Luton-based budget airline Easyjet announced on Monday that it was grounding its entire fleet of planes due to the impact of coronavirus on world travel One passenger claims to have made more than 100 phone calls to Easyjet, while another claims to have waited four hours on hold Other passengers say they have simply been unable to get hold of anyone from the customer support teams at BA One twitter user, Simon Calder, took a light-hearted approach to the situation, complimenting the hold music while on the phone to Easyjet for almost two hours One Twitter user described their attempts to get a refund as like 'hitting a brick wall', while a passenger of BA, which has suspended all flights from Gatwick airport, described the offer of a voucher as 'utterly unacceptable'. But the raft of complaints come as travel industry chiefs urge the government to suspend refund rules or face 'catastrophic damage to the UK travel industry'. Travel industry body, the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), say the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 'financial strain' on tour operators and travel agents, which they say is 'unmanageable in the short term'. Under current legislation, tour operators are required to refund customers within 14 days. But Abta's chief executive, Mark Tanzer, says firms should be allowed four months to process payments and is calling on the government to make changes. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: 'These businesses are themselves waiting for refunds from hotels and airlines and, without this money, they simply do not have the cash to provide refunds to customers. 'We want to avoid the scenario of normally successful travel businesses employing tens of thousands of people facing bankruptcy.' Meanwhile, frustrated holidaymakers say they are struggling to obtain refunds from budget airline Easyjet. The Luton-based firm grounded its entire fleet of aircraft on Monday due to coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,700 people and infected more than 24,000 in the UK. Travel industry body, Abta, say the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 'financial strain' on tour operators and travel agents, which they say is 'unmanageable in the short term' Easyjet are not the only airline to be impacted. This week BA suspended all of its flights to and from Gatwick Airport in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic The airline has not given a date for when it will resume flights. Following the announcement, passengers took to the website and phones in an attempt to obtain a refund, sparking an array of complaints from those who have so far been unsuccessful. One Twitter user, Donna Short, said: 'Getting frustrated by Easyjet now. 'I know the lines are busy but every time I get through the voice says 'to save you waiting in the queue please call back later' and cuts you off.' Another said: 'Come on Easyjet, you know you are better than this. 'Make it easier for people to obtain their refund and you will reap the benefit when this is over. She added: 'Do the right thing.' British Airways, which suspended all flights to and from London's Gatwick airport amid a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus this week, was also caught in the Twitter storm. Easyjet say customers can transfer to an alternative flight free of charge or receive a voucher for the value of their booking online or claim a refund through its contact centre BA says customers with cancelled flights can chose a new flight date, take a voucher or ask for a refund BA says it is facing 'unprecedented challenges' with regards to the number of requests, while Easyjet says customers are experiencing longer than average wait times Helen Georgiou said: 'I had two flights cancelled. 'I had heard nothing back from BA with regards to a refund. 'I had to follow-up with a complaint to receive a response a week later, to one case, to be told they will issue a travel voucher and not a refund.' Is it possible to get my money back for a trip or holiday cancelled due to coronavirus? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is currently advising against all foreign travel. At the moment, that advice is in place until April 16. It means all travel agents and airlines are legally obliged to issue you with a refund. As an alternative, they can also allow you to rebook your flight or holiday for a later date or offer you a voucher covering the cost of your flight or holiday. Source: Which? Advertisement Another said: 'BA has given me the option to reschedule my trip, which I'm not feeling at the moment. 'Can they cancel it and refund my money? I'm too upset to pick another date.' BA says customers with cancelled flights can chose a new flight date, take a voucher or ask for a refund. But the company said it is facing 'unprecedented challenges' with regards to the number of requests. In a statement, an Easyjet spokesperson said: 'Customers on cancelled flights can transfer to an alternative flight free of charge or receive a voucher for the value of their booking online or claim a refund through our contact centre. 'We are experiencing higher than average wait times so we would thank customers for their patience and assure them that these entitlements will be available long after their cancelled flight has flown. 'For customers whose flights are not cancelled but would like to move to a later date they can amend their flight online with no change fee and we have brought forward our winter schedule on-sale so customers have more choice to move their flights, up to 28 February 2021.' He said he worried the hospital might not have enough equipment such as N95 masks. Smith also said the citys coronavirus protocols, which do not recommend testing for those not showing symptoms, are not adequate for a facility such as St. Elizabeths, which has about 700 staff members and 270 patients on its campus in Southeast Washington. The COVID-19 fallout of Tablighi Jamaat meet unravelled in Tamil Nadu on a sharp scale as 110 more people who returned from the congregation tested positive for the disease on Wednesday, taking the total cases in the state to 234, and over 1,000 quarantined, officials said. This is a quantum jump as Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day as the total number of the jamat meet returnees infected in the state till now mounted to 190, which is over three-fourths or 81 per cent of the total 234 cases. Fifty people from the state who attended the prayer meeting in Nizamuddin, which has turned out to be a COVID-19 hotspot, had tested positive for the deadly virus on Tuesday. As the state intensified efforts to trace all with the Tablighi link, Chief Minister K Palaniswami made an appeal to those who attended the Delhi meet to voluntarily get in touch with authorities. Considering the severity of coronavirus and its potential to adversely impact the larger society, returnees should approach the authorities so that they could be tested and treated if needed, he said. Tamil Nadu Secretary Beela Rajesh said 110 more people hailing from 15 districts of the state have tested positive for the contagion. All of them had participated in the religious congregation in Nizamuddin area in Delhi and the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state now stood at 234, she told reporters here. "110 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 and all had attended Delhi conference. Till yesterday, we had 80 who had attended the conference and who were positive and so totally 190 people who attended the meet have been found positive for the infection," she told reporters here. More than 1,500 people from Tamil Nadu had attended the event last month and of them over 1,131 have returned to the state so far. Though till Tuesday only 515 people could be traced, now "1,103 people have come forward (to go for testing)," and they have been quarantined in government hospitals, the health secretary said. The rise in number of people reporting for testing was following the government's appeal and efforts made through multiple channels, including approaching religious leaders, she added. A flow chart was being prepared in respect of each one of the returnee featuring the mode of travel - flight, train and so on - as part of contact tracing exercise, she said answering a question. She said 658 of their samples have been tested and those of others will also be tested over the next 24 hours. Reiterating her appeal that people who attended the meet should come forward to get screened, she said considering the cooperation seen so far, she was hopeful all those who took part will approach the authorities. "We are here to help the families and the community." She replied in the negative when asked if there was any delay on the part of government in identifying and testing the returnees. The National Health Mission Tamil Nadu separately has appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers,' to contact health authorities immediately at specific phone numbers (7824849263/044 46274411) as participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. A report from Coimbatore said nearly 60 people, who returned to three western districts in the state after attending the religious congregation in Delhi, have been identified and quarantined. As amny as 39 people from Tirupur, 12 from Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district and eight from hilly Udhagamandalam district have been kept under observation, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here are some experts recommendations to Vietnamese enterprises on ways to reduce their reliance on a single market. Vu Tien Loc, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Many sectors heavy reliance on the Chinese market and East Asian economies in terms of both input and output has made the Vietnamese economy more vulnerable than ever. I think an urgent measure needed in the short run is supporting production and business. Administrative procedures must be dealt with as boldly as the combat with the epidemic while it is necessary to cut costs for enterprises to help them survive this period. In the long run, importance must be attached to the domestic market while it is necessary to diversify international markets, reshape value chains through restructuring the economy, enhance competitiveness, increase resilience and reduce excess reliance on any one market. There is a growing awareness that if Vietnamese enterprises wish to reach out further into the world, they need to have a firm footing in the domestic market. With 100 million people, an expanding middle class and a rising economy, the local market must be the foundation and the largest resource for national development. No-one can guarantee that in the future, the United States, China, and even Japan and the Republic of Korea will not protect their domestic markets when they fall into difficulty. We must account for this scenario with a more well-designed, effective and substantive strategy for domestic market development from here on in . At the same time, it is necessary to further bolster supporting industries and take advantage of new free trade agreements to expand supply channels and diversify markets. ---------- Vo Tri Thanh, Director of Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy Vietnam is joining new-generation free trade agreements to not only increase exports, expand production and attract more foreign investment, but also to use commitments to such deals as a catalyst to stimulate institutional reforms at home with a view to increasing economic resilience and reducing the impact of trade deflection. But most of these goals are Vietnams own doing, meaning our partners in the trade pacts that Vietnam has signed are only interested in complying with the commitments while their effectiveness is Vietnams concern. A question that has lingered for a long time now is how much Vietnam has taken advantage of such agreements. It should be repeated that in a recent trade policy review, the World Trade Organisation stated that Vietnam has done well in complying with its commitments. But the utilisation of opportunities from WTO accession has not been that substantial, not to mention that many opportunities were turned into challenges as foreign markets have been the pillars of Vietnams export-led success. The problem lies not only in new free trade agreements but also in old institutional bottlenecks that have yet to be resolved completely. If enterprises are still encountering difficulties at home, it is hard for them to capitalise on external opportunities. ---------- Luu Tien Chung - General Director of Bac Giang LGG Garment Corporation With the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement likely to take effect from July this year, while the EU has simultaneously cancelled its orders with Bangladesh over social responsibility concerns and ended its General System of Preference with Cambodia, Vietnamese garment makers should expand their production to prepare for an increase in new orders. I think it is still necessary to maintain a balance between our major markets (the US, the EU, Japan and the Republic of Korea) to avoid risk, and at the same time, adopt advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure effective operation given that labour costs are rising. Moreover, enterprises need to enhance product quality and step up compliance with social responsibility rules in order to meet more stringent requirements from major partners. In the long run, the world will realise that the reliance on a single source of supply from China is too risky. Enterprises need to formulate a more balanced customer strategy. In addition to looking for suppliers of raw materials from India or other countries aside from China, Vietnamese enterprises need to increase domestic supply, which will be the basis for the country to take advantage of opportunities from its trade pacts with the EU and Pacific economies. At LGG, we have secured 50% of materials for manufacturing from domestic partners and the goal is to raise this local constituent figure to 80-90% in future. ---------- Dinh Cao Khue, Chairman of Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC (DOVECO) The Covid-19 pandemic is severely affecting many sectors, including farming exports, especially fresh fruit and vegetables. As such, in order to avoid risks for goods with a short storage time, special attention must be given to deep processing, in addition to promoting fresh product exports. At our company, most products will undergo processing so the coronavirus epidemics impact on prices and export volumes is not very large. Our main products such as frozen pineapple, canned pineapple, coconut water concentrate, passion fruit concentrate, frozen lychees are still selling well both at home and abroad. In addition to processing plants in the northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Bac Giang, we have just opened a new processing centre in Gia Lai province in the Central Highlands. The new plant will process many types of fruits and vegetables such as banana, dragon fruit, passion fruit, avocado, mango, durian, spinach, edamame, sweet corn, Japanese sweet potato, kabocha and so on. To date, the first batches coming out from the new processing centre have been exported to the EU, Israel, the US and Japan. Our companys products are also on sale at many small and large markets across Vietnam. We are planning to build another processing centre in Son La and then one more in Tien Giang. There are many potential customers around the world and the thing is we must raise our capacity to meet their demand. In addition to focus on processing, it is also necessary to select the products with a competitive edge in order to conquer export markets. For example, Brazil is a large producer and exporter of passion fruit but the country still imports Vietnamese passion fruit because our products have better quality thanks to their being cultivated at a high altitude. It is a competitive edge that we needs to take advantage of to differentiate our products from those of other countries. Middle East (Israel/Palestine) Expected Council Action In April, the Council is scheduled to hold its quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Adjustments to Council working methods caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 may alter the format of the meeting, however. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov may brief. Key Recent Developments On 28 January, US President Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House to announce his plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan is officially titled Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People. Notable elements include: the incorporation of existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, and East Jerusalem into the state of Israel; Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel; Palestinian statehood to be contingent upon the fulfilment of several conditions determined by Israel, such as the renunciation of violence and the disbanding of militant groups such as Hamas; the territory of the future Palestinian state to include the Gaza strip, parts of the West Bank, and some neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem; the linking of these different parts of a Palestinian state through new roads, bridges and tunnels; the Palestinian capital to be located in the section of East Jerusalemin all areas east and north of the existing security barrier; a minimum four-year freeze in Israeli settlement construction, with existing settlements allowed to remain; $50 billion in international investment, supplied by international donors mostly from among Arab nations, to build a new Palestinian state; a US embassy in the new Palestinian state; and the preservation of the status quo of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The Palestinian Authority, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and the AU Commission Chairman, among others, rejected the plan. Indonesia and Tunisia circulated a draft resolution on 4 February that would have reiterated the Councils support for international parameters to resolve the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. The initial draft, which would most likely have been vetoed by the US, strongly regretted that the plan presented on 28 January 2020 by the United States and Israel breaches international law and the internationally-endorsed terms of reference for the achievement of a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, it reiterated the various UN resolutions and initiatives that call for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders. The draft was revised, following input from some members, and put under silence until 10 February. The US broke silence with a number of amendments, and the UK proposed further consultations on the draft. Subsequently, the penholders decided to postpone the vote to allow more time for consultations. At the time of writing, it remained unclear if Council negotiations on the text would resume. The Security Council held a briefing on 11 February at the request of Tunisia and Indonesia that focused on the US peace plan. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made introductory remarks, and Mladenov provided the briefing. Guterres reiterated the commitment of the UN to the two-state solution, with Israel and Palestineliving side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines. Mladenov also reaffirmed this position, adding that absent a credible path back to negotiations, we all face a heightened risk of violencethat will drag both peoples and the region into a spiral of escalation with no end in sight. During the meeting, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said of the US peace plan, This deal dictates its own terms and the entrenchment of occupation, annexation by military force and the strengthening of the obsolete apartheid regime that has now returned to Palestine. Questioning Abbas interest in peace, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, who spoke after Abbas, said that the plan offered a starting point for negotiations. The Council held its monthly meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question on 24 February. Mladenov briefed, describing the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza and adding that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) continued to confront significant funding obstacles. His briefing was followed by consultations. For nearly a year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party had been engaged in a tight bid for power with the Blue and White Alliance, led by Benny Gantz, a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a former Netanyahu ally. On 2 March, the third Israeli elections since April 2019 ended inconclusively. However, while citing the need for unity in light of the possible national crisis facing Israel with the outbreak of COVID-19, Gantz agreed on 26 March to join Netanyahu in forming a unity government that leaves Netanyahu as prime minister. At time of writing, the deal under discussion envisions Netanyahu retaining his post for 18 months, followed by an 18-month term for Gantz as prime minister. In late February, in the lead up to the 2 March elections, the Israeli government approved the construction of thousands of homes for Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Netanyahu had said that Israel would annex all Israeli settlements located in Palestinian territories if he won the election. On 18 March, Philippe Lazzarini was appointed the Commissioner-General of UNRWA. He most recently served as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon in the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon. In a video message on UNRWAs website on 20 March, Matthias Schmale, the Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, appealed to donors for materials such as hand sanitising gel, medicines, and protective equipment for health workers to help the area confront a potential COVID-19 outbreak. Almost 2 million people live in Gaza, which is densely populated and has a fragile health care system. On 30 March, Council members convened an informal videoconference meeting on the situation the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov briefed. Council members issued press elements in which they welcomed ongoing Israeli-Palestinian coordination to address COVID-19. The meeting had originally been scheduled for 26 March as a briefing followed by consultations, but it was postponed and the format was changed due to the impact of COVID-19 on the Councils working methods. Human Rights-Related Developments During its 43rd session, the Human Rights Council (HRC) considered on 26 February the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights titled Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (A/HRC/43/21). The report, covering 1 November 2018 to 30 October 2019, concluded that the period under review was characterised by a persistent failure to ensure accountability for allegations of excessive use of force by the Israeli security forces in the context of the large-scale protests in Gaza and law enforcement operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The HRC also considered the report of the High Commissioner on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (A/HRC/43/67). Key Issues and Options The recent Israeli approval of increased settlement construction remains an important issue and will likely be addressed in this months meeting. Other long-standing issues that may be raised in the meeting include the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the prospects for intra-Palestinian reconciliation, the demolition of Palestinian civilian structures in the West Bank, and the firing of rockets into Israel from Gaza. One new issue that may be discussed is how Israeli and Palestinian authorities are coordinating to address the spread of COVID-19 and preparations for a potential outbreak of the virus in the Gaza strip. On 18 March, a telephone conversation took place between Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on coordination regarding the response to the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Israeli authorities have taken steps to transfer testing kits and medical equipment into the Gaza strip. The Dominican Republic, as president of the Council for April, could consider inviting a civil society representative to brief during the open debateas was done twice in 2019, in April and November. Possibilities could include a human rights activist to discuss the likely human rights implications of the approval of additional Israeli settlement construction or a health expert to brief on needs and strategies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. During Aprils meeting, members could also choose to discuss ways to revitalise the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, given the rejection of the US peace proposal by the Palestinians. Council Dynamics Deep divisions persist on this issue in the Council between the US and other members. Since President Donald Trump came to office in 2017, the US has moved its embassy to Jerusalem, recognised Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, and declared that Israeli settlements are not, per se, inconsistent with international law, according to a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an 18 November 2019 press conference. While the US has traditionally been staunchly pro-Israel, these decisions represent a shift in policy that is even closer to Israel. Other members support a position in line with that of the UN, calling for a two-state solution in line with pre-1967 borders; this view was widely reiterated during the Council meeting on 11 February. During the same meeting, a number of membersFrance, Germany, Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnamreferenced resolution 2334 (2016), which declares that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law. By calling for the incorporation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, into the state of Israel, the US peace plan directly contradicts resolution 2334. Several members remain concerned that continued settlement construction undermines the potential for a two-state solution. UN Documents on the Middle East (Israel/Palestine) Watch the Full Interview Florida is a catastrophe-prone state when it comes to weather, but the challenges that come from a non weather-catastrophe like the current COVID-19 pandemic bring about a host of new issues that Florida insurance agents are just learning how to deal with. With hurricanes, were used to catastrophes and the aftermath, said Florida Association of Insurance Agents President Jeff Grady. But this is a bit different when youre looking at orders to shelter-in-place, what that means as to who can operate, and what your clients can and cant do. As of March 31, the state had 6,741 cases of coronavirus and 85 deaths. As of press time, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an order for all South Florida residents to stay home, but had not issued a statewide shelter-in-place order though many counties have implemented such directives. UPDATE 4/1: DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order on April 1. Insurance agents across the state are now working remotely and doing their best to help their customers during these times of uncertainty. Grady spoke with Insurance Journal about helping agents as they navigate this new normal, and what FAIA has asked from state officials and regulators to ease the process for agents to conduct business. Insurance Journal: What information are agents looking for now? What are their biggest concerns? Jeff Grady: One of the first things is to be sure the agents are [classified] essential service providers and making sure that they can get to work if they need to. Whats interesting about that is a lot of agents are small businesses and they are in the middle of trying to set up remotely but also have some people that come to the office for critical functions. So, they are a little bit nervous about what status do they have and are they going to be able to get into work. And if they have to work, are they going to have enough employees that can report there. Because again, theres just so many circumstances that are causing people to be out. Were dealing with that quite a bit and making sure they know how to be set up so that they can work a little more easily remotely. IJ: Are there any Florida-specific concerns or issues that agents need to be aware of? Grady: Because of a beleaguered property market that Florida has, and by the way, that was taking place before the pandemic, we have a lot of non-renewals and cancellations that are pending on the property side. And right now, those are ongoing and there is functionality within companies, and Citizens (Floridas state-run insurer of last resort), and some agencies, but thats getting more difficult. And if we go to any emergency order where there is a shelter in place order and the closing of non-essential businesses, we dont believe that that is a situation that can stand. We would have to formally request that those be postponed for some period. But theres a lot of that transactional business to take place over this period of time, and its very difficult for consumers to find replacement coverage, and certainly, for agents to process that. IJ: What information or resources are agents seeking right now from carriers and regulators? Is FAIA in contact with the regulators about how to handle these types of situations as they arise? Grady: The one I mentioned is one that were in constant contact with regulators about. There is quite a bit of concessions being made by carriers right now, [such as] extending payment terms. In the admitted market you see a lot of national and regional carriers communicating to their policyholders and agents that they are going to be flexible on terms, but the non-admitted market is a little bit more distant on that and its a little choppier as to what certain carriers might do. Were hoping and were going to encourage that the non-admitted market look at ways to help the consumer. (Editors Note: FAIA sent a formal letter to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on March 27 asking that it issue additional guidance for premium audit provisions and one-time exposure adjustments to all excess and surplus lines carriers with general liability policies-in-force in the state of Florida as of March 2, 2020.) IJ: How are agents adapting right now? Grady: Well, first of all, we sometimes forget the spectrum of agents that were talking about here. Its not [big agencies] with contingencies, with a lot more resources than what is typical of an independent agent, which is about an eight or 10-person entity. The idea of just flipping the switch and turning everyone into a remote employee is not easy. Theyre not set up that way. So weve been trying to assist our members with workarounds and how you can get your computer set up at home and still interface with your agency management system, a lot of that, how to work remote. I think this is going to be good for agents. I think a lot of agents have been exposed to this previously because of hurricanes, but those who havent are learning some lessons in how to do it and theyre going to have to do it. Read More: Florida Carriers Seek Staggering Rate Increases Amid Market Turmoil Florida Clears Insurance Agency Reps to Work Remotely Amid Coronavirus One last thing we have kind of unique license here that was born in a time where you only worked from the office, and its a 4-40 license, its something just below a general lines license. There was a requirement that type of license could not work from anywhere but the office. So we had to get that waived and the agents were nervous about that until such time. But those are kind of the operational issues; how to set up remotely, how to protect yourself from cyber liability, some of the labor issues that you might have with people who are now working remotely, how to keep track of them, how to track their hours and things like that, that are good in general for small business owners. IJ: Are agents hearing a lot from their customers right now? Grady: Yeah lots of questions of course around business interruption, but also, I dont know if Im going to be able to make my premium, or, I dont know if Im going to be able to do this anymore, agents are fielding a lot of those calls. What I see them doing is being good caretakers and pushing those questions up to the decision makers, which in this case oftentimes are the carriers. So there are some requests before carriers and thats how I think youre starting to see some of these broader announcements by carriers coming out and giving flexible terms to the client. IJ: You mentioned cyber liability what are the biggest exposures to agencies working from home in terms of cyber E&O? Any others? Grady: A lot of small businesses dont have that robust layer of protection of cyber liability in their office. Interestingly, we insure around 1,100 agencies, and about a third of those buy cyber liability policies from us. We know theres a higher take-up rate and surely more than just that. But [with this] where youre bringing stuff out of your office and having someone take their PC home or their laptop home and in the panic of coronavirus, clicking on something that becomes malware that infects their server. Were talking to them and showing them ways that they can protect themselves and just things to be mindful of. IJ: What impact could this situation have on an agents book of business? Grady: Insurance will continue to be needed even by businesses that have seen a significant reduction in their sales. But in those cases, the exposure base has been reduced, the premium is being reduced and the commissions being reduced. So, youre looking at the real possibility, depending on what segment of business your agency serves, of seeing a revenue reduction. And in fact, some of the hardening market may be a buffer to any income loss they may otherwise see. But, depending on what specialization the agency has will more or less say how severe it changes. I think that a lot of agents are going to struggle with watching some of their clients disappear from this. Agents are going to be impacted, but they are in a rather recession-proof business, as everyone always says. And I think theyre going to really feel the sympathy or empathy on behalf of some clients that are having bigger struggles than their own. IJ: Has the state of Floridas response helped or hurt agents do their jobs right now? Read More: Southeast Insurance Regulators Issue Industry Guidance for Coronavirus Outbreak Florida Regulator Directs Insurers to Prepare for Coronavirus-Related Interruptions Florida Regulator Outlines How Industry Can Help Insureds During COVID-19 Response Grady: Our regulator is very flexible, very willing to do just about anything that we ask and they believe is a prudent measure, [but] we havent been so quick to jump to some measures that other states have taken. Ill give you an example CE (continuing education) compliance. Theres CE compliance dates that are going to take place during this period of time when were on lockdown. But our state has not issued any formal extension of that where some have. Folks believe that online resources are there and theyre plentiful, we certainly have them at our association, and agents can switch to that alternative. If there is an exception to that, all they got to do is ask. But I see that as a slightly different approach than some other states are taking. We dont have a shelter in place order. We dont have some of these broad sweeping orders because I think theyre trying to preserve what they can of the marketplace and then making an exception for those who cant comply. And theres been some other states as you know, that have really taken up this business interruption subject and what is there, or whats not there. Our state has resisted that. That issue, I think, is being fleshed out big time at the federal level. But I dont know that youre going to see Florida weigh in on anything like that. Back to the question about how agents will be impacted in dealing with their customers, I dont know that theres going to be an onslaught of agent E&O cases due to lack of business interruption coverage, but it wouldnt surprise me to see a few there. That is a coverage that is probably one of the most misunderstood. In most cases, almost in all cases, the language would exclude losses due to the pandemic, but that answer may not be good enough for the social welfare of our country, so Congress is looking at ways that they may be able to intervene there. To the extent that, that impacts agents. IJ: Its just a couple months away from the start hurricane season is there anything that agencies are doing to prepare insureds for when this is over and business resumes? Is everything on hold right now? Grady: Except the onset of hurricane season, everythings on hold. IJ: Right, Mother Natures still going to be here. Grady: I know. And its really frightening to think of that. Thankfully, it doesnt usually show up here until the end of August Weve been through that drill unfortunately, so many times. Hopefully, this doesnt complicate matters. But no, we havent said anything differently or have told them to prepare any differently, given this current situation. Florida agents are pretty tried and true on the idea of responding to hurricanes and I guess thats one silver lining. As I said, in this case, they have been told to stay away from their offices before, they have been in a situation where moratoriums have been passed before, they have had payments get extended before, so there is some experience with this, just from a different cause. IJ: What else do you think is important for agents to know right now? Grady: Were trying to make the best of what we can and keep agents informed. And I guess to the extent that we can avoid huge sweeping shutdowns in our state, were going to. If [Florida] does go to a shelter in place, its a little bit of a different answer to some of these questions We would ask for a formal stay or moratorium on renewals and pending cancellations if that were the case. Theres probably anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 of those currently in the air in Florida right now and theyre starting to take place. As far as I know, there are still ways to do that, but it will become increasingly difficult if we get the order I mentioned. IJ: Are you concerned at all about the impact of all this on the Florida market? Grady: Yeah, absolutely. The ongoing saga of the Florida property market The truth is several of these carriers had serious financial challenges prior to the coronavirus and we were on this same narrative before all of this started. I know that this circumstance that were dealing with now only adds to those troubles. And I think that any asks for a moratorium or suspension presents issues to them All of that stuff is being taken into account. Were taking that into account. We dont want to unnecessarily yell Fire in a crowded theater. But we also dont want consumers to be put in a situation where they really cant make a change, much less agents who are working to bring about that new alternative. Its kind of a fine line right now with how hard you push on that given the condition the Florida property market is in. Topics Carriers Catastrophe COVID-19 Cyber Agencies Florida Hurricane Several asylum seekers recently hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19 have found themselves with nowhere to live after their recovery. Health sources have told The Irish Examiner that at least one east coast centre refused to permit two asylum seekers to return to their accommodation last week when they were due to be discharged from hospital. As a result, one man had to stay longer in hospital than required, while a second man was left to fend for himself, the sources said. The Department of Justice, which this week announced 650 additional beds for asylum seekers, has said no resident will be refused accommodation on the basis that they have tested positive for Covid-19. However, health sources have said several east coast centres are not happy to take such cases back, and that people have been given the bus fare into Dublin city centre if a place cannot be found for them. The Irish Association of Social Workers said it is worried about possible Covid-19 clusters developing in direct provision centres, calling the current reported provision for self-isolation across the DP "wholly inadequate". The IASW also said it is extremely concerned about vulnerable groups, families, and health care workers in DP. It welcomed the announcement that 650 additional beds are being made available in DP centres. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan tweeted that 230 applicants would be relocated in the coming days. But the IASW said: "It is important to note that it is 650 additional beds that are being provided, not 650 rooms. It is unclear whether these beds will be in an environment where self-isolation and social distancing will be possible. We are still concerned that clusters of infection will emerge in DP centres in the same way that they have in nursing homes. The IASW demanded vulnerability assessments be introduced as a matter of urgency, among other measures, and added: "Were not safe unless were all safe." Mr Flanagan said both he and minister with responsibility for immigration, David Stanton, are very concerned at the vulnerability of people in direct provision and the ability of these centres to adhere with public health guidelines on social distancing and self-isolation. Mr Flanagan said the new accommodation will mainly be located in hotels in Dublin, Cork and Galway. This, he said, is in addition to new mainstream centres which opened recently in Caherciveen, Rosslare and Tullamore, allowing older centres to close. Non-governmental organisations have been warning for weeks that there is no adequate scope for physical distancing or self isolation in many direct provision and emergency accommodation centres. A public letter signed by more than 800 doctors, lawyers, public health officials, academics and migration experts addressed to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Government ministers this week warned the health system would be unable to cope if cases of coronavirus become widespread in direct provision centres. It warned that people will die unnecessarily if the Government fails to provide suitable accommodation. Subscriber content preview By ALEXANDRA OLSON and MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writers NEW YORK Amazon fired a worker who organized a walkout at a New York warehouse to demand greater protection against the new coronavirus, saying the employee himself flouted distancing rules and put others at risk. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the city's Commission of Human Right to investigate whether the dismissal was retaliatory. New York Attorney General Letitia James called on the National Labor Relations Board to investigate and said her office is also considering legal options. . . . STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the state will be closing all New York City playgrounds in an effort to promote social distancing in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. The decision comes less that 24 hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio opted to close 10 city playgrounds, including two at Clove Lakes Park, because people were not adhering to government mandates related to isolation. You still see too many situations with too much density by young people, Cuomo said. The compliance is still not where it should be...so were going to take more dramatic actions. He said open spaces at city parks will remain available for responsible social distancing practices that mandate separation of at least 6 feet. 42 NYC on pause: A month into the battle against deadly coronavirus *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Cuomo said he engaged with de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who has been a proponent of shuttering the playgrounds, on what to do about the city playgrounds. Mayoral spokeswoman Jane Meyer said that City Hall agreed with the decision. " As the weather warms up, we must act early to limit any possibility of crowding. We know this will be painful for many families, but we must put the health of New Yorkers first," she said. Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), whose district encompasses Clove Lakes Park, has voiced her support for closures. Mass gatherings of people put all New Yorkers at risk, and we should use every tool at our disposal to protect our fellow residents, especially the most vulnerable, Rose wrote in a March 22 letter supporting Speaker Corey Johnsons call to close such areas. To support his decision, Cuomo showed apex model charts comparing the strain on the states hospital system in situations with maximum or minimal social distancing. With maximum social distancing, New York would need approximately 75,000 hospital beds, and 25,000 ventilators. With minimal social distancing, 110,000 beds would be needed and 37,000 ventilators. Both charts indicated that the apex for the outbreak in the state would come at the end of April. Sign up for text message alerts from SILive.com on coronavirus: RELATED COVERAGE: Navy hospital ship Comfort docks in Manhattan at front line of coronavirus pandemic In addition to hospital beds, the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is equipped with a dozen operating rooms and laboratory facilities. Data analysis of Staten Island and New York cases Coughs, sneezes, surfaces: Heres how coronavirus is and isnt spread How the coronavirus hit Staten Island: A timeline of the pandemic in our borough Hyderabad, April 1 : The spike in number of Covid-19 cases during last couple of days has made health authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana strengthen their surveillance system to track in real time all those under home quarantine. The Health Departments in both the Telugu states are keeping a tab on more than 50,000 people under home quarantine as part of their efforts to check the spread of Covid-19. Over 25, 000 people placed under home quarantine will by tracked their geo location in realtime with the help of Covid-19 monitoring system, Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender said on Wednesday. The move is aimed at ensuring that those under quarantine strictly adhere to the norms. The need for keeping a tab was felt as the number of cases was a big jump during last couple of days. The state was hoping that nearly 26,000 people under quarantine would complete the 14-day period by April 7 without showing any symptoms of Covid-19 and thus, making the state free from the virus if no new cases were reported by then. However, the death of six persons who had attended Tablighi Jamaat meeting at Delhi and many of the attendees testing positive sent the alarm bells ringing. The health officials are now re-working their strategy to prevent community transmission. Rajender said over a 1000 people from the state attended the meeting held at Tablighi markaz or headquarters at Nizamuddin from March 15 to 17. Majority of them have been traced and sent for screening at state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. The state was already using TSCop, an app developed by Telangana Police, to geotag houses of foreign returnees. Those being kept under quarantine are asked to fill an online form with a selfie, which automatically turns on location. Under the Covid-19 monitoring system, the authorities will be able to keep tab on the quarantined people by receiving the real-time feed from the GPS fitted with their smart phones. Andhra Pradesh has already deployed the technology to monitor the people home quarantined. It is using two tools developed by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) with the help of other agencies to track each person in home quarantine in real time and to track the travel history of positive cases. Covid alerting tracking system is being used by the authorities to track over 25,000 people placed under home quarantine by tracking the location of their numbers realtime with the help of telecomm service providers and mobile tower signals. Taking the base location as the location of the respective person's residence, the tool is equipped to alert the district authorities if the person travels beyond a 100m radius from the base location, thereby violating the norms of home quarantine. The second tool is being used by the authorities to track the travel history of all the positive cases using the same data and mobile tower siganls. With the help of the patient's phone number and service providers, all the places that the person has travelled to - from 15 places prior to testing positive are obtained by the authorities. Upon getting all the locations that the patient has visited, they narrow down on those where the patient has spent at least 15 minutes . This helps the authorities track local transmission, setup red zones within a 2-3 km radius and sanitise them. Sources said other states like Telangana, Bihar and Odisha were planning to follow Andhra Pradesh model and use the same tools to curb the spread of coronavirus in their respective stats. Seventeen people died from the coronavirus before the tests came back, resulting in those deaths not immediately reported as being connected with COVID-19, the states medical examiner said. There were 16 deaths from COVID-19 in a single 24-hour period, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday, but 17 more patients had died in the previous two weeks, deaths that had not been reported along with other coronavirus fatalities. Dr. James Gill, Connecticuts chief medical examiner, said in an email that all deaths from COVID-19, either confirmed or suspected, must be reported to his office. The vast majority are hospital deaths, he said. In several instances, the COVID testing is not back before the person died. Therefore, some of the death certificates were not listing COVID on them. The state Department of Health uses death certificates to track fatalities related to COVID-19, but hospitals may get test results too late. For the suspected deaths, our investigators follow-up on the lab results to see if they are COVID positive, Gill said. For some hospitals, it takes days for the testing to be finished. This lag in data means that the first death from the coronavirus in Connecticut, reported March 17 in Danbury, may not actually be the first fatality in the state from the disease. We have notified physicians that they should include suspected COVID on the death certificate in order to flag them, Gill said. The 91 percent increase in the reported number of deaths from the coronavirus in Connecticut between Monday and Tuesday has not changed the demographic breakdown. Almost 60 percent of all the deaths from the coronavirus in Connecticut have been patients at least 80 years old, and though the majority of infected patients are middle-aged, death from the disease is far more likely among older adults. Nearly 20 percent of all coronavirus patients 80 and older have resulted in death. Dr. Jon Morrow, who retired as chief of pathology at Yale New Haven Hospital in March, said the hospital is testing everyone who dies to see if theyre positive for the coronavirus, but said, were not currently autopsying known COVID deaths. That is not recommended by the CDC. Morrow said its the responsibility of the patients doctor to fill out the death certificate. Theyre the ones who know the patient, he said. If they come down from the hospital with the death certificate completed, we just pass it onto the funeral directors and thats where its supposed to be signified, he said. Determining whether a patient dies of COVID-19 has been tied down to the availability of testing, Morrow said. A faster test than is available is needed, he said. Staff writer Ed Stannard contributed to this report. Connecticut residents suddenly out of work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic might not see their first unemployment payment until the first week of May, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday. Lamont reported no fresh new surge in claims for unemployment benefits, after the state saw roughly 100,000 file after his March 10 declaration of a public health emergency in response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Connecticut Department of Labor had reported a processing delay of two to three weeks due to staff being overwhelmed by processing applications while working remotely on outdated computer systems. On Tuesday, Lamont said families should tighten the belts for up to two weeks beyond the DOLs initial projections. Im sad to report that theres a five-week lag time, Lamontsaid. Everything is retroactive, so even if its slow for us to get it back to you its not that our hearts not there, its because the technology is 40 years old. And were loading in more (staff) every day to help catch up with that backlog. Lamont added the DOL processing is being complicated by an easing of federal and state regulations to get more people qualified for benefits, including solo proprietors and independent contractors. As of Monday, the state labor department was still awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which among other elements earmarks an extra $600 supplemental benefit for claims filed through the end of July. DOL is updating nightly a list of resources and guidance for those seeking assistance, online at www.ctdol.state.ct.us. Initial claims can be filed at www.filectui.com. On Tuesday, Lamont replied for the foreseeable future when asked how long he plans to keep in place an order that non-essential workers, public and private, stay home. His Massachusetts counterpart, Gov. Charlie Baker, on Tuesday said his own order would likely stay in place at least through early May. The Massachusetts governor also issued a ban on hotel room rentals save for people impacted by coronavirus. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Whiting Petroleum filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, the first U.S. shale producer to do so as crude prices fall while major oil producers engage in a price war. Analysts have warned that falling oil prices will lead to a wave of consolidation or bankruptcies in the U.S. energy sector "The oil patch is falling apart. ... This is the other bomb that's dropping," CNBC's Jim Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "I think they're the first of many." Oil producers are struggling to break even as crude prices tumble. The coronavirus outbreak and subsequent travel slowdown has led to soft demand, just as a price war between OPEC+ nations Saudi Arabia and Russia broke out. West Texas Intermediate crude trades around $20.36 per barrel, after losing more than half its value in March. The contract is coming off its worst month and quarter on record. Depressed prices have hit the industry hard the S&P 500 energy sector has dropped 53% this year. Brad Holly, CEO of Whiting Petroleum. Adam Jeffery | CNBC Cramer noted that the industry remains key to the economy, given the number of people it employs directly and indirectly. "This is something that we have to keep an eye on, because when we start seeing the layoffs, some of the layoffs are going to bounce back, and some of them are not coming back at all," he said. Cramer also said the U.S. "can't afford oil to go down to $5, $10" per barrel. Doing so would be "completely destructive for our companies," he said. He added that almost every company apart from Chevron is not ready for an environment where oil prices are that low. "You do not want a big raft of bankruptcies," he warned. Oil prices moved lower Wednesday as Saudi Arabia increased production to more than 12 million bpd, flooding the market during a time of unprecedented demand loss. The Saudi move, reported by Reuters, comes after talks between OPEC and its allies broke down in early March. Saudi Arabia recommended extending production cuts in an effort to combat falling demand, but Russia rejected the proposition. This, in turn, kicked off a price war between the two powerhouse producers. As oil prices have tumbled, the United States has sought to intervene. On Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette discussed the market with Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak. "Secretary Brouillette and Minister Novak discussed energy market developments and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, to address this unprecedented period of disruption in the world economy," the Energy Department said in a statement. An 89-year-old Lincoln woman is making masks after hearing people at Yankee Hill Village needed them. Darlene Stutheit was asked by Yankee Hill Village workers to help them out in making masks. "I have lots of fabric, Stutheit said, "Because I'm a quilter so it is just a good way to use up my scraps." Stutheit said she's able to make three masks an hour and is already providing dozens to Yankee Hill Village. "I've made 30 so far and I will keep making more," Stutheit said, "I was told Tabitha needs masks too and with this terrible virus going around, everyone is going to be wearing them." She said she's been bogged down in her home and was looking for anything to do to stay active. She said helping others during this pandemic does just that. "I just do it for the fun of it. Stutheit said, "You cannot just sit and watch TV. You get old that way." Stutheit said she likes to stay creative and use several different patterns for her masks. "I get pretty wild," Stutheit said, "I've got cowboy boots, puppies and cattails." Although it could take a while, Stutheit plans to continue making more to help several needing masks. Just to see them pile up and keep making more and more," Stutheit said. It's just fun to do something for somebody else. You can't be thinking about yourself all the time." Hanoi is eerily quiet these days as most shops and stores have closed after restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. browser not support iframe. The bars that are normally bursting at the seams with backpackers desperate for a cheap beer and a good time have their shutters firmly down. Only the odd restaurant is offering delivery services, and the occasional pharmacy open for business, which is slow. The street now is empty and the atmosphere is sad, said Le Thi Huyen Nga, who has been serving food in Ha Nois Old Quarter for many years. I mostly sell takeaway, and just a few customers eat here. The sales now depend on regulars, who will order food from home. Others dont come to eat much, now they all stay at home. Almost allstores onTa Hien Street are closed. Despite the restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nga knows its for the best. I have to obey the rules to help fight the pandemic. We all want to open shops as normal so that customers can feel comfortable while eating their food. However, we have to abide by the instructions the Government has issued to contain the pandemic at this time. Anh Quan runs a toy store in Hai Ba Trung District. Like many other businesses he too is feeling the pinch, but accepts the actions are vital as Viet Nam fights to stop the spread of COVID-19. ong Xuan Market But he feels once the disease has passed, the Government should consider the introduction of tax breaks to help small businesses damaged by the virus. He said: I think the solutions set by the Government are compulsory and very detailed, which shows that our Government has planned very carefully step by step to cope with the disease in each stage without any mistakes so far. However, we as citizens also have to work closely with the Government to contain this disease. In fact, many people are unaware of its danger and spread fake news on social networks, so I think the authorities must get involved and impose stricter penalties for those who violate the regulations. I know that big enterprises are also heavily affected by the disease. However, we still hope that the Government will consider reducing taxes during this tough time to support small businesses like us. Ha Noi Old East Gate (Quan Chuong Gate) Wholesale retailer Nguyen Kim Thoa feels the curtain could have been drawn earlier. I think the Government should have banned all shops selling unnecessary items and controlled crowded areas two weeks earlier, she said. My shop mainly supplies clothes for retailers in other provinces. Since the disease broke out, my shop has also provided online sales platform for customers. Even though sales are affected it is not by much. If travelling between different provinces is also banned, it will be a big problem for us. But now, the situation is still under control. Headquarters of the State Bank of Viet Nam onLy Thai To Street. The ripples from the outbreak spread in many directions. Festivals, events and gatherings have all had the plug pulled. Some retailers, like Huu Thang who owns a clothes shop in Ha ong, believe the recovery period could last for the whole of 2020. He said: My shop is being badly impacted due to the outbreak of coronavirus. People are staying at home and all festivals have been cancelled so my shop does not have customers and revenue is down by half. I have no solution for my shop at the moment, because my shop is near Ha ong's biggest market and I operate a traditional business, I dont provide online services. I think the Government is doing well in implementing measures to fight COVID-19 but I hope they will support us with tax breaks. Hang au Water Tower Despite the lack of both customers and tourists, some businesses are using this rare moment of calm in an otherwise hectic capital to their advantage. Schoolteacher Tran Nhung has used the quiet time to add to her photo collection. After all, it isnt every day you find one of Ha Nois busiest streets so empty. This street used to be very crowded so I didn't have a chance to take pictures here on a normal day, she said. St. Josephs Cathedral onNha Tho Street So today, when the street is quite empty, I've decided to come here to take pictures because my house is nearby and as I am a teacher, I'm also stuck at home right now. Small comforts maybe, but for all those connected to Ha Noi, the time when things do get back to their hectic best cannot come soon enough. VNS Minh Phuong/Lyly Cao Hanoi deploys rapid COVID-19 test in community Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung has directed the Department of Health to set up 10 working groups and arrange 10 rapid COVID-19 test stations in the city. At first, tests will be implemented in the wards around Bach Mai Hospital. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 19:00 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206efd93e 1 Business State-owned-Enterprises-Ministry,state-capital-injection,erick-thohir,Perppu,COVID-19,coronavirus,PLN Free The government is altering the focus of capital injections for state-owned enterprises as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts business activities and batters the countrys economy. A newly enacted government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) allows the government to use funds initially intended for capital injections to finance its efforts to fight the impacts of the pandemic as well as to face threats to the national economy and financial system stability. The regulation, Perppu No.1/2020, also grants the government the authority to inject state capital as part of a national economy recovery program. The program aims to protect, maintain and improve the economic ability of businesspeople in the real sector and financial industry. State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir explained on Wednesday that the new regulation opened ways for the government to refocus its budget on state-owned firms that are working on strategic projects. Were currently mapping which strategic projects must keep going and which ones can be delayed, he said during an online press conference. Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained Previously, Erick had explained that the ministry would discuss the issue with the Finance Ministry, as several projects were deemed important to stimulate the economy, one of which was state-owned electricity firm PLNs 35,000-megawatt electricity generation project. One thing is for sure, the 35,000-MW project is still going on despite the slowdown caused by the pandemic, as we want to anticipate a spike when the economy rises again, he said on Wednesday. The government has allocated Rp 17.73 trillion (US$1.06 billion) for state capital injections this year, as it expected state-owned companies to help drive the countrys economic growth. The funds were initially to be disbursed to several state enterprises, such as utility company PLN, construction company PT Hutama Karya, secondary mortgage company PT Sarana Multigriya Finansial (SMF) and microfinancing company PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM). University of Indonesia (UI) SOE expert Toto Pranoto further explained that the governments refocusing strategy meant that state-owned companies would still receive capital injections, as long as they were working on strategic projects. This allows the government to refocus its capital injection budget and use it to fight the COVID-19 pandemic impacts in Indonesia, he told The Jakarta Post, adding that the government had also signaled a reduction in capital injections this year. This way, the capital injections can create a multiplier effect and stimulate higher economic growth once this ordeal is over," said Toto. People who came for Jamat, a religious gathering at Nizamuddin Mosque, being taken to LNJP hospital for COVID-19 test, after several people showed symptoms of coronavirus, during a nationwide lockdown, in New Delhi. PTI New Delhi: Authorities launched a nationwide search on Tuesday for participants of a huge religious gathering held earlier this month in the national capital's Nizamuddin area, which has become the new epicentre of the deadly virus pandemic amid fears that thousands present there could have carried the infection to the length and breadth of the country. Thousands of participants of the Tablighi Jamaat held in mid-March in Nizamuddin, which also is home to a famous Dargah, are known to have returned to their homes in virtually every state including Telangana, West Bengal, Karnataka and Gujarat. Many of these states have reported COVID-19 cases linked to this congregation. Several fresh cases of infection were reported on Tuesday from Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar, among other places, taking the nationwide tally well past 1,400 with at least 45 deaths, as per figures announced by government officials in different states. But, a consolidated official tally announced later in the evening by the Union Health Ministry put the total number of confirmed cases at 1,397 and 35 deaths, marking an increase of 146 positive cases and three deaths since Monday night -- two in Punjab and one in Maharashtra. However, this apparently did not include six deaths reported by Telangana government last night, all of who had attended the Nizamuddin congregation. While the Union Health Ministry's tally, updated as on 8.30 PM Tuesday, put the total number of confirmed cases in Tamil Nadu at 74, the state government put its aggregate number at 124, with at least 77 of them having links to the Tablighi Jamaat. For Maharashtra also, the Centre's tally was 216, but the state government officials put the figure at 302 with an increase of 82 in a day. Officials have been saying that some mismatch occurs due to delay in assigning certain cases to a particular state after doing necessary checks. According to the Health Ministry data, active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,238, while 123 people have been either cured or discharged and one had migrated. The central government separately told the Supreme Court it has taken "proactive and preemptive timely steps" to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, but termed fake news as the biggest hindrance and sought a direction for the media not to publish any COVID-19 information without ascertaining facts with authorities. The apex court asked the Centre to prevent migration of people due to coronavirus and to set up within 24 hours a portal for disseminating real time information on the pandemic to counter the panic being spread through fake news. It also said "panic will destroy more lives than the virus" and asked the Centre to get trained counsellors and community leaders of all faiths to calm down the migrants, rather than the police to avoid use of force and intimidation. The Union Health Ministry lamented that the number of hotspots has risen due to "lack of people's support and delay in timely detection" of the cases. Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is using cluster containment strategies and doing rigorous contact tracing in these hotspots to check the virus from further spreading. Within the national capital, more than 1,100 people who attended the congregation have been quarantined while at least 441 have been hospitalised. The government is screening all those who participated in the event, officials said. Agarwal, however, said it was not the time to find faults but to take action. In the national capital alone, at least 24 people who took part in the religious congregation, Tablighi Jamaat, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, as he slammed the organisers for being "highly irresponsible" on their part to hold such an event at a time when thousands have died in other countries due to the pandemic. The Union Home Ministry said approximately 2,100 foreigners visited India for 'tabligh' activities this year, including those from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan. It also said that all state police have been asked to locate Indian Tabligh Jamaat workers from local coordinators, followed by their medical screening and quarantine. So far, 2137 such people have been identified and are being medically examined and quarantined, while more would be located, the Ministry said. Several state governments, including in West Bengal, Assam and Manipur, said they are taking steps to locate participants of the Nizamuddin event. Karnataka government said 54 people from the state had attended the event, out of which 13 have been identified but they have tested negative for the COVID-19. Gujarat police also launched a probe to identify all the attendees from the state and said primary investigations has revealed that some persons from Bhavnagar had attended the congregation. At least 17 people from Himachal Pradesh also attended the congregation, a state police spokesperson said. A Srinagar-based businessman is being seen as the "super-spreader" in this entire case as he travelled by air, train and road to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and back to Jammu and Kashmir before he died of COVID-19 on March 26, raising fears he may have infected many others along the way, officials said on Tuesday. Six people in Telangana who attended the meeting in the city's Nizamuddin West area also died on Monday. According to officials, other states from where the attendees had come include Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Andaman Nicobar Islands, Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab and Meghalaya. In Andhra Pradesh, officials said more than half of the 40 people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the state were linked to the Nizamuddin event. Including the 24 new cases related to Nizamuddin, the total number of confirmed cases in Delhi was seen nearing 100, while Maharashtra reported 72 new coronavirus patients in the state including 59 in Mumbai. Kerala also reported 7 new cases, taking the total number of those affected in the state to 215. The state also reported its second death from COVID-19. Fresh deaths were also reported from West Bengal and Punjab, among other places. The government, however, asserted that there is no shortage of medicines to combat the deadly virus outbreak and the Department of Pharmaceuticals is regularly monitoring distribution and addressing issues with the help of other departments, states and Union Territories. Seeking cooperation from the public to fight the pandemic, the Union Health Ministry officials said there was no need to panic. They also said not everyone needs to wear masks and that following social distancing is more important to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Separately, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and authorities concerned to provide free of cost testing facility for COVID-19 to all citizens in the country. The plea has also sought a direction to the authorities for ramping up the testing facilities for COVID-19 at the earliest "given the escalating mortality and morbidity rate across the country". Globally, the COVID-19 tally has crossed 8 lakh confirmed cases, while more than 37,000 people have died. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. If there are kids outside, getting more than adequate exercise time, and basically goofing around, a concerned Nextdoor user in Cherry Hill Village, Michigan, asked in a recent post on the hyperlocal social network, is there something that can be done? Meanwhile in Schuylkill Banks, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, others struck a firmer tone: 6 FEET PEOPLE!!!! WALKERS!!!!! JOGGERS!!!! RUNNERS!!!! BIKERS!!!! 6 FEET APART!!!! Advertisement Youve seen these peopleif not on Nextdoor, in your local Facebook group. Or maybe one has caught you in the wild on a rare trip outside to reprimand you for not staying home, for being too close to other people (in their estimation), for doing quarantine wrong. Thats if youre not the one doing the scolding. And there is certainly reasonable scolding to dosomeone who steps right up next to you at a street corner, maybe, or doesnt wait for you to move on from the lettuce at the grocery store. Its fair to remind people of the rules. But as we settle in for the long haul of self-isolating to fight the coronavirus outbreak, neighborhood busybodies are also feeling empowered, and now theyre a whole new speciestheyve got science on their side. And, possibly, its sort of unclear, the government? Is there something that can be done? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the New York Times count, three out of four Americans are now or will soon be being urged by their state or local government to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This is essential and nonnegotiablebut in almost every case, the same instructions that advise residents not to go out also tell them that theyre allowed to leave home to do things like get groceries or take a walk. So questions abound: If you briefly come within 6 feet of someone to pass them on a sidewalk during a walk or a run, is that OK? Wheres the line between getting a little exercise and continuing to do the same lengthy, perhaps less justifiable runs through the park that you did before the outbreak? Is it OK to socialize with others for more than a few minutes as long as youre standing 6 feet apart? If gatherings of more than five or 10 people are banned in some states, does that mean its cool for four or nine people to hang out? In the absence of clear mandates in many instances, theres ample room for the self-appointed social distance police to swoop in. Advertisement Whether people can be trusted to go to the park has never before seemed like such a complicated question. Both of the aforementioned Nextdoor posts came from the inbox of Jenn Takahashi, the proprietor of the Twitter account @BestofNextdoor, who then shared them with Slate. User-generated submissions to the account have tripled in recent weeks, Takahashi said, while Nextdoor itself has indicated that engagement has almost doubled. Because people are at home more, they literally are looking out the window a lot, Takahashi said. More time looking out the window tends to result in more opportunities to be a buttinsky. Some observers, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, have noted that the crisis seems to have transformed Nextdoor into a friendlier place than it used to be. Judging by Takahashis submissions, though, even with the uptick in kindness, pettiness and negativity still thrive on the platform. I wish I could say everything was warm and fuzzy, but that would be lying, Takahashi said. Its not so much that people are being better or worse than usual; its more that human nature is to judge and police others, and so this persists evenespecially?in times of crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dannika Andersen, a 22-year-old living in the suburbs of Chicago, said she has seen these debates play out in one of her communitys local Facebook groups. Its very passive-aggressive, Andersen said. Some people are very much saying, Good on you for calling this out. Other people are like, Mind your own business. Advertisement Advertisement She shared a few representative posts from the group with Slate. One began, To the man who yelled at us on the bike path. Arent we having enough stress already? Below it, a user responded, For all you people waking and riding bikes!! $500 tickets or arrests good luck! Stay home please. Another post on the page, which read, Seriously people stop being narcs. Just worry about you and your family, prompted 196 comments. Some samples: It is that kind of selfish thinking that will prolong this pandemic. Stay inside and there is no problem dumbass. Advertisement The conversations on a Montclair, New Jersey, Facebook group are just as contentious. One recent thread centered on why a police officer wasnt keeping people out of one of the towns parks. An incensed user wrote, [H]e said, people need their exercise and you have to walk the dogs. This was said to me by the police. If the Governor says stay home and the parks are closed then shouldnt they be enforcing this?? The responses were all over the place: Sickening isnt it? one user agreed, adding, It isnt a suggestion to avoid the parksthey are fn closed!!! Another user wrote, Everyone should call the police station and complain, they are putting lives are risk! But others thought this was an overreaction: As long as everyone keeps a safe social distance walking or running through the park isnt prohibited. Some put it more sarcastically: I cant believe we have misunderstood the park as a place to walk. Amazing. Whether people can be trusted to go to the park has never before seemed like such a complicated question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has caused official problems. While some states, like New Jersey, set up phone numbers for citizens to report violations of the orders that all nonessential businesses close (and were reportedly jammed with calls), in others, like Michigan, law enforcement has had to plead with the public not to call 911 to call attention to others who were flouting the stay-at-home rule. There is talk of fines, but its unclear how stringent enforcement has been or can be. Hannah Murray, a writer in Washington (thats her pen name), found herself in a dilemma over whether to report a neighbor last week when she noticed a crew working at one of the houses on her street, where they appeared to be pouring cement to replace a driveway. It certainly looked nonessential to her. First I asked my husband, Murray said. I said, Im thinking of calling the sheriffs department because of whats happening across the street. He goes, Thats not really any of our business, is it? And I said, Were in the middle of a public health crisis, it kind of is. We debated it for a little while. He wasnt really comfortable with me calling the police, and I wasnt really comfortable with me calling the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She decided to search online to see if the state had issued any specific rules regarding construction. She found the document with the shelter-in-place order, read the whole thing, and still didnt know what to do. By then, enough time had passed that the crew was gone. I dont actually know what I would have done had I had all the information I needed to make a decision and the construction crew was still there, she said. I would under normal circumstances never consider calling the police on a neighbor. Its the last thing you want to do, but these are not normal circumstances. Murray said shes noticed other people taking to social media with comparable predicaments. Its mostly people who are frustrated, who feel like the regulations and the rules that are currently in place are hard but necessary, and theyre doing their best to follow those hard and necessary rules. Its very frustrating to see the person next to you not giving a shit. Eight Indonesians who had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in the Nizamuddin area of the capital were picked from a mosque in Nagina area here on Tuesday and were later quarantined by the local police. Sanjay Singh, SP (Rural) said, "The Indonesians have been home-quarantined. We have registered a case against five persons of the mosque." Meanwhile, in New Delhi people who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, were taken to different hospitals for a checkup. Earlier, 24 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event tested positive for coronavirus in the capital. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the accurate number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. The religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between March 13-15, that violated lockdown conditions. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Weeks ago, a young man in Kentucky boarded a jet to Chicago, and there met another man headed to the same destination - Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Both were entering basic training. They didnt know it yet, but they also were actors in the Air Forces war on COVID-19. The recruit from Kentucky became Lacklands Case No. 1 after developing symptoms for coronavirus on March 22. The trainee from Chicago who befriended him on the plane became sick the following Sunday. But since Case No. 4, as he is known, had been in quarantine in a private room all week, he hadnt exposed anybody else. Some 800 recruits now are sequestered each week as they arrive for training, waiting for 14 days in a dorm before they can start. As of Monday, 168 trainees and five of their instructors, all healthy, were living in a separate quarantine on Lackland after exposure to just four COVID-19-positive recruits. Its a measure of the pandemics constant threat to a process that involves thousands of recruits living and training in close proximity within flights of up to 60. The Navy and Marines have shut down their own pipelines, announcing this week they no longer would take new recruits. It could still happen to the Air Force. But the situation at Lackland, the home of Air Force basic training since 1968, could have been much worse if not for the work of a 60-person public health team under Maj. Gen. John DeGoes. The only thing you can do is good, old-fashioned public health, which is isolating, contact tracing, and removing them from the well population that hasnt been exposed, said DeGoes, commander of the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland and director of the largest military health system in the United States. If we hadnt done the quarantine right, if we hadnt had public health go and see, who did No. 1 come in contact with, we could be having an outbreak with literally dozens, up to 100 even, he said. On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus commander is in the eye of the storm COVID-19 has transformed basic training in other ways. Once-public graduation exercises now are held indoors, the recruits becoming airmen in ceremonies streamed over the internet. The Air Education and Training Command has worked to open a second, limited basic training site at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Miss. We will probably end up training fewer recruits as we implement additional measures to protect the trainees, one senior Air Force official said, but added that he did not think the pipeline would stop because it would leave the service 30,000 airmen short by Sept. 30 creating vacancies in critical job specialties. Were continually assessing, the official said. It is a dynamic situation. DeGoes was interviewed early in the week, and since then declined to release new information about the number of recruits testing positive or falling ill to coronavirus, following a policy set by Defense Secretary Mark Esper. He did note that no trainee has been hospitalized for COVID-19. None of these people have been really, really sick, DeGoes said of the initial four cases. On ExpressNews.com: Pentagon blackout leaves San Antonio in the dark on JBSAs coronavirus cases Recruits are screened for coronavirus at their Military Entrance Processing stations and again when they arrive at Lackland. The men who became Cases No. 1 and 4 arrived on March 17 and spent time at a reception center before being assigned to a now-shrunken training flight of 39 recruits, among the first cohort of several hundred to start their Air Force careers with 14 days of isolation under a newly implemented restriction-of-movement program. The idea was to ensure they did not contaminate others if anyone in the flight turned out to be sick. The flight slept in a dormitory bay designed for 60 people, giving them extra space. When Case 1 came down with COVID-19, the others went from restriction of movement into quarantine, unable to train for another 14-day cycle in which they were separated from everyone at the base. They lived in dorm rooms, the Gateway Inn hotel and Bob Gaylor NCO Academy the latter two were used to quarantine evacuated cruise ship passengers until last week. The Gateway Inn and NCO Academy Most recruits wont experience delays in their training. As long as they remain healthy and no one comes down with symptoms or tests positive, that flight will graduate in 8 weeks, said Bob Rubio, a spokesman for the 37th Training Wing at Lackland. On ExpressNews.com: Basic training recruit becomes first to test positive for COVID-19 Moved to a separate dorm, Case No. 1 had mild symptoms, DeGoes said, describing them as less than a seasonal flu, mild cough. He had a low-grade fever, that kind of thing. I think he had a little bit of headache. Case No. 2 came from a recruit group that arrived March 24. Four days later, he developed symptoms and was put into isolation, forcing commanders to move 38 other trainees into quarantine. Again, not ill, DeGoes said. About Day 4 and 5, both Case 1 and 2, were pretty confident they were probably incubating it from where they came from. Case No. 3 arrived at Lackland on March 10, felt sick on March 25, and was identified as positive on Saturday. With a mild headache, low-grade fever and a mild, dry cough, he entered isolation. Trainees he had contact with 89 of them, part of the last class to proceed directly to training upon arrival went into quarantine. Five military training instructors are now quarantined as well, bringing the total number of Air Force personnel sidelined to 172. There are more than 5,000 recruits in training at Lackland in any given week, a small universe of people who could become victims of a virus as easily transmitted as COVID-19. Compounding the risk is the long period people can carry the virus without seeming to be ill. AETC calls its move to Keesler AFB a proof-of-concept mission to see if it can run new basic training sites where recruits can directly enter technical schools. That would spare graduates from boarding a plane in San Antonio and flying or riding buses to their tech schools, which could expose them to coronavirus. Once they graduate from Keesler, the fledgling airmen will be only a short walk from their tech schools. Basic training is set to open there on April 7 with a 6-week instructional course two weeks shorter than usual. The course will be assessed when completed in mid-May, said Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos, commander of 2nd Air Force, headquartered at Keesler. In addition to intensive planning and vigorous public health efforts, the Air Force has waged a messaging campaign aimed at convincing recruits to quickly report when they feel sick. Trainees often hold back because they want to graduate with their class on time. We have been educating over and over again, dont just kind of drive through it, because some of the symptoms are relatively minor. And most of our airmen here want nothing more than to succeed in training, and one of their biggest fears is being washed back, DeGoes said. And so what we have to tell them is, now is not the time to not speak up and get evaluated. Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe Women students stranded in different cities away from their homes due to the lockdown can contact the National Commission for Women for help, its chairperson Rekha Sharma has said. Sharma assured them that the NCW will work through the state government and "help will reach them". India is under a 21-day lockdown with its 1.3 billion people instructed to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed 32 lives and infected over 1,200 people in the country. On Tuesday, Sharma also held a meeting with NCW members to discuss the matter. "Had Meeting with @NCWIndia members and discussed how we can help girl students who got stranded in different cities and couldn't go home. Will be reaching out to universities to get the details," Sharma said in a tweet. The girls can reach out to to the NCW through the following email adresses - mailto:chairperson-ncw@nic.in"chairperson-ncw@nic.in and mailto:sharma.rekha@gov.in"sharma.rekha@gov.in. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. LA ROSITA, Texas Standing on the banks of her familys Texas property, Nayda Alvarez shuddered as she stared out across the deep waters of the Rio Grande, her eyes fixed on Mexico. It was March 7, and she couldnt stop thinking that President Trump would likely close the US-Mexico border, citing concerns over the coronavirus spread. Most of all, she feared that he would find a way to blame Mexicans and those trying to migrate from the South for the current crisis, despite the fact that Mexico only had a couple of reported cases and the United States had hundreds. If he did this, he would very likely be able to further his political agenda and presidential campaign promise to complete the border wall, she pointed out. Alvarez, a 48-year-old high school teacher, mother and grandmother, has lived in rural Starr County in deep South Texas for four decades. For her, the border wall is personal, as it is slated to cut through her familys land. When Trump officially announced he was closing the United States borders with Mexico and Canada for all non essential travel on March 20th to stop the spread of COVID-19, Alvarez worried for what was to come. Hes going to use it as an excuse because his main priority was to close the border three years ago and this is just going to be the excuse he needed, she said mere hours after the closure took effect. Trumps order was announced at a 90-minute White House press conference during which he berated NBC News White House Correspondent Peter Alexander, who asked the president what he would say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared? Trump, who for weeks downplayed the seriousness of the virus, saying it would vanish on its own, turned on Alexander, calling the question nasty and accused him of being a terrible reporter. The next day, also during a White House coronavirus media briefing, Trump again lashed out at the media, accusing The Washington Post of being fake media and hyping unnecessary hysteria and lies about his administration and its handling of the deadly, novel virus. For Alvarez, Trumps systematic approach to dismiss anyone or any group who disagrees with him is proof that he will stop at nothing to further his political causes, even during such a dire time. Despite the fact that much of the nation is on lockdown due to the coronavirus, including Starr County, Alvarez said that construction on the border wall continues in her small, rural South Texas county and she fears it will soon begin near her home, located six miles in between the county seat of Rio Grande City and the town of Roma. Testifying before Congress against the border wall Sign up for CJR 's daily email When COVID-19 first gripped the worlds attention, Alvarez thought it would perhaps divert Trump from building a border wall. But even during this national crisis in which several states, including California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Oregon and New Jersey have ordered residents to shelter-in-place Alvarez notes that wooden survey markers with pink ribbons affixed on top flutter in the wind on her property, indicating the planned construction path of a border wall. Alvarez positioned outdoor cameras throughout her property, which includes her grandfathers house and her fathers house in a close knit alcove down an unmarked dirt road. She monitors the cameras 24/7 to try and stop surveyors from entering. But the stakes were put on her familys property this February without her permission when she went to Washington, D.C., to testify before Congress about her opposition to the border wall. Other markers can be seen cutting a path through neighboring fields of this tiny community of about 300 people, located 50 miles west of McAllen, Texas. The juxtaposition of the markers indicate that her home is directly in the path of the wall, what the U.S. Border Patrol calls the Border Infrastructure System. This system includes a 30-foot-tall border wall with steel bollards and a concrete base, tall overhead floodlights, underground sensors, infrared cameras and an all-weather road laid parallel to the barrier. From the placement of the current stakes, the 150-foot enforcement zone system is lined up to go right through Alvarez 4-bedroom, one-story, ranch-style home. On her roof, Alvarez painted a message to Trump in white block letters reading: NO BORDER WALL. She painted it in the summer of 2015 right before Trump, then a presidential candidate, flew into Laredo about 100 miles northwest of her home. Im going to lose my access to the river. Im going to lose our customs and mind you, over what? A campaign promise. Thats the way I see it, Alvarez said, as she eyed the 200-meter-wide divide between the two countries that she loves. Campaigning for AOC-backed opponent Alvarez is a Democrat. Leading up to the March 3 Texas primary election, she campaigned in Starr County for the little-known immigration lawyer Jessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old who challenged longtime Texas Democratic congressman and vice chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Henry Cuellar. Cisneros was backed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who helped Cisneros raise nearly $1 million in campaign funds from sources outside the state of Texas. Although Cisneros lost, it was by just 2,746 votes 51.8% to 48.2% and the race has given Alvarez hope that change will come during the November general election. As the Democratic candidate field becomes smaller and smaller, Alvarez is still not sure who she will back, but they must promise to abolish the border wall, she said. Alvarez had been leaning toward Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who, before dropping out, proposed an agenda that would defund the border wall and use billions of dollars to help stop COVID-19. Beloved Rio Bravo To many, the river is called the Rio Grande, but locals refer to it as the Rio Bravo (translation mean river) because of its unseen ferocity. Alvarez pointed to the top currents that swirled one way, but underneath, she said, is an undertow that goes the other way. They never swim in the waters, she said. They respect the river and celebrate it. They gather on its banks and barbecue on a grassy spot free from prickly pear cacti and brush. It is a safe place for her three grandchildren to run and frolic without the fear of rattlesnakes. I have lived on this land for 40 years alongside where my grandfather lives. I worry about my fathers health once our land is taken. This land is where my daughters were raised and where I see my grandchildren play, Alvarez told lawmakers during her five-minute speech before the House committee. This is not only my home but it is a place of gathering for my family. It is part of my family history and my inheritance passed down to me from my ancestors a tradition I intend to continue. However this ancestral home will be destroyed by the construction of the border wall. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently announced that it had awarded a $179 million contract to a New Mexico company to build 15 miles of border wall through Starr County. The entire 52 miles of the county, from end to end, are supposed to be walled off, according to CBP. Alvarez has been sued by the government for eminent domain so that they can gain access to her land in order to survey it. She has a federal court hearing scheduled for April 14 in McAllen. The government has offered me just $100 for this access, which is what they think is a fair price for giving up so much. And this is the land of prosperity? she testified on February 27th. There is already a natural barrier created by a tall bluff from the river. No explanation was ever given to me as to why the government plans to spend billions to construct an artificial one, except for the expensive needless campaign promise. There has been no transparency and we have been intimidated by the government to sign over our rights to our land. We have been talked down to by government officials who think were not aware of our rights. Alvarez, who has been a teacher for 22 years, said that at this point in her life she was looking toward retirement. But she has instead become a vocal opponent to Trumps plans. This was the second time she testified before Congress against the border wall. The first was a year earlier, and she expressed disappointment that her efforts did little good. Since then, Trumps administration has waived dozens of laws to expedite the construction of the border wall. In October, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was waiving rules for the border wall construction in South Texas, including environmental regulations that protect endangered species, laws pertaining to the Safe Drinking Water Act, and most recently, federal procurement regulations. Now, Alvarez said, she is the subject of social media threats. She worries for her familys financial future if a border wall takes over her home and property. And in this time of coronavirus, she worries about her familys health and access to her friends and relatives across the Rio Grande. Her doctor is located across the river in Ciudad Miguel Aleman, in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. On the day that Trump announced the travel ban, Alvarez hastily crossed the RomaCiudad Miguel Aleman International Bridge into northern Mexico and paid $97 for a two-month supply of her fathers diabetic medication, which, she said, costs $700 in Texas. Trumps most recent travel restrictions still allow crossing for medical purposes, as well as commerce and cargo. But Alvarez worries that the entire border will shut down soon, and that they might have to spend significantly more money on medication in Texas, as opposed to buying it in Mexico. Alvarez doesnt know if her upcoming court hearing will be postponed, but as she observed, regardless of the coronavirus outbreak, construction is still continuing on border wall sections in Starr County. Will I still have a home at the end of this? she asked. I will lose my way of life. My privacy. My access to a beautiful river. My plans for the future are now filled with uncertainty, she said. NEXT WEEK: The Caroline Progress served its community for ninety-nine years, until 2018. How would it have served its readers in the pandemic of 2020? Its former editors and reporters imagine it alive and kicking. 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 Sandra Sanchez has been an award-winning newspaper journalist for the past 30 yearsincluding many years covering the Southwest border and immigration for USA Today. She began her career in her hometown of Washington, D.C., working for the Washington Post. In 1994, she moved to Austin as USA Todays Southwest correspondent. During her tenure with the nations largest newspaper, she covered the Los Angeles riots, Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Hugo, and many immigration stories from Arizona to Brownsville, Texas. She was the opinion editor for The Monitor newspaper in McAllen, Texas, from 2013 to 2018 during the initial surge of migrants on the Southwest border. She is passionate about border and immigration issues and enjoys being a correspondent for Nexstar Media Groups BorderReport.com. The influential Indian-American doctors on Wednesday appealed to the people of India to strictly adhere to the three-week nationwide lockdown, asserting that this is the key to saving lives from the deadly coronavirus crisis, which poses a serious threat to humanity. "Please allow healthcare workers and administrators to do their job and don't interfere or deviate from this by going out of home, said American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) of Queens and Long Island in New York in an open appeal to the people of India. Coming from New York, which is COVID-19 hotspot in the US, AAPI doctors came out in support of the three-week nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. "Pandemic of COVID-19/coronavirus is a serious threat to humanity. Protecting ourselves and protecting everyone around us is our prime responsibility. When crisis is extremely serious, decisions are equally difficult, the open letter said. Signed by AAPI Long Island and Queens, New York president Dr Rajendra Bhayani, the letter acknowledged that this is not easy for common citizens during lockdown as it will affect livelihood, finances and have psychosocial effects and hardship on entire society. "There is nothing more sacred and precious than saving a life, he said. "For a country like ours with so many people we must come together and do whatever it takes to implement this lockdown and do our own karma by staying home and staying healthy, the open letter said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As clients share their innermost thoughts, fears, anxieties and insecurities, psychologists and psychiatrists are facing a novel challenge: cultivating emotional connections in a fully virtual space. As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic pushes people inside their homes, Wisconsins mental health care providers are quickly transitioning to electronic forms of care, also known as telehealth. UW Health and SSM Health are already holding almost all outpatient appointments over the phone and working to get video outpatient visits up and running as soon as this week. The sweeping changes have come with many hurdles, delays and some hiccups. Federal regulations have slowed the pace at which providers can switch to video consultations. Spotty health insurance coverage has made it unclear if all patients particularly those in residential or inpatient facilities will be able to get coverage for virtual care. Phone calls can result in some miscues with clients. And a few providers arent prepared to go digital. I cant imagine folks that havent been doing telemedicine trying to do it in this short period of time, said Dr. Jerry Halverson, a psychiatrist with Rogers Behavioral Health. I think everybody wants to do video. I dont think people understand whether its patients or insurance companies kind of how difficult it is to set it up. Yet mental health professionals also see an opportunity in the forced transition: The more technologically literate they become, the more realistic it is for remote therapy to become commonplace, expanding access to mental health care across the state. Virtual health Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, UW Healths psychiatry department had limited experience with telehealth, said Dr. Ned Kalin, chairman of UW Healths Department of Psychiatry. Now, almost all outpatient appointments are happening over the phone. Mental health care providers are exempt from Gov. Tony Evers order that shuts down nonessential organizations during the COVID-19 coronavirus emergency, so they can still hold appointments in person. But Kalin said its important to use telehealth whenever possible. In general, unless the person has to be seen face to face which given the importance of social distancing is not often our approach is to use modern technology to provide ongoing care for our current patients and for new patients, said Kalin. UW Health hopes to have the capacity for video meetings by this week, Kalin said. After that, the department is hoping to launch group therapy sessions via video. In addition to individual, one-to-one encounters, were also thinking about how we can use virtual groups to help provide skills for coping and stress reduction and also mutual peer support, he said. Dr. Robert Peyton, a Ph.D. psychologist who works at SSM Health, said all of his visits with patients are now being done over the phone, and SSM Health also hopes to roll out video sessions within the week. Kalin said mental health professionals are anticipating a large increase in demand for online care because of the obvious stress that were all facing in relation to the current COVID-19 crisis. Inpatient goes slightly digital Not all psychiatry can go fully digital, however. Patients who receive treatment in residential or inpatient programs need to be inside the facility for their own safety, Halverson said. If we stop delivering care, that could be very dangerous to people that need it, Halverson said. If you need inpatient psychiatric care, you really need to come in. Otherwise bad things can happen, such as death. In the psychiatric units, Rogers Behavioral Health is moving therapists, physicians and most other staff out of the unit as soon as possible and leaving only a skeleton crew to serve patients, Halverson said. Therapists will still meet with inpatients but via video. Anything that can be done virtually, we want to be able to do virtually, Halverson said. At UW Health, patients receiving treatment in the inpatient hospital psychiatric unit are already using tablets so they can meet with their doctors via video, Kalin said. Telehealth is also being offered with laptops and iPads for the inpatient care units at SSM Health, said Dr. Matt Sager, an inpatient psychiatric doctor at SSM Health. Theyre also exploring the use of smartphones, Sager said. All of the inpatient care providers are upping their cleaning and sanitation efforts, practicing social distancing within the facilities, and screening patients and staff for COVID-19 symptoms, including taking temperatures. UW Health is also consolidating its inpatient care into one facility so its easier to control the environment. Halverson said anyone who is not a current patient, but needs residential care should not avoid seeking care. For the residential and inpatients, there would be a concern that people would be afraid to come in, which is why were trying to keep it as safe as possible, Halverson said. Why the video delay? While many employers are making the jump to video teleconferencing, mental health providers are subject to regulations that have slowed the transition. For starters, they cant use commonly available apps like Skype, Zoom or Facetime to see their patients. They have to get special video chatting software that protects patients medical information to ensure compliance with federal privacy laws, Peyton said. Another hurdle is that many insurers did not cover phone or video mental health care, Peyton said. But in the wake of the pandemic, most insurance companies are now covering telehealth. Its literally changing every day, Peyton said. Generally speaking its going in the direction that youd hope for. For the most part, people are recognizing that this is a unique time, and that the old rules and how you have to do things have to get waived a bit. But Halverson said hes been having trouble getting some national insurance companies to cover inpatient and residential telehealth. Some companies have told him those clients should switch to outpatient telehealth, and then it will get covered, which Halverson said would prevent those patients from getting the necessary care. Jessica Anderson, a counselor with UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital who works at a primary care clinic in Monona, said her clinic doesnt currently have a video platform that complies with privacy laws. UnityPoint Health spokeswoman Leah Huibregtse said UnityPoint is exploring a variety of options, including telehealth, for all of its providers during the ongoing health crisis. For now, Anderson is sticking to in-person appointments, with phone check-ins for a limited number of clients. She plans to complete some telehealth trainings to increase her competency in case her clinic goes virtual. It does work Peyton said his phone appointments have been going smoothly so far, but there have been a few snags. The main missing ingredient is body language, Peyton said. Sometimes its hard to tell if a client is joking over the phone. Other times patients wonder if hes actually listening if he pauses to think about something. So far, hes had a few clients ask, Hello? Are you there? In those situations, he explains that hes just trying to figure out the best way to answer their question. Some aspects of Peytons practice such as when he needs equipment to conduct a certain test or wants to show a child how to do something through demonstration just cant be replicated online. But for the most part, he has the tools he needs. It honestly hasnt been that bad even though those things definitely get in the way, Peyton said. Ive been able to still have a pretty solid connection with my clients as I talk to them. And I think it does work. Kalin said video conferences bear an even closer resemblance to face-to-face interaction. Video calls allow him to read patients facial expressions and body language. Its still not the same as being in the room with someone, but its pretty close, Kalin said. Most of what we do in psychiatry can be done that way. One limitation of all remote care, Peyton said, is its harder to do emergency interventions if someone is suicidal or homicidal. To address that constraint, Peyton confirms the location of his clients at the beginning of each virtual appointment in case he needs to send emergency responders. A game changer With psychologists essentially forced to become more comfortable with electronic health platforms during the pandemic, Halverson said he thinks telehealth could become a game changer once the crisis passes. Shilagh Mirgain, UW Health psychologist, said some of her clients actually prefer virtual health care because they get to talk with her from the comfort of their home. Mirgain is hopeful that digital therapy can be used to expand mental health care access to rural communities or to those who have health problems that make it difficult to come to a clinic in person. Were all really excited about the potential for telehealth to be able to reach more people, Mirgain said. I think its going to broaden our outreach and improve access. We see that as potentially a silver lining. A PhD student, a fashion designer and a 10-year-old girl have come forward to produce enough masks for the residents of Kashmir Valley after they found that the city lacked adequate quantity of protective gear to tackle the deadly coronavirus. Meet Bilal Ahmad Malla, who was selected for a PhD programme in Physical Education in a university of Madhya Pradesh. The 30-year-old student, a resident of Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, was supposed to join the Rabindranath Tagore University, but had to abort his plans due to the COVID-19 emergency. Instead of concentrating on his studies, Malla has chosen to make around 40-50 masks daily and later distributes these free of cost. I do not want anything. I am doing my bit for the sake of Allah. Let Allah have mercy on all of us, he told PTI. I had a sewing machine at home, so I thought why not utilise the same for something productive. However, for the first couple of days, I could only make about a dozen masks. I faced difficulties as it was something I had not done before, he said. It was his sister - who works at the machine for some stitching works -- who gave Malla some lessons at the craft. His father, who is into fruit business, also lent his hand. My sister helped me and at times, my father also pitched in. My father does ironing of the masks. I now make around 40-50 masks a day, Malla said. He first distributed the masks among his neighbours, and as the word of mouth spread, he started receiving inquiries from the neighbouring villages. Several trusts and volunteer organisations have approached me and I provide them the masks without charging anything, he said. However, Malla said procuring raw material was an arduous job in the prevailing circumstances. I use my savings for buying the raw material and my father also supports me. However, it is very difficult to get the raw material. The other day I had to travel to (neighbouring) Kulgam (district) to get some material, he said. The PhD student said he would continue to make masks till the situation demanded. I hope God will have mercy on us and we get rid of this disease very soon. But, till that happens, I will continue doing it, he said. Aayat Tanweer (10), a resident of Karan Nagar area of the city here, not only turned to mask making, but also made a video tutorial on how to make them. My target is to make 100 masks a week as there are not enough masks available, she said in a video which went viral on social media leading to appreciation from the netizens. Sadia Mufti, a popular fashion designer based in Srinagar, is using her resources for making masks and personal protective equipment (PPE). Mufti, owner of 'Hangers The Closet' - an upscale boutique here - turned to mask making after realising there was acute shortage of the protective gear in the valley. I went to the market for buying masks for myself, my family and my workers, but I could not get any. There was shortage of masks. The quality was not up to the mark and the masks were costly. That is when I thought I could help by making good quality masks at a very low price, she told PTI. The 28-year-old designer turned a part of her Rawalpora residence into a workshop where a team of eight people work hard each day to help increase the supply and availability of the masks. I made a few masks and uploaded their pictures on social media. I got a good response and then started making three-layered masks, she said. Mufti distributed few masks in her neighbourhood and donated some of them among the needy. I was then approached by private companies who have workers here as well as my regular customers, she said. The fashion designer now makes protective gear for healthcare workers. I started making PPEs which have been approved as well. We have already made around 150 of them and distributed some to a nursing home. I am making masks by using cotton fabric as well as non-woven fabric which can be used as surgical mask, she said. Mufti said she is keeping the price of masks and PPE at the very minimum considering the crisis. I would like to give them free of cost, but as a young entrepreneur, I have to think about my workers also. They are working under very tough conditions and have even stretched their working hours, she said. Having delivered over 2,000 masks, Mufti said while they were working hard to keep up with the demand, there was no compromise on safety and quality. I would credit my workers. We are making a thousand masks every day, but there is no compromise on safety and quality. We are putting in more efforts to increase the output as the response of the people, including doctors, has been very good, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lakewood police broke up an engagement party Tuesday afternoon and cited 10 people, including a 99-year-old man, for violating New Jerseys coronavirus ban on gatherings just hours after the governor vowed to get more aggressive in charging people who ignore the restrictions. Responding officers found a group of individuals, including children, on the front lawn and inside the residence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said in a joint statement. There were six children present at the Spruce Street home in addition to the 10 adults who were issued summonses when police arrived at 4:30 p.m., they said. The gathering was in violation of Gov. Phil Murphys executive order, signed March 21, that bans gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events, Billhimer and Meyer said. The engagement party Tuesday marked the third consecutive day summonses were issued in Lakewood. Police charged two people after 35 men were found Monday at a school for talmudic study, despite a statewide shutdown of public and private schools. A Lakewood couple were charged Sunday with child endangerment after police broke up a 40 to 50 person bar mitzvah, authorities said. Previously, three weddings were interrupted by police. During a Tuesday afternoon coronavirus briefing, Murphy said the vast majority of people are observing the stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, but he expressed frustration that reports of parties have continued to surface. Were not happy, Murphy said. I assume theres some amount of ignorance. The more swift, visible action that is taken the more quickly we can bring this non-compliant behavior to zero. Col. Patrick Callahan, acting superintendent of the State Police, said at the Tuesday afternoon briefing that police would be more aggressive in issuing summons, not just to the owner of the residence or building. Everybody at that gathering is now going to be cited, Callahan said. The hosts of Tuesdays gathering, Yaakov Kaufman, 47, and Eti Kaufman, 45, were charged with six counts of child endangerment for each of the six children who were at the gathering, police said. The Kaufmans were also charged with violating the governors emergency order. Police said the following Lakewood residents were also charged with violating the order for attending the party: Joshua Lichtenstein, 54; Brocha Lichtenstein, 22; Tzipora Wolfe, 24; Shmuel Kaufman, 23; Syril Lichtenstein, 54; Samuel Wolfe, 27; Michael Zimmerman, 99; and Ruky Zimmerman, 21. Despite the pandemic and warnings of social distancing, social gatherings continue to be a problem in Lakewood. Earlier this month, police broke up two weddings as well as celebrations at the Fountain Ballroom on Vassar Avenue and at Lake Terrace on Oak Street. During a crackdown in Newark, police shut down 15 businesses and issued 161 summonses in a single night Monday. As of Tuesday evening, Lakewood has 438 cases of coronavirus and Newark has 568 cases. Only Jersey City has more cases at 820. The state, which is home to 9 million people, on Tuesday reported 18,696 cases of coronavirus and 267 deaths. 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 families of a popular couple who died two days apart are coming to terms with having to hold their funerals without their many friends due to Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings. Former publican Willie Gavigan (69), from Tyrrellspass, Co Westmeath, and his partner Jean Newman (61), from Dalystown in Mullingar, are being mourned locally by their wide circle of family and friends. Neither of their deaths was linked to the coronavirus. Mr Gavigan, who for years ran Willie's Bar in Tyrrellspass until his retirement a few years ago, died peacefully in Tallaght Hospital last Thursday. His private funeral took place on Monday. He had endured a long battle against cancer and is survived by his brothers John, Ger and Brendan, and sisters Lena, Jo, Madeleine and Rosaleen. His fiancee, who herself was undergoing treatment for cancer, took the news of his death badly and died herself on Saturday. She is thought to have died from a heart attack. Her private funeral was due to take place in the coming days. Her remains are to be buried with Mr Gavigan's. Mr Gavigan's sister Madeleine paid tribute to both her brother and his partner. "It was like they couldn't live without each other," she said. "Willie was in the pub business for 54 years and was greatly respected by locals and visitors as a courteous gentleman," she added. "He was generous and helpful and had an eye for situations where he could make life easier for others," she said. Mr Gavigan was described as a keen GAA man, and helped the local club in Tyrrellspass when it bought and set up it grounds. He developed cancer seven years ago and had life-changing surgery but continued having a hand in the business until the cancer returned. Madeleine said Ms Newman and Mr Gavigan had known each other for 45 years. "They got engaged many years ago but never got around to getting married. Jean was warm, outgoing and friendly, and she helped others in any way she could," said Madeleine. Ms Newman developed cancer six months ago and had undergone treatment last Thursday. Then on hearing of Mr Gavigan's death she took ill and was readmitted to hospital but died on Saturday. "The families and the villages are stunned and shocked and grieving deeply at our inability to express our sorrow due to the Covid-19 restrictions which are so vital at this time," said Madeleine. Missed A post on the Facebook page from the management of Willie's and The Barn pub announced "with great sadness the passing of the legendary Mr Willie Gavigan". "While Willie retired a few years back, his name remains over the door and he will be greatly missed by both our staff and customers and the many people he had a kind word for over his many years," the post reads. "Our sympathies to Jean and the Gavigan family and while we can't raise a glass to him this evening, let's hope we will be able to in the near future," it added. The post was then amended after Ms Newman's death. "Unfortunately we have to update this post to let ye know that Jean has followed Willie to her eternal resting place. Our deepest sympathies to the Newman family. May they both rest in peace together forever," it reads. Ms Newman is survived by her brothers Tom and Bernie, and her sister Maire Mulrooney. Owing to the restrictions surrounding Covid-19, it is not possible for the families to hold traditional funerals. The funeral notices for both Mr Gavigan and Ms Newman thank mourners for their consideration and say funeral Masses will be held at a future date. Local councillor and Deputy Mayor Liam McDaniel paid tribute to the couple. "Everyone had great time for them and they will be missed by all," he said. Photo: Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Seattle. Seattle police chief: Report racist name-calling to 911 Police across the nation have their hands full dealing with coronavirus pandemic, but in Seattle, Police Chief Carmen Best wants cops to investigate reports of "racist name-calling." Read the full story on The Washington Times. Field hospital at Seattle's CenturyLink Field Event Center could open by next week The field hospital at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle will be one of eight in Washington state to help hospitals facing an overflow of coronavirus patients. Read the full story on KING5. Seattle woman charged with abusing her young children A 26-year-old Seattle woman was charged last week in connection with the physical abuse of three of her children, who were removed from her home and placed in protective custody a year ago and only recently disclosed the abuse, according to King County prosecutors. Read the full story on Houston Chronicle. 'A good run': Joel Connelly announces retirement from Seattle Post-Intelligencer Joel Connelly, who has been a fixture at both the Seattle Post Intelligencer and SeattlPI.com since 1973, announced his retirement from both the outlet and journalism on Tuesday via a Facebook post. Read the full story on Houston Chronicle. 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 pedestrian walks down a quiet street in Old City around 7:45 p.m. last week. Read more First, it was an unfamiliar dry cough. Then a fever, body aches, unimaginable fatigue. Carter Pugh couldnt go to work for three weeks because of the illness she still hasnt identified. Shes mostly recovered now. But the 22-year-old who lives in Germantown faces another problem: She lost wages while out of work. Now, one of her two workplaces is shut down. The other cut her hours. So shes a couple of hundred short of her monthly rent of about $500, due Wednesday. Pugh plans to pay half and cross her fingers she avoids the late fee. Shell pay the rest after her next paycheck. I dont really have another option," she said. Wednesday marks the first time the rent is due for so many since the region shut down as it bowed to the coronavirus, creating a domino effect of social distancing tactics that has led to mass layoffs, pay cuts, and financial desperation. The toll is felt deeply in Pennsylvania where more than a half million people have applied for unemployment benefits in a rate that ranks among the highest in the country and especially in Philadelphia, the poorest big city in America, where hundreds of thousands of people are employed in a service sector that has been decimated by stay-at-home orders and gathering size limits. Local and state governments have rushed to institute moratoriums on evictions, and utilities have suspended shutoffs. But still, as landlords are hoping for the best, renters are taking steps to hold off on payments, ranging from organizing their fellow tenants to negotiate a rent reduction to calling for a mass rent strike. Some are taking cues from companies like Subway and the Cheesecake Factory and alerting landlords they cant pay, at least until federal relief checks land. Others are crowdfunding to pay their bills or using social media to beg celebrities for cash. READ MORE: As the first rent payments during the coronavirus pandemic come due, landlords hope for the best And many are concerned about losing the roof over their head, maybe not right away, but perhaps come summertime when they could owe thousands in back rent if the financial picture doesnt improve. Pugh is asking other tenants about a collective effort and feels lucky to have a network. But she feels overwhelmed. Her lifes been upended by a pandemic something that always felt as if it happened only in faraway places. Its kind of sobering, she said, that I could go my whole life not paying enough attention to whats happening everywhere else, and now whats happening everywhere else is happening here. The state of evictions In Pennsylvania, renters are protected from eviction through at least April 30 while courts statewide are shut down, except for emergencies. In New Jersey, evictions are on hold through most of May. And the federal relief package included an eviction moratorium through July for renters who either live in federally subsidized housing or whose owners have a federally backed mortgage, which applies to about 40% of renters. Any eviction or lockout while courts are closed is illegal and the tenant should call 911 and file a police report, said Kadeem Morris, a staff attorney in the housing unit at Philadelphias Community Legal Services. READ MORE: It looks like hell. Coronavirus has Philly businesses boarding up as if bracing for a hurricane Morris said people served an eviction notice because they fell behind on payments during the coronavirus crisis could be subject to eviction court once it reopens. But theres still a minimum 21-day waiting period, meaning newly delinquent renters wont be immediately evicted once courts reopen. Efforts are underway to extend protections for renters. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has asked a consortium of property owners, landlords, and lenders to extend the suspension of eviction proceedings after courts reopen. Some Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed a state-ordered rent and mortgage freeze, including Philadelphia Councilmember Helen Gym. She said there needs to be additional assistance beyond the federal relief package, and expects Council to consider measures addressing housing. The most important thing is time, she said. Time for people to get back on their feet again. Time for people to get back at their job or find new employment, but not lose a house in between. Tenant organization and rent strikes While some renters are paying what they can, others are organizing fellow tenants to collectively ask for a rent reduction or promising a rent strike until the pandemic fades. In cities across the world, the idea of a mass rent strike, or the withholding of rent entirely regardless of ability to pay, is gaining traction, organized largely through social media. A loosely connected group of organizers in Philadelphia is advocating for a rent strike as part of a broader package of citywide reforms, including the release of prisoners, and hazard pay for workers. The group contends a temporary eviction moratorium isnt enough, saying some will be looking at massive back payments." The Philadelphia Tenants Union is cautioning against a mass strike, saying not paying rent because of a lack of income isnt necessarily a rent strike, which is typically organized among tenants of the same landlord who have an agreed-upon set of demands. Judith Jones, the groups vice president, said they fear individuals who withhold rent without enough collective support could face fees or eviction. She recommended renters first communicate with landlords and negotiate an extension or rent reduction. The group also has a guide for organizing collective negotiations. And if all that doesnt work, Barry Thompson, president of the union, said they would still support a group of tenants who decide to strike. This is destroying people, he said. A lot of frustration has kicked in, a lot of agitation has kicked in, and people are running for their lives. The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of over 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anna Ringstrom (Reuters) Stockholm Wed, April 1, 2020 19:02 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206efe789 2 Lifestyle ikea,face-mask,protective-gears,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Furniture giant IKEA is producing face masks and other protective gear for hospitals, joining a growing list of companies branching out of their normal business areas to help meet equipment shortages in the fight against coronavirus. Having started off with masks for staff in China in early stages of the pandemic, the Swedish group is working with several suppliers to ramp up output of masks for health workers, as well as hand sanitizers, visors and single-use aprons. The first batches for European healthcare facilities are in transit, Henrik Elm, global supply manager at brand owner Inter IKEA Group, which is in charge of supply, told Reuters. Several other companies are also working to help address an acute shortage of medical supplies, with vacuum cleaner company Dyson making ventilators, fashion group Armani producing medical overalls and spirits brand Ricard donating alcohol for sanitisers. Working from home IKEA has reopened all but one store in China, where the virus emerged, but across markets a majority of the 436 stores are temporarily closed. Demand for office furniture is holding up as many people are working from home in the health crisis, Elm said. "The sales pattern is changing. One area where we are selling pretty well compared to others is office furniture. People are working from home and they have identified needs in their homes for it," he said in an interview. "So, it (demand) is distributed differently - in some areas we keep it up well, in some we have a major impact." Read also: Indonesian fashion designers help sew, donate protective gear for medical workers 'Well-prepared' Elm said supply chain disruptions had increased with the spread of the virus to Europe and America, with closed borders or restricted movement a key bottleneck. IKEA has managed to cope, however, partly by spreading inventories to warehouses in several locations, he said. "So far, we have seen a limited effect on the availability of our offer," he said. Elm said he expected no shortages of wood or other materials, such as plastics and textiles, as global demand for such materials was in decline. One area of concern, however, is finding room to store goods already in transit to markets where IKEA has temporarily closed many of its stores. "There will be constraints in coming weeks in harboring these goods. Warehouses will be a bottleneck," he said. "Things that were on their way we are either re-steering or storing." IKEA produces a tenth of products itself and sources the rest from suppliers, mostly in Asia and Europe. As IKEA and other retailers adapt to slowing consumer demand, many suppliers and service partners are struggling. Elm said IKEA was assisting them with loans, swift invoice payments and help accessing government support packages. Melissa McCleery, who is in the process of moving from one house to another during the coronavirus pandemic, carries her pillows to her vehicle in Philadelphia, on March 30, 2020. Read more Even under the best of circumstances, moving to a new home is stressful. But these are not the best of circumstances. Things are uncertain, which has made everything weird, said Melissa McCleery, who is preparing to move just three blocks from her current home in South Philadelphia. Moving is stressful anyway, but its a lot to handle. McCleery is lucky: Shes not moving far. Others, however, may have more to deal with. Finding a new place, packing, loading, and setting up your new home virtually every aspect of a typical move has been upended. But dont panic. Its still possible. Here is what you need to know about moving during the coronavirus pandemic: Can you move right now? Yes. Moving is considered an essential activity in Philadelphia, said Lauren Cox, deputy communications director for the city, so residents are allowed to move, and moving companies are allowed to operate. Thats true across Pennsylvania, according to the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Health. And youre free to move both into and out of the city. Should you move? Not if you dont have to. The American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) says that if you can, reschedule until after the pandemic, especially if you are older or immuno-compromised, marketing director Rachel Peretz said. Of course, not everyone will have that luxury. Health and safety is important, Peretz said. If they cant put it off, its safe to move. Some people dont have a choice. If you want to cancel or reschedule, AMSA recommends reaching out to your movers early. And if you get sick, Danielle Rankin of Gentle Giant Moving Co. said, try to reschedule your move by at least 14 days. Are moving and storage companies still operating? Services connected to an essential activity such as moving are able to stay open even in counties where stay-at-home orders are in place, though they should follow CDC and Health Department guidelines at all times, Cox said. Locally, larger moving companies such as Gentle Giant, Two Men and a Truck, and Bellhops are still operating as are storage companies such as U-Haul and Pods. Not all movers are open: Some, including Broad Street Movers and Mambo Movers, have temporarily suspended operations. READ MORE: Can I get the coronavirus from mail or food delivery? The risk is tiny, and you can make it even smaller. Rankin noted that although Gentle Giant is open for business, it has seen a decrease in volume. No one wants to move unless they have to, she said. How are moving companies working? AMSA advises moving companies to practice increased hygiene and cleanliness to protect both employees and customers. That means wearing gloves and masks, washing hands regularly, using hand sanitizer, cleaning trucks more often, and giving estimates online or by phone. And, Peretz says, consumers should have a sink with paper towels and soap for crews. Individual companies have made other changes. Gentle Giant is also focusing on minimizing contact among crews and customers, including asking customers to leave their homes while the move is happening. Crew members will travel separately to jobs and are being asked to stay home if they feel sick. And handshakes are, obviously, out. We have a policy of greeting customers with a handshake, but crews are instructed not to do this at this time, Rankin said. What if you want to move yourself? Like McCleery, you can use your own vehicle to move, but if you need to rent something larger, youre still in luck. Moving truck rental outlets such as U-Haul and Penske are essential businesses, too. Many have made changes: Penske and U-Haul both said they are beefing up sanitization procedures for its facilities, trucks, and equipment. U-Haul vice president of communications Sebastien Reyes said that between truck rentals, the company is sanitizing steering wheels, door handles, radio and temperature control knobs, keys and key fobs, and seats and seat belts. Can you tour a new home? In a word, no. As per Gov. Tom Wolfs order that only life-sustaining businesses remain open, real estate companies were required to suspend in-person showings and open houses. The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors reiterates that directive, saying agents must not perform in-person real estate services and should only offer services that can be done remotely without being physically present. Virtual tours, however, are still possible, the association said online, through photographs or videos, or with the seller doing a live video walk-through. What about moving supplies? Getting boxes is no small feat right now, McCleery said. She found some at Sprouts Market before the pandemic hit Philadelphia and bought more from Home Depot. AMSA cautions against reusing boxes from places such as supermarkets now. According to the National Institutes of Health, the coronavirus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and two to three days on plastic. Not right now, Peretz says of using recycled boxes. Get new moving boxes. Some movers offer regularly sanitized plastic bins, which could be another option for movers. Or look for new boxes at such places as Home Depot, U-Haul, and Amazon. After the move: Can you get internet and utilities hooked up? Utilities including gas, power, and water are life-sustaining businesses under Wolfs order, and nobody with whom The Inquirer spoke for this article reported significant difficulties in getting those services hooked up. Philadelphia Gas Works says it will accept calls for requests to turn on service, while PECO indicated it does not foresee any issues meeting our customers energy needs. READ MORE: Post offices, banks, water: How the coronavirus is affecting essential services across the region Telecommunications companies also are considered life-sustaining, though some have made changes. Verizon will schedule installations for their services but also confirm with customers that no one in their household has been diagnosed with the coronavirus or is under quarantine. And the company will minimize in-home installation work for the safety of employees and customers. Comcast is doing the same, by completing necessary connection work outside of customers homes and leaving a package with equipment and activation instructions. Kevin Tustin, who was to move from Delaware County to Montgomery County on Saturday, said that getting an internet hookup in his new home has been difficult and that Verizon has delayed setup until May 8. McCleery, however, said getting internet in her new home from Verizon seemed normal so your results may vary. What about furniture? Furniture stores are not considered life-sustaining businesses; they are closed to in-store shopping. Online shopping is still available; some stores even provide in-store pickup for online orders. Otherwise, you may be stuck waiting for items. Tustin said the combination of his internet trouble and closed stores has put him at a particular standstill. So he has delayed staying at his new home full time for now. I figured no furniture, no internet Im going to be sitting in an empty box for a month, he said. Thats not how I wanted my first apartment to be. It sucks, but what are you going to do. What should you do first in your new home? If someone is moving into a new home, before they move in, they should deep clean it, AMSAs Peretz said, and follow CDC cleaning guidelines, paying special attention to high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, and handles. Clean with soap and water, disinfectants, or diluted bleach. McCleery plans to follow similar guidelines, even cleaning the items she is moving. We want to make sure everything is clean and sanitized, she said. Expert sources: Pennsylvanias stay-at-home order has been extended statewide, and in effect until April 30, to try to thwart the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the expansion in a news conference Wednesday afternoon. The stay-at-home order was already in place for 33 of the states 67 counties, rolled out as needed based on COVID-19 cases. The expansion takes effect everywhere else starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday. "If we do not do this correctly, there will be a significant surge of patients, state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. If we do do this correctly, there will be a much smaller surge" that will not overwhelm hospitals. There are at least 5,805 coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania with a death toll of 74 as of Wednesday. The first stay-at-home order was issued March 23 for areas around Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the Poconos Monroe County. It was expanded over the next several days to include the Lehigh Valley and other regions around the state. Originally intended to last until April 6, Pennsylvanias stay-at-home order was extended to April 30 in the last few days in accordance with federal recommendations. School and business closures will continue indefinitely. Over the month at home, though, the governor told residents not to rush their local grocery stores and panic-buy. Buying more food than you need for a week or two at a time puts a strain on the supply chain, impacting everyone from farmers to food banks. "We Pennsylvanians want to survive. And we want our friends families and neighbors to survive," Wolf said. "We will all work together in this. It's our only choice." Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf has extended a stay-at-home order to the entire state until April 30 to slow the spread of COVID-19. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com For most of us, its not much different than the social distancing already practiced since schools and most businesses were closed. Wolfs order seeks to restrict residents movement to only essential matters. According to the governors order, that means: Ensuring the health and safety of family members and pets, like obtaining medicine, visiting doctors and getting supplies to work from home. Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves or their family, household members or pets, or delivering those services or supplies to others. Traveling to care for relatives or pets in another household, for volunteer efforts or to aid the elderly, minors, dependents or other vulnerable people. Going to work at a life-sustaining business . (Anyone performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to prove the reason for travel.) Getting to and from educational institutions for distance-learning materials, meals or related services. Traveling home from outside the county, or for non-residents to return home. Any travel required by law enforcement or court order. Can I go outside during a stay-at-home order? Yes. The order specifically allows residents to go outside and exercise, including going for walks, runs or hikes provided that safe social distancing is observed. That means no large crowds and maintaining at least six feet of space between people to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Is there a curfew in Pennsylvania? No. The Pennsylvania stay-at-home order does not impose a curfew. What is exempt under Pennsylvanias stay-at-home order? Life-sustaining business activities are exempt. That includes doctors offices, banks, laundromats and restaurants that serve takeout only. (See the full list of life-sustaining businesses embedded below.) So are medical offices, services for low-income residents such as food banks, certain child-care facilities, news media, law enforcement, the federal government and religious institutions. If you may have been exposed or exhibit the symptoms of COVID-19 fever, cough and shortness of breath contact your health care provider. For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov and the CDC website. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from lehighvalleylive.com on coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley: 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. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 31, 2020 | 06:26 PM | PRINCETON Caldwell County has its first COVID-19 diagnosis.WPKY reports that Caldwell County Judge-Executive Larry Curling, Pennyrile District Health Department Director Jim Tolley, and Princeton Mayor Kota Young said they were notified early Tuesday morning of the positive test result.Curling said the 58-year-old woman is, "doing well," and is under quarantine at home and not showing symptoms."Contact investigations have been conducted by the health department. This person reports very limited contacts with others. The contacts have been notified and one person is under quarantine. We hope and pray for a quick recovery," Curling said.A state of emergency was declared on March 17, and Curling said it will allow the county to receive emergency funding from state and federal agencies like FEMA. He said officials knew this day would come, and that Tuesday's diagnosis probably won't be the only case in Caldwell County.Curling observed, "Most everything is closed, people have lost their jobs, and some have been laid off. Some places will go out of business."He said the virus has transformed the daily lives of everyone in the county in a matter of weeks, and it is the collective responsibility of everyone to respond to the situation and do what they can to stop the spread of the virus. He reminded everyone to follow social distancing rules if they have to go out, especially if visiting large stores.Tolley said based on what state health officials have said, the next two weeks will be crucial in determining the shape of the outbreak curve in Kentucky. He echoed Curling's sentiment on social distancing and asked everyone to be good neighbors, saying, "we thank our citizens for continuing the help us to contain COVID-19."While Young acknowledged that the virus may have stolen everyone's ability to interact, but it has not destroyed the sense of the community, and there is a light at the end of tunnel.Young said, "Love your neighbor, take care of yourself, pray for our people, for healing for protection and for peace, and let's show the world what being, 'Princeton Proud,' looks like." On the Net: EU launches Operation IRINI to enforce Libya arms embargo 31 March 2020 The European Union is stepping up its efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, thereby contributing to the peace process in the country, through the launch of a new CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) military operation in the Mediterranean. The Council today adopted a decision launching Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. Only political solutions and the full respect of the UN arms embargo will bring a solution to the Libyan crisis. But diplomacy cannot succeed unless it is backed by action. This operation will be essential and a clear contribution to promoting peace in our immediate neighbourhood through a permanent ceasefire. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and President of the Council IRINI, (Greek for "peace"), will have as its core task the implementation of the UN arms embargo through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. In particular the mission will be able to carry out inspections of vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya suspected to be carrying arms or related material to and from Libya in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2292 (2016). As secondary tasks, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI will also: monitor and gather information on illicit exports from Libya of petroleum , crude oil and refined petroleum products from Libya of , crude oil and refined petroleum products contribute to the capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy in law enforcement tasks at sea in law enforcement tasks at sea contribute to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks through information gathering and patrolling by planes IRINI will be led by Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini as EU Operation Commander, and its headquarters will be located in Rome, Italy. The mandate of Operation IRINI will initially last until 31 March 2021, and will be under the close scrutiny of EU Member States, that will exercise political control and strategic direction through the Political and Security Committee (PSC), under the responsibility of the Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In parallel with the launch of Operation IRINI, the existing EUNAVFOR MED operation in the Mediterranean, SOPHIA, will permanently cease its activities. Background Participants at the Berlin Conference on Libya on 19 January 2020 committed in particular to fully respect and implement the arms embargo established by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1970 (2011), 2292 (2016) and 2473 (2019). Against this background, the Council reached a political agreement to launch a new operation in the Mediterranean, aimed at implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya by using aerial, satellite and maritime assets on 17 February 2020. EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA was launched on 22 June 2015 as part of the EU's comprehensive approach to migration, and will cease permanently on 31 March. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country. IMAGE: An elderly women looks on as she queues for government grants during a 21-day nationwide lockdown, aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Soweto, South Africa. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Ramjee, a stellar vaccine scientist and an HIV prevention research leader, had returned from London a week ago but reportedly showed no symptoms of COVID-19. Ramjee, 64, was the Clinical Trials Unit Principal Investigator and Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) offices in Durban. "We are deeply saddened to inform you of the tragic passing of Prof Gita Ramjee in hospital today," said a statement issued by SAMRC President and CEO Glenda Gray. "Prof Ramjee died of COVID-19 related complications," Gray added. In 2018, Ramjee was presented with the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in Lisbon by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP) for her lifetime commitment to finding new HIV prevention methods, which are conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women are faced with. "This award is an acknowledgement of the unwavering determination by a global community to forever change the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," she had said at the time. "Professor Gita Ramjee is a towering HIV prevention research leader whose work continues to contribute immensely to the global response to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Gray had said after the Indian-origin scientist received the award. Ramjee was married to pharmacist Pravin Ramjee, a South African of Indian descent. Her funeral arrangements have not been announced. Attendance at funerals in South Africa is highly restricted and requires permits as the country is going through a 21-day nationwide lockdown announced last week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Five South Africans have died from COVID-19 since Sunday, the third day of the lockdown. Over 1,350 cases have been reported in the country so far. The South African government on Tuesday announced that it will double to 10,000 the teams going door-to-door to test people for COVID-19, mainly in the overcrowded Black townships created during the apartheid era. On Sunday evening, in a national broadcast, Ramaphosa cautioned thousands of South Africans who have not been taking the lockdown seriously. The death toll from the rapidly-spreading coronavirus pandemic has risen to 41,654 and over 850,580 people have been infected by the deadly virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The state of Montana announced two new cases of coronavirus, in Missoula and Yellowstone counties, on Monday. That brings the total number of cases within the state to eight. The Missoula patient the county's third is a man in his 20s and the Yellowstone patient is a woman also in her 20s, bringing the number of cases there to two. The tests were among 109 done at the state lab in Helena Monday, bringing the total tested in the state to 303. While previous tests at the lab have been considered presumptive positives and sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation, the state is now able to able to consider tests positive without further testing. Local public health officials and the state Department of Public Health and Human Services are working to determine the two new patients' exposure risk and travel history, and to identify and communicate with anyone who has come into contact with the patients. The patients will be isolated and those who came into contact with them will be monitored for symptoms for 14 days. Earlier Monday, Gov. Steve Bullock reiterated he "strongly" urged a limit on gatherings of 50 people or more in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus but stopped short of ordering bars, restaurants or other businesses in the state closed, saying those decisions could be made at the local level and shortly after he spoke to reporters Monday afternoon, some of the state's largest cities took that step. By press time, Butte, Billings, Missoula, Helena and Bozeman all announced they would take actions to shut down businesses like bars and breweries and ban sit-down dining in restaurants. Some cities also said they'd close gyms. Bullock commended those decisions in a press release after his call with reporters Monday, calling on the state as a whole to work together to slow the spread of the virus. I praise the leadership of local communities for temporarily closing or limiting gatherings at restaurants, bars and other establishments. These efforts are consistent with the public health guidance I issued yesterday," Bullock said. "This outbreak is serious, but we still have a chance to get ahead of it and flatten the curve in Montana. I urge all Montanans to practice social distancing, wherever they may live. The ability to slow new infections is in our hands, and our friends and neighbors are counting on us to do the right thing." Montana's eight confirmed cases of the virus within the state are in Missoula, Yellowstone, Broadwater, Butte-Silver Bow and Gallatin counties. The governor said Monday he believed all six previously diagnosed patients were home and recovering and being monitored by local public health officials. The goal right now is to keep as many people healthy as possible, and these are difficult discussions by all means, Bullock said. By taking the difficult steps now in the short run, we can stop the disease more quickly, we can reduce the strain on our health care providers and prevent even more long-term challenges. The move by local counties to close down businesses will have severe financial repercussions, especially just before St. Patrick's Day. And local businesses in the state already took a major hit as the annual Made in Montana trade show earlier this month was closed to the public, and residents had backed away from some public gatherings before Monday's orders. Businesses have already stepped up to be role models by making the difficult decision to close or limit events, and I thank them, Bullock said. I think the economic impact is significant to Montanans and people across indeed our entire nation. It is a challenging time in that respect. I think we have to do everything we can to flatten the curve on this to try to make sure this virus is contained as well as we can. Bullock said he understood closures might not be what some people wanted to hear, but that it was necessary for the greater good of the state's residents. I also recognize the hardships that this creates, particularly for young and healthy Montanans that want to get out as well, but its also essential to protect our friends and neighbors, Bullock said. We have to recognize Montana also has a higher percentage of legacy Montanans or older adults, those that are most susceptible to COVID-19. Social distancing is one of the primary protective measures we can all use to flatten the curve of new infection," he said, using the term that refers to slowing the spread of the virus. Also on the call Monday, Bullock indicated that the two-week school closure could last longer if necessary. I cannot give an assurance that we will open them in two weeks, but I also know the more we do as Montanans to try to flatten the curve in Montana, the more likely then that we can take action to reopen things, Bullock said. Bullock said state officials had not made a decision yet on whether schools would have to make up instructional time, saying it will depend on the effectiveness of measures to prevent the spread of the virus and whether the closure would need to be extended. The state could not provide a number of available hospital beds in Montana or a count of critical supplies such as ventilators or respirators, saying that it encourages hospitals to report their numbers but that some lag on reporting as they work to treat people or prepare for an influx of patients. The reporting is not mandatory. A survey done in 2018 by the American Hospital Association shows there are about 924,100 hospital beds in the country and about 97,800 intensive care beds. While most COVID-19 patients will not need hospitalization, states like Washington and New York have already raised concern over their bed capacity. State Medical Officer Dr. Greg Holzman said the state keeps in contact with with hospitals around Montana who report their bed capacity and supply inventory and though they encourage reporting daily, we know they are extremely busy to make sure theyre keeping that data up to date. Holzman said its hard to share with the public and media what capacity and supply looks like because it can change minute to minute. Todd Harwell, administrator of Public Health and Safety Division of the state health department, said facilities taxed with preparations are also short on time. The other challenge is we want to have hospital staff focusing on caring for patients, Harwell said. Also Monday, President Donald Trump told a group of governors on a press call that they should "try getting it yourselves" when it came to equipment, according to the New York Times, which was provided a copy of the recording. Bullock said the state is gathering an overall assessment of supplies in Montana and will continue to look to the federal government. This is something that I will count on the federal government to be a partner in and its not just go find it on our own. We need that partnership so that we do have the supplies necessary," Bullock said. Bullock did raise a red flag about testing ability Monday. The state laboratory is now testing seven days a week and Montana can test another 750 people with the capacity it has on hand. The state expects another thousand tests arriving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. I do have concerns about ensuring that we will have enough in the near future and its not just the test, its the adjacent supply, Bullock said. Its everything from the swabs and the vials to transport with the swabs. Bullock said he was on a call with other governors who expressed concerns about the number of supplies and will continue to push the federal government to provide whats needed. We know that the more people are tested along the way the better indication we will have overall of where COVID-19 is, Bullock said. The state has opened a phone line at 1-888-333-0461 for people with questions or concerns about the virus in Montana. There's also an email address, covid19info@mt.gov, and website at covid19.mt.gov. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Point of Sale transactions recorded 175,911 failure rate or 15.55 per cent of total transactions on Tuesday, as the movement restriction directive of the Federal Government commenced. According to the live PoS report of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Plc on Tuesday, by 8pm, the total volume of PoS transactions in the country was 1,152,646, with an average processing time of 2.93 seconds. Many bank branches were also closed, while the lending institutions sent out messages to their customers to explore their electronic payment platforms. The President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a total restriction of movement in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buhari said the restriction would last for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11pm on Monday. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates With the COVID-19 outbreak, vaccine researcher Peter Hotez has become one of the countrys most reassuring presences on cable news: a scientist with a rare ability to explain the complex, fast-changing science of the coronavirus. His lab is developing a COVID-19 vaccine . An M.D. and Ph.D., hes a professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and co-director of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. Since early March before community spread was discovered in Houston hes talked with us about the virus, the effect it could have on the U.S. and Houston , and his fears about the outbreak in New Orleans . This week, he discussed the potential dangers of in-person religious services in Texas; the latest coronavirus models for the state; and promising new data that shows that social distancing is working. Yesterday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott extended the stay-at-home orders to the rest of the state of Texas. But at the same time he overrode Harris County's stay-at-home order for churches and other religious institutions. He said that they are essential, and that they do not have to abide by the limits of 10 people per gathering. What are your thoughts on that? Hopefully most pastors and religious leaders in Harris County and the adjoining counties Fort Bend, etc. will encourage their parishioners to stay at home and conduct services via Skype or some other remote means. Weve realized that for this epidemic, church services do create risks for transmission. The most extreme example was what happened in South Korea, where the entire devastating epidemic was ignited through a single church group. I think it's really important that that we don't have any aggregations of significant numbers of people because this is how this virus works. It's highly transmissible much more transmissible than influenza. Any kind of congregation of more than 10 or a dozen people puts us at great risk. What are your thoughts about the coronavirus in the Houston area right now? I think we're still in the early stages of the epidemic in Houston. We're starting to see an increase in the number of diagnosed cases. The actual numbers are not so alarming. But the fact that we're only now gearing up for testing means that still probably the majority of cases are not being accounted for. So any increase that you're seeing in in actual numbers of cases is probably not completely reflective of what's going on in the city. Thats Concern Number One. Concern Number Two is that we're now seeing epidemics of COVID-19 in other southern cities, most notably New Orleans, which next to New York probably has the worst COVID-19 problem in America. Undoubtedly, a lot of that was because of keeping Mardi Gras open. One of the lessons learned from that is, we don't want to wait until cases show up in the ICU to know you have a COVID-19 problem. Thats a recipe for ensuring that hospital systems get overwhelmed. On HoustonChronicle.com: Pregnant during the pandemic? Heres what you need to know. On the plus side, the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center, gives us much more capacity than New Orleans. In Italy and Spain, we saw that when hospital systems become overwhelmed, that's when the mortality also skyrockets. In Spain and Italy, thats why they have a 10% mortality rate. Hopefully we can avoid that. Right now we haven't seen any specific models or projections for Houston, but Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has put out estimates for the state of Texas. That's one of the things that I've been speaking about with the mayor and other city officials. It estimates that the peak for the state of Texas will happen around May 5, and potentially with around 6,000 deaths for the state of Texas. Of course, models are only as good as their inputs. We know we still are in a steep learning curve about this virus. The inputs are not robust. But from the best estimates we have, if we're looking at a major second peak [in fall], that strongly indicates that we should at least be conservative and keep social distancing aggressively in place, at least for the month of April, and then reassess to see whether those models are panning out. Why does it take so long to tell whether social distancing is working? We actually now have data from various cities that tells us that social distancing is having an effect. These are some syndromic surveillance technologies that that use an app connected to a thermometer that have 150,000 data points per day for people recording their their body temperatures. That data is not specific for COVID-19. But as influenza cases start to go down, it becomes more relevant to this coronavirus. What we're seeing is in cities like Miami and Santa Clara, Calif., is that social distancing has brought down the number of COVID-19 cases. On HoustonChronicle.com: Expert reveals tips for outdoor exercise during social distancing It is our first evidence that this seems to be working and also for what we hope for in Texas and for Harris County: that social distancing is preventative. What other things should Houstonians keep an eye on? Staying home is a tall order for people whose wages depend on physically showing up to work. It's a huge hardship, and it's devastating for many families. Hopefully, some of the economic stimulus packages coming down from Washington will help. But I don't see we have much choice. We don't have a vaccine in hand, and we don't have adequate preventative technologies other than social distancing. Its the one thing we can do to keep ourselves safe. How are you doing personally? Im speaking to you from my home office, where I'm doing social distancing. It's a back room with Astros T-shirts blocking light from the window, and my cat comes in to sleep and look bored. But my wife, Ann, has helped me set up something in here that resembles an office that will look credible when Im interviewed on cable news networks. Is there anything else that you want Houston to know? All of this is fluid. This is a new virus and new pathogen, and there's nothing like a new virus or pathogen to make you look stupid. Whatever I'm saying, I may have to do a lot of backpedaling in a couple of days. We're trying to make our best estimates, given the data that we have at the time. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said it best: The virus makes the rules. We don't make the rules. lisa.gray@chron.com, @LisaGray_HouTX The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to actively consider repatriation of 250 Indian pilgrims, who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are stranded in Qom of Iran, at an appropriate stage as it commended the proactive steps taken by the Indian embassy there. The top court noted that Centre had made arrangements for providing food and shelter to these individuals and the government would in due course facilitate their safe repatriation to India, consistent with its overall approach to prevent, control and contain the spread of COVID-19 within India. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, which took up a PIL for hearing through video-conferencing, said that the status report indicates that the Union Government has been seized with the safety and welfare of the two hundred and fifty pilgrims as, indeed, of other Indian nationals in Iran. We have been assured on behalf of the Union Government that so long as the pilgrims continue to be in Qom, steps would be taken by the Indian Embassy to ensure that they receive such assistance as is required for their safety and welfare, the bench said. It further said, We expect that the issue of repatriation of these pilgrims be actively considered by the Union Government at the appropriate stages in terms of the assurance provided in the status report. The proactive steps taken by the Indian Embassy in Iran under the auspices of the Ministry of External Affairs need to be commended." The bench took on record the status report of the Union of India and said that it indicates that nearly 750 persons, out of the batch of 1,000 pilgrims who had proceeded to Qom, have been brought back to India pursuant to the arrangements made by the government and steps were taken for drawing samples of the remaining pilgrims for testing. The samples were brought to India for being tested at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. While the Indian citizens who are presently stranded in Qom would have to be repatriated, the stages in which repatriation takes place would have to depend upon the prevailing circumstances which will be evaluated on a case to case basis, the bench said. It also noted the submission of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that 250 pilgrims, who are presently in Qom, have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are relatives of those persons who have voluntarily decided to stay back in Qom, together with those who had tested positive. The bench said that the Solicitor General has stated that the Indian Embassy in Iran has taken all possible steps to ensure their welfare by making arrangements for medical and other assistance. The status report of the Centre said that there were 6,000 Indian nationals in various provinces of Iran, including 1,100 pilgrims from Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and state of Maharashtra, 300 students from Jammu and Kashmir, 1,000 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat and other persons who were granted long term visas for pursuing their livelihood and religious studies. The status report said that the pilgrims were mainly residing in Qom city; students in Tehran, Shiraj, Esfahan and Kish cities; and fishermen in Asaluyeh, Chiruyeh and Kish cities of Iran. The bench also noted the submissions of senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for petitioners including Mustafa MH that he does not seek a peremptory direction of this Court requiring the return of the batch of 250 pilgrims at this stage since in the very nature of things, the issue as to whether it is appropriate for them to travel back to India will have to be evaluated on a case to case basis. Petitioner Mustafa MH, a resident of Union Territory of Ladakh, has said in his plea that some of his relatives had travelled to Iran along with a group of about 1,000 pilgrims in December last year. Hegde suggested that the Union Government may consider arranging a special flight for the return of the two hundred and fifty pilgrims to India but they may be quarantined on returning home. The bench, while disposing of the petition granted liberty to the petitioner and to any other aggrieved person to approach the court afresh for revival of proceedings. Iran is one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic and has reported over 2,000 deaths so far due to coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four pickup trucks towing small trailers, along with four tractor trailers carrying supplies and mobile equipment, lined up behind the DCU Center on Commercial Street on Tuesday afternoon. Some carried emergency supplies, others acted as mobile showers or laundry centers. All were meant to help Worcester set up the states first field medical station to treat COVID-19 patients. We think [the coronavirus] peak is in about two weeks, but well start to hit full capacity for all of our hospital beds that exist in Worcester, probably in a week to a week and a half from now, said Dr. Eric Dickson, the president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care. The 50,000 square feet of convention area within the facility will allow for an additional 250 hospital beds to help Worcesters hospitals deal with the surge. Gov. Charlie Baker, citing recent models, said the worst of the outbreak is expected to hit Massachusetts between April 7 and April 17. The trucks rolled in on Tuesday, and crews are expected o unload supplies and equipment over the next three days. The coronavirus represents an unprecedented medical challenge, Dickson said. Worcester officials met with representatives of UMass Memorial Medical Center and St. Vincents Hospital on March 22 to discuss the citys capacity to respond to the increase in coronavirus cases. In weighing the data with the number of hospital beds available in the city, they agreed to locate a field medical station to better handle the surge of cases when it strikes. The convention center offered an ideal space with outlets on the floor and an open space that allows healthcare workers to walk through partitions while checking on patients as efficiently as possible, Dickson said. The DCU Center will have six pods, with each holding up to 40 patients. At least one of the pods should be operational by next week, Dickson said. Each pod would have two doctors, three to four residents, two to four nurses and five to eight patient care assistants. The DCU Center will include 10 beds for resuscitation and intensive care, though the more severe cases will remain at the hospitals. The way the virus spreads is it overwhelms healthcare systems as its done in Italy, Spain and New York now, such that you can not deliver the standard of care that we deliver today, Dickson said. When that happens, the mortality rate rises. Our entire strategy has been to slow the spread of this virus. Now that the supplies have arrived, the DCU Center needs people to help the potential 250 patients the facility can hold. Dickson said they will look to nursing students, pharmacy students, third-year medical students in the Worcester area to help staff the field medical station. We just simply dont have enough staff at the medical center to add another 250 bed, Dickson said. So were going to be looking for temporary staff with experience working with patients. Dickson said UMass Medical has received requests from students who are on the sidelines and want to help. He encouraged people interested in lending a hand to go to www.umassmemorial.org for more information. Their calling is to care for patients and this is our communitys need," Dickson said. "So were hopeful a lot of them will want to come and work at the site. On Tuesday, the city announced there are 115 coronavirus cases in Worcester, up 14 from Monday. The data show that a surge in coronavirus cases in Worcester could begin by the end of the next week, just in time for the field medical station to be fully operational, Dickson said. Everything that can be thought of in advance has been thought of in advance, Worcester Director of Public Health Dr. Michael Hirsh said. I think were as prepared as a city can be. I think were as united as a city can be. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: All Egyptians returning to the country from abroad must sign a written acknowledgement that they will be quarantined by the authorities, the emigration ministry has said, as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. Passengers stranded abroad must sign the agreement in order to be allowed to board their flights home, according to a new decision by the health ministry, the emigration ministry said in a statement. "All those returning to the country will have to be quarantined in hotels at their own expense, and they will receive all medical services free of charge, just as was the case with those returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan at the beginning of the crisis," cabinet spokesman Nader Saad told a TV programme on Sada El-Balad channel on Tuesday night, commenting on the new measure. He stated that the tourism ministry in cooperation with the health ministry has managed to provide rooms at the hotels, adding that the hotel accommodation prices have not been announced yet, but that the hotels management have promised to offer facilities and discounts. The decision is due to come into effect on Tuesday, with nationals returning on flights from Paris and London required to comply, the ministry quoted a civil aviation ministry source as saying. Egypt has grounded international flights until mid-April as part of strict measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, but the country has since operated several exceptional flights to bring home nationals stranded overseas. The mandatory" signing will be applied on all exceptional flights operated by national carrier EgyptAir to bring back home Egyptians stranded abroad, to protect them and their families," the aviation ministry source said. On Sunday, dozens of Egyptian returning from Kuwait protested at the airport against the new policy, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. Last week, the health ministry said it would extend the 14-day self-quarantine mandated for those entering the country from abroad to 28 days to allow early detection of any suspected case and monitor the progress of the epidemiological situation. Egypt has registered 710 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday evening, including 46 fatalities. Search Keywords: Short link: By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday completed a rollback of U.S. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday completed a rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards adopted under his predecessor Barack Obama and will require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026 - far weaker than the 5% increases in the discarded rules. The announcement - condemned by Democrats and environmentalists while being lauded by Republicans and business interests - sets up a legal battle, with California and 22 other states planning to challenge the rewrite of what had been one of most ambitious U.S. policies aimed at combating climate change. The Trump administration called the move its largest single deregulatory action and said it would will save automakers upwards of $100 billion in compliance costs. The policy reversal marks the latest step by Trump, a Republican, to erase environmental policies pursued by Obama, a Democrat. James Owens, acting head of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the plan "strikes the right balance between environmental considerations, health and safety considerations and economic considerations." Writing on Twitter, Trump said his administration was "helping U.S. auto workers by replacing the failed Obama Emissions Rule." Auto-producing states like Michigan could be pivotal in Trump's Nov. 3 bid for re-election. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said the administration's decision will harm public health and endanger U.S. economic security. "The Trump administration's anti-science decision to gut fuel standards will unleash massive amounts of pollution into the air at the worst possible time," Pelosi said, alluding to the coronavirus pandemic. A coalition of states previously challenged the Trump administration's decision to revoke California's authority to set its own stiff vehicle tailpipe emissions rules and require automakers under its Zero-Emission Vehicle Program to sell an increasing number of electric cars and trucks in the most populous U.S. state. Under the Obama-era rules, automakers were to have averaged about 5% per year increases in fuel efficiency through 2026, but the industry lobbied Trump to weaken them. The new requirements mean the U.S. vehicle fleet will average 40.4 miles per gallon rather than 46.7 mpg under the Obama rules. The Trump administration said the new rules will result in about 2 billion additional barrels of oil being consumed and 867 to 923 additional million metric tons of carbon dioxide being emitted and boost average consumer fuel costs by more than $1,000 per vehicle over the life of their vehicles. ENVIRONMENTAL REVERSAL Obama's environmental policies were intended to cut carbon emissions that drive climate change, while Trump has ditched numerous environmental regulations that his administration deemed harmful to industry and has aimed to increase the use of fossil fuels. Trump also has pulled the United States out of a global climate accord and moved to reverse clean water regulations and pollution standards for coal-burning power plants. California Air Resources Board chief Mary Nichols said her agency will move forward with its zero-emissions program. "This is a watershed moment marking the death of the old view of cars and emissions tied to petroleum use, and another that looks to vehicle technology driven by innovation," Nichols said. The Trump administration in August 2018 initially proposed freezing requirements at 2020 levels through 2026. Reuters reported in October automakers expected a 1.5% annual increase after talks with administration officials. A trade group that represents General Motors Co , Volkswagen AG , Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> and others said automakers need policies that support "a customer-friendly shift" toward electrified and other highly efficient technologies. "We are carefully reviewing the full breadth of this final rule to determine the extent to which it supports these priorities," it said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business group, said the final rule provides a "workable path forward on a unified national program that provides regulatory certainty while strengthening fuel economy standards and continuing emissions reductions." Auto dealers also praised the revisions. The administration said the revised rules will cut the future price of new vehicles by around $1,000 and reduce traffic deaths. Environmentalists dispute that the rule will reduce traffic deaths. The administration said drivers will pay more in increased fuel costs than they will save in lower vehicle prices but concluded they will save more in overall vehicle ownership costs. The administration has battled with California over auto regulations. Last month, the U.S. Justice Department closed an antitrust investigation into a voluntary agreement between four automakers and California on emissions without taking any action. Ford Motor Co , BMW AG , Honda Motor Co <7267.T> and VW struck the deal last year, prompting the federal investigation. The deal bypassed a White House effort to strip California of the right to fight climate change and drew Trump's ire. Volvo Cars confirmed on Tuesday it was also in talks to reach a California emissions agreement. Ford said on Tuesday it remains "committed to meeting emission reductions consistent with the California framework." (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. MIDDLE EAST Syria Expected Council Action In April, the Security Council expects to hold its monthly meetings on political issues, the humanitarian situation, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Key Recent Developments As the security and humanitarian situations in north-west Syria continued to worsen, the Council met twice at the end of February to discuss rapidly unfolding events. On 27 February, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller briefed the Council on the ongoing situation in Syrias north-west, where 950,000 people had been displaced since 1 December and fighting continued. She also updated the Council on the Secretary-Generals report that reviewed alternative modalities for the border crossing of Yarubiyah, which had been one of four Council-authorised crossings for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Syria. However, the Council was unable to reach agreement on maintaining this crossing and the Al-Ramtha crossing when it renewed the cross-border aid delivery mechanism on 10 January through resolution 2504. Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF, also briefed, focusing on the estimated half-million children affected by the crisis. With fighting continuing to escalate, the Council met again on 28 February in an emergency public session. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made opening remarks followed by Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlos briefing on attacks in southern Idlib by Syrian government forces and the Russian Federation air force as well as attacks launched by non-state armed groups. According to OHCHR, around 1,750 civilians had been killed since April 2019, DiCarlo said. On 2 March, an inter-agency UN mission crossed from Turkey into north-west Syria to assess first-hand the deteriorating humanitarian situation and determine the feasibility of a sustained UN presence in Idlib. Led by Kevin Kennedy, regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, it included representatives from the International Organization for Migration, the UN Population Fund, UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, OCHA, and the World Health Organization. The mission noted that over 2,150 trucks carrying aid had crossed from Turkey into north-west Syria in January and Februarytwice the number that had delivered assistance in the same period the year before. On 3 March, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock also visited the border area near Hatay in Turkey, where he described the situation in which traumatised peopleup to 2.8 million in north-western Syriawere living in open-air conditions, despite cold temperatures. Ambassador Kelly Craft (US) joined Lowcock at the border during part of his visit. Tensions between Turkey on one side and Syria and the Russian Federation on the other escalated further after an attack on Turkish forces on 27 February and subsequent counter-attacks by the Turkish military on Syrian government forces. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Moscow on 5 March, agreeing to a cessation of all military actions effective 6 March. The agreement also included the establishment of a security corridor along the strategic M4 highway, with joint Russian-Turkish patrols. The Council held closed consultations on 6 March to discuss the agreement. The Russian Federation proposed press elements for the President of the Council to read out, which included the Councils welcoming the establishment of a ceasefire and encouraging all parties to comply. Some member states objected to the lack of language on the humanitarian situation in the text while others felt that the Council would be acting prematurely in welcoming the previous days agreement. On 15 March, both Russian and Turkish officials announced that joint patrols of the M4 security corridor had begun; media sources, however, noted that some patrolling had been cut short because Syrian opposition forces blocked the roadway. On 13 March, the Board of Inquiry, established in August 2019 by the Secretary-General to investigate attacks on sites in north-west Syria on a deconfliction list that included health facilities, submitted its report to the Secretary-General. According to his spokesperson, the Secretary-General intends to share a summary of the report publicly. Lowcock had been expected to brief the Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria on 25 March. However, this meeting was removed from the Councils Programme of Work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing had been expected to cover the situation in north-western Syria, Lowcocks visit to the region, updates on progress regarding resolution 2504, and the potential impact that COVID-19 could have on vulnerable communities in Syria, particularly in the countrys north-west. Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen briefed the Council on 30 March on the political situation, including any progress on the political process, which has remained in a stalemate for several months since the Constitutional Committee convened in Geneva in November 2019. On 24 March, Pedersen called for a complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria to enable an all-out-effort to suppress COVID-19 in Syria. Syrians remain acutely vulnerable to COVID-19 and need a sustained period of calm throughout the country respected by all parties so that the necessary measures are taken to address this crisis. On 26 March, it was announced that Pedersens 30 March briefing would be convened as an informal videoconference meeting and would be organised as a joint political and humanitarian briefing, where Lowcock also briefed. This was the third informal videoconference meeting of Council members since measures announced by the Secretary-General to address COVID-19 included a partial closure of UN headquarters that began on 16 March. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Investigation and Identification Team (IIT)established to identify perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria following a June 2018 decision of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)is scheduled to deliver its report by 27 March. Human Rights-Related Developments During its 43rd session, the Human Rights Council (HRC) held an interactive dialogue on 9 and 10 March with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria and considered its report (A/HRC/43/57), which presents findings based on investigations conducted from 11 July 2019 to 10 January. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, chair of the Commission, told the HRC that since December 2019, nearly one million Syrians had been displaced, with some 80 percent of these being women and children. More than three million people remain trapped in northern Idlib with a near absence of humanitarian aid, he said. He also referred to the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, which had carried out attacks on civilian-inhabited areas under the control of the government, killing dozens of women, men and children. Hundreds of Syrians had been killed in near-constant bombardments during the period under review, he said. Given the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, the HRC suspended its 43rd session on 13 March and adopted a decision extending all mandates and mandated activities that would otherwise expire at the end of the 43rd session, including that of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, until a yet to be determined date on which the 43rd session is resumed (A/HRC/43/L.14). At the adoption, the representative of Syria expressed its opposition to the extension of the Commissions mandate in this manner, adding that it is a disputed and not a consensual mandate. Key Issues and Options A key issue is how the Council might support the 5 March ceasefire agreement. Despite some members view that welcoming the ceasefire would be premature, the Council may wish to revisit the issue as the ceasefire appears to be holding. One option would be for the Council to organise a briefing to be updated on the ceasefire. Several members may also call for Special Envoy Pedersen to support the ceasefire agreement. One option would be for the Council to urge the Secretary-General to play an enhanced good offices role by supplementing Pedersens efforts and engaging in dialogue with all the relevant parties in the area to build on the opportunity presented by the ceasefire. The Council could also urge him to explore how the parties in the Constitutional Committee could reinvigorate the stalled political process. The Council could also make an appeal for enhanced financial contributions to support OCHAs humanitarian plan for Syria, given increased needs in the north-west and increased deliveries of assistance that the inter-agency mission noted in its visit to the region. With the submission of the Board of Inquiry report on 13 March, the Council could ask the Secretariat for a briefing on the boards findings in a closed format to allow for a frank dialogue and exchange of views. The Council could also discuss the IIT report with the OPCW in a private-meeting format in April. While Council members often meet on chemical weapons issues in Syria in closed consultations, non-UN officials and non-Council members are not permitted to participate in these informal meetings. That is not the case with formal private meetings, the format used when the Council discussed the use of chemical weapons in Syria with Fernando Arias, the OPCWs Director-General, on 5 November 2019. Council Dynamics Member states hold markedly different views on Council engagement on Syria. The P3 (France, the UK and the US) and others tend to condemn attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by the Syrian government and its allies, while China and Russia often emphasise the importance of eliminating the threat of terrorism in Syria. The failure of the Council to agree on elements to the press at its 6 March closed consultations on the ceasefire in the north-west illustrated the tense dynamics. Belgium and Germany are the humanitarian co-penholders on Syria. UN DOCUMENTS ON SYRIA Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. Nigerian pop star, Davido has declared how Wizkid inspired him. The self-proclaimed OBO made this known during an Instagram live session... Wow!!!! What a Great way to start the month!!!!!@davido acknowledging the fact that @wizkidayo set the pace for the new generation Big Ups Davido! More Blessings A collaboration will do justice pls!#AprilFoolsDay pic.twitter.com/V6NaKdwxnM Big Eye Balls! (@ManLikeFuggi) April 1, 2020 On how he got inspired by Wizkids journey, Davido says, And then I got back (from Atlanta, US again) and people said, Theres another guy again o, but this one is younger (laughs) Girls love him, hes the new thing I was like what? So, I listened to his music and I was like This sh** is fire.You know who Im talking about You know Wizkid came and thats when we; all the young guys were like, Im doing this sh** too, bruh That n***a (Wizkid) came with some fire, broAfter Davido made the statement, Ecool then played Wizkids first official single, Holla At Your Boy which was released in January 2010. Davido danced to the song with a huge nostalgic smile on his face.In January 2016, Davido announced on Twitter he had signed a record deal with Sony Music and a few months later founded the record label Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), to which acts Dremo, Mayorkun, Yonda and Peruzzi are currently signed.In July 2016, Davido signed a record deal with Sonys RCA Records. In October 2016, he released the 5-track EP Son of Mercy, which was supported by the singles Gbagbe Oshi, How Long and Coolest Kid in Africa. In April 2017, Davido re-negotiated his contract with Sony due to creative control issues and later that year he released five singles including If and Fall. If generated worldwide social media activity while Fall became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. 6.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Vice President Joe Biden said that Trump could have fully invoked the Defense Production Act weeks ago, and because he hasnt first responders are dying. Biden said on CNN, He still hasnt fully invoked the Defense Production Act, which I called for a while ago. He finally did with General Motors after a little roundabout in terms of building ventilators. What about the masks? What about those gowns that nurses and doctors need? Theyre made of paper. What about the goggles they need. The face shields they need. He could do that by the Defense Production Act right now. He could have done it yesterday. A week ago. Three weeks ago. Five weeks ago. Theyre in short supply. And our first responders are literally risking & some losing their lives to try to help the American people. Video: Biden: He still hasn't fully invoked the Defense Production ActHe could have done it yesterday. A week ago. Three weeks ago. Five weeks ago. Theyre in short supply. And our first responders are literally risking & some losing their lives to try to help the American people. pic.twitter.com/I4010utsoc TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) March 31, 2020 Trump isnt doing all that he can do, and our first responders are getting sick and dying. There is no reason for their illnesses and deaths. Proper planning and federal administration could have prevented it. Donald Trump thinks that there is lots of equipment and that the states are lying about their needs. Joe Biden and every other American who isnt drinking the Trump Kool-Aid needs to be demanding and holding Trump accountable for this senseless loss of American lives. As Trump denies reality, Joe Biden is ready to provide the leadership that this nation needs. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Elam said that during the conference, Garcia acknowledged the tremendous challenges the region has been through during the last several months over this. Garcia determined that during the current situation with the coronavirus, the counties need to band together and provide a unified front to assist the citizens in any way it can. The region will begin work to add Muscatine County to the four-county budget that was approved Monday. Elam said in a previous interview that Muscatine County had already provided the region with its financial figures to add to the budget. The region and the county will have to discuss incorporating the cost of crisis services into the budget. Once the budget is together, the governing board will hold a conference call to discuss approval. The governing board will also need to review the 28E agreement that created the region, as language regarding childrens services needs to be included. This is expected to be done during the regular April board meeting. It has been a difficult six months, Elam wrote. Please help me put all this history behind us and focus on what we need to do as a region. Funding remains an issue and needs a long term resolution. Additional mandates have created a lot of new work. People need services more than ever. A photograph showing SpaceX's first batch of Starlink satellites during launch on May 23, 2019. With companies like SpaceX launching small satellites over larger ones, will the U.S. military follow suit? With much of the commercial space industry focused on putting small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), how quickly will the U.S. military follow? Companies are shifting away from traditional large satellites towards small satellites. cubesats in LEO have been increasingly used in space since the 1990s. In recent years, advances in camera technology and computer miniaturization have allowed companies to do optical imaging or radar observations using smaller and smaller satellites. This has led to the present day, where companies ranging from OneWeb to SpaceX and Planet have been deploying large fleets of satellites (fleets that could eventually include thousands of individual satellites) for applications ranging from telecommunications to Earth observation. LEO presents a number of advantages. By being in a lower orbit, satellites can, despite their smaller sensor size, have better resolution and detection as well as shorter transmission delays between space and Earth. Less power is also needed to transmit signals to and from LEO as opposed to higher orbits. Small satellites in fleets are also easier and cheaper to launch than single large satellites sent to a higher orbit. Moreover, it is easier to replenish and update a constellation of satellites as technology changes. Related: The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Ever More: Military space the latest launches, tech and videos For surveillance purposes, LEO also allows for satellites to flow in orbit around the world, instead of being fixed in one spot. That might be a natural fit for the United States military, Northern Sky Research analyst Brad Grady told Space.com. "Because the U.S. is everywhere, it has a global footprint, global scale and interests all over the world," he said. "That global requirement is creating an LEO-based architecture." And the U.S. military is paying attention, as both the military and the Defense Department's new Space Development Agency (SDA) are assessing using constellations of LEO satellites for applications that could include communications, advanced missile defense or an alternative navigation system to GPS, George Nacouzi, a senior engineer with the RAND Corporation, told Space.com in an email. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) tactical technology office also started a project in 2018 called Blackjack, which seeks to test how useful LEO constellations could be for the military. "If done properly, LEO satellites would not necessarily pose a security risk. It would actually increase the resilience of the system again, if done properly," Nacouzi said. "On an individual basis, these satellites may be more vulnerable since they're easier to access. However, their large number and ease to replace and replenish gives them a measurable advantage over GEO [geosynchronous satellites]," he said. Military LEO satellite fleets might not be created right away, as one of the military's future constellation plans still calls for a fleet of geosynchronous-based satellites. The Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) system is currently in the design phase and the first delivery is expected by 2025, Nacouzi said. Additionally, the SDA and the Defense Department's Missile Defense Agency are eyeing a hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor that could include a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit, Nacouzi added. The rise of commercial constellations presents another option to the military to rent space on these satellites (a cheaper option than buying and building them), as long as security is not compromised. "Space Force is one of those catalysts of new thinking," Brady said, referring to the new branch of the U.S. military that is focused on the space domain. "This enables it [the military] to say, 'I don't need to own it in order to trust it. There are other ways I can verify the accuracy of this information.' " One example of renting space on a satellite could take place in commercial satellite communications, RAND's Nacouzi said. He pointed to a "more concerted effort" to leverage commercial space capabilities under national space policy guidelines. There are challenges to LEO, however. For satellites in LEO, sensor resolution isn't as high as the geosynchronous satellites and the field of view is smaller, which can be a disadvantage if you want to cover the large swath of territory geosynchronous satellites can see from a higher orbit. Low Earth satellites also operate in constellations, which require handover periods if you're trying to have stable communications. Luckily, that technology has matured as a big player in the space industry, Iridium, is already doing it, Nacouzi said. One of the worst-case scenarios for a set of LEO satellites could be something like high-altitude nuclear detonation that would knock out a large set of satellites at once. Nacouzi said that this is a "doomsday" scenario that, of course, the military would discuss as it is the military's job to keep operating under adverse conditions. In this case, he added, one way of preventing issues in this dire, possible situation would be making sure LEO constellations are not the only way of executing a critical mission. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . A South Korean government-chartered plane with 309 citizens on board returned from coronavirus-hit Italy on Wednesday, amid the worsening virus outbreak in the European country. The Korean Air flight from Milan landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at about 2:30 p.m. It was the first of the two flights the government has sent to airlift citizens stranded in Italy, a country under nationwide lockdown due to the virus spread. The second plane is set to depart from Rome after a stopover in Milan, carrying about 210 people from the two cities, and is expected to arrive in Incheon on Thursday afternoon. The passengers from Italy will be quarantined at designated facilities if any one of them tests positive for the virus. If they all test negative, they will be required to self-isolate at home for two weeks. South Korea has toughened entry procedures by requiring the 14-day home quarantine for all international arrivals, as the country has seen a sharp rise in imported cases of COVID-19. On Wednesday, Korea reported 9,887 infection cases, with 165 deaths. Of the total infection tally, 560 cases came from overseas, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Seoul has thus far run government-arranged flights to evacuate citizens from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a cruise ship off Yokohama near Tokyo and, most recently, from Tehran. (Yonhap) New Delhi, Apr 1(UNI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Christian Michel, an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case, to approach the Delhi High Court for interim bail. The plea was heard by a two-judge bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud and MR Shah through video-conferencing. Michel, currently lodged in Tihar jail, had moved the Apex Court seeking bail on the spread of CoVID-19 in the jail. He faces the risk of contracting the disease in the jail as he was already suffering from serious pathologies, he submitted. Michel's lawyers Sriram Parakkat and Aljo K Joseph told the Apex Court that he is in a terrible state due to the spread of CoVID-19 on the jail premises. The accused cited the court's recent order on granting bail to undertrial prisoners to decongest prisons in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. 'Health condition of the applicant herein is very critical and incompatible with the current prison status, especially to date with the risk of contracting the covid-19 infection, which could have a lethal effect on the applicant who is already suffering from serious pathologies," the plea filed by Michel read. 'Applicant herein must be constantly monitored and treated and needs to live in an environment which facilitates the same, such as the home, where the risk of contagion is lesser and social distancing can be effectively practiced," the plea said. Without expressing its views on the merits of the case, the Apex Court disposed off the Writ Petition filed by Michel, with directions to the Delhi High Court to hear the matter at the earliest. UNI XC SB 1747 WILTON The inspirational story of Chris Tillett, the father of twin infant sons who is recovering after being in a medically induced coma for 10 days due to the coronavirus, has put a spotlight on a controversial medication. Tillett, 45, said doctors at Danbury Hospital, where he was treated, tried several different drug protocols to treat the contagious respiratory illness that ravaged his body and left him with bilateral pneumonia. The one that worked for him was a combination of the malaria drug chloroquine and the HIV anti-viral drug Kaletra. However, Tillett, who was Connecticuts first resident to test positive for COVID-19, is quick to point out that everyone is unique, and the medications used on him are not a universal cure-all. It worked for me, but it might not work for everyone, he told Hearst Connecticut Media. READ MORE: Im alive: CTs first coronavirus patient out of coma, on long road to recovery Still, due to its use in this and other cases, some have latched onto chloroquine as a potential cure for COVID-19. On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization to allow hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate products to be used for certain patients with COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is a derivative of chloroquine, and has also been used to treat the virus. Both drugs are produced by multiple companies. On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, and 1 million doses of chloroquine phosphate donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals. President Donald Trump has even praised the medication, tweeting on March 21 that HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. Meanwhile, Tilletts wife, Elizabeth, said shes received multiple requests via email and social media wanting to know how her husband was treated. Ive tried to respond to every single one either through a message, email, or phone call, she said. I want people to know what worked for him, and hope either his protocol or something else will be equally as effective for them or their loved one. Elizabeth Tillett has been an integral part of her husbands care, and was consulted each time doctors tried a new medicine. Several drug treatments were tried, she said, adding that her husband was on Kaletra from day one, and was also given the medication Lasix to remove fluid from his lungs. She said even when he received the chloroquine, there was not an immediate noticeable response. In fact, by the time her husband started to recover, Elizabeth Tillett said he was about to be switched to another drug, the Ebola medicine Remdesivir. There was no anecdotal magic bullet, said Elizabeth Tillett, who is also a nurse. I think the supportive care that allowed his body to fight the virus could have very well been what helped him overcome COVID-19. There are no control groups of people getting nothing so its hard to say. Indeed, some experts caution against seeing chloroquine which is used to treat not just malaria but also symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other illnesses as a miracle cure. The medication has potential drawbacks, and can cause major cardiac issues, said Summer Johnson McGee, dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven. It also can have serious drug interactions with some antidepressants. The drugs benefits and risks as a COVID-19 treatment also have not been fully researched, McGee said. People should know that it hasnt been well studied and we dont yet know if it is effective, she said. There is no reason to ask your doctor to order this prescription for you or for people to stockpile the drug.Some reports have surfaced of doctors hoarding the drug, and one Arizona man died after taking a form of chloroquine phosphate used to clean fish tanks, in hopes of avoiding the virus. His wife also became ill after taking the chemical. The incident caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a statement warning against non-prescription use of chloroquine. Chloroquine phosphate, when used without a prescription and supervision of a health care provider, can cause serious health consequences, including death, the statement read. Clinicians and public health officials should discourage the public from misusing non-pharmaceutical chloroquine phosphate (a chemical used in home aquariums). Its unclear how widely used the drug is being prescribed in Connecticut to treat COVID-19. Amy Forni, a spokeswoman for Nuvance Health which includes Danbury Hospital declined to comment specifically about how often chloroquine is used in COVID-19 treatment, but said clinical teams at the health system are looking into and utilizing different treatment options for COVID-19 patients that are aligned with the latest research and guidelines from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and other expert organizations. Other hospitals were more specific about the use of chloroquine to treat the coronavirus. Bridgeport Hospital Chief of Infectious Disease Dr. Zane Saul said the hospitals first line of treatment for viral patients who need it is a cocktail of an HIV medication and hydroxychloroquine. However, Saul conceded that there are some concerns about the medication. For one thing, it does carry side effects, particular on the gastrointestinal tract. But Sauls main concern is that overusing the medication to treat COVID-19 will not allow patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other conditions treatable with the medication to get it. Bridgeport Hospital is part of the Yale New Haven Health System, and hydroxychloroquine is part of the protocol for COVID-19 treatment at all the hospitals. Dr. Naftali Kaminski, a pulmonary disease specialist at the Yale School of Medicine, said hydroxychloroquines side effects also include eye toxicity and heart arrhythmia, which means it is not likely to be given broadly in the community. Unless we had really good data that everybody is really protected, I would strongly advise against taking it, he said. McGee echoed the reservations of both doctors. These medications are also used for chronically ill patients who now cannot get their necessary treatments, she said. Everyone needs to calm down and wait for the evidence to come in. Staff writer Ed Stannard contributed to this report. Venezuela Rejects US' Idea to Establish Interim Government in Country - Foreign Ministry Sputnik News 19:47 GMT 31.03.2020 BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza rejected firmly on Tuesday Washington's crisis settlement plan, which envisions the creation of an interim government and elections within the next year. "Amid the US Department of State's attempts to set up a ... controlled government in our country, the Bolivarian government insists that it is not accepting and will never accept any tutorship from any foreign government", Arreaza wrote on Twitter. Russian ambassador to Venezuela Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov also commented on the US settlement plan. saying it was a positive signal of readiness to lift the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, but indicated that ultimatums are unlikely to solve domestic political problems. The ambassador pointed out that Venezuelans should find their own solutions to domestic political problems within the national legislative framework and through a dialogue between the responsible political forces. "As for the US' readiness to cancel unilateral restrictions, which make suffer the less protected part of the population first of all, this is a positive signal. However, I will say once again that only Venezuelan citizens can make decisions on the fate of their country", Melik-Bagdasarov said. He noted that constructive cooperation by the global community would be welcomed anyway, if the participants of the negotiations were interested. "Unilateral public statements, especially ultimatums, can hardly be listed as such effort. Such instruments of political pressure, of meddling into foreign countries' domestic affairs, have repeatedly proven inefficient", Melik-Bagdasarov added. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier in the day that an interim government could be established in Venezuela, consisting of National Assembly members and accepted by both Caracas and the opposition. This new transitional government could serve until the next presidential and National Assembly elections, according to Pompeo, who also said the US would remove its sanctions if the conditions of this plan were met. The political situation in Venezuela worsened back in January 2019 when opposition leader Juan Guiado illegally proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing the results of the May 2018 election in which President Nicolas Maduro had won. Guaido was endorsed by the United States and its allies in Latin America. Maduro has called Guaido a US puppet who is trying to orchestrate a coup in Venezuela with the help of the United States so that Washington can gain control of Venezuela's natural resources, namely its vast oil assets. The US has repeatedly characterized Venezuela under Maduro as a "dictatorship" where the citizens "suffer repression", promising to return democracy to the country. Washington has also introduced a series of economic sanctions against Caracas, including those against certain individuals linked to the Maduro government, as part of a pressure campaign for regime change. A number of countries, including Russia, China, Cuba, and Turkey, have rejected Guaido's claims to the presidency and continue to recognise Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1 2020 Being isolated and cut off from social interaction and everyday routines can be hard for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents an even bigger challenge to those living with bipolar disorder, whose support system is an integral part of their well-being. Content creator Olivia Fabriane, 25, has been working from home for almost two weeks since authorities imposed a so-called social distancing policy to limit the spread of coronavirus by reducing physical contact between people. Jakarta is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with 1,528 cases and 136 deaths as of Tuesday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The United States has carried out occasional counterterrorism airstrikes in Somalia for more than a dozen years, but the frequency has risen considerably under the Trump administration and continues to surge. Africa Command disclosed 63 strikes last year, up from the previous record of 47 in 2018. This year is on pace to set yet another record, with about 32 to date. The first mission the Amnesty report criticizes is a Feb. 2 airstrike near the city of Jilib. An Africom news release said the strike killed one terrorist and no civilians. A website that Amnesty described as Shabab friendly claimed the strike killed a disabled girl and wounded her mother and sister. But neither report was accurate, the group said. Instead, it said, the strike hit a house where a family of five had just sat down for dinner. It said one young woman, Nurto Kusow Omar Abukar, 18, was killed after being struck in the head by a metal fragment. Her grandmother and two younger sisters were injured by shrapnel but survived, the report said. Al Shabab fully controls Jilib, and members of the group live in homes in the city, the report said. It is plausible that Africom was targeting a nearby residence that might have contained Al Shabab members. The report quoted the girls father, Kusow Omar Abukar, whom it said was not injured, describing the blast. It described him as a 50-year-old farmer whose relatives said he was not a member of Al Shabab. The other strike criticized in the report took place on Feb. 24, several miles north of Jilib. An Africa Command news release disclosing the strike said it killed one terrorist and no civilians. Colonel Karns said Africom was examining the strikes. We have a few allegations that we consider open and are still looking into, he said. We want to get it right. Today Brisk and cold with a mix of clouds and sun. There might be a stray flurry or snow shower later in the day, mainly north of the area. Tonight Partly cloudy, breezy, and bitterly cold. Wind chills close to 0 degrees. Tomorrow Mostly sunny and bitterly cold. It will feel like it's in the single digits and low teens. Kirkland Lake, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - RJK Explorations Ltd. (TSXV: RJX.A) (OTC: RJKAF) ("RJK" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that at least 18 natural diamonds, varying in colour, have been recovered in a 22.4 kg (50 lb) drill core sample. Four of the stones that appear natural are -0.212+0.150 mm in size. One is light yellow, one is light green and two are white in colour. These are mostly partially crystalline chips and are clear with single tiny inclusions in two of the stones. Seven of the stones thought to be natural are -0.150+0.106 mm in size. Five of these are clear white broken fragments, one is clear white with broken dodecahedral crystal faces and one is a light brown diamond fragment. Fifty-two diamonds were recovered that are -0.106 mm in size. Seven are tiny clear white chips thought to be natural. The remaining forty-five stones are described as tiny, clear yellow chips, but the tiny size limits determining whether or not these are synthetic stones from the drill bits used to recover the tested core, or alternately chips from natural stone(s). The mini-bulk sample was processed by CF Mineral Research Ltd. (CFM), an ISO 9001:2015 certified and 17025:2005 compliant laboratory, owned by Dr. Charles E. Fipke. This test result marks RJK's first confirmation of diamonds in our search for the source of the 800-carat, yellow Nipissing Diamond. Kimberlite indicator minerals (KIMs) were also separated and tested, returning materially important results. A total of 28 KIM grain determinations were identified, that commonly derive from kimberlite sources, originating in the "diamond stability field." The diamond stability field is located from depths of about 200 km in the earth at the lower boundary of the continental lithosphere with the convecting mantle. From the heavy mineral concentrates, 164 grains were probed and classified into six diamond indicator minerals: chromite, high manganese ilmenite, peridotitic pyroxene, clinopyroxene, eclogitic garnet and peridotitic garnet. Of the 164 grains analysed by electromicroprobe, twenty-three were G10 peridotitic garnets, three were diamond inclusion G11 garnets, one was a G1 eclogitic garnet and one was a diamond inclusion chromite, all formed in the diamond stability field along with the diamonds. Of particular interest was the picroilmenite chemistry indicating only minor resorption of the diamonds present. The mini bulk sample retested four short drill holes from the Paradis Pond target during RJK's 2019 winter drilling campaign. A few core specimens had previously been sent to a mineral processing lab in the spring of 2019, who reported that they were unable to see any minerals that would indicate this rock had sourced any mantle material based on visual inspection only. RJK then sent the same samples for thin section analysis to a second independent lab, and they reported the thin section contained no kimberlite material and labelled the core as a granitoid breccia. In late January, 2020, Peter Hubacheck, RJK's Project Manager, relogged and reclassified the Paradis Pond drill core to a tuffisitic, sandy kimberlite diatreme breccia, after visual comparison of the Kon 1 kimberlite discovery. Carbonate-rich globular zenoliths containing pelletal picroilmenite were observed in the Paradis Pond core, similar to textures observed in the KON 1 kimberlite pipe discovery. Furthermore, Tony Bishop took many photographs of the mineral crystals in the Paradis core, which were crucial in RJK's decision to test the core again with a 3rd independent lab. CFM performed attrition milling, heavy media separation, sieving, grain picking, SEM scanning, micro probing and caustic fusion analysis. RJK Explorations will be posting the CFM diamond and diamond indicator minerals results as soon as the final results are received. As stated in our March 27th, 2020 press release, two bulk samples totalling 266 kg sample of our Kon 1 kimberlite drill core is being sent for diamond and KIM analysis to CFM, contingent on COVID 19 government guidelines that may affect shipping. Glenn Kasner, RJK's CEO, stated, "Discovering diamonds has been our primary goal for thirteen months, since RJK began working in the Cobalt region on the Bishop and Kon claims. Drilling the Kon 1 kimberlite in late January/early February gave our consultants a valuable visual comparison, which led to the recommendation that we retest the Paradis Pond core for diamonds. At least eighteen diamonds thought to be natural by CFM, is well beyond our expectations. Our working relationship with CFM has given us the confidence we need to expand our exploration program. I am very confident in the personnel we have assembled, and together, we will continue to work to unlock the diamond and mineral potential of the Cobalt region." "I would also like to thank Dr. Charles E. Fipke for reviewing and adding technical edits to this news release." Peter Hubacheck elaborated, "Although 22.4 kg is a relatively small sample, the results are quite impressive. To find this unique chemistry including twenty-eight diamond inclusion indicator minerals is encouraging. In addition, the picroilmenites show little resorption conducive for the preservation of higher quality diamonds surviving their transport from the mantle to surface of the Earth's crust." RJK is temporally suspending drilling operations on the Bishop claims due to spring breakup and COVID-19 government mandates. After spring breakup, RJK is planning to initiate a geophysical program including a ground IP survey on the Paradis Pond area to help delineate kimberlite breccia phases in the vicinity of the 2019 drill holes that tested a portion of the drone magnetic low feature. Drilling is anticipated to follow in late spring or early summer. Mr. Peter Hubacheck, P. Geo., Project Manager for RJK and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has approved the geotechnical disclosure in this release. Contact Information: Glenn Kasner, President Mobile: (705) 568-7567 info@rjkexplorations.com Web Site: https://www.rjkexplorations.com/ Company Information: Tel: (705) 568-7445 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 This news release includes certain forward-looking statements, which may include, but are not limited to, statements concerning future mineral exploration and property option payments. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "will", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "propose" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this news release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in this news release include, but are not limited to, the financial resources of the Corporation being inadequate to carry out its stated plans. RJK assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54033 While the world is fighting the pandemic across the globe and is going on a complete lockdown to protect the people from contracting it, many are still practising the saying, Ignorance is bliss. Yes, ignorance is bliss but denial is another chapter altogether. Central Asian country, Turkmenistan, has banned the use of the word coronavirus in their country. How many times do you use this term in your day to day life? Exactly, many times! Reuters According to news reports, the government of Turkmenistan has denied the presence of the virus in their country and so, decided to ban the word. Also, police dressed in civilian clothes are listening to people talking about it and detaining the ones who are talking about it. The Turkmenistan authorities are known for adopting extreme and redundant methods already. Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSFs Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, said, The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus. This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations. Reuters So, if anyone is found wearing a mask in public or using the word Coronavirus, he will be arrested by the police. Now, thats beyond extreme. Thats just stupid! Heres what people on the internet have to say about it- Weird alert! Some of the wierdest reactions to #Corona virus across the world President of Belarus said drinking Vodka and visiting Sauna will keep virus away, no lockdowns. Turkmenistan bans the word Coronavirus. Anyone found discussing it in public can be jailed by police. Rachana Kabra (@kabra_rachana) April 1, 2020 So they are calling it #Chinesesvirus Faiz Mian (@FaizMia4) April 1, 2020 Ex-Soviet states seem so concerned with making people believe they havent been touched by the pandemic. As if theyre some kind of glorious utopia. Ashley (@AshTreees) April 1, 2020 I wonder if we are getting there, with restrictions on journalists and reporting Gautam Menon (@MenonBioPhysics) April 1, 2020 LolOuch.Think about it. However, despite denials, the Turkmen government is taking preventive measures to stop the outbreak of the deadly virus. Now, thats a lot of confusion in the mind of the government. Also, the movement of people coming to the country from outside has been restricted. Reuters Turkmenistan is the worlds most secretive country according to the RSFs 2019 Press Freedom Index. The media is in control of the government and we wonder why would a government not want its citizens to be well informed about the pandemic. In focusing like a laser on American Thinker's and the conservative right's criticism of Anthony Fauci, M.D., the New York Times, Politico, and the Washington Post (including yesterday in its second critical article in three days that mentioned this author) have ignored some substantive critical reporting about Dr. Fauci from the political left. Progressive icon Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s high-profile, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization Children's Health Defense, for example, published a critical analysis of Fauci on March 27: "Dr. Fauci and COVID-19 Priorities: Therapeutics Now or Vaccines Later?" Written by Lyn Redwood, R.N., MSN, the organization's president; Mary Holland, its general counsel and vice chair; and "the CHD team," the article is a well annotated, stinging rebuke of the career of Dr. Fauci. For 36 years the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci is currently the most prominent medical person on the president's Coronavirus Task Force. The article begins by noting some promising alternative treatments for COVID-19 that are already being reported on, and largely ignored, by the medical establishment. Across the country, a debate is raging about the nation's medical response and how best to apportion available resources. Many argue, quite reasonably, for the importance of identifying safe, effective and affordable therapies that can provide immediate help to those who are sick. On March 22, The New York Times reported that there are at least 69 existing drugs or compounds that might be effective in treating the coronavirus. In China, researchers are studying intravenous vitamin C as a potential nontoxic treatment, while a paper published by French researchers on March 20 described promising COVID-19 results from the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine (an antimalarial) and azithromycin (an antibiotic). The head of the French team, Didier Raoult, MD, PhD, is one of the world's top infectious disease and virology experts, with roughly 2,000 peer-reviewed publications and multiple awards to his name. Raoult and coauthors point out that a major advantage of "repositioning" older drugs for this coronavirus is that their safety profile, side effects, dosing and drug interactions are already well documented. However, Ian Lipkin, MD, of Columbia University recently told MSNBC, with a grin, that investments tend to go toward treatments that are "sexy and new and patentable" rather than to "tried-and-true, classical sort of methods repurposing drugs and strategies that have already been shown to work." The article then zeroes in on its primary target, Dr. Fauci. For biopharma companies that are poised to profit from COVID-19-related misfortune, older drugs that have outlived their patent terms are not terribly helpful for the bottom line. Could this be why leading White House coronavirus advisor Anthony Fauci, MD, long-time head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently pooh-poohed the published chloroquine evidence as merely "anecdotal"? Fauci is a stalwart enthusiast of "patentable" vaccines, skilled in attracting massive government funding for vaccines that either never materialize or are spectacularly ineffective or unsafe. For example, Fauci once shilled for the fast-tracked H1N1 influenza ("swine flu") vaccine on YouTube, reassuring viewers in 2009 that serious adverse events were "very, very, very rare." Shortly thereafter, the vaccine went on to wreak havoc in multiple countries, increasing miscarriage risks in pregnant women in the U.S., provoking a spike in adolescent narcolepsy in Scandinavia and causing febrile convulsions in one in every 110 vaccinated children in Australia prompting the latter to suspend its influenza vaccination program in under-fives. In 2010, then-Senator and physician Tom Coburn, MD, called out Fauci for misleadingly touting "significant progress in HIV vaccine research." The complete article at Children's Health Defense can be read here. Screen grab featuring official NIH portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci from Children's Health Defense YouTube video. Accompanying the article is a six minute-long Childrens Health Defense YouTube video that is uncompromising in its critique of Fauci and his colleagues for their preoccupation to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine allegedly without proper testing. The video dramatically features white text on a black background interspersed with several soundbites of scientists whose comments throw cold water on the current direction of the National Institutes of Health regarding Covid-19. Some excerpts from the videos text: Biotech companies are racing to patent vaccines and profit from disease. Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a dedicated vaccine advocate at N.I.H. for 36 years. He demanded billions to create an HIV vaccine. It never materialized. Dr. Fauci has little interest in treatments that can't be patented. Is it because NIH stands to make hundreds of millions in royalties when they partner with pharma on blockbuster global vaccines? Dr. Fauci delivers billions of taxpayer dollars to pharma to promote vaccine schemes while public health declines. Dr. Fauci secured $2 billion for a future coronavirus vaccine while N.I.H. partnered with biotech giant, Moderna, to share in the profits. Still frame from Children's Health Defense video. Dr. Fauci has applied for a dozen patents to protect his inventions while working at the NIH. Also of note, and also totally ignored by the MSM, are Charles Ortleb's numerous critical analyses of Dr. Fauci. Ortleb is a journalist, publisher, and editor on the left who founded a biweekly gay newspaper, the New York Native, in 1980. According to the New York Times (June 3, 2001), "The New York Native, then the nation's most influential gay newspaper, carried a report of a strange new ailment on May 18, 1981," becoming the first publication in the country to take note of what would later be named AIDS. In the introduction to his 2017 podcast interview with Ortleb titled "The Infectious Myth," David Crowe writes that Ortleb's "career bloomed at the start of the AIDS epidemic, and then crashed when he started to criticize the HIV-AIDS dogma promulgated by the CDC and powerful pharmaceutically funded organizations within his own community." Last month, Ortleb made his 48-page paperback book, titled Fauci: The Bernie Madoff of Science and the HIV Ponzi Scheme that Concealed the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemic, available for purchase on Amazon. Also in March, Ortleb uploaded his 2,000-word "editorial" titled "The Fauci Fiasco" to Scribd, where it can be read and downloaded without charge. Among the observations of Ortleb: Anthony Fauci is not the great scientist you think he is. Every time I see someone praising Dr. Anthony Fauci to the skies on television, I say, "Oy Vey!" ... I think it is safe to say my newspaper [the New York Native] is probably the only one in the world to ever have a cover portraying Anthony Fauci as Pinocchio. If you are a journalist or scientist and you ever have the opportunity to mention my newspaper to Anthony Fauci, I can pretty much guarantee that the blood will drain from his face. I won't hold my breath waiting for the MSM to take note that Dr. Anthony Fauci has vocal critics on the left, too. South Africa: Households called to stand together The Portfolio Committee on Women has called on households to stand together and help each other, especially women, children and disabled people who remain vulnerable to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) during the 21-day lockdown period. The potential of increase in incidents of gender-based violence and femicide is a reality we cannot ignore during these times with people confined to their homes, anxiety and stress levels increased and boredom, said Committee Chairperson on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Nonhlanhla Ncube-Ndaba. The Committee commended government for its swift action implemented across various sectors in a bid to deal with COVID-19, noting that the Coronavirus is a human crisis. Understanding the economic impact of this pandemic on South Africa and globally, Ncube-Ndaba said governments intervention stimulus package for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will contribute to maintaining businesses. She said the committee has encouraged young entrepreneurs, female-owned businesses and persons with disabilities with SMMEs to investigate how to access assistance from the government. The committee is acutely aware that the low-end paid workforce is dominated by women and youth, be it in domestic work, in the construction industry, retail and sales, to name a few. Furthermore, the committee is aware of the implications of the lockdown for millions of households across the country. The burden of care to attend to children, the elderly and persons with disabilities within a household cannot be placed only on women and girls, as we are all affected, Ncube-Ndaba said. The Committee applauded non-governmental organisations that continue to render services to victims of GBVF, be it remotely. The Committee also urged employees to abide by the provisions outlined in the countrys labour laws, in terms of their conditions of employment, in order to benefit from governments intervention for their families who depend on them to survive. It further commended all workers in essential services, who will continue working through the lockdown, and encouraged others to do their bit by staying at home. The Gender-Based Violence Command Centre will remain operational and can be accessed by calling 0800 428 428 and has a Skype Line (add Helpme GBV to your Skype contacts) and Please Call Me facility on *120*7867#. An SMS based line is also available on 31531. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-04-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chron.com is compiling the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area. 9:28 p.m. A 14th Houston police officer has tested positive for COVID-19 and is hospitalized, Chief Art Acevedo said. "Please pray for him, his family and everyone being impacted by this virus," the chief said. 4:14 p.m. Harris County Public Health announced 86 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county total to 389 positive cases, including two deaths. Officials said 74 patients have recovered. 2:32 p.m. Montgomery County has reported its first coronavirus-related deaths. Days after issuing a shelter-in-place order for the Conservatory at Alden Bridge, a senior facility in The Woodlands where 13 cases of coronavirus infection had been recorded, Montgomery County health officials confirmed Wednesday the county's first two deaths due to coronavirus. The deaths, both men -- one in his 80s, one in his 90s -- occurred at a senior facility in The Woodlands. It is unconfirmed as of this writing if they occurred at the Conservatory facility. 2:30 p.m. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed an order Wednesday releasing some low-risk prisoners from county jails. The order could take up to 32 hours for vetting by relevant offices before eligible inmates are allowed to leave. 12 p.m. Officials say the first day of COVID-19 testing at the only county-supported drive-thru site in Fort Bend was a smooth success. The county opened the site to healthcare professionals and first responders for a soft launch on Monday and conducted 30 tests that day, according to Yaneth Calderon, public health information specialist for the Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. The site opened to the general public on Tuesday and tested a total of 75 people, Calderon said. The site is run by appointment only and is able to conduct 100 tests per day. 11 a.m. Longtime Houston TV anchor Dave Ward tweets that he hears from doctors at Houston Methodist that his wife, diagnosed with COVID-19, is improving. A truck carrying toilet paper from Alabama to San Antonio caught fire early Tuesday morning on Interstate 45 near Dallas. The driver is expected to be OK, officials said. Inspirational posters are popping up in one Spring neighborhood, as neighbors put together a grassroots project decorating fences with the artwork. NFL agent Buddy Baker shared the heartbreaking news that his parents died within 6 minutes of each other after being diagnosed with COVID-19. "Just a few weeks ago, they were in perfect health. We live in a world of 'it can't happen to me, it can't happen to us, it can't happen to my family.' Well, it happened to us," Baker said. Shout out to Austin Montalbano, a Texas City ISD student and Boy Scout who sewed a bunch of masks for healthcare workers to use: LATEST: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday announced that in addition to extending the county's stay-at-home order to April 30, she will also order that nonviolent defendants be released from the Harris County Jail. 'SURPRISING LINK': Study looks at how coronavirus impacts loss of smell "This is obviously an unprecedented situation," Hidalgo said, adding that the county can't afford to wait any longer to make this decision. She said without action, the jail could become "the epicenter of a catastrophe," overwhelming Houston's hospital system. Responding to the plan, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said his position is "well-documented on my Twitter," on which he sometimes tweets about his concern with granting low or personal bonds for certain suspects. Around the same time Hidalgo announced her plan, Acevedo's officers apprehended a pair of armed robbery suspects. The chief's response? "Lets hope a Harris County Judge or magistrate doesnt give them a personal bond or $100 bond so they can be out before the break of dawn." Check back for updates throughout the day. Russia has earmarked almost USD 18 billion to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the prime minister said Wednesday as Moscow imposed a strict lockdown. The finance ministry "has reserved 1.4 trillion rubles ($17.8 billion) in all for fighting the spread of the coronavirus and carrying out anti-crisis measures," Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told President Vladimir Putin during a televised video conference with his cabinet. Mishustin told the president, who is working remotely due to the virus, that the government is drafting new measures that focus on propping up regional economies and supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Putin has already announced breaks on consumer loans and mortgage payments, support for SMEs and early payment of social benefits for Russians who are hit by the crisis. Last week he unveiled other measures to protect poorer Russians from economic effects of the pandemic. Russia has officially confirmed 2,777 cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths. A strict lockdown has been put in place across almost all regions, and parliament has approved a coronavirus-focused package of legislation including prison terms of up to seven years for those who cause multiple deaths by flouting protective measures. The Russian ruble has tumbled in recent weeks owing to global virus panic and falling oil prices, prompting the central bank to increase sales of foreign currency. On March 16, Mishustin said the government would provide 300 billion rubles (USD 3.8 billion at the current exchange rate) to help struggling sectors including tourism and airlines. On Wednesday he said that airlines would receive 1.5 billion rubles (USD 19 million) in compensation for evacuating Russians stranded abroad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trump does not want to see the U.S. energy sector wiped out after Russia and Saudi Arabia both went crazy U.S. President Donald Trumps bid to end the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia is breeding cautious hopes in Moscow of a possible way out of the damaging stand-off, potentially reversing some of the collapse in crude prices. The fact that it was Trump who placed the call to Vladimir Putin Monday, reversing his earlier stance welcoming the drop in oil prices, was seen in Moscow as a positive sign, according to three people familiar with the matter. Trumps move to appeal for Russian help in stopping the oil rout could allow Putin to appear in a stronger position even if he needs to make some concessions, according to Andrey Kortunov, director of the Kremlin-founded Russian International Affairs Council. The Kremlin views the call itself as a kind of diplomatic victory, he said. The Kremlins refusal early this month to deepen output cuts with Saudi-led OPEC led Saudi Arabia to flood the world with oil, sending prices into a tailspin. But it was the collapse in demand cause by the shutdown of large parts of the world to combat the spread of Covid-19 that has pushed crude to the lowest levels in decades. Not Giving Ground For the moment, Russia isnt giving any ground, while Saudi Arabia has shown no willingness to change course and is following through on its threat to dramatically increase exports next month. Even if the big producers were able to agree to reduce output, its not clear they could cut enough to offset the plunge in demand -- by some estimates equivalent to the entire amount produced by Saudi Arabia and Russia together -- wrought by the virus. Russia is hoping that the U.S. president can persuade its traditional ally Saudi Arabia to refrain from pumping more oil, said a person close to the Kremlin. But another person familiar with the discussions said Moscows also worried that Washington and Riyadh might reach some kind of a deal at Russias expense. The Kremlin remains highly suspicious of U.S. intentions. Still, the Putin-Trump call could be a good first step toward a new oil deal, said Alexander Dynkin, president of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, a state-run think tank that advises the government on foreign policy and the economy. Trump cant really offer anything to Putin or the Saudis, but he can play a role of a mediator. Both sides need some face-saving solution. According to Kortunov, the recession in major economies caused by coronavirus could change the calculation for Russia in the oil war because its squeezed energy revenues even tighter. Its dashed hopes that oil prices could recover in a few months and longer-term it will curb demand for hydrocarbons, he said. Putin and Trump Monday agreed that current oil prices arent in the interests of our countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, declining to give any details on what they might do to change the situation. Tough Situation The presidents ordered their energy ministers to begin consultations on the oil market but made no mention of involving Saudi Arabia. Trump said before Mondays call that he doesnt want to see the U.S. energy sector wiped out after Russia and Saudi Arabia both went crazy and launched into a conflict that depressed oil prices. Russian officials continue to say publicly that plunging oil prices are very unpleasant but not a catastrophe, given the countrys low debts and ample currency reserves. So far, the Kremlin has shown no sign of willingness to patch up relations with Saudi Arabia following the breakdown of its production limit agreement with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But the longer prices plumb lows, the deeper the pain in Moscow. Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin said last week that Russia had expected that oil prices would collapse to $30 per barrel on the collapse of OPEC+ deal. While crude clawed back some losses Tuesday, Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures remain around $20 a barrel. Russias budget falls into deficit when prices fall below $40 for Urals blend, which is now trading below $20. Trump has so far unsuccessfully reached out to Saudi leaders to reconsider their strategy, which represents a major threat to producers in the U.S. because of the rock-bottom prices. But both Moscow and Riyadh are under increasing pressure to find a way out of the conflict, said Alexey Potemkin, the chief executive officer of Moscow Policy Group, a consultancy group focused on Russia-Gulf ties. A few weeks ago, there was no understanding that the consequences of coronavirus will be so harsh, he said. Were in a very tough situation. Read the original text at Bloomberg. The U.S. is sending warships, aircraft and security forces to the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea to enhance surveillance and anti-narcotics operations in a move the Trump administration says will cut off the flow of drugs at a time when cartels are attempting to exploit the COVID-19 outbreak. Theres a growing threat that cartels and terrorists try to exploit the situation for their own gain, President Donald Trump told reporters in a news briefing Wednesday evening. We will never let that happen. The president announced that 22 nations had joined the U.S. in launching the counteroffensive against cartels, doubling our capabilities in the region to block the deadly scourge of narcotics. Trump noted that cartels continued to try to bring in drugs at a time when the government is largely focused on the coronavirus outbreak. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the Navy will deploy destroyers and other combat ships, while the Air Force will send more P-8 patrol planes to the region. The U.S. will also send members of the Security Force Assistance Brigade to aid the effort. Attorney General Bill Barr said that for years, the Mexican cartels have been using these sea routes on both coasts, its become the primary means of bringing cocaine to the U.S. The cartels have to be defeated, for the people of this country, Mexico and Venezuela. Related Content: The surprisingly full list of tax claims Australians can make while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic have been revealed. Businesses across the country have been forced to allow employees to work from home after state governments placed heavy financial penalties on residents who leave their homes to curb the spread of the virus. As workers set up makeshift offices and work spaces to comply with the new policies, H&R Block director of tax communications Mark Chapman told Daily Mail Australia how people with home set ups can maximise their tax returns. 'You can claim any extra costs incurred from working at home.' Businesses across the country have been forced to allow employees to work from home. Pictured: Australian personal trainer Tiffany Hall in her home office 'Costs for things like lighting, heating, internet and phone usage will all likely rise during this period and you can claim those costs as long as you keep records.' Mr Chapman said the easiest way to claim additional power usage is to have a designated office. Items that can be claimed on tax Heating, cooling and lighting bills Costs of cleaning your home working area Depreciation of home office furniture and fittings Depreciation of office equipment and computers Costs of repairing home office equipment, furniture and furnishings Small capital items such as furniture and computer equipment costing less than $300 can be written off in full immediately (they dont need to be depreciated) Computer consumables (like printer ink) and stationery Phone (mobile and/or landline) and internet expenses Advertisement Workers can figure out what percentage of their home is consumed by the office and claim that percentage of their electricity bills. People working from home are encouraged to keep detailed records to prove their claims. 'If you're claiming 50 per cent of your power bill but your office only takes up five per cent of your home, for example, the tax office will probably ask you to substantiate your claim.' This involves providing a detailed work diary and proof that bills have risen by the amount claimed when an employee started working from home. Mr Chapman said the diary needs to itemise every four-week period a worker spent doing their job at home. 'The diary needs to detail the time you spend in the home office compared with other users of the home office,' he said. 'The work-use proportion you come up with over that four-week period can then be applied to all your actual expenditure over the course of the year.' The Australian Taxation Office also accepts hourly calculations, based on a fixed-rate of 52 cents an hour for heating, cooling, lighting and furniture depreciation. 'You just need to keep a record of the number of hours you use the home office and multiply that by 52 cents per hour,' Mr Chapman said. Heavy restrictions on why people can leave their homes has left Sydney CBD almost empty Australians who still have jobs have been urged to work from home by the government. Pictured: the almost empty streets of Sydney He suggested people working in a communal or multi-purpose space claim the 52-cent rate because it would be difficult to determine work-related power costs in room used for multiple activities. Employees wanting to claim phone and internet expense $0.75 for work-related calls made from a mobile and $0.10 for text messages. If the amount adds up to less than $50, workers can make the claim without submitting records. Alternatively, people can claim a proportion of their phone and internet bills based on work-related use. Mr Chapman urged people to keep bills to justify the amount claimed. Workers can also claim office supplies up to $300 without providing receipts. Supplies can include chairs, electronics, cleaning supplies and stationery. 'But if you've bought more expensive equipment, like computers, you'll need to keep receipts and claim them over a period of four years as depreciating assets.' Australians could be forced to work from home for another six months as the number of COVID-19 cases in Australia jumps to 4,804. Priyanka Chopra to donate $100,000 to women doing their bit in health crisis Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS) Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has decided to donate $100,000 along with the organisation BON V!V Spiked Seltzer to the women out there who are working for the betterment of society amid the coronavirus pandemic. Taking to her Instagram Story, Priyanka revealed that she was supposed to launch a promotional campaign with the brand in the next few weeks, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, she decided to halt the plan. She will now use the resources for the four women who are in need. She posted a video in which is seen requesting her users to nominate such women. "Our worlds changed quickly, and needless to say, we couldn't go forward with our original plans to launch this campaign. Each week I'll go live with @BONVIVSeltzer to share the stories of four women who are overcoming the struggles of our new realities in their own powerful way. If you know a woman we should highlight, visit the link in my bio for next steps. We are all in this together. #togetherwomenrise #partner," Priyanka wrote. The actress also issued a statement, which read: ""We will be donating $100,000 in total to women who are rising above everything during this crisis. If you know a woman we should highlight, share her story with us, whether she is in the service industry, from a large business, small business owner, or first responders on the front lines. We want to commemorate her. #TogetherWomenRise." Priyanka and her husband Nick Jonas have also donated to organisations like the PM-CARES Fund, Unicef, Feeding America and Goonj. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text On 27 March, Pope Francis was standing alone in an empty St Peters Square. Media from around the globe showed an iconic image of a man alone under the rain. Usually the Urbi et Orbi blessing is given on Christmas and Easter, or after a papal election. But in such epidemic times, the Pope was praying in front of gigantic crucifix for the coronavirus plague to end. Given the current hardships, the pontiff suggested how people should be abandoning for a moment ... eagerness for power and possessions. We should instead all find the courage ... to allow [such] new forms of hospitality, fraternity ... solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering. The Popes compassionate words echoed widely across the world, especially in coronavirus-hit Italy. Some areas of the country are no longer in a simple quarantine. Instead it is like a warzone; there is a bunker-like atmosphere. Police and the army are patrolling deserted highways; ambulance sirens are the only sounds heard from the outside world. Italys cry of pain is also addressed to the international community. The risk is that this pandemic disaster will bring economic troubles, further unemployment, perhaps even social unrest. Countries such as Cuba and Albania are proudly sending doctors, while the European Commission and the European parliament seem ready to take the necessary economic measures. Yet, such cry went almost unheard in some central and northern European capitals. During last weeks Euro meeting, fractures emerged on the financial help to member states such Italy and Spain, and leaders were only able to agree that finance ministers would meet again after a couple of weeks to discuss new options. Governments in Rome, Dublin, Paris, Lisbon and other member states pushed for the creation of a Eurozone (common) debt instrument to avoid market speculations and share the financial burden across the union. But some other European countries led by the Netherlands, Finland, Austria and Germany, refused such plea. Solidarity, for them, when merged with economy is a sort of moral hazard and excessive public debts should be avoided. Dutch finance minister Wopke Hoekstra even claimed that the EU should investigate countries like Spain that say they have no budgetary margin to deal with the effects of the crisis provoked by the new coronavirus in spite of the fact that the eurozone has grown for seven consecutive years. Such worrying statements open up old divisions, harking back to the mishandling of the 2008 debt crisis and the harsh austerity measures imposed on Greece. They also play on existing stereotypes on the alleged character of southern Europeans. When, in a recent interview, the British celebrity doctor Christian Jessen claimed that Italians had to shut down everything and stop work for a bit and have a long siesta he was unintentionally exposing the western European bias, the sense of grandeur and superiority which in turn generates xenophobia. It undermines and minimises the serious work other nations are doing to deal with the coronavirus as well as peoples hardships, and its widespread inside the EU. It may indeed lead to further splits within European societies and at the EU institutional level. The economic impact and the social consequences of the pandemic emergency might be devastating. The Dutch idea of a moral hazard of economic solidarity is pure nonsense and is caused by genuine financial dullness. It is also generating widespread criticism. According to Frances former European Commission president Jacques Delors, the so-called moral hazard is actually represented by this northern Europeans lack of solidarity. But this represents also a gigantic financial miscalculation. The Netherlands must understand: if a major crisis is to happen, to whom are they going to sell tulips? added another previous European Commission president, the Italian Romano Prodi. The moral weakness and hypocrisies are on the shoulders of those rejecting solidarity. In a letter to German friends, published in the leading newspaper Frankfurter Allgemein Zeitung, European MP Carlo Calenda and other relevant regional politicians from Italy openly criticised the Netherlands absence of ethics and suggested Germany should be instead on the side of European institutions and not following the little national egoisms. On a similar line, Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa described as repugnant the comments by the finance minister of the Netherlands as they undermine the spirit of the European Union. This is the core of the problem. The debate on the future of the EU will soon become central to European politics. Germany and others overlook that the European community was built to prevent economic nationalism and conflicts. The ignored question is how the coronavirus crisis will change our societies and priorities and, inevitably, the shape of the EU. Many citizens will pay a huge price because of coronavirus and public opinion in some member states will not easily forget any further austerity or lack of help. This process is fuelling the far-right nationalist vote and leading to rising Euroscepticism. Addressing the Lord in St Peters Square, Pope Francis said that this is a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. More practically, the pandemic is telling us that, after decades of cuts, the time to come to strengthen the funding of European health systems and welfare provisions. Years ago, a huge mistake was made with Greece. Todays emergency may be the chance to readdress a failing economic approach and reshape the EU on some very different basis. Andrea Mammone is a visiting fellow in the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute, and a historian of Modern Europe at Royal Holloway, University of London Hyderabad: Upset that 50 per cent of their salary will be cut, government doctors demanded that they ought to be given a bonus and appreciated. Instead, the government has angered them by not even paying their dues, despite them working in conditions where there is not adequate personal protection equipment and N 95 masks to protect them from Covid-19. Government doctors have been messaging each other on social media that the government must take a look at other states like Tamil Nadu and Odisha where advance salaries have been given. Doctors and healthcare staff are carrying out untiring work in this pandemic and instead of rewarding them, the Telangana government want to impose a salary cut of 50 per cent, asked one. A senior doctor wrote, This is truly disgusting and demoralising the doctor fraternity. Instead of boosting our morale, the Telangana government is diverting our attention as we will not get our regular rightful salary. Scarcity of funds is only an excuse not to carry out their duties and appreciate those who are fighting day and night with minimal resources in hospitals. The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) of health and medical department got into action as doctors demanded that government must be apprised of their work and their salaries must not be cut. The TJAC explained that out-patient department is everyday seeing patients with cough, cold and fever and many of them are not revealing their travel and contact histories. They are directly exposed to these patients and are at a major risk. This staff has no N95 masks and despite several representations, they have not been provided with protective equipment. While they are in the frontline fighting the virus, the decision of the government has hurt them the most. They want the government to issue an amended order and give them their full salaries and also a bonus. Doctors stated that they do not want any assurances and only an amended government order will give them confidence that their salaries will be paid in full. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sanjeev Miglani and Mubasher Bukhari (Reuters) New Delhi, India/Lahore, Pakistan Wed, April 1, 2020 11:46 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ed176b 2 World India-Pakistan,Muslims,groups,coronavirus,COVID-19,physical-distancing,social-distancing,pandemic,health Free India and Pakistan sealed off centers belonging to a Muslim missionary group on Tuesday and began investigating how many coronavirus cases were linked to its activities. Tablighi Jamaat is a Deobandi Sunni Muslim missionary movement that preaches worldwide. Every year, tens of thousands attend its congregations in the Pakistani city of Lahore and other parts of South Asia. India has so far registered 32 deaths from 1,251 confirmed infections, and Pakistan 20 from 1,914. The numbers are small compared with the United States, Italy or China but health officials say both countries have weak public health systems that could be overwhelmed by a surge in cases. New Delhi's city administration has flagged a Muslim quarter where the 100-year-old group has a branch as a coronavirus hotspot after dozens of people tested positive for the virus there and at least seven died. Authorities said people kept visiting the center, in a five-story building in a neighborhood of narrow, winding lanes, from other parts of the country and abroad, and that it had preached sermons to large groups despite government orders on social distancing. Hundreds of people were crammed into the building until the weekend, when authorities began taking them out for testing. More buses arrived on Tuesday to take them away to quarantine centers in another part of the city. "It looks like social distancing and quarantine protocols were not practiced here," the city administration said in a statement. "The administrators violated these conditions and several cases of corona-positive patients have been found ... By this gross act of negligence, many lives have been endangered ... This is nothing but a criminal act." Tracing movements Authorities are trying to trace the movements of people who had gathered at the Tablighi centers in Delhi and Lahore and the people who were exposed to them. In Pakistan, the Lahore Tablighi center was sealed off and dozens of other preaching centers across the country were placed in quarantine after 143 Tablighi members tested positive and three died, officials said. Media said the cases included Tablighi members from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia. Malaysia's health ministry had told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur that it was investigating the presence of Malaysians at the Delhi center. India, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, is under lockdown until mid-April to try to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but tens of thousands of out-of-work migrants are fleeing to the countryside, undermining the restrictions. Musharraf Ali, an administrator of the Tablighi center in Delhi, said the group had been seeking help from police and the city authorities to deal with the large number who were unable to leave after the government announced a lockdown. "There was no option ... but to accommodate the stranded visitors with prescribed medical precautions until such time as the situation becomes conducive for their movement or arrangements are made by the authorities," Ali said. In Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told government officials that she might extend a 10-day lockdown due to end on April 4 for a few more days. Following is data on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia's eight countries, according to government figures: * Pakistan has registered 1,914 cases, including 20 deaths. * India has registered 1,251 cases, including 32 deaths. * Sri Lanka has registered 132 cases, including two deaths. * Afghanistan has registered 183 cases, including four deaths. * Bangladesh has registered 51 cases, including five deaths. * Maldives has registered 28 cases and no deaths. * Nepal has registered five cases and no deaths. * Bhutan has registered four cases and no deaths. What accounts for the failure to translate this concern into action? One explosive issue in any inquiry would be whether Trump discounted intelligence warnings because of concerns about the impact of the virus on his reelection campaign. Indeed, the question implicates a broader set of concerns among Schiff and other critics about what they see as the politicization of intelligence, in particular Trumps firing in February of Joseph Maguire and Andrew P. Hallman, the acting director of national intelligence and his deputy, respectively, and then the replacement of the top two officials at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 24 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on April 1. 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 All the five patients, who have tested positive for coronavirus in Goa, and currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, are in a stable condition. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane gave this information on Wednesday. "All the five patients are stable. They are getting proper treatment and responding well," he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that all the fair price shops would be open from Thursday, which will help the people to get the essential commodities. The state government will also start "needs-on-wheels" system, wherein the essential items would be transported to the village through state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd, he said. Sawant said the government has taken up sanitation drive at various public places, while all the state-run vehicles would be sanitised from April 2 to April 22. The state government has already started applying stickers on the homes of those who are 'home quarantined', he said. "Whoever is found mingling with people despite being home quarantined, then that person would be moved to a quarantine facility," the chief minister warned. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Tehran should expect a bold U.S. response if Iran or Iranian-backed groups attack American forces or assets in Iraq. U.S.-Iran tensions soared following the Jan. 3 Washington-directed strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdad airport. Trump said at an evening White House briefing that his administration has received intelligence that Iran is planning a strike, but did not provide additional details. Iran has been blamed for an uptick in rocket attacks targeting Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. troops. Three separate attacks in the span of a week struck Camp Taji and Basmaya bases, killed three coalition servicemen, including two Americans, and injured scores of others. Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted: Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and has steadily reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been eased or lifted under the terms of the deal. Last week, the administration slapped new sanctions on 20 Iranian people and companies for supporting Shia militia in Iraq held responsible for attacks on bases where U.S. forces are located. Currently, there are about 7,500 coalition troops in Iraq assisting and providing training to their Iraqi security counterparts to fight the Islamic State group. (Newser) Detective Elliot Stabler is back in the NBC stable. Christopher Meloni will be reprising his Law & Order: Special Victims Unit role in a new drama from Dick Wolf. Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that the new drama, featuring an NYPD organized crime unit led by Stabler, has been picked up for a 13-episode order. The show is part of a five-year, nine-figure deal Wolf has signed with Universal Television. The New York setting will allow for "potential seamless crossovers" with SVU and reunions with former co-star Mariska Hartigay, who plays Det. Olivia Benson, reports Deadline. Meloni left the show after season 12 with his character, Benson's partner and best friend, abruptly retiring from the police force. (Read more Law and Order stories.) Seven Indonesian nationals, one person from Kolkata and one from Kerala who had attended the event at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz have been put under quarantine, informed SP (City) Prayagraj, Brijesh Kumar Srivastava on Wednesday. "Seven Indonesian nationals, one person from Kolkata and one from Kerala, were found at Abdullah mosque here. During the investigation, it was found that they had attended the Markaz gathering in Delhi. These people, along with 28 people who came in contact with them, have been quarantined." he said. "A case has also been registered against them for not informing the police on reaching here," he added. Earlier, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the officials are not certain of the accurate number of people who participated in the event but it is being estimated that 1,500-1,700 people had assembled at the Markaz building. The religious gathering was held at the Markaz building in Nizamuddin between March 13 and March 15. The total number of active cases rose to 1466 in the country, while 132 people have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment, as of 9 am. The number of deaths due to the infection also rose to 38, while one person has migrated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two top US government scientists spearheading the fight against the coronavirus said Tuesday that 100,0000 to 240,000 Americans could die in the outbreak despite the social-distancing mitigation guidelines that have shut down schools, restaurants, cinema and all non-essential activities. Anthony Fauci, a leading epidemiologist and member of the White House task force, and Deborah Birx, a physician who serves as coordinator of the task force, warned fatalities could be much higher 1.5 to 2.2 million if nothing was done. Social-distancing is working, its effective and is perhaps the best strategy yet, they added. Theres no magic bullet. Theres no magic vaccine or therapy. Its just behaviors, Birx said, addressing the daily White House briefing along with Fauci and President Donald Trump. Each of our behaviors translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic. Over the next 30 days. Fauci added: We gotta brace ourselves: in the next several days to a week or so, were going to continue to see things go up. We cannot be discouraged by that. Because the mitigation is actually working, and will work. The experts used charts and graphs with mathematical modeling for their presentation that was intended to explain why Trump announced Monday he was extending the social-distancing guidelines by a month to April 30, overturning his earlier plan to end them by Easter and put the country back into business. President Donald Trump warned, Were going to go through a very tough two weeks (and they will be) very, very painful two weeks. That was much in in line with his grim projection that the death-rate will peak after two weeks around Easter. He added: Our strength will be tested, our endurance will be tried, but America will answer with love and courage and ironclad resolve. The staggeringly grim numbers are projections based on multiple models based on assumptions gleaned from experiences in other countries such as China and Italy and on early days of the outbreak in the United States, with heavy casualties from the two worst hit states, New York and New Jersey. Fauci underlined the projections with a degree of caution saying they are as good as the assumptions that the models were based on. And indicated they could change based on new information inputs. Another experts has said the toll could be brought down to 80,000 if all states came under stay-at-home orders one week. At least 30 of the 50 states are under stay-at-home orders or versions of it, covering an estimated 80% of Americans. The remaining states have been a cause of concern as experts have warned some of them could be taken by surprise by a sudden flare-up, such as in Louisiana. More than 810 people died of the coronavirus in the United States on Tuesday in another single-day high, taking the toll to 3,900 so far; with nearly 190,000 confirmed cases, an increase of more than 44,000 over Monday. New York state is still the worst hit was 75,000 cases and 1,550 deaths, up by more than 580; 1,086 deaths in New York City. As of Wednesday, the University of Washingtons projection, which has changed daily, anticipated an ICU bed shortage of 589 beds in Virginia on its peak day on May 20, a need for 734 ventilators and an anticipated total 3,073 COVID-19 deaths by August 4. The state has said that it has about 2,000 ICU beds and ventilators on hand, but has not given more specific estimates of how many additional beds will be needed. As the plan to expand bed capacity has come together over the past few weeks, with individual hospital systems canceling elective surgeries and working to add beds, the states hospital association has argued that planning should be more focused on opening existing resources at military medical facilities in the state. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, which represents many of the states hospital systems, wrote in a letter to Virginias U.S. senators and representatives that, due to the shortage of personal protective equipment, testing capacity and skilled medical personnel, the association believes that the success of using the convention centers and other expanded capacity would be uncertain. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 14:30:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 956 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / ARC Group, Inc. (OTCQB:RLLY)("ARC Group"), a multi-brand restaurant operating company with a focus on diversified, full-service restaurants, announced a variety of steps that the Company has implemented in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic."First and foremost, we want to express our sincere concern for everyone who has been impacted by COVID-19," stated Seenu G. Kasturi, Chief Executive Officer of ARC Group, Inc. "The health and well-being of our employees, franchisees and guests is always our number one concern. We are following all local ordinances regarding our restaurant hours, occupancy limits and dining restrictions, and are continuing to follow the guidance of the CDC and our local health departments. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted by the spread of COVID-19." Conservation of Cash ResourcesThe Company has implemented a series of measures to conserve cash and enhance its financial flexibility, including suspending all new restaurant construction and non-essential capital expenditures. The Company has made significant reductions in ongoing operating expenses, including curtailing operations in several restaurant locations where take-out and delivery is not viable, furloughing a significant number of field and home office team members, reducing base salaries of certain non-furloughed team members and re-evaluating other operating costs as opportunities arise. Lastly, Mr. Kasturi and the other members of the executive team elected to defer a portion of their salaries to help the Company conserve cash.Reduced OperationsThe Company's ability to operate at full capacity has been impacted as state and local governments have effected ordinances to protect the public through social distancing. The Company is leveraging its take-out and delivery program in markets where sales are sufficient to cover the costs of staffing those locations. Delivery is available in those locations via third-party delivery networks. The Company is offering a streamlined menu available on each of our brands' respective websites featuring many customer favorites. The number of restaurants remaining open may change due to the fluidity of the situation and changing ordinances.Franchisee SupportThe Company has postponed the collection of royalties from all of its franchisees for a four-week period starting March 17, 2020."We are satisfied with the measures our brands have put in place and will continue to monitor and adapt going forward," commented Mr. Kasturi. "We are aware of the overall impact the decreased traffic is having on our franchisees' restaurants and that we will need to support our franchisees during this difficult period. We are hopeful that our landlords and other partners will do their part as well." Financial GuidanceSince early March 2020, COVID-19 has caused the Company to experience a significant decrease in its restaurant traffic, negatively impacting its numbers. "It is too early to tell what the full impact of COVID-19 will be on our financial results for the next 12 months," stated Mr. Kasturi. "However, we believe that COVID-19 will have a significant negative impact on our results of operations during the next several months. We intend to apply for government assistance being afforded through the recently-enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and other programs, and have applied for economic injury disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration to help stabilize our business. We have also had discussions with many of our largest banking institutions, suppliers and other partners to restructure our business relationships in light of the current crisis. We remain hopeful that the situation will improve in the near term and look forward to welcoming our guests back into our restaurants soon." About ARC Group, Inc.ARC Group, Inc., headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company with a focus on the casual dining restaurant industry. ARC is the owner, operator and franchisor of Dick's Wings & Grill, a family-oriented restaurant franchise with four company-owned and 16 franchised restaurants located in Florida and Georgia that is now in its 25th year of operations. ARC also owns the Fat Patty's concept with four restaurants located in West Virginia and Kentucky, and recently acquired the WingHouse Bar and Grill restaurant concept with 24 company-owned restaurants located in Florida.Safe Harbor ProvisionThis press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created thereby. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's future financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "estimates," "anticipates," or "believes" or the negative thereof or any variation thereon or similar terminology or expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from results proposed in such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and its other filings and submissions with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.Contact:Crescendo Communications, LLCEmail: arck@ crescendo-ir.com Tel: 212-671-1020SOURCE: ARC Group, Inc. The deadly coronavirus was deemed a 'moderate risk' to Britain by top scientists five weeks ago, it has been revealed. A Department of Health committee met on February 21 to discuss the threat level of COVID-19 in the UK, the Times reported. Minutes from that meeting show how scientists and Whitehall observers raised 'no objections' to the risk level remaining moderate despite rapidly growing global figures. At the time, representatives from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) were provided with recent data showing 75,465 cases of the virus confirmed in China alongside 2,236 fatalities. The deadly coronavirus was deemed a 'moderate risk' to Britain by top scientists five weeks ago, it has been revealed (Pictured: People walk through Hyde Park in London on Tuesday) There had also been small numbers of deaths reported in Iran, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea at the time, with the first death in Italy reported on the day the group met. But advisers from Nervtag concluded: 'Current PHE (Public Health England) risk assessment of the disease is moderate. 'The PHE risk assessment to the UK population is also moderate. This is a composite of what is known about transmission and the impact on public health globally and in the UK.' It comes as a record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases were declared in the UK yesterday, which is officially Britain's darkest day so far in the ever-worsening crisis. Medical staff wear protective clothing at St Thomas' Hospital in London as the spread of coronavirus continues When chairman Peter Horby, from Oxford University, asked if anyone involved though the risk assessment should change, it was said 'no objections were raised' The meeting on February 21 took place via teleconference with representatives from PHE and the Department of Health and Social Care. When chairman Peter Horby, from Oxford University, asked if anyone involved though the risk assessment should change, it was said 'no objections were raised.' One scientist, John Edmunds, later emailed to say he disagreed with the 'moderate' level but had been unable to voice his concerns at the time due to technical issues. He said 'the risk to the UK population should be high, as there is evidence of ongoing transmission in Korea, Japan and Singapore, as well as in China.' When Nervtag's coronavirus group first met on January 13, the meeting was told that the official assessment then was that the risk to Britain was 'very low'. This risk level was heightened from 'very low' to 'low' on January 21. When Nervtag's coronavirus group first met on January 13, the meeting was told that the official assessment then was that the risk to Britain was 'very low' According to the gov.uk website, the risk level has since been raised to 'high' though it is unclear when this decision was made. According to the gov.uk website, the risk level has since been raised to 'high' though it is unclear when this decision was made. On Tuesday, Britain announced another 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases of the deadly virus. Some 1,789 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have now died, while the total infection toll has surpassed 25,000 - but the true size of the outbreak remains a mystery because of the UK's controversial policy to only test patients in hospital. The number of new deaths recorded today is twice as high as the 180 victims recorded yesterday. But there was only a 14 per cent jump in daily cases - up from 2,619. The number of hospital admissions appears to have slowed, going up by a 'constant amount' each day, data shows - with around 1,000 new patients a day being treated by the NHS. One of last night's victims was only 19 years old and had no underlying conditions that made them more vulnerable to the life-threatening complications of the illness. MailOnline understands their death was recorded at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield, north London. A 13-year-old London schoolboy was also revealed to have become Britain's youngest coronavirus victim. China gives out medical supplies to students in foreign countries As Chinese students studying overseas have difficulty purchasing medical supplies amid the pneumonia outbreak around the world, the embassies and consulates of China in foreign countries have been providing them packages of health products to ensure their safety. Health packages to be distributed to Chinese studentsPhoto via the consulate of China in Istanbul Mostly raised from within China, the health packages, including masks, disinfectant and common medicine, were sent to the embassies and consulates and then distributed to the students. The embassy of China in the UK has prepared nearly 200,000 health packages with masks and guides to epidemic prevention for nearly 100,000 students studying in Britain. After receiving the package, a student in the UK said that it is a heartwarming gift on the short-form video platform TikTok. Another student in Kuwait, who has supplies such as thermometers and disposable gloves, pointed out that the health package came just in time. In fact, many students have posted photos of the health package on their social media platforms and expressed their gratitude. Liu Yanan, who received disinfective cologne and vitamin tablets from the consulate of China in Istanbul, even sang a patriotic song as a way to cheer on her motherland and other students. The embassies and consulates have also enclosed the package with a sincerely written letter sending wishes to the students amid the epidemic. BEIRUT - The northeastern area of Syria controlled by Kurdish authorities is under strong pressure and not receiving enough international support, amidst the risk of the spread of coronavirus, revolts in ISIS prisons, the humanitarian emergency caused by refugee pressure, and the presence of the Turkish military, said Rojava Information Center (RIC). RIC is an information platform launched by activists that shares news on the regions in northeastern Syria. In various messages sent to foreign media, it highlighted the health and security risks of the Covid-19 pandemic faced by local residents and displaced people present in the area between the Eufrates River and the Iraqi border. In the northeastern regions of Syria there are no registered cases of coronavirus because testing is not possible, RIC said. In recent days, a revolt broke out in a prison in Hasake, where thousands of ISIS members are detained. The revolt was quelled, but tension remains. Human Rights Watch recalled that Turkey, which has been militarily present since October in a stretch of land along Syria's northern border, controls access to some water resources, which are crucial in a time in which the Covid-19 emergency requires more frequent use of running water. RIC said border crossings with nearby Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq, where humanitarian aid from the UN and other international organisations had previously passed through, have been closed for months. It also said communications with the central government of Damascus are not easy. At the border between Syria and Iraq, in the region controlled by Kurdish forces, there are still tens of thousands of displaced people in the al Hol camp. Thousands of family members of ISIS fighters are living in the camp in a humanitarian situation that is unsustainable in the medium and long term. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 10:15:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 200 countries and regions. The following are the updates on the contagious illness. - - - - WARSAW -- A plane from China carrying protective gear for Polish medical services to fight the coronavirus epidemic has landed in Warsaw, the press office of the Polish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement. According to the Twitter account of the Chinese Ambassador to Poland Liu Guangyuan, within the framework of Chinese humanitarian aid, the Chinese government provided 10,000 COVID-19 test kits, as well as 20,000 N95 respirators, 5,000 protective suits, 5,000 medical goggles and other protective materials needed in the fight against the coronavirus. - - - - HOUSTON -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday extended the social distancing protocols through the end of April to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Essential Services and Activities Protocols, all Texans must minimize non-essential gatherings and in-person contact with people who are not in the same household until April 30. - - - - PRAGUE -- The Czech government on Tuesday announced a lump sum payment for self-employed persons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Finance. Self-employed workers and entrepreneurs affected by business closures and other complications resulting from government actions to curb the spread of COVID-19 will receive a lump sum of 25,000 Czech crowns (1,008 U.S. dollars) if they meet some basic requirements, read a news release from the ministry. - - - - BRASILIA -- Brazil's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported that the death toll from COVID-19 has climbed from 159 to 201, as cases of infection rose from 4,579 to 5,717. The figures show the country's COVID-19 fatality rate is 3.5 percent, said the ministry. - - - - UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic is the most challenging crisis since the Second World War as it represents a threat to everybody. The pandemic "represents a threat to everybody in the world and ... it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past," Guterres said at the virtual press launch of the UN report "Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19." Several hundred Tunisians demonstrated in a working class district of the capital Tuesday, demanding government support and protesting a week-old lockdown against the coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately impacted the poor. "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester. "Let me at least bring bread home for my children," the bricklayer told AFP. In poor areas like Mnilha and Ettadhamen on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital, healthcare facilities are limited and the many people who work as day labourers are without income because of coronavirus containment measures. "I haven't worked in 15 days," a woman named Sabiha said. On Monday, angry residents marched to the local government office to demand welfare payments and permits to leave their homes. Some even blocked roads and burned tyres. Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh announced on March 21 a 150 million dinar ($52 million 48 million euro) economic support package for those worst affected by the lockdown but did not say when it would be distributed. Then on Monday the ministry of social affairs announced that payments would be distributed from March 21 until April 6, causing a rush to local government offices to register. "We're trying to tackle the epidemic. But every day it's the same and they're gathering in front of the office," Mnilha councillor Imed Farhat told AFP. "We're asking law enforcement to intervene. But what can we do? We have to listen to them." Police have arrested 1,119 people for violating the night-time curfew in place since March 17 and 242 for violating lockdown orders in place since March 22, interior ministry spokesman Khaled Ayouni said. He did not say how many were still detained. Meanwhile the presidency announced on Tuesday it would release 1,420 prisoners in an amnesty to alleviate crowding in prisons. According to the statement, President Kais Saied also ordered increased sanitation measures in jails. Tunisia has officially reported 312 cases of COVID-19 since March 2, including 10 deaths. The pandemic has halted tourism, a key sector for Tunisia, and numerous businesses and non-essential activities have been closed since March 4. Originally scheduled to end on April 4, the lockdown is expected to be extended. AT&T is replacing WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey with Hulu co-founder Jason Kilar, the company announced Wednesday. The transition will be effective May 1, with Kilar reporting to Stankey in his role as president and COO of AT&T, according to the release. WarnerMedia has been searching for a new CEO since AT&T elevated Stankey to chief operating officer in September. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson acknowledged that month that Stankey was a probable choice to take over as the next AT&T CEO if he "executes the play," a nod to AT&T successfully integrating Time Warner, the $100 billion media company it acquired last year. Stephenson told CNBC in February he plans to stay on as CEO of AT&T through the end of the year, but has not made a commitment beyond that point. AT&T's executive shuffle on Wednesday puts Stankey in the best position to succeed Stephenson as CEO if Stephenson decides to step down after this year. Kilar's experience at Hulu gives him a solid background in streaming services as WarnerMedia seeks to compete with a bloated field of competitors. In addition to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, new players like Disney+ and Apple TV+ are seeking to carve out market share. In an interview with CNBC's Julia Boorstin Wednesday, Kilar said despite the coronavirus crisis, the company plans to stick to HBO Max's expected May launch. Kilar served as CEO of Hulu since founding the company in 2007 until 2013, according to the announcement. Previously, he worked in a variety of roles at Amazon, including as senior vice president of worldwide application software. WATCH: Apple, Disney and other media giants are ready for battle against Netflix in the streaming war Restrictions on movement and trade as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic have led to a significant shift in consumer behaviour in Saudi Arabia, with locals increasingly turning to digital channels. Worldwide, cases of Covid-19 have risen to 859,000 and 42,000 deaths have been attributed to the virus as of the morning of April 1. However, Saudi Arabia has seen relatively few infections, with 1563 cases and 10 deaths to date. The Kingdom recorded its first case of Covid-19 on March 2, and the first virus-related fatality a 51-year-old Afghani resident in the country on March 23. The first death coincided with the introduction of a 21-day nationwide curfew, also announced on March 23, which prohibits people from leaving their homes between the hours of 7.00pm and 6.00am. This was followed two days later by a tightening of measures designed to stop the spread of the virus. The government announced a lockdown of the capital Riyadh and the holy cities Makkah and Medina. It also extended the curfew in all three places, bringing forward the start time to 3.00pm, while forbidding movement between all provinces in the Kingdom. In terms of international movements, all international flights were suspended on March 15 for a period of two weeks, with this period later extended until further notice. Significant boost for e-commerce Despite the comparatively limited medical impact on the Kingdom, the threat presented by the virus alongside efforts to maintain social distancing has led to a significant shift in lifestyle and consumer habits, with e-commerce experiencing a rapid spike in growth. Related: This Gulf State Faces An Impossible Decision As Oil War Rages On In late March local online retailer BinDawood Holding told local media that, since the escalation of the Covid-19 crisis, its average sales on a 10-day basis had increased by 200 percent, while its average order value rose by 50 percent and app installations by 400 percent. The company has two e-commerce platforms BinDawood and Danube which are connected to their respective supermarket and hypermarket chains, enabling customers to purchases groceries and other goods online. While the economic impacts of the virus have seen many businesses close and millions of people lose their jobs globally, BinDawood officials say the rapid growth in activity has helped the company buck these trends. All of the companys 72 stores remain open, including the newest Danube store, which opened last week in Riyadhs Al Andalus district. The company has also hired more packers and drivers to keep up with demand for online deliveries. Elsewhere, fellow Saudi grocery delivery app Nana has also benefitted from the recent turn towards online shopping, raising $18m in a Series B funding round in late March to expand operations across the Middle East, with investors including venture capital funds Saudi Technology Ventures and Middle East Venture Partners. This follows a Series A funding round that raised $6m last year. The company has expanded capacity three-fold following a surge in demand associated with the Covid-19 outbreak. This is expected to continue in light of the Saudi governments decision to impose tighter curfews in major cities. Looking ahead, retailers may need to adapt their supply chains in response to shifting market dynamics. "Vertical integration is a pivotal development strategy, especially considering the recent spike in demand for e-commerce and fresh food delivery, which Saudi Arabia's supply can hardly meet," Seifallah Sharbatly, Managing Director of Sharbalty Fruit, told OBG. Sector growth targets The emergence of online retail, albeit during a time of crisis, aligns with some of the goals of Saudi Arabias overarching strategies. As part of the Financial Sector Development Programme itself part of Vision 2030, the Kingdoms long-term development plan the government hopes to increase the proportion of online payments to 70 percent by 2030, up from the 2020 target of 28 percent. To help incentivise this growth and ensure long-term sustainability in the segment, the government has also sought to improve the regulatory framework. Related: Trump Proposes A $2 Trillion Infrastructure Intervention In October last year the government implemented the E-commerce Law, designed to regulate digital payments and improve transparency, while on January 31 the then Ministry of Commerce and Investment now named the Ministry of Commerce adopted the Implementing Regulations of the E-commerce Law, adding increased oversight to areas such as personal data protection, consumer rights and disclosure obligations. Broader economic impact Aside from e-commerce, the Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on other parts of the Saudi economy. Above all, the outbreak of the virus has led to a significant drop in global demand for oil, which has contributed to the price falling from yearly highs of just under $69 per barrel on January 6, to $26.82 by the end of March. Given that oil was responsible for an estimated 63 percent of national revenue, according to IMF projections, the sharp fall in prices is set to place significant pressure on government budgets. "The impact of Covid-19 and the most recent drop in oil prices on foreign trade will affect the Saudi balance of payments this year and beyond. The magnitude of this impact will largely depend on Saudi export oil prices," Hans-Peter Huber, chief investment officer of investment bank Riyad Capital, told OBG. "On the other hand, as there are major travel restrictions in place globally, the virus will affect both inbound and outbound tourism, so the direct net impact of Covid-19 on the trade balance should be relatively small. Furthermore, the lower oil prices and virus-related lockdown should lead to lower domestic growth, which in turn has a dampening impact on import demand. Furthermore, the Economist Intelligence Unit has forecast that the Saudi economy will contract by 5 percent this year, down on initial predictions of 1 percent growth. By Oxford Business Group More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: We cannot forget the tragedies of our day, because the Passion of the Lord continues in the suffering of men. May your hearts find, in the Cross of Christ, support and comfort in the midst of the tribulations of life". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Saying "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" means that "if we have listened to the thirst for good that lives in us and we are aware of living in mercy, a journey of liberation begins that lasts all life and leads us to Heaven. The meaning of the sixth beatitude was the topic that Pope Francis spoke about in today's general audience, which took place, as in recent weeks, in his private library. The Pope also referred to the drama that humanity is experiencing in some regards. Thus, he told the Portuguese that we cannot forget the tragedies of our day, because the Passion of the Lord continues in the suffering of men. May your hearts find support and comfort in the Cross of Christ amidst the tribulations of life; embracing the Cross like Him, with humility, trust and filial abandonment to the will of God, you will share in the glory of the Resurrection ". And to the Poles he said that "contemporary man sees the signs of death that have become more present on the horizon of civilization. Increasingly he lives in fear, threatened at the very core of his existence. When you feel in difficulty, then your thoughts should go to Christ: know that you are not alone ". In his catechesis, explaining the meaning of the sixth Beatitude, he underlined that it indicates "the thirst for a personal relationship with God", of "intimacy" with the Lord, to "see God". To see God its not necessary to change our glasses or the place from which we are looking, or to change the theological authors who teach us the way: our heart needs to be liberated from its own deceit. This is the only way. It is, therefore, important to understand what purity of heart is. To understand this we need to recall that in the Bible, the heart does not consist solely in sentiments, but it is the most intimate place of the human being, the interior space where a person is him or herself. This, according to the Biblical mentality. But what does it mean to have a pure heart? The pure in heart live in the presence of the Lord, preserving in their hearts what is worthy of a relationship with Him; only in this way do they possess a unified life, linear, not winding but simple. A purified heart is, therefore, the result of a process that implies a liberation and a renunciation. The pure of heart is not born thus, it has lived an interior simplification, learning to renounce evil in itself, thus, in the Bible it is called circumcision of the heart (cfr Dt 10,16; 30,6; Ez 44,9; Jer 4,4). This interior purification implies the recognition of that part of the heart that is under the influence of evil - You know Father, I feel this, I think this, I see this, and this is bad: recognising the ugly part, the part that is obfuscated by evil - to learn the art of letting oneself always be taught and guided by the Holy Spirit. The journey of the ailing heart, the sinning heart, the heart that no longer sees things well, because it is in sin, to the fullness of the light of the heart, is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is He Who guides us to fulfil this task. Thus, through this journey of the heart, we will reach the point of seeing God. In this beatific vision, there is a future, eschatological dimension, as with all the Beatitudes: it is the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven toward which we move. But there is also another dimension: to see God means discerning the designs of Providence in what happens, recognising His presence in the Sacraments, His presence in our brothers and sisters, above all the poor and suffering, and to recognise God where He manifests Himself (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2519). This beatitude is a fruit of the preceding one: if we have heard the thirst for the good that dwells within us and are aware of living in mercy, the path to liberation which lasts all of our lives has begun and leads all the way to heaven. It is serious work, a work which the Holy Spirit does if we give Him space to do so, if we are open to the action of the Holy Spirit. When Andrea Anderson and her husband boarded the MS Zaandam cruise ship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, more than three weeks ago, they didn't know that their trip of a lifetime would disastrously coincide with a global pandemic that would leave them shut out and stranded at sea. Unable to find a port willing to accept it, the ship has been stuck in a holding pattern for nearly two weeks as it desperately goes from country to country. So far it has been rejected by Chile, Peru and Argentina, which all sealed their ports because of the coronavirus outbreak. It is now charting a hope-filled course for the United States, namely Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "I don't know if they are going to accept us. I hope they do," said Anderson, 63, a fiber artist from Maineville, Ohio. "We need to get off this ship." Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak Anderson and more than 1,200 other passengers are pleading with Florida to let them in, but officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, say the state simply doesn't have the resources to take on an extra burden amid a growing health crisis. "We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources," DeSantis said Monday on Fox News. Four people have died on the ship, at least two of them from the coronavirus, while nine others have tested positive and 179 more have flu-like symptoms. Image: Andrea and Rob Anderson (Courtesy Andrea Anderson) "People are getting sick, and they need proper medical attention in a hospital. They cannot be treated onboard," Anderson said. "The people on this boat, we are all someone's parent, grandparent, aunt and uncle. The governor should think, 'What if my mother was on that boat?'" While DeSantis has expressed staunch disapproval of the passengers' disembarking, the final say lies in the hands of the Broward County Commission, which wasn't able to come to a decision Tuesday. The commission is waiting for clear and proper protocols for disembarkation by the cruise line. Story continues Commissioners still have a lot of conditions to consider, a spokesperson said. The Zaandam and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, which took on asymptomatic passengers from the Zaandam, are scheduled to reach Fort Lauderdale by Wednesday much to the dismay of the city's mayor. "We are a community that are trying to hold everything together," Mayor Dean Trantalis said Monday on Fox News. "We don't need any more infection in our communities. It cannot come to Fort Lauderdale." More than 300 Americans are aboard the ships, including 49 Florida residents, several of whom live in Broward County. Passengers say that they are strictly confined to cramped cabins and that meals are left at their doors. Even during a special 30-minute dispensation allowing them to move around the ship, they couldn't touch anything, sit anywhere or stand near anyone. The cruise ships, run by Carnival Corp.'s Holland America Line, left Buenos Aires on March 8 for a two-week cruise through South America. The journey had been scheduled to end in Chile on March 21 before the ship was shut out by the country. A second leg of the trip that some of the passengers were planning to stay for had been scheduled to continue until the first week of April but was canceled by the cruise line. "We started getting turned away by everyone,"said Emily Spindler Brazell, a passenger from Tappahannock, Virginia, who was on the Zaandam but was later transferred to the Rotterdam. "The world was closing its doors as we sat there waiting." While she said passengers have been treated very well by the ship's staff, which has been working hard to provide online exercise classes and game nights to fill the time, she's worried that they will lose steam. "It's a lot of pressure," she said, adding that life feels like the movie "Waterworld" because she hasn't touched land in weeks. "I get it. I understand where they are coming from," said Brazell, who is in her 60s. "But it's important for them to know that there are so many people who are feeling fine and we should be allowed to get off." Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America, called the ships' multiple border rejections "a humanitarian crisis" in an statement. "We are dealing with a 'not my problem' syndrome. The international community, consistently generous and helpful in the face of human suffering, shut itself off to Zaandam leaving her to fend for herself," he said. "These are unfortunate souls unwittingly caught up in the fast-changing health, policy and border restrictions that have rapidly swept the globe." Anderson is hopeful that Florida will realize the human toll of turning people away and will eventually allow them in. "These are real people who are getting sick and who are away from families and proper care," she said. "How many people have to die on this ship before they realize we need to get off?" CORRECTION (April 1, 2020, 7:30 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misidentified one of the two ships that is being turned away from ports. It is the Rotterdam, not the Rottendam. The article also misspelled the last name of a passenger on the Rotterdam. She is Emily Spindler Brazell, not Branzell. Andy Allen is set to make his debut as a new judge on MasterChef Australia later this month, alongside co-stars Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong. And on Wednesday, Andy revealed that the trio were told by producers to 'just be themselves,' after replacing old judges, Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris. Speaking on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O, former MasterChef winner Andy, 31, said they don't have to worry about acting like their predecessors. No pressure: New MasterChef judge Andy Allen (pictured) revealed on Wednesday that he and his co-stars were told by producers to 'just be themselves' after replacing Gary, Matt and George on the hit show 'Have you decided whether you're going to be the judge that sweats all the time whilst eating or the one that wears the cravat and the fancy jacket?' Kyle joked. He added: 'Or are you going to run your own ideas here?' 'The producers have been amazing in that they're just letting Jock, Melissa and myself just be ourselves,' Andy replied. He added: 'They didn't want us to step into Matt, George or Gary's role, they were just [like], "we chose you because we want you to be you." Andy added that he's 'excited' for fans to watch the show. The former electrician won the fourth season of MasterChef Australia back in 2012. He also co-owns Sydney's Three Blue Ducks. 'They don't want us to step into their role': Speaking on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O, former MasterChef winner Andy, 31, said they don't have to worry about acting like their predecessors (pictured from left to right is Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris) MasterChef - Back To Win will see 24 contests from past seasons of the show return to the kitchen in a bid to win a cash prize of $250,000. The contestants include Poh Ling Yeow, Reynold Poernomo, Hayden Quinn and Callum Hann. Last year, Gary, Matt and George's contracts were not renewed after 11 seasons of hosting the show. New faces: Andy is set to make his debut as a new judge on MasterChef Australia later this month, alongside co-stars Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong (all pictured) Last July, Matt told The Daily Telegraph he learnt his contract had been terminated on Instagram after he couldn't agree on terms with the network. 'We were happy with what was being offered, in fact we had accepted Ten's financial offer to make the next series of MasterChef,' he told the publication. 'We just failed to agree on other terms,' he added. At the time, Channel 10 confirmed Matt, alongside his fellow veteran judges, were not returning to the show, claiming they were unable to agree on a wage increase. MasterChef - Back To Win premieres Monday, April 13 at 7.30pm on Channel 10 EU Funds Georgia With 90 mln To Faight Against COVID-19 - GeorgianJournal DENVER, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TaxOps is pleased to announce that Davinia Lyon has joined the firm as a partner in corporate tax. In this role, she leads experienced teams in delivering corporate and international tax and planning, including income tax provision (ASC 740), business tax impact analysis, transfer pricing, foreign compliance and reporting, M&A and transaction due diligence, and entity restructuring. Davinia Lyon joins TaxOps as Corporate Partner (PRNewsfoto/TaxOps) "As a respected leader in the tax community, Davinia brings to TaxOps a dynamic tax experience in public and private accounting," Allen Gregory, lead federal tax partner at TaxOps, says. Ms. Lyon builds client relationships from inside business as an outsourced tax director. By fully integrating her tax expertise and business knowledge into the daily routine of the businesses she serves, Ms. Lyon delivers timely tax insights at the time when she can make the highest and best impact on business operations, strategy and tax planning. Included in meetings and planning sessions, she is on-hand to advise clients in their corporate responsibility to pay taxes, but not overpay, and be strategic in how it is done and how the business operates. She also advises business clients under audit and in their efforts to develop corporate tax departments and related support areas. "I'm honored to have joined such an innovative firm of knowledge experts in tax," Ms. Lyon says. "I'm excited to be working closely with businesses and driving value to their organizations." Ms. Lyon comes to TaxOps from Jacobs Engineering, which merged with CH2M in December 2017, creating a $15 billion in revenue combined entity. As senior tax director of global tax accounting and transfer pricing during the transaction, she led the integration of tax teams, ensuring process efficiency and employee retention, and income tax provisions for ASC 740, layering in the effects of tax reform and purchase accounting. She also implemented a revised transfer pricing methodology maximizing tax benefits in compliance with global transfer pricing requirements. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Lyon to TaxOps at TaxOps.com. About TaxOps TaxOps is a leading tax specialty and business consulting firm helping growth-oriented businesses worldwide. Seasoned professionals with significant Big Four experience lead our teams, providing the strength, experience, and resources of a national tax firm with the hands-on client engagement of a boutique firm. From one-off studies to full-service tax outsourcing solutions, TaxOps delivers federal, state and local, international, and tax minimization solutions that drive better tax outcomes. Learn more at TaxOps.com. Media Contact: Kristine Newkirk P 720-227-0070 E [email protected] Related Images davinia-lyon.jpg Davinia Lyon Davinia Lyon joins TaxOps as Corporate Partner Related Links TaxOps SOURCE TaxOps Washington: The US has called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido to step aside and allow a transitional government to take power and set up new elections, a shift in strategy aimed at breaking a political stalemate in the country. With previous American efforts to oust Maduro stalled, the Trump administration's special representative to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo say that credible elections after the transitional government took power could pave the way for the US to drop all sanctions. Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk by a mural of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg Abrams and Pompeo both said their support for Guaido remains undiminished. Pompeo called him Venezuela's most popular politician, and Abrams said Guaido remained the country's "legitimate interim president" and would probably win elections if they took place some nine to 12 months from now. But he said that for the sake of the transitional government's legitimacy, Guaido shouldn't be part of it. "We want Guaido to be free to run for president," Abrams told reporters. "Under our plan, he is, and according to the polls I've seen, he's very likely to win." Each month, Agent Million personally visits the two winners of the million pound Premium Bond jackpot deliver the good news. However, this month, all but essential journeys and social distancing have been key during coronavirus and National Savings and Investment confirmed to This is Money it had to utilise a top secret plan. The strategy was implemented so Agent Million nor the lucky winner was at risk from Covid-19. Jackpot win: Two lucky bond holders scooped 1m, but will likely be celebrating at home alone thanks to social distancing (picture posed by model) Two holders of Britain's best-loved savings product who win 1milllion each month are usually visited by an NS&I Agent Million bearing a seven-figure cheque on the afternoon or evening before the first working day of the month. It means April's Premium Bond millionaires, a man from Herfordshire who held 40,000 worth of Bonds and a woman from Essex who held the maximum 50,000, would usually have been given the good news yesterday. But this month's draw is the first since the UK went into lockdown, raising the question as to whether Agent Million would still visit. Delivery drivers have been leaving parcels outside people's front doors and Royal Mail are no longer requiring people to sign for parcels in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. But NS&I said Agent Million was still able to deliver the good news in person to the two jackpot winners, even if they didn't end up actually knocking on people's doors. But it told This is Money it couldn't provide details on its backup plans 'for the security of our Agents Million and customers'. It added: 'We had already planned ahead for scenarios like this and Agent Million was well-equipped to still deliver the good news.' This is Money tracked down the fourth Agent Million to take the role in 2012, a middle-aged woman who had been doing the job for 11 years. She said as well as turning up on winner's doorsteps after usually taking a train or a plane, she also advises them on what steps they can take once they've won the money and helps track down unclaimed prizes. Premium Bonds Winners Prize Area Value of bond 1,000,000 Hertfordshire 12,000 1,000,000 Lancashire 5,000 100,000 Northamptonshire 1,250 100,000 Surrey 2,000 100,000 London 5,000 100,000 West Midlands 450 100,000 Leeds 5,000 100,000 Cambridgeshire 40,000 More January 2022 winners View list of January 2022 winners She said in the interview eight years ago: 'An awful lot of people think I'm pulling their leg and don't believe me. I take documentation with me to convince people they have won 1million and to prove who I am. 'A lot of people don't believe me until the next day, when it has sunk and I have spoken to them again on the telephone. Many say they couldn't sleep.' As well as the two millionaires, 3,527,794 prizes worth 100.8million were handed out in April, though the rest did not receive a personal visit. Six Bondholders won prizes of 100,000 and 12 50,000. A further 25 won 25,000, and 61 10,000. Each Bond has a roughly 24,500 to 1 chance of winning prize of 25 or more, although this will fall to 26,000 to 1 from next month following NS&I making cuts to Premium Bonds. Bonds have an average prize fund rate of 1.4 per cent which is comparable to interest earned on savings accounts, which will fall to 1.3 per cent from next month. You can check to see if you have won using This is Money's Premium Bond prize checker. Russia sends medical aid plane to US Russia has dispatched a cargo plane with medical aid to the US after Trump accepted the offer of humanitarian aid from Vladimir Putin to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Russia send the United States medical equipment to help fight the coronavirus outbreak, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "TRUMP GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED IT" President Vladimir Putin had made the proposal in a phone conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday, when they discussed the coronavirus and oil markets, directing their energy ministers to speak. Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid, Interfax quoted Peskov as saying. A Russian plane with medical and protective equipment may leave for the United States on Tuesday, he added. The state of relations between Moscow and Washington has been complicated in recent years due to US sanctions on some of Russian companies in response to Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, among other strains. In the process of agreeing on the details for the medical supply on Tuesday, it seems that some on the American side at least did not contribute to the prompt resolution of technical issues in accordance with the agreements of the two presidents, Peskov was quoted as saying by Interfax. It is important to note that when offering assistance to the U.S. colleagues, the president (Putin) assumes that when US manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary, he added. Putin offered Trump humanitarian aid in the hope the US president would do the same for Russia when it needs it. A Russian military transport plane took off from an airfield outside Moscow on Wednesday and headed for the United States with a load of medical equipment and masks to help Washington fight the coronavirus pandemic. President Vladimir Putin offered Russian help in a phone conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday, when the two leaders discussed how best to respond to the virus. The flight, which was organised by the Russian defence ministry, is likely to be unpopular with some critics of Trump who have urged him to keep his distance from Putin and who argue that Moscow uses such aid as a geopolitical and propaganda tool to advance its influence, something the Kremlin denies. Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday night. Trump himself spoke enthusiastically about the Russian help after his call with Putin. Russias Rossiya 24 channel on Wednesday showed the plane taking off from a military airbase outside Moscow in darkness. Its cargo hold was filled with cardboard boxes and other packages. Confirmed US cases have surged to 189,000 and 4,000 people have already died there from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Mutual assistance Russias official tally of coronavirus cases rose to 2,777 on Wednesday, a one-day increase of 440. Twenty-four people have so far died, authorities say. Some doctors have questioned the accuracy of the figure given. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in recent years by everything from Syria to Ukraine to election interference, something Russia denies. Peskov, Putins spokesman, said Moscow hoped the US might also be able to provide medical help to Russia if necessary when the time comes. It is important to note that when offering assistance to US colleagues, the president assumes that when US manufacturers of medical equipment and materials gain momentum, they will also be able to reciprocate if necessary, Peskov was cited as saying. Peskov, who complained about difficulties expediting the aid to the US thrown up by some US officials, said Russia and China cooperated in a similar way because at a time when the current situation affects everyone without exception there is no alternative to working together in a spirit of partnership and mutual assistance. Trump said earlier this week: Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice. Publicity coup Russia has also used its military to send planeloads of aid to Italy to combat the spread of the coronavirus, exposing the European Unions failure to provide swift help to a member in crisis and handing Putin a publicity coup at home and abroad. Moscow said the aid for Italy included some 100 virus specialists with experience in dealing with Ebola and swine fever, but Italian media have reported much of it was not useful in the fight against the virus. Last month, Russia said it sent nearly 1,000 coronavirus testing kits to former Soviet states and countries including Iran and North Korea. Authorities in Moscow unveiled a smartphone app designed to keep tabs on people who have been ordered to stay at home because of the coronavirus, and Russia on Wednesday expanded its lockdown to cover more of its sprawling territory. The app is still in the testing phase, an official, Eduard Lysenko, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. Moscow is also preparing to roll out a city-wide QR-code system where each resident who registers online will be assigned a unique code they can show to police officers if stopped when going to the shops or the pharmacy, said Lysenko. Eight southern Russian regions rolled out similar lockdown measures to Moscow on Wednesday, meaning more than 60 of Russias more than 80 regions are now in a state of partial lockdown. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 00:26:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A pet cat of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 in Hong Kong has tested positive for the virus, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Tuesday. The domestic short-haired cat was sent for quarantine at the animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on Monday after its owner was confirmed with COVID-19. The HKSAR government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) collected samples from the cat for tests, and its oral cavity, nasal and rectal samples were tested positive with COVID-19 virus. The cat has not shown any signs of disease, a spokesman for the AFCD said on Tuesday, adding that the department will continue to closely monitor the cat and conduct repeated testing. This is the third animal to test positive in Hong Kong, following two earlier cases in which two dogs tested weak positive or positive during repeated tests for the virus. The AFCD will continue to work together with the HKSAR government's Department of Health in handling relevant cases, said the spokesman. To ensure public and animal health, the AFCD strongly advises that mammalian pet animals including dogs and cats from households with persons confirmed as infected with COVID-19 should be put under quarantine in AFCD facilities, he added. The spokesman emphasized there is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of COVID-19. Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets. The Karnataka government was on tenterhooks on Wednesday, mounting efforts to track over 700 people among the more than 1,500 from the state who might have attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi while nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed. With the latest cases, the total number of coronavirus afflicted patients in the state rose to 110, the Health department said. Of the 1,500, the government had been able to locate 800 people and screen them, Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department Jawaid Akhtar said. Earlier in the day, state ministers said at least 342 people from the state had returned after attending the meeting Nizamuddin in Delhi, which has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country, and of them 200 have been quarantined. "We have got a list of 1,500 people in three installments from the Centre last night about people who might have attended the congregation, we are in the process of identifying them. In one day we have been able to search and screem 800 people. Out of which swab samples have been collected from 143 people," Akhtar said. Speaking to reporters through video conference, he said, the government's aim was to complete the process of identifying and searching for remaining people in the list and screen them by tomorrow. The breakup on how many among them were foreigners would be shared on Thursday, he said adding those identified so far included people from different parts of the state and most of them were under government mass quarantine. As many as 62 foreign nationals who attended the event have also returned to Karnataka and 50 of them had been quarantined while 12 others had left for their nations earlier, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister B Sriramulu maintained. Meanwhile, a health department bulletin said till date a total of 110 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes three deaths and nine discharges. Out of 98 active cases, 95 infected patients (including 1 pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while three are in ICU (one on oxygen and two on ventilators). Four of the new cases detected since last evening included two men, aged 37 and 27, who are residents of Nanjangud in Mysuru. According to preliminary investigation, they were said to be working in the same pharmaceutical company, where the patient who tested positive last month despite no travel or contact history was working. Among the 110 positive cases, 48 were reported from Bengaluru, 19 from Mysuru, nine each from Chikkaballapura and Dakshina Kannada, eight from Uttara Kannada, four from Kalaburgai, three each from Davangere, Udupi and Ballari, two from Tumakuru, and one each from Kodagu and Dharwad. Those discharged include eight patients from Bengaluru and one from Kalaburagi; and among those dead are one each are reported from Kalaburgari, Bengaluru and Tumakuru. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced he has donated his annual salary of Rs 24.10 lakh to the "Chief Minister's Relief Fund COVID-19." He also said a slew of measures would be implemented to ensure uninterrupted supply of food grains, vegetables and milk to the people during the lockdown. The decisions include protecting the interests of farmers and milk producers. "We have decided to supply milk free of cost to the poor till April 14 and the district administrations have been entrusted with making arrangements for it," he said at a press briefing after chairing a meeting of the group of ministers on COVID-19. Meanwhile, in the light of current pandemic of COVID- 19, the state government has directed all the medical colleges in the state to work in coordination with respective district authorities. It was further stated to utilise the services of Community Medicine Faculty of all medical colleges for community-based activities and for planning at District and Taluka level as part of efforts to check COVID-19. The state government has issued a circular for establishment of Fever Clinics and Movement, protocol for suspect cases of COVID-19 at all districts as per local needs. Such clinics had already started functioning in the city corporation area as a part of contingency plan. A report from Mangaluru said As on Wednesday, 38,373 people have been screened in the district and 5,875 were under home quarantine, while 27 others at the ESI hospital there. In Udupi, the TMA Pai hospital has begun functioning as the dedicated COVID-19 hospital and all the three positive patients in the district have been shifted to the hospital, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Weve all written articles these days saying that, when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus crisis, health comes before everything else. Health comes before the economy. This has led to a highly unusual state of affairs, in which we accept all manner of irregularities, numerous limitations on our freedoms, which wouldnt be acceptable in the least if the question of health didnt exist to justify them. But this idea, the notion that health comes first, seems to carry an exception. There is one thing that comes before health and that is retribution. For health reasons, to ensure prisons arent too crowded a situation which would pose significant health risks, the Catalan government has asked its prison governors to consider the possibility of allowing a significant number of inmates to spend the confinement period in their own homes. Many of them are doing just that. However, a small number of inmates held in Catalan prison facilities are the political prisoners who were convicted following the 2017 independence bid. Nobody has batted an eyelid about the rest. But the Spanish Supreme Court has already pointed a finger at the Prison Boards concerned and warned them that they will be charged with perverting the course of justice if these particular inmates are allowed to stay at home during the lockdown. Health comes before the economy. But retribution comes before health. News outlets have been suffering a decline in ad revenue for decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened that situation as businesses close their doors when the public needs news the most. Now, major advertisers are using keyword-blocking to prevent their content from appearing alongside COVID-19 content at a time when the pandemic comprises the majority of news outlets coverage. The result could be devastating. On March 27, Buzzfeed reported that a major (unnamed) advertiser blocked more than two million of its ads from appearing on major news sites including the New York Times and Washington Post in the first three weeks of March. Media advocates and digital media companies have been publicly asking advertisers not to do this, instead urging them to advertise as usual on trusted news sites. U.K. ad verification company DoubleVerifys COO Matt McLoughlin wrote in a public statement that the coronavirus will not simply go away, and that advertisers play a role in supporting news media during this time. Joe Barone is the manager for brand safety in the Americas for media marketing company GroupM. He says many of GroupMs clients are not purposefully avoiding being placed next to COVID-19 news stories, but keywords are automatically set up so that ads dont appear next to stories about natural disasters and the like. Ken Doctor, media analyst for Newsonomics, said this practice goes back to print for example, newspapers would make sure there were no airline ads next to a story about an airplane crash. However, he said these practices are meant for short-term disasters, not longer-term events like COVID-19. If advertisers continue to widely block COVID-19 content, its a huge problem for news outlets, he said. In the United States, he estimates it could mean ad revenue losses of up to 50 per cent for daily newspapers. He said its safe to assume Canadian loss will be in the same range, as it is seeing similar closures. You have the odd irony that the story that is necessarily consuming everybody, and doubling the amount of digital news reading in general, is one that is not producing any additional ad revenue at a time when these news-producing companies badly need it. Thats why GroupM is encouraging its clients to stop using general keywords and come up with more specific keywords during the pandemic instead, said Barone. For example, they might not want their ads to appear next to negative stories about COVID-19, but could agree to have them appear next to stories about developing vaccines and recoveries. Theres neutral and positive-sentiment news around coronavirus thats a perfectly reasonable place to advertise, Barone said. Barone said GroupMs clients have been receptive to this, but some such as travel clients have been pulling back advertising across the board. He said the company is also making sure its clients ads only appear on reputable news sites. It already has an exclusion list of more than 40,000 web domains that promote misinformation. Since the pandemic began, GroupM is seeing more and more such sites pop up, and is working daily to add them to that list, said Barone. Identifying and avoiding sites that promote disinformation is a big part of our process, he said. John Hinds, CEO of News Media Canada, said many advertisers are simply pulling their ads, either due to lost revenue or because everything thats going to sell is selling. However, he said advertisers worried about their ads appearing next to coronavirus content should actually read the content, which he said isnt all doom and gloom. Hinds said most outlets are running a huge variety of stories about topics including how to home-school your kids during a crisis. These pose an opportunity for advertisers, who should be continuing to support local media whenever possible, he said. There are real opportunities, he said. Im not sure I understand the fear. Doctor said companies looking to advertise shouldnt worry that their ads will forever be associated with COVID-19. However, he said companies should think about how to shift their message during the pandemic. Theres the question of whether to advertise ... and then, what message do you want to deliver in this time of crisis? Read more about: Technavio has been monitoring the heavy-duty truck suspension system market and it is poised to grow by 150.11 thousand units during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 2% 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 latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005203/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. Continental, Hendrickson USA, thyssenkrupp, WABCO, and ZF Friedrichshafen are some of the major market participants. The sales of heavy-duty trucks will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Sales of heavy-duty trucks has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market is segmented as below: Gross vehicle weight rating Class 8 Class 7 Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30358 Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our heavy-duty truck suspension system market report covers the following areas: Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market Size Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market Trends Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market Industry Analysis This study identifies development of standards for non-metallic air suspension system tubing with one or more layers as one of the prime reasons driving the heavy-duty truck suspension system market growth during the next few years. Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market, including some of the vendors such as Continental, Hendrickson USA, thyssenkrupp, WABCO, and ZF Friedrichshafen. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System 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 Heavy-duty Truck Suspension System Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist heavy-duty truck suspension system market growth during the next five years Estimation of the heavy-duty truck suspension system market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the heavy-duty truck suspension system market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of heavy-duty truck suspension system market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING Market segmentation by gross vehicle weight rating Comparison by gross vehicle weight rating Class 8 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Class 7 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by gross vehicle weight rating PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Development of standards for non-metallic air suspension system tubing with one or more layers Liftable forward tandem axle Multi-linkage suspension system in heavy vehicles PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Continental Hendrickson USA ThyssenKrupp WABCO ZF Friedrichshafen PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations 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/20200401005203/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/ We asked for your questions about coronavirus, and you sent in a bunch. As we work through them, were posting answers as soon as we have them. Note: Some questions have been edited for brevity. Q: Is Onondaga lake park closed? I know the playground would be but can we go rollerblade, walk or bike at the park? Allison A: Onondaga Lake Park is open to recreation, with proper social distancing from other people, said county spokesman Justin Sayles. In fact, all county parks remain open. You are correct that all playgrounds (and indoor spaces, too) have been closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Park ranger patrols have been increased to keep an eye on crowding. Sayles said they are monitoring parking lots to prevent them from getting more than one-third full. If too many people are already there, you will be asked to find somewhere else to get your fresh air fix. Q: I hate to bother the police or 911, but the kids on my street are out playing every day like its summertime! From dawn till dusk, ages from 3 to 14, not monitored by parents, as close to each other as can be. Should this be reported to anyone? Alice T. A: Yes. You should call 911 if you see people congregating in violation of Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahons social distancing order banning gatherings of any size, said Justin Sayles, speaking for the county executive. The county has also increased park ranger patrols in county parks; you can flag down a park ranger if people are not staying at least six feet away from others, Sayles said. Q: How do I report businesses that are not closing that are not essential? F.F. A: The New York state Attorney Generals Office wants to hear about employers who are not abiding by Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive order shutting down nonessential businesses in the state. AG Letitia James issued this statement: During this time, my office is closely monitoring the treatment of employees across the state. If you believe your employer is in violation of either existing labor laws or recently issued executive orders, please contact our office at (212) 416-8700 or Labor.Bureau@ag.ny.gov. We urge employers to allow workers to work from home where applicable in accordance with all New York State executive orders. Whats essential? Its a long and evolving list, as staff writer Julie McMahon has been reporting in stories like these: Am I essential? 100s across NY grapple with question and ask us amid coronavirus pandemic Bike repair, car sales (kind of) added to NY essential list in coronavirus shutdown CNY landscapers cling to essential designation as season begins in midst of pandemic PREVIOUS ASK SYRACUSE.COM POSTS Ask Syracuse.com: Can I still close on a house? Buy a Car? Need a NYS inspection? Ask Syracuse.com: Can I get a coronavirus test? Fly to Florida? Do retirees get checks? Ask Syracuse.com: Will I get a check if I dont file a tax return? What if Im on disability? Ask Syracuse.com: Can I play golf? Is a CPAP a ventilator? Car sales update Ask Syracuse.com: Can pets get coronavirus? How are trash collectors protected? What about tax payments? Ask Syracuse.com Can mosquitoes transmit coronavirus? Is the mail safe? Coronavirus Q&A: Dr. Stephen Thomas of Upstate answers reader questions Were answering your questions about coronavirus with Dr. Stephen Thomas, chief of the infectious disease division at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Submit your questions in the comments. Posted by syracuse.com on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Coronavirus Q&A: Dr. Stephen Thomas of Upstate answers reader questions, continued Were answering your questions about coronavirus with Dr. Stephen Thomas, chief of the infectious disease division at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Submit your questions in the comments. Posted by syracuse.com on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Key members of both US political parties are considering postponing their national conventions to accommodate social distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic convention this year is scheduled for 13-16 July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Republican convention is scheduled for 24-27 August in Charlotte, North Carolina. During presidential election cycles, the parties choose which primary candidate will become its representative in the race for the nations highest office. These events typically draw thousands of people from every state in the union to a central location somewhere in the continental US. Speaking with Fox News, US Representative Emanuel Cleaver, a top ally to former Vice President Joe Biden, said he wasnt sure if were going to have a convention. I think both parties are very likely, I hope, to agree on postponing the convention or doing something that wont bring thousands of people together to kill each other ultimately with Covid-19, Mr Cleaver said. Mr Biden didnt give a strong indication one way or the other as to his position on cancelling or postponing the Democratic convention during an interview on MSNBC. Its hard to envision [holding the convention].We ought to be able - we were able to do it in the middle of the Civil War and all the way through to World War III - have Democratic and Republican conventions and primaries and elections and still have public safety, Mr Biden said. But the fact is it may have to be different. Mr Bidens primary rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, has remained in the race and calls for another debate before the convention. Both Mr Sanders and Mr Biden have halted physical campaign events, opting instead for online streaming events. Mr Biden has held several town halls, and Mr Sanders has also held town halls and interviews with health professionals. Earlier in the race, Mr Bidens campaign faced criticism for a tweet encouraging voters without symptoms to vote in the 17 March primaries. Mr Bidens press senior campaign advisor Symone Sanders also went on television and claimed the US Centers for Disease Control that the primaries had been cleared as safe. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez was also attacked for encouraging voters to participate in the 17 March primaries, well after the first coronavirus cases in the US had been discovered. President Donald Trump told Fox News there was no way hed cancel the convention. The Democratic National Convention Twitter account last tweeted an update about the convention on 14 March in which the account confirmed the party still intended to hold the convention. A spokeswoman for the Democratic National Convention Committee said the situation was very fluid and said the committee would keep the public abreast of its decisions, though noted the convention was still three months away. Just because the conventions happen, however, doesnt mean people will necessarily risk their health and worsening the pandemic by attending. The conventions are not the only electoral landmarks at risk of disruption from the coronavirus; discussion has already begun over which adjustments may need implemented to ensure the general election in November continues without endangering millions of Americans. Though Mr Biden said that there was no rationale for eliminating or delaying the election, he has conceded that adjustments to how voting occurs may be necessary. Drive-through voting, mail in voting and digital voting were all tossed around as potential measures, and several were proposed to be included in the coronavirus stimulus package but were ultimately left out. Mr Trump balked at the idea of digital voting,same day registration and vote by mail, saying the stimulus bill contained measures to allow levels of voting that if youd ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again. NOT even a virus pandemic was going to stop romantic Denis McCarthy from paying a special golden anniversary tribute to his beloved wife, Ann, in a Cork nursing home NOT even a virus pandemic was going to stop romantic Denis McCarthy from paying a special golden anniversary tribute to his beloved wife, Ann, in a Cork nursing home. Denis - while carefully observing all Health Service Executive (HSE) social distancing protocols - stood outside the window of Ann's room at the Fairfield care facility in Drimoleague to wish his wife a happy 50th anniversary. However, because of strict Covid-19 precautions now in place at all Irish nursing homes, Denis could not sit by his wife's bedside, offer her an anniversary hug or even hold her hand. Instead, Denis stood outside Ann's window and wished her a happy anniversary - bringing a tear to the eye of Fairfield staff who looked on. The couple are both huge Van Morrison fans and, to mark their special day, Denis also sang 'Brown Eyed Girl', Ann's favourite song, while standing outside her window. Van Morrison's legendary album, 'Moondance', was released in the year they got married and they remained devoted fans of the Belfast-born star for the past half century. To complete the occasion, Ann had earlier been presented with a special cake to mark their 50th wedding anniversary. Their daughter, Annette Manning, contacted Cork's RedFM to have a special request played for the couple. She also issued a special message of solidarity to all patients in Irish nursing homes nationwide. "It is tough times for all Irish families," Annette admitted. "But he (Denis) wanted to make the day as special as possible for her despite what is going on in Ireland and the world." Annette said her father was determined to mark their golden wedding anniversary properly and in style. La Crosse area law enforcement has been working as cooperatively as possible with the few businesses that have violated the states order to close down due to the coronavirus pandemic and has seen total calls for service decrease under the safer-at-home order, police said Wednesday. While La Crosse Police Department didnt immediately have numbers of complaints available Wednesday, Capt. Jason Melby said it hasnt been a large problem. Anecdotally, I can say weve had a few over the past week and a half, but not as many as youd think, Melby said. In Onalaska, Police Chief Charles Ashbeck said his department had six or eight, including a few craft stores. We definitely are not trying to be heavy-handed or that type of approach. We definitely understand how hard that is on businesses, said Ashbeck. Both departments are taking complaints and working cooperatively with the La Crosse County District Attorneys Office and La Crosse County Health Department to handle any issues. Were handling each of these on a case-by-case basis. Obviously with the governors order there are some exceptions with these businesses, Melby said. Some of the complaints come down to people not being familiar with the exceptions for essential businesses under the order. Others have required talking to the owners or managers, and while they arent happy with the situation, so far weve been fairly fortunate, Ashbeck said. The same is true in La Crosse where officers have been able to explain the logic behind the order and get businesses to close down voluntarily. That usually is enough to make sure the situation goes as well as possible, Melby said. Businesses also can submit a request to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to be deemed essential. La Crosse has also received calls about people not practicing proper social distancing as called for by the county health department. People are supposed to be staying 6 feet away from others in public spaces and avoid congregating in groups of more than 10. The calls prompted the department to post a reminder on its social media, using the Hatched Baby sculpture to demonstrate how far apart people should be and writing, This is not something we want to be policing. With fewer people out and about, both cities have seen a drop in calls for service, which includes community policing efforts. La Crosse Police Department went from more than 1,100 calls in late February to just over 800 in the week of March 15, the first week of closures due to COVID-19. Some of that is based on the fact that there are fewer people out doing general activity, Melby said. The departments community resource officers are also not going to events they usually would attend due to cancellations. Investigators also are conducting more interviews over the phone as they look into various reports. Some of the general community contacts and officer optional activities have reduced because were obviously practicing the social distancing, and were not making any more necessary citizen contacts than we have, Melby said. Were trying to be responsible for both our citizens and our employees. Onalaska didnt have exact numbers available, but Ashbeck said call volume has gone down there as well as officers and citizens practice social distancing. Overall thats what is best for everybody, Ashbeck said. WHO TO CALL To report a violation, contact local law enforcement at the non-emergency line. The phone number is 608-782-7575 for the La Crosse Police Department and 608-781-9550 for Onalaska. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Living Faith Chapel International (a.k.a Winners Chapel) on Wednesday handed over an ambulance and medical consumables to the Ogun State Government toward the fight against Coronavirus pandemic. The medical equipment were handed over to the state Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele by Pastor David Oyedepo (Jnr), who led other leaders of the Church to the Governors Office in Abeokuta. The other items include 10 cartons of hand gloves, five cartons of disposable face masks and 20 units of infrared thermometers. The others include 10 units of Oxometer, 10 units of blood pressure monitors and 850 pieces of hand sanitisers. Mr Oyedepo said the donation was a demonstration of the churchs solidarity with the state government in combating the pandemic. We have come here today for the purpose of demonstrating our solidarity with the state government in the battle against COVID-19 which has been a global pandemic. We are in the fight together, and we trust God that at the end of the day, we will have a song of victory in the name of Jesus Christ. We have come today to present some items to help in this fight. We are rest assured that as we take steps medically and spiritually, the victory will be achieved. We have come with that purpose at heart and we trust God that, very soon, we will have a different story, he said. Mr Oyedepo hoped that God would soon answer prayers of saints across the world and bring the pandemic to an end. As a mission, we remain committed to partnering with the government in this fight to bring an end to this threat, he said. Receiving the donation on behalf of government, Mrs Salako-Oyedele, thanked the church for the gesture. We are glad that a socially-responsible organisation such as yours has yielded to the call for support and quickly came with this ambulance and these consumables, she said. (NAN) Its an understatement to say were living in unprecedented times. People are clamoring for reliable information, as well as for opportunities to engage with their community online, since they cant do so in person. Thats why PennLives Coronavirus Q&A on Facebook Live is attracting thousands of people each day. Theyre eager to learn from a wide range of experts in medicine and mental health, business and government, as we all navigate this global crisis. What is even better, those people that have joined us in the comments are eager to share information about how theyre weathering this storm, as well as where to find hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Dr. Nirmal Joshi, Chief Medical Officer for Mount Nittany Health discuses the coronavirus COVID-19 on March 13, 2020. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com Our Facebook Live chats have included Dr. Nirmal Joshi, chief medical officer at Nittany Health in State College, and Penn State professor Suresh Kuchipudi, who researches diseases that migrate from animals to humans, including the deadly coronaviruses. Weve also provided a platform for readers to talk to Dr. Eric Darr, president of Harrisburg University, now a world-respected institution that specializes in online learning. Attorneys Marc Scaringi and Brian Caffrey have answered questions on employee rights during this pandemic. And this week, Mid Penn Bank CEO Rory Ritrievi and Vice President Natalie Falatek answered your questions on how small businesses and non-profits can apply for some of the $2 trillion in federal aid to help pay bills during the crisis. Attorneys Marc Scaringi and Brian C. Caffrey discuss employment law and the coronavirus with PennLive Opinion Editor Joyce M. Davis following Gov. Tom Wolf's shutdown of non-essential businesses in the state. PennLive is also revamping its editorial coverage to include more reader observations and reduce the number of official editorials that tell you what we think instead of what you want to hear. Well take time each week to have a conversation with our readers. Well use our social media platforms to let you ask questions, provide information and share your opinions. Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein appears at a PennLive editorial board meeting, November 26, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Instead of three editorials a week, well now will offer an Our View editorial to be posted on PennLive and published in The Sunday Patriot-News. In Tuesdays paper, well feature editorials from respected news organizations across the state and around the country that air other perspectives. Their View will also be posted on PennLive. And we want to document the online conversations that offer insights in our community through your questions and opinions. Well select some of the most interesting take-aways from our Facebook Live chats for a new weekly column called Social View. Giant Company president Nick Bertram talks to PennLive opinion editor Joyce Davis about the coronavirus and keeping shelves stocked during this time. (PennLive). We invite all our readers to join us in these popular Facebook Live chats were holding Mondays through Saturdays. Theyre providing a robust community meeting place during the coronavirus crisis. The people who have joined our Facebook Live chats have become our new friends and neighbors. And the internet knows no boundaries just like the coronavirus. People from throughout the country and even the world have joined our online community. Everyone is welcome. But we are focused on serving our readers the people of Pennsylvania and helping them best meet the challenges of these unprecedented times. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. And please subscribe to Battleground PA to stay abreast of the issues in the 2020 elections Adani Enterprises has bagged a Rs 867 crore hybrid annuity road project from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under Bharatmala Pariyojana. The four-laning of 47 km Nanasa to Pidgaon section of NH-47 in Madhya Pradesh will be done in two years while the operation period is 15 years. Bharatmala Pariyojana is a government-funded road and highways project. With this project award, Adani Group will have a total of five NHAI road projects under hybrid annuity mode spanning in states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The company said it is focused on incubating successful businesses to address the country's growing appetite for infrastructure. Regarding our vision of nation-building, it remains committed to building infrastructure to boost India's socio-economic growth. "Adani Enterprises will continue to evaluate and bid for attractive opportunities in the transport sector which generates value for stakeholders," it said in a statement. "The Group will use its expertise and experience of setting up complex and mammoth infrastructure projects in record time and to world-class quality standards and also successfully operating them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 08:13 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec40bf 1 Editorial #Editorial,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,charity,fundraisers,medical-workers Free Though accustomed to disasters, Indonesians are generally clueless in the face of this pandemic. Unlike a flood or an earthquake, from which we can run to seek shelter, now there is nowhere to run. The risk of contagion, were told, comes not just from others sneezing, but our own hands which we must wash continuously. With the central governments rather confusing policies and the health system buckling as confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 steadily rise, people are again looking to their closest sources of help their communities, neighbors and volunteers. It was only on Tuesday afternoon that President Joko Jokowi Widodo finally announced a government regulation on large-scale social restrictions and a presidential decree on the nationwide health emergency status based on the Health Quarantine Law. With little guidance, people have worked together to organize fundraisers, sought medical supplies and equipment and arranged for the supply of hand washing facilities and disinfectants. Universities and creative designers are coming up with new low-cost protective equipment for frontline health workers, including those tasked with conducting rapid tests, who are armed with only masks to protect themselves from exposure to the virus. This widespread solidarity and gotong royong (mutual assistance) is uplifting and, as the experts say, is likely an immunity booster against this novel coronavirus, as people figure out together how to survive. In this difficult time, humanity shines. It is also encouraging amid the ugly signs of stigma against people, alive or dead, who are known or believed to have contracted the virus. In Medan, North Sumatra, a deceased man was finally buried at midnight Wednesday after locals, believing he had contracted the virus, opposed the planned burial in their area. Aside from the actions of corporations and charity organizations, the gestures of individuals also count. For example, people have ordered extra food to share with app-based food delivery drivers, who have seen their incomes plummet. Padjadjaran University in Bandung is among the institutions calling for volunteers to support the provision of medical services. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir had previously initiated a similar recruitment drive for volunteers. Some local administrations have converted facilities such as hotels into isolation wards for people who must be quarantined. Yet, with confirmed cases now surpassing 1,500 across the archipelago, National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Doni Monardo has called on people to allow available houses to be used to isolate people who have arrived from out of town or overseas. With communities seemingly left to fend for themselves, the government owes it to its citizens to resolve the lack of clarity around its strategy to handle COVID-19. Residents have expressed gratitude to their regents, mayors and governors who have attempted partial quarantines or local lockdowns, emulated down to neighborhood units even as their leaders may face rebuke from President Jokowi, who continues to remind local governments that they require the central governments approval to impose such lockdowns. Despite all the confusion, more and more people are stepping up to lend a hand, and as is now the emerging custom in cyberspace, to offer a virtual hug. A Scottish farmer has said the current lack of farm labour seen due to the Covid-19 restrictions is the 'toughest problem' he has ever faced. James Porter, who runs a soft fruit business in Scryne, Angus, is still on the hunt for hundreds of pickers to harvest 1,000 tonnes of strawberries. But due to the coronavirus travel restrictions, his usual workforce, from eastern Europe, cannot arrive to do the work. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) recently estimated that there could be a shortage of 80,000 workers due to the Covid-19 crisis. The government has even been urged to help organise charter flights to bring in European agricultural workers to British farms. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Porter said the issue was the 'toughest problem' his business had ever faced. His 80-acre strawberry crop is ripe within a matter of weeks: "My biggest challenge following the lockdown restrictions is the lack of workforce," he said. "I would normally be expecting 200 workers to arrive now, but we can't bring them over because everything is in lockdown. "I'm now looking to people in Scotland who cannot go to work just now because, for example, their offices are closed." Mr Porter told the broadcaster he has concerns over the skill set of new pickers, as his usual team, who have worked with him for 10 to 15 years, were 'very skilful'. "It's very hard to pick quickly and skilfully day after day. So I can't expect the same productivity from people as from my top pickers," he said. "But If we get enough people hopefully we will manage. I am seriously concerned about this situation." Soft fruit supplier Angus Growers, a group consisting of 19 farmers of which Mr Porter is part of, anticipate a shortfall of 3,200 workers, almost 80% of their workforce. Last year they produced over 12,400 tonnes of fresh berries for consumers across the United Kingdom. Mr Porter said his grower group are now encouraging anyone who is looking for work to visit their new recruitment site and apply. Workers will be paid in accordance with the Scottish Agriculture Wages Order, which is based on the national living wage. Accommodation is also available on site for anyone who doesnt live in close proximity to one of the farms, and support and training will be provided. The Finance Committee of Parliament has concluded a meeting on governments request for the lowering of the cap on the Stabilization Fund from US$300 million to US$100 million. According to Citi News sources at the meeting, the Committee could not conclusively deal with the matter at hand due to the absence of the critical documents that explain in detail what the excess funds to accrue from the lowering of the cap will be used for. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in a speech on Monday, March 30, told the House that money from the Stabilization Fund will be used to set up the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Minister will be required to provide all the details the Committee is asking for before a determination is made on his request. A member of the Committee, Daniel Okyem Aboakye said, There was a request for us to consider about US$200 million drawn out from the Stabilization fund and the Committee is basically asking if they have a Iittle bit of details before we bring our report to the Chamber. We are not in ordinary times. We understand the need to do what we have to do but that does not mean that the Finance Committee will just say yes to everything that has to go to the extent that we can ask to know what these funds are going to be used for is the right thing to do. Even though we are the majority and we can just support the government, we just want additional details so that we can attach to the report for considerations on the Floor when we bring it there. Background The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in Parliament on Monday suggested that Parliament should amend the relevant laws to lower the cap of the Stabilisation Fund from $300 million to $100 million to enable the government scoop the excess funds to bridge the gap created by the economic impact of the pandemic. Mr. Speaker Since we are faced with extraordinary circumstances which require extraordinary measures, we would like to propose the following measures for the consideration and support of the House Lower the cap on the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF) from the current US$300 million to US$100 million in accordance with Section 23 (3) of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA). This measure will enable the excess amount in the GSF account over the US$100 million cap to be transferred into the Contingency Fund, consistent with Section 23 (4) of the PRMA. The amount transferred into the Contingency Fund will be used to fund the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP). Through this process, an estimated GH1,250 million will be transferred into the Contingency Fund to Fund the CAP. Mr. Speaker, we, therefore, wish to seek approval from this August House for the Finance Minister to use the Funds which will be available in the Contingency Fund to fund the Coronavirus Alleviation Programm, he said. This came after he was instructed by President Akufo-Addo to assess the economic impact measures put in place to combat the novel coronavirus will have on the country. In response to this, Mr. Ofori-Atta said the country is set to lose GHS9.505 billion looking at the effects the pandemic is having on the country. The stated amount will be 2.5 percent of Ghana's revised GDP. Mr. Speaker, the total estimated fiscal impact from the shortfall in petroleum receipts, shortfall import duties, the shortfall in other tax revenues, the cost of the preparedness plan, and the cost of Coronavirus Alleviation Programme is GHS9,505 million, he said in Parliament. Use of Heritage Fund The Finance Minister also called for the amendment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA) to allow the government to utilize portions of the Heritage Fund to fight the Coronavirus outbreak. Amend the PRMA to allow a withdrawal from the Ghana Heritage Fund to undertake emergency expenditures in periods of national emergency. There is an estimated US$591.1 million in the Ghana Heritage Fund. This proposal, however, has strongly been shut down by the Minority in Parliament, giving the reason that the Heritage Fund has a purpose to serve for future generations and therefore should not be touched. ---citinewsroom A senior Saudi official urged more than 1 million Muslims intending to travel to Islam's holiest sites to perform the Hajj to delay making plans this year due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at Mecca on Tuesday, Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister said that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared to secure the safety of all Muslims and nationals." The comments suggested the pilgrimage could be cancelled. In February, the Kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners over the virus, a step which wasn't taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Restrictions have tightened in the Kingdom as it grapples with over 1,500 confirmed cases of the new virus, it has reported 10 deaths. The Middle East has more than 71,000 confirmed cases of the virus, most of those in Iran, and over 3,300 deaths. Saudi Arabia has barred people from entering or exiting three major cities, including Mecca and Medina, and imposed a nighttime curfew across the country. Like other countries around the world and in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has suspended all inbound and outbound commercial flights. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The Ondo State Government has ordered the closure of its boundaries with neighbouring states of Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Edo and Ogun from Thursday as a precautionary measure against the Covid-19. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday in Akure, the state capital. Mr Ojogo explained that the trend in respect of COVID-19 and the possibility of its undeterminable spread was observed, saying this informed the directive. Ondo State has ordered the closure of its borders with the neighbouring states of Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Edo and Elefon, our coastal border with Ogun, which in the recent past, has witnessed heavy human traffic from Lagos and Ogun, he said. He said the order prohibits inter-state travels into the state and takes effect from 6.00 pm on Thursday. He further said security operatives as well as monitoring teams had been put on alert to enforce the order as part of measures already taken to stem COVID-19 incursion into Ondo State. To his glory, Ondo State has remained one of the states in the country without a single confirmed case of COVID-19. This is an uncommon grace government and indeed the people must not take for granted. As a way of thanking God and seeking His face for this immeasurable grace and continuous favour, government hereby declares a three-day period of fasting and prayers from Thursday to Saturday for Ondo State and the country at large. Government therefore urges the good people of Ondo State to use this period to stand firm in prayers and remain inexorable in His praise as mankind faces this pandemic. May God sustain His grace upon Ondo State, he said. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has alleged that President Muhammadu Buharis nationwide broadcast on Sunday was not done from the Presidential Villa. He also said it was not a live broadcast but recorded. The comes after the Biafran leader had some days ago alleged that Buhari had been secretly flown abroad to Cuba. President Buhari made a live broadcast from the Aso Rock Villa on Sunday, highlighting his governments efforts in the fight against Coronavirus. The broadcast was aired on Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, and other local television and radio stations. However, the IPOB leader, in a Facebook post, maintained his earlier claims about the Presidents location, insisting that the broadcast was done in an unnamed hotel in Cuba. Kanu, who tried to back his claims with some points, said the external intelligence division of his group, which he called the M-Branch has uncovered plans by alleged cabal in Aso Rock to hastily fabricate a replica of the basement of the hotel in Havana Cuba where Jubril Al-Sudani recorded a poorly scripted video that aired on NTA. A broadcast they touted as coming live from Aso Rock was in actual fact recorded in the basement of a hotel in Havana Cuba as I earlier warned the world they would, Kanu claimed. According to Kanu, who is a wanted man in Nigeria, workmen secretly entered the Villa early Monday morning to commence work on replicating the basement conference room of the Cuban hotel from where a poorly edited video, both audio and visual, was shot of a man reading a written statement. Kanu said that They hope to air a video of this hastily built previously non-existent conference room on or before my broadcast on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. During their now usual Femi Adesina photoshop session that precede every grand lie by Aso Rock, they foolishly forgot to give different colouration to the clothing of the fake journalist and cameraman they clumsily inserted in the photo. Carefully observe the photo below. NTA journalists are now on some kind of brown Coronavirus uniform or is this a new Aso Rock live presidential address Ashebi? This is how pathetic governance in Nigeria the great British Zoo in Africa has been reduced to. Lies upon lies, deception upon deception. He described Nigeria as a den of thieves, deceivers, the gullible and reprobates. Recall that before now Kanu had alleged that Abba Kyari has scampered to Cuba for Coronavirus treatment. Hours later, he said that President Muhammadu Buhari was hiding in Cuba with his Chief of Staff. But the President showed the whole world he was in the country and also hale and hearty when he received the Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire and Director General of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Chikwe Ihekweazu, at the Presiential Villa. DES MOINES Iowa coronavirus cases increased by 73 on Tuesday to a total statewide of 497 as Black Hawk County reported its first case of community spread. One additional death was reported, a Muscatine resident between 41 and 60 years old, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Seven people in Iowa have died of the disease caused by the coronavirus. Black Hawk County recorded its seventh case, an adult between the ages of 41 and 60. We cannot tie this case to a specific exposure the individual is not sure how or where they became infected, said Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye, director of the Black Hawk County Health Department. And, because of not being able to identify this exposure, we are considering this to be community spread. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson warned a surge in cases is likely, making social distancing more important than ever. Within the next two to three weeks, I think youre going to be hard-pressed to find somebody that has not been personally impacted, he said. Thankfully, in Black Hawk County, were still sitting at seven (cases). But I think the next plateau that gets reached is when we have that first death. ... Thats what we need help with. Tama County also has one new case, an adult between the ages of 18 and 40, bringing its total to 11 cases. The virus is now present in 57 of Iowas 99 counties. A total of 51 Iowans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, while another 23 were previously hospitalized but have been discharged, and another 203 were never hospitalized. Case counts have been growing fastest in Linn County, where an additional 19 cases were reported Tuesday for a total of 90. On Monday, public health officials acknowledged an outbreak in a Cedar Rapids long-term care facility. Heritage Specialty Care, a nursing home that has more than 100 residents in Cedar Rapids, confirmed Tuesday it is the facility where the virus has infected residents and employees. Gov. Kim Reynolds said the number of cases linked to the facility has climbed from 21 on Monday to 30 on Tuesday. The home is owned by West Des Moines-based Care Initiatives, which operates 44 skilled nursing and long-term care facilities in Iowa. Marketing director Jason Bridie said the home has about 125 employees, who are working extra shifts and up to 12-hour days to continue to care for residents. The people that are working are working their tails off and putting in an extraordinary amount of sacrifice, he said. We have people that arent going home to their families because they dont want to risk the chance that maybe they are carrying it and dont know it. He said Heritage is so far the only one of its facilities that has seen a COVID-19 infection. Staff members across the chain have enough personal protective equipment after receiving new supplies in recent days, he said. For most people, COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia. Speaking at the governors daily news conference, Sarah Reisetter, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, said officials expect the number of cases in Iowa to peak within the next two to three weeks. Reynolds also announced a COVID-19 legal information hotline for people with questions or problems related to the outbreak. The line, arranged by Iowa Legal Aid, Iowa State Bar Association and Polk County Volunteer Lawyer Project, is (800) 332-0419. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. World Vision launches weekly online chapel series for Christian students stuck at home Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak, the evangelical humanitarian charity World Vision is producing an eight-week online chapel series and curriculum resources to be utilized by Christian schools across the United States as students remain at home during the pandemic. World Vision Ignite, an integrated program that provides free online resources to students and schools, launched the World Vision Ignite Chapel Series last Monday to help Christian schools looking for ways to continue offering weekly worship services during the crisis. The series is hosted by World Visions Director of Channel Marketing and Experience Michael Forsberg. Each week, services include worship time and a message from a special guest lecturer. It's really a time for students to take a timeout, stop and reflect and rest and worship, World Visions Senior Director of Partner Innovation, Lori Bae, said in an interview. So in every chapel, we open with our hosts, so they'll see a friendly face. Then, well have probably about two or three songs of worship, songs that are familiar songs that they know. And then we have chapel speakers who are World Vision experts. Each speaker will present a 20- to 30-minute sermon or chapel talk. So our very first chapel talks about the coronavirus and talks about kids going through exactly what they're going through when it comes to having to wash their hands, Bae explained. We show a clip of kids from the Philippines, a clip from China. So you'll see kids all around the world understanding that they are going through the same thing that our kids are going through. The first service featured a special message from longtime World Vision writer Kari Costanza about Gods love and how we can turn viral into a very good thing. I know your lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus, Costanza told students in the chapel service. I know that you are frustrated. I know that you are scared. I know that this virus has created a new phrase social distancing. Here we are 6 feet apart and trying to stay connected. World Vision Ignite has existed for two-and-a-half years. Bae, who leads World Vision Ignite, told The Christian Post in an interview that World Vision Ignite seeks to promote human transformation by equipping a generation of students with a biblical worldview and empowering them with the tools to champion global change. Since its existence, World Vision Ignite has engaged 10,000 students from various Christian K-12 schools across the U.S. Considering our current situation, we really felt the pull and God calling us to really serve, not only our partners but the 78 million families and children that are home right now across the country, Bae explained. That is where the Ignite chapel series came from. Bae said World Vision has heard from many of its partner schools that they will be including the chapel services as part of their learning management systems. Bae said that during the week as students with partner schools go through their regular coursework, they will take part in a common chapel. Depending on the school, every school is gonna approach it differently, but I could imagine a school saying, Instead of our Wednesday chapels from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., everyone dial into here. We're going to watch it together, Bae explained. She said there is a possibility that the eight-week series could be extended depending on the need. Bae stressed, however, that the weekly chapel experience is just one service that World Vision is offering during the coronavirus outbreak. How to homeschool has a 70 percent increase in Google Trends right now. I think it's something that every family, every parent is looking at. So we're turning kids homes into global classrooms, she added. We're also going to be leading into a series of curriculum for primary and secondary students where kids will learn and experience from World Vision experts in different lessons to help them understand the world's most pressing humanitarian issues like health, gender, WASH. [They] all become change agents in the world. Bae said the new curriculums will be released this week. This is a free resource we're going to be putting on our landing page under the link for Free Family Resources, she said. And that's where anyone can find all the chapel series, as well as the curriculum that well be launching next week. According to Bae, the curriculum that World Vision is working on is a self-standing body of work that can really just get plugged in, played and then just have an opportunity for some great conversation. We want to serve and come alongside all of the parents and the teachers that are having to design curriculums all of a sudden, she said. It is about 40 to 50 minutes of content that is absolutely engaging from beginning to end. There's an activity that's built into the primary lesson. It gets them to think a little bit differently. Parents could easily just press play, and then watch it alongside their kids. As World Vision is one of the worlds largest evangelical humanitarian organizations operating in dozens of countries worldwide, the charity has also taken other steps to help people during the crisis. Last week, World Vision announced that it would work with its network of existing partners to distribute food and supply kits to over 650,000 people in major cities such as New York City, Seattle, Dallas and Chicago. Each kit will provide a weeks worth of food for a family of five as well as hygiene products, education supplies, and protective items. The coronavirus lockdown is throwing up strange new problems for cops across the world. While in India the police is doing everything to punish lockdown violators and sending them back, in other parts of the world cops are dealing with people taking advantage of empty roads. Reuters The lockdown has led to a steep plunge in traffic across the world and many are taking advantage of this thinking the cops wont stop them. More recently, a Sydney man who was caught speeding in a Lamborghini over the limit told police he was rushing to the hospital to get tested for coronavirus. The man was undergoing mandatory self-isolation after being pulled over for allegedly driving 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour in a 90 km/h lane. Police urged Australians who suspect they may have COVID-19 to call their nearest medical service first. "Drivers shouldn't break the road rules under any circumstances," Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said. "If you think you may have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to seek help from a doctor or hospital, call ahead of time to book an appointment. "If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact triple zero," Corboy added. COVID-19 is not an excuse to travel 50km / hr over the posted speed limit through a community! Let's be safe out there! Our hospitals are already busy enough! #ticketissued #carimpounded #keepingourcommunitysafe pic.twitter.com/5xnqayAkGs Vernon North Okanagan RCMP (@VernonNOkRCMP) March 20, 2020 The speeding issue is not just limited to Australia. Canadas North Okanagan district also posted a tweet about an alleged speeding ticket. The tweet said 'COVID-19 is not an excuse to travel 50 km/hr over the posted speed limit through a community! Lets be safe out there! Our hospitals are already busy enough!' A North Okanagan RCMP traffic services member pulled a vehicle over for allegedly going 50 km/hr over the posted speed limit through the rural community of Falkland B.C., Global News quoted police as saying. The driver allegedly stated that because they worked for an essential service, a pharmacy, that they were exempt from the speed limit. In North Wales to police have warned drivers not to speed on roads during the current coronavirus outbreak after a car was clocked at 101 mph. North Wales Police Roads Policing Unit tweeted: 'The roads are quiet but no excuse to be driving like a fool. @GoSafeCymru caught a car doing 101mph on the A5 Ty Nant this morning.' Another tweet by Detective Superintendent Andy Cox, lead for Transport for Londons (TfL) Vision Zero campaign, revealed that police have had to stop drivers hitting 'utterly outrageous speeds.' YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas has expressed concern over the ceasefire violation that took place on March 30th at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border which resulted in two Armenian soldiers and one civilian a 14-year-old child being wounded. Zas told ARMENPRESS the fact that this incident is taking place when the international community is unitedly combating the coronavirus pandemic is perplexing. ARMENPRESS: Days ago, as a result of the Azerbaijani ceasefire violation at the border with Armenia two Armenian servicemen and one 14-year-old resident of the Voskevan village were wounded. As CSTO Secretary General, how would you comment on this type of a provocation against a CSTO member country? Zas: Ive been informed by the Armenian side about the incident that took place at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The fact that this has resulted in two servicemen and the [14-year-old] resident of Voskevan being wounded is very concerning. At the same time, I would like to express concern regarding this kind of an incident in the CSTO zone of responsibility at the border of a member country of the organization. It is perplexing that the escalation is happening at a time when the international community is waging a united battle against the coronavirus pandemic. In this regard I am calling on the parties to the conflict to heed to the UN Secretary Generals calls on a global ceasefire. By the way, as far as I know Armenia has officially endorsed this call. I would also like to underscore the importance of the implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of ceasefire in the conflict zone, and I wish the victims of the incident speedy recovery. On March 30, the Azerbaijani military attempted a subversive incursion in the direction of Armenian positions in the Noyemberyan region of Tavush province. The adversary attack was thwarted, but the Azerbaijani troops also opened fire at civilian settlements, wounding a child. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan After being briefed on provincial modelling, Toronto public health officials say the city risks mass deaths unless dire measures are taken for the next 12 weeks. Torontos medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa announced new orders Wednesday morning, including mandatory home quarantine for people with COVID-19, and anyone who has had close contact with someone infected. That came ahead of new reporting from Toronto Public Health that there have been 19 COVID-19-related deaths in the city up 11 since the previous day. Toronto officials, including de Villa, acknowledged they were imposing the new orders after seeing Ontarios COVID-19 modelling, but referred specific questions about the projected outbreak numbers to provincial officials who refused to detail those projections despite repeated questions on Wednesday. At a press conference at city hall, unusually timed to preempt provincial updates scheduled for later in the day, de Villa outlining the growth in Toronto cases more than 500 per cent in the last two weeks and said she is now doing everything in her legal power to help prevent further spread. This is not a favourable trajectory, she said. And as your medical officer of health responsible for protecting the citys health your health I am deeply concerned. Coun. Joe Cressy, the chair of the citys board of health, said Wednesday that he, Mayor John Tory and others had been briefed Saturday by Torontos top medical officials on the state of the virus in the city and the potential forecast for the future based on provincial modelling. Based on that briefing, we believe there is a fierce urgency of now to implement immediate measures if we are going to stop the unnecessary loss of life and preserve the integrity of our healthcare system, he said. Asked if he was worried, Cressy said: I think we have a narrow window upon which Toronto and our province can prevent significant loss of life and I cannot stress the importance of going hard and going now, which is what the city announced today. De Villa would not disclose what that modelling showed, referring questions to her provincial counterparts. There are a number of steps that are being taken by the province, she said, noting she understands those officials are pursuing similar orders on a regional level and they continue to discuss how they can collaborate better together. Premier Doug Ford refused to discuss the specifics of the modelling numbers on Wednesday. Theres different models If we pick one model over another it sends two different messages, he told reporters. Those models can drastically, drastically change. If we underestimate on one side and we overestimate on the other, and create a panic if we overestimate. But the facts are very clear. Were going through turbulent waters. Weve been saying it over and over again: make sure that you dont congregate. Cressy, after listening to the premiers press conference, told the Star: In order to understand the urgency of this moment, its critical that the public fully understands the immediate risks at hand. Our collected and united response requires it. The new orders and recommendations from de Villa build on social distancing and other measures already in place. They will be in force for the next 12 weeks, until June 24. They are: All individuals with COVID-19 must stay home under the Health Protection and Promotion Act for 14 days. The same order is issued for anyone who has close contact to somebody infected. Anyone who is not ill or has not travelled is strongly directed to stay home, except for the following reasons: accessing healthcare or medication; shopping for groceries once per week; walking their dogs; getting daily exercise while maintaining physical distancing of at least two metres. People returning from international travel must stay home, in accordance with an existing federal order. Anyone over the age of 70, as the province announced this week, is strongly encouraged to stay home as much as possible Increased supports for self-isolation for those experiencing homelessness, only essential businesses staying open, and increased cleaning and active screening of employees of all businesses. De Villa highlighted the growth of infections in Toronto over the past month, from 102 confirmed cases and 43 probable cases on March 18 to yesterday with 628 confirmed cases, another 165 probable infections with 65 people in hospital, 33 of them in intensive care. That number increased to 653 confirmed cases on Wednesday. That dramatic spread of the virus has put the city at risk of a deadly explosion of the virus and an overwhelming of the healthcare system now seen in other cities, including New York City. As of Tuesday, New York, which saw its first COVID-19 case March 1, had almost 42,000 infections and almost 1,100 deaths, with no end in sight, de Villa said. That is a very stark picture, but one that is honest and is true and premised on the data in front of us, de Villa said. We must absolutely implement stronger measures to avoid the kinds of results we are seeing in places like New York City, with an overwhelmed health care system and economic and social disruption. She said her department has also studied places like South Korea that have contained the viruss spread. I am saying in the strongest terms possible that people need to stay home as much as possible, de Villa said. De Villa said she will ask the provincial government to further reduce the kinds of businesses that are allowed to remain open. Ford warned Wednesday the list of businesses allowed to be open would change. If we do not take these actions today, the city will see substantially increased loss of life, and may not begin to recover, economically and as a society, until the end of 2020, the city said in a news release. Tory told reporters he is locking the city down as much as any municipal government could, under the emergency declaration made earlier. The mayor, who was previously in self-isolation after business-related travel, said he does not relish imposing the escalating limits on personal freedom, but I believe its necessary to protect the public and save many, many lives. What happens next, he said, is up to all residents. You want to go and visit and give a hug to your mother or grandmother as soon as you can. You want to go out to a restaurant and sit on a patio and have a beer. You want to watch your kids once again able to play on a playground without restriction. You want to enjoy a summer festival, go to a Blue Jays game, hang out on the beach with friends. You want to take your dog to an off-leash park once again. Tory said. Getting to those better days will depend on our collective response as a city. We have it in our control to make those better days come sooner. As de Villa spoke, Ontarios chief medical officer announced he is strongly urging other municipalities to follow Torontos lead. Local public health leaders should invoke a law allowing them to issue orders restricting the movements of COVID-19 patients and their contacts, said Dr. David Williams. The powers are in the communicable disease section of the Health Protection and Promotion Act to ensure cases and contacts of people with the new coronavirus are isolated, said Williams. With files from Rob Ferguson and Moira Welsh David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 00:13:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KATHMANDU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Nepal and India have entered into cooperation to manage the stranded Nepalis at different border points amid the nationwide lockdown in both countries to fight COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal enforced a week-long nationwide lockdown since March 24 which has been extended till April 7, whereas India announced a 21-day lockdown on March 25 leaving thousands of Nepali nationals, who were on the way back home, stranded at border points. Dr Rajan Bhattarai, foreign relations advisor to Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, told Xinhua on Wednesday that Nepal and India have agreed to manage food and shelter to the people stranded at different border points during the lockdown. "The high-level agreement reached between the two countries has already entered into implementation since couple of days. Indian authorities have started providing food and shelter to Nepalis, while we are providing the same to stranded Indians in our side," Bhattarai said. According to Bhattarai, the largest number of Nepalis are stranded at the Indian side of Darchula district in far western Nepal, where over 800 people have been gathered since last few days. It was reported that a couple of Nepali nationals even tried to swam back home through the Mahakali River, which divides Nepal and India, but were later arrested by Nepali police. Similarly, nearly 400 Nepalis are stranded at Sunauli border point, near the city of Bhairahawa in Province 5, and two dozen Nepalis are stranded at Kailali border point in Province 7. There is no exact number of stranded Nepalis at the border points as many people are still arriving after days of struggling walk from different Indian cities even amid lockdown, said Bhattarai. Thousands of people particularly from Nepal's western part work and live in Indian cities as daily labors and return home only during festivals. "Not just Nepalis are stranded in the Indian side, but over 600 Indians are stranded in Nepal in few locations. Our local authorities have managed food and shelter for them. We have such cooperation during the crisis period," he said. Both countries have agreed not to allow cross-border movement until the lockdown is over as it poses a greater risk of spreading the infection among family members and the community. However, some are of the view that stranded citizens from across the border should be brought back. "Nepal should bring back its stranded citizens and arrange quarantine facility to prevent the spread of possible infection. Local and provincial governments should work on this immediately," Dr Khadga KC, an international relations expert, told Xinhua. "Arrangement of food and shelter by the Indian authorities is a welcoming step, but it's only a temporary solution. The best idea is to bring the Nepali nationals back and ensure them good environment with health facilities," KC added. Baburam Bhattarai, former Nepali prime minister, also wrote in his social media post that "Isn't this state's responsibility to let the stranded citizens enter their own country? They should be allowed to cross the border and should be kept in quarantine rather." Nepal and India, which share open border, have closed all the border points except for the cargo movement to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19. Even though Lambert and I are not keen about videos as a method of getting information (transcripts are faster!), we thought wed pass along a readers video account as a way of eliciting more reports on what is happening on the ground, particularly near hot spots. From Kurt: As a recent (2 years) reader I much enjoy hearing everyones perspective, especially localized views like the readers in the UK, so I thought they might like to see how an average American town is handling things. Obviously, were worried here in the shadow of NYC, but in some ways, its not stopping things? Which is a bit odd. What I found most interesting was how many families I saw out and about (within reason, people did try and stick to some distancing, but it was hard at intersections or when the sidewalks got narrow). Consider the popularity of the center of town (and in particular the grocery store) in light of this very informative toy modeling exercise (hat tip Monty). This is a terrific demonstration of how various interventions, and cheating around those interventions, affects disease propagation. Per Kurts concerns about people still going to his main street and grocery store, at around 16:56, the modeling exercise below shows how having people go to a central location, like a grocery story, significantly undercuts the benefit of social distancing. Note that early on, the video also demonstrates that quarantining, as in sending the infected to a separate location, is very effective in tamping down the spread of infection. However, Bloomberg reports today that what most of the world is doing, quarantining at home, is another kettle of fish: Italy needs to shift to mass quarantining of coronavirus patients with mild symptoms instead of letting them isolate at home, according to a group of Chinese experts who traveled to the European nation to advise officials there. Doctors in Wuhan made the same error early on in the outbreak, said Liang ZongAn, head of the respiratory department at the West China Hospital at Sichuan University. While seriously ill patients were admitted to hospitals, doctors at the time recommended that those with mild symptoms isolate themselves at home, in part to reduce the strain on Wuhans overburdened health care system. Back then, it was not well understood how infectious the virus can be even in those who dont seem very sick. But researchers now know that those with mild symptoms who are told to stay at home usually risked passing the virus to family members, as well as to others outside their homes as some still moved around freely. Liang said his team advised Italy to follow Chinas lead to forcibly isolate patients with mild symptoms from their families. In China, a study of one province showed that 80% of cluster infections originated from people told to rest at home, according to Xiao Ning, a researcher from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention who was part of the team. Finally, to round out this odd assortment of efforts to understand how behaviors affects disease spread, readers (and Lambert and yours truly) have been consistently lamenting that the data on the disease is terrible due to limited testing and inconsistencies in classification, most notably China not counting positive test results as confirmed cases unless the patient also presented symptoms. Even South Korea, widely viewed as having engaged in extensive testing, as of about a week ago had administered 338,000 tests in a country with a population of over 50 million, meaning fewer than 1% were tested. So in the absence of more random testing of the population, we are really flying blind. Readers suggested working back from deaths. The wee problem is that even thought that data is probably less bad than the confirmed cases tally, that does not mean it is all that good. For instance, readers have said one reason the Covid-19 death rate in Germany is low is in part because if there is a co-morbidity, like COPD, hospitals are classifying that as the cause of death and not the virus. Similarly, in the UK, deaths understated because people who died at home are not counted even though some almost certainly died of Covid-19: At least 40 more people have died from coronavirus in the UK as hidden deaths at home were today revealed for the first time. New figures reveal 210 people died in England and Wales from the killer bug up to March 20 23 per cent more than official NHS numbers have shown. Yesterday the Department of Health reported 1,408 deaths in the UK but these numbers only include those who have died in NHS hospitals. If the 23 per cent increase was applied to yesterdays hospital-only total of 1,408, it would result in a total of 1,732 deaths. The new ONS figures which include non-hospital deaths only go up to March 20 three days before strict lockdown measures were imposed by Boris Johnson to curb the spread of the disease. Unlike the NHS figures, which are limited to those who died in hospital after testing positive for the disease, these wrap in deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned as a suspected cause of death where someone has not necessarily tested positive for the disease. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11291979/uk-coronavirus-deaths-home-deaths/ In New York City, about 1 million people are over 65, and roughly 1/3 of them live alone. Particularly with the hospitals so overwhelmed, any who died at home would not have an autopsy done to determine if Covid-19 were the cause. Readers can pipe up, but it would seem unlike that any investigation would be made of seniors who had died outside a hospital. Unless they had tested positive for Covid-19, their deaths would be unlikely to be attributed to it even if that were a reasonable surmise. This past Sunday, I took my children for a walk in a wildlife sanctuary on the edge of our small New England town. Sunday marked our ninth day of preventative quarantine from COVID-19, and after a busy week indoors adjusting to online schooling and working from home, we were ready to get outside in the fresh air. A shock of wintery weather had passed through Boston, so we pulled out hats and mittens, bundled up, and headed out to the Atlantic Ocean. When we arrived, my four kids tumbled out of the car and went ahead of me down the trail. They ran and played, swatting each other with grasses and zigzagging off the trail to race through the meadows. As I stood for a moment and watched them, I closed my eyes and drank in the silence as the ocean wind carried away my childrens voices. Then it hit me, like it has so many times over the last eight months: My husband is dead, and Im here alone. Only a year ago, my husband Rob brought me on a date to these meadows. We bought cherry hand pies from a local grocery store and sat eating them as the sun set. We enjoyed the companionable silence that comes with 17 years of marriage. As birds returned to their nests in the dusk, quiet rain began to fall. It was a moment out of a Robert Frost poem: Come over the hills and far with me, and be my love in the rain. But for all my wishing now, Rob will never be here again with me. When he died last July in a tragic hiking accident, I discovered a dreadful aloneness that Id never known before. In that moment when the chaplains came to tell me of his death, I lost my partner, my confidante, my co-parent, my lover, my advisor, and my best friend. Id always been an independent person, an introvert, even, but I never wanted to be ushered into a life without him. For the last eight monthsand until Christ comes againRobs seat sits empty at our kitchen table, and his side of the bed is cold when I slip beneath the covers each night. Since Rob died, Ive learned to do many things on my own. Ive learned how to wire electrical fixtures in my home and how to fix the broken hot water heater on our familys camper. Ive learned to coordinate my finances without his wisdom to guide me and how to talk frankly with our sons about the birds and the bees. But however capable I become, I cannot cover for the love, assurance, and stability that Rob brought to our lives. The loneliness of these last few weeks of public health-directed isolation only magnifies the solitary course my life has taken now. If I have fears or anxieties about the coronavirus, I must now manage them alone. I am the sole gatekeeper for my family. Every decision about our wellbeing falls to me. How do I manage this pandemic without my husband? After my kids ran off down the ocean trail last weekend, I ceased hearing their voices after a while. I heard only the sound of the wind, rolling off the water, brisk and cold. As I stood against the wind, I was reminded of that striking Greek word eremoslonelywhich is used to describe the places that Jesus found to be refuges. The Gospel writers tell us over and over how Jesus turned to lonely places when he needed rest and wished to pray. The words wilderness and desert offer visual description of those spaces, but lonely speaks the language of the heart. Jesus found solace where others saw uninhabitable wasteland. He didnt fear isolation but looked to it for peace and renewal. In my own story, Im still struggling to find light in the darkness. But eight months after Robs death, I know this truth with growing confidence: If Jesus sought out lonely places, hes here with me in mine. Hes with me in the sadness of days spent without my husband; in a future now empty of his presence; in a quarantine that further removes me from all of the support that sustained me these past eight months. As communities around the world close down because of COVID-19, I suspect Im not alone in my loneliness. We all carry our various sorrows into quarantine. Even though we know that Jesus attends us in our isolation, this knowledge may still not offer enough balm, and maybe for good reason. As C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. In her book Blessed Are the Unsatisfied, Amy Simpson echoes Lewis. Maybe God doesnt want to take away our longings yet, she writes. When we grow deeper in faith and closer to Jesus, were likely to find ourselves lessnot moresatisfied with life here and now. Indeed, Jesus will come to our lonely places. He promises to meet us in our deserts, our quarantined spaces, to renew our souls, bring us joy, comfort our hearts, and give us peace. If in the midst of this companionship our loneliness still gnaws at us, we can assure ourselves that its less a symptom of our solitude and more a mark of normal spiritual restlessness. This lingering loneliness reflects a deep longing for communion, one that will only ever be satisfied when we see Jesus face-to-face. For now, quarantine will test our mettle as we learn to navigate life in isolation. In these next weeks and possibly months of separation, Christ invites us to direct our hearts toward him. These hours spent alone will only increase our longing for that sweet communion promised in the life to come, with those weve lost and with our faithful God. Clarissa Moll (MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the young widow of author Rob Moll and the mother of their four children. After a career in fundraising and marketing for small nonprofits, she now supports those in grief through her writing. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. A breastfeeding mother was among those approached by police as they ramp up efforts to enforce social distancing rules. Officers were seen descending on beaches in Sydney's eastern beaches on Wednesday to move on anyone deemed to be flouting the tough new restrictions. Video footage by Nine News showed two mothers sitting on a park bench around Coogee Beach, with one breastfeeding her child. A young mother who was breastfeeding her child beside a beach was approached by police enforcing social distancing laws The male officer approached the pair and exchanged words, before he let them be. Other members of the public, including tradesmen and elderly people walking along the promenade, were also targeted by police. Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Police for comment. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said during a press conference on Wednesday officers have been enforcing laws. 'I know there has been criticism of police, which I don't accept. I accept the criticism of my leadership,' he said. 'But we continue to enforce almost daily in terms of powers and policy. 'I've asked police to show a high level of discretion. Our power of discretion is one of the most powerful powers and we will continue to use that.' Officers were seen descending on beaches in Sydney's eastern beaches, such as Coogee, on Wednesday to call out anyone breaking the new laws Commissioner Fuller said he wasn't suggesting tickets are not issued, but that the community works with police. Australians must stay 1.5 metres away from each other and can't gather in groups larger than two. People also cannot leave the home unless it is an essential outing. Other members of the public, such as tradesman and elderly people walking down the street, were also approached by police This includes going to get groceries or obtaining services, travelling to and from work, getting medical care or exercising. In New South Wales breaching the social distancing guidelines falls under the Public Health Act. A breach of the Public Health Act carries a maximum fine of $11,000, six months in jail or a $1,000 on-the-spot fine. The rights of young people working on Irish farms are being breached, the EU-mandated Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has warned. In a new report, the ECSR noted that young people working for close relatives on farms here have no right to four weeks' paid annual leave and are not covered by the Minimum Wage Act. The report says this is a breach of young people's rights under the EU Social charter, which Ireland signed up to in 2000. The ECSR also concluded that Ireland was in breach of the charter because the rules governing the employment of schoolchildren do not apply to children employed by a close relative here. It said school children under the age of 15 are permitted under Irish law to perform 'light work' for an excessive duration (seven hours a day and 35 hours a week outside the school term), and therefore the work cannot be qualified as being light under the EU charter. The Committee also found that the wages paid to workers aged between 16 and 18 are too low and that young people working for close relatives are not covered by the Minimum Wage Act. Ireland was also found to be in breach of the rights of young people in relation to night work. Kilkenny Bio-Entrepreneur Blaine Doyle, Founder and CEO of GlowDx, finds himself on the front line of medical diagnostics. He is playing a leading role in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America, as the World Health Organisation stressed the importance of Test, Test, Test. The 28 year old Graignamanagh man, a UCC graduate in molecular biology and bio-innovation, founded his company in the IndieBio Accelerator, Sean OSullivans Biotech Company Builder, funded by SOSV. GlowDx was founded by Dr Yensi Flores, who is originally from Honduras, Rodrigo Cervantes, a Mexican Bio-Medical Engineer, and myself, said Blaine. We just wondered how we could bring diagnostics into the emerging markets and into molecular diagnostics to decentralised healthcare settings. Thats basically why the company started, he continued. It was to democratise access to diagnostics in Latin America. So whether you are in a metropolis like Mexico City or a clinic in rural Colombia, you can get the healthcare answers you need. Contracting the Dengue virus in Honduras proved to be his defining moment as he developed a test for the disease which affects 350 million annually. Its not always the case, he added. I had the experience of catching Dengue Fever in Honduras. Its dangerous; self-limiting if you keep on top of your symptoms, but the after-effects like fatigue, can take their toll. It infects 350 million people every year - and the cost is approximately 30 billion to the global economy, he added. Having graduated from DCU with a B.Sc. in Biotechnology at 21, he had a little bit of experience working with Industry and the national blood bank, but doing a M.Sc. at UCC was his way of going deeper into the healthcare industry - a decision he never regretted. While on clinical research in Honduras, he discovered the need to make early, reliable and quick diagnosis available to those who contract infectious diseases, was absolutely vital. GlowDx grew from Blaines brush with Dengue Fever. Now, the company develops diagnostic tests and platforms, while also operating a brand ChektAhora (www.ChektAhora.com) in Mexico City. ChektAhora focuses on womens health and sexual health, covering testing for HPV, plus other bacterial and viral infections. With a high percentage of Mexico Citys 22 million inhabitants within the Millennial and Generation-Z demographics, Sexual Health needs are experiencing dramatic rise in demand, he said. Our team of scientists in Mexico are working to offer quick turnarounds in results using a fully automated molecular set-up. In Mexico City, 99% of the HPV cases are a high risk strain, and at risk to cervical cancer developing. Our test kit, collects a vaginal swab in your own home. Results are back in 24 hours, with a team of gynaecologists on hand via telemedicine to assist with any aftercare. We are focused on building a millennial brand; nobody is speaking up for the young people who may be struggling with intimate healthcare issues or STDs. Were aiming to take the taboo out of sexual health, for the younger Latin American population, beginning with Mexico and Brazil. Its a big problem, not just in Mexico, but globally, he added. This test helps people know their status and do something about it! Mexico made the most sense, he said by way of explaining their base. Rodrigo was GM of a German Medical Company, managing distributors from the north of Mexico to the south of Argentina. He was a target man in Latin America, and we convinced him to leave corporate role and join us. Thats been important from the start. For now though, all global resources are focussed on Covid-19. While its still building in Latin America to the vengeance it hit Europe with, there is nothing to suggest that it wont. And GlowDx Mexico is ready to be on that front line. We have been stockpiling our laboratory for two months now, ensuring we will be ready for what is to come, said Blaine. We have some developments we are working on right now to tackle this pandemic and prepare for the future, but I cant say what at this moment! The spread of the virus has been an interesting study for the Kilkenny molecular biologist. Respiratory diseases are interesting, he said. Initially, I thought we would have contained it in Asia, but thats clearly not been the case, scientists are still finding out things about the virus, how it mutates, how its moving. I recommend looking at the Johns Hopkins University, Coronavirus Resource Centre Dashboard, as that has excellent data sets and great visualisations, or TWIV: This Week in Virology Podcast if you want to hear from frontline clinicians. My advice is keep washing your hands with soap and hot water, be conscientious of those around you (especially the vulnerable), continue self-isolation and follow the HSEs advice as this situation progresses, he said. Our country is on top of things and to give credit the government has led the way in Europe. At present Doyle is spending time in Ireland, grounded and supporting his team in Mexico City, his home from home, virtually. Blaine is an active board member of the Mexican Irish Chamber of Commerce and, like many Irish people living abroad, he has maintained his gra for home with the wonder of working in a new environment, pace of life and community. No matter how much I travel, I dont forget how much contrast can be seen in small towns all over the world, when compared to growing up in a small town in Ireland, he said. Its so impactful when you see life there, and think of the difference in opportunity. For me its a testament to the responsibility we have to our country and world to make it a better for everyone. I still love molecular biology - I am a scientist at heart. It is really interesting to see the science applied and having an impact on people. Putting something into peoples hands to get the answers they need is so rewarding. In a fast evolving business, now more than ever before, Blaine takes it in his stride. There is nothing business has thrown at us that I cant be grateful for, he said. Each challenge brings a lesson. Avakov added now it is the crucial moment of the epidemic's attack. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov claims the situation in Ukraine as regards the coronavirus quarantine measures will return to normal no earlier than May 15. At the same time, the minister said it is necessary to monitor the developments in Europe, "which was covered by the wave of the virus before us." "My point of view: the country will begin to return to normal life no earlier than May 15. And this is an optimistic assumption," the minister wrote on Facebook. Read alsoChartered flights evacuating Ukrainians to be banned unless all passengers sign observation consent interior minister Avakov added now it is the crucial moment of the epidemic's attack, "if we don't do hugs and go barbecuing in parks, 'rewarding' each other with the virus, we could bring down the peak of the virus, avoiding the level of tragic losses." Its been another Keystone Kops month, with a reasonably stable Patch Tuesday, followed by a hasty Patch Thursday to cover a security hole Microsoft accidentally blabbed, then the usual buggy optional, non-security, C/D Week patch, finishing with a fix for yet another bug introduced by earlier patches. Plus ca change Along the way we got a quiet fix for a bug in Windows Defender. And a warning about yet another bad-font-takes-over-your-PC security hole. Microsoft has toned down its original warning about that Type 1 Font Parsing security hole, and now says its mostly a less-severe problem with Windows 7 and related servers. All the while, in spite of loud sirens from many corners, there have been exactly zero emergencies, where a Microsoft patch fixed a hole thats being widely exploited. Which means its a good time to make sure you have the March patches installed, in preparation for what awaits in WFH April. Heres how to do it. Make a full backup Make a full system image backup before you install the latest patches. Theres a non-zero chance that the patches even the latest, greatest patches of patches of patches will hose your machine. Best to have a backup that you can reinstall even if your machine refuses to boot. This, in addition to the usual need for System Restore points. There are plenty of full-image backup products, including at least two good free ones: Macrium Reflect Free and EaseUS Todo Backup. Install the latest Win10 March Cumulative Update If you havent yet moved to Win10 version 1909 (in the Windows search box type winver and hit Enter), I recommend that you do so. The bugs in version 1903 are largely replicated in 1909 and vice versa, so theres very little reason to hold off on making the switch although, admittedly, theres almost nothing worthwhile thats new in version 1909. I have detailed instructions for moving to 1909 here. To get the latest March Cumulative Update installed, click Start > Settings > Update & Security. If you see a Resume updates box (screenshot), click on it. Woody Leonhard/IDG Thats all you need to do. Windows, in its infinite wisdom, will install the March Cumulative Update at its own pace. If you dont see a Resume updates box, you already have the March Cumulative update and youre good to go. If you see a come-on for the optional, non-security, C/D Week patch KB 4541335 (screenshot), simply ignore it. Theres absolutely nothing in that patch that you need or want, and its causing all sorts of problems. Woody Leonhard/IDG Theres a reason why Microsoft is discontinuing these step-in-the-mess optional patches. When your machine comes back up for air, dont panic if your desktop doesnt look right, or you cant log in to your usual account. You got bit by the temporary profile bug, which weve known about and complained about for more than a month. We have three separate threads on AskWoody about solving the problem (1, 2, 3) and if you need additional help, you can always post a question. (Thx @PKCano.) Also, dont be overly surprised if you discover that, after installing the March patches, your internet connection disappears when you connect to a virtual private network. Yep, thats another bug introduced by this months patches. For a change, Microsoft has actually documented the bug and released a fix. You should only install the manual-download-only patch of a patch KB 4554364 if youre getting knocked offline when connecting to a VPN. If your internet stays connected, simply ignore this warning. Youll get updated in April. At least, theoretically. While youre mucking about with Windows Update, it wouldnt hurt to pause updates, to take you out of the direct line of fire the next time Microsoft releases a buggy bunch of patches. Click Start > Settings > Update & Security. Click Pause updates for 7 days. Next, click on the newly revealed link, which says Pause updates for 7 more days, four more times. That pauses all updates for 35 days, until early May. With a little luck thatll be long enough for Microsoft to fix any bugs it introduces in April. And the March stragglers, for that matter. Patch Win7, Win8.1, or associated servers If youve paid for Win7 Extended Security Updates and youre having trouble getting them installed, Microsoft has a new article called Troubleshoot issues in Extended Security Updates that may be of help. Were also fielding questions on AskWoody. 0patch continues to provide patches for Win7, going so far as to fix the announced new font parsing bug, which Microsoft itself hasnt even fixed as yet. If youre running Win7 and havent been able to get Extended Security Updates working (there are lots of reported problems!), @abbodi86 offers a script thatll let you install the latest Win7 security patches, bypassing the ESU restrictions. Several high-profile security guri, including Patch Lady Susan Bradley, have called on Microsoft to open up its March 2020 Win7 patches to everybody, particularly considering the number of people who are working from home, on older machines, through no fault of their own. Windows 8.1 continues to be the most stable version of Windows around. To get this months puny Monthly Rollup installed, follow AKB 2000004: How to apply the Win7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups. You should have one Windows patch, dated March 10 (the Patch Tuesday patch). No, you dont want the Preview of Monthly Rollup. After youve installed the latest Monthly Rollup, if youre intent on minimizing Microsofts snooping, run through the steps in AKB 2000007: Turning off the worst Win7 and 8.1 snooping. If you want to thoroughly cut out the telemetry, see @abbodi86s detailed instructions in AKB 2000012: How To Neutralize Telemetry and Sustain Windows 7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollup Model. Thanks to the dozens of volunteers on AskWoody who contribute mightily, especially @sb, @PKCano, @abbodi86 and many others. Weve moved to MS-DEFCON 3 on the AskWoody Lounge. Being a disciple means letting oneself be guided by the Holy Spirit. For this reason, a disciple of Jesus is someone of Tradition and novelty, a free person, never subject to ideologies. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis urged those who work in print and broadcast media to help people endure this period of isolation. Speaking at the start of the Mass he celebrated this morning at Casa Santa Marta, the pontiff said: Today I would like us to pray for all those who work in the media, who work to communicate today, so that people dont feel too isolated, for the education of children, for information, to help endure this time of isolation. In his homily, Francis spoke about the Gospel passage (Jn 8:31-42) in which Jesus tells the Jews: If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Discipleship, he said, means letting yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. For this reason, a disciple of Jesus is a person of Tradition and novelty, a free person, never subject to ideologies. In the Gospel passage, there is an intense discussion between Jesus and the doctors of the Law, explained the Pope. Above all, people try to show their identity. John tries to get closer to the struggle to clarify his identity, that of Jesus, as well that of the doctors. Jesus backs them into a corner by showing them their contradictions. And they, in the end, find no other way out than through insult. It is one of the saddest pages, it is blasphemy. They insult Our Lady. Speaking of identity, Jesus spoke to the Jews who believed and advised them: If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples. The Lord repeated many times the word he loved so much, at the dinner too: Remain in me, Remain in the Lord. He did not say: 'Study well, learn the arguments well; this is taken for granted. But he does get into the most important thing, the one that is most dangerous for life, if it is not done: remaining. Remain in my word. Those who remain in the word of Jesus have their own Christian identity. Which one? Truly be my disciples. Christian identity is not a card that says 'I am a Christian', an identity card. No. It is discipleship. You, if you remain in the Lord, in the Word of the Lord, in the life of the Lord, you will be a disciple. If you don't remain, you will be one who sympathises with the doctrine, who follows Jesus as a man who does a lot of good, who is very good, who has the right values, but discipleship is precisely the true identity of the Christian. Discipleship will give us freedom. Disciples are free people because they remain in the Lord. What does Remaining in the Lord mean? [it means] Letting yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Disciples let themselves be guided by the Spirit; for this reason, they are always people of tradition and novelty, they are free people Free. [Someone who is] Never subject to ideologies, to doctrines within the Christian life, doctrines that can be discussed ... Remaining in the Lord is the Spirit that inspires. When we sing to the Spirit, we tell it that it is a guest of the soul, dwelling in us. But this [is possible] only if we remain in the Lord. I ask the Lord to let us in on the wisdom of remaining in him, to give us access to the familiarity with the Spirit: The Holy Spirit gives us freedom. And this is anointing. Whoever remains in the Lord is a disciple, and the disciple is anointed, anointed by the Spirit, who has received the anointing of the Spirit and carries it forward. This is the path to freedom and life that Jesus shows us. Discipleship is the anointing received by those who remain in the Lord. May the Lord make us understand this, which is not easy. The doctors did not understand this. One does not only understand with the head; one [also] understands with the head and the heart. [This is the] Wisdom of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that makes us disciples. The Pope ended the celebration with the Eucharistic adoration and the blessing, inviting the faithful to make spiritual communion. Addionics, an Israeli/U.K. startup that is developed next-generation rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and other applications, has raised $6 million in funding. The round is led by Next Gear Ventures, and includes a $2.5 million grant as part of the European Union's Horizon2020 innovation competition. Founded by former Imperial College London academics, Addionics has created what it claims are improved rechargeable batteries through a redesign of chargeable battery architecture. It has developed a "patent-protected" and scalable 3D metal fabrication method that are said to enhance car battery performance, increase mileage and safety, and reduce cost and charging time. Specifically, this new so-called "smart 3D structure" minimises internal resistance and improves the "mechanical longevity, thermal stability and other fundamental limitations and degradation factors" in standard batteries, says Addionics. It also says its approach is different to other companies that are trying to improve batteries, which tend to focus on chemistry rather than on physics. Addionics' chemistry agnostic approach means that it can still benefit from advances in chemistry, while bringing something additional to the table. Addionics CTO Dr. Vladimir Yufit explains in a statement: We are agnostic to the battery chemistry. Therefore, we can take existing or future batteries and enhance their performance by our smart 3D components. No matter what chemistry technology will win the electrification race, we will improve it even more." Or to put it more colourfully, Yufit says Addionics is "betting on the race, and not on the horse." To that end, the company is initially targeting the automotive market but also sees its technology finding a home in other products such as consumer electronics, medical devices, grid energy storage, drones, and more. In terms of commercial traction, it's still early days. However, Addionics says it is currently working with an unnamed tier-1 American automotive company on a proof-of-concept design and testing Addionics cells in vehicles. Dr. Moshiel Biton, Addionics CEO, says that the goal is to have 3-4 major collaborations with "world-leading OEMs" over the next year. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 18:56:42|Editor: yhy Video Player Close HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decree on Wednesday to declare a nationwide epidemic in Vietnam. The COVID-19 epidemic is spreading nationwide, the decree noted, adding that it is classified as a Class A contagious disease, which is defined as a group of "extremely dangerous infectious diseases that can transmit very rapidly and spread widely with high mortality rates" according to the Vietnamese law. The decree came after the total confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 212 on Wednesday morning in Vietnam. It noted a series of epidemic prevention and control measures in accordance with the law on contagious disease prevention and control, including organizing a national steering committee on epidemic prevention and control, announcing and reporting the epidemic, organizing health check-up and treatment, organizing medical quarantine and carrying out disinfection in epidemic hit regions. Other measures include personal hygiene measures, entry and exit control on epidemic-hit regions, mobilization and deployment of resources for epidemic control work and international cooperation in epidemic control. Vietnam on Tuesday ordered a 15-day nationwide social distancing against COVID-19 starting from Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home, keep a distance of at least two meters from each other and avoid gatherings of more than two people. The international community needs to better consolidate efforts and transcend all possible differences to jointly fight the novel coronavirus pandemic - a common enemy facing all mankind, speakers at the latest edition of Vision China said. Jointly organized by China Daily and Tsinghua University, the event, "Fighting COVID-19: We are all Together", was broadcast online to a global audience at 8:30 pm (Beijing time) on March 31, 2020. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Jointly organized by China Daily and Tsinghua University, the event, "Fighting COVID-19: We are all Together" was broadcast online to a global audience at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, Beijing time. It brought together renowned experts and scholars, a WHO representative and ordinary people who have been living in Wuhan, the city hit the hardest in China, who shared their views and stories in fighting the disease. "Public health security is a common challenge facing all countries, and COVID-19 is the common enemy of all mankind," Chen Xu, chairwoman of the Tsinghua University Council, said in an opening address. "Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to fight the virus, and the only effective course of action," she said. Zhou Shuchun, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, also said that the whole world is now fighting against a common enemy - COVID-19. President Xi Jinping has stated since the onset of the epidemic that China upholds the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and calls for nations to unite in building a community of common health. "The fast-spreading pandemic has put all people in the same boat," Zhou said while delivering his opening speech. "This is a time for unity and solidarity. This is a time for reason and responsibility." He said the sacrifices borne by the Chinese people have served to stem the transmission of the virus, giving the rest of the world precious time to prepare for the looming crisis. Zhou Shuchun (left), publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, and Chen Xu (right), chairwoman of the Tsinghua University Council speak at the Vision China event on March 31, 2020. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Just as the international community rallied to help China in this time of need, the country has been quick to lend a hand to other countries in sharing both knowledge and material aid, he added. For instance, Tsinghua has made breakthroughs in antibody and vaccine research, and has provided open access to Tsinghua's drug discovery resources and platforms for global researchers, according to Chen. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the director-general of the World Health Organization, said he was impressed with China's efforts in fighting the outbreak after he visited the country in February. People's sense of social responsibility is embedded in Chinese culture and the experiences in fighting the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2003 are key in supporting China's fight against the virus, he said. What's more, China's responses of speedy diagnosis, isolation and treatment have effectively helped to contain the outbreak. Aylward stressed that when the WHO names diseases like COVID-19, it always tries to avoid creating any kind of statement attaching it to a place or to a country because that does not help, as global understanding and cooperation needs to be fostered. He Yafei, a senior veteran diplomat, said the world's responses to the pandemic have been "very much fragmented", and called for more solidarity and unity. "Some take one kind of measure, which is more leisurely, the other maybe more restrictive. There are no coordinated, concerted actions to show that we are in this together," He, former vice-minister of foreign affairs and former vice-minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, said in his speech. Speaking of China's assistance to the international community, he said the country is shouldering a responsibility commensurate to its global status. He said China will continue to provide assistance to countries in need within its own capacity, and "other countries, especially the United States, should be doing the same thing". This combination of photos shows the file photos of guest speakers at the Vision China event on March 31, 2020: (from the left to right) Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the director general of the World Health Organization; Zhang Ruiru, a Tsinghua University student in Wuhan; Megan Monroe, a teacher from the United States in Wuhan; Jim O'Neill, a leading economist from the United Kingdom;He Yafei, a veteran senior Chinese diplomat and Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a renowned China expert. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Robert Kuhn, a renowned China expert and a recipient of the China Reform Friendship Medal, said that nations will collectively win when fighting together against the virus, and will collectively lose when they argue and blame each other. "Containing the global pandemic, like bolstering the global economy, depends on US-China collaboration," he said. Kuhn said the two countries can either work together to fight the pandemic, developing drugs and vaccines to kill and stop COVID-19, or suffer an out-of-control global pandemic and a chain-reaction cratering of the global economy. "Nourish the virus with US-China competition. Or starve the virus with US-China cooperation," he said. Kuhn said China's vision of a shared future, exhorting all nations to act for the common good, fits our turbulent times. Jim O'Neill, chair of the international think tank Chatham House and a former commercial secretary to the UK Treasury, said that the world economy is facing a crisis even bigger than in 2008, and a more complicated situation because this crisis is triggered by public health instead of simply economics. "We need urgency, imagination and determination around the world, and if we do not, the recession the world inevitably already got into in the past few weeks will end up being very severe," he said in his speech. O'Neill said China's getting back to normal growth is almost definitely key for the performance of the world economy. Also speaking at the event were two individuals who have spent the past few months in Wuhan - the Chinese city that has been stricken severely by the novel coronavirus. Zhang Ruiru, a 20-year-old student at Tsinghua University, went back to her home city of Wuhan for the traditional Chinese New Year holiday. Both of her parents were later diagnosed with the infection, and have recovered. Zhang said the fight against the outbreak has made her fully realize the strong unity of the Chinese people. "Chinese people have stood out as one to fight the virus. Medical workers from all over the country descended on Wuhan to help, resources were sent into the city from all over China," she said. "I'm sure those medical workers were extremely exhausted, and they must have been afraid of being infected, but they didn't show it." Megan Monroe from the United States, who has been working as a teacher in Wuhan, decided not to go back to the US, but stayed in the city and started to post videos on the TikTok video-sharing platform since the first day of the city's lockdown on Jan 23. She said she wanted to show what was happening in the city and the best of the worst situation. "Chinese people have been very resilient during this time," she said. "For when this virus continues to spread, I think that everyone needs to look at other countries, and especially look toward China to see what China has done for this virus, because we can only overcome this together." The event on Tuesday was the 10th Vision China event since its launch in 2018. By inviting well-known political, business and academic speakers to tell China's story from global perspectives and discuss major global topics, it aims to become a broad platform to ensure China's voice is better heard in the new era, as well as to build a new channel for responding to global concerns on hot China-related issues. These were among incidents reported by the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office and the Leesburg and Purcellville police. For information, contact your police or sheriffs department. I framed it as, Lets start this conversation and see where it goes, Tracy said. I knew wed have some drop in revenue, but not how much or how long the shutdown will last. I try to keep things as open as possible and keep lines of communication open." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi made a statement regarding the US military presence and steps in Iraq, Tasnim reported. While the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the international community are emphasizing the need for halting the tension-creating and warmongering measures amid the outbreak of coronavirus, these (US) moves are against the official and announced will of the Iraqi government, Parliament and people, would create tensions, and could steer the regional situation towards instability and catastrophic conditions, he warned. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called on the US military to respect the Iraqi government and people, leave the country and stop creating tension in the region. Even as Canadas largest city Toronto cancelled all events till the end of June, a government document appears to suggest that the country may be looking at restrictions related to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, till at least July this year. The Canadian daily National Post obtained a government document that states: Current GoC (Government Operations Centre) modelling suggests as a best case scenario that current measures continue until at least July. The GOC, according to Public Safety Canadas website, provides an all-hazards integrated federal emergency response to events (potential or actual, natural or human-induced, accidental or intentional) of national interest. While that document may stretch the timeline for relaxation of rules imposed due to the coronavirus threat, the city of Torontos authorities have also decided that measures will be in place till late into this summer. In a tweet, city Mayor John Tory said, Today we announced the cancellation of mass events permitted by the City through to June 30th. While the City recognizes the importance of special events and festivals to the livability and vitality of the city, protecting the health and safety of residents is of primary concern. Among the major events that will be affected by this decision are Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America and the annual Pride parade. These details underscore a point that many officials have made, though without getting into specifics, that battling COVID-19 will be a long haul. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that how long the impact lasts will hinge on the choices Canadians make. He said during a media appearance: We will be able to say more about how many weeks or months this lasts for as we see the impacts of the behaviours people have engaged in over these days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharyya Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. ...view detail The pastor of Life Tabernacle Church in Central went ahead with an evening religious service Tuesday night just hours after city police cited him over allegations he violated a state order to limit crowd sizes during an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Pastor Tony Spell is accused of violating provisions of Gov. John Bel Edwards' emergency declaration six times over the past two weeks. Spell has ignored requests from city, parish and state leaders to suspend services at Life Tabernacle Church amid a surge in fatal coronavirus cases in Louisiana and the region. "He will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community," Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said midday Tuesday shortly after Spell was fingerprinted and read his constitutional rights. "We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community's leaders to set a positive example and follow the law." Spell was issued a summons, but Corcoran explained during a news conference that this action by his officers constituted an arrest, though Spell was not taken to jail. Despite being accused of the misdemeanor offenses, which carry a maximum punishment of $500 and up to six months in parish jail, Spell announced before the Tuesday night service that he will continue to hold services. "This is an attack on religion. This an attack on our constitutional rights. We have a constitutional right to assemble and to gather and there are no laws that I am breaking," he said earlier Tuesday, as his wife, Shaye, hugged him inside the church's main worship area. When asked what he would do if Spell held another service, Corcoran said earlier Tuesday, "We're going to take it as we see it. Spells service did not appear to be halted Tuesday night by law enforcement, but this was no typical gathering off Hooper Road. Close to a dozen media members observed as parishioners children, their parents, the elderly and disabled, and young men and women filed into the church in the fading evening light and got their temperature taken at the door. Several congregants declined comment as they walked indoors, though one man suggested media members make an offering later on and perhaps listen in on Spells sermon. Later, as music and singing could be heard inside, a top Baton Rouge-area NAACP official stood on the front lawn of the church and called on a bull horn for Spell to come outside and explain himself as onlookers sat in parked cars along the road in front of the church. Come on, Tony. Come on out and tell us why youre being selfish, Tony, shouted Eugene Collins, the Baton Rouge chapter president of the NAACP. Three East Baton Parish Sheriffs Office sport-utility vehicles could be seeing driving into the parking lot of the church. Officers got out and observed people entering the church for a time before leaving as night closed in and the 7:30 p.m. service had begun. "Our assistance was requested to help with vehicles on the side of the road to help prevent traffic accidents," sheriff's office spokeswoman Casey Raborn Hicks said in a statement when asked what the deputies were doing in the parking lot. Chief Corcoran didnt respond to a request for comment through his dispatcher on Tuesday night. The law enforcement officials had someone watching them. Raymond Dennis, 50, of Bayou Goula, was in the parking lot video-recording the deputies with his cell phone. Dennis said he wanted to see if the officers were going to stand behind officials promise to enforce the governors orders. Even though Dennis said his own church has been conducting services online since the outbreak, Dennis, who is a health care worker and church organist, said he believes Spell had a constitutional right to speak and say what he believes. He should be able to worship if thats what he chooses to do, Dennis said. Hes protected under the First Amendment. Several others watching the proceedings outside the church had different take. 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 Pamela Prescott, 50, of Zachary, had taken a granddaughter and a niece to watch was happening in protest of what Spell was leading his congregation to do. She said his members arent just from Central and were spreading out across the Baton Rouge area and wondered why the service was even happening at all. This is just ridiculous that they wont stop it, she said. While Louisiana has seen more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus, and more than 200 deaths, Spell has ignored the potential danger to his congregation and the community by holding large public religious services. Medical experts have said that, to blunt the sharp increase in coronavirus cases and related COVID-19 illnesses that could strain the medical system, people should avoid large crowds as much as possible. Among those also counseling Spell has been former state Rep. Tony Perkins, who has allowed Spell to join him on conference calls with the Trump administration and their response to the pandemic. If I thought this was an attack on religious freedom, Id be right there with him, said Perkins, who serves as president of the Family Research Council. Its a directive for the sake of public health not to meet. Though legal experts say law enforcement officials have authority to enforce limits on crowd size, sheriff's deputies and Central city police officers hadn't acted to halt Spell's services until Tuesday. But, in the day and a half leading up to Spell's citation, the rhetoric from Gov. Edwards, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and District Attorney Hillar Moore had notched up noticeably. The order is to protect everyone and not infringe on anyone's rights, Moore said. This is a serious, deadly emergency. Reached after city leaders held the midday news conference about Spell's arrest, the Pentecostal preacher said he understood the potential consequences of continuing to have public religious services but intended to go forward with additional gatherings. Spell asserted that he is operating under his constitutional rights and under a mandate given to him by Jesus Christ, "who said do not forsake to assemble together." Spell added that government authorities were throwing away the nation's Constitution under a "COVID hoax" that hasn't had the level of medical toll and death that, he says, experts had initially predicted would happen at this point. He called the fears about the virus a "politically motivated scheme to shut the doors on America's churches and we refuse to shut our doors." "Yes, we're gonna have service," he added, "and if I am arrested, the second man in charge will step in. If he is arrested, the third man in charge will step in. If he is arrested, the thousands of people who are members of this congregation are gonna step in, but you can't take us all." At the end of the mid-day interview Tuesday, Spell and other members of his church prayed over an Advocate reporter to continue providing fair news coverage of the situation. In the Tampa Bay area, authorities arrested a pastor who had held large services in violation of the countys ban on large gatherings. At least one religious service in Illinois has been linked to an outbreak of coronavirus that infected more than three dozen people, according to The Chicago Tribune. State leaders in Arkansas also reported a similar outbreak that saw dozens sickened at a rural church 70 miles north of Little Rock. Edwards, after declaring a public emergency, has directed that no one gather in groups larger than 50; the president has suggested groups no larger than 10. The governor has also issued a stay-at-home order for people who do not have essential jobs in businesses such as home construction, groceries and health care. Most churches have complied with the orders, in Louisiana and elsewhere, accommodating parishioners by moving services and Bible studies online. Edwards said Tuesday he was disturbed by the church continuing to hold large services. Its unfortunate that a leader would choose and make the conscious decision to violate what is a legal order which is imperative to public health, Edwards said. (All dollar figures are unaudited and in U.S. dollars) TORONTO, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K; NYSE:KGC) (Kinross or the Company) continues to implement comprehensive and proactive measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Company cannot predict the future impact of the pandemic on its global operations, all Kinross mines continue to operate and have not been materially impacted to date (see Appendix A). The Company has taken preventative actions and put contingency plans in place at all sites that prioritize and protect the health and safety of employees, their families and host communities. In late January 2020, the Company created a cross-functional COVID-19 Task Force to initiate planning and preparation, following the advice of health authorities and expert medical and travel advisers. Since then, numerous initiatives have been implemented in response to the pandemic. These include: rigorous and extensive social distancing practices; remote working where possible; increased medical preparedness; banning non-essential business travel; continuous promotion of hygienic practices recommended by health authorities; increased cleaning and disinfection, and; increased support to employees and communities. Kinross continues to also work closely with host governments and local health authorities to ensure proper protocols are followed during the ongoing crisis. Business continuity plans have been prepared and implemented for each site to mitigate operational and supply chain risk. To help mitigate operational risks, the Company has implemented screening, isolation and quarantine procedures for all employees arriving at Kinross remote camp-based sites, adjusted rotation schedules and is limiting site access, among other measures. In the supply chain area, mitigation measures include initiating a process to increase stocks of key consumables to at least three months on hand, ordering additional critical spares, assessing potential disruptions, and identifying alternative sources of supply. Story continues Kinross continues to maintain a strong financial position and liquidity. As a precautionary measure to protect against economic and business uncertainties caused by the pandemic and subsequent government actions, Kinross drew down $750 million from its $1.5 billion revolving credit facility on March 20, 2020. The Company does not currently plan to deploy the funds given its strong financial position. As of March 31, 2020, Kinross has more than $1 billion in cash and cash equivalents, reflecting cash flow from operations in Q1 2020 offset by payments related to the Chulbatkan acquisition, a tax payment in Brazil, a semi-annual interest payment for Kinross senior notes, and repayment of the amount drawn on the credit facility at December 31, 2019. As previously planned, Kinross has submitted a drawdown notice for $200 million on the $300 million Tasiast project financing facility. The first funds are expected in mid-April 2020. The financing, which was signed on December 16, 2019, is an asset recourse loan with the IFC (a member of the World Bank Group), Export Development Canada, ING Bank and Societe Generale. At this time, the Company has total debt of approximately $2.5 billion, and net debt1 of less than $1.5 billion. The Company has no debt maturities until September 2021. Despite the Companys strong financial position, Kinross continues to plan for the potential impact of a wide range of outcomes on its financial position and balance sheet, including reviewing discretionary capital expenditures. Kinross has also continued to assess the potential impacts of the pandemic on its 2020 production and cost guidance. While the crisis has had no material impacts on the Companys operations to date, Kinross has decided to withdraw its full-year 2020 guidance. The Company believes this is the prudent approach given the pandemics significant impact on the world economy, the implications of government-mandated constraints on financial, commercial and business activities, and the potential for further business disruptions and global health impacts. Favourable fuel prices and foreign exchange rates are expected to provide offsets to some of the incremental costs resulting from Kinross contingency measures. The Company will continue to target the safe delivery of its operating plans, notwithstanding the potential impacts of the global crisis. For the first quarter of 2020, the Company expects gold sales to be slightly lower than production due to the impacts of the global crisis on timing of sales and metal shipments. Kinross is actively managing its metal shipments to mitigate impacts of the suspension, or risk of suspension, of operations at several refineries. Alternate transportation channels have been secured and further contingency plans are being prepared. Kinross preliminary Q1 2020 production, which has been impacted in part by crisis-related contingency measures, is expected to be approximately 560,000 Au eq. oz., with sales of approximately 540,000 Au eq. oz. Preliminary cost of sales per ounce sold for Q1 2020 is expected to be at the higher end of the original annual guidance range. During these challenging times, I would like to thank all our employees around the world who have stepped up and worked long hours under difficult circumstances to keep our people safe and our sites operating. I would also like to thank our host governments, including Mauritania and Russia, for supporting our Company as we work to manage and respond to this unprecedented global crisis, said J. Paul Rollinson, President and CEO. We are continuously looking at implementing more precautionary and mitigation measures across our Company to protect our employees, their families and our host communities. We are also focused on ensuring our business continuity plans are sound, and that we are as prepared as possible in this rapidly evolving crisis. President and CEO J. Paul Rollinson will today participate in a fireside chat with Greg Barnes, Managing Director, Head of Mining Research at TD Securities Inc., to discuss Kinross global response to the COVID-19 crisis. The link to the fireside chat will be available at 3 p.m. ET today in the Events and COVID-19 sections at www.kinross.com . For more information on the Companys COVID-19 response, visit: https://www.kinross.com/news-and-investors/covid-19/ About Kinross Gold Corporation Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Mauritania, and Russia. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol:K) and the New York Stock Exchange (KGC). Media Contact Louie Diaz Senior Director, Corporate Communications phone: 416-369-6469 louie.diaz@kinross.com Investor Relations Contact Tom Elliott Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development phone: 416-365-3390 tom.elliott@kinross.com Appendix A: Kinross operations and projects (As of March 31, 2020) Operation Location Status Government decree Round Mountain Nevada, U.S.A. Operating Mining considered essential as part of State of Nevada regulations issued on March 20, 2020. Bald Mountain Nevada, U.S.A. Operating Mining considered essential as part of State of Nevada regulations issued on March 20, 2020. Fort Knox Alaska, U.S.A. Operating Mining considered essential as part of State of Alaska declaration on March 27, 2020. Paracatu Minas Gerais, Brazil Operating Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy has declared mining essential. Tasiast Mauritania Operating Government of Mauritania and the Company have discussed their common desire to ensure the continuation of operations. Tasiast exempted on a case-by-case basis from government limits on domestic people movement. Kupol - Dvoinoye Chukotka, Russia Operating Mines not required to close as part of five day national work stoppage (commenced March 26, 2020). Chirano Ghana Operating Mining employees excluded in new act passed by Government of Ghana on March 20, 2020 that gives power to limit movement of people in times of disaster. Project Location Status Government decree Fort Knox Gilmore Alaska, U.S.A. Ongoing Mining considered essential as part of State of Alaska declaration on March 27, 2020. Tasiast 24k Mauritania Ongoing Government of Mauritania and the Company have discussed their common desire to ensure the continuation of operations. Tasiast exempted on a case-by-case basis from government limits on domestic people movement. Chulbatkan Khabarovsk, Russia Ongoing Mines not required to close as part of five day national work stoppage (commenced March 26, 2020). La Coipa Restart Atacama region, Chile Ongoing Mining projects not required to halt as part of Government of Chiles declaration on March 22, 2020. Cautionary statement on forward-looking information All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release including, but not limited to, any information as to the future financial or operating performance of Kinross, constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the provisions of the Securities Act (Ontario) and the provisions for safe harbor under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. The words continue, estimate, expect, goal, guidance, initiate, mitigate, plan, potential, target or variations of or similar such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should or will be achieved, received or taken, or will occur or result and similar such expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Kinross as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The estimates and assumptions of Kinross referenced, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, guidance for production, production costs of sales forecasts for the Company meeting expectations; the continued operation of the Companys mines; the Companys financial position; the availability of the Companys Tasiast project financing; as well as the various assumptions set forth herein and in our Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2020. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: operational or financial impacts resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, the Companys financial position; the availability of the Companys Tasiast project financing; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold or certain other commodities (such as fuel and electricity) and in currency exchange rates; the effectiveness of preventative actions and contingency plans put in place by the Company to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, social distancing, a non-essential travel ban, business continuity plans, and efforts to mitigate supply chain disruptions; changes in national and local government legislation or other government actions, particularly in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; escalation of travel restrictions on people or products; adverse changes in our credit ratings or access to credit and capital markets; and reductions in the ability of the Company to transport and refine dore. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about managements expectations and plans relating to the future. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement and those made in our other filings with the securities regulators of Canada and the United States including, but not limited to, the cautionary statements made in the Risk Analysis section of our MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2020. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Kinross. Kinross disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. Other information Where we say we, us, our, the Company, or Kinross in this news release, we mean Kinross Gold Corporation and/or one or more or all of its subsidiaries, as may be applicable. Source: Kinross Gold Corporation 1 Net debt is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as Long-term debt and credit facilities less Cash and cash equivalents. NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive Coating market worldwide is projected to grow by US$7.4 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 6.7%. Polyurethane, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 7.2%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$10.7 Billion by the year 2025, Polyurethane will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797966/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 5.7% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$259.1 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$220.7 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Polyurethane will reach a market size of US$529.6 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 10% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$2 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Akzo Nobel NV Axalta Coating Systems BASF SE Jotun A/S Kansai Paint Co., Ltd. KCC Corporation Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd. PPG Industries, Inc. The Sherwin-Williams Company The Valspar Corporation Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797966/?utm_source=PRN I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Automotive Coating Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 Automotive Coating - A Vital Aspect of Vehicle Appearance Asia Pacific Presents Rapid Growth Opportunities with Expanding Automobile Production A Key Demographic Driver of Consumerism, the Growing Middle Class Population in Asia Pacific Drives Demand for New Cars: Global Middle Class Population & Spending (In Million & US$ Billion) for the Years 2020, 2025, 2030 Percentage (In %) Breakdown of Automobile Production in Asia- Pacific by Country for the Year 2018 Water Borne Technology Segment to Witness Accelerated Growth Percentage (In %) Breakdown of Water Borne Coatings Market by End Use (2018) 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Stable Automobile Production Trends Drives Market Expansion Led by China, Steadily Expanding Global Passenger Vehicle Production Drives Demand in the Market: Global Light Vehicle Production (In Million Units) by Geographic Region/Country for the Years 2017, 2019, 2022 Global Coatings Sales (In US$ Billion) by Light Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle End Use Market for the Years 2018 and 2021 Steady Global Demand for Commercial Vehicles Boosts Growth Rising Light Commercial Vehicle Sales Driven by Growing e- Commerce Activities Benefits Market Growth: US Class 3-5 Truck Sales (In 1,000 Units) for the Years 2017, 2019 & 2021 Robust Demand for Heavy Trucks in China Extends Opportunities for Automotive Coating: Heavy Trucks Production (In Units) in Asia Pacific Region by Country (2018) Stricter Environmental Regulations Strengthen Demand for Eco- Friendly Coatings High Gloss and Chip Resistant Features Increase Demand for Polyurethane Coatings Versatile Properties of Epoxy Resin Gain Prominence in Automotive Interior Coatings Crucial Role of Car Interiors in Saleability to Boost Demand for Epoxy Resins: Global Automotive Interiors Market (In US$ Billion) for the Years 2018, 2021 and 2024 Emergence of UV-Curable Coating Solutions to Benefit Growth Growing Automotive Lightweighting Efforts Drive Innovations in Coating Technology A Glance at Key Technological Advancements and Products Innovations New Technologies Heighten Demand for Automotive Refinish Coatings Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Market (In US$ Billion) for the Years 2018, 2020 & 2023 Rise of E-Mobility and Self-Driving Trends Unfurl New Opportunities Global Electric Vehicles Sales (In Million) for the Years 2020, 2025 & 2030 Volatility in Raw Material Pricing Restricts Market Expansion 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Automotive Coating Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Automotive Coating Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Automotive Coating Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Polyurethane (Resin Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Polyurethane (Resin Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Polyurethane (Resin Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Epoxy (Resin Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Epoxy (Resin Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Epoxy (Resin Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Acrylic (Resin Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Acrylic (Resin Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Acrylic (Resin Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Other Resin Types (Resin Type) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Other Resin Types (Resin Type) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Other Resin Types (Resin Type) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Solvent-Borne (Technology) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: Solvent-Borne (Technology) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 18: Solvent-Borne (Technology) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Water-Borne (Technology) World Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 20: Water-Borne (Technology) Market Worldwide Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Water-Borne (Technology) Market Percentage Share Distribution by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 22: Powder Coating & Others (Technology) Market Opportunity Analysis Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 23: Powder Coating & Others (Technology) Global Historic Demand in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009 to 2017 Table 24: Powder Coating & Others (Technology) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Clearcoat (Coat Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 26: Clearcoat (Coat Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 27: Clearcoat (Coat Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Basecoat (Coat Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 29: Basecoat (Coat Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 30: Basecoat (Coat Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: Primer (Coat Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Primer (Coat Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 33: Primer (Coat Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: E-Coat (Coat Type) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: E-Coat (Coat Type) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 36: E-Coat (Coat Type) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Automotive Coating Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 37: United States Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Automotive Coating Market in the United States by Resin Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 39: United States Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 40: Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million in the United States by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 41: United States Automotive Coating Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 42: United States Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: United States Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 44: Automotive Coating Market in the United States by Coat Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 45: United States Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 46: Canadian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Canadian Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Resin Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 48: Automotive Coating Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Resin Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 49: Automotive Coating Market Analysis in Canada in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 50: Automotive Coating Market in Canada: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 51: Canadian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: Canadian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 53: Canadian Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Coat Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 54: Automotive Coating Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Coat Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 JAPAN Table 55: Japanese Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 56: Automotive Coating Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 57: Japanese Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: Japanese Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 59: Automotive Coating Market in Japan in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 60: Japanese Automotive Coating Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 61: Japanese Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 62: Automotive Coating Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 63: Japanese Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 64: Chinese Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 65: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 66: Chinese Automotive Coating Market by Resin Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 67: Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in China in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 68: Chinese Automotive Coating Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 69: Automotive Coating Market in China: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 70: Chinese Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 72: Chinese Automotive Coating Market by Coat Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Automotive Coating Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 73: European Automotive Coating Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 74: Automotive Coating Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 75: European Automotive Coating Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 76: European Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018-2025 Table 77: Automotive Coating Market in Europe in US$ Million by Resin Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: European Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 79: European Automotive Coating Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 80: European Automotive Coating Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 81: Automotive Coating Market in Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 82: European Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018-2025 Table 83: Automotive Coating Market in Europe in US$ Million by Coat Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 84: European Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 85: Automotive Coating Market in France by Resin Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 86: French Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 87: French Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 88: French Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 89: French Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 90: French Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 91: Automotive Coating Market in France by Coat Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 92: French Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 93: French Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 GERMANY Table 94: Automotive Coating Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 95: German Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 96: German Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 97: German Automotive Coating Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 98: Automotive Coating Market in Germany: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 99: German Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 100: Automotive Coating Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 101: German Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 102: German Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 103: Italian Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 104: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 105: Italian Automotive Coating Market by Resin Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 106: Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in Italy in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 107: Italian Automotive Coating Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 108: Automotive Coating Market in Italy: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 109: Italian Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 110: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 111: Italian Automotive Coating Market by Coat Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 112: United Kingdom Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: Automotive Coating Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 114: United Kingdom Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 115: United Kingdom Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 116: Automotive Coating Market in the United Kingdom in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 117: United Kingdom Automotive Coating Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 118: United Kingdom Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 119: Automotive Coating Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 120: United Kingdom Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 121: Spanish Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Spanish Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Resin Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 123: Automotive Coating Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Resin Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 124: Automotive Coating Market Analysis in Spain in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 125: Automotive Coating Market in Spain: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 126: Spanish Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: Spanish Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 128: Spanish Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Coat Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 129: Automotive Coating Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Coat Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 RUSSIA Table 130: Russian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 131: Automotive Coating Market in Russia by Resin Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 132: Russian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 133: Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million in Russia by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 134: Russian Automotive Coating Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 135: Russian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Russian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 137: Automotive Coating Market in Russia by Coat Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 138: Russian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 139: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018-2025 Table 140: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Resin Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 141: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 142: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 143: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 144: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 145: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018-2025 Table 146: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Coat Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 147: Rest of Europe Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 148: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 149: Automotive Coating Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: Automotive Coating Market in Asia-Pacific by Resin Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 152: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 153: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 155: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 156: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Automotive Coating Market in Asia-Pacific by Coat Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 158: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 159: Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 160: Automotive Coating Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Australian Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 162: Australian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 163: Australian Automotive Coating Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 164: Automotive Coating Market in Australia: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 165: Australian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 166: Automotive Coating Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 167: Australian Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 168: Australian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 169: Indian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: Indian Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Resin Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 171: Automotive Coating Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Resin Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 172: Automotive Coating Market Analysis in India in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 173: Automotive Coating Market in India: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 174: Indian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 175: Indian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 176: Indian Automotive Coating Historic Market Review by Coat Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 177: Automotive Coating Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Coat Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 178: Automotive Coating Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 179: South Korean Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 180: Automotive Coating Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 181: Automotive Coating Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2018-2025 Table 182: South Korean Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 183: Automotive Coating Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Automotive Coating Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 185: South Korean Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 186: Automotive Coating Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 187: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 188: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 189: Rest of Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 190: Rest of Asia-Pacific Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 191: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 192: Rest of Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 193: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 195: Rest of Asia-Pacific Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 196: Latin American Automotive Coating Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 197: Automotive Coating Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 198: Latin American Automotive Coating Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 199: Latin American Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 200: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 201: Latin American Automotive Coating Market by Resin Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 202: Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in Latin America in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 203: Latin American Automotive Coating Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 204: Automotive Coating Market in Latin America : Percentage Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 205: Latin American Automotive Coating Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 206: Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 207: Latin American Automotive Coating Market by Coat Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 ARGENTINA Table 208: Argentinean Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018-2025 Table 209: Automotive Coating Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Resin Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 210: Argentinean Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 211: Argentinean Automotive Coating Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 212: Argentinean Automotive Coating Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 213: Automotive Coating Market in Argentina: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 214: Argentinean Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018-2025 Table 215: Automotive Coating Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Coat Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 216: Argentinean Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 217: Automotive Coating Market in Brazil by Resin Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 218: Brazilian Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 219: Brazilian Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 220: Brazilian Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 221: Brazilian Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 222: Brazilian Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 223: Automotive Coating Market in Brazil by Coat Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 224: Brazilian Automotive Coating Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 225: Brazilian Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MEXICO Table 226: Automotive Coating Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 227: Mexican Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2009-2017 Table 228: Mexican Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 229: Mexican Automotive Coating Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 230: Automotive Coating Market in Mexico: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 231: Mexican Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 232: Automotive Coating Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 233: Mexican Automotive Coating Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2009-2017 Table 234: Mexican Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 235: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 236: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Latin America by Resin Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 237: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 238: Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million in Rest of Latin America by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 239: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 240: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 241: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 242: Automotive Coating Market in Rest of Latin America by Coat Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 243: Rest of Latin America Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Coat Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 244: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 245: Automotive Coating Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 246: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 247: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Resin Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 248: The Middle East Automotive Coating Historic Market by Resin Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 249: Automotive Coating Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Resin Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 250: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 251: Automotive Coating Market in the Middle East: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 252: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 253: The Middle East Automotive Coating Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Coat Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 254: The Middle East Automotive Coating Historic Market by Coat Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 255: Automotive Coating Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Coat Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 IRAN Table 256: Iranian Market for Automotive Coating: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 257: Automotive Coating Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Resin Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 258: Iranian Automotive Coating Market Share Analysis by Resin Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 259: Iranian Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Automotive Coating Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 260: Automotive Coating Market in Iran in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 261: Iranian Automotive Coating Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Please contact our Customer Support Center to get the comp Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797966/?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 OTTAWA - The longer it takes for all Canadians to follow the rules and stay home to curb the spread of COVID-19, the longer it will be before life can return to normal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/4/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, March 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The longer it takes for all Canadians to follow the rules and stay home to curb the spread of COVID-19, the longer it will be before life can return to normal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday. Canadians are nearing the end of their third week in physical isolation with the prospect of at least another month, and likely much longer than that, before restrictions on businesses and public gatherings might start to loosen. Government financial aid packages right now are set to last at least until the end of June, including the new 75 per cent wage subsidy which Finance Minister Bill Morneau estimated Wednesday will cost $71 billion. Trudeau is asking for Parliament to be recalled to pass the legislation required to implement the new subsidy, which will apply to large and small businesses, including charities and non-profits, which have seen revenues drop at least 30 per cent because of the pandemic. Morneau said he would be open to extending the program past the end of June if necessary but nobody in the federal government was willing to say when they think the public health threat from COVID-19 will allow a return to normal activities. Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer, both said there is a lot of work underway trying to determine various scenarios but the planning isn't easy because it is so dependent on the behaviour of individual Canadians. Hajdu was terse when she said every Canadian is responsible for how long "we are stuck" inside. "If we all stopped moving for two weeks and nobody talked to anybody for two weeks and we all just stayed put, in fact we would see this virus would die," she said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Trudeau said Canadians have a "duty" to listen to the advice, which includes staying home as much as possible, limiting trips to get essentials to one store, once a week, and making sure if you are allowed to go out for a walk, that you stay at least two metres away from people you don't live with. Anyone arriving in Canada from abroad is required by law to quarantine themselves for 14 days, and anyone with symptoms or who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 must also stay home and not go outside for any reason, said Trudeau. "Everything depends on how Canadians behave," he said. Tam said this is a critical week in Canada's understanding of the effect social-distancing measures are having on the spread of the virus. Most provinces began slowing things down in mid-March, and there can be about a two-week lag in data on positive tests because it takes several days after exposure for symptoms to appear and several days after that for a test to yield results. Canada is reporting more than 9,000 positive tests and more than 100 deaths now, but Tam said what matters more than the overall numbers is the epidemic curve that shows when the people who test positive actually got sick. The current curve suggests the number of people first showing symptoms began to peak in the third week of March, but there is still a lot of data missing for positive cases detected in the last week or so. Tam said she won't know when Canada has hit its peak for COVID-19 until that peak is behind us. Ontario reported Wednesday its biggest single daily jump in positive cases thus far, with 426 additional positive tests, but information on those people's likely method of exposure through travel or community spread, for example as well as when symptoms began is not clear yet. The jump is particularly concerning for Toronto public health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa, who asked Wednesday for stricter measures to force people who are sick, and anyone who has come into contact with them, to stay home for 14 days. She asked other Torontonians to limit trips to the store and stay away from other people as much as possible. She wants the measures in place for at least 12 weeks, though she too said how long they are needed will depend on how well people comply. Tam said most of the big outbreaks in Canada are concentrated in long-term care facilities, and while younger people can and are getting very sick from this virus, older Canadians are at higher risk for serious complications. Current data shows people over the age of 60 account for 60 per cent of hospitalizations and 93 per cent of deaths, said Tam. Trudeau also said Wednesday that shipments of protective equipment, including face masks, for front-line health workers are expected to arrive in Canada in the next couple of days. Canada has a national emergency stockpile but Hajdu said Wednesday it is clear the number of masks and other protective equipment in that stockpile was not enough. She said governments around the world have been underfunding public health for decades and it has now come back to haunt them all. 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. "We are pulling out all of the stops" to get masks and equipment into the hands of people that need them, she said. Canada is still not recommending members of the general public use face coverings, but Tam acknowledged Wednesday while the effectiveness of using homemade fabric masks is unproven, there "may not be any harm" in doing so. Other countries have made stronger recommendations. Late Wednesday night, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recommended that the city's 4 million people wear masks when going outside. Although the government's direct financial aid package to respond to COVID-19 is now well above $100 billion, Freeland and Morneau both said more will come if it is needed. Some organizations and the NDP are asking for rent relief to help people who can't pay their rent right now. Freeland said in many places it is currently illegal to evict someone, but added even in places where that isn't the case, "it would be a heartless act indeed to evict someone" right now. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2020. BERKELEY (BCN) A man was charged by prosecutors Thursday on separate counts of carrying a loaded gun and carrying a loaded gun in public after being stopped by police for allegedly stealing from a Berkeley grocery store last week, police said. Kaheed Carter, 21, was arrested at a Safeway at 1444 Shattuck Place after someone flagged officers down at 4:13 p.m. Wednesday about a theft in progress, police said. Officers waited outside for Carter to leave the store without paying for merchandise. As he walked outside, officers stopped him with apparently stolen goods, according to police. When they searched Carter, the officers allegedly found him with the loaded handgun and extra ammunition, police said. They arrested Carter on suspicion of carrying a loaded/concealed handgun and violating his probation. 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. Photo credit: Taran Wilkhu From ELLE Decoration Described by the American architect Michael Sheridan as one of a distinguished group of Danish modernists who wanted to create timeless objects that would serve people and exist beyond fashion, Vilhelm Wohlert (1920-2007) had no time for attention-grabbing novelty. Rather, Sheridan says, his approach was to search for the natural and apparently anonymous ideal object. Photo credit: Vilhelm Wohlert Since its launch in 2012, craft-focused design brand Stellar Works has championed Wohlerts work, reissuing several of his pieces from the 1950s. The edit is a collaboration with Wohlerts son and fellow architect Claus. Now, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen which Vilhelm Wohlert co-designed the company has unveiled three more pieces, all originally developed for the museum: a barstool (below), a matching stacking chair and a copper dome pendant (both below). A Copenhagen native, Wohlert studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where one of his tutors was the designer Kaare Klint. In the early 1950s, Wohlert was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he encountered the Californian modernist architectural style and the flat-roofed, timber-framed houses built by developers such as Joseph Eichler. These modest designs would later have a great influence on the Louisiana Museum. Wohlert was invited to work on Louisiana in the mid-1950s by its founder Knud W Jensen, who had bought a 19th-century villa in Humlebaek, just north of Copenhagen, in order to turn it into Denmarks first contemporary art gallery. Working with fellow architect Jrgen Bo, Wohlert devoted the next 30 years to the project, designing a group of buildings that sit alongside the villa. The first wing opened in 1958, and was followed by four others and a concert hall in the ensuing years. Linked by glass walkways and cobbled paths, the museums low-lying pavilions almost disappear into the wooded landscape. Inside, exposed brickwork, timber ceilings and full-height glass walls offer panoramic views of the trees. The museums cafe is especially picturesque, overlooking the waters of the resund across to Sweden. Story continues Photo credit: Vilhelm Wohlert / Stellar Works Tasked by Jensen with finding stacking chairs for concerts and lectures, Wohlert went a step further and designed his own, with a curved shape and clever angles that allow it to be stacked. Stellar Works reissue of the design now graces the Louisiana Museum cafe, where, surrounded by brick tiles, concrete and warm wood, its destined to win many new admirers. stellarworks.com This article appeared in the March 2020 issue of ELLE Decoration. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. SIGN UP Keep up your spirits and subscribe to ELLE Decoration here, so our magazine is delivered direct to your door. The Bank of Ghana has clarified that its hospital being availed to Government for the Covid-19 fight will serve all Ghanaians and not VIPs only. The central bank was reacting to earlier comments by the Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu that the facility will only cater for the treatment of COVID 19 VIP patients and BOG staff. A statement issued by the Bank said it has been in discussions with the Ministry of Health to agree on an arrangement to avail parts of the facility, to assist in the treatment of severe and critical cases of COVID-19. This arrangement the statement says will be available for the benefit of the general public. The Bank assured the public of its support of the national effort towards the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 The North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday carried out a sanitisation and disinfection drive in the Sangam Park area from where Delhi Police had earlier evacuated and put in quarantine eight Kyrgyzstan nationals suspected to have attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin, which has become a hotspot of the coronavirus disease. Sangam Park, located at Ashok Vihar in north Delhi, has been sanitised and the operations will continue in other areas nearby areas, municipal officials said. Nearly 8,000 litres of disinfectant (a diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite) was used in the sanitation drive, the officials said, requesting anonymity. The Kyrgyz nationals, who had been living in a rented house in Bharat Nagar near Sangam Park since early March, were moved to a quarantine facility by Delhi Police on Tuesday. The headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin West has emerged as the biggest Covid-19 hot spot, with at least 53 confirmed cases, and more than 500 showing symptoms of the disease. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic More than 2,200 people who attended the congregation have been placed in quarantine. A team of around 20 officials and staff members of the health department of the north corporation were entrusted with the task of sanitising the area. Nearly 8,000 litres of disinfectant was sprayed in localities such as Bharat Nagar and Sangam Park. We have sanitised over 4 square kilometre area in the region. The drive will continue in other nearby areas on Thursday, a senior official of North Delhi Municipal Corporations health department said. He said while a big tanker machine was used to sanitise the main roads in Bharat Nagar and Sangam Park, four field workers carrying diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite (a disinfectant) on shoulder-mounted knapsack pumps, sanitised houses located in slum areas as well as plotted colonies of the middle class neighbourhood. Other than sanitising the area, the residents living near the house from where the foreign nationals were evacuated were also advised to observe strict quarantine protocols and not to come out of their houses and interact with anyone, the official said. The civic authorities, however, said area-specific quarantine measures will be taken up only after they receive directions from the district administration. Ira Singhal, north corporations deputy commissioner (Keshavpuram), under whose jurisdiction the area falls, said, We are yet to get any specific instructions (for quarantine and sanitisation) from the district magistrates office regarding Sangam Park or Ashok Vihar area. But if we do, they will be followed. She said that municipality sprinklers, tankers with sodium hypochlorite solution, made rounds of every main road and sprayed the disinfectant there. Garbage is being collected from quarantined households separately and sent for incineration. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Google searches for prayer 'skyrocket' amid coronavirus outbreak: report Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The number of searches on Google for the word prayer have greatly increased over the past few weeks as the coronavirus has garnered headlines, according to a research paper. Jeanet Sinding Bentzen, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and executive director of the Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture, released a preliminary draft of a paper on Monday titled In Crisis, We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bentzen analyzed internet searches for prayer in 75 countries and reported that search intensity for prayer doubles for every 80,000 new registered cases of COVID-19. In times of crisis, humans have a tendency to turn to religion for stress relief and explanation. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, wrote Bentzen in the Abstract. I document that Google searches on prayer has skyrocketed during the month of March 2020 when the COVID-19 went global. Bentzen found that during March, internet searches for prayer surged to the highest level during the past five years for which comparative Google search data is available, surpassing all other major events that otherwise instigate intensified demand for prayer, such as Christmas, Easter, and Ramadan. I find that the intensified searches on prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic is global: It occurs on all continents and for Christians and Muslims. Even Denmark, one of the least religious countries in the world sees systematic increases in internet searches on prayer, she continued. The surge mainly coincides with increases in the registered cases of the COVID-19 rather than surges in death rates. Prayer intensity also rises in countries that have only recently been hit by the pandemic themselves. Over the past few weeks, as the coronavirus has spread in the United States, large numbers of churches have canceled their in-person services and shifted to online worship. Some churches have reported dramatic increases in online views for their streaming worship services, such as pastor Joel Osteens Lakewood Church, located in Houston, Texas, and pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas. In a statement shared with The Christian Post on March 16, Lakewood reported that the decision led to a record number of viewers online. We saw 4.51 million people tune in throughout the weekend across platforms, the church said. This broke our previous record of 4.17 million in November of last year when we broadcast Kanye Wests Sunday service from Lakewood." Last week, in response to the pandemic, Pope Francis called on Christians across denominations to pray the Lords Prayer on March 25 at noon. Let us stay united. I invite all Christians to direct their voices together toward Heaven, he said on his official Twitter account. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 16:10 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206eea679 1 National prison,Yasonna-Laoly,prisoners,COVID-19,house-of-representatives,coronavirus Free The authorities have granted more than 5,500 prisoners early release to help prevent a possible surge in coronavirus infections in Indonesias overcrowded prisons. Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Wednesday during a virtual meeting with the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs that he had raised the number of prisoners that were planned to be released to 50,000 people from 30,000. "As of today, at 11 a.m. according to our SDP [Correctional Database System], we have released 5,556 prisoners," he said. "As of today, at 11 a.m. according to our SDP [Correctional Database System], we have released 5,556 prisoners," he said. According to Yasonna, the ministry has two legal bases for the release, namely Human Rights Ministerial Regulation No. 10/2020 on terms and conditions of assimilation and integration for prisoners and juvenile inmates to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as Human Rights Ministerial Decree No. 19/2020 on the release of prisoners and juvenile inmates through assimilation and integration to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are monitoring the developments hourly through our system. We hope there will be no moral hazard," he said, adding that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo agreed with the regulations. Yasonna said the 50,000 inmates eligible for early release included some 15,442 drug convicts that had served five to 10 years in prison, 300 graft inmates aged 60 years and above, 1,457 special crime convicts with chronic diseases and 53 foreign prisoners who had served two-thirds of their sentences. He said he had also asked the Supreme Court to reduce the number of convicts it sent to prison. Read also: Overcrowded and understaffed, prisons scramble to protect inmates from infection "Therefore, with these efforts, we can gradually release about 50,000 inmates and the number could increase, especially if the police and the Supreme Court can reduce the number of new inmates from the usual 2,500 per day." Yasonna and the House have also agreed to restart deliberations on a revision to the Criminal Code (KUHP) bill and the 1995 law on correctional procedures, which had been postponed following mass public protests against the Houses legislative agenda following the passing of revisions to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law. "Please notice that the government is committed to continuing the deliberation of these two bills. We do not disagree about the bills," he said. He added that he would ask the President to send a new presidential letter to ask the House to restart discussions of the bills. The lawmakers and the government had previously concluded deliberations of the two bills. However, in September 2019, tens of thousands of university students in Jakarta and other cities across the country took to the streets to demand lawmakers hold off the passage of several controversial bills, including the two bills, arguing that the KUHP bill, in particular, posed a threat to democracy and civil rights. Anticorruption activists had also warned that the correctional procedures bill, which would technically remove hurdles for corruption convicts to receive remissions and conditional releases, was a gift to graft convicts, including those who were currently serving sentences. A message advising residents against unnecessarily leaving their homes is being played before calls connect in some areas of Vietnam in a move hoped to improve compliance with a social distancing advisory during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The Ministry of Information and Communications has issued an official dispatch tasking all local mobile carriers Viettel, MobiFone, VNPT (Vinaphone), Gtel, Vietnamobile, and Dong Duong Telecom with integrating the public service announcement into the hold music for all domestic calls made from mobile devices. The Ministry of Health requests that all citizens not leave their homes unless under absolutely necessary circumstances, the concise message says. The message is being played before every call made from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, and Quang Nam until the end of April 4. According to the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority under the Ministry of Information and Communications, this is a necessary move to inform the public and implement the governments measures to fend off COVID-19. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to formally declare the disease a nationwide pandemic on Wednesday. Vietnam implements social distancing with a ban on public gatherings of more than two people from April 1 to 15. Residents are advised to stay home and only go out under really necessary circumstances such as trips for food, medicine, emergency care or for working at essential businesses, factories, and services allowed to continue operating. Vietnam has confirmed 212 COVID-19 patients so far, with 63 having recovered and no deaths recorded. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! BARKHAMSTED Regional Refuse Dispostal District #1, 31 New Hartford Road, Barkhamsted, is not closing during the coronavirus pandemic, but will stay open to accept resident household trash. Employees are taking a number of precautions to keep everyone safe. Employees are not allowed to help unload trash; residents must remove it from their vehicles and dispose of it, including televisions, air conditioners, appliances and garbage. The facility has temporarily suspended collecting American flags, eyeglasses, mattresses, box springs, paint and propane tanks. With an increase in restaurant take-out, residents are reminded that single use items go in the trash and are not recyclable,including paper napkins, paper towels, paper plates, single use drinking cups, paper/plastic straws, all Styrofoam and all plasticware. The tag sale is closed, and RRDD1 is not accepting any donations of new or used items for resale until further notice. Residents may hold onto these items until the area reopens or pay for disposal in the upper C&D area (the scale on the hill). Safe distancing has been implemented. Employees have been instructed to stay at least 6 feet away from all residents. Employees may answer questions from a safe distance. RRDD1 has been known to be a social place, meeting up with old friends and neighbors, RRDDI said in a statement. While its quite fine to nod or wave, we kindly ask you to DROP and DRIVE with no social time during this coronavirus stage, and not to use the facilitys equipment. Those who are sick are asked to stay at home. Germs are in the air for 3 hours, on copper for 4 hours, cardboard for 24 hours and can be on surfaces for 2-3 days or more. Those under self-quarantine are asked to stay home. When purchasing a sticker or day pass, residents will be asked to hold up your registration / proof of residency for the gatehouse employee. Open the drivers door and stand behind it (hold your door knob) as the employee affixes the sticker. Residents are asked to have exact change when purchasing a sticker or a check. Although ink pens are available to all residents, bring your own pen when writing a check, reducing the potential spread of germs. Bathrooms are closed, and children are asked to stay inside their vehicles. No dog bones are being handed out at this time. Loading of top soil, mulch or wood chips will only take place if staff is available. For information, call RRD1 Administrator Debbie Angell at 860-379-1972 or visit rrdd1.com/ CHWC receives foundation grant TORRINGTON Community Health and Wellness Center recently received $10,354 from the Foundation for Community Health, Inc. in Sharon. CHWC requested funding to help the center purchase essential items to gear up for emergency preparedness related to the COVID-19 pandemic and enable the facility to care for the patient population while safeguarding the communitys and staffs health. The money has been allocated for the purchase of two tents positioned outside the building to screen patients and visitors and conduct tests if needed; heaters for each tent; two hazmat suits and respirators to protect providers on the front lines of care; and four two-way radios, four laptops, and four cell phones to keep the lines of communication open between staff and providers and the triage center. The Foundation for Community Health invests in people, programs and strategies that work to improve the health of the residents of the northern Litchfield Hills and the greater Harlem Valley. We are grateful for the support of the Foundation for Community Health during this extraordinarily challenging time, said Joanne Borduas, CEO of CHWC. These are unprecedented circumstances, and health care assets have been strained across the country. The funding provided by the Foundation for Community Health is assisting us to continue to stay connected to our patients, ensuring we meet their needs and the needs of the communities we serve. CHWC is located at 469 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, and 10 Center St., Winsted, with the following satellite locations: FISH of Torrington, 332 South Main St., Torrington; Sullivan Senior Center, 88 East Albert Street, Torrington; The Open Door Soup Kitchen, 160 Main St., Winsted; YMCA Emergency Shelter, 480 Main St., Winsted; Torrington Soup Kitchen, 220 Prospect St., Torrington; and Oliver Wolcott Technical School, 75 Oliver Street, Torrington. Telephone 860-489-0931, visit at www.chwctorr.org and on Facebook. Association presenting bobcat program SALISBURY In collaboration with the Scoville Library, the Salisbury Association will present Connecticuts Comeback Cat: Bobcats at Home, presented by Kyle Testerman, Wildlife Outreach Specialist, CT DEEP, at 4 p.m. April 4. The program will be presented through Zoom. If you've never used Zoom and have questions, please email info@salisburyassociation.org for directions. Bobcat sightings across Connecticut have increased over the last 20 years, being reported in all 169 towns. As the population appears to be growing, the DEEP is working to learn more about these usually secretive cats and how they are adapting to our changing landscape. This presentation will focus on the natural history of bobcats in the state, what research the DEEP is conducting on bobcats, what we are learning, and how the public can peacefully coexists with bobcats and other predators. The talk will be supplemented with videos and pictures from DEEP research. Kyle Testerman, has been working for the Connecticut DEEP fur bearer program for the last 2 years, with an emphasis on bobcats and has worked for DEEP since 2015. He is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a masters degree in biology. He is a Connecticut native from Simsbury. The links for the online program on April 4: https://ctdeep.zoom.us/j/446508188, Meeting ID: 446 508 188; One tap mobile: +13126266799,,446508188# US (Chicago); +16468769923,,446508188# US (New York); or dial by your location: +1 646 876 9923 US (New York); +1 253 215 8782 US; or +1 301 715 8592 US. MSNBC host asks Bishop TD Jakes to pray on live TV Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The "TODAY" show's Craig Melvin, who has returned from a voluntary quarantine after being potentially exposed to the new coronavirus, asked Texas megachurch pastor and televangelist, Bishop T.D. Jakes, to pray on "MSNBC Live," saying hes never done this on the air but many are not being able to attend church. For folks who werent able to get to church yesterday I've never actually done this on the air. Can you lead us in prayer for 30 seconds? Melvin asked Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter's House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, Monday morning, according to NewsBusters. Jakes said, Yes, I can. The megachurch pastor prayed, Our Father and our God, we bow our heads to you in humility, understanding that we are not competent in and of ourselves to handle this kind of global calamity. He continued, We look to you, Lord, to be the source, the strength, the help, the light that we need, strengthen our first responders, strengthen even our broadcast people, strengthen all of us whose lives have been devastated and disrupted and give us the peace that passes all understanding. In Christs name we pray, amen. Earlier on the show, Melvin told Bishop Jakes, [i]n times of crisis and in times of uncertainty, a lot of Americans turn to faith or religion for comfort and solace even though [i]ts no longer practical to pray or gather in person as we know, according to NewsBusters. He also played Jakes remarks from Sundays streamed service. There has been all this discussion about whether we should have church or whether we should be in a building or not, and then talk about what would Jesus do. I dont know because Jesus never saw church. All of this stuff you made dont have nothing to do with the power of God. Its not about a building. Its not about a building. Its never been about a building. Melvin was in self-isolation for nearly two weeks, as one of the shows staffers had tested positive for the COVID-19 disease. Speaking to co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb during the time of self-quarantine, Melvin said he had no symptoms or signs of the disease. He also said he and his children were fine. Ive been able to spend a lot of time with my kids for the last three days. Later, responding to a tweet that said he had tested positive, Melvin wrote: Not true. Hes quite healthy and thankful for that. Hes also thinking about and praying for the tens of thousands affected by this virus so far. In 2018, Melvin wrote on Facebook, I dont talk about my faith often, but the folks at (website) Simple Grace asked. Heres part of what I told them. Feel free to share more about your faith journey. As of early Wednesday, there were 874,081 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus around the world, with 43,291 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, there were 189,633 cases and 4,081 had died. T he producers of Great British Menu didnt predict the UK living a restaurant-less existence by the time the series made it to TV, but boy are we grateful they were in the dark. It means that by tuning in to BBC Two at 8pm for three nights a week, we can freely indulge in expertly cooked, creative plates of food from some of the countrys top chefs all without a single mention of coronavirus. Of course, the impact of the pandemic hasnt spared the chefs on tonights round: one starring chef has had to push back the opening of her new restaurant while the rest have needed to close temporarily. This week it's the Scotland rounds, featuring chefs who are either Scottish themselves, or look after restaurants north of the border. As were keen to celebrate all those who make the hospitality industry great at the moment, weve decided to give you the lowdown on all of this weeks chefs. From a chef who helped Jason Atherton open his first New York restaurant, to one who keeps his entire menu a surprise to diners, this is what you need to know about the chefs battling it out on Great British Menu this week. Ross Bryans BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown Who is Ross Bryans? Irvine-born Bryans is currently the head chef at London restaurant Les 110 de Taillevent. Before that, he worked in top fine dining restaurants across the UK, including three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, and Jason Athertons lauded Pollen Street Social, where he held the role of head chef. In 2015, Bryans went out to New York to help Atherton launch The Clocktower, the restaurateurs first venue in the city. Where is Les 110 de Taillevent? The restaurant is in Londons Marylebone, located at 16 Cavendish Square, W1G 9DD. What kind of food does Les 110 de Taillevent serve? The food is important at Les 110 de Taillevent but it has a serious contender. Les 110 de Taillevent is best known for its enthusiasm and dedication to wine education, serving a mind-boggling 110 different wines by the glass. Each dish on Bryanss French-influenced menu comes with four suggested wine pairings, with plates ranging from a Taste of London award-winning lobster spelt risotto to squab pigeon with heritage beetroot, glazed salsify and Yorkshire rhubarb. Roberta Hall BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown Who is Roberta Hall? Roberta Hall was born and bred in Edinburgh, and now runs her own restaurant, The Little Chartroom, in the city. Kicking off her cooking career at 16, Hall has since worked with the acclaimed chef Tom Kitchin at Michelin-starred The Kitchin, before moving on to Dominic Jacks Castle Terrace, located directly beneath Edinburgh Castle. Where is The Little Chartroom? The Little Chartroom is in central Edinburgh, at 30 Albert Place, EH7 5HN. What kind of food does The Little Chartroom serve? Hall has been influenced by French techniques, but her menu pays tribute to her Scottish roots throughout. A quail dish is served with a mushroom broth, onions and prunes, while the set menu features a dessert of rhubarb cranachan a traditional Scottish pudding made with oats and whisky. Amy Elles BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown Who is Amy Elles? Elles is taking part in the Scotland round, but was actually born in London. She started her career cooking at Harrods, before working at Exmouth Market favourite Moro and at Heston Blumenthals three Michelin-starred The Fat Duck in Bray. After moving to the east coast of Scotland, Elles set up catering company Stocks Events and now owns The Harbour Cafe in Fife. Where is The Harbour Cafe? The Harbour Cafe is perched right on the rocky seafront at Elie Harbour in Fife (KY9 1DT). What kind of food does The Harbour Cafe serve? First things first, The Harbour Cafe isnt actually open yet it was due to open its doors for the first time on April 2, but that has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. When it does open, the waterside restaurant plans to focus on showcasing fresh, local seafood. Its menu of simple dishes includes the likes of brown crab, lobsters and langoustines served with lemon and sourdough, as well as takeaway options including forfar bridies, a kind of Scottish meat pasty. Gordon Jones BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown Who is Gordon Jones? Jones was born in Birmingham, but largely grew up in Scotland after moving there as a child. He began his kitchen career at just 14 years old in an Indian restaurant, before going on to train under the likes of Michelin-starred chefs Martin Wishart and Martin Blunos. He now runs Menu Gordon Jones, an acclaimed restaurant in Bath. Where is Menu Gordon Jones? Menu Gordon Jones can be found in the Bear Flat area of Bath, at 2 Wellsway, BA2 3AQ. What kind of food does Menu Gordon Jones serve? Advertisement Kanye West's high school artwork has been unveiled. On the latest episode of Antiques Roadshow, the husband of Kanye's first cousin appeared with a collection of artwork done by the rapper when he was just 17-years-old. The work demonstrated Kanye's incredible talent at such a young age, after beginning his artistic studies at just four-years-old. Only a few pieces were displayed out of a larger assortment Kanye's relative had brought with him, but the collection seen on TV was determined to potentially make anywhere from $16,000 to $23,000 at auction. Kanye West's high school artwork: On the latest episode of Antiques Roadshow, the husband of Kanye's first cousin appeared with a collection of artwork done by the rapper when he was just 17-years-old Talented: West's artwork could potentially make $16,000 to $23,000 at an auction The pieces landed in the possession of Kanye's cousin following the death of his mother Donda West in 2007. 'When Kanye's mother passed away in 2007, my husband received them as part of the estate about a year after she passed,' he explained. Art specialist Laura Woolley was beyond impressed with the collection as she examined the pieces on camera. 'I think these pieces demonstrate an extraordinary facility as an artist, and I selected this grouping because it shows the different mediums he was working in,' Laura said. Impressed: Art specialist Laura Woolley was beyond impressed with the collection as she examined the pieces alongside the husband of Kanye's first cousin Side interest: Interestingly, Kanye's career as a music producer is mentioned as almost an afterthought in the biography 'On this one we obviously have graphite,' he said, referencing to the sketch of the chained creature. 'This is an unfinished piece, we have graphite again,' she said, pointing out the photo of a woman. 'It looks like we have gouache over there on board, and this is a technique, we call scratch board, where you have color pigment laid down and you cover it with a black ink and it's scraped away to create an image underneath. And they're all really exceptionally well done.' The collection also included a flyer promoting his first art showing, which had an 'About The Artist' detailing his extensive educational background. Kanye was just four when he began studying art at the Hyde Park Academy, followed by attendances at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago State University, Nanjing University in the People's Republic of China, and Polaris School for Individual Education. Interestingly, Kanye's career as a music producer is mentioned as almost an afterthought in the biography. Get to know Kanye: The collection also included a flyer promoting his first art showing, and an 'About The Artist' detailing his extensive educational background Wow: Woolley said this piece could potentially reap $6,000 to $8,000 at an auction Valuable: She also said this drawing could make $2,000 to $3,000 'My favorite part of this flyer is actually the very end, it says in the fall he will begin his studies to get a bachelors of fine arts at the American Academy Of Art in Chicago, and continue to pursue a career as a music producer as well' Laura noted. 'That's kind of an aside. So we all know what happened, obviously music kind of took over. How is it that a 17-year-old attended all these schools in foreign?' Kanye's relative explained, 'Because his mother was an English college professor. She traveled all around the world, and he went everywhere with her.' 'So he had such an opportunity to experience all the cultures around the world too, which I personally didn't know that about him, so that also informs kind of where he's coming from,' Laura said. Collector's item: Woolley said this piece could make $3,000 to $5,000 Expensive: This one was valued at $5,000 to $7,000 Early promise: West completed the works as a sophomore at Polaris High School in Chicago Donda wanted her son to have the opportunity to pursue whatever he wanted, Kanye's relative added. 'He's got a much more global view of art and culture. His mother pushed him to do anything he wanted to do, and made sure that it was available for him,' he explained. Laura believed Kanye's artwork will only continue to grow in value, despite some of his controversial stances. 'I think despite the fact some people might say he is a controversial figure with his opinions and his career, I don't think anyone can deny the fact that he has extraordinary talent, and I think that in time, I would expect these to continue to appreciate,' she said. Nowadays, Kanye has enjoyed a highly successful career as a musician, and in 2015 was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The rapper has been married to Kim Kardashian since 2014, and together they have daughters North, six, Chicago, two, and sons Saint, four, and Psalm, 10 months. Since 1924, Land O Lakes, Inc., one of the countrys largest agricultural co-ops, has been in the business of working on behalf of a cooperative of farmers, by selling dairy products, grain, and animal nutrition products. But as the digital era comes to the farm, all of that is changing. Farmers now have robotic milking tools, analytics to determine the health of their animals and how much to feed them, and satellite imagery to assess the quality and performance of their land. We are how helping our members, retailers, dealers, and customers manage their businesses better, says Marc Carlson, who joined the company in 2012 and has been CIO since 2018. With technology at the center of what our co-op members need, IT has to be very tightly connected to our mission: to optimize the value of our members dairy, crop, and livestock production. Connecting IT to the mission Carlsons first step in connecting IT to the mission was to realign teams under business leads, who are dedicated to animal, dairy foods, and agribusiness, along with supply chain and corporate functions. Our business leads didnt have teams focused on, or dedicated to, the businesses, says Carlson. So, we assigned them resources including business analysts, support people, and project managers with the hope of establishing business-led product teams in the future. But Carlson didnt stop there. With the knowledge that compensation drives behavior, last fall, he rolled out a pilot program that replaced spot bonuses for working hard with bonuses that are directly tied to the business outcome of a technology solution. With the success of the pilot, he is now scaling the program. How it works How does the new team alignment and bonus program work in practice? Lets take, as an example, a replacement of legacy procurement processes and applications with new technology. The new technology will deliver fully automated supplier catalogs, provide a portal to connect co-op members directly with a supplier network, and automate a previously paper-laden invoicing process. Step 1: Convene the product team. Rather than treat the implementation as just an IT project, Carlson pulls together a cross-functional group with members from supply chain, finance, HR, IT and an integration partner. Step 2: Define the metrics. The team works together to build a business case and determine the success criteria and desired business outcomes, with final approval from supply chain and finance. In this case, these were: achieve $2 million in savings from RFP initiatives, decommission the legacy application and hosting by a certain date, automate 50 percent of all invoicing, and triple the number of fully enabled suppliers from 218 to 654. Step 3: Establish a short- and long-term incentive. For this project, Carlson and the head of supply chain determine the overall bonus amount. The distribution of that bonus differs depending on the level and contribution of a team member, including the role each plays and whether they are full or part-time on the team. The first 25 percent is what Carlson refers to as the inside-looking factorpaid at the conclusion of the project, this bonus rewards teams for hitting delivery deadlines and budget projections. But the rest of the bonus, a full 75 percent , is determined by more of what Carlson calls an outside-in metric. One year after the completion of the project, we review whether it achieved the true business benefits that the team articulated in the business case upfront, he says. You get some bonus for delivering the solution, but your bigger incentive is helping with the business case. Incentivizing for long-term business value Carlsons goal for the new incentive plan is to get the product team to be more invested in supporting the new system and in making continual changes to ensure long-term benefits. In the old days, we would give a spot bonus to the team for working hard, and they would disappear and go off to different projects, he says. Today, because the team is incented for the long-term and the support team now reports into the business leads the team has a different focus. The developers are more interested in taking a support call and fine-tuning the product over time than they used to be. They have stopped saying, Go talk to our offshore team and see if theyll help you out. Among the clear advantages to incenting a team on long-term business value are a tighter integration between IT, its business partners, and better solutions faster to Land OLakes farmer-members. But Carlson sees two additional benefits to the new bonus program: Our old spot bonus model sometimes seemed sort of random to the team, he says. They never understood why one team was bonused and another wasnt. This new model makes everything more transparent. Carlson is also optimistic about the talent retention benefit of the new incentive plan. Going forward, as we extend the long-term benefit to beyond year one, and people are on a number of different projects, their long-term incentive can really start to stack up. If youre looking forward to collecting a chunk of change over the next few years, maybe you dont go looking for a new job. 3 lessons from the pilot program For others interested in setting up a long-term, business value-focused incentive program for product teams, Carlson offers this advice: Expect this to be complicated: Figuring all of this out has been challenging because you have so many people who come in and out of the project. We want to compensate the heavy contributors more than the part-time people, and bonus appropriately on who does what. Working it all out will take longer than you think. Bake the bonus into the project spend: In the past, spot bonuses came out of the IT budget because essentially, they funded Carlsons ability to reward his own team. But the new program is a part of the project budget right from the start, along with all the other resources required for delivery. Reduce team anxiety: Make sure your team knows that this is additive compensation that is replacing random spot bonuses, says Carlson. Communicate that you are not taking any compensation away from the team; you are giving them the opportunity to earn more. Carlson is happy with the success of the pilot incentive program and looks forward to seeing the results of the fully scaled model. But he acknowledges he wont know the results for a few years. Well all take stock of the program a few years down the road, he says. And well know if I failed miserably or this is a wild success. Five of a family from Dombivli were taken for testing at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Mumbai, after a 46-year-old woman from Dombivli died showing symptoms of Covid-19 on Tuesday night. The woman, who had returned from Bangkok on March 10, suffered from fever, dysentery, vomiting and breathlessness since Monday. After she went for a check-up, she was asked to go to Kasturba hospital. However, she returned home instead, where she died on Tuesday. Since she had symptoms of Coronavirus, we have sent five of her family members who were living with her for testing, said a civic official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Apple has bought beloved weather app Dark Sky, and will shut down the Android version. The iOS version of the app will not change, and other apps that use its data will run as normal for now. But the company said the Android version will shut and they will receive a refund for what they have spent on the app. The Android app is no longer available to download and will shut down for existing subscribers on 1 July. The app's co-founder, Adam Grossman, said the deal would allow the service to "reach far more people". "Today we have some important and exciting news to share: Dark Sky has joined Apple," Mr Grossman wrote in a blog post. "Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy. "There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone." It is not clear what Apple plans to do with the weather app, but it will presumably be folded into the forecasts that are provided by the built-in tool in the iPhone and other platforms. It has not commented on the acquisition. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty As well as making the app, Dark Sky provides an API, which allows other apps to gather its weather data. That will be available until the end of 2021, but also will stop new sign-ups. Chairman of major state run metal industries company says the first locally-made Medtronic's ventilator will be ready for mass production in two weeks The state-run Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries said it will produce in one week's time the first prototype of ventilators of medical device-maker Medtronic needed to fight the coronavirus, which will then be ready for mass production after another week. Chairman Medhat Nafei said on Tuesday that the company, which comprises 15 firms, will start mass production of ventilators after the Dublin-based company Medtronic said it will publicly share the design specifications for its ventilator to allow other firms to produce them rapidly to help meet shortage caused by the new coronavirus. In TV comments on CBC satellite channel, Nafei said the holding company has firms through which it can host the first stage of production, which includes the production of a prototype. After passing the quality tests and standards mass manufacturing will begin. Medtronic posted on Monday specs for the basic PB 560 ventilator model to enable participants across industries to evaluate options for rapid ventilator manufacturing to help doctors and patients dealing with COVID-19. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has hit over 882,00 and deaths reached more than 44,000. The fast spread of the deadly respiratory disease, which first emerged in China late last year, has led to a global shortage of critical medical supplies including ventilators and respirators. The Egyptian company believes it should not wait for the situation in Egypt to get worse to come up with solutions related to the production of ventilators," Nafei said. Earlier this week, Health Minister Hala Zayed said in TV comments that 5-10 percent of the total number of the infected cases of coronavirus in Egypt need ventilators. On Tuesday, Egypt reported 54 new coronavirus infections and five new fatalities, bringing the total to 710 cases and 46 deaths. In addition to the intellectual rights barrier, which is no longer present with Medtronic's announcement, it is the technology that these industries depend on, Nafei noted. "These industries need a large degree of research and development and this is also available because Egypt has agencies and bodies involved in research and development in similar fields, and it has started to communicate with us since the launch of this initiative," he said. Since announcing the initiative to manufacture ventilators locally, Nafei said he has received numerous requests and has found teams working on the same project and "will unite these groups to begin immediate implementation. "Currently, the most used field in the manufacture of ventilators is the automotive industry," he said, "and we have two factories in this field, including Al-Nasr Automotive Company and the Indonesian Motor Company, and Egypt also has companies working in similar devices. "There are working groups which have already started work and they stated that they have one week to finish producing the prototype. If we assume that the quality and standard tests will end in another week, we can say that after two weeks from now we can have the first prototype ready for mass manufacture," Nafei added. The Metallurgical Industries Holding Company was established in 1983 with a capital of EGP 3.2 billion, under the name of the Public Sector Authority for Metallurgical Industries. It has 15 subsidiary companies that continue to function and one company under liquidation and owns investment in 12 joints. Search Keywords: Short link: Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today chaired another consultation devoted to the solutions to the social-economic issues caused by the coronavirus, as reported the news service of the Government of Armenia. First, the government officials touched upon the implementation of the actions approved by the government. They also presented the current statistics and talked about the third action for neutralization of the economic consequences of the coronavirus, the aim of which is to mitigate the risks linked to feasibility forecast by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister assigned to continue to monitor the implementation of actions aimed at neutralizing the consequences of the coronavirus. The officials also considered the drafts of new action plans to expand the scope of targeted social support and exchanged several ideas during an exchange of ideas. The Prime Minister also assigned to finalize the drafts of the considered action plans and submit them to the government for approval. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram New Delhi, March 31, 2020 The Indian government should stop trying to censor news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Indian government today approached the Supreme Court seeking a directive to news outlets to refrain from publishing any COVID-19-related news without clearance from the government, according to an affidavit filed by the government in the court and a report by the legal news website Live Law. The Supreme Court denied the request, according to the judgment reviewed by CPJ. The government had justified the request for the blanket order by claiming that fake or inaccurate reporting could cause panic in the country and had proposed setting up a separate mechanism for clearance of any coverage on the pandemic. However, the court said it will not interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but directed news outlets to refer to and publish the official version about the developments. Journalists are providing an essential service by informing the public during this national emergency and should be allowed to do their work unimpeded, said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJs senior Asia researcher, in New York. The Indian government should focus its efforts on containing the virus, not on containing vital news reporting. It was unclear exactly how news media would be expected to comply with the courts ruling that they must refer to and publish official information. Anuradha Bhasin, the executive editor of Kashmir Times, told CPJ the judgement was ambiguous and therefore subject to misuse. Speaking to Newslaundry, Siddharth Vardharajan, editor at news website The Wire, called the courts direction unfortunate. Its normal for news media to use official information in news reports, but they should not be forced to do so, said CPJs Iftikhar. It is not the government or Supreme Courts place to tell journalists how to do their job. CPJ contacted the Home Ministry spokesperson for comment via email but did not immediately receive a response. The government invoked the Disaster Management Act on March 11, which makes the act of creating panic a criminal offense. According to this law, any false claim or warning is punishable with up to two years imprisonment and a fine, or both. The government has also invoked the colonial-era Epidemic Diseases Act under which the punishment for spreading misleading information is up to six months in jail, a fine of 1,000 Indian rupees (US$15), or both. Today, news magazine Caravan reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked editors and owners of more than 20 news outlets to refrain from any negative coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in a private meeting on March 24, hours before he announced a national lockdown to control the spread of the virus. In a statement published on his website March 24, Modi said he emphasized in the meeting the importance of tackling the spread of pessimism, negativity and rumor mongering. Since the announcement of the national lockdown in India, CPJ has documented at least three cases where journalists movements were restricted and they were physically assaulted. Editors note: This article has been updated with a new fifth and sixth paragraph addressing the Supreme Courts direction to news outlets to publish the governments official information on the pandemic. A Central notification issued on Wednesday defining domicile rights for the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has led to criticism from most regional parties including the newly launched Apni party which described the policy as an ill-timed and casual attempt. The notification grants domicile rights in Jammu and Kashmir to those who have lived there for 15-years and to children of central government employees who have served in the UT for at least ten years among others. The rules also reserve group-4 level jobs for domicile right holders. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah described the notification as an insult while questioning the timing of its release. Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak, the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised, tweeted Omar Abdullah. The policy also grants domicile to those who have studied in J&K for seven years and appeared in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the Union Territory apart from those registered as migrants with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants). Apni party president Altaf Bukhari said the policy didnt take the expectations of the local people into account and demanded that the ill timed, order be put in abeyance till the Covid-19 pandemic is over. While JKAP had been vehemently demanding Domicile Rights on land and jobs for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the order issued by the union government reflects a casual exercise carried out at bureaucratic level without taking aspirations and expectations of people into consideration, Bukhari said. Bukhari said the order was causal in attempt and designed to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This Order in its entirety is a casual attempt, cosmetic in nature, to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir who genuinely believed that post October 31, 2019, their rights and privileges in the matter of employment and other rights would remain as it had been, he said, adding that being a government-issued order and not a law made by the Parliament, the new gazette notification regarding domicile rule for J&K was not immune to any judicial review. Bukhari said a tangible, legal and constitutional mechanism was needed to safeguard privileges such as employment rights to non-Gazetted and Gazetted post and admissions to professional colleges for the permanent residents of J&K. As many as 28 of the 138 acts have been repealed as the domicile policy was notified months after the union territory came into existence on October 31, 2019, after its special status and statehood were taken away by the Parliament in August. J&K Peoples Conference led by Sajjad Lone said the order fell way short of expectations. The new definition of domicile is humiliating and insulting. Adds insult to injury. The lowest rung in jobs has been reserved for locals - not even non-gazetted but Class IV jobs, J&K Peoples Party spokesman said in a statement. Congress said the notification diluted the privileges enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir residents instead of safeguarding their interests with provisions that exist in the northeastern states. This is an insult to the people of J&K. By this order the centre has made lakhs of people eligible for the jobs and other things which were reserved for the people of J&K, J&K Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir told Hindustan Times. PDP spokesman called the domicile policy a crude joke. The people of J&K will not benefit from this and it is a symptom of a larger problem, the spokesperson said. However, the BJP welcomed the decision and termed it to be a step in the right direction post the abrogation of article 370. Its same like our neighboring state Himachal Pradeshs domicile rights. It is a good step, though some people will criticize it. We welcome this notification and reservation, former J&K deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said. David Cameron has paid a heartfelt tribute to his former Oxford University tutor who has died from coronavirus. Economist Peter Sinclair, 73, was the former Prime Minister's tutor when he studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College in the 1980s. In a tribute posted on social media, Mr Cameron said he was 'one of the kindest, as well as one of the cleverest people I ever met.' He added: 'His enthusiasm for economics and solving problems was extraordinary and he inspired generations of students. Economist Peter Sinclair, 73, was the former Prime Minister's tutor when he studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College in the 1980s Former Prime Minister David Cameron posted a tribute to his former tutor on social media In a statement posted on social media, Mr Cameron he was 'one of the kindest, as well as one of the cleverest people ever met' 'He served our country through his work for the Bank of England and many of his students went into public service too. 'He kept in touch with his students long after they left university and continued to mentor and help them. It was a complete privilege to know him. 'My love and prayers are with Jayne and his family and his many friends. He will be dearly missed.' Professor Sinclair later joined the University of Birmingham as Professor of Economics in 1994. Paying tribute to Mr Sinclair, the vice-chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Sir David Eastwood, said: 'We just received the terribly sad news that Professor Peter Sinclair, who joined Birmingham as professor of Economics in 1994, has died after battling with the effects of coronavirus. 'Our thoughts and deep sympathies are with his family.' Economist Peter Sinclair, 73, was the former Prime Minister's tutor when he studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College (pictured) in the 1980s Detailing Professor Sinclair's career highlights, Sir David said: 'Peter was a great figure in two universities. 'He is widely known as David Cameron's tutor when the future Prime Minister was his student at Brasenose College, Oxford. 'The record of Peter's students who went on to great things is remarkable and a remarkable testimony to him as a great teacher.' The vice-chancellor added: 'Peter was a very fine economist and an economist who believed economics was not just a 'dismal science' but a discipline that, properly practised, would and should make the world a better place. R etailer Marks and Spencer is rewarding all of its store and distribution staff with a 15 per cent pay rise for their hard work during the coronavirus pandemic Frontline staff who continue to work during the outbreak will receive the "additional pay reward" in recognition of the work they are doing to support their teams and the national effort to help customers access the products they need during these unprecedented times, the retailer confirmed. It comes as the clothing and food retailer confirmed furloughed colleagues will receive full pay. The company said its approach to furloughing is voluntary, so frontline colleagues who have caring commitments or who are feeling more vulnerable are able to step away at this time. UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus 1 /25 UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus The Shard in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting against coronavirus Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS Reuters London's Piccadilly Circus saluting local heroes during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers NHS initiative to applaud NHS workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic PA Selfridges lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline PA Fulwell Windmill in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus PA MediaCityUK in Manchester lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Belfast City Hall is lit up in support of the NHS Reuters The SSE Arena, Wembley, is seen with a lit up sign for the Clap For Our Carers campaign REUTERS Tawstock Court in Barnstaple lit up in blue PA Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City FC is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks PA Wembley stadium is seen lit up blue REUTERS Wembley Arch in London is lit up in blue PA The Lowry lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle coronavirus. PA The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff PA People applaud infront of big screen in Piccadilly Circus during the Clap For Our Carers campaign Reuters The Shard in London is lit up blue In addition, any worker who needs to self-isolate for seven to 14 days can do so on full pay, and staff who are pregnant, over the age of 70 or with the health conditions specified by the Department of Health, are already on leave for 12 weeks on full pay. The retailer also announced it is rolling out plastic face shields, which are manufactured in the UK, and will be distributed to staff later this week. The shields are in addition to the plastic sneeze guards which are being installed on checkouts across the UK. Loading.... Sacha Berendji, M&S retail and operations director said, M&S fully supports the Governments efforts to protect our NHS and save lives. "We are actively encouraging social distancing in our Foodhalls, and have already introduced a number of measures to help colleagues stay healthy and enable customers to shop for the essentials they need with confidence from floor markings to the introduction of sneeze guards at till points. "The latest measure is the introduction of reusable face shields, which will be distributed to our hard working teams this week. M&S has also been urging customers to use card payments where possible and from today, the Foodhalls are set up and ready to accept contactless payments up to the new limit of 45. E-book readers can still tap their local libraries through OverDrive and its Libby app. Don't have a card? You can sign up online. Read more If theres a silver lining to the sudden need to hunker down as the coronavirus upends normal life, its that maybe finally youll have time to read. Provided you have enough books. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get new reading material without leaving the house, and to stay engaged with the bookish community even as libraries and bookstores shut their doors. Heres a guide. Take advantage of free library resources like OverDrive: Many libraries are closed until further notice, but you can still tap into their tools even if you dont have a library card. OverDrive, a company that works with thousands of libraries around the country, offers an instant digital card. Sign up and start browsing an impressive collection of e-books and audiobooks. OverDrives Libby app makes it easy to download your picks to whatever device you prefer: Stream an audiobook on your Google Home, for example, or send a book to your tablet or Kindle. Beware that there arent unlimited digital copies, so theres often a waiting list for popular titles. Once your request comes in, youll typically have access for seven to 21 days. Ramiro Salazar, president of the Public Library Association and director of the San Antonio Public Library, says libraries have a history of rising to the occasion, and thats what were doing right now. He asked his staff to look, for example, into expanding their books-by-mail program, a longtime service that provides books to those who are homebound. And he said libraries nationwide are working to shorten wait times by increasing the number of digital books available to patrons. Order from your favorite indie bookstore: On March 23, Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Mich., reported that in the previous few days, customers had placed more than 800 online orders compared to a typical five to 10 a day. Like many independent bookstores, it had turned exclusively to online sales. The small staff was working to process web orders as quickly as possible and thanked customers for giving them a fighting chance to weather the unexpected circumstances. Around the country, many indies are offering local shipping free or for a nominal fee in hopes of luring extra business. In Washington, Loyalty Bookstore implemented curbside pickup and $2 shipping. In addition to new pickup and delivery options, East City Bookshop created a hotline that readers can call or text for recommendations. And Capitol Hill Books is scheduling in-person visits for up to four people at a time, as well as free domestic shipping. Another option is bookshop.org, a recently launched website that shares proceeds with independent bookstores. Trade physical books for audiobooks: Even if you dont prefer listening to reading, youre probably familiar with Audible: The Amazon-owned audiobook company has a catalog of nearly 500,000 easy-to-download options, from Reese Witherspoons Book Club picks to classics. You can listen on a wide array of devices, or even in a web browser. A $14.95 monthly membership includes any title, plus two Audible Originals. Another option is Libro.fm, which offers more than 150,000 digital audiobooks of all genres. Membership costs about $15 a month. When you sign up, youll select the independent bookstore you want your purchases to support, and typically, the company splits the profits with that shop. Right now, all proceeds are going to the bookstores. Both Audible and Libro.fm supply ample instructions, and getting started requires little more than a working device and an eager reader. Click over to websites that provide free books: For decades, Project Gutenberg has made copyright-free e-books available on the internet. Dont expect to find any current best sellers, but theres a rich selection of more than 60,000 older titles that you can download to your device or read in your web browser. The sites top 100 list includes A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The Library of Congress also offers a selection of free classics you can read online. Many of the choices are kid- and adventure-oriented, like Jack and the Beanstalk and Treasure Island. Attend a virtual book talk: In-person events are on hold, but bookstores are still finding creative ways for authors to engage with readers. Hilary Leichter was scheduled to talk about her new novel Temporary at Brooklyn-based Books Are Magic the same day the shop canceled all March events, for example, so staffers pivoted to a virtual version. The shop uploaded a fun, chatty conversation with Leichter (and her ukulele) to its Instagram page. Another example of making the best of disrupted plans: Anne Bogel, the popular blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, had to cancel her tour to promote her latest book. So shes launching the Stay at Home Book Tour, which kicked off March 23 and includes talks by authors such as Kimmery Martin and Ariel Lawhon. No selfies or signing, she says, but the events will be free and open to the first 500 people who log on via the video conferencing platform Zoom. Participate in an online book club: No commute is too long in virtual book-club land. Aside from checking what your local library and bookstores are offering, consider more global options. The Quarantine Book Club, for example, popped up to host online discussions with authors. And the writer Yiyun Li is hosting a virtual club to discuss Leo Tolstoys War and Peace follow along at apublicspace.org. Live-stream story time: There are many options for children, too. Penguin Kids is hosting authors and illustrators who will read their stories on Instagram each weekday at 11 a.m., and the Brooklyn Public Library is live-streaming their story time in the afternoon and again before bedtime. Join on the librarys Facebook page or website. In Ohio, the superintendent of Medina City Schools is live-streaming story time from his YouTube channel. The books like Ferida Wolffs Is a Worry Worrying You? are selected to provide kids with support during such unusual times. Its also a chance for A-listers to read you a story: Actresses Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner launched #SaveWithStories, a charity-driven initiative in which celebrities read childrens books on Instagram. Brie Larson, for example, read Giraffes Cant Dance, while Reese Witherspoon delivered a spirited rendition of Uni the Unicorn. Donations will help the nonprofits Save the Children and No Kid Hungry ensure that kids have access to meals during school closures. Nobles Nurse Speaks Out at Fears Over Patient & Staff Safety Library Picture A whistleblowing healthcare worker at Nobles Hospital in the Isle of Man has spoken about the fear culture that is spreading though the workforce. The Nurse (Nurse A), speaking about coronavirus, has said that they have inadequate protection equipment and they feel like cannon fodder. Nurse A claims that they fear theyll lose their jobs if they speak out. Staff have also been told they are following the Public Health England Guidelines, yet frontline staff in England have been provided with PPE. Nurse A told Energy News that some of the frontline staff are not being provided with basic PPE while having to treat patients, sometimes just inches from their face depending on the injury. The DHSC has been approached for comment. You can read the message below: Photos Sergio Chico Rodriguez started hearing rumors on Thursday. The word going around Bexar Countys South Side satellite office which the veteran county commissioner shares with the county tax assessor-collector, the Precinct 1 constable and a justice of the peace court was that a deputy constable had missed work all week due to illness. Speculation was running rampant that the deputy constable had contracted COVID-19. In a normal work environment, this wouldnt have been left to speculation. The constable who oversees the deputy constable would have communicated early and often with the other elected officials who share office space with him. After all, this country is facing an unprecedented public-health crisis, battling a virus whose contagiousness and destructive power is overwhelming our hospitals and shutting down our economy. Secrecy can get people killed. Constable Ruben Tejeda, however, apparently decided not to share this information. Rodriguez didnt learn until Saturday morning, in a phone call from Bexar County Manager David Smith, that the ailing deputy constable had indeed tested positive for COVID-19. Smith himself only found out on Friday night, after making concerted efforts to get information from Tejedas office. Rodriguez can only guess at Tejedas motivations. Ruben doesnt return my calls, the commissioner said. Ive called him three times and he didnt return my calls. Tejeda did not agree to an interview request for this column, but Lt. Salvador Rodriguez, who works in the Precinct 1 constables office, said Tejeda is self-quarantining and working on a report about the controversy, which he will submit Wednesday to Smith. In response to Rodriguezs safety concerns, the county sent a hazmat-uniformed crew into the Pleasanton Road building to spray the offices with disinfectant. On Tuesday, a follow-up cleaning was conducted. The issue came up during the Monday news conference hosted by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff. Theres been an ongoing controversy out there, some allegations that the constable did not notify everybody in time, Wolff said. Were presently looking into the communication factors between the constable, when did he know and who did he tell? Tejeda certainly had ample opportunities to keep people informed. Every weekday morning at 9:30, Smith conducts a conference call with all of the countys elected officials and department heads, a group that generally includes more than 30 people. Nothing about an infected deputy constable was mentioned during last weeks conference calls, according to multiple sources. On Friday afternoon, Rodriguez learned that the constable vehicles parked behind the satellite office had been covered in yellow tape. By that afternoon, Im really starting to get upset, because theres more and more rumors, Rodriguez said. People are calling and asking why all these cars in the back of the satellite office are yellow-taped. Never once in those five days, did someone say, Hey, by the way, theres somebody down, hes being checked, he may have the coronavirus. C. Junda Woo, the medical director and local health authority for the Metropolitan Health District, sent a letter to Albert Uresti, the countys tax-assessor-collector, on Sunday to answer any lingering concerns about the public-health risks for satellite-office workers. Woo acknowledged that those staffers may have some concerns or feel apprehensive, but assured Uresti that the facility is safe for both employees and visitors. Woo added: We are well past the time frame when the novel coronavirus could have survived on a surface. In addition, the Bexar County Facilities Department has gone above and beyond by providing a deep cleaning and hospital-grade disinfectant spray treatment of both the satellite office and appropriate vehicles. The concern raised by Rodriguez is that the apparent secrecy surrounding the deputy constables condition deprived both satellite-office employees and community members who recently entered the office from knowing they were at risk and putting others at risk. The county opened the Precinct 1 satellite office in May 2012, at the site of an old Winns store. It represented an effort, long requested by Rodriguez, to bring more services to South Side residents. Tommy Calvert, one of Rodriguezs Commissioners Court colleagues, expressed solidarity with his fellow commissioner by going to Austin on Sunday to pick up a new in-home coronavirus test kit for Rodriguez. On Facebook, Calvert said he made the trip out of concern for (Rodriguezs) potential exposure to COVID-19. Its a concern that many satellite-office employees have felt in recent days. Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 Blast near joint border halts Iran's gas exports to Turkey Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 10:27 AM Iran's natural gas exports to Turkey have stopped following an explosion on a pipeline near their joint border, an official at the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said on Tuesday. "The explosion occurred near the Iranian border, causing gas to be halted from 6:50 (0320 GMT) this morning," Mehdi Jamshidi-Dana told IRNA news agency said. The cause of the explosion is not known yet, but Kurdish militants who are at war with the Turkish state in the southeast have blown up the pipeline in the past. The Turkish side, the Iranian official said, has been informed of the explosion but it has not responded to the incident yet. "We are waiting for their response," he said. According to Jamshidi-Dana, Turkey's representative at Bazargan gas transmission station has left his post due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The official said that "all necessary efforts" were underway to manage the situation, but that currently it was unclear when the line would re-open. "Experience has shown that repairing the lines takes three to seven days, depending on the amount of damage done," he said. Turkey's state news agency Anadolu said the explosion occurred near the Gurbulak border gate with Iran in Agri province. Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber also said the cause of the explosion was unknown. "The gas flow on the natural gas pipeline was cut and the fire that had started was extinguished by fire squads," it said. The report added that security forces are investigating the incident. Most recently the line was closed following an attack by PKK militants in July 2015, while a subsequent attack on the line in April 2018 was foiled by Turkish security forces. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the fight between Turkish forces and the militants since the 1980s. Iran is Turkey's second-biggest supplier of natural gas after Russia. Tehran sells about 10 billion cubic meters a year of gas under a 25-year supply deal to Turkey which it uses for electricity generation. The gas exports are carried out via a 2,577 km (1,601 miles) pipeline running from Tabriz to Ankara. Turkey imported 7.7 billion cubic meters of gas from Iran in 2019, or some 17% of its total gas imports. Ankara is almost 100-percent dependent on fuel imports, with natural gas accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country's electricity production. After the United States unleashed its most draconian sanctions on Iran in November 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear that Turkey would continue to buy natural gas from the Islamic Republic. According to NIGC Managing Director Hassan Montazer Torbati, Turkey has requested to purchase more Iranian natural gas. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nearly 500,000 United States Postal Service (USPS) employees are entrusted with delivering mail to every residential and business address in the U.S. each day. Much of that mail, though, first moves on contractor vehicles that transport it from distribution center to distribution center, and then to local post offices. Some contractors are quite savvy, such as Butch McAbee and his wife, Lisa. The McAbees, who own McAbee Trucking in South Carolina, have held a USPS contract for 49 years and currently operate a fleet of 21 tractor-trailers and 15 straight trucks. For a mail operation, it is remarkably robust. Lisa McAbee told FreightWaves the company likes to buy new equipment when possible, and a few years ago made the decision to move into alternative fuels. After a 2017 foray into compressed natural gas, the fleet is now adding propane vehicles. "The United States Postal Service has its own sustainability plan," McAbee said. "Since we've been in business with them for 49 years, we want to help them achieve that plan ... by implementing propane rather than diesel into our contracts." McAbee Trucking will take delivery of a Ford F-650 with 26-foot van body with liftgate in April, and the plan is to acquire six additional vehicles all Ford F-750 models with 26-foot van bodies. McAbee said the coronavirus has disrupted those plans, but they still expect to put them into operation this year. She said the vehicles are modified slightly to lessen the overall weight, allowing non-CDL drivers to drive them. "It will still pull the same load and it will still get the same fuel mileage, and maybe even a little better fuel mileage because the truck is lighter," she said. Ford's F-650 and F-750 models are also available with gas engines, but McAbee said that wasn't a consideration for their trucks, which typically drive between 60,000 and 70,000 miles a year. "We did not consider gas because propane emissions are less than gasoline and the cost for propane is still less than gas," she said. "At one time [gas] would have been an option but now with the emissions it's a no-brainer." Story continues The McAbees are exactly the type of customer who Tucker Perkins, president and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), thinks are perfect for propane. The trucks drive dedicated routes, can return to base for refueling, and are in line with industry pushes to reduce emissions. As Tucker sees it, that societal push toward zero emissions is opening the door for propane. A breakthrough in engine technology is only accelerating that push. "For five years we've been working with Cummins on the next generation of propane engines," Perkins said during the Green Truck Summit in Indianapolis earlier this month. "That's the engine we've been waiting for to breach the Class 8 market." That engine, the Cummins 6.7L propane engine, leverages components from Cummins' 6.7L diesel engine but is a direct propane injection powerplant that produces 880 lbs.-ft. of torque and 375 horsepower, Perkins said. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) matches that of diesel and produces 11% less CO2 emissions than a diesel engine with a similar displacement. Importantly, the engine produces between 17% and 25% less CO2 emissions than currently produced propane engines as a result of its BTE. Current propane engines include a Cummins 5.9L engine, a Ford 7.3L and a GM 6.6L. The first part of the equation the push to zero-emissions engines is an inherent part of the propane story, Perkins noted. Propane engines, he said, can already meet the proposed NOx emissions standards. Current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards call for engines to achieve 0.2 grams NOx per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr). In January, EPA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would push that limit down to 0.02 g/bhp-hr. The rulemaking is in response to a push from California and 19 other states to lower the levels. Perkins said propane engines already operate at 0.01 g/bhp-hr. Coming advances in direct injection, higher compression ratios, cooler exhaust gas recirculation, start/stop cylinder deactivation and hybrid solutions will help propane engines stay at these low levels. The development of renewable propane that benefits from inexpensive and abundant feedstock ensures zero particulate matter release for the engines, another advantage over diesel, Perkins said. The counterargument is that propane doesn't have the same power as diesel, and with a lower British thermal unit (Btu) rating per gallon, fuel economy does suffer a little. However, the fuel is significantly cheaper than diesel and "its lower per-gallon cost can quickly offset the lower fuel economy," the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center explained. Steve Whaley, director of Autogas business development for PERC, told FreightWaves the average per-gallon price of propane, as of the beginning of March, was $1.27 on the West Coast and $1.45 on the East Coast. A 37-cents-per-gallon tax credit is also available currently, Whaley told FreightWaves at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. "When you add up how much it costs to drive 100 miles, we're 50% cheaper than diesel," he said. The other issue is infrastructure. Propane is not available at your regular fuel stop, and at this point, is best suited for operations where the vehicle returns to base or has propane fueling infrastructure along the way exactly how McAbee Trucking plans to use its new propane trucks. "It's serving the same purpose as compressed natural gas but at a cheaper price," Lisa McAbee said. See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / NAVION CAPITAL INC. (TSXV:NAVN.P) (the "Corporation"), a capital pool company, announces that further to its press releases dated August 22, 2018 and July 5, 2019, the letter of intent dated August 17, 2018 with Hollyweed North Cannabis Inc., a company incorporated in British Columbia, has been terminated in accordance with its terms. For further information regarding the Transaction, please contact: Livio Susin Tel: (604) 789-2410 Email: liviotravel@gmail.com The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Navion Capital Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583406/Navion-Announces-Termination-of-Letter-of-Intent Online anti-porn ministry getting increased interest from churches due to coronavirus shutdowns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An online ministry that helps men who struggle with sex and pornography addiction has been getting increased interest from churches looking to partner with them due to recent closures over the coronavirus pandemic. The Live Free Community app was launched in November 2019, with over 700 individual members as well as a couple of church partners signing up. In an interview with The Christian Post, Live Free founder Carl Thomas explained that, with many churches closing down over pandemic concerns, his group is suddenly receiving more interest and inquiries. Now with COVID-19, churches are being forced to take their efforts online, something many recovery groups have no experience with, Thomas said. Thomas also told CP that his ministry can provide them all the tools they need to do this and do it effectively. Given the need and the current situation, Thomas noted that the group was waiving their usual $299 setup fee for congregations, though the monthly fee of $4.99 would remain. When a church signs up with us we create a landing page for them and a private/secret group in our network that they manage and only their church members can access, Thomas added. Inside these groups churches can host live events, online meetings, post articles, videos, etc. We also provide free training for their leaders on how to run a group based on our model, both locally and online. Thomas added that he wanted to give churches a safe recovery community for their men where they can openly communicate and organize their efforts. I believe the issue is the tremendous shame that surrounds this struggle and that most men don't want to show up to a weekly group meeting that's being advertised in their church where they can be easily identified as a guy with that problem, he said. The first congregation to agree to become a partner in the program was Fervent Church, founded in 2012 and based in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Fervent Church founder and lead pastor Mike Rosado told CP that his congregation has been a partner with Live Free at its inception. Our church attracts different types of people and since we value vulnerability, many men admit to struggling in this area, so we wanted to strike while the iron was hot, explained Rosado. Our partnership has been great. The men in our church now feel they have a healthy and safe place to process and be known, while still deal with their issues privately. Rosado went on to strongly recommend Live Free, telling CP he believes this struggle is so prevalent in our lives that its foolish not to resource our churches with ways to deal with it head on. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here. When transgender women in Queens needed a safe place to be tested for H.I.V., Lorena Borjas turned her home into a clinic. When others were arrested and charged with prostitution, she bailed them out. When some faced deportation after an arrest, she created a nonprofit group to arrange for their legal representation. Ms. Borjas, an indefatigable activist who drew on her own experiences as an immigrant transgender woman to help others, died on Monday at a hospital in Brooklyn. She was 59. Chase Strangio, a friend and colleague, said the cause was complications of the coronavirus. Ms. Borjas became a guardian angel of sorts for the transgender community in Queens, helping women deal with sex trafficking, police harassment, substance abuse and health problems. The Yoido Full Gospel Church's founder and senior pastor emeritus David Yonggi Cho, right, and senior pastor Lee Young-hoon smile after a recent interview at the church office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Oh Young-jin The coronavirus pandemic throws the world upside down: nations under lockdown and people cut off from each other and isolated from their daily lives. This viral attack makes humans feel helpless the victims of infinitesimal beings and prompts them to engage in collective soul searching. Spiritual consolation is what churches have long been providing. But the places of worship are also under siege as the virus scourge thrives on human-to-human proximity, making the fundamental gesture of a handshake, hugging and even talking with each other taboo. Will churches that have been born out of adversity overcome all kinds of challenges succumb to the latest plague? In the first of a series of interviews with leaders of the nation and the world marking the 70th anniversary of The Korea Times, the Yoido Full Gospel Church's senior pastor Lee Young-hoon and founder and senior pastor emeritus David Yonggi Cho on Friday spoke about the issues facing us in this unprecedented time. Lee just finished taping his sermon in an empty sanctuary of the church that would have been filled with thousands of parishioners before the virus onslaught. The world's largest church, with 800,000 registered congregants and 200,000 attending its weekly services, has resorted to online services only due to an anti-contagion measure enforced by the government. Our team of five, including two writers, a two-crew video team and a photographer, underwent a body temperature check, among others, before being cleared to proceed. First, Lee arrived, being met by a group of church officials. Instead of shaking hands, we had a fist bump for a greeting. The seating was arranged so as to maintain a social distance from each other just in case, although the camera crew, all wearing face masks, were sweating in the heat from their lights. The pastor, who has led the church since 2008, looked jubilant. He attributed his mood to the fact he had just finished taping his sermon. I have met him a couple of times, once for an interview, and I felt a sense of consolation when I spoke with him (Disclaimer: I am a semi-practicing Christian). Congratulations, tokosuntik.org got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Tokosuntik.org scored 63 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 10 Apr 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. tokosuntik.org is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 141 people on Facebook, it has 1 twitter shares and it has 4 google+ shares. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the tokosuntik homepage on Twitter + the total number of tokosuntik followers (if tokosuntik has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the tokosuntik homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the tokosuntik homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the tokosuntik homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. 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Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page. 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 URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Wuhan Awaits Lockdown Amid Concerns Over Asymptomatic Cases 2020-03-31 -- Authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan were getting ready to ease restrictions on its 11 million residents this week, with national health adviser Li Lanjuan claiming that the coronavirus has basically been brought under control after two-and-a-half months of lockdown. But residential communities were still shut down, with officials telling people over 65 not to leave their homes. All restrictions will be fully lifted on April 8, following a similar easing of restrictions in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. Li told state broadcaster CCTV late on Monday that the epidemic is now "basically under control" in Wuhan. But he said further control efforts are still under way. "We have to find out in a timely manner whether there are still infected people in the community who haven't been counted yet, and to stop the disease spreading in the residential compounds," he said. "Generally speaking, Wuhan is doing very well ... but there are a small number of patients who have yet to be fully cured," he said. Government still cautious Wuhan residents said they didn't find Li's remarks very reassuring. "The government is still actually being very cautious," a resident surnamed Peng told RFA on Tuesday. "There are buses and subway trains running, but these services aren't fully open." "They are telling people over 65 to stay home, and basically not leave their homes at all." Wuhan resident Sun Zhaoxian said that employers are being required to provide health certificates for anyone returning to work. "You need a certificate from your employer or your rural or neighborhood committee saying that you have no fever, and you also have to take a nucleic acid test," Sun said. "Anyone returning home to different cities and provinces after staying with relatives [during the Lunar New Year holiday lockdown] has to take a nucleic acid test, too," Sun said. "The orders have already come through, and people are rushing around trying to get tested." People across China are still waiting for the government to publish figures of the number of people who were asymptomatic when they tested positive for coronavirus. City still locked down A Hubei resident surnamed Song said Wuhan is still basically under lockdown. "A friend of mine had to get a nucleic acid test before he was allowed to [leave Wuhan], and they also wanted a certificate from his neighborhood committee," Song said. Concerns about asymptomatic spreaders of the coronavirus grew on Sunday after authorities in Henan reported a new confirmed coronavirus case in a man who had had contact with an asymptomatic carrier. Asymptomatic infections from outside China have also been reported in Dezhou city, Shandong, Guiyang, capital of Guizhou, and Mianyang city, Sichuan. Government regulations require any asymptomatic infections to be reported online within two hours of confirmation, with the patient quarantined for 14 days pending two successive negative nucleic acid tests. Numbers not public But the numbers have yet to be made public. "The government is hesitating to do that because once they make it public, everyone will feel that they are at risk," a resident of Wuhan surnamed Zhang told RFA. "The epidemic is getting worse, and they are relaxing restrictions in one place while locking down another." "They need to relax them for people to live their lives, because they can't afford for [everything to shut down for so long]." "But as soon as they make things public, they will be under huge pressure once more from international public opinion," Zhang said. College entrance exams, normally a time of huge stress for students and parents alike, will be postponed until early July, with possible further posponements likely in Beijing and Hubei. Some 10 million candidates were expecting to sit the gaokao examination this year. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content March not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in a Delhi locality becoming an epicentre for COVID-19 spread across India, southern states are hurrying to identify and possibly isolate those who attended the meeting, with Tamil Nadu and Telangana alone accounting for over 2,000 people. While Telangana saw six fatalities, all of whom attended the congregation in Nizamuddin West in Delhi last month, Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest increase in the daily number of COVID-19 positive cases on Tuesday at 57, taking the aggregate to 124. Of the 57 positive cases, 50 had attended the event. Other states are also keeping an eye on those having returned home after their Delhi visit, even as Tamil Nadu appealed to the untraceable persons to voluntarily turn up before the authorities concerned for further medical action. Nizamuddin West, a south Delhi locality,has emerged as an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus in different parts of the country after thousands of people took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation from March 1-15. In Delhi alone, 24 participants tested positive for the disease while 441 others were hospitalised after they showed symptoms. Incidentally, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have received telling blows as a fallout, with the former recording six COVID-19 deaths on a single day on Monday. The Telangana administration has estimated that over 1,000 people from the state might have attended the Nizamuddin congregation in the national capital. Two of the six had died at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, one each in two private hospitals, and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns. Special teams under District Collectors have identified those who came in contact with the deceased and they have been shifted to hospitals, according to the government. Tamil Nadu witnessed the steepest single-day spike in the number of positive coronavirus cases in the state on Tuesday. As many as 50 of the 57 positive cases had attended the Nizamuddin congregation, even as the government scampered to identify the rest, some of whom are untraceable so far. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said 1,131 men have returned of the about 1,500 people who went for the event. "About 515 people have been identified...others who took part in the meet should voluntarily get in touch with the authorities...we have not got the addresses of others fully," he said, apparently indicating that their whereabouts could not be ascertained so far. He said while a section could not be contacted yet, others have been quarantined in Delhi. Considering the severity of COVID-19 and its potential to adversely impact society at large, returnees should approach the authorities so that they could be tested and treated if needed, he said. The government has already said that several district administrations could not establish contact with many returnees, even as the police department was also working to trace them. The National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, has appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers' to contact health authorities immediately at specific phone numbers as the participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. Andhra Pradesh reported 43 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, most of which relate to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, officials said. While the Karnataka government has so far identified 78 people "associated" with the Nizmauddin event,Kerala has also zeroed in on all those who travelled to Delhi for the event. According to Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department, Jawaid Akhtar, anybody who has attended the event should contact the authorities. He said 78 people from the state associated with Tablighi Jamaat have been identified and quarantined. "We are not sure whether all of them attended the congregation held earlier this month, but as they would have come in contact with those attended in one or the other, they have been put under government quarantine," he said. With many of them claiming to have already completed 14 days of quarantine, the government has decided to put them for COVID-19 test, he said, adding the 78 included some foreign nationals. Meanwhike, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the government has collected the details of those who took part from the state in the recent religious congregations in Nizamuddin and Malaysia and it needs to be examined if they have any health issues. "Police have already made detailed examination in this regard. The list of participants has been given through respective District Collectors. Necessary precautions will be made in the concerned districts in this regard," he said. The government has the exact number of participants and the details of the districts they are hailing from, he added. Puducherry, a union territory near Tamil Nadu,also reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with both persons having attended the congregation in Nizamuddin in March. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NORWALK Five more Norwalk residents died of coronavirus, bringing the death count this week to 10. The city confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total death count in Norwalk to 15. On Tuesday, the city reported an additional five COVID-19 deaths. My heart aches as we continue to lose our neighbors and friends as a result of this horrible virus. I cannot imagine what these families and loved ones are feeling in this moment, but I know our entire community joins them in mourning, Mayor Harry Rilling said. While we might be finding our new routine, health experts are predicting April will be a real difficult month in Connecticut with more positive cases, additional stress to the health care system, and unfortunately, more deaths. Please Norwalk - continue to take care of yourselves, family, and friends by avoiding unnecessary travel or shopping. None of us are invincible to this disease. Thirteen additional cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Norwalk on Wednesday. According to data from the state, Norwalk now has 315 reported cases of coronavirus. The city said they will not release the age and sex of any affected individuals. While Norwalk still has the second-highest number of reported infections in the state after Stamford, this the lowest increase in cases the city has seen in several days. Over the weekend, Norwalks cases spiked by 60 percent, prompting Mayor Harry Rilling to close all city parks and beaches and limit the customer capacity of grocery stores. As of Wednesday, there were 3,557 reported cases of coronavirus state wide and 1,968 in Fairfield County. There have been 85 coronavirus-related deaths in Connecticut, including a six-week-old infant who is believed to be one of the youngest fatalities worldwide. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com PHILIPSBURG:--- The Honorable Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek expresses his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family and friends of Dutch, Sint Maartens first COVID-19 victim. He wishes the family strength and courage as they navigate through this challenging time of loss. Minister Panneflek emphasizes that this crisis poses a very great threat to the health and lives of our people, yet many are not taking this virus seriously. Notwithstanding, he is prepared to tackle the challenges ahead and is honored to be afforded the opportunity to serve as your Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. The minister explains, that the next several weeks will be critical in the fight against COVID-19, but rest assured urgent meetings with all health care institutions, medical associations and health providers, as well as key stakeholders directly involved, are in place; to ensure all efforts are being exhausted to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect all health care workers and actors directly or indirectly involved, and strengthen capacity to be able to test, quarantine, isolate, and treat those who may be impacted by COVID-19. Although the Ministry of VSA is quite an extensive portfolio with many social and labor issues that need immediate attention, the health concerns are my highest priority. Within the coming days we will also meet with our Labor tripartite to discuss ways in which together we can mitigate the possible social consequences and safeguard our labor market during this tragic economic downfall, Minister Panneflek said. Minister Panneflek states he is committed to supporting and working along with the Prime Minister as chair of the EOC, in her decisions to protect the people of St. Maarten and would also like to express words of thanks to everyone who is working each day to ensure that we are all protected, informed, and able to enjoy access to the basic necessities. Our nation will be deeply impacted by this, and Minister Panneflek urges all of us to work together towards finding feasible solutions to the problems we are facing. Please help us to help you by practicing proper hygiene, adhering to the regulations and doing your civic duty by staying at home. Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa on Wednesday said it has bagged a contract to supply its next generation turbines for 312 MW project to AES in Brazil. As per the contract, Siemens Gamesa will supply 52 units of its next generation SG 5.8-170 turbines to AES for its 312 MW Tucano wind farm in Brazil, the company said in a statement. "The turbines will operate at up to 6.2 MW capacity. For this order, the company will leverage its strong supply chain and upgrade its nacelle assembly plant in Camaari to produce Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform locally," it said. The wind farm, located in Bahia, is scheduled for commissioning in 2021. "This is the third and largest deal for next generation Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform, and first in Brazil, taking the total orders close to 600 MW in Europe and Latin America," the company said. Over the last decade, Siemens Gamesa has brought its latest technologies and invested heavily in localizing production and creating jobs in Brazil. "We see the footprint of our Siemens Gamesa 5.X expanding globally, demonstrating its adaptability to all markets, its CEO of onnshore business unit Alfonso Faubel said. He further said the new order means that Siemens Gamesa is the first OEM to introduce its latest generation of onshore wind turbines in Brazil. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taiwan urges WHO to review restrictions on its participation ROC Central News Agency 03/31/2020 12:21 PM Taipei, March 31 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to review what it described as the WHO's "unfair restrictions" on Taiwan at a time when the world is struggling with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The ministry was responding to a rare WHO statement dated March 29 that directly mentioned the issue of Taiwan's desire to participate in the organization and cited instances in which it has not left Taiwan alone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. "The question of Taiwanese membership in WHO is up to WHO Member States, not WHO staff," The WHO statement said. "However, WHO is working closely with all health authorities who are facing the current coronavirus pandemic, including Taiwanese health experts," the statement said. MOFA said in a statement Monday night that while Taiwan and the WHO have established contact points under the International Health Regulations (IHR), Taiwan in most cases provides information unilaterally that is not shared by the WHO to other countries. The ministry lamented that Taiwan cannot participate in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a network established by the WHO to respond rapidly to outbreaks of international importance, and has no access to timely information through that system. According to MOFA, Taiwan has applied to attend 187 WHO technical meetings from 2009 to 2019, but received approval only 57 of the time, representing a rejection rate of 70 percent. "This indicates that when handling Taiwan's participation in its technical meetings, WHO continues to restrict Taiwan for political reasons," MOFA said. "Taiwan calls on the WHO Secretariat to continue to reevaluate the unfair restrictions it has imposed on Taiwan based on political considerations," the ministry urged, citing support for Taiwan's participation in the international community. Taiwan, under its formal name, the Republic of China, was a founding member of the WHO. However, it was kicked out of the United Nations-affiliated organization in May 1972 after the U.N. formally recognized the Beijing government as the only legitimate representative of China seven months earlier. It has not been a member of the United Nations or the WHO since then. (By Emerson Lim) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Advertisement Sadiq Khan today again blamed commuters for packed Tube trains during the coronavirus crisis as he was shown footage of the cramped conditions on live TV. The Mayor of London claims 'too many people are not staying at home' and again insisted they could not run any more services as he admitted only around half of all trains are now going during rush hour. Today there are waits of up to 20 minutes between trains when usually it would be three to five minutes, leading to more busy carriages and platforms packed with key workers with no choice but to go to work. Mr Khan told Good Morning Britain today: 'Transport for London staff are working their socks off. 30 per cent are self isolating or have symptoms. We are providing max services we can - of the 13 lines on TFL all but two are working'. He added: 'There is a concern that still too many people who really, really should not be going to work are using public transport during the rush hour and the key message is unless you really have to get to work, work from home, and if you do have to go into work, please avoid the rush hour.' Sadiq Khan today again blamed commuters for packed Tube trains during the coronavirus crisis as he was shown photographs of cramped conditions on live TV today Passengers at a busy Canning Town Station today as Sadiq Khan insisted not enough people are staying at home rather than commuting The Mayor of London has admitted that only around half of trains are now running at rush hour - and said the number of people using the Tube is down significantly Today there are waits of up to 20 minutes between trains when usually it would be three to five minutes Police checking Id's and asking people where and why they were travelling at Canada Water Underground Station in south-east London today Earlier he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We have in London roughly speaking 90% of our buses still running to take critical workers to work - that's more than 8,000 buses, more than 600 routes.' Mr Khan also said 55% of trains on lines run by Transport for London (TfL) are running during rush hour. He said, as of Tuesday, there had been a 94% reduction in Tube use compared to the same day in 2019, and an 85% reduction in bus use. He added a 'large number' of TfL staff are 'self-isolating or are sick with Covid-19'. Passengers complained about the lack of space as they travelled to work, leading to them being unable to follow Government guidance to keep two metres away from others. Transport for London (TfL) has called for its services to only be used for 'essential journeys by vital workers in the NHS and other critical services'. It said passenger numbers on Monday morning were down 94% compared with the same day last year. Demand on the previous Monday was down 85% year-on-year. But a Central line passenger, who did not want to be named, said there were 'plenty of commuters' on the platform at Leytonstone station, east London on Monday morning. She told the PA news agency: 'People observed social distancing whilst on the platform but as soon as the train arrived everyone moved towards the doors. 'Perhaps there should be an announcement that commuters should take their time in getting on and off.' A slide from the presentation given by Sir Patrick Vallance, showing the huge reduction in use of the tube, bus, trains and car usage Commuters pack onto a Jubilee line train towards Central London today as workers are forced to use busy Tube services London bus drivers speaking together in a group at a London depot today in violation of rules to stay six feet apart to prevent the spread of coronavirus Another woman who did not want to be named said she is concerned about her partner catching coronavirus on the Tube, particularly as they are both NHS nurses. She commented: 'My partner is an NHS registered nurse going to Westminster from Newbury Park Tube. 'It is so difficult to get a seat, even at 6am. 'I'm worried that she will catch the virus herself and get ill but also pass it on to her colleagues or me. 'I am also an intensive care and high dependency unit registered nurse. 'This will take us away from critically ill patients during this very trying time. 'We are already at reduced numbers of registered nurses in intensive care and high dependency units, even before Covid-19. Now the situation is worse.' Train drivers' union Aslef posted a video showing a crowded platform with passengers stood shoulder-to-shoulder waiting to board a service. It also posted a message which read: 'Shocking scenes again on London Underground this morning. Workers being forced to take unnecessary journeys by unscrupulous employers. 'Government must take action to close non-essential workplaces so our members can continue to provide safe services for key workers.' Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs it should be possible to 'run a better Tube system'. London drivers make MORE unnecessary journeys than those in Paris, Madrid and New York with roads still jam-packed full of traffic despite lockdown By Mark Duell for MailOnline London has higher traffic levels than other major European capitals - indicating that motorists are still making unnecessary journeys despite the coronavirus lockdown. Drivers in the UK capital are not leaving the roads as quickly as their counterparts in other European capitals - and traffic levels are higher than in New York, figures show. The analysis found that 20 per cent of London's roads were congested on average between Monday to Friday last week, against the usual figure of 40 per cent. About 20 per cent of London's roads were congested on average between Monday to Friday last week, compared to a normal figure of 40 per cent, according to analysis of TomTom data Heavy traffic on a main road in Wapping heading into London during the morning rush hour today despite the UK being in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus Numbers of vehicles on the roads in the capital and across Britain dropped sharply last month as people follow Government guidelines to stop non-essential journeys. The reduction is also reflective of advice to work from home along with the closure of schools, pubs, restaurants, theatres, gyms and most shops over the past fortnight. But traffic in London has not fallen as fast as in Paris, New York and Madrid where congestion was down from the usual 40 per cent to about 5 per cent last week. In London the figure is only down to 20 per cent, according to research conducted by the Financial Times using figures Netherlands-based traffic data firm TomTom. Photographs this morning showed heavy traffic on a main road in Wapping, East London, heading into the capital during rush hour despite the UK being in lockdown. The Road Safety Analysis group has found traffic on A roads in South East England fell by 56 per cent by the end of last week compared with a week earlier. But it also discovered that average speeds have gone up by at least 10 per cent over the past two week Separately, the Road Safety Analysis group has found traffic on A roads in South East England fell by 56 per cent by the end of last week compared with a week earlier. But it also discovered that average speeds have gone up by at least 10 per cent over the past two weeks amid concerns drivers are breaking restrictions on empty roads. Meanwhile a report by Moovit found public transport usage in London has declined by 75 per cent compared to normal levels before the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesman for the journey planner app, which has more than 750 million users, said: 'While we've usually seen dips in public transport ridership throughout the year due to holidays and events, a decline of this magnitude is unprecedented.' Heavy traffic on a road in Wapping heading into London during today's morning rush hour TomTom traffic advisor Stephanie Leonard told MailOnline: 'Our real-time traffic data gives us an understanding of the levels of traffic congestion in towns and cities. 'We've seen traffic congestion levels increase year-on-year over the last decade, but what we're seeing now is an evident change in the movement of people. 'From London to Los Angeles, and Melbourne to Mumbai, there's a massive reduction in morning and evening rush-hour traffic in most cities. As the days progress into weeks, we're continuing to see traffic congestion levels drop even further.' It comes as Mayor Sadiq Khan continued to call on Londoners to stop using the Underground amid concernes over packed trains preventing social distancing. A report by journey planner app Moovit found public transport usage in London has declined by 75 per cent compared to normal levels before the coronavirus pandemic However many workers still need to take the Tube to work, and Mr Khan has again insisted Transport for London cannot run any more services amid high staff sickness. He also said that yesterday there was a 9 per cent reduction in Tube use compared to the same day in 2019, and an 85 per cent reduction in passengers on buses. Today there were waits of up to 20 minutes between trains when usually it would be three to five minutes, leading to more busy carriages and packed platforms. Passengers complained about the lack of space as they travelled to work, leading to them being unable to follow guidance to keep two metres away from others. SAN FRANCISCO The spread of the coronavirus has meant feast or famine for technology start-ups. While many are cutting staff and slashing costs as they reel from the outbreaks fallout, others have experienced a surge in demand. One of the lucky ones is Notion, a workplace productivity start-up based in San Francisco, whose tools help people organize and track their work. With more people working remotely now and turning to such products, new customer sign-ups hit a new high for Notion in recent weeks. That allowed the start-up to garner new funding. On Wednesday, Notion said it raised $50 million from Index Ventures and other investors that valued it at $2 billion. Notion had previously been valued at $800 million. The fund-raising was completed in 36 hours last week after the virus pushed Ivan Zhao, Notions founder and chief executive, and Akshay Kothari, Notions chief operating officer, to rethink their previous position of not relying too much on venture capital. She's been social distancing and self isolating in Los Angeles amid the Covid-19 global pandemic. And on Wednesday, Bella Hadid shared a series of snaps of herself as she sported a bright yellow fleece jacket while topless underneath. The 23-year-old supermodel flaunted her flat midriff and a hint of cleavage in the cover up, which she called her 'favorite.' Wow factor: Bella Hadid shared a series of snaps of herself as sported a bright yellow fleece jacket while topless underneath on Wednesday afternoon Bella tagged the brand, which is Bode, in the sultry snaps; she posed on a bed with framed images of Audrey Hepburn behind her. She wore the fleece coat with gray bottoms, opting to wear no bra and no shirt. Bella added a patterned bandanna as well as her signature gold hoops to round out her look. She had a white beaded choker on before opting to pose without it on. Stunning: The 23-year-old supermodel flaunted her flat midriff and a hint of cleavage in the cover up, which she called her 'favorite' Beautiful: Bella tagged the brand, which is Bode, in the sultry snaps; she posed on a bed with framed images of Audrey Hepburn behind her Focused: She wore the fleece coat with gray bottoms, opting to wear no bra and no shirt Bella posed sitting up on the bed as well as lounging on a pillow and resting her hand against her cheek. The younger sister of Gigi Hadid pulled her hair back beneath her bandanna with a touch of makeup on. Bella captioned the first image in the series with: 'A girl and her favorite yellow jacket: a series.' The second slideshow didn't have a caption but the third and final one had: 'OK, the series is over now. thank you for coming.' Looking great: Bella added a patterned bandanna as well as her signature gold hoops to round out her look Mesmerizing: She had a white beaded choker on before opting to pose without it on What a beauty: Bella posed sitting up on the bed as well as lounging on a pillow and resting her hand against her cheek Two days prior, Bella enjoyed time in the sun as she took in some Vitamin D in a ribbed white bikini. The bare faced makeup free beauty showcased her fit form in the triangle top with string bottoms. Bella snapped pictures of herself as she lounged in a beach chair while soaking in the warm weather in Los Angeles on Monday. Sunshine: Two days prior, Bella enjoyed time in the sun as she took in some Vitamin D while sporting a ribbed white bikini Lovely: The bare faced makeup free beauty showcased her fit form in the triangle top with string bottoms Ten people of Manipur, who attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month, were quarantined and their samples sent for testing, officials said here on Wednesday. The event has become a key source for the spread of coronavirus and six of its attendees from Telangana died of COVID-19. The 10 were quarantined at Lilong in Thoubal district, while another attendee with high blood pressure has been taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in state capital Imphal. However, none of the 11 people showed any symptoms of novel coronavirus, officials said. The Manipur government on Tuesday said it has traced 14 people who attended the religious congregation held in Nizamuddin. Government officials are tight-lipped about the whereabouts of the remaining three. They, however, said 39 others who attended the programme are still outside Manipur. Director General of Police LM Khaute said anyone from the state who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin, or stayed in the vicinity of the venue or passed near it should get themselves tested at the nearest government hospital failing which legal actions will be taken against them. Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday appealed to the people of the state who had attended the congregation to come forward for a COVID-19 test. The appeal is not aimed at spreading panic but is a call for acting responsibly, he said. The religious event was organized by the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary body, which as accused of holding its meeting in Delhi defying restrictions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists. Now, a new coronavirus is engulfing the world, and the long-foretold once-in-a-century pandemic has become a reality. New insights are accumulating rapidly, but many things about the virus, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease that it causes, COVID-19, remain unknown. One thing, however, is certain, experts say: This pandemic will not be the last. The newly formed Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness aims to address both the immediate and long-term implications of the crisis. The effort, led by Harvard Medical School, will work to stem the tide of COVID-19 but, more importantly, to lay the groundwork for dealing with future pandemics. "This is a historic moment. It reminds us why we have dedicated our lives and careers to science and medicine," said HMS Dean George Q. Daley. "The novel corona virus is a public health crisis of cataclysmic proportions. It compels us to forge new levels of collaboration across Boston, Cambridge and beyond to address both the immediate challenges of this pandemic and to create a rapid-response system to deal with future crises." The initiative, formalized at a March 2 meeting at HMS, was sparked by a collaborative research grant from the China Evergrande Group. Under the research agreement, $115 million will be shared equally between Boston-based researchers and colleagues at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health. The Boston-based consortium, spearheaded by Daley and faculty co-leads Arlene Sharpe and Bruce Walker, already involves more than 100 scientists across five area universities, and institutes, as well as Harvard-affiliated hospitals. More scientists are joining the ranks daily. "This is an extraordinary, collaborative effort which brings together scientists and clinicians from across Boston's research community to tackle this crisis and prepare for potential future outbreaks," said Sharpe, chair of the Department of Immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. "The response to COVID-19 is unprecedented and truly inspiring." Walker, a virologist and HIV expert, describes the new coronavirus as an existential threat that demands pan-institutional and transnational alliances. "This is not business as usual," said Walker,the Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of immunology at HMS. "There's a huge amount of knowledge that can be applied collectively and collaboratively. There is a phenomenal sense of energy and commitment from everyone involved, and the important thing is that we sustain it. We are now moving beyond institutional allegiances and allying with each other to try to solve this critical problem." Evidence about the new virus--its biology, its behavior, its effects on the body--is growing by the day, with papers posted on preprint servers for the global scientific community to dissect and pull from before the research has undergone standard peer review. Across the globe, there are multiple vaccine trials and a growing number of clinical trials testing experimental treatments for COVID-19. As scientists forge ahead to piece together a comprehensive profile of the virus fueling this historic pandemic, researchers are focusing their efforts on six areas: epidemiology, diagnostics, pathogenesis, clinical disease management, treatment and vaccines. EPIDEMIOLOGY During pandemics, epidemiologists work as profilers. They trace, monitor and predict the movement and behavior of a pathogen in an effort to create a detailed portrait of an invisible foe that inflicts damage that is all too real. Key epidemiological questions include: What is the spectrum of disease severity? How transmissible is the virus and who is most likely to spread it? What are the risk factors for severe illness and death? How does the behavior of the infection vary by location, and does it change over time?Answers to these questions can inform key decisions about what public health measures should be implemented and what resources should be allocated--choices that can profoundly reshape outcomes. Moreover, epidemiologic trends can provide telltale clues for more focused areas of study. For example, if a certain group appears to be at high risk for severe complications (elderly people with cardiovascular illness or cancer) or seemingly resistant to disease (children), then clinical researchers and basic scientists could try to untangle the biologic factors and physiology of infection that underlie these observations. To glean answers, epidemiologists rely on two tools: sophisticated disease modeling and old-fashioned raw data collection. Megan Murray and Michael Mina, who co-lead the epidemiology working group of the new consortium, say that estimating the true spread of the virus is critical to answer both immediate and long-term questions about COVID-19. Understanding the true spread would not only reveal critical clues about the movement and transmissibility across different communities, but can also inform anticipatory decision-making. Murray, professor of Global Health and Social Medicine in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, is director of research for Partners in Health, an organization that helps create sustainable medical care and delivery in 10 nations with severely under-resourced health care systems. One of Murray's recent projects is developing models to predict the movement of the new coronavirus across each of those nations and forecast the impact of the pandemic based on country-specific dynamics. These analyses can inform precision-targeted allocation of materials and human resources based on each region's anticipated need. Murray, working with Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has also developed a model that predicts how many intensive-care beds would be needed in different parts of the United States. In partnership with a group in Malawi, Murray is modifying the model to estimate the number of intensive-care beds and hospital beds that will be needed in that country. Lipsitch, who directs the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard Chan School, underscores the value of granular raw data to inform best practices. To achieve predictive accuracy in computational modeling, he said, it is critical to gather surveillance data both on the macro and micro levels--at country, state, province, town, neighborhood, workplace, and even household levels. The ability to gather large amounts of data rapidly has made disease modeling increasingly accurate and reliable. Raw data combined with sophisticated modeling can yield insights such as whether social distancing regulations are being followed and whether they are making a dent in the epidemic. So are current measures changing the course of the disease? "We need sustained interventions like social distancing for long enough to ensure we're going to see a decline in cases," Murray said. "Short of that, we're not going to see it go away by the miracle of spring. If I were the government, I would take that very seriously." Murray's best prediction for the trajectory of the pandemic is that we're in it for the long haul. "Is there a magic drug that will suddenly fix everything? I doubt that there will be an overnight cure," Murray said. "We'll make steady incremental progress, but we're going to do it much faster than in the past." Lipsitch says he is concerned that containment measures in the United States have been patchy and social distancing has not been practiced universally. He predicts that even if all necessary measures are implemented, there may be no true end in sight any time soon. The best outcome, he added, would be to have one bad wave of infections, contained by social distancing, followed by a level of controllable spread. "There will be a world of COVID-19 transmission throwing sparks back at us," Lipsitch wrote in a recent tweet. "Like China today, we will be in a long-term effort to prevent these sparks from starting new chains of transmission." DIAGNOSTICS Testing for the novel coronavirus had a halting start in the United States, mostly due an initial test from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that contained a problematic reagent leading to faulty readings. Since then, new, more accurate assays have been deployed, and testing has become more widely available. Yet, large-scale testing remains woefully behind, particularly in some areas of the country, and has yet to ramp up to needed levels. And new testing modalities are sorely needed, including: Ultra-sensitive assays that capture very low levels of viral proteins and enable rapid point-of-care testing Tests that detect biomarkers that herald the onset of an aberrant immune response, which has been linked to the development of critical complications Antibody-based testing that identifies individuals who have recovered from infections with the new coronavirus and have developed immunity to the pathogen. Some of these next-generation platforms are already in development. Ultrasensitive point-of-care tests: Bioengineer David Walt, who co-leads the diagnostics arm of the consortium together with computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti, is exploring three different approaches. Walt's labs, at the Wyss Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, have already developed an ultra-sensitive method to detect proteins with around up to a 1,000 times greater sensitivity than conventional methods. Now, Walt and team are adapting this method (Single Molecule Arrays, or SiMoA), to design an assay that detects SARS-CoV-2 proteins at ultralow levels, including protein fragments that have splintered from the virus. Such a test could detect minimal viral presence not only in standard throat swabs but also in saliva, which is not currently possible. Besides vastly enhancing the detection capacity of current tests, this method would also allow clinicians to perform rapid, point-of-care testing while the patient is in the clinic or in the physician's office, yielding results in as little as 30 minutes, said Walt, the Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering and of pathology at HMS and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Current turnaround time on test results varies, but it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Critical disease biomarkers: Walt and colleague Galit Alter, HMS professor of Medicine at Mass General, are working with samples from patients who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, one of the hallmarks of severe COVID-19 disease. The condition often requires mechanically-assisted breathing in intensive care. A critical area of uncertainty remains whether this complication is fueled by an exuberant immune system response that damages the lung tissue or whether the lung damage is inflicted directly by the virus itself. Could it be both? This uncertainty raises another question: If immune over-reactivity is at play, are certain people more prone to developing an exuberant immune reaction known as a cytokine storm, the widespread release of immune-signaling proteins that can cause cellular demise, tissue injury and organ damage? And if some people are more likely to develop such critical complications, are there early indicators that might herald the impending immune vortex? If such chemical biomarkers can be detected early enough, could this be a clue for physicians to treat preemptively patients on the brink of cytokine storms? Walt's team is working on a new generation of tests to detect, early on, even the subtlest of upticks in levels of inflammatory molecules that portend cytokine storm. In theory, Walt said, this early detection would allow patients who are on the cusp of such life-threatening complications to be treated early and more aggressively to stave off the worst complications. Antibody tests would be invaluable, experts agree, in several ways. They would identify people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2--either with symptoms or silently--and have built up immunity against the virus. This knowledge could provide more realistic estimates of the virus's spread, yield more accurate calculations of fatality rate and help inform vaccine development and treatments. Such work is already starting in the lab of HMS geneticist Stephen Elledge, the Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and of Medicine at HMS and Brigham and Women's, who is adapting his VirScan tool to study antibody response following corona virus infections. Walt's lab is developing ultrasensitive tests to detect seroconversion--the process during which an infected person's immune system produces neutralizing antibodies against the virus. Such a test could be used to identify people who have mounted an immune response to the virus and may be safe to return to work and a normal lifestyle, Walt said. Antibody-based testing would also allow a more accurate understanding of how the immune system behaves after infection and how a person's natural immunity might wane over time. Duane Wesemann, HMS associate professor of medicine and an immunologist at Brigham and Women's, recently launched a study to explore this question. The research will compare immune responses in healthcare workers and the general public to determine whether the presence of symptoms during initial infection may be related to how robust the body's immune response is. The study will also estimate the number of people who develop antibodies without symptoms and will isolate and characterize the most protective antibodies in an effort to inform reverse-engineering approaches to vaccine development. To avoid testing delays, as well as other challenges, in future pandemics, experts say a better centralized response, both domestically and globally, is critical. "The scientific, regulatory and public health communities have learned a lot and are continuing to learn a lot from this crisis," Walt said. "While the tools individually work extremely well, frankly, we could do a lot better if we had a concerted collaborative mobilized effort that was positioned to anticipate and respond to these kinds of things." Pathogenesis: Understanding the disease, from protein to person One of the central questions about the new coronavirus and the disease that it causes revolves around the host-pathogen interaction: What type of immune response does the virus induce inside infected cells, tissues and organs? To understand the inflammatory host response at all those levels, scientists are seeking insights into the basic signaling mechanisms that go awry during infection. "One of the big unknowns with this virus is how it induces such a strong inflammatory response in the airway," said David Knipe, the professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. "We need to understand the mechanisms of this disease because that knowledge informs everything else." Lab-dish experiments have shown that the virus induces certain innate signaling pathways in infected human cells, explained Knipe who leads the pathogenesis part of arm of the consortium with Galit Alter. However, he said, it remains unknown what immune signaling pathways are induced in tissues or in different cell types to trigger an aberrant immune response and the subsequent massive inflammation that can lead to tissue and organ damage, a hallmark of severe COVID-19 disease. Such understanding would be critical in illuminating some of the severe complications of the disease. Knipe, a leading authority on herpes simplex virus (HSV), has used his knowledge of HSV to study a wide range of infectious pathogens, including HIV, the West Nile virus and the SARS virus, another coronavirus that emerged in 2003. His lab developed recombinant models of HSV that express spike proteins--the molecular projections that pepper the surfaces of SARS coronavirus, MERS coronavirus and the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and enable them to invade human cells. He and his team are now adapting this model to study the immune response induced by SARS-CoV-2. Knipe is also exploring the use of herpes virus as a possible delivery vehicle--or a vector--in vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases. Understanding how the new coronavirus induces immune signaling inside cells--and ultimately how it does so in tissues and organs--can inform the use of existing treatments or the design of new drugs that block inflammation induced by SARS-CoV-2, Knipe said. "To be optimally prepared for the next pandemic, we have to have a basic, in-depth understanding of microbes and how they work," Knipe said. "The immediate priority is of course to take care of all the patients, but we need to understand the virus and how it mounts an immune response in order to develop long-term strategies for prevention and treatment." Another key question related to the host-pathogen interaction is whether individual immune response is related to the severity of symptoms and disease transmissibility. One of the most striking differences between the SARS-CoV-2 and its older cousins--SARS and MERS--is the ability of the new virus to cause silent infections early on. The disease can range from silent and barely symptomatic infections to critical illness. Jonathan Abraham, assistant professor of microbiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS who studies emerging pathogens, said he would like to know whether the intensity of symptoms is in some way linked to the amount of virus in a person's throat and airways. In other words, is there a subset of infected, but minimally symptomatic people, unaware of their infections, unwittingly spreading the virus, emitting infectious particles with their sneezes and coughs and leaving trails of virus behind them. This quiescent, yet highly infectious phase makes the new virus a wilier pathogen than its predecessors allowing it to propagate more effectively and spread more widely. "Are there people who have high levels of virus but are otherwise fine?" Abraham wondered. "This is a critical unanswered question, and the answer will become clearer in the coming weeks and months as various places across the globe ramp up their ability to diagnose infection, both serologically, with antibody testing, and by looking for viral RNA." Whether infection with the virus induces long-lasting immune response is another area of uncertainty. Non-peer reviewed research conducted in macaques and posted on the pre-print server bioRxiv suggests that it may. The work, however, remains to be validated through peer review and then replicated in humans. If it turns out that the virus does not create long-term immune memory and that previously infected people could be re-infected upon subsequent encounters, the challenges for vaccine design would be serious. Reinfection might occur, for example, if the virus mutates enough to evade immune recognition, essentially appearing as a new virus to the immune system upon second encounter--much as new strains of the flu virus crop up each season. Just how prone to mutations this virus is remains to be seen, experts say. Older patients are vulnerable to worse outcomes, so another question for immunologists is elucidating precisely how the aging immune system renders older patients more susceptible to severe disease. The immune system may be weaker in older people, as well as in people with underlying health problems, and this may delay immune responses, rendering these individuals more vulnerable to severe disease. "We are witnessing firsthand the jumping of a virus from an animal reservoir to humans, and the emergence of a new disease," Sharpe said. "And it's not going to be the last time this happens. Establishing the new consortium is an important first step towards building a sustainable framework to rapidly mobilize the medical and scientific expertise of our community. By developing a durable, integrated, collaborative response to SARS-CoV-2 we will be better prepared to face the next pandemic." Antiviral therapies and antibody-based treatments In the absence of a vaccine--which remains at least a year away--antiviral therapies would be essential in two ways. First, these treatments could be used to alleviate symptoms and avert complications among those already infected. Second, they could be given as prophylaxis to those deemed at high risk for infection or for critical illness. Such therapeutic efforts are being pursued on two main fronts: antiviral medications and antibody-based treatments. The search for antiviral medications involves the repurposing of agents already approved for other uses and the design of small-molecule antiviral drugs from scratch. Mark Namchuk, who co-leads the therapeutics working group with Abraham, said developing antiviral drugs for COVID-19 is at its core an exercise in therapeutic translation. "Something that's haunted the field of infectious diseases is the sheer economics of it. It's a difficult business for the for-profit sector," said Namchuk, who is the executive director of therapeutic translation at HMS and brings extensive experience in infectious diseases, inflammation biology and virology from his previous work in the pharmaceutical industry. "It can be very difficult to make a business case to pursue this line of work. Adding a therapeutic translation piece to what we, at HMS, are doing with the consortium around SARS-CoV-2 makes a lot of sense. Most importantly, it's 100 percent aligned with the mission of the medical school." This pandemic offers a striking example of how mapping the architecture of a virus and understanding its basic biology can inform the development of new treatments. Scientists already have a good idea about the structure of the virus and the part they need to go after in order to block its mischief. The SARS-CoV-2 is shaped like a ball with spike proteins that form its crown-like halo. The spike protein is what the virus uses to invade human cells. To make its way inside cells, the virus attaches to the ACE2 receptor, which is found on epithelial tissue, such as the lining of the airways and lungs and, according to newly published research, in the tongue and mouth. The viral spike protein could be disabled either with a vaccine or therapeutic antibodies. In the meantime, repurposing existing drugs may offer the easiest, most pragmatic route to rapid identification of antiviral treatments. Two favorites right now are the Ebola drug remdesivir and the antimalarial drug chloroquine, both of which have shown some promise. Remdesivir's mechanism of action is especially intriguing, Namchuk said. The drug works not by inhibiting the production of viral proteins but rather by incorporating itself into the structure of the viral RNA and interfering with RNA's ability to make more protein or replicate its genome. "Think of it as a string of Lego blocks connected to each other to make a long chain and then inserting a block that has none of the parts that would allow the next piece to attach," Namchuk said. "If the virus has done all this hard work to make a string of RNA that's three, four, five hundred bases long, you incorporate one of these, well, that's the end of it." Clinical trials of remdesivir have launched in several countries, including trials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and at Brigham and Women's Hospital looking at outcomes among patients with severe and moderate COVID-19 disease. The Brigham and Women's trials are sponsored by Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of remdesivir. An NIH-led study is under way at Mass General. Besides their immediate availability, existing drugs have other appeals. Their safety profiles are relatively well-known as are their effective dosages and possible side effects. This is especially true in the case of the antimalarial drug chloroquine, which has been around since the 1930s and has recently shown promise in a small clinical trial of patients with COVID-19. The treatment is now being tested as part of a larger clinical trial at the University of Minnesota. Elsewhere, researchers will try to determine whether giving the drug as a prophylactic treatment reduces infection rates among those at high risk for acquiring one. But how does one screen a drug for antiviral effects outside of an actual clinical trial involving sick patients? To do so, researchers place human cells in a dish and infect them with SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the microbe's machinery cranks out new copies of its genome, the virus multiplies, eventually causing the infected cells to burst and die. If a drug or a chemical added to the lab dish keeps the infected cells alive, it's a sign that the drug is halting viral replication. This is an indicator of therapeutic potential. But, Namchuk cautions, this approach currently requires level 3 biologic safety containment, which is only available in a handful of facilities. This limits the broad utility of the approach. Thus, Namchuk said, it is important to develop a testing method that doesn't require such a high level of biosafety containment. This could be done by identifying proteins critical for viral replication and cloning them. Once isolated, these individual viral proteins can be safely tested for drug interaction in a standard laboratory benchtop outside of the confines of designated biosafety labs. In addition to screening for existing drugs, Namchuk said, this approach would enable the design of new molecules from scratch. Another approach could be the use of virtual, or in-silico, screening to comb through billions of molecules that might bind to the target protein. In-silico, or computer-based, screening combined with X-ray crystallography played a critical role in the design of protease inhibitor drugs for HIV and hepatitis C. Yet, Namchuk cautioned, this approach took years to design effective molecules. So this type of drug development, while tremendously valuable, is not likely to yield insights rapidly enough to control the current pandemic. "Our current efforts are focused on what we can do now, but I think we want to keep an eye on what we can build so the next time this happens we're in a place where we can react more rapidly," Namchuk said. "The long-term vision for this work would be to use our resources and the collaborative that we're building now to have the staying power to keep an effort on the emerging disease front even if it's not a top-of-mind outbreak." In yet another example of repurposing, Megan Murray, who co-leads the epidemiology arm of the new consortium, will explore whether the BCG vaccine, currently used in many countries to vaccine children against TB, might have protective effects against coronavirus infection. The hypothesis is based on data suggesting that babies who received BCG vaccine have survival advantages over babies who didn't, an observation attributed to the vaccine's nonspecific effects against a whole range of infections that it wasn't designed to protect against. "Presumably, it triggers some aspect of innate or acquired immune response, or both, which is not specific to the antigens presented in vaccine, but instead is generic," Murray said. She points to a study conducted in South Africa, in which adolescents were given BCG revaccinations. The results suggested that BCG revaccination also reduced other respiratory infections, most of them viral. Murray, an infectious disease modeler whose decades-long work has focused on TB, is now designing a clinical trial to determine whether giving the BCG vaccine could offer some protection against the new coronavirus. The trial would involve vaccinating healthcare workers in the United States and in Peru to determine whether the vaccine--either as a first-time vaccine or revaccination--could offer protection against infection with SARS-CoV-2 in these high-risk frontline workers. "While we wait for a vaccine specifically designed for COVID-19, we ought to explore whether BCG might help protect people who are in close contact with infected patients," Murray said. "We think it's really important to examine whether BCG could be of benefit early to frontline health care workers." ANTIBODY-BASED TREATMENTS Broadly, antibody-based treatments fall in two categories: antibodies from the blood of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and lab-made antibodies. Jonathan Abraham, who co-leads the therapeutic group, is part of an effort to identify such treatments. He will conduct research that involves isolating antibodies from convalescing individuals to determine how these antibodies work against the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein. The group will use imaging resources at the new Harvard Cryo-EM Center for Structural Biology to pinpoint the exact sites where their antibodies bind to the viral spike protein to disable the virus. Researchers at HMS, and elsewhere, will harvest antibodies from patients' memory B cells, the immune cells that form and retain memory of a microbe following infection. The antibodies would then be tested in lab dishes and in animals, including mice with humanized immune systems, to confirm they are capable of recognizing and neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. Therapeutic antibodies could be given to infected people and used prophylactically to prevent infection in individuals at high risk for acquiring one, such as health care workers. This form of protection is known as passive immunization because it delivers ready-made antibodies instead of inducing the immune system to actively make them. Treating sick people with immune serum from convalescing patients has been used for at least a century but it is labor-intensive, expensive work that requires deriving and purifying blood plasma, testing it for infections and transfusing it into critically ill patients. So researchers are aiming to develop a scalable, faster alternative. The expertise and infrastructure to develop antibody therapies on a large scale already exists, Abraham said, since antibody treatments are already being used in immune therapies for cancer and in certain autoimmune diseases. Identifying the neutralizing antibodies that can disable the novel coronavirus is what's currently missing, Abraham said. "The work of this consortium will be truly a case of joining forces, working together, and comparing notes, whether it involves studying antibodies from infected patients or antibodies made in the lab, the idea is to move this as quickly as possible from the bedside to the bench and then back to the clinic," Abraham said. DESIGNER ANTIBODIES Wayne Marasco knows corona viruses. Marasco, professor of Medicine at HMS and an immunologist-oncologist with training in infectious diseases, was actively involved in the SARS outbreaks of 2003 and 2004 and in the MERS outbreak of 2012. An inherent challenge in novel diseases is that early in the emergence of a pathogen, researchers are often unable to obtain blood samples from infected patients quickly enough. This lag curtails their ability to begin work on treatments that rely on materials harvested from the blood of infected patients, such as antibodies. To bypass that hurdle, about 20 years ago, Marasco built a library of human antibodies--27 billion of them and growing. When the immune system encounters a pathogen--whether a microbe or a cancer cell--it produces antibodies, Y-shaped protein structures that react only to a specific antigen. The part of the antibody that changes in response to each new antigen is the pair of heavy and light chains that form the two upper arms of the Y. Marasco has created a deep well of antibodies by separating naturally occurring light and heavy chain pairs and mixing them in countless new combinations. "When you make these libraries, you take blood from healthy individuals and randomly mix them into a tube so you end up creating new antibody specificities that were not in the original ones," Marasco said. "Basically, the library becomes a bottomless resource of antibody genes to highly infectious agents, to which the population had not been exposed." The SARS virus appeared in 2002, causing an initial outbreak in early 2003. As soon as the genetic sequence of the virus was released, Marasco and team turned to their antibody library and designed a recombinant antibody against the SARS spike protein, in effect creating the first lab-made SARS antibodies. These antibodies successfully blocked the SARS virus in lab cells, in animal models and in human blood, but failed to neutralize the SARS virus strain that emerged in the 2003-2004 season. That pathogen was markedly different because it was the product of a different evolutionary leap. The latter virus had jumped from its natural habitat--a bat--to a human, through a different intermediary host, Marasco said. That middle step altered the viral genome and resulted in a modified spike protein. "The 2003 SARS antibodies performed poorly against the 2004 strain because the virus had evolved, so we had to find another cocktail," Marasco said. "We learned that not all neutralizing antibodies are made the same way, and we tweaked our approach. Eventually, we found a pair of antibodies the virus could not escape from." What became clear, he added, is that designing an antibody therapy with a long shelf life requires designing agents that can act broadly enough to prevent the virus from escaping before it's neutralized--preferably agents with a back-up antibody that ensures neutralization if the first one fails. "You basically have to study the virus's evolution to anticipate viral escape and preemptively design a therapy that that forces the virus into an evolutionary dead-end path from where it can't escape," he said. Lack of broad neutralization can have deleterious effects beyond failing to stop the virus in its tracks. An antibody that fails to disable the virus might render the pathogen more virulent by allowing the virus to sneak into cells that it would otherwise not infect. "Microbes evolve to stay alive," Marasco said. "That's why they're still here. And you've got to be very careful about developing therapies that really have durability and don't cause a gain of function to make the virus more infectious." It's an approach Marasco is working to replicate with the novel coronavirus. Antibody-based therapies are not cheap, he cautioned, and they can take time to develop. A vaccine would be the best way to contain the pandemic, he said, but there is a subset of people--anywhere between 10 million and 20 million in the United States in his estimates--who may not be good candidates for a vaccine or would not respond to a vaccine. These include people with active cancer, immunocompromised people, pregnant women and older people whose immune systems are too weak to build vaccine-induced immunity. "These people remain at risk and need to be treated with something--small-molecule drugs or biologic agents such as antibodies," Marasco said. "One of the advantages of the antibody therapy is that done right, it can last a whole season." Marasco sees the new coronavirus as a harbinger of things to come. The fact that two corona viruses using the exact same cell protein to invade the human body--ACE2--jumped species in a relatively short time span means it's only a matter of time before another such viral jump occurs. Bats are the natural reservoirs for coronaviruses. There are more than 1,400 bat species in the world--nearly a quarter of the roughly 5,400 mammalian species on Earth. Intermediary hosts can vary--civet cats for SARS coronaviruses, camels and ungulates for MERS coronavirus--so it would be prudent for people, when possible, to amend their activities around these viral sources and carriers. "There are precursor viruses that are sitting out there," Marasco said. "These viruses have the ability to jump species by just an accidental mutation and, given the vector and the right exposure, that could be enough. We have to be proactive and assume that there are continuous zoonotic transfers. They just don't always make it successfully. This new one did." Marasco said he hopes this time around, the lesson will stick. "We have to study these pathogens in their natural reservoirs to look at the likelihood of transfer to humans," Marasco said. "We have to ask 'What would it take for a zoonotic jump to occur?' If we can do that, I think we can get a lot further in being able to recognize the potential threats and how we might mitigate against them." VACCINE: The ultimate quest The most reliable, tried-and-true way to end a pandemic is a vaccine. "The stunning epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19, particularly the potential for explosive and asymptomatic spread, increase the chance that a vaccine may actually be required to end this epidemic," said Dan H. Barouch, co-leader of the consortium's vaccine development arm, during a recent Covid-19 grand rounds presentation. Thus far, the behavior of SARS-CoV-2 has shown encouraging signs that a vaccine may be feasible, said Barouch, HMS professor of immunology and of medicine, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and steering committee member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. First, most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 recover. This suggests that the pathogen may induce natural immunity, which will need to be confirmed in thorough studies. Second, scientists do not know whether the virus will mutate substantially over time, but thus far it has not, which suggests that a single vaccine may be effective. Third, there is a clear target for the vaccine: The spike protein, which the virus uses to enter and infect human cells. There are more than two dozen vaccine candidates around the world in various stages of development, including two in Barouch's lab. These include DNA-based vaccines, RNA-based vaccines, protein-based vaccines, inactivated-virus vaccines, and vector-based vaccines. The latter type uses weakened virus as a carrier to transport pieces of a pathogen to trigger an immune response. Up until January, Barouch had never worked on coronaviruses--his previous work includes seminal studies on HIV and Zika, but when he and colleagues first started hearing reports of this new virus, they knew they had to get involved. "With the experience that we had with HIV and Zika, we felt that we had an obligation to help with vaccine development for this global crisis," Barouch said. "Since January, that feeling has only intensified." The SARS-CoV-2 sequence was released on Jan. 10. By Jan. 13, Barouch's lab had ordered synthetic viral genes for two vaccine platforms. On Jan. 31, they entered a collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson to develop a COVID-19 vaccine using recombinant adenovirus vectors. By Feb. 6, they had immunized the first mice. The work continues in a broad range of animal models now with the hope that clinical trials in humans will begin in the fall. While the race to a COVID-19 vaccine has moved at unprecedented speed, a widely deployable vaccine is at least a year away and perhaps longer, Barouch cautioned. "What we need is to deploy hundreds of millions of doses of a safe and effective vaccine for the general population," Barouch said. "This is the only relevant timeline, and so a vaccine for clinical use is still a long way off." Moreover, Barcouch emphasized, multiple vaccines should be pursued in parallel to have multiple shots on the goal to determine the safest, most effective and most widely deployable vaccine. LESSONS FROM TB Once of the fundamental mechanisms of a new disease are understood, there are different levels of translation--from basic research in the lab to diagnosis and treatment in the clinic, from clinic to practice and, ultimately, from clinical practice to population care. The final frontier of translation--and arguably the most important--is the actual delivery of screening, testing and treatment to those who need them. That is the focus of the Center for Global Health Delivery in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at HMS. Lessons learned from the field of TB could be valuable in the context of coronavirus, according to center director Salmaan Keshavjee, professor global health and social medicine in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. On average, TB continues to kill some 4,000 people a day worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. On March 30, COVID-19 killed 3,398 people in a single day. The way to stop TB, Keshavjee said, is to go to communities, screen, test and treat--in place--an approach that holds lessons for the treatment of COVID-19. "Hundreds of papers and studies in the field have shown this is the right approach, it's just that it's not deployed universally," Keshavjee said. "Where it has been deployed, it has stopped transmission and largely stopped the epidemic." Just like TB, he added, COVID-19 should be tested for and treated in the community to the extent possible, and hospital care reserved for the very sick. Classic TB studies from the 1930, 1940s and 1950s support that very notion. "Early work showed that if you brought everyone in the hospital for treatment, you put them and their families at greater risk for TB, but if you treated them in the community, they fared just as well, if not better," said Keshavjee. "Do you want to put people in hospitals if they don't need to be there? No." The data from China and elsewhere shows that hospitals are hotspots of transmission. In one study from China, up to 40 percent of infections may have occurred in the hospital. "To prevent this, you want to deliver as much care as possible where people live and work," Keshavjee said. "This epidemic requires that we think about robust community-centered screening and care in addition to what we are doing in hospitals." Moreover, he added, workers must be deployed where the infection is and screen in neighborhoods, test people before they get sick and give them prophylactic therapy, if and once it becomes available. Those who get sick should receive care--in their homes--unless they become severely ill. "Our current approach to quarantine is not in itself a solution to contain the spread of corona virus in communities. It's a way to buy time to do testing and tracing, and isolate carriers of the virus and their contacts so that we can stop the epidemic," Keshavjee said. "We are doing little of that currently in the United States. Most of our activities are focused around hospitals. This is obviously necessary, but not enough." Any insights gleaned in the lab, Keshavjee said, need to be translated into the clinic and then, perhaps more importantly, to the communities where people live and work. "The response to the pandemic has got to include community-wide diagnosis and the creation of "virtual hospitals"--community based care--in the patient's home," Keshavjee said. "It's the only way we are going to be able to emerge from our period of physical isolation better than we went into it." Community-wide diagnosis and community-based care will be easier for countries with universal healthcare. Epidemics have a way of exposing the vulnerabilities of health care systems. The U.S. healthcare system is beginning to grapple with questions such as who pays for testing and who pays for imaging and treatment. Even though some insurance companies have waived payments for testing, this is a Band-Aid approach that doesn't solve the issue of treatment, Keshavjee said. "What if you don't have health insurance? And if you do have insurance, what if your emergency room copay is $150? Hopefully new legislation will address some of these issues." This pandemic should be an opportunity for hospitals to adopt a true hub-and-spokes model of diagnosis and care, Keshavjee said, to think about what it takes to deliver care in the communities where patients live. This approach is important for coronavirus, he says, but also for diabetes, heart disease, disorders of mental health, and many of the other conditions that affect the lives of people worldwide. "These are the least sexy systemic and policy issues," Keshavjee said. "We can have all the great science and effective drugs, but if people are not getting diagnosed and treated, the human, social and economic toll on the system and, collectively, on all of us will be staggering." ### THE Minister for Agriculture, Natural Resources, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Mmanga Mjengo Mjawir has urged farmers to properly utilize the current rain season to plant, particularly fast-maturing crops to boost the country's food security. The minister encouraged the farmers to defy the disruption of Coronavirus pandemic and work diligently to improve their production. "Coronavirus pandemic is attempting to disrupt our normal life, lets fight to win it. Having sufficient food in the country is another weapon. I ask farmers to continue growing crops," the minister said in a statement to farmers. He said despite challenges caused by the COVID-19, other activities such as farming must continue, particularly in crops which mature in a short time, "We have rain now; Let us use it." Mr Mjawir said there are many farmers who can grow crops during the ongoing rains in their respective areas, including vegetables and fruits for home consumption and for income. He said it is also an opportunity to cultivate drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and cassava among others. Several farmers, including Mzee Ali Hassan reacted to the minister's call, saying it is an important reminder, but still in some areas the rains are insufficient, with a shortage of extension officers who are important in advising farmers. But we are doing what we can with the available rain," he said. Mr Hassan observed that the government should do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 because it is a big threat to the well-being of the people, and it can also affect agriculture. A total of 9,053 people have died from coronavirus in Spain, an increase of 864 since yesterday, health officials said on Wednesday. It is the highest daily death toll the country has recorded so far. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Spain also surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday, the countrys health ministry said. Overall cases rose from 94,417 on Tuesday to 102,136 an increase of 7,719. The record increase of 864 was a lower increase in percentage terms than during the previous days. The country is now entering its third week of lockdown, with the countrys state of emergency regulations only allowing citizens to leave their homes alone to buy food, seek medical care for emergencies or if they are workers in vital industries. Amid the rising figures, the police have been accused of violently enforcing the rules, with hundreds of people arrested and thousands fined for flouting the lockdown. Most of those fined were reportedly trying to flee to their second homes which is banned under the restrictions on movement. Fines vary from 100 euros (88) to 600,000 euros (530,000) for a serious abuse of emergency restrictions. An investigation is also underway after police were apparently filmed beating a 22-year-old Moroccan man and his mother with truncheons after asking them why they were in the street together. The incident in Bilbao was filmed from a balcony above and shows the police hitting the man in the face and using a baton to hit him across the legs before handcuffing him. When his mother then intervenes, a policeman strikes her head with the baton knocking her to the ground, prompting uproar from people watching from their windows, Morocco World News reports. The man who was allegedly attacked later posted a video on social media, explaining what happened to him. I was out for some groceries, and I showed the police the paper that proves that, he said. The Moroccan embassy reportedly intervened and the man and his mother were released from custody. People banged pots and pans in Bilbao to protest against the police following the incident. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik extended his greetings to the people of the state on Wednesday, on the occasion of Utkal Divas (Odisha Day). He stated that the state had set a benchmark in disaster management, and with people's support, even the battle against the coronavirus would be won. "I believe, with your support, we will win our ongoing fight against Corona Virus" the Cheif Minister said. During his address, he also paid his respect to leaders who aided in the formation of a separate Odisha province. "On this occasion of Odisha Dibas I want to extend my best wishes to all of you, and I pay my tribute to the legendary leaders who fulfilled the dream of separate Odisha province," he said. "I give my respect even to those who have contributed to the development of Odia language, literature and culture." the Chief Minister added.The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1637 on Tuesday. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 38 while 132 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo credit: Pool/Samir Hussein From Harper's BAZAAR We realise that it doesn't feel like the best time to shop, given that we're not allowed outside of the house any time soon. However, when we spotted the Duchess of Sussex's Everlane jumpsuit in the sale, we thought we might be able to make an exception. The sleek black jumpsuit would make a great investment right now. It is made of a breezy woven, crease-free fabric and has a comfortable relaxed fit, so it's ideal for working from home in. Photo credit: Samir Hussein Photo credit: Pool/Samir Hussein Meghan first wore the jumpsuit while on the royal tour of South Africa back in September. During a visit to the Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town, the duchess nailed laidback elegance in the black one-piece, complete with a V-neck, wide-leg trousers and a self-tying waist belt. Photo credit: Chris Jackson She styled it with black suede pumps, big gold earrings and swept her hair back into a low bun. Photo credit: . SHOP NOW The Japanese Essential Jumpsuit, WAS 98, NOW 74, Everlane Even though Meghan dresses this up so well, we likely won't be pulling out our high heels out for a while. So, how can you style this number around the house? Layer this sleeveless piece over a white T-shirt, slip on a pair of trainers and finish with a simple pair of hoop earrings. Or, if your approach to lockdown is a little more relaxed: remove the belt, put on some sliders and throw on a slouchy sweater over the top when things get a little chilly at your desk. You'll feel comfortable, but pulled together. Photo credit: . SHOP NOW The Japanese Essential Jumpsuit, WAS 98, NOW 74, Everlane And once this is over? You'll be wearing this piece on holiday with sandals and lashings of gold jewellery, in the city with espadrilles and a denim jacket, or to summer weddings with stiletto heels and a blazer. You could even wear it in the autumn, layered over a roll-neck and grounded with ankle boots. This was also not the first time Megan spotted wear San Francisco-based brand Everlane. During a day trip to the Invictus Games with Prince Harry in 2017, the actress carried its large The Day Market tote. Story continues Photo credit: Samir Hussein Photo credit: Samir Hussein The capacious shape and goes-with-everything tan hue is an everyday winner and looked great with Meghan's relaxed skinny-jeans-and-a-shirt combo. SHOP NOW The Day Market Tote, WAS 144, NOW 107, Everlane As you can imagine, this particular accessory has been selling out frequently since it got the royal seal of approval. So, now that it's currently 25 per cent off, we doubt it will stick around for long. You Might Also Like Fast forward 13 months and Toyota has announced a GR Hilux that will go up against the Ranger Raptor. The truck will feature a new diesel V-6 mill that will churn out over 250 horses. How exciting is that? Remember when Toyota said it would make high-performance trims of every model it builds? Looks like Toyota was serious about it. Interestingly, the Japanese automaker announced this in a reply to a twitter user who suggested a Hilux GRMN. The Ranger Raptor will be in deep trouble if Toyota actually goes ahead with this What Is The Toyota Hilux? The Toyota Hilux is a compact pickup truck sold by the Japanese automaker in many markets worldwide. The moniker was introduced back in 1968 and continues to run successfully to date. The truck is presently in its eight-generation and even went through a facelift back in 2017. The next-gen Hilux is expected to arrive in 2023. Is The Toyota Hilux Sold In The U.S.A.? No. The Hilux is not sold in the States. The Hilux was sold here from 1968 to 1976, but post that, Toyota pulled out the badge and replaced it with the rather generic Truck badge. Almost two decades later, Toyota launched the Tacoma and it lives even today. While both the Hilux and Tacoma are largely similar, the biggest difference is that the Hilux is available in the single-cab configuration whereas the Tacoma isnt. The Hilux performs its duty as a work truck, so you can see higher torque figures, but the Tacoma is more off-road-oriented, hence it favors the horsepower. Motor1 noted that the next-gen Hilux, due in 2023, might end up merging with the Tacoma and the company will sell it as a unified name globally. However, this is just a scoop and wed ask you to take it with a pinch of salt. How Different Will The GR Hilux Be From The Regular Hilux? Toyota used to have a V-6 engine in its lineup in the past, but it was dropped due to lack of demand. On the other hand, the company announced that a GR version will require a big diesel engine. With rumors flying about the 2021 Land Cruiser 300 Series making its debut with a big V-6 under the hood, it wouldnt be wrong to assume that the GR Hilux might benefit from the same. According to Carsguide.com.au, the Land Cruiser 300 will feature this new engine and is likely to share it with other products in the lineup. Currently, the V-8 diesel engine in the Land Cruiser 200 Series makes 268 horses and 479 pound-feet of torque. The outlet believes that the new V-6 will either exceed or will at least match these figures. This will be a stark improvement over the Hiluxs current 2.8-liter diesel that makes 174 horses and 332 pound-feet of torque. Earlier in February 2020, Toyota successfully trademarked the GR Hilux moniker in Australia. So, this is the next big news with respect to the truck and if you connect all the dots, it could even be true. On the other hand, Toyota has spent a lot to build this new engine for the Land Cruiser 300, but to recover the production costs, it makes sense for the engine to the borrowed by the other products. But, to maintain exclusivity, Toyota could detune it in the Hilux. How Does the Toyota GR Hilux Compare to the Ranger Raptor? Theres even a steel front bumper, LED lighting, Aerodynamic air curtains, tow hooks, and a bash plate up front The Japanese truck will go up against the Ford Ranger Raptor. The Ranger comes with one engine in three different iterations. In the base trim, the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBlue makes 128 horses and 250 pound-feet of torque. The other one churns out 168 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, and the final one comes with an added turbo and produces 210 ponies and 369 pound-feet of torque. All trims come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, whereas the top two iterations can be had with a 10-speed automatic gearbox as well. The Ranger Raptor comes with the highest state of tune of the Ranger lineup. Will The GR Hilux Have Elements Of The TRD Off-Road Package As Well? Even the Raptor features 210 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque. According to Carsguide, the new V-6 engine will produce at least 268 horses and 479 pound-feet of torque. Will Toyota launch it with such a big power difference? We will be the happiest if it does, though. But, lets not undermine the off-roading aspect of the Ranger Raptor here. The Raptor comes with race-bred suspension, a Terrain Management System with six different modes including the Baja Mode, as well as 33-inch tires. The fact that Toyota also announced that its TRD and GR brands can co-exist makes us believe that the Hilux might get the best of both worlds. Final Thoughts According to Motor1, the next-gen Hilux will arrive in 2023, but the GR badge will join the present-gen Hilux itself. Do you think the GR Hilux will be a limited edition model or a trim on the Hilux that will sell alongside the others? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Source: Cars Guide Samsung is known for making all kinds of display panels, but the South Korean giant says it will stop making LCD panels by years end. Quantum Dot panels (QLEDs) will replace standard LCDs. According to Reuters, Samsung Display, a subsidiary of says it will cease LCD panel production by the end of the year. The reasons consist of small profit and falling demand. The Android OEM currently has LCD production lines in South Korea and China, but those will end before 2021. Samsung says it will still ship LCD panels out to its clients without trouble this year, but at this point, theyre a dying breed. LCDs and small profit One main reason behind the end of LCD panels pertains to their small profit. A Samsung Display representative said back in 2016 that Samsung is initiating an exit strategy for LCDs. Samsung also said then that LCDs are unprofitable. Advertisement As one of the mobile markets largest display suppliers, Samsung would know. Theres simple math to explain it. When a display is already cheaper to make than its counterparts, companies get a smaller cut of the profit. LCDs are extremely affordable to make, so theres very little profit in making them. The Android phone market is rolling along due to premium smartphones that are now exceeding $1,000 USD in price. In the premium segment, Samsung can charge a premium price for OLED panels and increase its profits with rising costs. Falling Demand LCD panels not only yield a small profit. They are also in falling demand. They remain on the market mostly for budget smartphones. For OEMs making budget smartphones, LCDs allow them to place a decent panel on their budget phone for next to nothing. That way, OEMs lose very little (next to nothing, in fact) when making them. Advertisement When an OEM like Samsung is in the production business for money, and a product continues declining in profit, companies lose interest in the product. This is why LCD is on its way out. Quantum Dot Samsung is replacing its LCD panel production with Quantum Dot panels. Quantum Dot panels will essentially be QLEDs (quantum light-emitting diodes), providing light within displays. Quantum Dot displays are not OLED panels, but they provide something along the lines of the superior quality of OLEDs for more affordable prices. Since Quantum Dot displays are cutting-edge, Samsung can still make a sizable profit while providing reasonable prices. They appear to be a win-win for both Samsung and its clients. Samsung has been fizzling out LCD for some time Samsung is being honest about its bygone desire for LCD panel production. The South Korean giant shut down six LCD plants by 2016 to make room for OLED panel production. Samsung has started laying the groundwork for a new QLED factory in Asan, South Korea. The new factory should start operations next year. Task Force Future set up by Chief Minister The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo QC has at yesterdays Virtual Cabinet meeting set up a Joint Ministerial team to work towards preparing Gibraltar for the Post Covid 19 world. Task Force Future will be headed by Ministers Isola, Daryanani and Licudi who will be tasked with evaluating and preparing Gibraltars private sector to be best positioned as and when the economy begins to return to normality. A spokesperson said that the Tourism, Port, Financial Services and Gaming sectors are all critical to our economy and it is important to develop a strategy to be triggered for each of these quickly and efficiently demonstrating Gibraltar is once again open for Business. The Joint Ministerial Team will engage with trade and business associations in the development of the strategy before reporting back to Cabinet with their recommendations. The Chief Minister commented I have asked Albert, Gilbert and Vijay to focus on the future post Covid19 business outlook and how we can best prepare ourselves for the re-opening of businesses all over the world. The Minister for Economic Development, Sir Joe Bossano, will also be closely consulted by the Task Force. Other ministers are more directly involved in the day to day management of the Covid19 emergency. This Task Force will be looking at the future, how we emerge from this crisis at a business level, how we look for early opportunities and how we engage with the rest of the world going forward to ensure we take part in and the advantage of any stimulus measures deployed around the world. I have asked all three Ministers to reach out to the Gibraltar business community and to relevant members of the Opposition to share ideas of how we take things forward for the benefit of Gibraltar as a whole. Airlines, Cruise Companies, Financial markets all need to be re-engaged and communicated with quickly to work through how best we can safely re open business links to begin to trade once more. The future will not be normal, and we need to understand what this will look like; the work needs to start now to assess how best we move forward. Gibraltar needs to be in peoples minds around the world when the time to start up again comes. That can be a key advantage for us and we need to be planning to be ready for that moment. There is no such thing as idle time, even now, as we can use time available to look up, look forward and look to make the most of the what the future holds. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - RISE Life Science Corp. (CSE: RLSC) ("RISE" or "Company") announces that it will not be in a position to file its audited annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2019 and the related management's discussion and analysis, as required by Part 4 and Part 5 of National Instrument 51-102: Continuous Disclosure Obligations (collectively, the "Annual Filings") by the filing deadline of March 30, 2020. This news release is being issued in accordance with the blanket relief of a 45-day extension, provided by Canadian Securities Administrators and Ontario Instrument 51-502: Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements, for periodic filings normally required to be made by issuers during the period from March 23, 2020 to June 1, 2020. As a result of recent proclamations from Canadian health authorities and the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Company's staff as well as its auditor's staff have been working remotely and the coordination of tasks and work product has been more difficult. The completion of audit procedures has been delayed and the entire audit process has been slowed. This has resulted in a delay in the finalization and filing of the Annual Filings. However, the Company is working expeditiously to meet the Company's obligations relating to the filing of the Annual Filings. At this time, the Company anticipates being able to complete the Annual Filings by April 6, 2020. The Company confirms that its management and other insiders are subject to an insider trading black-out policy that reflects the principles in section 9 of National Policy 11-207: Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions, such that they are in a black-out period until the end of the second trading day after the Annual Filings have been filed. Since the date of the Company's last interim financial report on October 30, 2019, the Company has previously announced on December 6, 2019 that: (i) it was discontinue its physical retail operations in California, and will focus its efforts on distribution partnerships and online sales of its 'nano' hemp-extract oral sprays, quick-dissolve oral tablets and topical balms and lotions products; (ii) it would be returning the escrowed proceeds of its April 1, 2019 financing; and (iii) the Company cannot meet its current obligations to holders of its convertible notes issued on November 14, 2018 and December 4, 2018 in the aggregate principal amount of $5,525,000 and is in cooperative discussions with the note holders to come to a mutually beneficial resolution. The Company announced that it does not currently have positive cash flow to meet its ongoing operational requirements and debt service and repayment obligations and requires a combination of additional financing and a restructuring of its existing debt structure to enable it to continue operations. While the Company is actively pursuing other sources of funds that may be available to fund such needs, additional financing may not be available to it or, even, if available, the terms of such financing might not be favorable to the Company and might involve substantial dilution to existing shareholders. If the Company fails to raise additional funds and restructure its existing debt it is doubtful that it will be able to continue as a going concern. The Company continues to try to raise sufficient funds to settle all unpaid amounts that are due and payable to creditors or amend its existing agreements with them. However, any default under the notes would have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition and continued operations of the Company. The Company announced that it continues to use every effort to reduce expenditures, seek additional capital and restructure or refinance its indebtedness. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in RISE's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, continue, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should, target, goals, projections, anticipated" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements including the Company's expectations with respect to pursuing new opportunities and its future growth and other statements of fact. Although RISE has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: general economic conditions; pending and proposed legislative or regulatory developments including the impact of changes in laws, regulations and the enforcement thereof; reliance on funding models; operational and infrastructure risks including possible equipment failure and performance of information technology systems; intensifying competition resulting from established competitors and new entrants in the businesses in which the Company operates; insurance coverage of sufficient scope to satisfy any liability claims; fluctuations in total customers; technological change and obsolescence; loss of services of key senior management personnel; privacy laws; leverage and restrictive covenants; fluctuations in cash timing and amount of capital expenditures; tax-related risks; unpredictability and volatility of the price of the Company's securities; dilution; and future sales of the Company's securities. Further risks include operational risks of operating in the United States; U.S. federal regulation risks; variation in U.S. state regulations; change of U.S. cannabis laws; security risks; risks related to permits and authorizations; risks related to potential acquisitions; risks on liability, enforcement complaints etc.; banking risks; marketing, sales, manufacturing and distribution risk regarding our product growth plans; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult use cannabis industry; and regulatory or political change. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For Investor inquiries, please contact: Scott Secord, Executive Chairman scott@riselifescience.com T. 416.433.9259 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54029 Comcast set up a $500-million relief fund for workers dealing with hardship due to the coronavirus. (Cindy Ord / Getty Images) Comcast Corp. pledged $500 million to help employees struggling through the coronavirus health crisis, and its five top leaders will donate their salaries to COVID-19 relief efforts. "We hope in some small way we can make this time easier on our employees, our local communities and our customers," Comcast Chairman and Chief Executive Brian Roberts said Wednesday in a memo to staff members. The Philadelphia-based cable giant, which is the nation's largest cable TV and broadband internet provider, joins a list of companies that have set up relief funds for workers facing hardships due to the pandemic. Comcast owns media company NBCUniversal, which has operations in Los Angeles, Orlando and New York, which has been devastated by the virus. The $500-million fund is intended to "support our employees through continued pay and benefits where operations have been paused or impacted," Roberts said. Last week, NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the highest-ranking media executive to disclose contracting the illness. Shell, 54, has been recovering and working from his home in Los Angeles after becoming ill March 15. The $500-million fund includes $150 million that NBCUniversal recently pledged to help its workforce, including hourly employees at its Universal Studios theme parks. Comcast increased the overall amount that it has pledged to also assist employees in its two other major divisions: Comcast Cable and the Sky satellite TV service in Britain and parts of Europe. "Additionally, effective today, and for the duration of this situation, our senior leaders ... and I have chosen to donate 100% of our salaries to charities that support COVID-19 relief efforts," Roberts said. The five executives who plan to donate their salaries are Roberts, Shell, Comcast Chief Financial Officer Michael J. Cavanagh; Comcast Cable Chief Executive Dave Watson; and Jeremy Darroch, the chief executive of Sky. Story continues Roberts' salary in 2018 was $3.2 million, Cavanagh received nearly $2 million and Watson earned $1.5 million, according to regulatory filings. On Monday, Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger announced that he would forgo his salary, beginning today. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said he would give up 50% of his salary. While corporate chieftains draw multimillion-dollar salaries, they also receive stock and other benefits that significantly boost their compensation. Meanwhile, Netflix has set up a $100-million relief fund for Hollywood workers, and WarnerMedia has also pledged $100 million in relief for production crews. "I am also grateful to the leadership across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky who have stepped up again and again to do the right thing and take care of our teams," Roberts said, noting that all employees who were able to work from home were now doing so. "Where we have people who need to be in an office or in the field, we are doing everything possible to make their environments clean and safe." Comcast this week also announced that it had made available educational programming, including thousands of free titles, to its Xfinity cable TV customers so that parents would have age-appropriate learning materials to home school their children. The company also instituted new procedures and daily temperature checks for employees who deal with the public, including visiting people's homes, and said it would distribute self-install kits for new residential customers. In addition, Comcast joined Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's pledge not to cut off internet service for people who are behind in paying their bills. NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced it is thanking healthcare heroes with free burrito boxes for healthcare facilities to celebrate April 2's National Burrito Day. Registration is open now through April 2 for workers to register their office or hospital division to receive 25 free burritos during World Health Worker Week. Chipotle, alongside its fulfillment partner DoorDash, will give away a total of up to 100,000 burritos to the brave individuals helping others on the frontline from April 6 10. Burritos for Healthcare Heroes Healthcare workers can learn more about the offer and register here: chip.tl/healthcareheroes "We want to express our extreme gratitude by fueling the frontline workers at healthcare facilities across the country with real food," said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. "It is our goal to bring joy and provide a little something extra for both the medical staff and our everyday guests." Additionally, Chipotle will continue to offer free delivery on any Chipotle order $10 or more via the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com through April 30 to increase access to real food for customers nationwide. On National Burrito Day, fans ordering digitally via the Chipotle app or Chipotle.com will receive free Queso Blanco when it is added to an entree. Chipotle's Delivery Kitchens, which are comprised of dedicated ingredient stations operated by special teams, will continue to prepare digital orders with care. Chipotle is taking additional precautions to help ensure customer safety during this time including: a tamper evident packaging seal for delivery orders, in-app delivery tracker providing step-by-step real-time updates as your food travels to your location, and a place for special instructions so guests can request a contactless delivery when ordering digitally. During the digital ordering process, guests can sign up for Chipotle Rewards so they can earn 10 points for every $1 spent in the restaurant, online, or in the app, with 1,250 points resulting in a free entree. Bonuses, like extra point days, help Chipotle Rewards members earn points more quickly so real food becomes real free real fast. Free Burritos by the Box for healthcare facilities is valid for a free preconfigured Burritos by the Box order of 25 burritos, when delivered 4/6/20-4/10/20. Orders must be for delivery within an available U.S. delivery area and within 15 miles of a participating U.S. Chipotle restaurant to a hospital or other medical facility, subject to verification by Chipotle. Limit one order per facility. Orders may not be customized. Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Delivery dates and times are approximate and not guaranteed. Orders are subject to availability. Completed request form must be submitted by 8:59pm PT on 4/2/20. Void where prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply. Free delivery offer valid only for orders placed and fulfilled on 4/1/20-4/30/20 only, within Chipotle's delivery areas within the U.S. from participating U.S. Chipotle locations, during normal operating hours for such locations. Minimum order $10/maximum order $200, each excluding tax. Deliveries subject to availability. Free queso offer is valid for one regular side of queso in any U.S. digital order of $10 or more, excluding tax, on 4/2/20 only, and is subject to availability. Offers are not valid on catering or Burritos by the Box orders other than for the healthcare heroes promotion described above. Redemptions of Chipotle Rewards and other promotional offers may be included in a qualifying delivery or digital order but do not count towards satisfaction of minimum purchase requirements. Valid only at chipotle.com or on the Chipotle app; not valid on orders placed via third-party delivery platforms. Chipotle reserves the right to modify or terminate these offers at any time without notice. Additional restrictions may apply; void where prohibited. ABOUT CHIPOTLE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,600 restaurants as of December 31, 2019, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With more than 83,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Chipotle's founder, Steve Ells, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM. SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Related Links http://www.chipotle.com Firemen remove protective gear from medical staff after they load a COVID-19 patient onto a French Air Force plane at the Bale-Mulhouse airport The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to worsen Wednesday despite unprecedented lockdowns, as the head of the United Nations sounded the alarm on what he said was humanity's worst crisis since World War II. The warning came as Donald Trump told Americans to brace for a "very painful" few weeks after the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of the crisis. Around half of the planet's population is under some form of lockdown as governments struggle to halt the spread of a disease that has now infected more than 840,000 people. Well over 40,000 are known to have died, half of them in Italy and Spain, but the death toll continues to rise with new records being logged daily in the US. "This is going to be a very painfula very, very painfultwo weeks," Trump said, describing the pandemic as "a plague." "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead." America's outbreak has mushroomed rapidly. There are now around 190,000 known casesa figure that has doubled in just five days. On Tuesday, a record 865 people died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, taking the national toll so far to more than 4,000. Members of Trump's coronavirus task force said the country should be ready for between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the coming months. Protective equipment used during the bubonic plague, Spanish flu and COVID-19 "As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it," Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. America's under-pressure health system is being supplemented by field hospitals sprouting up all over New York, including a tented camp in Central Park, a hospital ship and converted convention centres. But even with the extended capacity, doctors say they are still having to make painful choices. "If you get a surge of patients coming in, and you only have a limited number of ventilators, you can't necessarily ventilate patients," Shamit Patel of the Beth Israel hospital said. "And then you have to start picking and choosing." Deep recession feared The extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. Staff dig graves at Vila Formosa cemetery, in outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil The "disease... represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past." "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," he said. In virtual talks Tuesday, finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 major economies pledged to address the debt burden of low-income countries and deliver aid to emerging markets. Last week G20 leaders said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan. Iran's Azadi (Freedom) Tower is lit up with flags and messages of hope in solidarity with all the countries affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrumentdubbed "coronabonds." But talk of shared debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries, threatening to divide the bloc. Deaths shot up again across Europe. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, which both reported more than 800 new deaths Tuesday. France recorded a one-day record of 499 dead while Britain reported 381 coronavirus deaths, including that of a previously healthy 13-year-old. That came after a 12-year-old Belgian girl succumbed to an illness that is serious chiefly for older, frailer people with pre-existing health conditions. 'We need help now' Lockdowns remain at the forefront of official disease-stopping arsenalsa strategy increasingly borne-out by science. Workers sanitise the Western Wall, the most holy site where Jews can pray against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 in Jerusalem. Researchers said China's decision to shutter Wuhan, ground zero for the global COVID-19 pandemic, may have prevented three-quarters of a million new cases by delaying the spread of the virus. "Our analysis suggests that without the Wuhan travel ban and the national emergency response there would have been more than 700,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases outside of Wuhan" by mid February, said Oxford University's Christopher Dye. While many companies and schools around the globe have shifted to teleworking and teaching over video platforms, huge swathes of the world's workforce cannot and now face a deeply uncertain future. The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately impacted the poor. A man wearing a gas mask waits on the platform at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina metro station in Moscow Mumbai police order people to do sit-ups as punishment for going out without a valid reason during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in India Chilean soldiers patrol in Santiago, Chile, before more than 1.3 million people in the city enter into total quarantine for a week A staff member of the Congolese Ministry of Health prepares the sampling equipment to perform a COVID-19 test at a private residence in Goma, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos was set for its second full day of lockdown on Wednesdaybut with some of the world's biggest slums, home to millions who live hand-to-mouth, containment will be difficult. Explore further Global virus deaths mount as US surpasses China's official toll 2020 AFP A group of five people from different countries who share a passion for humor, scriptwriting, and creative work have teamed up since 2019 to tell untold tales about a genuine Vietnam to foreigners. Well aware that making a living in acting is not an easy job, even for indigenous Vietnamese, the five are still determined to rush in because they prefer a sense of challenge, not a path full of roses. Jesse Peterson, the Canadian team leader, may be the most familiar face to the public, primarily as an author and regular op-ed writer for local newspapers. The remaining members include Ryan Nguyen and Caleb T. Jones from the U.S., Patrick M. Davies from the UK, and Cory Jackson from Australia, who all have backgrounds in comedy and film production. Jones has had a few years performing standup comedy in Vietnam. He ran about three shows a week at coffee bars around town before the COVID-19 pandemic. With experience in writing comedy scripts and possessing a gifted face and voice, Jones has just completed his short comedy movie, which tells the story of a couple visiting Vietnam. Throughout the journey, they are accompanied by a female tour guide, with whom the husband makes failed attempts to flirt. At the end, when the wife hails a cab with the tour guide, it dawns on the husband that the two women already fell for each other right from the start. It was one of the short comedies the group made for their Ho Chi Minh City audience. Having lived in the southern metropolis for a while, it has become imperative to Jones that his movie be set here, in what he calls his "second homeland." "I want my work to be perceived by the majority of people from different cultures," he said. There is always something unique about their work a sense of Canadian, British, American or Australian humor, or a blend of Western and Vietnamese cultures. That is what Peterson, the group leader, aims to achieve. Their audiences are certainly not just foreigners residing in Vietnam. With members having lived in this country for up to ten years, they believe their target audience may very well be the locals themselves. As a group of foreigners living in Vietnam, Peterson said, they want to exhibit the East-West mix in their projects from a humorous perspective. "That's our selling point, he said. The Vietnamese touch in their movies is not merely achieved by casting locals. In the short comedy 'Nail Gangster,' screenwriter Jackson integrated scenes and situations familiar to Vietnamese people, such as an old man watching the classic cartoon 'Tom and Jerry' and the respect for the elderly people. All the characters in the film are Vietnamese. With his many years of experience in film production and casting, Jackson said he had always envisioned the Vietnamese people he is familiar with playing the roles. Davies lives in a small motel room in District 1, where he hangs an orchid on both sides of a balcony. His room is his art studio, his balcony the tea and music space, and, for work, he can write his scripts anywhere whenever ideas spring to mind. To his audience in Ho Chi Minh City, he is known chiefly as a comedian. Davies likes to experiment with new ideas in scripts and expressions. He likes putting music into his comedy and is not afraid of trying things out. During his performances, sometimes he will play to the audience a familiar melody, like a melancholy Christmas song for lonely people in Ho Chi Minh City, or stories of Westerners traveling to Asia for prostitutes. Davies prefers clever ideas and is not fond of shallow comedy. His gigs might take a bit more time to appreciate for the Vietnamese audience. His sense of humor is also quite uniquely British. Apart from comedy, he also makes documentaries about life in Vietnam. Quite frequently, he roams the orchid markets in the southern metropolis, seeking new orchid branches. Based on this personal interest, he wants to travel across Vietnam to make documentaries about the craft of orchids, which do not grow as easily in England. Five foreigners in a Ho Chi Minh City-based comedy team that blends Asian and European cultures are seen in this supplied photo. Ryan Nguyen, a writer with a Vietnamese father and an American mother, says that he enjoys drawing on Vietnamese life in his works. Nguyen said that pressing social issues such as traffic, flooding, and congestion are good materials for humor. For Jackson, what he wants to tell foreigners the most are stories of the Vietnamese alleys the real face of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam that will never be fully revealed if visitors merely swing by the famous 'backpacker' street of Bui Vien in the southern hub. Indeed, Jackson said he loves to live in an alley where there is an auntie selling coffee, a friendly vendor selling pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup), and even youngster gangsters with tattoos all over their arms. Life in the alley is so laid-back that even when one is having a coffee at one vendor's, they can still order a bowl of pho from the opposite vendor, he said. All five members of the team can make easy money with jobs that many foreigners in Vietnam choose to do, but they insist on taking the difficult path. Their products, in the perception of some, may not have a smooth mix of Western - Vietnamese humor, but the team are still deciphering the essence of the audience they are targeting. "We simply can't stop," Peterson said, adding that even though many may think the group are not very good at making a lot of money, they would still keep on going. The members are passionate and understanding of one anothers strengths and weaknesses. Each of them is unique in their own way and is very different from the others. They must learn how to work in groups with a sense of responsibility and punctuality and with an open mind for constructive feedback. Fortunately, they are all ready to do so. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! United Nations Agency Calls for $1 Trillion COVID-19 Debt Relief Package by Kate Zeller Tuesday Mar 31st, 2020 11:55 AM A United Nations agency that predicted the 2008 financial crisis is calling for $1 trillion in debt relief for developing countries to battle the economic impacts of the coronavirus. Vatican Official Calls for "Jubilee" Washington DC - A United Nations agency that predicted the 2008 financial crisis is calling for $1 trillion in debt relief for developing countries to battle the economic impacts of the coronavirus. "We are in a recession and likely facing the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression," stated Eric LeCompte, the Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. "Massive debt relief and aid is needed as developing countries attempt to withstand the economic shocks caused by the coronavirus." A report released from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development says debt payments should be suspended and ultimately eliminated for developing countries. The report further urged more than a trillion additional dollars be made available to support these countries struggling to withstand financial crises caused by the virus. Last week the International Monetary Fund and World Bank called on the G20 to suspend debt payments for the world's 76 poorest countries. On Monday, Vatican official, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called for a "Jubilee" and for wealthy countries to relieve the debt of poor countries. On Sunday, Pope Francis warned that a "viral genocide" would take place if world leaders prioritized economic growth over the health of people. "We can only get through this crisis if countries around the world have the ability to do similar stimulus packages that the United States and European countries are doing," stated LeCompte whose organization detailed a plan for the IMF on surviving a global financial crisis spurred by the coronavirus. "Debt relief, aid and financial crisis protections must urgently move forward so we can live through this pandemic." The number of Covid-19 cases in India soared close to 2,000 on Wednesday, fuelled largely by infections linked to a March event of the Tablighi Jamaat in the heart of Delhi that emerged this week as the biggest domestic source of the disease in the country. According to a tally of numbers released by 25 states and union territories, close to 8,500 people have been identified as having been to the Islamic sects headquarters in the capitals Nizamuddin area, prompting authorities to intensify efforts to trace them since they may be carrying the virus and potentially infecting others. This is in addition to the 2,346 people who have been evacuated from the Tablighi Jamaats six-storey mosque complex called a markaz in Delhi since Sunday, including 531 who have now been taken to hospitals as they showed symptoms of the disease. In all, 358 confirmed Covid-19 across the country have been linked to the markaz. In a video conference with the police and administration heads of the states, Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba asked all states to launch on war footing a contact tracing of all those who attended Tablighi Jamaat events in Delhi this month. In a briefing later in the evening, the health ministry said the country recorded 386 new cases in 24 hours a surge that was driven by the infections among the sects members. I want to highlight that the rise in the number of positive cases does not represent a national trend, but if there will be a failure anywhere, obviously cases will rise, said health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal, reiterating the need for people to follow social distancing guidelines and not violate the nationwide lockdown underway at present. Over the weekend, officials discovered infections were multiplying at the markaz after alerts began streaming in from other states where people who had been to the building and developed symptoms after heading out to other cities. At least nine of these people six in Telangana and one each in Kashmir, Gujarat and Karnataka have died due to the disease. By 1 pm on Wednesday, the markaz was sanitised by sanitation workers in decontamination suits. The workers said they found the insides of the building to be damp. We have sprayed every corner of the building, but its insides are damp due to the absence of sunlight. Usually the surfaces we have been spraying all these days were dry, so we dont know how effective the disinfectant would be, said Harish Kumar, a sanitation worker. Kumar described the markaz as comprising mostly large halls, many of which had rows of beds spread out. Rows and rows of mattresses were spread out in the halls, floor after floor, he said. Authorities may now begin an exercise to canvass the Nizamuddin area, a congested residential locality. As part of the cluster containment strategy, Nizamuddin, which is turning out to be a big cluster, would require aggressive door-to-door- contact tracing and testing to pick up positive cases. After the evacuation and segregation at the epicentre, next step will be to trace possible cases that may have directly or indirectly come into contact with them; and test them, said a senior health ministry official, requesting anonymity. The Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau separately estimated that around 6,500 to 7,000 people visited the markaz between March 10 and March 24 when active infections are believed to have been taking place at the building. At least 300 of these were foreign nationals, including the six Indonesians who died in Telangana. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have seen the bulk of infections linked to the markaz, with the three states reporting 237 cases. Tamil Nadu added 110 on Wednesday alone, taking its total to 190. Officials in at least two other states -- Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra -- said they are using cellphone location and call data to search for people who had been to the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. According to intelligence bureau officials who asked not to be named, about 2,000 foreign nationals arrived on tourist visas from at least 70 countries to take part in the sects work across the country since January 1. Participating in religious activity while on a tourist visa is prohibited by Indian immigration rules. According to the home ministrys assessment, a majority of these foreign nationals were from Bangladesh (493), Indonesia (472), Malaysia (150) and Thailand (142). All the ambassadors of the concerned countries have been contacted and theyve been informed about the position of various nationals that are involved in this [matter], said a person who asked not to be named. The home ministry has now directed state authorities to immediately deport foreigners who test negative for Covid-19 by the first available flights. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. James T. Goodrich, a pediatric neurosurgeon known for successfully separating conjoined twins in a complicated and rare procedure, died on Monday at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He was 73. The cause was complications of the coronavirus, according to Montefiore, where he was the director of pediatric neurosurgery and had spent more than 30 years of his career. Dr. Goodrich was thrust into public view when he conducted a series of four operations over nearly a year on Clarence and Carl Aguirre, twins from the Philippines who were joined at the tops of their heads and shared major veins in their brains. Dr. Goodrich led a team of surgeons at Montefiores Childrens Hospital, and the twins story generated headlines, including in The New York Times, and was the subject of television specials. During the final surgery, in August 2004, the team discovered that the twins brains were connected by more brain tissue than they had initially thought, a potentially serious complication. Lyons, N.Y. A man has been accused of using a sword to try and kill another man Tuesday in Wayne County. The attack happened around 2:25 a.m., the Wayne County Sheriffs Office said. Joshua K. Alexander, 30, used a sword to slice another mans neck leaving the man with a cut across his neck, deputies said. The assault happened in Alexanders home on Jackson Street in Lyons, deputies said. The wounded man was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where he remains in guarded condition, deputies said. Alexander has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, both felonies. He is being held in the Wayne County Jail, inmate records show. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? You can reach me at shouse@syracuse.com or at (315) 466-4160. More and more companies, both public and private sector ones, are coming forward with their financial contributions and other support measures to help authorities and people fight Covid-19 in various parts of the country. The Centre and many state governments have launched separate emergency funds to secure donations for the fight against coronavirus pandemic. Two leading financial institution State Bank of India (SBI) and Life Insurance of India (LIC) pledged Rs 100 crore and Rs 105 crore respectively for Prime Minister''s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. Around 2.5 lakh employees have decided to contribute two days salary aggregating to about Rs 100 crore will be donated PM-CARES Fund. Out of the Rs 105 crore, Rs 5 crore has been donated from LIC's Golden Jubilee Fund, the state-owned company said in a statement. "India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) has made a contribution of Rs 25 crore to the PM-CARES Fund as its support towards strengthening Indiat's fight against COVID19," the company said in a tweet. IIFCL has given beyond the CSR fund by finding additional resources from some other heads. This is a national crisis and the response has to be extraordinary, a senior official of IIFCL said, adding the company has therefore gone beyond its CSR budget. Playing its part to fight the crisis, General Insurance Corporation of India donated Rs 22.69 crore to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund, it said in a release. The pension sector regulator Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has pledged to contribute a part of the employees' salary to the PM CARES Fund. PFRDA employees have decided to contribute part of their salary and it is committed to assist the government in its fight against the pandemic in India, the regulator said in a statment. Another public sector entity under the Finance Ministry, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL) has contributed about Rs 2 crore to AIIMS Delhi for procurement of 45 ventilators, the most needed equipment to combat COVID-19. AU Small Finance Bank contributed Rs 5 crore for the relief work. It includes a contribution of Rs 2 crore to PM-CARES Fund; a contribution of Rs 51 lakh each to Delhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister relief funds and support provided to the Rajasthan government for a testing facility that was established in Bhilwara, one of the worst-hit districts in Rajasthan, the bank said in a statement. Besides, to combat the challenges posed by COVID-19, AU Bank is contributing over Rs 2 crore through its various CSR initiatives, it said. Policybazaar Group is supporting National Covid-19 helplines to address public inquiries about coronavirus, and voluntarily offered someof Call Centre employees to the National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. This is being done on a non-commercial basis. "The Ministry accepted our offer and agreed to make us the primary call centre for the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand circles. Within 48 hours of receiving the go-ahead from the ministry, we were live with over 200 agents, each of them working remotely on their tabs or smartphones. "The team worked over the weekend, to ensure adequate training to agents, creating a customized CRM platform and integrating it with the ministry''s systems and standard protocols," Policybazaar said in a statement. Considering the huge call volumes witnessed, the company plans to ramp up capacity to over 400 agents in a week's time, it said. Standard Chartered Bank also announced its commitment to donate Rs 5 crore to support the fight against COVID-19 virus in India. Keeping with its philosophy of affecting a real change in the communities and to provide the much-needed impetus in fighting this common threat, the bank will be working with multiple non-government organisation (NGO) partners to provide relief to the vulnerable communities including the migrant workers, Standard Chartered Bank said in a statement. This activity will be undertaken across several parts of the country including major cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Baroda) and rural areas (Sundarbans, Jaunpur, Tonk and Marathwada). Another private sector bank Karur Vysya Bank donated Rs 5 crore to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Crozier asked the Navy to allow him to clear 90 percent of the ship to allow for deep cleaning and assurances that his entire crew was free of the virus, but Modly said he did not think it is possible to go that far. More sailors will be needed to man weapons, oversee nuclear reactors and watch for fires, among other tasks. A joint appeal has been made for rural landlords and tenant farmers to work together during the current 'unprecedented' Covid-19 crisis. Landlords and tenants across the UK have been urged to work together 'collaboratively and compassionately'. The plea, made by the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), is made in respect of all tenancy matters. However, it is particularly made regarding rent payments, notices to quit and finalising new tenancy agreements. Both the TFA and CLA say neither the landlord or tenant should seek to take 'advantage of the current situation or use it as an excuse to act unreasonably'. Both parties are urged to consider the impact of their actions on the other and avoid taking a hard line on any issue during the coronavirus situation. CLA President Mark Bridgeman said: We know that landowners value their relationships with tenants deeply, and we are working to underline the importance of working closely with tenants who are experiencing difficulties due to coronavirus. "We have advised landlords to discuss with farm tenants any problems they are facing so that a mutual solution can be found, and we make sure farming businesses can carry on as well as possible in these difficult circumstances." He added: We also suggest that, as far as possible, current disputes are put on hold and that formal proceedings for any non-payment of rent are used only as a matter of extreme last resort. TFA national chairman Mark Coulman said both the CLA and TFA are urging landlords and tenants to work together to agree alternative arrangements. It is inevitable that some tenants will struggle to meet rent payments or other tenancy obligations due to cashflow difficulties or other knock on impacts of the coronavirus situation. "We are already hearing of positive examples of landlords and tenants working together during this trying time, he said. It comes as the TFA has been assisting members left in difficult situations beyond their control due to coronavirus restrictions. In one case, a conversation with a farmer's landlord's agent led to agreement on a better frequency of rental payments to assist cash flow and reduce the stress of having to find large sums of money upfront. In a second case, farmer has decided in light of the recent events to give up farming, but he had just gone beyond the point at which he could break his tenancy. Although the landlord had previously rejected his notice to quit, the TFA managed to negotiate its subsequent acceptance. Mr Coulman said: As always, communication will be vital and we would encourage dialogue between landlords and tenants, so that practical solutions can be found for any ongoing issues or any that arise during this challenging period. "TFA and CLA members should contact their respective organisations for any further guidance needed. Nine people from Punjab attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi earlier this month, which has become an epicentre for the spread of COVID-19, but none of them has returned to the state, officials said on Wednesday. Authorities have established contacts with the nine people who are still in Delhi and their families. The nine people hail from Ludhiana, Pathankot, Sangrur and Barnala districts. "Four persons from Ludhiana attended the gathering and they have not returned yet. They have been quarantined by the Delhi government there, Ludhiana Police Commissioner Rakesh Aggarwal told PTI. We are in touch with their families and we are monitoring them, said Aggarwal. Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said one person from Dhadrian village attended the congregation, but he has not returned yet. "But as a precautionary measure, we have put his family under home quarantine, he said. In Pathankot, two persons had gone to Delhi to take part in the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat. They were still in Delhi, said Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira. The congregation in Nizamuddin West in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot of coronavorus as 24 people had tested positive for the deadly infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Piers Morgan has revealed that his youngest son Albert, 19, has shown 'mild symptoms' of coronavirus. Piers - who shares Albert, Spencer, 26, and Stanley, 22, with his ex-wife Marion Shalloe and also has an eight-year-old daughter, Elise, with wife Celia Walden - revealed the news on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday while discussing the respiratory illness. He said: 'One of my sons had it in a much milder way. My youngest boy. Symptomatic: Piers Morgan has revealed that his youngest son Albert, 19, has shown 'mild symptoms' of coronavirus 'I think most people are associating [lack of taste and smell] that with the virus, it's a very unnerving thing to get... 'Yes, he had mild symptoms which have cleared up now.' Piers explained that he had not seen Albert for three weeks before he showed any of the mild symptoms, so did not need to self-isolate himself. The 55-year-old broadcaster has been vocal about the UK government ordering people to stay inside to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. He tweeted this week: 'Already hearing people whine "I can't cope with much more of this!" because they have to sit inside watching TV. Announcement: He revealed the news on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday while discussing the respiratory illness Family: Piers shares Albert, Spencer, 26, and Stanley, 22, with his ex-wife Marion Shalloe and also has an eight-year-old daughter, Elise, with wife Celia Walden 'The lockdown's lasted 8 days. World War 2 lasted 5 YEARS. So man up, show some gumption, & help others rather than wallow in pathetic self-pity [sic].' His comments come after he was reunited with co-star Susanna Reid this week as she returned to the programme after a two-week period of self-isolation after her own son showed coronavirus symptoms. Appearing on Tuesday's show, Susanna - who still appeared on the show at times via video link - said: 'I have to say it's good to be back. I had a slightly different co-presenter when I was at home broadcasting from the sofa, and presented with Sookie [her cat]. She's back: His comments come after he was reunited with co-star Susanna Reid this week as she returned to the programme after a two-week period of self-isolation after her own son showed coronavirus symptoms Appearing on Tuesday's show, Susanna - who still appeared on the show at times via video link - said: 'I have to say it's good to be back. I had a slightly different co-presenter when I was at home broadcasting from the sofa, and presented with Sookie [her cat]' 'A little quieter than normal proceedings, just sitting on my lap. Sorry, I'm not social distancing from the cat.' However, Susanna - who has sons Sam, 18, Finn, 16, and Jack, 15, with her ex-partner Dominic Cotton - admitted she's concerned her family are still susceptible to catching the virus. Piers responded: 'None of you may have had the virus - this is the problem. Susanna and her sons might go out into the big wild world and one of them might get it.' Tumours in infants biologically distinct from older patients Study finds genetic vulnerabilities to existing targeted drugs Clinical trials to offer hope for families of youngest patients Brain cancer in infants is biologically distinct from other childhood brain tumours and could be successfully treated with targeted drugs, a new study has shown. An aggressive type of brain tumour, called high-grade glioma, is almost always fatal in older children - with only 20 per cent surviving for more than five years. Babies and very young children, diagnosed when they are less than 12 months old, tend to have a better outcome - with around two thirds surviving five years or more. In the largest and most comprehensive study of infant gliomas to date, scientists found that these tumours are molecularly different from those in older children, helping explain why they tend to be less aggressive. The new results could help pick out babies with brain tumours who could be spared chemotherapy - which can have devastating side-effects and be particularly harmful while their brain is still developing. The study found that brain tumours in babies often had specific molecular weaknesses which could be targeted by existing targeted drugs - and clinical trials to assess these are now set to open. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, carried out a large-scale study of 241 infants from around the world diagnosed with glioma brain tumours - working with colleagues at the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg in Germany, the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the US. The researchers found that 130 of the 241 tumour samples - or 54 per cent - had an entirely different genetic make-up from other forms of childhood brain tumours, despite looking highly similar under the microscope. Some 65 cases, or half of children with the distinct form of infant brain tumours, had specific molecular weaknesses - including ALK and NTRK gene fusions, which can be targeted with existing precision medicines. The study is published in Cancer Discovery today (Thursday), and was funded by charities including the CRIS Cancer Foundation, The Brain Tumour Charity, Children with Cancer UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, and Cancer Research UK. Next, the team looked at mice with brain tumours caused by ALK gene fusions to compare the effect of a targeted drug, lorlatinib, which works by blocking ALK, with temozolomide chemotherapy. They found that lorlatinib significantly shrunk tumours in seven out of eight mice, or 88 per cent, while tumours in mice given chemotherapy kept growing, though at a slower rate. The researchers also grew three-dimensional 'mini tumours' in the lab from patient samples, and found those that had fusions of NTRK with other genes were particularly sensitive to drugs blocking NTRK. Tumours with these fusion mutations were between two and nine times more sensitive to the targeted treatments entrectinib, crizotinib and milciclib than those without. A small number of children whose tumours were analysed in the study were successfully treated with ALK or NTRK targeting drugs, offering further evidence for the promise of targeted treatments for infant brain tumours. Clinical trials are due to open to test the benefit of targeted drugs blocking the ALK and NTRK gene fusions in infant brain tumours - and to better understand the biology of tumours which don't have these faults. The new results are also set to change the World Health Organization's diagnostic guidelines, with brain tumours in infants to be classed separately from other childhood brain tumours. Professor Chris Jones, Professor of Paediatric Brain Tumour Biology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: "We found that glioma brain tumours in babies are biologically completely different to those in older children, even though under the microscope they look much the same. "Our study offers the biological evidence to pick out those infants who are likely to have a better outcome from their disease, so these very small children and their families can be spared the harmful effects of chemotherapy. "We showed that brain tumours in infants have particular genetic weaknesses that could be targeted with existing drugs - and clinical trials are planned to test the benefit of these precision medicines as a first-line treatment in clinical trials as soon as possible." Dr Matthew Clarke, Clinical Research Fellow in the Glioma Team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: "Brain tumours that arise in the very youngest children tend to have better outcomes from those in older children - and our new study explains that difference on a biological level. "Chemotherapy is currently a good treatment option for babies with brain tumours - but our study has found that some children could be spared this treatment. With further testing, I'm hopeful that existing targeted drugs could expand our arsenal of options to treat these smallest of patients." Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: "It's especially cruel when cancer affects such small children, so it is encouraging that this study offers some hope for very young patients and their families. The research offers a better understanding of the biology of brain tumours in infants, and finds that they might potentially be treated with new targeted drugs. That's vitally important because infants are particularly vulnerable to the side effects from standard treatments such as chemotherapy, and we need much better, kinder options." ### Notes to editors For more information please contact Sarah Wells in the ICR press office on 020 7153 5582 or sarah.wells@icr.ac.uk. For enquiries out of hours, please call 07595 963 613. The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is one of the world's most influential cancer research organisations. Scientists and clinicians at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) are working every day to make a real impact on cancer patients' lives. Through its unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and 'bench-to-bedside' approach, the ICR is able to create and deliver results in a way that other institutions cannot. Together the two organisations are rated in the top centres for cancer research and treatment globally. The ICR has an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. It provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease. Today it is a world leader at identifying cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment. A college of the University of London, the ICR is the UK's top-ranked academic institution for research quality, and provides postgraduate higher education of international distinction. It has charitable status and relies on support from partner organisations, charities and the general public. The ICR's mission is to make the discoveries that defeat cancer. For more information visit http://www.icr.ac.uk Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new chief-of-staff has released a gushing statement about the couple's 'deep commitment to improving lives' as the Sussexes break away from monarchy and start their life in California. Catherine St-Laurent, who was recently hired for their non-profit enterprise, shared a statement with Harper's Bazaar, about her work with the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, so far. She said: 'From our very first conversation, Harry and Meghan have expressed a deep commitment to improving lives and having a positive impact on society.' It comes as the couple shut up their Buckingham Palace office in the UK for good, and shared their final Instagram message on their @SussexRoyal handle as they abandon their 11 million followers and step away from the royal family. Royal expert William Hanson said Catherine's statement was a clear indication the couple had moved away from their traditionally 'stiff' approach of the royals, calling it 'relaxed' and 'casual'. Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, new chief of staff Catherine St-Laurent hailed the couple's 'deep commitment to improving lives' and their perspective on the importance of compassion in their mission (pictured) In the deeply personal statement, Catherine went on to say: ''Their perspective on the role that empathy, connection, and compassion can play in that mission is both deeply personal and incredibly timely.' Meanwhile in their own statement, Prince Harry and Meghan said they were 'proud' to be joined by the staff for the 'next chapter'. They praised her 'tremendous impact on the world' and said she would be 'an incredible asset' on their team. Speaking to FEMAIL, William said the statement showed a break-away from the kind of piece released by Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry and Meghan are currently living in Los Angeles as they break away from the monarchy He revealed: 'The statements wording is casual and relaxed, far from the more formal and, as some would say, stiff tone of royal missives. 'There is no use of titles, just first names, and it uses American English rather than actual English.' He went on: 'It is clearly another indicator to the public as to how the semi-royal couple wish to operate once normality resumes.' 'For me, what is odd, is that the worthy and commendable objectives they list are also those of the institution they have rather clumsily spent four months trying to leave.' Meanwhile in the same piece, royal expert Omid Scobie revealed the couple had shared their final Instagram post under their @SussexRoyal handle, with the account due to 'become inactive' from this point on. Catherine said Prince Harry and Meghan's mission had been clear 'from the very first conversation' He also said the couple have now put an end to the flashy website SussexRoyal.com, having been told by the Queen they are no longer allowed to use the title after they stepped back from royal duty yesterday. It was reported on Friday that Meghan and Harry had appointed Catherine as their new chief of staff and executive director of their non-profit organisation. Catherine has been hired as chief of staff and executive director of their non-profit enterprise. She was the director at Pivotal Ventures, Melinda Gates women and families foundation, supporting campaigns that aimed to help improve the lives of women around the globe. In a departing email to staff, she announced: I am thrilled to be able to play a supporting role in realising their vision and enabling them to achieve impact on the issues that matter most to them. Prince Harry and Meghan have now wound down their UK foundation and are living in Los Angeles A friend told the Mail that the Canadian-born French speaker was feisty, fair and up for a tough conversation, adding: But if all goes wrong, she is good for a laugh and a cocktail afterwards. Shes a good egg. Shell bring a clean-sheet perspective. Catherine will have much in common with Meghan, describing herself on Twitter profile as a promoter of 'conversations about women and girls rights' and enjoying yoga, travelling and spinning. The couple, who are breaking away from the monarchy to earn their own money in the US, have had to ditch using Sussex Royal as their brand name. The Queen and her senior officials were said to have ordered Harry and Meghan to drop the use of the word 'Royal' because it could have led to accusations they were cashing in on their royal status. The Sussexes agreed to the change, but appeared to show their dissatisfaction, with their website previously stating that the monarchy had no jurisdiction over the use of the word 'royal' overseas. On Monday night, the couple shared their final post on the Sussex Royal account on Instagram, with royal expert Omid Scobie saying the account will now be inactive From March 31, they were no longer be working royals nor use their HRH styles. Prince Harry and Meghan have now wound down their UK foundation and shut their Buckingham Palace office. The duo are now living in California, having carried out their final round of royal duties in Britain, and are planning the launch of their new non-profit organisation for next month. The Sussexes are yet to flesh out what their new entity will look like, other than outlining it will support their 'global charitable, campaign and philanthropic work'. The coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the UK and much of the world, with record daily death tolls announced in several countries across Europe on Tuesday. Heres your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight. Boy, 13, dies alone in UK hospital after testing positive The death of a 13-year-old boy, who died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, was announced on Tuesday. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, in south London, is thought to be the UKs youngest victim of the pandemic. The teenager, who had no known underlying health problems, was admitted to Kings College Hospital in London and put on a ventilator after having difficulties breathing. But he sadly died in the early hours of Monday without any family members by his side because of the risk of infection, according to a statement from the college where his sister works. The death of a 12-year-old girl, believed to be the youngest victim of Covid-19 in Europe, was also announced in Belgium. Total UK deaths higher than figures released daily by government, new stats reveal It emerged the true number of deaths across the UK from coronavirus is higher than previously reported, following the release of statistics for the number of people who have died outside of hospital with Covid-19. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 210 deaths involving Covid-19 had occurred in England and Wales by 20 March, up from the 170 deaths reported by the government at the time an increase of more than 20 per cent. Statistics released by the government had previously shown the number of deaths in hospitals related to the virus but did not include deaths in the wider community, such as care homes. New UK-built ventilators to be available for NHS from next week, government announces Michael Gove announced new UK-built ventilators to treat coronavirus patients will be available for use in the NHS from next week. Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference on Tuesday, the cabinet office minister said the first of thousands of new machines will be rolled out on to the front line within days to cope with the spread of the virus. Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Show all 12 1 /12 Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Agnetha Septimus, Matthew Septimus, and children Ezra and Nora Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Husband and wife filmmakers, Claire Ince and Ancil McKain pose for a portrait for the series by Shutterstock Staff Photographer, Stephen Lovekin, shot around the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Khadijah Silver and son Eliot Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Anna Beth Rousakis and daughter Mary Rousakis Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Mike Pergola and Denise Pergola with children Henry, Jack, and Will Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Artist Shirley Fuerst Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Jean Davis and Danny Rosenthal, with children Simone, Naomi, and Leah Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Robert E Clark Jr Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Lisa Draho and Josh Zuckerman, with children Ruby and Ava Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Professor and activist Dr Kristin Lawler Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Tom Smith and Laura Ross, with daughters Caroline, Elizabeth, and Abigail Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Callie Lovekin and Lucas Lovekin Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock There are about 8,000 ventilators deployed in the NHS currently but Mr Gove acknowledged many more would be needed ahead of the expected peak of the outbreak in April. Police told to arrest and fine public for breaking lockdown rules as last resort Police leaders told regional forces to arrest and fine people for breaking the coronavirus lockdown as a last resort following a backlash over some tactics. The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) said officers should first engage, explain and encourage people to follow the new public health regulations, and only as a last resort, enforce. It has drawn up guidance with the College of Policing that has been distributed to all forces in England and Wales. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, suggested some forces had gone too far on Tuesday. CreditEase Wealth Management is a long-term partner to Chinese high net worth (HNWs), and provides services and products related to investment, quality of life, succession, education and philanthropy. CreditEase Wealth Management combines digital innovation with deep economic and investment research, to deliver wealth management solutions to clients Core to CreditEase Wealth Management's proposition is our 'Three Golden Principles for Asset Allocation' investment strategy, which highlights the importance of allocation across geographies and asset classes, as well as an overweight allocation to alternatives, via Fund of Funds. BEIJING, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Asian Private Banker, renowned for Asia Pacific private bank and wealth management market, today announced 2019 Asian Private Banker 2nd China Wealth Awards winners. CreditEase Wealth Management (CreditEase WM) was awarded the Best Independent Wealth Manager in China, Best Digital Wealth Management Platform in China, Best Wealth Manager in China for Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW) Services, Asset Allocation Services and Alternative Investment Advisory. Along with CreditEase WM awarded the Best Independent Wealth Manager in China, Private Banking of Bank of China won "the Best National Private Bank in China", Private Banking of China Merchants won "the Best Joint-Stock Private Bank in China" and Bank of Shanghai won "the Best City Commercial Private Bank in China", and Huatai Securities won "the Best Wealth Manager in China Securities Brokerage." Asian Private Banker (APB) has one the world's largest and best-connected team of researchers delivering intelligence, news and data exclusively focused on private banking and wealth management. The Asian Private Banker's second China Wealth Awards for wealth management in China are designed for the Chinese market to recognize private banks, institutions and independent wealth management firms for their achievements in the unique market environment of China in 2019 and to affirm their efforts to drive industry change and guide customers. Now in their second year, the China Wealth Awards continue to honour the firms that have gone above-and-beyond to responsibly deliver compelling wealth management solutions and add value to China's most moneyed individuals, families, and their businesses. For these awards, Asian Private Banker employs an integrative methodology that combines both quantitative and qualitative indicators to select champions for each category. The categories of awards cover business and operations, client services, and investment solutions. Due to the requirements for detailed benchmarking in the selection process, the APB wealth management award is considered as one of the most respectful and competitive honors in the wealth management industry. CreditEase WM wins the Best Independent Wealth Manager in China Xiao Shang, Co-President of CreditEase WM, said, "We are very honored to receive this awardBest Independent Wealth Manager in China, which highly recognizes the quality of our services to our HNW clients by an international professcional authoritative agency. Established upon strong international capabilities, investment capabilities, technological capabilities and comprehensive service capabilities, CreditEase WM not only screens boutique investment products for clients, but also strives to truly solve clients' problems, and become a long-term partner in their growth path." Sebastian Enberg, the editor of Asian Private Banker, stated in its special award edition, "CreditEase Wealth Management has done a remarkable job of developing and fine-tuning an offering that is attentive to the key trends shaping China's wealth management industry. Its international presence and comprehensive investment capabilities speak to a growing demand for global diversification, longer-term and managed products particularly in alternatives and strategic asset allocation." "Here, CreditEase has proven itself ahead of the curve and, in many cases, driving the conversation about what responsible, holistic wealth management should look like. It has taken meaningful and effective steps to address the needs of more sophisticated clients and families, as evidenced by its expanding suite of services tailored towards those with wealth succession requirements and needs that go beyond pure investments including philanthropy and enterprise management," added Mr. Enberg. CreditEase WM wins the Best Wealth Manager in China for Alternative Investment Advisory CreditEase WM provides professional global asset allocation services, wealth management services and investment consulting services for China's HNW individuals. The services include but not limited to, fixed-income assets, PE, capital market, hedge fund, real estate, insurance, study tour, and other comprehensive wealth management products and services. Since its establishment, CreditEase WM has been holding the business vision of "facilitating oneself and others, providing a great life", with "through innovation in financial tools to make the society better, through investment conducts to be more socially responsible, to make wealth create higher social value" as its mission. Lin Hou, Co-President of CreditEase WM, said, "we're thrilled that Asian Private Banker awarding CreditEase WM the Best Wealth Manager in China for Alternative Investment Advisory again. CreditEase WM has brought forward industry-leading ideas multiple times. From the beginning of 2016 we brought forward the '3 Asset Allocation Golden Rules': cross-geographic and country allocation, cross-asset type allocation, and persist in using Fund of Funds to allocate alternative assets. We recommend investors to construct a multi-asset-class portfolio consisting of traditional assets, such as stocks and bonds, as well as various types of alternative assets, through the exercise of asset allocation and long-term investment." CreditEase WM wins the Best Digital Wealth Management Platform in China As a longstanding member of the FinTech industry, the spirit of digital innovation and research is institutionalized throughout CreditEase, and it has been committed to developing strong technological capabilities, and using science and technology to promote financial innovation and wealth management. Ms. Shang said, "CreditEase is a global FinTech leader with over ten years of experience and resources in the industry." With CreditEase WM, financial advisors can take advantage of the Client-End APP to identify clients' interests and behavior. It allows advisors offering the right products to clients. In addition, CreditEase WM created the Advisor's APP. Using AI methodology, it provides an easy method for advisors to share articles, opinions, and strategies to targeted clients. "CreditEase WM leverages the technical advantages accumulated in the field of big data and artificial intelligence for 11 years and independently developed the industry-leading AI + FoF platform in order to make the investment process more efficient, comprehensive, and accurate. It also allows for better post-investment management with real-time monitoring and risk reminding. AI + FoF is an artificial intelligence platform that runs through the entire investment management process of CreditEase Wealth Management Private Equity FoF. It is a super-financial brain that captures, stores, structured analysis, and tracks real-time data across the entire network. Active management capabilities have a two-way interaction with big data and artificial intelligence technologies to greatly enhance the investment and management capabilities of the parent fund manager," Ms. Shang added. Mr. Enberg stated, "CreditEase's delivery of services and solutions has been all the more effective because of its industry-leading digital backbone. Indeed, technology touches every aspect of CreditEase Wealth Management from its AI-informed investment process to product advisory. This digital prowess is undoubtedly the envy of many of CreditEase's peers." CreditEase WM wins the Best Wealth Manager in China for UHNW Services With the accumulation of wealth and change of mindset, China's HNW individuals not only care about the wealth accumulation but also pay more attention to learning and growth, education, quality of life, family succession and even contribution to society. CreditEase WM pioneered the wealth management industry by providing one-stop, comprehensive wealth management services based on the five major needs of the UHNW individuals investments, succession, life, education, and philanthropy. Established upon strong international capabilities, investment capabilities, technological capabilities and comprehensive service capabilities, CreditEase WM not only screens boutique investment products for clients, but also strives to truly solve client's problems, and become a long-term partner in their growth path. CreditEase WM wins the Best Wealth Manager in China for Asset Allocation Services CreditEase WM's mission is to focus on the needs of Chinese clients in the present, launch the asset allocation strategy guidelines, help clients plan in advance, invest in the future, and gain substantial profit, all achieved by applying the best practical experience from the world. To sharpen up the capabilities of global asset allocation, CreditEase WM has acquired a wide range of financial licenses in a number of countries and regions. Ms. Lin introduced, "Good assets and good allocation, all benefit from our global quality, large network of partners. CreditEase Wealth Management's collaboration with world famous investments agencies and institutes, includes world-class equity investment opportunities into its FoF portfolio and diversifies investment including information technology, high tech equipment, new materials, biological, alternative energy, green energy and environmental protection areas. This significantly improves the quality of the investment portfolio while diversifying risks." "Taken together, CreditEase's strength across all aspects of wealth management and its dedication to remaining at the forefront of an exciting industry are just cause for the firm to be named China's Best Independent Wealth Manager by Asian Private Banker," Mr. Enberg concluded. About CreditEase Wealth Management CreditEase Wealth Management (CreditEase WM) is the wealth management brand for high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals under CreditEase, a leading fintech company. As a leading player in China's wealth management industry, CreditEase WM aims to become the top wealth management brand for Chinese high net worth individuals around the globe. The company has set up branches in mainland China, and its business presence has also extended into Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Europe and North America. CreditEase WM provides professional investment services and life services for high net worth clients, and is committed to becoming a long-term partner of clients in terms of investment, life, succession, education and philanthropy. Investment services provided under its global asset allocation investment advisory service include domestic and offshore quasi fixed income, private equity, public equity, hedge fund, and real estate fund asset classes. Life services cover investment-driven immigration, offshore direct real estate investment, family trust, insurance and protection, tax planning, high-end education, and philanthropy. https://i.yixin.com About Asian Private Banker Founded in 2009, Asia Private Banker (APB)is the leading global authority on private banking and wealth management. Asian Private Banker has the world's largest and best-connected bureau of researchers delivering independent, authoritative and indispensable intelligence, data and connections solely focused on private banking and wealth management in Asia and the Middle East. Established in Hong Kong Asian Private Banker is well regarded for its independent and authoritative coverage of the rapidly growing private wealth management industry in the region. Its information and data are often cited by the global and regional financial media and consulting firms. In 2011, it launched awards for private banks, wealth management institutions and other organizations with private wealth management functions in Asia-Pacific, aiming to set industry benchmarks and share best practices through professional, independent and rigorous selection process. SOURCE CreditEase Wealth Management Beaumont police arrested a 52-year-old man after a bicyclist was the victim of a hit-and-run wreck Sunday. Officers responded to the call just after 9 a.m. in the 5300 block of Delaware Road, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department. Officers arrived and located the victim who was unresponsive, the release said. While en route officers were able to locate the suspect vehicle at Delaware near Eastex (Freeway). Witnesses on scene observed the suspect vehicle strike the victim and continue driving until officers were able to stop his vehicle. The victim was later transported to Houston Memorial hospital and listed with critical injuries. Police arrested Jason Lynn McKnight and transported him to the Jefferson County jail, where he was charged with accident involving personal injury or death. chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/chris_moore09 Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 21:47:24|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close COLOMBO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday asked the World Health Organization (WHO) chief to pursue with international financial organizations and lending nations to help developing countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the President's Office said President Rajapaksa had held discussions with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom over phone, during which Rajapaksa requested Tedros to pursue with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), president of the World Bank (WB), president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and leaders of the leading bilateral lending nations to provide debt moratorium or debt re-profiling facilities for vulnerable developing countries like Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa said this was because Sri Lanka's economy depended on tourism, exports, remittances and foreign investment which are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sri Lanka's economy has been severely hit by the virus outbreak which has forced authorities to declare a nationwide curfew since March 20. The country has so far confirmed 143 COVID-19 patients while over 100 are under observation in the designated hospitals. Miles Marshall Lewis Launches Kickstarter Campaign for French Hip-Hop Documentary Torry Threadcraft Torry Threadcraft is a writer who covers music, sports, and The Bronx native wants to raise $25,000 by April 11. A Bronx-born writer wants to bring the story of hip-hop in France across the globe. Miles Marshall Lewis is a 49-year-old hip-hop critic. Over the years, his work has appeared in publications like the New York Times, Essence, GQ, and Billboard. In 1999, Lewis served as music editor for Vibe Magazine. From 2004 to 2011, Lewis lived in Paris. As a French resident, he published two books and wrote about his experiences as a Black expatriate. Along the way, he began directing his latest project. Today, hes asking the Internet for a little help bringing the dream to life. Radical: The Savoir Faire of French Hip-Hop chronicles the genres spread throughout Europe. Lewis interviews the many editors and music journalists from Frances Radikal magazine. Radikal gave me a crash course in the African-descended French rappers who made up the soundtrack to my seven years living in Paris, Lewis wrote. With my roots in hip-hop media, I wanted to tell the story of French hip-hop through the lens of Pariss most popular rap magazine. The documentary will chronicle the rise and fall of the magazine in the wake of the pivot to digital content. Lewis is asking for a total of $25,000 by April 11. As of Wednesday, backers had pledged over $19,000 in donations. Donate to the campaign here. According to Lewis, funds will benefit an editor, an American director of photography, music licensing fees for the French rap music in the film and a translator for English subtitles. Severely ill patients have been told by their GP surgery that they will not be offered a ventilator bed if they become ill with coronavirus so that resources can be targeted to the young and fit who have a greater chance of surviving the infection. Llynfi Surgery in Maesteg, south Wales, reportedly sent out letters to a small number of patients recommending they complete do not resuscitate forms in case their health deteriorated after contracting coronavirus. The letter stated that people with significant life-limiting illnesses, such as incurable cancer, neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease and chronic untreatable heart and lung conditions, were unlikely to be offered hospital admission should they become unwell and certainly will not be offered a ventilator bed. It went on to state: We would therefore like to complete a DNACPR form, which would mean cardiopulmonary resuscitation cannot be used on them and that in the event of a sudden deterioration in your condition because of Covid-19 infection or disease progression the emergency services will not be called and resuscitation attempts to restart your heart or breathing will not be attempted. The letter proceeds to provide a list of benefits of a DNACPR form, including that the patients GP and friends and family would know not to call 999 if they fell ill, and that scarce ambulance resources can be targeted to the young and fit who have a greater chance of surviving the infection. It concludes: We will not abandon you but we need to be frank and realistic about what the next few months holds for all of us. Mark Hodgkinson, chief executive at disability equality charity Scope, accused the surgery of treating disabled people as expendable. He added: We understand the NHS is under enormous pressure and having to make complicated decisions but offensive, insensitive actions like this only heighten stress and panic during already difficult times. Disabled peoples lives are just as important as everyone elses, whether were in a global pandemic or not. A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: A letter was recently sent out from Llynfi Surgery to a small number of patients. We have been made aware that the letter has caused upset to some of the patients who received it. This was not the intent and the surgery apologise for any distress caused. Staff at the surgery are speaking to those patients who received the letter to apologise directly and answer any concerns they may have. It comes after the number of people who have died in the UK from coronavirus rose to 2,352 on Wednesday, with a further 563 deaths recorded, including a 13-year-old boy with no known underlying health conditions. Boris Johnson told the cabinet on Tuesday that the situation is going to get worse before it gets better but it will get better during a meeting by video link. HAMBURG (Reuters) - German fruit and vegetable prices may increase following coronavirus-related travel bans that are preventing east Europeans from gathering harvests at domestic farms, the head of the country's farming association DBV said in a newspaper report. Germany's decision to close borders and restrict travel means many thousands of seasonal workers, mainly from east Europe, cannot start planting and harvesting vegetables and fruit, DBV president Joachim Rukwied told the daily Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung on Wednesday. European Union countries should allow the hundreds of thousands of seasonal migrant workers who plant or harvest crops to cross borders despite national measures to contain the coronavirus, the EU Commission said on Monday. Countries across the EU have set up border controls to stem the virus outbreak, which have also resulted in delayed food and medical supplies. "We reckon that we will face overall reduced supplies of fruits and vegetables," Rukwied told the newspaper. Some farmers were considering cancelling orders for seeds and plants because of the lack of workers, he added. German agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner said she is seeking agreement with the countrys interior ministry on the issue as "we cannot do without extra seasonal farm workers. Germany needs to find a balance between the need to prevent the coronavirus spreading and the need for seasonal workers to help on farms, she said on German television ARD. "We must find an answer, we cannot leave farmers hanging on this," Kloeckner said. German producers warned that the lack of workers meant vegetables may not get harvested, even though the country's government has announced certain measures, including a new website for people seeking work on farms. It may not be possible to compensate for smaller German fruit and vegetable harvests with imports as other EU producing countries are suffering the same problems, Rukwied said. Proposals by the German government to allow laid-off workers and unemployed to work on farms without loss of state benefits was not enough, he added. (Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Louise Heavens) When Mark Cruickshank and Boone Langston taped their appearance on the Fox competition series, Lego Masters, the world felt like a very different place. And it still seemed that way when Lego Masters premiered on the Fox network, on Feb. 5. Since then, the coronavirus outbreak has transformed everyday life, generating widespread anxiety about health, loved ones, and the economy. Now, Lego Masters" -- which was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic -- doesnt just seem like a fun way to watch as adults use their Lego building skills to compete for a $100,000 prize. With stress affecting everyone, Lego Masters feels like pure escapism, a colorful, good-natured way to forget your worries, at least for a little while. Ive had people reach out to me on social media and say how nice it is to see a family-friendly show, and how its nice to have that available when theyre all stuck at home, says Cruickshank, in a phone interview from his home in Oregon City. (How to watch: Lego Masters airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on Fox (theres no new show April 1, but it returns on April 8). No cable or antenna? Live stream Lego Masters on Hulu + Live TV; you can also catch up with episodes you missed on Hulu) Langston, from his home in Troutdale, agrees. Thereve been a lot of people reaching out to say, Hey, this is my favorite show right now. I had a couple nurses reach out to me who say they save Lego Masters to watch on Friday night, when theyve gotten through a long week at the hospital. Ive heard from families who say, This is the first show that weve all wanted to watch together.'" Those whove been watching Lego Masters have seen Cruickshank, a 36-year-old HVAC installer, and Langston, a 35-year-old pre-K teacher, demonstrate both their teamwork and creative abilities as theyve won several challenges and impressed host Will Arnett, and judges Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett. Though they cant reveal which team ultimately wins, at this point, Cruickshank and Langston are among the last three teams standing. The competition will resume on Wednesday, April 8, with a Star Wars-themed semifinal. One factor is their strong performance on the show, Cruickshank says, as I think we learned stuff, and applied what they learned to each new challenge. It was a learning curve, but we got in our groove. Mark and I had the benefit of going into the competition already having a level of that trust for each other, Langston says. But it was really like being thrown into a crucible. Lego Masters began its freshman season with a likable and varied group of builders, which made it tough, Cruickshank and Langston say, to see teams having to leave after the judges made their decision. Every elimination was really hard, Cruickshank says, because we grew really close. Cruickshank says it was especially tough to see the team of Mel and Jermaine leave, because we were really good friends with them. Theyre really good builders. We got really close with Flynn and Richard, too, says Langston, adding, We loved Manny and Nestor, and Amie and Krystle. Everyone there loved Lego." Though theyve done well throughout, one surprising detail has emerged, namely, Langstons habit of bursting into impromptu song. I did not anticipate that me singing would become, like, a thing, Langston says. But it certainly has. He traces the tuneful touch back to an early episode, where Arnett came over to talk to the team, and while Langston was getting supplies, Arnett asked Cruickshank, Whats something you like about Boone? Cruickshank said something about Langston having a good singing voice, And then I get back to the table, and Will asked me if I would sing a song. For copyright reasons, I had to make something up on the spot. It was a lot of fun, then it just became a thing, with Will saying at some opportune moment, Boone, you got a song about this? Now that theyre back and staying home with their families to honor social distancing guidelines, both Cruickshank and Langston are keeping busy, often doing Lego building-party livestreams, where some of the other Lego Masters contestants sometimes join in. Cruickshanks Instagram name is mecruickshank, and Langston can be found on Instagram at boonebuilds, and also on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/BooneBuilds/ Thanks to their Lego Masters exposure, the Bearded Builders team is finding their social media has gotten busier. A lot more people are engaging with my content than they did 10 weeks ago, Langston says. And now, I have more time to talk to all those people, and create more content for them. Cruickshank says he also has had more time to get online, and have interaction with fans. Ive been building a lot more. More of our coverage: -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. BRIDGEPORT - State employees expressed concern Wednesday after three more state courthouses were shut down one because of possible contamination of COVID-19. Employees took to social network to complain after the state Judicial Branch Wednesday morning announced that Superior Court in Stamford was being closed because of concerns that a courthouse employee had come down with symptoms similar to the virus. A short time later the courts in Milford and Middletown were also being shuttered. Danbury Superior Court remains closed as well, with cases going to Waterbury. Courts are now supposed to close at 1 p.m. but court employees said with paperwork and defendants having to travel now from Stamford to Bridgeport, and Milford to Bridgeport, it may be nearly 1 p.m when they begin the arraignments. Ron Nelson, president of AFSME Local 749 which represents the states court clerk staff, said the closing of some courthouse does put many employees out of the path of danger, but he is concerned about those employees who work in the remaining courts. I thought they were going to rotate staff members who have to be there but at this point the (state judicial) branch has not discussed that at all, he said. Our overarching goal remains the same: to protect our employees and members of the public from the further spread of the virus by keeping as few courthouses open as possible, said Chief Court Administrator Patrick Carroll III. The cases in Stamford and Milford were transferred to the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport while the Middletown cases were sent to the New Britain court. Our work continues daily to provide the highest possible protection to the public and staff, Carroll said. It is somewhat of a challenge, acknowledged Interim Bridgeport States Attorney Cornelius Kelly of taking on the cases from Stamford and Milford. But Im sure everyone will be able to properly address all the cases. The court, the clerks office, the public defenders and family relations are more than able to see that all the cases are handled in an appropriate manner. Since the Norwalk courthouse was closed two weeks ago, the Stamford courthouse has been handling the needs of the entire judicial district that includes Stamford, Norwalk, Greenwich, Darien, Westport, Wilton, Weston and New Canaan. While there were no signs in the courthouse driveway Wednesday morning, two signs taped to the plate glass doors said the courthouse was closed until further notice. Acting Stamford police Chief Thomas Wuennemann said the courthouses closing should not be too big of an inconvenience, for his staff. Wuennemann said his officers have already greatly reduced the number of custodial arrests they make in favor of releasing defendants on promises to appear in court when it reopens. For example, according to the police blotter released Wednesday morning, showing the names of six people arrested on Tuesday, none had to be sent over for arraignment, indicating that they were either released after posting a court appearance bond or signed promises to appear. Those involved in domestic violence incidents after posting, however, will still have to be arraigned on the charges the morning after their arrests and will have to get themselves up to the Bridgeport courthouse on Main Street or face rearrest. During those arraignments judges frequently issue protective orders prohibiting contact altogether or requiring contact be peaceful between the parties involved. Wuennemann said that because of the greatly reduced amount of traffic on Interstate-95 driving prisoners to the Bridgeport courthouse will involve a lot less effort. Last week courthouses in Danbury and Torrington were closed. A judicial marshal at the Torrington courthouse tested positive for COVID-19. And at the Danbury court a clerk who served the public through a glass window also tested positive. The COVID-19 crisis is unlike any other crisis the branch has weathered in my 24 years as a judge, Carroll said. Drastic steps must be taken to prevent drastic consequences, and we believe that such actions will help mitigate, rather than accelerate the pandemic." There were 155 arraignments for those who were held overnight by police at 13 courthouses throughout the state from March 19 to 24, according to Judicial Branch officials. During the same time period, there were 283 arraignments of those arrested on domestic violence charges but were not held. Manitoba flood forecasters continue to watch the Red River closely, suggesting that with favourable weather, flooding will not be any worse than it was last year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As Manitoba responds to a global pandemic, officials are forecasting the province will avoid major flooding if there is no major early April storm bringing in snow or rain. Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said risk associated with the Red River depends now entirely on weather in the coming days but the floodway will be put into service regardless. (Steve Lambert / Canadian Press files) Manitoba flood forecasters continue to watch the Red River closely, suggesting that with favourable weather, flooding will not be any worse than it was last year. In the provinces second spring-thaw outlook, Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said that concern was limited to the Red River basin, as the Assiniboine River is expected to remain mostly within its banks, threatening only a small area of agricultural land. Risk associated with the Red River depends now entirely on weather in the coming days, Schuler added, but the floodway will be put into service, regardless. "Under normal weather conditions, it would be more of a 2006 flood level. Under favourable weather conditions, it would be 2019. So far, we have no indication of a weather system developing that would cause us concern," he said Tuesday. CP In the provinces second spring-thaw outlook, Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said that concern was limited to the Red River basin, as the Assiniboine River is expected to remain mostly within its banks, threatening only a small area of agricultural land. In 2011 members of the Canadian Forces and the Navy were brought in to repair parts of a damaged dike along the Assiniboine River near Popular Point, Manitoba. (Jonathan Hayward / Canadian Press files) In 2006, Highway 75 was closed for 18 days. With unfavourable levels of precipitation, the province would expect 2011 flood levels, which caused the closure of the highway for 28 days. "Manitobans have dealt with many emergencies in the past, and we will be prepared for any high-water event that may develop over the coming weeks," Schuler said. South of the border, things continue to look more dire. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its flood outlook March 19 and warned the Red River basin in North Dakota is at high risk of a major flood event. Corey Loveland, a service co-ordination hydrologist with the American National Weather Service, said this could be one of the most significant flood years on record in North Dakota. He is reasonably confident this year will fall in the top 10 flooding events for the region, possibly even top five. "Spring precipitation is the wild card and is really hard to predict," he said. "Thus far its been really dry, we havent gotten additional snow, there havent been rainstorms that have melted the snowpack." 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. Loveland said even if melting conditions remain ideal, it won't make up for the wet fall that left soil saturated, followed by above-average snowfall. "Out of our 125 years of records, last year was the wettest for the whole year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota," he said. Manitoba's winter precipitation levels were far below average, by comparison. Schuler said the province is working with the six communities believed to be most at risk, including the preparations for ring dikes in Emerson, Morris and St. Adolphe. sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik Guwahati/Agartala/Imphal, April 1 : Five people have so far tested positive for coronavirus in Assam, who attended the congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi and the number of positive cases in the state might cross the double digit, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. Addressing the media, the minister said the Central government has communicated to the state government that 456 people from Assam had attended the congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. "Out of the 456 people, 230 have been identified and 68 have not yet returned to the state. Of the 230 people, swab samples of 196 were collected and five have tested positive for Covid-19," Sarma said, adding that by Wednesday evening the test reports of the samples of remaining people would be received. Search is also on to trace out the other unidentified people who have attended the congregation. He said four more persons from Assam, who have attended the congregation but still remained in Delhi, have also tested positive for coronavirus. "Of the five tested positive for COVID-19, a 52-year-old man is undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital after his samples tested positive on Tuesday. The four people who tested positive for on Wednesday are also undergoing treatment in different medical colleges and hospitals," the Health Minister said. The four people are aged between 19 to 55 years. According to the ministers and officials of different northeastern states, over 500 people from several northeastern states, mostly from Assam, have either attended or visited the vicinity at the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi forcing all the seven northeastern states to launch an all-out search to identify and test the samples of these attendees. The attendees' family members and the people they came in close contact are also being examined or sent to quarantine. In Tripura, Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said at least 22 people from Tripura attended or went to the hotspot at Nizamuddin in Delhi. According to the Minister, 15 of the 22 people identified and their swab samples were tested negative. Authorities are looking for the remaining seven. "The state cabinet Chaired by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb approved a Rs 233 crore package to deal with coronavirus and related relief to the needy," Nath told media. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in a tweet said that if there is anyone from Tripura who attended the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi must report immediately to the nearest government hospital or to call the control room. In Manipur, the state government officials said that 14 people who were linked to the religious congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin, have been identified. According to the officials associated with the COVID-19 Central Control Room in Imphal, three have been taken for testing and the remaining 11 are being examined. Manipur Director General of Police L. M. Khaute said anyone from the state who attended the religious congregation or who stayed in the vicinity of the venue or passed near it should get themselves tested at the nearest government hospital failing which legal actions are being contemplated against them. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also appealed to the people of the state who had attended the congregation to come forward for a COVID-19 test. In Meghala, seven people from Meghalaya attended the religious congregation at Tablighi Jamaat, the Shillong Markaz informed the state police, saying they have not yet returned. The seven people attended the congregation before the nationwide lockdown was imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Shillong Markaz, five of them are currently in Delhi and two are in Lucknow. The cars arrived at the food bank in southern Dallas in a stream a minivan, a Chevrolet Tahoe, a sedan with a broken window, a Jaguar of unclear vintage. Inside the vehicles sat people who could scarcely believe they needed to be there. There was a landscaper, a high school administrator, a college student and Dalen Lacy, a warehouse worker and 7-Eleven clerk. Like 70 per cent of those who showed up at Crossroads Community Services one day last week, Lacy had never been there before. But when the coronavirus pandemic drove the economy off a cliff, Lacy, 27 and a father of two, lost his warehouse job and saw his hours at 7-Eleven slashed. Ive never had to actually do this, Lacy said after a gloved pantry worker hefted a box of food into the trunk of the car he was riding in with two neighbours. But Ive got to do what Ive got to do for my kids. By the hundreds of thousands, Americans are asking for help for the first time in their lives, from nail technicians in Los Angeles to airport workers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and from bartenders in Phoenix to former reality show contestants in Minnesota. Biting back shame and wondering guiltily about others in more dire straits, they are applying for unemployment, turning to GoFundMe, asking for money on Instagram, quietly accepting handouts from equally strapped co-workers and showing up in unprecedented numbers at food banks, which in turn are struggling to meet soaring demand as volunteers, many of them retirees, stay home for safety. David Greenfield, chief executive of Met Council, a non-profit that provides food and housing assistance in New York City, said that at first, we saw retail workers, chefs and waiters and restaurant owners. By last week, he said, they were seeing employees from law firms: Folks who, in many cases, were employed their entire lives. In its unsparing breadth, the crisis is pitting two American ideals against each other the e pluribus unum credo of solidarity and its near-religious devotion to the idea that hard work brings rewards. Those notions coexist peacefully in prosperous times. Today, both are being put to the test, forcing the newly unemployed to re-evaluate beliefs about themselves and their the United States. In St. Louis Park, Minn., Scott Theusch, 61, a mechanic, filed for unemployment benefits for the first time, becoming one of the record-shattering 3.3 million people who made claims across the country in one week. He set aside his deeply felt conviction that people who had to seek the aid, which is largely funded by payroll taxes on employers, were not trying hard enough. There really isnt any option for people, Theusch said. Theyre told not to show up for work, so what do you do? In Los Angeles, Samantha Pasaye, a 29-year-old nail technician, pleaded for donations on Instagram after the salon where she worked shut its doors. The request made her mother cry. Im not someone who asks for help, Pasaye said. I do everything by myself. But at this moment, I needed to put my pride aside. Even with Americas long tradition of giving, from immigrant-aid groups begun by religious organizations in the 19th century to the politically polarizing social welfare programs born in the 20th, rugged individualism has remained a defining feature of the national identity. Perhaps no class of worker is more lionized today than the startup tech entrepreneur. A lot of people in the United States are very proud of feeling self-sufficient and independent, Alice Fothergill, a professor of sociology at the University of Vermont who has studied the human effects of natural disasters. This is something that is definitely going to be very, very difficult. For people of some means, deciding whether to file for benefits also involves second-guessing. Does the fact that others are in greater need mean that they should not apply, even if they are qualified? Kirk DeWindt, 36, a personal trainer from Brooklyn Park, Minn., and a three-time contestant on The Bachelor television franchise, saw his business come to a halt after all in-person sessions had to be cancelled. He has some savings, so when his mother urged him to apply for unemployment benefits, DeWindt hesitated. Im in a more privileged situation than I would assume most that are filing, he said. So what do you do with that? He decided he would file. The anonymity of the internet has helped some charity-seekers get over any shame, with restaurant and other business owners setting up online fundraising campaigns that keep their workers names private. On GoFundMe, some $120 million (U.S.) has been donated for campaigns related to the pandemic since the first week in March, a spokeswoman said. By comparison, that is more than four times as much as campaigns for the Australian wildfires raised in three months. The abrupt change in circumstances may perhaps be toughest for people who reordered their whole lives around the American dream: immigrants. Alex Rotaru, 48, a filmmaker and actor in Beverly Hills, Calif., who left Romania at age 21, said the idea of welfare from a communist country was quite natural to me. When I came to America, he said, I never thought I would need it. He wrestled with the idea of filing for unemployment after all his work screeched to a halt. Then he considered the stack of bills he faced. There was a certain embarrassment, and I got over it quick thinking about my son, he said. UK allows at-home medical abortions amid lockdown; Christian group to challenge Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pro-life organizations are contemplating legal action against guidance issued by the United Kingdom government allowing women in England to undergo medical abortions in their homes as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The U.K. Department of Health and Social Care temporarily changed regulations last Friday, allowing women who need an abortion before the 10th week of pregnancy to take abortion-inducing pills mifepristone and misoprostol at home during the national lockdown. The new regulations effectively add the home of a pregnant woman who is undergoing treatment for the purposes of termination of her pregnancy to a list of approved places where medical abortions may be carried. The new policy will only be in effect for two years or until the coronavirus outbreak is over. The policy change was confirmed by an agency spokesperson to Time. The policy specifically clarifies that a medical abortion can only be carried out in a pregnant womans home if the patient had a consultation with an approved place via video link, telephone conference or other electronic means or had consultation with a registered medical practitioner via video link, telephone conference or other electronic means. Under the previous policy following a change of law last year, medical abortions could only happen at hospitals or abortion clinics approved by the secretary of state. According to U.K. Christian organization CARE, Women would take the first pill mifepristone at a clinic or hospital and then take the second pill misoprostol later at home. The new policy comes after the department said last week that it made an error by publishing earlier guidance that allowed at-home medical abortions. A spokesperson last week had assured that there would be no changes to abortion regulations. The Christian Legal Centre, an evangelical conservative legal organization also known as Christian Concern, is accusing the U.K. government of making a double U-turn by announcing the most significant change to abortion law since 1967. In a statement, the group explained that doctors will be allowed to prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol over the phone or digital platforms like Facetime or Skype. The organization warns that the change will allow women to take the drugs in their own homes without onsite medical supervision. Health Minister Lord Bethell last month rejected proposed changes to abortion law in the House of Lords. On March 25, Bethell stressed at the time that it is an essential safeguard that a woman attends a clinic to ensure there are no issues with her medical abortion. He also warned that at-home medical abortions could make women in abusive relationships more vulnerable to pressure to abort their child. Christian Concern voiced concern with the fact that the change in policy comes without prior or parliamentary debate. Christian Concern CEO Andrea Williams confirmed to The Telegraph that the organization will file a legal challenge against the policy in the hope that it will become subject to a judicial review. Our legal team has started working on a judicial review claim today, she said, adding that the policy change is a scandalous act. In an online statement, Williams warned that the government appears to be pushing through a back-door policy that will put thousands of women at risk during a time of national and global crisis. She called the idea of allowing the medical profession to prescribe such powerful drugs without seeing the patient first disturbing. Abortion has nothing to do with coronavirus, and abusing public trust to advance a different agenda undermines trust in the government and effectiveness of response to the epidemic, Williams said. There are no proposals to our knowledge to use abortion clinics capacity or personnel to respond to coronavirus. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said that it is also weighing the possibility of a legal challenge to the policy change. It is our understanding that such a policy is beyond the scope of the Abortion Act, SPUC CEO John Deighan said in a statement. However, we will closely examine the policy and take appropriate action based on the best legal advice. The temporary policy was also criticized by Catholic Bishop Bishop John Sherrington of the Westminster Diocese. In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, Sherrington said he was shocked. He warned that increasing access to medical abortion at home diminishes the seriousness with which these decisions should be taken as well as the psychological dangers of the administration of these drugs at home. These measures fundamentally change access to abortion in England and Wales for the foreseeable future, Sherrington said. Pro-abortion rights groups in the U.K. have celebrated the decision. Over a dozen medical associations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service have pushed for medical abortions to be allowed in homes so that women dont overload the countrys overworked health system. Giving women the option of taking both abortion pills at home following a video consultation is safe and effective and has rightly been judged as a vital and necessary step if we are to limit the spread of COVID-19, RCOG President Edward Morris said in a statement. Many women will no longer be forced to make the difficult decision between leaving their home and continuing with an unwanted pregnancy. This change in practice will reduce pressure on the health system while limiting the unnecessary risk of infection for women, their families and health workers. The health ministries in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland told BBC that they are also considering changes to their medical abortion policies during the pandemic. What happened Stock markets appeared to catch a second wind last week -- or at least catch a break -- with the S&P 500 putting together a modest three-day rally in stock prices. But after yesterday's return to the red, and today's even deeper declines, it appears we're to have no such luck this week. Industrial stocks are getting hit particularly hard, with shares of aerospace companies General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Boeing (NYSE:BA), and wood-alternative manufacturer Trex (NYSE:TREX) all losing more than 10% of their share price in early trading. As of 1:45 p.m. EDT, they seem to be recovering a bit of their losses, but GE shares are still down 9.3%, Trex is down 10.4%, and Boeing is still down 11.2%. Why? So what First, the good news: A review of our news feeds reveals no bad news directly affecting any of these three companies. GE, Boeing, and Trex didn't report poor earnings today -- nor did they warn of poor earnings to come. None of the three has been hit with an analyst downgrade, or even seen its price target cut. To the contrary, there's actually some good news to report about two of these three companies. Yesterday marked the end of the Pentagon's fiscal quarter, and as we've come to expect at such times of year, the Department of Defense has been in a rush to shoo large-dollar contracts out the door before the close of its quarter. On Monday, for example, Boeing was awarded a huge $1.55 billion contract to produce 18 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft for the U.S. Navy and for the militaries of South Korea and New Zealand (and a smaller $114 million award for work on U.S. Army helicopters as well). Tuesday saw Boeing win yet another award, worth $39 million, for work on KC-135 refueling tankers. On Monday, GE, too, won some Pentagon cash: $215 million to manufacture 48 F414-GE-400 engines to power Navy F/A-19 fighter jets. Now what Granted, Trex stock isn't one you'd ordinarily to expect to win a lot of Pentagon money -- and it didn't. Still, the fact that two of the three industrial stocks named above are sinking today despite seeing mostly good news this week suggests that today's sell-off has more to do with generalized investor nervousness about the effects of the coronavirus, than about any specific weakness in the stocks themselves. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The so-called presidential and parliamentary elections held on March 31st, 2020, sponsored by the fascist government of Armenia inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, is a blatant act of provocation, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend. He noted that Yerevan is scoffing the four UN Security Council Resolutions, and orchestrating a mockery to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It demonstrates once again the aspirations of Armenian leadership to maintain the current status-quo inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and foster ambiguous statecraft practices that encourage greater levels of poverty inside Armenia, the expert believes. He said it is becoming a deep concern that the international community is not swiftly acting and making condemning public statements on this matter. The policy pursued by Armenian authorities in this region of Azerbaijan is a serious threat to European security and serves as a dangerous precedent for other conflict zones in Europe, Tase believes. 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. : Having successfully liquidated all its BS4 stocks even at the dealership level, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) sold a total of 7023 units of BS6 vehicles to its dealers (wholesales) in March 2020. To lessen the burden on its dealers, TKM said it withheld sales by 50 per cent for the month of March 2020, just ahead of the 21 days national lockdown declared by the Government of India in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. The company also exported its last batch of 999 units of the Etios series last month thus clocking a total of 8022 units, Bengaluru-headquartered TKM said in a statement. TKM had sold a total of 12,818 units in the domestic The company had exported 844 units of the Etios series in March 2019, thus clocking a total of 13,662 units in the same month last year. Last month also witnessed the last batch of the Etios series, as well as the Corolla Altis being manufactured at TKMs plant in Bidadi,bringing an end to the iconic journeys both the models have enjoyed in India, the company said. "This transition is a part of Toyotas global product strategy to continue to service the ever-evolving needs of the customer through enhanced technologies and product offerings. However, the company will continue to cater to all Etios series & Corolla Altis customers needs through Toyota service outlets across the country along with the promise of availability of Toyota genuine spare parts for the discontinued models," the statement said. Commenting on the monthly sales, Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, TKM, said, even though the company has been long successful in liquidating all BS4 stock and transitioning into a 100 per cent BS6 manufacturing facility, last month has been very challenging for it, both in terms of sales as well as production. "With the spread of COVID-19 threat in various parts of the country followed by the 21 days national lockdown, the companys priority was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its stakeholders and most importantly our dealers and their staff who are in the frontline. To bring this to immediate effect, our dealerships across the country were shut down beginning March 23rd along with a temporary halt of production at our plant in Bidadi, he said. We would like to reassure our dealer partners that they are the most important asset for us and we have been thinking about their sustainability. This pandemic has financially impacted all our dealerships across India, Soni said. While the Government has announced several relief measures including moratoriums, TKM also studied the fixed cost expenses of dealerships and has come up with a relief package called the COVID package to assist in maintaining liquidity to improve cash flow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A ban on funeral commemorations in Democratic Republic of Congo aims at preventing the spread of coronavirus -- but it has dealt a body blow to the country's most deep-rooted traditions and grandest social events. In Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of 10 million people, funeral parties are announced in the media and last all night, often spilling out on to the streets. Families hire large halls and invite dozens of guests, who usually don traditional African dress to honour the dead. Before the epidemic, the phrase "I've got a funeral" could be heard as often as "I'm going to a wedding," "I'm off to church" or "I'm meeting friends in a bar." Funerals are typically top of the social agenda. In the DRC, "they are meeting places, including for new romances," said sociologist Leon Tsambu. "It's where family ties are knitted and strengthened. It's a time to get together." But on March 18, President Felix Tshisekedi announced an immediate ban on funeral gatherings, both in halls and homes. "The mortal remains will be taken directly from the mortuary to the place of burial with a limited number of followers," he declared. Numerous countries around the world have adopted similar measures to try to counter COVID-19, but the Congolese feel especially saddened. "There is a degree of frustration. We are used to having burials with a maximum amount of fanfare," said Francois Okondamomba, the national radio and television chief at Kisangani in the northeast. "There are more than 200 of us here at RTNC, but we had to limit to 10 the number of people who went to the burial of our former provincial director," explained Okondamomba. "My younger brother died after a short illness,' said Jean Bosco Kaponirwe in Goma, capital of North Kivu province. "We cannot all go with him to the cemetery. This is taboo in my culture, I don't know how to explain it to my family," he fretted. 'No respect' "If a traditional chief dies during this time of coronavirus, tradition will be thrown onto the rubbish heap," said Sylvain Mabonga-Bonga, a Pende community chief in the central town of Kikwit. 'There's no respect for the dead, for our ancestral culture." Valere Mpokoto, another elder in Kikwit, said he feared family and social ties would be damaged. "Our traditions in Africa have considerable cultural value," he said. "No one can neglect them." However, there are some who want the ban extended beyond the health crisis to put an end to the "festive" business that has built up around death, particularly in the capital. Journalist Rachel Kitstita took to Twitter to call for the ban on large funeral celebrations to be made permanent -- she was retweeted 1,400 times. "There's a lot of excess surrounding funerals," said Kitstita, who runs the Actu30 website. "It causes a lot of pointless expense. It's a bit too much." Funerals are no small affair in DR Congo. Pictured: The coffin of former premier and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, the father of President Felix Tshisekedi, at ceremonies last May. By John WESSELS (AFP) She explained: "It's become a real industry. You have to buy the coffin, pay the morgue, hire a hall, transport people to the mortuary, wear traditional clothes and uniforms... death takes on a party theme." The costs of a funeral can climb into the hundreds of dollars -- a fortune for most households in DR Congo. The country has declared 109 cases of COVID-19 infection and eight fatalities, including public figures and people connected to the president. These VIPs would normally have been sent off in grand style, and at great expense. STAMFORD - The Stamford Courthouse will be closed to the public until further notice. Chief Court Administer Patrick L. Carroll III said some employees at the Stamford-Norwalk Judicial District Courthouse may have been exposed to another employee who was exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms. Actor Ajay Devgn has donated Rs 51 lakhs to Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) in order to support the daily wage workers from the film industry in the wake of the national lockdown. The country is witnessing a 21-day lockdown, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The daily wage workers across different avenues are badly hit by the lockdown. Confirming the news, BN Tiwari, President of FWICE, told PTI, "Yes, Ajay Devgn has given us Rs 51 lakh. We are very happy with this as this amount will enable us to help our workers even more." Producer Ashok Pandit, who is chief advisor to FWICE, lauded the actor for the gesture in a post on Twitter. "Dear @ajaydevgn, we thank U for your generous contribution of Rs 51 lakhs towards @fwice_mum, for the benefit of our 5 lakh #CineWorkers. You have proved time and again, especially in times of crisis, that you are a real life #Singham. God bless you. #FWICEFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona," Pandit posted, alongside a video where he appealed to others from Bollywood to follow the actor's footsteps. Earlier, superstar Salman Khan had pledged to financially support 25,000 labourers in the film industry while filmmaker Rohit Shetty had donated Rs 51 lakh to the federation. Tiwari said there have been enquires from the industry, including studio Yash Raj Films (YRF), to donate and help the daily wage workers. "Yash Raj Films have also asked for list of 15,000 daily wage workers and we have given them that. The money Salman Khan is giving will directly go to their account. All of this money coming now will go to the federation's account. "Soon, we are setting up a joint account with the federation, Producers Guild and other bodies coming together. So that all the money that we collect, we will give to those who are in need, like our daily wage workers," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [April 01, 2020] The Future of the Audio Equipment Industry, 2020-2030 DUBLIN, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Audio Equipment Global Market Report 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global audio equipment market was worth $33.37 billion in 2019. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.65% and reach $31.23 billion by 2023. North America was the largest region in the audio equipment market in 2019. Major players in the audio equipment market are Sennheiser, Yamaha, Audio-Tehcnica, Shure, AKG, Blue, Lewitt Audio, Sony, Takstar, and MIPRO. This report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider audio equipment market, and compares it with other markets. Regulations by government have always been challenging to the audio equipment market as loudspeakers usage is one of the main reason for noise pollution. Noise pollution deteriorates both physiological and psychological health which may lead to health complications such as hypertension, anxiety, increased stress level and can even lead to coronary artery disease. In India, in 2017, the Supreme Court passed a regulation which restricts the use of public address systems at night (between 10:00pm and 6:00am) and during cultural or festive occasions to not more than 15 days a year. These regulations are expected to negatively impact the growth of the audio equipment market. The demand for wireless audio equipment maket is increasing rapidly due to the increasing popularity of mobile devices and changing media consumption behavior of consumers. Consumers are increasingly using mobile devices, tablets and laptops to wirelessly play audio on speakers. Such consumer behavior is driving the growth of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connected speakers. To capitalize on the growing popularity of wireless audio equipment, manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Bose, Denon, DTS and Qualcomm are also launching wireless audio products or platforms. Popular Wi-Fi audio equipment include Sonos Wi-Fi speakers, Bose's SoundTouch system, and Amazon's Echo speakers. In September 2019 , the US based company, Sonance announced that it has entered into an agreement with James Loudspeaker to acquire James for an undisclosed amount. The aim of the deal is to combine engineering technology to reinforce their goal of providing superior acoustic performance in products by delivering innovative approaches. James Loudspeaker is a US based company and an innovator in both high performance residential and commercial audio solutions. It produces products for exclusive homes, forward-thinking businesses, and upscale marine applications. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary 2. Audio Equipment Market Characteristics 3. Audio Equipment Market Size and Growth 3.1. Global Audio Equipment Historic Market, 2015 - 2019, $ Billion 3.1.1. Drivers of the Market 3.1.2. Restraints on the Market 3.2. Global Audio Equipment Forecast Market, 2019 - 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 3.2.1. Drivers of the Market 3.2.2. Restraints on the Market 4. Audio Equipment Market Segmentation 4.1. Global Audio Equipment Market, Segmentation by Type, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion Loudspeakers Microphones Amplifiers Turntables Others 4.2. Global Audio Equipment Market, Segmentation by End User, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion B2B B2C 5. Audio Equipment Market Regional and Country Analysis 5.1. Global Audio Equipment Market, Split by Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 5.2. Global Audio Equipment Market, Split by Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2019, 2023F, 2025F, 2030F, $ Billion Companies Mentioned AKG Allen & Heath Audio-Tehcnica Audix Beyerdynamic Biamp Blue BSS Clock Audio Crestron DPA Electro Voice Extron Lectrosonic Lewitt Audio Line6 MIPRO Polycom QSC Rode Roland Cor Sennheiser For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/68s42l Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: 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/the-future-of-the-audio-equipment-industry-2020-2030-301033548.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The first medical ventilators which Britain has recently ordered from businesses will be ready this weekend and available to the National Health Service next week, as the country seeks to boost capacity in the coronavirus outbreak. Britain has ordered 10,000 of the breathing machines from a consortium including Ford, Airbus and McLaren with other companies such as vacuum cleaner-maker Dyson also producing their own equivalents. This weekend the first thousands of new ventilator devices will roll off the production line and be delivered to the NHS next week," cabinet office minister Michael Gove told reporters. "From there they will be rapidly distributed to the front line." The first delivery would be of the consortium's Penlon model, which has been rapidly adapted from existing devices and given regulatory approval. Hundreds more could follow, the government said in a separate statement. The Daily Mail reported that the first batch would be 30 units. The Cabinet Office, which is co-ordinating procurement, said it could not immediately confirm the size of the first delivery. On Tuesday, another company, Science Group, said it is negotiating a contract with the government for the production of 10,000 ventilators subject to regulatory approval. "A working prototype of the Sagentia Ventilator has been produced and 20 trial units are currently in the process of being manufactured," it said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: A rise in deaths in the epicenter of the crisis in the U.S. has overwhelmed the citys permanent morgues and filled storage spaces in many hospitals to capacity. Get caught up on all of the latest coronavirus pandemic news here. Residents of a luxury senior-apartment complex in The Woodlands remained under a shelter-in-place order Tuesday after at least 12 people tested positive there for the novel coronavirus. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said the countys public health district became aware of a positive test for coronavirus at the facility on March 25, according to an emailed response to questions on Tuesday. Shortly afterward, the Conservatory at Alden Bridge stopped onsite gatherings for meals and events. The public health district began additional testing at the facility, which produced more positives. This order was issued out of concern for the well-being of the local community as well as the high risk individuals who reside at the conservatory, Keough said. Under the order, residents had until 6 p.m. Tuesday to leave the complex to stay with a family member. Those who left will not be permitted to return to the property until the order expires on April 13. The order also barred anyone from entering the property with the exception of food providers, caregivers, medical professionals, law enforcement officers or someone assisting a resident in leaving under the order. The Conservatory at Alden Bridge offers apartment homes and resident services such as chauffeured transportation for scheduled trips to shopping, dining and medical appointments. The facility can house up to 237 residents and has a capacity of about 200. The complex declined to comment for this story. The senior-living community, which caters to persons 65 and older, is not a licensed nursing home or similar type of facility, according to Keough. State and federal rules have been in place since March 12 to bar nursing home visits unless for end-of-life reasons. According to Facebook posts, Alden Bridge announced a series of safety protocols on March 17 including social distancing, sanitizing furniture and limiting group meal sizes. On March 20, the residential community said it was halting visitation because Texas was banning non-essential visitors from entering retirement and independent living communities. On Thursday, Alden Bridge reported two residents had tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday, the senior community said it had identified 19 people who came in contact with a resident who tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week ago. The individuals were placed in self-isolation within hours. Despite the individuals being asymptomatic, our Enhanced Containment Strategy included testing those individuals, which was accomplished within 72 hours after initial identification, according to the post. Seven of the 19 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus, the Facebook post said, and they were quarantined in their rooms. Alex Cox, who said his 93-year-old grandfather tested positive for the coronavirus after being rushed to the hospital in mid-March, questioned whether the senior community has fully kept residents and family informed. We feel that there should be more action to protect the people there, to protect the other residents there so nobody else has to go through this, Cox told KPRC. We know how fast this stuff can spread. Alden Brudge said in a Facebook post that it had advised residents, family members, staff and others of positive test results by phone and in writing. Keough said one problem is that residents who were not in self-isolation and lived in other buildings were still coming and going on their own and allowing visitors. Despite the efforts of the health district and advice given to the residents to self-isolate many were not taking this serious enough and with all the information we had regarding the number of positives and potential for continued spread, a shelter in place order was necessary, wrote Keough. The shelter-in-place order comes just days after Keough issued a stay-at-home order for Montgomery County on Friday. That order will stay in effect until April 30. Keough went further, putting all residents under a daily curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. Keough, a Republican who initially balked at issuing a stay-at-home order, said it became necessary because county residents were not taking the risk seriously. Montgomery County had a total of 93 confirmed cases of COVID-19, as of Tuesday afternoon. Our nursing homes and licensed senior communities are following both local and state orders, wrote Keough. However, additional facilities similar to The Conservatory or other locations that have a high risk population need to heed the warnings of the health professionals and those issued by my office as this is a very serious virus that spreads very easily and requires extensive medical intervention for those who require hospitalization. brooke.lewis@chron.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The statistical graphing report on the global Deployable Military Shelter Market has been presented by using professional or expert knowledge through standard and modified research approaches and forecasts. The yearly forecast and predication for the years 2020 to 2025 have been enclosed by the report along with comprehensive analysis for all the segments and regions. The statistical data derived from authentic resources and assisted by industry experts. It likewise assesses the data by evaluating market elements, including drivers, restraints, opportunities, threats, challenges, growth prospects, and other elements. The global deployable military shelter market report presents a complete research-based study of the industry including details such as company shares, forecast data, in-depth analysis and an outlook of the market on a worldwide platform. The report further highlights the market drivers, restraints and the top manufacturers at the global and regional levels. For a thorough understanding, the report also offers market segmentation and regional analysis for the forecast period from 2020 to 2025. Get FREE Sample Report Copy @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-43102 According to this study, over the next five years, the Deployable Military Shelter market will register a 1.5% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ 123.8 million by 2025, from US$ 116.7 million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in the Deployable Military Shelter business, shared in Chapter 3. This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of the Deployable Military Shelter market by type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries. The key manufacturers covered in this report: Breakdown data in Chapter 3. HDT Global MMIC Roder HTS Hocker Zeppelin Gichner Shelter Systems Alaska Structure Weatherhaven AAR Marshall General Dynamics Nordic Shelter Berg View More about this Market @ Global Deployable Military Shelter Industry Report This study considers the Deployable Military Shelter value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments: Segmentation by type: breakdown data from 2015 to 2020, in Section 2.3; and forecast to 2025 in section 11.7. Small Shelter Systems Large Shelter Systems Segmentation by application: breakdown data from 2015 to 2020, in Section 2.4; and forecast to 2025 in section 11.8. Command Posts Medical Facilities Base Aircraft and Vehicle Maintenance Others This report also splits the market by region: Breakdown data in Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Americas United States Canada Mexico Brazil APAC China Japan Korea ......... In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development. Buy Complete Global Deployable Military Shelter Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-43102 Other Related Report Provide by DecisionDatabases.com is - Global Military Helicopters Market Growth 2020-2025 About Us: DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research report provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed. For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 90 28 057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ Dock workers are preparing to bring Australia's shipping channels to a grinding halt over fears they are being put at risk of catching COVID-19. At least 12 stevedores at Melbourne's West Swanson dock were sent home last night after refusing to unload a container ship that originated in China because they feared it was contaminated with the coronavirus. Industrial action is expected to spread nationwide within days as waterfront workers take a stand against what they deem to be double standards on safety conditions. Maritime Union of Australia said the Xin Da Lian docked in the terminal controlled by DP World, which is based in Dubai, in Melbourne on Tuesday night in breach of the 14-day quarantine period set by the federal government. Wharfies have been stood down after they refused to unload a container ship from China as they feared it was contaminated with coronavirus The OOCL Shanghai berthed at Melbourne's West Swanson Terminal last week. It had just come from Taiwan and China Melbourne's West Swanson Terminal could become Ground Zero for a full-blown wharf dispute Tension has been simmering at Australia's docks since last week when wharfies kicked-up their heels about unloading another ship that had left from Taiwan just 12 days earlier. Under current regulations, ships are only restricted from docking in Australia after 14 days if they have come directly from China, Korea, Iran or Italy. Last week, a dozen-person stevedore team boarded the OOCL Shanghai just hours after it berthed at Melbourne's West Swanson Dock amid allegations they were threatened with dismissal if they didn't. The union said a total of 60 workers, including both night and morning crews, were stood down by DP World as a result of refusing to unload the Xin Da Lian last night. The vessel left Shanghai on March 17 before docking in Kaoshiung, Taiwan on March 19 and arriving in Melbourne 12 days later. Security and police were called to the terminal to escort the workers off the dock, with police returning on Wednesday amid fears of a full scale industrial war. Under the new border control guidelines, ship masters must notify Australian border control if any of its crew is showing signs of coronavirus symptoms before being allowed to dock. The ship arrived as Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced even tougher new restrictions on all Australians. These include limiting social gatherings to two people and effectively banning people from leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary. According to the World Health Organization, it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. Maritime Union of Australia said the workers were stood down on safety grounds after the ship was identified as a risk to workers and the community The vessel was said to have departed from China to Taiwan before arriving in Australia 12 days later at the DP World terminal Australia's container numbers Australias container port throughput was reported at 8.74 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) in December 2018 That number was an increase from the previous number of 8 million in December 2017 Australias container port throughput data averaged 7.2 million TEU from December 2008 to 2018 The data reached an all-time high of 8,747,113 TEU in 2018 and a record low of 5,946,383 TEU in 2011 2017-2018 saw a record high for airfreight trade 1.15 million tonnes worth $109 billion More than half of the growth in airfreight exports over 2017-18 can be attributed to booming demand for food products from China Advertisement While the powerful union came under fire last week by some of its members for failing to 'step-up' over the coronavirus concerns, it has now drawn a line clearly in the sand. MUA spokesman Tim Vollmer told Daily Mail Australia that port workers should not be put at risk unnecessarily. 'If you're flying into the country - it doesn't matter where you come from - it's 14 days quarantine,' he said. 'The view of the wharfies is if it's 14 days it takes to make sure no-one is sick, then if you're operating that saying it's only from China, then you're kind of two months behind the times.' Mr Vollmer said it shouldn't matter what port a vessel was coming from when it came to the safe quarantine period. 'They just want it to stay offshore for two more days. Do the 14-day quarantine and then they'll happily unload it with obviously all the personal protective equipment and other additional measures,' he said. 'It shouldn't matter if you land by air or you come by sea, if it's the 14 day quarantine period, it should be a 14-day period ... it's only been 12 days since they last made contact with people in a foreign port.' DP World Australia chief operating officer Andrew Adam said the Xin Da Lian was cleared to berth by Australian Border Force. 'Any crew members aboard a vessel that has been to mainland China, must have been at sea for 14 days before they are allowed to dock in Australia,' he said in a statement on Wednesday. 'The union is not allowed to unilaterally declare a vessel unsafe: they are not allowed to create their own set of rules.' The vessel is believed to be carrying toilet rolls, surgical masks, shoe coverings, chemicals for the manufacture of soap and detergent, surgical gowns, laboratory coats, hair nets, tin food and whitegoods. OOCL Shanghai and OOCL Yokohama alongside Sydney Container terminal in 2016. The Shanghai saw workers in Melbourne fire-up last week over fears its crew had not been quarantined properly Shipping Australia CEO Rod Nairn branded the industrial action 'selfish'. 'This behaviour is unconscionable,' he said. 'A desperate action by a desperate union at the expense of the Australian public to try to make themselves appear relevant - what a failure.' Mr Nairn claimed the union was attempting to confuse cargo ships with cruise ships, which have different quarantine guidelines. 'Cargo vessels and cruise ships have completely different risk profiles,' he said. 'Cruise ships are floating hotels with thousands of passengers and crew from all over the world who have been freely mixing. 'In contrast, cargo vessels are giant mobile warehouses carrying tonnes upon tonnes of desperately needed goods, food, and medical equipment. Cargo vessels have hardly anyone onboard in comparison and their 20 or so crew members have very little contact with the outside world. 'Cruise ships and cargo vessels are not even remotely the same and the MUA knows it.' Mr Nairn branded the union 'shameless' called upon it to continue unloading vessels. 'The ridiculous lies of the Victorian MUA are just that: ridiculous and lies. Their refusal to unload this ship could disrupt the flow of medical goods to hospitals and doctors and the flow of foodstuffs and groceries to ordinary Australian families,' he said. Mr Vollmer said workers had been sent home without pay for refusing to unload the vessel, which remains moored off West Swanson dock. 'The view of the workers is the vessel should wait 14 days, and if no-one is sick they'll happily unload it. They know they're taking extra risk at a time when everyone else is staying at home,' he said. 'They're going to work everyday in a high risk industry with direct contact with people coming from overseas. They take that risk. They know it's important work, but they don't need to take unnecessary, additional risk just for the sake of a ship not doing its quarantine.' Mr Vollmer said while stevedores were not looking to close down Australian ports, it remained unclear how far industrial action would go. 'I honestly don't know. The guys want to keep working, but they want to work safely and they're over the rules not being enforced in a consistent way,' he said. 'Rules are getting tighter everywhere else - you can't take your kids to the playground because that's high risk, but a vessel from overseas can be unloaded.' As it stands, the Xin Da Lian looks to become an example that will be followed across the country. With more vessels due to arrive in Australia from other countries not currently covered by the quarantine, industrial action is expected to spread across the country. Some vessels scheduled to arrive in Darwin - in Australia's north - are scheduled to arrive just after a week from sailing from international ports. 'They stop in East Timor, Indonesia and it's about a day-and-a-half sail from there to Darwin. So there's some really flagrant breaches going on,' Mr Vollmer said. 'It'll go port by port on what the guys are comfortable doing. They're putting their heads on the chopping block, but certainly the view is we have to have stricter enforcement.' Mr Vollmer said if a dock worker was found positive of coronavirus it would close the port. 'It will shut the place down. If that workforce has to self-isolate, what will you do? No containers for two weeks? It is absolutely madness that they're not enforcing it for us,' he said. Mr Vollmer dismissed claims the Xin Da Lian was full of essential medical supplies. 'There has never been an industrial dispute on the waterfront where the company didn't claim the vessel was full of medical supplies,' he said. 'If you stop enforcing the rules for every bit of cargo you're going to end up with a massive spread of the disease.' Just across the River Spree from the quiet of Berlin's Museum Island during lockdown, Angela Merkel sits in self-imposed quarantine in her city center apartment. The galleries at the UNESCO World Heritage Site may boast more World War II bullet holes than visitors in the time of coronavirus, but the calm eludes the German chancellor. After more than 14 years in office, Merkel has returned to the front line of crisis fighting and is in her element again. At 65, she's more in demand than ever as Europe's most powerful leader steers her country through what she describes as the greatest challenge since the war. Polls show a surge in support for her party and broad public approval of her policies. Yet history may judge her less on her custody of the region's powerhouse economy than on what she does to help its weakest members through a public-health disaster unparalleled in peacetime. The last crisis to undermine the European integration project was financial as Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus required bailouts between 2010 and 2015 to keep the continent's single currency intact. This time, people are dying in their thousands and Italy, the euro region's third-biggest economy, risks going into meltdown. "Obviously it's a legacy moment," said Daniel S. Hamilton, a professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins who is currently Richard von Weizsaecker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. "The crisis is really doing a number on European unity," and Germany above all countries has the greatest stake in maintaining a united Europe, he said. "It's reached a stage where Germany will have to show that it is part of the solution to restoring faith in the European project." As the European Union's longest serving leader, Merkel's dilemma is whether she goes all out to help the bloc emerge intact from the pandemic, or risk it splintering along national lines. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned the covid-19 response could give succor to nationalist, anti-EU parties that have gained ground across the continent since the onslaught of the European debt crisis in late 2009. The difference now is that every country is affected and the threat to the EU's integrity more palpable still. As the virus spread, nations restored border controls and embarked on their own missions to tackle the outbreak while the EU stalled. "The way in which countries help or do not help each other can shape perceptions of European integration for a long time to come," Holger Schmieding and Kallum Pickering, economists at Berenberg Bank, wrote on Sunday. "A perceived lack of such solidarity could jeopardize the long-term cohesion of the EU and the euro zone." The expectations weighing on the chancellor are a result of both Germany's status as the bloc's dominant economic player and Merkel's long years of experience. She is one of few world leaders still in power who recall first-hand the task of combating the fallout from the financial crisis-and indeed the pressure she was under to act. During the euro-area crisis, the Obama administration clashed with Merkel's government over what it saw as an insufficient willingness to use Germany's economic might to stop the turmoil proliferating. The sense in Greece and elsewhere in Europe was that Germany had a special responsibility to help and further atone for its role as aggressor in World War II. That narrative is again being aired during the coronavirus. Italian regional leaders and mayors took out a full page advert in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this week reminding Germany of the debt relief it was granted in 1953 and called for the same kind of magnanimity from Berlin now. "It is solidarity that you Germans were shown by many European countries after the war and up until reunification," the officials said. "Dear German friends, memory helps in making the right decisions." Yet such appeals fail to acknowledge the domestic political reality of keeping a fractious coalition and the German public on board, something that Merkel balanced through the long years of turbulence. The exception was the migration crisis of 2015-2016, when her decision to open the borders to refugees from Syria strained German society more than at any time since reunification of east and west 25 years earlier. Merkel has learned from her mistakes then, and is taking time to communicate her actions to the public even while in self-quarantine. In her weekly podcast on Saturday, she highlighted government efforts to bring security "in these uncertain times," and drew attention to her "long negotiations" with fellow EU leaders last week during a six-hour video-conference. After that virtual meeting, EU leaders came under fire for failing to come up with a common response to the pandemic, with Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte singled out for leading resistance to joint European debt sales dubbed "coronabonds." Germany has long ruled out pooled debt on the grounds that it would mean underwriting weaker states at its own taxpayers' expense. Italy's Conte called on Germany and the Netherlands to set aside their reservations and support such "extraordinary" measures, in an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper published Monday. Conte is one of nine EU leaders to urge the use of coronabonds to combat the crisis. Schmieding, Berenberg's chief economist and also a veteran of the Greek crisis, said the political logic for coronabonds is now "overwhelming." He pointed to the contrast between the government's decisive actions to shield the German economy with a package worth some 750 billion euros ($827 billion) and its lackluster support for a "forceful" common European response. Germany regards the fact it is spending so much to shore up its economy as a key line of defense for Europe as a whole, according to a senior government official. It has already ditched a legal requirement to adhere to balanced budgets-a focus that French President Emmanuel Macron once referred to as a "fetish"-to allow debt financing. A further stimulus program is being considered for after the pandemic to kick start recovery, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in a Bloomberg Television interview. European disagreement is fanned by the "toxic debate" steered by German conservatives that southerners are now seizing the opportunity to pull Berlin into a "transfer union," said Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. At the same time, "it's not helpful if you push Merkel into a corner and blame her or Germany for everything," she said. Merkel "really is a pro-European and she wants to hold this project or club together, said Puglierin. "But don't expect her to agree to something that is not possible." German polls show overwhelming support for Merkel's government during the pandemic. Some 74% of respondents to broadcaster ZDF's regular Politbarometer survey last week said the measures to fight the economic fallout were correct, while 79% said Merkel was doing a good job. The chancellor remains Germany's most popular politician. The political dividend is clear, with Merkel's Christian Democratic Union-led bloc jumping about 10 percentage points in less than a month to its highest level since before the 2017 election. Party infighting over the candidate best placed to succeed her before next year's election has disappeared from public view. Even just the perception of a "Germany First" approach has seen support drop for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, whose roots lie in opposition to euro-area bailouts. Still, Merkel has signaled her willingness to risk a potential backlash by doing more to help as the death toll and economic hit from the pandemic increase. She favors deploying the European Stability Mechanism, a bailout fund set up in 2012 to help euro members. Scholz, her finance minister, has said that in addition, Germany is ready to help the European Investment Bank step in to aid European companies in a liquidity crisis; that it backs the relaxation of EU deficit rules; and sees the bloc's multi-annual budget as another tool that can be used to help. That amounts to a potent package without the use of coronabonds, Scholz said. Germany has supplied masks and other medical aid, while using the air force to fly in a handful of seriously ill coronavirus patients from Italy and France for treatment. "Luftwaffe planes once caused fear and panic in these countries," Der Spiegel wrote. "Today they come as friends in times of need." Whether it's enough to ride out the crisis and help the EU emerge intact remains to be seen. Hamilton of Johns Hopkins compared the situation to a hurricane. "We'll weather the storm with great damage, but what exactly will have to happen in terms of disaster relief and recovery is still, I think, anybody's guess," he said. As Merkel weighs her response, she has one important event in her diary that serves as a reminder of the need for European unity: May 8 is the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, known in Germany as the Day of Liberation. Additional German help for Europe's worst affected nations during the pandemic would give the commemoration special resonance, and probably mark Merkel's last crisis act as chancellor. "I always thought it was not about Germany first, it was about Europe when it came to Merkel," said Puglierin at the European Council of Foreign Relations. "Who if not her?" I went down on more than one occasion to the desk to let the staff there know that there were sick men in my room, said Campagna, who is finishing a 40-month sentence for conspiracy to traffic weapons. Both of the times I went down there, I got pretty much the same answer, which was theyre grown men. If they are feeling bad enough they could call an ambulance themselves. As the world battles the deadly coronavirus, Google today is honoring a pioneer who helped to battle another scourge polio. The Google Doodle honors Australian doctor and scientist Dr. Annie Jean Macnamara. She was born April 1, 1899. Dr. Macnamara applied her tireless work ethic to better understand and treat various forms of paralysis including polio, and her work contributed to the development of a successful polio vaccine in 1955. The illustration was created by Australian artist Thomas Campi. Camp said he agreed to make the Doodle for two reasons. Dame Macnamara was an important figure in the scientific field and history of Australia. As an Italian immigrant who recently became a citizen, I feel honoured to celebrate such an important woman in this country. The second reason is more personalmy cousin has struggled with Polio all his life, so I feel a lot of appreciation and gratitude to people like Dame Jean Macnamara. Campi said the message he hopes to convey with the doodle is one of hope. There's always hopeat least that is how I see life. Without pain, there is no happiness. It's a difficult balance sometimes, but it's worth it. The best way to describe it is through a Japanese philosophical concept wabi-sabi, which means perfection is in the imperfection. According to Google, Macnamara graduated from medical school in 1925, the same year a polio epidemic struck the capital city of Melbourne. As a consultant and medical officer to the Poliomyelitis Committee of Victoria, she turned her focus to treating and researching the potentially fatal virus, a particular risk for children. In collaboration with the future Nobel Prize winner Sir Macfarlane Burnet, she discovered in 1931 that there was more than one strain of the poliovirus, a pivotal step towards the development of an effective vaccine nearly 25 years later. Dr. Macnamara continued to work with sufferers of the disease especially children for the rest of her life, developing new methods of treatment and rehabilitation. For her invaluable commitment to childrens lives, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1935. During her lifetime, Dr. Macnamaras research also played a major role in the introduction of myxomatosis to control rabbit plagues, minimizing environmental damage across Australia. CORONAVIRUS NEWS FROM PENNLIVE 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. T he Business Secretary has warned the UK could experience a dangerous second peak of coronavirus cases if the lockdown imposed by the Government is lifted too early. Alok Sharma told the daily Downing Street Covid-19 press conference that a second peak could mean the public's effort to stay at home are "wasted". It came as the UK experienced its biggest day-on-day rise in deaths since the outbreak began. Some 2,352 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for the virus as of 5pm on Tuesday, up by 563 from 1,789 the day before. Alok Sharma speaking during a media briefing in Downing Street / PA Mr Sharma said: People will understand across the country why we have put these restrictions in place and the Prime Minister was very clear they were for an initial three-week period and we would review them. But whats also really important is that if we stop these too quickly, there is a possibility that that massive effort people have made across the country is wasted and we could potentially see a dangerous second peak. We absolutely want to avoid that. Professor Yvonne Doyle, director of health protection at Public Health England, added that the measures would be lifted when the time is right. I think it is important to say we are looking at this through the scientific lens, as well as through modelling and through the information we are getting through clinical cases as to how this epidemic is progressing," she said. We will be guided by that. We obviously want to make the right call at the right time on this and it is something that we have to keep reviewing every week. Prof Doyle said that it is still too early to say whether the plateau of hospitals admissions has ended. She added: "But weve now seen three days of increases in a row and again, we need to protect the NHS, and the best way to do that is to stay at home, to avoid catching the disease yourself and obviously avoid giving it to anyone else. On hospital admissions, she said London is where coronavirus is most advanced, adding: But the chart shows that the threat is everywhere, we need to protect the NHS everywhere and the Midlands now is obviously a concern as well. The Downing Street briefing / 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty Comparing the UK to other countries, Prof Doyle added: As things stand it has not been as severe here as in France and were just tucked in under the USA and obviously Italy on a different trajectory, but and Spain and the United States, as weve said. But theres no reason to be complacent. Meanwhile, Spain has reported a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark, making it the third country to surpass that milestone behind the United States and Italy. Spanish health authorities said on Wednesday that the total number of deaths reached 9,053 since the beginning of the outbreak. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.1 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: The World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the measures taken by the Georgian authorities to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, Trend reports citing the press service of the Georgian president. As of April 1, 115 cases of coronavirus infection were registered in Georgia. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke on the phone with the WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The conversation was initiated by the Georgian side. The WHO Director General has confirmed that the organization will continue to provide technical and expert assistance to Georgia in the fight against coronavirus. In turn, Zourabichvili noted that Georgia follows all the recommendations of WHO and the situation in the country is under control. On March 21, Georgia declared a state of emergency until April 21 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 [April 01, 2020] Horace Mann showcases commitment to stakeholders as company reflects on 75 years of serving educators Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) today released Horace Mann Cares, its most recent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR (News - Alert)) report and announced immediate support for the community in which the company is headquartered, as well as for educators addressing challenges of COVID-19. The new CSR report becomes available as Horace Mann marks its 75th year in business. On March 15, 1945, two Springfield, Ill., teachers formed the IEA Insurance Company to offer affordable auto insurance to fellow educators. Since then, the company changed its name to Horace Mann in honor of the American educational pioneer and has expanded to serve educators throughout the country providing auto, homeowners, life and supplemental insurance, as well as retirement solutions. The report details Horace Mann's commitment to responsible environmental, social and governance (ESG) business decisions, as informed by that mission. "Horace Mann has never lost sight of the commitment to educators that our company was founded on 75 years ago and that will lead us into the next 75," said President and CEO Marita Zuraitis. "Many of our employees and agents are children or spouses of educators, and over 95% of our agents volunteer time or donate to their local educational communities. "We take pride in helping educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successul tomorrow, and believe our actions as a corporation and as individuals are living proof of that mission. Whether we are offering our traditional financial solutions or supporting teachers as they develop virtual teaching capabilities, our objectives will remain unchanged," said Zuraitis. "Our commitment to helping educators has only been magnified during this time of unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, when we also find ourselves trying to support our children's educational needs at home. Now more than ever, we will look for the best ways to help educators solve the issues they face." While Horace Mann and its agents remain fully available to support educators with insurance and retirement solutions, the company also is undertaking several projects to support educators and communities with challenges caused by COVID-19. For example, the company is working in partnership with DonorsChoose.org on their "Keep Kids Learning" COVID-19 response campaign. Horace Mann is contributing $100,000 to this effort to support educators in its primary office locations with funds for remote learning resources and nutritional aid for students. The company has also added free online teaching resources through its website, including access to thousands of Pre-K-12 classroom lessons to support teachers adapting to remote learning. Additional support for Horace Mann's headquarters location includes contributions to the United Way of Central Illinois and The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln COVID-19 Response Fund and The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Relief Fund. "Mobilizing to support current needs is another illustration of our ongoing commitment to our stakeholders," said Zuraitis. "Over the years, Horace Mann has positively impacted millions of individuals and local communities through its direct and indirect economic activities. We're proud to be starting our next 75 years by helping people face the new and unexpected challenges of COVID-19." About Horace Mann Horace Mann is the largest financial services company focused on providing America's educators and school employees with insurance and retirement solutions. Founded by Educators for Educators in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill. For more information, visit horacemann.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005716/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The divorce rate in several cities in China spiked in March as couples emerged from the government-mandated lockdown that sought to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, Bloomberg Quint reported. This sudden rise may serve as a cautionary tale to countries, including the United States, where scores of couples are cooped up in order to self-isolate. Central Chinas Xian and Sichuan provinces Dazhou recorded high divorce numbers early in March, causing tedious backlogs at government offices, said the report. Meanwhile, in Miluo in Hunan province, staff members didnt even have time to drink water as so many couples had queued up to file for divorce, said the report quoting information from the city governments website. A Shanghai-based lawyer Steve Li said he witnessed a 25% increase in his case-load since mid-March when the lock-down was partially lifted. Infidelity used to be the No. 1 reason clients showed up at my office door. People have time to have love affairs when theyre not at home, he said. People need space. Not just for couples this applies to everybody. Since 2003 when laws were first relaxed, Chinas divorce rate has seen a gradual increase. Over 1.3 million couples got divorced that year and the figures have been steadily surging for 15 years, climbing to 4.5 million in 2018, said the report quoting statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Last year alone, 4.15 million Chinese couples got divorced. The figures appear to have caught Chinese officials on the back foot as many had hoped that couples being confined for a prolonged period would result in a baby boom. In China, the birthrate has nosedived sharply since the Peoples Republic of China was established in 1949. The decline comes even as the one-child policy was eased in 2013. The lockdown witnessed not just an increase in the divorce rate, but also a rise in incidents of domestic violence. Police officials, in a county alongside the Yangtze River in central Hubei province, close to where the pandemic broke out, recorded 162 reports of domestic violence in February alone which is three times more than the 47 that was reported in the same month in 2019, the report said quoting a Shanghai-based online publication Sixth Tone. Experts say that even after an epidemic of this magnitude subsides, its economic and psychological fallouts can linger on for months. The report further cites a study of people in Hong Kong amid the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, which notes that one year after the outbreak, SARS survivors still had elevated stress levels and worrying levels of psychological distress." Notably, divorce in Hong Kongs general population in 2004 had also shot up by 21% than the 2002 levels, the report said. So far, China has recorded more than 80,000 Covid-19 cases and has seen over 3,300 deaths. The administration of Jammu and Kashmir has said 20 villages have been isolated to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, especially after some people associated with Tablighi Jamaat told officials about their travel history. Many of them had even participated in the religious congregations in Nizamuddin area of Delhi and Samba in J-K in the first two weeks of March. Officials, privy to the details, said more than one dozen people affiliated with Tablighi Jamaat had visited Nizamuddin and also attended the religious congregation in different places in the state after reaching Kashmir. At least 3200 people from across the country attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin, which has emerged to be the biggest Covid-19 hotspot in the country. Hundreds of people have been put under quarantine and tested them for the dreaded infection by at least 11 state governments and Union territories. Results were awaited in many states but officials confirmed that congregation members had tested positive in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, and J-K. Also read: How Nizamuddin event went on despite lockdown orders Three villages in Hajin, one in Ganderbal, two in Shopian, seven in Pulwama, five in Srinagar and two in Budgam have been declared as red zones and all those who have tested positive for coronavirus disease are connected with the Covid-19 patients belonging to Tablighi Jamaat. Many members of the Jamaat had voluntarily approached officials after they heard about the death of the 65-year-old religious preacher in Srinagar, whose was the first Covid-19 related death in J-K. The preacher had attended the gathering in Delhi on March 8 and 9 and left for Deoband in Uttar Pradesh on March 10. From there, he went to Samba district in Jammu on March 12, where people from different parts of the state had also participated. On March 16, he flew down to Srinagar and developed mild symptoms. Before he tested positive he had met dozens of people in the Valley and also attended a gathering in Sopore and Baramulla. The locality in Srinagar where the preacher lived was also sealed. Officials said that more than 100 people who had any sort of contact with the preacher are currently under the hospital quarantine and couple of them have already tested positive. Many family members and Jamaat members who had met the religious preacher in Delhi and Samba were tested and many turned to be negative, which has given a slight glimmer of hope to officials. Also read: Islamic missionary at centre of Indias Covid-19 outbreak In Hajin, eight people affiliated with Tablighi Jamaat have tested positive and four villagesBatagund, SK Bala, Chandeergeer and Parray mollah of Hajin townshiphave been declared as red zone and the areas completely sealed as the police are keeping a close eye on the situation. Among these eight positive cases, two had come into contact with the religious preacher who died, while others have been travelling to different states across the country. However, officials say that they could have attended the religious gathering at Nizamuddin and other places and contracted the virus during travel or some other places. They all positive patients had a travel history as they belong to Tablighi Jamaat. Around 200 people are under administrative quarantine and more than 600 in home quarantine, said a senior officer in Bandipore district. Among these eight positive patients, two had visited neighbouring Ganderbal district and stayed at a mosque. Now, a big village which also houses a big mosque and Darul-a-uloom have been declared a red zone. Nobody is allowed in or outside the village and names of all the persons who had met the positive patients have been contacted, said another senior officer in Ganderbal district. In south Kashmir, three members of the Tablighi Jamaat had tested positive and all of them had travelled outside the state in the first week of March and two had even attended several religious congregations. Around six villages in Pulwama and two in Shopian have been isolated. One of the Covid-19 patients, who is also the member of Tablighi Jamaat from Pulwama, had met around 100 people in four different villages in Pulwama and all are being now under quarantine, most of them under home quarantine. By Timothy Gardner and Vladimir Soldatkin WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday for global oil producers and consumers to address "challenging" oil markets while U.S. President Donald Trump complained that oil cheaper "than water" was hurting the industry. Oil prices fell nearly 70% from January highs as lockdowns due to the coronavirus hammered demand and as Saudi Arabia and Russia have flooded the market in a race for market share after a deal they engineered on supply curbs broke down. Oil and natural gas sales are a key revenue source for the Russian coffers, while shale oil producers in the United States are also suffering from cheap oil. Speaking at a government meeting, set up via a video link as a precaution against the coronavirus, Putin said that both oil producers and consumers should find a solution that would improve the "challenging" situation of global oil markets. He also said if investments into the oil sector fall, oil prices are sure to spike, something he said "no one needs." "That's why we, together with the main producers and consumers, should work out such decisions, which would mitigate the situation on the market on the whole," Putin said, according to the readout of the meeting. FLURRY OF DIPLOMACY On Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette spoke with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak about the price slump and they agreed to hold future discussions involving other major world oil producers and consumers. The call occurred a day after Trump and Putin agreed in a phone conversation to have their top energy officials discuss global oil market turmoil. Putin said that the United States was also worried about the state of the oil market as shale oil producers need a price around $40 per barrel to turn a profit. "That's why this is also a hard challenge for the American economy," he said. Story continues Trump said on Tuesday he would join Saudi Arabia and Russia, if need be, for talks about the fall in oil prices, which at current levels will squeeze out higher cost production, particularly U.S. shale output which surged in recent years. Crude oil benchmarks ended a volatile quarter with their biggest losses in history. On Wednesday, oil slid towards $25 a barrel, after touching its lowest level in 18 years. [O/R] "There is so much oil and in some cases it's probably less valuable than water. At some points of the world the water is much more valuable. So, we've never seen anything like it," Trump said. The discussions between Washington and Moscow mark a new twist in oil diplomacy since the collapse this month of a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers, including Russia, on cutting production. The failure to agree an extension to a pact that had propped up the market since 2016 led to the scrapping of all restrictions and a dash for market share. Brouillette and Novak "had a productive discussion on the current volatility in global oil markets," Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said. "Secretary Brouillette and Minister Novak discussed energy market developments and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G20, to address this unprecedented period of disruption in the world economy," she said. The Russian Energy Ministry said on Wednesday the ministers noted that the fall in the demand and oversupply created risks for stable supplies to the markets. The United States has grown in recent years into the world's largest oil and gas producer, thanks to a technology-driven shale drilling boom. But the current price of oil is below the production cost of many American drillers, threatening the highly leveraged U.S. shale industry. Trump on Monday said Saudi Arabia and Russia "both went crazy" with their production after the supply deal failed. "I never thought I'd be saying that maybe we have to have an oil (price) increase, because we do," he said. The Trump administration is trying to persuade Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, to cut crude output. It will soon send a special energy envoy, Victoria Coates, to the kingdom. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia and Saudi Arabia were not holding talks regarding the oil market at the moment and Russian President Vladimir Putin had no immediate plans to have a phone call with Saudi leadership. But the Kremlin added that such talks could be set up quickly if necessary. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Vladimir Soldatkin; additional reporting by Darya Korsunskaya and Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Moscow and Rania El Gamal in Dubai; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Edmund Blair) Businesses and local councils are asking the state government to immediately halt planned rises to the controversial landfill levy as they struggle to keep their budgets afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. The levy, which tip operators and councils pay to the state government and recoup by charging businesses and individuals, will double over the next three years from $66 a tonne to $126 with a 33 per cent hike set to kick in by July. Ken and Mat Dickens (right) operate a waste collection and processing business. They are worried that if the landfill levy rise goes up as planned it will badly damage their family company. Credit:Jason South Corio Waste Management chief executive Mat Dickens said the increased levy would be a massive drag on his Geelong-based family business which employs about 60 people. It collects waste for government departments, commercial and industrial operators and small businesses, including cafes. He urged the government to leave the levy at its current rate to prevent overburdening businesses that had already been smashed by the COVID-19 downturn. It is no secret that the novel coronavirus has left the world in a state of emergency. It may also be known that some countries, like Ghana, will be buried deeper should this pandemic persist. You would have noticed through my articles that I do not shy away when it comes to addressing issues on poor governance, I have been clear on the fact that we are going to fail our beloved country should we allow our politicians to continue to win us over with their cheap politics. The picture of where the country stands and the pit we are heading into is clear if you see things with no compromise or without trying to pick sides. Since the first two cases of the virus were confirmed on the 12th of March 2020, our leaders to my expectation has not done enough to assure the citizenry that the country is capable of facing this off. I think we have been lenient with our approaches and the presidents directives were not thorough enough in facing this pandemic head-on. Foremost, the country has never been ready for emergencies or crises such as this. We have been busy playing politics instead of planning the success of the country. Before the arrival of the batch of medical supplies donated by Jack Ma Foundation, frontline health workers and hospitals battling the virus complained about the shortage of medical supplies to help their work. Could it be that the government had no idea how they were going to address the issues concerning the shortage of medical supplies? And looking at the number of cases recorded and the shortage of medical supplies seems awkward to me. A shortage as earlier as this shouldnt have been possible if we as a country see into the future and plan towards it. If not for the good gesture of Jack Ma through his foundation, where would we be standing as a country? A report surfacing again indicates that there would be a possible lockdown as a measure to contain the pandemic. A lockdown may seem like a good measure on paper but in reality, we are putting the lives of the less fortunate in danger. Imagine the father of three who works from hand to mouth, the entire family is under threat of starving to death. Im in support of a lockdown if thats what it will take to push this virus back, but not when leadership neglect their responsibilities of properly managing the country. The poor always ends up paying for all leadership errors. After the president issued that all educational institutions should close down, my university wants to convert our regular classes to online sections. That is smart thinking just that it comes with loopholes. Our internet infrastructure brings a limitation to this arrangement, a percentage of students live in remote areas where they may have issues accessing the internet. The issues of the less privileged also come to play; a parent who works from hand to mouth is now staying home, he needs to feed the family and now finds a way to buy data for his university daughter so that she can be able to take classes online. Suggestion I hope our leaders learn from this and focus more on managing the affairs of the country to an acceptable level rather than fighting each other. We should focus more on investing in practical education and science education should be one of the things we put resources into so that we can have graduates who are well equipped to produce medical kits instead of always relying on foreign help. It is sad to note that the total number of oxygen machines in Ghana is only 67 and it is one of the things we need to treat corona patients. With the lockdown, we made the mistake India made. Announcing that there would be a lockdown only breeds panic and force people into panic travelling. The lockdown should have been declared with immediate effect or with a ban on travelling. The main reason for the lockdown is to contain the virus, how would that work if we allow people from affected areas to travel to areas that are not affected. It seems we are handling the issue with one eye closed and if we are not careful, we will put the entire country into trouble and the sad part is we dont even have a quarter of the infrastructure Italy or the USA have. I believe after this we will start building a country that is poised for electronic learning, consciously build an education system that can easily migrate to online when the need arises. Our problem is that we have no plans, our governments when they are in power only have a plan for the next four years and that plan does not include the country. When we pray to God about COVID-19, we should remember to add that our leaders should note the mistakes and take the necessary steps needed to position this country well enough to at least stand the minor threats. #StayHome #StaySafe VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ:GR)(OTCPINK:PEMTF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed an offering (the "Offering") of 6,142,859 units (each, a "Unit") by way of non-brokered private placement at a price of $0.28 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,720,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") exercisable to acquire an additional share at a price of $0.38 for a period of twenty-four months. The Company anticipates utilizing the proceeds of the Offering to further develop and market products under the First Class CBD brand, and provide support for ongoing operations of Sativida, and for general working capital purposes. In connection with completion of the Offering, the Company has issued 178,215 Shares to certain arms-length parties who assisted in facilitating the Offering. "It is a major accomplishment for the Company to be able to raise capital during this uncertain time in the market. This demonstrates the high level of confidence our investors have in the company. We expect additional funding of First Class CBD to directly affect revenue, and should put us in a position to exceed expectations this year," stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company. The Company also announces that it will settle outstanding indebtedness of $283,500, owing to an arms-length creditor, in consideration for services previously provided to the Company (the "Debt Settlement"). Under the terms of the Debt Settlement, the Company has issued 1,012,500 Units, at a deemed price of $0.28 per Unit, in settlement of the indebtedness. All securities issued in connection with the Offering, and the Debt Settlement, are subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities law. About Mota Ventures Corp. Mota Ventures is seeking to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand. Its plan is to cultivate and extract CBD into high-quality value-added products from its Latin American operations and distribute it both domestically and internationally. Its existing operations in Colombia consist of a 2.5-hectare site that has optimal year-round growing conditions and access to all necessary infrastructure. Mota is looking to establish sales channels and a distribution network internationally through the acquisition of the Sativida and First Class CBD brands. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MOTA VENTURES CORP. Joel Shacker President For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President, at +604.423.4733 or by email at IR@motaventuresco.com or www.motaventuresco.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statement All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to the completion of the Debt Settlement, its plans to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand, its plans to cultivate and extract cannabis to produce CBD and high-quality value added CBD products in Latin America for distribution domestically and internationally and its plans to acquire revenue-producing CBD brands and operations in Europe and North America. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking 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 such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 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 unless required by law. SOURCE: Mota Ventures Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583437/Mota-Raises-17-Million-in-Private-Placement As the number of Coronavirus cases rises every day, the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, says his government will not order a total lockdown due to the high rate of poverty in the state. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday ordered a lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states, while many other state governments have also embraced the measure. But Mr Makinde, who has also tested positive for the virus, said he has, instead, opted to impose a curfew. This, he said, would enable residents carry out their daily activities and earn daily incomes while observing the World Health Organisation (WHO) precautions on the global menace. Mr Makinde explained this while speaking on a Fresh FM programme in Ibadan on Tuesday. My own background is engineering and I kept saying to people that as an engineer, you take decisions that are based on logic and fact. Its an uncharted territory. We kept on interacting with the experts to find out what are the facts emerging. Yes, Lagos can be on lockdown, Ogun can be on lockdown, Oyo State, yes, people have been saying have a total lockdown and then I have been asking them questions. What will be the benefits here? Are there alternative courses of action for us to take? If you ask people not to come out, you lock down the market places, there are people that what they sell today the profit from todays activities is what they will eat tomorrow. There are plenty people like that within our environment. So, are there alternatives available to us? Can we do selective lockdown? Thats why I imposed the curfew, to say limit interactions. I think, everything is on the table but it has to follow a logical pattern and it will need the input of experts. We are not just going to lock down because everyone is locking down. He said rather than a total lockdown, he would follow the steps of some foreign countries. I have been watching CNN and the most successful place right now in containing this is the Czech Republic. And one of the things they brought out is that they made a law that if you must leave your house, you must wear a mask. It may be that route for us to go. I have asked them to start evaluating that. If we must make that law and say everybody that must go out must wear a mask, then, how about those who cannot afford it? Can we make masks locally? Can we get our artisans and our tailors to commit to that with the government supporting? So, those are the type of solutions we are looking for. He, however, said the necessary quarters are tracing and testing aides and others who interacted with him in the last few days. Mr Makinde is one of three Nigerian state governors with Coronavirus infection. The others are Kaduna States Nasir El-Rufai and Bauchis Bala Mohammed. A 49-year-old man, who returned to Morena in Madhya Pradesh from Dubai last month, but hid his travel history from authorities, has been quarantined along with his wife after they showed symptoms of coronavirus infection, an official said on Wednesday. The person and his wife have been admitted to the district hospital on Tuesday after symptoms of coronavirus found in them on being examined by the doctors. "The doctors found symptoms of coronavirus when the couple approached the district hospital for a check-up on Tuesday. They were immediately admitted to an isolation ward," chief medical and health officer, Dr R C Bandil, said. On being asked, the man admitted that he had returned from Dubai on March 17, but did not inform the authorities about it, the officer said. The couple suffered from cough and cold about a week back. They started home remedies and took medicines, Bandil added. The samples of the couple have been sent for testing and reports are awaited, he said. Bandil said the officials are now trying to find that how many people came in contact with the suspected patients. "Their family members have also been home quarantined," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The purported correspondence between subordinates of Artem Sytnyk, Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), published by the media testifies to attempts of discrediting other security officials who investigated NABU's illegal activities. The copies of corresponding documents were published by the Obozrevatel media outlet. According to journalists, they confirm that NABU detectives at the direction of their superiors were engaged in gathering incriminating evidence and compiling dossiers on officials of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Ukraine and Head of the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Nazar Kholodnytsky, as reported by Ukrainian News. "Following high-profile scandals with illegal wiretapping of SAPO by NABU agents, Artem Sytnyk's subordinates continued to 'dig dirt' on Kholodnytsky, trying to find a pretext for discrediting him. This is evidenced by an internal document drafted by NABU agents for Sytnyk's First Deputy Gizo Uglava, where NABU detectives reported on their assignment to come up with a pretext for discrediting the SAPO chief," the media outlet reported. Such pretext could be Kholodnytsky's contact with Andriy Bohdan, but new authorities came in 2019, and Bohdan was appointed Head of the President's Office so this version became "inconvenient" for Sytnyk, who had already started feeling reasonably concerned about his chair, Obozrevatel wrote. "In addition to squabbles with SAPO, NABU actively fought with the PGO, namely, Deputy Prosecutor General Yuriy Stolyarchuk and the Department of Investigation of Critical Cases in Economics. On August 12, 2016, officers of this PGO's department detained two employees of the NABU's operational-technical unit as the latter were conducting an 'undercover technical operation' surveillance of PGO's officials," journalists said. According to the media outlet, the following documents are 'a 'black list' of PGO officials with their photographs and a "list of troubles" the prosecutors had caused to 'NABU spies'." The list, journalists say, was received by Gizo Uglava from his subordinates. "NABU has already been accused of illegally wiretapping some 140 persons after allegedly receiving a court warrant to wiretap 18 persons. According to media reports, previously published correspondence also indicates that NABU wiretapped, compiled dossiers, and sent incriminating material to foreign actors. Mainly politicians, businessmen and law enforcers were allegedly targeted in such illegal actions," the report reads. Quarantined Australians holed up in five-star hotels are still complaining about the conditions of their 'luxury jail cells'. Thousands who have returned from overseas since Sunday have been put in 14-day quarantine in some of Australia's best hotels in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. Those who returned to Sydney were sent to the InterContinental, Hilton, Swissotel and the Novotel on Darling Harbour- all with starting prices of over $200 a night for standard rooms. Their stays will be funded by the taxpayer. Despite many free perks such as three meals a day, one of their biggest gripes is the food, which is often pre-packaged, processed and loaded with carbs. Braiden Farrer is one of 400 Australians in forced self-isolation at the Hilton Sydney after he missed the Federal Government's deadline to avoid the mandatory two weeks in hotel quarantine by six hours. Queenslander Braiden Farrer (pictured) is holed up inside his Hilton Sydney room The only human contact Braiden Farrer has each day is with fellow quarantined guests when he opens his door to collect meals left outside Mr Farrer is stuck in what he calls his 'luxurious jail cell' 24-7 for another 11 days and says he 'can't even leave to get fresh air'. The only human contact he has each day is when he opens his door to collect meals left outside. Mr Farrer filmed footage of one of his rare daily interactions, where fellow guests wave to each other from their doors and make small talk as they retrieve their meals. 'We can't leave our room. We're stuck in these four walls. I can't even walk out to get fresh air. Police pace the corridors 24/7,' Mr Farrer told 9news.com.au. 'We are not permitted to use any of the available facilities at the hotel, we cannot leave our room, no visitors allowed, and there are food drop-offs three times a day. All communication is via letters that are left at the door.' Mr Farrer described meals as similar to airline food and backed up previous claims from other guests that dinner isn't delivered until 9.45pm some nights. Hilton Sydney guests stuck in quarantine have complained about the lack of fresh food Over at the InterContinental, one woman received this chicken dinner, despite being a vegetarian He faces another two weeks in self-quarantine when he finally returns home in Brisbane. But despite his current living conditions, Mr Farrer believes the federal government's restrictions are 'a good thing' in keeping Australians safe. Mr Farrer isn't the only one complaining about the food at the Hilton. Rie Johansson took to Instagram on Tuesday to post photos of some of the meals, which included pre-packaged food, yoghurt, bread rolls and a lettuce sandwich. 'Three meals are provided, not enough fresh food,' Ms Johansson captioned the photos on Instagram. Despite free perks such as three meals a day, Foxtel and internet, some quarantined Hilton guests have described their hotel rooms as 'luxurious jail cells' Food personality Lyndey Milan has also expressed her outrage about the service and 'carb loading' meals during her stay at the Hilton. However she has since admitted the quality of the food has improved and is now much fresher since the hotel has informed guests they had changed food providers. Alan Giles has no complaints about the food or the cleaning at the Hilton. But he described his and his wife's room as their 'gilded prison'. 'It'd be a great place to stay if you're on holidays. But we're not on holidays,' he told the ABC. A woman holed up at the ParkRoyal in Darling Harbour wasn't happy about her dinner of stir fry vegetables. 'This is the dinner that was delivered to me!' she captioned the photo on Facebook. 'Would you stay in this hotel?' Food is a major gripe for quarantined guests, Pictured is dinner at ParkRoyal in Darling Harbour A quarantined InterContinental guest wasn't happy with the hearty breakfast on Wednesday 'Would you stay in this hotel?' Guests are also complaining at the InterContinental, despite photos on social media on Wednesday showing a hearty breakfast of sausages, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, accompanied with a pastry, either a bread roll or toast, yoghurt and fresh fruit. One woman has struggled with the meals and quarantine conditions at the InterContinental, which she says has affected her mental health. She arrived at the hotel tired and hungry having being fed three bread rolls and three chocolate bars on her long haul flight home from London. Three hours later, she began feeling light headed having still not had anything to eat. 'I was calling and calling, asking, is there something coming? I'd called them so many times,' the woman told Marie Claire magazine. 'Since then, I've had to call them every time to get my meal.' All but one of her meals have contained meat, despite the guest telling the hotel she was a vegetarian. She described the quarantine conditions as 'shocking'. 'It very much feels like we are prisoners and the only thing getting me through is hoping that it will get better,' she said. One quarantined guest says her meals at the InterContinental are gradually getting better The guests says the meals are gradually improving with the addition of fresh fruit and vegetables. Food deliveries, which were initially off limits are also now allowed. While some of the other hotels offer a bottle of wine or three beers per room per day, alcohol is not allowed at the InterContinental. 'The food is getting better, I think the hotel is listening to people that they want fresh food. They're swapping my vacuum packs for better stuff and I will take it,' the guest said. 'I'll do whatever it takes to get more fruit.' However, the woman is disappointed about the lack of support provided for quarantined guests. 'If you are going to lock people in a room, you should definitely have mental health support,' she said. 'They should be getting a call from someone as soon as they get into the rooms.' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian conceded earlier in the week that Australians returning from overseas will face tough times in self-isolation. 'It will not be perfect and foolproof,' Ms Berejiklian she told reporters. 'We understand some people have had a very stressful time trying to get back home and we want to consider their position, but we also need to consider the health and safety of eight million residents in NSW and also more broadly, 25 million people in Australia.' Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender said Tuesday there have been some misunderstandings of the emergency city ordinance in place to close some businesses temporarily because of the spread of coronavirus. The city ordinance recently passed by the Rapid City Council mandated certain business closures in accordance with CDC guidelines. Specifically, the guideline states, In states with evidence of community transmission, bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate should be closed. Our ordinance addresses closing or altering these businesses and activities, Allender said. The mayor said the ordinance is a targeted approach aimed to temporarily reduce the places where people congregate for discretionary activity. It is a temporary government regulation aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, Allender said. It is a temporary government action, approved by the elected representatives of the people of Rapid City, and in accordance with CDC guidelines. Allender pointed out several things that the ordinance cannot do based on the limited nature of the wording. He said the wording was intentional to keep people as safe as possible, while still maintaining basic freedoms and limitations on government authority. It is not a stay-at-home order, a closure of all non-essential businesses, a pick-list of winners and losers, a community-wide minimum distance requirement, a vehicle for employees to lobby to have their boss business added to the list, a democratic process for which businesses should be nominated for closure, or a measure intended to eliminate the spread of the disease, Allender said. The goal of this ordinance is to slow the attack rate of the virus. The scope of the city ordinance is limited on purpose. Allender said city government is already planning on how and when the ordinance restrictions can be lifted and that decision will be heavily influenced by the recommendations of health care professionals. This has to be a very educated, calculated measure by government to intervene and everyone at home right now can do their part by staying home if possible, sending only one person for groceries. Dont take the kids. Dont take the whole family, and certainly dont take the neighbors, Allender said. Stay at home for a while and get your essentials and go back home. If you are working, protect yourself at work. Allender said his office has received several emails from people saying their employer is not taking this seriously. The mayor said there is personal responsibility in employers doing the right thing to protect their workers, and that government should not have to force business owners to act. The same could be said for landlords who may be thinking of evicting a tenant during this crisis, Allender said. Another popular question we get is why arent you enacting a law prohibiting evictions. Thats just not within our authority to do, and we dont know at this moment who specifically has the authority to that, he said. I think if you are a landlord and you are going to evict someone because they havent paid their rent this month, I think you are a crummy landlord. The mayor urged compassion and reasonable understanding for everyone in Rapid City during the health crisis. We have a large part of our workforce in Rapid City thats employed in jobs making clearly less than 12, 13, 14 dollars an hour. When they are paying their rent, they are paying out in many cases more than half their income, Allender said. When that income is removed because of layoffs or shut downs, whatever the reason may be, thats going to produce a situation where that person cannot get their hand on that much cash at one time to pay the landlord. Work with your landlord, work with your lender through the lending agency and hang in there a little bit. In an earlier Tuesday meeting, the citys Public Works Director Dale Tech said some city projects may be impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Weve been working with the agencies and the associated general contractors of South Dakota here in the last month and a half. Certainly they are concerned about the ability for them to continue to work, Tech said. All of the city staff thats available to work on projects continue construction, and that is a primary goal of ours. Certainly, it will help economically for the city and the area, keeping people at work, suppliers selling products and long-term it is even more important to keep those projects going out the door. Allender said that, unfortunately, South Dakota is not united in the fight against the spread of the disease, especially after the Legislature met Monday and failed to pass legislation that would help county and other government agencies to have more freedom to enact emergency ordinances for public health. Opponents of the bill do not believe counties should have the authority to declare emergencies for public health reasons or to take any actions to stop disease in their communities, Allender said. I think its pretty fair to say most or some of the same legislators dont want the cities to have that authority either, but we do I think the cities and counties have been absolutely left on their own. Contact Assistant Managing Editor Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kerrigan brings decades of corporate counsel, insurance and global legal experience to the company. He joins The Hanover after more than 10 years as general counsel for Zurich North America, where he led the legal, compliance, government and industry affairs, security and regulatory affairs groups. "Dennis is an experienced leader with an extensive background in both legal affairs and the property and casualty insurance business," said John C. Roche, president and chief executive officer at The Hanover. "His deep knowledge of our industry and proven leadership abilities make him an excellent addition to our company. We are excited to welcome Dennis to our team." Kerrigan previously served as a partner in the global litigation department of an international law firm, representing Fortune 500 companies in a variety of matters, including trials, arbitrations, governmental investigations, regulatory proceedings and internal investigations. He has served as editor in chief of the Tort & Insurance Law Journal, published by the American Bar Association, and has held leadership roles in business, community and industry groups, most recently serving as chair of the Global Business Alliance, the international trade association based in Washington, D.C. Kerrigan received a law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary and a bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He succeeds J. Kendall Huber, who retired this month after 20 years in the role. "On behalf of everyone at The Hanover, I want to thank Jay for his many years of outstanding service," said Roche. "Jay is a dynamic and trusted leader, thoughtful adviser and committed mentor. His mark can be seen in the many invaluable contributions he has made to our organization over the years. We are grateful for his stewardship, and wish him all the best." About The Hanover The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. For more information, please visit hanover.com . SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. Related Links www.hanover.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono and Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, April 2, 2020 07:51 648 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f01863 1 Business Indonesia,Perppu,recession,financial-crisis,protocols-COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,economy,economic-growth,GDP Free Indonesia is bracing for the spillover effect of a global recession as policymakers roll out crisis protocols for the worst-case scenarios concerning GDP and the rupiah exchange rate while COVID-19 is hitting businesses and households hard. A government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) issued on Tuesday covers a range of crisis protocols that include allowing Bank Indonesia (BI) to throw a lifeline to the state budget through direct government bond purchases and to banks via liquidity support. Indonesias economy is expected to grow by 2.3 percent this year under the baseline scenario, which would be the lowest rate since 1999, or contract by 0.4 percent in the worst-case scenario, in the face of higher global recession risks, according to Finance Minister Sri Muyani Indrawati. The rupiah may hover between Rp 17,500 and Rp 20,000 per US dollar under the worst-case scenario, a historic low even weaker than after the 1998 financial crisis. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has announced plans to spend Rp 405.1 trillion on health care, social safety nets and business recovery programs. The new regulation, Perppu No. 1/2020, allows the budget deficit to widen beyond the previous legal limit of 3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). No actions, including decisions made based on this Perppu, may be subject to lawsuits that could be filed at a state administrative court, reads the Perppu on state finance and financial system stability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained Sri Mulyani said the stipulation was necessary so that authorities were legally protected to take extraordinary measures in protecting the economy. The Perppu was issued as Indonesia declared a public health emergency that involves imposing large-scale social restrictions. We are very aware that we must be very careful to avoid moral hazard, said Sri Mulyani, who was among decision makers in a controversial 2008 bailout on failed Bank Century. We will formulate a safeguard, so that policymakers that are taking measures to improve public health and the economy cannot be criminalized because of the acts of others. The COVID-19 crisis playbook bears eerie resemblance to the 1998 crisis, during which the central bank provided massive liquidity support to commercial banks to survive the monetary crisis, but most of the money was eventually embezzled. The governments economic recession scenario would mean the first GDP contraction since the 1998 crisis, which saw the domestic economy contract by 13.1 percent. However, three economists contacted by The Jakarta Post agreed that Indonesias current state was very different from that in 1998. The common denominator among the economists is that existing Indonesian companies have stronger fundamentals than those in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. Read also: Explainer: BI to throw lifeline to Indonesias economy to fight COVID-19 Center for Reform on Economics (Core) Indonesia research director Piter Abdullah explained that many Indonesian companies in the 1990s had relied heavily on foreign loans to finance operations. Those loans had made such companies inherently vulnerable to the rupiah exchange rate slump that began in July 1997. The companies today have not collapsed. They have been shaken, yes, but not collapsed, he said. Public sentiment over the 1998 crisis a violent period in Indonesian history was stirred after the Indonesian rupiah hit Rp 16,000 to the US dollar on March 20, the weakest since the crisis, as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an Indonesian asset sell-off. Indonesia has responded by announcing tax breaks to support companies, increasing healthcare spending and allowing the central bank to buy tradable government bonds to stabilize the rupiah, among other measures, in line with policies carried out by authorities worldwide to protect the economy. University of Indonesia economics professor Ari Kuncoro commended the government for mobilizing aid for the countrys micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Such enterprises had played a critical role in getting Indonesia out of the 1998 financial crisis by stimulating the business ecosystem from the bottom up. That habitat has to be saved. And that habitat right now, like in 1998, is largely MSMEs, the people, middle- and low-income citizens, he said. Read also: Indonesia announces Rp 405 trillion COVID-19 budget, anticipates 5% deficit in historic move MSMEs will receive extensions on loan payment deadlines for up to one year if the loan is less than Rp 10 billion, Jokowi said. They will also get bailout funds from the government if they commit to keeping 90 percent of their employees on the same salary as before the COVID-19 crisis, said Susiwijono Moegiarso, the secretary of the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister. Economist Josua Pardede of Pertama Bank added that Indonesias credit rating had greatly improved since the 1998 financial crisis which shows international institutions confidence in the performance of Indonesias economy. Major credit rating agencies S&P, Moodys and Fitch rate Indonesias sovereign credit as investment grade, which allows a broad range of investors to invest in Indonesian financial assets. Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the Government of Dubai is fully committed to supporting Emirates airline in the current critical period. As a shareholder of Emirates airline, the Government of Dubai will inject equity into the company, considering its strategic importance to the Dubai and UAE economy and the airlines key role in positioning Dubai as a major international aviation hub, Dubai Media Office reported. Further details in this regard will be announced at a later stage, His Highness said. A patient with COVID-19, flown in from Italy, is admitted to a hospital in Leipzig, Germany, on March 25, 2020. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP, File) Europes COVID-19 Death Count Tops 30,000 The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 30,000 people in Europe, with Italy and Spain registering over 75 percent of the disease-related deaths. At the time of reporting on April 1, there were 31,221 recorded deaths in Europe from the respiratory illness caused by COVID-19, according the latest data collated by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global pandemic. The total number of deaths noted in the running tally was 43,537, making Europe the continent that has been hit hardest by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus. Italy leads the dismal tally, with some 12,428 fatalities, followed by Spain with 9,053, and France with 3,523. Germany, which has 72,914 confirmed infections, has relatively few COVID-19 deaths, with 802 at last count. There may be many factors at play, but experts said early on that fast and widespread testing gave Germany an edge in the fight against the pandemic. The reason why we in Germany have so few deaths at the moment compared to the number of infected can be largely explained by the fact that we are doing an extremely large number of lab diagnoses, said virologist Dr. Christian Drosten, whose team developed the first test for the new virus at Berlins Charite hospital, which was established over 300 years ago to treat plague victims. Drosten estimated that Germany is now capable of conducting up to 500,000 tests a week. German scientists had a COVID-19 test ready for deployment in mid-January. Labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later, around the same time that Europes most populous country registered its first case. Spain, meanwhile, tests between 105,000 and 140,000 people each week, about 20 percent to 30 percent what Germany is capable of. Italy did around 200,000 tests over the past week, but that reflects a significant recent ramp-up. Germany also has far more intensive care unit beds than Italy, a fact that strongly suggests it is able to provide better care to seriously ill patients. We are well prepared today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, said Dr. Uwe Janssens, who heads Germanys Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Italy had 8.6 intensive care unit beds per 100,000 people before the outbreak, according to the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development. By comparison, Germanys most recent available figure is 33.9 per 100,000, or about 28,000 in total, a number the government wants to double. In the United States, meanwhile, some 4,090 people have died from COVID-19. According to a recent analysis by Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, as cited by USA Today, there are around 100,000 ICU beds in the United States. In a White House briefing Tuesday, President Donald Trump and his administrations top healthcare advisers urged Americans to follow strict social distancing measures ahead of a tough two weeks that could lead to at least 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. The CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has spread rapidly across the globe. It causes mild symptoms in many of those infected, but it can cause severe symptoms or death for some, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions such as respiratory ailments. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Zooms popularity has skyrocketed as millions of homebound people settle into new remote work and learning routines during the pandemic. There are free versions of Zoom, or users can pay for a subscription for broader use. The platform has been used in recent weeks for everything from business meetings and yoga classes to virtual happy hours. But the increased use of Zoom has brought more opportunities to hack into it. Belfast City Council has agreed to honour the contributions of nurses in the First World War with a plaque (PA) The approval by Belfast City Council of a plan to recognise the role of nurses in the First World War has been welcomed as fitting. Alliance councillor Michael Long put forward a proposal last year to install a plaque at Belfast City Hall to honour nurses in the 1914-18 conflict. Scores of nurses left Ireland to serve on battlefields across the world, from northern France to east Africa and Mesopotamia. This plaque will be a permanent reminder in City Hall of the work of nurses at that timeMichael Long Mr Longs proposal was approved this week. He described it as fitting at a time when nurses are battling to save lives amid the coronavirus crisis. At a time when we are again all too aware of the sacrifices and contribution of nurses in our community, I think it is fitting that the council has agreed to honour the memory of a previous generation of nurses who served during World War I from right across this island, he told the PA news agency. This plaque will be a permanent reminder in City Hall of the work of nurses at that time. We have also agreed to progress the window for healthcare workers and are looking at other ways to show our appreciation for the work of nurses at this time as they are on the front line tackling coronavirus. Former health workers Heather Thompson and Margaret Graham were involved in tracing the lives of nurses from Northern Ireland who served in the First World War and campaigning for a permanent memorial to them (Rebecca Black/PA) The Royal College of Nursings History Of The Nursing Network Northern Ireland last year compiled a book about some of the nurses who served. The nurses they traced included Margaret Anderson, from Kilkeel, who became known as the Mournes Florence Nightingale. She received the Royal Red Cross for her service in the First World War, and later went on to work in Iraq before rejoining the nursing reserve at the age of 58 at the start of the Second World War, during which she took part in several sorties during the evacuation of Dunkirk. Annie Colhoun, from Londonderry, served in Monastir in Tunisia during the First World War and was injured when the hospital she was working in was bombed in 1917. She was awarded the Military Medal for her bravery and devotion to duty during the attack. Others died in service, including Eveline Dawson on a hospital ship in 1917 and Rachel Ferguson, from Moneymore, who died of pneumonia in Italy in 1918. The council conferred the freedom of the city on nurses in 2016 for their contribution during the Troubles. File Photo: Shipping containers of Philippine products for export sit stacked along the docks of the international container port in Manila. (Photo: JAY DIRECTO/AFP/GettyImages) By Claire Jiao Thousands of containers have been left unclaimed at the Philippine capitals main port as the lockdown stalls cargo movement and prevents most businesses from opening. There are nearly 36,800 twenty-foot equivalent units of imports left in the Manila International Container Terminal as of March 27, a 66% jump from roughly 22,000 TEUs before the capital and the rest of the Luzon region went on quarantine, according to International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Containers are simply not being removed from the terminal, ICTSI said on Friday. It warned we will come to a point when efficient operations will no longer be possible. The lockdown has disrupted supply chains across the main Philippine island at a time when the government is seeking to ensure enough food and basic goods amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Some checkpoints in Metro Manila are blocking the entry of food cargo and workers, even though these are exempted from the quarantine measures, Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano told radio station DZBB. There are 8,200 cleared containers sitting in the Manila terminal and waiting for pick up, many of them food containers, ICTSI said. Get More The Bureau of Customs is transferring 4,000 unclaimed containers from Manila to nearby terminals to help unclog the Philippines largest port, it said in a statement on Monday. The port operator owned by billionaire Enrique Razon also offered its facilities in Laguna, Bulacan and Cavite provinces for importers unable to take cargo deliveries at this time. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The United States Proposes a Framework for a Peaceful Democratic Transition in Venezuela Press Statement Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State March 31, 2020 On March 31, the United States proposed a pathway to resolving Venezuela's crisis by means of a peaceful, democratic transition. This framework calls for the establishment of broadly acceptable transitional government to administer free and fair presidential elections and a pathway to lifting Venezuela-related U.S. sanctions. It builds on the proposals put forward by the interim Government of Venezuela headed by Juan Guaido. U.S. and international pressure are important parts of the strategy. Our sanctions will remain in effect, and increase, until the Maduro regime accepts a genuine political transition. The United States has long been committed to finding a solution to the man-made crisis in Venezuela. The urgency for this has become all the more serious in light of the Maduro regime's failure to adequately prepare for and address the global COVID-19 pandemic. This framework demonstrates our commitment to helping Venezuela fully recover and ensures that the voice of the Venezuelan people is respected and included. We call on all Venezuelans, whether military or civilian, young or old, of all ideological tendencies and party affiliations, to consider this framework carefully and seriously. We believe this framework protects the interests and equities of all Venezuelan people who desperately seek a resolution to their dire political, economic, and humanitarian crisis, and who know Venezuelans can have something better. This framework can provide a path that ends the suffering and opens the path to a brighter future for Venezuela. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Donald Trump has blamed New York for a 'late start' in fighting coronavirus and said state Governor Andrew Cuomo 'hit paydirt' with 'hospitals and ships'. The president criticized New York and New Jersey for their early efforts in tackling the pandemic and took aim at Cuomo during the White House briefing Tuesday, in the latest war of words between the two. 'For whatever reason, New York got off to a late start and you see what happens when you get off to a late start,' said Trump, adding that New Jersey was similarly slow. 'New Jersey got off to - and I think both governors are doing an excellent job but they got off to a very late start.' President Trump criticized New York and New Jersey for their early efforts in tackling the pandemic and took aim at Cuomo during the White House briefing Tuesday, in the latest war of words between the two He went on to praise Washington and California states for their response to the pandemic. 'If you look at Washington state, if you remember that all started in a very confined nursing home,' said Trump. 'And you had 20-odd people dying in that one home but it didn't mean it escaped that home, which means they have a very different statistic to other states.' Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, reinforced the president's views, saying that she recommended other affected cities and states look to California and Washington for inspiration on how to respond to the pandemic and not New York. 'California and Washington state reacted very early to all this. Washington state had some of the earliest infections. They have kept it low and steady,' said Birx. Other areas should 'work more like California then the New York metro area,' she added. 'Washington state, about two weeks before New York or New Jersey. California a week before New York or New Jersey, really talked to their communities and decided to mitigate before they started seeing this number,' Birx said. Birx said it is up to communities 'to not have the experience of New York and New Jersey'. When asked about the supply of ventilators to New York, after Cuomo has repeatedly said the federal government should send more supplies to the epicenter of the crisis, Trump said he had already been very generous. 'I don't know what he said. I think he's been reasonably generous considering he's a Democrat and I think he'd like to run for president so I think he's been pretty generous under the circumstances,' he said. 'I got him ships, I got him hospitals, I got him a lot of things that he never thought he had paydirt okay and I've been very generous on ventilators.' He also said that New York hadn't tapped into it's own supply of ventilators first. 'If you look, they had 2,000 and 4,000 in his warehouse, in their warehouse waiting to be picked up. They never picked them up so I'd have to hear it from him face to face.' 'For whatever reason, New York got off to a late start and you see what happens when you get off to a late start,' said Trump He said FEMA had 'sent additional ventilators to New York and New Jersey' and had supplied '250 ambulances and 500 EMTs' to New York. Trump also said the government is 'holding on' to a stockpile of 10,000 ventilators because 'the surge is coming.' 'We also are holding back quite a bit. We have almost 10,000 ventilators that we have ready to go. We have to hold them back, because the surge is coming and it's coming pretty strong and we want to be able to immediately move it into place without going and taking it, so we're ready to go,' he said. He went on to say that if state governors wanted more ventilators, they just need to ask. Taking aim at Cuomo, the president said he should stop complaining. He 'shouldn't be complaining because we gave him a lot of ventilators,' he said. 'No matter what you give, it's never enough.' Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, reinforced the president's views, saying that she recommended other affected cities and states look to California and Washington for inspiration on how to respond and not Trumps' comments came hours after Cuomo said the federal government has created a 'bidding war' for ventilators that is like 'like being on eBay'. Cuomo also fumed over the 'bidding war' that has been created by the federal government for ventilators. He said that he had bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million, but that he was having to compete against every other state for them and the government. 'Look at the bizarre situation we wound up in; every state does its own purchasing, trying to buy the same commodity. 'The same exact item. So you have 50 states competing to buy the same item, bidding up each other, and competing against each other - it's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator,' he said. In a Twitter post, Cuomo also said: 'We are one nation. We need to purchase and distribute supplies working together as one nation. 50 states can't be competing with each other for the same supplies. It makes no sense.' New York state now has 76,049 cases of coronavirus and 1,550 have died. Trumps' comments came hours after Cuomo said the federal government has created a 'bidding war' for ventilators that is like 'like being on eBay' The death toll across the state of New York rose by 332 between Monday and Tuesday and is not yet showing signs of slowing down. The mounting crisis hit close to home for Gov. Cuomo, who reported teary-eyed that his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, had tested positive for the virus. There's been no love lost between the president and the New York governor in recent weeks as the state has become the epicenter for the US crisis. On Saturday, Trump said he was considering quarantining New York - along with Connecticut and New Jersey - before backtracking hours later. Trump made the comments as USNS Comfort ship was sent to New York to be turned into a makeshift hospital. New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo hit back at the president's plans in a press conference moments later. New York state now has 76,049 cases of coronavirus and 1,550 have died USNS Comfort ship was sent to New York to be turned into a makeshift hospital 'I don't even know what that means. I don't know how that could be legally enforceable,' said Cuomo. 'And from a medical point view, I don't know what you would be accomplishing. 'But I can tell you, I don't even like the sound of it.' Cuomo said he had spoken with Trump earlier Saturday and the two had not discussed a possible quarantine. Cuomo went even further in an interview with CNN on Saturday evening saying it was 'anti-American', 'anti-social' and would amount to a 'federal declaration of war'. Up to 16 dead people were put into a refrigerator truck at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York on Tuesday The grim scenes come as medical staff are now loading the the dead by forklift in 2's as the public walk past on the open street 'If you start walling off areas all across the country it would just be totally bizarre, counter-productive, anti-American, anti-social,' he said. 'This is a civil war kind of discussion,' Cuomo said of the proposal. 'I don't believe that any administration could be serious about physical lockdowns of states.' Cuomo said that it would probably be illegal to quarantine New York, as well as totally ineffective, given the rise of other virus hotspots in the country such as New Orleans. 'It makes absolutely no sense and I don't think any serious governmental personality or professional would support it,' Cuomo said. Trump backed down from the move hours later but he took aim at Cuomo and other state governors that they should be 'appreciative' of the government's response. 'All I want them to do, very simple, I want them to be appreciative. I don't want them to say things that aren't true. I want them to be appreciative. We've done a great job,' he said Saturday. In Trump's press conference Tuesday he also extended his administration's recommendations to slow the spread of virus from 15 days until the end of April. The guidelines urged Americans to end social gatherings over the number of 10, work from home, and order take out. Trump's announcement Sunday that those recommendations would be extended until April 30 was an abrupt reversal after he spent much of last week saying he'd like to see limitations lifted by Easter, which is April 12. The US death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 3,600 Tuesday, eclipsing China's official count, as hard-hit New York City rushed to bring in more medical professionals and ambulances and parked refrigerated morgue trucks on the streets to collect the dead. At least 3,906 people in the US have died from the deadly virus as of late Tuesday, according to data collected by the John Hopkins University. The global benchmark reports that 3,309 people have died from the virus in China, where the global pandemic originated. Fears that the US is on track to become the new Italy, whose healthcare system has buckled under the weight of the pandemic, are fast becoming a reality. Italy has recorded more deaths, with 12,428 as of Tuesday afternoon. However, the US has far surpassed its number of confirmed cases, with the US reaching 181,099 to Italy's 105,792. 'Prepare for 100,000 to die.' Tony Fauci warns of astonishing death toll and tells areas not on lockdown to take action NOW Dr. Tony Fauci painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday, warning that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. 'The answer is yes - as sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,' he said when asked about the six-figure mark during the daily White House press briefing. 'Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less likely to be that number but, being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that is a possibility that that's what we'll see.' The White House projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Fauci used the figures to urge people to stick to social distancing guidelines of six feet of separation. 'Whenever you're having an effect, it's not time to take your foot off the accelerator, and on the brake, but to just press it down on the accelerator,' Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said of mitigation efforts. Dr. Tony Fauci warned on Tuesday that Americans should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus 'The fifteen days that we've had of mitigation clearly are having an effect,' he noted. He said such efforts could also help damage any potential second wave of illness. 'We hope that doesn't happen and that is why we are really pushing and why I was so emphatic about making sure we abide by those mitigation strategies,' he said. President Donald Trump said the prediction was 'sobering' and called efforts to spread the slow of the coronavirus 'a matter of life and death.' 'It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days, it's a matter of life and death, frankly,' the president said. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going through a very tough few weeks. And, hopefully, as the experts have predicted is a lot of us are predicting having studied it so hard, going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel and this is going to be a very painful, a very very painful two weeks,' he noted. It was a stark change in tone for President Trump, who last week sounded a note of hope the crisis would be over in the next few weeks. Now his administration is preparing Americans for tougher times to come. But through all the tough talk of days to come, there were some glimmers of hope. 'If all of the other states and all the other metro areas are able to hold that case number down, then it's a very different picture,' said Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the administration's day-to-day response to the disease. 'We're going to do everything we can to get it significantly below that,' she said. Fauci agreed: 'We don't accept that number, that that's what it's going to be. We're going to do everything we can to get that number even below that.' Trump defended his earlier upbeat statements about coronavirus after Fauci's sobering figures, explaining that he tries to be a 'cheerleader' for the country. He also acknowledged that he was 'probably' distracted by the Democratic impeachment, which culminated in his Senate trial in early February when the virus was raging and governments may have missed a window to prepare hospitals and get needed equipment. But the president said he wouldn't have done any better even if he hadn't faced an impeachment he called a 'hoax.' 'I want to be positive. I don't want to be negative. I'm a positive person,' the president said at the briefing, where his team presented dire model under a worst-case scenarios and the president predicted 100,000 people may die even if Americans heed urgings to stay home and avoid spreading the disease. 'I'm a cheerleader for the country,' Trump said, pressed on why he did not share more bad news. Trump also acknowledged that impeachment distracted his attention during the build-up, after DailyMail.com asked him about Sen. Mitch McConnell's comment that it diverted the attention of the government and whether it diverted his own. 'I don't like to think I did. I like to think I handled it very well but I guess it probably did. I got impeached, you know. I devoted a little time thinking about it, right? But think of it. It was a hoax, a total hoax,' the president said. 'You look at the reports that came out, it's disgraceful what went on. It's a total disgrace. They got caught in the act but you know what? We won't talk about that now,' Trump continued. 'Did it divert my attention? I think I'm getting A-pluses for the way I handled myself during the phony impeachment, okay? It was a hoax, but certainly I guess I thought of it, and I think I probably acted I don't think I would have done any better had I not been impeached.' 'Maybe it's a tribute to me. I don't think I would have acted any faster. But the Democrats ... their whole life, their whole existence, their whole being was to try to get me out of office any way they can,' Trump vented. 'I don't think I would have acted any differently or any faster,' he said. New York state coronavirus numbers soar and deaths rise by 332 to 1,550 as Gov. Cuomo admits 'no one knows' when the crisis will be over New York state now has 76,049 cases of coronavirus and 1,550 have died. The death toll across the state of New York rose by 332 between Monday and Tuesday and is not yet showing signs of slowing down. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Cuomo told of how he was unifying the state's private and public healthcare systems to operate as one before the pandemic 'apex' in the state hits. He admitted he does not know when it will come and that data projections he looks at suggest it could happen anytime between seven and 21 days from now. Gov. Cuomo told people to settle in for a longer period of crisis than they were anticipating and said 'we still have to come back down the other side of the mountain' even after the peak happens. Cuomo said the data is uneven and 'bouncing' so where it appears the death rates may be slowing, they are not yet. Gov. Cuomo told people to settle in for a longer period of crisis than they were anticipating and said 'we still have to come back down the other side of the mountain' even after the peak happens 'It's an imperfect reporting mechanism but the basic line is still up. We're still going up,' he said, adding that he was speaking to every expert he could find to rely on their projections and not 'opine' over what may happen. He said he was 'tired' of being 'behind' the virus, adding: 'We've been behind this virus from day one. The virus was in China. Unless we assume some immune system variation with Asian people, it was coming here. You don't win playing catch up. We have to get ahead of it.' He also said it was foolish to 'underestimate your opponent', continuing: 'We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful and dangerous than we anticipated.' Cuomo said the 'next battle' will be the apex of cases and deaths but he does not know when it will hit. 'When is the apex? That is the $65,000 question. We have literally 5 models that we look at. It's true to say almost no two are the same. The range on the apex is somewhere between seven to 21 days,' he said. Cuomo's strategy to tackle the virus includes: Centralizing the hospital system to force public and private hospitals to share resources including staff First, staff from upstate hospitals that are not hard hit will be sent to New York City New York City hospitals, both public and private, will redistribute patients to spread them evenly across the city until each hospital reaches its capacity (all have increased their capacities by at least 50 percent Then, patients will be distributed from New York City to quieter hospitals upstate or further afield in the state Field hospitals will be used to alleviate the strain on them Healthcare workers from out of state will also be used to provide relief for 'exhausted' and 'overwhelmed' doctors and nurses He has bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million Central to Cuomo's plan is to centralize the hospital systems to do away with the notion of public and private healthcare and make everyone share everything. He said he had a tense meeting on Monday with the leaders of private hospitals which ordinarily profit from a surge in patients and that he nearly 'didn't make it out' of it because they were so angry at what he was instructing. 'I don't care which link breaks in the chain - the chain is still broken. It doesn't matter which hospital, which link - any link breaks, the chain breaks. 'The healthcare system is a chain. It breaks anywhere, it breaks everywhere. That has to be our mentality,' he said. Since issuing a call to action for retired nurses and doctors to come back to work, 78,000 people have volunteered. 'We have now, a few days ago we put out to ask retirees, we have now 78,000 people who said they would help; God bless the state of NY and god bless humanity,' he said. He is urging other states to help him now so that he can help them later. 'It's unity. Let's help each other. New York needs help now. This is going to be a rolling wave across the country; New York then Detroit then New Orleans then California 'If we were smart as a nation - come help us in New York, get the experience and the training here, then let's all go help the next place then the next place then the next place. 'That would be a smart national way of doing this.' Cuomo also fumed over the 'bidding war' that has been created by the federal government for ventilators. He said that he had bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million, but that he was having to compete against every other state for them and the government. 'Look at the bizarre situation we wound up in; every state does its own purchasing, trying to buy the same commodity. 'The same exact item. So you have 50 states competing to buy the same item, bidding up each other, and competing against each other - it's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator,' he said. Several states complain of a shortage of tests with the Republican governor of Maryland slamming Trump's denial of the problem The governor of Maryland has slammed President Donald Trump's denial that there is any shortage of coronavirus test kits. In a leaked recording of a conference call with several governors, Trump claimed that he hasn't had a complaint about testing shortages in 'weeks'. Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, responded to Trump's remarks in an interview with NPR on Tuesday, saying: 'Yeah, that's just not true.' 'I know that they've taken some steps to create new tests, but they're not actually produced and distributed out to the states. So it's an aspirational thing,' Hogan continued. He added that the Trump administration has some new testing measures 'in the works,' but for now 'no state has enough testing.' Hogan said he believes others in the administration are 'talking about the facts.' 'We're listening to the smart team,' said Hogan, mentioning Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the White House coronavirus task force, including doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci. Trump's controversial remarks came during an hour-long phone meeting where he was joined by Birx, Pence, Fauci, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor. Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, responded to Trump's remarks on Tuesday, saying: 'Yeah, that's just not true' In a leaked he pushed back when asked by rural state governors for help. 'I could give four or five examples over the last week where we have supply orders, and they've subsequently been cancelled, and they're canceled in part because what our suppliers are saying is that federal resources are requesting it and trumping that,' Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, a Democrat, said in the leaked call. 'So we're trying to shift the supplies to really isolate that and do contact tracing, but we don't even have enough supplies to do the testing.' Trump replied boasting about how the US has done more testing than any other country. He then bragged about a new four-minute test being released. 'I haven't heard about testing in weeks,' Trump responded. 'We've tested more now than any nation in the world. We've got these great tests and we'll come out with another one tomorrow that's, you know, almost instantaneous testing. But I haven't heard anything about testing being a problem.' Speaking about the new kits, Admiral Brett Giroir, head of the Public Health Service, chimed in that each state would soon be getting at least 15 of them. 'We're going to get that to your state lab as soon as possible,' Giroir added. New Mexico Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also communicated the need for more tests after 'incredible spikes' in infection rates that she warned could 'wipe out tribal nations'. 'The rate of infection, at least on the New Mexico side although we've got several Arizona residents in our hospitals we're seeing a much higher hospital rate, a much younger hospital rate, a much quicker go-right-to-the-vent rate for this population,' Grisham told Trump. 'And we're seeing doubling in every day-and-a-half.' Trump simply replied: Wow, that's something.' Several governors complained that if their state did not get the testing and personal protective equipment needed soon, their areas could be the next epicenters of the outbreak that has ravaged the US. Some 530 Koreans are being airlifted out of Italy as the coronavirus epidemic devastated the European country. As soon as they arrive at Incheon International Airport this afternoon they will be sent to quarantine in a hotel in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province and a government facility in Cheonan. A government taskforce told reporters Tuesday that Korean expats in Italy will be flown back to Korea on Wednesday and Thursday. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The South African government is sending testing teams to the country's townships as it ramps up efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday. South African officials have imposed some of the toughest restrictions on the continent to try to fight the virus, including deploying the army to support police during a 21-day lockdown that started on Friday. But Mkhize said concerns about internal transmission of the virus in the townships, where crowded conditions offer a fertile breeding ground for the coronavirus, meant the response needed to be stepped up. "We won't be going to all the townships at the same time, but we are targeting those where we want to deal with already identified cases of positive people or contacts," Mkhize told a news conference. "We are scaling up the intervention." Mkhize said the testing teams would initially focus on "hotspots" where infection rates were highest and that they would be supported by non-governmental organizations. He said the number of confirmed cases in South Africa had risen to 1,353 and five deaths, up from three fatalities announced on Monday by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mkhize said the government was hoping to double the size of its tracing teams, from around 5,000 now, with the help of community health workers, nurses and NGOs. A Reuters reporter saw health workers taking swabs from people with symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in the Alexandra township near Johannesburg's financial district. Two patients were carried out on stretchers to a waiting ambulance. Nono Zitha, a local resident, was nervous about her test results. "This sickness is a serious disease, people are dying, ... so before you get the results you are obviously going to be scared because you don't know where you stand," she said. (Reporting by Alexander Winning and Shafiek Tassiem; Editing by Gareth Jones) David Charvet wore a mask when he picked up groceries at Whole Foods in Malibu on Tuesday. But the 47-year-old star's girlfriend, 26-year-old fitness model Oksana Rykova, did not have her protective gear on as she walked beside the Baywatch actor because she was taking sips from her drink. While Malibu seems to have less than four cases of coronavirus so far, Los Angeles county's numbers have gone up drastically this week making Southern California on edge. Getting supplies: David Charvet wore a mask when he picked up groceries in Malibu on Tuesday. But the 47-year-old star's girlfriend, 26-year-old fitness model Oksana Rykova, did not have her protective gear on as she walked beside the Baywatch actor because she was taking sips from her drink Los Angeles Countys coronavirus cases are over 3,000 with 54 deaths, officials told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. The number of confirmed cases has tripled over the last week, Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer told the site. It appeared as if Dave and his lady love kept their distance from other shoppers as he pushed a green cart through a parking lot to his truck. Happy to be out: It appeared as if David and his lady love kept their distance from other shoppers as he pushed a green cart through a parking lot. This is dressy for Malibu: His girlfriend had on a canary yellow hoodie with black-and-white leggings as well as white sneakers. She pulled her black hair into a high ponytail and had on makeup Dave wore a black North Face puffy vest over a light grey T-shirt, adding black shorts over blue leggings and wearing black Nike sneakers. And the ex-husband of Playboy model Brooke Burke had on a grey and black cap while walking with his cell phone out. His girlfriend had on a canary yellow hoodie with black-and-white leggings as well as white sneakers. She pulled her black hair into a high ponytail and had on makeup. Dave definitely has a type all right: His new girlfriend, left, looks just as good in a bikini as his ex-wife, right The star held onto her white and yellow mask as she drank from a brown bottle. The pair had only two bags of groceries. Charvet was married to model and TV personality Burke for 12 years and they have two children together - Heaven, 13, and Shaya, 12. Burke filed for divorce in April 2018 and they finalized the divorce in early March. His ex: Burke filed for divorce in April 2018 and they finalized the divorce in early March. Here she is seen on Tuesday exercising (bottom) with Alessandra Ambrosio (top) She is in better shape than most millennials: Earlier this week BB did a headstand Under the terms of their settlement, they will share custody of their kids and split the cost of their living expenses. Neither will receive child support or spousal support from the other. Burke got to keep the couple's Malibu home and Santa Monica condo while Charvet got a separate Malibu property. They also divided up the companies they owned with Burke keeping two fitness companies and Charvet keeping ownership of several others including Malibu Stone And Building Materials. She hit the headlines earlier this year when she complained about British Airways staff scolding them for being too noisy during her birthday trip to New York. And Billie Faiers was playfully told off by her husband Greg Shepherd during the latest episode of Mummy Diaries, which showed their reaction to the incident. The mother-of-two, 30, travelled to New York with her sister Sam, 28, and their mum Suzie, 50, in celebration of her 30th birthday as a gift from her family. Ha! Billie Faiers was playfully told off by her husband Greg Shepherd during the latest episode of Mummy Diaries, which showed their reaction to the incident During the flight the 'merry' group shared a giggle together while sat in their business class seats on the plane together. However it was clearly unappreciated by a fellow passenger, as Billie revealed: 'There was a lady sitting two rows in front, she kept turning around and saying "shush!". Billie revealed at the time via her Instagram account the trio had received a complaint from the passenger, and accused a BA stewardess of being a 'fun sucker'. When the group touched down in New York, Greg had already heard about his wife's spat online and joked about it during a phone call. During the call Greg cheekily told Billie that their 'boozy' behaviour, 'wasn't good for the brand'. He then told the camera during a confessional: 'I told Billie to be on her best behaviour for the rest of the trip!' Later in the show the trio were seen discussing the incident during a carriage ride in the city, after the flight drama had hit the headlines. What a treat! The mother-of-two, 30, travelled to New York with her sister Sam, 28, and their mum Suzie, 50, in celebration of her 30th birthday as a gift from her family No harm done: During the flight the 'merry' group shared a giggle together while sat in their business class seats on the plane together Told off: However it was clearly unappreciated by a fellow passenger, as Billie revealed: 'There was a lady sitting two rows in front, she kept turning around and saying "shush!" 'Paul texted me and said it's been the top story for hours,' laughs Sam, as Billie adds: 'It literally just went out of control when we landed'. 'It wasn't like we were going to be howling the whole flight,' ponders Sam, still unsure as to what caused the complaint, while her sister declares: 'Are we not allowed to laugh anymore?' Later in the show their trip hit another stumbling block when Billie refused to go on the surprise helicopter ride Sam had planned for their last day. Hitting the headlines: When the group touched down in New York, Greg had already heard about his wife's spat online and joked about it during a phone call Shocked: 'Paul texted me and said it's been the top story for hours,' laughs Sam, as Billie adds: 'It literally just went out of control when we landed' Earlier Sam had revealed she felt 'nervous' to tell Billie what she had planned for her, and it turned out that she had every right to be. When they broke the news about the surprise, a very shocked Billie said: 'Oh my god, you know I'm not a fan of helicopters.' She added: 'I am a bit of a chicken... when you have kids like this I think what's the point!' Worried: Earlier Sam had revealed she felt 'nervous' to tell Billie what she had planned for her, and it turned out that she had every right to be While Sam admitted: 'I can see it written all over her face that she doesn't want to do it. I think you'd rather just do shopping.' As they went for breakfast, they mulled over whether they should go ahead with the helicopter ride and Billie confessed she was 'overthinking it'. Sam said she thought it would help her 'overcome' the fear. During a piece to camera after the trip, Billie explained: 'I feel torn because I know they really want to do it. I'm building up all these thoughts - I really don't want to do it.' 'I've never really liked helicopters, I've done it twice before, I felt really nervous.' Concerned: As they went for breakfast, they mulled over whether they should go ahead with the helicopter ride and Billie confessed she was 'overthinking it' It soon all became a bit much for Billie who broke down in tears at the prospect of the trip, after admitting she'd rather not go. With emotions running high, Sam and Suzie also began crying as they admitted it was a 'shame' as it would have been an 'amazing' finish to the their holiday. Instead the girls rounded off the trip with a ferry ride where they were able to see the Statue of Liberty. Weighing it up: With emotions running high, Sam and Suzie also began crying as they admitted it was a 'shame' as it would have been an 'amazing' finish to the their holiday Three new positive cases of Covid-19 were reported in Worli Koliwada and the adjoining Janata Nagar and Adarsh Nagar on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 12 in the area. A 60-year-old resident of Worli Koliwada, who had died in Nair Hospital on Monday, was also revealed to be positive for Covid-19 after his test results were confirmed on Tuesday. Of the three latest patients, one man worked as a technician with the doctor at Saifee Hospital who also tested positive for Covid19 last week. The other two were staff nurses who worked with the same doctor, according to an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) On Sunday, when the first four persons from Worli Koliwada tested positive for the coronavirus, the BMC revealed that neither had a history of travel or close contact with a person who had traveled to another affected country. However, when asked if the most recent infected persons, who were in contact with the Saifee Hospital doctor, could be traced as the origin of the spread of Covid-19 in Worli Koliwada, the BMC official said, It is too early to say this. The results of these three persons came only today. We are examining this possibility. The G South ward, that has jurisdiction over Worli Koliwada, also recorded 15 other cases up from 12 reported on Monday, all of them from a single chawl at Elphinstone Road. A food vendor living in this chawl tested positive for Covid-19 on March 24. She died three days later. France Reports Record Number of COVID-19 Deaths in 24 Hours French health officials said Wednesday that 509 people died in the country due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, Frances highest daily total yet. State health agency director Jerome Salomon told a news conference on April 1 that the number of confirmed cases had risen to 56,989. Since March 1, 4,032 deaths have been recorded in hospitals. Thats 509 more today (than yesterday). Eighty-three percent of these deaths involve people older than 70-years-old, Salomon said at a briefing in Paris. The grim figures make France the fourth country to pass the 4,000-death threshold for COVID-19 after Italy, Spain, and the United States. France is now in its third week of a lockdown to try to slow the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus. Authorities have ordered people to stay in their homes except for essential travel from March 17 until at least April 15. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the lockdown would likely be dialed back in stages, rather than lifted in its entirety. He did not indicate when the government might start to ease or lift the lockdown. The government also reminded Parisians that trying to escape the city for a holidayas the school break begins next weekdid not constitute essential travel and that controls would be reinforced with utmost firmness. Without a valid reason, travellers will be fined for not respecting the confinement rules and will not be allowed to continue their journey or to take their train or plane, the Paris Prefecture said in a statement on its Twitter feed. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 30,000 people in Europe, with Italy and Spain registering over 75 percent of the disease-related deaths. On April 1, there were 31,221 recorded COVID-19 deaths in Europe, according the latest data collated by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global pandemic. The total number of deaths globally noted in the running tally was 43,537, making Europe the continent that has been hit hardest by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus. Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday he is deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of COVID-19. He told a virtual news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that there has been a near-exponential growth in the number of new COVID-19 cases. In the next few days we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths worldwide, he said. Reuters contributed to this report. Michel, lodged in Tihar jail, has moved the top court seeking interim bail citing coronavirus scare inside the prison and cited its recent order on granting bail to undertrial prisoners to decongest prisons in view of the pandemic New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday asked Christian Michel James, an accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, to seek interim bail from the Delhi High Court in the case. Michel, lodged in Tihar jail, has moved the top court seeking interim bail citing coronavirus scare inside the prison and cited its recent order on granting bail to undertrial prisoners to decongest prisons in view of the pandemic. A bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, asked the accused to seek bail from the high court first. Lawyer Aljo K Joseph, appearing for the accused, said that the bench without expressing its views on the merits, asked Michel to seek bail from the high court. Michel, alleged middleman arrested in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam cases filed by the CBI and the ED, had earlier moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail citing risk of contracting coronavirus in the Tihar Jail. He then moved the apex court seeking the same relief saying that the high court has been unable to accord hearing on his interim bail plea. Michel, 59, has claimed that his health condition was critical and incompatible with the current prison status, especially to cope with the risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection which could have a lethal effect on him as he is already suffering from serious pathologies. The agedness and a pre-existing ill state of health will make the applicant's (Michel) body more susceptible to the said infection than any other ordinary prisoner with a normal health condition," Michel has said in its plea. The regular bail plea of Michel, who was arrested in 2018 and is in judicial custody since 5 January, 2019, is also pending before the high court where the CBI and the ED have contended that he should not be granted the relief as he has a nexus with influential people and can influence witnesses. He has been denied bail in both the matters by the trial court. He has approached the high court against the lower court's decision. The special CBI court had denied him the relief, saying there was no sufficient ground to grant bail. Michel, extradited from Dubai, was arrested by the ED on 22 December, 2018. On 5 January last year, he was sent to judicial custody in the ED case. He is also lodged in judicial custody in another case registered by the CBI in connection with the scam. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the cases filed by the ED and the CBI. The other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. WASHINGTON President Trump continues to resist calls from hundreds of companies to drop tariffs he has placed on foreign goods, arguing that the levies do not impose costs on American companies, despite economic evidence to the contrary. The Trump administration has been weighing an executive order that would defer tariff payments on some imports, though not cancel the levies outright. But Mr. Trump said Tuesday evening that he had yet to approve the measure, and it was not clear if the administration would ultimately proceed with it. That might be, but Im going to have to approve the plan, Mr. Trump said of lowering tariffs. He pushed back on news reports that he had made a decision, saying, I approve everything and they havent presented it to me, so therefore its false reporting. People familiar with the deliberations say the administration has been weighing such a deferral, which would apply to the most-favored nation tariffs the United States has long imposed on goods from around the globe, rather than the levies Mr. Trump has imposed on Chinese products or foreign metals. Asked why Italy had a high rate of deaths due to the coronavirus, government officials there said it was because they were using a broader definition for such deaths than other countries, counting any victims who had tested positive even if other illnesses were at fault. In Illinois, officials announced last weekend that an infant died after testing positive for the virus, but said they were still determining the cause of death. And in Florida, two deaths were listed as virus-related in mid-March, then later removed from the official count. Incomplete data and inconsistencies come as no surprise to medical examiners, coroners, and physicians who fill out death certificates for a living. Even under normal circumstances, determining the cause of death is an inexact science. With the surge in deaths from a cause no one had heard of three months ago, ironclad certainty may, for now, be even more elusive. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided preliminary guidance for how to record virus-related deaths in case of uncertainty, such as when test results are not available. The National Association of Medical Examiners is adapting as well. I think that across the country, youre going to see different interpretations, said Meredith J. Buck, the coroner in Bucks County. People are trying to standardize something that has no precedent. Ultimately, the results will be crucial in helping researchers determine the virus deadliness. In the United States, 2% of identified patients had died as of March 31, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. But epidemiologists predict the true percentage will turn out to be lower, as wider testing identifies many more infected people who survived. In a March 30 study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers used a statistical model to estimate that the mortality rate in China was less than 1%. READ MORE: How much heart disease, smoking, and other risk factors worsen your coronavirus odds Consensus is emerging on how to handle several coronavirus-related scenarios, said Gregory McDonald, dean of the school of health sciences at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Early in the pandemic, before the virus was at the front of every physicians mind, it is likely some patients died of an infection without samples being taken for testing, he said. Such cases would be never be counted. More recently, some patients have had samples taken for testing but died before the results came back, meaning the cause of death should be filled out as pending." But in Pennsylvania, treating physicians are not allowed to fill out a death certificate that way; only medical examiners and coroners can do so such as when the result of a drug test comes back after death. (Medical examiners, who are appointed in a few counties, such as Philadelphia, are physicians. Coroners, most of whom are elected, do not require medical degrees.) If a test result comes back positive after the person is buried or cremated, physicians are urged to contact their county medical examiner or coroner so the cause can be updated, said McDonald, who is a physician and also deputy coroner in Montgomery County. Were pulling together as a country, he said. I suspect that as physicians become more and more attuned to these deaths, accuracy will get better and better. A subtler issue is what to do when the patient has other serious medical conditions. If the person suffered from chronic lung disease, then became infected with the virus and died of pneumonia, the immediate or primary cause would be pneumonia as a result of COVID-19. The lung disease would be listed as a contributing condition, said Sally S. Aiken, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. In other scenarios, the reverse could be true, McDonald said. If a person suffers serious head trauma then becomes infected after being put on a ventilator at a hospital, the trauma might be listed as the primary cause, with COVID-19 as contributing factor, he said. That kind of approach is what Italian authorities have said might account for the high rate of deaths in that country more than 11% of those infected, as of Wednesday. But in Germany, where the death rate is far lower, officials say they are using a similarly expansive definition. Epidemiologists say Italys high death rate is more likely the result of its older population, as well as a surge in cases that overwhelmed the health-care system. In Florida, where two deaths were listed as virus-related then unlisted, officials blamed the shift on errors in data entry. In Illinois, where the infant died after testing positive for the coronavirus, health officials said the death remained under investigation. In some deaths, the role of the virus may go unnoticed, such as for people with heart disease. Other respiratory viruses, such as the flu, are known to increase the risk of a heart attack, possibly because increased inflammation makes the plaque in their arteries more unstable. Cardiologists say the coronavirus likely has the same effect, meaning a person could die of a heart attack and not be identified as a COVID-19 patient. Among the various professionals who determine cause of death, there can be differences of opinion even under normal circumstances. But as in so many other professions, these times are not normal, said Buck, the coroner in Bucks County: Scenarios are coming up that people didnt necessarily think about." Gregory Reid En espanol | They called it the office, and by all reports, it was a bustling place. The converted house in Jamaica was filled with workers at desks and phones. There were payroll sheets to track transactions made and commissions paid. Each day, a room manager passed out lists of people to call. A whiteboard tracked how the salesmen and they were called salesmen were performing. At the end of the day, a janitor came in to clean up. It would have been easy to assume this was a well-run professional business. In many ways it was except the business was fraud. The many salesmen were actually pretending to be government officials as they called older Americans to tell them that they'd won a lottery prize worth millions, but only if they'd hand over thousands of dollars in taxes and fees. Of course there were no winnings to come. Many people still think of fraud as the playground of small-time hustlers. We've seen movies about con men: The Grifters, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Catch Me If You Can. These characters are lone wolves, or at most they assemble a small team to pull off that one big heist, Ocean's Eleven- style. But the truth is far different. An AARP Bulletin investigation including interviews with dozens of experts and an examination of thousands of pages of court documents shows just how systematic this industry has become, with fraud operations functioning in much the same manner as legitimate businesses establishing work spaces, purchasing leads, employing staff, setting goals, monitoring results and deploying the latest in technology all in an effort to steal your money. So when you answer that phone call about a prize for a contest you don't remember entering, or patiently listen to a pitch about a can't-miss investment opportunity, remember that behind that caller is very likely a sophisticated, professional enterprise. And they're part of a big international industry. Older Americans lose roughly $3 billion to fraud each year, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging reported in 2019. Scammers from around the world tend to target older Americans in particular because they have wealth, tend to be trusting and may be less sophisticated about technology. "In the U.S., we have a target-rich environment; the majority of baby boomers are retirement age, says Bill Brown, unit chief of the FBI financial crimes section. These assets will be the shiny new object for any criminal enterprise. Indore, April 2 : A health department team on a visit to locate persons reportedly infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indore's Tat Patti Bakhal area was pelted with stones. The health team consisted of five persons including three doctors. Though reports had earlier suggested that two women doctors suffered injuries to their legs, police said no one was hurt in the stone-pelting incident on Wednesday. "The moment we started enquiring about a particular person's health, people began protesting and were joined by others who resorted to pelting stones. Policemen standing nearby came to our rescue," a woman doctor said. Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Pravin Jadia said: "Our team is working to protect people from the coronavirus infection. But people pelted stones at them. It was an unfortunate incident." "Two women doctors somehow protected themselves by hiding in tehsildar's vehicle," said Jadia. A complaint has been filed at Chhatripura police station. A police officer said that during the incident the protesters also broke the barricade. A case of rioting will be pursued against them. Investigating officials said lack of awareness among the people about the corona virus infection and rumours spread on social media had led to such confrontations. Meanwhile, Indore Deputy Inspector General of Police Hari Narayan Chari Mishra told IANS that a team from the health department had gone to the area to conduct health checks when they were attacked with stones. However, no one was hurt in the stone-pelting incident. "The police have registered a case against unknown people and are looking for them," Mishra said. In another development, a 28-year-old woman doctor was admitted to a hospital with coronavirus on Wednesday. Jadia said the doctor was admitted to a private hospital. She was with the gynaecology department of the government Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, he said. The CMHO said that 20 people including doctors who had come in contact with her have been identified and put under quarantine. The doctor had met her husband in Lucknow some days ago and returned to Indore. Her husband has also been quarantined in Lucknow, Jadia said. As the coronavirus forces people to practice social distancing, a New Jersey neighborhood celebrated one little girls last day of chemotherapy with a drive-by, honk-and-wave parade. Emelina Emma Sergentakis took her last chemotherapy pill on Sunday and marked the occasion with a parade of cars that stretched close to a mile down the block, her mother, Janine Sergentakis, told, Good Morning America. Among the visitors were Emmas teachers, her school principal, extended family of teachers and her friends. PHOTO: Emelina 'Emma' Sergentakis pictured with older sister, Evangelime Sergentakis, on March 26, 2020, in Manalapan, N.J. (Courtesy Janine Sergentakis) MORE: Family recreates Disney in their backyard after trip canceled due to coronavirus I never anticipated there being as many cars as there were it was just incredible, Janine Sergentakis said. #EmmaTheBrave was painted on most signs, a nickname given to Emma by a family friend. PHOTO: Emelina 'Emma' Sergentakis pictured in a shirt that says, '#EmmaTheBrave,' on March 26, 2020, in Manalapan, N.J. (Courtesy Janine Sergentakis) All of her friends were hanging out their windows with huge signs. It was amazing she was so, so excited, Janine Sergentakis said. She was really excited to see her teacher, she misses [school] so much. She was just ecstatic. PHOTO: A young boy waves from a car in a parade to celebrate Emelina 'Emma' Sergentakis' last day of chemotherapy on March 26, 2020, in Manalapan, N.J. (Courtesy Janine Sergentakis) MORE: Seniors receive special bouquets from couple who put wedding flowers to good use Emma was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December 2017. Since August 2018, the Manalapan, New Jersey, native has been receiving administered chemotherapy every night at home, according to her mother. [Emma] has never complained. Shes been through hell and shes always had a smile on her face, said Janine Sergentakis. I always envisioned you know, T-shirts and signs and a [big celebration] for Emma, but, because of everything thats going on, that wasnt possible, said Janine Sergentakis, who thanked a local neighborhood Facebook group for organizing the parade. As for now, Emma is still considered immunocompromised and the Sergentakis family is practicing social distancing and self-quarantining, but hopes to celebrate in-person with friends and family soon. Emma is especially looking forward to growing new hair and taking a postponed trip to Disney World, Janine Sergentakis said. Story continues PHOTO: Emelina 'Emma' Sergentakis is pictured with her parents John and Janine Sergentakis and big sister Evangelime as they celebrated Emma's last day of chemotherapy on March 26, 2020, in Manalapan, N.J. (Courtesy Janine Sergentakis) MORE: 'Take a deep breath': Amid coronavirus crisis, good news is happening When this is all over, we do plan to have a huge party with all of our family, all of our friends, all of her friends, and just celebrate [Emma] and everything that shes been through, Janine Sergentakis said. Neighborhood parade celebrates girl's last day of chemotherapy originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com About half of the 9,000 South Koreans working at U.S. bases were furloughed indefinitely Wednesday in what the commander of U.S. forces in the country called the "heartbreaking" result of the impasse between the Trump administration and the Seoul government over how much to pay for the American troop presence. "It's unthinkable, it's heartbreaking," Army Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the more than 28,000 U.S. troops on the peninsula, said in a Twitter post on the lapse in the Special Measures Agreement between the U.S. and South Korea that forced the unpaid furloughs. Abrams has been effusive in his praise for the South Korean workers and their contributions to the readiness of the force; he has also lauded South Korean health care workers for their assistance to his command in battling the novel coronavirus outbreak. "I could not have asked for a better partner" in the coronavirus fight, Abrams said in a teleconference briefing to the Pentagon on March 13. Related: US Military Halts Moves to New Assignments in South Korea, Italy over Coronavirus Fears The furloughs are "in no way a reflection of their performance, dedication or conduct," he said of the South Korean workers in his Twitter statement. The furloughs are the first under the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which until Wednesday had been renewed every year since 1957, according to the Seoul government. Last summer, as part of its overall policy to get allies to pay more for their own defense, the Trump administration began pressing South Korea to pay more than the current $900 million under the SMA as its contribution to the costs of maintaining the U.S. troop presence. In November, on a trip to Seoul, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that South Korea "is a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of defense." In January, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) sent out notices to the civilian workers that the cost-sharing agreement between the U.S. and South Korea had expired Dec. 31 and furloughs could occur on April 1 unless a new agreement was reached. In a Feb. 21 Pentagon briefing, Rear Adm. William Byrne, vice director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff, cautioned, "There will certainly be an impact to both the service members and their families" if the furloughs occurred. "So if needed, we're going to have to prioritize what services those workers provide, and we're going to have to prioritize life, health and safety," Byrne said, referencing the workers who provide services ranging from fire dispatch and bus driving to staffing for hospitals, post offices, maintenance crews and administration. At a news conference Wednesday outside Camp Humphreys south of Seoul, the union representing the furloughed workers protested the U.S. action. "The livelihoods of workers have been hit hard by the collapse of the talks with the U.S., particularly at a time when it is difficult to find day labor or part-time jobs due to the new coronavirus outbreak," the USFK Korean Employees Union said in a statement, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: The Latest on the Military's COVID-19 Response One could think of two possible reasons, one political and the other personal. by Dr Ameer Ali At a time when the entire population of Sri Lanka and the whole world is preoccupied with finding the means to escape with minimum damage from the deadly effects of a health and economic crises, caused by COVID-19, also termed as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus by Epoch Times, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) has picked this moment of despair and despondence to grant a special pardon to an Army butcher, Sunil Ratnayake. Ratnayake, a former staff sergeant, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2015 after a 13-year trial, for murdering eight Tamil civilians including four children in Mirusuvil on 19 December 2000. This pardon is mindboggling to say the least, and deservingly met unreserved condemnation from all right-minded individuals and institutions, both nationally as well as internationally. It is not only an insult to the families and the community of the butchers victims, but also a blatant interference with and callous disregard to the countrys Judiciary. The erosion of the principle of separation of powers, an important pillar of democracy, started in Sri Lanka long before GR came to power. GRs immediate predecessor Maithripala Sirisena for example, twice granted pardons, first to a Buddhist priest imprisoned for contempt of court, and next, to a murderer sentenced to death for killing a Swedish teenager in 2005. Now, in the hands of an authoritarian GR, that erosion seems to have reached a new low. His authoritarian measures in handling the COVID-19 calamity, although should have started a few weeks earlier, did, no doubt, receive kudos even from his opponents. Compared to her neighbours Sri Lanka has done well so far. Let us hope that the country would come out of this pandemic with the minimum damage. So, why did GR decide to tarnish his reputation by pardoning a convicted murderer? One could think of two possible reasons, one political and the other personal. Politically, GR is desperate for his clans Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led Sri Lanka Nidhas Podujana Sandhanaya (SLNPS) to win the forthcoming General Election with a two-third majority. That majority would guarantee him an opportunity to radically revise, if not totally abolish, the current constitution with its controversial 19th Amendment. He has been complaining for long how that amendment is restricting his ability and willingness to transform Sri Lanka into a nation of prosperity and splendour. GRs ultimate goal is to be an all-powerful executive president, as originally envisioned by JR. From an authoritarian position GR would emerge as a dictatorial president. This is why he allowed nominations to continue uninterrupted amidst the spread of the coronavirus. He would love to have the election as soon as possible with less opportunity for the opposition to mount any consolidated campaign. GR is fully aware of and openly acknowledged the fact that he became a President solely with the backing of Buddhist supremacists. It was their money and campaigning that swayed Sinhala voters to elect him. Even though none of these supremacists now clamoured for the release of Ratnayake, GRs unilateral interference and meddling with judiciary would have certainly gone a long way to pleasing his backers. As he already announced during the presidential campaign that he would release all those Army and Police personnel languishing in prison on trumped-up charges, more such pardons could be expected from him in the future. Certainly to the supremacists, GR has proved his mettle by the one single and daring act of freeing Ratnayake. Recently, there was some grumbling and dissatisfaction among a group of maverick monks that the GR-MR duumvirate was not going far enough towards creating a Sinhala Buddhist polity and economy and was breaking some promises it made earlier. These monks have also formed a new far right political party, Ape Jana Balaya Pakshaya (AJBP). GR is trying his best to thwart their attempt and keep intact the Sinhala Buddhist vote bank within the control of SLNPS. Thus, there is politics behind Ratnayakes release. Besides, there may be a personal reason behind that pardon. It arises from a feeling of guilt. After all, Ratnayake and other army and police personnel who are locked up in prison are not the architects of their crimes but acted as instruments and carried out orders from a chain of command. At the top of that chain was Gotabaya himself. It was Gotas War, as captioned by Chandraprema, and it was Gotabaya who masterminded how that war was to be fought and won. Therefore why should the architect remain free and become president of the country while the ones who carried out orders be punished? This question must have pricked Gotabayas conscience and made up his resolve to free all of them. Ratnayake is his first choice and beneficiary. The Tamil community of course would be hurt by the Presidents actions. To GR, however, it is not a problem politically, because very few Tamils would vote for SLNPS. He has also decided already that in his modelled Sri Lanka of prosperity and splendour, Tamils would be excluded politically if not economically; and, in the eyes of the supremacist backers, Tamils as well as Muslims are not the owners of this country, and therefore they are simply disposables. (The writer is attached to the School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia.) For the simple act of washing their hands, slum dwellers in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township have to go to a communal tap, fill up a bucket of water and haul it back to their shack. On the way they walk past overflowing public toilets -- sewage gushing out onto the narrow alleyways of one of South Africa's biggest informal settlements. Everyday concerns about basic sanitation have been compounded by news that a Khayelitsha resident tested positive for coronavirus late last week. "We don't have toilets... we don't have water so you must go out," said Irene Tsetse, 55, who shares a one-bedroom shack with her son. A woman fills a bucket from a communal tap as children play. By RODGER BOSCH (AFP) With no windows and large rats entering the house, Tsetse explained the struggle of observing a 21-day lockdown imposed by the government last week to curb the spread of coronavirus. "We are trying to stay in the shacks but we can't," she told AFP. "You can't be inside the whole day in a closed dark room. You must open your door and gate and go peek outside." Ancient sewerage system Outside groups of children played on the street, desperate to escape the hot corrugated-iron cabins, each estimated to house between three and seven people. Khayelitsha is home to at least 400,000 people, according to the latest national census in 2011. But the sprawling township has grown rapidly over the past decade and locals estimate the population to be closer to one million. Around 65 percent of residents live in make-shift homes with no electricity or running water. The settlement has expanded faster than service provision, and people on the edge of the township live far from communal taps and toilets. Communal toilets in the informal settlement often overflow, spilling human waste onto the street. By RODGER BOSCH (AFP) Lack of urban planning has made it particularly difficult to roll out sanitation facilities. "They made no roads and there is no infrastructure," said Ndithini Tyhido, head of the Khayelitsha development forum. Pointing at the jumble of shacks, Tyhido blamed poor spatial planning by the white-minority government during South Africa's apartheid regime, which ended in 1994. "The sewer system here was made in 1983 for... maximum 250,000 people," said Tyhido. "That sewer network can no longer cope. The drains here are literally filled with faeces." Since South Africa's first coronavirus case was detected earlier this month, the government has deployed water trucks and distributed soap to townships like Khayelitsha. Numbers have risen to more than 1,350 over the past three weeks and five deaths have been recorded so far, making South Africa the worst-affected country on the continent. 'I don't have a choice' "We won't be going to all the townships at the same time, but we are targeting those where we want to deal with already identified cases," said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday. "We are scaling up intervention," he added. Overcrowded informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to the deadly respiratory disease. "We promote that people wash their hands and we say this everyday with full knowledge that some people don't even have the water to wash their hands," said Tyhido, exasperated by the situation. "If someone is going to report an incidence of corona they won't be able to say, 'at house number 30' or whatever," he added. Tyhido assured that Khayelitsha residents were doing their best to follow lockdown regulations and stay home. The corrugated-iron shacks typically house between three and seven people -- hot, cramped conditions that are made even worse by the lockdown. By RODGER BOSCH (AFP) "People want to listen. People want to comply and they are trying," he told AFP. "But the conditions are not conducive for that compliance to happen." Water trucks meanwhile have struggled to squeeze into the more densely populated parts of Khayelitsha, where shacks sit almost on top of one another with barely any road access. "It has been three days since I have gotten water," said Yandisa Gxokhwe, rushing to fill as many buckets as possible when the truck finally arrives. "I don't know when they will be back," he added. "There's no tap, no toilet, no thing." Unemployed at 24, Gxokhwe shares a two-bedroom make-shift home with his girlfriend and baby daughter. "I'm worried about the coronavirus," he sighed. "They said everyone must stay inside. But now I don't have water so I must go somewhere. I don't have a choice." Six people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man and woman were stabbed to death inside a home in south London. Police and paramedics were called to Dorset Road in Stockwell at around 4pm on Wednesday after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man. A man, 59, and a woman, 56, were found inside the address with 'multiple stab injuries' and later died at the scene despite the 'best efforts' of emergency responders. Six people were arrested on suspicion of murder and last night remained in custody. At least some of the six suspects and two victims are from 'the South American community,' police have confirmed. The victim's next of kin have been informed and officers are not seeking any more suspects. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, who is leading the investigation, said: 'I understand that this is an extremely shocking incident for the residents of this area and the wider community. Police and paramedics were called to Dorset Road in Stockwell at 4pm today after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man (Pictured: Police at the scene) 'Please be assured that my team are working very hard to understand the circumstance of this terrible event. 'The investigation is at a very early stage, but we currently believe that many of those caught up in the tragic incident are from South American communities. 'We are appealing directly to those communities in and around the local area for any assistance they can give us and will be working closely with our partners and other agencies to reach potential witnesses. 'If there is anybody with any information that could help our investigation please do get in contact, my officers are standing by to take your call and you will be fully supported.' A cordon remains in place outside the second storey maisonette while forensic investigators examine the scene. Two tents have been set up in a small elevated children's playground next to the property. The 'extremely shocking incident' comes on the ninth day of Britain's unprecedented lockdown to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said it dispatched London's Air Ambulance alongside several paramedic teams. 'We were called at 4:18pm today to reports of an incident in Dorset Road, Stockwell in SW8,' a statement said. 'We dispatched a number of resources to the scene: a paramedic team leader, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer, a medic in a response car and two ambulance crews. 'We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance. Sadly, despite our efforts, two people were pronounced dead at the scene.' A man, 44, and a woman, 56, were found inside a home with 'multiple stab injuries' in the 'extremely shocking incident' and later died at the scene Councillor Mohammad Seedat, of Lambeth Council, said 'colleagues tried to save the lives' of those involved, but were ultimately 'unsuccessful' Councillor Mohammad Seedat, of Lambeth Council, said 'colleagues tried to save the lives' of those involved, but were ultimately 'unsuccessful'. He wrote on Twitter: 'We are working with @LambethMPS to ascertain circumstances of two people murdered in the Stockwell area of Lambeth. 'COVID19 unfortunately bringing out the worst behaviours of humanity as well as the best. Stay indoors, stay safe.' The 'extremely shocking' double stabbing adds to a string of killings which have taken place across Britain since the nationwide coronavirus lockdown began. Tomas Macionis, 35, was stabbed to death in Walthamstow, north east London, on Tuesday. A man, aged in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of murder and tonight remained in police custody. The bodies of four people and a dead dog were last week found at a house in Sussex and a man was charged with killing his wife in South Wales. An NHS nurse was also stabbed to death in the street in South Yorkshire and three have died in an apparent murder-suicide in Hertfordshire. The latest: North State Coronavirus case numbers We are tracking the latest local numbers in the coronavirus, in Shasta County, there are now 7 confirmed cases. The number of confirmed cases in Butte County is at 8. Glenn country reports 2 confirmed cases. Tehama, Modoc and Trinity counties all remain at zero. California seeks 3,500 new inmate releases over coronavirus Hundreds of California inmates could see their sentences cut short by as much as two months. The move is part of an effort to free up space in cramped prisons in anticipation of the coronavirus outbreak. The early release could impact as many as 3,500 inmates. Those already within 60 days of their earliest possible release date and who are not currently serving a sentence for a violent or sex-related crime. Several California cities want transparency rules waived during COVID-19 pandemic Representatives for hundreds of California cities, including Chico, are asking the governor to suspend the state's transparency laws. The League of California cities made the request. A spokesperson for the league says cities are only seeking a waiver for documents not related to the coronavirus response. Butte County school campuses to remain closed for in-person instruction through May 1 California the State Superintendent of Public Instruction now says schools should stay closed for the rest of the school year. To read the full statement, Click Here. The Butte County Superintendent of Schools says all schools in Butte County will remain closed for in-person instruction at least through May 1st. Meals for students will continue throughout the county. White House projects 100K to 240K US deaths from virus The White House prediction says as many as 240,000 Americans could die from the coronavirus. National health experts believe that number could be cut in half - If Americans stop crowding beaches and bars. On Capitol Hill lawmakers are preparing for a fourth coronavirus package. Trump rollback of mileage standards guts climate change push The California Attorney General is demanding the Trump Administration withdraw rollbacks on vehicle mileage standards intended to improve air quality. The Obama-era standards mandated 5% annual increases in fuel economy from automakers. Opponents say the rollbacks will increase air pollution, accelerating climate change. Regulators mull reversing $462M increase in PG&E fire fines Regulators could be backing down from plans to fine PG&E another $462 million dollars for its role in Californias 2018's deadly wildfires. The state's public utilities commission is considering the changeover fears the fine could derail the utility's plans to get out of bankruptcy. PG&E representatives also say the utility will not use settlement funds to pay $4 million in criminal fines to Butte County. Overseas Chinese student Peng Wu has been taking a close interest in the spread of coronavirus in the UK. Overseas Chinese student Peng Wu has won widespread praise on the internet for charting the growth in number of coronavirus cases in the UK, as the country sees figures continuing to rise on a daily basis. The 26-year-old is a Chinese student from Chengdu, China, who is currently pursuing a masters degree at Leeds University. Peng has been taking a close interest in the spread of coronavirus in the UK and had warned the public to take action against the virus before it became a major public concern. (Screenshot from DHSC's official Twitter account) On March 5, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed on Twitter that 115 cases had been reported in the UK, up from 85 the previous day. However, in Pengs opinion, simply announcing the number of confirmed cases does not give the public a better understanding of the growth trend and severity of the outbreak. Following the tweet from the DHSC, Peng posted his first daily chart showing the number of confirmed cases against an exponential growth curve prediction. Ever since then, updating the charts on Twitter has become a daily routine for Peng. His intention behind the act was simple. Insisting on doing this every day actually encourages everyone to continue to pay attention to the epidemic, he told Yorkshire Post. At that time, Peng predicted that the situation would get worse in the UK over the coming days. The total was 115 cases, and I knew that because the government wasnt taking much action at the time, it definitely meant the real number would be higher. Every three days or so, the number will double until something effective is done, he warned. His prediction later proved to be accurate. In mid-March, as the outbreak worsened in the UK, the number of confirmed cases witnessed a three-digit and even four-digit increase every day. For Peng, making the chart was an easy job. As he has studied social statistics, it only took him about five minutes a day to complete the task by inputting the data into an analytics graph. (Screenshot from Peng Wu's Twitter account) Now, Peng posts two charts per day, one showing the ratio between the number of confirmed cases and number of people who have been tested, and the other showing the proportion of confirmed deaths to the total number of cases. Pengs actions have won massive plaudits from UK netizens and health professionals alike. The DHSC contacted him to thank him for updating charts in a timely manner, while members of parliament and even police chiefs have begun consulting him about the outbreak. At the request of a Nigerian doctor, Wu also helped draw up graphs on Nigerias coronavirus figures. Just waiting for that one tweet from Peng Wu to make my day, one Twitter user said, while another netizen hailed him as a legend. Some even launched a petition demanding that Peng be made the Prime Minister. From last weekend, Wu began to raise money to donate personal protective equipment to hospitals and GP practices in Yorkshire, in an attempt to contribute more to the fight against coronavirus in the UK. Wu is determined to do the updates every day according to official data until the tide turns. The Prime Minister said the overall situation in the UK would improve in late June and I will continue to do it until then, Peng said. Superstar Salman Khans nephew, Abdullah Khan, passed away two day ago at the age of 38. Abdullah was Salmans paternal cousins son and was reportedly suffering from a heart-ailment and pneumonia. He was a body builder and shared a close bond with Salman. As per reports, Abdullah was admitted to a hospital in Andheri post complaining of uneasiness. Later on, he was moved to a hospital in Bandra. Salman took to social media to share the news of the sad demise of his nephew. Salman wrote on Twitter,' Will always love you...', He also shared a picture of him posing with Abdullah. Salman's manager Jordy Patel cleared the rumour and reportedly said that Abdullah tested negative for coronavirus. He also told a daily that Salman will not able to attend his funeral due to the lockdown and hes extremely upset about it. He said, Salman is at his farmhouse in Panvel and because of the nationwide lockdown, he wont be able to travel. The funeral will be held in Indore, which is Abdullahs hometown. Salman will visit the family later. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Amzad Basha on Wednesday rubbished media reports that he attended the Tablighi Jamaat event held at Nizamuddin area of South Delhi, which has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after cases all across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. The Deputy Chief Minister also warned that he will soon file criminal cases and defamation suits against media organisations that have spread fake news about him. "The yellow media has conspired against me and our government. Some media organisations, which are to act responsible in these testing times, are playing I went to New Delhi on March 2 in connection with the hearing of a case in Supreme Court regarding 4 per cent reservations for Muslims. But some media are mudslinging on me that I had gone for religious program at Markaj. I am deputy CM of a state, my every movement is recorded by protocol," he said in a press statement. "I will file criminal case on media houses, will file defamation suit. Public should not believe the false news spread by yellow media. Public should be aware of the truth," he said. Basha further clarified that he stayed in Andhra Pradesh Bhavan on March 2 and on March 4 attended a cabinet meeting. "I stayed at AP Bhavan in Delhi on March 3. The next day, I met Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and later returned to my constituency of Kadapa and started preparing for local body elections," he said. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chinese government has announced that they were exonarating the whistleblower doctor who was reprimanded back in December for warning about the coronavirus before the outbreak even turned into a worldwide pandemic. In a startling admission of error, China's ruling Communist Party stated that the Wuhan police force has already revoked its admonishment which included a threat of arrest of Dr. Li Wenliang, who later on died after catching the infection while in the frontlines of the battle against the virus. The country's ruling party also said an apology tot he family of the late doctor and informed that the two police officers who have reprimanded the doctor have been issued the appropriate disciplinary action. On February 7,2020, Li died of COVID-19, the same illness he tried to warn the world about. Li's death sparked anger and outrage towards the ruling Communist Party and their control over the vital information which could have saved tens of thousands of lives. Furthermore, the death of the whistleblower doctor started the complaints about government officials in the country covering up disease outbreaks, industrial accidents, and natural disasters. In turn, many alleged that the country was instead punishing the whistleblowers and independent journalists who try to reveal their secrets. Read also: Hubei Coronavirus Dead Cremated, Chinese Families Banned to Say Farewell to Deceased Loved Ones Eight Doctors have been Reprimanded since December for Warning about COVID-19 According to reports, in December, there have been eight doctors who have been reprimanded by the police force for trying to reveal in social media the truth about the impending threat of a virus which seemed to affect people like the Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) does. After news about the police doing such things broke out, the Supreme Court of the country criticized the police for their actions. The ruling party, however, continued to keep a tight zip on the information about the virus. In previous disasters, the ruling party has also been accused of covering up vital information. The said disasters included the 2003 SARS outbreak, a chemical spill that disrupted water supplies of millions of Chinese citizens in 2005 and even the failure of private finance companies during the global economic crisis. In all of the instances, the party has been repeatedly accused of concealing or delaying vital information which could have helped people protect themselves before the situations worsened. The usual response to these accusations by the ruling party is letting the public vent out temporarily, and before the matters worsen, use their influence and control of the media and internet to suppress criticism. They have also been known to putting persistent critics in jail on charges of spreading rumor and causing public alarm. In the case of Wuhan, local leaders have also been accused of telling doctors back in December to not publicize the spreading "SARS-like" disease to avoid overshadowing the annual meeting of a local legislative body. The said doctors were ordered to delete their social media posts where they were asking for donations of medical supplies, prompting complaints of how the authorities are more concerned about their image more than public safety. The Communist Party was then condemned for keeping the information which could have prevented the worldwide pandemic. Related article: WATCH: Virtual Reality Shows How COVID-19 Creeps Into the Body and Destroys Lungs @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 11:07:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the City Brain, a smart city platform aiming to improve urban management, during an inspection in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said major cities can become "smarter" by using big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies to modernize urban governance. He made the remarks while visiting the City Brain, a smart city platform aiming to improve urban management, in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province Tuesday. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 1, 2020) - Kodiak Copper Corp. (TSXV: KDK) (the "Company" or "Kodiak") announces that the Company has completed its name and symbol change and share consolidation. The Company's common shares are now trading TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol "KDK" on the basis of five (5) pre-consolidation common shares for every one (1) post-consolidation common share. The Company currently has approximately 36,654,666 post-consolidation common shares issued and outstanding, subject to the rounding of fractional common shares. See the Company's news releases dated February 13 and March 27, 2020 for more details. Webinar Kodiak Copper's President and CEO, Claudia Tornquist will host a webinar which will take place on Thursday, April 2nd at 11:00am PDT/2:00pm EDT. Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. To join webinar by computer, register from this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B9jtRP1pQrOnxQQ6P83X9w Meeting ID: 615-651-165# Or to dial-in only use: Canada +1 647 558 0588 USA +1 929 205 6099 UK +44 203 481 5240 Germany +49 69 7104 9922 Switzerland +41 43 210 71 08 The company has also launched a new website at www.kodiakcoppercorp.com with all traffic to the former site and emails being redirected to @kodiakcoppercorp.com. Social media channels will also be redirected to the following landing pages: Twitter: @Kodiakcopperco Facebook: Kodiak Copper Corp. LinkedIn: Kodiak Copper Corp. For further information please contact Mr. Knox Henderson, Investor Relations, at 604-551-2360 or khenderson@kodiakcoppercorp.com On behalf of the Board of Directors Kodiak Copper Corp. Claudia Tornquist President & CEO About Kodiak Copper Corp. Kodiak is focused on its portfolio of 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. The Company's most advanced asset is the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in south-central British Columbia, Canada, where the Company made a discovery of high-grade mineralization in 2020. Kodiak also holds the Mohave copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad mine. The Company's Trapper copper-gold porphyry project is located in the northern Golden Triangle region of British Columbia. All three of Kodiak's porphyry projects have been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits. The Company also holds the advanced-stage Kahuna diamond project in Nunavut, Canada. Kahuna hosts a high-grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets. Kodiak's founder and chairman, Chris Taylor, is well-known for his gold discovery success with Great Bear Resources. Kodiak is also part of the Discovery Group of Companies led by John Robins, one of the most successful mining entrepreneurs in Canada. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54036 Experts said bank merger at this point of time will not be very smooth and seamless. However, heads of the anchor banks are exuding confidence. The biggest-ever bank consolidation exercise in the public sector unit kicked in today. Six PSU lenders were merged into four in a bid to make them globally competitive. Earlier, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had said that the scheme of merging 10 PSU banks into four bigger lenders is on schedule despite the country-wide coronavirus lockdown. It has triggered 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The merger will come into force from 1 April, 2020, the central bank had said. Experts said merger at this point of time will not be very smooth and seamless. However, heads of the anchor banks are exuding confidence. "We don''t foresee any problem it is going as per the plan. We have reviewed in the light of this situation also. Certain modification in implementation. We have done so that there is not any disruption for employees and customers. We are ensuring zero disruption," Union Bank of India Managing Director Rajkiran Rai G told PTI. The four anchor banksPNB, Canara Bank, Union Bank and Indian Bankare postponing some part of the implementation and processes due to the lockdown. "For merging banks, we have not changed some of the process like loan process, etc, which we proposed to do earlier. However, because of the prevailing situation we will be continuing old system till the situation comes under control," he said. With the merger, the bank looking at more than Rs 2,500 crore of synergy benefits in the next three years, he added. Mega consolidation plan The notice for the above amalgamations was released at the start of March this year. However, unions of bank officers had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week asking for a delay in the deadline in view of the coronavirus lockdown As per the mega consolidation plan, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India will merge into Punjab National Bank (PNB); Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank; Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India; and Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank. Following the consolidation, there will be seven large public sector banks (PSBs), and five smaller ones. There were as many as 27 PSBs in 2017. The total number of public sector banks in the country will come down from 18 to 12 beginning next financial year. Speaking on preparedness, Indian Bank MD Padmaja Chunduru said harmonisation of productsboth on the loan and deposit sideshas been completed and the same products will be offered to all customers. She also said all the deposit and loan products, including access to Indian Banks emergency credit lines launched in the wake of Covid-19 would be made available to the customers of Allahabad Bank. "We have focused all our resources on the important things that matter for day onetreasury integration has happened and IT integration to the extent of product harmonization and rolling out of the same products has happened," she said. She expects the entire IT integration to be completed by December 2020. Following this merger, PNB will become second largest after the State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank fourth, Union Bank of India fifth and Indian Bank seventh biggest public sector lender. Commenting on the consolidation, Canara Bank MD L V Prabhakar said, "We are delighted that following the amalgamation as a single legal entity, we will become a powerful banking institution that is globally competitive and efficient working towards providing differentiated customer experience excellence across all our products and services". The combined entity will be large but with an unchanged approach to grass-root banking, customer delight, and satisfaction, Prabhakar said. The merger will result in the creation of seven large PSBs with scale and national reach, with each amalgamated entity having business of over Rs 8 lakh crore and it would help create banks with scale comparable to global banks and capable of competing effectively in India and globally. In addition, consolidation would also provide impetus to merged entities by increasing their ability to support larger ticket-size lending and have competitive operations by virtue of greater financial capacity. 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 the public sector bank. These were State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Hyderabad effective April 2017. --With PTI inputs Iran's death toll from the coronavirus has passed 3,000, the health ministry said on Wednesday, as President Hassan Rouhani accused Washington of missing a "historic opportunity" to lift sanctions. Tensions between the arch-foes have soared since President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to reverse its policy, which has been opposed by US allies, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the coronavirus death toll in Iran now stood at 3,036 following 138 new fatalities in the past 24 hours. He added that 2,987 new cases had been confirmed, bringing the total to 47,593, with 15,473 of those hospitalised having recovered and been discharged. "This was the best, historic opportunity for the Americans to reverse their wrong path and for once, tell their nation they are not against the Iranian people," Rouhani said in televised comments at a cabinet meeting. They "did not learn their lesson even during this difficult global situation," he said. "This was a humanitarian issue. No one would have blamed them for retreating." Medicines and medical equipment are technically exempt from the US sanctions but purchases are frequently blocked by the unwillingness of banks to process purchases for fear of incurring large penalties in the United States. Countries including Azerbaijan, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan, Qatar, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have all sent shipments of medical aid to Iran. European nations have also delivered medical goods to Iran in the first transaction under the Instex financing mechanism set up to get round US sanctions, Germany said on Tuesday. It is more than a year since Britain, France and Germany announced the creation of Instex, a delay that has prompted Iran to question European governments' commitment to seeing it through in defiance of the Trump administration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Trend The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region has issued an appeal in connection with the so-called "elections" held in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,Trend reports on April 1. "In the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on March 31, 2020, another "election show" was organized, called the "presidential and parliamentary elections". This step of occupier Armenia and its accomplice - the puppet regime has no legal basis, is a big blur on the name of democracy and elections," the appeal states. As noted in the document, now when the world is facing a coronavirus pandemic, and people's lives are in danger, Armenia and its puppet regime, remaining committed to their essence, even in this situation continue illegal activities, conducting the show called elections: This is another indicator of "values" on which Armenia and the occupant regime are based; and their "attitude" towards the members of the Armenian community of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, which they hold captive, confirms how much indifferently the regime approaches to the lives and destinies of these people. We believe the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh will finally understand that they are a tool in the hands of Armenia and the puppet regime which dont value them, turning them into a victim of fake games instead of protecting them from the threat of pandemic," the appeal states. The appeal stresses that the holding of so-called "elections" in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of Azerbaijanis who were subjected to ethnic cleansing and expelled from their native lands: "The UN, OSCE, other world organizations and the international community have previously made statement in connection with these falsified "elections", condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, declaring the inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of our country, the appeal notes. These so-called "elections" are another strike to the negotiation process, and serves to escalation of the situation. We are convinced that the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh will participate in the legal elections, which will be held in accordance with the Constitution and other laws of Azerbaijan together with Azerbaijanis who will return after the restoration of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan," the appeal states. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) As students in Tippecanoe County start e-Learning this week, unreliable internet service is a rising concern. One Clarks Hill resident said the town has struggled with inconsistent service since internet provider Watch Communications came to town. "If it's not working we're going to be letting down a whole generation," said Raymond Tillotson, Clarks Hill community member. Tillotson two grand-nieces join a number of students in the area that'll be sharing internet from the town's single radio transmitter. "The traffic that's going to be considered here in town the traffic they're going to be experiencing is going to be ridiculous and it's going to run the megs down real low," said Tillotson. Tillotson said Watch Communications is the main internet provider in the area. According to the company website, it prides itself on using advanced technology and high-speed connectivity in its small-rural markets throughout Indiana and Ohio. Unfortunately, Tillotson said that has barely been the case. "We have frequent slowdowns, you can get dropped clear off the system and then wait for it to come back on, and it's usually repetitive," said Tillotson. He said he's been in constant communication with the Watch Communications for months but there still hasn't been a solid solution. "The children are getting cheated out of the opportunity to learn right now," said Tillotson. "There's going to be a lot of things that they don't grasp and they're not going to be able to grasp until they have a more structured system more reliable system." For now, Tillotson is heavily depending on his Verizon Wireless hotspot to help his grand-nieces and he's hoping the company steps up. He said he'll take any improvement compared to what he's experiencing now. "I want a guarantee that I will have 80-percent of my package at a minimum, and that's all I'm asking," said Tillotson. We reached out to Watch Communications but have not heard back. But Watch Communications has put a free hotspot at the Clarks Hill Community Center for those without internet to use according to Michelle Davis, wife of a town board member. She said Clarks Hill is working with Watch Communications to get a lease signed for their use of the water tower. Once the lease is written and signed, the internet provider will spend money to upgrade the equipment that it inherited from the two previous companies. According to Davis, the company bought out the town's previous wireless provider. Davis said the town has been working to resolve the internet issues but with the current virus situation, town lawyers are out of the office. She said Watch Communications planned to join a town board meeting in April but it has been canceled because of the virus. The town is hoping to conduct a virtual meeting between the board and Watch Communications to iron out the details. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-01 22:00:06 Beter Bed Holding announces the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 13 May 2020. Following measures taken in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus), shareholders are strongly requested not to attend the AGM in person, but to virtually attend the AGM through the live webcast and to exercise their voting rights by way of a written or electronic proxy with voting instructions. The latest information on the AGM, such as the agenda including explanatory notes and the notice for the AGM, is available on the companys website www.beterbedholding.com . Changes in Supervisory Board At the AGM Beter Bed Holding proposes to appoint Barbara van Hussen and Maaike Schipperheijn as Supervisory Directors. Both appointments are for a period of four years. Barbara van Hussen is a lawyer and a partner at JanssenBroekhuysen Advocaten and fulfils various (guest) teaching positions. In addition, Barbara held and holds various executive and supervisory positions. She is nominated for her broad background and valuable expertise in corporate and business law. Most recently, Maaike Schipperheijn was CFO and member of the Board at Euroports. Before she held various international financial management and board positions, among others at Shell and joint ventures of Shell. She has also worked as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG. She is nominated for her extensive international experience in the field of audit, financing, corporate governance and compliance. The full resumes of both candidates are included in the notes to the agenda. Following the AGM Huub Vermeulen will resign from the Supervisory Board. Huub has been a dedicated member of the Supervisory Board since 26 April 2018. His role at Bol.com requires maximum attention given the fast growth Bol.com is experiencing. Therefore he feels he cannot fulfil his role in the Supervisory Board in the best way possible for Beter Bed Holding. Bart Karis, Chair of the Supervisory Board, comments: We are very pleased to welcome Barbara van Hussen and Maaike Schipperheijn as new members of our Supervisory Board, resulting in a well-balanced composition of the Supervisory Board. At the same time, we sincerely regret but understand Huubs decision to step down as member of our Supervisory Board. We are very grateful for his valuable contribution over the past two years and wish him all the best for the future. Following these changes, the Supervisory Board will consist of: Bart Karis (Chair), Pieter Boone (Vice-Chair), Alain Beyens, Barbara van Hussen and Maaike Schipperheijn. Strategy Update Given the current circumstances following the COVID-19 outbreak, the analyst meeting, scheduled for 13 May 2020, to update the market on our strategy, is postponed until further notice. Further announcements We will continue to closely monitor the situation and may take further COVID-19 related decisions with regard to the AGM. We advise shareholders to regularly check our website for any further updates. Profile Beter Bed Holding N.V. is a retail and wholesale organisation that offers its customers the best quality rest at affordable prices. The Group operates offline through physical stores and online through its own web shops for the specific brands. The Group is also active on national and international online retail platforms. The Group operates in the following regions: The Netherlands and Belgium, via the Beter Bed and Beddenreus brands (only in the Netherlands). Sweden, via the Sangjatten brand. Via its subsidiary DBC International, Beter Bed Holding operates a wholesale business in branded products in the bedroom furnishings sector, including international brands such as M line and Wave. Beter Bed Holding is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. Employing approximately 1,100 people, Beter Bed Holding achieved revenues of 185 million in 2019. For more information Press enquiries: Uneke Dekkers / CFF Communications T +31 (0)20 575 4010 or M +31 (0)6 50261626 E uneke.dekkers@cffcommunications.nl Please click for the complete version of the press release on the link below. Press photos can be downloaded here . Attachment The ski pistes are open, the restaurants are doing ample business and the malls are awash with shoppers. Welcome to Sweden, the last holdout among the small number of Western countries to have taken a radically different approach to the coronavirus pandemic. While social life in Europe and much of the U.S. now centers on the home after governments imposed increasingly drastic curbs on freedom of movement, Sweden left offices and stores open, issued recommendations rather than restrictions, and waited to see what happens. Businesses, kindergartens and schools remain open. After a long winter, Stockholms street cafes and outdoor bars swelled with people over the weekend, and the citys old town drew large crowds as locals ventured out to enjoy the good weather. The only mandatory rules are a ban on meetings of more than 50 people and an order forcing bars and restaurants to only serve seated customers so as to avoid overcrowding. The U.K. and the Netherlands also briefly considered letting the virus propagate through the population in a controlled manner so as to build a natural form of immunity. Both reversed course after academics warned they could face hundreds of thousands of deaths and an overwhelmed health care system. It is too early to assess whether Swedens approach will have a benign or catastrophic outcome, but so far, the virus hasnt spread widely there. Sweden, with 10 million inhabitants, had 4,028 confirmed infections and 146 deaths by Monday, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Austria, a similarly-sized European country with about 8.8 million people that is under lockdown, had 9,200 cases and 108 deaths. Anders Tegnell, Swedens chief epidemiologist and architect of the policy, says the approach, much like the original British one, is to let the virus spread as slow as possible while sheltering the elderly and the vulnerable until much of the population becomes naturally immune or a vaccine becomes available. The next two weeks will determine whether Swedens approach can succeed or if authorities bend to the reality of a rash of new cases, said Dr. Cecilia Soderberg-Naucler, a physician and professor at the Karolinska Institute. She predicted the government would be forced to retreat because the virus was out of control due to the absence of restrictions and testing. Asian countries that have managed to avoid lockdowns relied on mass testing to isolate positive cases and stop the contagion, she said. Sweden has a long tradition of favoring voluntary guidelineswhich call on the elderly to self-isolate and the young to reduce social mobilityover coercive measures. Dr. Tegnell said that could lead to higher compliance. A majority of people will stay home if they get symptoms, he said. We want to slow down the epidemic until Sweden experiences some sort of peak, and if the peak is not too dramatic we can continue. Unlike in the U.K., there is little sign of a backlash against the voluntary approach from a worried public. A Novus poll last week showed 80% of people approved of a speech by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, in which he appealed to the personal responsibility of each adult citizen to prevent the diseases spread. In Stockholm this past weekend, more people appeared to avoid closed spaces than the previous weekend, and travelers on public transport were sitting apart from each other. Some Stockholmers are staying home and many skiers have cut short their trips to popular resorts such as Are. The number of people using Stockholms underground and commuter trains dropped by 50% last week, according to Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, the public transport company. Some European experts and officials, including Ansgar Lohse, a prominent German doctor, and Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the British government, have praised the approach. But even some of these proponents say it might be hard to replicate outside the specific context of Scandinavia. In Swedish culture, they note, generations dont interact as much as they do in, say Italy. More than half of Swedish households consist of a single person, according to official data. This means less risk of younger people passing on the virus to their elders. It may also explain why a disproportionate number of Swedens Covid-19 deaths occurred within the countrys Somali community, whose members tend to live in cramped accommodation in poorer neighborhoods, with more intergenerational mingling and less access to government information. Some Swedish economists have also criticized the governments strategy as shortsighted, warning that the cost of an out-of-control epidemic could outweigh the benefits of avoiding lockdowns in the short term. Yet the main expressions of concerns have come from scientists and doctors. Some are concerned that cases will pick up soon and fast. The Huddinge clinic in Stockholm has obtained refrigerated containers to store bodies if the death toll escalates as it has in other countries. Elective surgeries have been paused, and local authorities are building a makeshift Covid-19 clinic in Stockholm. This is a big and risky experiment with the entire population that could have a catastrophic outcome, Joacim Rocklov, a professor of epidemiology at Umea University and one of several scientists campaigning for the government to change tack. It is risky to leave it to people to decide what to do without any restrictions. As can be seen from other countries this is a serious disease, and Sweden is no different than other countries. Dr. Rocklovs research shows that pursuing herd immunity without suppressing the spread of the virus would overwhelm hospitals and result in large numbers of premature deaths. He is skeptical that high-risk groups can be effectively sheltered. Fredrik Elgh, a professor of virology at Umea University, said that the current policy was frightening and called for Stockholm to be put under quarantine. We will be overwhelmed by cases further down the epidemic curve, Dr. Elgh said. s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, October 7, 2021 - Vaccination is one of the most impactful public health interventions in history, saving the lives of an estimated 2.5 million people[1] every year and protecting millions more from illness and disability. Classical vaccine research and development timelines remain nevertheless long and costly, as it takes on average more than 10 years and costs more than 800 million[2] to bring a new vaccine to The United States now has more cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world, surpassing China and Italy with 177,452 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. But as communities and hospitals across the country confront the pandemic, many experts predict there will be a shortage of doctors and nurses. Shreya Thatai, a second-year student med student in a joint medical program between the University of California, Berkley and University of California, San Francisco says she hopes the pandemic will motivate more students to go to medical school. "Maybe we'll get a lot more doctors out of this," she tells CNBC Make It. "I feel like for younger folks, maybe in high school or in undergrad right now, this could be a real motivating force to just enter health care: nurses and doctors and medical practitioners and everyone." For students who have been inspired to go to medical school, the next step is setting their sights on the right program for them. Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases a comprehensive ranking of the best medical programs in the United States to help students make that choice. This year, the publication surveyed 189 accredited medical programs and considered a wide range of factors, including peer assessments and medical research funding from the National Institutes of Health, to calculate its rankings. Here are the top 10 medical programs for students interested in research, according to U.S. News: The state of Montana reached 45 COVID-19 cases Monday, adding 11 from the previous day's tally and six cases in Gallatin County, where the county health officer on Sunday said there was evidence of community spread. Community spread means people who contracted the virus had no known contact with other sick people or close contacts of sick people. Before Sunday, health officers around the state had mostly reported people who tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, had traveled outside of Montana domestically or internationally, or attended the university system's Board of Regents meeting in Dillon on March 5, which is related to at least three confirmed cases. On Monday, Flathead and Missoula counties also each added two cases, while Yellowstone added one. Gallatin County has more than double the number of cases of any other county, at 16. Yellowstone County has fewer than half the number of cases as Gallatin, at seven. Missoula has six; Flathead has four; Cascade and Lewis and Clark each have three; Butte-Silver Bow has two; and Madison, Ravalli, Broadwater and Roosevelt each have one. The state did not provide details about the cases, but the Kalispell City-County Health Department said their cases include a woman in her 30s and man in his 50s. The state public health laboratory in Helena had processed 1,688 tests by 4:30 p.m. Monday, running an additional 152 since Sunday evening. Hospitals and providers, who decide when people are tested, can also send swabs to private labs, though the state has said the quickest turnaround is at the state lab. Montana has put into place several measures meant to stave off the spread of the virus. Gov. Steve Bullock last week ordered all bars, theaters, gyms and other businesses where people tend to congregate closed, while allowing restaurants to offer delivery and pickup. He'd already ordered K-12 schools closed. While both orders were set to expire March 27, Bullock said the public could expect them to be extended. Bullock on Monday announced additional measures that are meant to increase hospital space and medical supplies that would be available in the event of a spike in COVID-19 cases taxing the state's health care system. While its paramount that Montanans stay vigilant with social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19 and avoid burdening our health care system, we must also prepare for a potential surge in critically ill patients and ensure there is hospital space and supplies to respond, Bullock said in a press release. Bullock's directive, issued under the authority of a state of emergency he declared earlier this month, will waive the bidding process normally required to procure or distribute emergency supplies or contract for additional space to care for patients. It also gives facilities the ability to open bed space and equipment by waiving strict compliance with reporting requirements around the transfer of certain patients and easing the process for releasing patients and discharging them to their home communities to recover. Earlier Monday, some of the state legislators most intimately involved with Montana's budget held a press call to offer reassurance that the state's fiscal reserves are in strong shape. State Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, said Montana has reserves of $464 million from combined sources including the fire fund, the budget stabilization reserve and the general fund. Before the economy swung so dramatically for the worse over the last week or so, Ballance said revenues had been trending higher than legislative estimates, though now the expectation is for them to come in lower but still near what was projected. The state is in a good position, Ballance said. (Previous actions leave) us in a place where as ideas come forward, we have the ability to put money toward those ideas and help business, help families, help employees to get through this crisis. While some are already asking if the state would need to go into a special session to deal with challenging financial times, the legislators on Mondays call said they didnt think it would happen, at this point. State law triggers budget cuts if the ending fund balance is expected to drop below 4% of annual appropriations, which would be about $100 million. That's what led to a special session in 2017. State Sen. Ryan Osmundson, R-Buffalo, said he thinks the reserve situation is sufficient to ward off the need for a special session. With the state that were in, it looks very good that were not going to have to go back into session until 2021, Osmundson said. The state is in a very good place. I think people can sleep easy. Its not like the state is running out of money at this point in time. Last week Bullock also eased the path for people to apply for unemployment benefits. Ballance said Monday the states unemployment insurance fund is at $360 million. The lowest point its hit in recent years is $107 million back in 2011. Were feeling pretty good about that fund as well, Ballance said. State Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, said lawmakers in Montana, who are not in session now and have limited ability to act, have been been pressing to get their priorities heard with a fair amount of success. Jones said he wants to see support to keep small businesses afloat so people can have jobs to return to. For Montanans probably the best thing we can do is figure out a way to keep doing your jobs, Jones said. If we do not, this will be not just be a health care crisis but itll be a very severe economic crisis. Montanans are strong, theyre good at pivoting. Im confident they can do this. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. EU Warns Against Using Pandemic To Undermine Democracy March 31, 2020 In a thinly veiled warning to right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister VIktor Orban, the European Union's executive said on March 31 that emergency measures adopted by member states to fight the coronavirus crisis cannot undercut democracy. "It is of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values...Democracy cannot work without free and independent media," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. The statement came a day after Hungary's parliament approved legislation giving Orban sweeping new powers under -- and possibly beyond -- the country's state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Von der Leyen did not name Hungary but her statement will nevertheless be seen as a rebuke to Orban's adoption of rule by decree. "Any emergency measures must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate. They must not last indefinitely," von der Leyen said. In Hungary's southern neighbor, Serbia, which is not an EU member but aspires to join the 27-member bloc , President Aleksandar Vucic announced an open-ended state of emergency on March 15 and parliament has been sidelined. Vucic has assumed full power, prompting an outcry from opponents who say he has seized control of the state in an unconstitutional manner. Based on reporting by AFP and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-warns-pandemic- hungary-democracy/30520084.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 AFRICA Great Lakes Region Expected Council Action Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia is expected to provide his bi-annual briefing to the Council in April on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC Framework) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region, and other recent developments in the region. Key Recent Developments and Council Dynamics The Council continues to follow several country issues in the Great Lakes region, including the DRC, Burundi and the Central African Republic (CAR). In the DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi has been active in promoting cooperation between the DRC and its neighbours. This regional outreach comes in the context of efforts to stabilise the eastern DRC, which remains volatile. The issue was most recently discussed at an informal interactive dialogue, held on 14 January, during which Special Envoy Xia also briefed. The Council held two meetings in consultations in November and December 2019 to discuss an increase in violence in the area. While maintaining the dual strategic priorities of protecting civilians and supporting the stabilisation and strengthening of state institutions, the one-year renewal of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) mandate on 19 December 2019 in resolution 2502 also included a request to the Secretary-General to work with the government to create an exit strategy for the mission, due by 20 October. In general, Council members have maintained a positive view of the DRCs political situation, with concern focusing mainly on violence and the ongoing risk of re-emergence of Ebola in the DRCs east. Despite differences on the best way to proceed with MONUSCO in the future, especially its Force Intervention Brigade, the Council adopted resolution 2502 unanimously. In Burundi, the political situation remains unsettled. Presidential electionsthe first since 2015, when Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza won a controversial third termare scheduled for 20 May. Nkurunziza has said that he does not plan to run. On 26 February, Council members held an informal interactive dialogue (IID) on the situation in Burundi, during which Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita briefed. This was originally envisaged as a formal public briefing followed by consultations, but the president of the Council in FebruaryBelgiumdecided instead to hold an IID, which allows for non-Council members to participate in an informal discussion. Though Burundi was invited, it did not participate in the meeting. During the meeting, some Council members emphasised the need for the upcoming elections to be held in an inclusive, peaceful and transparent manner. At a briefing of the Human Rights Council on 9 March, its Commission of Inquiry on Burundi (COIB) warned that the situation in the country had worsened. The COIB highlighted attacks against opposition politicians and their families as well as killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and ill-treatment and rape against actual or alleged political opposition members. COIB members also reiterated the Commissions concern about the humanitarian situation, including the 336,000 Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries. Security Council members remain divided on Burundi. China and Russia have said that the country no longer belongs on the Councils agenda, arguing that the situation is not a threat to international peace and security; the UK, amongst others, maintains that the country should remain on the agenda, given the political situation and human rights violations. Regarding the CAR, there has been an overall decrease in violence since the Political Peace Agreement was signed on 6 February 2019 in Bangui, according to the Secretary-Generals 14 February report. However, violent incidents and human rights violations continue, and full implementation of the peace agreement has been delayed because of a lack of good faith by armed groups, some 14 of whom signed the agreement with the CAR government. One of those groups, the anti-Balaka, is reportedly responsible for the 15 March death of a UN peacekeeper who was part of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). He was killed when elements of the anti-Balaka launched an attack on the central CAR town of Grimari. In a separate incident on 15 March, another peacekeeper was injured when his patrol on the Ndele-Birao axis came under attack by elements of two armed groups. Finally, a CAR staff member of MINUSCA was also killed in Ndele on 7 March. The Security Council issued a press statement on 16 March condemning the attacks. CARs fragile situation was discussed in a Council briefing and consultations on 20 February. According to OCHA, approximately 2.6 million people require humanitarian assistance, with 669,000 civilians internally displaced and another 593,000 people seeking refuge outside CAR. Presidential, legislative and local elections are scheduled for December 2020 and early 2021, and there are concerns about seeing electoral timelines met. At a Council briefing on 25 October 2019, the Special Representative and Head of MINUSCA, Mankeur Ndiaye, warned that a serious delay in holding the next elections could create a vacuum at the highest echelon of the State and lead to another political transition that would be harmful to the consolidation of democracy, stability and peace in the Central African Republic. More recently, during his 20 February briefing, he asked the international community to meet its technical, logistical and financial support so that the elections could be held within the constitutional time frame. While all Council members support the Political Peace agreement, there are some differences regarding CAR sanctions. Unlike previous unanimous renewals of the sanctions regime, China and Russia abstained on the Councils January adoption of resolution 2507, arguing that the Council should do more to lift sanctions on the government. While the Special Envoy has recently focused on mobilising resources to attract business and investment in the Great Lakes region, his offices investment and trade conference, scheduled for 18-20 March in Kigali, was cancelled as a precaution in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. UN DOCUMENTS ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION Ramirezs commencement ceremony and Match Day on March 20, when she would find out the hospital where shed complete her residency, were abruptly canceled as part of an effort by universities across the country to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, she received an email about her match with MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. And the University of Illinois at Chicago said it is exploring its options, which may include postponement or a virtual ceremony. I was amazed when I saw that face masks werent enough in the US, a country that is provided with everything. It turns out that something like this can also happen. This is what former Soviet dissident Paruyr Hayrikyan told reporters today. According to him, people in both the US and Armenia werent treating the threat of the spread of COVID-19 seriously. The Americans said this was all exaggeratedI didnt notice anything unusual until the last day of my stay, Hayrikyan said. He stated that the governments of all countries are taking measures to fight against COVID-19, especially countries where people came to power and obtained positions without difficulties. The current state of emergency in Armenia has helped create rather favorable conditions for the authorities to say that they are irreplaceable, the peoples salvation and there is a need for national unity, Hayrikyan said, adding that he was amazed at how people in Armenia were at ease, especially the health minister and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted a loan of 62.35 million to Cote dIvoire, the bank said in a statement. The funds are intended to finance the Project for the Strengthening of Electrical System Works and Access to Electricity (Proser). The AfDB grant will help finance the electrification of 1,388 rural localities in the West African nations 11 districts, including Comoe, Denguele, Lakes, Lagoons, Mountains, Sassandra, Woroba, Savanes, Bandama Valley, Yamoussoukro and Zanzan to the electricity grid. About 797,000 inhabitants will benefit from the electrification project. Part of the AfDB loan will be allocated to the Electricity for All Program (EFPT), launched in June 2019 in the Indenie-Djuablin region. The program, which will be completed in the course of this year, will enable about 114,000 households to benefit from electricity. The phase 1 of Proser provides for the construction of 6,460 km of 33 kV power lines, the construction of 3,419 km of low-voltage lines and the installation of 1,394 rural distribution substations. Cote dIvoire is now relying on renewable energy to provide electricity to its population. Since 2019, the country has an installed capacity of 2,200 MW, according to the government. The electricity is produced from highly polluting thermal power stations and hydroelectric installations. The government wants to double the countrys electricity production by 2030 to adapt to the needs of its population. This production will be based on renewable energy systems, especially solar power. New Delhi, April 1 : Two resident doctors at Safdarjung hospital here tested positive for Covid-19 disease, a source said on Wednesday. Prior to this, three doctors of Mohalla Clinics were confirmed to have coronavirus infection, while another doctor from Sardar Patel Hospital has also tested positive for the disease, taking the total count of affected doctors to six. The Safdarjang hospital doctors, who contracted the virus, have been kept in the isolation ward here and their contact tracing has been done, according to the hospital sources. According to sources, of the two residents, one is a woman doctor and a third-year post-graduate student of the biochemistry department. She had travelled to a foreign country recently. The other doctor, who has got the infection, was posted in the Covid-19 ward of the hospital. The hospital has asked other doctors and healthcare staff to monitor their health closely. As on Wednesday, total number of novel coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1,637, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday. This included 1,466 are active cases and 38 fatalities. Total 132 individuals have recovered so far, and one patient migrated from the country. At a press briefing, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said at least 386 new positive cases of novel coronavirus and three new deaths have been reported in the country in 24 hours. Earlier he had also said that the ministry was not differentiating between the patients of coronavirus, be it a doctor or anyone, and also that the government was stressing upon procuring as well as manufacturing PPE materials. Fifteen fresh cases of coronavirus were reported from Rajasthan on Wednesday with 13 of them detected in the Ramganj area of Jaipur's walled city, taking the count of the infected people to 108 in the state, an official said. Jaipur has now become a major coronavirus hotspot in the country with 34 cases, 26 of which have been reported from the Ramganj area, a densely populated locality. The other two cases were reported from Jodhpur, where a 65-year-old man with no travel history and a 61-year-old woman evacuated from Iran last week tested positive for the disease, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. The woman has been kept at an army facility there, he added. "Thirteen more positive cases of COVID-19 have come up in the Ramganj area. All are contacts of the first person who had tested positive in the area. All have been kept in isolation," Kumar said. A spurt in the number of cases in the Ramganj area was witnessed after a 45-year-old man with a travel history to the Middle East region was tested positive on March 26. He had landed at the Delhi airport on March 12 and took a bus the same day to return home. He met several people till March 26 when he was tested positive, officials said. Ten members of his family and a friend had also contracted the disease. The Ramganj area had earlier reported 13 coronavirus cases, including 11 members of a family living in a multi-storey building in Phhuta Khurra of the area. The administration from Wednesday has extended the prohibitory orders and the curfew in Jaipur district for an indefinite period. Gathering of more than five people at any public place, religious and other functions without the permission of subdivisional magistrate (SDM) has been declared illegal and punishable under Section 188 of the IPC, said District Collector Jogaram in his order. As several people were seen on rooftops, the administration has decided to monitor the curfew with the help of drones, he said. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeeva Swarup said a flag march will be conducted. NGOs distributing food can continue to serve the needy but they have to give food packets to administration teams. Jaipur Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Narrottam Sharma said the authorities have been closely monitoring the situation and about 125 close contacts of the positive patients have been sent to quarantine facilities. He said over 70,000 people have been screened and about 15,000 households in the walled city area have been surveyed by health teams. Sharma urged people to call on 181 if anyone found having fever, cough and cold. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A coal-fired power station in the U.K., which had a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) at its peak and could power roughly two million homes, officially closed on Tuesday. The shutdown of Fiddler's Ferry Power Station, which is located in Cheshire, came on the same day that another coal-fired facility, RWE's 1,560 MW Aberthaw Power Station in Wales, also closed down. Provisional statistics released by the U.K. government last week showed that electricity provided by coal-fired generators dropped by nearly 60% in 2019 compared to the previous year. According to the figures, the 6.9 terawatt hours of electricity supplied from coal-fired generators in 2019 represented a record low. The latest Energy Trends report on U.K. electricity put this down to plant closures and coal-generation becoming "less economically favourable" than gas-fired generation. On a larger scale, last December the International Energy Agency said that cheap natural gas had "shattered coal's competitiveness in the European Union in 2019." The U.K. government is aiming to remove coal from Britain's energy system by 2025. It recently announced it would consult on moving that deadline to October 1, 2024. According to the government, Britain's reliance on coal for electricity has fallen from 70% in 1990 to under 3% today. Supplier News 1 April 2020 According to Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, capacity in the German health system is at risk of being overwhelmed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. "We have to assume that capacity will not be sufficient", Wieler told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. In the best-case scenario, hospitals will have expanded to maximum capacity by Easter and the measures in place will have the effect of flattening the curve." "In the fight to contain coronavirus, federal and state governments decided in mid-March upon an emergency plan for hospitals in Germany, which anticipates that the "upgrading, equipping and conversion of rehabilitation facilities, hotels or large venues can help to create additional capacity for a multitude of non-critical cases". Novum Group, Penta Hotels, Brera and b'mine already on board PMS provider apaleo from Munich, Germany has recently made its cloud-based hotel software available free of charge for this purpose, allowing hotels to have a better view of availability and occupancy from a central system. As part of this initiative, apaleo has already added 188 hotels with 21,000 rooms in Germany and other countries (as of March 31, 2020), including almost all Novum Group properties, with some in the Netherlands, Great Britain and Austria, as well as Penta Hotels, Brera and b'mine Hotels. "The aim of this campaign is that, by working with participating hotels, we free up hospital capacity for emergency cases so that quarantine cases at a non-critical stage, as well as support staff and nurses not living in the affected area, can be accommodated in the converted hotels" says Uli Pillau, co-founder of apaleo. "Patients from France are already being accommodated in German hospitals in the border areas. Capacity could soon be reached." 15,000 new rooms within 24 hours "We are currently seeing many regional initiatives where hotel inventory is being committed to the emergency plan. With our highly scalable cloud platform for inventory management, we were able to add more than 15,000 new rooms to the system in the first 24 hours. We can help the hotel industry to pool efforts by providing the basic technology for this free of charge," added Martin Reichenbach, co-founder of apaleo. In a matter of minutes, apaleo's cloud PMS can be set up and activated "remotely" for the converted hotel, i.e. via a web browser and without any apaleo employees visiting the property. If desired, other properties can be rapidly added later with one click. Local authorities and municipalities are also responding positively to the ability to use the cloud PMS to manage occupancy in venues and schools at no cost and have included apaleo on their crisis team list. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 17:21:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2020. Xi on Sunday inspected the resumption of work and production in Zhejiang. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has urged efforts to promote the smooth flow of products out of and into the country. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. On the first leg of his tour, Xi visited the Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo Zhoushan Port, whose throughput has recovered to normal levels due to the timely measures it adopted to resume production. The Ningbo Zhoushan Port took the lead in resuming production, which was of great significance to promoting Chinese enterprises to resume work and production as well as restoring the logistics system and the global industrial chains, Xi said. He called for efforts to cope with and blunt the adverse impacts of the global restrictive measures on cargo shipping and facilitate the smooth flow of the country's exports and imports. While regarding the port as a hard-core power, Xi said Zhoushan port plays an important role in national strategies such as the building of the Belt and Road, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. By PTI WASHINGTON: After months of telling the public not to use face masks, the United States is looking into revising its recommendations, following the example set by some Asian countries that have been more successful in fighting the coronavirus. The reason? Many people without symptoms are contagious without knowing it -- and the thin barrier provided by a simple surgical mask, or even a homemade substitute, could help reduce the spread. "One of the (pieces of) information that we have pretty much confirmed now is that a significant number of individuals that are infected actually remain asymptomatic," Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told NPR on Tuesday. "That may be as many as 25 percent," he added, citing Chinese data. The new coronavirus is far more contagious than the flu -- by a factor of three or four, estimated Redfield. It's spread via respiratory droplets when people cough or sneeze, but also when they unknowingly touch surfaces at home or outside. Some spread may even occur when infected people use and then flush the toilet, creating a plume of viral-laden air in the bathroom. At the moment, the advice from the CDC is only that sick people, and those who care for them at home, should wear the masks to prevent spreading the disease to others. But that could be shifting very soon. The idea for widespread use of masks is backed by President Donald Trump, who encouraged people to fashion their own makeshift barriers if they can't get ahold of the medical apparel. "You can use a scarf. A lot of people have scarves and a scarf would be very good," he said at his daily White House briefing on Tuesday. "The idea of getting a much more broad community-wide use of masks outside of the health care setting is under very active discussion at the task force," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the coronavirus taskforce told CNN on Tuesday. "The thing that has inhibited that a bit is to make sure we don't take away the supply of masks from the health care workers who need them. "But once we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks." In China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, masks, gloves and even in some cases protective boots are commonplace -- and the picture is evolving in Europe too. In the Czech Republic and Slovenia, they are now compulsory. ALSO READ: 'Matter of life and death', says Trump as US coronavirus fatality count surpasses 4,000 Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Sunday urged Trump to follow suit, tweeting at him: "Wearing a simple cloth mask decreases the spread of the virus by 80 per cent! Czech Republic has made it OBLIGATORY for its citizens to wear a mask in the public." In France, many are fashioning cloth masks at home and the government discourse is also shifting. One area of concern is making sure that people who wear masks don't become complacent and that they still adhere to the principles of social distancing and frequent handwashing -- the Asian examples indicate that both are possible. New York, the hardest-hit city in the United States, is a good example: The few pedestrians out and about exercising or on essential business are often masked while maintaining a six-foot (two-meter) distance from others. FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE But the practice hasn't yet made it through to the White House's daily briefing, where none of the officials cover their faces. Gabe Kelen, director of the department of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, said he feared a change in the advice may mean that the public tries to get hold of real masks, even if they are told to use DIY ones, and that could exacerbate shortages for health care workers. But he added "as the infection becomes more ubiquitous in society, (they) might have some value to keep others from getting it." Brandon Brown, an epidemiologist at the University of California Riverside, agreed. "Once more effective masks are made available, I believe we will all be using them for our own protection when emerging from our shelter in place order to obtain food and other essentials to use back home," he told AFP. "For now, we can use a DIY face cover in public if nothing else than to prevent us from touching our face after touching surfaces." There were 216 foreign nationals among 1,746 people lodged at the Tablighi Jamaat's Nizamuddin Markaz facility as on March 21, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 'Janata curfew' across India to contain Covid-19 spread. Additionally, 824 foreigners had been, as on March 21, doing Tabligh (Chilla) activities in various parts of the country, it said. The Home Ministry made the announcement after the headquarters of the religious sect in the Nizamuddin area emerged as one of the biggest coronavirus hotspots in India with 24 people testing positive and nearly 200 others showing symptoms. The authorities have begun evacuating the six-storey building of some over 1,000 others believed to have been exposed to the virus. The building belongs to the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim sect that hosted this month its annual congregation with attendees coming in from several nations, particularly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan before they spread out to other parts of the country such as Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh creating a web of close contacts that now threatens to create an explosion of cases in the country. "As on March 21, there were about 1,746 persons staying in Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz. Of these, 216 were foreigners and 1,530 were Indians," the Ministry said. The Ministry said that details of these 824 foreigners had been shared on March 21 with the sate police for identifying them, getting them medically screened and quarantined. Besides, on March 28, state police were advised to collect the names of Indian Tabligh Jamaat workers from the local coordinators to locate them on the ground. So far, the Ministry said, about 2,137 such persons have been identified in different states and they are being medically examined and quarantined. "This process is still on and more such people would be identified and located," said the Ministry, adding it had also issued a detailed advisory to Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of all states as well as Commissioner of Delhi Police on March 28 on this issue. The Ministry said that state DGPs had been again advised on Monday to trace the movement of all such Tablighi workers in their area, ascertain the people coming in their contacts and take steps for their medical screening. "Many States have already started doing this." The Ministry declared that all the Tabligh Jamaat workers staying at Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz are being medically screened since March 26 and so far 1,203 of them have been medically screened. Of them, 303 had symptoms of Covid-19 and were referred to different Delhi hospitals, said the Ministry, adding rest of them have been moved to different quarantine centres at Narela, Bakkarwala and Sultanpuri. "This process will continue throughout today (Tuesday) to move every Tablighi Jamaat worker out of Nizamuddin Markaz. "It is estimated that from January 1 onwards this year, approximately 2,100 foreigners had visited India for Tablighi activities while approximately 824 of them, as on March 21, were dispersed in different parts of the country, approximately 216 of them were staying at Nizamuddin Markaz. Others might have left the country before the lockdown, it said. It said that Tablighi Jamaat workers, both foreigners as well Indians, indulge in Chilla activities across the country throughout the year. All such foreign nationals normally report their arrival at Tablighi Markaz at Banglewali Mosque in Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi. From here, they are detailed for Chilla activities to different parts of the country. Chilla activities in all states are coordinated by district coordinators in different districts, and these in turn, in some states are supervised by state 'amirs'. The Ministry informed that Bureau of Immigration has been sharing (since February 1) with state authorities, details of all international arrivals from affected countries based on self declaration form filled-in by them. In addition, since March 6, Bureau of Immigration had also been sharing details of all the international arrivals (both Indians and foreigners) at all the international airports in the country to the concerned state, based on the permanent address mentioned in their passport, in case of Indians, and hotel address, in case of foreigners. Pennsylvanias public school system was never designed to pivot quickly to broad-scale digital learning; until last month, most parents and administrators probably never really thought it needed to be. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, and the 2019-20 school year as we knew it - along with many other aspects of community life - came to a screeching halt. Most central Pennsylvania school districts do now have plans in place to restart with some type of formal online instruction within the next two weeks; some already have. But in the meantime, and perhaps as an ongoing supplement for the near-term future, a much more 20th Century solution is being offered to fill the breach: the television set. The states seven public television stations have essentially turned over their program day to education-focused content for what amounts to two school days in one. Program blocks in the Harrisburg area, served by WITF, are reserved from 6 a.m. to noon and again from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for shows aimed at students in pre-k through the elementary grades; then from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., PBS standards such as NewsHour, Antiques Roadshow and and NOVA are being packaged as instructional programming for middle and high school students. In addition, the network will be running a fuller menu of round-the-clock grade school programming on its PBS kids network, and through streaming services available through the WITF Web site. State officials are not looking to television as the primary source of learning for any communities, but it is a nice supplement -and may be more than that in districts were more households do not have Internet access. Its part of a multi-pronged strategy to help address the unique needs of schools as they build systems to maintain instruction during the closure, Education Press Secretary Eric Levis said. School buildings have been closed since the evening of March 13, when Gov. Tom Wolf announced an initial 2-week shutdown. He has since extended that shutdown through at least April 30, and there is no guarantee that schools will reopen then given the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases around the state. The Wolf Administration is strongly encouraging all schools to provide continuity of education for all students in the most appropriate and accessible ways possible, while also honoring the Governors guidance for aggressive social distancing of at least six feet between individuals. Continuity of education is a term of art used to describe educational practices that occur in the event of a prolonged school closure. The state has given local school districts the choice of doing that through a variety of forms ranging from online and digital learning opportunities to paper packets being distributed to students homes. Some districts have struggled to develop an online solution - either because of concerns that not all students have Internet access; and the sheer difficulty of quickly moving to a cyber-instruction model at the drop of a hat. State Education Secretary Pedro Rivera on Tuesday announced a number of other new resources that are being pushed out to the districts, including free access to online learning platforms Odysseyware and Edgenuity that offer k-12 coursework in English, Language Arts and Math and other subjects. The department also allocated up to $5 million in grants for schools to purchase computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets and internet hot spots, or to use towards providing instructional materials such as paper lessons and coursework. The department will also allocate new federal monies to these grants as the federal appropriations become available. Applications will be taken from April 6 through April 10, and schools with the highest percentages of students lacking access to resources will be given priority in receiving the grants, Rivera said. The PBS stations do largely answer the access question. Together, they say the public television network in Pennsylvania reaches over 12.4 million of Pennsylvanias 12.8 million residents. At least one midstate district has been quick to embrace the public broadcasting lifeline. Since Monday, teachers in Harrisburg city schools have encouraged students to watch the WITF programming, which district officials said tie into big ideas built into the school districts curriculum. Parents can then have their children write about what they learned to further reinforce lessons. The district is offering academic enrichment programs online, but a recent technology survey revealed about 67 percent of students have access to a device and an internet connection. So going forward with an online model only would leave one-third of kids behind, said Harrisburg Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer. Even if the district received a grant to buy technology, there still would be additional barriers to providing instruction online, Celmer said, including teaching students how to use unfamiliar devices, teaching teachers how to deliver content in this new way and having enough information technology resources to deal with expected problems and questions. The decision of Harry and Meghan to step down from their royal duties also means that they will no longer enjoy royal privileges according to a recently published article. It is common knowledge that members of royal families enjoy many privileges and perks, not to mention a lavish lifestyle. That is why many questioned the decision of Harry and Meghan as to why they decided to step down from their senior royal duties. Beginning today, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer be officially performing their senior royal duties. They will also divide their time either between the U.K. and Canada or U.K. and California. It is still not clear as to where they will reside. However, regardless of their residency, there are few privileges that they will no longer enjoy. Here are some of them according to a recently published article out of Britain: 1. They will not be allowed to travel around the globe on behalf of the Queen There were occasions in the past where Harry and Meghan traveled on behalf of the Queen. They have also done royal tours since they got married. However, now they will no longer have to do this or they are no longer allowed to have royal tours. 2. They will no longer receive money from the Sovereign Grant The Sovereign Grant is the money that the couple received as members of the royal family. It is a portion of the taxes paid by its people that pays all their expenses to include the salary of their employees and more. As to how much they receive, that we do not know. This is also the reason why they don't need to work as professionals because the Sovereign Grant they received is more than what they need. As Royals, they are also not allowed to have regular jobs. However, things will change now. The royal couple will no longer receive Sovereign Grant and will likely have to work as professionals to earn and maintain their lavish lifestyle. 3. They have to pay the 2.4m cost of renovating their Frogmore Cottage It can be recounted that it was reported that their Frogmore Cottage at their Berkshire home was renovated with millions of pounds. According to a report, it was already scheduled for renovation before they moved in. The renovation was carried out in 2018 and it cost taxpayers 2.4m. Since they stepped down from their royal duties, they have to pay this amount. 4. They will have no longer an official office at Buckingham Palace Following the announcement of Harry and Meghan in January that they will step down from their senior royal duties, it was also decided that their office at the Buckingham Palace will have to be closed. This would result in the loss of jobs for members and staff working for them. In the official Sussex Royal website, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote: "The Duke and Duchess shared this news with their team personally in January once they knew of the decision, and have worked closely with their staff to ensure a smooth transition for each of them. Over the last month and a half, The Duke and Duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team." 5. Their security will no longer be funded by the Canadian government The Canadian government has been paying for the security of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they moved to Canada since November last year. However, the Canadian government will not be paying for it anymore beginning April 1. In a statement released by the Canadian official representative, he said: "The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status." Read related articles: P eople all over the world are competing to play the best practical tricks on each other, because today is April Fools' Day. Tricks can vary from something as simple as a whoopee cushion on a chair, or as grand as a fake proposal - and the results are sure to be all over your social media feeds. Whilst the exact origins of the day are unknown, its thought to have been celebrated in the UK since at least the 19th century. Back then, pranks were mostly played on children but nowadays, no one gets away lightly. Heres everything you need to know about what is (supposedly) the funniest day of the year, April Fools Day: April Fools' Day origins Newspapers often prank their readers with fake stories on April Fools' Day / Getty There are various theories about where the day actually came from, but the most likely seems to trace all the way back to the late 16th century when Pope Gregory XIII decided it would be a good idea to adopt the Gregorian calendar (no prizes for guessing why). Where the year had previously started at the end of March, under the new calendar rules it was moved to January 1. Even though the news was spread, some people clearly didnt get the message in time and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. Because of this, they were ridiculed and branded as fools; thus the tradition of April Fools Day began. April Fools' Day around the world People take pictures of a giant straw fish in France during April Fools' Day / Getty In France, children prank their friends by taping a paper fish to their backs. In Scotland, April Fools Day lasts two days. On the second day, known as Taily Day, pranks involving the backside are played. Its thought to be where kick me signs originated. In New York, press releases for a non-existent April Fools Day Parade have been released every year since 1986. In Canada and England, April Fools Day jokes are only supposed to be played until noon. In Poland, April Fools Day is so strongly believed that an anti-Turkish alliance signed on April 1 with Leopold I in 1683 had to be backdated to March 31. Is April Fools' Day a bank holiday? Yes, April Fools Day is a national holiday and everyone gets the day off. Fooled you! The landline phone rings continuously as the helpline at Prime Minister Narendra Modis local public relations office, which is also known as Mini PMO, in Varanasi receives 80-90 calls daily on an average, says Shivsharan Pathak, who is in charge of the Mini PMO. The callers ask for help to ensure home delivery of medicines, timely supply of cooking gas and sanitisation of their locality, he adds. The mini PMO helpline (0542-2314000) was started on March 27. As one call disconnects, another follows. The person deployed at the helpline is instructed to attend each call and note down the request made by the caller, his name, the area he belongs to and the cell phone number in a register, Pathak says. In addition, many daily wagers, who are stranded in different areas, dial the helpline number and ask for delivery of food packets to them, he adds. Their location is noted. With the help of several organisations, food packets are delivered to them within an hour. Pathak says, The helpline functions round the clock. On average, around 80 to 90 seek help. Each call is attended and it is ensured that the problem is solved quickly. Around 20 calls are by labourers, who ask for food. Around 25 calls are from other residents, including senior citizens, who want home delivery of medicines. Then, about 5-10 calls are for getting residential areas sprayed with disinfectants. About 20 others ask for proper supply of cooking gas and so on, he says. As soon as the helpline receives a call from any labourer, his location is established and the cell phone number is noted. Soon after that, the helpline contacts social organizations to ensure delivery of food packets to the person (labourer) quickly, Pathak says. Two days ago, Vikas Kumar, a daily wager from Khojwan area asked for food packets, which were provided. Dr Suresh Kumar, a resident of Ashokpuram Colony, dialled the Mini PMO helpline and sought help for getting his colony sanitised. Pathak spoke to the Varanasi municipal authorities and ensured the colony was sanitized. Amit Kumar Pandey from Pandeypur area sought help for proper distribution of foodgrains by the fair price shop in the locality. Pathak said he spoke to additional district magistrate (supply) Satish Pal and had the problem solved immediately. In the meantime, one Bhanvar Lal from Guru Dham colony sought help for ensuring home delivery of medicine, he said. The helpline volunteer called up a medical store identified by the administration for home delivery and made sure that Bhanwar Lal got the medicine at his doorstep, he said. An official at the mini PMO said several calls were received with requests for delivery of cooking gas cylinders at home. Pathak said he spoke to ADM supply Pal and asked him to ensure proper supply of cylinders in each and every area of the city. The ADM said passes were already issued to trolley-men for the door to door delivery of cooking gas cylinders. Navratan Rathi, the BJP spokesperson for the Kashi region, said, The helpline at the Mini PMO received around 400 calls in the last five days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The death toll in Iran from the novel coronavirus has surpassed 3,000, the health ministry confirmed while speaking at the press conference. At least 138 new fatalities were recorded within the past 24 hours. Ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour, said that the country has witnessed a sudden wave of the surge in COVID-19 patients. Over 2,987 new cases were detected in Iran that jumped the total to 47,593. However, 15,473 patients recovered and were discharged from the hospitals, Jahanpour added. Iran had earlier issued a direful warning to the citizens to remain under quarantine, suggesting that millions are expected to die in the Islamic Republic. A medic was quoted on the state television as saying that based on Tehran's prestigious Sharif University of Technologys research and analysis, there could be a large number of fatalities if the containment directives were neglected. He stressed that the public must adhere to the social distancing protocol, to break the chain of transmission. Read: India Looks At China, South Korea, Germany For Best Practices, Technology To Contain Coronavirus Read: China Reports More Than 1,300 Asymptomatic Coronavirus Cases 3.5 million deaths predicted Another prestigious medical worker, Dr. Afruz Eslami, was quoted as saying that Iran might have over 120,000 infections, and at least 12,000 deaths in weeks ahead provided citizens followed guidelines that would flatten the curve. Upon failure of guidelines, the already overwhelmed healthcare systems will collapse, and over 3.5 million people will die, Eslami was reported predicting as per local media outlets. She, however, did not tell the press the basis of the data or metrics used. At least 12 Iranian political entities have succumbed to the deadly COVID-19 disease, media reports confirmed. As many as 13 are active cases either treated at medical facilities or quarantined, due to show symptoms. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prohibited non-essential movement for the religious groups, after their failure of compliance despite repeated warnings. He said while speaking to the press that the public has been ignoring pleas of the security forces, as a huge crowd gathered at the courtyards of Mashhad's Imam Reza shrine and Qom's Fatima Masumeh shrine, late evening of March 31. Read: Trump Wants Florida Officials To Welcome Cruise Ship Hit By Coronavirus Read: Kenya Confirms 59 Coronavirus Cases, Plans To Hire 1000 Additional Medics The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to worsen Wednesday despite unprecedented lockdowns, as the head of the United Nations sounded the alarm on what he said was humanity's worst crisis since World War II. The warning came as Donald Trump told Americans to brace for a "very painful" few weeks after the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of the crisis. The number of deaths on Wednesday topped 4,000, twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday, Johns Hopkins data showed. Protective equipment used during the bubonic plague, Spanish flu and COVID-19. By Alain BOMMENEL (AFP) Around half of the planet's population is under some form of lockdown as governments struggle to halt the spread of a disease that has now infected more than 840,000 people. Well over 40,000 are known to have died, half of them in Italy and Spain, but the death toll continues to rise with new records being logged daily in the US. "This is going to be a very painful -- a very, very painful -- two weeks," the president said at the White House as he described the pandemic as "a plague." "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead." Staff dig graves at Vila Formosa cemetery, in outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil. By NELSON ALMEIDA (AFP) America's outbreak has mushroomed rapidly. There are now around 189,000 known cases -- a figure that has doubled in just five days. On Tuesday, a record 865 people died, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Members of Trump's coronavirus task force said the country should be ready for between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the coming months. "As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it," Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. Iran's Azadi (Freedom) Tower is lit up with flags and messages of hope in solidarity with all the countries affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. By STR (AFP) America's under-pressure health system is being supplemented by field hospitals sprouting up all over New York, including a tented camp in Central Park, a hospital ship and converted convention centres. But even with the extended capacity, doctors say they are still having to make painful choices. "If you get a surge of patients coming in, and you only have a limited number of ventilators, you can't necessarily ventilate patients," Shamit Patel of the Beth Israel hospital said. "And then you have to start picking and choosing." Deep recession feared The extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. Workers sanitise the Western Wall, the most holy site where Jews can pray against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 in Jerusalem.. By Emmanuel DUNAND (AFP) The "disease... represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past." "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," he said. A man wearing a gas mask waits on the platform at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina metro station in Moscow. By Dimitar DILKOFF (AFP) In virtual talks Tuesday, finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 major economies pledged to address the debt burden of low-income countries and deliver aid to emerging markets. Last week G20 leaders said they were injecting $5 trillion into the global economy to head off a feared deep recession. Mumbai police order people to do sit-ups as punishment for going out without a valid reason during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in India. By INDRANIL MUKHERJEE (AFP) In the European Union, however, battle lines have been drawn over the terms of a rescue plan. Worst-hit Italy and Spain are leading a push for a shared debt instrument -- dubbed "coronabonds." But talk of shared debt is a red line for Germany and other northern countries, threatening to divide the bloc. Deaths shot up again across Europe. While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 new deaths were reported on Tuesday. Chilean soldiers patrol in Santiago, Chile, before more than 1.3 million people in the city enter into total quarantine for a week. By Martin BERNETTI (AFP) France recorded a one-day record of 499 dead while Britain reported 381 coronavirus deaths, including that of a previously healthy 13-year-old. That came after a 12-year-old Belgian girl succumbed to an illness that is serious chiefly for older, frailer people with pre-existing health conditions. 'We need help now' While many companies and schools around the globe have shifted to teleworking and teaching over video platforms, huge swathes of the world's workforce cannot perform their jobs online and are now lacking pay and face a deeply uncertain future. A staff member of the Congolese Ministry of Health prepares the sampling equipment to perform a COVID-19 test at a private residence in Goma, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. By ALEXIS HUGUET (AFP) The economic pain of lockdowns is especially acute in the developing world. In Tunisia several hundred protested a week-old lockdown that has disproportionately impacted the poor. "Nevermind coronavirus, we're going to die anyway! Let us work!" shouted one protester in the demonstration on the outskirts of the capital Tunis. Africa's biggest city Lagos was set for its second full day of lockdown on Wednesday -- but with some of the world's biggest slums, home to millions who live hand-to-mouth, containment will be difficult. "There is no money for the citizens," said engineer Ogun Nubi Victor, 60. "People are just sitting at home, with nothing to eat." burs-hg/ecl The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple may launch iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 on April 5 as the image of its protective case has appeared at online retailer Best Buy in the US. Apple is yet to officially reveal the launch date of the handset. An image shared by a Best Buy employee shows an Urban Armor Gear case for the new 4.7-inch 2020 iPhone. However, there is no name on the case box and these cases, among others, are being sent to retailers, reports Mac Rumors. Additionally, Best Buy employees have been instructed not to showcase these cases until April 5, which indicates that the company could indeed launch the budget iPhone later this week. The upcoming iPhone is expected to be an affordable iPhone, like the 2016 iPhone SE. In terms of specifications, the iPhone 9 is expected to come with a 4.7-inch display with a design that is similar to the iPhone 8.A It is likely to be powered by the company's A13 Bionic chipset coupled with either 64GB or 128GB storage variant. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Montreux, Switzerland Wed, April 1, 2020 21:00 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f0279a 2 Entertainment jazz,festival,jazz-festival,Montreux-Jazz-Festival Free The announcement arrived on the same day the Montreux Jazz Festival was due to unveil the lineup for its 54th edition, which is still scheduled to take place between July 3 and 18. Organizers of the Swiss festival added in a statement that this years lineup will be communicated at a yet-unknown date given the exceptional circumstances all are currently facing. Concerned by the seriousness of the situation and mindful of its evolution, the Festival management is closely assessing developments in conjunction with both the authorities and those involved in the organization of the event. Our team is therefore continuing its work, in hope and humility, to enable this years Festival to happen under the best possible conditions, they further explained. While the organization of the July festival is still uncertain, Montreux Jazz Festival announced the digital release of more than 50 performances from across its 54-year history. Read also: Moscow's Bolshoi to livestream shows for free The performances are available to stream in full free of charge for the first month via Stingray Qello, where fans will have the opportunity to discover legendary sets by Ray Charles, Wu-Tang Clan, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Deep Purple, Carlos Santana and more. Montreux Jazz Festival is not the only musical institution taking the show online in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Ticketmaster Australia was holding Together Fest on its Facebook page, with more than 20 artists performing this Tuesday, March 31 until 9 p.m. (AEST). Among them were Alice Skye, Brendan Maclean, Pinkish Blu, Sophisticated Dingo, The Hunting Birds, Will Cumming and Lupa J. We also know that the current social distancing and isolation can be really hard for everyone, so at Ticketmaster HQ we wanted to find a way to bring everyone together for an afternoon to share something that we love and are so grateful to have in abundance live music, Ticketmaster Australia said in a statement, also encouraging viewers to donate to mental health charity Support Act. Meanwhile, Metallica have launched a new online series, #Metallica Mondays, during which they post videos of full concerts on their YouTube channel and Facebook page every week. Earlier this week, the hard rock veterans notably premiered their live Paris performance from Sept 8, 2017. The district administration of Dibrugarh in Assam on Wednesday indefinitely banned entry and exit of all vegetable carriers into the district in order to prevent spread of novel coronavirus. Issuing an order, Additional District Magistrate Ranjit Konwar said the rise in the number of vegetable carriers entering the district has increased the threat of spreading novel CoronaVirus in Dibrugarh. The total number of COVID-19 patients in Assam has gone up to five on Wednesday. However, none of them is from Dibrugarh district. "Entry of all vegetable carriers from other district and exit of all vegetable carriers from the Dibrugarh district to outside the district are hereby banned until further order," he said in the order. The measure was taken as per the 'COVID-19 Health Protocols' and "Any violation of this order will invite punitive action," Konwar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fintech major Paytm on Tuesday said it has witnessed a massive surge in digital payments as more people work from home, avoid venturing out and touching cash to stop the spread of coronavirus. "We have been witnessing 20 per cent growth in digital payments as compared to the regular days. Since February, the number of users visiting the Paytm app and the number of sessions per user has also increased," a Paytm spokesperson told IANS in a statement. "There has been a massive surge in repeat transactions for various use-cases like fuel stations, utility payments among others. Offline payments have grown by 12 per cent owing to more people preferring Paytm over cash," the statement added. Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday asked banks to encourage the use of digital payments. While according to industry experts, several digital payments firms are witnessing a decline in transactions as the country goes into lockdown, Paytm has gained more traction in the last one month. With a 16 million-strong merchant base, Paytm is seeing more businesses extensively accepting payments online. The Noida headquartered digital payments firm is seeing more people using Paytm for food and grocery delivery, as well as other services, to avoid touching cash as much as possible. Some merchant acquirers such as BharatPe and service providers like Pine Labs have seen a slump in transactions due to shops, malls, eateries remaining shut. However, Paytm which recently launched "All in One" solutions helps offline merchants accept payments even remotely. This, according to industry insiders, is finding many takers among businesses as more merchants and users are coming on board for digital transactions. "There has been a 15 per cent increase in incoming requests from offline merchants to partner with Paytm. We are seeing a trend that merchants are offering home deliveries in their neighbourhood and suggesting their customers to Paytm as they fear the bacterial load on the hands and cash," a Paytm spokesperson said. As the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in India rises to 126, experts are emphasising on the usage of contactless payment options. Currency notes are one of the most potent carriers of coronavirus and health departments and experts across India are asking people to avoid touching cash and use digital payments. The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier warned that coronavirus can survive on banknotes for several days and the risk of contagion through cash is manifold as it keeps changing hands. Three men were walking when a vehicle approached and two gunmen exited and fired in their direction before fleeing. A 19-year-old victim was shot in the left side of his neck area and was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition. A second victim, a 25-year-old male, was shot in the right buttock area and was transported to Mt Sinai Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead about 10:30 a.m., police said. Doctors in the country's largest hospital are having to work 24-hour shifts during the coronavirus crisis. The gruelling shifts for junior doctors have been introduced at St James's Hospital in Dublin as it comes under pressure to care for the rise in patients who are seriously ill with the virus. Hospitals are facing difficulties due to the number of staff who have had to self-isolate after contracting the virus. A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "A healthcare crisis like Covid-19 demands a flexible response." After consultation with junior doctor staff, and having reviewed contingencies around safe and sustainable rostering, St James's Hospital has introduced a 24-hour shift system for some non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs). Longer shifts decrease the risk to patients and allow for more doctors to be available to look after Covid-19 patients. "We are very grateful to our NCHDs for their hard work and dedication during this crisis," she said. "They are key members of the multidisciplinary St James's team which is responding with extraordinary professionalism and commitment." She said the system, and staffing generally within the hospital, is under daily review. "The Organisation of Working Time Act allows for flexibility in rostering arrangements during emergency periods. "The hospital's priority is to provide safe staffing levels to look after patients during this crisis." Hospitals around the country are particularly worried about having enough staff skilled in caring for patients in intensive care or in beds where they are ventilated. Nurses with comparable skills who had been working in operating theatres have received training in recent weeks in critical care as part of the preparations for the escalation in seriously ill patients. Influx Hospital consultants, including surgeons, are also being redeployed to areas such as emergency departments as part of the hospitals' overhaul to cope with the influx of coronavirus patients and also take care of patients who are hospitalised with non-Covid urgent conditions. The HSE received around 70,000 applications from workers with health-related skills during its recent "Be on call for Ireland" recruitment drive. Job interviews have been under way among many retired nurses and doctors who have generously volunteered to return to work and relieve the pressure on colleagues. Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the Government must act to provide childcare to frontline healthcare workers. School and creche closures have left many healthcare workers unable to attend work due to childcare responsibilities. The INMO is also aware that informal childcare networks of friends and family are becoming less viable, as many grandparents "cocoon". The number of express delivery workers currently in Wuhan of central China's Hubei province, which used to be the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, has risen to over 30,000, while 80.2 percent of the express delivery companies in the city have resumed operation, according to Wuhan Municipal Postal Administration. A delivery man in Wuhan (Photo/Xinhua) "Before 2:30 p.m.every day, goods that need to be delivered will generally be transferred to ensure that they can arrive at the destinations within the province on the same day," said Pan Wei, general manager of the Hubei branch of SF Express, a Chinese delivery services company, noting that the company is now intensifying efforts to resume work at full capacity. Xiao Lin, a 32-year-old courier, is responsible for delivering parcels to hospitals. "During the Spring Festival, there were only six people working at our express outlet. We were terribly short of hands. However, as my colleagues have returned to their posts one after another, we have more than 40 people now. Our work pressure has been greatly relieved," Xiao said. Besides SF Express, such Chinese courier services companies as YTO Express and STO Express have all resumed operations in Wuhan. Furthermore, parcels to Wuhan have begun to be accepted in various parts of the country. Jodhpur police have traced 40 people in different mosques of the district in its search for followers of Tablighi Jamaat who appear to have participated in a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin. The people belong to states including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and had come to Jodhpur at different periods but could not move out after the natiownide lockdown was imposed last week. All of them belonged to different jamaats from AP, Gujarat and Maharashtra but none of them have any history of participation in the Nizamuddin Markaz, Jodhpur Police Commissioner Prafulla Kumar said on Wednesday. He said that 14 of them belonged to AP, 11 from Gujarat and 15 from Maharashtra, who had come to Jodhpur a few days back and had been staying in mosques in different locations of the city. The group from AP had come from Jaisalmer about a week back while those from Gujarat had come 20 days back. We have been checking whether they were supposed to attend the Nizamuddin Markaz or not. Their travel history was also being verified," Kumar added. All of them have been screened and none of them have shown any symptoms of COVID-19 so far. After screening, they have been isolated in different mosques for 14 days quarantine. Police have been deployed at these mosques to keep an eye on them to ensure they do not violate the quarantine period. Meanwhile, the presence of more such persons who could have attended the congregation has not been ruled out yet. Some persons have also been tracked in Shiv village of Barmer district, who are said to have been scheduled to go to Delhi but got stuck due to lockdown. They have also been quarantined in a mosque in the village. Eight persons, who had been staying in a hotel in the city, have been screened and quarantined in the hotel itself for links to the congregation. Over 500 people linked to the Jamaat's religious congregation in Delhi have since visited 13 districts of Rajasthan and they will be screened for possible symptoms of coronavirus, DGP Bhupendra Singh said earlier in the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Speaker Nancy Pelosi draws up plans for the next coronavirus rescue package, lawmakers on the ground say theyre faced with a more urgent task: finding basic supplies for doctors and nurses. Democrats and Republicans across the country say theyre desperately trying to acquire masks, gloves and ventilators for the most at-risk health care workers in their districts a crisis that, for now, cant be solved with simply more cash. I start on the phones around 9 in the morning sometimes we get a break 8 or 9 at night, said Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.). Im on telephones trying to connect, talking to hospitals, talking to community health centers, talking to the governors office, the mayors office, the hospital association or HHS or trying to get through to the National Guard or FEMA. Staring down a dire supply shortage and with the White House taking a largely hands-off approach, many members have taken it upon themselves to coordinate with local, state and federal officials to keep their hospitals and health centers from running out of critical personal protective equipment. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-NY., gestures while speaking during Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's testimony at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) New York City has been the hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, and more than half of the 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. have come from New York state. But its not just lawmakers from New York. Dozens of members are facing the same grave situation in their own districts, confronting an almost unimaginable crisis that health officials say is only going to get worse and could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans in the coming weeks. Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) said hes been most focused on the shortage of 3M's N95 masks, which are desperately needed by frontline workers including police officers, like his oldest son. The Michigan Republican said hes been surveying hospitals and health centers in his district about their supply of the masks: The average right now for N95s is a four-day supply. Mitchell is also on a bipartisan text chain with the 14-member Michigan delegation, communicating daily about the caseloads and supply situations in their own districts. Story continues That includes Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), whos been sounding the alarm for weeks on shortages of items like masks and gloves for health care workers. Much of her attention now is on bolstering that supply chain in a state that has nearly 8,000 reported cases of the virus. The number of manufacturers across her district pitching in has gotten so long that her team keeps track in a massive Excel spreadsheet, which can be forwarded to hospital procurement teams. Carhartt: gowns. Ford: ventilators. Local distilleries: hand sanitizer. I am doing sometimes the highly strategic and the highly detailed small tasks on a daily basis, and toggling between the two, Slotkin said. Its just kind of a constant back-and-forth. Rep. Elissa Slotkin leaves a House Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday. The equipment shortage issue is so central to the crisis that it was the topic of a special Democratic Caucus call on Monday afternoon. Member after member relayed the horror stories unfolding in their districts. Meeks said one community health center in his Queens district had to start furloughing their health care workers after the number of staffers testing positive for coronavirus tripled in recent days due to a lack of proper protective equipment. One New Jersey hospital has seen the price of equipment like masks skyrocket. Other members talked about seeming to secure protective equipment for health care workers in their districts, only to be told it was routed elsewhere at the last minute. Republicans and Democrats did agree to include $100 billion in the latest relief package to help shore up supplies for hospitals. A portion of that is is expected to go toward personal protective equipment. But those dollars are slow to disperse, and hospitals are dealing with such a tsunami of patients that some are taking extreme measures like sanitizing masks by baking them in an oven or pleading for donations from other industries like construction or dentistry. Meanwhile, lawmakers have been urging production companies in their district to quickly convert into medical manufacturers and pushing state health officials to loosen some of their own regulations to accommodate the influx of patients. Illinois GOP Rep. Rodney Davis, for example, spearheaded a bipartisan letter to his state's governor asking to temporarily move certain patients out of isolation rooms to free up space and equipment to treat coronavirus victims. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) has worked with a local plastics company that once made jewelry cases but is now developing molds for masks. On Tuesday, she spoke with the acting head of the Strategic National Stockpile about how to better coordinate federal purchasing as states are also scrambling to restock. Theres this old saying, An army marches on its stomach, Sherrill who spent 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy said of the importance of food and other critical supplies to any mission. As much as you might think of your battle strategy, underlying any effort is your logistical strategy. In the early weeks of the crisis, testing was the biggest gap in the U.S. response. But frontline workers say thats quickly been eclipsed by the lack of adequate protective gear in health care facilities. The White House has taken some steps forming a task force specifically on supply chain issues and moving to lessen restrictions on masks coming from overseas and has provided modest information to lawmakers. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) has been circulating a regularly updated fact sheet to Democrats with the administrations latest guidance; the most recent fact sheet, sent to members on Monday, detailed the first of 22 air shipments that arrived in New York from China over the weekend. But Democrats say Trump needs to do more to centralize efforts, calling for a national czar to coordinate the needs of each state with supplies coming in from abroad. Trump has largely forced states into bidding wars for protective equipment, with each battling another to buy up precious masks and gloves. And while Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to compel the production of some critical supplies, many lawmakers say he hasnt gone far enough. It is a good thing there is an effort to ramp up supply, said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), whose state was the initial epicenter of the outbreak. But in the absence of more active federal coordination about where that supply goes, this critical lifesaving equipment becomes the equivalent of toilet paper in the toilet paper aisle in the supermarket, where it is a free-for-all. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) said shes helped lead a more homegrown response in her district, compared to the federal and state's all-hands-on-deck approach to the hot spot of Philadelphia. Houlahan has assembled best practices for tasks like sanitizing masks, sending them to many of her colleagues in the Pennsylvania and Michigan congressional delegations. Shes also pleaded with local companies like Johnson & Johnson, maker of Q-Tips, to look into making much-needed swabs for testing. The most frustrating part, Houlahan said, is the slow pace of the federal response including Trumps reluctance to fully utilize the Defense Production Act. It does feel a little bit like, where have you been? said Houlahan, a former Air Force officer. We really do need some grownups in the room making this happen. L ondons NHS has reached its hour of need with beds and staffing under pressure amid a growing row over the failure to introduce mass testing for coronavirus. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick endured a mauling during a morning round of media interviews as questions were fired at him over the low numbers of Covid-19 tests that could release much-needed NHS staff from self-isolation, as well as the delivery of ventilators. Mr Jenrick was unable to name the chemical reagents that the Government is trying to obtain to enable extra testing and was vague about how many brand new ventilators rushed out by British manufacturers would be ready next week when the first deliveries are due. The death on Monday of 13-year-old Londoner Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, thought to be the youngest reported victim of the disease in England, increased the clamour for a clearer testing strategy. A 19-year-old man with no underlying health issues also died. Robert Jenrick says he hopes for 25,000 coronavirus tests to be carried out per day by mid-April The Mayor of London issued an appeal to businesses and organisations across the capital to lend the hard-pressed NHS workforce their vehicles, hotel rooms and any spare medical facilities. He has warned that extra capacity is needed within 48 hours to relieve the strain on hospitals. I ask anybody across London who has personnel, cars or facilities that we can use, please, please please step up, said the Mayor. Now is the time during this hour of need where we need your help. Loading.... Mr Jenrick told Sky News: Weve taken receipt of 30 of the new ventilators made by British manufacturers. I appreciate thats a small number, but thats just the beginning. Pressed by host Kay Burley on how many would be delivered next week, he admitted: I dont have that figure to hand. But we will have, we think, thousands more ventilators than we have today. Mr Jenrick hoped daily testing would get up to 12,500 today or tomorrow and then to 15,000 within days and reach 25,000 by mid-April. 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 On LBC he was asked what chemicals the Government was having trouble getting hold of for the tests. I dont know the names of the specific chemicals that are required, said the minister. Im sure those who are directly involved in this do know that. Michael Gove last night indicated that a shortage of the relevant chemical reagents was holding back tests. Critics including former health secretary Jeremy Hunt say the Government should have introduced mass testing to suppress outbreaks from the start and should be testing NHS staff so that nurses and doctors with false symptoms can get back to work. In London, vital extra hospital beds are due to arrive just in time when the new NHS Nightingale hospital, built at lightning speed at the ExCeL centre in Docklands, opens its doors to patients by the end of the week. Journey through London's empty streets during coronavirus lockdown A spokesperson for the NHS said: Exactly as planned, the London Nightingale will be ready to receive patients later this week, and the numbers looked after there will depend on need. Fortunately there are still hundreds of critical care beds available in other London hospitals and thousands in the rest of the country so any patient that would benefit can get the care they need. "The NHS has already freed up 33,000 beds for Coronavirus patients, which is the equivalent of 50 hospitals, as well as building the Nightingale from scratch in just a fortnight but theres no doubt as everyone acknowledges this is the greatest challenge the NHS has faced so the public needs to help us by following medical advice to stay at home." Loading.... Almost 4,000 people are reportedly being treated for Covid-19 in the capitals hospitals. Mr Khan said there were about 800 intensive care beds across London, excluding the Nightingale, but said 8,000 will be needed over the next few weeks when the outbreak reaches its peak in London. NHS Nightingale will initially provide 500 beds equipped with ventilators for patients undergoing critical care in other hospitals, rising to 4,000 places when it is fully operational. NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures 1 /33 NHS Nightingale Hospital - In pictures Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital via Reuters Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Medical equipment is labelled and prepared for use by NHS staff at the ExCel centre in London PA Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer of the Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA Work being carried out at the ExCel Centre, where the new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital will be PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA AP The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA The new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Work being carried out at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA Worker at the new NHS Nightgale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre PA NHS London said the number of patients being treated in hospital for coronavirus was 3,915 out of a total of 7,121 positive tests since start the crisis Concerns have also emerged about the accuracy of NHS data on the number of Covid-19 deaths. Whittington hospital, in Archway, has yet to feature in NHS Englands daily mortality statistics but has had 20 patients die, it confirmed to the Standard today. The official death toll in the capitals hospitals increased by 122 to an official total of 590 yesterday, however this only includes deaths in hospitals and there is a time-lag caused by extra checks for accuracy. Loading.... The 20 Whittington deaths would take the London total to 610. ITV London said the Mayor had been informed of 729 deaths. Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that community transition may have decreased although it will take a few weeks to feed through to hospital admissions. He added: The next few weeks, because of the lag, will likely get worse before they get better, but we, as citizens, as individuals, all we can do is to continue to adhere to that advice as much as we possibly can. Quizzed on GMB on why the UK was not testing people landing from abroad, he said: Most of those individuals wouldnt be tested they enter the country if they are able to do so. Meanwhile a dispute was raging between the Government and the Mayor over whether construction work should be halted on non-essential housebuilding to reduce public transport crowding. Listen to today's episode of The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast Shown footage taken yesterday at North Acton Tube station of people swarming off and onto trains, Mr Jenrick said: The Governments advice to TfL and the Mayor of London has been to lay on more trains at peak times. Weve also published guidance saying employers should stagger start times. He added: It isnt right that people are going to work cheek by jowl with others on the Tube. That isnt a healthy situation. Mr Khan hit back by pointing out that almost a third of TfL staff are off sick or self-isolating. There has been a 94 per cent reduction in London Underground usage compared with a year ago, and an 85 per cent reduction in bus use. Mr Khan said: There is still a concern that still too many people who really shouldnt be going to work are still using trains during the rush hour. Americans pay the price for Trumps incompetence To the Editor: President Donald Trump and his administration have mishandled the COVID-19 virus from the start. They knew about this in December and did nothing. We know that certain senators were aware of this and they did something, all right they sold off their stocks. So apparently they were worried enough about it to do that, but not to urge the president to tell the truth and start safety precautions immediately? This President continues to Lie to the American people and tries to cover his mistakes by using words like hoax, witch hunt and fake news. America is looking for leadership and guidance, but what we are getting is misinformation and lies. Our citizens are contracting this virus and are sick and dying and he still has to have his ego massaged by saying he is doing a good job? South Korea handled this virus correctly, but the USA is still behind on testing, medical supplies everything we need, how can that be, because thet man at the helm of our country does not have a clue. Americans are paying the price for his incompetence. Kim Vulcano North Syracuse If COVID-19 is a war, Trump committed war crimes To the Editor: President Donald Trump says we are at war against the Covid-19 virus. And I for one feel compelled to hold him responsible for war crimes he has committed to date through indifference, arrogance and ignorance. The first crime in this war was the labeling of the impending crisis caused by the virus as a hoax. Because our leadership initially denied the existence of the pandemic, citizens of this country have died unnecessarily. That is a war crime. The second crime is lack of preparation in anticipating such a crisis, even though experts predicted its inevitability, and therefore not having adequate resources for those who are on the front lines of this war. Whether it is the lack of protective wear for medical personnel or police or fire departments, we are putting those whose job it is protect the citizens of this country at risk. Some have died and more will. That is a war crime. The third crime is the delay in providing the appropriate equipment for citizens sickened by the virus. Delaying the manufacture of respirators and the resistance to redistributing existing equipment to high-need areas has led to unnecessary deaths of civilians. That is a war crime. The fourth crime is the pitting of one state against another in securing limited resources to fight this war. He has fractured rather than united our country. That is a war crime. The fifth crime is the spreading of propaganda and inaccurate information. Telling citizens that an untried drug will protect them or delaying the recommendation for social distancing has led to deaths. That is a war crime. The sixth crime is the demand that government officials pay fealty to the president in order to secure the resources needed to save lives. This smacks of dictatorship rather than democracy. That is a war crime. The final crime is a willingness to sacrifice the lives of civilians in order to preserve industrial wealth. That is a war crime. Amy Zamkoff Syracuse Needless suffering because governors didnt bow to Trump To the Editor: Thank God New York has a governor, Andrew Cuomo, who actually cares about all its residents, not just the wealthy or loyalists. He jumped on the problem and obtained guidance from experts on how to proceed to protect the people and the medical personnel who will be on the front lines to help us get through this virus. He has talked to the White house asking for further assistance, as have other governors, and has gotten minimum amounts of personal protective equipment and ventilators. Now the White house said they werent appreciative enough! What does that mean? No, dont bother answering that. Anyone who has a brain and a conscience and empathy will understand and would pray for our next U.S leader to have all those qualities. To bring this (once) great country back to of the people, by the people, for the people. S. Russo North Syracuse Replace Trump so more Americans wont have to die To the Editor: Donald Trump campaigned highlighting his unique ability to handle any situation, insisting, I alone can fix it! With the coronavirus, he has proven that he cannot do it. He wasted critical time when he learned about it last December. He fired the Pandemic Prevention Committee that knew how to address our existing deficiencies in the case of a real pandemic. When China began recognizing the seriousness of the problem, Trump did nothing to prepare for the upcoming potential disaster. As the disease became more apparent to the world, he denied it, calling it a hoax. After Americans began becoming infected, he insisted that it would go away, like a miracle. As Americans began dying by the dozens, he continued to blame others. As Americans began dying by the hundreds, he continued to insist he could take care of it, but did not listen to the experts, and focused only on the economy rather than the actual enemy. Now that over 1,000 innocent Americans are dead, he continues to deny the real problem. We cannot wait any longer. Trump must be replaced with a competent leader who can use presidential powers to beat this disaster. A new leader must: 1. Organize a nationwide fight, using all agencies - and industries - to give health workers what they need to fight this disease. 2. Make all states impose needed interventions to prevent more Americans from needlessly dying. 3. Communicate honestly to all citizens so we can understand, plan and adapt accordingly. Our country cannot wait for the president as he doubles down with his continued inadequate pattern of responding to this problem. He needs to be replaced now so many Americans wont have to die. Bob Keegan North Syracuse MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Worst day for hospitalized, critical patients. Sobering,' county exec says When will the peak of the coronavirus pandemic hit CNY? What to watch for Coronavirus unemployment: Cant reach New York labor department? Youre not alone New York state cancels April break for schools due to coronavirus pandemic; lessons must continue At least 21 people from Odisha had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in coronavirus hotspot of Delhi's Nizamuddin of whom five have so far returned to the state and put in isolation to curb COVID- 19 spread, official sources said on Wednesday. While five Nizamuddin returnees have been kept in isolation in the state, 16 others remained under quarantine in other places like Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, a top official said,adding that the family members of those traced have also been put under home quarantine. Stating that the samples of the five persons have been collected and sent for the COVID-19 test, the official said that the police was still verifying whether more people had visited the coronavirus hotspot from where the highly infectious virus spread to different parts of the country. While Odishas COVID-19 Spokesperson Subroto Bagchi confirmed return of three persons from Nizamuddin on Tuesday, one each had been traced later in the districts of Kendrapara and Jajpur. Vishal Dev, officer on special duty in the Chief Secretarys office said: "Both IB and the Odisha police have been engaged in tracing out the persons who had attended the Nizamuddin congregation." "We have located one person while two others from the district are in Delhi. The man who has been traced is put in isolation and his family members are in home quarantine," Kendrapara district collector Samarth Verma told reporters. The administration was still looking for any person who returned from Nizamuddin, he added. Sources said the Kendrapara man, who has been put in isolation hailed from Aul and is a Moulana (religious preacher). He has been admitted to the Kendrapara district headquarters hospital. Similarly, Jajpur collector Ranjan Kumar Das said a man from Binjharpur had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi earlier this month. "The man has been put in hospital isolation and his family members in home quarantine," the collector said adding his swab sample has been sent for the COVID-19 test. Das said the district has maintained extra vigil to the COVID-19 as Jajpur shares border with Bhadrak which has reported Odishas fourth coronavirous patient. Meanwhile, the Koraput district administration has identified two persons from the south Odisha district, who had attended Tablighi Jamaat function in Delhis Nizamuddin. Koraput collector Madhusudan Mishra said one person from Kotpad and another from Jeypore, had taken part in the Delhi religious gathering. However, none of them had so far returned to Koraput. "The person from Kotpad is being kept in hospital isolation in Delhi while another has been quarantined at a hospital in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh. Both of them will remain in isolation for 14 days," Mishra said. Sources said at least 21 people from districts like Khurda, Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Koraput and Jajpur had attended the Nizamuddin religious congregation held early last month. At least six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the religious congregation in Delhi,have died due to coronavirus. Besides, over 20 others who had been to the religious meet have tested positive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Gold prices are trading near steady in early U.S. trading Wednesday, as the U.S. stock indexes are set to open the day session solidly lower. Trader and investor attitudes have become more downbeat at mid-week. June gold futures were last up $2.40 an ounce at $1,598.90. May Comex silver prices were last down $0.056 at $14.10 an ounce. The just-released ADP national employment report for March came in at down 37,000 jobs, which was better than most expected. However, traders are overlooking this report, and will likely do the same with Friday mornings employment report from the Labor Department, as neither reflect the current jobless rate amid the coronavirus-induced American lock-down. The more important report of the week will be Thursdays weekly jobless claims report, which is more up-to-date. On this first day of April and of the second quarter, global stock markets were mostly down in overnight trading. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward sharply lower openings when the New York day session begins. The first quarter saw the U.S. stock market see its biggest losses in 12 years. Traders and investors are gloomier Tuesday following President Trumps daily Covid-19 update late Tuesday afternoon, in which he delivered a more somber assessment of the situation. Trump said from 140,000 to 240,000 Americans will die from the illness, and thats if citizens continue their distancing and home isolation. He said its going to be a very rough next couple weeks as the coronavirus is likely to peak in mid- to late-April. A best-case scenario appears to be the U.S. economy starting back up in May. In overnight news, China got some more positive economic data Wednesday, as the Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) in March rose to 50.1 compared to 40.3 in February. A reading above 50.0 suggests growth in the sector. This news is a positive for those economies hit so hard by the coronavirus, as Chinas economy has been able to stage a very swift recovery. However, more and more market watchers and media outlets are questioning the reliability of statistics coming out of China, especially those suggesting how fast its economy recovered from the coronavirus outbreak. The Euro zone manufacturing PMI for March came in at 44.5, which was in line with market expectations and compares with Februarys reading of 49.2. The important outside markets today see Nymex crude oil prices lower and trading around $20.25 a barrel after hitting an 18-year low of $19.27 a barrel Monday. There are respected energy analysts saying there is still significantly more near-term downside potential in Nymex crude oil, amid a supply glut and a demand shock. The U.S. dollar index is solidly higher early this morning as the bulls are having a strong week. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield is trading around 0.61% Tuesday morningdown from Tuesday. U.S. economic data due for release Wednesday includes the weekly MBA mortgage applications survey, the ADP national employment report, the U.S. manufacturing PMI, the global manufacturing PMI, domestic auto industry sales, the ISM manufacturing report on business, construction spending and the weekly DOE liquid energy stocks report. Technically, the gold bulls still have the overall near-term technical advantage but they are fading this week and need to show fresh power soon. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in June futures above solid resistance at $1,650.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,550.00. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,612.40 and then at $1,625.00. First support is seen at todays low of $1,576.00 and then at $1,565.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0 May silver futures bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $15.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the March low of $11.64. First resistance is seen at this weeks high of $14.71 and then at $15.00. Next support is seen at this weeks low of $13.945 and then at $13.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 4.0. Proposal seeks to remove 50-year practice of using criminal penalties on companies to prevent unintentional bird deaths. A plan by the Trump administration to change the rules under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act could devastate the population of threatened and endangered species and accelerate their decline across North America, a former US wildlife official has warned. Dan Ashe, a former US Fish and Wildlife Service Director, told the The Associated Press news agency news agency that for years the laws threat of prosecution served as a brake on industry and had probably saved billions of birds. Removing that obligation, if it stands, over the next several decades will result in billions of birds being casualties, said Ashe, who served in the Obama administration. It will be catastrophic. Industry sources and pollutants kill an estimated 450 million to 1.1 billion birds annually, out of an overall 7.2 billion birds in North America, according to recent studies by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Under the 50-year practice in the migratory bird law, criminal penalties are being used to put pressure on companies into taking measures to prevent unintentional bird deaths. The Trump administration dismissed Ashes dire prediction, contending companies will continue to avoid bird deaths voluntarily. The 1918 migratory bird law was passed after many US bird populations were destroyed by hunting and poaching, much of it for feathers for womens hats. Over the past half-century, the law was also applied against companies that failed to prevent foreseeable bird deaths. However, the Trump administration says deaths of birds that fly into oil pits, mining sites, telecommunications towers, wind turbines and other hazards should be treated as accidents not subject to prosecution. And an Interior Department proposal would cement that into federal regulation. Destruction of nesting grounds State officials and wildlife advocates who are suing the administration in federal court say birds are already being harmed under actions allowed by a 2017 Trump administration legal memo that signalled the rule change. Most notable was the destruction last northern autumn of nesting grounds for 25,000 shorebirds in Virginia to make way for a road and tunnel project. State officials had ended conservation measures for the birds after federal officials advised such measures were voluntary under the new interpretation of the law. The move to relax the bird law, combined with Trumps relaxations of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act puts birds and their habitat at greater risk said National Audubon Society Vice President Sarah Greenberger. The Trump administrations proposal follows longstanding pressure from oil companies, utilities and other industries. The Edison Electric Institute, which represents many US utilities, contends it would be absurd to criminalise ordinary, everyday activities that happen to result in a bird death, which can result in up to six months in prison and a $15,000 penalty for every bird injured or killed. The American Petroleum Institute suggested in a regulatory filing: The birds themselves are the actors, colliding or otherwise interacting with industrial structures. Millions of birds killed annually More than 1,000 types of birds are covered by the law, from water birds such as ducks and pelicans to woodpeckers, songbirds, hawks and owls. Criminal enforcement of the law typically was used only as a last resort, according to current and former US Fish and Wildlife Service officials. The agency conducted 152 investigations into bird deaths across the US over a five-year period ending December 31, 2017, according to spokesman Gavin Shire. Most involved birds killed by power lines, which kill upward of 25 million birds annually, according to a 2014 government-sponsored study. The number of investigations resulting in prosecutions was not available, Shire said. The goal was to generate voluntary compliance. You do that by educating people, said Gary Mowad, who served as deputy chief of enforcement during a 25-year-career with the agency. We did a great job of keeping (bird) mortality in control. The only regulatory tool that the federal government had at its disposal to address that is now gone or will be gone. Substantial scale of bird mortality The most notable enforcement case bought under the migratory bird act resulted in a $100m settlement by BP, after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 killed approximately 100,000 birds. Federal courts have been split on whether companies can be prosecuted, with appeals courts ruling in favour of industry three times and siding against companies twice. At the Berkeley Pit, initial efforts to discourage birds from landing were prompted by deaths of 342 snow geese that landed in November, 1995. Then in November 2016 a huge, exhausted flock of snow geese that stayed at their summer grounds in Canada longer than unusual were forced quickly south by cold weather. They found the Berkeley Pit the only open water to escape a sudden snowstorm and an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 of the birds that landed there died. In response, Montana Resources dramatically ramped up its bird scare tactics and promised that it would keep up the efforts regardless of the Trump administrations actions, mirroring pledges from some other companies and industries. Much of the attention over accidental bird deaths has focused on oil companies. Kathleen Sgamma, president of the industry group Western Energy Alliance, said estimates of as many as a million birds killed annually in oil pits are outdated because companies have shifted away from using open pits to store hazardous waste from drilling. The studies havent caught up with the realities on the ground, Sgamma said. The US Fish and Wildlife Service disputed Ashes claim that billions more birds were at risk from the rule change and noted that most preventive measures already are voluntary ones. Without a scientific basis, any claim as to the number of birds that would be negatively affected would be speculative and irresponsible, Shire, the agency spokesman, said in an emailed statement. Ashes estimate that billions of birds were at risk was supported by a leading ornithologist from Cornell University and two former senior officials with the Fish and Wildlife Service Brad Bortner, who retired in 2017 from his post as chief of the migratory bird programme, and Paul Schmid, the agencys former assistant director. If were talking about over decades, and a billion birds already are killed by industry annually, that does start really adding up pretty quickly, said Amanda Rodewald, co-director of Cornells Center for Avian Population Studies. Were talking about a scale of mortality thats substantial, that would be meaningful ecologically and biologically. Charleston-area supermarket shoppers who lately had trouble finding eggs at the store are right to suspect the nations egg industry has been disrupted by the behavior of stay-home cooks: The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week reported that buyers are just beginning to replenish egg shelves laid bare by the recent wave of consumer panic buying. Yet closer to home, the situation is radically different. Local egg farmers say the closure of dine-in restaurants has created a significant egg surplus. We have many hundreds of dozens of eggs per week that have been orphaned by COVID-19 and need new homes, says Nathan Boggs of Fili-West Farms in Vance. Boggs, who calls himself the Chicken Lord," supplies the eggs which Husk spun into omelets and Saveur du Monde turns into croque monsieurs. He continues, I'm hoping that the restaurants in Charleston recover and this is a temporary problem, but nobody knows yet. Boggs estimates his chickens are weekly laying about 8,400 more eggs than hes selling. According to Boggs, most restaurants which have remained open for takeout have drastically scaled back their egg purchases. The only exception is Xiao Bao Biscuit, which offers an egg as a $2 upgrade to okonomiyaki, its signature menu item. A Fili-West egg also figures into every order of pad kra pow. For now, Xiao Bao is trying to support Fili-West by retailing cartons of its extra-large eggs. Other downtown Charleston restaurants are also doubling as retail egg outlets, with both The Daily and Babas on Cannon selling Storey Farm eggs by the dozen. At Babas, the eggs are priced at $5.95, which is admittedly more than industrial eggs command. The USDA puts the average price of a dozen large white eggs at $2.58, a two-year high. In New York and California, consumers are paying more than $3 for a carton which cost half as much in mid-February. As numerous media outlets have reported, anxiety and despondency over the future have prompted Americans to hoard eggs for possible quarantines, and stockpile them for never-ending baking projects. The resulting scarcity has inspired a rash of orders for backyard chickens, with people apparently deciding its simpler to produce their own eggs than wait for the grocery store to restock. But egg industry leaders say there isnt a true egg shortage: Flocks are producing eggs at the usual rate. What looks like a lack of eggs to consumers is just a temporary lag in the supply chain, a Farm Bureau economist told The Washington Post. Additionally, egg producers dont anticipate the usual Easter surge in egg demand, since big Easter brunches and egg-hunting parties arent compatible with the tenets of social distancing. And as the USDA points out, many retailers are focused on moving their cage-free and organic eggs which, largely of the brown shell variety, are poor candidates for Easter coloring activities. Another hard-boiled egg holiday appears even sooner on the calendar: An egg is one of six symbolic items traditionally placed on the Seder plate at Passover. For Charleston-area celebrants who want to make sure its spot is filled, the S.C. Department of Agriculture is keeping an online list of farms which offer on-farm pickup, including three egg farms in Charleston County. Syria UN envoy calls for lifting of sanctions amid COVID-19 outbreak Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 1:50 PM Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja'afari has called upon the international community to work on lifting illegal economic sanctions and coercive measures imposed on his war-ravaged country and other states as the world is battling to rein in a deadly coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the situation in Syria via video, Ja'afari strongly condemned sanctions as a weapon in the hands of some states in their sinful war against Syria and those states, stressing that the punitive measures prevent the Syrian nation and the country's healthcare sector from obtaining their basic needs to deal with possible cases of new coronavirus infection and treat the confirmed patients. He then criticized the hypocrisy and double standards being exercised by a number of parties vis-a-vis the humanitarian situation in Syria and those states. "Insistence on such unjust and coercive measures violate the international law, the Charter of the United Nations and human rights principles," the senior Syrian diplomat commented, urging UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request the immediate and complete lifting of the sanctions after the ambassadors from China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria and Venezuela asked him to "reject the politicization" of the coronavirus pandemic to enable the nations to respond to the matter. Ja'afari went on to say that the Damascus government has recently received several high-ranking officials from international humanitarian organizations, including the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, David Paisley, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer. He said the talks with them were positive and stressed the need for joint and consistent cooperation and non politicization of humanitarian actions. The diplomat emphasized Syria's willingness for a mechanism to provide all Syrians with the aid they deserve and to prevent terrorists from gaining access to them. The Syrian UN envoy further highlighted that the Damascus government has on occasions censured the crimes being perpetrated by Turkish military forces and their allied Takfiri militants in northern Syria, and demanded pressure on Turkish troops and their proxies to let internally displaced people in some areas of Idlib return to their homes. Ja'afari added that Turkish soldier and their allied militants frequently cut off water supply to local residents in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah. The Syrian diplomat said it is unacceptable that Ankara is taking advantage of the sufferings of the Syrian refugees, and uses them as a bargaining chip to blackmail European Union countries to grant it privileges, and to garner military support under the umbrella of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "It is also unacceptable to tolerate the Turkish regime's support for terrorism, and its blatant and shameless transfer of terrorists from Idlib to Libya and other countries," he noted. Ja'afari also argued that US-sponsored militants are preventing displaced Syrians stranded at the Rukban camp near the Jordanian border from leaving the site toward government-controlled areas. Syria's Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed the country's first death resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as the country's fragile health system reels from nine years of foreign-backed war and sanctions. The ministry also confirmed four new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of cases to 10 in the country. The country is scrambling to counter the spread of the coronavirus outbreak by adopting numerous measures such as postponing parliamentary elections and suspending the work of certain public institutions and services. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A top chef who closed his restaurant to 'flatten the curve' of COVID-19 is preparing to reopen his kitchen to feed the homeless and frontline healthcare professionals working around the clock against the virus. Adam Liston was forced to put 46 staff out of work when he closed the doors of his Asian barbecue restaurant Shobosho in central Adelaide on Sunday, March 22, under stage one social distancing rules aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus. Addressing Prime Minister Scott Morrison and SA Premier Steven Marshall in an Instagram video last Thursday, Mr Liston urged the government to use unemployed cooks to serve the country's most vulnerable and 'give them purpose'. His plea was heard by the directors of Baptist Care, the charity behind WestCare Centre, a South Australian community centre which provides breakfast and lunch to people living on the margins of society. 'WestCare was the one that stood out to us - they feed the homeless and those less fortunate. It seemed like a good thing for us to commit to,' Mr Liston told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video Adelaide chef Adam Liston (right) says there are dozens of highly skilled chefs from Australia's finest restaurants who are ready and willing to cook for the country's most vulnerable Mr Liston said WestCare has been feeding more than 200 people each day since coronavirus was declared a pandemic on March 11, but is now struggling to get volunteers on site as more stay home to avoid infection. From Monday, April 6, Mr Liston and his Shobosho chefs will run WestCare's lunch service six days a week. Mr Liston has also been speaking to doctors, aged care staff and organisers of the Meals on Wheels delivery service for the elderly to understand where chefs' skills are needed most as the crisis continues. A message he received from a doctor inspired him to launch a paid delivery service for hospitals, which will provide frontline healthcare workers with nutritious meals and allow him to reemploy some of his team. From Monday, April 6, Mr Liston and his Shobosho chefs will run WestCare's lunch service six days a week (female members of Mr Liston's staff are pictured at Shobosho on International Women's Day, March 8, 2020) 'I got a message from a doctor saying, "we don't need charity or for you to donate time, but us doctors and nurses are working overtime and our cafeterias are overwhelmed, and we're getting home and eating toast for dinner",' he said. 'They asked if we could provide a service where medical staff could order something nourishing to eat during breaks at work or at home. 'We're still ironing out the details but the plan is to deliver meals to hospitals maybe three days a week to keep the staff strong and healthy, and build us back up as a business at the same time,' he said. Mr Liston said there are dozens of highly skilled chefs from some of Australia's finest restaurants who are ready and willing to cook for those in need. 'We're not asking for money or a job - this is a time when you can use the best people in the industry to feed those who are in pain,' he said. He asked the government to consider the mental health implications for hospitality staff who are out of work for an extended period of time. He said even part-time employment, funded by the state, would make a huge difference to their financial and emotional well-being. WHAT BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CLOSE UNDER CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS? * Pubs, clubs, nightclubs, licensed premises and licensed areas in hotels * Indoor and outdoor gyms and fitness centres * Personal services such as beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours (but not physiotherapy) * Amusement parks and arcades * Indoor and outdoor play centres * Swimming pools * Boot camps reduced to one-on-one outdoor personal training sessions * Food courts in shopping centres only available for takeaway food. No sitting * Auction houses shut. Auctions and open house inspections banned * Hairdressers and barbers can continue but must strictly manage social distancing Tens of thousands of Australians have lost their jobs overnight as coronavirus continues to destabilise the global economy (pictured, people stand in line outside Centrelink in Bondi Junction, Sydney on March 24, 2020) Advertisement 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 situation where an unemployed chef can take an income from the government in exchange for three days' of work a week in a nursing home or a hospital: that's going to give them purpose,' he told Broadsheet last Thursday. 'These sectors are under so much pressure, surely there's something people with skills can do.' Mr Liston's efforts have been widely applauded online, with many praising his selflessness during these extraordinary times. '[Feeding the vulnerable] is a great idea. Unbelievable talent in all industries in Australia just sitting at home while our economy burns,' one woman said on Instagram. 'I feel the same way. What can I do, otherwise I'll go crazy..and there is so much to be done!' As coronavirus continues to disrupt normal life around the world, business owners are battling against tightening restrictions which threaten to wipe away decades of self-sacrifice and hard work for them and their employees. UTS professor and former ANZ chief economist Warren Hogan warned Australia's unemployment rate could more than triple to 17 per cent by Easter, with up to 1.8million job losses. Others more conservatively say there will be one million out of a job by May. But should this prediction come true, Australia would have the highest jobless rate since 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, when unemployment officially peaked at 19.75 per cent. India has received the second batch of coronavirus protective equipment and ventilators from Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation, said Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong. The donation was received by the Indian Red Cross Society in Delhi on March 31. The second batch of donations from Chinese charity organizations Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations have arrived in Delhi today and been received by the Indian Red Cross Society. The donation includes protective clothes, masks, respirators and ventilators, Weidong tweeted. Coronavirus LIVE updates Besides, Chinese state-owned companies also provide assistance to their Indian partners, said Weidong. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The Chinese people will stand firmly with the Indian people on the fight against COVID-19 and we will get through hard times together, he added. The two foundations have announced donation of essential medical supplies, including face masks and COVID-19 test kits, to India. Also read | Top-10 places most responsible for spreading coronavirus in India The first batch of medical supplies for India arrived in Delhi on March 28 and was also received by the Red Cross Society. Indian Red Cross Society Deputy Secretary Neel Kamal Singh had taken receipt of the deliveries from Vivek Sehgal, Manager, Alibaba Cloud India, acting on behalf of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation in the presence of Ma Jia, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of China in India. Besides India, the medical supplies will be donated to Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. India has reported nearly 1,400 confirmed coronavirus cases so far including 35 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry. Follow our full coverage here. (With inputs from PTI) Larry David is staying home after an outstanding Season 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and urges the idiots to do the same during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seinfeld co-creator gave a PSA in a video shared by the Office of the Governor of California, telling people to stay home and watch television: The problem is youre passing up a fantastic opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to stay in the house, sit on the couch, and watch TV! I dont know how youre passing that up. Well, maybe cause youre not that bright. Heres the full video: Youre hurting old people like me. Well, not me Ill never see you. Larry David wants everyone to stay home to protect older Californians from #COVID19! He does not do these things. Listen to Larry.#StayHomeSaveLiveshttps://t.co/snYe5v55Rw pic.twitter.com/C5cKOaAufE Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) March 31, 2020 Hello, Im Larry David. Obviously somebody put me up to this, cause its generally not the kind of thing I do. But, I basically want to address the idiots out there. You know who you are. Youre going out. I dont know what youre doing. Youre socializing too close. Its not good. Youre hurting old people like me. Well, not me. I have nothing to do with you. Ill never see you. But you know, other, lets say other people that might be your relatives. Who the hell knows. The problem is youre passing up a fantastic opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to stay in the house, sit on the couch, and watch TV! I dont know how youre passing that up. Well, maybe cause youre not that bright. But, here it is: go home! Watch TV! Thats my advice to you! You know, if youve seen my show nothing good ever happens going out of the house. You know that. Theres just trouble out there. Its not a good place to be. So stay home, and, you know, dont see anyone. Except maybe if theres a plumbing emergency, let the plumber in and then, you know, wipe everything down after he leaves. But that, thats it. Ok. California became the first state to issue a stay-at-home order, when governor Gavin Newsom did so on March 19. But many idiots have still been going out and about regularly, and not practicing social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak. Hopefully they listen to Latte Larry, and take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay home and watch television in the coming weeks. When Pastor Chris Morante received news a member of his congregation at the Evangel Church in Scotch Plains tested positive for the coronavirus, he wept. As the fast-spreading respiratory virus continued to impact New Jersey and the rest of the country, having a case hit within the churchs community added to the gravity and reality of the situation. Im thinking about this family, praying for them, and I just began to weep like I havent wept before," Morante said. I cry a little bit. Ive shed a tear, but I couldnt control myself, because I was just thinking about this family, who I know and theyre good people, and normally they have it together. But the level of hopelessness theyre feeling, and Im thinking of all the thousands of people that have been diagnosed or that are quarantining because they might be exposed to it. How hopeless do they all feel? And I think I just felt the weight of that hopelessness for a few moments. Morante and the Evangel Church had already put plans in motion to aid families in need during the crisis, and a local diagnosis amplified the churchs drive to bring relief to struggling families and individuals. So Morante and members of the church collected donated groceries and supplies into a box, and delivered it to the affected family. The box of hope was meant to show the infected church member and the family they werent alone in their battle against the coronavirus. That act sparked a movement to deliver boxes of hope to other impacted families around the state. Morante had already contacted Convoy of Hope, an organization that aids in disaster relief around the world, and the group sent a truck with 27,000 pounds of supplies to the church. Those supplies filled the Boxes of Hope, and the church began distributing them to families in need. Morante and other church members have worked to fill the boxes, disinfecting all items while maintaining social distancing during assembly. As of Monday, Morante said the church had distributed more than 300 boxes. We have thousands to go. Were believing as many people as reach out to us we will get a box up to their doorstep," Morante said. "I started to call my pastor friends all around New Jersey and I said this is the plan. I think that the church can lead the way in helping bring hope to every person in this season. When the Evangel Church launched the program, they had a number for people in need to text to ask for a Box of Hope. Now the church has launched a website where people can apply for a box. With the website, Morante hopes to expand Boxes of Hope to more churches to help people around the state. His church has already partnered with the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District to give boxes to families of students who need assistance. One single mom said to me, I now know what God does is real and he loves me and hasnt forgotten about me because you just sent this box to me, Morante said. Thats the greatest thing we could imagine. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey: Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Mintegral, Mobvista's programmatic advertising business, generates 60% of overall revenues, while the US, LATAM and EMEA grows to a 28% share of total global revenues across the group GUANGZHOU, China, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobvista Inc. (stock code: 1860.HK), a leading technology platform announced today its strongest financial results to date, with revenues surpassing USD 500 million for the first time. Revenues grew by 15.1% over the year to USD 500.3 million, with adjusted EBITDA rising by 19.5% to USD 51.6 million. Mobvista's programmatic advertising business continued to be a key strength with revenues increasing by 40.8% in the past year to reach USD 320.0 million. This accounted for 64.0% of total revenues in 2019, up from 52.3% in 2018. Programmatic advertising is the main driver of revenue growth The robust growth of Mintegral, Mobvista's mobile programmatic platform, was responsible for 64.0% of total revenues. This performance is reflected in the most recent AppsFlyer Performance Index (H2 2019), which ranks the best mobile media sources by category, region and platform. Mintegral is the only China-based platform to rank in the global top 10, ranking 6th on the Global Performance Index and 2nd on the Global Growth Index. Mintegral expanded its partnerships with major mediation platforms leading to an increase in the number of apps integrating Mintegral's SDK. More than 26,000+ apps across all categories connected to the ad platform, reaching some 500 million daily active users. This means that Mintegral continues to offer its customers access to high-quality inventory at an impressive scale. Strong revenue growth in the US, LATAM, and EMEA Revenues from customers beyond China and the APAC market continued to grow, with revenues from the US and LATAM increasing by 62.3% to USD 67.8 million, accounting for 13.5% of global revenues. Revenues were also higher in EMEA, up 86.9% to USD 72.7 million. Together, the US, LATAM and EMEA markets accounted for 28% of total global revenues. Continued focus on R&D to build a tooling ecosystem Mobvista's significant research and development into programmatic advertising technology, cloud computing infrastructure, big data, and artificial intelligence continued to offer brands, advertisers and global app developers an unrivalled ecosystem of tools. These technologies also benefited Mobvista through greater efficiencies and lower server costs. R&D expenses increased by 20.5% to USD35.2 million, accounting for 7.0% of the total revenue. Mobvista's 2019 financial results also highlight the growing market share for mobile game data analysis platform GameAnalytics is leveraged by more than 70,000 developers with almost 100,000 games and tracks the behavior of more than 1.2 billion monthly active users. While still providing a free analytics service GameAnalytics released a new paid SaaS service called Benchmarks +, which is already generating revenues. "Last year was an important one in the growth of Mobvista, as we've continued to invest in developing an ecosystem of best-in-class technologies and products that help our customers to achieve their goals," said Clement Cao, Co-Founder and Group President of Mobvista. "We are now seeing more publishers, brands, and advertisers working with us across the entire life cycle of their products through our Nativex, Mintegral and GameAnalytics brands. I believe in the next 5-10 years Mobvista will become a key global partner for leading online businesses, helping our customers and partners thrive in the digital age." Summary of Mobvista's 2019 financial results: Programmatic advertising - Programmatic revenues grew by 40.8% to USD 320.0 million, accounting for 64.0% of total revenues in 2019, up from 52.3% in 2018. Strong revenue growth from the US, LATAM and EMEA - Revenues from the US and LATAM increased by 62.3% to USD 67.7 million, accounting for 13.5% of global revenues. Revenues were also higher in EMEA, up 86.9% to USD 72.7 million. Together, the US, LATAM and EMEA markets accounted for 28% of overall global revenues. Increased reach - Mintegral's SDK was integrated with over 26,000 apps with more than 500 million daily active users Note to Editors: A press kit with corporate photos can be found here: Media Resources For further information, please contact: IR@mobvista.com About Mobvista Inc. Mobvista is a leading technology platform dedicated to driving global business growth in the digital age. With global technology and rich industry experience, Mobvista helps customers utilize advanced technologies across big data, artificial intelligence, and elastic cloud computing cluster management to connect China and the rest of the world, helping customers build forward-looking business models and guaranteeing effective market access for all. Mobvista was founded in Guangzhou, China, in 2013, and listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (01860.HK) since December 2018, hitherto has over 700 employees with offices in 16 cities across the world. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1140209/Mintegral_ranking_6th_Global_Performance_Index.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1140210/The_Number_APP_integrated_Mintegral_SDK.jpg Bernie Sanders joined Late Night with Seth Meyers Monday, making the Vermont Democrat the first-ever guest on the at-home version of Meyers show. The presidential candidate discussed COVID-19, the failings of the American healthcare system and his Medicare For All plan as well as why he made some sarcastic remarks toward Republicans last week on the Senate floor. You still use your time on the Senate floor to be a bit sarcastic to your Republican colleagues. We do enjoy your sarcasm, we feel like its when your Brooklyn comes out, Meyers said last night in their via-webcam conversation. You were referring to the fact that some across the aisle felt the [stimulus] bill was being too generous to the less fortunate, to poorer Americans. In those moments of sarcasm, is that just masking a simmering rage you feel when your colleagues react like that? Also Read: Why Harley Quinn Became a Bernie Sanders Supporter in 'Birds of Prey' Sanders immediately agreed with the simmering rage analysis. Absolutely. You have folks in the Senate, my Republican colleagues, who voted for a trillion dollars in tax breaks for the 1% and large corporations. And yet, in this stimulus package where we fought to make sure we expand unemployment, by the way, to a lot more people than previously were eligible for it, and then we said over a four-month period, in this terrible time when people are so worried how theyre gonna feed their families that for four months, were going to add $600 to what they would normally get in an unemployment check, Sanders said. The presidential candidate, who is still in the running against former Vice President Joe Biden, said his colleagues across the aisle were being grotesque and immoral. We had some of my Republican colleagues that say, Imagine there would be some low-income workers who would actually earn more from their unemployment check than they previously did when they were making $10, $12 bucks an hour. We cant allow that to happen,' Sanders said. And to me, that is so ugly, so grotesque, so immoral, that I felt compelled to speak out about it. Story continues Also Read: Dinesh D'Souza's 'Trump Card' Due Out This August in Time for GOP Convention The sarcastic remark Meyers was referring to occurred last week on the Senate floor when Sanders raised concerns about the coronavirus stimulus bill that has since been signed into effect. Theyre very upset that somebody making $10, $12 bucks an hour might end up with a paycheck for four months more than they received last week. Oh, my God, the universe is collapsing! Imagine that, Sanders said. Oh my word, will the universe survive? Watch one Late Night clip with Sanders above and another below. Read original story Seth Meyers First-Ever Late Night From Home Guest Bernie Sanders Explains His Rage (Video) At TheWrap A teacher in Suwon conducts a trial run of virtual class. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The Moon Jae-in administration made some highly-anticipated announcements this week regarding education and monetary assistance for struggling families amid the social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the announcements have only led to more questions rather than providing answers, resulting in mounting public concerns about this administration's capacity for effective responses to various socio-economic challenges resulting from the coronavirus outbreak. In particular, the Ministry of Education's announcement Tuesday about beginning the school year for elementary, middle and high schools with online classes starting April 9 has angered parents, teachers and students. "It is inevitable to delay the opening of the school year. I ask for the understanding of the many families that will face inconvenience," Moon said during a Cabinet meeting on the day the online class decision was announced. As the pandemic is not going to go away any time soon despite an active social distancing campaign, and because schools cannot remain closed indefinitely, introducing virtual classes as an alternative to traditional teaching at this time is not a bad idea. The government said the decision was made after gathering opinions from communities, the education sector and parents. But still, the government deserves criticism for not giving schools and students sufficient time to prepare, with questions on feasibility and effectiveness of the online classes being raised. The education ministry sent official notices to high schools to prepare for the online classes April 1, which only gives teachers eight days to get the new system ready by April 9, designated as the day classes for middle and high school seniors start. The government is also being heavily criticized for a vague announcement Monday on giving out disaster relief money to people with relatively low incomes. The ministries involved in the program are saying different things about the criteria on who can receive the money, raising questions on whether there was sufficient coordination among and within government agencies. It is not surprising that the relief fund plan is called a "populist program" by the opposition bloc ahead of the April 15 general election. Shop Rites well-stocked toilet paper aisle in East Oakland is a surprisingly tranquil place during the global pandemic that has made the essential commodity a symbol of privation. Customers from the community, which is predominantly populated by black and brown low-income residents, apologize when their baskets get within 6 feet of each other, which happens often at the store. And everyone, it seems, adheres to the stores one-container-per-customer limit without complaint. East Oakland is familiar with hardships, and the coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated the communitys long-standing problems, be it residents access to food or health services. Data about East Oakland was dire well before the pandemic. More than half of Oaklands 412,040 residents live in East Oakland, but only two bus lines on International and Foothill boulevards connect the area to downtown, where there are more restaurants and stores. The opening of a new $216 million bus and rapid transit system along International Boulevard, which could revitalize the area, is delayed until the end of April, according to transit officials. But in navigating the pandemic, East Oaklanders are embracing their isolation and, amid a wave of small business closures and growing unemployment, turning to each other to survive. But it hasnt been easy. Theres an understated urgency permeating the busy little market on Bancroft Avenue as shoppers, clad in protective masks and gloves, buy cleaning supplies, rice and bags of onions. Since East Oakland has few grocery options outside of liquor stores and small corner markets, Shop Rite is positioned as a local beacon for those in need, especially since Alameda County imposed its shelter-in-place order on March 16. Yet turning a profit during trying times isnt whats on the mind of Shop Rite owner Ali Albasiery. Nor is it really possible at this point, he said. I know these people, so when they come in and they have $30 worth of items that they really need, but they only have $19 to pay, Ill do what I can for them because I know times are hard, Albasiery said. Im giving out maybe $200 to $300 per day to people who dont have enough. Whats more important than a profit is making sure everyone has what they need. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Nearly 50% of East Oakland residents are low-income, and nearly everyone more than 90% are people of color, according to city data. Before the spread of coronavirus, East Oakland had higher death rates due to heart disease, stroke and lung cancer than either Oakland or Alameda County, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. The area also has one of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in the region, and life expectancy in East Oakland is 72.7 years, compared to 80.9 years in San Francisco, records show. All of those factors may place East Oakland residents at a higher risk in the pandemic than other communities. The county doesnt track COVID-19 cases by neighborhood. But four people have died of the coronavirus in Alameda County, and as of Friday, 220 county residents have tested positive. Two are at Highland Hospital in Oakland, a spokesman said. East Oakland is suffering from (a long-term) lack of resources, support and political will from our local government, said Candice Elder, a resident and executive director of East Oakland Collective, a community organization that serves the surrounding area. Despite that startling reality in the face of the pandemic, Elder said residents arent panicking, but instead are pooling limited resources within the community. Elders organization delivered 400 meals and 35 sanitation kits to local residents. To support small East Oakland businesses that are losing income, she is working with chef Aaron of Mexiq, a local catering business, to provide meals for the homeless either living in RVs or in tents along San Leandro Boulevard. Here is our time for East Oakland to unite even further and rally around support for our East Oakland residents. We are all stepping up and rising to the occasion of COVID-19 responses, Elder said. While some grocery deliveries include items from Shop Rite, many others are traced to Gazzalis Supermarket in East Oakland, a family-owned business with five locations across the Bay Area. The store has had a steady stream of customers since the shelter-in-place order. Faye Algazzali, who manages the East Oakland market with her siblings, said her grocery store one of few places in the community offering fresh produce and meats has an obligation to provide for residents, even if it means a greater chance of exposing herself to the coronavirus. Would I like to have a two-week break or something? Sure, but that cant happen right now. We know a lot of our customers dont have the means to get around the city to other areas to shop, so they need us, she said. Theres a kind of selflessness to all of this, maybe, but its more just us doing what we always do. East Oakland people take care of each other. But caring about a customer base can take businesses like Gazzalis and Shop Rite only so far. Both Albasiery and Algazzali said they are having issues with wholesalers raising the prices on essential items like water and bread, which could get passed along to the customer. For now, both stores have kept their prices below market rate. A 2-pound bag of yellow onions at Shop Rite costs 99 cents. One pound of the same onions at Gazzalis costs 89 cents. At a big-box retailer like Costco, the price of yellow onions is more expensive than both locations, at around $1.30 per pound. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle A lot of these people last week were spending the last money they had in their bank accounts or on their EBT cards to get groceries. Now they need things again and we dont want them to have to pay more for what they got last time, Albasiery said. At some point its going to become an inventory issue for stores like us where we just dont have the items our shoppers need. EBT cards look like credit or debit cards and contain funds from government assistance-programs. Another example of small-business owners giving back to East Oakland is Marcus Dyer, of Dyer Transportation Services, who is giving rides to volunteers at the Alameda County Food Bank. Business is low due to the shelter-in-place order and crisis, so Dyer is finding other ways to give back. The partnership among residents, churches and community organizations keeps East Oaklanders hopeful, said Carolyn Jackson, the executive director of Black Cultural Zone Collaborative, a group of residents, government agencies, churches and grassroots groups that work to help keep black people in East Oakland. Im seeing resilience, she said. Just knowing that we are in this together. Im born and raised in East Oakland, its always been that way and Im just glad to see its still there. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. It isnt just small business owners finding ways to help their neighbors in East Oakland. Residents like John Jones III are coordinating grocery drop-offs for seniors and activities for children out of school. He said residents in East Oakland know what they need. There are all these built-in inherent risks that come with living in a marginalized community, Jones said. East Oakland schools are contributing during the pandemic by hosting events where families can pick up prepackaged breakfasts and lunches during the week. Among the participating schools is East Oaklands Fremont High School. East Oakland by the numbers East Oakland by the numbers Of Oakland's 412,040 residents, more than half - 232,161- live in East Oakland. Here is a breakdown of neighborhoods, according to city data: The median income for residents in most of the East Oakland neighborhoods is from $40,000 to $45,000 a year. People of color make up 87% of East Oakland's population, and about half of those residents are low-income, meaning their family earns below the area median of about $78,000. East Oakland's most affluent neighborhood is the East Oakland hills, where the median income is $89,000 and 73% of residents are people of color. By contrast, in the North Oakland hills, the median income is $158,000 and the population is only 31% people of color. See More Collapse Tom Skjervheim, co-principal at Fremont High, said last week that East Oakland schools gave meals to more than 2,000 East Bay families. Some of the meals include fruit and canned items, among other things. A lot of folks are losing their jobs right now. People who were making it paycheck to paycheck arent anymore. They need this, he said. At Esperanza Elementary School in East Oakland, most parents are suddenly out of a job because of the shelter-in-place order. At the school of 350 children, more than 80% of families have at least one parent out of work. And in 60% of homes, both parents were unemployed because of the virus. But in keeping with the communitys spirit of coming together in the crisis, Esperanza Elementarys employees set up a GoFundMe page to help the families. As East Oakland residents confront the immediate crisis, Councilman Loren Taylor, who represents part of East Oakland, said he is looking at the future. Historically, low-income communities like those in East Oakland continue to feel the impacts of a crisis long after more affluent communities bounce back, he said. Taylor said he plans to examine how the federal stimulus package will be distributed equitably and work to ensure that eviction moratoriums wont force East Oakland residents to repay months of back rent when the freeze is over. East Oaklands disparity is evident from a health and economic standpoint, he said. If we are not paying particular attention to it, those will only be exacerbated both in the immediate term and in the longer term, Taylor said. Sarah Ravani and Justin Phillips are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @SarRavani @JustMrPhillips Chandigarh, April 1 : Nearly 125 people belonging to Haryana have attended a religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin and all of them are under quarantine in the state to prevent coronavirus spread, officials said on Wednesday. Punjab has identified nine people who attended the congregation and they are in Delhi. The Home Secretary has been directed to compile the record of those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat and the exact number would be clear once the compilation is over, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij was quoted as saying. Official sources said a majority of those who attended the religious congregation were under quarantine in Haryana. Some foreign nationals were also kept in isolation to prevent the coronavirus spread. A Health Department's medical bulletin on Tuesday said nationals of Brazil, Israel, Germany, Japan, Russia, Nepal, Bhutan and several other countries have been assisted by Haryana Police to be evacuated. From Punjab, those who attended the congregation included four from Ludhiana, two from Sangrur and one each from Barnala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Rajesh Bhaskar, head of the media wing for COVID-19 communication, said all of them have been identified and kept in Delhi. "We have traced their families in the state and all have been found asymptomatic," he added. Updated data from DublinTown, the collective voice of businesses in Dublin City Centre, has shown that footfall in Dublin city centre has continued to fall as people work from home and exercise social distancing. Footfall within the area declined by 80.3% during the week ended 29th March 2020. The downward trend in footfall accelerated as the week progressed. Footfall was down by 71.2% on Monday 23rd March and by Sunday 29th, following the Taoiseachs announcement of further restrictions, it was down by 90%. DublinTown anticipates that footfall in the city centre area will be down by between 87 and 92% for the remainder of the current crisis. Streets with grocery shops and pharmacies showed the highest levels of footfall. The decline on Talbot Street was 51% and on Moore Street it was 62%. These declines compare to a decline of 93% on South William Street and 87% on Grafton Street. The decline on Henry / Mary Street, which hosts two shopping centres with grocery and pharmacy outlets, was 78%. Speaking about the decline in the figures, CEO of DublinTown, Richard Guiney said, "DublinTown supports the principle of keeping employees on the books of their employer. Maintaining employment will clearly provide some reassurance for employees at this difficult and uncertain time, while it will also be crucial in enabling the economy to bounce back when the crisis has passed. It will be important for people to return to work as soon as it is safe to do so. It will also be important to ensure sufficient consumer confidence to facilitate the recommencement of consumer spending." He added, "This confidence will be greatly assisted where people remain in employment. The flow of cash through the economy will be vital in providing cashflow to sustain business and also to create tax revenue for the state which will have its own budgetary considerations." Source: www.businessworld.ie Two cousins who are members of an infamous Sydney crime crew have received little more than a slap on the wrist for separate crimes committed behind bars. Talal and Bilal Alameddine were over the past week both sentenced in NSW courts for crimes carried out at Goulburn Supermax and Long Bay prisons respectively. Talal, 27, received a conviction in the Goulburn District Court for the assault of fellow convicted terrorist and ISIS sympathiser Bassam Hamzy in a prison exercise yard. Despite being five years into a 17-year sentence, Talal received no added time for his brutal prison fight. Just days later his cousin Bilal, 22 - a notorious drug runner - was convicted of having cannabis and a mobile phone inside his prison cell, but received just a $750 fine. Talal Alameddine (pictured) last week received no additional time on his 17-year jail sentence for bashing Bassam Hamzy inside Goulburn Supermax. Talal supplied the gun used to kill NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng His younger cousin Bilal Alameddine, 22, was caught with drugs and a mobile phone in his cell at Long Bay Jail last November. He pleaded guilty to the crimes but received just a $750 fine Abdul Saddik (pictured), lawyer for the two Alameddine cousins, said he believed that the sentences were appropriate The Alameddine relatives were both represented in court by Sydney solicitor Abdul Saddik, who said in a statement he believe the sentences were both appropriate. 'The sentencing judge and sentencing magistrate took all the matters put before the court into account and decided on the cases accordingly,' Mr Saddik told Daily Mail Australia. 'I believe considering all the circumstances, the sentences in both matters were fair and appropriate.' Talal brought shame on his family name in October 2015 with his involvement in the cold-blooded murder of New South Wales police accountant Curtis Cheng. He was just 22 when he delivered a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver to an associate who then passed it onto radicalised 15-year-old gunman Farhad Jabar. Just hours after this gun transaction, Jabar would use the weapon to gun down Mr Cheng outside police headquarters at Parramatta before being shot dead by police. An ISIS sympathiser, Talal showed no remorse and refused to stand when sentenced in the New South Wales Supreme Court to a minimum of 13-and-a-half years in jail. While in custody at Goulburn Supermax - Australia's strictest prison - Talal brawled with notorious inmate Bassam Hamzy, with their vicious assault captured on CCTV. Footage from inside the exercise yard showed the pair talking before Talal lashes out at Hamzy, throwing a furious flurry of punches that leave him bloodied. The pair then wrestled each other back into the inside of a cell where CCTV cameras could not capture the continuing struggle. An ISIS sympathiser, Talal is now serving a 17-year sentence inside Australia's strictest prison, Goulburn Supermax (pictured) in regional NSW During time together in the exercise yard in late-2018, Talal was involved in a brawl with Hamzy Brothers 4 Life founder and ISIS sympathiser Bassam Hamzy (pictured) was assaulted by Talal Alameddine in 2018, causing him to miss a court date the following day The court heard that despite allegations Talal inflicted more damage on Hamzy out of the view of cameras, this could not be used in evidence against him. Bilal was caught trying to flush the mobile phone down the toilet of his Long Bay jail cell last November. Court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia reveal a random Wednesday evening search of Alameddine's cell uncovered the phone, drugs and other paraphernalia. Alameddine's stash was uncovered by a drug detection dog called 'Skip', who found a bag of cannabis, another of tobacco and strips of buprenorphine. When corrective services officers entered Alameddine's cell he was 'standing at the rear, with his right hand secreted in the toilet', the court papers stated. After taking the 'high-risk' prisoner - who is not allowed a cellmate - out of his cell, a sniffer dog called 'Skip' was called in to search and uncovered the phone and drugs. Bilal Alameddine was caught with his hand down the toilet trying to hide a mobile phone in his cell at Long Bay Prison (pictured), Sydney, about 9.30pm on November 20, 2019 He will return to court in May to be sentenced over gun and drug running charges that initially landed him behind bars 'In the toilet they found a black unihertz mobile phone, a white USB charging cable and a tin,' an agreed statement of facts said. Alameddine had also left four strips of buprenorphine, a 6.7g bag of cannabis and a 7.4g bag of tobacco out on a shelf. As a result of his crimes Alameddine lost access to several prison privileges, such as the use of a BBQ. Talal and Bilal are just two members of the Alameddine family to have a history with police and before the courts. In recent years Talal's brother Rafat, 28, and cousins Jihad, 31, Rachad (sometimes 'Richad'), 28, and Hamdi Alameddine, 27, have all faced serious criminal matters. While Talal will be off the streets for at least the next decade and Bilal in prison for a number of years, their relatives have continued to develop a prominent crime crew in western Sydney. (Left to right) Rachad Alameddine and his brother Jihad pose for a photo with their cousins Hamdi and Rafat. The family is well known in the Merrylands area of western Sydney Rafat Alameddine (right) is facing charges over a brawl in Westfield Parramatta. Last year he also pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime and being part of a criminal group. Rachad Alameddine (left) is also charged over the Parramatta brawl. A source close to the Alameddines said: 'For years there were multiple families in that area, but most of the other ones were too focused on each other in the end.' Jihad and Richad dragged NRL star Beau Ryan into controversy in 2016 when, while having dinner at the same restaurant, he agreed to stop and take photos with them. 'I was with my wife and daughter and family at the Century and a guy came in and asked and to wish him a happy birthday, Ive never met them before,' Ryan said at the time. 'There was a group of about 30 of them and when I walked out I did the exact the same thing to another woman after he sister asked me to wish her a happy birthday.' Bilal Alameddine will return to court in May to be sentenced over gun and drug running charges that initially landed him behind bars Response coordinator for White House Coronavirus Task Force Deborah Birx speaks as Vice President Mike Pence listens during the daily briefing on the CCP virus in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on March 31, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) White House Task Force Member: We Were Missing a Significant Amount of Data From China A member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said people making models trying to project the CCP virus pandemic were missing data from China early in the outbreak. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, emerged in China last year. Modelers used data from the Chinese Communist Party that internal documents obtained by The Epoch Times show was manipulated. Those models were relied on by health experts to implement certain measures. The models would have looked different if the real situation in China was made clear to the world, according to Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the task force. When you look at the China data originally and said, oh, well, theres 80 million people, 20 million people in Wuhan, 80 million people in Hubei [province], and they come up with a number of 50,000, you start thinking of this more like SARS than you do this kind of global pandemic, Birx said. The medical community interpreted the data as the outbreak being serious but smaller than anyone expected, she added. Because I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that we see what happened to Italy, what happened to Spain. In a perfect world, it would have been nice to know what was going on there. We didnt, added Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Birx added later in the week that officials didnt realize at first how contagious the virus was. And I think when you make misassumptions around contagion early on, then you dont prepare in the way that you should prepare for the level of contagion that this COVID-19 exhibits, she said during a Fox News town hall on April 2. China said on March 31 it would start reporting cases of asymptomatic carriers of the virus after initially denying the carriers posed risks. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, up to 25 percent of those infected with the virus dont show symptoms, and people without symptoms spread the virus to others. Those findings are spurring discussions about recommending the general public wear masks when going out. A woman wearing a protective mask leaves a metro station at Beijing Railway Station in Beijing on April 1, 2020. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) Coverup American officials have repeatedly criticized China for covering up the true extent of the CCP virus outbreak in the country. Chinese officials worked to suppress information about the outbreak instead of trying to suppress the virus itself, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in mid-March. Chinese leaders have continued denying information to the world, Pompeo has said in recent weeks. The coverup probably cost the world two months to respond, national security adviser Robert OBrien said last month. Countries in the Group of Seven agreed to push back against Beijings sprawling propaganda campaign designed to deflect blame for causing the global pandemic, Pompeo said last week. In recent weeks, Chinese senior officials and scientists have claimed that the virus didnt originate from China. On Twitter, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry pushed the unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus was introduced to China by U.S. Army personnel. Cathy He and Nicole Hao contributed to this report. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the COVID-19 precautions laid out by his administration earlier this month and extended through April are a matter of life and death. The president and the White House coronavirus task force repeated warnings for residents to stay home, avoid gatherings of 10 people, homeschool their children and follow state guidelines as governors tighten travel restrictions to avoid spreading a disease thats already killed more than 3,000 in the U.S. Speaking from the White House, Trump and the task force shared data that demonstrated the diseases potential to kill at least 100,000 Americans and infect millions more, necessitating the social distancing steps that other nations have implemented to cut off the virus. Dr. Deborah Birx, the task force coordinator, said if the nation did nothing at all to stem the spread of the disease, worst case scenarios show the virus would cause 1.6 million to 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. This is going to be a very very painful two weeks," Trump said. Were at war with a deadly virus. Success in this fight will require the full, absolute measure of our strength, love and devotion. Each of us has the power ... to save the most vulnerable among us. Trump added that perhaps the added focus on good hygiene and keeping ones distance could live on to the future. With full mitigation, including community by community closely following social distancing guidelines, the nation likely faces between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths, which is still way too much," Birx said. Were very dependent on each person in the United States doing the same thing, Birx added. I know its a lot to ask. I know its stressful to follow the guidelines. But its more stressful to the soldiers on the front lines." Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged Americans to heed the guidelines that have come as businesses, schools and much of American life and the economy have come to a standstill. We are really convinced that mitigation is going to do the trick for us, Fauci said, citing the experience of other nations heavily impacted by the pandemic, such as Italy. Italy, which has seen more than 12,000 deaths and hospitals overrun, is in its fourth week of mitigation and seen the number of new cases recently decline, Fauci and Birx said. After mitigation, multiple nations have seen fewer hospitalizations, fewer intensive care situations and fewer deaths, Fauci said. We have to brace ourselves, Fauci added, noting the number of new U.S. cases would still rise for a short time. We cannot be discouraged by that. Because the mitigation will work. Its inconvenient ... to go through this. But this will answer our problems. Lets make sure we do this with all the intensity and force that we can. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the White House task force, said difficult days were ahead. Do not be discouraged, Pence said. What you can do to protect your health, the health of your family ... to ensure that our health care providers have the resources and capacity to meet this moment, is to put into practice the presidents guidelines. Thirty days to make a difference in the lives of American people." The guidelines issued by the Trump administration include: Listen and follow directions of state and local authorities If you feel sick, stay home; do not go to work and contact your medical provider If your children are sick, keep them at home and contact your medical provider If someone in your household has tested positive, keep the entire household at home If you are an older person with a serious underlying health condition, stay home and away from other people Even if you are young or otherwise healthy, it is critical that you work from home; avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people; avoid eating or drinking in public eateries and use drive-thru or delivery options instead; avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips and social visits; do not visit nursing homes or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance; practice good hygiene by washing hands and avoid touching your face. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Member representing Albasu/Gaya/Ajingi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya has advised his constituents to strictly abide the orders given by both state and federal governments in a bid to the spread of coronavirus pandemic which is yet to register its ugly presence in Kano. Gaya made the appeal in a press release signed by Abba Dukawa and forwarded to media houses According to him, with the way things are going, staying at home and seeking divine intervention remains the only answer to the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hon. Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya also notified that the Covid-19 pandemic disease is real, urging the people to desist from public gatherings, maintain self distancing and engage in constant washing of hands and cleaning of their environment at all times. The House of Representatives Member commended efforts of Governor Ganduje in the quest of ensuring adequate measures are put in place to prevent the spread of the pandemic virus into Kano state. Piers Morgan is so done with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as the couple officially steps down as senior members of the royal family. The 55-year-old veteran broadcaster has been known to be the fiercest critic of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. His tirades against the couple intensify after they made a bombshell announcement in early January to quit their role as senior royals. For some reason, Piers is especially critical with his commentaries about the former "Suits" actress. He once referred to the Duchess as a slight "social climber" and utterly disgraceful" Morgan also criticized Meghan and Harry for "profiting off" Princess Diana's death. But now that the couple is only a few days away from the so-called "Megxit," it looks like their number one critic is also about to prevent himself from lambasting Meghan and Harry. "I'm So Done With Them!" On Monday's episode of Good Morning Britain, Piers publicly announced that he no longer wants to talk about anything that has to do with Meghan and Harry and wants to focus his attention on the current health crisis faced by the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. The host specifically lost his cool over the Sussexes when the program's showbiz correspondent Ross King diverted the conversation about Meghan and Harry's security bill issues while in the United States. The U.S. correspondent is supposed to talk about how the global pandemic is impacting America, but he changed his focus and started talking about U.S. President Donald Trump's security issues with Meghan and Harry. Piers was not pleased with the shift of direction of the conversation and said that he was done talking about the royal couple. "You lost me at Meghan and Harry," the irate host said. "I'm so done with them right now. I don't want to hear a peep out of them until this is over," Piers added, talking about the global pandemic brought by COVID-19. Meghan and Harry's number one critic continued with his rant, saying he does not care about the couple's Hollywood life. "I care about what the Royal Family here, who are actually in this country doing their duty and helping us here," Piers said. "I don't really care about the renegades living in Hollywood issuing statements, do you?" Meghan And Harry vs. Donald Trump According to reports, Meghan and Harry recently flew to California amid the threat of coronavirus. When President Trump learned that the high-profile couple is in his territory, he took to Twitter on Sunday to say that the United States will not pay for Meghan and Harry's security team. He made it clear that the royals should fund their own security. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex responded to Trump. Through a spokesperson, the couple said that they have no plans of asking the U.S. government to fund their security resources, as they already made an arrangement and privately funded their security team. READ MORE: Royal Troll: Did Prince Harry Just Fool The World With Meghan Markle's Disney Pitch? Read what is in the news today: Politics Vietnam chaired the first video conference of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE), during which participating officials from ten Southeast Asian nations agreed to coordinate in coping with the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and maintain an open market to facilitate commerce and investment as well as securing social security. Japan pledges to assist Vietnam in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic by offering aid worth at least 200 million Japanese yen (US$1.86 million) via international organizations, Japanes Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu told Vietnam's foreign minister Pham Binh Minh during a phone talk on Tuesday. Society Vietnam confirmed five new COVID-19 patients, all Vietnamese nationals, on early Wednesday morning, bringing the national tally to 212, including 35 cases that can be traced to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. The Ministry of Transport has asked all provincial and municipal transport departments to consult their respective administrations about banning all four-wheeled commercial passenger vehicles for 15 days, from April 1 to 15, in line with the nationwide social distancing order. All domestic passenger flights in Vietnam will be temporarily halted from April 1 to 15 except for two two-way flights daily between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and one two-way flight daily connecting each of the two cities with Da Nang, the Ministry of Transport has announced. Passenger railway transport in Vietnam will be limited to two trips per day, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and back, from April 1 to 15. Police in Ho Chi Minh City announced on Tuesday they had last week busted a drug ring transporting narcotics from Cambodia to the southern metropolis and confiscated 9.9 kilograms of meth, 4.57 kilograms of ketamine, and 4,322 pills of ecstasy. Business The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade has assured that all markets, supermarkets, and stores are allowed to remain in operation during the implementation of nationwide social distancing from April 1 to 15, with sufficient supplies of food and other necessities for all citizens. Education The Ministry of Education and Training on Tuesday issued instructions on streamlining the teaching curricula across all subjects for middle schools and high schools in the second semester of the current academic year, as schools nationwide have been closed since February due to the COVID-19 epidemic. World News The novel coronavirus has infected over 856,300 people and killed more than 42,000 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! When it comes to working together, male dolphins coordinate their behaviour just like us. New findings, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B by an international team of researchers from the Universities of Western Australia and Bristol, provide insight into the importance of physical and vocal coordination in alliance forming animals. In humans, synchronised actions can lead to increased feelings of bonding, foster cooperation and diminish the perceived threat of rivals. Outside of humans, very few animals coordinate both vocal signals and physical movement when working together. The study used long-term acoustic data collected from the famous population of dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, to show that allied male dolphins also match the tempo of their partner's calls when working together, and would sometimes even produce their calls in sync. It was previously thought that only humans used both physical and verbal synchronised actions to strengthen bonds and enhance cooperative effort. Lead author Bronte Moore, who carried out the study while working at UWA's School of Biological Sciences said: "Allied male bottlenose dolphins are also well known for this kind of behaviour and can form alliances that can last for decades. "To advertise their alliance relationships and maintain their social bonds, they rely on synchronous movements. We wanted to know whether they would also synchronise their vocal behaviour." The study showed that male bottlenose dolphins not only synchronise their movements, but also coordinate their vocal behaviour when cooperating together in alliances. Such behaviour suggests this might help reduce tension between the males in a context that requires them to cooperate successfully. Dr Stephanie King, Senior Lecturer from Bristol's School of Biological Sciences who guided the research, added: "Male dolphins need to work together to herd a female and defend her from rival alliances, but they are also competing to fertilise her. "Such synchronous and coordinated behaviour between allied males may therefore promote cooperative behaviour and regulate stress, as it has been shown to do in humans." ### The study was funded by 'The Branco Weiss Fellowship - Society in Science' and the 'National Geographic Society'. Paper 'Acoustic coordination by allied male dolphins in a cooperative context' by Bronte L. Moore, Richard C. Connor b, Simon J. Allen, Michael Krutzen and Stephanie L. King in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Jeju Joongang Women's High School teachers make online content, Wednesday, in preparation for offering online classes from April 9. / Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong Many teachers, parents and students have raised concerns that the unprecedented online classes, scheduled to start April 9 for the country's elementary, middle and high schools, will not be ready to offer lectures without a hitch. Senior students in middle and high schools will start receiving the lectures, followed by freshmen, sophomores and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools April 16, and first to third graders in elementary schools April 20, according to the Ministry of Education. The high school seniors are probably the most affected group as they will have to take the country's university entrance exam later this year. The ministry said the exam date will be moved back to Dec. 3. "Even during a face-to-face class, many students have their attention diverted by something else. It will be much worse during online classes," a teacher who teaches Korean language to high school seniors in Daegu told The Korea Times, asking for anonymity. "Only a few will really learn something. I am afraid to say that online classes will simply fail many other students." "This coronavirus-induced school delay and online lectures will bring more damage to these students because they literally have fewer days to prepare," the teacher added. The online classes don't necessarily mean live and interactive sessions between teachers and students. According to the ministry, teachers are also free to record lectures in advance and play them during classes or to use other online content generated outside schools, such as Education Broadcast Service (EBS) lectures. On Wednesday, many schools nationwide started training for online teaching. One big question is whether all students have devices necessary to participate in the online classes. "I have a student who cannot afford to buy enough data to use Kakao talk freely. Now, you're asking her to watch an online lecture which lasts 50 minutes. Will it work? She's not the only one in this situation," a history teacher at a middle school in Seoul said. The situation could be impossible in rural areas. "My school has students who are being raised by their grandparents who have no idea what the internet is. How about students whose mother is from Vietnam and can't really understand Korean?" a male teacher at an elementary school in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, asked. Speaking in a radio interview Wednesday, however, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said getting students computers and internet connections was the least challenging problem and the authorities were working to resolve it. The middle school teacher also noted the challenge for students with disabilities. "My school has a student who can't see. What can she do during an online class?" All teachers who The Korea Times spoke to complained they had no real information about the online classes until the ministry announcement was made Tuesday. "I can't really tell what to expect. I am going to school tomorrow and will see," the teacher from Daegu said. Parents are equally puzzled, as they feel equally uncertain about the new system. A mother in Mapo, Seoul, isn't sure what to expect for her son in second-grade. "He is too young to be taught things online. Also, I've been trying to keep phones and computers away from him all along. What am I supposed to tell him now?" Another mother wrote on Naver: "I have four children. It looks like each has to stay in their room with a phone and earphones on for hours every day. I don't see how this is going to work." Most people who contract COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems. Hospitals in the most afflicted areas are straining to handle patients and some are short of critical supplies. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday into federal law a bill enabling the cabinet to declare a nationwide state of emergency in the country, Sputnik reports. The document was published on the official legal information portal. The president also signed into laws bills on fines for people violating quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic, fines for spreading false information about COVID-19, as well as a bill facilitating the allocation of budget funds for the coronavirus fight in 2020. The new law enables such allocations without any need to introduce amendments to the budget. "The situation in our country is becoming more complicated. And in the world the situation with the coronavirus is very complicated 850,000 people are already sick," Putin said during a video call with the cabinet on Wednesday, as aired by Russia-24 broadcaster. Vladimir Putin noted on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic was creating significant challenges for the employment market, stressing that the government "understands everything." "The situation is really tough. We are suffering from a double blow. The coronavirus infection implies consequences for the economy, including the reduction in business activity. This is a serious challenge for the employment market, we understand this, we see everything," Putin told the Russian cabinet, as quoted by the Kremlin. The oil prices drop is another challenge, the Russian president added. Also, Mr Putin discussed with the Cabinet the situation concerning thousands of Russian citizens currently stranded abroad due to air travel restrictions. Over 825,000 people have arrived in Russia from abroad since March 11, and 20,000 more persons are expected to arrive since they face difficulties with receiving medical assistance abroad, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "You have just said that almost all the cases, with only very rare exceptions, are either imported or contact due to contacts with people who have arrived from abroad. Since Mach 11, 2020, 825,031 persons have arrived in the country. This is a high number," Putin told the Russian cabinet. Over 20,000 people are expected to arrive in Russia, he added. "According to the reports that I have, many of our citizens who are residing abroad are returning to their motherland. It seems it is not so easy for them to receive medical assistance in the places of their permanent residence outside the Russian Federation. But this means a certain burden for us," the president said. Last week, Putin delivered a televised address to the nation, outlining a set of measures the government would take in order to stop the spread of the new coronavirus infection in the country. These include a nationwide week-off, a delay on the vote on constitutional amendments, financial support for workers, families with children and veterans, as well as tax breaks for businesses. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 03:44:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Tuesday hailed China's experience in fighting the novel coronavirus as "exemplary." "China has become a leading example in medical relief for poor countries that have been hit by this virus," Palestinian government's spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem told reporters at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Milhem thanked China for its support to the Palestinians in their fight against COVID-19. "We appreciate the Chinese efforts in helping the world amid this global humanitarian crisis through their help to Europe and to us as friends," he added. In Palestine, so far there have been 117 reported cases of COVID-19 infection. On March 5, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency, after the first cases were discovered in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. With a spike in the confirmed cases, the Palestinian government imposed a 14-day lockdown on the West Bank on March 22, including closure of schools, halting public transportation, restricting people's movement between cities, and requiring citizens to stay at home. Dr. Zhou Min, a recovered COVID-19 patient who exited a 14-day quarantine, donates plasma in the city's blood center in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Feb. 18, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP, File) First US Patient Gets Experimental Treatment for CCP Virus The first COVID-19 patient in the United States received a transfusion from a recovered patient, a hospital in Texas announced. Convalescent plasma, one of four components of human blood, is collected from patients who were infected with COVID-19 but later recovered and given to critically ill patients. The experimental treatment has been touted by some of the top health officials in the country as researchers race to find a proven treatment for the new disease, which is caused by the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Houston Methodist announced this week that it was the first hospital in the nation to treat a patient in the United States with the experimental method, following the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) announcing approval to test the therapy. The first patient received plasma on March 27 and a second patient received it a day later, the hospital system said in a statement. Plasma from recovered patients may have antibodies against the CCP virus that could potentially help patients recover, according to Dr. Eric Salazar, a physician scientist with Houston Methodists Research Institute. Salazar and his team recruited blood plasma donors who have been in good health for more than two weeks since being diagnosed with COVID-19. Each donor gave a quart of blood plasma. Medical workers transfused the plasma into the two critically ill patients. A doctor who recovered from the CCP virus donates plasma in Wuhan, China, in a file photograph. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The concept dates back to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and has been tested more recently during the Ebola and SARS outbreaks. Chinese researchers used the experimental therapy on five patients. Preliminary findings indicated positive results but researchers stressed evaluation in clinical trials is needed. Salazar said using treatments now is crucial as the number of cases continues to rise in the United States. Convalescent serum therapy could be a vital treatment route, because unfortunately there is relatively little to offer many patients except supportive care, and the ongoing clinical trials are going to take a while. We dont have that much time, he said in a statement. Physician-scientists at Houston Methodist are seeking approval from the FDA for follow-up experimental studies and hope to launch a multicenter trial across the nation looking at the therapy. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that early results from the treatment are promising. While much of the research has to be donewe have a lot of research left to do, obviouslythis treatment on plasma has shown promising results in other countries, he said. Researchers are also looking at existing drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and Kevzara, as possible treatments for COVID-19. Doctors across the nation are prescribing the former, a malaria drug, along with other drugs to try to treat patients. TDT | Manama The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) yesterday launched a nation-wide campaign aimed as part of national efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and restore life to normalcy. Themed Together for Bahrains Safety, the campaign engages 500 volunteers from the e-Volunteer platform, who will work to support Bahraini women and families, focusing on their economic and health conditions. The volunteers will operate in teams to provide Bahraini households with urgent aid, services and legal consultancy, in addition to economic support. The campaign aims also at enabling women to benefit from the states manifold financial packages to continue their businesses, receive educational support and help families to pursue remote learning. The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) extended thanks to the National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19 for supplying the volunteers through a database which includes more than 30,000. Together for Bahrains Safety was launched following directives from Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and SCW President to support Bahraini families and cater to their needs, in direct cooperation and coordination with the e-Volunteer platform. The campaign is supported through the media and education in shedding light on the efforts exerted by the national team in fighting the disease, relying on messages and the promotion of films and videos in cooperation with social media channels. New Zealanders are now stockpiling on cauliflower and Jacinda Arden thinks it's hilarious. A government-initiated 'price watch' form set up to get public feedback has revealed the vegetable is the number one issue for Kiwis as they stock up through the lockdown. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in the first day of its operation, 990 submissions were made and one message was coming through loud and clear. New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has struggled to contain a smile as she revealed her country's biggest supermarket complain was the price of cauliflower 'The most common complaint was ... the high price of cauliflower,' Ms Ardern said, struggling to deny her smile at the news. Kiwis have told the government they've been asked to pay $NZ13 ($A12.65) for a single cauliflower during the lockdown. 'We are taking these complaints seriously,' Ms Ardern said. Kiwis have told the government they've been asked to pay $NZ13 ($A12.65) for a single cauliflower during the lockdown Supermarkets are on the front line of New Zealand's shutdown, with butchers and greengrocers all shut down, along with restaurants, which have not even been allowed to offer takeaway or delivery. That's placed a huge burden on the major retailers, which have employed thousands of extra workers to manage the demand. Around the country, supermarkets have set up lines in their car parks for people to wait for entry. During peak times, Kiwis are waiting - with a two metre distance either side of them in line - for up to an hour to head in and buy their goods. And while the government and eagle-eyed New Zealanders are on high alert for price gouging during the lockdown, industry sources suggest there's little sinister about the cauliflower price. A relatively hot summer in New Zealand, with little rain on much of North Island's agricultural land, has reduced supply of the Mediterranean favourite. Ms Ardern said she - and the eagle-eyed Kiwis on the price-watch beat - would remain diligent. 'In some cases, it will simply be an issue of constrained supply, particularly when it comes to produce,' she said. 'But we are investigating complaints that are made because this is a time when we want to know that New Zealanders are being treated fairly.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 14:03:33|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A community doctor visits a family to check their health conditions in Havana, Cuba, March 31, 2020. Cuba on Tuesday announced the decision to suspend the arrival of international passenger flights and withdraw all foreign boats from the Carribean island as part of the measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua/Zhu Wanjun) HAVANA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Tuesday announced the decision to suspend the arrival of international passenger flights and withdraw all foreign boats from the Carribean island as part of the measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision came as the Cuban Ministry of Public Health reported 16 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 earlier in the day, bringing the total in the country to 186. Last week, Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel urged state institutions, private sectors and the public to increase control and discipline so as to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Cuban Minister of Public Health Jose Angel Portal said Cuban residents entering the country must be isolated for 14 days at facilities set up by the government, while schools and universities were suspended for four weeks, from March 24 to April 20. On March 20, Cuba said it would restrict foreigners from entering for a month. The island nation reported its first COVID-19 cases on March 11. The Press Council of India on Wednesday urged the media to responsibly ensure dissemination of verified on coronavirus outbreak, based on the daily bulletin by the government following the Supreme Court's directive on the issue. The media watchdog cited the Supreme Court directive which asked the media to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified capable of causing panic is not disseminated. The print media is required to take note of the Supreme Court directives, the PCI said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that to check fake news, a daily bulletin system with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic be made active within 24 hours by the government through all media avenues including social media and forums to clear the doubts of people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SCHOOL Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are being redeployed to work in community-based centres for children with disabilities during the Covid-19 crisis The 16,000 SNAs are being asked to make themselves available to free up as many nurses as possible for hospitals and other healthcare settings. It is part of the wider temporary reassigment of public service workers, who are not medically advised to isolate, to essential services in their own sector or elsewhere. Schools have been closed for almost three weeks and, while teachers are expected ro continue working, from a distance, SNAs cannot do their regular job remotely. SNAs provide non-educational services in the classroom, supporting the wider care needs, including toileting and feeding, of children with special needs. Read More Community services for children with a disability have been identified as the initial priority area for SNAs, including public, private and voluntary healthcare settings. However, as well as being on standby for community-based settings, some SNAs will be asked to work remotely with children they already know. This could include scheduled calls or video links with advice on routines, home schooling, behaviour management and social stories on Covid-19. Education Minister Joe McHugh thanked all employees in the education and training sector for their efforts, stating "your work at this time will never be forgotten by the people you support." He said SNAs would be able to put their skills and experience to use during this time in support of the national effort. SNAs do fantastic work day in day out for children with a variety of needs in our schools. Their support hugely enriches the lives of children. Crucially, they have much-needed skills and experience which can be of huge benefit to other services. > I know this is a new departure for many people but opening up a temporary assignment programme is about giving some workers the opportunity to be on standby to help others in great need. > Although all SNAs will be eligible for temporary assignment, it is not envisaged at this stage that there will be an opportunity for all of them. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has set up a dedicated process to facilitate the temporary reassigment of SNAs. All SNAs will be asked to access a web link by April 7, where they will answer a questionnaire and details will be uploaded for the temporary assignment process. Temporary assignment will be managed on a structured, centralised basis through the Department of Education and the PAS. by Austin Bay March 31, 2020 February was a cruel month for the Chinese corporate giant Huawei Technologies, and rightly so. The "high-risk" telecommunications company with deep ties to Beijing's communist dictatorship deserves an even crueler April and a disastrous 2020 marked by criminal investigation, criminal indictment and billion-dollar lawsuits. For several years Huawei has pursued a strategy to position itself as the world's biggest supplier of telecommunications equipment, with the goal of dominating global and regional communications infrastructure as well as crucial international digital systems. Its most worrisome operation gambit involves the 5G "next generation" wireless communication systems that have the ability to connect cellphones, the internet, the internet of things -- well, virtually all things digital. Huawei intends to provide hardware and corporate technical support. Here's the high-risk rub: Does anyone not on the payroll of the Chinese Communist Party trust Beijing's dictatorship with the power to pervasively monitor communications (spy locally as well as globally), interrupt, deny or corrupt digital services, and possibly take surreptitious control of digital devices, say, the air traffic control computers at Los Angeles International Airport? Outrageous scenario? No, given Huawei's baggage is a legitimate worry exacerbated by the regime's criminal dishonesty (e.g., lying about COVID-19/Wuhan virus). For all practical purposes, Huawei is a Chinese Communist Party tool. In spy lingo, a cutout company can hide an espionage operation. Abundant evidence suggests Huawei serves as a cutout. Which is why February's tough responses to Beijing's gambit were so encouraging. On Feb. 10, U.S. Attorney General William Barr did more than make the case that Huawei poses a security risk to the entire free world. He also suggested several actions the U.S. and its allies could undertake to confront China and mitigate Huawei's threat. He suggested the U.S. form a consortium with private U.S. and allied companies to manufacture 5G equipment. He specifically mentioned Nokia and Ericsson. Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung are Nos. 1, 2 and 3 globally in holding standard and essential telecommunications patents. By this measure, three democracies, Finland (Nokia), Sweden (Ericsson) and South Korea (Samsung), have superior tech. Huawei is sixth, according to one analysis. Huawei, however, has assets its intellectual superiors lack: Beijing's money and political muscle, and the covert support of the authoritarian state's intelligence services. Some sources estimate Huawei has received $75 to $80 billion from Beijing and used the money to increase sales by guaranteeing financing. On Feb. 13, Barr's Department of Justice and the FBI detailed Huawei's national and international security risk. The DOJ's 56-page indictment hit the company with 16 charges involving "racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to steal trade secrets." Huawei faces numerous counts of intellectual property theft. The indictment has some interesting tidbits that stink of government espionage. Federal investigators found a "top-secret" Huawei manual that ordered "certain individuals" to conceal the fact that they worked for the company when meeting "foreign law enforcement officials." Numerous analysts believe Huawei has aided Chinese espionage efforts. Huawei personnel have admitted that the company has the ability to intercept communications using its hardware, both in mainland China and in foreign nations. The company databases contain information on foreign personnel, phone records and property that have nothing to do with telecommunications. Moreover, it is a fact the Chinese dictatorship requires Chinese companies to give Beijing access to all data they hold. But Huawei is not a private corporation. It is owned by a holding company that is owned by a trade union investment committee that is essentially an arm of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, which is a public entity. Then there's l'affair Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng is chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of its founder. According to the DOJ, she was directly involved in stealing American-developed source code. She tried to steal memory hardware and antenna technology. She also violated U.S. sanctions on Iran. The U.S. is trying to extradite her from Canada. Is she a spy? She acquired secrets of value to China's military. Beijing is doing everything it can to prevent her extradition, including harassing Canadian diplomats. Why, the regime treats her as if she were a diplomat -- or a spy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:45:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis said Wednesday that he has urged the UN leadership for massive mobilization to support Lebanon to fight the COVID-19. "In my video conference with UN leadership, I urged massive international mobilization of support for Lebanon in three areas including fighting coronavirus emergency, social safety net and help for the most vulnerable as well as humanitarian assistance," Kubis tweeted. He also emphasized the importance of national unity during these moments while urging the Lebanese to give the current government political space to act. Also on Wednesday, Kubis met with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab to discuss ways of supporting Lebanon amid the crisis. Lebanon is currently going through its worst economic and financial crises with thousands of businesses that have shut down due to nationwide protests which started last Oct. 17 and the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country which led to the layoff of thousands of employees. NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The investment objective and strategy of each fund in the table below is to now seek daily leveraged, or daily inverse leveraged, investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% or -200%, as applicable, of the performance of its underlying index, as shown below: Ticker Fund Underlying Index Daily Leveraged Investment Objective (before fees and expenses) BRZU Direxion Daily MSCI Brazil Bull 2X Shares MSCI Brazil 25/50 Index 200% RUSL Direxion Daily Russia Bull 2X Shares MVIS Russia Index 200% NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index 200% DUST Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares -200% JNUG Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2X Shares MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners Index 200% JDST Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares -200% ERX Direxion Daily Energy Bull 2X Shares Energy Select Sector Index 200% ERY Direxion Daily Energy Bear 2X Shares -200% GUSH Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bull 2X Shares S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index 200% DRIP Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bear 2X Shares -200% About Direxion: Direxion equips investors who are driven by conviction with ETF solutions built for purpose and fine-tuned for precision. These solutions are available for a broad spectrum of investors, whether executing short-term tactical trades, investing in macro themes, or building long-term asset allocation strategies. Direxion's reputation is founded on developing products that precisely express market perspectives and allow investors to manage their risk exposure. Founded in 1997, the company has approximately $11 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2020. For more information, please visit www.direxion.com. There is no guarantee that the Funds will achieve their investment objectives. For more information on all Direxion Shares daily leveraged ETFs, go to direxion.com, or call us at 866.301.9214. Leveraged ETFs are not suitable for all investors and should be utilized only by investors who understand the risks associated with seeking daily leveraged and inverse investment results, and intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Due to the daily nature of the leveraged and inverse investment strategies employed, there is no guarantee of long-term inverse returns. Past performance is not indicative of future results. An investor should carefully consider a Fund's investment objective, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. A Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information about the Direxion Shares. To obtain a Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus call 866-716-0735 or visit our website at direxion.com. A Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing. Direxion Shares Risks An investment in the ETFs involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The ETFs are non-diversified and include risks associated with concentration that results from an ETF's investments in a particular industry or sector which can increase volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. The ETFs do not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns which are a multiple of the return of their respective index for periods other than a single day. For other risks including leverage, correlation, daily compounding, market volatility and risks specific to an industry or sector, please read the prospectus. Market Disruption Risk Geopolitical and other events, including public health crises and natural disasters, have recently led to increased market volatility and significant market losses. Significant market volatility and market downturns may limit the Fund's ability to sell securities and obtain short exposure to securities, and the Fund's sales and short exposures may exacerbate the market volatility and downturn. Under such circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty achieving its investment objective for one or more trading days, which may adversely impact the Fund's returns on those days and periods inclusive of those days. Alternatively, the Fund may incur higher costs (including swap financing costs) in order to achieve its investment objective and may be forced to purchase and sell securities (including other ETFs' shares) at market prices that do not represent their fair value (including in the case of an ETF, its NAV) or at times that result in differences between the price the Fund receives for the security or the value of the swap exposure and the market closing price of the security or the market closing value of the swap exposure. Under those circumstances, the Fund's ability to track its Index is likely to be adversely affected, the market price of Fund shares may reflect a greater premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads in the Fund's shares may widen, resulting in increased transaction costs for secondary market purchasers and sellers. The Fund may also incur additional tracking error due to the use of futures contracts or other securities that are not perfectly correlated to the Fund's Index. The recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has proven to be a market disrupting event. The impact of this virus, like other pandemics that may arise in the future, has negatively affected and may continue to negatively affect the economies of many nations, companies and the global securities and commodities markets, including by reducing liquidity in the markets. Adverse effects may be more pronounced for developing or emerging market countries that have less established health care systems. How long such events will last and whether they will continue or recur cannot be predicted. Distributor: Foreside Fund Services, LLC. SOURCE Direxion Related Links http://www.direxion.com The initial guidance, issued by the I.R.S. on Monday, drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties. Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Social Security officials to find a solution that did not involve filing an additional return. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, wrote on Twitter that he was extremely disappointed in the I.R.S. The reversal should allow Social Security recipients to avoid filing an unexpected return, but the same cannot be said for many others who do not normally have to file. The I.R.S. guidance acknowledged the potential complexity for low-income Americans, and the agency said it would soon offer instructions on its website for filing a 2019 tax return that contained simple, but necessary, information including their filing status, number of dependents and direct deposit bank account information. Filing even the simplest of returns could pose challenges during a pandemic. The I.R.S. does have a free filing site, but those who lack internet access could be unable to use it because nonprofits, libraries and other places are closed. Low-income filers, however, will have until the end of the year to file and still get their stimulus payments. The decision to require more people to file returns puzzled policy experts, who said the government had the ability to crosscheck various databases to make sure it reached everyone who was eligible, including those who would have the greatest need. The matching part may take longer, and its legitimate for them to say that one group will get payments faster and one group will be slower, said Ms. Parrott, who worked in the federal Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. But to throw up their hands and say they cant do it? They have the capacity to do it, and I think they need the leadership to say that they are going to get this done. There will be an extra layer of difficulty for people who dont normally file a return and lack a standard checking account. Eleven people, who had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin area in Delhi have been put under home quarantine in Bareilly's Faridpur. A team from the health department will take their samples for COVID-19 testing. Notices have put up outside houses of these people asking others to not enter it. The administration is also tracing other people from the district who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, which has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. Six people from Telangana who attended the gathering have died due to coronavirus. An FIR has been registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare earlier today informed that there are 1,637 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 1,466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ontarios colleges and universities are running online courses and handing out alternate projects or take-home exams to replace traditional exams as they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. And they have already begun looking at options for this fall should the situation not improve. Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano said Tuesday he is focused on the short-term right now, when asked if the fall semester could be online only if social distancing is still necessary. Right now, we remain focused on addressing the current immediate needs within the sector, Romano said. We have effectively been able to move all of our institutions into online learning ... With respect to what the future summer and potentially fall semester hold, we continue to work together with our post-secondary education providers. Romano said he speaks almost daily with college and university presidents and is working very closely with them to determine what are the next steps with respect to (the) summer term, as well as the following fall term Were addressing the immediate needs, and were certainly continuing to focus on the medium and long-range forecasts as well. Colleges and universities across the province have shut down in-person classes, with courses moving online. Now the exam period is about to start. Students will still earn degrees and diplomas, though spring commencement ceremonies have either been postponed or cancelled. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford noted recent government announcements included a six-month grace period on student loan repayments. Romano said for all students who are presently, who have graduated and are presently repaying student loans, as well as those who are about to graduate or have recently graduated and are paying student loans, they will have a six-month deferral. This is no interest, no payments and no collections. And Im very happy that we are working together in unity with the federal government to provide these services. He said the province will also provide $25 million to all 45 post-secondary institutions to help them cover COVID-19 related costs. Catherine Dunne, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, said university students are concerned about affordability and she welcomed the OSAP changes as a really great step that helped ease graduates and upcoming graduates anxieties. However, she is worried about their summer job prospects, as students often spend the summer earning money to afford tuition. As well, OSAP typically factors in a standard amount that students and their parents are expected to contribute, which will have to change given the blow the economy has taken, she added. Its too early to tell whats going to come for the fall semester, said Dunne, a student at Western University. Were trying to be optimistic but nobody really knows right now. John Doerksen, Westerns vice-provost of academic programs, said the university has come up with a number of alternate ways to assess students this term in the hopes of providing a numerical grade for as many as possible. Students, however, also have the option of switching to a pass/fail system and will be allowed to drop courses at the end of the semester without academic penalty. He said the admissions process for the incoming class this fall are moving forward and the university has already made offers. We are in the early stages of that planning process, on what happens in the fall, he added. We havent come to any decisions, but we are certainly beginning to plan for various scenarios. Its only prudent we dont know how long the current COVID-19 pandemic will last, nor do we know if there will be a second wave. He said the university is planning for a number of different scenarios everything from it goes back to normal in September which would be incredible or that maybe things linger until the middle of the term, or maybe it affects the entire fall term. We will definitely have a very robust plan and strategy in place. Xerox Holdings Corporation said that the current global health crisis and resulting macroeconomic and market turmoil caused by Covid-19 have created an environment that is not conducive to it to continue to pursue an acquisition of HP. Accordingly, it is withdrawing our tender offer to acquire HP and will no longer seek to nominate its slate of highly qualified candidates to HPs Board of Directors, Xerox said in a statement on its website. While it is disappointing to take this step, we are prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders, and our broader response to the pandemic, over and above all other considerations, it added. There remain compelling long-term financial and strategic benefits from combining Xerox and HP. The refusal of HPs Board to meaningfully engage over many months and its continued delay tactics have proven to be a great disservice to HP stockholders, who have shown tremendous support for the transaction. TradeArabia News Service "Georgia Perceived the Coronavirus Challenge Very Seriously"- Armenian Journalist - GeorgianJournal arc Olley, 36, was jailed for 22 weeks for biting and spitting at police officers A thug has been jailed for biting and spitting at two police officers as another has been locked up for coughing in a policemans face amid the coronavirus crisis. Marc Olley, 36, from Grimsby, was jailed for 20 weeks after angrily biting and spitting at two officers before saying he had coronavirus. It follows Alex Wood, 37, from Bridge End, Dorchester-upon-Thames, deliberately coughing in a police officers face after hitting a woman over the head with a can. Meanwhile, a 29-year-old woman from Lewisham has denied three counts of assault on emergency workers, after being accused of coughing at police officers while telling them she had coronavirus, while Oliver Cook, 35, of Chatham, Kent, was jailed for 120 days of spitting at an officer and claiming he had Covid-19. Marc Olley, pictured above, 36, from Grimsby, was jailed for 20 weeks after angrily biting and spitting at two police officers before saying he had coronavirus Olley, above, admitted two offences of assaulting on-duty emergency police on March 28. He said he made the comments because he was in custody on an isolation wing the night before Olley menacingly told officers: If your face was down here, I would spit right in your face. He admitted two offences of assaulting on-duty emergency police on March 28. Humberside police went to a domestic disturbance between Olley and his ex-girlfriend at 9am. Olley was dragged to the ground because of his behaviour but was aggressive and made threats. He bit their fingers and claimed he had Covid-19 and said they should check their records. He spat at both police but missed them and claimed he had coronavirus. Olley said he was appalled and disgusted with himself and was jailed for 20 weeks. It follows an abhorrent man being jailed for attacking a woman with a can and coughing in a police officers face. Alex Wood grabbed a woman by the chest and hit her over the head with a can with enough force to leave a lump. Wood coughed in the face of the arresting officer who was wearing a protective face mask. Wood was charged at Oxford Magistrates Court on Tuesday March 24 and convicted the next day. He pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating, one count of assaulting an emergency worker and one count of criminal damage to property. Wood was jailed for 10 weeks for assaulting an emergency worker and 12 weeks for assault by beating, a total of 22 weeks. A further four weeks were added for criminal damage, but to run concurrently. Today, Elena Gasca, 29, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court accused of three counts of assault on an emergency worker following an incident at Catford railway station in southeast London on 30 March. Elena Gasca, 29, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court accused of three counts of assault on an emergency worker following an incident at Catford railway station The court heard Gasca 'giggled' as she told three police officers she had coronavirus and coughed at them. She denied the three assault allegations and was bailed until April 29 for her next hearing. Meanwhile, Oliver Cook, 35, was today jailed for 120 days after admitting two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, theft and criminal damage. Cook, of Chatham, Kent, was arrested outside a supermarket in Whitstable, also Kent, at around 6.20pm on Sunday after he was seen trying to steal meat. As Cook was searched, he spat at a police officer and laughed as he said: I have coronavirus. It comes amid a spate of coronavirus attacks on emergency workers across Britain during the lockdown in which frontline staff have been victims of abuse and even muggings. NHS nurses have been advised not to wear their uniform outside work and hide their ID badges as people accuse them of spreading coronavirus (file photo) Frontline staff have been targets of assaults amid the coronavirus pandemic (file photo) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has called on security agencies to allow petroleum products tanker drivers move freely, despite the lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari in some parts of the country. The federal government had earlier approved the reduction of the pump price of petrol to N125 from N145. On Tuesday, however, the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, again, reduced the pump price of petrol to N123.50 per litre from the current price of N125. According to a statement signed by the corporation spokesperson, Jennie Obatero, on Tuesday, NNPC holds over 2.6 billion litres of petrol. This, it said, will be enough to last the period of the lockdown and beyond. The lockdown as announced by Mr Buhari, on March 29, in a national broadcast, is observed in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, and will be for 14 days. The president, however, granted exemptions to some categories of essential workers. On Tuesday, petroleum tankers headed to Lagos were stranded after police placed a blockade at the Lagos-Ogun boundary. The corporation said the federal government counted on the support of the law enforcement agencies across the country to ensure smooth distribution of petroleum products across the nooks and crannies of the country during the period of the restriction. Motorists were also urged not to engage in panic buying. The government has been urged to help organise charter flights to bring in European agricultural workers as UK farms warn of a labour shortage due to Covid-19. British farmers are seeing a shortage of crucial seasonal labour to help harvest and pack crops as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. The substantial shortfall comes despite a farm labour campaign successfully signing up 10,000 British people to help pick fruit and vegetables. Concordia, a labour provider for the farming industry, told The Guardian that it is now looking at the option of chartering planes to bring workers in. Stephanie Maurel, the charity's chief executive, said: Our recruitment outside the EU is stalled which leaves us with Lithuania, which has closed borders, Romania with no aeroplanes, and Bulgaria which is our little beacon. Bulgaria, which is currently on lockdown, has classed farm workers as essential workers that can freely move around. But despite this, many airliners have grounded flights to and from the country. Mr Maurel told the paper: Were talking about chartering planes to bring workers in. It costs around 10,000 for an hours flight carrying 229 people thats 45,000 Sofia to London, or around 250 per person. He said the plan to charter planes was being actively discussed by the NFU and the Association of Labour Providers. Despite a recent industry call for a 'land army of employees' to support British farmers and growers, around 90,000 jobs still need filling. Approximately 10,000 people have signed up to work at more than 500 farms across the country as part of the new 'Feed the Nation' campaign. To help boost worker numbers, Concordia has now urged the government to help provide clarity on plans to charter planes. If I put up reserves and guarantees [to secure a charter flight], I need to know it can take off, Mr Maurel told The Guardian. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) president, Mark Bridgeman said recently that the government must recognise that farmers' supply of labour is in 'jeopardy'. A shortage of 80,000 workers is something we have never seen before," he said. That is why we are calling for a land army of employees to support farmers in feeding the country. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) Four more Filipinos abroad have died due to COVID-19 as 33 more Filipinos overseas test positive for the viral disease, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Wednesday. The new fatalities raised the death toll to 13, as the total number of Filipinos who have contracted COVID-19 overseas reached 401. Most of the Filipinos who died were from Europe, with 10 deaths, while one each was recorded in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Of the 401 Filipinos who have contracted COVID-19 overseas, 270 are undergoing treatment, while 118 have recovered or have been discharged from hospitals. Most of the Filipinos abroad who have tested positive for COVID-19 are located in the Asia Pacific region. Manilas consulate in Hong Kong earlier reported that three more Filipinos in the city have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of Filipinos who have had the disease in the city to 19. The consulate said it is extending all necessary assistance to them. It also reminded Filipinos in the city to stay at home whenever possible, avoid crowded places and follow social distancing rules. Meanwhile, 107 Filipinos in Europe, 52 Filipinos in Middle East and Africa and 36 Filipinos in the Americas have tested positive for COVID-19. Globally, over 860,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, with more than 42,000 succumbing to the disease. Zoom has surged in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, leading to security concerns. (Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa USA) Videoconferencing app Zoom (ZM) has attracted new high-level scrutiny concerning data security and privacy measures amid a surge in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. New York's attorney general has written to the company voicing concerns over its ability to cope with the huge increase in user numbers. Millions of people, from families to businesses, are now using the app for work and leisure across the globe as governments around the world ordered people to stay at home and practice social distancing to combat the spread of coronavirus. The letter from the office of New York attorney general Letitia James asked Zoom whether it had reviewed its security measures since its popularity skyrocketed. It also pointed out that the app had been slow to address issues in the past. Zoom takes its users' privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously, a Zoom spokesperson told the BBC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working around-the-clock to ensure that hospitals, universities, schools, and other businesses across the world can stay connected and operational. We appreciate the New York Attorney General's engagement on these issues and are happy to provide her with the requested information. Read more: Coronavirus: Why we need to get used to overcommunication Zoom has been hit by security issues in the past, including a vulnerability which allowed a cyber-attacker to remove attendees from meetings, spoof messages from users, and hijack shared screens. Another problem forced Mac users into calls without their knowledge. Recent security concerns include reports of strangers gaining access to meetings and displaying explicit material if proper security measures are not taken, such as locking a meeting once all expected attendees have joined, in a process which has become known as Zoombombing. Use of the Zoom app by Ministry of Defence staff was suspended last week while security implications were investigated. UK prime minister Boris Johnson last week tweeted a picture of himself chairing a cabinet meeting using Zoom, raising questions about the security of the app. Story continues This morning, I chaired the first ever video conference Cabinet meeting. We must all do our bit to stop the spread of coronavirus, protect our NHS and save lives. #StayHomeSaveLives https://t.co/Eew4i0Wr5q pic.twitter.com/LkWYYnMXnq Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 24, 2020 Zoom is now ranked as the number two app in the UK and number one in the US, after its surge in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. Globally, 2,000 institutions ranging from the world's largest financial services companies to leading telecommunications providers, government agencies, universities, healthcare and telemedicine practices have done exhaustive security reviews of our user, network and data centre layers confidently selecting Zoom for complete deployment, Zoom told the BBC. We are in close communication with the UK Ministry of Defence and National Cyber Security Centre and are focused on providing the documentation they need. Read more: Houseparty app offers $1m reward for proof of sabotage Zoom lists a number of additional security options on its website for users making video conferencing calls, including creating a waiting room for invited attendees before a meeting starts and only allowing those with provided email addresses to join a meeting. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK Even as the number of coronavirus cases has been increasing in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday that local transmission is under control in the city and community transmission has not started yet. Addressing a digital press conference, Kejriwal said that so far 97 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported in Delhi. "One person has moved to Singapore, two have died while five persons have been cured so far. A total of 89 people are in the hospitals and of these one person has been put on ventilator support while and two have been put on oxygen. The conditions of the rest are stated to be stable. I pray for the recovery of all the patients," Kejriwal said. He said after the number of cases in Delhi witnessed a spike in the last two-three days, the government has analysed the patients. "We analysed these cases and found that 24 are from Nizamuddin Markaz, 41 cases are those who came from abroad, 22 cases are family members of these 41 foreign returnees while 10 other cases are being analysed. We are not in the stage of community transmission," the Chief Minister said. He also said that there could be a rise in the number of cases due to the Markaz incident. "Around mid-March, several gathered for a religious congregation at the (Nizamuddin) Markaz. While many left, several stayed back," he said. Kejriwal said the people are being tested for the virus. "Over 1,548 people have been rescued from the building and more than 441 have been tested for the virus as they showed symptoms and are in the hospital now. 1,107 people had no symptoms but have been to be on quarantine." "Given the grave situation we are in, it is highly irresponsible for someone to do anything like this," the Chief Minister said, referring to the Markaz gathering. He said that people travelled to different corners of the country after attending the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz. "It is scary to even imagine what harm this can do. I urge all the religious leaders and people to not organise any gathering and cooperate with the government," he said. Kejirwla also said that he has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, asking him to take strict action in this regard. "If any officer is found irresponsible, he will not be spared," Kejriwal said after it surfaced that the Markaz had contacted the authorities for help. A Tablighi Jamaat gathering took place at the Markaz Nizamuddin West between March 13 and March 15 and it is estimated that close to 1,800 people had assembled at the building for the same. At least 24 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Nizamuddin with officials saying the number could go up. India is under a nationwide lockdown till April 14 due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Piers Morgan has revealed that his youngest son has experienced symptoms linked to coronavirus. The Good Morning Britain presenter told co-host Susanna Reid that his 19-year-old son, Albert, lost his sense of taste and smell. Morgan made the revelation during a discussion about Covid-19 with journalists Kevin Maguire and Andrew Pierce. Pierce has also suffered from coronavirus. One of my sons had it in a much milder way. He lost his taste and smell and still hasn't got it back, Morgan said. A shocked Reid asked: One of your sons? Yeah, my youngest boy had it, Morgan responded. He had that taste and smell thing that I think now most people are associating with the virus. Luckily he didn't get anything like what you had but he did experience it for a few days. Its a very unnerving thing to get. Morgan has not seen any of his three sons, who do not live with him, since the UK government imposed a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. As he coughed, Morgan noted: I know some people at home will be thinking, oh there he goes he has got it. People on TV cough all the time, I hear people do it on air. But it will worry people. The moment you do everyone goes mad. Morgan recently criticised artists, including Lewis Capaldi and Stereophonics, for going ahead with their arena shows while people were being urged to social-distance. See the latest updates on celebrities who have tested positive for coronavirus here. TORONTO, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nutritional High International Inc. ("Nutritional High" or the "Company") (CSE: EAT, OTCQB: SPLIF) is pleased to announce its financial results and business update for the second quarter ended January 31, 2020. Q2 2020 Q2 2019 Change Q1 2020 Change Revenue $3,108 $6,063 -$2,955 $6,694 -$3,586 COGS $2,292 $4,548 -$2,256 $5,122 -$2,830 Gross Profit $816 $1,514 -$698 $1,572 -$756 Gross Margin % 26.3% 25.0% 1.3% 23.5% 2.8% Lease and Interest Revenue* $2 $53 -$51 $47 -$45 Operating Expenses $4,539 $7,092 -$2,552 $4,842 -$303 Other Income (Loss) -$878 -$1,026 $148 -$104 -$774 Net and Comprehensive Income/(Loss) -$4,633 -$6,805 $2,172 -$3,281 -$1,352 Earnings/(Loss) per Share -$0.021 -$0.023 $0.002 -$0.000 -$0.021 All Figures in Thousands CAD, unless otherwise stated Green Therapeutics (Nevada) and Palo Verde (Colorado) financials are not consolidated in these results * Historically, revenue was derived from lease and interest income; beginning fiscal Q3 2018, the Company started to earn revenue from Cannabis sales Q2 2020 Financial Highlights: Revenue $3.1 million from the sale of cannabis related products, primarily generated from our distributor in California, Calyx Brands Inc. (Calyx). Q2 Revenue represents a decline of $3.5M vs prior quarter and $3.0M vs prior year, due to the termination of the distribution relationship between Calyx and a subsidiary of Plus Products Holdings Inc. Despite this lost business, Calyx continues to have a strong retail footprint of 600+ dispensaries across California through which it distributes 11 brands. Management expects Calyx revenues to attain growth through expansion of its brand portfolio and through the ongoing implementation of Calyx hybrid distribution model. Further growth is expected from the integration of a strategic partners flower and supply processing business resulting from a potential Calyx Spin-off (details below). Gross Profit of 26.3%, represents an improvement of 2.8% vs prior quarter and 1.3% vs prior year. represents an improvement of vs prior quarter and vs prior year. Operating expenses of $4.5 million, a decrease of $2.6 million vs prior year. This improvement is a direct result of several cost restructuring measures that the Company has successfully implemented both at the corporate level and in the Calyx business. vs prior year. This improvement is a direct result of several cost restructuring measures that the Company has successfully implemented both at the corporate level and in the Calyx business. In the coming months, management is focusing on efforts to bring on and ramp up higher margin business lines through a renewed focus on its manufacturing infrastructure in Colorado, Oregon, California and Nevada, and is taking expeditious steps to achieving profitability. Business Highlights: Q2 2020 and Subsequent On March 3, 2020, John Durfy was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Nutritional High. Mr. Durfy brings a wealth of senior management and executive experience encompassing operations, investment management, financial and business strategy over the past 30 years. Mr. Durfy has an extensive understanding of the North American cannabis landscape through participation on a number of boards, active participation in a cannabis investment corporation, as well as senior leadership experience in a medical cannabis company. With a new CEO identified, Adam Szweras, CEO of the Company since June 2019, has stepped down from his role as CEO and continue on with the Company resuming the role of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, replacing David Posner. As a founder of Nutritional High, Mr. Szweras has been active in the Companys leadership since inception and he will work closely with Mr. Durfy in the capacity of broad oversight of Nutritional High. On December 19, 2019, Robert Wilson joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer. Throughout his career, Mr. Wilson has held senior positions in investment banking and private equity including BMO Nesbitt Burns, Mackie Research Capital, Yorkton Securities, Working Ventures Canada Fund and Temperance Capital Income Fund. The Company announced the resignation of former Chief Financial Officer, Mike DiNapoli, on December 10, 2019. On December 10, 2019, the Company announced that its distribution business, operated under Calyx will downsize under a new service model together with the termination of its distribution relationship with a subsidiary of Plus Products Holdings Inc. ("Plus"). As part of these changes, Calyx is undertaking an ongoing implementation of a hybrid distribution model where new client brands can select the level of service required for each product on an a la carte basis, along with existing client brands being progressively migrated into the new platform. On February 26, 2020, the Company announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to sell a controlling interest in Calyx to a strategic partner (Calyx Spin-off). The strategic partner is currently undertaking due diligence. This transaction is subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements as well as regulatory approval. Details of the terms of the definitive agreement will be disclosed once finalized. In California, Nutritional High will be focused towards the manufacturing and commercialization of FLI and other brands whereby the Calyx Spin-off will still enable the Company to distribute these brands through Calyx. Also, the Calyx Spin-off will result in the Company no longer consolidating Calyx financials in its consolidated financial statements. Upon successful closing, the Calyx Spin-off will complete the first stage of a strategic review process undertaken by Nutritional High in December 2019. This allows Nutritional High to focus on a higher margin, lower working capital intensive manufacturing footprint and brand development capabilities and leverage these strengths to penetrate existing markets in multiple states and enter emerging opportunities internationally. Palo Verde, the Companys Colorado tenant who utilizes the Companys know-how and branding, has established a solid and growing foothold in Colorado. Palo Verde has been expanding its sales team in Colorado and continues to improve its operations and processes. FLI products are produced in Colorado by Palo Verde, an independent third-party processor licensed by the State. Palo Verde remains focused on revenue and earnings growth and developing new product categories for recreational and medical markets. Nutritional High has no ownership interest in Palo Verde, no option to acquire such interest and no rights to control Palo Verde either directly or indirectly. FLI product sales continue to advance in the Colorado market as a beachhead for expansion in other States. In December 2019, Palo Verde LLC won the LeafLink List 2019 award for the best-selling vaporizer in the nation. In Colorado, recent regulatory changes in the State have paved the way for publicly traded companies to own the means of cannabis production and the Company is looking forward to additional ease of access to the market as a result of these changes. On December 30, 2019, the Company held a meeting of the unsecured debenture holders of March 2018 convertible debentures and received approval for the proposed amendments to the terms of the debentures as follows: A reduction in the Conversion Price from $0.60 to $0.15 until maturity of the Debentures; and The Company is authorized to pay the interest due on the Debentures in cash at the existing rate of 10% per annum, or through the issuance of its Common Shares at a rate of 14% per annum, at the sole discretion of the Company. Such issuance of Common Shares will be set at a price which is equal to the weighted average closing price for the Common Shares during the twenty (20) trading day period ending on the last complete trading day, five (5) days prior to the date upon which interest is due on the Debentures. (the Interest Conversion Price). In accordance with the approved amendments, the Company has elected to pay the interest due on December 31, 2019 in Common Shares. Based on an Interest Conversion Price of $0.045 per share, the Company shall issue 12,339,707 Common Shares to the debenture holders. On March 31, 2020, the Company announced the closing of the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement consisting of CAD $852,678 aggregate principal amount of secured convertible debenture units (the " Convertible Debenture Units ") at a price of $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit. Each Convertible Debenture Unit is comprised of a $1,000 principal amount 12% secured convertible debenture (each, a " Convertible Debenture ") and 20,000 common share purchase warrants (each, a " Warrant "). Each Warrant is exercisable into a common share of the Company (a " Warrant Share ") at a price of $0.05 (" Warrant Exercise Price ") for 36 months from the date of issuance (the " Maturity Date "). The Convertible Debentures are convertible into common shares in the capital of the Company (" Conversion Shares ") at a price of $0.05 per share (" Conversion Price ") at any time prior to Maturity Date. The Convertible Debentures, Conversion Shares, Warrants and Warrant Shares will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the applicable issuance date. The Company shall have a right to prepay a part or the entire principal amount of Convertible Debentures at any time without penalty. The Convertible Debentures bear interest at a rate of 12% per annum from the date of issuance payable semi-annually in arrears. The interest can be payable in cash or by issuing common shares against the amount due at the sole option of the Company. The Convertible Debentures are secured by certain assets of the Company as set out in the certificates representing the Convertible Debentures and security documents. Certain directors and officers of the Company, the related parties, participated in the Offering. ") at a price of $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit. In November 2019, the Company reached a settlement agreement with TKO Products LLC (TKO) whereby the Company accepted a settlement for a total receipt of US$325,000. The settlement agreement releases all matters including TKOs counterclaim (see The Companys press release dated July 25, 2019). About Nutritional High International Inc. Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing products under recognized brands in the cannabis products industry, with a specific focus on edibles and oil extracts for medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively with licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law. The Company follows a vertically integrated model with a fully developed strategy for acquisitions in extraction, production, sales, and distribution sectors of the cannabis industry. Nutritional High has brought its flagship FLI edibles and extracts product line from production to market through its wholly owned subsidiaries in California and Oregon, as well as Colorado where its FLI products are manufactured by a third-party licensed producer. In California, the Company distributes its products and products manufactured by other leading producers through its wholly owned distributor Calyx Brands Inc. and is entering the Nevada, Washington State and Canadian markets in the near future. For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram or visit www.nutritionalhigh.com . For further information, please contact: Robert Wilson Chief Financial Officer Nutritional High International Inc. 416-666-4005 Email: rwilson@nutritionalhigh.com NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Risks that may have an impact on the ability for these events to be achieved include completion of due diligence, negotiation of definitive agreements and receipt of applicable approvals. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking information expressed in this press release include, but are not limited to: obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals including acquiring and renewing U.S. state, local or other licenses, the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution, regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, market and general economic conditions of the cannabis sector or otherwise. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Before coronavirus upended life in Grand Rapids, Anna Felgenauer was a regular at many of the small businesses that are just a short walk from her Wealthy Street home. She gets her hair cut and colored at Palace Flophouse Salon. If shes looking for jewelry, she visits Dime & Regal. And several plants hanging inside her home were purchased at the Plant Shop, a plant design studio and home goods store. The vibrancy those businesses bring to the area is one reason she fell in love with the stretch of Wealthy that runs between Union and Fuller avenues on the citys Southeast Side. So, when the coronavirus earlier this month temporarily shuttered most retailers, putting a financial squeeze on their owners and employees, Felgenauer knew she needed to help. Thats when the Wealthy Street Pack was born. Its a collection of products from five local businesses Palace Flophouse Salon, Dime & Regal, Plant Shop, The Counting House and Cyclops Bakeshop that can be ordered online for $61. It will be delivered to customers within a 10-mile radius of the businesses once the governors stay-at-home order is lifted on April 13. Its about doing whatever we can to support the businesses, said Felgenauer, 27, who works in human resources for the website Booking.com. Whatever we can do to give them that extra push to keep them going. She created the Wealthy Street Pack alongside her friend, Olivia Lanctot. Lanctot, a business development coordinator for The Right Place, a Grand Rapids-based economic development group, has lived near Wealthy Street for the past decade. Since then, she said she has seen it transform from a relatively sleepy commercial corridor to one thats home to a growing number of restaurants, coffee shops and retailers. Losing that vibrancy because of the economic damage caused by the coronavirus would be a shame, she says. Theyre there for us, Lanctot said of the areas small businesses. We need to be there for them to make sure theyre still open when we come out of this. Each Wealthy Street Pack contains a 4-inch cactus from the Plant Shop, a mug from The Counting House, rings or earrings from Dime & Regal, travel-sized bottles of hair care products from Palace Flophouse Salon and decorative, vegan sugar cookies from Cyclops Bakeshop. The pack was put on the market last week. As of Monday night, Felgenauer said she had received 35 orders. Shes not delivering the pack before April 13 because she wants to comply with the governors stay-at-home order. Its really exciting to see that many orders coming in without doing any advertisement for it, she said. To date, Felgenauer and Lanctot have promoted the pack through social media such as Facebook and Instagram. I would love to see more orders coming in and keep this going as long as we can. Huge swaths of Michigans economy have shut down after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, issued a stay-at-home order. The order is in effect until April 13, and requires residents to stay home unless they are doing something essential, like getting food or medicine. It requires most businesses to close unless their operations are deemed necessary to sustain or protect life. Ann Van Weaver, owner of the Palace Flophouse Salon, said its heartwarming to see Felgenauer and Lanctot stepping up to help small businesses. It makes us want to fight even more to stay in businesses, she said. It shows theres a need and a want for small businesses. Van Weaver opened her salon, 650 Wealthy St. SE, in April 2018. Shes confident her business, which employs six people, will survive the temporary shut-down. Over the past week or so, shes been devising ways to bring in income for her and her employees. For example, shes urging her stylists to set up video tutorials, where they can help clients, now tasked with styling their own hair, learn how to trim their bangs and perform other hair care procedures. Weavers also selling T-shirts and sweatshirts online and offering drop-off orders for hair coloring kits. Were kind of all in this together, said Van Weaver, who expects to receive about $10 for every Wealthy Street Pack thats sold. Erin Rappleye, owner of the Plant Shop, 1056 Wealthy St. SE, said she was heartened but not surprised by Felgenauer and Lanctots push to create the Wealthy Street Pack. She expects to receive about $14 from each pack sold, which includes a 4-inch cactus from her shop. I think Grand Rapids is just so supportive of a community, and the Wealthy area in particular, people just have a love and support of the local businesses there, she said. I dont think theres a better place you could own a local business. PREVENTION TIPS Read more: Michigan coronavirus cases now at 7,615; up 1,117 cases, 75 deaths in one day Tuesday, March 31: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Coronavirus cases in Muskegon area nearly triple over the weekend See 2019 high school graduation rates for Grand Rapids area districts, charters MARKHAM, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / iFabric Corp. ("iFabric") (TSX:IFA), today announced the following changes to its Board of Directors: Dr. Mark Cochran, a Board member since May 2015, has been appointed Board Chair in the place of Dr Jeff Coyne. Dr. Cochran currently serves as Executive Director at Johns Hopkins Healthcare Solutions, an operating division of Johns Hopkins Medicine/HealthCare. His professional experience spans the spectrum of the global health care value chain, including drug discovery, development, research and management, and venture capital initiatives. Dr. Cochran has held leadership positions in organizations such as Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, MDS Capital Corp. and NeuroVentures. Dr. Cochran holds a doctoral degree in microbiology and immunology from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario; a master's degree in microbiology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto. Mr. Cameron Groome has been appointed to the Board with effect from March 30, 2020. Mr. Groome is currently the President and CEO of Microbix Biosystems Inc., a TSX listed company (symbol MBX on TSX). Before joining Microbix, he was CEO of Avivagen Inc. (symbol VIV on TSXV) and prior thereto was EVP of Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (also TSX-listed). Before his operational roles, he headed the healthcare activities of two national investment dealers. Mr. Groome has more than 25 years of experience as a leader, executive, equity analyst, investment banker, and corporate advisor. He has also been a member of the Life Sciences Advisory Group of Global Affairs Canada and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University. "I take this opportunity to express my warmest thanks to Jeff Coyne for the stellar service he provided as our Board Chair, after being appointed to this role in May 2011. It is also with great pleasure that I welcome Cameron to the Board of iFabric and Dr Cochran to his new role as Board Chair," said Hylton Karon President and CEO of iFabric. "These changes to our Board are in keeping with our goal of transforming iFabric into a key player in healthcare supply. Both Dr. Cochran and Mr. Groome bring a wealth of experience in managing medical and virology companies and I believe they will prove valuable assets in assisting iFabric in achieving its current strategic direction," concluded Hylton Karon. About iFabric Corp. Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, iFabric Corp ww w .ifabriccorp.com currently has 26.2 million shares issued and outstanding. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Intelligent Fabric Technologies (North America) Inc. ("IFTNA") and Coconut Grove Pads Inc. ("Coconut Grove"), the Company offers a variety of products and services in both of its strategic divisions: IFTNA is focused on performance apparel as well as proprietary chemical formulations that render fabrics, foams, plastics and numerous other surfaces intelligent, thereby improving the safety and well-being of the consumer. Coconut Grove, operating as Coconut Grove Intimates, is a designer, manufacturer, distributor, licensor and licensee of ladies intimate apparel products and accessories. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, please contact: Hilton Price, CFO Tel: 647.465.6161 Email: hilton.price@rogers.com Gary Perkins - Investor Relations Tel: 416.882.0020 Email: garyperkins@rogers.com Jean-Francois Dube (Quebec) - Investor Relations Tel: 514.233.9551 Email: jfdube@mac.com SOURCE: iFabric Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583379/iFabric-Corp-Announces-Board-of-Director-Changes Twenty-seven fresh cases of coronavirus were reported from Rajasthan on Wednesday and 11 of them had attended a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, the country's biggest COVID-19 hotspot, pushing the total count of infected people in the state to 120, an official said. Thirteen of the fresh cases were reported from the densely populated Ramganj area of Jaipur, another COVID-19 hotspot. The 11 cases linked to the Jamaat gathering are from Tonk (4) and Churu (7). The rest three cases were reported from Jodhpur (2) and Alwar. A 65-year-old man with no travel history and a 61-year-old woman evacuated from Iran last week in Jodhpur and another man from Alwar tested positive, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. The woman has been kept at an army facility, he added. All the 27 new cases are traced to a person first to get infected with the virus in Ramganj, he said. "All have been kept in isolation. The 11 are those who attended markaz in Delhi," Singh added. Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma said the situation is worrisome but under control. "Over 2,000, those who came in contact of positive patients, have been traced and being screened. Teams have surveyed over 3.86 crore people in over 92 lakh households. Twenty-one have turned negative after treatment and 11 have been discharged," Sharma said. A spurt in the number of cases in Ramganj was witnessed after a 45-year-old man with a travel history to the Middle East tested positive on March 26. He landed at the Delhi airport on March 12 and took a bus the same day to return home, meeting several before he was found positive for COVID-19, officials said. Ten members of his family and a friend had also contracted the disease. Ramganj earlier reported 13 cases, including 11 of a family living in a multi-storey building in Phhuta Khurra. On Wednesday, the administration extended the prohibitory orders and curfew in Jaipur district for an indefinite period. Gathering of more than five people at any public place, religious and other functions without the permission of subdivisional magistrate (SDM) has been declared illegal and punishable under Section 188 of the IPC, said District Collector Jogaram. As several people were seen on rooftops, the administration has decided to monitor the curfew with the help of drones, he said. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeeva Swarup said a flag march will be conducted. NGOs distributing food can continue to serve the needy but they have to give food packets to administration teams. Jaipur Chief Medical and Health Officer Narrottam Sharma said the authorities have been closely monitoring the situation and about 125 close contacts of the positive patients have been sent to quarantine facilities. He said over 70,000 people have been screened and about 15,000 households in the walled city area have been surveyed by health teams. Sharma urged people to call on 181 if anyone found having fever, cough and cold. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commentary By Fabian Dawson In these days of self-isolation and social distancing triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, many of us are spending more time in our kitchens, dusting off old family recipes and reacquainting with long-hidden culinary contraptions. We are also scrutinizing the journey of the milk, meat, fish and produce to our plates because much of what we have taken for granted is suddenly in short supply. Like never before, the COVID-19 crisis has triggered a deeper look at our food system, the supply chain and a rethink of basic assumptions as to the origins and sustainability of our food. More importantly, there is a palpable growing appreciation of our farmers, both on land and sea, who continue to toil outdoors, so we can safely nourish indoors. No need for organicif it is from B.C. it is good enough, were the potato instructions on one of my recent masked-trips to the local grocer. In British Columbia, the value of our primary production from agriculture, aquaculture, commercial fisheries and the processing of food and beverages is about $15 billion annually. B.C.s farmers grow well over 200 commodities, leading the nation in sales from blueberries to Brussel sprouts, watermelons to mushrooms and Atlantic salmon. Total livestock receipts, from the sale of cattle, hogs, poultry, eggs, dairy, honey and other animals and animal products increased by 4.7% to $1.61 billion in 2018. The provinces food and beverage processing sector is the second largest manufacturing sector in the province after forestry (wood and paper) generating $10.21 billion in sales in B.C. Behind these impressive numbers are stringent rules and policies, that have made our brand, in B.C. and Canada, the envy of the world. Like most everything else that has plagued the planet, we expect this health crisis too will pass. In its wake, we can also expect the conversation about our food, where it comes from and how it is processed, to evolve. In terms of food systems, this (crisis) will likely lead many to call for greater regional self-sufficiency as a response to the perceived fragility of the globalization of agri-food systems, states Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. In some ways, this could spark a reinvestment in Canadian farms, food processors and our rural economies that have been declining for decades. For this to happen, we need to look past the myths and falsehoods perpetuated by a vocal few against our farmers, that studies say have left B.C. consumers in a fog of confusion. This is also a good time for our farmers and their associations to reach out and reinforce the buy B.C. message that will enhance sustainable harmony between local needs and global wants. Like always, Canadians will triumph over this adversity by sticking together and learning from each other. The legacy is what we will learn from it and how we will use it. In the meantime, as you spend more hours in your kitchen, grab one of those unused pans, head out to the balcony at 7 p.m. and bang away your appreciation for those in the frontlines of the war against COVID-19. While there, throw in a couple of clangs and claps as a salute to our farmers. Fabian Dawson is the editorial advisor to the Post Group of newspapers and the editor of SeaWestNews, an aquaculture and fisheries news site. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has posted on his Facebook page a video devoted to medical workers battling the coronavirus with the following comment: But our will is stronger than stone, Our spirit is eternal A retired NHS doctor who had continued to work part-time at a hospital in the UK has died after reportedly contracting coronavirus. Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, worked for the British health service for several decades, and is said to have contracted Covid-19 before his death earlier this week. According to his family, Dr Saadu was working part-time at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, before he died. As soon as you spoke to him about medicine his face would light up His son, Dani Saadu, told the Huffington Post: He was a very passionate man, who cared about saving people. As soon as you spoke to him about medicine his face would light up. He worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years in different hospitals across London. It is reported that Dr Saadu had not been working on the frontline fighting the coronavirus pandemic when he contracted the virus. Jeremy Hunt called Dr Saadus death tragic (Jacob King/PA) The trust Dr Saadu worked for before his retirement also paid tribute to him. Lance McCarthy, chief executive of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: It is with sadness that we learn of the passing of Dr Alfa Saadu. Alfa was well-known at the trust for his passion for ensuring our patients received high quality care. He was a committed member of the team and is remembered fondly by many. On Fridayas concern spread internationally about Viktor Orban, Hungarys authoritarian prime minister, using the cover of the coronavirus to consolidate his personal powerPolitico published an op-ed in which Judit Varga, Orbans justice minister, lashed out at the countrys critics. False claims about a power grab in Hungary are spreading as quickly as the coronavirus, Varga wrote; Orbans government, she argued, is being slandered by Western European thinkers who dont like its coherent, Christian-Conservative policy, and by a leftist-liberal media that doesnt like its treatment of migrants. (Hungary has erected razor-wire fences to keep migrants out; Orbans administration has accused George Soros, the philanthropist and conspiracy magnet, of plotting to destroy Hungary by flooding it with foreigners, and passed Stop Soros laws making it illegal to help undocumented migrants with asylum claims.) On Friday, Varga shared her Politico article on Twitter, with the caption, Stop lecturing HU Gov by spreading #fakenews! The decision to publish Vargas op-ed was troubling enough at the time. (Why is Politico Europe giving an uncritical platform to the radical right? Ben Stanley, a researcher, asked on Twitter. Interview these people by all means and call them out on their mendacious nonsense, but dont give them a megaphone.) It now looks even worse. On Monday, Hungarys Parliamentwhich is dominated by Orbans partypassed laws granting Orban sweeping powers for an unlimited period of time. Parliament is shuttered, elections are banned, and Orban now has the right to suspend existing laws and make new ones by executive fiat; as Ishaan Tharoor wrote in the Washington Post, the coronavirus has killed its first democracy. All this has happened in a European Union member state. Since the power grab passed, liberals around the blocincluding lawmakers from the European Parliament and Matteo Renzi, the former prime minister of Italyhave insisted that Hungary cant remain a member state under these conditions. The EUs official response was more diplomaticso much so that it didnt even mention the word Hungary. One mans diplomacy is anothers shameful timidity. Related: Americas local newspapers confront an apocalypse As Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote recently for CJR, governments worldwide are increasingly using the cover of the coronavirus to dodge scrutiny, and further weaken institutions, including the press, whose job it is to hold them to account. Last night, the Supreme Court in Indiaanother country that has taken an authoritarian turn under its current prime minister, Narendra Modiordered news outlets to relay everything the government says about the virus. Elsewhere, Iran banned the printing and distribution of all newspapers, citing the risk of spreading the virus. Turkmenistan, one of the worlds worst countries for press freedom, banned the word coronavirus altogether. Hungary is no exception to this trend. Under its new laws, anyone caught spreading false or distorted information that alarms the public or undermines its successful protection will face up to five years in prison. Orbans many critics have no doubt that hell weaponize that language to further clamp down on his countrys press. Journalismlike other democratic institutions in the countryis already in a parlous state. As CPJ puts it, Hungary, in recent years, has systematically dismantled media independence and used verbal attacks, lawsuits, and other means to harass critical journalists; since 2013, its fallen 31 places on Reporters Without Borderss World Press Freedom Index. (Last year, it ranked 87th out of 180 countries worldwide. The US ranked 48th.) Pro-Orban oligarchs have acquired swathes of Hungarys independent press. In 2018, loyalists founded a consortium grouping 500 friendly outlets; the government branded it an asset of strategic national importance and exempted it from competition rules. Some critical outlets have shuttered, due, in no small part, to the states stranglehold on advertising. Journalists at state-backed media outlets parrot regime propaganda. A small cadre of dedicated reporters have continued their efforts to hold Orban and his government to account. But good information is increasingly hard to obtain. In 2018, I spoke with Andras Petho, cofounder of the investigative outlet Direkt36, about his work on a transnational investigation of the medical-devices industry led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. I was hoping that this was going to be different, he told me. But the relationship between the government, the state agencies, and the remaining independent media has deteriorated to such a low level that even pursuing a story like thiswhich is not about oligarchs, its not about politicswe cannot really get help or cooperation. Petho did eventually manage to get some data, and Direkt36 hasnt stopped fightingthis week, it published a scathing report explaining how incessant administrative upheaval weakened Hungarys public-health system ahead of the coronavirus crisis. But this type of scrutiny is an exception to an increasingly illiberal norm. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Even in established democracies, the spread of the virus has led to encroachments on all sorts of liberties we previously took for granted. Drastic curbs, clearly, are necessary. But many governments will need no invitation to go too far, and the consequences, if they do, could be hard to entangle afterward. The press, in particular, must call this out. As Daniel Baer, a former US diplomat, wrote for Foreign Policy yesterday, we need to recognize that seeing all things and all questions refracted through the prism of the pandemic can also blind us. We cant let the virus become a veil that prevents us from keeping a longer-term perspective. As much as we might like them to, things will not simply go back to normal once the coronavirus threat has passed. In all sorts of areasthe economics of local journalism, for instanceits impacts will be deep, and possibly irreversible. The same is true of liberties, including of the press. Without vigilance, liberal democracies will become less liberal; authoritarian regimes will become more authoritarian; and illiberal democraciesas Hungary is often calledwill slide into just being illiberal. The coronavirus has killed its first democracy, and it might not be done yet. Below, more on the coronavirus: Other notable stories: Last year, Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general, concluded that the FBI had legitimate cause to open an investigation into the Trump campaign in 2016, but also sharply criticized the agencys monitoring of Carter Page, a Trump adviser. Horowitz subsequently conducted a broader audit of FBI surveillance warrants. Yesterday, he reported finding widespread errors in applications he reviewedraising further questions around the FBIs use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Writing for Nieman Lab, Ken Doctor reports that the media arm of Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge fund, will likely announce a merger with Tribune Publishing before the end of June. Since Alden became its biggest shareholder last year, Tribune has started to echo its cost-slashing ways, Doctor writes. In the event of a full merger, Tribune titles would probably begin to look more like Alden ones, with newsrooms cut to the bone. In the UK, a government consultation on decriminalizing non-payment of the license feea levy on TV-owners that funds the BBCcloses today. The BBC has warned that decriminalization would significantly undercut its business modelbut it suggested this week that a levy on broadband connections could be an acceptable replacement for the license fee, should the government press ahead with reform. The Guardian has more. And research led by Candy Lee, a professor at Northwestern University, suggests that listeners may find women newsreaders more credible than men, and may prefer local accents to NPR ones. You can find more details of the study here. ICYMI: Why did Matt Drudge turn on Donald Trump? Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. A couple of months back, the Taxpayers Alliance published what it called a Nanny State Rich List. It pointed out some extraordinary salaries being paid to various quango-crats keen on running campaigns urging us to use our phones less, have fewer soft drinks, pay punitive taxes on sugar and so on. Top of the league, on this front, was Public Health England, the sprawling government agency with a mission statement to 'protect and improve the nation's health and wellbeing'. It revealed an astonishing 242 members of PHE staff now trouser a six-figure pay package. A medical staff member tests an NHS worker for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 at a drive-in facility set up in the carpark of Chessington World of Adventures. An astonishing 242 members of PHE staff now trouser a six-figure pay package They include Yvonne Doyle, its 'London Director' who earns no less than 257,500. Her duties appear to include, among other things, advising parents to use a mobile telephone app to establish whether their kids are eating junk food or not. Then there is Duncan Selbie, PHE's 187,500 chief executive, who in May 2018 made headlines for lecturing an NHS conference on the importance of exercise before claiming 5.90 on expenses to travel by taxi to a station less than a mile away. Think of these stratospheric numbers when you consider the intransigence that has been displayed by PHE as the coronavirus emergency has unfolded. The agency, which has an annual budget of 4.5billion, bears the lion's share of responsibility for running the national testing programme, which we were assured by NHS medical director Stephen Powis on March 26 would mean 'we get to hundreds of thousands of tests a day over the course of the next few weeks'. Duncan Selbie, PHE's 187,500 chief executive, made headlines in May 2018 for lecturing an NHS conference on the importance of exercise before claiming 5.90 on expenses to travel by taxi to a station less than a mile away That clearly isn't going to happen but our worried nation has instead been repeatedly promised the UK will hit 25,000 daily tests by mid-April. This would end the scandalous state of affairs by which a quarter of NHS employees are off work because they, or someone in their household, has displayed symptoms of the virus but don't know for sure if they have it an issue campaigned on by the Mail. Yet on the ground, things are very different. On Tuesday, Britain managed to test a mere 8,240 people, of which just 900 were medical staff. This situation is undoubtedly costing lives. According to initial small-scale testing of those who are self-isolating for 14 days because of a family member with symptoms, only 15 per cent tested positive for the virus. This would suggest that as many as 85 per cent of the 'isolating' NHS employees might be perfectly fit. Proper screening, via an efficiently run programme, would allow them to promptly return to the workplace. It is, therefore, scandalous to discover yesterday that officials at Public Health England have repeatedly failed to take up multiple offers from some of the country's leading scientific organisations willing to help expand the testing programme. One came from Oxford University's Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, whose head, Professor Matthew Freeman, complained yesterday that repeated offers to provide specialised testing equipment and expert laboratory staff to PHE had been ignored. The agency, which has an annual budget of 4.5billion, bears the lion's share of responsibility for running the national testing programme, which we were assured by NHS medical director Stephen Powis (pictured) on March 26 would mean 'we get to hundreds of thousands of tests a day over the course of the next few weeks' His organisation has offered to supply 119 of the 'PCR' machines needed to identify genetic evidence of coronavirus but, so far, only one of them has been requisitioned. 'When they sent round a request a couple of weeks ago to supply the PCR machines there was a very specific model they wanted,' Prof Freeman told one newspaper. 'Of our machines there was only one of that type, and the army came and collected it and took it off to Milton Keynes. But we have another 118 machines that can broadly do the same job, but they don't appear to be part of PHE's plans.' The Francis Crick Institute in London has supplied five PCR machines to Public Health England, but is understood to have dozens more sitting idle inside its labs. The Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham is testing 200 samples a day but its director said yesterday 'we could probably treble that' if only someone bothered to ask. Many medical experts blame PHE's reluctance to accept help on a mixture of control freakery and incompetence among senior staff. For example, whereas other countries weeks ago took the sensible decision to relax the rules on which laboratories can carry out coronavirus tests, in order to get as many as possible done, PHE chose to follow a tightly controlled approach. Initially, it therefore insisted that all testing in the UK was done at its own lab in north London. This contrasts vividly with the approach in Germany, where both private and publicly-owned laboratories have been testing relentlessly since the start of the crisis. Tim Colbourn, associate professor of global health epidemiology at University College London, has called for PHE to now hand over control to local authorities and private sector providers. 'All the national capacity needs to be used for this effort,' he said. 'You could ramp it up a hundredfold This is a national emergency.' PHE seems, however, to be more interested in ticking boxes. A vast testing facility in Milton Keynes, supposedly operational since last week, is in fact still in a 'trial' period. There are also claims that PHE decided to destroy thousands of swabs sent by GPs who suspected their patients had contracted the disease, before they could be analysed, because they did not meet strict criteria. 'If they had looked at those swabs earlier instead of throwing them away, we could have got a handle on this thing much earlier,' one GP told The Daily Telegraph. Meanwhile at least some of PHE's reluctance to requisition university and commercial laboratories appears to stem from a politically-motivated hostility towards private sector involvement in the healthcare system. 'Their top staff of course like their fatcat salaries, but on other issues their world view is basically Corbynite,' complains one healthcare expert. In the longer term, our best chance of emerging from this crisis is likely to involve the widespread rollout of antibody tests to show who has had coronavirus. Unfortunately, that too is currently being handled by Public Health England. Given the gargantuan salaries its bosses command, let's hope they find a way to do better. Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, administered to millions of Indian children soon after birth to protect against tuberculosis, could be a game-changer in the fight against the deadly coronavirus, say US scientists. The severity of COVID-19 impact may be linked to national policies on BCG childhood vaccination, the yet to be published study from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) states while citing the examples of Italy and the US. We found that countries without universal policies of BCG vaccination, such as Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, have been more severely affected compared to countries with universal and long-standing BCG policies, noted the researchers led by Gonzalo Otazu, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at NYIT. While the US has reported almost 1,90,000 cases with more than 4,000 deaths, Italy has 1,05,000 cases and over 12,000 fatalities. Netherlands has reported more than 12,000 cases of the disease and over 1,000 deaths. According to the study, a combination of reduced morbidity and mortality could make the BCG vaccination a game-changer in the fight against COVID-19. The BCG vaccine is part of India's universal immunisation programme and administered to millions of children at birth or soon after it. It is the live weakened form ofmycobacterium bovis-- the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle -- related to mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes tuberculosis in humans. India, with the world's highest TB burden, introduced BCG mass immunisation in 1948. Indian experts said they were hopeful and encouraged but it was too early to say anything. Every small thing gives us a ray of hope. It will be premature to say anything now. But the silver lining is that the BCG vaccine has proved quite effective against the SARS infection also, Monica Gulati, senior dean, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, told PTI. It was effective not in the sense that it was able to cure, but it was able to reduce the intensity, Gulati said. Gulati explained that the SARS virus is also basically a coronated virus. So since the current pandemic is less intense in the countries with BCG vaccine intervention and that it was effective against another coronavirus is reason for hope, she said. In the absence of any vaccine for COVID-19, this is an encouraging development. However, it will take some time and tests to understand how the TB vaccine works against coronavirus, added Deepak Verma of the department of Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad. As of now, isolation and quarantine are the only established way to prevent a coronavirus infection, Verma said. According to Rakesh Mishra, director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) inHyderabad, the NYIT findings are interesting but more scientific details are needed. We have come across the study, but we don't have a lot of scientific details about it. At the same time it is interesting, but this is not something we can depend on while making policies or approaches against COVID-19, Mishra told PTI. One can't rule out this correlation completely. I think it will be a surprise though, he said. As one of the most widely used vaccines in the world, the BCG vaccine has existed for nearly a century and has been shown to be an effective tool in preventing meningitis and disseminated TB in children, the US researchers said. The inoculation is also believed to offer broad-ranging protection against respiratory infections, which present similar symptoms to COVID-19, they said. The study noted that Australian researchers have recently announced plans to fast track large-scale testing to see if the BCG vaccination can protect health workers from the coronavirus. The team compared various nations' BCG vaccination policies with their COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and found a significant positive correlation between the year when universal BCG vaccination policies were adopted and the country's mortality rate. In other words, the earlier a policy was established, the more likely that a significant portion of the population, especially the elderly, would be protected, the researchers said. Iran, for instance, which has a current universal BCG vaccination policy that only started in 1984, has an elevated mortality rate with 19.7 deaths per million inhabitants, they said. In contrast, Japan, which started its universal BCG policy in 1947, has approximately 100 times fewer deaths per million people, with 0.28 deaths, according to the study. Brazil, which started universal vaccination in 1920 has an even lower mortality rate of 0.0573 deaths per million inhabitants, the scientists noted. As TB cases fell in the late 20th century, several higher-income countries in Europe dropped their universal BCG policies between 1963 and 2010. The researchers noted that among the 180 countries with BCG data available today, 157 countries currently recommend universal BCG vaccination. The remaining 23 countries have either stopped BCG vaccination due to a reduction in TB incidence or have traditionally favoured selective vaccination of at-risk groups, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr Helmut Marko has denied reports that he wanted Red Bull's racing drivers to be "deliberately" infected with coronavirus. The energy drink company's top motorsport chief caused a stir with comments he made recently to the Austrian broadcaster ORF. He suggested drivers including Max Verstappen and Alex Albon should attend a training camp during the global shutdown and it would be "ideal" if they were infected with coronavirus to become immune. But Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner told the BBC it was a "throwaway comment before understanding the seriousness of the pandemic". "It has never been discussed or tabled as a serious suggestion," he said. On Twitter, former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa called Marko's proposal "completely insane". But like Horner, Marko has also clarified his comments. He tells Auto Bild that it is "of course not true" that he wanted Red Bull's drivers to be knowingly infected with Covid-19. "It wasn't about deliberately infecting anybody," said the 76-year-old. Marko believes he survived a coronavirus infection in February. "If people my age - the highest risk group of all - can survive this disease, then you can certainly say that young athletes like our racing drivers should at least be less afraid of the consequences," he said. "That was the only reason why we considered organising the training camp despite the danger from the virus. There was never any talk of deliberate infection." The plain-speaking Austrian says the media has become "overwhelmed" by constant coverage of the pandemic. "Television, radio, newspapers - it's all about the virus. Of course you have to be careful and try to get the pandemic under control as quickly as possible. But please, with a sense of proportion," said Marko. (GMM) A viral video on social media shows a soldier pulling his gun on a civilian purportedly violating the partial lockdown directive. The civilian, together with two others, had been punished by the soldier. It is not clear when or where the video was recorded. The video shows the soldier whipping the civilian who in retaliation hit back at him. The soldier then pulled his gun on the civilian who was fleeing the scene. Following the partial lockdown in Accra, Kasoa, Tema and parts of Kumasi, some videos have been circulating suggesting that the law enforcement agencies deployed to enforce the lockdown directive have been beating civilians flouting the directive. But the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Southern Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abraham Yeboah Nsiah, has denied the reports saying that the only incident which had been brought to his attention did not involve brutalities on the part of the officer. ---graphic.com.gh A few weeks ago, single mother Heidi Ferguson, 44, seemed to be doing well. She was able to make ends meet as the owner of a vintage clothing and housewares shop in downtown Lake Worth, FL. But as the coronavirus tore through the U.S., leaving shuttered businesses and a ravaged economy in its wake, she was forced to close up shop two weeks ago and lay off her two employees. She was able to pay the April rent for her two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment only by taking out a credit card loan and tapping a separate line of credit for her business. She'll need to pay back the latter within 60 days. Her landlord, a local building owner, granted her only a five-day extension to come up with the $1,435 rent. Ferguson has been ramping up her online shop, but with consumers feeling wary, she's not seeing items fly off of their virtual shelves. If she's not able to reopen her store in a month, she'll have to find another job. She's never missed a rent payment before, but she's worried that she'll be forced to rack up more debt, and accrue interest, to pay rent next month. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't really have a solid plan at this point," says Ferguson. "Not knowing if I'm going to be evicted is keeping me up at night." Ferguson's plight isn't unique right now. Millions of Americans have been laid off or had their hours reduced at their jobs, making it difficult to come up with their rent due on April 1. Jobless claims reached a new high this month as COVID-19 cases have surged around the country, tanking the stock market, forcing business closures, and requiring the majority of Americans to stay indoors. And while some protections have been put in place for homeowners, few have been extended to tenants. Instead, individual states and cities have attempted to cobble together a patchwork of protections to help tenants. But the assistance, which mostly focuses on preventing evictions during the crisis, is spotty. And in 12 states, no action at all had been taken to limit or suspend evictions as of Tuesday, according to USA Today. Renters are likely to be worse off than homeowners There were nearly 44 million renter households in the U.S. in 2018, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. And while there is a growing number of well-off tenants in luxury apartment buildings, especially in the nation's big cities, renters as a group are particularly vulnerable to downturns. They tend to earn less than homeowners, resulting in less savings. And they often work hourly jobs that are quick to be cut in economic recessions. On the national level, little is being done to directly help tenants. Last month, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced a plan to bail out landlords, which would theoretically trickle down to renters. Landlords are now eligible for up to three months of mortgage forbearance if they don't evict tenants who can't pay their rent due to the pandemic. However, this applies only to owners of buildings with five or more units who have Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgages. Some states, particularly those that have been inundated with COVID-19 cases, are extending their own protections. In Washington, the governor announced a 30-day halt to evictions on March 18. California has a 60-day moratorium, while it's 90 days in New York. New Orleans courts won't be hearing eviction cases until April 24, while no evictions can take place in Michigan until at least April 17. In Florida, where Ferguson is located, court clerks have the option of putting final actions on evictions on hold until mid-April. Many more states and cities have enacted their own moratoriums. But even if evictions are suspended, renters are still on the hook for their monthly rent payments whether or not they can afford them. "The real issue is what happens after any moratorium has ended," says Richard Alderman, a professor emeritus of law at the University of Houston. "Generally, [eviction protections] don't waive rent. Rent is still due and owing." Paying back several months of rent all at once is an impossible task for many who've lost jobs. And even when the virus is under control and businesses can reopen, renters may still be looking for work. "The hopes that everything will pick up quickly when the pandemic ends arent necessarily realistic," says Alderman. "I dont believe the economy will immediately start up again and everyone who had a job will suddenly have a job again. The post Renters Are Struggling To Pay Their Landlords, and Relief Is Not On the Way appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Iraq's revenues from crude sales dropped by nearly half in March, its oil ministry said Wednesday, as a global price crash stokes fears of collapse for the petrol giant. The second-biggest crude producer in the OPEC oil cartel, Iraq sold 105 million barrels in March, earning USD 2.99 billion, according to an oil ministry statement. In February, it sold fewer barrels -- 98.3 million -- but earned nearly twice as much at USD 5.5 billion. The difference is due to plummeting prices, with Brent North Sea crude sinking to $25.11 on Wednesday, the lowest price in 18 years. The slump is due to a price war between major producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, as well as a drop in demand caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus. Iraqi oil trades at about $4 less than the benchmark price, with Oil Minister Thamer Ghadban telling local media this week that his country's crude was selling for USD 21 a barrel. That is worrisome for Iraq, where oil revenues make up more than 90 per cent of the state budget in the absence of significant alternative industries. Officials had drafted a 2020 budget based on estimates Iraqi crude would sell for USD 56 per barrel. At that rate, Iraq would face a monthly deficit of $4 billion just to keep the government running and pay salaries to its bloated public sector, the International Energy Agency estimated last month. Iraqi officials have told AFP they are considering a range of cost-cutting measures to trim the budget but have yet to finalise their plans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US-led coalition to hand over more bases to Iraqi forces in coming days: Official Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 5:44 PM A high-ranking Iraqi military official says the US-led military coalition purportedly formed to fight the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group is going to pull out of more bases and give back the sites to the country's government forces within the next few days, and that there is a timetable for the handover. "There is a timetable between the Iraqi government and the international coalition forces for the latter to hand over the sites. Coalition forces lately pulled out of their Iraqi base this month, and handed it over to Iraqi security forces in Nineveh (province)," Spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, said in an exclusive interview with the official Iraqi News Agency on Tuesday. He added that the Nineveh base "was providing support to the forces at the time of battles to liberate Nineveh [from the clutches of Daesh terror outfit]. Multinational forces, including Canadian, Belgian, French and American troops, were operating at the site." Khafaji stressed that the Nineveh Operations Command possesses proven capability to deal with any terrorist threat to the province. He pointed out that the infrastructure left at the Nineveh base will contribute to the development of the capabilities of Iraqi security forces. Meanwhile, Commander of Nineveh Operations Command, Nouman al-Zobaie, emphasized that his fellow forces are fully prepared to ensure security in the province following the withdrawal of US-led forces. On Monday, the media office of the JOC said in a statement that the US-led military alliance had handed over another base in Nineveh province to the Ministry of Defense. "As a result of fruitful dialogues between the Iraqi government and the international alliance, a site occupied by the International Alliance Mission and within a camp under the Nineveh Operations Command was returned to Iraqi forces after the coalition forces withdrew from it," the statement read. It added, "The move came in accordance with the coalition's commitment to return the sites it has been occupying within the Iraqi military bases and camps." The development came only a day after US-led coalition forces withdrew from K1 Air Base, which lies 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, and submitted it to Iraqi forces during a ceremony. "Given the successes achieved by the Iraqi security forces in the campaign against Daesh, the coalition is redeploying its forces to other positions in Iraq. Such movements had been planned a long time ago with the Iraqi government," the US-led alliance said in a statement on Sunday. The coalition further alleged that the transfer of US-led military forces had nothing to do with the missile attacks against Iraqi bases hosting the coalition forces, or the outbreak of COVID-19 the disease caused by the highly contagious new coronavirus, in Iraq. Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, and their companions in a US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier. Later on January 9, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the former Iraqi prime minister, 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 Iraq rejects any violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the assassination airstrike. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, with some 4,000 factories employing 4 million workers. Dhaka: Bangladesh, the second-largest apparel producer after China, is set to lose roughly $6 billion in export revenue this financial year amid cancellations from some of the worlds largest brands and retailers, two major industry bodies said on Tuesday. The two groups, which represent the vast majority of the readymade garment and knitwear manufacturers in the country, said cancellations were increasing daily amid coronavirus-driven lockdowns globally, and these risked jeopardizing millions of jobs in the poor South Asian nation. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, with some 4,000 factories employing 4 million workers. Garment exports accounted for $34.12 billion, or 84 percent of the countrys overall exports of $40.53 billion, in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. Weve lost more than $3 billion due to the crisis. All our orders until July have been cancelled or suspended, Mohammad Hatem, vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said. Suspended orders will eventually get cancelled. All these orders were placed for summer and it takes three months to get these delivered. If they are not taking supplies now they will not take it when the summer is over, said Hatem, adding buyers had adopted a wait and watch policy, and are refraining from placing new orders. Many factories will be closed if this persists, he added. One industry source, who asked not to be named as the order books are confidential, said Gap, Zara, and Primark were among the brands that had cancelled orders. Gap and Zara did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. Primark confirmed the step. All Primark stores across the world are closed and the brand has been losing sales of $807.82 million a month, Primark said in a statement. We have large quantities of existing stock in our stores, our depots and in transit, that is paid for, the statement said. If we had not taken this action, we would be taking delivery of stock that we simply could not sell. Readymade garment makers face a similar hit, warned Rubana Huq, the president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Huq said some 1,048 factories that were part of BGMEA had reported that orders for over 900 million garments worth $2.9 billion had already been cancelled or were being held up. Huq said the order cancellations could affect some 2 million workers in the readymade garments segment. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently unveiled a $588 million package for the countrys crucial export sector, asking companies to put the money towards paying workers. This is not enough. The government should come up with more stimulus to save the countrys biggest export sector, said Rezwan Selim, a director of BGMEA. Siddiqur Rahman, a top exporter who supplies H&M, and Walmart among others, said the situation was dire. Were facing an unprecedented time, he said. No one knows how long this is going to take. Were trying hard not to shut down our factories. But how long can we hold out? ALBANY Whether New York will miss out on $6 billion in federal funds slated for a portion of the state's Medicaid program amid the coronavirus pandemic was unclear late Wednesday as lawmakers continued negotiating details of the states 2020-21 fiscal year budget. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Budget Director Robert Mujica have stood firm on a proposed $2.5 billion in cuts to the states Medicaid program in the final budget and insisted the federal funding would not be as beneficial as the planned changes. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from Brooklyn, has said $5.2 billion and $1.5 billion in emergency Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) aid would go to the state and New York City and counties throughout New York, respectively, to help alleviate the burden of Medicaid payments during the public health crisis. However, the funds are contingent on states making no changes to their Medicaid programs. But measures could be taken to postpone some of the changes to ensure New York can access the federal money, as has been suggested by fiscal policy experts. But state Division of the Budget spokesman Freeman Klopott would not say whether the effective dates for recommendations may be shifted to ensure New York complies with the contingency. Many of the Medicaid Redesign Teams recommendations to reduce spending growth will be included in the budget, Klopott said. We will make an evaluation once the budget is adopted of how they conflict with the limitations put in place by the federal legislation. Cuomo and Mujica stressed during a weekend news conference at the Capitol that New York was unlikely to receive the full amount cited by federal lawmakers, because the amount is based on the United States remaining in a state of emergency for a full year. Youre basically saying, 'take a one shot of these funds, don't reform the Medicaid system, and spend that money inefficiently on a system that unanimously everyone on there understood was not working properly;' we were wasting the money, Mujica said on Sunday. So the choice is really, waste the money that way, or do a bill that actually provides funding to New York state. That bill does not even get us a fraction of the amount of money that is needed. Bill Hammond, director of health policy for the Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think-tank based in Albany, concurred with Mujicas assessment, noting that these payments would be made quarterly. This money doesnt necessarily last a whole year, he said. Its only offered on a quarter-by-quarter basis, so whenever the emergency is called off - and who knows when that will be - the money stops. Medicaid restructuring, along with education aid and changes to bail reform, remain the most controversial facets of the states annual spending plan. While legislative leaders reached a "conceptual agreement" on the budget Wednesday morning, language on the health insurance program for the poor had yet to be unveiled and lawmakers continued to debate the final package late in the day. The state had already been facing a difficult fiscal year with a $6.1 billion budget gap mostly attributable to Medicaid overspending. In response, Cuomo's Medicaid Redesign Team pinpointed $2.5 billion in recurring savings. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Among the panel's suggestions are nearly $400 million in cuts to hospitals, $715 million in reductions to the state's long-term care programs, and $71 million in reductions through changes to pharmaceutical practices. Health care professionals have criticized the recommended changes, particularly during a time when New York is being ravaged by COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. James D. Sinkoff, deputy executive officer and CFO of Hudson River Health, called on state lawmakers to reject the recommendation to "carve out" pharmacy from Medicaid managed care to fee-for-service. "This action has far reaching consequences that would devastate primary care for 2.3 million of the most vulnerable New Yorkers," he said. "In the midst of this pandemic, this is the wrong time to destabilize community health centers as it will directly harm our state's ability to recover today and beyond." Cayla Harris contributed to this report. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story did not note what other localities would share the $1.5 billion in federal funds. That money would be split among all state counties and New York City. Our partners in the Diocese of Tennessee and across the US have adapted to meet the challenges presented by the coronavirus, said Katie Mears, Senior Director, US Disaster Program for Episcopal Relief & Development. Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee to provide direct assistance in communities impacted by the devastating tornadoes that struck the Nashville area in early March. At least two tornadoes touched down in North and East Nashville on March 3, 2020, and tore a ten-mile path through Middle Tennessee. The storms struck after midnight when many were asleep and therefore unprepared. Thousands were left without power or shelter in the wake of the tornadoes. Over 300 people were injured. Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Diocese of Tennessee to provide direct financial support to individuals and families who were affected by the tornadoes. Over the past several weeks, US Disaster Program staff and a volunteer from Partners in Response and Resilience, have been providing guidance to diocesan staff as the diocese adjusts their response in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. "Social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is testing our ministry model and best practices," said Deacon Elaine Clements, Partner in Response and Resilience for Episcopal Relief & Development. "Normally, we work with church leaders in impacted communities to respond to disasters in a relational manner. It is especially tough to assess community needs without being able to gather, but the Diocese of Tennessee is working to meet that challenge." Partners in Response and Resilience accompany congregational and diocesan leaders who have been newly affected by disasters as they begin recovery work and continue to support those partners throughout the recovery process. Our partners in the Diocese of Tennessee and across the US have adapted to meet the challenges presented by the coronavirus, said Katie Mears, Senior Director, US Disaster Program for Episcopal Relief & Development. I am encouraged to see their resilience and their commitment to supporting the vulnerable communities affected by disasters. Please continue to pray for everyone impacted by the tornadoes. Learn more about a faith-based response to epidemics and pandemics at http://www.episcopalrelief.org/faith-response. Donations to the US Disaster Fund will enable Episcopal Relief & Development to continue to provide support to individuals and communities impacted by the tornadoes and other disasters. About Episcopal Relief & Development: For over 75 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been working together with supporters and partners for lasting change around the world. Each year the organization facilitates healthier, more fulfilling lives for more than 3 million people struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. Inspired by Jesus words in Matthew 25, Episcopal Relief & Development leverages the expertise and resources of Anglican and other partners to deliver measurable and sustainable change in three signature program areas: Women, Children and Climate. SpendEdge, a leading provider of procurement market intelligence solutions, has announced the completion of their latest article on the key risk mitigation strategies for companies to better manage supply chain operations and impact of COVID-19. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005640/en/ Amid the coronavirus pandemic, companies necessarily need to devise risk mitigation strategies to address supply chain disruptions. It is an unprecedented risk that has created numerous challenges for companies involved in global sourcing. Constrained supplies could cause declines in demand, impacting the commodity prices in different markets. Companies require insights that can help them make informed sourcing decisions, respond effectively on multiple fronts and safeguard their operational viability. At SpendEdge, we understand that improving supply chain operations and management to reduce the impact of COVID-19. Therefore, we have highlighted the key risk mitigation strategies. Risk Mitigation Strategies to Better Manage Supply Chain Operations. Risk Management Strategies to Better Manage Supply Chain Operations Build a transparent supply chain To determine the critical components for operations, companies must create a transparent view of a multitier supply chain. They must review bills of materials (BOMs) and catalog components to identify products that are being sourced from high-risk areas and lack ready substitutes. Based on the location of suppliers, they must identify the risk index for different commodities to be sourced. To reduce the impact of COVID-19, the risk of interruption from tier-two and onward suppliers should also be analyzed. Want to obtain actionable insights to devise effective risk mitigation strategies? Request a free proposal to gain insights into our customized solutions. Analyze inventory Companies do not realize the inventory they hold in their value chains. Estimating the available inventory could help companies to find ways to keep the production running and minimize the impact of halted production occurring due to coronavirus. This will help companies improve capacity planning during the ramp-up period. To know the key categories to include, get in touch with our experts now! Predict final-customer demand As demands for certain products may vary substantially, businesses must conduct an exquisite analysis of final customer demand. They should study the demand patterns of immediate customers and determine the necessary supply. The result of the same should also be integrated into the planning of supply chain operations. Predicting final-customer demand will facilitate the creation of effective risk mitigation strategies for companies. How SpendEdge's Services Can Help You? Identify risks associated with supply chain at a country level Identify risks related to suppliers, overall market, and regulatory norms Identify ways to deal with these risks successfully Understand the current scenario and better manage supply chain operations. Analyze the impact of the virus on the overall supply chain and areas To minimize the impact of COVID-19 and develop winning risk mitigation strategies for your business, reach out to our analysts now! You may also like: Reducing the Risk of Supply Chain Disruptions in the Wake of COVID-19 Outbreak Strategies to Minimize the Impact of Coronavirus on Supply Chains 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. Want to gain detailed insights? https://www.spendedge.com/get-more-info View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005640/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us 13:04 | Lima, Apr. 1. The Head of State said "the Government will spare no effort if there are underserved populations." "I congratulate the initiative of Lima Metropolitan Area Mayor Jorge Munoz, who had the excellent idea of having 150 beds available for homeless people, in order to provide shelter and food to 150 people who live on the streets, people who have been invited to stay at Plaza de Acho, renamed Everyone's House," he expressed. "Solidarity is what we want from all authorities. Why cant we replicate this in other cities of Peru?" he asked himself. In this sense, the top official affirmed that there is an underserved population with different proportions in other parts of the country, so this initiative needs to be replicated. "They were invited precisely yesterday, when a very unusual and heavy rain hit Lima, but they were under a roof that protects them from the weather. More institutions should join the initiative. So, let's keep up this effort and show our ability to work together," he stated. The statesman explained that the aim is to show solidarity with those who need it, so those who can resist this crisis must help those who cannot "and that is the key to success." "This virus makes no discrimination. If we have to give it credit for something, it would be its democratic character and the fact that it can affect everyone. However, there are households that can withstand this, then solidarity is the right word under these circumstances," he concluded. (END) JCC/CVC/RMB/MVB A view of a group of NYPD policemen at Elmhurst Hospital Center in the Queens borough of New York City on March 27, 2020. More than 1,400 NYPD employees, including more than 1,000 officers, have contracted COVID-19 as emergency calls in the city hit record highs, the police chief said Wednesday. Some 6,100 uniformed officers, or about 17% of the 36,000-strong workforce, called out sick Wednesday, Police Chief Terence Monahan said. A day earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was "worried" about "essential workers getting scared and not wanting to show up. "You know the number of police officers who are getting sick is going up," Cuomo said Tuesday. New York Fire Department officials told NBC News on Tuesday that 282 members, including firefighters, EMTs and civilians, have tested positive for COVID-19. At the same time, 911 call volume is hitting record daily highs, the department said. On Monday, 6,527 medical calls were placed to 911, and over the past few days, the FDNY has had to "hold" hundreds of calls, according to NBC News. This means that lower-priority sick calls have to wait for ambulances. On Wednesday, Cuomo called for the NYPD to more aggressively enforce the city's social distancing policies. "The NYPD has to get more aggressive. Period. Period," he said at his daily news briefing. "We're going to need law enforcement to get more aggressive." COVID-19 has infected 43,119 people in New York City and killed at least 1,096 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Last month, the New York City Police Benevolent Association filed a complaint with the State Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau demanding that the NYPD provide adequate protective equipment, including masks and gloves, to all officers. "No matter how this pandemic progresses, New York City police officers will remain on the front lines and will continue to carry out our duties protecting New Yorkers," PBA President Patrick Lynch said in a statement. "The NYPD has not done enough to ensure that all of our members have protective equipment such as masks and gloves, nor does it have adequate supplies of that equipment to weather a prolonged outbreak." The city is trying to boost its capacity to test more police officers and first responders for the coronavirus, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Tuesday. "I can tell you on the side we're also working with the unions and the medical division and some outside people to try to boost up the testing available for our police officers. We do have a site right now open," Shea said. "But we're trying to boost up that capacity, so that we can get the answers for people that are concerned, so your families can get the answers." Cuomo said Tuesday he would send New York state police to back up sick NYPD officers if need be. Mayor Bill de Blasio said some infected officers have begun to recover and until they are back to work, healthy officers will pick up some overtime. "We'll keep bringing in reserves. We'll go to longer shifts if we have to. We'll do more overtime, whatever it takes," he said Monday on MSNBC. "We have 36,000 officers, the finest police force in the country. We are going to keep the city safe. We'll make it work." Beyond New York, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, first responders in other cities are starting to get hit by the virus as well. In Detroit, 76 police officers have tested positive and 522 are in quarantine, Mayor Mike Duggan said Tuesday. He added that 17 members of the Detroit Fire Department have tested positive and 133 are in quarantine. COVID-19 has infected 2,086 people in Detroit, according to the city, and killed at least 73 people. Duggan announced last week that Detroit Police Chief James Craig tested positive for the virus. L ove Island star Anna Vakili has returned to her former job as a pharmacist in an attempt to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. Anna, who previously starred in the fifth season of the hugely popular ITV2 programme, quit the job after leaving the luxury Spanish villa to pursue other opportunities. Explaining why shes returning to her former professional on Instagram, Vakili told her 1.2 million followers: First day back working as a pharmacist since leaving Love Island. "Its been almost a whole year! Wow cant believe how fast its gone. Wasnt really planning on registering yet but with everything thats going on it felt wrong not to. We can all fight this together. Stay safe. Stay home. Save lives. Love Island 2019: Series 5 - In pictures 1 /65 Love Island 2019: Series 5 - In pictures Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 1 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 2 ITV ITV ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Love Island 2019: Series 5, Episode 3 ITV Vakilis fans were in awe at her decision to return to the front line of fighting coronavirus, with people praising her bravery. Thank you for helping everyone in this hard time, wrote one follower, while another added: You go girl! Put those skills to use! Vakili trained for five years to become a pharmacist, but previously said she had no plans to return to her profession. Since leaving the villa, Vakili has started a podcast with her fellow Love Island stars Yewande Biala and Amber Gill, and launched a clothing range with In The Style. Shes also not the only Love Island star to return to a profession following the coronavirus outbreak. Doctor Alex George, who starred in the 2018 series of Love Island, has been working on an A&E ward in South London throughout the outbreak. He previously described his shock at seeing young people hospitalised for the disease. Speaking on Sky News, the 29-year-old told Kay Burley: Were definitely seeing the department getting a lot more cases of coronavirus, but were expecting that to continue over the next few weeks and the peak is still to come." Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has called the Tablighi Jamaats international congregation at its headquarters in Delhis Nizamuddin, which was held between March 13 and 15, as nothing short of a Taliban crime, and also urged authorities to deal with it strictly. The meet has turned into a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hot spot in India. Speaking to Amandeep Shukla, Naqvi said 99% of the people, including minorities, are strongly supportive of the governments efforts to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The minister insisted that the fight against Covid-19 should not be viewed through religious prisms. Also read: Markaz leadership resisted, then NSA Ajit Doval dropped by at 2 am At a time when the fight against Covid-19 through social distancing is at its peak, an organisation such as Tablighi Jamaat has come under sharp focus for the gathering in the national capital. How do you view this? It is a Talibani crime. When the entire country is together to fight coronavirus, in such circumstances, such a thing is a crime. Not just the law, but even the Almighty will not forgive such a thing. It is very unfortunate that the lives of so many people were endangered because of such a careless approach. Another issue that has emerged is that at this time a lot of foreigners were also staying there? I think the administration and the law enforcement agencies should be extremely strict with these issues. It is not just related to the lives of the people concerned, but also with the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. No one should be allowed to be negligent or carry out a criminal conspiracy under any circumstances. Also read: Timeline: How Nizamuddin event went on despite lockdown orders It is also being said on behalf of Tablighi Jamaat that the gathering was already held and many of them could not move out because of the Janata Curfew on March 22 resulting in lack of availability of transport facilities. Excuses are of no use. These kinds of excuses makes one feel that something was amiss. You are the minority affairs minister of the country. There may be statements against the Muslim community because of this incident related to the Tablighi Jamaat. We dont look at it as a Hindu or Muslim or through any religious prism per so. This was a crime. The place, where this gathering happened, just happens to belong to one religious community. The participants are the first to be infected by the disease. Such an action damage society and the country at large. Do you plan to carry out any outreach towards religious leaders or community leaders? I am happy that all religious leaders and more than that the public has responded very positively in the fight against Covid-19. There is no contradiction from anywhere. For instance, talking about minorities, there has been a consensus about the Friday namaaz. Everyone has voluntarily decided not to offer prayers in public. But there are exceptions like the Jamaat meet that should be strictly dealt with. Do you plan to launch any awareness drive? We are talking to all stakeholders. We are getting positive reports from all across99% of people are with us and working hard to spread awareness. The Jamaat incident cannot be linked to any community. Such crimes are not linked to any community or caste. South by Southwest, one of Americas biggest cultural events, wont happen this year. The cause, of course, is the coronavirus pandemic, its own status as an event unprecedented in our age evidenced by the fact that South by Southwest has never in its 33-year history been canceled before. When SXSW, as its now known, launched in Austin, Texas back in 1987, it did so purely as a music festival; cinema came in 1994, when it became the SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference. Since then quite a few movies have launched from Austin into international renown, including Jeffrey Blitzs spelling-bee documentary Spellbound, Kathryn Bigelows Iraq War thriller The Hurt Locker, and the entire genre of mumblecore. Spare a thought, then, for the filmmakers with work accepted into SXSW 2020 or better yet, spare some time to watch their films online. While the festivals organizers figure out whether and how to reschedule, e-mail newsletter service Mailchimp and independent film company Oscilloscope Laboratories have created a digital home for this incredible slate of short films, so you can watch them from wherever you are. That slate includes selections from subcategories such as animation, documentary, the preview of the next filmmaking generation offered by the work of Texas high-school filmmakers, and even the beloved midnighters, officially described as bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity cravings. One such midnighter, a piece of domestic horror by Janina Gavankar and Russo Schelling called Stucco, appears at the top of the post. Youll find it on this Youtube playlist of short official selections from SXSW 2020, which also includes Zoe and Hanh, Kim Trans examination of girls, boys, and mothers, a triangle of tension since forever, and Charlie Tyrells Broken Orchestra, a documentary on a Philadelphia communitys effort to breathe life into a troubled public-school music program. There isnt much overlap between this playlist and the many shorts available to watch free on Mailchimps site, so if you want to discover the filmmakers you would have at Austin this year including the makers of Grand Jury Prize winners No Crying at the Dinner Table, Regret, Just Hold On, and Wish Upon a Snowman head over there and have your own private SXSW Film Festival. via No Film School Related Content: 1,150 Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, etc. Watch Curated Playlists of Experimental Videos & Films to Get You Through COVID-19: Miranda July, Jan Svankmajer, Guy Maddin & More Stream Free Online 200 Films from Tribeca Film Festivals Live Performers Now Streaming Shows, from their Homes to Yours: Neil Young, Coldplay, Broadway Stars, Metropolitan Operas & More Use Your Time in Isolation to Learn Everything Youve Always Wanted To: Free Online Courses, Audio Books, eBooks, Movies, Coloring Books & More Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles and the video series The City in Cinema. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall, on Facebook, or on Instagram. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. Aihik Sur By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Much is being discussed about the Tablighi Jamaat after the death of six individuals associated with the sect. But what exactly is it? Tablighi Jamaat, or Brotherhood of Preachers, is a fast-growing missionary Islamic movement, which was started in 1926 in Mewat province by Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas.Even though members of the jamaat are hard to reach, several research publications have thrown some light on it. A study, Hindu and Islamic Translational Religious Movements by Shail Mayaram says that the Tablighi was formed as a counter to the Shuddhi movement of the Arya Samaj, whose aim was to bring back people who had converted to Islam and Christianity. Ilyas, the Tablighi founder, launched the movement among the Meos from Mewar region. Mayaram says that Ilyas targeted half-Muslims or borderline Muslims who were being reclaimed by Shuddhi. It was under his son and successor M Muhammed Yusufs leadership that the Tablighi Jamaat spread to Asia, western countries, China and Centra Asia. A publication by the United States Institutes of Peace, a federal US institution, says the organisation has full-time Tablighis who comprise the shura (council). Apart from that, there are travelling Tablighs (for instance the Indonesians in Karimnagar), who undertake proselytysing missions over varying durations. Members of the jamaat can often be seen with beddings across shoulders at railway stations on roads, as they go door-to-door in villages and address gatherings at mosques. Travel holds a special significance and is compared with Prophet Mohammeds migration from Mecca to Madina. Tablighis in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have competing claims as to which comprises the movements international headquarters. Those in India contend that Nizamuddin in Old Delhi is the base, since the movement grew out of the Deoband school of Islam and it is in Delhi that the group was founded, said the study Islamist Networks: The Case of Tablighi Jamaat by Nicholas Howenstein.This is why around 1,000 from the State travelled to Banglawale Masjid in the Nizamuddin area in Delhi. The messengers A publication by the United States Institutes of Peace says the organisation has full-time Tablighis who comprise the shura (council). Addiotinally, there are also travelling Tablighis who undertake proselytysing missions. SAND LAKE June Farms has decided to temporarily stop renting cabins after receiving criticism on social media for appearing to appeal to New York City residents traveling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The negativity on social media seemed to grow out of an Instagram story a friend of owner Matt Baumgartner shared a few days ago that had a screenshot of June Farms with the statement "if you're looking for a respite from the city come stay at @junefarms." The Rensselaer County property, which often hosts weddings and other events, also posted on Instagram itself on March 15 that its cabins were still available for rent. Baumgartner told the Times Union that the person who posted the Instagram story is not a June Farms employee and is just a friend who lives in the city who was trying to help out. He said he felt a lot of misinformation spread about him specifically advertising to people who live in the city, which is not the case. If people are upset at me because they feel I have advertised to people in New York City to come to the farm then I apologize; that wasnt what I was doing, Baumgartner said. Baumgartner said in a Facebook video Tuesday that the response from the community was so strong that he will stop renting out cabins through Airbnb for at least the next four weeks. Everyday is crazy, but today is particularly crazy because I was just flooded with comments with people in the area who are upset at me, Baumgartner said. My gut is telling me we should be welcoming to people that need shelter, no matter where theyre from, but I do understand this is something new that we never really dealt with before. This also comes after Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin asked people arriving from the New York City metropolitan area to report to the county Public Health Department and go into 14 days of self-quarantine. McLaughlin expressed some of his frustrations on twitter. Vacation locations across the Northeast are pushing back collectively against people who are leaving tightly-backed urban areas to rent houses or occupying their second residences. Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage The numbers, the facts, the science don't lie: 94% of the cases are in NYC, Long Island, Westchester & Rockland, McLaughlin tweeted. In what world does it make sense to not have a 14 day quarantine for anyone travelling from there to here? It is insane & it is going to get people killed upstate. Rensselaer County Legislator Charles Peter also tweeted the screenshot from Baumgartner's friend's Instagram account, saying "It's astonishing at a time like this you're trying to capitalize on people's fear and simutaneously putting our region at risk by encouraging unnecessary travel." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Despite his decision to temporarily end rentals, Baumgartner pointed out that hotels and lodging are listed as essential businesses per the governors executive PAUSE order, and therefore are allowed to stay open during the pandemic. Airbnb is continuing its operations and is providing refunds to guests who are canceling due to COVID-19 related reasons, according to a press release from the rental services website. It was never a grey area, Baumgartner said. It never felt like I was doing anything shady. He also said it would probably be easier to social distance at his farm than in a hotel, noting he was renting out three cabins spread across 120 acres of land. You are separated by thousands of feet of woods from any other person,Baumgartner said. Its so much safer to stay at June Farms than a hotel. Baumgartner said the self-guided tours June Farms is offering for a donation is still going on. If the state ever closes parks, he will cease that operation, he said. An IKEA store is pictured after nationwide all IKEA stores were closed during the spread of the CCP virus disease (COVID-19) in Berlin, Germany, on March 17, 2020. (Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo/Reuters) Furniture Giant IKEA Making Masks to Help Fight CCP Virus Furniture giant IKEA is producing face masks and other protective gear for hospitals, joining a growing list of companies branching out of their regular business areas to help meet equipment shortages in the fight against the CCP virus. Having started with masks for staff in China in the early stages of the pandemic, the Swedish group is working with several suppliers to ramp up output of masks for health workers, as well as hand sanitizer, visors, and single-use aprons. The first batches for European healthcare facilities are in transit, Henrik Elm, global supply manager at brand owner Inter IKEA Group, which is in charge of supply, told Reuters. Several other companies are also working to help address an acute shortage of medical supplies, with vacuum cleaner company Dyson making ventilators, fashion group Armani producing medical overalls and spirits brand Ricard donating alcohol for sanitizers. An employee shows products to visitors inside a van in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 26, 2019. (Hemanshi Kamani/File Photo/Reuters) Working From Home IKEA has reopened all but one store in China, where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus emerged, but across markets a majority of the 436 stores are temporarily closed. Demand for office furniture is holding up as many people are working from home in the health crisis, Elm said. The sales pattern is changing. One area where we are selling pretty well compared to others is office furniture. People are working from home, and they have identified needs in their homes for it, he said in an interview. So, it (demand) is distributed differentlyin some areas; we keep it up well; in some, we have a major impact. Employees make protective masks at the Wilhelmina Hospital in Assen on March 20, 2020. (Vincent Jannink/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) Well-Prepared Elm said supply chain disruptions had increased with the spread of the CCP virus to Europe and America, with closed borders or restricted movement a key bottleneck. IKEA has managed to cope, however, partly by spreading inventories to warehouses in several locations, he said. So far, we have seen a limited effect on the availability of our offer, he said. Elm said he expected no shortages of wood or other materials, such as plastics and textiles, as global demand for such materials was in decline. One area of concern, however, is finding room to store goods already in transit to markets where IKEA has temporarily closed many of its stores. An employee wearing a protective mask sews surgical masks at a leather workshop turned into a mask factory, close to Vigevano, Lombardy, on March 19, 2020. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images) There will be constraints in coming weeks in harboring these goods. Warehouses will be a bottleneck, Elm said. Things that were on their way we are either re-steering or storing. IKEA produces a tenth of products itself and sources the rest from suppliers, mostly in Asia and Europe. As IKEA and other retailers adapt to slowing consumer demand, many suppliers and service partners are struggling. Elm said IKEA was assisting them with loans, swift invoice payments, and help to access government support packages. By Anna Ringstrom The Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. By Akbar Mammadov NATO has dismissed as illegal elections held in Azerbaijan's occupied Nagono-Karabakh region. "With regard to the general elections that took place today in Nagorno-Karabakh, NATO does not accept the results of these elections as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. NATO supports the OSCE Minsk Group, including the recent statement of the Co-Chairs on this issue," NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai wrote on his Facebook page on March 31. It should be noted that James Appathurai also made a statement on so-called "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 23: "NATO does not recognise the so-called elections which took place yesterday in the Georgian region of Abkhazia. The Alliance continues to support Georgias territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders". Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. -- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The unprecedented disruptions affecting millions of Oregonians appear to be reducing the transmission of the novel coronavirus between 50% and 70%, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by state health officials, the first positive sign that social distancing is helping in Oregon. It appears that staying homes to save lives is working, said Dean Sidelinger, Oregons state epidemiologist. The figures are only planning estimates and do not signal that Oregon has beaten the coronavirus. Loosening restrictions would lead to a resurgence in cases in as little as a week. The state still faces major challenges, including the risk that front-line health care workers will continue contracting the virus. At least 30 in the Portland metro area have tested positive. Both the research released Wednesday and another model by University of Washington researchers forecast that Oregons hospital system will be capable of handling the flow of patients with the novel coronavirus, making the state a potential bright spot in the United States -- if residents continue to stay home. This new data is a promising sign that the social distancing measures Governor Brown has put into place are beginning to work in Oregonbut it is still far too early for us to let up our guard against the spread of COVID-19, said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for the governor. We must all continue to stay the course until the public health threat to Oregonians has passed. The model that Oregon is using estimates 1,750 Oregonians have contracted the coronavirus; with a range possible between 1,200 and 3,000 actual cases. As of Wednesday, 736 people had tested positive and 19 have died. Sidelinger said the figures, which come from the Institute for Disease Modeling in Washington, use specific information about the cases in Oregon -- when symptoms presented, whether they were hospitalized -- as well as how many contacts each infected person is estimated to have. The researchers also draw on data tracked by Facebook showing reductions in movement as restrictions have been adopted. Facebook shares aggregate information with researchers based on people using its app with location tracking enabled. The estimates are not exact. They are imperfect numbers used for planning. But they coincide with other indicators that Sidelinger said makes him optimistic that Oregons social distancing restrictions are having an effect. Emergency room visits are dropping. People presenting with coronavirus-like illnesses have also declined. And the number of positive cases, while constrained by testing capacity, has not exploded. All of those things taken together are evidence that the social distancing measures are working, Sidelinger said. But people need to continue to make that sacrifice to keep the numbers down. Each of the metrics Sidelinger cited has flaws. People could be staying home sick instead of going to the ER. Testing has increased but is still limited. The one measure that would definitively show whether Oregon is flattening its curve -- coronavirus hospitalizations -- is still not being consistently reported by the Oregon Health Authority. In Washington state, the Seattle Times reported Monday that hospitalizations for COVID-like symptoms dropped last week for the first time in months, good news in the state that reported the countrys first coronavirus case and quickly became the epicenter. The estimates the Oregon Health Authority released Wednesday come from the Institute for Disease Modeling, a Bellevue-based research center thats part of the Global Good Fund, a collaboration that involves Bill and Melinda Gates. While the number of active cases is slightly higher than its forecast, there is also strong evidence that measures currently in place in Oregon are reducing transmission, the institute said. Its still unclear what effect Gov. Kate Browns March 23 stay-home order is having, it wrote, because of the lag time between someone becoming infected and being diagnosed. But data show transmission rates reduced 50-70%, the institute wrote, a conclusion based on comparing the number of positive tests, deaths and hospitalizations to what would be expected. Peter Graven, lead data scientist at Oregon Health & Sciences University, said transmission rates need to be reduced more than 60% for the number of active infections to decline. If it has dropped 70%, thats great if were getting those results, he said. Right now, Oregon, for as long as weve had cases, is really the top performing state, Graven said. For how long weve had it, since the beginning of February, our cases just have not skyrocketed yet. Were doing well. But Graven cautioned that could change quickly. In South Korea, one person was responsible for creating a cluster that sparked half of the countrys almost 10,000 positive cases. Graven said he expected to know by Sunday whether the effects of Oregons school closure are reflected in hospital admissions. By the following Sunday, he said, the effects of the stay-home order should be obvious. The number of new hospital admissions can continue to climb, he said, but it shouldnt climb at an increasing rate. If school closures didnt appear to work, he said, the state may need to consider whether other measures are necessary. You want to be two steps ahead, he said. If were not seeing what we want, it might mean we need to do more. The states modeling team suggests two ways the number could be driven down more rapidly: improved testing and strong tracing of contacts of those who test positive. Graven said the projections for Oregon by the Institute for Disease Modeling were more closely tailored to reflect the nuances of the states social distancing policies than similar work from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The IHME projects the United States will hit its peak on April 16. Its projections show 260,000 people will be in hospital beds in two weeks, creating a major shortage. The United States will need 84,000 additional beds and 19,000 additional ICU beds, according to its estimates. The IHME forecasts a peak in Oregon on May 6, estimating nearly 1,100 people hospitalized that day -- 131 of them on ventilators. Today, 38 coronavirus patients in Oregon are on ventilators, state data show. The other forecast from the Institute for Disease Modeling has projected a low number of hospitalizations in Oregon by May. The IDM approach allows you to simulate new things and customize things more easily if youre looking to design a policy or relax a policy, you can more easily see what will happen, Graven said. The IHME model is designed around making good, generalized predictions. Its using a lot of data from a lot of different places to give a guess of whats going to happen. Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657; @robwdavis Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gold X Mining Corp. (TSX-V: GLDX, OTCQX: SSPXF) (Gold X or the Company) is very pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Paul Matysek as the Companys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Matysek will succeed Mr. Rich Munson who has been appointed President of the Company. The Board of Directors believes that Mr. Matyseks unique qualifications and experience are of great value to the Company as it moves its Toroparu Project forward. As a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee, Paul, with the assistance of Brian Paes-Braga and Company CFO Bassam Moubarak was instrumental in recommending and closing the acquisition of 100% of the Toroparu Project, a major milestone in the Companys history. See Press Release dated March 13, 2020 at goldxmining.com . Mr. Matysek is a geologist/geochemist by training, a successful alpha entrepreneur and creator of shareholder value with over 40 years of experience in the mining industry. Since 2004 as either CEO or Executive Chairman, Mr. Matysek has sold five publicly listed exploration and development companies, in aggregate worth over $2 billion. Most recently, he was Executive Chairman of Lithium X Energy Corp., which was sold to Nextview New Energy Lion Hong Kong Limited for $265 million in cash. Mr. Matysek was President and CEO of Goldrock Mines Corp., which sold to Fortuna Silver Mines in July 2016. He was previously CEO of Lithium One, which merged with Galaxy Resources of Australia to create a multi-billion-dollar integrated lithium company. He served as CEO of Potash One, which was acquired by K+S Ag for $434-million cash in a friendly takeover in 2011. Mr. Matysek was also the co-founder and CEO of Energy Metals Corp., a uranium company that grew from a market capitalization of $10 million in 2004 to approximately $1.8 billion when sold in 2007. Mr. Matysek noted: The Toroparu Project, at 7.4 million ounces of gold with significant copper and silver credits, provides a unique opportunity for value creation in this gold environment. The Toroparu Project is at an advanced development stage and has in place potential mine financing up to US$135 million from Wheaton Precious Metals (Wheaton). Furthermore, Gold X is blessed with key shareholders Gran Columbia Gold (21%), Frank Giustra (9%) and Brian Paes-Braga (5%), who are solidly behind our corporate vision. As a result of golds recent positive performance and bullish long-term expectations, Gold X is certainly well positioned to develop and/or expand its appreciable resource base. It will undoubtedly become an increasingly attractive target to mid and top tier gold companies. Im looking forward to working with the reorganized Gold X Board, Management and shareholders. Story continues Mr. Munson stated: Gold X Management is very excited that Paul has agreed to move from his position on the Advisory Board to the role of CEO. I am confident that all investors in Gold X will benefit from the addition of his energy, experience and expertise to the Company in the role of CEO. I will continue to focus on the work in Guyana and provide shareholder communication support. The Company has reorganized its Board of Directors with the resignations of Mr. Munson, Mr. Greg Barnes, Mr. Gordon Keep and Mr. David Laing. The Board of Directors recognize their respective contributions to the Company and wishes Mr. Keep and Mr. Laing much success in the future. Mr. Barnes remains an Executive Vice President at the Company. The Board of Directors has also appointed Mr. Brian ONeill as a Director. Mr. ONeill spent nearly a decade in the practice of law with leading Canadian law firm, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, principally focused on corporate tax matters, with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions. He is currently the Vice President, Merchant Banking at SAF Group, a leading structured credit and merchant banking firm. He has experience creating and advising public companies, including recently as a director of Caldas Gold Corp. (formerly Bluenose Gold Corp.) in its acquisition of the Marmato Project in Colombia. After the reorganization of the Board, the Companys Board of Directors is comprised of Mr. Matysek, Chairman, Mr. Bassam Moubarak, Mr. Suresh Beharry, Mr. Federico Restrepo-Solano, Mr. Lombardo Paredes-Arena and Mr. ONeill. The Company also announces a non-brokered private placement of 2,631,579 units (the Units) at a price of $0.95 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,500,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (Share) and one share purchase warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at $1.30 for a period of three years from the date of issuance (Warrant). The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause whereby the warrant must be exercised within 30 days should the share price trade at $2.25 or higher for ten consecutive days. The Company intends to use the proceeds for obtaining a mine permit, optimizing project economics, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate activities. Completion of the private placement is subject to the acceptance for filing of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities issued by the Company in connection with this offering are subject to a four-month hold period as prescribed by the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities laws. The Company further announces an aggregate grant of 925,000 stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company exercisable at $1.30 per share, expiring 5 years from the date of grant, subject to regulatory approval. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Gold X Mining Corp. Paul Matysek Director and Chief Executive Officer About Gold X Mining Corp. Ltd. Gold X Mining Corp. is a Canadian junior mining company currently moving toward a feasibility study for the Toroparu Project in Guyana, South America with 7.4 million ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated categories. A Preliminary Economic Assessment study (Preliminary Economic Assessment Report, Toroparu Gold Project, Upper Puruni River Area, Guyana, dated July 18, 2019 completed by SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc.,) (the PEA) available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Companys website (www.goldxmining.com). The Toroparu Project, with Wheatons participation, generates a 24.2% after tax IRR at $1,400/oz of Au, and 27.68% at $1,500/oz of Au, indicating that project returns are both robust at historic Au prices and positively leveraged to higher Au prices. The Company signed a renewal in 2019 of the Environmental Permit that authorizes the development, construction and operation of a large-scale mine at the Toroparu Project. Under the terms of the existing Mineral Agreement between Sandspring, ETK Inc. (ETK) and the Government of Guyana and with the Environmental Permit in place, the final step in securing the large scale Mining License is the review of the economic viability of the Toroparu Project as demonstrated by the PEA. The Company is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and has taken precautionary measures at its locations in Guyana and at the main office in North America to help protect the safety of the Company's workforce and local communities. To date there are no confirmed or presumptive cases of the COVID-19 virus at any of the Company's operations or offices. The Company will continue to closely monitor the rapidly changing COVID-19 developments and will adjust its plans as necessary. The Company is following the COVID-19 safety guidelines outlined by the governments at each of its operations. Additional information is available at www.goldxmining.com or by email at info@goldxmining.com Visit Gold Xs website at www.goldxmining.com . Contact Gold X Mining Corp. Rich Munson President Tel: +1 (303) 991-5683 or via email at info@goldxmining.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it has sold USD 4.5 billion global bonds, its largest-ever single tranche outing. The proceeds will be part of its ordinary capital resources, it added. ADB plans to raise around USD 25 billion from the capital markets in 2020, the Manila-headquartered multilateral agency said in a statement. "ADB is delighted to be able to show its strength in the capital markets through these very challenging times. This issue, the largest single tranche issuance in ADB's history, enhances ADB's liquidity to respond to Asia's development needs during and beyond this COVID-19 crisis," ADB Treasurer Pierre Van Peteghem said. He further said that targeting the 2-year point on the curve allows ADB to respond to deep investor demand as reflected in the final orderbook being over USD 7 billion, while still tightening the pricing from initial guidance by 5 basis points. The bond, with a coupon rate of 0.625 per cent per annum payable semi-annually and a maturity date of April 2022, was priced at 99.909 per cent to yield 45.3 basis points over the 0.375 per cent US Treasury notes due March 2022. The transaction was lead-managed by Goldman Sachs International, Morgan Stanley and RBC Capital Markets. ADB further said the issue achieved wide primary market distribution with 41 per cent of the bonds placed in the Americas; 32 per cent in Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and 27 per cent in Asia. By investor type, 55 per cent of the bonds went to central banks and official institutions, 25 per cent to banks, and 20 per cent to fund managers and other types of investors. Established in 1966, ADB is owned by 68 members. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres www.un.org.ua The crisis that the coronavirus pandemic caused in the world is the worst since the Second World War, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, the BBC reports. According to him, coronavirus is a threat to all of humanity, and will also have economic consequences that will provoke a recession. "This gives reason to believe that this is indeed the biggest crisis of those that we have had to deal with since the Second World War," the UN Secretary-General said. According to UN estimates, as a result of an outbreak of coronavirus worldwide, up to 25 million jobs can be lost. Antoniu Guterres also predicts that global investment will drop to 40%. "Covid-19 is the greatest test we have faced since the inception of the UN," the official said. According to the latest data, 874 081 cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded in the world. Of these, 43,291 people died and 185,194 successfully recovered. As we reported earlier, Researchers from Utrecht University, together with fellow researchers from Erasmus MC and biotech company Harbor BioMed, have developed a human antibody that can inhibit the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) which causes the respiratory disease otherwise known as COVID-19. A new mortuary is being built in the London Borough of Newham to combat the significant rise in COVID-19 cases in the area. The temporary site is being built in Wanstead Flats and this footage shows construction work beginning on April 1. Newham Council released a statement: "We know that coronavirus is deadly and so far 1,789 people have died in the UK. We know that the number of deaths will rise. "That is why as part of the Governments response, additional mortuary space is being found and one of those is Manor Flats in the Manor Park area of Newham. This site is owned by the City of London Corporation and is very close to their Cemetery and Crematorium nearby, and today work on the build process started." Dennis Shen, a Director in sovereign ratings at Scope Ratings, answers five pressing questions that policymakers and investors are asking amid worries about the countrys credit ratings (BBB+/Stable): Italy is at the centre of Europes health care and economic crisis. Should the government in Rome be worrying more about growth or about the budget deficit to protect the countrys credit ratings? The strength of the economic recovery and expectations for deficit levels in 2020 and in years beyond will both ultimately be critical in determining our long-term sovereign ratings. In the near term, the speed and shape of a future economic recovery will be more important for policy makers and financial markets than the level of the deficit. The priority right now is rightfully on stemming this unprecedented public health crisis that has cost over 10,000 lives in Italy, protecting households and businesses, and then getting the wheels of the economy rolling again before a deeper financial crisis manifests itself. Italys high public debt levels have been a consistent area of concern for investors, alongside tensions in recent years between Rome and Brussels and breaches of EU fiscal rules. For now, however, we see no risk of those fears materialising into an EU Excessive Deficit Procedure immediately nor do we see an outsized increase in yields on Italian government bonds (of the scale of that at sovereign debt crisis heights). First, the EU has suspended its budgetary rules as Europe grapples with the pandemic. Secondly, European institutions such as the ECB and European Stability Mechanism are coming to Italys aid with hefty monetary and contingent fiscal support for euro area member states. What are Scopes latest GDP, budget-deficit and debt-to-GDP forecasts for Italy? The reality is that Italy faces a very steep economic contraction of 5% to 10% this year, with risk even as regards this range skewed to the downside. Moreover, a much wider deficit will be a result of the economic decline and emergency fiscal responses to the pandemic, together pushing public debt well above the 135% of GDP level at which it stood at end-2019. Story continues We expect a budget deficit of over 6% of GDP this year, widening after Italys budget result was better than anticipated in 2019 at only -1.6% of GDP. The much increased 2020 deficit accounts for an increase in Italys cyclical deficit alongside well over EUR 50bn in shock therapy fiscal support actions that alone raise the deficit by over 2% of GDP. Italys debt ratio could easily breach a 145% of GDP threshold within the next year. What about the longer-term fiscal and economic consequences of a severe recession this year? We recognise that cyclical deterioration in growth or cyclical weakening in budgets during a crisis have sometimes more structural consequences than one thinks: the weakening of Italian companies, banks and government balance sheets over 2020 could reduce investment even in 2021 or 2022, and higher extraordinary, one-off deficits may not be so completely unwound in 2021 or even by 2022. The severity of this economic shock, the durability and strength of the recovery after it as well as greater fiscal imbalances do matter as they have effects on investor confidence and the longer-run risk of liquidity crises. Should Italy instead be adopting a whatever it takes fiscal approach in view of its budgetary constraints? In todays exceptional circumstances, a whatever it takes approach is what is required on the part of national governments and central banks to address the pandemic and its economic consequences. But there is no escaping the observation that there are immediate and later-day credit implications depending on the scale of the decline in the economy and in debt sustainability. Authorities ought to direct targeted policies such as to minimise the build-up of longer-run fiscal and economic imbalances. At the same time, the more that other euro area countries with greater fiscal space, such as Germany, can do to bolster their economies, the more there will be positive knock-on benefits for Italy and the less Italy needs to do alone. In what circumstances might Italys sovereign rating be downgraded? Scopes next scheduled sovereign review date on Italys credit ratings is on 15 May 2020. There has undoubtedly been a weakening of public- and private-sector balance sheets from this unprecedented economic shock. One consequence of a weakened balance sheet is that the private sector and the central government are now more vulnerable to shocks in the future, even assuming a gradual recovery does take place later in the second quarter and into the third. In other words, Italys fundamentals will look different after this crisis than they looked entering it. But the crisis has also demonstrated one core rationale underpinning Scopes investment-grade rating for Italy compared to a more pessimistic view of market participants: Italys systemic importance in the euro area and the extraordinary support from European institutions available to Italy under worst-case scenarios. The ECB has provided ample evidence of European institutions extraordinary support for Italy over recent weeks: new long-term refinancing operations, more accommodative targeted long-term refinancing operations and a tolerance for front-loading new quantitative-easing purchases to potentially support vulnerable governments like Italys more or less a backdoor activation of Outright Monetary Transactions alongside considerations of ESM credit lines under curtailed conditionality. The major question now will be whether the fundamental deterioration that has occurred and is still ongoing, acknowledging the extraordinary support and Italys multiple other credit strengths, is still reflected in a BBB+ credit rating or if an alternative assignment is warranted. Dennis Shen is a Director in Public Finance at Scope Ratings GmbH. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Rome, April 1 : Italy observed a minute of silence for the victims of the coronavirus pandemic as their numbers rose above 12,000. Speaking during a nightly televised press conference on Tuesday, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 2,107 new active coronavirus infections compared to Monday, bringing the nationwide total to 77,635 cases, Xinhua news agency reported. Of those infected, 28,192 are hospitalized, 4,023 are in intensive care and 45,420 are isolated at home, Borrelli said. He added that there were 1,109 additional recoveries compared to Monday, bringing that total to 15,729. The death toll on Tuesday was 837, raising the tally to 12,428 since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21. The overall number -- combining active cases, deaths, and recoveries -- climbed to 105,792, up from a total of 101,739 on Monday. National Institute of Health (ISS) President Silvio Brusaferro said at a press conference earlier in the day that the upward curve of the rate of the pandemic seems to be leveling off. "It appears we are reaching a kind of plateau, which means our (isolation and containment) measures are working," Brusaferro said in reference to an ongoing national lockdown and strict quarantine measures. "Reaching the plateau does not mean we've conquered the peak and the fight is over, but that we must begin the descent," Brusaferro continued. "And the descent can begin if we continue paying maximum attention to how we behave and what we do on a daily basis." Flags flew at half-mast throughout the country as Italian President Sergio Mattarella, the cabinet led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, both houses of Parliament, mayors from north to south, public broadcaster RAI, and the Vatican observed a minute of silence at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, mourning the victims and showing solidarity with doctors and nurses fighting the pandemic. The move was initiated by the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI). "The participation of all the institutions that adhered to ANCI's initiative ... shows that Italy is united and supportive right now," said ANCI President Antonio Decaro, who is also the mayor of the southern city of Bari. On the international front, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for announcing that he will send "100 million U.S. dollars' worth of medical supplies" to Italy. "In spite of being among the countries most stricken by the coronavirus, the United States has shown great solidarity and generosity towards Italy," Di Maio wrote on Facebook. Also on Tuesday, the Civil Protection Department made known that over the past week, Russia has sent 14 military planes to Italy with 60 tonnes of medical equipment as well as doctors, nurses, virologists, anesthesiologists, sanitation experts, and interpreters. Also on Tuesday, the General Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria) said in a report on the Italian economy in 2020-2021 that the pandemic has caused "a joint shock in terms of both supply and demand ... therefore the economic outlook ... is gravely compromised." Even if Italy's manufacturing sector becomes 100 percent operational by the end of June this year "gross domestic product (GDP) will fall by an estimated 10 percent in the second quarter (of this year) compared to 2019," Confindustria analysts warned. Confindustria members include 150,000 small, medium and large manufacturing and services companies employing over 5.4 million people. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: CEO of Zarshouran gold mines and mineral industries' development company Mohammad-Reza Siabani has died of coronavirus, Trend reports citing Iranian mass media. According to the report, 57-year old Siabani was receiving treatment at Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz for a month. Director General of Roads and Urban Development of Tehran Province Reza Neghaban also died as a result of a coronavirus infection, said the report issued by the department on April 1. According to the department, Negahban had been receiving treatment in Tehran hospital for 10 days. Earlier, member of Irans Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Bathaee Golpaygani, the Islamic Republic's former deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Sheikholeslam, former Iranian ambassador to the Vatican Hadi Khosroshahi, newly elected MPs in the 11th parliamentary elections Fatima Rahbar and Mohammad Ali Ramazani and other officials also died of coronavirus. Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 47,500 people have been infected, 3,036 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 15,400 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. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. All 50 states in the United States need to be on lockdown at the same time to help stop the spread of coronavirus, according to a virus expert who predicts social distancing will need to continue for another 10 weeks. Virologist Dr Joseph Fair said the entire country needs to better follow social distancing guidelines and implement lockdowns after the US government's stark projection that there could be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. Public health officials have stressed that the death toll number could be less if people across the country adhere to strict social distancing. In an interview with NBC's Today on Wednesday, Dr Fair said insisting on social distancing was a 'moot point' unless the entire country was on a lockdown. 'Until all 50 states do it, and they all do it at the same time, it's really kind of a moot point,' he said. Dr Fair said the government's latest projections were 'best case scenarios' if everyone was doing the same thing to help stop the spread of the virus. 'That's only going to happen if all 50 states are doing the same thing,' he said. 'That's why I'd really urge the Association of Governors to get together - everybody get on the same page as far as what they're going to do and everybody implement the same measures.' He said that if all states initiated a stay-at-home order, social distancing would need to continue for as many as 10 weeks. 'Realistically, I think it is going to have to go on for 6 to even 10 weeks. That's if everyone starts today,' Dr Fair said. 'If everyone is not doing it there are still going to be people spreading it. There are things we're going to have to do - we have to go to the grocery store, we have to go to the pharmacy. There are people working in hospitals. But we can all do our own part and everyone has to do it. I think the police need to get involved in it just as far as implementing strict distancing measures.' Around 265 million Americans have now been ordered to stay at home to combat the spread of coronavirus but some states are still refusing to order lockdowns Virologist Dr Joseph Fair (left) said the entire country need to be on lockdown at the same time to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Microsoft's Bill Gates (right), who in 2015 predicted the world would soon face a pandemic, said failing to enforce a national lockdown was a 'recipe for disaster' Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who in 2015 predicted the world would soon face a pandemic, said failing to enforce a country-wide lockdown was a 'recipe for disaster'. In a Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday, Gates said the US had already 'missed the opportunity to get ahead' but said it wasn't too late for people to start mitigating. Like Dr Fair, Gates said the US needs a 'consistent nationwide approach to shutting down' in order to stop the spread. 'Despite urging from public health experts, some states and counties haven't shut down completely. In some states, beaches are still open; in others, restaurants still serve sit-down meals. This is a recipe for disaster. Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The country's leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere,' Gates said. He said no one should be continuing as usual or relax during the shutdown, estimating it could take 10 weeks for infection and death rates to start decreasing. 'The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one,' he wrote. The US death toll increased to more than 4,300 on Wednesday with more than 200,000 confirmed cases. The US has now exceeded the number of deaths reported in China (3,309) where the virus emerged back in December. Currently, about 265 million Americans are now on stay at home orders to combat the spread of coronavirus. Some states, however, are still refusing to order lockdowns with the governor of Missouri insisting it is down to 'individual responsibility'. Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming also currently have no lockdown measures at a county or municipal level. More than 80 percent of the US population are in lockdown after governors from Arizona and Tennessee joined other states in issuing stay-at-home orders effective Tuesday - the same day that the US death toll eclipsed China. As of Wednesday, 33 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico were all in lockdown, with residents told to stay home except for essential workers or to go out for essential needs such as buying groceries or seeking medical attention. The states with stay-at-home orders are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina as well as the territory of Guam do not have stay-at-home orders but have shuttered all non-essential businesses. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey seemed to finally bow to pressure Monday and signed an executive order that all residents must remain in their homes from March 31 until at least April 30. But several states are yet to take such action, which experts have warned is crucial to slowing the spread of the pandemic. Missouri state Governor Mike Parson said Monday that he will not be issuing a state-wide stay-at-home order, saying a 'blanket policy' would be 'difficult' and that it is individual responsibility. 'It's difficult to make a blanket policy for the state of Missouri,' Parson said. 'It's going to come down to individual responsibilities.' Parson claimed a state-wide order isn't necessary because there are key differences between the number of cases in rural and urban areas. 'The one thing I focus on every day is real data,' Parson said. 'How many people do we have in the hospital. How many people have tested positive, and where do these things lead us to in the future. These decisions are not easy to make every day.' The state currently only has social distancing guidelines, saying 'every person in the State of Missouri shall avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people.' His refusal to join other states comes after medical experts sent him a letter last week urging him to consider rolling out a shelter-in-place order. The Missouri State Medical Association warned the governor that if he failed to take the measures, the state will rapidly run out of much-needed medical supplies including ventilators used to treat the sick. 'We now believe that a statewide 'shelter-in-place' order is the only way to curb the exponential spread of COVID-19 in Missouri,' the letter said. 'If things progress as is, COVID-19 patients will deplete the state's available hospital beds, ventilators, and precious personal protection equipment. Any additional time without a 'shelter-in-place' requirement wastes crucial healthcare resources, including manpower.' Dr Tony Fauci, the country's leading virus expert, painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday when he warned that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained Alabama and Massachusetts are giving the addresses of people diagnosed with coronavirus to POLICE The states of Alabama and Massachusetts are now giving the details of people who are known to have been diagnosed with coronavirus to the police. Alabama has been providing the addresses but not names to law enforcement and other emergency responders for more than a week. The information is supposed to be given to officers when they go out on calls. 'It's only on an as-known, as-needed basis,' said Leah Missildine, executive director of Alabama's 911 Board to Vice. 'The impetus behind this is to protect first responders because 911 receives the information and coordinates the response of first responders. That was deemed the most efficient way to share this information.' 'The Alabama Department of Public Health was requested to provide addresses of patients home quarantined for COVID 19 to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board for the protection of first responders,' said Arrol Sheehan, director of public information at the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state of Alabama could also release information to third parties including doctors or anyone else who could be deemed to be exposed. The state say the rule came into force to help protect first responders. In Massachusetts, the exact same system has also been operating for almost two weeks. Each day, daily lists are sent over to police forces and ambulance crews across the state. The state say that no information will be kept about who was known to be sick once the crisis is over. Advertisement 'Prepare for 100,000 to die': Tony Fauci warns of astonishing death toll and tells areas not on lockdown to take action NOW - as Donald Trump says next two weeks will be 'VERY painful' and White House reveals even worse projections Dr Tony Fauci, the country's leading virus expert, painted a grim picture for Americans on Tuesday when he warned that people should be prepared for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. 'As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,' he said. 'Is it going to be that much? I hope not and I think the more we push on the mitigation the less likely to be that number but, being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that is a possibility that that's what we'll see.' President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a 'hell of a bad two weeks' ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Trump called it 'a matter of life and death' for Americans to heed his administration's guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a 'light at the end of the tunnel' in a pandemic that in the United States has infected about 190,000 people and killed more than 4,000. 'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,' Trump said. 'This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country... We're going to lose thousands of people.' The jaw-dropping projections were laid out as officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. The model's high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World War II. 'There's no magic bullet,' said Dr Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. 'There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors. Each of our behaviors, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic.' Dr Fauci called the numbers 'sobering' and urged Americans to 'step on the accelerator' with their collective mitigation efforts. 'We are continuing to see things go up,' Dr Fauci said. 'We cannot be discouraged by that because the mitigation is actually working and will work.' Trump's comments came after he announced on Sunday that he was extending to April 30 the social distancing guidelines that advise Americans to cease large gatherings, work from home, suspend onsite learning at schools and more in a nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus. It was an abrupt reversal for Trump who spent much of last week targeting April 12 as the day he wanted to see Americans 'pack the pews' for Easter Sunday services. Surgeon General Jerome Adams appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to give advice on how long the guidelines would last; it will vary throughout the country Wyoming is the ONLY state in the U.S. without a coronavirus death after Hawaii records its first fatality Hawaii has recorded its first death from Coronavirus, making Wyoming the only state in the country without a death from the virus. Following the news, Hawaii state officials urged residents on Tuesday to follow the stay-at-home orders more seriously to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases in Hawaii stood at 224. Wyoming, the least populated state in the U.S. is now the final state to have not seen a death as a result of the coronavirus. Wyoming is among the states not currently on lockdown, however, bars, coffee shops schools, gyms and various sporting events have been banned from operating. Public gatherings have also been limited to 10 people. As of Tuesday, Wyoming had 120 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and was also the last state to reach 100 confirmed cases. Advertisement Surgeon General says 30 days of lockdown will be long enough to stop coronavirus in some states but not everywhere as he warns the public to leave precious N-95 masks for healthcare workers The US Surgeon General said on Wednesday that 30 days of social distancing would be long enough to slow the spread of coronavirus in some places but not everywhere. In an interview on Good Morning America, Surgeon General Jerome Adams also warned the public not to use precious N-95 surgical masks in light of an update by the CDC that it is considering advising that everyone should wear a face covering when they go out. 'The original 15 days was designed to slow the spread and for us to have some time to reassess. 'We learned good and bad things. No state has been spared, but when you look at places like Washington and California that aggressively mitigated with social distancing, they were able to flatten their curve. 'We're looking at it as an opportunity for the entire country to say, if we do these things, we can flatten the curve.' Asked if 30 days would be long enough, he replied: 'It will be for some places. It won't be for others, depending on where they are on their curve.' The CDC had originally said that only people who have symptoms should wear the masks when they go out. Now, the government is weighing advising that everyone wears one, even if they don't have symptoms, to avoid spreading the deadly virus. Dr Adams, however, says it does not mean the public should rush to buy the coveted N-95 surgical grade masks that are in short supply around the nation's hospitals. 'Those must be reserved for the healthcare workers and the public can use other items to cover their faces. We've learned about this disease. We've learned there's a fair amount of asymptomatic spread and whether or not people wear masks will prevent transmission to other people,' he said. 'But it can't be at the expense of social distancing. The most important thing for people to do is to stay at home. The final point I'd make is if you're going to wear a face covering, you still don't need an N-95 mask and if you take one, you may be taking it out of the hands of a healthcare worker who desperately needs it to treat patients.' President Trump has now suggested people should wear scarves to cover their faces when they go out. 'You could get a mask, but most people have scarves and scarves are very good and they can use a scarf and we're only talking about a limited period of time,' he said on Tuesday. 'It's a warzone': Shocking footage reveals coronavirus patients being treated in corridors at NYC hospital as doctors beg for ventilators and the death toll in the city surges past 1,000 Shocking footage has revealed the chaos inside New York hospitals, with desperate doctors begging for more ventilators and medical equipment to help them tackle the growing crisis as the city's death toll surged past 1,000 on Tuesday and the total US coronavirus death toll hit 4,000. New York state recorded 76,049 confirmed coronavirus cases by the end of Tuesday and 1,550 people have died from the killer disease. In New York City alone, there have been 1,096 deaths and 43,119 cases - with 182 more deaths in the last day. Among its overwhelmed hospitals is the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn where patients line the hallways in their beds and doctors are struggling to keep up with their needs. The 370-bed hospital has already reached full capacity. The plea from doctors for more equipment comes as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly urged Trump to send more ventilators to the state, where the coronavirus numbers now dwarf other US states. In a press conference Tuesday, Cuomo blasted the federal government for creating a 'bidding war' for ventilators that is 'like being on eBay'. He said that he had bought 17,000 ventilators from China for $25,000 each, a total of $425million, but that he was having to compete against every other state for them and the government. 'Look at the bizarre situation we wound up in; every state does its own purchasing, trying to buy the same commodity. 'The same exact item. So you have 50 states competing to buy the same item, bidding up each other, and competing against each other - it's like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator,' he said. He also admitted that 'no one knows' when the crisis will be over and said he was unifying the state's private and public healthcare systems to operate as one before the pandemic 'apex' in the state hits. Cuomo said the data is uneven and 'bouncing' so where it appears the death rates may be slowing, they are not yet. 'It's an imperfect reporting mechanism but the basic line is still up. We're still going up,' he said, adding that he was speaking to every expert he could find to rely on their projections and not 'opine' over what may happen. He said he was 'tired' of being 'behind' the virus, adding: 'We've been behind this virus from day one. The virus was in China. Unless we assume some immune system variation with Asian people, it was coming here. You don't win playing catch up. We have to get ahead of it.' He also said it was foolish to 'underestimate your opponent', continuing: 'We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful and dangerous than we anticipated.' Cuomo said the 'next battle' will be the apex of cases and deaths but he does not know when it will hit. 'When is the apex? That is the $65,000 question. We have literally 5 models that we look at. It's true to say almost no two are the same. The range on the apex is somewhere between seven to 21 days,' he said. If you need to regain your affection for Huisman afterward, check out the utterly winning 2018 romantic period drama The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, streaming on Netflix. Huisman stars as a farmer on the British island of Guernsey who starts a book club to forge community and connection during the isolation and terror created by German occupation during World War II. Its a soothing tonic during this time of unprecedented social isolation, and it underscores the importance of connection during times of extraordinary hardship. If youd like another film to offer perspective on endurance through tough situations in history, Defiance (also on Netflix) could scratch that itch. It's inspired by the true story of the Bielski brothers, Jewish farmers-turned-fighters who camped out in the woods of Belarus for two years during Nazi persecution. Do not miss Portrait of a Lady on Fire, now available on Hulu, and one of the best movies ever? Celine Sciammas masterpiece is an utterly spellbinding tale of impossible romance in 19th-century France between a portrait painter and her subject. Destined to be an unimpeachable classic, the film is like sorcery, its magic lingering long after its over. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 15:39:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Mohamed Mazen BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- As the novel coronavirus continues spreading across the world, joint work between China and the United States, the world's top two economies, is of particular importance to the global fight against the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China and the United States have seen their people help each other through this difficult time. When the disease broke out in China, U.S. organizations and companies extended their helping hands, which is highly appreciated by the Chinese people. To name some, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed up to 100 million U.S. dollars in emergency funding, much of which would help China bolster epidemiological research, emergency intervention, and the research and development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics. MedShare, an American medical non-profit organization, has donated 1.8 million respirators and 80,000 isolation gowns to China early February. The U.S.-based beverage giant Coca-Cola also sent 1.5 million surgical masks and 40,000 isolation gowns to China to support its anti-virus efforts. In return for such solidarity, Chinese companies, non-governmental groups and individuals have offered support and assistance to the American people, who are suffering from the shortage of medical supplies. On Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed appreciation to Chinese telecom operator Huawei for providing tens of thousands of N95 face masks, isolation gowns, medical goggles and gloves. In mid-March, the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation said they would donate 1 million masks and 500,000 testing kits to the United States to help Americans fight against the epidemic. Chinese doctors have also been engaged in exchanging professional advice and anti-virus experience with their American peers. All these demonstrate the long-standing fond between the two peoples, which remains the foundation of the world's most important bilateral ties. During their two phone calls since the epidemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have touched upon cooperation. The two presidents, joined by other world leaders, also sat visually at the same table and exchanged views last week at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit. Unfortunately, the past months witnessed some U.S. politicians trying to politicize the global combat against the virus and stigmatize China. Facing the global challenges, a coordinated international response is badly needed. As the world's major countries, cooperation between China and the United States on the global public health crisis is beneficial to not only the two countries but also the world as a whole, and should not be held back by muds or mutters. According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, the number of global confirmed cases has surpassed 860,000, with nearly 190,000 people in the United States having been infected. As the human species are facing the common enemy, cooperation is the only right choice to end the pandemic and restore the world economy. No one can stand alone. It is the call of both its people and its global duty for Washington to join hands with Beijing and work together. A new campaign in the Netherlands, with the help of Syrian refugees, will be delivering food to those who are isolating at home and unable to secure goods from the shops writes Iqtissad. The Syrian Dar al-Beit Organization in the Netherlands, in cooperation with the Aladdin Restaurant, and a number of Dutch institutions, launched an initiative to provide free meals to the elderly Dutch in the Leiden region in the southern Netherlands, who have been prevented from going out to the shops, because of the coronavirus. It is expected that more than 500 elderly Dutch women and men will benefit from this initiative, which is scheduled to start at the end of next week. Those responsible for the project stated that the idea was welcomed by the Dutch community and the participating institutions. It is expected that more Syrian volunteers and different nationalities will participate in supporting this project. The organizers of this initiative aim to contribute to providing a positive image of refugees and the Syrian community in the Netherlands. The project coordinator Dr. Ara al-Jurmani told Iqtissad that many ideas and projects have been put forward to help the elderly or people with disabilities who live in their homes and cannot go out to buy what they need. Jurmani said that state institutions, no matter the size or capacities, will not be able to cover all the needs during this crisis, because the numbers are so large and the virus is spreading so quickly. Jurmani said the goal of Dar al-Beit in the Netherlands was to present a bright picture of us as a Syrian community in the Netherlands. 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. By IANS SAN FRANCISCO: US automaker Ford has said it will make 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days, starting April 2, at its Rawsonville plant in Michigan in the US to meet the critical demand. Ford has partnered with GE Healthcare to produce a simplified type of ventilator titled "GE/Airon Model A-E". "The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers," Jim Hackett, Ford's president and CEO said in a statement on Tuesday. "By producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW, we can help health care workers save lives, and that's our No. 1 priority," Hackett added. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS UPDATES Ford looks to produce 1,500 ventilators by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4. In a statement, White House Defense Production Act Coordinator Peter Navarro said Ford and GE are moving to speed urgently needed ventilators to the front lines of the Trump Administration's full-scale war against the coronavirus. The number of deaths reached 4,080 on Tuesday night in the US, exceeding the 2,977 toll of the terrorist attack on the US on 9/11. The number of confirmed cases in the US was 189,624. Items exported by India to Serbia are not in the prohibited list, sources told ANI on Wednesday. Earlier, Congress MP Manish Tewari hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that India is supplying medical protective equipment to Serbia while the country's workers are struggling for the same. "What is this happening Mr Prime Minister Narendra Modi? While frontline Indian health workers are struggling for protective equipment, we are supplying (the same) to Serbia. Air India to fly out Germans and 90 tonnes of Protective Medical Equipment to Serbia. Are we nuts? This is CRIMINAL," Tewari tweeted. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry on Tuesday said that the Ministry of External Affairs has identified suppliers from South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam to increase the availability of logistic items needed in the battle against coronavirus. The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday said that it is coordinating with the state governments for the supply of medical equipment and essential items needed for the protection against the disease. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trips to the grocery store and commutes on the MAX might soon require a new accessory: Masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House coronavirus task force are contemplating expanding recommendations for wearing masks and face coverings to deter the spread of COVID-19. Current CDC guidelines recommend only that people with symptoms of illness or those caring for people who are sick do so. But as a growing number of health experts urge people to wear protection to help prevent spread of the virus and positive cases continue to surge across the United States including in Oregon, where the Oregon Health Authority confirmed 84 new ones Tuesday the U.S. government is contemplating advising people to wear face coverings at all times in public. "We are not going to be wearing masks forever, but it could be for a short period of time after we get back into gear, President Trump said Monday, during a White House briefing. I could see something like that happening for a period of time. The CDC has been reluctant to recommend such a move, in large part because there is a country-wide shortage of medical masks and health-care workers are desperate to stockpile as many as they can. But, according to a report from the Washington Post, the CDC is considering recommending that people adorn do-it-yourself cloth coverings as a way to potentially lower the risk of transmitting the virus and help flatten the curve. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leader of the U.S. response to the pandemic, said during a Tuesday interview on CNN that the task force wanted to make sure changes didnt negatively affect the supply of masks available to health-care workers before tweaking its recommendations. But once we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks, Fauci said. Were not there yet, but I think were close to coming to some determination. While social-distancing and self-isolation remain the primary practices officials are recommending to help curtail the spread of COVID-19, leading local experts on epidemiology insist that wearing masks would also significantly help. Chunhuei Chi, a professor in the global health program at Oregon State University, said anyone who visits a grocery store, uses public transportation or works or visits a public dwelling with close contact to other people should wear a mask at all times and should have been doing so for weeks. Early on, back in February and even up to a week ago, the vast majority of government officials and health authorities were giving out in my opinion the wrong message, Chi said. Theyve been telling people, Dont wear masks and saying, Masks dont protect you. Well, thats completely wrong. The masks will protect you. Chi said he understood that early government messages were shaped to protect health-care workers. But, he added, there are plenty of ways to create homemade masks, many of which are accessible on YouTube, to help guard against the spread of the virus. And for those who question the effectiveness of wearing face protection, Chi has one word: Taiwan. The first coronavirus cases were reported in Taiwan in January, right about the time the first cases were reported in the U.S. But while government officials here delayed action, Chi said, Taiwanese officials moved quickly. Government officials purchased 92 mask production lines to boost creation, then banned the export and sale of surgical masks. The government became the sole distributor and instituted a rationing system to limit the number people could buy per week. Initially, officials distributed two masks per person per week. In February, that number nudged up to three masks per person per week. And starting April 9, residents will have access to nine masks per adult and 10 masks per kid every two weeks. Taiwan produced an average of 3.2 million masks a day in February. On Tuesday, that number hit 13 million, the same day Taiwan reported just 322 confirmed cases of COVID-19. It seemed to control the outbreak very well, Chi said. In Taiwan, the vast majority of schools are still open. Students are required to wear masks, but theyre still open. And indoor gatherings are restricted to no more than 100 people. But everyone has masks. Its helping. And now it appears a similar tactic could soon arrive in the U.S., which comes as little surprise to Carlos Crespo, a professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. I could see it coming for months, he said. Crespo had just finished conducting his first remote lecture on epidemiology Tuesday afternoon, so the issue was fresh on his mind. One of the subjects he discussed with his students involved the tools health experts use to fight the spread of infectious disease. Testing. Social-distancing. Handwashing. And, of course, wearing masks. Its not about whether masks work or not they could work, said Crespo, who also is a Vice Provost for undergraduate biomedical research at Portland State. The issue is: Do we have enough? Thats been the issue from the beginning. If you wear them properly and use them the right way, masks work. But we dont have enough for health-care workers, those with compromised immune systems and people over 60. So we have to try to be pragmatic and go back to our tool chest and prioritize. What else do we have? Soap. Social distancing. Lets try that. I hate to be political. But it plays a role in this. If we had more masks from the beginning, wed be in a better position. You need to ramp up production 10 times a 1,000 times more than what were doing. Nike. Columbia. Adidas. We should have told them to stop making shirts and start making masks. But we didnt. Homemade masks can be effective when used correctly, Crespo said, but there are a couple caveats. They should be washed daily. They should not be shared. They should be stored in a clean and safe place. And they should be kept out of the reach of children. But they can be a tool, he said. Just not a required tool right now. The OHA on Tuesday refused to take a different stance on the issue, saying that Oregonians should continue to follow current CDC guidelines, which include practicing social-distancing and self-isolation, and only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines offered a similar message, adding that masks should be reserved for frontline workers and health-care professionals who need the equipment to safely do their job. As we wait for guidance to be updated, we will continue to say that people who choose to make and wear their own face masks must be aware of their limits, Vines said, via email. A mask is not a substitute for regular hand washing, avoiding touching ones face, physical distancing or staying home when you are sick. So masks continue to remain optional. For now. OHA will review CDC guidance on the use of masks if or when it changes, a spokesperson said, via email. Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories Nordea Bank Abp - Inside information COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related recommendation adopted by the European Central Bank ("ECB") on 27 March 2020, the Board of Directors of Nordea has decided to propose postponement of the decision on dividend payment for the financial year 2019 and therefore to change its proposal for dividend payment to the Annual General Meeting planned to be held on 14 May 2020. The ECB considers it is essential that banks conserve capital to retain their capacity to support the economy in an environment of heightened uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The ECB therefore recommends that significant credit institutions, at least until 1 October 2020, refrain from dividend distributions, do not undertake any irrevocable commitment to pay out dividends for the financial years 2019 and 2020 and refrain from share buy-backs aimed at remunerating shareholders. Nordea is one of the most strongly capitalised banks in Europe. However, the Board of Directors acknowledges the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and agrees with the need for action by all banks to support Europe's society and economy. Following the ECB recommendation, the Board of Directors therefore proposes postponement of the decision on dividend payment for the financial year 2019. The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting planned to be held on 14 May 2020 would authorise the Board of Directors to decide on a dividend payment of a maximum of EUR 0.40 per share for the financial year 2019 to be distributed in one or several instalments. The authorisation would be valid until the Annual General Meeting in 2021. The Board of Directors intends to follow the recommendation adopted by the ECB and refrain from deciding on a dividend payment based on the authorisation before 1 October 2020. Nordea will publish possible decisions on dividend payment separately, and simultaneously confirm the dividend record and payment dates. The Annual General Meeting in 2021 will resolve on the distribution of profits for the financial year 2020 following the proposal by the Board of Directors expected to be published in Q1 2021. For further information: Rodney Alfven, Head of Investor Relations, +46 72 235 05 15 Sara Helweg-Larsen, Head of Group Communications, +45 22 14 00 00 The information provided in this stock exchange release is such that Nordea Bank Abp is required to disclose pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 22.15 EET on 31 March 2020. http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/3182I_1-2020-3-31.pdf (http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/3182I_1-2020-3-31.pdf) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday said that 70 of the 87 coronavirus positive patients in the state attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Delhi's Nizamuddin area. "A congregation took place in Delhi, in which many foreign delegates have participated. People from our state also have gone to that congregation. There, many of our people got infected from this virus. Till date, 87 coronavirus positive cases are reported in our state. 70 of them are those persons who attended that congregation at Delhi," Reddy said. "As many as 1,085 people from Andhra Pradesh have attended the Delhi congregation. 585 of them are already tested. 70 of them are proved coronavirus positive. Another 500 cases are under testing. 21 persons are yet to be traced. I humbly request to all these persons, or their family members, or those in contact with them to voluntarily come up, call 104 and get medical tests done," he added. The Chief Minister said that anybody need not feel stigmatic of the virus. "We are taking all measures to contain coronavirus. The government is implementing an integrated method from identifying those having symptoms of virus, till curing them. But since last two days, there is exponential increase of coronavirus positive cases in the state. Few days ago, many foreigners attended a religious congregation at Delhi. The virus spread from them to our people who went to attend the same congregation," Reddy said. "So, now the state government is trying to identify those who went to Delhi, or those who travelled along with them, or those who are in contact with them. I appeal to the people not to panic about this virus, it is more or less like a flu fever. But it can have much bigger impact on aged persons or those having health issues like blood pressure, diabetes, kidney problems or respiratory problems," he stated. Reddy said that all must realise that coronavirus can spread from one to other "very easily." "We all are seeing that many international leaders, heads of nations or their family members are affected by this virus. Those affected are taking precautions, getting cured and doing their daily chores. So, we must be alert of this virus. I appeal to the people not to think of becoming coronavirus positive as any sin or mistake," he said."See this is not a stigma, it is like a fever. Anybody need not consider this as committing any mistake. If one is proved positive, he can get the treatment and go back after getting cured. Only thing is that they will be kept in isolation for 14 days. After 14 days of treatment under isolation, they will be sent to their homes back," Reddy remarked. The Chief Minister said that the state is conducting survey on the health issues of all people. "A team comprising of village volunteers and ASHA workers are going to every household and collecting data of health condition of one and all. I appeal to the people not to hesitate in sharing their health issues with this team. They will help you get medical treatment immediately," he said. "I have told many times that 81 per cent of coronavirus cases worldwide are being cured by taking treatment at their house itself," he added. Reddy appealed to the managements of all private hospitals and private medical colleges, private doctors, IMA members and private nurses, to be involved in these services. "Due to this coronavirus effect, state finance conditions have almost dried up. There is unexpected additional burden on the state exchequer. In these conditions, the public representatives -- IAS, IPS, IFS officers, gazetted officers and non-gazetted officers, all other employees and pensioners have given chance to defer the payment of their salaries. I heartily thank one and all of them," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Companies cutting dividends and laying off workers in a battle to survive the coronavirus crisis should not be handing millions of pounds to bosses. That is the verdict of City figures, campaigners and politicians as the pandemic threatens the health and livelihoods of millions of families across the country. And in a bid to convince big business to consign corporate greed to the dustbin and win back the trust of the public, the Mail today calls for an end to fat cat pay for good. In a bid to convince big business to consign corporate greed to the dustbin and win back the trust of the public, the Mail today calls for an end to fat cat pay for good That is not to say rewards for success should be scrapped but that now, more than ever, rewards for failure and boardroom excess cannot be tolerated. Echoing that sentiment, the Institute of Directors said fairness in pay is more important than ever at a time when many businesses are on the verge of going bust as demand slumps and closures bite. Edwin Morgan, the business organisation's director of policy, said: 'Ideally pay policy during a crisis should encourage everyone to pull together, and directors will want to show they are part of the team as staff and investors risk losing out.' In the years following the financial crisis of 2007-09, firms faced a fierce backlash over perceived corporate excess at a time when many were still struggling. But that did not stop enormous pay days for some of the country's leading bosses, from the 70.4million Sir Martin Sorrell received in one year along to the 84.7million paid to Persimmon chief Jeff Fairburn over two years. But with the coronavirus pandemic threatening our way of life, more than 150 businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange have suspended or axed their dividends so far this year. These payouts would have given investors, including savers and pension funds, more than 5.5billion. Some may even have relied on these dividends to provide them with an income. But while companies are cutting down on shareholder payouts to preserve cash, few have taken the axe to what are often seen as 'excessive' executive pay packages. Advertising giant WPP yesterday became one of the latest to suspend its dividend and 950million share buyback, in total conserving 1.1billion. It added that all members of its 19-strong executive committee and its board would take a 20 per cent pay cut to their salary for at least three months. Willie Walsh, boss of British Airways' parent company IAG, has also volunteered to take a 20 per cent pay cut for the rest of the year. Chairman and chief executive of Banco Santander, Ana Botin and Jose Antonio Alvarez, both agreed to donate 50 per cent of their salary to charities helping fight the coronavirus crisis. Gerard Lyons, former chief economic adviser to Boris Johnson and now chief economic strategist at wealth manager Netwealth, said: 'If a firm finds that curbing pay temporarily may allow them to retain all staff, then it may make sense.' Bankers in particular have come under pressure to give up some of their bonuses, as lenders critically need to be holding on to cash to ensure they have enough capacity to support businesses through the impending economic downturn. Lord Mann, a former member of the Treasury Select Committee, said last night: 'Banking will not be forgiven if executive bonuses are paid this year. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said the peak of the coronavirus will now hit at the end of April, as the state nears a death toll of 2,000 people. The governor held his daily press conference on Wednesday to update the public on how the state, which is the epicentre of Covid-19 in the US, has managed the novel virus. Mr Cuomo said the government now expects the apex to hit at the end of April with the state needing 110,000 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients and 37,000 ventilators. The number of Covid-19 beds and ventilators needed for the virus was estimated if "minimal" social distancing regulations were followed by residents in the state. "Which means another month of this," the governor added. Cases in New York state rose to 83,712 people infected, 47,438 of whom are in New York City. As of Wednesday, 1,941 people have died from the virus. which is up from 1,550 on Tuesday. In response to the continued uptick in cases in New York City, Mr Cuomo has decided to shut down all playgrounds in the five boroughs. "I've said this 100 different ways, but compliance is still not where it should be," Mr Cuomo said. "So, we're going to take more dramatic actions. We are going to close down the New York City playgrounds. I've talked about this for weeks." This decision came after the governor implored people for weeks to practise social distancing when outside and not congregate, but that was not followed by everyone. Less dense open spaces in these parks are remaining open for the time being. One question Mr Cuomo addressed was when New York state and the country might return to "normal" after the pandemic, which residents everywhere want an answer to as they prepare for the coming weeks and months. But the governor did not see the world ever completely returning to what it was before the novel virus. I don't think we get back to normal. I think we get back or we get to a new normal, Mr Cuomo said. A lesson to be learned from the virus, the governor said, was the need to grow industries such as tele-health. The governor's daily presser then struck a more personal note as Mr Cuomo spoke about his brother, CNN anchorman Chris Cuomo, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Tuesday. "I'm frightened for my brother, I'm worried about my brother," he said. "It's frightening because there's nothing I can do." Mr Cuomo went on to call the anchorman "courageous" for holding his CNN show from his basement as a way to self-isolate from both the office and his family. "My pop would be proud. I love you, little brother," he added. NEW YORK, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In Q1 2020, The Conference Board Innovation Index powered by MCAM for the United States declined by 23 percent and was down nearly 14 percent from a year ago. At the same time, the parallel global Innovation Index, which tracks innovative companies worldwide, declined by 24 percent, and was down by 14 percent over a year ago. However, the reweighting of sectors in the index is pointing at potential benefits for innovative companies that can help tackle or offset the negative effects from COVID-19. The Innovation indexes measure a fundamental source of growth, namely innovation capabilities of companies. The indexes are expected to yield long-term results that are better than market averages. Because the market performance of companies is driven by many factors in the short term, the index returns can fluctuate compared to benchmarks. Measurement of innovation outcomes requires a long-term focus. "In this type of supply-side crisis, obviously no sector goes unscathed and this includes the most innovative companies in the United States and around the world," said Bart van Ark, Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at The Conference Board. "However, the companies in electronics and technology services sectors are gaining importance in the index as they may be the biggest beneficiaries of economic stimulus policies, especially if they can help relieve supply constraints caused by the pandemic. We may also see a greater impact from domestic innovation in sectors that historically were net importers of innovation." Technology companies' stock prices rose sharply over the last week of March when the Phase III stimulus in the U.S. was passed. For both indexes, the Technology Services sector is outperforming Health Technology services. Partly as a result of that, the Technology Services sector is gaining weight in both indexes. The weight of the Consumer Non-Durables sector also increased substantially in both indexes for Q2, possibly due to the boosted sales in grocery stores during the pandemic outbreak and their relatively stable financial market performance during the crisis. Although the major financial markets have also recovered temporarily during the last week of March as a response to these "crisis relief" actions, the global economic recovery outlook remains uncertain. "Several companies have prioritized innovation investment focused on agility in manufacturing and distribution in response to concerns highlighted by the recent global supply chain uncertainty," said David Martin, CEO of MCAM International. "Companies that have received government patronage or make collaborations with other entities to relieve the COVID-19 crisis will also benefit. For example, General Electric has partnered with other companies, like 3M and Ford, to manufacture respirators and ventilators to combat the coronavirus since late March. Its index weight for Q2 has been set to 3.81% and 1.12% for the United State and Global Index, respectively, compared to their 1% and 0.83% company weight average." While demand for medical services may increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, only a portion of the healthcare companies that specialize in COVID-19 related supplies, or the ones that directly receive government stimulus, might achieve stable financial performance. At the same time, most of the other healthcare companies will suffer from supply chain vulnerabilities. Latest insights from the Innovation Index The Conference Board Innovation Index Powered by MCAM was developed by MCAM, an investment firm that analyzes intellectual property and intangible assets to support credit and equity products. It consists of two indexes which rank and identify the 100 most innovative US companies in the Russell 1000 universe of companies and the 120 most innovative global companies in the MSCI World Index universe of companies, respectively. The selection is determined by the potential of those companies to generate substantial revenue growth through the use of proprietary technologies and innovations. The rankings result from a series of algorithms that gauge a company's innovation standing by analyzing their patents, trademarks and copyrights and the value generated from them. For the 2020 Q2 index reset, the indexes were reweighted on April 1, 2020 depending on the expected performance of their constituents. Based on this quarterly reset, the share of US index components in the Electronic Technology, Technology Services, and Consumer Non-Durables each increased 3 percent or more, while the share of companies in Retail Trade and Health Technology each decreased 2 percent or more. For the global index, this quarterly reset resulted in smaller changes in the share of industries. The share of companies in Consumer Non-Durables, Technology Services and Finance in the global index each increased more than 0.3 percent. The share of companies in Communications, Retail Trade, Non-Energy Minerals, and Electronic Technology each decreased 0.3 percent or more, with the largest decrease in electronic technology at -1.3 percent. "Both indexes suffered from large declines in the performance of the Energy Minerals sector as oil prices collapsed, but the largest contraction in the equity valuations were primarily in the industrial services sector in both indexes," said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director, Economic Research at The Conference Board. "In the US index, the Consumer Services, Energy Minerals, and Industrial Services sectors were the three worst quarterly performers. Globally, Commercial Services, Energy Minerals, and Industrial Services were the three worst quarterly performers among the index constituents." About the Innovation Index The Conference Board Innovation Index powered by MCAM features 120 global and 100 US rankings of large public companies in two separate indexes. The constituent companies in the indexes are expected to generate higher stock market performance than those that are not in the index because they invest in intangible assets and effectively deploy their innovations. The US and global indexes enable a direct look at the financial outcomes of the companies' innovation activity that arises out of their intangible investments such as patents, trademarks and copyrights. The indexes demonstrate that companies that focus on innovations those protected with proprietary rights will perform better in financial markets in the long-term. The companies in the indexes are weighted according to each firm's ability to invest in, develop, control and deploy intellectual property to achieve strategic advantage over competitors. The index is rules-based and is reweighted quarterly on the first trading day of January, April, July and October. The index is also reconstituted annually on the first trading day of January. During the reconstitution, up to ten percent of the index components may be replaced. Stock prices and market capitalization are not factors in determining index weighting. In the US index, the top five ranked companies (based on their index weights for Q2 of 2020) are IBM, Microsoft Corporation, General Electric Company, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and HP Inc. In the global index, the top five ranked companies (based on their index weights for Q2 of 2020) are adidas AG, Bayer AG, BMW, Daimler AG, and Thales SA. See tables on pages 4-6 for more information on sectors and changes in weights. More information on the innovation index is available in a white paper (available here), which details the methodology and results. A complete ranking of the most innovative companies (US and global), their weights in the indexes, and their changes in weights is also available here. About The Conference Board Innovation United States Index powered by MCAM The US index uses a quantitative, rule-based methodology to measure the performance of top 100 US companies in innovation ability. The universe of the index are equities of companies similar to those in the Russell 1000, including the 1000 US companies with the largest market capitalization. About The Conference Board Innovation Global Index powered by MCAM The global Index uses a quantitative, rule-based methodology to measure the performance of the top 120 global companies in innovation ability. The universe of the index is similar to the MSCI World Index, including companies from the U.S., Europe, Japan, etc. MCAM, the index owner, measures the innovation ability of companies by analyzing their powers in the control and deployment of intellectual property (IP), including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, etc. Since 1998, MCAM has aggregated and maintained the world's largest organized repository of state-granted IP from over 160 countries. This analysis provides an absolute qualitative and quantitative measure of each individual company's innovation and management thereof. It also provides a relative score of how one company's performance is likely to compare with others with whom it cooperates or competes. MCAM is the Advisor for the Innovation Series of ETFs (INAU, INAG, and TWAR) listed on the New York Stock Exchange. About The Conference Board The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org. SOURCE The Conference Board Related Links https://www.conference-board.org YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. In accordance with the agreement reached during the March 22 telephone conversation with the President of Israel, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian had a phone talk with Director of the International Relations Division in the Ministry of Health, Israels coordinator for COVID-19, Doctor Asher Shalmon, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. Dr. Shalmon thoroughly introduced the steps taken by Israel to overcome the novel coronavirus pandemic. During the talk the sides discussed the possible assistance of Israel to Armenia, as well as specified Armenias needs. President Sarkissian and Dr. Shalmon agreed that soon a video conference will be organized between the Armenian and Israeli specialists to clarify the concrete directions of the future cooperation and take practical actions. The President also presented the ongoing actions in Armenia to develop medical engineering and the possible cooperation with Israel in the field. Israel has a contemporary medicine and a developed healthcare system which can be instructive for Armenia. Recently, following the phone talk of the Armenian and Israeli Presidents, Armenias Healthcare Minister and Dr. Asher Shalmon also had a phone conversation over coronavirus. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Greg Laurie's Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside hosts COVID-19 testing Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in California, led by Pastor Greg Laurie, is now hosting COVID-19 testing at its Riverside campus to be as helpful as we can during this difficult season. Health officials announced that in partnership with Riverside University Health System, Harvest Christian Fellowship Church will be offering drive-through COVID-19 testing as of Wednesday, April 1. In order to receive a COVID-19 test, residents must show symptoms, such as fever or a sore throat, and call (800) 945-6171 to schedule an appointment. The Harvest Fellowship drive-through, located at 6115 Arlington Avenue in Riverside, marks the third COVID-19 testing location in Riverside county. Riverside County continues to offer more options for residents to get tested, said Vice Chair Karen Spiegel, second district supervisor. This third drive-up location will help ensure that those who have symptoms have options to get tested. The church also confirmed the news on its official Facebook page: We want to let you know that the City of Riverside is manning the operation in a safe and secure manner. Our hope is to reassure you that while we are doing everything we can to aid in combating the effects of COVID-19, the testing will be conducted outside in the patients vehicles. Therefore, our campus will not be affected by the presence of the medical testing. We want to be as helpful as we can during this difficult season and this opportunity is allowing us to do that. We love you, and we are praying for your safety and health always. On Tuesday, Riverside County added another 80 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, boosting its total to 371. In all, 13 have died from the virus in the county, according to the countys public health website, and 30 have recovered. The coronavirus, which causes the disease called COVID-19, has infected more than 885,000 people worldwide, including over 190,000 in the United States as of Wednesday morning, according to data by Johns Hopkins University. A number of churches across the U.S. are currently hosting COVD-19 testing on their campuses. In March, Church of the Highlands, one of the largest churches in the country, began offering drive-through coronavirus testing at its Grandview campus. In just two days, the church had completed nearly 1,000 tests. On Sunday, members from the churchs Tuscaloosa Campus gathered in front of the local hospital to pray for protection over medical professionals and healing for the sick. We love seeing our church family come together to continue to bring hope to each of our communities, the church said on its Facebook page. In a recent Facebook video, Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, urged Christians to start praying for the United States every day at 7:14 a.m. or p.m. amid the pandemic. Lauries call to prayer is based on 2nd Chronicles 7:14 where the Lord says, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Is COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, a modern-day plague or pestilence? We call it a 'pandemic,' but thats a relatively modern term, Laurie said. I think it certainly could be. Its been allowed by God. Im not sure why, but I know one thing: God can cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Im not saying this is a good thing; far from it. Its a bad thing. But God can bring good out of it, and if it gets people praying, if it gets people calling out to God, thats some of the good that can come out of it. Lets do this together, he concluded. We need an Easter miracle. (HealthDay)In a harrowing harbinger of what might come in places like New York City, a new report out of Italy shows the death rate for hospitalized COVID-19 patients continues to grow almost 40 days after the country's first case was reported. Italy has passed China for coronavirus cases, reporting close to 106,000 cases and nearly 12,500 deaths, a Johns Hopkins tally showed Wednesday morning. The virus has been especially deadly for older Italians. Data gathered until March 30 suggests that the number of patients in intensive care in both the northern Lombardy region and Italy as a whole has peaked. However, the number of deaths in hospitals will still increase at the maximum rate for several more days, and significant numbers of deaths may continue until at least mid-April, the report authors said. Italy was slow to enact social distancing orders following the first reports of COVID-19 cases in the country, a factor that experts believe may have played a part in how quickly coronavirus cases overwhelmed the nation's hospitals. Models show that the maximum daily increase in deaths in hospital patients is likely to occur during days 36 to 40 (March 28 to April 1) in Lombardy, and days 36 to 41 (March 28 to April 2) across Italy. Data show that for ICU patient numbers, the day of maximum increase was Day 22 (March 15) in Lombardy and Day 25 (March 18) across Italy. "The difference between Lombardy and Italy is due to the social distancing measures adopted first in Lombardy and then all over the country. Every day counted," said report author Davide Manca, a professor of process systems engineering at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He prepared the report for the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA). "We expect to reach the date on which there will be little or no further increase of COVID-19 patients in ICU to be around day 45 (April 6) in Lombardy and day 47 (April 8) in Italy," Manca said in an ESA news release. The data suggests that numbers of patients in intensive care should begin to fall across Lombardy and Italy after these dates, depending on the continued enforcement of Italy's strict quarantine measures. The report also said that the time spent in ICU by patients who die is about 10 to 12 days in Italy, which is longer than the nine to 10 days seen in China. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: The World Health Organization has more on The World Health Organization has more on COVID-19 Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Our health care system is on the cusp of a crisis not seen before. A ventilator shortage is coming, if its not already here. Hospitals, physicians and nurses are likely to face a terrible choice: Should they withdraw or withhold ventilators from some patients so that others with better odds of survival might benefit from the machines? Doctors are used to discontinuing ventilator treatment if it doesnt achieve a patients goals or is inconsistent with a patients wishes. But Covid-19 presents an altogether different issue: Denying some patients short-term ventilation, against their wishes, will probably cause them to die when they might have gone on to live long and healthy lives with the treatment. But it will also make limited numbers of ventilators available to other patients who are more likely to survive. Facing this dilemma, doctors and medical ethicists have designed model triage protocols that ration and reallocate scarce ventilators among patients, with a goal of saving the most lives. But some doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are already wondering whether following those protocols will put them at risk of being sued or even prosecuted. In a paper published on Wednesday on the website of The Journal of the American Medical Association, we examined this question. Our diagnosis is mixed. We think the risk of civil and criminal liability is low, provided clinicians follow recommended triage strategies when allocating ventilators. But the risk is not zero, especially in cases where a ventilator is withdrawn from a patient under the leading triage protocols. A lot of people will throw oil prices and dairy prices on a graph together and argue that there is a strong connection. There is strong correlation, but I struggle to find the exact causation. If you think about it from a global perspective, rising oil prices basically transfer wealth from oil importers to oil exporters. Historically the US, EU and Japan have all been large net energy importers and also large dairy consumers. When oil prices were near their peak, many people argued that high oil prices were hurting domestic demand, which would offset at least some of the increased demand from oil-exporting countries. It's possible that the marginal propensity to consume dairy is higher in those oil-exporting countries than it is in the US/EU; meaning maybe one less dollar of disposable income in the US only hurts domestic dairy sales by a penny per 50kg, while an extra dollar of disposable income in the oil-exporting countries generates 2c per 50kg of additional dairy spending. There is some evidence for this as demand changes are larger for the developing countries than the US/EU, but domestic consumption in the US+EU is 12 times higher than the combined consumption of Algeria, Angola, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So for every penny less sales in the US/EU from higher energy prices, we would need to see a 12c increase in sales into those countries just to hold global consumption steady. You often hear people argue that it is governments that are using the oil revenue to buy or subsidise food prices. There is some of that going on, but it's not clear exactly what percentage of imports into various countries are being done under government control. There might be a direct connection between the oil revenue, the government and dairy import quantities, but I've never seen anyone be able to clearly lay that all out. On top of that, many of these countries are trying to nurture a domestic dairy industry. Just because they have/had a bunch of oil revenue doesn't mean they will go out, import a bunch of dairy products and sell/give them to the public at discounted prices. That would hurt demand for domestically produced milk/dairy, and you can bet that those domestic industries would be lobbying the government against it. Another thing to keep in mind is that, despite their economies being weighted toward oil production, they do have other industries. For instance, the average Brent crude price in 2015 was down 47pc from 2014, but Algeria's real GDP growth was a positive 3.8pc, Iran +3.2pc, Saudi Arabia +3.7pc and UAE +3.3pc. So a big drop in oil prices doesn't necessarily cause a significant contraction in their economic activity. With all that said, when I model where dairy markets are going, higher oil prices do result in higher dairy prices. If I hold everything else steady, a 10pc change in oil prices results in a 2.5pc change in equilibrium dairy prices. But I think it is a bit of a historical fluke that dairy prices do line up pretty well on a graph against oil prices. Imagine a scenario where oil was $20 barrel, but there is a serious bovine disease outbreak and we had to kill half the cows in the US. Dairy prices would skyrocket, even with oil at very low levels, and we would have a pretty marked divergence between dairy and oil on the graph. Oil prices do impact the demand for dairy products globally, but exactly how the money flows from a barrel of oil through to increased purchasing of dairy commodities is still a bit of a mystery. Nate Donnay is the director of Dairy Market Insight at INTL FCStone Financial Vice President Mike Pence contended Wednesday that Donald Trump only learned last weekend of government projections showing at least 100,000 people will die in America from coronavirus, despite such warnings being pushed by some experts weeks ago. He also signalled life in the United States likely will remain dramatically altered through the spring. "It was those numbers the president was presented with on Saturday," Mr Pence told CNN, saying Deborah Birx, a top infectious disease expert, only completed an analysis that produced the dire modeling on Friday. Pressed on whether the Trump administration could have done more sooner to get in front of the coming disease, Mr Pence echoed the president by blaming China for opting against warning the world that Covid-19 had broken out in one of its provinces. Mr Pence again said the overall risk to most Americans remains "low," but warned the disease is potentially deadly for older people. Mr Pence said the virus outbreak might not subside in America until "early June," saying government modeling shows cases and deaths seriously leveling off around Memorial Day in late May. After the president for weeks said Covid-19 was merely "like the flu" and repeatedly dismissed the severity and scope of the outbreak, his No. 2 denied Mr Trump misled the country. "I don't believe the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus," he said during a tense back-and-forth with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. He called the next 30 days, all of April, "vital." The June timeframe is a stunning reversal by the White House about the length of the outbreak, as is the 100,000-200,000 projected deaths. Mr Trump last Tuesday announced he wanted most or all of the country "open for business" by Easter Sunday (12 April). Into late last week, Mr Trump remained hopeful he could waive or ease some of the guidelines he put in place for a campaign the White House dubbed "15 days to slow the spread." Instead, after Ms Birx and Anthony Fauci, the top federal infectious disease expert showed him the new data, he agreed to extend those through April 30. Democratic lawmakers and some public health experts have slammed the Trump administration for what some call a "deadly" slow response. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, on Tuesday called on Mr Trump to green-light federal authorities to order the manufacturing of more ventilators and protective gear for medical workers. "He can do that by the Defence Production Act right now. He could have done it yesterday, a week ago, three weeks ago, five weeks ago. They're in short supply," the former VP, who is poised to take on the president in the general election, said. "And our first responders are literally risking, and some losing, their lives to try to help the American people." If youre going to criticize fairly, you also need to be able to compliment when appropriate. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/3/2020 (649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. If youre going to criticize fairly, you also need to be able to compliment when appropriate. Thus, today I offer kind words for the business wage subsidy program Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced over a series of days starting last week. The scope of this emergency program keeps growing. I certainly never studied economics at a high enough level to comprehend how the government is going to pay for it all. However, it appears this unprecedented support will keep businesses across the country afloat during the most significant economic disruption we have lived through in recent times. It is remarkably bold of the federal government to do this. It is a huge bet that the impact of COVID-19 will be contained, the economy will rebound, and companies will get back on their feet in a reasonable period of time. It is crucially important. A Manitoba Chambers of Commerce survey done just before the program was announced found three out of 10 business leaders said the crisis could put them out of business. It is literally a life-saver for a business such as the Winnipeg Free Press. Our advertising revenues have dwindled. Although we enjoy strong support from paying subscribers, those subscription revenues are not enough to sustain operations. Other newspapers have closed or significantly curtailed operations, laying off large numbers of employees. We were on the verge of this. We have been pulled back from the edge. I had harsh words for the prime minister last week after he publicly said his government was about to announce new measures to support journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then no new measures were forthcoming. My opinion of his comments on that day has not changed. But I must acknowledge that help has arrived for us, and for many other businesses in this community. There are still frustrations. On Tuesday we were still waiting for the government to lay out details of the 75 per cent wage subsidy program so that businesses can determine if they qualify. Details may come Wednesday, but thats almost a week after the prime ministers first announcement last Friday. That is an eternity for companies facing the pressure of meeting regular payrolls and paying other expenses. For many business leaders, the future of their firms depends on how quickly they make decisions about laying off staff or shutting down operations. The question is, can any government respond quickly enough? The COVID-19 challenge for governments has been framed as "deaths versus the economy." No decision is easy in that context. In Canada, most levels of government have done a pretty good job of responding to the health threat posed by COVID-19. You can argue there should be more testing, or that travel restrictions and physical distancing should have been imposed sooner. But in general, governments have heeded their public-health experts and taken actions in real time based on the information they have. 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. It has been much harder for governments to figure out what to do about the consequences of those actions for the economy. Initially, the emphasis was on support for the millions of newly unemployed people. But that did nothing to make sure businesses survive so people have jobs to come back to in the future. At first, the Trudeau government announced small steps, such as offering 10 per cent wage subsidies to small businesses. By late last week, the Liberals realized they had to step up in a major way to keep the economy in business. They came up with a 75 per cent subsidy, which grew over the weekend to a program encompassing any firm that has lost 30 per cent of its revenues. We are all hoping this is a very temporary program. The government cannot sustain this kind of subsidy for long. Those of us who are eligible are grateful we no longer face imminent doom. So for the prime minister I have two words: thank you. Bob Cox is publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and chairman of News Media Canada, which represents daily and community newspapers across Canada. 26 Shares Share Faced with the prospect of not being able to provide all COVID-19 patients with the life support that they may need, physicians and nurses are working in conditions that have been described as hell. How are providers to cope with the trauma they are experiencing in New York and Italy, and presumably other nations as well? How are they to cope with the moral implications of the brutal decisions they will be called on to make if two critically ill patients compete for the same life-sustaining treatment when only one is available? Each one will do what they can, of course, and be supported by their peers and institutions. But faced with a situation that may be paralyzing and traumatizing to skilled and sincere providers, I have been reminded of some spiritual teachings that may offer some help. The Song of God, or the Bhagavad Gita, tells the story of a great warrior Prince called Arjuna. Arjuna was renowned in ancient India for his skill and honor, but, on this occasion, he was immobilized by indecision. On one side of a battlefield were his brothers and their allies. On the other side were many of his extended family, as well as his revered teachers and their allies. If he did not fight with his brothers, he would be abandoning what was right. If he did fight for their cause, he would kill other family members, dear mentors, and friends. What was the right decision? His moral algorithm wasnt set up for a situation like this, but he needed to act, so he turned to his spiritual teacher, Krishna. Krishnas teaching on the battlefield extends for 18 chapters, so forgive me if I summarize. What freed Arjuna from indecision was the teaching; established in Being, perform action. The capital B gives us a clue that Krishnas directed Arjuna to reach down deep inside himself and connect with that source of intelligence and life within. Being is that aspect of our lives that Krishna says, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it Being is both eternal and transcendental. It is beyond the senses, and yet it is what animates our life in the field of the senses and allows us to act in the physical world. To accomplish his worldly task, Arjuna needs to orient to his eternal self, his soul, and the field of life that is beyond the world. Then he can take the action that he knows he must take. He must take a human life or sacrifice the life of his brothers and his own honor. And with this teachingpoorly summarized here, Im afraidhe is able to uphold his honor, fight the good fight, and remain whole in himself even though the consequences are too terrible to consider. If there is a way for a physician or nurse to take comfort in this, perhaps it is to trust in her goodness and her training, to acknowledge that while the consequences of some decisions are too terrible, the right decision produces the right action. In these days of COVID-19, you really are a warrior on a battlefield. If you can, reconnect with your Self at the level of Being, through meditation or prayer, perhaps. The Gita goes on to say that no one has any control of the outcome of action. The Serenity prayer may be helpful in this regard; God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. You can only do so much. When doubt comes to plague you, if it comes, honor your professional competence and good intention, remember the facts and that you are making the best decisions you can in a terrible circumstance. To end, I wish you the Buddhist blessing of Loving Kindness: May you be well. May you be free of suffering, and May you be at peace. May your patient be well. May your patient be free of suffering. And may they be at peace. May all beings be well. May all beings be free of suffering. And may all beings be at peace. Geoff Tyrrell is a palliative care chaplain. This article represents his private opinion and not that of the VA, his endorser, or board certification organization. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Belgrade, Serbia Thu, April 2, 2020 03:08 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f07aaf 2 World Serbia,secretary-of-state,death-toll,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus Free A senior official in Serbia's government died from the coronavirus on Wednesday, a health official said, the second death of a public figure from the disease in the Balkan country. Branislav Blazic, 63, a state secretary with the Ministry for Environmental Protection, died only days after being hospitalized with symptoms of the coronavirus infection, said Daria Kisic Tepavcevic, the deputy director of the Institute for Public Health. "Sadly it is true, he [Blazic] died," Kisic told a news conference in Belgrade. Serbia has so far reported 1,060 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 28 deaths, in a total population of 7 million. Milutin Knezevic, a bishop in the Serbian Orthodox Church, succumbed to the disease on Monday. Blazic's work colleagues and family members were all quarantined after he was diagnosed with the disease, Environment Minister Goran Trivan said last week. He did not say how Blazic contracted the infection. Blazic, a surgeon by profession, also served as minister for the environment in the now-defunct Yugoslavia in 1999-2000 and 2000 and as a parliamentary deputy of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party. In 2008 he joined the Serbian Progressive Party of Aleksandar Vucic, now Serbia's president. To curb transmission of the virus, Serbian authorities have declared a state of emergency, shut down all restaurants and cafes, imposed a curfew from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. and closed the country's borders. President Vucic said on Sunday the state could consider a two-week, 24-hour lockdown in the coming days. The epicenter of the coronavirus in Michigan continues to be the City of Detroit, as the number of confirmed cases surged to 2,080 and the number of deaths reached 75 on Tuesday. Wayne County, where Detroit is located, now has 3,735 confirmed cases and 120 deaths, which represents approximately half the total cases (7,615) and deaths (259) in the state. Michigan now has the third most cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the US, surpassing California on Tuesday and behind only New York and New Jersey. Oakland County, which is directly north of Wayne County and is separated from the northern border of Detroit at 8 Mile Road, has the second largest number of cases in the state at 1,591 and 70 who have died from the virus. Oakland County has 62 cities, townships and villages within it and a total population of 1.2 million. The Oakland County government has published an interactive map on its website showing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the county by zip code. While there are cases in nearly every one of the more than 50 zip codes in the county, the communities with the greatest number of cases are located in the cities of Southfield, Oak Park and West Bloomfield. Oakland County Michigan has published an interactive map that displays the population and number of people with coronavirus within each zip code in the county. Although there are no publicly available statistics on coronavirus cases in Pontiac, the interactive map indicates that the number of confirmed cases in the county seat of Oakland County is now at 73. Pontiac, like Detroit, is a city dominated by poverty and destruction of social conditions for the working class population, connected with the destruction of the auto industry over the past five decades. Significantly, the government of Pontiacwith a population of 60,000 peopleis not providing residents with any updates on COVID-19 pandemic statistics on their city website. As has been explained by epidemiologists and public health experts, the fact that there is no systematic and mass testing of the public for the presence of the virus, the reported numbers of confirmed cases are very deceptive. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service (MDHHS), there have been 25,711 people tested as of Tuesday in Michigan, merely 0.25 percent of the states population. While the tricounty Detroit metropolitan area of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties has more than 80 percent of both the total confirmed cases and deaths in the state, there are many indications that the pandemic is spreading rapidly in other population centers in the state, such as Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Ann Arbor Washtenaw County, where Ann Arbor is located, has 305 confirmed coronavirus cases and seven deaths, the next highest concentration of cases outside of metropolitan Detroit. The shutdown of classes and on-campus housing at the University of Michigan on March 11 reduced the population of Ann Arbor by approximately 45,000. There are currently 88 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals located in Washtenaw County. Last week, two people, who had been staying at the Delonis Center homeless shelter in Ann Arbor, tested positive for COVID-19, and 10 others were quarantined on the second floor of the shelter, with some awaiting test results. On Tuesday, the county health department announced that homeless people who test positive will be relocated on Wednesday, April 1, to an emergency shelter being set up at an undisclosed area hotel that will include onsite staff. Indicating that the virus is spreading throughout the population, the Washtenaw County government posted the following notice on its website: Because there is evidence of community spread, the Washtenaw County Health Department is no longer naming public low-risk exposure locations. Residents can assume there is a possibility the virus may be present when they are in public places in the community. The Health Department is not announcing evidence of community spread to cause panic, but to reinforce that people should be taking all recommended prevention measures. Flint Speaking at a press conference last week, the Health Officer for Genesee County, John McKeller, said he was awaiting 156 coronavirus test results from county residents, and the health department was anticipating that whats happening in Detroit will make its way up north. Genesee County, which includes the city of Flint, is located approximately 60 miles northwest of Detroit, and MDHSS reports a total of 185 confirmed cases and seven deaths from COVID-19 in the county. A woman who tested positive, along with a group of others who came into contact with her, were forced to leave the Center for Hope homeless shelter in Flint last week. Mary Stevenson, volunteer services coordinator for the center, said the facility was notified by a local hospital that one of their guests was presumptive positive. The group was asked to leave, their belongings were placed in a trash bag, they were given a blessing bag tote with food items and a blanket and then everything was set outside on the curb. Lansing The county statistics for the number of COVID-19 cases in Lansing are deceiving since the state capital straddles Ingham (91), Clinton (24) and Eaton (21) counties. The combined total for these counties is 135, and at least 110 of these are in the city of Lansing. Ingham County includes East Lansing, the location of Michigan State University. The university had already announced that classes for the Spring semester were being completed online at the time that the first student was confirmed with COVID-19 on March 14. Linda Vail, MPA, Health Officer for the Ingham County Health Department, told the local news media, This virus has spread in the community. Vail also said the numbers for the county were rising rapidly because test results were finally coming in. But these numbers underestimate the real prevalence of the disease in the area. This is our official count of cases. Some are home sick and not going out for testing [that] is recommended in most cases of mild illness, so there are definitely more cases in the community than that. Grand Rapids The city of Grand Rapids, located 160 miles northwest of Detroit, is in Kent County which currently has 108 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and one death. In the last two days, the number of cases in the county has increased by 30 percent and 27 percent respectively. Kent County Administrative Health Officer Adam London said during a Facebook video on Sunday that numbers would likely continue to increase, potentially dramatically, in the coming days. Some people, unfortunately, in our community are going to get hurt, and thats tragic and totally unacceptable to all of us, but its the reality, said London. A nursing home in the town of Cedar Springs, located in Kent County, reported Tuesday that 31 residents and five staff members have tested positive for the virus. The company managing the nursing home, Metron of Cedar Springs, released a statement that said: We have been working closely with local, state and federal health departments. As a member of Spectrum Healths High Performing Network, we have also been in continuous contact with the health system, its doctors and staff. We are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and protection of our residents, staff and community. A woman whose mother is housed at the facility and tested positive for COVID-19 told News-8 that visitors were banned weeks ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. An employee at the nursing home said, I just want to make sure that my job is secure and that I can stay home, worrying that the only two options are bringing a virus home or not going into work and being let go. The National Weather Service has raised the tornado count from Tuesday to three. A storm survey team earlier today confirmed that an EF2 twister hit Barbour County south of Eufaula, and now the weather service has confirmed two additional tornadoes, both in Pike County. None of the tornadoes caused any injuries. New details are available about the Eufaula storm, which had estimated peak winds of 130 mph, according to the weather service. It had a path length of 7.85 miles and a path width of 350 yards, according to a preliminary storm report. The tornado touched down at 11:34 a.m. west of Lee Parker Lane, just north of Highway 131. It tracked northeastward, damaging two houses along Five Mile Road. It crossed Highway 131 near Leroy Road, where it damaged two houses and a mobile home. The tornado then turned eastward and strengthened as it crossed Highway 431. It did its most significant damage in the Country Club of Alabama neighborhood along the south side of Pebble Beach Drive, according to the weather service. The weather service said the tornado pulled large sections of roof off a few well-built houses and toppled some exterior walls. The tornado then crossed the Chattahoochee River and continued into Georgia. The second tornado confirmed today was an EF0 in Pike County. It had top estimated winds of 75 mph, according to the weather service. It had a path length of 0.83 miles and a path width of 180 yards. It touched down at 10:51 a.m. Tuesday just south of Highway 223 and the Sandfield community. The tornado took down several trees as it crossed over County Road 6615, according to the weather service. The report said the tornado appeared to dissipate before reaching the Bullock County line. A third tornado track was also found, this one also in Pike County. It was also an EF0 tornado and had top estimated winds of 80 mph. It had a path length of 1.61 miles and a path width of 80 yards. It touched down at 10:34 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Lake Road and Oak Grove Road just southwest of the Troy Municipal Airport, according to the weather service. The tornado tracked to the east-northeast, downing trees and taking the roof off a barn, and then crossed the north-south runways at the airport, according to the report. The tornado tracked south of the airport tower and took down a few more trees before dissipating west of Highway 231. The weather service got video of that tornado from the airport as well. Update on the damage from yesterday's storms-3/31. We have 3 confirmed tornadoes so far. Assessments are ongoing...an EF-2 in Eufaula in Barbour Cty, an EF-0 near Sanfield, & an EF-0 near the Troy Airport, both in Pike Cty. #alwx pic.twitter.com/lpYyEHxCm0 NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) April 1, 2020 The weather service offices in Birmingham, Mobile and Tallahassee, Fla., (which covers southeast Alabama) issued multiple tornado warnings on Tuesday. In addition to tornado reports the weather service has also collected multiple reports of wind damage across central and south Alabama. Did you have storm damage? The weather service would like to know about it: David Tourje, the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Structural Im a firm believer in owning over renting, especially when it comes to my business. Its the American Dream! Im building equity, we have a sense of security, its beneficial with taxes, and, while I have no plans on selling, its my ultimate protection plan. Two years ago, TMC Financing helped Alpha Structural, Inc. purchase a property in Sunland, CA for their business. Today, Alpha Structural has much to celebrate, and attributes their growth to the building they purchased with the Small Business Administrations (SBA) 504 loan administered by TMC Financing. This building is nothing short of amazing and is truly a space for a group of professionals to produce and execute the highest quality service. Because of that, we were #1,758 on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America, as well as #161 on the Inc. 5000 Series for California, Alpha Structural proudly boasts on their Facebook page. We also hit #29 on the Los Angeles Business Journal List of Fastest Growing Private Companies and are the #1 privately held construction company in Los Angeles according to us! "All of this was possible because we had the perfect work environment and facility to work from. Alpha Structural, a leader in the engineering and construction of foundation and hillside repairs, has doubled their number of employees and tripled their income since moving into their Sunland property. Build it and they will come, joked Dave Tourje, owner and CEO of Alpha Structural. But really, its a beautiful building with amazing renovations. We created the space with our staff in mind. We kept a lot of original detail and added a kitchen, a staff room, gathering spaces for the employees, high quality workstations with raising desks and a giant patio for BBQing. Adding extra significance to the property, after Tourje set eyes on the building to potentially purchase it, he discovered it was formerly a Security National Bank, where both his parents worked for over 30 years. Turns out his mom renovated the building for the bank back in 1979. Property ownership carries many benefits to a small business owner and the SBA 504 Loan Program is designed to make property ownership affordable. SBA 504 loans enable a business owner to purchase, renovate, construct or refinance commercial real estate with only a 10 percent down payment and a below-market 25-year fixed rate. This financing is ideal for businesses that want to control their operating costs and retain working capital to grow their businesses. Im a firm believer in owning over renting, especially when it comes to my business, states Tourje. Its the American Dream! Im building equity, we have a sense of security, its beneficial with taxes, and, while I have no plans on selling, its my ultimate protection plan. About TMC Financing TMC Financing is the number one SBA 504 Lender in the nation. TMC has nearly 40 years of experience and has helped nearly 6,000 businesses throughout California and Nevada obtain financing to grow their business. Contact a TMC loan expert to find out more about the SBA 504 Program loans and how to get started with a prequalification. But it hasnt stopped some companies from branding their line of work as essential." Bikram Yoga West Loop was issued a violation notice by the city on Friday. The fitness studio, which said it stayed open because it was a place of health and wellness, faces a fine of at least $500. As volunteers across the country stitch up protective masks and gowns for hospital staffs under siege, theyve been joined by small but swelling squads of residents and restaurant workers who are donating or cooking meals for doctors and nurses on the front lines. Initiatives are popping up across Connecticut and the nation, including in Westport where Nicole Straight organized the Gofundme.com campaign Food for the Front Line, which has steered nearly 2,000 meals from three dozen restaurants to Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Stamford Hospital and St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport. That effort inspired a group of Darien residents to create their own initiative with Corbin Cares. And about 75 people in the Danbury area have since chipped in more than $3,500 for a Gofundme initiative to order meals for first responders from Augies Numero #1 and West Side Deli , as well as Biscottis in New Fairfield and Frankies Family Restaurant in Brookfield. With Fairfield County hospital workers already stretched caring for patients who have contracted the novel coronavirus, Gov. Ned Lamont predicted on Tuesday a horrible April for Connecticut. Weve received an outpouring of support from the community through food donations for front line staff, personal protective equipment ... and monetary gifts that are helping us continue to effectively prepare and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Amy Forni, a spokesperson for Nuvance Health, which runs Danbury Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Sharon Hospital. Many people are asking, What can I do to help? If youre able to provide financial support or an in-kind donation ... please consider making a difference at this critical time when the demands on our healthcare system are immediate and growing. Nuvance has created a page for people to consider cash or in-kind donations at nuvancehealth.org. Among other efforts to support healthcare workers, a Boy Scout troop in Newtown is collecting funds and unused gift certificates to area restaurants to benefit Danbury Hospital staff. In addition to providing some relief to medical professionals, the combined efforts are supporting restaurants at a time when it is critically needed. Straight, who formerly led Norwalk-based Food Rescue US, said Food for the Front Line is paying restaurateurs between $12 and $15 for each meal, which are packaged individually for distribution to hospitals. We have been getting it out as quickly as we can, Straight said Wednesday. Other people have been looking at this and saying, How do I do this for Hartford? How I do this for New Haven? Although restaurants are hurting too, a small but growing lunch-bucket brigade is prepping meals for hospitals and other groups, including Planet Pizza which has eight locations in the triangle formed by Danbury, Greenwich and Shelton. Restaurants despite their own troubles have been reaching out in many ways. After Ron Herman, owner of Wooster Hollow Cafe in Ridgefield, posted plans on Facebook to start providing free breakfast and lunch to anyone who has lost their job, he received cash and commitments of more than $2,000 within a few days. He added another $10,000 from his own pocket. Other donors are providing individually wrapped cookies and brownies to include with the meals. Through a new nonprofit called Sunrise Meals, Herman is providing meals weekly to the Alfa Y Omega Church in Danbury and the Pivot Ministries substance-abuse recovery center in Bridgeport, with barbecue chicken with rice and pasta with chicken and broccoli among the early offerings. Were going to focus on making our donations go as far as they can go, Herman said. Chicken, beans, rice, pasta we want to provide healthy food (with) calories as well as protein. A Support Bethel and Beyond drive is similarly focused on food insecurity, having banked more than $11,000 in commitments through Wednesday. Mothership Bakery in Danbury has about half that amount for food and donations of toilet paper, which has been in short supply on local store shelves. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Families with minors still seek children ombudsmans help to return to Russia RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:06 01/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI) Russias Children Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova is still being called for assistance by families with minors, who by various reasons have not been able to leave foreign countries yet, the ombudsman Office informs on Wednesday. Such calls have been received, for instance, from Spain, where a mother of two children was stranded failing because of an illness to meet a deadline for registration in the Russian embassy; from India, from where several families could not leave before Russia had closed its air travel; from Kazakhstan, where a family had to leave a daughter of Kazakhstan citizenship in care of local relatives as the border was left open only for citizens of Russia. The Children Ombudsman Office experts thoroughly work on each individual case acting in constant cooperation with officials of Russias Foreign Ministry and Russian missions and embassies across the globe, the statement reads. In response to limited access to testing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Alma College has suspended the SAT/ACT testing requirement for traditional first-year student admission for the next 18 months. Students across the country face uncertainty in their college search process, particularly standardized testing, due to state and federal guidance on social distancing. A test optional institution since April 2019, Alma has now suspended the testing requirement entirely to provide students a clearer pathway to admission. "This change enables us to continue to provide access to an Alma College education for students who now have limited, or no, availability of testing opportunities," says Amanda Slenski, vice president for admissions and special assistant to the president. "I am so grateful to my faculty colleagues for their compassionate response to one of the many challenges currently facing prospective students." Students with a 2.75 high school grade point average or higher will no longer need to opt-in to a test optional pathway or interview for admission. Alternative admissions pathways for students with a high school grade point average of less than a 2.75 continue to be available and will be addressed individually with students. International and transfer admission, which already offers options for students who do not have a standardized test score, will remain unchanged. Alma College also offers rolling admissions, ongoing scholarship opportunities, and flexible enrollment deadlines. The college is still accepting applications for the fall 2020 incoming class. "At a time when many families face more questions than answers, we are proud to become the first selective college or university in Michigan to address the concerns facing prospective students in this way," stated President Jeff Abernathy. "We embrace the opportunity, as we always have, to create an individual plan for each student so that they can benefit from a life-changing education at Alma College." To learn more, or to apply to Alma College, visit alma.edu/admissions. Indonesia has bolstered its procedures to prevent a financial crisis during the coronavirus outbreak, the finance minister has said, flagging a worst-case scenario of an economic contraction this year and the rupiah currency hitting a record low. Finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Wednesday said the protocol to help failing banks has been upgraded to allow for early responses by all financial authorities as part of an emergency regulation that President Joko Widodo announced on Tuesday. Widodo signed the regulation to give room for more spending and to allow the budget deficit to widen, waiving a cap of a deficit of 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for three years. He also unveiled plans for 405 trillion rupiah ($24.65bn) of additional spending to cushion the effect of the viral outbreak on Southeast Asias biggest economy, which would expand the 2020 fiscal deficit to 5.07 percent of GDP. The economy is expected to grow by 2.3 percent in 2020, but the government has prepared for a worst-case scenario of a contraction of 0.4 percent, Indrawati told an online news conference. The upper end of the forecast is less than half the governments earlier projection of 5.3 percent GDP growth this year. Indrawatis scenarios also include the rupiah falling further to a range of between 17,500-20,000 to the US dollar, the weakest on record. Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo later stressed these scenarios were not an outlook and were to be avoided. He said the current exchange rate level was adequate. The rupiah weakened after the announcement to 16,430 at 06:00 GMT, from 16,380 before. Indrawati described the new procedures as extraordinary measures and pledged authorities would adhere to careful governance. Despite, for example, the new protocol giving room for BI to purchase sovereign bonds directly from the government, she said such a move would be a last resort. Other provisions include allowing the government to lend to the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation a government agency that insures bank deposits and saves failing banks easing rules on BIs short-term liquidity lending and allowing the Financial Services Authority to restructure banks or even merge lenders if needed. Governor Warjiyo stressed Indonesia would not impose capital controls. The new plan also includes a cut in the corporate tax rate to 22 percent effective immediately until 2021 and a further trim to 20 percent starting in 2022. Anushka Shah, sovereign debt analyst at Moodys Investor Services, said a 5 percent fiscal deficit level would be below the median of countries with a similar investment grade to Indonesias. Indonesias known cases of coronavirus have gone from none in early March to 1,528 to date, with 136 deaths as of Tuesday. She has donated a million dollars to doctors fighting the novel coronavirus and just will be have her Kylie Cosmetics factories producing hand sanitizer. While staying at home and self-isolating Kylie Jenner has used that time to post some never before seen steamy photos. The 22-year-old shared a sultry snap, in which she is only wearing a high cut bodysuit, with her 168 million Instagram followers on Tuesday. Sultry: Kylie Jenner shared a sultry snap, in which she is only wearing a high cut bodysuit, with her 168 million Instagram followers on Tuesday Posing in front of a pink cloud painted wall, the Keeping Up With the Kardashian star serves a sultry and dramatic look. With her eyes closed, Kylie runs both of her hands through her hair, pushing up a portion on top. Her ample curves on display in photo and she only wears a cream colored one piece, with a v-neckline and high-cut hips. At home: After posting the photo she took to her Stories to share a quick glimpse at her two-year-old daughter Stormi while they isolate at home In true Kylie form, her makeup is flawless with a subtle black eyeliner wing, glossy overlined pout and a perfect contour. She kept accessories to a minimum in the photo, she simply captioned with a white heart and cloud emoji, wearing only small gold hoop earrings, and a dainty gold necklace and cuff bracelet. After posting the photo she took to her Stories to share a quick glimpse at her two-year-old daughter Stormi while they isolate at home. Her companies Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin will begin producing hand sanitizer for hospitals across southern California, TMZ reports on Tuesday In production: The 22-year-old's company Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin will begin producing hand sanitizer for hospitals across southern California, TMZ reports Each bottle will include a message to healthcare workers 'dedicated to first responders working to support our communities.' Last week Kylie Cosmetics announced it was suspending shipping of all products after nonessential businesses were instructed to close across California to slow the spread of coronavirus. A message on Kylie's social media pages informed fans that California's health orders have temporarily closed its fulfillment center and deliveries cannot be promised. Unprecedented times: Last week Kylie Cosmetics announced it was suspending shipping of all products after nonessential businesses were instructed to close across California to slow the spread of coronavirus Kim Kardashian's cosmetics brand KKW Beauty followed with a similar message. It comes after Kylie and Kim each pledged $1 million to coronavirus relief efforts. TMZ reported last week that the money would go towards buying hundreds of thousands of face masks, face shields and other protective gear for medical staff. Earlier this month Kylie was urged to help young people understand how 'serious' coronavirus is by the US Surgeon General. Z oom, the video-conference app, has seen a surge in popularity due to the coronavirus pandemic as it forced multiple lockdowns and required entire offices to work remotely Families, businesses and even the UK Government are using Zoom to hold personal and professional calls. This begs the question, just how safe is Zoom and this spike in users lead to hackers eavesdropping on private video calls? There have been reports on a rise in what's been called 'Zoombombing'. which, reports Bristol Live, has seen some business calls interrupted by strangers popping into their unsecured chat, even broadcasting pornography to everyone in the call. This week prime minister Boris Johnson tweeted a picture of himself using Zoom to chair a Cabinet meeting, raising further concerns about how suitable the app is for such a call. The tweet also disclosed the Zoom meeting ID, but the room was password protected. Does Zoom offer end-to-end encryption? Zoom vehemently defended its security record, saying it would answer any questions people had about its safety. However, the app doesn't actually provide users with end-to-end encryption on calls, meaning your audio and video chats are not secure at all. The company has been forced to admit that although it explicitly gives users the option to hold such encrypted calls, it instead uses TLS (Transport Layer Security). While better than nothing, TLS underpins HTTPS website connections. But it's a far cry from the protection offered under end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Regarding this, a Zoom spokesperson revealed to The Register:Currently, it is not possible to enable E2E encryption for Zoom video meetings. Zoom video meetings use a combination of TCP and UDP. TCP connections are made using TLS and UDP connections are encrypted with AES using a key negotiated over a TLS connection". Other apps that allow you to video call with E2EE include WhatsApp and Wire. What is Zooms privacy policy? Zoom collects a lot of personal data. As you might expect this includes your name, address, phone number but some other information too. Collected by The Electronic Frontier Foundation, here is a list of what the organisation deems to be privacy issues: Hosts of calls have the capacity to monitor activities of attendees while screen-sharing, seeing whether or not the Zoom windows on their device are active or not. Administrators can see detailed dashboards of users' activity, including a system which ranks people based on how many minutes they've spent in meetings. When connected to any call, administrators can see the operating system, IP address, location data and information about which device people are using. While these are detailed in Zoom's privacy policy, people are seemingly happy with the above and are downloading it regardless. Zoom-bombing has also occurred in calls. It's a form of trolling which sees strangers or uninvited guests hijacking a chat and screen-sharing pornography or other disturbing imagery. However, this is only possible if details of a private meeting are shared publicly and if the host of the call doesn't set screen-sharing to 'host-only'. More safety concerns also come today from the New York attorney general, who has written to Zoom over concerns in its ability to cope with the rise in popularity. The letter from attorney general Letitia James asked the firm whether it had reviewed its security measures since becoming so in demand. Zoom replied with a statement saying: "During the Covid-19 pandemic, we are working around-the-clock to ensure that hospitals, universities, schools, and other businesses across the world can stay connected and operational. "We appreciate the New York Attorney General's engagement on these issues and are happy to provide her with the requested information". We've reached out to Zoom for comment regarding its safety measures and a spokseperson said: "We are deeply upset to hear about the incidents involving this type of attack. We take the security of Zoom meetings seriously and for those hosting large, public group meetings, we strongly encourage hosts to review their settings, confirm that only the host can share their screen, and utilise features like host mute controls and "Waiting Room." They ended by saying "we strongly condemn such behavior and we encourage users to report any incidents of this kind directly to". In a previous statement regarding the platform's security, a spokesperson said the company "takes user security extremely seriously". They added that Zoom has conducted "exhaustive security reviews of our user, network and data centre layers confidently selecting Zoom for complete deployment". Benglauru, April 1 : The Karnataka government has confirmed that 342 persons from the state had gone to the Tablighi group's headquarters in Nizamuddin area of southwest Delhi, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday. "From Karnataka, 342 people attended the congregation. In the beginning of March, 142 people visited the Tablighi HQ from the state and the government has since quarantined them at their homes," Bommai said. He said that there is a possibility of increase in the number of suspect cases of coronavirus. Medical Education Minister Suresh Kumar said four Tablighi followers from Chamarajanagar have since been traced. Health Minister B. Sriramulu said 62 foreigners from Indonesia and Malaysia who visited the HQ also visited Karnataka, out of whom 12 were quarantined. He said the Health Department is on the lookout for the remaining foreigners still staying in the state. Meanwhile, some relatives of five returness isolated at Nelamangla flouted quarantine facility norms. The facility allegedly lacks medical staff, hand sanitisers and face masks. Germany has recorded its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths after 149 more people were added to the death toll today. The new deaths, announced today by the Robert Koch Institute, brings yesterday's tally of 583 fatalities to 732, an increase of more than 25 per cent. It also brings Germany's mortality rate up to over 1% per cent for the first time - still lower than most of its European neighbours, but up from 0.4 per cent a week ago. Meanwhile, the total number of infections in Germany rose by 5,453 in a day, bringing the total from 61,913 to 67,366. In comparison, the country saw 4,615 new cases yesterday and 128 new deaths. It comes amid reports in the German magazine Focus that the government now wants to extend social distancing measures beyond Easter. This line graph clearly illustrates the number of new Covid-19 cases in Germany per day Whereas this up-to-date line graph illustrates the number of new Covid-19 deaths in Germany per day Medical staff transporting a French patient from an ambulance to the intensive care ward of a military hospital in Ulm, south-western Germany The southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg - the closest states to Italy - have recorded the most deaths, with some 422 combined out of Germany's 732. There are also clusters in the populous western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and in the cities of Hamburg and Berlin. Some 2,754 people have been infected in the capital, including 16 deaths. According to German media, the dead also include 17 people at a retirement home in Wolfsburg. Around half of the care home's residents have reportedly been infected with the disease, which is more dangerous to older people. The current mortality rate of 1.1 per cent remains lower than in Spain (8.7 per cent), Italy (11.7 per cent), Britain (7.11 per cent) or France (6.8 per cent). The low rate in Germany is thought to be linked to widespread testing, meaning many people with mild symptoms have been added to the tally. Germany also has more intensive care facilities than many of its neighbours, and the average confirmed patient has been younger than in Italy. However, the rate has increased noticeably, from 0.2 per cent on March 20 to 1.1 per cent today. A health worker in a protective suit is seen through the window of a retirement home in Wolfsburg, Germany, where 17 people have reportedly died Technicians test patient swabs for possible coronavirus infection in a specialised lab room in Berlin yesterday Germany is planning to increase testing to 200,000 a day, and is also toying with phone tracking in a bid to emulate South Korea's success in slowing the epidemic. Surveillance is a highly sensitive subject in Germany because of its history with the Nazis and the East German Stasi. Germany's privacy laws are some of the toughest in the world. However, health minister Jens Spahn has called for an urgent debate on the use of smartphone technology to track cases. Germany's data protection commissioner, Ulrich Kelber, has supported the use of location and contact data shared on a voluntary basis, calling it 'incredibly useful'. One German institute is developing an app that would enable the proximity and duration of contact between people to be saved for two weeks on cell phones anonymously and without the use of location data. 'The prerequisite for such an application is full compliance with German data protection laws and usage on a voluntary basis,' the HHI institute said. A medical worker carries a tray of patient swabs during the testing process, which Germany wants to expand to 200,000 tests a day A panel of economists who advise the government say that the economic standstill will slash German output by up to 5.4 per cent. 'The German economy will shrink significantly in 2020,' the so-called 'Wise Men' expert panel (SVR) said. The exact size of the impact will 'depend on the extent and duration of health policy measures and the subsequent recovery', they say. Germany's 83million people are currently under slightly less strict lockdown conditions than in other European nations like France and Italy. But companies from airline giant Lufthansa to carmaker Volkswagen have already slashed their operations in response. Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday tested negative for a third time, but remains in quarantine at her home. Merkel, 65, started working from home after she was vaccinated by a doctor who later turned out to be infected. George Preti, an organic chemist who devoted his career to studying bodily odors and how they can be weaponized in detecting disease, died on March 3 in Hatboro, Pa. He was 75. The cause was bladder cancer, according to the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a Philadelphia-based research institution funded by philanthropy, government grants and corporate sponsorships. Ever since he was a regular passenger on the New York City subways, Dr. Preti (pronounced PRET-ee) had thrived on pungency, discovering how individual smells can distinguish human beings like fingerprints. Were all little chemistry factories, he told The New York Times in 1995. We have bacteria mingling with excretions from the body that form a variety of odors depending on what part of the body were talking about. A ban on funeral commemorations in Democratic Republic of Congo aims at preventing the spread of coronavirus -- but it has dealt a body blow to the country's most deep-rooted traditions and grandest social events. In Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of 10 million people, funeral parties are announced in the media and last all night, often spilling out on to the streets. Families hire large halls and invite dozens of guests, who usually don traditional African dress to honour the dead. Before the epidemic, the phrase "I've got a funeral" could be heard as often as "I'm going to a wedding," "I'm off to church" or "I'm meeting friends in a bar." Funerals are typically top of the social agenda. In the DRC, "they are meeting places, including for new romances," said sociologist Leon Tsambu. "It's where family ties are knitted and strengthened. It's a time to get together." But on March 18, President Felix Tshisekedi announced an immediate ban on funeral gatherings, both in halls and homes. "The mortal remains will be taken directly from the mortuary to the place of burial with a limited number of followers," he declared. Numerous countries around the world have adopted similar measures to try to counter COVID-19, but the Congolese feel especially saddened. "There is a degree of frustration. We are used to having burials with a maximum amount of fanfare," said Francois Okondamomba, the national radio and television chief at Kisangani in the northeast. "There are more than 200 of us here at RTNC, but we had to limit to 10 the number of people who went to the burial of our former provincial director," explained Okondamomba. "My younger brother died after a short illness," said Jean Bosco Kaponirwe in Goma, capital of North Kivu province. "We cannot all go with him to the cemetery. This is taboo in my culture, I don't know how to explain it to my family," he fretted. "If a traditional chief dies during this time of coronavirus, tradition will be thrown onto the rubbish heap," said Sylvain Mabonga-Bonga, a Pende community chief in the central town of Kikwit. "There's no respect for the dead, for our ancestral culture." Valere Mpokoto, another elder in Kikwit, said he feared family and social ties would be damaged. "Our traditions in Africa have considerable cultural value," he said. "No one can neglect them." However, there are some who want the ban extended beyond the health crisis to put an end to the "festive" business that has built up around death, particularly in the capital. Journalist Rachel Kitstita took to Twitter to call for the ban on large funeral celebrations to be made permanent -- she was retweeted 1,400 times. "There's a lot of excess surrounding funerals," said Kitstita, who runs the Actu30 website. "It causes a lot of pointless expense. It's a bit too much." She explained: "It's become a real industry. You have to buy the coffin, pay the morgue, hire a hall, transport people to the mortuary, wear traditional clothes and uniforms... death takes on a party theme." The costs of a funeral can climb into the hundreds of dollars -- a fortune for most households in DR Congo. The country has declared 109 cases of COVID-19 infection and eight fatalities, including public figures and people connected to the president. These VIPs would normally have been sent off in grand style, and at great expense. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An island off the coast of Co Donegal could be set for the country's first subsea high-speed broadband cable after a tender was issued by the local authority. Arranmore Island is already synonymous with broadband speeds quicker than many places on the mainland due to an initiative between islanders and mobile company Three, which also led to the opening last year of a digital hub as part of a campaign to attract people back to the island. The island, which is a Gaeltacht area, has 469 permanent residents and is the second most populated island in the country after Inis Mor and is popular with secondary students in the summer months. The current broadband connectivity has been delivered through a wireless leased line, culminating in the opening almost a year ago of the countrys first offshore digital hub in what was previously a restaurant in the ferry port of Leab. The tender, issued in recent days by Donegal County Council, seeks to provide a physical subsea cable that will further enhance the islands connectivity. It advertises for supply and delivery to Burtonport, Co Donegal, of submersible optic fibre cable from competent and reputable suppliers. According to the tender: "In 2017/2018, Arranmore Island Community Council initiated a campaign to target a number of families to return to the island. This initiative would have the benefit of adding to the islands declining population as well as generating employment and economic activity. A digital hub with high-speed broadband was an essential first step to making this a reality. "In collaboration with Donegal County Council, the Community Council opened a co-working facility in 2019 in partnership with 3 (Three) Ireland, providing wireless high-speed internet access which the island had previously not had. 3 (Three) Ireland has produced a major marketing campaign The Island based on this. In an attempt to provide more resilience to the high-speed internet service to the island, the installation of a submersible fibre optic cable from the mainland, Burtonport to Arranmore Island via Rutland Island is being considered. At the opening of the Modam Digital Hub on Arainn Mhor last April, Adrian Begley of Arranmore Business Council told the Irish Examiner that the islands longer-term plan was for physical superspeed fibre cable to be connected to the island. He said this would help with the aim of Arranmore becoming "the most connected island in the world" and that this would benefit not just people returning to or moving to the island, but those already living and working there. "Theres the existing inhabitants not having to go to urban centres for everything; there are the people who have had to move away to create a lifestyle for themselves and can now move back and spend longer holidays here; and those who have never lived here and want to experiment, whether its to write a book or create or design something," he said. The closing date for receipt of tenders is noon on April 9 and according to Donegal County Council: "It is an absolute prerequisite that the goods will be delivered no later than Thursday April 29, 2020." The issuing of the tender may prompt other islands to seek similar connectivity - Sherkin Island off the coast of West Cork has already suggested that it receive fiber connection. Ignorance is bliss they say - what about denial? As rest of the world grapples with coronavirus, central asian country of Turkmenistan has banned the use of the word coronavirus altogether. According to independent news source Turkmenistan Chronicle, local media or health information brochures have been banned to mention the word and the government has denied the presence of the disease in the country. Reuters Radio Azatlyk reports that police dressed in civilian clothes are eavesdropping on public conversations and detaining those found talking about it. The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus. This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations, said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSFs (Reporters Without Borders) Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. Reuters So, people found wearing masks or talking about the c word on the streets, in shops or bus tops are liable to be arrested by the police. Reportedly, despite denials, the Turkmen government has been carrying out preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus. Movement to the country, especially from outside is being restricted. Turkmenistan is the worlds most secretive countries and according to RSFs 2019 World Press Freedom Index the worst country for journalists. Reuters The government is in control of all domestic media. Why would a government not want its citizens informed of a deadly pandemic and let them take precautionary measures is beyond comprehension. Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Dean of Academic Affairs, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, has cautioned Ghanaians to be wary of the activities of miscreants during the lockdown period. He said some miscreants might take advantage of the situation to inflict havoc on people within the lockdown areas. The two-week lockdown of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area was due to a Presidential Directive as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus in the country. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Dr Antwi-Danso said due to the lockdown, some miscreants such as petty thieves and armed robbers would like to take advantage and congregate and do their own thing; knowing very well that there is a lockdown. He urged Ghanaians to be very careful about it and to take their own security issues very seriously. He again cautioned that within the lockdown period, beyond these petty thieves, there could be the problem with food security; stating that There is going to be panic buying, panic stocking and all these things have implications for our security. Again, we when talk of food security; how are going to be supplied with food from the hinterlands and things like that? Food prices are going to go up. Commuters would have problems with trotro drivers. Dr Antwi-Danso, who is also a Security Analyst, noted that people were going take advantage of the lockdown situation to increase prices and that all kinds of things which were not normal would happen; which had security implications. We need to understand why these are not normal times? Because they are not normal times, we are going to see abnormalities. He said there was the need for Ghanaians to brace themselves for these abnormalities and fight it with the strength that they had through their institutions and the Constitution. He said first and foremost Ghanaians need to understand that the COVID-19 situation was real and that it was not a fabricated thing; declaring that it is something which is a worldwide problem and therefore, we cant ignore it. He warned that the COVID-19 was no respecter of persons; stating that great men across the globe had been inflicted with disease. Dr Antwi-Danso lauded Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information and his sector Ministry for their professional manner in releasing information to Ghanaians on the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The Dean added that there was more to be done by the media to drum home that the COVID-19 was real. He appealed to Ghanaians to take seriously measures outlined by the President to contain the disease such as social distancing, hand washing with soap and the use of alcohol based hand sanitizers to help to fight the virus. One lets take the Presidential Directive very seriously. Two lets obey the laid down principles for fighting it. And three lets fight it collectively, he said. He advised politicians not to do politics with national problems and international problems. Touching on the deployment of security forces to enforce the lockdown, Dr Antwi-Danso urged the security forces to be professional in handing the issue. He urged Ghanaians to collaborate with the security forces to ensure the success of the lockdown, as part of efforts to contain the disease outbreak. When there is understanding the security forces will not go down beating people. But then when there are recalcitrant people, we may get the security forces applying minimum force. He said the police and the military always had the right to use minimum force for compliances sake. The thing (COVID-19) is real. It is no fluke. We dont know long it is going to stay? But how long it is going to stay will depend on how we fight it? he said. Lets fight with the measures that have been put in place for us. Lets all be one at the war front. No politicking. No religious dimensions of it. And lets fight the virus. 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 M ario Kart fans in Texas had the chance to play their favourite video with friends - while keeping within social distancing rules for coronavirus. A library in Pottsboro, a small town in the north of the state, hosted a gaming night on big screens that allowed players to keep a safe distance from their competitors. The library said in a Facebook post: "The days of drive in movies may be behind us, but let us introduce you to drive in esports! "We were Going the Distance yesterday evening with socially distanced gaming. Everyone had a blast playing Mario Kart from the safety of their own cars. "The kids had so much fun, we will definitely be doing this again!" The Pottsboro Library put on an outdoor game of Mario Kart to help gamers have fun while staying safe amid the coronavirus outbreak. / Pottsboro Library/Facebook But it may be difficult to repeat the event soon. Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked state residents on Tuesday to stay at home at all times, except for essential activities. "If youre not engaged in an essential service or activity, then you need to be at home for the purpose of slowing the spread of COVID-19," Mr Abbott said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott with US President Donald Trump / Reuters Texas has had more than 3,200 confirmed cases of coronavirus. More than 40 people have died after testing positive for the virus. Senate Democrats Urge Airlines to Issue Cash Refunds Amid Pandemic Top democratic senators demanded domestic airlines give Americans cash reimbursements for all cancelled flights caused by the CCP virus pandemic, especially those citizens who were stranded abroad due to the travel bans. Many airlines have temporarily waived cancellation fees and issued credit for future flights, which often have a three-month window. In a letter (pdf) sent Monday to 11 airline CEOs, the lawmakers argued that travel vouchers were useless amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus crisis and that the companies should instead issue cash refunds. Unfortunately, these travel vouchers do the public little good in this time of emergency, when Americans need money now to pay for basic necessities, wrote Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), among others. We urge you to offer cash refunds for flight cancellations so that Americans can better weather this crisis. They argued that with the vast majority of the U.S. states under stay-at-home orders, most people who have travel vouchers will likely not use them in the foreseeable future. Passengers wear masks as they arrive at Dulles International airport in Dulles, Virginia, on March 17, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) It would be unacceptable to us for your company to hold onto travelers payments for canceled flights instead of refunding them, especially in light of the $25 billion bailout that the airline industry just received from Congress, the senators wrote. The letters were sent to the CEOs of Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines. The lawmakers urged the airlines to make a commitment to give cash refunds for flights passengers had to cancel because of the pandemic or issue travel vouchers that dont expire. They also praised the airlines for assisting in repatriating Americans stranded overseas and called on the companies to continue working with the State Department in this effort but criticized them for charging stranded passengers large amounts of money to fly back home. Many Americans have also experienced expensive flight cancellations by commercial airlineswithout reimbursementas they sought to return to the United States from countries that implemented travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 crisis. However, prices for flight tickets back to the United States have been inconsistent and often exorbitantly expensive, forcing Americans to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, simply to comply with national travel restrictions and State Department guidance, the letter continued. Travelers wear protective mask as they walk through in terminal 5 at OHare International Airport in Chicago on March 1, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo) American Airlines told the Epoch Times in an email that flights customers cancel during the pandemic will receive a credit or voucher but if American Airlines cancels a flight, passengers will be given a full refund back to the original form of payment. Airlines have taken a hit because of the travel restrictions enacted by many countries around the world including the United States. Passenger flights are said to be running at 10 to 20 percent capacity as countries and cities close down and demand drops as people are choosing not to get on an airplane where germs can circulate. The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the counsel of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, to approach the Delhi High Court for his interim bail in wake of the coronavirus lockdown. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said that the court is not expressing any views on the merits of the case and asked Michel's counsel to approach the High Court for the same. Michel had approached the apex court for interim bail in light of prevalent conditions owing to COVID-19 in the country. The interim bail has also been pending with Delhi High Court but has not been taken up for consideration. Michel was earlier directed to wait for the decision of a High-Powered Committee, which was set-up by the Delhi government to decongest the jails in the capital. However, Michel's case was not considered for grant of bail by the committee. Thereafter, the British approached the top court seeking interim bail. Michel, in his bail plea, claimed that he falls within the class of people more vulnerable to coronavirus and his health condition is very critical and incompatible with the current prison status under the COVID-19 crisis. Michel was extradited from Dubai in 2018 and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged irregularities in the chopper deal. While the CBI is probing his alleged role as a 'middleman' in the deal, the ED is investigating money laundering charges against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JUNEAU, Alaska - State officials Wednesday extended indefinitely prohibitions on dine-in services at restaurants and bars and closure of facilities such as gyms and theatres as they seek to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Alaska. As of Wednesday, there had been a total of 143 reported cases of the coronavirus in the state, which includes 10 new cases announced at a late-day news conference. About 5,000 people have been tested so far, according to the state health department. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. State health Commissioner Adam Crum said the extended restrictions announced Wednesday would remain in effect until rescinded. They initially were set to expire Wednesday. A closure of state-run libraries, archives and museums to public visitation was similarly extended. Meanwhile, the state filed a legal complaint against an Anchorage man it accuses of buying respirators and selling them at unconscionable prices online in an effort to profit off coronavirus concerns. The complaint against Juan Lyle Aune alleges violations of a law barring unfair trade and commerce practices, and seeks financial penalties. Court records did not list an attorney for Aune, and a phone listing tried by The Associated Press didnt work. The complaint alleges Aune generally bought 20-packs of respirators for between $17-$23 from local stores. Between Feb. 10 and March 16, he sold packs on Amazon at an average price of $89.25, the complaint states. It also alleges he made other sales on eBay. Reselling respirators for unconscionable prices during a time of increased necessity and high demand ... offends public policy, violates fairness concepts and and is unethical, the complaint states. Attorney General Kevin Clarkson referred to the case as price gouging, which Assistant Attorney General John Haley said involves taking advantage of an emergency. A new father who had possible symptoms of coronavirus lied about feeling sick in order to visit his expectant wife and child in a maternity ward at Rochesters Strong Memorial Hospital. The Democrat & Chronicle reports that the unidentified visitor only confessed that he, too, had been feeling ill, when his wife began to show symptoms of COVID-19 shortly after giving birth last week. The mother became symptomatic shortly after delivering. Thats when the significant other admitted his potential exposure and that he was feeling symptomatic," UR Medicine spokesman Chip Partner told the paper. Privacy laws prevented Partner from disclosing whether the mother, father or newborn actually developed COVID-19. The incident caused the UR Medicine hospital network which includes Strong, Highland Hospital and three other affiliated hospitals with maternity services to announce that all visitors would now have their temperatures taken before being allowed to visit maternity centers. It was purely an honor system before, Partner told the D&C. Now were adding the temperature check. UR Medicine hospitals, like many others in New York, began blocking most visitors two weeks ago to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable patients. At Syracuses St. Josephs Hospital, tents were erected outside the emergency department where patients were screened before entering the building. Concealing coronavirus symptoms can cause problems beyond just spreading the highly communicable virus. In China, one woman is facing up to seven years in prison after she flew from Massachusetts back to China, concealing symptoms and putting other passengers on the flight at risk. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE Pennsylvanias stay at home order: What is, isnt allowed? Where can I go? Need entertainment during coronavirus shutdown? These theaters and arts groups have online content Latest list of central Pa. restaurants open for takeout and delivery, as of Monday, March 30 Laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic? Q&A on filing for unemployment Gas prices sink like a rock as people stay home because of coronavirus How to volunteer, donate in central Pa. during coronavirus pandemic How to keep your house clean during the coronavirus pandemic: Tips from a pro Is shipping safer than shopping? Heres what we know about coronavirus on mail, parcels and packages Open source 4,800 people returned to Ukraine during the past 24 hours as the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported. 1,300 people were without transport and the transport of the local bodies of authority was involved to transfer them. 6,100 people passed the temperature screening; nobody had the signs of the infection with coronavirus. On March 13, the government closed the border for foreigners. Starting from midnight on March 17, Ukraine closed all types of movement through the state border within the measures on the fight against coronavirus pandemic. The ban was introduced for international railway, air and bus traffic. However, the evacuation of the Ukrainians continued. On March 25, the Cabinet of Ministers extended quarantine for 30 days, up to April 24. Besides, the state border was completely closed on March 28. It is predicted that nearly 200,000 citizens may return to Ukraine by Easter. The Union government on Wednesday extended the "disturbed area" tag under the AFSPA for three districts of Arunachal Pradesh for another six months. In a notification, the Union Home Ministry also retained the "disturbed area" tag for four police station areas under three other districts. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act gives powers to the security forces to arrest anyone and search any premises without any warrant. The ministry said the central government, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the AFSPA, 1958, (28 of 1958) had declared Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the area falling within the jurisdiction of four police stations in the districts of the state as "disturbed area" on October 1, 2019. A further review of the law and order situation in Tirap, Changlang and Longding and in the area falling within the jurisdiction of the four police stations has been undertaken, it said. "Now, therefore, Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh and the areas falling within the jurisdiction of the following four police stations in other districts of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering the State of Assam, are declared as 'disturbed area' under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 up to September 30, with effect from April 1, 2020, unless withdrawn earlier," the notification stated. The four police stations are: Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations in Namsai district, Roing police station in Lower Dibang Valley district and Sunpura police station in Lohit district. The AFSPA is imposed in areas where armed forces are required to operate in aid to civil authorities. For the AFSPA to become valid, an area, however, needs to be declared disturbed either by the central or the state governments under Section 3 of the Act. Some parts of Arunachal Pradesh have presence of banned militant outfits like NSCN and ULFA, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LAWRENCE Business activities at Quaker Bridge Mall may be temporarily closed by government mandate, but the parking lot is useful in the fight against coronavirus. Mercer Countys appointment-only, drive-up testing site for COVID-19 had a soft opening Tuesday, sampling 70 patients on an abbreviated schedule. Were working out a few bugs, but overall were very pleased with the way things went today, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said Tuesday in a COVID-19 update. Everyone is working hard and were geared up for a full day of testing tomorrow. This COVID-19 testing center at Quaker Bridge Mall is by appointment only and serves only symptomatic Mercer County adults who have a prescription from their primary health care provider or PCP. In Tuesdays soft opening, Bio-Reference Laboratories, a Mercer County contractor, saw its first patient at 10:34 a.m. and finished at 1 p.m. after sampling 70 patients, according to county spokeswoman Julie Willmot, who confirmed Wednesday will be the first full day of COVID-19 testing at the Lawrence-based site. The testing center will open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., a collaborative effort between Mercer County, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Capital Health, Saint Francis Medical Center and the Trenton Health Team as the nation fights COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory disease that has already killed 267 New Jerseyans and approximately 3,000 victims across the United States as of Tuesday afternoon. Worldwide, the global coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 36,000 people to date, according to the World Health Organizations situation dashboard. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in March issued a series of executive orders requiring schools to close and non-essential businesses like Quaker Bridge Mall to shut down as the state addresses the public health emergency. Emergency services teamed up today to give a young boy living in Co Cork a special birthday surprise that will not be forgotten in a hurry. Gardai and the Cork Fire Brigade joined forces with charity Little Blue Heroes to sing Happy Birthday to Rian Stack, who turned 10 today. The garda roads policing unit, community policing unit and dog unit all lined up outside Rian's driveway in Tougher, Co Cork, to help his family celebrate the special day. His school friends got to join in on the fun by watching via video call as gardai and emergency services drove past the house with all sirens blaring. Rian has been given the title of Honorary Garda by Little Blue Heroes, a charity which supports local Gardai in providing financial assistance to families with children that have serious illnesses. CUDAHY, Wis., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelic Bakehouse, the sprouted whole-grain better-for-you bread manufacturer, proudly announces its newest initiative: Loaf You. Through this program, Angelic Bakehouse will donate up to 20,000 loaves to Feeding America organizations across Wisconsin. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Angelic Bakehouse, a socially conscious company committed to its "Be Angelic" motto of doing intentional acts of kindness, identified the need to support the community with food donations. After seeing demand expand, Angelic Bakehouse turned to its long-standing partner, Feeding America, to amplify its efforts. "As the impact of the coronavirus grew, we quickly identified the need to support local organizations with donations of our bread," said founder and CEO of Angelic Bakehouse, Jenny Marino. "From there, we knew we could drive an even bigger impact and are excited to launch the Loaf You donation program. This continues our commitment to providing nourishing food to those who need it most while also providing a conduit for our community to join us in giving back, as we are all truly in this together." Angelic Bakehouse will match every purchase of a new Donate A Loaf product on its website, with two loaves then going to Feeding America. The company intends to scale this program over the duration of this global crisis and hopes to help up to 20,000 Milwaukee-area families get bread over the next few months. Angelic Bakehouse also encourages other local food manufacturers to donate when and where they can. "We appreciate Angelic Bakehouse for their continued support, especially during this difficult time," said director of development and communications for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Scott Marshall. "Receiving high-quality food directly from trusted partners, like Angelic Bakehouse, makes it easier for our team to quickly get it into the hands of those within our community who need it most." In addition to the Loaf You program, Angelic Bakehouse will continue its donations to other local organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and smaller local food drive initiatives where its bread can have the highest impact in helping food-insecure families. Angelic Bakehouse's plan is to make the Loaf You program a permanent fixture in its Be Angelic efforts, eventually opening this up to other nonprofit partners once the coronavirus pandemic has passed. To learn more about Angelic Bakehouse's Loaf You donation program, visit www.angelicbakehouse.com/loafyou. About Angelic Bakehouse We've found that with a steady dose of goodnesswhether in food or in lifeyou simply feel better. We make sprouted whole-grain baked goods that are every bit delicious as they are nutritious, helping you elevate what you eat. Our food stands out, not only because of its taste, but our commitment to using non-GMO ingredients and making products that are vegan, kosher and allergen friendly, free of seven of the top eight allergens, the exception being wheat. Angelic Bakehouse is bringing food back to its rootsand then sprouting something even better. For additional information and recipe inspiration, visit Angelic Bakehouse at www.angelicbakehouse.com, or follow Angelic Bakehouse on Instagram (@AngelicBakehouse) and Facebook (@AngelicBakehouse). Tara Cribb 414-399-4566 [email protected] SOURCE Angelic Bakehouse Related Links http://www.angelicbakehouse.com (Photo : Screenshot from: Samsung South Korea Website ) Meet AKG N400: Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ More Advanced Version (Photo : AKG Facebook Page ) Meet AKG N400: Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ More Advanced Version Samsung has just secretly released its latest earphones called AKG N400. Obviously, it's not the newest Galaxy Buds+ but it's said to be more advanced than this model. It has the same specs as the Galaxy Buds+ so what else makes it interesting? Here's what you should know: Samsung introduces the AKG N400 that outshines Galaxy Buds+ One of Samsung's audio brands called AKG has recently released its very first pair of truly wireless earbuds on the market. As reported via Digital Trends, the new Samsung earphones have the latest features that anyone looks for in a listening device. Just like Samsung's newest Galaxy Buds+, AKG N400 has active noise cancellation, water resistance, and has five to six hours of play time. Due to the specs of the device, reports said that the AKG N400 could beat a pair of Galaxy Buds+ or even AirPods if they wanted to. AKG N400 specs that you should know According to GS Marena, N400 is a must-have earbuds device. It has 8.2mm drivers that come up with Comply foam tips and other tips. The buds can also last on their own for at least 6 hours running on batteries. It comes with a wireless charger that in 10 minutes will allow you to play an one hour of playback on the device. The N400 costs $190 (converted from the South Korean won). This is 30% more expensive compared to a pair of Galaxy Buds+ but way cheaper than AirPods Pro. Here's where this device has won the market: Unlike Galaxy Buds+ that fail to bring noise-cancelling technology, these earbuds have two mics each that each have their own noise-cancelling tech. If you want to control the level of cancellation, users can just use the app called Ambient Aware. By tapping the left earbud, you will turn on TalkThru so you can hear what's going on around you. If you answer a call, however, the beam forming will be used to pick up your voice clearly when in the middle of an important call. On the other hand, the right bud will gives you controls to skip music and answer calls. You can also change the volume by swiping. The N400 has a water-resistance technology lasting up to 30 minutes underwater within 1 meter. Enjoy three colour variants: black, silver, and navy If you're not a fan of Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ yellow variant, here's good news for you: The AKG N400 has three other colours to choose from: black, silver, and even navy. Unfortunately, this device is not yet available in the United States or other countries. Let's just wait and see. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dr Sarah Ingham is a member of Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservative Association. Although a blue wrecking ball smashed the red wall in the recent General Election, both Conservatives and Labour agreed about the overarching priority of any government. The security of our nation comes first. We will protect the British people at home and abroad, stated the Tories, while their opponents declared: The primary duty of Government is to guarantee the security of people in the UK. On 11th February, Tedros Adhamon Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organisation, warned that the Corona virus was public enemy number one to the whole world and the whole of humanity. Given this level of threat, why is the Government not closing Britains borders? At the time of writing, in the next hour or so, flights are due to arrive at Heathrow from among other cities, Madrid, Rome and New York, all centres of Covid-19. Birmingham Airport is expecting a flight from Amsterdams Schiphol, a global hub, where Flight KL896 landed from Shanghai earlier. Flights from Amsterdam and Paris are scheduled to arrive in Edinburgh. The Channel Tunnel remains open, but the Eurotunnel website warns travellers from this country that they may be turned away by the French authorities unless they have very good reason to travel within France; i.e. going home to a main residence, essential work in France or are medical staff. Ferry operator P&O repeats the warning about France, but also reminds potential travellers that all non-essential travel has been prohibited to Belgium and The Netherlands: You will need to be able to demonstrate that your travel is essential. Eurostar is operating a much-reduced service. As it explains, this is due to lower demand for travel and in response to increased border controls agreed by the French government. Taking back control of Britains borders was a central plank of Brexit. It is a supreme irony that the EU has effectively ended free movement, while the UK continues to embrace it some two months after leaving the Union. Free movement was one of Brussels cherished four freedoms, a non-negotiable part of the seemingly interminable Brexit negotiations. But in the past weeks, faced with the Covid-19 threat to their citizens, the leaders of Europes nations unilaterally dumped it before you could say Jean Monnet. Throughout the Schengen area, most countries have swiftly imposed restrictions on their borders. They took back control. Bowing to the inevitable, on 17 March EU leaders imposed a travel ban preventing all non-EU nationals from entering the bloc for 30 days. This was shortly after many of them had condemned President Donald Trump for barring travellers from the 26-nation Schengen zone from entering the United States. UK and Irish citizens are now included in the US ban. There are some exceptions, for example, spouses of US citizens, but the British government makes it clear that those who are able to enter the Land of the Free will be required to do so through one of 13 designated USA airports and will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days. In contrast, as the planes landing from around the world highlight, Britains authorities have placed no restriction on travel to the UK. This contrasts with the restrictions within the UK, with the Police setting up road blocks to put a stop to what they deem are non-essential journeys. The Italian who got off the plane earlier in the month to ply his trade as an Uber driver could rightfully argue that travel was essential to him. Anecdotally, many global travellers are amazed they can swan through Heathrow unchallenged and unadvised: Pandemic? What Pandemic? The temperature checks and enforced isolation that have been in operation across East Asia are part of a rigorous containment strategy. Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, has outlined progress on the well-meaning Government attempts to bring back Brits stranded abroad, part of the justification for not closing the borders. Expert scientific advice seems to justify the Government imposing the most draconian restrictions on the liberty of British citizens. Middle Britain is, however, prepared to put up with the lockdown to protect the most vulnerable in society. But the patience of fair-minded, decent people is going to be tested over the next few weeks if not months. Banned from precious open spaces in their cities, from their beaches and their national parks, voters will have plenty of time on their hands to ask why expert scientific advice says that their countryside must be closed to them, while the country remains open to all and sundry from the worlds current plague pits. Ministers will surely find there is little sympathy among the cooped-up, fed-up public stranded in their homes for those who decided to jet off on holiday during this global crisis. Maybe 14th-century tourists decided the Black Death was a good time to go sightseeing. The security of our nation indeed comes first. It is time the Government took back control of our borders. Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that India is supplying medical protective equipment to Serbia while the country's workers are struggling for the same. "What is this happening Mr Prime Minister Narendra Modi? While Frontline Indian Health workers are struggling for protective equipment we are supplying Serbia. Air India to fly out Germans and 90 tonnes of Protective Medical Equipment to Serbia. Are we nuts? This is CRIMINAL," Tewari tweeted. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry on Tuesday said that the Ministry of External Affairs has identified suppliers from South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam to increase the availability of logistic items needed in the battle against coronavirus. The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday said that it is coordinating with the state governments for the supply of medical equipment and essential items needed for the protection against the disease. The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1397 on Tuesday after 146 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours across the country. The death toll due to the COVID-19 rose to 35 while 123 cases were cured or discharged after treatment, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr Patrick Ansah, the Head of the Clinical Science Department of the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC has urged the people of the area to distance themselves from their returnee relatives arriving from the cities. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Navrongo, Dr Ansah who is also a member of the Kassena/Nankana Municipal COVID 19 emergency response team, said it was important for the returnees not to mingle with people in the community until after 14days, to help control the spread of the virus. President Akufo Addo on Friday announced a partial Lockdown of Accra, kasoa, Tema and Kumasi beginning from Monday and that made some people from the regions of the North who do not have permanent places of abode in the cities to go back to their various communities in order to escape the lockdown. Since last Sunday, many people arriving from the cities to the Kassena Nankana area and the Upper East Region in general settle with family members as it had been in the past when there was no pandemic. That, Dr Ansah said was worrying and urged the people of the area to distance themselves from the returnees as a way of protecting their lives and that of their families. They are our people, so am not saying that we should reject them but we should ask them to isolate themselves for the good of all of us. He further called on the people to stay within the confines of their communities and observe the preventive measures issued by the COVID-19 team to help stop the spread. Dr Ansah asked the traditional authority in the area to help the health directorate by calling on the citizens to adhere to the precautionary measures, in this area people respect the chiefs so much and whatever the chief says, people will take it. I will call on them to let their community members understand that, when they isolate their relatives who have just returned home, it would be good for their families and the community. He asked community members not to hesitate to call the emergency numbers issued by the Emergency response team should they experience any signs and symptoms of the disease as issued by the Ghana health service. 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 With college costs mounting and student debt remaining a hot topic of conversation on the campaign trail, public opinion on four-year colleges has begun to shift, as people contemplate whether they are in fact the onlyor bestoption for all students. An estimated 8.7 million undergraduates enrolled in public, two-year colleges during the 201617 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A 2019 study from TD Ameritrade found 36% of Gen Z students considered attending a community college before a four-year college, while 21% considered attending a community college instead of a four-year college. CROWDED HALLS: These are the largest high schools in Houston While there are many reasons to choose a community college over a traditional four-year program, one key factor is cost. Student Loan Hero reports that the average cost-per-credit for a two-year public school is $135, compared to $324.70 for a four-year public school. Cheaper classes may put slightly less pressure on students to settle and choose a career path immediately. Community colleges also allow for flexibility in ways traditional schools may not: Students who work full-time can attend school part-time. Whether its to save money or experiment with career choices, community colleges not only serve as an alternative but also a gateway to four-year universities. To determine where the best community colleges are located, Stacker looked at data from Niche's 2020 Best Community Colleges in America (as of March 2, 2020) to compile this list of the top 100 community colleges in America. Two colleges from the Houston area, Lone Star College and San Jacinto Collge, made the list. The data is based on rigorous analysis of academic, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with reviews from students and alumni. The community college list includes public junior colleges, public technical schools, and all other public, two-year colleges. Read on to see how community colleges across the nation stack up. You may also like: 50 ways the housing market has changed in the past 50 years This slideshow was first published on theStacker.com And Mr. de Blasio? He was somewhere in the middle, like most of the media that is now keeping score. His painfully public three-day Hamlet act over closing schools ended with Mr. Cuomo announcing that theyd be closed just minutes before Mr. de Blasios planned announcement both of them days behind some other school systems around the country. Ms. Breed had her city shelter in place March 16; Mr. de Blasio aired that idea March 17, to be immediately rebuked by Cuomo, who then put in a similar statewide order four days later. On Wednesday, Mr. Cuomo overrode the mayor to close playgrounds. The two have tiptoed around one another, and on Tuesday held news conferences at the same hospital ship, an hour apart. Mr. de Blasio told me his hesitation to shut schools and, effectively, the city was focused on the city as he saw it. The vast majority of New Yorkers are working-class people, are lower income folks, who have no option but to stand and fight, he said. They cant go any place else, they dont have an alternative to child care, they dont have a nanny. And he blamed the media for overlooking those groups to focus on the more affluent classes. Our discourse is inherently about a small subset of our people. The problem with his argument, of course, is that the poor get sick, too. People close to Mr. de Blasio say he erred in taking a reflexively ideological approach to a fast-moving health crisis. One former aide worried that the mayor filtered the pandemic through a social justice lens that does not work for this moment. Mr. de Blasio rejects the criticism that he let his preoccupation with inequality overwhelm his more universal obligations. But he says the emerging story of the crisis will be about the old inequalities as much as about the new disease. The city has released largely useless data about where the coronavirus is hitting hardest. New data is nearly ready, he said, and when its released later this week, it will show that clearly. Were going to be able to put out much more true data that will show this tracking with the health disparities that are historically known, he said. Coronavirus is equal opportunity, and we have to save and protect everyone but its increasingly clear where were losing lots of people and how it connects back to historic disparities. Mr. de Blasios hair has cooled off as the briefings have gone on; he continues to drive his aides crazy by refusing to trust information, as The New York Times Jeffery C. Mays and Joseph Goldstein reported, until he has processed it himself. Hes scrambling like other executives to get supplies for the city; he was on the phone Monday, he said, with the chief executive of a Swedish ventilator company, pleading New Yorks case. Hes now under fire from the right for releasing inmates from city jails. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he understood the anxiety and worry of people waiting for tests and results (Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie/PA) Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government is running into difficulties securing Covid-19 tests and equipment and that there will be delays. Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar told reporters he understands the anxiety and worry of people waiting for tests and results. The current cause of delay is a shortage of reagents. We hope to address that, but then there may be a shortage of something else. We have to be honest about that we will hit delays, he said. In Ireland, weve decided as a country to do a lot of tests. Were in the top tier of countries in the world when it comes to number of tests were doing. Thats the right thing to do in terms of containing the virus. But we are running into difficulties and we need to be honest with people and frank about that. There is a global shortage to testing kits, theres a shortage of reagents, and we also need the laboratory capacity. So we are going to have bumps in the road where there are delays at particular points in time. Visited the HSEs new self isolation facility in Citywest this morning. Its accepting its first patients today. The convention centre is being converted to a Covid19 Step Down facility with 450 beds. In the hotel, theres approx 1,000 beds for those who need to self isolate pic.twitter.com/A1IIhyDtTX Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 1, 2020 He continued: But it is important to bear in mind, getting your test results in itself doesnt actually determine whether or not you get any better. This is a virus that has no treatment. So the fact that somebody is delayed in getting their test results doesnt actually determine in any way when they get better or not, but it does help us to identify more cases and do more tracing. One of the things we decided to do, and that was actually yesterday, is actually to step up contact tracing considerably because we have 14 people now working on contact tracing. Thats going to help to make up in some way for the fact that there are delays in getting the test results. (PA Graphics) Irelands chief medical officer Tony Holohan is in hospital for tests unrelated to Covid-19. Mr Holohan told RTE news he is in good spirits and expects to be back to work on Thursday. His deputy, Professor Ronan Glynn, will take over in his absence. The Health Minister has said the country is beginning to see the benefits of some of the coronavirus measures that the public has undertaken. Simon Harris said that if an individual was diagnosed with Covid-19 two weeks ago, they had, on average, been in contact with 20 people, but that number had now dropped to an average of three. Irelands chief medical officer Tony Holohan (Niall Carson/PA) We know, as a result of people staying at home, keeping their distance, were making it harder for this virus to spread from one person to the other, he said. That is, quite frankly, the only way were going to be able to slow it down, and the more we can slow it down, the more we can protect our health service in terms of the critical capacities of the need for those who do get sick. The minister told RTE Morning Ireland that it will take another 10 days to fully ramp up lab services across Ireland. He admitted that the Government is seeing supply constraints similar to other countries across the world. The situation were facing here is not in any way unique to Ireland. Im very satisfied that the health service is doing everything humanly possible to ramp up testing, he said. A social distancing sign in Phoenix Park, Dublin (Aine McMahon/PA) So if you have somebody now who is symptomatic, and in certain groups, the contact tracing will now happen in advance. Indeed, more than 30,200 people have already had their test results through the labs. On Tuesday, Ireland saw its highest total of deaths in a day since the start of the coronavirus crisis. The deaths of 17 people four women and 13 men were confirmed by the Department of Health. Paris: The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity's worst crisis since World War II. Italy and Spain bore the brunt of the crisis, accounting for three in every four deaths on the continent, as the grim tally hit another milestone even though half of the planet's population is already under some form of lockdown in a battle to halt contagion. Across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump warned of a "very, very painful two weeks" as the United States registered its deadliest 24 hours of what he called a "plague". America's outbreak has mushroomed rapidly. There are now around 190,000 known cases -- a figure that has doubled in just five days. Some 41,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide from more than 830,000 infections since the pandemic emerged in China in December. For UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the extraordinary economic and political upheaval spurred by the virus presents a real danger to the relative peace the world has seen over the last few decades. The "disease... represents a threat to everybody in the world and... an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past. "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," he said. The ongoing 21-day nationwide has disrupted normal life and has caused some 'inconvenience' to everyone to say the least. While most of the people are adhering to the rules and are following the lockdown to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, there are a few who feel that the restrictions do not apply to them and that they can outsmart it. BCCL In one such case, a man faked his death to reach home during the nationwide lockdown. The man identified as Hakam Din, residing in the village of Sailan, in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district along with three of his accomplices used a fake death certificate and hired a private ambulance to reach his village. Din was admitted to Government Medical College hospital last week due to an injury, and after he was discharged he could not get a vehicle to go home, due to the lockdown. So he conspired with three others and forged a certificate of his death to travel in a private ambulance. AP/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE "Dead body shifted from the GMC hospital to Baflaiz Saillan. In between the crisis of coronavirus, nobody should disturb them," the certificate issued by a Casualty Medical Officer at Government Medical College Hospital read. However, things did not go according to their plan and a police team intercepted the ambulance and found the man alive. "A man, who was admitted in Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu due to an injury was discharged on Monday but due to the lockdown and ban on movement of inter-state vehicles, he conspired to reach his hometown in a filmy style," a senior police officer said. The cops subsequently arrested all the four and sent them to a quarantine facility. While Din managed to get away without much trouble, a man from Kerala who defied the lockdown wasn't so lucky. TH Riyaz, a native of Kasargod district in Kerala had taken out his new car for a ride on Monday defying the lockdown and was confronted by the locals who beat and tied him up and damaged his vehicle. The local police were quick to intervene and rescued Riyaz before the situation got out of control. The cops have also booked Riyaz for overspeeding and breaking the lockdown restrictions. There have also been several cases from across the country where people broke the lockdown and ventured outside their homes on petty excuses during the lockdown which will be in place across the country till April 14. But Dr Anthony Fauci says if the virus does re-emerge, it would not be a repeat of the major crisis the US faces now. Coronavirus will likely strike again in the fall in the United States, according to the top American scientist tackling the disease. Dr Anthony Fauci, who is spearheading the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said he expects COVID-19 will reappear in a second wave in the October-November period. It would not be the first time a virus reappeared in the fall. The H1N1 outbreak in 2009 struck twice in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After initially peaking in May and June, a second wave of H1N1 hit again in late October. In August 2010, the World Health Organization finally announced the pandemic was over. But Fauci said if coronavirus does re-emerge, it would not be a repeat of the major crisis the country is in now. First, the USs ability to test, identify, isolate and contact trace will have significantly improved, Fauci said. In addition, several clinical trials for potential COVID-19 treatments are under way, he said, adding he hopes at least one will be available by fall. There are also multiple vaccine candidates, one of which is on track. So I would anticipate that, you know, a year to a year and a half, wed be able to do it under an emergency use, Fauci said in a briefing. If we start seeing an efficacy signal, we may be able to even use a vaccine at the next season. So things are going to be very, very different. What were going through now is going to be more than just lessons learned its going to be things that we have available to us that we did not have before, he said. Mitigation is actually working Despite the grim news that the White House is projecting between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the US as a result of the coronavirus pandemic even if physical distancing measures are followed, Fauci said mitigation efforts are having a positive effect. Its tough. People are suffering, people are dying. Its inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint to go through this [distancing]. But this is going to be the answer to our problems, he said. The US death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 4,000 on Wednesday, eclipsing Chinas official count. Public health officials stressed that the number of dead could be lower if people across the country continued keeping their distance from one another. We really believe we can do a lot better than that, said Dr Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus taskforce. That would require all Americans to take their role in preventing the spread of disease seriously, she said. Theres no magic bullet, Birx added. Theres no magic vaccine or therapy. Its just behaviours. Each of our behaviours translates into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic. Fauci said the estimate of as many as 240,000 people dead was a number that we need to anticipate, but we dont necessarily have to accept it as being inevitable. Recognizing outstanding staff All Hands on Deck is a new series profiling staff members working tirelessly behind the scenes to help Emory continue its academic and health care missions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Know someone we should consider? Email suggestions to l.douglasbrown@emory.edu. The shuttles came steadily Saturday morning, two every 30 minutes, headed down the highway from Emorys Oxford College in Oxford, Georgia, to the universitys Atlanta campus. The 49 Oxford students who remained on Oxfords campus were given a snack bag with fruit, yogurt, bottled water and chips. They spaced themselves out in the shuttle to keep a safe distance and settled in for the ride to the Clairmont campus, where they would move into an apartment with a private bathroom. Our teams at Oxford and in Atlanta worked so closely together, and staff members thought of even the smallest details, says Michele Hempfling, director of residential education and services (RES) at Oxford College. For example, at Oxford the students had twin beds and Clairmont has full beds, so thankfully someone had the proper sheets available for them. Normally, students who attend Oxford College of Emory transition to the Atlanta campus in the fall of their junior year to finish their undergraduate degrees. But with most of the 850 current students having left the campus by March 22 to finish the remainder of the semester remotely at home or elsewhere, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was not a typical move. Move-in day is usually full of cheering, high-fives and hugs, and clearly we couldnt do that, says Hempfling. But the students still got an attentive send-off by our team and a very warm welcome by the team in Atlanta. They had a lot of questions but were smiling, very sweet and pleasant, grateful to have the assistance. Oxfords RES team has been busy for much of the month, preparing for most students to move off campus. But students with extenuating circumstances, such as international students who could not return home, were allowed to stay in the residence halls. The RES staff at Oxford have been incredible, says Cathy Wooten, director of communications at Oxford. At first they thought they were hosting the Oxford students approved to remain for remote learning for the rest of the semester at Oxford. Then last weekend it was clear that there were enough units in Atlanta to give every student a private room and private bath. It was of course the right decision to move the students to Atlanta, so they changed course toward doing the logistics for that all with compassion and good humor. Smoothing the transition Staff began telling Oxford students on Monday and Tuesday to pack their belongings. On Friday, professional movers began showing up to move the boxes to Atlanta. This is the first time weve ever had to plan something like this, Hempfling says. Quite a number of movers helped us. There were about two movers per room and within three hours, all possessions were packed on trucks. This was all coordinated by Luetrell Langston, building and residential services area manager for Oxford, and Randy Simon, director of facilities planning and operations. Once the trucks were loaded, the shuttle transport kicked in, which was coordinated by Julie Elion, Oxford auxiliary manager, who usually handles dining and mail services and oversees transportation. There were five to seven students in each shuttle to allow for safe spacing, and they left Oxford at 9, 9:30, 10 and 10:30 a.m. to make the approximately 45-minute trip to Atlanta. That allowed us to stagger students arrivals at Clairmont, says Hempfling. When they arrived, staff was outside reminding them to stand in line six feet apart to get their room keys. Oxford RES team walked with students down to where the movers were the same ones who came Friday morning and they walked with the students to their new rooms with all their stuff. It was well organized. Stephanie Maddox and Frad Barry, residence life coordinators at Oxford College, welcomed students to Emorys Atlanta campus, holding signs and helping to direct them. We pointed out important buildings such as their new residence hall and where they would pick up their meals and mail, says Maddox, residence life coordinator of Fleming Hall at Oxford. We also just talked to them, to see how things were going and answer any questions that they had about the Clairmont campus. A lot of Atlantas campus life and residence life staff and leadership were also on hand to welcome the students, including Enku Gelaye, Emory vice president and dean of campus life; David Clark, associate vice president of campus life and university services; and Scott Rausch, senior director of residence life. Ive been at Oxford 10 years and have always valued working with our counterparts in Atlanta, but never more than now, Hempfling says. I am thankful that these relationships were already created so we could immediately start working together. We were on Zoom calls with Scotts team by day 2. As much as we are physically apart as campuses, we have never been more in synch. We always say it takes both campuses to support our students, especially when transitioning. No way we could have done this transition without them. Joe Moon, dean for campus life at Oxford, says the RES team at Oxford has always been the most student-facing staff, as they are on the front lines of caring for residential students. They were able to make the transition for these students as smooth as possible, Moon says. Now we shift to supporting Oxford students in Atlanta and around the world, in our new online community. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Seven months after scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the centre has issued rules defining domicile of the newly created Union Territory. An individual who has resided in Jammu and Kashmir for a period of fifteen years, or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared for the tenth or twelfth standard examination in an educational institute in J-K, will now be eligible for the domicile of the union territory (UT). The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a gazette notification stating that government jobs will be reserved for only domiciles of J&K. On August 5, 2019, the Central government passed the J-K Reorganisation Bill, bifurcating the erstwhile state into two UTs. It also abrogated article 35A, which granted powers of defining a permanent resident of J-K to the state assembly. The right to own property and several other benefits of government jobs and schemes were exclusive to the state subjects, or the permanent resident of J-K. An unprecedented clampdown was also imposed with communication blackout in place. On Tuesday, the MHA issued Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaption of state laws) order 2020, inserting "domicile" clause to the J&K civil services (Decentralization and Recruitment Act). The provisions of the Act shall apply to reservation of domiciles in "all the gazetted and non-gazetted posts, class IV posts of the government. Replacing permanent resident of the state with Domicile of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the notification states that it is for purpose of appointment to any service in UT of J-K. The domicile would also be given to people registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) in the UT of J-K. The notification said, Children of such residents of J&K as reside outside UT of J&K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons but their parents fulfil any of the conditions provided earlier. The domicile definition has also included children of those central government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs and autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognised research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years or children on parents who fulfil any of the conditions in sections. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and David Attenborough speak with school children in February during the launch of what was supposed to be the UK-hosted COP26 UN Climate Summit in London. Read more LONDON This years United Nations global climate summit is being postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, host country Britain said Wednesday. The U.K. government said the meeting, due to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, will now be held next year at a date still to be determined. The government said in a statement that in light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of COVID-19, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 in November 2020 is no longer possible. The meeting is formally known as the 26th Conference of the Parties. The decision was made by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Britain and Italy, which had been due to host some preparatory events. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that it was a disappointing decision, but absolutely the right one as we all focus on the fight against #coronavirus. Glasgows SEC Arena, which had been due to host the event, has been named as the site of a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made tackling climate change a priority, but Britains tenure at the helm of the conference got off to a bumpy start even before the coronavirus pandemic. In January, Johnson fired Claire O'Neill, a former British government minister appointed last year to head the event, and replaced her with Business Secretary Alok Sharma. We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference, Sharma said Wednesday. Patricia Espinosa, who heads the U.N. climate office, said the new coronavirus is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term. The meeting in Glasgow would have been held five years after the 2015 Paris climate accord was agreed. Countries that signed the landmark agreement are still expected to provide an update on their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming. President Donald Trump has triggered the United States's withdrawal from the Paris accord, a move that formally comes into force in November. His Democratic rivals have said they would rejoin if elected. Environmental campaigners said postponing this year's U.N. talks was the right move. It doesnt make sense to bring people from every country together in the middle of a pandemic," said Mohamed Adow, a longtime participant at U.N. climate meetings who heads the think tank Power Shift Africa. Adow said postponing the conference mustn't stop countries from taking action to curb global warming, though, and suggested plans to revive economies after the pandemic ends should avoid propping up the kinds of industries that contribute to climate change. Economies in the rich north must not be kick-started with dirty investment that will lead to climate suffering in the global south, he said. Environment officials are planning to hold a lower-level meeting online at the end of April. Inside Weather There was a period last year when I was in the market for a new couch. Instagram knew this, obviously, so while scrolling through pictures of my friends vacations, babies, dogs and nuptials, I became intimately acquainted with a number of affordable midcentury modern-esque furniture companies including one called Inside Weather. From where I sit right now, in the midst of a pandemic that threatens to claim as many as 200,000 American lives before its over its hard to fathom the hours I once had to think about couches. And as it turns out, thats how Ben Parsa, the CEO of Inside Weather, feels, too. Parsas brother is a program director at San Joaquin General Hospital, and he reached out to Ben because the hospital, like thousands around the country, was running dangerously low on personal protective equipment (PPE). I come from an industrial design background, and at Inside Weather we have a team of industrial designers along with dynamic manufacturing capabilities at our factory in Sacramento, Parsa explains. With the hospital, we identified three primary areas of focus: masks, face shields and containment pods. We quickly prototyped the designs, and after receiving positive feedback from the team at SJGH, we started production of 5,000 face shields and six containment pods. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. U.S. Army officials tested procedures for sterilized trainee transport Tuesday by moving hundreds of new soldiers in two caravans of disinfected buses to advanced individual training bases in an effort to protect the service's training installations from exposure to the novel coronavirus. About 800 soldiers traveled in 32 clean buses from Basic Combat Training (BCT) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to Fort Lee, Virginia, while another group of sterile buses transported new soldiers from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Transporting hundreds of new soldiers each week between training bases was routine until the COVID-19 pandemic exploded across the country. Now, the Army's Center for Initial Military Training (CIMT) has had to charter special buses, wipe down every surface that people come in contact with, and travel without stopping to keep trainees in a protective bubble, Maj. Gen. Lonnie Hibbard, commander of CIMT, told Military.com on Wednesday. Related: Recruits Who Carried COVID-19 to Boot Camp Had Passed Temp Checks, Screenings "We did two tests yesterday, so we not only did Fort Jackson to Fort Lee with my logisticians, we also went from Fort Sill to San Antonio," Hibbard said, adding that the buses that travel to Fort Sam Houston carried Army medics. "It was our test-run of it all just to make sure we could do it ... and we are making sure all the procedures were correct," he said. CIMT officials could not provide details on how many trainees traveled from Sill to Sam Houston by press time. The effort called for contracting buses with restrooms on board to avoid stops along the way, Hibbard said. To practice social distancing, the Army put only 25 soldiers on each of the 50-passenger buses from Jackson, so it required twice as many vehicles for each transport, Hibbard said. "Even though they came from a protected bubble, they were still abiding by the same social-distancing rules," he said. "We screened the drivers, we disinfected the buses ... we screened all the trainees before they got on the bus. In addition to the questions about, how are you feeling, we took their temperatures, and we recorded it on a form that every trainee had. They signed it, and their drill sergeant signed it. We put them on the bus with their kit and then moved them out without stopping." The test runs were the latest measures the Army has launched to keep from shutting down its initial-entry training operation as COVID-19 threatens to paralyze the United States for at least several more months. "The generation of soldiers for our Army is critical because the challenge is we don't know how long this is going to take," Hibbard said. He said he has confidence in the extensive amount of safeguards already in place but conceded that "it's a matter of time. COVID will get into the training base." An Army spokeswoman declined to say whether there had been any positive cases of COVID-19 at initial military training, citing DoD guidance prohibiting units of commands from releasing aggregate case numbers. To control the possible spread of the highly contagious virus, CIMT has completely revamped its procedures for processing, housing and training new soldiers. Trainees are screened 14 days out and then 96 hours, 72 hours and 24 hours from shipping to BCT. They then have their temperatures taken and are screened by medical personnel at military entrance processing stations, or MEPS. "They climb on disinfected buses that the MEPS contracted, using social distancing rules by using twice the number of buses than normal, and they move from the MEPS to the reception battalions," Hibbard said, describing how they are screened again upon arrival at the Army's initial training bases. The service has also cut the number of trainees it is shipping each week from about 1,200 to about 600 per week to allow trainees to be spaced farther apart in the barracks. "At Fort Jackson, our barracks are 60-man, open-bay barracks ... and like this week, we only put 22 per barracks room, so that we can now go every other bunk top to bottom to ensure we are maximizing social distancing in the barracks," Hibbard said. "In the event we were to get a positive COVID-19 case now in a platoon, we are only isolating with the minimum number of people." Army initial training centers have also started a 14-day "controlled monitoring" phase of BCT, where groups of up to 30 new trainees are kept separate from other trainees in case any of them develop COVID-19 symptoms in that time period, Hibbard said. "So, if somebody does happen to become symptomatic ... we immediately move them to quarantine," he said. "The goal is, once that 14-day controlled monitoring is complete, they enter now into the bubble of basic training, where we are pretty well assured that they are COVID-19 free." During the 14-day period, trainees stay with the same three drill sergeants and focus on fitness training and classroom-style training that is traditionally spread throughout BCT, Hibbard said. "So that way, we are keeping them mentally and physically engaged. They still have leadership, but we are minimizing risk to the lowest possible level," he added. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Read More: Marine Corps Closes Parris Island Boot Camp to New Recruits as COVID-19 Cases Spread A grateful 23-year-old woman on March 31 said that she had seen gods in the doctors who cured her of COVID-19 at a state-run hospital in Kolkata and kept on boosting her morale during her 12-day stay in the facility. The woman returned from Scotland where she was pursuing higher studies on March 19. From the airport here, she went straight to the Beliaghata ID hospital where she tested positive for coronavirus infection. She was discharged from the hospital on March 31. "I have heard that doctors are Gods. Now I have seen that myself here. I am grateful to them. Everyday, doctors and officials from the state health department motivated me and kept on telling me that there was nothing to panic about the disease as this is as normal as regular flu, cough and cold," she told reporters after reaching home at Habra in North 24 Parganas district. She urged people to follow the instructions of the state and the central governments to contain the coronavirus outbreak. "People should not panic. They must maintain hygiene and abide by the ongoing lockdown," she said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show On her return from Scotland, the woman said, she was told at the Mumbai airport to go for home quarantine as she was feverish. However, she claimed that she was not stopped at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here. "I had taken paracetamol because I had a mild temperature. At the Mumbai airport, they told me to go for home isolation. But I was not held at the Kolkata airport. I myself went up to them and said I was having a fever. They told me to go and take a test on my own. I went to the Beliaghata ID because I have a brother at home and did not want him to get infected," she said. On why she decided to come back from Scotland, the woman said, "I decided to return on seeing my friends there started leaving for home. When I had contacted the authorities (in Scotland) they refused me a checkup and asked me to go for home quarantine. Then came back home thinking that Ill get some treatment in West Bengal." Health department officials said though the woman was released from hospital, she requires to be in home quarantine for another fortnight. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva The volume of populations bank deposits in foreign currency increased by 1.5 percent in Azerbaijan year-on-year in the period of January-February, local media reported citing Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan on March 31. Thus, bank deposits in foreign currency amounted to $2,6bn in the reporting period and amounted to 52.6 percent of all deposits. It should be noted that the share of foreign currency deposits in 2019 was 52.2 percent. Overall, in January-February 2020, the population's bank deposits (including funds of individuals engaged in individual entrepreneurship) increased by 1.2 percent to $5,1bn. In addition, for the January-February period, the volume of deposits in the national currency increased by 0.2 percent to $2,4bn (47.4 percent of all deposits). As of February 29, 2020, the volume of bank deposits of residents amounted to $4,758,612,158, while non-residents $366,225,454. Based on the report of the Central Bank, from the beginning of the year, deposits of residents decreased by 1.6 percent, whereas non-residents - increased by 43.1 percent. Overall, as of March 1, the volume of savings and deposits in banks in Azerbaijan amounted to $ 14,693,251,616, which is 0.8 percent more than at the end of 2019. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A 13-year-old boy with no underlying health conditions has become the UK's youngest victim of the coronavirus pandemic as the death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise in the country. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab was admitted to King's College Hospital in London after suffering breathing difficulties and died on Monday. An online fundraiser organised by Arabic educational institution Madinah College in the UK capital has raised over 56,000 pounds in funds for the boy's grief-stricken family within days. Ismail was only 13 years old without any pre-existing health conditions and sadly he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of COVID-19, the fundraiser page notes. We at Madinah College would like to appeal to our brothers and sisters to donate generously to help raise GBP 4000 for the funeral costs and to support the family, who sadly also lost their father to cancer, it adds. Madinah College said it had been overwhelmed by the generosity of the donors as the appeal way overshot the initial target. It has confirmed that any extra money raised will also go directly to the family. The schoolboy from Brixton in south London started showing symptoms of coronavirus last week and was rushed to hospital after he had trouble breathing. There he tested positive for Covid-19 and was put on a ventilator then into an induced coma but never recovered. We are beyond devastated. To our knowledge he had no underlying health conditions," said a statement released by the family. King's College Hospital expressed condolences to the family as it confirmed that the boy's death had been referred to the coroner. Dr Nathalie MacDermott, clinical lecturer at King's College London, said the 13-year-old boy's death highlights the importance of taking the precautions required to reduce the spread of the deadly virus. She said: "It is important that a coroner assesses whether a post-mortem is necessary to further understand the exact cause of death. "While chronic underlying medical conditions are known to result in worse outcomes in COVID-19 infection, we have heard of cases of younger individuals with no known medical problems succumbing to the disease. It is extremely rare for teenagers to become seriously ill after being infected with coronavirus, with elderly patients and those with underlying health conditions considered most at risk. The of the boy's death came in the week that the UK registered its biggest day-on-day leap in death toll from coronavirus of 381, to hit a total of 1,789 deaths on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KALAMAZOO, MI Police have released the name of the woman killed in a March 27 shooting in Kalamazoos Edison neighborhood as 46-year-old Carmen Hughes. Hughes, of Kalamazoo, died after a 24-year-old man negligently fired a gun inside a vehicle that she was in. The shooting occurred at about 4:45 p.m. March 27 in the 1000 block of Jackson Street, according to police. Police arrested the 24-year-old subject, but the prosecutors office has not authorized any charges at this point, Kalamazoo Public Safety Capt. Craig Habel told MLive on April 1. Hughes, who Habel said knew the 24-year-old who fired the gun, was rushed to a nearby hospital after being struck by the gunfire, but could not be saved. The prosecutors office is investigating the circumstances that may have led up to the shooting, Habel said. The name of the 24-year-old subject is not being released at this time as no charges have been authorized. Also on MLive: Negligent firing of gun causes Kalamazoo womans death Police identify vehicle from hit-and-run that critically injured Kalamazoo girl, 15 Man air-lifted to Kalamazoo hospital after vehicle strikes two trees Mumbai, April 1 : A six-day-old male infant, his 26-year old mother, a policeman and a nurse are among the 33 new Covid-19 positive cases clocked in Maharashtra, taking the state's total number to 335, while the number of deaths shot up by five to 16 on Wednesday, officials said here. "My son was born late at night on March 26 at a Chembur private hospital where a patient undergoing treatment was later found Covid-19 positive," the child's distraught father V. Singh, 32, told IANS. "We were asked to immediately leave the hospital which was being quarantined and the doctors refused to attend to us. But, we refused to leave. The reports of my wife and our son came positive around midnight and since then we are in Kasturba Hospital," said Singh, breaking down. He requested the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Health Minister Rajesh Tope to ensure proper care for his infant son and wife. The Covid-19 death toll shot up by five today - the single highest in a day so far, a senior health officer said. They include a 51-year old man and a 75-year old man, both from Mumbai with no history of foreign travel, while details of other victims are awaited, health officials said. In a related development, Modi called Thackeray and is understood to have discussed the situation pertaining to Covid-19 in the state, besides Thursday morning's video-conference issues, said an aide to the CM. Among the other patients found positive on Wednesday include a nurse and a patient from a well-known private hospital, a policeman, a first case of a man infected from the heavily congested Dharavi - notorious as Asia's biggest slum in central Mumbai. As many as 30 of the new cases are from Mumbai, 2 from Pune besides one from Buldhana, amid the highest spurt of 115 cases in the past 36 hours. Besides Mumbai and Pune, the other cases are in Thane, Sangli, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Satara, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Gondia, Jalgaon, Nashik, besides one from Gujarat. The deaths were reported from Mumbai, Palghar, Pune and Buldhana. The recent victims include the state's youngest victim, a 40-year old suburban home-maker with no history of foreign travel, and a medico in his early 80s, both from Mumbai. Thackeray and Tope have again appealed to the people to remain indoors, avoid crowding even while making essential purchases and maintain social distancing at all costs. "The 'war against coronavirus' has reached a crucial stage and this is the time to exercise extreme precautions. Please do not step out of your homes for your own safety," the CM pleaded. In the wake of the Tablighi Jamaat scare, Thackeray urged that all types of religious or social gatherings should be avoided to avoid a Delhi-like situation in Maharashtra. According to officials, one of the reasons for the huge increase in cases is attributed to the Mumbai population density, especially in sprawling dingy slums with tiny tenements - which make up half of the country's commercial capital. The slums house millions of people eking out an existence in cramped quarters, with common sanitation facilities, insufficient water supply, no open spaces or greenery, making them a potentially fertile ground for diseases with little or no scope for 'social distancing'. President Trump will meet with US oil CEOs on Friday to discuss aid to the industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. United States President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to meet with US energy executives on Friday to discuss ways to help out the countrys struggling shale oil and gas producers, including the possibility of imposing punitive trade measures on imports of Saudi Arabian crude. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing two unidentified sources, said potential aid that Washington could extend to the US shale patch includes tariffs on oil imported from Saudi Arabia and waiver of the law that requires US vessels to be used to transport goods including oil between ports. But the oil industry does not unanimously back some of the measures, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Oil prices have plummetted nearly 70 percent from January highs as lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic hammer demand, and a price war initiated by Saudi Arabia floods already saturated crude markets. The battle for market share between the Saudis and Russians ignited after Riyadh failed to convince Moscow to support deep output cuts. While both countries are taking a financial hit as crude prices nosedive, Saudi Arabia can produce crude more cheaply than any other competitor. That leaves higher-cost US shale oil producers, especially those that took on a lot of debt to fund the drilling of new wells, especially vulnerable. On Wednesday, US shale oil company Whiting Petroleum Corp became the first publicly traded casualty of crashing crude prices when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Supply, demand and diplomacy Trump has called the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia crazy and complained that crude that is cheaper than water is hurting the US energy industry. While Russia has responded to diplomatic overtures from the White House to help stabilize global oil markets, Saudi Arabia has ignored Trumps pleas and continues to pump crude with abandon. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a government meeting set up via a video link as a precaution against the coronavirus, called on both oil producers and consumers to find a solution to improve the challenging situation. He also warned that if investments into the oil sector fall, oil prices are sure to spike, something he said no one needs. Thats why we, together with the main producers and consumers, should work out such decisions, which would mitigate the situation on the market on the whole, Putin said, according to the readout of the meeting. On Tuesday, US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette spoke with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak about the price slump, and they agreed to hold future discussions involving other major world oil producers and consumers. The call occurred a day after Trump and Putin agreed in a phone conversation to have their top energy officials discuss global oil market turmoil. The discussions between Washington and Moscow mark a new front in oil diplomacy since the alliance between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and major oil producers led by Russia a grouping known as OPEC+ collapsed in acrimony. Trump said on Tuesday that he would join Saudi Arabia and Russia, if need be, for talks about the fall in oil prices. Crude oil benchmarks ended a volatile quarter on Tuesday with their biggest losses in history. On Wednesday, global benchmark Brent crude settled below $25 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude dipped below $20 a barrel before crawling back above it. The US has grown into the worlds largest oil and gas producer in recent years, thanks to a technology-driven shale-drilling boom. But the current price of oil is below the production cost of many US drillers, threatening the highly leveraged US shale industry. The Trump administration is trying to persuade Saudi Arabia, the worlds top oil exporter, to cut output and says it will soon send a special energy envoy, Victoria Coates, to the kingdom. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia and Saudi Arabia were not holding talks regarding the oil market at the moment, and that President Putin has no immediate plans to have a phone call with Saudi leadership. But the Kremlin added that such talks could be set up quickly if necessary. Two J-20s howling through the sky with their missile bays open, each showcasing six missiles as the stealth fighter jets celebrated the 69th birthday of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force on the last day of the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province on Sunday.GT/Cui Meng While several air shows around the world have been cancelled due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) pandemic, the most important one in China, the Airshow China, remains set to take place in November, and will be "considerably different and significantly improved" from previous editions, the organizer said on Monday. Since the start of the epidemic, the organizer of the air show actively communicated with partnering organizations to ensure previous participants are still coming, and also to seek out new ones. More than 400 companies from countries and regions including Germany, Russia, France, the US, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK, as well as Chinese companies, have already confirmed participation in the 2020 edition of the air show, the organizer announced in a statement released in its WeChat public account on Monday. More flight performances from military aerobatics teams are also being arranged. In addition to the Chinese Air Force's August 1st Air Demonstration Team, the Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Aerospace Forces will hopefully also join the exhibition, the organizer said, noting that ground equipment shows will also see more real-combat oriented and professional performances that fully display the capabilities of tanks and armored vehicles compared to previous editions. All related work is being carried out to ensure the exhibition will be held from November 10-15 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province as planned, it said. Traders and public visitors will be able to book tickets on the air show's website, but the ticket buying function is not yet online. About 450,000 visitors participated in the biannual show in 2018, which also lasted for six days, according to the air show's website. Many other air shows have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns among aviation fans and military enthusiasts that the Airshow China could also be scrapped. Analysts said the organizer's statement was a positive sign, as the Airshow China is China's largest aerospace exhibition and has great significance for the local government, Chinese aviation and aerospace companies and the Chinese Air Force. During Airshow China 2018, a domestically developed J-10B fighter jet equipped with a brand new thrust vector control-capable engine made its debut flight performance, and the country's most advanced fighter jet, the J-20, showcased its weapon bays and missiles also for the first time. This has set high expectations for this year's exhibition, with military enthusiasts hoping to see the likes of J-20s equipped with homemade engines and an upgraded version of the FC-31 fighter jet. However, analysts also pointed out that the pandemic situation is not over yet, and November is a time when diseases usually begin to occur, so it is still not certain that the Airshow China 2020 can be held as planned. New Delhi, April 1 : New coronavirus droplets could travel up to 27 feet as a sneeze or a cough results in a turbulent gas cloud that could contain SARS-CoV-2 droplets, an MIT researcher has claimed in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Lydia Bourouiba, associate professor at MIT and an expert in fluid dynamics, has suggested to revise social distancing of six feet (2 metres) to limit the risk of exposure as well as currently used surgical and N95 masks which "are not tested for these potential characteristics of respiratory emissions". "Mask efficacy as source control depends on the ability of the mask to trap or alter the high-momentum gas cloud emission with its pathogenic payload. Peak exhalation speeds can reach up to 33 to 100 feet per second (10-30 m/s), creating a cloud that can span approximately 23 to 27 feet (7-8 m)," Bourouiba wrote. In India, the Health Ministry has asked citizens to ensure physical distancing of minimum 1 metre or three feet. She said that it may seem surprising that the current understanding of the routes of host-to-host transmission in respiratory infectious diseases are predicated on a model of disease transmission developed in the 1930s that, by modern standards, seems overly simplified. "Recent work has demonstrated that exhalations, sneezes, and coughs not only consist of mucosalivary droplets following short-range semiballistic emission trajectories but, importantly, are primarily made of a multiphase turbulent gas (a puff) cloud that entrains ambient air and traps and carries within it clusters of droplets with a continuum of droplet sizes," Bourouiba emphasized. The locally moist and warm atmosphere within the turbulent gas cloud allows the contained droplets to evade evaporation for much longer than occurs with isolated droplets. "Under these conditions, the lifetime of a droplet could be considerably extended by a factor of up to 1000, from a fraction of a second to minutes," said Bourouiba. Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, however urged caution with the MIT study during a White House briefing on Tuesday. "This could really be terribly misleading," he said, adding that it would apply only to people with extremely strong sneezes. According to the MIT researcher, "owing to the forward momentum of the cloud, pathogen-bearing droplets are propelled much farther than if they were emitted in isolation without a turbulent puff cloud trapping and carrying them forward". She explained that that the range of the droplets, both large and small, is extended through their interaction with and trapping within the turbulent gas cloud. "Droplets that settle along the trajectory can contaminate surfaces, while the rest remain trapped and clustered in the moving cloud," said the researcher. Eventually the cloud and its droplet payload lose momentum and coherence, and the remaining droplets within the cloud evaporate, producing residues or droplet nuclei that may stay suspended in the air for hours. "The evaporation of pathogen-laden droplets in complex biological fluids is poorly understood. The degree and rate of evaporation depend strongly on ambient temperature and humidity conditions, but also on the inner dynamics of the turbulent puff cloud coupled with the composition of the liquid exhaled by the patient," she stressed. An earlier research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the coronavirus RNA was present even after 17 days on Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. The researchers said that "SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins were vacated on the Diamond Princess but before disinfection procedures had been conducted". Bourouiba said the rapid spread of COVID-19 highlights the need to better understand the dynamics of respiratory disease transmission by better characterizing transmission routes. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Every business in America doesnt understand where theyre going to get their money from, Finn told Inside Indiana Business. The expert is now urging lawmakers to consider PRIA, since it acts as a type of reinsurance for commercial P&C policies. As soon as you turn business interruption and pandemic insurance back on and you turn it on for coronavirus, and you let people who didnt have it before, get it. Now all of a sudden people with losses are getting paid, the professor explained. We need to get all this uncertainty off American businesses and individuals balance sheets and use the insurance industry. Its just a more efficient way for the government to backstop the insurance industry so that this coverage can exist in the private marketplace. According to Finn, 80% of all entities do not have insurance for a pandemic, and standard business interruption insurance alone does not cover pandemic-driven losses. PRIA is currently being reviewed at the US House Financial Services Committee, but Finn said that it has stalled there. China to UN: Unilateral Syria sanctions must be lifted amid pandemic Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 8:47 AM China has called for the complete and immediate lifting of unilateral sanctions against Syria, saying the "coercive measures" will hamper the war-ravaged country's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a video-teleconferencing meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Syria on Monday, Zhang Jun, China's new ambassador to the UN, voiced grave concerns "about the negative impact of unilateral sanctions on countries' capacity to respond to the pandemic, especially for vulnerable countries like Syria." "We call for complete and immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures," said Zhang, adding that "civilians and innocent people are suffering severely from those sanctions." He expressed Beijing's support for a call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the removal of sanctions that are hindering the global fight against the new coronavirus. "Our position is explained in detail in the recent joint letter to the secretary-general, together with Russia, among others. We hope the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs joins the voice of the secretary-general and high commissioner for human rights in this regard," said Zhang. Syria's Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed the country's first death resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as the country's fragile health system reels from nine years of foreign-backed war and sanctions. The ministry also confirmed four new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of cases to 10 in the country. The country is scrambling to counter the spread of the coronavirus outbreak by adopting numerous measures such as postponing parliamentary elections and suspending the work of certain public institutions and services. More than 786,000 people worldwide have so far been infected with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and some 37,832 have died, according to a running count by worldometers.info. Since the onset of the Syria crisis in 2011, the US, the European Union and some Arab states which have been supporting militant groups in their fight against the Syrian government have imposed draconian sanctions against the Arab country over what they claim to be sponsoring terror and attacking civilians. 'Syrians should decide their own fate' Elsewhere in his remarks, the Chinese envoy hailed a recent ceasefire agreement between Russia and Turkey to halt an escalation in northern Syria, saying the deal had significantly improved the security situation in the region. On March 5, Russia and Turkey, which support opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, came to an agreement on a ceasefire regime in Idlib, where Turkish aggression against the Syrian government had risked starting a war. The ceasefire came a few months after the Syrian army launched an anti-terror operation against foreign-sponsored militants after they failed to honor a de-escalation agreement between Ankara and Moscow. The Chinese diplomat further reiterated his country's support for a "political solution to the conflict in Syria," saying "the future of the country must be decided by the Syrian people, without foreign interference." He praised "the painstaking efforts" of Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria "encourage him to continue facilitating dialogue between the Syrian parties, toward an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process" in line with UN resolutions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ministers have been accused of leaving it too late to ramp up the UK's coronavirus testing amid shortages of chemicals and swabs. Boris Johnson is facing jibes that the push toward mass testing was left 'too late', with the whole world now seeking the same critical materials. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers - the body that represents trusts up and down the UK, said the country had the lab capacity to be doing even more tests than Germany. However, the difficulties in sourcing chemicals and swabs has slashed the potential 100,000 a day capability, and the numbers appear to be stuck at around 10,000. Germany swabs around 90,000 people every day and has plans to scale up its mass testing regime even further to 1.4million a week. At the daily No10 media briefing this evening, Business Secretary Alok Sharma denied a 'political' decision had been taken not to increase testing. He said getting numbers up was the 'top priority' for the government. PHE medical director Yvonne Doyle said there was a goal to test 'hundreds of thousands' of NHS staff. But neither Mr Sharma nor Prof Doyle committed to any firm dates for hitting the numbers. Swab tests are carried out at a special station for NHS staff in Wembley today Slides released by the government tonight show the UK is tracking France's outbreak closely Boris Johnson (pictured top left taking a virtual Cabinet meeting from self-isolation in No10 yesterda) is facing jibes that the push toward mass testing was left 'too late', with the whole world now seeking the same critical materials At the daily No10 media briefing this evening, Business Secretary Alok Sharma denied a 'political' decision had been taken not to increase testing How the UK's testing shambles developed January 31: First confirmed cases in the UK are two Chinese nationals staying in York. February 21: Government experts conclude at a meeting that the disease is still only a 'moderate' threat to the UK. March 12: The UK shelves efforts to test and 'contact trace' everyone with symptoms on March 12, as the government's response moves from 'containment' into a 'delay' phase. Instead people who think they have the illness are urged to self-isolate unless their conditions became so severe they need medical help. March 16: Boris Johnson urges Britons to follow 'social distancing' guidelines as well as isolating when they have symptoms, in a change of policy after modelling found the death toll could be much higher than previously estimated. March 18: Amid growing criticism, the PM declares that there will be a big expansion of tests from under 5,000 a day to 25,000. March 21: Downing Street sends an email to research institutions begging for machines needed to process testing samples. No10 denies this was the first time it had raised the idea. March 28: Cabinet ministers Matt Hancock and Michael Gove hail news that the UK is now carrying out 10,000 tests a day. April 1: The UK has still not carried out 10,000 tests in a day, despite apparently having the capacity to do so. Ministers admit the target of 25,000 tests a day might not be reached for weeks. Advertisement The Department of Health and Social Care today sparked fury by announcing 10,412 tests were carried out yesterday - but that the capacity was 12,799. Questions were asked over why officials failed to meet capacity, with furious Britons calling the shambolic approach 'disgusting' and demanding action. Mr Hopson claimed some laboratories dotted across Britain were 'not working at full capacity' but added others are 'struggling with high volumes'. And he warned trying to match capacity with demand was notoriously difficult, saying it explains the 'frustrating difference'. Mr Hopson tweeted earlier: 'We understand that if existing NHS pathology labs had unlimited swabs and reagent there is enough test machine capacity to process c100,000 tests a day but reagent and swab shortage is currently limiting this to c13k a day. Shows impact of shortages on current test capacity.' Mr Hopson estimated that 15 per cent of NHS staff were off work, and initial testing over the weekend had found that just 15 per cent of those self-isolating were infected with coronavirus. 'It's a very, very small sample size because we only really started doing staff testing properly Saturday-Sunday, but I'm told that the very early results from that very small sample did indicate that only 15 per cent of people taking the test were positive which effectively means that the other 85 per cent are potentially available to come back to work.' Mr Hopson said he believes an average of 15 per cent of all NHS staff are currently off work and urged the Government to give an estimate of how quickly testing capacity can be ramped up. 'Our understanding is that as of the middle of... the late end of last week it was about 15 per cent of NHS staff, which given the sickness rate, absence rate that you would normally expect to see in the NHS of around I think 3-4 per cent, you can see how big that gap is.' Prof Doyle said there is currently capacity for around 3,000 tests for frontline NHS staff, which will increase. Asked how many frontline workers are being tested, she said: 'The number of tests undertaken in the NHS and Public Health England combined testing capacity is just increasing at the moment. 'So that will be a relatively small number but there is capacity, for example, today for almost 3,000 and that will increase as we get to 25,000, that capacity. 'But the important capacity is in the second strand where we have five centres where people can drive through and get their testing done in order of priority. 'NHS chief executives are identifying that priority and the intention here is to get from thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks. 'So we are very committed to our NHS frontline staff.' Mr Sharma said: "Increasing testing capacity is absolutely the Government's top priority. "We're now at 10,000 tests a day, we're rolling out additional networks of labs and testing sites. "And in terms of PHE (PPE), over the last two weeks 390 million products have been distributed. "And of course we will continue to do more and work to make sure that PHE (PPE) is available." Officials yesterday decided to blame a shortage of chemical reagents for the UK's lacklustre testing policy. It comes as ministers were today accused of 'complacency' and snubbing offers of help from labs today. Questions have been raised about drive-through swab stations that have been set up for health workers, with one site in Chessington almost deserted. 'Frustrated' Matt Hancock orders hospitals to 'max out' testing on doctors and nurses Downing Street has admitted just 2,000 frontline NHS workers have been tested for coronavirus as Matt Hancock today ordered hospitals to 'max out' testing capacity on doctors and nurses. The government has faced fierce criticism of its testing efforts relating to health workers amid claims 15 per cent of the NHS workforce could be self-isolating and suggestions 85 per cent of them do not have coronavirus. Ministers have been scrambling to boost the UK's testing capacity and today Number 10 said the nation now had the ability to conduct 12,750 tests a day. However, the latest number of tests actually carried out was 8,630 on Monday - far below the capacity figure. As a result, Mr Hancock, the Health Secretary, has now ordered the NHS to lift restrictions on staff testing. NHS England had previously told hospitals they could only use 15 per cent of tests on staff with the rest to be used on patients. But now the 15 per cent cap has been lifted and hospitals have been told they must now ensure any spare testing capacity is filled with staff tests. Advertisement In comparison, another site in Wembley was rammed. Some NHS workers claimed they had been turned away in Chessington for not having an appointment. Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a global shortage of chemicals at a press conference last night, saying Mr Johnson was taking personal control of trying to source the material. Although the Chemical Industry Association - and even one of the government's own advisers - initially played down the issue, firms have confirmed that they are scrambling to get hold of 'reagents'. Diagnostics industry group BIVDA confirmed that there are problems. Chief executive Doris-Ann Williams, said: 'Provision of the different tests for this new disease is challenging. 'The IVD (in vitro diagnostics) industry has been working to support the NHS to implement testing here in the UK, as it has been doing for healthcare systems around the world. 'This continues with manufacturers doing all they can to ensure continuous supply of the necessary reagents to enable antigen testing during this unprecedented crisis. However there is global demand and manufacturing capacity is being increased at pace along with the logistics to distribute it but none of this can be achieved overnight. But we can assure you that everything that can be done is being done.' Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said: 'Germany are testing half a million people a week, yet we still haven't hit the 10,000 a day the Prime Minister promised. 'NHS staff are rightly asking if we've left it too late to buy the kits and chemicals we need, or whether our lab capacity is too overstretched after years of tight budgets. Cabinet minister Michael Gove confirmed last night that chemical shortages were hampering efforts to scale up testing in the UK 'NHS staff and carers on the front line who need these tests urgently deserve an immediate explanation from the Government as to what's going on.' Meanwhile, there are complaints that the 'centralised' approach taken by Public Health England (PHE) meant that labs have been left 'sitting on their hands'. It is still not clear when a new coronavirus 'super lab' in Milton Keynes will be up and running. In contrast, Germany has authorised any institution with the right capability to get on with checks. The consequences of the lack of testing for current infections has been laid bare after it emerged that in initial trials just 15 per cent of NHS staff who were isolating did not in fact have the virus - meaning hundreds of thousands could potentially have been working. It is understood just 2,000 have been screened. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick today admitted that the level of checks had only been rising slowly, but suggested it would 'accelerate'. However, he confirmed it will be weeks before the UK hits 25,000 tests a day, by which time the outbreak might be peaking. Ministers controversially decided to only swab hospital patients early on in Britain's rapidly escalating outbreak. It means the true size of the crisis - which began spreading in the UK in February - is a mystery, with millions of cases potentially missed. NHS trusts were earlier this week told they could begin to use 15 per cent of testing capacity to frontline staff, But Health Secretary Matt Hancock today scrapped the cap, ordering NHS hospital labs to use all spare capacity to swab medics. OROVILLE, Calif.- Officials have shut down vehicle access at all California state parks due to the coronavirus outbreak. Reporter Kristian Lopez spoke with boat owners who say this is causing them to not be able to access their property. Parking is closed in the area but people can still walk through to access the parks, but owners have no way to reach their boats because shuttle services have been temporarily suspended. The state parks have closed to allow for social distancing as coronavirus concerns continue to rise all over the country. Action News Now spoke with Danny Peters, who has a boat at Bidwell Canyon Marina, he says he's worried he won't be able to keep up with the maintenance work. "It could be 3 or 4 months or all the way to the summer, we have to have access to our boats. These boats here range anywhere from $60,000 to half a million dollars, and people want to make sure their investments don't end up at the bottom of the lake." California State Park Reps say they understand the frustration and are working to come up with a solution as quickly as possible. They say they still have a few employees doing maintenance and security work at the marina, 7 days a week. A former executive director of the school, Jennifer Sherwood Gaul, said recently that she had warned the board that selling the building will kill the school. And a former business manager, Andy Huber, said that crucial decisions were made in haste. They could have just waited until we got a better offer for the building, Mr. Huber said. The board president, Jeffrey Schlosser, disagreed, and said in an interview that the shutdown was not a dissolution of the school. He called it a ceasing of operations so we can get the debt monkey off our backs. In a recent conversation, he disputed that Ms. Gaul warned against the move and that Mr. Huber counseled waiting for another deal. Mr. Schlosser sees a future for the school in music therapy, which does not require a location. Such a focus would involve us going to hospitals or peoples homes, rather than bringing students to a school facility for lessons. For many of its alumni and friends, the school was as much about bricks and mortar as it was about pitch and tempo. Nearly everyone associated with the school used the word charming to describe the East 52nd Street building. It sat on a block in a neighborhood that was once home to Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and E.B. White. Its recital hall was named for another long-ago neighbor: Alma Gluck, a Metropolitan Opera star and early recording sensation. Affection for the place, though, never obscured its many drawbacks. Its studios were not soundproof, the heating system was less than reliable and the building was inaccessible to people who could not manage steps. Sometimes administrators would go outside to help parents carry strollers up the stairs leading to the tall red front doors. Inside, there was no elevator, and the building was expensive to maintain. Helen du Bois, a board member for nearly 30 years beginning in the 1960s, said that there was a continual drain on our resources to keep having to fix it. Austria will make the wearing of face masks in supermarkets mandatory from April 6 to curb the spread of the coronavirus. As of Wednesday, masks are being handed out by supermarket employees and are free of charge for the time being. Due to a shortage of masks the new rule only comes into effect on April 6. Until then people only have to wear masks if a supermarket can offer them covering the face with a shawl is also accepted for the time being. Another exception are supermarkets smaller than 400 square meters here keeping a distance of one meter to the next person is enough. Michael Sellner, a dentist working in Vienna's first district, says he supports the new rules, but others were less welcoming of them. Vera Vertis, a local Viennese living in close proximity to the supermarket, said the masks will just delay the problem or "make people hysterical." Given the low supplies of masks, not every supermarket in Austria was able to offer masks to its customers. On Monday, WHO executive director Michael Ryan had said there was "no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit in fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite." Ryan didn't elaborate beyond citing "risks" linked to fitting masks improperly, though he appeared to be alluding to how hands can carry virus up to or near the face as the masks are put on. New Delhi: Delhi Police has issued an official advisory stating that `ISIS terrorists` are likely to target police personnel deployed during coronavirus COVID-19 duty in the national capital. "A reliable inputs indicate that the police personnel deployed at various pickets, barricades in Delhi in connection with maintaining of law and order in Delhi during the COVID-19 duty may be targeted by suspected ISIS operatives," according to the communication issued on Tuesday night (March 31). The secret message stated that "said attacks may be in the form of Lone Wolf attack like stabbing, firing or ramming the pickets with a vehicle," adding "Field staff may be briefed accordingly and pickets may be reinforced with morchas and extra firepower in view of the above input." Security has been heightened across the capital and the police is ensuring that citizens do not break quarantine laws, besides helping distraught citizens to cope with the 21-day lockdown announced to halt the spread of COVID-19. Delhi Police has also been ordered to track mobile phones of people under home quarantine to check their movement and ensure no violations. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the tracking was being done to ensure people do not violate the quarantine and also identify how many people they contact. Addressing a press conference today, the Chief Minister said, "We handed over a list of 11,084 phone numbers to police yesterday and 14,345 phone numbers today of people who have been asked to remain in home quarantine. The police will track if they are following the instructions on home quarantine or not." "The chief minister also said a total of 120 positive cases for coronavirus have been reported in the national capital till Wednesday morning," he said, adding that of the total 766 people admitted to the hospitals of Delhi due to Corona, 112 have tested positive and the rest are possibly infected and are being tested. About the Nizamuddin Markaz (Tablighi Jamaat) case he said, "536 people, out of 2346 who were brought out of Markaz, have been admitted to hospitals and 1810 people have been put in isolation/quarantine." According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases has jumped up to 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a video conference with all chief ministers on Thursday during which issues like ways to contain the spread of COVID-19, movement of migrants and contact tracing of Tablighi Jamat participants are likely to come up for discussion. According to reports, contact tracing in several states is underway to identify, quarantine and test all the people who attended a gathering of almost 4,000 people in Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin in mid-March. In the last 24 hours, India has registered 386 new cases of COVID-19, taking the tally to 1,637 in the country, according to the government. The sharp increase in number of cases is due to the Tablighi meet at Nizamuddin which has become the new epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country --from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu. SITKA, Alaska - The U.S. Coast Guard and a fishing ship have rescued a vessel that was flooding off the coast of Southeast Alaska. Coast Guard personnel and the fishing ship rescued the F/V Tamarack 35 miles (56 kilometres) west of Sitka Saturday, The Daily Sitka Sentinel reported Monday. The Tamarack sent out a mayday call late Friday, reporting that it was taking on water, the Coast Guard said. Before Coast Guard personnel could arrive, the F/V Pacific Bounty arrived on scene and assisted in dewatering the vessel, the Coast Guard said in a statement. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the Coast Guards Air Station Sitka delivered a pump to the Tamarack to help the ships crew prevent further flooding. The Coast Guard Cutter Bailey Barco, based in Ketchikan, also responded. There were no injuries reported, so it was a good wrap up all around, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa McKenzie said. The Bailey Barco was underway in the vicinity at the time of the emergency call, but the Pacific Bounty arrived first, McKenzie said. They were the ones that actually got on scene before the Coast Guard cutter, McKenzie said. He added: Its always fantastic whenever youve got fishing vessels or just vessels in the vicinity that are willing to help out. Thats unique to the marine community, theyre normally very helpful. By Emma Batha LONDON, March 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From Thailand to India, countries have told people not to make April Fools' Day pranks related to coronavirus, with some threatening jail time as they seek to prevent the spread of rumours which could put lives at risk. Tech giant Google, which is famous for its annual spoofs, has cancelled the tradition because of the pandemic which has killed about 40,000 people worldwide. Thailand said on Tuesday that April Fool's Day jokes about the virus could be punished under a law carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison. "It's against the law to fake having COVID-19 this April Fools' Day," the government said on Twitter. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen took to Facebook to tell people not to prank about the virus, adding that anyone spreading rumours or false information could face up to three years in jail and/or a fine of up to NT$3 million ($99,200). In India, Maharashtra state's cyber security unit said it would take legal action against anyone spreading fake news on April Fools' Day. "The state govt won't allow anyone to spread rumours/panic on #Corona," Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted, adding that he had instructed the authorities to "act swiftly & strongly (against) such miscreants". Under the heading "Corona is no joke", Germany's health ministry also urged the public not to make up stories related to the virus. With people relying on the internet and media for vital information about coronavirus, there are fears that jokes could fan the spread of misinformation. From drinking cow urine to sleeping by chopped onions, myths about how people can catch and cure COVID-19 are already widely circulating. The World Health Organization has described it as an "infodemic", which could increase the spread of the virus among vulnerable people. Google said it had suspended its annual April Fools' tradition "out of respect for all those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic". Story continues "Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let's save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one," it said in an internal email to staff. In previous years Google has advertised fictitious jobs at a new research center on the moon, turned Google Maps into a game of Where's Waldo - also known as Where's Wally - and claimed its search technology uses trained pigeons to rank pages. Taylor Herring, a British PR agency whose clients include TV channels and international brands, advised all companies to ditch the jokes this year. "Tip for any brands planning an April Fool's Day stunt. Just. Don't," it said on social media. Others commented on twitter that April Fools' Day had been cancelled because no one could make up anything more unbelievable than what is currently happening in the world. (Reporting by Emma Batha @emmabatha; Editing by Belinda Goldsmith Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org) At least four states have attempted to temporarily suspend this intake process by asking the USDA to allow them to distribute food using disaster protocols, as often happens following a hurricane or other natural occurrence. The department initially pushed back on these requests, according to food bank officials in states that proposed them. Under pressure including from a barrage of bipartisan pleas from Pennsylvania USDA officials on Friday approved disaster plans for Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Virginia that will ease the process for them for about a month. The California Restaurant Association says as many as 30,000 of the states 90,000 restaurants could close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. So which 60,000 survive? Well, youd think a family-owned Bay Area institution designed specifically for takeout would have a fighting chance. Pun-tastic Ben Franks opened in 1979 on El Camino Real inside of an oddly-shaped, 200-square-foot pre-fab building with a drive-thru, a takeout window and a whole lot of hot dogs. Founded by the son of Stanley Hiller, who designed the world's first successful coaxial helicopter at the age of 15, the now-iconic Redwood City restaurant sold enough dogs, burgers, and shakes to open 14 drive-thru franchises in the 80s and 90s in two different states including one in San Francisco owned by four-time 49ers Super Bowl champion Keena Turner. Forty-one years later, the original Ben Franks is the only one still open. And while it stood the test of time, Arvind Jain who bought the business in 2006 has no idea if it will stand the test of a pandemic. Were living with a minimal amount in the bank, Im only paying the most urgent bills, and just conserving cash, says Jain, who immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1979. Im not paying rent yet, I want to see what the government does first. Washington passed a $2.2 trillion economic relief package on Friday thats supposed to provide loans, grants and tax breaks to businesses big and small, and California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Tuesday providing a 90-day extension on paying sales tax to the state, entirely aimed at helping small businesses. One thing that hasnt been settled on as of yet, though, is commercial evictions while some counties have banned them, San Mateo County isnt one of them. Business is down 40% at least. With this kind of traffic, I can keep this place alive, says Jain. But if it dips below this Jain, 59, doesnt finish the sentence, because we all know how it finishes at this point. I dont have the kind of savings where I could carry this on my own, he says. Id be robbed of my livelihood if this went down any more. And Redwood City would be robbed of an institution. As a student, I used to work in restaurants, says Jain, who has an MBA and a masters in computer science, which he used to start a Burlingame telecom software startup that he sold in 2000. Ive never heard such good compliments for a place as this one. Longevity is a big reason for the public endearment, as are hot dogs sourced from 90-year-old San Francisco purveyor Evergood Fine Foods. But really, theres just something about a restaurant named Ben Franks that hits you with a cartoon drawing of Ben Franklin and the phrase The Classic American Hot Dog on their signage its hard not to smile as you drive by. Its hard not to appreciate the simplicity. Or the sandwich board on the sidewalk with two balloons tied to it that advertises 93-cent water. Those compliments and that appreciation havent stopped during the Bay Areas new shelter-in-place reality. Most people are just saying thanks for staying open, Jain says. And sure, theyre saying it while theyre pulling up a little farther away from the window than usual. But you see all the closed restaurants, and really were performing a good function. Were part of the community. Were doing the right thing. Lets hope the community keeps supporting us. On the Saturday following the second straight week of shelter-in-place orders from the Bay Area, there are four cars in line at the drive-thru at 12 p.m. Everything is immaculately clean inside of their cramped kitchen quarters, all of the employees are wearing gloves and theres a TIPS cup at the drive-thru window thats fuller than normal. Weve had employees for 25, 18, 15 years. Theyll retire with Ben Franks, most of them, Jain says. Most of them have been here longer than I have. Morale is as good as it can be so far, they all just say, God, Im just glad we have our jobs. A sign on the drive-thru window thoroughly details all of the precautions Ben Franks is taking in light of the pandemic in a bulleted list, and finishes the note simply with this: Thank you for trusting Ben Franks. Now Ben Franks, which sits right next to Caltrains Whipple Avenue crossing, is just hoping their landlord SamTrans does the same. Im hoping theyll understand, Jain says. Im being positive. Grant Marek is the Editorial Director of SFGATE. Email: grant.marek@sfgate.com | Twitter: @grant_marek The United Nations, (UN), and its partners are making efforts to ensure the coronavirus disease does not break out in camps housing internally displaced persons, (IDP) in Nigeria. According to the UN website, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, on Wednesday, said the agencies installed hand-washing stations in IDP camps to ensure supply of clean water. He said partners also distributed soap and taught the women on how to produce their own. Teams are supporting authorities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in developing emergency response plans that take into account the living conditions in many communities and IDP camps, where overcrowding can increase the risk of disease outbreaks, he said. We will not wait for COVID-19 to reach camps for internally displaced persons before we act, Mr Kallon said. They have already suffered enough from the decade-long conflict and our priority is to ensure the continuous delivery of life-saving assistance, especially health services, to the most vulnerable women, children and the elderly who need special attention. The crisis in these states, which has spilled over into the Lake Chad region, has left more than seven million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The official said it is crucial for vulnerable people to have access to not only water, soap, shelters, but also food, education and protection. The official said the UN also plans to bring in vital health equipment and tools to prevent and treat the respiratory disease. The UN has developed messages, posters, videos and other communications aimed at raising awareness about COVID-19 among IDPs and other vulnerable people in the North-east. Sensitisation campaigns are also reaching millions in various states through partnerships with major TV and radio channels. The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reports that most of the displaced are in Borno State. It said the majority of whom are women and children, with around a quarter being children under age five. Meanwhile, the UN and its humanitarian partners are actively involved in camp coordination and management in IDP sites across North-east Nigeria, in support of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). COVID-19 has affected 12 states across Nigeria, with 151 cases recorded as at Wednesday. Celebrity SheKnows Weve known for a while now that the British royal family is ushering in a new era, and with it comes new responsibilities for Kate Middleton and Prince William. But the Duchess of Cambridge in particular, who just celebrated her milestone 40th birthday over the weekend with the most regal photoshoot, seems poised to step [] For more than four hours on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments regarding an emergency petition filed last week thats aimed at reducing the number of incarcerated people in jails and prisons across the state amid the coronavirus pandemic. The petition, brought by ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee for Public Counsel Services and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers calls for the release of sentenced inmates as well as individuals held on pretrial detention. The petition is opposed by seven of the states district attorneys, while four support it. Following the hearing Tuesday, Rachael Rollins, the Suffolk District Attorney released a statement backing the petition, while Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni told MassLive the move jeopardizes the safety of the public as well as inmates. A decision is expected by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court within 24 to 48 hours Gulluni said. Were really sensitive and were really compassionate towards the threat this poses to people who are incarcerated, Gulluni said. I dont want that to be lost in arguments of public safety. Gulluni said that Hampden County has already released 16 individuals who were deemed among the vulnerable prison population regarding the coronavirus. More than 16 individuals have asked to be released, including Robert Nompleggi, who was charged with murder last year, Gulluni said. Nompleggi was not released. Gulluni stressed hes not against releasing inmates who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, but disagrees with releasing hundreds or thousands on a single decision. He wants every case looked at individually. They are people whos backgrounds weve looked at, who we have determined dont pose a great risk to public safety or a particular victim and who have a really identifiable issue that makes them more vulnerable where they could contract COVID, Gulluni said. Gulluni is one of six district attorneys in the state that disagree with the petition along with Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael OKeefe and Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn join in opposition. Gulluni said most of the states law enforcement from sheriffs to police chiefs also disagree with the petition. Rollins said she has been working with Suffolk Countys sheriff to expedite cases where inmates should be released due to vulnerabilities to the coronavirus. People do not stop being human the day they are sentenced, Rollins said in a statement. Although some have made terrible choices or engaged in reprehensible behavior, the sentence they received for their crime did not include contracting COVID-19 and death. The Committee for Public Counsel Services said along with Rollins, District Attorneys Marian Ryan of Middlesex, Andrea Harrington of Berkshire and David Sullivan of Northwestern, support the petition. It cannot be business as usual if we are going to prevent a catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19 in our correctional facilities an outbreak which will devastate not only the individuals incarcerated, but also the communities in which these facilities are located, the Committee for Public Counsel Services said in a statement. The petition asks the court to do three things: 1. Limit the number of people taken into custody, including by ordering the trial courts to weigh the threat of COVID-19 in jails and prisons when assessing the need for pretrial detention. 2. Reduce the number of people held pretrial who do not pose a risk to public safety. 3. Release people serving sentences in prisons and jails who are either vulnerable to COVID-19, near the end of their sentence, eligible for parole (including medical parole), or who do not pose a threat to the public. Gulluni said releasing inmates abruptly is also harmful to inmates as many haven't had plans to arrange where to live if released. Its just a bad idea in terms of releasing people, scores of people without preplanning, without services on the outside, Gulluni said. It doesnt consider victims rights. It doesn't consider public safety and in many cases it really puts these inmates being released in a bad spot. The petition cited that at least eight state and local court systems in Alabama, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Washington as well as the District of Columbia, have already taken steps to limit incarceration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outbreaks in correctional facilities among incarcerated people and staff will lead to surging demand for intensive health care, pushing our already overburdened health care system past the breaking point. This puts all of us at risk, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts Carol Rose said in a statement. Time is of the essence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty as a matter of law. Unless we change course now, were going to have it as a matter of fact. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also urged President Donald Trump earlier this month to reduce the number of people in federal custody to prevent the spread of the disease. At least 10 inmates tested positive for the coronavirus at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater. Additionally, five Department of Correction staff members have coronavirus. Three work at the treatment center, one works at MCI-Shirley and one works at the central office, said Jason Dobson, a spokesman for the department. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: A confidential leaked document listing 15 Melbourne properties with faulty cladding that will get taxpayer-funded repairs also reveals the buildings are riddled with other construction problems. The additional problems have sparked conflict between owners of some of the apartments - all built in the past 20 years - and the government, which has agreed only to fund the repair of cladding. Brunswick's Anstey Square is among the 15 buildings on the leaked list where cladding repairs will be publicly funded. Credit:Justin McManus Inspections indicate more than two decades of lax regulation have left buildings with a range of fire safety issues that must be addressed to make them safe to live in. Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith said the government needed to be clear that they were paying only to repair the cladding on defective buildings. Austria is preparing to join neighbouring states in turning to mask wearing as a further weapon to fight the coronavirus, presenting citizens under lockdown with another challenge to cultural norms due to the pandemic. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had said he wanted larger supermarkets to start providing shoppers with masks on Wednesday, but a tour of several Vienna supermarkets showed that not all of them had masks ready to hand out. One chain said it was "taken unawares" by the government's announcement while others have raised concerns over the cost of the new measure and possible supply problems. The measure will only come into full force on Monday. Nonetheless, some Austrians have taken to the new rule with gusto. "We have to do all we can to slow down infections and lots of people say that wearing a mask helps, so I think it's right," 42-year-old Vienna resident Stephan Hofmann told AFP -- through a mask. But he admits that "you have to learn to use it, how to put it on and take it off". While Kurz has as yet not publically donned a mask himself, leaders in neighbouring countries have been trying to set a good example. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has begun sporting one in public but is still struggling to adapt, having to wear his only over his mouth and not his nose. "My head is too big for this mask! It is too small for my muzzle," he exclaimed during one appearance on Monday. Meanwhile, the recent swearing-in of the new Slovakian government took place with all participants wearing face masks and gloves. Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have all made masks obligatory in public spaces and the Czech zeal for the new practice is such that when a group of nudists gathered at a lake during last weekend's unusually warm weather, police ordered them to cover up -- their mouths. "Citizens can be without clothes in places where this is allowed, but they must have their mouths covered," police spokeswoman Marketa Janovska told the Police Weekly newspaper. - 'Alien to our culture ' - Adherence to mask wearing is also being rigorously enforced elsewhere in the region. In Slovenia an AFP journalist witnessed a customer unaware of the new measures being yelled at and ordered to leave a supermarket for entering with his face uncovered. Announcing the measure in Austria on Monday, Kurz was nonetheless at pains to emphasise that face masks would be difficult for some Austrians to get used to. "I know that masks are alien to our culture and that this will be a big adjustment," he said. An opinion piece in the Der Standard daily was blunter: "Let's admit it: until now we would find it funny when other people would wear masks in public, thinking it was out of hypochondria and panic." There was the additional consideration of how this would impact on Austrians' normal variety of "insults, nagging and grouching," the piece added. Medical anthropologist Christos Lynteris from Scotland's St Andrew's University says that the "traumatic" nature of the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003 helped normalise mask wearing in parts of East Asia. "The case fatality rate was much higher than for COVID-19, so it was a very scary epidemic," Lynteris told AFP. In Hong Kong and elsewhere in the region, face masks became "everyday objects... playful, personalised -- it's like any other accessory," according to Lynteris. And while epidemics do not always lead to cultural changes, it should be remembered that current European norms around covering -- or revealing -- one's face are not set in stone. "Calling the bare face a cultural constant in the West is nonsense," Lynteris says, pointing out that attire covering at least some portion of the face or head was customary well into the 20th century, particularly for women. As one Slovenian shopper put it to AFP: "The situation requires measures which were once unimaginable." "Life will be different from now on but we will get used to it," mother-of-two Maja Zivec said. The Grinnell College International Student Organization (ISO) cabinet for the 2020- 21 academic year will consist of President Puravi Nath 21, Vice President Aarzoo Bhimani 21, Secretary Vidush Goswami 21, Treasurer Sarah Wig 23, Social Coordinators Derin Sivrioglu 23 and Nini Pataridze 22 and Publicity Coordinators Gyana Singh 23 and Tinotenda Tazvitya 23, as announced to international students by email this past Sunday.Each cabinet member occupies a different role to help ensure that ISO works as smoothly as possible to represent international students and their countries within the Grinnell community. Nath explained that in her new role as president, her job is to ensure that every students voice is heard both in the cabinet and from the general membership. I want to make [ISO] as inclusive as possible, Nath said. In an interview with The S&B, she outlined plans to address issues surrounding the funding of smaller cultural groups by Multicultural Leadership Council. Currently, Nath said, MLC tends to fund larger cultural groups like ISO. She said that this exclusion of smaller groups is not intentional but rather structural: there are both a limited number of MLC suites available and limited funds available. She wants to use ISO to elevate these smaller groups We want to make funding easier for them, and basically help their plans come true, explained Nath. Secretary-elect Goswami is also looking forward to implementing support for smaller international groups through ISO. He outlined his main goal to create a separate budget for ISO within the Student Government Associate budget. As Goswami explained, Having a different budget for ISO will make it easier for smaller groups that arent part of the MLC. Japanese Culture Association isnt a part of MLC its hard for them to get funding from SGA because theyre a small organization. But theyre still a significant culture and we need more diversity on this campus. Vice President-elect Bhimani also highlighted the importance of supporting rare bird cultures. Rare birds are students whose nationality is shared by approximately fewer than four students on campus. I want to do more for the rare bird cultures next year. There tends to be a sentiment that ISO is dominated by the larger cultures on campus, explained Bhimani. I think people often make that assumption based on the makeup of the cabinet, because we do tend to have an Asian or South-Asian dominance in terms of cabinet members. And I dont want the members of the organization to feel like ISO is exclusive to larger represented groups, she said. Over the past few years, the cabinet has been primarily made up of students from India and southeast Asia. Calvin Tang 20, current Vice President of ISO, said that this regional dominance is due to general campus demographics. The past three years of ISO, counting the upcoming one, leadership has all been South-Asian or primarily Indian. I do think [this is due to] the fact that they are the second largest population by numbers of international students, and its right behind Chinese students, he said. Tang said that Chinese students may feel more inclined to be part of the Chinese Student Association than join ISO. Its much easier for them to get involved within their community, which is a great thing, he said. He asserted that the current ISO and future leadership are united in their desire to bridge the gaps between ISO and narrower affinity groups both in representation in ISO and through advocacy for the diversity of multicultural groups in general. I do really hope in the future that students from other countries that are lesser represented will feel more empowered or feel more motivation to run, he said. I dont think its going to get figured out within a couple years, said Tang, of advocating for smaller cultural groups. I think its going to be a long-term thing that we always have to keep working at. The goal is to not necessarily absorb these smaller cultural organizations, but at least allow them to use us as a platform to get out to a larger audience. This year, the current cabinet introduced ISO Week. This weeklong event highlighted smaller groups that were not within the MLC umbrella to give them more exposure to the campus community. The new cabinet plans to continue these efforts to encourage solidarity throughout all international student groups, not just ISO. All of ISO works together. It doesnt really matter what position you are, you have certain responsibilities. [But] you make decisions all together; theres nothing thats an executive decision, everything is a cabinet decision, said Nath. Vice President-elect Bhimani said that the cabinet changes functionally as well as personally ever year. Each cabinet every year doesnt do it the same way, we kind of set the ground for how we want the semester to go and we let people chip in ideas for how they want their roles to be. For her part, Bhimani said that she plans to start ISO office hours so that the cabinet is more accessible to both general members and nonmembers. Nath said that she wants to increase awareness and accessibility of internship paths for international students. She has been working with the Dean of the Careers, Life and Services to create software to better advertise these opportunities and promote CLS resources. Nath said that her main focus in this effort will be reducing the cost of curricular practical training (CPT). International students are required to complete CPT before their internships and this training can be expensive, thus serving as a barrier that many students cannot overcome. Nath said she hopes to find ways to reduce this cost while making the process more need-based and need-aware. Nath said that she has wanted to be president of ISO in order to give back to students what ISO has given to her since her first year at Grinnell. When you come to a place like this, its so easy to feel like you dont belong. Its one of the most beautiful things if you can make people feel like they are a part. I think thats so important, she said. I want to make this as easy as possible. I kind of struggled, and I dont want anyone else to struggle. Nanhe Lal, 52, was busy setting up a makeshift tent on Monday in the fields on the periphery of his village in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur district. The tent, he said, would serve as his personal isolation ward for the next two weeks. Lal was among thousands of migrant workers from Delhi who took to the national highways on foot, soon after the nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, in their desperation to get back home and safetya feat he finally accomplished on Sunday night. The exodus of workers, headed to their native lands, has been witnessed across the country over the past few days. For a country like India, which has an internal migrant population of around 37% (according to the 2011 census data) the movement of migrants was of such a scale that many likened it to the exodus triggered by the Partition of 1947. Photographs by media houses and agencies showed massive gatherings at state borders, highways and bus terminals, with people desperately looking for a way to get back home. On Sunday, the Union home ministry directed states to ensure that no employer sacks these workers or deduct their wages during the lockdown period, through an advisory. The direction was welcomed by the migrant workforce but its potential for enforcement was beyond their imagination. HT later reached out over the phone to a dozen migrant workers from different states and told them about the Union home ministrys directive. Lal was one of them. How is that possible? We dont have any records. How will I prove I have been sacked or my salary has been deducted? Lal said. They said the direction was welcome but wondered how it would be implemented on the ground even as Delhis labour minister Gopal Rai assured workers that his government will ensure that no worker is sacked or not paid because of the lockdown. Delhi has around 1.5 million migrant labourers engaged in the unorganised sector which perennially suffers from an arbitraryor rather maliciousrecord-keeping system in terms of employees on payroll. How can any government which till date could not ensure that we receive the stipulated minimum wages suddenly enforce a crackdown on employers for terminating our employment or not paying us during this lockdown? said Amar Ahirwar, another migrant worker who does loading and unloading of heavy machinery in Delhis Mayapuri industrial area. He has now reached his village in Madhya Pradeshs Morena and quarantined at a government centre there. Rakhi Sehgal, a labour rights activist and researcher, said, India has plenty of labour laws but for ages, they were not enforced efficiently. The resulthundreds and thousands of wrongful terminations, wage disputes, inhuman working conditions, etc. The lack of enforcement is why no migrant labourer today trusts the news that government will act against employers for wrongful termination and/or salary cut during the lockdown. Even if the government has the right intent, how will they transform it into action, a senior official in Delhis labour department asked. He further said, The task of crackdown will lie with the states. Let us take Delhi as an example. The department has 20 field officials against a sanctioned strength of 72, only five case officials against a sanctioned strength of 20. Five joint commissioners preside over courts, against a sanctioned strength of 13. Who will do the enforcement? Animesh Das, a member of the Delhi governments minimum wage committee, said, The government should do four things. First, make record-keeping in the unorganised sector less arbitrary by issuing mandatory identity cards to labourers. Second, digitise the wage mechanism to strengthen the record-keeping process. Third, create a strong complaint registration mechanism for labour disputes that arise out of the lockdown. And, fourth, strengthen the labour law implementation machinery in general. Gopal Rai said, Right now, the priority for migrant workers is food and shelter. As far as the enforcement of the governments directive is concerned, we will do everything to ensure that no worker is terminated or suffer a salary cut because of the coronavirus lockdown. WHO: Countries Must Take Steps to 'Push Down' Coronavirus By VOA News March 31, 2020 Despite vast improvements in countries such as China and South Korea, the World Health Organization said Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak is "far from over" in that region. "This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard. We need every country to keep responding according to their local situation," the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, said at a briefing. China reported one new death and 48 new cases Tuesday, none of them locally transmitted, while South Korea reported 125 new ones. Kasai and experts at a separate WHO briefing stressed that governments need to be taking active measures and maintain pressure to halt the spread of the respiratory infection. He said the WHO had no evidence that the rising temperatures of the coming hot season would slow down the virus, as some had hoped, and that there was no telling how much longer the pandemic would last. Matthew Griffith, an epidemiologist advising the WHO on its response to the virus in the region, said he was concerned that any infection spikes to come were most likely to happen in the poorest countries. Laos and Myanmar reported their first COVID-19 cases only last week, although some health experts believe they may be missing many cases for a lack of testing. Michael Ryan is the executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program. He said officials hope countries currently experiencing the worst effects, including Italy and Spain, will soon see their situations stabilize; but, he said the virus will not stop itself, requiring governments to act to "push down" the number of infections. Coronavirus technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said those public efforts must include testing, isolation, finding contacts and quarantining those individuals. Italy reported 837 more deaths Tuesday, bringing its total to 12,428, while Spain surpassed China in terms of overall cases. Only the United States has more cases than Italy and Spain. Spain announced 849 new deaths Tuesday, the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, boosting the country's death toll to 8,189. Ryan also cited the shortage of protective masks for health care workers, and reiterated WHO advice that generally healthy people should not wear them. "There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly," he said. U.S. states ask for help The iconic Empire State Building in New York City lit up Monday night in the form of a red and white siren to honor emergency workers "on the front line of the fight." New York is the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, with more than 900 deaths as hospitals struggle to cope with the influx of patients. New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo has made a nationwide appeal for more help, asking doctors and nurses in areas without an urgent coronavirus situation to travel to the area to help. The pandemic turned personal for Governor Cuomo on Tuesday when he learned his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and would continue to broadcast from his basement. On the other side of the country, California Governor Gavin Newsom turned to retired doctors and nurses, as well as medical students, to boost the health care response. He announced Monday the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus infections had nearly tripled over the course of four days. Overall, the number of U.S. cases topped 175,000 with more than 3,400 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll surpassed China's official tally of 3,305. Worldwide there have been more than 823,000 confirmed cases, with more than 174,000 people already recovered. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday there were more than 5,000 cases on the continent. South Africa accounts for one in four cases, and its president announced plans to launch a door-to-door effort to screen and test people. Tuesday also brought the latest rounds of travel bans and domestic lockdowns, including Indonesia banning entry to foreigners who do not have residence visas. Japan urged its citizens not to travel to areas with ongoing outbreaks, issuing warnings for the United States, China and South Korea. Vietnam planned to start a two-week nationwide lockdown on Wednesday and was telling people not to gather in groups of more than two people. Hungary and Serbia are among a group of countries that are subject to growing concern that populist leaders are using the crisis to seize more authority and silence critics. Human rights expert Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said, "A state of emergency, wherever it is declared and for whatever reason, must be proportionate to its aim, and only remain in place for as long as absolutely necessary." Zsombor Peter, in Kuala Lumpur, contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Listed companies have been granted more leeway to conduct emergency capital raisings, as investors brace for revenue-starved businesses to tap the market for new equity. The stock exchange operator, ASX Limited, on Tuesday night lifted its limit on how much new equity larger companies can raise from investors in a placement. The ASX will provide temporary relief for emergency capital raisings. Credit:AAP It will also allow trading halts of up to four days, up from two previously, to give companies, boards and investors more time to assess the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on their business before conducting a raising. Until now, only small-cap companies were able to issue up to 25 per cent of their market capitalisation in a placement, and such a move had to be approved by a shareholder vote. A majority of members of the United Nations Security Council are pushing for a resolution to address the coronavirus outbreak after talks stalled last week due to a US-China disagreement over the origins of the pandemic. In an effort to break the deadlock, Tunisia circulated a resolution Wednesday among the ten rotating members of the 15-nation Security Council that expresses concern about the outbreak, supports Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeal for a global cease-fire, and calls the pandemic a threat to humanity and to international peace and security." The resolution calls on nations to provide protection for the most vulnerable in conflict zones, especially refugees, displaced populations, women, children, and person with disabilities," according to a copy of the text seen by Bloomberg. The Security Council has been unable to come up with a united response to the pandemic in recent weeks due to discord over a US attempt to single out Beijings role in allegedly accentuating the global crisis. Diplomats at the UN are now seeking to schedule a meeting on the outbreak for later this week or next, Dominican Republic Ambassador Jose Singer told reporters Wednesday. 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!! At a time when Canadians are thirsty for credible information about all things COVID-19, a group of female chief medical officers has been thrust into the national spotlight. With their unflappable demeanours and personal style, some experts say their new-found notoriety will inspire a new wave of female students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and medicine. In just a few weeks, the public health chiefs have become celebrities, garnering widespread public praise for their reassuring, fact-based delivery of COVID-19 information. Theyre all over the media and were stuck in our homes, tuned into television, and were seeing these women in these high-profile roles executing brilliantly under pressure, said Christine Allen, scientist and professor at the University of Torontos Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. It would be wonderful if more females decide to choose a career in science because they see these women. The public admiration has inspired songs, T-shirts bearing their images and quirky social media fan accounts, including one celebrating the chic scarves worn by Torontos chief medical officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa. De Villa isnt the only one lighting up social media with fashion trends. Sales skyrocketed for Smoking Lily, a Canadian handcrafted goods brand, after Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer, donned one of its periodic-table dresses during a COVID-19 news conference. This woman has worked her way up in the medical field to become the CMO of Alberta, said Smoking Lily founder Trish Tacoma. Its pretty awesome. When Allen isnt glued to de Villas reassuring guidance via television broadcasts shes following her frequent Twitter updates. It instills confidence and gives me peace of mind, she said. I bet you there will be many young people who will now choose fields related to solving issues after being exposed to all of this. The scientists are pushing aside athletes and other entertainers for the publics attention as citizens try to navigate these unprecedented times. Toronto family physician Dr. Iris Gorfinkel says women, including the chief medical officers were now idolizing, have knocked down tremendous barriers to sit at the top of their fields. In my class, about one out of five were women, said Gorfinkel, who graduated medical school in 1989. We were a huge minority. A few years ago over 50 per cent (of medical students) became women. Gorfinkel said its statistically proven that countries and corporations that embrace the advancement of women tend to be more productive and successful economically. Its about time powerful women in STEM and medicine get the praise they deserve, added Imogen Coe, the founding dean of Ryerson Universitys faculty of science. I hope were moving to a kind of society where we recognize that we have scientists and clinicians who are celebrities, said the professor of chemistry and biology. We worship a lot of athletes and television personalities, but some of our biggest stars are scientists and medical doctors, and were seeing them in action right now. Coe, who has been a staunch advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM, said she hopes the concept of female leadership becomes normalized for boys and men as much as it does for girls: that women are doing this work, are really good at it and we need to see more women in these leadership positions. These are some of the key female figures leading the way during the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Theresa Tam Canadas chief public health officer knows pandemics and what it takes to fight them. Each day, Tam reminds Canadians that theres little public health officials can do on their own and that everyone has a role to play in protecting the community from COVID-19. Her main job is to provide advice to the federal minister of health, plus she heads the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is also the main co-ordinator among public health agencies across the country. In a system where each province manages its own health system, perhaps her most important job is to be Canadas unifying voice in the fight against COVID-19. Internationally, she has advised the World Health Organization on infectious diseases like ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and poliovirus. Dr. Eileen de Villa Torontos medical officer of health is used to making headlines. De Villa has previously commanded coverage for criticizing Ontarios loosened alcohol regulations and calling for the decriminalization of all personal-use drugs in Canada, saying drug use should be treated as a public health issue rather than a criminal one. She also called gun violence a growing public health concern, prompting the Toronto Board of Health to ask the prime minister to ban the sale of handguns. Since COVID-19 was first reported in Canada in late January in a Toronto patient who had recently returned from China, de Villa has urged calm and vigilance instead of panic and apathy. Dr. Deena Hinshaw Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, has become the reassuring face of the response to COVID-19, delivering daily web updates to thousands, urging calm while not shying away from the fatal consequences of ignorance and indolence. In doing so, Hinshaw has become a pseudo-celebrity in her own right. Twitter blew up with concern when Hinshaw announced she was self-isolating after waking up with cold symptoms. She delivered her update from home that day and was back at the podium the next day after testing negative for novel coronavirus. Dr. Bonnie Henry When Henry, British Columbias provincial health officer, cried during a news conference at which she confirmed two people had contracted COVID-19 in a long-term care home, her compassion and resolve was described by colleagues and friends as a galvanizing moment in Canadas fight against the global virus. Those who know Henry say she is both knowledgeable and battle-tested. Appointed to the position in 2018, she is an experienced virus hunter who has battled SARS, ebola, H1N1 and polio during her career. Henry headed the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on an acting basis during H1N1 and is the author of Soap and Water & Common Sense, a guide to staying healthy in a microbe-filled world. Dr. Jennifer Russell New Brunswicks chief medical officer of health since 2015, Russell has a background working for the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs. She weaves directives to citizens about avoiding mass gatherings and implementing social distancing with calls for people to stay connected with one another by phone or through social media, to eat well, exercise and take deep breaths. Dr. Janice Fitzgerald As Newfoundland and Labradors chief medical officer of health, Fitzgerald has urged residents to practise social distancing while reminding them to exercise, tend to their mental health and check in on family and friends. Recently, she told people its normal to be afraid and assured them that health officials are working to protect them. She has attracted praise from politicians for leading her small staff through the provinces pandemic response and she has become popular on social media. Dr. Heather Morrison, Prince Edward Island Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.s chief public health officer, has brought a level of calm and experience to the COVID-19 response on the island. Appointed chief health officer in July 2007, she commands her frequent public updates with a mix of health facts and sage advice. As P.E.Is first female Rhodes Scholar, she completed both a masters and doctorate degree at University of Oxford in comparative social research and social policy. She completed her MD at Dalhousie University, followed by residency training in community medicine at the University of Toronto. She has served in a variety of leadership roles including chair of the Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health, P.E.I's representative on the national Special Advisory Committee in H1N1 and co-chair of the Ebola response for P.E.I. With files from The Canadian Press Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic Read more about: With numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases increasing in the Thumb, here are five things you need to know as you start your Wednesday. 1. Sanilac County records first coronavirus death, second in Thumb The Sanilac County Health Department reported its first death related to COVID-19 on Tuesday. The victim was a man in his late 60s. It was the first death for Sanilac County and the second in the Thumb, following one in Tuscola County late last week. 2. Coronavirus numbers double in Tuscola County Confirmed coronavirus cases in Tuscola County jumped from five to 10 on Tuesday after state numbers were released. Tuscola and Huron County Health Officer Ann Hepfer warned that there were likely many more cases in the area. 3. Local stores offering curbside pickup Some local stores have begun offering curbside pickup instead of having customers shop inside, due to concerns from employees. Port Austin Market, Port Austin Express and Huron's Finest are three locations that have changed the way their business works during the pandemic. 4. Attorney general Q&A Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel answered a number of questions online recently from Michigan residents about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 5. Can you put PPE in the freezer? Huron County readers have had a number of questions about whether cold temperatures will kill COVID-19, including Monday when someone asked whether putting personal protective gear in the freezer could kill the virus and allow PPE to be used again. If you have a question you would like answered about the coronavirus, ask it below or visit www.michigansthumb.com. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) has issued a statement on the national elections held in the Republic of Artsakh. The statement reads as follows: On March 31, 2020, in accordance with the Constitution adopted at the national referendum in 2017, the sixth presidential and the seventh parliamentary elections were simultaneously held in the Republic of Artsakh. The authorities of the Republic created all the necessary conditions for the elections to be held on a competitive and free basis and in line with international standards. The elections in Artsakh attracted unprecedented attention: over 140 international observers and about 40 foreign journalists from 38 countries expressed readiness to participate in them. Unfortunately, due to the preventive measures in place in different countries, including restrictions on movement caused by the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the participation of international observers and foreign journalists was impossible. We express our deep gratitude to all international observers who expressed readiness to support this important democratic process in Artsakh by their participation. At the same time, around 950 representatives of non-governmental organizations from Artsakh and Armenia observed the elections. The elections passed in a calm atmosphere, with the active participation of voters. The turnout made 72.2 percent of the total number of voters. According to the preliminary data of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Artsakh, five political forces were elected to the National Assembly (Parliament). It should be noted that 10 political parties and 2 party alliances competed for parliamentary seats. Due to the fact that none of the presidential candidates took over 50% of the votes, the second round of the presidential elections is set to be held, which will take place within the time frame prescribed by the law. The elections held in conditions of openness and political pluralism have once again demonstrated the determination of the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh in the effective organization of the public life based on the democratic principles, the consistent improvement of state institutions, and the provision of efficient mechanisms of public control. We are convinced that the strengthening of democratic traditions and their spread throughout the South Caucasus will become an important contribution to ensuring peace, stability and predictability in the region, as well as create the necessary conditions for the final settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict by exclusively peaceful means. The consistent efforts of the authorities and people of Artsakh should be supported by the international community, since the strengthening of democracy, human rights and the rule of law is universal and therefore is the collective responsibility of the entire world community. The creation of artificial obstacles on this path is a violation of the provisions of fundamental international human rights instruments." Ethiopia's election commission announced Tuesday that general elections due in August would be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, in a setback for the country's fragile democratic transition. No new timeline was given for the vote, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed -- last year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- hopes will give him a mandate for sweeping political and economic reforms. "Because of issues related to the coronavirus, the board has decided it can't conduct the election as planned... so it has decided to void that calendar and suspend all activities," the poll body said in a statement It said a new date would be given "when the pandemic is over". Ethiopia has recorded 26 cases of COVID-19 and federal and regional officials have introduced a range of measures intended to curb its spread, including banning large gatherings and restricting travel. These measures would have prevented the timely completion of activities like voter registration and the recruitment and training of observers, the election board said. Abiy was appointed prime minister in 2018 after several years of anti-government protests. He rose through the ranks of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) ruling coalition, which dominated parliament and allowed only one competitive election after it took power in the early 1990s, which was in 2005. The EPRDF and its allies won all 547 seats in parliament in 2015. However the coalition no longer exists following Abiy's decision to transform it into a single political group, the Ethiopian Prosperity Party. Path forward uncertain Well before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, opposition parties and analysts had voiced concern that the election board's preparations were behind schedule. The scheduled date of August 29 had also been a point of contention because it falls at the height of the rainy season. Yet election officials had previously said they could not delay the vote because the constitutional mandates of lawmakers expire in October. It was not immediately clear how officials intended to address that problem should the coronavirus pandemic push elections into late 2020 or even 2021. Abiy's rule has been marred by widespread ethnic violence, and critics accuse him of cracking down on political opponents and other dissenters. Grim security conditions in parts of the country like Wollega, where the military is conducting counterinsurgency operations against a rebel group, have called into question how the government could possibly hold voting there. The delay could potentially give the government space to address major obstacles to a peaceful and credible vote, said William Davison, Ethiopia analyst for the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention organisation. "Although the circumstances are deeply worrying, the delay does offer an opportunity to reset Ethiopia's troubled transition," Davison said. "A start would be the ruling party discussing with opponents critical topics such as the conditions for a fair election, transitional justice and reconciliation, and the federation's major political faultlines." Jawar Mohammed, a leading opposition politician, told AFP he was not surprised by the delay but said the opposition would need to be consulted on next steps. "We knew it was coming," he told AFP. "But the new timetable cannot be done by the ruling party alone." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 Trend: The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region has issued an appeal in connection with the so-called "elections" held in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,Trend reports on April 1. "In the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on March 31, 2020, another "election show" was organized, called the "presidential and parliamentary elections". This step of occupier Armenia and its accomplice - the puppet regime has no legal basis, is a big blur on the name of democracy and elections," the appeal states. As noted in the document, now when the world is facing a coronavirus pandemic, and people's lives are in danger, Armenia and its puppet regime, remaining committed to their essence, even in this situation continue illegal activities, conducting the show called elections: This is another indicator of "values" on which Armenia and the occupant regime are based; and their "attitude" towards the members of the Armenian community of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, which they hold captive, confirms how much indifferently the regime approaches to the lives and destinies of these people. We believe the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh will finally understand that they are a tool in the hands of Armenia and the puppet regime which dont value them, turning them into a victim of fake games instead of protecting them from the threat of pandemic," the appeal states. The appeal stresses that the holding of so-called "elections" in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of Azerbaijanis who were subjected to ethnic cleansing and expelled from their native lands: "The UN, OSCE, other world organizations and the international community have previously made statement in connection with these falsified "elections", condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, declaring the inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of our country, the appeal notes. These so-called "elections" are another strike to the negotiation process, and serves to escalation of the situation. We are convinced that the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh will participate in the legal elections, which will be held in accordance with the Constitution and other laws of Azerbaijan together with Azerbaijanis who will return after the restoration of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan," the appeal states. Photo: BC Wildfire Service Researchers at the University of British Columbia are warning that wildfire season in B.C. may worsen the COVID-19 pandemic if the outbreak isn't brought under control by summer. Professor Michael Brauer in the UBC School of Population and Public Health, Dr. Christopher Carlsten, professor of medicine and Canada Research Chair in Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease at UBC, and Sarah Henderson, associate professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health, believe its time to consider the dangers of air pollution during the pandemic. Brauer says, "with the reduced traffic and economic activity due to social distancing, we may be tempted to assume air quality has improved, but in B.C. at this time of the year, our major air pollution sources are open burning of agricultural, forestry and other waste, residential wood heating, and road dust." Right now, there are a handful of wildfires already burning in the province, raising the potential for severe smoke. Health Canada estimates that 1,600 deaths in British Columbia are a direct result of air pollution every year. In the Interior, spring has already brought multiple air quality advisories over dust events. Christoper Carlesten, professor of medicine and Canada Research Chair in occupational and environmental lung disease at UBC, says during the SARS outbreak in 2003, air pollution exposure doubled the death risk in those who had the virus. Sarah Henderson, associate professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health, says there are steps British Columbians can take to protect themselves and others. "First, use of fireplaces should be banned when not needed as a primary heating source, until the pandemic is over. Second, open burning of debris should be halted in locations close to population centres, at least temporarily. Third, municipalities should take action to clean streets and reduce the potential for further road dust events," says Henderson. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has already recognized the need for action by issuing open burning restrictions for all High Smoke Sensitivity Zones across the province until April 15. "These restrictions are directly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect pollutants have on viral respiratory infections," according to the ministry. Researchers also warn that those with pre-existing heart and lung disease should ensure they have adequate supplies of medication and should consider purchasing air cleaners. "It is also reasonable to consider proactive fire bans to further reduce the likelihood of wildfires this year," Henderson says. Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 1st April 2020. Here are the major headlines. COVID-19: Buharis Lockdown Order Is Legal VP Osibanjo Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the lockdown order by President Muhammadu Buhari on the federal capital territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun is legal. Coronavirus: FG Suspends Reconstruction Of Enugu International Airport The Federal Government has ordered the suspension of the ongoing reconstruction work at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. Recall that in December 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari approved N10billion for the reconstruction of the airport. IGP Adamu Tests Negative To Coronavirus The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has tested negative for coronavirus. In a statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba revealed that the IGP received his test result on Tuesday morning, having submitted samples on Friday, 27th March 2020. Benue State Governor Orders Immediate Closure Of All Borders The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has ordered the closure of all the borders of the State to curtail the spread of Coronavirus. Coronavirus: Sultan Slams Clerics For Misleading Followers Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad Abubakar, has slammed some Islamic clerics over their non-adherence to instructions by experts on how to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. COVID-19: Nigeria Records More Cases Totalling To 135 The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) has announced four new cases of coronavirus in the country, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 135. Buhari Signs COVID-19 Regulation 2020 Into Law President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the COVID-19 regulation into law, thus declaring it a dangerous and infectious disease. Also, the law gives legal backing to all the measures outlined in his nationwide broadcast on Sunday. Coronavirus: Governor Makinde Tests Positive The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has confirmed he has contracted the deadly coronavirus. The governor made this known in a tweet from his official Twitter account. Coronavirus: Nigeria Records Second Death Nigeria has recorded a second death caused by the deadly coronavirus infection. The incident was announced by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, during a media briefing on Monday. Ogun State Lockdown Postponed Till Friday The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun has announced that the lockdown of the state has been shifted to Friday, April 3, 2020. By PTI NEW DELHI: Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Wednesday slammed the "communalisation" of the sharp rise in coronavirus cases and linking them to a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and asserted that this would harm the united fight against the pandemic. Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani hit out at the "negative propaganda" in the media on the Jamaat Markaz (headquarters), saying it is deeply condemnable to give this fight a religious colour. Madani said in a statement that with the sudden announcement of the lockdown on March 24, millions of people were "trapped" across the country and were trying to return to their homes. "So in those situations, if some people get locked up in the markaz, we think that there is no such thing as breaking the law," the Jamiat chief said. Announcing the lockdown, the prime minister had said one must stay wherever he is, and not come out, Madani said. "There are reports that the markaz had informed, in writing, the concerned authorities and agencies, and even permission was sought for people to send them to their homes, so the markaz cannot be blamed in this regard," Madani said. "In this situation, the media of the country is making a dangerous conspiracy to mislead the people by presenting only one side of the picture," he said. The sectarian mindset and communalisation of the cases is a bigger threat than the virus, the maulana said. The central and state governments should not only take notice of it but condemn the propaganda against Muslims, he said. "Such propaganda would damage communal harmony in the country, as the people unitedly are fighting a strong war against the epidemic," he said. Madani also said that during and after the Tablighi Jamaat programme, a larger number of religious and non-religious events took place in every corner of the country under the patronage of politicians. "Therefore, if an FIR can be filed against Nizamuddin's office, then there should be an FIR against the central and state government officials who could not manage properly millions of workers gathered at Anand Vihar railway station and other places after the lockdown order," he said. India registered 386 new cases of COVID-19 in last 24 hours, taking the tally to 1,637 in the country, the government said on Wednesday, and linked the sharp increase in number of cases to the Tablighi meet since early March at Nizamuddin which has become the new epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country --from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu. A son has joined the police force where his mother has been catching criminals as a constable since he was six years old. Jordan Unitt, 21, has kept up the family tradition by teaming up with his mother Maxine, 44, to fight crime. The duo now work for Kidderminster Police after Jordan started training with West Mercia Police in January this year. Jordan Unitt, 21, has kept up family tradition and teamed up mother Maxine, 44, to fight crime Jordan is continuing his training on the same beat as his mother, who has served the force for 13 years. The mother-of-two believes seeing the 'police family' as a child may have influenced his decision to follow in her footsteps. 'I've been in the police since he was six years old so it's always been a big part of his life,' Maxine, of Tipton, West Midlands, said. 'The police became the norm for him, so a lot of people that he's mixing with in the station now have seen him grow up because they've been colleagues and friends of mine. 'When you are in the police you are part of a family. Your children are part of it because we all socialise together. 'It was a big part of him and it was over the last few years he expressed an interest in joining. 'When he told me I said go for it, it's a good time for recruiting at the moment. He was at the right age to go in and start his career. 'In a general sense, it's unusual in the fact that we're both on the frontline. There are some families who follow their parents into the police. 'But a lot of the time, there's a bigger age gap and you don't tend to have two frontline officers at the same time. It is pretty unique.' Jordan still has a number of weeks left as part of his Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) before starting shifts. Jordan has joined a police force where his mother has been catching criminals as a constable since he was six years old - Maxine pictured holding Jordan when he was in reception Maxine has revealed that she is concerned about Jordan working in the force due to the coronavirus crisis. 'I was a bit apprehensive, as a mother. In the job that we do, you are going to be a little bit apprehensive,' she added. 'I know his team very well and we all look after each other but with the pandemic, you are more apprehensive because we are frontline policing, we are not in offices. 'We're dealing with the public so there is a risk to both of us. You just got to deal with it though. He's cracking on with the job.' Jordan did go to university to study Computer Science but eventually opted to follow his mother's path and has opened up on what it's like to work in the same team. 'It's been fine, we have a great relationship and we're on different shifts anyway,' he said. 'When I finish it's like a changeover to my mum. It's alright with me, its not like I am stuck with her all day. 'We can potentially go to the same job. We could possibly go to incidents together if we were the two officers available at the time. Maxine's six-year-old daughter Alex Unitt (front) also wants to join the police service 'That hasn't happened yet but given time, I imagine it might.' Maxine revealed that Jordan is on the receiving end of jokes within the team for being the son of a police officer. 'Jordan is the child of a police officer so he gets a lot of stick,' she said. 'We give banter to each other because that's how we make light of difficult situations. 'He's taking it all in his stride and he finds it all quite funny, to be honest. 'My six-year-old daughter Alex also wants to join the force when she grows up, so there could be three of us here at some point, you never know.' Charley said all employees who have had direct contact with the first officer have been placed in quarantine as a precaution, while any employee who had close direct contact with the officer will be notified. Employees who came into contact with the second officer have also been notified, but will not be required to quarantine as the contact took place more than 14 days ago, Charley said. New Delhi, April 1 : The strain of new coronavirus in India is not as virulent as the ones which are devastating Italy, Spain and the US. In an in depth genomic analysis of rapidly revolving SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19) viruses, top Indian microbiologist Rup Lal, and his team of 16 scientists have discovered that strain found in India, matches with the sequence of new coronavirus found in Wuhan, and is less virulent. The study analysed the data taken from different countries including, Italy, Spain, US, China, Nepal and India. "The study shows that virus is mutating very rapidly. In simpler words, we can say the virus is changing its structure quickly...which means it will be difficult to develop a vaccine for prevention from this dreaded virus. "Even if we develop a vaccine, we are not sure that the same vaccine will work in other parts of the world, looking at the nature of different strains of COVID-19," said Lal, a senior scientist with The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI). On why people are dying more in Spain, Italy and now in the US, scientist Vipin Gupta, a key member ofLal's team said in their study it was discovered that virus which changed itself rapidly in Europe and then in the US, was more devastating. On being asked about the virus isolated here in India, Gupta said: "We cannot conclude but safely say at this point, that strains of virus found in India is less virulent when we compare it with the US'." During the study, Indian microbiologist discovered that genomes of six isolates, specifically from the US, were found to harbour unique amino acid and showed amino acid substitutions in proteins. Interpreting the scientific terminology for common man, Gupta, who specialises in Bioinformatics said, "This suggests the severity of mutating viral genome in the population of US. Simply to say the virus strain in US is quite threatening for humans". If the virus after entering a human body mutates rapidly then it often becomes difficult to counter it. Lal says that different strategies are required and seeing the fast changing characteristic of the virus, treatment would also be difficult. In the US, scientists have suggested that there are 8 different strains of virus, and they have been attacking in different ways. While much is unknown, hidden in the virus' unique microscopic fragments are clues to the origins of its original strain, how it behaves as it mutates and which strains are turning into conflagrations. "Our study is on, and the more we look deep into the sequence the more facts we will be able to dig out," says Vipin Gupta. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text (Photo : Pixabay) Massive solar flares created by Sun's Radiation (Photo : Pixabay) Wild fire due to extreme heat NASA just announced that they will be venturing into outer space once more, but the launch will not be earlier than July 1, 2023. NASA proposed "SunRISE" (Sun Radi Interferometer Space Experiment) mission will last for 11 months and hopes to look into the star at the center of our solar system. It will be led by Jet Kasper of University of Michigan in Ann Arbor which will be managed by JPL (NASA's Jet Repulsion Laboratory) in Pasadena, California. Investigating the space clouds created by sun's radiation Initially, the main goal of the mission was to understand the activities of the sun. It was later expanded to also investigate the massive space clouds created by the sun's radiation. The space exploration will launch six CubeSats, which cost a total $62.6 million to plan, design, build, and launch. It will orbit the the star at the center of the solar system like a large radio telescope. The six solar-powered satellites, about the size of a toaster oven, will operate outside the earth. They will be operating six miles from each other to avoid accidental collisions above the earth's atmosphere. This will allow NASA to detect the wavelengths of the emitted radiation from the sun which is impossible to do from the earth's surface. The CubeSats will also observe the low frequencies emitted by the sun, creating 3D maps showing where the giant particle emissions are coming from. The information that will be gathered will be sent back to earth which will then be received by NASA's Deep Space Network. This will help our space rangers in their current and future exploratory missions. Astronauts will receive a warning if a massive radiation emission is detected that will prevent unnecessary accidents in space. These massive solar flares can reduce our earth's protective layer. Why? One may think that since solar flares are in outer space, those on the earth's surface have nothing to worry about. But that's not at all true. According to a team of scientists at the National Space Institute at the Technical Universivity of Denmark, these large solar flares create massive space clouds that will affect earth's protective layer and cloud covering. This was stated on their study that was gathered from almost 25 years of space observation. "Earth is under constant bombardment by particles from space called galactic cosmic rays," said Jacob Svensmark, the lead author. "Violent eruptions at the Sun's surface can blow these cosmic rays away from Earth for about a week." "Our study has shown that when the cosmic rays are reduced in this way there is a corresponding reduction in Earth's cloud cover. Since clouds are an important factor in controlling the temperature on earth, our results may have implications for climate change," Svensmark explained. These solar flares and massive space clouds will have a long term-effect on our atmosphere which may result in the sudden rise of temperatures on some parts of the planet. The reseacher stated that these abrupt temperature changes may take hundred of years, but one large emission of radiation from the sun could destroy life on the planet. So let's get studying. Also Read: LAST CALL! NASA's Astronaut Applications Ends Tomorrow, March 31; Here's How to Apply 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A New York City emergency room physician compares her experience fighting COVID-19 to that of post-hurricane relief efforts as the city continues to deal with waves of patients. Ive done disaster medicine trips before, Dr. Celine Thum told Yahoo News. I volunteered in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and it was also the same kind of feeling, where we had limited resources and we did what we could. The surreal part of this response is that Im at a large hospital with every specialty and the thought is this should be an environment where we have every resource. Yahoo News is not identifying the hospital. Thum said that the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in her hospital is a legitimate problem, echoing reporting of similar issues across the country. She canvassed local hardware stores herself walking, to avoid taking the train successfully getting respirator masks donated to help her department. Still, she said doctors in other departments were steaming their masks or stretching single-use ones out for an entire day. We have very limited supply, said Thum. We wear the same thing the whole time. Sometimes Im afraid to go to the bathroom, or even when I take a break or get hungry and need to eat, to take off things and make sure Im not touching or contaminating things. The limit on supplies isnt just a shortage of PPE: Thum said they are running short on everything from nurses to beds, making it feel very much like war-time medicine. A lot of the logistics and the limited resources have really drawn away from clinician attention to the disease itself, unfortunately, said Thum. Were supposed to be focused on treating and managing but right now we dont have enough beds sometimes, we dont have enough monitors, so were constantly reassessing people who is more sick and should be on monitors, who can we eyeball more. Were extremely short of nurses and respiratory therapists. Its like in Puerto Rico, where what I had in my pocket was really all I had. Story continues There are [personnel] who arent doing aerosolizing procedures like intubation who are getting sick. I think just because the entire hospital is such a hot spot Im going to be more cautious than not. [Given] the limitations on PPE, Im seeing a lot of hesitation, that brings a lot of anxiety to everybody and then a lot of improvisation. Outside St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, N.Y. (Misha Friedman/Getty Images) Thum said the magnitude of the pandemic in New York City is so great that the decision on what precautions to take is now obvious: You wear every piece of PPE you can obtain. Cities who are not yet where we are have to understand that because otherwise theyre going to lose a lot of their workforce, she said.Were operating in emergency setting. We protect ourselves and we save as many patients as we can with what we have. There are 47,439 confirmed cases in New York City, including 1,096 deaths, as the area has seen a higher spike in confirmed cases than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, that has left little opportunity for coordination between hospitals. There hasnt been much [coordination] because were all drowning, said Thum. Were not even the worst hit and we just ran out of ventilators the other night. The morbid thing about that is someone passed and it freed up a ventilator, but we just continue operating. We divide up resources as we can. The city is adding bed capacity as fast as it can, with makeshift hospitals at the Javits Convention Center, in tents in Central Park and aboard the Navy hospital ship the Comfort. While those are intended to house the overflow of patients without the virus, Thum thinks COVID cases will eventually take over even those spaces. I think what everyone is missing: No ones respecting the disease. It is sneaky, contagious [without] symptoms, the testing is so behind that its everywhere and if theyre going to try to screen people and only people who dont have COVID, theyre going to realize quickly everyone will have it. Unfortunately, in this country we cant even protect our doctors, said Thum. Although more and faster tests for the virus are being made available, Thum thinks its too late to make much of a difference in New York City. We missed the ball on [testing], she said. That would have been great when the numbers were low and we could focus on isolation and contact tracing, she said, but now it is basically an epidemiological tool rather than a clinical one. I know who has it without the test. If you have symptoms and you can be managed at home, theres no use going to a hospital to get tested. Were still not able to test people that we send home, because honestly its not going to change anything, as well still say quarantine, take Tylenol, God forbid you cant breathe then its time to come to hospital. On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city needed 3.3 million N95 masks, 2.1 million surgical mask, 100,000 isolation gowns and 400 ventilators by Sunday. De Blasio said the city will need 15,000 ventilators and an additional 65,000 hospital beds by the end of April. He also said they were looking to get reinforcements of doctors and nurses to the city. They need to see reinforcements come, they need to see some downtime, de Blasio said. They need a chance to get some downtime to finally recover. Thum realized there was a problem when she heard about the first case confirmed in New York, on March 1, that of a Manhattan woman who had recently traveled in Iran. The woman was not at her hospital, which had been designated to receive patients arriving from overseas with the virus which meant that she had been in the community long enough to be spreading it to others. The emergency department at St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, N.Y. (Misha Friedman/Getty Images) Initially, early in March, there was a wave of worried well seeking to be tested at the hospital, but eventually word spread to stay away from hospitals unless you were seriously ill. That led to a period where there was space but no influx of patients that Thum described as this anxiety, waiting for a storm to hit. Eventually, it did. [The week of March 8], we had three confirmed cases. By Monday, the number had tripled. By midweek, it was 50, by the end of the first full week there were already 100 and after that we stopped counting, said Thum, adding, The change in the hospital within two weeks is just unreal. Thum is frustrated by the spread of misinformation about coronavirus, such as the idea that social distancing is an overreaction. The idea that its not really that contagious, that if you dont have symptoms youre fine. Everyone probably has the idea that theyre not going to get it, especially when theyre in a city that hasnt been hit as hard. She added that those who think theyre helping by limiting gatherings to small groups arent considering the ability of the virus to spread exponentially and advised them to stick to your video chats. Thum said she and her colleagues are preparing for a fight that could take months, but the support from the community has been inspiring thus far. It takes a few cheerleaders here and there and a lot of encouragement, and I think being doctors, we have a lot of that responsibility and I try and go into work its the same thing as any other ER shift in New York, it is long and exhausting and we focus on the patients, we support each other as a team, we try to protect each other, said Thum. People have been really generous, bringing coffee, free food, the appreciation for what we do has been overwhelming and that has kept me afloat for quite a bit. Were also just checking up on each other because we know what were going through; I know theres going to be a lot of PTSD from this, Im told, but so far spirits are high. Were used to austere environments and hard work, so hopefully that kind of mindset and momentum will keep going to try and go in and save the world. _____ Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides. Read more: Iraqi resistance forces say fully prepared ahead of reported US operation Iran Press TV Tuesday, 31 March 2020 7:15 AM Iraqi resistance forces say they stand fully ready to confront any possible act of aggression by the US military, which is widely reported to be gearing up for operations against the positions of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) -- an elite pro-government anti-terror force. Mohammed Muhyee, spokesman for the Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), which is a major PMU faction, warned on Monday that the latest activities by the American occupation forces in Iraq were "not accidental," the Arabic-language Almaalomah news agency reported. He said Washington considered Kata'ib Hezbollah the main obstacle to its schemes in Iraq, and therefore sought to undermine the group. Resistance groups, especially Hezbollah Brigades, are powerful enough to face up to US troops, he added. Muhyee also stressed that Kata'ib Hezbollah was well aware of the plots the US was hatching in Iraq and abroad to stage attacks on resistance groups. On Thursday, Kata'ib Hezbollah revealed that the US military was preparing to carry out massive aerial operations backed by ground troops against bases of the force, which is currently busy helping Baghdad in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. A day later, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon had ordered planners at the US military's Central Command and in Iraq to draw up a strategy to dismantle Kata'ib Hezbollah. Washington has blamed Kata'ib Hezbollah for about a dozen rocket attacks against American troops based in Iraq over the past few months. The group has denied any role in such raids, saying if Kata'ib Hezbollah decided to launch attacks, it had no fear of making the news public. The US has, in recent weeks, carried out a string of deadly airstrikes on Iraqi military bases, including those held by resistance fighters. Baghdad has denounced the attacks as violation of its sovereignty and aggression against its official armed forces. 'US deploys Patriot missiles to Iraq bases' Earlier on Monday, US and Iraqi military sources told AFP that at least four US Patriot missile systems would be assembled at bases hosting American forces across Iraq. One of the batteries was deployed to the Ain al-Asad base last week and was being assembled. The base was targeted by Iran in January in retaliation for the assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. Another Patriot system was deployed to a base in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region. The US is also planning to send two more batteries to Iraq, although the systems are still in Kuwait awaiting deployment. The deployment of Patriot missile systems comes in defiance of an Iraqi parliament vote in January that called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including some 5,200 American forces. Earlier this month, US-led coalition forces withdrew from three bases in Iraq in line with Washington's plans to consolidate its troops in other locations in the Arab country. 'Imminent US attacks' Separately, the Al Hadath news agency has raised the possibility of a large-scale military operation by American forces against pro-government forces in Iraq. It also reported that the spokesman for US forces in Iraq had advised people to stay away from US military bases as well as facilities run by Iraqi resistance groups. Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas reported that the number of American Apache helicopters and drones flying over Iraq was unprecedented since the US-led invasion of the Arab country in 2003. Meanwhile, Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has warned against any "offensive military action without the approval of the Iraqi government." The statement from Abdul-Mahdi's office further raised objections to "unlicensed planes" flying in various parts of Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Salvation Army, the nation's largest social services organization with a presence in almost every ZIP code in America, has expanded its efforts to meet the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. As an organization that is uniquely positioned to assist vulnerable Americans, The Salvation Army's current response is focused on: Food security Expanding food assistance with new delivery and drive-through options Expanding food assistance with new delivery and drive-through options Shelter Providing safe shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness Providing safe shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness First responder support Providing support based on each community's need (for example, providing meals and childcare) Providing support based on each community's need (for example, providing meals and childcare) Emotional and spiritual support Offering support and spiritual care for individuals who have been emotionally or spiritually impacted by this crisis Though The Salvation Army is committed to meeting need wherever it exists, COVID-19 will greatly increase the number of service requests we receive for months if not years to come. As a result, ongoing public support will be critical in ensuring that no one is turned away or overlooked. For those individuals who will receive stimulus checks from the federal government, The Salvation Army's sincere hope is that those checks will help you meet the needs of yourself and your family. But if you are in a position to share what remains with those who are less fortunate, monetary donations are the most effective way to assist those in need, and all donations stay in their local communities. People can join the fight for good and support their local Salvation Army and community by visiting salvationarmyusa.org/COVID19. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please visit www.salvationarmyusa.org to find your local Salvation Army service center. About The Salvation Army The Salvation Army annually helps nearly 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. In the first-ever listing of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country's largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter: @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood SOURCE The Salvation Army Related Links http://SalvationArmyUSA.org SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. April 1, 2020 Scottsdale, Arizona Weston, Florida Brandon Lawrence Phoenix Yung Lai Taiwan Mike Adams Phil Swift Patrick R. Conley Phoenix Mike Adams Scottsdale, Arizona /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- OrthoSpine Partners, a global orthopedics, spine, and biologics value acceleration consulting firm based in, has teamed up with-based Swift Response, LLC, makers of The Flex Seal Family of Products, to help protect our nation's first responders. Flex Seal Family's substantial donation, along with an ample supply of Flex Tape, will all go towards the production of the life-saving device known as the Intubation Box. Time is critical, but thanks to their generous contribution, over 100 boxes will be distributed across the US this week alone., M.D., an ER physician in, stated, "The Intubation Box, a temporary protection device designed by Dr. Hsienof, works by sitting over the head and shoulders of a patient during the intubation process. Along with my physician colleagues and OrthoSpine Partners, I am working to not only produce them ourselves, but to share information on how hospitals and physicians can make them as well. After posting their GoFundMe and putting it on Facebook they started receiving orders from around the US. Within the first 2 hours they had 40 units ordered and 70+ by the end of the first day.", Chief Commercial Officer for OrthoSpine Partners, said, "When we reached out to Flex Seal with a request for sponsorship, they did not hesitate. Their rubberized, waterproof tapeFlex Tapeis the ideal sealant for the Intubation Box. Their product, along with their generous monetary sponsorship, will help us save lives.", CEO, Inventor and Spokesperson for The Flex Seal Family of Products, stated, "It's so important we keep first responders and health workers safe, especially during this crucial time. We wanted to help protect the people putting their lives on the line every day for all of us. We are so grateful we've been able to help provide relief and get the Intubation Box out into the field, protecting our healthcare workers."of-based Acrylic Designs Inc. is manufacturing the boxes. "We know that time is of the essence and we will do our all to ensure that we can make as many Intubation Boxes as possible.": "We would all like to express our gratitude to OrthoEx for their intensive efforts to package and ship these invaluable, life-saving devices."For more information, please visit: https://intubationbox.comAbout Swift ResponseSwift Response, LLC created The Flex Seal Family of Products in 2011. The company provides a variety of adhesive bonding products. To find out more about The Flex Seal Family of Products, click here.About OrthoSpine PartnersOrthoSpine Partners has created a unique platform to help companies in any stage commercialize their products with maximum efficiency. We have worked closely with many organizations and produced results that have profoundly impacted each client's business.Our market knowledge is based on current trends and competitive analysis from industry stalwarts and some of the highest growth companies. OrthoSpine Partners is headquartered inwith additional offices across the US. (http://www.orthospinepartners.com).SOURCE OrthoSpine Partners This was before the calls for social distancing, before the alarm bells were ringing that anyone who traveled out of state should quarantine themselves for 14 days. Still, the virus had shown what it could do especially to seniors. It was raging by early March at a long-term care facility in Washington state, where it had infected 81 residents and killed 23 by the middle of the month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was across the country and far from their minds when the couple went to the doctor March 12 about Carters persistent weakness. He had no fever, no cough, no shortness of breath. Carter had been dealing with Parkinsons disease for years, but otherwise he was fit and able. The next day, they went to get blood work done and Carter fell in the middle of the lobby. That was a sign, Carol said, that something was very wrong. She rushed her husband to the in-house health care facility at Westminster, which was going into lockdown due to the coronavirus. One week after they had returned from Florida, the nurse called to report that he had taken another bad fall. He couldnt get up and he couldnt stand. Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 has been called off with the lightweight champion unable to leave Russia due to the coronavirus outbreak. The fight scheduled for April 18 in Brooklyn was set to feature Nurmagomedov but the lightweight champion has been left frustrated by a Russian travel ban as part of the country's battle against Covid-19. His attempts to get out of Russia have proven to be fruitless and, in a statement posted on Wednesday night, Khabib has confirmed the fight is off. Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight with Tony Ferguson has been called off with him stuck in Russia Ferguson was due to take on Nurmagomedov next month but his opponent is stranded He wrote: 'Staying home in quarantine and reading the reaction of people to the situation around my fight, it turns out that the whole world should be in quarantine, governments of all countries, famous people around the world urge people to follow all safety requirements in order to limit the spread of the disease, to save people, and Khabib is the only one relieved of all obligations and must demonstrate free will and train flying around the world, for the sake of fight? 'I understand everything and I'm definitely upset more than you to cancel the fight, probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can't control it all. 'But Khabib still has to fight, is that what (you're) saying? 'Take care of yourself and put yourself in my shoes.' It means a proposed fight between Khabib and Ferguson has now been postponed for a fifth time. It emerged earlier on Wednesday that Khabib had been offered a ray of hope with Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency stepping up to offer him a private jet to the US. Khabib's withdrawal has left UFC chief Dana White scrambling around for a replacement Justin Gaethje is ready to replace Khabib to take on Ferguson, it has been claimed He is currently stuck in his native Dagestan, but the agency suggested he may still be able to gain a permit for travel but that now seems to have fallen through. With Khabib's participation in doubt in recent weeks, it had been reported that Justin Gaethje was in place to replace the MMA superstar. Although his replacement is yet to be confirmed, Gaethje is considered the favourite to step in despite Ferguson still considering his options according to ESPN. Conor McGregor's trainer John Kavanagh had hinted that the Notorious could have emerged as a replacement in response to a Twitter poll. Kavanagh replied to a vote on who Ferguson should face by stating 'maybe there is a third option.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Wed, April 1, 2020 16:05 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ee825e 2 Entertainment Corona,COVID-19,Movie,coronavirus Free Shot before the epidemic was redefined as a pandemic, "Corona" deals with fear and racism targeting the Asian population generated by the coronavirus at a time when it was still known as "the Chinese virus." Canadian director Mostafa Keshvari has already finished shooting the film, which is now ready for release. Given how the COVID-19 has impacted the lives of billions of people across the planet, it was only a matter of time until a story about the virus reached the world of film. Now The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that a first film about the infectious disease is already ready for release. Shot by Canadian director Mostafa Keshvari, "Corona" tells of the fear and racism inspired by the pandemic. "The idea came to me when I was in an elevator reading news about Chinese tourists being attacked, and I thought I'm going to make a movie in an elevator," explained director Mostafa Keshvari to The Hollywood Reporter. "Corona" tells the story of a group of neighbours trapped in an elevator at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Six members of the group soon begin to suspect a seventh Chinese neighbour of being an infectious carrier of the disease. Along with the Chinese neighbour, the group which has to contend with the lack of space in the elevator includes a black elevator repairman, a young female millennial, a wheelchair bound white supremacist, a pregnant woman, the building owner and an unfortunate tenant who is overwhelmed by debt. Read also: 'Contagion' movie stars tell fans coronavirus is 'real life' Shot last month in Vancouver, Canada, the film was largely completed before the outbreak of the coronavirus was finally reclassified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, points out The Hollywood Reporter. Commenting on the realistic tone of the drama, the director remarks that he encouraged his actors to improvise for the film, which was also shot in a single take. "It was then known as the Chinese virus, but now everyone can have it, so it's not just one race's problem. Now the human race has to come together to defeat the virus," points out the Canadian director, who adds, "The virus doesn't discriminate, so why should we?" Mostafa Keshvari initially planned to show "Corona" on the festival circuit, but the Canadian director is now seeking a streaming release. However, no specific release date has been announced for the moment. A Mexican journalist has been shot dead in broad daylight as violent crime in the country and attacks on the press continue amid the coronavirus pandemic. Related: Mexicos human rights chief draws fury for asking if journalists have been killed Maria Elena Ferral was shot eight times on Monday by the masked pillion rider on a motorcycle as she left a notary publics office in Papantla, a city plagued by organised crime in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. She was taken to a nearby hospital, but died of her injuries several hours later, according to the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (known by its French initials, RSF). Ferral reported for the Veracruz newspaper El Diario de Xalapa and founded the news website Quinto Poder de Veracruz, where she investigated sensitive issues such as crime, corruption and the police. The motive for her murder remains unclear and no suspects have been arrested. She had received death threats from a local political candidate in 2016, according to the news weekly Proceso. Threats and harassment from local politicians prompted Ferral to seek protection from a state commission for protecting journalists. The government later withdrew the bodyguards assigned to her, according to RSF. Ferrals death marked the first case of a murdered journalist in Mexico this year. The country registered 10 murders of journalists in 2019 and RSF ranks Mexico 144th of 180 countries on its most recent press freedom rankings. More than 100 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since the country launched a militarised crackdown on drug cartels in 2006. And Veracruz, where organised crime and political power are sometimes hard to tell apart, has become a cemetery for reporters. The states ruling party has changed twice since 2016 with an ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador winning in 2018 but observers say Veracruz remains rife with dangers for reporters and activists. There have been changes in government in terms of party colours, but there hasnt been any change in terms of security for journalists, said Miguel Angel Diaz, founder of the Veracruz publication Plumas Libres. Investigations into aggressions against journalists and activists in Veracruz are stalled. There are no advances, there are no convictions. A group of Amazon employees at a Southeast Michigan warehouse walked off the job Wednesday, citing concerns for their safety amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Employees who participated in the walkout Wednesday afternoon were concerned the companys fulfillment center in Romulus was still open despite positive cases of coronavirus occurring at the facility, the Detroit Free Press reported. We are scared to go to work and disgusted at Amazons disregard for our safety and our health and the health of our neighbors, Tonya Ramsay, a leader of the walkout and a worker at DTW1, told the Detroit Free Press. We arent heroes and we arent Red Cross workers we are working people who pack and deliver goods. Were working through a crisis not by choice but by necessity. The walkout in Michigan comes after Amazon workers in New York organized a walkout earlier this week. One of the workers who organized that walkout was fired, according to The Associated Press. An Amazon spokesperson said less than 15 of the locations 4,000 employees took part in Wednesdays demonstration and noted the company has taken extreme measures to keep employees safe during the coronavirus pandemic, including deep cleaning, providing safety supplies and changing processes to ensure employees are keeping safe distances. The company is consulting with local and federal health authorities and experts to determine how to handle building closures for deep cleaning if an employee tests positive for the disease. Our employees are heroes fighting for their communities and helping people get critical items they need in this crisis," a statement from the company read. The truth is the vast majority of employees continue to show up and do the heroic work of delivering for customers every day. A company spokesperson said no disciplinary action will be taken against employees who participated in the walkout. The walkout had support from the group Progress Michigan, whose executive director Lonnie Scott said in a statement that workers have every right to stand up for their safety. Right now we are in a serious global pandemic, and workers who continue to be called to work during this crisis deserve the safest work environment possible," Scott said. Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Related coverage: Wednesday, April 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan JoAnn Fabrics craft stores not critical infrastructure,' must close Michigan locations, AG Dana Nessel says Computer system for Michigan unemployment agency crashes amid crush of new claims DNR closes Tippy Dam due to social distancing violations, warns more closures are 'likely Over 2,000 Michigan companies hiring despite mass layoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic, state says Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discusses states coronavirus response needs with President Trump Michigan road construction will plow forward if deemed safe to proceed during coronavirus pandemic State of Michigan soliciting public donations for coronavirus response Michigan Medicine projects coronavirus cases would peak and decline in May with aggressive social distancing SPRING, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 1 2020 / True North Energy Corporation (OTCPINK:TNEN) ("True North") Nicolo Bedendo, VP, is pleased to announce: That the advisory committee he formed for True North, which was tasked to head a Reg S private placement program for the Company in Italy, has its first investor. This first subscription for a Convertible Promissory Note was made as part of the program supporting the Fintech strategy previously announced and funding has kicked off. We are encouraged by this investor's confidence, given the extenuating Coronavirus circumstances in Italy. About True North Energy Corporation Traditionally, True North Energy Corporation has engaged in the identification, acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. Through its subsidiary, TN Energy Corp, a Texas Corporation, the company holds overriding royalty interests on oil and gas properties located in Colorado and Oklahoma. True North has expanded with the acquisition of Box 23 Ltd. and its 51 % subsidiary, 3 Store Web S.r.l., which serves as the exclusive seller of SIM cards and services as authorized by Wind Tre S.P.A., owned by Hutchison Whampoa Limited, a Fortune Global 500 company. 3 StoreWeb has 36 employees. Contact True North Energy Corporation 24624 I - 45 North Suite 200 Spring, TX 77386 contact@tnencorp.com Phone 281 719 1996 This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of True North's future expectations, plans and prospects. In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," or "may," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any statements made in this news release, other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of True North, its divisions and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. True North cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, True North undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and also takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by True North. SOURCE: True North Energy Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583549/True-North-Energy-Announces-Italian-Funding BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 Trend: The Azerbaijani state will render support to 292,400 taxpayers, Trend reports on April 1. This is reflected in the program developed in line with the order of President Ilham Aliyev on a series of measures to reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the sharp fluctuations caused by it to the global energy and equity markets, the economy of Azerbaijan, macroeconomic stability, employment issues in the country and business entities. According to the program, 248,500 entrepreneurs who receive state support are individual entrepreneurs. They have 53,700 employees. In addition, 43,900 micro-entrepreneurs who provide employment for 57,000 people are expected to be also supported. Anthony D. Martinez, MD, is director of La Bodega, the Erie County Medical Center Hepatology Clinic. La Bodega Open for Business of Curing Hepatitis C Patients The Hepatology Clinic at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) continues to gain national and international recognition for its unique approach and exceptional cure rate for hepatitis C. La bodega is not a physical space, its an ideology, a concept for a model. Its a very forgiving model. We are not run in a very conventional way. About 30 percent of our referrals come from patients themselves. They bring family members or people they know in the community who are looking for help. Anthony D. Martinez, MD Associate professor of medicine Under the direction of Anthony D. Martinez, MD, associate professor of medicine, the clinic, affectionately known as La Bodega, is seen as a novel, co-localized model for the management of viral hepatitis and addiction disorders. Since 2016, we have treated close to 3,000 patients and the cure rate is 98.6 percent. We are pretty proud of that, Martinez says. This is a comprehensive hepatology clinic, but we built into it an addiction medicine program because a lot of liver disease and addiction disorders are travel partners they are married to each other. Martinez says health care providers are seeing a shift in the patient population. In the old days, it was primarily baby boomers who had hep C, but now the population is getting younger. As they start experimenting with drugs, they acquire the virus so it leads to this dual syndemic, he says. This program is designed to take care of those patients. Its comprehensive. We do everything from fatty liver disease to hepatitis B and liver cancer, but really hep C is our backbone. Bodega Concept Provides Sense of Community The term bodega is Spanish in origin and refers to the grocery stores that are common gathering places on street corners in residential neighborhoods. Martinez wanted his clinic to convey that same sense of comfort and community and was struck by the fact the metal roll down security gate over the ECMC clinics reception desk window made it resemble a New York City bodega. Some of the clinics traditions provide that community feel when patients are cured from hep C they write their name and a message on the wall. There is a also a cowbell that they get to ring to signify they have been cured. Its a very tangible feeling to come in and see all these names those are people who have been cured, Martinez says. They are turning a page on a chapter in their life that they are trying to leave behind. Also displayed on one of the clinics walls is a pennant that reads Come One, Come All, which Martinez says thats kind of our motto, what the whole thing is built on. La bodega is not a physical space, its an ideology, a concept for a model, he says. Its a very forgiving model. We are not run in a very conventional way. About 30 percent of our referrals come from patients themselves. They bring family members or people they know in the community who are looking for help. Martinez says the clinic works hard to see patients the same day they are referred. In 2019, the clinic hosted 3,200 visits. A lot of these patients have a lot of challenges in their daily lives so part of it is understanding and meeting them where they are at, he says. Many of these patients have all the complications the liver disease, the substance use, there are social issues its all one constellation of things. We do our best to co-manage all of it, not just treat this and say the rest is somebody elses problem. We get really heavily invested in them. All these patients have our cellphone numbers. They know how to get to us, Martinez says. Its a nice model. Its hard to quantify when you try to produce the data because you can produce outcomes data, but we constantly get asked how it works. You get fixed up, you ring a bell, you write your name on the wall, the doctors covered in tattoos and wears jeans. I dont know how you quantify it. Changing Paradigm for Treatment Protocols Martinez notes the model is a co-localized approach, which utilizes an outreach team of social workers who partner with a number of addiction facilities. The social workers remain in constant contact with individuals who have screened positive for hep C, facilitating the linkage with the clinic to help patients overcome barriers such as transportation issues. When they come here to the bodega, they can immediately begin medically-assisted therapy if they are opiate dependent and they begin hep C treatment almost simultaneously, Martinez says. That differs from past protocols, when individuals had to be abstinent from drugs and alcohol for six months before being eligible for hep C treatment. We have changed that mentality and are treating these patients quicker, Martinez says. Now we have newer agents, new hep C medications available that have minimal side effects and the duration is very short, anywhere between 8 and 12 weeks. Weve changed the whole paradigm where we no longer wait for the patient to become abstinent because during that time period is when they are the highest risk to spread the infection through sharing needles or whatever the case may be. Martinez says almost 50 percent of the bodegas hep C patients begin treatment for opiate dependency and stop their active drug use. By treating the hep C its almost like a gateway to deal with the addiction, he notes. Model Replicated Across United States The model continues to receive recognition from a number of entities, both nationally and globally. It has received the New York State World AIDS Day Commissioners Special Recognition Award. The clinic has also been designated as a center for drug user health in New York State. Martinez says the model has been exported and presented in grand rounds programs throughout the country. Weve got versions of this clinic in about 10 different states Louisiana, Washington, Nevada, California and Texas among them. There are versions of this that we have helped to promote and develop, he says. Its good to know the model can be replicated. In New York State, the program has received funding for a mini residency, where it is opened up to providers in the addiction community. Its very flexible. They come here and can spend anywhere from a day to a week, Martinez says. We cover all their travel expenses and teach them how to do this. We put together a management guideline and put in all the new information we have. We try to update it every year and it is basically a how to that is very pragmatic. Martinez says about 25 providers have been trained to begin treatment on their own and they have come from disparate locations ranging from outlying rural areas to New York City. The program also hosts one of the highest rated elective rotations a mix of hepatology and addiction at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. We try to educate medical students, residents and fellows to interact with these patients and get past some of the stigma associated with addiction, Martinez says. Work Presented at International Conferences By 2019, Martinez felt that he had enough data to write up what the model looks like and get it out into the world. Submissions to the annual Liver Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) last November in Boston were accepted and one of the abstracts made it into the presidential plenary session, which is a high-level presentation on the items the AASLD felt were most impactful and meaningful. Our poster was included in the hep C wrap-up so the work that was done here in the bodega actually made it into that, Martinez says. The program also had an international audience when it presented at the International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users in Montreal. This year, Martinez was invited to present at the International Hepatology Exchange in Amsterdam. I was the only American there and met with a number of people from Portugal and Saudi Arabia who expressed interest in the models weve implemented here to try and help and develop some of their elimination programs, he said. Martinez also met with Portuguese delegates at the AASLD meeting in Boston, which he described as high-level talks and assessment in terms of identifying infrastructure and needs. Fluidity Key to Programs Effectiveness Martinez notes he started programs in a few places around the country before he came to Buffalo and says the biggest common denominator throughout is the human interaction. Meeting patients where they are at is essential. If you are embedded in the community and have a good understanding of how people live, it makes you that much more effective, he says. Martinez notes the La Bodega team has seven members evidence that such programs do not require large numbers of health care professionals. If you have a good understanding of your resources and how to allocate them, you can develop a model that is very lean, but very efficient, he says. It has to be mobile reaching the patients at where they are. The team needs to be fluid and mobile enough that a piece of the bodega can get to them and access them. As a result we can then facilitate the linkage. It is a hybrid of outreach, conventional referral and co-localization, Martinez says. It is utilizing all of the tools that we have in the toolbox to capture as many of these patients as we can to provide treatment. WHO Has 2030 Target for Eliminating Hep C While Buffalo is not the first program of this kind that Martinez has implemented, it is the one that he says has fully hit its stride. I think as it gains global recognition, my vision is that Buffalo becomes the hub for this, Martinez says. I have had requests from all over the country from people to come and see how this works and how they can implement it. I can envision the same thing happening overseas. We still have a lot of work to do here despite having a cure rate close to 100 percent. We are busier than weve ever been, which is great because it means we are doing something right, but its scary because it means the problem is persisting. The World Health Organization has a target to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030, but the United States has a long way to go in increasing the number of cases treated. Of all the people with hep C in 2018 I think only 6 percent in the United States got treatment so we are lagging behind, Martinez says. For the future, I would like to see this Buffalo bodega model be implemented in more places nationally so we can catch up with the rest of the world in terms of eradication. Unconditional Support, Personnel Spur Success Martinez points out there are three main factors why the program caught on in Buffalo: New York States commitment to hep C eradication: We had no treatment barriers, no restrictions on who we can treat. That is huge, in order to deploy this to the street, you cant be restricted by anything, he says. The personnel in the bodega: These are all hand-picked people, everybody has a like-minded ideology, Martinez says. We live and die with our patients. Everybody moves in the same direction. The support from the University at Buffalo and the hospital: ECMC has given us everything we could have ever needed and a lot of autonomy to carry it, he says. The university has been the same way. It has given us a ton of freedom and support and really allowed us to run with this thing. City of Good Neighbors Lives Up to Its Name It's safe to say that many businesses are beginning to feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Karl Westvig, CEO at Retail Capital Liquidity Get your best team on it Morale and communication Hands-on Policies The impact of the coronavirus on small businesses is likely to be substantial, especially for local businesses who are already feeling the pinch, as financial and market uncertainty can easily translate into an emotional crisis that can overwhelm our systems.However, help is available as the Department of Small Business Development announced that a Debt Relief Fund has been set up to assist small, medium and micro enterprises impacted by Covid-19.While this relief is welcomed, it is still vital for leaders to step up. The world has been through crises before, but during these significantly difficult times, the economic impact may be as severe or possibly worse. As such, those in leadership positions must use past crises as examples and apply what was learnt to keep the country on course and minimise the impact of the pandemic.Karl Westvig, CEO at Retail Capital, pinpoints visible areas that are affected and outline a few pointers to help small business owners weather the storm.The first victim of panic is liquidity banks, asset managers and funders stop lending. When they cannot calculate the potential risk, they will not lend. Therefore, it is critical to shore up cash by drawing down on available facilities and suspending any unnecessary investments. Reduce expenses and manage cash flow daily.When a business is growing, we tend to shift our best people into roles linked to growth and new initiatives. In a crisis, these people need to move into the highest priority roles. These roles would include collecting from customers, raising facilities or engaging key clients.People need leadership. This would include authentic and regular communication about the situation, what the business requires and how this will be achieved. You cant control the circumstances, but you can control the response and actions. This will create more certainty.Events evolve quickly and every day is critical. Leaders must be hands-on. They have to be in touch with customers, suppliers, funders and staff. They have to collect data on everything the mood, the financial metrics, even customer stories. Some of the best information is anecdotal, not just big data.Its tough to lead when you dont understand all the underlying levers. These can change in a crisis. What worked in a stable environment can go out of the window in an instant. The best approach is to start again, listen to customers and then adapt your policies within your framework.This is not a manual on how to handle the current crisis, but hopefully, the points mentioned above can add to what you are already doing. In simple terms, it is easy to be overwhelmed, so tackle a few things very quickly and with commitment. This will create certainty and lead to action. The alternative is paralysis, concludes Westvig. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal and Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) Jambi and East Manggarai Wed, April 1, 2020 07:28 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ec24e3 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,indigenous-people,Suku-Anak-Dalam,East-Manggarai,Jambi,East-Nusa-Tenggara Free Indigenous communities across Indonesia are scrambling with their own ways to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in their homelands, with each performing their respective customs and rituals to keep the contagious respiratory disease at bay. In East Nusa Tenggara, leaders of the indigenous Kengge, Seso and Rongga tribes gathered at Mbolata Beach in East Manggarai on Monday to perform traditional rituals known as podo to ward off the infectious disease from reaching their communities. During the rituals, the tribe members provided a black male rooster and an egg as offertory symbols, as well as performing Pele Le Tadu Lau, or Pele Le Galu Lalu -- roughly translating as "closing all access", to ask for the spirit of their ancestors to give them help. "We asked our ancestors to close the doors to prevent the virus from coming in," Seso tribe leader Damianus Tarung said on Monday. Damianus said that the tribes decided to perform the rituals as many East Manggarai residents started to feel wary over the novel coronavirus, which has already killed some 136 people in Indonesia to date. Meanwhile in Jambi, the Suku Anak Dalam nomadic tribe living in the province's Bukit Duabelas National Park (TNBD) prepared a method to deal with the infectious disease called besasandingon, a sort of physical-distancing system that they have long implemented every time such an outbreak takes place. Tumenggung Tarib, one of the leaders of the tribe, which is also known as the Orang Rimba, said that the system had traditionally been applied to curb diseases with fast transmission such as influenza within one community. Read also: Bappenas, UI modeling shows grim projection of COVID-19 spread in Indonesia "Coughs and the common flu can spread very quickly from one person to another, from one group to the others," Temanggung said on Monday. "So if one tribe member catches a cold, he will be separated from the rest of the group so the disease won't spread to other members." The tribe believes that sickness and disease spread through river water, so the sick ones should stay around the downstream area while the healthy tribe members remain in the upstream. "Sick people will walk to the downstream area or we will carry them if they can no longer walk. We will create a sudung [hut] for them to live in," he said. The tribe then assigns a small group of people to hunt boars for those who are sick. Other healthy tribe members clean and roast the meat and then leave the food at a certain place close to the sick people. The person who delivers the food gives a signal to tell the sick ones to take the meal. Tumenggung said the tribe members usually also sent them coffee, sugar and tobacco. In the besasandingon custom, the tribe also believes that interaction with sick people should be avoided at all costs. If tribe members happen to cross paths with those who are sick, they should keep a physical distance of 10 meters, he said. "There's no certain time limit for the separation. It can be a week or months," Temanggung said, "If the sick members have recovered, they can return to join the rest of the tribe." According to Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI) Warsi data, there are around 5,235 people in the Suku Anak Dalam tribe, most of whom live in a 60,500-hectare area of TNBD. Only around 862 members of the tribe live outside the national park. Read also: Indonesia bans entry of foreigners to curb spread of coronavirus The tribe members are among millions of indigenous people from various groups living in remote and customary forests areas across the archipelago, many of whom still reportedly do not own e-ID cards and face difficulties in accessing health facilities. So far, no confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported among indigenous tribes in the country out of the total 1,528 COVID-19 cases nationwide, however, experts believe that indigenous people are among the most vulnerable to the spread of contagious diseases. Marahalim Siagian, an independent social consultant and forest protection specialist, said infectious diseases such as the cold, smallpox and dysentery could spread very quickly among indigenous tribes. "Up to 50 percent of their population could be infected in the first two weeks of an outbreak," said Marahalim, who was formerly with nonprofit bird conservation organization Burung Indonesia. Indigenous tribes therefore devise a system that allows them to keep their distance from the sick, such as in the case of the Suku Anak Dalam tribe, he said. The healthy tribe members even use different roads and water sources from those who are sick, he said. Tribe members generally believe that they contract diseases because they interact with village residents around the forest. Marahalim said the sick members of the tribe depended on themselves as individuals to defeat the disease. "If their body can fight the disease, they will recover and return to their tribe. If not, they will die," he said. (nal/trn) April 01, 2020 Online courses provide you with a lot of flexibility when it comes to your coursework. While this can be ideal, it can make it hard to stay on track. The structure that you naturally get with a face-to-face course is lacking and you have to be proactive in creating this. Fortunately, there are some tips you can take to stay on track. Have The Right Expectations A lot of people think that online courses are the ones that you can blow-off, but this is not the case. They will have the same rigor academically as the traditional classroom counterparts. Online courses are blowing up. A lot of online courses will condense a full semester of content into half that time which doubles the pace of the course. It is important that you approach these courses with this idea in mind so you are not caught off guard and fall behind. Create A Good Workspace On a traditional course, you will spend time between the classroom and a place to study and complete your assignments. When you take an online course, all your time is spent outside of the classroom. This is why you need to have a good place to work on your course. The best place will be quiet and have a good internet connection. You should have access to power and be free from distractions. This is a place you should be able to visit regularly during your course because you know you have to get down to business when there. Understand Your Resources As soon as you can, you need to look at the websites, technologies, and resources you will be using for the course and master them according to Cillian Reynolds of Yellow Dot Design who provide SEO Ireland. Your computer will need to work correctly and you have to install all the necessary software while ensuring your browser is up to date. If your course calls for special tools, you need to test them as soon as possible so you can focus your attention on the course materials. You should also become familiar with the library at the university and how it can help you as an online student. Be Organized You need to be organized when you take an online course. All your files have to be organized in a way that you understand. It is also important that you have a copy of anything you submit for the course should you need to resubmit. You also need to take notes while you are doing readings and watching your lectures as you would with any other class. Manage Your Time An important part of staying organized is having strong time management skills. While online courses offer flexibility when you are studying, you have to manage your study time correctly. It is recommended that you schedule a time for your classes as you would have with a traditional course. This makes it easier to manage your time and get your assignments in on time. When blocking this time, you need to stick to your schedule. Tell your friends and family that you are not available at these times and use your designated workspace during these times. You also need to keep track of your due dates for assignments and add them to any personal calendars. Meet Your Instructor And Peers While you are going to watch the lectures on your own, you are not actually alone. Online courses allow you to interact with your peers and instructor which is vital if you want an engaging experience. Many online courses will have an icebreaker activity that you can join early-on which helps you get to know your classmates. If your course lacks this activity, you need to take the time to introduce yourself to your classmates. There are the people who you are going to work with for the rest of the course and it pays to have a good relationship with them. You need to do more than introduce yourself and then retreat into isolation. Staying in touch can help you if you ever have any issues with the course. This is a combined press release between EMBL, the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg and the German Cancer Consortium. The causes of 40 percent of all cases of certain medulloblastomas dangerous brain tumors affecting children are hereditary. These are the findings of a recent genetic analysis carried out by scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and numerous colleagues around the world. A genetic defect that occurs in 15 percent of these children plays a key role by destabilizing the production of proteins. The researchers suspect that protein metabolism defects could be a previously underestimated cause of other types of cancer. The results have been published on 1 April in the scientific journal Nature. Medulloblastomas are among the most common malignant brain tumors affecting children. They spread from the cerebellum to the surrounding tissue and can also spread to other parts of the central nervous system via the cerebrospinal fluid. Because these tumors grow rapidly, physicians do not have much time to find a suitable treatment. Researchers from EMBL, together with colleagues from Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), the German Cancer Consortium, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have conducted the most comprehensive medulloblastoma-related genetic investigation to date. "We analyzed the genome and tumor genome of 800 children, adolescents, and adults with medulloblastoma and compared the genetic data with data from healthy individuals," explains lead author Dr. Sebastian Waszak from EMBL, who was also part of the EMBL led Pan-Cancer project. In characterizing the molecular properties of medulloblastoma, the scientists hope to be able to recommend other treatment options besides standard therapies, and to develop new therapies with a focus on the mode of action. In analyzing the healthy and mutated genome, they came across a particularly striking hereditary difference in children and young people with brain tumours in the so-called Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma subgroup. A hereditary genetic defect in 15 percent of cases meant that tumors were no longer able to produce the elongator complex protein 1 (ELP1). This protein is involved in ensuring that other proteins are properly assembled and folded in line with the genetic code. The latest findings show that, without ELP1, much of the protein production in tumors is disturbed: The assembly and folding of larger proteins in particular does not function properly any more, and the accumulation of these non-functioning or malfunctioning proteins places the cells under permanent stress. Hundreds of proteins are misregulated in this way, including proteins that are important for nerve cell development." Dr. Stefan Pfister, KiTZ Director By analyzing the genomes of some of the parents and grandparents of study participants, the researchers also established that this novel genetic disease is hereditary. "That makes this the most common congenital genetic defect associated with medulloblastoma to date," says Dr. Jan Korbel, a co-author of the study and group leader at EMBL Heidelberg. Sebastian Waszak, now a group leader at the Norwegian node of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, adds: "The latest results show that around 40 percent of children and young people who suffer from this subtype of medulloblastoma have a congenital genetic predisposition for it. That is a much higher proportion than we had assumed." Identifying hereditary causes of cancer in advance can help to make the right therapeutic decision and can reduce the risk of relapse in children. "For example, in the case of a hereditary predisposition for DNA breaks, certain chemotherapies or radiotherapy can lead to secondary tumours. In such cases, the first disease should not be treated too aggressively," says Stefan Pfister. A murder probe has been launched after man and woman were stabbed to death in Lambeth. Police were called to an address on Dorset Road, Lambeth. A 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman were found inside with multiple stab wounds. London Ambulance Service were unable to save the man or the woman, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Six people have been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police are currently tracing their next of kin. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard is leading the investigation, he said: I understand that this is an extremely shocking incident for the residents of this area and the wider community. The investigation is at a very early stage but my team and I are working hard to establish the full circumstances that led up to this tragic incident. "If anybody has any information that could help our investigation please do get in contact. Local councillor Mohammed Seedat said: "Covid-19 unfortunately bringing out the worst behaviours of humanity as well as the best. Stay indoors, stay safe" Police have asked that any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist the investigation, call them via 101, or the incident room on 020 8345 3775, quoting reference CAD4286/01April. The parents of four young children who died in a car crash that shocked Australia will not be in the room when the man charged with killing their kids faces court for the first time. Samuel William Davidson, 29, is due before the Parramatta Local Court on Thursday to face 20 charges over the tragic crash at Oatlands, in Sydney's north, in February. Davidson was allegedly drunk and speeding at up to 130km/h along a suburban road when he lost control of his 4WD and ploughed into a group of seven cousins walking to get ice cream. Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique, 10, died instantly, while a fifth cousin, Charbel Kassas, remains in hospital two months later. Grieving parents Danny and Leila Abdallah said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia instead of attending Davidson's court hearing, they would spend the time with their surviving children. Scroll down for video Samuel William Davidson (pictured), 29, is due before the Parramatta Local Court on Thursday where he is charged with 20 offences over a tragic drink driving crash at Oatlands, in Sydney's north, on February 1 Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, (all left) and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 10, (right) were allegedly mowed down by a drunk Davidson as they walked to get ice cream on a 40C day In a statement issued on behalf of his wife and the Sakr family, Mr Abdallah said they had full faith that justice would be carried out by the courts. 'Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we have made a conscious decision not to attend the hearing,' he said. 'We're determined to spend time with our children who are still with us and remain in constant prayer for the strength we need to see us through this time. 'Our trust is in our Australian judicial system, and expect the outcome will be in accordance with true justice by the governing laws of this nation which we love. 'We also have fervent faith in our Heavenly Father, with the knowledge that our children are in his loving arms. We will be reunited with our children one day soon and we encourage all those who are supporting us to keep this truth in mind. 'Furthermore we have not changed our position of total forgiveness to the driver of the incident.' Davidson - a truck driver - had allegedly spent the 40C day drinking at his home in Oatlands, before driving to a service station with a friend to get cash from an ATM. By the time he got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi ute he allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.150 - three times the legal limit. Police allege that as he drove along Bettington Road - a 60km/h zone - on his return from the petrol station he reached speeds of between 100km/h and 130km/h. Just before 8pm he lost control of his vehicle and veered off the road, slamming into the group of children. Four were killed instantly while two months on their cousin Charbel Kassas remains in hospital with serious injuries. Danny and Leila Abdallah lost three of their children in the tragedy, but vowed to forgive the man charged with killing their kids In the days and weeks that followed the accident, thousands of floral tributes were left at the scene on Bettington Road Police allege Davidson had spent the day drinking at his rental apartment (left) near the crash scene before driving to a nearby Caltex petrol (right) station that evening When police arrived at the scene they found both Davidson (pictured) and his passenger both shirtless, just wearing shorts Locals in the area told how after hearing the desperate screams of the surviving kids they ran to the scene, only to be confronted by devastation. In the days and weeks that followed the tragedy there was an outpouring of grief as the scene of the crash was turned into a makeshift shrine. Thousands of well-wishers flocked to the scene to join Danny and Leila Abdallah, and Bridget and Bob Sakr in mourning the loss of their four children. Mr Abdallah told Daily Mail Australia that despite being a drinker himself, he believed it was time to reduce the blood alcohol limit for drivers to zero. 'I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero,' Mr Abdallah said. 'I think you should just know that you can't have any, that you can only have water, so the temptation isn't there. 'People think 'I'll just have one more, I'll be all right' because they don't want to get a taxi or an Uber, or they've spent all their money on the night out. 'We have to do something.' The morning after the crash Mr Abdallah bravely fronted the media and spoke of his love for his three children Bridget Sakr (in blue dress) is supported by her partner Craig MacKenzie, and Danny and Leila Abdallah (end left and right) whose children were killed in the same accident at Oatlands Despite losing three children in seemingly avoidable circumstances, Mrs Abdallah vowed in the days after the crash to forgive Davidson. The deeply religious family said while they could not bare to confront the man, they would 'The guy, I know he was (allegedly) drunk, driving on this street. Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, (but) I don't hate him, 'I think in my heart, I forgive him, but I want the court to be fair. It's all about fairness. I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are.' In this 2018 photo, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is anchored off Manila Bay west of Manila, Philippines. Read more The captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier grappling with a coronavirus outbreak made an unusual appeal to the Navy to move thousands of sailors into quarantine on shore, illustrating the difficulty of containing the virus on crowded military vessels. In a March 30 letter first made public by the San Francisco Chronicle, Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, asked that 90 percent of the ship's crew of more than 4,000 sailors be moved into isolation on Guam, where the ship has been located since a spate of coronavirus infections emerged on his ship. "Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," he wrote. "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our sailors." The ship, which in recent months had been conducting operations in Asia, pulled into port late last week in Guam, where infected sailors and others who had close contact with them were moved onshore for monitoring or treatment. It had previously made a port stop in Vietnam, though it is not clear whether sailors were initially infected there. While the Navy has since announced plans to test the Roosevelt's entire crew, Crozier said that step would be inadequate because, he said, it would be impossible to implement government isolation and distancing guidelines aboard a carrier. "Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," he wrote. Crozier enumerated some of the problematic elements of life abroad a carrier: shared bathrooms, shared sleeping quarters, group mealtimes, work tasks that require individuals to remain in proximity, ladders and other surfaces that are frequently touched as crew members move around the ship. A fifth of those initially diagnosed with the virus, Crozier said, had tested negative one to three days before coming down with symptoms. In his letter, Crozier proposed that approximately 10 percent of the crew remain onboard to tend to the ship's nuclear reactor and take care of other core duties. To bolster his case, the captain cited research showing how conditions aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the site of an earlier outbreak, allowed the virus to spread at an accelerated rate. It was not immediately clear to whom the letter was addressed or who would grant permission for such a move. The Roosevelt is one of 11 American aircraft carriers. The predicament facing naval commanders is just one aspect of the challenge in front of Pentagon leaders as they seek to help civilian authorities respond to the coronavirus crisis in the United States, while also maintaining overseas security missions and minimizing the disease's effect on service members. Thomas Modly, the acting Navy secretary, said in an interview on CNN that he heard about Crozier's letter Tuesday morning. "We've been working actually the last several days to move those sailors off the ship, and to get them into accommodations in Guam," Modly said. "The problem is that Guam doesn't have enough beds right now, and so we're having to talk to the government there to see if we can get some hotel space or create some tent-like facilities there." Modly said Navy leadership "does not disagree" with Crozier but wants to handle the situation in a methodical way. Evacuating a warship is not the same as taking passengers off a cruise ship, he said, citing the need to watch over weapons and be prepared to fight fires aboard the ship. The Navy is moving to accelerate the testing of those aboard the vessel and wants to clean the entire carrier, he said."We're absolutely accelerating it," Modly said. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday night on CBS News that he had not yet read Crozier's letter but that "I don't think we're at that point" where it makes sense to evacuate the ship. Navy officials did not immediately provide a current number for how many of the Roosevelt's crew have tested positive for the disease. The Chronicle, citing a senior officer aboard the ship, said that more than 100 sailors have tested positive. Navy officials have said previously that dozens of cases were confirmed. A Navy official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an evolving situation, said Crozier had alerted leaders of the military's Pacific Fleet on Sunday to "continuing challenges in isolating the virus," urging the Navy to place more of the ship's crew in facilities that allow for greater isolation. Jim Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral, said in an email that naval vessels are "ideal breeding grounds for the spread of viruses" because it is impossible to do social distancing on them. The problem, he said, is compounded because the service cannot just tie up the carrier and send everyone ashore. "It is full of weapons, billions of dollars of equipment, fire hazards and nuclear reactors," he said. There is a critical need for testing and getting those known to be infected ashore immediately, Stavridis added. Reducing the crew also will help space out sailors. But Stavridis said U.S. officials should expect similar incidents in the future. "The best advice for the Pacific Fleet and indeed the entire U.S. Navy is test, test and test," and then remove those infected as soon as possible, he said. As ships with infections come offline, other ships must be surged forward to replace them, said Stavridis, who is now an operating executive with the Carlyle Group investment firm. In a conference call with reporters, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. John C. Aquilino, said Tuesday that the Navy will continue to take care of sailors aboard the Roosevelt and that his top priority is their health. So far, no sailors have required hospitalization, he said. Aquilino, asked about the captain's letter, said he is "welcoming feedback" during a dynamic situation and wants to "make sure that we understand what the leader on the ground needs." Aquilino said the Navy has been working toward what they believe the crew needs, and toward having the capacity to quarantine a large number of sailors. He's "optimistic" that the ability to do so will be delivered, "shortly," he said, without providing a more specific timeline. But Aquilino said there "has never been an intent" to take all sailors off the ship, and that if the carrier needed to respond to a crisis today, it would. In his letter, Crozier also said the Roosevelt could embark and fight immediately if required. "But in combat we are willing to take certain risks that are not acceptable in peacetime," he wrote. The mother and father of a sailor on the ship who tested positive for the coronavirus said in an interview with The Washington Post that despite the leadership of the carrier ringing alarm bells, higher-ups at the Navy had been "dragging their feet." The parents, who spoke on the condition that their names not be used to avoid identifying their child, said the Navy should have immediately tested the entire crew and separated those who tested positive to contain the outbreak. Instead, they said, their child tried for days to get a test and was denied, despite having interacted with someone known to have come down with the virus. Only after their child was showing full-blown symptoms was a test offered. When it came back positive, their child was removed from the ship and put in military base housing in Guam. The Navy first evacuated essential personnel, including those without symptoms, according to the parents. Only afterward were some sailors who weren't "essential" to the ship's operations given the possibility to disembark. What it boils down to is why didnt they test everyone right away, the mother of the sailor said, saying that an effort to test the entire ship immediately could have helped contain the outbreak after it first became apparent. For Kashmiri labourers who work as porters here and call a local mosque home, social distancing is a near impossibility. At least 300 Kashmiri labourers are staying at the masjid. It is not possible for us to maintain the required distance due to lack of space, Bilal, who is one of them, told PTI. The labourers have been without work during the lockdown, ordered last week to contain the spread of coronavirus. In part, its aim is to ensure people maintain social distancing, keeping at least a metre apart. Hailing from the Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir, Bilal has been staying at the Jama Masjid near Shimla's Mall Road for about five years. There are about 300 others like him at the mosque in Middle Bazaar. Most of them work as porters. Local people call them Khans. They have been stuck at the mosque since the Himachal Pradesh government imposed a state-wide curfew, a day before the nationwide lockdown kicked in. About 100 of us sleep in a small hall, some at the two dhabas and a verandah in the mosque premises and about 50 people in the masjid itself, Bilal said. Given the choice, most of them would return to their homes, he said, urging that the administration should arrange vehicles for them. The labourers get their food now from the two dhabas in the mosque complex, paying from their own depleting savings. Bilal said some people, perhaps from the administration, had come to the mosque a few days ago. They told the labourers that they would be provided dry rations, but there has been nothing so far. District officials could not be immediately contacted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bay of Plenty community is desperately short of flu vaccinations. The Katikati Medical Centre ran a flu vaccination drive through clinic on Wednesday and had been expecting to vaccinate close to 1600 people over 65 or with qualifying medical conditions, instead due to a lack of supply, only 600 people received vaccines. Of the 2800 vaccines they ordered, only 1100 have been delivered, says GP and practice partner Vicky Jones. There are patients who are immunocompromised, there are older patients who are still working in an essential role, and we don't have the flu vaccines to give them, so there are still some people who are potentially at risk. The practice is the only medical centre in Katikati and has close to 10,000 patients and of those patients, 3436 are over 65. In the last two years the centre has done around 2800 flu jabs each year, Vicky says. We were expecting this year the uptake, with everything that was going, on to be higher. On March 2 they ordered 1000 units of vaccines and have since ordered another 1000 on March 12 and 800 more on April 2. The first 1000 arrived on March 23 and the practice vaccinated their staff, pharmacy staff and rest home patients, leaving 600 vaccines, Vicky says. They expected another 1000 would be delivered, but only 100 vaccines arrived. Instead of 1000 being delivered, we had 100 delivered with no warning, no explanation with the flu vaccine clinic obviously one day later. So instead of a 1600 we had about 600 and that's why they ran out so quickly. Ken Coleman intended to visit the clinic but by the time he arrived, they were out of vaccines. Im a bit disappointed to be honest, says the 78-year-old. He was told it could be three weeks before more are available. We feel their frustration hugely because we want to do what's best for our patients, says Vicky. We've tried to make sure we had ample supply so we could roll out these mass clinics - doing it in their car to keep people safe, getting through as many people as possible in as short as time as possible and we've been massively stymied in that. We have a very anxious population because theyre elderly and we are feeling a bit of the brunt of that anxiousness. The clinic has been told they can now only order 60 units at a time and this is because of a lack of supply, Vicky says. There are around 2000 people over 65 that still need vaccinating as well as those who have eligible medical conditions, the GP says. How we are meant to do them getting deliveries of 60 at a time, I don't know. We haven't been told how often we're going to get the 60, how often we're allowed to even order the 60 or when the first 60 will be delivered. She does want to reassure people that because the country is in lockdown, people are at lower risk of getting the flu. In one sense, they're actually safer from the flu than they would normally be at this time of year because of self-isolation. So I would reassure people that their flu jab, being delayed by a few weeks is unlikely to put them at risk of harm. But saying that, the government has promised one thing and I am frustrated on their behalf that we can't match those promises because they're definitely feeling the anxiety of that. In mid-March the government announced this years flu vaccine campaign will be the biggest ever with 400,000 more vaccines available in 2020, compared with last year. The free vaccine campaign was also brought forward from April 1 to March 18 as part of the COVID-19 public health campaign. Free vaccines are available to people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with certain chronic conditions and children with a history of severe respiratory illness. It doesn't help when you have people in positions of power on social media and on TV saying that there are lots of flu vaccines out there, because I don't know where they are but theyre not with us. It is not just us, if you speak to many other GP practices, they will tell you exactly the same thing. A Ministry of Health spokesperson says nearly 900,000 vaccines have been sent to providers so far this year. Demand for flu vaccine has been extremely high and we are aware that some practices have already run through their initial orders. There is still substantial stock in fridges around the country. We are working with the health and disability sector to ensure influenza vaccines are distributed equitably across New Zealand, to enable those at greatest risk to get vaccinated as soon as possible. We ask for peoples patience while our health system works through any backlogs. Further deliveries of influenza vaccine are arriving in New Zealand shortly and there will be more stock available in the first half of April. It's worth noting that influenza immunisation doesnt normally start until April, and the flu season doesnt normally start until late May. It's great that so many New Zealanders are keen to protect themselves by getting the flu vaccine this year. Edward Murphy, after whom the famous law was named, may well have scripted the tragedy (for it is definitely that) in Delhis Nizamuddin area, where the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary group, hosted a meeting of indeterminate length at its headquarters, a six-storey building. The meeting was attended by around 2,000 people although there are reports that this is just the count of those who registered for the event, that there were many who didnt, and that people came and left in batches. This was a wilful tragedy, brought about by foolishness, compounded by carelessness, and, at every stage, characterised by a clear disregard for the law. Also read: Now a disease hub, Jamaat defied series of anti-Covid curbs It emerges that at least some of the people who attended the meeting from other countries travelled to India on a tourist visa a clear violation of Indian laws which would have required them to enter the country on missionary visas. It is estimated that there were 216 foreign delegates who attended the meeting, although there are fears that the actual number could be much higher. The meeting itself appears to have violated several Delhi government orders one on conferences of more than 200 people; another on any religious gathering; a third on a congregation of more than 20 people; and a fourth on a meeting of more than five people. Once it was clear that there was no way those who attended the conference could stay back, the Jamaat seems to have decided to put them up, although it says it did inform the local police about the presence of the people at the Markaz and sought help, late last week, for their return home. Some of these people have now tested positive for Covid-19. It gets worse some of those who were ill appear to have taken fever-reducing medication to pass the screening process; fortunately, these cases have come to light after people were quarantined. But the damage has been done. Many of those who attended the conference have already dispersed to states and Union Territories across India, and also back home to their countries in the case of the foreign preachers, with some of them taking the infection back with them. The headquarters, Markaz Nizamuddin, where around 2,000 people were staying even as recently as the weekend, will likely end up being Indias own Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that saw 712 infections. All occupants have since been moved out and the building sealed. It is likely that more infections are traced back to the Jamaats meeting. Already 117 cases, including eight deaths, can be. On Tuesday, India ended the day with 1,614 cases of Covid-19 and 46 deaths. The number rose by 294 during the day, on the back of an increase of 181 on Monday and 126 on Sunday. It is clear that Indias numbers are on the rise and clusters such as the one at Markaz Nizamuddin will only accelerate that process. That makes the task of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), officials of which are engaged in contact-tracing, that much more challenging and that much more critical. Still, Indias infection numbers are way below those of many other countries. On Monday, new research suggested that children given the BCG vaccine (which prevents against tuberculosis, and which is given to every Indian child, and has been since 1949) at birth may develop immunity to Covid-19, although large-scale tests are required before this can be confirmed . With no avenue being left unexplored, it isnt surprising that Australia, Netherlands, Germany and the UK have said they will begin just such large-scale human trials involving health workers who are most at risk from the infection. India will hope it can continue to keep its numbers low. On Wednesday, April 1, the 21-day lockdown enforced to flatten the curve of infections entered its second week. Lucknow, April 1 : Several politicians in Uttar Pradesh have allocated money from their respective MLA LADS funds to provide face masks and sanitizers for journalists on reporting duty. Leader of Opposition in Assembly and Samajwadi MLA Ram Govind Chaudhary has directed the District Magistrate of Ballia to spend Rs one lakh from his MLA funds to buy the protective gear for journalists exposed to coronavirus risk during field work. Apna Dal MLC Ashish Singh Patel has also given Rs 12 lakh from his funds for journalists in Lucknow (Rs 2 lakh), Noida (Rs 3 lakh) and Rs 1 lakh each in Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Faizabad, Meerut, Bareilly and Mirzapur. Samajwadi Party MLA Shailendra Yadav Lalai has given Rs one lakh for journalists in his constituency in Jaunpur district. According to Ashish Singh Patel, he has seen journalists visiting hospitals and other places during the course of their professional duties, which makes them susceptible to corona infection. "I feel that masks and sanitizers should be made available to them to protest them from the virus," he said. By Express News Service CHENNAI: As celebrities around the world are pledging donations towards COVID-19 relief measures, seven-year-old Syed Anis residing at Old Washermenpet in the city came forward to donate all of his savings amounting to Rs 845. In his letter addressed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, he wrote: I have saved Rs 845. I want to donate to you, uncle, for fighting Corona disease in our Tamil Nadu. When asked why he donated the money, Anis was quick to reply saying he wants to help thousands of migrant workers walking to their homes without food and those who are starving on roads. I am also talking to my friends about the donation. Two of my classmates said they are interested too, Anis gleefully said. She went from busking in Byron Bay to topping the international charts last year. And on Wednesday, Tones and I, real name Toni Watson, celebrated another milestone - her new single Bad Child surpassed 10 million Spotify streams. Sharing the exciting news with her Instagram followers, the 26-year-old chart-topper shared a photo of the single's artwork and wrote, '10 mil for bad child!', along with a series of heart emojis. Milestone moment! Tones and I has celebrated another chart-topping win, as her new single Bad Child surpassed 10 million Spotify streams on Wednesday Toni previously admitted the new single was the first time she got to write a song in someone else's shoes. 'It's seeing life growing up through someone else's eyes,' she said, adding, 'This is the first of a bunch of songs I'm releasing this year and I can't wait to share more.' It comes as the multi-ARIA Award winner announced she was forced to postpone her national tour until September and October amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Popular: Sharing the exciting news with her Instagram followers, the 26-year-old shared a photo of the single's artwork and wrote, '10 mil for bad child!', along with a series of heart emojis 'It is with deep regret that I have to postpone my Australian tour in May,' she explained in a lengthy post on Instagram last week. The past year has been a whirlwind for Tones And I, who won Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Best Breakthrough Artist and Best Independent Release at the ARIA Awards in November. Her breakout song, Dance Monkey, reached number one in more than 30 countries last year and placed second in Triple J's Hottest 100. Different tone: Toni previously admitted the new single was the first time she got to write a song in someone else's shoes Delayed: It comes as the multi-ARIA Award winner announced she was forced to postpone her national tour until September and October amid the COVID-19 outbreak The song's music video is also a huge hit, racking up over 8.1 million views. Music streaming platform Spotify recently announced that Dance Monkey was the 'most repeated song to come out of the Southern Hemisphere' in 2019. Tones and I started out busking on the streets of Byron Bay, NSW, back in 2017. It was there that she met her manager, quit her retail job and moved to the Gold Coast to focus on her music career. She was soon featured on Triple J's Unearthed, but it wasn't until the release of Dance Monkey that she broke into the mainstream. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 19:09:42|Editor: yhy Video Player Close LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Victoria Falls, a world heritage site, has been closed indefinitely with immediate effect, the Zambian government announced Wednesday. In a letter addressed to the Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) and signed by National Heritage and Conservation Commission Regional Director Oliver Kandyata, the director said that the closure was compelled by the outbreak of the COVID-19. "The decision to close the site has been necessitated by the issue of the COVID-19 so that the public strictly adheres to the Ministry of Health guidelines with regards to the control of the disease," the letter read in part. The Victoria Falls, locally known as Mosi-O-Tunya (translated as smoke that thunders) is one of Seven Wonders of the World and one of Zambia's most visited tourist destinations. The falls is said to be the largest curtain of falling water in the world and is shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean authorities have also closed the gates to the Victoria Falls National Park due to COVID-19. The Western Cape Health Department has warned South Africans against wearing gloves and masks during the 21-day lockdown, stating these items can actually help to spread the coronavirus. In a statement, the department said personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves are scarce and should be used by the appropriate people. Many people feel that they can protect themselves against COVID-19 by wearing personal protection equipment such as gloves and masks as a precaution, the department said. If you are not ill and not in close contact with someone who has coronavirus, you do not need to wear a mask or gloves. The term personal protective equipment refers to a wide variety of protective items, including surgical face masks, N95 respirators, aprons, face shields or visors, goggles, and gloves. This equipment is meant to be used when treating people who have an infectious disease, cleaning, or removing waste, the department said. Higher risk of infections In general, PPE such as masks and gloves are only needed if you are in direct contact with or caring for a person who is confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19, at home or in a health facility, the department said. Scientific evidence proves that by wearing a mask, if it is not needed, you may put yourself at higher risk because you fiddle with the mask and then transfer germs from your hands to your face. It added that wearing a mask and gloves when going to the supermarket or pharmacy to buy essentials during the lockdown period is unnecessary and will not protect you from the coronavirus. Wearing this equipment in the belief that it will protect you when you are in public may result in the infection actually spreading faster, the department warned. The Health Department has developed clear guidelines for the general public. It advises the public to practice good hand hygiene, not touch your face, and to keep a distance of 1.5 metres from other people when you have to leave your home for essential items or medical care, the department added. To reiterate, for the general public no PPE is needed. Confirmed cases Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize announced on 29 March that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa had risen to 1,280. Additionally, Mkhize said that South Africa has suffered the second death of a patient who tested positive for the virus. The deceased was a 74-year-old man who had been in ICU in a private hospital in Ladysmith. He had travelled to the Kruger National Park with his family and returned with flu-like symptoms. It has been reported to us that the deceased patient had an underlying skin cancer condition (melanoma), which had already complicated, said Mkhize. The deceaseds family, 14 health workers, including 3 specialist doctors who were in contact with him, are now in quarantine and being monitored. The ultimate form of self-isolation for many people has been removed by COVID-19 restrictions with authorities banning leisure boating and recreational fishing. However some states appear to have different views on what is still permissible, with Queensland saying fishing for food is allowed and Victoria threatening harsh penalties for dropping a line. Federal government restrictions introduced on Sunday night were supposed to mean all recreational fishing and boating for leisure were no longer permitted. Boating for 'essential purposes' including travelling to work, shopping or providing food for families were allowed but waterways were still being used for other activities on Wednesday. Victoria Police has issued a letter, purportedly to a man confronted on his boat, warning he faced a $1,682 fine if he continued fishing. Scroll down for video The ultimate form of self-isolation for many people has been removed by COVID-19 restrictions with authorities banning leisure boating and recreational fishing. Volunteer Marine Rescue officers in Queensland's Whitsunday region interview a couple on a boat near Townsville A fishing boat is pictured navigating Currumbin Bar on the Gold Coast on April 1. Boating and fishing for 'essential purposes' were still allowed in Queensland, according to the Transport Minister, if those activities were to travel to work, shop or provide food for families The federal government has restricted recreational fishing and boating for leisure amid the COVID-19 crisis but states differ in what those restrictions actually mean. A woman is pictured enjoying a boat trip in Queensland's Whitsundays on March 31 'Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic the Prime Minister of Australia has imposed STAGE 3 restrictions on people's movement and gatherings in public of more than 2 persons,' the letter states. 'Recreational fishing is NOT an essential activity or reason to travel. 'If you choose to ignore or disobey the current level 3 restrictions you can be issued with an Infringement Notice. The penalty fine for individuals is $1682. 'We do not want to have to fine people but if you choose to disobey the current restrictions, then remember YOUR decision has a consequence.' Maritime Safety Queensland [MSQ] had told boat owners on Tuesday that authorities would be at ramps and on the water to ensure people were complying with federal regulations. 'This applies to all activities that are not specifically exempted - boating is not,' MSQ general manager Angus Mitchell said. There are more than three million recreational fishers in Australia, including at least 700,000 in Queensland. Victoria Police has threatened to fine anyone caught out on the water indulging in recreational fishing or boating with a $1,682 fine Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey later said people in his state could still take their boats out if they were catching fish for their family to eat. 'If you own a boat and want to head out in the water in your local community to fish for food this weekend, you can,' Mr Bailey said. 'If you need your boat to travel locally in your community, you can still do that. 'State Government boat ramps will remain open to boaties. 'We want people to continue living their lives as normally as possible under the current circumstances, but the advice of the chief health officer needs to be followed. 'This isn't a special rule to let people out on the water for non-essential reasons this weekend. 'There's no reason for anyone to be taking the boat out - unless it's for essential travel to get to work, to and from your home, to local shops for provisions, or catching fish for your family.' Port Stephens Council has closed its bloat ramps for non-essential use but the message has not been conveyed to all waterway users. Two men aboard a boat are pictured enjoying Port Stephens on March 27. It is not suggested those pictured are doing anything wrong Marine Rescue NSW has urged boaters and fishers to stay home during the coronavirus crisis Port Stephens Council has announced on its website that it was closing its boat ramps but signs had not been erected and they were still being used last Friday (pictured) Before Mr Bailey explained the restrictions Burdekin MP and Opposition Fisheries spokesman Dale Last said any complete boating ban 'defies all logic'. 'Being out in the boat is the ultimate form of isolation. I think this is going overboard and there is more important issues than people going fishing.' 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 Sunshine Coast acting Superintendent Jason Overland Sunshine discouraged Queenslanders from taking out their boats to go fishing. 'One of the issues we've dealt with this morning is the fact that people are still fishing in boats and gathering in groups and going fishing so we'll be paying attention to that over the weekend,' he said on Tuesday. 'I've got to stress at this point we're still in the communication phase, trying to get people to understand the nature and the extent and the intent of the order and that is to keep people at home unless you have to.' Superintendent Overland said police were 'a long way' from issuing fines. Asked about boaties who wished to go out and catch fish to eat, Superintendent Overland said: ''I always say would that pass the pub test?' 'The whole idea is that you should stay home and that is for the benefit of the community. 'If you're in a position where you're trying to argue that you need to go fishing I think you're missing the whole point. Stay at home unless you have a very good reason to do so.' The NSW Department of Primary Industries told Fishing World on Monday: 'The community is being asked to stay home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.' Boats are pictured at Port Stephens on March 27 Australia has recorded 4,800 cases of coronavirus and 20 people have already died NSW Maritime has said it 'will continue to be out on the water, but is appealing to recreational boaters to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak.' 'We are asking for all boaters not to be reckless and to heed the Government's advice around social distancing for the safety of yourselves and our officers. 'It is important we all play our part in limiting the spread of this virus and act responsibly, and avoiding unnecessary boating activities is one way of doing just that.' The NSW Department of Primary Industries told Fishing World on Monday: 'The community is being asked to stay home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.' 'If you choose to fish it is vital you follow guidelines around social distancing, and restrictions around gatherings of two or more people.' Port Stephens Council north of Newcastle has closed its boat ramps for 'non-essential' use and WaterNSW has stopped public access to all its dams and recreation areas. Transport for NSW has not closed any of the boat ramps it controls. PennLive wants to shine a spotlight on people whose acts of kindness provide some good news in these dark times. If you know a coronavirus hero someone who has inspired you with their generosity or a selfless act please tell us about them by emailing newstips@pennlive.com. With the coronavirus on the loose, these are especially perilous times for senior citizens to be out and about. Even a trip to the grocery store can put them at risk of contracting the potential life-threatening COVID-19. Julie Saul, Allison Williams and a half-dozen or so kids from Lebanon Catholic School are doing their best to reduce that risk by running a to-the-door supply service for a lucky group of midstate seniors. The idea was born as Saul and Allison watched an elderly man on a failed hunt for toilet paper at a grocery store. Saul, who is a nurse, and her sister-in-law Williams realized that trip was putting the man in danger, especially after an employee told him try to find what he needed in another store. The Lebanon women recognized that going store to store would simply increase the odds the man would become another coronavirus casualty, said Jack Cantwell of SkyLimit Marketing, who nominated them and the school children for recognition as PennLive coronavirus heroes. Elderly people are at risk, Julie noted. We dont want to see them going from store to store, so Allison and I offered to help him. We purchased toilet paper and soup (also on his list) and delivered these items to him later in the day. Their generosity didnt stop there. It morphed into a school project. Saul, who has three children who attend Lebanon Catholic, recruited the kids from the school to expand the effort. Theyve been reaching out for donations via Facebook and are collecting nonperishable items to deliver to seniors to spare them from having to leave their homes. One of Sauls children told her the drive has given the kids a much-needed opportunity to help amid the crisis and spurred a deeper appreciation of the contributions made by the areas oldest residents, Cantwell wrote. He said the girl told her mom, I will never take anything for granted again. The women and children have focused their effort on the elderly residents of Willow Terrace, operated by Community Homes of Lebanon County in downtown Lebanon. They are vowing to keep the supplies flowing. With all the negative stories we are seeing about hoarding and scamming, it restores your faith in humanity when you see real life examples like this, said Melissa Texter, resident services coordinator for Community Homes. We cant thank these people enough for their kindheartedness and generosity. Telenor Myanmar has complied with a government order to block access to over 200 websites. The operator initially resisted the order on the grounds that it had been unable to establish sufficient legal basis for preventing access to the sites. The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) ordered the sites to be taken offline for peddling misinformation or explicit material. Telenor however stated that its role was to provide a telecommunications channel, adding that it does not and should not select or alter the content of communications delivered via this channel. While the operator did block access to 154 of the 221 sites covered by the MoTC directive, this was because its own assessment found them to be purveying explicit and inappropriate content. However, Telenor has now conceded to the MoTCs demands after further dialogue, with reports indicating the operators mobile services could be adversely affected if it does not comply. Telenor has stated that it will continue the dialogue in a bid to shorten both the length and scope of the block. Telenors three rival operators in Myanmar have all followed the directive, although given that MPT is state-run and Mytel is military-run, this is perhaps unsurprising. Ooredoo Myanmar has also opted to comply, but none of the operators explained their rationale. - Pastor Augustine Yiga told his congregants that coronavirus was a dream and that the disease was not in Africa - He was soon arrested and charged with spreading propaganda and misleading the public - Yiga pleaded not guilty and was remanded after his congregants failed to observe social distance in court A controversial pastor in Uganda has been arrested and arraigned in court for telling faithfuls there is no coronavirus in Africa. Televangelist Augustine Yiga of the Revival Christian Church was accused of making the comments on Friday, March 27, and the comments were aired on local television stations. READ ALSO: Coronavirus update: Kenya confirms 9 more COVID-19 cases bringing total to 25 Televangelist Augustine Yiga of the Revival Christian Church. Photo: Daily Monitor Source: UGC READ ALSO: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus, to continue presenting news The prosecution led by Safina Bireeke claimed Pastor Yiga, while at his church in Kawaala, Rubaga Division, before BBS television, Spark TV, NBS TV and Sanyuka TV cameras said: "There is no coronavirus in Uganda and Africa." According to Uganda Police Spokesman Patrick Onyango, the preacher's sentiments were encouraging spread of the dreaded virus that had claimed over 42,322 lives. Claiming that COVID-19 doesn't exist in Africa and Uganda undermines government efforts in fighting the pandemic, and exposes the public to great danger of laxity in observing the guidelines on its control and prevention, he said. When he appeared in court, Yiga denied the charges and through his lawyer, Wilberforce Kayiwa, tried to apply for bail on grounds that he is diabetic and has to see his doctor regularly. Pastor Yiga during one of his church sermons. Photo: Daily Monitor Source: UGC READ ALSO: President Museveni warns Ugandans against drinking sanitisers as alcohol The prosecution opposed the bail application on grounds that the man of the cloth had not produced any medical documents to substantiate his sickness. While in court, the magistrate observed the preacher's followers who had accompanied him were not observing the required social distance. The magistrate remanded Yiga until April 4 and made it clear he will only give a bail after the congregants learn to observe the required social distance. Pastor Yiga who is well known for controversial religious views, and has on several occasions claimed prophetic powers, runs a church and a TV station. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Source: TUKO.co.ke [The stream is slated to start at 12:30 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] World Health Organization officials are holding a press conference to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 873,700 people across the globe, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On Monday, WHO officials said early research indicated some drugs "may have an impact" on fighting the coronavirus, but the data are extremely preliminary and more research needs to be done to determine whether the treatments can reliably fight COVID-19. "A number of drugs" have shown promise in treating other coronaviruses, including SARS and MERS, that may be helpful in fighting COVID-19, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies program, said during a press briefing at the agency's headquarters. WHO officials also said on Monday that government lockdowns aren't enough to contain the coronavirus outbreak and, although they are hard on the economy and society, dying from COVID-19 is worse. "These society-wide measures are not easy, they are difficult and they are hurting people, but the alternative is worse," Ryan said on Monday. Globally, the coronavirus has killed at least 43,288 people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. In the U.S., the coronavirus has infected at least 189,600 people and has killed at least 4,081. CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak. By Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday is expected to extend his stay-at-home order to all 12.8 million people in the state, according to three sources with knowledge of the governors plans. Wolfs move to enact a statewide order comes as COVID-19 continues its unrelenting spread into more counties. On Wednesday, state health officials reported 962 new cases, the largest single-day increase, bringing the statewide total to 5,805. Sixty of the states 67 counties have confirmed cases, and 74 people have died after becoming infected with the virus. A spokesperson for the governors office did not immediately return a request for comment. Over the past week, Wolf has issued stay-at-home orders for counties where the virus spread was most acute. As of Tuesday, 33 counties were on that list, covering large swaths of the state. But the governor had stopped short of a statewide order, saying he wanted to take a measured approach to limiting peoples movements. The governor has so far opted against enforcement of the orders, relying instead on voluntary compliance. Under a stay-at-home order, residents are urged to only leave their homes for items that are essential for living. They can go out to buy groceries for themselves, family members, or as a volunteer effort; take a walk, hike, or run, as long as they practice social distancing; or care for family members or pets in another household. Also permitted is travel to care for seniors and people with disabilities. Travel to or from schools or other educational institutions to obtain meals or pick up materials for distance learning is also allowed. Since the first cases of coronavirus were reported in Pennsylvania early last month, the governor has shut down schools statewide and ordered all but life-sustaining businesses remain closed. This story will be updated. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA provides its journalism at no cost to newsrooms across the state as a public good to keep our communities informed and thriving. If you value this service, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. Sanctions apply to the full embargo on the sale of weapons and equipment that can be used for repression Open source Ukraine has backed the European Union's sanctions on Belarus, which have been extended for one year. This was reported in a statement by Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative, regarding the third-countries support for EU's sanctions against Belarus, the text of the document was published on the European Council's website. The restrictions were introduced back in 2004 and are prolonged every year. The sanctions apply to the full embargo on the sale of weapons and equipment that can be used by Belarus for repression. In addition, the restrictions apply to individual officials charged with the 1999-2000 series of abductions and murders. On 17 February 2020, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/214[1] amending Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP. The Council Decision prolongs the restrictive measures against Belarus for one year, until 28 February 2021. The Candidate Countries Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this decision, the text of the statement reads. As we reported earlier, Ukraines Foreign Minister stated that Ukraine would not relax or ease sanctions against Russia due to the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Sylvester Turner struck an optimistic note Wednesday on the regions efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in greater Houston, telling residents their sacrifices have proved fruitful but must continue through at least the next month to be successful. The remarks came as the city government took several steps to prepare for a worsening surge of positive cases here. They included leasing two hotels for quarantine space, withdrawing $5 million from the citys rainy day fund and removing rims from basketball courts in city parks. What we are doing in Houston and regionally is working, Turner said. We have to keep doing it for the next 30 days. Things could easily get worse if we do not practice social distancing. The mayor cited research from infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez, of Baylor College of Medicine, who Turner said has estimated that Houston could reach its peak of cases around May 2 if the current social restrictions remain in place. Similar modeling from the University of Texas School of Public Health predicted the spread could peak in mid-April and burn out in mid-May. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has extended the county-wide Stay Home, Work Safe order through April. That is the policy that ordered non-essential businesses to close and advised residents to remain in their homes, save for essential work, critical errands and some limited outdoor activities. The 186 hotel rooms the city leased Wednesday will be used for first responders and city employees who are not able to quarantine at home. That includes people quarantining because they are waiting for test results, or those that have been exposed to the virus. Some rooms will be used to house the citys homeless population, as well, though they would be separated from the city workers, Turner said. Asymptomatic police officers and firefighters currently are using a third hotel near downtown, Turner said. That operation is underway with a verbal understanding, Turner said, and a contract is in the works. The city will spend a total of $312,765 a month for the two hotels approved Wednesday, or about $56 per room, per night. The initial lease terms last for three months and can be extended if necessary. Turner said Harris County is assisting with the arrangements, paying for medical and other ancillary services. He said the total cost is around $200 per day. One hotel is located on the Gulf Freeway near Hobby Airport, and the other is off the Northwest Freeway near Spring Branch. The mayor did not name the hotels out of fear their future business could suffer. Council member Mike Knox was concerned that the city is paying for the rooms, regardless of whether they are used, citing serious budget challenges ahead for the city. Normally, when we reserve rooms, you pay for them when you use them, Knox said. The mayor said people are needing them, needing them now. This crisis is quite a bit different than others and you cant wait, Turner said. You have to bring into your inventory what you need, right now. Turner said the cost likely will be eligible for federal reimbursement. The citys near-vacant, 1,200-room Hilton Americas hotel cannot be used for quarantine because it already has been partially sealed off for renovations, Turner said. It plans to expand those renovations amid a startling drop in its occupancy rate. A total of 42 city employees have tested positive for COVID-19, as of Wednesday morning. The number includes a dozen firefighters and a dozen police officers. Most of the 18 municipal workers with the virus are in the public works department, Turner said. In all, 458 people in Houston have tested positive for the virus, as of Wednesday. Four have died. The hotel rentals mark an aggressive step to prepare for the next, worst phase of the pandemic, as officials and hospital executives brace for a possible spike in cases similar to what is happening in New York City. Harris County is looking at NRG Stadium, among other sites, for a possible location to stage space for quarantine, treatment for non-critical cases and for intensive care. Turner said the city also is scouting sites for treatment, including a Kindred Hospital facility in the Heights. He said city officials are identifying locations and then referring them to the Texas Medical Center, which would be responsible for opening and operating them. Texas Medical Center officials did not respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, the mayor said the parks department began removing rims from its basketball courts, after he determined over the weekend that people were not following social distancing rules there. The parks department also has posted more than 1,200 signs reminding people to keep six feet between themselves and others. Council unanimously approved the transfer of $5 million from the citys rainy day fund into a new account dedicated to the COVID-19 response. Turner said it can be used for any related costs, and the hope is that money will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency later. The rainy day fund had $14 million before the withdrawal, according to the controllers office. It has yet to be fully replenished from Hurricane Harvey, though officials expect to make the final, $6 million reimbursement next month. The city has two years to replenish the $5 million withdrawal, according to its financial policies. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com A couple who have been undergoing IVF for 18 years have become the proud parents of identical twin boys and are settling into family life while in lockdown. Mick, 53, and Ruth O'Malley, 39, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, met their long-awaited arrivals on Mother's Day in Scunthorpe General Hospital after almost two decades of trying. The couple had a total of five cycles over 18 years at Hull IVF Unit, with gaps in between for check ups, counselling and investigations. Now finally parents, their twins Thomas James and Brendan Crawford O'Malley have been spending lots of quality time with their parents at home due to the coronavirus Government measures. Mick, 53, and Ruth O'Malley, 39, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, met their long-awaited arrivals on Mother's Day Identical twins Thomas James and Brendan Crawford O'Malley have been spending lots of quality time at home due to the coronavirus Government measures Ruth, who will turn 40 in April, said: 'We feel truly blessed to have met them after waiting for such a long time. 'If you had told me that 18 years after I was told I couldn't conceive children naturally, I would be back in Scunthorpe General Hospital having twins - on Mother's Day, no less, I wouldn't have believed you.' Ruth, who was born in Scunthorpe, met future husband Mick on the Golden Wonder factory floor in 1999 and they were married in 2002. The couple were eager to have children, with Mick being one of ten children. However soon after getting married, they were told they would need to use IVF - a journey that would take the pair 18 years. Ruth, who was born in Scunthorpe, met future husband Mick on the Golden Wonder factory floor in 1999 and they were married in 2002. Pictured with twins Thomas and Brendan 'We went through so many rounds of IVF. In all except the last one, something would go wrong and we would have to start again,' Ruth said. 'IVF was absolutely gruelling with all of the injections and hormones, but I would do it a million times to get to this result. 'And infertility is not often spoken about, even with friends and family, as people don't want to upset you. 'But we always believed that if it was meant to be, it would happen. Mick leaving Scunthorpe General Hospital with the newborn twins after they were born on Mother's Day 'We were ecstatic when we got the news that we were expecting twins. It was a miracle.' Mick's 89-year-old father, James, came down from Scotland to meet his 34th and 35th grandchildren. Ruth's initial due date was April 9, but as both boys were growing quickly, it was decided to induce her several weeks early. The family have been isolating with the Government lockdown measures but Ruth says she is happy to have the quality time together Ruth said: 'As I'm only five feet tall and the boys were so big, it was getting uncomfortable for all three of us. 'When the doctors came to me on Mother's Day and announced it was time for them to be born, I couldn't believe it - as Mick said, you couldn't write it. 'A few hours later, I was holding Thomas and Brendan. It's true what they say - you really don't know love until you've got your own child.' The family have been isolating with the Government lockdown measures but Ruth says she is happy to have the quality time together. 'It's lovely for it be just us and them with no distractions,' she said. 'At first they were completely identical but now I'm starting to notice differences in their faces and personalities - like which one's quiet and which one cries! 'As soon as the lockdown is over, we'll be jumping on a train to Scotland and introducing them to Mick's family. 'He's the last of his brothers and sisters to have children, so there's lots of aunts and uncles who can't wait to meet them. 'I'm a little bit worried that the restrictions will last so long that they won't be young babies anymore - but we've waited 18 years, we can wait a few more weeks.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 1 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijan exported over 945.1 million cubic meters of gas to Turkey in January 2020, which is 14.3 percent more compared to January 2019, Trend reports with reference to the report posted on the website of the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK). In total, the share of Azerbaijan in Turkeys gas import amounted 15.78 percent in January 2020 compared to the indicator of January 2019, which was 13.91 percent, said the report. The total volume of natural gas export from Azerbaijan to Turkey exceeded 5.9 billion cubic meters, showing an increase of 3 percent. In January 2019, this indicator was equal to more than 5.8 billion cubic meters. Turkey imports gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum). Turkey has a contract for annual purchase of 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas from the Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas condensate field. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis A handout image taken and released by 10 Downing Street on March 31 shows a screen relaying a Zoom video conference with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (top row L), chairing a remote session with minister of his Cabinet, whilst still self-isolating from within No 11 Downing Street, in London. - Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Health Secretary Matt Hancock, have been self-isolating since Friday, after announcing that they had tested positive for COVID-19, as infection rates accelerated and daily death rate rose sharply. AFP-Yonhap Video conferencing app Zoom, which has seen its popularity skyrocket in the coronavirus pandemic, is in hot water after users complained to the FBI of being startled by porn during meetings. New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to the in-vogue California enterprise "with a number of questions to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users' privacy and security," a spokesman said. He refused to give further information on the contents but added Tuesday that James's office was "trying to work with the company" to resolve any problems. The investigation comes after the FBI's Boston office warned on Monday that it had "received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language." The FBI listed two examples where hackers had "Zoom-bombed" schools which have closed because of the deadly virus and which are now teaching classes online. A Massachusetts high school reported that an unidentified individual dialed into the virtual classroom and yelled a profanity at the teacher before shouting the teacher's home address. Another school in the same state reported the appearance of an unknown person with swastika tattoos. Using the hashtag "zoombombed," social media users have testified that they suddenly saw pornographic or racist images on their screens while using the app. The FBI recommended that Zoom users make all meetings private and avoid screen sharing to combat would-be hackers. In this file photo illustration taken on March 29, Zoom app logo is displayed on a smartphone on March 30in Arlington, Virginia. AFP-Yonhap Of the nearly 600,000 employees in manufacturing jobs across the state, one half are expected to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, prompting a demand for skilled workers that career education programs like those at District 214 and Harper can help fulfill, said Mark Denzler, IMA president and CEO, and the co-chairman of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers new Essential Equipment Task Force. Ashley Iverson lost her husband, Cory, a fire apparatus engineer for Cal Fire, as he battled the Thomas Fires in Ventura County, California, in 2017. In the wake of her young familys incomprehensible loss, Ashley founded the Iverson Foundation for Active Awareness in an effort to offer mental health support to the first responders who endure so much for our collective safety. In an interview with The Epoch Times, Ashley, a mother of two, shared her story and the birth of the foundation that keeps her husbands legacy alive. Ashley, Cory, and their daughter Evie Iverson. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson) Perfectly Imperfect It was a love that I never imagined possible, Ashley began, explaining that Cory was already a wildland firefighter when the couple met. He had been motivated to join the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection by his uncle Stephen, a retired Cal Fire veteran. Ashley and Cory met by chance at a San Diego bar on Ashleys 26th birthday, Sept. 8, 2012. They married 18 months later. We enabled and encouraged one another to be exactly who we were, Ashley said, and we were perfectly imperfect for one another. Ashley and Cory got married on March 22, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson) The World at a Standstill The newlyweds settled in San Diego together, welcoming their first daughter, Evie, as Cory continued to serve with Cal Fire. Then, 20 days before Christmas 2017, everything changed. Ashley was pregnant with their second daughter, Taylor, when Cory was called to fight the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, the largest California wildfire since the 1930s. The couple stayed in contact throughout Corys deployment, but on Dec. 14, 2017, a call came in that would change the course of Ashleys life forever. Cory had lost his life while battling the Thomas Fire flames. Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson It was like the world was at a standstill, Ashley recalled. Corys tragic death hit headlines, and Ashleys family was thrown into the spotlight. The expectant mother decided in an instant that she had a choice: to shy away or to take advantage of the visibility. Ashley made her choice, I just decided to show up. Upon learning that there had been no other fatalities, Ashley remembered feeling genuine gratitude. Right after Cory was killed, all I could think about were his colleagues, Ashley explained. This opportunity needed to be taken advantage of. [Cory] gave me a platform to be heard, she further added. Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson The Beginning of a Campaign for Change Just a day after Corys passing, Ashley was already channeling her grief into a campaign for change. In the wake of Corys passing, she decided that the industry as a whole needed to radically readdress its approach to mental health. The reason I went down the route of mental health, Ashley explained, [is that] a month before Cory was killed, one of his colleagues, [Ryan] took his own life. Cory was directly affected [] Ryans suicide kind of brought an awareness to both of us. Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson The result of Ashleys impulse to honor her husband and support his comrades was the inauguration of a foundation in the family name, the Iverson Foundation for Active Awareness (IFAA). I was not your typical grieving widow, Ashley said. It was time to go to work; [Cory] gave me his wings and told me to fly. Having struggled with anxiety and depression throughout her own life and having seen the devastating emotional impact of loss upon Cory and his colleagues, Ashley put mental health and mindfulness at the core of the foundations mission. I have first-hand proof that [first responders] are not invisible to physical or mental threats, she explained. Theyve been conditioned that they are super-human. The foundations aim, said Ashley, is to help put the human back into our heroes. Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson Proactive, Not Reactive Studies have shown that first responders are vulnerable to alarmingly high rates of suicide, divorce, and substance abuse compared to the general population. As such, the Iverson Foundations mission is threefold: to increase awareness of mental health struggles both within and outside the industry, to reduce the stigma attached to emotional expression, and to encourage first responders to practice mindfulness. The foundation has gone from strength to strength. As of 2020, IFAA is working with a music therapy organization called Resounding Joy and has already completed two successful six-week-long pilot programs in two separate fire stations in 2019. A third, digital program is in the pipeline, as well as a series of guided mindfulness exercises that Ashley hopes will reach even more people. Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson IFAA also offers a yoga-in-the-workplace program and has launched an advertising campaign in the hope of further increasing awareness. Everything thus far is on a voluntary basis, said Ashley, because mindfulness needs to be a choice, and we are just providing the choice. A big part of the foundation is to be proactive rather than reactive, she continued. Before this time, everything was reactive [] A person had to get to the point of needing help and then reach out for it, and I know first-hand that thats sometimes the straw that breaks the camels back. Ashley recognizes how hard it can be for first responders to ask for help. However, as of 2020, she reports that there are already so many people on board that its deafening the nay-sayers. The Biggest Gift Speaking to The Epoch Times, Ashley explained that one of her biggest struggles in life had always been wanting to do more to help others. As bizarre and potentially horrible as this sounds, Ashley reflected, I wouldnt trade it, because I wouldnt be in this position. The things that Ive experienced since he left have been mind-blowing. Its been the biggest gift of my life. Ashley with her two daughters, Evie and Taylor. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Iverson) Today, Corys legacy lives on in the incredible work of Ashleys foundation, and through the lives of his and Ashleys two growing daughters, Evie and Taylor. I was very fortunate to share a love with him that many people search for their entire lives, Ashley said. He lived for his girls. We will be eternally blessed by the love he continues to provide us with. An 'emotionally battered' Amber Heard hired a notorious private investigator to dig up any dirt possible on her ex-husband Johnny Depp amid their ongoing bitter legal battle, but the investigator exclusively told DailyMail.com he found nothing. Former porn star-turned Hollywood 'fixer' Paul Barresi says he was hired by Heard's legal team last summer to find people who had been verbally or physically abused by Depp and be star witnesses in the upcoming defamation cases in the UK and US. Barresi, who has worked for the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eddie Murphy, explained he was hired to look into Depp's 'follies and vices' dating as far back as the actor's Viper Room days, which he co-owned in the 1990s. But Barresi said he couldn't find anyone who had a bad word to say against Depp, 56, even after interviewing over 100 people across the US and Europe who had worked with Depp on films dating back 30 years. An 'emotionally battered' Amber Heard hired a notorious private investigator to dig up any dirt possible on her ex-husband Johnny Depp amid their ongoing bitter legal battle, but the investigator exclusively told DailyMail.com he found nothing 'Amber's lawyers contacted me and said you're the right man for this job, that's how they brought me in. She was emotionally spent and battered and tormented - it was a volatile relationship,' Barresi told DailyMail.com. But he admitted: 'I went to the US, France, Italy, Britain, everywhere that Johnny Depp roamed, everywhere he walked, I couldn't find one instance, or at least an admitted one, where he was physically abusive to a woman, smacked or beaten around, he's like an angel. Not one who said a deprecating thing. 'I interviewed dozens of people, who knew him going as far back as three decades ago, and nobody had one bad thing to say about him. In fact, they couldn't say enough about his ever flowing outpouring of generosity and tender heart.' A spokesperson for Heard said: 'Mr Barresi hasn't been involved with Ms Heard's team since he was let go last year, and his account is entirely inconsistent with the testimony of multiple witnesses.' Barresi (pictured) said he couldn't find anyone who had a bad word to say against Depp even after interviewing over 100 people across the US and Europe who'd worked with Depp on films dating back 30 years In an email, Barresi gave DailyMail.com examples of the plaudits to Depp, writing: 'Jane Galli, head of the make up department on City Of Lies had nothing but praise for Depp. She had worked with him in the past on Public Enemy and Pirates. 'She said: ''He's a real sweetie.'' 'City of Lies director Brad Furman told me Johnny was a true professional and wonderful human being in every sense of the word and assistant director Paul Silver told me although Johnny was not always on time, held up the shoot sometimes, he was a professional and always delivered. 'I asked Silver whether Depp ever lost his cool, Silver said: ''All artists have a temper''.' Yet Barresi claimed this doesn't tell the full story of Depp's 'bizarre' character and the 'disgusting' entourage he hangs around with. The investigator said he interviewed Depp's close friend of 30 years, celebrity tattooist Jonathan Shaw, who did most of his body artwork. Barresi said Shaw, 66, told him: 'The only thing I would be willing to help that gold digging w***e do is help load the gun she wanted to use to blow her f**king brains out.' The PI - who was once hired to investigate unproven claims that Tom Cruise had a gay affair - went onto claim that Heard grew frustrated with being verbally abused by his associates. Barresi, 71, said: 'I have to say that the people around Depp are more volatile, even his lawyer Adam Waldman, who is like a bulldog, and called me a ''bag man''.' The investigator said he interviewed Depp's close friend of 30 years, celebrity tattooist Jonathan Shaw (pictured together), who did most of his body artwork. Barresi said Shaw, 66, told him: 'The only thing I would be willing to help that gold digging w***e do is help load the gun she wanted to use to blow her f**king brains out' At the time of Heard and Depp's split in May 2016, Shaw wrote on Facebook: 'As a close personal friend of Johnny Depp's for over 30 years, I've only seen him to be one of the kindest, gentlest, most sensitive and generous human beings I've ever had the great pleasure to know. The man is constitutionally incapable of raising a violent hand to a woman' Depp has taken on a London tabloid over a 2018 article that described him as 'wife beater' and allegedly damaged his standing as a globally famed movie star, with Heard scheduled to give testimony Barresi continued: 'That was why Amber's frustrations grew. I don't think there's much difference between verbal and physical abuse, it does equal harm. 'I wanted to stress the point that over the years based on people I spoke with close to Depp, he is without question proven himself a man who is generous to a fault. Dating as far back as the mid-nineties, he's covered legal costs, medical bills and even paid rent for his friends. 'The irony is they appear to have undying loyalty to him, but I'm not entirely convinced they are his friends.' At the time of Heard and Depp's split in May 2016, the actor's friend Shaw wrote: 'As a close personal friend of Johnny Depp's for over 30 years, I've only seen him to be one of the kindest, gentlest, most sensitive and generous human beings I've ever had the great pleasure to know. The man is constitutionally incapable of raising a violent hand to a woman. 'Everything I know about Amber Heard, however (and it's a lot), seems to support the many claims that she is a lying, two-faced, bottom-feeding fame harpy, who lives by the old Hollywood code of ''hurray for me and f**k you!'' 'It's disgustingly obvious to anyone with half a brain that the absurd contrived allegations about Johnny's behavior are nothing but a pathetic and desperate attempt to extort money from my dear little brother. Period.' As part of Depp's $50m defamation case against Heard, he included images of his own bruised and battered face (pictured ) following Heard's alleged attacks DailyMail.com previously published audio of Heard admitting to 'hitting' the Oscar nominee, and pelting him with pots, pans and vases. The fighting pair seem to refer to a violent incident that took place in Australia one month into their marriage in which Depp suffered a severed finger (pictured) Heard cataloged the 'horrific' abuse she claims to have suffered at Depp's hands, describing him as 'the monster' and recalling many of the allegations she made during their divorce. The filing included photos of bruises and scars (left and right) Amber Heard is pictured during her 2016 deposition where she described punching Depp in the face in attempt to stop him from hurting her sister, she said Depp has taeken on a London tabloid over a 2018 article that described him as 'wife beater' and allegedly damaged his standing as a globally famed movie star, with Heard scheduled to give testimony. And, later this year, hostilities will switch to Virginia where Depp has filed a $50 million suit over a Washington Post op-ed in which Heard lamented her experiences as a domestic violence victim. Although the article didn't mention Depp by name, it allegedly led to him lose his prized role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Barresi did find one unresolved issue regarding the disappearance of Depp's ex-business partner Anthony Fox. Together they owned the Viper Room at the time River Phoenix died of a drug overdose in October 1993, but the relationship turned sour later on when Fox accused Depp and his associates of defrauding him out of club profits. Shortly before Fox was due to testify, he disappeared on December 19, 2001 in Ventura County and hasn't been seen since. The investigation still open. The lawsuit continued in Fox's absence and in 2004, Depp quietly settled, turning over his share of the nightclub to Fox's daughter, Amanda. Barresi said Heard's legal team wasn't interested in this, but Heard was, with Barresi adding: 'Someone spoke to Amber and she said: ''No, let Paul go as far back as he can.'' Barresi showed DailyMail.com an email conversation with Ventura Criminal Investigative Technician Patrick Furlong, which revealed Furlong was inquiring about any information Barresi had on the missing Fox. 'It is unclear whether the Viper Room or the pending litigation had anything to do with his disappearance, however, Detective Furlong, whom I am working with on Fox's disappearance confirmed the case remains open and Fox still remains on the Endangered Missing Person's list,' Barresi said. In wake of the situation arising from the coronavirus pandemic, Haryana has suffered a revenue loss of nearly Rs 3000 crore this month and the figure is set to double next month, Chief Minister M L Khattar said on Tuesday. He was speaking in a televised address to the people of the state, apprising them of the unfolding situation and the steps which the government was taking to combat it. "Although Haryana is financially better than many other states, but in the present situation, the state has faced a revenue loss of nearly Rs 3000 crore this month and in April estimates are that we will lose revenue of Rs 6000 crore," he said. He said that Rs 21 crore has been received as donation so far in the recently set up Haryana Covid Relief Fund and he appealed to people to come forward with more donations. "Many of our MLAs and ministers have pledged to donate their salary of one month, while some of them have said they will donate their basic salary component for the entire year," Khattar said shortly after presiding over a meeting of his Cabinet through video-conferencing to take stock of the present situation. He said that in the present situation the poor have been the worst hit and added that the state government has set up 437 relief shelters for them, including migrant workers, with a capacity to accommodate 70,000 people, and so far 12,000 are staying there. Besides the government, volunteers, NGOs, religious and social organisations are pooling efforts to help the sections worst hit by the situation arising in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, he said. Khattar said that the government has decided to give double ration for April free of cost to BPL and poor families. "We have, so far, extended financial assistance of Rs 250 crore to 10 lakh of 24 lakh poor families who are registered with the government. We have decided to give Rs 1200 crore per month as financial aide for the poor sections in the present situation," he said. "In addition to these 24 lakh poor families, families whose monthly income is less than Rs 15,000 or those having land holdings less than five acres, new registration has started for them with effect from March 31 and once registered they too will get a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per week," he said. Reaching out to migrant workers, a number of whom recently covered long distances on foot to reach Delhi for onward journey to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Khattar said they don't need to go anywhere as the government has made all arrangements for their stay in the state during the lockdown period. "They are our brothers, they don't have to worry at all. To extend help to them, we will spend as much money as will be needed and all arrangements have been made for their stay. They have also played and are playing a role in building Haryana over the years," he said. Khattar once again appealed to farmers to cooperate with the government in this hour of crisis and store their ripened wheat and mustard, which during normal times was supposed to arrive in mandis from April 1 for procurement. "We have changed procurement date for mustard to April 15 and for wheat to April 20. I, again, request farmers not to hurry by bringing their produce to the mandis, be it mustard, wheat or any other crop. They should try to store as much as they can in their homes. "We hope this difficulty (lockdown) will end on April 14 but if due to some reason if it goes on for a few more days, cooperation of all of you (farmers) is sought Our big aim is to defeat coronavirus and kindly bear with us in difficult times," he said. The chief minister said government has given exemption to many activities related to agriculture, allowing farmers to reap their produce and store it without any difficulty. Khattar, meanwhile, detailed the steps to contain coronavirus that include completely sealing the inter-state and inter-district borders during the lockdown and ensuring items of essential need reach people. He also said dedicated hospitals for COVID-19 are being set up. "We have permission for setting up five private labs for testing. Besides, in addition to two testing facilities in government sector, permission has been sought from THE Centre to set up more such labs including at Rohtak, Hisar and Panchkula, he said. Also read: Coronavirus in India Status: COVID-19 positive cases near 1,400 mark, death toll climbs to 35; check state-wise tally Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Maharashtra reports 18 new COVID-19 cases; total tally at 320 Photo: Javier Ignacio Acuna Ditzel/Flickr Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Las Vegas. Construction begins on Cashman isolation-quarantine facility Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. Officials ID 2 teens killed by father in apparent murder-suicide Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. Man found dead outside Las Vegas justice center died of natural causes Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. Woman wanted to show man how she could use a knife, police report says Read the full story on Las Vegas Review-Journal. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Construction began Tuesday morning on a new isolation and quarantine center to serve at least 350 homeless people at the downtown Cashman Center, just across the parking lot from a temporary homeless center. The Clark County coroner's office has identified the two teenage boys killed by their father last week in what Las Vegas police described as a murder-suicide. The Clark County coroners office on Tuesday confirmed that a man whose body was found in late January in front of the Regional Justice Center died of natural causes. By Cory Booker Here in New Jersey and across the country, we are facing a public health and economic crisis without precedent in our history. Families across our state are understandably anxious and afraid. Each day, more New Jerseyans are getting sick, and more doctors, nurses, first responders and other health care workers are preparing for the worst, which they know is yet to come. Schools and many daycares have closed, countless businesses have shut down and 150,000 people in the last week alone in New Jersey have applied for unemployment benefits. Fortunately, some help is finally on the way. Working together, and after hard-fought negotiations, Democrats and Republicans passed into law a $2 trillion emergency relief bill. Importantly, this law includes direct support for the New Jerseyans who need it the most: hospitals, frontline medical professionals, first responders, small business owners, workers and those who have lost their jobs or will soon because of this crisis. Early in the negotiations over the relief bill, I proposed a program for direct cash payments to get money directly into the bank accounts of people who need it. Im pleased that this bill includes a $1,200 cash payment for the vast majority New Jerseyans, along with an additional $500 for qualifying children, to help stimulate the economy and to get cash to people who need it most right now. Out of work New Jerseyans will also be receiving an increase in unemployment benefits of $600 per person, per week for up to four months to ensure that they are receiving close to their full pay while unemployed due to the widening economic fallout. Out of work New Jerseyans who previously worked part-time, were self-employed, or worked as independent contractors - like rideshare drivers -- and those who lost their job because they have to care for a child or loved one will also now qualify for unemployment benefits (they wouldnt have qualified before). A major part of Congress relief package is what is being called a Marshall Plan for our Health System -- $150 billion for health workers and health care facilities, part of which will go to hospitals here in New Jersey on the frontlines of this crisis. This funding will help health care providers acquire Personal Protective Equipment and more testing supplies, and support a much-needed surge in our health care workforce. The bill also includes funding for research and development of COVID-19 treatments. Furthermore, the bill ensures that millions of Americans will have access to COVID-19 preventive services, like an eventual vaccine, with no cost-sharing a provision I called for earlier this month in my Care for COVID-19 Act. As a part of this relief plan, New Jersey will be receiving over $3.4 billion in direct federal funding to pay for expenses related to our states COVID-19 response, an estimated $1.7 billion in transit funding, and well over $450 million in additional funding for our communities, schools, fire departments, and police departments through programs like Community Development Block Grants (CBDG), Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other emergency assistance programs. Additionally, New Jersey small businesses and nonprofits will have access to $350 billion in forgivable loans, to retain workers and cover expenses like rent and utilities. Another $10 billion in emergency grants will be made available to small businesses needing immediate relief. This new law also includes important and hard-fought changes that will direct resources to the people and places who need it the most while ensuring transparency and accountability around government loans to public companies. Companies who receive federal assistance from the relief package will be prohibited from buying back their own stocks while they are receiving that assistance and limits will be placed on executive salaries for those companies. This bill is not perfect by any means, but it is one critically important step in our response to this public health and economic crisis. We still have a long and difficult fight ahead of us and a lot of work to do. In the coming weeks and months, Congress will have to do more to address the public health and economic impacts of this crisis and continue to provide the resources and support that states need to slow the viruss spread. And this is a crisis that we know requires all of us to pitch in. Already, so many New Jerseyeans are stepping up for one another. Communities are practicing social distancing, neighbors are helping neighbors, and our health care professionals, first responders, grocery store and pharmacy clerks, janitors, sanitation workers and childcare workers are stepping in for their communities at great personal risk to themselves and their families. The truth is that lives are depending on all of our actions -- from the seemingly small decisions we all make on a daily basis to stay home or go out, to the big decisions being made by elected leaders. That is a huge responsibility, and it is also a sacred one -- we are being asked to put our lives in each others hands and protect them with everything we have. It will be difficult, but I know that is a challenge New Jerseyans are up for. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has served in the Senate since 2013. He is also the former mayor of Newark. 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. [April 01, 2020] Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians (COPC) Partners with Halo Health to Improve Critical Clinical Communication and Workflow Performance CINCINNATI, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Halo Clinical Communication and Collaboration Platform (CCCP), is being expanded enterprise-wide at Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC) located in Columbus, OH, to include more than 400 healthcare providers and staff at 106 locations and facilities. Halo Health leverages AWS cloud technology to deploy its platform on personal and shared mobile phones and desktops across the network. Users include physicians, nurses and ancillary staff. Central Ohio Primary Care has several key goals with the Halo Platform expansion: Improve speed to mobilize critical teams in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Streamline and expedite critical communications and clinical workflows with native scheduling Protect physicians' time and provide greater call center efficiency Leveraging existing technology and partnership to expand value "Halo enables us to achieve our strategic objective of expanding our mobile communication platform with high reliability to expedite critical communications and workflows that will enhance patient care and improve clinicians' efficiency," said J. William Wulf, M.D., CEO, Central Ohio Primary Care. Central Ohio Primary Care is the largest independent primary care group in the US with more than 75 practices, serving the needs of more than 400,000 patients. "We are thrilled to be working with Central Ohio Primary Care and helping them with their commitment to enhance patient care and employee satisfaction," said Jose Barreau, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Halo. "The Halo Platform ws developed to scale across large health communities to provide real-time access and accelerate clinical workflows and communication through mobile devices for more effective time-sensitive care," adds Barreau. The Halo Platform is a scalable, AWS cloud-based solution that includes secure messaging, on-call, role-based scheduling, VoIP calling, critical results, alerts and care team tools in a unified mobile platform. The Halo Platform's unique workflow management system instantly delivers time-sensitive information to the right person, role, or team. This workflow and communication efficiency results in improved clinical and financial outcomes. The Halo Platform also serves as a scalable tool for coordination during epidemics like COVID-19 and to streamline team notifications. About Halo Health Halo Health was founded by physicians in 2010 to bridge serious gaps in critical clinical communication that cause delays in patient care. What started as a HIPAA-compliant texting application has evolved into the Halo Clinical Communication and Collaboration Platform (CCCP) that uniquely supports the complex needs and scale of health systems. The Halo Platform combined with professional services enable health systems to accelerate patient care, increase clinician efficiency and improve financial outcomes. Halo is a long-term, strategic partner dedicated to achieving enterprise-wide objectives such as: standardization of communication and patient experience, technology consolidation and connecting the physician community. The Halo Platform brings together IT and communications solutions with a focus on clinical benefits to the patient and the provider. Halo has offices in Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH and Chicago, IL. Visit www.halohealth.com to schedule a product demo. About Central Ohio Primary Care Central Ohio Primary Care was founded in 1996 when a group of 33 physicians joined together to give greater focus to patient care than the administrative duties that were weighing them down. From the onset, COPC physicians have always been dedicated to finding new ways to offer the best patient care. Today we have more than 75 practices and serve more than 400,000 patients. However, what's most notable isn't our size, but that we have grown beyond the primary care office. We have a hospitalist team with physicians at hospitals across the region, we're opening more SameDay Centers, and are expanding our ancillary services. We are leading the nation with a system that supports the entire care of each COPC patient. A model we believe is THE BEST FOR PRIMARY CARE. Rooted in a long history of clinical excellence and a commitment to the highest ethical standards, we are building a model for primary care that creates a more holistic view of patient care and gives physicians more time to focus on building relationships with patients and each other. Visit www.copcp.com for more information. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/central-ohio-primary-care-physicians-copc-partners-with-halo-health-to-improve-critical-clinical-communication-and-workflow-performance-301033011.html SOURCE Halo Health [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An oil pump is seen just after sunset outside Saint-Fiacre By Laura Sanicola NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday after U.S. crude inventories rose last week by the most since 2016, while gasoline demand suffered its biggest weekly drop ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. Crude inventories rose by 13.8 million barrels last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. That was the biggest one-week rise since 2016, and analysts expect similar data in coming weeks, as refineries curb output further and gasoline demand continues to decline. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 17 cents to settle at $20.31 a barrel, after hitting a low at $19.90. June Brent crude fell $1.61 , or 6.1%, to $24.74 a barrel. The global benchmark fell to $21.65 on Monday, its lowest since 2002, when the now-expired May contract was the front month. The market has slumped on the sharp fall in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic and rising output from Saudi Arabia and Russia after a supply pact collapsed last month. Brent crude fell 66% in the first three months of 2020, its biggest ever quarterly loss. Saudi Arabia's production rose to more than 12 million bpd in the most recent months, according to sources. "The likelihood of distressed cargoes, increased freight rates, force majeures, strains on storage capacity, VLCC availability will be combining in placing additional downside pressures on petroleum prices," Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates, said in a report. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday for global oil producers and consumers to address "challenging" oil markets while U.S. President Donald Trump complained that oil cheaper "than water" was hurting the industry. Trump invited several energy industry executives, including the chief executives of Exxon Mobil and Chevron Corp, to a meeting on Friday to discuss aid for the industry, including possible tariffs on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, an administration source confirmed. Story continues News of those efforts has intermittently bolstered futures prices, but physical grades of crude are deteriorating, as refiners and shippers confront the coming wave of supply and freeze-up in demand. Gasoline demand fell by the most ever in one week, with products supplied, a proxy for demand, dropping by 2.2 million barrels per day to 6.7 million bpd. That augurs for more refining cutbacks down the road. "Demand is a disaster," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. "That's the whole problem here. It's horrible." The bearish mood has been fueled by a rift within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members have been unable to agree to a technical meeting in April to discuss sliding prices. An OPEC-led supply deal fell apart on March 6 when Russia refused to cut output further. Saudi Arabia has already begun to boost output, a Reuters OPEC survey showed on Tuesday, and is expected to pump more in April. [OPEC/O] "It is very unlikely that OPEC, with or without Russia or the United States, will agree a sufficient volumetric solution to offset oil demand losses," BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian said in a report on Tuesday. (Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Alex Lawler; Editing by Marguerita Choy, David Goodman and Paul Simao) EUGENE, Ore.-- Employees at Whole Foods stores across the country staged a "sick-out" to protest the company's treatment of employees during the coronavirus pandemic. KEZI 9 News is unable to confirm if any employees called out sick today at the Eugene location, but employees around the country did share their frustration on social media. One post said: "COVID-19 is a very real threat to the safety of our workforce and our customers. We cannot wait for politicians, institutions or our own management to step in to protect us." After the company refused to shut stores down stores in California, New York City, Chicago, and Louisiana where employees there tested positive for the virus, employees demanded change. They want double pay for working in hazardous conditions and paid sick time if an employee chooses to self-isolate. They also demand the immediate closure of any store that has had an employee test positive for COVID-19. KEZI 9 News did reach out to Whole Foods for comment, but we have not heard back. President Donald Trump on Tuesday bemoaned the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has rattled energy markets and exacerbated coronavirus-related layoffs throughout the United States. Saudi Arabias ramped-up oil output is also alienating many of its previously ardent defenders in Congress, who come from oil-rich states severely impacted by the feud with Russia. They are going to get together and were all going to get together and were going to see what we can do because we dont want to lose an industry, Trump told reporters at the White House. Youre going to lose an industry over it, thousands and thousands of jobs. Trump also noted that he has discussed the issue directly with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Why it matters: Trumps comments came after he spoke with Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican senator from North Dakota one of the hardest hit states on Monday. We cannot tolerate having 2,500 troops and missile defense batteries protecting Saudi Arabias oil assets while they declare war on our oil assets in North Dakota and across the United States, said Cramer. To press his case, Cramer has assembled a group of 10 Republican senators from oil-rich states all of whom are Iran hawks and have voted on multiple occasions to continue US support and arms sales for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Cramer has called for withdrawing US military equipment and personnel from the kingdom and ending crude oil imports from Iran and Russia. He has also pressed the issue in a letter to Prince Mohammed. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue separately with the crown prince earlier this month. Whats next: As their constituents continue to lose jobs, Saudi Arabia may no longer be able to count on the support of Republican Iran hawks to defend against ongoing legislative efforts to end US involvement in Yemen and sanction Saudi officials involved in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Know more: Congressional correspondent Bryant Harris has the full story on the ramifications of the Saudi-Russian oil price war on Capitol Hill and in Washington. Also read Russia editor Maxim Suchkovs in-depth report on the price war and listen to Cooper Klose and Phil Calabro discuss it in their Off the Hookah podcast. Spain has come to a standstill. You can count on a single hand the number of people who are actually working because of the coronavirus lockdown. There is concern about the future and not just the coronavirus but what happens after the coronavirus has eased and things start returning to normal. This is a story which will ring true with many people. I was chatting with a taxi driver the other day and he told me that last winter, after a successful summer season, he had spent 4,000 euros on a holiday in Mexico. He said he thought he deserved it after spending six months working all hours. He spent the money thinking that when he returned he would have a relatively good winter and then the summer season. Who would have thought that Majorca would come to a standstill? Now he is working limited hours and his income doesn't even pay the rent. Some could say that he was silly to spend all that money on a holiday but if you think about it no-one would ever have thought that this would happen. How many small business people must be in the same boat? Hundreds if not thousands. The Spanish government has promised large sums of cash to help businesses but that money needs to be forthcoming now. With many business people believing that this year there won't be a summer season or a very short one, the time has come for action. The coronavirus is deadly and destructive and has brought the world to its knees but the economic meltdown could be like a financial tsunami if governments don't act quickly. Baggage porter Cacuru Emmanuel at the Congolese border with Rwanda. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) In 1994, when Cacuru Emmanuel was 12, 850,000 people fleeing neighboring Rwanda poured into his hometown of Goma. Eight years later, the Nyiragongo volcano spat out a 1 -mile-wide river of lava that destroyed his house and 40% of the city. In late 2012, Goma was captured by rebels and Emmanuels sister was killed by a stray bullet. And over the last two years, an Ebola outbreak in the city and the surrounding province has killed at least 2,273 people. Now the government says coronavirus is coming. Traders at Virunga market in Goma, Congo, are packed closely together. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) Bars, restaurants and churches closed across the Democratic Republic of Congo last week after the president declared a national state of emergency. Emmanuel, who once earned $5 a day carrying luggage back and forth from Rwanda, has been unemployed since the border was closed to travelers more than a week ago. I cant work at all, he said. Its never been as grave as this before. The virus arrived late in Africa, which has far fewer international travelers than the other parts of the world where COVID-19 has been killing large numbers of people for weeks or months. The country did not detect its first case until March 10. Since then, it has confirmed a total of 123 cases most of them in the capital, Kinshasa and 11 deaths. Testing is limited, making it impossible to know the true caseload. The streets of Goma are filled with motorbike taxis. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) North Kivu, the eastern province where Goma is located, recorded its first case on Monday a 44-year-old man who works for a humanitarian organization and had just returned from his native Nigeria. Having endured so much has left the city of 2 million with a complicated mix of emotions toward the pandemic. If it arrives we could all die, said Kajang Anuaritte, a 27-year-old tailor and mother of five who works out of a wooden stall at the sprawling Virunga market on the east side of the city. Kajang Anuaritte, a 27-year-old tailor and mother of five children, works out of Virunga market in Goma, Congo. "There's hundreds of us here packed together, it will spread easily," she said of the coronavirus. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) Theres hundreds of us here packed together, it will spread easily," she said. "How can we maintain distance? But Im not afraid because theres nothing we can do. Story continues The country's healthcare system is fragile, with just nine doctors for every 100,000 people, compared with about 259 in United States. The supply of ventilators would quickly run out if the virus takes hold. There are also concerns that underlying conditions such as HIV, malaria, measles and malnutrition could leave millions of Congolese particularly vulnerable. In a nation of 89 million people, the government has set aside just $1.8 million to care for coronavirus patients, educate the public about the pandemic and enforce measures to help contain it. Yet in some ways, Goma is more prepared than many other places in the world. Due to the Ebola crisis, the city is dotted with checkpoints where everybody is subjected to a temperature check performed with handheld infrared thermometers and required to wash their hands at chlorinated water stations before being allowed to pass. The city's airport has an isolation chamber that was built for people displaying symptoms of Ebola but will now also be used for COVID-19. Now a modern laboratory is being constructed in central Goma to analyze coronavirus test samples from across eastern Congo. Goma is just miles from the Nyiragongo volcano, whose eruption devastated the Congolese city in 2002. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) North Kivu has an advantage because it has already responded to the problem of Ebola, says Moise Kakule Kanyere, health minister for the province. Our personnel have experience in isolating and investigating cases and the local population is already aware of the procedures needed in situations like this. Another cause for optimism is that less than 6% of the population is 55 or older. The vast majority of people who have died of COVID-19 worldwide are senior citizens. In interviews around Goma, the dominant sentiment was a lack of faith that the government could do much to stop the virus. COVID-19 is widely seen here as a mzungu or white person disease, and conspiracy theories about it are rife. Government blunders haven't helped. Kinshasa was preparing for an extended lockdown of the capital, but officials called it off Saturday after prices for food and other essential goods skyrocketed. The same day, authorities announced that the coronavirus had reached North Kivu, but soon had to correct themselves: The cases were in fact in neighboring Ituri province. How can we believe what they tell us? said David Kimeni, who makes his living hauling produce in a wooden cart. They dont know what theyre doing. Kimeni, 28, is far from alone here in arguing that the physical distancing policy proposed by the World Health Organization simply wont work in sub-Saharan Africa, where informal workers rely on street trading and public minibuses are often packed. What if I cant work?" he said. "How will my children eat? We will have to steal. Ngongo Amunazo, a 40-year-old fish trader in Goma, Congo, is worried about the economic impact of the measures taken to stem the coronavirus' spread. (Peter Yeung / For The Times) Ngongo Amunazo, a 40-year-old fish trader, maintained that the virus was no worse than previous threats the city had endured. We have survived militia attacks, corruption and deadly diseases," she said. "The world should see what its like to suffer Corona Felix, not coronavirus, she said, taking a jab at the country's president, Felix Tshisekedi, who has made little progress on poverty, corruption and conflict since taking office after a 2018 election that many suspect was rigged. Amunazo's biggest worry was the economic impact of the measures taken to contain the virus. In the last few weeks, the wholesale price of dried fish has climbed more than 40%. If it keeps rising, we will have to shut down, she said. Yeung is a special correspondent. This article was supported by the Pulitzer Center. He took to Twitter later in the day to lambaste those who weren't observing important social distancing guidelines as the coronavirus pandemic rages. Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon took a break from isolating at home on Tuesday to show how to properly social distance. The 42-year-old comic actor and the 40-year-old writer picked up some coffee for an afternoon boost while staying at least six feet away from others. Scroll down for video Caffeine blast: Kumail Nanjiani, 42, and his wife Emily V. Gordon, 40, stepped out for some coffee in Los Angeles on Tuesday while staying a safe distance from others Kumail has been rocking a muscular physique in recent months following intense gym sessions to get in shape for his upcoming Marvel film The Eternals. His efforts were on full display in a tight powder blue T-shirt that revealed his bulging biceps and toned chest, and he also wore gray sweatpants and black and white Adidas sneakers. Emily stood out in a V-neck T-shirt with a hypnotizing blue starscape, along with black slacks and black sneakers. Blue mood: Kumail's biceps bulged in his powder blue T-shirt, while Emily hypnotized in a V-neck shirt covered in a blue starscape The couple's most famous collaboration was their 2017 romantic comedy The Big Sick, which they wrote together. The film portrayed the early months of their relationship, when Emily fell seriously ill and had to be put into a medically induced coma for what was later diagnosed as Still's disease. Kumail portrayed himself, while Emily was played by actress and writer Zoe Kazan. The film was a hit with both critics and audiences, and Kumail and Emily were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Partners in art: The couple are best known for writing the 2017 rom-com The Big Sick, which starred Kumail as himself and Zoe Kazan as Emily; still from The Big Sick Trying times: The successful film documented the earlier months of their relationship when Emily fell seriously ill and was put into a medically induced coma; pictured in 2017 Also on Tuesday, Kumail blew off some steam on Twitter at other people's reactions to his attempts to safely social distance. 'Seeing more people snickering at us as we work super hard to keep 6 feet away from everyone when we go on walks,' wrote the Silicon Valley star. 'Already seeing people in LA getting really relaxed about social distancing. Now is not the time to get confident. Do your part. It's not that hard,' he admonished. New strategy: Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Kumail's upcoming crime comedy The Lovebirds has been yanked from the theatrical release schedule and will now premiere on Netflix Coming to a home near you: The movie, which also stars Issa Rae, is one of the first to totally forego a theatrical release, rather than simply rescheduling Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Kumail's upcoming crime comedy The Lovebirds has been yanked from the theatrical release schedule and will now premiere on Netflix. The movie, which co-stars Insecure's Issa Rae, was set to open on April 3, but most theaters still won't be open then amid shelter at home guidance to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Most films with March and April releases have been pushed back until after the pandemic has abated, though some films have already made it to VOD platforms. Chandigarh, April 1 : At least 503 people, comprising 72 foreigners, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin have been identified in Haryana and the government is putting them under quarantine to prevent coronavirus spread, Home Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday. The process to identify all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat is on, he said. "I have directed all the SPs (Superintendents of Police) to identify all of them at all possible places like masjids, homes and public places and to take immediate action against them, what is necessary," Vij, who also holds a Health portfolio, told the media. The exact number would be clear once the compilation is over, he added. He said after attending the Jamaat, they were assigned duties to propagate Islam. "Their motive is not to spread the disease, but they do it owing to ignorance," Vij added. Official sources the number could increase at least by 150, adding that a majority of those who attended the religious congregation were either under quarantine or in isolation in the state. Some foreign nationals were also kept in isolation to prevent the coronavirus spread. The maximum number of 70 was traced from Panchkula district, comprising 27 from a village close to Pinjore bordering Himachal Pradesh, followed by 62 in Panipat, 26 in Gurugram, seven in Sonipat and 16 in Dadri. Some of them who have been identified not belonged to Haryana. "A majority of them reached Haryana when the statewide lockdown came into effect. If necessary, legal action would be initiated against all those who violated the norms," a senior official told IANS. Thousands of people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation and then dispersed, are feared to carry Covid-19 disease to states across the length and breadth of India. In a frantic search of thousands of people who were participants of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area in Delhi, the Central government on Wednesday directed the states and Union Territories (UTs) and police chiefs to complete the contact tracing exercise on a "war footing" to check the COVID-19 spread. Bri Hlava lost her bartending jobs when the Silver Dollar and the Pearl of Germantown in Louisville, Kentucky, shut down in the coronavirus pandemic. She had earned $600 a week. Here's the tricky calculus for Hlava, a 27-year-old in the decimated hospitality industry. Should she apply for one of the jobs the pandemic is creating, or should she wait it out? "I'm not above getting a job at a grocery store or something like that," she said, "but it's a little scary." With millions of people being thrown out of work as much of the U.S. economy shuts down, the companies hiring are seeing a boost in interest. Some employers are speeding up interviews and paperwork to put people to work that same day. But the hundreds of thousands of jobs that are opening up -- at grocery stores, pharmacies and warehouses as well as health care or technology -- aren't necessarily conveniently located for the newly unemployed. Some require specialized skills. Most are temporary, for low wages and the kind of work that isn't amenable to social distancing. The open positions are "not going to be able to offset the vast majority of layoffs that we're seeing at small businesses," said Professor Paige Ouimet at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School. "A lot of workers are not going to be able to take advantage of these opportunities." For Matthew Celano the journey to being hired has been fraught. He was a server and prep-cook at a family-owned restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida, until recently when the city mandated all non-essential establishments closed after declaring a state of emergency. Celano, 51, said he tried an Amazon.com warehouse 45 minutes away in Miami but was told by the time paperwork and processing was done, he wouldn't be able to start for a month. He applied at a local Publix grocery store last week, for a job stocking shelves at night, and said he hasn't heard back. If he lands the Publix gig, it likely won't pay what he had been pulling down -- $900 a week during the high winter season. The average retail sales job in the U.S. pays $11.33 an hour. Even with the $2 boost some chains are offering for a short time, that's only about $530 a week full-time. Many of the emergency postings are for part-time and only temporary employment. Celano could possibly get more from unemployment benefits, which usually amount to about half of regular weekly income, plus the $600 per week added temporarily amid coronavirus. He would also be eligible for the $1,200 stimulus check. The biggest issue for him is his elderly parents who he cares for and sees daily-- he doesn't want a job that would expose them to the virus. But he also needs money for rent, gas, car insurance payments, and groceries. "It's a catch-22 -- you don't really know what to do," Celano said. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged to a record 3.3 million last week. That figure understates the impact of the coronavirus, because many part-time and lower-wage workers don't qualify for the benefits in certain states, and independent contractors and the self-employed don't either. And there are many more expected to be laid off, with 80 million workers at risk and predictions that 3 million businesses could be bankrupt in the next three months. Government data this week is set to show an additional 3.5 million workers tapping jobless benefits in the seven days ended March 28, according to a survey of economists by Bloomberg News. And the marquee monthly jobs report this Friday is forecast to show the biggest dip in payrolls since 2010. Meanwhile, as many of 800,000 new jobs are being advertised by companies whose services are in high demand. They include Amazon, CVS and Domino's Pizza. Papa John's and discount grocer Aldi are also on the hunt for employees. Some are getting creative, with grocery chain Albertsons hiring furloughed dining staff from BJ's Restaurants, which last week suspended its dividend and drew down its credit line. Meat warehouse Americold is scooping up the recently let-go from Great Wolf Lodge. "There is this tremendous labor pool that is on furlough," said John Gordon, principal at restaurant consultant Pacific Management Consulting Group. "There will be employees that will use this opportunity to say 'I'm done with restaurants, I can't go through this again.'" But people like Hlava, the Louisville bartender, are hesitant to apply for the new jobs for a number of reasons, including safety concerns. There have been virus-related protests at some of the employers that are hiring, including Amazon. A group of workers at a Staten Island fulfillment center walked off the job Monday to demand Amazon close the facility for extended cleaning, saying some of their colleagues there were diagnosed with Covid-19. Suzanne Adely, co-director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance, said the companies hiring in the pandemic "have to implement measures to protect their staff because they're also at risk. What we're seeing is that's not happening in those sectors, or not to the extent that should be happening." Hlava said she would like to hold out, in the hope that she can resume mixing drinks when the pandemic is over. "This is not just a job for me, it's my career, it's my passion," she said. "I never really saw a future where the restaurant industry didn't exist. But does this drag on for six months? And what does the restaurant industry look like in a year from now? It's all a question mark." The 29th meeting of the RCEP Trade Negotiation Committee meeting organised last week in Jakarta saw member states agree that though COVID-19 is affecting ASEAN and its partners, the deal will be signed in October and is anticipated to enter into force either next year or at the very beginning of 2022. Two weeks ago, at the 26th ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat in Vietnams central city of Danang, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi told media that the inking of the RCEP will be part of agenda at the ASEAN Summit this year in Vietnam, where the deal is expected to be signed. Despite COVID-19 spreading, it is expected that all technical negotiations will be concluded in May, so that the deal can be inked in October. Chinas Ministry of Commerce has also announced that it will continue plans for the signing of the agreement by the end of the year. At present, the countries are reviewing the legal texts for the RCEP. The agreement, initiated by the ASEAN in 2012, is a free trade deal between the 10 member states of the association as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India. However, India decided to withdraw from the RCEP last November. At present, no specific levels of tariff reductions under the RCEP have been officially announced. However, Ibnu Hadi, Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam, told VIR that he saw positive impacts of the agreement on Vietnams economy, trade, and investment inflows. Such positive impacts will help Vietnam achieve higher economic growth and deepen the countrys business environment in regional and global value chains, allowing it to boost exports, he said. However, benefits depend on institutional reforms and preparations by state authorities and businesses. According to Hadi, the RCEP means numerous opportunities for Vietnams agricultural exports. Demand for these products from the deals member states is quite high, especially tropical agricultural products and processed food. In addition, China, which accounted for 30 per cent of the worlds total trade, is a huge market for Vietnam to boost exports, the ambassador said. The RCEP creates import and export opportunities and offers incentives on tariffs and regulations of origin, unified customs procedures and trade facilitation, and general rules to limit and control non-tariff barriers. The service markets will be more open, especially logistics and telecommunications services, and a better e-commerce platform. Enterprises are also looking forward to the RCEP to avoid the trend of trade protectionism and the impacts of the US-China trade war, Ambassador Hadi said. Meanwhile, Raymond Mallon, senior economic advisor from the Australia-Vietnam economic reform programme, told VIR that the RCEP will enable Vietnam to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI). Vietnam already attracts levels of FDI that are well above regional and global averages as a percentage of GDP. While the RCEP will make other member countries more attractive FDI destinations, past experience suggests that the RCEP will likely contribute to sustained inflows of higher quality FDI into Vietnam, Mallon said. Indeed, the agreement should make Vietnam an even more attractive investment destination by broadening opportunities for the countrys participation in the increasingly important regional production networks, he said. According to pan-Asia consultancy firm Dezan Shira & Associates, once the RCEP takes effect, it would give Vietnamese enterprises the chance to boost exports, engage in new value chains, and attract further foreign investment. The cutting of import tariffs would open up new opportunities for products from its prominent sectors like telecommunications, ICT, textiles and footwear, and agriculture all of which are continually growing with rising export turnovers. Under the RCEP, import tariffs for these products will be slashed remarkably upon the deals entry into force, and reduced to zero under roadmaps of between three and seven years. For example, in the agricultural sector, Vietnam boasts great potential for agricultural production thanks to its favourable climate and soil conditions. The country is among the largest exporters of farm produce in the world, such as coffee, rice, pepper, fish, and shrimp. The agro-forestry-fishery export turnover last year hit $41.3 billion, up from $40 billion in 2018. In another case, Vietnams total textile and garment export turnover hit $39 billion last year, up from $36 billion in 2018. Australias Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade has also released its update on opportunities to be created by the deal for Australian businesses. For example, the RCEP will improve the investment environment across the RCEP region. It will provide greater certainty and confidence for Australian financiers by locking in existing conditions and capturing future unilateral liberalisation. It will include provisions aimed at investment facilitation. Notably, the RCEP will include requirements not to discriminate against foreign investors from member countries. Besides that, the RCEP will include core funding protections, including rules requiring payment of compensation where an investment is expropriated, fair and equitable treatment, compensation for losses due to conflict and civil strife, and free transfer of investment-related capital without delay. The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has approved $2 million emergency assistance for the World Health Organisation (WHO), to reinforce its capacity to help African countries contain the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement issued by the Banks Communication and External Relations Department on Wednesday, it said the fund would also help mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. The bank explained that the grant, which was in response to an international appeal by the WHO, would be used by the world body to equip Regional Member Countries to prevent, rapidly detect, investigate, contain and manage cases of COVID-19. It added that this was one part of several Bank interventions to help member countries address the pandemic which it said was slow to arrive in Africa. It noted that the virus was spreading quickly and also straining already fragile health systems. It stated that the WHO Africa region would specifically use the funds to bolster the capacity of 41 African countries on infection prevention, testing and case management. It added that WHO Africa would also boost surveillance systems, procure and distribute laboratory test kits and reagents, and support coordination mechanisms at national and regional levels. This grant will enable Regional Member Countries to put in place robust containment measures within 48 hours of COVID-19 case confirmation and also support the WHO Africa Region to disseminate information and increase public awareness in communities. The grant will contribute toward a 50 million dollars WHO Preparedness and Response Plan, which other partners including the United Nations system, are also supporting. It is estimated that Africa will require billions of dollars to cushion the impact of the disease as many countries scramble together for contingency measures, including commercial lockdowns, in desperate efforts to contain it. Globally, factories have been closed and workers sent home, disrupting supply chains, trade, travel, and driving many economies toward recession. READ ALSO: The Bank Group is expected to unveil a financial assistance package that will enable governments and businesses to undertake flexible responses to lessen the economic and social impact of this pandemic it explained. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Bank had earlier raised an exceptional three billion dollars in a three-year social bond, the proceeds from which would go to help alleviate the economic and social effects of the pandemic. It is the largest dollar-denominated social bond inaugurated in international capital markets to date. (NAN) Worried over the inconveniences faced by farmers of Mizoram due to nation-wide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the state government on Wednesday asked officials to ensure that jhum cultivators can continue their work without any problem. Jhum cultivation is slash and burn agriculture in which the land is first cleared of trees and vegetation, which are then burnt. Crops are grown on the land after it. This primitive practice of cultivation exists in the northeastern states. Agriculture Minister C Lalrinsanga said the state government was giving top priority to farmers and efforts are being made to resolve the problems they are facing in the current situation. During a video conference with deputy commissioners and district agriculture officers, he instructed them to take measures to ensure uninterrupted work by 'jhum' farmers. Jhum, also known as shifting cultivation, degrades the and the Mizoram government last year said its New Land Use Policy has contributed to the decline of jhum area by 31.3 per cent in six years. Lalrinsanga said a total of Rs 864.16 lakh has been deposited to the bank accounts of 43,208 farmers in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) till date. Under the Scheme, income support of Rs 6000 per year is provided to all farmer families across the country in three equal instalments every four months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The next generation is ready to take the baton at Vietnamese family businesses, putting to the task their fresh ideas. Hoang Hung, Entrepreneurial and Private Business leader at PwC Vietnam PwC has launched its Global NextGen Survey 2019 - Vietnam in focus. What are the highlights of the report? Last year marked the launch of Global NextGen Survey 2019 Vietnam in Focus, which features a strong participation from the country. Although the biannual PwC Global NextGen Survey was first released in 2013, this Vietnam cut is the first time for us and it is an important milestone for our country. In terms of highlights of the report, I would say there are two key points. Those surveyed, Vietnams next generation, are driven by their desire to lead and make a difference in their family business. Our results show that 71 per cent of Vietnamese respondents to our survey already play an active part in their family business or plan to become involved in them over the next five years. This shows the countrys next generation has a strong willingness to engage in and are committed to their family businesses. Looking ahead, 38 per cent of this group expect they will become executive directors by 2025. They, however, require greater trust and empowerment from the current generation. The number of opportunities to lead for them (30 per cent) is much lower than their peers in all of the Asia-Pacific (52 per cent on average). This reality highlights a key challenge faced by Vietnams next generation, who want to make their desired impact on their family businesses. The report finds that they are anxious to prepare for leadership roles as they see themselves driving companies forward in a more complex future. However, what they need is the trust and support of the current leaders to provide them with more opportunities to take the lead. What are the determining characteristics of Vietnams next generation and what challenges do they face? Our respondents are young digital natives and largely from the second generation. Around 81 per cent of the Vietnamese respondents are from the second generation as compared to 61 per cent in Asia-Pacific. A total of 90 per cent of respondents surveyed are between the ages of 21 and 34. This percentage is much higher than those in Asia-Pacific (65 per cent). This demographic factor provides us context in relation to where the Vietnamese next generation is today, their ambitions, the way they build trust, and what they need to succeed. As young digital natives, their outlook for growth is linked to how technology is necessary to future-proof their family business. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents in Vietnam see technology as a key driver of change for their family business. This number is higher than the 59 per cent of respondents in Asia, and the 61 per cent globally. The nations next generation recognises that technology may be disruptive to their businesses, and that having a strategy fit for the digital age is no longer nice-to-have it should be one of the key priorities for their family business. They also point out that there is room for improvement when it comes to the use of technology and entrepreneurial culture in their family business. They are confident in their capabilities to lead and embrace the changes in their business in the future. In terms of challenges, our report findings reveal that this grouping lacks experience and expertise, which could be rooted in their young age. This also corresponds with the fewer number of opportunities given to them to lead. Both, the lack of opportunities and insufficient experience are a conundrum that Vietnams next generation faces as they seek to prove themselves as future leaders. The other constraint that our respondents perceive relates to the practice of governance and the rules in their family businesses. While the youngsters see the need to develop themselves, they also point to the external factor of having a more fitting, relatable governance practice in their family business that is more aligned to the modern marketplace. What stances have the family businesses in Vietnam generally taken in terms of succession? Do these stances have any implications for the next generation? The majority of Vietnamese family businesses are transitioning from the first generation to the second one. Not all of them, while being very successful with the first generation founders, have had an effective family business structure and a formal succession plan. The absence of these two important factors, together with the driving oriental culture make the transition more challenging and vulnerable. A family business itself has many conflicts to resolve. For family businesses to be sustainable and to grow over the following generations, perceptions and behaviours from different perspectives must be addressed appropriately. In Vietnam, the legal frameworks and regulations relating to business ownership and operations are still being adjusted towards international practices and practicality. The family governance principles and rules are, often, still in the early stages. From inside the family businesses, the absence of a formal succession plan prevents Vietnams next generation from gaining confidence and receiving the full support from the older generations and also from other stakeholders in the family businesses. In many instances, the result is that the follow-ups feel confused and uncertain. Last but not least, there is another key obstacle that I would like to highlight: the tendency to have one single dominant influence and its relation to the custom of primogeniture in many family businesses in Vietnam. This is a practical issue. Very often, it occurs when the first-generation founders or the current generation still wish to control or influence the business, or when more than one member of the next generation becomes involved in the business. How can we guide this next generation to successfully and sustainably lead their family business? It goes without saying that proper preparation is essential for them to become the leaders they aspire to be. For the Vietnamese to successfully and sustainably lead their family business, I would look at two key areas. First, understanding your persona helps you build your own paths to success. The needs and ambitions of this demographic are unique to each individual and their different businesses. In PwCs Global NextGen Study 2017, we identified four distinct personas based on their skills, contributions, and career goals. Each persona has different approaches to build their own paths to success. In our 2019 edition, we looked at those personas again and developed some recommendations to help the leaders-next-in-line achieve their ambitions and reach the top levels of their organisations. Second is the importance of aligned purposes and values. We understand that family businesses are often built around values and inspirational purpose. These factors bring power to a business, help assure cohesion, resolve conflicts, and strengthen operations. In order to successfully lead their family business into the future, Vietnams next generation needs to learn how to combine the legacy and values of their family business with their own ambitions. It is important for both them and the current generation to have transparent communication of ideas and needs. This will help build trust and bridge the gap between generations. VIR Hoang Anh What were also seeing is a lengthening of time between the doubling of cases. Its too soon to make any real predictions but it seems like were starting to trend in the right direction. But the truth is, on our modeling, we dont believe were going to reach the peak of this virus until mid- to late April, Lightfoot said, echoing a point she previously made in a Tribune interview. So theres a lot more work that needs to be done. BEIRUT - Abdul-Halim Khaddam, a former Syrian vice-president and foreign minister who was one of the most influential figures in the country before defecting in 2005 to France, has died of a heart attack in Paris, his son said Wednesday. He was 87. Jihad Khaddam told The Associated Press his father had been in good health, and that the heart attack happened after he fell on his back three days ago. He died Tuesday in his Paris home. Khaddam played a pivotal role during the civil war in Lebanon and Syrias three-decade domination of its smaller neighbour. But for the past 15 years, since living in Paris, he had worked against President Bashar Assads government Since Syrias conflict began in March 2011, Khaddam had been mostly silent and did not play any role in the uprising that later morphed into civil war. Khaddams death was not mentioned in Syrian state or pro-government media but was reported by Arab TV stations. Born to a Sunni Muslim family from the coastal town of Banias in September 1932, Khaddam joined the Arab Socialist Baath Party as a teenager and started rising through the party ranks after the political group took over power in Syria in 1963. Khaddam was named governor of the central province of Hama, then governor of the southern region of Quneitra and later minister of economy and trade. After the November 1970 bloodless coup by then-Defence Minister Hafez Assad, who became president, Khaddam was named foreign minister. He held the post for 14 years and was considered a close confidante to President Hafez Assad, the father of Bashar Assad. Between 1984 and 2005, Khaddam was Syrias first vice-president. After Hafez Assads death in 2000, Khaddam was acting ruler until Bashar Assad was elected president in a referendum. In the next few years, the influence of the so-called old guard close to the late Assad began to dwindle as Bashar Assad brought people close to him into decision-making posts. Khaddam was also a close friend of Lebanons former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated on Feb. 14, 2005, in a massive truck bomb in Beirut. Many blamed Syria for the killing, a claim Damascus denies. Rafik Hariri was clearly threatened. Several times. I used to hear the threats and send messages to Hariri that he should leave Lebanon, Khaddam said in an interview after he moved to France. There was spite against the man. Khaddam himself escaped two assassination attempts, the first in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 1976, in which he was lightly wounded when gunmen opened fire at his car. In October 1977, he escaped another attempt while in the United Arab Emirates, when a burst of gunfire instead killed the UAEs Minister of State Saif Bin Said al-Ghubash. Both assassination attempts were blamed on Palestinian terror mastermind Abu Nidals Fatah Revolutionary Council. After he left Syria, Khaddam was charged with treason and expelled from the Baath party. Khaddam is survived by his wife, Najat Marqabi, three sons and a daughter. MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center and the Mason City Clinic have signed a professional services agreement. Effective April 1, the Mason City Clinic will provide professional specialty services with clinics that will operate as outpatient departments of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. The ancillary departments, such as Imaging and Physical Therapy, will remain under Mason City Clinic operation. The services included in the agreement are: Allergy/Immunology Bariatric Surgery Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy Gastroenterology General Surgery Interventional Pain Medicine Neurology Orthopedic Surgery Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Podiatry Psychiatry Urology The MercyOne North Iowa Heart Center, previously known as the Mercy Heart and Vascular Institute, has operated under a similar professional services agreement since 2013. We look forward to our partnership moving forward with the goal of enhancing access to specialty care through improvements in recruitment and outreach, said Dr. Mark Mulkey, Mason City Clinic Board president. The two organizations entered into the agreement to bolster physician recruitment efforts and ensure strategic alignment. The goal of the agreement is to: Increase the number of providers to ensure continuity and expanded availability of specialty physician services in the region Improve outreach specialist physician coverage Improve ability to recruit new specialist physicians Coordinated governance structure to align with hospital strategic and operational needs Less confusion for consumers as many think it already is the same organization. Provide a complete range of health care specialty services to north Iowa and southern Minnesota under the MercyOne brand. At the end of March, MercyOne recently stopped offering tubal ligations during C-sections, severely limiting the option for the procedure's availability in North Iowa. As a Catholic health care organization, MercyOne North Iowa follows the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) for Catholic Health Care Services, the hospital said in a statement. We are working with our providers and colleagues to ensure the medical services we provide respect these guidelines. We remain committed to caring for the patients and communities we serve in the spirit of our Catholic values. Several of the health system's OB/GYNs have publicly opposed the move, saying it has caused confusion and frustration among their patients. "The PSA agreement with Mason City Clinic will not only boost our recruitment efforts, but also expand availability of physicians and specialty services to the communities we serve," said Rod Schlader, MercyOne North Iowa president. "Offering our patients a variety of services keeps quality care at the forefront which is always our top priority." The psychiatry office operated by Mason City Clinic will move to the lower level of the Mason City Clinic building. All other of the impacted departments will remain in their current locations. Patients will continue to call and register for appointments in the same way they do now. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Myanmar court has charged a journalist who published an interview with the Arakan Army rebel group under a terrorism law, while his website and others reporting on the conflict in the troubled western Rakhine state were blocked, Reuters News Agency reported on Wednesday. The court in the second-largest city, Mandalay, charged Nay Myo Lin, the editor-in-chief of Voice of Myanmar, under sections of the Terrorism Act on Tuesday after he conducted a March 27 interview with the Arakan Army in which it responded to Myanmars decision to label it as a terrorist group. Nay Myo Lins lawyer, Thein Than Oo, confirmed the charges, which can carry a life sentence, but told Reuters he did not have any more details. The journalists wife, Zarni Mann, also confirmed to Reuters that her husband had been charged. After the hearing on Tuesday, Nay Myo Lin was quoted by Radio Free Asia as saying: If the members of the Myanmar Press Council (MPC) review the report and find any violations of media ethics, they can give me any kind of punishment they like. The MPC is the body that investigates and settles press disputes in Myanmar. Myanmar last week declared the Arakan Army a terrorist group after more than a year of intense fighting against the organisation, which recruits from the mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine majority and seeks greater autonomy for the region. The Myanmar Times quoted Judge Kyaw Swa Lin as saying Nay Myo Lin had been arrested over last weeks interview. An Arakan Army spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Myra Dahgaypaw, managing director of the United States Campaign for Burma (USCB), denounced the arrest writing on social media: Journalism is not a crime. It does not commit human rights abuses and atrocities like the Burma Army. Reporters Without Borders also called for the immediate withdrawal of the utterly disproportionate charges against Nay Myo Lin. It said the journalist published his interview with the aim of serving the public interest and restarting the talks needed to end the conflict between the government and the armed group. Reuters was unable to contact the court to confirm the charges or the reason they were brought. A government spokesman did not answer phone calls requesting comment. Myanmars communications ministry also said it had ordered mobile operators to block dozens of websites over fake news. It did not publish a list of the blocked sites but several prominent outlets covering the conflict in Rakhine were inaccessible on Tuesday. Myo Swe, an official from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, told Reuters that websites had been blocked because we received orders, declining to elaborate. #Myanmar may jail a journalist for life for interviewing the spokesman of an ethnic armed group. Apart from ruining a mans life and that of his young family, this has huge implications for journalism in the country. https://t.co/RhUUQlNSBO Poppy McPherson (@poppymcp) April 1, 2020 These websites are publishing fake news and news that can cause instability in the country, he said. Websites carrying pornography were also included in the ban, he said. Norways Telenor, one of four mobile operators in Myanmar, said in a statement that it had been ordered to block 221 websites and would comply, but added: We do not, and should not, select or alter the content of communications in our channel. Myanmars army has filed several cases in recent years against reporters and news organizations covering the conflict in Rakhine, where about 730,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya fled a military crackdown in 2017. Myanmars army filed a criminal complaint against Reuters in early March over a story about the conflict in Rakhine. It later said it would withdraw the complaint at the request of the MPC and in the interest of good relations with the media. A man who missed his ferry has been filmed jumping into the Sydney Harbour and swimming after it. Sydney Ferries deckhand worker Haig Gilchrist, who was on board the ferry to Manly, shared footage of the unnamed man splashing in the water near the Opera House at about 8.10am on Tuesday. The harbour is often full of bull sharks, and according to Mr Gilchrist, multiple boats slowed down to offer help to the man. 'We all stopped to advise him to get out,' Mr Gilchrist said on the Instagram post. Water police eventually arrived and were able to drag him to safety. An officer escorted him on board the ferry, before questioning what he was doing in the water to begin with The deckhand said 'the poor guy' had clearly 'missed the Manly ferry this morning... So decided to go for a swim from the steps of the Sydney Opera House'. 'He was so lucky not get run over by many fast moving vessels this sun glared location. We all feel lucky the scenario was only a minor event,' Mr Gilchrist said. Water police eventually arrived and were able to drag him to safety. An officer escorted him on board the ferry, before questioning what he was doing in the water to begin with. In footage of the encounter, the man was asked if he had 'taken any drugs' in the lead up to the event. He was given a white towel to wrap around himself and dry off for the journey. A spokeswoman for New South Wales police told Daily Mail Australia no charges had been laid in relation to the incident. A large number of cell phone applications contain hardcoded secrets allowing others to access private data, according to a study that may lead to new measures to improve smartphone cybersecurity. According to the study, accepted for publication by the 2020 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, apps on mobile phones may have hidden or harmful behaviours about which end users know little to nothing. Researchers, including Zhiqiang Lin from the Ohio State University in the US, said mobile apps generally engage with users by processing and responding to user input. Citing examples, Lin said, to prompt an action on their phones, users often need to type certain words or sentences, or click buttons, and slide screens. In the study, the researchers evaluated 150,000 apps: 1,00,000 based on the number of downloads from the Google Play store, the top 20,000 from an alternative market, and 30,000 from pre-installed apps on Android smartphones. They found that 12,706 of those apps contained something the scientists called "backdoor secrets" -- hidden behaviours within the app that accept certain types of content to trigger behaviours unknown to regular users. The researchers also found that some apps have built-in "master passwords," which allow anyone with that password to access the app, and any private data contained within it. And some apps, they said, had secret access keys that could trigger hidden options, including bypassing payment. "Both users and developers are all at risk if a bad guy has obtained these 'backdoor secrets,'" Lin said. Motivated attackers could reverse engineer the mobile apps to discover them, he added. Developers often wrongly assume reverse engineering of their apps is not a legitimate threat, added Qingchuan Zhao, another co-author of the study from the Ohio State University. "A key reason why mobile apps contain these 'backdoor secrets' is because developers misplaced the trust," Zhao said. To truly secure their apps, he said, developers need to perform security-relevant user-input validations and push their secrets on the backend servers. "On many platforms, user-generated content may be moderated or filtered before it is published," Zhao said, adding that several social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, already limit the content users are permitted to publish on those platforms. "Unfortunately, there might exist problems -- for example, users know that certain words are forbidden from a platform's policy, but they are unaware of examples of words that are considered as banned words and could result in content being blocked without users' knowledge," he said. "Therefore, end users may wish to clarify vague platform content policies by seeing examples of banned words," Zhao added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a report issued on Monday, the Ministry of Health shared the death of 28 people from COVID-19 and 1,094 confirmed cases of the said virus. Hugo-Lopez Gatell, Deputy Health Minister, said that Mexico is facing a continuous increase in the number of infected citizens. There are currently 2,752 suspected cases of COVID-19, while 5,635 cases tested negative of coronavirus. The report also confirms 8 new deaths increasing the total number of deaths due to coronavirus to 28. As of Monday, there have been a total of 9,481 individuals studied for the pandemic in Mexico. The Deputy Health Minister announced that they will enforce new measures to strengthen the mitigation strategy and extend the suspension of unimportant activities until April 30th. Suspension of non-essential activities The suspension of non-essential activities has been extended until April 30th due to the increasing number of suspected and confirmed cases of coronavirus. The government of Mexico only allows activities that involve labor and administrative works in the health sector, public safety, and citizen protection. Sectors that are also deemed necessary to keep the country's economy afloat will also remain active along with social programs. Maintenance of infrastructures that provide basic necessities is also allowed to continue their operations. Sectors deemed as essential will only have about 50 people to be operational. They urge the public to stay at home and stay away from any social gathering. COVID-19 Phase 2 The government has announced phase 2 of the pandemic on Tuesday. As an action, the government of Mexico has launched a program called, Jornada Nacional de Sana Distancia (Healthy Distance). This program highly recommends the suspension of unnecessary activities in both the public and private sectors. Phase 2 also means contagion can now be brought locally unlike phase 1 where it only considered international transmission. Mexico has suspended the federal government's unnecessary work and has asked most companies to send their workers home. The public is mandated to stay at home as a measure to keep the virus from spreading. The program, Jornada Nacional de Sana Distancia, should be strictly followed to prevent the virus from spreading even more. The government said that by staying at home, the public is helping the government more so the contagion does not escalate furthermore. Check these out: Official laboratories in the country have not approved any coronavirus test kits that provide immediate results as they believe it might provide false results. The government also reinforces quarantine measures which will last for 28 days. Individuals who have fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing are recommended to self-quarantine for 4 days but if the situation escalates, they must immediately seek medical attention. The Ministry of Public Education reiterated that this should not be taken as a vacation but rather a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Also, the ministry advised the public that distance learning will be implemented for educational establishments. Several private companies have reduced work hours and implemented work from home options for their workers. Contributed Photo BRANFORD A hiker suffered serious injuries before he was found with blood on him by a passerby, according to police. Earlier Tuesday, officers responded to the Beacon Hill Preserve trail for a report of a male with blood on himself sitting on a bench, police said. The caller said it wasnt clear what happened. Russias Human Rights Council urges Government to assist NGOs at time of pandemic RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:14 01/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 1 (RAPSI) Russias Presidential Human Rights Council has turned to the Government urging it to adopt a package of measures aimed at protecting NGOs during the coronavirus pandemic in a letter sent by the Council Chair Valery Fadeyev to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the bodys press-service informs. President Vladimir Putin has offered a package of measures aimed at support of small and midsize businesses in the present complicated situation; however, due to certain legal reasons, numerous not-for-profit organizations have not been included and are therefore threatened their very existence, the statement reads. Proposals put forward by respective authorities and NGOs have been already submitted to the Government; the Council urges it to support them, Fadeyev is quoted as writing in the letter. A Council member Svetlana Makovetskaya has noted that the proposed package contains such measures as lower tax burden on labor, a six months moratorium with respect to legal provisions restricting NGOs activities outside those fixed in their chapters, annulment of punitive penalties for untimely presentation of annual reports, and suspension of fulfillment of commitments as per state procurement contracts and grant agreements. Certain proposals stem from the fact that NGOs are employers like any other economic agents, therefore they are also entitled to lower burden on their salary funds, Makovetskaya has said. Moreover, in the pandemic situation many NGOs have to undertake actions part of which is outside of those set in their chapters, what may be punishable under the legislation currently in force by the Justice Ministry acting as the regulator in this sphere, thence the proposal to start a six month or if need be longer moratorium on the use of such provisions with the exception of activities subject to licensing or other special regulations, the rights activist has added. Yet another part of proposals concerns easing of some requirements as to annual reporting, the preparation of which demands time, resources and efforts unavailable in the crisis situation of spreading coronavirus disease; NGOs also need a relaxation of the rules governing state procurement contracts and grants, according to Makovetskaya. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 1, 2020 16:44 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206eee500 1 Business Indonesia,Barito-Pacific,Prayogo-pangestu,Chandra-Asri,donation,medical-device,hospitals,COVID-19 Free Diversified petrochemical giant PT Barito Pacific Tbk plans to donate Rp 30 billion (US$1.8 million) worth of medical devices to help a number of hospitals in Jakarta, Banten and West Java treat COVID-19 patients. Funds sourced from the companys two subsidiaries, petrochemical company PT Chandra Asri and geothermal company Star Energy Holding Pte Ltd., as well as its Yayasan Bakti Barito foundation, would be used to buy medical devices for hospitals in Jakarta, West Java and Banten. The two subsidiaries are also to be in charge of channeling the donations. We prioritize and are concerned for those who are directly affected by this pandemic, Barito Pacific president director Agus Salim Pangestu said in a written statement issued on Wednesday, adding that the founder of the company, Prajogo Pangestu, wanted to help alleviate the burden caused by the pandemic. The medical devices, which are to be distributed gradually, will include 45,000 COVID-19 test kits, consisting of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid test kits, 120,000 surgical and N95 masks, two ventilators, 60,000 protective overalls, dozens of pieces of oxygen therapy equipment and hundreds of gloves, boots and other items. The medical supplies have been distributed since the end of March and will continue until the foreseeable future. Indonesia's COVID-19 task force chief, Doni Monardo, who is also the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, expressed gratitude for the donations and asked other members of society to support the governments policies for dealing with the health crisis as the number of patients continues to grow, even exceeding the capacity of existing hospitals. He added that there was a shortage of medical equipment and difficulty in attaining it, which was why donations like the ones given by Barito Pacific mattered. Currently, the hospitals listed to receive the help are the Sulianti Saroso Hospital, Harapan Kita Hospital, Persahabatan Hospital, Carolus Hospital and Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital in Jakarta, the Cilegon General Hospital, Serang General Hospital and Krakatau Medika Hospital in Banten and the Cibinong Bogor General Hospital, Al Ihsan Bandung Hospital, Hasan Sadikin Bandung Hospital, Syamsudin Sukabumi General Hospital and Slamet Garut General Hospital in West Java. (ydp) The Chinese government has embarked on a highly publicized campaign to provide vital medical supplies to European countries as they fight coronavirus outbreaks within their borders. Why it matters: Those efforts and the perception that the European Union has done little to help are providing fodder for politicians who are eager to hail China and criticize the EU. EU leaders may now have to worry about both Chinese and Russian overtures that weaken European unity. What's happening: Chinese companies and charitable organizations are providing supplies and donations to Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Hungary, France, and elsewhere. The donations are being met with fanfare and well-publicized ceremonies. Some politicians have used the opportunity to criticize the EU for a perceived lack of similar support. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic kissed the Chinese flag after a plane full of donated items arrived in Serbia. He called European solidarity a "fairytale" and said only China could help. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, "Were not going to the EU for them to give us anything, or help or anything like that, because that doesnt work." Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio invoked Chinese medical assistance to defend his support for Italy's 2019 participation in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, widely seen as Beijing's bid for geopolitical influence. "Those who mocked us on the Silk Road must now admit that investing in this friendship has allowed us to save lives in Italy," he said. Reality check: Germany and France have sent approximately equivalent shipments of medical supplies to Italy, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, and the EU provides significant support to Serbia's hospitals and has included it in its emergency stockpile of medical equipment. But that support has been received with little publicity. Germany also came under criticism for its early ban on the export of protective medical gear, which it has now lifted. What they're saying: "Euroskeptic populist leaders are very happy to play along with Chinese propaganda, to say only China is helping us, to promote the idea of the lack of EU solidarity," said Lucrezia Poggetti, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. "Di Maio only held a media conference when help arrived from China, not from any other countries," said Poggetti. Germany and France also sent aid "but they did it in silence because liberal democracies dont spend half their time just doing propaganda," a characteristic that Poggetti said is a strength, not a weakness. Between the lines: China's bid for influence in Europe only works when it can play to existing vulnerabilities, said Janka Oertel, the director of the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Right now, that vulnerability is the appeal of strongman leaders who question European unity and need visual proof to show their populace their approach is working. "The EU outplays China financially by so many degrees. But it doesnt produce [the] kind of pictures that the authoritarian at the helm wants," she said, referring specifically to Serbia's Vucic. What to watch: Even very pro-EU countries might see a rise in pro-China euroskeptics if the coronavirus crisis continues to spiral out of control. Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Altaf Bukhari has alleged that the Centre's order issued Wednesday on domicile rules in the union territory was a "casual" and "cosmetic" exercise to "hoodwink" the people of the erstwhile state. He said being a government-issued order and not a law made by Parliament, the new gazette notification regarding domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir was not immune to a judicial review. "While JKAP had been vehemently demanding domicile rights on land and jobs for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the order issued by the union government reflects a casual exercise carried out at bureaucratic level without taking aspirations and expectations of people into consideration," Bukhari said. The Centre on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew of amendments to 138 Acts of Jammu and Kashmir that include protecting jobs up to Group-4 (equivalent to the rank of constable in police parlance) for only those who are domiciles of the union territory. The government has inserted a clause for domicile category under which a person has to stay in J&K for a period of 15 years. Children of all-India services personnel who have served there for 10 years also come under the category. The notification said among the laws amended is the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act. "The order issued is totally unacceptable to JKAP. In the matter of employment - non-gazetted, gazetted posts in the service and admissions to professional colleges, a tangible legal and constitutional mechanism was supposed to be put in place to safeguard and protect these privileges of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been the permanent residents of J&K," he said. Bukhari also demanded that the order be put in abeyance till the country is out of the dangers arising out of COVID-19. "It is most unfortunate that such an important order has been issued at a time when the whole country is battling for its survival and is under strict lockdown to stem spread of the deadly coronavirus disease," he said. "This Order in its entirety is a casual attempt, cosmetic in nature, to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir who genuinely believed that post October 31, 2019 their rights and privileges in the matter of employment and other rights would remain as it had been (before abrogation of Article 370)," he said. The JKAP president said the introduction of a clause to include those who have studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K is totally contradictory and provides a tunnel for non-residents of J&K to easily encroach upon the job protections which were available to them prior to October 31, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NDC National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi has described as ''shambolic'' the partial lockdown by President Akufo-Addo coupled with some civilian brutalities which is intended to drive discipline into Ghanaians to treat the COVID-19 pandemic with seriousness. According to him, Ghana abides by the constitution of the land and therefore the men in uniform are obliged to respect fundamental human rights and adopt a humanitarian approach to their work in these trying times. In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, he stated that ''the quick-fire denials of these acts by the military high command, ably supported by Government Spokespersons, in the face of overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of our men in uniform, is shameful. If the Akufo-Addo Government fails to halt the ongoing brazen lawlessness of our security forces, citizens may soon lose trust in them. And that may result in citizen and/or community reprisals which will not bode well for our peace and the success of our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic', he stressed. Read full statement below: On day three (3) of Akufo-Addos partial lockdown and civilian brutality The President's announcement of a partial lockdown of some parts of the country has entered day three. Of course, there have been positive and negative takes from the exercise so far. Todays brief which reveals that the nation's positive case count now stands at 195, means that a lot needs to be done in the area of community spread/horizontal infections which appear to be escalating. But one thing that has left me appalled and of course, got many talking, is the several reports of brutalities being meted out to harmless civilians by our men in uniform. There are several videos and pictorial evidence making the rounds, of corporal flogging and in some cases, cruel savagery being administered by our men in uniform to harmless civilians in a manner reminiscent of civil war conditions. This is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to pass without condemnation. It does appear, that some of our men in uniform have lost their conscience and sense of humanity all of a sudden. And they must be told, that they are bringing the name of the State and the respected institutions they represent into disrepute by their barbaric acts. For Gods sake, we are not in war time or under a totalitarian rule. Ghana remains a constitutional democracy, and our men in uniform have to respect the fundamental human rights of the people and adopt a humanitarian approach to their work even in these times. The quick-fire denials of these acts by the military high command, ably supported by Government spokespersons, in the face of overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of our men in uniform, is shameful. The least expected of the high echelons of our security agencies, is to swiftly investigate these cases of brutality and bring the culprits to book. If the Akufo-Addo Government fails to halt the ongoing brazen lawlessness of our security forces, citizens may soon lose trust in them. And that may result in citizen and/or community reprisals which will not bode well for our peace and the success of our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. I choose to be a citizen and not a spectator. #StayHome #StopTheSpread Comrade Sammy Gyamfi Esq. 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 From combating Ebola in the DRC to a family suing Khalifa Haftar in the US things to listen to in lockdown. From the banning of mahraganat music in Egypt to a family suing Libyas renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar in American courts to an investigation into the corrupt trade of diplomatic passports, here are five podcast episodes to listen to while under lockdown. Young men observe from a rooftop as smoke from flares fills the sky during a local wedding in Salam City, a suburb on the outskirts of Cairo in March 2015 [File: Mosaab Elshamy/AP Photo] Egypts low-tech, high-energy mahraganat music blasted out of the shantytowns to top the global charts on Soundcloud and rack up hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. But one slip-up at a massive concert in Cairo threw the entire genres future into question. Listen to the story here. Members of the Libyan National Army commanded by Khalifa Haftar get ready before leaving Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli in April 2019 [File: Esam Omran al-Fetori/Reuters] Two teenage girls in the United States received a phone call that they never hoped to hear. Their favourite uncle had been killed in Libya, where their family lives. More than 150,000 have been forced to flee their homes in Libya since Khalifa Haftar started his offensive in Tripoli. We hear from the family in Virginia using the American court system to sue General Haftar. Listen to their story here. A healthcare worker decontaminates his colleague after entering the home of a woman suspected of dying of Ebola, in the eastern Congolese town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [File: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters] As coronavirus cases are on the rise, we turned our attention to a different outbreak one that is winding down. Doctors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have discharged the last Ebola patient, and if there are no new cases, this will signal an end to the deadly epidemic that began in August 2018. Learn how the DRC and its community leaders are bringing Ebola to an end, here. Members of a rescue team search for victims after a tailings dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil in January 2019 [File: Adriano Machado/Reuters] In the small town of Brumadinho in southern Brazil, residents are complaining of skin diseases, depression and odd illnesses they had never seen before. It all started just over a year ago after the local dam collapsed, spreading toxic mud and destroying everything in its path. Listen to the story here. A diplomatic passport can be bought for the right amount of money [Manoj Bullah/Al Jazeera] Ever wanted a second citizenship? You can buy that and it is totally legal. But unsurprisingly, the market for passports is rife with corruption. Al Jazeeras investigative team dug into the practice, and discovered more than they had bargained for. Dive into the first of this four-part series from our new podcast featuring the networks biggest and most explosive investigations here. Eventually a friend who is a nurse was able to help arrange a test at a clinic. By then, his father was wheezing and it was recommended he be taken to a hospital. He was admitted to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox March 25, Fadi Tadros said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-02 02:39:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask cleans the ground at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) The number of active infections added 2,937 cases from the previous day, now standing at 80,572. ROME, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Italy registered a total of 110,574 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, with death toll rising to 13,155, according to the country's Civil Protection Department which is managing the national emergency response. Overall, the increase in the number of people hospitalized and those died was slowing down, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli told a televised press conference late Wednesday afternoon. The number of active infections added 2,937 cases from the previous day, now standing at 80,572, official data showed. Of those infected, some 28,403 people were currently hospitalized, 4,035 were in intensive care, and 48,134, or about 60 percent of those positive for the coronavirus, were under home quarantine, Borelli explained. Some 727 new fatalities were registered in the last 24 hours. The number of people recovered rose by 1,118 cases to a total of 16,847 since the pandemic broke out in the northern regions of the country on Feb. 21. The empty Ponte Sant'Angelo is seen in Rome, Italy, April 1, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Military trucks carrying bodies of patients who died from COVID-19 infections from Lombardy arrive in Bologna, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua) Soldiers are seen near a military truck carrying bodies of patients who died from COVID-19 infections from Lombardy, in Bologna, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua) A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask carries out the cleaning at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask cleans the ground at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask cleans the ground at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask cleans the ground at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask cleans the ground at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua) Look, we've all had a game of Monopoly that got out of hand - flipping tables, dropping C-bombs and smashing all the ceramics in the 'good' dining room. Been there, done that. But I've certainly never played the variant that Mikey, Stacey, Aleks and Ivan introduced at Married At First Sight's reunion dinner on Tuesday. You know, the one where landing on free parking means you have to bang your husband's sexy mate. Monopoly, or monogamy? That was the question on Tuesday's MAFS reunion, where Mikey insisted he'd slept with Stacey, who in turn insisted they just played Monopoly. Game on! We'll get into the details in a bit, but according to Natasha, that's exactly what went down between her ex-husband Mikey and Michael's current fake wife Stacey. Let's start at the beginning. The Night Of The Reunion Liz and Seb Big news! 'We're moving in together!' Seb beamed, as he put his dinner shirt on, buttoning only the bottom two buttons 'We're moving in together!' Seb beamed, as he put his dinner shirt on, buttoning only the bottom two buttons. So we're just going to ignore the fact Seb's spent the last six weeks completing Cert 3 in male stripping? Either button the rest up or come out with it, mate. Button it! So we're just going to ignore the fact you spent the last six weeks completing Cert 3 in male stripping? Steve Mahalo! Heartbreak can take many forms. Some turn to alcohol, others turn to drugs, or face tatts - but not Steve Ever since he got dumped by Mishel, life's been one big holiday for Steve. Heartbreak can take many forms. Some turn to alcohol, others turn to drugs, or face tatts - but not Steve. Steve just moves into a furnished studio apartment, buys a bunch of Hawaiian shirts and pretends he's in a three star resort on Waikiki beach. World of his own: Steve just moves into a furnished studio apartment, buys a bunch of Hawaiian shirts and pretends he's in a three star resort on Waikiki beach 'So I can say Aloha social life, and Aloha big electricity bills!' he explained. Steve also needed to say 'Aloha' to the Taxi driver who had been sitting outside his apartment for 2 hours waiting to drive him to the reunion. 'Oh sorry!' he said when he finally emerged' 'I'm still on Hawaiian time,' he joked. 'Well the meter isn't,' snarled the cabbie. Island time: Steve also needed to say 'Aloha' to the Taxi driver who had been sitting outside his apartment for 2 hours waiting to drive him to the reunion. 'Sorry, I'm on Hawaiian time,' he offered by way of apology. 'The meter isn't!' snarled the cabbie Mikey Drop it: 'I've got a massive bombshell to drop tonight,' claimed the 10-second man, 'but first, look at these!' 'I've got a massive bombshell to drop tonight,' claimed the 10-second man. 'During the experiment, on the night I dumped Natasha, Me, Ivan Aleks and Stacey drank 20 beers, played Monopoly and then drank another 20 beers. 'And then I had a one night stand with Stacey.' Wait, was this before, or after you had your stomach pumped? What went down with Stace: 'During the experiment, on the night I dumped Natasha, Me, Ivan Aleks and Stacey drank 20 beers, played Monopoly and then drank another 20 beers. 'And then I had a one night stand with Stacey' 'Regardless, it's an extremely uncomfortable situation for me to be in tonight.' [Off camera] 'You know attendance isn't mandatory, right?' 'That's funny,' he smirked, snatching a pair of sunnies off the table, 'coz my new Ray-Ban contract says it is.' Extremely convenient: 'Regardless, it's an extremely uncomfortable situation for me to be in tonight.' [Off camera] 'You know attendance isn't mandatory, right?' The Reunion What's on? Our relationship ruiners looked on from their converted janitor's closet / observation room as the first couples started to shuffle in Our relationship ruiners looked on from their converted janitor's closet / observation room as the first couples started to shuffle in. John: 'Jesus Mel, you're thirsty! That's the third water you've had?' Mel: 'Don't be stupid, John. Smirnoff doesn't make water!' Trish: 'I've been here for six years and I still don't get a glass.' Thirsty? John: 'Jesus Mel, you're thirsty! That's the third water you've had?' Mel: 'Don't be stupid, John. Smirnoff doesn't make water!' They were interrupted by Hayley, who was explaining how she'd given up a life of drugs and now trades solely in apologies. Liz: 'Hayley, I'm so sorry for the way I spoke to you at girls' night. Hayley: 'Yeah that's right, beg for it. Beg me for forgiveness.' The 'sorry' whisperer: They were interrupted by Hayley, who was explaining how she'd given up a life of drugs and now trades solely in apologies Mikey: 'OMG, Hayles, you're lookin...' Hayley slowly raised one of her sharpened pinkie nails, in a motion that said 'out with the apology.' I want YOU (to say sorry): Hayley: 'You know what? The only people I haven't got an apology from is Stacey and Michael Mikey: 'Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry, okay! I don't even know what for but I'm sorry!' Hayley: 'You know what? The only people I haven't got an apology from is Stacey and Michael. 'Honestly, those two will do anything to preserve their image. I heard Roxy Jacenko and her husband Ollie were suing for copyright infringement.' Hayley: 'Honestly, those two will do anything to preserve their image. I heard Roxy Jacenko and her husband Ollie were suing for copyright infringement' The Mayfair Affair Main event: At dinner, Natasha wasted no time getting down to business: 'I'd like to raise a toast to Stacey and Michael, for having the fakest relationship in Australian reality TV history' At dinner, Natasha wasted no time getting down to business - no surprises there, she's used to having sex with Mikey. 'I'd like to raise a toast to Stacey and Michael, for having the fakest relationship in Australian reality TV history.' 'So here's to Stacey, for f**king my husband on our one month anniversary.' For what now? 'So here's to Stacey, for f**king my husband on our one month anniversary' Stacey: 'Darl. You're crazy. All that happened was Mikey and I went to Aleks and Ivan's apartment for a game of Monopoly.' Monopoly, or monogamy? That is the question. At this point, Mikey piped up to corroborate Natasha's claims. Aleks and Ivan: 'We have proof! A week later you dropped off a Mecca Cosmetics bag with Mikey's belt, jeans and shirt in it.' Stacey: 'Darl. You're crazy. All that happened was Mikey and I went to Aleks and Ivan's apartment for a game of Monopoly.' Monopoly, or monogamy? That is the question. Mikey: 'And I have texts from you saying "thanks for last night, sorry about the mess" ' Stacey: 'That's because you flipped the Monopoly board!' John Aiken: 'Wow. Everyone's furious. They just want someone to take responsibility.'' Mikey: 'And I have texts from you saying "thanks for last night, sorry about the mess" ' Stacey: 'That's because you flipped the Monopoly board!' True Detective 'Proof': When I said I had 'proof' Stacey did it, I meant that I once learned how to be a detective in a very educational video game and will now present my case When I said I had 'proof' Stacey did it, I meant that I once learned how to be a detective in a very educational video game and will now present my case. Exhibit A: The High Rising Terminal (HRT) or 'up-speak'. This is when a sentence of declaration has an upward inflection at the end, having the effect of turning a response into a question. 'Noo I diiidn't!?' Exhibit A: The High Rising Terminal (HRT) or 'up-speak'. This is when a sentence of declaration has an upward inflection at the end, having the effect of turning a response into a question. 'Noo I didn't!' (Virtual) Detectives like me know that you only use a HRT when you're trying to hide the fact you're lying by upping the shock in your responses. People who are telling the truth are far more calm and assertive - they don't respond to yes or no questions with another question. Busted: (Virtual) Detectives like me know that you only use a HRT when you're trying to hide the fact you're lying by upping the shock in your responses Exhibit B: Eye contact. This assertiveness also applies to your ability to maintain eye contact with both the person questioning you and the victim. When your brain's going a million miles an hour trying to come up with a story, your eyes tend to do the same. Good liars know this, and manually correct it under questioning. But it's much harder to do that with the victim than the detective. Exhibit B: Eye contact. This assertiveness also applies to your ability to maintain eye contact. When your brain's going a million miles an hour trying to come up with a story, your eyes tend to do the same Stacey did not look at Michael the entire time she was being questioned. People who have been wrongly accused tend to look at the victim frequently, attempting to re-establish loyalty and convey trust. Exhibit C: Stacey is a lawyer. The association of ambulance employees in Uttar Pradesh has called off their strike following negotiations with the administration over their demands for timely wages and protective gear to guard against coronavirus. Hanuman Pandey, a senior office bearers of the drivers' body, said they went on strike on Tuesday afternoon but it was called off in the night following negotiations. "The strike call given by the drivers of the 102 and 108 ambulance service has been called off. The strike was called off late last night itself following negotiations with the CMO and officials of Lucknow district administration," he said. He added, "We have been assured that we will get personal protection gear while discharging our duties. Our main demand was that our salaries, which are pending for two months be paid to us. One month's salary was paid to us yesterday, and the salary for the month of March will be paid to us on April 8." The Uttar Pradesh government had said on Tuesday that salaries of drivers of 102, 108 ambulance service or any other workers whose salaries or honorarium are held up, be paid soon. "Work has already started to redress the problems of the ambulance service drivers. They have been told that their problems will be resolved at the earliest, and their interests will be looked into," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said here on Tuesday. "This is an emergency situation, and going on a strike at this juncture is illegal. The issue has been resolved," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Counsel Financial is pleased to announce the addition of Matt Rimmer to its business development team. Matt brings with him an extensive background in both personal injury litigation and litigation support services. At Counsel Financial, he will consult with plaintiffs firms on the unique financial challenges that arise in contingent fee litigation and provide solutions customized to each individual client's needs. Matt holds a bachelor degree from Fairfield University and a Juris Doctor degree from Barry University School of Law. During his studies, Matt worked at a high-volume personal injury firm in Orlando, Florida, where he continued employment post-graduation. He participated in litigating numerous cases that resulted in multi-million dollar verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs. He then went on to consult law firms on a variety of litigation support issues. In his previous role as Director of Mass Tort Solutions for one of the world's largest legal service providers, Matt structured litigation management and settlement solutions for mass tort firms across the United States. Counsel Financial has provided working capital exclusively to the plaintiffs bar for two decades and is exclusively endorsed by the American Association for Justice and The National Trial Lawyers. The company continues to adjust its financial products to fit the changing legal landscape and build upon its experienced team of attorneys and professionals, in order to best serve its clients. With added flexibility, Counsel Financial can now meet any law firm need, with funding from $500,000 to $50 million+. Temporary factory closures and imminent layoffs are going to push textile and garment enterprises into deep water due to a lack of raw materials as well as mass order cancellations from European and American buyers. The next few weeks are key for textile groups as they await reopening of major markets such as Europe. Pham Ly, a 38-year-old worker at a textile firm in the northern province of Thai Binh, expressed her dismay at having to adapt to layoffs, even as she only works three days a week at a factory that usually operates at full capacity at all times. Ly is one of thousands of low-wage workers in textile and garments facing a tough time due to the current coronavirus emergency. These workers are also some of the most vulnerable at this time. At an online conference last week, state-run Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) informed that the entire textile and garment industry in the country may suffer losses of up to VND11 trillion ($478.26 million) if the COVID-19 pandemic ends in late May and the economy begins to recover from June. Le Tien Truong, general director of Vinatex, said that its members had many orders cancelled since mid-March. The bigger the brand, the more orders are cancelled, said Truong. He pointed out that in just the three days of March 16-18, a number of major customers from the United States and the European Union gave negative notices to domestic textile and garment producers. The majority requested extending delivery time to three or four months to wait for the market to recover. Moreover, several orders of seasonal and business items in March and April were cancelled. The cancelled orders equal half the monthly production capacity of many businesses, and account for 3-3.5 per cent of the fully-year 2020 capacity of the garment and textile industry. According to Pham Xuan Hong, chairman of the Association of Garments, Textiles, Embroidery and Knitting (AGTEK) in Ho Chi Minh City, foreign customers said they needed to stop receiving goods due to the rapid spread of the outbreak in the US and the EU, prompting governments to declare states of emergency and tighten border control. Partners in these markets have announced that they will stop receiving goods and suspended orders even those that have completed production and are pending delivery, Hong said. This has knocked out nearly two-thirds of the textile and garment demand, Hong added. Anticipating losses The suspensions followed an EU entry ban starting from March 17, with other countries applying anti-pandemic measures to cope with the coronavirus outbreak that has affected almost every country around the globe and is currently raging in Europe. Although the ban does not apply to goods, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade forecast that Vietnamese exports to the EU may decrease by 6-8 per cent over the first six months of 2020 if the epidemic lasts until June. The EU is the second-largest export market of Vietnam with two-way trade turnover at $56.4 billion in 2019, with Vietnams export turnover to the EU making up more than $41 billion of this. Nguyen Xuan Duong, general director of Hung Yen Garment Corporation, said that most businesses in the sector were already under pressure from supply chain disruptions as much of the raw material supply relies on China. They now face another enormous challenge as European and US retailers are suspending or cancelling supply orders due to the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2020, our revenue is estimated to decrease by 20 per cent, said Duong, who admitted that he has not assessed the full damage as the situation is changing on a daily basis. One of the countrys leading textile and garment makers Garment 10 Corporation is facing a continuously reducing number of purchases from its partners. Than Duc Viet, general director of Garment 10, said that about 40,000 manufactured shirts were rejected by South Korean partners and they cancelled orders for 39,000 products for April. In addition, many US partners are also calling a halt to orders. We are getting tired of receiving calls to cancel orders. If this spreads to all countries, the losses will be tremendous, said Viet. The labour-intensive textile and garment sector helped Vietnam earn $39 billion from exports in 2019, making it one of the worlds five biggest textile and garment producers and exporters. The EU and the US were the two largest importers of Vietnamese textile products last year, holding 13 and 45 per cent of Vietnams export value, respectively, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Half of the textile exports from Ho Chi Minh City head to the US. Industry insiders point out that Vietnams textile and garment industry has survived both the Asian economic crisis in 1997 and the global financial crisis in 2008 but at those times, while the demand and delivery progress decreased, production was maintained. In the current outbreak, delivery times are being delayed and orders are being cancelled, worrying all local players in the sector, even the big ones. Urgent remedies All agree that the top priority is to ensure jobs for employees, a tough ask for labour-intensive businesses like textile and garment ones. Local makers are being urged to focus on finding solutions to minimise the need to reduce their labour force. In the immediate future, according to industry experts, enterprises should not increase working hours and allow employees to take two days off a week. They also called for enterprises to be exempted from paying social insurance, health insurance, unemployment benefits, and trade union fees in 2020, in order to create cashflows to get their houses in order in the shortest order. Specifically, at the online conference last week, representatives of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association proposed the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to provide an exemption from all social insurance premiums until June; exemption from unemployment benefits premiums until the end of 2020; and authorising the use of unemployment benefit funds to pay 50 per cent of the minimum wage for under-employed workers. In light of the complicated developments in the virus outbreak, on March 18 the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) issued Official Letter No.245/TLD regarding delays in payment of trade union fees for enterprises encountering encountering difficulties due to the outbreak. In particular, the VGCL has given permission to delay payments of trade union fees during the first half of 2020. The delay is available for enterprises where at least half of the workforce are subject to social insurance contribution but must temporarily suspend working. Vietnams textile and garment industry currently boasts about 6,800 enterprises with 2.8 million employees. The output of the industry is about $45 billion, with the domestic consumption accounting for only about $5 billion, while the rest is exported. According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, both the EU and the US could take up to 10 weeks to overcome the health crisis. During this period, Khanh said businesses should pay more attention to markets recovering from the pandemic like China, South Korea, and Japan, as the demand will rise significantly after the crisis. In addition, the deputy minister suggested businesses to develop their own raw material supply and mobilise resources to seize the opportunities that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement will bring in the near future. VIR Thu Huong Two textile and garment companies to benefit the most from EVFTA TNG Investment and Trading JSC (TNG) and Thanh Cong Textile Garment Investment JSC (TCM) are expected to benefit the most from the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA), according to Bao Viet Securities. C3.ai Publishes COVID-19 Data Lake C3.ai, a leading enterprise AI software provider for accelerating digital transformation, today announced that the company will make a unified, federated, open data image of critical COVID-19 data publicly available at no cost to the global research community beginning on April 13, 2020, accessible at https://c3.ai/covid. C3 (News - Alert).ai COVID-19 Data Lake data sets will initially include: C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake Available to All Researchers These diverse structured and unstructured data sets are aggregated into a unified, federated image, easily accessible and useful to researchers for applying advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. The C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake will be made publicly available at no cost to the global research community. The open data sets will be accessible at https://c3.ai/covid via any utility that supports access through a RESTful API using common tools such as Python, R, Ex Machina, Microsoft (News - Alert) Power BI, etc. In addition, the C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake will be immediately accessible to researchers and organizations currently utilizing the C3 AI Suite, including member academic institutions and researchers through the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute (C3.ai DTI). The global research and developer communities are invited to help expand the scale of the C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake by enhancing its functionality, developing analytics and predictive models, and by contributing additional COVID-related data sets through a crowdsourcing model. "We are pleased to make this contribution to the global COVID-19 research effort," said Thomas M. Siebel, CEO of C3.ai. "It is our hope that this resource will rapidly expand in scope and functionality to help researchers address this unprecedented pandemic." The C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake uses the capabilities of the C3 AI Suite to help organizations leverage existing enterprise systems, data stores, and data lake investments by unifying all enterprise and external data into a single current virtual data image without the need to duplicate data. The C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake provides a single secure cloud image of the various COVID-19 datasets available in a private, highly scalable, distributed cloud infrastructure. This announcement follows last week's launch of the C3.ai DTI (News - Alert), a research consortium dedicated to accelerating the application of artificial intelligence to speed the pace of digital transformation in business, government, and society. C3.ai DTI member institutions include UC Berkeley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MIT (News - Alert), Princeton University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Chicago. Last week, the C3.ai DTI also published its first call for research proposals, focusing on AI Techniques to Mitigate Pandemic. "University researchers are encouraged to partner with C3.ai DTI research institutions to develop proposals to enhance or utilize the C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake," said Shankar Sastry, Engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley and co-director of the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute. "C3.ai DTI invites scholars, developers, and researchers to embrace the challenge of abating COVID-19 and advance the knowledge, science, and technologies for mitigating future pandemics using AI." For additional information about C3.ai COVID-19 Data Lake please visit: https://c3.ai/covid. To learn more about C3.ai DTI's program, award opportunities, and call for proposals, please visit C3DTI.ai. About C3.ai C3.ai is a leading AI software provider for accelerating digital transformation. C3.ai delivers the C3 AI Suite for developing, deploying, and operating large-scale AI, predictive analytics, and IoT applications in addition to an increasingly broad portfolio of turn-key AI applications. The core of the C3.ai offering is a revolutionary, model-driven AI architecture that dramatically enhances data science and application development. Learn more at: www.c3.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005329/en/ Federal judges in Ohio and Texas on Monday blocked abortion bans enacted earlier this month amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. After the Ohio Department of Health temporarily suspended all "non-essential and elective surgeries" in order to avoid shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), Ohio Attorney General David Yost (R) said that meant abortions had to be "immediately" stopped. Texas did the same thing a few days later, with Gov. Greg Abbott (R) telling doctors to hold off on procedures that were not medically necessary and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) saying that included "any type of abortion." U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin halted Texas' temporary ban, saying the order would cause patients to "suffer serious and irreparable harm." He also said the Supreme Court has "spoken clearly" on "a woman's right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion," and there "can be no outright ban on such a procedure." In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett said Ohio was unable to prove that performing surgical abortions would "result in any beneficial amount of net saving of PPE in Ohio such that the net saving of PPE outweighs the harm of eliminating abortion." More stories from theweek.com Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is what real coronavirus leadership looks like The case for cautious optimism about the pandemic Walmart to start taking workers' temperatures, providing gloves and masks The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Central government to remove blockades erected by Karnataka on the national highways connecting the two states in the backdrop of coronavirus lockdown so as to allow free movement of vehicles carrying persons for urgent medical treatment. A bench comprising justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chaly gave the order on a PIL seeking directions for opening of the roads connecting Kasaragod in Kerala and Mangaluru in Karnataka, which had been closed by Karnataka in view of the lockdown to check the COVID-19 outbreak. "...we feel compelled to issue directions to the Central Government today because we are of the view that any further delay could entail loss of precious lives of our citizens", the Court said in its order delivered on Wednesday night after a detailed hearing earlier in the day. The order came amid reports of deaths of at least seven seriously ill persons after the ambulances carrying them to hospitals in Mangaluru, 15 kms from Kasaragod, were allegedly not allowed by Karnataka police on the borders. The court said the national highways come under the administrative jurisdiction of the Central Government and that the provisions of the National Highways Act clearly provide for the maintenance of such highways by it. The act even provides for penal measures to be taken against anyone blocking such a highway, it said. The arterial roads that connect Mangaluru in Karnataka, to Kasaragod in Kerala were part of the National Highway network and it is therefore the duty of the Central Government to ensure that the said roads are kept free of blockades, the court said. "No doubt, restrictions may be imposed in times of a national emergency such as the present, but when the guidelines issued by the Central Government under the Disaster Management Act itself permits travel for urgent medical treatment, then the said guidelines have necessarily to be enforced by the Central Government through the removal of the blockades that prevent such travel. "We, therefore, direct the Central Government to forthwith intervene in the matter and ensure that the blockades erected by the State of Karnataka on the National Highways... are removed forthwith, and without any further delay, so as to facilitate the free movement of vehicles carrying persons for urgent medical treatment, across the border between the two States," the court said in its order. "We may reiterate that we expect the Central Government to act expeditiously in this matter, taking note of the human lives that are at stake", it added. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has recently taken up the matter of closure of the roads with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing difficulties in movement of essential commodities and people seeking expert medical help. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NASA's next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, has fully deployed its primary mirror for the first time, marking another milestone on its journey to space. Before all work on the next-generation instrument, which is scheduled to launch in 2021, was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, technicians and engineers at the agency were going through a series of tests with the telescope before it's sent to French Guiana for liftoff aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Recently, in one of these tests, the space telescope successfully extended and unfolded its entire 21 foot 4-inch (6.5 meters) primary mirror (the largest mirror of its kind that NASA has ever built). The mirror opened up into the same configuration that it will once the telescope is in space. Related: Building the James Webb Space Telescope (gallery) NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully deployed its giant primary mirror for the first time. It will launch in 2021. (Image credit: Chris Gunn/NASA) During the test, Webb's mirror was hooked up to specialized gravity-offsetting equipment that simulated the zero-gravity environment in space. So, not only did the mirror deploy as designed, it did so in a space-like environment, demonstrating its readiness. Engineers and technicians will deploy Webb's primary mirror only one more time before it's shipped off to its launch site. Passing this test "is another significant milestone showing Webb will deploy properly in space. This is a great achievement and an inspiring image for the entire team," Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for Webb at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement. Webb's primary mirror is a critical piece of the instrument. A telescope's sensitivity is directly related to the size of its mirror, which determines how much light the telescope can collect from the objects it observes. So, Webb's mirror has to be really big in order for the instrument to be as powerful as possible. Webb's mirror is so big that it cannot fit inside of a rocket while fully extended, so it needs to fold up in order to be transported to space. So it's ability to fold up and then unfurl, ready to get to work, is crucial. With the COVID-19 pandemic still very much underway, the regular workflow at NASA has been interrupted. Recently, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that all NASA employees who are not considered essential mission personnel would be working remotely for the time being. For now, the Webb team from Northrop Grumman is still continuing integration and testing work in California, though they have shifted to reducing the number of people working at a given time, according to the statement. After the deployable tower assembly is set up in April, integration and testing will be fully stopped as a significant amount of NASA personnel are required for those operations. Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. The United States Attorneys for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee together with Tennessees Attorney General Make Prosecuting Fraud Schemes Top Priority Tennessees top prosecutorsthree United States Attorneys and the Tennessee Attorney Generalare coordinating their efforts to prevent Tennesseans from being victimized by fraud schemes and other unlawful acts during disaster-relief efforts and the coronavirus pandemic and will investigate and prosecute all instances of coronavirus-related fraud schemes targeting Tennesseans. Sadly, many Americans fall victim to fraud schemes every day. Our offices are working to investigate and prosecute all schemes related to the coronavirus that are designed to defraud Tennesseans. Our mission is to make sure Tennesseans remain safe from fraudsters during these difficult times. Although these crises have brought out the best in most Americans, there will always be some individuals who will attempt to profit during a time of emergency. Our offices will not tolerate those who exploit the fear of our most vulnerable citizens. Together we will protect the safety and security of our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be vigilant in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting any fraud scheme related to coronavirus. And, as the central Tennessee region recovers from the damage caused by the devastating tornados, our offices will also coordinate to investigate and prosecute any fraud schemes related to the ongoing disaster relief efforts. Unfortunately, during difficult times, bad actors attempt to capitalize on unsuspecting victims. We want these bad actors to know that taking advantage of these crises will not be tolerated. Any attempt to do so will quickly be investigated and prosecuted. To confront fraud schemes related to the coronavirus, U.S. Attorney General William Barr has directed the United States Attorneys and their offices to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of fraud schemes related to the coronavirus. The Tennessee Attorney Generals office has made uncovering and prosecuting these sorts of schemes a priority for his office as well. We have acted swiftly to pinpoint and address potential avenues of fraud. One avenue of fraud we are currently addressing is the hoarding of vital medical items and personal protective equipment, including N-95 facemasks, surgical masks and gloves, and disinfecting devices, for the purpose of reselling these items for windfall profits at the expense of public safety and the health and welfare of our fellow citizens. Hoarding and price-gouging frustrate the heroic efforts of our health care professionals who are fighting this epidemic on the front lines. Likewise, we will not tolerate instances of fraud, including the selling of fake coronavirus test kits, social media scams, phishing emails asking for money, prescription drug schemes, or any other attempt to prey on the vulnerability of our citizens. We cannotand we will notallow opportunists to spark fear in our citizens. As frightening as it may sound, everyone is a potential target. Please be assured, however, our offices will investigate and prosecute anyone who exploits or attempts to exploit our vulnerable citizens during this crisis. We ask for your help in reporting any suspicious behavior. If you suspect fraud related to the coronavirus or the disaster-relief efforts related to the tornadoes in the central Tennessee region, please report it through the link at National Center for Disaster Fraud or the NCDF Hotline at 866-720-5721. To contact the Tennessee Attorney General, call 615-741-4737 or email consumer.affairs@ag.tn.gov. Reports of suspected price gouging should include details of the name and location of the merchant, date and time of purchase, method of payment, receipts, price of the item in days prior to the sudden price increase, and the price you paid. Please let your families and neighbors know about our fraud prevention efforts and that we will do our part to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing. More information on these fraud schemes can be found at www.justice.gov/coronavirus Please be safe and stay healthy during these difficult times, and may God bless you and your loved ones. J. Douglas Overbey United States Attorney Eastern District of Tennessee Herbert H. Slatery, III Attorney General State of Tennessee Donald Q. Cochran United States Attorney Middle District of Tennessee D. Michael Dunavant United States Attorney Western District of Tennessee The global spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia is constantly amplifying the importance and urgency of international cooperation. As the world grapples with COVID-19, a special video summit was convened on March 26 by the Group of 20 leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the meeting in Beijing and delivered an important speech, showcasing Chinas responsibility as a major country, and its resolution to push for joint efforts to combat the virus and stabilize global economy. China deeply understands the significance for the world to defeat the disease as a country that has been directly threatened. It has taken the most thorough, strict and complete measures to fight the outbreak with the resolve and courage to make painful sacrifices, which is not only responsible for the lives and health of the Chinese people, but also fulfills the countrys duty for global public health. It is an internationally recognized consensus that Chinas efforts have earned valuable time for the world. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, the most important traditional festival of China, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC, making further study of and new arrangements on epidemic prevention and control, and once again mobilizing the country to fight the epidemic. On Feb. 10, Xi inspected the novel coronavirus pneumonia prevention and control work in Beijing. Calling for stronger confidence, firmer determination and decisive measures, he said the country must rely on the people, resolutely contain the spread of the epidemic and win the battle against the epidemic. In the fight against COVID-19, all Chinese have been mobilized. Hubei provinces capital Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, is a major battlefield where heroic people served the overall interests of the country and fought indomitably against the virus. Over 40,000 medical staff went to Hubei for assistance; 19 provinces offered partner assistance; and makeshift hospitals Huoshenshan and Leishenshan were built within days. Such miraculously effective actions demonstrated the institutional power of the super large country. Thanks to the relentless efforts, Chinas epidemic prevention and control showed positive signs and achieved initial progress. At the critical moment of the fight against the virus, Xi had an inspection tour to Wuhan on March 10, calling on the city to stay cautious as it had in the beginning, make persistent efforts and take prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak as the top priority and most important task. Besides, he also urged the city to stay focused and keep strict implementation of measures, so as to secure a victory for Hubei and Wuhan. Hailing that the high speed and massive scale of China's moves are rarely seen in the world, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the experience of China is worth learning for other countries. Bruce Aylward, team leader of the China-WHO joint mission on COVID-19 noted that Chinas strong measures of intervention have significantly altered the curve of the spreading virus on diagrams, and every difference and every line represent a powerful decision by policymakers and tremendous efforts benefiting a large number of Chinese people. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also hailed Chinas efforts to contain COVID-19. He said that with resolve and resilience, China will not only defeat the epidemic soon, but also achieve a quick economic recovery. This will be in the interest of the Chinese people and a strong contribution to the world, he added. The fight against COVID-19 further enriched and deepened the worlds understanding of China. Both the powerful and effective organizing and mobilizing capabilities of the Chinese government, as well as the cohesion and readiness of the Chinese people in the face of the crisis explain to the international society why China is able to defeat the virus. Love and support reach every corner of the world in midst of the pandemic. China is doing its best to offer timely assistance to affected countries when the pandemic is exacerbating globally, contributing its experiences and solutions. The country mapped the coronavirus genome and shared it with the WHO at the first opportunity, released multiple editions of therapeutic and prevention plans in different languages, and dispatched medical teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy, Serbia and Cambodia for assistance. Besides, it has also held video conferences with other countries to share its forefront experiences, and offered emergency aid to over 80 countries, WHO and the African Union. History once again witnessed the responsibility and credit of a major country that always fulfills its promises, as well as the love and justice it showcased amid difficulties. In an effort to dispel the dark clouds of COVID-19, China will always hold the principle of mutual assistance, work hard to safeguard regional and global public health security, firmly support the global efforts to fight the virus, and join hands with each country to secure a final victory over the pandemic. After residents of a Worcester nursing facility that is slated to become a center for COVID-19 patients tested positive for the respiratory illness, on-site testing is beginning, officials said. Several residents of the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Worcester have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Beaumont is among facilities in Massachusetts slated to become dedicated to coronavirus treatment. Beaumont staff began moving residents out of the facility on Friday, Matt Salmon, the CEO of Salmon Health and Retirement, said last week. Like many other healthcare providers, we have the potential for occurrences of COVID-19 in our setting. Following the CDC guidelines, we tested a group of Residents on Tuesday, March 31, to help ensure we were not transferring COVID-19-positive Residents to another nursing home, read a statement released Wednesday from Salmon Health and Retirement, the company that owns Beaumont. Several residents tested positive and Beaumont was in contact with the families of those residents, the statement said, as well as the families of other residents who lived on the same floor. Those patients will remain at Beaumont. Residents on the floor who did not test positive were transferred to Beaumonts sister facilities, with the exception of one resident who was moved to a facility outside of the Salmon Health and Retirement network, according to the statement. The plan for Beaumont at Worcester to begin taking its first COVID-19 patients from area hospitals on Monday, April 6 is still on track, the statement said. We expect there will be two discharges from UMass Memorial Hospital on Monday, with other patients arriving during the following days from area hospitals. All residents were assessed for symptoms before leaving the facility, according to Salmon Health and Retirement, which said it is using protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to keep residents and staff safe. The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said it does not comment on individual cases. The Commonwealth will continue to work with skilled nursing facilities who are volunteering to serve as dedicated facilities to help treat patients infected with COVID-19. While we cannot comment on individual cases, we are taking steps to ensure that the movement of current residents from these facilities does not spread the virus," a spokeswoman said in a statement. One effort that will support this is the pilot announced today that will allow on-site swabbing and expedited testing for nursing facility residents through a partnership with the Massachusetts National Guard, the Department of Public Health, and the Broad Institute, the statement continued. Salmon Health and Retirement in its statement thanked the UMass Memorial Health Care system for clinical guidance and support, as well as the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Public Health for regulatory support. In Massachusetts as of Tuesday afternoon, 89 residents have died from illness related to COVID-19. At least 6,620 residents have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state Department of Public Health. Related Content: Amol Agrawal Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das ended his March Monetary Policy statement saying I leave you with this comforting thought. Stay clean. Stay safe. Go digital. Even in its earlier measures for COVID-19, the RBI specified the need to advance digital transactions. On March 16, the RBIs COVID-19- Operational and Business Continuity Measures specified banks to Encourage their customers to use digital banking facilities as far as possible. The RBI released a separate advisory on the same day saying all digital payments are functional and encouraged banks/customers to use them. One can understand that the RBI wants to push digital transactions, but to do this during a pandemic is odd. Just like the SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected and paralysed human lives, a computer virus can disrupt and paralyse the digital system. During the initial days of the virus, there were reports that currency notes and coins could be the carrier of the virus strain, and thus one should not use it. There were news that the Chinese actually took back cash in virus-affected regions and destroyed the same. 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 Now whether currency notes and coins are a carrier of virus or not has led to different reactions from central banks. Swedens Riksbank has released a statement saying there is no evidence that banknotes spread COVID-19, and one could just use them without fear. In South Africa, some people created a scam and reached out to households saying the South African central bank has decided to call back banknotes and people should hand the notes in the household to the (scam) team. Thankfully, the South African central bank released a notice saying that there was no such call back. The RBI has not made any statement on whether it is safe to use banknotes. In some countries there have been calls for the central bank to issue polymer notes, which do not carry any such hazard. Some articles have stated that polymer notes are not risk-free. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, there were concerns that banknotes carry bacteria and viruses as they exchange many hands during transactions. The best example was seen during demonetisation where some of the branch managers suffered health problems due to old demonetised banknotes. This led to even more calls for switching to digital payments as soon as possible. This is fine, but shouldnt the central banks and governments be worried about a virus attack on digital payments? The millennials and even those before them are in fact more familiar with the computer viruses than biological virus. We have just seen how a virus can totally disrupt human life, and it can so easily do the same for digital payments. In all this discussion on pushing digital payments, the central banks and governments have barely cared to analyse the impact of a possible virus attack on digital payments. These are still seen as narrow tail risks, but, in reality, they are fat tailed risks. The risks posed by a deadly computer virus are really large and could flatten an entire digital payment system. As the entire banking system becomes increasingly digital, the risks are limited not just to payments, but extend to savings as well. In such an event, one could see several people losing their lifetimes savings in a flash. This is the time where the financial leaders should take a step back and reassess the risks of digital transactions. There are conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19s origin, but, in payments systems we do not even need such theories because its a known fact that there are people out there trying to hack ATMs, private/bank payment systems, etc. Pop culture, from movies to songs, is replete with references to such acts. Given all this, its highly ironical that during a pandemic caused by a biological virus, the authorities are encouraging people to opt for a solution which itself is so prone to a (computer) virus attack. Human beings are full of hubris when it comes to innovations which create a chain of intended and unintended consequences. When these unintended consequences (which are known in advance) break out and harm the public at large, the purveyors of these ideas act surprised. Ideally, we should try and find a healthy balance between the physical and digital payment world. We have seen how physical cash comes handy in regions which suffered from natural disasters which disrupted digital payments. Digital payments pose other problems such as lack of privacy and anonymity. Physical cash has its own problems, but it has served humanity for long despite multiple epidemics and flus and will outlast the COVID-19 outbreak as well. Whether cash will outlast the attack from digital pushers is to be seen. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fiachra Gibbons (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Wed, April 1, 2020 18:05 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ef9a7f 2 Art & Culture France,Literature,author,Gabriel-Matzneff,writer,pedophilia,sexual-abuse Free A second woman has broken her silence about being groomed and controlled by the disgraced French pedophile writer Gabriel Matzneff. Journalist Francesca Gee said she was in a relationship for three years with Matzneff in the 1970s, with the then 37-year-old essayist waiting outside her school every day for her when she was 15. Gee and the often explicit letters the diarist encouraged her to write featured in a number of Matzneff's books against her will, she told the New York Times, including his notorious defense of pedophilia, Les Moins de Seize Ans, (The Under 16s). He even boasted in his diaries, which were regularly published, of having her moved to a prestigious Paris high school so she could be close to him. In a statement seen by AFP, Gee said that she had been a victim of "his predatory behavior" and had tried unsuccessfully for decades to stop one of his publishers, Gallimard, using a picture of her on the cover of his book, Drunk on Lost Wine. Gallimard has since pulled all Matzneff's books from sale. The 83-year-old has never made any secret of his sexual preference for adolescent girls and boys. It did not stop him winning the Renaudot prize in 2013 and being honored by the French state. Read also: French writer 'regrets' his pedophile sex tourism in Asia 'World wasn't ready' He occupied a privilege niche in the French literary world until January when attitudes toward the writer changed radically after publisher Vanessa Springora revealed her own tortured under-age relationship with him in her bestseller, Consent. Matzneff -- who fled to Italy after the scandal broke -- is to stand trail next year on a charge of justifying pedophilia, and prosecutors launched a rape investigation into him the day after Springora's book was published. Gee, now 63, told the New York Times in an article published Tuesday that she had exposed Matzneff in a book she had written in 2004 but which no French publisher would print. "He never stopped using me to justify his sexual exploitation of children and teenagers," she wrote. A number of editors who had read the manuscript at the time praised its quality but told the newspaper that "clearly it was 15 years too early. The world wasn't ready yet." An editor at Grasset, which published Springora's Consent but turned down Gee's earlier book, said the subject was "sensitive" and Matzneff had influential friends at the publishing house. Gee, a former journalist, told the New York Times that Matzneff took her to see gynecologist Michele Barzach half a dozen times in the 1970s to get contraceptive pills while she was a minor. Barzach went on to become a French health minister and head of the country's arm of UN's child protection agency, UNICEF. She also later helped draft a law tightening French child abuse laws in 1985. The Matzneff controversy has shone a light on what many see as an overly permissive attitude towards sexual harassment and abuse in France. The writer claimed that his initiation of young women into sex, art and literature had left them happier and freer. A failure to comply with minimum privacy requirements has been exposed as the Federal Court of Australia (FCA) scrambles to recover from a major systemic failure in which the previously protected identities of hundreds of high-risk asylum seekers were compromised. An investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) found that the publicly available Commonwealth Courts database had published the names of hundreds of people who are supposed to be referenced only by alphanumeric pseudonyms who had applied to the federal government for protection under asylum-seeker visa provisions. [ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through CSO Onlines newsletters. ] FCA admits major systemic failure again An FCA statement to the ABC said an audit had uncovered the names of 400 asylum seekers, momentarily suspending database access and admitting that the oversight had been a major systemic failure even as the affected records remained visible when the database went back online. Migration lawyers have been warning the FCA about the publication of their clients names for years, the ABC said, but the organisation had done nothing to address individual cases brought to their attention. This is in direct contravention to the privacy policy published on the FCAs website, which discusses statutory restrictions that may be applied to the courts recordkeeping by various legislation. For example, the policy reads, under the Migration Act 1958 the High Court, Federal Court and Federal Circuit Court cannot publish the name of any person who has applied for a protection visa in relation to any proceeding in the court. Despite this, ABC investigators were able to retrieve details of cases involving asylum seekers from China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Egypt, and several Middle Eastern countries. Its not the first time an Australian government body has leaked the names of asylum seekers: In 2014, a breach of immigration systems saw details of 9,258 asylum seekers published online spurring an investigation and ongoing consideration of compensation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Protecting court systems from cybersecurity compromise is particularly important given the sensitive information they regularly manage. One recent United States National Center for State Courts (NCSC) white paper, for example, noted that court data is attractive to cybercriminals for reasons including facilitating criminal activity; supporting ransom demands; manipulation; use as a legal strategy; and shutting down legal action as response measures are executed. All US courts are subject to mandatory security assessments by independent security experts at least once every five years with high-priority systems evaluated every three years. Federal courts in that country began conducting self-assessments in 2017 the same year that Australia introduced new privacy guidelines through the Privacy (Australian Government Agencies Governance) APP Code 2017 (Cth). The FCA doesnt appear to have followed its own guidelines on privacy Despite these requirements, however, the FCA does not appear to have followed those guidelines. The organisations own Privacy Impact Register suggests that the organisation has not conducting a single Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to determine its own exposure to a potential data breach. PIAs must, the organisations website says, be conducted for all high privacy risk projects. A project may be a high privacy risk project, the FCA site explains, if the Court considers that the project involves any new or changed ways of handling personal information that are likely to have a significant impact on the privacy of individuals. However, the PIA register is currently empty meaning that no PIAs have been conducted in the more than three years the legislation has been in place. This, despite a recent ramping-up of PIAs by the OAIC, which has encouraged agencies to conduct PIAs as they explore data-driven COVID-19 responses. The persistence of such a major data breach is ironic given that the breach happened in the same federal courts recently used by the OAIC to prosecute Facebook for privacy violations related to its Cambridge Analytica partnership. That partnership, privacy commissioner Angelene Falk said, constituted systemic failures to comply with Australian privacy laws by one of the worlds largest technology companies. With the United States quickly becoming a global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, many people who moved to the country for study, life experience or professional opportunities have abandoned the lives they had built. They feared that the inequalities of the American health care system, exacerbated by the rampaging virus, could leave them vulnerable. These transplants, many of whom completed lengthy visa applications and countless job interviews for the chance to work in America, now face the reality that their time in the country may, through a cruel twist of fate, be up, or at least interrupted for an indefinite period. Many feel that the federal governments delayed response to the epidemic created too risky a situation, and that they are lucky to be able to escape. Some had less choice in the matter: They lost jobs that provided them health insurance, or were freelancers and could not afford coverage. A large share of those who have fled are young professionals based in New York. The city has been pummeled by the virus, with a death toll that already exceeds 1,000, and these expats have in many cases made flash decisions to pack up and buy a ticket on any flight they could find. (The Center Square) Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers isn't ready to cut the lights and water to nonessential businesses in the state that have not closed. "I'd rather talk to them first and convince them to comply," Evers said. He said his Safer at Home order is based on the science of trying to flatten the curve of the coronavirus. That there is even a question about such a step is because a Milwaukee alderman is asking for the city of Milwaukee to do just that. Alderman Khalif Rainey on Monday asked Milwaukee's health commissioner to shut off the utilities to nonessential businesses that are still open. I find it incredibly selfish and reckless for any nonessential business to continue to operate during the deadly coronavirus emergency, Rainey said in a statement. He is willing to warn businesses first. As a city, we need to do everything we can and use every tool at our disposal to stop the spread of the virus, and I believe shutting off the lights and the water to scofflaw businesses is one key option Milwaukee must pursue, Rainey added. Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said the idea is "dictator-like" and should only be considered as an absolute last resort. Evers echoed that sentiment. "At the end of the day, we're all good people," the governor said. Evers' Safer at Home order requires a long list of non-essential businesses in the state to stay closed until April 24. (Natural News) An aircraft carrier sits dockside and her over 5,000 men and women wait in quarantine as the coronavirus spreads at an accelerating rate on board. The sidelining of the carrier has become one of the bigger examples of the Pentagons struggle to deal with the ongoing global pandemic. The USS Theodore Roosevelt became the first Navy vessel to report cases of the coronavirus among its sailors. The carrier first reported cases of the coronavirus after making a port call in Vietnam, which had about 16 known cases at the time, according to Pentagon officials. According to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, key decisions about how to address the outbreak have been left to local commanders. However, as the disease continues to spread among the ranks, the Pentagon will soon have to figure out how it can stay at the ready to confront rivals such as North Korea and Iran and how it can display unflagging resolve to adversaries even as the outbreak decimates its ranks. The military is torn between its need to maintain operations, which cannot be done with social distancing, and the need to restrict interactions to inhibit infections, said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel whos now a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. It has still not figured out how to strike that balance. Even a small number of cases can put important assets out of action According to the Pentagon, there have been 309 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among active military personnel as of Friday a small fraction of the approximately 1.3 million troops it has on active duty. However, the case of the USS Roosevelt shows just how even a small number can sideline one of its most important assets. Initially, only three sailors onboard the Roosevelt had tested positive for the virus. After these sailors were airlifted off the ship, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly affirmed that the ship would continue sailing. This is an example of our ability to keep our ships deployed at sea, underway even with active COVID-19 cases, Modly stated March 24. Two days later, however, the ship was sidelined at port as the Navy struggled to contain the outbreak. Part of the issue is how difficult it is to maintain social distancing on the carrier thanks to the tight quarters on board. To save space, most Navy ships practice hot-racking where two or more sailors use the same bunk, sleeping in different shifts. In response to this, Capt. Brent Crozier commander of the ship has since requested that his crew be quarantined ashore instead. A clean ship is required. Every sailor onboard must be guaranteed virus-free and the ship environment must be disinfected, wrote Crozier. One infected sailor introduced to the ship will spread the virus. As part of his letter, Crozier presented two possible scenarios. One of these had the sailors remaining on the ship and, should war ever break out, have to fight while sick. There will be losses to the virus, explained Crozier about this scenario. Croziers second scenario, on the other hand, would have the ship evacuated and the crew quarantined based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only retaining a skeleton crew to keep the ships reactor running. Off ship lodging in compliance with CDC and [Navy] guidance is required for over 4,000 sailors to achieve a clean ship and crew, Crozier stated. For his part, Modly has confirmed that he didnt disagree with Crozier about getting the sailors into quarantine. Modly also admitted that the militarys ability to test was limited, mentioning that it would take up to three weeks to check everyone aboard the ship. However, he disputed the idea that the ship would be out of action if major hostilities broke out. If there was a reason for her to go into action she would just go, Modly said. Shes close enough to some trouble spots that she could mobilize and go quickly. The Roosevelt is one of two carriers in the Pacific, close to potential flashpoints in East Asia. The other carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is currently docked at the Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan, which is on lockdown after three servicemen, including one from the carrier, tested positive for the disease. Other missteps have been made The outbreak on the Roosevelt is just one example of missteps in the Pentagons handling of the coronavirus. For one, the Army waited until Thursday to raise its health protection status to D. This is the highest level where critical rapid-response forces that would be deployed in a national security crisis would be isolated to keep them ready to fight. Before this, the Army briefly stopped some training exercises, only to restart them a day later. (Related: Trump order gives Pentagon authority to call up one million reserve and retired military personnel to fight coronavirus as disease BLASTS through New York City and beyond.) Meanwhile, it took until March 13 for the Pentagon to establish a coordination task force to work closely with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, the military services and other agencies to develop policy documents and provide recommendations to senior leadership. Adversaries will want to take advantage of the outbreak Pentagon officials have warned that Americas adversaries will seek to take advantage of any weakness in the militarys strength, real or perceived. Already, Iranian proxies have staged attacks on bases in Iraq where U.S. troops are stationed; meanwhile, North Korea has launched short-range ballistic missiles in defiance of international sanctions. The Pentagon has stated that such threats are why how some things wont change unless the outbreak in the military gets worse. In response to why theyve continued with large-scale training exercises, Marine Corps commandant General David Berger stated: The Marine Corps is unique, We are mandated by law to be the nations most ready force, and thats what I think you expect us to be. While epidemiologists have warned against uncoordinated responses to the pandemic, the Pentagon will be sticking with its position that local commanders are best-suited to make the right decisions. I trust upon our commanders and our senior enlisted personnel to do the right thing particular to your unit, to your situation, to your mission, affirmed Esper during a virtual town hall on Tuesday. Its up to the commanders and senior NCOs to make the right calls relevant to their situation to ensure that we protect our people while at the same time maintaining mission readiness. Sources include: Stripes.com 1 Stripes.com 2 News.USNI.org : The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has accused business conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra of intellectual theft and breach of patent law. Association of resident doctors in an official release routed through the public relations department of the institute has claimed that Dr Rajeev Chauhan, assistant professor in PGIs department of anesthesia has been working on designing a low-cost ventilator over the past one year and filed a patent on December 22, 2019 with application no 201911053339 to Indian Patent Authority. The institutes ethics committee has already given approval for this device in October last year. The Mahindras approached us via email due to the national emergency in the wake of Covid-19 and within 48 hours copied our innovation. The same mechanism has been applied using a linear actuator, which was we had developed. However, without giving due credit to developers, the Mahindras have claimed that it is their indigenous product, said Dr Rajeev Chauhan. Official spokesperson of the business group said they were dismayed by these allegations and will issue a statement on Thursday. However, PGIMERs official release stated that, We (doctors) are starting a social media drive and will appeal to PMO and other high officials to intervene and protect the interests of our young innovators from the big sharks. This is against patent laws and demoralising for young innovators of the nations premiere institutes. SKT employees gives a thumbs up while installing a 5G base station on top of a building in Seoul. Courtesy of SKT By Kim Hyun-bin SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus (LGU+) have marked their first anniversary of becoming the world's first companies to commercialize fifth-generation (5G) networks. Since April 3, 2019, the telecom companies have evolved the technology to new heights both in the business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) sectors drastically enhancing user experience as well as laying the infrastructure to make it possible to operate smart factories as well as operations of connected vehicles using 5G technologies. Now the telecom companies are focusing on solidifying and expanding their coverage while contemplating ways to develop diverse innovative content that could best make use of the technology. SKT tops 5G subscribers SKT has been successful in topping the industry with the most 5G subscribers to their network. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, SKT led the pact in terms of 5G subscribers with 2.2 million members or 44.7 percent of the market in January, followed by KT with 1.5 million and LGU+ with 1.23 million subscribers. The country's leading mobile carrier was most popular among people in their 30s and 40s, a combined age group that accounted for 53 percent of the company's total 5G subscribers. The number is significant considering only 32 percent of that age group used the LTE network before the commercialization of the 5G network. The 5G network average data usage nearly doubled with 28.5GB per person a month, while LTE averaged 14.5GB a month. The rise in data usage can be attributed to more 5G subscribers utilizing diverse 5G content, such as virtual reality, video streaming and gaming applications, which accounted for 7 times, 3.6 times, 2.7 times increase respectively compare to that of an average LTE user. To better adapt to the growing demand SKT has set up "5G clusters" in 70 locations around metropolitan areas but plans to increase the number by three fold to 240 locations this year to provide better coverage. The company also found success in the B2B market becoming the first telecom company to partner with MS and Amazon Web Service to enhance its cloud services. It also secured large global projects with ATSC3.0 broadcast and other mass communication companies. SKT also passed down its 5G network know-hows to major telecom companies worldwide including Deutsche Telecom, Taiwan Mobile as well as IT&E. SKT was the first to launch cloud gaming in the world as well as devices that uses Quantum Cryptography. In the BSB sector, the company established 12 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) footholds around the nation to better their coverage and in cooperation with MS and AWS it plans to become the first to release "5G edge cloud." When the 5G edge cloud is commercialized, it will be able to connect scores of devices remotely and make possible for unmanned delivery robots, remote medical treatments with minimal delay and create positive changes in manufacture, distribution, and medical as well as robot industries. Regarding smart factories, SKT plans to build a private 5G network at SK Hynix's semiconductor production line as well as building the world first 5G smart power plant partnered with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company. In October, SK Telecom signed a deal with Rakuten Mobile, the fourth-largest telecom company in Japan, becoming the first Korean telecom company to export its 5G technology. Industry watchers point out that the country's 5G technologies and services have garnered great interest internationally, and said they could provide substantial future growth opportunities. A 5G network transmits a vast amount of data in real-time and has a shorter frequency-reach between mobile and base stations. It is up to 50 times faster than fourth-generation (4G) networks. Models tryout the KT Super VR HMDs, the device connected to the 5G network provides 8K VR streaming services. Courtesy of KT KT to implement 5G in diverse industries KT has been focused on partnering with major companies to establish private 5G network within the firms, so far 150 B2B networks have been set up last year while an additional 53 clients are set to get on board. . As of late, more companies have been reviewing to implement the 5G technology to automate their production line and monitoring system. KT plans to focus its investments in seven major fields to implement its 5G technologies, which are smart factory, connected car, reality media, tourism, supply chain, disaster management and public safety. The company says the most notable is the partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries that was inked in May, currently underway to establish a 5G based smart factory to improve efficiency and safety. They have been working on projects to combine KT's 5G network, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies with Hyundai Heavy Industries' robotics and shipbuilding expertise, which will allow implementation of voice recognition systems and operate cloud based robot management systems. According to the company's economy research company the 5G market looks promising capable of racking in 42 trillion won in economic value by 2030. When considering the B2B factor it is predicted to create 115 trillion won in economic effect. In Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, the company was the first to operate a 5G connected autonomous bus and in cooperation with Hyundai Mobis have established a 5G connected car and operated a test drive center that implemented real-time navigation update technology called 5G C-V2X. In collaboration with Samsung Seoul Hospital, KT established the world's first 5G based smart innovative hospital to provide swift and innovative services, which includes digital pathological diagnosis, surgery guidance, established AI "Smart Care Giver" as well as development of autonomous robots. In the B2C sector, KT launched the 5G video call service "Narle" and 360 reality media service "Real360" which has garnered over 500 thousand and 240 thousand subscribers respectively as well as the 5G streaming games and other communication services. Real 360 is KT's flagship communication service, allowing customers to video-record and send 360 degree video clips as well as engage in 1-on-1 video calls. The service allows up to four people to be connected simultaneously through a 360-degree video call. The three major telecom companies, SK Telecom, KT and LGU+, have agreed to invest 4 trillion won in their fifth-generation (5G) networks in the first half of the year in a move to better the coverage. Approximately 92,000 5G base stations have been installed nationwide as of end of January, which is just 10 percent of the number of LTE base stations. LGU+ models promotes the world's first cloud based game "GEFORCE NOW" which could be played on the company's 5G network. Courtesy of LGU+ Governments, hospital chains, clinics and entrepreneurs are looking everywhere for the protective gear during a huge shortage paying five times the price for N95 masks and a new kind of trader has sprung up to make it all happen. New urgency: As many as 25 percent of people infected with the new coronavirus may not show symptoms, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Some people never get symptoms, others get symptoms later factors that profoundly complicate efforts to mitigate the viruss spread. China: The country has ramped up mask production to nearly 12 times its earlier level of 10 million a day. But many suppliers are unreliable, and navigating customs laws and transport during global shutdowns is confusing. D.I.Y.: A mask sewed from a pattern or an improvised face covering made from a T-shirt offers some protection. Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic. In other developments: United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely seen as the most important climate meeting of the past four years, were postponed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament and a cultural institution in Britain, will not be held in 2020 as the country remains on lockdown. As infections and deaths mount in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro remains adamant that the coronavirus is nothing but a measly cold. He is the sole major world leader to question the merit of lockdown measures to fight the pandemic. The star known as Jaejoong of the K-pop group JYJ pretended to have the virus in a misfired attempt at an April Fools Day joke. Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, helped to speed the recovery of moderately ill coronavirus patients in a small study. The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter like all of our newsletters is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription. ISTANBUL As the number of coronavirus cases grow in Turkey, lawmakers are seeking to limit the spread of the disease in the nations overcrowded prison system. As of Wednesday, Turkish health officials reported a total of 15,679 Covid-19 cases and 277 virus-linked deaths in the country, where a virtual lockdown on domestic travel and commerce have disrupted daily life amid the global pandemic. The Turkish Parliament is now discussing a judicial reform package that would release about a third of the nations prison population, but the measures have drawn criticism from rights groups for excluding political prisoners. Around 45,000 people will benefit from the temporary and permanent amendments to the penal code, Cahit Ozkan, deputy parliamentary group leader for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), told reporters Tuesday. He added, This figure will increase to 90,000 with those that will be put under house arrest. The 70-article proposal to amend 11 laws will be reviewed by the parliaments justice committee on April 2 before being sent to the General Assembly for debate on April 7. Previous versions of the draft law sought to reduce sentences for convicted sex offenders, organized crime members and drug traffickers, but such groups were removed as possible beneficiaries in the latest bill after their inclusion drew sharp condemnation from womens rights groups. Speaking Tuesday, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said he expects the proposal to pass. The AKP and allied members of the Nationalist Movement Party prepared the bill and together hold a majority in Turkeys 600-seat parliament. The reforms now seek to release minor offenders who have completed at least half their sentence, reducing minimum sentence requirements from two thirds. The measures would apply to inmates jailed for non-premeditated murder as well as convicts over 65 years of age, those with serious illnesses and mothers with young children, though all decisions require approval from a judge. Most of those released would serve out sentences under conditional house arrest. Rights advocates have criticized lawmakers for not extending the measures to jailed journalists, human rights advocates and politicians such as Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, former co-chairs of the pro-Kurd Peoples Democratic Party, as well as dissidents charged with terrorism-related crimes. Bunyamin Seker, co-chair of Turkeys Jurists for Freedom Association, said the reform package violates the United Nations Nelson Mandela rules, which set international penitentiary standards and protections for prisoners rights. The reforms do not significantly address overcrowding issues in Turkish prisons, Seker told Al-Monitor, noting the majority of convicts would be released from jails known as open prisons. Instead, these measures will squeeze prisoners rights by introducing new restrictions in jail protocols. Amid the slew of reforms, new authorities will be granted to prison administration councils, who will now be able to punish inmates for their actions outside penitentiary grounds, Seker said. If prisoners are taken to court and chant a political slogan during their defense, they may face punishment when they get back to prison, Seker told Al-Monitor. The same applies for prisoners who reject wearing handcuffs during doctor appointments. He also noted new regulations were passed on Sunday, reviving protocols from the post-2016 state of emergency that granted prison officials the right to confiscate lawyers notes after meetings with jailed clients. This has nothing to do with the coronavirus, Seker told Al-Monitor, saying precautions against the virus remain weak inside prisons, where inmates are in constant contact with prison guards who do not wear masks or protective equipment. The Human Rights Association, a non-profit organization in Turkey, announced Wednesday that at least 1,564 Turkish prisoners were ill, with 591 facing serious complications, though the figures predated the Covid-19 pandemic and were largely unrelated. To prevent the spread of the disease, the Justice Ministry postponed routine court procedures, though Gul said about 385 suspects charged with spreading misinformation about the coronavirus are currently being processed. Cansu Sekerci is a lawyer with Turkeys Civil Society in Penal System Association, which released a comprehensive evaluation of the reform package today. She said the parole process remains opaque, favoring some prisoners over others through an uneven application of state laws. We know that there are many detainees whose claims [for parole] have not been approved yet, Sekerci told Al-Monitor. These kinds of differing implementations endanger the principle of equality. She also noted the proposals dont improve protections for inmates in terms of their imprisonment and hygienic conditions. Its an unarguable fact that the conditions and the current overcrowding issue in prisons could easily trigger an outbreak, Sekerci told Al-Monitor, adding, The authorities should take action on prisons as soon as possible, and they should do it without any discrimination. Regulatory News: The biopharmaceutical group Ipsen has answered call of the Institut Pasteur and announces today a donation of 2 million dedicated to COVID-19 research. Since January, the Institut Pasteur has devoted a portion of its research to understanding the emerging COVID-19 virus, in terms of epidemiology, biological characteristics, pathogenicity, etc. A call for donations had been issued to support its teams and to further advance the projects underway. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur quickly mobilized themselves in response to the fight against the coronavirus as soon as the epidemic broke out. Sequencing the virus genome, isolating French strains, epidemiological surveillance, the Institut Pasteur is on the front lines, conducting fundamental research to gather more knowledge and develop diagnostic tests and even vaccines. To address the challenges of the unprecedented health crisis caused by COVID-19, the Ipsen group, one of France's leading pharmaceutical companies, has joined forces with the Institut Pasteur following its call for donations. Funding in the amount of 2 million will be provided in the next few days to support research. "As an international biopharmaceutical company, Ipsen centers its business entirely around the development of treatments to save or improve the lives of patients. Faced with this major health crisis, we have chosen to back the work of scientists at the Institut Pasteur, and we are proud to do so. There is a colossal amount of pure research to be done to enable the development of diagnostics, vaccines and treatments," explained Aymeric Le Chatelier, CEO of Ipsen. A dedicated coronavirus research facility Since January, the Institut Pasteur in Paris has rallied a team of 300 employees in the fight against the coronavirus. They are also supported by teams from the Institut Pasteur International Network, a community of research institutes. These scientists are working on 21 priority scientific projects aimed at gaining extensive knowledge of the virus and its pathogenicity. The projects include the development of research tools (e.g., animal models), vaccine candidates, drug candidates, serological tests for diagnosis and epidemiological research. "The funds raised enable us to provide all the equipment and infrastructure our teams need to move forward with their research programs as quickly as possible. We also plan to launch new areas of study over time. The entire international scientific community has mobilized to provide the necessary knowledge about this new virus and to identify the means to combat it. We thank each individual and corporation that contributes financially to help us in this effort," concluded Stewart Cole, Director General of the Institut Pasteur. About Ipsen Ipsen is a global specialty-driven biopharmaceutical group focused on innovation and Specialty Care. The Group develops and commercializes innovative medicines in three key therapeutic areas Oncology, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases. Its commitment to oncology is exemplified through its growing portfolio of key therapies for prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic cancer. Ipsen also has a well-established Consumer Healthcare business. With total sales over 2.5 billion in 2019, Ipsen sells more than 20 drugs in over 115 countries, with a direct commercial presence in more than 30 countries. Ipsen's R&D is focused on its innovative and differentiated technological platforms located in the heart of the leading biotechnological and life sciences hubs (Paris-Saclay, France; Oxford, UK; Cambridge, US). The Group has about 5,800 employees worldwide. Ipsen is listed in Paris (Euronext: IPN) and in the United States through a Sponsored Level I American Depositary Receipt program (ADR: IPSEY). For more information on Ipsen, visit www.ipsen.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005823/en/ Contacts: Ipsen Christian Marcoux, M.Sc. Senior Vice-President, Communication Globale Groupe +33 (0)1 58 33 67 94 christian.marcoux@ipsen.com Fanny Allaire Senior Director, France Hub, Global Communications +33 (0) 1 58 33 58 96 fanny.allaire@ipsen.com Houston Chronicle staff graphic Open any podcast app, search coronavirus and youll find yourself choosing from literally hundreds of pandemic programs. The newest one, dropping today, serves up daily audio focused entirely on our city and state: Coronavirus Chronicle, featuring insights from Houston Chronicle journalists and local experts about the pandemics impact on Texas health, business, politics, education, religion, lifestyle, culture and more. New episodes will drop every weekday morning. The host and producer is veteran podcaster, songwriter and author Ferrill Gibbs. Longtime Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Gray will be a regular contributor, leading Q&As with local experts one day a week. FILE PHOTO: A worker is seen welding the aluminium parts of goals at Interplastic, a Polish manufacturing company who are supplying the football goalposts for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, in Chwaszczyno By Jason Hovet and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk PRAGUE/WARSAW (Reuters) - Factory sentiment in central Europe sank in March to levels last seen in the global financial crisis as the coronavirus outbreak idles important chunks of the region's manufacturing sector. Purchasing manager surveys released on Wednesday showed a large drop-off in March, with IHS Markit's PMI in Poland hitting its lowest since April 2009 and, in the Czech Republic, the lowest since May 2009. [nL8N2BO4VW] [nL8N2BO4SV] Hungary's PMI, from the Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management, hit new lows. [nS8N29Z0HO] The first virus infections hit the European Union's eastern wing on March 1 and the outbreak has quickly put the region in virtual lockdown like in western EU neighbours where the number of cases has been much higher. The region's lifeblood car factories have temporarily shut plants that employ tens of thousands, and many more indirectly through suppliers, to help combat the virus. The ripple effect has put economies on course to contract this year, reversing strong growth and low unemployment achieved in the past few years. Grzegorz Maliszewski, chief economist at Bank Millennium, said Polish data meant "it looks like we are back in Lehman Brothers collapse crisis times". The U.S. bank's collapse in 2008 was a main spark of the global financial crisis that pushed Hungary and the Czech Republic into steep contractions in 2009. Maliszewski said a 10% contraction in the second quarter was possible and estimated a full-year drop of 3% in Poland, the region's biggest economy. The Polish Labour Ministry forecast the jobless rate to rise to 9-10% this year, from 5.5% in February. GOVERNMENT HELP Governments in the region are stepping in. Poland has approved a 75 billion zloty ($17.97 billion) package aimed at supporting the economy and overall measures could be worth almost three times more, equal to a tenth of gross domestic product. Story continues The Czech Republic had promised an initial 100 billion crowns ($4 billion) and another 900 billion in loan guarantees - almost a fifth of annual output in total. But business groups have criticised it for acting too slowly. On Monday, it approved a short-time working scheme where the state will cover most of the salaries at companies hit by the outbreak, aiming to avoid mass layoffs. The head of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, Vladimir Dlouhy, told Reuters on March 20 that the outbreak was a bigger threat to companies than the 2008-2009 crisis. The government has initially forecast a 5% economic drop and is budgeting a five-fold increase in its 2020 deficit. In Hungary, the Chamber of Commerce is calling for a 4 trillion forint ($12.05 billion) emergency fund. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has promised help which it wants to unveil next week. Hungary's PMI nosedived to 29.1 in March from a revised 50.3 in February. New orders fell to a record low. "Some have expected this crisis to be deeper than the financial crisis in 2008. This PMI also suggests that," ING analyst Peter Virovacz said. (Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw and Marton Dunai in Budapest; editing by Nick Macfie) Bob Katter (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia there is no reason why North Queensland shouldn't be cut off from the rest of the state Bob Katter is so determined to cut North Queensland off from the rest of the state during the coronavirus pandemic he hired a plane to share his message in the sky. The 74-year-old politician told Daily Mail Australia the region would be easy to isolate and said doing so could save the lives of one million vulnerable Australians. On Wednesday, the outspoken leader of Katter's Australian Party hired a plane which flew through Brisbane with a sign that read: 'Premier, isolate North Queensland now' - asking Annastacia Palaszczuk to separate the north from the rest of the state. He said he hopes the message gets through, but has found that his region is largely forgotten in southeast parts of the state. 'We're largely out of sight, out of mind for them, and this is a classic case of it,' he said. Mr Katter warned a coronavirus outbreak in North Queensland would be deadly. 'We have no weapons to fight this contagion if it arrives,' he said. 'All of our weapons, our masks, gloves, respirators have been sucked in by southeast Queensland, where the contagion is rampant and the equipment is needed.' Mr Katter said he has no issue with helping those who are infected in the state, but closing his 'little island' off from outsiders would prevent the virus from spreading further. 'We are an island, a demographic island surrounded by 320km of nothingness,' he said, adding that some might call it a 'wasteland'. He said the physical isolation of the region made it far easier to cut off than other cities. 'There are just six highways in and out of North Queensland. All we have to do is put on a hard hat, grab a stop sign and that's it, we're protected,' Mr Katter said in an earlier press conference. He reiterated that belief to Daily Mail Australia, asking why anybody would choose not to isolate the town given it would be so achievable. 'We will get it here if the border isn't closed off... It will be an act of monumental arrogance from the Queensland government.' Mr Katter said his determination to isolate North Queensland during the coronavirus pandemic is backed by almost every medical official in the region. Doing so would effectively protect five per cent of the Australian population, Mr Katter said. 'There is grave danger for mass death in North Queensland. A banner reading: 'Premier, isolate North Queensland now!' was flown through Brisbane on Wednesday 'The only cases we've had up here so far have either come from southeast Queensland or overseas. So whose fault is that? Who didn't close the borders?' Mr Katter said the three factors contributing to the region's vulnerability were due to two of the largest industries - mining and fruit picking. Both require close proximity between staff, and a percentage of employees travel from other regions for work, meaning they could potentially bring the disease in. Surprisingly, Mr Katter said backpackers are the least of their concern in his region. 'The backpackers are fine. Nothing to worry about, they're locked in. Its the people that travel to and from,' he said. The final factor is the lack of resources. Mr Katter said outside of the main hub of North Queensland from Mackay and Mt Isa, there is nothing but road and the outback for about 320km toward Rockhampton. He suggests erecting road blocks at each entrance into the region to stop visitors from passing back and forth, similar to what is now active at most state borders. CLEVELAND, Ohio As researchers learn more about the coronavirus, new and seemingly contradictory figures on the impact of the disease are clouding the outlook for Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton have said the state needs to double or even triple the total number of hospital beds available to be able to effectively respond to the virus at the peak of the outbreak in the state, which they predict will occur in late April. Anything less could leave Ohios hospital systems overwhelmed, they said. However, projections from the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation on Monday showed the state in much better shape. Statistical and epidemiological experts who spoke with cleveland.com said the fluidity of data surrounding the disease makes predicting exact numbers difficult. Even the IHME projections made a drastic shift from Monday to Tuesday. On Monday, the IMHE predicted Ohio would have enough hospital beds even under the models worst-case scenario. Updated predictions on Tuesday showed a small possibility the state will run out of beds if it does not increase capacity. The primary issue that COVID-19 modelers face is a lack of available data. The U.S. lags behind some countries, like South Korea, in testing for the virus. Ohio officials have said they only have enough tests for the sickest people. The lack of available data is likely forcing modelers to make educated assumptions as they create their formulas, said Helen E. Jenkins, a biostatistics professor at Boston Universitys School of Public Health. We dont have a good sense of some of these basic data, Jenkins said. And thats why some of these models can differ, depending on what assumptions people are willing to make. The state has been releasing modeling on the pandemic curve, but thus far hasnt released any predictive modeling on hospital bed capacity. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said Tuesday that the state has no current plans to do so. Ohio State Universitys Infectious Disease Institute, which is conducting modeling for the state, has declined to release the methodology for its modeling. A spokesman said they would release more information later this week. One thing all the data have in common is a reliance on continuing social distancing practices to limit the chance of spreading the virus, Acton said. I can tell you we looked at worst-case scenario and best-case scenario, Acton said during the states Tuesday coronavirus briefing. I feel that our modelers at OSU are giving us the most realistic scenario of what we can deal with, and its based on that. Acton said Monday that her team hadnt had a chance to delve into the IHME data. She said there are likely more complex factors involved than just relying on a predictive model based on the number of cases. All the various models that predict the spread of the coronavirus in Ohio likely involve some common data sets, such as the number of confirmed cases and the states population of 11.7 million. Models could also factor in everything from the climate to the population density of an area, said Dr. Angelo DeLucia, an associate professor of molecular virology and cancer at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Other numbers used in the models, such as the mortality rate and the rate the coronavirus spreads from one person to another, could evolve over time and significantly change the final numbers, DeLucia said. Small percentage changes in some of these models could make dramatic impacts in terms of numbers, DeLucia said. A dramatic difference in the projections While Acton has said Ohio needs to double or triple the number of beds in its hospitals, the IHME model suggests the state will get by at its current capacity. The IHME modeling projects at different times during the peak of the outbreak, the state will need 5,609 total beds, 869 ICU beds and 695 invasive ventilators. Thats below the states current capacity of 14,290 beds and 1,238 ICU beds available. (A total number of ventilators was not given, though Northeast Ohios three largest hospitals alone have at least 1,000.) Modeling is more complicated than just projections, said Scott Williams, a professor in population and quantitative health sciences at Case Western Reserve University. When researchers create models, they do so within a range of what is called a confidence level at 95%. In other words, the modelers predict a likely range of outcomes that will happen 95% of the time. Williams agreed that the casino game roulette is an apt analogy. A person can bet the ball will land on either red or black at 1-to-1 odds. Hitting on any single number, however, is much more difficult. The point estimates are almost certainly going to be incorrect, Williams said. There are so many things that factor into that. Knowing the range of where youre going to be is going to be more useful. The IHME model uses a litany of factors pulled from multiple countries, including the U.S., China, South Korea and Italy, to make its estimation. Among those variables are the probability of one person infecting others, death rate, age, implementation of social distancing policies and hospital bed capacity. However, the data is constantly changing as new figures and science become available. IHME Director Christopher Murray said in his pre-print for peer review any modeling based on evolving figures has its drawbacks. In a video news release about the model, Murray said he placed more emphasis on the death statistics because of the disparity in testing figures. But even in a setting with limited tests we have more faith in the death numbers because the tests that are available are preferentially used on the sickest patients, Murray said. So we model death over time, using statistical models and then we use those models to forecast the trajectory of death as a function of social distancing and social distancing policies. And then we take all the information that is available by age and sex, on utilization for bed days, ICU, ventilator use and model the number of bed days that are needed as indexed by number of deaths. So that is how we put all these pieces together. The ranges in the IHME modeling show the potential for a shortage in hospital and ICU beds, though to a smaller degree compared to what the state anticipates. The state could need as few as 873 beds or as many as 15,834 beds at peak. It could require as few as 109 or as many as 2,482 ICU beds, the model projects. The likely range of outcomes is especially useful to experts and government officials as they develop plans to combat the virus, but its also more informative for the general public, Jenkins said. I think its really important that models always have a big range of possibilities in them. We shouldnt be reporting just one number, she said. We have to remember that theres a range of possibilities, and a more responsible thing is to be reporting that full range as the likely outcome. J.B. Silvers, professor of health care finance at Case Western Reserve Universitys Weatherhead School of Management and vice chairman of MetroHealths board of trustees, said increasing bed capacity isnt relegated to just manufacturing more beds. Hospitals may have beds that currently arent staffed or can reconfigure whole units to increase the number available, Silvers said. Hotels, dorms and convention centers are also usable for housing people who need less care, potentially increasing capacity. Projections could change as cases increase The need for more beds rises as the number of confirmed cases increases, Acton said. The current OSU modeling shows anywhere from 6,000 and 10,000 new cases per day during the peak, which could hit between late-April and mid-May. Of those cases, only a percentage will gain admission to the hospital and an even smaller percentage in the intensive care unit, Acton said. The average length of stay in a hospital for any condition is three days, but for coronavirus, it can be up to 20 days, Acton said. Its as those cases pile up that hospital bed capacity becomes an issue. You cant just look at who might be sick or the number of cases on a day, Acton said. Theyre piling up on each other logarithmically. So those beds arent emptying out. Thats all part of the complicated calculations that I think some of our modelers are trying to take into account. Its here where the OSU and IHME models appear to diverge. Lack of data makes COVID-19 modeling difficult Predictive modeling is especially tricky for the coronavirus because it is so new, Williams said. Models vary based on different variables, and the assumptions put into them, such as population density and infectivity. They have to be laden with assumptions, Williams said. The people who do this, they do it for a living and they probably make reasonable assumptions most of the time. But its also dependent on them knowing about the infectious agent, and in this case, we dont know much about it because it is new to humans. That kind of raises the issue of do you really know whats going on. Experts can use models for tracking other viruses, such as SARS or the common flu, as a starting point to predict the spread of COVID-19. Even still, there are so many unknowns about the novel coronavirus that its difficult to forecast, Jenkins said. There are lots of characteristics about this new virus which are very different from other pathogens, Jenkins said. So were really having to think about what is different about this virus, and how we can adapt those models. Its also difficult to quantify the effect of steps taken to mitigate the spread of the virus, such as social distancing, Jenkins said. I think that its very hard to predict human behavior at this point, Jenkins said. I think a positive message from that, though, is that individuals can do a lot to bring that final number down toward the bottom of the range thats being predicted. Tierney, the governors spokesman, said DeWine and Acton were taking the various models into account in their response. The bottom line is that most modeling indicates that COVID-19 will have a significant impact on Ohio, and we are preparing to ensure all Ohioans are able to receive the care they need, Tierney said. As for why DeWine may be using the high-end projections, Silvers said the answer was simple. If you look at the confidence level or some range, if you do too much, you might get criticized for wasting money, Silvers said. If you do too little, youre dead. Literally. Read more cleveland.com stories: University of Washington projection: Coronavirus wont overwhelm Ohio hospitals and ICU beds Could coronavirus travel through the air? What new research says Large shipment of masks, gloves, other coronavirus protective gear arrives in Ohio Ohios Dr. Amy Acton looks forward to new CDC coronavirus guidelines that could call for face coverings in public The central government has taken the decision to receive foreign donations for the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, sources said. "In view of the interest expressed to contribute to government's efforts, as well as keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of pandemic, contributions to the trust can be done by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad," sources said on foreign contribution to PM CARES Fund. "A public charitable trust PM CARES Fund was set up in view of several spontaneous requests from India and abroad for making generous contribution to support the govt in its fight against COVID-19," they added. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had created PM CARES Fund and appealed to all the countrymen to show their support for the cause. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reuters For days now, scores of migrant workers have been seen taking the long and hard road home. There has been an outrage with people criticizing the handling and treatment of daily wage labourers. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) 100 People Break Lockdown For Religious Gathering, Police Compelled To Use Force To Disperse Around 100 people had gathered for a religious congregation at a dargah in Sarwar town of Rajasthan's Ajmer district leading to police having to use force to disperse the crowd. Read more 2) Migrant Worker From Shillong Commits Suicide, Accused Employer Of No Support During Lockdown Facebook Aldrin took to Facebook to write about his employer who refused to support him during the 21-day nationwide lockdown period that has been imposed by the Central Government in an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more 3) 25-Year-Old Who Died In Gorakhpur Due To COVID-19 Is The Youngest Fatality In India Till Now BCCL A 25-year-old man from Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, who died on Monday evening in Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College, has become the first COVID-19-linked death in the state. His samples tested positive for Coronavirus on Wednesday, two days after he died. Read more 4) Andhra Pradesh Defers Salaries Of CM, Govt Staff For More Revenue To Fight Coronavirus The Andhra Pradesh government has announced deferment of salaries to its employees, including the chief minister, cabinet ministers and IAS officers. Read more 5) Punjab Residents Shower Sanitation Workers With Flowers, Notes Garland To Say 'Thank You' In a heartening gesture, residents of Nabha in Patiala applauded sanitation workers by clapping for them and showering flower petals on them, who are ensuring cleanliness in the colonies during the coronavirus crisis. Read more According to the current analysis of Reports and Data, the global Non-Invasive Fat Reduction Market valued at USD 870.4 million in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 2.83 billion by the year 2026, at a CAGR of 15.8%. Non-invasive fat removal is a non-surgical procedure to remove fats from different parts of the body. Rise in the sedentary lifestyle, and the incidences of obesity, are the factors responsible for market growth. Additionally, the rise in the disposable income among the consumers and the demand for non-invasive treatment are further boosting the market growth. The increased awareness among the individuals to remaining healthy and fit is the primary factor fueling the growth of the market. However, the high expenditure cost of treatment is the primary factor restraining market growth. WHO in the year 2016 has reported that more than 1.9 billion adults, i.e., above the age of 18, were overweight out of this 650 million adults were obese. In 2016, 39% of adults over 18 years were overweight, and 13% were obese. North America is expected to dominate the market in the forecast period, due to an increase in the incidences of obesity rise in the research and developed in the region, regulatory approval for various technologies, and growing preference for minimally invasive procedures. Request free sample Copy of this research report to understand the structure of the complete report@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/2708 Further key findings from the report suggest FDA, in the year 2018, had approved the latest fat-busting method of body contouring. Vanquish, a product of BTL Aesthetics for fat reduction is the most effective method in removing the fats from the targeted areas. It is entirely a non-invasive and safe method. The procedure uses radio-frequency energy to target and destroys fat cells by heating them; it further causes shrinkage and elimination of adipose tissue. Vanquish is designed so that the energy penetrates deep into the fat layers, but doesnt contact the skin so that the tissue above the fat layer is unaffected, making it safe for the surface skin layer. In the year 2018, Cutera had launched truSculpt iDs to deliver a personalized body sculpting to the patients. It has a unique ability to treat various fat densities and all skin types. It uses innovative monopolar radiofrequency (RF) technology to target fat and therapeutically heats it until adipose tissue are slowly removed and excreted through the body naturally. In the year 2019, Venus concept had launched Venus Bliss. It is a non-invasive medical aesthetic device; it comprises the use of two technologies in one system. The 1064 nm diode laser applicators are used in the device. It is used to treat focal fat in the abdomen and flanks through non-invasive lipolysis that further results in fat reduction. For completing the treatment and achieve a more contoured appearance, the (MP)2 applicator is used for tightening the lax skin and reduce circumference. It uses our proprietary (MP)2 technology and combines Multi-Polar Radio Frequency and Pulsed Electro Magnetic Fields with advanced VariPulse technology. Radiofrequency in the technology segment has witnessed a significant growth as it heats the fats in the body and proceeds in the fat removal it is likely to rise with a CAGR of 15.6% in the forecast period Cryolipolysis in the technology segment have obtained a remarkable growth in the market due to its effectiveness in the breakdown of fat cells and also because of the demand for non-invasive procedure it is expected to rise with a CAGR of 15.6% in the forecast period BTL (U.K), Cutera Inc.(U.S.), ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc.(U.S.), Solta Medical, Inc (U.S.), Venus Concept (Canada), Alma Lasers (Fosun Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.) (China), Cynosure, Inc (U.S.), Syneron Medical Ltd. (U.S.), Lumenis Ltd. (Israel), Hologic, Inc. (U.S.), Allergan (U.S.), Erchonia (U.S.) are the key players in the Non-invasive fat reduction market. Order Your Copy Now (Customized report delivered as per your specific requirement)@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/checkout-form/2708 For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data has segmented the Non-Invasive Fat Reduction market on the basis of technologies, end use and region: Technologies Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) Ultrasound Cryolipolysis Radiofrequency Low-Level Lasers End use Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) Cosmetic Centers Hospitals Dermatology Clinics Regional Outlook (Revenue in Million USD; 20172024) North America US Canada Europe Germany France UK Spain Italy Rest of the Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America Brazil To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/non-invasive-fat-reduction-market Related Reports Vitamin K2 Market Size, Share & Analysis, By Types (MK-7, MK-4), By Application (Pharmaceutical, Nutraceuticals & Food), By Region, Forecast To 2027 Artificial Tears Market Size, Share & Analysis, By Product Type (Cellulose-Derived, Glycerin-Derived, Oil-Based Emulsion Tears, Polyethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol-Based Tears), By Delivery Method (Eye Drops, Ointments), By Application (Dry Eyes Treatment, Contact Lenses Moisture), By Region, Forecast To 2027 Patient Temperature Management Devices Market Analysis By Product Type (Patient Warming Systems, Convective Warming Systems, Intravascular Warming Systems, Surface Warming Systems), By Application (Perioperative Care, Acute Care, Newborn Care, Others), By End-User (Surgical Centers, Emergency Care Units, Ambulatory Sites), And By Region, Forecast To 2027 Bone Harvester Market Size, Share & Analysis, By Type (Cancellous Bone Harvesting, Marrow Harvesting), By Application (Public Hospital, Private Hospital, Ambulatory Surgery Centres, Diagnostic Centres) By Region, Forecast To 2027 Ibuprofen Market Size, Share & Analysis, By Type (USP, EP), By Application (Tablet, Capsule, Suspension, Others) By Region, Forecast To 2027 Vitamin D Testing Market By Type (25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Testing, 1,25-Dihydroxy Vitamin D Testing), By End-Use (Diagnostic Laboratories, Hospitals and Physician Clinics, Others), and By Region Forecast to 2028 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 A traveller quarantined in a hotel for 14 days of isolation has sparked fury on social media after claiming she was told by staff sanitary pads and tampons are 'not essential' so she was required to order them online. The woman is facing a mandatory two-week stay at a Perth hotel after the Australian government announced travellers returning from overseas will be forcibly quarantined under tough restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On Tuesday, she claimed she requested sanitary products from reception only to be told she needed to organise her own delivery by ordering them online. The Australian government announced every traveller returning from overseas will be forcibly quarantined in hotels under tough restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus (left and right: Guests have been sharing pictures of where they are isolating around the country) The woman is facing a mandatory two-week stay at a Perth hotel (file image of travellers at Sydney Airport on March 28 - the day before the isolation rules came into force) Poll Should guests in quarantine have access to personal hygiene products at hotels? Yes No Should guests in quarantine have access to personal hygiene products at hotels? Yes 168 votes No 34 votes Now share your opinion 'I have been notified by the hotel and the doctor that female sanitary products including pads and tampons are not essential items and you will have to organise a delivery,' she said in a Facebook group. 'When I asked if they had some I could buy or if the doctor could get some from a pharmacy or supermarket before he comes again in the coming days, they said I would need to complete an online order which could be delivered to reception.' A Western Australian Department of Health spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'WA Health has established a team to provide links to support services for people in mandatory isolation in Perth hotels and on Rottnest Island. 'The team is working with a range of government and non-government organisations to develop solutions to practical queries, like ensuring guests in hotel facilities are able to access necessary hygiene materials.' Each hotel is being staffed with experienced doctors, nurses and mental health professionals. Each day, guests have access to registered nurses, assistant nurses, and a GP who will do a daily round of the hotel. According to the NSW government, parents are now supplied with nappies and other required specialty items for children at hotels. The traveller cooped up in a hotel for 14 days of isolation claimed she was told by hotel staff sanitary pads and tampons are 'not essential' so she was required to order them online After the woman shared her experience online, many were furious to hear the woman had to find her own way to buy feminine care products from her Perth hotel. 'I completely understand why we are being told to stop complaining due to the fact other countries are suffering far worse than we are during this virus however women in prison still get access to feminine hygiene necessities,' one woman said. 'We are not prisoners. It's absolutely disgusting. I can handle the food being below average and cold but being denied essential feminine hygiene products is dehumanising and wrong.' A second woman said: 'How is it not an essential item? That's so f***d up.' A third said: 'Whoa this is insane - what do they expect you to do, bleed all over their white sheets and leave them in the hallway? Hope you are okay.' A fourth said: 'This is so not ok! It's a basic item which should be accessible to you.' Some women living in Perth kindly offered to drop the products off at the hotel where she's staying, to which she responded saying she will keep them updated if her online delivery fails. A group of writers and illustrators from the children's literature community came up with a plan to have a different author read out a story at 11 am everyday. One writer read out a story set in Sikkim; she used the setting as a segue into explaining why it is not acceptable to call people coronavirus (the word has become a slur used against those from Asia) The month of March is usually accompanied by a whiff of hope for the young and old alike of spring, annual vacations, the end of exams and the start of summer holidays. Not this year, though. Right now, the streets are the emptiest they have been in a long time, while homes are the most cluttered they can be. In the times of COVID-19 and social distancing, children and adults are spending (forced) time together under the same roof. The initial euphoria of cancelled exams and unexpected holidays has now worn off. The understanding that they are well and truly stuck at home has sunk in for many children, though they may not fully understand what the panic is about. As children begin to get bored and harried parents run out of ways to engage and entertain them, the childrens literature community has come to the rescue. An interesting phenomenon is playing out on Reading Raccoons, a Facebook group for book lovers whose children also enjoy reading. The kidlit community is a small, tight-knit group in India. We saw what Oliver Jeffers was doing with Instagram Lives and within ten minutes, we had a plan, says Bijal Vachharajani, award-winning author of A Cloud Called Bhura. Vachharajani is part of a group of Indian writers and illustrators who came up with a plan to have a different author read out a story at 11 am everyday. Roopal Kewalya, author of The Little Rainmaker, created the hashtag #ThodaReadingCORONA, and soon enough, dozens of authors were on board. Its hard, for both parents and children alike, to be shut down in the house with no end in sight, Vachharajani adds, We thought if we could bring in some sort of routine and conversation into these homes, it would be great. Pavithra Radhakrishnan, a software professional and mother of two, agrees. I cast the readings up on TV and let them watch. Ideally, I would frown at any extra screen time, but right now, I will take every 15-minute break I can get. This is perhaps one of the better ways to use the screen. Illustrators and publishers, however, want to capture childrens imaginations for more than 15-minute intervals. Many Indian picture books are creative ways to start meaningful conversations with kids, and these readings were started with the same objective. For instance, Neha Bahaguna, who writes childrens shows, read out a story set in Sikkim. She used the setting as a segue into explaining why it is not acceptable to call people coronavirus (the word has become a slur used against those from Asia). Tanu Shree Singh, founder of the Reading Raccoons and a professor of Psychology, says that including this element was always part of the plan. Her recent picture book, Darkless, deals with loss, and her read-aloud session consisted of small but powerful exercises aimed at helping children to handle anxiety. We need to learn the facts first, and then give them to the kids in a very logical manner. Also, talk them through coping, she says, on the subject of how crucial it is to have difficult conversations with children. It is important for them to feel some agency, like they are in control, says Vachharajani. This isnt the first time the childrens literature community has come together for a cause. Just a few months ago, during the nation-wide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and proposed National Register of Citizens, they banded together to read the Constitution. They also sent free copies of it to anganwadis and protest sites. People dont really pay attention to us, but were there, Singh laughs. On the value of being part of this group, Vachharajani says, I cannot think of a better community to be a part of; such a fun and committed bunch, even while being paid very little. Within a week of #ThodaReadingCORONA, publishers like Tulika and celebrity writers have also offered to join in; Jerry Pinto did a reading only last week. Penguin Random House has come up with a similar initiative called #OnceUponABookWithPenguin, with Ruskin Bond featuring in their list of story readers. Ektara, which produces beautiful children's literature in Hindi, has made its magazines downloadable. Harper Collins is doing writing and doodling workshop videos on YouTube under the hashtag #HCCAtHome. Homegrown publisher Karadi Tales has made its celebrity-narrated audiobooks free for streaming. Actress Janaki Sabesh, in collaboration with Lil Tales, kicked off an online storytelling festival with the Janata Curfew. Find on Firstpost: A database of books, performances, courses available online during these times of social distancing Today, in a simultaneously chaotic and monotonous environment, such quality content can keep children busy, entertained and give them opportunities to learn. A good story might be just the thing both adults and kids need as they navigate each day of the lockdown. Recommended reading for children during the coronavirus lockdown: A Childrens History of India by Subhadra Sen Gupta and Priyankar Gupta From Leeches to Slug Glue by Roope Pai The Jungle Radio by Devangana Dash for younger readers; A Tigress Called Machhli by Supriya Sehgal for slightly older ones Thukpa for All by Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt Bookworms and Jellybellies by Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanjuam Lets Talk Trash by Shubhashree Sangameswaran, and A Cloud Called Bhura by Bijal Vachharajani The Petu Pumpkin series by Arundhati Venkatesh. Modern humans, Neanderthals share a tangled genetic history, study affirms New research adds to growing evidence that our ancestors interbred with Neanderthals at multiple times in history Its not a single introgression of genetic material from Neanderthals. Its just this spider web of interactions that happen over and over again, where different ancient hominins are interacting with each other, and our paper is adding to this picture. BUFFALO, N.Y. In recent years, scientists have uncovered evidence that modern humans and Neanderthals share a tangled past. In the course of human history, these two species of hominins interbred not just once, but at multiple times, the thinking goes. A new study supports this notion, finding that people in Eurasia today have genetic material linked to Neanderthals from the Altai mountains in modern-day Siberia. This is noteworthy because past research has shown that Neanderthals connected to a different, distant location the Vindija Cave in modern-day Croatia have also contributed DNA to modern-day Eurasian populations. The results reinforce the concept that Neanderthal DNA has been woven into the modern human genome on multiple occasions as our ancestors met Neanderthals time and again in different parts of the world. The study was published on March 31 in the journal Genetics. Its not a single introgression of genetic material from Neanderthals, says lead researcher Omer Gokcumen, a University at Buffalo biologist. Its just this spider web of interactions that happen over and over again, where different ancient hominins are interacting with each other, and our paper is adding to this picture. This project will now add to an emerging chorus weve been looking into this phenomenon for a couple of years, and there are a couple of papers that came out recently that deal with similar concepts. The picture in my mind now is we have all these archaic hominin populations in Europe, in Asia, in Siberia, in Africa. For one reason or another, the ancestors of modern humans in Africa start expanding in population, and as they expand their range, they meet with these other hominins and absorb their DNA, if you will, Gokcumen says. We probably met different Neanderthal populations at different times in our expansion into other parts of the globe. Gokcumen, associate professor of biological sciences in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, led the study with first author Recep Ozgur Taskent, a recent UB PhD graduate in the department. Co-authors include UB PhD graduate Yen Lung Lin, now a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago; and Ioannis Patramanis and Pavlos Pavlidis, PhD, of the Foundation for Research and Technology in Greece. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. To complete the project, scientists analyzed the DNA of hundreds of people of Eurasian ancestry. The goal was to hunt for fragments of genetic material that may have been inherited from Neanderthals. This research found that the Eurasian populations studied could trace some genetic material back to two different Neanderthal lineages: one represented by a Neanderthal whose remains were discovered in the Vindija cave in Croatia, and another represented by a Neanderthal whose remains were discovered in the Altai mountains in Russia. Scientists also discovered that the modern-day populations they studied also share genetic deletions areas of DNA that are missing with both the Vindija and Altai Neanderthal lineages. The DNA of the Vindija and Altai Neanderthals, along with the modern human populations studied, were previously sequenced by different research teams. It seems like the story of human evolution is not so much like at tree with branches that just grow in different directions. It turns out that the branches have all these connections between them, Gokcumen says. We are figuring out these connections, which is really exciting. The story is not as neat as it was before. Every single ancient genome that is sequenced seems to create a completely new perspective in our understanding of human evolution, and every new genome thats sequenced in the future may completely change the story again. 31/03/2020. Pictured at St. Helens Bay, Co. Wexford are Dr. Sinead Crowley and Dr. Niamh Grayson who flew in from Perth on Thursday. Picture: Patrick Browne We write this from our cosy house in isolation. The last week has been a blur. Early last week, after much deliberation, we had finally made the decision to return home. The flights were booked, our notice was given, and we had a week to pack up our lives and say goodbye to our friends. There were so many factors at play. We thought of the already-strained Irish healthcare system trying to cope with this new challenge, we thought of our families and friends who were so far away, and we thought of our colleagues in Perth and the lives we had made and enjoyed so much. Healthcare workers are always needed, and that is a significant part of our decision to return home. Going to bed that night was bittersweet. The adventure was over. At midnight we awoke to news that Emirates were grounding all flights. The flights we had booked were cancelled. Frantically, we searched online for a way home. A special mention must be made to Leah Hayes, Zoe Lynch, Niamh OFlaherty and Ciara Ryan, who liaised with the Irish Consulate, the DFA, TD Marc MacSharry and many others to get us home. Thanks to all of them we were offered the chance to buy tickets for a flight the following day. It was the best chance we had of making it home and we had to take it. But that meant we had just 24 hours to pack our bags, sell our belongings and, hardest of all, say our goodbyes to our colleagues and friends. As we finally took our seats on our flight to London Heathrow, we drew a breath. In the rush to leave, we didnt have a moment to consider where we would self-isolate for 14 days in Ireland. Thankfully, by the time we touched down, we were inundated with offers of help from family, friends and strangers. The generosity of the people of Ireland has been overwhelming. Our greeting at Dublin airport was not the return home you would imagine. We stood metres from our families as they slid car keys across the airport floor. We were so glad to be close to family again, but there were no hugs or embraces, only tearful smiles. We are self-isolating within 2km of the beach and are enjoying the sea air before starting work. We have been in contact with HR in a few hospitals and we hope that, by the time were out of isolation, all our paperwork will be in order. The news headlines are worrying, and we know the country has a difficult time ahead. We are proud of Ireland and how everyone is playing their part from people staying at home, to delivering shopping to the cocooned, to going to work in the essential services. We are glad that we can now play our part too. Ni neart go cur le cheile. We are living history. The challenges posed by Covid 19 are similar the world over but everybodys experience of this emergency will be different. In this special series, Lockdown Letters' gives our readers at home and across the globe an opportunity to share their stories about how the Coronavirus and the measures to tackle its spread are impacting their lives in these unprecedented times. Please email your submission (400 words max.) to stories@independent.ie along with a photograph. We will publish as many letters as possible on Independent.ie and a selection in print every week. Hospitals are threatening to fire medical staff that talk to the media about working conditions or a lack of equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Bloomberg reports examples of disciplinary action taken against healthcare workers across the US, most shockingly including the firing of Dr Ming Lin, an emergency room physician in Washington state. At a time when needs are greatest and hospitals are overstretched, it seems counterintuitive to potentially worsen the problem through dismissals. Also cited by Bloomberg are a nurse in Chicago who was fired after emailing colleagues that she wanted to wear more protective equipment while on duty; and a warning from NYU Langone Health system in New York that employees that talk to the media would be terminated. Dr Lin spoke with The Seattle Times to share his concerns that the failure to adopt needed protective measures placed caregivers and patients at risk and was told on Friday that he no longer had a job. The Washington State Nurses Association released a statement decrying the decision: At a time when our state faces a critical shortage of frontline caregivers as we are appealing for volunteers and trying to reactivate retired nurses and doctors and pressing nursing students into service it is outrageous that hospital management could retaliate against health care professionals for speaking the truth. Nurses and other health care workers are being muzzled in an attempt by hospitals to preserve their image those on the frontlines are being silenced. The Chicago nurse, Lauri Mazurkiewicz, urged colleagues to wear more personal protective equipment rather than a simple mask and was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Ms Mazurkiewicz has asthma and cares for her father who has a respiratory disease. She has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. NYU Langone Health employees were told on Friday that anyone who talked to the media without authorisation would be subject to disciplinary action, including termination. Jim Mandler, a spokesman for NYU Langone Health, insists that it is in the best interest of our staff and the institution that only those with the most updated information are permitted to address these issues with the media. New Yorks Montefiore Health System has a similar policy and reminded staff on 17 March that all media requests must be vetted by the public relations department. Not all hospitals are taking this position, with New Yorks Mount Sinai actively scheduling interviews between staff and the media. The University of California San Francisco Medical Centre has also encouraged medical workers to talk to the media. Senator Dino Melaye advocacy, reinforced by the argument of Olu Adegboruwa SAN, on President Muhammadu Buhari may have upstaged the Nigerian Presidency, and unsettling principal legal officers in the federal cabinet, essentially, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law; and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. Dino Melaye had said that President Buhari lacks the constitutional power to unilaterally order restriction of movement in any state without the approval of the National Assembly or State House of Assembly. Senator Melaye declared that President Buhari lacks the constitutional power to take over the affairs of a state government without legislative approval. Olu Adegboruwa SAN also questioned the constitutional power of President Buhari to order lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN, in defence of President Buhari on the lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states, said the President invoked an Act of the National Assembly. Professor Osinbajo argued that questioning the legality of the presidential order restricting movements in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States is quite unnecessary as the action taken is not only important but very well backed by extant Nigerian laws. Regarding the legality of the shutdowns announced by the President on Sunday I think it is entirely legal. These steps are proactive, very relevant, important and backed by law. I am not so sure some of the people who have commented on the issue have come across the Quarantine Act. There is a Quarantine Act of 1926, its been published in all of the Laws of Nigeria, every edition of the Laws of Nigeria, it is there. Prof. Osinbajo pointed out that, what the Act does is that it allows the President to designate any local area, any part of the country, as a place that may be infected or under the threat of a communicable disease, and he can then make regulations of any kind. He insisted that the powers come from the National Assembly because the regulation is an act of the National Assembly. The Vice President maintained that by virtue of the constitutional rules, the 1926 Act is deemed to be an Act of the National Assembly. So, the President has extensive powers under the Quarantine Act of 1926. Also, Governors have extensive powers under the same Quarantine Act, Osinbajo declared. Furthermore, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, also argued that the President acted rightfully under the powers conferred on him by the Quarantine Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN whose Long Title read thus: An Act to provide for and regulate the imposition of quarantine and to make other provisions for preventing the introduction into and spread in Nigeria, and the transmission from Nigeria, of dangerous infectious diseases. Malami in a statement, citing Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa SAN criticism of President Buhari on restriction of movement in states, said the President did not make a declaration of a State of Emergency under Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which would have required the concurrence of both House of the National Assembly. The Minister argued that even at that, Section 305(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) permits a proclamation of a State of Emergency to run for a period of 10 days without the approval of the National Assembly when the parliament is not in session as in the present situation wherein the National Assembly has shut down. He faulted Adegboruwa for questioning the Presidents powers to restrict movement and claiming that such powers can only be exercised by the State Governors and the respective State Assemblies. It is clear from the Presidents broadcast that what His Excellency sought to address is a public emergency occasioned by a dangerous and infectious corona virus disease. The restriction of movement came on the heels of advice received by the President from the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, the two focal agencies in the fight against COVID-19. It, therefore, becomes obvious and clear that the restriction order is part of a national quarantine measure. The correct position remains that the President acted rightfully under the powers conferred on him by the Quarantine Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN whose Long Title read thus: An Act to provide for and regulate the imposition of quarantine and to make other provisions for preventing the introduction into and spread in Nigeria, and the transmission from Nigeria, of dangerous infectious diseases. It is not in doubt that COVID-19 is an infectious disease of a contagious nature which the President as rightly declared under Section 2 of the Quarantine Act to be a dangerous infectious disease. Section 3 of the Act enables the President to declare any part of Nigeria as an infected area. Section 4 of the Act further empowers the President to make regulations to prevent the introduction, spread and transmission of any dangerous infectious disease. Section 6 of the Act requires the President and State Governors to provide sanitary stations, buildings and equipment. Thus, in recognition of the critical roles being played by the State Governors in these trying times, the Federal Government has been working with the States in line with the dictates of Section 6 of the Act. To this end the Federal Government is providing a financial stimulus to the Lagos State Government in the sum of N10 billion and to the NCDC in the sum of N6.5 billion for the benefit of the entire 36 States and the FCT, Malami declared. Malamis statement reads in full: It is apt to refer to excerpts of the speech thus: Based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of health and the NCDC, I am directing the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11pm on Monday, 30th March 2020. This restriction will also apply to Ogun State due to its close proximity to Lagos and the high traffic between the two States The Governors of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Minister of the FCT have been NOTIFIED. Furthermore, heads of security and intelligence agencies have also been briefed. [emphasis added] Expectedly, Mr. Presidents patriotic step taken above in overriding national interest has been subjected to attack for allegedly being illegal. Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN claimed that the President lacked the powers to restrict movements in any part of the country without the consent of the National Assembly. I wish to note that he did not state any constitutional or statutory provision which the President has breached in the present circumstances. It is important to inform the discerning members of the public that the President did not make a declaration of a State of Emergency under Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which would have required the concurrence of both House of the National Assembly. Even at that Section 305(6)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) permits a proclamation of a State of Emergency to run for a period of 10 days without the approval of the National Assembly when the parliament is not in session as in the present situation wherein the National Assembly has shut down. The learned silk also goofed when he questioned the Presidents powers to restrict movement and claiming that such powers can only be exercised by the State Governors and the respective State Assemblies. It is clear from the Presidents broadcast that what His Excellency sought to address is a public emergency occasioned by a dangerous and infectious corona virus disease. The restriction of movement came on the heels of advice received by the President from the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, the two focal agencies in the fight against COVID-19. It, therefore, becomes obvious and clear that the restriction order is part of a national quarantine measure. The correct position remains that the President acted rightfully under the powers conferred on him by the Quarantine Act 1990 CAP 384 LFN whose Long Title read thus: An Act to provide for and regulate the imposition of quarantine and to make other provisions for preventing the introduction into and spread in Nigeria, and the transmission from Nigeria, of dangerous infectious diseases. It is not in doubt that COVID-19 is an infectious disease of a contagious nature which the President as rightly declared under Section 2 of the Quarantine Act to be a dangerous infectious disease. Section 3 of the Act enables the President to declare any part of Nigeria as an infected area. Section 4 of the Act further empowers the President to make regulations to prevent the introduction, spread and transmission of any dangerous infectious disease. Section 6 of the Act requires the President and State Governors to provide sanitary stations, buildings and equipment. Thus, in recognition of the critical roles being played by the State Governors in these trying times, the Federal Government has been working with the States in line with the dictates of Section 6 of the Act. To this end the Federal Government is providing a financial stimulus to the Lagos State Government in the sum of N10 billion and to the NCDC in the sum of N6.5 billion for the benefit of the entire 36 States and the FCT. I also wish to draw the attention of the public to the provisions of Section 8 of the Quarantine Act which clearly gives high precedence to the President above State Governors in responding to matters of public health. No role is even conferred on the State Houses of Assembly under the Act. Section 8 provides thus: If and to the extent that any declaration under section 2 or 3 of this Act has not been made, and to the extent that regulations under section 4 of this Act have not been made by the President, power to make any such declaration and to make such regulations may be exercised in respect of a State, by the Governor thereof as fully as such power may be exercised by the President, and subject to the same conditions and limitations. The President has notified the concerned States and the total restriction of movement as ordered by the President has not been previously made or implemented in any of the affected areas (Lagos, Ogun and FCT). It is therefore erroneous and mischievous for anyone to claim that the President is usurping the powers of State Governors and State Houses of Assemblies. The foregoing is strengthened by the fact that Quarantine is one of the items under the Exclusive Legislative List under the 1999 Constitution which means that a State House of Assembly cannot legislate on it. The above notwithstanding, going by the doctrine of covering the field, the President did not violate any law. The provisions of the Quarantine Act above enjoys constitutional backing under Section 45(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution being a law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society in the interest of public health. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that the COVID-19 is a global pandemic that is crippling nations and economies, therefore, stringent measures at the national level are required. This is not a situation whereby the Federal Government is expected to wait for State Governments to act first. International Treaties to which Nigeria is signatory to recognizes the need to depart or derogate from fundamental rights (especially freedom of movement) obligations in deserving situations (such as public health) see Article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights It is also remarkable to note that the President has so far acted in accordance with the executive powers of the Federation conferred on him under Section 5(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as the provisions of Section 14(2)(b) which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. In the same vein Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) requires the State to protect the environment and safeguard the water, air and land of the country. This is not the time for technicalities or legal theatrics rather it is a time to stay safe and stay alive. I therefore enjoin all persons, entities and authorities to ensure strict compliance with the restriction order and the exemptions thereto as issued by the President in the overall good of our people and dear nation. Signed ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN Hon. Attorney General of the Federation And Minister of Justice PV: 0 In a recent article by iTechPost, Zoom allegedly leaked personal user data to Facebook and was sued for this happening. Even Apple Mac users have been compromised from this data leak by Zoom which begs the question, is it still reliable? Zoom's competitor Google Hangouts Meets has also been a popular video call and videoconference call service provider. Google Hangouts Meet is a specific features program only available to those with a G Suite account. The comparison of both companies One of the key comparisons which is obvious to spot would be that for those who are not able to join via video, Google supports call-ins. Most video conferencing programs like Zoom are quite strict about this while Google Hangouts Meets does not necessarily require an additional add-on and does not charge additional fees for the participants to just call in. Read Also: How to Improve Productivity as a Self-Employed Sole Proprietor Another clear comparison would be that Meet's dashboard is quite messy compared to Zoom and is a bit harder to navigate around at first. A few of the tools are not placed in the most intuitive spot which takes a little getting used to. For Google Hangouts Meets, you will be able to view everyone included in a grid along with the main speaker being highlighted as well as enlarged in the center of the screen. Another key difference is that Mac users have a more difficult time to stay connected in comparison with both Android and Windows users. An advantage of Google Hangouts Meets is that it lets users share documents, images, and any files through chat and the option of uploading files from your desktop in order to share them directly from your Google Drive is also available. An option of sharing your screen to others in the chat is also available which makes presentations and demonstrations much easier during real-time meetings. Price comparison of both service providers The cost of the basic G Suite package is about $6 per month for a single person and this allows you to host meetings with about 100 people. 30GB of cloud storage is also allotted with this package. Zoom's lowest costing package known as Zoom Pro costs $14 a month per person and includes the same basic feature of being able to host 100 participants but only 1GB of cloud storage is given to save MP4 or M4A recordings of the user's meetings. The final breakdown Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) rampantly growing in numbers, people are advised to work from home during this period which is why it is absolutely necessary that only the best software are employed. Read Also: How to Keep Your Remote Team Engaged According to an article by androidcentral, Google Hangouts Meets is more convenient to use since it already comes with every G Suite account which most businesses already have and are already familiar with using. It is also a much better addition if your participants need to call in rather than joining the video because Google waives the additional call-in fee. It is safe to say that Google is more cost-efficient. As for Zoom, it is still the best option when it comes to video meetings because of its ability to allow more participants to join! There is also a free package available but the features are quite limited from how long you can host a call to not being able to save or record your meetings. US President Trump says he will discuss oil price crash with Russia, Saudi Arabia if need be. Crude oil benchmarks opened the month mixed on Wednesday, following their biggest-ever quarterly and monthly losses, overshadowed by fears of global oversupply as data showed a bigger-than-expected rise in inventories in the United States. Brent crude was down by 2.1 percent at $25.81 a barrel by 03:31 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was up by 0.1 percent at $20.50 a barrel, erasing most of a 1.3 percent gain. US crude inventories rose by 10.5 million barrels last week, far exceeding forecasts for a 4 million barrel build-up, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed. Wednesdays opening session left oil prices marooned near their lowest levels since 2002 amid the global coronavirus crisis that has brought a worldwide economic slowdown and slashed oil demand. Crude futures ended the quarter down nearly 70 percent after record losses in March. The bearish mood in the market was not improved by a rift within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC were unable to come to an agreement on Tuesday to meet in April to discuss sliding prices. It is very unlikely that OPEC, with or without Russia or the United States, will agree a sufficient volumetric solution to offset oil demand losses, BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian said in a report issued on Tuesday. A Reuters news agency survey of 40 analysts forecast Brent would average $38.76 a barrel in 2020, 36 percent lower than the $60.63 forecast in a February survey. Oil drew some early buying on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to talks on stabilising energy markets. Trump said he would join Saudi Arabia and Russia, if need be, to discuss the sharp fall in oil prices resulting from a price war between the two countries. The two countries are discussing it and I am joining at the appropriate time if need be, Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that he had had great talks in separate conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Putin. Markets have been in turmoil for more than three weeks. Early in March, prices fell sharply after Saudi Arabia and Russia were unable to come to an agreement to curb supply. Prices fell even more as demand fell during the worsening coronavirus pandemic. More than 800,000 people have been infected and more than 39,000 have died. Oil market held hostage Also on Tuesday, US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette spoke with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak about the slump in global oil markets, and they agreed to hold future discussions involving other large world oil producers and consumers, the US Energy Department said in a release. Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of OPEC, remains at loggerheads with Russia, which had allied with OPEC to curb output for more than three years beginning in late 2016. The Saudis plan to boost oil exports to 10.6 million barrels per day (bpd) from May, just as global consumption crashes due to the coronavirus. Weakness in futures markets has been surpassed by the physical markets, where cargoes are selling at single digits in key markets like Canada, Mexico and Europe, reflecting expectations for the coming collapse in demand that will strand barrels of oil. COVID has taken the oil market hostage, said Michael Tran, managing director of energy strategy at RBC Capital Markets in New York. The unprecedented pace of demand destruction has forced the hand of refineries, on a global level, to issue run cuts, leaving barrels from the US to the North Sea, to Asia searching, often unsuccessfully, for homes. Fuel demand is expected to fall sharply in coming months, with Trafiguras chief economist predicting a 30 percent drop in demand. Worldwide aviation is basically shut down and motorists are staying off the roads. Its just a matter of time before we see the producers be forced by the crude gatherers to cut as one cannot gather crude when there are no buyers or tanks to store it in, said Scott Shelton, energy specialist at United ICAP. US crude output fell to 12.7 million bpd in January from 12.8 million bpd in December, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a monthly report on Tuesday. That was the first time since July 2019 that US crude output has declined two months in a row. Goldman Sachs anticipates that US supply will fall by roughly 1.4 million bpd by the third quarter of 2021 to deal with falling demand. When Philadelphia went looking for emergency beds for coronavirus victims, city officials tried to strike a deal with the owner of Hahnemann Hospital, Joel Freedman, who had shut it down last summer. No dice. The opportunity for a businessman to contribute to the countrys fight against the coronavirus wasnt incentive enough. Mayor Jim Kenney stuck up for taxpayers, the former Hahnemann employees who lost their jobs, and for the coronavirus sufferers who will now be welcomed to an emergency hospital set up at Temple University. Go Owls! Our for-profit healthcare system never looked so shabby. Editorial cartoons from this week include: One patient had lymphoma and heart failure. Another was 85 years old with metastatic cancer. A third was 83 and had dementia and lung disease. All were critically ill with the coronavirus, and, a doctor said, all were hooked up to ventilators in recent weeks at a major Manhattan hospital. But soon, patients such as those might not receive similar aggressive treatment. As people with the virus overwhelm New York City hospitals, doctors have stepped up pressure on state health officials to give them a rare and unsettling power: the right to withhold care from patients who are not likely to recover. Dwindling supplies mean there might not be enough ventilators or other items for everyone, and many doctors say they are growing increasingly uneasy with treating every patient equally. They believe medical workers soon might need to make difficult choices about treatment. Usually, the standard is to intubate and do CPR and do all those things, said Dr. Angela Mills, the chief of emergency medicine services at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Theres no question about it; that will not most likely be sustainable. The furious speed at which Covid-19 has spread from the most populous of all continents, Asia, to Europe and then to the US killing thousands of people is sending the global economy reeling. As country after country, including India, is enforcing comprehensive lockdown of life, the economic cost of which remains anybodys guess, all stakeholders of shipping and ports across the globe are scurrying for cover. The possibility of a repeat of lockdowns in India and elsewhere cannot be dismissed at this stage. Thanks to Covid-19, maritime operators are likely to ... Ukraine could receive from IMF first loan tranche worth $4 bln right after fulfilling conditions MP 11:00, 01.04.20 4461 Funds will be allocated for the budget's stabilization fund, set up to combat coronavirus. [April 01, 2020] Maloy PR Releases Discounted PR Packages for Businesses Economically Impacted by Coronavirus Maloy PR today announced it would temporarily offer discounted public relations programs for businesses working through the economic impact of Coronavirus. The packages - Fundamental PR, Essential PR, or PRO PR - are designed to give businesses PR options and pricing to meet their specific needs. Maloy PR is also offering an additional 10 percent discount on the Fundamental and Essential packages for businesseswho sign up before April 15, 2020. That means the Fundamental package will cost as low as $1,768 per month. "This is an unprecedented time in our history," said Cory Maloy, founder, and principal of Maloy PR. "Every business is feeling the weight and difficulty of the economic impact brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic. We feel it as well. We're doing this to do our part in providing an important service that is needed more now than ever before at temporarily discounted prices for businesses working through these times." The Maloy PR packages: Fundamental - Especially suited for small businesses, provides basic public relations services at a low price. Essential - Provides more public relations services at a slightly higher price and is especially suited for small to medium businesses that have regular on-going news and stories to communicate. PRO - The PRO package is a traditional long-term public relations program designed for strategic mission accomplishment based on a business's goals and objectives. The discounted PR packages are available now and utilize Maloy PR's proven public relations programs to help businesses communicate, explain, and engage with the world. "This is just the right thing to do during this time. Businesses are pulling together, working together, to serve their customers to the best of their ability. We're pleased to offer these discounted packages to help everyone get through this economic hardship," said Maloy About Maloy PR Located in Lehi City, Utah, the heart of Silicon Slopes, Maloy PR is a full-service public relations firm offering high-value public relations programs at reasonable prices. The firm has decades of experience serving some of the best-known PR agencies and companies in the United States. The firm has no expensive operating costs or overhead, which allows it to provide higher service at better rates. www.maloypr.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005647/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An error has occurred within file /articles.aspx Please report the error to support@bizcommunity.com and it will be fixed as soon as possible. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The first COVID-19 casualty in Uttar Pradesh surfaced in Gorakhpur after the confirmatory test report of a patient, who had been undergoing treatment at the Baba Raghav Das Medical (BRD) College, came to light on Wednesday morning. The patient had passed away on Monday night. The deceased, a 25-year-old youth from Basti district was admitted to the BRD Medical College on Sunday as he had a sore throat and chest infection. Sources said that suspicions of him being COVID-19 positive made them to send his sample to the King George's Medical University (KGMU ) Lucknow for the coronavirus test. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE OF COVID-19 According to KGMU spokesman Dr Sudhir Singh, the sample of the youth was received at the university for testing on Tuesday. The report came on Wednesday morning confirming that the youth had been infected by the deadly virus. This is the first coronavirus-related death in Uttar Pradesh and the victim is possibly the youngest in India to lose his life to the pandemic. According to BRD Medical College authorities, the youth was believed to have liver and kidney issues and had been undergoing treatment for the last three months. We suspected a Coronavirus infection. So, we sent his sample to KGMU Lucknow for testing. Before his report could come out, he died on Monday night, said BRD Medical College Principal, Dr Ganesh Kumar. Dr Kumar said that as a precautionary measure the medical college staff who had come in contact with the deceased were isolated as soon as doubts first arose. Moreover, the Basti district administration was also informed about the death and all measures taken to quarantine the victim's family, relatives and also the doctors who had treated him before he came to BRD Medical College. The Basti administration has now sealed the entire Turkharia village and screening was on to search for any positive case. The Finance Minister has been urged to go further to help firms recover from the impact of Covid-19 by introducing a 12-month holiday from rates. In his 2020/21 Budget, Conor Murphy said Northern Ireland would have 912m for the fight against coronavirus. Around 639m of the sum has already been allocated and around 100m will be used to fund a three-month rates holiday for businesses. But there was disappointment that the three-month hiatus was not extended to a year, as is the case for retail and hospitality firms in England. Other measures to help households cope with the impact of the virus include freezing the regional element of the domestic rate. First Minister Arlene Foster welcomed the Budget and its measures to help business, saying: "We are determined to do more in this area". Expand Close Conor Murphy Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Conor Murphy Mr Murphy said he had also reduced business rates by 12.5% - bringing a total reduction in rates of 18% when combined with the impact of Reval 2020, through which rateable values of commercial properties were reassessed. The Finance Minister said the reduction would "help with the economic recovery on the other side of this pandemic". Facing these challenges when society returns to normality within the funding we have available will require long-term planning, innovative thinking and difficult decisions Andrew Webb, economist He also renewed small business rates relief and the rural ATM scheme, which brought rates relief for ATMs in rural areas but had been suspended. There was a real-terms increase for all government departments of 8.1% to 12.2bn in resource spending - the biggest increase in about 10 years. But Andrew Webb, the chief economist of business advisory firm Grant Thornton, said difficult questions remained. "The many budgetary challenges that existed before the coronavirus changed everything - massive infrastructure deficits, increasing demands on health care, and struggling schools - remain to be addressed" he said. "Facing these challenges when society returns to normality within the funding we have available will require long-term planning, innovative thinking and difficult decisions." The budget also allocated 1.6bn in capital funding, of which 847m is for ministers to allocate to high-priority projects. Some 278.6m will go to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for farm support payments to replace EU support. In addition 558m will be given to the Department for Infrastructure and 295m to the Department of Health. Mr Murphy said the Budget had ultimately been "overshadowed by the unprecedented public health crisis we face". "There is no doubt that we remain in a challenging financial environment. Protecting lives and livelihoods from this pandemic is the Executive's number one priority," he explained. The Department of Health also receives 1m for the contaminated blood inquiry, while a further 37.5m goes to the historical institutional abuse inquiry. PwC NI tax director Craig Harrison said the measures would be welcomed by the business community, but added: "Any who hoped to hear of an extension to the three-month non-domestic rates holiday will be disappointed. It is important for Northern Ireland's future economic recovery that this is levelled up with the more generous 12-month break seen in other parts of the UK." Angela McGowan, the CBI Northern Ireland director, said many companies would breathe a sigh of relief at the cut in business rates but added that a 12-month rates break may ultimately be needed. Dr Patrice Cairns, policy manager at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors here, also said a longer rates holiday was required and suggested a period of at least six months. "Many high streets were struggling before coronavirus hit and will need extra help in the period when it is over," he added. Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI, welcomed the minister's decisions to restore rate relief on rural ATMs as well as the cuts in the regional rate and the renewal of the small business rates relief scheme. But he reiterated that a longer period of rates holiday was required. Aodhan Connolly, director of the NI Retail Consortium, said a year's break would be needed if high streets were to "weather the storm" of coronavirus. Rev. Bah Pius Inobuh Facebook Rev. Bah Pius Inobuh, Associate Pastor of the Beach Limbe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, has been suspended for one month for violating his ordination vows. This is the kernel of a letter dated Friday, March 27, 2020 signed by PCC Synod Clerk, Rev. Miki Hans Abia following a Friday, March 20, 2020 meeting of the Synod Committee Executive, Exco in Buea. The Exco amongst many other issues reviewed the activities of Rev. Bahs Parallel Ministry within the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon which is contrary to the vows he made at his ordination. The one month suspension, the Synod Clerk says, comes after Rev. Bah failed to heed to an earlier caution from The Secretary Committee of the Ministry. The PCC Synod Clerk thus informed Rev. Bah as follows: That you Bah Pius Inobuh have not desisted from your online and offline Parallel Ministry activities, especially the collection of funds you cannot account for in the fashion of the PCC. Some of your activities and pronouncements intentionally and regrettably cast a slur on the PCC which we consider are aimed to deviate Christians to your self-styled ministry. You have remained defiant to hierarchys attempt to deter you from your own style of ministration. The Synod of 2019 that held in Buea (20/11/19) had warned you and sent some persons to counsel you on the merit of your ministry, but sadly you did not heed to the counsel, and this is unacceptable to a Church of Order and Discipline like ours. In the light of the aforementioned violations, the Rev. Bah was suspended from the Ministry of Word and Sacraments of the PCC for one month from Wednesday, April 1, 2020 to Thursday, April 30, 2020. During this time, you shall leave the Parish and take up Residence at The Church Centre Kumba for further counselling at the PCC Counselling Unit. You shall not put on the clerical attire, celebrate the liturgy nor carry out any other official pastoral duty. You are also advised to discontinue any offline or online activities pertaining to ministry, said the PCC Synod Clerk. At the end of Rev. Bahs suspension, the PCC Counselling Unit in Kumba is expected to write a comprehensive report, upon whose recommendation the Church shall deliberate on the way forward. Dear Reverend, may this time serve as a quiet moment for you to rethink the path of your ministry and sincere use of your talents and gifts in the service of the Lord and to the Glory of His name, the Synod Clerk advised. Contacted to react on his suspension, Rev. Bah told Cameroon-Info.Net that he is still in prayers. I'm in prayers, he said. Pressed to speak further on the issue, the pastor thundered: I said I am still in prayers. It is therefore not known if he will heed to the decision of the PCC Synod Committee Executive or will bang the door like others before him. By Atia Tilarious Azohnwi for Cameroon-Info.Net When Dr. Calvin Sun gets back to his New York City apartment after a 12-hour shift treating critically ill coronavirus patients, he heads straight to the kitchen sink to wash his ski goggles and ski jacket. He scrubs and wipes, then sprays them with Lysol before hanging them up to dry. The items are his personal protective equipment, or PPE -- improvised due to the severe shortage at hospitals across the city -- and he'll likely need to use them at work tomorrow. As a per diem emergentologist who fills in shifts left empty by the increasing number of doctors calling out sick, Sun has the unique perspective of working in emergency rooms throughout the New York City area. Within the walls of each medical facility, he sees the same desperation. Sun, a native New Yorker, documented his journey for CNN over the course of one week. "We don't have enough N95 masks. Some have run out completely. Some don't even have gowns," he said. "You can put me in the exact same ER and I would witness the exact same evolution of chaos." New York City is now the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak. Central Park and the city's harbor have become makeshift hospitals, and nearly 1,200 employees of the police force have tested positive. City officials applied to the federal government for a second disaster relief morgue, one official said. Statewide, 75,795 people had tested positive for Covid-19 through Wednesday morning, accounting for more than 40% of all US cases. Health care workers on the front lines, including thousands of New York's nurses, are especially vulnerable to infection. "In my particular emergency department, we have an area cordoned off for the Covid-positive patients and the presumptive positive patients, but because of a lack of space, they're all housed together, which is a big problem for infection control," said Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association. Sun has been using social media to alert the public about the danger medical professionals face at New York City's hospitals. Throughout the crisis, he's been updating his Instagram story daily with dispatches from the trenches of this pandemic. "I can speak on behalf of all my fellow colleagues in this fight that you're never really sure what's going to happen in the future, especially when it takes about five to eight days for you to catch it and develop symptoms," he said. "And we can't really test unless you have symptoms, given the lack of testing kits and (PPE) provided for us by the higher-ups." For weeks now, doctors across the nation have been emphasizing the importance of increased testing to understand the true scope of the spread of coronavirus. But Sun warns that showing up to the emergency room simply for a coronavirus test could be a potentially deadly move. "Testing is so necessary to contain this spread. We need to screen everyone, but also, it's not about what you do but how you do it," Sun said. "Because let's say you didn't have Covid-19. And then you come to the emergency room to get a test, and then we test you. It's gonna be negative, right. "And then, a person sitting next to you coughs in your face because you're in the emergency room. And then two to three days later, you get a phone call on that test you got two or three days ago. It's negative. Then, you hug grandma, and then grandma gets Covid-19. And then two to three weeks later, I'm putting her on life support. That's on you, right? It doesn't make sense to come to an emergency room because of the risk of cross-contamination." Only those who cannot speak a full sentence without losing their breath should head to the ER, Sun said. Otherwise, monitor symptoms from home. After finishing a 10-hour shift at 2 a.m. on March 27, an exhausted Sun caught a ride-share home and reflected upon another intense night. "Today was just a sign that things are getting worse and worse. I had about three deaths in the span of the first six hours, he said. "One was truly sad. (He) waited a few days for a bed, and it was too full upstairs so he stayed in the ER, and from Covid-19, he just lost his pulses. We worked on him for an hour, and then he died." Despite the tremendous obstacles ahead, Sun is committed to the oath he took as a physician to care for the sick. "This is still New York, and the lights are still on," he said as he looked out the window on the ride home. "That's a sign that things are going to keep on going, if we keep on fighting." DANBURY Police have arrested three additional suspects in the death of 21-year-old Willy Placencia, who was stabbed multiple times at the citys skate park two weeks ago. Through the continuing efforts of the General Investigations Division over the past few days, three more local males were arrested for their involvement with the killing, Danbury Police Sgt. Adam Marcus said Tuesday. Nykeem Hawkins, 18, of Danbury, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit manslaughter, second-degree assault, first- and second-degree conspiracy to commit assault and second-degree breach of peace. Kenaas Council, 19, of Danbury, and a 15-year-old from Danbury were arrested three days later. Council is charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit assault and breach of peace. The teen is facing first- and second-degree conspiracy to commit assault and breach of peace charges. All three were taken into custody without incident, police said. The arrests stem from an ongoing police investigation into the March 18 fatal stabbing at the Danbury City Center Skate Park. Police responded to a reported fight at the Patriot Drive skatepark that evening and found Placencia with multiple stab wounds. He was later pronounced dead at Danbury Hospital. Placencias girlfriend and the mother of his unborn child, Silainy Rodriguez, said she believes the fight stemmed from a bullying problem between two groups that started a few years ago. Rodriguez said she believes her boyfriend was targeted because one group associated him with the other. Weve lost the most helpful, uplifting, hardworking, loyal, honest and loving human being Ive ever met in my life, she said. Placencia is remembered by loved ones as a loving and supportive person with a passion for skateboarding. In addition to his girlfriend and unborn daughter, Placencia leaves behind his parents, four brothers and two sisters. Two individuals were arrested last week in connection with his death a 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old James Lema-Zaruma, both of Danbury. The 16-year-old was charged with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree conspiracy to commit manslaughter, first-degree assault, first- and second-degree conspiracy to commit assault, and breach of peace. Lema-Zaruma was charged with first-degree criminal liability to commit assault and held on $10,000 bond. Police said the two teens arrested were remanded to custody. Hawkins and Council are being held on $100,000 and $10,000 bond, respectively, pending release or arraignment. They are both scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in Waterbury on May 13. As this continues to be an ongoing and active investigation, court documents related to the case remain temporarily sealed, police said. History of arrests Court records show that the three adults arrested have a history of arrests. Hawkins was arrested in December and charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, first-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace. He is also facing third-degree assault and conspiracy to commit assault, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny charges stemming from a December 2019 incident in Danbury, as well as a breach of peace charge from November. Council is facing a first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree breach of peace charges from February, as well as sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny and third-degree assault and conspiracy to commit assault charges from December. Lema-Zaruma pleaded guilty last year to a first-degree reckless endangerment charge stemming from a September 2018 incident in Danbury, according to court records. Police are still investigating the fatal stabbing of Placencia and are asking anyone with information to call Danbury Police Departments detective division at 203-797-4662, or the Anonymous TIPS Line at 203-790-8477. While it seems to be a minority of hikers and other park, forest and trail users flaunting Pennsylvanias coronavirus restrictions, including the stay at home guidelines, there may be enough of them to leave a significant mark, on the landscape, on social media and on efforts to flatten the curve on the coronavirus pandemic. Friday, March 13 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources closes state parks in Montgomery County and cancels all events and programs in all state parks and state forests statewide. All park and forest users advised to adhere to social distancing of at least six feet and stay home when sick to help slow the spread of coronavirus and still enjoy the outdoors. Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15 Parks, forests, trails across Pennsylvania were packed with people, many of them failing miserably at everything that government and medical authorities have asked of the public in the fight against the coronavirus. Social distancing of at least 6 feet between each person was not evident among many trail users. Limiting the distance traveled just to get to some far-off, popular outdoor destination didnt seem to be a concern for far too many hikers. Monday, March 16 DCNR closes state park in Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties. Tuesday, March 17 DCNR closes all facilities in all state parks and state forests statewide. Trails, lakes, forests, roads and parking areas remain open. DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn noted, Its OK to go outside, but we should still be practicing social distancing to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. This means we should spread out for outdoor activities. If you visit a public place and the parking lot or trailhead is crowded, try another spot, or head back to your neighborhood to take a walk if thats possible. Stay as close to home as possible. On WITFs Smart Talk show on Friday Dunn advised, Take a walk on a trail thats not crowded. Look for a place where you can practice social distancing and a place where youre not going to need a restroom, where youre not going to need a special stop. Pack what you need. Think about bathrooms, which are all closed in state parks and state forests, and increasingly in other public spaces across the state. Think about social distancing. And, if you take a walk in a park be the steward of that park and pack out everything you pack in. Tuesday, March 24 Too many people either seeking escape from coronavirus concerns or continuing with previous plans on the Appalachian Trail have led to trailhead parking lots exceeding their maximum capacities, shelters full of overnight hikers, day hikers using picnic tables and privies, and ongoing group trips. Popular spots along the trail have seen day use reach record-breaking levels. Cars line the highways leading to popular day-hiking spots on the trail. Hiking the AT has become, in other words, the opposite of social distancing, noted Sandra Marra, president of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. In these unprecedented times, I am making an unprecedented request: Please stay away from the Appalachian Trail. Whether your hike is for a couple of hours or a couple of days, staying away from the trail minimizes the spread or contraction of COVID-19." Thursday, March 26 Pennsylvania State Parks Facebook page: As with the large volume of visitors to Pennsylvania state parks last weekend, we saw a large volume of trash, dog waste and graffiti left behind for very small numbers of staff to deal with. Please be respectful of our natural resources. Whatever food, drinks, or dog waste bags you take in with you to a park, please carry out with you when they are trash. Help keep state parks safe, clean, and open. Friday, March 27 Hikers in a social media discussion group suggest using rental vans or box trucks to stealth camp, to subvert state park and forest closures and the state-mandated closure of many private campgrounds. Others express willingness to travel considerable distances to preferred destinations for hiking and backpacking. Weekend of March 28-29 Hiker breaks foot on very rocky, steep trail, requiring emergency responders to forgo social distancing against coronavirus to carry him off the trail. Monday, March 30 Discussion on social media hiking groups recommend that same trail, if you are looking for a more challenging short hike. Pennsylvania State Parks Facebook page: Please note that we are seeing higher than normal visitation and recommend the social distancing and staying home if at all possible. Weve seen an increase in users to our public, natural places as a result of the stay at home suggestions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This increase in users is having an impact. Please follow carry-in-carry-out principles of Leave No Trace. Were still seeing a lot of people not practicing social distancing when they are out enjoying our state parks. Post on Facebook hiking group Don't let Big Brother stop you from what you and your husband want to do!!!! You are getting fresh air and exercise. Several Pennsylvania hikers post photos from hiking on Appalachian Trail Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, to Facebook groups. Requests in social media discussion groups for hike recommendations bring suggestions for hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Monday, March 30 In an interview with pennlive.com, Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said, We are bringing back some additional maintenance people to deal with the trash. In heavily used parks we deal with this all the time. Keeping parks clean and ready to use takes a lot of staff. But, she noted, some of the reports of abnormal litter in state parks may not have been the result of true littering but may have arisen when winds scattered debris from trash cans stuffed far beyond their capacity by park visitors. Dunn said the trails exist to meet the recreational needs of Pennsylvanians, even when they are being used at unprecedented levels, but they must do it in a way that is safe. They must keep their social distance. There is a spectrum of trails available. Youve got your backyard, which is probably more interesting now than at any other time of the year. Your neighborhood. Your local parks. Dont go to the most popular spot you always go to. If the parking lot is full, have another nearby second choice, and a third choice. A wide selection of trails can be found at Explore Pennsylvania Trails. She urged everyone to practice Leave No Trace, explaining, People need to respect the resource. We want the parks to be ready to use after this ends. With all park and forest facilities closed, rather than stopping along the way to pick up supplies and then leaving your trash in an on-site trash can, pack what you need and pack it out, she said. In addition, the secretary noted, We would discourage extreme activities, like rock climbing. First responders are over taxes just now and they need to protect themselves as well. I dont think pushing the limits in recreational endeavors is called for just now. She explained that DCNRs closings and restrictions have been targeted at continuing to offer recreation like hiking while keeping users spread out as much as possible. For example, closing a parking lot, even a parking lot that is being used beyond capacity, could push people into even greater crowding elsewhere. To that end, the only camping currently allowed is remote camping in state forests, and then only with permits from district foresters. Dunn noted that Pennsylvania is in its wildlife fire, making it important for the foresters and rangers to know where people are camping. Long-distance travel to far-off destinations also is not recommended. Dunn commented, You dont want to see people taking out and making a multi-day trip, while 33 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties are under a stay at home order and more are being added every day. 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. Beijing will not sit and watch Huawei get "slaughtered" and could retaliate if there are further sanctions on the Chinese technology giant, a top Huawei executive told CNBC on Tuesday. The comments came in response to a Reuters report that suggested senior officials in the Trump administration had drawn up new rules that would require chipmakers to obtain a license if they use American equipment to make components sold to Huawei. The Reuters article, citing a source, said that the rule change is aimed at curbing the sale of chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to Huawei. TSMC makes chips that Huawei designs. In the company's first comments on the issue, Eric Xu, rotating chairman at Huawei, suggested China would take retaliatory action if such a rule came to fruition. Once the pandora box is opened, it would have devastating chain effect on global eco-system. Huawei would not be the only one to be destroyed. Eric Xu rotating chairman at Huawei "The Chinese government would not sit there and watch Huawei being slaughtered. I believe there would be counter-measures," Xu said in Mandarin comments translated by CNBC. The U.S. has argued that 5G equipment from China could be a national security risk. Xu argued that China could use that same logic for American devices using U.S. chips and block them from the Chinese market. "If China takes counter-measures, the disruptive ripple effects on industries across the globe would be enormous. Once the pandora box is opened, it would have devastating chain effect on global eco-system. Huawei would not be the only one to be destroyed," Xu said, adding that American companies "wouldn't be able to stay unscathed." The strong rhetoric highlights the potential damage such a rule change could have on Huawei. Last year, the company was put on a U.S. blacklist which restricted the way in which American firms could do business with Huawei. Some loopholes, however, allowed companies to still supply certain components to Huawei. This new rule change aims to choke off supply to Huawei where it hurts. The company doesn't manufacture its own chips. Instead, it designs them and they are made by TSMC. If Huawei gets cut off from that supply, it could be quite damaging. Such a change would be an escalation of tensions between the U.S., Huawei and ultimately China. When contacted by CNBC, TSMC said it is unable to answer hypothetical questions and does not comment on any individual customer. Washington has maintained that Huawei is a national security risk suggesting its networking equipment could be used for espionage by Beijing. Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations. The U.S. has sought to convince allied countries to block Huawei from participating in next-generation mobile networks known as 5G. The blacklist has already hurt Huawei. On Tuesday, the company reported 2019 revenue that fell short of its own internal expectations by $12 billion. A Huawei Technologies Mate20 Pro smartphone displays an image of the company's Kirin 980 chip. Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg | Getty Images Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-30 20:31:39|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Citizens wearing facial masks are seen in front of a supermarket in Vienna, Austria, on April 1, 2020. People have to wear a face mask before entering supermarkets, announced the Austrian government as part of some additional measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak on Monday. (Xinhua/Guo Chen) VIENNA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- People have to wear a face mask before entering supermarkets, announced the Austrian government as part of some additional measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak on Monday. "I am fully aware that masks are something foreign to our culture," said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at a press conference with other government officials on Monday morning. "It will be a learning phase." Kurz emphasized that people should still keep their distance from each other, as wearing a mask can only "somewhat" reduce airborne transmission. The situation in Austria at the moment is only "the calm before the storm," warned the chancellor. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer stressed that all persons from risk groups should be released from work, all hotels are to be closed, and the social distancing should be rigorously enforced by the police. The new actions taken by the government are based on the forecasts of scientists, who recommended "significantly stricter measures" to reduce the crucial metric R0 (the average number of people who will catch the disease from a single infected person), according to Chancellor Kurz. Scientists warned that under a "realistic" assumption of a R0 of 1.7, the Austrian health system would collapse in mid-April, reported the Austrian Press Agency (APA). The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Austria exceeded 9,000 on Monday with 108 deaths reported, according to local health authorities. Just days after New Mexicos governor warned President Trump that she feared the coronavirus could wipe out tribal nations, the president of the Navajo Nation told ABC News he believes aggressive measures being taken now will help contain the disease. We have a shelter-in-place here in Navajo Nation and have a curfew, and we are doing our best to slow down the spread or even stop the spread of coronavirus, said Jonathan Nez, who was elected president of the tribal nation in 2018. People are already in their houses and hunkered down. PHOTO: Jonathan Nez addresses a crowd after he's sworn in as president of the Navajo Nation, Jan. 15, 2019, in Fort Defiance, Ariz. (Felicia Fonseca/AP, FILE) Nez said the shelter-in-place order is similar to those in a number of states now, advising residents to stay at home but allowing them out for necessities. Curfew is a pretty much a lock-down from 8 p.m. on, he said, noting officials are monitoring it with roadblocks. The latest figures show 174 people have tested positive and seven have died in the tribal territory that spans portions of three western states and has a population of more than 250,000. Officials in New Mexico and Arizona have both expressed concerns about the ability of the Navajo Nation to contain an outbreak. This week the Arizona National Guard reportedly flew in doctors and supplies and helped set up a make-shift hospital with 50 beds. MORE: New Mexico's governor warns tribal nations could be 'wiped out' by coronavirus On a call with President Trump and other governors, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was seeing "incredible spikes" of coronavirus cases in Navajo Nation. "I'm very worried, Mr. President," Grisham said Monday, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC News. "The rate of infection, at least on the New Mexico side although we've got several Arizona residents in our hospitals we're seeing a much higher hospital rate, a much younger hospital rate, a much quicker go-right-to-the-vent[ilator] rate for this population. And we're seeing doubling in every day-and-a-half," she said. Story continues PHOTO: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham confirmed a new coronavirus infection that has no apparent link to travel, March 18, 2020, during a news conference on the floor of the state House of Representatives in Santa Fe, N.M. (Morgan Lee/AP, FILE) There is reason for concern, according to Hilary Tompkins, the former solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior, which serves the federal trustee for Native American tribes. The Native American population is particularly vulnerable not only due to underlying health disparities and high poverty rates, but also because many Indian reservations lack basic, modern day amenities such as running water, access to the internet, and connection with the electrical grid, which are vital during a pandemic, Tompkins told ABC News. MORE: Inside President Trump's call with governors: a mix of praise and criticism Tompkins, a member of the Navajo Nation, said access to full-service healthcare is lacking during optimal conditions. These factors create a perfect storm for the virus to devastate tribal communities, which we are witnessing right now with my tribe, the Navajo Nation, she said. Our federal trustee must act quickly to support tribal leaders in their fight against the coronavirus in order to save the lives of First Americans. The outbreak of the virus in the reservation is believed to have spread at an evangelical church rally in Chilchinbeto, Arizona, on March 7, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The Navajo Nation government declared a state of emergency on March 13, one week later, before ultimately issuing a reservation-wide shelter-in-place order for all residents on March 20. PHOTO: Members of an Arizona National Guard unit load medical supplies into a helicopter for delivery to the remote Navajo Nation town of Kayenta, hit hard by the coronavirus, to build a temporary hospital and resupply clinics, March 31, 2020, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) "In a short period of time, COVID-19 has arrived on the Navajo Nation and the number of cases are increasing at a high rate across the Nation," the order said. "The purpose of the closure is to allow the Navajo Nation as a whole to isolate and quarantine." President Nez told ABC News he believes the tribal response is working. We're really getting out the information, letting people know to take care of themselves so that we don't have a large spike here at Navajo Nation, Nez said. Were doing our best to educate people. We have our healthcare professionals going door to door. What to know about coronavirus: This report was featured in the Thursday, April 2, 2020 episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Amid dire coronavirus warning, Navajo Nation 'hunkered down,' tribal president says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Dominion Energy, the new owner of South Carolina Electric & Gas, wants to postpone its plan to alter ratepayers' monthly power bills due to the coronavirus pandemic and slumping economy. Dominion, one of the country's largest power providers, had intended to file a new rate case with the S.C. Public Service Commission by May, likely asking to hike up the cost of electricity. But with the health crisis gripping the state, the Virginia-based energy giant sent a letter to the PSC on Wednesday asking South Carolina's seven utility regulators to delay that case until early August. If the case is postponed, it means the electricity rates for more than 722,000 Dominion customers in South Carolina will remain unchanged until March 2021. The state's utility commissioners had sent a letter to Gov. Henry McMaster and the leaders of the state Legislature on March 18 asking them to delay any pending rate cases during the ongoing pandemic. But the governor and General Assembly didn't take action to halt those legal matters. That is why Dominion is voluntarily asking to delay its upcoming rate case now. According to the company's letter, Dominion is taking that step because of the dramatic effects the novel coronavirus is having on the state. More than 1,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in South Carolina and tens of thousands have been forced out work due to the public health response. "Dominion Energy recognizes that there may never be an ideal time for a regulatory rate review," said Rhonda O'Banion, Dominion's spokeswoman. "With this unprecedented crisis created by the coronavirus that has impacted everyones lives in unimaginable ways, now is certainly not the time." Utilities in South Carolina already stopped disconnecting people's gas, water and electricity during the pandemic at the request of the governor, and many are no longer charging late fees to people who don't pay their monthly bills on time. Dominion's decision to shelve its rate request is a far bigger step, however. It could impact the finances of the utility in the future. But delaying the case is likely the right decision for Dominion's public relations in South Carolina. The utility was already expected to face significant backlash from its ratepayers near Columbia, Orangeburg, Beaufort and Charleston when it unveiled its rate request this year. Many of those customers are extremely angry they are still on the hook for $2.3 billion over the next 20 years for the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project in Fairfield County. That project was abandoned in July 2017, but as part of Dominion's takeover of SCE&G and its parent company SCANA Corp., ratepayers are expected to cover some of the sunk costs in the two unfinished reactors. When Dominion eventually files its new rate request, it will include any savings the company achieved as a result of its takeover of SCE&G and SCANA, O'Banion said. But it is also likely to contain a significant number of operational costs that ratepayers didn't reimburse the utility for during the decade-long nuclear project. SCE&G ratepayers coughed up more than $2 billion over the course of the V.C. Summer project, but that money was not for the general operating costs of the utility. It paid for the financing costs of the nuclear construction. As a result, Dominion could be entitled to collect on some operating and maintenance costs that were incurred as far back to 2012. That was the last time SCE&G filed a normal rate case. The company will have to wait a few more months now before they can present those costs to the PSC. Advertisement Louisiana has seen a surge in new coronavirus cases over a 24 hour period with infections increasing by 1,200 and deaths rising by 88- as New Orleans continues to become an emerging hotspot for the pandemic. Data shows the death toll in Louisiana rose to 273 with 88 new fatalities as of Tuesday. The number of infections went up by nearly 1,200 to bring the total confirmed cases to 6,424. It is Louisiana's biggest one-day spike in both deaths and infections since the coronavirus started spreading rapidly. New Orleans remains a national virus hotspots with 1,834 of the state's total cases. The death toll in the city is now at 115. The city's Mardi Gras celebrations have been blamed for the causing the virus to spread so rapidly across the state. At one point, Louisiana was seeing the fast growth rate of the pandemic anywhere in the world and the second-highest coronavirus death rate per capita in the United States. Experts have said Louisiana could become the next US epicenter if it continues on the current trajectory. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards described the one-day jump in cases as 'sobering'. 'There's no way to see that number and not be startled,' Edwards said, adding that the spike could be a result of test results that had stacked up. 'I pray that's the case. There's no reason yet to believe that we're flattening the curve.' Gov Edwards said the spike reaffirmed his decision to extend the state's current stay-at-home order to April 30. 'I implore everyone to embrace these mitigation measures. Stay at home and save lives. Be patient,' he said. Edwards has said the state has only a tiny fraction of the 13,000 ventilators it will need, and that it has yet to receive federal approval to tap a national stockpile. In New Orleans, authorities are setting up a field hospital to handle the expected overflow of patients at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - the same site where thousands of Hurricane Katrina refugees suffered in 2005. Gov Edwards has predicted that hospitals in the New Orleans were likely to run out of ventilators by April 4 and of hospital bed space by April 10. He said Louisiana's soaring infection rates mean some hospitals will have to start turning away patients in the next week unless statewide efforts to curtail social contact start to show an impact. His pleas in daily news conferences for residents to stay home amid the pandemic have become increasingly laced with anger and frustration. 'It's not that hard to understand!' Edwards said last week. 'The trajectory we're on right now takes us to a place where we cannot meet the demands on our health care system.' New Orleans (above during the lockdown) remains a national virus hotspots with 1,834 of the state's total cases. The death toll in the city is now at 101. The city's Mardi Gras celebrations have been blamed for the causing the virus to spread so rapidly across the state Hundreds of churchgoers continued to ignore their Gov's pleas by attending services despite the state-wide social distancing guidelines and bans on large gatherings. About 500 people attended a Sunday service at the Life Tabernacle church in Central, a city of nearly 29,000, outside Baton Rouge Worshippers still flocked to the church on Tuesday night for a service. As people left the church after the service, people were spotted chatting outside the front doors and not adhering to social distancing It comes as hundreds of churchgoers continued to ignore their Gov's pleas by attending services despite the state-wide social distancing guidelines and bans on large gatherings. About 500 people attended a Sunday service at the Life Tabernacle church in Central, a city of nearly 29,000, outside Baton Rouge. Police charged the church's pastor, Tony Spell, on Tuesday for violating the state-wide ban on public gatherings. Even after the misdemeanor charges were handed out, worshippers still flocked to the church on Tuesday night for a service. As people left the church after the service, people were spotted chatting outside the front doors and not adhering to social distancing. Many churchgoers also exchanged hugs and handshakes as they left. In announcing the charges against the pastor, Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said: 'Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion,' . 'Mr Spell will have his day in court where he will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community. 'This is not an issue over religious liberty, and it's not about politics. We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community's leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.' Furious neighbors had complained to police about the church violating the social distancing orders. 'Other congregations are using the internet, Skype, and other safe ways to congregate. Why cant they? What makes them so special?' neighbor Paul Quinn said. 'I wish state police would come out and do something... If they get out of church and go to the grocery store, it's a serious health hazard. They don't know how many people they're affecting, and they dont seem to care. That's a problem.' In New Orleans, police broke up a 'funeral repast' of about 100 people on Saturday afternoon, issuing a warrant for a 28-year-old man who refused to shut it down and giving the band leader a summons. Meanwhile, police in New Orleans have come under fire for arresting people for minor crimes, including a homeless man refusing to leave a hotel lobby and a woman who stole $375 worth of food from a grocery store. Defense lawyers told The Hours that police are locking people up for minor crimes at a time when other states are releasing low-risk prisoners to avoid the risk of coronavirus infections in prisons. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 1 signed a decision to officially declare a nationwide pandemic. Customers are asked to wear masks and would have their temperatures checked before entering supermarkets at Lotte Mart, Nha Trang City. Earlier this week, he agreed with the proposal made by the Ministry of Health to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a national epidemic, after the second wave of mostly imported cases from overseas brought the country's number of patients to over 200. The announcement was seen as a pure legal formality as Viet Nam has early implemented robust responses to curb the spread of the disease since it emerged in Viet Nam. According to the decision, solutions and measures to cope with the pandemic following the Law on Infectious Diseases include setting up a Steering Committee for the disease, health quarantine, monitoring affected areas, mobilising resources in society to fight the pandemic, international co-operation, and setting up field hospitals when required. COVID-19 was deemed to be among the group A infectious diseases according to Vietnamese diseases classification, pointing to a number of significantly dangerous diseases that can spread rapidly and have high mortality rates including avian influenza virus A (H5N1), polio and Ebola. The decision comes into effect today and replaces Decision 173 released on February 1, declaring the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) an epidemic in Viet Nam, after the first cases popped up in Khanh Hoa, Vinh Phuc and Thanh Hoa provinces. As of this morning, Viet Nam had recorded 212 COVID-19 cases. VNS Hanoi on first day implementing PMs order on social distancing Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 31 issued a strict order on social distancing, starting April 1. On the first day of implementing the order, Hanois streets are much more deserted than usual. Home Just In Nepal spent Rs 1.5 billion on drive against coronavirus so far Kathmandu, April 1 The government of Nepal has spent around Rs 1.5 billion on various activities against the coronavirus infection in the country so far. Dhani Ram Sharma, a joint secretary in the Ministry of Finance, says the government allocated around Rs 850 million by transferring the fund allocated to the Ministry of Health. This money will be spent on purchasing medical equipment and upgrading the hospitals, Sharma says, But we have not allocated any additional fund except what was approved for the Ministry of Health. However, the government has also allocated an additional Rs 500 million for the Coronavirus Infection Prevention, Control and Treatment Fund. Earlier, the government had allocated Rs 130 million in evacuating Nepalis from China and quarantining them in Kharipati of Bhaktapur in February. Officials say the government will make decisions about allocating additional funds based on how the situation develops further. Choosing to go elsewhere, however, is economically prohibitive for most expectant mothers in New York. Leaving aside the cost of a flight or car rental, not everyone has family in another state with spacious, free lodging. Many women still have jobs and family connections in New York, as well as rent or mortgage payments they must meet. And for lower-income families, leaving isnt even a consideration, said Eugenia Montesinos, the co-chairwoman of NYC Midwives, a professional association. They dont even think about that, said Montesinos, who sees women at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, a city hospital in East Harlem. Theyre going to be thinking about: How am I going to pay my rent? How am I going to get something to eat? While some ob-gyns have been supportive of their patients decisions to leave the New York area, there are risks involved in traveling, especially late in a pregnancy. Public health experts recommend avoiding nonessential travel to reduce your potential exposure to the virus and the risk of inadvertently infecting others. Delivering in a system that has provided you with all your prenatal care and knows you is more optimal, said Dr. Mary E. DAlton, the chief obstetrician and gynecologist at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan. We now have probably the best firsthand information about Covid and how obstetric patients are responding to this virus, and quite honestly, other centers in the United States are looking to us to give guidance on what we are doing. She estimated that fewer than 5 percent of the pregnant patients in her practice have left. And theres no guarantee that another area wont eventually see a surge in coronavirus cases, she added. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement on Monday that pregnant women in America should feel comfortable delivering babies in any licensed and accredited U.S. hospital. For years, State of Origin has been referred to as the jewel in rugby leagues thorny old crown. Given the truckloads of revenue it delivers, you can understand why. Now, in these uncertain times, it's the Hope Diamond. NSW and Queensland players loom as lab rats as the game ramps up plans to play in a bubble or on an island or whatever in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. James Tedesco celebrates with fans after NSW's series victory last year. Credit:Getty The NRLs newly formed "innovation committee" reckons the Origin series can demonstrate to governments, pandemic experts, broadcasters, fans and the wider community that it can safely play rugby league in isolation. If successful, if it can show that it can lock down 40 players and staff at a venue such as Townsville's brand new stadium, the NRL will then look at mobilising all 16 teams. This is at the forefront of the committees contingency plans should the NRL be allowed to start again. The questions are whether it can and whether it should. Read the full opinion piece here. By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - South Africa should seek funding from the International Monetary Fund given its high debt levels, large capital outflows and a potentially deep recession triggered by the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, a financial industry trade group said. The Institute of International Finance said it expected South Africa's economy to contract by 2.5% in 2020, but said waning demand, travel restrictions and pandemic-related closures could lead to a deeper recession. "We believe it is time for South Africa to turn to multilaterals for support," said the group, which was created by 38 banks in leading industrialized countries in response to the debt crisis of the early 1980s. It called South Africa's economic situation "increasingly untenable." Entering a program with the IMF could "bring much-needed funding and help shore up investor confidence," it said. The recommendation is not likely to be well received in South Africa, where Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Sunday said the country would only consider approaching the IMF as a last resort to help fight the virus. South Africa entered a 21-day lockdown on Friday, with people restricted to their homes and most businesses closed. It has reported more than 1,300 cases of coronavirus and three deaths. Approaching multilateral institutions for cash, especially the IMF, has long been unpopular with the government, with such a move strongly opposed by the radical faction of the ruling African National Congress and its large trade union allies. The government has also expressed reservations about approaching the IMF for fiscal support, fearing stringent spending controls the fund would be likely to impose. But the IIF said South Africa's fiscal policy space was limited even before the shock caused by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and the situation was complicated by persistently low growth and government debt increases that were among the highest in emerging markets. Higher borrowing costs and the need for greater social spending were likely to expand fiscal deficits in the future, potentially increasing government debt further. The situation was further complicated by Friday's decision by Moody's rating agency to cut South Africa's debt rating to below investment grade, which could trigger capital outflows of as much as $12 billion, IIF said. The IIF said the downgrade would also result in rising financing costs and pressure on the South African rand. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) A pop-up testing clinic for coronavirus will be set up in Bondi as the government tries to combat the spread of the killer virus. The Waverley area in Sydney's eastern suburbs has become a hotspot for the virus, recording the highest number of cases in the city. Cases have soared after clusters of backpackers refused to follow social distancing rules with many seen sunbaking in groups near the popular beach. The testing is expected to be open from lunchtime on Wednesday at the Bondi Pavilion. Cases have soared in the eastern suburbs with backpackers appearing to ignore social distancing rules (Pictured: Beachgoers in Vaucluse) A pop-up testing clinic for coronavirus will be set up in Bondi as the government desperately tries to combat the spread of the killer disease (pictured tourists kicking a ball on the grass at Bondi Beach) The clinic set up by St Vincents was open to people from midday on Bondi Pavilion The first patients being tested for COVID-19 at the pop-up testing clinic in Bondi NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said doctors in the Waverley Council area would be sending more patients to the testing clinics. 'We have had a small number of cases in that community where there aren't obvious links, but a plausible explanation is they have come into contact with an infected backpacker before that backpacker was aware they had COVID-19,' she said. 'Our local public health units have communicated to doctors in that area. 'We do know that there is a potential risk that other members of the community may have come in contact with infected backpackers.' Crowds of sunbakers are spotted on the rocks at Mackenzies Bay in Sydney's east on Tuesday New restrictions on gatherings and movements which ban people from leaving home without a reasonable excuse, but this did not deter sunbakers at Mackenzies Bay (pictured) A nurse is seen wearing a mask and gloves as she sets up the pop-up testing clinic in Bondi on Wednesday 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 On Tuesday, there was more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 across NSW with 140 in the Waverley area. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has warned officers will no longer issue cautions for those flouting self-isolation rules and instead hand out $1000 on-the-spot fines. Police can also arrest and charge people who repeatedly ignore health orders, which could incur a maximum penalty of six months in prison. Officers have been urging crowds of beach goers to go home from beaches like Bondi. Five police cars were used to disperse crowds at a park in Rushcutters Bay. Despite the tough social distancing rules, nobody has been fined yet. The clinic has been set up due to the high number of cases within the Waverley area, with many in backpackers Two women wearing facemasks are among many to get tested at the clinic in Bondi There has been more than 4,700 cases of coronavirus in Australia Magic Together is the creation of Chicago magician Scott Green and has a more elaborate setup than most he mails you a package that youll have in your own hands. You first contact Green to sign up for a date and time. He then posts the box than you keep sealed until the showtime, which is one-on-one with Green via Zoom. Magic Together is no cut-rate affair, the cost for an in-your-own-home performance starts at $247 via PayPal. More at www.scottgreenmagic.com/magic-together. A mother has revealed her daughter was pushed to tears after a shift at Woolworths when angry customers threw products at her because there was no toilet paper left. Jordyn Nydrle, 18, works overtime at the supermarket in Townsville, north-east Queensland, due to frenzied coronavirus panic-buying. But the teenager reached breaking point after an exhausting shift on Monday when she was abused by irate shoppers who couldn't buy everything they wanted due to sold-out items or product restrictions. Jordyn's mother Debara Nydrle said her daughter and colleagues often have 'products thrown at them because they can't have the third tins of beans... or if there isn't any toilet paper', Essential Kids reported. Jordyn Nydrle (pictured) works at a Woolworths in Townsville, and came home after an exhausting shift and cried Woolworths, Coles and Aldi imposed limits on products favoured by pandemic panic-buyers after loo rolls and canned food started flying off the shelves. Tinned food was restricted to two per person and toilet paper was limited to one pack per person to combat shortages. Ms Nydrle shared a photo of red-faced and teary-eyed Jordyn in a heartbreaking Facebook post after the abuse on Monday proved too much. While the teenager felt better 'after a good cry and a good sleep', Ms Nydrlen urged people to be kinder to those in customer service roles. 'These people are like our doctors and nurses and essential workers, providing a service on the frontline. While everyone is in self-isolation they are put at risk.' Woolworths posted signs around stores instructing shoppers not to abuse staff members Shelves in Woolworths supermarkets have been cleared over the last month by coronavirus panic-buyers Ms Nydrle called herself a 'p***ed off mamma' in Monday's social media post. 'Thank you to all the a**holes who think its okay to abuse Woolies staff to the point where you break them, daily, multiple times a day,' she wrote. She described the abuse her daughter received as 'totally un-Australian' and said customer complaints were things that Jordyn and her colleagues 'could not control.' A friend of the family said they were in store when Jordyn was having a particularly difficult time and 'wanted to go give her a hug,' but were worried she would get in trouble or that it would make her more upset. Woolworths have been forced to introduce an elderly hour for shoppers to combat the crowds Other customers said they looked forward to Jordyn's service in stores, because of her usually friendly smile and demeanour. Ms Nydrle urged her friends and family suggested people thank supermarket employees for the work they do for the community. 'Give them a smile, take them flowers - you can even buy them in store.' The most important thing, Ms Nydrle said, was that customers help staff help everybody. Supermarket shelves have been left bare of the essentials - particularly toilet paper - since panic buying began The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Australia has reached 4,852. Twenty people have died. Panic-buying has sparked violent brawls in supermarkets throughout the nation as customers rush to get their hands on in-demand groceries. Woolworths and Coles stores have seen sales soar in recent months, well beyond what is standard for this time of year. As a result, Woolworths created 20,000 new jobs - many are short term contracts - designed to give people now out of work due to COVID-19 a lifeline. The new roles across supermarkets, e-commerce, supply chain and drinks businesses will allow the retailer to better meet the unprecedented demand for groceries across the country. The move will also allow the to supermarket giant to build up their online operations in a bid to support the changing shopping needs determined by COVID-19. Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said: 'These are uncertain times for many industries and we have an important role to play keeping Australians employed through this crisis.' Similarly, Coles confirmed they would be hiring an additional 5,000 staff for the duration of the crisis. 2019 Annual Report Sydney, Mar 31, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Empire Energy Group Ltd ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) is pleased to present you with Empire's 2019 Annual Report.In 2019 we made significant progress executing our strategy for value creation, which is focused on:1. Debt reduction and the optimisation of our US assets to focus on our world-class Northern Territory McArthur and Beetaloo Basin position;2. Building upon our Northern Territory asset base focused on upstream oil and gas through strategic investment in the exploration, appraisal and development of our McArthur and Beetaloo Basin assets and potentially others consistent with the capital capacity of Empire Energy and its partners; and3. Building a Board of Directors and management team with the experience and capability to guide Empire through what we believe will be a significant and sustained period of growth.Having repositioned the Company since 2018, the Board and management team have established a platform for longer term growth notwithstanding poor capital market conditions caused by COVID-19 and oil market instability. We consider the future of the Beetaloo and McArthur Basins to have very high value.To view the Annual Report, please visit:About Empire Energy Group Ltd Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators. Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006. Homs [Syria], Apr 01 (Sputnik/ANI): The Syrian air defenses downed a number of missiles launched by Israeli jets from the Lebanese airspace on the central Syrian province of Homs on Tuesday, the Syrian state-run SANA news agency reported, citing a military source. "At 20:25 [17:25 GMT] of Tuesday, the Israeli warplanes launched a number of missiles, from over Lebanon, into the direction of eastern Homs ... immediately, the army air defenses intercepted the hostile missiles and shot down a number of them," a military source told SANA. Israel has frequently hit targets inside Syria since the outbreak of civil war in the neighboring country, claiming that it seeks to counter groups backed by Iran there. (Sputnik/ANI) This is possibly the best time to monitor and study seismic events like the detection of small earthquakes as many parts of the world are in lockdown. The transient seismic noise from vehicles, trains, metros, construction work etc which used to mask the sound of seismic activity beneath the soil is now reduced greatly, according to analysis by seismologists. The Royal Observatory of Belgium tweeted on March 20: The earth continues shaking. Ground movements at frequencies 1-20 Hz, mainly due to human activity (cars, trains, industries,...) are much lower since the implementation of the containment measures by the government. Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, who is studying the changes in seismic noise due to the lockdown, tweeted on March 27 that mean noise level was 33% lower since stay-at-home orders were issued in Belgium. Our staff is teleworking. The earth continues shaking. Ground movements at frequencies 1-20 Hz, mainly due to human activity (cars, trains, industries,...) are much lower since the implementation of the containment measures by the government. #StayHome @ibzbe @CrisiscenterBE pic.twitter.com/pGgQAyLuUP Seismologie.be (@Seismologie_be) March 20, 2020 This is probably the best time for scientists like me to study soil structure and natural waves because there is little transient noise being recorded by our monitors. It will help understand a particular site and conduct hazard assessments, said AP Pandey, seismologist at National Centre for Seismology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. But India has not analysed seismic noise reduction because of the lockdown yet. Nature journal reported on the observations of seismologists on Tuesday. If lockdowns continue in the coming months, city-based detectors around the world might be better than usual at detecting the locations of earthquake aftershocks, Andy Frassetto, a seismologist at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology in Washington DC was quoted as saying in the report by Nature. Stephen Hicks, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering at the Imperial College, London, also tweeted on March 27 about how a seismometer saw the UK lockdown. Data from the British Geological Surveys station suggests a reduction in average daytime background seismic noise because of much reduced traffic on roads. There are similar tweets from seismologists in other parts of the world. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Regulatory News: In response to the public health crisis that the world has been facing for several weeks now, Veolia (Paris:VIE) as a provider of essential services and a partner of cities and businesses is fully mobilized to ensure continuity of service while protecting the health of its employees, the Group's two overriding priorities. Every day, we have been able to rely on the commitment, courage and exemplary dedication of our teams working on the ground to provide communities with essential services. Veolia has also put in place business continuity plans, tailored to each country, that primarily aim to maintain the production and delivery of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater; waste collection and waste treatment activities; and energy management businesses, both in its heating networks and at industrial and tertiary sites that are continuing to operate. To ensure continuity of service while complying with containment measures, the Group has adjusted its organization and the way it works. Remote working arrangements are now in place for all tasks that can be done remotely using digital tools. Where work cannot be done remotely, the Group has organized staff rotations and back-up teams. Since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, i.e. since January in Asia, Veolia has taken steps to adjust the way it works in line with public health requirements. Given the gradual resumption of activity in China, we are confirming the negative impact of the crisis in Asia as factored into the 2020 targets presented in late February, i.e. 1% of Group EBITDA or around 40 million. Until 12 March, the Group's activities outside Asia were not affected by the crisis. Since then, the introduction of public health measures as the epidemic spread to the Group's other geographic regions has affected Veolia's activities to varying degrees. Almost all of the Group's facilities remain open, although the impact on volumes is varying between business lines. Water sales are slightly down, the heating networks business is proving resilient, as are municipal waste collection and processing. However, the industrial and commercial waste business has seen a steep decline because a large number of businesses and tertiary activity centers such as shopping malls have been forced to close. Services for industrial sites and buildings are also being affected where those sites have been closed. Finally, construction work has largely stopped in France and has been reduced outside France at Veolia Water Technologies. This rapid deterioration in the situation has prompted the Group to adopt measures in all of its operations to minimize the effect of the crisis on its employees, to reduce its impact on earnings and to make early preparations for the post-crisis recovery. The main measures include: supporting the living standards of Group employees, using job retention arrangements in countries in which such measures are available, along with top-up remuneration paid by the company; taking a more selective approach to the 2020 CAPEX program while preparing the Group for the post-crisis recovery; stepping up the cost-cutting program. With a net debt/EBITDA ratio of 2.66x at the end of 2019, the disposal of the heating and cooling networks business in the United States in late December 2019 for $1.25 billion, a centralized cash position of 3.7 billion at end-March, a bond maturity schedule that is well spread out over the next four years and significant undrawn credit lines, the Veolia Group's financial position is particularly strong and will enable it to get through this period without any liquidity problems. Accordingly, on March 27, 2020, Standard Poor's confirmed the Group's BBB credit rating with stable outlook. The Board of Directors met today. It took the following decisions: Since the duration of the public health crisis and its impact on the global economy are not yet known, the precise consequences and impact on business levels and earnings are still hard to assess at the moment. As a result, the previously announced guidance for 2020 is suspended. The Veolia Group will provide more details about the impact in its upcoming publications. The General Shareholders' Meeting is still scheduled for April 22. It will take place behind closed doors in order to comply with France's strict public health requirements, and voting must take place either by post or online. An additional press release is being published in relation to the meeting. Given the exceptional circumstances and in order to protect the interests of all of the Group's stakeholders in a spirit of solidarity, a proposal to pay a cash dividend of 0.50 per share will be put to shareholders in the meeting. Antoine Frerot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Veolia, said: "Our services water, waste and energy are essential, and we therefore owe a fundamental duty to our communities. In the current circumstances, our mission is vital, because people are relying on us even more than usual. We are fully mobilized. At Veolia, we are doing everything we can to protect our employees and we are very proud of their dedication, which allows us to continue providing essential services every day to our customers and communities all over the world." Veolia groupis the global leader in optimized resource management. With nearly 179,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them. In 2019, the Veolia group supplied 98 million people with drinking water and 67 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 45 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 50 million metric tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of 27.189 billion in 2019 (USD 29.9 billion). www.veolia.com Important disclaimer Veolia Environnement is a corporation listed on the Euronext Paris. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to: the risk of suffering reduced profits or losses as a result of intense competition, the risk that changes in energy prices and taxes may reduce Veolia Environnement's profits, the risk that governmental authorities could terminate or modify some of Veolia Environnement's contracts, the risk that acquisitions may not provide the benefits that Veolia Environnement hopes to achieve, the risks related to customary provisions of divesture transactions, the risk that Veolia Environnement's compliance with environmental laws may become more costly in the future, the risk that currency exchange rate fluctuations may negatively affect Veolia Environnement's financial results and the price of its shares, the risk that Veolia Environnement may incur environmental liability in connection with its past, present and future operations, as well as the other risks described in the documents Veolia Environnement has filed with the Autorites des Marches Financiers (French securities regulator). Veolia Environnement does not undertake, nor does it have, any obligation to provide updates or to revise any forward looking statements. Investors and security holders may obtain from Veolia Environnement a free copy of documents it filed (www.veolia.com) with the Autorites des Marches Financiers. This document contains "non-GAAP financial measures". These "non-GAAP financial measures" might be defined differently from similar financial measures made public by other groups and should not replace GAAP financial measures prepared pursuant to IFRS standards. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200401005626/en/ Contacts: Veolia Group Media Relations Laurent Obadia Sandrine Guendoul Tel.+ 33 6 25 09 14 25 sandrine.guendoul@veolia.com Analysts Investors Ronald Wasylec Ariane de Lamaze Tel. 33 1 85 57 84 76 84 80 investor-relations@veolia.com Vietnam is the latest country to go into a nationwide lockdown because of the coronavirus. The 15-day period starts Wednesday with officials telling people to avoid gathering in groups of three or more. At the start of the lockdown, there were 212 confirmed cases in Vietnam and no deaths and authorities want to keep it there. U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that he suspects the coronavirus will slow down or even disappear as warm weather sets in across much of the globe. While heat and humidity can affect the transmission of viruses, the World Health Organization said Tuesday there is no evidence it will slow down the new coronavirus and said it has no idea how long the pandemic will last. Trump is finding little good news to report at his daily White House briefings. After saying on Sunday that he expects the outbreak to peak by Easter and great things will come by June 1, he said on Tuesday Americans will have a hell of a bad two weeks coming up. The White House projects as many as 240,000 Americans could die from coronavirus before the worst is over. The administration's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the coronavirus can lead to severe complications in cigarette smokers and people suffering lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes. The centers said people with these conditions should be especially conscious about staying home. But doctors in The Netherlands say a 101-year-old woman who has recovered from coronavirus has given them a spark of hope. The woman tested positive nearly two weeks ago, was isolated in a hospital near Rotterdam, and will soon return home. Doctors in Italy, which has been Europes hot spot for the virus, say they believe the outbreak there has hit a plateau and we should start seeing a decline, if daily precautions continue. The chief of the Italian national institutes of health, Dr. Silvio Brusaferro, says it would be premature to lift the country's three-week nationwide lockdown. Workers in Jerusalems Old City sanitized the Western Wall, Judaisms holiest site, where the pious come to pray. The workers use gloves and wooden clamps to pull out the prayers written on slips of paper the worshippers left. Meanwhile, U.N. aid workers in Gaza started making house-to-house deliveries of food and other aid to poor Palestinians. They want to avoid large crowds at distribution centers to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. About 70,000 packages are expected to be delivered. Only 10 cases have been confirmed in Gaza so far. One sign that life may be returning to normal in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began in December, is people flocking to the citys noodle shops, where noodles covered with peanut sauce are as popular as pizza is in the U.S. and fish and chips in Britain. Social distancing is still required in Wuhan and the shops are open for carry out only, the long lines in front of the shops has spread optimism in the city which had been locked down and sealed off to contain the virus. The head of Chinas National Health Commission, Ma Xiaowei, said Tuesday the "most dangerous, most critical stage" of the outbreak looks as if it has passed. But he said lifting the quarantine on travelers and reopening schools will be done very slowly and carefully. Meanwhile, goats have taken over the locked-down Welsh town of Llandudno. With no people on the streets to bother them or chase them away, mountain goats are wandering the streets, boldly helping themselves to the tasty leaves on the trees and bushes in peoples yards, and behaving as if they own the town. The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought to know from the Centre its stand on a plea that has highlighted the urgent need to provide WHO-graded protective gear to doctors, nurses and medical staff who are treating coronavirus patients across the country. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah that heard the matter through video-conferencing, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to examine the plea and place before the court the Centre's stand with regard to the issues highlighted in the petition. "List the writ petition on the first available date on which the court is convened next week through the video-conferencing mode in view of the current situation," the bench said in its order. The bench was hearing a plea filed by Nagpur-based Jerryl Banait, who is a doctor and has said in his petition that the Centre should ensure that World Health Organization-graded protective gear, including hazmat suits, personal protective equipment (PPE), starch apparels, medical masks, goggles, face shield, respirators and head covers, is made available to all health workers like doctors, nurses, ward boys, medical and para-medical professionals who are attending COVID-19 patients. Advocate Sunil Fernandes, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that he would serve a copy of the petition to Mehta so that the solicitor general could assist the court on the next date of hearing. "We have requested the Solicitor General of India to examine the petition and to place before the Court the position of the Union Government in regard to the issues which have been highlighted by the petitioner," the bench said. The plea has claimed that in the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors and other medical staff are putting themselves at risk of being affected by the deadly virus and it is the duty of the state to ensure that they get all the required kit while treating patients. It has also sought a direction to the states to set up COVID-19 special screening centres in smaller towns and other cities and to take immediate steps to ensure effective implementation of Union Health Ministry's January 25 guidelines that prescribe procedures and practices to be adopted for infection prevention and control. The plea has also sought a direction to the authorities to take necessary steps to ensure adherence to the guidelines issued by the WHO and the Health Ministry on rational use of PPE for COVID-19. It said doctors and other para-medical professionals should be provided facilities including food, separate transportation and accommodation or isolation rooms to protect exposure of their families. The plea has sought a direction to the authorities to undertake immediate measures for wide-scale screening and testing of potential COVID-19 patients and to issue guidelines regarding tests through private agencies or labs, including regulated pricing and manner of testing. "As there is no specific vaccination to prevent or cure COVID-19, it is imperative for doctors to be in constant contact with patients, so as to monitor them on regular intervals and observe their symptoms. In the absence of appropriate protective gear, doctors put themselves at the risk of being affected by the virus in the discharge of their duties," the plea said. "It is the duty of the states to ensure graded protective gear to doctors and other welfare facilities, so as to aid them to combat the virus," it said. "In the case, where the hospitals and health centres are not provided WHO-standardised masks and gowns, medical staff mortality will exponentially increase and the situation will spiral out of control in the absence of sufficient medical assistance," it added. The plea said authorities should provide adequate protective gears to medical professionals to ensure that those who are continuously working towards treating and testing the diagnosed patients and to screen and quarantine the ones suspected, are not susceptible to the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A small study done in China has claimed the malaria drug chloroquine can help coronavirus patients recover quicker. Doctors in Renmin Hospital, Wuhan - where the pandemic began - gave 31 coronavirus patients hydroxychloroquine for five days and treated another 31 with normal therapy. Pneumonia infections improved in 25 per cent more patients in the chloroquine group when compared to those who had standard treatment, they found. And the patients taking hydroxychloroquine were also less likely to end up seriously ill later on. Chloroquine is one of a number of promising COVID-19 treatments and is one of a number of experimental therapies being trialled on patients around the world, along with HIV drugs and a flu medicine which is used in Japan. However, NHS GP Dr Ellie Cannon has pleaded with the public not to think of it as a 'magic bullet' and said she had received 'a lot of requests' for prescriptions for it. Antimalarial medications can be dangerous - they are known to cause heart rhythm problems and can't be given to people with liver or kidney problems. One man in the US died after trying to self-medicate with chloroquine by drinking aquarium cleaner which contained a version of the chemical. The latest study was published by medical experts at Wuhan University but has not been reviewed by other scientists or a medical journal. A study has found the malaria drug chloroquine helps coronavirus patients recover quicker (Pictured: hydroxychloroquine, a version of it, is prescribed in the US under the brand name Plaquenil) NHS GP Dr Ellie Cannon said she had 'a lot of requests' for antimalarials but that it was not safe for people to take it Dr Cannon, a Mail on Sunday health columnist, tweeted yesterday: 'Please stop thinking antimalarial tablets are the magic bullet until theyre proven to be the magic bullet' Around the world, countries are expanding access to chloroquine, a synthetic form of quinine, which comes from cinchona trees and has been used for centuries to treat malaria. Chloroquine (CQ), sold under the brand name Aralen, and its counterpart hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), known as Plaquenil, are well-established medicines that are also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. They work against those conditions by dampening the body's immune response when it overreacts and could be beneficial for coronavirus patients in the same way. WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY APPROVED CHLOROQUINE TO TREAT PATIENTS? Medicine regulators in the US have approved the use of antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Doctors across the States can now prescribe the medicines to patients who are critically ill with the virus. They were granted emergency approval by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 30. In the UK, meanwhile, doctors have been instructed not to use the drugs, which can also treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, except in clinical trials. The British Government has banned wholesalers from exporting the drugs to different countries, showing it is protecting the UK supply, but has not yet approved its widespread use because of a lack of evidence. The drug has been used in China throughout the outbreak and doctors have reported good results, but they have not been published in robust scientific trials. South Korea was also among one of the first countries to start using it, and there have been reports of doctors in the Netherlands giving it to COVID-19 patients. In France, a team led by Professor Didier Raoult at a hospital in Marseille reported last week that they had carried out a study of chloroquine on 36 COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organization has launched a worldwide trial called SOLIDARITY, involving scientists in countries all over the globe, to test which drugs work well on COVID-19 patients - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are included in this. Advertisement Doctors across America can now prescribe CQ and HCQ as a last resort for critically ill COVID-19 sufferers. But it has not been licensed in the UK, where the recorded number of cases reached almost 30,000 today. Hydroxychloroquine appears to be safe, but its effectiveness for COVID-19 is still unknown, an Oxford-led research team declared today. The latest study of hydroxychloroquine took place from February 4 to February 28. Sixty-two COVID-19 patients in the Renmin Hospital were randomly assigned to either receive hydroxychloroquine or not, alongside typical therapies being used to relieve their symptoms. The non-HCQ group had only the usual therapy, which could involve painkillers and pneumonia antibiotics. The time it took for patients to recover enough to be discharged was 'significantly shortened' in the HCQ group, Dr Zhaowei Chen and colleagues claim. Their fevers reduced one day earlier, on average, and their coughs improved 'significantly' quicker, the study found. Using CT scans of people's chests, the team found pneumonia was improved in 67.7 per cent of patients - 42 of 62 - after six days in the study. A larger proportion of patients had improved pneumonia in the HCQ treatment group - 25 out of 31, compared to 17 out of 31 in the control group. Notably, the only four patients who progressed to severe illness were in the control group who did not have HCQ. The scientists found two patients had mild side effects in the HCQ treatment group. One patient developed a rash, while the other had a headache. Overall, the authors wrote in their paper that 'among patients with COVID-19, the use of HCQ could significantly shorten TTCR [time to clinical recovery] and promote the absorption of pneumonia.' The findings were published directly on the website medRxiv, which is not a journal and therefore the work hasn't been reviewed and critiqued by other scientists. These studies, known as pre-print papers, have become widespread during the pandemic as a way for researchers to get their information into the public domain as quickly as possible, but they are not always trustworthy or good science. The papers adds to a cluster of small trials looking into CQ and HCQ which, although they have shown have encouraging results, cannot be conclusive. Dr Ellie Cannon, an NHS GP and Mail on Sunday health columnist, tweeted yesterday: 'Please stop thinking anti malarial tablets are the magic bullet until theyre proven to be the magic bullet.' Speaking on LBC radio yesterday, Dr Cannon said: 'All the evidence is being weighed up about the treatments, we must always remember that these medications come with side effects and risks. 'For example, these antimalarial medications are known to cause heart rhythm problems. We know they are very dangerous for people with liver and kidney problems.' There have been 'a lot of requests' for antimalarials such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, according to Dr Ellie Cannon Dr Cannon said she and pharmacists had been getting 'a lot of requests' for antimalarial prescriptions because people have heard of its potential to help treat COVID-19. CHLOROQUINE 'APPEARS TO BE SAFE' Hydroxychloroquine appears to be safe, but its effectiveness for COVID-19 is still unknown, an Oxford-led research team declared today. More than 300 researchers from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) international community have been investigating whether there are serious side effects from the drug. The team analysed the medical history of 130,000 patients in Germany, the UK, and the US who have previously taken the drug, in what researchers said was the largest investigation to date of its safety. Professor Dani Prieto-Alhambra, lead author of the study, said it is too early to know how effective it is in treating COVID-19. He said: 'When administered at the doses used for current indications like rheumatoid arthritis, we have not detected any worrying side effects. We therefore think that it's quite a safe medication in general. 'However, we lack data on its safety when used at higher doses, and it is too early to be able to understand its clinical effectiveness to treat Covid-19.' Professor Prieto-Alhambra said randomised controlled trials- including one at Oxford using 3,000 high-risk patients - will define the anti-viral efficacy of this treatment. The European Medicines Agency has cautioned that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which is also being investigated for its treatment potential, can have 'serious side effects, especially at high doses or when combined with other medicines'. Advertisement Chloroquine, for example, can be bought over-the-counter at Boots' private prescription service at just 0.23 per tablet. It was prescribed around 46,000 times in the UK in 2018. Dr Cannon said: 'I think we are all looking for a cure, we're all looking for an answer for ourselves, for our vulnerable relatives. 'But we have to be so careful about these hidden dangers in what seems to be a magic bullet. 'There a lot of private people unfortunately profiteering and I think we are all vulnerable to these things at the moment.' Self-medicating using chloroquine has already shown to have devastating consequences. Last week, a man from Arizona died after drinking fish tank cleaner which contained a form of chloroquine intended to fight aquatic parasites. Professor Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), previously told MailOnline: 'Using non-approved substances, even if the active ingredient in a medicine is in another non-medical product, it is dangerous to use it as if it were a medicine. 'From this tragic occurrence in the US it is clear that people will do foolish things in the belief that they are helping themselves.' Both the antimalarials are likely to be sought after by governments globally after being highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as potential therapeutics, among many others, to treat COVID-19. In the UK, the only way COVID-19 patients could be treated with chloroquine is within a clinical trial, the drug regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) state. The UK is injecting 20million into coronavirus research projects, taking part at Oxford University, the University of Edinburgh, Queens University Belfast, Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool. Chloroquine is thought to be among 1,000 drugs being tested against coronavirus in a lab as part of a Queens University Belfast study. Larger trials have been put in motion, including in the US, where one began in New York this week. Italy is carrying out a trial on 2,000 people, while scientists are also awaiting the results from bigger trials in China. A European trial called Discovery will study four experimental therapies, including chloroquine, using 3,200 patients who have been hospitalised from the killer virus in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Sweden and Luxembourg. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 16:17:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam saw nearly 3.7 million international arrivals in the first quarter of this year, down 18.1 percent against the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism on Wednesday. Between January and March, nearly 2.7 million foreign visitors to Vietnam were from Asia, down 21.1 percent year-on-year. Tourists from the Americas, mainly the United States, and Oceania, mainly Australia, also saw sharp declines of 20.2 percent and 14.4 percent respectively from the same period of last year. During the three-month period, Vietnam welcomed some 871,800 Chinese visitors, accounting for over 23 percent of the total international arrivals, the administration said. Vietnam, which hosted a record number of over 18 million international arrivals last year, according to the administration, has set a target of welcoming 20.5 million foreign visitors this year. Adventure retailer Kathmandu's largest shareholder will not participate in the company's emergency $201 million capital raise, as it looks to preserve its own balance sheet amid the coronavirus crisis. Rod Duke, the managing director of New Zealand retailer Briscoe Group told investors on Wednesday while it supported Kathmandu, the company's immediate priority was "to ensure the strength of our own business both in the short term and for the future". Briscoe Group MD Rod Duke told investors while it supported Kathmandu, the company's immediate priority was to "to ensure the strength of our own business both in the short term and for the future". Credit:Louise Kennerley Kathmandu announced this morning it would look to raise $NZ207 million ($201 million) from shareholders in "pre-emptive action" against COVID-19. Briscoe Group holds 16.27 per cent of Kathmandu and the company's refusal to participate in the raise comes as a blow to the retailer, though the offer is underwritten. Investors are eligible to receive 1.2 shares for each 1 they owned in the pro-rata accelerated entitlement offer, priced at just 50, a whopping 50 per cent discount on the company's current share price. Dr Osei Kuffuor Afreh, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Services on Tuesday said the region is on a high risk of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to the influx of people into the region from locked-down areas. He said more than two thousand people had travelled into the region within three days after the President announced the partial lock-down of the Greater Accra and Ashante Regions. Dr Afreh said this at a Risk Communication Committee Meeting at Wa to discuss effective ways of communicating the COVID-19 pandemic to the general public to dispel fear and panic among the people. Risk assessment of the region indicates that our risk has increased because of the locked-down, which was not immediate. We got information that many people were coming into the region, he explained. He added that his outfit had set up a mandatory screening point at the entry of the region to identify travellers who were showing symptoms of the virus as part of efforts to manage the influx and to control the spread of the virus in the region. He observed that through the exercise, four suspected cases of the COVID-19 were detected and quarantined at the University for Development Studies (UDS) Hospital and sample collected for testing to determine their status. Dr Afreh indicated that they had advised all the people who travelled into the region to do self-isolation and to report to the health authorities anytime they developed any COVID-19 related symptom for the necessary action to be taken. The Health Director noted that in all, the region had recorded 15 suspected cases and samples collected for testing in Kumasi and Accra. Talking on the one recorded case in the region, he stated that both the victim and a close contact person identified were in isolation while about 40 contacts had been traced. Dr Afreh indicated that transporting samples from the region to the testing centres was a big challenge to them due to the partial lock-down of the Greater Accra and Ashante Regions which had resulted to relatively closure of transport services from the Upper West Region to those areas. He entreated the media to desist from creating fear and panic among the people as well as to reduce the stigma associated with the virus and to encourage the people to report COVID-19 related symptoms to the appropriate authorities. Dr Afreh said the committee was working assiduously to avoid community spread of the virus in the region as it could cause havoc to the people in the region. Mr Sinto Mustapha Nuhu, the Upper West Regional Director of the Information Service Department, noted that the region was poised to intensify education on the risk of the COVID-19, especially from neighbouring Burkina Faso as the borders were poorly managed. He said people travelled in and out of the country through unapproved routes at Fielimon in the Sissala West District which posed a challenge to the Upper West Region. 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 President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US authorities will evacuate passengers from a stranded cruise ship due to dock in Florida after being barred from several South American countries because of a coronavirus outbreak aboard. Both the cruise ship Zaandam, where dozens of people have fallen ill, and its sister ship Rotterdam are due to enter US waters early Thursday ahead of their expected docking in Fort Lauderdale. Trump said the US was "sending medical teams on board the ships" and taking people off, with foreigners sent home. "We're taking the Canadians off and giving them to Canadian authorities," he said. "Same thing with the UK. But we have to help the people. They're in big trouble." State Governor Ron DeSantis, who issued a stay-at-home order on Wednesday for Florida's 21 million residents, had earlier stated he didn't want the ships to come into port. But late Wednesday he told Fox News network that he had not realized there were US citizens aboard. The ships' operator, Holland America Line, said it was awaiting confirmation that disembarkation will take place in Fort Lauderdale. About 1,200 passengers who are not ill would be sent home on charter planes. They will be "transported in coaches that will be sanitized, with limited person-to-person contact and while wearing masks," the company said. Some 45 people with mild symptoms will remain aboard in isolation until they recover and 10 people requiring critical care will be taken ashore for treatment locally, the company said. DeSantis, a Trump ally, had resisted calls to issue stay-at-home orders in Florida and likewise had said he didn't want the additional burden of sick cruise ship passengers. "I was told that these ships were all foreign nationals and that they had no connection to Florida. So I was just like, why would you just bring them to Florida?" the Republican said, explaining his earlier thinking. "It turns out there are American citizens and we actually have Floridians." With nearly 7,000 coronavirus cases and 87 deaths, Florida -- home to many retirees -- has the fifth-most virus cases in the United States. More than 30 other US states have already issued stay-at-home orders. - 'Ghost ships' - Holland America Line appealed to the US authorities on Monday to allow the two ships to dock, saying four passengers had already died and others were at risk. "What happened to compassion and help thy neighbor?" Holland America president Orlando Ashford pleaded. A total of 1,243 passengers and 1,247 crew members are stranded at sea on the Zaandam and also on Rotterdam, which came to its sister ship's aid last week, bringing supplies. About 200 passengers and crew aboard the Zaandam had reported influenza-like illnesses and at least nine have tested positive for COVID-19, the company said initially. The desperate situation aboard the Zaandam, which was not allowed to enter several South American ports, attracted worldwide publicity, but it is just one of several cruise liners seeking permission to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. On Tuesday, Trump signaled he was ready to help, saying "there are people that are sick on the ship and we don?t want to be like, they?re going to be ghost ships. You know, people turn those ships away." The Zaandam, which left Buenos Aires on March 7, was originally meant to finish the trip in Chile on March 21, but changed course due to the virus and was scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on April 7. Rick De Pinho, a 53-year-old lawyer on the Rotterdam, told AFP he and his wife couldn't wait to get off. "We're sitting ducks. And the longer people sit out here, the more chance somebody could get sick, and I know that four people already passed away," he said. Passengers have been self-isolating in their cabins aboard the Zaandam since March 22, 2020 Florida beaches were still crowded in despite health warnings against public gatherings Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for residents of the southern US state The Zaandam (L) and its sister ship, the Rotterdam A woman gestures as she walks through a disinfection tunnel set up at the entrance of the Thennampalayam market in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu on April 1, 2020. (AFP) Salem/Coimbatore/Chennai: In a sudden flare-up in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Tamil Nadu, the state added another 110 on Wednesday, taking its tally to 234. All the new positive cases are being pegged to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Old Delhi on March 10-13 from which the infection is said to have spread countrywide. However, some of the media reports on the Tablighi Jamaat congregation have been inaccurate; in some cases people were reported positive although they had not been tested yet. Notably, of the total of 234 positive cases in the state, 190 are those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin in Delhi, which makes it close to 80 per cent of all positive cases till date in Tamil Nadu. Citing that alarming point, Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters this evening that the number is expected to go up further as more samples taken from the Delhi returnees will have been tested in the next two days. The state has far managed to identify 1103 people who attended the Delhi conference and returned to Tamil Nadu. Dr Rajesh said of these 1103 returnees, swab samples have been taken from 658 persons. The remaining samples would be taken by Thursday. In addition to locating and isolating these returnees, Dr Rajesh said medical workers were going house to house in their localities to trace anyone with whom they might have had contact. These house-to-house operations were being conducted within a radius of 2-5 km of the returnees residence. The news agency PTI reported that the National Health Mission Tamil Nadu appealed to 'Tablighi Jamaat brothers,' to contact health authorities immediately by telephone (7824849263/044 46274411) as participants of the conference might be at risk of contracting coronavirus. District-wise, heres the break-up of the 110 new positive cases reported on Wednesday: Coimbatore 28; Theni 20; Dindigul 17; Tirunelveli 6; Erode 2; Madurai 9; Tirupathur 7; Chengelpet 7; Sivaganga 5; Thoothukudi 2; Tiruvarur 2; Karur 2; Chennai 1; Kancheepuram 1. In addition to these, four more districts in Tamil Nadu were affected by Covid-19 due to other factors. Now that the Covid-19 spread is clearly accelerating, the health secretary said there were enough isolation beds and ventilators available in various government hospitals in the state. She said she had a video conference with doctors of leading private hospitals today to assess the additional facilities that might be needed. Pregnant women expecting to deliver in the next two months and elderly people are now part of the extreme focus, she noted. Diamond Platnumz manager, Sallam Sharaf has become the second person to recover from Coronavirus in Tanzania. Recall it was reported that Sallam confirmed that he was infected with the virus in an Instagram post he shared. Sallam had tested positive for the virus on March 14 after his trip to Switzerland, Denmark and France. Read Also: [Photos]: Diamond Platnumz Expecting 4th Child With New Girlfriend Taking to his IG page on Tuesday, March 31, Sallam disclosed that he is out of isolation after testing negative twice for the novel Coronavirus. He wrote in his Instagram post; After 14 days got tested twice and both results came back negative and now am out of Isolation Centre. Thanks to Allah, Thanks to Doctors, Nurses and the government. South Korean author and illustrator Baek Heena has won the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's largest children's book award. "With exquisite feeling for materials, looks and gestures, Baek Heena's filmic picture books stage stories about solitude and solidarity," a jury of the award said in a statement released on its website Tuesday (Swedish time). "In her evocative miniature worlds, cloud bread and sorbet moons, animals, bath fairies and people converge. Her work is a doorway to the marvelous: sensuous, dizzying and sharp," it said. Baek is the first South Korean author to win the prize, established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honor the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who wrote "Pippi Longstocking" (1945). The annual winner is given prize money of US$500,000. This year, 240 writers from 67 countries competed for the award. Baek, one of the most renowned picture book artists in South Korea, has published 13 books so far, including the best-selling "Cloud Bread" (2004). The award-presenting ceremony of this year's Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was originally slated for June 1 in Stockholm, but it has been put off indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Yonhap) Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling crisis arising from the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in India. "These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the front-line of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society," Wipro said in a statement. Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises will donate Rs 25 crore and Azim Premji Foundation will make contribution of Rs 1,000 crore. The company said the contribution was in addition to the annual CSR activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation. The company said it'll take "integrated action" for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific areas to contain to the COVID-19 outbreak and treat the patients. The Azim Premji Foundation's 1,600-person team in collaboration with its over 350 strong civil society partners will lead the effort in coordinating with government institutions. "These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro," it added. The tech giant is among scores of big contributors including Tata Sons, Reliance Industry, Paytm, Adani, L&T, JSW Group, among others who have pledged to help in India's fight against the deadly virus. Tata Sons and Tata Trusts on March 28 announced Rs 1,500 crore support towards the PM CARES Fund. Reliance Industries on Monday donated Rs 500 crore to PM's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES) Fund. The company has also scaled up its capacities to produce one lakh masks and thousands of protective gear for health workers daily. The other companies that have also donated include PFC (Rs 200 crore), L&T (Rs 150 crore), Infosys Foundation (Rs 100 crore), Bharti Enterprises (Rs 100 crore), NMDC (Rs 150 crore) and JSPL (Rs 25 crore), among others. The PM-CARES Fund was established on March 28 to raise money to fight against COVID-19 and provide relief to the affected. Also read: Coronavirus live news updates: Gujarat reports 82 fresh COVID-19 cases; India's tally at 1,466 Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Narayana Murthy, family donate Rs 10 crore for relief work Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bandung Wed, April 1, 2020 18:22 649 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206efaf5e 1 National #COVID19,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,waste,#WasteManagement Free As medical workers treat more and more COVID-19 patients, concerns are growing over how to deal with the medical waste that is expected to pile up. The virus spreads from people to people through droplets from infected persons. It is unclear how long the virus from the droplets survives on surfaces, but various studies suggest it may persist up to 72 hours on hard shiny surfaces and up to 24 hours on porous surfaces depending on the temperature and humidity. According to data from the Health Ministry, 2,820 hospitals and 9,884 community health centers (Puskesmas) in Indonesia produce up to 290 tons of medical waste every day. There are 10 licensed medical waste processing plants in Indonesia with a total combined capacity of 170 tons of waste per day, meanwhile only 87 hospitals have incinerators to process waste on site, with a combined daily capacity of up to 60 tons. There is no data on how much medical waste is being produced as a result of COVID-19, but the Environment and Forestry Ministry predicted that medical waste would increase during the pandemic, particularly from the use of protective gear and other single-use medical equipment. Not to mention the medical waste from the 132 referral hospitals for COVID-19 patients and the increasing public use of face masks and gloves. This pandemic is still developing, the ministry's waste management director general Rosa Vivien Ratnawati said. Read also: Bappenas, UI modeling shows grim projection of COVID-19 spread in Indonesia In response, the ministry issued on March 24 a circular on infectious waste and household waste management during the pandemic, detailing mechanisms for central government and regional administrations to prevent COVID-19 waste buildup. It recommends methods to dispose of waste from health centers, waste from people under surveillance (ODP) under home care and regular household waste with disposable face masks and other protective gear. It says that "infectious waste" from health facilities must be collected from closed containers at least once every two days. The waste must later be destroyed using an incinerator or autoclave with a shredder function. The residue left after the processing must be labeled as hazardous waste (B3) to be later transported to a hazardous waste processing plant. Activists have warned that excessive use of incinerators might contribute to air pollution, but the ministry said it was the most efficient technology so far to process the potentially infectious medical waste. Therefore, the incinerators must also be equipped with air pollution control devices so the emissions produced are still in accordance with prevailing standards, Rosa said. The Environment and Forestry Ministry is assisting the Health Ministry in preparing hospitals for better disposal of COVID-19 medical waste. It has also urged people to take care of their own waste, especially single-use face masks, which should be disposed of properly by tearing or cutting them before throwing them into a closed container to prevent them from being reused. Read also: No licenses needed to import medical equipment, protective gear until June: Trade Ministry Jakarta, which has recorded the most cases of COVID-19 to date, has placed special bins for used masks in temporary disposal sites (TPS) across the city, in line with the environment ministry's recommendation. As for residents using disposable face masks, they should place the used masks in a separate container -- which would then be collected by sanitation workers and then processed or demolished by a third party hazardous waste processor, the Jakarta Environment Agencys hazardous waste division head, Rosa Ambarwati, said. In West Java, authorities have enlisted PT Jasa Medivest, a company specializing in medical waste disposal and a subsidiary of province-owned PT Jasa Sarana, to process medical waste produced across the province. West Java Health Agency head Berli Hamdani Gelung Sakti has also called on residents to properly dispose of face masks and gloves to prevent infection. Read also: Two hospital directors die of COVID-19 as Indonesian doctors call for transparency But activists are adamant that burning medical waste could harm the environment. Not all medical waste should be burned in incinerators, and it could increase dioxin and furan air pollutants that can cause cancer, Daru Setyorini of the Environmental Conservation Organization (ECOTON) said. The Health Ministry could increase use of autoclaves for medical waste like gloves, hazmat suits, IV [intravenous solution] bottles and face masks. Yuyun Ismawati of environmental health NGO the Bali Fokus/Nexus3 Foundation said misconceptions about methods of onsite waste processing at healthcare centers were rampant, with many people assuming that all medical waste must be burned immediately. The organization found that only 69 hospitals in 19 provinces had permits to process hazardous waste. Of the number, 23 hospitals are in East Java, followed by West Java, Central Java and Jakarta with five hospitals each. North Sumatra, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and South Sulawesi each have four, and the remaining provinces have one to three such hospitals each. Although they have the permits to process hazardous medical waste, not all of them have incinerators. The organization also found that most medical waste management companies were actually waste transporters. Waste processing facilities are still concentrated on Java. A lack of commitment from local administrations, poor oversight and a lack of funds contribute to this problem, Yuyun said. There is no evidence so far that direct, unprotected human contact during the handling of healthcare waste has resulted in the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its interim guidelines. The WHO guidelines recommend all medical waste produced during the care of COVID 19 patients be collected safely in designated containers and bags, to be later safely disposed of or treated, preferably onsite. It also recommends that people handling healthcare waste wear appropriate personal protective equipment such as a long-sleeved gown, thick gloves, a mask, goggles and an apron. By Agencies WASHINGTON: The total US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 4,000 early Wednesday, more than double the number from three days earlier, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 4,079 -- more than twice the 2,010 recorded late Saturday. More than 40 percent of recorded deaths nationally were in New York state, the Johns Hopkins data showed. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS UPDATES On Tuesday the United States exceeded the number of deaths in China, where the pandemic emerged in December before spreading worldwide. The number of confirmed US cases has reached 189,618, the most in the world, though Italy and Spain have recorded more fatalities. After initially downplaying the threat from new coronavirus in the early stages of the US outbreak, President Donald Trump warned of "a very, very painful two weeks" to come for the country on Tuesday. "This is going to be a very painful, a very, very painful two weeks," Trump told a press conference at the White House. Trump described the pandemic as "a plague." "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," he said. Trump called it a matter of life and death for Americans to heed his administrations guidelines and predicted the country would soon see a light at the end of the tunnel. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead, Trump said. This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country, Trump added. We're going to lose thousands of people. The jaw-dropping projections were laid out during a grim, two-hour White House briefing. Officials described a death toll that in a best-case scenario would likely be greater than the more than 53,000 American lives lost during World War I. And the model's high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed on the battlefield during World II. There's no magic bullet, Birx said. "There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors. Each of our behaviors, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic. Business collaboration signed with Panaxia Labs, Israel's largest cannabis manufacturer, to market and distribute medical cannabis products Collaboration to start in Germany, Europe's largest cannabis market, and expected to expand to additional countries DUSSELDORF, Germany and TEL AVIV, Israel, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuraxpharm, a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company, together with Panaxia Labs Israel, Israel's largest medical cannabis manufacturer, today announced it is starting to market medical cannabis products, becoming the first European pharmaceutical company to include medical cannabis products in its portfolio. Neuraxpharm, which specializes in pharmaceutical products for the central nervous system (CNS), chose Panaxia Labs Israel ("Panaxia Israel," TASE: PNAX), Israel's largest medical cannabis manufacturer, as its partner in a business collaboration for the manufacture, commercialization and distribution of advanced medical cannabis products in Germany, Europe's largest and fastest-growing medical cannabis market. The breakthrough agreement inked by the two companies positions them as dominant players in the international cannabis market. The agreement is expected to cover more markets in the future. To date, collaborations between large pharmaceutical and medical cannabis companies were limited to research and development partnerships or local-scale distribution. The establishment of the business collaboration reflects Neuraxpharm's and Panaxia's strategy to become a European leader in the commercialization of medical cannabis products. Currently, a complex patchwork and different regulatory approaches for cannabis use are found across the European countries. While the sector is still in its early stages, market possibilities are expected to increase strongly with the growing acceptance of medical cannabis in more countries. With its direct presence in now 12 European countries and annual revenues of around EUR 480 million, Neuraxpharm is a leading European CNS Specialist. Neuraxpharm covers over 80% of the European CNS drug market with its pharmaceutical products with more than 130 different CNS active ingredients. With over 60,000 patients treated with medical cannabis (out of a total population of 82.8 million), Germany is the largest cannabis market outside the USA. The average cannabis expenditure per patient in Germany is EUR 500 per month. The market is backed by regulatory support, concurrently with strict quality standards and increasing demand for advanced administration methods. With the consistent increase in the number of patients treated with medical cannabis, the market is expected to account for 1-2% of Germany's population in four years. Products are prepared and sold prescription only by specially certified pharmacies. Initial sales in Germany of the Panaxia / Neuraxpharm medical cannabis products are expected upon the receipt of the regulatory approval later in 2020. Under the business collaboration, Panaxia will be responsible for manufacturing the products according to EU-GMP standards, as well as for the development and production of advanced new products, including tablets, suppositories and inhaled products. Panaxia will also be responsible for registering the products for commercialization according to the German regulatory requirements. Neuraxpharm will be responsible for branding, market penetration and distribution of the products to all certified pharmacies in Germany. The business collaboration includes a mutual option to consider expanding the collaboration to other EU countries. Dr. Jorg-Thomas Dierks, CEO of Neuraxpharm, commented: "As a leading European pharmaceutical company specialized in CNS, we are delighted to announce this promising collaboration with Panaxia, a leader in medical cannabis products. As part of our commitment to find new solutions for unmet needs, we are truly excited to jointly pioneer in the fast growing medical cannabis sector and expand our portfolio of products in CNS. This follows our recent entry into the market for cannabidiol (CBD) products, and is a logical step that further strengthens our specialist position in Germany, and subsequently in other European countries." Dr. Dadi Segal, CEO of Panaxia Labs Israel, commented: "We are excited and proud to have an European leader of Neuraxpharm's caliber select Panaxia to move forward together into the medical cannabis market. Having Neuraxpharm distribute our products in Germany is not only an incredible achievement for Panaxia, but also strong momentum for the medical cannabis industry in general and for the Israeli medical cannabis industry in particular. For the first time, an international pharmaceutical player includes medical cannabis products in its portfolio, formally acknowledging the market need and the medical value of cannabis based products. As a company with global capabilities since its inception, Panaxia manufactures according to the strictest scientific standards. We are beginning to see the fruits and to realize our business potential in sales in Europe's largest market, and in additional EU countries at a later stage. We are confident this is a favorable signal of the strong interest the pharmaceutical world has in Panaxia's products." About Neuraxpharm - the European CNS specialist Neuraxpharm is a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders (CNS) with a direct presence in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Hungary and Portugal. Backed by funds advised by Apax Partners, Neuraxpharm has a unique understanding of the CNS market built over 35 years. With its focus on CNS, Neuraxpharm develops and commercializes value added medicines, standard generics and Consumer Healthcare products, e.g. probiotics and other nutraceuticals, and is continuously striving to offer a wide range of effective, high quality and affordable CNS treatment options in Europe. Present with its products in more than 50 countries, Neuraxpharm also manufactures pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients in its own manufacturing sites in Spain, Lesvi and Inke. To learn more about Neuraxpharm, please visit: https://www.neuraxpharm.com About Panaxia Israel Panaxia Labs Israel, Ltd. is a publically traded company at TASE (PNAX). It is the largest Israeli manufacturer and home-delivery distributor of medical cannabis products, and the first to have received the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Health for the manufacturing of medicinal cannabis based pharmaceuticals (under the IMC-GMP directive). The company manufactures over 30 hemp-based medicinal products and has accumulated a broad foundation of clinical experience based on tens of thousands of patients. Panaxia is part of the Segal Pharma Group, owned by the Segal family and founded over forty years ago. The company manufactures over 600 different pharmaceutical products that are distributed in over 40 countries worldwide. Panaxia Labs Israel is a subsidiary of Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries, co-founded by Dr. Dadi Segal, Dr. Eran Goldberg, and Assi Rotbart, Adv. as the cannabis division of the Segal Pharma Group. A sister subsidiary, Panaxia US, manufactures in North America over 60 hemp-based medicinal products, including sublingual tablets, lozenges, oils, and inhalators aimed for the treatment of conditions such as PTSD, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, anorexia, burns, and many other ailments. Panaxia Group has over 150 employees, and all clinical trials are conducted by in-house. The Segal Pharma Group additionally owns Luminera Derm, manufacturer of injectable dermal fillers, and Tree of Life Pharma, manufacturer of over-the-counter drugs. For more information, visit the Panaxia website at: https://panaxia.co.il/ Sudarsan Maharana By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: There are many ways to connect with the God. With religious institutions shut down as a temporary measure to prevent spread of coronavirus, churches in Odisha are now using internet and social media to facilitate weekly prayers at homes. Using the digital technology, churches are live-streaming and uploading video of prayers on their websites, internet and social media platforms for larger participation of worshippers without breaking the norms of social distancing. Sources said, some churches in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Jeypore and other parts of the State are using the pre-recorded and live video streaming facility for the purpose. We used to upload audio clips of sermons in our website for people who were not being able to attend Sunday prayers, or those who wanted to listen to it again. However, after the churches shut for lockdown, we decided to upload videos and received appreciation from everyone for the initiative, said Pastor of Church of Christ (Union Church) Ayub Chhinchani. Sandeep Kumar, a board member and web admin of the Church, said videos of Sunday prayers and other weekly events in the church are pre-recorded and uploaded to the website or YouTube using YouTube Premieres feature to schedule exact date and time for streaming of the videos. Other social media platforms and messaging apps are also used to share it, Kumar said. Some churches are also live streaming, uploading videos of recital of Bible passages and other spiritual activities, said AG Church pastor Chittaranjan Nayak. Using digital technology, he said, churches are reaching out to the community members to spread message on coronavirus guidelines like hand washing and social distancing. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Indias largest fast-moving consumer goods company, today announced that it has successfully completed the merger of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited (GSKCH) with HUL. This merger was announced on 3rd December 2018 and was subject to obtaining necessary approvals, which have now been secured. This is one of the largest deals in the FMCG sector in recent times and will lead to significant value creation for all stakeholders. In addition, the Board of Directors of HUL today approved HUL acquiring the Horlicks Brand for India from GSK for a consideration of Euro 375.6 mln (INR 3045 Cr), exercising the option available in the original agreement made between Unilever and GSK. This will enable HUL to utilize cash on its balance sheet and create value for shareholders. In addition, it will enable HUL to drive better salience in a local context. The other brands which were under the ownership of GSKCH like Boost, Maltova and Viva come to HULs brand portfolio by virtue of the merger. A unique opportunity to acquire the No 1 Health Food Drinks (HFD) portfolio in the largest HFD market globally The merger is in line with HULs strategy to build a sustainable and profitable Foods and Refreshment (F&R) business in India by leveraging the megatrend of health and wellness. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited is the undisputed leader in the HFD category, with iconic brands such as Horlicks and Boost, and a product portfolio supported by strong nutritional claims. Horlicks, with a volume share of close to 50%, was introduced to India in the 1930s and has been an everyday nutrition staple in households across generations. This merger will bolster HULs focus to build a profitable and sustainable Nutrition business in India. HUL will unlock significant synergies both from revenue and costs The nutrition and health drinks category remains under-penetrated in India and HUL is well positioned to further develop the market given the extent of its reach and capabilities. As shared earlier, HUL will be partnering with GSK (via a consignment selling arrangement) to distribute brands of the GSK Consumer Healthcare family in India. This partnership, with world class brands from GSK (like Eno, Crocin, Sensodyne etc.) and HULs distribution strength can unlock value for GSK and build further Hindustan Unilevers go-to-market capabilities. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever said, Brands such as Horlicks and Boost are iconic, and we are excited to have them in the Hindustan Unilever fold. The merger gives us a unique opportunity to live our purpose and serve India where Nutrition related challenges form the largest causes of disease Malnutrition and Micronutrient deficiency - and aligns well with the Governments ambitious Swasth Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan programs. I am delighted to welcome the 3500 strong Nutrition Team to the HUL family. Both organizations have common values coming from a lineage of respected parent companies and a shared heritage of building iconic trusted brands. In the current context, the focus of the company has been to ensure that all our people remain safe and we do our best to keep supply lines running for essential products. In these difficult times, we are joining hands with the Government in the fight against COVID 19 MADRID/BEIJING, April 1(Reuters) - With a dire shortage of protective face masks in Europe, even for health workers, a senior manager at a Spanish furniture store group was surprised to hear business partners and staff in China offering to send him masks. The starting point of the coronavirus pandemic, and for weeks its epicenter, China has seen new cases fall over the past weeks. The death toll from the respiratory disease is now higher in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain, causing a rush to find protective gear. "I worked in China for several years. When you're there, they give you things like tea, liquor or cookies. But up until now the suppliers did not send us gifts to Spain," said Ignacio Rey, the commercial director of Rey Corporacion. Rey is expecting to receive next week a parcel of 100 masks, which he plans to give to a local health center. His import manager has received masks from a supplier and staff in China have also asked if they could help. "They don't do it as a business, they don't charge, they are very concerned," Rey said. Business leaders in China and Europe say this was quickly becoming a popular trend, coming on the back of the so-called "mask diplomacy" which has seen the Chinese government send much-publicised gear to hard-hit European countries. Song Li, deputy general manager of Beijing Best Buy International Trade Co, which exports and imports porcelain and wine in Europe and Asia, said his company was sending masks to clients in Europe as a gesture to strengthen their relationship. "It's funny to think that there is no better present than masks now," he said. "It's very easy to buy masks in China now, so why not?" Clients in South Korea had sent his company 300 masks, but transport disruption meant they arrived late and he is now sending them on to clients in Austria and the Netherlands. Not everyone in Europe is accepting these gifts. "I've asked all my clients, some of whom I've been working with for over ten years, if they need masks," said Jerry Guo, sales director of Zhejiang-based Jiaxing Highenter Standard Parts Company, which exports fasteners to Europe. However, the clients declined his gift. "Perhaps the Westerners are not used to wearing masks," he said. (Reporting by Belen Carreno in Madrid and Sophie Yu and Yilei Sun in Beijing Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Janet Lawrence) LONDON - When Prime Minister Boris Johnson developed a cough and fever, he got a test for the new coronavirus. Most other Britons wont be offered one. Johnsons Conservative government was under fire Wednesday for failing to keep its promise to increase the amount of testing being done for COVID-19, even as the country saw its biggest day-to-day rise yet in deaths among people with the virus, to 2,352. The issue has become an incipient political crisis for Johnson, who has mild symptoms and is working from isolation in the prime ministers Downing Street apartment. Richard Horton, editor of medical journal The Lancet, said Britains handling of the COVID-19 crisis was the most serious science policy failure in a generation. In a tweet, he noted that Englands deputy chief medical officer said last week that there comes a point in a pandemic where that (testing) is not an appropriate intervention. Now (testing is) a priority, Horton said. Public message: utter confusion. Like some other countries, the U.K. has restricted testing to hospitalized patients, leaving people with milder symptoms unsure whether they have had the virus. Many scientists say wider testing -- especially of health care staff -- would allow medics who are off work with symptoms to return if they are negative, and would give a better picture of how the virus spreads. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick conceded Wednesday that we do need to go further and we need to do that faster. The U.K. initially performed about 5,000 tests a day, but the government promised to increase that number to 10,000 by the end of last week and to 25,000 by mid-April. The target has been elusive. On Wednesday, the government said 9,793 tests had been performed in the previous 24 hours, the highest daily total yet. Critics contrast the U.K. with Germany, which reacted quickly as reports of the new respiratory virus emerged from China at the end of last year. It began producing a test for COVID-19 in January, weeks before the U.K. Germany now has the capacity to do 500,000 tests a week. Jenrick said the U.K.s test tally should hit 15,000 a day within a couple of days and 25,000 a day in a couple of weeks. But progress has been agonizingly slow. The government says testing front-line health care workers is a priority however only 2,000 have been tested so far, from a National Health Service workforce of more than 1 million. Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, said authorities were setting up five drive-through testing centres for medical staff. The intention here is to get from thousands to hundreds of thousands in the coming weeks, she said at a news conference. British officials blame shortages of swabs to take samples and of chemicals known as reagents, which are needed to perform the tests, for the delay in ramping up testing. There is a massive demand for raw materials and commercial kits -- this is not unique to the U.K. -- and many places no longer have stock of essential reagents, said Stephen Baker, professor of molecular microbiology at the University of Cambridge. The United States has also struggled to boost its testing capacity. A test produced by the Centers for Disease Control suffered early reliability problems and there were delays in engaging the private sector to ramp up testing capacity. U.S. testing is now growing rapidly, but varies widely from state to state. Public health experts have estimated the U.S. should be testing between 100,000 and 150,000 patients daily to track and contain the virus. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Monday that the U.S. is testing nearly 100,000 samples per day and had now tested more than 1 million samples for the coronavirus. It wasnt clear if that figure represented actual patients or samples processed. British officials defend their record at developing and deploying a test for COVID-19. They also say that while too little testing is a weakness, so is too much, because testing vast numbers of healthy people would be wasteful. That point was echoed by World Health Organization emergencies chief Dr. Mike Ryan, who said a ratio of 10 negative tests to one positive was a general benchmark of a system thats doing enough testing to pick up all cases. In Britain, about 20% of tests have been positive, suggesting a substantial number of cases is being missed. Critics of the British government say the testing debacle is typical of its sluggish and complacent response to the pandemic. The U.K. was slower than many European countries to implement measures such as closing schools, bars and restaurants and telling people to stay home to impede transmission of the virus. A nationwide lock-down was imposed just over a week ago. After a decade of public spending cuts by Conservative governments, the National Health Service and other public health bodies have very little spare capacity. Jonathan Ashworth, health spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party, said health workers are rightly asking if weve left it too late to buy the kits and chemicals we need, or whether our lab capacity is too overstretched after years of tight budgets. NHS staff and carers on the front line who need these tests urgently deserve an immediate explanation from the government as to whats going on, he said. __ AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London and AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone in Washington contributed to this story. KALAMAZOO, MI Trolls temporarily derailed the Kalamazoo City Commissions first virtual meeting, shouting profanity and causing commissioners to limit public comment during a portion of the meeting. The Kalamazoo City Commission met virtually for a special meeting on Tuesday, March 31, adhering to guidelines to limit gatherings to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The commission opened the public comment portion of the meeting on the Zoom internet platform, receiving comments filled with profanity, causing Mayor David Anderson to pause the meeting to talk about how to handle the issue. Unlike when youre in the city commission chambers, you can be totally anonymous, Anderson said. He called the comments pretty profoundly inappropriate and unfriendly to say the least." Commissioners asked the person or persons giving the comments to stop. After more inappropriate comments, commissioners approved a measure to stop taking comments from the public on action items. However, the city allowed more comments at a general comment period toward the end of the meeting. The disruptions came before commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the city to conduct commission meetings by electronic means during a declared statewide or local state of emergency, and under the terms of an Executive Order suspending portions of the Open Meetings Act. Related: Michigan Gov. Whitmer suspends Open Meetings Act during coronavirus crisis to allow virtual meetings by government bodies During discussion, Anderson asked Attorney Clyde Robinson for his thoughts on how to handle the issues coming up with the virtual format. I dont have an answer quite frankly, Robinson said, about how to deal with racist and sexist comments given. Robinson outlined the issues between the Open Meetings Act, which requires the government to allow public participation, and the First Amendment. There is no room for hate speech, he said. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of going online is you get, I guess the word is trolls, people who will log onto a meeting to...not be serious in their comments, Robinson said. Commissioners talked about the possibility of discontinuing public comment at the meeting, but chose not to do that. Disruptive comments continued in the general comment period later in the meeting, along with some on-topic comments from local residents. As disruptions persisted, some containing profane and offensive language, discussion of the issue continued among commissioners. Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin and Commissioner Chris Praedel advocated for allowing the rest of the people already in line to comment, about 16 at the time, and ending the public comment period afterward. Ultimately, Anderson agreed to limit the comment period to the remaining 16 waiting, on advice from the city attorney. Commissioners talked about possible solutions for future meetings, such as taking comments in a different format, or a time-delay option to play recorded comments. I think theres a way to get through this, I just dont want us to get too discouraged, Commissioner Jack Urban said at the end of the meeting. A March 30 statement posted by the FBI warns of Zoom-bombing. As large numbers of people turn to video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to stay connected in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, reports of VTC hijacking (also called Zoom-bombing) are emerging nationwide. The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language, the FBI Boston Division said in the news release. Also on Tuesday, the Kalamazoo City Commission voted to allocated $2 million in Foundation for Excellence money to establish a fund to help support small businesses impacted by coronavirus. Read more: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discusses states coronavirus response needs with President Trump Michigan road construction will plow forward if deemed safe to proceed during coronavirus pandemic Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 04:03:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Tuesday welcomed international calls to unite the divided Central Bank of Libya. "The Head of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord welcomes the calls of international parties, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and the U.S. Embassy to Libya to unite the Central Bank of Libya, end the division, and convene the Bank's Board of Directors again to carry out its tasks that are defined by law," the UN-backed government said in a statement. "In this regard, the Head of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord repeated his calls and efforts to unite the Libyan sovereign institutions, mainly the Central Bank of Libya," the statement said. Libya is politically divided between eastern and western governments, including two central banks. Libya's economy, which mainly depends on oil revenues, has been suffering due to repeated closures of oil fields and ports by armed conflict and protests. According to the UN-backed government's National Oil Corporation (NOC), the country's daily oil production has dropped from more than 1.2 million barrels to less than 80,000 barrels, due to the closure of oil ports and fields by eastern tribal leaders in protest against the UN-backed government. Enditem (Natural News) For those of you who think that the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic isnt going to last much longer, you might want to step back from that and recalibrate. Lots of people who are specialists and experts in the field of epidemiology are coming forward with new models using continually updated information that predict Americas darkest days are still weeks ahead. And lets face it, if they are right, there is no way China where the virus originated only saw a little more than 2,100 deaths from this virulent virus. As reported by the UKs Daily Mail, a new predictive analysis of the spread and effect of the coronavirus epidemic in the U.S. from researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine indicates that on April 15, we are liable to see upwards of 2,300 deaths on that day alone: The analysis, which uses data from governments, hospitals and other sources, predicts that the number of deaths will then start decreasing slowly after April 15. Deaths per day will only drop to below 100 after June 9, according to the analysis. If the model proves correct, researchers say Americans could continue to die from the virus into July, though that would be at the latest. This new model comes as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., said during a Sunday news program that deaths could top out between 100,000 and 200,000. As of Tuesday, the U.S. had more than 185,000 people infected with the virus; more than 3,780 have died from the disease, according to WorldMeters. Some 6,400 have recovered. New York City has been the hardest-hit; nearly half of all cases in the U.S. are located in the Big Apple. In all, WorldMeters recorded as of Tuesday afternoon, there were 854,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 42,000 deaths, with about 177,000 recoveries. The site notes that of the 635,000 active cases, 95 percent of victims are presenting with mild cases. It would not have been a good idea to pull back But that could change. After all, were dealing with a virus, and viruses are known to change, adapt, morph in order to survive. (Related: Coronavirus deaths in the USA have surpassed 9/11, with over 2,000 deaths expected PER DAY by mid-April.) The Daily Mail also reported that the University of Washington analysis notes a lot of stress will be placed on U.S. hospitals as the number of in-patients increase dramatically in the coming days and weeks. The death peak is expected by mid-April, but the peak for hospitalizations could come later in various parts of the country. The analysis predicts that the number of US deaths could vary widely, ranging from as low as around 38,000 to as high as around 162,000, due in part to disparate rates of the spread of the virus in different regions, the paper said. Meanwhile, the analysis offers this ray of hope: If the country continues to practice social distancing, as President Trump and his health advisers have recommended, than the death toll would only reach about 82,000 over the coming four-month period. In anticipation of possible rising death tolls surpassing 100,000, President Trump this week extended his original 15-day guidelines to fight the spread of the virus until the end of April. It could be extended longer, though, according to White House officials, especially if the UW model is accurate. The original 15-day period expired Monday. Last week, the president said he had hoped to get the country reopened by Easter which is on April 12. But Fauci said after showing him the data, the president pulled back from that. It would not have been a good idea to pull back at a time when you really need to be pressing your foot on the pedal as opposed to on the brakes, he said Sunday. We showed him the data. He looked at the data. He got it right away, Fauci said. It was a pretty clear picture. Dr Debbie Birx and I went in to the Oval Office and leaned over the desk and said, Here are the data. Take a look. He just shook his head and said, I guess we got to do it. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk NaturalNews.com Former Energy Minister, Hon. Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko has urged Ghanaians to be courageous in the fight against the outbreak of COVID-19. In an audio broadcast from his Odumase Krobo residence, Hon. Boakye Agyarko recounted the impact of the Spanish Flu in 1918 that plagued the country killing over 100,000 out of a population of 2 million. He was optimistic that Ghana shall overcome the current affliction with courage as was exhibited 100 years ago. He called on the citizenry to support and rally behind His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as he leads the fight against the common enemy terrorizing the nation and countries all over the world. Hon. Boakye Agyarko advised Ghanaians to adhere to the laid-down protocols and most importantly reduce their movements by staying at home. He charged Ghanaians not to fear but be ready to fight head on. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The novelist Cesar Aira in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Ricardo Ceppi/Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images) Sui generis is really the only way to accurately describe Cesar Aira, the Argentine author who somehow manages to write a handful of novels every year. But not only is he unlike any other author; each book he publishes and there are more than 100 seems entirely unique. In Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, Aira fictionalizes the biography of real-life 19th century German documentary painter Johann Moritz Rugendas. In Dinner, he invites us to feast on a zombie apocalypse. Hes by turns a realist, a magical realist and a surrealist and therefore not really any of them. Anything can happen in an Aira novel, and almost everything does. His most recent book to be translated into English, Artforum, is about a man in Buenos Aires who loves the magazine Artforum. Ostensibly it is a collection of stories (or a novel? a diary?) wherein each narrative unit (story? chapter? journal entry?) directly or indirectly takes that hip and long-lived American art journal as its subject. But fixated as it is on Artforum, its really a book about artforms. In an attempt to connect Aira to an artistic lineage, Chilean author Roberto Bolano claimed that Airas novels seem to put the theories of Gombrowicz into practice. Witold Gombrowicz, the Polish writer who emigrated to Argentina just before the outbreak of World War II, was interested in the dance between form and formlessness, in obsessive but doomed quests for meaning, in ever more expansive webs of intricate (though perhaps imagined) connective tissue. Gombrowiczs novel Cosmos follows a man named Witold who finds a dead bird hanging by a string, a discovery that sets into motion a series of connections and consequences a minor cosmos. Like many of Gombrowiczs protagonists, the narrator of Artforum resembles his author, and he too is fixated on the cosmic connections, divine structures and numinous meanings that can erupt from ordinary objects and situations. The narrator gets tips from friends about where to find back issues of the magazine, fishes around in bookstores, signs up for a subscription after years of hemming and hawing, develops a new method for numbering the days while waiting for his sacred treasures to arrive by mail and even fantasizes about creating his own issues. Story continues Throughout the book the narrator waxes poetic on idiosyncratic ideas like form fatigue (the natural wearing away of forms) and the divine automatism of things. Both are embodied by an issue of Artforum that he claims sacrificed itself to save a stack of other magazines from the rain, like a magical and heroic soldier taking all the bullets in his body without letting a single one hit his companions. Even when his obsession wanes, a random image or sound might bring the magazine back to his mind. The less obvious the connection, the sharper the invocation: It could be a leaf falling from a tree, the blast of a car horn, some children playing ball in the plaza, the color of the sky at dawn. It came accompanied by a vague sense of futility, which was also futile. To him, the magazine is more than the sum of its parts or rather, the form is what gives the parts meaning. I realized that if I were offered the entire content of Artforum without Artforum, I wouldnt be interested, Aira writes. Over the decades of his obsession, there emerge connections and conjectures, ad hoc causalities and small allusive folklores an entire complex of representation Aira is interested in how we create our obsessions and how our obsessions create us. Its a reciprocal process for him and for the reader, who must also make webs of meaning out of the odd, ambiguous forms his stories take. Of the dozens of books Aira has published, few are longer than 100 pages. He has argued that the thicker a book is, the less literature it contains. This absurd claim betrays one of Airas greatest gifts, which he shares with the narrator of Artforum: his ability to find contentment in small things, in minimums, including minimums of meaning. With these intricate miniatures, Aira seems to have invented his own minor artform, an object as distinctive in size, shape and structure as those almost square issues of Artforum. His method, which he calls fuga hacia adelante (fleeing forward), involves never writing for more than an hour a day and rarely going back to revise those bursts of text. Whatever corner he has written himself into, he must improvise a way out of through propulsive improvisation. In Artforum, the narrator describes the same method writing for an hour and then waiting for the next day: My work as a writer was a constant repetition of times surrender to waiting. Airas fans, too, surrender to waiting waiting for the next book as the narrator waits for the next Artforum; they come frequently but never frequently enough. The new novel wont disappoint those fans, but for the uninitiated, is Artforum a good place to start? As with most random issues of a great magazine, its as good a place to start as any. It represents the oeuvre while subverting it in idiosyncratic particulars. It may not be Airas best, but to speak of bests is to miss the point of Aira. His novels are more meaningful when taken together, each a shard of the same symbolic object. Artforum is a minor work that creates a minor cosmos, and in so doing feels like the rest of Aira, and the best of art major. Artforum Cesar Aira New Directions: 80 pages, $13.95 Malone is a writer based in Southern California. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently had a working session with localities declaring an emergency because of drought and saline intrusion in Mekong Delta, including Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Kien Giang and Ca Mau. The chair of Ben Tre province Cao Van Trong said local authorities have applied many measures to ease freshwater shortage, such as opening concentrated water supply points, calling for support in freshwater storage equipment, and carrying water from other areas to provide to local businesses and people. The freshwater shortage remains serious However, the freshwater shortage remains serious. It is estimated that 20,000 households in the province have suffered from drought and saline intrusion. Regarding domestic water sources, all water plants have a salinity level of more than 5 grams per liter. The Ben Tre Peoples Committee has asked for the Prime Ministers permission to build a freshwater reservoir in the Long Xuyen Quadrilateral. It will help prevent tidal surges and saltwater intrusion, and provide water to the provinces in the eastern part of Mekong Delta. In order to facilitate freshwater storage for daily use of people in coastal areas, Trong has proposed that the government build a 1.5 million cubic meter reservoir to contain freshwater. In order to facilitate freshwater storage for daily use of people in coastal areas, Trong has proposed that the government build a 1.5 million cubic meter reservoir to contain freshwater. If the reservoir is built, the three coastal districts of Ben Tre will have enough freshwater in the dry season, he said. Meanwhile, Pham Vu Hong, chair of Kien Giang Peoples Committee, has asked the government for approval to build Cua Can freshwater reservoir in Phu Quoc district. We just need approval from the Prime Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Finance. We will work with the World Bank on the implementation of the project, Hong said. The province is also seeking permission to build freshwater containing reservoirs in coastal areas. We hope the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) considers building more reservoirs. We have to carry water from other areas to serve local demand, he said. Deputy chair of Ca Mau province Le Van Su said he agrees with the building of reservoirs at different scales. However, scientists' views about reservoir development vary. MARD reported that 95,600 households in the Mekong Delta are facing problems accessing clean water, including 24,400 in Soc Trang, 21,100 in Ca Mau, 20,000 in Ben Tre, 11,300 in Kien Giang, 8,600 in Tra Vinh, 7,900 in Long An and 3,300 in Bac Lieu. Le Ha Mekong Delta under pressure amid climate change It is now the dry season, but landslides and subsidence are occurring in most localities in Mekong Delta. The Gujarat Police has so far traced 72 persons to various districts who had last month attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin area in Delhi, which has emerged as a major source for the spread of coronavirus in many states, a top officer said on Wednesday. Notably, one of the 72 persons died a week ago of COVID-19 while remaining 71 have been quarantined, state Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha said. The deceased, a 70-year-old man, hailed from Bhavnagar. Among the 71 persons, 34 are from Ahmedabad, 19 from Bhavnagar, 12 from Mehsana, 4 from Botad and 2 from Navsari. "Efforts are still on to identify and trace other attendees. I urge them to voluntarily come forward and contact police so that they can be quarantined," Jha told reporters in Gndhingar, adding that situation could worsen if such people do not come forward. The Tabligh-e-Jamaat gathering held in Nizamuddin West area of the national capital has emerged as one of the coronavirus hotspots, prompting other states to launch a search for those who attended it and who were possibly exposed to the infection. Meanwhile, Jha said the exercise to identify the people whohad attended the event is conducted as per a list shared by the Centre. However, the list carries the names of all the persons who were present in the entire Nizamuddin area during that time. Earlier in the day, the state health department said that the list received from the Centre stated that around 1500 people from Gujarat had visited Nizamuddin area last month, and that most of them had not attended the markaz. Meanwhile, alarmed by the markaz incident, the Gujrat Police will now check all religious places in the state and lodge cases if four or more persons are found at one place, the top cop said. Chief Minster Vijay Rupani has also said that each and every person from the state who had gone to Delhi to attend the congregation will be traced and quarantined. He even warned of action against those who had attended the Nizamuddin event. "We will trace each and every one of them and put them under quarantine. We will also lodge complaints against them for breaking the lockdown rules. Such irresistible act, which could harm the entire society can never be tolerated," he said. Meanwhile, Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said that 43 people who had visited Nizamuddin area were traced on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and were sent to a central quarantine facility. "A detailed questioning of these 43 persons has revealed that only one out of them had actually attended the event inside the Markaz while others had gone to Nizamuddin area for some other work or they were on a business trip," said Surat Commissioner of Police RB Brahmbhatt. While 13 such persons, who were in Nizamuddin area, were traced and quarantined in Bhavnagar on Tuesday, four others were quarantined in Botad district, said Inspector General of Police, Ashok Yadav. Ten others were traced and quarantined in Valsad while 15 were quarantined in Navsari so far, said authorities. All of them were part of the 1500 people who had visited Nizamuddin area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Photo : Screenshot from: Pexels Official Website) According to researchers in the US, the coronavirus or COVID-19 can still be contagious even after the patient leaves the hospital. They added that it is possible for the virus to linger in the air in a patient's room even long after he or she has been discharged. Read Also: COVID-19 Paper-based Sewage Kits That Serves as an Early Warning Device For Communities Are Now Being Used: Based on Study The virus still lingers in the patient's room even after being discharged According to scientists, as told by Daily Mail, the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes the COVID-19 disease can linger in the air and remains highly contagious for a long time. They have also discovered that traces of the virus were also lingering in hospital corridors just outside the patient's room where hospital staff and visitors are known to pass by frequently. Researchers behind this particular study at The University of Nebraska have said that their findings and data highlight the seriousness and priority of having adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and other protective items such as gloves, masks, and goggles for healthcare workers. This statement follows a handful of research and studies that have suggested the SARS-CoV-2 virus can spread in more ways than just via sneezing, coughing, and droplets. Scientists and medical experts worldwide have been trying to understand further how the new virus sheds and spreads. As of March 31, the global epidemic virus has resulted in 785,282 infections and 38,000 deaths worldwide. Anyone can contract the virus without even having close personal contact with a patient Though it has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists or even published in a scientific journal, another study has come to light wherein samples were taken from at least 11 patient rooms after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Results of this study have shown that the researchers have found airborne viral particles both inside the patient's room and outside in the hallway. These findings have suggested that other people may still be able to acquire and develop the virus without even setting foot inside the room or in direct close proximity to an infected person. The authors of this study have said that this underscores the importance of wearing PPEs. National Health Service (NHS) workers in the UK cannot seem to get their hands on any kind of PPE and have resulted in making DIY versions of these due to shortages in their country. James Lawler, lead author of the study and an infectious diseases expert at Nebraska University said in a statement that "Our team was already taking airborne precautions with the initial patients we cared for. This report reinforces our suspicions. It's why we have maintained COVID-19 patients in rooms equipped with negative airflow and will continue to make efforts to do so - even with an increase in the number of patients" Aside from finding the virus in rooms and hallways, researchers also found traces of these on items that were commonly used by patients such as toilets--which adds to the theory that the virus can also spread on surfaces. NHS medics or any kind of healthcare and medical professionals must always put on a full protective gear when coming within three feet of a COVID-19 patient. Doctors and hospital staff have expressed their concerns about the lack of PPEs and other equipment at NHS hospitals which are needed to fight the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. Read Also: The Amount of COVID-19 You Are Infected With Can Dictate If You WIll Suffer From Mild or Severe Symptoms. Here's How. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Police will be able to use force on children if they flout the coronavirus lockdown. Guidance from the College of Policing says 'reasonable force' can be used if a youngster is believed to be 'outside of their premises without reasonable excuse'. Officers also have the power to fine parents 60 for failing to stop a child from going out. The guidance spells out that officers can remove a youngster from the streets and anyone with them if they refuse to go home. The briefing drawn up by the National Police Chiefs' Council urges officers to make sensible decisions and use enforcement as a last resort. It also says checks on every vehicle are 'disproportionate' and the public should not be punished for travelling a reasonable distance to exercise. Police patrol the streets near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus Forces including North Yorkshire and Devon and Cornwall have put road blocks into place or deployed high visibility patrols to quiz motorists about their plans. Derbyshire Police also faced a backlash after using drones to film walkers who had driven to the Peak District. The guidance states: 'Use your judgment and common sense - the police will apply the law in a system that is flexible, discretionary and pragmatic. 'If you believe anyone is outside of their premises without reasonable excuse, including a child, you can use reasonable force in the exercise of the power.' Police community support officers patrolling Brighton seafront talk to a skateboarder Police community support officers patrolling Brighton seafront talk to a member of the public The guidelines advise officers to maintain a distance of at least 6ft from members of the public. Bill Skelly, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, said officers had to stop some motorists: 'Caravans heading down the M5 - they are clearly not travelling for essential reasons.' Yesterday the chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Katy Bourne, urged forces not to be 'overzealous'. She said: 'In order for these measures to be truly effective, the police will need to maintain public confidence.' A nutritionist who is weeks away from welcoming her first child has been reduced to tears after learning her family may not meet her baby until eight weeks after the birth under sweeping restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus. Ellie Bullen, 26, a cookbook author with 718,000 Instagram followers from the Gold Coast, Queensland, entered her 26th week of pregnancy as Australia recorded 4,862 COVID-19 infections and 21 deaths on Wednesday evening. Like other expectant mothers, Ms Bullen is facing a raft of unexpected challenges created by the pandemic, including the cancellation of birthing classes and a ban on hospital visitors during and after delivery. She said she 'cried into a towel' after reading information which said she could be sent home from hospital without face-to-face instruction on breastfeeding and may not be allowed to have visitors for the first eight weeks of her baby's life. Scroll down for video Queensland nutritionist Ellie Bullen is almost 26 weeks pregnant with her first child. She is facing 'heartbreaking challenges' created by the coronavirus pandemic (Ms Bullen is pictured at her Gold Coast home on Saturday, March 28) Like other expectant mothers, Ms Bullen must accept unexpected disruptions including the cancellation of birthing classes and a ban on hospital visitors during and after delivery Ms Bullen opened up about the 'turbulent time' she is facing on Instagram on Saturday, telling followers she has experienced a 'rollercoaster' of emotions over the past week which have left her feeling concerned and confused. 'I wanna be totally real with you guys about how I've been feeling. I lay out in the sun today and cried into a towel. It felt good to let it out, it's perfectly ok to feel upset some days,' she wrote in the caption of a selfie which shows her growing belly. Ms Bullen listed the 'heartbreaking challenges' she is suddenly facing due to coronavirus, including domestic and international border closures which could prevent her parents and sister from being with her after she gives birth. 'Border closures in Australia and between states [means] I might not even have my sister come in from overseas, or parents visit from interstate,' she said. 'I know that it's changing every day and this may not be the case for us come July, but if we don't flatten the curve now it may be even worse, who knows, it's confusing.' Can I pass COVID-19 to my baby through breastfeeding? Dr Adrian Kwok, a leading gynaecologist who is the head of obstetrics at the Mater Private Hospital in North Sydney, NSW, told Daily Mail Australia there is no 'one size fits all' answer to the issue of breastfeeding during coronavirus. 'We are not discouraging breastfeeding. The research shows SARS-Cov-2 [COVID-19] cannot be passed through breastfeeding, but it does increase the risk of transmission simply because of the close and intimate nature of the act,' he said. 'There is no blanket answer. We are treating each patient on a case by case basis.' Dr Kwok said Ms Bullen and other expectant mothers should consult with their doctors to determine which feeding plan is best for them. Research has shown that COVID-19 is not passed from mother to baby in utero [in the womb], unlike other viruses like Zika and German Measles. Dr Kwok said pregnant women are no more likely to contract the virus than women who are not. He said COVID-19 has not been linked to any known miscarriages. Source: Dr Adrian Kwok, Head of Obstetrics at Sydney Mater Private Hospital Advertisement Is it safe for me to give birth in hospital? Birthing centres and hospitals across Australia are taking extra precautions to help protect the health and safety of their patients. Many hospitals are reducing the amount of visitors and some might consider letting you go home earlier after giving birth, provided you and your baby are doing well. Source: Pregnancy Birth and Baby Advertisement Ms Bullen praised expectant mothers who are experiencing the same challenges and fears during these extraordinary times, and ended on a positive note by encouraging people to share what most excites them about becoming parents. 'I am so grateful for the smiles and happiness I feel each time I feel a kick, each time Alex gets to feel a kick, or when I see my belly popping out of my clothes in the mirror,' she said. She said she is most excited to cuddle the 'mini-human' that she and her husband created together. Ms Bullen and her husband are due to welcome their baby in July 2020. Ms Bullen (pictured with husband Alex in their pregnancy announcement for Instagram on January 24) said she is grateful for the 'smiles and happiness' every time she feels a kick from her unborn child I'm pregnant, should I be worried about COVID-19? Only a small number of pregnant women have had COVID-19, but based on the current findings, it appears that pregnant women are at no greater risk than anyone else of catching the virus. Pregnant women should take extra precautions in terms of practicing good hygiene and social distancing to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. Having regular check-ups during your pregnancy is important to monitor the health of you and your baby. However, it is understandable that during this time you might be concerned about going to your GP or hospital. It's important to consult with your obstetrician before making changes to your appointments. Your doctor may recommend less frequent visits if you and your baby are healthy, or they might be able to offer video consultations for some of your appointments. Birthing centres and hospitals across Australia are taking extra precautions to help protect the health and safety of their patients. Many hospitals are reducing the amount of visitors and some might consider letting you go home earlier after giving birth, providing you and your baby are doing well. Source: Health Direct Advertisement The coronavirus-related anxiety and panic Ms Bullen described is shared by many expectant mothers across Australia. Gemma-Marie Corti, 27, from South Australia is 22 weeks pregnant with her first child. She told Daily Mail Australia she has become increasingly concerned about the situation since the government announced new rafts of social distancing measures. 'My attitude has completely changed over the last two days it's hard not to feel stressed in general but I became really alarmed all of a sudden,' she said. 'I keep thinking [my baby] is going to be born in the thick of all of this as she's due in August, and the first three months of a baby's life is when they're the most vulnerable'. Ms Corti said she has been experiencing anxiety and described the current state of the world as 'dark' and 'eerie'. 'I have quite a noticeable bump and now when I go to the supermarket people stare at me - some even ask if I should be outside at all,' she said. Sophie-Morgan Gleeson (pictured) from Wollongong, New South Wales who is currently 36 weeks pregnant is also experiencing the same anxiety and stress Sophie-Morgan Gleeson from Wollongong, who is currently 37 weeks pregnant, is also feeling stressed about her pregnancy. 'I am quite anxious due to what's happening in the world at the moment. I feel like a lot of things are left in the dark. This is my first pregnancy and I've always had severe anxiety so the unknown really doesn't make me feel any better,' Sophie told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's concerning bringing a little baby into this crazy unpredictable world... everything is truly up in the air'. Deputies found three children alone inside a home with their dead 37-year-old mother Tuesday in northeast Harris County. The discovery happened moments after a man turned himself into the Baytown Police Department claiming he had outstanding warrants, later divulging that his wife was dead inside their home in the 13100 block of Ashley Meadow Lane, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The 37-year-old man, whose identity was not immediately released, did not give any other details, Gonzalez said. 'ISOLATION COMPOUNDS VIOLENCE': Abuse victims more at risk during coronavirus quarantines Deputies with the Harris County Precinct 3 Constables Office went to the home to check on the woman and were greeted at the door by three children, ages 4, 7 and 11. One of the children led deputies to a bedroom inside the home where the woman was dead with traumatic injuries, Gonzalez said. It is unclear whether the children knew their mother had died before deputies arrived. The home, decorated for Easter, was built in 2019 and is situated in a brand-new development, records show. Detectives said the man is being questioned but was not in custody as of late Monday morning. They are awaiting an autopsy to determine how the woman died. Gonzalez said detectives are still trying to piece everything together and did not say whether they thought the man was the suspected killer. MORE FROM JAY R. JORDAN: Houston father threatens son with gun for taking too long in shower Were not going to speculate, Gonzalez said. Obviously, everybody will be interviewed. The fact (is) that he resides here and obviously everyone will be looked at. There are strong indications it was a traumatic death that he could have had some involvement. Gonzalez said the womans death could be related to domestic violence, an issue which the sheriff has said could increase as more and more people are forced to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Montgomery County, prosecutors announced theyve seen a 35 percent uptick in domestic violence-related incidents since the onset of the pandemic when compared to cases filed in the same time frame in 2019. Gonzalez said hes seen similar increases in Harris County and fears things could get worse as the shelter order continues. The children were left with family members, Gonzalez said. Its going to be traumatic on anyone, if not immediately, then later on especially those who are a little bit older, like the 7- and 11-year-old, Gonzalez said. Our hope is they eventually recover from all this and have the proper love and support from others. Anyone with information is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com A 13-year-old girl is being sexually exploited by a criminal gang and "pimped out" for prostitution, the High Court heard. The girl is now to be detained and held in a special care unit following an application to the court by the Child and Family Agency (CFA). She was described in court as a child who loved to play and "cradle and cuddle her teddy bears." Today, Mr Justice Senan Allen granted the CFA an order permitting gardai detain her and bring her to the unit where she will receive therapeutic care for the duration of the order which initially lasts eight days. The girl came to Ireland with her parents in 2018. She came to the attention of social services because of the parents' alcohol abuse and the father's aggressive behaviour towards his daughter. She was put in foster care last year and has been in a series of residential places which have broken down, her social worker said in an affidavit. David Leahy BL, instructed by Conor Fottrell of Mason Hayes and Curran solicitors, for the CFA, told the court since February she has gone missing 20 times from a care home she had been placed in. The parents became homeless and the family, including the daughter, spent nights sleeping rough before the parents got accommodation in a homeless shelter where again problems arose because of their drinking. Last February, her parents expressed concern to the social worker that she was being exploited by a criminal gang and was having sex with members of it. She had acquired expensive new mobile phones and money, counsel said. It had not been possible to keep her safe in the various placements, the social worker said. It was reported that she was one of a number of girls who were "being pimped out by one" man at a certain location, counsel said. The girl herself had denied engaging in sexual activity but said she had been offered money for sex, counsel said. But in the last two weeks, she had sought a pregnancy test which proved negative, he said. She dresses in tight age inappropriate clothes at times, and while she also wears normal clothes for a child of her age, she has being going on trips to Belfast on a weekly basis for the whole day. Her foster carer has observed video footage on her phone of a sexual nature, counsel said. She also goes off with groups of up to 20 people and admits to have been "driven all over Ireland," he said. The gang she is involved in has some 200 members from age 12 to adulthood and she is the leader of a sub-group within the gang which has led to resentment among older members because of her age, counsel said. She says she smokes and drinks but has never been observed intoxicated. She was found in possession of a marijuana grinder she said she was keeping for someone else. A toxicology test found only traces of paracetamol on her. She has been involved in shoplifting and she may be being used to carry drugs in her hair due to the fact that gardai would be unlikely to stop her because of her age, counsel said. She is not engaging in school and found the transition from primary to secondary difficult. Mr Justice Allen said while this was an ex-parte (one side only represented) application, it had the support of the girl's parents who would be provided with legal representation by the CFA for the duration of any care order. He also appointed a separate guardian ad litem to represent the girl. Her behaviour had given rise to an apprehension of an immediate risk of harm and gardai and her social worker believe she was being exploited for the purpose of prostitution, he said. She had given accounts of her movements which seemed to justify those concerns. He made an order committing her to the care of the CFA for eight days in a special unit. He adjourned the case to tomorrow. Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal on Wednesday along with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reviewed the situation in the national capital amid lockdown. Taking to Twitter, the Governor stated that during a video conference with officials, he directed the district disaster management to take all the preventive measures. Along with it, he further stated that all the district DCs and DPs have been directed to keep a watch around the areas to prevent the violation of the lockdown. Had the daily video conference meeting with Chief Minister, Delhi @ArvindKejriwal, CS Delhi, CP & other officers. Reviewed medical preparedness, procurement of medical essentials, discharge guidelines, non-hospital isolation/quarantines, measures to enforce lockdown, etc. pic.twitter.com/zE6hxLScz0 LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) April 1, 2020 Also advised to use fire brigade for disinfecting vulnerable neighbourhoods, especially the hot spot areas, quarantine centres, public places, etc. Directed district disaster management authorities to take concerted preventive actions. LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) April 1, 2020 Read: Bhuvneshwar Kumar deeply thankful to COVID heroes; strongly advocates PM-CARES donations District authorities to continue effective measures for enforcing lockdown, social distancing & Home quarantine. District DCs/DCPs to keep watch over areas to prevent any violation of lock down or social distancing measures. #IndiaFightsCorona LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) April 1, 2020 India under lockdown Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight of March 25 to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. The 21-day curfew is applicable to all states, districts, and villages - irrespective of whether they were earlier under curfew or not. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Read: Nizamuddin scare: Delhi authorities sanitize Markaz & surrounding areas as numbers grow As of date, India has reported over 1,300 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases in the country. Meanwhile, around 35 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Read: Migrant workers need social protection to overcome trauma in lockdown: Health Ministry Read: Bernie Sanders, other US lawmakers write to Trump to lift Iran sanctions amid COVID-19 ORANGE - The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Route 2 in Orange will be closed in both directions Thursday night into Friday morning to allow for sign installations. The roadway will be closed between exits 14 and 15 from 11 p.m. Thursday through around 4 a.m. on Friday. Workers are scheduled to install overhead signs and need the roadway to be closed for the work. Traffic will be detoured onto Route 122 and West Road during the shutdown. The NYC COVID-19 Engagement Portal was launched, Friday. This portal aims to provide New York residents with information and updates if they or someone they know has contracted coronavirus, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Other information that the portal provides includes symptoms experienced and persons who came in contact with someone who tested positive and is in quarantine. Unlike other apps, this app is less of a way to connect to other people but more an attempt to let the city officials communicate directly with affected people and establish a broader picture of the coronavirus' spread in the city, the city information office said. The City's Chief Information Officer, Jessica Tisch stated on an email that to combat the coronavirus pandemic, not only medical equipment and testing is needed, but data in real-time is also essential. "This portal will empower New Yorkers to build an unprecedented data set that will reveal the spread of this virus throughout New York City, and enable City agencies to swiftly and effectively respond to the outbreak and communicate with affected members of the public", Tisch said in a statement. The portal is designed for users who have experienced symptoms of COVD-19, tested positive for the virus, came in contact with somebody who may have had it, or who are currently in quarantine. Users will select which group they belong, then enter personal information like name, age, home address, and ZIP code, how many people they live with, and their contact information. The city assured its users that the personal information given would only be shared with city employees who "need to access your information" to protect public health and provide necessary city services to residents with COVID-19. Employees allowed to access the information are those offices that are limited to the ones "protecting public health" like Office of Emergency Management or the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The city information office assured the users that the personal information given will be secured and will only be used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The data will not be accessible by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or used for law enforcement purposes. After entering the personal information, users are given a reference number for their case, allowing them to return to the portal to update their status or other information such as changes in their symptoms, or another person in the house testing positive, among others. The spokesperson for the city said that the data collected in the portal would allow the city to do regular, targeted communications to groups of people affected by the virus. If data suggests that a specific neighborhood is affected by the virus, the city will push for an increased information campaign in that area. Data from these portals will not replace data from the health department on confirmed cases, but it would help track situations in which people are experiencing symptoms but have not gone to the hospital for testing. There are no data yet on how many New Yorkers have used the portal as of this writing. The site is available in 11 languages, and New Yorkers who do not have internet access can call 311 to provide information. Nothing, not even the closure of all wedding halls in the Gaza Strip would deprive Mohammad al-Qan of the large wedding he wanted to offer his bride, Basma. Brushing aside an Interior Ministry warning on March 21 that all gatherings in mosques, bazaars and wedding halls are banned until further notice, Qan simply went on with his plans to have a large wedding at home. Qan told Al-Monitor that the Interrior Ministry's decision to close down wedding halls and hotel meeting rooms came on the eve of his wedding, to which the couple had invited 150 people. My wife-to-be and I were very upset because we had been preparing for this day for months. We wanted it to be the most beautiful day of our life, he said. They first decided to wait for a few days, hoping the reopening would come after a week or so. Realizing it would not, they simply decided to hold the party at the grooms family home on March 28. In Gaza, many weddings take place in spring, and particularly this year many couples reserved halls and hotels so they can get married before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which most Muslims fast until sunset. Qan explained that he set up a mini-hall in his house, with chairs carefully placed apart, music and catering in place. Despite the strict demands of the health authorities not to attend crowded gatherings, most of the invitees attended the wedding. I was delighted to see so many people share our joy, Qan said, adding that the number had been around 150. He admitted that some of the invitees turned down the invitation, saying they were observing social distancing, but this did not stop him from proceeding with his plan. The house was disinfected, the wedding only lasted for an hour and a half, and guests received hand sanitizers and masks upon their arrival. It was safe for them and not too expensive for me, he insisted. Qan was far from being the only one who brushed aside the rules against huge gatherings. Many Gazans chose to turn a blind eye to the danger they might be putting themselves into and insisted on organizing weddings, despite warnings by the Health Ministry. Mohammed al-Halabi, another groom, told Al-Monitor that his wedding party was supposed to take place on March 29 but after the Interior Ministrys decision, he decided to hold it on March 27 at the house of the brides parents, which had enough space for such an occasion, he claimed. Again, some people turned down the invitation but nearly a hundred attended, albeit with masks. Sabah Arafat, a teacher at a public school in Gaza City, told Al-Monitor that she refuses invitations to weddings whether they are at a house or outside. No one knows where the virus could come from and how it might be transmitted. I apologized for not attending my nieces wedding party at her house because this beats the point of social distancing, she said. I had decided not to go to weddings, but then, I got so many invitations, said Diaa al-Agha, owner of a photography studio that takes marriage photos. He told Al-Monitor that he finally decided to accept work at the weddings, though he is taking precautions. I am only photographing grooms in the studio room and all preventive measures and precautions are being taken, he said. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, denounced house weddings. The decision to close wedding halls, mosques and large public markets is aimed at preventing gatherings and crowds, so moving parties to other places totally beat the point, he told Al-Monitor. Weddings are of course joyful celebrations but it cannot be at the risk of jeopardizing human life. The citizens need to act cautiously and be the safety valve of the community as we fight the virus. He also brushed aside the justifications the wedding hosts give, such as that the invitees are not at risk. No one can be certain in this regard. There may be people carrying the virus without showing any symptoms, he said. One cannot know whether or not a person is infected. And gatherings lead the virus to spread faster. Spokesman for the Gaza police Ayman al-Batniji told Al-Monitor that the health and security authorities suspended gatherings and concerts at hotels in Gaza following the detection of the first two cases in the Gaza Strip. He stressed that people violating the decision will be fined or imprisoned, depending on the decision of the Public Prosecutors Office. The police force is deployed throughout the Gaza Strip to ensure that the closures and social distancing is respected, he said. Asked about house parties, Batniji stressed that if only a small number of people is gathered at a house party it is OK. A large house party gets reported either by the neighbors or the patrolling police, he added. The regulations, however, do not clarify what a small number is and many Gazans believe that 100 wedding guests is actually a small wedding. He said that, in the open air, if a large number of people get together and play some music in the street via their cars stereo and observe social distancing, this would not constitute any violation. Batniji noted that the decision only bans gatherings involving hundreds of people, and ruled out that more stringent measures would be taken, claiming that Gaza is no longer in danger as the virus cluster is now under control. If the situation worsens, there will definitely be strict and preventive measures, and we may have to impose a curfew, he added. Qudra maintained that hygiene and social distancing are the main measures to fight the disease. Citizens, he concluded, should take this seriously so that the Gaza Strip does not turn into another epicenter of the virus. Medical staff go into the quarantine area at Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh Province on the Cambodian border, March 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa. Vietnam has closed borders with its south-western neighbors Laos and Cambodia starting Wednesday in its continued bid to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The country decided to suspend cross-border activities at main border gates, secondary border gates, trails and entry points at its border areas with Cambodia and Laos, the Foreign Ministry said in a release Tuesday. The measure aims to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus and ensure maximum effectiveness of Vietnam's anti-epidemic measures in the context that the country has recorded 212 infections, with many of them returning from Europe, U.S. and Cambodia or going through other pandemic-stricken areas. The decision has been conveyed to the Cambodian and Lao embassies. "Vietnam hopes to receive the cooperation of the governments of Laos and Cambodia and will continue to work closely with countries in the region and around the world to establish control early and stamp out the dangerous pandemic," the release said. Cambodia reported 107 Covid-19 infections and Laos nine. From March 20, Cambodia temporarily halted entry for Vietnamese citizens while Laos suspended entry for individuals at all international border gates across the country from March 30 to April 19. On March 26, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had said that Vietnam will provide Laos and Cambodia with medical equipment worth $100,000 each to aid their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He also said Vietnam was also willing to send medical experts to both countries if needed. Vietnam had earlier stopped issuing visas for those coming from outbreak areas in China and closed the borders to prevent the spread of the virus. The Covid-19 pandemic first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December before spreading around the world. In a tougher move, Vietnam also launched a nationwide social distancing campaign starting Wednesday, not allowing gatherings of more than two people and asking people not to leave their homes except for emergencies and procuring essential items like medicines. The Covid-19 pandemic has so far killed more than 37,800 people worldwide. They also are called to help noncritical patients when theyre feeling anxious, scared or simply want a prayer or a moment of peace. Chaplains come from various faiths and are trained to serve all religions, along with those who dont identify with any. The Loyola Medicine chaplains not only complete their certification training, but also train to be in a clinical setting and have at least a masters degree. Cousins Properties Incorporated CUZ recently announced that it has completed the sale of two of its assets in Uptown Charlotte, the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina. Particularly, the company completed the sale of Hearst Tower, an office tower in Uptown Charlotte to Truist Financial Corporation, for a gross price of about $455.5 million. The property comprises 966,000-square-foot of space. The deal was announced on Dec 11, 2019 with no changes in the terms of transactions since then. Moreover, Cousins Properties sold off its interest in another office property in Uptown Charlotte, Gateway Village, to its joint venture partner for about $52.2 million. The proceeds from the sale of its stake in this property, spanning an area of about one million square foot, resulted in 17% internal rate of return for Cousins Properties on its invested capital. The terms of the transaction remained unchanged from when it was earlier announced in early February this year. With the conclusion of these two transactions and the one in Woodcrest, NJ, the company garnered proceeds of about $533 million in the first quarter of 2020. Moreover, the company informed about its liquidity position stating it has more than $1.1 billion of available liquidity comprising of $1 billion of undrawn credit facility and about $115 million in cash. Per management, the company continues to bank in this high-growth core Sun Belt city of Charlotte, with ownership of premium office assets which is expected to be value accretive for its shareholders. The companys enhanced focus in the Sun Belt region is driven by the fact that the region has been experiencing a favourable migration trend lately with high demand for office space and a pro-business environment. Cousins Properties already has significant presence in the best urban sub-markets in each city. It is further bolstering its portfolio with trophy asset acquisitions and opportunistic developments in high-barrier-to-entry sub-markets in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix and Tampa. These efforts bode well for long-term growth. Story continues Over the past year, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have declined 24.1%, as against its industry's decline of 15.9%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Stocks to Consider Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. PDM, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company, has seen its Zacks Consensus Estimate for the ongoing-year FFO per share revised 3.2% upward over the past two months. Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. PLYM holds a Zacks Rank of 2, currently. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year FFO per share moved marginally north to $2.08 over the past month. Gladstone Land Corporation LAND a Zacks Rank #2 company, has seen its Zacks Consensus Estimate for the ongoing-year FFO per share revised marginally upward to 62 cents over the past month. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? 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The National Guard arrived Wednesday at the ONeill Center on the universitys Westside campus to begin to transform the building into a medical space ready to be used if area hospitals see a surge in patients. Set-up is expected to take three days. (Its) better off setting it up now and having it prepared and at the ready, said Matthew Cassavechia, director of emergency medical services at Danbury Hospital. We want to get ahead on this. A similar 250-bed space is being created at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, while Danbury Hospital installed a 25-bed facility outside its building last week. Danbury Hospital, which is part of the seven-hospital network Nuvance, has said it is not at capacity, yet. But the number of coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations has been rising daily, with 3,557 cases and 85 deaths statewide, according to the state Department of Health. Fairfield County has the highest number of hospitalizations, with 359 of the 766 statewide hospitalizations. Danbury has the third-highest number of cases in the state with 227, behind Norwalks 315 and Stamfords 437. The area is expecting a surge in cases in the last couple weeks of April, Mayor Mark Boughton said. Hospitals would not have enough beds in addtion to caring for non-coronavirus patients. Youre going to need more bed space, he said. It only makes sense. Meanwhile, two refrigerated trailers are being housed in a hanger at Danbury Municipal Airport in case the hospitals morgue fills up, Boughton said. This is not due to an increase in deaths because of the virus, he said. Processes for funeral homes have slowed in light of the outbreak, meaning bodies have had longer stays in the morgue, Boughton said. The morgue has space for 12 bodies, while 48 bodies could be stored in the trailers, he said. We dont necessarily think well be using them anytime soon, Boughton said. I cant tell you that COVID-19 patients will never be in those trailers. Ideal surge facility The plan is to use the ONeill Center for those who are recovering from coronavirus, Cassavechia said. This would open up beds inside the hospital, he said. This may be an ideal surge facility for COVID patients that may have a different level of acuity, where they dont necessarily belong in the hospital, where they require some level of care or monitoring before they go home, he said. The facility, set up in coordination with local, state and military officials, would be open to patients from hospitals other than Danbury, Cassavechia said. Were looking at the bigger picture, he said. Its a much wider scope. Medical equipment had yet to arrive by noon Wednesday, but officials said they expected to receive two to three truckloads of basic supplies, such as oxygen tanks and intravenous apparatus, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Fifteen to 18 nursing stations are being eyed, said Luigi Marcone, chief facilities officer and associate vice president for campus planning for the university. Its still very fluid, very dynamic, he said. Theyre dealing with equipment that has been in storage for some time, and theyre trying to adapt the floor plan to the equipment. The university spent three days getting the building ready, with contractors removing everything that was not nailed down, Marcone said. The building has heat, air conditioning and laundry machines. This is an ideal facility because they have everything they need, Marcone said. They just need to bring in the people to manage it. The number of staff needed in the building is still being worked out, Cassavechia said. The center is the go-to spot for high schools to hold their graduations, but it is unknown whether this will be possible this year, said Paul Steinmetz, spokesman for Western Connecticut State University. There could be a period where the hospital moves out and we could make it ready for graduations, he said. Were still waiting on that. We don't want to be the ones to tell the high schools no, unless its clear there's no way its going to happen. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is re-opening its online sales portal for liquor and wine sales in Pennsylvania, but it appears to be first-come, first-serve at the moment. And you probably already missed your chance today. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the modification to the complete system closure Wednesday during a mid-afternoon briefing on the states pandemic response. However, the PLCBs Web site says the online store is not taking orders at the moment due to overwhelming demand... Please try again tomorrow or in the coming days. That may mean Wolf stepped on what was supposed to be a soft roll-out as the system comes back to partial life. There are no plans to reopen the 600 Fine Wine & Good Spirits retail stores at this time, the governor said. In a subsequent press release, PLCB officials unveiled their plan, which is to accept "a controlled number of orders per day with plans to increase order capacity as fulfillment capacity increases. Customers will be limited to purchasing up to six bottles per transaction from a reduced catalogue of about 1,000 top-selling wines and spirits. All orders must be shipped to home or non-store addresses, and only one order per address will be fulfilled per day. The agency did not give set hours for when the online order portal will be open, saying instead that its plan is to randomize access throughout the day to avoid overwhelming the site with high traffic, prevent order abuse and prolong access throughout the day, so that order availability isnt exhausted in seconds or minutes each day. We expect consumer interest and site traffic to exceed what well be able to fulfill, at least initially, so we ask that customers be patient and understand that the PLCB Is doing the best it can under extraordinary circumstances to balance consumer demand and public health, said Board Chairman Tim Holden. Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Fayette County and chairman of the Senates Law and Justice Committee that oversees liquor law in Pennsylvania, told PennLive just before the governors press conference Wednesday that the change was coming, but that PLCB expected to only be able to handle 1,000 orders or less for the first few days. Stefano said his impression was that the re-start began today. All the online orders will be shipped direct to customers door, presumably with the same rules for delivery that had existed before. The state-owned liquor stores were closed on March 16 as part of Wolfs growing effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. That left Pennsylvanians with few in-state options to buy hard liquor and distilled spirits, which the state stores have a retail monopoly on. Exceptions are the close to 100 limited distilleries across the state, which can continue sales of their own products. Wine and beer sales have continued through properly permitted groceries and beer distributors. Married At First Sight's Mikey Pembroke has blasted Stacey Hampton for refusing to take a lie detector test after she claimed their alleged hook-up never happened. During Tuesday's explosive dinner party, Mikey, 29, revealed that he and Stacey, 26, had sex during a boozy night partying with Ivan Sarakula, 30, and Aleks Markovic, 26. Stacey denied claims that they'd slept together that evening, even after Mikey revealed damning text messages between the couple. 'She won't do it!' Married At First Sight's Mikey Pembroke, 29, (left) has blasted Stacey Hampton, 26, (right) for refusing to take a lie detector test, after she claimed their alleged hook-up never happened Further, Ivan and Aleks claimed Stacey had dropped off Mikey's clothing back to their apartment the next morning. On Wednesday, Mikey told The Kyle And Jackie O Show he was so desperate for vindication that he'd asked Stacey to do a lie detector test during filming. 'Do the lie detector test,' he said of Stacey. 'They flew up a cop who's been a South Australian police officer for 15 years, he's been over in the FBI,' Mikey divulged. 'I sat there, I did a lie detector test when I didn't have to, and I've also asked Stacey to do it, who won't do it,' he grumbled. Mikey also told the radio duo that the cast knew about his alleged affair with Stacey before Tuesday's dinner party, thanks to a secret group chat conversation started by Aleks. Bringing out the big guns: Mikey claimed producers had flown in a former FBI agent to stage a lie detector test 'Aleks had told the girls [about the incident] in a group chat, and so people were coming to me, the girls were coming to me... you can ask anyone of the girls how it actually got out,' he said. Mikey explained that once he realised everyone already knew, he decided to bite the bullet and come clean about the incident on Tuesday's dinner party. '[It's] one thing not saying something, but its another thing lying,' he said. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 Around the world, people are not satisfied with today's model of capitalism and believe businesses can play a key role in addressing issue areas like the environment and access to job opportunities, finds a survey report. An eye-opening survey by Salesforce of more than 20,000 people across 10 countries found that 73 per cent are of the opinion the state of the environment is on the wrong track under capitalism. The survey unravelled that 75 per cent of people believe access to job opportunities is not improving. Some 55 per cent trust businesses to create a better future for younger generations while 72 per cent say capitalism can change if work begins immediately. The Salesforce Stakeholder Perceptions Report said: Were racing against the clock when it comes to climate change: If were not able to slow global warming by 2030, we could be past a point of no return, according to the United Nations. For the most part, people say its unchecked capitalism and corporations to blame, especially organisations that contribute to fossil fuel consumption, polluting the oceans, and deforestation. Leaders from the corporate community and beyond are calling for more accountability, urging businesses to rethink strategies and push the boundaries of innovation to lead to a more positive planetary outcome. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink recently called on CEOs to consider climate risk in their strategies, threatening to pull his investments if they dont. At Davos, the World Economic Forum announced its 1t.org initiative to encourage multi-stakeholder action and empower governments, businesses, civil society, and ecopreneurs to tackle larger-than-life challenges, like restoration and reforestation at scale. Explains Salesforce Vice President of Sustainability Patrick Flynn: When a house is on fire, heroes come running to do all the good they can. In that moment, the most important thing is to take action. Everyone who can help must help. Its the same thing with the current situation of our climate emergency. It doesnt matter how much guilt you feel about creating it. Everyone who has benefited from capitalism has an obligation to be part of the solution. The climate heroes of the history books won't be those that only took care of their own emissions. It'll be a term for those who aimed so far beyond that. ACCESS TO JOBS NOT IMPROVING Several factors are likely contributing to this phenomenon, such as concerns about college degrees not keeping up with the job market, and a lack of upskilling opportunities within the workplace. But none is likely as great as the spectre of automation: 46 per cent of jobs are vulnerable to it, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. But the good news is the value of human capital is not going away. The challenge now is for employers to prove to the workforce that in fact job opportunities will flourish in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Some companies have pivoted on the education issue, declaring outright they no longer require college or even high school degrees. Others are actually hiring employees not just for the open roles to which theyre applying theyre looking at candidates potential to advance. And then there is evidence of companies taking this a step further, establishing on-the-job apprenticeship programs to help their existing workforce learn new skills. Says Salesforce Chief Innovation Officer Simon Mulcahy: "Yes, automation will likely replace some of the tasks we do today. However, new technologies bring with them new needs, new jobs and improving work conditions. Even greater emphasis will be placed on skills that can't be automated, like relationship-building, agility, creativity, and empathy. It may turn out this is the most exciting time to enter the job market." BUSINESSES TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE A majority of respondents are confident in the corporate world on this point, but only barely. Clearly there is work to do. The good news is that youth activists have a louder voice than ever as advocates for more socially responsible leadership. The emergence of Greta Thunberg on climate change, Malala Yousafzai on womens rights, Parkland shooting survivors David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez on gun control, and many others is creating a critical mass of voices political and business leaders cannot ignore. Their influence might be enough to push the needle and get corporations to step up to the plate. In tandem with this phenomenon is a simple changing of the guard as Millennials and Generation Z start inheriting leadership positions within the business community. The oldest of the former subset are approaching their 40s still perhaps 15-20 years from the average age of Fortune 500 c-suite roles, but nearing the typical range of corporate senior leaders. "Don't look now, but Millennials are approaching 40 years old, says Flynn. They're in positions of influence and their worldview is rubbing off even on more senior leadership. Within just a few years, we will see corporate cultures reach tipping points around the world and even in the more traditional industries." CAPITALISM CAN CHANGE Optimism abounds that it isnt too late to reinvent the very concept of capitalism. And gradually, the corporate community is responding by shifting its priorities, perhaps spurred on by a new sense of urgency and pressure. For instance, more than 80 per cent of mainstream investors now depend on sustainability and societal impact disclosures to make decisions, according to a study by Deloitte. Another study suggests more than 40 per cent of S&P companies voluntarily address sustainability in their financial filings. How this is starting to manifest comes in various case studies. For instance, retailer Zara pledged to make all of its clothing from 100 per cent sustainable fabrics by 2025. Starbucks and McDonalds are experimenting with reusable cups. Meanwhile, Mastercard and Mattel are among the huge conglomerates who are trailblazers in gender equality and LGTBQ awareness. Says Mulcahy: This is so encouraging to me, because its clear people havent lost hope in business as a catalyst for change. The corporate community is responding with a shift in what it perceives to be its responsibilities. Businesses of all sizes are taking a stand on real issues, like sustainability and equality theyre learning they can focus on profits and being good citizens at the same time. -- Tradearabia News Service Its clear that they have the desire, the willingness, and the equipment to hit us, an official familiar with the issue said last week, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. Decisions over how to respond to a new attack would be influenced by its scale and lethality, the official said, as well as the type of weapons used. As many as 110 people who returned to Tamil Nadu from Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total cases in the state to 234, a top Health department official said. This is a quantum jump as the state recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day so far. Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters here that 110 people hailing from 15 districts of the state have tested positive for the contagion. All of them had participated in the Delhi religious congregation and the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state now stood at 234, she said. Around 1,500 people from Tamil Nadu had attended the event last month and of them over 1,131 have returned to the state so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) RENSSELAER, Ind. (WLF)- Personal Protective Masks are hard to come by these days. One company in Rensselaer designed a face mask thats being made with 3D printers. "We are trying to help out we are trying to do our part., said Ron Kasparian the owner of You'll Never Guess LLC. You'll Never Guess LLC has been in the Rensselaer community since 2012. They specialize in 3D printing. When they saw how many people were struggling to find personal protective masks due to the COVId-19 pandemic they decided to design one of their own. "We thought that 3D printing something thats actually contoured to your face was the best way to create a functional mask said Kasparian. The masks have four parts the mask body, the filter housing, the filter retainer, and a filter wrench. "The cost of an actual filter is and that's the reason why there aren't a lot of masks why people are trying to do sewing masks and all kinds of other stuff," added Kasparian. The actual filters for the masks are where Ron Kasparian and his team found a cost-effective solution. "How do we make a filter we asked ourselves, added Kasparian. The answer was found was cotton rounds in the makeup section." Cotton rounds are woven and when two are put together they act as a filter similar to typical hospital masks. "It's the same thing that they are trying to do with an actual mask, said Kasparian. The masks are cotton that is inverted and that's how they make a diffuser. When a particle comes through the mask actually gets stuck in the woven part of the mask." The company has hundreds of 3D printers. Each one prints a part of the mask. One mask takes about six hours to make. The company hopes they can stop the spread of the epidemic by making masks the are reusable and affordable. "When you talk to somebody who works in a soup kitchen that hasn't had a mask in 10 days or you talk to someone who has COPD and needs a mask because they are afraid to go to the store, said Kasparian. It's a very humbling experience to think that we might lead a part in actually solving part of this problem in our country." The masks are not certified N95 masks, but the company based its design on CDC and OSHA recommendations and is working to become certified. The company is currently making around 300 masks a day to meet demands. Each mask costs around 30 dollars and can be shipped anywhere in the United States. For more information on how to purchase a mask visit, Youll Never Guess LLCs website. City of Oakland officials are making grants available to small businesses to help them stay in business through the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, the officials said Tuesday. The emergency grants will come from the Small Business Emergency Grant Fund, which is getting funding from the recently established Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund. Grants of $5,000 will be given to small businesses owned by low-income people and the grants can be used to pay for rent and utilities, workers, outstanding debt and other immediate costs for operations. The total amount to be granted is $300,000. The city is working with the nonprofit Working Solutions, which will administer the grants. Detective Marylou Armer, a 20-year member of the Santa Rosa Police Department, died Tuesday from complications due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, Police Chief Ray Navarro said. Armer most recently was assigned to the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team. Navarro said the Police Department is still grappling with the news and the city is planning to address news reporters Wednesday. The Police Office Research Association of California started the "Santa Rosa Police Officer Marylou Armer Family Fund" on Tuesday, with the goal of raising $50,000, according to its website. As of 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, nearly $15,000 had been raised. To donate, visit https://porac.org/fundraiser/santa-rosa-police-officer-mary-lou-armer-family-fund. A person died Tuesday night in a collision on westbound Interstate Highway 580 in Oakland, a California Highway Patrol officer said. Dispatchers received a call at 9:27 p.m. of the collision on Highway 580 just east of Interstate Highway 80, Officer Damian Cistaro said. When officers arrived they found a collision and one person died there, Cistaro said. Lawyers for California prison inmates will ask a three-judge federal court on Thursday for an order releasing some prisoners, saying there is a danger the COVID-19 coronavirus could "spread like wildfire" among inmates and staff in the state's crowded prisons. The motion was filed last week in two long-running prison overcrowding cases filed in federal court in San Francisco in 2001 and federal court in Sacramento in 1990. In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a three-judge panel's order that the prison population must be reduced to correct "grossly inadequate health care" that violated constitutional standards. In the new motion, the prisoners ask for orders reducing the prison population in order to achieve social distancing, as well as releasing or relocating prisoners who are at low risk for criminal conduct but high risk for severe illness or death from the virus. Attorneys for the inmates wrote, "The system is far too crowded. The prisons house tens of thousands of people in crowded dormitories where they live, sleep, and bathe within feet -- sometimes inches -- of each other." San Francisco supervisors during their Tuesday meeting introduced several pieces of legislation to help support San Franciscans during the novel coronavirus pandemic, and also agreed to award freelance journalist Bryan Carmody $369,000 over unlawful raids by police last year. Supervisor Shamann Walton proposed creating an Emergency Family Relief Fund that would provide $500 to about 5,000 families, or residents with children 18 and younger, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, who don't qualify for federal benefits. "COVID-19 has created a threat to the economic stability of San Francisco residents and San Francisco families, especially our immigrant families who work in the service industry such as restaurants, retail, cleaning and janitorial services," Walton said. The proposal has three parts. The first involves an emergency ordinance to begin the program for as many as 60 days. A second complementary ordinance would extend the program for as long Mayor London Breed keeps in place the emergency shelter-in-place order and for two months longer. A third ordinance would allocate $10 million from the city's reserves to the program. Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who is a cosponsor of the legislation, and represents the Mission and Portola neighborhoods, said, "We believe that our immigrant communities in San Francisco are as deserving as the rest of us for help during this crisis. We will step in strong and loud as a local City and County where our federal leaders have failed to help our immigrant population." Santa Clara County, as one of eight Bay Area jurisdictions, on Tuesday extended its shelter-in-place order through May 3 and added additional public restrictions. Santa Clara County officials said the order was extended in the hopes of lifting a significant burden off of the county's health care system and reducing the possible number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases. The new order effectively mandates all non-essential businesses shutter their doors and essential businesses enforce social distancing between people of six-feet or more. The new order also prohibits continuing most construction work, like commercial and luxury real estate projects, and closes all public playgrounds, dog parks, picnic areas and similar recreational sites. Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer, told reporters at the county's Civic Center that hospitals are taking on more patients with the COVID-19 disease. Contra Costa County health officials said Tuesday that "alternative care sites" to provide medical treatment ahead of an anticipated surge in COVID-19 coronavirus cases will open next week in Antioch and Richmond, joining already announced sites in Martinez and Pittsburg. Dr. Chris Farnitano, the county's health officer, said the Contra Costa County fairgrounds in Antioch and the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond are being set up to handle relatively "uncomplicated" treatments as space in area hospitals is being set aside for an expected surge in COVID-19 patients sometime between mid-April and mid-May. Contra Costa Health Services officials had previously said that part of the former Los Medanos Community Hospital building in Pittsburg and part of Alhambra High School in Martinez will be made into similar alternative care sites. That COVID-19 surge in Contra Costa County, Farnitano said, could be brutal - a possible 2,000 to 14,000 deaths in the county over the "next several months," based on various models factoring in different rates of infection and treatment capabilities. Anna Roth, Contra Costa County's health director, said that as of Tuesday morning there were 212 confirmed coronavirus patients in the county, up from 175 cases as of Monday morning. Twenty-three were hospitalized as of Tuesday, 11 of them in intensive care, Roth said. Three people have died so far. Wednesday will be sunny and breezy. Highs will be in the mid 50s to lower 60s. Northwest winds will be 20 to 30 mph. Wednesday night will be clear and breezy. Lows will be in the upper 40s. Northwest winds will be 20 to 30 mph, before becoming north winds of 10 to 20 mph after midnight. Thursday will be sunny. Highs will be near 60. North winds will be 10 to 20 mph, before becoming northwest winds in the afternoon. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield is reaching out to small businesses to offer guidance and assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our small businesses are being affected due to closures and reduction in foot traffic, center director Kevin Lust said. Chatbots, apps, dashboards and other communication devices are increasingly serving the needs of cities, counties and states during the coronavirus crisis, as a worried public searches for trusted information.A lot of the 211s around the country are looking at what were doing right now, because they're looking for newer ways to get information out to people without tying up their operators, because everybodys taxed to the limit right now, said Russ Jensen, director for 311 and 211 systems in Knoxville, Tenn.The city recently launched a chatbot , initially developed to handle questions related to the ongoing U.S. Census, which unfolded at more or less the same time as the novel coronavirus crisis.The virus has sickened more than 206,233 people across the U.S., killing at least 4,576 people, according to. Millions of residents are under some form of stay-at-home orders in order to slow the spread of the virus throughout the population.On March 23, the Knox County Public Health Department closed all non-essential businesses and limited public gatherings.We decided, well, let's give people an avenue where they can go to and get really quick, really useful answers on the Census: how it works? Who needs to answer it? What the process is? said Jensen, recalling the thinking behind the chatbot. But then very quickly, we started morphing into the whole COVID-19 realm because that was becoming a bigger and bigger piece of the picture. So, on Day 1, about a week and a half ago, when we went live, the chatbot was set up to either answer questions on the Census or COVID-19.About 70 percent of the questions are coronavirus related, while the other 30 percent tend to skew toward the Census, said Jensen.The chatbot is set up to handle a number of social service questions, which span from unemployment benefits to food banks or the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act , known as the CARES Act.Meanwhile, the state of Colorado has fashioned its myColorado app to handle COVID-19 information for residents. The app, launched late last year, was a collaborative effort among Department of Revenue (DOR), the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Colorado Department of Public Safety and Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). One of the apps key features is its Colorado Digital ID, which enables residents to create a digital version of their Colorado driver's license.OIT led the efforts and continues to manage the road map for myColorado, said Brandi Simmons, a spokesperson for OIT, adding more than 40,000 Coloradans have downloaded the app.The app now includes job information, 17 additional services provided by the Division of Motor Vehicles, and also functions as a platform for residents to receive COVID-19 alerts and other information.The new features in the myColorado mobile app support the practice of social distancing by providing easy access to state services from a smartphone, which is critical as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic together, said state CIO and Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Information Technology Theresa Szczurek, in a statement.Boston recently released a COVID-19 dashboard on the citys website, showing information such as the number of cases in not only Boston, but also Massachusetts and the United States.Back in Knoxville, the citys chatbot has already conducted more than 300 conversations, said Jensen.And not one complaint, Jensen points out, who can monitor the progress of the bot on his phone or other devices. Since hes the administrator for the chatbot, Jensen sometimes butts into a conversation that is likely to stump the chatbots automated system, providing a more nuanced answer that sometimes only an actual human resident and employee of the city is particularly equipped to offer.Early on, before we shut everything down, people wanted to know if parks were open. Well, the bot wasnt really set up to answer that question. But since I was able to see it, I could take over that conversation, and then go ahead and answer it for them, and then get back out of the conversation, and let the bot do what it was set up to do. So its incredibly flexible.Chatbots, apps and similar platforms are clear communication enhancements, as cities aim to meet residents where they are, say officials. The chatbot in Knoxville, created by Quiq, can operate via SMS text, as well as social media platforms like Facebook Messenger and Twitter.Whatever avenue we want to use, to make available to our public, we can give them access to that, said Jensen.Were very big here in Knoxville on what we refer to as digital diversity and digital inclusion, he added. Having access to digital information, regarding local government in particular, through any and all venues to where we can reach people from where theyre at.The coronavirus crisis is only heightening the need for local governments to engage with residents, providing good, solid information they can trust, said Mike Myer, CEO and founder of Quiq.Public service providers are serving their constituents who want information at their fingertips, but are not necessarily willing to do an exhaustive search on a website to find it, said Myer, in an email. Chatbot technology gives people the ability to find the most pressing information easily, while still being able to access agents when the situation warrants.Keeping in mind that not everyone is online or has access to a smartphone, Knoxville officials are actively reaching out to other populations like elderly or homeless people to get a better sense of how to connect more seamlessly with these groups."Theres more to follow on that, said Jensen. But its a good question. And we are addressing it, one piece at a time. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In times like these when whole societies seem to be at the tipping point of judgment, church leaders must think organically more than institutionally. This is vital because the authentic New Testament church is the strategic remnant with an important role when a nation reaches a critical point in its plummet into judgment. I prefer calling the genuine church an organism rather than an institution. The organism-church is made up of living stones. (1 Peter 2:5) The New Testament translates two Greek words as life. Bios is the life of the flesh that enables our existence in the finite world. Zoe, the term used in 1 Peter 2:5, most often refers to the God-quality of life. It is infused with the breath of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the organism-church is one that prioritizes the development of Spirit-filled disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, impacting the world with the life-quality God has placed in them through Christ, and the spiritual gifts God entrusted to them and energized by the Spirit. The organism-church takes itself seriously as the body of Christ, seeks the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, anchors itself to the Word, and sees the Kingdom of God rather than merely its tight little corner. Decades ago, Professor Findley Edge traced how dynamic movements are squelched by institutionalization. A movement springs out of a stifling status quo. The hefty powers of the status quo resist the movement. That very opposition produces rapid growth in the movement. The status quo brings persecution against the movement, ranging from social and cultural ostracism to literal execution, yet growth continues. Finally, the status quo must come to terms with the movements popularity and begins to tolerate it. The movement undergoes rapid change, and gains acceptance from its former opponents. Institutionalization sets in. In my book, Call Down Lightning (Thomas Nelson/Emanate Books, 2019), I studied the Welsh Revival of 1904-05 that brought radical transformation to that society in mere months. Ultimately, I had to spend an entire chapter on Why Revival Tapers. I found that spiritual awakening fades when there is an attempt to trap the fiery movement into the cold glacier of institutionalization. (page 185) Findley Edge wrote that when the church turns its concern inward upon itself, when it is more concerned with its own existence and progress than it is with the mission for which it was founded institutionalization has taken over. Edge quotes missiologist Hendrick Kraemer, who believed the Western church in the twentieth century was going through this hardening process. It becomes introvert as the mind of the Churches is bent, above all, on its own increase and well-being It is Church (institution)-centered self-centered. Transformational movements are born in crisis. The corona-virus pandemic has thrust us into new ways of doing church. Perhaps God has given the church an opportunity through this crisis to shed its stifling garments and once again become a dynamic movement. Evidence of that abounds as praise and worship, along with prayer, spring spontaneously from people hungry to gather and take the joy of the Lord and His Word into the streets. Psalm 22:3 reveals that the Lord is enthroned, made manifest in the world through the praises of His people. Ezekiel 22:30 tells of Gods concern to find those who will stand in the gap to intercede for the nations. Habakkuk 2:14 emphasizes the blessing that comes when the knowledge of Gods glory fills the earth through the proclamation of His Word. All these are organic actions. They spring from an organism-church, as seen in Ezekiels vision of life-giving floods flowing from the restored-renewed Temple (Ezekiel 47). Praise, prayer, and proclamation dont dribble out from imposing buildings, but, in crisis, surge in the living waters, bathing and refreshing the weary, arid land. The first and second century church in Rome gathered in the catacombs, but nurtured rich life there. When Constantine imposed institutional Christianity on the Roman Empire, the church began to enjoy the relief of not having to die in the arenas. Finally, its own institutional survival became more important than the purpose for which it was in the world, and its effectiveness was lost. In the Renaissance and Middle Ages, the church became just like all the other institutions, with its armies, powerful rulers, scheming nobles, and vast treasuries. It was in that ethos that Thomas Aquinas, the great Catholic apologist, had a historic conversation with Pope Innocent IV. It occurred in a chamber where aides were counting treasures and money. The church is no longer in an age when she can say, silver and gold have we none, said Pope Innocent. It is true, holy father, Thomas replied, nor can she now say to the lame man, Rise up and walk! The institutional issues now are huge. Budgets, staffs, programs, equipment including the costly tech contraptions that keep churches live-streaming all demand urgent and constant attention, yet they must not become the overwhelming focus. When the virus-crisis is gone, let us not forget what the church did when the troubles were upon us: praise erupted in city squares, prayers intensified everywhere, and the proclamation of the good news of Christs Kingdom zapped the globe through livestreaming. Yes, all of these require institutional elements. There must be order in the house of God and human society. However, lets learn the lesson: Dont try to institutionalize this river, lest it become ice. Let the breath of God blow through the organism-church igniting praise, prayer, and proclamation. Equip the saints for the work of organic ministry and let them go to it. Easter is on the horizon, and desserts for the occasion, often rich in dairy following Lent, are eagerly devoured. Symbolizing rebirth and growth in spring, sweets from all over the world at this time of year feature mass quantities of eggs, butter and cheese. A favorite pastry of mine is Pastiera Napolitana, Neapolitan Easter Pie. Its filling of ricotta, eggs and cooked wheat berries draws me back year after year. I tasted pastiera for the first time when my family and I lived in Naples. Cooked grain in a pie was new to me, and I loved how the chewy berries contrasted with the creaminess of the filling. I also loved the sugary and buttery crust. That pastiera was enormous, at least 18 inches in diameter. The crust alone contained 18 egg yolks and the filling 12 yolks! Italian author Amedeo Colella, who writes about Neapolitan life and food, says that pastiera, as with just about all the great Neapolitan pastries, was born in a convent, specifically the Convent of San Gregorio Armeno in Napless centro storico (Old Town). The convent nuns were the first to bake hundreds of pastiere (plural) for the Neapolitan bourgeoisie. And thats why the best pastiera is still to be found in bakeries near the monastery. Old recipes for pastiera say to soak wheat berries in multiple changes of water for three days and to cook the berries for an hour or two. Today we can buy hulled or pearled soft wheat berries, without their tough outer coats, that will be chewy/tender after 40 minutes or so of cooking. Not only that, its now common to find pastiera made with pearled barley or farro instead of wheat. When it comes down to it, any pastiera is deliziosa. And another thing: Feel free to make pastiera any time of the year. Neapolitan bakeries do it, and so can you. This is why Im featuring the recipe now. As long as youre home, you might as well have some fun baking! Traditionally, pastiera recipes called for candied fruits and orange flower water. Many modern recipes give these ingredients as options. I tend to leave the candied fruits out and I substitute vanilla for the orange flower water. I do like orange zest with the wheat and the ricotta filling, and lemon zest adds a note of brightness to the pastry. Amadeo Colella ends his essay on pastiera with these words: Pastiera is the very symbol of inclusiveness and hospitality, virtues in which the city of Naples has always excelled: the Italian wheat and ricotta play host to citron, which is Lebanese, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, vanilla from Mexico ingredients from all over the world are welcomed with open arms by the orange flowers of the Amalfi Coast. Ive adapted the recipe here from my friend, Arthur Schwartz, who has written many authoritative cookbooks, including Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania (Harper Collins, 1998). By pastiera standards, his pastiera is small, but big enough for 8 to 10 servings. Pastiera Napolitana Makes 8 to 10 servings The traditional grain for this pie is wheat berries, but nowadays many bakers use farro or barley in place of the wheat. Ive tried them all and they all work in this recipe. Be sure to buy the grain you decide on labeled pearled or hulled, so cooking time will be relatively brief. You can bake the pastiera in a standard 8-inch layer cake pan or in a 9-inch pie plate. The Pastry 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons sugar Grated zest of 1 lemon 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) cold unsalted butter 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla The Grain 1/3 cup pearled soft wheat berries 2 1/2 cups water 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup whole milk Finely grated zest of 1 orange 1 tablespoon butter Ricotta Filling 1 15-ounce container ricotta 1/2 cup sugar Cooked grain from the recipe above Grated zest of 1 large orange 1 teaspoon vanilla (or orange flower water) 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1. Make the pastry. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, lemon zest, and sugar. Cut the cold butter into pieces and add to the bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to work the butter and dry ingredients into a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla together with a fork to combine well. Add to the dry ingredients and mix vigorously with the fork until everything comes together. Then reach in with your hands and squeeze the dough repeatedly until it unites into a smooth mass. This is your pastry. It will weigh about 21 ounces. Divide the dough into two pieces, one about 2/3 of the dough and the other 1/3 of the dough. Shape each piece into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate. 2. For the grain. In a medium saucepan (2-quart is ideal), combine the wheat, water, and salt. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring a few times. As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat to medium-low the water should be bubbling very gently and cook, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes, until the berries are al dente tender but slightly chewy. Important: There should be about 2 to 3 tablespoons of water left in the pan when the berries are done. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature. During cooling, that bit of water may have been absorbed by the berries. 3. Add the milk, orange zest and butter to the cooked wheat. Set the pan over medium-low heat and bring to the simmer, stirring occasionally. The liquid should be bubbling gently and the bubbles will be small. Continue cooking, stirring now and then, for 10 to 15 minutes more and watch the bubbles carefully. Visual tip: Near the end of cooking the bubbles get noticeably bigger and the grain and milk will look like porridge. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside to cool. When cool, the contents of the pan should look creamy, not dry. If necessary, stir in a little bit of milk to restore creaminess. 4. Make the ricotta filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, sugar, all the cooked grain, orange zest, vanilla, eggs and egg yolks, until well blended. 5. Assembly and baking. Take the packets of chilled pastry out of the fridge and let them warm up a bit at room temperature, 15 minutes or so. If you try to roll the dough when its cold, it will break into pieces. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and coat the larger piece of dough on both sides. Roll the dough gently, without forcing it, in a back and forth motion with a rolling pin into an oval shape about 8 to 10 inches long. The edges of the dough are likely to crack in spots. Thats what a sugar pastry does. Just pinch the edges together to smooth them out. Flour the dough lightly, as necessary, to prevent sticking. Turn the oval of dough ninety degrees and roll back and forth to make a circle. Now that you have a circle of dough, continue rolling from the center outward in all directions, turning and flipping the dough from time to time, to maintain the circular shape. Flour as necessary to prevent sticking, and pinch together any cracked edges. Stop rolling when you have a 12- to 13-inch circle of pastry. Lightly butter a standard size 8-inch layer cake pan or a 9-inch pie plate. Carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin and slowly unroll it over the cake pan or pie plate. Without stretching the dough, lift the edges of the pastry and nudge it onto the sides of your pan. If the pastry cracks at any point and just so you know, this is likely to happen do not despair, just pinch the edges together and patch large gaps with some of the overhanging pastry. Once your pan is lined, cut away the excess pastry with a sharp knife. Gather scraps together and wrap in plastic. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the smaller piece of dough on your lightly floured surface to a 10-inch circle. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Whisk the ricotta filling a few times and pour into the pastry-lined pan. Carefully lay strips of dough on the filling to make a diamond pattern. Three or four strips in each direction should do it. Cut off overhanging pastry. Gather up scraps and add to the first batch of scraps. Shape into a disk, rewrap, and refrigerate. Leftover dough makes great cookies! 6. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and jiggles a bit only in the center. Cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. If youve baked the pastiera in a cake pan, run a knife between the pastry and the edge of the pan to make sure it isnt sticking. Cover the pastiera with a plate, grasp the two together and invert. Remove the cake pan, cover the pastry with a dessert plate and invert again so that the desserts lattice side faces up. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar. If pastiera is in a pie plate, leave it there and dust the top with confectioners sugar. 7. Serving. Pastiera is usually served plain. Cut into portions and set them on dessert plates. I usually add a few berries for color and taste. Store leftover pastiera in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving. Greg Patent is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author for Baking in America, a food journalist, blogger, and radio co-host for The Food Guys on Montana Public Radio. Please visit his blog, www.thebakingwizard.com, and follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 As China opens its asset management markets wider for global firms effective today, BlackRock, Inc. BLK has applied for a fund management license to set up its wholly-owned mutual fund in the country. The novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated at Wuhan in China, has significantly affected most of the major world economies. In addition to disrupting investor sentiments largely, the outbreak overshadowed the further liberalization of the investment banking and money management industries in China. However, Chinas decision to scrap the limitations on foreign shareholding in securities and fund management firms will likely boost confidence for global companies amid the ongoing crisis. Per Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, China provides a long-term opportunity as a growing market despite the current volatility. He stated in his annual letter to shareholders, I continue to firmly believe China will be one of the biggest opportunities for BlackRock over the long term, both for asset managers and investors, despite the uncertainty and decoupling of global systems were seeing today. Notably, global wealth firms that have been hit hard by the pandemic are already struggling to mitigate its economic consequences. Thus, by setting up mutual fund units in China, with full control, these firms will be able to tap the China asset management market, which is set to grow at a rapid pace. Moreover, it will provide investors in China a greater variety of financial products and services. Notably, along with BlackRock, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has also received an application from Neuberger Berman to set up its mutual fund unit in China. In addition to setting up mutual fund units in the country, asset managers across the globe can work with the wealth management subsidiaries of China banks or insurers, wherein they will bring their product design expertise and collaborate with China firms vast distribution network and relationship managers. Further, global wealth firms, which are not financially strong to make significant investments, can apply for private fund management licenses, which will allow them to raise yuan-denominated funds from qualified clients to invest overseas. Lastly, global asset managers can opt for boosting their ownership of existing joint venture (JV) partnerships in China to 100%. Some of the firms that are set to take advantage of the various options available are Vanguard Group Inc., JPMorgan JPM, Goldman Sachs GS, Morgan Stanley MS and a few others. JPMorgan intends to get approval for full ownership of its China fund management JV, China International Fund Management, by next year. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley received a nod from the CSRC to increase stake in their mainland securities joint ventures to 51%. Thus, with foreign firms being allowed to conduct business in China without any restrictions, their revenues and market share will improve. Also, as the current global operating backdrop looks challenging, global diversification is likely to support their financials. In fact, once the market conditions improve, BlackRocks revenues will likely get support from its efforts to strengthen the iShares and ETF operations, solid assets under management balance, and increased focus on active equity business. Shares of BlackRock have lost 12.5% so far this year compared with a 22.4% decline recorded by the industry. Story continues Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> 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 JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Morgan Stanley (MS) : Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Burma Myanmar Police Continue Arrests, Interrogations of Reporters Over AA Coverage Police conduct a search of the Voice of Myanmar office on March 31. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy YANGONMyanmar Special Branch Police are cracking down on journalists who interview the Arakan Army (AA) ethnic armed organization, which the government recently designated a terrorist group, making arrests and filing lawsuits under offenses that potentially carry sentences of life imprisonment. The government has also announced that anyone in contact with the AA faces prosecution under the Counterterrorism Law. Following the arrest of the editor-in-chief of Mandalay-based Voice of Myanmar (VOM) on Monday night, police on Tuesday searched the Sittwe office of Rakhine-based news outlet Narinjara and the home of the editor-in-chief of Yangon-based Khit Thit News. Ko Ni Min Tun, a reporter from Narinjara, told The Irrawaddy that around 10 plainclothes officers from Special Branch Police and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted a search of the news outlets office at around 5.30 p.m. Tuesday and arrested three reportersThein Zaw, Aung Lin Htun and Htun Khaing. They were immediately taken away for interrogation and released at midnight. Ko Khine Mrat Kyaw, the editor-in-chief of Narinjara, who was away from the office at the time of the police raid, faces charges under the Counter-Terrorism Lawthe same repressive law that Special Branch Police used to arrest the VOM editor-in-chieffor the media groups interview with the AA in a report on fighting in restive Rakhine State involving the ethnic armed group. The detained VOM editor-in-chief, Ko Nay Lin, was sued under Article 50(a) and Article 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law for publishing an interview with the AAs spokesperson on the ethnic armed groups response to the governments declaration of the group as a terrorist organization, and the impact of the move on the peace process. It is unjust to arrest reporters and file lawsuits for covering both sides [of a conflict]. And it will have a serious effect on the publics right to information in Rakhine, Ko Ni Min Tun said. The wife of Khit Thit News editor-in-chief U Hline Thit Zin Wai (aka Tha Lun Zaung Htet) told the Myanmar Press Council that around 10 police officers came to the couples house in Yangon and questioned her husband late on Tuesday night, without explaining the reason for the interrogation. On March 28, Khit Thit republished VOMs interview with the AA spokesman. The council denounced the crackdown on journalists in a statement released on Wednesday. At a time when it is important to crack downtogether with the official established news mediaon the widespread dissemination of fake news about the coronavirus inside the country, taking such action against the [legitimate] media is unacceptable, it said. The Press Council also urged authorities to follow the media law, if it is decided that action is needed against media workers, rather than bringing criminal charges. Ko Kyaw Swa Min, a member of the Press Council, said the council would send a letter to recently appointed Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut, who also heads the Anti-Terrorism Central Committee, on Thursday to urge that the charges against the journalists be dropped. Lt-Gen Soe Htut, a former Military Intelligence chief, took over as home affairs ministera military-appointed positionin February, replacing Lieutenant General Kyaw Swe, who returned to serve in the army. We see no violation of the Media Law by those media organizations. We will also ask the minister why the police brought such accusations against them, Ko Kyaw Swa Min said. Article 50(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law carries a prison sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine for causing severe damage to the security or the life and property of the public, or for forcing the government or any organization to commit an unlawful act or to refrain from following the law. Article 52(a) carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years for knowingly participating in a terrorist group, knowingly concealing or harboring a terrorist group or giving permission for a terrorist group to use a building or gather. The government declared the AA and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), as terrorist groups and unlawful associations on March 23. The AA was negotiating a bilateral ceasefire with the government but there have been no talks between the sides since February. You may also like these stories: Two Civilians Killed in Myanmars Rakhine State During Alleged Military Airstrike Myanmar Journalists Furious as Govt Blocks Over 200 Websites Including News Pages This years United Nations-sponsored climate talks, widely regarded as the most important climate meeting of the past four years, were postponed on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The session, known as the Conference of Parties, had been scheduled to take place in Glasgow for a week and a half in mid-November. It was postponed to 2021, the world bodys climate agency and the host government, Britain, confirmed late Wednesday. In light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of Covid-19, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 in November 2020 is no longer possible, the British government said in a statement. The conference venue in Glasgow, an arena where tens of thousands of delegates from around the world were to have gathered, is being turned into a field hospital for people with Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Covid patients are also being housed in the convention center in Madrid where the Conference of Parties took place last December; Spain has one of the worlds largest outbreaks. Washington: US President Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday, without citing specific evidence, that Iran or an Iran-backed militia is planning a "sneak attack" on US troops or assets in Iraq and warned that Iran would "pay a very heavy price" if it were carried out. Official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Credit:AP The saber rattling from Trump comes as Iran-backed militias are becoming more audacious in attacking US personnel in Iraq, with rocket strikes against military bases occurring more frequently and, for the first time, in broad daylight. US officials say they are receiving near-daily reports of "imminent" attacks planned against US-linked military or diplomatic facilities. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq," Trump said in his tweet, without providing elaboration. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" BEACHWOOD, Ohio, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratos Wealth Holdings, LLC, a family of companies that collectively oversees $14.5 billion in brokerage and advisory assets, announced today that Emigrant Partners has acquired a minority stake in the firm. This investment will provide Stratos with increased balance sheet capital to further invest in its business and expand its capabilities for current affiliates and to position them as a partner of choice for succession planning in the industry. Jeff Concepcion, Founder and CEO of Stratos, said, "I couldn't be more pleased about the opportunity to partner with Emigrant. The talent their team brings to the table will help us elevate our offerings to our current partners and those who join the Stratos network going forward." Karl Heckenberg, President and CEO of Emigrant Partners, said, "Under Jeff's leadership, Stratos has established itself as a leading firm in the RIA space. Through a dynamic blend of organic and inorganic growth, the business has rapidly achieved scale and established itself as a market-leading RIA with immense future potential." Stratos was represented by the Asset & Wealth Management group of Raymond James Investment Banking and Walter | Haverfield served as their legal counsel. Stratos Wealth Holdings, LLC Stratos Wealth Holdings, LLC is a family of companies, collectively advising on $14.5 billion in brokerage and advisory assets. Stratos companies include Stratos Wealth Partners, Stratos Wealth Advisors, Stratos Wealth Management, Stratos Wealth Enterprises, and Fundamentum. Stratos includes a national network of 300 experienced financial advisors and financial planning practitioners working across 87 offices throughout the country. Stratos is headquartered in Beachwood, OH. As of December 31, 2019, Stratos Wealth Partners, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $6.9 billion in advisory assets, and advises through LPL Financial, over $6.3 billion in brokerage and third party managed assets for a total of 13.2 billion; Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $885 million in advisory assets; Fundamentum, LLC an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $452 million in advisory assets. All entities listed are separate from and unaffiliated with LPL Financial. Emigrant Partners, LLC Emigrant Partners ("EP") makes non-voting minority investments into wealth, asset and alternative asset management firms to help them achieve their goals. EP and its affiliate Fiduciary Network are currently partnered with 15 firms overseeing approximately $50B in aggregate AUM and AUA. Emigrant Partners is wholly owned by New York Private Bank & Trust and is headquartered in New York City. www.emigrantpartners.com Media Contact: Kevin Elvington (440) 505-5608 stratoswealthpartners.com [email protected] SOURCE Stratos Wealth Partners Related Links http://www.stratoswealthpartners.com 01.04.2020 LISTEN ========================================================== 31st March, 2020 Public Release Statement Freetown, Sierra Leone. Pdl Joins The Fight Against The Spread Of The Corona Pandemic The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) has taken a serious note of the ravaging effects of COVID-19 that has become mass murderer in global health care delivery. In the prevailing circumstance where most countries in the world have recorded medically verified cases, we, of the PDL join all forces across Africa and the global village to fight against this deadly pandemic. The PDL appreciates the timely intervention of African leaders, who out of patriotism, love and care are doing everything to save lives on the continent. More so, PDL appreciates also the fact that African leaders are accelerating efforts to get their people adhere to precautionary measures they must undertake to remain safe. It is very much disturbing and unfortunate that, the Corona pandemic is gradually washing off the population of Europe and by extension, destabilizing the economic, social and political equilibrium of nations. We extend our solidarity to all countries of the world that are badly hit by this 21st century pandemic. While the PDL is fully committed to supporting the fight to kick COVID-19 wherever it has given expression, we are appealing to countries like Russia and Cuba to do more to help Africans fight the pandemic out of the continent. The PDL can be a partner in this fight to save Africans from the devastating Corona virus. We did it during the Ebola crisis in 2014-2016. The absence of isolation centers at various entry points from one neighboring country to the other across Africa, further urges for international aid to defeat the pandemic. Through this message, we, members and supporters of PDL wish to express condolence to families and governments around the world that have lost many lives to the escalating Corona virus. Sender: Samuel Musa Kalokoh National Secretary for Administration The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday, without citing specific evidence, that Iran or an Iran-backed militia is planning a "sneak attack" on U.S. troops or assets in Iraq and warned that Iran would "pay a very heavy price" if it were carried out. The saber-rattling from Trump comes as Iran-backed militias are becoming more audacious in attacking U.S. personnel in Iraq, with rocket strikes on military bases occurring more frequently and, for the first time, in broad daylight. U.S. officials say they are receiving near-daily reports of "imminent" attacks planned against U.S.-linked military or diplomatic facilities. "Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq," Trump said in his tweet, without providing elaboration. "If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!" The tensions come amid a coronavirus pandemic that has increasingly occupied Trump and taken a particularly hard toll on Iran at a time when the United States is expanding sanctions against the country. It remains unclear how much control Iran maintains over its various proxy groups. It is also unclear how much of an appetite Americans would have for another crisis as the death toll from the coronavirus rises in the United States. A Washington Post-ABC News poll in January showed that Americans were divided over Trump's handling of the situation with Iran generally, with 45% approving and 47 percent disapproving. The survey came shortly after the U.S. strike in Iraq that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran's chief military strategist. In the Post-ABC poll, 53% supported Trump's order of the drone strike while 41% opposed it. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters late last month that the United States would "take what steps that we see necessary" to retaliate for militia violence directed at U.S. troops or assets. But the administration remains divided over how, or even whether, to strike back. "It's clear that they have the desire, the willingness, and the equipment to hit us," an official familiar with the issue said last week, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. Decisions over how to respond to a new attack would be influenced by its scale and lethality, the official said, as well as the type of weapons used. Trump's threat comes as the U.S.-led coalition is shrinking and consolidating its force in Iraq, ending its operations in smaller military bases and moving hundreds of troops into larger ones, or abroad. The force is stationed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. That fight is essentially over, but military officials in Baghdad say the coalition drawdown is also partly linked to rising tensions between the United States and Iran. "We're taking precautions," said one official, adding that various threats "coming across the threat stream" have become an everyday occurrence. As tensions simmer, the Pentagon has beefed up defenses at Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. troops. Last week, it deployed Patriot missile defense batteries at two facilities that were targeted with Iranian ballistic missiles in January, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. The Patriot system, made up of high-performance radars and interceptors, is designed to defend against such attacks. - - - Loveluck reported from London. The Washington Post's Scott Clement in Washington contributed to this report. Why it matters: Becoming an astronaut is still a pretty ambitious career goal but if you've got a master's degree in a science, technology, engineering or math field, you've got a leg up on everyone else. And at least with NASA, you know this probably isn't a scam like that whole Mars One organization. NASA on Wednesday said more than 12,000 people answered its public call to recruit the next class of astronauts with applications coming in from every US state, the District of Columbia and four US territories. The American space agency said it will evaluate submissions and invite the most qualified candidates out to Houstons Johnson Space Center for in-person interviews and medical testing before moving to the next phase of the selection process. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said they recently entered a bold new era of space exploration with the Artemis program and are thrilled to see so many Americans apply to join them. The next class of Artemis Generation astronauts will help us explore more of the Moon than ever before and lead us to the Red Planet, Bridenstine added. NASA opened the entry period on March 2 and accepted the final entries just yesterday. According to the agency, it received the second highest number of applications ever, surpassed only by the 18,300 from the most recent class that graduated back in January. Part of the reason for the smaller number of entries could have to do with NASAs more stringent requirements. This time around, candidates had to have at least a masters degree in a STEM field. Whats more, the application window was shortened by a full month. NASA said it expects to wrap up the process and introduce its next round of astronaut candidates in the summer of 2021. Masthead credit: Vadim Sadovski Commerce ministry officials of all the SAARC countries will hold deliberations in the next few days on possible areas of cooperation to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the region, official sources said on Wednesday. At an India-initiated video conference of SAARC leaders on March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the member nations of the bloc should come together to jointly fight against the pandemic. In the conference, Modi pledged USD 10 million towards a COVID-19 emergency fund for the regional grouping. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Last week, India proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share expertise and best practices to jointly combat the spread of coronavirus. Commerce ministry officials of the SAARC countries will exchange views through video conference this week to expand cooperation to fight the current challenge, the sources said. All the SAARC member nations are reeling under the coronavirus pandemic. India has recorded over 1,600 positive cases of coronavirus and nearly 40 deaths so far. Globally, the virus has infected more than 850,000 people and claimed around 42,000 lives. Asked about India exporting medical supplies to Serbia when the country itself was reeling under shortage of medical devices officials said the equipment sent to the European nation does not include items on 'prohibited list'. On Sunday, United Nations Development Programme in Serbia tweeted that the country received 90 tonnes of "medical protective equipment" from India. The sources said India is also scouting global markets to procure ventilators, N95 masks and personal protective equipment for medical professional taking care of coronavirus affected people. Asked whether India would pitch for a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the coronavirus crisis globally, the sources said it was for the member nations of the powerful UN forum to take a decision on the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police has been ordered to track mobile phones of people in home-quarantine to find out if they stepped out or came in contact with others, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday. Kejriwal said the government had already handed over 25,000 phone numbers to the police to trace. The chief minister, who insisted that there had been no instance yet to indicate that coronavirus disease was in a community transmission stage in the national government, said the mobile phone tracing would establish quarantine violation but also identify their possible contacts. We had given 11,000 phone numbers to Delhi Police for tracking yesterday. Today, 14,000 more numbers were sent, he said. The decision to use smartphones was taken at his meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. Also Watch | Covid-19 | Rs 1 crore compensation...: Delhi CMs promise to medical staff It was inspired, the chief minister said, by countries such as Singapore that are using technology to enforce quarantines. The use of smartphone locations to locate a person in quarantine started in China, was quickly adopted in Singapore and China, and has been adapted by countries in Europe. Last week, the UKs data and privacy authority confirmed that it wasnt a violation of an individuals privacy. Ensuring that people who are ordered to stay in isolation do not move out has been a challenge for states across the country. Health departments and the police had initially started pasting notices outside homes of people under self-quarantine and encouraged neighbours to report violations. But it was often not enough. So Karnataka came up with a mobile application that requires people to send geotagged selfies every hour, a system that is being adopted in Telangana as well. The Punjab health department has home-quarantined two Customs officials posted at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari after two of the five Pakistani nationals who returned home through the Attari-Wagah land border on Sunday, tested positive for Covid-19. The five Pakistani nationals Chaudhary Muhammad Ashfaq, who underwent a medical follow-up at Fortis Hospital, New Delhi; his attendant, Muhammad Asif; Nighat Mukhtar, who got a liver transplant done at Fortis Hospital, Noida; his attendant Yasir Mukhtar; and a donor, Muhammad Khalidhad been in India on medical visa. According to the Pakistani media, Yasir Mukhtar and Muhammad Khalid were found suffering from Covid-19 and admitted to the isolation ward at Service Hospital in Lahore. CAME IN SPECIAL AMBULANCE The group was allowed to return to Pakistan after the Union ministry of external affairs granted them special permission. The permission was granted when the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi wrote to the ministry on March 26, saying the five men had been stranded. A special ambulance was arranged to take them from Noida and Delhi to Attari. The ambulance ferried them on Saturday night. The two men found positive in Pakistan were checked by two Customs officials at the ICP. They have been quarantined in their homes. A team of doctors has also been deployed to conduct regular screening and checkups of the officials, Amritsar civil surgeon, Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal, said. She said health department officials in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have also been alerted. PAK RANGERS INFORMED BSF A Border Security Force (BSF) official at Attari said the BSF authorities were informed by Pakistani Rangers on Tuesday about the two Pakistani men testing positive for Covid-19. Subsequently, the health department was informed. On March 14, India suspended cross-border trade and movement of passengers through the Attari-Wagah border till April 15 as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus outbreak. But diplomats, officials of the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations, and employment and project visa-holders were excluded from the ban. On March 19, Pakistan too closed its borders for 14 days. Since then, thousands of Pakistan nationals have been stranded in India and Indians in Pakistan. Separately, two members of the Fairfax County Sheriffs Office staff at the jail have also been tested for the illness, four inmates who came in contact with the sick individual have been isolated, and 44 other detainees are being monitored for fevers and other symptoms of covid-19, a Fairfax County health official said. Citizens who breach observation rules after returning on board such flights will face fines and even criminal liability in case they test positive for Covid-19. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will no longer approve the deployment of chartered flights to evacuate Ukrainians who got stuck in other countries amid the coronavirus epidemic, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov says. Exceptions will be made if all passengers agree to undergo coronavirus tests and an observation upon their return, the minister wrote on Facebook. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs will no longer approve chartered flights. Passenger air travel has been shut down. Exceptions will be rare and only by a separate decision with an observation for 100% of the passengers under the supervision of a sanitary doctors followed by a PCR test," Avakov wrote. The minister recalled recent flights that arrived from Vietnam and Qatar, where part of the passengers refused to be taken for observation and even broke exit doors at the Boryspil Airport. Read alsoInterior Minister Avakov doesn't rule out quarantine in Ukraine may last until mid-May The Minister said, in particular, that the majority of passengers on the flight from Qatar had left Ukraine already after President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation about the introduction of quarantine. "On March 13, President Zelensky addressed Ukrainians to return to the country in connection with the impending epidemic ... and when I checked, it appeared that every third passenger who returned yesterday on that infamous flight, specifically booked for them... had flown off to Bali. It was on March 13, 14, 15," Avakov said. Also, the minister noted that those citizens who had escaped from the observation location would be fined, while those who would test positive for Covid-19 would face criminal liability. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-31 22:43:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HANOI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Those breaking the epidemic prevention and combat regulations in Vietnam will face criminal punishment, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday. People who are declared to be infected, suspected cases or those returning from the epidemic-hit regions and being informed to quarantine will face criminal penalties if they escape the quarantine sites, fail to comply with quarantine regulations, refuse or avoid quarantine measures, or fail to do health declaration, the news agency cited the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam as reporting. Other violators include people who do not suspend their businesses as authorities ordered and their operation causes COVID-19 control and treatment fees worth 100 million Vietnamese dong (about 4,340 U.S. dollars) or above. People sharing false, distorted information about the COVID-19 epidemic situation that causes a negative public impact, illegally sharing private and personal information that harms the dignity of medical workers, infected patients or suspected cases will also be subject to criminal penalties. Vietnam has reported 207 cases of COVID-19 infection as of Tuesday evening, according to its health ministry. Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have had a phone call to inform each other about the measures undertaken to curb spread of the coronavirus pandemic and hashed over cooperation in bringing Russians currently stranded in Turkey back home, the Kremlin press service said Wednesday, TASS reports. "The situation emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic spread was considered. The leaders informed each other about the measures taken to fight the infection. Particular attention was placed on the cooperation in bringing home Russian citizens staying in Turkey," the statement says. The Turkish leaders office issued a communique, saying, "the talks discussed issues of cooperation to fight coronavirus." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) The Supreme Court will allow people to file charges and complaints online while the country is under a state of public health emergency. In an administrative circular signed Tuesday, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said criminal complaints, information, together with supporting documents, may be filed through email before the lower courts. Peralta said the judge on duty should decide whether or not to dismiss the complaint or resolution of a prosecutor case within three days from the filing of the legal papers. The chief magistrate said an accused may also apply for bail via email if the judge finds probable cause to arrest he/she/them. The initial online submission of the requirements for bail may also be availed of by an accused who has been charged before the court prior to this start of this public health emergency period, Peralta added. The Office of the Court Administrator is in charge of monitoring these new directives, he said. Peralta also ordered the Office of the Court Administrator to issue the necessary guidelines to properly implement his directive by Friday. This is another precautionary measure taken by the high tribunal against the viral disease. It aims to further limit the movement of court users, court personnel and judges to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease. Peralta earlier ordered the physical closure of courts across the country to minimize physical contact, which experts regard as the culprit in the rising number of COVID-19 infections. Only judges and staff will go to the court to attend to matters deemed urgent. The country now has 2,084 confirmed cases of COVID-19 after the Department of Health announced 538 new patients on Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte placed the Philippines under a state of public health emergency on March 8 after it was confirmed the COVID-19 has spread in local communities. The proclamation remains in effect until it is lifted by the President. Duterte has also imposed a stay-at-home order for people in Luzon from March 17 to April 13, with the government putting up checkpoints and restricting non-essential travel to contain the spread of COVID-19. On March 23, the Senate also approved a bill declaring the existence of a national emergency and granting Duterte additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 02:11:07|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close President of the Onassis Foundation Antonis Papadimitriou (L), Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (C) and Greek Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias attend a ceremony at the Athens international airport in Athens, Greece, on March 31, 2020. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his gratitude on Tuesday to all those who have helped in Greece's battle against the COVID-19 epidemic at a ceremony at the Athens international airport where 8.3 million surgical masks arrived from China. They were the second batch of a total of 13.5 million masks purchased and donated by the Onassis Foundation in Greece to the Greek state to be delivered to hospitals nationwide. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his gratitude on Tuesday to all those who have helped in Greece's battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic. He made the remark at a ceremony at the Athens international airport where 8.3 million surgical masks arrived from China. They were the second batch of a total of 13.5 million masks purchased and donated by the Onassis Foundation in Greece to the Greek state to be delivered to hospitals nationwide, according to an e-mailed press statement issued by the Prime Minister's office. The first batch arrived on Monday, while earlier this month the Chinese government and enterprises had made the first significant donation of over a million masks and other medical supplies to Greece. "On behalf of the National Health System and all the Greek people, I would like to thank you for this extremely generous offer, to strengthen the National Health System in a time of crisis, with a very significant donation of 13 million masks that will be used exclusively to be able to shield those who are at the forefront of dealing with this very big crisis: doctors, nurses," Mitsotakis told Antonis Papadimitriou, president of the Onassis Foundation, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT. The Greek leader expressed gratitude to all contributors, including big foundations, businesses and ship owners, as well as ordinary people like an Albanian immigrant dressmaker living in northern Greece with her family who made and donated to the local hospital 600 fabric masks. As Greece was in a 14-day lockdown since March 23 as part of efforts to contain the virus' further spread, Mitsotakis noted that people should keep social distancing also during the upcoming Easter holiday, which for Greek Orthodox Christians falls on April 19 this spring. This is the best contribution each citizen can make during the ongoing crisis, the prime minister and other state officials have repeatedly said in recent weeks. "This year we will have a different Easter than we are used to. We will not go to our villages, we will not roast lambs in our yards, we will pray from our home, but it will be the exception to the rule so that we will be able to protect ourselves and our loved ones," he said. On his part, Papadimitriou noted that the total cost of the latest deliveries from China was 7.7 million euros (8.5 million U.S. dollars). "We believe that this is a minimal sample of honor and reciprocation for the doctors, nurses and administrative staff in hospitals who are currently fighting for all of us, for our health," he said. Shortly after, the Health Ministry announced 82 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Greece in the last 24 hours and 7 new deaths. This brings the country's total to 1,314 confirmed infections and 49 deaths. Among the new confirmed infections, according to the ministry's press briefing, were 20 crew members who were among a total of 383 people on board a ship. The Greek owned vessel "Eleftherios Venizelos" has docked off Piraeus port and Greek National Public Health Organization experts are conducting tests, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. Among the new cases was also a refugee woman living in a camp near the city of Halkida, an hour's drive north of Athens, Health Ministry officials said. All measures to trace her contacts and protect other camp residents have been taken, the Secretary General of Reception for Asylum Applicants at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Manos Logothetis, told AMNA. It was still unclear whether the woman was infected at the camp or at an Athens hospital where she gave birth two days ago. The result of a blood test on the newborn infant was still pending, while the baby's father is not infected, it was added. (1 euro= 1.1 U. S dollars) In a bid to decongest jails in view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday released 412 prisoners from various facilities, taking their total number to 2117 in the last five days, an official said. The government had decided to release those prisoners who are serving jail terms for a period of less than seven years, an official said. Accordingly, the Prisons department started releasing such prisonerson bail from March 27, he said, adding that 412 prisoners were released on Wednesday. While 272 prisoners have been released from the Mumbai Central Prison, 236 ohers were released from Thane and 176 from the Taloja Central Prison, he said, adding that 26 women inmates were released from Byculla prison. A total of 161 prisoners were released from Yerawada Central Prison in Pune, 121 from Nagpur jail, and 134 others from Amaravati, he said. In Aurangabad region, 68 prisoners were released from the Aurangabad Central Prison and 70 others from the Nashik Road Central Prison, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With demand dropping and cold stores filling up, Danish Fishermens Association recommends stopping direct fishing for nephrops April 01,2020 | Source: FiskerForum Due to the coronavirus crisis, the European market for nephrops has disappeared. It makes no sense to have a direct fishery when nobody is buying. This isnt an easy decision to take, and will have serious consequences for fishermen, but we need to do this to secure future fisheries, said the Danish Fishermens Association (DFPO) chairman Svend-Erik Andersen. The Association has set up a nephrops committee chaired by Claus Hjrne Pedersen, who is also chairman of the fishermens association in Strandby, one of the ports hit by the change in the nephrops market. The committees task is to monitor the situation and to stay in contact with fishermen and processors, and may propose regulation for the nephrops fishery. We have to stand together to tackle the crisis. Therefore the committee must work on ideas to ensure there is also a fishery and a market for nephrops after the corona crisis ends, said Claus Hjrne Pedersen. DFPO is in contact with the Ministry of the Environment and Food on the possibilities of regulating fishing for nephrops in the light of the corona crisis. On the positive side, the 2020 sandeel quotas for the Danish fleet are double their 2019 and fishing can start today (1st April). Sandeel fishing is important, both for Danish fishermen and for the Danish fishmeal industry. It is therefore pleasing that the quotas are now in place, so that fishing can start on 1st April. In particular, I am pleased to see that scientific advice has led to a doubling of the quotas said Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Mogens Jensen. This increase follows a lean year in 2019, and the indications are that there are real fishing opportunities off the coast of Jutland (Area 2r) and the UK coast (Area 4). As sandeel are a short-lived species, advice is issued relatively shortly before the fishery opens and this year ICES published its advice at the end of February and for Denmark this is a key fishery with 94% of the quotas. The quotas in 2019 for the Danish fleet were 106,000 tonnes and for this year the fleet has a 215,863 tonne quota. The sandeel fishery is one that could be seriously affected by Brexit, and the Danish Ministry for Food, Agriculture states that the government is working to secure an agreement that will continue to allow Danish fishermen access to UK waters. FiskerForum.com Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. 'Shehnaz' chronicles the life of a woman who survived domestic abuse, partition, familial estrangement, and what seemed like a glamorous life in Bombay long enough to live through love and companionship. The late yesteryear actress' daughter Sophia Naz speaks to Firstpost on how the book came about, tracing her mothers history, and the emotional cost of putting it all together. Shehnaz: A Tragic True Story of Royalty, Glamour and Heartbreak, chronicles the life of a woman who survived domestic abuse, partition, familial estrangement, and what seemed like a glamorous life in Bombay long enough to live through love and companionship. At one point on the cusp of being cast as Anarkali in K Asifs Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Shehnazs is a story of what could have been, but for a man in her life. Her daughter and author of the book Sophia Naz spoke to Firstpost on how the book came about, tracing her mothers history, and the emotional cost of putting it all together. The original article came out in Dawn. Could you tell us about the journey from that point to the book? Why did you want to write that article; what prompted you to? The idea of writing a book about my mother was something that I had wanted to do years ago, but had consigned to the back-burner. However, in 2018, Jahanzeb Hussain, my editor at Dawn, became intrigued by photos I had posted on social media, and commissioned the original article for Mothers Day. It went on to be one of the most popular articles published in Dawn that year, republished in Scroll and The Wire, and referenced in The Indian Express. Suddenly, my inbox was flooded with emails from women who said they or a loved one had a similar experience and urged me to write a book about my mothers life. It was also a time when the #MeToo movement became front and centre in the consciousness of many women. My friend, poet Linda Ashok, introduced me to the literary agent, Kanishka Gupta, who pitched my book proposal to Penguin, and before long I had a book deal. In the Dawn article, you did not name anyone. Were you until then, to an extent, being protective of this aspect of your life? Although I have revealed the painful details of the abuse my mother suffered in the book, I havent named her first husband or my half-siblings. This was a deliberate choice not only to protect the privacy of everyone concerned, but to keep the focus on the victim rather than the perpetrator. How does one go about 'researching' their own parents' lives? What did it tell you about your mother and the life she'd had away from your eyes, and around you? What makes that process difficult? For the most part, the source of knowledge about my mothers life were the anecdotes she had shared with me, as well as the diaries she kept. I was aware of the existence of her diaries had seen her writing in them. but had not read their content until after her death in 2012. Reading them was an especially traumatising experience. It's one thing to have your parent paint a picture of their life in broad brush-strokes, fleshing out an incident or a scene as they see fit, and completely another to read the agonising details of their mental and physical devastation at the hands of their spouse. Reading the diaries made me relive what happened to her from the perspective of a woman as well as that of a daughter. Aside from the source material generated by my mother, I focused my research on her closest confidants, both for corroboration for the material in the book, and for any insights and anecdotes they could recall. My research continued for over a year, making several trips to Bombay and Bhopal from California. In Bhopal, I had the good fortune of meeting Malik Sikandar, a historian who had amassed a vast trove of archival and anecdotal information about my family, and was unstinting in his generosity in sharing it with me. You mention repeatedly, that your mother had to 'keep up the appearances'. Why do you think she continued to do it? Apart from the fact that she didn't have any support from her birth family, there was also social conditioning I don't think one can discount the immense power of the norms that society instills in women. The so-called honour of individual males, family, clan and society in South Asia still resides in the bodies of women, and it will take a lot more struggle to dislodge this monstrous misplacement. Could you, through memory, outline the contrast in her life in Pakistan and Bombay? What would especially change for her, and what wouldn't? Her life in Bombay (very different from the city known as Mumbai today) was outwardly glamorous and inwardly hellish, while in Pakistan, except for the upheavals caused by the 1971 war, she led a placid domestic life with a happy second marriage. Like India, Pakistan is a big and varied country, and social life in a city like Karachi, particularly in the '60s and '70s, was quite cosmopolitan and similar to what she was accustomed to in Bombay, barring the celebrities. India, the land of her birth, would always be home for her though. Once, during her many crossings of the border, a customs official at Wagah asked her which country she preferred, Pakistan or India? Her reply was telling: "Pakistan is my sasural (in-laws' place) and India my maika (own home). While my mother had a deep sense of faith, she also missed the plurality of the India she grew up in, missed celebrating Holi and Diwali with her friends. Her inner life in Pakistan was defined to a great extent by the separation from her first born children, an old wound that would occasionally scab over, but never heal, and she would hide it in public. So in that sense, there was a kind of similarity in the dichotomy between the private and public spheres, but of course, there is a huge difference between being in a loving marriage while nursing an intractable wound of memory, and separation and the nightmare of abuse that she had fled. This story cannot be told without, perhaps, burning a few bridges further. Was that ever a question you grappled with? What led you to being decisive about it all? Those bridges were burned a long time ago, and not from my end. In the end, I overcame any residual reticence because I could not continue putting up a face about the erasure of my mothers story. In more ways than one, this is a MeToo story, told after its time. What does it offer the reader and at what personal cost have you poured yourself into it? Has it been worthwhile, and why? You are right in pointing out that at its heart, Shehnaz is a MeToo story, and I do situate it in the greater context of the MeToo movement at the conclusion. Shehnaz is one woman's difficult, but redemptive path in life. However, her struggle for self-determination also draws from her unique heritage Muslim women who ruled in their own right, and yet, is thoroughly modern in its desire for freedom from an overlord. Numerous historians have pointed to the rise in feminist thought in tandem with movements of political independence, and I do believe that my mothers struggle for agency, which began in pre-Partition India, is also in some ways a personal parallel to the momentous upheavals, which would follow. Dredging up all that had been buried for so long took a huge toll. At times, I would find myself shaking with anger; at other times, I would feel physically ill and unable to eat or sleep, but my predominant emotion was rage, rage that there was no possibility of redress for what had been inflicted on my mother. Yet, I do think that it was worthwhile because one woman's story, even though the details may be specific and unique gives voice to many others who may have had similar challenges and situations. Former Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges was caught drink driving with her four-year-old son, Axel, in the car on January 26. And on Wednesday, she delivered her first live television interview since pleading guilty on February 18. During an appearance on Sunrise, the 49-year-old fitness guru spoke quickly and barely took a breath while sharing her workout tips for people in self-isolation. Is everything OK? Michelle Bridges spoke quickly and appeared flustered on Wednesday during her first live TV interview since pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving in February In self-isolation at her Sydney home, Michelle put on a brave face as she discussed how families can stay healthy and active during the coronavirus pandemic. Sunrise hosts David 'Kochie' Koch and Natalie Barr could be heard trying to interrupt Michelle on several occasions but she wouldn't let them speak. She was likely trying to prevent them from asking any questions about her drink driving incident or recent split from Steve 'Commando' Willis. 'Couples to train together, stay together': In self-isolation at her Sydney home, Michelle put on a brave face as she discussed how families can stay active during the coronavirus pandemic Family ties: Michelle split from her longtime boyfriend, Steve Willis, in late December, but she didn't announce their break-up until weeks later after she was arrested for drink driving with her four-year-old son, Axel, in the car Instead, she spoke about something far less interesting: her 12 Week Transformation workout program. At one stage, she said: 'The couples to train together, stay together.' It was a rather unfortunate choice of words considering her recent break-up with ex-Army sergeant Steve, whom she met in 2007 on set of The Biggest Loser. The couple parted ways in late December, but Michelle didn't announce their split until weeks later after she was arrested for drink driving with her four-year-old son in the car. Error of judgement: On January 26, Michelle was pulled over in her Range Rover at about 11:25am in Bellevue Hill, Sydney, while on her way to the beach with Axel. She had spent the night before drinking with friends and returned a positive blood alcohol reading of 0.086 Michelle revealed for the first time on Sunday what really happened the day she was charged, admitting she'd made a 'poor decision'. She told Stellar magazine she had been drinking with girlfriends the night before and was over the limit the following morning when she drove Axel to the beach. The fitness instructor added: 'Privately I was going through a pretty stressful time on a personal level, coming to terms with my relationship breakdown.' Split: After she was charged on January 26, Michelle released a statement claiming she was going through a 'very difficult time' following her split from Steve. Pictured on July 15, 2017 Michelle was pulled over in her Range Rover at about 11:25am in Bellevue Hill on January 26 (Australia Day), with Axel in the backseat. She returned a positive blood alcohol reading of 0.086 and was charged with mid-range drink driving. On February 18, the TV personality was fined $750 and had her licence disqualified for three months after pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving. Guilty: On February 18, Michelle was fined $750 and had her licence disqualified for three months after pleading guilty to drink driving. She said afterwards: 'I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep remorse [over] this incident.' Pictured outside Waverley Court She had tried to avoid a conviction by hiring a high-profile defence barrister, but wasn't granted any leniency by the judge. Afterwards, a tearful Michelle said outside Waverley Court: 'I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep remorse, shame and humiliation [over] this incident and extreme lack of judgment. As of Wednesday morning, there are 4,762 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 20 deaths. LUDLOW Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi announced on Wednesday that he has ordered all staff and inmates at the mens and womens jails to wear protective face masks at all times to lessen the chance of the coronavirus taking hold within the inmate population. The move, called a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, was put in place as of 3 p.m. Monday after Cocchi met with his medical staff. The order will remain in place until the COVID-19 emergency passes. It applies to the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow and the Western Massachusetts Regional Womens Correctional Center in Chicopee. The decision was made based on the latest reports that people carrying the coronavirus can still pass it on to others while not presenting any symptoms. The order was put in place roughly three hours after Cocchi and Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni conducted a press conference outside the main gate of the Ludlow jail. Cocchi and Gulluni spoke against calls to release inmates to keep the jails from becoming infected. A number of groups, including the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Committee for Public Counsel Services, have called on state Supreme Judicial Courts to release nonviolent offenders and pretrial detainees who are at risk of exposure. Cocchi said screening at all Sheriffs Department facilities has been successful in keeping COVID-19 outside the main gate. He said inmates were safer from coronavirus inside the jail than they would be outside. Everyone is cooperating with my directive and the climate in our institutions is extremely positive at the moment, Cocchi said in a statement about the mask order Wednesday. People feel safer because of this and the other visible efforts weve taken to ensure no staff or new inmate brings the virus into our facilities. Employees and correctional officers are to wear masks at all times. Employees who work in high-risk areas are being issued N95 masks, which offer higher protection. Inmates are to wear a mask once they step out of their cells. All inmates will be issued two masks, and Cocchi said he is working on supplying each with a third. Inmates will be allowed to remove the mask while they eat, of course, but they will be required to spread out when they sit down for meals in the mess hall. Sheriffs Department facilities, as of Wednesday morning, have had no inmates test positive for COVID-19. There have been three cases where employees tested positive. They were sent home to monitor for symptoms as a precaution. So far, none has developed any symptoms. The areas where they worked were also sanitized. None of the employees were correctional officers, who tend to interact the most with inmates. Hampden County Sheriff's Department staff wear protective masks while on duty at the House of Corrections in Ludlow. K-9s are exempt. (Mark M. Murray / Hampden County Sheriff's Department) The mask requirement is the latest in a series of precautions enacted at the jails since the emergency began. Visitation at the jails has been stopped, and all employees still working at jail facilities are screened each day before they are allowed to enter. Anyone presenting symptoms is sent home and told to see their doctor. Until Monday, the only people required to wear masks were new inmates just dropped off at the jail. New inmates were being kept isolated from the main population for 14 days to determine if they had been exposed. Masks at the mens and womens jails are being made in-house by inmates working in the York Street Industries vocational program that prepares inmates for employment after release. The program has produced more than 9,000 masks, which is enough for the inmate population. It has begun supplying masks and gowns to area medical personnel and first responders, and Cocchi said the immediate goal is to make enough to distribute to county jails across the state. Cocchi said that, earlier this week, he went to each living area in each jail to provide an update to inmates about the pandemic and how the Sheriffs Department is trying to contain it. I am not naive to believe that we will not have a case pop up in our facilities. Jails are a direct reflection of our communities, Cocchi said. However, we have a very strong prevention plan that is working, and as we continue to receive new people into our facility every day, the likelihood that someone will enter with the virus is always present." Related Content By Matthew Kearnes, Professor, Environment & Society, School of Humanities and Languages, UNSW Museum Victoria Public health messages about COVID-19 have been inconsistent and changed rapidly. Many have called for a unified source of expertise to guide responses to the crisis. However, with the federal, state and local governments, as well as international bodies, offering different advice, it is no simple task to listen to the experts. In uncertain situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, biomedical and public health experts contribute facts and their own judgements about risk to our collective thinking and decision making. The public also have important contributions to make. In response to the spread of coronavirus, community groups are setting out to care for elderly neighbours. People are remembering the importance of nurturing community connections and developing an understanding of the structural burdens placed on women in times of crisis. Alongside traditional kinds of expertise, this kind of real time expertise and leadership at the local scale will be invaluable in coming weeks and months. Read more: Uncertain? Many questions but no clear answers? Welcome to the mind of a scientist Expertise is political Expert judgements dont exist in a vacuum. They arise from specific social and political contexts. To understand them, we need to acknowledge the tacit assumptions embedded within expert knowledge claims, especially assumptions concerning how publics respond to expert advice. In recent weeks there has been much debate about the federal governmentss decision to keep schools open, which has only been made more uncertain by disagreements between experts over the role of schools in the transmission of COVID-19. Similarly, in the Ruby Princess debacle, different governments and agencies have attempted to blame each other and drawn on expert knowledge claims to justify their actions. These examples demonstrate how expertise is entangled with questions of political judgement and anticipated societal responses. For publics, it can be hard to distinguish between health experts working for the government and those criticising the government. Experts tend to look alike, sound alike, and advise alike, leaving publics to navigate the cacophony. In this situation, deciding which experts to listen to can become a nearly impossible task. Little wonder many people have been slow to change their behaviour. Understanding public responses As recently as two months ago, during Australias catastrophic bushfire season, publics were seen as resourceful and resilient. That image has quickly been replaced by a characterisation as vulnerable, easily spooked, and panicking in the face of uncertainty. However, we can understand buying food, cleaning products, face masks, toiletries, and medication for asthma and fevers as reasonable responses to questions that experts themselves are trying to address in real time. For example, medical anthropologist Christos Lynteris has argued that face mask buying sprees are a reminder we should think of epidemics not simply as biological events but also as social processes. Read more: Stocking up to prepare for a crisis isn't 'panic buying'. It's actually a pretty rational choice Science studies scholar Brian Wynne has said the idea of public trust in expertise is too simple. The relationship between publics and experts is complex and ambivalent, he argues, and qualified by the experience of dependency, possible alienation, and lack of agency. Public responses to COVID-19 are not as simple as a mass panic, but they signal something more worrying. The public lacks confidence in public health infrastructure and its ability to contain the virus. Toilet paper panic is the response of a population for whom expert advice is one factor among many that affect their feelings of security and wellbeing. For experts seeking to contribute to public decision making, researchers have empirically demonstrated the productive value of collaborative approaches. For example, sociologist Steven Epstein has documented how collaborations between researchers and broader lay experts during the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the 1990s played a key role in the public health response to the disease. Engaging public expertise, even in times of crisis But how do we achieve meaningful engagement between publics and experts? Broadening our understanding of expertise would be a start. Expertise might include the outpouring of creative expression prompted by COVID-19, or the surge in creation of mutual support groups. Likewise, efforts to translate health warnings are essential for engaging vulnerable communities. These networks of varied expertise are likely to prove invaluable when existing governance is over-stretched or breaks down. Diverse, diffuse, and local initiatives are likely to continue during periods of chaos, with the added advantage of feeding further expertise from the ground back into the knowledge system. The need for a diversity of expertise is already being recognised in responses to COVID-19. The WHO recommends risk communication strategies should promote a two-way dialogue with communities, the public and other stakeholders. The ABCs Coronacast podcast is one such two-way channel that responds to public concerns and questions. Scientists are also seeking volunteer researchers in the effort to address COVID-19, and many viral social media threads sharing notes on patients experience of triage and care have been important sources of information for healthcare workers. Attending to the dynamism and diversity of expertise does not diminish its invaluable roles in society. Understanding that the crisis of COVID-19 is also a social one should raise questions of how our traditional reliance on expert advice relegates local expertise to the sidelines. It is critical that we recognise how local expertise is filling the gaps in government policies and expert advice, and is likely to continue to do so in crises such as the recent bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. We have an opportunity to appreciate that community responses are characterised by their own expertise. We ought also to listen to those experts. Matthew Kearnes receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Brian Robert Cook receives funding from The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Declan Kuch receives funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Australian Research Council. Joan Leach receives funding from The Australian Research Council. Niamh Stephenson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Rachel A. Ankeny receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Sujatha Raman is a member of the CSIRO-ANU joint-funded research collaboration in responsible innovation. She has received funding in the past from the UK Leverhulme Trust and UK research councils (ESRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, NERC). Originally published in The Conversation. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., on Monday joined the fast-growing list of jurisdictions mandating their residents to remain at home as much as possible to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Despite its large population of seniors, who are most susceptible to the harshest effects of COVID-19, Florida continues to resist calls to follow suit on a statewide basis, although it has imposed some limitations. On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis directed people living in the southeast part of the state to shelter in place. At least 30 states have such orders in place, although they go by different namesoften shelter in place or stay at homeand they have exceptions for essential tasks such as grocery shopping, visiting a doctor and exercising, as well as some jobs deemed critical. Altogether, approximately 250 million Americansabout 75% of the countryhave been told to remain sheltered and, when engaged in essential activities, maintain at least six feet of distance from those who are not members of their immediate household. Here's what the new orders look like in each state as of Monday: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has tried to straddle the line between ordering and encouraging the state's residents: "These are uncertain times, for sure. So now, and for the foreseeable future, please, please consider staying safe at home," she said in a March 30 video. Alabama's largest city, Birmingham, has mandated residents to stay at home, but so far there's no statewide directive. Alaska The Last Frontier on March 27 implemented what it's calling a "social distancing" mandate, which is similar to a shelter-in-place order. Gov. Mike Dunleavy directed residents to stay at home and banned most travel within the state. "We crossed a line today for Alaska," Dunleavy said after the state's first death linked to the coronavirus. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected" order, announced March 30, was set to go into effect the next day at 5 p.m. and extend until April 30. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has directed residents not to gather in groups larger than 10 but has not forced them to stay in. "I do not want to go to a shelter-in-place environment," Hutchinson said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a statewide shelter-in-place order on March 19, and identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors to remain openincluding those providing food, health care and energy. "This is a dynamic situation," Newsom said. "I don't expect this to be many, many months, but for the time being, we are recognizing the next eight weeks" as especially important. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on March 25 issued a statewide stay-at-home order that went into effect the next morning and will run until April 11. The order stipulates that Coloradans should leave their homes only for "critical activities." "Now is the time to stay at home," Polis said. "You have the chance to be a hero and save thousands of lives by staying at home. The lives of many Coloradans hinge on your ability to be able to stay at home for the next couple weeks to the most of your ability ... Now is not the time to die." Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced an executive order March 20 that directed all nonessential businesses and not-for-profit entities to prohibit all in-person functions if possible. The order excludes essential business, such as health care, food service, law enforcement and similar critical services. The order recommended that people maintain social distancing, limit outdoor recreational activities to non-contact and limit the use of public transportation, among other items. Delaware Gov. John Carney ordered residents of The First State to stay at home and closed nonessential businesses in the state, effective March 24. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Safer at Home" order applies to Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, and extends until April 15. Nearly 60% of the state's cases of coronavirus have been concentrated in those four counties. Other counties have issued their own orders, and some of the state's beaches have closed their parking lots to discourage large gatherings. Georgia The city of Atlanta and Cobb and Gwinnett counties have ordered residents to stay home, but Gov. Brian Kemp has not done so on a statewide basis. Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a stay-at-home order March 23 that went into effect two days later, prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people. The order will be effective through April 30. Residents can leave home "only for essential activities or to engage in the essential businesses and operations." As long as social distancing is practiced, "ocean activities such as surfing and swimming" are also exempted. Idaho Gov. Brad Little on March 25 signed an "Order to Self-Isolate" that became effective immediately and will run for three weeks. The order exempts residents who need to leave for essential activities. Little also signed an "extreme emergency declaration" and mobilized the Idaho National Guard "to support civil authorities and local jurisdictions." Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a "stay-at-home" order March 20 that began the following day and will last until at least April 7. All nonessential businesses must close, and all people who can work from home must do so, Pritzker said. All Illinois schools will stay closed until at least April 8. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the order "is not a lockdown or martial law." Pharmacies, grocery stores, clinics and airports remain open and garbage is being collected. Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb told state residents on March 23 to stay at home until at least April 7, asking "Hoosiers to hunker down" in an executive order. The order gives Indiana State Police and local law enforcement the authority to enforce violations. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has not mandated that Iowans stay home, saying an informal guidance that they do so is "equivalent" to an order, although it does not have law-enforcement power. Kansas After citing models that predicted a possible increase of local cases in Kansas to 900 over the following week, Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive "stay home" order March 28. The order became effective March 30 and will run until April 19. It allows Kansans to leave their homes for essential activities. "I know this is hard, and I can't tell you how much I wish it weren't necessary," Kelly said. "But we have a small window to ensure that Kansas does not suffer the same terrible fate of other hard-hit states like New York and Missouri." Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on March 25 signed an order encouraging residents to remain "Healthy at Home," which he later said amounts to a directive to remain in the house except for essential activities. While many medical facilities have complied with a request to cease elective procedures, it became a mandate starting Monday. He further tightened restrictions, and on March 30 signed an executive order telling Kentuckians they cannot travel outside the state with a few exceptions. If they do, they'll need to self-quarantine for 14 days. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide stay-at-home order March 22 for nonessential workers and businesses. The order went into effect the next day. All public schools and many businesses, such as bars and gyms, were already closed by previous executive orders, but the order expanded the closures.On March 30, he extended the order through at least April 30. Maine The state's largest city, Portland, ordered residents to stay home starting March 25, but Gov. Janet Mills has not. She did ban gatherings of more than 10 and mandated that most nonessential businesses close. Maryland As part of a virtual shutdown of the capital region, which has a population of 15 million, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tightened restrictions in ordering residents to stay home. Maryland is grappling with a major outbreak in one of its nursing homes. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on March 23 announced a stay-at-home advisory for all unnecessary activities. The order will run until April 7. "We're asking everyone to use their common sense, think about the impact this virus is having on the sick and elderly, and to limit their interactions with other people," Baker said. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 23 signed a "Stay Home, Stay Safe" executive order that runs through April 13. Violating the order is a criminal misdemeanor and could bring fines and also result in businesses being shut down. "I know this will be hard, but it will be temporary," Whitmer said. "If we all come together, get serious, and do our part by staying home, we can stay safe and save lives." Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order March 25 that directs residents to stay in their homes and limit movement to essential activities. It runs until April 10 at 5 p.m. The order was based on models released by the Minnesota Department of Health and University of Minnesota that predicted more than 70,000 residents could die if no action was taken. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted on March 29: "This is a deadly disease that we all must take seriously. Stay at home. Follow our rules against gatherings. More news tomorrow. Stay safe." So far, however, there are no mandates for state residents to stay home. Missouri On March 21, Missouri's two largest cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, issued stay-at-home orders. Several counties have done the same, but Gov. Mike Parson has not taken statewide action. "This situation will only get worse, much worse, if we don't act right now," Mayor Lyda Krewson of St. Louis said. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock issued an order March 26 that went into effect two days later, directing residents to stay at home and closing nonessential businesses. "I'd rather be accused of overreacting than having a health care system overwhelmed and unable to help our most-at-risk Montanans when they need it the most," Bullock said. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said the state has been proactive in responding to the coronavirus pandemic and does not need to order residents to stay at home. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a public directive March 24 that prohibits gatherings of 10 or more people. The directive does not, however, prohibit people from leaving their homes, as long as social distancing is practiced. "This is not to prevent your household members from going for a walk," Sisolak said. "If you live inside together, you can be outside together." New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu released an emergency order on March 27 mandating the closure of all nonessential businesses and requiring Granite Staters to stay home. The order is expected to be in place until May 4. The state saw its first death from the virus just days before Sununu's order. New Jersey On March 21, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered residents to stay at home. He also canceled gatherings of any number, including parties, weddings and religious ceremonies. "We have to change our behaviors," Murphy said, adding the restrictions would not change "anytime soon" and could continue for weeks or months. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a public health order Monday that calls for nonessential businesses to be closed until at least April 10. The order said residents "should stay at home and undertake only those outings absolutely necessary for their health, safety or welfare." The order also prohibits gatherings of more than four people. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced March 20 that all New York residents must stay home "to the maximum extent possible." Cuomo called the order the "New York State on PAUSE" plan, and it bans all nonessential gatherings of individuals "of any size for any reason." Residents can leave their homes for solitary exercise or to obtain essential services or items, including trips to the grocery stores. North Carolina After some counties mandated that their residents stay home, Gov. Roy Cooper extended the order statewide on March 27. Calling the decision "a matter of life or death," Cooper said the order will extend until April 29. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum shut down all nonessential businesses but has not ordered residents to stay in the house: "It's not about staying home, it's about avoiding contact," Burgum said. Most Indian reservations in the state have either imposed curfews or stay-at-home orders. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine imposed a mandate for Ohio's residents to stay at home, an order that went into effect March 23. The order will last until at least April 6 and will be reassessed as necessary, DeWine said. The order can be enforced by local health and law enforcement departments, the governor said. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's "Safer at Home" order only applies to elderly people and those with immuno-deficiencies. However, mandates by the cities of Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman apply to all their residents. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told residents on March 20 to stay home, calling the directive "both an order and a public awareness campaign." "I am directing Oregonians tonight to stay home to stay healthy. Social distancing done well and done early can save lives," Brown said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said on Twitter: "This is not a lockdown. This is a 'stay at home unless it's absolutely necessary to go out' order." Pennsylvania On March 23, Gov. Tom Wolf issued stay-at-home orders for seven counties in Pennsylvania that have been hit hardest, including the areas surrounding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, its two largest cities. Philadelphia, Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe and Montgomery are the affected counties. On his verified Twitter account, Wolf wrote that "residents must stay home unless someone's life depends on leaving." Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo on March 28 ordered residents to stay at home until April 13, with some exceptions. Her order also restricts gatherings to no more than five people and requires two-week quarantines of visitors from other states. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order that grants law enforcement the authority to ban or disperse public gatherings of more than three people. "We must all assume we have the virus and we must all assume the people we are talking to have the virus," McMaster said. While urging people to stay home, McMaster added on his verified Twitter account that "this is not a shelter-in-place order but another measure aimed at containing the virus by controlling crowds, so that we do not have to shelter in place." South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has not imposed severe restrictions, but several cities and counties have taken action, including Sioux Falls and Huron. Noem has said she does not believe some of the limits applied to cities work well in smaller towns. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on March 30 followed the lead of the mayors of cities like Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville and issued a "Safer at Home" order that imposes restrictions on residents' movement and requires nonessential businesses close. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has left decisions on stay-at-home restrictions to local governments rather than issuing a statewide edict. The most populous counties in the state have taken action, directing their residents to stay home. Among them: Dallas County, Harris Countywhich includes HoustonBexar Countywhich includes San Antonio, Collin County, El Paso County, Tarrant County, Austin and Hunt County. On March 29, Abbott expanded the state's mandatory self-quarantine order for travel from coronavirus hot spots, including noncommercial road travel out of Louisiana. The expanded order also includes travelers on flights from Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and anywhere in California and Washington state. Abbott's previous quarantine order applied to air travelers from airports in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans. Utah On March 29 with Utah's number of coronavirus cases up to 719, Salt Lake County ordered a number of businesses closed and told residents to only venture outside the home for "essential activities." There is no statewide mandate in place from Gov. Gary Herbert. Vermont An order by Gov. Phil Scott requiring that residents stay home went into effect March 25 and is expected to be extended past its current April 15 expiration date. "I need you to stay home," Scott said. "Doing so will save lives. It's just that simple." Virginia A week before joining forces with Maryland and Washington, D.C., in their stay-at-home decrees, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam had signed an executive order mandating all schools to be closed through the end of the academic year and many nonessential businesses to close for at least 30 days. The order also banned any public or private gatherings of 10 or more people. "I have said repeatedly, 'Stay at home unless it's essential that you go out,' " he said. Washington The Evergreen State became the first in the country to suffer an outbreak. On March 23, Gov. Jay Inslee signed an order that prohibits Washingtonians from leaving their homes except for essential tasks. "This is a human tragedy on a scale we cannot yet project," Inslee said. "It's time to hunker down in order to win this fight." West Virginia Though West Virginia was the last state in the U.S. to report a confirmed coronavirus case, Gov. Jim Justice issued a stay-at-home order March 23. The order also shut down all nonessential businesses and will last until a subsequent order terminates it. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a "Safer at Home" order March 24, banning all nonessential travel. "Issuing a 'Safer at Home' order isn't something I thought we'd have to do and it's not something I take lightly, but here's the bottom line: folks need to start taking this seriously," Evers said. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said March 30 he doesn't plan to order residents to stay at home, as the number of cases in the state climbed near 100. "If we're going to issue a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order, it will not have multiple exemptions. It will be a true stay-at-home order," said Gordon, who has shut down schools and several businesses through April 17. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 USA Today Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The count of COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh climbed to 86 on Wednesday with detection of 20 new cases, a Health official said, adding that eight of the total patients have recovered from the infection. He said the persons who have recovered will be discharged from hospitals after the 14-day quarantine period. "As on April 1, 86 coronavirus positive cases have been found in the state. The highest number of 63 COVID-19 patients are found in Indore," said State Health Department's Principal Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil. In a video statement issued in evening, Govil said the number of deaths in the state stood at six. "However, eight of the remaining patients have recovered and will be discharged after completion of the 14-day (quarantine) period in hospitals," she said, adding that the condition of all other COVID-19 patients is stable. The 20 new cases found on Wednesday included a 65-year-old man, who died in Khrgone three days back, who has been found positive to coronavirus. Rest 19 new cases are recorded from Indore. "As per the reports received from MGM Medical college laboratory, this 65-year-old resident of Dhargaon village had contracted coronavirus. He died three days back in Indore's MY hospital during treatment," Khargone Collector Gopalchandra Daad said. Of the total 86 COVID-19 cases, 63 patients are from Indore, eight from Jabalpur, six from Ujjain, four from Bhopal and two each in Shivpuri and Gwalior and one from Khargone, a health department official said. Indore, the industrial hub, has reported the highest number of 63 COVID-19 cases in the state so far, according to health department. Of the six deceased, three hailed from Indore, two from Ujjain and one from Khargone, the official added. Meanwhile, the state government has removed MP Health Department Commissioner Pratik Hajela, a 1995-batch IAS officer, on the charges of alleged dereliction of duty. In an order issued on Wednesday evening, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, a 1996-batch IAS officer, replaced Hajela, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GrocerKey provides a full stack retailer branded eCommerce platform built for independent and regional grocery chains, partnering with market leading retailers throughout the US & Canada. GrocerKey also provides full service solutions, including in-store labor to pick & pack orders for fulfillment. Last week Inc. magazine revealed that GrocerKey is No. 13 on its inaugural Inc. 5000 Series: Midwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Midwest economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Were honored to have GrocerKey listed among so many highly successful fellow Midwest startups and small businesses, says GrocerKey Founder & CEO Jeremy Neren. This is a testament to the hard work and sacrifice of our team in addition to the opportunity provided to us by our customers and partners. The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in the 12 Midwest states. Between 2016 and 2018, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 360 percent and, in 2018 alone, they employed more than 27,000 people and added $13 billion to the Midwests economy. Companies based in the Chicago, Detroit, and Cincinnati areas brought in the highest revenue overall. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Series: Midwest, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/inc5000-series-midwest-2020 starting March 25, 2020. The companies on this list demonstrate just how much the small-business sector impacts the economies of each Midwest state, says Inc. editor in chief Scott Omelianuk. Across every single industry, these businesses have posted revenue and growth rates that are beyond impressive, further proving the tenacity of their founders and CEOs. CONTACT: Jeremy Neren - (608) 698-3308, Jeremy@GrocerKey.com More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regional Series Methodology The 2020 Inc. 5000 Regional Series is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2018. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com. A Laois woman and her Offaly boyfriend have made it safely to Ireland after they feared they would be stranded in Melbourne after their flights were cancelled twice. Last week, Andrea Treacy, from Rathdowney and Colm Cahill from Birr were stranded in a hostel in Melbourne, having spent nearly 5,500 on flights home only to have them cancelled. The pair were working and travelling in Australia since last October and had been monitoring the Covid-19 situation in recent weeks. By St Patricks Day, the pair realised it was time to make a move home when friends messaged from all over the world to say their cities were in lockdown. Colm said last week that the situation for Irish visa holders was "extreme. Flights were being cancelled by the hour. In the past week, myself and my partner spent close to 5000 on two separate flights that were cancelled with no sign of a refund in the foreseeable future, he said. The pair were stranded in the hostel, having both lost their jobs, and had been in touch with the Irish Embassy and passed on their details. Colm then set up a Facebook group Get us home from Australia (Ireland), creating polls and helping people to source information. The first airline they booked with a cost of 800 each and they relaxed, believing they would be home this week. However, within hours, the airline cancelled the flight and said they would instead provide a travel voucher when it was feasible. Colm then said a lot of panic set in and some people paid large sums for flights. With his girlfriend, Andrea, he decided to wait a little while and looked at the option of renting a house. They then went to view houses but this was not an option because everybody was looking for a six-month lease, deposit and rent upfront and that was too expensive for the pair. They then booked another flight at a cost of 1,600 each. However, this flight was subsequently cancelled. Colm then set up the Facebook group while also writing to the Irish Embassy, saying with the current global situation I understand everybody is vulnerable and in need. The situation for Irish visa holders in Australia has gotten extreme. Thankfully, the couple secured seats on a Qatar flight from Melbourne on Monday last, March 30 after the Irish Embassy block-booked seats for Irish citizens. According to Colm, the flights were 1,740, bringing their total spend on flights to just under 8500. However, the pair were hopefully that some of the flights would be refunded at a later day. However, Colm was absolutely delighted to be home. The main thing, though is that we got back, he enthused. The pair are now doing their 14 days of isolation but Colm remains active on the Facebook group. There are still plenty of Irish in desperate situations reaching out daily for help as the situation in Australia gradually worsens with no sign of relief for visa holders. "Theres, unfortunately, a boatload of misleading information stating otherwise. This is one of the core reasons we are still putting so much time into the maintenance of the page daily, he said. The news from CoreLogic that residential property values continued to climb in March looks positive at first blush but a deeper delve shows signs are starting to emerge that this market is running out of steam - and fast. The bottom line is that all bets are off when it comes to predicting what will happen to house values over the coming year. Until a month ago economists were looking for gains of between 5 and 10 per cent in values this year. At best this will evaporate. At worst prices could fall 20 per cent, according to AMP chief economist Shane Oliver. House prices are under threat from the pandemic. Credit:AAP Halfway through March the growth rates in values halved - an ominous harbinger. This probably reflected a fall in demand as confidence from would-be buyers didnt just slump, it evaporated. The bans imposed on live auctions and restrictions on inspections are a bit of a side issue given most properties are sold by private treaty. The bigger dilemma for estimating home values is that the falling number of transactions makes it difficult to assess what is really happening to house prices - the market is not deep enough to provide real statistical evidence. And property markets tend to lag real-time because there is a longer settlement period on transactions. So there are simply not enough data points between the full coronavirus onslaught and now. As coronavirus cases continue to soar in and around New York, doctors, nurses and others on the front lines say their supplies of medical-grade N95 and surgical masks are rapidly dwindling, with the worst of the epidemic yet to come. Hospitals in New York and other coronavirus hot spots are running in short supply of N95 masks, said Richard E. Peltier, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Hospitals have been conserving masks or reusing them to make them last. So were playing a game of roulette, Mr. Peltier said. N95 masks are in acute demand among medical providers because they provide a tight fit and help prevent a person from inhaling small, airborne infectious particles. Last week, some N95 masks that are primarily intended for use in industrial settings, such as construction, were temporarily approved for medical use by the F.D.A. Surgical masks fit more loosely, but prevent the wearer from spreading droplets when coughing or sneezing. Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others are considering whether to recommend that people cover their faces in public, there is growing concern that people will start using medical masks when a scarf, kerchief or bandanna would be sufficient. World-renowned virologist Gita Ramjee has become the first Indian-origin South African to have died after contracting the novel coronavirus that has killed five people in the country. Ramjee, a stellar vaccine scientist and an HIV prevention research leader, had returned from London a week ago but reportedly showed no symptoms of COVID-19. Ramjee, aged nearly 50 years, was the Clinical Trials Unit Principal Investigator and Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) offices in Durban. "We are deeply saddened to inform you of the tragic passing of Prof Gita Ramjee in hospital today," said a statement issued by SAMRC President and CEO Glenda Gray. "Prof Ramjee died of COVID-19 related complications," Gray added. In 2018, Ramjee was presented with the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in Lisbon by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP) for her lifetime commitment to finding new HIV prevention methods, which are conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women are faced with. "This award is an acknowledgement of the unwavering determination by a global community to forever change the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," she had said at the time. "Professor Gita Ramjee is a towering HIV prevention research leader whose work continues to contribute immensely to the global response to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Gray had said after the Indian-origin scientist received the award. Ramjee was married to pharmacist Pravin Ramjee, a South African of Indian descent. Her funeral arrangements have not been announced. Attendance at funerals in South Africa is highly restricted and requires permits as the country is going through a 21-day nationwide lockdown announced last week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Five South Africans have died from COVID-19 since Sunday, the third day of the lockdown. Over 13,50 cases have been reported in the country so far. The South African government on Tuesday announced that it will double to 10,000 the teams going door-to-door to test people for COVID-19, mainly in the overcrowded Black townships created during the apartheid era. On Sunday evening, in a national broadcast, Ramaphosa cautioned thousands of South Africans who have not been taking the lockdown seriously. The death toll from the rapidly-spreading coronavirus pandemic has risen to 41,654 and over 850,580 people have been infected by the deadly virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) These prisoners will be under constant watch of jail authorities and will be tracked on a daily basis by special committees to ensure that they do not escape. (PTI) Visakhapatnam: The Andhra Pradesh prison department has begun releasing prisoners on interim bail and emergency parole following the Supreme Courts suggestion on March 23 that states may consider releasing those facing jail term of seven years and below to decongest jails in view of spreading coronavirus. In the first phase, 74 prisoners, including seven women, were released from the Central Jail in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday evening. Of them 53 were undertrial prisoners and 21 convicts. All the seven women are undertrial prisoners. The central jail has 1,350 inmates as on date. Giving a break up, the jail authorities said among the undertrial prisoners, 47 were from Visakhapatnam district, two each from Vizianagaram and Srikakulam and one from East Godavari. Of the convicted prisoners, 15 were from Visakhapatnam, five from Vizianagaram and one from Srikakulam. The prisoners were released in the presence of seventh additional metropolitan magistrate Jagadish Kumar and central jail superintendent S Rahul. Only petty offenders were released as per the directions of the judge who went to the prison and decided on who should be released, said IG of prisons G. Jayavardhan. However, no ganja smuggler was given parole, he added. The Vizag jail has around 600 ganja smugglers comprising half of the capacity and they hail from different parts of the country. Andhra Pradesh has four central prisons located at Vizag, Rajahmundry, Nellore and Kadapa. All central prisons hold over 4,200 prisoners (both male and female and convicts and under-trials). These prisoners, however, will be under constant watch of jail authorities and will be tracked on a daily basis by special committees to ensure that they do not escape. Telangana government is yet to form a committee to release the prisoners. Maharashtra and UP have announced the release of 11,000 prisoners each, West Bengal and Delhi have announced the release of 3,000 prisoners each. Punjab is set to release over 6,000 prisoners. According to a report from Kakinada, as many as 73 remand prisoners were granted bail in East and West Godavari districts, out of which 17 were already released on Monday. The remaining 55 will be released on Wednesday. Central jail superintendent of Rajahmundry, Srirama Rajarao said that the prisoners should again come to jail, after the expiry of their bail. He said that all arrangements were made to release them on April 1. Meanwhile, East Godavari sub-jails officer Mr Tirupal said that already 17 prisoners were released from Kakinada (2), Prathipadu (6) and Tuni (2) jails. West Godavari sub-jails officer Mr S. Kishore Kumar said that seven prisoners were released from Tanuku (4) and Narsapuram (3) jails. Three remand prisoners walked out of the Nellore jail on Tuesday. Superintendent of the prison Mr Ravi Kiran said there are 25 more eligible for the release provided they produce sureties. However many of them are from other districts and they are wary over securing the release since it is a herculean task to reach their hometowns in the backdrop of lockdown. Moreover they have to be in home isolation and also under the radar of police, Mr Ravi Kiran said pointing to the lukewarm response to the release offer. Thirty prisoners, including 16 convicted in various offences and 14 remand prisoners, were released on parole from the Kadapa central prison on Tuesday. The prisoners have been ordered to return to the jail by 25 or 26 of April. The Kadapa prison has more than 800 inmates, including 500 convicts and the remaining are remand prisoners. For Chef Thomas Zacharias, Chef Floyd Cardoz -- who sadly passed away last week after being infected by coronavirus -- was a partner, mentor, friend, colleague. And family. IMAGE: Chef Floyd Cardoz with Chef Thomas Zacharias. Photograph: Kind Courtesy Chef Thomas Zacharias With memories and anecdotes pouring in from across the world over the last few days, it is hard to ignore the countless lives that Chef Floyd must have touched deeply in his time. Whether you were his childhood buddy growing up in the bylanes of Bandra, a fellow classmate in Dadar Catering College, a line cook in the banquet kitchen at Taj Mahal Palace, perhaps even a teacher at Les Roches in Switzerland, where he studied hospitality management, or one of the many cooks honed in his kitchens at Lespinasse, Tabla, North End Grill, White Street or Paowalla, the chances are that he left a lasting impression on you. For a man whose life took him across various continents and with a career that spans close to four decades, I doubt I could do justice writing about his life before I knew him. So I'll keep this one personal. This is my Floyd story. Although I did spend three years in New York from 2007 to 2010, studying at the Culinary Institute of America first and then working at Le Bernardin (the Michelin-starred Manhattan French seafood restaurant), I never met Chef Floyd who'd already been a long-time resident of the city. Incidentally, my stint at Le Bernardin was in the same year that his magnum opus Tabla shut its doors. I had never eaten there and upon hearing the news of its closing, I decided to grab my last chance to try the place. I remember sliding onto a stool, at the casual Bread Bar, on the ground level of the restaurant, on a pleasant fall evening in late 2010. I couldn't quite afford the upstairs dining room on a line cook's salary in NYC and the Bread Bar was known to be more approachable and fun. To be completely honest, as a young, naive 24 year old cook sitting there, sifting through his menu, I didn't quite understand the food at Tabla. IMAGE: Floyd Cardoz at Tabla, New York, several years ago. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Floyd Cardoz/Facebook Chef Floyd's menu of Indian-inspired American fare, or was it the other way around, seemed alien to me. I was raw, unseasoned and brainwashed, like most other aspiring Indian chefs, into thinking that classic and modern Western cooking was the Holy Grail. Indian food wasn't worth indulging your career in, chimed peers and professors alike. I failed to recognise -- let alone appreciate -- the new language he had created for Indian food in mainstream restaurants. His philosophy involved adapting and evolving the cuisine, without taking away the integrity and soul of the source inspiration, not very different from the way food cooked in home kitchens across India had evolved over decades. My ignorance aside, it was indeed a mind-blowing meal although I didn't end up meeting him that night. Fast-forward four years to early 2014. I had just returned from a four-month long sabbatical, eating my way through Europe, to my sous chef job in a modern European restaurant in Mumbai. A trip, that was meant for inspiration, changed the course of my life, thanks to a moment of epiphany I had while dining at the world renowned Osteria Francescana (in Modena, Italy). Suddenly, in a moment of clarity, I knew I needed to shift my career focus towards Indian. Meanwhile, almost serendipitously, there were three gentlemen who were conspiring to open a modern Indian restaurant in Mumbai and needed an executive chef to helm the kitchen. The city was already abuzz with this upcoming restaurant's opening. 'A touted Indian chef from New York (we're not at liberty to reveal his identity) in partnership with restaurateurs Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage (they've set up places in Delhi and Singapore) is looking to open Tiffin Club here by August,' one article reported. IMAGE: Left to right: Chef Thomas Zacharias, Yash Bhanage, Sameer Seth and Chef Floyd Cardoz -- the team behind The Bombay Canteen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Thomas Zacharias The original inspiration for The Bombay Canteen came from the clubs and gymkhanas of a bygone era of Bombay, hence the first name idea of Tiffin Club. I had already put in a three-month resignation notice at my job when they approached me through a headhunter. Five minutes into my first conversation with Sameer, I was sold on his pitch. When I found out that the touted chef was Floyd Cardoz, I was a little intimidated. I had heard of Chef Floyd's reputation as being a tough, hard-to-impress industry stalwart and with my limited experience cooking Indian food professionally, I wasn't sure I even had a chance at bagging this role. But I so badly wanted it. I knew this would be my big break. I remember the first Skype interview I had with Chef Floyd in April 2014. Something about his demeanour made me feel instantly at ease. I wondered if the years had softened his rough edges. Or if people had just falsely assumed that he was tough. Our conversation was mostly casual, with no technical questions whatsoever. I remember being surprised to see the child-like sparkle in his eyes as he spoke about the potential of celebrating underrepresented regional Indian food through this restaurant we were about to open. IMAGE: Chef Thomas Zacharias and Chef Floyd Cardoz had a common passion, which was travelling to other countries and parts of India on culinary adventures. Left to right: Chef Thomas Zacharias, Chef Floyd Cardoz, Yash Bhanage, Sameer Seth, The Bombay Canteen partners. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Thomas Zacharias Over the next several months, the four of us business partners -- Floyd, Sameer, Yash and I -- spent a lot of time together, traveling, eating, recipe-testing and bouncing ideas off each other, for what was to materialise into The Bombay Canteen (central Mumbai). I even made a trip to New York, to spend some quality time with Floyd. While half of this visit was dedicated to his kitchen at White Street (Tribeca), to understand his operating style, it was the remaining time as his house guest that got us close. Not just did we test recipes in his home kitchen, but I also helped clean, walk his dog Shadow, and went out on grocery runs together. With this new role as executive chef of The Bombay Canteen, I was pretty much thrown in the deep end but Floyd was there as a guiding figure every step of the way to help me swim. In the years that followed, I got to know and understand this celebrated chef better, but also quite differently from how the rest of the world perceived him. Whether during our weekly update calls or on one of his quarterly trips to Mumbai, the four of us partners became a close-knit family. The way we conducted ourselves around each other was more like high school besties rather than business partners or colleagues. In spite of the age difference -- the three of us in our early 30s and Floyd in his late 50s -- it just felt so right. In fact, if anything, Floyd was always the mischievous teenager in the group, cracking jokes to lighten the mood or bursting with his contagious energy. IMAGE: Chef Floyd Cardoz at Paowalla, New York. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Floyd Cardoz and Paowalla, NYC/Instagram Chef Floyd was an emotionally expressive man who always wore his feelings on his sleeve. He could be really stubborn about things he believed in, but opinions around the table were always heard. He saw the bigger picture but also cherished the finer details. Despite living in a different continent, Floyd loved to be continuously cued in to what was happening at Hunger Inc in Bombay. In fact, he insisted on wanting to be a part of not just the bigger decisions, but also knowing the most trivial daily occurrences at the company. He was more proud of what we had achieved through The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and Bombay Sweet Shop than the remaining three of us combined, and always pointed out how we don't take enough credit for our laurels. Floyd and I have traveled together on food trips far and wide. From Goa to Portugal or Kolkata to Cochin -- culinary adventure was our common addiction. In November last year, I had the honour of cooking alongside him at the prestigious James Beard House in New York, an opportunity of a lifetime really. Soon after, we spent a whole week together presenting at the CIA Worlds of Flavor conference in Napa (California) spreading that same message of celebrating traditional Indian food. I was in awe of this man who showed no signs of fatigue talking up Indian food for nearly 25 years, and still continuing to sing praise of our country's rich cuisines, with the same vigour of someone who'd just discovered its potential. It's not often that you get to cook alongside a legend, and with our relationship maturing into a unique blend of friendship interspersed with mentorship, it was all the more memorable. That same week found us eating in some fantastic restaurants, downing wines at local vineyards, and just going on long beautiful drives in the countryside. I remember making a mental note that despite all the ups and downs in his life, Chef Floyd seemed so truly happy and content. What really took me by surprise on this West coast sojourn were the reactions he got wherever we went. I was aware that he was a well-known figure, but the respect, adulation and love he got, wherever we went, from local bakeries to high-end restaurants was nothing short of revelatory. I couldn't help but smile at what a legacy he had already left behind. IMAGE: The four partners at The Bombay Canteen are 'a close-knit family', says Chef Thomas Zacharias. Left to right: Chef Thomas Zacharias, Yash Bhanage, Sameer Seth and Chef Floyd Cardoz. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Thomas Zacharias. Floyd was deeply fond of teaching and mentorship, so it's only fair that I use this opportunity to talk about some of the lessons that I took away from him. Don't be a No person There will be multiple challenges and opportunities that are constantly thrown at you in life, and instead of turning them down immediately, analyze and introspect before making decisions. Keep your child-like wonder Because there is a lot more joy you can derive from the world than you would imagine. Stand up for what you believe in and be true to yourself He was a total no-bullshit kinda guy. Believe in the team 'Building a stronger team will make you stronger as a chef,' he'd once said. Moral values have their place everywhere Even in the kitchen. You can nurture people into cooking good food without being an asshole to them. Be the bigger person When people or situations turn against you. Balance Floyd was a vocal proponent of 'balance' in food, through textures and flavours, but he also demonstrated that in his personal life, leading by example and being as much a family man as he was a chef. IMAGE: Chef Floyd Cardoz with Chef Thomas Zacharias. Photograph: Kind courtesy Chef Thomas Zacharias On the night of his passing, after a few hours of delirious crying and screaming in the lone confines of my apartment, I walked into my kitchen, pulled out a stash of Goan choriz I'd been saving and just cooked freestyle. That was my way of coping, I guess. All our times together flashed before me, as I smelt the smokey goodness from the sausage filling up the room. I added some dried beans, onions, garlic, and bay leaves and it turned into a sort of delicious Southern American chili but with Goan choriz instead of meat mince. Topped with a couple of fried eggs and some braised poi saag I'd made earlier, this was my attempt at a tribute meal. Floyd would have loved this, I thought. It still hasn't fully sunken in for me that he is no more. Being someone who is terrible at grieving, I hark back to all the tough times Floyd has gone through in his own life. Just thinking of his resilience in times of adversity gives me some strength to at least begin to cope with this deep loss. A couple of days ago, a close friend pointed out that Chef Floyd and I shared a faint physical resemblance, like he could easily be someone from my family. It's hard to argue that in so many ways, because he truly was. This tribute first appeared on Chef Thomas Zacharias's personal site thomaszacharias.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 04:45:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A municipal worker disinfects the street to stop the spread of the COVID-19 in Cascais, Portugal, March 28, 2020. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua) The COVID-19 pandemic "represents a threat to everybody in the world and ... it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. UNITED NATIONS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic is the most challenging crisis since the Second World War as it represents a threat to everybody. The pandemic "represents a threat to everybody in the world and ... it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past," Guterres said at the virtual press launch of the UN report "Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19." "The combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is, indeed, the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War and the one that needs a stronger and more effective response that is only possible in solidarity if everybody comes together and if we forget political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake," the UN chief said. Noting that he has been in touch with world leaders about the pandemic, the secretary-general said that "there is a growing consciousness that we are in this together and we need to come out of it together." "The problem is how to create the practical ways to do so," said Guterres, noting that fast action is critical. "We are slowly moving in the right direction, but we need to speed up, and we need to do much more if we want to defeat the virus and if we want to support the people in need," he added. Saudi Arabia's hajj minister has asked Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage amid uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round "umrah" pilgrimage over fears of the new coronavirus spreading to Islam's holiest cities, an unprecedented move that raised uncertainty over the annual hajj. "Saudi Arabia is fully ready to serve pilgrims and umrah seekers," hajj minister Mohammad Benten told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya television on Tuesday. "But under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic... the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens and so we have asked our brother Muslims in all countries to wait before doing (hajj) contracts until the situation is clear." Saudi authorities are yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year's hajj, scheduled for the end of July. The pilgrimage - which last year attracted 2.5 million people - is a key revenue earner for the kingdom. But it could be a major source of contagion as it packs pilgrims closely in religious sites. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended prayers inside all its mosques except the two holiest sites in Islam as it increased efforts to contain the new coronavirus. The announcements risk riling fringe Muslim hardliners, for whom religion trumps health considerations. Saudi Arabia is scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home. The kingdom's health ministry has reported 1,563 coronavirus infections and 10 deaths from the illness so far. (Picture credit: AP) Click here to read the full article. Billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein knew a lot of powerful mens secrets, from princes to captains of industry and global political leaders. But he protected his own behind teams of powerful lawyers who battled up until his death last summer to keep the black box of his sordid world sealed shut. He and his lawyers presumed they could mute powerless underage female sex-abuse victims, and they succeeded until Florida attorney Bradley J. Edwards got involved in their case in 2008. Edwards eventually represented 20 of the women in a lawsuit against the government for its 2007 sweetheart deal with Epstein, a deal obtained in spite of overwhelming evidence that Epstein was engaged in systematic sex abuse and human trafficking. Palm Beach, Florida, police had evidence from dozens of teenage girls that Epstein preyed upon young, poor women, grooming them to participate in sex acts with him and other men. But Epsteins fleet of pricy lawyers, including Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and former Bill Clinton special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, wheedled a negotiated plea out of the justice system, in which Epstein got less than a year of local jail time, and was allowed to work from his Palm Bach mansion during the day. Edwards lawsuit and other pressure on the Department of Justice, including a scathing expose in the Miami Herald, ultimately led to a new investigation and Epsteins arrest as he stepped off his private jet on a New Jersey airport tarmac last year. More from Rolling Stone In his new book about the saga, Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Edwards, co-written with trial lawyer Brittany Henderson, shares insights into Epsteins psychology, strategies, and vast network of enablers, from lawyers like Dershowitz to his alleged procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell. (Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing.) Story continues Edwards talked to Rolling Stone from his office in Palm Beach about why he believes Epstein killed himself in jail, where Ghislaine Maxwell is, whether the investigation continues and will reveal any more famous mens names, and rumors that Epstein and Maxwell worked for U.S. or Israeli intelligence. Over the decade of depositions and discussions, you got to know Epstein as well as anyone. Can you describe his personality in a couple of sentences? He was always trying to take advantage of everyone, and willing to engage in whatever tactic could advantage him to manipulate everyone around him in order to maintain power. Does that make him kind of a sociopath, is there like a pathology there? Well, Im not a psychologist, but this one, I think is the easiest sociopath to identify. There is nobody who knew him, who believes he operated with a conscience at all. He clearly only cared about himself. And he was constantly trying to make everyone believe he cared only about everyone else. He is the definition of a sociopath. He dies in jail, and its ruled a suicide. A lot of people think that he didnt kill himself. Why do you believe that he did? Yeah, no doubt in my mind. His entire being was predicated on being the king and being in power and having control over everyone and everything at all times. Here is a guy who was a sex addict and of a particular type. He only engaged in sex acts with vulnerable people that he could control. The control and power was much more important to him than the sex. And whether the vulnerabilities that he was preying on was the young age of the victim, or the financial situation, or even the dancers and models of New York City who had a dream, and he could give them promises and then puppeteer the situation and manipulate them it was being able to control all of these people and using sex to demean them, degrade them, humiliate them, and further control them. In addition, he had all of these employees that he controlled with his money, and he basically roped them into this cult of recruiting other vulnerable people for him to manipulate through sex. Lastly, he doesnt care about any of these people, but he has these powerful people that are either well-known scientists, other world leaders, businessmen, people that are respected in society, the worlds most-respected people. And through his money and his other connections, hes able to control those people too. When he gets arrested, his entire life is taken from him. Hes no longer sitting on a jet, living the life of a billionaire that is engaging in these sex acts, three or four times a day. In fact, he goes from that overindulgence of sex to no sex. Once his bond is denied, his employees no longer fear him. He cant control them anymore. All of his powerful associates and associations begin turning on him. Whether its Les Wexner or President Trump or Bill Clinton, everybody starts distancing themselves and saying how terrible a guy he was. That part of his world caved in too. He went from somebody who had absolute control over literally everybody and everything at all times to having no control whatsoever and that was not a life that he was ever going to live. The only thing that he had left to control was himself. He was not going to be the one on the other end of being controlled and powerless. So he took his own life. Jeffrey Epstein Book [Find the Book Here] You said once bond was denied, employees no longer feared him. Did you know him to be violent? Or what was the fear factor? Jeffrey Epstein would weave into all of his conversations with me an element of fear. He would tell me, You know, Brad, you should stop prosecuting me or else somebody is going to get hurt. He would do it in a way that wasnt overtly intimidating, but there were only two people in the room. He was saying I was going to get hurt. Through talking with many of my clients, many of them, he would make clear how powerful he was, that he had friends in high places, and would often weave in how some of his powerful friends had done bad things to people how he could make people lose their jobs, lose their careers, and cause anyone who crossed him to suffer consequences. That was part of his natural way of dealing with everyone. There wasnt a single person that was ever around him, that I have ever encountered, who didnt leave that interaction in extraordinary fear, thinking, This is the last person on the universe that I want to cross. And would that include the very powerful people? Didnt he collect videotape of powerful men in flagrante delicto? Well, I think that thats always the suspicion, right? I dont know that theres ever been any confirmation that hes kept any video of any other powerful people doing any improper thing in his home. I never came across any videotapes, for instance, of that happening. I think that he would allude to it sometimes, too. But whether that was true or whether he was creating that illusion to kind of bolster his prominence, I really dont know. I think that its very fair to say all of the powerful people knew that he was well-connected and was not beneath using whatever information he had to embarrass others or compromise them or put them into a compromised situation. Where is Ghislaine Maxwell, to the best of your knowledge, and what is she up to? I dont know where Ghislaine is, but I know that she recently filed that lawsuit against the estate of Jeffrey Epstein in the Virgin Islands, asking for the estate to pay her attorney fees, in part so that she could remain in hiding. I think by her own admission, shes hiding. Where shes hiding? I dont know. Do you believe there is an active FBI investigation into Maxwell? I believe that its still an active ongoing investigation. The prosecutors in New York have done an exemplary job, but are really hamstrung by the way that the government treated Jeffrey Epstein the first time. What do you make of the rumors that Maxwell and Epstein worked for some intelligence agency? I did encounter at least one witness that gave me very believable, credible information that was startling, that gave me the clear impression that Jeffrey Epstein at least had direct contacts through intelligence agencies and that struck me as true. I didnt think that the witness had any motivation to make that up. And Ive had conversations with Epstein about the fact that at some point in time he was working with the government, with the U.S. government, to recover money that the government had been defrauded and that he was like a financial bounty hunter. Thats something that he told me personally. When you look at the allegations that [Ghislaines father] Robert Maxwell was associated with intelligence agencies, and its right after his death that Ghislaine meets Jeffrey Epstein, it would seem irresponsible to ignore all of those signs that seem to point to one or both of them having contacts with intelligence agencies, whether theyre associated or not. Which countrys intelligence agencies? It only looks to me like the United States and Israel. Do you think Maxwell and Epstein were running some kind of blackmail factory? Jeffrey Epstein had to be in absolute control of everything, so he had to know what everybody around him is doing at all times. So did he surveil all of the main females in his life? Absolutely. Did he have their passwords to get into their emails? I would have no doubt whatsoever. Did he have surveillance cameras set up at every aspect of his property that he also monitored when he needed to? Absolutely. Everything he could do so that he could know what all of the people around him were doing at all times, he did that. He really did micromanage this big chessboard of people, and it was only so that he could use anything that he could learn against them to further cause them to feel indebted to him and manipulate them for his own selfish purpose. Everything that he did revolved around control. The FBI seized a lot of evidence from Epsteins safe in Manhattan, including fake passports and diamonds. What other materials were taken from his properties, and will we ever see it? In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein was first caught, and I think that he destroyed a lot of the tapes and other evidence. Then from 2010 through the time he was arrested in 2019, he started accumulating other naked photographs of females that he had taken either by himself or by Ghislaine. And he kept those as trophies. I think similarly there are surveillance videos that were also kept as trophies, and that a lot of that, if not all of it, was confiscated in the raid of his New York mansion. I think that the FBI has all of his trophies of young females that he accumulated after the 2009, 2010 period. In a defamation case filed by one of the victims, Virginia Giuffre, against Ghislaine Maxwell for calling her a liar, the court publicly released hundreds of pages of documents the day before Epstein died, with new allegations involving Energy Secretary Bill Richardson and Sen. George Mitchell, for example. Many other famous men are believed to be battling in court right now to keep the rest of those documents redacted or sealed. How many more big names are in the Epstein case and still held confidentially? I do think that there is a need for everyone to be careful with this, because just because somebodys name is mentioned doesnt mean that they did anything wrong. But because of the public belief in terms of who Jeffrey Epstein is, there is this natural inclination to assume somebody is guilty just by mere association. Having been the lawyer in the case, I understand both sides. I think that it would be best if everything was released and people could see it for what it was. I really dont know how many other names or how many other documents are going to come out. But I think that the balancing test is tough. Do you think the victims got justice? The day that he was arrested was a day after a decade-long, constant, grueling battle, and they felt some sense of justice at that time. There was some closure. Jeffrey Epsteins last robbery of his victims was to take his own life, so that all that they had achieved by finally getting him in custody was once again stolen from them. Having watched this whole thing play out, how can the public be sure prosecutors dont do these sweetheart deals for rich predators in future? Through our case, we shed light on the illegal deal that was created for Jeffrey Epstein, which will make it nearly impossible for them to replicate. And weve increased the rights of victims under the Crime Victims Rights Act through that case, which will make it much more difficult for this to be replicated. So if weve accomplished anything, it is shedding light on this unbelievable injustice that happened so that it is not replicated again. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. [Find the Book Here] Best of Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Massachusetts lawmakers say a fourth COVID-19 relief package will be essential to help families, health care providers and small businesses impacted by the economic fallout of the deadly coronavirus, which has forced Americans to stay home and left members of Congress scrambling to find ways to legislate without meeting on Capitol Hill. President Donald Trump last week signed the a third bill responding to the outbreak, the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, providing most American taxpayers checks of at least $1,200; increased and expanded unemployment benefits; $500 billion in aid to distressed industries like airlines and other transit; and freeing up more than $350 billion for small business loans. But with the peak of the pandemics strain on the U.S. health care system fast approaching, according to health experts, the Massachusetts delegation in a conference call with reporters Wednesday said much more must be done. Rep. Richard Neal touted the CARES Acts one-time infusion of cash to help lower- and middle-income families and individuals get on with the day-to-day necessities of their lives amid the pandemic. But he said lawmakers are already discussing further check payments to Americans. It will likely be revisited again as we get to May, Neal said of direct payments. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, arguing theres more that needs to be done, said the $1,200 cash payment for which most Americans are eligible doesnt get you all that far in Massachusetts. Neal said the expansion of unemployment assistance in the package which expands eligibility and tacks on $600 weekly to what states typically pay over four months was a handsome benefit that is likely going to have to be extended. Rep. Jim McGovern said the CARES Act provided hundreds of millions of dollars to help people in need of emergency food assistance, as well as greater access to food at food banks, pantries and soup kitchens. But he argued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits must be expanded in the next package, noting that 40 million Americans dont know where their next meals are going to come from, a crisis that has been exacerbated by the virus. Weve addressed some of the issues but there is much more we need to do, he said. The average SNAP benefit is $1.40 per person per meal. But a lot of food pantries have been shut down and its more difficult for people to get access to food in the traditional places. Theyve got to go to supermarkets and we need to make sure they have the resources to put food on the table for their families. The bill also provided no assistance to the United States Postal Service or its workers directly, which must be corrected in future packages, Rep. Stephen Lynch said. The House of Representatives put up $25 billion for the postal service, Lynch said, but the Senate knocked the funding down to $6 billion and the Trump administration took it down to zero. Years ago, some postal workers died from inhaling anthrax, Lynch noted. Theyre continuing to deliver supplies and medicine today. And were coming up on the 2020 elections. Because of the crisis, well have to rely heavily on vote-by-mail protocol that the postal service must lead on, he argued. Kennedy, who along with other lawmakers pushed for the recent bill to include hundreds of millions of dollars for protective personal equipment for first responders, said more must be done to guarantee health coverage for Americans. He lamented the recent Trump administration decision not to reopen Affordable Care Act enrollment on HealthCare.gov to uninsured Americans for a special enrollment period during the pandemic. While COVID-19 testing might be free, treatment is not," Kennedy said. Many of you ... have talked to people whose loved ones are on ventilators, he said, citing a friends daughter whos been on one for over two weeks. The (hospital) bill is going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. It could bankrupt millions of Americans if they dont have access to health care. Rep. Katherine Clark and McGovern said lawmakers would have to find ways to meet and legislate while following social distancing guidelines that help prevent the virus from spreading. Both cited the need for transparency over spending in the CARES Act, the largest package in U.S. history. McGovern said it would be up to Congress to block any sweetheart deals." We cannot meet, like so many businesses across the country, as we would regularly, but that does not stop our responsibilities and oversight for this money, putting our appropriation bills together and moving forward on this next package and taking input from our members on it," Clark said. Were working on having caucus-wide conference calls, answering questions and getting peoples ideas. We are unsure when Congress might be coming back, but our responsibilities do not cease." McGovern said lawmakers were looking at various forms of technology out there that can facilitate hearings, and he noted that any changes to House rules allowing remote hearings and votes would require bipartisanship. Were working with Republicans to see if we can come to some common ground on how we proceed," he said. Its important we get this right. Were going to have to analyze what weve done to find out what is missing, what is not working as well, where are areas that have not been addressed." Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content RED BLUFF, Calif. - The Tehama County District Attorney's Office announced they are investigating Amazing Finds in Red Bluff after being tipped off the store had raised the price of N-95 masks after the Governor's Declaration of a State Emergency. "We are in the process of looking for more evidence like how many were sold, to whom, how long this has been going on, and things like that, so theres still work to be done before we make a decision," said District Attorney Matt Rogers. Investigators seized around 1,000 masks, along with records that showed the masks were priced at the nationwide average before Governor Gavin Newsom's Declaration of a State of Emergency. After the Declaration, the price increased by around 400%, according to the bureau. "We're on the lookout for this predatory behavior. We want to try and keep the peace at this time and we want people to be able to get the essentials they need without paying exorbitant prices," said Rogers. This is an on-going investigation and anyone who has purchased a mask online or in-store from Amazing Finds in the last six months is asked to call Investigator Supervisor Kevin Hale at (530) 529-3590. California law generally prohibits businesses from increasing the price of goods more than 10% during a declared state of emergency. "Frankly, were all in this together. Were all dealing with this emergency situation together. Its very tumultuous, we understand that. Theres a lot of fear, a lot of unrest, and thats why were here," said Rogers. Investigators said price gouging is uncommon here. "It's very uncommon. We got a couple of calls regarding price gouging during this declared state of [emergency] and quite frankly all but this [one] has been unfounded," said Rogers. Rogers said any business found guilty of price gouging can face up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Action News Now reached out to the owner of Amazing Finds, he has not commented yet. This is a developing story. London: A 13-year-old boy is the youngest person to have died from coronavirus in the UK. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, from Brixton, south London, who died at Kings College Hospital in London, is understood to be Britain's youngest victim. His family said that the boy was not known to have previous health conditions. He died on Monday with no relatives close by because of the lockdown measures. They said they were "beyond devastated" by the death of Ismail, who was taken to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties, tested positive for coronavirus and was put on a ventilator and into an induced coma before he died. In Belgium, a 12-year-old girl with coronavirus died, while Spain began to deploy troops to enforce its lockdown, as the country's death toll passed 8000. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-01 04:41:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran recorded 141 new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the death toll to 2,898; Meanwhile, Iraq praised China's contribution to its fight against the raging pandemic. Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, reported 3,111 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 44,606. So far, 14,656 patients in Iran have recovered from the novel coronavirus. Speaking at the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced the extension of social distancing plan for another week until April 8. In Turkey, the second hardest-hit country in the region, 2,704 new coronavirus cases and 46 new deaths were confirmed, bringing the tally of infections to 13,531 and the death toll to 214. A total of 243 patients have recovered from the virus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak during a phone conversation, Turkey's presidential office said. The two leaders decided to take the necessary steps to share the best practices, data and experiences to control the pandemic, it added. Israel reported 663 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,358 and the death toll to 20. "Significant progress" has been made in developing the vaccine and antibody for the novel coronavirus, Israel's Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Iraq's Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 65 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 694 and the death toll to 50. The Iraqi government decided to extend the nationwide curfew until April 19. In an interview with Iraqi TV channel al-Furat, Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi praised China's "unforgettable and historic" contribution to Iraq's fight against the coronavirus. A Chinese team of seven medical experts has been working with their Iraqi counterparts since March 7. A new lab built by the Chinese experts with the equipment donated by China, was inaugurated in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on March 25, to increase Iraq's testing capacity for the coronavirus. Palestine on Tuesday hailed China's experience in fighting the novel coronavirus as "exemplary," while thanking China for its support to the Palestinian fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. "China has become a leading example in medical relief for poor countries that have been hit by this virus," Palestinian government's spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem told reporters at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Saudi Arabia reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the kingdom's total confirmed cases to 1,563. Its death toll hit 10 after two deaths were added. In Cairo, Egypt announced 54 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, raising the total number of cases to 710 and the death toll to 46. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi described the current results of the precautionary measures taken by the country to prevent the COVID-19 spread as "good and reassuring." The United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed 53 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 664. One more death was reported, raising the death toll to six. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, said that the UAE government will inject new equity into the Emirates as a gesture of full support for the state-owned airline amid the coronavirus pandemic. Morocco reported 68 new cases and three more deaths from the coronavirus, raising the tally of infections to 602, of whom 36 have died. Kuwait reported 23 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 289. One more patient recovered from the coronavirus, raising the country's total number of recoveries to 73. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 17 to 463, of whom 12 have died and 35 have recovered. The Omani Ministry of Health announced 13 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 179, of whom 34 have recovered. Sudan's Health Ministry announced a new COVID-19 case, bringing the tally of infections in the country to seven. The Chinese Embassy in Sudan on Tuesday handed over 400,000 surgical masks donated to the Sudanese government to help the country combat the contagious disease. During a virtual meeting, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed on Tuesday on delivering a roadmap in response to the novel coronavirus, the G20 Saudi secretariat said. They also discussed the role of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and other international financial institutions to deploy all available resources and explore additional measures needed to support emerging markets and developing economies amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The officials welcomed the Word Bank's readiness to deploy as much as 160 billion U.S. dollars over the next 15 months to support its member countries to respond to the pandemic. On Friday, Mar. 27, President Donald Trump took what appeared to be bold, decisive action in the fight against the new coronavirus. Reaching for wartime powers under the Defense Production Act, Trump ordered the federal government to use any and all authority to force auto giant General Motors to produce ventilators, the life-saving medical devices desperately needed by patients and hospitals struggling to survive the fast-spreading COVID-19 respiratory illness. For good measure, Trump tweeted, General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! But if Trumps Friday performance conveyed urgency and action, four days later, neither is anywhere in evidence. Despite the tough talk and the invocation of presidential powers, Trump and his team by midday on Tuesday had yet to formally file a single order for a GM-made ventilator. While negotiations were ongoing, they had set no mandatory timeline for delivery of the machines, or even suggested a voluntary one. And they had not informed GM of what prices the federal government will pay for the machines under Trumps executive order. For its part, GM has continued following the plan to produce ventilators that it had discussed with the White House for weeks prior to Trumps order, a plan that was already well underway when he issued it, according to documents reviewed by TIME. The GM episode is just the latest in what has become a common Trump-led scene during the pandemics spread. As known U.S. cases skyrocketed from 98 to 177,300 over the last four weeks, Trump has made vocal public shows of action that in several cases have yielded few real results. On Mar. 13, he declared Google was building a website to help people find local coronavirus testing sites. Thus far, it has ended up being little more than a bare-bones, aggregational site with a series of links. That same day, he promised big box retailersWalgreens, Walmart and CVSwould roll out drive-thru testing sites in their parking lots, a notion that also hasnt fully materialized. Story continues Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking on this link, and please send any tips, leads, and stories to virus@time.com. Its not unusual for a president to use his position to project optimism and progress at times of crisis. FDR famously declared in 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression, that America demanded bold, persistent experimentation and that if a first effort failed to admit it frankly and try another. Trump aides claim that his efforts are spurring action and setting a positive tone at the top. But Republican and Democratic critics say Trumps approach appears to be less focused on solving the life and death problems that COVID-19 are imposing on Americans, than on the political challenges the disease is presenting to him. The GM case in particular brought together several political vulnerabilities for Trump. First, it was taking place in Michigan, a state he barely won in 2016, where Republicans fared poorly in the 2018 mid-terms and where Trump is currently trailing Joe Biden by 3 or more percentage points in several polls. More broadly, Trumps order came as he was under repeated criticism for not taking more action to help states in desperate need of assistance. They were getting a lot of pressure, says Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former Defense Department and CIA official who sponsored bipartisan legislation to require the president to implement the DPA to speed the production and distribution of supplies. As Trump continues to project action and accomplishment, COVID-19 cases continue to spike and so does the urgency of demand from mayors, governors and leaders around the world for ventilators. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 41,650 people across the globe, including more than 3,500 Americans. The sickest of those infected have severe inflammation in their lungs, which stiffens them, and makes it impossible to breathe without help from a ventilator. Some of these victims need the device for weeks at a time. Hospital staff say they are concerned about shortages of specialized equipment. If the system swells over capacity, doctors and nurses worry they may ultimately have to ration health care and decide who lives and who dies. Trumps medical advisors said Monday that even if everything goes perfectly the number of deaths in America could hit 240,000. Some at GM say it is unfair for the President to make them the bad guys. It felt like we were getting punched in the gut, says a long-time GM employee, who wasnt authorized to speak publicly on the matter. We did everything in our power to transition from building Tahoes to building ventilators without any guarantee of a federal contract. In any case, the companys officials say, theyre not waiting for direction from the federal government or anyone else. GM forged a deal with Seattle-area ventilator manufacturer Ventec Life Systems and already has begun retooling a factory to build thousands of them beginning next month. Were not waiting around for anyone to dictate what number of ventilators need to be made, says Chris Brooks, Ventecs chief strategy officer. Our north star has always been to make as many ventilators as possible, as quickly as possible, to arm front-line medical professionals with the tools they need to save lives. Work being done Monday, March 30, 2020 at the General Motors manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana, where GM and Ventec Life Systems are partnering to produce Ventec VOCSN critical care ventilators. | AJ Mast for General Motors GMs strategy to build ventilators began as the company was facing its own coronavirus crisis. Like other companies around the country, it was projecting dramatic contraction in demand for its cars as unemployment spiked and spending plummeted nationwide. At the same time, it needed to temporarily close plants to prevent the spread of the virus. On March 17, ten days before Trumps big announcement, and the day before GM announced it would shutter all of its North American factories due to coronavirus, GM CEO Mary Barra called White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow to discuss converting factory space for ventilator production. Kudlow and the White House turned to a newly formed organization of business leaders, called StopTheSpread.org, for help. The group is led by the former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and Rachel Carlson, founder of the online education firm Guild Education, who volunteered to help the Trump Administration in harnessing private industry. In exploratory phone calls with GM, the group discovered what the automaker needed was a medical device-making partner with a reputable product. StopTheSpread.org matched them up with Ventec, maker of a toaster-sized device known by its acronym, VOCSN (for ventilator, oxygen, cough, suction and nebulizer). On Mar. 18, the two companies held initial phone calls to discuss what could be done. The next day, GM chartered a late-night flight and four engineers, including Phil Kienle, manufacturing chief for North America, flew from Detroit to Seattle for face-to-face talks. The GM team spent the next three days at Ventecs headquarters in Bothell, Wash. examining machines that breathe life into immobilized people who cant do it on their own. They pored over blueprints illustrating where each of the devices 700 parts come together largely by hand. Images of the parts were handed to a GM purchasing agent see if suppliers could replicate the handiwork. We sourced literally hundreds of parts and components in just over a week, which is lighting speed, and we will begin production by mid-April, says Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing. From there, production will scale up to 10,000 or more per month very quickly. Next up were workers. GM called 1,000 workers to see if they were willing to come to work for the company on ventilators. Greg Wohlford, chairman of United Auto Workers Local 292, which represents the shuttered GM plant in Kokomo, Ind., told the Kokomo Tribune he was just waiting to hear about the training details. Its going to happen, were just trying to work out all the details, he said. But everybody is thrilled. Everyone is really excited. New manufacturing space was located in a 2.6 million square foot facility with clean rooms where small electronic components for cars are manufactured. Construction workers began tearing up carpet and knocking down partitions to make way for additional workstations. Cameras were installed to document the progress. All told, it took less than a week for GM to forge a partnership with Ventec, according to internal communications, travel logs and interviews with both companies officials. The companies produced a full set of manufacturing plans that leveraged union labor, industrial buying power and a worldwide chain of 700 suppliers. Ultimately, the companies claimed they would be able to produce up to 21,000 ventilators a month, if needed. On Mar. 23, GM and Ventec presented the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the strategy. The companies provided the administration with an itemized list that laid out how many ventilators could be produced, how quickly and at what cost, depending on the options the federal government selected, according to two officials involved in the contracting process. And then they waited to hear back. Four days later, they got their response. First, at 11:16 a.m. on March 27, Trump issued a series of tweets blasting GM and Barra. Then, later, at the White House, he elaborated. We dont want prices to be double, triple what they should be, he told reporters. So General Motors, well see what happens, but now theyre talking. But they werent talking the right way at the beginning, and that was not right to the country. GM pushed back in a public statement that said the companys commitment to the Ventec ventilator project has never wavered and that GM is contributing its resources at cost. Officials insisted nothing had changed in their schedule. As usual with this General Motors, things just never seem to work out. They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, very quickly. Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar. Always a mess with Mary B. Invoke P. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2020 In the days leading up to Trumps comments, governors and lawmakers from the hardest-hit states pleaded with him to use the DPA, a little-known Cold War-era law that enables the president to force businesses to accept and prioritize government contracts during natural disasters, terrorist attacks and other emergencies. Dwindling supplies of respirator masks, gowns, gloves and other basic protective equipment are pushing the nations front-line medical workers toward a breaking point. Politicians from both parties were convinced that using the statute could prevent counterproductive bidding wars that were breaking out across the country, as states competed with each other to acquire the same medical supplies from suppliers. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said ventilators on the market now cost more than $50,000, which represents a 150% increase from the $20,000 when his state first tried to purchase them. Trump has insisted that invoking the DPA was government overreach and that companies were stepping up on their own. But perceptions of a weak federal response to the growing crisis is seen as a political liability to Trump in key election states, including Ohio and Michigan. When on Mar. 26, for example, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, publicly said her state wasnt getting the medical equipment it needed, Trump responded on Twitter that she was way in over her head and that she doesnt have a clue. The administration says Trumps Mar. 27 flare-up had nothing to do with politics. By invoking the DPA, the president compelled GM to to accept, perform, and prioritize contracts or orders for the number of ventilators, according the executive order. Peter Navarro, Trumps Trade Adviser and Policy Coordinator for the DPA, told TIME in a statement that the GM action aimed to jumpstart work on ventilators. Prior to the DPA order being signed, the GM/Ventec venture was sputtering. Since the DPA order was signed, GM has moved into high gear. Thats the poster child of an effective DPA action, Navarro said. Navarro also says the Presidents declaration was designed to spur competition between different automakers turning to produce ventilators. Ford is working with GE Healthcare to increase GEs production of its own advanced ventilators, although manufacturing details remain unclear. Ford announced Monday it plans to make as many as 50,000 smaller ventilators, which are licensed by GE, within 100 days at a plant in Ypsilanti, Mich. Now that GM has been pushed publicly by Trump, Navarro suggests, there will be urgency to sprint to the market first. Now lets see which venture rolls the first hundred ventilators off their new assembly linesFord/GE or GM/Ventec. We expect that within the next 30 days, American lives are at stake, and GMs lesson from this should be you cant get to the finish line until you first get to the starting line. Now, a very real race is on. Whatever the logic behind Trumps public statements about GM and his use of emergency powers, the company maintains that Trumps tough talk resulted in no change from the Mar. 23 plan they presented to his government. After his Mar. 27 statements, on Sunday, Trump was asked at the White House how negotiations GM were going since he invoked DPA two days earlier. Although nothing had changed, he responded that the automaker was now doing a fantastic job. A heroin addict alleged to have robbed a shop while armed with a broom handle has failed in a bid for release from a "frenzied atmosphere" in prison A heroin addict alleged to have robbed a shop while armed with a broom handle has failed in a bid for release from a "frenzied atmosphere" in prison. Daryl McCourt was refused bail despite his lawyer arguing some sentenced inmates are to be temporarily freed from prisons due to the Covid-19 crisis. The 25-year-old, of London Road in Belfast, has been in custody since the alleged raid on November 24 last year. He is charged with robbing a convenience store on the city's Dublin Road of 400 in cash and 100 worth of cigarettes. McCourt faces further counts of possessing an offensive weapon with intent and assaulting a police-designated person. A previous court heard a man entered the shop wielding a broken metal shaft, believed to be from a brush. He demanded money before going behind the counter and taking cash and cigarettes. McCourt was later arrested in the Ormeau Road area. According to the prosecution, he had a large amount of cash on him, including 200 down his sock, and 12 packets of cigarettes. Mounting a fresh application for bail at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday, defence solicitor Damien Trainor stressed his client's troubled past. "He spent a period homeless and developed an addiction to heroin," the lawyer said. Arguing that McCourt's case could also be hit by delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Trainor added: "He's quite anxious and is not getting any visits in custody. That's all stopped. There's a bit of a frenzied atmosphere." District Judge Amanda Henderson was told that, unlike prisoners who could be released because of the emergency, McCourt had not been convicted of the current offences. Denying bail, however, she said: "The issue of ongoing delay is something we will all have to consider." More than eight years after the burned body of a Brooklyn man was found in Lehigh County, three men have been charged in his murder. Joshua Rubin, who at the time was 30 years old and owned Whisk Cafe in Brooklyn, was reported missing Oct. 31, 2011 in New York City. Rubins corpse was found Nov. 1, 2011, on Applewood Drive in South Whitehall Township, and was burned beyond recognition, Lehigh County prosecutors said. He was only identified following DNA testing of the remains, prosecutors said. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced charges against Gary Robles, 37, of Staten Island; and Kevin Taylor, 27, and Michael Mazur, 26, both of Brooklyn, in the killing. Rubin was killed on Oct. 31, 2011, when the trio allegedly tried to rob him of marijuana in a Brooklyn apartment and then shot Rubin in the chest, killing him, the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York said. After the shooting, the trio took Rubins body to South Whitehall Township, where it was set on fire, prosecutors said. Robles was reportedly identified as the man who pulled the trigger, according to the New York Daily News. During the investigation over the past eight years, the Lehigh Countys Homicide Task Force shared information with the New York City Police Department in Brooklyn, including cellphone and E-Z Pass records. Surveillance video reportedly shows the trio stopped on the way to Lehigh County to purchase items that were later found at the scene, including garbage bags, gloves and a trash can. 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. After thousands of Army retirees responded to a voluntary recall request for those in health care fields to help the service fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials quietly issued another call-out -- this one to recently separated troops in the Individual Ready Reserve. On March 29, the Army's Human Resources Command sent messages to nearly 10,000 soldiers in the IRR asking for volunteers to put the uniform back on, Lt. Col. Emanuel OrtizCruz, an Army spokesman, confirmed to Military.com. The messages went out to those who had served in military occupational specialties including family nurse practitioner; critical care nursing; emergency nursing; nurse anesthetists; generalist nurse; and respiratory specialist, he said. The newest voluntary recall request was issued just days after President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing the military services to recall members of the Selected Reserve and the IRR to active duty in light of the strain the global pandemic is placing on the force. Related: Trump's IRR Recall Order: What You Need to Know While each service has slightly different IRR parameters and requirements, troops typically join the IRR for a period of four or five years following the conclusion of their active-duty service. A service member may have a contract that stipulates four years on active duty, but a total mandatory service obligation of eight years; the balance of that service is completed in the IRR. Troops in the IRR receive no pay and don't need to drill, but may participate in periodic muster events -- and they must remain ready for the possibility of involuntary recall by presidential order. The Army, however, is beginning by soliciting as many volunteers as it can to meet medical provider gaps created as a result of deploying mobile field hospitals to urban regions in the U.S. hardest hit by the virus. "The U.S. Army is reaching out to gauge the interest of IRR Soldiers who would be willing to assist with COVID-19 pandemic response efforts should their skills and expertise be required," OrtizCruz said. It's not clear how many soldiers the Army needs to fill its staffing gaps and whether it will be able to meet the need with a voluntary recall alone. To date, the service has ordered the deployment of three mobile field hospitals -- each staffed with about 330 soldiers -- to New York City and Seattle. Officials are still processing waves of volunteer responses from a call-out to 800,000 Army retirees from medical fields. OrtizCruz told Military.com on Monday that the service had received some 17,000 responses. Human Resources Command, he said, is still processing and validating requests, and sorting them by specialty. It's not immediately clear how long it will be before the first volunteers can re-don their uniforms. Lt. Gen. Raymond Scott Dingle, the surgeon general of the Army, told reporters last week that the first step for the service would be to ensure that all volunteer qualifications and certifications are valid and up to date. "Then once we do that, we will plug them into all of our medical treatment facilities as required in support of the mission," he said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Read More: 'Sailors Do Not Need to Die': Carrier Captain Pleads for Help as Virus Cases Surge WASHINGTON - The National Gallery of Art has agreed to transfer ownership of a small, Blue Period Picasso pastel portrait to the heirs of Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, a leading German Jewish banker whose life was upended by Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Lawyers representing the heirs contend that Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was forced to begin liquidating his art collection by Nazi policies, which robbed him of income and jeopardized his life. Anabeth Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the National Gallery, said in an email Tuesday that the gallery's research has found no evidence that Picasso's "Head of a Woman" was in the possession of the Nazis but that the gallery transferred ownership of the work to the family's heirs "to avoid the heavy toll of litigation and its diversion of resources from the Gallery's core mission." However, the family never claimed the 1903 Picasso was in the possession of the Nazis. Rather, they argued that Nazi persecution forced the sale of the work and that this alone is grounds for it to be returned to Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's heirs. They argued that when the National Gallery accepted the Picasso as a gift from the Ian Woodner Family Collection in 2001, their own provenance research "should have caused them to do further investigation." "It is clear that Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy suffered from Nazi persecution and that it harmed him in every aspect of his life, including financially," said John J. Byrne Jr., a lawyer representing the heirs. This is the third work that the National Gallery of Art has returned to the heirs of families who suffered under Nazi persecution. One of the works, a painting by Frans Snyders returned to its rightful heirs in 2000, was probably confiscated by Hermann Goering; the other, a drawing by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld returned to heirs of a prior owner in 2016, was sold in 1939 under duress. Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was a relative of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn and Co., the bank his family established in 1795, was one of the five largest privately owned banks in Germany. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's collection also included works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Georges Braque. "In examining all of the considerations the Gallery concluded that transferring the drawing was the right thing to do," Guthrie said. One of the family's heirs, Julius Schoeps, director of the Moses Mendelssohn Center for European Jewish Studies in Potsdam, thanked the National Gallery for transferring the ownership of the Picasso in a statement emailed to The Washington Post on Tuesday. "This distinctive artwork is both a poignant reminder of the enormous impact that Nazi policies had upon the contents of many private and public art collections today, as well as the Mendelssohn family's tragic history in Nazi Germany," he said. The heirs of Mendelssohn-Bartholdy have previously reached settlements with the current owners of three other Picassos they claim Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was forced to sell at the same time as "Head of a Woman." They include "Boy Leading a Horse," now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art; "Le Moulin de la Galette," now in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and "Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto" (also known as "The Absinthe Drinker"). The latter was sold at a Christie's auction in London for $51.8 million, with commission, to a private collector by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation after the foundation had reached a settlement with the heirs. The Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim settlements were reached in 2009, just before a trial was due to open. None of those settlements, all of them confidential, involved a transfer of ownership back to the heirs. As a portrait in pastel on paper, "Head of a Woman" is the least valuable of the five. The National Gallery has only displayed it twice. The family's restitution claim on a fifth work, Picasso's "Madame Soler," in the Bavarian State Paintings Collection in Germany, remains unsettled. In 1920, Mendelssohn and Co. banded together with eight other German banks and founded BDO AG (known then as the Deutsche Waren-Treuhand-Aktiengesellschaft), which acted as a trust organization for foreign lenders. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was the co-chair of the Supervisory Board with Max Warburg. He was also a member of the Board of the Berlin Stock Exchange, and a well-known collector of modern art. His prominence made him a special target for Nazi persecution of German Jews. The Nazis organized boycotts of Mendelssohn and Co. and excluded Mendelssohn-Bartholdy from important leadership positions. They forced him to forfeit land and the press branded him and his family enemies of the state. He fled his Berlin home under the threat of Nazi violence. From 1932 to 1934, according to Byrne Jr., his income plummeted by 86 percent as Hitler rose to power, and he made the decision to liquidate his art collection. He gave five Picassos on consignment to Justin K. Thannhauser, who sent them to a commercial exhibition in Buenos Aires. They failed to sell there and were sent back to Berlin, where Thannhauser purchased them from Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in 1934. On May 10, 1935, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy died of a heart attack. The family bank was "aryanised" - transferred to non-Jewish ownership - in 1938. Inmates in New York Citys Rikers Island prison are being offered $6 an hour and personal protective equipment to dig mass graves on Hart Island, a spokesperson for the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed. Prisoners have been digging graves on the island in the Long Island Sound for years but the offer of $6 an hour is far above the general prison wage. The mass graves are not COVID-19 specific, spokesperson Avery Cohen told The Intercept, but morgues and cemeteries have already become overwhelmed as the citys death toll rose to 1,096 on Tuesday night. Hart Island had previously been identified as part of a 2008 contingency plan for the city that would see Rikers Island prisoners dig mass graves to bury up to 51,000 bodies in the event of a severe pandemic. The news comes as Rikers Island's chief physician issued a grim warning Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic in the prison. Inmates work on a mass burial on Hart Island in this 2017 drone footage Hart Island: Rikers Island inmates are being offered $6 an hour to dig a mass grave here Graves in the New York City-owned public cemetery on Hart Island According to a memo sent to Rikers Island inmates and seen by The Intercept, the offer only stands for those with a conviction and not those jailed before trial. The memo didnt specify what the work on Hart Island would entail but prisoners were told they would be supplied PPE, a routine move for those involved with burials. The city owns and operates a public cemetery on Hart Island which has long been maintained by Rikers Island prisoners. In 2008, inmates were burying between 20 and 25 bodies a week there. Before the coronavirus outbreak hit, New York City already had plans in place for a severe pandemic that would likely produce a need for quick burial of corpses. The plan, which focused on a pandemic with a mortality rate of 2.1 per cent, involved using inmates to create a mass grave for up to 51,000 people on Hart Island. Hart Island is home to a public cemetery run by New York City, maintained by inmates Drone footage showers inmates burying bodies on Hart Island in 2017 According to new research published on coronavirus on Monday, the mortality rate may not be this high. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, estimated that the death rate will be 0.66 percent, which is much lower than figures between 2 percent and 3.4 percent that have come out of Wuhan, China. 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. 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. During a surge in deaths, the plan states that the city would deploy mobile refrigerated storage units at locations around the city. A hospital worker outside Brooklyn Hospital Center takes a break from loading bodies into a makeshift morgue on the street on Tuesday. A mass grave on Hart Island may be the next step Patients are coming into ER with sore throats, sore chests, fevers and coughs, expecting to test positive, but test negative whereas others, who come in for other ailments, test positive This is already happening in New York with FEMA sending in 85 refrigerated trucks for the bodies of those dying from COVID-19. The city is so overrun with hospital patients due to COVID-19 that there are makeshift morgues being set up in the streets. The refrigerated trucks are stationed outside the hospitals. Hospital workers have been seen loading them with bodies over the last few days. Other distressing scenes across the city include the sights of people's bodies being removed the morgues in cardboard coffins. Hospital workers who staff them all wear hazmat suits. According to the plan, 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 plan did note that Hart Island has 'has limited burial space' and 'may not be able to accommodate a large influx of decedents requiring burial'. It also noted that a 'temporary mass internment method could be used which involves placing caskets 10 in a row, head to foot, rather than stacking them on top of each other. The use of prison labor is a controversial topic with advocates for criminal justice reform objecting 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. The $6 an hour offer is well below the citys minimum wage of $15 an hour but a fortune compared to the general wage offered grave diggers from the prison. In New York State, 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. Rikers Island has also had its own coronavirus outbreak to deal with. As of Tuesday, 167 inmates and 137 staff members have tested positive for coronavirus so far. Rikers Island's chief physician issued a grim warning Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic, as he advocated for the release of as many 'vulnerable' inmates from the prison as possible. Chief Physician Ross MacDonald said the current effects of the virus on jails could bring about 'a crisis of a magnitude no generation living today has ever seen.' MacDonald was responding to a letter made by district attorneys across the city that was directed toward Mayor de Blasio, asserting he was not considering the public's safety when considering some inmate releases. 'I prefer to do my work anonymously, but in these extraordinary times, I must comment on this letter from the district attorneys of New York': Rikers Island's chief physician Ross McDonald The New York Times reports that there are 167 inmates and 137 corrections staff that have been confirmed to have COVID-19 at Rikers Island prison, as of Tuesday 'I prefer to do my work anonymously, but in these extraordinary times, I must comment on this letter from the district attorneys of New York,' the doctor said on his Twitter thread, sharing a New York Post article about the letter. The physician shared that the only portion of the letter he could directly refer to was a part about the prosecutors' 'failure to appreciate the public health disaster unfolding before our eyes,' specifically referring to comments that New York City was 'appropriately managing the health needs of the remaining inmates, in a manner consistent with recent guidance from the CDC for managing COVID-19 in correctional and detention facilities.' MacDonald said that the jail had been following CDC guidelines 'before they were issued,' and added that the city 'has the best jail health workforce in the nation'. De Blasio said that as of Sunday, some 650 inmates had been released from jails in the city. The doctor shared that there are 'close to 200 confirmed cases when just 12 days ago we had our first.' Cases in New York City hit 43,119 Tuesday with 1,096 deaths. There are more than 189, cases in the United States and more than 4,000 deaths. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis need iron to survive. Researchers have now solved the first detailed structure of the transport protein responsible for the iron supply. When the iron transport into the bacteria is inhibited, the pathogen can no longer grow. This opens novel ways to develop targeted tuberculosis drugs. One of the most devastating pathogens that lives inside human cells is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people died in 2019 from this disease that generally affects the lungs. The rise of multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis strains, which are resistant to many of the most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs, is particularly worrying. In other words, novel drugs to treat tuberculosis are urgently needed. Tuberculosis bacteria need iron to survive All living organisms, including pathogens, need iron to survive. When a human cell is infected by pathogens like M. tuberculosis, it reduces the iron concentration to a minimum and thereby tries to starve the invader. The tuberculosis bacteria, in turn, start to release small molecules called mycobactins. These can bind free iron extremely well and thus steel it from the host cell. The iron captured by mycobactin is then transported into the bacteria by a protein named IrtAB. A team of researchers led by Markus Seeger, professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology of the University of Zurich (UZH), has now analyzed in detail the protein responsible for transporting iron from the infected host cell into the bacteria. "The transport protein, which is located in the bacterial membrane, is essential for the survival of the pathogens. If IrtAB is absent or not functioning, M. tuberculosis can no longer reproduce inside the human cell," says Seeger. Iron transport protein works in the opposite direction Using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the researchers solved for the first time a high-resolution structure of the transport protein IrtAB. This analysis was done in collaboration with Ohad Medalia, professor at the Department of Biochemistry of UZH. According to its spatial structure, IrtAB belongs to the so-called ABC exporters, which are typically involved in the efflux of molecules out of the bacterial cell. "However, we were able to show that IrtAB in fact imports mycobactins into M. tuberculosis. It therefore transports molecules in the opposite direction than expected," says Markus Seeger. Together with scientists from the University of Texas, USA, the research team identified an additional peculiarity of the transport protein IrtAB: It can modify the iron bound to mycobactin after it is imported into the bacteria. The iron is thus released inside the cell and the empty mycobactin can be recycled. Inhibiting the iron transport could lead to new tuberculosis drugs "IrtAB is a potential drug target, because its deletion renders M. tuberculosis inactive and incapable of infection. With our structural and functional elucidation of IrtAB, we opened avenues to develop novel tuberculosis drugs that inhibit the iron transport into the bacteria," Seeger concludes. "In view of Covid-19, a disease that also affects the lungs, tuberculosis will likely play a more important role again in the future. It is quite conceivable that patients weakened by Covid-19 will show increased infection rates with tuberculosis," he adds. Elisa poses for a photo before turning in her COVID-19 test. (Courtesy of Elisa) Elisas nightmare had become reality. The Los Angeles resident was diagnosed with COVID-19, but she paused before telling her 71-year-old mother about the results, despite the fact that they lived together. In Elisas opinion, the best thing she could do to manage the situation was to not worry her mother and to keep her at a distance. (Elisa, a campaign consultant for an Assembly candidate in L.A. County, did not want her last name used because she has not told the rest of her family about the illness and did not want anyone to try to visit out of concern.) By Tuesday, L.A. County had recorded more than 3,000 confirmed cases and 54 deaths from the disease. Elisa, 36, had started feeling physically weak March 23; she had a sore throat and dry cough, and her head and body ached. The next day, when she hardly had the strength to move, she decided to drive to an open-air clinic at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South L.A. to get tested. Elisa, who was born in El Salvador, was sent home to rest. She would have to wait for her results. But Elisa knew that whatever she had was worse than the bouts of flu and bronchitis she had suffered in the past. Eventually, Elisa decided to tell her mother that she might have been infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, though she was careful to couch it as an uncertainty. Her mother didn't believe it. But at that moment, Elisa isolated herself from her mother. (Though COVID-19 has sickened and killed people of different ages, senior citizens are considered to be especially vulnerable.) We have a large apartment. Im in the living room; shes in her room. If she walks into the kitchen, I wont go in, Elisa said. We wash our hands constantly. If I feel like Ive been touching my face too much, I wash them. In the days that followed, she felt like she had sand in her throat. I found it hard to breathe, and every time I took a breath I felt pain shoot through my chest and lungs, Elisa said in a phone call. I take a few steps and I feel weak." Story continues Among her symptoms: waves of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and stomachaches; her tongue became swollen, with a white coat over it that caused her to constantly wash out her mouth. Marcelo Prado, clinical lab scientist and supervisor of the molecular lab, and Katie Zegarski, supervising clinical lab scientist, with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, demonstrate how to load samples into the Roche Diagnostics cobas 6800 instrument. The instrument, one of the few of its kind at a west coast academic medical center, is undergoing validation this week before UC Davis Health begins to test for the COVID-19 strand of coronavirus. The instrument is capable of testing nearly 1,500 samples in 24 hours, with quick results. (Wayne Tilcock/Wayne Tilcock/UC Davis Health) On Monday, Elisa's suspicions were confirmed when she got the results of her test. She had COVID-19. On Tuesday, she told her mother that there was no longer any doubt. For the better part of a week, Elisa had been sure she was ill with COVID-19. But she didn't want to worry her mother if there was any chance that she wasn't. "All this time I've taken precautions so that I don't infect her. I didn't tell her [that I felt certain about the illness] because I didn't want to worry her. I didn't want her to have thoughts in her head that she might have the virus," Elisa said. "I wanted her to see me getting better and to think that if I was getting better, then she would too if she were to also get ill." Her mother's response to the news was bittersweet. "She's worried but relieved that she doesn't have the symptoms," Elisa said. "And that I'm coming out of this." More than eight days since she got ill, Elisa still has no idea how she got exposed to the coronavirus. Between March 11 and March 14, she was at an event for personal development at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. There were more than 200 people in one hall; organizers were checking the temperatures of people who arrived, she said. On the third day, Elisa said, the event was canceled because one person turned out to have pneumonia, according to a message she received later. In the next days, Elisa went hiking in nearby mountains and went to various stores to buy food. "I can't say with certainty how or when I was infected," she said. But Elisa said she feels fortunate that she had stopped working the first week of March keeping her away from co-workers. For her part, her mother was laid off from her job as a housekeeper March 16. "I've had anxiety attacks but what has kept me from panicking is official announcements that say that the majority of people recuperate," Elisa said. Her advice: Don't panic. Monitor your symptoms and see how your body reacts to them. She said she's trying to stay positive and keep her mother feeling the same way. "Of course, you always worry about money during these times," Elisa said. "But when you've been in this position, you realize that your health is the most important thing." Actor Anushka Sharma has shared an adorable picture with husband Virat Kohli and their pet dog. She has also posted a long note about looking for a silver lining amid such tough times and the lessons she has learnt while staying in isolation. The picture shows Virat and Anushka lying on the floor and playing with their bundle of far. She wrote in the caption, Every dark cloud had a silver lining. And this time, while it may seem like the worst time and in so many ways it actually is, has also forcefully made us all stop and deal with things we might have been running away from because either we were busy or it was convenient to say we were busy. If this time is respected for what it is, it will enable more light to shine through. This time has also made us all realise whats truly important. For me just having food, water and a roof over my head and the good health of my family seems MOST important. Everything else is a bonus that I bow my head in gratitude for. But, that which we call basic is not so basic for everyone after looking at all the people who struggle for just those few things. My prayers with them and their families. May everyone be safe and secure. Also read: Neena Gupta on lockdown: Nothing cheers me but one tries to be cheerful, what else can one do This time has surely made me more reflective. This need to stay at home with your loved ones has been forced upon the entire world but there is a deep lesson for us all. There is a lesson to strive for work and life balance ( Ive valued and strived for this dearly for many years now ), there is a lesson to devote more time in things that actually matter. Today, when Im surrounded by all the blessings in my life, I just want to tell everyone how much compassion I feel for everyone who I see suffer. I want to help as many possible in the best of my abilities. I feel pride in our resilience to be better human beings. I can instinctively feel this in and around me. We will all have our individual and subjective lessons from this time and hopefully, such lessons will continuously stay with us all. The couple have donated generously to both - the Maharashtra Chief Ministers relief fund and Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES). She had written on Twitter, Virat and I are pledging our support towards PM-CARES Fund & the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (Maharashtra). Our hearts are breaking looking at the suffering of so many & we hope our contribution, in some way, helps easing the pain of our fellow citizens #IndiaFightsCorona. Follow @htshowbiz for more Billy Kelly used to serve in the South Pacific during World War II. At the age of 95, this resident of Yamhill County, Oregon seems to have kept a 'leftover' from the fight he had back then as he has recently had a two-week battle against COVID-19. The veteran's granddaughter, 41-year-old Rose Etherington said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive that her "Grandpa Bill is pretty hardcore." Etherington, who, with her mother, husband and two little kids (five years old, and 11 months old), also live with Kelly in their McMinnville home, shared her grandpa has completely recovered from COVID-19 on Monday, adding, this was also the day which marked the end of the rest of the family's two-week home quarantine. READ: Chris Cuomo, News Anchor, and Brother of Governor Andrew Cuomo Tests Positive for COVID-19 It All Started with a Low-Grade Fever Kelly's illness started on March 15 when he came down complaining he was not feeling well and he had a low-grade fever. Since he had some health issues including a congenital heart ailment, kidney disease, and high blood pressure, they went to, and stayed, at the hospital for a night. The following day, the older man felt quite better and went back home. The granddaughter continued, her grandfather's mild illness, perhaps, "wouldn't have warranted" one of the limited COVID-19 tests of Oregon. Nevertheless, Etherington's husband, Isaac, as a medical evacuation pilot who had flown recently, probable patients of the pandemic, prompted the doctors to test the old man out of abundant warnings. READ NEXT: COVID-19 Recoveries: Is the World Winning the Fight? Tested Positive for the Illness On March 17, Kelly's COVID-19 result came out positive. Following this, the health officials said, Etherington, as well as the rest of the family, should be home quarantined with her grandfather for the next 14 days. Isaac was given the test for the infection, as well, which, fortunately, came out negative. There was no one else in their household was tested although Etherington said, they checked in every day with the county health department. The good news was that no one from the rest of Kelly's family showed COVID-19 symptoms. Neither did they feel ill. Nevertheless, the granddaughter recalled, it was alarming especially that they were only drinking hot tea most of the time. She also described how careful they were with their health by regularly taking zinc and constantly washing their hands. What was even more challenging was that Kelly needed to spend the first seven days at home, almost totally just in his room. READ MORE: FDA Authorizes 5-Minute Portable Coronavirus Test Combatted COVID-19 As If He Were Still at War Despite the threat of COVID-19, Kelly remained high-spirited. He was determined to fight the illness that is currently sweeping the world. Like in the war, the old man guaranteed he had his weapon to win the battle in forms of a lot of liquid drunk, plenty of rest taken, numerous movies watched, and above all, an unceasing prayer said. Lucky, indeed, that despite his old age, this man survived the pandemic that has now killed over 40,000 people globally. Incidentally, just last week, according to the state health officials, two men aged over 90 died of COVID-19. Presently, this illness has already claimed 16 people's lives in Oregon. All of them were 60 years old or older, and, like Kelly, they had underlying health conditions, too. Many people may have died more frequently each day because of COVID-19. But despite this, Rose Etherington still hopes her grandfather can be a source of inspiration and hope. Flash Cyprus gave firm support to China in its all-out fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, and now China was ready to provide heart-felt assistance to the Cypriot people, said Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus Huang Xingyuan in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn on March 29. As of Tuesday, Cyprus had registered 230 confirmed cases, with seven deaths, an interactive map from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) shows. "Cyprus was the last of the EU countries to declare a novel coronavirus infection," said Huang. On March 23, the government of Cyprus announced a lockdown on the island until April 13 to fight the spread of coronavirus, saying the movement of people was banned unless for absolutely necessary. "Cyprus gave firm support when China was engaged in its all-out fight against the epidemic, and China has taken this to heart and is ready to provide assistance to people of Cyprus with all our efforts," Huang said, "The Chinese Embassy has been sharing protocols for diagnosis and treatment with the Cypriot government." On March 19, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Health Commission shared China's experience through a video conference in terms of epidemiological characteristics, prevention and control strategies, and clinical diagnosis and treatment with government officials and medical and epidemic prevention experts from 18 European countries including Cyprus, and also took more than 80 questions. Chinese medical supplies have also been sent to Cyprus, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the country. "Happy to announce that the first batch of China-donated medical supplies has reached Cyprus, including 5,000 KN95 masks, 5,000 medical masks and 1,320 protective uniforms," Huang told Xinhua on Tuesday, adding that the second batch is ready in China to be picked up by a Cyprus chartered flight. Recently, some elements in the United States have been deliberately blaming the epidemic on China and trying to stigmatize Chinese efforts in an attempt to shirk their own responsibility. "In my opinion, pride and prejudice are also a kind of virus. The World Health Organization and the international community have shown they are clearly opposed to linking the virus to a specific country, area or race. So, any attempt to stigmatize the virus should be rejected," Huang said. "With the accelerating spread of the global epidemic, countries around the world should work together to overcome difficulties. Finding a scapegoat and engaging in political manipulation will not help the U.S. to overcome the epidemic, nor will it contribute to the international cooperation in fighting the epidemic," the ambassador said. "I agree with renowned Chinese respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan's opinion that we need greater international cooperation. This is a human disease, not a national one," Huang said. "Tackling the emergence of the global coronavirus pandemic is a long and complex task. The economic impact is not to be underestimated. The risk of the global shutdown for the coronavirus cannot be ignored. So, it reminds people of the necessity and urgency to build a community with a shared future for humanity," the ambassador concluded. Technavio has been monitoring the vitamins market and it is poised to grow by USD 24.13 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 7% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Request latest free sample report of 2020-2024 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005632/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Vitamins Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Archer Daniels Midland Company, BASF, Bluestar Adisseo, DSM, and Lonza are some of the major market participants. The aging population will offer immense growth opportunities. 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. Aging population has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Vitamins Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Vitamins Market is segmented as below: Application Food And Beverages Pharmaceuticals And Cosmetics Feed Additives Geographic Landscape Americas APAC EMEA To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30342 Vitamins Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our vitamins market report covers the following areas: Vitamins Market Size Vitamins Market Trends Vitamins Market Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing health consciousness among consumers as one of the prime reasons driving the vitamins market growth during the next few years. Vitamins Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Vitamins Market, including some of the vendors such as Archer Daniels Midland Company, BASF, Bluestar Adisseo, DSM, and Lonza. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Vitamins 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 Vitamins Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist vitamins market growth during the next five years Estimation of the vitamins market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the vitamins market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of vitamins market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 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 Food and beverages Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Feed additives Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Archer Daniels Midland Company BASF Bluestar Adisseo DSM Lonza PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations PART 14: 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/20200331005632/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/ Lee Nak-yon, left, chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) election campaign committee, speaks during a joint meeting of the DPK and its satellite party, Civil Together, at the DPK's regional branch office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun By Jung Da-min The nation's two major parties have created "satellite parties" in a bid to win more proportional representation seats for the April 15 general election, but it seems the paper parties are having difficulty winning the public support they expected. Earlier this year, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) created satellite parties the Civil Together and the Future Korea Party, respectively to try and win more proportional representation seats under the new electoral system designed to give more of these to minor parties. While the DPK and the UFP are also participating in the main vote for 253 constituencies, their satellite parties are only putting forward candidates for the 47 proportional representation seats. The latter, however, are gaining much less public support than they expected compared to other actual minor parties, as neither the liberal and conservative camps have united "enthusiastic" supporters nor appealed to swing voters. For the DPK's Civil Together, created by pro-Moon Jae-in civic groups and several minor liberal parties, the major threat is not the conservative Future Korea Party but another minor liberal party the Open Minjoo Party, which was set up by activists and politicians who support former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Headed by former DPK members Chung Bong-joo and Rep. Sohn Hye-won, who had been excluded from the DPK's candidate list because of their involvement in political scandals, the Open Minjoo Party is also only competing for proportional representation seats. Its 20 candidates are also pro-Moon, but they are more hard line, and support disgraced former minister Cho. They include former presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum, former presidential secretary for civil service oversight, Choe Kang-wook, and Hwang Hee-seok, former head of the Human Rights Bureau at the justice ministry appointed by Cho. Recent surveys show that liberal voters have been divided, with support for the Open Minjoo Party rising. According to a Realmeter survey of 1,518 adults conducted from March 23 to 27, support for the Open Minjoo Party was 11.7 percent while that for Civil Together was 29.8 percent, 8.2 percentage points lower than a week earlier. As to the "threat" posed by the Open Minjoo Party, the DPK has strongly denied any connection with it in a bid to get liberals to vote for the ruling party and Civil Together. Last week, DPK leader Lee Hae-chan warned the Open Minjoo Party "not to use the title of the Moon Jae-in government and the DPK." But the Open Minjoo Party members said they were "the best children of the pro-Moon political line," hinting at the possibility that would ask to join the ruling bloc after the election. On Wednesday, members of the DPK and Civil Together held a joint meeting at the former's regional branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and went to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju to pay tribute to those who participated in the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980. "We ask the people to unite and give their support to the DPK," Lee Nak-yon, chief of the DPK's campaign committee said during the meeting. Meanwhile, the UFP's Future Korea Party is also struggling to get support. Main opposition United Future Party (UFP) leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, left, and the UFP's satellite Future Korea Party leader Won Yoo-chul, right, participate in a joint ceremony to open their campaign to "save the country's economy," at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 31, 2020 | 07:30 PM | PADUCAH The Emergency Response Stimulus and Relief ordinance contains numerous measures in an attempt to combat the financial impact the virus is having on local businesses. Under the ordinance a small business relief fund was created, which authorizes the Finance Director to designate $150,000 for the first found of applicants to their Small Business Relief Fund Program. The program is a partnership between the City of Paducah, West Kentucky Community and Technical College, and the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. Small businesses that are not associated with a franchise, that have 25 or fewer employees, with a presence in Paducah, are able to apply for the funds. During the first round, the first 75 businesses will have the possibility of receiving a grant of $2,000 each. Applications will be collected from 8 a.m. on April 1 until 4:30 p.m. on April 10. Any business that is approved will be required to use the funds for rent, mortgage, payroll, and utilities. The application can be found at the link below. The second round of funding will depend on the amount of donations the Community Foundation has received, which will be matched by the city up to $100,000. The Commission also requested that anyone with the ability to do so, should donate to the Community Foundation at the link below. Commissioner Gerald Watkins shared his thoughts on the ordinance. He said, "I think this is a great opportunity for the City of Paducah to step up and try to alleviate some of the suffering and financial hardships some of our people are having to go through." The ordinance also postponed the Business License Tax to July 15, established a price reduction of 50 percent on solid waste collection fees, and waived the renewal requirements for taxicab licenses until July 1. At their Tuesday meeting, the Paducah Board of Commissioners voted on and approved an emergency ordinance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Net: Hawaii has recorded its first death from Coronavirus, making Wyoming the only state in the country without a death from the virus. Following the news, state officials urged residents on Tuesday to follow the stay-at-home orders more seriously to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 'I cannot stress enough ... stay at home and self-isolate,' said Governor David Ige during a news conference. 'You need to remain vigilant. We cannot afford to let our guards down.' 'I would like to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victim,' Ige said. Hawaii Governor David Ige, pictured with State Health Department Director Bruce Anderson, stressed the importance of staying at home following that state's first coronavirus death The number of coronavirus deaths is the U.S. per day. The 31 March was the deadliest day in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, with 719 deaths State Health Department Director Bruce Anderson said that the man who died was an older man from the Hawaiian island of Oahu which is home to the state capital Honolulu. According to Anderson, the man had underlying heath conditions and had previously been hospitalized with a number of other medical issues. While in hospital, he had tested positive for Covid-19 which likely contributed to his death. Speaking during the same press conference given by Governor Ige, Anderson also offered his sincerest condolences to the family of the man. He added that the state's random Covid-19 testing program had found its first positive result, suggesting that the virus could be spreading through the community. A woman walks on an empty beach on Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii. The state is currently under a blanket stay-at-home order with travelers entering the state required to quarantine for 14 days A study by the University of Washington, making projections on the impact the coronavirus could have in all 50 states, shows that Hawaii could see approximately 370 deaths by July, giving a lower range of 190 and an upper range of 740. The study offered a dire warning to the state predicting that it needs to increase its hospital bed capacity or risk the system becoming overwhelmed by April or early Map when the cases are predicted to peak. Governor Ive said, when asked about this study, that he believes the projection are wrong as they do not take into account the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for travelers entering the state. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases by zip code on the Oahu island as of 29 March. Oahu saw the state's first death from Covid-19, leaving Wyoming as the only state without Hawaii county-by-county case breakdown Oahu: 157 (18 new) Maui: 25 (0 new) Big Island: 15 (0 new) Kauai: 12 (0 new) Pending: 13 (2 new) Diagnosed out of state: 2 (0 new) Advertisement Hawaii is also due to broaden this today to include inter-island travel, however, this will not apply to essential workers or people carrying out essential functions such as seeking healthcare. As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases in Hawaii stood at 224, with at least 13 requiring hospitalization, according to Hawaii News Now. The number of cases in Hawaii have more than doubled since 23 March, with the first case of Covid-19 reported on 6 March. All but essential activities in the state are currently stopped under a state-wide stay-at-home order. Wyoming, the least populated state in the U.S. is now the final state to have not seen a death as a result of the coronavirus. It is also currently taking measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Bars, coffee shops schools, gyms and various sporting events are not currently operating and public gatherings are limited to ten people. These measures will continue through to 17 April after Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced an extension at the end of last week after consulting with medical experts. Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state health officer, said: 'The best tool we have to reduce the potential burden on our healthcare system and save lives is for all of us to limit our contact with other people as much as possible. 'Of course it is most important for people who are ill to stay home unless they need medical attention.' Wyoming, however, does not have a stay-at-home order like that in Hawaii and other states. Governor Gordon said he was 'doing his best' to avoid such an order. As of Tuesday, the state had 120 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and was also the last state to reach 100 confirmed cases. While the state's 120 cases ranks as one of the lowest in the U.S., given its low population its per capita total is higher than more than a dozen others'. A Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), Victims Support Fund (VSF), has set up a task force on COVID-19 to disburse food and drugs worth N1 billion to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups across the country. The Chairman of the organisation, Theophilus Danjuma, a retired army general, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Mr Danjuma said the inauguration of the VSF Task Force on COVID-19, was necessitated by the need to provide palliative measures to IDPs and other vulnerable groups around the country, as part of its contribution to national efforts to fight COVID-19. The intervention became necessary in view of the global devastation of the Coronavirus pandemic and the huge human challenges it poses for the country. As a country, we must all do what we can to ensure that the spread is curtailed. The Taskforce will provide one billion Naira worth of medical supplies, food, water and non-food items for IDPs and others, who will face special challenges at this difficult time, he said. He said the task force will work closely with all federal and state government organs and agencies tasked with the responsibility for providing direction and leadership in the fight against COVID-19, including the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and all relevant MDAs. I urge the committee to embark on massive sensitisation campaigns amongst vulnerable groups to inform and educate them on the best hygiene and sanitation practices in order to prevent the further spread of the disease. He further said the task force will also extend support to other frontline organisations working to curtail the spread of the novel Coronavirus. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee will be chaired by Toyosi-Akerele Ogunsuji, while Bulama Mali Gubio, John Gana, Sunday Oibe, Alkasim Abdulkadir and Sunday Ochoche as members. (NAN) Yes, they are useful, but you have to adjust them for two factors. One is the prevalence of testing in a community. But even though theres more testing, the increase in New York compared to California is so many orders of magnitude higher that it doesnt account for the difference. The second is overall population. If you adjust for those things, what Im looking at is the overall increase particularly the day-over-day increase. The number of new cases diagnosed today in San Francisco is about two-thirds of what it was four or five days ago, which means the slope of the increase is lower than it was, which, to me, is reasonably good evidence of some flattening of the curve. If this thing was expanding in the way epidemics do when theyre not being mitigated or addressed, the growth is exponential. What about hospitalizations? What are you looking at there? My hospital made that number public early on and I think that was an incredibly smart decision, because data are better than what replaces data, which is rumors and speculation. I dont pay that much attention to the number of patients under investigation people who come in with Covid-19 symptoms. Most will turn out not to have Covid-19. A lot who come in will have pneumonia. On average, one out of 20 will be positive. The number of confirmed cases we have at any given time has gone up slightly from between eight and 10 last week, to now 13 to 15. But if were seeing 14 confirmed cases and a comparable hospital in New York has 150 to 200 cases, theres something going on. The housing market reported solid growth in building approvals in February, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). On a trend basis, the number of dwellings approved grew by 1% over the month, driven by the construction of apartments. "A significant rise in the number of apartments approved in February has offset the weakness recorded in January," said Daniel Rossi, director of construction statistics at ABS. On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the total number of approved residential buildings rose by 19.9%, boosted by the 61.7% gains in apartments. Angela Lillicrap, economist at the Housing Industry Association, said the growth in approvals provides "further evidence that the housing market was accelerating into 2020." "These results, along with other leading indicators such as new home sales and housing finance data, continue to confirm that the housing market reached a turning point mid-way through 2019. The market had contracted by 28.8% from the December quarter 2017 to the June quarter 2019," she said. Victoria led the states, posting a 22.6% quarterly growth in building approvals in the month. "At least up until the end of February, we were looking at solid home building activity across most regions for 2020," Lillicrap said. Still, there is uncertainty about how the COVID-19 will impact the housing market. "Although Australia's housing markets have begun to enter a period of disruption, they are coming from strong foundations," said Tim Lawless, head of research at CoreLogic. ALTON To support the health and safety of first responders and health care workers, state Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, is asking businesses, organizations, and individuals with unused personal protective equipment (PPE) donate it to their local medical centers. Every day, medical workers, including doctors, nurses, EMTS and other first responders across the country are risking their health in order to keep up with the extra stress coronavirus is putting on our hospitals and medical centers, said Bristow. We can get ahead of this problem in the Riverbend area by donating essential PPE products like N-95 masks, sterile gloves, and hand sanitizer. CHARLESTON A man accused of hitting a woman and threatening her with a gun was sentenced to prison because his criminal record made possession of the gun illegal. Terrance J. Yarbrough, 28, for whom records show an address in Mattoon, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the Oct. 27 incident. With the agreement reached in his case, Yarbrough was sentenced to prison for four years. The conviction required a two- to 10-year prison term without the option for probation. A domestic battery charge accusing Yarbrough of hitting the woman and an assault charge alleging he threatened her with the gun were dismissed. Records show Yarbrough also served prison time for an earlier Coles County domestic battery conviction and his record also includes a drug possession conviction. Circuit Judge James Glenn sentenced Yarbrough by accepting the terms of a plea agreement that Assistant States Attorney Jennifer Schiavone and defense attorney Todd Reardon Jr. recommended. In other domestic battery cases, guilty pleas were also entered by: Michael J. Woolard, 44, whose address on record is in Mattoon, to a charge accusing him of hitting a woman, causing bleeding, on Nov. 21. The injury and Woolards prior convictions for domestic battery made the charge a felony offense and he was sentenced to three years of probation. Terms of the sentence included an evaluation to determine counseling needed, specifically addressing domestic violence counseling. Woolard will be required to follow the evaluations recommendations. Glenn accepted a plea agreement that Assistant States Attorney Nathanael Harsy and Reardon recommended. Woolard has a prior Coles County domestic battery conviction and three convictions for the offense in Champaign County, records show. Jason A. Haga, 47, for whom records show a Mattoon address, to a felony charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. Haga was accused of firing a gun during an incident in Mattoon on May 1 during which he also hit a woman. A misdemeanor domestic battery charge was dismissed and he was sentenced to two years of conditional discharge. The sentence is supervision similar to probation but with fewer restrictions. Terms of the sentence included evaluations for substance abuse treatment and other counseling. Glenn accepted a plea agreement that States Attorney Jesse Danley and defense attorney Todd Reardon Sr. recommended. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 [April 01, 2020] Icon Group Partners with Varian to Advance Cancer Care in the Southern Hemisphere SYDNEY, April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Icon Cancer Centre Wahroonga in Australia has treated its first cancer patient with Varian Ethos. This artificial intelligence (AI)-driven holistic adaptive therapy solution is designed to deliver an entire adapted treatment in a typical 15-minute timeslot. Icon Cancer Centre is part of Icon Group, Australia's largest dedicated cancer care provider with a growing reach into Asia. Icon Group have been long-term global partners of Varian and have continued to support Varian in the evolution of radiation therapy technology. Kenneth Tan, president, Varian Asia Pacific said: "We are proud of our long-standing strategic partnership with Icon. As consistent early adopters of technology, they are at the forefront of bringing the latest treatment options to cancer patients in the Southern Hemisphere. Radiation therapy has evolved immensely over the past decade. By harnessing the power of AI and working with partners such as Icon, we are taking another step forward in achieving our vision of living in a world without fear of cancer." 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. Prostate cancer patient, John Buchanan was the first patient in the southern hemisphere to be treated with adaptive Ethos therapy and is grateful to be able to access the latest in technology. "The first six treatments have gone smoothly, and I haven't experienced any side effects. From my point of view, receiving treatment that directly targets my prostate while avoiding damage to the bladder and bowel is fantastic," said Mr Buchanan. 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 esponse 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. Icon Radiation Oncologist, Dr Amy Teh says early results have proved positive. "Early Ethos therapy experience from Icon is showing promising results," said Dr Teh. "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." 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. Icon are members of the Varian Adaptive Intelligence Consortium contributing to the collaborative development of clinical and technical aspects of radiation, including Ethos therapy. Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton is proud of Icon's longstanding relationship with Varian and how together they are revolutionising cancer care. "We have always been early adopters of Varian's technology and share an unwavering commitment to the continual advancement of cancer care. Our early use of Ethos therapy has shown clear benefits to the patient and we look forward to continuing to develop this technology alongside Varian to keep improving outcomes for cancer patients." About Varian At Varian (NYSE: VAR), 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. Important Safety Information Radiation treatments may cause side effects that can vary depending on the part of the body being treated. The most frequent ones are typically temporary and may include, but are not limited to, irritation to the respiratory, digestive, urinary or reproductive systems, fatigue, nausea, skin irritation, and hair loss. In some patients, they can be severe. Treatment sessions may vary in complexity and time. Radiation treatment is not appropriate for all cancers. Press Contact Christine Hogseth-Gill Head of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific & Japan +65 9388 1352 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact Anshul Maheshwari Vice President, Investor Relations +1 (650) 424-5631 [email protected] SOURCE Varian Medical Systems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bihar police have kept 17 members of Tablighi Markaz under quarantine and have collected their samples for COVID-19 test. Amidst Corobavirus scare, these 17 people were found in two different mosques in Patna in Digha and Phulwarisharif on March 23, after a complaint from locals regarding the presence of some foreign nationals in Mosque. Out of the seventeen people, twelve are residents of Kyrgyzstan. Senior SP of Patna Upendra Sharma said that "We received information that 12 foreign nationals are staying in a mosque. 10 people were from Kyrgyzstan and 2 people were from Uttar Pradesh. All of them have been kept in quarantine, for being COVID-19 suspects, in the Samanpura area of Patna. On the same day, we came to know that 7 more people from Kyrgyzstan were located in Bilal mosque in Phulwarisharif area. They have also been kept in quarantine after being screened." READ | Another COVID-19 Case Reported In Bihar, Total Count 16 READ | Bihar Govt Committed To Help People Stuck Outside Bihar: Nitish Kumar List of 57 others accessed Some of these delegates have been in Bihar for one month, some for a week while some have travelled to different parts of the country. The health department has suggested a medial test to be conducted. "We have got a list of 57 other people apart from these 17. This list has been sent to every district. All of them came here on a tourist visa. They were here for religious preachings in different mosques. No untoward activities have been reported yet in our findings. They have been in India since January and February. They entered in Bihar in the first week of March," he added. READ | 569 Participants Of Religious Discourse In Nizamuddin Found In UP State: Official Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey said, "We are in the process of identifying more people who were part of the Markaz. We have got a list of 86 people, of which most of them are in quarantine in Delhi. Then we have another list of 57 people whom we are trying to locate and a group of 48 foreign nationals whom we have already tracked. We are ascertaining their travel history." After delegates who attended Tablighi Markaz in Nizammudin were found positive for Coronavirus, it has sent shivers all over the country where these delegates travelled. MHA has released a list of 162 people from Bihar who attended the Markaz. Now all eyes are on the results of the test samples. READ | 10% Of All Of India's Coronavirus Positive Cases Now Have Direct Link To Nizamuddin Event By Express News Service CHENNAI: In the single-largest increase yet, 57 people in Tamil Nadu tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Leading the list was Namakkal with a whopping 24 positive cases. According to officials, all of these people had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. Four more persons from the district, who attended the event, are stuck in Delhi and have not returned yet due to the lockdown. We received a list with names of people who attended the Delhi event. Their blood samples were taken for tests and results on Tuesday confirmed they were positive. Twenty of them are within the city limits including from Melapalayam, three are from Kalakkad and one from Valliyur, said District Collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish. We are trying to inspect if there are any more people who visited Delhi, whose names are not in the list. The Collector announced Melapalayam as an isolated zone.People here have been asked to stay put at their home; essential goods will be delivered to them by the Corporation officials. The police here have been asked to patrol the streets regularly. 18 positive in Namakkal A total of 18 people from Namakkal tested positive on Tuesday -- 12 in Namakkal, one in Paramathi Velur and five in Rasipuram. A total of 20 persons from here went for the Delhi event. We tracked them down, quarantined them and performed tests. Of them, 18 have tested positive for the virus, said District Collector K Megraj. All 18 have been shifted to isolation wards. Following this, the district administration has banned the entry of people into seven streets in Namakkal, where these 14 people were residing. About 10,000 people are staying in these streets. Instructions have been given to them not to step out unless necessary, Namakkal SP Ara Arularasu said. Apart from this, six more persons who participated in the conference at New Delhi were also admitted in government Rasipuram hospital. Six streets where they were living are also cordoned off. Their test results will arrive in the next few days. Two in Madurai Two men from Narimedu in Madurai, who attended the event, have tested positive, taking the total number of cases in the district to six. Officials estimate that a total of 28 persons from Madurai could have attended the event. The Centre had sent a list of 28 names, confirmed District Collector TG Vinay. By Sunday, 10 of them were traced and isolated. Two of those 10 have tested positive, said Vinay. However, the duo is asymptomatic as of now. Of the balance 18, a few have not returned from Delhi. Others are untraceable as their mobile phones have been switched off. We are making efforts to establish contact, he said. Three in Villupuram Three new cases have been reported here, all of them who attended the Delhi event. The area around their residences has been sealed by the police, and public entry restricted. Test results of 13 more persons in isolation wards are awaited. Health department has taken control of wards 6,7, and 8 in the municipality, from where the three persons hail, said Minister C Ve Shanmugam. One person has tested positive in Tiruvannamalai, the first case in the district. He was working in a textile showroom at the Phoenix Mall in Chennai. A 25-year-old woman from Ariyalur, who also works at the mall, tested positive a few days back and its suspected that this man could have contracted the disease from his colleague. A native of Vellandhal in Tiruvannamalai, the 28-year-old man returned to his village on March 16 (Monday). He later developed fever, and for three days had a sore throat. Following the symptoms, he was admitted to the isolation treatment ward at Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital here on March 28 (Saturday), Collector said. (With inputs from Tirunelveli, Namakkal, Madurai, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai) Madurai: Attended: 28 Quarantined : 10 Coimbatore: Attended: 82 from Coimbatore, including Pollachi, Mettupalayam, and Anamalai. Mettupalayam: Attended and home quarantined: 28 Tirupur: Home quarantine: 39 Karur: Quarantined: 30 Nagercoil: Attended: 7 Puducherry : Attended and home quarantined: 17 Thanjavur: Attended: still not known Quarantined: 13 Tiruvarur: Quarantined: 16 Dindigul: Attended: 90 Quarantined: 25 Nagercoil: Attended: 7 Tenkasi: Quarantined: 37 Tenkasi: 8, Chennai: 10 Sivagang: Quarantined: 25 Tiruchy: Attended: 37 Villupuram: Quarantined: 3 Doctors around the world whose hospitals became overrun with severe COVID-19 cases have faced difficult decisions about who to save. Hospitals in the U.S. are having similar discussions about responding to worst-case scenarios, including implementing do-not-resuscitate orders if the system is overwhelmed. While some U.S. hospitals are weighing these options, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says such decisions should be up to the patient. My understanding about DNR orders is that those are issued by the patient, not by the organization," Baker told reporters on Monday. "Thats how it has been, and thats how I think it should be. Hospitals across the country last week started discussing do-not-resuscitate policies for coronavirus patients who stop breathing or are in cardiac arrest, the Washington Post reported. Representatives of Montefiore Medical Center, Langone Health, and New York-Presbyterians Brooklyn Methodist - hospitals all in New York City - said no hospital-wide resuscitation protocols have been put in place, but health care workers at those facilities told the Post that they were recently instructed to override what a coronavirus patients medical record says about the persons wishes for lifesaving treatment. Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn told the Post the hospital has not adopted those measures, but that it is discussing such policies with religious leaders and community members. Dr. Michael Hirsh, Worcester director of Public Health, told MassLive last week that St. Vincents and UMass Memorial Medical Center have both had conversations about how bad the pandemic could get in the city. Massachusetts isnt at the point where hospital beds are unavailable, but Hirsh also said the hospitals in the state shouldnt feel immune to those worst-case scenarios. If you have an older patient who has a lot of medical co-morbidities and COVID virus severe enough to require intubation, theres an argument to be made in the absence of unlimited resources to just say, its very unlikely that patient is going to survive, Hirsh said. And at the same time, you have a 25-year-old who is in need of the same kind of resuscitation. The 25-year-old will get it. Massachusetts received the green light from the federal government this week to set up a 250-bed facility within Worcesters DCU Center. The facility was set up to help city hospitals with the anticipated surge of coronavirus patients. Massachusetts had 33 new deaths on Tuesday alone, the highest number of fatalities reported in the Bay State on a single day since the outbreak began. In total, 89 people in the state have died from COVID-19, according to state Department of Public Health statistics released Tuesday. There are 6,620 coronavirus cases in Massachusetts as of Tuesday, up from 5,752 on Monday. And the worst is yet to come. Baker, citing recent models, said he believes the surge would hit the state between April 7 and April 17. Obviously, a huge part of what were trying to do, both in around preparation around the surge and a lot of other work were doing is to make sure everybody who can be safe is safe, Baker said on Monday. Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts Related Content: Lima has converted an 18th century bull ring into a homeless shelter to protect its most vulnerable people from the coronavirus pandemic, despite protests from bull-fighting activists. "We have to give them the best quality so that we can ensure they aren't exposed to an infection situation and don't infect other people either," said Lima's mayor Jorge Munoz. The shelter opened on Tuesday in the capital, the worst affected city in Peru by the virus, and will initially host 30 people, rising progressively to 150. They will receive food, health services and security. With a population of nearly 10 million, Lima had registered 718 of the country's 950 cases by Monday, according to official figures. The Plaza de toros de Acho, opened in 1776, is the oldest bull ring in the Americas. For the duration of its time as a homeless shelter it will be known as "Everyone's House," the city said. It is due to serve as a shelter until April 12, during the nighttime curfew that has been imposed in Peru -- from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am. In the days leading up to its opening, authorities fumigated the arena and laid a protective flooring, erected a giant tent and brought in beds. The move has angered Peru's Cultural Bullfighting Association, which has argued that bullfighting is "cultural heritage" and that the arena does not meet the necessary sanitary levels for a shelter. The association has complained about Munoz to the culture ministry, arguing that there are other, more suitable sites for a homeless shelter. "Due to its use, the Plaza de Acho -- mainly in the arena and its surroundings -- has lots of bacteria that will affect the health of people that set up to live inside it," the association said in a statement shared on Twitter. Peru has declared a state of emergency and the country has been on lockdown since March 16. Its borders and schools are closed, and business has been suspended except for food stores, pharmacies and banks. Just over a month ago, Peru's top court rejected a lawsuit brought by animal rights activists hoping to ban bull and cock fighting. Peru has animal rights laws but also a clause exempting bull and cock fighting as it considers them "cultural shows." An aerial view of Plaza de toros de Acho bullring that has been converted into a homeless shelter for up to 150 people to protect them from the coronavirus pandemic City of Lima employees prepared the historic bullring for its new tenants by fumigating, laying a protective flooring, setting up a giant tent and bringing in beds Peru's Cultural Bullfighting Association has complained about the arena's conversion to the culture ministry Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Coronavirus. COVID-19. The Rona. Whatever you call it, it is here and all of our lives will forever be impacted because of it. Maybe your social media timelines look a lot like mine: a mixture of TikTok videos, Corona memes, Netflix suggestion requests, Psalm 91 and lots of advice about how to survive homeschooling your kids for the next few weeks. Oh, and pictures/videos from people out and about living their best life because they refuse to let anything get in the way of a good time. Maybe you know someone living la vida loca right now. Maybe you wish you were one of them. Whether youre prepared for doomsday or bargaining for toilet paper, here are three ways to keep the faith as we pray for better days. 1) You can choose faith over fear...AND foolishness. Many believers are using their faith card to justify their decision to keep living as though the world isnt currently experiencing a deadly pandemic. It is not an act of faithlessness to use wisdom and discernment in the choices you make. In fact, Proverbs 27:12 encourages us to change course when we see danger coming our way and considers it foolish to continue living as if danger wasnt imminent. You can wash your hands more frequently and be washed in the water of the Word. You can keep your distance and keep the faith. You can see a doctor and still believe God is a healer! There is nothing inherently faithless about taking precautions and being prepared. Use wisdom, exercise discernment and above all...KEEP PRAYING! 2) If you really want to be like Christ...sacrifice. You may not be among the most vulnerable to this disease and may very well be strong, healthy and able to easily recover if you were infected, but the Christian lifestyle is one of sacrifice. Philippians 2:4, Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. This is a perfect time to put your neighbors interest above your own. And remember your neighbor isnt just the person next door. Its the immunocompromised kid who cant afford to have resources diverted away to other needy patients. Its the elderly man living in the retirement community around the corner. Its the parent who can only buy WIC labeled items so they need you not to hoard them. Its the nurse staying in a hotel instead of at home because she doesnt want to put her family at risk. These people need you to put their interests above your own. Christ commands us to love these people like He loved us. In John 15 He explicitly tells us, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Jesus laid down His life for you. Can you put yours on pause for Him? 3) We live in A natural world with natural consequences. Ive been hesitant to share this blog for almost a week now because I couldnt think of a gentle way to say what Im about to say next. Then I saw an article about an entire family being infected with the COVID-19 disease, half of which have died while the others are still fighting for their lives. So I say this with all the love in the world: God will let you die. There will undoubtedly be some Christians counted in the number of deaths from COVID-19 and some of them will, unfortunately, have been completely preventable. We live in the natural, fallen world governed by the laws that God allowed. If you throw something into the air it will fall to the ground because of the law of gravity. And if too many people dont treat this virus with the severity it demands, more people will die because of math and science. This is not about lacking faith or not trusting God. This is about the law of foolishness. God will let your foolishness take you out. Look at the story of Nabal (whose name literally means fool) and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. Spoiler alert: Nabal is dead at the end of the chapter. We dont have to make the same mistake. We must use wisdom, discernment and common sense. God gifted us with all three for a reason. Ultimately, my prayer is that during this season of crisis we grow in God, we grow in servanthood and sacrifice and submission. Stay smart. Stay safe. Stay socially distant, but spiritually connected. Yours in Prayer and Pedagogy, Pratia Members of the USFK Korean Employees Union stage a protest in front of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, when nearly half of the Korean staff at U.S. military bases here were placed on unpaid leave in the absence of the defense cost-sharing deal. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo Korea and the United States have tentatively reached an agreement on how to share the costs of maintaining the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) here, according to a government source, Wednesday, when half of the Korean staff at U.S. military bases here went on unpaid leave due to a lapse in the deal to cover their wages. In addition, the source said the deal, also known as the Special Measure Agreement (SMA), is likely to once again be effective for five years, unlike the one signed in 2019 that acted only as a one-year stopgap after the two sides failed to conclude a long-term deal. Since 1991, Korea has partially funded the U.S. troops' stay under the SMA and Korea's contributions are used to cover the wages of the 8,600 Korean workers as well as payment for construction projects and logistical support. "In the broad scheme of things, the two sides have clearly reached the stage of putting the finishing touches on the negotiations, though various possibilities remain still open," the source said. Although how much Korea will pay remains unknown, the two sides have narrowed the gap to an amount "at a reasonable level," according to the source. Negotiations have been deadlocked since the first round of talks last September, as the U.S. demanded $5 billion (5 trillion won) in payment annually a fivefold increase from the amount paid last year. The source said the U.S. lowered the demand to $4 billion, but it was still far higher than Korea's request for a 10 percent rise from last year's amount. However, sources said the U.S. stance has changed since U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in, March 24, during which he asked for the export of Korean-made medical equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, three Korean firms are preparing shipments of their coronavirus diagnostic kits to the U.S. after winning interim approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Jeong Eun-bo, Korea's chief negotiator for the SMA, said in a video message, Tuesday, Seoul and Washington had "considerably" narrowed their differences on the former's share, raising expectations of a deal being struck in the near future. While the talks were not making any progress, the U.S. leveraged its Korean employees' unpaid leave to pressure the government to quickly reach an agreement. In order to avoid the furloughs of thousands of workers, Korea proposed that the two countries conclude a deal on personnel expenditures first, but the U.S. refused, saying such a partial agreement could distract them from reaching a comprehensive deal. As a result, approximately half of the USFK Korean employees went on unpaid leave starting Wednesday, according to the USFK. "This is an unfortunate day for us ... its unthinkable ... it's heartbreaking. The partial furlough of Korean employees is not what we envisioned or hoped what would happen," USFK Commander Gen. Robert Abrams said in a press statement. "We will continue to emphasize the need for an agreed upon SMA to both the Korean and U.S. governments in order to end the partial furlough." In response to the unpaid leave, the defense ministry expressed regret and said the government will work to enact a special law allowing it to support the Korean employees with its own budget. Even before the law is established, the government will find other urgent measures such as emergency loans for them it said. "The ministry will continue to work closely with the U.S. Department of Defense and USFK to prevent the current situation from affecting the joint posture," defense ministry spokesman Choi Hyun-soo said in a briefing. DETROIT As COVID-19 tests across the state take a week or more to return results, the city of Detroit has received a shipment of tests that give results in minutes. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced during his Wednesday, April 1 news conference that the city received a shipment of test kits from Abbott Laboratories earlier in the day. Tests, which can return results in 15 minutes, will be reserved for Detroit police, firefighters, EMTs and bus drivers, Duggan said. Detroit will be the first city in the nation to receive the rapid tests to use on city employees, Duggan said. "The only test, at least that the FDA says is accurate before symptoms, is the Abbott instant tests that we'll be putting in place, here," Duggan said. The city expects to start using the tests in the next 24 hours, he said. So far, 91 employees from the Detroit Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19, including 76 officers and 15 other employees, Duggan said. The fire department has 17 employees who've tested positive. Many more remain in quarantine 525 police officers and 136 fire department workers. There have been 120 police officers whove returned from quarantine so far, Duggan said. Luckily, crime numbers are down in the city in recent days, Duggan said, and the 911 response time on Tuesday night was about 10 minutes. We are benefiting enormously from a major reduction in crime and 911 calls, resulting from the shelter-in-place order, Duggan said. The new drive-thru COVID-19 testing center at the old Michigan State Fairgrounds is up and running, with 600 people tested through part of Wednesday, and 3,000 more people with scheduled appointments. The city is working to set up safe transportation for people to get to the testing center, who need a ride. The city is expecting 200,000 swabs from FEMA, Duggan said he was told by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, "but so far, nobody's spotted the FEMA truck." Duggan hopes Detroit can be testing 1,000 people per day by the end of next week. Detroit has 2,472 cases of the virus and 83 deaths, as of 10 a.m. Wednesday. Michigan has 9,334 positive cases and 337 deaths. Detroits been hit harder than most places because the virus was introduced here first, Duggan said. He wishes the city would have starting taking precautions like taking temperature of police officers and having them keep their distance sooner. Much has changed in how people perceive their own health behaviors, just in recent weeks, Duggan said. He has taken to wearing a mask on walks between his vehicle and buildings if he thinks he might come in contact with someone. "The world is never going to be the same," Duggan said. "We are probably never going to shake hands and hug as quickly as we did before. We're probably going to wash our hands far more frequently. What our long-term change of behavior is, I think were going to all discover together. PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Michigan closes in on 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with largest single-day jump First Michigan prison employee dies from coronavirus, 24 others test positive Michigan unemployment claims system jammed, but everyone eligible will receive their benefits' See the TCF Centers transformation into medical facility for coronavirus patients Michigan asking feds for more medical supplies as coronavirus cases grow A staff member at a Sydney hotel has hit back at claims made by Lara Worthington that here mother is living in unacceptable conditions in quarantine. On Monday, the 32-year-old model tweeted photos of her mother Sharon Bingle's 'unacceptable' living conditions, with the 63-year-old in quarantine after an international flight. In a statement made to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential on Wednesday, the employee said they rarely get complaints about cleanliness. 'We never get complaints about cleanliness': A Sydney hotel employee has denied Lara Bingle's claims that her mother Sharon has been placed in 'unacceptable' living conditions, in a statement made to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential on Wednesday. Pictured: Lara, 32 'We do get some complaints, every hotel does, but it's never a big one or anything about the cleaning being bad or anything like that,' they told the publication. 'The property is old and has an industrial style. All the cleaning is now being done by the RPA (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital). 'The hotel is completely closed for six months, so we're not involved in that now,' the staff member added. Australians returning from overseas are being quarantined in luxury hotels due to the coronavirus pandemic. But like Lara, some have complained of poor living conditions, inadequate food, medicine and fresh air, after being locked down in their rooms. Speaking out: The employee said that part of the hotel's appeal is its industrial design. Pictured: Lara with her mother Sharon, 63 Unimpressive? Lara shared this Twitter post on Monday, decrying the 'unacceptable' conditions at her mother's hotel 'Don't think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me': Lara shared unflattering photos of the small room and also noted that Sharon was 'showing heavy symptoms' of coronavirus On Monday, Lara shared unflattering photos of her mother's small room on Twitter - which appears to have an intentionally rustic look - and also noted that Sharon was 'showing heavy symptoms' of coronavirus. 'Don't think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me... This is unacceptable,' the mother-of-two wrote. Lara soon faced a backlash on Twitter, with fans calling her comments 'tone deaf'. Missed the mark: Lara faced a backlash on Twitter, with fans calling her comments 'tone deaf' 'It's not meant to be five-star luxury': The majority of Lara's followers agreed that the safety of the community should take priority over the comfort of international arrivals One person tweeted: 'It's quarantine, not an extension to your luxury holiday. Less complaining would be appreciated, we are all making sacrifices and doing it tough.' Another wrote: 'Seriously? So maybe she should have come home earlier. I have no sympathy - there was no guarantee of five-star accommodation. You take what you get and just because she's your mum doesn't mean she is entitled to five-star service.' A third tweeted: 'Five star or not is absolutely besides the point; spare a thought for those worse off (and there plenty).' The majority of Lara's followers agreed that the safety of the community should take priority over the comfort of international arrivals. Not impressed: Sharon herself has been complaining about the hotel on her personal Instagram account. She expressed disgust at the cereal breakfast (left) and vegetarian casserole dinner (right) provided by the hotel Depressing: One of the photos showed the bedroom looking sparse and uninviting Smoke and mirrors? However, professional images of the hotel suggest Sharon may have taken deliberately unflattering photos 'Help': Meanwhile, Sharon insisted she was sick enough to be in hospital and said it was 'unexceptionable' [sic] for her to stay in a hotel room for 14 days Sharon herself has been complaining about the hotel on her personal Instagram account. She expressed disgust at the cereal breakfast and vegetarian casserole dinner provided by the hotel, and also shared a close-up photo of a slightly stained towel. Meanwhile, she insisted she was sick enough to be in hospital and said it was 'unexceptionable' (sic) for her to stay in a hotel room for 14 days. It's unclear where Sharon was travelling from, but it's possible she was visiting her daughter in Los Angeles, where Lara lives in a $10.9million mansion with her actor husband, Sam Worthington, and their two sons, Rocket and Racer. 'WTF': She shared this photo of a slightly stained towel The couple are expecting their third child. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness accompanied by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can produce pneumonia. The spread of the disease, which began in Wuhan, China, has seen over 858,000 cases worldwide and more than 42,000 fatalities. As of the evening of April 1, the total number of people diagnosed with the virus in Australia is 3,573 including 14 deaths. Fourteen new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in County Kildare, according to the latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. The number of cases in Kildare stands at 80, as of 12pm on Sunday, March 29 - the latest day for which county breakdowns are available. Some 14 new deaths have also been reported from Covid-19 in Ireland this evening. Ten of those deaths were located in the east of the country, and four in the south. The deceased included seven women and seven men - eight of whom had under lying health conditions. There have now been 85 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The median age of deaths in Ireland is 82. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 212 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as at 1pm, Wednesday, April 1. There are now 3,447 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Meanwhile, research conducted on behalf of the Department of Health shows that 65% of people in Ireland are engaging in digital interactions with family and friends. The nationally representative online survey of 1,270 adults conducted today, and which will be conducted twice weekly, reveals: 89% believe current social distancing measures are appropriate 94% are confident in their ability to adhere to new restrictions 85% feel they have adapted to changes since COVID-19 and know the steps to take if they develop symptoms Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; Our research suggests that one-in-three people are worried about their health, with three out of four worried about the health of their families and friends. People are taking action to look after their wellbeing. Two thirds of people are conversing with family and friends by using phone and internet. Restrictions do not mean you stop maintaining your relationships or your health. Adapt your hobbies; go for walks, exercise and do the things that maintain wellbeing within the limits of physical distancing and public health advice. I can confirm that expanded contact tracing for all confirmed cases for the 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms, as decided by National Public Health Emergency Team will commence this week. This will reduce transmission of the virus. Industry leaders in the disability care sector are pleading for help to keep their doors open and for personal protective equipment for carers amid the coronavirus outbreak, warning highly vulnerable disabled Australians are at risk of losing their critical care services. A group of leading disability sector chief executives have written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning many disability care organisations will simply go under without further support and the sector has a critical role in ensuring hospitals were not swamped with cases of COVID-19. Disability carers are warning the critical care sector could fold without more support during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:Louie Douvis The coalition of non-affiliated National Disability Insurance Scheme providers has warned support packages being offered to the sector is "manifestly inadequate" to save the lives of people with a disability, to keep people in jobs and to ensure the sector's ongoing survival. "With limited cash reserves to support our clients and workforce through the COVID-19 crisis, a huge number of disability providers including some of the largest confront insolvency within six months, if not earlier, leaving no service for those people with disability to return to once the pandemic has been brought under control," the letter, sent earlier this week, says.